bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evolocumab effectiveness in the real-world setting: Austrian data from the pan-European observational HEYMANS study
Authors: Ebenbichler Christoph , Drexel Heinz , Hanusch Ursula , Toplak Hermann , Dhalwani Nafeesa N. , Bridges Ian , Hoelzl Robert , Hemetsberger Margit , Ray Kausik K.
Published: July 2023

Background

This real-world study examined clinical characteristics and dyslipidemia management among patients initiating evolocumab across 12 European countries. Austrian data are reported.

Methods

Data of consenting adults were collected for ≤ 6 months prior to evolocumab initiation (baseline) and ≤ 30 months post-initiation. Patient characteristics, lipid lowering therapy (LLT, i.e. statin and/or ezetimibe) and lipid values were collected from medical records.

Results

In Austria, 363 patients were enrolled. At baseline, 52% of patients initiated evolocumab without background LLT; the median (Q1, Q3) initial low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level was 142 (111, 187) mg/dL. Within 3 months of evolocumab treatment, median LDL‑C decreased by 59% to 58 (37, 91) mg/dL. This reduction was maintained over time, despite consistently infrequent use of background LLT. LDL-C < 55 mg/dL was attained by 65% of patients (76% with, 55% without background LLT). Evolocumab persistence was ≥ 90% at month 12 and month 30.

Conclusion

In Austria, patients were initiated on evolocumab at LDL‑C levels almost 3‑times higher than the guideline-recommended clinical goal (< 55 mg/dL). Persistence with evolocumab was very high. Evolocumab led to a rapid and sustained LDL‑C reduction with 65% attaining the LDL‑C goal. Patients using evolocumab in combination with statins and/or ezetimibe were more likely to attain their LDL‑C goal and thus decrease cardiovascular risk.
A perspective on human activity recognition from inertial motion data
Authors: Gomaa Walid , Khamis Mohamed A.
Published: July 2023

Human activity recognition (HAR) using inertial motion data has gained a lot of momentum in recent years both in research and industrial applications. From the abstract perspective, this has been driven by the rapid dynamics for building intelligent, smart environments, and ubiquitous systems that cover all aspects of human life including healthcare, sports, manufacturing, commerce, etc., which necessitate and subsume activity recognition aiming at recognizing the actions, characteristics, and goals of one or more agent(s) from a temporal series of observations streamed from one or more sensors. From a more concrete and seemingly orthogonal perspective, such momentum has been driven by the ubiquity of inertial motion sensors on-board mobile and wearable devices including smartphones, smartwatches, etc. In this paper we give an introductory and a comprehensive survey to the subject from a given perspective. We focus on a subset of topics, that we think are major, that will have significant and influential impacts on the future research and industrial-scale deployment of HAR systems. These include: (1) a comprehensive and detailed description of the inertial motion benchmark datasets that are publicly available and/or accessible, (2) feature selection and extraction techniques and the corresponding learning methods used to build workable HAR systems; we survey classical handcrafted datasets as well as data-oriented automatic representation learning approach to the subject, (3) transfer learning as a way to overcome many hurdles in actual deployments of HAR systems on a large scale, (4) embedded implementations of HAR systems on mobile and/or wearable devices, and finally (5) we touch on adversarial attacks, a topic that is essentially related to the security and privacy of HAR systems. As the field is very huge and diverse, this article is by no means comprehensive; it is though meant to provide a logically and conceptually rather complete picture to advanced practitioners, as well as to present a readable guided introduction to newcomers. Our logical and conceptual perspectives mimic the typical data science pipeline for state-of-the-art AI-based systems.
GCKR and ADIPOQ gene polymorphisms in women with gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zhu Manning , Lv Yaer , Peng Yanqing , Wu Yingnan , Feng Yanan , Jia Tianshuang , Xu Songcheng , Li Songxue , Wang Wei , Tian Jiawei , Sun Litao
Published: July 2023

Aims

To investigate the associations of GCKR and ADIPOQ variants with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Chinese women.

Methods

GCKR rs1260326, ADIPOQ rs266729, and rs1501299 were selected and genotyped in 519 GDM patients and 498 controls. Candidate SNPs were genotyped using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with next-generation sequencing methods, and the association of these SNPs with GDM was analyzed.

Results

We found that GCKR rs1260326 was significantly associated with an increased risk of GDM in the allele model, the codominant model (CC vs. TT), the dominant model, the recessive model, and the genotypic model distributions (p = 0.0029, p = 0.0022, p = 0.0402, p = 0.0038, and p = 0.0028, respectively). The rs1260326 polymorphism was shown to be associated with 1 h-OGTT level and gravidity in GDM patients (CC vs. TT: p = 0.0475 and p = 0.0220, respectively). Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly higher in the GDM patients with the rs266729 GG genotype compared to those with the CC or CG genotype (p = 0.0444 and p = 0.0339, respectively). The DBP of the GDM patients with the rs1501299 GT genotype was lower than that of those with the GG genotype (p = 0.0197). There was a weak linkage disequilibrium value between the GCKR and ADIPOQ SNPs.

