bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feasibility, Safety and Reliability of Surgeon-Directed Transcranial Motor Evoked Potentials Monitoring in Scoliosis Surgery
Authors: Kerdoncuff Aude , Henry Patrice , Compagnon Roxane , Accadbled Franck , Sales de Gauzy Jérôme , Langlais Tristan
Published: September 2023

(1) Background: Neuromonitoring is essential in corrective surgery for scoliosis. Our aim was to assess the feasibility, safety and reliability of “surgeon-directed” intraoperative monitoring transcranial motor evoked potentials (MEP) of patients. (2) Methods: A retrospective single-center study of a cohort of 190 scoliosis surgeries, monitored by NIM ECLIPSE (Medtronic), between 2017 and 2021. Girls (144) and boys (46) (mean age of 15 years) were included. There were 149 idiopathic and 41 secondary scoliosis. The monitoring consisted of stimulating the primary motor cortex to record the MEP with muscular recording on the thenar, vastus lateralis, tibialis anterior and adductor hallucis muscles. (3) Results: The monitoring data was usable in 180 cases (94.7%), with 178 true negatives, no false negatives and one false positive. There was one true positive case. The predictive negative value was 100%. The monitoring data was unusable in 10 cases (i.e., three idiopathic and seven secondary scoliosis). (4) Conclusions: Simplified transcranial MEP monitoring known as “surgeon-directed module” is usable, safety and reliable in surgery for moderate scoliosis. It is feasible in 95% of cases with a negative predictive value of 100%.
The Significance of Digital Citizenship and Gender in the Relationship between Social Media Usage Time and Self-Esteem among Adolescents: A Secondary Analysis
Authors: Si Euna , Lee Gyungjoo , Lee Il Hyun , Lee Ju-Young
Published: September 2023

This study examined the significance of digital citizenship and gender in the relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem among adolescents. This cross-sectional study was a secondary analysis using national data on 506 Korean adolescents acquired from the 2020 Korea Media Panel Survey. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro. We found that the moderated moderating effects of digital citizenship and gender on the relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem were significant. Both boys and girls had higher self-esteem in groups with higher digital citizenship than in groups with lower digital citizenship. The relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem for boys was positive in the high digital citizenship group and negative in the low digital citizenship group. Conversely, for girls, the relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem was positive in the low digital citizenship group and negative in the high digital citizenship group. It is important to take a differentiated approach that considers the relationship between digital citizenship and gender to promote healthy digital media use and positive self-esteem.
Exploring Comorbidities in Adolescent and Young Adults with Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome with and without a Surgical History: A Preliminary Investigation
Authors: Gagnon Haley , Lunde Claire E. , Wu Ziyan , Novais Eduardo N. , Borsook David , Sieberg Christine B.
Published: September 2023

Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a rare disease affecting the skin, joints, vasculature, and internal organs. Approximately 85% of those affected are categorized as the hypermobile type (hEDS), which is associated with numerous medical and psychiatric comorbidities, including chronic pain. Additionally, approximately 71% of patients with hEDS undergo at least one surgical procedure; however, indicators for surgery and pain outcomes after surgery are poorly understood. This preliminary study used a medical chart review to identify the frequency and nature of comorbidities in a cohort of adolescents and young adult patients with hEDS and a surgical history compared to those without a surgical history. Results showed that patients diagnosed with hEDS who underwent surgery reported significantly more comorbidities (e.g., CRPS, IBS, Fibromyalgia, POTS, hypothyroidism, etc.) than those who did not have surgery. Seventy percent of individuals who presented for surgery fell within the categories of orthopedic, gastrointestinal, or laparoscopic/endometriosis-related surgeries. Identifying patients with hEDS who are at risk for needing surgery will help identify the mechanisms contributing to risk factors for poor surgical outcomes. The results of this study may be instructive in the management and care of hEDS patients undergoing surgery.
Real-World Evidence on the Prevalence of Molar Incisor Hypomineralization in School Children from Bucharest, Romania
Authors: Ciocan Beatrice , Săndulescu Mihai , Luca Rodica
Published: September 2023

Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is an understudied and underrecognized clinical entity occurring in children. We performed a cross-sectional study to determine the real-world prevalence of MIH among school children undergoing routine dental checkups at one primary and middle school in Bucharest, Romania. Our study cohort consisted of 266 children with evaluable data, of which 143 (53.8%) were males, with a median age of 10 years old (interquartile range: 8–11 years). In this study cohort, we have identified a prevalence of 14.3% (n = 38 cases) of MIH. Among patients diagnosed with MIH, hypomineralizations were present in 47.4% of children on the maxillary first molar, 92.1% on the mandibular first molar, 94.7% on the maxillary incisor, 36.8% on the mandibular incisor, and 5.3% on the deciduous second molar. We identified the maxillary incisor and the mandibular first molar as the most important examined sites significantly associated with the presence of MIH (p < 0.0001 each), highlighting the importance of paying focused attention to these sites during routine dental care in children. In order to establish the diagnosis of MIH, findings of hypomineralization should be present on at least one permanent first molar, according to the case definition currently in use; this definition does not include findings on the incisors. Thus, our finding that hypomineralization of the maxillary incisors is significantly associated with MIH is particularly important. While incisor hypomineralization is not diagnostic of MIH, based on our results, we conclude that it should raise the suspicion of MIH and lead to an attentive examination of the permanent molars in order to establish timely diagnosis.
Early Meteorological Observations in Almada (Portugal) for the Period 1788–1813 by Medical Doctors
Authors: Bravo-Paredes Nieves , Gallego María Cruz , Trigo Ricardo M. , Vaquero José Manuel
Published: September 2023

