bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two-stage dual-game model approach to view the difficulty of healthcare accessibility
Authors: Wang Weiwei , Weng Futian , Chen Yusheng , Zhu Miao
Published: March 2023

This study proposed a two-stage dual-game model methodology to evaluate the existing difficulty of healthcare accessibility in China. First, we analyzed a multi-player El Farol bar game with incomplete information by mixed strategy to explore the Nash equilibrium, and then a weighted El Farol bar game was discussed to identify the existence of a contradiction between supply and demand sides in a tertiary hospital. Second, the overall payoff based on healthcare quality was calculated. In terms of the probability of medical experience reaching that expected level, residents are not optimistic about going to the hospital, and the longer the observation period is, the more pronounced this trend becomes. By adjusting the threshold value to observe the change in the probability of being able to obtain the expected medical experience, it is found that the median number of hospital visits is a key parameter. Going to the hospital did bring benefits to people with consideration of the payoffs, while the benefits varied significantly with the observation period among different months. This study is recommended as a new method and approach to quantitatively assess the tense relationship in access to medical care between the demand and supply sides and a foundation for policy and practice improvements to ensure the efficient delivery of healthcare.
Associated factors of burnout among Chinese vaccination staff during COVID-19 epidemic: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Gu Wenwen , Liu Yan , Lu Zhaojun , Wang Jun , Che Xinren , Xu Yuyang , Zhang Xuechao , Wang Jing , Du Jian , Zhang Xiaoping , Chen Junfang
Published: March 2023

Objective

During the COVID-19 epidemic, vaccination staff had three main aspects of work: routine vaccination for children and adults, COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 prevention and control. All these works significantly increased the workload of vaccination staff. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of burnout among vaccination staff in Hangzhou, China.

Methods

A total of 501 vaccination staff from 201 community/township healthcare centers in Hangzhou were recruited using a cross-sectional survey through WeChat social platform. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Scale (MBI-GS) was used to assess the level of burnout. Descriptive statistics were made on the characteristics of participants. Univariate analysis using the chi-square test and multivariable analysis using binary logistic regression were conducted to determine the relative predictors of burnout. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression were used to determine the relative predictors of exhaustive emotion, cynicism, and personal accomplishment.

Results

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 20.8% of the vaccination staff experienced burnout. Educational level above undergraduate education level, medium professional title, and more working time in COVID-19 vaccination work reported a higher degree of job burnout. The vaccination staff was experiencing a high degree of exhaustive emotion, cynicism, and low personal accomplishment. Professional title, working place, and working time for COVID-19 vaccination were associated with exhaustive emotion and cynicism. Professional title and participation time for COVID-19 prevention and control were associated with personal accomplishment.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the prevalence rate of burnout is high among vaccination staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with a low level of personal accomplishment. Psychological intervention for vaccination staff is urgently needed.
Increasing surgical wait time does not increase the risk of node positive prostate cancer: Implications for surgical planning during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Authors: Zaliznyak Michael , Horwitz Rainey , Davaro Facundo , Rosen Geoffrey H. , Murray Katie S. , Hamilton Zachary
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a heterogeneous diagnosis, with a significant latency between diagnosis and risk of cancer specific mortality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to balance the risk of COVID-19 exposure and resource allocation resulted in delays in non-emergent surgeries. We sought to assess if delays in surgical wait time (SWT) result in an increased risk of disease progression in the setting of clinically node positive PCa.

Materials and methods

The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with cT1-3N0-1M0 PCa who underwent radical prostatectomy with lymph node dissection from 2010 to 2016. Patients were grouped based on pathologic node status (pN0 versus pN1). Outcomes including clinical tumor characteristics, hospital readmissions, and survival was correlated with length of SWT prior to radical prostatectomy.

Results

A total of 218 patients with pN0 PCa and 805 patients with pN1 PCa met our inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Hospital length of stay and 30-day readmissions were similar between pN0 and pN1 patients. No significant association was detected between increased SWT and pN1 status among our patient population. Sensitivity multivariable analyses including only patients with Gleason 7-10 and excluding those who received androgen deprivation therapy prior to surgery showed similar findings that SWT was not associated with pN1 disease. With short term follow up, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference in overall survival when stratified by SWT at 30-, 60-, 90-, or >90-day intervals.

Conclusion

With the impact of the recent pandemic on healthcare and hospital systems, it is important to understand the effect that likely delays in SWT can have on patient outcomes. The findings described in this study suggest that delays in SWT may not result in adverse nodal disease progression among patients diagnosed with pathological node positive PCa. These results will be important to share with patients and their families when discussing treatment options and can result in improved patient outcomes and satisfaction with treatment regimens.
Modulation of smoking cue reactivity by social context—Implications for exposure therapy in virtual reality
Authors: Winkler Markus H. , Li Yonghui , Pauli Paul , Mühlberger Andreas
Published: March 2023

Rationale: Social factors are considered important for the initiation and maintenance of drug abuse. Virtual reality (VR) research on cue reactivity and exposure frequently incorporates social stimuli as part of complex drug-intake scenarios. Attempts are rarely made to dissect the impact of the different components and their interactive effects. The present study critically extends this line of research by investigating the modulatory effects of social context on the reactivity evoked by proximal smoking cues.

