bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and factors associated with childhood malaria and anaemia in Osun state, Nigeria: a baseline household malariometric study
Authors: AJibaye Olusola , Rahman Semiu , Aina Oluwagbemiga , Ujuju Chinazo , Agomo Chimere , Akindele Samuel , Abiodun Olakiigbe , Uzoka Tolulope , Ogbuluafor Nnenna , Oroge Olufemi , Ahmed Rufai , Ekholuenetale Michael , Maxwell Kolawole , Awosanya Ridwan , Adekola Mary Abosede , Ilesanmi Benjamin , Ajayi Adekemi , Oresanya Olusola , Tibenderana James K. , Olukosi Adeola
Published: November 2024

Background
Under-5 children have been known to bear a significant burden of malaria in endemic countries. Though significant progress has been made towards malaria prevention and control in Nigeria, however, it is expected that the addition of new malaria prevention strategy, such as perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) can contribute to a more rapid decline in malaria cases. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with malaria and anaemia among children aged 2–18 months in Osun State.
Methods
A cross-sectional household malariometric study was conducted in 80 communities across eight Local Government areas (LGAs) in Osun State. A total of four hundred children aged 2–18 months were assessed in this study, which was conducted in July 2023.Ethical approval was obtained from Osun State Health Research Ethical Committee (OSHREC/PRS/569T312/ on the 22nd of May 2023. Malaria test positivity was determined by microscopy and rapid diagnostic test (RDT). In addition, haemoglobin levels were measured using Haemocue® Hb 201. Caregivers were interviewed on malaria management practices using tools adapted from Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey.
Results
The caregivers were mostly the biological mothers of the children (n = 387, 96.8%). Female children were 51.8% and their male counterparts 48.2% respectively. Malaria positivity rate by RDT was higher in children aged 13–18 months (48.0%) and followed by those aged 7–12 months (44.0%). By microscopy, there was 15.0% positivity rate among children aged 7–12 months. Those aged 2–6 months had the least positivity rate whether by microscopy (8.5%) or RDT (18.5%). Similarly, higher proportion of moderate anaemia (7.0-9.9 heamoglobin (g/dL)) was reported in older children. Children from medium wealth households (aOR = 0.549; 95%CI: 0.306–0.986) and those from rich households (aOR = 0.543; 95%CI: 0.283–1.042) had 45.0% reduction in the odds of having malaria, when compared with their counterparts from poor households. In addition, children aged 7–11 months (aOR = 2.856; 95%CI: 1.524–5.354) and those aged 12–18 months (aOR = 4.269; 95% CI: 2.422–7.526) had higher odds of malaria infection respectively, when compared with children aged 2–6 months.
Conclusion
Malaria infection and anaemia were found to be higher in older children. Household wealth and child’s age were significantly associated with malaria infection. These findings would inform the positioning of PMC intervention touch-points to reduce malaria burden in young children.
Diabetes Mellitus Risk in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients: FINDRISC vs Self-Assessment – A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Nölken Karianne , Linseisen Jakob , Raake Philip , Meisinger Christa , Schmitz Timo
Published: November 2024

Background
The aim of this study was to investigate the difference between perceived and calculated diabetes risks among post-myocardial infarction (AMI) patients using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC).
Methods
The study population includes individuals from the Myocardial Infarction Registry in Augsburg, Germany, who had not been previously diagnosed with diabetes and who received a postal follow-up questionnaire after hospital discharge. A total of 466 participants completed the questionnaire, which collected information on age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and family history of diabetes. These factors are components of the FINDRISC score, which estimates the likelihood of developing diabetes within the next 10 years. Furthermore, the participants were asked, how they would rate their personal risk to develop diabetes. The analysis focused on determining how many post-AMI patients correctly estimated their diabetes risk compared to the risk calculated by the FINDRISC score. Furthermore, multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze determinants associated with risk underestimation.
Results
Results showed that a significant proportion of the AMI population (58%) underestimated their diabetes risk. This underestimation was significantly associated with older age, higher BMI, greater waist circumference, elevated blood glucose levels, use of antihypertensive medication and a family history of diabetes. Higher education contributed to more accurate risk perception.
Conclusion
This study contributes to the understanding of diabetes risk perception in AMI patients and highlights the need for improving diabetes risk awareness through targeted education and healthcare communication interventions. These efforts can help patients understand their health risks, which improves health outcomes and preventive care.
Small Molecule Inhibitors of PFKFB3 as Therapeutic Targets for Atherosclerosis
Authors: YU LAN , RUNQING WANG , JIN ZHANG
Published: November 2024

The pathologic foundation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which has a worldwide effect on mortality and morbidity, is atherosclerosis. The inhibition of the monocyte macrophage inflammatory reaction is crucial in the struggle with atherosclerosis as it is the main mechanism affecting atherosclerosis. All organisms must go through the identical stage of glycolysis. PFKFB3, a bifunctional enzyme, relates to the PFKFB series of isoenzymes who regulate glycolysis. It impacts the level of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (fru2,6-BP) in the cytoplasm. There are, however, a variety of issues associated with the study into 3PO's role in atherosclerosis. Additional confirmation of 3PO that requires being described in the development of atherosclerosis. Be able to indicate any prospective pharmaceutical effects.
Optimization of recombinant neurturin expression in Escherichia coli using response surface methodology
Authors: Hajihassan Zahra , Yaseri Aysan , Yazdi Mina
Published: November 2024

