bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pancreas Divisum – more than a rare cause of recurrent pancreatitis
Authors: Kvenić B. , Divković D. , Miletić D. , Peršić M.
Published: November 2024

Pancreas divisum (PD) is the most common congenital variant of pancreatic duct anatomy. It occurs in approximately 6%-10% of healthy individuals. In embryonic period, during second month of gestation, the ventral and dorsal pancreatic ducts fail to fuse. This failure forces the dorsal pancreatic duct and minor papilla to become the major drainage channel for pancreatic exocrine secretion. Only a minority of patients with PD develop pancreatitis. The objective was to give an example of causal relationship between PD and pancreatitis. It has been the subject of controversy, although most authors agree that PD is a definite cause in a subgroup of patients. A 13-year-old boy was admitted to our institution for recurrent acute pancreatitis. In the period of one year, he was admitted twice for recurrent acute pancreatitis. On admission, no symptoms were reported, except for minor epigastric tenderness. Family history concerning pancreatitis and other gastrointestinal diseases was unremarkable. Clinical examination, laboratory and radiology diagnosis were performed. Laboratory blood test results were within the standard range. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography demonstrated separation of the pancreatic ducts, i.e. pancreas divisum. In the perisplenic area, residues of earlier inflammation were noted. We were able to confirm the causal relationship between PD and pancreatitis. Treatment consists of endoscopic interventions with prophylactic temporary stenting or surgical care. The probable factor that promotes recurrent acute pancreatitis in pancreas divisum is relative stenosis of the minor duodenal papilla.
Pediatric burn center, Reference center for pediatric traumatology of the Croatian Ministry of Health and Social welfare, at Zagreb Children’s Hospital, Sestre milosrdnice, University Hospital Center
Authors: Barčot Z. , Župančić B. , Škarić I. , Jakobović J. , Vrdoljak O.
Published: November 2024

Burns are one of the worst injuries in childhood and require a multidisciplinary approach. To meet the high level of expertise at the lowest level of health care costs, centralization of treatment of patients with extensive burns at burn centers is necessary. The European practice guidelines for burn care are based on evidence based medicine and clinical practice experiences, and their purpose is to assist medical professionals in choosing the right path for the treatment of each burn patient. A burned child requires treatment at the Pediatric Burn Center within the Children’s Hospital. Burn department, intensive care unit and operating room as well as all other hospital services and their specialists are available 24 hours daily. Respecting the admission/transfer criteria for a burn center and well-educated and trained staff of the Center, together with the appropriate physical capacity and quality medical equipment, are the key factors in improving burn care. The perspectives of such a treatment in children are excellent and fatal outcome is determined only by severe comorbidity. Treatment of these patients is a challenge that requires constant monitoring, education and application of new technologies and knowledge. The Zagreb Children’s Hospital Pediatric Burn Center is part of the Reference Center for Pediatric Traumatology of the Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Influence of parental smoking on children’s growth and weight at birth and age 6
Authors: Čavlek T. , Čavlek M. , Božikov J. , Sturz B. , Gršić K.
Published: November 2024

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of parental smoking and the average number of cigarettes smoked during one day (through 24 h) on birth weight and length and also on the weight and height of 6 - year olds. The study was conducted by a retrospective study of data from the health cards of 1003 children, 6 years old, obtained at the physical examination for enrolment in primary school from school year 1998/99 to 2001/02 in the Maksimir area of the City of Zagreb. Low birth weight, birth length, weight and height of 6 - year olds are defined as values less than the 25 centile according to the distribution of the individuals in the group. Birth weight was significantly reduced, by 168 g, in children of mothers who smoked and was 169 g lower in children with both parents smoking, compared with children of non-smoker parents, with a lower birth length of 0.51 cm and 0.71 cm, respectively. The height of 6-year olds was reduced by 0.82 cm in children of smoking fathers and 0.93 cm in children of both parents smoking compared with children of non-smoker parents. Smoking parents in the group with 10 to 19 and ≥ 20 cigarettes smoked per day, resulted in lower average birth weight by 135 g and 117 g, lower birth lengths by 0.32 cm and 0.54 cm, lower heights in 6 - year olds by 1.31 cm and 0.44 cm and 0.51 kg less weight, however the weight was higher by 0.19 kg, if the 6-year-olds in the group of parents who smoked ≥ 20 cigarettes per day were compared to children of non-smoker parents. Smoking habits and the dependence of parents on ten or more cigarettes per day resulted in lower birth weight, birth length and height in 6-year olds, but not in the lower weight of 6-year olds if they belonged to the group of parents who smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day. The impact of smoking mothers was more significant on birth weight and birth length and of smoking fathers on the body height of 6-year-olds.
Metric characteristics of the phonologic awareness questionnaire in preschool children
Authors: Pavić M. , Sindik J.
Published: November 2024

