bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automatic diagnosis of depression based on attention mechanism and feature pyramid model
Authors: Xu Ningya , Huo Hua , Xu Jiaxin , Ma Lan , Wang Jinxuan
Published: March 2024

Currently, most diagnoses of depression are evaluated by medical professionals, with the results of these evaluations influenced by the subjective judgment of physicians. Physiological studies have shown that depressed patients display facial movements, head posture, and gaze direction disorders. To accurately diagnose the degree of depression of patients, this paper proposes a comprehensive framework, Cross-Channel Attentional Depression Detection Network, which can automatically diagnose the degree of depression of patients by inputting information from the facial images of depressed patients. Specifically, the comprehensive framework is composed of three main modules: (1) Face key point detection and cropping for video images based on Multi-Task Convolutional Neural Network. (2) The improved Feature Pyramid Networks model can fuse shallow features and deep features in video images and reduce the loss of miniscule features. (3) A proposed Cross-Channel Attention Convolutional Neural Network can enhance the interaction between tensor channel layers. Compared to other methods for automatic depression identification, a superior method was obtained by conducting extensive experiments on the depression dataset AVEC 2014, where the Root Mean Square Error and the Mean Absolute Error were 8.65 and 6.66, respectively.
Parotid glands have a dysregulated immune response following radiation therapy
Authors: Gunning Jordan A. , Gilman Kristy E. , Zúñiga Tiffany M. , Simpson Richard J. , Limesand Kirsten H.
Published: March 2024

Head and neck cancer treatment often consists of surgical resection of the tumor followed by ionizing radiation (IR), which can damage surrounding tissues and cause adverse side effects. The underlying mechanisms of radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction are not fully understood, and treatment options are scarce and ineffective. The wound healing process is a necessary response to tissue injury, and broadly consists of inflammatory, proliferative, and redifferentiation phases with immune cells playing key roles in all three phases. In this study, select immune cells were phenotyped and quantified, and certain cytokine and chemokine concentrations were measured in mouse parotid glands after IR. Further, we used a model where glandular function is restored to assess the immune phenotype in a regenerative response. These data suggest that irradiated parotid tissue does not progress through a typical inflammatory response observed in wounds that heal. Specifically, total immune cells (CD45+) decrease at days 2 and 5 following IR, macrophages (F4/80+CD11b+) decrease at day 2 and 5 and increase at day 30, while neutrophils (Ly6G+CD11b+) significantly increase at day 30 following IR. Additionally, radiation treatment reduces CD3- cells at all time points, significantly increases CD3+/CD4+CD8+ double positive cells, and significantly reduces CD3+/CD4-CD8- double negative cells at day 30 after IR. Previous data indicate that post-IR treatment with IGF-1 restores salivary gland function at day 30, and IGF-1 injections attenuate the increase in macrophages, neutrophils, and CD4+CD8+ T cells observed at day 30 following IR. Taken together, these data indicate that parotid salivary tissue exhibits a dysregulated immune response following radiation treatment which may contribute to chronic loss of function phenotype in head and neck cancer survivors.
An NLP-based novel approach for assessing national influence in clause dissemination across bilateral investment treaties
Authors: Uddin Shahadat , Lu Haohui , Alschner Wolfgang , Patay Dori , Frank Nicholas , Gomes Fabio S. , Thow Anne Marie
Published: March 2024

International investment agreements (IIAs) promote foreign investment. However, they can undermine crucial health programs, creating a dilemma for governments between corporate and public health interests. For this reason, including clauses that safeguard health has become an essential practice in IIAs. According to the current literature, some countries have played a pivotal role in leading this inclusion, while others follow the former ones. However, the existing literature needs a unique approach that can quantify the influence strength of a country in disseminating clauses that explicitly mention health provisions to others. Following an NLP (Natural Language Processing)-based text similarity analysis of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), this study proposes a metric, ‘Influence’ (INF), which provides insights into the role of different countries or regions in the propagation of IIA texts among BITs. We demonstrate a comprehensive application of this metric using a large agreement dataset. Our findings from this application corroborate the evidence in the current literature, supporting the validity of the proposed metric. According to theINF, Germany, Canada, and Brazil emerged as the most influential players in defensive, neutral, and offensive health mentions, respectively. These countries wield substantial bargaining power in international investment law and policy, and their innovative approaches to BITs set a path for others to follow. These countries provide crucial insights into the direction and sources of influence of international investment regulations to safeguard health. The proposed metric holds substantial usage for policymakers and investors. This can help them identify vital global countries in IIA text dissemination and create new policy guidelines to safeguard health while balancing economic development and public health protection. A software tool based on the proposedINFmeasure can be found athttps://inftool.com/.
Shock indices are associated with in-hospital mortality among patients with septic shock and normal left ventricular ejection fraction
Authors: Lee Kyu Jin , Kim Yong Kyun , Jeon Kyeongman , Ko Ryoung-Eun , Suh Gee Young , Oh Dong Kyu , Lim Sung Yoon , Lee Yeon Joo , Lee Su Yeon , Park Mi-Hyeon , Lim Chae-Man , Park Sunghoon ,   on behalf of the Korean Sepsis Alliance (KSA) investigators
Published: March 2024

Background

The understanding of shock indices in patients with septic shock is limited, and their values may vary depending on cardiac function.

