bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation of negative emotion, fatigue level and internet addiction in college students: implication for coping strategies
Authors: Gu Shanshan , Min Xue , Xu Jing , Chen Shu
Published: April 2024

Background

Internet addiction has an important influence on the development of physical and mental health of college students. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current status and the correlation between college students’ negative emotion, fatigue level and Internet addiction disorder, and to provide reference for the care and management of college students.

Methods

We conducted a questionnaire survey on a cluster sample of college students from October to November 15, 2022. Internet addiction scale, fatigue assessment scale and positive and negative emotion scale were used for survey. Pearson correlation analysis and mediating effect test were performed to analyze the correlation and effects.

Results

A total of 1546 valid questionnaires were collected. The incidence of internet addiction in college student was 20.38%. The total score of internet addiction was 52.94 ± 12.47, the total fatigue score was 69.27 ± 3.19, the score of positive emotion of college students was 31. 41 ± 5.09, and the negative emotion score was 18.54 ± 5.68. The total score of internet addiction were positively correlated with score of negative emotion (all P < 0. 05). The total score of internet addiction scale of college students were positively correlated and each factor score of with the score of fatigue severity (all P < 0. 05). Fatigue played an intermediary role in the prediction of negative emotion and internet addiction of college students, with an intermediary role of-0.433, accounting for 76.35% of the total effect.

Conclusion

The college students’ positive emotion may be strengthened to reduce their fatigue level and negative emotion so as to reduce internet addiction.
Cannabis use and dependence among festival attendees: results from the French OCTOPUS survey
Authors: Chaaban Sarah , Istvan Marion , Schreck Benoit , Laigo Pauline , Rousselet Morgane , Grall-Bronnec Marie , Pain Stéphanie , Victorri-Vigneau Caroline
Published: April 2024

Background

Chronic use of cannabis is associated with an increased risk of psychosocial, mental and physical health impairments. Sociohealth institutions reach a very limited proportion of cannabis users in need of treatment. Using data collected from festival attendees, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dependent cannabis users and to characterize cannabis dependence.

Methods

We used data from the cross-sectional OCTOPUS survey carried out at 13 music events in the French department of Loire-Atlantique between July 2017 and July 2018. 383 participants aged 18 or older underwent a face-to-face interview about their basic sociodemographics, tobacco use, alcohol use and past-year substance use. Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) criteria, we estimated the prevalence of dependent cannabis users and characterized their dependence.

Results

More than two-thirds of participants reported that they had used cannabis in the past 12 months. Among 194 regular cannabis users (at least monthly), 63.4% were dependent. At least 40% of regular users reported health and/or social consequences of cannabis use. Compared to nondependent cannabis users, dependent cannabis users were more likely to be stimulant users and hallucinogen users.

Conclusions

Dependent cannabis use is common among festival attendees, especially among stimulant or hallucinogen users. Festival settings may be important arenas for i) implementing efficient harm reduction measures to prevent dependence and ii) providing information on care structures and promoting the use of care to dependent users. In addition, healthcare professionals should be aware of trends in polysubstance use among dependent cannabis users.
Modelling spatiotemporal variation in under-five malaria risk in Ghana in 2016–2021
Authors: Aheto Justice Moses K. , Menezes Lynette J. , Takramah Wisdom , Cui Liwang
Published: April 2024

Background

Ghana is among the top 10 highest malaria burden countries, with about 20,000 children dying annually, 25% of which were under five years. This study aimed to produce interactive web-based disease spatial maps and identify the high-burden malaria districts in Ghana.

Methods

The study used 2016–2021 data extracted from the routine health service nationally representative and comprehensive District Health Information Management System II (DHIMS2) implemented by the Ghana Health Service. Bayesian geospatial modelling and interactive web-based spatial disease mapping methods were employed to quantify spatial variations and clustering in malaria risk across 260 districts. For each district, the study simultaneously mapped the observed malaria counts, district name, standardized incidence rate, and predicted relative risk and their associated standard errors using interactive web-based visualization methods.

Results

A total of 32,659,240 malaria cases were reported among children < 5 years from 2016 to 2021. For every 10% increase in the number of children, malaria risk increased by 0.039 (log-mean 0.95, 95% credible interval = − 13.82–15.73) and for every 10% increase in the number of males, malaria risk decreased by 0.075, albeit not statistically significant (log-mean − 1.82, 95% credible interval = − 16.59–12.95). The study found substantial spatial and temporal differences in malaria risk across the 260 districts. The predicted national relative risk was 1.25 (95% credible interval = 1.23, 1.27). The malaria risk is relatively the same over the entire year. However, a slightly higher relative risk was recorded in 2019 while in 2021, residing in Keta, Abuakwa South, Jomoro, Ahafo Ano South East, Tain, Nanumba North, and Tatale Sanguli districts was associated with the highest malaria risk ranging from a relative risk of 3.00 to 4.83. The district-level spatial patterns of malaria risks changed over time.

