bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A global perspective on collision and non‐collision match characteristics in male rugby union: Comparisons by age and playing standard
Authors: Till Kevin , Hendricks Sharief , Scantlebury Sean , Dalton‐Barron Nick , Gill Nicholas , den Hollander Steve , Kemp Simon , Kilding Andrew E. , Lambert Mike , Mackreth Peter , O'Reilly John , Owen Cameron , Spencer Kirsten , Stokes Keith , Tee Jason , Tucker Ross , Vaz Luis , Weaving Dan , Jones Ben
Published: February 2023

This study quantified and compared the collision and non‐collision match characteristics across age categories (i.e. U12, U14, U16, U18, Senior) for both amateur and elite playing standards from Tier 1 rugby union nations (i.e. England, South Africa, New Zealand). Two‐hundred and one male matches (5911 min ball‐in‐play) were coded using computerised notational analysis, including 193,708 match characteristics (e.g. 83,688 collisions, 33,052 tackles, 13,299 rucks, 1006 mauls, 2681 scrums, 2923 lineouts, 44,879 passes, 5568 kicks). Generalised linear mixed models with post‐hoc comparisons and cluster analysis compared the match characteristics by age category and playing standard. Overall significant differences (p < 0.001) between age category and playing standard were found for the frequency of match characteristics, and tackle and ruck activity. The frequency of characteristics increased with age category and playing standard except for scrums and tries that were the lowest at the senior level. For the tackle, the percentage of successful tackles, frequency of active shoulder, sequential and simultaneous tackles increased with age and playing standard. For ruck activity, the number of attackers and defenders were lower in U18 and senior than younger age categories. Cluster analysis demonstrated clear differences in all and collision match characteristics and activity by age category and playing standard. These findings provide the most comprehensive quantification and comparison of collision and non‐collision activity in rugby union demonstrating increased frequency and type of collision activity with increasing age and playing standard. These findings have implications for policy to ensure the safe development of rugby union players throughout the world.
Enhanced weight symplectic geometry decomposition based on maximum periodic kurtosis deconvolution
Authors: Cheng Jian , Yang Yu , Shao Haidong , Cheng Junsheng
Published: February 2023

To enhance the periodic impact component and improve the accuracy of planetary gear fault detection, an enhanced weighted symplectic geometry decomposition based on maximum periodic kurtosis deconvolution (MPKD-EWSGD) is proposed in the paper. On the one hand, MPKD-EWSGD adopts the MPKD method for noise reduction preprocessing to highlight the periodic impulse component. On the other hand, MPKD-EWSGD introduces the periodic impulse intensity (PII) to choose components with fault information, avoiding the disadvantages of denoising methods that use the component energy as the measurement standard. Emulation and experimental signals show that MPKD-EWSGD can effectively reduce noise and is an effective method for planetary gearbox fault detection.
Vehicle door frame positioning method for binocular vision robots based on improved YOLOv4
Authors: Song Limei , Wang Yulin , Yang Yangang , Zhu Xinjun
Published: February 2023

In the task of using robots to capture end-of-life cars, the position of the vehicle door frame needs to be grasped. A fast and accurate positioning of the vehicle door frame is the key to realizing the automatic car grasping process. Traditional methods for locating and grasping scrap cars rely heavily on manual operations and suffer from low grasping efficiency and poor accuracy. Therefore, this paper proposes a binocular vision robot vehicle door frame spatial localization method based on the improved YOLOv4. This method includes a lightweight and efficient feature fusion target detection network in complex environments, and the target detection results are combined with an enhanced SURF feature–matching method to locate the vehicle door frame position. To simplify the network structure, MobileNetv3 is used instead of the backbone network CSPDarknet53, and deep separable convolution is used in the network. To increase the sensitivity of the network to vehicle door frame targets in complex environments, an improved convolutional block attention module is added to the pyramid attention with simple network backbones. Moreover, adaptive spatial feature fusion is introduced into the network to fully use the features at different scales for more effective feature fusion. Compared with YOLOv4, the number of network parameters is reduced by 73.8%, the mAP is improved by 1.35%, and the detection speed is increased by 28.7%. The experimental results demonstrate that the positioning accuracy of the system is 0.745 mm, which meets the positioning measurement error of less than 1 cm required for the vehicle door frame. The paper also compares our findings with other network models. The results show that the method achieves a good balance between detection speed and detection accuracy, satisfying the task of identifying vehicle door frames in complex environments with good detection results.
Cable current-carrying status analysis and early fault warning method based on temperature information
Authors: Yang Hanrui , Lv Huanhuan , Zhang Jingwei , Huang Weiliang , Xu Shibo , Jiao Shengxi
Published: February 2023

