bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neural consequences of symptomatic convergence insufficiency: A small sample study
Authors: Zeng Yuxuan , Oechslin Tamara S. , Widmer Douglas E. , Kulp Marjean T. , Fogt Nicklaus , Toole Andrew , Manning Steven , Osher David E.
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Convergence insufficiency (CI) is an oculomotor abnormality characterised by exophoria and inadequate convergence when focusing on nearby objects. CI has been shown to cause symptoms when reading. However, the downstream consequences on brain structure have yet to be investigated. Here, we investigated the neural consequences of symptomatic CI, focusing on the left arcuate fasciculus, a bundle of white matter fibres which supports reading ability and has been associated with reading deficits.

Methods

We compared the arcuate fasciculus microstructure of participants with symptomatic CI versus normal binocular vision (NBV). Six CI participants and seven NBV controls were included in the analysis. All participants were scanned with 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and anatomical and diffusion‐weighted images were acquired. Diffusion‐weighted images were processed with TRACULA to identify the arcuate fasciculus in each participant and compute volume and radial diffusivity (RD).

Results

Compared with NBV controls, those with symptomatic CI had significantly smaller arcuate fasciculi bilaterally (left: t = −3.21, p = 0.008; right: t = −3.29, p = 0.007), and lower RD in the left (t = −2.66, p = 0.02), but not the right (t = −0.81, p = 0.44, false discovery rate (FDR)‐corrected p > 0.05) arcuate fasciculus. Those with higher levels of reading symptoms had smaller arcuate fasciculi (r = −0.74, p = 0.004) with lower RD (r = −0.61, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that symptomatic CI may lead to microstructural changes in the arcuate fasciculus. Since it is highly unlikely that abnormalities in the arcuate fasciculus are the cause of the neuromuscular deficits in the eyes, we argue that these changes may be a potential neuroplastic consequence of disruptions in sustained reading.
Barriers to healthcare access for children with congenital heart disease in eight Latin American countries
Authors: Lopez‐Barreda Rodrigo , Schaigorodsky Lorena , Rodríguez‐Pinto Claudia , Salas Wilbaldo , Muñoz Yamile , Betanco Bianca , Angulo Oscar , Huamán Marina , Lejbusiewicz Gladys , Pedrero Victor , Pavlova Milena , Groot Wim , Ibla Juan C.
Published: March 2024

Background

Mortality from congenital heart disease has decreased considerably in the last two decades due to improvements in overall health care. However, there are barriers to access to healthcare in Latin America for this population, which could be related to factors such as healthcare system, policies, resources, geographic, cultural, educational, and psychological factors. Understanding the barriers to access to care is of paramount importance for the design and implementation of policies and facilitate the provision of care.

Aim

The aim of the study was to investigate the perception of barriers to access to health care on parents/guardians of children with congenital heart disease in selected Latin American countries.

Methods

A descriptive, cross‐sectional study, in which parents/guardians or primary caregivers of children with congenital heart disease was recruited to participate and surveyed. Once the informed consent process had been completed, a set of paper‐based scales was used to collect data, namely socioeconomic and demographic information, the Barriers to Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs Questionnaire, and the General Health Questionnaire.

Results

In total, 286 participants completed the surveys, with an average age of 34.81 years and 73.4% being female. Mean score of overall barriers was 54.45 (minimum score 39, maximum score 195, higher scores show greater perception of barriers). In Mexico, the parents/guardians of children perceived fewer barriers to access (46.69), while Peru is the country where the most barriers were perceived (69.91). Nonpoor participants showed higher overall barrier perception scores (57.34) than poor participants (52.58). The regression analysis demonstrated the overall perception of barriers was positively associated with individual and social factors, such as educational level, contract status, household monthly income, and psychological well‐being and with the country of the participants.

Conclusions

Multiple factors are associated with the perception of barriers to accessing health care for children with congenital heart disease, including socioeconomic status, expectations, psychological well‐being, and structural factors.
Exposure to heat wave risks across time and places: Seasonal variations and predictors of feelings of threat across heat wave geographical susceptibility locations
Authors: Domingos Samuel , Gaspar Rui , Marôco João
Published: March 2024

Vulnerability to heat waves and their negative effects on health vary not only due to individual factors but also due to situational factors, such as time and geography. Hence, we explored seasonal variations and predictors of heat wave feelings of threat across different heat wave geographical susceptibility locations in Portugal. A total of 238 Portuguese residents responded to a web‐based longitudinal survey: before the summer, during a heat wave in the summer, during the summer, and after the summer. Geographical location was used as an indicator of risk exposure, operationalized as heat wave occurrence susceptibility (low, moderate, high). Heat wave demands and resources perceptions were assessed to compute an indicator of heat wave feelings of threat. During the heat wave, feelings of threat were higher among participants in high‐susceptibility locations, with demands outweighing resources perceptions, suggesting greater distress and coping difficulty. Regression analysis suggested that older participants and female participants living in moderate–high‐susceptibility locations had greater difficulty in recovering. Heat wave risk perception and positive affect about heat were identified as the most consistent predictors of heat wave feelings of threat, with risk perception increasing and positive affect decreasing such feelings. Participants with (individual and geographical) vulnerability profiles, who had greater difficulty in coping and recovering from heat waves, could benefit from resource‐building/enhancing interventions. In a climatic crisis context, monitoring psychological responses to heat waves (e.g., threat) may enable anticipated action to build resilience before, rather than after, the effects become damaging to physical and psychological health.
What are filling (volumizing) threads?
Authors: Yi Kyu‐Ho
Published: March 2024

