bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Government's green grip: Does industrial policy improve firm environmental performance?
Authors: Bu Wenchao , Ren Siyu
Published: March 2023

National industrial policy is a common means for the government to regulate economic activities, and its effect on the environmental performance of enterprises is controversial. Based on the encouraged industries in China's “Five‐Year Plan,” the impact and micro‐influence mechanism of industrial policies on SO2 emission of enterprises are systematically analyzed. The results indicate that industrial policy can significantly reduce the SO2 emission in encouraged industries, and the conclusion is still valid after a series of robustness tests. This emission reduction effect is greater for the state‐owned firm, high R&D intensity firm, and high‐pollution firm. Compared with the firms in general encouraged industry, industrial policy has a greater impact on the SO2 emissions of firms in the key encouraged industries. The industrial policy promotes the resources transfer from high‐polluting companies to low‐polluting companies, reducing the market share of high‐pollution firms. Additionally, it reduces pollution emissions through front‐end pollution control (clean energy substitution and technological innovation). The conclusions of this study provide theoretical support for appropriate government policy intervention and have important practical significance for China's green sustainable development.
The compact difference approach for the fourth‐order parabolic equations with the first Neumann boundary value conditions
Authors: Gao Guang‐hua , Huang Yu , Sun Zhi‐Zhong
Published: March 2023

In this paper, the fourth‐order parabolic equation with the first Neumann boundary value conditions is concerned, where the values of the first and second spatial derivatives of the unknown function at the boundary are given. A compact difference scheme is established for this kind of problem by using the weighted average and order reduction methods. The difficulty lies in the challenges of handling the boundary conditions with high accuracy. The unique solvability, convergence and stability of the proposed compact difference scheme are proved by the energy method. Some novel techniques are introduced for the analysis. Then, the extension to a more general case with the reaction term is briefly explored. Finally, two numerical examples are numerically calculated to show the efficiency of the proposed numerical schemes.
Analysis of a stochastic SVIR model with time‐delayed stages of vaccination and Lévy jumps
Authors: Mehdaoui Mohamed , Alaoui Abdesslem Lamrani , Tilioua Mouhcine
Published: March 2023

The focal point of this paper is to further enhance the existing stochastic epidemic models by incorporating several new disease characteristics, such as the validation time of the vaccination procedure, the stages of vaccine required to gain a long‐period immunity together with the time separating each stage, the deaths linked to the vaccine, and finally, the sudden environmental noise which is exhibited by sociocultural changes, such as antivaccination movements. To incorporate all the aforementioned characteristics, we extend the standard Susceptible‐Vaccinated‐Infected‐Recovered (SVIR) epidemic model to a new mathematical model, which is governed by a system of coupled stochastic delay differential equations, in which the disease transmission rates are driven by Gaussian noise and Lévy‐type jump stochastic process. First, under suitable conditions on the jump intensities, we address the mathematical well‐posedness and biological feasibility of the model, by virtue of the Lyapunov method and the stopping‐time technique. Then, by choosing an adequate positively invariant set for the considered model, we establish sufficient conditions guaranteeing the disease extinction and persistence. Lastly, to support the theoretical results, we provide the outcome of several numerical simulations which, together with our conducted analysis, indicate that the spread of the disease can be majorly altered by all the new considered characteristics.
Motion correction for separate mandibular and cranial movements in cone beam CT reconstructions
Authors: Birklein Lukas , Niebler Stefan , Schömer Elmar , Brylka Robert , Schwanecke Ulrich , Schulze Ralf
Published: March 2023

Background

Patient motions are a repeatedly reported phenomenon in oral and maxillofacial cone beam CT scans, leading to reconstructions of limited usability. In certain cases, independent movements of the mandible induce unpredictable motion patterns. Previous motion correction methods are not able to handle such complex cases of patient movements.

Purpose

Our goal was to design a combined motion estimation and motion correction approach for separate cranial and mandibular motions, solely based on the 2D projection images from a single scan.

Methods

Our iterative three‐step motion correction algorithm models the two articulated motions as independent rigid motions. First of all, we segment cranium and mandible in the projection images using a deep neural network. Next, we compute a 3D reconstruction with the poses of the object's trajectories fixed. Third, we improve all poses by minimizing the projection error while keeping the reconstruction fixed. Step two and three are repeated alternately.

Results

We find that our marker‐free approach delivers reconstructions of up to 85% higher quality, with respect to the projection error, and can improve on already existing techniques, which model only a single rigid motion. We show results of both synthetic and real data created in different scenarios. The reconstruction of motion parameters in a real environment was evaluated on acquisitions of a skull mounted on a hexapod, creating a realistic, easily reproducible motion profile.