Methods: Thirty-two smokers and 33 never-smokers were presented in VR with proximal cues and neutral stimuli, embedded in a social context or a neutral context. A virtual hand model was used to translate real hand movements into VR. Each trial started with the presentation of the different stimulus–context combinations. Discrete stimuli were presented on the table in front of the participants, and contextual stimuli were presented at the end of the table. Afterward, participants were instructed to grasp the target stimulus (a cigarette vs. a pencil) in front of them. After successful contact, the stimulus appeared in the virtual hand. Modulation of cue reactivity by social context was assessed by self-report, physiological measures, and overt approach behavior.

Results: The results revealed modulatory effects of social context on the responses to proximal smoking cues in smokers. In contrast to never-smokers, smoking cues evoked craving in smokers, which was attenuated in a social context. Furthermore, social context increased the latency to approach and contact the cigarette in the group of smokers but did not affect behavioral approach responses in never-smokers. Other data provided indications for interactive, but also main effects of cues and contexts. Interestingly, cue-evoked craving was increased after contact with the virtual cigarette.

Conclusion: The present study critically extends previous research by providing evidence for the modulation of cue reactivity by social context. The results are particularly important given the well-established role of drug-associated environmental contexts in the stimulus control of addictive behaviors. Our results emphasize the need to address social context effects on cue reactivity in basic research and treatment and further suggest that changes in the perceived availability of smoking might enhance or inhibit cue-evoked reactivity.
The future of evolutionary medicine: sparking innovation in biomedicine and public health
Authors: Natterson-Horowitz B. , Aktipis Athena , Fox Molly , Gluckman Peter D. , Low Felicia M. , Mace Ruth , Read Andrew , Turner Paul E. , Blumstein Daniel T.
Published: March 2023

Evolutionary medicine – i.e. the application of insights from evolution and ecology to biomedicine – has tremendous untapped potential to spark transformational innovation in biomedical research, clinical care and public health. Fundamentally, a systematic mapping across the full diversity of life is required to identify animal model systems for disease vulnerability, resistance, and counter-resistance that could lead to novel clinical treatments. Evolutionary dynamics should guide novel therapeutic approaches that target the development of treatment resistance in cancers (e.g.,viaadaptive or extinction therapy) and antimicrobial resistance (e.g.,viainnovations in chemistry, antimicrobial usage, and phage therapy). With respect to public health, the insight that many modern human pathologies (e.g., obesity) result from mismatches between the ecologies in which we evolved and our modern environments has important implications for disease prevention. Life-history evolution can also shed important light on patterns of disease burden, for example in reproductive health. Experience during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has underlined the critical role of evolutionary dynamics (e.g., with respect to virulence and transmissibility) in predicting and managing this and future pandemics, and in using evolutionary principles to understand and address aspects of human behavior that impede biomedical innovation and public health (e.g., unhealthy behaviors and vaccine hesitancy). In conclusion, greater interdisciplinary collaboration is vital to systematically leverage the insight-generating power of evolutionary medicine to better understand, prevent, and treat existing and emerging threats to human, animal, and planetary health.
Filio-parental violence analyzed through the Spanish press (2010–2020). Child-to-parent violence: A case of family violence
Authors: Martínez Torvisco Juan , Wichrowska Monika , Pellerone Monica
Published: March 2023

Violence exercised by children against their parents has increased significantly, affecting society both directly and indirectly. This type of violence is one of the least investigated and least exposed by the media. The aim of this work is to examine how the media have portrayed this problem, by means of a qualitative methodology and a multidimensional analysis of journalistic and literary texts. News related to violence committed by children against parents published from 2010 to 2020 were sourced from the following Spanish newspapers: El País, ABC, El Día, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, El Periódico, La Provincia, Canarias 7, 20 Minutos, and Diario de Avisos. The text corpus was subsequently analyzed with the open access software IRaMuTeQ. The results show a total of 204232 words (number of occurrences), of which 4561 appear only once (number of hapaxes). The words “violence,” “father,” and “son” are those that appear most frequently in the analysis of the texts and present a strong co-occurrence among them. It should be noted that child-to-parent violence is described as a problem confined to the family environment. The importance of prevention strategies against violence within the family context is shown in this paper.
A data-driven framing of player and team performance in U.S. Women's soccer
Authors: Narayanan Sachin , Pifer N. David
Published: March 2023

Introduction

In establishing historical benchmarks for success on the pitch and striving to achieve parity off it, the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) have long served as standard bearers for professional women's soccer around the globe. However, off-field dilemmas and incessant juxtapositions to men's soccer frequently overshadow the elements that make U.S. women's soccer unique; that is, in the quest to expose and rid the women's game of blatant misconduct, discriminatory practices, and negative stereotypes, relatively little attention has been devoted to performance features that separate the U.S. women's soccer product from its competition. Because many of the issues hindering the progress of women's soccer are rooted in media and managerial practices that marginalize or ignore its positive traits, a need exists for analyses that will properly identify its innate characteristics and competitive advantages so that media members, managers, and fans can accurately frame their perceptions of women competing in the sport.