Methods

This prospective cohort study was conducted across 20 university-affiliated hospitals (21 intensive care units [ICUs]). Adult patients (≥19 years) with septic shock admitted to the ICUs during a 29-month period were included. The shock index (SI), diastolic shock index (DSI), modified shock index (MSI), and age shock index (Age-SI) were calculated at sepsis recognition (time zero) and ICU admission. Left ventricular (LV) function was categorized as either normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%) or decreased LVEF (<50%).

Results

Among the 1,194 patients with septic shock, 392 (32.8%) who underwent echocardiography within 24 h of time zero were included in the final analysis (normal LVEF: n = 246; decreased LVEF: n = 146). In patients with normal LVEF, only survivors demonstrated significant improvement in SI, DSI, MSI, and Age-SI values from time zero to ICU admission; however, no notable improvements were found in all patients with decreased LVEF. The completion of vasopressor or fluid bundle components was significantly associated with improved indices in patients with normal LVEF, but not in those with decreased LVEF. In multivariable analysis, each of the four indices at ICU admission was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (P < 0.05) among patients with normal LVEF; however, discrimination power was better in the indices for patients with lower lactate levels (≤ 4.0 mmol/L), compared to those with higher lactate levels.

Conclusions

The SI, DSI, MSI, and Age-SI at ICU admission were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with septic shock and normal LVEF, which was not found in those with decreased LVEF. Our study emphasizes the importance of interpreting shock indices in the context of LV function in septic shock.
Time series classification of multi-channel nerve cuff recordings using deep learning
Authors: Gill Aseem Partap Singh , Zariffa Jose
Published: March 2024

Neurostimulation and neural recording are crucial to develop neuroprostheses that can restore function to individuals living with disabilities. While neurostimulation has been successfully translated into clinical use for several applications, it remains challenging to robustly collect and interpret neural recordings, especially for chronic applications. Nerve cuff electrodes offer a viable option for recording nerve signals, with long-term implantation success. However, nerve cuff electrodes’ signals have low signal-to-noise ratios, resulting in reduced selectivity between neural pathways. The objective of this study was to determine whether deep learning techniques, specifically networks tailored for time series applications, can increase the recording selectivity achievable using multi-contact nerve cuff electrodes. We compared several neural network architectures, the impact and trade-off of window length on classification performance, and the benefit of data augmentation. Evaluation was carried out using a previously collected dataset of 56-channel nerve cuff recordings from the sciatic nerve of Long-Evans rats, which included afferent signals evoked using three types of mechanical stimuli. Through this study, the best model achieved an accuracy of 0.936 ± 0.084 and an F1-score of 0.917 ± 0.103, using 50 ms windows of data and an augmented training set. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of applying CNNs designed for time-series data to peripheral nerve recordings, and provide insights into the relationship between window duration and classification performance in this application.
Virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance profile, phylotyping and pathotyping of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli isolated from children in Southwest Mexico
Authors: Tapia-Pastrana Gabriela , Rojas-Bautista Metztli , Hernández-Pérez Pilar , Santiago-Martínez Olegario , Gómez-Rodríguez Lucía C. , Terrazas-Luna Víctor M. , Montes-Yedra Jacobo , Bautista-Avendaño Alfonso A. , García-López Eduardo S. , Leon-Sicairos Nidia , Angulo-Zamudio Uriel A. , Canizalez-Roman Adrian
Published: March 2024

Diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) strains are one of the most important etiology factors causing diarrhea in children worldwide, especially in developing countries. DEC strains have characteristic virulence factors; however, other supplemental virulence genes (SVG) may contribute to the development of diarrhea in children. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of DEC in children with diarrhea in southwestern Mexico and to associate childhood symptoms, SVG, and pathotypes with diarrhea-causing DEC strains. DEC strains were isolated from 230 children with diarrhea aged 0–60 months from the state of Oaxaca, southwestern Mexico; clinical data were collected, and PCR was used to identify SVG and pathotypes. Antibiotic resistance profiling was performed on DEC strains. 63% of samples were DEC positive, single or combined infections (two (21%) or three strains (1.3%)) of aEPEC (51%), EAEC (10.2%), tEPEC (5.4%), DAEC (4.8%), ETEC (4.1%), EIEC (1.4%), or EHEC (0.7%) were found. Children aged ≤ 12 and 49–60 months and symptoms (e.g., fever and blood) were associated with DEC strains. SVG related to colonization (nleB-EHEC), cytotoxicity (sat-DAEC and espC-tEPEC), and proteolysis (pic-aEPEC) were associated with DECs strains. E. coli phylogroup A was the most frequent, and some pathotypes (aEPEC—A, DAEC–B), and SVG (espC–B2, and sat–D) were associated with the phylogroups. Over 79% of the DEC strains were resistant to antibiotics, and 40% were MDR and XDR, respectively. In conclusion aEPEC was the most prevalent pathotype in children with diarrhea in this region. SVG related to colonization, cytotoxicity, and proteolysis were associated with diarrhea-producing DEC strains, which may play an essential role in the development of diarrhea in children in southwestern Mexico.
Effect of Lactobacillus casei and Garlic Powder Administration on Broiler Performance, Immune Response and Blood Profile
Authors: Mangisah Istna , Yunianto V D , Sumarsih S , Sugiharto S
Published: March 2024