Conclusions

The proposed algorithm consistently enhances the visual quality of motion impaired cone beam computed tomography scans, thus eliminating the need for a re‐scan in certain cases, considerably lowering radiation dosage for the patient. It can flexibly be used with differently sized regions of interest and is even applicable to local tomography.
The simple shifted fracture method
Authors: Li Kangan , Rodríguez‐Ferran Antonio , Scovazzi Guglielmo
Published: March 2023

We propose a simplified version of the Shifted Fracture Method (SFM), which relies on an approximate fracture geometry representation combined with approximate interface conditions. In particular, we show that the complexities of earlier SFM implementations, associated with the use of a mixed variational formulation of the equilibrium equations, can be avoided. This approach has minimal impact on the overall accuracy of numerical computations but leads to considerable gains in performance. These outcomes can be justified because the proposed simplified SFM accurately accounts for the area of the fracture surface and prevents the severe mesh dependencies observed in classical cohesive zone models or node‐release/element‐deletion techniques. We also show that the proposed approach can be combined with a phase‐field model to more easily capture branching and merging of fractures.
Comparing the performance of demineralization agents (HCl and EDTA) for stable isotope analysis of bone collagen with implications for quality control criteria and collagen yield
Authors: Wilson Tess , Szpak Paul
Published: March 2023

Stable isotope analysis of ancient bone collagen is a powerful technique for studying diet, migration, and ecology in archeological contexts. These analyses are, however, limited by collagen preservation and prohibitively low collagen yields. Harsh chemical demineralization is required to isolate the collagen from the mineral component of the bone, which in turn reduces the yield of material available for analysis. Demineralization is typically performed using hydrochloric acid (HCl), which reduces collagen yield via acid hydrolysis of peptide bonds. An alternative to a strong acid (HCl) treatment is the neutral chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). To our knowledge, it has never been empirically tested whether EDTA treatment reduces collagen loss relative to HCl in samples that are known to be poorly preserved (i.e., low yields and/or collagen extracts failing other collagen quality control [QC] criteria). We tested the effect of the demineralization agent on collagen yield, stable isotope, and elemental composition of poorly preserved ancient bone samples. Collagen yield was significantly higher in EDTA‐treated samples; however, this did not translate into a greater number of samples passing relevant quality control criteria. Stable isotope compositions (SIC) were also not significantly different between treatments. The atomic C:N ratio of samples treated with EDTA was significantly lower than equivalent samples treated with HCl, which is likely a product of increased deamidation of asparagine and glutamine residues when collagen is demineralized with HCl relative to EDTA. We conclude that although EDTA treatment may reduce collagen loss relative to HCl treatment, this does not necessarily increase the probability of producing reliable–stable isotope data from bone samples yielding low amounts of collagen. Based on our isotopic data, we suggest the following provisional collagen QC criteria for EDTA‐demineralized samples: collagen yield > 2%, wt% C > 4%, wt% N > 2%, and atomic C:N ratio between 2.80 and 3.25.
Comparing Open Versus Rigid Endoscopic and Flexible Endoscopic Techniques for the Treatment of Zenker's Diverticulum
Authors: Wallerius Katherine P. , Bowen Andrew J. , O'Byrne Thomas J. , Aden Aisha A. , Peraza Lazaro R. , Xie Katherine Z. , Richards Bradley A. , El‐Badaoui Joseph , Bayan Semirra L. , Wong Kee Song Louis M. , Ekbom Dale C.
Published: March 2023

Objective

To describe the outcomes of patients undergoing open stapler versus transoral rigid and flexible endoscopic therapies for symptomatic Zenker's diverticulum.

Study Design

Single institution retrospective review.

Setting

Tertiary care academic hospital.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of 424 consecutive patients who underwent Zenker's diverticulotomy via an open stapler, rigid endoscopic CO2 laser, rigid endoscopic stapler, rigid endoscopic harmonic scalpel, or flexible endoscopic technique from January 2006 to December 2020.

Results

A total of 424 patients (173 females, mean age 73.1 ± 11.2 years) from a single institution were included. A total of 142 patients (33%) underwent endoscopic laser treatment, 33 (8%) underwent endoscopic harmonic scalpel, 92 (22%) underwent endoscopic stapler, 70 (17%) underwent flexible endoscopic, and 87 (20%) underwent open stapler. All open and rigid endoscopic procedures and most of the flexible endoscopic procedures (65%) were performed under general anesthesia. The flexible endoscopic group had a higher percentage of procedure‐related perforation, defined as subcutaneous emphysema or contrast leak on imaging (14.3%). The recurrence rates were higher in the harmonic stapler, flexible endoscopic, and endoscopic stapler groups at 18.2%, 17.1%, and 17.4%, respectively, and lower in the open group (1.1%). Length of hospital stay and return to oral intake were similar among groups.

