bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Oral Nutritional Supplementation on Health-Related Outcomes and Nutritional Biomarkers in Children and Adolescents with Undernutrition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: An Ruopeng , Shen Jing , Zhang Zhiying , Lim Meng Thiam , Huynh Dieu T. T.
Published: September 2024

This systematic review aims to synthesize scientific evidence on the effects of oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) on health-related outcomes and nutritional biomarkers among children and adolescents with undernutrition. The review protocol was reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. A comprehensive keyword and reference search was conducted in seven electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed, Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, Global Health, Web of Science, and Scopus. We identified 14 peer-reviewed articles reporting results from 13 unique studies (eight randomized controlled trials, four pre-post studies, and one observational study). Study participants were recruited from 14 countries/regions, with ages ranging from 1 to 14 years. Outcomes of interest include health-related outcomes (acute diseases and infections) and nutritional biomarkers (e.g., serum iron and zinc). Six of the eight studies examining acute diseases/infections and five of the seven examining nutritional biomarkers reported statistically significant improvement in some, but not all, outcomes. A meta-analysis of three studies found that ONS interventions reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) by 39% (95% CI, 0.42–0.91) in children at nutritional risk when compared to dietary counseling (DC) alone. This systematic review suggests that ONS interventions can improve certain health-related outcomes and nutritional biomarkers in undernourished children and adolescents. Specifically, the use of ONS significantly reduces the risk of URTI, highlighting its potential to enhance immune function and break the cycle of undernutrition and infection.
Nutritional Assessment, Body Composition, and Low Energy Availability in Sport Climbing Athletes of Different Genders and Categories: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mora-Fernandez Agustin , Argüello-Arbe Andrea , Tojeiro-Iglesias Andrea , Latorre Jose Antonio , Conde-Pipó Javier , Mariscal-Arcas Miguel
Published: September 2024

Climbing is an Olympic discipline in full development and multidisciplinary in nature, where the influences of body composition and nutritional status on performance have not yet been clarified despite the quest for a low weight in anti-gravity disciplines such as climbing. The present cross-sectional study aimed to conduct nutritional (3-day dietary diaries) and body composition (ISAK profile) assessments on sport climbing athletes by gender and climbing level during the months of February and March 2024. The t-test for independent samples and the Mann–Whitney U-test, as well as an ANOVA and the Kruskal–Wallis H-test, were used to compare the distributions of two or more groups, respectively, and Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used to estimate the correlations between the different variables. The mean age of the 46 Spanish climbers (22 men and 24 women) was 30 years (SD: 9) with 7.66 years of experience (SD: 6.63). The mean somatotype of the athletes was classified as balanced mesomorph. Negative correlations were observed between fat mass variables and climbing level (p < 0.010), and positive correlations were observed with forearm circumference (p < 0.050). The mean energy availability (EA) was 33.01 kcal-kg FFM−1d−1 (SD: 9.02), with 55.6% of athletes having a suboptimal EA status and 35.6% having low energy availability (LEA). The carbohydrate and protein intakes were below the recommendations in 57.8% and 31.1% of athletes, respectively. There were deficient intakes of all micronutrients except phosphorus in males. These findings suggest that climbing athletes are at a high risk of developing low energy availability states and concomitant problems. Optimal nutritional monitoring may be advisable in this type of athlete to try to reduce the risk of LEA.
Leaf Nitrogen and Phosphorus Variation and Estimation of Citrus Tree under Two Labor-Saving Cultivation Modes Using Hyperspectral Data
Authors: Li Dasui , Hu Qingqing , Zhang Jinzhi , Dian Yuanyong , Hu Chungen , Zhou Jingjing
Published: September 2024

Understanding canopy nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) differences is crucial for optimizing plant nutrient distribution and management. This study evaluated leaf N and P content in citrus trees across three cultivation modes: traditional mode (TM), wide-row and narrow-plant mode (WRNPM), and fenced mode (FM). We used hyperspectral data for non-destructive quantification and compared 1080 leaf samples from upper, middle, and lower canopy layers. Four models—Random Forest (RF), Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN), Partial Least Squares (PLS), and Support Vector Machine (SVM)—were employed for leaf N and P estimation. Results showed that the TM had significantly lower N content compared to the WRNPM and FM, while the WRNPM exhibited higher P content. The canopy layer had minimal impact on N and P in the FM, and leaves in the upper layer had higher nutrient content in the WRNPM and TM. RF provided the best estimation accuracy, with R2 values of 0.66 for N and 0.72 for P. The cultivation mode and canopy layer significantly influenced the estimation accuracy, with the TM yielding the highest R2, followed by the WRNPM and FM obtaining the lowest accuracy. The labor-saving cultivation mode had different nutrient utilization efficiency compared to the TM. The cultivation mode and canopy layer should be considered when hyperspectral data were used for estimating the leaf N and P content. The study can offer new insights for precise fertilization strategies in fruit trees.
A Novel Chirp-Z Transform Algorithm for Multi-Receiver Synthetic Aperture Sonar Based on Range Frequency Division
Authors: Ning Mingqiang , Zhong Heping , Tang Jinsong , Wu Haoran , Zhang Jiafeng , Zhang Peng , Ma Mengbo
Published: September 2024

