bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Plant-Based Diets on Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Fernandes Inês , Mariana Melissa , Lorigo Margarida , Cairrao Elisa
Published: July 2024

The magnification of Western eating habits has contributed to a large increase in the development of several diseases and conditions, namely cardiovascular disease, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia. These are part of a cluster of metabolic factors involved in metabolic syndrome. However, there are new dietary patterns more focused on the consumption of plant-based foods. Thus, the aim of this review was to investigate the impact of plant-based diets on metabolic syndrome and to achieve the inflammatory mediators and the antioxidant effects involved in this potential health benefits effect. Advanced research was performed for articles published in the last 10 years, which were analyzed and selected according to the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of the articles analyzed, the majority supported the positive impact of plant-based diets on metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, several studies also showed that these diets appear to have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant role. Thus, plant-based diets appear to have health benefits, contributing to the prevention of metabolic syndrome, and improving the cardiovascular and metabolic markers’ profile, mainly when including healthy foods. The total exclusion of animal source foods (especially meat and fish) from the diet, as well as the consumption of processed and additive plant-based foods, may contribute to an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome.
Vitamin D Metabolism Parameters and Cytokine Profile in COVID-19 Patients with Bolus Cholecalciferol Supplementation
Authors: Karonova Tatiana L. , Mikhaylova Arina A. , Golovatyuk Ksenia A. , Chernikova Alena T. , Korobova Zoia R. , Liubimova Natalia E. , Starshinova Anna A. , Kudlay Dmitry A. , Totolian Areg A. , Shlyakhto Evgeny V.
Published: July 2024

Recent studies have demonstrated the relationship between vitamin D deficiency, infection severity and mortality from COVID-19. This study aimed to analyze the vitamin D metabolites and cytokine expression levels of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized with bolus cholecalciferol supplementation. Materials and methods: This study represents the next stage of the open-label randomized pilot conducted by the Almazov National Medical Research Centre. A total of 44 hospitalized patients, comparable in demographic, clinical, laboratory and instrumental baseline characteristics, with moderate/severe COVID-19 were included. All patients had similar doses of concomitant corticosteroid therapy. Twenty-two patients received 50,000 IU cholecalciferol on the first and eighth days of hospitalization. The serum 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D and 28 plasma cytokines were estimated for each group initially and on the ninth day of hospitalization. Results: Initially, there were no differences in the 1,25(OH)2D and cytokine levels in patients with vitamin D deficiency and normal 25(OH)D. Bolus cholecalciferol therapy at a total dose of 100,000 IU led to an increase in 25(OH)D levels in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, while the levels of the active metabolite (1,25(OH)2D) did not show significant differences between the groups or in its increased level over time, regardless of cholecalciferol supplementation. Furthermore, cholecalciferol supplementation at a total dose of 100,000 IU did not affect the majority of the cytokines estimated on the ninth day of hospitalization, except for the pro-inflammatory marker IL-1b, the concentration of which was lower in the group of patients without vitamin D supplementation. Conclusions: The 25(OH)D level was positively associated with an anti-inflammatory immune response, but cholecalciferol supplementation at a total dose of 100,000 IU did not affect the active-form vitamin D or cytokine expression levels. This fact may be explained by the impact of corticosteroid therapy, and it requires further investigation in a post-COVID-19 context.
MRI-Based Brain Tumor Classification Using a Dilated Parallel Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Rahman Takowa , Islam Md Saiful , Uddin Jia
Published: July 2024

Brain tumors are frequently classified with high accuracy using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to better comprehend the spatial connections among pixels in complex pictures. Due to their tiny receptive fields, the majority of deep convolutional neural network (DCNN)-based techniques overfit and are unable to extract global context information from more significant regions. While dilated convolution retains data resolution at the output layer and increases the receptive field without adding computation, stacking several dilated convolutions has the drawback of producing a grid effect. This research suggests a dilated parallel deep convolutional neural network (PDCNN) architecture that preserves a wide receptive field in order to handle gridding artifacts and extract both coarse and fine features from the images. This article applies multiple preprocessing strategies to the input MRI images used to train the model. By contrasting various dilation rates, the global path uses a low dilation rate (2,1,1), while the local path uses a high dilation rate (4,2,1) for decremental even numbers to tackle gridding artifacts and to extract both coarse and fine features from the two parallel paths. Using three different types of MRI datasets, the suggested dilated PDCNN with the average ensemble method performs best. The accuracy achieved for the multiclass Kaggle dataset-III, Figshare dataset-II, and binary tumor identification dataset-I is 98.35%, 98.13%, and 98.67%, respectively. In comparison to state-of-the-art techniques, the suggested structure improves results by extracting both fine and coarse features, making it efficient.
Examining the Post-School Decision-Making and Self-Determination of Disabled Young Adults in Ireland
Authors: Ye Keyu , McCoy Selina
Published: July 2024

