bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RETRACTED: Clinical observation of ultraviolet therapy combined with autologous platelet‐rich plasma in the treatment of chronic refractory wounds
Authors: Li Gaoquan , Liu Songtao , Tan Guange , Wang Shanxi , Xie Juying
Published: April 2024

Refractory wounds present complex and serious clinical dilemmas in plastic and reconstructive surgeries. Currently, there are no standard guidelines for the treatment of refractory wounds. To observe the clinical effects of ultraviolet (UV) therapy combined with autologous platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) on chronic refractory wounds. Between January 2021 and December 2022, 60 inpatients with chronic refractory wounds were enrolled. Twenty patients were assigned to each of control groups 1 and 2 and treatment group according to whether they received PRP or UV treatment. All the patients underwent thorough debridement. Control group 2 received UV radiation. The treatment group underwent UV radiation combined with PRP gel covering the wound. Control group 1 underwent routine dressing changes after surgery, followed by skin grafting or skin key transfer if needed. One month later, we observed the wound healing in the two groups. After 2—4 PRP gel treatments, the wounds of patients in the treatment group healed. The healing time was 25.25 ± 4.93 days, and the dressings were changed 4.15 ± 3.30 times, both of which were better outcomes than in both control groups. In the treatment group, epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin‐like growth factor (IGF), platelet‐derived growth factor (PGF), and transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) were slightly higher, and the concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). PRP combined with UV therapy significantly increased the concentration of wound growth factors, accelerated wound healing, shortened treatment time, reduced treatment costs, and alleviated pain in patients.
The Effects of Fiscal Measures during COVID‐19
Authors: DEB PRAGYAN , FURCERI DAVIDE , OSTRY JONATHAN D. , TAWK NOUR , YANG NAIHAN
Published: April 2024

This paper empirically examines the effects of fiscal measures during COVID‐19, using a novel database of daily fiscal policy announcements—classified by type of fiscal measure—and high‐frequency economic indicators for 52 countries from January 1 to December 31, 2020. Results suggest that fiscal policy announcements have been effective in stimulating economic activity, boosting confidence, and reducing unemployment, but their effect varies by type of measure and country characteristics. Emergency lifeline measures are more effective when containment policies are stringent, providing cashflow support to most affected firms and households. Demand support measures are more effective when containment measures are relaxed.
Phase 1 study of safety and tolerability of an oral contraceptive containing low‐dose ethinyl oestradiol combined with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir treatment in healthy premenopausal women
Authors: Shiller Dee‐Dee , Yao Betty B. , Chen Mong‐Jen , Orejudos Amelia , Mostafa Nael M. , Marcinak John F. , Burroughs Margaret , Boyle Craig
Published: April 2024

Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) is an approved guideline‐recommended chronic hepatitis C virus infection treatment. GLE/PIB coadministration with ethinyl oestradiol (EE) is not recommended in current labels owing to a Phase 1 study observing Grade ≥2 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation in 2 out of 12 healthy women cotreated for 11 days with GLE/PIB and oral contraceptive (OC) containing 35 μg/250 μg EE/norgestimate. No Grade ≥2 elevation was observed with low‐dose (20 μg) EE (n = 14). This Phase 1 study examined safety/tolerability of GLE/PIB coadministered with an OC containing low‐dose EE using a larger sample size and longer treatment duration. Healthy premenopausal women were treated with EE/levonorgestrel alone (20/100 μg, Cycles 1–2), followed by coadministration with GLE/PIB (300/120 mg; Cycles 3–4). A safety criterion of special interest was a confirmed Grade ≥2 ALT elevation (>3× upper normal limit). Adverse events (AEs) and study drugs concentrations were examined. Of 85 enrolled women, 72 initiated combined GLE/PIB + EE/levonorgestrel treatment, 66 completed the study and 19 discontinued prematurely (non‐safety reason, n = 16; AE [deemed unelated to GLE/PIB], n = 3). No participant met the safety criterion of special interest of confirmed Grade ≥2 ALT elevation. No serious/Grade ≥3 AEs were reported. Study drug concentrations were within the expected ranges. GLE/PIB in combination with an OC containing low‐dose EE was generally well tolerated with no confirmed Grade ≥2 ALT elevation and no evidence of drug‐induced liver injury. No pattern to the reported AEs and no new safety issues were identified. This was a Phase 1 study of healthy volunteers, not a registered clinical trial.
Total thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and thyrotropin concentrations during acute nonthyroidal illness and recovery in dogs
Authors: Corsini Andrea , Del Baldo Francesca , Lunetta Francesco , Ribichini Serena , Giunti Massimo , Fidanzio Francesca , Fracassi Federico
Published: April 2024

Background

Acute illness can result in changes in serum total thyroxine (tT4), total triiodothyronine (tT3), and thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations in euthyroid dogs defined as nonthyroidal illness syndrome, but longitudinal evaluation of these hormones during the recovery phase is lacking.

Objectives

To longitudinally evaluate serum tT4, tT3, and TSH concentrations during the acute phase and recovery from acute illness in dogs.

