bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological dynamics of moa extinctions reveal convergent refugia that today harbor flightless birds.
Authors: Tomlinson Sean , Lomolino Mark , Wood Jamie , Anderson Atholl , Brown Stuart , Haythorne Sean , Perry George , Wilmshurst Janet , Austin Jeremy , Fordham Damien
Published: September 2023

Human settlement of islands across the Pacific Ocean was followed by waves of faunal extinctions that occurred so rapidly that their dynamics are difficult to reconstruct in space and time. These extinctions included large, wingless birds endemic to New Zealand called moa. We reconstructed the range and extinction dynamics of six genetically distinct species of moa across New Zealand at a fine spatiotemporal resolution, using hundreds of thousands of process-explicit simulations of climate-human-moa interactions, which were validated against inferences of occurrence and demographic change from an extensive fossil record. This statistical-simulation analysis revealed important interspecific differences in the ecological and demographic attributes of moa that influenced the timing and pace of their geographic and demographic declines following colonization of New Zealand by Polynesians. Despite these interspecific differences in extinction dynamics, the spatial patterns of geographic range collapse of moa species were similar. The final populations of all moa species persisted in suboptimal habitats in cold, mountainous areas that were generally last and least impacted by people. These isolated refugia for the last populations of moa continue to serve as sanctuaries for New Zealand’s remaining flightless birds, providing novel insights for conserving endemic species in the face of current and future threats.
Effects of soil physicochemical environment on the plasticity of root growth and land productivity in maize soybean relay strip intercropping system
Authors: Peng Xinyue , Ren Junbo , Chen Ping , Yang Lida , Luo Kai , Yuan Xiaoting , Lin Ping , Fu Zhidan , Li Yiling , Yang Wenyu , Yong Taiwen
Published: September 2023

[Aims]Soil is a key foundation of crop root growth. There are interactions between root system and soil with affected in multiple ways. In order to further explore the response of root distribution and morphology to soil physical and chemical environment under maize (Zea mays L.) soybean (Glycine Max L. Merr.) relay strip intercropping (MS). [Methods]Experiment was carried out to examine the effects of nitrogen application and interspecific distances on root system and soil environment in MS. The 2 N application levels referred to as no N application (NN) and conventional N application (CN) were paired with different interspecific distance, including 30 cm, 45 cm, 60 cm (MS30, MS45, MS60), and 100 cm of monoculture maize and soybean (MM/SS100). [Results]The results demonstrated that, MS45 increased the distribution of soil aggregates (> 2mm) near the crop roots and maize soil nutrients status, which increased by 20.26% and 15.57%. Meanwhile, MS reduced soil bulk density, increased soil porosity and improved soil oxygen content. The optimization of soil environment further promoted root growth and distribution. The MS45 had the best result with root development and the land equivalent ratio was 1.87, which improved the land utilization rate. [Conclusions]Relay intercropped soybean with maize in interspecific row spacing of 45 cm, reshapes root architecture and optimizes root spatial distribution of crops to achieve greater land productivity.
Applications of Humic Acid and Fulvic Acid Under Saline Soil Conditions to Improve Growth and Yield in Barley
Authors: Alsudays Ibtisam Mohammed , Alshammary Fowzia Hamdan , Alabdallah Nadiyah M. , Alatawi Aishah , Alwutayd Khairiah Mubarak , Alharbi Maha Mohammed , Alghanem Suliman M. S. , Alzuaibr Fahad Mohammed , Gharib Hany S. , Awad-Allah Mamdouh M. A.
Published: September 2023

Background
Enriching the soil with organic matter such as humic acid and fulvic acid to increase its content of available nutrients, improve the chemical properties of the soil and increase plant growth as well as grain yield. Under saline soil conditions a field experiment was carried out for studied the effects of treatment by twelve combinations from adding of humic acid (HA) or fulvic acid (FA) or without adding (control), with four ratios of recommended dose (RDP) of phosphorus fertilizer on some agronomic traits, grain yield, and nutrients uptake in barley, to appraise the beneficial effects of these combinations to improve plant growth, N, P, and K uptake, grain yield, and its components under salinity stress.
Results
The findings exposed that the treatments HA + 100% RDP (T1), HA + 75% RDP (T2), FA + 100% RDP (T5), HA + 50% RDP (T3), and FA + 75% RDP (T6), improved number of spikes/plant, 1000-grain weight, grain yield/ha, harvest index, the amount of uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) in straw and grain. The increase percentage 64.69, 56.77, 49.83, 49.17, and 44.22% in the first season, and 64.08, 56.63, 49.19, 48.87, and 43.69% in the second season, for grain yield over the control. Meanwhile, the increase was 22.30, 16.42, 11.27, 10.78, and 7.11% in the first season, and 22.17, 16.63, 11.08, 10.84, and 6.99% in the second season, for grain yield compared with the recommended dose. Therefore, it is recommended to treat the soil with humic acid or foliar application the plants with fulvic acid in addition to phosphate fertilizer with one of the following treatments: HA + 100% RDP (T1), HA + 75% RDP (T2), FA + 100% RDP (T5), HA + 50% RDP (T3), and FA + 75% RDP (T6) under salinity conditions.
Conclusions
The result of the use of organic amendments was an increase in the tolerance of barley plant to salinity stress, which was evident from the improvement in the different traits that occurred after the treatment using treatments that included organic amendments (humic acid or fulvic acid).
The persistence and effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the risk of clinical sequelae one year after COVID-19 infection: a territory-wide cohort study in Hong Kong
Authors: Wong Ian , Lam Ivan Chun Hang , Zhang Ran , Man Kenneth , Wong Carlos King Ho , Chui Celine Sze Ling , Lai Francisco , Li Xue , Chan Esther Wai Yin , Lau Chak-Sing , Wan Eric Yuk Fai
Published: September 2023

