bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficient characterization of blinking quantum emitters from scarce data sets via machine learning
Authors: Landry G , Bradac C 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Single photon emitters are core building blocks of quantum technologies, with established and emerging applications ranging from quantum computing and communication to metrology and sensing. Regardless of their nature, quantum emitters universally display fluorescence intermittency or photoblinking: interaction with the environment can cause the emitters to undergo quantum jumps between on and off states that correlate with higher and lower photoemission events, respectively. Understanding and quantifying the mechanism and dynamics of photoblinking is important for both fundamental and practical reasons. However, the analysis of blinking time traces is often afflicted by data scarcity. Blinking emitters can photo-bleach and cease to fluoresce over time scales that are too short for their photodynamics to be captured by traditional statistical methods. Here, we demonstrate two approaches based on machine learning that directly address this problem. We present a multi-feature regression algorithm and a genetic algorithm that allow for the extraction of blinking on/off switching rates with ⩾85% accuracy, and with ⩾10× less data and ⩾20× higher precision than traditional methods based on statistical inference. Our algorithms effectively extend the range of surveyable blinking systems and trapping dynamics to those that would otherwise be considered too short-lived to be investigated. They are therefore a powerful tool to help gain a better understanding of the physical mechanism of photoblinking, with practical benefits for applications based on quantum emitters that rely on either mitigating or harnessing the phenomenon.
‘The Family as a Basic Institution’
Authors: Chambers Clare 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This chapter engages with what has become known as the Rawls–Okin debate. The protagonists are John Rawls, widely credited with the late twentieth-century revival of liberalism as an academic political theory, and Susan Moller Okin, the preeminent liberal feminist in the same era. Rawls famously argued that justice was the first virtue of social institutions, but that it should apply only to those institutions that form part of the ‘basic structure’. Was the family one of them? As Okin famously pointed out, Rawls’ answer was both unclear and highly significant. This chapter analyses their debate, points out where Okin’s critique goes wrong and where it hits home, and shows that the issue of the family has serious consequences for Rawls’ theory of justice as a whole. Once we consider the family, we see that the fundamental Rawlsian claim that justice applies distinctly to the basic structure of society is untenable.
The Marriage-Free State
Authors: Chambers Clare 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This chapter is an overview of Clare Chambers, Against Marriage: An Egalitarian Defence of the Marriage-Free State (Oxford University Press, 2017). It sets out the case for abolishing state-recognised marriage and replacing it with piecemeal regulation of personal relationships. The chapter starts by analysing feminist objections to traditional marriage, and argues that the various feminist critiques can best be reconciled and answered by the abolition of state-recognised marriage. The chapter then considers the ideal form of state regulation of personal relationships. Contra other feminist proposals, equality and liberty are not best served by the creation of a new holistic status such as civil union, or by leaving regulation to private contracts. Instead, the state should develop piecemeal regulations that apply universally.
‘There, Too, Is Rome’: The Roman Empire and the Conquest of Libya
Authors: Agbamu Samuel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This chapter charts the development of Italian imperial discourses on Roman imperialism during Italy’s 1911–1912 invasion of the Ottoman provinces Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, which make up modern Libya. As this region had comprised important provinces of the Roman empire, Italian ideologues of imperialism forcefully promoted rhetoric of an Italian return to Rome’s former territories. The invasion was timed for the fiftieth anniversary of Italian unification, solidifying the close relationship between empire and nation-building. This chapter looks at a broad range of cultural outputs from this period that promoted the notion of a return to territory rightfully Italian, with a special focus on Italian travel writing about North Africa. The chapter suggests that such rhetoric of return was characterized by a profound sense of nostalgia for an invented past.
Technology and Power: Screening Imperialism in Giovanni Pastrone’s Cabiria (1914)
Authors: Agbamu Samuel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This chapter considers the imperial ideology encoded in Giovanni Pastrone’s landmark film Cabiria (1914). This film is set against the backdrop of the Second Punic War and is deeply intertwined with the imperialist rhetoric of Italy during this period. The screenplay, credited to D’Annunzio (see Chapter 3), reflects the author’s deep classical erudition. The chapter considers how the film’s classical outlook harnesses new technologies of cinema, at the same time as promoting distinctly modern conceptions of nationhood and mass politics, ‘race’, and the role of gender in these discourses. The chapter concludes by suggesting that the film is deeply implicated in the same rhetoric of return exploited by Italian imperial ideology centred on Africa.
Redeeming Italia Irredenta: Fascism’s March on Africa
Authors: Agbamu Samuel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This chapter discusses how the idea of Roman imperialism in Africa was mobilized during Fascism’s rise to power, and in its first ten years of rule. This period saw the establishment of two new institutions that would prove instrumental in the promotion of Fascist imperial romanità: Istituto LUCE, the regime’s documentary production company, founded in 1924; and the Istituto di Studi Romani (ISR), founded in 1925. The central sections of the chapter analyse material unstudied in Classical Reception scholarship, including a 1932 monograph by Rodolfo Graziani and a 1926 LUCE newsreel entitled Ritorno di Roma (the return of Rome). I end this chapter by considering how the Punic War was invoked in a Fascist neo-Latin document, the Codex Fori Mussolini, setting Fascism’s rise to power within the framework of ancient Roman imperialism in Africa.
Conclusion: Memories of Mare Nostrum
Authors: Agbamu Samuel 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
The conclusion considers Italy’s changing relations with Africa and the Mediterranean in the last decades of the twentieth century and the first decades of this century. It considers what it means for Italy to have elected a Prime Minister belonging to the heir to Mussolini’s Fascist party, on the eve of the centenary of the March on Rome. The conclusion then focuses in particular on the ways in which the memory of the Roman Empire in Africa is selectively employed in the discourse surrounding the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ in the Mediterranean, and how this is underpinned by a more general colonial aphasia—the unsaid, rather than unremembered, of Italian colonial history.
Fresh Frozen, In-Alcohol, or Autologous Costal Cartilage? Analysis of Complications in Over 650 Revision Rhinoplasties
Authors: Pascali Michele , Gratteri Marco , Savani Luca , Rega Umberto , Marchese Gloria , Persichetti Paolo 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
When there is insufficient autologous septal cartilage for graft sculpting in revision rhinoplasty, valid alternatives need to be found. Both autologous and homologous costal cartilage usage has been described in the literature. As there is no universally accepted consensus on cartilage choice, experience with different types of cartilage assumes significant importance in the rhinoplasty learning process.