Animals

Nineteen euthyroid client‐owned dogs hospitalized for acute illness at a veterinary teaching hospital.

Methods

Prospective longitudinal study. Serum tT4, tT3, and TSH concentrations were measured at the admission (T0), at last day of hospitalization (T1), and during the recovery phase at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after the discharge (T2, T3, T4, and T5), respectively.

Results

tT4 and tT3 were below the reference interval (RI) at T0 in 3 (16%) and 18 (95%) dogs, respectively; tT4 normalized in all dogs early in the recovery phase, while low tT3 persisted at the end of the study in 16 (83%) dogs. Median TSH concentrations were increased at T5 compared with T1 (0.19 ng/mL [range 0.03‐0.65] vs 0.11 ng/mL [range (0.05‐0.26)], mean difference = 0.09 ng/mL; P = .03). Five (26%) dogs had TSH above the RI at least at 1 time point during the recovery phase. None of the dogs had concurrent low tT4 and high TSH during the study.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

In euthyroid dogs acute illness can interfere with evaluation of thyroid function up to 21 days during the recovery phase. Thyroid testing should be avoided or postponed in these dogs.
Effective dispersal patterns in prairie plant species across human‐modified landscapes
Authors: Hendrickson Elizabeth C. , Cruzan Mitchell B.
Published: April 2024

Effective dispersal among plant populations is dependent on vector behaviour, landscape features and availability of adequate habitats. To capture landscape feature effects on dispersal, studies must be conducted at scales reflecting single‐generation dispersal events (mesoscale). Many studies are conducted at large scales where genetic differentiation is due to dispersal occurring over multiple generations, making it difficult to interpret the effects of specific landscape features on vector behaviour. Genetic structure at the mesoscale may be determined by ecological and evolutionary processes, such as the consequences of vector behaviour on patterns of gene flow. We used chloroplast haplotypes and nuclear genome SNP surveys to identify landscape features influencing seed and pollen dispersal at a mesoscale within the Rogue River Valley in southern Oregon. We evaluated biotic and abiotic vector behaviour by contrasting two annual species with differing dispersal mechanisms; Achyrachaena mollis (Asteraceae) is a self‐pollinating and anemochoric species, and Plectritis congesta (Caprifoliaceae) is biotically pollinated with barochoric seeds. Using landscape genetics methods, we identified features of the study region that conduct or restrict dispersal. We found chloroplast haplotypes were indicative of historic patterns of gene flow prior to human modification of landscapes. Seed dispersal of A. mollis was best supported by models of isolation by distance, while seed‐driven gene flow of P. congesta was determined by the distribution of preserved natural spaces and quality habitat. Nuclear genetic structure was driven by both pollen and seed dispersal, and both species responded to contemporary landscape changes, such as urban and agricultural conversion, and habitat availability.
An intelligent optimization method for the facility environment on rural roads
Authors: Ren Weixi , Yu Bo , Chen Yuren , Gao Kun , Bao Shan , Wang Zhixuan , Qin Yuting
Published: April 2024

This study develops an intelligent optimization method of the facility environment (i.e., road facilities and surrounding landscapes) from drivers’ visual perception to adjust operation speeds on rural roads. Different from previous methods that heavily rely on expert experience and are time‐consuming, this method can rapidly generate optimized visual images of the facility environment and promptly verify the optimization effects. In this study, a visual road schema model is established to quantify the facility environment from drivers’ visual perception, and an automated optimization scheme determination approach considering the original facility environment characteristics is proposed using self‐explaining theory. Then, Cycle‐consistent generative adversarial network is used to automatically generate optimized facility environment images. To verify the optimization effect, operation speeds of the optimized facility environments are predicted using random forest. The case study shows that this method can effectively optimize the facility environment where original operation speeds are more than 20% over the speed limits, and the whole process only takes 1 h far less than several months or years in previous ways. Overall, this study advances the intelligence level in optimizing the facility environment and enhances rural road safety.
Perioperative management and outcomes for posterior spinal fusion in patients with Friedreich ataxia: A single‐center, retrospective study
Authors: O'Brien Elizabeth M. , Neiswinter Natalie , Lin Kimberly Y. , Lynch David , Baldwin Keith , Profeta Victoria , Flynn John M. , Muhly Wallis T.
Published: April 2024

Background

Friedreich ataxia is a rare genetic disorder associated with progressive mitochondrial dysfunction leading to widespread sequelae including ataxia, muscle weakness, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus, and neuromuscular scoliosis. Children with Friedreich ataxia are at high risk for periprocedural complications during posterior spinal fusion due to their comorbidities.

Aim

To describe our single‐center perioperative management of patients with Friedreich ataxia undergoing posterior spinal fusion.

Methods

Adolescent patients with Friedreich ataxia presenting for spinal deformity surgery between 2007 and 2023 were included in this retrospective case series performed at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Perioperative outcomes were reviewed along with preoperative characteristics, intraoperative anesthetic management, and postoperative medical management.