When a synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) system operates under low-frequency broadband conditions, the azimuth range coupling of the point target reference spectrum (PTRS) is severe, and the high-resolution imaging range is limited. To solve the above issue, we first convert multi-receivers’ signal into the equivalent monostatic signal and then divide the equivalent monostatic signal into range subblocks and the range frequency subbands within each range subblock in order. The azimuth range coupling terms are converted into linear terms based on piece-wise linear approximation (PLA), and the phase error of the PTRS within each subband is less than π/4. Then, we use the chirp-z transform (CZT) to correct range cell migration (RCM) to obtain low-resolution results for different subbands. After RCM correction, the subbands’ signals are coherently summed in the range frequency domain to obtain a high-resolution image. Finally, different subblocks are concatenated in the range time domain to obtain the final result of the whole swath. The processing of different subblocks and different subbands can be implemented in parallel. Computer simulation experiments and field data have verified the superiority of the proposed method over existing methods.
NPSFF-Net: Enhanced Building Segmentation in Remote Sensing Images via Novel Pseudo-Siamese Feature Fusion
Authors: Guo Ningbo , Jiang Mingyong , Hu Xiaoyu , Su Zhijuan , Zhang Weibin , Li Ruibo , Luo Jiancheng
Published: September 2024

Building segmentation has extensive research value and application prospects in high-resolution remote sensing image (HRSI) processing. However, complex architectural contexts, varied building morphologies, and non-building occlusions make building segmentation challenging. Compared with traditional methods, deep learning-based methods present certain advantages in terms of accuracy and intelligence. At present, the most popular option is to first apply a single neural network to encode an HRSI, then perform a decoding process through up-sampling or using a transposed convolution operation, and then finally obtain the segmented building image with the help of a loss function. Although effective, this approach not only tends to lead to a loss of detail information, but also fails to fully utilize the contextual features. As an alternative, we propose a novel network called NPSFF-Net. First, using an improved pseudo-Siamese network composed of ResNet-34 and ResNet-50, two sets of deep semantic features of buildings are extracted with the support of transfer learning, and four encoded features at different scales are obtained after fusion. Then, information from the deepest encoded feature is enriched using a feature enhancement module, and the resolutions are recovered via the operations of skip connections and transposed convolutions. Finally, the discriminative features of buildings are obtained using the designed feature fusion algorithm, and the optimal segmentation model is obtained by fitting a cross-entropy loss function. Our method obtained intersection-over-union values of 89.45% for the Aerial Imagery Dataset, 71.88% for the Massachusetts Buildings Dataset, and 68.72% for the Satellite Dataset I.
Spatial Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Content Utilizing PlanetScope, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-1 Data
Authors: Wang Ziyu , Wu Wei , Liu Hongbin
Published: September 2024

The accurate prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) is important for agriculture and land management. Methods using remote sensing data are helpful for estimating SOC in bare soils. To overcome the challenge of predicting SOC under vegetation cover, this study extracted spectral, radar, and topographic variables from multi-temporal optical satellite images (high-resolution PlanetScope and medium-resolution Sentinel-2), synthetic aperture radar satellite images (Sentinel-1), and digital elevation model, respectively, to estimate SOC content in arable soils in the Wuling Mountain region of Southwest China. These variables were modeled at four different spatial resolutions (3 m, 20 m, 30 m, and 80 m) using the eXtreme Gradient Boosting algorithm. The results showed that modeling resolution, the combination of multi-source remote sensing data, and temporal phases all influenced SOC prediction performance. The models generally yielded better results at a medium (20 m) modeling resolution than at fine (3 m) and coarse (80 m) resolutions. The combination of PlanetScope, Sentinel-2, and topography factors gave satisfactory predictions for dry land (R2 = 0.673, MAE = 0.107%, RMSE = 0.135%). The addition of Sentinel-1 indicators gave the best predictions for paddy field (R2 = 0.699, MAE = 0.114%, RMSE = 0.148%). The values of R2 of the optimal models for paddy field and dry land improved by 36.0% and 33.4%, respectively, compared to that for the entire study area. The optical images in winter played a dominant role in the prediction of SOC for both paddy field and dry land. This study offers valuable insights into effectively modeling soil properties under vegetation cover at various scales using multi-source and multi-temporal remote sensing data.
Spatiotemporal Changes of Glaciers in the Yigong Zangbo River Basin over the Period of the 1970s to 2023 and Their Driving Factors
Authors: Yuan Suo , Wang Ninglian , Chang Jiawen , Zhou Sugang , Shi Chenlie , Zhao Mingjie
Published: September 2024

