bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does climate-smart agriculture improve household income and food security? Evidence from Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Belay Abrham , Mirzabaev Alisher , Recha John W. , Oludhe Christopher , Osano Philip M. , Berhane Zerihun , Olaka Lydia A. , Tegegne Yitagesu T. , Demissie Teferi , Mutsami Chrispinus , Solomon Dawit
Published: May 2023

Climate change threatens African countries’ economic development and affects agriculture and food security. Ethiopia is especially vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change because its economy is dependent on climate-sensitive livelihoods that have limited potential for adaptation. Emerging evidence indicates that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change and increase agricultural productivity, thereby enhancing household income and food security. In the study area, different CSA practices have been adopted to mitigate the negative effects of climate change and improve agricultural productivity, income, and food security. Therefore, this study examines the impact of CSA practices on household income and food security in southern Ethiopia. A total of 385 households were selected using multistage sampling. Primary and secondary data were used, and propensity score matching with different types of matching algorithms, such as nearest neighbor, kernel, and radius matching, was employed to quantify the conditional impacts of CSA intervention on farm income and food security. In comparison with non adopters farmers that have adopted CSA practices had a higher food consumption score between 6.27 and 8.15, which was statistically significant at the 1% level. Overall, 34.55% of interviewed households had acceptable food consumption scores, 44.68% had borderline, and 20.77% had poor food consumption scores. Furthermore, households that adopted CSA practices had a 20.30% higher average annual farm income per hectare than non-adopters. The study suggests that effective extension services, accurate climate information, and sound policy support are required to promote and scale up CSA measures in the study area to improve farmers’ adaptive capacity, farm income, and food security.
Implications of uremic cardiomyopathy for the practicing clinician: an educational review
Authors: Hiraiwa Hiroaki , Kasugai Daisuke , Okumura Takahiro , Murohara Toyoaki
Published: May 2023

Studies over recent years have redeveloped our understanding of uremic cardiomyopathy, defined as left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and associated cardiac hypertrophy plus other abnormalities that result from chronic kidney disease and are often the cause of death in affected patients. Definitions of uremic cardiomyopathy have conflicted and overlapped over the decades, complicating the body of published evidence, and making comparison difficult. New and continuing research into potential risk factors, including uremic toxins, anemia, hypervolemia, oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance, indicates the increasing interest in illuminating the pathways that lead to UC and thereby identifying potential targets for intervention. Indeed, our developing understanding of the mechanisms of UC has opened new frontiers in research, promising novel approaches to diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and management. This educational review highlights advances in the field of uremic cardiomyopathy and how they may become applicable in practice by clinicians. Pathways to optimal treatment with current modalities (with hemodialysis and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) will be described, along with proposed steps to be taken in research to allow evidence-based integration of developing investigational therapies.
Camp Archaeology at the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice (Formerly Lamsdorf), Poland
Authors: Kobiałka Dawid , Pawleta Michał , Karski Kamil , Kostyrko Mikołaj , Lokś Adam , Rezler-Wasielewska Violetta , Stanek Piotr , Czerner Anna , Góra Elżbieta , Michalski Marek , Tomczak Sonia , Kowalczyk Zuzanna , Ważyński Szymon , Wroniecki Piotr
Published: May 2023

Since June 2022, the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War (Poland) has been carrying out a multidisciplinary research project entitled “Science for Society, Society for Science at the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice.” The aim of this article is to discuss the preliminary results of selected non-invasive and invasive archaeological and ethnographic research realized during the first months of the field activities. Additionally, they show the value of so-called community archaeology in which the participation of local inhabitants in field research is an important element of applied methodology.
Leisure, Employment, Community Participation, and Quality of Life in Primary Caregivers of Autistic Children: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Davy Gemma , Barbaro Josephine , Unwin Katy , Dissanayake Cheryl
Published: May 2023

Purpose

In prioritising the needs of their autistic children, parents often modify their own participation across leisure, social, and workforce activities. Few studies have examined the impact these modifications have on caregiver quality of life (QoL). The aim in the current study was to examine how parenting their autistic child/ren impacts parent’s participation and QoL.

Methods

Twenty primary caregivers (29–48 years, all female) of autistic children (7–11 years) were interviewed online about their participation in leisure, community, and employment activities including the impact of COVID-19.

Results

Five themes with underlying subthemes were identified using reflexive thematic analysis. The themes were: (1) Reflecting on the important things in life, (2) Getting access to everything needed, (3) Barriers to participation in meaningful activities, (4) Facilitators of participation in meaningful activities, and (5) Participation through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the importance of regular participation in meaningful activities for parents of autistic children and the support needed by them, particularly single parents, to achieve balance between meeting caring responsibilities and their own participation needs.
Dual Identification: Trajectories to English Proficiency for English Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Castellón Fernanda A. , Sturm Alexandra , Kasari Connie
Published: May 2023

Background

There are an increasing number of English Learners (EL) served in schools, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, little is known about students who receive school-based services as EL and under autism eligibility.

