bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Approximate geodesic distance tree filter for cost aggregation
Authors: Jin Yusheng , Zhao Hong , Bu Penghui , Yan Jiaxing 
Published: September 2021

The computation of the disparity for the pixels in the weak texture area has always been a difficult task in stereo vision. The non-local method based on a minimum spanning tree (MST) provides a solution to construct content-adaptive support regions to perform cost aggregation. However, it always introduces error disparity in slanted surfaces and is sensitive to noise and highly textural regions. The window-based methods are not effective for information dissemination. To overcome the problem mentioned above, this paper proposes an approximate geodesic distance tree filter, which utilizes geodesic distance as a pixels similarity metric and recursive techniques to perform the filtering process. The filtering process is performed recursively in four directions (namely from top-left, top-right, and vice versa), which make our filter with linear complexity. Our filter has advantages in the sense that: (1) the pixel similarity metric is approximated geodesic distance; (2) the computational complexity is linear to the image pixel. Due to these reasons, the proposed method can properly cope with cost aggregation in the textureless regions and preserve the boundary of disparity maps. We demonstrate the strength of our filter in several applications.
Lower p66Shc promoter methylation in subjects with chronic renal failure
Authors: Hamdi Radhia , Saadallah-Kallel Amana , Ferchichi-Trimeche Slima , Mokdad-Gargouri Raja , Miled Abdelhedi , Benarba Bachir 
Published: September 2021

ObjectiveTo determine the correlation between DNA methylation of p66Shc promoter and some markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients compared with healthy subjects.MethodsAn observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the nephrology department at Sidi Bouzid Regional Hospital (Tunisia). In total, 39 patients with CRF and 37 healthy subjects were included. Several biochemical parameters were measured. Furthermore, markers of the oxidative and inflammatory status (MDA, TAS, SOD, and CRP) were evaluated. The p66Shc methylation status was determined using the methylation-specific PCR.ResultsOur results showed that levels of blood glucose, urea, creatinine, uric acid, ChT, TG, albuminuria, CRP and MDA were significantly elevated in CRF patients compared to controls. Furthermore, p66Shc promoter region was highly demethylated in CRF patients compared to healthy controls (84% vs 4%). Our data showed a positive correlation between p66Shc hypomethylation and levels of MDA (r = 0.93; p<0, 05) and CRP (r = 0.89; P <0, 05), as well as a significant negative correlation between p66Shc hypomethylation, TAS (r = -0.76; P <0, 05) and SOD (r = -0.77; p<0, 05) levels. Similarly, there was a positive correlation between p66Shc hypomethylation and the disease stages. Importantly, multiple regression analysis showed that p66shc DNA hypomethylation remains strongly correlated with MDA, CRP and stages of CRF.ConclusionThis study indicates that the DNA hypomethylation of p66shc promoter was correlated with oxidative and inflammatory stress and the disease stages in CRF patients.
Current changes in the epidemiology of fall-related injuries in Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates
Authors: Cevik Arif Alper , Alao David O. , Eid Hani O. , Grivna Michal , Abu-Zidan Fikri M. 
Published: September 2021

Background
Falls in the Gulf countries are the second most common cause of injuries. The United Arab Emirates government implemented various preventive measures to decrease injuries in the country. We aimed to evaluate the changes in the epidemiology of fall-related injuries in Al-Ain City over the last decade.

Methods
Data of hospitalized patients who presented with fall-related injuries to the Al-Ain Hospital during the two periods of March 2003 to March 2006 and January 2014 to December 2017 were compared. This included patients’ demographics, mechanism, location, anatomical distribution and parameters related to injury severity. Non-parametric tests were used for the statistical analysis.

Results
882 in the first and 1358 patients in the second period were studied. The incidence of falls decreased by 30.5% over ten years. The number of elderly, female patients, and UAE nationals increased, (p < 0.001, p = 0.004, and p < 0.001). Falls from height decreased by 32.5% (p < 0.001) while fall on the same level increased by 22.5% (p < 0.001). Fall-related injuries at home have increased significantly by 22.6% (p <0.001), while falls in workplaces decreased by 24.4% (p <0.001).

