bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compositional effects on the growth of diopside crystals in the simulated high‐level waste glass
Authors: Jia Ruidong , Niu Chenchen , Liu Xuelian , Xu Kai , Tan Shengheng
Published: August 2024

Borosilicate glasses are the primary waste forms for the industrial immobilization of high‐level liquid waste. Yet, the compositional variation of waste glasses can form the diopside phase, which can be detrimental to the melting process and the properties of the final glass products. This study prepared simulated waste glasses with variable contents of alkaline earth metals, boron, transition metals, and rare earth metal oxide and subjected them to heat treatments. The effect of the compositional variation on the diopside crystallization behavior was explored using differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results revealed that the average size of diopside crystals was proportional to the square root of the heat treatment durations. Increased contents of alkaline earth and transition metal oxides could contribute to the growth of diopside crystals, while boron oxide tended to inhibit it. Finally, a prediction model correlating the average crystal size, compositional variation, and heat treatment durations was discussed.
Effects of particle size on the crystallization kinetics characterization in CaO–SiO2‐based glass, Part 2: In complex crystallization processes with two or more crystal phases
Authors: Wang Zhen , Xu Renze
Published: August 2024

Based on the Matusita–Sakka equation and the exothermic peaks in the differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves, in silicate glasses with complex crystallization processes containing the precipitation of two or more crystal phases, the effects of particle sizes on the calculations of crystal growth dimensionality and activation energy of crystal growth have been studied in depth. In crystallization processes with two or more crystal phases but one exothermic peak, 0.3 mm is considered as the boundary between the fine and the coarse particles in this type of glass. For glass samples with a particle size less than 0.3 mm, the crystal growth dimensionality is a three‐dimensional mechanism, and EG increases slightly with decreasing particle size. For glass samples with a particle size greater than 0.3 mm, the crystal growth dimensionality is a two‐dimensional mechanism, and EG increases with decreasing particle size. The EG for the fine‐particle starting material is much lower than that of the coarse‐particle starting material. In crystallization processes with two or more crystal phases and two exothermic peaks, 0.104 mm is considered as the boundary between the fine and the coarse particles in this type of glass raw material. For the first peak, in glass samples with a particle size less than 0.104 mm, the crystal growth mechanism is mainly one‐dimensional growth, and EG increases slightly with decreasing particle size. And for glass samples with particle size greater than 0.104 mm, the crystal growth mechanism is mainly two‐dimensional growth, and EG decreases with decreasing particle size. For the second peak, the crystal growth mechanism is mainly a three‐dimensional growth, and EG increases with decreasing particle size.
Fabrication of LuAG:Ce–Al2O3 eutectics via laser‐heated pedestal growth technique for high‐power laser‐driven lighting
Authors: Hao Wen , Wang Xiao‐Jun , Guo Jun , Liu Jian , Li Shuxing , Xu Xiaodong
Published: August 2024

Thermally robust and highly stable bulk luminescent materials are essential for advancing high‐power laser‐driven lighting. In this study, we report a yellow–green LuAG:Ce–Al2O3 eutectic, synthesized using the laser‐heated pedestal growth (LHPG) technique. The emission intensity of the eutectics reaches a maximum at an Al2O3 content of 20% due to the enhanced light scattering. Additionally, owing to the high thermal conductivity of Al2O3, the prepared LuAG:Ce–Al2O3 eutectic exhibits low thermal quenching, with only a 5% loss in luminescence observed at 150°C, along with a high luminance saturation threshold of approximately 15.8 W·mm−2. When irradiated under blue laser excitation at 7.9 W, the prepared LuAG:Ce–Al2O3 eutectic demonstrates a luminous flux of 1917 lm and a luminous efficacy of 242.4 lm·W−1. These results highlight that the potential of LuAG:Ce–Al2O3 eutectics as luminescent materials for high‐power laser‐driven lighting applications.
Influence of Yb3+ content on the optical and thermophysical properties of YSAG:Yb:Er solid solutions
Authors: Tarala Vitaly A. , Malyavin Fedor F. , Kravtsov Alexander A. , Brazhko Ekaterina A. , Chapura Oleg M. , Kuznetsov Sergey V.
Published: August 2024

Using the method of non‐reactive sintering of nanocrystalline powders, highly transparent samples of optical ceramics based on solid solutions of yttrium‐scandium aluminum garnets containing 50 at.% scandium in the dodecahedral position and doped with erbium (1 at.%) and ytterbium (0–49 at.%) cations (YSAG:Yb:Er) were produced. The influence of Yb3+ concentration on the crystal lattice parameter, density, refractive index, stability of YSAG:Yb:Er solid solutions during high‐temperature sintering, thermal conductivity, optical transmittance and absorption coefficients in the wavelength range from 200 to 1100 nm, as well as Stokes and anti‐Stokes luminescence, was determined. The revealed patterns make it possible to fine‐tune the physical and chemical characteristics of ceramics for the design of composite laser materials.
Telemedicine as a counselling tool for nurses in Central Africa
Authors: Rodríguez‐Ortega María , Ortega‐Latorre Yolanda , Montano‐Navarro Enrique , Casado‐Collado Alfonso Jaime , Nguepy François Roger , Damou Fleur
Published: August 2024

Aim

Compare the use and trend of a telemedicine tool for clinical advice among nurses and other Cameroonian healthcare providers and explore its feasibility and accessibility.