Methods

To this end, we collected reliable samples of public event data from 560 professional soccer matches and used ANOVAs and t-tests to identify the characteristics that distinguish U.S. women's soccer from other professional leagues and teams.

Results and Discussion

In doing so, we showed that the USWNT tends to shoot from more opportune areas and press opponents at a higher rate, and that the NWSL has recently been matched in quality across certain performance metrics by England's FA Women's Super League.
Identification of hickory nuts with different oxidation levels by integrating self-supervised and supervised learning
Authors: Kang Haoyu , Dai Dan , Zheng Jian , Liang Zile , Chen Siwei , Ding Lizhong
Published: March 2023

The hickory (Carya cathayensis) nuts are considered as a traditional nut in Asia due to nutritional components such as phenols and steroids, amino acids and minerals, and especially high levels of unsaturated fatty acids. However, the edible quality of hickory nuts is rapidly deteriorated by oxidative rancidity. Deeper Masked autoencoders (DEEPMAE) with a unique structure for automatically extracting some features that could be scaleable from local to global for image classification, has been considered to be a state-of-the-art computer vision technique for grading tasks. This paper aims to present a novel and accurate method for grading hickory nuts with different oxidation levels. Owing to the use of self-supervised and supervised processes, this method is able to predict images of hickory nuts with different oxidation levels effectively, i.e., DEEPMAE can predict the oxidation level of nuts. The proposed DEEPMAE model was constructed from Vision Transformer (VIT) architecture which was followed by Masked autoencoders(MAE). This model was trained and tested on image datasets containing four classes, and the differences between these classes were mainly caused by varying levels of oxidation over time. The DEEPMAE model was able to achieve an overall classification accuracy of 96.14% on the validation set and 96.42% on the test set. The results on the suggested model demonstrated that the application of the DEEPMAE model might be a promising method for grading hickory nuts with different levels of oxidation.
Vision health perspectives on Breaking Bad: Ophthalmic sequelae of methamphetamine use disorder
Authors: Huang Ye , Nguyen Nam V. , Mammo Danny A. , Albini Thomas A. , Hayek Brent R. , Timperley Brent D. , Krueger Ronald R. , Yeh Steven
Published: March 2023

Methamphetamine use has become a rampant public health issue that not only causes devastating consequences to the user but also poses a burden to surrounding communities. A spectrum of ophthalmic sequelae is associated with methamphetamine use and includes episcleritis, scleritis, corneal ulceration, panophthalmitis, endophthalmitis, retinal vasculitis, and retinopathy. In many instances, prompt recognition of the condition and associated infectious process and early initiation of antimicrobial therapy are crucial steps to preventing vision loss. In this review, we summarize the reported ocular complications that may result from methamphetamine use in addition to several postulated mechanisms regarding the ocular toxicity of methamphetamine. The increasing prevalence of methamphetamine use as a public health threat highlights the need for continued investigation of this ophthalmologic issue.
Effects of dietary iron sources on growth performance, iron status, Fe-containing enzyme activity and gene expression related to iron homeostasis in tissues of weaned pigs
Authors: Huang Ru-Qu , Yang Xiao-Jie , Xie Gao-Mao , Li Jie , Jian Yun-Hua , Yang Jing , Zhu Yong-Wen
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of dietary iron sources on growth performance, iron status and activities of Fe-containing enzymes and gene expression related to iron homeostasis in tissues of weaned pigs. A total of 480 piglets at d 28 (Duroc X Landrace) were allotted to four groups as a factorial arrangement of treatments with 30 pigs/pen (male: female = 1:1) and 4 replicate pens/treatment. The treatments for iron in the diets were: control basal diet (Con); Con + 150 mg Fe/kg as inorganic Fe (iFe); Con + 75 mg Fe/kg as inorganic Fe + 75 mg Fe/kg as organic Fe-peptide complex (iFe+oFe) and Con + 150 mg of Fe/kg as organic Fe-peptide complex (oFe). The feeding trial lasted for 36 days. There were no significant differences in final body weight, ADG, ADFI, and G/F as well as blood hemoglobin and MCHC contents between piglets fed the control and iron-supplemented groups (P > 0.05). The iron supplemented groups exhibited increased iron content in the liver, kidney and spleen as well as the CAT and SDH activities in liver compared to the control group (P < 0.05), while piglets in oFe group experienced greater Fe accumulation and activities of CAT and SDH in the liver than piglets in the iFe group. Compared with the control group, dietary supplementation of iron increased the NCOA4 mRNA expression and decreased the TfR1 mRNA expression in liver of piglets. The TfR1, NCOA4 and Ferritin mRNA expressions of bone marrow in both iFe and iFe+oFe groups were greater than both in the Con and oFe groups. These results suggest that dietary supplementation of iron does not influence the growth performance and hematological parameters in weaned pigs fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet (75.8 mg/kg) from d 28 to d 70, but increased tissue iron status and activities of Fe-containing enzymes at d 70. The addition of organic Fe-peptide complexes presents greater beneficial effects on enhancing tissue Fe accumulation and Fe-containing enzyme activities, which may be involved in different gene expression patterns related to iron intake and transport in tissues of weaned pigs.
APOC1 predicts a worse prognosis for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and is associated with tumor immune infiltration during tumorigenesis
Authors: Cao Xiying , Wu Bingqun , Guo Shaoming , Zhong Weixiang , Zhu Shenyu , Zhang Zuxiong , Gu Liang , Li Hui
Published: March 2023