Conclusion

The flexible endoscopic technique was associated with the highest rate of procedure‐related perforation, while the endoscopic stapler had the lowest number of procedural complications. Recurrence rates were higher among the harmonic stapler, flexible endoscopic, and endoscopic stapler groups and lower in the endoscopic laser and open groups. Prospective comparative studies with long‐term follow‐up are needed.
Hydrogen production in microwave discharge in water solutions of ethanol at atmospheric pressure
Authors: Batukaev Тimur S. , Bilera Igor V. , Krashevskaya Galina V. , Lebedev Yuri A. , Epstein Iren L.
Published: March 2023

Gas chromatography, optical emission spectroscope, high speed video camera were used to study the microwave discharge ignited near the end of the microwave antenna in aqueous solution of ethanol at different ethanol content and different incident microwave power. The pressure above the surface of liquid was close to atmospheric pressure. The main gas products were Н2, СО, С2Н2, СН4, С2Н4. H2 (≈60 vol%) and CO (≈30 vol%) are predominated. The composition of the reaction products in a microwave discharge is practically independent of incident power and ethanol content in the solution, but the total flow rate of gas products at the system output increases with an increase in the incident power and the ethanol content in solution. Best obtained characteristics of process of hydrogen production were: flow rate of hydrogen was of 3240 mL/min, concentration of hydrogen in gas mixture on the discharge outlet was of 59 vol%, maximum energy efficiency of hydrogen production was of 324 NL/kWh.
Synthesis and Characterization of CdS/CISe Quantum Dots with Core–Shell Structure
Authors: Du Qinghua , Zhang Hui , Zhang Jiapeng , Xie Xinjian , Liu Guodong , Chen Guifeng
Published: March 2023

Quantum dots have received great interest due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. However, the surface defects of quantum dots affect the carrier transport and ultimately reduce the photovoltaic efficiency. In this paper, a core–shell quantum dot by hot‐injection method is prepared to grow a narrow‐band semiconductor layer (CuInSe2 (CISe) quantumdot) on the surface of a broad‐band core material (cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanocrystal). The composition, structure, optical properties, and decay lifetime of CdS/CISe core–shells are investigated in more detail by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL), UV–vis spectrophotometry, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The CdS/CISe core–shell structure has a broadened absorption range and still shows CISe‐related quantum effects. The increased size of the core–shell and the smaller specific surface area of the CISe shell layer lead to a lower carrier complexation chance, which improves the carrier lifetime.
Natural products in crop protection: thiosemicarbazone derivatives of 3‐acetyl‐N‐benzylindoles as antifungal agents and their mechanism of action
Authors: Li Tianze , Lv Min , Wen Houpeng , Du Jiawei , Wang Zhen , Zhang Shaoyong , Xu Hui
Published: March 2023

Background

Phytopathogenic fungi can cause a direct loss in economic value of agriculture. Especially Valsa mali Miyabe et Yamada, a devastating phytopathogenic disease especially threatening global apple production, is very difficult to control and manage. To discover new potential antifungal agents, a series of thiosemicarbazone derivatives of 3‐acetyl‐N‐benzylindoles were prepared. Their antifungal activities were first tested against six typically phytopathogenic fungi including Curvularia lunata, Valsa mali, Alternaria alternate, Fusarium graminearum, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium solani. Then their mechanism of action against V. mali was investigated.

Results

Derivatives displayed potent antifungal activity against V. mali. Notably, 3‐acetyl‐N‐benzylindole thiosemicarbazone (IV‐1: EC50: 0.59 μg mL−1), whose activity was comparable to that of a commercial fungicide carbendazim (EC50: 0.33 μg mL−1), showed greater than 98‐fold antifungal activity of the precursor indole. Moreover, compound IV‐1 displayed good protective and therapeutic effects on apple Valsa canker disease. By scanning electron microscope (SEM) and RNA‐Seq analysis, it was demonstrated that compound IV‐1 can destroy the hyphal structure and regulate the homeostasis of metabolism of V. mali via the ergosterol biosynthesis and autophagy pathways.

Conclusion

3‐Acetyl‐N‐(un)substituted benzylindoles thiosemicarbazones (IV‐1–IV‐5) can be studied as leads for further structural modification as antifungal agents against V. mali. Particularly, these ergosterol biosynthesis and autophagy pathways can be used as target receptors for design of novel green pesticides for management of congeneric phytopathogenic fungi. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Intrinsic Advantage of Fused‐Ring Nonfullerene Acceptor‐Based Organic Solar Cells to Reduce Voltage Loss
Authors: Saito Toshiharu , Natsuda Shin-ichiro , Shirouchi Rei , Imakita Kenta , Kohzuki Kazuki , Tamai Yasunari
Published: March 2023

The large voltage loss is a significant disadvantage of organic solar cells (OSCs) compared with inorganic and perovskite solar cells and should be reduced to further improve the power conversion efficiency of OSCs. Herein, the voltage loss in OSCs with a systematically controlled energy difference between the excited and charge transfer states is discussed. The voltage loss is compared between two types of OSCs: narrow‐bandgap donors paired with wide‐bandgap acceptors and narrow‐bandgap fused‐ring nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) paired with wide‐bandgap donors, to elucidate whether there are any essential advantages in the latter. The first advantage of narrow‐bandgap‐NFA‐based OSCs is their higher photoluminescence quantum yield, owing to their rigid fused‐ring architecture. The second advantage is the ability to achieve efficient charge separation with a small voltage loss.
Rodent‐borne viruses in the region of Middle East
Authors: AL‐Eitan Laith , Alnemri Malek , Alkhawaldeh Mishael , Mihyar Ahmad
Published: March 2023

