bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Femoral impingement in maximal hip flexion is anterior-inferior distal to the cam deformity in femoroacetabular impingement patients with femoral retroversion
Authors: Boschung Adam , Faulhaber Senta , Kiapour Ata , Kim Young-jo , Novais Eduardo N. , Steppacher Simon D. , Tannast Moritz , Lerch Till D.
Published: January 2023

Aims

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) patients report exacerbation of hip pain in deep flexion. However, the exact impingement location in deep flexion is unknown. The aim was to investigate impingement-free maximal flexion, impingement location, and if cam deformity causes hip impingement in flexion in FAI patients.

Methods

A retrospective study involving 24 patients (37 hips) with FAI and femoral retroversion (femoral version (FV) < 5° per Murphy method) was performed. All patients were symptomatic (mean age 28 years (SD 9)) and had anterior hip/groin pain and a positive anterior impingement test. Cam- and pincer-type subgroups were analyzed. Patients were compared to an asymptomatic control group (26 hips). All patients underwent pelvic CT scans to generate personalized CT-based 3D models and validated software for patient-specific impingement simulation (equidistant method).

Results

Mean impingement-free flexion of patients with mixed-type FAI (110° (SD 8°)) and patients with pincer-type FAI (112° (SD 8°)) was significantly (p < 0.001) lower compared to the control group (125° (SD 13°)). The frequency of extra-articular subspine impingement was significantly (p < 0.001) increased in patients with pincer-type FAI (57%) compared to cam-type FAI (22%) in 125° flexion. Bony impingement in maximal flexion was located anterior-inferior at femoral four and five o’clock position in patients with cam-type FAI (63% (10 of 16 hips) and 37% (6 of 10 hips)), and did not involve the cam deformity. The cam deformity did not cause impingement in maximal flexion.

Conclusion

Femoral impingement in maximal flexion was located anterior-inferior distal to the cam deformity. This differs to previous studies, a finding which could be important for FAI patients in order to avoid exacerbation of hip pain in deep flexion (e.g. during squats) and for hip arthroscopy (hip-preservation surgery) for planning of bone resection. Hip impingement in flexion has implications for daily activities (e.g. putting on shoes), sports, and sex. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2023;12(1):22–32.
Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local communities of Damot Woyde District, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: MEGERSA MOA , WOLDETSADIK SAMUEL
Published: January 2023

Abstract. Megersa M, Woldetsadik S. 2022. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local communities of Damot Woyde District, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Nusantara Bioscience 14: 10-24. Humans have used traditional medicines mainly of plant origins to treat diseases. Early humans faced a tremendous challenge when searching for natural products used as medicines. This study reports on an ethnobotanical study that focused on the traditional medicinal plants used by local communities to treat human and livestock diseases. An ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants was conducted from February 2020 to October 2020. This involved semi-structured interviews, field observations, market surveys and group discussions with informants to document information on the use and management of medicinal plants by the people of Damot Woyde District. Fifty-seven medicinal plant species belonging to 31 families were collected, which are used by the study area inhabitants to treat various diseases in humans and livestock. The leading family was Asteraceae which was represented by 7 species (12.3%), followed by Rutaceae (6 species, 10.5%) and Solanaceae (5 species, 9%). Of the 57 medicinal plants collected, 36 (63.2%) were used to treat human ailments only, while 6 (10.5%) plant species were used to treat livestock ailments only and 15 (26.31%) were used to treat both human and livestock ailments. Herbs constituted the largest number of 22 species (38.6%), followed by shrubs 18 species (31.6%), trees 15 species (26.3%) and climbers 2 species (3.51%). Leaves (31.3%) were the most commonly used plant parts of preparing traditional remedies in the study area. Oral administration was the predominant mode of administration accounting for 71%. Preference ranking analysis revealed that Allium sativum L. was the most preferred plant species for treating the common cold. When the direct matrix ranking was analyzed, Croton macrostachyus Hochst. ex. Del. was the most commonly used medicinal plant for various purposes. Our finding revealed that plant species' use plays a vital role in treating human and animal diseases in Damot Woyde District. Phytochemical and pharmacological tests are recommended mainly on frequently used medicinal plants.
Colorimetric estimation of vancomycin using modified silver nanoparticles and implementing it on various types of pharmaceutical perpetrations
Authors: AL-KARAMI MOHAMMED AHMED , AL-RUFAIE MOHAUMAN MOHAMMAD
Published: January 2023

Abstract. Al-Karami MA, Al-Rufaie MM. 2022. Colorimetric estimation of vancomycin using modified silver nanoparticles and implementing it on various types of pharmaceutical perpetrations. Nusantara Bioscience 14: 70-77. The current research proposes a simple, quick, and sensitive method for determining the pure state of vancomycin (Van) and several of its medicinal formulations. The antibiotic (Van) is an effective reduction agent for diluting the ore mineral salt from silver nitrate (Ag+) to silver nanoparticles. Polyvinylpyrrolidone was used as a stabilizer in a medium using sodium hydroxide as a base. The highest absorption of the vancomycin oxidation-reduction product occurs at 440 nm. The calibration curve is measured, and the following data is generated, indicating that the Beer-Lambert Law is followed within the concentration range of 2.5-70 parts per million. Sandal's molar absorptivity was 2.0043 x 104 L/mol.cm, and its sensitivity was 0.0723 g/cm2. The correlation coefficient was 0.9987, and the standard deviation rate was 0.402%. The biological influence of several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was researched, and the efficacy of the samples prepared on these bacteria has shown to be promising.
Diversity, floral phenology, and socio-economic importance of melliferous plants in Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: FASSIL AMARE , HABTAMU TSEGAW , TAHIR MUHDIN , TEREFE TEMESGEN
Published: January 2023

