bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sudden and Severe Hypoxia During Anesthesia Induction for A Neonatal Esophageal Atresia: Consider Accidental Esophageal Fistula Intubation
Authors: Rémond MD Charlotte
Published: February 2025

A full-term neonate with type C esophageal atresia was scheduled in an emergency for surgical repair. During induction of anesthesia, the TEF was identified by a flexible tracheobronchoscopy. After endotracheal tube cuffed (ETT) insertion, ventilation was immediately impossible and led to severe hypoxia, requiring resuscitation maneuvers and an emergency percutaneous gastrostomy. The diagnosis of TEF intubation was made after ruling out the other typical causes of non-ventilation, such esophageal intubation, bronchospasm, hypovolemia, pneumothorax, obstructive secretions in ETT. After effective tracheal reintubation, the surgery proceeded normally. We did not observe any long-term sequelae.

TEF intubation during EA is a rare and poorly described event. We want to highlight this risk and the importance of having a multidisciplinary medical team present during anesthesia induction for neonatal EA surgical repair. To ensure optimal placement of ETT, this team should be able to perform real-time tracheal endoscopy, chest X-ray, or ultrasound.
Unveiling the Hidden Culprit: A Commonly Used Medication Triggers Persistent Hiccups
Authors: Singh Meenu
Published: February 2025

Hiccups are considered minor symptoms in general by patients and providers and are therefore often underreported. Persistent hiccups have the potential to cause significant discomfort affecting speech, oral intake, sleep, mood, exhaustion and pain. There is very limited data on incidence and prevalence of prolonged hiccups. This is compounded by under-recognition of some of the causes of hiccups, especially drug induced hiccups. The etiology of hiccups is vast. Commonly known causes include structural, infectious, and inflammatory processes involving abdominal and thoracic viscera, brain and electrolyte imbalances. Common medication triggers include benzodiazepines, barbiturates, opioids, antiemetics(ondansetron), antibiotics(azithromycin) and chemotherapy. Steroids, dexamethasone particularly, is an under-recognized and underreported cause of DIH. Oncology patients are particularly predisposed to hiccups secondary to frequent use of dexamethasone in this patient population besides use of other predisposing factors including chemotherapy, radiation, antiemetics and other structural causes. In oncology patient's hiccups is a less well researched symptom, though it has been reported to affect >20% oncology patients, with less than ten percent seeking care for the symptom. Corticosteroids have emerged as a relatively less well-known cause of hiccups in this population, with the first case of Dexamethasone Induced Hiccups (DIH) reported in 1982. Dexamethasone is more strongly associated with hiccups as compared to other steroids likely secondary to differences in permeability into blood brain barrier. Incidence of DIH has been reported to vary from 6.3% in a recent study in COVID patients to 61% with very high doses of dexamethasone. Our case describes a patient's experience with severe dexamethasone induced hiccups who failed to improve with conventional non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic first line therapies. Once dexamethasone was recognized as a possible cause, steroid rotation from dexamethasone to methylprednisolone led to quick hiccup resolution. Our case report aims to improve awareness of dexamethasone-associated hiccups in medical practitioners and provide a potential for simple effective treatment when association is recognized by the treating providers.
On the Issue of the Nature and Definition of Depression
Authors: Lvovich Leonchuk Sergey
Published: February 2025

Currently, there is no common understanding of the nature of depression or its strict scientific definition, which leads to mistakes in the diagnosis and treatment of depressive conditions. The existing definitions of depression do not reflect its internal nature and are of an external descriptive nature, which leads away from the essence of the problem. The article offers the author's view on the nature of depression, as a state of ancient nonspecific adaptation - unresponsiveness, and gives its scientific definition.
Artificial intelligence (AI)/ML in Packaging innovations for Drug Discovery
Authors: Chanda Anupam
Published: February 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy. AI software can perform a variety of tasks, including:Content generation, Data analysis, Prediction, Process automation, Decision-making, Learning, and Problem-solving. ML/AI can help vision system experts to identify and sort false ejects from large image data sets for oral, Injectables, solids, semi-solid Doses form products “ONLINE INSPECTION”.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation: Key Provisions of Guidelines and Correction of Conceptual Errors
Authors: Belousov A.N.
Published: February 2025

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) is a set of clinical manifestations of systemic thrombohemorrhagia. Despite the existence of numerous guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of DIC, mortality from this condition remains high, ranging from 45% to 78%. The purpose of this study is to analyze the key provisions of leading guidelines and articles dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of DIC. During the study, conceptual errors were identified in the presented guidelines and articles, leading to false principles in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of DIC. A deep, comprehensive understanding of the functioning of the coagulation system, based on fundamental knowledge, is key to the correct assessment of its state and the choice of the most effective therapy method. The principles of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of DIC should be based on the pathophysiology of coagulopathy development, clinical data, laboratory and instrumental studies, as well as an understanding of the mechanisms of action of therapeutic agents, taking into account an individual approach. Only the section on clinical transfusiology can provide the necessary professional knowledge on this topic, and a clinical transfusiologist is capable of diagnosing, preventing, and, if necessary, effectively correcting hemostasis in DIC.
Pregnancy and Lactation: A Lifespan Perspective on Maternal Cardiovascular Health and Risk
Authors: B. Goldstein Leonard
Published: February 2025