Conclusions
Our study showed that the overall incidence of falls decreased compared to a decade ago. The preventive measures were effective in reducing falls from height and workplace injuries. Future preventive measures should target falls at the same level and homes.
Neorealist Film Culture, 1945–1954: Rome, Open Cinema, Francesco Pitassio (2019)
Authors: Bertellini Giorgio 
Published: September 2021

Review of: Neorealist Film Culture, 1945–1954: Rome, Open Cinema, Francesco Pitassio (2019)
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 384 pp.,
ISBN 978-9-08964-800-6, h/bk, £99.00
Fame amid the Ruins: Italian Film Stardom in the Age of Neorealism, Stephen Gundle (2020)
Authors: Haworth Rachel 
Published: September 2021

Review of: Fame amid the Ruins: Italian Film Stardom in the Age of Neorealism, Stephen Gundle (2020)
New York: Berghahn, 370 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-78920-001-0, h/bk, £110.00
Hacked Transmissions: Technology and Connective Activism in Italy, Alessandra Renzi (2020)
Authors: Mullins Jonathan 
Published: September 2021

Review of: Hacked Transmissions: Technology and Connective Activism in Italy, Alessandra Renzi (2020)
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 256 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-51790-326-8, p/bk, $27.00
Clinical presentation and course of multiple sclerosis in patients with herpesvirus infection
Authors: Gris M. S. , Baranova N. S. , Spirin N. N. , Kasatkin D. S. , Kiselev D. V. , Shipova E. G. 
Published: September 2021

To date, the features of clinical presentation, course, and the effectiveness of therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) in the presence of persistent herpesvirus infection (PHVI) remain poorly understood.Objective: to evaluate the features of clinical presentation and course of MS in patients with PHVI to optimize patient management.Patients and methods. We examined 122 patients with a clinically definite diagnosis of MS according to McDonald criteria (2010) (82 women and 40 men, age: 18–50 years, mean age – 37.74±11.04 years). MS duration at the time of examination was from 6 months to 20 years (mean – 8.53±7.47 years), mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score – 2.91±1.67. 86% of patients had relapsing-remitting MS; 14% – secondary progressive MS. 98 (80%) patients received disease modifying therapies (DMTs). All patients underwent a comprehensive clinical and neurological examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 30 healthy donors (20 women and 10 men, age: 19–62 years, mean age: 39.1±12.1 years) were included in the control group. Serum levels of type-specific IgM and IgG antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1, 2, 6, Varicella zoster virus (VVZ), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) were detected, in some patients – blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction, serum and CSF oligoclonal IgG.Results and discussion. We identified two sub-groups of MS patients: with PHVI reactivation (main group, n=29) and without it (comparison group, n=93). There were a significantly higher VZV (72%) and EBV infection rate (100%) in MS patients compared to the control group (50% and 83%, respectively). Mixed herpesvirus infection prevailed over mono-infection in MS patients. In contrast to controls, the most common viral pattern in MS group was a combination of 4 herpes viruses: HSV 1, 2 + VZV + EBV + CMV (χ2=3.9; p<0.05). Patients in the main group had an unfavorable disease course: earlier MS onset, predominantly polysymptomatic onset, significantly higher relapse rate, faster disease progression, and higher EDSS and Functional Systems Scale (FSS) scores (p <0.05). MRI activity was also associated with EBV infection: new T1Gd+ and T2 foci were associated with an increase in VCA-IgM to EBV level. We also observed decreased DMTs effectiveness (χ2=4,6; p=0,033) and worse DMTs tolerability (χ2=5,3; p=0,022) in the main group.Conclusion. MS patients with PHVI reactivation, have a more unfavorable course of the demyelinating process and, therefore, a greater degree of disability, compared with age-adjusted patients without a viral infection and the same disease duration.
Comparison of medical and social characteristics and quality of life of patients with primary- and secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis
Authors: Vlasov Ya. V. , Polyarnaya N. G. , Boyko A. N. 
Published: September 2021

