bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New Antimicrobial Nitro Heteroaryl-1,3,4-Thiadiazole Derivatives Containing Piperazinyl Benzonitrile Moiety: Synthesis and in silico Study
Authors: Tahghighi Azar , Aghaee Sara , Bakhteari Elnaz , Azerang Parisa , Abdouss Majid , Eslamifar Ali , Foroumadi AliReza 
Published: November 2021

According to the antimicrobial activity of 1,3,4-thiadiazole compounds, a new series of derivatives was synthesized from the reaction of 5-nitro heteroaryl-1,3,4-thiadiazole with piperazinyl benzonitrile. The structure of the compounds was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR), and mass spectral data. The antimicrobial activities of the synthetic compounds against bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) and fungal strains (Candida albicans and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) showed compound E as the best antibacterial compound. After that, the molecular docking of the compounds with Escherichia coli dihydroorotase (PDB ID: 2EG7) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (PDB ID: 4OR7) was studied using ArgusLab software, which showed low binding energies [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Kcal/mol and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Kcal/mol, respectively. Finally, the prediction of their drug-likeness by the assessment of some physical and chemical properties such as hydrogen bond donor/acceptor properties, water solubility, lipophilicity and acute oral toxicity acknowledged their drug-like properties.
Effect of Virtual Reality on Functional Ankle Instability Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lin Hongyuan , Han Kaiyue , Ruan Bing 
Published: November 2021

Objective. To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in the rehabilitation of patients with functional ankle instability (FAI). Methods. Nine databases were researched, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, OVID, CNKI, VIP, WanFang, SinoMed, ResearchGate, and WorldWildScience. The publication date deadline was May 22, 2021. To analyze the effect of VR rehabilitation of FAI, we systematically reviewed the literature using the RevMan 5.4 software. Main Results. Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the analysis, consisting of 137 patients with FAI; 68 of them were in the experimental group, 69 were in the control group, and all were university students. A comparison study was conducted between the two groups in terms of balance function, muscle performance, and proprioception. VR rehabilitation in the treatment of FAI was found to be significantly more effective using a 30-second single-leg standing test than conventional rehabilitation. The angular offset index of VR rehabilitation training was significantly lower than that of conventional balance training (0.66 ± 0.18 vs. 0.95 ± 0.21;

