bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Rudimentary Motif in Greek Epic (Pylos Combat Agate and the Iliad 3. 369–376)
Authors:   Institute for Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazansky Nikolai N. ,   St. Petersburg State University
Published: February 2023

In 2015, Jack Davis and Sharon Stocker, while excavating the so-called “Tomb of a warrior with a griffin”, discovered an agate seal with an extraordinarily detailed depiction of a combat scene. It shows a warrior armed with a sword only, bending over his adversary’s shield, grabbing him by the crest of his helmet and using it as leverage to render him absolutely powerless. The article studies the image on the Pylos combat agate as a reflection of an early epic narrative. It is shown that the account of the combat between Menelaus and Paris in the Iliad (3. 369–376) is an elaboration on a traditional epic narrative that was preserved in the text of the Iliad as a rudimentary motif (following Th. Zelinsky’s terminology). The comparison of this narrative with the Pylos combat agate allows us to comment the Homeric episode in a new way, insofar as it preserves the description of the type of helmet that was in use in the 16th–15th centuries BCE. This helmet would have permitted the adversary to turn the helmeted warrior’s head in the way that is depicted on the Pylos combat agate. It is noteworthy that the Homeric account begins with “were it not for…”, negating the version of events that was the basis of the earlier epic narrative. As a result, we are able to reconstruct several fragments of the heroic epos going back to early Mycenaean times, unsurprisingly connected (as already surmised by Ruijgh) with Peloponnesus of the 17th–15th centuries BCE.
Evolution of the labour law paradigm and factors mediated
Authors:   Ural State Law University named after V. F. Yakovlev, Ivanchina Yulia V.
Published: February 2023

Based on the paradigm approach by T. Kuhn, the author analyzes the evolution of the labor law paradigm. The necessity of identifying the factors influencing the formation of the paradigm and its development is shown. Two factors influencing the paradigm process are singled out. The timeless factor is socially significant needs, which process of satisfaction requires legal regulation. The temporal factor is the type of society and economy, which determines the production of goods, characterized by transformations of employment of wage labor, a change in the role of an individual in the production process, and the impact on the volumes and methods of satisfying needs. These factors are coherent, are in constant relationship. The article highlights the stages of evolution of the labor law paradigm. The first stage is pre-paradigm. In Russia, it lasts from the moment of the emergence of a free labor force and the foundations of its legal regulation until the separation of labor law. This is the period of initial accumulation of scientific knowledge about labor law, which ended with the appearance of the book by L.S. Tal on the employment contract, which formed the basis of the labor law paradigm. The next stage is “normal science”, when all scientific research is based on achievements already recognized by the scientists - on the doctrine of the employment contract and the employment relationship. Currently the paradigm is in crisis. The approaches formed earlier do not correspond to the time, since the paradigm was formed within the framework of the industrial type of society and economy, and now there is a transition to the information type. It is concluded that labor law is on the verge of a scientific revolution, which should lead to a paradigm shift.
Regulation of the work of remote workers: Analysis of judicial practice
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Kuzmenko Alexander V. , Startsev Nicolay N. ,   St. Petersburg State University, Filippova Marina V. ,   St. Petersburg State University
Published: February 2023

The article is based on the materials of the monitoring of judicial practice. As part of the monitoring, judicial acts of cassation instances in the field of implementation of legislation on the labour of remote workers were analyzed. The problems that most often become the cause of disputes are identified. During the analysis of disputes on the recognition of an employment contract concluded by the parties as a contract on remote work, it was found that the courts attach decisive importance to the actual conditions of employment, rather than the formal consolidation of the relevant conditions in the text of the contract. The problem of assessing the legality of interaction between the parties to an employment contract is also significant, which is determined by the specifics of such interaction, which in most cases involves the active use of telecommunications, information systems, and appropriate technical means. The problem of distinguishing the performance of remote work under an employment contract from the performance of obligations under civil law contracts seems to be relevant. In such cases, there is a contradictory practice based on different interpretations and assessments of factual circumstances. The complexity of the problem in relation to remote work is further aggravated by the fact that the very nature of remote work “blurs” some stable criteria for distinguishing labour and civil contracts (employer authority, employer control, etc.). The authors come to the conclusion that the existing problems of the practice of applying the norms on remote work are mostly generated not by defects in the legislation itself, but are associated either with individual shortcomings of a specific law enforcement process, or with general problems of the theory of labour law. In this regard, it seems most appropriate to generalize law enforcement practice on this issue and consolidate it at the level of a review of judicial practice or a resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
Community, Authority, Power: Three times epistemic, but what fits the International Labour Organisation?
Authors:   Warsaw University, ter Haar Beryl
Published: February 2023