Long-term operation of cables and equipment under abnormal currents can cause insulation aging and reduce the service life of the equipment. Identifying the current-carrying status accurately and early detection of potential failures of power cables is particularly significant for ensuring the operation of power equipment safely and economically. This paper proposed a method for detecting the current-carrying status of power cables and an early fault warning based on temperature information. Based on the theoretical basis of the relationship between temperature and current. According to IEC 61000-3-7 and IEC 60038 standards, the current-carrying state evaluation method is analyzed and given, and the early fault warning model is established. Finally, the paper takes the cable connector and the lightning arrester in the power ring network cabinet as an example to verify the method’s feasibility. It shows that the characteristic information of the relative temperature variation curves under different current carrying states significantly differs. Includes the slope of hour 9, the slope of hour 2, and the maximum. Then the total duration under abnormal current operation is calculated, and the early warning of faults can realize.
Online measurement method for assembly pose of gear structure based on monocular vision
Authors: Kong Shengjie , Zhou Kuai , Huang Xiang
Published: February 2023

The gear structure is an important part of the transmission device. The majority of manual methods are currently used to complete the assembly of the large internal gear. Manual assembly is difficult and inefficient. Therefore, an online measurement method for the assembly pose of the gear structure based on monocular vision is proposed. After the critical features of the gear structure have been detected, a duality elimination method based on traversal mapping dots is proposed to obtain the correct solution for the spatial circle pose. Concurrently, the circle pose optimization model is established to enhance pose precision. Then, a new calibration board was designed to complete the hand-eye calibration of the parallel mechanism and camera. Finally, the correction amount required to complete the internal and external teeth assembly is calculated based on the iterative update of the pose measurement method. The experimental results show that the comprehensive accuracy of the pose measurement method exceeds 0.2 mm, the average assembly time is approximately 14 min and the assembly success rate is approximately 97%. It has been realized that simulated gear structure parts can be assembled automatically.
Highly conductive copper films prepared by multilayer sintering of nanoparticles synthesized via arc discharge
Authors: Fu Qingqing , Li Wen , Kruis Frank Einar
Published: February 2023

The major challenges in producing highly electrically conductive copper films are the oxide content and the porosity of the sintered films. This study developed a multilayer sintering method to remove the copper oxides and reduce copper film porosity. We used a self-built arc discharge reactor to produce copper nanoparticles. Copper nanoparticles produced by arc discharge synthesis have many advantages, such as low cost and a high production rate. Conductive inks were prepared from copper nanoparticles to obtain thin copper films on glass substrates. As demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy analyses and electrical resistivity measurements, the copper film porosity and electrical resistivity cannot be significantly reduced by prolonged sintering time or increasing single film thickness. Instead, by applying the multilayer sintering method, where the coating and sintering process was repeated up to four times in this study, the porosity of copper films could be effectively reduced from 33.6% after one-layer sintering to 3.7% after four-layer sintering. Copper films with an electrical resistivity of 3.49 ± 0.35 μΩ·cm (two times of the bulk copper) have been achieved after four-layer sintering, while one-layer sintered copper films were measured to possess resistivity of 11.17 ± 2.17 μΩ·cm.
Quantum walks in two dimensions: controlling directional spreading with entangling coins and tunable disordered step operator
Authors: Naves Caio B , Pires Marcelo A , Soares-Pinto Diogo O , Duarte Queirós Sílvio M
Published: February 2023

We study a 2D disordered discrete-time quantum walk (QW) based on 1D generalized elephant QW where an entangling coin operator is assumed. We show that considering a given disorder in one direction, it is possible to control the degree of spreading and entanglement in the other direction. This observation helps assert that the random QWs of this ilk serve as a controllable decoherence channel with the degree of randomness being the tunable parameter and highlight the role of dimensionality in quantum systems regarding information and transport.
Resummed heat-kernel and form factors for surface contributions: Dirichlet semitransparent boundary conditions
Authors: Franchino-Viñas S A
Published: February 2023

In this article we consider resummed expressions for the heat-kernel’s (HK’s) trace of a Laplace operator, the latter including a potential and imposing Dirichlet semitransparent boundary conditions on a surface of codimension one in flat space. We obtain resummed expressions that correspond to the first and second order expansion of the HK in powers of the potential. We show how to apply these results to obtain the bulk and surface form factors of a scalar quantum field theory in d = 4 with a Yukawa coupling to a background. Additionally, we discuss a connection between HKs for Dirichlet semitransparent, Dirichlet and Robin boundary conditions.
Vibration analysis of sandwich cylindrical shells made of graphene platelet polymer–viscoelastic–ceramic/metal FG layers
Authors: Permoon M R , Farsadi T , Askarian A R
Published: February 2023