Reflecting the neglect of childhood disability in transitions research, there is a notable dearth of research on the factors shaping self-determination in post-school decision-making for disabled young adults. To address this gap, we explore how early educational experiences, parental expectations, economic vulnerability, school context, and educational supports shape perceived school support in developing self-determination skills among disabled and non-disabled secondary school students in Ireland. Utilising data from the nationally representative Growing Up in Ireland study, descriptive analyses map post-school decision-making and self-determination skills development among disabled and non-disabled young adults at age 20. Multivariate analyses explore the experiences of students with different disabilities, investigating how family, school, and peer influences shape such skill development. Disparities are found between disabled and non-disabled students, as well as among disabled students in school support for this skills development, with gender, socioeconomic background, cultural capital, and early educational experiences also important in perceived support. Positive school engagement and student-teacher relationships, as well as high self-expectations, emerge as protective factors, indicating that fostering supportive environments and self-concept may enhance students’ self-determination skills. The findings underscore the importance of promoting causal agency, providing support for proxy agency, and taking action to create enriching opportunities and choices for all students.
Exploring Priority Issues among a Sample of Adults from Minority Ethnic Communities Who Are Living with Visual Impairment in the UK
Authors: Heinze Nikki , Jones Lee , Castle Claire L. , Gomes Renata S. M.
Published: July 2024

Background: Despite an increased risk of visual impairment (V.I.) among adults from minority ethnic communities in the UK, limited research has explored their wider life experiences. Methods: A secondary analysis of V.I. Lives survey data explored priority issues among a sample of 46 Asian, 22 Black, and 77 White adults who have visual impairment A list of 24 issues were grouped into 10 life domains. Issue and domain mean importance scores were calculated for each to facilitate ranking of importance. Results: Kruskal–Wallis tests showed that there were statistically significant differences between the three groups for 7/10 domains and 19/24 issues. Post hoc comparisons showed that this largely reflected group differences between Asian and White participants. While there were no statistically significant differences between Asian and Black participants possibly due to small sample sizes, there were statistically significant differences between Asian and White participants in 7/10 domains and 14/24 issues. Additionally, there were significant differences between Black and White participants in 5/10 domains and 7/24 issues, specialist workplace equipment being the only issue with a significant difference between White and Black but not Asian participants. There were no group differences for confidence in ability to do everyday tasks and opportunities to take part in more sporting and leisure activities. Overall, White participants generally rated all issues as less important than Asian and Black participants. The top-three domains for Asian participants were ‘accessible environments’/‘finances’, ‘technology’, and ‘public attitudes’. The top-three issues were accessibility of public transport, employer attitudes, and reduction of street clutter. The top-three domains among Black participants were ‘employment’, ‘accessible environments’, and ‘emotional support’. The top-three issues were employer attitudes/specialised education for young people with V.I., specialist V.I. equipment in the workplace, and confidence in ability to do everyday tasks/accessibility of public transport. Conclusions: Differences in priorities between the groups suggest that the needs of individual communities may be lost when grouping culturally diverse communities together, highlighting the need for more research with different minority ethnic communities.
(HTBNet)Arbitrary Shape Scene Text Detection with Binarization of Hyperbolic Tangent and Cross-Entropy
Authors: Chen Zhao
Published: July 2024

The existing segmentation-based scene text detection methods mostly need complicated post-processing, and the post-processing operation is separated from the training process, which greatly reduces the detection performance. The previous method, DBNet, successfully simplified post-processing and integrated post-processing into a segmentation network. However, the training process of the model took a long time for 1200 epochs and the sensitivity to texts of various scales was lacking, leading to some text instances being missed. Considering the above two problems, we design the text detection Network with Binarization of Hyperbolic Tangent (HTBNet). First of all, we propose the Binarization of Hyperbolic Tangent (HTB), optimized along with which the segmentation network can expedite the initial convergent speed by reducing the number of epochs from 1200 to 600. Because features of different channels in the same scale feature map focus on the information of different regions in the image, to better represent the important features of all objects in the image, we devise the Multi-Scale Channel Attention (MSCA). Meanwhile, considering that multi-scale objects in the image cannot be simultaneously detected, we propose a novel module named Fused Module with Channel and Spatial (FMCS), which can fuse the multi-scale feature maps from channel and spatial dimensions. Finally, we adopt cross-entropy as the loss function, which measures the difference between predicted values and ground truths. The experimental results show that HTBNet, compared with lightweight models, has achieved competitive performance and speed on Total-Text (F-measure:86.0%, FPS:30) and MSRA-TD500 (F-measure:87.5%, FPS:30).
Hypnosis in Burn Care: Efficacy, Applications, and Implications for Austere Settings
Authors: Denman Deanna C.
Published: July 2024