P

= 0.005). Conclusion. VR rehabilitation is effective at treating FAI. However, RCTs with higher homogeneity are needed to provide a more reliable evidence-based foundation for clinical rehabilitation.
This Precious Human Life
Authors: Simonds Colin H. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
This paper analyzes the idea of “human exceptionalism” from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism. It argues that, in the Tibetan Buddhist context, many of the negative consequences of human exceptionalism are overshadowed by the concept’s ability to promote an altruistic comportment to the more-than-human world when supported by the Buddhist ontology and its broader project of liberating all beings from duhkha. To this end, this paper looks at how Tibetan Buddhist teachers qualify a “precious human life” by conducting a close reading of primary texts before extrapolating some general themes of these selected passages and applying them to our contemporary ecological situation. In doing so, it makes the argument that human exceptionalism is not a problem in and of itself but has a positive or negative effect on the more-than-human world depending on how it is established, maintained, and understood. It also demonstrates how Tibetan Buddhism can be a useful tradition for thinking alongside as we attempt to address global issues concerning the environment and nonhuman animals.
Birds as Dads, Babysitters, and Hats
Authors: Berkowitz Beth A. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
The commandment to send the mother bird from her nest before taking her eggs or chicks, known in Jewish tradition as shiluach hakan, is found in Deuteronomy 22:6–7. This essay addresses dominant perspectives on the mother bird mitzvah—its association with good luck, bad luck, and compassion—before showcasing rabbinic texts from Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud Hullin Chapter 12 that evince interest in birds as ingenious builders, as fathers and not just mothers, as queer parents and altruists, as rebel spirits who resist captivity even unto death and, finally, in birds as co-inhabitants of the earth whose lives are parallel to as well as enmeshed with our own. I offer here a bird-centric approach to the commandment, an effort to read it in a spirit of anti-anthropocentrism, drawing on animal studies scholar Matthew Calarco’s notion of indistinction.
Anti-Conceptualism and the Objects of Knowledge and Belief
Authors: Lievers Menno 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Michael Ayers’s Knowing and Seeing: Groundwork for a New Empiricism is a rich and detailed development of two ideas. The first is that perception presents reality to us directly in a perspicuous way. We thus acquire primary knowledge of the world: “knowledge gained by being evidently, self-consciously, in direct cognitive contact with the object of the knowledge.” (Ayers 2019, 63) The second idea is that concepts are not needed in perception. In this article, the author examines Ayers’s view. The author proceeds as follows: In the first section, he identifies the target of Ayers’s attacks, conceptualism. He then describes why many philosophers have felt this conceptualist view to be attractive. In the next section, he discusses Ayers’s criticisms of conceptualism in an attempt to disentangle these criticisms from the statement of his positive view, which the author discusses in the following section. He ends by describing some problems for Ayers’s positive position that are, so he argues, the result of his vehement opposition to conceptualism.
The Question of Providence and the Problem of Evil in Suhrawardī
Authors: Kaukua Jari 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Šihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī’s philosophical works seem to contain two conflicting views on providence: in the Talwīḥāt and the Mašāriʿ, he endorses the Avicennian view, only to deny providence altogether in the Ḥikmat al-išrāq. This contribution aims to explain the seeming inconsistency by investigating it in light of the underlying question of God’s knowledge of particular things. I will also argue that despite his qualms concerning providence, Suhrawardī accepts the closely related Avicennian answer to the problem of evil.
‘Christian Patriots’: The Intersection Between Proto-fascism and Clerical Fascism in the Antebellum South
Authors: Roel Reyes Stefan 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
This article examines the convergence between clerical fascism and proto-fascism in the Antebellum South of the United States. The author employs Roger Griffin’s theories of palingenetic ultranationalism and clerical fascism to understand the worldviews of Southern intellectuals. The author argues that a cadre of Southern theologians rejected the liberal heritage of the United States and redefined the relationship between the individual and state. Southern clerical fascists reconceived of an alternative modernity that reflected God’s precepts. Slaves, laborers, and slave masters all had a mandate to guide secular and spiritual progress. Furthermore, these Southern clerics believed the best hope for securing God’s order was to be found in the birth of a new Southern society – the Confederate States of America. This study builds upon the works of other historians who discerned the illiberal and authoritarian qualities of the American South while also contributing to delineation of the protean qualities of clerical fascism.
Improving Intraoperative Parathyroid Hormone Lab Efficiency
Authors: Pickering John M. , Giles Wesley H. 
Published: November 2021

Background Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (iPTH) testing is often used to confirm successful removal of hypersecreting parathyroid glands during parathyroidectomy. Unfortunately, the iPTH test can be a time-consuming and highly variable process that occurs while the patient is under anesthesia. We set out to improve iPTH lab efficiency and variability. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 85 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy at our institution from October 2017 to October 2019. Each step of the iPTH lab reporting process was recorded and analyzed. Three simulations were performed of the entire process. We then established interventions to modify inefficiencies in the process and studied 21 patients who underwent parathyroidectomy at our institution from November 2019 to March 2020. Results Twenty-five minutes of time inherent to the process were identified. Four critical steps were identified as modifiable steps in the process: 1. Operating room (OR) blood draw ---> lab receipt. 2. Lab receipt ---> placement on centrifuge. 3. Removal from centrifuge ---> placement on PTH machine. 4. PTH machine result ---> OR verbal report. We improved iPTH lab efficiency by 19%, decreasing the average lab result from 45 to 36 minutes ( P = .001). We improved iPTH lab variability by 62%, decreasing the standard deviation from 21 to 8 minutes ( P = .001). Discussion Utilizing a team-based approach to identify and expedite critical steps in the iPTH lab process can make a significant improvement in iPTH lab efficiency, improving patient care by decreasing total anesthesia time.
The top-heavy shape of authoritarian bureaucracy: evidence from Russia and China
Authors: Li Tao , Wang Zhenyu M. 
Published: November 2021