Conclusions

The genes GCKR and ADIPOQ may be involved in the pathophysiology of GDM.
CBCTs in a Swiss university dental clinic: a retrospective evaluation over 5 years with emphasis on radiation protection criteria
Authors: Klingler Samuel , Biel Philippe , Tschanz Moses , Schulze Ralf
Published: July 2023

Objectives

To retrospectively evaluate all cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans acquired from 2017 to 2022 in a Swiss university dental clinic with particular emphasis on radiation protection aspects.

Material and methods

Radiological databases at the dental clinic of the University of Bern, Switzerland, were explored using a self-developed search algorithm. Data of all acquired CBCT from 01.01.2017 to 27.06.2022 were screened. Exposure parameters (exposure time, exposure angle, milliampere (mA), kilovoltage (kV), field of view (FOV) size), dose area product (DAP), age, and sex of the patient were recorded anonymously. The collected data were analyzed mainly descriptively. Correlations measured the statistical relationships between the variables.

Results

A total of 10,348 CBCT datasets were analyzed. Patient age ranged from 5 to 96 years (mean: 49.4 years, SD: 21.6 years). The number of CBCTs in patients under 25 years was around 20% each year. In total, 10,313 (99.7%) CBCTs were acquired in small to medium FOV (FOV up to 10 cm of height), and 35 (0.3%) in large FOV (height > 10 cm). DAPs of small FOVs were 518.3 ± 233.2 mGycm2(mean ± SD), of medium FOV 1233 ± 502.2 mGycm2, and of large FOV 2189 ± 368.7 mGycm2. DAP (ρ = 0.4048,p < 0.0001) and kV (ρ = 0.0210,p = 0.0327) correlated positively with age. Reduced scan angle correlated with young age (rpb0.2729,p < 0.001). mA did not correlate with age (p = 0.3685).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that certain well-known radiation protection aspects as the reduction of FOV, mA, kV, and scan angle were only partly considered.

Clinical relevance

Known radiation protection aspects, especially in young patients, should be fully applied in regular clinical practice.
Gut microbiome resilience of green-lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus, to starvation
Authors: Li Siming , Young Tim , Archer Stephen , Lee Kevin , Alfaro Andrea C.
Published: July 2023

Host gut microbiomes play an important role in animal health and resilience to conditions, such as malnutrition and starvation. These host-microbiome relationships are poorly understood in the marine mussel Perna canaliculus, which experiences significant variations in food quantity and quality in coastal areas. Prolonged starvation may be a contributory factor towards incidences of mass mortalities in farmed mussel populations, resulting in highly variable production costs and unreliable market supplies. Here, we examine the gut microbiota of P. canaliculus in response to starvation and subsequent re-feeding using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Mussels showed no change in bacterial species richness when subjected to a 14-day starvation, followed by re-feeding/recovery. However, beta bacteria diversity revealed significant shifts (PERMANOVA p-value < 0.001) in community structure in the starvation group and no differences in the subsequent recovery group (compared to the control group) once they were re-fed, highlighting their recovery capability and resilience. Phylum-level community profiles revealed an elevation in dominance of Proteobacteria (ANCOM-BC p-value <0.001) and Bacteroidota (ANCOM-BC p-value = 0.04) and lower relative abundance of Cyanobacteria (ANCOM-BC p-value = 0.01) in the starvation group compared to control and recovery groups. The most abundant genus-level shifts revealed relative increases of the heterotroph Halioglobus (p-value < 0.05) and lowered abundances of the autotroph Synechococcus CC9902 in the starvation group. Furthermore, a SparCC correlation network identified co-occurrence of a cluster of genera with elevated relative abundance in the starved mussels that were positively correlated with Synechococcus CC9902. The findings from this work provide the first insights into the effect of starvation on the resilience capacity of Perna canaliculus gut microbiota, which is of central importance to understanding the effect of food variation and limitation in farmed mussels.
How complex is the hidden species diversity of the teleost Plotosus genus?
Authors: Froufe Elsa , Gomes-dos-Santos André , Matos Ana , Wilson Jonathan , Malakpourkolbadinezhad Salman , Pereira Daniel D. , Singer Randal , Castro L. Filipe C.
Published: July 2023

The striped eel catfish, Plotosus lineatus was first described by Thunberg in 1787 from the Indo-Pacific region in the East Indian Ocean. Since then, the species has been recorded in various marine and brackish habitats in Japan, southern Korea, the Ogasawara Islands, Australia, Lord Howe Island, Palau and Yap in Micronesia, East Africa to Samoa, Madagascar, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Occurrences of this species have also been registered in the Mediterranean Sea, a non-native location, indicating a possible biological invasion event. Despite its long history, the taxonomic status of the P. lineatus species complex remains puzzling and uncertain. Here, we analysed all the available mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 sequences (NCBI and BOLD) from specimens covering the current known distribution range, in an attempt to clarify the evolutionary relationships of different lineages within this species. We deduce nine monophyletic Lineages - I–IX, of P. lineatus with Kimura-2P distances ranging from 2% to 16%, with a mean intraspecific distance of 6%. Strikingly, Lineage V is composed uniquely of Mediterranean-captured individuals, with an unknown evolutionary origin. These findings strongly suggest the need for a careful species taxonomic reassessment. Some Lineages are composed of individuals from specific geographic locations (e.g., Australia and Indonesia), while others include specimens from broader geographic areas (e.g., almost all Indo-Pacific coastline). Additionally, several deposited sequences are most likely the result of morphology-based misidentifications. Due to the biological invasive potential, as well as the use of the species as a valuable physiology model, the P. lineatus species complex requires further attention. Overall our study offers a clear framework for future comparative studies of striped eel catfish individuals captured from different ecosystems.
Martin-Löf identity types in C-systems
Authors: Voevodsky Vladimir
Published: July 2023