The main aim of this research was to construct and identify the metric characteristics of the pilot version of the questionnaire for assessing phonological awareness. We researched the metric characteristics of the Phonological Awareness Questionnaire, and found correlations with the other measuring instruments, which indicate the child’s readiness to start school. A sample of all preschool children who were candidates for starting school in the next school year (72 subjects), from educational groups in the Kindergarten “Trnoruzica” in Zagreb, were interviewed using the Phonological Awareness Questionnaire (UFS), the Santa Barbara Healthy Start questionnaire for teachers (SBZSZO), Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices and the Graphic Test of the Perceptive Organization (Bender-Santucci). The questionnaire showed good metric characteristics, primarily in terms of its reliability. The one-factor solution in the interpretation of the construct validity can reflect the fact that the questionnaire probably measures a truly unique characteristic: the phonologic awareness of the children. The results of the questionnaire were significantly and positively associated with the other measurement instruments that serve as an assessment of preparedness for school. However, further research is necessary.
Pervasive developmental disorders – autistic spectrum disorders
Authors: Petković Z. Bujas , Škrinjar J. Frey
Published: November 2024

Pervasive developmental disorders are disorders of early childhood characterized as qualitative impairment in reciprocal social interaction, qualitative impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Those disorders were first described by L e o K a n e r (1943) and H a n s A s p e rg e r in 1944. In 1978 L o r n a Wi n g introduced the term autistic spectrum or autistic continuum as a synonym for autistic disorder. Today the term Autistic Spectrum Disorders is used as a synonym for the pervasive developmental disorders. According to DSM IV classification, pervasive disorders have five subgroups. Autistic Disorder F84.0, Rett Disorder F84.2, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder F84.3, Asperger’s Disorder F84.5, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) F84.9. ICD-10 has eight subgroups, Childhood Autism F84.0, Atypical Autism F84.1, Rett’s Syndrome F84.2, Other Pervasive Developmental Disorder F84.3, Overactive disorder with mental retardation and stereotyped movements, F84.4, Asperger’s Syndrome F84.5, Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders F84.8, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, unspecified F84.9. Prevalence data of the ASD differ and vary between 5 and 70 in 10 000. Incidence in recent years is higher, which is partially the result of the improvement in diagnostic procedures, broader diagnostic criteria, a higher level of specific professional knowledge, greater parental awareness and service improvement. The treatment is symptomatic.
What do we know about sociocognitive development of children with pre/perinatal lesions?
Authors: Šimleča S.
Published: November 2024

There is a great deal of data on the cognitive and linguistic development of children with pre/perinatal lesions of the brain in literature, but there has been little research into their socio-cognitive development. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess early sociocognitive abilities in children with pre/perinatal brain lesions and compare the results with the sociocognitive abilities of children with typical development. The study included 12 children with peri-intraventricular haemorrhages and/or hypoxic-ischemic brain lesions (aged 12 months) and 12 children without neurodevelopmental risk who were involved in wider neuropediatric, speech and language and psychological follow-up. The children were assessed and recorded interacting with their parents in the Developmental Neurolinguistics Laboratory. Data regarding the child’s communicative behavior in everyday situations was gathered using structural interviews with the parents. The results indicate that children with early brain lesions show a normal pattern of development of social cognition but also that they reach the milestones of normal sociocognitive development somewhat later in early development.
Specific issues in treatment of solid malignant tumors in childhood - treatment of tumors with appropriate support therapy
Authors: Stepan J. , Jakovljević G. , Bonevski A. , Rimac M. , Nakić M. , Ćepulić M.
Published: November 2024

The paper presents the basic facts about therapy in the treatment of solid malignant tumors in childhood. Knowing the side effects of chemotherapy and various combinations of given drugs plays an important role in deciding how to treat a child with a malignant tumor.
Important operative procedures in the supportive therapy of solid paediatric tumors
Authors: Štampalija F. , Župančić B.
Published: November 2024

Our aim is to present the paediatric surgeons’ role in the treatment of malignancies in children and to show him as an important member of the multidisciplinary team of specialists involved in oncologic pathology. Paediatric surgeons are involved practically throughout the entire process of diagnostics and therapy. Interventions can be roughly divided into emergent, supportive and palliative. Emergency procedures include, for instance, bleeding management when large tumours prone to haemorrhage are involved, thoracocentesis in pleural effusions, hematothorax or pneumothorax. Procedures in supportive management include tumour biopsy, implantation of Port-a-cath® or Broviac catheters before chemotherapy, feeding gastrostomies, decompressing pyelostomies and similar procedures. Palliative procedures are performed in terminal patients without a chance of recovery, in an attempt to improve the quality of life. With that in mind the paediatric surgeon plays an important role as an active team member and has to keep up to date with modern courses of treatment and procedures which fall into his domain.
Conformal radiotherapy (3-DURT)
Authors: Deponte V.
Published: November 2024

The paper presents the basic principles and procedures important for the implementation of conformal radiotherapy. It is a specific radiotherapy method which consists of two system: one for the radiotherapy planning (CT-simulator with computer units) and the other one for the radiotherapy itself. Development of the computer technology made radiotherapy much more precise, with tridimensional approach and the possibility to apply much higher total doses to the tumor site. At the same time, the risk of developing the toxic effects in the surrounding healthy tissue is much lower. The conformal radiotherapy, although more time consuming, remains the method of choice in the contemporary radiotherapy.
Tempus project EU – palliative and pain medicine
Authors: Butković D. , Stepan J.
Published: November 2024