Rodents are one of the most abundant mammal species in the world. They form more than two‐fifth of all mammal species and there are approximately 4600 existing rodent species. Rodents are capable of transmitting deadly diseases, especially those that are caused by viruses. Viruses and their consequences have plagued the world for the last two centuries, three pandemics occurred during the last century only. The Middle East is situated at the crossroads of Africa and Asia, along with the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, its geographic importance is gained through the diversity of topographies, biosphere, as well as climate aspects that make the region vulnerable to host emerging diseases. Refugee crises also play a major role in expected epidemic outbreaks in the region. Public health has always been the most important priority, and our aim in this review is to raise awareness among public health organisations across the Middle East about the dangers of rodent borne diseases that have been reported or are suspected to be found in the region.
Dinitrogen Reduction Coupled with Methanol Oxidation for Low Overpotential Electrochemical NH3 Synthesis Over Cobalt Pyrophosphate as Bifunctional Catalyst
Authors: Gupta Divyani , Kafle Alankar , Nagaiah Tharamani C.
Published: March 2023

Electrochemical dinitrogen (N2) reduction to ammonia (NH3) coupled with methanol electro‐oxidation is presented in the current work. Here, methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is proposed as an alternative anode reaction to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to accomplish electrons‐induced reduction of N2 to NH3 at cathode and oxidation of methanol at anode in alkaline media thereby reducing the overall cell voltage for ammonia production. Cobalt pyrophosphate micro‐flowers assembled by nanosheets are synthesized via a surfactant‐assisted sonochemical approach. By virtue of structural and morphological advantages, the maximum Faradaic efficiency of 43.37% and NH3 yield rate of 159.6 µg h−1 mgca−1 is achieved at a potential of −0.2 V versus RHE. The proposed catalyst is shown to also exhibit a very high activity (100 mA mg−1 at 1.48 V), durability (2 h) and production of value‐added formic acid at anode (2.78 µmol h−1 mgcat−1 and F.E. of 59.2%). The overall NH3 synthesis is achieved at a reduced cell voltage of 1.6 V (200 mV less than NRR‐OER coupled NH3 synthesis) when OER at anode is replaced with MOR and a high NH3 yield rate of 95.2 µg h−1 mgcat−1 and HCOOH formation rate of 2.53 µmol h−1 mg−1 are witnessed under full‐cell conditions.
A cryptographic security framework for hybrid Cloud‐Internet of Things network
Authors: Farooq Sameer , Chawla Priyanka , Kumar Neeraj
Published: March 2023

The most cutting‐edge innovation in recent times, cloud technology, changed the whole computer paradigm from less capable, specific, user‐isolated offline systems to potent multi‐server interactive systems. Despite being a huge benefit, controlling the security and accessibility of data stored in the cloud is a difficult task. Hence, this article presents a four‐phased security paradigm for securing data generated by internet of things (IoT) devices and transmitted to fog servers. In the article, we outline a comprehensive, cutting‐edge architecture for safeguarding and protecting the information that IoT devices produce and transmit to the cloud. The suggested architecture blends the advantages of an innovative mutual authentication algorithm, a novel key distribution algorithm, and a novel encryption hybrid algorithm for maximum effectiveness and increased security. The findings demonstrate that the suggested protocol outperforms previous techniques in terms of time and resource consumption and throughput. In contrast to previous protocols, the suggested approach reduces encrypting time by 28% and decryption time by about 32%, while the volume of encrypted messages produced stays consistent. There has also been a 28% increase in encryption throughput. Proposed work demonstrates minimal resource utilization, good performance and a higher level of security robustness.
Post‐earthquake stiffness loss estimation for reinforced concrete columns using fractal analysis of crack patterns
Authors: Hamidia Mohammadjavad , Afzali Mobinasadat , Jamshidian Sara , Safi Mohammad
Published: March 2023

The seismic damage to reinforced concrete (RC) components is conventionally quantified through various damage indices. In this paper, an image‐based procedure is developed for post‐earthquake residual stiffness quantification of RC columns. The proposed scenario‐based methodology is built upon the multifractal indices of the surface crack maps of the seismically damaged RC columns as the complexity measure for the images. An extensive databank from experiments on RC column specimens with a broad range of structural characteristics are collected and employed for generation and validation of the proposed procedure. Based on the availability of the structural information, five closed‐form regression‐aided equations are offered for estimating the stiffness loss in seismically damaged RC columns using predicting parameters among fractal indices, concrete strength, and the aspect ratio of the column. Results reveal that multifractal dimensions of crack maps are largely correlated with the stiffness degradation in RC columns. A sample specimen at various stiffness‐based damage indices is also presented as a case study to evaluate the predicted versus measured damage indices. The updated stiffness values acquired by the proposed equations can be utilized for stability evaluation, system identification, or further analysis of the seismically damaged RC buildings following an earthquake.
How was genetic diversity transferred with translocations from ex situ to in situ? A case study of the European mink translocation to Hiiumaa Island in Estonia
Authors: Nummert Grete , Nemvalts Kristel , Maran Tiit
Published: March 2023

