bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Orientalisme et philhellénisme sous le Second Empire
Authors: Mitsou Marilisa
Published: October 2022

Plus connu pour l’enlèvement de Venus de Milo que pour son œuvre littéraire, retiré très tôt de la vie publique, Marie-Louis-Jean-André-Charles Demartin du Tyrac, comte de Marcellus (1795-1865) choisit de publier ses « mélanges orientaux » sous le Second Empire, au moment où le philhellénisme était en pleine régression. Tous les ouvrages « philhelléniques » du « dernier des classiques », comme l’avait qualifié Lamartine, remontent à son séjour à Constantinople en tant que secrétaire de l’ambassade (1816-1820) et à son périple en Méditerranée orientale à la fin de sa mission diplomatique. Marcellus dépeint l’Orient, dans un premier temps, comme « un pays rebelle à l’action des siècles, obstinément fermé à l’invasion des idées et de la civilisation nouvelle », puis reprend son récit en y ajoutant des épisodes littéraires et des portraits de Grecs qu’il aurait fréquentés à Constantinople, à Athènes et dans les îles Égéennes. L’autobiographie et le récit de voyage au service de l’histoire ; d’une histoire néanmoins inventée et d’une population imaginaire. Pourquoi ces anachronismes ? Pourquoi inventer le passé ? Cet article se propose de traiter le cas d’un philhellène tardif et singulier, celui du comte de Marcellus, tout en inscrivant son œuvre dans le contexte transnational des philhellénismes du xixe siècle.
Le grec et le français à la Une
Authors: Provata Despina
Published: October 2022

La genèse de la presse francophone en Grèce remonte aux années de la guerre d’Indépendance et son émergence est étroitement liée à la présence de nombreux étrangers dans le pays mais aussi à la volonté d’informer l’opinion publique occidentale sur les développements de la révolution grecque. Si l’objectif premier de cette presse aux deux langues est de répondre aux besoins du lectorat allophone séjournant dans le pays, elle témoigne aussi d’une certaine modernisation de la société hellénique et de sa volonté d’adhérer au monde occidental. Cet article étudie la typologie de ces publications périodiques ainsi que leurs contenus pour dégager les représentations données des deux pays et des deux peuples.
Traces visibles et échos invisibles de la France en Grèce à travers la littérature pour la jeunesse (XIXe‑XXe siècles)
Authors: Polycandrioti Ourania
Published: October 2022

La France a joué un rôle prépondérant en Grèce post-révolutionnaire, non seulement par sa présence militaire et/ou politique, mais aussi en tant que source intellectuelle, modèle culturel et représentation emblématique d’un Occident à la fois objet d’admiration et de défiance. Le rôle donc de la France fut à la fois concret et pragmatique ainsi qu’abstrait et théorique. Dans tous les cas, la France fut un modèle, non pas tant ou non pas seulement concrètement national ou européen, mais plutôt occidental, dans tout ce que l’Occident représente dans les consciences. Cet article examine les traces visibles et les échos invisibles d’une France tant pragmatique que fantasmatique dans des textes adressés à la jeunesse, pendant la deuxième moitié du xixe et le début du xxe siècle. Les lectures destinées à la jeunesse reflètent dans une large mesure les idéologies courantes de la société, tandis que les manuels scolaires, dont le rôle est essentiellement de préparer les futurs citoyens, propagent le discours officiel de l’état, l’idéologie dominante. Sources de notre problématique sont la revue la plus appréciée de l’époque, La Formation des jeunes, ainsi qu’un bon nombre de manuels scolaires entre 1880 et 1922.
EFL Preservice Teacher Perceptions of Flipped Learning
Authors: Park Eunjeong
Published: October 2022

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine ELF preservice teachers' perceptions of and experiences with flipped learning. Thirty preservice teachers participated in a survey, and 15 of them agreed to interviews in this study. For data analysis, survey responses were first analyzed using descriptive statistics. Then, the interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis, which is a useful way of exploring recurring themes and patterns in qualitative data analysis. The findings revealed that the preservice teachers considered flipped learning extremely useful and effective for self-regulation and autonomy. They also discussed affordances and challenges with flipped learning. In terms of the online sessions for previewing, however, they perceived the need for instant feedback from instructors and interactions with colleagues. Lastly, the preservice teachers argued that the online sessions before the class should be closely connected to the actual classroom learning. Pedagogical implications are also discussed in this study.
Computing Offloading Decision Based on Adaptive Estimation of Distribution Algorithm in Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Yu Fahong , Chen Meijia , Yu Bolin
Published: October 2022

Aimed to improve the efficiency of computing offloading in internet of vehicles (IoV), a collaborative multi-task computing offloading decision mechanism with adaptive estimation of distribution algorithm for MEC-IoV was proposed in this paper. The algorithm considered the energy and time consumption as well as priority among different tasks. It presented a local search strategy and an adaptive learning rate according to the characteristics of the problem to improve the estimation of distribution algorithm. Experimental results show that compared with other offloading strategies, the proposed offloading strategy has obvious effects on the total cost optimization; the solutions quality of AEDA is 86.6% of PSO and 67.3% of GA.
Peer Influence in the Adoption of Video Games
Authors: Li Yang , He Jiangen , Liu Chuanren , Ping Yanni
Published: October 2022