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, responsible for 18.6 million deaths annually due to heart attacks and strokes. The economic impact is staggering, with the United States alone incurring $363 billion annually in direct and indirect costs. Primary risk factors such as an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption are further compounded by the rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes in urbanized areas, creating a significant global public health burden.
The Role of Genetic Mutations on Gene FOXL2 in Blepharophimosis, Ptosis, and Epicanthus Inversus Syndrome
Authors: Asadi Shahin
Published: February 2025

BPEI syndrome is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the development of the eyelids. People with this disease have blepharophimosis, drooping eyelids (ptosis) and abnormal skin on top of the eyelids near the inner corner of the eye (epicanthus inversus). In addition to the above, other structures in the eyes and face may also be affected by BPEI syndrome. BPEI syndrome types 1 and 2 are caused by the mutation of the FOXL2 gene, which is located in the long arm of chromosome 3 as 3q22.3.
Immunohistochemical Expression of NKX3.1 in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma Correlates with Tumors Grade among Sudanese
Authors: Mohammed Hamad Mosab Nouraldein
Published: February 2025

Background: The second most frequent cancer in males and the fourth most common cancer overall for both sexes is prostate cancer. On chromosome 8p, there is a prostatic tumor suppressor gene called NKX3.1. Despite the fact that the majority of primary prostatic adenocarcinomas exhibit positive NKX3.1 protein staining.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of NKX3.1in prostate adenocarcinoma and correlate it with tumor grades among Sudanese patients.

Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective descriptive cross- sectional study, was conducted in Khartoum state, (Radiation& Istopes Center- Khartoum (RICK)). Tissue sections were stained by immunohistochemical staining against NKX3.1 (indirect dextral polymers (Dako- EnVision TM Flex kit)) was carried out on forty (40) archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks from patients diagnosed as prostate carcinoma. Data were collected from hospital records and the immunohistochemical results and then analyzed using SPSS 25.0 frequency, and Chi-Square and mean were calculated.

Results: The study found that the most frequent age group is between (71 – 80) years old, twenty (20) cases have prostate adenocarcinoma grade III, twelve (12) cases were grade II, and eight (8) cases were grade I. Any nuclear NKX3.1 staining was regarded as positive. Thirty-five (35%) have NKX3 positive immunostain while (65%) have a negative result. There is a statistically significant correlation between the NKX3.1 expressions and tumor grade as the P. value was (0.000), while in a statistically significant correlation between the NKX3 expressions and patients' age as the P. value was (0.957).

Conclusions: NKX3 immuno expression is strongly associated with higher tumor grade and may prove the role of this protein in the progression of prostate cancer.
Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Appendix: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Chettahi Nabil
Published: February 2025

Background: Neuroendocrine tumor of the appendix is a rare neoplasm discovered only incidentally. They are mainly found in the histological examination of appendices operated due to acute appendicitis. The treatment is essentially surgical, and depending on the size of the lesion, it can range from a simple appendectomy to right hemicolectomy.

Case presentation: In our work, we report the case of a neuroendocrine tumor of the appendix in a 15- year-old female patient admitted for symptoms of acute abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with appendicular peritonitis and admitted to the surgical unit. The anatomopathological examination of the vermiform appendix obtained after appendicectomy showed a histological aspect of a neuroendocrine tumor.

Conclusion: We recommend that appendectomy specimens be routinely sent for pathological examination malignancy and NETs, may be missed without histopathological examination.
The genre of uchronia through The Man in the High Castle: a literary and cinematic perspective
Authors: García González Paula del Carmen
Published: February 2025

Introduction: This article aims to define the elements which conform the uchronia through Philip K. Dick’s, The Man in the High Castle (1962), and the homonymous series produced by Ridley Scott and Frank Spotnitz (2015-2019). Methodology: The origins of the uchronia have been examined among the science fiction framework, as well as some definitions of the term from various disciplines. A descriptive analysis about the implied elements in the uchronian characterisation has been developed, following Altman’s semantic-syntactic approach to defining the cinematic genre, which has been transferred to the realm of literature. Analysis and results: The portrayal of fictional and historical figures produces semantic-syntactic connections, considering the conflicts that they introduce through their perception about the uchronian world. A series of minor objects connect to the concept of authenticity in distinctive areas, as one of the main themes that the genre examines. Conclusions: Contrarily to other correlated subgenres, the uchronia suggests a possible fictional world based on historical factors. The contrast between the novel and the series exhibits the solid connection between both formats despite their different nature.
Inteligencia artificial generativa en el proceso de enseñanza del docente universitario
Authors: Jurado-Enríquez Elizabeth Lizbel , Vargas-Prado Kelly Fara , Melgarejo Ángeles Wilder Enrique , Aniceto Norabuena Úrsula Rosalía , Villacorta Granados Tania Giovanna
Published: February 2025