Purpose & Methods

The present study aimed to examine the sociodemographic characteristics, time to English Language Proficient status by survival analysis, and predictors of English fluency utilizing a logistic regression for dually identified EL and autism eligible students in a large urban school district during the 2011–2019 academic school years.

Results

Overall, dually identified students (N = 849) educated in segregated settings (N = 372) became English proficient at lower rates and at older ages than students included in general education (N = 477).

Conclusion

Students placed in segregated special education classrooms were significantly less likely to achieve English Language Proficient classification. The present study begins to illustrate the time to English proficiency of dually identified students and the potential impact it has on their educational opportunities.
“A sociality of pure egoists”: Husserl’s critique of liberalism
Authors: Miettinen Timo
Published: May 2023

According to Husserl’s self-description, his phenomenological project was “completely apolitical.” Husserl’s phenomenology did not provide a political philosophy in the classical sense, a normative description of a functioning social order and its respective institutional structures. Nor did Husserl have much to say about the day-to-day politics of his time. Yet his reflections on community and culture were not completely without political implications. This article deals with an often-neglected strand of Husserl’s philosophy, namely his critique of liberalism. In this article, liberalism is understood in the manner of Leo Strauss, as a tradition of individualist philosophy emerging from Hobbes’s political thought. As the article shows, Husserl followed many of his contemporaries in criticizing Hobbes’s abstract individualism, which could provide only a preventative function for political institutions. More importantly, Husserl’s engagement with Hobbes can be understood as a kind of ethical counterpart to his analysis of Galileo in the Crisis, as a critique of formal apriorism in the political domain. What Galileo did for physical nature with his “garb of ideas,” Hobbes did for human nature, reducing human sociality to interactions between atomistic individuals. In doing so, Hobbes ended up presenting a “mathematics of sociality” in an empirical garb. Going against the liberal view of the human person, Husserl presented his theory of social ethics founded on an original co-existence of subjects and a theory of human renewal.
Multiresolution analysis for COVID-19 diagnosis from chest CT images: wavelet vs. contourlet transforms
Authors: Abdel-Hamid Lamiaa
Published: May 2023

Chest computer tomography (CT) provides a readily available and efficient tool for COVID-19 diagnosis. Wavelet and contourlet transforms have the advantages of being localized in both space and time. In addition, multiresolution analysis allows for the separation of relevant image information in the different subbands. In the present study, transform-based features were investigated for COVID-19 classification using chest CT images. Several textural and statistical features were computed from the approximation and detail subbands in order to fully capture disease symptoms in the chest CT images. Initially, multiresolution analysis was performed considering three different wavelet and contourlet levels to determine the transform and decomposition level most suitable for feature extraction. Analysis showed that contourlet features computed from the first decomposition level (L1) led to the most reliable COVID-19 classification results. The complete feature vector was computed in less than 25 ms for a single image having of resolution 256 × 256 pixels. Next, particle swarm optimization (PSO) was implemented to find the best set of L1-Contourlet features for enhanced performance. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and F-score of a 100% were achieved by the reduced feature set using the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The presented contourlet-based COVID-19 detection method was also shown to outperform several state-of-the-art deep learning approaches from literature. The present study demonstrates the reliability of transform-based features for COVID-19 detection with the advantage of reduced computational complexity. Transform-based features are thus suitable for integration within real-time automatic screening systems used for the initial screening of COVID-19.
On the Role of Signs in Epicurus’ Legal Theory
Authors: Connelly Stephen
Published: May 2023

Epicurus holds, inKey Doctrine31, that what is just according to nature is asúmbolonor sign of the interest there is in neither harming one another nor being harmed. Certain readings of this maxim equivocate this legal sign with other signs found in nature, thereby failing to give sufficient weight to the role of reciprocity in its production. Other readings simply import a legal sense from outside of Epicurean doctrine, thereby failing to explain what makes Epicureansúmbolalegal. A final set of readings attempt to find a legal rule as a kind of innate concept or Kantian ‘scheme’. This article identifies new sources for understandingsúmbolon, drawn principally but not exclusively from Aristotle’sEudemian Ethics. This article offers an original argument that Epicurus adopts Aristotle’s’ image of the tally stick (symbolon) as a meeting of often divergent interests which constitutes something new and particularly valuable to the Epicurean: friendship. A theoretical argument is also advanced to support this reading which claims that one person’s reflection on a ‘divine image’ of the end (telos) is insufficient to constitute asúmbolon; rather real (as opposed to abstract or ideal) individual interests are filtered via the mechanism of the tally, that is via the meeting of two given individuals who together generate a sign (symbolon) of reciprocal interest in neither harming nor being harmed.
A Modeling Framework to Examine Psychological Processes Underlying Ordinal Responses and Response Times of Psychometric Data
Authors: Kang Inhan , Molenaar Dylan , Ratcliff Roger
Published: May 2023