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a well-known standard setting organization in the world of work. With its standards the ILO has created an epistemic community for labour law and social security law. Central to this paper though is the question whether the ILO is also an epistemic authority or even an epistemic power. To assess this, the main activities of the ILO are described in this paper. The descriptions are made against the background of the idea of discursive diffusion, which could be typified as governance technique to influence the policies or behaviour of the members of an epistemic community. In the conclusion it is argued that the ILO can definitely be qualified as an epistemic authority, and even holds some traces of epistemic power. However, most of the activities that could make up for the ILO’s epistemic power are executed in the ILO’s field offices. We know not enough about the modus operandi in those field offices, therefore further, preferably qualitative empirical research would be needed.
Leakage detection in water distribution networks using machine-learning strategies
Authors: Sousa Diego Perdigão , Du Rong , Mairton Barros da Silva Jr José , Cavalcante Charles Casimiro , Fischione Carlo
Published: February 2023

This work proposes a reliable leakage detection methodology for water distribution networks (WDNs) using machine-learning strategies. Our solution aims at detecting leakage in WDNs using efficient machine-learning strategies. We analyze pressure measurements from pumps in district metered areas (DMAs) in Stockholm, Sweden, where we consider a residential DMA of the water distribution network. Our proposed methodology uses learning strategies from unsupervised learning (K-means and cluster validation techniques), and supervised learning (learning vector quantization algorithms). The learning strategies we propose have low complexity, and the numerical experiments show the potential of using machine-learning strategies in leakage detection for monitored WDNs. Specifically, our experiments show that the proposed learning strategies are able to obtain correct classification rates up to 93.98%.
The Recent Developments of ADCs with the Tubulysins as the Payloads
Authors: Xiangrong Xu , Yao Lei , Yao Angela
Published: February 2023

As a novel bio-targeting antitumor agent, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) combines the
high selectivity of monoclonal antibody and potent cytotoxicity of drug or payload. It can expand the
scope of clinical application of small molecule drugs. Tubulysin and its bio-precursor pretubulysin
(PT) are potent tubulin-binding antitumor drugs. Due to the excellent antitumoral, antimetastatic, antiangiogenic,
and anti-multidrug resistance properties, Tubulysins or PT is believed to be a promising
cancer therapeutic approach. Currently, the modifications of tubulysin are centering on the C-11 acetoxyl
and N,O-acetal groups, and numerous promising payloads are identified. There are at least 5
sites to introduce appropriate drug linkers in tubulysin and PT for connecting the antibodies. The possible
sites of attachment are located in Mep, Tuv, or Tup parts. Cleavage and non-cleavage linkers are
used in these ADCs. The chemical reactions involved in the final conjugation of antibody and linkerpayload
(LP) are cysteine, lysine, site-specific, and click chemistry reactions. In this article, the recent
development of ADCs with tubulysins as the payloads is reviewed, with the hope of providing a
reference and future strategies for developing new ADSs.
More trees with your coffee? Diversity and habitat associations of terrestrial medium- and large-sized mammals in shade-grown coffee plantations of the highlands of Guatemala
Authors: Escobar-Anleu Bárbara Isabela , Soto-Shoender José Roberto , Rivas-Romero Javier Antípatro , Montes Nancy
Published: February 2023

Agricultural practices can have detrimental impacts on biodiversity, but some studies have shown the benefits of agroforestry practices like shade-grown coffee to bird communities and, to a lesser extent, to mammal communities. To better understand whether shade-grown coffee plantations can contribute to the conservation of mammal communities, we deployed camera traps in private reserves with a matrix of shade-grown coffee plantations and forest in the highlands of Guatemala. At each reserve we estimated species richness of terrestrial medium- and large-sized mammals. We also estimated mammal relative abundance and occupancy probabilities as proxies for mammalian habitat associations and evaluated how these were affected by key landscape features (e.g., land-use type, asphalt roads, and distance to protected areas). We used hierarchical multi-species Bayesian abundance models that account for imperfect detection to estimate our parameters of interest and model the influence of landscape features on site-level species richness and species relative abundance. We detected 14 species across all reserves and found a strong influence of land use and presence of asphalt roads on mammalian relative abundances and species richness. More species used areas around the camera traps in forest than in shade-grown coffee plantations and far from asphalt roads. Our study shows that reserves with shade-grown coffee plantations can harbor terrestrial mammalian communities of conservation interest. Our results also suggest that to maintain mammalian diversity and abundances in our study area, shade-grown coffee crops should be mixed in with natural forests and the presence of asphalt roads within these should be avoided or minimized.
Improving response rates and representativity in the CPI medical care index
Authors: Bieler John , Church Jonathan D. , Khatchadourian Kelley W. , Parker Brian T. , Wang Daniel
Published: February 2023

Respondents’ low response rates that affect not only sample size but also sample composition have emerged as a central challenge in measuring consumer price change for medical care. In the case of medical care, insufficient responses from respondents have made getting an accurate mix of prices by payer type (self-pay, insurance, Medicare Part B) more difficult. This article summarizes recent methodological improvements to the medical care index that address a decline in response rates over the last two decades and an overrepresentation of self-pay price quotes.
Hydrological Effects of Spatial Harvest Patterns in a Small Catchment Covered by Fast-Growing Plantations in the Neotropics
Authors: Garcia Lara Gabrielle , Salemi Luiz Felippe , Mingoti Rafael , Cassiano Carla Cristina , Fransozi Aline Aparecida , Faria Vinicius Guidotti de , Vettorazzi Carlos Alberto , Lima Walter Paula , Ferraz Silvio Frosini de Barros
Published: February 2023