Objectives
This multicenter prospective study outlined an overview of the authors' experience regarding short-term and long-term complications following revision rhinoplasty procedures in which either fresh frozen (FFCC), in-alcohol (IACC), or autologous costal cartilage (ACC) was used.

Methods
A total of 671 patients undergoing revision rhinoplasty between June 2015 and September 2020 were divided into 3 groups according to the type of cartilage used (Group 1, 212 patients with FFCC; Group 2, 239 patients with IACC; Group 3, 202 patients with ACC). Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and short- and long-term complications were described and discussed. A statistical analysis investigating a possible significance of the differences in complication rates was conducted.

Results
The data obtained indicated a short-term general complication rate of 5.05%, and a long-term complication rate of 7.04%. A statistically significant difference was identified in cartilage warping rate between the homologous cartilages in comparison to ACC.

Conclusions
FFCC, IACC, and ACC can be safely used in revision rhinoplasty with no statistically significant differences regarding short- and long-term complication rates. Cartilage warping rate is significantly higher for ACC compared with FFCC and IACC.

Level of Evidence: 2
Analytical Performance Specifications for Input Variables: Investigation of the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease
Authors: Andersen Eline S , Röttger Richard , Brasen Claus L , Brandslund Ivan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Artificial intelligence models constitute specific uses of analysis results and, therefore, necessitate evaluation of analytical performance specifications (APS) for this context specifically. The Model of End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a clinical prediction model based on measurements of bilirubin, creatinine, and the international normalized ratio (INR). This study evaluates the propagation of error through the MELD, to inform choice of APS for the MELD input variables.