Design

A comparative observational descriptive study.

Methods

The sample includes all telemedicine users who request advice from volunteer medical specialists in Spain on clinical cases through the telemedicine tool “diagnosis assistance” (DA). It consisted of a total of 296 Cameroonian health professionals (59% women), of whom 77 were nurses. The variables in which the trend was explored (2013–2022) were DAs entered by nurses versus other healthcare professionals, compared by primary specialty, comments and documents attached. Feasibility and accessibility were explored through an anonymous survey.

Results

There were 2527 DAs between 2013 and 2022, of which nurses introduced 68%. There is an increasing trend in the nurse/other healthcare providers ratio, with significant differences in the chi‐square of the linear trend between 2015 and 2022 (χ2 = 395.05; df = 7; p < .001). The probability that a DA was requested by nurses (PR >1) was observed in all years except for 2014, 2018 and 2019. The most tele‐counselling requested by nurses was in the specialties of internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and dermatology. The exchange of comments and attachments was mainly conducted among nurses (74.9% and 50.4%, respectively). The users surveyed considered the tool valuable for diagnosis, applicable, with limitations due to cost, Internet quality or lack of time and effective at reducing hospital referrals.

Conclusions

Telemedicine for clinical advice has been used mostly and with increasing tendency by nurses, mainly in internal medicine, gynaecology and dermatology, being a useful and feasible resource that can contribute to improving clinical decision‐making by African nurses.

Impact

The study addressed the problem of the shortage of health professionals in Central Africa and the search for alternatives that facilitate decision‐making in this context. Tele‐counselling tools through digital platforms that put Spanish specialists in contact with health professionals in Central Africa are mostly used by nurses working in rural health centres with a growing trend in their use. The research allows us to determine that tele‐counselling tools constitute a well‐accepted resource, which has a positive impact in environments with a shortage of human health resources, favouring the safety of both the nursing professional, through support in decision‐making, and the populations to whom they provide care, who benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to their processes.

Reporting Method

The study has adhered to STROBE guidelines.

Patient or Public Contribution

No Patient or Public Contribution.
Introducing a novel approach to dental color reproduction using AI technology
Authors: Awdaljan Marat Wartanovic , Roque João Carlos , Choi James , Rondón Luis Felipe
Published: August 2024

Objective

This article aims to describe a systematic method for tooth color reproduction with ceramics restorations employing artificial intelligence (AI) software named Matisse. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the entire process, beginning with shade‐taking and extending to ceramic application in a complex clinical case in the anterior region—specifically, a single central restoration supported by an implant.

Clinical Considerations

The clinical case presented highlights the potential of Matisse software for generating ceramic (inSync‐Jensen Dental, USA) and staining (Miyo‐Jensen Dental, USA) recipes over a zirconia abutment (Katana‐Noritake Dental, Japan). This approach achieves an optimal single central restoration utilizing CAD‐CAM and layering techniques.

Conclusions

The systematic method employing the Matisse software achieved accurate color reproduction for a single central restoration supported by an implant. This result was achieved by the dental ceramist within the first attempt and without seeing the patient in the entire process.

Clinical Significance

The Matisse AI‐assisted protocol offers a systematic and scientifically grounded method for color reproduction in dentistry for indirect restorations.
Relationship between maternal postpartum depression, fatigue, sleep quality and infant growth: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Wang Mingbo , Bai Ting , Zhang Jie , Liu Huahua , Wu Lingling , Zhang Feng
Published: August 2024

Background

Current research separately analyzed the connection between postpartum depression, fatigue, sleep and infant development. However, depression, fatigue and sleep quality often coexisted as adverse symptoms in postpartum women and influenced infant development together. This study explored the maternal postpartum symptoms on infant growth.

Methods

Our study included 224 pairs of singleton full‐term mothers and their infants who underwent routine pediatric outpatient clinics. Latent profile analysis was applied to identify the latent classes based on mothers' postpartum depression, fatigue and sleep profile characteristics. We evaluated the maternal adverse symptoms and infant development using multivariable logistic regressions.

Results

Totally, 224 pairs of eligible mothers (28.85 ± 4.43 years) and infants (30.93 ± 3.26 days) participated in this study. Latent profile analysis identified 3 latent groups: mild (58.04%), moderate (34.37%), and severe (7.59%) postpartum adverse symptoms. Postpartum adverse symptoms were associated with delayed development in the baby's motor level (χ2 = 6.572, p = .037) and weight‐for‐length (χ2 = 9.652, p = .008). After controlling for mother and infant related factors, postpartum adverse symptoms remained a risk factor for infant motor level (odds ratio [OR]: 4.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25–15.08) and weight‐for‐length (OR: 5.53; 95% CI: 1.55–19.74).