Background
Neurturin, a glial cell-derived neurotrophic growth factor (GDNF), has been identified as a potential treatment or reversal agent for neurodegenerative conditions. Although Escherichia coli is an appropriate host for recombinant protein expression, the production of proteins with disulfide bonds, such as neurturin, in this strain is frequently accompanied by the formation of misfolded proteins, designated as inclusion bodies.
Results
In this study, the Rosetta-gami (DE3) strain, which is well-suited for the accurate formation of disulfide bonds due to mutations in glutaredoxin reductase and thioredoxin reductase, was employed for the production of soluble neurturin protein. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was also used to investigate the effects of post-induction time, post-induction temperature, and IPTG concentration on the soluble production of recombinant neurturin. The western blot technique and ImageJ software were employed to determine the expression level of neurturin in each experiment. The results showed that the highest yield of neurturin production occurred in the presence of 0.8 mM of IPTG after 5.5 h at 26 ºC. Fractional Factorial Design (FFD) was used in the subsequent stage to screen the effects of culture medium components on the bacterial cell growth and protein production. The best concentrations of yeast extract, tryptone and MgSO4 to have a significant effect on total protein concentration were determined by RSM design to be 15 g/l for both tryptone and yeast extract and 2.2 g/l for MgSO4. Finally, an experiment was carried out under optimized conditions to evaluate the yield of the process. The results demonstrated a notable enhancement in neurturin production following optimization, with an increase of approximately 8.6-fold compared to the normal condition.
Conclusions
In conclusion, RSM was successfully employed to optimize induction parameters and components of the culture medium, thereby achieving an elevated level of soluble neurturin production in E. coli.
Leveraging Transformer Models to Predict Cognitive Impairment: Accuracy, Efficiency, and Interpretability
Authors: Ma Kai , Zhang Junzhi , Huang Xinhang , Wang Mengyang
Published: November 2024

Objective: This study aims to develop an enhanced Transformer model for predicting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), focusing on handling mixed data types and improving predictive accuracy.
Methods: The Transformer integrates categorical (integer-encoded) and continuous (floating-point) data, using multi-head attention with four heads to capture complex relationships. Preprocessing involved separate embedding layers for categorical data and feed-forward networks for continuous data. The model was compared with SVM and XGBoost, trained for 150 epochs with RMSProp and a cosine annealing scheduler. Key metrics included accuracy, mean absolute error (MAE) tolerance, and training loss. An attention heatmap was generated to visualize feature importance.
Results: The Transformer outperformed SVM and XGBoost, achieving over 90% accuracy at an MAE tolerance of 3.5. The model showed rapid convergence, with loss stabilizing within 20 epochs. The attention heatmap highlighted key features, confirming the effectiveness of the multi-head attention mechanism in identifying relevant variables.
Conclusion: The enhanced Transformer model offers superior accuracy and efficiency in predicting cognitive decline compared to traditional models. Its capacity to process both continuous and categorical data and its interpretability through attention mechanisms make it a promising tool for early detection of neurodegenerative diseases, potentially improving clinical decision-making and interventions.
Performance Evaluation Model of Physical Exercises with a Robotic Trainer System
Authors: Krakovski Maya , Parmet Yisrael , Bar-Haim Simona , Edan Yael
Published: November 2024

This paper presents the development of a model for performance evaluation of physical exercises with a robotic trainer system, with the specific aim of distinguishing between consistent & correct performance and non-consistent &/or incorrect performance by considering differences between repetitions. The performance evaluation is based on joint angles data extracted from the system's camera. The initial exploration of clustering for pattern recognition in an unlabeled dataset yielded insufficient performance, but it did highlight the importance of scaling features by exercise type as a means to distinguish between performance types. Following transitioning from unsupervised to supervised learning, classification by logistic regression models was evaluated, with different subsets of feature groups and scaling conditions. An evaluation of scaling conditions revealed their importance, particularly for training on a single dataset. Two datasets were acquired and analyzed, i.e., training of older adults (original dataset) and training with young adults (dedicated data set for evaluation). Training on the original dataset and the additional dedicated data set improved accuracy, suggesting a contribution from one dataset to the classification of the other. Logistic regression models, chosen for their simplicity and efficiency, provided explainable results, aligning with the operational capabilities of our robotic trainer. The selected performance evaluation model was able to classify between the performance types with an accuracy of 0.96 on the older adults data set and 0.97 on the other data set. Future research to enhance human-robot interaction should be aimed at exploring real-time evaluation models and implementing feedback based on this performance evaluation methodology.
Investigation of the Effect of Vitamin D on Testicular Damage Caused by Cisplatin in Rats
Authors: Cirik Rümeyza Hilal , Karaca Elif Taslidere , Vardi Nigar , Gürel Elif , Bağ Harika Gözükara , Gül Mehmet
Published: November 2024