Conclusion

This study identified high malaria risk districts in Ghana where urgent and targeted control efforts are required. Noticeable changes were also observed in malaria risk for certain districts over some periods in the study. The findings provide an effective, actionable tool to arm policymakers and programme managers in their efforts to reduce malaria risk and its associated morbidity and mortality in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.2 for limited public health resource settings, where universal intervention across all districts is practically impossible.
Inverse source problem for the pseudoparabolic equation associated with the Jacobi operator
Authors: Bekbolat Bayan , Tokmagambetov Niyaz
Published: April 2024

In this paper, we investigate direct and inverse problems for time-fractional pseudoparabolic equations associated with the Jacobi operator. The existence and uniqueness of the solutions are proven. Also, the stability result of the inverse source problem (ISP) is established.
Structure and immunostimulating activity of polysaccharides derived from the roots and leaves of dandelion
Authors: Qiao Qinggang , Song Xianzhang , Zhang Cheng , Jiang Chengxi , Jiang Runshen
Published: April 2024

Two polysaccharides were obtained from dandelion roots (DPR) and dandelion leaves (DPL) via water extraction and ethanol precipitation. Both DPR and DPL were an acid heteropolysaccharide, with a molecular weight of 5.89 × 104 and 28.2 × 104 Da, respectively. Monosaccharide composition results showed that both DPR and DPL contained Man, Glc, Rha, GalA, Glc, Gal, and Ara with a molar ratios of 2.98:1.00:3.67:6.41:2.98:16.70:2.48 and 1.23:1.00:1.06:5.74:2.88:8.59:1.84, respectively. Methylation and NMR analysis showed DPR and DPL, with triple-helix conformations, were mainly composed of 4-ɑ-Galp and 4-ɑ-GalAp, terminated with t-ɑ-Araf, t-ɑ-Rhap, t-ɑ-Glcp and t-ɑ-Manp. DPL showed an immunoprotective effect in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced black-bone silky chickens by improving chicken growth performance, increasing the spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius indices, and promoting blood lymphocyte proliferation, the secretion of cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, and INF-γ) and serum immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM) levels in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the oxidative stress damage in immunosuppressed chickens was significantly reformed after DPL treatment. These findings provide useful information on the potential for application of dandelion polysaccharides as natural nutrients to enhance chicken immune and antioxidant functions.

Graphical Abstract
Contraceptive use and method mix dynamics in Sub-saharan Africa: time trends and the influence of the HIV pandemic
Authors: Bawah Ayaga A. , Kyei Pearl S. , Agyei-Asabere Charles
Published: April 2024

Background

Contraceptive use dynamics continue to be of priority in sub-Saharan Africa because of persistently high levels of fertility. This paper focuses on the use of barrier versus non-barrier contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa hypothesizing that the HIV pandemic in the region would be responsible for increases in the use of barrier methods over time.

Methods

This paper uses Demographic and Heath Survey (DHS) data from 32 countries to conduct extensive analysis of trends in contraceptive use and method mix that refers to the distribution of contraceptive methods use among the sexually active population. The paper examines how contraceptive method mix dynamics have changed over time and whether the trends differ by marital status and gender using cross-tabulations. It furthers examines the determinants of method choice using logistic regressions.

Results

The findings indicate that the use of barrier methods, most markedly for unmarried women and men, rose substantially between the late 1980s and late 2000s in the region in tandem with trends in HIV prevalence. The results further show marked differences in method mix by gender with men being more likely to report barrier method use than women.

Conclusions

The findings indicate shifting preferences in contraceptive choice. The time trend analyses highlight the importance of expanding the focus of contraceptive use studies beyond women in this context as the study finds differing trends for men.

Graphical Abstract
Osteoinductive effect of the nanoparticulate form of Cissus quadrangularis ethanolic extract on implant surface in experimental animals
Authors: Prabhu Shilpa S. , Aparna I. N. , Mutalik Srinivas , Khan Saleemulla , Kamath Shobha , Radhakrishnan Raghu , Balakrishnan Dhanasekar , Shreya Ajjappla B. , Durgekar Tejal D.
Published: April 2024

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of nanoparticles (NPs) of a plant extract on implant osseointegration in vivo. NPs of the Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) extract were synthesized. Twenty Wistar rats were included in the study. The test group (n = 5) had NPs-incorporated, the control group (n = 5) had no incorporation of NPs, and the sham group (n = 5) did not have implants placed. The toxicity profile of NPs was carried out by biochemical analysis before and after the implant placement. The rate of integration was assessed using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), Digital X-ray, histology, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at intervals of 2, 4, and 6 weeks. Statistical significance between the groups was determined by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (p < 0.05) and the differences were uncovered with post hoc Tukey’s test.

Results

Radiographs showed that the bone density around implants with NPs was considerably higher than those without NPs. The osteoid seam along the implant surface was found to be considerably higher in the test group. A noteworthy increase was observed in the bone formation around the implants in bone samples belonging to the test group. Comparing the values at different time intervals, the highest serum Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was noted in the test group after six weeks and the lowest serum Acid phosphatase (ACP) activity was documented in the test group after 6 weeks.

Conclusion

The test group samples exhibited an osseointegration rate of less than 2 weeks thus demonstrating CQ NPs to be a potent osteoinductive agent.