Background: Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract with insidious onset, is a serious threat to human health. Despite multiple treatment modalities for patients with ESCA, the overall prognosis remains poor. Apolipoprotein C1 (APOC1) is involved in tumorigenesis as an inflammation-related molecule, and its role in esophageal cancer is still unknown.

Methods: We downloaded documents and clinical data using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. We also conducted bioinformatics studies on the diagnostic value, prognostic value, and correlation between APOC1 and immune infiltrating cells in ESCA through STRING (https://cn.string-db.org/), the TISIDB (http://cis.hku.hk/TISIDB/) website, and various other analysis tools.

Results: In patients with ESCA, APOC1 was significantly more highly expressed in tumor tissues than in normal tissues (p < 0.001). APOC1 could diagnose ESCA more accurately and determine the TNM stage and disease classification with high accuracy (area under the curve, AUC≥0.807). The results of the Kaplan–Meier curve analysis showed that APOC1 has prognostic value for esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) (p = 0.043). Univariate analysis showed that high APOC1 expression in ESCC was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS) (p = 0.043), and multivariate analysis shows that high APOC1 expression was an independent risk factor for the OS of patients with ESCC (p = 0.030). In addition, the GO (gene ontology)/KEGG (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) analysis showed a concentration of gene enrichment in the regulation of T-cell activation, cornification, cytolysis, external side of the plasma membrane, MHC protein complex, MHC class II protein complex, serine-type peptidase activity, serine-type endopeptidase activity, Staphylococcus aureus infection, antigen processing and presentation, and graft-versus-host disease (all p < 0.001). GSEA (gene set enrichment analysis) showed that enrichment pathways such as immunoregulatory-interactions between a lymphoid and non-lymphoid cell (NES = 1.493, p. adj = 0.023, FDR = 0.017) and FCERI-mediated NF-KB activation (NES = 1.437, p. adj = 0.023, FDR = 0.017) were significantly enriched in APOC1-related phenotypes. In addition, APOC1 was significantly associated with tumor immune infiltrating cells and immune chemokines.

Conclusion: APOC1 can be used as a prognostic biomarker for esophageal cancer. Furthermore, as a novel prognostic marker for patients with ESCC, it may have potential value for further investigation regarding the diagnosis and treatment of this group of patients.
Poeta tłumacz w czasie wielkiej wojny. Przekłady Jana Kasprowicza
w latach 1914–1918 .
Authors: Bąbiak Grzegorz P.
Published: March 2023

The text presents Jan Kasprowicz’s translation work during the First World War. It discusses the War’s contribution to the concentration on this form of literary activity and to the selection of the works by the most distinguished Greek tragic dramatist, Euripides. The author presents the view that the fact that Kasprowicz took up the ambitious project of translating all works by Euripides resulted from the Academy of Learning’s commission on the one hand and from the translator’s conscious decision on the other hand. By going back to antiquity, Kasprowicz endeavoured to answer the questions that were fundamental during the War: about its sense and price. Apart from presenting the timeline of Jan Kasprowicz’s translations in detail, the author mentions the key facts from his biography during the War. He also quotes the translator’s statements about the translation techniques and positions them in the context of contemporary theories of translation.
Semantyczno-konotacyjne cechy charakterystyczne konceptu prawda /
/ правда
Authors: Łazarowycz Olga
Published: March 2023

The proposed article discusses the concept of prawda / правда (truth) in the Polish and Ukrainian languages and its semantic and connotative characteristics. The semantic dominant of the concept of prawda / правда is “justice” as correspondence to legal and moral principles; its structure is composed of ‘correspondence to the objective reality’, ‘genuineness’, ‘authenticity’, ‘essence of truth’, ‘order based on justice’, and its conceptual characteristics are the moral characteristics and values underlying the moral ideal, the normative characteristics and values concerned with the representations of what is authentic in the life of a human being or a society; the legal aspect of the concept of правда is associated with rights and obligations, while the cognitive aspect is related to a human being’s representations of correspondence to reality.
The concept of prawda / правда is multifunctional and sets the main direction for the national culture or, to be more specific, the desire of higher ideals of good and justice, which are the foundation stone in all spheres of the life of a human being and a society.
Dielectric Elastomer Sensors with Advanced Designs and Their Applications
Authors: Böse Holger , Ehrlich Johannes
Published: March 2023