Introducción: La aplicación de la Inteligencia Artificial Generativa (IAG) en la enseñanza universitaria no solo presenta una oportunidad para mejorar la educación superior, sino que también se constituye como un campo emergente de estudio que requiere atención multidisciplinaria. Este estudio busca identificar el uso de la IAG por parte de los docentes universitarios durante el desarrollo de sus clases. Metodología: Este es un enfoque cuantitativo, de estudio transversal y descriptivo. Participaron 63 docentes universitarios peruanos seleccionados a través de un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia. Se utilizó el cuestionario TPACK en el contexto de la Inteligencia Artificial Generativa. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que el 52,4% de los docentes son hombres, el 66,7% trabaja a tiempo completo, el 54,0% tiene doctorado y el 66,7% tiene publicaciones de artículos. Respecto a la integración de la IAG en las clases, el 1,6% la integró de manera baja, el 31,7% de manera regular, y el 66,7% de manera alta. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en función del sexo de los docentes (p<0,05). Discusión y Conclusiones: Es necesario capacitar más a los docentes en el uso de tecnologías como la IAG para que, independientemente de la modalidad de enseñanza, todos estén a la vanguardia y se logre una mejor calidad educativa.
Arbitration and Neuroscience in the Context of Arbitral Decision-Making. And More?
Authors: Colorio Andrea
Published: February 2025

Los árbitros internacionales deben ser imparciales e independientes. Mientras la independencia se refiere a la falta de relaciones con una parte que pueda influir en la decisión de un árbitro, la imparcialidad se refiere específicamente a la ausencia de sesgo o predisposición hacia una de las partes. Sin embargo, los resultados obtenidos de forma experimental muestran que los árbitros internacionales tienden a tomar decisiones que a menudo son predominantemente intuitivas e influenciadas por ilusiones cognitivas pasadas. Parece haber, en particular, límites sustanciales implícitos de naturaleza inconsciente, cognitiva y cultural que condicionan su acción; según algunos estudiosos, la toma de decisiones de los árbitros sería igualmente propensa a verse afectada por prejuicios subconscientes que podrían tener un efecto distorsionador en la toma de decisiones que por prejuicios conscientes. Estos límites son extremadamente difíciles de probar empíricamente y, por lo tanto, eluden la detección cuando se investigan con metodologías comunes. Ahora, gracias a los estudios más recientes en el campo de la neurociencia cognitiva –que han comenzado a proporcionar a los académicos datos significativos con respecto a una comprensión de la toma de decisiones humana basada en el cerebro– y al uso de herramientas como la resonancia magnética funcional (IRMf), ha llegado el momento de preguntarnos no solo si el concepto mismo de sesgo en el campo del arbitraje internacional debe ser revisado, sino también si existe una evaluación “objetivamente” imparcial desde un punto de vista neurocognitivo.
El abuso del derecho como principio de Derecho internacional: un intento fallido
Authors: Paulsson Jan
Published: February 2025

Incluso en los distintos ordenamientos jurídicos nacionales, la noción de abuso de derecho es difícil de definir con precisión y, por tanto, es probable que dé lugar a decisiones arbitrarias y controvertidas, si se emplea por sí sola como fundamento de la decisión. En el Derecho internacional, la perspectiva de que se reconozca como un principio general del Derecho (promovido por primera vez tras la Primera Guerra Mundial, sin éxito, como herramienta conceptual para contener las demostraciones brutales de poder soberano) es remota, debido a la extraordinaria variedad de fórmulas utilizadas en el Derecho nacional y a la reticencia de los Estados a conceder poderes tan amplios a los árbitros. Un papel más modesto para la noción de abuso de derecho no es el de norma general primaria del Derecho, sino el de parte de una «lex specialis» que se ocupa de materias que necesitan proporcionar una base suplementaria o correctiva para afinar las decisiones que se han de tomar en situaciones infrecuentes, en las que no cabe establecer normas generales: al igual que el Derecho internacional permite el ajuste equitativo de las fronteras marítimas si la línea de equidistancia, que proporciona la norma general, es inadecuada considerando las características únicas de las costas en cuestión.
Abuse of Process in Investment Arbitration
Authors: Seara Cardoso Francisca , Jankowski Adam
Published: February 2025