Graphical abstract
Ένα ημι-περιοδικό πρόβλημα αρχικών τιμών για την εξίσωση Kadomtsev-Petviashvili II
Authors: Καλαμβόκας Πέτρος
Published: April 2024

Στην παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή θεωρούμε το πρόβλημα Cauchy στον κύλινδρο (S^1 x R) για την μη γραμμική μερική διαφορική εξίσωση Kadomtsev-Petviashvili II, με μία χρονική (t) και δύο χωρικές (x, y) ανεξάρτητες μεταβλητές, με περιοδικότητα στην x διεύθυνση και ελάττωση στο μηδέν στην y διεύθυνση. Λόγω της ύπαρξης ζεύγους Lax γίνεται χρήση της μεθόδου αντίστροφου φασματικού μετασχηματισμού. Για αρχικά δεδομένα με μικρές L^1 και L^2 νόρμες - υποθέτοντας και τη συνθήκη μηδενικής μάζας - το πρόβλημα αρχικών τιμών ανάγεται σε ένα πρόβλημα Riemann-Hilbert με μετατόπιση, στο σύνορο συγκεκριμένων άπειρων λωρίδων στο μιγαδικό επίπεδο της φασματικής παραμέτρου. Τα φασματικά προβλήματα, ευθύ και αντίστροφο, επιλύονται αυστηρά και αποδεικνύουμε ότι το πρόβλημα αρχικών τιμών έχει μοναδική λύση στον χώρο L^2(S^1 x R) για κάθε t μη αρνητικό, ομοιόμορφα φραγμένη για κάθε t, με την υπόθεση ότι τα αρχικά δεδομένα έχουν μικρές παραγώγους μέχρι και 8ης τάξης στους χώρους L^1(S^1 x R) και L^2(S^1 x R).
Modern Trends in Measuring the Financial Performance of an Organization
Authors: Shmarova L. , Pilevina E.
Published: April 2024

The work is devoted to the formation of indicators of the financial performance of an organization and their use for analytical purposes. It examines methods for generating the Financial Results Report and analyzes approaches to the formation of profit indicators in Russian and foreign accounting practice (in accordance with Russian Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards). In addition, in the practical activities of analysts, additional indicators for assessing financial performance are widespread, which are also reflected in this article. As a result of the analysis, the authors concluded that indicators reflecting the financial results of organizations are incomparable. This fact makes a necessity to develop a single, unified system of profit indicators or analytical purposes.
Financial Analysis of the Probability of Insolvency of a Corporation
Authors: Dyevyatkin O. , Zaharov Igor'
Published: April 2024

Financial condition is the most important characteristic of the economic activity of business entities. Therefor in domestic theory and practice there is a search for methods and models that make it possible to predict the bankruptcy of organizations with sufficient accuracy. The article discusses the methods used in the practice of economic entities of the Russian Federation for assessing the likelihood of bankruptcy. As an innovation, an innovative crisis management mechanism is proposed — an autogenic crisis and its practical tool based on stress testing of enterprises in the real sector of the economy. To effectively manage crisis situations, it is recommended to develop a Federal Auditing Standard with a unified set of indicators that allow assessing the likelihood of insolvency (bankruptcy) of the audited organizations. In addition to financial indicators, it is proposed to include in the set of such indicators reflecting the operational and investment activities of business entities.
Fluid Theodicy
Authors: Angel Hans-Ferdinand
Published: April 2024

The term theodicy was coined by the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) and is inherent in the question of how evil can exist if an intrinsically good God guides everything. The publication of this oeuvre initiated intense philosophical and theological discourse in the subsequent centuries, during which many issues that bare upon human well-being were articulated. Also, Leibniz’s rational approach to the relationship between God and evil raised a number of issues related to the topic of belief. This topic has entangled discourses on theodicy with a long-lasting debate on beliefs, which goes back to Antiquity. Recently, a paradigm-shift shed new light on the understanding of belief. Science has begun to address the neurophysiological mechanisms of the processes that underpin belief formation, modulation, and change. The term credition was coined in order to capture and reflect this new and innovative understanding of the fluidity of beliefs and believing. This paper presents various features of a pattern of interrelationships between well-being, theodicy, and credition.
Data-Driven Mergers
Authors: de Cornière Alexandre , Taylor Greg
Published: April 2024

We study mergers between firms operating in data-connected markets: the data generated as a byproduct of the activity in market A can be used by firms operating in market B. The effects of such a merger depend on whether data trade among independent firms is possible and whether data use benefits consumers or leads to more surplus extraction. When data increases product B’s quality, the merger benefits consumers in both markets if data cannot be traded absent the merger and harms them otherwise. When data are used to extract consumer surplus in market B, the merger increases consumer surplus in market A and reduces it in market B.

This paper was accepted by Joshua Gans, business strategy.

Funding: This work was supported by Agence Nationale de la Recherche [Grant ANR-17-EURE-0010] (Investissements d’Avenir program) to A. de Cornière; Oxford Internet Institute’s Research Programme on AI, Government, and Policy, funded by the Dieter Schwarz Stiftung gGmbH to G. Taylor; and TSE Digital Center.
Studies on the Performance of a Sugarcane Extractor with an Auxiliary Centrifugal Fan
Authors: Li Wenzhi , Ma Shaochun , Qian Jun , Li Weiqing , Zhou Baocheng , Li Lingfeng
Published: April 2024

Highlights

Theoretically derive the suspension velocity and verifies the accuracy of the calculation formula through experiments.

