bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Finding From Historical Data on Elementary Electric Charge May Provide Path Toward Ultraviolet Completion in the Standard Model
Authors: Williams Lamont
Published: May 2024

In many early studies of the value of elementary electric charge (e), experimentalists identified what appeared to be substantial discrepancies among results. Some discrepancies were explained; some were not. This investigation provides evidence suggesting that some discrepancies among experimental findings for the value of e may have been the result of there being discrete, naturally occurring categories of zero-energy values for the constant. These categories appear to be distinguishable from one another by way of a specific, basic equation, showing for the first time, a fundamental mathematical link among seemingly disconnected and discrepant experimental results concerning the value of e. It is further shown that the same equation may help to identify a fundamental equation for the fine-structure constant (α), shed some light on the nature of the logarithmic singularity that emerges in some studies seeking an asymptotically safe Standard Model extension, and ultimately provide a roadmap for solving the Landau pole problem and achieving ultraviolet completion in the Standard Model.
Oxygen delivery and monitoring in neonatal intensive care units in Mexico in 2011 and in 2023
Authors: ROMERO LUZ CONSUELO ZEPEDA , DE LEON JUAN CARLOS BARRERA , CRUZ VALERIA ALEJANDRA SALAS , BOUZO DAVID BLANCO , PADILLA JOSE ALFONSO GUTIERREZ , GILBERT CLARE
Published: May 2024

Background
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of preventable blindness, notably in Latin America, with hyperoxia as a significant risk factor. This study evaluates the resource availability and utilization for administering and monitoring supplemental oxygen in Mexico.
Methods
In 2011, an observational study examined 32 government neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Mexico, recording data on occupancy, staffing levels, and oxygen delivery and monitoring equipment. Preterm infants receiving supplemental oxygen were observed. In 2023, 13 NICUs were revisited, and similar data were gathered. Staffing levels were benchmarked against recommendations from Argentina and the US.
Results
In 2011, only 38% of NICUs had adequate medical and staffing levels to meet recommended cot-to-staff ratios for all shifts. Ratios were poorer on weekends and at night. Only 25.5% of cots had blenders, and 80.1% had saturation monitors. Of 153 observed infants, 87% were monitored, with 53% exhibiting high oxygen saturation (≥96%) and 8% low saturation (≤89%). Alarm settings were inadequate, with 38% and 32% of upper and lower alarms switched off and 16% and 53% incorrectly set, respectively.
In the 13 NICUs with data from 2011 and 2023, cot-to-staff ratios deteriorated over time, with no unit achieving recommended ratios for all shifts in 2023. Equipment provision remained consistent, with similar rates of baby monitoring (79% in 2011; 75% in 2023). High oxygen saturation rates decreased slightly from 54% in 2011 to 49% in 2023. More upper alarms were set (46% in 2011; 75% in 2023), but a higher proportion were incorrectly set (52% in 2011; 68% in 2023).
Conclusions
Between 2011 and 2023, cot-to-staff ratios worsened, and equipment for safe oxygen delivery and monitoring remained insufficient. Despite available monitoring equipment, oxygen saturations often exceeded recommended levels, and alarms were frequently not set or incorrectly configured. Urgent improvements are needed in healthcare workforce numbers and practices, along with ensuring adequate equipment for safe oxygen delivery.
The fertility of a sub-population of stallions is negatively affected by ambient climatic conditions, mediated through DNA damage
Authors: Griffin Roisin , Miller Kasey , Colyvas Kim , Sheridan Alecia , De Iuliis Geoffry , Aitken Robert John , Baker Mark A. , Gibb Zamira , Swegen Aleona
Published: May 2024

Exposure to systemic heat stress in mammals adversely affects sperm production, male fertility, and DNA integrity. To date, few studies have investigated this phenomenon in horses, particularly in industry-relevant environments. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between ambient climatic conditions and fertility within a population of commercially fertile stallions. Post-coital semen samples were collected weekly from 46 Thoroughbred stallions during the 2017 and 2018 breeding seasons (n = 804). Sperm concentration, motility and DNA damage were assessed, and fertility statistics (first cycle and per-cycle pregnancy rates) were collected. Loggers were placed in the stables and paddocks of stallions to record ambient temperature and humidity, on 3-min cycles. Our results indicate that current management regimens, involving the stabling of stallions at night, with paddock access during the day, expose stallions to highest ambient climatic conditions. Polynomial distributed lag modelling identified 18 stallions whose fertility was adversely affected by heat stress, based on correlations between fertility and ambient climatic conditions (p ≤ 0.05). Of these 18-candidate stallions, six (13% of the overall population) exhibited repeated positive relationships between ambient climatic conditions and sperm DNA damage, while repeated negative relationships between fertility and sperm DNA damage (r ≥ 0.50; p ≤ 0.05). These results suggest that heat-induced subfertility is most likely mediated via oxidative damage to the sperm DNA, and that current management strategies should be assessed to prevent exposure of stallions to maximal climatic conditions.
Population structure and selective signature analysis of local sheep breeds in Xinjiang, China based on high-density SNP chip
Authors: Li Yanhao , Li Xiaopeng , Han Zhipeng , Yang Ruizhi , Zhou Wen , Peng Yuwei , He Jianzhong , Liu Shudong
Published: May 2024