This paper continues a series of papers that develop a new approach to syntax and semantics of dependent type theories. Here we study the interpretation of the rules of the identity types in the intensional Martin-Löf type theories on the C-systems that arise from universe categories. In the first part of the paper we develop constructions that produce interpretations of these rules from certain structures on universe categories while in the second we study the functoriality of these constructions with respect to functors of universe categories. The results of the first part of the paper play a crucial role in the construction of the univalent model of type theory in simplicial sets.
Factors associated with low uptake of safe male circumcision (SMC) and the intention not to undergo circumcision among men in Botswana
Authors: Ntsabane Mogomotsi , Letamo Gobopamang , Keetile Mpho
Published: July 2023

Aim

This paper investigates factors associated with low uptake of safe male circumcision (SMC) and the intention not to circumcise among men aged 15–64 years in Botswana.

Subject and methods

Data were collected during the 2013 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS IV). For analysis, a sample of 3154 men was used to assess the association between being uncircumcised/not intending to undergo circumcision and different factors using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27. Logistic regression analysis results are presented as odds ratios together with their confidence intervals. All comparisons were statistically significant at p < 0.05.

Results

Results show that 25.1% of men reported that they were circumcised, while 50.5% did not intend to undergo circumcision. Multivariate analysis showed that several factors were significantly associated with being uncircumcised including age of 15–24 years (OR = 2.75, CI 1.82–4.19), residing in rural areas (OR = 1.31, CI 1.09–4.1.58), and having primary or less education (OR = 2.48, CI 1.87–3.30). Similarly, factors significantly associated with not intending to be circumcised included age of 34–44 years (OR = 1.60, CI 1.15–2.23), residing in urban areas (OR = 1.27, CI 1.02–1.58), and being married (OR = 1.61, CI 1.20–2.16). It was also observed that men who had not seen or heard of SMC in the past 4 weeks were 1.2 times more likely (OR = 1.27, CI 1.03–1.56) to report the intention not to undergo circumcision. On the other hand, men who indicated that they would not circumcise their male children under 18 years of age were 8.7 times more likely (OR = 8.70, CI 6.35–11.94) to report that they did not intend to circumcise.

Conclusion

Results from the study show high acceptability but low uptake of SMC. Some individual behavioral factors influencing circumcision status and decision whether to undergo circumcision were identified. Targeted interventions, continuous education, and expansion of the SMC programme are recommended, especially for older men and those in rural areas.
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek 1723–2023: a review to commemorate Van Leeuwenhoek’s death, 300 years ago
Authors: Robertson Lesley A.
Published: July 2023

In the 300 years since Van Leeuwenhoek died, some of the details around his life and his work have provided material for discussion or dispute. As archives and libraries are being scanned and technology improves, information is becoming more readily available. This review therefore aims to take a new look at some of those discussions, and Van Leeuwenhoek’s possible experimental methods. Digital photography has made it possible to show exactly what can be seen through his simple microscopes, and how he could have obtained his results by, for example, modifying his microscopes and lighting. Equally, the completion of the series known as the Collected Letters, begun in 1931 with volume 1 published in 1939 and to be completed in 2023, allows researchers to see complete letters in English and modern Dutch. Theories about experimental methods can be tested and the results recorded photographically. Additionally, new, non-destructive techniques such as neutron tomography have improved the evaluation of the authenticity of surviving microscopes.
Lean and Industry 4.0 mitigating common losses in Engineer-to-Order theory and practice: an exploratory study
Authors: Schulze Felix , Dallasega Patrick
Published: July 2023