This article presents a joint modeling framework of ordinal responses and response times (RTs) for the measurement of latent traits. We integrate cognitive theories of decision-making and confidence judgments with psychometric theories to model individual-level measurement processes. The model development starts with the sequential sampling framework which assumes that when an item is presented, a respondent accumulates noisy evidence over time to respond to the item. Several cognitive and psychometric theories are reviewed and integrated, leading us to three psychometric process models with different representations of the cognitive processes underlying the measurement. We provide simulation studies that examine parameter recovery and show the relationships between latent variables and data distributions. We further test the proposed models with empirical data measuring three traits related to motivation. The results show that all three models provide reasonably good descriptions of observed response proportions and RT distributions. Also, different traits favor different process models, which implies that psychological measurement processes may have heterogeneous structures across traits. Our process of model building and examination illustrates how cognitive theories can be incorporated into psychometric model development to shed light on the measurement process, which has had little attention in traditional psychometric models.
HEX: a safe research framework for hybrid EMT X-ray navigation
Authors: Krumb Henry J. , Dorweiler Bernhard , Mukhopadhyay Anirban
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Navigating with continuous X-ray provides visual guidance, but exposes both surgeon and patient to ionizing radiation, which is associated with serious health risks. Interleaving fluoro snapshots with electromagnetic tracking (EMT) potentially minimizes radiation.

Methods

We propose hybrid EMT + X-ray (HEX), a research framework for navigation with an emphasis on safe experimentation. HEX is based on several hardware and software components that are orchestrated to allow for safe and efficient data acquisition.

Results

In our study, hybrid navigation reduces radiation by $$71\%$$

71
%

with cubic, and by $$40\%$$

40
%

with linear error compensation while achieving submillimeter accuracy. Training points for compensation can be reduced by half while keeping a similar accuracy–radiation trade-off.

Conclusion

The HEX framework allows to safely and efficiently evaluate the hybrid navigation approach in simulated procedures. Complementing intraoperative X-ray with EMT significantly reduces radiation in the OR, increasing the safety of patients and surgeons.
Value of fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging for predicting short-term pain relief after sclerotherapy for venous malformations in the extremities
Authors: Nagata Shuji , Tanaka Norimitsu , Kuhara Asako , Kugiyama Tomoko , Tanoue Shuichi , Koganemaru Masamichi , Uchiyama Yusuke , Fujimoto Kiminori , Abe Toshi
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the value of fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging (FS-T2WI) for predicting short-term pain relief after polidocanol sclerotherapy for painful venous malformations (VMs) in the extremities.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study included patients with painful VMs in the extremities between October 2014 and September 2021, had their first sclerotherapy without history of surgical therapy, and underwent magnetic resonance imaging before sclerotherapy. Pain relief was assessed 2 months after 3% polidocanol sclerotherapy and was categorized as follows: progression, no change, partial relief, or free of pain. The associations between pain relief and imaging features on FS-T2WI were analyzed.

Results

The study included 51 patients. The no change, partial relief, and free of pain groups included 6 (11.8%), 25 (49.0%), and 20 (39.2%) patients, respectively. No patient experienced progressive pain. The lesion diameter was ≤ 50 mm in 13 (65.0%) patients in the free of pain group, whereas it was > 50 mm in all patients in the no change group (p = 0.019). The lesions showed well-defined margin in 15 (75.0%) patients in the free of pain group, whereas they showed ill-defined margin in 5 (83.3%) patients in the no change group (p = 0.034). The most common morphological type was cavitary in the free of pain group (14 [70.0%] patients), whereas there was no patient with cavitary type lesion in the no change group (p = 0.003). Drainage vein was demonstrated in 6 (100%), 22 (88.0%), and 11 (55.0%) patients in the no change, partial relief, and free of pain group, respectively (p = 0.011).

Conclusion

A lesion size of 50 mm or less, a well-defined margin, a cavitary type, and no drainage vein on FS-T2WI were significant features for predicting short-term pain relief after polidocanol sclerotherapy for painful VMs in the extremities.
Automated Determination of Grain Features for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Karimi J. , Bohlen A. , Kamboj N. , Seefeld T.
Published: May 2023

The morphology and size of the grains of the additively manufactured (AM) parts affect the mechanical properties and performance. The present research aimed to analyze the microstructure of AM parts, particularly the grain features, using image processing techniques. AMed aluminum components were fabricated using wire arc additive manufacturing based on cold metal transfer. The AA 5183 tensile samples fabricated using WAAM-CMT showed ductile behavior and the presence of the Lüder bands. Metallographic sections were prepared, and fine equiaxed grain was observed. An automatic image evaluation program for determining the specified grain features was developed. The grain features, including size, area, perimeter, and sphericity, were quantified, and the obtained results were verified, indicating a satisfactory agreement with those obtained from manual measurement. The output of the image processing technique clearly proved that the MATLAB program, as an affordable and swift approach (~ 4.8 s), can be used successfully to determine the microstructural properties. The image processing techniques could significantly improve the reliability and analysis of the microstructure, which would lead to the possibility of characterizing the microstructure in a broader range and having more details, and saving time and cost.
Predictive value of the deltoid tuberosity index for assessing the risk of screw cut-out
Authors: Da Silva Tomas , Ehrhard David-Benjamin , Chuchuy Theo Manuel , Knop Christian , Merkle Tobias
Published: May 2023

Background

Reconstruction of the proximal humerus with a locking plate is often the first surgical approach for proximal humerus fractures. Screw cut-out is a common complication and is relevant in osteoporotic bone of older adults. The Deltoid Tuberosity Index (DTI) is an indirect measure for assessing local bone quality and failure rate before surgery, providing important information for surgical planning. This was the first independent, large-sample retrospective analysis of the correlation between local bone density, indirectly measured through the DTI, and screw cut-out.