En los últimos veinte años, la jurisprudencia arbitral en controversias sobre inversiones ha venido articulando, adoptando y aplicando, con creciente frecuencia y con fianza, diversas versiones de la doctrina del abuso del derecho. Esa jurisprudencia parece entender esta doctrina, así como la subdoctrina del abuso del proceso, como la aplicación a controversias relativas a inversiones de una doctrina general de interdicción del abuso del derecho, la cual es aceptada expresa o tácitamente como parte del Derecho internacional general. Este artículo tiene por fin examinar críticamente los presupuestos conceptuales y jurídicos sobre los que descansan esas decisiones y la medida en que guardan coherencia con los principios y la lógica de la doctrina que pretenden acoger y aplicar. Para ello, el artículo analiza las principales cuestiones (conceptuales, metodológicas, político-ideológicas) que subyacen la doctrina del abuso del derecho; la controvertida cuestión de si dicha doctrina ha pasado a formar parte del Derecho internacional; la progresiva aceptación de la doctrina en la jurisprudencia en materia de inversiones; y, en fin, los tres principales problemas que plantea la forma en que la doctrina viene aplicándose: su estatus jurídico, los derechos a que se aplica y el criterio para calificar un ejercicio de un derecho como abusivo. El artículo concluye con breves observaciones sobre tres temas más generales: las razones de la aceptación, generalmente acrítica, de la doctrina del abuso de derecho en la jurisprudencia sobre inversiones; la transformación de la doctrina, en su origen una institución típica del Derecho civil continental basada en un criterio general de abuso, en una norma de características similares a las del «common law», aplicada sobre la base de similitudes de hecho con casos anteriores; y la incertidumbre que suscita la potencial aplicación plena de la doctrina a los derechos de los Estados.
Arbitrabilidad de las cláusulas ESG: análisis y propuestas para el fu turo
Authors: Olmos Giupponi Belén , Partido Figueroa Raúl
Published: February 2025

La proliferación de las cláusulas ESG en el ámbito de la contratación internacional ha suscitado el interés de la comunidad jurídica acerca del contenido y el alcance de dichas cláusulas. A su vez, dicha proliferación ocasionará que, en un futuro, surjan disputas relativas a la aplicación y ejecución de las cláusulas ESG. A priori, el arbitraje comercial aparece como un mecanismo idóneo para la resolución de dichas disputas, si bien deberán abandonarse algunas de las prácticas más arraigadas para adaptarse a las especialidades de la nueva litigación sobre cláusulas ESG, mediante la incorporación de algunas de las prácticas propias del arbitraje de inversión (e incluso de nuevas prácticas), lo que suscitará la existencia de un novedoso modelo híbrido de arbitrajes a medio camino entre los tradicionales arbitrajes comerciales y los arbitrajes de inversión.
Lion v. México: un estudio sobre la denegación de justicia en el arbitraje de inversión
Authors: Anaya Mondragón Hector
Published: February 2025

Los laudos arbitrales no han sido uniformes en cuanto al alcance de la denegación de justicia en el arbitraje de inversión, como una vertiente del trato mínimo y equitativo. En dicho debate, un tribunal arbitral ha emitido recientemente laudo final en contra de México, determinando la responsabilidad del Estado por denegación de justicia conforme al TLCAN. El autor estudia el razonamiento del tribunal y concluye que, si bien resuelve en favor del inversionista, el laudo socava la posibilidad de que exista una denegación de justicia sustantiva en el Derecho internacional de inversiones.
Sănătatea mintală influențată de caniculă | [Mental health affected by heatwaves]
Authors: Caliga Ioana
Published: February 2025

Introduction: Extreme heat, or heatwaves, is a period of unusually hot weather that causes people to become ill from heat stress or heatstroke, which can be fatal. Objectives: This paper aims to analyze the impact of high temperature values caused by heatwave on mental health. Material and methods: A simple bibliographic study was conducted by searching for two keywords: „heat wave”; and „mental health”; written in English on Google search engine. As a result, more than 50 sources appeared. From them, we analyzed 25 sources that connected both terms. Results: Heat stress is life-threatening, causing central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction ex confusion, severe disorientation, convulsions, coma, hyperthermia, organ/tissue damage. Brain cells are extremely sensitive to heat stress. Irreversible neuronal damage begins at or above 40°C, which is only 3°C above the normal human body temperature and progresses exponentially with further temperature increase. Conclusions: Rapid recognition and treatment of the consequences of heat stress has the potential to reduce mortality and neurological complications and support vulnerable patients in a rapidly warming world.
Rezumat
Introducere: Căldura extremă sau valurile de căldură sunt o perioadă de vreme neobișnuit de caldă care îi provoacă pe oameni să se îmbolnăvească din cauza stresului termic sau a insolației, ceea ce poate fi fatal. Obiective: Această cercetare își propune să analizeze impactul valorilor ridicate ale temperaturii cauzate de caniculă asupra sănătății mintale. Material și metodă: A fost efectuat un simplu studiu bibliografic, fiind căutate două cuvinte cheie: „caniculă” și „sănătate mintală” scrise în limba engleză pe motorul de căutare Google. Ca rezultat au apărut peste 50 de surse. Din ele au fost analizate 25 de surse, care au făcut legătura dintre ambele noțiuni. Rezultate: Stresul termic pune viața în pericol, cauzează disfuncție a sistemului nervos central (SNC) de exemplu, confuzie, dezorientare severă, convulsii, comă, hipertermie, leziuni ale organelor/țesuturilor corpului. Celulele creierului sunt extrem de sensibile la stres termic. Leziunile neuronale ireversibile încep la temperatura egală sau mai mari de 40°C, care este cu doar 3°C peste valoarea de bază normală a corpului uman și progresează exponențial cu creșteri suplimentare ale temperaturii. Concluzii: Recunoașterea rapidă și tratamentul consecințelor stresului termic are potențialul de a reduce mortalitatea și complicațiile neurologice și sprijinul pacienților vulnerabili într-o lume care se încălzește rapid.
PERSEPSI PEMANGKU KEPENTINGAN TERHADAP PENGELOLAAN LANSKAP HUTAN DAS WAE BATU MERAH KOTA AMBON
Authors: Siahaya Jesy Sammy , Latuamury Bokiraiya , Loppies Ronny
Published: February 2025