Companies employing an Engineer-to-Order (ETO) manufacturing strategy often develop, design and produce complex goods in single or small batches based on an individual customer order. The increased complexity caused by project business multiplies the engineering, cost, and change management efforts that are often required, resulting in lost productivity and more non-value-adding activities. To improve efficiency and reduce losses, ETO organizations strive to implement Lean practices and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies, but the relevant literature in ETO industrial context is more exploratory and contains less empirical data. Building on the preliminary work categorizing the common losses in ETO organizations, the study examined how these can be reduced by Lean and I4.0 practices. Current literature was analyzed, and empirical data was collected using a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with 16 companies from the construction, shipbuilding, and machinery and plant manufacturing industries. The scientific literature was compared with the empirical data to find out whether Lean methods and I4.0 technologies are known in research but not applied in practice and vice versa. As a result, there are several practices from both domains applied in practice to reduce losses, but the analyzed literature indicates few successful implementations. Future research should aim to provide more empirical data on the application of Lean and I4.0 practices to mitigate losses in companies with an ETO strategy and provide best practices and guidelines.
Reconstruction of dental roots for implant planning purposes: a retrospective computational and radiographic assessment of single-implant cases
Authors: Brandenburg Leonard Simon , Georgii Joachim , Schmelzeisen Rainer , Spies Benedikt Christopher , Burkhardt Felix , Fuessinger Marc Anton , Rothweiler René Marcel , Gross Christian , Schlager Stefan , Metzger Marc Christian
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The aim of the study was to assess the deviation between clinical implant axes (CIA) determined by a surgeon during preoperative planning and reconstructed tooth axes (RTA) of missing teeth which were automatically computed by a previously introduced anatomical SSM.

Methods

For this purpose all available planning datasets of single-implant cases of our clinic, which were planned with coDiagnostix Version 9.9 between 2018 and 2021, were collected for retrospective investigation. Informed consent was obtained. First, the intraoral scans of implant patients were annotated and subsequently analyzed using the SSM. The RTA, computed by the SSM, was then projected into the preoperative planning dataset. The amount and direction of spatial deviation between RTA and CIA were then measured.

Results

Thirty-five patients were implemented. The mean distance between the occlusal entry point of anterior and posterior implants and the RTA was 0.99 mm ± 0.78 mm and 1.19 mm ± 0.55, respectively. The mean angular deviation between the CIA of anterior and posterior implants and the RTA was 12.4° ± 3.85° and 5.27° ± 2.97° respectively. The deviations in anterior implant cases were systematic and could be corrected by computing a modified RTA (mRTA) with decreased deviations (0.99 mm ± 0.84 and 4.62° ± 1.95°). The safety distances of implants set along the (m)RTA to neighboring teeth were maintained in 30 of 35 cases.

Conclusion

The RTA estimated by the SSM revealed to be a viable implant axis for most of the posterior implant cases. As there are natural differences between the anatomical tooth axis and a desirable implant axis, modifications were necessary to correct the deviations which occurred in anterior implant cases. However, the presented approach is not applicable for clinical use and always requires manual optimization by the planning surgeon.
Finite groups with some solvable SNS-groups
Authors: Wang Wanlin , Guo Pengfei
Published: July 2023

A finite group G is called an SNS-group if every subgroup of G is either subnormal in G or self-normalizing. In this article, we investigate the structure of finite groups which are not SNS-groups but all of whose maximal subgroups of even order are SNS-groups. In addition, we determine the minimal simple groups all of whose second maximal subgroups (respectively, second maximal subgroups of even order) are SNS-groups.
Influence of preterm birth on the association between gestational diabetes mellitus and childhood developmental vulnerability: a causal mediation analysis
Authors: Duko Bereket , Gebremedhin Amanuel Tesfay , Tessema Gizachew Assefa , Pereira Gavin
Published: July 2023

Background

Epidemiological studies examining the direct and indirect effects of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on offspring early childhood developmental vulnerability are lacking. Therefore, the aims of this study were to estimate the direct and indirect effects of GDM (through preterm birth) on early childhood developmental vulnerability.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study on the association between gestational diabetes mellitus and early childhood developmental vulnerability in children born in Western Australia (WA) using maternal, infant and birth records from the Midwives Notification, Hospitalizations, Developmental Anomalies, and the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) databases. We used two aggregated outcome measures: developmentally vulnerable on at least one AEDC domain (DV1) and developmentally vulnerable on at least two AEDC domains (DV2). Causal mediation analysis was applied to estimate the natural direct (NDE), indirect (NIE), and total (TE) effects as relative risks (RR).

Results

In the whole cohort (n = 64,356), approximately 22% were classified as DV1 and 11% as DV2 on AEDC domains. Estimates of the natural direct effect suggested that children exposed to GDM were more likely to be classified as DV1 (RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.10–1.31) and DV2 (RR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.19–1.50) after adjusting for potential confounders. About 6% and 4% of the effect of GDM on early childhood developmental vulnerability was mediated by preterm birth for DV1 and DV2, respectively.

Conclusion

Children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus were more likely to be developmentally vulnerable in one or more AEDC domains. The biological mechanism for these associations is not well explained by mediation through preterm birth.
The therapeutic targets of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications on tumor radioresistance
Authors: Zhang Yi , Gu Wendong , Shao Yingjie
Published: July 2023

