bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Failure Forensics of Shaped PDC Cutters Using Image Analysis and Deep Learning
Authors: Liu Wei , Li Jianchao , Gao Deli
Published: December 2023

One of the major advances in polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits in the last 10 years is the global adoption of 3D-shaped PDC cutters. By manipulating the cutter shape based on the understandings of cutter–rock interaction mechanisms, the cutting efficiency and mechanical properties of PDC cutters have been greatly improved. Ongoing innovations in 3D-shaped PDC cutter technology are critical to overcoming the more and more challenging formations in ultradeep wells, such as the 10 000-m-deep wells being drilled in China. Such an important role for 3D-shaped PDC cutters in oil and gas drilling applications necessitates a complete and effective failure analysis method. However, the current International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) dull grading cannot fulfill this objective. It is out of date in judging the damages to PDC bits and exhibits more limitations in addressing the unique challenges presented by complicated cutter shapes.

To address this issue, an intelligent recognition model for PDC bit damage identification was developed based on the image analysis technology and the YOLOv7 algorithm. More than 10,000 dull bit images were used to train and validate this intelligent recognition model, which were collected from 363 PDC bits that suffered different degrees of damage after being used to drill 185 wells in the Sinopec Shengli Oilfield. Compared to the existing models, the developed intelligent recognition model has several notable contributions. First, the developed model is capable of recognizing the damages of various shaped PDC cutters commonly used by the global bit manufacturers, enabling a more accurate assessment of the failure behaviors of shaped cutters and their bits. The detection accuracy of the developed model exceeds 80% based on the confusion matrix. The recognition results by the developed artificial intelligence (AI) model are consistent with the actual failure modes judged by experienced drilling engineers. Second, the developed AI model provides direct qualitative identification of the failure modes and failure reasons for both cutters and PDC bits rather than the quantitative evaluation of the missing diamond layer used by IADC dull grading. Furthermore, the developed model eliminates the effect of reclaimed cutters on the AI detection results based on the implicit use of spatial cues in the YOLOv7 algorithm. The intelligent recognition model developed in this work can provide reliable and valuable guidance for the post-run evaluation, the bit selection for the next run, and the iterative optimization of bit design.
λ−Wijsman Weak Statistical Convergence of Sequences of Sets in Connection With Modulus Functions
Authors: Ibrahim Ibrahim Sulaiman , García María del Carmen Listán , Colak Rifat
Published: December 2023

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Theory of Mind in Chronic Migraine with Medication Overuse assessed with the MASC: focus on accuracy and error type
Authors: Bottiroli Sara , Rosi Alessia , Lecce Serena , Sances Grazia , Allena Marta , De Icco Roberto , Vecchi Tomaso , Tassorelli Cristina , Cavallini Elena
Published: December 2023

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to infer one's own and others' mental states. Growing research indicates that ToM is impaired in Chronic Migraine with Medication Overuse (CM + MO). However, the research in this field has been conducted using static scenario-based tasks, often failing to test mentalization in everyday situations and measuring only performance accuracy. We filled this gap by administering the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) to subjects with CM + MO compared to episodic migraine (EM). This test allows us to assess both affective and cognitive ToM and, in addition to accuracy, it analyzes the type of error in attribution of mental states, distinguishing between hypo-mentalization and hyper-mentalization. Thirty patients suffering from CM + MO and 42 from EM were enrolled. Results showed that CM + MO patients were less accurate in mental state attribution than EM. In addition, compared to EM, CM + MO individuals were more impaired in the affective ToM dimensions and they committed more errors of hypo-mentalization. In conclusion, the application of MASC in patients with CM + MO allowed to detect an alteration in their ability to correctly draw conclusions about other people's mental states. This contributes critically to appropriate social reactions and, possibly, also to satisfactory social interactions.
Stressful life events in electronic health records: a scoping review
Authors: Scherbakov Dmitry , Mollalo Abolfazl , Lenert Leslie
Published: December 2023

Objective. Stressful life events, such as going through divorce, can have an important impact on human health. However, there are challenges in capturing these events in electronic health records (EHR). We conducted a scoping review aimed to answer two major questions: how stressful life events are documented in EHR and how they are utilized in research and clinical care.
Materials and Methods.Three online databases (EBSCOhost platform, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched to identify papers that included information on stressful life events in EHR; paper titles and abstracts were reviewed for relevance by two independent reviewers.
Results. 557 unique papers were retrieved, and of these 70 were eligible for data extraction. Most articles (n=36, 51.4%) were focused on the statistical association between one or several stressful life events and health outcomes, followed by clinical utility (n=15, 21.4%), extraction of events from free-text notes (n=12, 17.1%), discussing privacy and other issues of storing life events (n=5, 7.1%), and new EHR features related to life events (n=4, 5.7%). The most frequently mentioned stressful life events in the publications were child abuse/neglect, arrest/legal issues, and divorce/relationship breakup. Almost half of the papers (n=7, 46.7%) that analyzed clinical utility of stressful events were focused on decision support systems for child abuse, while others (n=7, 46.7%) were discussing interventions related to social determinants of health in general.
Discussion and Conclusions.Few citations are available on the prevalence and use of stressful life events in EHR reflecting challenges in screening and storing of stressful life events.
Risk factors for and prognostic impact of lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis in patients with rectal neuroendocrine tumors: A single-center retrospective analysis of 214 cases with radial resection
Authors: Sakurai Tsubasa , Hiyoshi Yukiharu , Daitoku Nobuya , Matsui Shimpei , Mukai Toshiki , Nagasaki Toshiya , Yamaguchi Tomohiro , Akiyoshi Takashi , Kawachi Hiroshi , Fukunaga Yosuke
Published: December 2023

