bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Network Slicing Orchestration in Open 5G Networks using Multi-Criteria Decision Making and Secure Federated Learning Techniques
Authors: Kholidy Hisham A.
Published: August 2024

Network slicing enables new revenue opportunities for service providers by allowing them to offer customized network services tailored to various industry verticals and use cases. 5G network uses slicing technology to enable the creation of tailored network slices to support diverse use cases, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). However, the complexity of network slicing also introduces challenges, such as maintaining service-level agreements (SLAs), quality of service (QoS), security across multiple slices, and service provisioning and dynamic allocation of resources.
This paper develops a novel Federated Network Slicing Orchestrator (FNSO) that uses the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method to rank and select the proper telecommunication service provider that runs at certain edge Points of Presence (EPoP) of the 5G-based IOT network for slice deployment. The proposed FNSO integrates the Hexagonal Fuzzy approach with the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to address the shortcoming of the TOPSIS and to rank and select the proper EPoP that can host the network slice using numeric and fuzzy Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as the security, cost, and performance criteria. Furthermore, we augment the FNSO with a Secure Federated Learning (SFL) model to protect the local 5G domain service provisioning KPIs and secure the FNSO against potential attacks. The experiment results depict that the average slice acceptance ratio of the FNSO is higher than the current solutions such as GRU-DNN, VIKOR-CNSP, and T-S3RA by 28.2%, 10.13%, and 6.1%. Furthermore, On average, the SFL model is faster than the DeTrust-FL, HybridAlpha-FL, PHE-FL, and HybridOne-FL by 7.11%, 7.21%, 15.73%, and 20.61% respectively, and slower than Classic-FL, on average, by 4.37% due to the secure aggregation that the SFL offers.
Engineering of mRNA vaccine platform with reduced lipids and enhanced efficacy
Authors: Ji Tianjiao , Ma Xu , Liu Shaoli , Zhang Shuhui , Liu Zongran , Wang Hui , Luo Wendi , Zu Mali , Qin Hao , Li Zhongxian , Zhong Jie , Li Junxi , Chen Qizhe , Lin Jiaqi , Liu Andong , Zhang Xinzheng , Li Hongjun , Lu Xueguang , Shi Xinghua , Li Lele , Gu Zhen , Nie Guangjun
Published: August 2024

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the most clinically relevant vehicles for mRNA vaccines. Despite the great successes, the toxicity caused by the high dose of lipid components still represents a great challenge. The suboptimal loading efficiency of mRNA in LNPs not only compromises the vaccine’s efficacy but also heightens the risk of non-specific immune responses, accelerates clearance from the bloodstream, and exacerbates side effects associated with the lipid carriers. These problems underscore the urgent need for improving mRNA loading in LNPs to provide dose-sparing effects. Herein, we developed a manganese ion (Mn²⁺) mediated mRNA enrichment strategy to efficiently form a high-density mRNA core, termed Mn-mRNA nanoparticle, which is subsequently coated with lipids. The resulting nanosystem, L@Mn-mRNA, achieved over twice the mRNA loading compared to conventional mRNA vaccine formulations (LNP-mRNA). Remarkably, L@Mn-mRNA also demonstrated a 2-fold increase in cellular uptake efficiency compared to LNP-mRNA, attributed to the enhanced stiffness provided by the Mn-mRNA core. By combining improved mRNA loading with superior cellular uptake, L@Mn-mRNA achieved significantly enhanced antigen-specific immune responses and therapeutic efficacy as vaccines. We elucidated the mechanism behind Mn-mRNA construction and optimized the L@Mn-mRNA formulations, and this method is suitable for types of lipids and mRNAs. Thus, this strategy holds significant potential as a platform for the next generation of lipid-based mRNA vaccines.
Harnessing Theta-Gamma Coupled Brainwave Using Ultrasound for Spinal Astrocyte Revitalization and Sustained Neuropathic Pain Relief
Authors: Park Joo Min , Phan Tien , Kim Ho Jeong , Lee Keunhyung , Kang Dong-Wook , Lee Jung Moo , Kim Tai Young , Shin Hyunjin , Lee Hye Eun , Park Hyungju , Kim Hyun-Woo , Kim Yee-Joon , Mun Ji Young , Park Hyungju , Lee Kyu Pil , Lee C. Justin
Published: August 2024

Ultrasound stimulation is a promising non-invasive method for pain treatment, but comprehending its long-lasting impact and mechanisms remains challenging. Here, we investigate the neuromodulation effects of patterned ultrasound, focusing on spinal astrocytes in a partial sciatic nerve crush injury (PCI) model. Low-intensity continuous theta burst ultrasound stimulation with gamma bursts (LI-cTBUS) provides significant pain relief during and after application. LI-cTBUS enhances extracellular BDNF uptake by spinal astrocytes, restoring balance in the spinal BDNF/TrkB/KCC2 pathway, and reduces reactive astrogliosis by activating the TRPA1 ion channel, suggesting its role in ultrasound-induced analgesia. PCI alters the spinal cord transcriptomics, but LI-cTBUS normalizes these changes by attenuating inflammatory pathways, downregulating BDNF/TrkB signaling, and regulating GABA neurotransmission. Overall, LI-cTBUS revitalizes reactive astrocytes, reducing astrogliosis and nociceptive responses, highlighting its efficacy in alleviating mechanical allodynia and providing sustained neuropathic pain relief, underscoring its therapeutic potential.
Time-Dependent Physical Unclonable Functions Driven by Long-Lived Triplet Excitons
Authors: Liu Kai-Kai , Hu Yan-Wei , Cao Qing , Song Shi-Yu , Sun Yuan , Liang Ya-Chuan , Zhao Wen-Bo , Lv Chao-Fan , Shan Chongxin
Published: August 2024

