bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Killing and Dying for Public Relations
Authors: Ryan Cheyney
Published: January 2024

My starting point is the first major American military action in World War II in Europe, “Operation Torch.” The action was controversial because the American military regarded it as militarily useless, if not counterproductive. But the military was overruled by President Roosevelt on the grounds that, while it was not militarily necessary, it was politically justified. This indifference to military necessity seems to violate standard rules about the legitimacy of military force. The larger question it raises is the relation between military concerns and political ones in warfare. Much of this essay explores the relation between these two dimensions in war: the military dimension and the political dimension. I argue that the second dimension is the most important one, as well as the most problematic one for the legitimacy of war. Yet it is ignored by standard just war theories. I then return at the end to consider again the problems raised by “Operation Torch,” and especially the question of the harms inflicted on a country’s own soldiers – in the name of killing and dying for public relations.
Suspending Voluntary Reserve Service: New Questions in Israeli Military Ethics
Authors: Kasher Asa
Published: January 2024

Military activities with the framework of the IDF [Israel Defense Force] is carried out by citizens in a variety of positions. In addition to the ordinary positions of career officers and NCOs, the IDF consists of conscripted men and women as well as reservists. Some of the latter serve under an ordinary command to serve for a certain relatively short period. Other reservists, including pilots and special forces officers have served since they volunteered to serve. Facing the political clash between the government, who have been viewed as trying to change the democratic nature of the state, and the popular opposition, who have tried to protect the judiciary and other elements of democracy, many officers who belong to the latter reservist group have suspended their voluntary service or even retired. Their decision has raised the obvious issue of whether such decisions can be justified, morally, ethically, and democratically. This is the topic of the present paper.
War: Its Morality and Significance
Authors: Narveson Jan
Published: January 2024

This brief paper is a general treatment of war – its morality and its political and social effects. Accordingly, we discuss primarily those armed interactions between nations, or, in “civil” wars, those aimed at securing the reins of government. These must, we contend, be inherently immoral on one side – the one which “starts” the war in question – and inherently moral on the other, who after all are defending their lives against the first. To say this requires a moral theory, which we briefly develop. It proceeds on Hobbesian-contractarian lines: if mankind occupies a “state of nature,” then we will all be worse off than if we join with each other in adopting the restrictions of morality – fundamentally, and primarily, of nonviolence, of living at peace with each other. This raises a question about the very rationality of war, to be sure. And yet, war we have, in considerable and unfortunate abundance. How can this be? Some tentative answers are suggested.
Ναρκισσισμός και θρησκευτικότητα στην παιδική και προεφηβική ηλικία
Authors: Μπογιατζή Χριστίνα
Published: January 2024

Ο Ναρκισσισμός ως διαταραχή προσωπικότητας στους ενήλικες, αναλύεται και αντιστοιχίζεται ως προς τα στοιχεία του στην παιδική και προεφηβική ηλικία. Επιπρόσθετα, αυτα τα στοιχεία, διερευνώνται σε πληθυσμό παιδιών 8-11 ετών ως προς την θρησκευτικότητα και τα αποτελέσματα αναδεικνύουν μία ισχυρή -αρνητική- σχέση ανάμεσα σε στοιχεία ναρκισσιστικής διαταραχής και την άσκηση θρησκευτικότητας στον εν λόγω πληθυσμό των 209 ατόμων.
COverlap: a Fiji toolset for the 3D co-localization of two fluorescent nuclear markers in confocal images
Authors: Ambroset Mélodie , Bontempi Bruno , Morel Jean-Luc
Published: January 2024

With the increasing complexity and throughput of microscopy experiments, it has become essential for biologists to navigate computational means of analysis to produce automated and reproducible workflows. Bioimage analysis workflows being largely underreported in method sections of articles, it is however quite difficult to find practical examples of documented scripts to support beginner programmers in biology. Here, we introduce COverlap, a Fiji toolset composed of four macros, for the 3D segmentation and co-localization of fluorescent nuclear markers in confocal images. The toolset accepts batches of multichannel z-stack images, segments objects in two channels of interest, and outputs object counts and labels, as well as co-localization results based on the physical overlap of objects. The first macro is a preparatory step that produces maximum intensity projections of images for visualization purposes. The second macro assists users in selecting batch-suitable segmentation parameters by testing them on small portions of the images. The third macro performs automated segmentation and co-localization analysis, and saves the parameters used, the results table, the 3D regions of interest (ROIs) of co-localizing objects, and two types of verification images with segmentation and co-localization masks for each image of the batch. The fourth macro allows users to review the verification images displaying segmentation masks and the location of co-localization events, and to perform corrections such as ROI adjustment, z-stack reslicing, and volume estimation correction in an automatically documented manner. To illustrate how COverlap operates, we present an experiment in which we identified rare endothelial proliferation events in adult rat brain slices on more than 350 large tiled z-stacks. We conclude by discussing the reproducibility and generalizability of the toolset, its limitations for different datasets, and its potential use as a template that is adaptable to other types of analyses.
The safety and efficacy of spray cryotherapy after endoscopic sinus surgery in chronic rhinosinusitis: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Taha Mohammad J. J. , Falah Obaida , Abuawwad Mohammad T. , Sara Ayham R. , Aljariri Adham A. , Nashwan Abdulqadir J. , Abuawwad Ibrahim T. , Taha Ahmad J. , Elhakim Abdullah A. , Akili Majed
Published: January 2024

Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a condition that affects 5–12% of the general population. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is the preferred treatment because of its few adverse effects. The most common post-operative consequences include synechia, nasal blockage, and disease recurrence. Spray cryotherapy is a novel therapeutic approach with promising outcomes for the treatment of upper airway disorders. This review aimed to investigate the effects of spray cryotherapy (SCT) following ESS in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Methods Six electronic databases were searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs). The selected trials were evaluated for methodological quality, and data were extracted by two independent reviewers. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the quality of evidence. Results Three RCTs with 85 patients were included in the final analysis. SCT was related to -16 and -77 reductions in Lund-McKay and SNOT-22 scores after 36 weeks of follow-up, in contrast to a placebo, which showed -10.4, -65. Regarding the side effects of SCT, no adverse effects were reported, and visual assessments showed no pain, visual field loss, or any other ocular complications. Conclusions SCT is a new treatment modality after endoscopic sinus surgery that shows an effective post-operative management strategy with better post-operative scales (Lund-McKay, SNOT-22, POSE, and Lund-Kennedy) and less edema, obstruction, crusting, and inflammation with minimal or no side effects. However, further research with longer follow-ups, a larger sample size, and subjective assessment is needed to assess any possible long-term side effects.
Perceived stress, sources of stress and coping strategies among undergraduate medical students of Nepal: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Paudel Ujjawal , Parajuli Anima , Shrestha Rashmi , Kumari Shivanee , Adhikari Yadav Saroj , Marahatta Kedar
Published: January 2024

Background: Medical students are subjected to various stressors throughout their training, which has a considerable impact on their physical and mental health. Some students have positive ways of coping, while others take to maladaptive coping measures. This study aims to assess severity, sources of stress, and coping strategies among medical students of a non-Western low-income country from South Asia. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out. Demographic variables were collected and stress level was assessed using PSS 14 (Perceived Stress Scale 14). The sources of stress were assessed using MSSQ (Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire) and coping strategies were evaluated using the Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced 28. Results: The response rate was 95%. The mean PSS score was 27.85. Overall, 55% of students were stressed (male 52%, female 60%), the difference among gender was not significant. Basic science students perceived higher levels of stress than clinical clerkship students. Academic related stressors caused higher stress, whereas other variables caused moderate stress. The major stressors were examinations, inadequate time to study, poor marks, extensive amount of learning content, and the need to performing well in the exam. The five most common coping strategies used were active coping, acceptance, planning, self-distraction, and instrumental support. The least common coping mechanism was substance use. All MSSQ domains positively correlated with the total PSS score. Students with higher PSS scores were likely to use behavioral disengagement, venting, and self-blame as the primary coping strategies. Conclusions: Stress level among the medical students is high and mainly in relation to academia. Inadequate guidance from teachers contributed significantly. Stressed students were likely to use maladaptive coping strategies. Strategies to enhance teacher-student communication and adaptive coping measures should be implemented. Further studies should be done to evaluate the effects of stress on the academic outcomes of students.
Application of machine learning techniques to profile smoking behavior of adolescent girls in Ghana
Authors: Flanagan Sara V. , Vargas Ariadna , Smith Jana
Published: January 2024

Background Tobacco use trends among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, and in particular narrowing gender gaps, highlight the need for interventions to prevent and/or reduce tobacco use among adolescent girls. We evaluated a social marketing program in Ghana discouraging tobacco use among adolescent girls and additionally investigated the pathways influencing smoking behaviors to identify programmatic opportunities for impact. Leveraging the data collected through the stepped wedge cluster randomized trial and panel survey of 9000 girls aged 13–19 , we sought to apply machine learning (ML) techniques to identify the most important variables for predicting initiation of smoking. Methods To identify predictors of smoking initiation we sought to develop a model which could accurately differentiate smokers from non-smokers and evaluated various ML approaches for training classifier algorithms to achieve this. We selected a Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) because it optimized the recall and precision of the model. We then utilized the technique of feature importance for greater insight into how the model arrived at its decisions and to rank the most important variables for predicting smokers. To explore different dimensions of smoking behavior, including initiation and continuation, we trained our model by using several combinations of target outcomes and input variables from the panel survey. Results The resulting features of smokers highlight the importance of girls’ independence and connectivity, social environment, and peer influence on likelihood of smoking, and in particular subsequent initiation. These results were largely consistent with our formative research findings based on qualitative interviews informed by behavioral science. Conclusions This novel application of ML techniques demonstrates how data science approaches can generate new programmatic insights from rigorous evaluation data, especially when data collection is informed by behavioral theory. Such insights about the relative importance of different features can be valuable input for program planning and outreach.
Toward person-centred measures of contraceptive demand: a systematic review of the intentions to use contraception and actual use
Authors: Boydell Victoria , Wright Kelsey Quinn , Elnakib Shatha , Galavotti Christine
Published: January 2024

