bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An ADaptivE PrenaTal (ADEPT) intervention to increase childhood vaccinations: Protocol for a cluster randomized trial and nested mixed methods evaluation
Authors: Vasudevan Lavanya , Porter Rachael M. , Campos Ilse , Turner Elizabeth L. , Stinnett Sandra S. , Zullig Leah L. , Walter Emmanuel B. , Swamy Geeta K. , Bednarczyk Robert A , Orenstein Walter A. , Gray Beverly
Published: November 2024

Background

There is limited evidence to assess if interventions implemented during pregnancy proactively mitigate parental vaccine hesitancy and promote timely vaccination among children after birth. This study protocol describes the evaluation of an ADaptivE PrenaTal (ADEPT) intervention to increase childhood vaccinations that is implemented with first-time pregnant individuals (PIs).

Methods

Within the framework of a type 1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid study design, a cluster-randomized trial (CRT) will determine the effectiveness of ADEPT at increasing childhood vaccinations, and a nested explanatory mixed methods (NMM) study will assess changes in parental vaccine hesitancy. Study practices will be randomized to deliver ADEPT in addition to standard of care or standard of care alone. Providers at intervention sites will participate in a 4-part training program on childhood vaccines and effective communication. During a routine prenatal visit, providers will discuss vaccines recommended for the PI during pregnancy and for the child after birth, following which PIs will be screened for vaccination intention. Vaccine-hesitant PIs will be offered adaptive components of the intervention, which include an educational website and phone call with a vaccine navigator to discuss concerns. They will also be offered enrollment into the NMM study, where their vaccination intention will be assessed post-intervention. After PIs give birth, their child’s vaccination outcomes at 2 months will be extracted from the state immunization registry. The primary study outcome is the difference in timely childhood vaccination at 2 months between the intervention and control arms. The secondary outcome is reduction in vaccine hesitancy assessed among PIs in the NMM study as the pre-post intervention change in vaccination intention.

Discussion

The study findings are expected to contribute evidence on the effectiveness of prenatal interventions to proactively mitigate parental vaccine hesitancy and promote timely vaccinations after the child’s birth.

Trial registration

The study protocol is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05795855).
Evaluation of clinical and laboratory findings in MIS-C patients associated with COVID-19: An experience from the Northwest of Iran
Authors: Farshidgohar Mina , Oveisi Sonia , Dodangeh Samira , Fawzi Fatemeh , Maleki Sanjani Faezeh , Razzaghi Alireza , Teimouri Hossein , Nakazato Gerson
Published: November 2024

This study aimed to evaluate the range of clinical and laboratory findings of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) with COVID-19 in a tertiary children’s hospital in Northwest Iran during 2020–2022. According to the CDC guidelines, this cross-sectional study included 300 pediatric patients diagnosed with MIS-C. Data were collected retrospectively from medical records, focusing on symptoms, organ involvement, laboratory findings, and outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, with significance set at p-values <0.05. The study population had a median age of 3 years, with a slight male predominance (57.3%). The most affected systems in MIS-C disease were hematological (87%), gastrointestinal (85%), and respiratory (67%). Laboratory analysis highlighted elevated inflammatory markers such as D-dimer (83.3%), ferritin (71.4%), and CRP (49.7%). Abnormal urinalysis was observed in 151 patients (50.3%), with glucosuria in 83 cases (27.7%) and proteinuria in 29 cases (9.7%). The study found a significant correlation between cardiovascular issues and elevated blood platelets, ESR, CRP, and troponin levels (P ≤ 0.01) but not with ferritin, albumin, or D-dimer levels. Also, the examination of disease outcomes in this study revealed that 81.7% of MIS-C patients were isolated during their hospital stay, 18.3% needed ICU care, and 1% died in hospital. We have presented an experience with distinct clinical and laboratory manifestations in MIS-C. Given the lower median age in this study compared to previous studies, reporting clinical and laboratory manifestations of MIS-C in pediatrics with a younger age is valuable for the diagnosis and treatment course. Some laboratory factors were risk factors for cardiovascular involvement, and consequently, echocardiography is recommended in MIS-C patients with these laboratory indications. Given the lack of a specific diagnostic test for this emerging disease, studies focusing on investigating clinical symptoms and findings are valuable.
Analysis of inorganic arsenic and methylarsenic in soil after derivatization by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Authors: Zhao Wenzhi , Yang Yuan , Zhang Jintao , Liu Tao
Published: November 2024