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs), relying extensively on the random spatial distribution of block elements, are promising technology for generating unclonable cryptograph. Herein, we demonstrate time-dependent PUFs (TD-PUFs) by introducing carbon dots (CDs) with bright and long-lived triplet excitons as block elements. The constructed TD-PUFs evolve into multiple unclonable PUFs over time, effectively breaking the spatial limitation of transitional PUFs and increasing the complexity, making them much more difficult to be attacked. This temporal evolution introduces an additional layer of security, as the dynamic nature of TD-PUFs makes it increasingly challenging for adversaries to predict or replicate their states. We have developed pixel matrix functon(PMF) to describe the evolution process of the TD-PUFs, enabling a detailed analysis of the dynamic behavior and unique security features. The coding capacity of the TD-PUFs can be expanded from 2^2250000 to N^2250000, where N falls within the range of 3 to 255, significantly enhancing the complexity of deciphering. In addition, we exhibit a TD-PUFs painting (30 × 40 cm^2) by an etching technology where the primary structures of the panting undergo a transformation over time, driven by the varying triplet exciton lifetimes of the CDs. The proposed concept of TD-PUFs overcome their spatial limitations and increase the complexity, making the PUF labels more difficulty to be cracked.
Magnetotransport evidence for the coexistence of two-dimensional superconductivity and ferromagnetism at (111)-oriented a-CaZrO3/KTaO3 interfaces
Authors: Zhang Hui , Xiao Yinan , Gao Qixuan , Wu Ning , Zhou Siyi , Wang Yongchao , Tian Daming , Qi Weijian , Zheng Dongyao , Zhang Jine , Han Furong , Yang Huaiwen , Liu Bang-Gui , Chen Yuansha , Hu Fengxia , Shen Baogen , Sun Jirong , Zhao Weisheng , Zhang Jinsong
Published: August 2024

Exploring the intricate interplay between magnetism and superconductivity is crucial for unveiling the underlying mechanisms of unconventional superconductivity. Here, we report on the magnetotransport evidence for the coexistence of a two-dimensional (2D) superconducting state and a 2D ferromagnetic state at the interface between amorphous CaZrO3 film and (111)-oriented KTaO3 single crystal. Remarkably, the fingerprint of ferromagnetism, i.e., hysteretic magnetoresistance loops, is observed in the superconducting state. The butterfly-shaped hysteresis with twin peaks emerges against the background of superconducting zero resistance, and the peak amplitude increases with the sweep rate of the magnetic field, indicating that the magnetization dynamics are at play in the superconducting state. Moreover, the magnetoresistance hysteresis is strongly dependent on temperature, achieving a maximum near the superconducting temperature. This behavior is well described by the thermal activated phase slip model. Density function theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the magnetic moment is primarily contributed by the Ta 5dyz orbital, and the Stoner ferromagnetism is identified. Our findings provide new insights into the interaction of magnetism and superconductivity at KTaO3-based oxide heterointerfaces.
Comparative evaluation of methods for the prediction of protein-ligand binding sites
Authors: Utgés Javier S , Barton Geoffrey John
Published: August 2024

The accurate identification of protein-ligand binding sites is of critical importance in understanding and modulating protein function. Accordingly, ligand binding site prediction has remained a research focus for over three decades with over 50 methods developed since the early 1990s. Over this time, the paradigm has changed from geometry-based to machine learning. In this work, we collate 11 ligand binding site predictors, spanning 30 years, focusing on the latest machine learning-based methods such as VN-EGNN, IF-SitePred, GrASP, PUResNet, and DeepPocket and compare them to the established P2Rank or fpocket and earlier methods like PocketFinder, Ligsite and Surfnet. We benchmark the methods against the human subset of the new curated reference dataset, LIGYSIS. LIGYSIS is a comprehensive protein-ligand complex dataset comprising 30,000 proteins with bound ligands which aggregates biologically relevant unique protein-ligand interfaces across biological units of multiple structures from the same protein. LIGYSIS is an improvement for testing methods over earlier datasets like sc-PDB, PDBbind, binding MOAD, COACH420 and HOLO4K which either include 1:1 protein-ligand complexes or consider asymmetric units. Re-scoring of fpocket predictions by DeepPocket and PRANK display the highest recall (60%) whilst VN-EGNN (46%) and IF-SitePred (39%) present the lowest recall. We demonstrate the detrimental effect that redundant prediction of binding sites has on performance as well as the beneficial impact of stronger pocket scoring schemes, with improvements up to 14% in recall (IF-SitePred) and 30% in precision (Surfnet). Methods predicting few pockets per protein, e.g., GrASP and PUResNet are very precise (> 90%) but are limited in recall. Finally, we propose recall as the universal benchmark metric for ligand binding site prediction and urge authors to share not only the source code of their methods, but also of their benchmark.
Neural Electromagnetic Simulation Training with Time-reversal Consistency
Authors: Nayanan Shrija , Chopra Vikram , Sharma Priya , Patel Aarav
Published: August 2024