The glaciers in southeastern Tibet Plateau (SETP) influenced by oceanic climate are sensitive to global warming, and there remains a notable deficiency in accurate multitemporal change analyses of these glaciers. We conduct glacier inventories in the Yigong Zangbo River Basin (YZRB) in SETP for the years 1988, 2015, and 2023 utilizing Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery, and analyze the glacier spatiotemporal variation incorporating the existing glacier inventory data. Since the 1970s until 2023, the glaciers significantly retreated at a rate of 0.76 ± 0.11%·a−1, with the area decreasing from 2583.09 ± 88.80 km2 to 1635.89 ± 71.74 km2, and the ice volume reducing from 221.7017 ± 7.9618 km3 to 152.7429 ± 6.1747 km3. The most significant retreat occurred in glaciers smaller than 1 km2. Additionally, glaciers on southern aspects retreated slower than the northern counterparts. The glaciers in the western YZRB witnessed a significantly greater shrinkage rate than those in the eastern section, with the most pronounced changes occurring in Aso Longbu River Basin. Furthermore, severe glacier mass deficits were observed from 2000 to 2019, averaging a loss rate of 0.57 ± 0.06 m w.e. a−1. The continuous rise in air temperature has primarily induced a general widespread glacier change in the YZRB. However, diverse topography led to spatial variability in glacier changes with discrepancies as large as several times. The features of individual glaciers, such as glacier size, debris cover, and the development of ice-contact glacial lakes enhanced the local complexity of glacier change and elusive response behaviors to climate warming led by the different topographic conditions.
Enhancing Facial Expression Recognition through Light Field Cameras
Authors: Oucherif Sabrine Djedjiga , Nawaf Mohamad Motasem , Boï Jean-Marc , Nicod Lionel , Mallor Elodie , Dubuisson Séverine , Merad Djamal
Published: September 2024

In this paper, we study facial expression recognition (FER) using three modalities obtained from a light field camera: sub-aperture (SA), depth map, and all-in-focus (AiF) images. Our objective is to construct a more comprehensive and effective FER system by investigating multimodal fusion strategies. For this purpose, we employ EfficientNetV2-S, pre-trained on AffectNet, as our primary convolutional neural network. This model, combined with a BiGRU, is used to process SA images. We evaluate various fusion techniques at both decision and feature levels to assess their effectiveness in enhancing FER accuracy. Our findings show that the model using SA images surpasses state-of-the-art performance, achieving 88.13% ± 7.42% accuracy under the subject-specific evaluation protocol and 91.88% ± 3.25% under the subject-independent evaluation protocol. These results highlight our model’s potential in enhancing FER accuracy and robustness, outperforming existing methods. Furthermore, our multimodal fusion approach, integrating SA, AiF, and depth images, demonstrates substantial improvements over unimodal models. The decision-level fusion strategy, particularly using average weights, proved most effective, achieving 90.13% ± 4.95% accuracy under the subject-specific evaluation protocol and 93.33% ± 4.92% under the subject-independent evaluation protocol. This approach leverages the complementary strengths of each modality, resulting in a more comprehensive and accurate FER system.
Can the Reform of the Commercial System Enhance the Resilience of Enterprises? Evidence Based on Quasi Natural Experiments
Authors: Li Hui , Ke Zhixuan , Yan Jinghua
Published: September 2024

Enterprise resilience refers to the capacity of businesses to effectively respond to crises and achieve sustainable development over the long term. It serves as a crucial assurance for businesses to attain high-quality growth. The current worry among policy makers and academia revolves around the impact of commercial system change on the resilience of firms. This article examines the reform of the commercial system as a “quasi natural experiment” by comparing manually collected data on the reform with data on Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2022. It thoroughly analyses the effects and mechanisms of the reform on corporate resilience. The research findings suggest that implementing reforms in the commercial system can improve the ability of firms to withstand and recover from challenges. This is primarily accomplished by decreasing limitations on obtaining funding, minimising expenses associated with institutional transactions, and strengthening the capacity for technological innovation. This conclusion remains strong and reliable even after conducting a series of experiments to ensure its robustness and addressing any potential issues related to endogeneity. Furthermore, the reformation of the commercial system has a more potent impact on bolstering the resilience of private firms, large-scale enterprises, highly competitive enterprises, and high-tech enterprises. The research findings of this article have significant implications for advancing the reform of the commercial system, strengthening enterprise resilience, and achieving high-quality development of firms.
Coniferous Biomass for Energy Valorization: A Thermo-Chemical Properties Analysis
Authors: Teixeira Bruno M. M. , Oliveira Miguel , da Silva Borges Amadeu Duarte
Published: September 2024

