bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamic assessment of the double contour sign by ultrasonography helps to distinguish between gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease
Authors: Cipolletta Edoardo , Abhishek Abhishek , Di Matteo Andrea , Grassi Walter , Filippucci Emilio 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveTo test whether the double contour (DC) sign has a different dynamic behaviour in gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) and whether the dynamic assessment of the DC sign increases its accuracy in gout diagnosis.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis included patients with gout meeting the 2015 ACR/EULAR classification criteria and patients with crystal-proven diagnosis of CPPD. Hyaline cartilages were explored by ultrasound (US) to detect the DC sign (ie, abnormal hyperechoic band over the superficial margin of hyaline cartilages) and its dynamic behaviour during joint movement was evaluated ((ie, movement of the DC sign together with subchondral bone (DC sign), or in the opposite direction (pseudo DC sign)).ResultsEighty-one patients with gout and 84 patients with CPPD underwent US assessment. Among them, 47 patients with gout and 9 patients with CPPD had evidence of the DC sign. During dynamic assessment, in all 47/47 patients with gout there was a DC sign. Conversely, in 7/9 (77.8%) patients with CPPD, there was a pseudo DC sign (p<0.01).The presence of DC sign during static assessment had a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 58.0% (95% CI 46.5% to 68.9%), 89.3% (95% CI 80.6% to 95.0%) and 73.9% (95% CI 66.5% to 80.5%) for gout, respectively. The dynamic evaluation improved the DC sign’s diagnostic performance (p=0.01) as the specificity (97.6% (95% CI 91.7% to 99.7%)) and the accuracy (78.2% (95% CI 71.1% to 84.2%)) increased without loss in sensitivity.ConclusionThe dynamic US assessment of the DC sign may help to differentiate the DC sign due to MSU crystals from the pseudo DC sign seen in CPPD, as they move in opposite directions.
Beta blockers in traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hart Shannon , Lannon Melissa , Chen Andrew , Martyniuk Amanda , Sharma Sunjay , Engels Paul T 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Beta blockers have shown promise in improving mortality and functional outcomes after TBI. The aim of this article is to synthesize the available clinical data on the use of beta blockers in acute TBI.MethodsA systematic search was conducted through MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies including one or more outcomes of interest associated with use of beta blockers in TBI. Independent reviewers evaluated the quality of the studies and extracted data on all patients receiving beta blockers during their hospital stay compared with placebo or non-intervention. Pooled estimates, CIs, and risk ratios (RRs) or ORs were calculated for all outcomes.Results13 244 patients from 17 studies were eligible for analysis. Pooled analysis demonstrated a significant mortality benefit of overall use of beta blocker (RR 0.8, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.94,I2=75%). Subgroup analysis of patients with no preinjury use of beta blocker compared with patients on preinjury beta blockers showed no mortality difference (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.39,I2=84%). There was no difference in rate of good functional outcome at hospital discharge (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.58,I2=65%); however, there was a functional benefit at longer-term follow-up (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.8,I2=0%). Cardiopulmonary and infectious complications were more likely in patients who received beta blockers (RR 1.94, 95% CI 1.69 to 2.24,I2=0%; RR 2.36, 95% CI 1.42 to 3.91,I2=88%). Overall quality of the evidence was very low.ConclusionsUse of beta blockers is associated with decreased mortality at acute care discharge as well as improved functional outcome at long-term follow-up. Lack of high-quality evidence limits definitive recommendations for use of beta blockers in TBI; therefore, high-quality randomized trials are needed to further elucidate the utility of beta blockers in TBI.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021279700.
CORRELATION MATRIX OF EQUI-CORRELATED NORMAL POPULATION: FLUCTUATION OF THE LARGEST EIGENVALUE, SCALING OF THE BULK EIGENVALUES, AND STOCK MARKET
Authors: AKAMA YOHJI 
Published: March 2023