Results

Seventeen patients were included in the final analysis. The mean age was 15 ± 2 years old and 47% were female. Preoperatively, 35% were wheelchair dependent, 100% had mild‐to‐moderate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with preserved systolic function and no left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, 29% were on cardiac medications, and 29% were on pain medications. Intraoperatively, 53% had transesophageal echocardiography monitoring; 12% had changes in volume status on echo but no changes in function. Numerous combinations of total intravenous anesthetic agents were used, most commonly propofol, remifentanil, and ketamine. Baseline neuromonitoring signals were poor in four patients and one patient lost signals, resulting in 4 (24%) wake‐up tests. The majority (75%) were extubated in the operating room. Postoperative complications were high (88%) and ranged from minor complications like nausea/vomiting (18%) to major complications like hypotension/tachycardia (29%) and need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in one patient (6%).

Conclusions

Patients with Friedreich ataxia are at high risk for perioperative complications when undergoing posterior spinal fusion and coordinated multidisciplinary care is required at each stage. Future research should focus on the utility of intraoperative echocardiography, optimal anesthetic agent selection, and targeted fluid management to reduce postoperative cardiac complications.
“Chat‐Up”: The role of competition in street‐level bureaucrats' willingness to break technological rules and use generative pre‐trained transformers (GPTs)
Authors: Frisch‐Aviram Neomi , Spanghero Lotta Gabriela , Jordão de Carvalho Luciana
Published: April 2024

Organizations worldwide are concerned about workers using generative pretrained transformers (GPTs), which can generate human‐like text in seconds at work. These organizations are setting rules on how and when to use GPTs. This article focuses on street‐level bureaucrats' (SLBs) intentions to use GPTs even if their public organization does not allow its use (tech rule‐breaking). Based on a mixed‐methods exploratory design, using focus groups (N = 14) and a survey experiment (N = 279), we demonstrate that SLBs intend to break the rules and use GPTs when their competitors from the private sector have access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools. We discuss these findings in the context of hybrid forms of public management and the Promethean moment of GPTs.
Recalcitrant emotions: The problems of perceptual theories
Authors: Sacco Giulio
Published: April 2024

The term ‘recalcitrant emotions’ refers to those cases where we feel an emotion that apparently contradicts our better judgements. For instance, one may be afraid of flying while claiming not to believe that it is dangerous. This phenomenon is commonly conceived as an objection to cognitivism, according to which emotions are based on the subject's beliefs, insofar as it would force us to ascribe to the subject who feels them an excessive degree of irrationality, comparing recalcitrant emotions to contradictory beliefs. For this reason, many philosophers have developed perceptual theories which describe emotions as forms of perception, allowing us to explain recalcitrant emotions without attributing to the subject contradictory beliefs, treating them as perceptual illusions. Facing the most compelling of these attempts, the article shows that perceptual accounts fail to explain in what sense recalcitrant emotions (and people who feel them) are irrational, keeping the comparison with optical illusions, which are not. Having rebutted three popular perceptual proposals, I conclude that the analogy between emotions and perceptions is flawed and that the appeal of these theories lies on a surreptitious shift in the meaning of the term ‘perceive’.
Kant and Baumgarten on the duty of self‐love
Authors: Osawa Toshiro
Published: April 2024

This article offers an account of Kant's conception of the duty of self‐love, a rarely researched subject, by investigating how he appropriated Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten's prior conception. I argue that exploring this appropriation helps us to gain new insights into Kant's conception of duty, a leading thread in Kant's ethics. Substantiating this argument, I derive the following conclusions. First, Kant peculiarly affirms a duty to rational self‐love of delight. To be more precise, human beings ought rationally to love themselves in such a way that they are content with—or have a positive feeling about—themselves in acting on maxims that they are pleased to see submitted to the moral law. Further, rational self‐love of delight results from declining pathological forms of self‐love. Second, Kant retains, to a meaningful extent, Baumgarten's conception of the duty to self‐love where feeling and rationality achieve their distinct elevation.
Uncertainty is in the Form: A functional, meaning‐based approach to teaching ambiguity as author choice in Kafka's “Vor dem Gesetz”
Authors: Walter Daniel
Published: April 2024

There is a need for a continued focus on language learning in advanced language classes beyond the foundations that are formed in the beginning and intermediate levels. Despite this need, little work exists on how to implement language‐focused instruction in upper‐level courses. As one possible solution, this paper outlines a functional, meaning‐based approach to teaching language that could be easily adopted by all instructors, regardless of their professional training and/or research interests. As an example of this approach, the study described in this paper investigates the instruction of Subjunctive 1 through its function as indirect speech in a literary context. Eight participants in a fourth‐semester German course engaged with the Subjunctive 1 form through a lesson focused on Kafka's authorial choices in the text Vor dem Gesetz that create a sense of uncertainty. This approach complements the traditional teaching of Subjunctive 1, such as in journalistic contexts, by centering it as a tool for meaning making in an author's lexicogrammatical toolkit. An analysis of pre/posttests that included both quantitative and qualitative data was used to assess the effectiveness of the approach. The results indicate an overall positive effect for the instruction but also individual variation by the learner. These findings support both the utility of and need for functional, meaning‐based approaches in upper‐level courses. Finally, I discuss how this type of approach could be adopted for any linguistic feature and by any instructor teaching advanced courses to support students’ linguistic growth throughout the curriculum.
A planar graph cluster‐routing approach for optimizing medical waste collection based on spatial constraint
Authors: Bagheri Keyvan , Samany Najmeh Neysani , Toomanian Ara , Jelokhani‐Niaraki Mohammadreza , Hajibabai Leila
Published: April 2024