Radiation therapy is an important tool for malignant tumors, and its tolerance needs to be addressed. In recent years, several studies have shown that regulators of aberrant m6A methylation play an important role in the formation, development and invasion and metastasis of tumors. A large number of studies have confirmed aberrant m6A methylation as a new target for tumour therapy, but research on whether it can play a role in tumor sensitivity to radiotherapy has not been extensive and thorough enough. Recent studies have shown that all three major enzymes of m6A methylation have significant roles in radioresistance, and that the enzymes that play a role differ in different tumor types and by different mechanisms, including regulating tumor cell stemness, affecting DNA damage and repair, and controlling the cell cycle. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms of m6A methylation in the radiotherapy of malignant tumors is essential to counteract radioresistance, improve the efficacy of radiotherapy, and even propose targeted treatment plans for specific tumors. The latest research progress on m6A methylation and radioresistance is reviewed in this article.
Uncertainty quantification for mineral precipitation and dissolution in fractured porous media
Authors: Botti Michele , Fumagalli Alessio , Scotti Anna
Published: July 2023

In this work we present an uncertainty quantification analysis to determine the influence and importance of some physical parameters in a reactive transport model in fractured porous media. An accurate description of flow and transport in the fractures is key to obtain reliable simulations, however, fractures geometry and physical characteristics pose several challenges from both the modeling and implementation side. We adopt a mixed-dimensional approximation, where fractures and their intersections are represented as objects of lower dimension. To simplify the presentation, we consider only two chemical species: one solute, transported by water, and one precipitate attached to the solid skeleton. A global sensitivity analysis to uncertain input data is performed exploiting the Polynomial Chaos expansion along with spectral projection methods on sparse grids.
Ring of Hope: A Novice’s Experience in a Cancer Centre
Authors: Shah Muhammad Hamza
Published: July 2023

The ringing of a bell has become an honored and cherished tradition in the realm of cancer survivorship care. As a medical student, I was initially unaware of this practice, but I have since gained a profound appreciation for its deep significance and emotional potency. Through the act of ringing the bell, patients who have successfully completed their cancer treatment are able to mark the end of a gruelling journey, while also heralding the start of a new and hopeful chapter in their lives.
Assessment of water quality using multivariate statistics and geographical information systems (GIS) of Wadi Aldabab, Taiz, Yemen
Authors: AL-Areeq Ahmed M. , Chowdhury Shakhawat , Rahman Muhammad T. , AL-Areeq Nabil M. , Quriaa Hadi
Published: July 2023

The shortage of water resources in Yemen has an implication on the availability and supply of safe water in the country. This study assessed the water quality in Wadi Al-Dabab, Taiz, Yemen. Water samples were collected from the springs and different types of wells (tube, manual) with depths ranging from 9 to 500 m. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed on 15 water quality parameters (WQP) from 15 locations to investigate the significant WQP and the possibility of data reduction. The water quality index (WQI) approach was used to assess its suitability for drinking purposes. Four principal components were identified to be significant, which explained 86.2% of the overall variance while four varifactors (VF) explained 80% of the data variance. The findings showed the possibility of data reduction by 20%, which could assist in water quality monitoring at a reduced cost. The WQI map shows that the water quality is good in a limited area and poor to very poor in most of the study area. The findings are likely to assist in identifying the important WQP for the protection of the drinking water sources while the less important WQP can be excluded, which might reduce the cost of water quality monitoring. The proposed approach is likely to be a cost-effective approach for the economically weak and water-stressed countries, which can contribute positively for the sustainable water resource management in Yemen and other water-stressed regions.
A statistical assessment of the fatigue strength improvement of butt-welded joints by flush grinding
Authors: Braun Moritz , Baumgartner Jörg , Hofmann Gloria , Drebenstedt Karl , Bauer Niklas Michael , Bakhschi Hadi , Kuhlmann Ulrike
Published: July 2023

All major rules and guidelines include fatigue design (FAT) classes for flush ground butt-welded joints. These FAT classes vary between FAT110 and FAT155; however, in the majority of cases, the underlying database and specimen-related details are unclear or unknown. This study evaluates 1003 fatigue test results gathered from various literature sources and tries to relate the fatigue strength improvement to typical specimen types and test conditions. To this goal, statistical methods based on correlation analysis are employed. Next, proposals for updates of rules and guidelines for flush ground butt-welded joints made of steel are established by determining new FAT classes and a suitable slope exponent. In addition, an overview of design standards and recommendations is given and main influencing factors are discussed.
Fedlabx: a practical and privacy-preserving framework for federated learning
Authors: Yan Yuping , Kamel Mohammed B. M. , Zoltay Marcell , Gál Marcell , Hollós Roland , Jin Yaochu , Péter Ligeti , Tényi Ákos
Published: July 2023

Federated learning (FL) draws attention in academia and industry due to its privacy-preserving capability in training machine learning models. However, there are still some critical security attacks and vulnerabilities, including gradients leakage and interference attacks. Meanwhile, communication is another bottleneck in basic FL schemes since large-scale FL parameter transmission leads to inefficient communication, latency, and slower learning processes. To overcome these shortcomings, different communication efficiency strategies and privacy-preserving cryptographic techniques have been proposed. However, a single method can only partially resist privacy attacks. This paper presents a practical, privacy-preserving scheme combining cryptographic techniques and communication networking solutions. We implement Kafka for message distribution, the Diffie–Hellman scheme for secure server aggregation, and gradient differential privacy for interference attack prevention. The proposed approach maintains training efficiency while being able to addressing gradients leakage problems and interference attacks. Meanwhile, the implementation of Kafka and Zookeeper provides asynchronous communication and anonymous authenticated computation with role-based access controls. Finally, we prove the privacy-preserving properties of the proposed solution via security analysis and empirically demonstrate its efficiency and practicality.
Rule of Law Through the ‘Urban Turn’ in South African Constitutionalism
Authors: Pieterse Marius
Published: July 2023