Dielectric elastomer sensors (DESs) have been known as highly stretchable strain sensors for about two decades. They are composite films consisting of alternating dielectric and electrode layers. Their electrical capacitance between the electrodes is enhanced upon stretching. In this paper, a variety of advanced designs of DESs is introduced. An explanation of how these sensors work and how they perform in terms of capacitance versus deformation or load force is provided. Moreover, the paper describes how the sensor design affects the sensor characteristics in order to achieve a high measuring sensitivity. The most relevant quantities to be measured are distance variations or elongations, forces and pressure loads. It is demonstrated that the sensor design can be supported by Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations. In the second part of the paper, possible applications of the advanced DESs are outlined. Pure sensor applications to detect or monitor pressure or deformation are distinguished from other applications, where sensors form a part of a human–machine interface (HMI). DESs are predestined to be used in contact with the human body due to their softness and flexibility. In the case of an HMI, a dosed load on a sensor by the user’s hand enables the remote control of arbitrary technical functions. This can preferably be realized with an operating glove, which exhibits different categories of DESs. Possible applications of DESs are described with the support of functional demonstrators.
Structural Design of a Large-Scale 3D-Printed High-Altitude Propeller: Methodology and Experimental Validation
Authors: Malim Ahmed , Mourousias Nikolaos , Marinus Benoît G. , De Troyer Tim
Published: March 2023

This paper presents an original approach to the structural design and analysis of a 3D-printed thermoplastic-core propeller blade for high-altitude UAVs. A macroscale linear isotropic numerical model for the behavior of 3D-printed parts (in Tough PLA, as well as ABS) is fed with values from tensile and bending testing on standard specimens (ISO 527-2/1A and ASTM D5023) before validation by experiments on a representative scaled substitute blade and blade root. The influence of printing parameters, such as material, layer thickness, and raster orientation, is also addressed, as well as variability between prints. To conclude on the validity of the present methodology for complex shapes, a validation of the numerical results with experiments was performed on a scaled 3D-printed twisted blade. The presented macroscale approach to 3D-printed materials was able to predict tensile and bending deformation with good accuracy compared to previously published micro- or meso-scale approaches since it is built from systematic tensile and bending testing on standard specimens to representative blade assemblies. It provides a reliable digital twin for the early design stages of 3D-printed propeller blades. As a proof-of-concept, the validated methodology was then used to design and numerically analyze a large-scale blade using steady one-way Fluid-Structure Interaction in take-off and cruise conditions. The computed stress levels in the blade structure were within safe margins, thereby proving the feasibility of the 3D printing of full-scale propeller blades for high-altitude platforms.
The Effect of Dietary Humic Substances on Cellular Immunity and Blood Characteristics in Piglets
Authors: Bujňák Lukáš , Hreško Šamudovská Alena , Mudroňová Dagmar , Naď Pavel , Marcinčák Slavomír , Maskaľová Iveta , Harčárová Michaela , Karaffová Viera , Bartkovský Martin
Published: March 2023

This study’s objective was to determine the impact of dietary humic substances on immune response and blood profiles in piglets. A total of 24 crossbred piglets (Slovakian White × Landrace; 35 days old; average body weight of 11.67 kg) were allotted to two dietary groups with (experimental; 5 g·kg−1) or without (control; 0 g·kg−1) natural humic substances supplementation. In this study, we observed a significant increase of the proportion of CD4+CD8- lymphocytes (p < 0.001) in the experimental group. The results also showed a tendency for an increase of the phagocytic activity and the engulfing capacity of phagocytes and the numbers of the other monitored lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3+, CD21+, CD4-D8+, CD4+CD8+, CD4+CD25+) in piglets in the experimental group compared to the control group. Supplementation of humic substances increased serum alkaline phosphatase compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Other monitored blood parameters were not significantly affected by dietary treatment. It concluded that inclusion of humic substances in the diet of piglets could have a stimulating effect on cellular immunity, without a negative effect on haematological and biochemical parameters.
Economic Results of Forage Species Choice in Crop–Livestock Integrated Systems
Authors: Leal Vanessa Nunes , Santos Darliane de Castro , Paim Tiago do Prado , Santos Luizmar Peixoto dos , Alves Estenio Moreira , Claudio Flavio Lopes , Calgaro Junior Guido , Fernandes Patrick Bezerra , Salviano Paulo Alexandre Perdomo
Published: March 2023