Background
Lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) metastasis of rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is rare, and its oncologic features are unknown. We aimed to investigate the oncologic impact of LPLN metastasis in patients with rectal NETs.
Methods
This study included 214 patients with rectal NETs who underwent curative surgery. Clinicopathological characteristics and short- and long-term outcomes were also evaluated.
Results
LPLN dissection was performed in 15 patients with LPLN swelling of ≥ 7 mm on preoperative imaging. Among them, 12 patients had LPLN metastases, and six of the 12 patients had LPLN metastases without mesorectal lymph node metastases (skip metastasis). Short-term outcomes were similar between the groups with and without LPLN dissection. The median follow-up time was 54.8 months, and patients with LPLN metastasis showed significantly shorter disease-free and overall survival. Among 199 patients who did not undergo LPLN dissection, only one had LPLN recurrence. In the univariate analysis, tumor depth, tumor grade, and LPLN metastasis were associated with worse overall survival. In the multivariate analysis, only LPLN metastasis was an independent predictor of overall survival.
Conclusions
LPLN metastasis is a poor prognostic factor in patients with rectal NETs. LPLN enlargement can be considered an indication for dissection owing to its high rate of metastasis and associated poor prognosis.
Response of nitrogen metabolism to nitrogen regulation in different nitrogen-efficient rice seedlings
Authors: Yang Guotao , Zhang Guohao , Ma Peng , Liu Rong , Chen Hong , Wang Xuechun , Hu Yungao
Published: December 2023

The aim of this study was to determine the different mechanisms of nitrogen absorption and nitrogen regulation response of different rice varieties with diverse nitrogen efficiencies.On the premise of the same root distribution angle and the same type of DRO1 gene, the DRO1 gene of the low-nitrogen-efficient rice variety was highly expressed under low-nitrogen conditions, which made the root length and the depth of rooting significantly increased compared to that of the high-nitrogen-efficient rice variety. The high expression of key enzyme genes of nitrogen absorption and assimilation (OsAMT2;1, OsGS2, OsGS1;1, OsGS1;2) under low-nitrogen conditions in the low-nitrogen-efficient rice variety had higher nitrogen and phosphorus absorption capacity, and thus improved the accumulation of dry matter in plants. The expression of nitrogen metabolism genes at the seedling stage of different nitrogen-efficient rice varieties showed significant differences in the corresponding laws of nitrogen regulation. The high expression of nitrogen metabolism genes in the high-nitrogen-efficient rice varieties under the condition of sufficient nitrogen fertilizer ensured the full absorption and assimilation of nitrogen.The limiting factors of nitrogen absorption in the seedling stage of the two nitrogen-efficient rice varieties differed under the control of nitrogen fertilizer. The main reason for low nitrogen and high efficiency was that low-nitrogen-efficient rice varieties had a strong rooting ability under low-nitrogen conditions.
In-vitro influence of specific Bacteroidales strains on gut and liver health related to Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease
Authors: Garcia-Morena Diego , Fernandez-Cantos Maria Victoria , Escalera Silvia Lopez , Lok Johnson , Iannone Valeria , Cancellieri Pierluca , Maathuis Willem , Panagiotou Gianni , Aranzamendi Carmen , Aidy Sahar El , Kolehmainen Marjukka , El-Nezami Hani , Wellejus Anja , Kuipers Oscar P.
Published: December 2023

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has become a major health risk and a serious worldwide issue. MAFLD typically arises from aberrant lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and inflammation. However, subjacent causes are multifactorial. The gut has been proposed as a major factor in health and disease, and over the last decade, bacterial strains with potentially beneficial effects on the host have been identified. In vitro cell models have been commonly used as an early step before in vivo drug assessment, and can confer complementary advantages in gut and liver health research. In this study, several selected strains of the order Bacteroidales were used in a three-cell line in vitro analysis (HT-29, Caco-2, and HepG2 cell lines) to investigate their potential as new-generation probiotics and microbiota therapeutics. Antimicrobial activity, a potentially useful trait, was studied, and the results showed that Bacteroidales can be a source of either wide- or narrow-spectrum antimicrobials targeting other closely related strains. Moreover, Bacteroides sp. 4_1_36 induced a significant decrease in gut permeability, as evidenced by the high TEER values in the Caco-2 monolayer assay, as well as a reduction in free fatty acid accumulation and improved fatty acid clearance in a steatosis HepG2 model. These results suggest that Bacteroidales may spearhead the next generation of probiotics to prevent or diminish MAFLD.
From Static to Recursive: Transforming Prompts for Enhanced Language Models
Authors: Tripathi Shashi Prakash
Published: December 2023