Facial aging prompts a shift in the demands for lifting procedures, transitioning from targeted improvements in younger individuals to overall facial contour enhancements as skin elasticity declines in later years. This paper examines the evolution of PDO volumizing threads, delineating their development from initial limitations to contemporary innovations aimed at addressing tissue deformation and maintaining thread integrity post‐insertion. Categorizing these threads based on elasticity, shape, and functionality underscores their versatility and application nuances, catering to specific wrinkle correction, contour sculpting, and facial volume restoration. The discussion emphasizes the pivotal role of thread characteristics in achieving optimal outcomes while minimizing potential complications. By delving into historical contexts, mechanisms, effectiveness, and thread classification, this paper equips practitioners with a comprehensive understanding to make informed decisions in selecting threads for volumizing thread procedures. Recommendations for future research directions, including long‐term safety assessments and patient‐specific outcomes, seek to enhance the clinical utility and applicability of this analysis.
A global analysis of the use of immunoglobulin, shortages in supply, and mitigating measures: A survey of hospital providers (a BEST Collaborative study)
Authors: So‐Osman Cynthia , Delaney Meghan , Fung Mark , Lu Wen , Murphy Michael , Sasongko Praiseldy Langi , Tiberghien Pierre , Tinmouth Alan ,   the Best ImmunoGlobulin (BIG) Study Group* the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion Collaborative
Published: March 2024

Background

Immunoglobulin (IG) therapy is widely used to treat primary and secondary immune deficiencies and as immunomodulatory agent for various disorders. There is great concern that shortages of IG may rise, potentially affecting medical treatment options.

Study Design and Methods

An international survey was developed to study how intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) are used and managed within hospitals in case of shortages. Study data were collected and managed using REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted by the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative. The survey was directed to hospital pharmacists and blood bank transfusion professionals and disseminated through members of the BEST Collaborative network.

Results

Survey respondents from institutions in the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia (n = 13) confirmed that the primary specialties utilizing IG are neurology, hematology, and immunology. More than 60% of respondents reported IG supply shortages, but mitigation strategies were not well developed.

Discussion

As IG is the leading driver in plasma demand, more studies are needed to understand current and future demand for IG from the clinical perspective. Necessity lies in establishing clinical guidance to address shortages.
A novel measure to summarize blood transfusion practice during critical illness
Authors: Bosch Nicholas A. , Law Anica C. , Shi Zhan , Jafarzadeh S. Reza , Walkey Allan J.
Published: March 2024

Background

Large‐scale observational studies have summarized transfusion practice using traditional measures of central tendency (e.g., the mean hemoglobin concentration at the time of transfusion). However, the mean hemoglobin concentration fails to identify specific hemoglobin concentration thresholds that drive practice. In the following brief report, we propose a novel measure of “practice discontinuity” that identifies specific practice‐defining hemoglobin thresholds.

Study Design and Methods

We used the PINC AI Database (2016–2022) to identify adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit with at least one hemoglobin concentration measurement. For each day that hemoglobin was measured, we identified whether the patient received a red blood cell transfusion using hospital charge codes. We defined the “practice discontinuity” measure as the hemoglobin concentration at which there was the largest increase in transfusion use going from a higher to an incrementally lower hemoglobin concentration. We also calculated the mean and median pretransfusion hemoglobin concentrations.

Results

We identified 1,298,367 patients and 4,905,839 patient‐days for inclusion. RBC transfusion occurred in a total of 530,654 (10.8%) patient‐days. The overall pre‐transfusion mean and median hemoglobin concentrations were 8.4 and 8.0 g/dL, respectively. The practice discontinuity measure identified 7.0 g/dL as the hemoglobin concentration at which transfusion use increased the most, from 46.6% of patient‐days at a concentration of 7.0 g/dL to 74.8% of patient‐days at a concentration of 6.9 g/dL.