Given an N-dimensional sample of size [Formula: see text] form a sample correlation matrix [Formula: see text]. Suppose that N and T tend to infinity with [Formula: see text] converging to a fixed finite constant [Formula: see text]. If the population is a factor model, then the eigenvalue distribution of [Formula: see text] almost surely converges weakly to Marčenko–Pastur distribution such that the index is Q and the scale parameter is the limiting ratio of the specific variance to the ith variable [Formula: see text]. For an N-dimensional normal population with equi-correlation coefficient [Formula: see text], which is a one-factor model, for the largest eigenvalue [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], we prove that [Formula: see text] converges to the equi-correlation coefficient [Formula: see text] almost surely. These results suggest an important role of an equi-correlated normal population and a factor model in Laloux et al. [(2000) Random matrix theory and financial correlations, International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Finance3 (3), 391–397]: the histogram of the eigenvalue of sample correlation matrix of the returns of stock prices fits the density of Marčenko–Pastur distribution of index [Formula: see text] and scale parameter [Formula: see text]. Moreover, we provide the limiting distribution of the largest eigenvalue of a sample covariance matrix of an equi-correlated normal population. We discuss the phase transition as to the decay rate of the equi-correlation coefficient in N.
Impact of Neuroeffector Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphisms on Incident Ventricular Fibrillation During Acute Myocardial Ischemia
Authors: Chevalier Philippe , Roy Pascal , Bessière Francis , Morel Elodie , Ankou Bénédicte , Morgan Gina , Halder Indrani , London Barry , Minobe Wayne A. , Slavov Dobromir , Delinière Antoine , Bochaton Thomas , Paganelli Franck , Lesavre Nathalie , Boiteux Clément , Mansourati Jacques , Maury Philippe , Clerici Gaël , Winum Pierre François , Huebler Sophia P. , Carroll Ian A. , Bristow Michael R. 
Published: March 2023

Background
Cardiac adrenergic receptor gene polymorphisms have the potential to influence risk of developing ventricular fibrillation (VF) during ST‐segment‐elevation myocardial infarction, but no previous study has comprehensively investigated those most likely to alter norepinephrine release, signal transduction, or biased signaling.

Methods and Results

In a case–control study, we recruited 953 patients with ST‐segment‐elevation myocardial infarction without previous cardiac history, 477 with primary VF, and 476 controls without VF, and genotyped them for
ADRB1
Arg389Gly and Ser49Gly,
ADRB2
Gln27Glu and Gly16Arg, and
ADRA2C
Ins322‐325Del. Within each minor allele‐containing genotype, haplotype, or 2‐genotype combination, patients with incident VF were compared with non‐VF controls by odds ratios (OR) of variant frequencies referenced against major allele homozygotes. Of 156 investigated genetic constructs, 19 (12.2%) exhibited significantly (
P
<0.05) reduced association with incident VF, and none was associated with increased VF risk except for
ADRB1
Gly389 homozygotes in the subset of patients not receiving β‐blockers.
ADRB1
Gly49 carriers (prevalence 23.0%) had an OR (95% CI) of 0.70 (0.49–0.98), and the
ADRA2C
322–325 deletion (Del) carriers (prevalence 13.5%) had an OR of 0.61 (0.39–0.94). When present in genotype combinations (8 each), both
ADRB1
Gly49 carriers (OR, 0.67 [0.56–0.80]) and
ADRA2C
Del carriers (OR, 0.57 [0.45– 0.71]) were associated with reduced VF risk.

Conclusions

In ST‐segment‐elevation myocardial infarction, the adrenergic receptor minor alleles
ADRB1
Gly49, whose encoded receptor undergoes enhanced agonist‐mediated internalization and β‐arrestin interactions leading to cardioprotective biased signaling, and
ADRA2C
Del322‐325, whose receptor causes disinhibition of norepinephrine release, are associated with a lower incidence of VF.