Establish the motion equation to simulate the motion state of sugarcane materials under different initial conditions.

Conduct orthogonal experimental tests to investigate the effects of centrifugal fan airflow velocity, centrifugal fan airflow inclination angle, and axial flow fan speed on loss rate and impurity rate, and determines the optimal parameter combination.

Conduct comparative experiments to further demonstrate the advantages of adding a centrifugal fan to the original impurity removal device.

Abstract.
In response to the high cane losses and impurity rates during the harvesting process of chopper harvesters, a centrifugal fan was added to the original impurity removal device to investigate its effect on impurity removal efficiency. The study first derives and verifies the formula for calculating the suspension velocity of materials. Secondly, based on kinematic analysis, the impurity removal process of materials in the cleaning room was analyzed. The differential equations of motion for materials were established and trajectory simulation was carried out to analyze the influence of different factors on material trajectory; Thirdly, the single-factor test and orthogonal combination test were used to investigate the effects of inclined airflow velocity, inclined airflow angle, and axial fan speed on the cane losses and impurity rate. Regression equations of impurity rate and cane losses with inclined airflow speed, inclined airflow angle and axial fan speed were constructed, and the optimal combination of parameters was determined. The optimal parameter combination is an airflow inclination angle of 53°, inclined airflow velocity of 6.45 m s-1, and an axial fan speed of 1580 revolutions per minute (rpm). Finally, a series of experiments were conducted based on the optimized parameter combinations. The experimental results indicate that, under the same feeding rate, the loss rate of the new impurity removal device was 1.83%, and the impurity content was 6.45%, which was a 25.8% decrease in impurity rate compared to the original impurity removal device; Under the condition of maintaining the same impurity rate (6.45%), the cane losses of the original impurity removal device is 57.9% higher than that of the new impurity removal device. The analysis indicates that applying centrifugal fan to the original impurity removal device can effectively improve the performance of the impurity removal device, significantly reducing the cane losses while ensuring the impurity rate meets the standard. Keywords: Cane losses, Centrifugal fan, Impurity rate, Optimization, Orthogonal test, Sugarcane extractor.
Using a Model to Compare Cooling System Design Factors For Lactating Cows
Authors: Janni Kevin A. , Cortus Erin L.
Published: April 2024

Highlights

Cow mass, milk yield, solar load, air velocity, dry-bulb and dew-point temperature impact lactating cow respiration rates.

Modeled respiration rates align with published studies dealing with milk yield, solar load, and evaporative cooling.

The model can be used to assess cooling systems for conditions that might be difficult to capture in field measurements.