The 1996 South African Constitution transformed municipalities from creatures of statute into an interdependent sphere of government, thereby enabling South African cities to carve out a space for autonomous urban governance, which is closely associated with the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights. This article considers how South African courts have deployed, reconfigured and channelled the rule of law in intergovernmental relations disputes, disputes concerning the developmental obligations of local government and socio-economic rights disputes, in order to fortify urban autonomy, to substantively guide its exercise and to ensure dynamic accountability for urban local governments’ role in ensuring the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights.
Solvable models of quantum black holes: a review on Jackiw–Teitelboim gravity
Authors: Mertens Thomas G. , Turiaci Gustavo J.
Published: July 2023

We review recent developments in Jackiw–Teitelboim gravity. This is a simple solvable model of quantum gravity in two dimensions (that arises e.g. from the s-wave sector of higher dimensional gravity systems with spherical symmetry). Due to its solvability, it has proven to be a fruitful toy model to analyze important questions such as the relation between black holes and chaos, the role of wormholes in black hole physics and holography, and the way in which information that falls into a black hole can be recovered.
Optical and electrical evaluation of a nylon 11-ZnO film incorporation in disodium phthalocyanine heterostructures
Authors: Hamui Leon , Vergara María Elena Sánchez , Sánchez Mauricio Riestra
Published: July 2023

Disodium phthalocyanine (Na2Pc) has been considered as promising organic semiconductor for optoelectronic applications, however, Na2Pc-based devices are not being fully studied. To study the Na2Pc as active layer for optoelectronic devices, and also the effect of the incorporation of a nylon 11-ZnO film within the device heterostructure, in this work two heterojunction cells of Ag/Na2Pc + TCNQ/triphenylamine/p-Si/Al and Ag/nylon 11-ZnO/Na2Pc + TCNQ/triphenylamine/p-Si/Al were fabricated by vacuum thermal evaporation technique. The topography of the heterostructures was analyzed by atomic force microscopy. Later, the films that form the heterostructure were optically characterized by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and the optical band gap and the Urbach energy were obtained. The values of the optical gap for the films are between 2.08 and 2.93 eV. The value of Urbach energy is lower for the pristine triphenylamine film, and higher for the film composed of nylon and ZnO. Moreover, the two heterostructures present a strong photoluminescence in the visible region. On other hand, by introducing the nylon 11-ZnO film in the heterostructure shows an important increase of the short circuit current density (Jsc), conductivity and photocurrent values, indicative of a better mobility and more carriers generation. For this heterostructure a mean 79.7% external quantum efficiency and 0.48 mA/cm2 Jsc were obtained. These results indicate that these heterostructures can be used toward organic solar cell applications and remark on the large effect of the nylon 11-ZnO dielectric film addition on their performance.
A Blade Altering Toolbox for Automating Rotor Design Optimization
Authors: Wernick Akiva , Chen Jen-Ping
Published: July 2023

The Blade Altering Toolbox (BAT) described in this paper is a tool designed for fast reconstruction of an altered blade geometry for design optimization purposes. The BAT algorithm is capable of twisting a given rotor’s angle of attack and stretching the chord length along the span of the rotor. Several test cases were run using the BAT’s algorithm. The BAT code’s twisting, stretching, and mesh reconstruction capabilities proved to be able to handle reasonably large geometric alterations to a provided input rotor geometry. The test examples showed that the toolbox’s algorithm could handle any stretching of the blade’s chord as long as the blade remained within the original bounds of the unaltered mesh. The algorithm appears to fail when the net twist angle applied the geometry exceeds approximately 30 degrees, however this limitation is dependent on the initial geometry and other input parameters. Overall, the algorithm is a very powerful tool for automating a design optimization procedure.
Hierarchically porous N-doped carbon framework with enlarged interlayer spacing as dual-carbon electrodes for potassium ion hybrid capacitors
Authors: Gao Qingchao , Li Tuo , Liu Chanjuan , Sun Jinfeng , Liu Yang , Hou Linrui , Yuan Changzhou
Published: July 2023

Thanks to the high power/energy densities together with lower cost, potassium ion hybrid capacitors (PIHCs) have broad application prospects. Nevertheless, the significant volume changes during K+ intercalation/deintercalation together with the misfit between anode as well as cathode limit their further development. Herein, hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon (N-HPC) is fabricated and used as two electrodes materials for PIHCs. The three-dimensional hierarchical porous structure and large interlayer distance of N-HPC afford enough space to alleviate the volume expansion of potassium. Furthermore, the suitable N doping enables additional active sites towards K+ storage and improves electrical conductivity of electrodes. Hence, the constructed PIHCs assembled with dual N-HPC electrodes deliver a high energy density of 103.5 Wh kg‒1 at 1000.0 W kg‒1. Meanwhile, the PIHCs devices also display superior cycling stability, achieving a capacity retention rate of 70.2% after 10,000 cycles at 1.0 A g‒1.