Abstract. Fassil A, Habtamu T, Tahir M, Terefe T. 2022. Diversity, floral phenology, and socio-economic importance of melliferous plants in Eastern Ethiopia. Nusantara Bioscience 14: 172-181. Beekeeping is a supply of extra money and financial gain for many thousands of farmer beekeepers in Ethiopia and plays a big role in preserving natural resources. Honeybees and flowering plants have co-evolved in their special symbiotic relationship. Bee plant types and their flowering duration differ from one place to another due to variations in topography, climate, and other cultural and farming practices. This study investigated and documented the diversity and floral phenology of honeybee plants in Doba, Gemechis, and Mi’eso Districts, Oromia National Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia, from January 2019 to July 2021. Ethnobotanical data were collected to reveal the diversity of melliferous plants, practices, and communities’ attitudes about honey production and melliferous plant conservation. A total of 422 respondents participated through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and field walks for socio-economic data collection. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, ranking, and scores were used and presented with tables and figures to analyze ethnobotanical data. A total of 120 melliferous plant species were distributed under 108 genera and 55 families, of which 70 plants were found in the Gemechis District, followed by Doba and Mi’eso Districts with 47 and 42 plants each, respectively. Sorenson’s Similarity Index values showed the wide-ranging melliferous plant species distribution patterns in the three districts with 50.4 (between Doba and Mi’eso), 37.5 (between Doba and Gemechis), and 15.3 (between Gemechis and Mi’eso) species overlaps. Fabaceae and Asteraceae contribute a significant number of species, with 12 (10 %) and 9 (7.5 %) melliferous plants, respectively. Local communities have a good awareness of the seasonal availability of melliferous plants, indicating adequate supply (June to early December) and critical shortage (November to early May) of melliferous plant resources favoring strong and weak colony strength, respectively. Lack of nutrition, improper management practices, honey bee predators, and lack of beekeeping knowledge and equipment were the most important constraints deleteriously influencing the honey quality and amount in the study area. The shortage of pollen and nectar flow during the dearth periods (January to March) needs interventions like hive migration and bee floral plantations. Hence, there is an urgent need for intervention through awareness creation, campaign-based melliferous plant plantations, and technology transfers.
EDITORIAL
Authors: Giraldi Janaina De Moura Engracia , De Oliveira Jorge Henrique Caldeira
Published: January 2023

Editorial
LEGIBILIDADE DOS RELATÓRIOS DE AUDITORIA: UM ESTUDO COMPARATIVO EM COMPANHIAS ABERTAS, NO BRASIL APÓS A PANDEMIA DA COVID-19
Authors: Costa André Felipe de Oliveira , Pereira Carlos Marcio dos Santos , Reina Donizete
Published: January 2023

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se os relatórios de auditoria das empresas pertencentes ao segmento Novo Mercado se tornaram menos legíveis após a pandemia da Covid-19. Assim, foram analisados 610 relatórios de auditor independente, divulgados entre os anos de 2016 e 2020, em 122 companhias brasileiras. A mensuração de legibilidade foi extraída pelo Gunning´s Fog Index, programa que permite calcular índices de legibilidade para indicar se a leitura de determinado texto é considerada complexa para seus usuários. Os resultados mostraram que: (i) houve um aumento do índice FOG dos relatórios de auditoria das empresas dos setores de Consumo Cíclico, Financeiro, Saúde, Petróleo; Gás e Biocombustíveis e Tecnologia da Informação; (ii) as empresas dos setores de Materiais Básicos e Financeiro apresentaram índices de legibilidade menores; (iii) o setor que apresentou maior variação média do índice FOG ao se comparar os anos de 2016 e 2020 foi o de Tecnologia da Informação.
DESEMPENHO COMPARADO DE CARTEIRAS DEFENSIVAS E AGRESSIVAS NO MERCADO BRASILEIRO: CONSISTÊNCIA VERSUS TEMPORALIDADE NO PERÍODO DE 2010 A 2020.
Authors: Khodr Omar Barroso , Machado Sérgio Jurandyr
Published: January 2023

Este estudo objetivou determinar se o retorno de carteiras defensivas foi superior àquele obtido por carteiras agressivas entre 2010 e 2020 no mercado Brasileiro. Para atingir tal objetivo, foram construídas carteiras de ações a partir de subconjuntos do índice IBX-100 e calculado o índice de Sharpe para cada um dos trimestres do período de análise. Adicionalmente, o modelo de Cinco Fatores de Fama e French foi utilizado para explicitar os determinantes dos retornos. Os resultados indicaram a existência de um alpha positivo e desempenho superior para as carteiras defensivas, quando confrontado o retorno acumulado durante todo o período. Todavia, para trimestres específicos nos quais houve queda da atividade econômica, a superioridade se inverte com um melhor desempenho das carteiras agressivas. Para ambas as carteiras, apenas o fator mercado apresenta significância estatística, embora exista um viés pró value stocks e baixa alavancagem nos portfolios defensivos.
BACK MATTER
Authors: Matter Back
Published: January 2023