Methods
A total of 6093 consecutive MELD scores and underlying analysis results were retrospectively collected. “Desirable analytical variation” based on biological variation as well as current local analytical variation was simulated onto the data set as well as onto a constructed data set, representing a worst-case scenario. Resulting changes in MELD score and risk classification were calculated.

Results
Biological variation-based APS in the worst-case scenario resulted in 3.26% of scores changing by ≥1 MELD point. In the patient-derived data set, the same variation resulted in 0.92% of samples changing by ≥1 MELD point, and 5.5% of samples changing risk category. Local analytical performance resulted in lower reclassification rates.

Conclusions
Error propagation through MELD is complex and includes population-dependent mechanisms. Biological variation-derived APS were acceptable for all uses of the MELD score. Other combinations of APS can yield equally acceptable results. This analysis exemplifies how error propagation through artificial intelligence models can become highly complex. This complexity will necessitate that both model suppliers and clinical laboratories address analytical performance specifications for the specific use case, as these may differ from performance specifications for traditional use of the analyses.
High-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the Northern Pacific sea star Asterias amurensis
Authors: Huang Zhichao , Liu Qi , Zeng Xiaoqi , Ni Gang 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Asterias amurensis, a starfish species that is native to countries such as China and Japan, as well as non-native regions like Australia, has raised serious concerns in terms of its impact on ecology and economy. To gain a better understanding of its population genomics and dynamics, we successfully assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome of A. amurensis using PacBio and Hi-C sequencing technologies. A total of 87 scaffolds assembly with contig N50 length of 10.85 Mb and scaffold N50 length of 23.34 Mb were obtained, with over 98.80% (0.48 Gb) of them anchored to 22 pseudochromosomes. We predicted 16,673 protein-coding genes, 95.19% of which were functionally annotated. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. amurensis and Asterias rubens formed a clade, and their divergence time was estimated ~ 28 million years ago (Mya). The significantly enriched pathways and Gene Ontology terms related to the amplified gene family were mainly associated with immune response and energy metabolism, suggesting that these factors might have contributed to the adaptability of A. amurensis to its environment. This study provides valuable genomic resources for comprehending the genetics, dynamics, and evolution of A. amurensis, especially when population outbreaks or invasions occur.
Vaccines and myocardial injury in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection: the CardioCOVID-Gemelli study
Authors: Montone Rocco Antonio , Rinaldi Riccardo , Masciocchi Carlotta , Lilli Livia , Damiani Andrea , La Vecchia Giulia , Iannaccone Giulia , Basile Mattia , Salzillo Carmine , Caffè Andrea , Bonanni Alice , De Pascale Gennaro , Grieco Domenico Luca , Tanzarella Eloisa Sofia , Buonsenso Danilo , Murri Rita , Fantoni Massimo , Liuzzo Giovanna , Sanna Tommaso , Richeldi Luca , Sanguinetti Maurizio , Massetti Massimo , Trani Carlo , Tshomba Yamume , Gasbarrini Antonio , Valentini Vincenzo , Antonelli Massimo , Crea Filippo 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Myocardial injury is prevalent among patients hospitalized for COVID-19. However, the role of COVID-19 vaccines in modifying the risk of myocardial injury is unknown.

Aims
To assess the role of vaccines in modifying the risk of myocardial injury in COVID-19.

Methods and results
We enrolled COVID-19 patients admitted from March 2021 to February 2022 with known vaccination status and ≥1 assessment of hs-cTnI within 30 days from the admission. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of myocardial injury (hs-cTnI levels &gt;99th percentile upper reference limit). A total of 1019 patients were included (mean age: 67.7 ± 14.8 years, 60.8% male, and 34.5% vaccinated against COVID-19). Myocardial injury occurred in 145 (14.2%) patients. At multivariate logistic regression analysis, advanced age, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension, but not vaccination status, were independent predictors of myocardial injury. In the analysis according to age tertiles distribution, myocardial injury occurred more frequently in the III tertile (≥76 years) compared with other tertiles (I tertile: ≤60 years; II tertile: 61–75 years) (P &lt; 0.001). Moreover, in the III tertile, vaccination was protective against myocardial injury [odds ratio (OR): 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.34–0.94; P = 0.03], while a previous history of coronary artery disease was an independent positive predictor. In contrast, in the I tertile, chronic kidney disease (OR: 6.94, 95% CI: 1.31–36.79, P = 0.02) and vaccination (OR: 4.44, 95% CI: 1.28–15.34, P = 0.02) were independent positive predictors of myocardial injury.