Forest biomass energy, when utilized responsibly, presents a carbon-neutral and viable alternative to fossil fuels for energy storage. This research investigates the energy potential of various coniferous species, focusing on their complex chemical compositions and suitability for energy production. Key characteristics such as moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, and fixed carbon were analyzed, along with elemental composition (including nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen) and both gross and net heating values across different species. The proximate analysis revealed significant interspecies variations. For example, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana exhibited the lowest moisture contents. Elemental analyses showed a broad range of values, with Larix decidua having the lowest nitrogen content and Sequoiadendron giganteum the highest carbon content. Gross and net heating values also varied considerably, with Podocarpus macrophyllus showing the lowest values and Pinus strobus the highest. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to identify underlying patterns, revealing correlations between the analyzed variables and the energy potential of the species. Additionally, PCA combined with cluster analysis allowed for the identification of coherent groups of species with similar characteristics. Overall, these findings highlight the diverse energy valorization potential inherent in coniferous species, underscoring the importance of considering specific chemical compositions for efficient energy production. The insights provided here are valuable for selecting coniferous species for energy valorization, emphasizing the need to consider both chemical composition and calorific potential.
Research on Intercity Railway Subsidy Mechanism Optimization from the Perspective of a Government–Company Game Model: A Case Study of Henan Intercity Railway
Authors: Yue Guoyong , Zhao Zijian , Dai Lei , Hu Hao
Published: September 2024

Intercity railway is an important part of public transportation, and the priority development of public transportation cannot be achieved without the support of government policies. This paper aims to find a more reasonable subsidy model for the governments and intercity railway companies. The paper analyzes the mechanism of intercity railway subsidy and uses the evolutionary game method to balance interests among governments, railway companies and social capitals. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The introduction of performance subsidy into the traditional loss subsidy strategy can alleviate the conflict of interests between government and companies, and achieve a win-win conclusion: an annual revenue of 50 million RMB for the railway and 4 million RMB for the social capitals could be generated by the new subsidy model. (2) According to different intercity railways, reference performance standards are different, and operating mileage, pairs of trains and passenger flow are some of the factors that can be considered. The innovation of this paper is the introduction of a new dynamic subsidy model that combines performance and loss subsidies to intercity railways. For sustainable transportation development, it is significant for the government to develop a new reasonable intercity railway subsidy strategy.
How Does Green Bond Issuance Facilitate the Spillover Effect of Green Technology Innovation in Industry? Evidence from China
Authors: Zhang Qiyue , Wang Yanli , Chen Qian
Published: September 2024

As the concept of balancing environmental protection and maintaining sustainable economic development has been widely recognized, the green bond is assuming an increasingly significant role within China’s financial market. We utilize the data from China’s A-share listed enterprises that issued bonds in the period 2010 to 2021 and try to examine whether and how green bond issuance facilitates the spillover effect of green technology innovation in industry. The results show that: (1) Green bond issuance can generate a spillover effect, greatly enhancing green technology innovation within the industry. (2) The spillover effect of green technology innovation from green bond issuance within an industry is more pronounced for state-owned enterprises, and relatively weaker for enterprises in Northeast China in the same industry. Relative to non-high-pollution industries, high-pollution industries reinforce the spillover effect. (3) Financing cost and agency cost are important influencing mechanisms for green bond issuance to improve peer enterprises’ level of green technology innovation. Overall, the results provide theoretical support for encouraging the market for green bonds to maintain their development over the long term and for effectively promoting the transformation of the economy and society to a green and low carbon one.
The Relationship between Activities of the Insurance Industry and Economic Growth: The Case of G-20 Economies
Authors: Tasdemir Ahmet , Alsu Erkan
Published: September 2024

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of developments in the insurance sector on economic growth. This study examines an annual dataset spanning 1992 to 2022 from ten countries within the G-20 economies, for which data is reliably accessible. The analysis employs panel cointegration and panel causality tests to explore the underlying relationships. The results show that the activities of the overall insurance sector have a positive effect on economic development, while non-life insurance activities, as a sub-component of the insurance sector, also demonstrate a similar impact. Furthermore, findings indicate the existence of a bidirectional causality relationship between economic development and non-life insurance premiums. This study provides various recommendations to policymakers in the process of developing policies on the growth of national economies.
Ecological Network Construction in High-Density Water Network Areas Based on a Three-Dimensional Perspective: The Case of Foshan City
Authors: Huang Qianlei , Ma Yuan
Published: September 2024

The acceleration of urbanization has resulted in varying degrees of impact on the stability and health of high-density urban ecosystems. Building urban ecological networks is crucial for safeguarding biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem vitality. In this study, the city of Foshan was selected as the study area, which is a prime representative of a high-density water network city. Additionally, a morphological spatial pattern analysis was employed to identify the ecological source. We built an ecological resistance surface using geographic, natural, and behavioral elements, adjusting it based on the density of the water network and the building height. Following this, the circuit theoretical model was utilized to create an ecological network by identifying ecological corridors. There were three key findings. First, the ecological network consisted of 30 ecological source sites and 53 ecological corridors, and 103 ecological “pinch points” and 193 ecological barrier points were identified. Second, the ecological sources were predominantly situated in the southwestern and northern parts of Foshan City. Meanwhile, the suburbs of Foshan City contained the primary ecological barrier points, mainly stemming from new construction sites, while the key ecological “pinch points” were concentrated at river junctions. The third outcome was the recommendations to (a) boost the connectivity of the ecological network in the suburbs, (b) improve the connection of the water network in urban areas, and (c) focus on enhancing landscape connectivity. The objective was to develop approaches for optimizing urban ecological networks, leading to better connectivity and improved ecological network quality.
The Impact of Social Responsibility on the Performance of European Listed Companies
Authors: Rocha Roberto , Bandeira Ana , Ramos Patrícia
Published: September 2024