Conclusions

Maternal postpartum depression, fatigue and sleep quality are associated with infant development. Clinically, mothers with these symptoms should be intervened timely to avoid the aggravation of maternal symptoms, which affect baby's development.
The Granger–Johansen representation theorem for integrated time series on Banach space
Authors: Howlett Phil , Beare Brendan K. , Franchi Massimo , Boland John , Avrachenkov Konstantin
Published: August 2024

We prove an extended Granger–Johansen representation theorem (GJRT) for finite‐ or infinite‐order integrated autoregressive time series on Banach space. We assume only that the resolvent of the autoregressive polynomial for the series is analytic on and inside the unit circle except for an isolated singularity at unity. If the singularity is a pole of finite order the time series is integrated of the same order. If the singularity is an essential singularity the time series is integrated of order infinity. When there is no deterministic forcing the value of the series at each time is the sum of an almost surely convergent stochastic trend, a deterministic term depending on the initial conditions and a finite sum of embedded white noise terms in the prior observations. This is the extended GJRT. In each case the original series is the sum of two separate autoregressive time series on complementary subspaces – a singular component which is integrated of the same order as the original series and a regular component which is not integrated. The extended GJRT applies to all integrated autoregressive processes irrespective of the spatial dimension, the number of stochastic trends and cointegrating relations in the system and the order of integration.
On epistemic black holes: How self‐sealing belief systems develop and evolve
Authors: Boudry Maarten , Hofhuis Steije
Published: August 2024

Many pseudosciences, conspiracy theories and other unfounded belief systems have a self‐sealing nature, being equipped with defence mechanisms and immunizing strategies that protect them against counterevidence and criticism. In this article, we discuss the existence of ‘epistemic black holes’, belief systems which posit intelligent agents that are deliberately evading detection and thus sabotaging any investigation into their existence. These belief systems have the remarkable feature that they predict an absence of evidence in their favour, and even the discovery of counterevidence. The most obvious instances of such epistemic black holes are unfounded conspiracy theories, but examples crop up in other domains as well. We outline the development and cultural evolution of epistemic black holes, drawing from a number of case studies. Most importantly, because of their self‐sealing character and resilience to counterevidence, epistemic black holes suffer from a recurring problem of arbitrariness and proliferating alternatives. Shedding light on how epistemic black holes function can help to inoculate people against their enduring allure.
Constraining a disformal Schwarzschild black hole in DHOST theories with the orbit of the S2 star
Authors: Zhang Zelin , Chen Songbai , Jing Jiliang
Published: August 2024

With the observed data of the S2 orbit around the black hole Sgr A$$^*$$

∗

and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, we make a constraint on parameters of a disformal Schwarzschild black hole in quadratic degenerate higher-order scalar-tensor (DHOST) theories. This black hole belongs to a class of non-stealth solutions and owns an extra disformal parameter described the deviation from general relativity. Our results show that the best fit value of the disformal parameter is positive. However, in the range of $$1\sigma $$

1
σ

, we also find that general relativity remains to be consistent with the observation of the S2 orbit.
Need of Encryption Legislation: Protecting India’s Digital Realm and Beyond
Authors: Katkuri Srinivas
Published: August 2024

Encryption is essential for protecting sensitive data, individual privacy and national security in a time of digital transition and growing cybersecurity threats. This article begins by highlighting the need for encryption laws in India, emphasising the growing reliance on digital technologies across sectors and the critical necessity of protecting digital assets. It proceeds to dissect the existing legal frameworks governing encryption and the enforcement challenges faced by regulatory agencies. A critical aspect of the research involves examining international perspectives on encryption legislations, drawing lessons from global approaches and discerning their relevance to India’s policy landscape. This article underscores the delicate balance between privacy and security concerns, particularly in the context of counterterrorism efforts. In addition, this research unravels case studies and incidents involving notable cybersecurity breaches in India, shedding light on the legal implications and consequences that follow such breaches. The study culminates with an exploration of the public opinion and stakeholders’ perspectives on encryption legislations, considering industry views and civil liberties concerns. It offers insights into the best practices for drafting effective encryption laws and provides recommendations to strengthen India’s digital resilience. It calls for proactive measures to secure India’s digital future while preserving individual freedoms and privacy rights.
Heat load forecasting model considering two dimensional changes of time series
Authors: Tan Quanwei , Xue Guijun , Xie Wenju
Published: August 2024