Crop–livestock integrated production systems (CLISs) combine cash-crop production and forage production in succession. There are plenty of options of forage cultivars with differences in production aspects and seeds cost, and there is little information on how the choice of forage cultivar can affect the results of a CLIS. We hypothesized that different forage cultivars can have important economic impacts on production systems. Thus, we evaluated the two-year economic results of using three forage species in a CLIS: (1) Urochloa ruziziensis; (2) Megathyrsus maximus cv. BRS Zuri e; and (3) Megathyrsus maximus cv. BRS Tamani. The system was evaluated during 2018 and 2019 with no-tillage soybean (Glycine max) cultivation from November to March and grazing of cattle from May to August. The seed costs were, on average, USD 25.27 ha−1 for Ruziziensis grass, USD 39.97 ha−1 for Zuri guinea grass, and USD 64.13 ha−1 for Tamani guinea grass. Animal production varied from 96.4 to 147.5 kg of live weight per hectare per year and mean two-year soybean yields varied from 3849 to 4217 kg per hectare, both without differences between forage cultivars. However, the lowest values for animal and soybean yields were obtained with Ruziziensis grass, and the highest were obtained with Zuri grass. Thus, Zuri guinea grass presented a net income (NI) of USD 1039.87 ha−1 with an annual return on equity (ROE) equal to 11.19%, while Ruziziensis grass obtained an NI equal to USD 612.65 ha−1 with an ROE of 6.47%, demonstrating the economic impact of forage resource choice in CLISs. Therefore, the choice of forage cultivars adequate for the conditions of an individual farm can correspond to an increase of 69.7% in net income, which highlights the importance of continuing efforts to develop new cultivars and the simultaneous evaluation of these cultivars in different production scenarios in order to better recommend forage genetic resources for particular production environments.
Phytoactive Aryl Carbamates and Ureas as Cytokinin-like Analogs of EDU
Authors: Oshchepkov Maxim S. , Kovalenko Leonid V. , Kalistratova Antonida V. , Solovieva Inna N. , Tsvetikova Marina A. , Gorunova Olga N. , Bystrova Nataliya A. , Kochetkov Konstantin A.
Published: March 2023

Ureas, carbamates and oxamates are rather common structural motifs. They are present in both natural and synthetic compounds that exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activity. These derivatives of carbonic and oxalic acids are regularly employed as the basic structural elements in hybrid molecule synthesis, as well as in organic synthesis in general. A series of unsymmetrical hybrid compounds (E1–E4) has been synthesized, with core imidazolidin-2-one and aryl moieties as urea and carbamate derivatives. Plant growth regulatory activity of these compounds was studied with respect to their influence on germination, growth and development of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds in laboratory and field tests. Their effect on drought resistance concentrations as low as 4 × 10−7 M was established. Compounds E1 and E4 have shown higher growth-regulating activity than standard thidiazuron and CCC.
Short-Form Videos for Public Library Marketing: Performance Analytics of Douyin in China
Authors: Liu Ying , Chiu Dickson K. W. , Ho Kevin K. W.
Published: March 2023

Short-form video platforms have become an important marketing channel for library resources and services. However, such promotions’ actual performance is not as good as expected. This research examined the performance of library marketing on the dominant short-form video platform in China, Douyin (aka TikTok worldwide), with social media analytics, including topic and correlation analysis. Results indicated that the number of fans of an account is positively correlated with the number of likes (p < 0.001) and independent of the number of videos (p > 0.05). Libraries post videos most often on the topic of “Reading Promotion”(31%), but the marketing performance on this topic is average (Mean DMI = 90.27). The most popular topics for patrons are “Hot Topics” and “Knowledge Quiz” (Mean DMI = 207.00). Using short-form videos for library marketing is a new practice, and scant studies have evaluated such performance, especially in Asia. Our results strengthen library practitioners’ awareness and reflections on conducting new media services and short-form video promotion, especially for the newer generation.
Analysis of Channel Potential Recovery According to the Back Pattern in 3D NAND Flash Memory
Authors: Ryu Gyunseok , Kim Hyunju , Lee Jihwan , Kang Myounggon
Published: March 2023

This study analyzed the recovery of channel potential according to the program states of adjacent cells. When the verify operation ended, and all voltages dropped to 0 V and the decreased potential of the floating channel caused by the down-coupling phenomenon was recovered continuously over time, regardless of the program states of adjacent WLs. The extent of channel potential recovery showed a similar tendency to that of the variation in the electron concentration of the floating channel. The electron–hole pair recombination decreased the electron concentration, resulting in channel potential recovery. When the adjacent WLs were programmed in a low state, additional electron–hole pair recombination and hole diffusion occurred in the floating channel. Therefore, the channel potential recovered quickly when the adjacent WLs programmed in a low state compared to when they programmed in a high state.
Improving End-To-End Latency Fairness Using a Reinforcement-Learning-Based Network Scheduler
Authors: Kwon Juhyeok , Ryu Jihye , Lee Jee Hang , Joung Jinoo
Published: March 2023