The frigid and droughty climate of Xinjiang in China has given rise to unique indigenous sheep breeds with strong adaptability and resistance. In order to investigate the genetic mechanism of adaptability of Xinjiang sheep to local extreme environment, We conducted population genetic structure analysis for three native Xinjiang sheep breeds, Altay sheep (ALT), Bashbay Sheep (BSBC) and Duolang sheep (DLC), and two foreign sheep breeds, Suffolk and Dorset, using the Ovine Infinium HD SNP BeadChip(680K). The results indicate that Xinjiang sheep and foreign sheep have completely different genetic and evolutionary histories. Principal component analysis (PCA) and phylogenetic tree can distinguish the five sheep breeds based on their different geospatial positions, and the domestication level of Xinjiang sheep is lower than that of foreign sheep breeds. In addition, we obtained 459 genes in total by using two selection signal scanning methods, the fixation index (Fst) analysis and the cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity test (XP-EHH). Through enrichment analysis, candidate genes related to fat and energy metabolism (PID1, VEGFA, and PCBP2, et al.), reproduction (HDAC1, BMP5, and GDF9, et al.), as well as additional candidate genes pertaining to sheep's other environmental adaptability (ATF6, NFIB, and VIL1) have been discovered. This study provides a basis for the protection and utilization of local sheep germplasm resources in Xinjiang, and offers molecular data references for exploring the genetic mechanisms of sheep adaptation to extremely cold and arid environments.
Performance analysis of coalesce private or spill shared (CPOSS) replacement strategy overLRU to handle directory entry evictions from the slice last level cache (LLC) using a scalable coherent sparse directory in Multicore processor
Authors: Sahu Narottam , Dash Banchhanidhi , Al-Absi Ahmed Abdulhakim , Pattnaik Prasant Kumar
Published: May 2024

Ideally, we could solve all memory performance problems by storing everything in high performance caches. However, the associated high-cost forces us to keep only a limited amount of working sets of data in these caches and the replacement of disposable blocks of data with the desired one is a fundamental property to caches. Ultimately, the performance of a cache is heavily influenced by the replacement policy it uses. In this paper, we conduct a comparative analysis of a few replacement policies currently in use from traditional strategies to the ones that attempt to emulate optimal replacement and simulate a few replacement strategies to test the performance of multilevel cache by configuring the cache memory subsystem in the Multi2sim simulator. We have focused on the shared nature of the last Level Cache (LLC) which includes many coherence problems. This is where directories and coherence protocols come into play. However, the blocks suffer when the directory entries are themselves evicted from the directory. In this paper, we look into a cache coherence mechanism that instead of evicting the block from the private caches when the directory entry is evicted, rather than storing the entry in the LLC slice. This guarantees freedom from the Directory Eviction Victim Blocks (DEVB). We analyze the performance of our proposed replacement technique, namely, coalesce private or spill shared (CPOSS) by varying the size and associativity of the sparse directory by providing the workload from Parsec, Splash2 and FFTW benchmarks and we observe that the CPOSS outperforms the existing least recently used (LRU) in slice LLC banks in Multicore processors.
Lack of Association of the PLD4 SNP rs2841277 With Systemic Sclerosis in a US Caucasian population
Authors: Ma Yunqing , Mayes Maureen D. , Guo Xinjian , Assassi Shervin , Zhou Xiaodong
Published: May 2024

Objective
This study aimed to examine whether a reported SSc-associated SNP rs2841277 in the PLD4 gene identified in an Asian population was also associated with SSc in US Caucasians.
Methods
The US Caucasian cohort consisting of 1005 SSc patients and 961 healthy controls was examined in this study. TaqMan genotyping assays were performed to examine the SNP. Exact p-values were obtained from 2x2 tables of allele counts and disease status.
Results
In contrast to the previous reports in a Japanese population, SSc patients of US Caucasian ancestry did not show an association of PLD4 rs2841277 with SSc in general (P=0.231, OR=0.89), or with clinical subtypes of lcSSc (P=0.302, OR=0.86) and dcSSc (P=0.369, OR=0.90), or with autoantibody subtypes including ATA(P=0.126, OR=0.74), ACA(P=0.943, OR=1.01), ARP3(P=0.155, OR=0.77), or Anti-RNP(P=0.660, OR=0.73).
Conclusion
We found a lack of association of the PLD4 SNP rs2841277 with SSc in a US Caucasian population. This is the first study to report a discrepancy in the genetic association between the PLD4 SNP and SSc. This could be explained by genetic heterogeneity between Asian and Caucasian populations, suggesting that the previously reported association of the PLD4 polymorphism may be ethnic specific, and further verification in different ethnic populations is warranted.
The immediate sensorimotor effects of forearm clasping orthosis with a textured pad in people with lateral elbow tendinopathy: a crossover clinical trial
Authors: BaBaee Faezeh , Zarezadeh Abolghasem , Sadeghi-Demneh Ebrahim
Published: May 2024