Background Understanding people’s motivation and need for modern contraception is critical to ensuring access to quality rights-based contraceptive care and supporting reproductive justice. Current population level measures of contraception demand are proving limited; but there is a promising, more person-centred alternative - intention to use (ITU) contraception. ITU captures a person’s self-reported preferences and could better predict contraceptive use. This systematic review examines whether ITU predicts future contraceptive use and may be a better way to estimate desire to use contraception. Methods We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Collaboration to identify studies published from 1975-2020 that: (1) examined contraceptive behaviour, (2) included measures of ITU and future contraceptive use, and (3) included at least one quantitative measure of association between ITU and actual use. The inclusion criteria were: 1) examined contraceptive behaviour (excluding condom use only), (2) included disaggregated integral measures of ITU contraceptives and later contraceptive use, (3) included at least one quantitative measure of the association between ITU contraceptives and actual contraceptive use, (4) study population was women of reproductive age, (5) were peer-reviewed, and (6) written in English. Results 10 prospective cohort studies were included. Six indicated significant, increased, unadjusted odds of subsequent contraceptive use after reporting ITU. Of those, three reported adjusted values for contraceptive use across several covariates that were also significant and positive. The range of potential confounding factors indicate that contraceptive behaviour is a complex psychosocial process shaped by individual and contextual factors. Conclusions People’s self-reported ITU contraception have the potential to be a strong predictor of subsequent contraceptive use. Few studies directly examined the relationship between ITU and contraceptive uptake and recruitment was primarily pregnant or postpartum samples. Further high-quality research measuring the relationship between ITU and contraceptive use using standardized measures and variables are needed.
Prevalence and incidence of peripheral neuropathy, peripheral artery disease, foot disease, and lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes in Ireland; a systematic review protocol.
Authors: Kavanagh Sinead , Pallin Jennifer A. , Doherty Ann Sinead , Lazzarini Peter , O'Keeffe Linda , Buckley Claire M
Published: January 2024

Introduction Internationally, the prevalence of diabetes is increasing, and with this comes an increase in diabetes related complications. Diabetic foot disease is the most common lower extremity complication in people with diabetes, and is associated with major morbidity, mortality, and costs to health services. Despite this burden, the incidence and prevalence of diabetic foot disease is unknown in Ireland. This paper presents a protocol for a systematic review to examine the incidence and prevalence of diabetic foot disease in the Irish population. Methods A systematic review will be performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Pubmed, EMBASE, and Lenus, the Irish Health Research repository, will be searched for publications in any language and without restrictions to date. Title, abstract, and full text screening will be carried out independently by two investigators. Publications reporting on the incidence or prevalence of peripheral neuropathy, peripheral artery disease, ulceration, or amputation in people with diabetes in Ireland, from a defined geographical catchment area of Ireland, will be included. Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal tool will be used to assess included studies methodological quality. Results will be reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Conclusion The results of this systematic review can be used to inform appropriate stakeholders on the incidence and prevalence of diabetic foot disease in Irish populations, enabling decision making around appropriate use of resources to help prevent, and improve management of this disease. Systematic review registration CRD42023472904
RoBétArmé Project: Human-robot collaborative construction system for shotcrete digitization and automation through advanced perception, cognition, mobility and additive manufacturing skills
Authors: Kostavelis Ioannis , Nalpantidis Lazaros , Detry Renaud , Bruyninckx Herman , Billard Aude , Christian Schlette , Bosch Marc , Andronikidis Konstantinos , Lund-Nielsen Henrik , Yosefipor Pedram , Wajid Usman , Tomar Rahul , Martínez Fernando LLano , Fugaroli Federica , Papargyriou Despoina , Mehandjiev Nikolay , Bhullar Gash , Gonçalves Estefânia , Bentzen Jonas , Essenbæk Mads , Cremona Christian , Wong Mary , Sanchez Marcos , Giakoumis Dimitrios , Tzovaras Dimitrios
Published: January 2024