The European mink (Mustela lutreola) is one of the most threatened small carnivores, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Tallinn Zoo started a conservation breeding operation in 1980, which in 1992 was shaped into the European mink EEP Program to maintain a demographically and genetically healthy population in captivity. Since 2000, mink have been translocated on a yearly basis from the breeding facility in the zoo to Hiiumaa Island (Estonia) until the formation of the wild island population in 2016. Maintaining a healthy genetic structure in a captive population was a priority, so genetically the least valuable animals, according to calculations made by a population management program, were used for translocation. This study aims to assess the amount of genetic diversity passed from an ex situ population on to the island population. Comparisons of the genetic diversity were made by mitochondrial, microsatellite and nuclear markers. In addition, our results were combined with the pedigree data from the European mink EEP Studbook to further evaluate the flow of genetic diversity from the founder population to the established wild population. According to the findings, the island population's allelic richness was comparable to that of the founder population, and no evidence was found that its genetic structure had diverged from that of the founder population. It seems that the formation of the island population has been a gradual process of no more than the last seven yearly translocations.
Shift operators from the simplex representation in momentum-space CFT
Authors: Caloro Francesca , McFadden Paul
Published: March 2023

Abstract

We derive parametric integral representations for the general n-point function of scalar operators in momentum-space conformal field theory. Recently, this was shown to be expressible as a generalised Feynman integral with the topology of an (n − 1)-simplex, featuring an arbitrary function of momentum-space cross ratios. Here, we show all graph polynomials for this integral can be expressed in terms of the first and second minors of the Laplacian matrix for the simplex. Computing the effective resistance between nodes of the corresponding electrical network, an inverse parametrisation is found in terms of the determinant and first minors of the Cayley-Menger matrix. These parametrisations reveal new families of weight-shifting operators, expressible as determinants, that connect n-point functions in spacetime dimensions differing by two. Moreover, the action of all previously known weight-shifting operators preserving the spacetime dimension is manifest. Finally, the new parametric representations enable the validity of the conformal Ward identities to be established directly, without recourse to recursion in the number of points.
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from ticks: a molecular epidemiological study of a patient in the Republic of Korea
Authors: Kim Seong Yoon , Seo Choong Won , Lee Hee Il
Published: March 2023

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne infectious disease caused by Dabie bandavirus, commonly called SFTS virus (SFTSV). In the Republic of Korea (ROK), 1,504 cases of SFTS have been reported since the first human case was identified in 2013 until 2021. However, no case exists to provide molecular evidence between questing tick and patients with confirmed SFTS in the same living environment. In this study, we investigated the presence of ticks near the area of a patient infected with SFTSV. Ticks were collected by flagging and dry ice-baited traps at three spots in the vegetation around the patients’ residence in Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province (ROK). Among the tick samples collected, the presence of SFTSV was genetically determined using reverse transcription PCR, followed by the phylogenetic analysis of the tick virus sequences and SFTSV found in the patient. In total 1,212 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks were collected, and SFTSV was detected at a minimum infection rate of 5.3% (33 pools/618 tested ticks). The sequences of SFTSV in ticks were 99.6–100% identical with the patient’s SFTSV in the M segment. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first case to provide a molecular correlation between SFTSV in questing ticks collected from residence and patient with SFTS in the ROK. The present results provide useful information for the epidemiological investigation of patients with SFTS using ticks as vectors of SFTSV.
Active learning and novel model calibration measurements for automated visual inspection in manufacturing
Authors: Rožanec Jože M. , Bizjak Luka , Trajkova Elena , Zajec Patrik , Keizer Jelle , Fortuna Blaž , Mladenić Dunja
Published: March 2023

Quality control is a crucial activity performed by manufacturing enterprises to ensure that their products meet quality standards and avoid potential damage to the brand’s reputation. The decreased cost of sensors and connectivity enabled increasing digitalization of manufacturing. In addition, artificial intelligence enables higher degrees of automation, reducing overall costs and time required for defect inspection. This research compares three active learning approaches, having single and multiple oracles, to visual inspection. Six new metrics are proposed to assess the quality of calibration without the need for ground truth. Furthermore, this research explores whether existing calibrators can improve performance by leveraging an approximate ground truth to enlarge the calibration set. The experiments were performed on real-world data provided by Philips Consumer Lifestyle BV. Our results show that the explored active learning settings can reduce the data labeling effort by between three and four percent without detriment to the overall quality goals, considering a threshold of p = 0.95. Furthermore, the results show that the proposed calibration metrics successfully capture relevant information otherwise available to metrics used up to date only through ground truth data. Therefore, the proposed metrics can be used to estimate the quality of models’ probability calibration without committing to a labeling effort to obtain ground truth data.
Propolis applications in food industries and packaging
Authors: El-Sakhawy Mohamed , Salama Ahmed , Mohamed Salah A. A.
Published: March 2023