Aim: In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of VD against testicular damage caused by cisplatin by histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical methods.
Material and Method: 28 rats were divided into four groups, control, VD, cisplatin and cisplatin+ VD groups. At the end of the 10-day experiment, the rats were sacrificed under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. Right testicles were used for biochemical analyzes and left testicles were used for histological analyses. Sperm vitality and morphology were evaluated from semen samples obtained from the cauda part of the epididymis. Number of sperms was also counted. Biochemically, TOS, TAS, FSH, LH, testosterone, estrogen, VD, Ca and P levels were measured by ELISA test kits using spectrophotometric methods.
Results: In histopathological analysis; a decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter and germinal epithelial thickness, decrease in Johnsen score, and degenerative changes in germinal cells were observed in the cisplatin group. While caspase-3 immune positivity increased, VDR immunostaining decreased. In biochemical analysis; while a significant increase was observed in TOS in the cisplatin group, no significant difference was found in terms of TAS. It was observed that VD application reduced histological damage and caused a significant increase in Johnsen score. In this group, caspase-3 immunostaining decreased while VDR immunostaining increased. Biochemically, a significant decrease in TOS level and a significant increase in VD level were detected.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this study shows that VD administration alleviates testicular damage in rats with cisplatin-induced testicular damage. However, further studies are needed to add VD to clinical treatment protocols.
Detection of Pre-Seismic TEC Anomalies Using Isolation Forest: Virtual Station Analysis for Elazig and Maras Earthquakes
Authors: YALÇIN EMRAH , CANYILMAZ Murat
Published: November 2024

This study examines the relationship between Total Electron Content (TEC) anomalies in the ionosphere and seismic activity, with a particular focus on the Elazig (2020) and Maras (2023) earthquakes. An unsupervised machine learning approach, namely the Isolation Forest (iForest) algorithm, was employed to analyze TEC data from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) stations situated in the regions affected by the seismic events. The analysis has been conducted over a two-month period, encompassing one month prior to and one month following each earthquake. A novel methodology is introduced, whereby TEC data from multiple stations is aggregated into virtual stations, with each station weighted according to its proximity to the earthquake epicenter. The findings reveal a distinctive pattern of TEC anomalies occurring especially 10–15 days before both earthquakes, followed by a reduction in fluctuations as the seismic event approaches. It is noteworthy that significant anomaly synchronization is observed across all virtual stations, which lends support to the hypothesis that TEC variations may serve as a pre-seismic indicator.
CAR-NK cells with dual targeting of PD-L1 and MICA/B in human lung cancer H1299 cell tumor model
Authors: Zhi Lingtong , Zhang Zikang , Gao Qing , Shang Chongye , He Wenhui , Wang Yuqing , Guo Changjiang , Niu Zhiyuan , Zhu Wuling
Published: November 2024

Background
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered natural killer (NK) cells have shown their efficacy and superiority against cancer and possess the potential to become off-the-shelf immunotherapy products. Nonetheless, some challenges associated with CAR-NK cells still exist including inhibitory receptor engagement, antigen escape, and inadequate activation.
Methods
Given this, based on the concept of synthetic biology, we rationally designed a novel dual-targeted CAR (dtCAR), primarily comprising PD-L1 nanoantibody (PD-L1Nb) and NKG2D as the ectodomain, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains (CP) of CD28, and the CP of 41BB and CD3ζ. NK92 cells were engineered to express this third-generation of dtCAR. We then elucidated the role of dtCAR-modified NK92 cells against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
Results In vitro
, the dtCAR-NK92 cells could still retain the characteristics of parental NK cells and exhibit improved NK cell cytotoxicity and produce more cytokines than NK92 cells when they were co-cultured with human lung cancer H1299 cells. Notably, the dtCAR-NK92 cell therapy might elicit clearance of H1299 cells by pyroptosis. Additionally, dtCAR-NK92 cells could considerably inhibit tumor growth in the human lung cancer H1299 cell tumor model.
Conclusions
We confirmed that expression of dtCAR enhanced NK92-cell activation and killing in vitro and in vivo, which provides a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for using NK-tailored CAR-engineered NK92 cells to treat human lung cancer.
Androgen Deprivation Therapy Does Not Increase Rates for Reintervention, Complication, or Infection in Primary Penile Implant or Artificial Urinary Sphincter Surgery
Authors: Prebay Zachary , Fu David , Hochberg Aaron , Chung Paul
Published: November 2024