The regulation strategy of a district heating system is adjusted based on accurate heat load prediction, which not only effectively reduces energy consumption but also improves system efficiency and user comfort. In order to improve the accuracy of heat load forecasting, a heat load forecasting model considering the two-dimensional change of time series is introduced in this paper. Firstly, the original heat load data is denoised by SVMD decomposition, and several stationary and regular modal components are obtained. Then, three strategies were used to enhance the BWO algorithm, and the IBWO-TimesNet prediction model was established to extract the hidden information of time series data from a two-dimensional perspective. Finally, the prediction performance of the model is evaluated in detail through case analysis. The results show that MAE, RMSE and R2 of SVMD-IBWO-TimesNet model are 0.647, 1.190 and 99.1%, respectively. Compared with other mainstream prediction models, this model has higher prediction accuracy. In addition, even if the training samples are reduced, the SVMD-IBWO-TimesNet model can still effectively predict the heat load and has strong generalization ability. Therefore, the performance of the model is verified, which provides a reference for the accurate control of heat load.

Practical application

Heat load forecasting is a vital task particularly in relation to its impact on the management of building energy efficiency. The contribution of this paper is to provide a heat load forecasting model based on advanced algorithms and data analysis. This insight derived from advanced modelling will assist professionals in the pursuit of more accurate prediction of the heat needs of buildings, thereby optimizing the design and operation of heating systems. The practical application of this technology could save energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and improve the comfort and sustainability of buildings.
Online Mental Health Peer-support Forums for Youth: An Exploratory Study on Stakeholder Perspectives
Authors: Achar Meghna , Mehrotra Seema
Published: August 2024

Background:

Youth in India carry a large proportion of the global burden of mental health disorders and subclinical distress. They prefer to seek mental health support from informal sources. One such source—online mental health peer-support forums (OMHPSFs)—is under-researched. This study aims to explore the perspectives of youth and mental health professionals and counselors (MHP&Cs) in terms of the scope and utility of and inclination to use OMHPSFs for maintaining youth mental well-being.

Methods:

An exploratory, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was conducted. A total of 141 Indian nationals aged 18–29 years were enrolled using convenience sampling and administered a survey. In the qualitative phase, six youth and seven MHP&Cs were interviewed.

Results:

Ninety (63.8%) and 106 (75.2%) participants indicated a high inclination to use OMHPSFs to seek and provide support, respectively. More than three-quarters of the surveyed youth stated that OMHPSFs should be a space for emotional and informational support to deal with life challenges. A total of 127 (90.1%) participants reported that OMHPSFs would be useful to find out how others their age deal with similar life challenges. A thematic analysis of interviews revealed that anonymity, accessibility, appeal, and ease of use enhance youth inclination toward OMHPSFs. The role of MHP&Cs in training, supervision, and moderation and strategies to popularize OMHPSFs were outlined and recommended.

Conclusion:

Sampled youth showed a high inclination to use OMHPSFs to seek and provide mental health support to their peers. Stakeholders consider OMHPSFs as relevant in scope and utility to alleviate mental health concerns among Indian youth.
Development and Validation of a Culturally Adapted, Event-related Potential Paradigm for Assessing Alcohol Cue Reactivity and Error Processing in Alcohol Dependence
Authors: Shenoy Anupa Arunkumar , Praharaj Samir Kumar , Rai Shweta , Nayak Kirtana R. , Sasidharan Arun , Palaniswamy Hari Prakash , Suryavanshi Chinmay Ajit , Sharma Sumit , Shreekantiah Umesh , Marigowda Vrinda
Published: August 2024

Background:

Research on event-related potentials (ERP) in addiction highlights the importance of cognitive ERP markers, such as P300 and error-related negativity (ERN), in distinguishing between alcohol-dependent patients and healthy controls. We aimed to develop and validate ERP paradigms utilizing culturally validated stimuli to evoke P300 and ERN for the Indian population.

Methods:

In a cross-sectional study, 16 alcohol-dependent patients and age-matched healthy controls were recruited. For P300, we designed a visual oddball (Go/No-Go) task using culturally appropriate alcohol and non-alcohol-related images. To study ERN, we used the Assessing Neurocognition via Gamified Experimental Logic (ANGEL) task, developed in India, integrating its “game” levels to capture error monitoring with fewer trials. A 32-channel EEG-ERP system was used for data acquisition.

Results:

Participants showed high engagement in the visual Go/No-Go task, with 94.4% accuracy. The P300 difference wave showed significantly higher amplitudes ( p = .01, Cohen’s d = 0.97) and latencies ( p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.62) in patients compared to controls at the Pz electrode. No significant group differences were found in accuracy or reaction times for frequent and rare stimuli. In the ANGEL task, patients had a significantly lower ERN difference wave amplitude at the Pz electrode than controls ( p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.47), with no latency differences. Task accuracy was lower, and reaction time was longer in patients.