Forest landscape management in the Wae Batu Merah Watershed (DAS) in Ambon City is a complex and urgent issue, given its strategic role in maintaining ecosystem balance, reducing natural disaster risks, and supporting the sustainability of natural resources for local communities. Forests in this watershed protect ecosystems from erosion and soil degradation and provide critical ecosystem services, such as clean water sources and biodiversity habitats. However, pressures from human activities, such as land-use changes, urbanization, and poorly planned management practices, have threatened the sustainability of forest landscape functions in this area. This study explores stakeholders' views and perceptions regarding forest landscape management in the Wae Batu Merah Watershed, Ambon City. This research employs in-depth interviews and field observations involving key stakeholders, such as the Forestry Department, the Provincial Forestry Technical Unit (UPTD) of Maluku, and the communities of Batu Merah and Soya villages. The results reveal that stakeholders’ perceptions of forest landscape management in the Wae Batu Merah Watershed fall within the moderate category regarding knowledge, understanding, and attitudes. These perceptions vary from full support to rejection. Support is generally associated with initiatives actively involving stakeholders and providing tangible benefits. Conversely, rejection arises when policies or management practices are perceived as harmful or insufficiently inclusive. These findings underscore the importance of collaborative and inclusive approaches to forest landscape management to achieve ecological and social sustainability in the Wae Batu Merah Watershed.
Design as an Integral Part of the Innovation Process
Authors: Berkhout Guus
Published: February 2025

Innovation models should give insight into the success and failure of generating new business. Considering the high degree of complexity, it is proposed to view such models at different levels of abstraction. It is also proposed to make feedback an essential property of the process model. The result of this new line of thinking is an integrated environment for the creation of new business. In this multilayer environment, innovation is positioned as the interconnecting activity between the development of new technology and the provision for unsatisfied needs, and the involved process model is represented by a circle of change. In this circle of change, creative design plays a dominant role.
Blob-Shells: Composite Stressed Skin Roofs for Liquid Design Architecture
Authors: Eekhout Mick  , Visser Ronald
Published: February 2025

This article describes the design, development & research build process of a new generation of shell roof structures for architecture. The result marks a new era, the renaissance of the shell structures, once popular in architecture in the 1960's, but disappeared since. Liquid Design Architecture enhances a more free and complex geometry of buildings. The main attention in this contribution is given to the ‘free form’ roofs of the Rabin Center in Tel Aviv (architect Moshe Safdie). The principle idea was initated in discussions with colleagues from aeronautic and yacht design. The subsequent process of design & engineering, made use of state-of-the-art design and engineering computer programmes, but relied even more on the ‘out of the box’ abilities and imagination of the technical designers. The production stage was greatly assisted by the transfer of technology from yachting industry, although the architectural application, mainly in its size, but also in transport, shipment and assembly had to be developed further on the building industry's level of technology and pricing.
Medical Guidelines for the Patient: Introducing the Life Assistance Protocols
Authors: Domínguez David  , Fernández Carlos  , Meneu Teresa  , Mocholí Juan Bautista  , Serafin Riccardo
Published: February 2025

This paper introduces our preliminary results in the modeling of Life Assistance Protocols, a new vision of medical guidelines and protocols through the lenses of p-Health. In this context the patient's role in the process is emphasized, the actions to be performed less defined and not only clinical situations considered, but also healthier lifestyle promotion processes accounted for, where the person's preferences and motivations play a key role.
The use of a decision tree increases accuracy when classifying adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using Lenke classification
Authors: Phan P.  , Mezghani N.  , Parent S.  , de Guise J.A.  , Labelle H.
Published: February 2025