In the dynamic field of Natural Language Processing (NLP), a revolutionary paradigm shift known as Large Language models has emerged. This research article embarks on exploration of Prompt Engineering, unveiling its innovative techniques, confronting its challenges, and highlighting its transformative impact on NLP applications. The proposed prompt engineering which is Recursive Prompt Engineering (RPE) redefines conventional prompt engineering, providing NLP models with the ability to iteratively refine responses. Through carefully designed experiments and real-world applications, we showcase RPE’s ability to enhance performance in language generation, question answering, and sentiment analysis. However, this journey into uncharted territory uncovers formidable challenges, including issues related to data diversity, scalability, and model interpretability. These challenges, while illuminating, also serve as stepping stones toward further innovation. Traditional evaluation methods prove inadequate, prompting us to introduce novel evaluation metrics that capture the essence of recursive adaptability. Our work sets the stage for redefining the criteria for measuring RPE’s effectiveness. In presenting this work, we envision a future where RPE reshapes the NLP landscape. As Recursive Prompt Engineering leads us to uncharted frontiers in NLP, opening doors to unprecedented possibilities and innovation. This article serves as a guiding beacon in this new era of NLP exploration.
Behavioral and histological assessment of a novel treatment of neuroHIV in humanized mice
Authors: Levine Andrew J. , Thadani Chirag , Soontornniyomkij Virawudh , Lopez-Aranda Manuel F. , Mesa Yoelvis Garcia , Kitchen Scott , Rezek Valerie , Silva Alcino , Kolson Dennis L.
Published: December 2023

Neurocognitive deficits are prevalent among people living with HIV, likely due to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. To date, no pharmaceutical treatments beyond antiretroviral therapy (ARV) has been shown to reduce risk for, or severity of, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Here we investigate a novel compound, CDDO-Me, with documented neuroprotective effects via activation of the nrf2 and inhibition of the NFkB pathways.
Methods: We conducted three studies to assess the efficacy of CDDO-Me alone or in combination with antiretroviral therapy in humanized mice infected with HIV; behavioral, histopathological, and immunohistochemical.
Results: CDDO-Me in combination with ARV rescued social interaction deficits; however, only ARV was associated with preserved functioning in other behaviors, and CDDO-Me may have attenuated those benefits. A modest neuroprotective effect was found for CDDO-Me when administered with ARV, via preservation of PSD-95 expression; however, ARV alone had a more consistent protective effect. No significant changes in antioxidant enzyme expression levels were observed in CDDO-Me-treated animals. Only ARV use seemed to affect some antioxidant levels, indicating that it is ARV rather than CDDO-Me that is the major factor providing neuroprotection in this animal model. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis found that several cellular markers in various brain regions varied due to ARV rather than CDDO-Me.
Conclusion: Limited benefit of CDDO-Me on behavior and neuroprotection were observed. Instead, ARV was shown to be the more beneficial treatment. These experiments support the future use of this chimeric mouse for behavioral experiments in neuroHIV research
Key Technology Research on Cloud Model Service Platform for Watershed Water Resources Planning
Authors: Wang Tao , Zhao Jing , Zhang Longlong , gao feng , zhao Yifei , Zhai Jiaqi , yan ruimeng
Published: December 2023

With the increasing demand for water conservancy informatization, to address the problems of poor generality, low reuse rate, and update maintenance difficulty in the development of cloud model service platform for water resources planning. Based on cloud computing technology and combined with business-oriented workflows, construct a cloud model service platform for watershed water resource planning. On the basis of constructing the watershed digital water grid, this study tightly couples the water cycle model with the multi-objective optimization configuration model of water resources, and relies on the digital topological water grid to achieve dynamic configuration of regional water resources. The cloud model service platform adopts a business-oriented modeling approach, with the model library as the core, based on the B/S development architecture. Taking the Shaanxi section of the Weihe River basin as an example, the study simulates and analyzes the evolution of water cycle in the research area, and conducts multi-objective optimization configuration research on water resources at the annual planning level. The results show that: 1) the relative errors of monthly average runoff during the calibration and validation periods are − 1.67% and − 4.63%. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients of monthly average runoff are 0.815 and 0.795, indicating that the cloud model service platform can well depict the variation process of runoff during the validation period, respectively; 2) in the water resources allocation model of the cloud model service platform, using the NSGA-III algorithm and the multi-attribute decision-making model selects reasonable water resources allocation schemes for the Weihe River basin. The water demand in 2025 is 6.34×109 m³, the water supply is 5.84×109 m³, and the water shortage rate is 7.95%. The research results can provide technical reference and inspiration for the construction of smart water conservancy and refined allocation of water resources in the Weihe River basin.
Could Dicrocoelium dendriticum eggs play a potential immunotherapeutic role experimental colitis?
Authors: Mighani Leila , Eilakinezhad Maliheh , Esmaeili Seyed-Alireza , Khazaei Majid , Eskandari Moein , Nazari Seyede Elnaz , Bazaz Mojtaba Mousavi , Moghaddas Elham , Zarean Mahdi
Published: December 2023