This research aims to analyze the impact of social responsibility (SR) on the performance of 216 European companies from 2017 to 2021. The objective of this research is to determine how the operational, financial, and market performance of companies is influenced by social responsibility practices. The methodology adopted is quantitative in nature, using the estimation of models for panel data. To quantify corporate performance, this study uses the return on assets (ROA), the return on equity (ROE), and finally Tobin’s Q ratio. Additionally, environment, social, and governance (ESG) and United Nations Global Compact (GC) scores are used to quantify SR. Our findings indicate a complex relationship between SR and corporate performance. While SR positively impacts market performance, it negatively affects operational and financial performance. This disparity becomes more pronounced when comparing companies with the highest and lowest SR scores. Further analysis reveals that the environment, social, and governance dimensions of ESG negatively correlate with ROA and ROE, but positively correlate with Tobin’s Q. The GC’s anti-corruption and environment scores exhibit a negative relationship with Tobin’s Q, the human rights dimension negatively correlates with ROE and ROA, and the labor law dimension positively influences ROE. Notably, firm size amplifies these relationships, whereas firm age has a dampening effect. This research offers significant contributions to the literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the impact of social responsibility on corporate performance based on ESG and GC scores.
The Impact of the Nonlinear Integral Positive Position Feedback (NIPPF) Controller on the Forced and Self-Excited Nonlinear Beam Flutter Phenomenon
Authors: Alluhydan Khalid , Amer Yasser A. , EL-Sayed Ashraf Taha , EL-Sayed Marwa Abdelaziz
Published: September 2024

This article presents a novel approach to impact regulation of nonlinear vibrational responses in a beam flutter system subjected to harmonic excitation. This study introduces the use of a Nonlinear Integral Positive Position Feedback (NIPPF) controller for this purpose. This technique models the system as a three-degree-of-freedom nonlinear system representing the beam flutter, coupled with a first-order and a second-order filter representing the NIPPF controller. By applying perturbation analysis to the linearized system model, the authors obtain analytical solutions for the autonomous system with the controller. This study aims to reduce vibration amplitudes in a nonlinear dynamic system, specifically when 1:1 internal resonance occurs. The Routh–Hurwitz criterion is utilized to evaluate the system’s stability. Furthermore, the frequency–response curves (FRCs) exhibit symmetry across a range of parameter values. The findings highlight that the effectiveness of vibration suppression is directly related to the product of the NIPPF control signal after comparing with different controllers. Numerical simulations, conducted using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method, validate the analytical solutions and demonstrate the system’s amplitude response. The strong correlation between the analytical and numerical results highlights the accuracy and dependability of the proposed method.
Complex Evolutionary Dynamics of H5N8 Influenza A Viruses Revealed by Comprehensive Reassortment Analysis
Authors: Degtyarev Egor , Feoktistova Sofia , Volchkov Pavel , Deviatkin Andrey
Published: September 2024

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) circulate among different species and have the potential to cause significant pandemics in humans. This study focuses on reassortment events in the H5N8 subtype of IAV, which poses a serious threat to public health due to its high pathogenicity in birds and potential for cross-species transmission. We retrieved 2359 H5N8 IAV sequences from GISAID, and filtered and analyzed 442 complete genomic sequences for reassortment events using pairwise distance deviation matrices (PDDMs) and pairwise distance correspondence plots (PDCPs). This detailed case study of specific H5N8 viruses revealed previously undescribed reassortment events, highlighting the complex evolutionary history and potential pandemic threat of H5N8 IAVs.
3D Head Shape Feature Analysis of Zika-Infected Children
Authors: Ju Xiangyang , Mossey Peter , Ayoub Ashraf
Published: September 2024

Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) has been identified a constellation of congenital anomalies caused by Zika Virus (ZKV) infection during pregnancy. The infection with ZKV could lead to microcephaly of the fetus due to a severe decrease in brain volume and reduced brain growth. The preliminary screening of CZS is based on measuring head circumference; the diagnosis is made if this measurement is below two standard deviations below the mean. The analyses of the 3D head features of infected infants are limited. This study analyzed 3D head images of 35 ZKV-positive cases with an average age of 16.8 ± 2 months and 35 controls with an average age of 14.4 ± 5 months. This study focused on identifying potential diagnostic characteristics of CZS. The 3D head images were captured using a 3D imaging system. The averaged images of the two groups were aligned to illustrate the size and shape differences. There were significant differences in centroid size, head circumference (HC), head height (HH), and chin height (CH) between the two groups. We also identified significant differences in the indices of chin height/total facial height (CH/TFH) and head height/head circumference ratio (HH/HC) between the CZS and control cases. An HH/HC of 0.49 showed a sensitivity of 0.86 and a specificity of 0.74 in diagnosing CZS, which is more sensitive than the routinely used HC measurement. The index of HH/HC has potential to be used as the gold standard for the early screening for the detection of CZS cases.
The Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-Protein IgG, Which Is Detected Using the Chemiluminescence Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA) in Individuals Having Either a History of COVID-19 Vaccination and/or SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Showed a High-Titer Neutralizing Effect
Authors: Cin Dilan , Soguksu Pinar , Oren Meryem Merve , Ozgulnar Nuray , Agacfidan Ali , Mese Sevim
Published: September 2024

Neutralizing antibodies plays a primary role in protective immunity by preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) from entering the cells. Therefore, characterization of antiviral immunity is important for protection against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, the neutralizing effect of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein IgG, which was detected using the chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (CMIA)-based SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant (Abbott, Waukegan, IL, USA) test in SARS-CoV-2 infected and/or vaccinated individuals, was investigated with a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT). In total, 120 Seropositive individuals were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: Vaccinated (n = 60) and Vaccinated + Previously Infected (n = 60). A commercial sVNT, the ACE2–RBD Neutralization Test (Dia.Pro, Milan, Italy), was used to assess the neutralizing effect. The assay is performed in two steps: screening and titration. The screening showed positive results in all seropositive samples. Low titration in 1.7%, medium titration in 5%, and high titration in 93.3% of the Vaccinated group, and medium titration in 1.7% and high titration in 98.3% of the other group, as obtained from the ACE2-RBD titration test. A strong positive and significant correlation was found between the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant test and the ACE2-RBD titration test at the 1/32 titration level for both groups (p < 0.001 for both). This study shows that the SARS-CoV-2 IgG detected using the CMIA method after SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination has a high neutralizing titration by using the sVNT. In line with these data, knowledge that seropositivity determined by CMIA also indicates a strong neutralizing effect contributes to countrywide planning for protecting the population.
New Viruses Infecting Hyperthermophilic Bacterium Thermus thermophilus
Authors: Kolesnik Matvey , Pavlov Constantine , Demkina Alina , Samolygo Aleksei , Karneyeva Karyna , Trofimova Anna , Sokolova Olga , Moiseenko Andrei , Kirsanova Maria , Severinov Konstantin
Published: September 2024

Highly diverse phages infecting thermophilic bacteria of the Thermus genus have been isolated over the years from hot springs around the world. Many of these phages are unique, rely on highly unusual developmental strategies, and encode novel enzymes. The variety of Thermus phages is clearly undersampled, as evidenced, for example, by a paucity of phage-matching spacers in Thermus CRISPR arrays. Using water samples collected from hot springs in the Kunashir Island from the Kuril archipelago and from the Tsaishi and Nokalakevi districts in the Republic of Georgia, we isolated several distinct phages infecting laboratory strains of Thermus thermophilus. Genomic sequence analysis of 11 phages revealed both close relatives of previously described Thermus phages isolated from geographically distant sites, as well as phages with very limited similarity to earlier isolates. Comparative analysis allowed us to predict several accessory phage genes whose products may be involved in host defense/interviral warfare, including a putative Type V CRISPR-cas system.
Isolation and Characterization of a Frog Virus 3 Strain from a Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) in Wood Buffalo National Park
Authors: Logan Samantha R. , Vilaça Sibelle Torres , Bienentreu Joe-Felix , Schock Danna M. , Lesbarrères David , Brunetti Craig R.
Published: September 2024

Members of the Iridoviridae family, genus Ranavirus, represent a group of globally emerging pathogens of ecological and economic importance. In 2017, an amphibian die-off of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculata) was reported in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. Isolation and complete genomic sequencing of the tissues of a wood frog revealed the presence of a frog virus 3 (FV3)-like isolate, Rana sylvatica ranavirus (RSR), with a genome size of 105,895 base pairs, 97 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) bearing sequence similarity to FV3 (99.98%) and a FV3-like isolate from a spotted salamander in Maine (SSME; 99.64%). Despite high sequence similarity, RSR had a unique genomic composition containing ORFs specific to either FV3 or SSME. In addition, RSR had a unique 13 amino acid insertion in ORF 49/50L. No differences were found in the in vitro growth kinetics of FV3, SSME, and RSR; however, genomic differences between these isolates were in non-core genes, implicated in nucleic acid metabolism and immune evasion. This study highlights the importance of viral isolation and complete genomic analysis as these not only provide information on ranavirus spatial distribution but may elucidate genomic factors contributing to host tropism and pathogenicity.
The Mpox Vaccine Hesitancy Scale for Mpox: Links with Vaccination Intention among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Six Cities of China
Authors: Gao Ying , Liu Shangbin , Xu Huifang , Wang Ying , Xu Gang , Hu Fan , Zhang Jiechen , Cai Yong
Published: September 2024