Conclusions:

The visual Go/No-Go task and the ANGEL task are promising tools for understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying alcohol dependence in the Indian context.
Using Online Memes to Communicate About Health: A Systematic Review
Authors: Occa Aurora , Chen Huai-yu , Teffeteller Kayden L.
Published: August 2024

Objective

We conducted a systematic review of the literature on online health memes to (a) detect and describe the available research, (b) identify key findings, and (c) delineate future research needs/opportunities.

Data Source

Databases, communication and public health journals, and ancestry search.

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Empirical studies, in English, published in peer-reviewed academic journals, and focused on memes to discuss health-related topics.

Data Extraction

We scrutinized 357 empirical articles and included 35.

Data Synthesis

Descriptive summary of the locations where studies were conducted, the health topics addressed, theories and methods used, features of memes analyzed, study outcomes, and researchers’ challenges.

Results

Most studies were conducted in the USA (n = 14); focused on COVID-19 (n = 15); were a-theoretical (n = 19); and quantitative (n = 19). Most explored the themes and use of the memes available online (n = 19); compared meme variations (n = 12) by health issue, content, or participants’ group; examined meme’ effects on health outcomes (n = 1); or evaluated memes as part of a health campaign (n = 3). We summarized the studies’ limitations and key findings.

Conclusions

Memes are a promising message strategy for health promotion and education, but more research is necessary. Considering the information retrieved, we provide five specific recommendations for future research directions when studying health memes, including suggestions on the multiple health issues to address and promising theories to adopt and expand.
HMDM: A hybrid GM model-based and MHSA-GRU data-driven method for remaining useful life prediction of rolling bearings
Authors: Zhao Qiwu , Zhang Xiaoli
Published: August 2024

Rolling bearings have been extensively used to reduce friction and restrain relative movement between moving parts. However, failures such as wear or fatigue can be caused under continuous operating conditions, which results in extreme economic losses and severe injuries. The failure rate of rolling bearings can be reduced by the remaining useful life prediction, which can perform effective predictive maintenance to reduce the risk of bearing failures and improve reliability. Machine learning (ML) has inaugurated new approaches to implement RUL prediction of rolling bearings, which is essential to the machinery prognostic and health management (PHM) system. Unfortunately, many existing ML, particularly supervised learning methods, have the following drawbacks. On the one hand, the independent identically distributed law between the training data and test data is always difficult to satisfy, which will induce poor generalization and unsatisfactory prediction results. The amount of degradation data and the corresponding labels are increased with the degenerative process, which costs a lot of time and effort for label setting. On the other hand, most of them are incompetent for the task of RUL estimation with insufficient degradation information and the prediction accuracy is often affected by noise. To deal with the above issues, a hybrid model-based and data-driven model (HMDM) architecture that combines the grey model (GM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) with multi-head self-attention (MHSA) is proposed. The raw failure signal of the rolling bearing is preprocessed by the singular value decomposition (SVD) method for noise reduction. A novel model learning method is applied to train models, which compensates for deficiencies of prediction errors caused by distribution differences between training data and testing data, as well as avoiding the problem of sample labeling to ease the economic burden and labor waste. The characteristics of the GM and MHSA-GRU are inherited by HMDM, which has excellent prognostic capacity at a variety of time sequence lengths and degradation information with different frequency changes. The prediction of the proposed model is verified by the experimental data from the PRONOSTIA platform and XJTU bearing dataset, and a comparison with other methods is conducted to reveal the merit of HMDM on the performance of RUL prediction. The results show that high prediction accuracy of time series with different lengths and frequency changes can be achieved by the proposed HMDM model, which outperforms the existing ML methods and provides a new solution for RUL prognostics of rolling bearings.
Organizational Justice, Technology Utilization, and Well-Beings Among Chinese Police Officers
Authors: Chen Yunan , Sun Ivan Y. , Wu Yuning , Ha Stephanie V. , Zheng Xi
Published: August 2024

The widespread use of digital technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet, has led to significant changes in policing. Nonetheless, little research has examined how organizational factors are linked to police officers’ job satisfaction and occupational stress through the effectiveness and difficulty of applying digital technology in policing. Based on survey data collected from Chinese police officers, we assessed the direct correlations between organizational support and supervisor justice and job satisfaction and occupational stress, and the mediating role of technology efficacy and technology difficulty. We found that organizational support was positively related to police officers’ job satisfaction, and both technology efficacy and technology difficulty were negatively connected to occupational stress. Supervisor justice was positively related to job satisfaction and negatively associated with digital technology difficulty and occupational stress. The indirect relationships between organizational support and supervisor justice and job satisfaction and stress were mainly through technology difficulty.
Optimizing an auxetic metamaterial structure for enhanced mechanical energy absorption: Design and performance evaluation under compressive and impact loading
Authors: Nickabadi Saeid , Sayar Majid Askari , Alirezaeipour Saeid , Ansari Reza
Published: August 2024