The importance of construction automation has grown worldwide, aiming to deliver new machineries for the automation of roads, tunnels, bridges, buildings and earth-work construction. This need is mainly driven by (i) the shortage and rising costs of skilled workers, (ii) the tremendous increased needs for new infrastructures to serve the daily activities and (iii) the immense demand for maintenance of ageing infrastructure. Shotcrete (sprayed concrete) is increasingly becoming popular technology among contractors and builders, as its application is extremely economical and flexible as the growth in construction repairs in developed countries demand excessive automation of concrete placement. Even if shotcrete technology is heavily mechanized, the actual application is still performed manually at a large extend. RoBétArméEuropean project targets the Construction 4.0 transformation of the construction with shotcrete with the adoption of breakthrough technologies such as sensors, augmented reality systems, high-performance computing, additive manufacturing, advanced materials, autonomous robots and simulation systems, technologies that have already been studied and applied so far in Industry 4.0. The paper at hand showcases the development of a novel robotic system with advanced perception, cognition and digitization capabilities for the automation of all phases of shotcrete application. In particular, the challenges and barriers in shotcrete automation are presented and the RoBétArmésuggested solutions are outlined. We introduce a basic conceptual architecture of the system to be developed and we demonstrate the four application scenarios on which the system is designated to operate.
A Column Generation Scheme for Distributionally Robust Multi-Item Newsvendor Problems
Authors: Wang Shanshan , Delage Erick
Published: January 2024

This paper studies a distributionally robust multi-item newsvendor problem, where the demand distribution is unknown but specified with a general event-wise ambiguity set. Using the event-wise affine decision rules, we can obtain a conservative approximation formulation of the problem, which can typically be further reformulated as a linear program. In order to efficiently solve the resulting large-scale linear program, we develop a column generation-based decomposition scheme and speed up the computational efficiency by exploiting a special column selection strategy and stopping early based on a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker condition test. Focusing on the Wasserstein ambiguity set and the event-wise mean absolute deviation set, a computational study demonstrates both the computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm, which significantly outperforms a commercial solver and a Benders decomposition method, and the out-of-sample superiority of distributionally robust solutions relative to their sample average approximation counterparts.

History: Accepted by Nicola Secomandi, Area Editor for Stochastic Models & Reinforcement Learning.

Funding: This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [492997-2016, RGPIN-2016-05208], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [71972012], Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada, and Canada Research Chairs [CRC-2018-00105]. It was also supported by Groupe d’études et de recherche en analyse des décisions (GERAD). Finally, this research was enabled in part by support provided by Digital Research Alliance of Canada ( https://alliancecan.ca/en ).

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its supplemental information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.0010 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2022.0010 ). The complete IJOC Software and Data Repository is available at https://informsjoc.github.io/ .
Customer Preferences for Delivery Service Attributes in Attended Home Delivery
Authors: Amorim Pedro , DeHoratius Nicole , Eng-Larsson Fredrik , Martins Sara
Published: January 2024

Retailers face increasing competitive pressure to determine how best to deliver products purchased online to the end customer. Grocery retailers often require attended home delivery where the customer must be present to receive the delivery. For attended home delivery to function, the retailer and customer must agree on a delivery time slot that works for both parties. Using online data from a grocery retailer, we observe customer preferences for three delivery service attributes associated with each time slot: speed, precision, and timing. We define speed as the expected time between the placement of an order and its delivery, precision as the duration of the offered time slot, and timing as the availability of choices across times of the day and days of the week. We show that customers not only value speed as an attribute of delivery service but that precision and timing are also key drivers of the customer’s time slot selection process. We also observe substantial customer heterogeneity in the willingness of customers to pay for time slots. Customers that differ in their loyalty to the retailer, basket value, basket size, and basket composition exhibit distinct differences in their willingness to pay. We show that retailers with the capability to tailor their time slot offerings to specific customer segments have the potential to generate approximately 9% more shipping revenue than those who cannot. Our findings inform practitioners seeking to design competitive fulfillment strategies and academics modeling customer behavior in the attended home delivery context.

This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.

Funding: This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [PTDC/EME-SIS/31908/2017].

Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2020.01274 .
Vegetation Cover of Earth and the Sun Activity
Authors: V. Ukraintseva Valentina , B. Kultin Nikita
Published: January 2024