This study aimed to examine effect of giving a mixture of Lactobacillus casei and garlic powder (LGP) on broiler performance, immune response and blood profile. One hundred and forty-day old broilers with an average body weight of 43.70 Â± 0.88 g were placed randomly in 20 experimental units. Completely randomized design was used in this study, with 4 treatments and 5 replications. The treatment was conducted when the chickens were 22-35 days old (finisher phase). The chickens were given a mixture of Lactobacillus casei and garlic powder (LGP) at concentration levels of: 0, 1, 2, andÂ  3%. Parameters measured were blood profile, weight of lymphoid organs (bursa of Fabricius, spleen, and thymus), and carcass production. Data were analyzed for variance and if there was a significant effect, then Duncanâ€™s multiple range test was followed at the 5% level. Results showed that the administration of LGP improved the immune response, carcass weight and final body weight of broiler chickens. The administration of 3% LGP improved immune response and achieved the best broiler performance.
Household Consumers Perception towards Frozen Beef
Authors: Apriantini Astari , Arief Irma Isnafia , ENSD Lucia Cyrilla
Published: March 2024

Demand of beef in Indonesia is higher compared to the domestic beef supply, hence the Indonesian government has established policy to import frozen beef from other countries in order to support the high demand of Indonesia people. However, mosf of Indonesian people prefer to purchase fresh meat (freshly slaughtered beef) rather than frozen beef. The aims of this study were to identify the characteristics of household consumers who bought beef meat and their perceptions towards frozen beef; including to analyze the relationship between perceptions and consumer characteristics of frozen beef, and to analyze the consumer behavior in making decision to buy frozen beef in Bogor area and DKI Jakarta. Total about 200 households were directly interviewed using structured questionnaire. The questionnaires includes general characteristics of respondents (age, education level, occupation, income, number of family member), purchasing behavior which was analyzed descriptively, and respondents perceptions toward frozen beef which was analyzed by calculating the average value of perception and then categorized based on the level of perception category. Results showed that consumerâ€™s perceptions toward frozen beef according to several aspects had a low score (average final score 2.37), indicated that consumers had a poor perceptions towards frozen beef. Furthermore, most of the respondents who buy beef were housewives who buy meat in traditional markets which only provide fresh meat, they assumed that fresh meat had very good quality because the meat came from slaughtered beef.Â  Those respondents think that freezing causes negative effects on beef, freezing treatment reduce the quality such as changes of meat color and flavour; and reduce nutritional content of beef. Â It was discovered that socialization about frozen beef and the process of handling frozen meat is required for household consumers to control the quality of beef as well as to increase the consumerâ€™s trusts in purchasing frozen beef.
Effect of Dietary with Different Energy and Protein Levels on Laying Quails Performance
Authors: Edi Didik Nur , Andri Faizal
Published: March 2024

The performance of quail is a function of several production factors, one of which is feed. However, the optimum metabolizable energy and crude protein for the performance of laying quails currently needs to be revised. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of feeding diets with different metabolizable energy and crude protein levels on the performances of laying quails. Five hundred forty (540) laying quails aged eight weeks were randomly allocated into nine dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of four replicates with 15 laying quails per replicate. Dietary treatments comprised three metabolizable energy levels (2,700, 2,800, and 2,900 kcal/kg) and three crude protein levels (17, 19, and 21%) in a factorial research methodology arrangement. After one week of the adaptation period, the feeding trial was conducted for five weeks (9-13 weeks old). Interaction between metabolizable energy and crude protein levels was recorded on feed intake (P 0.05). Feed intake was reduced along with the increase in the metabolizable energy when crude protein levels were 17 and 19%. However, the feed intake tended to be improved when high metabolizable energy was combined with high crude protein contents (2,900 kcal/kg and 21%, respectively). No interaction was recorded on the other variables (egg production, egg weight, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio) (P 0.05). Feeding diets with different metabolizable energy levels had a significant effect on feed conversion ratio (P 0.05) but without any significant impact on egg production, egg weight, and egg mass of laying quails (P 0.05). Crude protein as a single factor significantly affects egg production, weight, mass, and feed conversion ratio of laying quails (P 0.05). Linear regression analysis indicated that metabolizable energy intake linearly improved egg production, weight, mass, and feed conversion ratio. Moreover, crude protein intake linearly improved egg production, weight, mass, and feed conversion ratio. Therefore, feeding diets containing 2900 kcal/kg metabolizable energy and 21% crude protein are required to provide optimum performance of laying quails.
Performances of Post-weaned Pasundan Calves Fed Extra Diets in an Extensive Grazing System
Authors: Kardaya Dede , Sudrajat Deden , Wahyuni Dewi
Published: March 2024