Auxetic metamaterials, characterized by their negative Poisson’s ratio, offer promising prospects for utilization in absorbing energy during quasi-static compressive loading as well as in applications requiring impact energy absorption. The optimization of auxetic structures’ geometrical parameters can improve their performance. This research aims to optimize the design of an auxetic structure for maximum specific energy absorption and investigate its behavior under quasi-static compressive and high-velocity impact loading. The geometrical parameters of the cross-petal auxetic structure are optimized using genetic algorithm and a neural network surrogate model. The behavior of the optimized auxetic structure is examined in quasi-static compressive loading and compared with that of the basic auxetic structure using finite element simulations. The optimized auxetic structure is then evaluated in high-velocity impact loading as the core of a sandwich panel, with two plates placed in the front and rear. Simulations of projectile impacts at velocities ranging from 100 to 250 m/s reveal the sandwich panel’s behavior. Results indicate a 69.82% increase in specific energy absorption capacity for the optimized auxetic structure as compared to the basic structure in quasi-static compressive loading. In high-velocity impact, the sandwich panel with the optimal auxetic core outperforms the one with the basic core. At velocities more than the minimum perforation velocity, the core contributes about 64%–67% of the total absorbed energy by the sandwich panel.
Causal Associations of Cognitive Reserve and Hierarchical Aging-Related Outcomes: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Li Yanyan , Zhuang Zhenhuang , Si Huaxin , Liu Qinqin , Yu Jiaqi , Zhou Wendie , Huang Tao , Wang Cuili
Published: August 2024

Purpose

Two-sample Mendelian randomization methods were used to explore the causal effects of cognitive reserve proxies, such as educational attainment, occupational attainment, and physical activity (PA), on biological (leukocyte telomere length), phenotypic (sarcopenia-related features), and functional (frailty index and cognitive performance) aging levels.

Results

Educational attainment had a potential protective effect on the telomere length ( β = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.08–0.11), sarcopenia-related features ( β = 0.04–0.24, 95% CI: 0.02–0.27), frailty risk ( β = −0.31, 95% CI: −0.33 to −0.28), cognitive performance ( β = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.75–0.80). Occupational attainment was causally related with sarcopenia-related features ( β = 0.07–0.10, 95% CI: 0.05–0.14), and cognitive performance ( β = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.24–0.36). Device-measured PA was potentially associated with one sarcopenia-related feature ( β = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03–0.25).

Conclusions

Our findings support the potential causality of educational attainment on biological, phenotypic, and functional aging outcomes, of occupational attainment on phenotypic and functional aging-related outcomes, and of PA on phenotypic aging-related outcomes.
The Role of Teens’ and Parental Intrinsic and Materialistic Goals in Teens’ Activities in Four Domains of Activism
Authors: Zawadzka Anna Maria , Iwanowska Magdalena , Kondratowicz Blanka , Lewandowska-Walter Aleksandra , Borchet Judyta
Published: August 2024

The study is aimed at determining how teens’ intrinsic and materialistic goals and the importance of these goals for their parents are related to teens’ activities in four domains of activism—political activism (PA), social activism (SA), environmental activism (EA) and consumer activism (CA). A total of 459 Polish teens aged 16–18 were surveyed, and data was collected using a computer-assisted web interview technique. The results show that teens’ preference for materialistic goals negatively correlates with their activities for SA, EA and CA, while preference for intrinsic goals positively correlates with activities for EA and CA. Moreover, mothers’ materialistic goals positively correlate with teens’ activities for PA and SA, while intrinsic goals negatively correlate with teens’ activities for PA. Fathers’ materialistic goals positively correlate with teens’ activities in all four domains of activism, and intrinsic goals positively correlate with teens’ activities in all the domains except SA.
Still here, still queer? Queer lives and subjectivities in dementia care
Authors: Sandberg Linn J , Siverskog Anna
Published: August 2024

This article explores possibilities for the emergence of queer lives and queer subjectivities in dementia care, the meaning of being queer for people living in residential dementia care and how they relate to queer subjectivity. Our study, drawing on qualitative interviews with four people living in dementia care homes, show how being queer was associated with earlier phases of one’s life course and youthful, sexually active bodies. The dementia care home was described as a depersonalized, desexualized and segregated spatial condition where queer subjectivities could not emerge. However, although participants rarely became recognizable and intelligible as queer in the care context their positionalities must be understood in more complex terms than visible/invisible. Instead people in dementia care sometimes engaged in queer opacity as a tactic to refuse visibility in a care context characterized by surveillance and lack of control and agency.
Machine learning based methods for ratemaking health care insurance
Authors: Ben Hamida Amal , Kacem Manel , de Peretti Christian , Belkacem Lotfi
Published: August 2024