Background: Forearm orthoses are used to manage lateral elbow tendinopathy. Although their use has been shown to improvemotor performance, little is known about how they affect sensory function. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of forearm clasping orthoses with a sensory-enhanced textured pad on the sensorimotor function of the affected arm in people with lateral elbow tendinopathy.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 56 people with lateral elbow tendinopathy were evaluated for elbow proprioception, pain severity, pain-free grip, and hand function. The study outcomes were measured across four randomized conditions: no orthosis, placebo, forearm strap, and forearm clasping orthosis with a textured pad. The data were analyzed using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance for each outcome measure.
Results: Compared with no orthosis, the use of a forearm strap (p = 0.01) or a forearm clasping orthosis (p = 0.02) significantly improved pein-free grip. Additionally, both forearm orthoses significantly improved elbow proprioception (p < 0.001) compared to no orthosis. Compared with no orthosis, the forearm strap improved pain intensity (p = 0.002) and hand function (p = 0.001), while the forearm clasping orthosis did not (p > 0.05). Neither the forearm strap nor forearm clasping orthoses were significantly different across all the study outcomes, nor was the comparison of no orthosis with the placebo significant (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: People with lateral elbow tendinopathy could immediately benefit from improved elbow joint proprioception and pain-free grip strength due to the use of a forearm strap and forearm clasping orthosis with a textured pad in this study.
Clinical Trial Registration: IRCT20220203053925N1; Registration Date:14.03.2022; Available at: https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/61955
Mediating role of moral resilience and professional identity in the impact of nursing interns' moral distress on compassion fatigue: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Shuai Ting , Yi Lijuan , Xuan Yan , Jiménez-Herrera Maria F. , Tian Xu
Published: May 2024

Background: Due to similar workplace environments as registered nurses, nursing interns frequently encounter moral distress during clinical practice, which may lead to compassion fatigue. Moral resilience and professional identity influence the psychological well-being of nursing interns. However, the relationships among moral distress, moral resilience, professional identity, and compassion fatigue, particularly among nursing interns, remain unclear.
Objectives: To investigate the impact of moral distress on nursing interns' compassion fatigue and further reveal the role of moral resilience and professional identity as mediators of effects.
Research design: An online, quantitative cross-sectional study.
Methods: A convenience sample of 467 nursing interns was recruited from 4 public junior colleges in Hunan province of China in February, 2024. Data were collected using Compassion Fatigue Short Scale, Moral Distress Scale-revised, Rushton Moral Resilience Scale, and Professional Identity Scale. Data analyses were carried out using SPSS 22.0 and Amos 21.0. This study adhered to the STROBE statement.
Ethical consideration: Ethics approval was received before formal data collection from the Ethics Committee of an undisclosed Medical College.
Results: The mean scores were 35.876, 44.887, 2.578, and 37.610 for compassion fatigue, moral distress, moral resilience, and professional identity, respectively. Nursing interns' moral distress was positively related to compassion fatigue, and structural equation model showed that the relationship between moral distress and compassion fatigue was partially mediated by moral resilience and professional identity (β = 0.448, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The findings indicate that among nursing interns, moral distress not only directly influences compassion fatigue but also has indirectly impact on compassion fatigue through the mediating effects of moral resilience and professional identity. Enhancing moral resilience and fostering a strong professional identity among nursing interns may mitigate the negative effects of moral distress on compassion fatigue.
Predictors of split thickness skin graft failure at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Uganda
Authors: Wabuna David Percy , Kiswezi Ahmed , Abraha Demoz , Alenyo Rose , Wambi David Silver , Kyomukama Lauben , Eilu Emmanuel , Molen Selamo fabrice , Muhumuza Joshua
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Graft failure results in delayed wound healing, increased hospital stays, repeat surgery, further donor sites and increased scar formation. There is limited information specifically about predictors of split skin graft failure in the lower limbs. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of split thickness skin graft failure at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital (KNRH) in Uganda.
Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal study in which patients who had split skin graft on the lower limbs were followed up till the 10th day to assess the graft failure rates. Graft failure was defined as any take less than 80% on the 10th post-operative day. The baseline characteristics, clinical characteristics and laboratory characteristics were documented and association with graft failure assessed using Poisson regression in SPSS version 26.
Results: We enrolled 160 study participants, majority of whom were female 84(52.5%) with a mean age of 32.5 years (SD=19.4). In this study, 59/160 participants had graft failure. The predictors of skin graft failure were smoking, diabetes mellitus comorbidity, being underweight or obese and presence of hypoalbuminemia. The risk of skin graft failure was independently increased by 27.2% for smokers, 25.0% for the diabetics, 12.4% for those underweight, 5.4% for those obese and by 16.5% for those who had hypoalbuminemia (P<0.05 for all).
Conclusion: More attention to reduce the risk of graft failure should be focused on smokers, diabetics, these with high or low body mass index and correcting serum albumin.
The Involvement of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus in Ameliorating the Impact of Salinity on Photosynthetic Efficiency, Water Relations, and Homeostatic Balance of Pistachio (Pistacia vera) Plants
Authors: Hamzehzadeh Hanieh , Abbaspour Hossein , Afshar Akbar Safipour , Hamdi Seyed Mohammad Mahdi
Published: May 2024