Conventional electromagnetic wave simulators are characterized by lengthy simulation times, making them unsuitable for computational imaging and photonic inverse problems (such as end-to-end design and iterative reconstruction) that necessitate multiple evaluations of the forward model. Neural network-based electromagnetic wave simulators offer potential speed improvements by several orders of magnitude; however, traditional supervised training methods struggle to accurately capture the true physics involved. Although physics-informed approaches provide some improvement, existing residual-based methods rely solely on local information and must be combined with standard supervised loss. In this work, we introduce Time Reversal Consistency (TRC), a novel physics-based training method that leverages the time reversibility of Maxwell's equations. TRC employs a time-reversed, differentiable finite-difference simulator to compare neural network predictions with a known initial condition. This approach offers both global physics guidance and supervision within a single function. We demonstrate that networks trained with TRC, using only randomized scatterers, generalize effectively to various arbitrarily structured media. We validate our method through the inverse design of a set of angle-to-angle couplers, addressing nearly two orders of magnitude more parameters than previous methods. Our findings indicate that the design quality achieved with TRC closely matches that of designs based on conventional simulators, while reducing design time by 95%.
Bovine Practitioner No. 32.2 (1998 May). Front matter
Authors: American Association of Bovine Practitioners
Published: August 2024

Cover, masthead, table of contents, and other editorial information.
Bovine Practitioner Vol. 35, No. 2 (2001 June). Front matter
Authors: American Association of Bovine Practitioners
Published: August 2024

Cover, masthead, table of contents, and other editorial information.
Conformal maps and superfluid vortex dynamics on curved and bounded surfaces: The case of an elliptical boundary
Authors: Caldara Matteo , Richaud Andrea , Massignan Pietro , Fetter Alexander L.
Published: August 2024

Recent advances in cold-atom platforms have made real-time dynamics accessible, renewing interest in the motion of superfluid vortices in two-dimensional domains. Here we show that the energy and the trajectories of arbitrary vortex configurations may be computed on a complicated (curved or bounded) surface, provided that one knows a conformal map that links the latter to a simpler domain (like the full plane, or a circular boundary). We also prove that Hamilton’s equations based on the vortex energy agree with the complex dynamical equations for the vortex dynamics, demonstrating that the vortex trajectories are constant-energy curves. We use these ideas to study the dynamics of vortices in a two-dimensional incompressible superfluid with an elliptical boundary, and we derive an analytical expression for the complex potential describing the hydrodynamic flow throughout the fluid. For a vortex inside an elliptical boundary, the orbits are nearly self-similar ellipses.
Születésnapi köszöntő a szakmaiság és a személyesség húrjain
Authors: Sárospataki Barnabás
Published: August 2024

Garai I., Vincze B. és Szabó Z. A. (2016, szerk.): Hiteles pedagógia: Tanulmányok Golnhofer Erzsébet tiszteletére. Budapest: ELTE Eötvös Kiadó
Az egészségfejlesztés helyzete az ELTE Pedagógiai és Pszichológiai Karon
Authors: Kraiciné Szokoly Mária
Published: August 2024

Az ELTE Szenátusa 2018 őszén elfogadta az egyetem Egészségfejlesztési stratégiáját, amely hangsúlyozza a diplomások népegészségüggyel kapcsolatos társadalmi jelentőségét és az egyetem szerepét a hallgatók egészségfejlesztési szemléletének, egészségtudatos életmódjának megalapozásában. A stratégia megalapozása céljából a 2015/16-os és a 2016/17-es tanévben kérdőíves vizsgálat készült az ELTE Pedagógiai és Pszichológiai Karán az egészségfejlesztés helyzetéről. A kérdőíves vizsgálat eredménye szerint a megkérdezett oktatók fele, a hallgatók valamivel kevesebb, mint fele fontosnak, de nem elsődlegesnek tartja az egészségfejlesztést az egyetemen. Kiemelik a táplálkozás és a mozgás jelentőségét, de ennek megvalósulásához kedvezőtlennek tartják az egyetemi környezetet. Akadályozó tényező az étkezési körülmények kedvezőtlen volta, s az, hogy a kar földrajzi széttagoltság miatt az órarendek nem teszik lehetővé a hallgatók és oktatók rendszeres étkezését. Mind a fővárosi, mind a szombathelyi oktatói és hallgatói vizsgálat eredménye szerint kedvezőtlenek az egészség általános mutatói, magas a dohányzás és alkoholfogyasztás mutatója. Az alvásidő minden csoportban átlagosnak tekinthető, az internetezésre fordított idő minden csoportban magas. A megkérdezettek bizonytalanok egészségtudatos magatartásuk hatását illetően, kevéssé látják át hivatásuk egészségfejlesztési vonatkozásait.
Különbségek a magyar kosárlabdaedzők szerep- és feladatértékelésében pedagógiai és sportszakmai nézeteik tükrében
Authors: Balogh Judit , Trzaskoma-Bicsérdy Gabriella
Published: August 2024

A szervezett, egyesületi sportolás fontos szerepet játszik a gyermekek és a fiatalok életében. A sporttevékenység nem természetszerűleg pozitív a gyermekek számára, abban, hogy az legyen, kulcsfontosságú az edző személye. A kutatás célkitűzése feltárni a Magyarországon dolgozó kosárlabdaedzők pedagógiai és sportszakmai nézeteit saját szerepükről és feladataikról a csapatok korosztálya (U10, U11-12, U14, U16-18, U20-felnőtt) alapján. A 87 zárt kérdésből álló, kérdőíves vizsgálatban 152 Magyarországon dolgozó kosárlabdaedző vett részt (N=152), akik átlagéletkora 40 év (SD=11,5) és átlagosan 13 év (SD=10,4) edzői tapasztalattal rendelkeznek. Az eredmények azt mutatják, hogy az edzők szerepükről és feladataikról vallott nézetei a tanítványok korosztályai szerint csak nagyon kismértékben különböznek. Szignifikáns eltérés csak négy pedagógiai (határozottság, engedékenység, eltérő bánásmód, szülői támogatás igénye) és három sportszakmai (szakmai tudás, edzésterv nélküli edzésvezetés, anyagi háttér) kérdésben mutatkozott, többnyire a felnőtt és a legfiatalabb korosztályok szakemberei között. A sportolás a különböző életkorú gyermekeknek mást-mást jelent, eltérő célokkal, motivációval, igényekkel és szükségletekkel rendelkeznek, ez mégsem tükröződik a megkérdezett edzők nézeteiben. Fontos lenne az utánpótlásban dolgozó edzők figyelmét felhívni az egyes korosztályokban folyó munka specifikumaira, hogy a sportolás minden korosztály számára a lehető legtöbb pozitívummal járjon.
Gyermekvédelmi szakellátásban élő tanulók iskolai esélyei
Authors: Dobokai Róbert Lászlóné Simon Dóra
Published: August 2024