The authors investigate how peer influence affects customers' product adoption behaviors in emerging video game platforms. Understanding peer influence is critical to motivating users' willingness to purchase and improving game publishers' marketing performance. While similarities between socially linked users can be viewed as a consequence of social influence, homophily may also contribute to such phenomenon, causing identification difficulties in observational studies. Using data from the world's largest digital distribution platform for video games, the authors leverage state-of-the-art recommender system algorithms and propose an innovative framework to identify social influence in the adoption of video games when a confounding homophily effect is present. The results show that peer influence has a positive impact on platform users' adoption behaviors (i.e., a user tends to adopt a video game that has been purchased by his peers). This study also finds that peer influence would have been overestimated if homophily was not properly controlled.
Motivations and Social Media Influencing Online Purchase Intention in India
Authors: Traymbak Shruti , Misra Sanjay , Jonathan Oluranti
Published: October 2022

The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of hedonic and utilitarian motivation on Indian consumer's online purchase intention. Second, this study tried to explore if social media mediates the influence of hedonic and utilitarian motivation on online purchase intention. A sample of 282 valid online buyers were collected who intentionally involved in online shopping for the last one year. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse data and to examine the research hypotheses. Results of the study revealed that utilitarian and hedonic motivation positively influenced online purchase intention (β= +0.26, p=.03 & β= +0.03, p=.643). This study also indicated that hedonic and utilitarian motivation has significant positive relationship with social media (β= +0.28, p=***), (β= +0.45, p=***). The current research model will give fresh insights of understanding of consumer's motivation and role of social media in online purchase intention. Research implications, limitations, and scope of research are discussed.
Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG)-Based Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Classifier for Glaucoma Detection
Authors: Singh Law Kumar , Pooja  , Garg Hitendra , Khanna Munish
Published: October 2022

Glaucoma is a severe condition of the optic nerve resulting in the loss of eyesight. The proposed methodology has introduced the extraction of HOG (histogram of oriented gradients) features from the retinal fundus image. After the removal of HOG features, the authors compare the performance of five different machine learning techniques like k-nearest neighbour (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), naïve bayes, and artificial neural network. The process of image classification is based on analyzing the numerical properties of the obtained image features and classifying the data into different categories. In the paper, the authors intend to classify whether the image belongs to the glaucomatous category or the healthy category. After the application of the different classification algorithms to the test data and further analysis of the results, they could conclude that the SVM classifier provided an accuracy of 90%, KNN 86%, Naïve Bayes 96%, LDA 86%, and ANN 96.90% on the dataset in hand.
Individual Processing of Phishing Emails
Authors: Hamoud Aymen , Aimeur Esma , Benmohammed Mohamed
Published: October 2022

There is a prevailing prejudice that technology can solve all problems in many fields, including cybercrime. Still, recent reports of increasing data breaches have shown that this belief is not always true. This paper investigated social engineering scenarios, particularly phishing attacks, to analyze the psychological deception schemes used by attackers alongside the heuristics that affect users' vulnerability. Indeed, the authors explain how hackers use various technical tools besides certain psychological factors to design clever and successful attacks against businesses or individuals. This research provides a decision-making framework for e-mail processing; it consists of several verification stages covering cognitive and technical factors that help users identify inconsistencies and different classes of phishing. Furthermore, it supports the security awareness field with a reliable framework that has demonstrated promising results and low false positives. The solution aims to reduce phishing threats and help organizations establish security-conscious behavior among their employees.
When Job Candidates Experience Social Media Privacy Violations
Authors: Sun Shiwei , Drake John R. , Hall Dianne
Published: October 2022

This study uses a cross-cultural sample from the U.S. and China to compare information privacy-protective responses to a breach in privacy during a job interview. Using a job recruitment scenario, the relationships among individuals' concern for information privacy, disposition to trust, judgment of moral issues, and their information privacy-protective responses were examined. Based on the multiple group analysis results, this paper find that the privacy-protective responses significantly vary between the American and Chinese cultures. The findings shed light on individuals' responses to privacy issues in the United States and China.
Hover Performance in Ground Effect Prediction Using a Dual Solver Computational Methodology
Authors:   Georgia Institute of Technology, Moushegian Alex ,   Continuum Dynamics Inc., Wachspress Daniel , Smith Marilyn , Whitehouse Glen
Published: October 2022