Early meteorological observations have been found for the period 1788–1813 in a collection of historical documents entitled “Medical and meteorological observation books” (Livros de observações médicas e meteorológicas) that is preserved nowadays in the Municipal Historical Archive of Almada. Almada is a Portuguese city located on the southern bank of the Tagus River, near the mouth of the river, in front of the capital city of Lisbon, which is located on the northern bank. In this work, more than 5000 meteorological readings for the period 1788–1813 have been recovered and analyzed. Daily values have been preserved for the period 1788–1789. However, only monthly values have stood the test of time for the period 1792–1813. The meteorological variables recovered are temperature, pressure, wind direction and the state of the sky. A quality control was carried out to find possible errors, either in the original data or in the digitization process. Unfortunately, there is no information in the metadata about the instruments or the observational methodology. Pressure and temperature data from modern and reanalysis datasets were used as references to study the agreement between these datasets and the Almada dataset. Daily pressure and temperature values from the Almada dataset were used to study, in particular, the meteorological conditions of the winter of 1788/1789 in Almada because this season was one of the coldest in the last 300 years in Central Europe. The complete dataset of early meteorological observations in Almada is freely available to the scientific community.
Optimizing the Thermal Spray Parameters for Producing High-Performance Mo/ZrB2 Metal Matrix Composites Using the Taguchi Method
Authors: Mihoob Muftah M. , Albarody Thar Mohammed Badri , Ahmad Faiz , Alnarabiji Mohamad Sahban
Published: September 2023

The process of Thermal spray is effective for creating a metal matrix composite (MMC) by embedding zirconium diboride reinforcement into a molybdenum matrix. Both materials Mo and ZrB2 have different characteristics, but they have good thermal shock resistance, maintain strength at elevated temperatures, and stability in extreme environments. The study focused on creating MoZrB2 composites using a thermal spray coating technique, varying the parameters of spraying distance, number of passes, and gas pressure, and testing the resulting castings to evaluate their hardness and Young’s Modulus. The primary objective of the research was to use the Taguchi technique for identifying the optimal parameters for generating the highest Young’s Modulus and hardness for the castings. The Taguchi method integrates experimental and analytical principles to identify the most significant parameter affecting the response, which can significantly enhance overall performance. The study found that the optimal parameters were a spraying distance of 20 cm, gas pressure of 6 bar, and the number of passes of 18. The Taguchi method accurately predicted the parameters that produced the highest properties for the composite coatings, which demonstrated good surface formation without hot cracks and fewer pores, with well-formed metallurgical bonding between the coating and the substrate.
Effect of Planting Rebars on the Shear Strength of Interface between Full Lightweight Ceramsite Concrete and Ordinary Concrete
Authors: Zhu Hongbing , Duan Yixue , Li Xiu , Zhang Na , Chen Jingyi
Published: September 2023

The use of full lightweight ceramsite concrete (FLWCC) for the repair of ordinary concrete (OC) structures has a good application prospect in the field of engineering structural strengthening. However, the interface here is less studied at present. For this purpose, 10 sets of FLWCC (new concrete)–OC (old concrete) specimens were produced for the shear test to test the bonding properties of the interface. The results showed that the damage form was changed from brittle damage to ductile damage after strengthening. It was proven that planting rebars in the interface could improve the shear performance. The interface shear strength increased with the number of rebars and it had a better effect after the number was more than 2. The strength was related to the rebar diameter and the maximum was obtained when the diameter was 8 mm. The most suitable spacing of the bars was 80 mm. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the number of rebars had the greatest effect on shear strength followed by rebar diameter, while the effect of the spacing of the bars was less pronounced. Moreover, Fib’s (2010) specification of the interface shear strength formula could be used for the calculation of FLWCC–OC.
CMAS Corrosion Behavior of Nanostructured YSZ and Gd-Yb-Y-Stabilized Zirconia Coatings
Authors: Zou Lanxin , Gao Minghao , Xu Na , Zhang Jia , Chang Xinchun
Published: September 2023