This our paper deals with the very important problems of studies of planet Earth by the deferent scientists. Sciences are plenty on Earth and nevertheless the science of Botany is most important science.
Pharmaceutical Cocrystals: A Novel Systematic Approach for the Administration of Existing Drugs in New Crystalline Form
Authors: Savale Aishwarya , Mogal Rajendra , Talele Swati , Deore Sumit , Borse Laxmikant
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: Poor physicochemical properties like solubility, dissolution profile, stability, etc. of drugs remain as an obstacle to formulation development. In the last two decades, pharmaceutical cocrystal gaining lots of interest from researchers as these physicochemical, mechanical, and pharmacokinetic properties can be altered without compromising the therapeutic effect. The multi-component systems wherein one component is essentially the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient and another may be either one more drug or coformer are termed as pharmaceutical cocrystal. Cocrystal is a novel, promising, and emerging approach to encountering such problems and improving the performance of pharmaceuticals. The present article describes the types, rationale of design, synthesis methods, and characterization of pharmaceutical cocrystals. In addition to this, challenges before and after synthesizing cocrystal along with currently approved formulations based on the pharmaceutical cocrystal approach and cocrystals under clinical investigation are highlighted.
Acceptance and Attitudes towards Covid-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study from India
Authors: Sarsan Sreedevi , Harshanya Puppala , Anika Sunkara , El Enshasy Hesham Ali , Sayyed R Z
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 is a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 – 2 that caused a devastating impact and has affected human population globally. The mitigation measures to impede and contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease included lockdowns, social distancing, and use of masks, hand sanitization & other basic hygiene practices. Administration of vaccines was considered the most effective strategy to reduce the risk of the disease. Several vaccines developed against multiple variants of Coronavirus to combat the dreadful disease. The project was taken with the objective to know the perceptions of people about the COVID-19 vaccines and was intended to evaluate the awareness, attitude, and factors determining their acceptance or hesitancy towards the vaccine among the Indian population. This study was conducted using a snowball sampling technique employing a cross-sectional and web-based online survey. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared and circulated among the general Indian population and feedback was collected and analyzed on knowledge and awareness, attitudes, and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccines. A total of 1,507 respondents from different states of India have participated in the survey. A considerable percentage of the population approximately 90% was fully vaccinated due to concerted efforts of Government authorities and health officials. The majority of the people were hesitant and unsure to administer booster doses of vaccines. The results suggested that the majority of the Indian population had good knowledge and awareness about Covid 19 vaccines and had a very positive attitude and acceptance towards vaccines but showed a lack of interest towards booster doses. Hence, various strategies need to be formulated to update the information to the public through awareness programs and their effective implementation.
Reliability of Automated Biometrics in the Analysis of Enamel Rod End Patterns- In Vitro Study
Authors: Singh Anjali , Bhargava Deepak , Khare Parul
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Ameloglyphics is the study of the distinctive patterns found on the enamel surface of teeth, which are different on each tooth and particular to each person. The purpose of this study was to compare the enamel print patterns on the buccal and lingual surfaces of teeth to see if there are any appreciable differences, and to evaluate the sensitivity and reliability of an automated biometrics software. Method: The study involved 62 individuals including 36 females and 26 males, from age range 15-60 years. From each individual one tooth sample was analyzed using a light microscope to capture images of the buccal and lingual surfaces middle third. These images were then analyzed using biometric software called Source AFIS, which processed the images and displayed enamel patterns. Data were entered and analyzed using GPower software (version 3.0). Chi-square test and Goodness of fit tests were done to compare the enamel rod end patterns between the teeth surfaces These enamel patterns were classified according to the “Manjunath Classification”. Result: The study found that there were no notable distinctions in enamel print patterns when comparing the teeth buccal and lingual surfaces. All 62 samples analyzed showed a high degree of similarity in enamel print patterns on both surfaces. This finding suggests that the same developmental, environmental, and genetic factors likely influence the enamel print patterns on both surfaces of a tooth. Conclusion: The samples' high frequency of comparable sub-patterns on both the buccal and lingual surfaces suggests that they are very similar to one another. This implies that tooth prints may be a valuable tool for forensic personal identification, particularly in the area of forensic dentistry.
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of bio-pigment from Beta vulgaris
Authors: Patel Mrunali , Patel Priti , Pithawala Edwin
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: Plants are essential for sustaining life on our planet, providing a diverse range of species that possess therapeutic properties. With a growing awareness of health and well-being among consumers, there has been a rise in the popularity of natural colorants sourced from plant-based materials. In this context, the main objective of this research was to extract valuable natural pigments from Beta vulgaris (commonly known as beetroot), with the aim of increasing the availability of pigments from natural sources while simultaneously minimizing environmental and health risks. The crude extract of pigments was obtained using the maceration method during the extraction process. The crude extract was then purified using flash column chromatography with various solvents as the mobile phase. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of active compounds like phenols, carbohydrates, glycosides, phytosterols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and saponins. High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) was performed to analyze the betalain profile, showing distinct bands at specific Rf values. The specific functional groups were identified in the Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrum based on the presence of characteristic bands. Antibacterial activity testing demonstrated varying degrees of inhibition against test organisms like Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The evaluated plant pigments exhibited positive results in terms of antioxidant activity, exhibiting free radical scavenging capabilities. The aqueous methanol extract showed the highest extraction yield at 36.71%. The aqueous methanol extract of Beta vulgaris showed the maximum antibacterial activity at 20 mm against Bacillus cereus. The methanol extract and aqueous ethanol extract displayed the lowest IC50 values (45.56 µg/ml and 43.23 µg/ml, respectively), indicating their high antioxidant potential. These findings highlight the promising potential of Beta vulgaris as a valuable source of natural pigments with both antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
Quality of Life Among Women with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in a Tertiary Care Centre in India
Authors: V.R Irene , P A Sreeja , V J Dawn , Karthikeyan V. , Kadar K A Ameena
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a frequent, irritating, and recurrent infection. These infections create a danger to the well-being of the women and have a detrimental impact on their quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life (QoL), among women with VVC.The study design: prospective study design ;Study site:Paalana hospital of medical sciences , Study duration :7month.The sample size n=130. Severity of VVC is determined by using VSQ questionnaire (Vulvovaginal symptom questionnaire) and Vulvar disease quality of life index (VDQoL questionnaire) used to assess the quality of life. Statistical analysis was carried out by using Graphpad prism software, un-paired student t-test to determine P-value between pre-treatment and post-treatment. In this study, 130 cases were collected; among the collected data; VVC was more common in women in the reproductive age range. Quality of life (QoL) is determined by VDQoL with subdomains like (Nil effect,Mild,Moderate and Severe,Very severe effect) . After the course of treatment, their QoL is determined by administering the same questionnaire to the patients. By comparing the Pre-test and Post-test, patients with Nil effect (p-value 0.66), Mild effect (p<0.0001), & Moderate effect (p<0.0001). Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that vulvovaginal candidiasis have a negative impact on the patient's quality of life. The majority of women having a mild effect of VVC on their QoL .
Screening and Molecular Identification of Potential Lignolytic White Rot Fungi Isolated from Western Ghats
Authors: Suresh Geethu , Ragunathan R. , Johney Jesteena
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: The mounting concerns over the usage of enormous amount of wood and perilous chemicals in paper industry have led the researchers to develop ecofriendly green technologies for pulp and paper production. Lignocellulosic agro-waste can be an excellent alternative to the wood in papermaking. White rot fungi with ligninolytic properties can be effectively used for pretreatment of agro-wastes for pulp making. This study isolates and identifies previously unexplored strains of white rot fungi from Western Ghats of Kerala, India which can be used for developing biological systems for lignocellulosic treatment in pulp and paper production. Ten isolates were identified using molecular techniques and screened for their extracellular enzyme activities, including laccase, Manganese peroxidase and Lignin peroxidase. Among the 10 isolates, Trametes versicolor (Laccase activity 31.79 U/ml, Manganese peroxidase (MnP) 42.336 U/ml and Lignin peroxidase (LiP) - 50.65U/ml, Favolus teniculus (Laccase - 41.54 U/ml, MnP - 44.07 U/ml &LiP - 30.54), Coriolopsis byrsina (Laccase - 42.56 U/ml, MnP - 43.54 U/ml and LiP - 25.14 U/ml) Lenzitus betulina (Laccase - 37.15 U/ml, MnP - 38.97 U/ml and LiP - 30.43 U/ml) exhibited highly promising lignolytic enzymatic system. The study’s findings may provide a better eco-friendly substitute for conventional chemical treatments in various industrial applications.
Illusions of independence: frustrated agency and the politics of great power (mis)recognition
Authors: Murray Michelle
Published: January 2024

