bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FocusDet: towards high-quality digital printing fabric defect detection
Authors: Su Zebin , Lu Yanjun , Wu Jingwei , Zhang Huanhuan , Li Pengfei
Published: August 2023

Deep-learning models have been effectively applied to the fabric defect detection field, in which dilemmas still exist for further improving product quality. For the self-built digital printing fabric defect detection dataset, the dilemmas can be expressed in aspects. First, the existing detection models are more inclined to learn many shot categories (head classes) and directly ignore low shot categories (tail classes); Second, the sampled positive and negative anchors in each mini-batch are not equally important, therefore they should be unequally attended to according to their importance. To solve these problems, in this article, a high-quality model for digital printing fabric defect detection was proposed, termed FocusDet. Specially, we construct the model based on the Faster-RCNN framework with two well-designed modules: the balanced group softmax module and the importance-based sample reweighting module, which improve the detection accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model reaches state-of-the-art accuracy on COCO metrics compared with other advanced detection models in the digital printing fabric defect detection dataset.
Real world safety of methoxyflurane analgesia in the emergency setting: a comparative hybrid prospective-retrospective post-authorisation safety study
Authors: Qizilbash Nawab , Kataria Himanshu , Jarman Heather , Bloom Ben , Bradney Michelle , Oh Maggie , Yee Sue Anne , Roncero Ana , Mendez Ignacio , Pocock Stuart
Published: August 2023

Background

Low-dose analgesic methoxyflurane (Penthrox®) was approved in Europe for emergency relief of moderate to severe pain in conscious adults with trauma in 2015. A comparative post-authorisation safety study (PASS) was conducted to assess the risk of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity with methoxyflurane during routine clinical practice.

Methods

This was a comparative hybrid prospective-retrospective cohort study. The comparative cohorts consisted of adults who were given methoxyflurane (methoxyflurane cohort) or another analgesic (concurrent cohort) routinely used for moderate to severe trauma and associated pain in the emergency setting (ambulance and Emergency Department) in the UK between December 2016 and November 2018. Hepatic and renal events were captured in the ensuing 12 weeks. A blinded clinical adjudication committee assessed events. A historical comparator cohort (non-concurrent cohort) was identified from patients with fractures in the English Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) accident and emergency database from November 2013 and November 2015 (before commercial launch of methoxyflurane). Hepatic and renal events were captured in the ensuing 12 weeks via linkage with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and HES hospital admissions databases.

Results

Overall, 1,236, 1,101 and 45,112 patients were analysed in the methoxyflurane, concurrent and non-concurrent comparator cohorts respectively. There was no significant difference in hepatic events between the methoxyflurane and concurrent cohorts (1.9% vs. 3.0%, P = 0.079) or between the methoxyflurane and non-concurrent cohorts (1.9% vs. 2.5%, P = 0.192). Renal events were significantly less common in the methoxyflurane cohort than in the concurrent cohort (2.3% vs. 5.6%, P < 0.001). For methoxyflurane versus non-concurrent cohort the lower occurrence of renal events (2.3% vs. 3.2%, P = 0.070) was not statistically significant. Multivariable adjustment did not change these associations.

Conclusions

Methoxyflurane administration was not associated with an increased risk of hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity compared with other routinely administered analgesics and was associated with a reduced risk of nephrotoxicity compared with other routinely administered analgesics.

Trial registration

Study registered in the EU PAS Register (ENCEPP/SDPP/13040).
Exploring the relationships between health literacy, social support, self-efficacy and self-management in adults with multiple chronic diseases
Authors: Dinh Thi Thuy Ha , Bonner Ann
Published: August 2023

Background

Self-management in chronic diseases is essential to slowing disease progression and preventing complications. However, empirical research on the associations of critical factors, such as health literacy, social support, and self-efficacy with self-management in the context of multiple chronic diseases is scarce. This study aimed to investigate these associations and provides insights for healthcare providers to develop effective educational strategies for people with multiple chronic diseases.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional survey design, adults (n = 600) diagnosed with at least two chronic diseases were conveniently recruited. To measure health literacy, social support, self-efficacy, and chronic disease self-management behaviours, the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), Medical Outcome Study - Social Support Survey, Self-efficacy in Managing Chronic Disease, and Self-management in Chronic Diseases instruments were utilized respectively. Comorbidity status was assessed using Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI). A generalised linear regression model was used with a backward technique to identify variables associated with self-management.

Results

Participants’ mean age was 61 years (SD = 15.3), 46% were female, and most had up to 12 years of education (82.3%). Mean scores for HLQ domains 1–5 varied from 2.61 to 3.24 (possible score 1–4); domains 6–9 from 3.29 to 3.65 (possible score 1–5). The mean scores were 52.7 (SD = 10.4, possible score 0–95), 5.46 (SD = 1.9, possible score 0–10) and 82.1 (SD = 12.4, possible score 30–120) for social support, self-efficacy, and self-management, respectively. Mean ACCI was 6.7 (SD = 2.1). Eight factors (age > 65 years, being female, 4 health literacy domains, greater social support, and higher self-efficacy levels) were significantly associated with greater self-management behaviours while comorbidity status was not. The factors that showed the strongest associations with self-management were critical health literacy domains: appraisal of health information, social support for health, and healthcare provider support.