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been applied to the analysis of arsenic forms in water, plants, and other samples; however, it has not been used to determine the form of arsenic in soil due to the complex soil matrix. The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of inorganic arsenic species (As (III) and As (V)) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) in soil using GC-MS. The arsenic compounds were subjected to derivatization with 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol (BAL) and subsequently analyzed using GC-MS. The BAL volume, derivatization reaction time, and temperature were optimized using standard added soil extracts. A reaction with 150 μL of BAL at 40°C for 30 min was selected as the optimal condition for quantitative derivatization of both inorganic arsenic (iAs) and MMA. The calibration curves exhibited linearity within the range of 5–100 ng/mL for each arsenic species, with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.997. The limits of detection for each arsenic species were determined to be 0.24 ng/mL and 1.31 ng/mL, respectively. The accuracy of the method was verified by the recovery of reference samples. The recovery experiments for reference samples showed that the recovery rates for As (III), As (V), and MMA were 89.5–93.7%, 88.5–105.6%, and 90.2–95.8% respectively, with precision ranging from 4.6 to 6.5%, 2.3 to 3.8%, and 2.4 to 6.3%. These results indicate good accuracy and precision. The accuracy of this method is not significantly different from that of liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (p = 0.05). The optimized method was sensitive, convenient and reliable for the extraction and analysis of different arsenic species in soil samples.
The trajectory of anxiety and depressive symptoms and the impact of self-injury: A longitudinal 12-month cohort study of individuals with psychiatric symptoms
Authors: Ojala Olivia , Garke Maria Å. , El Alaoui Samir , Forsström David , Hedman-Lagerlöf Maria , Jangard Simon , Lundin Johan , Rozental Alexander , Shahnavaz Shervin , Sörman Karolina , Lundgren Tobias , Hellner Clara , Jayaram-Lindström Nitya , Månsson Kristoffer N. T.
Published: November 2024

Background

Individuals reporting self-injury are at greater risk of several adverse outcomes, including suicide. There is reason to be concerned how these individuals cope when stressful life events increase. This study aimed to investigate the trajectories of anxiety and depressive symptoms and the predictive value of self-injury history in individuals with psychiatric symptoms during the unique and stressful conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

In a longitudinal population cohort study (N = 1810) ranging from 2020 to 2022, anxiety (measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD-7) and depressive symptoms (measured by Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9) were self-reported monthly during 12 months. Latent growth curve models with and without self-reported self-injury history as predictors were conducted.

Results

Overall, anxiety and depressive symptoms decreased from baseline, but remained at moderate severity at follow-up. Individuals reporting suicidal or nonsuicidal self-injury reported significantly higher symptom severity at baseline. In addition, individuals reporting suicidal self-injury demonstrated a slower rate of decline in the symptom load over the course of 12 months.

Conclusions

Over the course of 12 months, anxiety and depressive symptoms decreased in individuals with psychiatric symptoms, but still indicate a psychiatric burden. Individuals with a history of self-injury could be more vulnerable in face of stressful conditions such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Effects of the eccentric chin closure exercise on submental muscle activation, muscle strength, dysphagia limit, perceived exertion and pain in healthy volunteers: A prospective, randomized parallel group study
Authors: Cengiz Emre , Serel Arslan Selen , Yaşaroğlu Ömer Faruk , Alıcı Rabia , Demir Numan , Topçuoğlu Mehmet Akif , Mutlu Akmer
Published: November 2024

Objective(s)

Eccentric Chin Closure (ECC) exercise is a model designed to strengthen the suprahyoid muscles, aligned with the principles of eccentric exercise and the characteristics of these muscles. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the ECC exercise on submental muscle activation, muscle strength, dysphagia limit, perceived exertion, and pain, in comparison to the Shaker and Chin-Tuck Against Resistance (CTAR) exercises.

Methods

In this parallel randomized controlled trial, for the initial assessment fifty-four healthy volunteers aged between 19–28 years with submental activations were recorded during the isotonic components of the Shaker, CTAR, and ECC exercises using surface electromyography. After the initial assessment, the volunteers were randomized to the Shaker, CTAR, and ECC exercise groups with 18 volunteers each group, and followed an 8-week exercise program. Maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVC), muscle strength, dysphagia limit, perceived exertion, and pain were recorded at baseline in 4th week and 8th week.

Results

At the initial assessment, lower submental muscle activation was observed during the Shaker exercise (p<0.05). Follow-up measurements demonstrated that the eight weeks of exercise was effective in increasing MVC activations and muscle strength across all groups. Considering the group*time effect, CTAR (0.36 ± 0.10) and ECC (0.40 ± 0.14) exercises were found to be more effective in increasing MVC than the Shaker (0.29 ± 0.19) exercise (F = 7.203, p<0.001), and the ECC (32.87 ± 6.55) exercise was more effective in improving muscle strength than both the Shaker (26.03 ± 5.86) and CTAR (27.95 ± 6.33) exercises (F = 6.786, p<0.001). Perceived exertion (F = 1.044, p = 0.388) and pain scores (F = 0.346, p = 0.846) showed statistically similar changes across the Shaker, CTAR, and ECC exercise groups.