The prevalence of top-heavy bureaucracies in non-democracies cannot be explained by the theories of Parkinson, Tullock, Niskanen, or Simon or by classical managerial theories. When bureaucracy positions carry rents, the competition for promotion becomes a rent-seeking process. Borrowing the career-tournament theory framework from managerial scholarship, we argue that top-heavy bureaucracy resembles a tournament with too many finalists. When rent is centralized at the top (i.e. power centralization), as is the case in many non-democracies, the optimal bureaucracy should be top-heavy, accommodating and encouraging relatively more finalists at the top to compete for the final big prize. We provide suggestive evidence by analyzing ministry organizations in China (1993–2014) and Russia (2002–2015). After some fluctuations, the shape of Russian ministries eventually converged with that of China. In the steady state, their ministry shapes are far more top-heavy than what is prescribed by managerial theories. At the micro-level, ministry power centralization, measured by the perceived influence of the ministers, is correlated with ministry top-heaviness in Russia. Points for practitioners Our theory suggests that a top-heavy authoritarian bureaucratic structure naturally follows from a back-loaded sequential career tournament and an effort-maximizing bureaucratic leader. Our findings also suggest that Chinese and Russian ministries both converge to a highly top-heavy structure in the long run. We demonstrate that the top-heavy structure first arose during the planned-economy experiment in the Soviet Union. Our research sheds new light on public-sector reforms that aim to reduce bureaucracy top-heaviness in autocracies.
The Longue Durée of the Marxist Theory of Dependency and the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Martins Carlos Eduardo 
Published: November 2021

A critical review of the 50-year-old Marxist theory of dependency and its current situation includes discussion of its analyses of the world-system, the concepts of superexploitation and subimperialism, its reflections on development, democracy, and proposals for emancipation, and its perspectives on the rise of the Latin American left in the twenty-first century and the prospects of neoconservatism. It concludes that with the globalization of capital, Marxist dependency theory must oppose not only internal structures of dependency but the imperialist world order, and this will call for the development of national, continental and global strategies. Uma revisão crítica dos 50 anos de debates sobre a teoria marxista da dependência e seu estado da arte, que inclui a discussão de suas análises do sistema-mundo, os conceitos de superexploração e subimperialismo, suas reflexões sobre desenvolvimento, democracia e propostas de emancipação, e suas perspectivas sobre a ascensão da esquerda latino-americana no século XXI e as perspectivas do neoconservadorismo. Conclui que, com a globalização do capital, a teoria marxista da dependência deve assumir sua vocação de luta não apenas contra as estruturas internas da dependência mas também contra a ordem mundial imperialista, e isso exigirá o desenvolvimento de estratégias nacionais, continentais e mundiais.
Contribution of advanced MRI to the diagnosis of giant tumefactive perivascular spaces
Authors: Ayyildiz Veysel , Koksal Ali , Taydas Onur , Ogul Hayri 
Published: November 2021

Background Giant tumefactive perivascular spaces (PVSs) are uncommon benign cystic lesions. They can imitate cystic neoplasms. Purpose To evaluate the contribution of advanced neuro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in the diagnosis of giant tumefactive PVSs and to further characterize these unusual cerebral lesions. Material and Methods The MRI scans of patients with tumefactive PVS diagnosed between 2010 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. All imaging studies included three plane conventional cerebral MRI sequences as well as precontrast 3D T1 MPRAGE, post-gadolinium 3D T1 acquisitions, sagittal plane 3D T2 SPACE, diffusion-weighted imaging, and time-of-flight (TOF) angiography. Some patients received perfusion MR, MR spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and contrast-enhanced TOF MR angiography. Results A perforating vessel was demonstrated in 16 patients (66.7%) by TOF imaging. In four patients, there were intracystic vascular collaterals on contrast-enhanced TOF MR angiography. Septal blooming was observed in four patients in susceptibility-weighted imaging. On perfusion MR, central hyperperfusion was observed in four patients, and peripheral hyperperfusion was observed in one patient. On MR spectroscopy, choline increase was observed in two patients, and there was a lactate peak in three patients, and both a choline increase and lactate peak in one patient. On DTI, there was fiber distortion in five patients and fiber deformation in one patient. Conclusion Advanced MRI techniques and 3D volumetric high-resolution MRI sequences can provide a valuable contribution to the diagnosis and can be successfully used in the management of these lesions.
Reverse Bayesian Implications of p-Values Reported in Critical Care Randomized Trials
Authors: Nostedt Sarah , Joffe Ari R. 
Published: November 2021