In this paper, natural frequencies and loss factors of cylindrical sandwich shells composed of the viscoelastic core layer, surrounded by functionally graded graphene-platelet reinforced polymer composite (FG-GPLRPC) and ceramic/metal (FG-ceramic/metal) are investigated. The viscoelastic layer is modeled via the fourth parameter fractional viscoelastic pattern, and the functionally graded ceramic/metal layer is theoretically modeled using a power-law function. The uniform, symmetric and un-symmetric patterns are considered for simulating the graphene platelet (GPL) nanofillers distributions along with the thickness direction. The classical shell theory is used for functionally graded layers and properties of the effective materials of GPLRPC multilayers are determined by using a modified Halpin–Tsai micromechanics model and the rule of mixture. The governing equations of motion are extracted by applying the Lagrange equation and the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The determinant of the coefficient matrix of the characteristic equation is calculated, and the natural frequencies and loss factors of the system are extracted. A study of the interactions of materials and geometrical factors such as the ratio of radius to length, the properties of functionally graded materials, and GPL weight fractions for patterns of proposed distributions are presented and some conclusions have been formed.
Therapeutic opportunities for regulatory T-cell enhancing approaches
Authors: Tough David F , Lombardi Giovanna
Published: February 2023

The immune system plays a critical role in protecting the host against infection but is subject to numerous levels of control that are necessary to prevent pathological, tissue-damaging responses. Inappropriate inflammatory immune responses to self-antigens, innocuous commensal microorganisms, or environmental antigens can lead to chronic, debilitating, and degenerative diseases. Regulatory T cells have an essential, non-redundant, and dominant function in preventing pathological immune responses, as shown by the development of systemic fatal autoimmunity in humans and animals with a genetic deficiency in regulatory T cells. In addition to controlling immune responses, there is a growing understanding that regulatory T cells also contribute directly to tissue homeostasis by promoting tissue regeneration and repair. For these reasons, the prospect of enhancing regulatory T-cell numbers and/or function in patients represents an appealing therapeutic opportunity with potential applications in many diseases, including some where the pathological role of the immune system has only recently been recognized. Approaches to enhance regulatory T cells are now starting to be explored in clinical studies in humans. This review series brings together papers highlighting the Treg-enhancing approaches that are most advanced clinically and examples of therapeutic opportunities based on our growing understanding of regulatory T-cell functions.
Mortality Attributable to Bloodstream Infections Caused by Different Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli: Results From a Nationwide Study in Italy (ALARICO Network)
Authors: Falcone Marco , Tiseo Giusy , Carbonara Sergio , Marino Andrea , Di Caprio Giovanni , Carretta Anna , Mularoni Alessandra , Mariani Michele Fabiano , Maraolo Alberto Enrico , Scotto Riccardo , Dalfino Lidia , Corbo Lorenzo , Macera Margherita , Medaglia Alice Annalisa , d’Errico Maria Luca , Gioè Claudia , Sgroi Christian , Del Vecchio Rosa Fontana , Ceccarelli Giancarlo , Albanese Antonio , Buscemi Calogero , Talamanca Simona , Raponi Giammarco , Foti Giuseppe , De Stefano Giulio , Franco Antonina , Iacobello Carmelo , Corrao Salvatore , Morana Uccio , Pieralli Filippo , Gentile Ivan , Santantonio Teresa , Cascio Antonio , Coppola Nicola , Cacopardo Bruno , Farcomeni Alessio , Venditti Mario , Menichetti Francesco ,   Advancing knowLedge on Antimicrobial Resistant Infections Collaboration Network (ALARICO Network), Carpentieri Maria Stella , Sofia Sonia , Ferla Lucia La , Pietromatera Grazia , Palazzo Donatella
Published: February 2023

Background

Our aim was to analyze mortality attributable to carbapenem-resistant (CR) gram-negative bacilli (GNB) in patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs).

Methods

Prospective multicentric study including patients with GNB-BSI from 19 Italian hospitals (June 2018–January 2020). Patients were followed-up to 30 days. Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and attributable mortality. Attributable mortality was calculated in the following groups: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)–producing Enterobacterales, metallo-β-lactamases (MBL)–producing Enterobacterales, CR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), CR-Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). A multivariable analysis with hospital fixed-effect was built to identify factors associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted OR (aORs) were reported. Attributable mortality was calculated according to the DRIVE-AB Consortium.

Results

Overall, 1276 patients with monomicrobial GNB BSI were included: 723/1276 (56.7%) carbapenem-susceptible (CS)-GNB, 304/1276 (23.8%) KPC-, 77/1276 (6%) MBL-producing CRE, 61/1276 (4.8%) CRPA, and 111/1276 (8.7%) CRAB BSI. Thirty-day mortality in patients with CS-GNB BSI was 13.7% compared to 26.6%, 36.4%, 32.8% and 43.2% in patients with BSI by KPC-CRE, MBL-CRE, CRPA and CRAB, respectively (P < .001). On multivariable analysis, age, ward of hospitalization, SOFA score, and Charlson Index were factors associated with 30-day mortality, while urinary source of infection and early appropriate therapy resulted protective factors. Compared to CS-GNB, MBL-producing CRE (aOR 5.86, 95% CI 2.72–12.76), CRPA (aOR 1.99, 95% CI 1.48–5.95) and CRAB (aOR 2.65, 95% CI 1.52–4.61) were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. Attributable mortality rates were 5% for KPC-, 35% for MBL, 19% for CRPA, and 16% for CRAB.