Prostate cancer treatment-related erectile dysfunction and stress urinary incontinence are commonly treated with inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) or artificial urinary sphincter (AUS). Given the association with androgens and penile/urethral health, we aim to evaluate whether patients on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) undergoing IPP or AUS are at increased risk for reintervention, complication, or infection. We queried the TriNetX database for adult males receiving IPP or AUS. The ADT cohort included those on ADT 3 months before or any time after surgery. We performed sub-analysis for leuprolide and bicalutamide. Cohorts and outcomes were defined by Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases codes. Propensity score matching was performed using age, prostate cancer, history of prostatectomy, and history of radiation. Outcomes were reintervention (revision, removal, or replacement), infection, and complication. Analytics were performed in March 2024. 13,432 patients received an IPP and 5676 received an AUS, 465 and 745 of whom were on ADT, respectively. Patients receiving an IPP with ADT had fewer reinterventions (7.2% vs 12%, RR = 0.60 [0.39, 0.92]) and complications (12.7% vs 18.5%, RR = 0.68 [0.49, 0.95]). Patients receiving an IPP on Bicalutamide or Leuprolide had fewer reinterventions (< 5.2%* vs 10.8%, RR = 0.48 [0.23, 0.99]) and complications (12.2% vs 19.3%, RR = 0.63 [0.43, 0.91]). The remainder of analyses, including comparisons of patients on antiandrogens against those not on ADT, GnRH antagonists against those not on ADT, and abiraterone against those not on ADT, showed no significant differences. There were ≤10 instances of reintervention for IPP patients on bicalutamide, thus TriNetX rounded up to 10 (denoted by *) to protect patient identity. Patients with IPP or AUS do not fare worse on ADT. Further evaluation into the duration of ADT may provide clinical context, but based on these results, ADT should not limit implant surgery.
Association between Oxidative Balance Scores (OBS) and Gamma- Glutamyltransferase (GGT) among US adults in NHANES 2013– 2018
Authors: Gan Xinli , Li Xiaowen , Wen^ Haibin , Wang Zhonglin , Tan Ning , Mao Zhongqi
Published: November 2024

The Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) quantifies the balance between antioxidants and pro-oxidants, which is influenced by diet and lifestyle, and is used to evaluate the overall oxidative stress status. Elevated levels of γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) are considered a primary indicator of oxidative stress. This study aims to explore the association between OBS and GGT using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2013 and 2018. A total of 7,998 people were included in the study. Research has revealed a significant linear negative correlation was found between OBS scores and GGT. Fully adjusted weighted logistic regression analysis showed that each unit increase in OBS was associated with a 3% decrease in the odds of abnormal GGT [OR = 0.97, 95%CI: 0.95, 0.99, P < 0.001]. By exploring this link, this could provide valuable insights into developing preventive strategies and interventions for GGT abnormalities.
Gamma-synuclein promotes Bevacizumab resistance by activating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor in colorectal cancer
Authors: liu Caiyun , Wang Lixin , Dong Bin , Meng Lin , Qu Like , Zhao Chuanke , shou chengchao
Published: November 2024

Resistance to Bevacizumab (Bev) is emerging as a major clinical problem. Gamma-synuclein (SNCG) is overexpressed in the tumor vasculature and various cancer cells. There are no studies on the role of SNCG in Bev resistance. Here, we analyzed the effect of SNCG on Bev resistance in vitro and in vivo, assessed the impact of combining an anti-SNCG monoclonal antibody (McAb, 42#) with Bev on mouse xenograft models derived from HT29 cells with intrinsic resistance to Bev, and explored the mechanism of SNCG-regulated Bev therapy resistance. We found that SNCG overexpression induced tumor resistance to Bev, while SNCG knockout restored sensitivity to Bev by inhibiting both vascularization and SNCG-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) signaling pathway. Interestingly, SNCG activated VEGFR2, whereas SNCG expression was upregulated after Bev treatment, thus generating a reciprocal feedback between SNCG and Bev, which in turn promoted Bev treatment resistance. Importantly, combining Bev with 42# significantly blocked tumor growth, impeded distant tumor metastasis, and extended mouse survival time by reducing vessel formation and decreasing the levels of SNCG-VEGFR2 signaling pathway proteins in Bev-resistant xenograft models. Our findings provide a theoretical basis to overcome Bev resistance by combining Bev with anti-SNCG antibodies in colorectal cancer (CRC).
Geochemical and radiological assessment of source rocks from the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin (Colombia): implications for unconventional hydrocarbon exploration
Authors: Guerrero J. L. , Echavez R. A. , Barba-Lobo A. , Mosqueda F. , Rincón M. , Cárdenas J. C. , Ortiz O. P , Bolívar J. P.
Published: November 2024

Colombia is exploring unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, however after more than 50 years of oil and gas operations, radiological assessments of these oilfields have been lacking. To address this, eight rock samples from the Tablazo and La Luna formations in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin were analyzed using gamma and alpha spectrometry to quantify natural radionuclides from the 238U and 232Th decay series. Additional ICP-MS and XRD analyses provided elemental and mineralogical data. The mineralogical composition varied, with quartz, kaolinite, pyrite, calcite, illite, and gypsum identified. Major elements included Ca, Fe, Al, and S, with V and Zn as prominent trace elements. The source rocks were notably enriched in Ca, S, V, and Zn compared to the upper continental crust. The average 238U concentration was 220 ± 80 Bq kg− 1, approximately six times higher than the global average, with two wells showing values near 600 Bq kg− 1, suggesting localized geochemical variation. The average 232Th concentration was 50 ± 4 Bq kg− 1, and 40K ranged from 180 to 350 Bq kg− 1, similar to global soil levels. Significant correlations were found between 238U series radionuclides and elements like V, Cr, Ni, Mo, and Tl, while 232Th series radionuclides correlated with Bi and Al. 40K was linked to K and showed positive correlations with Ti, Li, and Ba. In contrast, elements such as Pb, Hg, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Na displayed negative correlations. These findings highlight the strong relationship between radionuclide activity concentrations and the chemical composition of the rocks, reflecting diverse geological sources.
Exploring the Nexus: Diversity and carbon Stock Potential of Woody Plants across diverse land uses in Farmscape of South East Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Telila Habte , Haji Adam , Tilahun Ahmed , Kumsa Lemessa
Published: November 2024