Burn injuries are among the most traumatic events a person can endure, often causing significant psychological dysfunction and severe pain. Hypnosis shows promise as a complementary intervention to manage pain and reduce the psychological distress associated with burn injury and treatment. This paper reviews the literature regarding hypnosis and potential applications of hypnosis in the management of burns. Hypnosis offers an effective, low-cost intervention that is widely applicable in the management of burns and can play a role in more acute and austere settings where resources are often limited.
Experiential Learning Labs for the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era
Authors: Salinas-Navarro David Ernesto , Da Silva-Ovando Agatha Clarice , Palma-Mendoza Jaime Alberto
Published: July 2024

The post-pandemic era shaped by COVID-19 has compelled universities to reimagine their learning experiences, adapting to new educational requirements and heightened expectations. However, this transformation brings forth novel pedagogical requirements and learning limitations. In today’s educational landscape, learners seek active and relevant learning experiences that seamlessly integrate interactivity, crisis awareness, and global challenges tied to a resilience and sustainability perspective. To address this imperative, our work introduces an experiential learning lab to articulate Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and authentic assessment principles. By incorporating real-world events as study scenarios, higher-order skill challenges, and self-regulated learning in alignment with reflective and practical activities, we aim to enhance students’ engagement and learning relevance. To illustrate practical implementation, we propose a case study methodology regarding an experiential learning lab for operations management education. Specifically, we delve into a case study centred around the Social Lab for Sustainable Logistics, involving a circular economy challenge as a learning experience during the post-COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary results indicate that the experiential learning lab helped to create the learning experience in alignment with intended learning outcomes. However, further instances of such learning experiences are necessary to explore the contribution and applicability of the lab across diverse settings and disciplines.
Understanding Researchers’ AI Readiness in a Higher Education Context: Q Methodology Research
Authors: Chaaban Youmen , Qadhi Saba , Chen Juebei , Du Xiangyun
Published: July 2024

Taking a human-centered socio-cultural perspective, this study explored the manifold individual and structural processes that contribute to researchers’ AI readiness. Forty-three graduate students and faculty at one university in Qatar took part in this Q methodology study. The results represented participants’ collective perspectives on what they considered relevant to their AI readiness. A 5 + 1-factor solution was accepted, illustrating diverse perspectives and no consensus. The factors were termed based on their main foci, as follows, (F-1) how technical skills are acquired, (F-2) when it is all about ethics, (F-3) when technical skills meet ethical considerations, (F-4a and F-4b) when opposites concede, and (F-5) how collaborations reflect AI readiness. The results revealed the diversity of viewpoints among participants, and the interrelations among some factors. This study recommended a holistic approach to enhance AI readiness. It suggested integrating targeted educational initiatives and developing localized ethical frameworks to promote responsible AI use across various research disciplines.
An Active Learning Approach to Evaluate Networking Basics
Authors: Roig Pedro Juan , Alcaraz Salvador , Gilly Katja , Bernad Cristina , Juiz Carlos
Published: July 2024

Active learning is a paradigm where students take a more active role in their learning process. In this paper, two team-based evaluation activities are established for students according to the principles of active learning in order to assess their knowledge, skills and attitudes. These activities were based on scenarios related to network administration issues, and at a later stage, each team had to make a pitch presentation about what they did and how they did it to address them. Each presentation was rated by all students with a specific construct on a peer review basis, which had previously been validated by a panel of experts. The results obtained revealed quite high values with low variability and an acceptable reliability. Additionally, the level of motivation was also assessed, indicating a high level of motivation while undertaking the activities.
False Beliefs about Mathematics in Spanish Pre-Service Teachers and Relations with Math Anxiety
Authors: Justicia-Galiano M. José , Pelegrina Santiago
Published: July 2024

Teachers may hold beliefs about how students learn mathematics and about the subject itself. However, some of these beliefs, often referred to as “math myths”, may be oversimplified ideas that appear valid but lack solid scientific evidence. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of math myths among Spanish pre-service teachers and compare it with the degree of support for these myths reported in previous studies; investigate the possible underlying structure of a set of false beliefs about math; and determine the relationships of certain math misconceptions with math anxiety. A total of 212 Spanish pre-service teachers were administered questionnaires about math myths and about general and math anxiety. The results showed prevalence patterns of each math misconception similar to those in previous studies. False beliefs about math showed weak or negligible correlations with each other and did not exhibit a discernible underlying structure. Furthermore, math anxiety was related to the belief that some individuals are perceived to possess a “math mind” while others do not. Our results suggest diverse origins for the development of different math myths, rather than the myths being the consequence of a single underlying factor. Finally, the endorsement of certain beliefs about who can do mathematics may contribute to negative emotions towards mathematics.
Mothers’ Responses to Children’s Emotions and Children’s Behavior: The Mediating Role of Children’s Emotion Regulation
Authors: Rolo Catarina , Diniz Eva , Babore Alessandra , Brandão Tânia
Published: July 2024