Eucalyptus forests are expanding worldwide and concerns exist about their impact on water resources. There is a lack of information about the hydrological effects of spatial harvest patterns in terms of their effects on streamflow. In this paper, we examined harvest amount and hillslope position effects on flow indices (Q70; Q50 and Q10) and water yield in a small catchment covered with a fast-growing Eucalyptus plantation. To do that, we used the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA), a physical-based distributed hydrological model, to simulate harvesting scenarios with different harvest amounts (30% and 70% of the forest plantation) at two hillslope positions (downslope and upslope). We also verified the influence of the amount of rainfall on peak flows for all scenarios. The results showed that the increase in water yield is positively related to the harvest amount and that, under the same harvest amount, harvests in downslope areas caused a larger increase in water yield than harvests in upslope areas. Downslope harvests led to a greater increase in peak flow under the 30% harvest. For the 70% harvest, no substantial effects of harvest position on peak flow could be detected. Incorporating harvest amounts and spatial patterns in Eucalyptus plantations management practices may be useful to mitigate their effects on water resources, especially in regions where water availability is generally lower.
The Influence of a Wearable-Based Reward Program on Health Care Costs: Retrospective, Propensity Score–Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Zaleski Amanda , Sigler Brittany , Leggitt Alan , Choudhary Shruti , Berns Ryan , Rhee Kyu , Schwarzwald Heidi
Published: February 2023

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) technology holds great promise as an easily accessible and effective solution to improve population health at scale. Despite the abundance of mHealth offerings, only a minority are grounded in evidence-based practice, whereas even fewer have line of sight into population-level health care spending, limiting the clinical utility of such tools.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the influence of a health plan–sponsored, wearable-based, and reward-driven digital health intervention (DHI) on health care spending over 1 year. The DHI was delivered through a smartphone-based mHealth app available only to members of a large commercial health plan and leveraged a combination of behavioral economics, user-generated sensor data from the connected wearable device, and claims history to create personalized, evidence-based recommendations for each user.

Methods

This study deployed a propensity score–matched, 2-group, and pre-post observational design. Adults (≥18 years of age) enrolled in a large, national commercial health plan and self-enlisted in the DHI for ≥7 months were allocated to the intervention group (n=56,816). Members who were eligible for the DHI but did not enlist were propensity score–matched to the comparison group (n=56,816). Average (and relative change from baseline) medical and pharmacy spending per user per month was computed for each member of the intervention and comparison groups during the pre- (ie, 12 months) and postenlistment (ie, 7-12 months) periods using claims data.

Results

Baseline characteristics and medical spending were similar between groups (P=.89). On average, the total included sample population (N=113,632) consisted of young to middle-age (mean age 38.81 years), mostly White (n=55,562, 48.90%), male (n=46,731, 41.12%) and female (n=66,482, 58.51%) participants. Compared to a propensity score–matched cohort, DHI users demonstrated approximately US $10 per user per month lower average medical spending (P=.02) with a concomitant increase in preventive care activities and decrease in nonemergent emergency department admissions. These savings translated to approximately US $6.8 million in avoidable health care costs over the course of 1 year.

Conclusions

This employer-sponsored, digital health engagement program has a high likelihood for return on investment within 1 year owing to clinically meaningful changes in health-seeking behaviors and downstream medical cost savings. Future research should aim to elucidate health behavior–related mechanisms in support of these findings and continue to explore novel strategies to ensure equitable access of DHIs to underserved populations that stand to benefit the most.
Visibility of Board-Certified Dermatologists on TikTok (Preprint)
Authors: Subramanyam Chaitra , Becker Alyssa , Rizzo Julianne , Afzal Najiba , Nong Yvonne , Sivamani Raja
Published: February 2023

UNSTRUCTURED

Tik Tok is an emerging social media platform that provides a novel opportunity for health practitioners such as dermatologists to disseminate accurate health information.
Designing a Collaborative Patient-Centered Digital Health Platform for Pediatric Diabetes Care in British Columbia: Formative Needs Assessment by Caregivers of Children and Youths Living With Type 1 Diabetes and Health Care Providers (Preprint)
Authors: Abdulhussein Fatema S , Pinkney Susan , Görges Matthias , van Rooij Tibor , Amed Shazhan
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND

Digital health apps are becoming increasingly available for people living with diabetes, yet data silos continue to exist. This requires health care providers (HCPs) and patients to use multiple digital platforms to access health data.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we gathered the perspectives of caregivers of children and youths living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and pediatric diabetes HCPs in the user-centered design of TrustSphere, a secure, single-point-of-access, integrative digital health platform.