The study was taken place in the farmscape of Dallo Manna district, Southeast Ethiopia aimed to understand the connection between the diversity and carbon sequestration potential of woody species. A total of 45 plots (20 m x 20 m) were established along five-line transects to collect woody species within seven land use systems. A total of 50 woody plant (DBH greater than 2.5 cm) species, belonging to 33 families, were recorded in the farmscape. The most frequently encountered woody species was Vachellia abyssinica, followed by Albizia gummifera, and the most abundant species was Coffea arabica followed by Mangifera indica, and Ricinus communis. The dominant land use in the farmscape of the study area was perennial crop and grazing lands. The study area had an average above ground carbon (AGC) stock potential of 49.21 Mg C ha − 1 and a total of 2460.98 21 Mg C ha− 1. Syzygium guineense, Celtis africana, and Ehretia cymosa, sequestered the highest AGC. Perennial cropland uses showed the highest species richness and diversity and accumulated the highest AGC followed by patches of natural forest. The study highlights the value of farmscapes, which have the potential to be a climate-smart and successful land use strategy by significantly reducing carbon emissions through dense and diverse woody plant communities. Coffee cultivation, which relies on shade trees, plays a particularly important role. The findings suggest that conservation efforts should extend beyond protected areas to encompass Dallo Manna's agricultural lands, promoting biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation alongside sustainable agricultural practices.
Optimization of Adaptive Lossless Quantization based on Genetic Algorithm-enhanced K-meansClustering for Secret Key Sharing in Vehicular AdHoc Networks
Authors: Abdelazeem Ibraheem , Zhang Weibin , Chuan Ma , Khader Abdolraheem , Mohamedsalih Abdeldime , Abdalwohab Mohamed , ABUOBIEDA AHMEDALMANSOUR
Published: November 2024

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) are essential for improving efficiency and safety across various applications. However, securing communications within VANETs poses significant challenges, particularly in key generation. Current key generation techniques, especially those relying on the Physical-Layer Model (PLM), often need more generation rates and randomness. This paper introduces an innovative key generation method that employs enhanced K-means clustering optimized by Genetic Algorithms (GA) to bolster the security of VANET communications. Our approach utilizes the elbow method to dynamically determine the optimal number of quantization levels for Received Signal Strength (RSS) measurements, ensuring the preservation of critical information. We compare the performance of traditional K-means clustering with our GA-optimized enhanced K-means clustering, resulting in significant improvements in key uniqueness and randomness. The average Hamming distance increases from 132.45 to 165.88, and key entropy rises from 2.5 to 2.9. Additionally, our method significantly reduces key generation time from 70 ms to 40 ms in medium-density scenarios and lowers communication overhead, thereby enhancing overall system performance. These advancements highlight the superiority of our proposed method in terms of bit generation rate, entropy, and secrecy rate while effectively minimizing unnecessary measurements. This work lays a solid foundation for developing more secure communication protocols in dynamic vehicular environments by integrating GA-optimized clustering techniques, addressing the pressing need for robust and efficient key management solutions.
D2Net: a dual-branch lightweight network for conveyor belt rotation detection in pipe belt conveyors
Authors: Wang Xingyu , Hao Nini , Yun Yu , Zhang Mengchao , Zhang Yuan , Zhong Zeqing
Published: November 2024

Due to the swift advancement of artificial intelligence technology, semantic segmentation has emerged as a critical method for identifying rotational flaws in conveyor belts of pipe belt conveyors. Nonetheless, current segmentation algorithm models typically exhibit issues of excessive model parameters and sluggish inference speed, making it challenging to simultaneously satisfy the accuracy demands of conveyor belt edge segmentation and real-time requirements, thereby complicating their adaptation to the real-time monitoring needs of actual production lines. This research offers an efficient backbone network, D2Net, for real-time semantic segmentation of conveyor belt edges to address this issue. The network comprises a dual-branch Deep Dual-Resolution Network that facilitates information exchange across the branches via several bilateral fusion processes. A Multi-Scale Attention Aggregation Module (MSAAM) is developed to effectively broaden the network's sensory field and improve segmentation performance via multi-scale contextual fusion of low-resolution feature maps. This research constructs a dataset of pipe belt conveyor operations at a steel factory across three locations to validate the model's performance, and the suggested network is trained and tested using this dataset. The experimental findings indicate that the network attains an average intersection over union (mIoU) of 75.34% on a dataset with a resolution of 512 × 512, while the inference speed reaches 169.5 frames per second (fps), and the model comprises merely 22.9 MB of parameters. This research demonstrates that the D2Net achieves an effective equilibrium between speed and accuracy in the belt edge segmentation of rpipe belt conveyors. It exhibits optimal equilibrium and delivers robust technical assistance for real-time semantic segmentation in edge computing environments.
Optimizing Levodopa Dosage and Dosing Cycles for Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
Authors: Suksai S. , Salikupata C. , Wandee P.
Published: November 2024