Graphical Abstract

Hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon (N-HPC) is fabricated and used as two electrode materials for PIHCs. The three-dimensional porous structure of N-HPC, the larger inter-layer distance, and the synergy of N-doped introduction of more active sites make it have good magnification properties. At the same time, the assembled PIHCs cycle of 10000 laps has an excellent cycle retention rate.
A case report of unexplained persistent conjugated hyperbilirubinemia with normal liver transaminases over 23 years: remember Dubin-Johnson syndrome!
Authors: Khan Safeer , Ali Danish , Rehman Sabi Ur
Published: July 2023

Objectives

In clinical practice, clinicians usually ignore the possibility of a rare genetic disease, i.e., Dubin-Johnson Syndrome (DJS), for conjugated hyperbilirubinemia caused by a mutation in the ABCC2 gene or in the MRP2 protein. Therefore, the objective is to alert the readers about our third reported case of DJS in Pakistan. Moreover, we also want to draw the attention of health professionals to potential pharmacotherapeutic management of DJS, and the management of the potential increased susceptibility to drug toxicity.

Case report

We present a case of 23 years old Asian man, with unexplained persistent conjugated hyperbilirubinemia and normal liver transaminases. In 1999, the patient was admitted to a tertiary care hospital for raised conjugated bilirubin (CB), i.e., 67% of total bilirubin (CB; 11 mg/dl, total bilirubin; 16.4 mg/dl). After 19 years, in 2018, during regular checkup by a family physician, the CB was 73% of total bilirubin (CB; 3 mg/dl, total bilirubin; 4.1 mg/dl), while the results of other clinical tests were unremarkable. Soon after 3 years, in 2021, the patient visited a gastroenterologist for jaundiced eyes. Comprehensive clinical tests (CB was 53% of total bilirubin) were accomplished to exclude the other causes of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, and DJS was diagnosed.

Conclusions

In summary, it is strongly recommended that the cases of unexplained persistent conjugated hyperbilirubinemia should be evaluated for the presence of DJS. Similarly, the drugs that increase the clearance of CB could prove to be a potential management strategy for cases that negatively affect patient’s quality of life.
Fibrin sealant for the prevention of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy for esophageal or esophagogastric junction cancer: interim report of a prospective, phase III, randomized controlled study
Authors: Zhao Zerui , Li Zhichao , Huang Weizhao , Wang Geng , Mao Teng , Lv Wenqiang , Peng Lin , Chen Jiyang , Yang Hong
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the most pernicious complications after esophagectomy for patients with esophageal or esophagogastric junction cancer (EC or EJC). The application of fibrin sealant (FS) may be advantageous for reducing the incidence of AL. This study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of FS in preventing AL in patients undergoing McKeown esophagectomy.

Methods

In this multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial, we planned to recruit 360 patients aged 18–75 years with resectable EC or EJC and the interim analysis was performed when the number of participants reaches 180. Patients assigned to the FS group received McKeown esophagectomy with 2.5ml FS applied to the cervical anastomosis, while patients in the control group received surgery alone. The primary endpoint was the incidence of cervical AL within the first 3 months postoperatively.

Result

From February 2019 to November 2021, 180 patients were recruited, with 89 in the FS group and 91 in the control group. There was no statistically difference between the incidence of AL between the two groups [6.7% (6/89) in the FS vs. 14.3% (13/91) in the control group, P = 0.16]. Complications was comparable (P = 0.76) between the FS group (42 of 89, 47.2%) and the control group (45 of 91, 49.5%). No adverse events related to FS or deaths occurred postoperatively.

Conclusion

The application of FS intraoperatively is feasible and does not increase the risk of complications, and its effectiveness for the prevention of AL needs to be revalidated after the completion of patient enrollment.

Trial registration

This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03847857) on February 19th, 2019.
An Interval-Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP and COPRAS Hybrid Methods for the Supplier Selection Problem
Authors: Erdebilli Babek , Yilmaz İbrahim , Aksoy Tamer , Hacıoglu Umit , Yüksel Serhat , Dinçer Hasan
Published: July 2023