Conclusion

The ECC exercise demonstrated similar effects on MVC to CTAR, but resulted in greater MVC than the Shaker exercise among healthy volunteers at 8 weeks. ECC was also more effective compared to Shaker and CTAR in terms of strength gain, with all exercises showing comparable levels of perceived exertion and pain.
Analysis of survival-related factors in patients with endometrial cancer using a Bayesian network model
Authors: Zhang Huan , Zhao Shan , Lv Pengzhong
Published: November 2024

Background

In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the use of machine learning, especially in analyzing prognosis survival data. Traditional prediction models cannot identify interrelationships between factors, and the predictive accuracy is lower. This study aimed to construct Bayesian network models using the tree augmented naïve algorithm in comparison with the Cox proportional hazards model.

Methods

A Bayesian network model and a Cox proportional hazards model were constructed to analyze the prognostic factors of endometrial cancer. In total, 618 original cases obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were used to construct the Bayesian network model, which was compared with the traditional Cox proportional hazards model by analyzing prognostic factors. External validation was performed using a dataset from The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University.

Results

The predictive accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and concordance index for the Bayesian network model were 74.68%, 0.787, and 0.72, respectively, compared to 68.83%, 0.723, and 0.71, respectively, for the Cox proportional hazards model. Tumor size was the most important factor for predicting survival, followed by lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, chemotherapy, lymph node resection, tumor stage, depth of invasion, tumor grade, histological type, age, primary tumor site, radiotherapy and surgical sequence, and radiotherapy.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that the Bayesian network model is preferable to the Cox proportional hazards model for predicting survival in patients with endometrial cancer.
The effectiveness of a structured validated questionnaire to assess student perception with virtual pharmacy simulation in pharmacy practice experiential education
Authors: Amirthalingam Palanisamy , Pakkir Mohamed Shahul Hameed , Veeramani Vinoth Prabhu , Nagoor Thangam Mathar Mohideen , Alanazi Majed Falah , Dhanasekaran Muralikrishnan , Mani Vasudevan , Ali Mostafa A. Sayed
Published: November 2024

Background and objective

MyDispense is one of the virtual simulations that has already been established as a suitable alternative for live experiential education in the pharmacy curriculum. However, there are no structured validated questionnaires available to assess the students’ perception while integrating MyDispense with pharmacy practice experiential education. Therefore, the present study aimed to validate a structured questionnaire and use the questionnaire to assess the student perception of various pharmacy practice experiential education.

Methods

Content and construct validity procedure was used to validate the questionnaire. Two hundred students consented to participate in validating the questionnaire. The validated questionnaire assessed the students’ perception of integrating MyDispense with Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience 2 (IPPE2) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) courses. The questionnaire was structured with four domains which were: exercise, instructor, technical, and communication. Each domain carried five items; therefore, the whole questionnaire had 20 items that succeeded in content validity. In the survey, 121 fourth-year and 117 fifth-year Pharm.D. students volunteered to convey their perception of integrating MyDispense with IPPE 2 and APPE, respectively. The survey was conducted before and after the MyDispense exam in both the courses.

Results

The Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω coefficients were > 0.8 in all four domains, indicating that the items related to the four domains have good internal consistency. In Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), two items were found to cross-load in the exercise domain and removed. Therefore, the EFA proposes 18 items for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In CFA, five fit indices were found to be satisfactory, and this indicates construct was good enough to assess the student perception. In IPPE 2, the pre-test response, the students had significantly higher satisfaction (p < 0.05) with all five items related to the technical domain. In APPE, the students had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher perception of all the items related to the exercise and technical domain in the pre-test compared to the post-test. Therefore, the student’s pre-test feedback allowed the instructor to identify and make the necessary corrections in the exercises to improve the quality exercises.

Conclusion

This study provides a validated 18-item questionnaire to assess the student perception of integrating MyDispense in experiential education. The integration of MyDispense in experiential education needs to be done carefully by assessing student perception.
Analyzing the effect of sleep duration, chronotype, and social jet lag on anxiety disorders and health-related quality of life: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Jung Sung Min , Lee Mee-Ri
Published: November 2024

Background

Anxiety disorders significantly impair the quality of life (QOL). Studies on the effect of sleep duration, chronotype, and social jet lag on anxiety disorders are limited. This study aimed to elucidate the contributions of sleep duration, chronotype, and social jet lag to the prevalence and severity of anxiety disorders in Koreans.

Methods

This study used data of 9,874 Korean adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2021–2022. Anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, and health-related QOL was measured using the Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument with 8-Items. Complex sample logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between sleep duration, chronotype, and social jet lag and anxiety disorders, with analyses stratified by sex.