Rotorcraft operation in ground effect is an essential phase of every rotorcraft mission. Accurate prediction of this aerodynamic regime has implications for the design of the rotor, vehicle, and mission guidelines. Modern rotorcraft designs require higher fidelity predictions of the aerodynamics beyond the capabilities of momentumbased or algebraic models of ground effect, but high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) remains intractably expensive. A hybrid CFD-free-wake solver OVERFLOW-CHARM has been developed for application to this problem. It was validated against thrust, power, and flow visualization data obtained experimentally for a micro-scale rotor hovering out of ground effect and in ground effect at a range of heights between h/R = 0.5 and h/R = 2.5. A study of numerical options was performed to ensure confidence in the computational simulations. The results demonstrated that OVERFLOW-CHARM was able to capture the integrated rotor loads within three percent of a conventional OVERFLOW simulation at twenty percent the computational cost, and that qualitative agreement in the predicted flow fields was observed between OVERFLOW-CHARM, OVERFLOW, and experiment.
RCAS, VVPM, and Panel Coupling Enhancements for Interference and Download Prediction
Authors:   Advanced Rotorcraft Technology Inc., Kim Jeewoong ,   U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center, Bhagwat Mahendra , Hasbun Matthew , He Chengjian , Saberi Hossein
Published: October 2022

This paper evaluates the state-of-the-art Viscous Vortex Particle Method (VVPM) and its application for mutual aerodynamic interaction of multiple rotors with fuselage and download predictions as well. For this effort, the VVPM is coupled with structural dynamics and lifting line airloads from the Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis System (RCAS), as well as a panel method for fuselage blockage effects. The coupled RCAS/VVPM/Panel solution is applied to several test cases including 1) performance prediction of the NASA’s Multirotor Test Bed which is a new test capability for advanced eVTOL multirotor air vehicle configurations, 2) aerodynamic interactions between a rotor and ROBIN fuselage in a wind tunnel and 3) download evaluation with Cassarino’s compound helicopter configuration. Results demonstrate the capability to predict induced velocity field, pressure distributions on the fuselage, and downloads using the coupled RCAS/VVPM/Panel solver.
Modeling of the Blade Crossover Interaction using Machine Learning
Authors:   Pennsylvania State University, Sharma Kalki ,   US Army Research Lab, Anusonti-Inthra Phuriwat , Brentner Kenneth , Huang Daning , Surendran Vidullan , Yu Yin
Published: October 2022

Currently, 3D Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) rotorcraft simulations are able to account for blade crossover interaction (BCI) events, which are impulsive loading events that have a large influence on the vibrations and acoustics of a vehicle. Unfortunately, lower fidelity models are unable to adequately predict the BCI events and 3D CFD simulations are computationally expensive. This paper proposes a surrogate model that is able to predict the BCI event with reasonable accuracy and high computational efficiency for a subset of operating conditions. A dataset was created using transient 2D CFD simulations of airfoils moving toward each other in close proximity. The Mach number, angle-of-attack of each airfoil, along with the vertical separation distance between airfoils was varied in each simulation. An additional dependent parametric input (airfoil horizontal separation distance) was recorded along with the transient loads on the airfoils. This dataset was used in a supervised manner to train univariate (UV) and multivariate (MV) implementations of the Gaussian Process Regression model. Given airfoil operating conditions, the models are able to predict the BCI events. Hyper-parameters such as kernels and trend functions were compared using 5-fold cross validation and the final MV and UV models were compared on a held out test set to demonstrate predictive performance on unseen data.
A Comparison of High-Fidelity Simulation Approaches for eVTOL Rotor Flows in Descent Conditions
Authors:   Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Chopra Abhishek , Gandhi Farhan , Healy Richard , McCauley Joseph , Sahni Onkar
Published: October 2022

There is a significant interest in operating electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles in complex urban environments, and thus, there is a need to understand how eVTOL rotors perform at steep descent rates. In descent, a complex flow state can arise near the rotor which requires a thorough analysis. This work employs high-fidelity numerical simulations. Specifically, two approaches are considered: blade-resolved DDES (i.e., BR-DDES), and actuator line model/ALM-based LES (i.e., ALM-LES). The goal of this paper is to compare results from these two approaches at various descent conditions. Three descent regimes/cases of high-speed (windmill brake state), low-speed (vortex ring state), and very low-speed are studied. Overall, both approaches show a good agreement for all three cases, however, some differences are also observed between the two approaches, e.g., mean thrust is found to be different by up to 13%.
Helicopter Rotor Blade Multiple-Section Optimization with Performance Considerations
Authors:   US Army ERDC, Allen Luke ,   U.S. Army CCDC AvMC, Lim Joon , Dettwiller Ian , Haehnel Robert
Published: October 2022

This paper presents advancements in a surrogate-based, rotor blade design optimization framework for improved helicopter performance. The framework builds on previous successes by allowing multiple airfoil sections to be designed simultaneously to minimize required rotor power in multiple flight conditions. Rotor power in hover and forward flight, at advance ratio μ = 0.3, are used as objective functions in a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The framework is constructed using Galaxy Simulation Builder with optimization provided through integration with Dakota. Three independent airfoil sections are morphed using ParFoil and aerodynamic coefficients for the updated airfoil shapes (i.e., lift, drag, moment) are calculated using linear interpolation from a database generated using C81Gen/ARC2D. Final rotor performance is then calculated using RCAS. Several demonstrative optimization case studies were conducted using the UH-60A main rotor. The degrees of freedom for this case are limited to the airfoil camber, camber crest position, thickness, and thickness crest position for each of the sections. The results of the three-segment case study show improvements in rotor power of 4.3% and 0.8% in forward flight and hover, respectively. This configuration also yields greater reductions in rotor power for high advance ratios, e.g., 6.0% reduction at μ = 0.35, and 8.8% reduction at μ = 0.4.
Incremental Dynamic Inversion Flight Control for the ACT/FHS EC 135 Helicopter
Authors:   Technical University Munich, Bachler Jakob ,   German Aerospace center (DLR), Petit Philippe
Published: October 2022