Changing from the pre-weaning to the post-weaning period is a transition from liquid to solid feed accompanied by a dramatic transformation of the GI tract.Â  Supplemental solid feeding of grazing post-weaning calves is expected to improve their productivity.Â  The study aimed to determine the effect of extra diet on the performances of post-weaned Pasundan calves (15 males and 15 females) that were grazed, using a completely randomized design of 2x3 factorials (two sex factors x three diet factors).Â  The diet treatments were that post-weaned Pasundan calves were grazed: without being given extra diets (grazing/control), extra diets without urea-impregnated zeolite (extra diet-1), and extra diets with urea-impregnated zeolite (extra diet-2).Â  The parameters were diet consumption (only for extra diets, unmeasured grazing consumption), body weights, and body condition.Â  The data were analyzed with GLM Univariate.Â  The results showed: The interaction between diet treatment and sex did not affect all the observed parameters.Â  Consumption of extra diet-1 (529.37Â±3.06 g DM/head/day) was higher (P0.05) than extra diet-2 consumption (525.17Â±1.96 g DM/head/day), but after a correction of body weight, the result was no different. Â Sex factors did not affect all observed parameters.Â  The ADG of post-weaned calves fed extra diet-1 (155.8Â±27.5 g), or extra-2 diet (124.2Â±56.3 g) was higher (P0.05) than the grazing (66.67Â±35.8 g).Â  The extra diet-1 produced a higher change in body condition (1.8Â±0.78, P0.05) than extra diet-2 or grazing (1.2Â±0.42).Â  In conclusion, feeding extra diet-1 to post-weaned Pasundan calves increased ADG by 234% and improved the body condition by 150% better than calves that were only grazed in an extensive grazing system.
Letramento estatístico na licenciatura em matemática: uma perspectiva ideológica abrangendo a formação cidadã
Authors: Pereira Érika da Silva , Barbosa Gabriela dos Santos
Published: March 2024

São conhecidas as dificuldades referentes ao letramento estatístico dos brasileiros, ou seja, o despreparo de boa parte da população para interpretar dados referentes ao meio social em que vive. Do mesmo modo, sabemos do despreparo docente e da escassez das discussões envolvendo esse tema na formação inicial. Sendo assim, a investigação apresentada neste artigo teve como objetivo analisar os saberes emergidos dos licenciandos em Matemática durante uma oficina pedagógica sobre letramento estatístico, sob uma perspectiva ideológica, que considera raça e a formação cidadã. Para atender às demandas do estudo, o quadro teórico adotado se fundamenta nas ideias de Bell Hooks, Iddo Gal e Ubiratan D’Ambrósio. A metodologia desenvolvida foi a pesquisa-ação e as evidências encontradas revelaram que os participantes da oficina construíram um olhar mais apurado sobre os conceitos estatísticos e sobre as questões raciais, admitindo a possibilidade de se abordarem questões sociais nas aulas de Matemática da educação básica.
Segregated solutions for nonlinear Schrödinger systems with a large number of components
Authors: Chen Haixia , Pistoia Angela
Published: March 2024

In this paper we are concerned with the existence of segregated non-radial solutions for nonlinear Schrödinger systems with a large number of components in a weak fully attractive or repulsive regime in presence of a suitable external radial potential.
A semilinear Dirichlet problem involving the fractional Laplacian in R+
n
Authors: Li Yan
Published: March 2024

We investigate the Dirichelt problem involving the fractional Laplacian in the upper half-space

R

+

n

=

x
∈

R

n

∣

x

1

>
0

${\mathbb{R}}_{+}^{n}=\left\{x\in {\mathbb{R}}^{n}\mid {x}_{1}{ >}0\right\}$

:

 

(

−
Δ

)

s

u

(

x

)

=
f

(

u

(

x

)

)

,

x
∈

R

+

n

,

 

u

(

x

)

>
0
,

x
∈

R

+

n

,

 

u

(

x

)

=
0
,

x
∉

R

+

n

.

\begin{cases}\quad \hfill & {\left(-{\Delta}\right)}^{s}u\left(x\right)=f\left(u\left(x\right)\right),\qquad x\in {\mathbb{R}}_{+}^{n},\hfill \\ \quad \hfill & \qquad u\left(x\right){ >}0,\qquad x\in {\mathbb{R}}_{+}^{n},\hfill \\ \quad \hfill & \qquad u\left(x\right)=0,\qquad x\notin {\mathbb{R}}_{+}^{n}.\hfill \end{cases}.

. We prove the positive solutions are monotonic increasing in the x
1-direction assuming u(x) grows no faster than |x|
γ
with γ ∈ (0, 2s) for |x| large. To start with, we develop a maximum principle on the narrow region. Then we apply a direct method of the moving planes for the fractional Laplacian to derive the monotonicity. As an application of the monotonicity result, we use it to prove nonexistence of bounded positive solutions in

R

+

n

${\mathbb{R}}_{+}^{n}$

for f(u) = u

p
,

p
∈

1
,

n
−
1
+
2
s

n
−
1
−
2
s

$p\in \left(1,\frac{n-1+2s}{n-1-2s}\right)$

.
When Should Courts Invalidate Constitutional Amendments?
Authors: Sethi Amal
Published: March 2024