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) significantly diminishes an individual’s quality of life and elevates the likelihood of colorectal cancer. Recent clinical and experimental findings suggest that infection with parasitic helminths can exert a suppressive influence on the development of certain inflammatory conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the immunoregulatory impact of Dicrocoelium eggs on experimentally induced colitis using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in C57BL/6 mice. C57BL/6 mice were given 3.5% DSS orally daily for 7 days to induce colitis. During this period, the mice were treated with the Dicrosoeliumeggs intraperitoneally. Colitis intensity was investigated by assessing parameters such as body weight, stool consistency or bleeding, disease activity index (DAI), colon lengths, macroscopic scores, histopathological findings, colon gene expression levels, and serum cytokine levels. Our results indicated that the administration of Dicrocoelium eggs significantly led to reduction of severity of colitis and disease index. The histopathological scores improved, which were associated with the down-regulation of IFN-γ and up-regulation of IL-4 expression. Our results imply the therapeutic potential of Dicrosoelium eggs in treating colitis. Immunotherapy involving Dicrosoelium eggs primarily induces a Th2 response and modulates IFN-Y, contributing to the reduction of inflammation in colitis. Therefore, it can be considered a promising therapeutic approach to alleviate inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Using PACS for teaching radiology to undergraduate medical students
Authors: Rita Mojtahedzadeh , Farnood Rajabzadeh , Aeen Mohammadi
Published: December 2023

Introduction:
Currently, radiology teaching for medical students is based on textbooks, PowerPoint files and the use of hard copy radiographic images, which lacks full student interaction. PACS (radiology image archiving and sending system) is the most important tool for seeing and reporting radiology images by radiologist, but for training, especially for medical students, is less used. Unlike the previous conventional methods, we created a new method under the concept of learning from experience, which enables students to interpret and diagnose radiology in a simulated environment using it as a radiologist.
Method
53 students were included in the study, 25 were in the control group and 28 were in the intervention group, and routine radiology training was done separately for them for a one-month internship. In the intervention group, instead of using a slide to show the cases, PACS software was used to show all the images of the patient instead of showing only the pathologic section. At the beginning and end of the course, test questions and slides were held, and satisfaction survey forms were completed by two groups and self-evaluation by the intervention group.
Results
The control group included 25 students and the intervention group included 28 students. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of gender. The students were similar in terms of age and GPA. In the final test, there was no significant difference between the two groups for multiple-choice questions (10.89 ± 2.9 in the intervention group and 10.76 ± 3.5 in the control group, p = 0.883). The result of the independent t-test showed shows that the changes in the scores of the short answer test for the interpretation of radiological images in the intervention group were higher than the control group, 5.35 ± 2.39 for the control group and 8.8 ± 52.28 for the intervention group (P = 0.001). The level of satisfaction with the learning method was not different between the control and intervention groups, 39.44 ± 7.76 for the control group and 36.54 ± 5.87 for the intervention group (P = 0.129). Also, in the intervention group, based on the self-evaluation form, they stated that They are familiar with the capabilities of PACS (75%), the principles of CT (71.4%) and its interpretation (64.3%), choosing the appropriate window (75%), the location of different organs in the image (82.9%) and their relations (85.7%).).
Conclusion
The use of PACS in radiology training is useful for medical students and improves the students' analysis and diagnosis skills.
Solar flare forecasting based on magnetogram sequences learning with multiscale vision transformers and data augmentation techniques
Authors: Grim Luís Fernando Lopes , Gradvohl André Leon Sampaio
Published: December 2023

Solar flares are releases of electromagnetic energy generally occurring in active solar regions with magnetic fields, known as sunspots. The burst of radiation released by a solar flare can reach Earth's atmosphere in a few minutes. High-intensity solar flares, i.e., M- or X-class flares, can significantly impact some of Earth’s activities and technologies, such as satellites, telecommunications, and electrical power systems. Therefore, driving efforts in high-intensity solar flare forecasting systems is crucial. A forecasting model that observes the evolution of active regions may analyze a set of attributes that indicate which active regions can be precursors to solar flares. Recent work has focused on deep learning models that consider the evolution of active regions in the Sun. However, M- and X-class flares are spurious in the solar cycle period. That situation leads to an imbalanced dataset, increasing the effort to develop machine learning models for forecasting. Therefore, we proposed transformers-based models to forecast >= M-class flares, taking sequences of line-of-sight magnetogram images as input. In addition, we apply data augmentation techniques and other methods to deal with training on imbalanced datasets. Our fine-tuned models outperformed (TSS ≈ 0.80) state-of-the-art work using image processing to forecast >= M-class flares in the next 48 h. Moreover, the data augmentation techniques applied to the training set kept the TSS stable and improved most of the secondary performance metrics analyzed.
An investigation on the suitability of different welding recovery procedures for cold stamping punches in VF800AT steel
Authors: Pellin Adonis , Israel Charles Leonardo , DALCIN RAFAEL LUCIANO
Published: December 2023