Lenke classification has shown fair reliability when used by surgeons. Rule based algorithms have shown to improve AIS classification using King classification. No such algorithms have yet been developed for Lenke classification. A computer classifier using an algorithm based on a decision tree was developed to classify curve types of AIS spines according to Lenke classification strictly from Cobb angle measurements. A simplified and clinically usable diagram of that decision tree was designed and introduced to surgical residents, nurses and orthopaedic surgeons. They were asked to classify 36 scoliotic curves strictly from radiographic measurements, using the Lenke classification description from the original article and then using the decision tree diagram as well. Wilkoxon ranking test was used for statistical analysis of gain in accuracy and assessment time. Instant classification by the computer classifier achieved 99% accuracy on a 603 patient database. When comparing accuracy from classifying curve types using the Lenke system description alone and in complement with the decision tree diagram, classification accuracy mean (SD) of 81% (24%) and 94% (6%) were achieved respectively. That difference was statistically significant (p=0.01). Classification times mean (SD) without and with decision tree diagram were 31.66 (8.99) and 23.33 (9.69) seconds per item respectively. It was not statistically significant (p=0.10). Rule based algorithms and decision trees can improve AIS classification. The development of such algorithms can highlight ambiguous cases in classification description. Adaptation of algorithms developed for computer application to the clinical setting can increase clinicians' classification accuracy.
Can surgical reduction correct spino-pelvic alignment in L5-S1 developmental spondylolisthesis?
Authors: Labelle H.  , Roussouly P.  , Chopin D.  , Berthonnaud E.  , Hresko T.  , O'Brien M.
Published: February 2025

This is a retrospective multi-centre analysis of 73 subjects (age 18±3 years) with developmental spondylolisthesis and an average follow-up of 1.9 years after reduction and fusion with instrumentation or cast (17 grade II, 40 grade III, 13 grade IV and 3 grade V). Spino-pelvic alignment was measured by a single observer on standing lateral X-rays using a computer software allowing a very high intra observer reliability. Paired Student tests and repeated measures analysis of variance were used to compare the measurements before and after surgery. After sub-classifying subjects into balanced and retroverted pelvis, pelvic shape was unaffected by surgery, as measured by pelvic incidence. However, grade, L5 incidence, slip angle, and shape of lumbar spine were all significantly improved. In addition, significant improvements were noted in pelvic alignment in both sub-groups, with 40% of cases switching groups, the vast majority from a retroverted to a balanced pelvis alignment. The direction and magnitude of these changes were significantly different by sub-group. In conclusion, while pelvic shape is unaffected by attempts at surgical reduction, repositioning of L5 over S1 significantly improves pelvic balance and spinal shape in developmental spondylolisthesis. These results emphasize the importance of dividing subjects according to pelvic balance, and further support the contention that reduction techniques might be considered for the retroverted pelvis sub-group.
Measuring the Rib Hump in Scoliosis with ISIS2
Authors: Berryman F.  , Pynsent P.  , Fairbank J.
Published: February 2025

The three-dimensional shape of the back of 60 patients attending a spinal deformity clinic was measured using ISIS2, a non-commercial surface topography system using digital photography and structured light. Wire-frame and contour plots were displayed, presenting quantitative information and providing a useful pictorial representation of the whole back. A numerical parameter representing the height of the rib hump was also recorded. Repeat measurements, with the patient walking around the room between photographs were carried out. The mean difference between the pairs of measurements was −0.08 mm (sd 4.18 mm) and the 95% tolerance limits were −9.82 mm to 9.66 mm. Changes of greater than ±10 mm are therefore necessary as indicative of clinical change.
An Apriori Based Approach to Improve On-line Advertising Performance
Authors: Giuffrida Giovanni  , Cantone Vincenzo  , Tribulato Giuseppe
Published: February 2025

On-line advertising is booming. Compared to traditional media, such as Press and TV, Web advertising is cheap and offers interesting returns. Thus, it is attracting more and more consideration by the industry. In particular, it is now a consistent part of the marketing mix, that is, the set of different approaches to advertise a product. Data mining based optimization on Web advertising can take place at many different levels. From a data miner perspective, Internet advertising is a very interesting domain as it offers a very large amount of data produced at fast pace with a rich and precise amount of details. It also offers the valuable possibility of live hypothesis testing. Here we discuss an Apriori based optimization experiment we performed on live data. We show how effective such optimization is.
Theoretical Study of Ant-based Algorithms for Multi-Agent Patrolling
Authors: Glad Arnaud  , Simonin Olivier  , Buffet Olivier  , Charpillet François
Published: February 2025

This paper addresses the multi-agent patrolling problem, which consists for a set of autonomous agents to visit all the places of an unknown environment as regularly as possible. The proposed approach is based on the ant paradigm. Each agent can only mark and move according to its local perception of the environment. We study EVAW, a pheromone-based variant of the EVAP [3] and VAW [12]. The main novelty of the paper is the proof of some emergent spatial properties of the proposed algorithm. In particular we show that obtained cycles are necessarily of same length, which ensures an efficient spatial distribution of the agents. We also report some experimental results and discuss open questions concerning the proposed algorithm.
A Theorem Prover with Dependent Types for Reasoning about Actions
Authors: Barlatier Patrick  , Dapoigny Richard
Published: February 2025

