bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CoVar: A generalizable machine learning approach to identify the coordinated regulators driving variational gene expression
Authors: Roy Satyaki , Sheikh Shehzad Z. , Furey Terrence S.
Published: April 2024

Network inference is used to model transcriptional, signaling, and metabolic interactions among genes, proteins, and metabolites that identify biological pathways influencing disease pathogenesis. Advances in machine learning (ML)-based inference models exhibit the predictive capabilities of capturing latent patterns in genomic data. Such models are emerging as an alternative to the statistical models identifying causative factors driving complex diseases. We present CoVar, an ML-based framework that builds upon the properties of existing inference models, to find the central genes driving perturbed gene expression across biological states. Unlike differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that capture changes in individual gene expression across conditions, CoVar focuses on identifying variational genes that undergo changes in their expression network interaction profiles, providing insights into changes in the regulatory dynamics, such as in disease pathogenesis. Subsequently, it finds core genes from among the nearest neighbors of these variational genes, which are central to the variational activity and influence the coordinated regulatory processes underlying the observed changes in gene expression. Through the analysis of simulated as well as yeast expression data perturbed by the deletion of the mitochondrial genome, we show that CoVar captures the intrinsic variationality and modularity in the expression data, identifying key driver genes not found through existing differential analysis methodologies.
Bayesian approach to assessing population differences in genetic risk of disease with application to prostate cancer
Authors: Timmins Iain R. ,   The PRACTICAL Consortium, Dudbridge Frank
Published: April 2024

Population differences in risk of disease are common, but the potential genetic basis for these differences is not well understood. A standard approach is to compare genetic risk across populations by testing for mean differences in polygenic scores, but existing studies that use this approach do not account for statistical noise in effect estimates (i.e., the GWAS betas) that arise due to the finite sample size of GWAS training data. Here, we show using Bayesian polygenic score methods that the level of uncertainty in estimates of genetic risk differences across populations is highly dependent on the GWAS training sample size, the polygenicity (number of causal variants), and genetic distance (FST) between the populations considered. We derive a Wald test for formally assessing the difference in genetic risk across populations, which we show to have calibrated type 1 error rates under a simplified assumption that all SNPs are independent, which we achieve in practise using linkage disequilibrium (LD) pruning. We further provide closed-form expressions for assessing the uncertainty in estimates of relative genetic risk across populations under the special case of an infinitesimal genetic architecture. We suggest that for many complex traits and diseases, particularly those with more polygenic architectures, current GWAS sample sizes are insufficient to detect moderate differences in genetic risk across populations, though more substantial differences in relative genetic risk (relative risk > 1.5) can be detected. We show that conventional approaches that do not account for sampling error from the training sample, such as using a simple t-test, have very high type 1 error rates. When applying our approach to prostate cancer, we demonstrate a higher genetic risk in African Ancestry men, with lower risk in men of European followed by East Asian ancestry.
The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare seeking in an urban informal settlement in Nairobi and a rural setting in western Kenya
Authors: Agogo George O. , Munywoki Patrick K. , Audi Allan , Auko Joshua , Aol George , Oduor Clifford , Kiplangat Samuel , Ouma Alice , Komo Terry , Herman-Roloff Amy , Munyua Peninah , Bigogo Godfrey
Published: April 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread changes and disruptions to healthcare seeking behavior. There are limited studies on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare seeking patterns in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in settings with inequitable access to healthcare in rural and urban informal settlements. We investigated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on reported healthcare seeking at health facilities and chemists using morbidity data from participants in an ongoing population-based infectious disease surveillance platform in Asembo in Siaya County, a rural setting in western Kenya and Kibera, an urban informal settlement in Nairobi County. We described healthcare seeking patterns before (from 1st January 2016 to 12th March 2020) and during the pandemic (from 13th March 2020 to 31st August 2022) by gender and age for any reported illness and select clinical syndromes using frequencies and percentages. We used a generalized estimating equation with an exchangeable correlation structure to assess the effect of the pandemic on healthcare seeking adjusting for gender and age. Overall, there was a 19% (adjusted odds ratio, aOR: 0.81; 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 0.79–0.83) decline in odds of seeking healthcare at health facilities for any illness in Asembo during the pandemic, and a 30% (aOR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.67–0.73) decline in Kibera. Similarly, there was a decline in seeking healthcare by clinical syndromes, e.g., for ARI, aOR: 0.76; 95% CI:0.73–0.79 in Asembo, and aOR: 0.68; 95% CI:0.64–0.72 in Kibera. The pandemic resulted in increased healthcare seeking at chemists (aOR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.20–1.27 in Asembo, and aOR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.35–1.46 in Kibera). This study highlights interruptions to healthcare seeking in resource-limited settings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic resulted in a substantial decline in seeking care at health facilities, and an increase of the same at chemists.
Visceral leishmaniasis in the hills of western Nepal: A transmission assessment
Authors: Uranw Surendra , Bhattarai Narayan Raj , Cloots Kristien , Roy Lalita , Rai Keshav , Kiran Usha , Pyakurel Uttam Raj , Lal Bibek Kumar , Burza Sakib , Rijal Suman , Karki Prahlad , Khanal Basudha , Hasker Epco
Published: April 2024