The TEMPUS Palliative and Pain Medicine Project (PPMP) is a European project under the initiative and guidance of the University of Florence and University of Lyon, with the participation of the Children’s Hospital Zagreb. The project goals are: to improve existing and enable new possibilities in the development of palliative and pain medicine in Croatia, to improve undergraduate and postgraduate education in the area of palliative and pain medicine based on a multi-disciplinary approach, to complete educational development for selected participants who will be able to pass on the knowledge they have acquired, to set up an international collaboration amongst academic institutions and to induce some changes in infrastructure and legislation in partner countries.
Late effects of treatment of childhood cancer
Authors: Jereb B.
Published: November 2024

We have analyzed the frequency, nature and severity of the late effects of childhood cancer treatment in the Slovene population. About 50% of former patients have no evidence of late effects at this point, but a certain number of these are expected to emerge in later follow-up. We also present an attempted classification of late effects, necessarily subjective.
Chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy: variability of clinical and electrophysiological course and treatment outcome
Authors: Barišić N.
Published: November 2024

Chronic demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) manifests with a monophasic, relapsing or progressive course. The pathogenesis of CIDP is still unknown, but involvement of the immune system has been firmly established. Childhood CIDP is characterized by large variability in clinical course, response to treatment, and clinical and electrophysiological outcome. Resistance to the treatment might be induced by the axonal involvement during the long course of the illness. Electrodiagnostic parameters of pronounced demyelination or axonal damage might remain unchanged during long-term follow-up although the clinical outcome is usually favourable. CIDP in children with a variable clinical course and elecrophysiological findings during long-term follow up are presented and discussed.
Surgical treatment of medically intractable epilepsy
Authors: Jurin M.
Published: November 2024

The objective of surgical treatment of epilepsy is better or complete seizure control and improvement of the quality -of-life of patients with medically intractable epilepsy. Failure of at least 2-3 antiepileptic drugs of first choice in monotherapy together with many other important prognostic factors determine the medical intractibility of epilepsy in children and poor prognosis of the disease. A careful diagnostic evaluation is mandatory for identification of surgical candidates and localizing the epileptogenic zone. Preoperative assessment should also define precisely some vital parts of the brain which should remain preserved after the operation such as cortical areas for speech, sight and memory functions. Non-invasive as well as invasive diagnostic preoperative procedures are described in detail and possibly resectable lesions are defined. It has been clearly demonstrated already that epilepsy surgery is an effective and safe treatment although some complications may appear. Neurosurgical procedures in treating intractable epilepsy can be divided in to resective and disconnection techniques. Known postoperative results lead to seizure freedom in more than 70% of patients who suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and in 40 to 70% of those who suffer from extra-temporal neocortical epilepsy. The results of epilepsy surgery in children are significantly better than in adults. Favourable outcomes always exceed 50%, sometimes 90% in well chosen cases with certain techniques. This success is made possible by the extraordinary brain plasticity in childhood and renewal of damaged brain functions. Medically intractable epilepsy causes stagnation of psychomotor and social development of the child. If acceptable seizure control is not achieved, a child should be referred to an epilepsy surgery centre for further evaluation.
Landau Kleffner syndrome – case report
Authors: Sasso A. , Dessardo N. Sindičić
Published: November 2024

Our case report is about a girl with Landau Kleffner syndrome. The first clinical manifestation was when she was three years old as a generalised epileptic seizure and after that rapid deterioration of speech. We present the clinical, including the EEG report, and therapeutic aspects of our patient. Although the first clinical sign was an epileptic seizure and then regression of speech, this was a typical case of Landau-Kleffner syndrome with disruption of speech and auditory agnosia. Although epileptic seizures are rare and well controlled with antiepileptic therapy, the development of the speech remains the greatest problem that requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Impact of preturity on articulation in children
Authors: Kolundžić Z. , Lenček M. , Klarić-Šimić A. , Tesari H.
Published: November 2024

Speech and language are among the most sophisticated human abilities, but different factors can slow or stop their development. One of the most important risk factors is preterm birth which can often result in speech and language difficulties. The aim of the study is to define the prevalence of articulation disorders in a group of 34 preterms, age between 7 and 8 years and compare with their peers born on term (34 children) and also possible predictors of some clinical factors on articulation. All the children were examined individually using the Articulation Test (Vuleti}). The results showed that within the group of preterm born children there are statistically more articulation disorders (38%) than in the control group (23%). Preterm children have more systematical errors (stigmatismus) and more disordered sounds than their peers. Within the group of typically developing children there were more articulation disorders which involve only one or two sounds (lambdacismus and rotacismus). Lower values of the clinical measures of LBW, earlier gestational age and lower Apgar index carry a significantly higher risk for development of articulation disorders. The authors point out the need for early systemic screening for speech and language disorders, especially in children with perinatal risk and early speech habilitation which can prevent or palliate major articulation disorders.
Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) – Bloch - Sulzberger syndrome: case report
Authors: Jurin M. , Weiss M.
Published: November 2024