Propolis has been utilized as a natural bio-product from beekeeping for various applications such as wound healing, food packaging, and food production. However, the applications of propolis as food additives are limited by the low oral bioavailability, bitter taste, and aroma. The current review investigates the recent techniques, such as encapsulation, microencapsulation, film casting, and composite materials, which enhance the propolis availability for food applications. Propolis enhances the mechanical properties, oxygen and moisture barrier, antioxidant, and microbial resistance of the resulting materials. Therefore, the utilization of propolis composites as an effective food packaging in the future is promising. Based on these results, the food industry can benefit from developing propolis-based composite.

Graphical Abstract
Keenness for characterizing continuous optimization problems and predicting differential evolution algorithm performance
Authors: Li Yaxin , Liang Jing , Yu Kunjie , Yue Caitong , Zhang Yingjie
Published: March 2023

Fitness landscape analysis devotes to characterizing different properties of optimization problems, such as evolvability, sharpness, and neutrality. Although several landscape features have been proposed, only a few of them can be used in practice as predictors of algorithm performance. In this study, the keenness ($$\textrm{KEE}_{s}$$

KEE
s

) is proposed to characterize the sharpness of the fitness landscape for continuous optimization problems and predict the performance of the differential evolution algorithm. Specifically, a mirror simple random walk algorithm is designed to construct the relevance between the front and back search points in the sampling. The fitness value of each point is replaced by the specific integer. The values in the set of integers with the same circumstance are computed as the feature scalar using the cumulative calculation mechanism. The results of experimental studies in various functions demonstrate the superiority of $$\textrm{KEE}_{s}$$

KEE
s

in terms of accuracy, reliability, and coverage of samples. Moreover, $$\textrm{KEE}_{s}$$

KEE
s

has shown excellent practicability in the application of differential evolution algorithm performance prediction for continuous optimization problems. Thus, $$\textrm{KEE}_{s}$$

KEE
s

is a new landscape feature for fitness landscape analysis of continuous optimization problems and algorithm performance prediction within limited prior knowledge of the unknown problem.
An ensemble learning model based on differentially private decision tree
Authors: Niu Xufeng , Ma Wenping
Published: March 2023

Using differential privacy to provide privacy protection for classification algorithms has become a research hotspot in data mining. In this paper, we analyze the defects in the differentially private decision tree named Maxtree, and propose an improved model DPtree. DPtree can use the Fayyad theorem to process continuous features quickly, and can adjust privacy budget adaptively according to sample category distributions in leaf nodes. Moreover, to overcome the inevitable decline of classification ability of differentially private decision trees, we propose an ensemble learning model for DPtree, namely En-DPtree. In the voting process of En-DPtree, we propose a multi-population quantum genetic algorithm, and introduce immigration operators and elite groups to search the optimal weights for base classifiers. Experiments show that the performance of DPtree is better than Maxtree, and En-DPtree is always superior to other competitive algorithms.
Right Here, Right Now: Effective Interprofessional Collaboration in Education from the Perspectives of Primary School Teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Fenwick Jess , Kelly Stephanie
Published: March 2023

This research aims to develop a deeper understanding of what factors contribute to effective interprofessional collaboration in education from the perspectives of primary school teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. A qualitative constructivist methodology was used involving semi-structured telephone interviews with seven teachers working in primary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. Four main themes were established: Collaboration is viewed as one teacher and one professional working together; immediacy is perceived as the most important component of support in IPC in education; effectiveness is identified as observable changes in the learner; and the classroom represents the space through which teachers view collaboration. The overall picture provided in the current research was that IPC in the primary classroom setting remains a siloed entity done in addition to and exclusive from the rest of school business. A tension appears to exist between teacher autonomy and collaboration.
Optical Frequency Comb Frequency-division Multiplexing Dispersive Interference Multichannel Distance Measurement
Authors: Liang Xu , Wu Tengfei , Lin Jiarui , Yang Linghui , Zhu Jigui
Published: March 2023

An optical frequency comb (OFC) frequency-division multiplexing dispersive interference multichannel distance measurement method is proposed. Based on the OFC dispersive interference, the wide OFC spectrum is divided into multiple channels using a wavelength-division multiplexer. Under the existing light source and spectrometer, a single interference system can realize six channels of the high-precision parallel absolute distance measurement. The influence of the spectrum width and shape on the performance of the distance measurement channel is analyzed. The ranging accuracy of six channels is higher than ± 4 μm under the optimization of a nonuniform discrete Fourier transform and Hanning window.
Recently Top Trending Cancers in a Tertiary Cancer Hospital in Pakistan
Authors: Ali Faisal , Hussain Sadiq , Memon Sajjad Ahmed , Iqbal Syed Shahid
Published: March 2023