High salinity levels pose a significant challenge to agricultural productivity, as it impairs photosynthesis, water and nutrient uptake, and cellular homeostasis in plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic microorganisms that can improve plant tolerance to salinity, but their effects on plant photosynthetic efficiency, especially of Photosystem II, are poorly understood. This study examined the impact of AMF inoculation on the growth, physiology, and biochemistry of pistachio plants exposed to salt stress in a greenhouse experiment. The experimental findings demonstrated that that AMF symbiosis increased the growth and the K, Ca, Mg, P, K/Na, and Ca/Na ratios, and reduced the Na and Cl concentrations, of pistachio plants under salinity. AMF inoculation also decreased the electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide levels, and increased the relative water content, water use efficiency, glycine betaine, soluble sugars, alpha-tocopherol, and carotenoids of pistachio plants under salinity. Furthermore, AMF inoculation mitigated the salinity-induced reduction in chlorophyll content, maximum quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm), effective quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv’/Fm’), and photochemical quenching (qP), and the salinity-induced increase in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and chlorophyll a/b ratio. Additionally, AMF inoculation improved the net photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate, and reduced the intercellular CO2 concentration, of pistachio plants under salinity. These findings indicate that AMF inoculation enhances the photosynthetic capacity, water relations, and ion homeostasis of pistachio plants, and confers salinity tolerance and improved growth and performance.
Enhanced Clinical Decisions for Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia using Patient-Reported Outcomes: Protocol for a Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Glaser Alexander P. , Smith Abigail R. , Maglaque Dacey , Helfand Brian T. , Mohamed Rowida , An Hosanna , Marquez Melissa , Talaty Pooja , Carolan Padraig , Geller Aaron M. , Farina Francesca R. , Jensen Sally E. , Griffith James W.
Published: May 2024

Background Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) significantly impact quality of life among older men. Despite the prevalent use of the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI) for BPH, this measure overlooks key symptoms such as pain and incontinence, underscoring the need for more comprehensive patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools. This study aims to integrate enhanced PROs into routine clinical practice to better capture the spectrum of LUTS, thereby improving clinical outcomes and patient care.Methods This prospective observational study will recruit men with LUTS secondary to BPH aged ≥ 50 years from urology clinics. Participants will be stratified into medical and surgical management groups, with PRO assessments scheduled at regular intervals to monitor LUTS and other health outcomes. The study will employ the LURN Symptom Index (SI)-29 alongside the traditional AUA-SI and other non-urologic PROs to evaluate a broad range of symptoms. Data on comorbidities, symptom severity, and treatment efficacy will be collected through a combination of electronic health records and PROs. Analyses will focus on the predictive power of these tools in relation to symptom trajectories and treatment responses. Aims are to: (1) integrate routine clinical tests with PRO assessment to enhance screening, diagnosis, and management of patients with BPH; (2) examine psychometric properties of the LURN SIs, including test-retest reliability and establishment of clinically meaningful differences; and (3) create care-coordination recommendations to facilitate management of persistent symptoms and common comorbidities measured by PROs.Discussion By employing comprehensive PRO measures, this study expects to refine symptom assessment and enhance treatment monitoring, potentially leading to improved personalized care strategies. The integration of these tools into clinical settings could revolutionize the management of LUTS/BPH by providing more nuanced insights into patient experiences and outcomes. The findings could have significant implications for clinical practices, potentially leading to updates in clinical guidelines and better health management strategies for men with LUTS/BPH.Trial registration: This study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05898932).
Energetic analysis of spreading of impacting drops on cold surfaces
Authors: Yan Peiwen , McCormack Conan , Davis Stephen H. , Kavehpour H. Pirouz
Published: May 2024

Mechanism restricting advancing contact line remains debated for drop impacts on cold solid substrates while lamella is spreading and solidifying simultaneously. We conducted experiments involving hexadecane drops impacts on cold solid substrates at different temperatures below liquid freezing temperature with various impact velocities to observe spreading and contact line dynamics. Due to the similarity in temporal growth of viscous and freezing boundary layers, an effective boundary layer thickness is introduced to estimate dissipation in the shear layer. As the contact line is caught up by freezing front, driven by non-equilibrium kinetic solidification, lamella spreads over solidified volume at contact line region. An additional dissipative friction at proximity to contact line is therefore proposed, which can be incorporated to account freezing induced dissipative mechanisms at contact line in any prognostic model for maximum solidification-limited spreading ratio. In an energetic argument, we assess relative dissipation of energy in the parameter space of Weber and Stefan numbers and propose a nondimensional number Di to characterize whether solidification-induced energy dissipation basally in the shear layer or laterally at the contact line dominates to limit droplet spreading.
Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Impinging Droplet Solidification at Moderate Impact Velocities
Authors: McGuan Ryan , Alizadeh-Birjandi Elaheh , Yan Peiwen , Davis Stephen H. , Kavehpour H. Pirouz
Published: May 2024