Medical Solid Wastes (MSWs) are major hazardous materials containing harmful biological or chemical compounds that present public and environmental health risks. The collection and transportation of waste are usually informed by optimized work‐balanced routing based on comprehensive spatial data in urban traffic networks, called a Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP). This may be unsuitable for MSWs as their special category means they impose additional complexity. The present article develops a planar graph‐based cluster‐routing approach for the optimal collection of MSWs informed by a Geospatial Information System (GIS). The problem is first formulated as a mixed integer linear program in road network spatial data, in the context of Tehran city. The work has two key aims: (i) to minimize the total routing cost of MSW collection and transfer to waste landfills; (ii) to balance workload across waste collectors. There are three main contributions of the proposed approach: (i) to simplify the large search space area by converting the road network to a planar graph based on graph theory, spatial parameters, and topological rules; (ii) to use a modified K‐means algorithm for clustering; (iii) to consider average traffic impacts in the clustering stage and momentary traffic in the route planning stage. A planar graph extraction procedure is applied to capture the network sketch (i.e., a directed graph) from the traffic roadway network. An iterative cluster‐first‐route‐second heuristic is employed to solve the proposed routing problem. This heuristic customizes a K‐means algorithm to determine the optimal number and size of clusters (i.e., routes). A Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) algorithm is applied to regulate the optimal sequence of visits to medical centers. The experimental results show improvements in balancing collectors' workload (i.e., ~4 min reduction in the standard deviation of average travel time) with reductions in travel time (i.e., an average ~1 h for the entire fleet and ~4 min per route). These findings confirm that the proposed methodology can be considered as an approach for optimizing waste collection routes.
Generation of Multiwavelength Fibre Laser based on Erbium-Doped Fibre Amplifier with Lyot Filter
Authors: Daud Suzairi , Ahmad Zaini Muhammad Ilham , Abd Aziz Muhammad Safwan , Ahmad Noorden Ahmad Fakhrurrazi
Published: April 2024

A ring cavity setup consisting of erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) as the optical pump and lyot filter aids in the production of a multiwavelength spectrum. The wavelength of EDFA pumps in photons range of 1530 nm to 1560 nm, respectively. Using maximum power of 18 dBm and a single mode fibre (SMF) of 10 km length, the number of peak lasing lines produced between 3 dB spectral range is 51. Tuning of the polarization controller (PC) to a specific angle helps provide the most stable lasing line. Stability test is done on the output multiwavelength fibre laser (MWFL) over a time period to analyze the wavelength stability.
Identification of MiR398 and Its Regulatory Roles in Terpenoid Biosynthesis of Persicaria odorata
Authors: Mahadi Nursyah Fitri , Abd Samad Azman , A. Samad Abdul Fatah
Published: April 2024

Persicaria odorata is an herbaceous plant with antifungal and antibacterial properties. The plant produces secondary metabolites, including phenols, sulphur-containing compounds and terpenoids, in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Terpenoids in P. odorata are synthesized through the mevalonate (MVA) and the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways. 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5phosphate isomerase (DXR) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the MEP pathway and may be regulated by microRNA (miRNA) miR398. There is a lack of evidence showing miR398 regulation in terpenoid biosynthesis in P. odorata through DXR-targeting. The study aimed to verify the stem-loop structure of miR398 and analyse its expression towards the target gene, DXR, in treated and control P. odorata. RNA was quantified and qualitatively analysed using a Nanodrop spectrophotometer and agarose gel electrophoresis. The stem loop of miR398 was verified using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis. The expression of miR398 and DXR was compared between control and treated samples. Treated leaves were punctured with needles and left for 48h before harvest. Gene expressions were quantified and normalised using reference genes. The stem-loop structure of miR398 was confirmed, despite possible primer mismatches and unspecific binding. This step was essential before comparing and assessing the gene expression of miR398 and DXR. A decrease in abundance of miR398 whereas in increase in abundance was in the treated sample compared to the control sample indicating that miR398 negatively regulated DXR under stress conditions, suggesting an increase in terpenoid synthesis as a defence mechanism. DXR acts as a rate-limiting enzyme in the MEP metabolic pathway. Further studies are needed to quantify the effects of miR398 on terpenoid biosynthesis after wounding in P. odorata.
Performance Measurement: Machine Learning as a Complement to DEA for Continuous Efficiency Estimation
Authors: Khoubrane Yousef , Ramli Noor Asiah , Mohd Khairi Siti Shaliza
Published: April 2024