.
Identification of external media using a long-period grating and optical time-domain reflectometry
Authors: Jucá Marco Aurélio , Pereira Isabela Victória C. , Spelta Pedro C. G. , dos Santos Alexandre Bessa
Published: January 2023

The application of signal processing and feature extraction to reflectometry traces aiming at sensor interrogation is not sufficiently explored. In this work, traces produced by an optical time-domain reflectometer in experiments using a long-period grating in different external media are analyzed using signal processing techniques inspired by audio processing. The objective is to demonstrate that, using this type of analysis, it is possible to correctly identify the external medium through the characteristics of the reflectometry trace. Results show that the features extracted from the traces were able to produce good classifiers, one of them achieving 100% correct classification for the data set presently considered. This technology could be applied in scenarios where it is necessary to distinguish among a given set of gases or liquids nondestructively.
ShrimpSeg: a local–global structure for the mantis shrimp point cloud segmentation network with contextual reasoning
Authors: Jiang Tengping , Liu Shan , Zhang Qinyu , Zhao Lin , Sun Jian , Wang Yongjun
Published: January 2023

To quantify the architecture and select the ideal ideotype, it is vital to accurately measure the dimension of each part of the mantis shrimp. Point clouds have become increasingly popular in recent years as an efficient solution. However, the current manual measurement is labor intensive and costly and has high uncertainty. Automatic organ point cloud segmentation is a prerequisite and core step for phenotypic measurements of mantis shrimps. Nevertheless, little work focuses on mantis shrimp point cloud segmentation. To fill this gap, this paper develops a framework for automated organ segmentation of mantis shrimps from multiview stereo (MVS) point clouds. First, a Transformer-based MVS architecture is applied to generate dense point clouds from a set of calibrated phone images and estimated camera parameters. Next, an improved point cloud segmentation (named ShrimpSeg) that exploits both local and global features based on contextual information is proposed for organ segmentation of mantis shrimps. According to the evaluation results, the per-class intersection over union of organ-level segmentation is 82.4%. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of ShrimpSeg, outperforming other commonly used segmentation methods. This work may be helpful for improving shrimp phenotyping and intelligent aquaculture at the level of production-ready.
Broadband and CMOS-compatible polarization splitter and rotator built on a silicon nitride-on-silicon multilayer platform
Authors: Wang Linghua , Peng Hejie , Zheng Langteng , Chen Huaixi , Zhang Yazhen , Huang Jiwei , Zhang Xinbin , Feng Xinkai , Wei Rongshan , Wang Shaohao , Zhu Minmin
Published: January 2023

A broadband and CMOS-compatible polarization beam splitter and rotator (PSR) built on the silicon nitride-on-silicon multilayer platform is presented. The PSR is realized by cascading a polarization beam splitter and a polarization rotator, which are both subtly constructed with an asymmetrical directional coupler waveguide structure. The advantage of this device is that the function of PSR can be directly realized in the SiN layer, providing a promising solution to the polarization diversity schemes in SiN photonic circuits. The chip is expected to have high power handling capability as the light is input from the SiN waveguide. The use of silicon dioxide as the upper cladding of the device ensures its compatibility with the metal back-end-of-line process. By optimizing the structure parameters, a polarization conversion loss lower than 1 dB and cross talk larger than 27.6 dB can be obtained for TM-TE mode conversion over a wavelength range of 1450 to 1600 nm. For TE mode, the insertion loss is lower than 0.26 dB and cross talk is larger than 25.3 dB over the same wavelength range. The proposed device has good potential in diversifying the functionalities of the multilayer photonic chip with high integration density.
Using neural networks to create a reliable phase quality map for phase unwrapping
Authors: Li Han , Zhong Heping , Ning Mingqiang , Zhang Peng , Tang Jinsong
Published: January 2023

Two-dimensional phase unwrapping is a crucial step in interferometric
signal processing. A phase
quality map can help the unwrapping algorithm deal with low-quality
and fast-changing regions. However, because existing algorithms cannot
calculate a quality map representing the gradient quality directly, it
is usually necessary to approximate the gradient quality with phase
quality to assist the network-based phase unwrapping algorithm.
Furthermore, they cannot withstand intense noise in low-quality
regions, resulting in many errors in path-based algorithms. To address
the aforementioned issues, this paper analyzes the essence of a
quality map and proposes a quality map generation method based on a
convolutional neural network. The generated quality maps are a pair,
each indicating the quality of horizontal and vertical gradients.
Experiments show that the quality map generated by this method can
help path-based and network-based algorithms perform better.
General temporal ghost imaging model with detection resolution and noise
Authors: Wu Juan , Wang Fang-Xiang , Chen Wei , Yin Zhen-Qiang , Wang Shuang , Wang Zhong-Gen , Lan Shi-Hao , Han Zheng-Fu
Published: January 2023