Introduction
The persistence of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) and the protection against such risk conferred by COVID-19 vaccination on the risk of remains largely unknown. This study evaluated the progressive risk of PASC one year after infection and comparing the risk and its persistence between patients of different COVID-19 vaccination status.
Method
A retrospective territory-wide cohort study was conducted using electronic medical record from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKHA) database. 1,166,987 patients with COVID-19 between April 1st and 2020 and October 31st, 2022 aged 18 or above, stratified into unvaccinated or in-completely vaccinated (received ≤ 1 dose), fully vaccinated (2 doses) and received booster (≥ 3 doses) of BioNtech or CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccines and non-COVID-19 controls matched by the exact birth-year and sex. Covariates between patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 controls were adjusted using propensity score-based inverse probability treatment weighting. The hazard ratio of evidence based list of reported clinical sequelae, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality between participants with a confirmed COVID-19 infection and their matched controls at three-monthly interval up to one year of COVID-19 infection were estimated using Cox proportional regression model.
Results
A progressive reduction in risk of all-cause mortality was observed over one year between patients with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 controls [0-30d: HR16·00 (95%CI 15·35 to 16·67); 31-90d: 3·76 (3·58 to 3·95); 91-180d: 2·17 (2·06 to 2·28); 181-270d: 1·85 (1·75 to 1·95); 271-365d: 2·01 (1·87 to 2·16)]. Patients with complete vaccination or have received booster dose incurred a lower risk of PASC including major cardiovascular diseases [dose ≤ 1: 1·69 (1·51,1·89); dose = 2: 1·04 (0·92,1·17); dose ≥ 3: 1·06 (0·95 to 1·18)], and all-cause mortality [dose ≤ 1: 3·76 (3·58 to 3·95); dose = 2: 1·39 (1·29 to 1·50); dose ≥ 3: 1·08 (0·96 to 1·22)] than un-vaccinated or patients with in-complete vaccination 30–90 days after infection. Completely vaccinated and patients with booster dose of vaccines did not incur significant higher risk of PASC from 271 and 91 days of infection onwards, respectively, whilst un-vaccinated or incompletely vaccinated patients continued to incur a greater risk of PASC including major cardiovascular diseases [1·27(1·10 to 1·46)] and all-cause mortality [2·01(1·87 to 2·16)] for up to a year.
Conclusion
The study findings reported a progressive reduction in risk of PASC following COVID-19 infection over a year and provided real-world evidence supporting the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing the risk of PASC and its persistence following infection.
Ciliary muscles contraction leads to axial length extension —— The possible initiating factor for myopia
Authors: Zhou Peng , Wang Dan-Dan , Fan Lei , Yang Lin , Zhao Ming-Wei
Published: September 2023

This study aimed to investigate the underlying factors driving the onset of myopia, specifically the role of the ciliary muscle’s contraction in the elongation of the axial length of the eye. The retrospective study was conducted utilizing data from three ophthalmic centers in Shanghai and Beijing. Both Chinese and Caucasian children were involved. The axial length of the subjects’ eyes was measured in both relaxed and contracted state of the ciliary muscle. A comprehensive mechanical model was also developed to observe the influence of ciliary muscle contraction on the axial length. This study included a sample of 198 right eyes of 198 myopic children. Of these, 97 were male and 101 were female, 126 were of Chinese ethnicity and 72 were Caucasian. The age of onset for myopia ranged from 5.9 to 16.9 years old. The axial length of the eye decreased 0.028 ± 0.007mm following dilation, indicating relaxation of the ciliary muscle (t paired student = 15.16, p = 6.72 x 10− 35). In contrast, ciliary muscle contraction resulted in an increase in axial length. Considering proportionality, a significant 90.4% (179 eyes) exhibited a reduced axial length, while a minor 9.6% (19 eyes) demonstrated an increase post-mydriasis. Finite element modeling demonstrated that muscle contraction caused a tension force that transmits towards the posterior pole of the eye, causing it to extend posteriorly. The contraction of the ciliary muscle leads to an extension of the axial length. This could potentially be the initiating factor for myopia.
Functional characterization of the dimeric form of PDGF-derived fusion peptide fabricated based on theoretical arguments
Authors: Ardebili Maryam sadeghi - , Hasannia Sadegh , Dabirmanesh Bahareh , Khavari-Nejad Ramazan Ali
Published: September 2023