Introduction: IP is a very rare, inherited and multisystemic disease transferred as X-linked dominant trait almost exclusively in girls (95%). In most cases IP is antenatally lethal for males. The disease is characterized by malformations and anomalies of the skin, hair, nails, eyes, tooth and central nervous system (CNS). It is manifested during the early neonatal period and was named after typical skin changes described by B l o c h in 1926 and S u l z b e r g e r in 1925. There are two different types of the disease: the first more frequent classical type (IP type 2 or family type) lethal for boys and the second sporadic type less frequent (IP type 1), described earlier in the literature as hypomelanosis of Ito. IP type 2 is caused by mutation of NEMO gene located on Xq28 while IP type 1 occurs as a result of „de novo“ mutation on xp 11 region. Case report: Our patient is a girl now 5 years old with symptoms and signs of IP type 2. She has suffered since early infancy from symptomatic epilepsy, spastic leftside hemiparesis with mild to moderate psychomotor retardation. Skin scaling on hands and foot was noticed at birth. The diagnosis of IP was confirmed by skin biopsy. Cytology studies showed epidermal eosinophilia. The skin changes which had inflammatory features in the beginning of the disease later faded. Ophthalmo-logical analysis revealed vitroretinal proliferation, retinal ablation and an atrophic right eyeball. Brain CT and MR scan showed hypoplastic corpus callosum, reduction of brain white matter and slight ventricular dilatation – radiological findings often present in IP.There is no special treatment for IP except the alleviation of the disease symptoms. We emphasized how important is to prevent infections. The control of epileptic seizures and physical therapy are the main tasks in management of our patient Therefore she is being followed up by a team of specialists : a neuro-paediatrician, psychologist, ophthalmologist, physiotherapist and dermatologist.
Psychological aspects of learning disabilities
Authors: Prvčić I. , Zec M. Rister , Barišić I.
Published: November 2024

Learning disabilities are a heterogeneous diagnostic category. As a specific disorder learning disabilities include reading disorders, disorders of written expression and mathematics disorders. As a general concept, learning disabilities may be categorised into four symptom complexes, which are not mutually exclusive: 1. dyslexia, 2. motor-perceptual; 3. language delay; 4. hyperactivity. In clinical settings these neurodevelopmental disorders are diagnosed in school-aged children. The most common referral reasons are significant difficulties in school achievement or difficulties in child adjustment and functioning that are manifested through behavioural and emotional difficulties caused by learning disabilities. Since academic achievement is an important aspect of self-esteem in childhood, school failure may result in many short-term and long-term consequences for the child’s functioning in narrow and broader social contexts, development of maladaptive behaviour and also cause the development of psychopathology. The most common short-term consequences include low academic and general self-esteem, lack of motivation for schooling and related obligations, behavioural disorders, a sense of overload in the child, peer relationship problems and a heightened level of family conflicts. The usual long-term outcomes are psychosomatic problems, affective disorders (depression, anxiety) and severe behavioural problems. Furthermore, longitudinal studies show the persistence of certain problems in adulthood.In summary, impairments should be adequately assessed to evaluate the cognitive deficits and strengths, and a precise diagnosis should be established. Once problem areas have been identified, special teaching strategies can be devised in collaboration with the school to circumvent handicaps. Also, an important part of intervention includes counselling of parents and children.
Occupational therapy and children with learning disabilities
Authors: Šimunović D. , Miočinović Lj. Popović
Published: November 2024

Danas se u sve više djece dijagnosticira neki od poremećaja učenja. Oni se klasificiraju na poremećaje čitanja, matematičkih sposobnosti, pismenog izražavanja te nespecifične poremećaje učenja. Radna terapija je struka kojoj je cilj omogućiti pojedincu da sudjeluje u aktivnostima svakodnevnog života. Radni terapeuti vjeruju da sudjelovanje pojedinca u aktivnostima može potpomoći ili ograničiti fizička, socijalna i zakonodavna sredina. Postoje radnoterapijski modeli i pristupi koji su primjenjivi u radu s djecom s poremećajem učenja. Neki od njih su i model adaptivnih vještina te model adaptacije kroz okupaciju. Model adaptivnih vještina temelji se na vjerovanju da ljudi kontinuirano prilagođavaju svoje akcije i ponašanja okolini u kojoj se nalaze, te da se adaptacija događa postupno i ovisi o ranije stečenim vještinama i podvještinama. Model adaptacije kroz okupaciju stavlja naglasak na okolinu u kojoj pojedinac izvodi aktivnosti, okupacije u smislu njihove važnosti za pojedinca, razine vještina potrebne za svladavanje aktivnosti i prilagodbe koje pojedinac mora ostvariti radi sebe i radi svoje okoline.
Angstaffordanz
Authors: Baur Jakob
Published: November 2024