In Nepal, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been targeted for elimination as a public health problem by 2026. Recently, increasing numbers of VL cases have been reported from districts of doubtful endemicity including hills and mountains, threatening the ongoing VL elimination program in Nepal. We conducted a multi-disciplinary, descriptive cross-sectional survey to assess the local transmission of Leishmania donovani in seven such districts situated at altitudes of up to 1,764 meters in western Nepal from March to December 2019. House-to-house surveys were performed for socio-demographic data and data on past and current VL cases. Venous blood was collected from all consenting individuals aged ≥2 years and tested with the rK39 RDT. Blood samples were also tested with direct agglutination test, and a titer of ≥1:1600 was taken as a marker of infection. A Leishmania donovani species-specific PCR (SSU-rDNA) was performed for parasite species confirmation. We also captured sand flies using CDC light traps and mouth aspirators. The house-to-house surveys documented 28 past and six new VL cases of which 82% (28/34) were without travel exposure. Overall, 4.1% (54/1320) of healthy participants tested positive for L. donovani on at least one serological or molecular test. Among asymptomatic individuals, 17% (9/54) were household contacts of past VL cases, compared to 0.5% (6/1266) among non-infected individuals. Phlebotomus argentipes, the vector of L. donovani, was found in all districts except in Bajura. L. donovani was confirmed in two asymptomatic individuals and one pool of sand flies of Phlebotomus (Adlerius) sp. We found epidemiological and entomological evidence for local transmission of L. donovani in areas previously considered as non-endemic for VL. The national VL elimination program should revise the endemicity status of these districts and extend surveillance and control activities to curb further transmission of the disease.
Dietary assessment and prevention of hypertension in Nigeria: Protocol for a retrospective cross-sectional study for the development and validation of a food frequency questionnaire for clinical use
Authors: Batubo Nimisoere P. , Moore J. Bernadette , Zulyniak Michael A.
Published: April 2024

Contrary to North America and Europe, the prevalence of hypertension is rising in West Africa. With a transition from whole foods to processed foods in Nigeria, diet plays a key driver of hypertension. To combat this, the national nutritional guidelines in Nigeria were implemented, but their translation into actionable tools for clinicians remains a challenge. Currently, there are no simple dietary assessment tools that are concise and suitable to be incorporated into clinical care without requiring extensive data analysis while still providing personalised dietary support to their patients. This study aims to deliver a clinically tested and validated short dietary assessment tool for clinicians, patients, and researchers across Nigeria to provide personalised dietary advice for patients with hypertension. The study will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1 (n = 75) will investigate the feasibility of the short FFQ and its agreement with 24-hour dietary recalls (3x) in a clinical setting in Nigeria. During the analysis of Phase 1 data, a scoring system will be developed based on the associations between individual food items in the FFQ and measures of hypertension. Phase 2 (n = 50) will assess the acceptability of the FFQ and validate the association between the FFQ score and hypertension. Expected outcomes: The development of a clinically tested and validated short food frequency questionnaire that will be ready to use by clinicians, patients, and researchers across Nigeria to support the prevention and management of hypertension. This study will contribute to knowledge on dietary assessment and hypertension prevention by developing a validated and acceptable FFQ, which will be valuable for clinicians and researchers for personalised dietary recommendations to combat hypertension in Nigeria.
Teenage Blues: Predictors of depression among adolescents in Nigeria
Authors: DadeMatthews Adefunke , Nzeakah Chukwuemeka , Onofa Lucky , DadeMatthews Oluwagbemiga , Ogundare Temitope
Published: April 2024

Background

Depressive disorders, with a prevalence of 15–21%, are among the most common disorders in children and adolescents, and increases the risk of suicide, the second leading cause of death in children aged 10 to 19.

Aim

To determine the prevalence and correlates of depressive disorders among senior students attending secondary schools in Abeokuta.

Method

The study was conducted in five schools randomly selected from a representative sample and was carried out in 2 phases. In the first phase, students were selected via systematic random sampling and given consent forms and GHQ-12 to administer to the parents. In the second phase, students who returned a signed informed consent form and filled out GHQ-12 were interviewed using MINI-KID, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, Family-APGAR, and sociodemographic questionnaire. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted with p-value <0.05 as level of significance.

Results

The mean age was 15.3 years (SD = 1.27); 48.8% were male. The twelve-month prevalence of major depression was 11.3% and dysthymia was 1.4%. In the final regression analysis, female gender [OR = 4.3, p = 0.046], the experience of bullying [OR = 7.96, p = 0.004], difficulty getting along with friends, [OR = 7.5, p = 0.004], history of sexual abuse [OR = 8.1, p = 0.01], and perceived family dysfunction [OR = 4.9, p = 0,023] were found to be independent predictors of depressive disorders.