Improving imaging quality while reducing the sampling time simultaneously is a crucial challenge that limits the practical application of temporal ghost imaging (TGI). To improve the performance of TGI, various methods have been proposed and verified. However, a work analyzing in detail the influence of intensity accuracy and detection noise of TGI is still absent. Here, we establish an evaluation model to quantify the imaging quality of TGI and differential TGI (DTGI). Our model considers the intensity detection accuracy, threshold, and noise of the test path during image reconstruction and quantifies their influences by developing general imaging formulas of (D)TGI. We also simulate the imaging of (D)TGI numerically. The evaluation demonstrates that (D)TGI is relatively not sensitive to detection accuracy and thresholds of the test path, and image quality is degraded slightly even when those parameters turn much worse. (D)TGI is relatively robust to detection noise but will be unable to reconstruct the object when noise is too strong. DTGI does not show clear advantages over TGI. Our work develops an effective model to quantify the image quality with practical parameters and is significant to real applications of (D)TGI.
Characterization of the optical-gain enhanced microwave-Q for a 20.97  GHz regeneratively mode-locked laser with a short ring-length
Authors: Ng W.
Published: January 2023

By treating a regeneratively mode-locked laser with a short ring length of 5.85 m as a coupled optoelectronic (OE) RF oscillator, the microwave quality factor (

Q

R
F

) of its ring-cavity was characterized with the phase-shift approach. Specifically, the phase shift in the OE feedback loop of the mode-locked laser was varied, and the corresponding frequency shift in the photodetected first harmonic of its emitted pulse train was measured. An optical-gain enhanced

Q

R
F

of 

∼

5.8

×

10

4

was measured, which is an order of magnitude larger than the

Q

R
F

estimated for the same cavity before regenerative mode-locking. The experimental results were then compared with theoretical models developed to estimate the optical-gain enhanced

Q

R
F

of coupled OE oscillators.
Clinical analysis of the Konan–Waggoner D15 color vision test using the Surface-Pro display
Authors: Almustanyir Ali , Alduhayan Reema , Alhassan Mosaad , Hovis Jeffery K.
Published: January 2023

This work expands on our previous comparison of the Konan–Waggoner D15 (KW-D15) and Farnsworth D15 (F-D15). Sixty subjects with normal color vision and 68 subjects with a red–green color vision defect participated in the study. The KW-D15 had good agreement with the F-D15 for both pass/fail and classification across all failure criteria. The agreement was slightly better if subjects had to pass on 2/3 trials compared with just the first trial. The KW-D15 is an adequate substitute for the F-D15, with the caveat that the KW-D15 might be slightly easier to pass than the F-D15 for deutans.
Speech signal enhancement based on deep learning in distributed acoustic sensing
Authors: Shang Ying , Yang Jian , Chen Wang , Yi Jichao , Sun Maocheng , Du Yuankai , Huang Sheng , Zhao Wenan , Qu Shuai , Wang Weitao , Lv Lei , Liu Shuai , Zhao Yanjie , Ni Jiasheng
Published: January 2023

The fidelity of a speech signal deteriorates severely in a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) system due to the influence of the random noise. In order to improve the measurement accuracy, we have theoretically and experimentally compared and analyzed the performance of the speech signal with and without a recognition and reconstruction method-based deep learning technique. A complex convolution recurrent network (CCRN) algorithm based on complex spectral mapping is constructed to enhance the information identification of speech signals. Experimental results show that the random noise can be suppressed and the recognition capability of speech information can be strengthened by the proposed method. The random noise intensity of a speech signal collected by the DAS system is attenuated by approximately 20 dB and the average scale-invariant signal-to-distortion ratio (SI-SDR) is improved by 51.97 dB. Compared with other speech signal enhancement methods, the higher SI-SDR can be demonstrated by using the proposed method. It has been effective to accomplish high-fidelity and high-quality speech signal enhancement in the DAS system, which is a significant step toward a high-performance DAS system for practical applications.
4-D constellation construction and encryption scheme based on bit-level dimension dissecting and reorganization
Authors: Wu Xiangyu , Liu Bo , Ma Yiming , Zhu Xu , Ren Jianxin , Mao Yaya , Zhong Qing , Chen Shuaidong , Bai Yu , Zhao Jianye , Jiang Lei , Song Xiumin
Published: January 2023

A 4-dimensional (4-D) constellation construction and encryption scheme of dimension dissecting reorganization are proposed in this paper. In this scheme, the high-dimensional constellation is constructed by gradually decomposing and superimposing the low-dimensional constellation, and the mapping dimension, phase, and arrangement order of signals are scrambled to realize the encryption. This scheme uses the evolution from low dimension to high dimension to reduce the difficulty of constructing a high-dimensional constellation, and the confusion between dimensions facilitates the encryption of high-dimensional information. To verify the performance, an experiment to demonstrate the transmission of 46.7 Gb/s 4-D constellation mapping the intensity modulation/direct detection carrierless amplitude and phase on 2 km 7-core optical fiber has been successfully carried out.
Probe type TFBG-excited SPR fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of multiple ocean parameters assisted by CFBG
Authors: An Guowen , Liu Lei , Hu Pu , Jia Pinggang , Zhu Fengtong , Zhang Yanjun , Liu Jia , Xiong Jijun
Published: January 2023