Methods

In total, 306 cases of proximal humerus fractures treated with the PHILOS plate (DePuy Synthes, Oberdorf, Switzerland) were retrospectively analyzed. The DTI was measured on anteroposterior x‑rays. The primary endpoint was screw cut-out defined as the intra-articular position of at least one screw associated with a reduction loss after surgery.

Results

The mean clinical follow-up was 935 days. The DTI varied from 1.10 to 2.28 (average: 1.45). Screw cut-out occurred on average in 8% of the cases and was positively correlated with a DTI of ≤ 1.44 (p = 0.003). However, the rate of cut-out and correlation with DTI varied widely according to age group: for ages 65–80 years, a DTI of ≤ 1.44 increased the cut-out rate from 0% to 17% (p = 0.02); in younger ages (< 65 years) the DTI did not correlate with cut-out and in the oldest group (> 80 years) cut-out rates were high (17–20%) independently of the DTI.

Conclusion

We confirm the correlation between a DTI of ≤ 1.44 and screw cut-out. High-risk groups for screw cut-out are patients over 65 years with a DTI of ≤ 1.44 or any patient older than 80 years. Applying the DTI in the age group of 65–80 years offers relevant information for surgical planning in the trauma setting via a fast, cheap, and easy-to-use tool.

Level of Evidence: Level 3, Retrospective Cohort Study.
Metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer: worst prognosis in patients with metachronous metastases
Authors: González-Clavijo Angélica María , Cuellar Andrés A. , Triana-Urrego Jenny , Barrero Jorge A. , Fierro-Maya Luis Felipe
Published: May 2023

Purpose

To describe the overall survival and progression-free survival in patients diagnosed with differentiated thyroid carcinoma with synchronous and metachronous metastatic involvement.

Materials and methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 101 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) who had metastatic involvement at diagnosis or during follow-up, who were treated at the National Cancer Institute between January 1, 2010 and December 31 of 2015.

Results

81 patients (80.2%) were women and the mean age at diagnosis was 49 years (12–80). Synchronous metastases were detected in 54.5% of patients and metachronous metastasis was diagnosed in 45.5% of patients, in whom the mean time between initial diagnosis and the finding of distant metastases was 5 years. Pulmonary involvement occurred in almost all patients, with 131I uptake in 58% of synchronous metastases and in 21% of metachronous. There were 10 events in the patients with 131I-avid metastases with a median time to progression that was not reached, and there were 23 events in patients with 131I-refractory metastases with a median time to progression of 96 months; The median time to progression was significantly longer in patients with synchronous metastases compared to those with metachronous metastases (Not reached vs 95 months, P = 0.017) The 5-year overall survival rate was 95% to the entire cohort.

Conclusions

The present study contributes to the expansion of the knowledge about this clinical course of DTC with the finding of a worst prognosis in patients with metachronous metastases.
Investigating the Synergistic Potential of Low-Dose HDAC3 Inhibition and Radiotherapy in Alzheimer’s Disease Models
Authors: Ricciardi Natalie R. , Modarresi Farzaneh , Lohse Ines , Andrade Nadja S. , Newman Ian R. , Brown Jonathan M. , Borja Caroline , Marples Brian , Wahlestedt Claes R. , Volmar Claude-Henry
Published: May 2023

We have previously shown that histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition and cranial radiotherapy (RT) independently improve molecular and behavioral Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-like phenotypes. In the present study, we investigate the synergistic potential of using both RT and HDACi as a low-dose combination therapy (LDCT) to maximize disease modification (reduce neuroinflammation and amyloidogenic APP processing, increase neurotrophic gene expression) while minimizing the potential for treatment-associated side effects.

LDCT consisted of daily administration of the HDAC3 inhibitor RGFP966 and/or bi-weekly cranial x-irradiation. Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) processing and innate immune response to LDCT were assessed in vitro and in vivo using human and murine cell models and 3xTg-AD mice. After 2 months of LDCT in mice, behavioral analyses as well as expression and modification of key AD-related targets (Aβ, tau, Csf1r, Bdnf, etc.) were assessed in the hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex (PFC).

LDCT induced a tolerant, anti-inflammatory innate immune response in microglia and increased non-amyloidogenic APP processing in vitro. Both RT and LDCT improved the rate of learning and spatial memory in the Barnes maze test. LDCT induced a unique anti-AD HIP gene expression profile that included upregulation of neurotrophic genes and downregulation of inflammation-related genes. RT lowered HIP Aβ42/40 ratio and Bace1 protein, while LDCT lowered PFC p-tau181 and HIP Bace1 levels.