METHODS

We distributed web-based surveys to caregivers of children and youths living with T1D and pediatric diabetes HCPs in British Columbia, Canada. Surveys were designed using ordinal scales and had free-text questions. Survey items assessed key challenges, perceptions about digital trust and security, and potential desirable features for a digital diabetes platform.

RESULTS

Similar challenges were identified between caregivers of children and youths living with T1D (n=99) and HCPs (n=49), including access to mental health support, integration of diabetes technology and device data, and the ability to collaborate on care plans with their diabetes team. Caregivers and HCPs identified potential features that directly addressed their challenges, such as more accessible diabetes data and diabetes care plans. Caregivers had more trust in sharing their child’s data digitally than HCPs. Most caregivers and HCPs stated that an integrative platform for T1D would support collaborative patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

Caregiver and HCP perspectives gathered in this study will inform the early prototype of an integrative digital health platform. This prototype will be presented and iterated upon through a series of usability testing sessions with caregivers and HCPs to ensure the platform meets end users’ needs.
Architectural Design of a Blockchain-Enabled, Federated Learning Platform for Algorithmic Fairness in Predictive Health Care: Design Science Study (Preprint)
Authors: Liang Xueping , Zhao Juan , Chen Yan , Bandara Eranga , Shetty Sachin
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND

Developing effective and generalizable predictive models is critical for disease prediction and clinical decision-making, often requiring diverse samples to mitigate population bias and address algorithmic fairness. However, a major challenge is to retrieve learning models across multiple institutions without bringing in local biases and inequity, while preserving individual patients’ privacy at each site.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to understand the issues of bias and fairness in the machine learning process used in the predictive health care domain. We proposed a software architecture that integrates federated learning and blockchain to improve fairness, while maintaining acceptable prediction accuracy and minimizing overhead costs.

METHODS

We improved existing federated learning platforms by integrating blockchain through an iterative design approach. We used the design science research method, which involves 2 design cycles (federated learning for bias mitigation and decentralized architecture). The design involves a bias-mitigation process within the blockchain-empowered federated learning framework based on a novel architecture. Under this architecture, multiple medical institutions can jointly train predictive models using their privacy-protected data effectively and efficiently and ultimately achieve fairness in decision-making in the health care domain.

RESULTS

We designed and implemented our solution using the Aplos smart contract, microservices, Rahasak blockchain, and Apache Cassandra–based distributed storage. By conducting 20,000 local model training iterations and 1000 federated model training iterations across 5 simulated medical centers as peers in the Rahasak blockchain network, we demonstrated how our solution with an improved fairness mechanism can enhance the accuracy of predictive diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identified the technical challenges of prediction biases faced by existing predictive models in the health care domain. To overcome these challenges, we presented an innovative design solution using federated learning and blockchain, along with the adoption of a unique distributed architecture for a fairness-aware system. We have illustrated how this design can address privacy, security, prediction accuracy, and scalability challenges, ultimately improving fairness and equity in the predictive health care domain.
Handling of Human Trafficking in the Modern Era in Indonesia
Authors: Fitri Difta Anggraeni Syawal Li Idul , Salahuddin Salahuddin , Syamsulrizal Syamsulrizal , Zahidi M. Syaprin
Published: February 2023

This article aims to analyze, namely by describing and participating in how to handle human traffic in the modern era that is happening today. The research method used in this research is a systematic literature review (SLR), where the articles are analyzed using 161 scientific articles sourced from previous articles. The purpose of this method is to look for a problem on the issue being studied. This study tries to examine a country's efforts to eradicate human trafficking. In this study, how to deal with trafficking cases that occur, because of the rise of developing technology, which has led to increasing cases of human trafficking. In the modern era, what can be done is to form a community or team to search for or monitor human trafficking activities on social media. In addition, the need for awareness of the surrounding environment also raises awareness of human trafficking. With collaborative efforts with NGO institutions such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) we hope to minimize cases of human trafficking that occur in Indonesia.
Atropellamientos de vertebrados en la carretera federal 2, tramo Ímuris - Agua Prieta, Sonora, México
Authors: Gabutti Jose Miguel , Aguilar-Morales Cecilia , Ponce de León Aldaco Armando , Manteca-Rodríguez Mirna
Published: February 2023

Los impactos de las carreteras en los ecosistemas mexicanos son variados. Uno de ellos, es la mortalidad de fauna silvestre por atropellamientos. En el presente trabajo, se informa acerca del atropellamiento de fauna en Sonora, con énfasis en Erethizon dorsatum, especie clasificada con categoría de riesgo dentro de la NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. Realizar trabajos de este tipo nos ayuda a conocer qué especies son afectadas por las carreteras, y cuáles son las medidas obligatorias que se deben de establecer para mitigar y compensar la fragmentación que estas generan.
Actividad nocturna de Artibeus planirostris y A. lituratus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), durante dos fases lunares en una localidad de los Andes Venezolanos
Authors: Hoyos-Díaz José M. , Muñoz-Romo Mariana
Published: February 2023