Spreading of liquid drops on cold solid substrates is a complicated problem that involves heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and phase change physics combined with complex wetting behaviors at the contact-line. Understanding the physics behind the non-isothermal spreading of droplet is of utmost importance due to its broad applications in diverse areas of industry such as in additive manufacturing processes. This work mainly focuses on determining the important physical parameters involved in the non-isothermal spreading of droplets with low contact angle (less than 90 deg) as well as controlling the post-solidification geometry of impinging droplets with moderate impact velocity where spreading is driven by impact velocities, but fingerings or instabilities do not occur at the contact-line. Using analytical modeling, a possible explanation for contact-line arrest is produced that demonstrates that the final radius of droplets of moderate impacting velocity is independent of the initial conditions including the impact dynamics and temperature gradients. The predictive capacity of this model is confirmed with experimental results.
Computation on temperature-based topologicalindicators and QSPR analysis of the five clinicallyapproved NNRTIs antiretroviral drugs for thetreatment of HIV-1
Authors: G Kalaimurugan , R Thamizhmaran
Published: May 2024

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome(AIDS) is one of the life-threatening disease that yearly affects 39 million people globally. There are currently manyantiretroviral medicines available to control the infection but not to curethe Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) type-1 virus that causes AIDS. Indrug designing, topological indices play a major role with help from quantitative structure-property/activity relationship (QSPR/QSAR). In this paper,we use molecular structure and physicochemical properties of non-nucleosidereverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) antiretroviral drugs like Nevirapine(N), Delavirdine (D), Efavirenz (Ef), Etravirine (Et), and Rilpivirine (R) tocompute the temperature-based topological indices. In addition, We analyze therelevant temperature-based topological indices and it is established that thesetopological indices are highly correlated and have predictive capability with thephysicochemical properties of HIV-1 drugs using QSPR.
Quantitative proteomic analysis deciphers mechanisms of sheath blight resistance in novel rice landrace against Rhizoctonia solani
Authors: MOHANAN Arvind , Prashanthi S K , Arun Y P , Raghunandana A , Krishnaraj P U , NAYAK Spurthi , HEGDE Yashoda
Published: May 2024

Sheath blight (ShB) disease, instigated by Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, inflicts a significant economic threat to rice production, trailing closely behind blast. Acknowledging the limited understanding of ShB resistance proteomics in highly resistant germplasm, our study aimed to unravel the proteomic intricacies underlying the interaction between resistant landrace Nizam Shait and R. solani. Utilizing Nizam Shait and BPT-5204 as representatives of ShB resistance and susceptibility, a comparative proteome analysis was performed using Orbitrap-Fusion mass spectrometry. The analysis unveiled 5133 differentially expressed proteins, with 118 significantly upregulated and 172 significantly downregulated at a0.05 p-value. Notably, the 14-3-3 like protein GF-E exhibited the highest upregulation, indicating its pivotal role in the brassinosteroid signaling pathway and defense modulation. Proteins associated with systemic acquired resistance, R gene-mediated resistance, and cell death were downregulated, while those linked to jasmonic acid-induced systemic resistance (JA-ISR) showed notable upregulation, confirming ISR induction in response to ShB infection. Key signaling pathways involved in ShB resistance in Nizam Shait encompassed PTI via JA-ISR, cell wall strengthening, and brassinosteroid and abscisic acid-mediated resistance. Validation of the proteome data through qRT-PCR corroborated the findings, underscoring the significance of this research for future proteome assisted breeding efforts aimed at developing ShB resistant rice varieties.
How much hatchery-reared brown trout move in a large, deep subalpine lake? An acoustic telemetry study
Authors: Brignone Stefano , Minazzi Luca , Molina Christophe , Putelli Tiziano , Volta Pietro
Published: May 2024

Fish movement into large, deep lakes has been rarely investigated due to the complexity and extent of such ecosystems. Among the different monitoring methods available, acoustic telemetry enables to study spatial ecology of aquatic organisms and to investigate their behavior in lentic environments. In this study, movement of 69 hatchery-reared adult brown trout (size 43–61 cm) marked with acoustic transmitters was monitored in the large and deep subalpine Lake Lugano (Switzerland and Italy). Trout were tracked for six consecutive months by 7 hydrophones (April-August 2022), positioned in a non-overlapping array. Trout movement was reconstructed using R packages specific for acoustic telemetry (Actel and RSP), which also allowed to translate tracking information into utilization distribution (UD) areas for each fish. The effects of different environmental variables (rainfall, water discharge of the two main tributaries of Lake Lugano, atmospheric pressure, cloud coverage and moon phases) on trout movement was tested, but none of these variables seemed to correlate with fish movement. Although trout marked with acoustic transmitters were hatchery-reared fish, the extent of their total movement throughout the study period was unexpected, with many trout moving for more than 100 km in few months. The extent of such movement patterns is potentially related to an explorative behavior, which is more pronounced in hatchery-reared fish due to their more aggressive and bolder attitude. The association of these behavioral traits, shaped by domestication, could expose hatchery-reared fish to higher risks and post-release mortality in the wild.
A Study of Internal Medicine Subspecialty Fellows’ Time Allocation and Consultation Experience
Authors: Lockwood Megan , Miloslavsky Eli
Published: May 2024