Courts having the ability to invalidate procedurally correct constitutional amendments for violating core democratic or constitutional values is a growing practice in global constitutionalism. However, this power is generally exercised by courts on a whim and very often without any textual basis. Such actions raise serious legitimacy concerns and can undermine efforts towards regular constitutional change. In extreme cases, this power has been wielded by courts in ways that contribute to democratic backsliding rather than its prevention. Few solutions to police this power of courts and prevent net negatives exist. These solutions either fall short of addressing the challenges of courts invalidating procedurally correct constitutional amendments or rely heavily on judges’ restraint and good faith, qualities which we struggle to see in many jurisdictions where courts exercise this power. In turn, this article outlines a template for courts to use when evaluating the validity of procedurally correct constitutional amendments. This article’s suggested template hopes to prevent courts from misusing their powers while still leaving sufficient room for them to act to prevent threats to a polity’s democratic and/or constitutional project. It aims to do so by reducing the subjective discretion available to judges relative to other available templates.
The Italian Constitutional Court on Women’s Rights: Patriarchal Remnants Versus Transformative Interpretations
Authors: Scotti Valentina Rita
Published: March 2024

Aiming at contributing to the debate about the effectiveness of constitutional courts in enhancing the protection of women’s rights, this paper focuses on the case law of the Italian Constitutional Court. After an introduction on the role, functions, and composition of the Court, three foci will be put on the Court’s case law: (1) on the abolition of the gender-based discrimination in the adultery law, which caused also the abolition of the crime itself, (2) on the legislation introducing gender quotas for increasing women’s political representation, (3) on the legislation on abortion and reproductive rights.
Three Paradigms of International Judicial Review
Authors: Dothan Shai
Published: March 2024

The forms of intervention of international courts in domestic affairs could be divided into three broad paradigms: (1) the Westphalian Paradigm, (2) the Hierarchical Paradigm, (3) the Network Paradigm. According to the Westphalian Paradigm, the role of international courts is to coordinate the interactions of sovereign states. According to the Hierarchical Paradigm, international courts initiate social change by issuing judgments that require states to amend their practices. Naturally, under this paradigm, courts are concerned about their ability to secure compliance with their judgments but also about the legitimacy of their decisions and their ability to make good policy stipulations. According to the Network Paradigm, international courts are embedded within a vast web of actors with different interests. This chapter will survey the three different paradigms of international judicial review and demonstrate the unique considerations international courts need to take into account under every paradigm.
Impact of heat stress on thermal balance, hydration and cortical response among outdoor workers in hot environment – an exploratory report from North East India
Authors: Srinivasan Krishnan , Boulton Chaki G. , Bhattacharjee Manasi , Sinha Abhishek , Loganathan Sundareswaran , Seethy Ashikh , Alam Saklain M. , Hanse Benzamin
Published: March 2024

Objective

The objective of our study was to assess the impact of heat stress on hydration and cognition among outdoor workers in hot environment.

Methods

Area heat stress assessments were measured using Quest Temp WBGT monitor. Sweat rate for dehydration and reaction time for acute cognitive processing were recorded using standard procedures.

Results

Heat stress measurements ranged from 23.8 °C – 42 °C. More than 50 % of the workers had high sweat rate (>1.2 L/h) when exposed to high environmental temperatures. Positive correlation was obtained between WBGT, sweat rate and reaction time which indicates that hyperthermia has an impact on neural network processing. Heart rate and reaction time also increased with rise in WBGT and heavy physical activity.

Conclusions

There was impairment of cognitive functions (reaction time) under heat stress conditions. Hence, reaction time can be used to assess the short-term impact of heat stress on neural modulation and will help to plan effective intervention strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality among workers.
Spectrum fragmentation-aware dynamic network slicing deployment in computing power networks based on elastic optical networks
Authors: Wang Laiming , Zhang Haojie , Li Lei , Ren Danping , Hu Jinhua , Zhao Jijun
Published: March 2024

The widespread application of AI with high computing requirements has driven the rapid development of the computing field. Computing Power Networks (CPNs) have been recognized as solutions to providing on-demand computing services, and its service provisioning can be modeled as a network slicing deployment problem. Elastic Optical Networks (EONs) offer the flexibility to allocate spectrum resources, making them well-suited for network slicing technology. Consequently, EON-based CPNs have attracted considerable attention. However, the unbalanced distribution of computing resources leads to inefficient computing resource utilization. Meanwhile, spectrum resources may be isolated and difficult for other services. This phenomenon is known as spectrum fragmentation, leading to inefficient spectrum resource utilization. To achieve balanced and efficient resource utilization, this paper first analyzes the main reasons for load unbalance and spectrum fragmentation in CPNs: mismatched slicing deployment and inappropriate resource scheduling. Therefore, a dynamic network slicing scheme based on traffic prediction (DNS-TP) is designed. Its core highlight is cooperative optimization slicing deployment and resource scheduling based on spectrum fragmentation awareness. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme enhances the network slicing acceptance ratio, computing and spectrum resource utilization while exhibiting strong performance in resource balancing.
Strongly coupled spins of silicon-vacancy centers inside a nanodiamond with sub-megahertz linewidth
Authors: Klotz Marco , Waltrich Richard , Lettner Niklas , Agafonov Viatcheslav N. , Kubanek Alexander
Published: March 2024