Background Misinterpretations of the p-value in null-hypothesis statistical testing are common. We aimed to determine the implications of observed p-values in critical care randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods We included three cohorts of published RCTs: Adult-RCTs reporting a mortality outcome, Pediatric-RCTs reporting a mortality outcome, and recent Consecutive-RCTs reporting p-value ≤.10 in six higher-impact journals. We recorded descriptive information from RCTs. Reverse Bayesian implications of obtained p-values were calculated, reported as percentages with inter-quartile ranges. Results Obtained p-value was ≤.005 in 11/216 (5.1%) Adult-RCTs, 2/120 (1.7%) Pediatric-RCTs, and 37/90 (41.1%) Consecutive-RCTs. An obtained p-value .05–.0051 had high False Positive Rates; in Adult-RCTs, minimum (assuming prior probability of the alternative hypothesis was 50%) and realistic (assuming prior probability of the alternative hypothesis was 10%) False Positive Rates were 16.7% [11.2, 21.8] and 64.3% [53.2, 71.4]. An obtained p-value ≤.005 had lower False Positive Rates; in Adult-RCTs the realistic False Positive Rate was 7.7% [7.7, 16.0]. The realistic probability of the alternative hypothesis for obtained p-value .05–.0051 (ie, Positive Predictive Value) was 28.0% [24.1, 34.8], 30.6% [27.7, 48.5], 29.3% [24.3, 41.0], and 32.7% [24.1, 43.5] for Adult-RCTs, Pediatric-RCTs, Consecutive-RCTs primary and secondary outcome, respectively. The maximum Positive Predictive Value for p-value category .05–.0051 was median 77.8%, 79.8%, 78.8%, and 81.4% respectively. To have maximum or realistic Positive Predictive Value >90% or >80%, RCTs needed to have obtained p-value ≤.005. The credibility of p-value .05–.0051 findings were easy to challenge, and the credibility to rule-out an effect with p-value >.05 to .10 was low. The probability that a replication study would obtain p-value ≤.05 did not approach 90% unless the obtained p-value was ≤.005. Conclusions Unless the obtained p-value was ≤.005, the False Positive Rate was high, and the Positive Predictive Value and probability of replication of “statistically significant” findings were low.
Anticoagulation Duration After First Venous Thromboembolism: Real-Life Data From the International, Observational WHITE Study
Authors: Palareti Gualtiero , Bignamini Angelo A. , Cini Michela , Li Young-Jun , Urbanek Tomasz , Madaric Juraj , Bouslama Kamel , Sokurenko German Y. , Andreozzi Giuseppe M. , Matuška Jiří , Mansilha Armando , Barinov Victor 
Published: November 2021

Background International guidelines recommend at least three months anticoagulation in all patients after acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) and suggest those with unprovoked events be considered for indefinite anticoagulation if the risk of recurrence is high and the risk of bleeding during treatment non-high. Other authors have recently argued against using a dichotomy unprovoked/provoked events to decide on anticoagulation duration and suggest instead using overall risk factors present in each patient as the basis for deciding. Aim This sub-analysis of the WHITE study aimed at assessing the reasons for the treatment decisions taken by doctors in different countries. Results 1240 patients were recruited in 7 countries (China, Czechia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, and Tunisia). Anticoagulation was extended in 51.7% and 49.3% of patients with unprovoked or provoked events (n.s.); stopped in 15.4% versus 28.9% ( P < .0001), and changed to antithrombotic drugs (sulodexide or aspirin) in 32.9% versus 21.8% ( P < .0001). In the 430 subjects with isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (IDDVT) anticoagulation was stopped in 34.4%, continued in 37.0% (mainly those with post-thrombotic syndrome [PTS]) and switched to antithrombotics in the balance. High risk of recurrence was the most prevalent reason (>83% of cases) given to continue anticoagulation, regardless of nature and site of the index events, followed by risk of bleeding and presence of PTS signs. Conclusion On average, attending physicians estimated the risk of recurrence in real life conditions, and the consequent therapeutic decision, using all the information available, not limiting to the location or nature of the index event.
Accuracy of the indices of MS-39 anterior segment optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis of keratoconic corneas
Authors: Elkitkat Rania S , Rifay Yasser , Gharieb Hesham M , Ziada Hossam Eldin A 
Published: November 2021