Conclusion

Depressive syndromes are a significant health burden in adolescents. Being female, being bullied, having a history of sexual abuse, and family dysfunctionality are risk factors associated with depression among these population.
Evaluation of the engineering properties of asphaltic concrete composite produced from recycled asphalt pavement and polyethylene plastic
Authors: Olukanni David , Oyegbile Benjamin , Ukpeh Akanimo
Published: April 2024

This study investigated the suitability of recycled asphalt pavement and polyethylene wastes as coarse aggregate in asphaltic concrete by evaluating the impact of the use of polyethylene polymer wastes and recycled asphalt pavement composite as aggregates on the physical and mechanical properties of the asphaltic concrete. The physical characteristics of the aggregate and bitumen were determined using relevant parametric tests. Recycled asphalt pavement was used to make asphaltic concrete samples using LDPE at 5%, 10%, 15%, RAP at 5% and HDPE at 5%, 10%, 15%, and a mixture of LDPE + HDPE at 5+5%, 7.5+7.5% and 10+10% RAP at 5% as additives. Marshall Stability test was conducted to assess the mechanical strength of the asphaltic concrete, and the results included information on the aggregate’s stability, flow, density, voids filled with bitumen, voids filled with air, and voids in mineral aggregate. In addition, the surface and crystal structure of the aggregates was studied by carrying out a microscopic examination with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The results obtained from this study demonstrated that RAP, HDPE & LDPE are viable conventional aggregate substitute for asphalt concrete production.
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in Liberia, April–May 2021
Authors: Sanvee-Blebo Lily M. , Adewuyi Peter A. , Whesseh Faith K. , Babalola Obafemi Joseph , Wilson-Sesay Himiede W. , Akpan Godwin E. , Umeokonkwo Chukwuma David , Clement Peter , Amo-Addae Maame
Published: April 2024

Background

Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions used to prevent diseases in susceptible populations. Despite the established efficacy of vaccines, there are many reasons people are hesitant about vaccination, and these reasons could be complex. This rapid survey estimated the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and potentially contributing factors in Montserrado and Nimba counties in Liberia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults living in Liberia. The relationship between vaccine non-acceptance and sociodemographic characteristics was examined using chi-square statistics. The variables with a p-value less than 0.2 at the bivariate analysis were modelled in a binary logistic regression at a 5% level of significance. The adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval are reported.

Results

There were 877 participants in the study. Majority were 25–34 years of age (30.4%, 272/877), females (54.05%, 474/877), and Christians (85.2%, 747/877). Most of the participants were aware of the COVID-19 vaccine (75%, 656/877), single (41.4%, 363/877), self-employed (37.51%, 329/877), and live-in rural communities (56.1%, 492/877). Vaccine hesitancy was (29.1%, 255/877; 95% CI:26.2–32.2). Vaccine hesitancy was greater among adults living in urban areas (41%) compared to persons living in rural communities (59%) (aOR; 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1–2.1) and respondents aged 45–54 years (aOR:0.5; 95% CI: 0.2–0.9; p = 0.043) were 50% less likely to be hesitant to COVID-19 vaccination compared to those more than 55 years. The most common source of information was the media (53%, 492/877) and the main reason for being hesitant was a need for more information about the vaccine and its safety (84%, 215/255).

Conclusions

The majority of study participants were aware of the COVID-19 vaccines and their most common source of information was the media (television, radio). Vaccine hesitancy was moderate. This could pose a challenge to efforts to control the spread of the COVID–19 pandemic. Therefore, the health authorities should provide more health education on the importance of vaccines and their safety to the populace.
Engaging internal and external audiences to develop and promote zoo-based conservation efforts
Authors: Nageotte Nichole L. , Steele-Inama Marley , Frederick Brittany , Elvove Erica , McDonald Shelby E.
Published: April 2024

As place-based conservation organizations, zoos are in a central position to support individuals in making small changes in their lives that will support the protection of wildlife and their habitats. This paper describes the secondary analysis of data collected from multi-phase front-end, exploratory evaluation that informed the development of a conservation action campaign in association with a non-profit, urban zoo. In phase one, internal organization staff were invited to attend workshops during which they brainstormed potential conservation actions that they felt were important for the zoo to promote. They identified and ranked 164 unique actions. In phase two, the ranking was used to narrow down the 164 actions to 20 actions which were used to develop a survey administered to visitors who opted in to receiving online surveys from the zoo. The survey asked participants to state their interest in each of the 20 conservation actions. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change informed the analysis of responses. Through this approach we identified actions that people were already doing, interested in doing, and not interested in doing. The responses from this survey were used to narrow down the list further to 10 actions used in a survey in phase three. This second survey administered to zoo visitors on grounds asked participants which of the 10 actions they would be most interested in doing, and the perceived barriers and benefits of doing them. This process allowed us to use evidence-based decision making to choose which conservation actions would resonate most with the community for our conservation action campaign. We also were able to identify values visitors held that might influence environmentally friendly behaviors. Visitors who responded to this survey tended to respond in ways that aligned with self-transcendent values. The research suggests that the campaign should focus on habitat restoration and remediation and purchasing wildlife friendly coffee and other products.
Optical and electronic properties of MgPc-Ch-diisoQ blend organic thin film as an active layer for photovoltaic cells
Authors: Alsharif Marwah Ahmed , Darwish A. A. A. , Qashou Saleem I. , Alaysuy Omaymah , El-Zaidia E. F. M. , Al-Ghamdi S. A. , Sadiq M. , Alqurashi Rania Saleh , Al-Abandi Mohammad H. , Hamdalla Taymour A.
Published: April 2024