The search for long-lived quantum memories, which can be efficiently interfaced with flying qubits, is longstanding. One possible solution is to use the electron spin of a color center in diamond to mediate interaction between a long-lived nuclear spin and a photon. Realizing this in a nanodiamond furthermore facilitates the integration into photonic devices and enables the realization of hybrid quantum systems with access to quantum memories. Here, we investigated the spin environment of negatively charged silicon-vacancy centers in a nanodiamond and demonstrate strong coupling of its electron spin, while the electron spin’s decoherence rate remained below 1 MHz. We furthermore demonstrate multi-spin coupling with the potential to establish registers of quantum memories in nanodiamonds.
Dry synthesis of bi-layer nanoporous metal films as plasmonic metamaterial
Authors: Caligiuri Vincenzo , Kwon Hyunah , Griesi Andrea , Ivanov Yurii P. , Schirato Andrea , Alabastri Alessandro , Cuscunà Massimo , Balestra Gianluca , De Luca Antonio , Tapani Tlek , Lin Haifeng , Maccaferri Nicolò , Krahne Roman , Divitini Giorgio , Fischer Peer , Garoli Denis
Published: March 2024

Nanoporous metals are a class of nanostructured materials finding extensive applications in multiple fields thanks to their unique properties attributed to their high surface area and interconnected nanoscale ligaments. They can be prepared following different strategies, but the deposition of an arbitrary pure porous metal is still challenging. Recently, a dry synthesis of nanoporous films based on the plasma treatment of metal thin layers deposited by physical vapour deposition has been demonstrated, as a general route to form pure nanoporous films from a large set of metals. An interesting aspect related to this approach is the possibility to apply the same methodology to deposit the porous films as a multilayer. In this way, it is possible to explore the properties of different porous metals in close contact. As demonstrated in this paper, interesting plasmonic properties emerge in a nanoporous Au–Ag bi-layer. The versatility of the method coupled with the possibility to include many different metals, provides an opportunity to tailor their optical resonances and to exploit the chemical and mechanical properties of components, which is of great interest to applications ranging from sensing, to photochemistry and photocatalysis.
Exploration of facile hydrothermally produced pure nickel oxide nanostructures as an effective electrode material for the enhanced supercapacitor applications
Authors: Upadhyay Leekeshwer , Dhanapandian Swaminathan , Suthakaran Selvakumar , Ashokkumar Krishnamoorthi , Sathana Vijayabalan , Dinesh Ayyar , Ayyar Manikandan
Published: March 2024

This research work concerns with the magnetic and electrochemical characteristics of hydrothermally prepared nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles for their use as working electrode material in supercapacitor. Through the use of thermal gravimetric (TG-DTA), the thermal stability and heat adsorption/desorption characteristics of the as-produced NiO nanoparticles were examined. By using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique at ambient, 600 °C and 800 °C annealing temperatures, the trigonal and cubic structure of the as prepared and annealed nanoparticles was discovered. The spherical and cubic morphology of the as synthesized and annealed (800 °C) NiO nanoparticles was confirmed through field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis. The functional groups, optical bandgap energy, surface chemistry, specific surface area and superparamagnetic behavior of the annealed (800 °C) NiO nanoparticles were determined through Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), UV-DRS, XPS, BET and VSM characterization approaches, respectively. At the lowest scan rates of 10 mVs−1 and 0.5 Ag−1, the pseudocapacitive behavior was noticed utilizing CV and GCD analyses. An excellent electrical conductivity for the supercapacitor application was also shown by the Nyquist plot of the produced NiO electrode.
Comparative Roles of the Caudate and Putamen in the Serial Order of Behavior: Effects of Striatal Glutamate Receptor Blockade on Variable versus Fixed Spatial Self-Ordered Sequencing in Marmosets
Authors: Gould Stacey Anne , Hodgson Amy , Clarke Hannah F. , Robbins Trevor W. , Roberts Angela C.
Published: March 2024

Self-ordered sequencing is an important executive function involving planning and executing a series of steps to achieve goal-directed outcomes. The lateral frontal cortex is implicated in this behavior, but downstream striatal outputs remain relatively unexplored. We trained marmosets on a three-stimulus self-ordered spatial sequencing task using a touch-sensitive screen to explore the role of the caudate nucleus and putamen in random and fixed response arrays. By transiently blocking glutamatergic inputs to these regions, using intrastriatal CNQX microinfusions, we demonstrate that the caudate and putamen are both required for, but contribute differently to, flexible and fixed sequencing. CNQX into either the caudate or putamen impaired variable array accuracy, and infusions into both simultaneously elicited greater impairment. We demonstrated that continuous perseverative errors in variable array were caused by putamen infusions, likely due to interference with the putamen's established role in monitoring motor feedback. Caudate infusions, however, did not affect continuous errors, but did cause an upward trend in recurrent perseveration, possibly reflecting interference with the caudate's established role in spatial working memory and goal-directed planning. In contrast to variable array performance, while both caudate and putamen infusions impaired fixed array responding, the combined effects were not additive, suggesting possible competing roles. Infusions into either region individually, but not simultaneously, led to continuous perseveration. Recurrent perseveration in fixed arrays was caused by putamen, but not caudate, infusions. These results are consistent overall with a role of caudate in planning and flexible responding and the putamen in more rigid habitual or automatic responding.
The Effect of Brooding About Societal Problems on Conspiracy Beliefs: A Registered Report
Authors: Liekefett Luisa , Sebben Simone , Becker Julia C.
Published: March 2024