Cancer is a leading cause of death, and its incidence is increasing, as reported in recent studies by GLOBOCAN. Cancer registry programs provide insights into currently trending tumors worldwide and aid in determining possible risk factors. This study was based on 7 years of cancer registry data recorded at NIMRA cancer hospital, Sindh, from 2015 to 2021. A total of 16,191 cancer patients were registered. In men, head and neck, lung, liver, colorectal and urinary tract cancers were most common. In women, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, gynecological tumors, esophageal cancer and colorectal cancer predominated. The overall data analysis indicated trending cancers in both sexes, including head and neck cancer (37.76%), breast cancer (13.83%), gynecological tumors (10.22%), esophageal cancer (5.18%), lung cancer (4.79%), colorectal cancer (4.27%), liver cancer (3.87%), lymphoma (3.16%), urinary tract cancer (3.11) and prostate cancer (1.53%). The mean age was 50.41 ± 11.78 years in men and 48.47 ± 11.88 years in women. Cancer prevalence has markedly increased worldwide, and is particularly alarming in developing countries. Various risk factors are involved in this increase, including the use of tobacco, areca nut, chewable tobacco, snuff or niswar. Current disease trends are substantially different from those in older studies at the institute.
Marché Noir
Authors: Mouré Kenneth
Published: March 2023

Kenneth Mouré shows how the black market in Vichy France developed not only to serve German exploitation, but also as an essential strategy for survival for commerce and consumers. His analysis explains how and why the black market became so prevalent and powerful in France and remained necessary after Liberation. Marché Noir draws on diverse French archives as well as diaries, memoirs and contemporary fiction, to highlight the importance of the black market in everyday life. Vichy's economic controls set the context for adaptations – by commerce facing economic and political constraints, and by consumers needing essential goods. Vichy collaboration in this realm seriously damaged the regime's legitimacy. Marché Noir offers new insights into the dynamics of black markets in wartime, and how illicit trade in France served not only to exploit consumer needs and increase German power, but also to aid communities in their strategies for survival.
Fads and Fallacies in Psychiatry
Authors: Paris Joel
Published: March 2023

This text examines the fads and fallacies, both past and present, that have plagued psychiatric diagnosis, treatments and research. It argues that such practices have led to an over-diagnosis of conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD and autism. It examines the over-treatment of psychiatric disorders with pharmaceuticals, and asks if neuroscience will actually hold the answers to the biggest questions in the field. Thoroughly updated in light of new research, this new edition addresses some of the more recent developments in psychiatry, including behavioural genetics, genome-wide association studies, and brain imaging. It looks at new advances in psychotherapies and argues for a broad biopsychosocial model. The book will inform psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, other mental health professionals, and medical students of the limits of mental health practice and the importance of adopting cautious conservatism and the principles of evidence-based practice.
Role of diagnostic stewardship in reducing healthcare-facility–onset Clostridioides difficile infections
Authors: Shallal Anita B. , Cherabuddi Medha , Podsiad Lance , Gortat Christopher , Shanahan Clare , Holsey Tarlisha , Samuel Linoj , Alangaden George , Suleyman Geehan
Published: March 2023

We describe the implementation of an electronic medical record “hard stop” to decrease inappropriate Clostridioides difficile testing across a 5-hospital health system, effectively reducing the rates of healthcare-facility–onset C. difficile infection. This novel approach included expert consultation with medical director of infection prevention and control for test-order override.
SG-APSIC1113: Descriptive study on COVID-19 exposures in Singapore General Hospital
Authors: Shawn See Wee Jin
Published: March 2023

Objectives: The highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 has swept across the globe, causing large swaths of COVID-19, displacing medical resources and attention from patients with other life-threatening illnesses, and overwhelming healthcare institutions. Shifting toward endemicity, the Singapore Ministry of Health ceased issuing quarantine orders to close contacts of infected cases on October 11, 2021. However, contact tracing and exposure management within SGH continued with the same risk criteria. We have examined COVID-19 exposures in different hospital locations to determine the effectiveness of surveillance in breaking the chain of transmission. Methods: Contact tracing of COVID-19 exposures among Singapore General Hospital (SGH) staff and patients has been conducted since the first COVID-19 diagnosis in January 2020. The information collected is used to identify those at higher risk of infection for enhanced surveillance or isolation. The data analyzed in this study were collected during later periods of the SARS-CoV-2 δ (delta) pandemic wave between August 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Results: During the 4-month study period, there were 1,686 SARS-CoV-2 exposures in SGH. Among these 1,686 exposures, 1,157 (69%) were contacts with an infected patient. Among these infected source patients, 915 were emergency department patients, 210 were ward inpatients, and 32 were clinic outpatients. The remaining 524 exposure events (31%) were contacts with infected staff, of whom 441 were SGH employees and 83 were employees from other SingHealth institutions. The remaining 5 index cases were visitors to SGH. Of the 1,686 exposure events, 330 had associated at-risk contacts requiring exposure management. Among 330 patient index cases, 213 (64.5%) resulted in 699 exposed contacts (patients vs staff), whereas 117 staff index cases resulted in 435 exposed contacts (patients vs staff). For 434 exposed contacts who were staff, 204 (47%) of their exposures occurred in inpatient ward settings, followed by 153 (35.3%) that occurred in outpatient clinics, 36 (8%) that occurred common lounging areas, 16 (3.6%) that occurred in office sites, 15 (3.4%) that occurred in the community, 8 (1.8%) that occurred in occupation therapy, and 2 (0.5%) that occurred in the emergency department. For 688 exposed contacts who were patients, 579 (84.1%) exposures occurred in inpatient wards, 70 (10.2%) occurred in DEM, 19 (2.7%) occurred in other SingHealth institutions, 16 (2.3%) were exposures to roving porters, and 3 (0.4%) occurred in the community. During the study period, 3 hospital clusters were identified and investigated, one of which included secondary cases. Conclusions: Most SARS-CoV-2 exposures in SGH occurred in inpatient settings where patients were index cases. Despite intensive contact tracing and stringent surveillance and isolation measures, inpatient clusters could not be prevented.
SG-APSIC1158: COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy among healthcare workers: A retrospective observational study in Singapore
Authors: Koh Sky Wei Chee , Tan Hwei Ming , Lee Wayne Han , Mathews Jancy , Young Doris
Published: March 2023