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder commonly affecting elderly individuals, characterized by the progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic neurostriatal system and a consequent depletion of dopamine. L-dopa has been widely used to alleviate symptoms; however, prolonged use often reduces its efficacy and increases side effects. To address these issues, an objective algorithm was developed to assess and manage patients' motor function using wearable sensors. This approach enables the creation of personalized patient profiles, supporting two distinct dosing algorithms for oral and injectable administration of L-dopa. The proposed automated dosing methods, which can be implemented in both clinical and home settings via wearable devices, were compared with treatment adjustments typically made by movement disorder specialists. Both algorithms demonstrated promising results, producing dosage recommendations closely aligned with those provided by physicians. This suggests that automated dosing guided by wearable technology may offer a viable supplement to specialist-led treatment.
Improved vortex lattice method for drag prediction of supersonic wings using shock cone modelling
Authors: Joshi Hemant , Thomas Peter , Tan Christabel , Wu Hongwei
Published: November 2024

In the realm of supersonic design, obtaining data for numerous supersonic configurations amidst intricate flow conditions proves time-consuming due to the excessive costs associated with high-fidelity computational demands. Running iterative simulations over an extended period is often impractical or entails substantial expenses. This inherent challenge necessitates the adoption of low-order potential solvers with reasonable accuracy to generate datasets. In support of this objective, This study addresses the high computational costs of obtaining data for supersonic configurations by developing a low-order solver that combines the Taylor-Maccoll hypervelocity method (TMHM) with the supersonic vortex lattice method. This approach aims to provide accurate drag predictions in supersonic flows while minimizing computational demands. By integrating TMHM to calculate wave drag and skin friction drag and enhancing the vortex lattice method to handle shockwave impacts through panel matching, the solver achieves improved accuracy in lift and drag computations. Validation against experimental data shows a 20% reduction in drag prediction error compared to traditional vortex lattice methods, with a 2.01% error for low-shock angles. The method achieves accuracy rates between 90% and 95% across various configurations, including a 90% accuracy for delta wings, 85% for positive dihedral wings, and 95% for large sweptback angle designs, as confirmed by comparisons with high-fidelity CFD data.
Optimal Task Generalisation in Cooperative Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Rosen Simon , Njupoun Abdel Mfougouon , Tasse Geraud Nangue , James Steven , Rosman Benjamin
Published: November 2024

\looseness=-1 While task generalisation is widely studied in the context of single-agent reinforcement learning (RL), little research exists in the context of multi-agent RL. The research that does exist usually considers task generalisation implicitly as a part of the environment, and when it is considered explicitly there are no theoretical guarantees. We propose Goal-Oriented Learning for Multi-Task Multi-Agent RL (GOLeMM), a method that achieves provably optimal task generalisation that, to the best of our knowledge, has not been achieved before in multi-agent RL (MARL). After learning an optimal goal-oriented value function for a single arbitrary task, our method can zero-shot infer the optimal policy for any other task in the distribution---given only knowledge of the terminal rewards for each agent for the new task and learnt task. Empirically in a tabular domain we show that our method is able to generalise over a full task distribution, while representative baselines are only able to learn a small subset of the task distribution---given the same knowledge about tasks. Additionally, while leveraging function approximation we demonstrate our method in a high-dimensional continuous domain and obtain superior task generalisation than a representative baseline.
Experiment of 2×40Gbd PAM8 MISO-FSO system reinfored by high-spead optical signal coupling and precoder-shaped multi-level polar codes
Authors: Yang Weiying , Liu Xiaoyu , Xiao Shilin , Liu Zhiyang
Published: November 2024

This paper proposes and successfully demonstrates a high-speed optical signalcoupling (HS-OSC) of 2x40Gbaud PAM8 with precoder-shaped multi-level polarcodes (PS-MLPC) in a gain-oriented multiple-input single-output free space optical (MISO-FSO) system. With the pilot-based correction (PBC), the system getsa multi-path error (MPE) detecting and correcting module, which can minimizethe MPE and achieve the gain-oriented HS-OSC. On the other hand, PS-MLPCis deployed in the MISO-FSO system to provide the non-uniform PAM-8 symbols and save the power budget. In the experiment, the PBC module is provento ensure the HS-OSC process by comparing the captured waveforms. Resultsin the static FSO channel validate that the bit error rate (BER) of the MISOFSO system is improved from 4.76 × 10-3 to below 10-5 and the PS-MLPCPAM-8 saves most 0.85 dB effective signal-to-noise ratio (ESNR). Under turbulent conditions, the gain-oriented MISO-FSO system not only enhances themean ESNR of about 4.3 ∼ 5.4dB but also mitigates the standard deviation ofESNR by 40.6% ∼ 61.4%, on which the PS-MLPC provides a Q-factor gain of1.17 ∼ 1.64 dB.
Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models in Advancing Cyber Threat Intelligence: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Alturkistani Hilalah , Chuprat Suriayati
Published: November 2024