Conclusions

In patients with BSIs, carbapenem-resistance is associated with an excess of mortality, with MBL-producing CRE carrying the highest risk of death.
Consensus on technical procedures for simulation-based training in thoracic surgery: an international needs assessment
Authors: Haidari Tamim Ahmad , Nayahangan Leizl Joy , Bjerrum Flemming , Hansen Henrik Jessen , Konge Lars , Massard Gilbert , Batirel Hasan Fevzi , Novoa Nuria Maria , Milton Richard Stephen , Petersen René Horsleben ,   participants Delphi, Brunelli Alessandro , Ruffini Enrico , Decaluwe Herbert , Schreurs Hermien , Szanto Zalan , Healy David Gerard , Falcoz Pierre-Emmanuel , Steup Willem-Hans , Vannucci Fernando , Chida Masayuki , Cao Christopher , Fang Wentao , Kohno Tadasu , Gossot Dominique , Batchelor Tim , Lau Kelvin , Baste Jean-Marc , Stiles Brendon Matthew , Renyi-Vamos Ferenc , Sokolow Youri , Cardillo Giuseppe , Bendixen Morten , Christensen Thomas Decker , Stenger Michael , Ng Calvin S H
Published: February 2023

OBJECTIVES

To identify and prioritize technical procedures for simulation-based training to be integrated into the thoracic surgical curriculum.

METHODS

A 3-round Delphi survey was conducted from February 2022 to June 2022 among 34 key opinion leaders in thoracic surgery from 14 countries worldwide. The 1st round was a brainstorming phase to identify technical procedures that a newly qualified thoracic surgeon should be able to perform. All the suggested procedures were categorized, qualitatively analysed and sent to the 2nd round. The second round investigated: the frequency of the identified procedure at each institution, the number of thoracic surgeons that should be able to perform these procedures, the degree of risk to the patient if the procedure is performed by a non-competent thoracic surgeon and the feasibility of simulation-based education. In the 3rd round, elimination and re-ranking of the procedures from the 2nd round were performed.

RESULTS

Response rates in the 3 iterative rounds were 80% (28 out of 34), 89% (25 out of 28) and 100% (25 out of 25) in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd round, respectively. Seventeen technical procedures were included for simulation-based training in the final prioritized list. The top 5 procedures were Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) lobectomy, VATS segmentectomy, VATS mediastinal lymph node dissection, diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy and robotic-assisted thoracic surgery port placement, robotic-assisted thoracic surgery docking and undocking.

CONCLUSIONS

The prioritized list of procedures represents a consensus of key thoracic surgeons worldwide. These procedures are suitable for simulation-based training and should be integrated in the thoracic surgical curriculum.
The ultra-acute steroid response to traumatic injury: a cohort study
Authors: Bentley Conor , Hazeldine Jon , Bravo Laura , Taylor Angela E , Gilligan Lorna C , Shaheen Fozia , Acharjee Animesh , Gkoutos George , Foster Mark A , Arlt Wiebke , Lord Janet M
Published: February 2023

Objective

Trauma-induced steroid changes have been studied post-hospital admission, resulting in a lack of understanding of the speed and extent of the immediate endocrine response to injury. The Golden Hour study was designed to capture the ultra-acute response to traumatic injury.

Design

We conducted an observational cohort study including adult male trauma patients <60 years, with blood samples drawn ≤1 h of major trauma by pre-hospital emergency responders.

Methods

We recruited 31 adult male trauma patients (mean age 28 [range 19-59] years) with a mean injury severity score (ISS) of 16 (IQR 10-21). The median time to first sample was 35 (range 14-56) min, with follow-up samples collected 4-12 and 48-72 h post-injury. Serum steroids in patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) (n = 34) were analysed by tandem mass spectrometry.

Results

Within 1 h of injury, we observed an increase in glucocorticoid and adrenal androgen biosynthesis. Cortisol and 11-hydroxyandrostendione increased rapidly, whilst cortisone and 11-ketoandrostenedione decreased, reflective of increased cortisol and 11-oxygenated androgen precursor biosynthesis by 11β-hydroxylase and increased cortisol activation by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. Active classic gonadal androgens testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone decreased, whilst the active 11-oxygenated androgen 11-ketotestosterone maintained pre-injury levels.