The tilted fiber Bragg grating(TFBG), chirped fiber Bragg grating(CFBG), Vernier effect and metal surface plasmon resonance(SPR) effect are effectively combined to form a probe type fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of seawater salinity, temperature and depth(STD). The SPR effect excited by the TFBG is achieved by covering a gold layer around the TFBG, which is used to measure the refractive index (RI) of seawater. The core mode of TFBG is used to detect the change of seawater temperature and the measurement of TFBG reflection spectrum is realized by inscribing a CFBG after the TFBG, which makes the sensor have a probe type design and more beneficial to practical applications. The fusion of quartz micro-spheres on the end face of the sensing fiber and the parallel connection of an Fabry Perot(F-P) interference cavity enables the use of Vernier effect to detect the depth of the ocean. Femtosecond laser line-by-line method is used to the inscribing of TFBG, which allows the grating parameters to be changed flexibly depending on the desired spectrum. The experimental results show that the temperature sensitivity is 10.82pm/°C, the salinity sensitivity is 0.122nm/g/Kg, the depth sensitivity is 116.85 pm/m and the depth can be tested to 1000 m or even deeper.
Integration of microlenses on surface-micromachined optical ultrasound transducer array to improve detection sensitivity for parallel data readout
Authors: Yan Zhiyu , Zou Jun
Published: January 2023

This Letter reports the integration of microlenses (MLs) on a surface-micromachined optical ultrasound transducer (SMOUT) array to enable parallel ultrasound data readout from a multiplicity of elements. The MLs are fabricated by photoresist patterning and reflow, and their focal lengths are optimized with parametric studies. Experiments are conducted to characterize the acoustic responsivity and its uniformity of the SMOUT-ML elements under different conditions. The temporal stability of SMOUT-ML elements immersed in water is assessed by monitoring their acoustic response continuously for 1 week. Parallel ultrasound signal readout is simulated with a small group of SMOUT-ML elements. Experimental results show that high acoustic sensitivity and excellent long-term stability can be achieved by the ML-integrated SMOUT array, which could provide a promising approach for enabling parallel ultrasound data acquisition for improving the imaging speed of 3D acoustic tomography.
High-performance plasmonic polymer modulators through mode hybridization and electro-thermomechanical effects
Authors: Hu Xiao-long , Li Fen , Chen Guan-hua , Tang Lin-yun , Liu Wen-jie
Published: January 2023

In this work, an electro-optical polymer modulator with double-layered gold nanostrips, a polymer nanograting, and a metal substrate is proposed and designed. Interestingly, mode hybridization between the Fabry–Pérot (F–P) and anti-bonding modes is formed, and strongly depends on the nanograting size, which can be controllably modulated by an injection current. The simulation and calculation results show that the temperature sensitivity and large structural sensitivity for the polymer modulator could remain constant during the current-tuning process, and a near-zero reflectance and a low linewidth of 13.8 nm in the red region corresponding to a high quality (Q) factor of 51 is achieved. In addition, a large redshift of 60.7 nm and a super-high modulation depth of 424 are obtained at only 8 µA.
Giant optical chirality in dielectric metasurfaces induced by toroidal dipole resonances
Authors: Wu Jiaju , Jiang Haitao , Guo ZhiWei , Sun Yong , Li Yunhui , Chen Hong
Published: January 2023

Although toroidal dipole (TD) resonance is a highly localized mode with a high quality (Q) factor, in most chiral structures the TD resonance is much weaker than the electric or magnetic dipole resonances and contributes little to the chiral response. In this Letter, we theoretically propose a chiral all-dielectric TD metasurface that possesses giant optical chirality with a certain degree of incident-angle robustness induced by a strong TD resonance. Interestingly, the symmetry of the system can be broken simultaneously at oblique incidence to produce chiral quasi-bound states in the continuum. The nearly unchanged high-Q TD resonance within a certain range of incident angles can avoid the problem of a reduced image quality caused by the incident-angle sensitivity, as demonstrated by the polarization-multiplexed-field image displays. The giant chirality with a certain degree of incident-angle robustness induced by the TD mode would be useful in some applications, including high-quality optical imaging, high-performance asymmetric transmission, and sensing.
Biosensing with free space whispering gallery mode microlasers
Authors: Capocefalo Angela , Gentilini Silvia , Barolo Lorenzo , Baiocco Paola , Conti Claudio , Ghofraniha Neda
Published: January 2023

Highly accurate biosensors for few or single molecule detection play a central role in numerous key fields, such as healthcare and environmental monitoring. In the last decade, laser biosensors have been investigated as proofs of concept, and several technologies have been proposed. We here propose a demonstration of polymeric whispering gallery microlasers as biosensors for detecting small amounts of proteins, down to 400 pg. They have the advantage of working in free space without any need for waveguiding for input excitation or output signal detection. The photonic microsensors can be easily patterned on microscope slides and operate in air and solution. We estimate the limit of detection up to 148 nm/RIU for three different protein dispersions. In addition, the sensing ability of passive spherical resonators in the presence of dielectric nanoparticles that mimic proteins is described by massive ab initio numerical simulations.
Sexual and reproductive health knowledge among adolescent Syrian refugee girls displaced in Lebanon: The role of schooling and parental communication
Authors: Fahme Sasha Abdallah , El Ayoubi L’Emira Lama , DeJong Jocelyn , Sieverding Maia
Published: January 2023