In the present investigation, a procedure was developed to recover VF800AT steel stamping punches by the GMAW process, using Tube-Alloy 260-G, a gas-shielded, metal-cored wire that deposits a martensitic alloy steel. The samples were pre-heated at 450, 500 and 550 °C, and after weld repaired, were submitted to tempering. The samples were characterized before and after the weld repair concerning the macrostructure, microstructure, and microhardness. The correlation of the hardness in the weld metal, heat affected zone and base metal regions with the heat treatments was evaluated statistically by analysis of variance. To experimentally validate this condition, a performance test of the new and weld repaired punches was carried out. Optical microscopy, roughness measurements, and scanning electron microscopy were carried out to evaluate the geometric shape of the radius of the cutting-edge radius and the type of wear acting on the punches. Punches pre-heated to 450 °C and submitted to one tempering step presented the best results, being the most suitable to recover stamping tools made of VF800AT steel by the GMAW process.
A novel role of FSH on regulating ovarian adiponectin expression in rat ovarian granulosa cells
Authors: Zhou Yue , Zhang Shuhao , Jia Yurong , Wang Xi , Liu Yuning , Zhang Haolin , Yuan Zhengrong , Han Yingying , Weng Qiang
Published: December 2023

Background: Adiponectin, also known as Acrp30, GBP28, or apM1, plays a crucial role in regulating glucose levels, lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in various tissues and organs. Despite its broad physiological relevance in female reproduction, its role in ovarian adiponectin secretion and energy utilization remains unknown.
Methods: In the present investigation, we employed a suite of sophisticated molecular and cellular techniques to elucidate the expression of lipocalin system components and glucose transporter proteins within the ovarian tissue of rats. Specifically, cellular immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, alongside ELISA, were meticulously applied for the identification of these proteins. Furthermore, granulosa cells, harvested from rat ovaries, were subjected to an in vitro culture protocol to establish a primary cell culture.
Results: In our study, we utilized primary cultured rat granulosa cells to demonstrate for the first time that FSH quickly stimulated adiponectin protein expression in granulosa cells, particularly through the PKA signaling pathway. Consistently, further in vivo study indicated that eCG administration significantly increased adiponectin protein levels in rat ovaries. The subsequent ovarian transcriptome and RT-PCR analysis showed a positive correlation between the expression of intraovarian glucose transporters (Slc2a1, Slc2a3, and Slc2a4) and the adiponectin system (Adipoq, Adipor1, and Adipor2), as well as the protein expression patterns. Although eCG administration in rats notably elevated circulating adiponectin levels, it had no significant effects on blood glucose levels. The current findings proved that AdipoRon (an AdipoR agonist) significantly increased the expression of glucose transporters (GLUT1 and GLUT2) proteins levels, enhancing glucose uptake in granulosa cells.
Conclusions: These findings indicate that FSH may modulate ovarian glucose transporter protein expression and glucose utilization through the autocrine actions of adiponectin, thereby influencing ovarian development and function.
Analyzing Enrolment Patterns: Stacked Ensemble Statistical Learning-Based Approach to Educational Decision Making
Authors: Chuan Zun Liang , Wei Chong Teak , Japashov Nursultan , Yuan Soon Kien , Qing Tan Wei , Ismail Prof. Dr. Noriszura , Liong Assoc. Prof. Dr. Choong-Yeun , Hiae Tan Ee
Published: December 2023

In Malaysia, Additional Mathematics, equivalent to A-level mathematics, played a vital role in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. However, a notable decline in enrolment for the Malaysian Certificate of Education's (SPM’s) Additional Mathematics subject has raised concerns about the implications for Malaysia's STEM workforce and its role in sustainable economic growth. The study’s primary objectives were to identify the determinants that impacted urban upper-secondary students' enrolment in Additional Mathematics within the Kuantan District, Pahang, Malaysia, and to develop a novel stacked ensemble machine learning algorithm based on these determinants, following the CRISP-DM data science methodology. To pursue these objectives, this study collected and analyzed 389 responses from the first-batch urban upper-secondary students in the Kuantan District who had enrolled in the newly revised Standard Based Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KSSM’s) Additional Mathematics syllabus, utilizing a modified research questionnaire and a one-stage cluster sampling technique. The findings revealed that determinants such as education disciplines, ethnicity, gender, mathematics self-efficacy, peer influence, and teacher influence had significantly impacted students' decisions to enroll in Additional Mathematics. Moreover, the introduction of the novel stacked ensemble machine learning algorithm had improved predictive accuracy compared to traditional dichotomous logistic regression algorithms on average, particularly at optimal training-to-test ratios of 70:30, 80:20, and 90:10. These insights were valuable for shaping educational policy and practice, emphasizing the importance of promoting STEM education initiatives and encouraging educators and counselors to empower students to pursue STEM careers while actively promoting gender equality within STEM fields.
Study on the characteristics of surrounding rock sealing materials under the background of CO2 escape in geological sequestration of abandoned mine
Authors: Wang Kai , Yuan Hua , Guo Siyang , Ren Jiahui
Published: December 2023