A skin wound leads to the loss of skin integrity and the influx of pathogens into the tissue. Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) are cytokines released from alpha granules during the wound healing and interact with their cell surface receptors and activate signals involved in chemotaxis, growth, proliferation, and differentiation pathways. Due to the low stability of growth factors (GFs), a new peptide-derived PDGF-BB was designed, expressed in the Shuffle strain of E. coli and purified by Ni-NTA agarose affinity column chromatography. The effect of fusion peptide was then evaluated on L929 fibroblast cells and animal models with skin lesions. In vitro studies showed that the peptide lead to an increase in the migration of fibroblast cells in the scratch assay. Its positive effect on wound healing was also observed in the skin-injured rats after 3, 7, and 12 days. A significant rise in neutrophils and granular tissue formation, re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, and collagen formation was exhibited on the third day of treatment when compared to the control group. The results showed that, despite reducing PDGF size, the fusion peptide was able to maintain at least some of the known functions attributed to full-length PDGF and showed positive results in wound healing.
A Hybrid Approach for Fault-Tolerance aware Load Balancing in Fog Computing
Authors: Kashyap Vijaita , Ahuja Rakesh , Kumar Ashok
Published: September 2023

Fog computing has grown in popularity in recent years because to its potential to deliver real-time processing, low latency, and reduce network congestion. However, the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) enabled smart devices in environments using fog computing may lead to resource limitations and higher computational demands. Load balancing and fault tolerance strategies are necessary to tackle these difficulties for optimal resource usage and system availability. In order to accomplish fault tolerance aware load balancing in fog computing, a hybrid meta-heuristic approach in this study that combines the Modified Harris-Hawks Optimization (MHHO) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is proposed. The MHHO algorithm is utilized for load balancing, whereas the ACO algorithm is used for fault tolerance. By employing the proposed technique, the load on fog nodes is balanced, the makespan time is minimized, energy consumption and execution costs are minimized, and fault tolerance in fog computing environments is ensured. It is evaluated using a simulation framework built on the iFogSim toolkit. In terms of load balancing, fault tolerance, and other factors, the results of the experiments show that the suggested hybrid algorithm performs better than earlier state-of-the-art methods.
Formative research to understand food beliefs and practices relating to pregnancy on Kei Besar Island, Eastern Indonesia
Authors: Mogi Jessica Gloria , Premikha M , Gittelsohn Joel , Sanjaya Adhi , Nabila Ona , Prihartono Indira
Published: September 2023

Background
Food-related beliefs and practices during pregnancy may contribute to the high prevalence of chronic energy deficiencies (CED) in Eastern Indonesia. Currently, little information on these issues is available. This study investigates food beliefs and practices related to pregnancy on Kei Besar Island in the Maluku province of Eastern Indonesia.
Methods
A qualitative study was conducted utilizing in-depth interviews, free lists, and pile sort exercises. Data collection was conducted in January 2023 and involved pregnant women (n = 12), community health volunteers (n = 2), and traditional healers (n = 3) from 9 villages in Kei Besar District.
Results
The need to avoid or minimize consumption of certain foods during pregnancy, such as some kinds of fish, chili and spicy food, soda, pineapples, octopus, squid, and ice was reported by more than one-third of all participants. Consumption of prescribed foods, such as cassava leaves, papaya, coconut water, rice during early pregnancies, moringa leaves, bananas, and katok leaves was reported by five or more participants. These food proscriptions and prescriptions were due to concerns about the risks of miscarriage, adverse effects on the fetus and mother, and complications during labor. Participants also reported other practices, such as eating for two during early pregnancy and reducing food intake in late pregnancy.
Conclusions
Food beliefs are present and practiced in the Kei Besar community and may impact the nutritional status of women and their infants. Interventions should target training healthcare providers and community health volunteers to provide culturally appropriate health education that incorporates prescribed local ingredients and provides nutritionally adequate substitutes for the proscribed food items.
Trial Registration:
Not applicable
Optical, structural and hydrophilic characteristics of synthesized Mn doped SnO 2 thin films
Authors: Ali Falah H. , Salman Hiba Mohammed
Published: September 2023

Sol-gel is a good technique and adopted for synthesizing SnO2 and Mn SnO2 nanoparticles then deposited thin films using dip-coater. Absorption was explaining high transmittance for visible region for all samples. XRD patterns where indicate nano crystalline tetragonal phase unchanged when increasing Mn Concentrations. AFM was used to analyze the nature of surfaces and revealed the lowest average roughness (9.489) at (3%), which is a significant finding for self-cleaning technology. Finally, contact angle measurements show that contact angle was change with doping concentration and decrease with increasing UV irradiation time and it changes turbulently and unreliable with increasing irradiation period in the visible region and this indicate good and novel result in Hydrophilicity.
Factors contributing to job satisfaction and turnover intentions: Analysis of data from 10 Japanese industries
Authors: Kato Takumi , Koizumi Masaki
Published: September 2023