Objectives: COVID-19 booster uptake has remained poor among healthcare workers (HCWs) despite evidence of improved immunity against the SARS-COV-2 δ (delta) and ο (omicron) variants. Although most studies have used a questionnaire to assess hesitancy, we aimed to identify factors affecting booster hesitancy by examining actual vaccine uptake across time. Methods: COVID-19 vaccination database records were extracted for HCWs working at 7 Singaporean public primary-care clinics between January and December 2021. Data included sex, profession, place of practice, vaccination type, and dates. Time to booster was calculated from the date of vaccination minus the date of eligibility. The χ2 test was used to compare the relationship between first dose and booster hesitancy. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used to evaluate differences in cumulative booster uptake. Multivariate Cox regression was used to investigate predictors of timely booster vaccination. The vaccination rate was charted across time and was corroborated with media releases pertaining to legislative changes. Results: Of 891 primary-care HCWs, 877 (98.9%) were fully vaccinated and 73.8% of eligible HCWs had taken the booster. HCWs were less booster hesitant (median, 16 days; range, 5–31.3) compared to the first dose (median, 39 days; range, 13–119.3). First-dose–hesitant HCWs were more likely to be booster hesitant (OR, 3.66; 95% CI, 2.61–5.14). Adjusting for sex, workplace, and time to first dose, ancillary HCWs (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.03–2.28), medical HCWs (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.18–2.74), and nursing HCWs (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.18–2.37) received boosters earlier than administrative staff. No temporal relationship was observed for booster uptake, legislative changes, or COVID-19 case numbers. Conclusions: Vaccine hesitancy among HCWs had improved from first dose to booster, with timely booster vaccination among medical and nursing staff. Tailored education, risk messaging, and strategic legislation might help reduce delayed booster vaccination. This study was approved by the National Healthcare Group (NHG) Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB), Singapore on December 28, 2021 (Reg No. 2021/01120).
SG-APSIC1119: N95 mask concordance amongst female Muslim healthcare workers undergoing mask fitting with and without tudung
Authors: Kui Huiru , Beh Darius , Lim Xin Yi , Ang Brenda , Poh Bee Fong
Published: March 2023

Objectives: In August 2021, the Ministry of Health, Singapore revised the uniform policy in public hospitals to allow female Muslim staff, including nurses, to wear the tudung as an add-on to their uniforms. Institutions were advised that incorporation of the tudung should still align with current infection prevention guidelines. On May 2, 2021, in response to evolving evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, our institution adopted the use of N95 masks for all HCWs in clinical settings. Prior to this revision in uniform policy, most female Muslim staff were mask fitted without tudungs. No existing international guidance recommends whether mask refitting of should be conducted with tudungs. As such, we looked at the N95 mask concordance for these staff undergoing mask fitting. Methods: Between November 1, 2021, and January 14, 2022, we mask fit-tested all new staff and refitted existing staff both with and without the tudung. We conducted qualitative fit-testing using their personal tudung, and we tested 2 models of N95 mask: 3MTM 1870+ and AIR+. When an HCW only passed the fitting of 1 or none of the models, additional N95 mask fit-testing was conducted with other available mask models according to our department’s existing workflow. Results: In total, 334 staff underwent N95 mask fitting. Overall, 326 (97.6%) passed with the same N95 mask models both with and without the tudung. The remaining 8 staff (2.4%) had passed 2 N95 mask models without the tudung but required a different N95 mask model while wearing the tudung. No staff required quantitative fit testing. Conclusions: N95 mask concordance for female Muslim staff undergoing fit-testing both with and without the tudung was high at 97.6%. Further evaluation of the 8 staff who did not show concordance could be retested using a quantitative fit-testing method.