With the development of industry, the operating temperature of aero engines and gas turbines continues to increase; developing thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with superior resistance to CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CMAS) corrosion has become a prominent research focus. In this study, atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) was used to prepare yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), nanostructured yttria-stabilized zirconia (n-YSZ), and Gd-Yb-Y-stabilized zirconia (GYYSZ) coatings. The effects of CMAS exposure on the microstructure, chemical composition, phase transition, and microhardness of the coatings were investigated. Comparative analysis revealed that both phase transition and exfoliation occurred in corroded YSZ and n-YSZ coatings, with n-YSZ exhibiting more pronounced changes. In contrast, GYYSZ coatings remained stable without phase transition and exhibited a smaller increase in microhardness (270 HV0.3). Consequently, doping Gd/Yb/Y elements into ZrO2 can improve the performance of TBCs.
Washing and Abrasion Resistance of Textile Electrodes for ECG Measurements
Authors: Doci Dajana , Ademi Melisa , Tuvshinbayar Khorolsuren , Richter Niclas , Ehrmann Guido , Spahiu Tatjana , Ehrmann Andrea
Published: September 2023

Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals are often measured for medical purposes and in sports. While common Ag/AgCl glued gel electrodes enable good electrode skin contact, even during movements, they are not comfortable and can irritate the skin during long-term measurements. A possible alternative is textile electrodes, which have been investigated extensively during the last years. These electrodes, however, are usually not able to provide reliable, constant skin contact, resulting in reduced signal quality. Another important problem is the modification of the electrode surface due to washing or abrasion, which may impede the long-term use of such textile electrodes. Here, we report a study of washing and abrasion resistance of different ECG electrodes based on an isolating woven fabric with conductive embroidery and two conductive coatings, showing unexpectedly high abrasion resistance of the silver-coated yarn and optimum ECG signal quality for an additional coating with a conductive silicone rubber. Sheet resistances of the as-prepared electrodes were in the range of 20–30 Ω, which was increased to the range of 25–40 Ω after five washing cycles and up to approximately 50 Ω after Martindale abrasion tests. ECG measurements during different movements revealed reduced motion artifacts for the electrodes with conductive silicone rubber as compared to glued electrodes, suggesting that electronic filtering of such noise may even be easier for textile electrodes than for commercial electrodes.
Improvement of the Mechanical Properties of 30CrNi2MoVA through Ultrasonic-Milling in Certain Key Components
Authors: Liu Dan , Shen Yalin , Wang Erliang , Wang Hongjin , Liu Jianbin , Wang Kaizheng , Sun Jianhang
Published: September 2023

To improve the fatigue life of the key component and the surface properties of the 30CrNi2MoVA steel material, advanced ultrasonic-milling composite superficial treatment was performed. The microstructure, surface roughness, friction and wear performance, surface hardness, fatigue life and environmental experiments of the steel with and without ultrasonic-milling have been carried out in detail. In comparison with those of the traditional dry cutting, the results show that the surface roughness of the samples after the advanced ultrasonic-milling surface modification fluctuates about 0.32 μm, and the surface hardness is increased by about 40% compared with the matrix hardness, and the fatigue life of the pump head connection shaft has been increased by more than 11 times. Advanced ultrasonic-milling surface modification technology can increase the local residual compressive stress and wear resistance on the material surface, which can make the material have better surface properties.
Tunable Josephson Current through a Semiconductor Quantum Dot Hybridized to Majorana Trijunction
Authors: Gao Yumei , Zhang Xiaoyan
Published: September 2023

We investigate theoretically the Josephson current through one semiconductor quantum dot (QD) coupled to triple nanowires (junctions) with Majorana bound states (MBSs) prepared at their ends. We find that not only the strength but also the period of the Josephson current flowing between the left and right Josephson junctions via the dot can be fully controlled in terms of the third junction side-coupled to the QD. When the phase factor is zero in the third junction, which acts as a current regulator, the Josephson current is a 2π-period function of the difference in phases of the left and right junctions. Now, the magnitude of the current is suppressed by hybridization between the QD and the regulator junction. The period of the current becomes 4π under the condition of nonzero phase factor in the regular junction, and thus either the magnitude or the sign (flow direction) of the current can be controlled in this trijunction device. This is difficult to realize in the usual tow-terminal structure. It is also found that the direct overlap between the MBSs in the regulator junction generally enhances the current’s amplitude, but those in the left and right Majorana junctions suppress the current. The above results are explained with the help of the device’s energy diagram and the current carrying density of states (CCDOS) and might be applied for adjusting the current density in the superconducting coated conductors technologies.
Reproducible Preparation of Thin Graphene Films Using a Green and Efficient Liquid-Phase Exfoliation Method for Applications in Photovoltaics
Authors: Adel A. Abdelazeez Ahmed , Trabelsi Amira Ben Gouider , Alkallas Fatemah. H. , AlFaify Salem , Shkir Mohd. , Alrebdi Tahani A. , Almugren Kholoud S. , Kusmatsev Feodor V. , Rabia Mohamed
Published: September 2023