Conclusions

Changes in steroid biosynthesis and metabolism occur within minutes of traumatic injury. Studies that address whether ultra-early changes in steroid metabolism are associated with patient outcomes are now required.
The Catholic church and regional governance in west Africa
Authors: Iheduru Okechukwu C
Published: February 2023

‘Catholic regionalism’ in west Africa exemplifies the capacity of theological claims and theologically informed actors to influence regional governance and international affairs. It is driven by four mutually reinforcing factors: interfaith competition for policy influence and followership, shrinking domestic political space for civil society organizations (CSOs), and de-secularization/counter-secularization pressures (all of which have substantially diminished the church's erstwhile influence); as well as Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) reforms granting ‘access’ to CSOs in regional policy. Through a strategy of ‘fateful compromise’ with regional states, the church has, more than its counterparts, developed substantial capacity to influence how regional integration organizations frame and implement policy in Africa. The empirical evidence is derived from fieldwork interviews on the activities of church leaders, namely the bishops represented by the Regional Catholic Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA); the Catholic bishops’ conferences in Ghana and Nigeria, where interfaith hegemonic competition is most intense; and ECOWAS Commission bureaucrats. The article enriches the ‘new regionalism’ framework with a template to better understand the regional governance activities of Africa's faith-based actors; and contributes to the literature by introducing the concept of ‘fateful compromise’ suggesting multiple trajectories in church-state relations, contrary to the presumption of inevitable ‘elite cooptation’ of social forces as the only option for inclusive or collaborative governance in societies experiencing regression in democracy.
Women, Peace and Security in central Europe: in between the western agenda and Russian imperialism
Authors: O'Sullivan Míla , Krulišová Kateřina
Published: February 2023

Although firmly established as a global norm, the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) has been largely driven by the global North attempting to solve insecurities in the global South. Postcolonial feminist research shows that this western-centrism and colonial legacies continue to dominate both WPS practices and knowledge production. This article focuses on WPS in central Europe, a previously ignored ‘non-region’ that remains outside the North–South divide. Combining postcolonial and decolonial approaches with feminist institutionalism, we interrogate what WPS becomes in the Czech, Polish and Slovakian contexts characterized by illiberal populist and anti-gender governance and politics. Building on interviews with key stakeholders, on document analysis and our own encounters, we argue that the three countries understand WPS as key to their western belongingness and reliability as international partners. As a result, they replicate rather than challenge ‘western’ WPS thinking. The resulting National Action Plans are centred around women's participation and security problems ‘out there’. This lack of localization enables them to stay immune to the anti-gender alliances, but limits the engagement of feminist civil society. Amidst Russian imperial aggression, central Europe's WPS agendas serve as mere paper tigers and are failing to address the multitude of domestic and regional gendered insecurities.
Buffer zones and international rivalry: internal and external geographic separation mechanisms
Authors: Atzili Boaz , Kim Min Jung
Published: February 2023

The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has led many commentators to remark that ‘geopolitics is back’. And with geopolitics, the interest in buffer zones is back as well. Yet, International Relations scholarship on buffer zones is confusing and outdated. Scholars disagree on the definition of buffer zones and whether such zones are a vestige of the great power politics of the past or a continuous phenomenon. In this article, we take three steps to reconceptualize buffer zones and their role in international relations. First, we clarify the conceptual confusion by advancing a new definition differentiating between nominal and active buffer zones. Second, we make the case that buffer states and internal buffer zones (i.e., geographic borderlands located within states in rivalry, adjacent to the international borders between the two rivals) share much in common and therefore should be analysed in tandem. Third, we offer a typology of buffer zones with short case-studies based on the dyadic relations of rival states vis-à-vis buffer zones between them. Our goal is to provide a new analytical framework that can serve as a base for a robust research agenda on the role of buffer zones in regional and international stability and security.
A mathematical model integrates diverging PXY and MP interactions in cambium development
Authors: Bagdassarian Kristine S , Etchells J Peter , Savage Natasha S
Published: February 2023

The cambium is a secondary meristematic tissue in plant stems, roots and hypocotyls. Here, cell divisions occur that are required for radial growth. In most species that undergo secondary growth, daughters of cell divisions within the cambium differentiate into woody xylem cells towards the inside of the stem, or phloem towards the outside. As such, a pattern of xylem-cambium-phloem is present along the radial axis of all secondary vascular tissues, whether in stem, hypocotyl or root. A ligand-receptor tracheary element, trans-differentiation inhibitory factor (TDIF)-PHLOEM INTERCALATED WITH XYLEM (PXY) promotes cell division in the cambium, as do the phytohormones, cytokinin and auxin. An auxin response factor, MONOPTEROS (MP), has been proposed to initiate cambial cell divisions by promoting PXY expression, however, MP has also been reported to repress cambial cell divisions later in development where TDIF-PXY complexes are also reported to suppress MP activity. Here, we used a mathematical modelling approach to investigate how MP cell division-promoting activity and cell division-repressing activity might be integrated into the same network as a negative feedback loop. In our model, this feedback loop improved the ability of the cambium to pattern correctly and was found to be required for normal patterning as the stability of MP was increased. The implications of this model in early and late cambium development are discussed.
Evaluation of high-protein diets differing in protein source in healthy adult dogs
Authors: Sieja Kelly M , Oba Patrícia M , Applegate Catherine C , Pendlebury Christine , Kelly Janelle , Swanson Kelly S
Published: February 2023