The evolution of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is pivotal in addressing the increasingly sophisticated landscape of cyber threats. Traditional CTI methods, while foundational, are rapidly obsoleting by the complexity and dynamism of modern cyber threats. This demands a shift towards more advanced, adaptive strategies integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). This literature survey examines recent developments in CTI, focusing on traditional methods, the incorporation of AI for enhanced forecasting and detection, and the pioneering application of LLMs for automating intelligence report generation, enhancing threat detection, recognition, and mitigation accuracy, and facilitating the construction of comprehensive threat prevention framework. Key findings indicate that while traditional CTI methods provide a critical baseline for threat intelligence, their static nature and reliance on outdated indicators of compromise limit their effectiveness against novel, sophisticated cyber threats. Integrating AI techniques, particularly machine learning and deep learning, marks a significant advancement in CTI, offering improved predictive capabilities, dynamic threat detection, and more nuanced analysis of cyber threats. Further, the advent of LLMs in CTI represents a transformative shift, enabling the automated generation of intelligence reports, processing of unstructured CTI data, threat detection, recognition, and actionable step generation to mitigate potential cyber threats. However, challenges persist, including data privacy concerns, the dynamic nature of cyber threats, and the integration of LLMs into existing cybersecurity frameworks. The reviews provide limitations for each study and future research directions with particular emphasis on developing adaptive, intelligent CTI systems capable of proactively addressing the evolving cyber threat landscape.
Teilhabeerfahrungen von Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten in digitalen Lernumgebungen der Erwachsenenbildung
Authors: Franz Anneliese , Schmölz Alexander
Published: November 2024

Lebenslanges Lernen gewinnt im Zuge der Digitalen Transformation zunehmend an Bedeutung. Digitalisierung eröffnet in der Erwachsenenbildung neue Möglichkeiten für Bildungsräume. Gleichzeitig erwachsen daraus neue Barrieren für marginalisierte Gruppen wie Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten, die massiv von der digitalen Kluft betroffen sind und auch in der Erwachsenenbildung nur am Rande gesehen werden. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags wird die digitale Kluft im Kontext des lebenslangen Lernens mit digitalen Medien bewusst in den Fokus gerückt: Wie erfahren Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten die Teilhabe in digitalen Lernumgebungen? Gemeinsam mit 13 Co-Forschenden aus der Interessensgruppe wurden im Rahmen einer teil-inklusiven Forschung mit unterschiedlichen qualitativen Forschungsmethoden zwei digitale Lernumgebungen erprobt, um ein möglichst umfassendes Bild der erzählten Erfahrung zu bekommen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen zentrale Faktoren für das Gelingen von Teilhabe in digitalen Lernformaten, die nicht speziell für Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten entwickelt wurden. Sie zeigen zum einen, wie Empowerment mit Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten gelingen kann, zum anderen bieten sie auch Impulse für Anbieter non-formaler Erwachsenenbildung, damit lebenslanges Lernen entsprechend der UN-Behindertenrechtkonvention für alle Menschen möglich wird.
Центрально-Европейская конференция по исторической географии. Прага, 31 августа – 2 сентября 2016 г.
Authors: И.Г. Коновалова
Published: November 2024

Обзор Центрально-Европейской конференции по исторической географии, прошедшей в Праге с 31 августа по 2 сентября 2016 г.
Международная научная конференция «Геоинформационные системы и технологии в исторических исследованиях»
Authors: А.А.  Фролов
Published: November 2024

Обзор международной конференции по исторической геоинформатике, состоявшейся в Барнауле с 25 по 26 сентября 2015 г.
Espaço social e cinema latino-americano: considerações educativas sobre culturas políticas e territórios
Authors: PAIVA NETO Francisco Fagundes de
Published: November 2024

O projeto constituiu uma iniciativa de extensão acadêmica, desenvolvido por meio de um cineclube, que utilizamos como uma ferramenta para enriquecer a formação complementar dos cursos de graduação nas áreas de Humanidades. A meta foi incentivar reflexões interdisciplinares sobre as sociedades da América Latina, realizando debates sobre cada obra cinematográfica e conectando-a a textos temáticos adicionais. A proposta também objetivou oportunizar um espaço de entretenimento qualitativo para os envolvidos, com o fito de ampliar a capacidade crítica e relacional, por uma intensificação no processo de formação cultural. Teve duração de um ano, outubro de 2013 a outubro de 2014. Tivemos como resultados a difusão do acesso a produções fílmicas e audiovisuais, que não estão contempladas na programação comercial das emissoras de televisão aberta, oportunizando uma apreciação interpretativa diversa. Os professores agiram como mediadores culturais envolvidos na seleção dos filmes e nos debates, abordando temáticas diversificadas contempladas pelas Humanidades.
Dirac fermions and topological phases in magnetic topological insulator films
Authors: Bai Kai-Zhi , Fu Bo , Shen Shun-Qing
Published: November 2024