Organic photovoltaic cells are a promising technology for generating renewable energy from sunlight. These cells are made from organic materials, such as polymers or small molecules, and can be lightweight, flexible, and low-cost. Here, we have created a novel mixture of magnesium phthalocyanine (MgPc) and chlorophenyl ethyl diisoquinoline (Ch-diisoQ). A coating unit has been utilized in preparing MgPc, Ch-diisoQ, and MgPc-Ch-diisoQ films onto to FTO substrate. The MgPc-Ch-diisoQ film has a spherical and homogeneous surface morphology with a grain size of 15.9 nm. The optical absorption of the MgPc-Ch-diisoQ film was measured, and three distinct bands were observed at 800–600 nm, 600–400 nm, and 400–250 nm, with a band gap energy of 1.58 eV. The current density-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements were performed to analyze the photoelectric properties of the three tested cells. The forward current density obtained from our investigated blend cell is more significant than that for each material by about 22%. The photovoltaic parameters (Voc, Isc, and FF) of the MgPc-Ch-diisoQ cell were found to be 0.45 V, 2.12 μA, and 0.4, respectively. We believe that our investigated MgPc-Ch-diisoQ film will be a promising active layer in organic solar cells.
“They must have seen it, you know.” Body talk, extension talk, and action talk: A qualitative study on how palliative care patients and their significant others express experiencing these nonverbal cues
Authors: Öhrling Charlotta , Sernbo Elisabet , Benkel Inger , Molander Ulla , Nyblom Stina
Published: April 2024

Communication about life-threatening disease and palliative care is essential but often experienced as difficult by those concerned and has mainly been studied in terms of its verbal components. Despite the fundamentality of nonverbal communication, its dimensions in care, especially in the communication by patients and their significant others, has not been as extensively examined. Drawing on a secondary qualitative content analysis of data from 23 interviews—15 with patients in specialized palliative home care in Sweden and 8 with their significant others—this study aims at understanding and characterizing how patients verbally express experiences of conveying nonverbal cues about life-threatening disease and its consequences and how their significant others express perceiving these cues. Patients expressed experiences of nonverbal communication in the form of cues conveying meaning about their disease and its consequences, often beyond their control. Whether and how the patients reinforced these cues verbally, depended on individual needs, care for others, and evaluations of relationships. Significant others acknowledged the presence of nonverbal cues and tried to interpret their meaning. Both patients and significant others emphasized the importance of nonverbal cues and actively related to how cues in the form of bodily appearance, aids, objects and acts, serve communicative functions about disease and its consequences. These dimensions of nonverbal communication are characterized as: body talk, extension talk and action talk. This study contributes to an international knowledge base on the complexities of nonverbal communicative aspects in these dimensions and how it affects patients and significant others. Professionals should be aware that dimensions of care, such as prescribed aids, from the patients’ perspective can be perceived as nonverbal cues that might “speak of” disease progression.
The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK
Authors: Swaby Emily J. , Coe Angela L. , Ansorge Jörg , Caswell Bryony A. , Hayward Scott A. L. , Mander Luke , Stevens Liadan G. , McArdle Aimee
Published: April 2024

Extreme global warming and environmental changes associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ~183 Mya) profoundly impacted marine organisms and terrestrial plants. Despite the exceptionally elevated abundances of fossil insects from strata of this age, only assemblages from Germany and Luxembourg have been studied in detail. Here, we focus on the insect assemblage found in strata recording the T-OAE at Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK, where <15% of specimens have previously been described. We located all known fossil insects (n = 370) from Alderton Hill, and used these to create the first comprehensive taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the entire assemblage. We show that a diverse palaeoentomofaunal assemblage is preserved, comprising 12 orders, 21 families, 23 genera and 21 species. Fossil disarticulation is consistent with insect decay studies. The number of orders is comparable with present-day assemblages from similar latitudes (30°–40°N), including the Azores, and suggests that the palaeoentomofauna reflects a life assemblage. At Alderton, Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Orthoptera are the commonest (56.1%) orders. The high abundance of Hemiptera (22.1%) and Orthoptera (13.4%) indicates well-vegetated islands, while floral changes related to the T-OAE may be responsible for hemipteran diversification. Predatory insects are relatively abundant (~10% of the total assemblage) and we hypothesise that the co-occurrence of fish and insects within the T-OAE represents a jubilee-like event. The marginally higher proportion of sclerotised taxa compared to present-day insect assemblages possibly indicates adaptation to environmental conditions or taphonomic bias. The coeval palaeoentomofauna from Strawberry Bank, Somerset is less diverse (9 orders, 12 families, 6 genera, 3 species) and is taphonomically biased. The Alderton Hill palaeoentomofauna is interpreted to be the best-preserved and most representative insect assemblage from Toarcian strata in the UK. This study provides an essential first step towards understanding the likely influence of the T-OAE on insects.
Do housing prices affect individual physical health? Evidence from China
Authors: Zhang Rui
Published: April 2024