Our study supports the rationale for combining complementary therapeutic approaches at low doses to target multifactorial AD pathology synergistically. Namely, LDCT with RGFP966 and cranial RT shows disease-modifying potential against a wide range of AD-related hallmarks.
Compacted bentonite hydro-mechanical modelling when interaggregate porosity tends to zero
Authors: Navarro Vicente , Asensio Laura , Cabrera Virginia , De la Morena Gema , Yustres Ángel , Torres-Serra Joel
Published: May 2023

A formulation is proposed for reproducing the hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted bentonites as interaggregate porosity becomes negligible. In that case, the model assumes the bentonite deformability to be controlled only by the microstructural modelling level in a double porosity approach. Hence, the bulk stiffness of the system is defined by the relationship between the microstructural void ratio and the thermodynamic swelling pressure, requiring no additional parameters to simulate the overall behaviour. An experimental study has been conducted to check the conceptual consistency of the formulation, with favourable results. The quantitative potential of the model has also been satisfactorily verified by numerical simulation of the tests carried out in this study. A displacement-based finite-element model developed for double porosity systems has been modified to run the simulations. The proposed formulation has been implemented using a simple strategy that can be easily replicated for similar numerical models. Both the simulation capabilities and the computational cost efficiency of the proposed formulation confirm its practical interest.
Derivations and loops of some evolution algebras
Authors: Cabrera Casado Yolanda , Cadavid Paula , Reis Tiago
Published: May 2023

In this work we study the space of derivations of non-degenerate evolution algebras. We improve some results obtained recently in the literature and, as a consequence, we advance in the description of the derivations for n-dimensional Volterra evolution algebras. In addition, we introduce the notion of loop of an evolution algebra and we analyze under which conditions the set of loops is invariant under change of basis.
Insomnische Symptome und Suizidalität – Zusammenhänge und Management
Authors: Schwerthöffer Dirk , Förstl Hans
Published: May 2023

Hintergrund

Ein Zusammenhang zwischen insomnischen Symptomen und Suizidalität wurde lange vermutet und ist von besonderem klinischem Interesse.

Ziel

Wir untersuchen aktuelle Hinweise aus Epidemiologie und Neurobiologie auf diesen Zusammenhang, um ein gezieltes Management vorzuschlagen.

Material und Methode

Klinisches Beispiel und selektive Medline-Literaturrecherche zu insomnischen Symptomen und Suizidalität.

Ergebnisse

Epidemiologische Daten weisen auf insomnische Symptome als unabhängigen Risikofaktor für Suizidalität hin. Neurobiologische Befunde unterlegen eine Beziehung zwischen insomnischen Symptomen und Suizidalität, u. a. durch eine serotonerge Dysfunktion sowie eine besonders beeinträchtigte circadiane Rhythmik mit konsekutiver Hypofrontalität, beeinträchtigter Problemlösefähigkeit und verminderter Impulskontrolle. Im Rahmen der Suizidprävention muss bei Patienten mit kombinierten insomnischen und depressiven Symptomen nachdrücklich nach weiteren Risikofaktoren für Suizidalität gesucht werden, u. a. soziale Isolation, nächtliche Grübelneigung, komorbide psychische Erkrankungen, Zugang zu potenziell toxischen Pharmaka oder Waffen.

Schlussfolgerung

Besonders bei Patienten mit weiteren Suizid-Risikofaktoren müssen insomnische Symptome frühzeitig konsequent behandelt werden. In der Pharmakotherapie sind für Patienten mit insomnischen Symptomen und Suizidalität schlaffördernde Antidepressiva mit niedriger Toxizität und Antipsychotika vorzuziehen. Eine an den circadianen Rhythmus angepasste multimodale antiinsomnische und antidepressive Therapie könnte die Zusammenhänge zwischen depressiv-suizidalen und insomnischen Symptomen günstig beeinflussen.
Optimization with artificial intelligence in additive manufacturing: a systematic review
Authors: Ciccone Francesco , Bacciaglia Antonio , Ceruti Alessandro
Published: May 2023

In situations requiring high levels of customization and limited production volumes, additive manufacturing (AM) is a frequently utilized technique with several benefits. To properly configure all the parameters required to produce final goods of the utmost quality, AM calls for qualified designers and experienced operators. This research demonstrates how, in this scenario, artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly enable designers and operators to enhance additive manufacturing. Thus, 48 papers have been selected from the comprehensive collection of research using a systematic literature review to assess the possibilities that AI may bring to AM. This review aims to better understand the current state of AI methodologies that can be applied to optimize AM technologies and the potential future developments and applications of AI algorithms in AM. Through a detailed discussion, it emerges that AI might increase the efficiency of the procedures associated with AM, from simulation optimization to in-process monitoring.
The Role of Advanced Parental Age in Reproductive Genetics
Authors: Chu Boling , Liu Zhi , Liu Yihong , Jiang Hui
Published: May 2023