Given the dynamic market for protein-based ingredients in the pet food industry, demand continues to increase for both plant- and animal-based options. Protein sources contain different amino acid (AA) profiles and vary in digestibility, affecting protein quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of canine diets differing in protein source and test their effects on serum metabolites and fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota of healthy adult dogs consuming them. Four extruded diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and meet the nutrient needs for adult dogs at maintenance, with the primary difference being protein source: 1) fresh deboned, dried, and spray-dried chicken (DC), 2) chicken by-product meal (CBPM), 3) wheat gluten meal (WGM), and 4) corn gluten meal (CGM). Twelve adult spayed female beagles (body weight [BW] = 9.9 ± 1.0 kg; age = 6.3 ± 1.1 yr) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design (n = 12/treatment). Each period consisted of a 22-d adaptation phase, 5 d for fecal collection, and 1 d for blood collection. Fecal microbiota data were analyzed using QIIME 2.2020.8. All other data were analyzed using the Mixed Models procedure of SAS version 9.4. Fecal scores were higher (P < 0.05; looser stools) in dogs fed DC or CBPM than those fed WGM or CGM, but all remained within an appropriate range. Dry matter ATTD was lower (P < 0.05) in dogs fed CBPM or CGM than those fed DC or WGM. Crude protein ATTD was lower (P < 0.05) in dogs fed DC or CGM than those fed WGM. Dogs fed CBPM had lower (P < 0.05) organic matter, crude protein, and energy ATTD than those fed the other diets. Fecal indole was higher (P < 0.05) in dogs fed CBPM than those fed WGM. Fecal short-chain fatty acids were higher (P < 0.05) in dogs fed DC than those fed CGM. Fecal branched-chain fatty acids were higher (P < 0.05) in dogs fed DC or CBPM than those fed WGM. Fecal ammonia was higher (P < 0.05) in dogs fed DC or CBPM than those fed WGM or CGM. The relative abundances of three bacterial phyla and nine bacterial genera were shifted among treatment groups (P < 0.05). Considering AA profiles and digestibility data, the DC diet protein sources provided the highest quality protein without additional AA supplementation, but the animal-based protein diets resulted in higher fecal proteolytic metabolites. Further studies evaluating moderate dietary protein concentrations are needed to better compare plant- and animal-based protein sources.
Effects of Ca2+ ions on the horseshoe crab coagulation cascade triggered by lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Yamashita Keisuke , Takahashi Daisuke , Yamamoto Yuki , Kiyomoto Shingo , Shibata Toshio , Kawabata Shun-ichiro
Published: February 2023

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered horseshoe crab coagulation cascade is composed of three protease zymogens, prochelicerase C (proC), prochelicerase B (proB) and the proclotting enzyme (proCE). In this study, we found that Ca 2+ ions increase the production of the clotting enzyme as a result of a cascade reaction reconstituted by recombinant proteins of wild-type (WT) proC, WT proB and WT proCE. We divided the cascade into three stages: autocatalytic activation of WT proC on the surface of LPS into WT α-chelicerase C (Stage 1); activation of WT proB on the surface of LPS into WT chelicerase B by WT α-chelicerase C (Stage 2) and activation of WT proce into WT CE by chelicerase B (Stage 3). Ca2+ ions enhanced the proteolytic activation in Stage 2, but not those in Stages 1 and 3. Moreover, we performed isothermal titration calorimetry to clarify the interaction of LPS or the recombinant zymogens with Ca2+ ions. LPS interacted with Ca2+ ions at an association constant of Ka = 4.7 × 104 M−1, but not with any of the recombinant zymogens. We concluded that LPS bound with Ca2+ ions facilitates the chain reaction of the cascade as a more efficient scaffold than LPS itself.
A successful endoscopic extraction of accidently ingested toothbrush in an adult: a case report
Authors: Al-Mulla Ahmad Essam , Buhamad Fatemah , Marafie Hawraa Fadel , Al Khalifa Fatema
Published: February 2023

Toothbrush ingestion is a rare phenomenon. It is usually found in psychiatric, elderly and mentally disabled patients. Foreign bodies usually pass spontaneously and uneventfully through the gastrointestinal tract. Nevertheless, larger objects may require early intervention to avoid complications. This report describes the course of treatment for a 25-year-old woman with an accidentally ingested toothbrush.
Gallbladder volvulus with preoperative and intraoperative imaging
Authors: Beatty Andrew Stafford , Kulendran Krish , Iswariah Harish , Chandrasegaram Manju D
Published: February 2023