Background
The educational environment and burnout during Internal Medicine subspecialty fellowship training are important for learning outcomes. Understanding how trainees allocate their time and identifying stressors are important steps to improving the training experience.
Objective
We examined Internal Medicine fellows’ time allocation during training. We also investigated perceptions of work experience on the inpatient consultation services.
Methods
A survey instrument was sent to Internal Medicine subspecialty fellows in consecutive years (2019 and 2020) at a single academic medical center.
Results
116 fellows responded representing ten subspecialty fellowships (32% response rate). The majority of self-reported time was spent on clinical care in the first two years and in research in the third year. Note writing represented approximately one-third of total patient care time. Studying was reported as the activity where fellows spent the least time. Factors with the highest positive impact on the inpatient consultation experience included consult request early in the day, sufficient time to learn, and clarity of consult question while unpredictability of workload and perceived low necessity of the consult negatively impacted the experience.
Conclusions
The largest percentage of time spent by Internal Medicine subspecialty fellows is with direct inpatient care, with a significant proportion spent on clinical documentation and answering patient messages. Factors impacting fellow experience during inpatient consultation highlight the importance of pace of work, predictability of the workload, and ability to add value and to learn. Our findings offer insight for the development of interventions that may enhance the fellowship learning environment and reduce burnout.
Urbanization structures urban insect communities in aquatic microhabitats
Authors: Sommer Anna , Petermann Jana Sandra
Published: May 2024

More and more people are living in cities and cities are predicted to increase in size and number. Urbanization may have several effects on biodiversity. However, these effects can be species (or taxon) specific and may be dependent on the measured urbanization variables. Water-filled tree holes constitute breeding habitats for a range of insects and may be used as model systems to investigate effects of anthropogenic change such as urbanization. Even in cities these and other small standing waters are colonized by aquatic insects. Using a Citizen Science Project, we investigated how urbanization (imperviousness, altered temperature, building density, etc.), environmental parameters (pH, O2) and detritus serving as a food source affect aquatic larval insect communities and leaf-litter decomposition in artificial aquatic microhabitats resembling tree holes in the city of Salzburg, Austria. We found that these artificial containers were colonized by a broad range of insect species. Detritus content partly explained larval abundance. Urbanization however, measured as imperviousness and human population density, predicted shifts in community composition, especially contrasting patterns between the mosquito species Culex pipiens and Aedes japonicus. Urban microhabitats could be shown to be important habitats for aquatic insects. However, with increasing urbanization, aquatic communities mainly consist of midges, for example mosquitoes and ceratopogonids, potentially threatening human health via pathogen transmission. Therefore, we suggest improving citizen information on possible measures preventing the establishment and spread of harmful species while still supporting native biodiversity in urban spaces.
AlGaN/AlN heterostructures: an emerging platform for nonlinear integrated photonics
Authors: Gundogdu Sinan , Pazzagli Sofia , Pregnolato Tommaso , Kolbe Tim , Hagedorn Sylvia , Weyers Markus , Schröder Tim
Published: May 2024

In the rapidly evolving area of integrated photonics, there is a growing need for materials that satisfy the particular requirements of increasingly complex and specialized devices and applications. Present photonic material platforms have made significant progress over the past years; however, each platform still faces specific material and performance challenges. We introduce a novel material for integrated photonics: Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) on Aluminum Nitride (AlN) as a platform for developing reconfigurable and nonlinear on-chip optical systems. AlGaN combines compatibility with standard semiconductor fabrication technologies, high electro-optic modulation capabilities, and large nonlinear coefficients while providing a broad and low-loss spectral transmission range, making it a viable material for advanced photonic applications. In this work, we design and grow AlGaN/AlN heterostructures and integrate fundamental photonic building blocks into these chips. In particular, we fabricate edge couplers, low-loss waveguides, directional couplers, and tunable high-quality factor ring resonators to enable nonlinear light-matter interaction and quantum functionality. The comprehensive platform we present in this work paves the way for nonlinear photon-pair generation applications, on-chip nonlinear quantum frequency conversion, and fast electro-optic modulation for switching and routing classical and quantum light fields.
Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and prevalence of depression among adolescent mothers in a Cameroonian context.
Authors: Miafo Joël Djatche , Nzebou Daniel , Stoll Beat , Ngambia Joris Cathel Yimga , Ekedy Marquise Kouo Ngamby , Ottino Saskia von Overbeck , Moayedoddin Amir
Published: May 2024