Background While the extant literature has presented various factors underlying employee attitude, researchers may have overestimated the effects by analyzing these factors individually. This study clarified the differences in the factors contributing to job satisfaction and turnover intentions, focusing on 10 factors—eight from the literature (rewarding work, skill acquisition, fair wages, work–life balance, flexible work, office equipment, relationships with superiors, and corporate social responsibility) and two new factors: company philosophy and advanced technology.Methods Following a literature review and hypotheses development, we applied structural equation modeling to online survey data of 1,000 workers employed in 10 industries (automobiles, banking, clothing, cosmetics, electronics, food, government, IT, medical and health care, and retail) in Japan.Results The results showed that these factors (in the given order) have significant positive effects on job satisfaction: rewarding work, work–life balance, company philosophy, and fair wages. Flexible work has a negative effect on job satisfaction, contrary to expectations. Skill acquisition and relationships with superiors have a negative effect on turnover intentions, while advanced technology has a positive effect. Moreover, men emphasize objective factors such as wages and skills, whereas women emphasize psychological factors such as human relationships and an empathetic company philosophy.Conclusions By treating the 10 factors equally, this study showed that the factors contributing to job satisfaction and turnover intentions are different. Furthermore, two new factors—company philosophy and advanced technology—were evaluated in the context of job satisfaction and turnover intentions.
The diagnostic value of combining quantitative peripheral muscle ultrasound examination with bioelectrical impedance analysis in assessing intensive care unit-acquired weakness among tumor sepsis patients.
Authors: zhang zhen , Wang Donghao , Wu Yulin , Lyu Yang
Published: September 2023

Objective
This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of ultrasound-measured rectus femoris cross-sectional area (RF-CSA), tibialis anterior muscle thickness (TA-MT), and micro-indicators in bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for diagnosing intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW).
Methods
We conducted a single-center, observational study on patients hospitalized in the ICU of Tianjin Cancer Hospital with tumor-induced sepsis or septic shock. Ultrasonography was used to assess changes in peripheral skeletal muscle (RF-CSA, TA-MT) within 6 hours of sepsis onset and 72 hours after sepsis treatment. BIA was employed to measure micro-component changes in the human body. Statistical analysis was performed to predict the probability of ICU-AW occurrence.
Results
A total of 41 patients were included, with 17 diagnosed with ICU-AW. Regardless of the final ICU-AW diagnosis, all patients exhibited significant decreases in RF-CSA, TA-MT, skeletal muscle index (SMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), total body water (TBW), and protein levels. However, patients diagnosed with ICU-AW displayed more pronounced declines. RF-CSA, SMI, protein, and TBW demonstrated higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC-AUCs) of 0.762, 0.730, 0.733, and 0.735, respectively, for diagnosing ICU-AW. Moreover, the initial Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score exhibited good diagnostic value with ROC-AUCs of 0.768 and 0.716, respectively. In the combined diagnostic model, RF-CSA and SMI had the highest ROC-AUC of 0.849.
Conclusion
Peripheral muscle ultrasound and bioelectrical impedance analysis can serve as early identification methods for ICU-AW in patients with tumor-related sepsis. Individually, RF-CSA, SMI, protein, and TBW have good diagnostic accuracy for ICU-AW. Additionally, the more easily obtainable APACHE II score and SOFA score show comparable diagnostic value. The combined diagnostic model based on RF-CSA and SMI demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy for ICU-AW.
Evaluation of Brachystegia Eurycoma Leaves Extract as a Source of Green Inhibitor for Mild Steel in Acid Solution
Authors: Emembolu L. N. , Iwuchkwu F. U. , Ejiofor C. C. , Ajali J. J
Published: September 2023

The aim of this work is to investigate the corrosion inhibition of B. eurycoma leaves extract as a natural inhibitor for mild steel corrosion in 1 M H2SO4 solution. The corrosion inhibition activity was analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. The surface roughness and its properties through Scan electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained result from EIS divulge that the gradual increase in the B. eurycoma l eaves extract inhibitor concentration and time of immersion leads to progressive increase in inhibition efficiency. At the end of 8 hrs immersion time and inhibitor concentration of 1000mg/l the highest inhibition efficiency of (80%) and surface coverage of 70% were achieved. The potentiodynamic polarization results indicated that addition of B. eurycoma leaves extract hindered the reaction rates of anodic and cathodic reactions and performed as mix type inhibitor. The result also revealed that in the presence of B. eurycoma leaves extract the value of corrosion density of mild steel reduced considerably from 265.2µA/cm2 for sample without inhibitor to 67.8µA/cm2 for sample in 1000mg/l of the inhibitor. Again, it was observed that in the presence B. eurycoma leaves extract the mechanism of hydrogen (effervescence) evolution was unique whereas the anodic dissolution of iron mechanism experienced the impact of the inhibitor. SEM inspection revealed that the mild steel surface showed smoother and lower damage in the presence of inhibitor. Obvious correlations were found between corrosion inhibition efficiency and some quantum chemical parameters such as energy of highest occupied molecular orbital (EHOMO), energy of lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (ELUMO), energy gap (EL–H) and electronic density etc. The obtained results were further elucidated with frontier molecular orbital theory.
Preparation of innovative glass-ceramic materials based on mica schist within the CaO-MgO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 system
Authors: Shendy Hussain , Khater G. A. , Shahien Mohamed G. , Zayed Ahmed Mohamed
Published: September 2023