Registration

URL:
https://clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT00859300.
Group Hegemonic Leadership as an Analytical Framework for Understanding Regional Hegemony in Africa
Authors: Isike Christopher , Schoeman Maxi 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This paper revisits the literature on regional power-hood and its application to Africa with a view to answering two key questions: one, whether we can talk of regional hegemons in the continent in real terms, and two, whether group hegemonic leadership better explains regional hegemonic behavior in Africa. It uses Sandra Destradi conceptual framework and Miriam Prys’ typology of regional power-hood to answer these questions, with South Africa and Nigeria as case studies. Using Prys’ typology which distinguishes between regional detached powers, regional hegemons and regional dominators as an analytical framework, the paper confirms what already exists in the literature, viz. that neither South Africa nor Nigeria neatly fit the conception of regional hegemons in Africa. However, it uses both countries as empirical cases to argue that they already act as hegemonic leaders and in cooperative ways that suggest group or shared leadership, using specific Common African Positions they have led in Africa. The analysis concludes by laying out the normative basis for a Group Hegemony composed of not only South Africa and Nigeria, but also other sub-regional leaders in the continent. This is based on the hard power shortfalls and internal weaknesses of both our case studies including their relative soft power resources which have utility in an increasingly intersocial international system.
Africa’s International Relations and the Legend of ‘Common Positions’
Authors: Ayodele Odilile 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
IR scholars and analysts often view the African Union’s apparent deference to common positions with a collectivist lens. However, in this article, I argue that the legend of common African positions (CAPs) has not yet been animated, as African leaders do not always work collectively for structural and political reasons. Two significant factors complicate analysing Africa’s IR in Africa: first, Africa is not a monolith. With fifty-five states and numerous linguistic, cultural, and historical paths, there is more that is different than is the same. Second, conventional IR theories are rooted in Global North worldviews and are, therefore, not the most appropriate tool to study African countries’ collective decision-making. I focus on the United Nations as the site where the Africa Group’s successes and failures are saliently illustrated, specifically the Ezulwini Consensus. The Africa Group’s contestation within the various UN bodies, particularly with the UN Peace and Security Council, where they have long lobbied for representation, underscores the strength and structural obstacles to Africa’s collective action. Taking an interpretative approach and analysing from an epistemological and normative level, I offer an alternative lens through which to view the CAPs. Leaning on the philosophies of Ubuntu and Ujamaa, I propose a framework to explore the African Union’s process of developing common positions.
Preliminary Results of Analysis of Osteological Material from the Polish-Ukrainian Excavations in Olbia (2016–2018)
Authors: Twardecki Alfred , Yanish Yevheniia 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The authors present an analysis of the bone material obtained during the excavations of the Polish-Ukrainian archaeological mission in Olbia in 2016–2018. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the chronologically homogeneous deposit of about 6,000 bones, which are mostly raw materials or semi-finished products and rarely the final products for a workshop producing bone tools. This analysis allows for the determination of the meat part of the diet of Olbia inhabitants at the turn of the 4th and 5th centuries, as well as assumptions related to the climate prevailing in Olbia at that time.
Universalia, the Society of Czechoslovak Hermeticists
Authors: Horák Pavel 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The article discusses the reception of occultism in Central Europe through a case study of the most sophisticated Czech occult society, Universalia: The Society of Czechoslovak Hermeticist. Established in the Czechoslovak Republic of the 1920s, dissolved by the Nazi regime in 1941, and subsequently revived in the 1990s, Universalia significantly shaped the Czech occult milieu through publishing and lecturing activities. The article focuses primarily on how the French occult milieu shaped local Czech occultism, exploring two extremes within Universalia’s leadership: universalism and nationalism. The article tracks these tendencies through discursive historical analysis, paying attention to the topoi related to occultism, universalism, the Czech nation, Slavic ethnicity, and national myths, along with notions of initiation, corruption of society, and the exclusivity of occult ideas and practices. It shows which discursive strategies underlined either universalism or nationalism and charts a balanced image of Universalia and the Czechoslovak occult milieu between 1890 and 1942.
Fighting Against Disinformation from Foreign Forces? Or Suppressing Criticism from Domestic Opposition Parties?
Authors: Yang Chih-Chieh 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Every country is concerned about disinformation on the internet, especially its impact on domestic elections and domestic politics. Among them, there are concerns that mainland China will meddle in Taiwan’s elections with disinformation. In December 2018, Taiwan’s government launched a policy to combat disinformation, including proposing legal amendments. However, the laws that the Taiwanese government use to investigate and prosecute individuals are not newly revised laws, but an existing Social Order Maintenance Act. In addition, at the end of 2019, the ‘Anti-Infiltration Act’ was suddenly proposed and passed. Both laws (Taiwan’s main tools in the fight against fake news) raise questions as to potential violations of the freedom of speech, the discussion of which remains heavily influenced by the laws and jurisprudence of the United States (US). However, Taiwan’s judiciary and legislature have misunderstood the law in the US or have made amendments, resulting in divergent developmental trajectories.
Precluding the Wrongfulness of Derogations of International Human Rights Instruments
Authors: Jain Ashika , Gupta Rohit 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Primary and secondary norms represent complementary systems of governance, one specifying the substantive obligations of states and the other imposing consequences upon deviation. Treaties which contain both primary and secondary norms generally operate as self-contained regimes as they oust the application of secondary norms under customary international law, such as those that might be invoked to justify deviations. Conflict, however, arises when the treaty norms seem to overlap with their customary counterpart, while remaining technically disjunct in their form. Derogation and limitation clauses in several international human rights instruments provide conditions in which a violation would be justified. On the other hand, customary international law also prescribes circumstances in which violations cannot be considered wrongful. This article addresses whether the existence of the former in treaties precludes the invocation of the latter. It also highlights the difficulty which arises in the interpretation of those instruments in which such derogation and limitation clauses are absent.
Philosophizing Age in De Senectute and the Second Philippic
Authors: Zarecki Jonathan P. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This paper examines the intricate relationship between De Senectute and the Second Philippic, arguing that De Senectute is an important lens through which to read the Second Philippic. When Cicero decided on irrevocable opposition to Antony, the moral and political theorizing about the role of senes (literally, ‘old men/elders’) in the state found in De Senectute provided a convenient and topical framework for synthesizing the invective of the Second Philippic. A close reading of De Senectute with the Second Philippic demonstrates that the philosophical thinking of De Senectute informed Cicero’s political persona in the Second Philippic and establishes the Second Philippic as the intellectual successor to De Senectute.
Encounters in Friendship with Nepos, Cicero, Atticus, and Rex Stem
Authors: Nelsestuen Grant A. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This article offers a critical appraisal of approaches to ‘friendship’ (amicitia) in Cornelius Nepos’s Atticus and Cicero’s De Amicitia, as found in the scholarship of Rex Stem and Grant Nelsestuen. In light of the former’s untimely passing in 2020, it uses an exchange of personal correspondence in 2019 between these two scholars – as well as John Alexander Lobur’s 2021 book on Nepos – as a basis for sketching new approaches to the role that friendship plays in Nepos’s biographies. Friendship thus turns out to be both an important aspect of Nepos’ political thought and a crucial means for advancing scholarly understanding of Nepos’ project in Atticus and his other biographies.
Unpublished Private Shabtis From the Greco-Roman Museum
Authors: el-Menshawy Sherine 
Published: March 2023