This study identifies the health effect of rising housing prices on individual physical health using the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data. Exploiting exogenous housing prices, I find that rising housing prices adversely affect physical health status. Heterogeneity analyses yield interesting findings. First, the adverse effects of high housing prices are pronounced in the group owning only one house. Second, significant effects of housing prices on health for the group aged 20 to 45 are observed, with no effects for the elderly group above 45. Third, males are more sensitive to high housing prices due to the intensified competition and traditional gender norm in marriage markets. I also further investigate the channel through which housing prices affect individual physical health. The findings indicate that rising housing prices can damage individual physical health via lowering social status, reducing physical exercise time and increasing mental health risk.
The last giants: New evidence for giant Late Triassic (Rhaetian) ichthyosaurs from the UK
Authors: Lomax Dean R. , de la Salle Paul , Perillo Marcello , Reynolds Justin , Reynolds Ruby , Waldron James F.
Published: April 2024

Giant ichthyosaurs with body length estimates exceeding 20 m were present in the latest Triassic of the UK. Here we report on the discovery of a second surangular from the lower jaw of a giant ichthyosaur from Somerset, UK. The new find is comparable in size and morphology to a specimen from Lilstock, Somerset, described in 2018, but it is more complete and better preserved. Both finds are from the uppermost Triassic Westbury Mudstone Formation (Rhaetian), but the new specimen comes from Blue Anchor, approximately 10 km west along the coast from Lilstock. The more complete surangular would have been >2 m long, from an individual with a body length estimated at ~25 m. The identification of two specimens with the same unique morphology and from the same geologic age and geographic location warrants the erection of a new genus and species, Ichthyotitan severnensis gen. et sp. nov. Thin sections of the new specimen revealed the same histological features already observed in similar giant ichthyosaurian specimens. Our data also supports the previous suggestion of an atypical osteogenesis in the lower jaws of giant ichthyosaurs. The geological age and giant size of the specimens suggest shastasaurid affinities, but the material is too incomplete for a definitive referral. Ichthyotitan severnensis gen. et sp. nov., is the first-named giant ichthyosaur from the Rhaetian and probably represents the largest marine reptile formally described.
Understanding the effects of stress on the P300 response during naturalistic simulation of heights exposure
Authors: Zhu Howe Yuan , Chen Hsiang-Ting , Lin Chin-Teng
Published: April 2024

Stress is a prevalent bodily response universally experienced and significantly affects a person’s mental and cognitive state. The P300 response is a commonly observed brain behaviour that provides insight into a person’s cognitive state. Previous works have documented the effects of stress on the P300 behaviour; however, only a few have explored the performance in a mobile and naturalistic experimental setup. Our study examined the effects of stress on the human brain’s P300 behaviour through a height exposure experiment that incorporates complex visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive stimuli. A more complex sensory environment could produce translatable findings toward real-world behaviour and benefit emerging technologies such as brain-computer interfaces. Seventeen participants experienced our experiment that elicited the stress response through physical and virtual height exposure. We found two unique groups within our participants that exhibited contrasting behavioural performance and P300 target reaction response when exposed to stressors (from walking at heights). One group performed worse when exposed to heights and exhibited a significant decrease in parietal P300 peak amplitude and increased beta and gamma power. On the other hand, the group less affected by stress exhibited a change in their N170 peak amplitude and alpha/mu rhythm desynchronisation. The findings of our study suggest that a more individualised approach to assessing a person’s behaviour performance under stress can aid in understanding P300 performance when experiencing stress.
Affordances for throwing: An uncontrolled manifold analysis
Authors: Bennett Timothy , Thomas Liam , Wilson Andrew D.
Published: April 2024

Movement systems are massively redundant, and there are always multiple movement solutions to any task demand; motor abundance. Movement consequently exhibits ‘repetition without repetition’, where movement outcomes are preserved but the kinematic details of the movement vary across repetitions. The uncontrolled manifold (UCM) concept is one of several methods that analyses movement variability with respect to task goals, to quantify repetition without repetition and test hypotheses about the control architecture producing a given abundant response to a task demand. However, like all these methods, UCM is under-constrained in how it decomposes a task and performance. In this paper, we propose and test a theoretical framework for constraining UCM analysis, specifically the perception of task-dynamical affordances. Participants threw tennis balls to hit a target set at 5m, 10m or 15m, and we performed UCM analysis on the shoulder-elbow-wrist joint angles with respect to variables derived from an affordance analysis of this task as well as more typical biomechanical variables. The affordance-based UCM analysis performed well, although data also showed thrower dynamics (effectivities) need to be accounted for as well. We discuss how the theoretical framework of affordances and affordance-based control can be connected to motor abundance methods in the future.
Short-term forecasting approach of single well production based on multi-intelligent agent hybrid model
Authors: Yan Hua , Liu Ming , Yang Bin , Yang Yang , Ni Hu , Wang Haoyu
Published: April 2024