Discussion

We propose that future studies of red blood cell transfusion practice consider inclusion of the practice discontinuity measure to more fully summarize clinical practice.
Contribuição das Divulgações Socioambientais e Características das Empresas para a minimização da Assimetria Informacional: Evidências da América Latina
Authors: Almeida Mainardi Rodrigo , Hauschildt Rogério , Degenhart Larissa
Published: March 2024

As divulgações socioambientais e características das empresas podem contribuir para a diminuição da assimetria de informação. Portanto, esta pesquisa objetivou analisar a contribuição das divulgações socioambientais (ESG) e características das empresas para a minimização da assimetria informacional das empresas de países da América Latina, durante o período de 2015 a 2020. A metodologia utilizada refere-se a uma pesquisa descritiva, documental e quantitativa com a utilização da regressão linear múltipla com erros padrões robustos. Os resultados revelaram que a divulgação de governança influenciou negativamente a assimetria informacional de empresas do Chile. Em relação às características das empresas que minimizam a assimetria de informação, destaca-se o tamanho da empresa (Chile, Colômbia e México), alavancagem financeira (Colômbia), risco sistemático (Argentina e Brasil) e market to book (Brasil). Estas evidências sugerem diferentes contribuições das divulgações ESG e características das empresas para a minimização da assimetria de informação no cenário de empresas da América Latina. Os resultados contribuem ao orientar os gestores das empresas a adequar as divulgações ESG, para minimizar a assimetria informacional de maneira eficaz. Os achados contribuem para os acionistas e stakeholders ao avaliarem quais são as características que devem ser consideradas para diminuir a assimetria e incentivar as empresas a desenvolver atividades ESG, visto os benefícios para a redução da assimetria informacional.
Design Principles and Restrictions for Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Heitkamp Tim , Hilbig Karl , Kuschmitz Sebastian , Girnth Simon , Waldt Nils , Klawitter Günter , Vietor Thomas
Published: March 2024

In the development of innovative and high-performance products, design expertise is a critical factor. Nevertheless, novel manufacturing processes often frequently lack an accessible comprehensive knowledge base for product developers. To tackle this deficiency in the context of emerging additive manufacturing processes, substantial design knowledge has already been established. However, novel additive manufacturing processes like continuous fiber-reinforced material extrusion have often been disregarded, complicating the process's wider dissemination. The importance of design knowledge availability is paramount, as well as the need for user-friendly design knowledge preparation, standardized structure, and methodological support for accessing the accumulated knowledge with precision. In this paper, we present an approach that provides formalized opportunistic and restrictive design knowledge, ensuring both the comprehensive exploitation of process-specific potentials and the consideration of restrictive limitations in the construction of components. Opportunistic knowledge, presented as principle cards, is systematically derived, prepared, and made accessible. Moreover, an access system is developed to ensure the comprehensive utilization of process-specific potentials throughout the development process. Furthermore, we propose linking these principles through a synergy and conflict matrix, aiming to consider synergistic principles and identify potential conflicts at an early stage. Additionally, an approach to provide restrictive design knowledge in the form of a design rule catalog is proposed. The application of the knowledge system is demonstrated exemplarily using a weight-optimized component.
Complementing Drawability Assessment of Deep-Drawn Components With Surrogate-Based Global Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Lehrer Tobias , Kaps Arne , Lepenies Ingolf , Raponi Elena , Wagner Marcus , Duddeck Fabian
Published: March 2024

In the early-stage development of sheet metal parts, key design properties of new structures must be specified. As these decisions are made under significant uncertainty regarding drawing configuration changes, they sometimes result in the development of new parts that, at a later design stage, will not be drawable. As a result, there is a need to increase the certainty of experience-driven drawing configuration decisions. Complementing this process with a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) can provide insight into the impact of various changes in drawing configurations on drawability, unveiling cost-effective strategies to ensure the drawability of new parts. However, when quantitative global sensitivity approaches, such as Sobol's method, are utilized, the computational requirements for obtaining Sobol indices can become prohibitive even for small application problems. To circumvent computational limitations, we evaluate the applicability of different surrogate models engaged in computing global design variable sensitivities for the drawability assessment of a deep-drawn component. Here, we show in an exemplary application problem, that both a standard Gaussian process regression (GPR) model and an ensemble model can provide commendable results at a fraction of the computational cost. We compare our surrogate models to existing approaches in the field. Furthermore, by comparing drawability measures we show that the error introduced by the surrogate models is of the same order of magnitude as that from the choice of drawability measure. In consequence, our surrogate models can improve the cost-effective development of a component in the early design phase.
Ultrasonic Guided Wave Scattering Spectra by Hybrid Global–Local Modeling for Nondestructive Evaluation in Composites With Varying Defect Features
Authors: Zhang Mingyue , Galvis Luis Waldo Escalona , Spada Antonino , Capriotti Margherita
Published: March 2024