Management of patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) remains one of the most challenging tasks of modern neurology. Patients with SPMS present with more severe neurological symptoms, increased hospitalization frequency, pronounced cognitive impairment in most of them, and a higher level of fatigue than patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). Another unfavorable course of MS is primary progressive MS (PPMS) when there is a steady increase in neurological disorders from the very beginning of the disease.Objective: to compare medical and social characteristics and changes in quality of life (QoL) indexes in patients with PPMS and SPMS.Patients and methods. In total, 437 patients with PPMS from 19 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and 500 patients with SPMS from 15 Russian Federation regions were interviewed using the original medical and social questionnaire. At the same time, we studied the QoL of patients with PPMS and SPMS using the specific MusiQoL questionnaire.Results and discussion. Among the patients with PPMS, 54.3% were women and 45.7% – men. In patients with SPMS, women predominated (66.3% of women and 33.7% of men – the ratio was almost 2: 1). The degree of disability and the severity of the disease were higher in SPMS than in PPMS. The family continues to be the primary aid source in everyday life for patients with MS: 75–80% of patients who need such support receive it from their significant others. More patients with SPMS indicated a deterioration in their health status over the last year (70%, while among patients with PPMS – 55%). More patients with PPMS received outpatient care (82.1% compared to 64.7% in SPMS; p=0.01). Immobility and SPMS treatment problems were the main reasons for decreased outpatient care in patients with SPMS. Less than half of patients with SPMS (43.8%) and 62% of patients with PPMS received inpatient treatment. According to neurologists reports, there is a major problem in providing MS centers with effective drugs to treat both disease courses. When QoL was assessed, we found more profound changes in SPMS concerning both QoL's psychological and physical components. Only recently, a new drug, siponimod, has been approved for the treatment of SPMS. The lack of effective treatment formed the basis of negative attitudes towards the health care system in SPMS.Conclusion. QoL changes reflect the patient's attitude to his condition. The introduction of new drugs for the pathogenetic treatment of SPMS (siponimod) will improve the QoL indicators in SPMS.
Part Two: Debunking Prevailing Scholarly Views Pertaining to the Apostasy of Alleged Descendants of Shaykh Yusuf of Makassar
Authors: Moosa Najma 
Published: September 2021

This paper is the second part of the two articles that discuss the controversy over the conversion of religion in the family of Shaykh Yusuf of Makassar after being exiled in South Africa during the Dutch colonial period at the end of the seventeenth century. This second part provides a critical and holistic analysis of the historical sources and historians’ initial arguments regarding the two families, Shaykh Yusuf and his in-laws. This paper also tries to review the main arguments of this paper so as not to get caught up in excessive demystification. In addition, it also discusses the implementation of the Dutch colonial policies as well as the issue of poverty and the practice of marriage policies that have contributed to settling this conversion problem.[Tulisan ini adalah bagian kedua dari dua tulisan yang membahas kontroversi pindah agama pada keluarga Syekh Yusus Makassar selepas diasingkan di Afrika Selatan pada masa kolonial Belanda akhir abad 17. Bagian kedua ini menyajikan analisis kritis dan holistik mengenai sumber-sumber sejarah dan argumen-argumen awal para sejarahwan mengenai dua keluarga tersebut. Tulisan ini juga mencoba meninjau kembali argumen utama dari tulisan ini agar tidak terjebak dalam demistikasi yang berlebihan. Selain itu juga membahas pelaksanaan kebijakan kolonial Belanda serta soal kemiskinan dan praktik kebijaksanaan pernikahan yang berkontribusi mengendapkan persoalan konversi ini.]
Wołosi na współczesnych Bałkanach (XX–XXI w.) Przejawy odrębności i asymilacji
Authors: Paszkiewicz Jędrzej 
Published: September 2021