The short-term prediction of single well production can provide direct data support for timely guiding the optimization and adjustment of oil well production parameters and studying and judging oil well production conditions. In view of the coupling effect of complex factors on the daily output of a single well, a short-term prediction method based on a multi-agent hybrid model is proposed, and a short-term prediction process of single well output is constructed. First, CEEMDAN method is used to decompose and reconstruct the original data set, and the sliding window method is used to compose the data set with the obtained components. Features of components by decomposition are described as feature vectors based on values of fuzzy entropy and autocorrelation coefficient, through which those components are divided into two groups using cluster algorithm for prediction with two sub models. Optimized online sequential extreme learning machine and the deep learning model based on encoder-decoder structure using self-attention are developed as sub models to predict the grouped data, and the final predicted production comes from the sum of prediction values by sub models. The validity of this method for short-term production prediction of single well daily oil production is verified. The statistical value of data deviation and statistical test methods are introduced as the basis for comparative evaluation, and comparative models are used as the reference model to evaluate the prediction effect of the above multi-agent hybrid model. Results indicated that the proposed hybrid model has performed better with MAE value of 0.0935, 0.0694 and 0.0593 in three cases, respectively. By comparison, the short-term prediction method of single well production based on multi-agent hybrid model has considerably improved the statistical value of prediction deviation of selected oil well data in different periods. Through statistical test, the multi-agent hybrid model is superior to the comparative models. Therefore, the short-term prediction method of single well production based on a multi-agent hybrid model can effectively optimize oilfield production parameters and study and judge oil well production conditions.
Sparsified federated learning with differential privacy for intrusion detection in VANETs based on Fisher Information Matrix
Authors: Chen Rui , Chen Xiaoyu , Zhao Jing
Published: April 2024

With the continuous development of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) security, using federated learning (FL) to deploy intrusion detection models in VANET has attracted considerable attention. Compared to conventional centralized learning, FL retains local training private data, thus protecting privacy. However, sensitive information about the training data can still be inferred from the shared model parameters in FL. Differential privacy (DP) is sophisticated technique to mitigate such attacks. A key challenge of implementing DP in FL is that non-selectively adding DP noise can adversely affect model accuracy, while having many perturbed parameters also increases privacy budget consumption and communication costs for detection models. To address this challenge, we propose FFIDS, a FL algorithm integrating model parameter pruning with differential privacy. It employs a parameter pruning technique based on the Fisher Information Matrix to reduce the privacy budget consumption per iteration while ensuring no accuracy loss. Specifically, FFIDS evaluates parameter importance and prunes unimportant parameters to generate compact sub-models, while recording the positions of parameters in each sub-model. This not only reduces model size to lower communication costs, but also maintains accuracy stability. DP noise is then added to the sub-models. By not perturbing unimportant parameters, more budget can be reserved to retain important parameters for more iterations. Finally, the server can promptly recover the sub-models using the parameter position information and complete aggregation. Extensive experiments on two public datasets and two F2MD simulation datasets have validated the utility and superior performance of the FFIDS algorithm.
Has food security in the EU countries worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic? Analysis of physical and economic access to food
Authors: Pawlak Karolina , Malak-Rawlikowska Agata , Hamulczuk Mariusz , Skrzypczyk Marta
Published: April 2024

The aim of the paper is to provide an ex-post assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity in the EU-27 countries expressed by physical and economic food access. We analysed trade and price effects, together with food insecurity and malnutrition indicators. Actual levels of the indicators were compared with their pre-pandemic magnitudes and/or with counterfactual levels derived from predictive models. We also aimed to compare the objective statistics with the subjective consumers’ perception of their households’ food security. Our research indicates that the EU food trade was more resilient to COVID-19 impacts than the trade in non-food products, while food trade decreases were of a temporary nature. This did not affect the trade balance significantly; however, the import reduction threatened the physical food access in most EU countries. Regarding economic food access, the results indicate that the increase in food prices was offset by the increase in disposable income. It may suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect the deterioration of economic access to food in the EU countries. However, the prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population or the proportion of households reporting inability to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish, or a vegetarian equivalent increased in 2020–2021 compared to 2019. This means that the comparative analysis of the real data on prices and households’ income, as well as consumer financial situation and food consumption affordability, does not offer a clear answer concerning the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food security of EU households.
Feasibility and reliability of fetal two dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography at 16 weeks gestational age: A pilot study
Authors: Nichting Thomas J. , van Lier Zoé A. , de Vet Chantelle , van der Ven Myrthe , van der Woude Daisy A. A. , Clur Sally A. , van Oostrum Noortje H. M. , Oei S. Guid , van Laar Judith O. E. H.
Published: April 2024

Background

Fetal two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is an emerging technique for assessing fetal cardiac function by measuring global longitudinal strain. Alterations in global longitudinal strain may serve as early indicator of pregnancy complications, making 2D-STE a potentially valuable tool for early detection. Early detection can facilitate timely interventions to reduce fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing 2D-STE at 16 weeks gestational age.