This paper presents an innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to producing high-quality graphene nanosheets (G-NSs) on a large scale. Particularly, we have achieved a remarkable graphene material, expertly dissolved in ethanol at an impressive concentration of 0.7 mg/mL, using a cutting-edge electrophoretic deposition method on an ITO/PET surface. This achievement holds great promise for a wide range of photovoltaic applications. The G-NSs were rigorously analyzed using advanced techniques, including FESEM, EDAX elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman analysis. This comprehensive examination yielded a significant discovery: the thickness of the deposited films profoundly influences the material’s interaction with photons. This finding positions the synthesized graphene material as a game changer in the field of light detection sensors, with the potential to revolutionize the landscape of optoelectronics.
Surface Roughness Effects on the Properties of Silicon-Doped Diamond-like Carbon Coatings
Authors: Piotrowska Katarzyna , Madej Monika , Kowalczyk Joanna , Radoń-Kobus Krystyna
Published: September 2023

This paper evaluates surface roughness effects on the properties of a-C:H:Si coatings obtained using plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD). Prior to coating deposition, the surfaces of the samples were subjected to grinding (Ra = 0.25) and then polishing (Ra = 0.05) or sandblasting (Ra = 1.41). Microscopic observations, measurements of thickness, wettability, surface topography, and tribological tests were used to characterize the substrate. The coating microstructure, thickness, and chemical content were investigated using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The geometric structure of the surface was examined using confocal microscopy before and after tribological tests. Tribological studies used a ball-on-disk sliding configuration in reciprocating motion under dry friction and cutting oil lubrication. The values of the contact angles were indicative of surface hydrophilic characteristics. Compared with the sandblasted surfaces, the adhesion strength of the coatings deposited on the polished surfaces was found to be higher. The coatings contributed to the improvement of friction and wear parameters. Under dry friction, a-C:H:Si coating friction coefficients and linear and volumetric wear on the polished surface were reduced compared with the sandblasted surface, respectively, by 10%, 83%, and 85%. In addition, the lubricant contributed to reducing the friction coefficients of the coating applied to the sandblasted sample compared with the polished sample without the coating by about 94%. Microscopic observations of wear traces allowed the determination of wear mechanisms; in the case of Ti13Nb13Zr, it was tribochemical wear through oxidation, while in the case of coatings, scratching and microcutting dominated.
Video Summarization Based on Feature Fusion and Data Augmentation
Authors: Psallidas Theodoros , Spyrou Evaggelos
Published: September 2023

During the last few years, several technological advances have led to an increase in the creation and consumption of audiovisual multimedia content. Users are overexposed to videos via several social media or video sharing websites and mobile phone applications. For efficient browsing, searching, and navigation across several multimedia collections and repositories, e.g., for finding videos that are relevant to a particular topic or interest, this ever-increasing content should be efficiently described by informative yet concise content representations. A common solution to this problem is the construction of a brief summary of a video, which could be presented to the user, instead of the full video, so that she/he could then decide whether to watch or ignore the whole video. Such summaries are ideally more expressive than other alternatives, such as brief textual descriptions or keywords. In this work, the video summarization problem is approached as a supervised classification task, which relies on feature fusion of audio and visual data. Specifically, the goal of this work is to generate dynamic video summaries, i.e., compositions of parts of the original video, which include its most essential video segments, while preserving the original temporal sequence. This work relies on annotated datasets on a per-frame basis, wherein parts of videos are annotated as being “informative” or “noninformative”, with the latter being excluded from the produced summary. The novelties of the proposed approach are, (a) prior to classification, a transfer learning strategy to use deep features from pretrained models is employed. These models have been used as input to the classifiers, making them more intuitive and robust to objectiveness, and (b) the training dataset was augmented by using other publicly available datasets. The proposed approach is evaluated using three datasets of user-generated videos, and it is demonstrated that deep features and data augmentation are able to improve the accuracy of video summaries based on human annotations. Moreover, it is domain independent, could be used on any video, and could be extended to rely on richer feature representations or include other data modalities.
Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Hair, Scalp, and Skin Disorders: A Systematic Review
Authors: Popp Meagan , Latta Steven , Nguyen Betty , Vincenzi Colombina , Tosti Antonella
Published: September 2023

Cannabinoid products have been studied in the treatment of various dermatologic conditions. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE for articles published before 1 February 2023 that described the use of cannabinoids in the management of hair, scalp, and skin conditions, identifying 18 original articles that encompassed 1090 patients who used various forms of cannabinoid products. Where specified, topical cannabidiol (CBD) was the most commonly utilized treatment (64.3%, 173/269), followed by oral dronabinol (14.4%, 39/269), oral lenabasum (14.1%, 38/269), and oral hempseed oil (5.9%, 16/269). Using the GRADE approach, we found moderate-quality evidence supporting the efficacy of cannabinoid products in managing atopic dermatitis, dermatomyositis, psoriasis, and systemic sclerosis and moderate-quality evidence supporting a lack of efficacy in treating trichotillomania. There was low to very low quality evidence supporting the efficacy of cannabinoid products in managing alopecia areata, epidermolysis bullosa, hyperhidrosis, seborrheic dermatitis, and pruritus. Our findings suggest that cannabinoids may have efficacy in managing symptoms of certain inflammatory dermatologic conditions. However, the evidence is still limited, and there is no standardized dosage or route of administration for these products. Large randomized controlled trials and further studies with standardized treatment regimens are necessary to better understand the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids.
Psychobiotics-like Activity as a Novel Treatment against Dry Scalp Related-White Flakes Production with Pogostemon cablin Leaf Extract
Authors: Meunier Marie , Chapuis Emilie , Jarrin Cyrille , Brooks Julia , Carolan Heather , Tiguemounine Jean , Lambert Carole , Sennelier-Portet Bénédicte , Zanchetta Catherine , Scandolera Amandine , Reynaud Romain
Published: September 2023