Results

Sleep duration of <6 h, evening chronotype, and social jet lag of >2 h were significantly associated with a high prevalence of anxiety disorders in women; however, in men, only sleep duration of <6 h was associated with anxiety disorders. Sleep duration of <6 h and evening chronotype were associated with low QOL in women but not in men.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of adequate sleep and circadian alignment for mental health, particularly in women. Public health initiatives should focus on promoting healthy sleep habits to improve mental health and QOL. Further research is required to understand the causal pathways and sex-specific mechanisms underlying these associations.
Benefits of managerial overconfidence for corporate digital transformation: Evidence from China
Authors: Jin Yi , Chen Chuxin , Liu Bo
Published: November 2024

This article studies how managerial overconfidence shapes a firm’s digital transformation and unpacks the pathway and the boundary condition. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms between 2011 and 2022, we find that managerial overconfidence exhibits a positive relationship with corporate digital transformation and the relationship is mediated by R&D investment. In addition, we demonstrate that compared to state-owned companies, R&D investment has a more significant positive effect on digital transformation in non-state-owned companies. This study contributes novel insights about the consequences of cognitive biases of top managers and extends the studies for investigating top managers in the digital transformation age. The findings offer implications for top managers who have to fully recognize the impact of overconfidence on the development of the companies and the impact of overconfident executives on corporate digital transformation depending on R&D investment to create value. In addition, this study also reminds Chinese policymakers to improve the efficiency of converting R&D investment into digital transformation in state-owned enterprises.
Diclofenac sensitizes multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii to colistin
Authors: Bisaro Fabiana , Jackson-Litteken Clay D. , McGuffey Jenna C. , Hooppaw Anna J. , Bodrog Sophie , Jebeli Leila , Janet-Maitre Manon , Ortiz-Marquez Juan C. , van Opijnen Tim , Scott Nichollas E. , Di Venanzio Gisela , Feldman Mario F.
Published: November 2024

Acinetobacter baumannii causes life-threatening infections that are becoming difficult to treat due to increasing rates of multi-drug resistance (MDR) among clinical isolates. This has led the World Health Organization and the CDC to categorize MDR A. baumannii as a top priority for the research and development of new antibiotics. Colistin is the last-resort antibiotic to treat carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii. Not surprisingly, reintroduction of colistin has resulted in the emergence of colistin-resistant strains. Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. In this work, we show that diclofenac sensitizes colistin-resistant A. baumannii clinical strains to colistin in vitro and in a murine model of pneumonia. Diclofenac also reduced the colistin minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed an upregulation of oxidative stress-related genes and downregulation of type IV pili induced by the combination treatment. Notably, the concentrations of colistin and diclofenac effective in the murine model were substantially lower than those determined in vitro, implying a stronger synergistic effect in vivo compared to in vitro. A pilA mutant strain, lacking the primary component of the type IV pili, became sensitive to colistin in the absence of diclofenac. This suggest that the downregulation of type IV pili is key for the synergistic activity of these drugs in vivo and indicates that colistin and diclofenac exert an anti-virulence effect. Together, these results suggest that diclofenac can be repurposed with colistin to treat MDR A. baumannii.
SARS-CoV-2 evolution balances conflicting roles of N protein phosphorylation
Authors: Syed Abdullah M. , Ciling Alison , Chen Irene P. , Carlson Christopher R. , Adly Armin N. , Martin Hannah S. , Taha Taha Y. , Khalid Mir M. , Price Nathan , Bouhaddou Mehdi , Ummadi Manisha R. , Moen Jack M. , Krogan Nevan J. , Morgan David O. , Ott Melanie , Doudna Jennifer A.
Published: November 2024

All lineages of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, contain mutations between amino acids 199 and 205 in the nucleocapsid (N) protein that are associated with increased infectivity. The effects of these mutations have been difficult to determine because N protein contributes to both viral replication and viral particle assembly during infection. Here, we used single-cycle infection and virus-like particle assays to show that N protein phosphorylation has opposing effects on viral assembly and genome replication. Ancestral SARS-CoV-2 N protein is densely phosphorylated, leading to higher levels of genome replication but 10-fold lower particle assembly compared to evolved variants with low N protein phosphorylation, such as Delta (N:R203M), Iota (N:S202R), and B.1.2 (N:P199L). A new open reading frame encoding a truncated N protein called N*, which occurs in the B.1.1 lineage and subsequent lineages of the Alpha, Gamma, and Omicron variants, supports high levels of both assembly and replication. Our findings help explain the enhanced fitness of viral variants of concern and a potential avenue for continued viral selection.
Laura Aguilar and Gil Cuadros: Legacies of 1990s Los Angeles Chicanx Resistance through Illness and Queer Friendship
Authors: Alvarez Pablo
Published: November 2024

This article explores the photography of Laura Aguilar through a research methodology that centers friendship and caretaking, a method that accentuates the centrality of queer community and love in her work and that makes visible a Chicanx AIDS consciousness, an awareness of the intersectional effects of AIDS within everyday Chicanx life and history. This research not only considers Aguilar's already-recognized work but also her physical home, her life story, her personal relationships, and her unpublished/unexhibited work, which reveal the multiple ways that AIDS appears throughout her artistic oeuvre and her life. Central to my analysis of Aguilar's photographic production is her long-standing friendship with writer Gil Cuadros, a tumultuous yet highly generative partnership for both artists. Their friendship reveals the need to look beyond the more obvious political imagery and organizational history of AIDS and to investigate the intimate and complex familial and community networks of that period. Understanding the importance of Aguilar and Cuadros's friendship to each other's work allows for a greater understanding of the way that art and activism inform one another through personal and queer familial bonds.
“It Ain't Easy Being Green”: Race and Time in Stormé DeLarverie's Butch Swagger and Presence
Authors: Jaime Karen
Published: November 2024