Tanulmányom a gyermekvédelmi szakellátásba vett általános iskolai tanulók iskolai esélyeivel foglalkozik. A gyermekvédelmi szakellátásban felnövő, illetve abban a rendszerben élő gyermekek és fiatalok felnőtté válásuk során a társadalom alsó rétegét szélesítik. A társadalmi kirekesztettség, a minőségi kapcsolatok, a gazdasági, kulturális, szociális tőke hiánya miatt bizonytalan a társadalmi integrációjuk is. Az iskolában megszerzett tudás a társadalmi mobilitásuk záloga lehet. Az oktatás-nevelés intézményrendszere, valamint a benne tevékenykedő pedagógusok megfelelő elköteleződéssel és felkészültséggel esélyt és segítséget is adhatnak e tudás megszerzésére, a magasabb iskolai végzettség megszerzésére. Mindezek mentén tűztem ki célul annak vizsgálatát, hogy azok a pedagógusok, akik a gyermekvédelemi szakellátásban élő tanulók általános iskolai oktató-nevelő tevékenységét végzik, milyen tapasztalatokkal rendelkeznek, milyen iskolai nehézségeket látnak, milyen konkrét problémákkal küzdenek. Kutatásom stratégiája mind az induktív, mind a deduktív stratégia jellemzőit magán viseli, vizsgálódásom során a dokumentumelemzés, a szóbeli és az írásbeli kikérdezés módszerét egyaránt felhasználtam. Kutatásom terepe Bács-Kiskun megye volt, de azt feltételezem, hogy más megyék is hasonló képet mutatnak a mai Magyarországon. Vizsgálati eredményeim a gyermekvédelemben felnövekvő tanulók iskolai esélyteremtésében és iskolai eredményességében tematizálható problémákat mutatnak. A pedagógusok nem felkészültek a gyermekvédelemben élő tanulókkal való egyéni bánásmódra, valamint e tanulók iskolai eredményességének növelésére. A pedagógusok nem vesznek részt olyan továbbképzésen, mely fókuszál a gyermekvédelemben felnövő tanulók sajátosságaira, vagy segíti az érdekükben sikeresen alkalmazható pedagógiai módszerek elsajátítását. Láthatóvá vált az is, hogy az általános pedagógusképzés során a kötelező kurzusok tananyaga csak elvétve tér ki külön a gyermekvédelemben élő tanulókkal kapcsolatos tartalmi elemekre.
A tanulói jóllét és a pedagógus/nők/ foglalkozási és pszichológiai jóllétének kapcsolódásai
Authors: Borbáth Katalin , Horváth H. Attila
Published: August 2024

Az iskolai tanulás teljesen új megközelítését adja az OECD „Iránytű a tanuláshoz” című anyaga azzal, hogy célként a well-being, a jóllét elérését jelöli meg. Úgy látják a szerzők, hogy a jövő komplex és bizonytalan világának ismeretlen feltételrendszeréhez történő alkalmazkodáshoz az úgynevezett transzformatív kompetenciákra van szükség, amelynek kialakítása és működtetése vezet a well-being eléréséhez. Az aktív tanulás folyamatában jelentős funkciót tulajdonítanak a pedagógusoknak a nemzetközi oktatáspolitikai vizsgálatok alapján, egyúttal jelzik, hogy milyen változásokra van szükség a pedagógusszerepben. Ennek a megváltozott pedagógusszerepnek a megvalósításában meghatározó tényező a pedagógusok jólléte. Ennek bizonyításául a pedagógusnők – hiszen ők vannak többségben a pályán – foglalkozási és pszichológiai jóllétének vizsgálatairól hozunk példákat azt követően, hogy számos jóllét-értelmezést vázolunk fel. Az oktatásügy előtt álló feladat megoldásához érdemes áttekinteni, hogy milyen értelmezései, dimenziói vannak a jóllétnek; hogyan lehet ezeket párbeszédbe állítani, a kutatási eredményeket minél jobban felhasználni a fogalom pontos és gazdag értelmezéséhez úgy, hogy az a mindennapi tevékenységek számára operacionalizálható legyen. Ehhez mutatunk be különböző megközelítéseket. Hangsúlyozzuk, hogy a pedagógusnők jólléte szoros kapcsolatot mutat a tanulók jóllétével, tehát a pedagógusok foglalkozási és pszichológiai jóllétének támogatása a minőségi tanulás-tanítás folyamatához, a 2030-ra kitűzött cél eléréséhez elengedhetetlen.
Özel Eğitim Öğretmen Adaylarının Perspektifinden Meslek Tercih Nedenlerinin İncelenmesi
Authors: Açıkgöz Murat Hikmet , Öğülmüş Kürşat , Vuran Sezgin
Published: August 2024