The presented research addresses the development, implementation and evaluation of helicopter flight control laws based on Incremental Dynamic Inversion (IDI). IDI is a promising control approach for manned helicopter applications as it is inherently robust against modeling errors, hence alleviating the need for highly accurate dynamics models usually required for decoupling controllers. The discussed controller is designed for the DLR's ACT/FHS research helicopter and was tested in its associated high-fidelity flight simulator AVES. The ACT/FHS is a modified EC135 helicopter equipped with a fly-by-wire/fly-by-light control system with full authority. While most research on IDI focuses on nonlinear control, the presented controller demonstrated good control ability over the full flight envelope utilizing only linear models of the ACT/FHS. To overcome actuator rate saturation, different methods were evaluated. The final flight controller was assessed in simulator test trials for its tracking performance and flight characteristics. In direct comparison with a currently used model-based flight controller of the DLR, IDI achieved significantly higher robustness against modeling errors and similar reference tracking performance. Furthermore, in conclusive pilot tests the Handling Qualities (HQ) for the Mission Task Elements Pirouette and Slalom according to ADS-33E (Ref. 1) were assessed. The controller achieved HQ ratings between Level 1 and Level 2.
Deep Learning Based Obstacle Awareness from Airborne Optical Sensors
Authors:   Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH, Ammalladene-Venkata Manogna ,   Airbus Defense and Space GmbH, Groitl Christine , Halbe Omkar , Seidel Christian , Stahl Christoph
Published: October 2022

Aviation statistics identify collision with terrain and obstacles as a leading cause of helicopter accidents. Assisting helicopter pilots in detecting the presence of obstacles can partly mitigate the risk of collisions. However, only a limited number of helicopters in operation have an installed helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (HTAWS), while the cost of active obstacle warning systems remains prohibitive for many civil operators. In this work, we apply machine learning to automate obstacle detection and classification in combination with any commercially-available airborne optical sensor. While numerous techniques for learning-based object detection have appeared in the literature, many of them are data- and computation-intensive. Our approach seeks to balance the performance in regards to the detection and classification accuracy on the one hand, and the amount of training data and runtime performance on the other hand. Specifically, our approach combines the invariant feature extraction ability of pre-trained deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and the high-speed training and classification ability of a novel, proprietary frequency-domain Support Vector Machine (SVM) method. In this paper, we present the CNN+SVM method for efficient obstacle detection and classification. We describe the experimental setup comprising datasets of pre-defined classes of obstacles – pylons, chimneys, antennas, towers, wind turbines, flying aircraft – from airborne video sequences of low-altitude helicopter flight. We analyze the performance results using average precision, average recall, and runtime performance metrics on representative test data. Finally, we present a simple architecture for a real-time, on-board evaluation of automatic vision-based obstacle detection.
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Viral Infection in the Okpoko Community
Authors: Nwachukwu Ndubuisi Obiora , Okoronkwo Christopher Uche , Duru Precious Ndudi
Published: October 2022

Background:

Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) is a potentially life-threatening liver infection. Little is known about seroprevalence at the community level. A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted at Okopko, an urban slum in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, using a multistage sampling technique. Stages were the constituency level, ward, and household levels. A total of 867 participants were enrolled.

Methods:

Testing for the markers of HBV was performed using Diagnostic Kit (USA). The test panel detects hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis e antigen (HBeAg), antibody to e antigen (HBeAb), core antibody (HBcAb), and surface antibody (HBsAb) using colloidal gold and membrane chromatographic technology.

Results:

The seroprevalence of HBsAg was 6.6%. Seroprevalence was higher in males (7.4%) than in females (5.5%) (P > 0.05). The peak seroprevalence occurred in the age group of 40–49 years for both males (13.6%) and females (8.1%) (P < 0.05). Exactly 4.7% were positive for HBeAg and 5.8% for HBsAg + HBeAg + HBcAb. Only 1% was positive for HBsAb.

Conclusion:

Okpoko community has a high intermediate prevalence rate of HBV infection. The HBV vaccination level is very low in the community.
Diosmetin ameliorates imiquimod-induced psoriasis by regulating apoptosis and inflammation via toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B pathway
Authors: Yang Jinyan , Zhan Mingfeng , Chen Zhaohui , Li Lihua , Lu Juan , Yang Min , Gao Xuewen
Published: October 2022

Background:

Psoriasis is a common skin inflammatory disease. Dysregulated growth and differentiation of keratinocytes are the main characteristics of psoriasis. Diosmetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. However, the anti-psoriatic role and mechanism of diosmetin remain unclear.

Objectives:

To investigate anti-psoriatic role and mechanism of diosmetin.

Methods:

Human immortalized epidermal cells (HaCaT) were treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) to establish the cell model of psoriasis. Mice were treated with imiquimod (IMQ) to establish the animal model of psoriasis. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium and flow cytometry, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA assays were performed to detect the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to detect the skin lesion.