The preparation of affordable glass-ceramic materials by induced crystallization of glass-based mica schists and other natural raw materials (dolomite & limestone), as well as magnesite as a mine waste, was investigated for the first time. Five glass batches were designed based on the eutectic composition of the diopside-anorthite ratio with increasing the enstatite content from 0–40 wt.% within the quaternary CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 system. After melting at 1400 to 1500 ˚C, casting into discs & rod shapes, and annealing process, the prepared glasses were subjected to careful heat treatment schedules. Several techniques were used to characterize the applied raw materials, glass, and glass-ceramic materials such as X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Polarizing-light Microscopy. The produced glass-ceramic from the glass batch with 30 wt% enstatite that was nucleated at 750 ˚C /2h followed by crystallization at 950 ˚C /h, displayed the well-developed product on the level of volume crystallization and pore formation.
Birth weight predicts academic performance among Ghanaian school children
Authors: Zaid Haruna , Ali Zakari , Mahama Alhassan , Abubakari Abdulai
Published: September 2023

Birth weight (BW) is commonly used as a benchmark for child health and growth. Low birth weight (LBW) is defined by the WHO as a BW of 2500g (2.5kg) (LBW). LBW has been identified as a risk factor for poor child health and has been linked to a variety of negative child health outcomes, including cognitive impairment and poor school performance. The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between birth weights (BW) and academic performance in a large Ghanaian metropolitan area.
A retrospective study was carried out. This study included 360 children ages 9 to 15 from four primary schools. To determine associations, academic records of children were combined with records of their birth weight. The relationship between birth weight and academic performance scores was determined using linear regression modeling.
The prevalence of LBW was 14% among school children. 65% scored low on a three-year academic performance score scale. After adjusting for the effects of other factors, there was strong evidence of an association between LBW and academic performance score (β= -6.90, 95% CI: -11.19 to -2.51, p=0.002). We find that for every 10 grams decrease in birth weight, the academic scores of children decreased by 69 points after controlling for potential confounders.
This study found an association between birth weight and academic performance in Ghanaian primary school children. Efforts to increase birth weight could benefit cognitive development and academic performance in childhood.
A Comparative Study of Federated Learning Methods for COVID-19 Detection
Authors: Darzi Erfan , Sijtsema Nanna M. , Ooijen P.M.A van
Published: September 2023

Deep learning has proven to be highly effective in diagnosing COVID-19; however, its efficacy is contingent upon the availability of extensive data for model training. The data sharing among hospitals, which is crucial for training robust models, is often restricted by privacy regulations. Federated learning (FL) emerges as a solution by enabling model training across multiple hospitals while preserving data privacy. However, the deployment of FL can be resource-intensive, necessitating efficient utilization of computational and network resources. In this study, we evaluate the performance and resource efficiency of five FL algorithms in the context of COVID-19 detection using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in a decentralized setting. The evaluation involves varying the number of participating entities, the number of federated rounds, and the selection algorithms. Our findings indicate that the Cyclic Weight Transfer algorithm exhibits superior performance, particularly when the number of participating hospitals is limited. These insights hold practical implications for the deployment of FL algorithms in COVID-19 detection and broader medical image analysis.
Diffraction separation and imaging based on curvelet domain cascade filter
Authors: Chen Zongnan , Zhao Jingtao , Peng Suping
Published: September 2023

Diffraction separation plays an important role in high-resolution imaging of small-scale discontinuous geological bodies. These discontinuities or nonuniformities are related to the oil and gas migration path and reservoir space, and they are also common geological hazard factors in engineering. In the common offset domain, diffractions are hyperbolic, while reflections are mostly linear. The difficulty of diffraction separation technology is to suppress the reflected energy while retaining the diffraction energy. Curvelet is a sparse transformation with angle classification. Reflections are distributed in a few coefficient matrices after curvelet transformation, whereas diffractions are the opposite. Based on the significant difference between reflections and diffractions in the curvelet domain, a method of diffraction separation using cascaded filters in the curvelet domain is proposed. Cascade filters in the curvelet domain include high-pass filters and median filters. The adaptive high-pass filter can suppress the low-frequency part of reflections, and the median filter is used to suppress the high-frequency part of reflections. Numerical experiments show that the proposed method has good performance in eliminating tilt and horizontal reflections, as well as the ability to retain the polarity reversal characteristics of diffractions and more energy. Field application further verifies the potential value of this method in solving the identification of complex stratigraphic structures and small-scale discontinuities.
Propagation characteristics of metro blast wave and prediction of casualty area
Authors: Li Haoran , Wei Qun , Xu Zhuang
Published: September 2023