The nondestructive characterization and monitoring of defects in composite structures by ultrasonic guided waves are hindered by the complexity of the interaction. Efficient computational modeling of propagating ultrasonic guided waves in waveguides with discontinuities is necessary to properly tune inspections and correctly interpret the scattering behavior. This paper studies the influence of different defect types in composite plates on ultrasonic guided wave scattering. Employing a hybrid global–local method, the energy spectra of transmitted and reflected waves in defected composite plates are numerically analyzed over a broad frequency range. Through parametric analyses of defect dimensions and locations, the resulting trends of the effect of specific defect features on the scattering behavior, as well as the importance of observing scattering on a broad frequency range, are accurately computed and highlighted. The presented findings indicate the potential for effective defect characterization and monitoring.
Isotopic biographies reveal horse rearing and trading networks in medieval London
Authors: Pryor Alexander J. E. , Ameen Carly , Liddiard Robert , Baker Gary , Kanne Katherine S. , Milton J. Andy , Standish Christopher D. , Hambach Bastian , Orlando Ludovic , Chauvey Lorelei , Schiavinato Stephanie , Calvière-Tonasso Laure , Tressières Gaetan , Wagner Stefanie , Southon John , Shapiro Beth , Pipe Alan , Creighton Oliver H. , Outram Alan K.
Published: March 2024

This paper reports a high-resolution isotopic study of medieval horse mobility, revealing their origins and in-life mobility both regionally and internationally. The animals were found in an unusual horse cemetery site found within the City of Westminster, London, England. Enamel strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope analysis of 15 individuals provides information about likely place of birth, diet, and mobility during the first approximately 5 years of life. Results show that at least seven horses originated outside of Britain in relatively cold climates, potentially in Scandinavia or the Western Alps. Ancient DNA sexing data indicate no consistent sex-specific mobility patterning, although three of the five females came from exceptionally highly radiogenic regions. Another female with low mobility is suggested to be a sedentary broodmare. Our results provide direct and unprecedented evidence for a variety of horse movement and trading practices in the Middle Ages and highlight the importance of international trade in securing high-quality horses for medieval London elites.
Incipient carbonate melting drives metal and sulfur mobilization in the mantle
Authors: Ezad Isra S. , Saunders Martin , Shcheka Svyatoslav S. , Fiorentini Marco L. , Gorojovsky Lauren R. , Förster Michael W. , Foley Stephen F.
Published: March 2024

We present results from high-pressure, high-temperature experiments that generate incipient carbonate melts at mantle conditions (~90 kilometers depth and temperatures between 750° and 1050°C). We show that these primitive carbonate melts can sequester sulfur in its oxidized form of sulfate, as well as base and precious metals from mantle lithologies of peridotite and pyroxenite. It is proposed that these carbonate sulfur–rich melts may be more widespread than previously thought and that they may play a first-order role in the metallogenic enhancement of localized lithospheric domains. They act as effective agents to dissolve, redistribute, and concentrate metals within discrete domains of the mantle and into shallower regions within Earth, where dynamic physicochemical processes can lead to ore genesis at various crustal depths.
Modeling the inner part of the jet in M87: Confronting jet morphology with theory
Authors: Yang Hai , Yuan Feng , Li Hui , Mizuno Yosuke , Guo Fan , Lu Rusen , Ho Luis C. , Lin Xi , Zdziarski Andrzej A. , Wang Jieshuang
Published: March 2024

The formation of jets in black hole accretion systems is a long-standing problem. It has been proposed that a jet can be formed by extracting the rotation energy of the black hole (“BZ-jet”) or the accretion flow (“disk-jet”). While both models can produce collimated relativistic outflows, neither has successfully explained the observed jet morphology. By using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations and considering nonthermal electrons accelerated by magnetic reconnection that is likely driven by magnetic eruption in the underlying accretion flow, we obtain images by radiative transfer calculations and compared them to millimeter observations of the jet in M87. We find that the BZ-jet originating from a magnetically arrested disk around a high-spin black hole can well reproduce the jet morphology, including its width and limb-brightening feature.
The complete genome sequence of a new fowl adenovirus (Fadv-4) strain from a recent outbreak in a chicken farm in Iran
Authors: khabiri Aliakbar , Ghalyanchilangeroudi Arash , Kim Doan Phuong Thi , Pakbaz Mohammadreza , Pakbaten Bahareh , Hemmatzadeh Farhid
Published: March 2024

The whole genomic sequence of fowl adenovirus C (FAdV-4) strain FAdV-4/Pasouk, isolated from chickens with hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) from an outbreak in Iran, has been deposited in GenBank under accession number
ON652872
. Notably, this FAdV-4 isolate exhibited significant genetic similarities to contemporary isolates originating from China, indicating a shared ancestry.
Supplemental Material: Evidence for ca. 1 Ga hypervelocity impact event found in northwest Greenland
Authors: Hyde William R. , al. et
Published: March 2024