While prior research has clearly established links between maternal responses and children’s emotion regulation (ER), the implications of these links for children’s behaviors, especially at school (as reported by their teachers), remain much less explored. This study examined the mediating role of children’s ER in the relationship between maternal reactions to both negative and positive emotions of children and the subsequent behaviors of these children at school. Participants included 56 Portuguese school-aged children (31 boys and 25 girls, aged 6–10 years, mean age = 8.27, SD = 1.27), their mothers (aged 26–55 years, mean age = 38.33, SD = 6.68), and their teachers (n = 7 female teachers) in a multi-informant study. Mothers provided reports on their responses to their children’s emotions and their perceptions of the children’s ER and lability/negativity, while teachers assessed the children’s behavior in the classroom. The results indicated that punitive maternal reactions were associated with greater child lability/negativity, which in turn correlated with increased conduct problems and hyperactivity at school. Conversely, maternal encouragement of expression was linked to reduced lability/negativity, which was associated with fewer emotional symptoms at school. Additionally, maternal problem-focused reactions and guided/empowering responses were associated with reduced child lability/negativity, which in turn correlated with fewer conduct problems and less hyperactivity at school. These findings suggest that maternal responses to children’s emotions can significantly influence children’s behaviors in the classroom via mechanisms involving children’s ER.
Synthetic Benchmark for Data-Driven Pre-Si Analogue Circuit Verification
Authors: Manolache Cristian , Andronache Cristina , Guzu Alexandru , Caranica Alexandru , Cucu Horia , Buzo Andi , Pelz Georg
Published: July 2024

As the demand for more complex circuits increases, so does the duration of creating and testing them. The most time-consuming task in circuit development is notoriously the verification process, primarily due to the large number of simulations (hundreds or even thousands) required to ensure that the circuits adhere to the specifications regardless of the operating conditions. In order to decrease the number of required simulations, various verification algorithms have been proposed over the years, but this comes with an additional issue: the thorough validation of the algorithms. As simulations on real circuits are significantly time-consuming, synthetic circuits can offer precious insights into the capabilities of the verification algorithm. In this paper, we propose a benchmark of synthetic circuits that can be used to exhaustively validate pre-silicon (Pre-Si) verification algorithms. The newly created benchmark consists of 900 synthetic circuits (mathematical functions) with input dimensions (variables) ranging from 2 to 10. We design the benchmark to include functions of varying complexities, reflecting real-world circuit expectations. Eventually, we use this benchmark to evaluate a previously proposed state-of-the-art Pre-Si circuit verification algorithm. We show that this algorithm generally obtains relative verification errors below 2% with fewer than 150 simulations if the circuits have less than six to seven operating conditions. In addition, we demonstrate that some of the most complex circuits in the benchmark pose serious problems to the verification algorithm: the worst case is not found even when 200 simulations are used.
Facial Animation Strategies for Improved Emotional Expression in Virtual Reality
Authors: Song Hyewon , Kwon Beom
Published: July 2024

The portrayal of emotions by virtual characters is crucial in virtual reality (VR) communication. Effective communication in VR relies on a shared understanding, which is significantly enhanced when virtual characters authentically express emotions that align with their spoken words. While human emotions are often conveyed through facial expressions, existing facial animation techniques have mainly focused on lip-syncing and head movements to improve naturalness. This study investigates the influence of various factors in facial animation on the emotional representation of virtual characters. We conduct a comparative and analytical study using an audio-visual database, examining the impact of different animation factors. To this end, we utilize a total of 24 voice samples, representing 12 different speakers, with each emotional voice segment lasting approximately 4–5 s. Using these samples, we design six perceptual experiments to investigate the impact of facial cues—including facial expression, lip movement, head motion, and overall appearance—on the expression of emotions by virtual characters. Additionally, we engaged 20 participants to evaluate and select appropriate combinations of facial expressions, lip movements, head motions, and appearances that align with the given emotion and its intensity. Our findings indicate that emotional representation in virtual characters is closely linked to facial expressions, head movements, and overall appearance. Conversely, lip-syncing, which has been a primary focus in prior studies, seems less critical for conveying emotions, as its accuracy is difficult to perceive with the naked eye. The results of our study can significantly benefit the VR community by aiding in the development of virtual characters capable of expressing a diverse range of emotions.
Prediction of Health Status of Small-Tailed Cold Sheep Based on Improved BP Neural Network
Authors: Fan Wei , Wang Haixia , Hou Yun , Du Hongwei , Zhang Haiyang , Yang Jing , Li Tingxia , Han Ding
Published: July 2024