Conclusions

Developing critical health literacy abilities is a more effective way to enhance self-management behaviours than relying solely on self-confidence or social support, especially for people with multiple chronic diseases. By facilitating communication and patient education, healthcare providers can help patients improve their critical health literacy, which in turn can enhance their self-management behaviours.
Three-dimensional evaluation of alveolar bone and pharyngeal airway dimensions after mandibular dentition distalization in patients with Class III malocclusion: a retrospective study
Authors: Zhou Zhijie , Sun Liangyan , Zhang Fan , Xu Yan
Published: August 2023

Background

To three-dimensionally evaluate changes of the alveolar bone around the mandibular anterior teeth and pharyngeal airway dimensions in adults with Class III malocclusion before and after orthodontic treatment of mandibular dentition distalization.

Methods

In this retrospective study, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 20 patients with Class III malocclusion who underwent mandibular dentition distalization were obtained both before and after treatment. Three-dimensional changes of the thickness and vertical marginal bone levels around mandibular incisors and canines were assessed and compared. And airway volumes of the palato-, glosso-, laryngopharynx and the minimum axial area were measured and compared before and after treatment.

Results

A significant decrease of lingual bone thickness of mandibular incisors, partial labial and lingual bone thickness of canines were observed (P < 0.05). The reduction in root length of incisors and canines, labial and lingual vertical marginal bone levels were significant after orthodontic treatment. No significant correlations between mandibular dentition distalization and pharyngeal airway dimensions were observed.

Conclusions

Mandibular dentition distalization could result in the loss of alveolar bone around anterior teeth in Class III malocclusion, especially for the cervical marginal bone. Pharyngeal airway dimensions were not affected to a high extent after distalization.

Trial registration

Retrospctively registered.
Amyloid-β (Aβ) immunotherapy induced microhemorrhages are associated with activated perivascular macrophages and peripheral monocyte recruitment in Alzheimer’s disease mice
Authors: Taylor Xavier , Clark Isaiah M. , Fitzgerald Griffin J. , Oluoch Herold , Hole Justin T. , DeMattos Ronald B. , Wang Yaming , Pan Feng
Published: August 2023

Background

Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) have been identified as the most common and serious adverse events resulting from pathological changes in the cerebral vasculature during several recent anti-amyloid-β (Aβ) immunotherapy trials. However, the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying how amyloid immunotherapy enhances cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)-mediated alterations in vascular permeability and microhemorrhages are not currently understood. Interestingly, brain perivascular macrophages have been implicated in regulating CAA deposition and cerebrovascular function however, further investigations are required to understand how perivascular macrophages play a role in enhancing CAA-related vascular permeability and microhemorrhages associated with amyloid immunotherapy.

Methods

In this study, we examined immune responses induced by amyloid-targeting antibodies and CAA-induced microhemorrhages using histology and gene expression analyses in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse models and primary culture systems.

Results

In the present study, we demonstrate that anti-Aβ (3D6) immunotherapy leads to the formation of an antibody immune complex with vascular amyloid deposits and induces the activation of CD169+ perivascular macrophages. We show that macrophages activated by antibody mediated Fc receptor signaling have increased expression of inflammatory signaling and extracellular matrix remodeling genes such as Timp1 and MMP9 in vitro and confirm these key findings in vivo. Finally, we demonstrate enhanced vascular permeability of plasma proteins and recruitment of inflammatory monocytes around vascular amyloid deposits, which are associated with hemosiderin deposits from cerebral microhemorrhages, suggesting the multidimensional roles of activated perivascular macrophages in response to Aβ immunotherapy.

Conclusions

In summary, our study establishes a connection between Aβ antibodies engaged at CAA deposits, the activation of perivascular macrophages, and the upregulation of genes involved in vascular permeability. However, the implications of this phenomenon on the susceptibility to microhemorrhages remain to be fully elucidated. Further investigations are warranted to determine the precise role of CD169 + perivascular macrophages in enhancing CAA-mediated vascular permeability, extravasation of plasma proteins, and infiltration of immune cells associated with microhemorrhages.
AMAKAS: Anonymous Mutual Authentication and Key Agreement Scheme for securing multi-server environments
Authors: Salem Fatty M. , Safwat Maha , Fathy Rasha , Habashy Shahira
Published: August 2023