In the development of logic-based formal theories, traditional approaches which rely on first-order classical logic suffer from a number of limitations such as semi-decidability, closed-world assumption, difficulty to cope with partial knowledge, etc. Many solutions have been proposed for these topics, but difficulties and uncertainties remain, even in the latest papers. In order to address these problems, we suggest a new proof-theoretical perspective within a fragment of constructive type theory for reasoning about actions with contexts. The basic structure of the theory are Dependent Record Types (DRTs) which model contexts, actions and effects through a simple and natural representation. DRTs have a higher expressive power and are able to express partial knowledge and dynamic reasoning while assuming an Open World Assumption.
Pre-processing Techniques for the QSAR Problem
Authors: Dumitriu L.  , Craciun M.-V.  , Cocu A.  , Segal C.
Published: February 2025

Predictive Toxicology (PT) attempts to describe the relationships between the chemical structure of chemical compounds and biological and toxicological processes. The most important issue related to real-world PT problems is the huge number of the chemical descriptors. A secondary issue is the quality of the data since irrelevant, redundant, noisy, and unreliable data have a negative impact on the prediction results. The pre-processing step of Data Mining deals with complexity reduction as well as data quality improvement through feature selection, data cleaning, and noise reduction. In this paper, we present some of the issues that can be taken into account for preparing data before the actual knowledge discovery is performed.
FPGA based Control of a Production Cell System
Authors: Groothuis Marcel A.  , van Zuijlen Jasper J.P.  , Broenink Jan F.
Published: February 2025

Most motion control systems for mechatronic systems are implemented on digital computers. In this paper we present an FPGA based solution implemented on a low cost Xilinx Spartan III FPGA. A Production Cell setup with multiple parallel operating units is chosen as a test case. The embedded control software for this system is designed in gCSP using a reusable layered CSP based software structure. gCSP is extended with automatic Handel-C code generation for configuring the FPGA. Many motion control systems use floating point calculations for the loop controllers. Low cost general purpose FPGAs do not implement hardware-based floating point units. The loop controllers for this system are converted from floating point to integer based calculations using a stepwise refinement approach. The result is a complete FPGA based motion control system with better performance figures than previous CPU based implementations.
RRABP: Point-to-Point Communication over Unreliable Components
Authors: Sputh Bernhard H.C.  , Faust Oliver  , Allen Alastair R.
Published: February 2025

This paper establishes the security, stability and functionality of the reset-table receiver alternating bit protocol. This protocol creates a reliable and blocking channel between sender and receiver over unreliable non-blocking communication channels. Furthermore, this protocol permits the sender to be replaced at any time, but not under all conditions without losing a message. The protocol is an extension to the alternating bit protocol with the ability for the sender to synchronise the receiver and restart the transmission. The resulting protocol uses as few messages as possible to fulfil its duty, which makes its implementation lightweight and suitable for embedded systems. An unexpected outcome of this work is the large number of different messages needed to reset the receiver reliably.
Representation and Implementation of CSP and VCR Traces
Authors: Brown Neil C.C.  , Smith Marc L.
Published: February 2025

Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP) was developed around a formal algebra of processes and a semantics based on traces (and failures and divergences). A trace is a record of the events engaged in by a process. Several programming languages use, or have libraries to use, CSP mechanisms to manage their concurrency. Most of these lack the facility to record the trace of a program. A standard trace is a flat list of events but structured trace models are possible that can provide more information such as the independent or concurrent engagement of the process in some of its events. One such trace model is View-Centric Reasoning (VCR), which offers an additional model of tracing, taking into account the multiple, possibly imperfect views of a concurrent computation. This paper also introduces “structural” traces, a new type of trace that reflects the nested parallelism in a CSP system. The paper describes the automated generation of these three trace types in the Communicating Haskell Processes (CHP) library, using techniques which could easily be applied in other libraries such as JCSP and C++CSP2. The ability to present such traces of a concurrent program assists in understanding the behaviour of real CHP programs and for debugging when the trace behaviours are wrong. These ideas and tools promote a deeper understanding of the association between practicalities of real systems software and the underlying CSP formalism.
Communicating Scala Objects
Authors: Sufrin Bernard
Published: February 2025

In this paper we introduce the core features of CSO (Communicating Scala Objects) – a notationally convenient embedding of the essence of occam in a modern, generically typed, object-oriented programming language that is compiled to Java Virtual Machine (JVM) code. Initially inspired by an early release of JCSP, CSO goes eyond JCSP expressively in some respects, including the provision of a unitary extended rendezvous notation and appropriate treatment of subtype variance in channels and ports. Similarities with recent versions of JCSP include the treatment of channel ends (we call them ports) as parameterized types. Ports and channels may be transmitted on channels (including inter-JVM channels), provided that an obvious design rule – the ownership rule – is obeyed. Significant differences with recent versions of JCSP include a treatment of network termination that is significantly simpler than the “poisoning” approach (perhaps at the cost of reduced programming convenience), and the provision of a family of type-parameterized channel implementations with performance that obviates the need for the special-purpose scalar-typed channel implementations provided by JCSP. On standard benchmarks such as Commstime, CSO communication performance is close to or better than that of JCSP and Scala's Actors library.
Communicating Haskell Processes: Composable Explicit Concurrency using Monads
Authors: Brown Neil C.C.
Published: February 2025