According to related research, different body temperatures, heart rates, and locomotor behaviors of small-tailed cold goats can represent the physical condition of the goats themselves and are used as direct evidence for evaluating the physical health status of small-tailed cold goats. In this paper, we designed and tested a system for predicting the health status of small-tailed cold sheep based on wearable information monitoring technology. To test the system, sheep wearable devices were worn on 36 small-tailed cold sheep of different ages and inconsistent health conditions at different time points from May to October. A SLBAS-BP neural network model for predicting the health condition of small-tailed cold sheep was established using the collected and processed data, which overcame the problem that the traditional gradient descent method in the BP neural network is prone to fall into local optimization leading to insufficient prediction ability. The correct prediction rates of the improved BP neural network for the four health conditions of healthy, sub-healthy, fever, and disease were 98.4%, 94.5%, 90.4%, and 98.7%, respectively, and the average correct prediction rate of the four conditions was 5.8% higher than that before the improvement, reaching 95.2%.
Phosphatidyl Inositol 4-Kinases
Authors: Kumar Ravinder , Kumar Piyush
Published: July 2024

In recent decades, phosphoinositides (or PIs) have emerged as essential signaling molecules. Despite their low cellular abundance, PIs are found to be involved in various cellular processes, including cell migration, vesicular trafficking, cell cycle regulation, metabolism, cytoskeletal remodeling, autophagy, aging, apoptosis, and cell signaling. Recent studies have shown that aberrant activity of either lipid kinases or phosphatases leads to various medical implications like cancer, diabetes, and microbial infections, suggesting an essential role for these lipid molecules and enzymes in their metabolism. This entry focused on one of the critical enzymes involved in phosphoinositide metabolism: phosphatidyl inositol 4-kinase (PI4-Kinase).
A State-of-the-Art Review in Big Data Management Engineering: Real-Life Case Studies, Challenges, and Future Research Directions
Authors: Theodorakopoulos Leonidas , Theodoropoulou Alexandra , Stamatiou Yannis
Published: July 2024

The explosion of data volume in the digital age has completely changed the corporate and industrial environments. In-depth analysis of large datasets to support strategic decision-making and innovation is the main focus of this paper’s exploration of big data management engineering. A thorough examination of the basic elements and approaches necessary for efficient big data use—data collecting, storage, processing, analysis, and visualization—is given in this paper. With real-life case studies from several sectors to complement our exploration of cutting-edge methods in big data management, we present useful applications and results. This document lists the difficulties in handling big data, such as guaranteeing scalability, governance, and data quality. It also describes possible future study paths to deal with these issues and promote ongoing creativity. The results stress the need to combine cutting-edge technology with industry standards to improve decision-making based on data. Through an analysis of approaches such as machine learning, real-time data processing, and predictive analytics, this paper offers insightful information to companies hoping to use big data as a strategic advantage. Lastly, this paper presents real-life use cases in different sectors and discusses future trends such as the utilization of big data by emerging technologies.
Physical Fitness of the Older Adult Community Living in Leiria, Portugal
Authors: Rodrigues Filipe , Monteiro Diogo , Matos Rui , Jacinto Miguel , Antunes Raúl , Gomes Paulo , Amaro Nuno
Published: July 2024

This study aimed to achieve two primary objectives. Firstly, to compare physical fitness levels based on sex, age groups, and body composition. Secondly, to examine physical fitness of the older adults against criterion-referenced fitness standard values using a representative sample from the district of Leiria in Portugal, a region undergoing exponential population growth, including a rise in the elderly population. Data from cross-sectional assessments of the Portuguese older adult community living in the Municipality of Leiria from 2014 to 2022 were collected. This study comprised a sample of 664 community-dwelling older adults (female = 480; male = 184) aged between 60 and 90 years (M = 70.34; SD = 12.67). Participants had a body mass ranging from 45 kg to 122 kg (M = 71.48; SD = 12.34) and a height ranging from 1.30 m to 1.89 m (M = 1.59; SD = 0.08). The Senior Fitness Test battery was used to evaluate parameters of physical fitness, body mass index was calculated, and abdominal circumference was measured. Females displayed a tendency to greater physical fitness compared to males, specifically in terms of lower and upper body flexibility compared to older male adults (p < 0.05). In addition, sexagenarian and older adults with normal weight tended to display greater physical fitness compared to septuagenarian and octogenarian, and overweight adults and those with obesity (p < 0.05), respectively. Information concerning physical fitness is crucial for guiding policymakers and other stakeholders in Leiria for the promotion of healthy aging among the older adult community. Furthermore, this study has established the preliminary reference standards for physical fitness, serving as a tool to promote healthy aging among Portuguese older adults residing in Leiria.
Using a Cultural Keystone Species in Participatory Monitoring of Fire Management in Indigenous Lands in the Brazilian Savanna
Authors: Falleiro Rodrigo de Moraes , Moura Lívia Carvalho , Xerente Pedro Paulo , Pinto Charles Pereira , Santana Marcelo Trindade , Corrêa Maristella Aparecida , Schmidt Isabel Belloni
Published: July 2024