In services such as metaverse, which should provide a constant quality of service (QoS) regardless of the user’s physical location, the end-to-end (E2E) latency must be fairly distributed over any flow in the network. To this end, we propose a reinforcement learning (RL)-based scheduler for minimizing the maximum network E2E latency. The RL model used the double deep Q-network (DDQN) with the prioritized experience replay (PER). In order to see the performance change according to the type of RL agent, we implemented a single-agent environment where the controller is an agent and a multi-agent environment where each node is an agent. Since the agents were unable to identify E2E latencies in the multi-agent environment, the state and reward were formulated using the estimated E2E latencies. To precisely evaluate the RL-based scheduler, we set out benchmark algorithms to compare with which a network-arrival-time-based heuristic algorithm (NAT-HA) and a maximum-estimated-delay-based heuristic algorithm (MED-HA). The RL-based scheduler, first-in-first-out (FIFO), round-robin (RR), NAT-HA, and MED-HA were compared through large-scale simulations on four network topologies. The simulation results in fixed-packet generation scenarios showed that our proposal, the RL-based scheduler, achieved the minimization of maximum E2E latency in all the topologies. In other scenarios with random flow generation, the RL-based scheduler and MED-HA showed the lowest maximum E2E latency for all topologies. Depending on the topology, the maximum E2E latency of NAT-HA was equal to or larger than that of the RL-based scheduler. In terms of fairness, the RL-based scheduler showed a higher level of fairness than that of FIFO and RR. NAT-HA had similar or lower fairness than the RL-based scheduler depending on the topology, and MED-HA had the same level of fairness as the RL-based scheduler.
A Comprehensive MCDM-Based Approach for Object-Oriented Metrics Selection Problems
Authors: Maddeh Mohamed , Al-Otaibi Shaha , Alyahya Sultan , Hajjej Fahima , Ayouni Sarra
Published: March 2023

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is prone to defects that negatively impact software quality. Detecting defects early in the development process is crucial for ensuring high-quality software, reducing maintenance costs, and increasing customer satisfaction. Several studies use the object-oriented metrics to identify design flaws both at the model level and at the code level. Metrics provide a quantitative measure of code quality by analyzing specific aspects of the software, such as complexity, cohesion, coupling, and inheritance. By examining these metrics, developers can identify potential defects in OOP, such as design defects and code smells. Unfortunately, we cannot assess the quality of an object-oriented program by using a single metric. Identifying design-defect-metric-based rules in an object-oriented program can be challenging due to the number of metrics. In fact, it is difficult to determine which metrics are the most relevant for identifying design defects. Additionally, multiple thresholds for each metric indicates different levels of quality and increases the difficulty to set clear and consistent rules. Hence, the problem of object-oriented metrics selection can be ascribed to a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. Based on the experts’ judgement, we can identify the most appropriate metric for the detection of a specific defect. This paper presents our approach to reduce the number of metrics using one of the MCDM methods. Therefore, to identify the most important detection rules, we apply the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (Fuzzy DEMATEL) method. We also classify the metrics into cause-and-effect groups. The results of our proposed approach, applied on four open-source projects, compared to our previous published results, confirm the efficiency of the MCDM and especially the Fuzzy DEMATEL method in selecting the best rules to identify design flaws. We increased the defect detection accuracy by the selection of rules containing important and interrelated metrics.
A Novel Fault Diagnosis of a Rolling Bearing Method Based on Variational Mode Decomposition and an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Liang Xiaobei , Yao Jinyong , Zhang Weifang , Wang Yanrong
Published: March 2023

In recent years, artificial neural networks have been widely used in the fault diagnosis of rolling bearings. To realize real-time diagnosis with high accuracy of the fault of a rolling bearing, in this paper, a bearing fault diagnosis model was designed based on the combination of VMD and ANN, which ensures a higher fault prediction accuracy with less computational time. This paper works from two aspects, including fault feature extraction and neural network structural parameter optimization to obtain an ANN bearing fault diagnosis model with high performance. The raw vibration signals of 10 fault types were divided into training, verification and testing datasets by the random step increment slip method. The variational mode decomposition method was used to decompose the raw vibration signal into several intrinsic mode functions. A new definition of the energy of each intrinsic mode function based on discrete Fourier transform and information entropy method were used as the input for the artificial neural network. Furthermore, the structural parameters of the artificial neural network were designed to obtain a high-performance neural network. The artificial neural network used in this paper had three hidden layers and 13 neurons in each hidden layer. Compared with several machine and deep learning algorithms, the artificial neural network can better fulfill the classification task of rolling bearing fault types with a mean prediction accuracy of 99.3% and computation time of 2.4 s based on a small training dataset.
Exhumation of the Higher Himalaya: Insights from Detrital Zircon U–Pb Ages of the Oligocene–Miocene Chitarwatta Formation, Sulaiman Fold–Thrust Belt, Pakistan
Authors: Qasim Muhammad , Tayyab Owais , Ding Lin , Tanoli Javed Iqbal , Bhatti Zahid Imran , Umar Muhammad , Khan Hawas , Ashraf Junaid , Jadoon Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan
Published: March 2023