Giriş: Özel eğitim öğretmenliği, son yıllarda sıklıkla tercih edilen popüler bir meslek haline gelmiştir. Bu mesleğin neden tercih edildiği ise önemli bir merak konusu olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Araştırmanın amacı, özel eğitim bölüme yerleşen öğretmen adaylarının meslek tercih nedenlerinin görüşlere dayalı olarak incelenmesidir.
Yöntem: Bu araştırmada nitel araştırma modellerinden olgubilim (fenomenoloji) modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını Karadeniz ve İç Anadolu bölgelerinde bulunan dört farklı üniversitede öğrenim gören 182 özel eğitim öğretmenliği lisans programı birinci sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın verileri araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan veri toplama formu aracılığıyla çevrimiçi olarak toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler, MAXQDA programı ile analiz edilmiştir.
Bulgular: Yapılan analizler sonucunda elde edilen bulgulara göre, öğrencilerin özel eğitim bölümünü özgeci nedenlerden dolayı tercih ettiği, bölüme karşı olumlu duygular hissettikleri ve mesleklerine ilişkin ileriye dönük çoğunlukla kişisel hedefler belirledikleri görülmüştür. Öğrencilerin çoğu, bölümü tercih etmeden önce araştırma yapmış ve özel eğitim alanıyla ilişkili kişilerden bilgi almıştır. Öğrencilerin bölümü tercih etmelerinde etkili olan kişilerin çoğunlukla aile üyeleri olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Son olarak, öğrencilerin çoğu, özel eğitim öğretmenliğini kişiliklerine uygun gördüklerini ifade etmişlerdir.
Tartışma: Araştırma sonuçları genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde, özel eğitim öğretmenliğinin en çok özgeci nedenlerden dolayı tercih edildiği ve tercihlerin çoğunlukla araştırılarak ve bilinçli bir şekilde yapıldığı görülmektedir. Bu durumun öğrencilerin ileriki mesleki başarıları açısından önemli ve umut vaat edici olduğu düşünülmektedir.
Isolates of Acanthamoeba species in the marine environment in the Philippines
Authors: Layson Samantha Nicole , Alcala Cheilo Maurrice D. , Avenido Mikael Lorenzo Q. , Bayot Aleeza Erika M. , Aclan Charles Darwin C. , Barlis Joepher S. , Villacorta Katrina D. , Abalos Venice Marielle R. , Maramba Alyssa Nicole M. , Say Maricel D.C. , Serrano Alessandrea A. , Cabello Jana Katryn D. , Salvosa Julienne Marie I. , Tan Moriset Paz Djezla C. , Uy Kyla Franchesca F. , Masangkay Frederick Ramirez , Milanez Giovanni De Jesus
Published: August 2024

Acanthamoebae spp. are considered the most commonly occurring free-living amoebae (FLA) in the environment. Their high resilience enables them to thrive in different types of environments. Using purposive sampling, 80 surface water samples were collected from identified coastal sites in Mariveles, Bataan, and Lingayen Gulf (40 water samples for each). Nineteen (23.75%) of the 80 water samples yielded positive amoebic growth during the 14-day culture and microscopic examination. The polymerase chain reaction confirmed Acanthamoeba spp. DNA in isolates MB1, A3, A4, A7, C5, and D3 using JDP1 and JDP2 primer sets. Further sequencing revealed that the isolates belonged to Acanthamoeba sp., Acanthamoeba culbertsoni, Acanthamoeba castellani, and Acanthamoeba genotype T4. The sequences were deposited in GenBank and registered under accession numbers PP741651, PP767364, PP741728, PP741729, PP767365, and PP767366, respectively. Potential risk factors such as waste disposal, expansion of human settlements to coastal locations, and soil runoffs in these environments should be controlled to mitigate the proliferation of potentially pathogenic strains of FLAs.
Potential for Events Similar to the Deadly West Salt Creek Landslide, Grand Mesa Area, Colorado
Authors: Arabnia Omid , Santi Paul , Emmons Bennett , Sparks Emily
Published: August 2024

The deadly West Salt Creek Landslide of 2014, one of the largest landslides to occur in the United States in historical time, was surprising in its suddenness and length of runout. Its source area, the edge of Grand Mesa in western Colorado, was potentially the source of other similar landslides in the past, based on previous mapping in the region. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the potential for similar events by detailed mapping of several canyons flanking West Salt Creek, using aerial imagery and age-dating techniques not available to previous mappers. We conclude that, while the West Salt Creek Landslide has the potential to reactivate in a similar manner to the 2014 movement, the potential for a similar event in the flanking canyons is low. Mapping and semi-quantitative geomorphic methods suggest that the deposits present in several canyons on either side of West Salt Creek are glacial or stream deposits, with one canyon containing debris-flow deposits. Our interpretations are based on the morphology of deposits in the canyons, the presence of specific landform features, measurements of mobility index and longitudinal profiles, and comparison with regional analogs. Furthermore, other mass movements in the region that are of similar magnitude had either slower movement or much shorter runout. The large block at the head of West Salt Creek and the earlier block that shattered and mobilized in 2014 are also unique features locally, distinguishing this setting from others, but also indicating the potential for a future similar event.
Insight into the Various Synthetic Approaches of 1,3,4 and 1,2,4- Oxadiazole and its Derivatives, along with their Remarkable Biological Activities
Authors: Sharma Sadhana , Majee Chandana , Mazumder Rupa , Rana Kavita , Padhi Swarupanjli , Mazumder Avijit , Das Saumya , Taygi Pankaj Kumar , Singh Sachin Kumar
Published: August 2024