Figures S1–S5, U-Pb data, and materials and methods. 
Reduction of malaria case incidence following the introduction of clothianidin-based indoor residual spraying in previously unsprayed districts: an observational analysis using health facility register data from Côte d’Ivoire, 2018–2022
Authors: Hilton Emily R , Gning-Cisse Ndombour , Assi Auguste , Eyakou Mathieu , Koffi John , Gnakou Barthelemy , Kouassi Bernard , Flatley Cecilia , Chabi Joseph , Gbalegba Constant , Alex Aimain Serge , Yah Kokrasset Colette , Antoine Tanoh Mea , N'Gotta Sylvain , Yao Octavie , Egou Assi Hughes , Konan Philomène , Davis Kelly , Constant Edi , Belemvire Allison , Yepassis-Zembrou Patricia , Zinzindohoue Pascal , Kouadio Blaise , Burnett Sarah
Published: March 2024

Background

Indoor residual spraying (IRS) using neonicotinoid-based insecticides (clothianidin and combined clothianidin with deltamethrin) was deployed in two previously unsprayed districts of Côte d’Ivoire in 2020 and 2021 to complement standard pyrethroid insecticide-treated nets. This retrospective observational study uses health facility register data to assess the impact of IRS on clinically reported malaria case incidence.

Methods

Health facility data were abstracted from consultation registers for the period September 2018 to April 2022 in two IRS districts and two control districts that did not receive IRS. Malaria cases reported by community health workers (CHWs) were obtained from district reports and District Health Information Systems 2. Facilities missing complete data were excluded. Controlled interrupted time series models were used to estimate the effect of IRS on monthly all-ages population-adjusted confirmed malaria cases and cases averted by IRS. Models controlled for transmission season, precipitation, vegetation, temperature, proportion of cases reported by CHWs, proportion of tested out of suspected cases and non-malaria outpatient visits.

Results

An estimated 10 988 (95% CI 5694 to 18 188) malaria cases were averted in IRS districts the year following the 2020 IRS campaign, representing a 15.9% reduction compared with if IRS had not been deployed. Case incidence in IRS districts dropped by 27.7% (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.723, 95% CI 0.592 to 0.885) the month after the campaign. In the 8 months after the 2021 campaign, 14 170 (95% CI 13 133 to 15 025) estimated cases were averted, a 24.7% reduction, and incidence in IRS districts dropped by 37.9% (IRR 0.621, 95% CI 0.462 to 0.835) immediately after IRS. Case incidence in control districts did not change following IRS either year (p>0.05) and the difference in incidence level change between IRS and control districts was significant both years (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Deployment of clothianidin-based IRS was associated with a reduction in malaria case rates in two districts of Côte d’Ivoire following IRS deployment in 2020 and 2021.
SAIRIgRg: A rumor-debunking propagation model considering credibility factor in large-scale rumor spreading
Authors: Zhang Xinjing , Shi Jia , Wang Xiaohua
Published: March 2024

In this study, we collected and processed Weibo posts from official debunking accounts and found that user-following relationships can influence the dynamics of message propagation. Building upon the Susceptible, Aware, Infected, Recovered (SAIR) model with memory decay and user reinforcement, we develop the SAIRIgRg model to address the practical scenario of government debunking in the context of large-scale rumor spreading, considering the credibility factor. Through simulations on a real-world Twitter-directed network dataset, where different nodes with varying in-degree and out-degree sizes were chosen as debunking nodes, we analyzed the spread of rumors and debunking information. We discovered that there is little correlation between the initial in-degree and out-degree sizes of nodes and the effectiveness of debunking dissemination. Nodes with smaller average path lengths may not effectively suppress rumors through debunking efforts. Conversely, when debunking is conducted on nodes with larger average path lengths, the higher credibility of debunking messages leads to stronger suppression of rumors and shorter lifespans for the rumors. Additionally, this study conducted a comparison between early and late official debunking. It was discovered that when the spreading of rumors reaches a certain size and intensity, even though early debunking may not influence the lifespan of the rumors, it can greatly reduce the number of users affected by the rumors.
Quantifying risks of lane-changing behavior in highways with vehicle trajectory data under different driving environments
Authors: Li Jiahao , Ling Meining , Zang Xiaodong , Luo Qiang , Yang Junheng , Chen Shuyi , Guo Xiangyan
Published: March 2024

Improper lane-changing behavior may have a great impact on the safety of the surrounding vehicles, and accurate risk assessment of lane-changing behavior can detect improper lane-changing behavior. Many existing risk assessment methods are based on the traditional minimum safe distance model as the theoretical foundation, not taking into account the effects of different weather and road conditions. Moreover, the initially calculated safe lane-changing distance through the model is generally the limit safety distance, which deviates to some extent from the initial distance maintained when the vehicle begins to change lanes during the actual driving process. The ratio of these two distances can reflect the degree of risk between the changing vehicle and its neighboring vehicles during lane-changing. For this reason, a lane-changing safety coefficient is defined and lane-changing risk assessment model based on the hyperbolic tangent function is constructed by combining the change characteristics of this coefficient. An environmental adjustment factor was introduced into the model to consider the influence of different driving weather and road conditions on the lane-changing risk assessment. Then, based on survey data from the survey questionnaire, the weights of the influencing factors were determined by using the hierarchical analysis method, and the environmental adjustment factor in the model was calibrated by using the fuzzy comprehensive assessment method. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the model, the lane-changing trajectories of 373 vehicles were extracted from the HighD dataset. The risk assessment value of lane-changing was calculated by using the constructed model and was classified into high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk by using the K-means++ clustering algorithm. Various evaluation results were compared with the evaluation results from the expert evaluation method and the classical risk evaluation indexes, and the evaluation results are basically the same, which verifies the effectiveness of the lane-changing risk model established.
On information paradox and the fate of black holes
Authors: Morozov A.
Published: March 2024