Schauerliterarische Formen des Repräsentierens und Evozierens von Furcht in Carl Grosses Der Genius (1791–1794)
Photography-based language teaching for emotion vocabulary practice
Authors: Wiśniewska Danuta
Published: November 2024

The aim of this article is to reflect on the potential of photography for enhancing learners’ comprehension and use of emotion words in L2. The research shows the differences in the comprehension and acquisition of emotional concepts and emotion words in L1 and L2, revealing that bilinguals’ emotional concepts may differ from those of monolinguals. Moreover, L2 emotion words are used less frequently compared to L1. Therefore, the task of L2 teachers is to help learners acquire the means for expressing and describing emotions in the target language. This task can be challenging, as emotions often appear to be a sensitive topic, hindering learners’ language performance. The article not only discusses the potential of photography in providing opportunities for developing language awareness but also gives examples of how photography can be used to create opportunities for learning to express emotions in a foreign language. Keywords: emotion vocabulary, language teaching, photography
The role of emotions in foreign language learning – theoretical perspectives, interpretations and research directions
Authors: Aleksandrzak Magdalena
Published: November 2024

emotion, affective factors, individual differences, motivation, language anxiety
Long Island University’s Library Learning Center: Noel Phyllis Birkby’s Anti-Ableist Activism in the 1970s
Authors: Khalife May
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: In 1968, the architect and filmmaker Noel Phyllis Birkby (1932–1994) spearheaded the redevelopment of Long Island University’s Library Learning Center in Brooklyn, New York. The university’s mission was to retrofit a collection of buildings to create an accessible and equitable campus layout. The original design for the library complex featured a hierarchical ensemble of disconnected buildings. To serve the university’s mission, Birkby steered the revisions of the master plan in 1970 in ways that represented her understanding of disability as a social construct. Influenced by environmental design, Birkby transformed the built environment so as to address the compounding impacts of exclusionary practices in architecture. Environmental design was an emerging discipline that examined the human-built environment relationship at the intersection of architecture, social and behavioral sciences, and political action. Birkby’s spatial strategies of accessibility, interconnectedness, and transparency uncovered the socio-political power imbalances embedded within the ideological program of environmental design as a field of knowledge. Her work situates a critique of socio-spatial hierarchies within broader feminist conceptualizations of discrimination in design. The analysis of Birkby’s project—its original design and redesign—foregrounds her subsequent political activism and feminist design experimentations with fantasy drawings.
Latrobe’s Site Plan for Capitol Hill (1803): Discovering Graphic Complexity in Landscape Design and its Representation
Authors: Chenoweth Richard
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: The Library of Congress’s collection of Benjamin Henry Latrobe’s drawings contains a graphically complex topographical site plan for the US Capitol. This watercolor sheet from 1803 depicts a completed Capitol positioned on the crest of Jenkins Hill (now Capitol Hill) with its principal façades oriented towards east and west. Upon close inspection, Latrobe’s site plan communicates two systems: the hill’s existing topography and Latrobe’s design to reshape it. As a palimpsest of faintly visible layers of information, the plan reveals the city’s major avenues converging at the Capitol, illuminating how Latrobe’s design is spatially continuous with L’Enfant’s 1791 Plan of the city of Washington. Latrobe’s drawing represents a formal arrangement and design for the reshaping of Capitol Hill relative to the Capitol building itself, which was in progress, and the visionary city yet to be built. This paper will explore the systems of landscape representation that ultimately led to Latrobe’s unique way of quantifying and compiling landscape information. In the decades immediately prior to the creation of the Capitol site plan, rapid advancements in the graphic representation of scientific data included the discovery and use of contour line topography and the emergence of data visualization, also known as information graphics. As industrial, scientific, economic, and architectural advancements occurred during the eighteenth century, new ways of visualizing and communicating data, specifications, and results quickly followed. Essentially, architectural drawings themselves, including site plans, are systems of data visualization. The field note will deconstruct Latrobe’s site plan drawing using analog and digital methods and develop new drawings based on computer landform models that reveal the two systems of representation concealed in the graphically complex original. In 1959, the Capitol extension project necessitated the use of ground-penetrating radar to discover the Capitol’s topography from 1810 based on undisturbed soils. The paper will compare the accuracy of Latrobe’s original survey and drawing with the scientific results achieved in 1959.
Friendships Forged in War: Edward R. Murrow, the BBC, and the Battle for Pro-British Publicity in the United States, 1939–1941
Authors: Dettman Sean
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Across the opening months and years of World War II in Europe, British officials worked to feed American journalists, correspondents, and broadcasters positive news stories for the purpose of garnering much-needed sympathy and support for Britain's war effort. In particular, officials at the BBC American Liaison Unit and the Ministry of Information's American Division forged a close working relationship with US broadcaster Edward R. Murrow by attempting to arrange special privileges and facilities. However, officials and senior military personnel at the war ministries and Foreign Office obscured these efforts, limiting the adult, intelligent type of war Murrow wanted to report to the American people.
The Book of ʿAlī (A) ( Kitābū ʿAlī ): Al-Jāmiʿah
Authors: Bahmanpour M. S.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: All renowned Shi‘a authors of hadith have reported that with the Imams was a book written by the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ʿAlī (A) and dictated by the Prophet Muhammad (S), which contained the whole body of religious knowledge and all rulings of sharia . Al-Kulaynī reports from Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq, the third descendant of Imam Ḥusayn (A), saying with us is al-Jāmiʿah ; it is dictation of the Prophet (S) from his two lips and writing of ʿAlī (A) by his very hand. In it is the knowledge of all Halal (whatever is allowed) and Haram (whatever is forbidden) and whatever the people may need,… and hence it is named al-Jāmiʿah , ‘The Comprehensive Book’. Apart from al-Jāmiʿah , there are different other books attributed to Imam ʿAlī (A), namely, Kitābū ʿAlī (A), Ṣaḥīfah al-ʿitq and simply al-Ṣaḥīfah . This article explores the validity and the meaning of these reports and tries to identify each of these writings. It further examines if these writings were separate entities written on different occasions or simply different names for the same book.
The Scholarly Contributions of Jābir ibn Yazīd al-Juʿfī*
Authors: Ahmadvand Abbas , Yasin Sayyed Hesamuddin Ale , Masroor Saeed Tavoosi
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: Abū Muḥammad Jābir ibn Yazīd al-Juʿfī al-Kufī (c. 50–128 ah) is considered as one of the well-known and trustworthy followers and companions of Imam Al-Bāqir and Imam Al-Ṣādiq. During the late Umayyad era, he was considered as a great authority on religious sciences of his time, his main scientific activities being focused on exegesis of the Qur’an, Hadith , history, jurisprudence, and Kalām . Having accepted numerous outstanding students from both Shi‘a and Sunni sections of the Muslim community, he profoundly contributed to the dissipation of these sciences among all Muslims, especially Shi‘a Muslims.
"No One Strives to Take Hold of You": Mark 5's Echoes of Isaiah 63:7–66:17
Authors: Giffone Benjamin D. , Wile Sage E.
Published: November 2024