Oxadiazole is an organic compound featuring a heterocyclic ring housing carbon, oxygen,
and nitrogen atoms. Due to their heightened stability in biological environments, oxadiazole rings
exhibit significant biological activities, effectively addressing health challenges like infectious diseases
and chronic conditions in medicinal chemistry. The main objective of this review is to discuss
various synthetic approaches related to oxadiazole and its derivatives, along with their biological
activities. The diverse reactivity positions oxadiazole as a valuable building block in organic synthesis,
with derivatives exhibiting promising pharmacological activities. It involves a systematic literature
review, critical analysis, and synthesis of existing research This review comprises the everexpanding
chemical knowledge but also holds significant implications for drug development. The
various synthetic approaches, such as Suzuki-Miyaura, Stille coupling [3+2] cycloaddition reaction,
and many more methods used for the synthesis of oxadiazole through different schemes, have been
discussed thoroughly. This review also concisely associated the pharmacological activities of new
oxadiazole and its derivatives, such as prenoxdiazine, dapagliflozin, nesapidil, pleconaril, and so on.
This review highlights the importance of continued research into the structure-activity relationships
of oxadiazole derivatives, paving the way for developing novel and more potent therapeutic agents.
Biological Estimation of Phenolic-flavonoid Contents for In vitro Antioxidant Activity and Antidiabetic Activities of Selaginella Plana in Experimental Models
Authors: Singh Neeru , Singh Lubhan , Kumar Sokindra , Pandey Rupesh Kumar
Published: August 2024

Introduction:

The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Selaginella plana in treating
diabetes. The plant components were assessed using ethanol as a solvent. To determine
whether the plant extracts included any secondary metabolites, a phytochemical screening was
performed.

Methods:

The quantities of total phenolic and total flavonoid were determined using plant extracts
in ethanolic, chloroform, petroleum, and water solutions. Experimental animals were used
to evaluate the antioxidant properties of plant extracts. Thus, the study was further processed to
evaluate antidiabetic activity using ethanolic and aqueous extracts. Glucose levels were measured
using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Results:

The percentage yield of ethanol, chloroform, petroleum ether, and aqueous extract were
19.22 g, 11.01 g, 6.44 g, and 15.76 g, respectively. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts showed
the presence of most of the phytoconstituents like alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, tannins,
phytosterols, glycosides, proteins, and gum. TPC values were high for ethanolic extract of the
fern S. plana, which was 54.34 mg GAE/g for ethanolic extract. However, the TFC value was
264.51 mg QE/g for ethanolic extract. Normalisation of insulin levels and restoration of blood
glucose levels were both demonstrated by the plant extract.

Conclusion:

The major findings of the current study demonstrated that ethanolic extract of S.
plana was effective against STZ-induced diabetes. S. plana may be an alternative drug in treating
diabetes after clinical trials.
Evaluation of Antidandruff Potential of Punica Granatum Peel Fractions by In Vitro and In Silico Method
Authors: Mishra Ratish Chandra , Kumari Rosy , Kumari Mamta , Yadav Shivani , Yadav Jaya Parkash
Published: August 2024

Background:

Dandruff is not a disease in the traditional sense but rather a common
scalp condition. It is usually a mild and harmless issue characterized by the flaking of dead skin
cells from the scalp. Although it may not be a serious health concern, it can be a source of discomfort
and embarrassment for some individuals. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial potential
and phytochemical analysis of Punica granatum peel.

Methods:

The methanol extract of the peel was fractionated using column chromatography. The
antimicrobial activity was assayed by In vitro and In silico methods against the microbes that are
dominantly found in dandruff sufferers viz. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Propionibacterium acne,
and Malassezia furfur.

Results:

Aqueous fraction (Fr-V) and its hexane sub-fraction (Va) were most active with the maximum
zone of Inhibition (ZOI) in a range of 36-42 mm at P<0.05. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
(MIC) of sample fractions was in the range of 0.05-0.81 mg/mL. GC-MS analysis determined
that methyl palmitate, 1-hexacosene, 1-heneicosyl formate, and 7-tetradecene in Fr-V, whereas
methyl oleate and methyl stearate in Fr-Va, were the major phytoconstituents. Among all 1-Heneicosyl
formate, 10-Heneicosene, and 1-Hexacosene showed the best docking score against Mflip1
lipase of Malassezia furfur i.e., -7.76, -7.43 and -7.34 kcal/mol.

Conclusion:

Treatment for dandruff involves anti-dandruff shampoos containing active ingredients
like pyrithione zinc, salicylic acid, ketoconazole, or selenium sulfide. People consider plant-
based ingredients and natural remedies as alternatives to chemical ingredients for various purposes
including skincare and haircare. Thereby, bioactive compounds identified in peel fractions
could be used in anti-dandruff products.
Cytotoxic Impact of Naringenin-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles on RIN5F Pancreatic β Cells via Autophagy Blockage
Authors: Mohammadi Pour Pardis , Nouri Zeinab , Ghasemi Dariush , Sajadimajd Soraya , Farzaei Mohammad Hosein
Published: August 2024

Background:

Autophagy plays a crucial role in modulating the proliferation of cancer
diseases. However, the application of Naringenin (Nar), a compound with potential benefits against
these diseases, has been limited due to its poor solubility and bioavailability.

Objective:

This study aimed to develop solid lipid nanoparticles (Nar-SLNs) loaded with Nar to enhance
their therapeutic impact.

Methods:

In vitro experiments using Rin-5F cells exposed to Nar and Nar-SLNs were carried out to
investigate the protective effects of Nar and its nanoformulation against the pancreatic cancer cell
line of Rin-5F.