The rapid growth of Internet users was the motivation of the emerge appearance of new computing models such as cloud computing, fog computing and edge computing. For this reason, the multi-server’s architecture has been introduced to extend scalability and accessibility. To ensure that these servers can only be accessed by the authorized users, many authentication and key agreement schemes have been introduced for multi–server environments. In this paper, we propose an anonymous mutual authentication and key agreement scheme for multi-server architecture based on elliptic curve cryptography to achieve the required security services and resist the well-known security attacks. Furthermore, formal and informal security analysis is conducted to prove the security of the proposed scheme. Moreover, we provide a performance comparison with related work in terms of computational cost, communication cost and the number of messages transferred on the public channel. This performance comparison clearly shows that the proposed scheme is highly efficient in terms of computation, communication cost and security analysis as compared to other related schemes which makes the proposed scheme more suitable and practical for multi-server environments than other related schemes.
Correlation between the serum level of ferritin and D-dimer and the severity of COVID-19 infection
Authors: AbdelFattah Eman Badawy , Madkour Ashraf Mokhtar , Amer Shimaa Mohamed I. , Ahmed Noha Othman
Published: August 2023

Background

Many laboratory biomarkers were used for diagnosis of COVID-19 infection; however, their accuracy to assess the severity and prognosis are still to be evaluated. This study aims to correlate between the serum ferritin and D-dimer levels and the severity of COVID-19 infection and its outcome.

Results

Retrospective data retrieval of 150 confirmed COVID-19 infection patients admitted in Ain Shams University Specialized Hospital El Obour during period between April and July 2020 were studied. Ninety-six were survivors and 54 were non-survivors. The number of co-morbidities, the level of D-dimer and serum ferritin were correlated with ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation and mortality with P value < 0.0001. Serum ferritin and D-dimer levels were significantly correlated with degree of HRCT chest severity with P value < 0.0001. The cut-off value of D-dimer for mortality was 700 ng/ml (sensitivity 83.33%, specificity 59.38%), and that for serum ferritin was 300 ng/ml (sensitivity 88.89%, specificity 58.33%), cut-off value of D-dimer for ICU admission was 863 ng/ml and that for serum ferritin was 300 ng/ml, cut-off value of D-dimer for mechanical ventilation was 700 ng/ml, and that for serum ferritin was 600 ng/ml.

Conclusion

D-dimer and serum ferritin are important biomarkers in predicting the mortality, ICU admission and need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 subjects. Thus helps in early detection of risk of progression and improving outcome. The current study also provides probable cut-off values for both biomarkers above which mortality, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation need can be expected.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT0567281. Retrospectively registered. 4th January 2023.

https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/SelectProtocol?sid=S000CT6C&selectaction=Edit&uid=U00056R5&ts=2&cx=-tlu9xu.
Co-development of a clinical rehabilitation model with an evidence-based approach for torture survivors
Authors: Haoussou Kolbassia , Robjant Katy
Published: August 2023

Torture is designed to silence, render powerless, oppress and terrify not just the individual torture survivor but the whole society where the act of torture occurs. The aftermath of torture can include trauma spectrum disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder as well as other mental health problems, in addition to chronic pain and disability. Rehabilitation for torture survivors therefore needs to include empowerment at its heart. This is important to overturn the impact of torture on the survivor's sense of powerlessness and to address the silencing that begins with torture and is maintained by the psychological sequelae of surviving it. The organisation Freedom from Torture, together with survivors of torture, co-designed a new evidence-based clinical rehabilitation model by surveying service users and by carrying out a narrative review of the research literature and best practice guidelines. The resulting model incorporates co-delivery of therapeutic services by survivors.
Carl Schmitt in Outer Space: On Cixin Liu's “Dark Forest”
Authors: Afflerbach Ian
Published: August 2023

Cixin Liu's science fiction trilogy Remembrance of Earth's Past has sold more than 8 million copies and earned him the first Hugo Award to an Asian writer; it represents Chinese SF's breakout success in the anglophone fiction market. While his novels have received considerable popular acclaim, critics have yet to interrogate the troubling political vision they develop. The pivotal novum in the series—the new concept or creation, which Darko Suvin influentially identified as SF's chief mechanism for triggering “cognitive estrangement” in readers—is its “dark forest theory,” a set of governing axioms about life in outer space that make a necessary, inescapable hostility between different forms of organized life the fundamental political fact of the cosmos. This article argues that Carl Schmitt's political theory—his critique of liberalism, his investment in decisions made in a state of exception, and his core vision of politics as defined by the friend/enemy distinction—helps clarify the authoritarian currents in Liu's novels, as well as their break with several standards of characterization and narrative form conventional for realist fiction. By attempting to justify authoritarian order as the only adequate response to the existential cruelty of the cosmos, Liu's novels dramatize how Schmitt's notions about political enemies and heroic decisions in a state of emergency can serve to legitimate individual cruelty and collectively destructive warfare.
Beyond Isabel Archer's Door: The Underground Railroad and the Condemned Plot for Freedom
Authors: Wilkinson Caroline
Published: August 2023