Results:

Diosmetin reduced cell viability and promoted the apoptosis of TNF-α-induced HaCaT. Protein expression of Bax in TNF-α-induced HaCaT was up-regulated, while Bcl-2 was down-regulated by diosmetin. Diosmetin attenuated TNF-α-induced increase in IL-6 and IL-8 in HaCaT. The enhanced protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4) (toll-like receptor 4), p65 and IκBα phosphorylation, as well as reduced IκBα in TNF-α-induced HaCaT were restored by diosmetin. Diosmetin improved IMQ-induced skin lesion and attenuated inflammatory response in psoriasis-like mouse model.

Conclusion:

Diosmetin exerted anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic effects on TNF-α-induced HaCaT and IMQ-induced mice through inactivation of TLR4/nuclear factor kappa B pathway.
A rare case of cortical blindness following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Mahajan Asmita , Phuljhele Swati
Published: October 2022

A 61-year-old male presented with sudden loss of vision in both the eyes about 8 days after the first shot of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (Covishield). On examination, the visual acuity was no perception of light in both the eyes. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging showed acute cerebral infarcts involving bilateral parieto-occipital region. Considering the temporal correlation with the vaccine shot and absence of any other precipitating factor, we hypothesized that this was probably an immunologic response to the vaccine.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice of ophthalmic manifestations in COVID-19 patients at a tertiary care center
Authors: Samuel Shweta , Sriganesh Sushmitha S , Shanthaveerappa Prathibha , Sridhar Sriya , Thomas Linto M
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, various manifestations have been reported, including ophthalmic symptoms, especially with the different mutations and variants that have occurred over the last few years. In view of this, our study was conducted to gauge the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients toward the ophthalmic manifestations of COVID-19.

Methods

This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional, observational study. Patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 were asked to answer a detailed questionnaire about their knowledge of COVID-19 ophthalmic symptoms, their experience with the symptoms, and their attitude and practice toward the same. The data collected was analyzed using Microsoft Excel, and the Chi-squared test was used to determine significant differences in the results among different demographic profiles.

Results

Our study found that 82 (39%) of the 210 participants were aware that COVID-19 could present with symptoms in the eyes. A total of 47 participants had experienced eye symptoms of COVID-19. Among them, only 15 (31.91%) consulted and received treatment from an ophthalmologist or general physician for the same. Most of them (59.57%) did not seek any treatment, and 8.5% self-medicated or used non-allopathic forms of medicine. The most common symptom was redness of the eyes, reported by 57.44% of those who had eye symptoms.

Conclusion

Most people were unaware of ocular manifestations of COVID-19 and most of those who were aware were medical professionals. Amongst those who developed symptoms, only a minority sought medical treatment.
Evaluation and correlation of corneal endothelium parameters with the severity of primary glaucoma
Authors: Kang Diksha , Kaur Prempal , Singh Karamjit , Kumar Dinesh , Chopra Riya , Sehgal Gaurang
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To evaluate and correlate corneal endothelium parameters with the severity of primary glaucoma.

Methods:

This prospective case-control study was conducted on 150 eyes of 80 newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma (cPACG), and normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) patients in a tertiary care center. Endothelial parameters including endothelial cell count (ECC), percentage of hexagonal cells, and coefficient of variation of cell size were analyzed. Glaucoma cases were further sub-grouped into early, moderate, and severe glaucoma and compared for endothelial parameters. Chi-square, Fischer’s exact test, independent sample t-test, and analysis of variance were performed using IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 28.

Results:

The ECC was markedly reduced in cases (2281 cells/mm2) versus controls (2611 cells/mm2) (P < 0.001). The POAG (2251 cells/mm2) and cPACG (2287 cells/mm2) eyes had significantly a lower ECC compared to healthy controls (P < 0.001), whereas NTG eyes had a lower mean ECC (2538 cells/mm2), but it was not statistically significant (P > 0.05) when compared with controls. The ECC decreased with an increase in severity as patients with early glaucoma had an ECC of 2284 cells/mm2, moderate 2261 cells/mm2, and severe 2086 cells/mm2, and the difference was statistically significant.

Conclusion:

A significant decrease in corneal ECC was observed in POAG and cPACG patients when compared with healthy controls of the same age group. Mechanical damage following an elevated intra-ocular pressure for a longer duration may be attributed to morphological and consequent functional damage to endothelial cells.
Keratoconus in pre-teen children: Demographics and clinical profile
Authors: Tharini Bhava , Sahebjada Srujana , Borrone Maria Agustina , Vaddavalli Pravin , Ali Hasnat , Reddy Jagadesh C
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To study the demographics and clinical profile of keratoconus (KC) presenting in pre-teen children in India.

Methods:

This was a retrospective case series conducted as a single-institutional study at a tertiary eye center in India. A total of 586 eyes from 294 KC patients (aged 12 years or less) without any active comorbid conditions of the eye were included in the study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was used to document the clinical signs of KC. Information on age; gender; reason for consultation; family history; history of allergy, atopy, and eye rubbing; manifest refraction; uncorrected and best-corrected distance visual acuity (UCVA and BCVA, respectively); clinical presentation; and contact lens usage were also analyzed, along with data on types of medical and surgical treatments for KC and their outcomes.