Results:

Treatment with Nar and Nar-SLN led to an increase in autophagic markers (Akt, LC3, Beclin1,
and ATG genes) and a decrease in the level of miR-21. Both Nar and Nar-SLN treatments inhibited
cell proliferation and reduced the expression of autophagic markers. Notably, Nar-SLNs exhibited
greater efficacy compared to free Nar.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that SLNs effectively enhance the cytotoxic impact of Nar,
making Nar-SLNs a promising candidate for suppressing or preventing Rin-5F cell growth.
Perceptions Toward Telemedicine of Health Care Staff in Nursing Homes in Northern Germany: Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Traulsen Pia , Kitschke Lisa , Steinhäuser Jost
Published: August 2024

Background

Digitalization in the German health care system is progressing slowly, even though it offers opportunities for improvement of care. In nursing homes, most of the staff’s work is paper based. Following the pandemic, there has been a decrease in the use of telemedicine applications. To ensure long-term implementation, the views of users, in this case nurses, are of interest.

Objective

This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe which digital applications are already being used at inpatient care facilities, the attitude of nurses toward telemedicine, and for which areas the use of telemedicine in the facilities is considered appropriate by the participants.

Methods

All inpatient care facility staff in Schleswig-Holstein were invited to participate in the survey from August 1 to October 31, 2022. The questionnaire consists of 17 determinants that ask about the attitude, use, and possible applications of telemedicine. In addition to a descriptive analysis, the influence of the general attitude toward telemedicine on various determinants was examined using the Fisher exact test for nominal variables and Spearman correlation coefficient for metric variables.

Results

A total of 425 caregivers participated in the survey. Of these respondents, 10.7% (n=41) currently used video consultations, and 76.1% (n=321) of the respondents were in favor of video consultations being practiced in training. Furthermore, 74.8% (n=312) of the respondents would attend a training on telephone medical consultation. Respondents indicated that video consultations have a small added value compared to asynchronous telemedicine (eg, sending photos). However, video consultations were perceived as somewhat less time-consuming than other communication channels. Video consultations are perceived as most useful for clarifying urgent problems. The respondents estimated that one in five paramedic calls at their facilities could be reduced through telemedicine approaches. It was important to the participants that telemedicine is as simple as possible and that there is a high level of data security.

Conclusions

Although many caregivers have a positive attitude toward telemedicine and perceive its advantages, communication channels such as video consultation are still used infrequently in care facilities. To promote the use of telemedicine applications, it is important to emphasize their benefits. The presumed saving of paramedic calls thus represents a benefit, and it is crucial to train caregivers in the use of telemedicine to avoid uncertainties in dealing with the newer technologies. It is important to give them enough time and repetitions of the training.
Characterization of Psychopathology in Latin American Adolescents Using a Web-Based Screening Tool: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)
Authors: Campos Susana , Nuñez Daniel , Pérez J Carola , Robinson Jo
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND

Mental health problems and suicide ideation are common in adolescents. Early detection of these issues could prevent the escalation of mental health–related symptoms in the long term. Moreover, characterizing different profiles of prevalent symptoms in conjunction with emotional regulation strategies could guide the design of specific interventions. The use of web-based screening (WBS) tools has been regarded as a suitable strategy to timely detect symptomatology while improving the appeal, cost, timeliness, and reach of detection in young populations. However, the evidence regarding the accuracy of these approaches is not fully conclusive.

OBJECTIVE

The study aims (1) to examine the capability of a WBS to identify adolescents with psychiatric symptoms and suicidality and (2) to characterize the mental health profiles of a large sample of adolescents using WBS.

METHODS

A total of 1599 Latin American Spanish-speaking adolescents (mean age 15.56, SD 1.34 years), consisting of 47.3% (n=753) female, 98.5% Chilean (n=1570), and 1.5% Venezuelan (n=24) participants, responded to a mental health WBS. A randomized subsample of participants also responded to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID). McNemar χ2 and receiver-operating characteristic curves tested the detection accuracy of WBS contrasted with the MINI-KID. Latent profile analyses explored the symptomatic and emotional regulation profiles of participants.

RESULTS

Both measures showed an adequate level of agreement (area under the curve per symptom domain ranging from 0.70 to 0.89); however, WBS yielded a higher prevalence than MINI-KID for all psychiatric symptoms, except suicide ideation and depression. Latent profile analyses yielded 4 profiles—one of them presented elevated psychopathological symptoms, constituting 11% of the sample (n=175). Rumination (odds ratio [OR] 130.15, 95% CI 51.75-439.89; P<.001), entrapment (OR 96.35, 95% CI 29.21-317.79; P<.001), and defeat (OR 156.79, 95% CI 50.45-487.23; P<.001) contributed significantly to the prediction of latent profile memberships, while cognitive reappraisal did not contribute to the prediction of any latent profile memberships, and expressive suppression was only associated to profile-2 membership.

CONCLUSIONS

WBS is acceptable for the timely detection of adolescents at risk of mental health conditions. Findings from the symptomatic and emotional regulation profiles highlight the need for comprehensive assessments and differential interventions.
Harnessing Social Media Data to Understand Information Needs About Kidney Diseases and Emotional Experiences With Disease Management: Topic and Sentiment Analysis (Preprint)
Authors: Hwang Hee Jeong , Kim Nara , You Jeong Yun , Ryu Hye Ri , Kim Seo-Young , Yoon Park Jung Han , Lee Ki Won
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND

Kidney diseases encompass a variety of conditions, including chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, glomerulonephritis, and polycystic kidney disease. These diseases significantly impact patients’ quality of life and health care costs, often necessitating substantial lifestyle changes, especially regarding dietary management. However, patients frequently receive ambiguous or conflicting dietary advice from health care providers, leading them to seek information and support from online health communities.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze social media data to better understand the experiences, challenges, and concerns of patients with kidney disease and their caregivers in South Korea. Specifically, it explored how online communities assist in disease management and examined the sentiment surrounding dietary management.