El estudio de la fase activa de los animales permite describir sus patrones de actividad. Se ha propuesto que las diferencias entre estos patrones posibilitan la coexistencia de especies ecológicamente similares, al reducir la competencia. La luz lunar ha sido postulada como uno de los factores ambientales que afecta los patrones de actividad en organismos nocturnos. La actividad de los murciélagos frugívoros Artibeus planirostris y A. lituratus fue estudiada a través de capturas durante periodos de luminosidad lunar contrastantes, en un parche de bosque secundario en Mérida, Venezuela. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar si la actividad nocturna es afectada por la luz lunar al describir y comparar el patrón de actividad de estas especies. Al ser especies ecológicamente similares, se podría esperar patrones de actividad distintos que posibilitarían su coexistencia. No se encontraron diferencias en la actividad de los murciélagos, y en general se capturaron individuos de ambas especies durante toda la noche. Sin embargo, es notable que en noches oscuras (luna nueva), A. planirostris tienda a ser más activo antes de medianoche y A. lituratus después de medianoche. La actividad estaría afectada por la luz lunar, ya que: (1) fueron capturados más individuos en noches oscuras que en noches luminosas y (2) esta actividad se inició una hora más tarde al anochecer y se restringió hasta la medianoche durante luna llena. Nuestras observaciones sugieren que, en las condiciones estudiadas, especies con perfiles ecológicos similares tienden a diferir en sus patrones de actividad, pero es indispensable estudiar detalladamente sus dietas para concluir sobre mecanismos particulares de disminución de competencia.
“There really is a lot of shared understanding, but there are also differences”: identity configurations in science communicators' professional identity
Authors: Fischer Liliann , Schmid-Petri Hannah
Published: February 2023

Science communication is a relatively new field of practice, shaped by a diverse group of professional science communicators and the way they make sense of their work. A distinguishing feature of these professional science communicators is the organisational context they work in. Based on a typology from an organisational theory framework, this study explores the perspectives of 15 German science communicators through qualitative interviews. It seems that while they tend to draw on a common set of building blocks, they use them to construct individual professional identity configurations partly influenced by their organisational context.
Classifying phases protected by matrix product operator symmetries using matrix product states
Authors: Garre-Rubio José , Lootens Laurens , Molnár András
Published: February 2023

We classify the different ways in which matrix product states (MPSs) can stay invariant under the action of matrix product operator (MPO) symmetries. This is achieved through a local characterization of how the MPSs, that generate a ground space, remain invariant under a global MPO symmetry. This characterization yields a set of quantities satisfying the coupled pentagon equations, associated with a module category over the fusion category that describes the MPO symmetry. Equivalence classes of these quantities provide complete invariants for an MPO symmetry protected phase: they are robust under continuous deformations of the MPS tensor, and two phases with the same equivalence class can be connected by a symmetric gapped path. Our techniques match and extend the known renormalization fixed point classifications and facilitate the numerical study of these systems. For MPO symmetries described by a group, we recover the symmetry protected topological order classification for unique and degenerate ground states. Moreover, we study the interplay between time reversal symmetry and an MPO symmetry and we also provide examples of our classification, together with explicit constructions based on groups. Finally, we elaborate on the connection between our setup and gapped boundaries of two-dimensional topological systems, where MPO symmetries also play a key role.
KEDUDUKAN HUKUM TUKAR MENUKAR TANAH ASET DESA BAGI KEPENTINGAN STRATEGIS NASIONAL
Authors: Wahyudi Wahyudi
Published: February 2023

Pembangunan merupakan salah satu pondasi meningkatkan perekonomian bangsa, pembangunan sumber daya manusia dan juga pembangunan infrastruktur penunjangnya. Pemerintah telah menetapkan Rencana Jangka Menengah Nasional 2020-2024 yang memuat proyek prioritas strategis untuk membukan kawasan industri baru diluar pulau jawa. Pembangunan kawasan industri baru merupakan kepentingan strategis nasional demi pemerataan pembangunan diseluruh wilayah Indonesia. Ketersediaan lahan yang sesuai standar minimal menjadi salah satu kendala yang dihadapi pemerintah. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini dengan pendekatan yuridis normatif dan spesifikasi penelitian yang digunakan bersifat deskriptif analitis. Hasil penelitian menggambarkan bahwa pembangunan kawasan industri sebagai kepentingan strategis nasional harus disesuaikan berdasarkan rencana tata ruang dan wilayah dan dapat menggunakan aset desa berupa tanah melalui ruislag atau tukar menukar. Tukar menukar tanah aset desa dengan tujuan bukan untuk kepentingan umum yaitu pembangunan kawsan industri. Untuk kepentingan strategis nasional pengadaan lahan pembangunan kawasan industri melalui tukar menukar atau ruislag tanah aset desa diperlukan persetujuan Bupati/Walikota dan Gubernur serta memperoleh ijin tertulis dari Kementerian Dalam Negeri.
Audio-Visual Podcast, Foro No.1
Authors: Yamil Hasbun Chavarría  , Pamela Jiménez Jiménez
Published: February 2023

This three-part Audio-Visual Podcast (in Spanish) gathers a series of discussions between the leading researchers of the first intermittent forum (or Foro No.1) as a result of the various experiences gathered in that activity. Participants are Dr. Adriana Raggi and Lic. María Sánchez from UNAM (México); and Dr. Yamil Hasbun and M.A. Pamela Jimenez from UNA (Costa Rica) whom also lead the Nodos Activos project team.