Five unpublished shabtis from the Greco-Roman museum are the subject of this paper. The iconographical features of the shabtis are examined, including their wigs, arm and hand positions, implements, bags, and accoutrements. The owners are identified, from the inscribed texts which present the names of the deceased. The date and provenance of these shabtis are noted, along with the period at which they found their way to the Greco-Roman Museum.
The current paper is divided into two sections. The first gives a full descriptive account of these five shabtis, from the unpublished collections of the Greco-Roman Museum at Alexandria, published with the permission of the Museum. The second part discusses the problems of dating, and provenance and examines how the group was acquired by the Museum.
Some Inscribed Plaques from Abusir
Authors: Baligh Randa 
Published: March 2023

The state in Ancient Egypt depended on the central domination of the king in the political, administrative, military and economic affairs. Therefore, the importance of the Royal Guards appeared as they were responsible for the safety and protection of the king, who was the axis of domination in the Egyptian civilization. The great importance of the Royal Guards appeared clearly in the Egyptian texts; for example, we found it in the famous instructions of King Kheti to his son "Meri-ka-re" from the Tenth Dynasty of the First Intermediate Period. Also, it was found in the various texts of the New Kingdom, as in the famous epic text of King Ramesses II on the battle of Kadesh from the Nineteenth Dynasty, where the guards of the king succeed in saving the King's life in the harsh moments of fighting. Hence, I aimed in my research to browse the various names and titles of the Royal Guards, mentioned in the Egyptian texts and titles, from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of the New Kingdom.
I divided my research paper into four parts, the first one discussed the principal name of the Royal Guards in the Egyptian texts Smsw, meaning retainers, followers or servants, besides referring to the principal name of the royal guards in the Egyptian texts, ranging from the beginning of the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom to the various periods of the New Kingdom. In the other three parts of my research paper, I discussed the various names and tides of the Royal Guards in the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom in the different texts and titles of these respective historical periods.
المدلولات التاريخية لنصوص المواقع الآثارية عن الحضارة الدلمونية إلى نهاية العصر الحديدي
Authors: شاهين علاء الدين عبد المحسن 
Published: March 2023