There is a consensus that fire should be actively managed in tropical savannas to decrease wildfire risks, firefighting costs, and social conflicts as well as to promote ecosystem conservation. Selection and participatory monitoring of the effects of fire on cultural keystone species may be an efficient way to involve local stakeholders and inform management decisions. In this study, we investigated the effects of different fire regimes on a cultural keystone species in Central Brazil. With the support of diverse multiethnic groups of local fire brigades, we sampled Hancornia speciosa (Apocynaceae) populations across a vast regional range of 18 traditional territories (Indigenous Lands and Quilombola Territories) as well as four restricted Protected Areas. We considered areas under wildfires (WF), prescribed burns (PB) and fire exclusion (FE) and quantified tree mortality, canopy damage, loss of reproductive structures and fruit production following a simplified field protocol. Areas with H. speciosa populations were identified and classified according to their fire history, and in each sampled area, adult plants were evaluated. We hypothesized that WF would have larger negative impact on the population parameters measured, while FE would increase plant survival and fruit production. We found that tree mortality, canopy damage, and loss of reproductive structures were higher in areas affected by wildfires, which also had the lowest fruit production per plant compared to PB and FE areas, corroborating our hypotheses. However, we also found higher mortality in FE areas compared to PB ones, probably due to plant diseases in areas with longer FE. Considering these results and that the attempts to exclude fire from fire-prone ecosystems commonly lead to periodic wildfires, we argue that the Integrated Fire Management program in course in federal Protected Areas in Brazil—based on early dry season prescribed fires—is a good management option for this, and likely other, cultural keystone species in the Brazilian savanna.
Recent Developments in Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Transportation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Perspectives
Authors: Patel Sanjay Kumar Singh , Gupta Rahul K. , Rohit M. V. , Lee Jung-Kul
Published: July 2024

Hydrogen (H2) is considered a suitable substitute for conventional energy sources because it is abundant and environmentally friendly. However, the widespread adoption of H2 as an energy source poses several challenges in H2 production, storage, safety, and transportation. Recent efforts to address these challenges have focused on improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of H2 production methods, developing advanced storage technologies to ensure safe handling and transportation of H2, and implementing comprehensive safety protocols. Furthermore, efforts are being made to integrate H2 into the existing energy infrastructure and explore new opportunities for its application in various sectors such as transportation, industry, and residential applications. Overall, recent developments in H2 production, storage, safety, and transportation have opened new avenues for the widespread adoption of H2 as a clean and sustainable energy source. This review highlights potential solutions to overcome the challenges associated with H2 production, storage, safety, and transportation. Additionally, it discusses opportunities to achieve a carbon-neutral society and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.
Optimization of Classical Lipase Activity Assays for Fish Digestive Tract Samples
Authors: Nolasco-Soria Héctor , Alvarez-González Carlos Alfonso , Tovar-Ramírez Dariel , González-Bacerio Jorge , del Monte-Martínez Alberto , Vega-Villasante Fernando
Published: July 2024

Fish possess lipases from embryonic development to adulthood. Lipase activity methods vary and significantly differ in terms of the concentration of the substrate used, bile salt, Ca2+, temperature, pH, and type of lipase units, which limits comparative studies. The three most-used substrates are p-nitrophenyl (p-NP), β-naphthyl (β-N) derivates, and emulsified natural oils. These were selected to be redesigned in this study to measure lipase activity under temperature, pH, ion, and bile salt conditions closer to fish physiology, using the appropriate molar absorption coefficient to calculate the lipase units. Cynoscion parvipinnis (CP), Seriola rivoliana (SR), Centropomus viridis (CV), Elop affinis (EA), and Canthidermis maculate (CM) pyloric caeca-intestine extracts were studied. Sodium taurocholate showed the highest activity for intestinal lipases, and the fatty acid length in the substrates changed the lipase hydrolysis rate. The highest lipase activity was obtained with p-NP butyrate and p-NP caprylate in four fish species. Lipase activity was highly activated with Ca2+ (4–7 mM). The β-N absorption spectrum indicates a plateau between 534 and 554 nm for fish lipases. Salmon oil was identified as the most digestible lipid in the four fish species using the in vitro digestibility assay. The lipase zymogram showed an apparent size of 46.3 kDa for CP, 40.2 kDa for SR, 46.2 kDa for CM, 106.6 kDa for EA, and 58.3, 84.6, and 162.1 kDa for CV.
Active Biodegradable Starch/PBAT-poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Film with Eucalyptus citriodora Essential Oil Incorporation
Authors: Zanela Juliano , Shirai Marianne Ayumi , Olivato Juliana Bonametti , Casagrande Maira , Canonico Cristian Medrado , Wagner Júnior Américo , Yamashita Fabio
Published: July 2024