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a well-established non-parametric technique for performance measurement to access the efficiency of Decision-Making Units (DMUs). However, its inability to predict the efficiency values of new DMUs without re-conducting the analysis on the entire dataset has led to the integration of Machine Learning (ML) in previous studies to address this limitation. Yet, such integration often lacks a thorough evaluation of ML's adaptability in replacing current DEA process. This paper presents the results of an empirical study that employed eight ML models, two DEA variants, and a dataset of S&P500 companies. The findings demonstrated ML’s  remarkable precision in predicting efficiency values derived from a single DEA run and comparable performance in predicting the efficiency of new DMUs, thus eliminating the need for repeated DEA. This discovery highlights ML’s robustness as a complementary tool for DEA in continuous efficiency estimation, rendering the practice of re-conducting DEA unnecessary. Notably, boosting models within the Ensemble Learning category consistently outperformed other models, highlighting their effectiveness in the context of DEA efficiency prediction. Particularly, CatBoost demonstrated its superiority as the top-performing model, followed by LightGBM in the second position in most cases. When extended to five enlarged datasets, it shows that the model exhibits superior R² values in the CRS scenario.
A Hybrid Fuzzy Approach of Similarity-Influence-Network and DEMATEL: Visualization and Analysis
Authors: Kamis Nor Hanimah , Ahmad Shamudin Nurul Atiqah , Kilicman Adem , A Kadir Norhidayah , Yusoff Binyamin
Published: April 2024

The Social Influence Group Decision Making (SIGDM) entails intricate intra- and interpersonal exchanges among a group of experts as they endeavor to persuade others toward reaching a mutually agreed-upon solution. However, prevailing SIGDM approaches often overlook the critical aspect of visualizing criteria interdependencies. This visual representation becomes crucial as it provides supplementary insights into analyzing the significance of criteria and their impacts within decision-making processes. In order to address the oversight of neglecting criteria interdependent relationships, we extend the similarity-influence-network algorithm by integrating a cause-effect visualization procedure inspired by the DEMATEL approach. Additionally, we introduce several supplementary steps to enhance the efficacy of existing methodologies. The proposed model not only fills a gap in the current methodology but also provides accuracy of influence representation by incorporating influence-based collective preferences. This hybrid approach stands as a valuable alternative decision-making tool, providing a comparative analysis of the related existing approaches.
Capital aspiracional académico-familiar: experiencias de estudiantes universitarios chilenos de primera generación
Authors: Guzmán-Valenzuela Carolina María , Flanagan-Bórquez Andrea , Darwin Stephen , Rojas-Murphy-Tagle Andrés Felipe , Aguilera-Muñoz Almendra
Published: April 2024

Este estudio analiza las experiencias de estudiantes de primera generación (EPG). Para ello, se llevaron a cabo 29 entrevistas con EPG de distintas universidades en Chile. Los resultados revelan que cada trayectoria es el resultado de la interacción de múltiples catalizadores entrelazados: (i) aspiraciones, temores y niveles de apoyo familiar, (ii) contextos facilitadores u obstaculizadores de las experiencias; y (iii) características de la universidad. De este análisis emerge lo que denominamos capital aspiracional académico-familiar, que apunta a las capacidades de resistencia y navegación de los EPG para escoger y transitar por la universidad.
Uso de las TIC para la enseñanza en docentes universitarios
Authors: Salcedo-Frisancho Adriana , Pain-Lecaros Oscar Andrés
Published: April 2024

El artículo analiza los factores asociados al uso de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) en una muestra de docentes universitarios (N = 208). Se emplearon cuestionarios que midieron el uso de TIC, las creencias pedagógicas, la autoeficacia docente, la valoración, el acceso y soporte en TIC y el liderazgo institucional. Los resultados mostraron que la autoeficacia del docente con las TIC, así como la cultura tecnológica de las áreas académicas, predijeron positivamente el uso, mientras que las creencias docentes tradicionales lo predijeron negativamente. Se discute la implicancia de estos resultados para la implementación de TIC y la formación continua en educación superior.
Modeling of N and P-Type of Coaxial Ge Detectors Using MCNPX and the Effect of Dead Layer Variation on Its Response Function
Authors: El-Tayebany R. A. , Ali Mohamed , Mohmed Nawal , Mohamed R. S.
Published: April 2024

This study assessed the response function of a p-type and n-type coaxial high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector via Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX). MCNPX was employed to model the Coaxial Ge detectors, and for a precise simulation, the dimensions of the dead layer of germanium crystals were added. The dead layer was separated into front and lateral surfaces, and the thickness of each dead layer was modeled. In this work, the simulated detectors have been performed at different energy lines using a radioactive source Eu-152 to study the response function of each with dead layer variations for the front dead layer and study the range of relative deviation of the Monte Carlo simulation outputs from the manufactured declared data. The results proved that the n-type coaxial HPGe detector is more sensitive to the dead layer change than the p-type with a thick change of 0.01 mm. This research has significant effects on the efficiencies of the radiation detection systems in the energy range ∼ (120–1410) keV.
Tribo-Dynamic Analysis of Nano-Enhanced Palm Blend Lubricant for Roller Bearing Application
Authors: Kamarapu Santhosh Kumar , Amarnath M. , Sateesh Kumar P. , Prasad Deepak Kumar
Published: April 2024