The increase of parental reproductive age is a worldwide trend in modern society in recent decades. In general, older parents have a significant impact on reproductive genetics and the health of offspring. In particular, advanced parental age contributes to the increase in the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. However, it is currently under debate how and to what extent the health of future generations was affected by the parental age. In this review, we aimed to (i) provide an overview of the effects of age on the fertility and biology of the reproductive organs of the parents, (ii) highlight the candidate biological mechanisms underlying reproductive genetic alterations, and (iii) discuss the relevance of the effect of parental age on offspring between animal experiment and clinical observation. In addition, we think that the impact of environmental factors on cognitive and emotional development of older offspring will be an interesting direction.
Two classes of operators related to the perturbation classes problem
Authors: González Manuel , Salas-Brown Margot
Published: May 2023

Let $${{\mathcal {S}}}{{\mathcal {S}}}$$

S
S

and $${{\mathcal {S}}}{{\mathcal {C}}}$$

S
C

be the strictly singular and the strictly cosingular operators acting between Banach spaces, and let $$P\Phi _+$$

P

Φ
+

and $$P\Phi _+$$

P

Φ
+

be the perturbation classes for the upper and the lower semi-Fredholm operators. We study two classes of operators $$\Phi {\mathcal {S}}$$

Φ
S

and $$\Phi {\mathcal {C}}$$

Φ
C

that satisfy $${{\mathcal {S}}}{{\mathcal {S}}}\subset \Phi {\mathcal {S}}\subset P\Phi _+$$

S
S
⊂
Φ
S
⊂
P

Φ
+

and $${{\mathcal {S}}}{{\mathcal {C}}}\subset \Phi {\mathcal {C}}\subset P\Phi _-.$$

S
C
⊂
Φ
C
⊂
P

Φ
-

.

We give some conditions under which these inclusions become equalities, from which we derive some positive solutions to the perturbation classes problem for semi-Fredholm operators.
Methodology of the quantitative assessment of the moisture content of saline brick walls in historic buildings using machine learning
Authors: Hoła Anna
Published: May 2023

Conducting moisture tests of brick walls in buildings under conservation protection is associated with many difficulties that result from the inability to freely interfere with historic tissue. The current paradigm of conducting such research, which assumes the use of just one non-destructive method, has many limitations that affect the accuracy of obtained results. Up-to-date research concerning an alternative non-invasive method, which allows reliable test results to be obtained in the case of the quantitative assessment of the moisture content of saline brick walls in historic buildings, has shown that it is possible to reliably assess such a moisture content using machine learning and two complementary non-destructive methods. In the article, the original methodology of such a quantitative assessment is described and presented in the form of block diagrams. The methodology consists of two stages. The first stage includes carrying out experimental and archival research in selected historical buildings to create a data set. The second stage involves generating a machine learning model for assessing the moisture content based on algorithms and the data collected in the first stage. The article is illustrated with an example of the application of the developed methodology to assess the moisture content of the brick walls of the Golden Gate building in Gdańsk. The presented example shows the reliability and practical usefulness of the developed methodology.
The Effect of Combining the COVID-19 Vaccine with the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine on Reducing COVID-19 Vaccine Rejection Among Libyans
Authors: Ghazy Ramy Mohamed , Sallam Malik , Abdullah Fatimah Saed Alabd , Hussein Mai , Hussein Mohamed Fakhry
Published: May 2023

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine coverage remains low in Libya compared to other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This study aimed to evaluate the willingness of the general public in Libya to receive COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the potential effect of combining the two vaccines to reduce COVID-19 vaccine rejection.

Methods

An anonymous nationwide online cross-sectional survey was carried out from 1st September to 16th October 2022. Libyans aged 18 years or older were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling approaches. The participants were surveyed for sociodemographic information, health status, and vaccination attitude towards COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines.

Results

A total of 2484 participants formed the final study sample: 68.7% were females, 39.4% were aged 18–25 years, 50.4% were single, 32.5% had previous COVID-19 infection, and 47.2% experienced COVID-19 death among relatives. Three-fourths of the respondents showed COVID-19 vaccine rejection: 57.3% did not receive COVID-19 vaccination, 10.1% would not complete the primary vaccination series, and 7.8% refused booster doses. About 55.0% rejected seasonal influenza vaccination, while 1.9% reported influenza vaccine uptake and 21.2% were willing to get the influenza vaccine for the first time. Additionally, 18.8% had already received influenza vaccination in the last year and intended to get the vaccine this season, while 3.3% were unwilling to get influenza vaccination this year despite receiving it in the last influenza season. Age, sex, and occupation were significantly associated with COVID-19 and influenza vaccine rejection. Rejection of COVID-19 vaccination decreased if its combination with influenza vaccine as a single dose was suggested, with 28.2% of the COVID-19 vaccine rejector group accepting the combined vaccine as it would be safer (50.9%), needing fewer injections (24.0%), would be more effective (19.1%), and would be less expensive (3%). Approximately 73.0% of the COVID-19 vaccine rejector group refused this combination due to fear of side effects (48.7%), absence of published studies on this combination (29.8%), and considering this combination as useless (11.2%).