Microbiome supplementation initially targeted the gut microbiota but has since been extended to the skin. A new category, psychobiotics, defined beneficial compounds with a positive action on microbiota, providing benefits to the host’s mental health. Pogostemon cablin leaf extract, proven to alleviate scalp dryness, was clinically evaluated on volunteers presenting dry scalp with flakes. A metagenomics study and sebum production analysis were performed, coupled to flakes scoring. The benefits of Pogostemon cablin leaf extract on emotions were assessed through three neuroscientific methods. Through this study, we proved that the skin microbiota of dry scalp was imbalanced, with increased alpha diversity and decreased Cutibacterium relative abundance compared to oilier skin. After applying our ingredient for one month, microbiota was rebalanced with a decrease in alpha diversity and increase in Cutibacterium relative abundance compared to the initial profile. Microbiota rebalancing led to an increase in scalp sebum and decrease in dry flakes compared to the start of the study. This global rebalancing improved the emotional state of people with scalp dryness who expressed more positive emotions after treatment.
High-Throughput Exploration of Half-Heusler Phases for Thermoelectric Applications
Authors: Bilińska Kaja , Winiarski Maciej J.
Published: September 2023

As a result of the high-throughput ab initiocalculations, the set of 34 stable and novel half-Heusler phases was revealed. The electronic structure and the elastic, transport, and thermoelectric properties of these systems were carefully investigated, providing some promising candidates for thermoelectric materials. The complementary nature of the research is enhanced by the deformation potential theory applied for the relaxation time of carriers (for power factor, PF) and the Slack formula for the lattice thermal conductivity (for figure of merit, ZT). Moreover, two exchange-correlation parametrizations were used (GGA and MBJGGA), and a complete investigation was provided for both p- and n-type carriers. The distribution of the maximum PF and ZT for optimal doping at 300 K in all systems was disclosed. Some chemical trends in electronic and transport properties were discussed. The results suggest TaFeAs, TaFeSb, VFeAs, and TiRuAs as potentially valuable thermoelectric materials. TaFeAs revealed the highest values of both PF and ZT at 300 K (PFp = 1.67 mW/K2m, ZTp = 0.024, PFn = 2.01 mW/K2m, and ZTp = 0.025). The findings presented in this work encourage further studies on the novel phases, TaFeAs in particular.
Effect of Mischmetal Addition on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of As-Cast and As-Rolled Mg–Sn–Ca Alloys
Authors: Luo Jun , Dong Lijun , Zhong Guowei , Duan Zhenxing , Chen Shuang , Wu Anru
Published: September 2023

The microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg–3Sn–0.1Ca–xMM (mischmetal, x = 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 wt.%) alloys were investigated. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) were used to characterize the microstructures and phase constitutions of the cast and rolled alloys. Room temperature tensile tests were conducted to obtain the mechanical properties and macro-textures to evaluate the texture weakening effect results of the MM. The results show that an abundance of second phase formed, confirmed as the (Ca,MM)MgSn phase, and the volume fraction increased with the increasing MM addition. The tensile yield strength of the as-cast alloys increased with the MM addition, but the elongation decreased. All of the rolled Mg–3Sn–0.1Ca–xMM alloys showed a strong basal texture, and only slightly decreased in intensity after annealing treatment due to the particle-stimulated nucleation of recrystallization. The as-annealed Mg–3Sn–0.1Ca–0.6MM alloys exhibited the highest tensile strengths of 266.5 ± 3.3 MPa and 136.1 ± 3.7 MPa, which are mainly ascribed to grain refinement strengthening, Orowan strengthening and texture strengthening.
Marine Non-Indigenous Species Dynamics in Time and Space within the Coastal Waters of the Republic of Ireland
Authors: Gittenberger Arjan , Mirimin Luca , Boyd John , O’Beirn Francis , Devine Grainne , O’Brien Martina , Rensing Marjolein , O’Dwyer Katie , Gittenberger Edmund
Published: September 2023