Volvulus of the gallbladder is one of the rarest conditions to affect the gallbladder, however, it should remain an important differential. Typically, it is diagnosed in elderly women, but it has also been reported in children and men. The lack of unique distinguishing features make diagnosis difficult to distinguish between other gallbladder pathology such as acute cholecystitis; however, delayed recognition or non-operative management is associated with higher mortality. We present the case of a 92-year-old woman who presented with this pathology, had diagnosis established preoperatively and was successfully treated with a cholecystectomy.
Non-insulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemia syndrome due to nesidioblastosis following bariatric Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
Authors: Gottsponer Josephine A , Baker David L , Osborn Tamara , Estrada Martha M , Giorgakis Emmanouil , Burdine Lyle J , Patel Raj B
Published: February 2023

A 56-year-old woman with past medical history significant for bariatric Roux-en-Y gastric bypass 3 years prior presented for evaluation of an 8-month history of severe hypoglycemia relieved by intake of carbohydrates associated with syncopal episodes. Inpatient workup revealed endogenous hyperinsulinemia concerning for insulinoma vs. nesidioblastosis. She successfully underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure), and pathology report confirmed scattered low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia within the pancreatic parenchyma consistent with nesidioblastosis. The patient has had satisfactory control of glucose levels 30 days out from surgery.
The Religious Adequacy of a Euteleological Theism
Authors: Bishop John , Perszyk Ken
Published: February 2023

This chapter considers the first of two topics which seem to present the biggest obstacles to the religious adequacy of a euteleological theism: can it adequately explain evil in a world it claims exists to realize the supreme good? The classical ‘privationist’ account of evil (as the absence of the good there ought to be) is endorsed. It is argued that there is a viable power-of-love soteriology (and realized eschatology) according to which, while there is no guarantee of an ultimate, incorruptibly perfect, fulfilment of creation’s overall purpose, there is still a meaningful victory of good over evil. Even so, a euteleological theism faces intellectual problems of evil. If evil is the privation of the good there ought to be, there is no outright logical inconsistency in evil’s existence in a world that satisfies euteleological theism. Yet it still needs explaining how the evils that actually occur could arise if the Universe exists to realize the supreme good. A euteleological ‘theodicy’ is proposed, using themes familiar from speculative theodicy, according to which (for all we know) the processes required for concretely realizing the supreme good may inherently have limitations which make it statistically, though not logically, inevitable that evils occur. The kind of radical analogizing proposed in the previous chapter blocks the extension of the standard ‘logical’ Argument from Evil to a euteleological theism. The chapter ends with remarks on how a euteleological theism views the phenomenon of good that emerges from evil.
Conclusion
Authors: Nicholson Emma
Published: February 2023

The conclusion draws all the discussions in the previous chapters together, comments on Polybius’ use of his sources and asserts that through this re-evaluation of the Histories the historical Philip comes across as more consistent, rational, and even positive than some have allowed. It reinforces our need to be far more cautious in the way we handle Polybius’ work and emphasises the fact that we cannot take his portrait of the Macedonian king, the Greeks, or the Romans at face value. The picture of Philip V that comes down to us is heavily influenced by Polybius’ own politics, historiographical aims, and didactic intention; the king is the construct of a Greek historian who had witnessed and experienced the dominance of Macedon, and who needed to understand and explain why such a powerful state could not withstand the rise of Rome. It concludes that while Polybius did not construct a narrative based on falsehoods, the way that he interprets the evidence produces an impression of the king that is to some extent inescapably artificial and misleading.
Between Upholding the Rule of Law and Maintaining Security
Authors: Afandi Fachrizal , Bedner Adriaan
Published: February 2023

This chapter shows how the post-1998 constitutional amendments have failed to change the mode of operation of the police and public prosecutors. The values underlying the present criminal justice system still emphasize crime control and maintaining public order rather than due process. Suspects and defendants have few rights, the institutional mechanisms to uphold these rights are weak, and the police prefer to ignore them. Like many other countries, Indonesia increasingly relies on criminal law to regulate society, which leads to high rates of arrest, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration. How successful the system has been in this respect is demonstrated by the staggering rise of the number of prisoners and the overcrowding of prisons. On top of that, police and prosecutors have remained an instrument of the government to secure its political interests. As a result, Indonesia looks more like an authoritarian state than a state under the rule of law.
Epilogue
Authors: Svard Lois
Published: February 2023

Music is a social glue that promotes connectedness, as became apparent during the coronavirus pandemic. Why did everyone turn to music for comfort and connection? The answer can perhaps be found in our prehistoric ancestors, for whom a form of music, a proto-musical language, was important for building group cohesion, for bonding against a common enemy, and for cooperation in the daily tasks of survival. We have inherited the need for, and our brains have evolved to support, social bonding through music. Researchers who study the neurochemistry of music have found that some of the same neurochemical processes in the brain that support music-making also support pro-social behavior. Electrical activity in the form of brain waves sync between performers, between performer and listener, and among listeners, promoting social bonding. When we make music together, we synchronize movement, and that has also been shown to promote pro-social behavior. Evidence of music promoting pro-social behavior can be seen in organizations such as the Dallas Street Choir where the homeless find support in making music together, and in community programs such as Harmony Project in which students from rival cultures (gangs) learn to work together for a common goal—making music.
The Roots of Culpable Ignorance
Authors: Peels Rik
Published: February 2023