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is the screening tool for perinatal depression, and its cut-off score varies according to context and population. In Cameroon, no study has yet defined a cut-off score or the prevalence of perinatal depression in adolescent mothers. Our aim is to determine the cut-off for teenage mothers in Cameroon. The study is cross-sectional and analytical in nature. The EPDS was administered and the DSM-5 was used to diagnose depression. The data were analysed with Epidata 3.1 and processed with SPSS 25. Positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NVP) were calculated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, is analyse. 1633 adolescent mothers were recruited. The prevalence of perinatal depression was 60.8% (95% CI = 58.5, 63.2). The cut-off score for this population was ≥ 13. Sensitivity was 85.3% (95% CI = 0.836, 0.870]) specificity 66.9% (95% CI = 0.646,0.692), PPV 80.1% and NPV 74.5%. This score of ≥ 13 is retained because the model is well discriminating, with the air under the curve (AUC) being 0.823 (95% CI = 0.801, 0.844) with p = 0.000. This study on the validation of the EPDS and the prevalence of perinatal depression in a population of teenage mothers is new in Cameroon and central Africa.
Pore structure characteristics of deep coal seams under the synergistic effect of high temperature and high pressure and their impact on coalbed methane adsorption
Authors: Si Shasha , Wang Zhaofeng , Kang Jianhong , Yue Jiwei , Dai Juhua
Published: May 2024

The content of coalbed methane is an important parameter for preventing coal and gas outbursts and preventing coal mine accidents. In order to explore the adsorption law of deep coalbed methane, this paper selects coal samples from two high-quality mining areas, and uses low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and high-pressure volume method to study the pore structure characteristics and adsorption properties of deep coalbeds from microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. It reveals the influence of temperature, pressure, and pore structure on the content of coalbed methane, and constructs a deep coalbed methane content adsorption model considering the synergistic effect of these factors. The research results show that the hysteresis degree of the intrusion and extrusion mercury curves of deep coalbeds decreases, the number of semi-closed pores increases, and the connectivity of coal deteriorates. The low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption curves all conform to Type II isotherms. When the gas pressure reaches 0.9 MPa, the adsorption and desorption curves completely overlap, indicating the end of monolayer adsorption. More than 80% of the deep coalbed methane is stored in pores ranging from 2 to 10 nm in the form of micropore filling, while less than 10% is adsorbed as monolayers in pores larger than 10 nm. There is a significant linear relationship between the Langmuir volume (V) and the micropore volume and BET. The Langmuir pressure (P0 is related to the volume and specific surface area of mesopores, indicating that micropore structure controls the ultimate adsorption capacity of coal for methane, while mesopore structure affects the morphological characteristics of methane adsorption isotherms. The adsorption zones of deep coalbeds are divided into micropore weak adsorption zone, micropore strong adsorption zone, and monolayer adsorption, and a temperature-pressure-pore synergistic adsorption model for deep coalbed methane is constructed. The coefficient of determination (R2) of this model reaches 0.999, which can well characterize the adsorption characteristics of deep coalbed methane. By applying the constructed adsorption model, it is found that the content of coalbed methane tends to decrease with increasing depth, laying a theoretical foundation for revealing the law of changes in deep coalbed methane content.
Sustainable Concrete Material Reinforced with Recycled Polypropylene Tarpaulin Fibers
Authors: Borkar S. P. , Kole S. S. , Ranshur S. , Salve L. , Ghate T. , Awatade D. , Varma A.
Published: May 2024