Documenting temporal and spatial occurrence trends of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) is essential to understand vectors and pathways of introduction, and for horizon scanning for future introductions. This study provides an overview of marine NIS found in the Republic of Ireland up to 2020. Taxonomic groups, species origin, and location of first reporting (counties) were compiled and analysed focusing on the last three decades. While the unambiguous characterisation of introduction events is challenging, analysis of 110 species corroborated the global weight of evidence that shipping activities to/from ports and marinas are the most likely vectors and pathways in Ireland. A comparable review study for the Netherlands revealed that most NIS were first introduced to mainland Europe and subsequently would take on average >15 years to reach Ireland. In the last two decades there has been an increase in NIS-focused surveys in Ireland. Incorporating data from these surveys in centralized national repositories such as the National Biodiversity Data Centre, will strongly aid the evaluation of potential NIS management responses. Furthermore, the availability of robust baseline data as well as predictions of future invaders and their associated vectors and pathways will facilitate the effective application of emerging monitoring technologies such as DNA-based approaches.
Transcriptomic Analysis of Medicago truncatula under Long-Day Conditions
Authors: Luo Wenju , Li Yajiao , Ma Peijie , Chen Caijun , Yang Longjiao , He Dengming , Wang Xiaoli
Published: September 2023

The objective of this research was to understand the expression characteristics and biological functions of Medicago truncatula genes under long-day conditions. The leaves of “R108” tribulus Medicago truncatula at the branch stage (A), bud stage (B), initial flowering stage (C), and full flowering stage (D) were sequenced using RNA-Seq technology. The genome of Medicago truncatula, a related species of Medicago truncatula, was used as the reference genome for sequence comparison. The transcriptomes of three adjacent periods (A vs. B, B vs. C, and C vs. D) were analyzed for differential gene expression and these genes were screened. A total of 6875 differentially expressed genes were detected. GO functional analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in biological processes, cell components, and molecular functions, among which the most differentially expressed genes were involved in the synthesis of cell components. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in circadian rhythm, photosynthetic antenna protein, ribosome metabolism, and other pathways. The number of single nucleotide variants detected by cSNP analysis was 312,875, and the frequency of A/G and C/T were the highest. The function of eggNOG was divided into 23 categories, with a total of 26,745 genes having similarities, while 9008 genes were classified as having an unknown function, 2669 genes were classified as part of signal transduction mechanisms, and 2194 genes were classified as being involved in transcription. In different developmental stages (A vs. B, B vs. C, and C vs. D), 3463 up-regulated and 3412 down-regulated differentially expressed genes were found. The difference between up-regulated and down-regulated genes was more noteworthy at the bud stage and the initial flowering stage. In addition, a total of 79 flowering genes were found, of which 51 differential genes were identified as participating in the photoperiodic regulation pathway, consisting of 23 differential genes that were up-regulated, and 28 differential genes that were down-regulated. The ratios of gene-LOC11410562(GI), gene-LOC11435974(CO), gene-LOC11422615(TOC1), and gene-LOC11432385(LHY) were higher than those of gene-LOC25500742(PHYA) and gene-LOC11 431402(ELF3); gene-LOC11434778(Col13), gene-LOC25498015(Col6), and gene-LOC11415514(Col9) were pre-expressed. The above differentially expressed genes were significantly expressed in different developmental stages of Medicago truncatula, which lays a foundation for further study of the molecular mechanism of Medicago truncatula.
Proportion of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A/B, and Adenovirus Cases via Rapid Tests in the Community during Winter 2023—A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Papagiannis Dimitrios , Perlepe Garifallia , Tendolouri Theodora , Karakitsiou Polyxeni , Damagka Georgia , Kalaitzi Anna , Alevra Sofia , Malli Foteini , Gourgoulianis Konstantinos I.
Published: September 2023

Respiratory infections constitute a major reason for infants and children seeking medical advice and visiting health facilities, thus remaining a significant public threat with high morbidity and mortality. The predominant viruses causing viral respiratory infections are influenza A and B viruses (Flu-A, Flu-B), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus and coronaviruses. We aimed to record the proportion of RSV, SARS-CoV-2, influenza A/B and adenovirus cases with rapid antigen tests and validate the results with RT-PCR assays of upper respiratory specimens with a wide range of viral loads and (co)-infection patterns in children. Clinical samples were collected from early symptomatic children (presenting with fever and/or cough and/or headache within 5–7 days). The surveillance program was conducted in five private pediatric dispensaries and one pediatric care unit, from 10 January 2023 to 30 March 2023 in central Greece. The total sample of specimens collected was 784 young children and infants, of which 383 (48.8%) were female and 401 were male (51.2%). The mean age of participants was 7.3 + 5.5 years. The sensitivity of the FLU A & B test was 91.15% (95% CI: 84.33–95.67%), and the specificity was 98.96% (95% CI: 97.86–99.58%). The sensitivity and specificity of the adenovirus and RSV test was {92.45% (95% CI: 81.79–97.91%), 99.32% (95% CI: 98.41–99.78%)} and {92.59% (95% CI: 75.71–99.09%), 99.47% (95% CI: 98.65–99.86%)} respectively. Lastly, the sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 test was 100.00% (95% CI: 79.41–100.00%) and the specificity was 99.74% (95% CI: 99.06–99.97%). We recorded a proportion of 14.3% and 3.44% for influenza A and B, respectively, followed by a proportion of 6.9% for adenovirus, a proportion of 3.7% for RSV, and finally, a proportion of 2.3% for SARS-CoV-2. The combination of a new multiple rapid test with multiple antigens will probably be a useful tool with a financial impact for health systems targeting the early detection and appropriate treatment of respiratory infections in emergency departments in primary health care facilities.
Differences in Dental Implant Survival between Immediate vs. Delayed Placement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Patel Rishi , Ucer Cemal , Wright Simon , Khan Rabia S.
Published: September 2023