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a significant barrier to achieving high vaccination rates, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM), a group at increased risk for Mpox. This study aimed to develop and validate a Mpox vaccine hesitancy scale specifically tailored for Chinese MSM, grounded in the protection motivation theory (PMT). Methods: An online survey through snowball sampling was conducted from October 2023 to March 2024, collecting 2403 valid responses across six representative regions in China. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to evaluate the scale’s construct validity, while reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s α coefficient. The predictive validity of the scale was analyzed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: EFA ultimately retained 22 items in the Mpox vaccination scale and identified four distinct dimensions: Maladaptive Rewards (seven items), Self-efficacy (seven items), Response Efficacy (four items), and Response Costs (four items). These dimensions were confirmed by CFA, which demonstrated satisfactory model fit indices (χ²/df = 4.382, RMSEA = 0.053, SRMR = 0.048, GFI = 0.935, CFI = 0.967, NFI = 0.958, TLI = 0.963, and IFI =0.967). All indices were within acceptable ranges. The scale exhibited good internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.906, and strong content validity, with an S-CVI/Ave of 0.952. The scale’s predictive accuracy was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. When used to evaluate the scale’s predictive accuracy, it yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.854 after adjustments, indicating good predictive ability between high and low hesitancy. Conclusions: This scale provides a reliable and valid tool for assessing Mpox vaccine hesitancy among MSM and can be used to gauge Mpox vaccination intention within this group.
Exploring the Views of Barbers and Stylists on the Acceptability of Delivering Community-Based Interventions to Promote COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in South Carolina
Authors: Mundagowa Paddington T. , Vora Sachi , Seck Fatima , Dhankhode Neal , Sakyi Kwame S. , Kanyangarara Mufaro
Published: September 2024

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for effective community-based interventions to promote disease prevention and reach high-risk, underserved communities. Trusted community leaders like barbers and stylists may serve as effective conduits for intervention implementation. This study aimed to explore the perceived acceptability of an intervention to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination delivered by barbers in South Carolina. Methods: We conducted exploratory in-depth interviews to ascertain barbers’ and stylists’ perceptions and identify potential barriers and facilitators. Data analysis used a deductive coding approach to identify themes and was guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Results: Sixteen participants were interviewed. Participants expressed positive reactions towards the interventions. Acceptability was influenced by strong trust relationships with clients, perceived community influence, self-efficacy in providing the intervention, and a shared sense of responsibility for community health. However, potential barriers included declining public concern about COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, and limited COVID-19 knowledge among barbers and stylists. Participants emphasized the need for training and incentives for effective and sustained intervention delivery. Conclusions: Barbers and stylists are well-positioned to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination due to their trusted roles and community influence. Given the complacency from the waning perceived COVID-19 threat and the historical mistrust in health interventions, vaccine hesitancy must be addressed through supportive communication strategies.
Atualizações na terapia farmacológica da ELA: uma revisão integrativa
Authors: Shinkai Aimi , D’Annibale Cartágenes Alexandre , Martins Hatano Cecília Harumi , Barbosa Gomes dos Santos Fernanda , Oliveira Rita de Cássia Silva de
Published: September 2024

Objetivo. Atualizar acerca das terapias medicamentosas emergentes para ELA, a partir de evidências compiladas disponíveis na literatura, a fim de embasar o uso de fármacos seguros e eficientes. Método. Revisão Integrativa de Literatura elaborada por etapas do PRISMA 2020. Adotou-se como pergunta norteadora: “Qual o atual cenário de farmacoterapia específica na ELA?”, realizando buscas nas bases de dados EMBASE, LILACS, SciELO e PubMed. Foram incluídos estudos primários, como ensaios clínicos, estudos de bancada e pré-clínicos, publicados e disponíveis integralmente nas bases de dados sem limite de período, em inglês e português. Foram excluídos: estudos de coorte, estudos que abordam terapias paliativas ou com dados secundários. Resultados. As buscas nas bases de dados SciELO e LILACS resultaram em 3 e 17 artigos respectivamente, enquanto na PubMed foram encontrados 30 resultados e na EMBASE 40 resultados. No total, 90 estudos foram identificados, dos quais 2 eram duplicatas, de modo que 88 estudos foram avaliados conforme os critérios de elegibilidade, porém após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, foram selecionados 3 artigos que avaliaram potenciais substâncias para o tratamento da ELA. Conclusão. A pesquisa de novas terapias farmacológicas para ELA permanece desafiadora. Nesse cenário, são imprescindíveis ensaios clínicos cada vez mais criteriosos que avaliem cuidadosamente fármacos promissores para uso em modelos humanos, como os compostos TRVA242, Lovastatina e Edaravona, e uma busca incessante de novas substâncias com potencial terapêutico contra a doença.
How Minority Sporting Organisations In Ireland Are Promoting And Growing Their Sports Using Social Media: A Public Relations Perspective.
Authors:   ,   Cork Institute of Technology, Lucey Peter
Published: September 2024