Environmental concerns have led to an increase in the development of bio-lubricants during the last ten years. Many tribological studies address the findings of various types of bio-based lubricant performance derived from plant-based edible and non-edible oils in different operating conditions. However, those tribological tests were limited to workbench tribometers. In the present work, experimental investigations were carried out to evaluate the lubrication performance of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) blended palm oil compared to mineral oil. Steel bearings are commonly used to minimize the effect of dynamic loads coming from the driven end in sliding/rolling conditions of the bearing. The wear severity on the bearing surfaces was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results of the 3D-optical profilometer provided detailed information on surface profiles and roughness created on bearing surfaces under machine operating conditions. FFT-bearing vibration results were correlated with the surface degradation study of SEM analysis. Zeta-potential values reveal that the nanomaterial showed stable performance in the lubricant for 80% of the total machine operating duration. Overall, experimental studies indicate that the tribological and vibration response of nanomaterial blended bio-oil-lubricated bearing exhibited better results than that of mineral oil-lubricated bearings.
Polycomb protein binding and looping in the ON transcriptional state
Authors: Brown J. Lesley , Zhang Liangliang , Rocha Pedro P. , Kassis Judith A. , Sun Ming-an
Published: April 2024

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins mediate epigenetic silencing of important developmental genes by modifying histones and compacting chromatin through two major protein complexes, PRC1 and PRC2. These complexes are recruited to DNA by CpG islands (CGIs) in mammals and Polycomb response elements (PREs) in
Drosophila
. When PcG target genes are turned OFF, PcG proteins bind to PREs or CGIs, and PREs serve as anchors that loop together and stabilize gene silencing. Here, we address which PcG proteins bind to PREs and whether PREs mediate looping when their targets are in the ON transcriptional state. While the binding of most PcG proteins decreases at PREs in the ON state, one PRC1 component, Ph, remains bound. Further, PREs can loop to each other and with presumptive enhancers in the ON state and, like CGIs, may act as tethering elements between promoters and enhancers. Overall, our data suggest that PREs are important looping elements for developmental loci in both the ON and OFF states.
Oldest ice offers view of Earth before the ice ages
Authors: Cutts Elise
Published: April 2024

Bubbles from ancient warm period contain surprisingly low amounts of carbon dioxide
Single-cell multiomics guided mechanistic understanding of Fontan-associated liver disease
Authors: Hu Po , Rychik Jack , Zhao Juanjuan , Bai Huajun , Bauer Aidan , Yu Wenbao , Rand Elizabeth B. , Dodds Kathryn M. , Goldberg David J. , Tan Kai , Wilkins Benjamin J. , Pei Liming
Published: April 2024

The Fontan operation is the current standard of care for single-ventricle congenital heart disease. Individuals with a Fontan circulation (FC) exhibit central venous hypertension and face life-threatening complications of hepatic fibrosis, known as Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD). The fundamental biology and mechanisms of FALD are little understood. Here, we generated a transcriptomic and epigenomic atlas of human FALD at single-cell resolution using multiomic snRNA-ATAC-seq. We found profound cell type–specific transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in FC livers. Central hepatocytes (cHep) exhibited the most substantial changes, featuring profound metabolic reprogramming. These cHep changes preceded substantial activation of hepatic stellate cells and liver fibrosis, suggesting cHep as a potential first “responder” in the pathogenesis of FALD. We also identified a network of ligand-receptor pairs that transmit signals from cHep to hepatic stellate cells, which may promote their activation and liver fibrosis. We further experimentally demonstrated that activins A and B promote fibrotic activation in vitro and identified mechanisms of activin A’s transcriptional activation in FALD. Together, our single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic atlas revealed mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of FALD and may aid identification of potential therapeutic targets.
Infection and telomere length: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Tunnicliffe Louis , Muzambi Rutendo , Bartlett Jonathan W , Howe Laura , Abdul Basit Khalid , Warren-Gash Charlotte
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Telomeres are a measure of cellular ageing with potential links to diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Studies have shown that some infections may be associated with telomere shortening, but whether an association exists across all types and severities of infections and in which populations is unclear. Therefore we aim to collate available evidence to enable comparison and to inform future research in this field.

Methods and analysis

We will search for studies involving telomere length and infection in various databases including MEDLINE (Ovid interface), EMBASE (Ovid interface), Web of Science, Scopus, Global Health and the Cochrane Library. For grey literature, the British Library of electronic theses databases (ETHOS) will be explored. We will not limit by study type, geographical location, infection type or method of outcome measurement. Two researchers will independently carry out study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment using the ROB2 and ROBINS-E tools. The overall quality of the studies will be determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria. We will also evaluate study heterogeneity with respect to study design, exposure and outcome measurement and if there is sufficient homogeneity, a meta-analysis will be conducted. Otherwise, we will provide a narrative synthesis with results grouped by exposure category and study design.