Abstract. The risk of lactating cows experiencing heat stress is increasing because of increased productivity. A steady-state process-based model described by Nelson and Janni (2023) and assessed by Janni et al. (2023) was used to compare additional combinations of environmental conditions (e.g., air dry-bulb and dew-point temperatures, air velocity, solar load) and lactating cow characteristics (e.g., body mass and daily milk yield) on modeled respiration rate. Respiration rate was linked to qualitative heat stress levels, based on work by Renaudeau et al. (2012). The model demonstrates how cows with greater body mass have larger inspired volumes of respired air (i.e., liters per minute) because they have larger tidal volumes (i.e., liters per breath) while they have lower respiration rates (i.e., breaths per minute) compared to cows with smaller body masses. The modeled results support previous studies that demonstrated heat stress increases with greater daily milk yields, solar load, and air dry-bulb and dew-point temperatures. The model finds conditions where increasing air velocity at cow level can help cows reduce heat stress levels due to solar load, and high air dry-bulb and dew-point temperatures. A comparison to a field study demonstrates the need to align field data collection and model input needs to explore the actual or potential impacts of mitigation methods like shade, evaporative cooling, and air velocity (i.e., via fans). This report demonstrates how the model can be used by engineers to investigate the impact of ventilation system designs on respiration rates using current and future technologies. Keywords: Air velocity, Cow mass, Dairy, Dew-point temperature, Dry-bulb temperature, Heat stress, Milk yield, Respiration rate, Solar load.
Testing the Baumol Cost Disease Hypothesis in the Health Sector of Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ekpenyong Imoh
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT: This paper takes a closer look at the well-researched topic of the determinants of health expenditure. However, as an improvement over previous studies, the current study tested the cost disease hypothesis in the healthcare sector in sub–Saharan Africa to assess the sector’s productivity. The cross-sectional units in the current study comprise forty-eight sub-Saharan African countries; spanning the period 2000 to 2020. The data was sourced from two main sources; namely, World Development Indicators and the ILOSTAT . The main variable of interest ( Baumol variable) was constructed using a combination of various variables. The methodology relied on several econometric techniques i.e., fixed effect, random effects and two-stage least square estimations. The growth rate of gross fixed capital formation was used to control for the potential reverse causation between the growth rate of health expenditure per capita and the Baumol variable. Based on the empirical results from the various estimations, it appears that there is some evidence of the presence of the cost disease in the healthcare sector of sub–Saharan Africa. This effect became stronger when the endogeneity in the model was taken into consideration. However, this effect became greatly diminished after the growth rate of GDP per capita and the growth of the price level were introduced in the model. The statistical significance of the growth rate of these variables reinforces their important roles in the determination of the levels and growth in health expenditure. The confirmation of the basic Baumol model in determining the growth of health expenditure suggests that the growth of health expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa might be a result of health workers’ wages outstripping productivity in the sector. This suggests that the inelastic nature of the demand for health care is the main driver of the growth of health expenditure; thus might not be reflected in improved health care. Furthermore, policymakers need to consider changes in the price level as it may deflate the real value of the budgetary amount.
Consumer Food Safety Awareness and Demand for Fluid Milk: A Case Study from India
Authors: Kumar Anjani , Mishra Ashok K , Sonkar Vinay K , Roy Devesh
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT: Despite significant improvements in consumers’ food safety awareness, the literature provides little or no evidence of the impact of food safety awareness on the quantity of fluid milk consumers purchased. This is especially true for India’s consumers, where the economy is changing rapidly regarding food marketing, incomes, urbanization, and increased demand for food safety.The study is based on primary data from a survey of consumers from urban and peri-urban districts in India. The survey collected information on socioeconomic characteristics, dairy consumption, purchasing patterns, and food safety awareness. This study first creates a food safety awareness (FSA) index to measure consumers’ awareness of food safety attitudes and perceptions. It investigates the factors affecting consumers’ food safety awareness and FSA’s impact on fluid milk demand. The study uses a newly developed impact evaluation method, continuous treatment matching estimation, and dose-response functions (DRFs) to assess the impact of FSA on consumers’ fluid milk purchases. Findings show that educational attainment, sources of information on food safety, age, and gender of the head of the household significantly influenced consumers’ food safety awareness. Further, the study finds that food safety awareness positively impacts the demand for fluid milk. After controlling for milk prices and family income, Indian consumers aware of and adopt seven or more food safety habits or practices are likely to demand more fluid milk. Results are robust to specifications, income levels, and the location of households. The link between food safety awareness and the quantity of milk purchased implies a latent consumer demand for food safety. Any consumer awareness programs and policies supporting milk and its products’ hygienic production will likely increase demand for milk and dairy products. At a policy level, credible systems can be put in place for food certification and labeling, which enhance the availability of safe and hygienic food.
Pandemic Storytelling from the Heart of the Bronx
Authors: Socas John
Published: April 2024

Abstract: This study describes how digital storytelling was used as a pedagogic tool during Covid-19 that greatly affected the lives of students at an urban community college. As a teaching and learning tool, digital storytelling was used to build agency, identity, and community as well as advanced communication and technological skills. This study examines the creation and compilation of multimodal digital video stories and highlights the reactions of students to the pandemic and provides an opportunity for them to share their stories with a larger community. The digital video stories demonstrate technology’s significant impact, as devices like smartphones allowed connectivity and democratized access to a wide range of pedagogical opportunities. The study elucidates the need for a revamped higher education curriculum that offers more programs that allow students of color to collaborate with teachers using digital storytelling for learning and development, to see themselves as active participants in their learning, and to make their voices heard.
Comparative characteristics of oat doubled haploids and oat × maize addition lines: Anatomical features of the leaves, chlorophyll a fluorescence and yield parameters
Authors: Warchoł Marzena , Juzoń-Sikora Katarzyna , Rančić Dragana , Pećinar Ilinka , Warzecha Tomasz , Idziak-Helmcke Dominika , Laskoś Kamila , Czyczyło-Mysza Ilona , Dziurka Kinga , Skrzypek Edyta
Published: April 2024

As a result of oat (Avena sativa L.) × maize (Zea mays L.) crossing, maize chromosomes may not be completely eliminated at the early stages of embryogenesis, leading to the oat × maize addition (OMA) lines development. Introgression of maize chromosomes into oat genome can cause morphological and physiological modifications. The aim of the research was to evaluate the leaves’ anatomy, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and yield parameter of oat doubled haploid (DH) and OMA lines obtained by oat × maize crossing. The present study examined two DH and two disomic OMA lines and revealed that they differ significantly in the majority of studied traits, apart from: the number of cells of the outer bundle sheath; light energy absorption; excitation energy trapped in PSII reaction centers; and energy dissipated from PSII. The OMA II line was characterized by larger size of single cells in the outer bundle sheath and greater number of seeds per plant among tested lines.
Correlation between estimated pulse wave velocity values from two equations in healthy and under cardiovascular risk populations
Authors: Silva Marco Av , Oliveira Ana Ps De , Queiroz Ana Cs , Spaziani Amanda O. , Fernandes Leticia Ab , De Oliveira Kleber A. , Lopes Valquiria Da S. , Landim Manoel P. , Cosenso-Martin Luciana N. , Vilela-Martin Jose F.
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Equations can calculate pulse wave velocity (ePWV) from blood pressure values (BP) and age. The ePWV predicts cardiovascular events beyond carotid-femoral PWV. We aimed to evaluate the correlation between four different equations to calculate ePWV.