A subway train explosion would result in serious casualties because of the narrow space and high crowd density of the subway train. No study has been conducted on the propagation of a blast wave in a narrow space as well as the secondary damage caused by crowd panic. In this study, the propagation characteristics of a blast wave in a subway train were analyzed using the finite element analysis method. The results showed that wave propagation processes can be divided into three phases: spherical expansion, reflection and interference, and propagation along the sidewall of the tunnel. The blast wave generated reflection and interference effects due to the obstruction of the train structure, and the accumulation degree of the blast wave pressure at different positions of the same longitudinal interface differed. In the longitudinal direction of the train, the closer a point was to the center of the explosion, the bigger the peak pressure was, the fewer the crests of the blast wave were, and the shorter the duration of action was. The evaluation model for the explosion casualty was based on the crowd panic effect; the model was validated using the disaster of subway Line 2 in Moscow. The general regression neural network was used to analyze the explosion casualties based on the data of 13 subway train explosions globally; 7 factors that affect explosion casualties were used as indexes. The deviation in the prediction results was less than 20% when the training samples were more than seven. The findings of this study serve as a vital reference for explosion casualty forecast in confined and narrow spaces, subway safety facility setting, and emergency rescue.
In Vitro Hemodynamic Performance of a Blood Pump for Self-powered Venous Assist in Univentricular Hearts
Authors: Rasooli Reza , Holmstrom Henrik , Giljarhus Knut Erik Teigen , Jolma Ingunn Westvik , Vinningland Jan Ludvig , de Lange Charlotte , Brun Henrik , Hiorth Aksel
Published: September 2023

Univentricular heart anomalies represent a group of severe congenital heart defects necessitating early surgical intervention in infancy. The Fontan procedure, the final stage of single-ventricle palliation, establishes a serial connection between systemic and pulmonary circulation by channeling venous return to the lungs. The absence of the subpulmonary ventricle in this peculiar circulation progressively eventuates in failure, primarily due to chronic elevation in inferior vena cava (IVC) pressure. This study experimentally validates the effectiveness of an intracorporeally-powered venous ejector pump (VEP) in reducing IVC pressure in Fontan patients. The VEP exploits a fraction of aortic flow to create a jet-venturi effect for the IVC, negating the external power requirement and driveline infections. A multi-scale in-vitro Fontan mock-up circulation loop is developed and the impact of VEP design parameters and physiological conditions is assessed using both idealized and patient-specific total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) phantoms. The VEP performance in reducing IVC pressure exhibited an inverse relationship with the cardiac output and extra-cardiac conduit (ECC) size and a proportional relationship with the transpulmonary pressure gradient (TPG) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). The ideal VEP with fail-safe features provided an IVC pressure drop of 1.82 ± 0.49, 2.45 ± 0.54, and 3.12 ± 0.43 mm Hg for TPG values of 6, 8, and 10 mm Hg, respectively, averaged over all ECC sizes and cardiac outputs. Furthermore, the arterial oxygen saturation was consistently maintained above 85% in all conditions. These results emphasize the potential utility of the VEP to mitigate elevated venous pressure in Fontan patients.
Complex structures on the product of two Sasakian manifolds
Authors: Marchidanu Vlad Adrian
Published: September 2023

A Sasakian manifold is a Riemannian manifold whose metric cone admits a certain Kähler structure which behaves well under homotheties. We show that the product of two compact Sasakian manifolds admits a family of complex structures indexed by a complex nonreal parameter, none of whose members admits any compatible locally conformally Kähler metrics if both Sasakian manifolds are of dimension greater than 1. We compare this family with another family of complex structures which has been studied in the literature. We compute the Dolbeault cohomology groups of these products of compact Sasakian manifolds.
2020 Mathematics Subject Classification: 53C25, 53C55
Preoperative Intravascular Volume Status Measured by Inferior Vena Cava Collapsibility Index in Patients with Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma Undergoing Surgical Tumour Removal- A Prospective Observational Cohort Study
Authors: Ranganathan Poornima Diana , Ramachandran Rashmi , Trikha Anjan , Kumar Rajeev , Lakshmy R , Rewari Vimi
Published: September 2023