This study reports the detrital zircon U–Pb ages of the post collisional Chitarwatta Formation, exposed along the western margin of the Indian plate at the Sulaiman fold–thrust belt (SFB), Pakistan. The Chitarwatta Formation overlies the shallow marine carbonate sequence of the Kirthar Formation and represents an Oligocene–Miocene transitional marine sequence. The sequence consists of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. The sandstone consists predominantly (79–82%) of quartz grains. The framework grains are sub-angular to sub-rounded and show recycled orogenic provenance. The detrital zircon U–Pb age data show the dominant population between 390 Ma and ~1100 Ma, which is ~70% of the total population. In addition to this, a significant percentage of the younger detrital ages exist between ~40 Ma and ~120 Ma. This younger age cluster indicates the northern sources, including the Kohistan–Ladakh arc (KLA) and Karakoram block (KB), whereas the provenance for the 390–1100 Ma detrital zircon is likely the Higher Himalaya (HH), with contribution from Tethyan Himalaya (TH). This post-collisional scenario suggests that the Chitarwatta Formation received detritus from the northern sources through a drainage system, named as the Indus drainage system. A comparison with the coeval units in the north (Murree Formation, Dagshai Formation, and Dumre Formation) suggests that the sediments may have been delivered through the same drainage system that shares similar detritus. Relying on the contribution of the HH detritus, we propose that the HH uplifted during the Oligocene–Miocene along the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and provided detritus to the foreland basin.
Using UAVs and Photogrammetry in Bathymetric Surveys in Shallow Waters
Authors: Del Savio Alexandre Almeida , Luna Torres Ana , Vergara Olivera Mónica Alejandra , Llimpe Rojas Sara Rocio , Urday Ibarra Gianella Tania , Neckel Alcindo
Published: March 2023

The use of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) platforms and photogrammetry in bathymetric surveys has been established as a technological advancement that allows these activities to be conducted safely, more affordably, and at higher accuracy levels. This study evaluates the error levels obtained in photogrammetric UAV flights, with measurements obtained in surveys carried out in a controlled water body (pool) at different depths. We assessed the relationship between turbidity and luminosity factors and how this might affect the calculation of bathymetric survey errors using photogrammetry at different shallow-water depths. The results revealed that the highest luminosity generated the lowest error up to a depth of 0.97 m. Furthermore, after assessing the variations in turbidity, the following two situations were observed: (1) at shallower depths (not exceeding 0.49 m), increased turbidity levels positively contributed error reduction; and (2) at greater depths (exceeding 0.49 m), increased turbidity resulted in increased errors. In conclusion, UAV-based photogrammetry can be applied, within a known margin of error, in bathymetric surveys on underwater surfaces in shallow waters not exceeding a depth of 1 m.
Model Updating for a Continuous Concrete Girder Bridge Using Data from Construction Monitoring
Authors: Cheng Xiao-Xiang
Published: March 2023

Finite element (FE) model updating can guarantee the accuracy of the numerical analyses for civil structures. However, two deficiencies currently exist with the traditional FE model updating technique based on the measurements of modal parameters and/or the static structural responses of the built structure with respect to its reference information insufficiency and its non-unique solution generally obtained, hampering its extensive use. It becomes the goal of the whole engineering community to introduce new effective methods for the civil structural FE model update. To this end, an innovative FE model updating method using data from construction monitoring is proposed in this article. With regard to its theoretical novelty, the new method transforms the complicated multi-variable optimization mathematical problem with the traditional FE model updating technique into many simple single-variable parameter identification problems. Under the engineering background of Huangsha Harbor Bridge, a three-span concrete continuous box girder bridge constructed utilizing the symmetric cantilever casting method, the effectiveness and the efficiency of the new model updating practice were validated. It is demonstrated using quantitative data that the abundant data measured on Huangsha Harbor Bridge in construction stages can enhance the reference information for the more accurate FE model updating of the structure, and the uncertain parameters with the initial FE model of Huangsha Harbor Bridge can be progressively and easily identified for the proposed model updating method using many single-variable linear regression models, instead of one complicated multi-variable mathematical or numerical model employed by the traditional model updating approaches, which generally leads to non-unique solutions rendered by normal optimization algorithms.
Study on Mechanical Characteristics of BRT Asphalt Pavement Structures Based on Temperature Field and Traffic Load
Authors: Wu Yu , Zhao Yubi
Published: March 2023

To reveal the mechanical characteristics of BRT asphalt pavement structures under the combined effects of the temperature field and load of buses, a series of finite element analysis models were established in the software application ABAQUS to simulate the Lanzhou BRT asphalt pavement project. The actual BRT road temperature field in summer and loads of buses at different speeds were introduced in the model with user subroutines before conducting a sequentially coupled thermal-mechanical analysis. The results indicated that the BRT asphalt pavement structure readily experienced permanent deformation, mainly comprising unstable rutting during the high-temperature season, and the possibility of cracking was higher for the subbase bottom than for the base. Temperature imposed a greater influence than BRT vehicle frequency. To delay fatigue cracking of the base and subbase and the shear failure of asphalt pavement structures, BRT operating speed should be controlled within 30–40 km/h. In actual BRT asphalt pavement engineering, special attention should be given to the deformation resistance of the intermediate surface layer.