In this article, the author analyzes the cultural, racial, sexual, and gendered politics that inform the staged and quotidian performances of masculinity by the late Stormé DeLarverie. A mixed-race butch lesbian male impersonator who, in the 1950s and 1960s, performed with the famed Jewel Box Revue, a racially integrated drag show at the Apollo Theater, DeLarverie was also a central figure in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The author reaches across DeLarverie's personal history, life-long activism, and staged performances as a way to frame the relationship between DeLarverie's gender presentation on stage and off, and her cabaret-style singing within a 1990s butch aesthetic. The author argues that DeLarverie's butch swagger and presence highlight a female masculinity readily legible in the 1990s, a female masculinity that troubles contemporary queer discourses surrounding “butch” as a marker for those assigned female at birth that now operates as out of place and time, under the threat of constant erasure, and framed within the vocabulary of extinction. The author challenges narratives forecasting the inevitable butch disappearance and, instead, proposes that DeLarverie's transtemporal embodiment and performance of a racialized female masculinity helps us to imagine future possibilities for butch survival.
Reflexiones en torno a la evaluación de la calidad de instituciones de educación superior y sus programas
Authors: Jaimes Nieto José Orlando
Published: November 2024

En los procesos de evaluación de la calidad en instituciones de educación superior y los programas que estas ofertan, se observa la presencia de actores nuevos que se vinculan a los órganos colegiados del Sistema de Aseguramiento de la Calidad (SAC), como también, el diseño de otras plataformas tecnológicas que han sido diseñadas por el Ministerio de Educación Nacional, a saber, el nuevo Saces. Por medio de la revisión documental y la acción reflexiva se procura ilustrar la manera en que estos nuevos actores, en este proceso, aparecen con la finalidad de procurar una armonización entre los objetivos y las estrategias del Registro calificado y alta calidad, con el propósito de ilustrar la manera en que se comprende el concepto de calidad en la educación superior.
Phytomicrobiome-Resilience to climate change
Authors: Sankareswari U R , Prabhaharan J , Devi T S
Published: November 2024

The abnormal change in weather has resulted in rise in global temperature and the frequency as well as intensity of abiotic factors like drought has a negative influence on agricultural production in many areas. These aspects are mainly related to nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance. Changing the phytomicrobiome or its interactions can improve both of these parameters. "Phytomicrobiome" refers to the microbes that are associated with plants, including bacteria, archaebacteria, fungi, and viruses. It is a community of microorganisms that establish essential ecological relationships with the host plant. This community has the potential to protect the plant against abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, and salinity by producing antioxidant enzymes, plant growth hormones, bioactive compounds, and by detoxifying harmful chemicals, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), and free radicals. The abiotic factors have significantly impacted the diversity of microbiome in rhizosphere, phyllosphere and endophytes. To cope with adverse condi- tions, phytomicrobiomes enables the plants to develop sophisticated mech- anisms to sense the stress signals to ensure optimal growth responses. The phytomicrobiome has played a crucial role in creating new bioinoculants, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) formulations, biofertilizers, biostimulants and biocontrol agents being effective alternatives to chemical fertilizers in future for specific crops, contributing to sustainable agricultural productivity for farmers and society. This article mainly emphasizes on the phytomicrobiome interactions for plant health and how environmentally friendly methods can be used to maximize the agricultural productivity as well as how the phytomicrobiome can be used to reduce the effect of drought stress on plants and boost crop productivity.
3D simulation of double-needle bar warp-knitted clustered pile fabrics on DFS
Authors: Guan Songsong , Jiang Gaoming , Li Bingxian
Published: November 2024

The shortcomings of traditional pile fabric design and simulation in simulating clustered structures are addressed in this study by proposing a new three-dimensional (3D) simulation method. To accurately capture the details of clustered pile fabrics, a fine geometric model of a single pile loop is first established, and a novel geometric transformation algorithm, combined with rotational transformations and trigonometric calculations, is employed to achieve the natural aggregation of pile fibers, resulting in a highly realistic clustered structure. Additionally, to enhance design flexibility and accuracy, a pile design pattern is introduced, and for the first time, a Depth-First Search (DFS) algorithm is utilized for precise pattern recognition and determination of the directions of pile fibers, effectively solving the challenges of clustered area identification. To enhance the visual realism of the simulation, the Phong illumination model is adopted to simulate the lighting effects on the fabric surface, and blurring processes are applied to eliminate sharp edges and noise, resulting in a softer and more natural simulation output. Based on the recognition results from the DFS algorithm, the directions of the pile fibers are finely adjusted to achieve a realistic simulation of clustered pile fabrics. Experimental validation demonstrates that the proposed method produces 3D simulation results that closely resemble actual pile fabrics, demonstrating significant practical value and innovation.
Hydrogel promotes bone regeneration through various mechanisms: a review
Authors: Zheng Yuanyuan , Ke Zengguang , Hu Guofeng , Tong Songlin
Published: November 2024