In insurance, proposing an accurate premium that is adjusted to the insured risk profile allows companies to better manage their portfolios and to be more competitive. Machine learning methods have recently been adopted for various improvements in insurance ratemaking, especially in the automobile industry. These models are specifically used to mine potential data information and to build a predictive model for a variable of interest using explanatory variables. In this paper, we aim to provide a pricing method for ratemaking individual healthcare insurance contracts using machine learning algorithms that are applied to a Tunisian healthcare insurance portfolio. We start with a simple Classification and Regression Tree, and we work toward more advanced methods that are Random Forest, Extreme gradient boosting, Support Vector Regression, and Artificial Neural network regression model. The predictive performance of these non-parametric methods is compared with the standard generalized linear model. Our results showed the applicability of machine learning in the healthcare insurance market and that the XGBoost algorithm outperforms the predictive capacity of the classical generalized linear model.
Furthering Lifestyle Medicine Through the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award: Reflections From 2023 Awardees
Authors: Jacob Yoav , Srinivasan Roshini , Ubbens Emily , Orme Amanda , Shahinfar Sheeva , Frates Beth
Published: August 2024

The Donald A. Pegg Leadership Award, established in 2016 by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), recognizes emerging leaders in Lifestyle Medicine by awarding key seed funding to support Lifestyle Medicine Interest Groups (LMIGs) and conference support to attend the ACLM’s annual conference. Through its generous support of students and LMIGs, the Pegg Award has been instrumental in catalyzing transformations in medical education, promoting awareness and integration of key Lifestyle Medicine principles into curricula. The present narrative highlights the stories of the 5 2023 Pegg Award recipients, detailing their efforts in advancing Lifestyle Medicine within their institutions and communities. By implementing novel initiatives and forging strategic partnerships, awardees have made major strides in fostering interest in Lifestyle Medicine among students, faculty, and communities-at-large; each of the students’ reflections highlights unique applications of the Pegg award which subsequently showcase an evolving set of best practices for LMIG operations. It is our hope that these 5 exemplary stories underscore students’ commitment to expanding networks of LMIGs, fostering collaboration, and creating community around Lifestyle Medicine both locally and nationally—and the far-reaching impact of the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award in shaping the future of Lifestyle Medicine.
The relationship between self-care behaviours regarding arteriovenous fistula and the fear of fistula failure in individuals receiving haemodialysis treatment
Authors: Alabacak Şahin , Arslan Selda
Published: August 2024

Background:

Many problems regarding the self-care behaviours of haemodialysis patients are recognised; however, the fear experienced by the patients cannot be adequately explained.

Aims:

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between self-care behaviours related to arteriovenous fistula and fear of fistula failure in individuals receiving haemodialysis treatment.

Methods:

In this descriptive and relational study, 259 patients who met the inclusion criteria constituted the sample of the study. A multiple regression analysis enter model was used to evaluate the predictive power of the Self-Care Behaviours in Arteriovenous Fistula Scale.

Results:

It was found that the primary source of fear related to the fistula was the fear of fistula failure with a rate of 79.5%, and the patients who had this fear had a lower mean self-care scale score. The variables account for 12% of the self-care situation, and it is seen that the model is significant.

Conclusions:

It was concluded that increasing the fear of failure decreased the self-care score. This study is important for raising awareness among nurses regarding the fear of fistula failure. Nurses must provide appropriate care for vascular access and try to alleviate patients’ anxiety and fears by listening to them.
Assessment of the Indian Public Healthcare Delivery System and Its Comparison with Public Healthcare Delivery of Global Nations Based on Their Gross Domestic Products Potential as Criteria: A Comparative Study
Authors: Savitha S  , Prabu D  , Dhamodhar Dinesh , Rajmohan M  , Sindhu R  , Bharathwaj V V  , Sathiyapriya S  , Nimmy P
Published: August 2024

Aim:

The aim of this study is to analyze the Indian public healthcare delivery system and compare it with other countries based on their gross domestic product (GDP) classification.

Materials and Methods:

The study was conducted to assess the Indian healthcare delivery system and the GDP among global nations based on their GDP potential as criteria. The data from 24 high-, middle-, and low-income countries were gathered from the World Bank from year 2018 to 2021. The parameters included GDP, GDP per capita, total number of population, and healthcare delivery system. The data were collected from various electronic sources of the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the US Census Bureau’s international data, National Health Profile 2021. The collected data were compiled and tabulated. The descriptive analysis was done using Microsoft Excel version 2016 and SPSS version 20.

Results:

India ranks in the high-income group based on the GDP, whereas when ranked based on GDP per capita, it drops down to the lower-middle-income group. This lag may be because of a larger population and lack of priority in public health delivery. In terms of overall expenditure, India spends US$63 million in total health expenditure, of which only US$20 million is spent by the government sector. On the other hand, the United States holds the highest rank with US$10,921 million of total health expenditure, of which US$5,552 million spent by the government sector and US$5,368 million by the private sector.