Conclusion
In patients ≥76 years, COVID-19 vaccines were protective for the occurrence of myocardial injury, while in patients ≤60 years, myocardial injury was associated with previous COVID-19 vaccination. Further studies are warranted to clarify the underlying mechanisms.
Development and validation of the Aortic valve Stenosis Guarded by Amplified Risk Determination (ASGARD) risk score for safe monitoring in asymptomatic non-severe aortic valve stenosis
Authors: Hadziselimovic Edina , Greve Anders M , Sajadieh Ahmad , Olsen Michael H , Nienaber Christoph A , Ray Simon G , Rossebø Anne B , Wachtell Kristian , Dominguez Helena , Valeur Nana , Carstensen Helle G , Nielsen Olav W 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Aims
Current guidelines recommend serial echocardiography at minimum 1–2-year intervals for monitoring patients with non-severe aortic valve stenosis (AS), which is costly and often clinically inconsequential. We aimed to develop and test whether the biomarker-based ASGARD (Aortic valve Stenosis Guarded by Amplified Risk Determination) risk score can guide the timing of echocardiograms in asymptomatic patients with non-severe AS.

Methods and results
The development cohort comprised 1093 of 1589 (69%) asymptomatic patients with mild-to-moderate AS who remained event-free one year after inclusion into the SEAS trial. Cox regression landmark analyses with a 2-year follow-up identified the model (ASGARD) with the lowest Akaike information criterion for association to AS-related composite outcome (heart failure hospitalization, aortic valve replacement, or cardiovascular death). Fine–Gray analyses provided cumulative event rates by ASGARD score quartiles. The ASGARD score was internally validated in the remaining 496 patients (31%) from the SEAS cohort and externally in 71 asymptomatic outpatients with non-severe AS from six Copenhagen hospitals. The ASGARD score comprises updated measurements of heart rate and age- and sex-adjusted N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide upon transaortic maximal velocity (Vmax) from the previous year. The ASGARD score had high predictive accuracy across all cohorts (external validation: area under the curve: 0.74 [95% CI, 0.62–0.86]), and similar to an updated Vmax measurement. An ASGARD score ≤ 50% was associated with AS-related event rates ≤ 5% for a minimum of 15 months.

Conclusion
The ASGARD score could provide a personalized and safe surveillance alternative to routinely planned echocardiograms, so physicians can prioritize echocardiograms for high-risk patients.
Preoperative assessment of fistula-in-ano using SonoVue enhancement during three-dimensional transperineal ultrasound
Authors: Yang Jun , Li Qing , Li Hua , Zhang Heng , Ren Donglin , Zhang Zhiyi , Su Dan , Qian Haihua 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Accurate preoperative evaluation of fistula-in-ano can guide the choice of surgical procedure and may improve healing rates. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of conventional 3D transperineal ultrasound (3D-TPUS) compared with SonoVue (SVE)-enhanced 3D-TPUS for the detection and classification of anal fistula.

Methods
In this prospective study, 3D-TPUS reconstructions were performed before and after SVE enhancement in 60 patients with fistula-in-ano who intended to undergo surgery at the Department of Anorectal Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University (P. R. China) between January 2021 and October 2021. Accuracies of anal fistula classification, complexity classification, detection of anal fistula branches, and detection of internal opening between 3D-TPUS and SVE 3D-TPUS were compared based on a reference standard—intraoperative findings.

