bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Specific tension of human muscle in vivo: a systematic review
Authors: Persad Lomas S. , Wang Zheng , Pino Paula A. , Binder-Markey Benjamin I. , Kaufman Kenton R. , Lieber Richard L.
Published: August 2024

The intrinsic force production capability of human muscle can be expressed as “Specific Tension,” or, the maximum force generated per cross-sectional area of muscle fibers. This value can be used to determine, for example, whether muscle quality changes during exercise, atrophy, disease, or hypertrophy. A value of 22.5 N/cm2 for mammalian muscle has generally become accepted based on detailed studies of small mammals. Determining the specific tension of human muscle is much more challenging as almost all determinations are indirect. Calculation of human muscle specific tension requires an understanding of that muscle’s contribution to joint torque, its activation magnitude, tendon compliance, and joint moment arm. Determining any of these parameters is technically challenging in humans and thus, it is no surprise that human specific tension values reported vary from 2 to 73 N/cm2. In this systematic review, we screened 1,506 published papers and identified the 30 studies published between 1983 and 2023 that used appropriate methods and which reported 96 human specific tension values. We weighted each parameter based on whether it was directly measured, estimated, or calculated based on the literature, with decreasing weighting used, the more indirect the methods. Based on this exhaustive review of the relevant human literature, we suggest that the most accurate value that should be used for human muscle specific tension is 26.8 N/cm2.
Evaluating the role of sex-related structure-function differences on airway aerosol transport and deposition
Authors: Jin Ge , Kumar Haribalan , Clark Alys R. , Burrowes Kelly S. , Hoffman Eric A. , Tawhai Merryn H.
Published: August 2024

Sex differences in airway tract particle deposition are analyzed using computational models that account for scale-specific structure and function. We show that sex-related differences in lung and airway size can explain experimental observations of increased deposition fraction in females, with females tending toward enhanced fine particle deposition in the alveolar airways and enhanced bronchial deposition for larger particles.
Enhanced Chemical Insights into Fullerene Structures via Modified Polynomials
Authors: Koam Ali N. A. , Ahmad Ali , Qahiti Raed , Azeem Muhammad , Hamali Waleed
Published: August 2024

This work explores the complicated realm of fullerene structures by utilizing an innovative algebraic lens to unravel their chemical intricacies. We reveal a more profound comprehension of the structural subtleties of fullerenes by the computation of modified polynomials that are customized to their distinct geometric and electrical characteristics. In addition to enhancing the theoretical underpinnings, the interaction between algebraic characteristics and fullerene structures creates opportunities for real‐world applications in materials science and nanotechnology. Our results provide a novel viewpoint that bridges the gap between algebraic abstraction and chemical reality. They also open up new avenues for the manipulation and construction of materials based on fullerenes with customized features. Topological or numerical descriptors are used to associate important physicomolecular restrictions with important molecular structural features such as periodicity, melting and boiling points, and heat content for various 2 and 3D molecular preparation graphs or networking. The degree of an atom in a molecular network or molecular structure is utilized in this study to calculate the degree of atom‐based numerics. The modified polynomial technique is a more recent way of assessing molecular systems and geometries in chemoinformatics. It emphasizes the polynomial nature of molecular features and gives numerics in algebraic expression. Particularly in this context, we describe multiple cages topologically based on the fullerene molecular form as polynomials, and several algebraic properties, including the Randić number and the modified polynomials of the first and second Zagreb numbers, are measured. By applying algebraic methods, we computed topological descriptors such as the Randić number and Zagreb indices. Our qualitative analysis shows that these descriptors significantly improve the prediction of molecular behavior. For instance, the Randić index provided insights into the stability and reactivity of fullerene structures, while the Zagreb indices helped us understand their potential in electronic applications. Our results suggest that modified polynomials not only offer a refined perspective on fullerene structures but also enable the design of materials with tailored properties. This study highlights the potential for these algebraic tools to bridge the gap between theoretical models and practical applications in nanotechnology and materials science, paving the way for innovations in drug delivery, electronic devices, and catalysis.
Non-Invasive Ventilatory Support in Preterm Neonates in the Delivery Room and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Short Narrative Review of What We Know in 2024
Authors: Roehr Charles C. , Farley Hannah J. , Mahmoud Ramadan A. , Ojha Shalini
Published: August 2024

Background: Guidelines recommend non-invasive ventilatory (NIV) support as first-line respiratory support mode in preterm infants as NIV is superior to intubation and mechanical ventilation in preventing death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. However, with an ever-expanding variety of NIV modes available, there is much debate about which NIV modality should ideally be used, how, and when. The aims of this work were to summarise the evidence on different NIV modalities for both primary and secondary respiratory support: nCPAP, nasal high-flow therapy (nHFT), and nasal intermittent positive airway pressure ventilation (nIPPV), bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP), nasal high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (nHFOV), and nasally applied, non-invasive neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NIV-NAVA) modes, with particular focus on their use in preterm infants. Summary: This is a narrative review with reference to published guidelines by European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Respiratory Distress Syndrome: 2022 Update. nCPAP is currently the most commonly used primary and secondary NIV modality for premature infants. However, there is increasing evidence on the superiority of nIPPV over nCPAP. No beneficial effect was found for BiPAP over nCPAP. For the use of nHFT, nHFOV, and NIV-NAVA, more studies are needed to establish their place in neonatal respiratory care. Key Messages: The superiority of nIPPV over nCPAP needs to be confirmed by contemporaneous trials comparing nCPAP to nIPPV at comparable mean airway pressures. Future trials should study NIV modalities in preterm infants with comparable respiratory pathology and indications, at comparable pressure settings and with different modes of synchronisation. Importantly, future trials should not exclude infants of the smallest gestational ages.
Prevalence of Traumatic Brain Injury in the General Adult Population of the USA: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Karamian Armin , Lucke-Wold Brandon , Seifi Ali
Published: August 2024