Objectives: To compare the impact of immediate and delayed implant placement upon the survival of implants and to investigate the differences in implant survival between immediate and delayed placement in adults. Methods: A search for the relevant literature was performed using the databases of CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Scopus. The studies found were limited to publications between 2014 and 2022, written in the English language, peer-reviewed, and were randomised trials or comparative studies. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 and Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies—of Interventions appraisal tools and implant survival, and the primary outcome was meta-analysed using RevMan v.5.3. Results: A total of 10 studies were eligible for inclusion, including six randomised controlled trials and four non-randomised comparative studies. Five of the six randomised trials observed a low risk of bias, while the comparative studies had a moderate-to-serious risk of bias. The search strategy resulted in 341 implants placed immediately into fresh extraction sites (332 survived, 97.4%) and 359 implants inserted into delayed sites (350 survived, 97.5%). Conclusion: The meta-analysis demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the implant survival rates between immediately placed implants and implants placed using a delayed timing protocol (risk ratio 0.99; 95% CI 0.96, 1.02, Z = 0.75, p = 0.45). However, the detailed analysis showed that slightly more implant failures happened in the immediate dental implant placement group, with survival rates in some studies ranging between 90 and 95%, while the delayed placement group had survival rates of more than 95%.
Secrecy Capacity Region of the AWGN MAC with External Eavesdropper and Feedback
Authors: Yuan Haoheng , Xie Guangfen , Dai Bin
Published: September 2023

For the point-to-point additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with an eavesdropper and feedback, it has already been shown that the secrecy capacity can be achieved by a secret key-based feedback scheme, where the channel feedback is used for secret sharing, and then encrypting the transmitted message by the shared key. By secret sharing, any capacity-achieving coding scheme for the AWGN channel without feedback can be secure by itself, which indicates that the capacity of the same model without the secrecy constraint also affords an achievable secrecy rate to the AWGN channel with an eavesdropper and feedback. Then it is natural to ask: is the secret key-based feedback scheme still the optimal scheme for the AWGN multiple-access channel (MAC) with an external eavesdropper and channel feedback (AWGN-MAC-E-CF), namely, achieving the secrecy capacity region of the AWGN-MAC-E-CF? In this paper, we show that the answer to the aforementioned question is no, and propose the optimal feedback coding scheme for the AWGN-MAC-E-CF, which combines an existing linear feedback scheme for the AWGN MAC with feedback and the secret key scheme in the literature. This paper provides a way to find optimal coding schemes for AWGN multi-user channels in the presence of an external eavesdropper and channel feedback.
On the Effect of Imperfect Reference Signal Phase Recovery on Performance of PSK System Influenced by TWDP Fading
Authors: Djordjevic Goran T. , Milic Dejan N. , Vasic Bata , Makal Jarosław , Vasic Bane
Published: September 2023

We examine the effects of imperfect phase estimation of a reference signal on the bit error rate and mutual information over a communication channel influenced by fading and thermal noise. The Two-Wave Diffuse-Power (TWDP) model is utilized for statistical characterization of propagation environment where there are two dominant line-of-sight components together with diffuse ones. We derive novel analytical expression of the Fourier series for probability density function arising from the composite received signal phase. Further, the expression for the bit error rate is presented and numerically evaluated. We develop efficient analytical, numerical and simulation methods for estimating the value of the error floor and identifying the range of acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values in cases when the floor is present during the detection of multilevel phase-shift keying (PSK) signals. In addition, we use Monte Carlo simulations in order to evaluate the mutual information for modulation orders two, four and eight, and identify its dependence on receiver hardware imperfections under the given channel conditions. Our results expose direct correspondence between bit error rate and mutual information value on one side, and the parameters of TWDP channel, SNR and phase noise standard deviation on the other side. The results illustrate that the error floor values are strongly influenced by the phase noise when signals propagate over a TWDP channel. In addition, the phase noise considerably affects the mutual information.
Short-Term Prediction of Multi-Energy Loads Based on Copula Correlation Analysis and Model Fusions
Authors: Xie Min , Lin Shengzhen , Dong Kaiyuan , Zhang Shiping
Published: September 2023