W artykule zwrócono uwagę na zróżnicowaną charakterystykę ludności wołoskiej we współczesnych realiach społeczno-politycznych poszczególnych państw Europy południowo-wschodniej. Na jej podstawie można wyodrębnić trojakie rozumienie Wołochów. Najczęściej traktuje się ich jako mniejszość w sensie kulturowym i regionalnym (w Grecji, Bułgarii, Chorwacji), identyfikuje z żywiołem rumuńskim (Bułgaria, Rumunia) lub uznaje za mniejszość etno-językową (w Macedonii Północnej i Albanii). Obyczajowość, tradycje i tożsamość społeczności wołoskich ukształtowały się w odniesieniu do lokalnych warunków życia. Wołosi musieli szukać modus vivendi z ludnością, która na danym obszarze dominowała liczebnie i określała reguły funkcjonowania. W rezultacie, rozproszone społeczności wołoskie nie wygenerowały jednolitej tożsamości etnicznej czy kulturowej, która mogłaby je spoić w większą całość. Zróżnicowana jest także ich sytuacja prawno-polityczna w poszczególnych państwach.
Abstraction NBTI model
Authors: Adolf Stephan , Nebel Wolfgang 
Published: September 2021

AbstractNegative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) is one of the major transistor aging effects, possibly leading to timing failures during run-time of a system. Thus one is interested in predicting this effect during design time. In this work an Abstraction NBTI model is introduced reducing the state space of trap-based NBTI models using two abstraction parameters, applying a state transformation to incorporate variable stress conditions. This transformation is faster than traditional approaches. Currently the conversion into estimated threshold voltage damages is a very time consuming process.
Stochastic Modeling of Non-linear Terrorism Dynamics
Authors: Drmola Jakub , Hubík Tomáš 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Modeling terrorism is both necessary and difficult. While the necessity comes from the all too obvious real-world pressures our society is facing, the difficulty stems from the underlying complexity of the phenomena itself – there are many variables to account for, they are hard to measure, and the relationships between them are confounding. Since modeling terrorism is at its most onerous when it comes to predicting specific attacks, their timing and scale, we opted to work around this using observed probabilistic distribution and integrate power laws into our system dynamics model. After evaluating thousands of simulations runs, this allows us to replicate historical data as well as produce prognostic scenarios, while maintaining what we believe to be authentic behavior. Compromises need to be made, but we believe that this approach can be useful for systems highly dependent on events or parameters which we are unable to predict but whose distributions are known.
Der Mordfall Markovic – Delon, Pompidou, Nacktfotos und eine Staatsaffäre
Authors: Gruber Joachim 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Im Jahr 2018 jährte sich zum 50. Mal der Mord an Stevan Markovic
Dazu J.-P. Méfret, Une sale affaire. Markovic, Marcantoni, Delon, Pompidou et les autres … (2007). Zur Sicht des Beteiligten Pompidou siehe dessen posthum herausgegebene Autobiographie: G. Pompidou, Pour rétablir une vérité (1982); die Markovic-Affäre wird ausführlich auf S. 251 ff. behandelt. Ferner fr.wikipedia.org unter „Affaire Markovic“; eine kürzere Darstellung findet sich auf der deutschsprachigen Wikipedia-Seite unter „Markovic-Affäre“.
. Aus diesem Mordfall entwickelte sich eine der mysteriösesten Nachkriegs-Affären Frankreichs, die in Deutschland
In Frankreich ist dieser Fall so bekannt, dass Léo Malet in seinem 1971 veröffentlichten Kriminalroman „Nestor Burma court la poupée“ (Titel der deutschen Übersetzung: Blutbad in Boulogne) eine entsprechende Anspielung untergebracht hat. Sein Held, der Privatdetektiv Nestor Burma, wird bei einem Besuch bei der Kriminalpolizei von einem Polizisten angestarrt. Malet legt Burma die Äußerung in den Mund: „Hat man endlich den Mörder von Markovic identifiziert und sehe ich ihm ähnlich?“ (die Äußerung findet sich in der Ausgabe Editions Laffont, 2007, Bd. 4, S. 463).
allerdings wenig bekannt ist, obwohl sowohl die Beteiligten als auch die Vorgänge äußerst schillernd sind
Einige Elemente dieser Affäre wurden im Drehbuch des Films „Il n´y pas de fumée sans feu“ (1973, Regie André Cayatte) aufgegriffen, in dem u. a. Mireille Darc (15. Mai 1938 bis 28. August 2017) mitspielte, die langjährige (1968–1983) Freundin von Alain Delon.
. Da dieser Fall auch politische Auswirkungen hatte (fast wäre die Wahl von Georges Pompidou zum französischen Staatspräsidenten durch die Begleitumstände der Ermittlungen verhindert worden), sollen die Begebenheiten im Folgenden geschildert werden.
Spectral tuning of diamond photonic crystal slabs by deposition of a thin layer with silicon vacancy centers