Methods

The ePWV was estimated utilizing mean BP (MBP) from office BP (MBPOBP) or 24-hour ambulatory BP (MBP24-hBP). We separated the whole sample into two groups: individuals with risk factors and healthy individuals. The e-PWV was calculated as follows:

e1−PWV=9.58748315543126−0.402467539733184*age+4.56020798207263*10−3*age2−2.6207705511664*10−5*age2*MBP+3.1762450559276*10−3*age*MBP−1.83215068503821*10−2*MBP

e2−PWV=4.62−0.13*age+0.0018*age2+0.0006*age*MBP+0.0284*MBP

We calculated the concordance correlation coefficient (Pc) between e1-PWVOBP vs e2-PWVOBP, e1-PWV24-hBP vs e2-PWV24-hBP, and mean values of e1-PWVOBP, e2-PWVOBP, e1-PWV24-hBP and e2-PWV24-hBP. The multilevel regression model determined how much the ePWVs are influenced by age and MBP values.

Results

We analyzed data from 1541 individuals; 1374 ones with risk factors and 167 healthy ones. The values are presented for the entire sample, for risk-factor patients and for healthy individuals respectively. The correlation between e1-PWVOBP with e2-PWVOBP and e1-PWV24-hBP with e2-PWV24-hBP was almost perfect. The Pc for e1-PWVOBP vs e2-PWVOBP was 0.996 (0.995–0.996), 0.996 (0.995–0.996), and 0.994 (0.992–0.995); furthermore, it was 0.994 (0.993–0.995), 0.994 (0.994–0.995), 0.987 (0.983–0.990) to the e1-PWV24-hBP vs e2-PWV24-hBP. There were no significant differences between mean values (m/s) for e1-PWVOBP vs e2-PWVOBP 8.98±1.9 vs 8.97±1.8; p = 0.88, 9.14±1.8 vs 9.13±1.8; p = 0.88, and 7.57±1.3 vs 7.65±1.3; p = 0.5; mean values are also similar for e1-PWV24-hBP vs e2-PWV24-hBP, 8.36±1.7 vs 8.46±1.6; p = 0.09, 8.50±1.7 vs 8.58±1.7; p = 0.21 and 7.26±1.3 vs 7.39±1.2; p = 0.34. The multiple linear regression showed that age, MBP, and age2 predicted more than 99.5% of all four e-PWV.

Conclusion

Our data presents a nearly perfect correlation between the values of two equations to calculate the estimated PWV, whether utilizing office or ambulatory blood pressure.
Measuring the communicative constitution of organization as network formation
Authors: Schwing Kyle Michael , Pitt Jonathan
Published: April 2024

We propose a set of metrics, based upon the four flows theory of the communicative constitution of organizations, to evaluate the emergence of organization in a social network. Using an agent-based model (ABM), we validate that our metrics chart the evolution of partial organizations as the population progresses from complete dissociation to unified allegiance. Our metrics allow the evaluation of organizational strength much more efficiently than previous, context-specific methods. The simulation produces other results consistent with human society, such as stable heterogeneity of structures and organizational figureheads, further validating our results. The ABM of emergent organization incorporates only widely-observed cognitive behaviors and the recognition by agents of group membership, without any cooperation among the agents. The four flows are produced solely by agents biasing their limited communication resources in favor of allies. While reaffirming the centrality of communication patterns to organization, we thus also challenge the minimal conditions required to produce organizing behavior and complex social structures.
Biomonitoring of benzophenones in guano samples of wild bats in Poland
Authors: Gonkowski Slawomir , Martín Julia , Aparicio Irene , Santos Juan Luis , Alonso Esteban , Pomianowski Andrzej , Könyves László , Rytel Liliana
Published: April 2024

Benzophenones (BPs) are substances used in the production of sunscreens, cosmetics, and personal care products. However, there is a lack of knowledge of BPs in wild animals. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the concentration of selected BPs commonly used in the cosmetic industry in guano samples collected from 4 colonies of greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis). Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine guano concentrations of benzophenone 1 (BP-1), benzophenone 2 (BP-2), benzophenone 3 (BP-3) and benzophenone 8 (BP-8). BP-1 levels above the method quantification limit (MQL) were noted in 97.5% of samples and fluctuated from <0.1 ng/g to 259 ng/g (mean 41.50 ng/g, median 34.8). The second most common was BP-3, which fluctuated from <0.1 ng/g to 19 ng/g (mean 6.67 ng/g, median 5.05), and its levels higher than MQL were observed in 40% of samples. BP-2 and BP-8 concentrations did not exceed the method detection limit (0.04 ng/g) in any analyzed sample. There were visible differences in the BP-1 and BP-3 levels among the studied bat colonies. Mean BP-1 concentration fluctuated from 11.23±13.13 ng/g to 76.71±65.51 ng/g and differed significantly between the colonies. Mean BP-3 concentration fluctuated from 5.03±6.03 ng/g to 9.18±7.65 mg/g, but it did not differ significantly between the colonies. The results show that guano is a suitable matrix for the assessment of wildlife exposure to BPs. This could be particularly advantageous in protected species, where not disturbing and stressing the animals are crucial.
The responsibility to protect and its limits: Transnational intervention in The Honourable Woman
Authors: Pagnoni Berns Fernando Gabriel , Vazquez Patricia
Published: April 2024