This article radically reframes Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady in relation to the Underground Railroad, the transatlantic slave trade, US slavery, and racial housing segregation. Focusing on the house in Albany, New York, where Isabel Archer stays in the 1850s, it asserts that Isabel's pursuit of freedom is grounded in her 1850s childhood when the Underground Railroad was particularly active in Albany. It examines the Albany home within the historical context of the 1870s and 1880s, when, respectively, Isabel returns to Albany and The Portrait of a Lady was first published. Taking into account the Supreme Court's 1883 Civil Rights Cases, which facilitated housing discrimination against Black Americans, this article argues that the Albany home, whose door remains bolted to the “vulgar street,” protects James's American lady from a vulgarity associated then with African Americans. By examining a critically overlooked function of the Albany house—its spatial representation of the novel's plot—this article shows how narratives of Black people escaping slavery along with late nineteenth-century definitions of vulgarity centrally define Isabel's pursuit of freedom. Analyzing the plot's architecture, the article reveals how James strategically alludes to two novels about racism—overtly to George Eliot's Daniel Deronda and covertly to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin—to construct his highly influential narrative about a white woman's transatlantic journey toward freedom.
Norms of Embodiment and Transgender Recognition: The “Wrong Body” Problem, the Taboo on Translocation, and the Case of Henry James
Authors: Coulson Victoria
Published: August 2023

This article begins with critics’ hostility toward Gilbert Osmond, the notorious villain of Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady (1881). It identifies this tradition as a response to Osmond's identity as a trans woman and to the mode of embodiment that Osmond demonstrates as one possible solution to the problem of the “wrong body.” The article's first half sketches the status of the wrong body in trans studies, where the concept is disfavored as reproducing a repressive ideology, in contrast to its characterization in Lacanian psychoanalysis as psychotic. The article demonstrates, nonetheless, in the principles of Lacanian theory the postulation of a class of subjects whose psychic sexuation as men or women does not match up with the symbolic sexual identity of their physical persons: subjects who cannot, therefore, assume their physical persons as their bodies (the article terms such embodiment “co-located”). It then develops a Lacanian analysis of the solution modeled by Osmond to the wrong body problem: “translocated embodiment,” in which a subject assumes as their body a sexed form other than their physical person. The second half of the article explores the operation of translocated embodiment in the Anglo-American leisure-class community of The Portrait of a Lady. The aestheticism of Gilbert Osmond, Ralph Touchett, and Edward Rosier is read as a historically specific instance of translocated embodiment. Social disfavor of their overt translocation drives James's three connoisseurs, as transgender subjects, to attempt covert translocation via heterosexual courtship and matrimony, aiming to secure advantageous representation in the form of cisgender women.
George Sand, Antisex Feminist
Authors: Counter Andrew J.
Published: August 2023

George Sand's feminist novels of the 1830s often seem to have a “problem” with sex, or to view sex as a problem. In them, heterosexual sex often appears disempowering for women and therefore politically unpalatable; worse, heterosexual desire itself emerges as primordially marked by patriarchal constraints, predicated on the (self-)objectification and subjection of women. This article offers a speculative reading of Sand's early fictions as anticipating similar “antisex” attitudes in later twentieth-century feminism (the so-called antipornography feminism of the 1980s), and uses close readings of moments in Indiana, Mauprat, and Lélia to reflect on the renewed urgency—in the wake of #MeToo—of the sort of ethical questions raised by such feminism during the “sex wars.” If Sand is not, ultimately, an antisex feminist, her novels are nevertheless thought-provoking in their skepticism, or their pessimistic realism, about the possibility of a politically or ethically motivated reform of sex and desire.
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients With Chiari Malformation: Diagnosis
Authors: Bauer David F. , Niazi Toba , Qaiser Rabia , Infinger Libby Kosnik , Vachhrajani Shobhan , Ackerman Laurie L. , Jackson Eric M. , Jernigan Sarah , Maher Cormac O. , Pattisapu Jogi V. , Quinsey Carolyn , Raskin Jeffrey S. , Rocque Brandon G. , Silberstein Howard
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Chiari I malformation (CIM) is characterized by descent of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum, potentially causing symptoms from compression or obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Diagnosis and treatment of CIM is varied, and guidelines produced through systematic review may be helpful for clinicians.

OBJECTIVE:

To perform a systematic review of the medical literature to answer specific questions on the diagnosis and treatment of CIM.

METHODS:

PubMed and Embase were queried between 1946 and January 23, 2021, using the search strategies provided in Appendix I of the full guidelines.

RESULTS:

The literature search yielded 567 abstracts, of which 151 were selected for full-text review, 109 were then rejected for not meeting the inclusion criteria or for being off-topic, and 42 were included in this systematic review.

CONCLUSION:

Three Grade C recommendations were made based on Level III evidence. The full guidelines can be seen online at https://www.cns.org/guidelines/browse-guidelines-detail/1-imaging.
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients With Chiari Malformation: Symptoms
Authors: Jackson Eric M. , Jernigan Sarah , Raskin Jeffrey S. , Ackerman Laurie L. , Infinger Libby Kosnik , Maher Cormac O. , Niazi Toba , Pattisapu Jogi V. , Qaiser Rabia , Quinsey Carolyn , Rocque Brandon G. , Silberstein Howard , Vachhrajani Shobhan , Bauer David F.
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Chiari I malformation (CIM) is characterized by descent of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum, potentially causing symptoms from compression or obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Diagnosis and treatment of CIM is varied, and guidelines produced through systematic review may be helpful for clinicians.