Results:

The mean age of this pediatric KC patient cohort was 9.3 ± 1.8 years, and there was a male (70%) preponderance. Baseline mean UCVA, BCVA, steep keratometry, and flat keratometry were 0.86 ± 0.58 logMAR, 0.44 ± 0.38 logMAR, 54.82 ± 8.4 D, and 48.21 ± 9.5 D, respectively. Progression, necessitating collagen crosslinking (CXL), was noted in 12.7% eyes. Post-CXL, visual and topographic parameters remained stable without any complications till 6 months posttreatment. However, in eyes that did not undergo CXL, significant progression over time (P < 0.001) was observed. A keratoplasty was required in 2.3% eyes.

Conclusion:

KC was present at an advanced stage in 25% of the pre-teens in our series, and therefore, it is an important diagnostic entity when a refractive error is diagnosed, even in very young children.
A study of retinal changes in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome
Authors: Shiromani Sakshi , Bhatnagar Kavita R , Singh Pratibha , Suman Suwarna , Meena Seema , Parveen Shadman
Published: October 2022

Purpose

To compare the optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness at the posterior pole, and total macular thickness of women with the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) versus healthy reproductive age group females.

Methods

The study included 110 eyes of 55 diagnosed cases of PCOS (study group) and 110 eyes of 55 healthy reproductive age group (15–49 years) females (control group). All patients underwent a detailed ophthalmological evaluation followed by an OCT to measure their retinal thicknesses. The body mass index (BMI) of patients was noted and compared with the retinal thickness. Also, the lipid profile and serum testosterone levels of PCOS patients were recorded.

Results

The retinal thicknesses in the two study were similar and there was no statistically significant difference. However, on stratification with BMI, it was seen that in patients with BMI>30 kg/m2, the superior Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer (RNFL) was significantly thicker in the PCOS group as compared with the control group (P = 0.0006). The mean serum testosterone level in patients with PCOS was 141.3 ± 23.2. Also, 65.45% of patients had a serum testosterone level of more than 70 ng/dL. The mean HDL cholesterol in patients with PCOS was 38.1 ± 15.6. The mean LDL cholesterol in PCOS patients was 98.4 ± 21.7, and the mean total cholesterol in PCOS patients was 153.6 ± 27.3.

Conclusion

Androgens have a trophic action on nerves, which could explain the increased RNFL thickness in these patients.
Normative database for Spaeth Richman contrast sensitivity test for Indian eyes
Authors: Bariya Sonia , Ichhpujani Parul , Rehman Obaidur , Kumar Suresh
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To ascertain normative database of contrast sensitivity (CS) using Spaeth/Richman CS test (SPARCS) in the Indian population.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study enrolled 200 healthy individuals, and CS was tested in both eyes of each participant using SPARCS. A detailed ocular examination was done before enrollment to rule out pathologies that may affect CS. A practice test was performed in the right eye (OD), followed by uniocular testing in each eye and a final binocular test.

Results:

Data of 400 eyes of 200 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria was evaluated. The average age of subjects was 46.57 ± 16.77 years (range 21–79 years), with a slight female preponderance (53%, n = 106). A statistically significant decline in average SPARCS scores was noted with increasing age (P < 0.05), ranging from 86.68 (20–29 years age group) to 67.44 (70–79 years age group). Higher scores were noted in binocular testing than uniocular testing (Interclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.83; P < 0.001). Females achieved statistically significant higher total scores in uniocular SPARCS testing (both OD and OS), but there was no significant difference noted between the two genders in binocular testing. Correlation between practice and main tests was statistically Significant with an interclass correlation coefficient of 0.54 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Normative database for SPARCS was established for Indian eyes, with a decreasing trend noted in peripheral as well as central CS scores with increasing age.
Kissing microvitreoretinal blade technique: A novel approach for safe and effective endocapsular lens aspiration in microspherophakia
Authors: Urkude Jayanand , Singh Rashmi , Titiyal Jeewan S , Sharma Namrata
Published: October 2022

We herein describe the kissing MVR technique in cases of microspherophakia for safe and effective endocapsular lens aspiration. Microspherophakia is associated with abnormally lax and broken zonules, which pose a great challenge to the operating surgeon, especially while creating the openings in the capsular bag. In this novel technique, simultaneous use of two 23 G MVR blades reduces the above problem associated with the severely mobile lens. Here, one MVR blade stabilizes the capsular bag and, at the same time, provides counter-traction for the opposite MVR blade while puncturing the capsular bag. Furthermore, the creation of openings in the lens at the equator or just posterior to it is beneficial as the capsule is relatively thicker and stronger at this location. This also minimizes the risk of premature extension to the anterior or posterior capsule, thereby avoiding complications like dropped lens matter, vitreous prolapse, and vitreous traction.
Glaucoma screening skills among general ophthalmologists - How general should it be?
Authors: Gawas Lisika , Roy Avik K , Rao Aparna
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To compare the glaucoma assessment skills among general ophthalmologists in their referral patients over 5 years.