Geological carbon dioxide sequestration as a key approach to energy preservation and emissions reduction has garnered attention among scholars in recent years. The abandoned coal mine contains expansive caving areas and abandoned roadway chambers, presenting a promising opportunity to repurpose the site as a carbon dioxide geological storage facility. Nonetheless, numerous micro-cracks are present in the surrounding rock of the abandoned mine roadway, particularly in the goaf. Under high-pressure seepage conditions resulting from long-term geological storage, micro-cracks will continue to fracture and expand, forming channels through which CO2 can escape. To address the aforementioned issues, this study conducted tests on superfine cement grout's properties and determined its rheological and stability characteristics based on varying particle sizes and different quantities of superfine fly ash, superfine silica fume, and high-efficiency water-reducing additives. The sensitivity factors were analyzed through an orthogonal test, leading to proposing the optimal ratio of ultrafine fly ash, ultrafine silica ash and high efficiency water reducing agent. This provides a foundation for selecting the slurry sealing performance of CO2 geological storage surrounding rock.
A Novel Nomogram for Predicting the Risk of Acute Heart Failure in ICU Patients with COPD
Authors: Wu Ziyang , Zhan Sutong , Qiao Yong , Yan Gaoliang , Qin Yuhan , Tang Huihong , Liu Shiqi , Wang Dong , Tang Chengchun
Published: December 2023

Background
This study developed a novel nomogram to predict the incidence of acute heart failure (AHF) in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and evaluated the predictive value of the nomogram.
Methods
3730 patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database were analysed. The patients were randomly divided into two groups in a seven-to-three ratio to form a training cohort (n = 2611) and a validation cohort (n = 1119). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses were used to identify associated risk variables. A nomogram was established to predict the rate of acute heart failure in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The new model was assessed in terms of the concordance index (C-index), the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA).
Results
Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis identified ten potential predictors of acute heart failure. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of these predictors and create a final model. The concordance index values were 0.820. The areas under the curves for the training and validation sets were 0.8195 and 0.8035, respectively.
Conclusion
The age, body mass index (BMI), urine output, carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2), bicarbonate, partial thromboplastin time (PTT), total Bilirubin (TBIL), urea, chloride and ventilation status were identified as predictors. Our nomogram is a reliable convenient approach for predicting acute heart failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Enhanced stability and optoelectronic properties of Potential Lead-free Double Perovskite Oxides Ba2TbBiO6 by Sb doping for solar cells
Authors: Ali Md. Lokman , Hasan Zahid , Khan Mithun , Roy Dayal Chandra
Published: December 2023

The influence of Sb-doping in the Bi-based double perovskite \({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}{\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}}_{1-\text{x}}{\text{S}\text{b}}_{\text{x}}{\text{O}}_{6}(\text{x}=0.0, 0.5)\) to provide a structural and electronic basis for comprehending various physical properties in an atomistic level. Using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) implemented via the VASP code. For the first time we study the comprehensive analysis of the structural, elastic, mechanical, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of undoped and Sb-doped \({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}{\text{O}}_{6}\) double perovskite (cubic and monoclinic phases). Changing the spatial group structure and lattice constant of \({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}{\text{O}}_{6}\) by doping causes a shift in the Brillouin zone, which in turn modifies the band structure and band gap value. The overall DOS profiles of both doped and undoped phases were identical to those of the undoped sample, however the conduction and valance bands for both doped compositions were slightly pushed nearer the fermi level. The elastic constants verified the ductility of the solids and ensured the mechanical stability of both phases. Before and after doping, the monoclinic phase is ductile while the cubic phase is brittle. This study reveals that both the phases of \({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}{\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}}_{1-\text{x}}{\text{S}\text{b}}_{\text{x}}{\text{O}}_{6}\) are mechanically stable, ductile, and machinable than\({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}{\text{O}}_{6}\). Although both phases were anisotropic, the Sb-doped monoclinic phase showed higher anisotropy than the cubic phase. Vickers hardness shows that monoclinic \({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}{\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}}_{1-\text{x}}{\text{S}\text{b}}_{\text{x}}{\text{O}}_{6}(\text{x}=0.0, 0.5)\) phase is harder than cubic \({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}{\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}}_{1-\text{x}}{\text{S}\text{b}}_{\text{x}}{\text{O}}_{6}(\text{x}=0.0, 0.5)\) phases. Moreover, the thermodynamic properties of all the studied compounds are estimated by using the elastic constant data. The cubic and monoclinic phases of\({\text{B}\text{a}}_{2}{\text{T}\text{b}\text{B}\text{i}}_{0.5}{\text{S}\text{b}}_{0.5}{\text{O}}_{6}\)have Debye temperatures of 248.48 and 240.75 K, respectively. After doping, the melting temperature of cubic phase (1529.21 K) rises greater than that of monoclinic phase (1386.87 K). Doping can improve a material’s stability by reducing its thermal expansion coefficient. Both the doped phases can be employed as a thermal barrier coating (TBC). The doped cubic phase in high-efficiency conversion applications like solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.
A Compensatory Approach for Enhancing the Strength and Durability of Green Concrete Composites (GCC) with Multiple Combinations of Recyclable Pozzolanic Materials (RPM)
Authors: ARIYAGOUNDER JAYARAMAN , MANGOTTIRI VASUDEVAN
Published: December 2023