Study Objective-
Patients with pheochromocytoma (PCC) and paraganglioma (PGL) have contracted volume status due to intense catecholamine mediated vasoconstriction. These patients are prescribed plenty of oral and/or intravenous fluids to improve their volume status as part of pre-operative optimization strategy. This purportedly helps in improving the volume status of these patients and decreasing the incidence of post tumor removal hypotension. Pre-operative volume status of these patients after oral/IV fluid optimization therapy has, however, not been objectively explored. This study was, thus, devised to assess the pre-operative volume immediately prior to surgery in patients undergoing PCC/PGL removal.
Design-
Prospective, non-blinded, observational study
Setting-
Operating room (OR)
Patients -
Thirty-two patients with PCC/PGL scheduled to undergo tumor removal surgery were included in the study. Forty patients with well controlled essential hypertension posted for incidental elective surgery were included as a control group.
Interventions-
None
Measurements-
Inferior vena cava- collapsibility index (IVC-CI) was measured in both the groups immediately prior to the surgery either in the OR or pre-anesthesia room. Patients with a value of IVC-CI more than equal to 40% were deemed to be having intravascular volume depletion (IVVD). Perioperative hemodynamic perturbations were recorded in all the patients. Correlation was sought between the intraoperative fluid requirement and postoperative vasopressor requirement with preoperative volume status of the patients.
Main Results-
In patients with functional PCC/PGL, IVVD was present in 19 out of 32 patients (59.38%). There was no observed difference in the incidence of IVVD between the two groups. There was no significant association between IVVD and the initiation of vasopressor after tumor resection in patients with PCC/PGL.
Conclusion-
The incidence of IVVD in patients with PCC/PGL who have received pre-operative liberal oral fluid intake is similar to patients with non-PCC/PGL hypertension. The preoperative intravascular volume status of PCC/PGL patients is a poor predictor of their need for intra-operative intravenous fluids and post tumor removal vasopressor therapy.
Some methods for dynamically generating decision implications
Authors: Zhang Jialu , Wu Xia
Published: September 2023

This paper focuses on generating decision implications and concept rules by approximate reasoning in a formal context. Firstly, the solutions of generalized modus ponens (GMP for short) and generalized modus tonens (GMT for short) based on full implication triple inference method are given, the MP approximate reasoning and MT approximate reasoning of decision implications based on GMP and GMT in decision context are proposed. An approximate reasoning method based on the attribute logic pseudo-metric is introduced, and the relation between pseudo-metric approximate reasoning and MP, MT approximate reasoning is discussed. Thirdly, the properties of MP and MT approximate reasoning of decision implications and concept rules are discussed, and it is proved that: (i) the conclusion of MP and MT approximate reasoning of decision implications are decision implications, and (ii) the conclusion of MP and MT approximate reasoning of concept rules are concept rules. Fourthly, some generation methods and algorithms of decision implications and concept rules based on MP and MT approximate reasoning are proposed. Finally, examples and experiments are given to show that the methods and algorithms are valid.
Interactive Multimodal Video Search: An Extended Post-Evaluation for the VBS 2022 Competition
Authors: Schall Konstantin , Bailer Werner , Barthel Kai-Uwe , Carrara Fabio , Lokoč Jakub , Peška Ladislav , Schöffmann Klaus , Vadicamo Lucia , Vairo Claudio
Published: September 2023

CLIP-based text-to-image retrieval has proven to be very effective at the interactive video retrieval competition Video Browser Showdown 2022, where all three top-scoring teams had implemented a variant of a CLIP model in their system. Since the performance of these three systems was quite close, this post-evaluation was designed to get better insights on the differences of the systems and compare the CLIP-based text-query retrieval engines by introducing slight modifications to the original competition settings. An extended analysis of the overall results and the retrieval performance of all systems' functionalities shows that a strong text retrieval model certainly helps, but has to be coupled with extensive browsing capabilities and other query-modalities to consistently solve known-item-search tasks in a large scale video database.
Combating mass extinctions: Discovering new Pinna nobilis populations in the Sea of Marmara
Authors: Karadurmuş Uğur , Benli Tacan , Sarı Mustafa
Published: September 2023

Pinna nobilis is one of the largest bivalve species in the Mediterranean Sea. The situation of the species is critical as it faces widespread mass extinctions in various parts of the Mediterranean Sea. The Sea of Marmara offers a unique environment for fan mussel populations, with some areas hosting alive communities. This study aims to discover new populations of P. nobilis in the Sea of Marmara that are known to be not affected by mass extinctions. An area of 28,200 m2 at 47 stations along the 105 km coastline in the southern part of the Sea of Marmara was scanned by underwater visual counting method. A total of 544 alive fan mussels were recorded during the underwater surveys, ranging in shell height from 11.8 to 31.4 cm. The mean density was estimated as 5.3 ind·100 m− 2, and recorded very high densities which reached 18.8 ind·100 m− 2 among the stations. The hotspots of the population were distributed from the shoreline to a 10 m depth range and 100 m distance from the shoreline in sandy and seagrass meadow habitats. The presence of juveniles provided evidence of successful recruitment and settlement. The distribution pattern and recorded mortalities were attributed to hydrodynamic factors and intense human activities. This study provides key insights into the mechanisms of resilience and survival among fan mussels' mass death events and offers valuable guidance for potential conservation strategies in other affected regions.
Neonatal outcome of preterm infants with antenatally diagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia: A single center’s experience
Authors: Park Young Mi , Jin Hyunseung , Jeong Jiyoon , Jung Euiseok , Namgoong Jung-Man , Lee Byong Sop
Published: September 2023