METHODS

Data were collected from KidneyCafe, a prominent South Korean online community for patients with kidney disease hosted on the Naver platform. A total of 124,211 posts from 10 disease-specific boards were analyzed using latent Dirichlet allocation for topic modeling and Bidirectional Encoder Representations From Transformers–based sentiment analysis. In addition, Efficiently Learning an Encoder That Classifies Token Replacements Accurately–based classification was used to further analyze posts related to disease management.

RESULTS

The analysis identified 6 main topics within the community: family health and support, medication and side effects, examination and diagnosis, disease management, surgery for dialysis, and costs and insurance. Sentiment analysis revealed that posts related to the medication and side effects and surgery for dialysis topics predominantly expressed negative sentiments. Both significant negative sentiments concerning worries about kidney transplantation among family members and positive sentiments regarding physical improvements after transplantation were expressed in posts about family health and support. For disease management, 7 key subtopics were identified, with inquiries about dietary management being the leading subtopic.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the critical role of online communities in providing support and information for patients with kidney disease and their caregivers. The insights gained from this study can inform health care providers, policy makers, and support organizations to better address the needs of patients with kidney disease, particularly in areas related to dietary management and emotional support.
City-Cut or Radius-Cut? Design Principle of the Chinese Anti-pandemic Traveling Record Card System (Preprint)
Authors: Wang Rowan , Shi Baofeng , Wu Bi , Xie Cong , Zhang Qingpeng
Published: August 2024

UNSTRUCTURED

Analysis of 25 million Shanghai citizens’ daily movements supports the city-cut approach for travel restrictions in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s high connectivity and compact nature justify the city-cut approach over the geographic distance-based radius-cut approach, effectively containing the spread of COVID-19 within the metropolis.
COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Adolescent Affect and Mobility: A Six-Year, Smartphone-Based Intensive-Longitudinal Panel Study of 887 Twins. (Preprint)
Authors: Alexander Jordan , Duffy Kelly A. , Freis Samantha M. , Chow Sy-Miin , Friedman Naomi P. , Vrieze Scott I.
Published: August 2024

UNSTRUCTURED

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S youth faced major challenges to their emotional well-being and daily routines. Less well known are the patterns and persistence of those effects, especially over the pandemic’s multi-year course. Here, we analyzed smartphone-based biweekly affect surveys, using an abbreviated Positive and Negative Affect Survey (PANAS), and GPS location data collected from 887 Colorado-based twin youth over the course of six years, from 06/01/2016 – 04/18/2022. We observed mean declines in affect and mobility in the months following the pandemic onset, including a 29% decline in daily locations visited, a 60% decline in daily travel distance, and 0.3 SD changes in affect. Mean affect and mobility levels fluctuated considerably over subsequent years, with daily locations visited and positive affect remaining slightly below (standardized β=[0.10-0.20], P=[.008;.004]) and negative affect slightly above (standardized β=0.14, P=.04) pre-pandemic levels through April 2022. Weekly county-level COVID-19 transmission rates were negatively associated with mobility and positive affect and positively with negative affect, though these effects were greatly weakened later in the pandemic (e.g., early 2022) or when transmission rates were high (e.g., >200 new cases per 100,000 people per week). Findings demonstrated modest to large pandemic-onset and local case count effects on affect and mobility that attenuated with time but did not revert to pre-pandemic levels. Results highlight both youth resilience and ongoing challenges in the pandemic’s aftermath, and inform theories of hedonic adaptation which predict a return to an emotional baseline following stressful life events.
Use of Educational Technology in Inclusive Primary Education: Protocol for a Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Ranzato Erica , Holloway Catherine , Bandukda Maryam
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND

Educational technology (EdTech) has been instrumental in the last few decades in promoting inclusive education by overcoming various learning barriers and offering tools and opportunities to all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, there is limited understanding of current classroom practices and policies and of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on EdTech use in the inclusive classroom.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to outline the current knowledge on the use of EdTech to support the learning of students with SEND in inclusive primary schools in high-income countries.

METHODS

We followed the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) and the Generalized Systematic Review Registration Form in reporting the details of this protocol. The inclusion criteria for the systematic review require that studies focus on students with SEND who are attending the primary stage of school in high-income countries. The studies can be qualitative or quantitative and should explore the design and use of EdTech with these students. Eligible studies must be published between 2016 and 2024, be peer-reviewed, and be available in English. We systematically searched the ACM, Directory of Open Access Journals, British Educational Index, ERIC, Google Scholar (first 100 records), IEEE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The titles and abstracts of all records will be screened for relevance according to the inclusion criteria. Following this, the full text of the articles will be screened. To ensure the reliability of the screening process, an independent reviewer will screen a percentage of the records for the first screening round. The data extraction process for this systematic review will start with a pilot stage to validate and eventually update the list of entities to be extracted. Following the pilot stage, the final data extraction will be undertaken. An independent reviewer will extract data from a subsample of the records to ensure the reliability of the data extraction process.

RESULTS

The database search was conducted in July 2024. The database search identified a total of 547 records. It is anticipated that the study findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal by the end of January 2025.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will provide up-to-date evidence of the use of EdTech in inclusive primary school settings in high-income countries and will describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of EdTech with students with SEND.

CLINICALTRIAL

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

DERR1-10.2196/65045