Results
This study enrolled 60 patients (mean age, 37.1 ± 11.4 years; mean follow-up, 9 ± 3 months). Intraoperative findings showed that the fistula type was intersphincteric in 23 patients (38.3%), trans-sphincteric in 35 (58.3%; 12 high and 23 low), and suprasphincteric in 2 (3.3%). Moreover, 68 internal openings were found. Compared with the accuracy of 3D-TPUS, that of SVE 3D-TPUS was similar in fistula classification [95.0% (57/60) vs 96.7% (58/60), P = 0.392], but significantly higher in internal opening evaluation [80.9% (55/68) vs 97.1% (66/68), P = 0.001], complexity classification [85.0% (51/60) vs 98.3% (59/60), P = 0.018], and detection of fistula branches [70.4% (19/27) vs 92.6% (25/27), P = 0.031].

Conclusions
SVE 3D-TPUS may be a useful examination for patients with perianal fistulae because of its high accuracy and consistency with intraoperative findings, especially in complex fistula-in-ano and difficult cases.
Models of Polysemy in Two English Dictionaries
Authors: Bond Francis , Maziarz Marek , Piotrowski Tadeusz , Rudnicka Ewa 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn this paper we argue in favor of the radial semantic structure of polysemous entries from the New Oxford Dictionary of English (NODE) and the Merriam-Webster dictionary. We formalized four polysemy theories as algorithms linking word senses into polysemy networks, considering the semantic similarity of dictionary definitions calculated using large language models. Chaining algorithms maximized similarity within polysemy nets and adequately distinguished senses that in the two dictionaries are directly related from those more distant.
Evaluating Target Expansion for Eye Pointing Tasks
Authors: Zhang Xinyong 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
The idea of target expansion was proposed two decades ago for manual target acquisition, but it is not feasible to implement this idea in traditional user interfaces as the interactive system cannot know exactly which target is the desired one and should be expanded among several candidates. With the increasing maturity of eye tracking technology, gaze input has moved from an academically promising technique to an input method with built-in support in Windows 10; and target expansion has already become very feasible in the context of gaze input, as the user’s eye gaze is inherently an indicator of the desired target due to the natural eye-hand coordination in everyday tasks. However, a comprehensive evaluation is still lacking. In this study, two experiments were conducted, each with a different group of subjects, to investigate the effects of target expansion under different expansion feedback styles (visible vs. invisible), expansion factors, as well as different target appearances (i.e., circular vs. rectangular). The experimental results indicated that (1) the index of difficulty in eye pointing tasks (IDeye) does not depend on the initial size of the target, but on its final size, and that the corresponding human performance can be accurately predicted using the IDeye model instead of Fitts’ law; and that (2) the visible expansion style could disrupt the user’s fixations, making the measured human performance less efficient to some extent, but overall the theoretical predictions using the IDeye model were almost the same as the baselines. Following the experimental results, this study also provided some practical suggestions for UI design.
Scoping review of risk-scoring tools for early prediction of bloodstream infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales: do we really have a reliable risk-scoring tool?
Authors: Aslan Abdullah Tarik , Ezure Yukiko , Harris Patrick N A , Paterson David L 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a global health concern. Rapid identification of CRE may improve patient outcomes and reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescription. The use of risk-scoring tools (RSTs) can be valuable for optimizing the decision-making process for empirical antibiotic therapy of suspected CRE bacteraemia. These tools can also be used to triage use of expensive rapid diagnostic methods.

Methods
We systematically reviewed the relevant literature in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus up to 1 November 2022 to identify RSTs that predict CRE BSIs. The literature review and analysis of the articles were performed by two researchers; any inconsistencies were resolved through discussion.

Results
We identified 9 RSTs developed for early prediction of CRE BSIs and only logistic regression was used for most studies. These RSTs were quite different from each other in terms of their performance and the variables they included. They also had notable limitations and very few of them were externally validated.

Conclusions
RSTs for early prediction of CRE BSIs have limitations and lack of external validity outside the local setting in which they were developed. Future studies to identify optimal RSTs in high and low CRE-endemic settings are warranted. Approaches based on rapid diagnostics and RSTs should be compared with a treatment approach using both methods in a randomized controlled trial.