Recyclable Pozzolanic materials (RPM) derived from wastes are increasingly used in mortar and concrete for a number of purposes, chief among them being the reduction of cement quantity, which lowers construction costs as well as carbon footprint. Among these, the most often used mixture ingredients in concrete are fly ash (FA), rice husk ash (RHA), palm oil fuel ash (POFA), granulated slag (GS), silica fume (SF), construction debris waste powder (CDW), and calcined clay (CC). Recent studies reveal that they are reasonable to impart mechanical strength when applied individually; however, their combined effects are not extensively investigated due to the characteristic conflicts existing in their elemental composition and the resulting pozzolanic activities. We present a comprehensive evaluation of durability and strength properties of different combinations of binary and ternary replacements of specific pozzolanic components in varying amounts (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). These combinations were so chosen as to provide a compensatory effect on the apparent binding properties based on the difference in their geometry and composition. The results indicate that 5% of the ternary combination had good corrosion resistance and durability, whereas 10% of the single mode, 5% of the binary mode, and 5% of the ternary mode have high mechanical properties, durability, and resistance to corrosion. These insightful findings show that use of optimized mixtures of composite pozzolanic materials can improve the mechanical properties of concrete mixes by compensating each other for their intrinsic limitations, thereby ensuring higher sustainability towards green concrete applications.
Examination of the expression of LSINCT5 lncRNA and its potential as a biomarker in Iranian colorectal cancer patients
Authors: Kardoost Aynaz Mohammadi , Sehrig Fatemeh Zeinali , Khajehnasiri Nazli , Abdi Adel
Published: December 2023

Purpose
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of death among cancer patients. Long noncoding RNAs, or lncRNAs, are becoming essential cancer regulators. However, it is still unknown how most of them are expressed, what their roles are, and how their molecular mechanisms function in colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study evaluated the expression of the lncRNA LSINCT5 in noncancerous tissues and primary colorectal cancers.
Methods
Samples were collected from 100 cases of colorectal cancer that included tumor tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis were done. The qRT-PCR was utilized to assess the LSINCT5 gene's expression.
Results
Tumors have significantly higher levels of LSINCT5 expression than the non-cancerous adjacent tissues (P = 0.0008). LSINCT5 may function as a poor diagnostic biomarker, according to the results of the ROC curve, which showed AUC values of 0.6514, specificity values of 0.68, and sensitivity values of 0.60.
Conclusion
Our research suggested that increased expression of LSINCT5 in tumor tissues of CRC patients may be engaged in promoting and developing CRC cells as a novel oncogene. Additionally, LSINCT5 can be considered a poor diagnostic biomarker for CRC diagnosis.
Pattern learning for scheduling microservice workflow to cloud containers
Authors: Li Wenzheng , Li Xiaoping , Chen Long
Published: December 2023

Patterns are crucial for efficiently scheduling microservice workflow applications to containers in cloud computing scenarios. However, it is challenging to learn patterns of microservice workflows because of their complex precedence constrained structures provided by users with more lightweighted, diversified, and personalized services. In this paper, we propose a graph neural network is designed to identify patterns within a set of microservice workflows by mining the common substructures of workflows. Based on the learned patterns, a pattern-based scheduling algorithm framework is developed for microservice workflows with soft deadline constraints to minimize the average tardiness. A sorting strategy is introduced based on urgency and pattern coverage rate. For simplification of the task sorting process, the pattern-based task sorting algorithm (PB-TS) is devised. Furthermore, a resource selection phase is incorporated to the pattern-based resource selection algorithm (PB-RS) to minimize the candidate resource space. Experimental results demonstrate the proposed method is much efficient as compared to three classical algorithms.
Perceived Risk of Developing Severe Illness or Complications Due to Covid-19 in the Brazilian Population
Authors: Rosa Rander Junior , Ferezin Letícia Perticarrara , Moura Heriederson Sávio Dias , Berra Thaís Zamboni , de Araújo Juliana Soares Tenório , Tártaro Ariela Fehr , Vaz Reginaldo Bazon , Ribeiro Natacha Martins , Alves Yan Mathias , Teibo Titilade Kehinde Ayandeyi , Ramos Antônio Carlos Vieira , Nascimento Murilo César do , Olayemi Ademo Oluwaseyi , Souza Rosa Maria Pinheiro , Severina Alice da Costa Uchôa , Arcêncio Ricardo Alexandre
Published: December 2023