The Audio-Visual Podcast is presented in three separate blocks, each one starting with a table of content summarizing what is being discussed in each segment.
Determinación de mercurio divalente en proteínas cárnicas que constituyen la dieta de los pobladores de 12 localidades en un municipio minero de la subregión del Bajo Cauca, Antioquia
Authors: Cadavid-Muñoz Natalia , González-Álvarez Dubán , Cabrera-Jaramillo Azucena , Arango-Ruiz Álvaro , Soto-Ospina Alejandro
Published: February 2023

Las regiones en donde se presenta la minería aluvial de manera informal implican elevados niveles de mercurio en el entorno y, a su vez, graves afectaciones en la salud pública. El mercurio divalente se encuentra en solución acuosa en ríos y lagos, por tanto, las altas concentraciones de mercurio en los peces se deben a la cantidad de reacciones que se pueden generar en el entorno, por el contrario, para animales terrestres se relaciona directamente en el consumo de alimentos contaminados. Objetivo: evaluar la contaminación por mercurio en su forma divalente (Hg2+) en muestras de pescado, cerdo y pollo de la región minera del municipio El Bagre, Antioquia. Metodología: Se recolectaron muestras de cerdo, pollo y pescado en doce sitios rurales de El Bagre, Antioquia. La cuantificación del mercurio divalente (Hg2+) se realizó a través de un cromatógrafo de gases Trace 1300 acoplado a un espectrómetro de masas Thermo Fisher TSQ 8000 de triple cuadrupolo (GC-MS). Resultados: se encontraron diferencias en términos estadísticos en la concentración de mercurio divalente en matrices de proteína y la localidad. La proteína de cerdo no mostró resultados significativos. En cuanto a la matriz pollo se encontró la mayor concentración (288,63±1004,3 μg/g) y variabilidad (CV: 347,95%). En la matriz pescado se encontró la mayor concentración promedio en 5,037 μg/g y la menor en 0,702 μg/g, es decir que la concentración de mercurio divalente en pollo es mucho mayor en comparación con la encontrada en pescado. No obstante, el comportamiento no es generalizado en todas las localidades. Conclusión: en las matrices proteicas se encontraron concentraciones elevadas de mercurio divalente que se relaciona con la localidad de la muestra, pues existe la presencia de minería ilegal. Además, se evidencia un riesgo latente en el ámbito de la toxicología de los seres vivos.
Towards The Ultimate Brain: Exploring Scientific Discovery with ChatGPT AI
Authors: Adesso Gerardo
Published: February 2023

This paper presents a novel approach to scientific discovery using an
artificial intelligence (AI) environment known as ChatGPT, developed by
OpenAI. This is the first paper entirely generated with outputs from
ChatGPT. We demonstrate how ChatGPT can be instructed through a
gamification environment to define and benchmark hypothetical physical
theories. Through this environment, ChatGPT successfully simulates the
creation of a new improved model, called GPT, which
combines the concepts of GPT in AI (generative pretrained transformer)
and GPT in physics (generalized probabilistic theory). We show that
GPT can use its built-in mathematical and statistical
capabilities to simulate and analyze physical laws and phenomena. As a
demonstration of its language capabilities, GPT also
generates a limerick about itself. Overall, our results demonstrate the
promising potential for human-AI collaboration in scientific discovery,
as well as the importance of designing systems that effectively
integrate AI’s capabilities with human intelligence.
RNN-FL-based Channel Estimation Approach in mmWave Massive MIMO Systems
Authors: Abouei Jamshid , Shahabodini Sajjad , Mansoori Mobina , Plataniotis Konstantinos N.
Published: February 2023

So far, various data-driven approaches have been presented to obtain
channel state information (CSI) in mmWave multiple-input-multiple-output
(MIMO) wireless networks. In almost all previous works, training and
testing channels were assumed to have the same distribution, which may
not be the case in practice. In this paper, we address this challenge,
by proposing a learning framework that is a combination of a long
short-term memory (LSTM) network and a deep neural network (DNN) for
estimating CSI in a dynamic wireless communication environment.
Furthermore, we use federated learning (FL) to train the learning-based
channel estimation (CE) model. More specifically, we introduce a
two-stage downlink pilot transmission procedure, where in the initial
stage, long frame length downlink pilot signals are used to train the
introduced RNN-DNN model. Following that, users will receive
shorter-frame-length pilot signals that can be used for CSI estimation.
To speed up the training procedure of the proposed network, we first
generate a pre-trained model and then modify it according to the
collected data samples. Simulation results demonstrate that, when the
channel distribution is unavailable, the proposed approach performs
significantly better than the most recent channel estimation algorithms
in terms of estimation performance and computational complexity.
Gradient Doping in Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 by Temperature and Potential Induced Defect Steering
Authors: Jimenez-Arguijo Alex , Cano Ivan , Atlan Fabien , Gong Yuancai , Tiwari Kunal J. , Placidi Marcel , Puigdollers Joaquin , Li-Kao Zacharie Jehl , Saucedo Edgardo , Giraldo Sergio
Published: February 2023