"The aim of this research study was to explore how minority sports organisations in Ireland are using social media to effectively grow and promote their sport. The researcher has analysed how these organisations are currently making use of social media and how it has benefited them in their operations. Relevant secondary literature was studied in depth along with the primary research methods that were used for this study. The research methodology used by the researcher constituted elements of both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Interviews and questionnaires made up the main research tools in addition to an action research approach as the author is involved with the social media activities of the Irish Drug Free Powerlifting Association. The conclusions identified that: • Social Media is the most effective way for minority sporting organisations to promote themselves and is already being used to good effect. • Social Media strategies should be different and specialised for every organisation, there is no such thing as an ""off the shelf' social media strategy. • Facebook should be seen as the most effective platform for promoting these sports. • Minority sports promoters should devote the majority of their time to social media promotion. While traditional media should not be completely abandoned, social media offers far more return for the time and effort spent. • Social media will grow in importance and evolve as time moves on. The sports promoter should continually evaluate how they can make the best use of new developments in social media."
An Investigation Into Recent Developments In The Regulatory Regime For Financial Accounting In Ireland
Authors:   ,   Cork Institute of Technology, James Mark
Published: September 2024

"In the last decade the Irish accounting regulatory regime has been radically reformed from one consisting largely of private sector regulation to one where public sector regulation has increased importance. This change has taken place within a larger international context of the rise of the regulatory state, and a period of greater convergence between regulatory activities internationally. While an extensive body of research on this topic has accumulated in other countries, particularly America, Irish research has generally been focussed on the role of the accounting profession in this development. This study aims to build on the existing literature by focusing on the evolving developments in the regulatory regime for financial reporting and auditing of limited companies in Ireland, and its interaction and response to the events driving international developments. This study examines the extant literature on the concepts of public interest, economic individualism and regulation. It describes and compares the historical developments in Ireland, Britain and America, it scrutinises the Dáil and Seanad debates on the Companies Bill 2003, and uses a detailed semi-structured interview conducted with a government minister as its research methodologies. Britain and America have had a broad influence on Ireland, for that reason they were selected for the comparative study to explore parallels and differences in the development of their regulatory regimes. This research found that unique aspects of the Irish state, as a result of historical forces, have influenced the course of regulatory developments in accounting in Ireland. It also found that an unprecedented combination of public interest focus, economic and political context, accounting lobby, financial scandal, and international regulatory convergence, drove through significant recent change in the Irish accounting regulatory regime. This paper suggests that these recent developments are indicative of a greater confidence and independence in Irish regulatory affairs."
Research of the influence of adhesive additives on the bond strength between layers of polyvinyl chloride awning materials
Authors: Lototskiy N. R. , Kovalenko G. M. , Poletaeva A. N. , Dmitriev M. S.
Published: September 2024

To create polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tent materials with high adhesive strength between layers, formulations of plastisols using adhesive additives – ED-20 epoxy resin and polyethylene polyamine (PEPA) crosslinking agent, diisocyanate and perchlorovinyl resin – have been developed. Rheological properties of plastisols containing adhesion additives of different nature have been studied. The effect of adhesion additives on the bond strength between polyester fabric and PVC coating have been investigated.
Comparative characteristics of thermal stability of polyethylene in the presence of complex fillers based on natural raw materials
Authors: Rusanova S. N. , Vernigorov K. B. , Bushkov V. V. , Kazakov Yu. M. , Efremov S. A. , Stoyanov O. V.
Published: September 2024

A comparative analysis of the effect of new complex fillers of natural origin on the process of thermal aging of high-pressure polyethylene is carried out. During the research, it was found that the studied fillers have a stabilizing effect, inhibiting the processes of thermal oxidation of high-pressure polyethylene. The stabilizing effect of fillers is due to the presence in their composition of metal oxides capable of chemical interaction with oxygen-containing groups in oxidized polyethylene. It has been established that the carbon-mineral filler has a higher thermostabilizing effect than the carbon-silicon filler from carbonized rice husk.
Adhesive-capable film materials for PCM
Authors: Kulkov A. A. , Antipov Y. V. , Konkina G. G. , Purina A. N.
Published: September 2024

This paper considers the possibility of joining layers of polymer composite materials (PCM) with adhesives based on chemically modified polyethylene. The adhesive strength between epoxy fiberglass and adhesives (various ethylene copolymers) was investigated. The influence of temperature and pressure on the adhesion between materials has been studied.