Authors: Fait Jan , Varga Marián , Hruška Karel , Kromka Alexander , Rezek Bohuslav , Ondič Lukáš 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The controlled extraction of light from diamond optical color centers is essential for their practical prospective applications as single photon sources in quantum communications and as biomedical sensors in biosensing. Photonic crystal (PhC) structures can be employed to enhance the collection efficiency from these centers by directing the extracted light towards the detector. However, PhCs must be fabricated with nanoscale precision, which is extremely challenging to achieve for current materials and nanostructuring technologies. Imperfections inherently lead to spectral mismatch of the extraction (leaky) modes with color center emission lines. Here, we demonstrate a new and simple two-step method for fabricating diamond PhC slabs with leaky modes overlapping the emission line of the silicon vacancy (SiV) centers. In the first step, the PhC structure with leaky modes blue shifted from the SiV emission line is fabricated in a nanocrystalline diamond without SiV centers. A thin layer of SiV-rich diamond is then deposited over the PhC slab so that the spectral position of the PhC leaky modes is adjusted to the emission line of the SiV centers, thereby avoiding the need for nanoscale precision of the structuring method. An intensity enhancement of the zero-phonon line of the SiV centers by a factor of nine is achieved. The color centers in the thin surface layer are beneficial for sensing applications and their properties can also be further controlled by the diamond surface chemistry. The demonstrated PhC tuning method can also be easily adapted to other optical centers and photonic structures of different types in diamond and other materials.
Neurological susceptibility to environmental exposures: pathophysiological mechanisms in neurodegeneration and multiple chemical sensitivity
Authors: Molot John , Sears Margaret , Marshall Lynn Margaret , Bray Riina I. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The World Health Organization lists air pollution as one of the top five risks for developing chronic non-communicable disease, joining tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. This review focuses on how host defense mechanisms against adverse airborne exposures relate to the probable interacting and overlapping pathophysiological features of neurodegeneration and multiple chemical sensitivity. Significant long-term airborne exposures can contribute to oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, transient receptor subfamily vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and subfamily ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) upregulation and sensitization, with impacts on olfactory and trigeminal nerve function, and eventual loss of brain mass. The potential for neurologic dysfunction, including decreased cognition, chronic pain and central sensitization related to airborne contaminants, can be magnified by genetic polymorphisms that result in less effective detoxification. Onset of neurodegenerative disorders is subtle, with early loss of brain mass and loss of sense of smell. Onset of MCS may be gradual following long-term low dose airborne exposures, or acute following a recognizable exposure. Upregulation of chemosensitive TRPV1 and TRPA1 polymodal receptors has been observed in patients with neurodegeneration, and chemically sensitive individuals with asthma, migraine and MCS. In people with chemical sensitivity, these receptors are also sensitized, which is defined as a reduction in the threshold and an increase in the magnitude of a response to noxious stimulation. There is likely damage to the olfactory system in neurodegeneration and trigeminal nerve hypersensitivity in MCS, with different effects on olfactory processing. The associations of low vitamin D levels and protein kinase activity seen in neurodegeneration have not been studied in MCS. Table 2 presents a summary of neurodegeneration and MCS, comparing 16 distinctive genetic, pathophysiological and clinical features associated with air pollution exposures. There is significant overlap, suggesting potential comorbidity. Canadian Health Measures Survey data indicates an overlap between neurodegeneration and MCS (p < 0.05) that suggests comorbidity, but the extent of increased susceptibility to the other condition is not established. Nevertheless, the pathways to the development of these conditions likely involve TRPV1 and TRPA1 receptors, and so it is hypothesized that manifestation of neurodegeneration and/or MCS and possibly why there is divergence may be influenced by polymorphisms of these receptors, among other factors.