Kesterite materials are among the most promising emerging photovoltaic
absorbers, despite the number of challenging issues this technology
presents. The use of soft thermal post-deposition treatments (PDT) is
key to improving the CdS/kesterite interface quality. Thermal treatments
can result in a low-temperature phase transition which affects the
optoelectronic properties. In this work, the effects of applied voltage
during a full device thermal PDT above the critical temperature of the
phase transition are explored. The applied voltage modifies the
formation energy and drives in-depth migration of ionized defects, which
can generate a shallow doping density gradient (SDDG). Supporting the
experimental findings, the effects of an SDDG on the current-voltage
curves and the external quantum efficiency are modelled using
drift-diffusion calculations. The presence of bulk recombination centers
in the modelling is a key aspect to precisely reproduce the experimental
results. The SDDG in opposite directions precisely matches the
experimental results for opposite voltage polarizations. The effects on
the band structure of the device are presented proving this as a
promising strategy for improving charge carrier selectivity. In this
sense, the results and their thorough physical interpretation will
potentially open new perspectives in the field of materials engineering.
Apigenin promotes apoptosis of 4T1 cells through PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway and improves tumor immune microenvironment in vivo
Authors: Xu Lipeng , Zhang Chu , Liao Yupei , Li Tangjia , Zhong Haijing , Shan Luchen , Yu Pei , Xia Chenglai
Published: February 2023

Background and purpose: 2022 U.S. cancer statistics reveal breast cancer
is among the most common cancers in women. Apigenin (API) is endowed
with anti-cancer activities among naturally occurring plant flavonoids.
However, its mechanism of action on breast cancer, the fourth largest
cancer in women, has not yet been clarified. Experimental approach: In
vitro, we used MTT, transwell, staining, and western blotting to
investigate the inhibitory effect of apigenin on 4T1 and the underlying
molecular mechanism. In vivo by establishing a xenograft tumor model,
using immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry to study the inhibitory
effect of apigenin on breast solid tumors and its effect on the tumor
immune microenvironment. Key results: API significantly suppressed 4T1
cells proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, API treatment
reduced MMP and upgraded intracellular ROS production. API could
regulate Bcl-2 family proteins and activate caspase-3 to promote cell
apoptosis. At the same time, the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway of API-treated
4T1 cells was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover,
API inhibited breast tumor growth in mice, and significantly reduced
PCNA content in tumor tissue. We also found that the proportion of
regulatory T (Treg) cells in TDLN was decreased in the API-treated
group. In addition, API can prolong the survival of mice with mammary
gland tumors. Conclusions and implications: Our research show that
apigenin can induce breast cancer cell apoptosis through the
PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway, and can improve the tumor immune microenvironment
in mice with breast tumors, thereby inhibiting the growth of breast
cancer. Thus, API may be a promising agent for breast cancer treatment.
Land pressure evaluation in the Yangtze River Delta region: A perspective from production-living-ecology
Authors: Yu Ziqi , Chen Longqian , Zhang Ting , Li Long , Yuan Lina , Teng Gan , Xiao Jue , Shi Shuai , Chen Longgao
Published: February 2023

The limited land is under unprecedented pressure from production, living
and ecology. In order to evaluate the land pressure in the Yangtze River
Delta region in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 from the
perspective of production, living, and ecology. This study builds a land
pressure evaluation index system based on a fuzzy comprehensive
evaluation model using multi-source and multi-scale data. In order to
investigate trade-offs and synergies among production, living, and
ecology pressures, we use the mechanical equilibrium model in physics.
We then analyze land pressure model reliability and uncertainty using
Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that (1) Our model can
effectively reveal the level of land pressure and reflect the land
pressure geographical pattern of “high in the east and low in the west,
high in the south and low in the north” that characterizes the Yangtze
River Delta region. (2) While living and ecology pressures are tending
to rise, production pressures are tending to decrease. (3) Except for
Shanghai, the trade-off areas are primarily concentrated in economically
successful regions with high production and living pressure and low
ecology pressure. The coordinated areas are primarily found in northern
Jiangsu Province and northern Anhui Province.
Prevention and treatment of platinum ototoxicity in adults: A systematic review
Authors: Correa-Morales Juan Esteban , Giraldo-Moreno Sara , Mantilla-Manosalva Nidia , Cuellar-Valencia Laura , Bedoya-Muñoz Lennis Jazmin , Iriarte-Aristizábal María Fernanda , Quintero-Muñoz Elias , Zuluaga-Liberato Andrea Marcela
Published: February 2023