Companies must be able to identify their suppliers appropriately and effectively in order to survive in the competitive market conditions. In order to fulfill and surpass the expectations of the consumers and clients, companies need to interact with the relevant suppliers. It is a tough manner for companies to select the best supplier from a large number of relevant alternatives. The selection process of the appropriate supplier involves multiple interacting and competing factors. Generally, the selection process and its results cause a waste of time and money. For this purpose, MCDM methodologies are utilized to manage this complex process efficiently. MCDMs allows for consistent and accurate decision-making as well as the selection of the most appropriate supplier. MCDM is one the most preferred tool to select the best alternative under the conflicting and competitive criteria when the evaluations are made in crisp numbers. Therefore, MCDM methods are preferred in various applications in academia and real life. However, the evaluations could not be always possible with crisp numbers, especially in vague environments or evaluations needs qualitative data. This study is one of the first to combine the AHP and COPRAS supplier selection methods with interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy (IPF) logic. The effectiveness of these IPF-AHP and IPF-COPRAS evaluations for the supplier selection problem is compared and examined. The experimental results of case scenarios show that IPF is an effective way to apply in decision-making applications. In addition, sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the proposed methodologies. According to sensitivity analysis, the IPF-AHP and IPF-COPRAS be able to illustrate the effects of small changings in criteria weights. Therefore, companies can use the IPF-AHP and IPF-COPRAS to assist their decision-makers in identifying and selecting the best suppliers.
Building Flood Resilience Among Older Adults Living in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Authors: Bukvic Anamaria , Borate Aishwarya
Published: July 2023

Objective:

This paper explores compounding challenges for older coastal populations due to accelerated sea level rise at the nexus of physical hazard exposure and place-based socioeconomic and health considerations.

Methods:

This study applies geospatial analysis to assess the spatial distribution of older adults (age 65+) and their socioeconomic characteristics in Miami-Dade County in Florida. Next, it uses logistic regression to evaluate the socioeconomic determinants of block groups with 20% or more of residents age 65 and older at 3 feet of sea level rise compared to the other block groups in Miami-Dade.

Results:

The results show that this study area has an older population clustered in flood-prone locations along the shoreline. The block groups with more than 20% of older adults and sea level rise risk have higher homeownership and vacancy rates, a higher percentage of homes constructed before 1980, and more older individuals who live alone.

Conclusion:

This study identifies place-based compounding factors undermining the ability of older residents to adequately cope with accelerated sea level rise flooding in coastal urban locations. Namely, owning an older home in a declining neighborhood and living alone can trap older individuals in place and increase their flood risk.
Breaking wave field statistics with a multi-layer model
Authors: Wu Jiarong , Popinet Stéphane , Deike Luc
Published: July 2023

The statistics of breaking wave fields are characterised within a novel multi-layer framework, which generalises the single-layer Saint-Venant system into a multi-layer and non-hydrostatic formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations. We simulate an ensemble of phase-resolved surface wave fields in physical space, where strong nonlinearities, including directional wave breaking and the subsequent highly rotational flow motion, are modelled, without surface overturning. We extract the kinematics of wave breaking by identifying breaking fronts and their speed, for freely evolving wave fields initialised with typical wind wave spectra. The$\varLambda (c)$distribution, defined as the length of breaking fronts (per unit area) moving with speed$c$to$c+{\rm d}c$following Phillips (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 156, 1985, pp. 505–531), is reported for a broad range of conditions. We recover the$\varLambda (c) \propto c^{-6}$scaling without wind forcing for sufficiently steep wave fields. A scaling of$\varLambda (c)$based solely on the root-mean-square slope and peak wave phase speed is shown to describe the modelled breaking distributions well. The modelled breaking distributions are in good agreement with field measurements and the proposed scaling can be applied successfully to the observational data sets. The present work paves the way for simulations of the turbulent upper ocean directly coupled to a realistic breaking wave dynamics, including Langmuir turbulence, and other sub-mesoscale processes.
Convergence and transdisciplinary teaching in quantitative biology
Authors: Mayes Robert , Dauer Joseph , Owens David
Published: July 2023

The United States National Science and Technology Council has made a call for improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education at the convergence of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The National Science Foundation (NSF) views convergence as the merging of ideas, approaches, and technologies from widely diverse fields of knowledge to stimulate innovation and discovery. Teaching convergency requires moving to the transdisciplinary level of integration where there is deep integration of skills, disciplines, and knowledge to solve a challenging real-world problem. Here we present a summary on convergence and transdisciplinary teaching. We then provide examples of convergence and transdisciplinary teaching in plant biology, and conclude by discussing limitations to contemporary conceptions of convergency and transdisciplinary STEM.
Predicting climate-driven distribution shifts in Hyalomma marginatum (Ixodidae)
Authors: Hekimoglu Olcay , Elverici Can , Kuyucu Arda Cem
Published: July 2023

Hyalomma marginatum is an important tick species which is the main vector of Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever and spotted fever. The species is predominantly distributed in parts of southern Europe, North Africa and West Asia. However, due to ongoing climate change and increasing reports of H. marginatum in central and northern Europe, the expansion of this range poses a potential future risk. In this study, an ecological niche modelling approach to model the current and future climatic suitability of H. marginatum was followed. Using high-resolution climatic variables from the Chelsa dataset and an updated list of locations for H. marginatum, ecological niche models were constructed under current environmental conditions using MaxEnt for both current conditions and future projections under the ssp370 and ssp585 scenarios. Models show that the climatically suitable region for H. marginatum matches the current distributional area in the Mediterranean basin and West Asia. When applied to future projections, the models suggest a considerable expansion of H. marginatum's range in the north in Europe as a result of rising temperatures. However, a decline in central Anatolia is also predicted, potentially due to the exacerbation of drought conditions in that region.