Purpose To determine the normative and the cut-off values of various indices available in the MS 39 Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (MS-39 AS-OCT) for keratoconus (KC) diagnosis, and to detect the accuracy of the variable available parameters. Methods This cross sectional observational study was conducted at Dr Rifay Ophthalmology Center, Rabat, Morocco, on 172 eyes with KC (group 1) and 248 eyes of healthy controls (group 2). Participants were screened using MS-39 AS-OCT (CSO, Firenze, Italy). The investigated indices included: keratometric indices, pachymetric indices, elevation indices, Keratoconus Summary Indices (KSI), aberration indices, and epithelial mapping evaluation. Results Most of the studied indices were significantly different between both groups (P value <0.001). Twenty two indices had Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUROC) values >0.950, eight of which were from the KSI. The indices with the highest AUROC values were: Root Mean Square (RMS) for the front corneal surface at 6 mm circle (AUROC = 0.996, and best cut-off >1.69 with sensitivity of 97.67% and specificity of 97.98%) and RMS per unit of area for the front surface at 6 mm circle (AUROC = 0.996, and best cut-off >0.06 with sensitivity of 97.67% and specificity of 97.98%). Epithelial thickness-derived metrics were not among the parameters with the highest accuracy. Conclusions This study presented the mean and the cut-off values for a plethora of parameters available in the MS-39 AS-OCT. The results of this study show that MS-39 AS-OCT is a valuable equipment for diagnosing keratoconic corneas, with a high accuracy detected for many parameters.
Assessment of the Toronto Psoriatic Arthritis Screen 2 as a Screening Tool for Psoriasis
Authors: Taylor Jennifer H. , Deo Maneka , Sutton Mitchell , Chandran Vinod , Shanmugarajah Sutha , Pereira Daniel , Gladman Dafna D. , Rosen Cheryl F. 
Published: November 2021

Background Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting multiple organ systems and resulting in reduced quality of life for many patients. A screening tool would be useful, particularly in underserviced or research settings with limited access to dermatologists. The Toronto Psoriatic Arthritis Screen, version 2 (ToPAS 2) is a validated screening tool for psoriatic arthritis containing questions specific for psoriasis. Objectives To evaluate the performance of skin-specific questions from ToPAS 2 for the diagnosis of psoriasis. Methods Participants aged >18 were recruited from Dermatology and Family Medicine clinics and completed the ToPAS 2 questionnaire prior to being examined by a dermatologist for psoriasis. Two scoring indexes were derived from the ToPAS 2 skin-related questions using backward selection regression models. Statistical analysis was performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to measure their performances. Results Two hundred and fifty eight participants were recruited. 32 (12%) were diagnosed with psoriasis by dermatologist assessment. Index 1 includes all 5 skin-related questions from ToPAS 2, while Index 2 includes three of the five questions. Both indexes demonstrate high specificity (82% to 92%), sensitivity (69% to 84%), and excellent negative predictive value (NPV) (>95%) for a diagnosis of psoriasis. The overall discriminatory power of these models is 0.823 (Index 1) and 0.875 (Index 2). Conclusions Skin-related questions from ToPAS 2 have discriminatory value in detecting psoriasis, specifically questions relating to a family history, a prior physician diagnosis of psoriasis or a rash consistent with images of plaque psoriasis. This study is a valuable step in developing a screening tool for psoriasis.