The horrors of September 11, 2001 gave us two powerful notions: international terrorism as a form of foreign intervention, on one hand, and the phrase ‘responsibility to protect’, on the other. But ‘responsibility to protect’ is a slippery ethical notion that can easily fall into interventionism, the latter linked with forms of terrorism. Thus, it is not by chance that TV shows and films revolving around important, powerful CEO decisions impacting upon the entire world have flourished like never before since September 11. One of the most important shows about global responsibility and shadowy conspiracies has been The Honourable Woman (2014), which revolves about a woman and a company trying their best to ensure global betterment. However, as a British miniseries, it cannot escape the implicit topic of intervention. The conspiracy here illustrates current fears about global interventionism and the state responsibility to protect: the possibility of the latter as a mere excuse for personal gain. Behind the façade of ‘responsibility to protect’ lies the possibility of a global conspiracy to only want to augment capitalist power.
Stigmatizing female success: The affective economies of leftover women in popular television dramas in China
Authors: Ip Penn Tsz Ting , Xu Jun , Shan Shilian , Kuo Liangwen
Published: April 2024

This article sheds light on the media representations of successful women using the theorization of affective economies. We focus on four female characters in three popular television series: Andy in Ode to Joy (2016–17), Su Mingyu in All Is Well (2019) and Luo Zijun and Tang Jing in The First Half of My Life (2017). First, we begin by using television content analysis to examine the ways women are subjected to the paradoxical cultural values that stigmatize unmarried women as shengnü (‘leftover women’) while promoting the neo-liberal ideal of duli nüxing (‘independent women’). Second, to explore the affective economies of successful women and how feelings and cultural values are circulated among the female audience, we conduct an in-depth analysis of interviews with 21 female viewers in China. Third, we employ feminist critical discourse analysis to examine how these popular television dramas reflect changing gender norms in China, where new types of relationships are now deemed acceptable. We argue that these series have represented changing gender norms that successful women can achieve happiness by securing a ‘carefree’ romantic relationship, replacing marriage as the new happy ending.
Beaf:BD – A Blockchain Enabled Authentication Framework for Big Data
Authors: Gupta Manish Kumar , Dwivedi Rajendra Kumar
Published: April 2024

The widespread utilization of Internet-based applications in our daily routines has resulted in enormous amounts of data being generated every minute. This data is not only produced by humans but also by various machines such as sensors, satellites, CCTV, etc. For many organizations, Apache Hadoop is the solution for handling big data. Big data refers to the extensive set of dissimilar data that can be processed to derive meaningful insights. For its security needs, Hadoop relies on trusted third-party security providers such as Kerberos. Kerberos has several security vulnerabilities. The focus of this paper is to eliminate security issues, particularly dictionary attacks and single points of failure, by proposing a model based on blockchain technology and threshold cryptography.In comparison to other existing schemes, the proposed approach offers superior computational overhead and storage requirements while maintaining the system's security level.
Explainable Heart Disease Diagnosis with Supervised Learning Methods
Authors: Assegie Tsehay Admassu , Sushma S. J. , Mamanazarovna Shonazarova Shakhnoza
Published: April 2024

The objective of this study is to develop a heart disease diagnosis model with a supervised machine learning algorithm. To that end, random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes (NB), and extreme boosting (XGBoost) are employed in a medical heart disease dataset to develop a model for heart disease prediction. The performance of the algorithms is investigated and compared for automation of heart disease diagnosis. The best model is selected, and a grid search is applied to improve model performance. The simulation result shows that the XGBoost model outperforms the others, achieving 99.10% accuracy, and receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC score=0.99) compared to RF, SVM, and NB on heart disease detection. Finally, the obtained result is interpreted with Shapley additive model explanation (SHAP) to investigate the effect of each feature on the diagnosis of heart disease. A case study on heart disease diagnosis shows an important insight into the impact of the feature on the diagnosis performance of the supervised learning method. The developed model had an expressively higher prediction accuracy, indicating the utility of supervised learning systems in detecting heart disease in the early stages.
Combating Climate Change through Smart Innovations - Examination of smart city concept in light of sustainability
Authors:   , Fekete Krisztina Anna
Published: April 2024