Writing concurrent programs in languages that lack explicit support for concurrency can often be awkward and difficult. Haskell's monads provide a way to explicitly specify sequence and effects in a functional language, and monadic combinators allow composition of monadic actions, for example via parallelism and choice – two core aspects of Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP). We show how the use of these combinators, and being able to express processes as first-class types (monadic actions) allow for easy and elegant programming of process-oriented concurrency in a new CSP library for Haskell: Communicating Haskell Processes.
An Automatic Facial Expression Recognition Method Using Situational Information
Authors: Hakura Jun  , Chida Shigekazu  , Kurematsu Masaki  , Fujita Hamido
Published: February 2025

This paper describes on a recognition method of facial expression with situational information for virtual person with personality of the existed person. By using situational information, the recognition errors caused by the individual differences in the facial expression are expected to be reduced. As situational information, we adopt profiles of a person such as contour of the face, age, and gender at this time. According to the profiles, we categorize user of the virtual person with whom it shares the time and space for a while, to adopt appropriate template set of facial expressions to correctly recognize the expressions. The paper tries to figure out the virtual person, its interaction with a user, situation, profiles, and the recognition method of facial expressions by using the situational information. We also discuss the reason why the situational information is required to the facial expression recognition method.
Transformations of Dutch Church Building after the Second World War
Authors: Nevzgodin Ivan
Published: February 2025

The Denominationalism (De Verzuiling), Foreign Influences; Architects of Protestant Churches; The Challenge of Change; Notes; References
Solving the Response Time Variability Problem by means of Multi-start and GRASP metaheuristics
Authors: Corominas Albert  , García-Villoria Alberto  , Pastor Rafael
Published: February 2025

The Response Time Variability Problem (RTVP) is an NP-hard scheduling optimization problem that has recently appeared in the literature. This problem has a wide range of real-life applications in, for example, manufacturing, hard real-time systems, operating systems and network environments. The RTVP occurs whenever models, clients or jobs need to be sequenced to minimize variability in the time between the instants at which they receive the necessary resources. The RTVP has been already solved in the literature with a multi-start and a GRASP algorithm. We propose an improved multi-start and an improved GRASP algorithm to solve the RTVP. The computational experiment shows that, on average, the results obtained with our proposed algorithms improve on the best obtained results to date.
Agent Negotiation Dissolution
Authors: Hormazábal Nicolás  , De La Rosa i Esteve Josep Lluis  , Aciar Silvana
Published: February 2025

In Multi-Agent Systems, agents negotiate between them for coordination and collaboration, but their preferences and the autonomous behaviour of each participant agent can lead the negotiation through several steps before they find a common agreement. As every agent in a negotiation isn't aware about the other's preferences or about their decision making process, the negotiation workflow needs to go through an intense communication process that not always ends with the most desirable agreement between them.
A Comparison of the Universal and the Regular Database Design
Authors: Eessaar Erki  , Soobik Marek
Published: February 2025

It is tempting to design a database according to very abstracts concepts in order to cope with changing requirements. The generic design, which is called “universal database design”, allows us to record all possible facts in terms of object types, objects, attributes, attribute values, and relationships. Arguably this kind of design simplifies the recording of new kinds of facts. However, the design has many associated problems. In this paper, we introduce a framework for evaluating database designs. We present the analysis of some of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of the universal design by using the framework.
Automatic Argumentation Detection and its Role in Law and the Semantic Web
Authors: Mochales Palau Raquel  , Moens Marie-Francine
Published: February 2025

The automatic detection of arguments in text regards a relatively new area at the intersection of Natural Language Processing, Information Retrieval and Legal Information Systems. This paper presents some fundamental issues when processing texts that contain argumentation. Furthermore, our research bridges different areas, including the legal field and the Semantic Web, where argumentation detection and reconstruction could be beneficial. Finally, it analyses several methodologies to accomplish this task, providing results from different experiments done over several kinds of texts, specially legal reports.
Identity-Based Signatures
Authors: Kiltz Eike  , Neven Gregory
Published: February 2025

This chapter gives an overview of the literature on identity-based signature (IBS) schemes, from Shamir's seminal scheme to the current state-of-the-art. Rather than presenting all schemes separately, we present three generic transformations that together cover the majority of known IBS schemes as special cases. The first transformation follows a certification approach based on standard signatures; the second is a transformation in the random oracle model from “convertible” identification schemes; and the third is based on hierarchical identity-based encryption. We also discuss a number of direct schemes that escape being covered by any of the generic transformations. Finally, we show how the principles of the first transformation can be extended to a hierarchical setting and to IBS schemes with special properties.