A sketchy review of the “island” paradigm in black hole evaporation theory, which actually brings us back to the old idea that interior of black hole decouples from our universe after Page time, so that Hawking radiation is entangled with emerging new universe, thus leaving no room for the information paradox. Instead this provides a self-consistent description of multiverse, where every black hole in a parent universe is a white hole — the origin — of a new one.
STUDY ON MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF FeCoPSiBCu AMORPHOUS ALLOY BY EMPIRICAL ELECTRON THEORY
Authors: WU XIAOYU , GUO XUANXUAN , GU YUE , LI SHENGLI , LI XUE
Published: March 2024

In this study, a new evaluation method was investigated for the magnetic properties of the amorphous alloys by comparing the experimental results with the theoretical calculations. First, The (Fe[Formula: see text]Co6P[Formula: see text]Si[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text])[Formula: see text]Cux ([Formula: see text]–0.5) amorphous ribbons were prepared by melt spinning method. Then, the magnetic properties of the prepared amorphous alloys were measured as 165.86–147.04[Formula: see text]emu/g, respectively. On the other side, we analyzed the valence electron structure and obtained the magnetizations as 159.92–158.77[Formula: see text]emu/g by calculating the magnetic moments of unit cells based on empirical electron theory (EET) of solids and molecules. Through comparing the magnetic properties of the calculations with the measurements, we found that the differences between the calculations and the measurements are less than 12% for all samples, meeting the first approximation requirement. Moreover, with the addition of Cu, the change trends both in the calculated and measured magnetic properties are also consistent. These results prove that it is feasible to calculate the magnetic property of the amorphous alloy from the valence electron level using EET, which provides a new method to investigate the soft magnetic property of the amorphous alloy instead of the real measurement.
CHARACTERIZATION AND OPTICAL STUDIES OF ION BEAM-IRRADIATED CA/PANI COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Authors: AL-YOUSEF HAIFA A. , ALOTAIBI B. M. , ATTA A. , ABDELTWAB E. , ABDELHAMIED M. M.
Published: March 2024

In the present research, cellulose acetate (CA) and polyaniline (PANI) were combined to form CA/PANI films using the solution-casting method. This research aims to provide novel optical behavior for irradiated flexible CA/PANI sheets to be utilized in high-performing optical devices. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to effectively produce the CA/PANI samples. The argon fluence of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]ions/cm2 have been added to these films. The FTIR and XRD measurements showed that the ion treatment of CA/PANI films altered their functions and crystalline compositions. This indicates that the CA/PANI films were successfully prepared. The optical properties were measured using the UV–Vis technique in a wavelength of 200–1150[Formula: see text]nm. The Tauc relationship was used to estimate the band gap and Urbach energies of both bombarded and untreated films. In response to [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]ions/cm2, CA/PANI exhibits a drop in band gap from 4.92[Formula: see text]eV to 4.45, 4.31, and 4.20[Formula: see text]eV, respectively. According to these results, the optical performance of the irradiated CA/PANI composite films was modified to be used in optoelectronics.
Mass-Based Separation of Active Brownian Particles in an Asymmetric Channel
Authors: Khatri Narender
Published: March 2024

Inertial effects should be considered for micro and nanoswimmers moving in a low-density medium confined by irregular structures that create entropic barriers, where viscous effects are no longer paramount. Here, we present a separation mechanism of self-propelled particles in a two-dimensional asymmetric channel, which leads to the drift of particles of different masses in opposite directions. In particular, this mechanism is based on the combined action of the spatial asymmetry of the channel structure, the temporal asymmetry inherent in particles dynamics and an external static force. This work is relevant for potential applications that can be found in the development of lab-on-a-chip devices and artificial channels for separating particles of different masses.
Uniqueness of phase retrieval with short-time linear canonical transform
Authors: Li Rui , Zhang Qingyue
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we study the problem of phase retrieval with short-time linear canonical transform (STLCT). The relation between signal, window and their STLCT is provided through Fourier transform. Based on this theorem, a uniqueness result is established for all square integrable functions. For nonseparable real continuous signal, we prove the uniqueness theorems under some weaker conditions. In complex bandlimited and cardinal [Formula: see text]-spline spaces, uniqueness results are provided with magnitude-only STLCT.
A Comprehensive Survey on Deep Learning Techniques for Digital Video Forensics
Authors: Vigneshwaran T. , Velammal B. L.
Published: March 2024