Large defects in bone tissue due to trauma, tumors, or developmental abnormalities usually require surgical treatment for repair. Numerous studies have shown that current bone repair and regeneration treatments have certain complications and limitations. With the in-depth understanding of bone regeneration mechanisms and biological tissue materials, a variety of materials with desirable physicochemical properties and biological functions have emerged in the field of bone regeneration in recent years. Among them, hydrogels have been widely used in bone regeneration research due to their biocompatibility, unique swelling properties, and ease of fabrication. In this paper, the development and classification of hydrogels were introduced, and the mechanism of hydrogels in promoting bone regeneration was described in detail, including the promotion of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, the promotion of angiogenesis, the enhancement of the activity of bone morphogenetic proteins, and the regulation of the microenvironment of bone regeneration tissues. In addition, the future research direction of hydrogel in bone tissue engineering was discussed.
Big Data Misuse and European Contract Law
Authors: Börklüce Cihat
Published: November 2024

The dynamics of contractual interactions have been evolving in recent years, as big data introduces new dimensions to previously conventional contracts. This development intensifies the information asymmetry between the dominant and vulnerable parties, posing increasing challenges for consumers and the entirety of European contract law. This paper offers three main contributions to this discourse. First, the utilization of big data introduces a novel form of information asymmetry between contracting parties, further empowering the already dominant party while exacerbating the vulnerability of the weaker party. Second, contemporary European case law and legal scholarship advocate for a harmonious approach in which European regulations and national remedies complement one another in protecting individuals. Lastly, there are already instances indicating the misuse of big data, where multiple individual claims may arise at both European and national levels.
Relative captures and detection of male Ceratitis capitata using a natural oil lure or trimedlure plugs
Authors: Kharrat Saida , Gonzalez Francisco , Rodriguez Carlos , Calvo Carolina , Oehlschlager Cam
Published: November 2024

Traps baited with a lure emitting a natural oil enriched in α-copaene captured more male Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) than traps baited with a 2 g plug of trimedlure during year-long trials in Tunisian citrus (Citrus sinensis Osbeck, Rutaceae) and Costa Rican coffee (Coffea arabica Linnaeus, Rubiaceae). In Costa Rica, traps were plastic McPhail traps while in Tunisia Tephriti traps were used. Trimedlure plugs were changed every six weeks while the natural oil lures were renewed every 12 weeks. During high population season, traps in all locations baited with the natural oil outperformed traps baited with 2 g plugs of trimedlure by 2–3 times. During the low season, a significantly higher percentage of traps baited with the natural oil caught at least one male medfly in comparison to traps baited with 2 g plugs of trimedlure in Tunisia, but statistical differences were not observed in Costa Rica. A longevity trial in Tunisia showed that traps baited with 16–18 weeks aged natural oil lures still captured statistically more male C. capitata than traps baited with 2 g plugs of trimedlure renewed every six weeks. These results show that traps baited with α-copaene lures are more sensitive than traps baited with the widely used 2 g trimedlure plugs.
Temperature field study and numerical computation of carbon fiber epoxy composite materials under unilateral thermal radiation
Authors: Lu Siyi , Wang Zhi , Piao Yinghui , Mao Junjie
Published: November 2024

Composite materials are extensively utilized in the aerospace industry. Nevertheless, fire hazards persist as a significant safety challenge. Exposure to fire environments causes pyrolysis in composite materials, resulting in diminished structural integrity and the emission of heat, gases, and smoke, thereby posing significant risks to passenger safety and flight operations. To examine the thermal response of composite panels under unilateral heating, we selected a representative carbon fiber epoxy composite panel commonly found in aircraft structures. A thermal response test platform was established to perform high-temperature experiments on the composite panels. Utilizing principles of energy conservation, the Arrhenius thermal decomposition rate, and mass conservation equations, a nonlinear mathematical model was formulated to predict the time-temperature profiles of both exposed and unexposed surfaces of the composite panel under thermal radiation. The results demonstrate that the developed model effectively predicts the time-temperature profiles of both surfaces, showing good agreement with experimental data. Steady-state temperature errors were calculated at 2.5 % and 5.7 %, respectively, both falling below the 10 % threshold, thus confirming the validity of the numerical computation.
Social media influencers and followers’ loneliness: the mediating roles of parasocial relationship, sense of belonging, and social support
Authors: Liu Juan , Lee Jung-Sook
Published: November 2024

Purpose

Prior research examines how social media use in general affects experiences of loneliness, but few studies have investigated the specific effects of interaction with social media influencers on loneliness and well-being. The study investigates how followers’ interaction with social media influencers affects loneliness through mediation mechanisms underlying this process.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was adopted using Qualtrics, and participants were U.S. residents recruited through Dynata, a professional sampling corporation.