OBJECTIVE:

To perform a systematic review of the medical literature to answer specific questions on the diagnosis and treatment of CIM.

METHODS:

PubMed and Embase were queried between 1946 and January 23, 2021, using the search strategies provided in Appendix I of the full guidelines.

RESULTS:

The literature search yielded 430 abstracts, of which 79 were selected for full-text review, 44 were then rejected for not meeting the inclusion criteria or for being off-topic, and 35 were included in this systematic review.

CONCLUSION:

Four Grade C recommendations were made based on Class III evidence, and 1 question had insufficient evidence. The full guidelines can be seen online at https://www.cns.org/guidelines/browse-guidelines-detail/2-symptoms.
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients With Chiari Malformation: Surgical Interventions
Authors: Pattisapu Jogi V. , Ackerman Laurie L. , Infinger Libby Kosnik , Maher Cormac O. , Quinsey Carolyn , Rocque Brandon G. , Silberstein Howard , Jackson Eric M. , Jernigan Sarah , Niazi Toba , Qaiser Rabia , Raskin Jeffrey S. , Vachhrajani Shobhan , Bauer David F.
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND:

Chiari malformation type I (CIM) diagnoses have increased in recent years. Controversy regarding the best operative management prompted a review of the literature to offer guidance on surgical interventions.

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the literature to determine (1) whether posterior fossa decompression or posterior fossa decompression with duraplasty is more effective in preoperative symptom resolution; (2) whether there is benefit from cerebellar tonsillar resection/reduction; (3) the role of intraoperative neuromonitoring; (4) in patients with a syrinx, how long should a syrinx be observed for improvement before additional surgery is performed; and 5) what is the optimal duration of follow-up care after preoperative symptom resolution.

METHODS:

A systematic review was performed using the National Library of Medicine/PubMed and Embase databases for studies on CIM in children and adults. The most appropriate surgical interventions, the use of neuromonitoring, and clinical improvement during follow-up were reviewed for studies published between 1946 and January 23, 2021.

RESULTS:

A total of 80 studies met inclusion criteria. Posterior fossa decompression with or without duraplasty or cerebellar tonsil reduction all appeared to show some benefit for symptom relief and syrinx reduction. There was insufficient evidence to determine whether duraplasty or cerebellar tonsil reduction was needed for specific patient groups. There was no strong correlation between symptom relief and syringomyelia resolution. Many surgeons follow patients for 6–12 months before considering reoperation for persistent syringomyelia. No benefit or harm was seen with the use of neuromonitoring.

CONCLUSION:

This evidence-based clinical guidelines for the treatment of CIM provide 1 Class II and 4 Class III recommendations. In patients with CIM with or without syringomyelia, treatment options include bone decompression with or without duraplasty or cerebellar tonsil reduction. Improved syrinx resolution may potentially be seen with dural patch grafting. Symptom resolution and syrinx resolution did not correlate directly. Reoperation for a persistent syrinx was potentially beneficial if the syrinx had not improved 6 to 12 months after the initial operation. The full guidelines can be seen online at https://www.cns.org/guidelines/browse-guidelines-detail/3-surgical-interventions.
Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Traditional Villages in Guizhou
Authors: Liu Yidan , Bovati Marco , Genovese Paolo Vincenzo
Published: August 2023

Guizhou's traditional villages are gradually disappearing as rural urbanization accelerates. However, there has been little in-depth research into how village dwellers are coping with spatial changes caused by resource relocation and modernization. Prior to that, it is critical to determine the villages’ distribution characteristics and geographic features. This study focuses on the spatial dis-tribution characteristics of Guizhou traditional villages using the software ArcGIS. The findings show that (1) Guizhou Province's traditional village distribution is "dual-core" intensive. (2) The topography of Guizhou Prov-ince is characterized by a "high in the west, low in the east" trend. In Gui-zhou Province's western and central zones, there are very few traditional vil-lages with higher altitudes beyond Anshun City. (3) The slope analysis of this study shows that the slope of these two regions, Qiandongnan and Ton-gren with densely populated villages, are diametrically opposed.
Restoration and highlight of Agioi Theodoroi church in Nafplio with the use of CAD technologies
Authors: Psychogyios Dimitris , Leptidou Katerina
Published: August 2023

The church of Agioi Theodoroi is located north of the new city of Nafplion, in the “Neo Byzantio” or “Kültepe” area, near the main road connecting Naflion to Argos, on Kalamata Street. It is a small, simple construction, single aisled church with pitched tiled roof and a semi-circular sanctuary arch. The church is not pro-claimed monument, but it constitutes important historical evidence of recent history of the city and of Greece in general, given that it is documented to be associated with one of the protagonists of the Revolution of 1821 Theodoros Kolokotronis and therefore it is inextricably linked to the collective historical memory.