With the help of advancements in connected technologies, social media and networking have made a wide open platform to share information via audio, video, text, etc. Due to the invention of smartphones, video contents are being manipulated day-by-day. Videos contain sensitive or personal information which are forged for one’s own self pleasures or threatening for money. Video falsification identification plays a most prominent role in case of digital forensics. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey on various problems in video falsification, deep learning models utilised for detecting the forgery. This survey provides a deep understanding of various algorithms implemented by various authors and their advantages, limitations thereby providing an insight for future researchers.
A study of mixed super quasi-Einstein manifolds with applications to general relativity
Authors: Vasiulla Mohd , Ali Mohabbat , Ünal İnan
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we explore a set of geometric properties of Mixed Super Quasi-Einstein (MSQE) manifolds and provide examples of both Riemannian and Lorentzian MSQE manifolds to demonstrate their existence. Furthermore, we examine MSQE spacetimes in the context of the space-matter tensor, discussing several related properties. Finally, we establish the existence of an MSQE spacetime through a nontrivial example.
Ideal categories of the normed algebra of finite rank bounded operators on a Hilbert space
Authors: Romeo P. G. , Anju A.
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we introduce the normal category [Formula: see text] [[Formula: see text]] of principal left [right] ideals of the normed algebra [Formula: see text] of all finite rank bounded operators on a Hilbert space [Formula: see text] and show that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are isomorphic using Hilbert space duality. We also prove that the semigroup of all normal cones in [Formula: see text] is isomorphic to the semigroup of all finite rank operators on [Formula: see text]. Further, we construct bounded normal cones in [Formula: see text] such that the set of all bounded normal cones in [Formula: see text] forms a normed algebra isomorphic to the normed algebra [Formula: see text].
Multi-teacher knowledge extraction for prostate cancer recognition in intelligent medical assistance systems
Authors: Li Linyuan , Zhang Qian , Liu Zhengqi , Xi Xinyi , Zhang Haonan , Nan Yahui , Tu Huijuan
Published: March 2024

Designing intelligent diagnosis of prostate diseases in intelligent medical assistance systems has gradually become a research hotspot. However, rectal ultrasound (TRUS) as the main diagnostic tool for prostate diseases remains a challenging issue. (1) Due to limited prostate TRUS imaging data, it is difficult to train a robust deep learning model. (2) In terms of visual features, ultrasound images of prostate cancer are similar to TRUS images of other tissues and organs, so it is difficult for a single neural network model to accurately learn the feature representation of the disease. To address the above problems, we first establish a high-quality dataset for prostate TRUS imaging, and then design multi teacher knowledge distillation to achieve accurate disease recognition. The experimental results show that, compared with knowledge distillation without a teacher model and a single teacher model, knowledge distillation using multiple teacher models can significantly improve the accuracy of prostate TRUS image cancer prediction. As the number of teacher models increases, the accuracy rate is further improved, which verifies the effectiveness of this method in intelligent systems.
Comparison of Risk Scores for Predicting Adverse Outcomes in Acute Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Authors: Li Chenyang , Linghu Enqiang , Chen Chao
Published: March 2024

Purpose. Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding (ALGIB) is a common emergency in gastroenterology. Currently, there is insufficient information to predict adverse outcomes in patients with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Our study is aimed at comparing the effectiveness of the clinical risk scores currently utilized and their ability to predict significant outcomes in lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods. We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients who were admitted to ALGIB and underwent colonoscopy or angiography at a single center between January 2018 and December 2022. Adverse outcomes associated with ALGIB included rebleeding, blood transfusion, hemostatic interventions, and in‐hospital death. We calculated six risk scores at admission (Oakland, Birmingham, SHA2PE, Ramaekers, SALGIB, and CNUH‐5). We measured the accuracy of these scores using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared them with DeLong’s test. Results. 123 patients with confirmed LGIB (aged 65 years, 55‐75) were finally included. The most common diagnoses were colorectal cancer (25%) and hemorrhoids (14%). All scores demonstrated sufficient and comparable effectiveness for hemostatic intervention but no discrimination for rebleeding. The Oakland and SALGIB scores were superior to the other scores in predicting blood transfusion (AUC: 0.97 and 0.95, respectively; p = 0.208) and any adverse outcomes (AUC: 0.78 and 0.78, respectively; p = 0.854). Conclusions. The Oakland and SALGIB scores outperform the other scores in predicting the requirement for blood transfusion in ALGIB patients, but no single prediction tool had the best ability across all outcomes. Novel risk stratification scores with higher performance are needed for better risk stratification in ALGIB.
Genome-Wide Investigation Reveals Potential Therapeutic Targets in Shigella spp.
Authors: Hossain Md. Arju , Al Amin Md. , Khan Md. Arif , Refat Md. Rashedur Rahman , Sohel Md , Rahman Md Habibur , Islam Ariful , Hoque M. Nazmul
Published: March 2024