Purpose
This study aimed to determine the impact of GA cut-off on the clinical outcome of CDH and assess whether prematurity influences the predictive value of fetal lung volume measurement.
Methods
We investigated the medical records of infants with CDH between January 2014 and August 2021. We classified the patients into term CDH (TCDH) and preterm CDH (PCDH) groups and compared their clinical characteristics, including fetal lung volume measured by the observed-to-expected lung-to-head ratio (O/E LHR).
Results
Among 145 infants with CDH, 23 (15.9%) were preterm. Mean O/E LHR was significantly higher in survivors than in non-survivors with no difference between TCDH and PCDH groups. Mortality rate was significantly higher in infants with GA < 34 weeks (80%) than in late preterm infants (16.7%). O/E LHR, rather than GA < 34 weeks, was a risk factor predicting mortality in multivariate analyses. Predictive power of O/E LHR was high in the TCDH and PCDH groups, respectively. The incidence of chronic lung disease did not differ between PCDH and TCDH.
Conclusion
O/E LHR significantly predicted mortality in preterm infants, suggesting preterm birth alone should not be the determinant of early CDH treatment strategy.
LCAG:A Lightweight Consensus Algorithm Based on Graph for the Internet of Things
Authors: Wu Fusheng , Gong Xiaofeng , Liu Jinhui , Li Yanbin , Ni Mingtao
Published: September 2023

Consensus algorithms are the core technology of blockchain and a focus in the current distributed system research. Although the practical Byzantine fault-tolerant (PBFT) algorithm has reduced communication time overhead, it still needs some processes such as node legitimacy checking, identity authentication, and primary node view change, and when reaching an agreement among nodes, time overhead will increase exponentially, rather than polynomial time. In response to the problem, a lightweight consensus algorithm based on graph (LCAG) is proposed for the Internet of Things (IoT) in this paper. The new algorithm proposes an access control table, reduces communication time overhead, quantifies a process for nodes to reach an agreement in distributed systems. The simulation results reveal that in the process for nodes to reach an agreement, the new algorithm needs less time overhead than the classical Byzantine algorithm need, as well as practical Byzantine fault-tolerant algorithm.
Bi-allelic missense variants in MEI4 cause preimplantation embryonic arrest and female infertility
Authors: Pan Zhiqi , Wang Weijie , Wu Ling , Yao Zhongyuan , Wang Wenjing , Chen Yao , Gu Hao , Dong Jie , Mu Jian , Zhang Zhihua , Fu Jing , Li Qiaoli , Wang Lei , He Lin , Sun Xiaoxi , Kuang Yanping , Sang Qing , Chen Biaobang
Published: September 2023

Preimplantation embryonic arrest is an important pathogenesis of female infertility, but little is known about the genetic factors behind this phenotype. MEI4 is an essential protein for DNA double-strand break formation during meiosis, and Mei4 knock-out female mice are viable but sterile, indicating that MEI4 plays a crucial role in reproduction. To date, MEI4 has not been found to be associated with any human reproductive diseases. Here, we identified six compound heterozygous and homozygous MEI4 variants—namely, c.293C > T (p.Ser98Leu), c.401C > G (p.Pro134Arg), c.391C > G (p.Pro131Ala), c.914A > T (p.Tyr305Phe), c.908C > G (p.Ala303Gly), and c.899A > T (p.Gln300Leu)—in four independent families that were responsible for female infertility mainly characterized by preimplantation embryonic arrest. In vitro, we found that these variants reduced the interaction between MEI4 and DNA. In vivo, we generated a knock-in mouse model and demonstrated that female mice were infertile and were characterized by developmental defects during oogenesis. Our findings reveal the important roles of MEI4 in human reproduction and provide a new diagnostic marker for genetic counseling of clinical infertility patients.
Understanding the lived-experience and support-needs of people living with antimicrobial resistance in the UK: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Hamilton Ryan A , Lond Benjamin , Wilde Lucina , Williamson Iain
Published: September 2023

BackgroundIn the UK nearly 54,000 infections were caused by serious resistant bacteria in 2022. While the impact on patients during hospital admissions are known, there is little research on the long-term impact on those identified as having infections from or being colonised with resistant bacteria. Moreover, there is lacking evidence of the support-needs of these individuals and how this support should be provided by clinicians and healthcare providers. This research aimed to answer the question: “What are the key elements of experience and support needs of people living with AMR in the United Kingdom?”MethodsIn-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with nine people who had been living with resistant infections or colonisation for 12-months or longer, to explore their lived-experiences and support-needs. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to study the accounts and illustrate individuals’ experiences and particular support-needs.ResultsParticipants experienced marginalisation and isolation but also empowerment; described across three major themes, titled: (1) I live in fear and stigma: The long-term impact of AMR; (2) I am battling on my own: A journey toward self-advocacy; and (3) I like to share my story: The role of AMR communities. All participants perceived a lack of knowledge, information, and support from clinicians; difficulties accessing reliable and understandable information; and lack of understanding from family and friends. Charities and online groups provided support with coping with their situation and improving mental health and wellbeing.ConclusionsUnderstandable and relatable information regarding the science of AMR, transmission, prevention, and living with AMR needs to be provided by clinicians and healthcare services around the time of diagnosis. There is also an urgent need for professional and reliable information to be available outside of healthcare services, particularly through support groups provided by professionals. More research is needed into the information and advice currently provided, as well as a focus on the impact and support needs of those with asymptomatic colonisation.