Background
The perception of the risk of developing serious illness as a result of COVID-19 was one of the first reports used to reflect the health condition of infected people after hospital admission. The effects of COVID-19 are more severe in individuals with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), indicating that the characteristics and implications of these diseases in people with COVID-19 need to be investigated.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was was carried out with 1961 people aged 18 or older living in Brazil. An open research approach (survey) was used for the sample design, which involved the use of an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression were applied to identify factors associated with the perceived risk of complications due to COVID-19.
Results
The sample was mostly composed of women (n = 1383; 70.5%), 18 to 39 years old (n = 1144; 58.3%), and white (n = 1140; 56.4%). It was possible to observe that people who perceived a risk of developing diseases or complications if they became infected with COVID-19 were more likely to have a chronic noncommunicable disease (NCD) (OR: 4.51; 95% CI: 3.61–5.65), self-perception of potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 (OR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.87–2.93), self-perceived potential risk of the population becoming infected with COVID-19 (OR: 5.80; 95% CI: 3.30–10.74), wearing a protective mask (OR: 12.98; 95% CI: 5.8–31.35) during the pandemic period and having a religion (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.02–1.63).
Conclusions
The study showed that the perception of the risk of developing a severe form of the disease was significant in certain groups, such as religious people or those with chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Belt and road initiative as a gender equalizer: Decomposing the impact of belt and road initiative trade on gender wages gap in participating countries
Authors: suhrab muhammad , Qian Ningyu , Pinglu Chen
Published: December 2023

Background: The number of people living with congenital heart disease (CHD) in 2017 was estimated to be 12 million, which was 19% higher than that in 1990. However, their death rate declined by 35%, emphasizing the importance of monitoring their quality of life due to its impact on several patient outcomes. The main objective of this study is to analyze how parents’ psychosocial factors contribute to children’s and adolescents' perceptions of their QoL, focusing on their medical condition. More specifically, we explore how parental psychological dimensions, such as anxiety and depression, are related to patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
Methods: We recruited 447 children aged 5 to 18 years with a CHD diagnosis and their parents (319 mothers and 229 fathers) from January to December 2018. Patients were referred to the Cardiology Department of “Bambino Gesù” Children’s Hospital and participated in multidisciplinary standardized follow-up. Children and adolescents were submitted to a comprehensive evaluation by different physicians, including pediatric cardiologists, surgeons, and psychologists, at preset time frames. A series of standardized questionnaires were administered during psychological assessment.
Results: The main findings show a negative correlation between mothers’ anxiety and three patients' HRQoL subscales (Treatment II, Treatment anxiety, and Communication). Similarly, mothers’ depression correlates negatively with other patients’ HRQoL subscales (heart problems, symptoms, perceived physical appearance, cognitive problems, and communication). Fathers' anxiety and depression show negative correlations with only the subscale of Treatment II. More generally, the perceived quality of life of children and adolescents with CHD is influenced by their medical conditions as well as the parents’ psychological dimensions.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the caregivers of pediatric patients with CHD are more exposed to psychological problems of anxiety and depression, which affect the perceived quality of life of their children. Longitudinal research with a healthy control group is recommended to further consolidate this evidence.
Growth and Inequality Effects of Reforms from the Perspective of Defining and Measuring: A Model Essay on Turkey
Authors: YALÇINKAYA Ömer , KAYA Vedat , ERKAL Gökhan
Published: December 2023

This study focused on Turkey, where reform programs have become pervasive since the 1990s, and the potential effects of reforms on growth and inequality were investigated. In the study, financial, fiscal, real, and trade sector reforms for Turkey were defined by IMF-MONA classifications, measured from the Official Gazette of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey from 1990 to 2021, and their effects on growth and inequality were analyzed using the Augmented ARDL method. As a result of the study, it was determined that 102 reform proposals regarding the IMF-MONA classifications were implemented in Turkey during the review period. These reforms introduced significant regulations for the economic system's functioning in scope and content in the financial, fiscal, real, and trade sectors. In addition, it was determined that reforms in Turkey have varying effects on growth and inequality based on sector and that fiscal sector reforms stand for growth trade-offs. These findings indicate that reforms implemented in Turkey regarding IMF-MONA classifications support growth without increasing inequalities and can significantly enhance the inclusiveness and sustainability of growth.JEL Classification Codes:C01, C13, F43, O11.