This chapter explores the roots or origins of culpable ignorance. First, it spells out what culpability is. After that, a particular way is sketched of thinking about responsibility for belief and for ignorance, namely, the Influence View. On this view, we are responsible for our doxastic attitudes because of the influence we have on them via various belief-influencing actions rather than directly or indirectly controlling them (we normally cannot intentionally bring them about). Subsequently, the Influence View is contrasted with its two main rival views: doxastic compatibilism and attributionism. Next, the Origination Thesis is laid out, which is a particular view on the roots of culpable ignorance. The Origination Thesis is then qualified by showing that culpable ignorance has in fact three distinct roots or origins. Finally, the chapter elaborates on the ramifications of this particular view for various debates in philosophy, including the issue of whether culpable ignorance can excuse.
Asserting Ignorance
Authors: Peels Rik
Published: February 2023

This chapter explores to what extent ignorance can be asserted. It first discusses whether one can express objectual and practical ignorance. It then investigates whether each of the six varieties of ignorance—disbelieving, suspending, undecided, unconsidered, deep, and complete ignorance—can be expressed. It also considers what adherents of the Standard View take to be an additional variety of ignorance, namely, unwarranted ignorance, and what adherents of Duncan Pritchard’s Normative View could call ignorance that issues from the violation of an obligation to inquire. It is argued that only two out of these six or eight kinds of ignorance are assertable and that the remaining varieties of ignorance are unassertable for rather different reasons. It is then explored whether this conclusion also holds for asserting group ignorance. Finally, this chapter discusses two ramifications of the thesis that some versions of ignorance can be asserted whereas others cannot: the debate about inexpressible ignorance and the Transparency View on self-knowledge.
Holy Cross Monastery
Authors: McGraw Andrew
Published: February 2023

The monks at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, follow an ethical system that is based on the Rule of Saint Benedict. By exercising the situated reasoning demanded by Benedict’s complex “rule,” the monks can apply what they have learned through listening and singing together in the practice of everyday life. Their experience of music as ethics guides the monks to understand their singing as a collective offering to God and as diagnostic of the health of their relationships. Through a continual feedback loop, the virtues of listening and interdependence honed within their sonic practices help shape the ethical life of their community. In this context, singing is a form of collective prayer that can make the individual monk receptive to the gift of grace. When they can overcome musical and social challenges, they may discover that, as a group, they can reach a depth of prayer that they are unable to realize as individuals.
Using DNA Ancestry Evidence to Retrace History
Authors: Kampourakis Kostas
Published: February 2023

In order to illustrate how DNA can be used to infer ancestry, I look at some of the early investigations that aimed at relying on DNA and ancestry to retrace history, resolving long-standing historical mysteries. I consider three cases: whether Martin Bormann, “Hitler’s executioner,” fled Berlin in 1945 (the evidence supports the conclusion that he did not); whether Thomas Jefferson was the father of Sally Hemings’s children (the evidence supports the conclusion that he could be, but it is not definitive that he was); and whether the bodies found in two graves near Ekaterinburg were those of the Romanovs, the last royal family of Russia (the evidence supports the conclusion that they were). There are two important conclusions: that DNA evidence cannot answer all questions definitively; and that it cannot answer those questions alone, as it is always necessary to consider genealogical and historical information.
The Persistence of the AFSPA
Authors: Bhonsle Anubha
Published: February 2023

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA, is a small, short law, just seven sections that hold within it great powers. For large parts of the country where AFSPA is a television debate and not a lived experience, the law, the need for it and how its extraordinary powers sometimes go awry is a simple reality of life, particularly of life in some regions. For those who live under its shadow, AFSPA plays out in every facet of life. The rules of law, governance, state, non-state, access to justice, or to even walk down the street are not the same. This chapter uncovers the arrogance of this law, its application, and how it continues to persist despite many high-powered recommendations for its repeal. The remedy to AFSPA, if and when there is agreement that it is draconian within a democracy, may not be that hard.
Protective Labor and Its Correlates
Authors: Nath Paaritosh , Jayadev Arjun
Published: February 2023

This chapter describes the evolution of the security worker landscape in India and identifies some of the correlates of protective security work. Over the past twenty-four years, protective security work has grown at a rapid pace, particularly in the private sector, although the public sector continues to remain an important employer. Protective security work varies substantially across geographical regions and social identity groups. A typical security worker is noted to be slightly older than the average worker, disproportionately male, and earns higher than average wages if employed in the public sector. The average private security worker, on the other hand, belongs to the “doorkeeper” category and has lower than average wages and skill. Of some of the obvious correlates of the extent of protective services in the labor force, only urbanization appears to be a robust correlate, suggesting that growth in protective service work may be driven by the rapid changes occurring in urban India. We end by considering some welfare implications.