To improve the accuracy of short-term multi-energy load prediction models for integrated energy systems, the historical development law of the multi-energy loads must be considered. Moreover, understanding the complex coupling correlation of the different loads in the multi-energy systems, and accounting for other load-influencing factors such as weather, may further improve the forecasting performance of such models. In this study, a two-stage fuzzy optimization method is proposed for the feature selection and identification of the multi-energy loads. To enrich the information content of the prediction input feature, we introduced a copula correlation feature analysis in the proposed framework, which extracts the complex dynamic coupling correlation of multi-energy loads and applies Akaike information criterion (AIC) to evaluate the adaptability of the different copula models presented. Furthermore, we combined a NARX neural network with Bayesian optimization and an extreme learning machine model optimized using a genetic algorithm (GA) to effectively improve the feature fusion performances of the proposed multi-energy load prediction model. The effectiveness of the proposed short-term prediction model was confirmed by the experimental results obtained using the multi-energy load time-series data of an actual integrated energy system.
Insecurity of Quantum Blockchains Based on Entanglement in Time
Authors: Zawadzki Piotr
Published: September 2023

In this study, the security implications of utilizing the concept of entanglement in time in the quantum representation of a blockchain data structure are investigated. The analysis reveals that the fundamental idea underlying this representation relies on an uncertain interpretation of experimental results. A different perspective is provided by adopting the Copenhagen interpretation, which explains the observed correlations in the experiment without invoking the concept of entanglement in time. According to this interpretation, the qubits responsible for these correlations are not entangled, posing a challenge to the security foundation of the data structure. The study incorporates theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and experiments using real quantum hardware. By employing a dedicated circuit for detecting genuine entanglement, the existence of entanglement in the process of generating a quantum blockchain is conclusively excluded.
Accelerating Quantum Decay by Multiple Tunneling Barriers
Authors: Pinotti Ermanno , Longhi Stefano
Published: September 2023

A quantum particle constrained between two high potential barriers provides a paradigmatic example of a system sustaining quasi-bound (or resonance) states. When the system is prepared in one of such quasi-bound states, the wave function approximately maintains its shape but decays in time in a nearly exponential manner radiating into the surrounding space, the lifetime being of the order of the reciprocal of the width of the resonance peak in the transmission spectrum. Naively, one could think that adding more lateral barriers would preferentially slow down or prevent the quantum decay since tunneling is expected to become less probable and due to quantum backflow induced by multiple scattering processes. However, this is not always the case and in the early stage of the dynamics quantum decay can be accelerated (rather than decelerated) by additional lateral barriers, even when the barrier heights are arbitrarily large. The decay acceleration originates from resonant tunneling effects and is associated to large deviations from an exponential decay law. We discuss such a counterintuitive phenomenon by considering the hopping dynamics of a quantum particle on a tight-binding lattice with on-site potential barriers.
Taxes, Inequality, and Equal Opportunities
Authors: Iglesias José Roberto , Cardoso Ben-Hur Francisco , Gonçalves Sebastián
Published: September 2023

Extreme inequality represents a grave challenge for impoverished individuals and poses a threat to economic growth and stability. Despite the fulfillment of affirmative action measures aimed at promoting equal opportunities, they often prove inadequate in effectively reducing inequality. Mathematical models and simulations have demonstrated that even when equal opportunities are present, wealth tends to concentrate in the hands of a privileged few, leaving the majority of the population in dire poverty. This phenomenon, known as condensation, has been shown to be an inevitable outcome in economic models that rely on fair exchange. In light of the escalating levels of inequality in the 21st century and the significant state intervention necessitated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of scholars are abandoning neo-liberal ideologies. Instead, they propose a more robust role for the state in the economy, utilizing mechanisms such as taxation, regulation, and universal allocations. This paper begins with the assumption that state intervention is essential to effectively reduce inequality and to revitalize the economy. Subsequently, it conducts a comparative analysis of various taxation and redistribution mechanisms, with a particular emphasis on their impact on inequality indices, including the Gini coefficient. Specifically, it compares the effects of fortune and consumption-based taxation, as well as universal redistribution mechanisms or targeted redistribution mechanisms aimed at assisting the most economically disadvantaged individuals. The results suggest that fortune taxation are more effective than consumption-based taxation to reduce inequality.
A Novel Edge Cache-Based Private Set Intersection Protocol via Lightweight Oblivious PRF
Authors: Zhang Jing , Yang Li , Tang Yongli , Jin Minglu , Wang Shujing
Published: September 2023

With the rapid development of edge computing and the Internet of Things, the problem of information resource sharing can be effectively solved through multi-party collaboration, but the risk of data leakage is also increasing. To address the above issues, we propose an efficient multi-party private set intersection (MPSI) protocol via a multi-point oblivious pseudorandom function (OPRF). Then, we apply it to work on a specific commercial application: edge caching. The proposed MPSI uses oblivious transfer (OT) together with a probe-and-XOR of strings (PaXoS) as the main building blocks. It not only provides one-sided malicious security, but also achieves a better balance between communication and computational overhead. From the communication pattern perspective, the client only needs to perform OT with the leader and send a data structure PaXoS to the designated party, making the protocol extremely efficient. Moreover, in the setting of edge caching, many parties hold a set of items containing an identity and its associated value. All parties can identify a set of the most frequently accessed common items without revealing the underlying data.