Adolescent Syrian refugee girls living in Lebanon are vulnerable to poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Sociocultural norms, stigmatization, and limited educational opportunities in the context of forced displacement may impact adolescent girls’ SRH. Little is known about how and where girls in this population access SRH information and services. This study aimed to: (1) assess knowledge of SRH topics among a population of adolescent Syrian refugee girls displaced in Lebanon, and (2) determine the association of schooling versus maternal SRH communication with SRH knowledge. A total of 418 11-17-year-old Syrian refugee girls displaced in the Beqaa region of Lebanon were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Bivariate logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression models were used to examine the associations between schooling, maternal SRH communication, and other covariates with SRH knowledge outcomes. Significant predictors (p<0.2) were included in multivariate analyses. The mean age of girls was 13.4 years. Approximately two thirds of our sample was enrolled in school, with enrollment rates dropping considerably around age 15. In bivariate and multivariate models, older age and participation in SRH programs were predictive of puberty knowledge. One in five girls enrolled in school had learned about menstruation in school, which was associated with higher puberty knowledge in bivariate models. Older age, current school enrollment, and reaching the 8th-11th grade were strongly associated with HIV knowledge. Schooling is more strongly associated with SRH knowledge among adolescent girls than is maternal communication. School-based SRH curricula should be administered on the basis of age and not grade, given significant age-for-grade heterogeneity in this population. Forced displacement and poverty are major barriers to education retention and may have long-term impacts on girls’ health.
Bisognerebbe fare qualcosa: Interview with Lora Guerra
Authors: Gubareva Marita
Published: January 2023

In this wide-ranging interview, Lora Guerra talks of her meeting and marrying Tonino Guerra; of Guerra’s relationship to Russia, Lora’s homeland; of Tonino and Lora’s relationships with Michelangelo and Enrica Antonioni, Federico Fellini and Andrei Tarkovsky, among many others; of Guerra’s international interests beyond Russia; of his favourite writers; his years in Rome and his move back (with Lora) to Romagna in the 1980s; his methods of collaboration with different directors; his environmentalism, particularly in his later years; the nature of his art and vision – ‘peasant’ despite its cosmopolitanism.
From vernacular art to the auteur moment: Tonino Guerra as a poet, writer and scriptwriter in the 1940s and 1950s
Authors: Lepratto Livio
Published: January 2023

This article will investigate aspects of a little studied but key figure in Italian cinema, Tonino Guerra, focusing on his debut as a film screenwriter. The article employs a comparative approach, relating the first poetic and narrative works of Guerra of the 1940s to his first steps as a film scriptwriter of the 1950s, with his fruitful collaborations with directors such as Aglauco Casadio, Giuseppe De Santis and Michelangelo Antonioni. I rely on unpublished materials such as Guerra’s private writings and correspondence (in particular, with his friend and future colleague Federico Fellini) and then analyse the critical reception of the first cinematographic works of Guerra by film magazines active in the 1950s. My readings and analyses will be directed towards establishing the importance of Guerra in post-war Italian society and culture, particularly as he gravitated towards work in the cinema, and the role of that work in the complex transition from neorealism to auteur cinema.
Antonioni’s Anthropocene and Guerra’s enchanting gardens
Authors: Past Elena
Published: January 2023

This article explores the seemingly discordant ecologies that animate the ecopoetics of Tonino Guerra’s thinking, arguing that in Guerra’s work we find both a critique of human uses and abuses of the environment – in the era of environmental loss we are currently calling the Anthropocene – and an invitation to creatively reimagine our planetary place. More specifically, it addresses the contrasts between the bereft landscapes in the tetralogy of films Guerra wrote with Michelangelo Antonioni and the intricate, rich gardens of his poetry and of his hometown, Pennabilli. In contrast with (or perhaps in response to) the out-of-control gardens and unpalatable fruits of the films, Guerra’s personal philosophy led him to cultivate poetic and earthly gardens that nourish biodiversity and community and express optimism for a habitable Anthropocene future.
The crane, the cat and the housefly: Animals and meaning-making in Dario Argento’s Animal Trilogy
Authors: Aiello Thomas
Published: January 2023

Dario Argento’sL’uccello dalle piume di cristallo(The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) (1970),Il gatto a nove code(The Cat O’ Nine Tails) (1971) and4 mosche di velluto grigio(Four Flies on Grey Velvet) (1971) comprised his Animal Trilogy. The films were not about animals, though they did play roles, and in Argento scholarship, animals are noted tangentially, but emphasis is always on the human. Meanwhile, anthrozoological film analyses usually examine movies with foregrounded animal protagonists. This article remedies those absences by making an anthrozoological analysis of Argento’s Animal Trilogy, demonstrating that Argento’s presentation of non-human animals is conflicted in the same way that the broader human relationship with animals is conflicted. Animals are both depicted realistically in the various forms of human contact with them and presented in bizarre, outsized ways fitting the pulpgialloform.
Italian cinema online: A conversation with Gianluca Guzzo of MYmovies.it
Authors: Falduto Antonio , Bonnici Glen , Carter Jim , Laviosa Flavia
Published: January 2023