Today the church belongs to “Holy Church of Saint Constantine and Helen” in Naflion. Due to celebrations for the 200 years anniversary of the Greek revolution, the committee “Greece 2021” has approved the financing of its restoration.

This paper presents the initial diagnostic procedures as well as the first results from the plaster removals and the test sections in the construction field. The diagnostic procedures include the creation of multidisciplinary thematic maps in Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment, which incorporate: (a) data of historical and architectural documentation (b) data of geometric documentation and (c) data of building materials characterization and decay diagnosis.

It is about a work in progress and is proceeding with multidisciplinary collaboration between historians, architects, archeologists, material science engineers. Of particular interest is the involvement of the local community in support of the project and in archival/bibliographic research. Finally, the completion of the project will bring changes to the map of the city’s points of historical interest since it is located outside the historic city center. This event should have as its goal both the sustainable protection of the monument as well as the sustainable development of the wider area
The genome sequence of the common toadflax, Linaria vulgaris Mill., 1768
Authors: Christenhusz Maarten J. M. , Fisk Benjamin , Lu Meng ,   Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Genome Acquisition Lab,   Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Genome Acquisition Lab,   Plant Genome Sizing collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: August 2023

We present a genome assembly from a Linaria vulgaris specimen (the common toadflax; Streptophyta; Magnoliopsida; Lamiales; Plantaginaceae). The genome sequence is 760.5 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into six chromosomal pseudomolecules. Two mitochondrial genomes were assembled, which were 330.8 and 144.0 kilobases long. The plastid genome was also assembled and is 156.7 kilobases in length.
The genome sequence of the Figwort Cheilosia, Cheilosia variabilis (Panzer, 1798)
Authors: Crowley Liam M. , Sivell Olga , Ashworth Michael , Poole Oliver ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: August 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Cheilosia variabilis (the Figwort Cheilosia; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Syrphidae). The genome sequence is 414.7 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.77 kilobases in length.
Psychological torture: definitions, clinical sequelae and treatment principles
Authors: Hong Alex S , Pickering Rachael
Published: August 2023

Psychological torture, in its broadest sense, is the intentional infliction of suffering without resorting to direct physical violence, in what is known as ‘no-touch’ torture. While several other definitions of psychological torture have been suggested, there is no one precise definition. Given the rapidly evolving current global political climate and the intensification of conflict, war and asylum seeking, the need for better recognition of psychological torture among clinicians, followed by the provision of appropriate treatment support for victims, has become increasingly pertinent. This article raises awareness of the concept of psychological torture among clinicians, through an overview of its debated definitions, the modalities which constitute this form of torture, and its clinical sequelae and treatment approach.
Untimely Optimism: International Attention, Palestinian Disappointment, and the Persistence of Commitment
Authors: Feldman Ilana
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This article considers the simultaneous experience and expression of disappointment and belief, and of exhaustion and commitment, in Palestinian engagement with the international community and international institutions in the years since 1948. This problem is not just a Palestinian one. Drawing from archival and ethnographic research on Palestine conducted over, and about, many years and locations, the article proposes untimely optimism as a concept to elucidate how people can sustain commitments to institutions whose failures they know well. The concept also reveals what may be accomplished through maintaining such commitment, even within a general context of failure and betrayal. Untimeliness does not always generate optimism—it frequently does not—but it may nonetheless be a prerequisite for optimism "at the end of the world."
"Like it's Already Done": Spiritual Experience, Hope, and Optimism in Southern Ghana
Authors: Dulin John , Dzokoto Vivian
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACT: This article examines the intersection of optimism and religion by exploring the spiritual experiences of Pentecostal Christians and Traditionalists in Cape Coast, Ghana. We argue that for both Pentecostals and Traditionalists (practitioners of indigenous Akan religion) an experience of contact with the spirit realm conditions movements between pessimistic and hopeful subjectivities. When the object of hope is definite, but uncertain, Pentecostal spiritual experiences are similar to those of traditionalists. Pentecostalism stands out as unique from traditionalist experience and practice because it also provokes states of confident expectation for a generalized object, resulting in periods of boundless optimism that shift seamlessly between confident expectancy for specific material aspirations and more abstract ends like blessing and anointing. These general states we analytically define as optimism. Pentecostal experiences generate optimistic stances that collapse the believers' economically modest presents and imagined wealthy futures, allowing for the identification of spiritual and material well-being, eclipsing actual wealth differences. For our Pentecostal interlocutors, optimism is a moment within a spectrum of states that include pessimism and variegated states of hopefulness—all of which are mediated by experiences with God/Spirit.
Making a Name for Herself: Marie Corelli's Self-Guided Literary Apprenticeship via the Periodical Press
Authors: Turner Joanna
Published: August 2023