Background: Ototoxicity is a common disabling side effect of
platinum-based chemotherapy. This study aimed to systematically assess
the evidence on the management of platinum-induced ototoxicity in adult
cancer patients. Methods: Three databases were searched up to
November 1, 2022. Original studies were included if they reported on a
pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic intervention to prevent or treat
platinum ototoxicity in adults. The articles’ quality was assessed with
two grading scales. Results: Eighteen randomized controlled
trials and five quasi-experimental studies with 1673 patients were
analyzed. Eleven interventions were identified, nine pharmacological and
two non-pharmacological. Six of the interventions (sodium thiosulfate,
corticoids, sertraline, statins, multivitamins, and D-methionine) showed
mild benefit preventing cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. The data must be
carefully analyzed due to the low quality and underreporting of side
effects. Conclusions: Current interventions have mild benefits
preventing cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in adult cancer patients.
High-quality research is required to clarify the significance of these
findings.
Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) consume free-ranging horses (Equus ferus caballus) on the Chilcotin plateau, British Columbia
Authors: Parr Sadie , McCrory Wayne P.
Published: February 2023

We analyzed 122 Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) scats, collected at all seasons during 2013–2017, to determine what wolves were eating in two adjacent study areas of the Chilcotin region, British Columbia: Brittany Triangle and Nemiah Valley. Free-ranging horses (Equus ferus caballus), Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Moose (Alces americanus), and small mammals contributed to wolf diet throughout the year. In both study areas, horse appeared more frequently than other species in occurrence-per-faeces (OF) and occurrence-per-item (OI) analyses. Horse occurred in 58 of 97 wolf scats from Brittany (OF 59.8%, OI 52.7%), deer in 26 (OF 26.8%, OI 23.6%), small mammals in 17 (OF 17.5%, OI 17.3%), Moose in four (OF 4.1%, OI 3.6%), and bird and fish minimally (both OF <2.5%, OI <2.5%). The sample size in the more human-developed Nemiah Valley was too small to estimate reliable patterns, but results suggest a similar ranking of dietary items. Domestic Cattle (Bos taurus), available in both study areas, appeared infrequently (combined area OF <3.5%, OI <3.0%). Based on our scat findings, free-ranging horses were a regular dietary item for wolves in the area. Studies elsewhere have found that, where wolves and free-ranging horses are sympatric, a predator–prey relationship exists.
Detecting and analyzing fine-grained user roles in social media?
Authors: Kastner Johannes , Fischer Peter
Published: February 2023

While identifying specific user roles in social media -in particular bots or spammers- has seen significant progress, generic and all-encompassing user role classification remains elusive on the large data sets of today?s social media. Yet, such broad classifications enable a deeper understanding of user interactions and pave the way for longitudinal studies, capturing the evolution of users such as the rise of influencers. Studies of generic roles have been performed predominantly in a small scale, establishing fundamental role definitions, but relying mostly on ad-hoc, data set-dependent rules that need to be carefully hand-tuned. We build on those studies and provide a largely automated, scalable detection of a wide range of roles. Our approach clusters users hierarchically on salient, complementary features such as their actions, their ability to trigger reactions and their network positions. To associate these clusters with roles, we use supervised classifiers: trained on human experts on completely new media, but transferable on related data sets. Furthermore, we employ the combination of samples in order to improve scalability and allow probabilistic assignments of user roles. Our evaluation on Twitter indicates that a) stable and reliable detection of a wide range of roles is possible b) the labeling transfers well as long as the fundamental properties don?t strongly change between data sets and c) the approaches scale well with little need for human intervention.
Process analysis and optimal facility layout planning in manufacturing systems
Authors: Ceylan Cemil , Başkurt Hüseyin , Erkan Yasin , Uğur Şeymanur
Published: February 2023

In this article, it is emphasized that the process analysis for companies is
carried out by using the DISCO process mining program and the results are
interpreted and developed. In the light of machine and worker occupancy
information obtained as a result of process analysis, imbalances, if any,
are detected. These imbalances are resolved by arranging job assignments.
Another information that we obtain is the time elapsed until the processing
of any workpiece on a machine is finished. This time consists of the time
elapsed between the machines and the waiting time in the queue of the
machine to be processed. The waiting time in the queue of the machine will
be improved by adjusting the workload balance of the machines and the
transportation times will be improved by creating the best plant layout
suitable for the process. As a result, the facility layout of the factory
was made considering the functional grouping. In the study, a layout is
designed in accordance with the workflow of the products. With this newly
designed plan, it has been determined that the products can be produced by
covering 50% less transport distance. In addition, the workload imbalances
of the machines and workers were corrected by changes in job assignments.
This has reduced the cycle time of a product by eliminating bottlenecks at
the factory.