This Stage 2 Registered Report concerns the relationship between rumination, a repetitive style of negative thinking, and conspiracy beliefs (Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/y82bs, date of in-principle-acceptance: 23/05/2023). Based on four pilot studies, we tested in a fifth, registered study whether brooding, a particularly dysfunctional form of rumination, contributes to conspiracy beliefs using a repeated-measures within-person experiment (N = 1,638). Mean difference scores (conspiracy beliefs at T2 minus conspiracy beliefs at T1) were significantly greater in the brooding condition than in the control condition. However, we could neither confirm that this effect was larger than the specified smallest effect size of interest of d = 0.20, nor conclude that it was too small to be of interest (i.e., smaller than d = 0.20). We explored how reflection, an analytic form of rumination, impacted conspiracy beliefs. We further discuss implications for theories about the formation of conspiracy beliefs, and efforts aimed at preventing or reducing unfounded conspiracy beliefs. Hopefully, this article sparks a discussion among conspiracy belief researchers about how smallest effect sizes of interest could be determined in a principled way based on real-world outcomes.
Snow thermal conductivity and conductive flux in the Central Arctic: Estimates from observations and implications for models
Authors: Sledd Anne , Shupe Matthew D. , Solomon Amy , Cox Christopher J. , Perovich Donald , Lei Ruibo
Published: March 2024

During the Arctic winter, the conductive heat flux through the sea ice and snow balances the radiative and turbulent heat fluxes at the surface. Snow on sea ice is a thermal insulator that reduces the magnitude of the conductive flux. The thermal conductivity of snow, that is, how readily energy is conducted, is known to vary significantly in time and space from observations, but most forecast and climate models use a constant value. This work begins with a demonstration of the importance of snow thermal conductivity in a regional coupled forecast model. Varying snow thermal conductivity impacts the magnitudes of all surface fluxes, not just conduction, and their responses to atmospheric forcing. Given the importance of snow thermal conductivity in models, we use observations from sea ice mass balance buoys installed during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate expedition to derive the profiles of thermal conductivity, density, and conductive flux. From 13 sites, median snow thermal conductivity ranges from 0.33 W m−1 K−1 to 0.47 W m−1 K−1 with a median from all data of 0.39 W m−1 K−1 from October to February. In terms of surface energy budget closure, estimated conductive fluxes are generally smaller than the net atmospheric flux by as much as 20 W m−2, but the average residual during winter is −6 W m−2, which is within the uncertainties. The spatial variability of conductive heat flux is highest during clear and cold time periods. Higher surface temperature, which often occurs during cloudy conditions, and thicker snowpacks reduce temporal and spatial variability. These relationships are compared between observations and the coupled forecast model, emphasizing both the importance and challenge of describing thermodynamic parameters of snow cover for modeling the Arctic as a coupled system.
The Sustainable School as a Place for Environmental Education
Authors: Zbašnik-Senegačnik Martina , Koprivec Ljudmila
Published: March 2024

Sustainable schools are energy-efficient, environmentally friendly buildings that provide a healthy living environment and promote environmental education. Reference examples from abroad show the characteristics of sustainable schools as an expression of ecological design, circular construction and the integration of learning environments with nature and sports activities. We were interested in whether teachers recognize the sustainable features of the schools they teach in and to what extent they integrate them into the curriculum. We conducted a short survey in some Slovenian elementary school and came to the conclusion that teachers are mostly unaware of the sustainable features of the schools and do not include them in their learning processes. The results of the study can be used as recommendations for the introduction of sustainable school principles into the pedagogical and architectural profession.
¿Ha sido el continente americano “la tierra del futuro”?
Authors: Ferreiro Héctor
Published: March 2024

Hegel considera que América es un continente nuevo «en lo que respecta a su entera constitución física y espiritual». Con esto reproduce una imagen crecientemente dominante en el ambiente intelectual de la Europa de su época. Dicha imagen surge y cristaliza en el marco de consolidación de los procesos de colonización. Los pueblos de las regiones colonizadas mostraban en opinión de los observadores europeos un desarrollo civilizatorio menor que el de Europa. No pocos intelectuales encontraron la explicación a esas diferencias culturales en las diferencias naturales de la geografía, el clima y las razas respectivas. En este contexto, los indios americanos son a ojos de Hegel pueblos sin historia; en cuanto a la historia de América tras su conquista y colonización no es más que un episodio de la propia historia europea. En la medida en que es a través de la historia europea como el ser humano habría alcanzado la autoconciencia de su esencia, a saber: la libertad como autonomía y autodeterminación, Europa parece señalar una suerte de non plus ultra del desarrollo ideológico de la Humanidad. Sin embargo, vista en retrospectiva desde el siglo XXI la historia intelectual y política europea difícilmente permite ser identificada con la plena concientización del valor y dignidad que tiene cada ser humano como tal. Desde el momento que sus diferentes países están fundados sobre el principio del nacionalismo cívico y no sobre el del nacionalismo étnico, propio de los países de Europa, el continente americano señala en este respecto un progreso en relación al «principio del espíritu europeo».
Pre-Extension Demonstration of Shiro Type Field Pea Technologies in the Highlands of Guji Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Kebede Basha , Bobo Tekle , Korji Dembi
Published: March 2024