We develop a Dirac fermion theory for topological phases in magnetic topological insulator films. The theory is based on exact solutions of the energies and the wave functions for an effective model of the three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) film. It is found that the TI film consists of a pair of massless or massive Dirac fermions for the surface states, and a series of massive Dirac fermions for the bulk states. The massive Dirac fermion always carries zero or integer quantum Hall conductance when the valence band is fully occupied while the massless Dirac fermion carries a one-half quantum Hall conductance when the chemical potential is located around the Dirac point for a finite range. The magnetic exchange interaction in the magnetic layers in the film can be used to manipulate either the masses or chirality of the Dirac fermions and gives rise to distinct topological phases, which cover the known topological insulating phases, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect, quantum spin Hall effect and axion effect, and also the novel topological metallic phases, such as the half-quantized Hall effect, half quantum mirror Hall effect, and metallic quantum anomalous Hall effect.
THE IMPACT OF TELEMEDICINE ON PATIENT OUTCOMES, ACCESS TO CARE, AND PATIENT SATISFACTION IN FAMILY MEDICINE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors:   Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Ahmad Alshehri Mona , Abdullah Aloufi Muath ,   Saudi Board Family Medicine Al Qassim Health cluster, MOH., Nasser Alakeel Asma ,   Saudi board in Diagnostic Radiology, Fellowship in Body Imaging Diagnostic Radiology Acting Specialty Consultant Medical Imaging Department, King Fahad Medical City Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Abdullah Aljubair Abdulaziz ,   Clinical Laboratory Science. Clinical Laboratory Specialist. Prince Sultan Military Medical City. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Abdullah Abusidu Mohammad ,   Health Information Management- Senior Specialist. Prince Sultan Military Medical City. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Ali Alshehri Mona ,   Preventive Medicine, King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia., Sulaiman Aldhuwyan Abdullah ,   Family Medicine Consultant AlQassim health Cluster, MOH.
Published: November 2024

Telemedicine has emerged as a transformative strategy in healthcare, particularly in family medicine, since it improves patient outcomes, increases access to care, and influences patient happiness. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current evidence on the impact of telemedicine in these areas. The review included studies from multiple databases that focused on telemedicines function in family medicine throughout the last decade. The findings show that telemedicine considerably improves access to healthcare services, especially in underserved and rural areas. Patients benefit from shorter travel times and better scheduling flexibility, which has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effects on patient outcomes are variable. While some studies show lower mortality rates and shorter hospital stays in telemedicine-supported care, others show an increase in acute care visits for illnesses that might be treated in outpatient settings. Patient satisfaction is generally high, particularly about the convenience of telemedicine, but this is offset by worries about the quality of care in non-face-to-face contacts. Physician perspectives differ, with some expressing displeasure with the perceived lower quality of telemedicine visits compared to in-person consultations. These findings imply that, while telemedicine has enormous potential for improving healthcare delivery in family medicine, it must be carefully integrated into existing healthcare systems to maximize its benefits. Future research should focus on hybrid care models and solutions for addressing gaps in telemedicine access and outcomes.
TATTOOS AND THE APPROPRIATE AGE FOR TATTOOING IN CHILDREN BALANCING CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE AND MENTAL WELL-BEING
Authors: Tom Joseph Chrison , Kumar S. Appanavar Vinay
Published: November 2024

Tattoos and the Appropriate Age for Tattooing in Children â€“ Balancing Cultural Significance and Mental Well-being. This paper explores the physiological and psychological implications of tattooing children, with a focus on cultural practices involving tattoos or branding with green ink. While tattoos hold deep cultural significance in certain societies, modern concerns around the long-term mental and physical health of children call for a reevaluation of the appropriate age for tattooing. Physiologically, childrens skin and immune systems are still developing, increasing the risk of complications such as infection, scarring, and ink distortion. Psychologically, young individuals are more likely to make impulsive decisions they may later regret, as their identities and preferences evolve throughout adolescence. Cultural practices that involve marking children often reflect deep-rooted traditions, but in modern multicultural contexts, these tattoos can lead to social stigma and emotional distress. This paper advocates for delaying tattoos until late adolescence or early adulthood when individuals can make informed decisions, while also considering cultural nuances. By balancing cultural respect and child autonomy, families can safeguard both tradition and mental well-being.
ROBOTIC SURGERY IN SPACE AND ON OTHER PLANETS: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Authors: Gangadharan C.B. Goutham , Tom Joseph Chrison , S. Appanavar Vinaykumar
Published: November 2024

Robotic surgery offers new possibilities for delivering healthcare in space, particularly during long-term missions or in extraterrestrial colonies where human medical expertise may be limited. The unique challenges of microgravity and varying gravitational forces on other planets affect surgical procedures and necessitate innovative adaptations. This paper explores how robotic systems can facilitate surgeries in zero-gravity environments and discusses the benefits of remote-controlled procedures. However, complications such as hemorrhage, organ manipulation, and fluid management become more difficult to address without gravity. Special attention is given to the challenges of pediatric surgery in these environments. By examining the feasibility of surgeries on planets like Mars and the Moon, where gravity differs from Earths, we assess the potential for safe surgical care. This study also outlines the technological advancements required to overcome intraoperative challenges and identifies the types of surgeries that may become possible on other planets.