Conclusion:

The Indian healthcare delivery system is suffering from a shortage of public health workforce and infrastructure. In the last decade, India has seen remarkable economic development, particularly in terms of the GDP growth rate. Unfortunately, this progress does not accompany with the Indian healthcare delivery system. Still there is a shortage in public health workforce and infrastructure. India should prioritize the expenditure in healthcare delivery.
Identification of avoidable patients at triage in a Paediatric Emergency Department: a decision support system using predictive analytics
Authors: Viana João , Souza Júlio , Rocha Ruben , Santos Almeida , Freitas Alberto
Published: August 2024

Background

Crowding has been a longstanding issue in emergency departments. To address this, a fast-track system for avoidable patients is being implemented in the Paediatric Emergency Department where our study is conducted. Our goal is to develop an optimized Decision Support System that helps in directing patients to this fast track. We evaluated various Machine Learning models, focusing on a balance between complexity, predictive performance, and interpretability.

Methods

This is a retrospective study considering all visits to a university-affiliated metropolitan hospital’s PED between 2014 and 2019. Using information available at the time of triage, we trained several models to predict whether a visit is avoidable and should be directed to a fast-track area.

Results

A total of 507,708 visits to the PED were used in the training and testing of the models. Regarding the outcome, 41.6% of the visits were considered avoidable. Except for the classification made by triage rules, i.e. considering levels 1,2, and 3 as non-avoidable and 4 and 5 as avoidable, all models had similar results in model’s evaluation metrics, e.g. Area Under the Curve ranging from 74% to 80%.

Conclusions

Regarding predictive performance, the pruned decision tree had evaluation metrics results that were comparable to the other ML models. Furthermore, it offers a low complexity and easy to implement solution. When considering interpretability, a paramount requisite in healthcare since it relates to the trustworthiness and transparency of the system, the pruned decision tree excels.

Overall, this paper contributes to the growing body of research on the use of machine learning in healthcare. It highlights practical benefits for patients and healthcare systems of the use ML-based DSS in emergency medicine. Moreover, the obtained results can potentially help to design patients’ flow management strategies in PED settings, which has been sought as a solution for addressing the long-standing problem of overcrowding.
Plant biodiversity assessment of locally cultivated crops and household food security in Northern Iran
Authors: Shirazi Somayeh , Khoshbakht Kouros , Mahmoudi Hossein
Published: August 2024

Background

Locally cultivated crops play an important role in the food security. The biodiversity of these crops can be important for the livelihood of households in current and future generations. This research aims to study the socio-economic, agronomic, and ecological aspects which contribute to the maintenance of crop diversification and food security in the study area.

Method

Based on latitude and topography 10 villages were randomly selected, which was done in a study with 227 household farm managers. Food security was evaluated based on the species richness, and area under cultivation of food groups, and the probit logistic regression model was used for evaluation. Probit regression, also known as probit models, is used when the output or dependent variable of the model is bivariate. In inverse probit models, the standard normal distribution is modeled as a linear combination of predictor variables. In this situation, the application of normal regression methods is not applicable because the distribution occurred in two levels. In this study, it is assumed that the protection of biodiversity of local plants is related to food security, and for this reason, we have used this model.

Results

The findings showed that socio-economic status of different households and farms in this coastal area is one of the key factors affecting the biodiversity of locally cultivated crops. Local cultivars, especially those of rice, are resistant to most environmental factors and contribute to family food security. Food security and rice abundance are significantly correlated in all of the research area’s communities.

Conclusions

To ensure the sustainability, and health of production, and to ensure food security, planting various crops in this study area is recommended. Future research is needed to focus on solutions and technologies rich in diversity tailored to the socio-economic and environmental factors of locally cultivated crops.
Secondary school students’ attitudes of tolerance towards minorities
Authors: Beyer Clara , Brese Falk
Published: August 2024

Continued migration flows are inevitable, and research into favorable conditions for educating students in pluralistic societies is timely. This study attempts to address the operationalization of favorable conditions when educating children in diverse societies. Previous research into the contact hypothesis and acculturation theory has suggested that moderating factors are necessary for contact between groups of “others” to effect positive change in attitudes of tolerance and reduce prejudice. To represent groups of “others”, this study—which analyzed ICCS data from both the 2009 and 2016 cycles—considers lower-secondary students with an immigration background, who speak a different language than the administered assessment in the home, and diversity in terms of socio-economic background. To represent a desirable or “successful” classroom context, the study focuses on attitudes of tolerance held by lower-secondary students towards minorities, investigating whether participation in civic activities in the school or community, or the act of learning in more diverse classrooms, was associated with increased rates of tolerance. Findings supported the stated hypotheses to some extent, as some associations between heterogenous classroom composition (in terms of the share of students from immigrant backgrounds and those who spoke different languages in the home) and increased attitudes of tolerance towards minorities were observed. Student participation in civic activities in school was significantly associated with higher attitudes of tolerance towards minorities in 16 out of 18 analyzed countries. A relation between civic participation in the community and tolerance towards minorities was not found. Overall, students’ rates of tolerance towards minorities increased significantly for the majority of analyzed countries between 2009 and 2016.