Plastic pollution and the reduction in synthetic food additives are demands that emerge from consumers, leading to the development of biodegradable plastic materials. The use of essential oils—EOs—has been researched because it is a natural product with antioxidant properties. Due to its nature, EO is composed of volatile compounds that can be lost during extrusion. The aim of this work was to produce active biodegradable starch/PBAT films with the incorporation of neat Eucalyptus citriodora EO (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%) or EO microencapsulated by spray drying (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5%), aiming at the protection of the EO. The produced films showed adequate mechanical properties (tensile strength ranged from 5.72 to 7.54 MPa and the elongation at break ranged from 319 to 563%). Testing in food simulants showed that the films retained antioxidant activity, being more suitable for use in fatty or non-acid foods, with the microencapsulation process offering protection to the EO during the process.
Grains in a Modern Time: A Comprehensive Review of Compositions and Understanding Their Role in Type 2 Diabetes and Cancer
Authors: Khan Jabir , Gul Palwasha , Liu Kunlun
Published: July 2024

Globally, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Cancer are the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and are considered to be two of the most significant public health concerns of the 21st century. Over the next two decades, the global burden is expected to increase by approximately 60%. Several observational studies as well as clinical trials have demonstrated the health benefits of consuming whole grains to lower the risk of several chronic non-communicable diseases including T2D and cancer. Cereals grains are the primary source of energy in the human diet. The most widely consumed pseudo cereals include (quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat) and cereals (wheat, rice, and corn). From a nutritional perspective, both pseudo cereals and cereals are recognized for their complete protein, essential amino acids, dietary fibers, and phenolic acids. The bran layer of the seed contains the majority of these components. Greater intake of whole grains rather than refined grains has been consistently linked to a lower risk of T2D and cancer. Due to their superior nutritional compositions, whole grains make them a preferred choice over refined grains. The modulatory effects of whole grains on T2D and cancer are also likely to be influenced by several mechanisms; some of these effects may be direct while others involve altering the composition of gut microbiota, increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and lowering harmful bacteria, increasing insulin sensitivity, lowering solubility of free bile acids, breaking protein down into peptides and amino acids, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and other beneficial metabolites that promote the proliferation in the colon which modulate the antidiabetic and anticancer pathway. Thus, the present review had two aims. First, it summarized the recent knowledge about the nutritional composition and bioactive acids in pseudo cereals (quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat) and cereals (wheat, rice, and corn); the second section summarized and discussed the progress in recent human studies, such as observational (cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies) and intervention studies to understand their role in T2D and cancer including the potential mechanism. Overall, according to the scientific data, whole grain consumption may reduce the incidence of T2D and cancer. Future studies should carry out randomized controlled trials to validate observational results and establish causality. In addition, the current manuscript encourages researchers to investigate the specific mechanisms by which whole grains exert their beneficial effects on health by examining the effects of different types of specific protein, dietary fibers, and phenolic acids that might help to prevent or treat T2D and cancer.
Extraction of Lipids and Functional Properties of Defatted Egg Yolk Powder Obtained Using a One-Step Organic Solvent Lipid Extraction Process
Authors: Showman Casey , Rose Alleda , Shen Cangliang , Jaczynski Jacek , Matak Kristen
Published: July 2024

A one-step organic solvent lipid extraction method was used to separate lipids from spray-dried egg yolk. Organic solvents tested were chloroform:methanol (CM, 2:1, v:v), methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), or hexane:isopropanol (HI, 3:2, v:v). The resulting defatted egg yolk powder had between 21 and 30% more protein and between 22 and 25% less lipid than the initial spray-dried egg yolk powder (p < 0.05). The solubility of the powder decreased from 20% to 4% (p < 0.05) when CM was used as the organic solvent, likely due to protein denaturation by the chloroform. Gels made from MBTE and HI-extracted protein concentrates had similar hardness (p > 0.05) and were both harder than gels made using the initial egg yolk powder (p < 0.05). MTBE gels were springier, more cohesive, and gummier (p < 0.05) with similar resistance to the initial egg yolk powder (p > 0.05). The results of this study showed that the functionality of the protein in the defatted egg yolk powder was best retained when MTBE was used as the lipid extraction solvent.
On Higher-Order Nonlinear Fractional Elastic Equations with Dependence on Lower Order Derivatives in Nonlinearity
Authors: Cui Yujun , Liang Chunyu , Zou Yumei
Published: July 2024

The paper studied high-order nonlinear fractional elastic equations that depend on low-order derivatives in nonlinearity and established the existence and uniqueness results by using the Leray–Schauder alternative theorem and Perov’s fixed point theorem on an appropriate space under mild assumptions. Examples are given to illustrate the key results.
Scenarios for New Mobility Policies and Automated Mobility in Beijing
Authors: Harrison Gillian , Shepherd Simon , Pfaffenbichler Paul , Xu Meng , Tian Hang , Mao Wei
Published: July 2024