Abstract: We highlight echoes of Isaiah 63:7–66:17 in Mark 5, amplifying and refining observations made by other scholars and adding other connections that we have identified. In this section of Isaiah, the people's hardness of heart is connected to their state of ritual impurity. YHWH remains exasperated with those Israelites who persist in their hardheartedness but reaches out not only to faithful Israelites but also others outside Israel. Mark 5 exhibits echoes of Isa 63:7–66:17, in that moral and ritual reconciliation occurs between YHWH and wayward humans. This reconciliation takes place specifically when humans respond by "reaching out" to Jesus (YHWH incarnate), who continually reaches out to his people (as well as to the nations). bstract
Paul and the Observance of the Torah by Gentiles
Authors: Lavender Jordan
Published: November 2024

Abstract: The implications of Paul's thinking regarding gentile identification with Abraham have not been fully realised. Paul believed that gentile believers needed ritual transformation through immersion and the faithful obedience ( pistis ) of Christ to the Law and his death and resurrection to forgive the characteristic sins of the gentiles: idolatry and sexual immorality. They were made sons of Abraham by receiving Christ's pneuma . Paul's views reflect first-century debates surrounding both the precise ritual requirements of joining Israel and the status of proselytes after conversion. This paper examines several occurrences where scholars postulate that Paul opposed certain aspects of the Torah's legal system but proposed alternative explanations of pagan practice that were the more likely subject of debate. Therefore, we see no reason why Paul would have opposed gentile believers who observed the Sabbath or laws of kashrut , even though there are no explicit instructions by him to do so.
Reimagining the Same yet Different Gospel Accounts in Light of Orality and Memory Studies
Authors: Kwon Youngju
Published: November 2024