Methods

This pilot study utilized 50 ultrasound clips of the fetal four-chamber view recorded between 15+5 and 16+2 weeks gestational age from a prospective cohort study. A strict protocol assessed three parameters essential for 2D-STE analysis: fetal four-chamber view ultrasound clip quality, region of interest, and frame rates. Two independent researchers measured global longitudinal strain in all adequate fetal four-chamber view ultrasound clips to determine inter- and intra-operator reliability.

Results

Out of the 50 ultrasound clips, 37 (74%) were feasible for 2D-STE analysis. The inter-operator reliability for global longitudinal strain measurements of the left and right ventricles was moderate (ICC of 0.64 and 0.74, respectively), while the intra-operator reliability was good (ICC of 0.76 and 0.79, respectively).

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that fetal 2D-STE analysis at 16 weeks gestational age is feasible when adhering to a strict protocol. However, further improvements are necessary to enhance the inter- and intra-operator reliability of 2D-STE at this gestational age.
Clinical value of questionnaires & physical tests for patellofemoral pain: Validity, reliability and predictive capacity
Authors: Chamorro-Moriana Gema , Espuny-Ruiz Fernando , Ridao-Fernández Carmen , Magni Eleonora
Published: April 2024

Objectives

To determine the most appropriate method of functional assessment for "patellofemoral pain" (PFP)/“chondromalacia patella” for its diagnostic value, (validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and clinical applicability); to outline initial interpretations of the questionnaires and their appropriateness, through the cut-off points determined in their scores based on physical test and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); to establish which methods should be used in conjunction with each other to obtain clinical diagnoses that are robust effective and efficient.

Methods

(1)Intra- and inter-observer reliability and of the relationship among PFP questionnaires/physical tests validated. (2)Predictive capacity of the questionnaires. Subject: 113 knees with PFP, assessed using “Knee-injury-and-Osteoarthritis Outcome-Score-for-Patellofemoral-pain-and-osteoarthritis” (KOOS-PF), “Kujala-Patellofemoral-Score” (KPS), “Victorian-Institute-of-Sports-Assessment-for-Patellar-tendons-questionnaire” (VISA-P), and the physical tests: “patellar-palpation”, “patellar-tilt”, “patellar-apprehension”, “Clarke” and “squat”.

Results

Questionnaires correlations themselves was 0.78<r<0.86. Tests intra-rater reliability was “excellent”. Squat inter-rater reliability was “excellent”/“good”. Palpation, tilt, Clarke and squat showed a statistically significant relationship (p<0.05) with all questionnaires/specific items. AUC of the questionnaires showed a "useful" accuracy, except for Tilt. No statistically significant differences were found between grades 0 and 1 chondromalacia (by MRI) knee scores, but between 1 and ≥2. AUC of the questionnaires showed "useful" accuracy.

Conclusions

KOOS-PF, KPS and VISA-P demonstrated their diagnostic value in PFP/chondromalacia (validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and clinical applicability). KOOS-PF was the most versatile, and the most appropriate in mild cases and for early detection and prevention. Squat was the best due to its reliability and clinical relationship with the questionnaires, which predicted it correctly. The functional assessment tools discussed should be applied by combining them with each other.
The outside is already inside
Authors: Sames Lucy A.
Published: April 2024

This editorial details the contributions to this second Special Issue of Journal of Writing in Creative Practice to emerge from the Ways of Writing in Art and Design (WoW) research network, which sits within the Visual Culture Research Group at the University of the West of England, Bristol (https://vcrg.co.uk/). This second Special Issue is divided into two halves - issues 16.2 and 17.1.
#Transcript4GriefTense
Authors: Craven-Jones Annabelle
Published: April 2024

This text engages a performative method of writing in the form of speculative transcripting. Operating mutually between practice/research, writing is proposed as ingestion and metabolic processing: one that negotiates a perceived paradoxical condition of transmission.