For improvement of field pea production, agricultural research centers have released many varieties. However, productivity of field pea is low due to insufficient demonstration of released and adapted varieties at farmers’ level. Hence, demonstration of released and improved varieties is the key approval for large scale production of field pea. Therefore, this experiment was exhibited at three highlands to estimate profitability and evaluate the yield of shiro kind field pea varieties. The Bilalo variety was demonstrated with local varieties by 12 farmers during the year 2022. Yield and costs of production were collected. The data was analyzed through cost benefit analysis and descriptive statistics. The result indicated that the Bilalo variety gave a better yield (25.92 Qt/ha) compared to the local variety (18.33 Qt/ha). Cost benefit analysis indicated that the Bilalo variety gave better returns (108672 ETB/ha) compared to the local variety (54022 ETB/ha). Farmers prefer the Bilalo variety because it provides a higher harvest, is more disease tolerant and has high market value over the local variety. The use of the improved shiro field pea variety is significant for yield increment and profit growth. Thus, the Bilalo variety should be used for shiro type field pea production in highland areas. Additional research is desirable to promote the Bilalo variety through scaling up in the highland and similar agro-ecologies of the Guji zone.
Determination of effective irrigation intervals in the center pivot sprinkler system for maize (Zea mays L.) varieties
Authors: Ilbas Ali Irfan , Al-Azzawi Rawya Mezaal Mahmood , Abdulhamed Zeyad Abduljabbar , Gokalp Zeki
Published: March 2024

The increasing importance of the corn plant in animal nutrition as silage and grain feed has led to expand of corn cultivation in large areas. One of the best ways to meet the demand for irrigation of corn in large areas in Iraq is to establish a center pivot sprinkler system. This experimental study was carried out to determine the effective irrigation intervals in the center pivot sprinkler system in the cultivation of some corn varieties registered in Iraq in Kirkuk Governorate / Iraq in 2021. Another aim of this study is to identify the variety or varieties that have higher yields under different irrigation interval conditions. Another aim of this study was to determine the variety or varieties with higher yield under different irrigation interval conditions. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications. Five registered maize varieties (AlFajer, AlMaha, AlSafa, Buhooth-106 and Sara) were used as experiment materials and three irrigation intervals (2, 4 and 6 day periods) were applied using the pivot sprinkler method. According to the result of this experiment, Buhooth-106 variety had the highest yield (7.23 kg ha⁻ˡ). Although the 6-day irrigation interval resulted in the lowest grain yield for all varieties, the difference in terms of corn grain yield between 4-day and 2-day irrigation interval was not found significant, statistically. In conclusion, the 4-day irrigation interval application using the center pivot irrigation system and Buhooth-106 variety can be recommended growing corn in conditions of Kirkuk Governorate of Iraq.
Immune landscape in APC and TP53 related tumor microenvironment in colon adenocarcinoma: A bioinformatic analysis
Authors: Zabeti Touchaei Arefeh , Vahidi Sogand , Samadani Ali Akbar
Published: March 2024

Introduction

APC and TP53 are the two most regularly mutated genes in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), especially in progressive malignancies and antitumoral immune response. The current bioinformatics analysis investigates the APC and TP53 gene expression profile in colon adenocarcinoma as a prognostic characteristic for survival, particularly concentrating on the correlated immune microenvironment.

Methods

Clinical and genetic data of colon cancer and normal tissue samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-COAD and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) online databases, respectively. The genetic differential expressions were analyzed in both groups via the one-way ANOVA test. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were applied to estimate the overall survival (OS). P < 0.05 was fixed as statistically significant. On Tumor Immune Estimation Resource and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis databases, the linkage between immune cell recruitment and APC and TP53 status was assessed through Spearman's correlation analysis.

Results

APC and TP53 were found mutated in 66.74% and 85.71% of the 454 and 7 TCGA-COAD patients in colon and rectosigmoid junction primary sites, respectively with a higher log2-transcriptome per million reads compared to the GTEx group (318 samples in sigmoid and 368 samples in transverse). Survival curves revealed a worse significant OS for the high-APC and TP53 profile colon. Spearman's analysis of immune cells demonstrated a strong positive correlation between the APC status and infiltration of T cell CD4+, T cell CD8+, NK cell, and macrophages and also a positive correlation between status and infiltration of T cell CD4+, T cell CD8+.

Conclusions

APC and TP53 gene mutations prevail in colon cancer and are extremely associated with poor prognosis and shortest survival. The infiltrating T cell CD4+, T cell CD8+, NK cell, and macrophages populate the colon microenvironment and regulate the mechanisms of tumor advancement, immune evasion, and sensitivity to standard chemotherapy. More comprehensive research is needed to demonstrate these results and turn them into new therapeutic outlooks.