Abstract: This article starts with a complaint about the traditional literary models that focus almost solely on the writing stage of the Jesus tradition when explaining the same yet different gospel accounts (SDGA). To fill this gap, this article identifies diverse factors in the first two stages (the initial and transmission stages) of the Jesus tradition. Orality studies provide useful insights about diverse performance factors that may result in the SDGA such as direct contact with the audience, knowledge of the audience about the subject, responsiveness of the audience, the active role of the performer dealing with oral tradition, specific contexts where oral tradition is performed, and the nature of oral tradition. Memory studies also offer valuable insights about memory factors that may contribute to the SDGA such as fact vs. interpretation, past vs. present, individual memory vs. collective memory, as well as many subfactors. Having identified these various factors in different stages of the Jesus tradition, this article argues that a more sensitive approach to the Jesus tradition should consider these factors more seriously in reimagining the SDGA.
Norwegians in the Slave Trade: Unveiling Hidden Histories of Colonialism and Enslavement
Authors: Engevold Per Ivar Hjeldsbakken , Dorer Kari Lie
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Per Ivar Hjeldsbakken Engevold and Kari Lie Dorer‘s work in progress, Norwegians in the Slave Trade: Unveiling Hidden Histories of Colonialism and Enslavement , delves into the complex history of how Denmark-Norway became a participant in the trade of enslaved peoples and colonization. Over the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, Norwegians and Danes played a role in the trafficking of enslaved Africans, with Danish ships transporting nearly 100,000 enslaved individuals from Africa to European possessions in the Caribbean. Hjeldsbakken Engevold and Lie Dorer‘s research emphasizes the often-omitted Norwegian roles within the Danish colonial empire and the lasting impacts of this involvement on Norway‘s colonial legacy on contemporary issues of racism. Their in-progress book project explores the roles Norwegians played in the slave trade, from the elite to those coerced into participation. Intended for a general audience, the publication aims to provide a nuanced understanding of Norway‘s role in colonialism outside its borders. It discusses Norwegian involvement in Southeast Asia, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Northern Europe, offering a comprehensive overview that ties together the pieces of Norwegian and Norwegian-American history in a unique manner. Because of this difficult and underrecognized history, the authors stress its importance.
Unsustainability Entanglements in the Planning of the N2 Wild Coast Highway Project, South Africa
Authors: Manona Siyabulela Sobantu , Kepe Thembela , Mnwana Sonwabile , Forslund Dick
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: This article examines the decision by the South African government to construct a major highway – the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road – along the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, despite tenacious opposition by rural grassroots movements and residents. The paper primarily draws on detailed document analyses and participant observations during meetings with various stakeholders. Detailed field notes enabled an analysis of the fundamental sustainability questions within the state’s plans to construct a major toll road on one of South Africa’s environmentally sensitive coastal landscapes where land is inhabited by agriculturally active rural communities. We argue that the unsustainability of the proposed toll road project likely originates from often-contradicting goals between economic development and poverty reduction that should serve the poor. The unsustainability of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road originates from uncritical implantation of international planning principles in local contexts that focus on achieving high-speed connections between far-away places while turning a blind eye to local needs. The paper argues that the state’s role is controversial since it plays a contradictory role as referee between the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), whilst at the same time being a player through the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL). We conclude that this illustrates a clash between two discourses: state neo-liberalism and a commitment to the Amadiba Crisis Committee’s (ACC) environmental justice. The tensions generated by the conflict between the ACC and SANRAL or other agencies of the state are at the core of the unsustainability features of the project. The overall conclusion of this paper is that there is no way of papering over unsustainable outcomes in projects that purport to be founded on sustainability. Unsustainability will always crop up if blind spots are ignored, many of which deviate from principles of sustainability and justice for local people.
Too many rights? Women’s reproductive freedom in post-Apartheid South Africa
Authors: Hodes Rebecca
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT: This article explores the contestations over the legislation and enactment of sexual and reproductive rights in South Africa. The rights to free, quality sexual and reproductive health and rights are inscribed in the Constitution (1996) and within copious legislation and policy documents, yet their realisations remains elusive for much of the population. Teenage pregnancy is a particular node for controversy and public disapprobation in present-day South Africa. Public anxieties and opposition to teenage pregnancy relates, in complex ways, to broader suspicions about moral atavism among young women, in particular. There is a sense that the democratic transition has dismantled established modes of social regulation, resulting in a rupture in the social fabric and in concomitant social damage. This article explores two elements of this idea. Firstly, that the legislation of democratic freedoms has licensed sexual promiscuity among young women. Secondly, that this sexual promiscuity is related to other forms of profligate consumption among the ‘born free’ generation – those born after the first democratic elections in 1994. Based on seven years of qualitative research in the Eastern Cape as part of a study on post-apartheid youth, this article contrasts claims about the social damage brought about by the empowerment of women in the post-apartheid era, with the experiential accounts of young men and women themselves, as well as their older caregivers.
Orthogonal CORDIC-based rotation phase interrogation for EFPI Fabry-Perot sensor
Authors: Li Ruofei , Ma Zhibo , Xi Qi , Tian Zhiyong , Chang Zhichuang , Xu Long
Published: November 2024

In response to the growing demand for high real-time F-P demodulation algorithms, we present what we believe to be a novel Hilbert orthogonal F-P demodulation algorithm, HT-CORDIC, which is based on the Coordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC) algorithm. HT-CORDIC aims to balance accuracy and real-time performance. The algorithm employs the Hilbert transform to identify orthogonal signals, determines a specific phase difference through the Givens transform, and then extracts the cavity length through the vector of the CORDIC algorithm. The algorithm was evaluated through a series of demodulation simulations and experiments conducted on the EFPI sensors. The results demonstrate that the demodulation accuracy is approximately 1 nm at a cavity length of 192.395µm. Furthermore, the algorithm demonstrates an exceptionally high degree of linearity, with an R2 value of 0.9999. The parallel structure algorithm has been demonstrated to reduce the time required for demodulation in comparison to the traditional cross-correlation method. Furthermore, the resolution was found to be satisfactory, at 2.23 nm, with an average of 0.2533 nm for the algorithmic noise MSE. It can be concluded that the HT-CORDIC algorithm has the potential to be employed for high-real-time F-P interferometric demodulation.
Polarization conversion effect in cholesteric liquid crystal-based polarization volume gratings
Authors: Ding Yuqiang , Zhang Yefu , Ma Yongziyan , Huang Yuge , Wu Shin-Tson
Published: November 2024