Conclusion

In Libya, the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine rejection was high, while the rejection of seasonal influenza vaccination was relatively lower. If influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are administered simultaneously as a single injection, this may reduce the rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine due to better-perceived vaccine safety and efficacy besides being more convenient in terms of the number of injections and cost.
Minimal energy for geometrically nonlinear elastic inclusions in two dimensions
Authors: Akramov Ibrokhimbek , Knüpfer Hans , Kružík Martin , Rüland Angkana
Published: May 2023

We are concerned with a variant of the isoperimetric problem, which in our setting arises in a geometrically nonlinear two-well problem in elasticity. More precisely, we investigate the optimal scaling of the energy of an elastic inclusion of a fixed volume for which the energy is determined by a surface and an (anisotropic) elastic contribution. Following ideas from Conti and Schweizer (Commun. Pure Appl. Math.59 (2006), 830–868) and Knüpfer and Kohn (Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci.467 (2011), 695–717), we derive the lower scaling bound by invoking a two-well rigidity argument and a covering result. The upper bound follows from a well-known construction for a lens-shaped elastic inclusion.
Hannah Arendt, Baʿthism, and Anfal
Authors: Ahmed Nabaz Samad
Published: May 2023

In the twentieth century, totalitarianism emerged as a new phenomenon, with powerful new regimes sweeping to power on the backs of the ideologies of National Socialism, Bolshevism, and Baʿthism. Armed with these ideologies, and in their names, such regimes committed murder at a mass scale previously unknown to world history. Among the victims of this historical process were the Kurds in Iraq, who were subjected to genocide at the hands of the Baʿthist regime. This article addresses the relationship between totalitarianism and genocide, and specifically how the Baʿthist regime justified genocide against the Kurds. It argues that three elements in Hannah Arendt's theory of totalitarianism –ideology, terror, and total domination – explain why every totalitarian regime in history has wound up resorting to genocidal programs. Using the 1980s Anfal campaign by the Baʿthist regime against the Kurds as a case study, this article elucidates the relationship between totalitarianism and genocide. This analysis will lead to a better understanding of the justifications, features, and motivations of the Baʿthist regime's genocide against Kurds.
ON THE ITERATES OF THE SHIFTED EULER’S FUNCTION
Authors: LEONETTI PAOLO , LUCA FLORIAN
Published: May 2023

Let
$\varphi $
be Euler’s function and fix an integer
$k\ge 0$
. We show that for every initial value
$x_1\ge 1$
, the sequence of positive integers
$(x_n)_{n\ge 1}$
defined by
$x_{n+1}=\varphi (x_n)+k$
for all
$n\ge 1$
is eventually periodic. Similarly, for all initial values
$x_1,x_2\ge 1$
, the sequence of positive integers
$(x_n)_{n\ge 1}$
defined by
$x_{n+2}=\varphi (x_{n+1})+\varphi (x_n)+k$
for all
$n\ge 1$
is eventually periodic, provided that k is even.
Luteinizing hormone secretion, ovulatory capacity, and oocyte quality in peripubertal Gir heifers
Authors: Oliveira Clara Slade , Rosa Paola Maria da Silva , Alves Bruna Rios Coelho , Monteiro Clara Ana Santos , Leal Gabriela Ramos , Guedes Pedro Henrique Evangelista , Camargo Agostinho Jorge dos Reis , Saraiva Naiara Zoccal
Published: May 2023

Induction of puberty in cattle breeds that attain puberty in later stages, such as Gir, allows the earlier beginning of reproductive life and it might increase oocyte quality. Here, the ovulatory capacity of prepuberal Gir heifers was studied and its relationship to follicular growth, luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and oocyte quality was evaluated. Peripubertal Gir heifers were treated with a progesterone-based protocol and according to ovulatory response were separated into groups: not-ovulated (N-OV) and ovulated (OV). Serial blood samples were taken 24 h after estradiol treatment on day 12 to evaluate LH secretion. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected using ovum pick-up and assessed for brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) staining rate, IVF-grade oocytes rate, and mean oocyte diameter, in comparison with cow oocytes. Gene expression of developmental competence markers (ZAR1, MATER, and IGF2R) was also analyzed. The largest follicle diameters were similar between N-OV and OV groups on the day of estradiol treatment (d12) and the next day and decreased (P = 0.04) in the N-OV group thereafter. LH pulse secretion was different between groups (N-OV = 3.61 ± 0.34 vs OV = 2.83 ± 0.21 ng/ ml; P = 0.04). COC assessment showed that the number of recovered oocytes, BCB+ rate, IVF-grade oocytes and oocyte size was similar (P > 0.05) among groups, resembling adult cow patterns. ZAR1, MATER and IGF2R gene expression in oocytes were also similar (P > 0.05) in N-OV and OV groups. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a lower LH secretion profile in peripubertal Gir heifers prone to ovulate after induction protocol, and that oocyte quality is not affected on a short-term basis by ovulation itself.
Fetal echocardiographic features associated with bicuspid aortic valve
Authors: Burns Joseph , Ganigara Madhusudan , Cerise Jane E. , Hayes Denise A.
Published: May 2023

Background:

Prenatal diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve is challenging. Bicuspid aortic valve is often associated with aortic dilation.