Methods:

This was a retrospective auditing of the electronic medical record database. Details of consecutive new glaucoma patients seen in the glaucoma services of a tertiary eye care institute in 2013 and 2018 were collected. Details of each patient included the clinical presentation, baseline intra-ocular pressure (IOP), type and severity of glaucoma, referral details, gonioscopy, HVF (Humphrey visual field) data, and the number of medications. Statistical tests used were the Chi-square test and T test using SPSS version 22.

Results:

Of 28,886 medical records screened, 211 and 568 new glaucoma patients were retrieved in 2013 and 2018, respectively. The patients presenting in 2018 were younger (58.1 ± 15.4 years) at presentation than in 2013 (65.6 ± 15.2 years), P < 0.01, and also had higher baseline IOP (IOP ≥40 mm Hg was found in 9.5% in 2018 versus 2.4% in 2013; P < 0.01). The percentage of eyes with presenting visual acuity worse than 20/400 or 20/600 was higher in the patients presenting in 2018 (22.2% vs. 15.1%; P = 0.03). Although primary glaucoma predominated in both periods, the number of eyes referred to as disc suspects showed an increase in 2018 (4.7% to 14.4%; P < 0.01). Among 195 and 517 referrals in 2013 and 2018, respectively, the documentation of clinical findings were dismally poor in both the groups in terms of absent gonioscopy (99% vs. 98.2%, P = 0.4), absent disc details (89.6% vs. 91%, P = 0.5), or absent visual field analysis (79.1% vs. 74.8%, P = 0.2). However, the missing IOP values were significantly better in the latter year (77.3% vs. 57.2%; P < 0.01).

Conclusion:

The increase in the number of new glaucoma patients and referrals did not show a corresponding improvement in documentation of findings except for IOP recording among general ophthalmologists. Hence, we need to re-emphasize the training of general ophthalmologists on basic glaucoma evaluation to improve their referral ability.
Evaluation of posterior capsular opacification and neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet capsulotomy rates in patients with hydrophilic intraocular lens implantation with and without ocular viscoelastic device
Authors: Joshi Rajesh Subhash , Surwade Tanmay , Rasal Ashwini
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To study the effect of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with and without ocular viscoelastic device (OVD) on posterior capsular opacification (PCO) in eyes with phacoemulsification.

Methods:

This prospective, comparative, and randomized case series included 70 patients (140 eyes) with senile cataracts scheduled for phacoemulsification and IOL implantation in a tertiary eye c are center. One eye of each patient was randomized to one of the two groups, namely, control and OVD. After phacoemulsification, the IOL was placed in the capsular bag under balanced salt solution (BSS) in the control group, whereas the IOL was placed under OVD in the OVD group. PCO was analyzed by an independent observer at 6, 12, and 18 months under slit-lamp illumination.

Results:

The mean age of the participants in the two groups was 61.2 (±9.9) years. Of the total participants, 68 (48.5%) were men and 72 (51.5%) were women. The mean keratometry (K1, K2) values of the OVD (44.26 ± 1.43, 44.93 ± 1.66) and control (44.51 ± 1.74, 44.69 ± 1.49) groups were similar. The mean IOL powers of the control and OVD groups were 21.25 (±1.94) and 21.53 (±1.86), respectively (P = 0.463). The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the control group at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-ups were 0.622 (±0.253), 0.315 (±0.203), and 0.063 (±0.163), respectively, whereas those of the OVD group were 0.592 (±0.253), 0.336 (±0.169), and 0.066 (±0.118), respectively (P = 0.922). None of the patients had postoperative raised intraocular pressure (IOP), uveitis, or endophthalmitis. Three and four eyes in the control and OVD groups, respectively, required neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (ND: YAG) capsulotomy at study termination (P = 0.999).

Conclusion:

The hydroimplantation technique of the placement of hydrophilic IOL did not reduce the PCO rate in the 18-month follow-up period. The ND: YAG capsulotomy rate did not differ between the groups.
A series of 777 pellet gun ocular injuries over a 4-month period in Kashmir
Authors: Wei Xin , Ang Bryan Chin Hou , Nazir Arshi , Shah Faisal Qayoom , Qureshi Tariq , Jain Astha , Natarajan Sundaram
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To examine the incidence, clinical findings and management of pellet gun–related ocular injuries that occurred during protests in Kashmir region.

Methods:

This retrospective study included records from 777 patients diagnosed with pellet gun–related ocular injuries admitted to a tertiary hospital in Srinagar, India, between July and November 2016. By reviewing the clinical records, the following data were collected: demographics, clinical information pertaining to the injury, imaging reports including computer tomography and ultrasonography B-scan, management in the emergency setting, and follow-up treatment.