In this exclusive conversation, MYmovies.it founder and CEO Gianluca Guzzo sits down with Antonio Falduto, Glen Bonnici, Jim Carter and Flavia Laviosa to discuss his business, which is part online cinema magazine and part streaming platform. Guzzo gives an historical overview of the development of MYmovies.it before turning to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, during which the website pioneered a digital service for replicating the in-person film festival experience. This history serves as a jumping-off point for a series of reflections on the future of film festivals, the distribution of Italian cinema domestically and internationally and the need to promote quality, independent productions. In contrast to most commentators published in this journal, Guzzo speaks as a businessperson who is concerned with marketing Italian cinema in the world, including the use of data for commercial purposes.
The non-professional child actor in neorealism: Interview with Alfonso Bovino1
Authors: O’Rawe Catherine , Boccuti Mattia , Geri Valentina
Published: January 2023

This interview with Italian former child actor Alfonso Bovino, who most famously appeared in the second episode of Roberto Rossellini’s neorealist classic Paisà (Paisan) (1946) elicits recollections from him about his time working with Rossellini. It covers his ‘discovery’ by Rossellini in his home town of Maiori, and his move to Naples, where he remained for several months to shoot the episode. This introduction contextualizes the interview and reflects on some key themes: these include the significance of the child performer to neorealist cinema, the circumstances of the film’s production, some important methodological questions regarding the status of memory and testimony so many years after, and what it is exactly that interviewers or readers are hoping to access when they speak to an actor or other artist, especially so many years after the film’s production.
Italian Industrial Literature and Film: Perspectives on the Representation of Postwar Labor, Carlo Baghetti, Jim Carter and Lorenzo Marmo (eds) (2021)
Authors: Jansen Monica
Published: January 2023

Review of: Italian Industrial Literature and Film: Perspectives on the Representation of Postwar Labor, Carlo Baghetti, Jim Carter and Lorenzo Marmo (eds) (2021)

Oxford: Peter Lang, 546 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-78874-598-7, p/bk, €33.06
Gender in COVID-19 campaigns: An analysis of the Italian government communications
Authors: Faccioli Franca , D’Ambrosi Lucia
Published: January 2023

The gender studies approach of this contribution addresses the issue of communication in the Italian government’s response to COVID-19. In the past, the government had often focused its communication on the promotion of political activities, with stereotypical representations of men and women instead of a culture of communication based on the concept of ‘civil servant’ with a gender lens. This article ponders whether methods of disseminating information and representing the pandemic are driven by innovative models of communication that advocate for a gender-conscious approach. Using a qualitative analysis, this contribution examines the government’s communication campaigns during the pandemic and inquires if and how the narrative of the pandemic has impacted the representation of gender. We analyse public service advertisements on television and in the digital media. Our results show distinct features of and issues with mainstream and social media storytelling strategies.
Love affairs: The piccola posta in the age of social media
Authors: Ciofalo Giovanni , Leonzi Silvia , Quercia Grazia
Published: January 2023

The piccola posta, which are reader’s letters to women’s magazines, represent a noteworthy phenomenon for the analysis of social, cultural and communicative practices particularly in relation to representation and self-representation, also in terms of gender. Through a brief reconstruction of its evolution, the piccola posta was identified as a space of interaction, exchange and hybrid sharing which managed to depict the contradiction between the stability of traditional morals based on nineteenth-century models and the increasing need to acquire a new awareness in the personal experience. This article focuses on the social, cultural and media role of piccola posta today, developing a qualitative and quantitative analysis of columns currently active online in, for example, traditional web newspapers, blogs and social media. The aim is to understand how the piccola posta of today could still be a worksite to process innovation about relations, self-perception and sexuality.
Paradoxes of stillness in Caroline, or Change
Authors: Bottero Anouk
Published: January 2023

Beginning with its title, Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s 2004 musical Caroline, or Change encloses a dichotomy between movement and stillness. The word ‘change’ is associated with Caroline, the eponymous protagonist, a Black maid who defiantly resists and refuses even the smallest manifestations of turmoil that arise in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A static play, Caroline, or Change contradicts usual expectations of musical theatre’s capacity to generate the hopeful and soaring movements generally associated with utopia. This article argues, however, that far from fixating the musical within monolithic representations of history and Black women, Caroline, or Change’s stillness seems to offer a redefinition of utopia. Caroline explores moments of stasis as tipping points, in between mobility and immobility, that particularly highlight female performances’ capacity to transform the very genre of the musical.
Dance, mobility and social change in Billy Elliot: The Musical
Authors: Gordon Robert
Published: January 2023

Billy Elliot: The Musical addresses the issue of class that, while seldom analysed as a theme in Broadway musicals, has been a key trope of the majority of British musicals since the première of The Shop Girl in 1894. The article examines how the dialectic of dance as an emblem of individual freedom opposed to the rigidity of the British class system is expressed through movement within the mining community of Easington. By utilizing various aspects of Rudolf Laban’s effort theory, including the kinetic personality patterns of his associate, Warren Lamb, the article examines the cultural gendering of movement via the strict regimes of boxing (for boys) and ballet (for girls). With brief references to Bourdieu’s notion of habitus and Brecht’s praxis of Gestus, the article illustrates how Billy’s ability to embrace a supposedly ‘feminine’ kinetic vocabulary constitutes the flexibility to free himself from the rigid and inherently homophobic definition of conventional masculinity. In promoting movement beyond the confines of an outmoded tradition of working-class behaviour, Billy embraces a classless notion of postmodern masculinity represented in the bohemian milieu of the metropolitan artist. By ‘dancing’ his freedom for the Royal Ballet’s audition panel in ‘Electricity’, Billy embodies his own liberation from the repetitive pattern of movement that inevitably sends the miners to early graves while he flies upwards to defy the typical destiny of a miner. The article explicates key moments of movement and dance in order to exemplify the embodiment of the musical’s central tropes in kinetic terms.
Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way, Caseen Gaines (2021)
Authors: Jones Cody M.
Published: January 2023