How do declining great powers cope with a sudden loss of status? Great powers establish routinized relations of recognition to maintain and reproduce their status as great powers in the international sphere. During periods of structural change, when social norms and these routinized relations of recognition are in flux, the prospect of misrecognition is especially pronounced. Misrecognition leads to the experience of frustrated agency and ontological insecurity. In these scenarios, declining great powers assert agency over their status by anchoring their insecure identity in symbols that are expressive of their status as great powers. To illustrate this argument, the article considers France’s decision to develop an independent nuclear capability after the Second World War. Rather than an instrument of security, nuclear weapons gave France the illusion of an independent identity and offered ontological security.
Manuscripts in "Fly-Over" States: An Assembly of Essays Highlighting Medieval Manuscripts around the American Midwest
Authors: Johnson Eric J.
Published: January 2024

Abstract: Thousands of manuscript fragments and intact codices reside in collections across the American Midwest, but most remain largely unknown to and unexplored by the scholarly community because of their perceived remoteness from more traditional centers of book collecting on the East and West Coasts. This essay introduces a special collection of ten articles highlighting various individual manuscripts and library collections in so-called fly-over states. From broken Bibles to Near Eastern masterpieces, and from small assemblies of manuscripts to large-scale digital collaborations that aim to expose the Midwest's rich manuscript resources, the topics of each article represent remarkable opportunities for scholarship, teaching, outreach, and collaboration across the manuscript studies field.
Extemporáneo y contemporáneo: El poeta en la obra narrativa de Roberto Bolaño
Authors: Klaassene Francisco Díaz
Published: January 2024