Ethics and dissemination

The present study does not require ethical approval. Results will be disseminated via publishing in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42023444854.
Prevalence and social determinants of anxiety and depression among adults in Ghana: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Authors: Awortwe Victoria , Daivadanam Meena , Adjorlolo Samuel , Olsson Erik MG , Coumoundouros Chelsea , Woodford Joanne
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Anxiety and depression pose a significant global health challenge, especially affecting adults in low-income and middle-income countries. In many low-income and middle-income countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa, social determinants such as access to affordable health services, conflict, food insecurity, and poverty may be associated with the prevalence of anxiety and depression, further contributing to health disparities. To mitigate the burden of anxiety and depression in sub-Saharan Africa, it is essential to develop country-level tailored mental health policies and strategies. For example, Ghana is working towards improving mental health via its 12 year Mental Health policy launched in 2021. However, the prevalence of anxiety and depression among adults in Ghana, along with associated social determinants remains largely unknown, posing challenges for mental health planning, resource allocation and developing targeted interventions. This systematic review seeks to (1) examine the prevalence of anxiety and depression among adults in Ghana and (2) explore social determinants potentially associated with anxiety and depression.

Methods and analysis

Electronic databases (eg, African Index Medicus, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO) will be searched with all screening steps conducted by two independent reviewers. Secondary search strategies, including grey literature searches, will be used. Studies reporting on the prevalence of anxiety, depression and/or a combined symptom measure (ie, psychological distress) among adults in Ghana, using validated instruments will be included. If data allows, random-effects-meta-analyses will be performed to estimate pooled prevalence rates of anxiety and depression. Potential clinical and methodological moderators will be examined using subgroup analyses and meta-regression. A narrative synthesis will explore social determinants potentially associated with anxiety and depression among adults in Ghana.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required as no primary data will be collected. Results will be disseminated via a peer-reviewed publication and presentations at academic conferences. Plain language summaries will be provided to relevant non-governmental organisations working in Ghana.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42023463078
Non-radial oscillations in anisotropic dark energy stars
Authors: Jyothilakshmi O. P. , Naik Lakshmi J. , Sreekanth V.
Published: April 2024

We study the non-radial f-mode oscillations of both isotropic and anisotropic dark energy stars by using the modified Chaplygin prescription of dark energy to model the stellar matter. The anisotropic pressure in the system is modeled with Bowers–Liang prescription. By solving the stellar structure equations in presence of anisotropy, we study the global properties of the dark energy star and compare the mass-radius profiles with data from GW events and milli-second pulsars. The stellar radial and anisotropic pressure profiles have also been investigated. We proceed to determine the prominent non-radial $$l=2$$

l
=
2

f-mode frequencies of the anisotropic dark energy star by employing the Cowling approximation and analyse and quantify the spectra by varying the anisotropic parameter. We report that f-mode spectra of dark energy star have distinctly different behaviour compared to neutron star and quark star, and this may possibly help in its future identification. Further, the tidal deformability factors of the anisotropic dark energy stars have also been analyzed.
Study of Lorentz violation in hadron production process from pair annihilation induced by a nonminimal coupling
Authors: Ekraminasab Vahid , Nejad S. Mohammad Moosavi
Published: April 2024

Various processes have been yet considered to study the effect of Lorentz-violating terms and different limits have been determined for the magnitude of Lorentz violation coefficients. In this work, we study the effect of Lorentz-violating terms on B-meson production through pair annihilation ($$e^+e^-\rightarrow q\bar{q}\rightarrow B+Jets$$

e
+

e
-

→
q

q

¯

→
B
+
J
e
t
s

) in two distinct cases correspondent to axial and vectorial nonminimal couplings in QED and determine the corresponding Lorentz violation coefficients. In both cases, significant modifications are seen with respect to the usual relativistic result. Our analytical results for partonic differential cross section, i.e., $$d\sigma (e^+e^-\rightarrow q\bar{q})/d\Omega $$

d
σ
(

e
+

e
-

→
q

q

¯

)
/
d
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, reveal an anisotropy which implies new constraints on the possible Lorentz-violating terms.
Style Generative Adversarial Network Combined with Dynamic Fundamental Frequency Difference Compensation: A Practical and Efficient Method for Emotional Voice Conversion
Authors: Yang Zeyu , Li Yanping , Yu Jie , Pan Lei , Yang Lulu
Published: April 2024