While the Earth’s resources and capability are at its limits, while large part of the society is suffering from hardship, the other part is responsible for overconsumption, enormous waste generation. Pollution combined with self-centred human attitude led to the most crucial situation in our century of crises, Climate Change. It is currently one of the most urgent global problems, which are interconnected, complex and it has environmental, economic, social, and technological perspectives. While cities represent most of the population, the biggest greenhouse gas (GHGs) emitter, they use arable land for urban purposes, and they are the centre of services and production. Accordingly, cities were seen as excellent testing-grounds to put smart solutions in a new prospective and examine whether they could be or has been adapted into sustainable climate change combat by increasing the efficiency of mitigation and adaptation processes. For that reason, it will be investigated whether the focus of smart (city) solutions is either primarily environmental (smart-sustainable), or the focus is economic efficiency, but its use is more complex, which enhance sustainability. Based on this aim, the dissertation uses inductive approach, which is applied by using qualitative, explorative methodology such as semi-structured interviews (N=17) with content analysis to define the city level efficiency of the solutions, the driven factors within the decisions, and non-probability sampling methods during the questionary (N=550) to specify smart ability to increase climate awareness at the level of individuals. The research findings confirmed that, however the economic efficiency still dominate the development decisions, the environmental aspect is increasingly important mostly in the fields of mobility, energy usage and heating through the more complex, sustainable, resilient applied approaches in the implementation processes. In addition, there is a shrinking knowledge gap between the ‘investors’ (final users) and the providers of smart solutions, and the relevance of the sensitization and education of the population has become more important. Finally, through the survey, interviews and research, existing smart solutions have been collected within the six sectors of smart city to contribute to the educational purposes.
Análise dos fatores-chave de sucesso para a mitigação de riscos operacionais em cadeia de suprimentos no contexto omnichannel
Authors: Delfim Leonardo Melo , Leite Maria Silene Alexandre
Published: April 2024

As cadeias de suprimentos enfrentam diversos desafios, como a complexidade da gestão de fornecedores, a incerteza da demanda e os riscos operacionais, que podem afetar sua eficiência e eficácia. Diante desse contexto, a estratégia omnichannel surge como uma forma de integrar canais de venda e comunicação para proporcionar uma experiência de interação eficiente ao cliente. Assim, esse trabalho possui como objetivo abordar as dificuldades enfrentadas pelas cadeias de suprimentos na mitigação de riscos no contexto omnichannel. Neste sentido, é realizado uma revisão sistemática da literatura, identificando fatores chaves de risco e estratégias de mitigação dos mesmos. Especialistas foram consultados para priorizar os fatores de mitigação, utilizando-se o método Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP), os fatores foram identificados na revisão sistemática da literatura, considerando a sua relevância e impacto na gestão de cadeias de suprimentos no ambiente omnichannel. Além disso, uma empresa varejista foi analisada para discutir as peculiaridades da gestão de riscos em cadeias de suprimentos no contexto do omnichannel. Os resultados obtidos destacaram a importância da tecnologia, da integração dos sistemas de informação, do estoque e da percepção do cliente como fatores-chave de sucesso na mitigação dos riscos operacionais. Este estudo proporciona insights sobre a gestão de riscos em cadeias de suprimentos no contexto do omnichannel.
Proposta de layout para uma fábrica de alfajores utilizando o método SLP
Authors: Bitencourt Lisiane Corrêa , Baldez Karoline dos Santos , Lopes Diullen Gonçalves , Pedroso Paula de Oliveira , Peralta Carla Beatriz da Luz
Published: April 2024

Este artigo propõe a aplicação do modelo de Planejamento Sistemático de Layout (SLP) em um contexto prático, apresentando um estudo sobre a importância do arranjo físico na busca pela produtividade e eficiência em uma empresa. O objetivo principal é desenvolver um projeto de layout para uma fábrica fictícia de alfajores. A metodologia adotada compreende o estudo da sequência de fases do SLP e a aplicação de suas ferramentas. A análise abrange desde a definição do local ideal para a empresa até a avaliação de três alternativas de layout para a fábrica, considerando aspectos como produção, matéria-prima, equipamentos, roteiro de fabricação, diagrama de afinidades e de inter-relações. Os resultados obtidos por meio da utilização do SLP são conclusivos, destacando-se a alternativa de layout escolhida, que atendeu a 65,71% das importâncias ponderadas. Esta escolha foi embasada em estudos aprofundados e fundamentados teoricamente, proporcionando uma compreensão mais robusta sobre o tema em questão. Além da proposta prática, este estudo contribui para a literatura ao aplicar o SLP em um contexto específico, fornecendo insights valiosos sobre a gestão eficiente de fábricas. A importância do tema transcende o escopo deste projeto, relacionando-se com desafios contemporâneos na otimização de processos industriais. Em suma, este artigo não apenas apresenta uma aplicação prática do SLP em um ambiente fabril fictício, mas também contribui para o avanço do conhecimento sobre o Planejamento Sistemático de Layout e sua relevância na gestão de processos produtivos.
Innovación tecnológica frente a la expiración de patentes farmacéuticas: el nacimiento de las terapias digitales
Authors: Morla González Marina
Published: April 2024

La expiración de patentes farmacéuticas sobre medicamentos favorece la realización de prácticas comerciales dentro del sector que obstaculizan la entrada de los medicamentos genéricos. La creación de terapias digitales a través de la incorporación de componentes digitales en productos farmacéuticos tradicionales es una alternativa innovadora que combina la aportación de un valor añadido a un producto farmacéutico obsoleto a la vez que aborda problemas sanitarios serios de forma transformadora. Este tipo de prácticas podría ayudar a las empresas farmacéuticas a mantener su hueco de mercado tras la expiración de la patente de un medicamento superventas.