In this study, we consider the introduction of new mobility services and technologies into the megacity of Beijing, China, as per developed strategy and action plans, in order to investigate their potential contribution to sustainable mobility. This includes population relocation (decentralization), the construction of new rail lines, the introduction of shared bike services as a feeder to subway stations, the electrification of passenger vehicles and the adoption of automated and shared vehicles. The well-established, system dynamics-based MARS model is adapted to Beijing and further improved via the inclusion of these new services, technologies and policies. We find that decentralization can have a profound effect on overall sustainability if not considered in conjunction with other policies and that new rail lines and shared bikes may only have benefits in specific zones. Shared and automated vehicles could increase VKT by 60% and reduce active and public transport trips by a quarter. As such, nuanced integrated policy approaches will be required that are similar to those currently in place, such as imposed car shedding and taxi fleet control.
Molecular Gas Kinematics in Local Early-Type Galaxies with ALMA
Authors: Ruffa Ilaria , Davis Timothy A.
Published: July 2024

Local early-type galaxies (ETGs) are mostly populated by old stars, with little or no recent star formation activity. For this reason, they have historically been believed to be essentially devoid of cold gas, which is the fuel for the formation of new stars. Over the past two decades, however, increasingly-sensitive instrumentation observing the sky at (sub-)millimetre wavelengths has revealed the presence of significant amounts of cold molecular gas in the hearts of nearby ETGs. The unprecedented capabilities offered by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in particular, have allowed us to obtain snapshots of the central regions of these ETGs with unprecedented detail, mapping this gas with higher sensitivity and resolution than ever before possible. Studies of the kinematics of the observed cold gas reservoirs are crucial for galaxy formation and evolution theories, providing, e.g., constraints on the fundamental properties and fuelling/feedback processes of super-massive black holes (SMBHs) at the centre of these galaxies. In this brief review, we summarise what the first 10 years of ALMA observations have taught us about the distribution and kinematics of the cold molecular gas component in nearby ellipticals and lenticulars.
Female Genealogy and Cultural Memory in Georgia
Authors: Sideri Eleni
Published: July 2024

Three generations of women creators of Georgian cinema belonging to the same family, the Gogoberidze family, will form the basis for this research, which aims to explore the notion of female genealogy through a multimodal ethnography. What type of memories does this female genealogy shape and how is it shaped by them? My research combines bibliographical research, interviews, and film analysis. By doing so, I examine how family memories as story-telling cross different expressive media and bridge generations by postulating the role of affective memory as key factor for the formation this genealogy. In addition to that, I pinpoint to the fact of the creative resignification of genealogy as part of these women’s engagement with cinema but also the social struggles of their times (feminism, anti-Russian politics, etc.).
Labour Migration and Human Trafficking in Andhra Pradesh, India: A ‘Determinants of Migrant Vulnerability’ Perspective
Authors: Nimble Neha , Mudaliyar Sharli , Karkora Tejeswar
Published: July 2024

Labour migration, other than being a key driver of economic growth and development, is also associated with inconsistent human rights practices. This paper furthers the understanding of links between migration and human trafficking in Andhra Pradesh, India. It applies IOM’s Determinants of Vulnerability Framework to assess and analyse the various ways in which vulnerabilities of the migrant unorganised and casual labourers are constructed as they are forced to migrate for livelihood security. The study employed a mixed-methods approach which included a survey of 5888 individuals, seven case studies, five focus group discussions and 121 key informant interviews. The paper confirms that migration, by itself, does not lead to trafficking. A number of intersecting, inter-related factors at individual, household, community, and structural levels add to risks or provide protection against trafficking to a migrant before, during or after the process of migration. Relatedly, the paper argues that the process of migration is a continuum between vulnerability, unsafe migration, and trafficking.
Gaps in Migrants’ Access to Contraceptive Services: A Survey of Nepalese Women and Men in Japan
Authors: Tanaka Masako , Manandhar Shrestha Rachana , Shah Richa , Bhandari Divya , Gyawali Bijay
Published: July 2024

While all modern contraceptive methods are available for free or at minimal cost in Nepal, contraceptive devices in Japan are mainly limited to condoms, requiring Nepalese migrant women to rely on their male partners for their use. Therefore, Nepalese migrants often seek contraceptive devices from Nepal or request friends or relatives to send them from their home country. This study aimed to identify the gaps and challenges associated with Nepalese migrants’ needs for sexual and reproductive health services (SRHSs), particularly contraceptives, before and after their migration to Japan. A mixed-methods study was adopted, an explanatory sequential design (ESD) combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, and data were collected from 186 Nepalese migrants (80 females and 106 males) through an online survey and from two focus-group discussions (FGDs) conducted among 24 participants (14 females and 10 males). This study highlighted the obstacles faced by Nepalese migrants in accessing contraceptive services, such as limited options, language barriers, and high costs. The study also revealed the importance of pre-departure training in Nepal and organizing post-arrival training in Japan to increase Nepalese migrants’ awareness of the SRHSs available in Japan, thereby helping to prevent SRH-related health problems, including unintended pregnancies and abortions, in Japan.