Abstract: This article studies the poet as a key figure in Roberto Bolaño's narrative. Throughout his fiction, the poet will be constantly displaced from their time and turned into a subject akin to Nietzsche's untimely and Agamben's contemporary. Cast aside from history, he will be able to recognize and understand the presence of an absolute evil, recurring ad eternum throughout history. If the newly reinstated democracies in Latin America blindly embraced neoliberalism, putting an end to any utopic discourses, and thus rendering those who once chose the path of militancy obsolete, Bolaño will at least redeem the poet, by placing him above all and any historical contingencies. He will not be able to modify the course of history, but he will serve as a witness, if not a moral compass.
People, Power and Peace: The Public Obsessions of Jamal Gabobe and Mohamud Siad Togane
Authors: Meriem Helmi Ben
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: This paper explores the image of Siad Barre in Jamal Gabobe's and Mohamud S. Togane's poems and historicizes a decisive era in modern Somali history: the period between 1969 and 1990 during which Siad Barre ruled over Somalia. These poems explore the dictatorial nature of Barre's rule and the mechanisms by which he managed to stay in power. The personal trauma, which is expressed in some poems, is used as a foundation for Somalis' collective renaissance. By the act of writing and voicing their pain, the tormented empower themselves and shed light on a dark stage of Somali history, giving an inclusive image of the status of Somalis in Barre's and post-Barre's Somalia. Essential questions will be posed and addressed, such as: how did the poems written before the collapse of Barre's regime help Somalis fight dictatorship? What is the role of such poems in the construction of a new identity in the post-Barre era? Can they be seen as acts of discursive resistance?
Climate Change and the Potential for Conflict in the Middle East: Emerging Threats to Security and Human Rights
Authors: Monshipouri Mahmood , Mohajer Reza
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT: The traditional notion of national security, primarily concerned with accumulating military power and technological prowess, is likely to lose its traction in the face of emerging security threats caused by water scarcity, food insecurity, rising temperatures, frequent floods, sandstorms, rising sea levels, and declining precipitation throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This essay's overarching question is: will climate change lead to more generalized violence rooted in structural inequities and unequal power relations, and hence human rights abuses? We argue that climate change has the potential to destabilize the region by creating the conditions for conflict given the deteriorating climatic conditions. The case for reconsidering how to tackle climate threats, while also integrating socio-economic and environmental approaches into climate governance, could not be more urgent. We argue that the traditional tools of promoting state security cannot withstand the widespread and cross-cutting challenges that climate change poses to the survival, livelihoods, and dignity of the people.
Freeform three-mirror anastigmatic large-aperture telescope and
receiver optics for CMB-S4
Authors: Gallardo Patricio A. , Puddu Roberto , Harrington Kathleen , Benson Bradford , Carlstrom John E. , Dicker Simon R. , Emerson Nick , Gudmundsson Jon E. , Limon Michele , McMahon Jeff , Nagy Johanna M. , Natoli Tyler , Niemack Michael D. , Padin Stephen , Ruhl John , Simon Sara M. , the CMB-S4 Collaboration
Published: January 2024

CMB-S4, the next-generation
ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) observatory, will
provide detailed maps of the CMB at millimeter wavelengths to
dramatically advance our understanding of the origin and evolution of
the universe. CMB-S4 will deploy large- and small-aperture telescopes
with hundreds of thousands of detectors to observe the CMB at
arcminute and degree resolutions at millimeter wavelengths.
Inflationary science benefits from a deep delensing survey at
arcminute resolutions capable of observing a large field of view at
millimeter wavelengths. This kind of survey acts as a complement to a
degree angular resolution survey. The delensing survey requires a
nearly uniform distribution of cameras per frequency band across the
focal plane. We present a large-throughput (9.4° field of view),
large-aperture (5-m diameter) freeform three-mirror anastigmatic
telescope and an array of 85 cameras for CMB observations at arcminute
resolutions, which meets the needs of the delensing survey of CMB-S4.
A detailed prescription of this three-mirror telescope and cameras is
provided, with a series of numerical calculations that indicates
expected optical performance and mechanical tolerance.
Infrared radiation properties of a satellite on the basis of 3D reconstruction
Authors: Yang Yufeng , Lei Ning , Li Siyuan , Zhang Jiahao
Published: January 2024