This paper explores a novel emotional voice conversion (EVC) method based on the style generative adversarial network combined with dynamic fundamental frequency difference compensation. On the one hand, in terms of spectrum mapping, based on the method of EVC using star generative adversarial network, we propose to replace one-hot vectors with the emotion style features extracted from spectrum to represent emotional information. It enables the conversion not only to fully learn emotion style from the target speech, but also to transfer unseen emotion styles to a new utterance, that is, one-shot EVC. On the other hand, given that the traditional logarithm Gaussian normalization transformation and its some variants for prosody transfer are not enough to reflect the fine-grained fundamental frequency distribution difference between the different emotional speech, we propose the improved strategy of dynamic fundamental frequency difference compensation. The experimental results show that our proposed method can accomplish high quality one-shot EVC, significantly outperforming the baseline in terms of speech quality and emotional saturation in both objective and subjective evaluations.
All That Glitters May Not Be Gold: Tanishq AD Controversy
Authors: Ritu Mehta , Rituparna Basu , Agarwal Amisha , Singh Niyati
Published: April 2024

Advertisements creating controversies and resulting in brands being subjected to intense criticism is not uncommon in the age of social media. India’s largest jewelry retail brand, Tanishq, too became a victim of one such controversy in 2020. On October 9, 2020, Tanishq, a division of the Titan Company and a part of Tata group, released an advertisement to promote its new line of jewelry collection called ‘Ekatvam’. The advertisement highlighted inter-faith marriage and showed how a loving Muslim mother-in-law respected the sentiments of her pregnant daughter-in-law’s Hindu faith by arranging for her baby shower according to Hindu rituals. Post the release of the advertisement, a vast number of protests broke out in the country and caused a stir. Prior to the ad release, around September 2020, news about love jihaad was doing the rounds in many parts of India. The stir led Tanishq to withdraw the advertisement with issuance of a statement by the company. In light of these developments, a number of questions were being raised. Was it correct on the part of the brand to remove the ad? Did the advertisement seem like a deliberate attempt to gain the attention of consumers? Could Tanishq have expected this controversy to occur given the history of a tense relationship between the two religions in the country? What could the brand do to avoid such controversies in the future?
Optimal contraception control for a nonlinear competitive vermin population model with spatial diffusion and size structure in a polluted environment
Authors: Zhang Tai-Nian , Luo Zhi-Xue , Wu Ze-Dong
Published: April 2024

This study examines an optimal contraception control problem for a nonlinear competitive vermin population model that is dependent on size structure and spatial diffusion in a polluted environment. The control variables are the average number of female sterilant and the input rate of exogenous toxicant. It has a good guiding effect on curbing environmental pollution and controlling the number of vermin. These results provide a theoretical basis for controlling and preventing vermin and curbing environmental pollution. The hybrid system belongs to the class of separable models, and its solution is separable in terms of size and spatial location. Therefore, we transform the system into two subsystems and prove the existence and uniqueness of non-negative solutions via the comparison principle and fixed point theorem, respectively. The necessary conditions for the optimal contraception strategy are derived by constructing an adjoint system and using tangent-normal cones. The method of characteristics and the finite difference method approximate the non-negative solutions of the two subsystems, and some numerical examples illustrate the theoretical results.
The complex elliptic Ginibre ensemble at weak non-Hermiticity: Edge spacing distributions
Authors: Bothner Thomas , Little Alex
Published: April 2024

The focus of this paper is on the distribution function of the rightmost eigenvalue for the complex elliptic Ginibre ensemble in the limit of weak non-Hermiticity. We show how the limiting distribution function can be expressed in terms of an integro-differential Painlevé-II function and how the same captures the nontrivial transition between Poisson and Airy point process extreme value statistics as the degree of non-Hermiticity decreases. Our most explicit new results concern the tail asymptotics of the limiting distribution function. For the right tail we compute the leading order asymptotics uniformly in the degree of non-Hermiticity, for the left tail we compute it close to Hermiticity.
Progressive Adapting and Pruning: Domain-Incremental Learning for Saliency Prediction
Authors: Yang Kaihui , Han Junwei , Guo Guangyu , Fang Chaowei , Fan Yingzi , Cheng Lechao , Zhang Dingwen
Published: April 2024

Saliency prediction (SAP) plays a crucial role in simulating the visual perception function of human beings. In practical situations, humans can quickly grasp saliency extraction in new image domains. However, current SAP methods mainly concentrate on training models in single domains, which do not effectively handle diverse content and styles present in real-world images. As a result, it would be of great significance if SAP models could efficiently adjust to new image domains. To this end, this article aims to design SAP models that can imitate the incremental learning ability of human beings on multiple image domains and name domain-incremental saliency prediction (DISAP). To make a tradeoff between preventing the forgetting of historical domains and achieving high performance on new domains, we propose a progressively updated domain incremental encoder. This encoder consists of a domain-sharing branch and a domain-specific branch. The domain-sharing branch includes a feature selection mechanism to preserve crucial parameters after fine-tuning the model on each current domain. The remaining parameters are reserved to absorb knowledge from future domains. Furthermore, to capture the unique characteristics of each domain with relatively low computational overhead, we introduce a lightweight design to construct the domain-specific branch, enabling effective adaptation to new domains. Extensive experiments are conducted on multiple domain-incremental learning settings formed by four saliency prediction datasets, including Salicon, MIT1003, the art subset of CAT2000, and WebSal. The results demonstrate that our method outperforms existing methods significantly. The code is available at 
https://github.com/KaIi-github/DIL4SAP
.