Abstract: This article uncovers the hidden periodical publishing history of the popular novelist Marie Corelli (ca. 1855–1924). It takes her career back a decade from what is currently known, unveiling poetry, satire, critiques, and short form writing. Corelli is shown to be navigating the periodical press through the 1870s and 1880s whilst using several pseudonyms and taking on male identities, conducting her own literary apprenticeship and experimenting with form, genre, and style. This article explores how Corelli learned her trade via the periodical press but then hid the secret of her success from others, thus impeding those who might follow in her footsteps.
Sub-two-cycle gigawatt-peak-power LWIR OPA for ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy of condensed state materials
Authors: Leshchenko Vyacheslav , Li Sha , Agostini Pierre , DiMauro Louis F.
Published: August 2023

The application of high-power, few-cycle, long-wave infrared (LWIR, 8–20 µm) pulses in strong-field physics is largely unexplored due to the lack of suitable sources. However, the generation of intense pulses with >6 µm wavelength range is becoming increasingly feasible with the recent advances in high-power ultrashort lasers in the middle-infrared range that can serve as a pump for optical parametric amplifiers (OPA). Here we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by building an OPA pumped at 2.4 µm that generates 93 µJ pulses at 9.5 µm, 1 kHz repetition rate with sub-two-cycle pulse duration, 1.6 GW peak power, and excellent beam quality. The results open a wide range of applications in attosecond physics (especially for studies of condensed phase samples), remote sensing, and biophotonics.
Evaluation of KIR3DL1/KIR3DS1 allelic polymorphisms in Kenyan children with endemic Burkitt lymphoma
Authors: Muriuki Beatrice M. , Forconi Catherine S. , Kirwa Erastus K. , Maina Titus K. , Ariera Bonface O. , Bailey Jeffrey A. , Ghansah Anita , Moormann Ann M. , Ong’echa John M.
Published: August 2023

Endemic Burkitt lymphoma (eBL) is a fast-growing germinal center B cell lymphoma, affecting 5–10 per 100,000 children annually, in the equatorial belt of Africa. We hypothesize that co-infections with Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) impair host natural killer (NK) and T cell responses to tumor cells, and thus increase the risk of eBL pathogenesis. NK cell education is partially controlled by killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and variable expression of KIR3DL1 has been associated with other malignancies. Here, we investigated whether KIR3D-mediated mechanisms contribute to eBL, by testing for an association of KIR3DL1/KIR3DS1 genotypes with the disease in 108 eBL patients and 99 healthy Kenyan children. KIR3DL1 allelic typing and EBV loads were assessed by PCR. We inferred previously observed phenotypes from the genotypes. The frequencies of KIR3DL1/KIR3DL1 and KIR3DL1/KIR3DS1 did not differ significantly between cases and controls. Additionally, none of the study participants was homozygous for KIR3DS1 alleles. EBV loads did not differ by the KIR3DL1 genotypes nor were they different between eBL survivors and non-survivors. Our results suggest that eBL pathogenesis may not simply involve variations in KIR3DL1 and KIR3DS1 genotypes. However, considering the complexity of the KIR3DL1 locus, this study could not exclude a role for copy number variation in eBL pathogenesis.
Attenuation of wind intensities exacerbates anoxic conditions leading to sulfur plume development off the coast of Peru
Authors: Flores Edgart , Mendoza Ursula , Callbeck Cameron M. , Díaz Rut , Aguirre-Velarde Arturo , Böttcher Michael E. , Merma-Mora Lander , Moreira Manuel , Saldarriaga Maritza S. , Silva-Filho Emmanoel V. , Albuquerque Ana L. , Pizarro-Koch Matias , Graco Michelle
Published: August 2023

The release of vast quantities of sulfide from the sediment into the water column, known as a sulfidic event, has detrimental consequences on fish catches, including downstream effects on other linked element cycles. Despite being frequent occurrences in marine upwelling regions, our understanding of the factors that moderate sulfidic event formation and termination are still rudimentary. Here, we examined the biogeochemical and hydrodynamic conditions that underpinned the formation/termination of one of the largest sulfur plumes to be reported in the Peruvian upwelling zone. Consistent with previous research, we find that the sulfur-rich plume arose during the austral summer when anoxic conditions (i.e., oxygen and nitrate depletion) prevailed in waters overlying the upper shelf. Furthermore, the shelf sediments were organically charged and characterized by low iron-bound sulfur concentrations, further enabling the diffusion of benthic-generated sulfide into the water column. While these biogeochemical conditions provided a predicate to sulfidic event formation, we highlight that attenuations in local wind intensity served as an event trigger. Namely, interruptions in local wind speed constrained upwelling intensity, causing increased stratification over the upper shelf. Moreover, disturbances in local wind patterns likely placed additional constraints on wind-driven mesoscale eddy propagation, with feedback effects on coastal elemental sulfur plume (ESP) formation. We suggest ESP development occurs as a result of a complex interaction of biogeochemistry with regional hydrodynamics.
In vivo biomechanical responses of neonatal brachial plexus when subjected to stretch
Authors: Singh Anita , Orozco Virginia , Balasubramanian Sriram
Published: August 2023

Neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) results from over-stretching of the neonatal brachial plexus during complicated birthing scenarios. The lack of information on the biomechanical response of the neonatal brachial plexus complex when subjected to stretch limits our understanding of the NBPP injury mechanism. This study aims to fill that critical gap by using a neonatal piglet animal model and providing the in vivo biomechanical properties of the neonatal brachial plexus complex when subjected to stretch. Forty-seven brachial plexus levels (identified by the four brachial plexus terminal nerve branches namely musculocutaneous, median, ulnar, and radial), obtained from 16 neonatal Yorkshire piglets (3–5 days old), were subjected to stretch-induced failure. The average maximum load and corresponding strain were reported to be 16.6 ± 1.3 N and 36.1 ± 1.6%, respectively. Maximum loads reported at the musculocutaneous level were significantly lower than the median and radial levels. No differences in strains at failure were reported at all four tested levels. Proximal or distal failure locations were reported in 83% of the tests with 17% mid-length ruptures that were primarily reported at the bifurcation of the median and ulnar brachial plexus levels. Histological studies reported an overall loss of wavy pattern of the nerve fibers, an increase in nerve spacing, fiber disruptions, and blood vessel ruptures in the stretched tissue. This in vivo piglet animal study offers insight into the NBPP mechanism by reporting biomechanical, injury location, and structural damage responses in neonatal brachial plexus when subjected to stretch.
Cytocompatibility of titanium and poly(etheretherketone) surfaces after O2 non-thermal plasma sterilization
Authors: Maillet Christina , Klein Florence M. , Le Bras Florian , Velard Frederic , Guillaume Christine , Gangloff Sophie C. , Gelle Marie-Paule
Published: August 2023

The sterilization of medical devices is paramount to achieve an acceptable level of sterility assurance and to prevent hospital-acquired infections. However, some medical devices cannot be sterilized by usual processes such as autoclave (AC) and gamma-ray irradiation (GI). A new non-thermal plasma (NTP) process using sealed bag that preserves the sterile state of the devices could be used as an alternative sterilization method. The aim of the study was to assess the cytocompatibility of titanium and poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) surfaces after O2-NTP sterilization compared to GI and AC. MG-63 osteoblast-like cells were seeded on titanium (TA6V) and PEEK disks sterilized by AC, GI and O2-NTP. The cells’ viability and proliferation, determined by WST-1 and DNA quantification respectively, were enhanced whatever the material types from 3 to 10 days. When seeded on titanium, MG-63 cells showed a higher viability and proliferation after GI and O2-NTP treatment compared to AC treatment. When cultured on PEEK, MG-63 cells showed a higher viability after O2-NTP treatment. No difference of proliferation was observed whatever the sterilization processes. The cell colonization of the materials’ surface was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay revealed no cytotoxicity. Thus, O2-NTP led to similar cell responses to AC and GI and could be a cost-effective alternative process to the usual sterilization methods for fragile medical devices.
Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding malaria prevention and control in communities in the Eastern Region, Ghana, 2020
Authors: Lopez Aquel Rene , Brown Charles Addoquaye
Published: August 2023

Background

In sub-Saharan Africa countries including Ghana, the malaria burden remains unacceptably high and still a serious health challenge. Evaluating a community’s level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding malaria is essential to enabling appropriate preventive and control measures. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge of malaria, attitudes toward the disease, and adoption of control and prevention practices in some communities across the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Methods

A cross‑sectional based study was carried out in 13 communities across 8 districts from January -June, 2020. Complete data on socio-demographic characteristics and KAP were obtained from 316 randomly selected household respondents by a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Associations between KAP scores and socio-demographic profiles were tested by Chi-square and binary logistic regression. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 26.0.

Results

Most respondents (85.4%) had good knowledge score about malaria. Preferred choice of treatment seeking place (50.6%) was the health center/clinic. All respondents indicated they would seek treatment within 24 hours. Mosquito coils were the preferred choice (58.9%) against mosquito bites. Majority of households (58.5%) had no bed nets and bed net usage was poor (10.1%). Nearly half of the respondents (49.4%) had a positive attitude toward malaria and 40.5% showed good practices. Chi-square analysis showed significant associations for gender and attitude scores (p = 0.033), and educational status and practice scores (p = 0.023). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that 51–60 year-olds were less likely to have good knowledge (OR = 0.20, p = 0.04) than 15–20 year-olds. Respondents with complete basic schooling were less likely to have good knowledge (OR = 0.33, p = 0.04) than those with no formal schooling. A positive attitude was less likely in men (OR = 0.61, p = 0.04). Good malaria prevention practice was lower (OR = 0.30, p = 0.01) in participants with incomplete basic school education compared to those with no formal schooling.

Conclusion

Overall scores for respondents’ knowledge, though good, was not reflected in attitudes and levels of practice regarding malaria control and prevention. Behavioral change communication, preferably on radio, should be aimed at attitudes and practice toward the disease.