The infrared radiation properties of a satellite provide essential information for space target recognition. In this study, a 3D model of a satellite is obtained using a 3D reconstruction algorithm based on deep learning. The transient temperature field distribution on the target surface is simulated using the ANSYS finite element analysis method by integrating the solar zenith angle, the position of the satellite orbit, and the dynamic angle of the detector. The infrared radiation model is used to analyze the influence of target surface temperature, orbit position, and rotation angle on infrared radiation. The calculated results show that, under the set parameters, the temperature range of all targets is 280–380 K, and the temperature distribution determines the variation trend of radiation intensity. The variation trends of radiation intensity presented by different motion postures of satellites differ considerably. The radiation intensity variation of the triaxial stabilized attitude is relatively stable, whereas the radiation intensity of the spin-stabilized attitude exhibits remarkable periodic fluctuations. The periodic motion of satellite orbit leads to periodic fluctuations in infrared radiation. The obtained infrared radiation data provide support for target detection, tracking, recognition, and infrared detector parameter design.
Generation and propagation properties of Bessel–Gaussian beams with a rotationally symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex
Authors: Pan Yuqi , Dou Jiantai , Xu Jiaqing , Li Bo , Hu Youyou
Published: January 2024

In this paper, the generation and propagation properties of
Bessel–Gaussian (BG) rotationally symmetric power-exponent-phase
vortex beam (RSPEPVBs) were demonstrated and discussed. The results
showed that the BG-RSPEPVBs can be directly generated based on the
spatial light modulator, of which the phase singularities were
verified by the interference patterns with the plane wave. It can be
found that the intensity distributions of the BG-RSPEPVBs, with
different topological charges (TCs) and power orders, were fan-shaped
and polycyclic, which possessed the characteristics of BG beams and
RSPEPVBs, simultaneously. Thus, the propagation invariance of the
BG-RSPEPVBs is better than that of Laguerre–Gaussian RSPEPVBs and
RSPEPVBs. Moreover, the focusing spot of the BG-RSPEPVBs would evolve
into a bright ring with the same ring radius at the focal plane, which
is independent of the TC and more suitable for the applications of
optical coupling, optical communication, optical trapping, and so
on.
Deep-computer-generated holography with temporal-focusing and a digital propagation matrix for rapid 3D multiphoton stimulation
Authors: Chen Liang-Wei , Lu Shang-Yang , Hsu Feng-Chun , Lin Chun-Yu , Chiang Ann-Shyn , Chen Shean-Jen
Published: January 2024

Deep learning-based computer-generated holography (DeepCGH) has the ability to generate three-dimensional multiphoton stimulation nearly 1,000 times faster than conventional CGH approaches such as the Gerchberg-Saxton (GS) iterative algorithm. However, existing DeepCGH methods cannot achieve axial confinement at the several-micron scale. Moreover, they suffer from an extended inference time as the number of stimulation locations at different depths (i.e., the number of input layers in the neural network) increases. Accordingly, this study proposes an unsupervised U-Net DeepCGH model enhanced with temporal focusing (TF), which currently achieves an axial resolution of around 5 µm. The proposed model employs a digital propagation matrix (DPM) in the data preprocessing stage, which enables stimulation at arbitrary depth locations and reduces the computation time by more than 35%. Through physical constraint learning using an improved loss function related to the TF excitation efficiency, the axial resolution and excitation intensity of the proposed TF-DeepCGH with DPM rival that of the optimal GS with TF method but with a greatly increased computational efficiency.
Near eye display based on multiplexed retinal projections for robust compensation of eye pupil variance
Authors: Lee Hyeontaek , Jung Jae-Hyun , Hong Sunghee , Choi Hee-Jin
Published: January 2024

Among various specifications of near eye display (NED) devices, a compact formfactor is essential for comfortable user experience but also the hardest one to accomplish due to the slowest progresses. A pinhole/pinlight array based light-field (LF) technique is considered as one of the candidates to achieve that goal without thicker and heavier refractive optics. Despite those promising advantages, however, there are critical issues, such as dark spots and contrast distortion, which degrade the image quality because of the vulnerability of the LF retinal image when the observer’s eye pupil size changes. Regardless of previous attempts to overcome those artifacts, it was impossible to resolve both issues due to their trade-off relation. In this paper, in order to resolve them simultaneously, we propose a concept of multiplexed retinal projections to integrate the LF retinal image through rotating transitions of refined and modulated elemental images for robust compensation of eye pupil variance with improved conservation of contrast distribution. Experimental demonstrations and quantitative analysis are also provided to verify the principle.
Oil-film extinction coefficient inversion based on thickness difference: erratum
Authors: Zhang Zhenduo , Li Wei , Ma Zhanjun , Dong Shuang , Xie Ming , Li Ying
Published: January 2024

An erratum is presented to correct errors in Eqs. (2) and (3) in our previously published paper [Opt. Express 30(17), 30368 (2022).10.1364/OE.461162].