Methods:

Fetuses with postnatally confirmed bicuspid aortic valve were gestational age-matched with normal controls. Complex lesions were excluded. Aortic valve and arch measurements by two blinded investigators were compared.

Results:

We identified 27 cases and 27 controls. Estimated fetal weight percentile was lower in cases than controls. Seven cases had one or more significant lesions including perimembranous ventricular septal defects (n = 2), isolated annular hypoplasia (n = 2), and/or arch hypoplasia/coarctation (n = 4). Fetuses with bicuspid aortic valves had significantly smaller median z-scores of the aortic annulus (–1.60 versus –0.53, p < 0.001) and root (–1.10 versus –0.53, p = 0.040), and larger ratios of root to annulus (1.32 versus 1.21, p < 0.001), sinotubular junction to annulus (1.07 versus 0.99, p < 0.001), ascending aorta to annulus (1.29 versus 1.18, p < 0.001), and transverse aorta to annulus (1.04 versus 0.96, p = 0.023). Leaflets were “doming” in 11 cases (41%) and 0 controls (p = 0.010), “thickened” in 10 cases (37%) and 0 controls (p = 0.002). We noted similar findings in the subgroup without significant additional cardiac defects.

Conclusions:

The appearance of doming or thickened aortic valve leaflets on fetal echocardiogram is associated with bicuspid aortic valve. Compared to controls, fetuses with bicuspid aortic valve had smaller aortic annulus sizes (possibly related to smaller fetal size) without proportionally smaller aortic measurements, resulting in larger aortic dimension to annulus ratios. Despite inherent challenges of diagnosing bicuspid aortic valve prenatally, these findings may increase suspicion and prompt appropriate postnatal follow-up.
No More Godmen: Alexandre Kojève, Atheism, and Vladimir Solov΄ev
Authors: Wilson Trevor
Published: May 2023

Prior to his influential seminars on G.W.F. Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit in the 1930s, the philosopher Alexandre Kojève was still Aleksandr Kozhevnikov, a recent émigré to Germany who studied the philosophy of Vladimir Solov΄ev in Heidelberg. As a result, Kojève published several articles in French and German on Solov΄ev's philosophy of history and divine Sophia. While he soon developed his own reputation as a celebrated philosopher, posthumously published works such as Atheism (1931) and the forthcoming publication of a manuscript written in 1940 and devoted once more to “Sophia,” suggest that his engagement with Russian religious philosophy was more protracted than previously considered. This article outlines the uniqueness of Kojève's interpretation of Sophia, from his initial interest in Solov΄ev's philosophy, through to his secularization of the concept in Atheism, and ultimately his “return” to Russian philosophy, when he writes a treatise on Sophia in Russian to be sent to Stalin himself.
“Critical Appropriation of Literary Heritage” and the Shaping of Soviet National Literatures: A Close Reading of the Debate in the Journal Literaturnyi kritik (The Literary Critic, 1933–36)
Authors: Frank Susanne
Published: May 2023

This article zooms in on what can be called the laboratory of the notion of Soviet literature: the debates of the journal Literaturnyi kritik, in which the programmatic debate at the First All-Union Congress of Soviet Writers (1934) was prepared, followed up, and further elaborated. It puts the focus on one of its key concepts—“the critical appropriation of heritage,” and tries to distinguish between different notions of heritage (with regard to realism and modernism respectively) and modes inheriting and tracing their instrumentalization in competing aesthetic and political positions. In this context it elaborates on the attempts to conceptualize Soviet national literatures by means of national heritage and within the horizon of what in the same context was conceptualized as “world literature.”
Role of Twins in Waardenburg Syndrome: 1916 − present/Twin Research Reviews: MZ Twins’ Different Dermatoglyphics; Twins with Sagittal Suture Crainosynostosis; Blood Pressure in Female Twins; MZ Twins’ Education and Political Knowledge/Media Reports: Twins Created by Reciprocal In Vitro Fertilization; Reared-Apart Triplets’ Limited TV Series; Abducted Twin Infants; Winkelvoss Twins Charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission; Going From ‘Me’ to ‘We’
Authors: Segal Nancy L.
Published: May 2023

Waardenburg’s syndrome involves deafness accompanied by various visual difficulties. The role of twins in identifying this disorder and advancing understanding of its origins and symptoms is described, beginning in 1916 and continuing to the present. This overview is followed by current research on monozygotic (MZ) twins’ different dermatoglyphic features, twins with sagittal suture crainosynostosis, blood pressure in female twins, and MZ twins’ education and political knowledge. The final section presents media reports describing controversies surrounding twins created by reciprocal in vitro fertilization, reared-apart triplets’ limited TV series, abducted twin infants, the Winkelvoss twins’ charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and going from ‘Me’ to ‘We’.