Interlocutors (fictionalized, human and non-human) transmit to ‘you’, a user, across contemporary dimensions and materialities of transmission (physical, virtual, online). This aims to offer productive openings that take us beyond the binaries of writing/making, practice/theory, image/text and their constituent material–immaterial conditions. Conducted through a speculative grief tense, it is both witness and enactment of the realtime materiality of online searches, image captures, data transmissions and word processing comments facility. The following embodied writing techniques are reformulated here to encompass a somatic estrangement: J. L. Austin’s theory of performative utterances, ficto-criticism utilized by authors Kraus, Nelson and Barthes, along with Sedgwick’s development of reparative reading. This emergent process identifies online forms of transmission (broadcasting, publishing, data) as a new paradigm in the reception, production and distribution of art/ expanded (self)publishing.
Produção de pimenta-do-reino (Piper nigrum) e territorialidades camponesas na comunidade Dom Ângelo Frozi - Bujaru - PA
Authors: Leão João Victor Rocha , Macedo Cátia Oliveira
Published: April 2024

A pesquisa busca compreender a importância da cultura da pimenta-do-reino para a territorialização do campesinato no município de Bujaru - PA. Nos caminhos da Rodovia PA-140, a paisagem reflete a expansão do capitalismo na região, expressa a partir das fazendas que ocupam grandes extensões de terra com seu uso destinado predominantemente à criação de gado. Ao longo da rodovia, multiplicam-se comunidades rurais, a exemplo de Dom Ângelo Frozi. Tal cenário possibilita reflexões centradas na territorialização camponesa local. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa com uso do trabalho de campo e de entrevistas estruturadas e semiestruturadas. Verifica-se assim que a produção da pimenta-do-reino, introduzida nessa região por colonos japoneses, ocorre aliada às demais culturas presentes na comunidade, promovendo seu reflexo na territorialização camponesa ao longo da rodovia, ampliando a renda e permitindo maior autonomia a esse campesinato.
Espacialização do crédito rural captado pela agricultura familiar: governos Temer e Bolsonaro
Authors: Leite Gonçalves Thiago
Published: April 2024

O objetivo deste trabalho é mapear os recursos financeiros dos programas públicos de crédito aplicados à agricultura familiar entre janeiro de 2015 e junho de 2022. Para melhor comparação, o período foi dividido em dois blocos de quatro anos, correspondentes aos mandatos presidenciais. A hipótese determinada é de que houve um favorecimento regional em grande volume de recursos empregados, o que agrava a disparidade regional já existente entre os agricultores familiares. Foram utilizados dados do Banco Central e do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) para a construção da base a ser investigada. Os mapas foram elaborados por meio dos softwares Philcarto e Inkscape 2.0. Foram analisados dados sobre números e valores de contratos referentes às modalidades de custeio e investimento do Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar (PRONAF) e outras linhas de crédito rural com participação da agricultura familiar. Os resultados do mapeamento indicam que houve uma captação majoritária por municípios da região Centro-Oeste, do estado do Tocantins, do centro-sul do Pará, sul do Piauí, sul do Maranhão, oeste da Bahia, centro-oeste de Minas Gerais, centro-norte de Roraima, sul e leste do Amazonas, sul do Acre, centro de Santa Catarina e sul do Rio Grande do Sul.
Maranhão em face aos conflitos agrários: uma cartografia dos conflitos por terra (2001-2020)
Authors: Nascimento Jaine de Cássia do , Sodré Ronaldo Barros , Sobreiro Filho José , Mattos Junior Jose Sampaio de
Published: April 2024

Os conflitos por terra ainda persistem como parte da questão agrária brasileira. As questões estruturais somadas a novos elementos do capital têm resultado em novas dinâmicas e conflitos territoriais. Neste artigo analisamos a problemática dos conflitos por terra no estado do Maranhão entre os anos de 2001 e 2020, a partir de dados da Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), realizamos um extenso levantamento e espacialização das informações obtidas. Observamos que no recorte temporal analisado o estado maranhense liderou o ranking dentre as unidades federativas com os maiores números de conflitos por terra. Envolvendo uma grande quantidade de famílias, esses conflitos possuem relação direta com o modelo de desenvolvimento que tem atuado no campo brasileiro.
Fontes e consumo de energia nas unidades familiares rurais do Alto Jequitinhonha
Authors: Correia Patricia Oliveira , Ribeiro Eduardo Magalhães , Ribeiro Ana Pimenta , Lima Vico Mendes Pereira
Published: April 2024

Energia é fundamental na produção de alimentos. Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar o uso da energia na agricultura familiar do Alto Jequitinhonha, Nordeste de Minas Gerais. O artigo, primeiro, revisa a literatura sobre técnicas agrícolas e consumo de energia, destacando as peculiaridades da agricultura tradicional. Em seguida apresenta a metodologia do estudo, que decompôs a unidade familiar em subsistemas, identificou nestes os insumos e produtos derivados, convertendo-os em unidades padronizadas de quilocaloria. Por fim, apresenta resultados, mostrando que nessas unidades familiares circulam recursos ecológicos locais e exógenos, entrando energia sob a forma de serviços, equipamentos e insumos, adquiridos através de compras, subsídios ou trocas comunitárias. O artigo constata que a partir das primeiras décadas do século XXI os agricultores combinam fontes energéticas locais com outras externas, de origem biológica e/ou industrial, e usam aportes monetários para compensar o excessivo consumo, muito relacionado a estrangulamentos produtivos - em geral derivados das secas prolongadas. O balanço energético das unidades é deficitário, tornando receitas vindas de vendas e transferências públicas fundamentais para manter os fluxos em atividade.