Review of: Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way, Caseen Gaines (2021)

Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 448 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-49268-881-9, 978-1-49268-881-5, h/bk, $26.99
Estudiar en la era digital. Un ensayo crítico y fenomenológico
Authors: Willatt Carlos , Buck Marc Fabian
Published: January 2023

Desde una perspectiva crítica y fenomenológica, en este ensayo nos proponemos cuestionar el supuesto de que la digitalización del estudio sería un avance inevitable y necesario en términos educativos. Sostenemos que la digitalización no es una ‘solución’ para lo que hemos denominado heurísticamente pérdida de estudio, una de las pérdidas educativas ocasionadas, entre otras cosas, por la suspensión global de las actividades educativas presenciales durante la pandemia del Covid-19. Nuestra tesis es que el estudio digital tiene un carácter regresivo en cuanto reduce esta práctica a sólo uno de sus momentos específicos, que puede ser descrito como eminentemente cognitivo y solitario. Esto dificulta, cuando no impide, el despliegue del estudio en su complejidad y multidimensionalidad en tanto forma de vida y práctica primordialmente corporal, social y estética. Lejos de ser una innovación educativa, el estudio digital más bien refuerza una noción tradicional y dominante del estudio en las culturas occidentales que debe ser problematizada. Desarrollaremos nuestra tesis en cinco momentos. En primer lugar, abordaremos la pérdida del estudio a nivel del discurso educativo que se enfoca exclusivamente en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Luego esbozaremos una crítica a la noción tradicional del estudio en Occidente como práctica cognitiva, solitaria y también elitista. Posteriormente, caracterizaremos tres dimensiones primordiales del estudio desde una perspectiva fenomenológica: corporalidad, socialidad y esteticidad. Además, ofreceremos algunos ejemplos de esta caracterización en la educación superior. Finalmente, indicaremos cuatros aspectos en los que se manifiesta la pérdida de estudio bajo las condiciones de la digitalización. Concluiremos con algunas consideraciones en relación con la transformación digital del campo educativo.
Ulises en el Instituto. Liderazgo y escuela a partir del mito de Aquiles
Authors: Reyero García David
Published: January 2023

El objetivo de este texto es pensar el liderazgo educativo en la etapa adolescente en los centros educativos a través de un mito clásico. A partir de la relación existente entre Ulises y Aquiles. Aquiles en su etapa en el gineceo como figura de la adolescencia, y Ulises como el personaje necesario para sacar a Aquiles del estadio estético con el fin de adentrarse en el ético y el combate de la vida adulta. Pretendemos descubrir en el análisis de esa relación algunas obligaciones del profesor, en tanto que líder, para una época concreta en la vida humana, la adolescencia, y partiremos esencialmente del análisis que Javier Gomá hace de ese mito. Gomá se centra sobre todo en la evolución subjetiva de Aquiles como ejemplificación de un camino que todo humano debe recorrer, mientras que aquí pretendemos también reflexionar sobre el papel de Ulises en esa transformación del adolescente en adulto. Una transformación imposible sin la participación ejemplificada en Ulises como arquetipo de liderazgo educativo. En los centros educativos esta relación de liderazgo educativo puede observarse en dos planos distintos. El primero, el plano cercano de la relación que se establece entre profesor y estudiante. El segundo, el papel de liderazgo del equipo directivo sobre el centro en general, y también, aunque más indirecto, sobre los estudiantes en particular. Los aspectos que señalaremos en el texto pueden tener una traducción sobre ambos planos. Finalizamos con unas conclusiones resumiendo aquellas ideas que pueden ayudar a normativizar mejor el liderazgo en el contexto escolar.
Dimensões da competência em informação do Sistema de Bibliotecas da Rede Cuca
Authors: Rodrigues Denise Marques , Farias Gabriela Belmont de , Teixeira Thiciane Mary Carvalho
Published: January 2023

A competência em informação tem sido foco nas pesquisas no campo da Ciência da Informação, com estudos teórico-conceituais e aplicabilidade em ambientes informacionais e áreas diversas do conhecimento. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar quais os termos inseridos no Regimento do Sistema de Bibliotecas da Rede Cuca, que dialogam com as dimensões da competência em informação estudadas pelas pesquisadoras Vitorino e Piantola e identificar se este possibilita ferramentas para tornar um indivíduo competente em informação. Caracteriza-se como pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e utiliza o método de análise de conteúdo. Evidenciou-se que o regimento contempla as dimensões da competência em informação e os serviços contemplados no regimento colaboram para o desenvolvimento de um indivíduo autônomo, com habilidades necessárias para usufruir das informações de maneira a facilitar suas tomadas de decisão.