Findings

Results suggested that interaction with influencers was positively associated with loneliness through parasocial relationships and perceived social support. In addition, a sense of belonging and perceived social support significantly mediate the relationship between interaction with influencers and loneliness.

Practical implications

Our study suggests that while interactions with SMIs may foster parasocial relationships, a sense of belonging, and social support, they can paradoxically also increase feelings of loneliness. This indicates that SMIs can act as a double-edged sword, namely providing social bonds but simultaneously amplifying loneliness. Thus, it is critical for followers to be aware of their emotional attachment to SMIs and the potential adverse effects on their well-being.

Social implications

Our study has important implications for how we conceptualize the role of social media influencers in the modern information environment. The study provides empirical support and is a starting point for future research on SMIs’ impacts on emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Findings from the study contribute to the scholarly works investigating the adverse effects of following and interacting with SMIs.

Originality/value

Our finding differs from previous research suggesting active social media use helps reduce loneliness through enhanced social support. Such contradictions may be attributed to the nature of interacting with SMIs, which affects loneliness through serial mediators. The study contributes to the scholarly works investigating the adverse effects of following and interacting with SMIs.
The Interconnectedness of All Things: Understanding Digital Collections Through File Similarity
Authors: Karp St John
Published: November 2024

Archives that house digital collections often struggle with rapidly evolving workflows and the intrinsic difficulties in managing disordered records. Both physical and digital records may have complex relationships with other records such as drafts of the same document or one document that is included in another, but digital records offer the possibility that a computer may analyze the collection and automatically discover such relationships. An analytical tool for digital collections would employ a model that can represent the network of relationships between files instead of the hierarchical model used in traditional archival arrangement and description. A proof-of-concept of such a tool, employing techniques such as fuzzy and perceptual hashes, demonstrates the viability of this approach and suggests avenues for future research and development.
What Depression Feels Like: A Collostructional Analysis of Patient and Caregiver Perspectives
Authors: Kara Elif
Published: November 2024

The global burden of depression is rising, highlighting the urgency to gain a better understanding of the condition. As depression is known to cause interpersonal difficulties, this paper sets out to investigate emotion attribution in the context of depression, from two perspectives: depressed individuals, experiencing depression first-hand, and their social environment, experiencing depression second-hand. The specific questions addressed are (a) which emotions do the two groups typically attribute to themselves and others?, (b) how do the self-attributed emotions of the two groups differ?, and (c) what are distinguishing characteristics in the self- and other-attributions of the two groups? The analytical approach involves a family of quantitative corpus-linguistic methods known as collostructional analysis, which can be used to determine statistically significant associations between linguistic units in naturally occurring language. The methods are applied to natural language data obtained from online peer-support forums. The results show, broadly, that both groups are affected by negative emotions; specifically, depressed individuals’ emotional self-attributions characteristically involve feelings of inadequacy towards themselves, while self-attributions by caregivers characteristically involve feelings of detachment from their relationship with a depressed individual.
Constructional Transfer in L2 Learning: The Role of Entrenchment
Authors: Goschler Juliana , Stefanowitsch Anatol
Published: November 2024

The interlanguage of L2 learners is shaped by various factors, perhaps most noticeably transfer from the L1 to the L2 and overgeneralization in the L2. Transfer has traditionally been treated as an all-or-nothing phenomenon by focusing on L2 structures that either have or do not have an equivalent in the L1. Only recently, researchers working in usage-based construction grammar have taken into account frequencies and association strengths of L2 structures. These studies suggest that entrenchment plays a similar role in L2 learning as it does in L1 acquisition. This paper extends this research by systematically taking into account the potential role of the entrenchment of L1 structures and its interaction with L2 entrenchment. We report a translation study and two acceptability rating studies that investigate these factors using the case of the ditransitive construction in the interlanguage of German learners of English as a Foreign Language. Ditransitive constructions exist in both languages but the German construction has a broader meaning (it can encode almost any type of three-participant event) than the English one (which is restricted to events of caused reception and has a large number of idiosyncratic restrictions on individual verbs). This semantic difference leads to differences in the collostructional preferences of the constructions in the two languages (i.e., the set of verbs that they are associated with positively or negatively), allowing us to investigate the extent to which the transfer of L1 usage patterns to the L2 depends on the entrenchment of verb-construction combinations in the L1, and the extent to which transfer can be inhibited by the positive or negative entrenchment of verb-construction associations in the L2. Our results suggest an influence of both L1 entrenchment and L2 entrenchment (positive and negative) on linguistic production and linguistic representation respectively, such that learners transfer L1 associations between verbs and constructions to their L2, especially if these L1 associations are strong, and that they seem to be sensitive to negative L2 entrenchment, especially if the corresponding L1 associations are only weakly entrenched. However, differences between the translation study and the judgment studies suggest that learners may not acquire the specific semantic restrictions of the English ditransitive at all, relying on verb-specific associations to particular argument structures in the L2 instead and resorting to their L1 knowledge when such verb-specific associations are not available to them.
Collostructional Analysis Meets Construction Semantics: Revisiting the English Way-Construction and Its German Equivalents
Authors: Hartmann Stefan , Willich Alexander
Published: November 2024