Shigella stands as a major contributor to bacterial dysentery worldwide scale, particularly in developing countries with inadequate sanitation and hygiene. The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains exacerbates the challenge of treating Shigella infections, particularly in regions where access to healthcare and alternative antibiotics is limited. Therefore, investigations on how bacteria evade antibiotics and eventually develop resistance could open new avenues for research to develop novel therapeutics. The aim of this study was to analyze whole genome sequence (WGS) of human pathogenic Shigella spp. to elucidate the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their mechanism of resistance, gene-drug interactions, protein-protein interactions, and functional pathways to screen potential therapeutic candidate(s). We comprehensively analyzed 45 WGS of Shigella, including S. flexneri (n=17), S. dysenteriae (n=14), S. boydii (n=11), and S. sonnei (n=13), through different bioinformatics tools. Evolutionary phylogenetic analysis showed three distinct clades among the circulating strains of Shigella worldwide, with less genomic diversity. In this study, 2,146 ARGs were predicted in 45 genomes (average 47.69 ARGs/genome), of which only 91 ARGs were found to be shared across the genomes. Majority of these ARGs conferred their resistance through antibiotic efflux pump (51.0%) followed by antibiotic target alteration (23%) and antibiotic target replacement (18%). We identified 13 hub proteins, of which four proteins (e.g., tolC, acrR, mdtA, and gyrA) were detected as potential hub proteins to be associated with antibiotic efflux pump and target alteration mechanisms. These hub proteins were significantly (p<0.05) enriched in biological process, molecular function, and cellular components. Therefore, the finding of this study suggests that human pathogenic Shigella strains harbored a wide range of ARGs that confer resistance through antibiotic efflux pumps and antibiotic target modification mechanisms, which must be taken into account to devise and formulate treatment strategy against this pathogen. Moreover, the identified hub proteins could be exploited to design and develop novel therapeutics against MDR pathogens like Shigella.
An Elliptic Curve Menezes–Qu–Vanston-Based Authentication and Encryption Protocol for IoT
Authors: Chanda Susovan , Luhach Ashish Kr. , Francis J. Sharmila Anand , Sengupta Indranil , Roy Diptendu Sinha
Published: March 2024

The exponential growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to a surge in data generation, critical for business decisions. Ensuring data authenticity and integrity over unsecured channels is vital, especially due to potential catastrophic consequences of tampered data. However, IoT’s resource constraints and heterogeneous ecosystem present unique security challenges. Traditional public key infrastructure offers strong security but is resource intensive, while existing cloud-based solutions lack comprehensive security and rise to latency and unwanted wastage of energy. In this paper, we propose a universal authentication scheme using edge computing, incorporating fully hashed Elliptic Curve Menezes–Qu–Vanstone (ECMQV) and PUF. This approach provides a scalable and reliable solution. It also provides security against active attacks, addressing man-in-the-middle and impersonation threats. Experimental validation on a Zybo board confirms its effectiveness, offering a robust security solution for the IoT landscape.
Incidence of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes among Women Exposed to Maternal Near-Misses in Arsi Zone in Ethiopia: Prospective Cohort Study in 2022
Authors: Morka Wogene , Megersa Getu , Bekele Elias , Deksisa Abdi
Published: March 2024

Background. Exposure to maternal near-misses has a massive effect on adverse perinatal outcomes. Hence, investigating the effect of maternal near-misses on perinatal outcomes can aid in the reduction of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The study is aimed at assessing the incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes among women exposed to maternal near-misses at Arsi Zone public hospitals in Ethiopia in 2022. Method. The study included a prospective cohort of 335 women at Arsi Zone public hospitals from December 2021 to June 2022. Women who were admitted for management of pregnancy were followed. The exposed group was women with maternal near-misses screened based on disease-validated criteria. The nonexposed group was made up of women who delivered without complications. Trained data collectors used pretested, structured questionnaires to collect data from women. Pertinent data was also extracted from the clients’ logbooks. Data was transferred from EpiData version 3.1 to SPSS version 25 for analysis, logistic regression was computed, and 95% confidence intervals were declared at apvalue of 5% significance level. Result. The incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes was higher in the exposed women than in the nonexposed women (56% versus 16%). Contrasted with the nonexposed, women exposed to maternal near-misses had a higher incidence of stillbirth (22% vs. 0.5%), low birth weight (13% vs. 3%), and preterm birth (12% vs. 2%). After adjusting for confounders, exposed women had a twofold increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes compared to nonexposed women. Delivery mode, delay in seeking care, transport mode, and delay in receiving treatment were the risk factors for negative pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion. In exposed women, a higher incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes was linked to aforementioned risk factors. Evidence-based practice intended to decrease delays in providing maternal care services does indeed improve perinatal outcomes.