It is well known that the Western coast of the Arabian Gulf in ancient times -3000 BCE and afterwards- has witnessed the establishment of many urban centers, which had some commercial relationships with its counterparts in Mesopotamia in the north, and with Indus civilization - present Indian Peninsula and Pakistan- in the south, in addition to its commercial relationship with the inner parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
This research paper is concerned more with the inscriptions of the urban centers -known as the Dilmun civilization- located on the Western Coast of the Arabian Gul£ Such inscriptions have not been studied before from a national point of view.
This research depends mainly on the Sumerian sources, which made several references to the economic, military and religious relationships with the Dilmun Civilization. This study aims to gather information about the Dilmun civilization in order to understand it more fully, and to shade light on the historical values of those archival sourcesw to the end of the Iron Age in the relevant archaeological sites on the western coast of the Arabian Gulf.
After the Railways Are Built: Makrani Labor and Illegible Claims to Land and Belonging in Sindh
Authors: Khan Mishal 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This article focuses on an incident involving a series of evictions experienced by a group of Makrani laborers who made their living by earning daily wages at the Hyderabad railway station in early twentieth century Sindh. In this piece I critically analyze two imperial projects: first, the construction of the Indian railways and second, the promotion of “free” wage labor by the colonial regime in the aftermath of the abolition of slavery. By critically interrogating the promises of both “free labor” and “technological progress” this article argues that survival in the Sindhi countryside depended on a group’s ability to assert legible claims to both belonging and to land. Through an in-depth examination of the conflicting land claims, bureaucratic exchanges, and discourses around wage work that these evictions provoked, this paper reflects on the enduring entanglements of race, labor, technology, and empire in this region of British India.
مذاق الأمل: البشارة في تأويل رؤيا الطعام في ثلاثة من كتب التعبير المبكرة
Authors: Jammal (لينا الجمّال) Lina 
Published: March 2023

المستخلص
‫شاع من الأمثال العربيّة القديمة قولهم: ”أحلى من المُنى،“ وتتساءل هذه المقالة عمّا إذا كان الأمل مرتبطًا حقًّا بالمذاق الحلو في المطبخ العربيّ القديم، فتلجأ إلى كتب تعبير المنامات للتحقّق من ذلك بصفتها موسوعةً للرموز في الحضارة العربيّة-الإسلاميّة. فتدرس المقالة الباب الخاصّ بتأويل الأطعمة والأشربة في ثلاثة من كتب التعبير التي عرفتها القرون الهجريّة الأولى، وهي: تعبير الرؤيا لابن قتيبة (ت ‫276‬/889)، والقادري في التعبير للدينوريّ (ت بعد ‫400‬/1010)، والبشارة والنذارة للخركوشيّ (ت ‫407‬/1016). وترصد البشارةَ في تأويل بعض أصناف الطعام لتفهم ارتباط الأمل بالمذاقات المختلفة، ثمّ تنظر في السياقات الأدبيّة والدينيّة والاجتماعيّة التي عرفها القرنان الثالث والرابع/التاسع والعاشر لتحلّل البُنى الثقافيّة التي سوّغت هذه التأويلات ورسّختها.‬
الأمل في التراث الصوفيّ
Authors: Abdo (خالد محمّد عبده) Khalid Mohammed 
Published: March 2023

المستخلص
‫تقارب المقالة مفهوم الأمل في التراث الصوفيّ محاولةً تتبُّع المفهوم عند أوائل الصوفيّة، واتّصاله بالمقامات والأحوال، وإثرائه المعجم الصوفيّ. وتستند المقالة بصفة خاصّة إلى أعمال الحارث المحاسبيّ (ت ‫243‬/857) نظرًا لتقدُّمه وكثرة تلاميذه وأقرانه ومعاصريه من الصوفيّة الأوائل الذين اعتمدوا عليه، وأعمال الهرويّ الأنصاريّ (ت ‫481‬/1089) صاحب المؤلَّف البارز منازل السائرين. وتركّز المقالة على حضور مفهوم الأمل، وكيفيّة توظيفه في تربية المريد، وتطوُّر النظرة إليه في علم الأحوال والمقامات. وفي غضون ذلك، تشير المقالة إلى اهتمام الزهّاد الأوائل بالتصنيف المستقلّ في موضوع الأمل، ومثاله كتاب ابن أبي الدنيا (ت ‫281‬/894) قِصَر الأمل.‬