Following the recent experimental discovery of a new polarization conversion phenomenon in polarization volume gratings (PVGs), in this paper, we investigate its underlying physical mechanisms in cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) reflectors and PVGs. We examine the transition of eigenstates from circular to linear polarization as the incident angle deviates from the helical axis, which originates such an anomalous polarization conversion effect. While this transition enables PVGs to double the in-coupling efficiency and brightness uniformity in waveguide-based augmented reality (AR) displays, it also degrades the polarization selectivity and alters the transmitted polarization state in both CLC reflectors and PVGs, which in turn narrows down their spectral and angular bandwidth in the multi-layer design. These findings help not only deepen the understanding of polarization behaviors in CLC-based optical elements but also provide valuable insights to optimize their performances for emerging AR smart glasses.
Polycrystalline magneto-optical transparent Pr2Zr2O7 pyrochlore ceramic for Faraday rotation
Authors: Dong Youren , Lu Bin , Hu Liangbin , Liu Yongxing , Dai Shixun
Published: November 2024

To design an innovative magneto-optical material aimed at a large Verdet constant coincides with the development trend of state-of-the-art modern optical devices. In this work, a magneto-optical transparent Pr2Zr2O7 ceramic with pyrochlore structure was successfully fabricated by vacuum sintering plus hydrogen reduction for the first time to our knowledge. The two- and three-dimensional images observed on the laser scanning confocal microscopy reveal that the grain-boundary dent depth of the polished Pr2Zr2O7 ceramic is only ∼1.6 µm upon thermal etching at a high temperature of 1675°C for 2 h, showing excellent heat-resistance ability. The crystal-clear Pr2Zr2O7 ceramic has a high in-line transmittance of ∼71.6% at 780 nm (∼92.3% of the theoretical value), a high refractive index of ∼2.1, and an effective magnetic moment of ∼5.28 µB. In the visible region, the O2− polarizability and optical basicity of the Pr2Zr2O7 compound generally retain constants around 2.37 ± 0.07 Å3 and 0.965 ± 0.015, respectively. The magneto-optical transparent Pr2Zr2O7 ceramic exhibits high Verdet constants of −336 ± 4, −208 ± 3, −108 ± 1, and −48 ± 2 rad·T-1·m-1 at 515, 635, 780, and 1064 nm, respectively, which were ∼1.55-fold higher than the commercial Tb3Ga5O12 single crystal. Our developed new-type ceramic material has excellent potential application for Faraday rotation.
Determination of qPCR reference genes suitable for normalizing gene expression in a novel model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the D2-mdx mouse
Authors: Boccanegra Brigida , Lenti Roberta , Mantuano Paola , Conte Elena , Tulimiero Lisamaura , Piercy Richard J. , Cappellari Ornella , Hildyard John C. W. , De Luca Annamaria
Published: November 2024

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a X-linked neuromuscular disorder arising from mutations in the dystrophin gene, leading to a progressive muscle wasting and disability. Currently there is no universal therapy, and there is thus a strong interest in preclinical studies for finding novel treatments. The most widely used and characterized mouse model for DMD is the C57BL/10ScSn-Dmdmdx/J (BL10-mdx), but this model exhibits mild pathology and does not replicate key features of human disease. The D2.B10-Dmdmdx/J (D2-mdx) mouse is a more recent model which seems to better mimics the complex human DMD phenotype. However, the D2-mdx mouse remains less extensively characterised than its BL10-mdx counterpart. Quantitative PCR analysis of gene expression is an important tool to monitor disease progression and evaluate therapeutic efficacy, but measurements must be normalised to stably expressed reference genes, which should ideally be determined and validated empirically. We examined gene expression in the gastrocnemius (GC), diaphragm (DIA) and heart in the D2-mdx mouse, the BL10-mdx mouse, and appropriate strain-matched wild-type controls (D2-wt and BL10-wt), from 4 to 52 weeks of age, using a large panel of candidate references (ACTB, AP3D1, CSNK2A2, GAPDH, HPRT1, PAK1IP1, RPL13A, SDHA, and in the heart, also HTATSF1 and HMBS). Data was analyzed using GeNorm, Bestkeeper, deltaCt and Normfinder algorithms to identify stable references under multiple possible scenarios. We show that CSNK2A2, AP3D1 and ACTB represent strong universal reference genes in both GC and DIA, regardless of age, muscle type, strain and genotype, while HTATSF1 and SDHA are optimal for the heart. GAPDH, HPRT1 and RPL13A were conversely revealed to be poor references, showing tissue-, age- or disease-specific changes in expression. Our results illustrate the importance of determining appropriate reference genes for specific comparative scenarios, but also reconfirm that universal panels can nevertheless be identified for normalising gene expression studies in even complex pathological states.