The English way-construction has been investigated time and again in Construction Grammar from various different perspectives. The way-construction is a prototypical example of an argument-structure construction, and as such an ideal test case for some of the basic tenets of Construction Grammar. As a partially filled construction with open slots, it lends itself particularly well to collostructional analysis. In recent years, equivalents of the way-construction in other languages have also gained attention in constructionist approaches. In this paper, we contrast the English way-construction to three German constructions that can be considered its (rough) equivalents: the reflexive motion construction (Sie kämpfte sich durch den Aufsatz ‘she fought her way (lit. herself) through the paper’), the reflexive particle-verb construction (Sie mogelt sich durch ‘She cheats her way (lit. herself) through’), and the reflexive Weg construction (Sie kämpfte sich einen Weg durch die Menschenmenge ‘She fought herself a way through the crowd’). We compare the results to previous collostructional approaches to the way-construction as well as with previous frame-semantic analyses of the three constructions, arguing that a quantitative approach like collostructional analysis and a more qualitatively-oriented frame-semantic approach can complement each other in promising ways.
Investigation of structural, magnetic and morphological properties of Zinc and Cobalt-doped Nickel Ferrites
Authors: Sankaranarayanan Archana , Tharayanmaru Palliyalil Shibi , Divya Anickattu Somasekharan , Devadas Kavazhikathu Mohandas
Published: November 2024

Nickel Ferrite nanocrystalline material doped with transition metal ions (Zn2+, Co2+) was obtained by chemical combustion method using respective nitrate hexahydrates and glycine as fuel. The phase purity of the prepared ceramic samples was ascertained using Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) exhibiting an inverse cubic spinel structure with space group Fd

3
‾

$\overline{\mathrm{3}}$

m. Lattice parameters follow the Vegard law, indicating a consistent lattice expansion. The formation of porous nanocrystalline ferrite was confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images and corroborated by Williamson-Hall analysis. Raman Spectroscopic analysis identified characteristic bands corresponding to vibrational modes of nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) and revealed shifts in the peak position with doping by zinc (Zn) and cobalt (Co). Vibrating Sample magnetometry (VSM) analysis indicated varied magnetic behaviour with different dopants and concentrations highlighting the influence of cation substitution on magnetic properties. The specific saturation magnetization (M

s
), remanent magnetization (M

r
) and coercivity (H

c
) are improved by the substitution of Zn2+ and Co2+ ions. This simple and cost-effective preparation technique holds promise for synthesizing high-quality nickel ferrite, which could find applications in magnetic and electronic devices.
Regresión demográfica y finanzas locales: el caso de los municipios gallegos 2001-2019
Authors: Fernández Leiceaga Xoaquín
Published: November 2024

La regresión demográfica que afecta a Galicia, se integra, con alguna singularidad, en un cuadro más general con consecuencias económicas y sociales diversas. Entre ellas, potencialmente, una mayor presión sobre las finanzas locales. Estudiamos la situación por grupos de ayuntamientos, diferenciados en función de la dinámica demográfica, en los ejercicios 2001, 2010 y 2019. Los resultados sorprenden: el gasto por habitante presenta un crecimiento superior allí donde la regresión demográfica es más intensa, y acaba siendo sustancialmente más alto tanto en los gastos corrientes como de capital y en prácticamente todas las funciones. Y no sólo por la evolución de las transferencias, también por la convergencia muy intensa en los ingresos tributarios, sobre todo impositivos, lo que parece indicar un cambio en la cultura fiscal tradicional. Los ayuntamientos con regresión demográfica presentan mejores resultados y han sido capaces de superar las dificultades estableciendo mayores niveles de presión fiscal.
15th Conference on Data Analysis Methods for Software Systems. November 28–30, 2024
Authors: Bernatavičienė Jolita
Published: November 2024

DAMSS-2024 is the 15th International Conference on Data Analysis Methods for Software Systems. It is held in Druskininkai, Lithuania, at the same venue and time every year. The conference successfully achieves its primary goal of lively scientific communication among participants. The conference’s history dates back to 2009 when 16 papers were presented. It began as a workshop related to one international project and has evolved into a well-known conference. The initiator of the workshop was the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics which later became the Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies at Vilnius University. The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and the Lithuanian Computer Society are partners. The long-standing experience of such partnerships guarantees a high quality of organization and academic relevance.