Tarpaulin is a multipurpose textile product made from different coating formulation grades of polymer of which Polyethylene based tarpaulins are wildly used. It is water resistant and UV resistant, which makes it long lasting. However, after usage of for a season, it leads to the problem of disposal due to its non-degradable characteristics. This contribute to the growing problem of plastic waste in landfills, oceans, and other natural environments. Tarpaulins are not recyclable in conventional recycling methods. India generates a significant amount of plastic waste each year, with estimates suggesting that it produces around 9.46 million tons of plastic waste annually. While tarpaulins are just one type of plastic waste, they can contribute to the overall plastic waste problem in the country. As tarpaulin are of polymeric nature, it is proposed that this material also can turn into a value-added material by incorporating it into concrete mixture. In the current project, the attempt is made to develop a sustainable concrete material using shredded tarpaulin tapes of 3–5 cm in length. The volume of sand is replaced by these fibres in 5% concentrations. The concrete blocks with tarpaulin embedded in them showed marginal reductions in strength than the control blocks but this strength is acceptable by the ISO Standards. This project leads to sustainability and follows the principle of circular economy.
Molecular detection of Brucella species from apparently healthy camels slaughtered at the Akaki abattoir, Ethiopia
Authors: Legesse Abinet , Birhanu Kenaw , Mekuriaw Aregitu , Akalu Mirtneh , Abayneh Takele , Adamu Kassaye , Deresse Getaw , Bayissa Berecha , Tesfaw Liyuwork , Sherefa Kedir
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND ANDMETHODS: Brucellosis is a dreadful zoonotic disease affecting humans and all domestic animals including camels worldwide. Serological evidence for Brucella infection in camels has been reported from all pastoralist and agro-pastoralist regions of Ethiopia. Investigations have shown that antibody concentrations are lower in camels than in cattle. However, serological diagnostic kits have been developed for cattle brucellosis is directly transposed for camels without adequate assay validation and genotyping of Brucella species is still absent in camel population in Ethiopia. This study aimed to evaluate gaps associated with Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and molecular detection of Brucella species from apparently healthy camels slaughtered at the Akaki abattoir. The study applied Brucella genus specific, Brucella abortus (B.abortus) and Brucella melitensis (B.melitensis) species-specific primers on RBPT-positive and retropharyngeal lymph node samples collected from 100 camels’ heads.
RESULTS: RBPT revealed the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies in 5 of 100 (5%) slaughtered camels. All RBPT-positive were also positive for PCR. Among the100 lymph node samples examined, 35 (35%) were Brucella positive by PCR. All were found to be B. abortus;however, B. melitessis was not detected in either the serum or lymph node samples.
CONCLUSION: To the authors’ knowledge, this investigation is the first report on the molecular detection of B.abortus from camel in Ethiopia. Sequence data confirmed the presence of B. abortus from apparently healthy camels slaughtered at Akaki abattoir, Ethiopia. B. abortus molecular detection rate on lymph nodes samples was seven times greater than that of RBPT. We recommend that advanced research be conducted on camel milk and meat and those camel herders emphasize Ethiopian pastoral areas in particular to understand Brucella epidemiology and its public health significance.
WBi-YOLOSF: Improved FPN for aquatic real-time target detection under the Artificial rabbits optimization
Authors: Jiang Liubing , Mu Yujie , Che Li , Wu Yongman
Published: May 2024

As the pillar industry of coastal areas, aquaculture needs artificial intelligence technology to promote economic development. To realize the automation of the aquaculture industry, this paper proposes a new underwater object detection network: WBi-YOLOSF. It realizes the automatic classification and detection of aquatic products, improves the production efficiency of the aquaculture industry, and promotes its economic development. This paper creates an image dataset containing 15 aquatic products to lay the data foundation for model training. In the data preprocessing part, an underwater image enhancement algorithm is proposed to improve the quality of the data set effectively. Aiming at the problem of high false detection rate and missed detection rate of underwater dense small targets, a new data enhancement method was proposed to improve the training set's data quality comprehensively. Inspired by the weighted bidirectional feature pyramid network, this paper proposes a new feature extraction network: AU-BiFPN, which solves the gradient problem caused by the network hierarchy's deepening on enhancing the network's multi-scale feature fusion. Here, the swarm intelligence algorithm is introduced to optimize the model hyperparameters, accelerating the convergence speed of model training and significantly reducing the computational cost. At the same time, the model's accuracy is improved by a cliff. In addition, the FReLU activation function is introduced in the network's backbone, and the SimAM attention mechanism is integrated, effectively improving the accuracy and speed of the model prediction. Ablation and comparison experiments show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed model. Verified by the mAP and FPS evaluation indicators, the experimental results of the WBi-YOLOSF target detection network can reach 0.982 and 203 frames per second, which are 1.4\% and five frames per second higher than the network with the second score. In summary, this method can quickly and accurately identify aquatic products, realize real-time target detection of aquatic products, and lay the foundation for developing an aquaculture automation system.
Visual fields after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Imai Kazuki , Obata Shumpei , Matsumoto Riko , Nishida Ayaka , Iwasa Maki , Kakinoki Masashi , Sawada Osamu , Sawada Tomoko , Saishin Yoshitsugu , Ohji Masahito
Published: May 2024

It is known that laser photocoagulation for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) can cause visual field defects. There are no reports comparing the visual fields of ROP patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy and those of normal controls.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted for the anti-VEGF therapy group and a prospective study was carried out for the normal control group. Visual fields were tested using Goldmann perimetry. The viewing angles in eight directions (upper, nasal-upper, nasal, nasal-lower, lower, temporal-lower, temporal and temporal-upper) and the total angle were compared between the two groups.
Nine eyes in the anti-VEGF therapy group and 10 eyes in the normal control group met the criteria. The visual field angles were significantly narrower in the anti-VEGF therapy group, compared with the normal control group, for the total, and the nasal-lower, lower, temporal-lower, temporal and temporal-upper directions (502 versus 540 degrees, P = 0.003; 55 versus 61 degrees, P = 0.002; 60 versus 66 degrees, P = 0.001; 72 versus 77 degrees, P = 0.04; 82 versus 90 degrees, P = 0.004; and 62 versus 72 degrees, P = 0.003, respectively).
Patients with ROP may exhibit narrower-than-normal visual fields after anti-VEGF therapy.