Results:

Mean age was 22.3 ± 7.2 years and majority patients were male (97.7%). In terms of laterality, 94.3% and 5.7% of the patients sustained monocular and binocular injuries, respectively. In terms of the nature of injury, 76.3% of the eyes had open globe injury while 23.7% of the eyes had closed eye injury. Emergency surgical exploration was performed in 67.7% of closed globe injuries while emergency primary repair was done in 91.1% of open globe injuries. The vast majority of patients (98.7%) who required surgery underwent surgical intervention on the day of admission or the next day. Final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after treatment was counting fingers or worse in 82.4% of the eyes.

Conclusion:

Pellet gun–related ocular injuries resulted in significant ocular morbidity, mostly manifesting as open globe injuries. Treatment often required surgical interventions, but despite expeditious management, visual prognosis remained poor for most of the patients.
On the greatest common divisor ofnand thenth Fibonacci number, II
Authors: Jha Abhishek , Sanna Carlo
Published: October 2022

Let$\mathcal {A}$be the set of all integers of the form$\gcd (n, F_n)$, wherenis a positive integer and$F_n$denotes thenth Fibonacci number. Leonetti and Sanna proved that$\mathcal {A}$has natural density equal to zero, and asked for a more precise upper bound. We prove that$$ \begin{align*} \#\big(\mathcal{A} \cap [1, x]\big) \ll \frac{x \log \log \log x}{\log \log x} \end{align*} $$for all sufficiently largex. In fact, we prove that a similar bound also holds when the sequence of Fibonacci numbers is replaced by a general nondegenerate Lucas sequence.
Management of injuries in Swiss primary care practices: a cross-sectional study within the Sentinella surveillance system
Authors: Bäumlin Rolf , Kaiser Christelle , Combescure Christophe , Rohrer-Christ Jörg , Herzig Lilli , Haller Dagmar M.
Published: October 2022

INTRODUCTION: Injuries are amongst the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our aim was to describe the frequency, type of injury and care provided in primary care in Switzerland.
METHODS: We used anonymous data from 14,307 injury-related consultations of all ages, with a representative sample of 160 primary care physicians from the Sentinella network throughout the year 2017. Descriptive information about patients presenting with one or multiple injuries and the type of care provided were collected in a weekly questionnaire. Data about the primary care physicians including their experience, postgraduate training, equipment and skills were obtained using a single anonymous questionnaire. Negative binomial regression models with mixed effects were used to examine the association between primary care physicians’ characteristics, the proportion represented by injured patients in their total activity and independent management in primary care (without referral). With these models, the associations are expressed as a ratio of prevalence (PR).
RESULTS: The median proportion (prevalence) of injury-related consultations was 2.0% (range 0.0–19.8%), with a significant difference between paediatricians and general practitioners (median 1.2% vs 2.1%). Nearly 60% of consultations for injuries involved men, 21.0% were for patients <18 years and 15.3% for those above 65. Sprains and dislocations (31.2%) were the most frequent diagnoses followed by cutaneous injuries (23.0%), contusions (20.1%) and fractures (18.8%).  Of the injuries presenting directly to primary care, 87.0% were managed by the primary care physician without referral to external services. Fractures were the main diagnosis motivating referral, yet 67.9% of them were entirely managed within primary care. Multivariable analyses showed that training as a paediatrician and a longer experience in primary care were associated with having a lower prevalence of injury-related consultations (adjusted PR [adjPR] 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31–0.78 and adjPR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23–0.75, respectively), whereas the ability to offer wound care including sutures and both splints and casts were associated with a much higher prevalence of injury-related consultations (adjPR 9.36, 95% CI 3.42–25.61 and adjPR 2.38, 95% CI 1.43–3.97, respectively). 
CONCLUSION: The proportion represented by injured patients in a primary care physician’s total activity is heterogeneous. Most patients with mild to moderate injuries could be managed in primary care without referral to secondary care. Further studies could explore factors associated with patients’ decision to consult their primary care physician or emergency services for injuries. Exploring outcomes of primary care and patients’ satisfaction is another future research priority.
The Role and Position of the Orthodox Church in the Current Era
Authors: Tatu Rev. Dr. Razvan , Nicolaides Rev. Prof. Angelo
Published: October 2022

When we consider the role of the church in the modern world, we also need to contemplate the relationship that exists between the church in God's Kingdom. Churches should not be considered as simply being institutions residing in various denominations but should rather be viewed as entities in the service of the Creator. As such they are essentially transcendent over any man-made institution and are inevitably bound to be responsive to the word of God as manifested in Holy Scriptures, Holy Traditions and daily living, and are expected to do His will until God’s Kingdom comes. The church offers us an epiphany the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ – and of the Kingdom of God and it allows us to go back in time to the life of Jesus Christ as the God-man (Theanthropos), who is totally faithful to the Father. Not only does the church look backwards, but it also anticipates futuristic revelation. The manner in which the church and the world are interrelated is ultimately determined by the relationship of each to Gods Kingdom. The Orthodox Church today as always, strongly asserts the truth of freedom in Christ through its evangelisation, mission, theology, devotional and pastoral endeavours. It teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church established by Jesus Christ in His Great Commission, and that all bishops are essentially the successors of Christ's apostles. Thus, the church upholds practices held by the original Christian faith, as they have been passed down to us via Holy Tradition and she has a life-giving role to play in a highly distressed world.