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. It has been estimated that 64–74 million individuals experience TBI from all causes each year. Due to these variations in reporting TBI prevalence in the general population, we decided to perform a meta-analysis of published studies to better understand the prevalence of TBI in the general adult population of the USA which can help health decision-makers in determining general policies to reduce TBI cases and their costs and burden on the healthcare system. Methods: Our meta-analysis was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024534598). A comprehensive literature search of PubMed from the National Library of Medicine and Google Scholar was performed from database inception to April 2024. Sixteen studies that evaluated the US general population met our inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis using a random-effects model was performed to estimate the prevalence of TBI in the general adult population of the USA. Results: The total sample consisted of 27,491 individuals, of whom 4,453 reported a lifetime history of TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC) (18.2%, 95% CI 14.4–22.7%). Some studies did not report relevant information based on gender, but based on available data, among males, 1,843 individuals out of 8,854 reported a lifetime history of TBI with LOC (20.8%). Among females, 1,363 individuals out of 11,943 reported a lifetime history of TBI with LOC (11.4%). The odds of sustaining TBI in males were higher than in females with moderate heterogeneity between studies (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.85–2.36, p < 0.01, I2 = 40%). Conclusion: The prevalence of TBI in the US general population is 18.2%, making it a major public health concern. In addition, males were more than twice as likely as females to sustain TBI with LOC. Considering the irreparable long-term adverse effects of TBI on survivors, their families, and the healthcare system, prevention strategies can facilitate substantial reductions in TBI-related permanent disabilities and medical care costs.
Pubertal, Auxological, and Adult Height Outcomes in Children Treated for Adrenocortical Tumors: Half a Century Experience
Authors: Moletta Fernanda Bora , Lobe Maria Cláudia Schmitt , França Suzana Nesi , de Lacerda Luiz , Pereira Rosana Marques
Published: August 2024

Introduction: Most children with adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) present with accelerated growth and skeletal maturation at diagnosis, which potentially compromises their adult heights (AHs). Knowledge about growth and pubertal patterns after ACT resection is scarce. This study presents the pubertal and auxological development of patients treated for ACT and followed up at a single pediatric endocrinology service in Brazil. Methods: Retrospective cohort study including 63 patients (47 girls) followed up between 1966 and 2021. Pubertal and auxological data from ACT diagnosis to AH were analyzed. Results: At diagnosis, the patients had median values of bone age (BA) more advanced than chronological age (CA), height standard deviation score greater than target height (TH-SDS), and predicted adult height (PAH-SDS) lower than TH-SDS. The difference between BA and CA decreased gradually during follow-up and the PAH-SDS moved closer to the TH-SDS 7 years after tumor resection. Puberty started at a median CA of 9.3 (8.3–11.3) years in girls and 9.9 (9.2–13.6) years in boys. Nine patients (6 girls) developed central precocious puberty (CPP), which was influenced by a CA >4 years at diagnosis. The difference between AH-SDS and TH-SDS was not significant (p = 0.3). The factors independently associated with AH below TH were CA >4 years at diagnosis, time between clinical manifestation and diagnosis >1 year, and development of CPP. Conclusion: Most patients treated for ACT during childhood attained AH within the TH despite presenting with advanced skeletal maturation at diagnosis. Development of CPP was not infrequent.
Proposta de índices de racionalização do processo construtivo de estruturas de Mass Timber
Authors: Oliveira Gabriela Lotufo , Oliveira Fabiana Lopes de
Published: August 2024

Teniendo en cuenta el proceso de fabricación industrializado de las tecnologías de madera en masa, se observa que un problema mencionado en la literatura es la falla de comunicación entre el diseño y la fabricación. Como consecuencia, existe mayor desperdicio de materia prima y montajes más complejas. Por ello, el problema a abordar en este artículo trata sobre la optimización de las estructuras CLT (Madera Contralaminada) y MLE (Madera Laminada Encolada) con relación al proceso constructivo. Se propone determinar índices que permitan la medición cuantitativa de la forma estructural, resultante de la forma arquitectónica, con relación a la racionalización del proceso constructivo de estructuras de madera en masa. Para ello, inicialmente se busca identificar las variables inherentes al proceso constructivo de la estructura CLT y MLE que tienen relación con el proyecto arquitectónico. Como metodología de investigación se estudió el proceso constructivo del primer fabricante nacional de paneles CLT y se realizaron dos casos de estudio de estructuras ejecutadas por este productor. Como resultado, se han determinado tres índices que buscan evaluar las etapas de fabricación y montaje de estructuras. Se considera que estos deben ser incorporados desde el inicio de la concepción arquitectónica, permitiendo el nacimiento de una forma estructural alineada con los supuestos de la tecnología constructiva utilizada. En este sentido, como futuro desarrollo de este trabajo, se espera que dichos índices se puedan incluir en una herramienta de diseño digital parametrizada.
Percepção de elementos práticos, estéticos e simbólicos de automóveis: uma análise a partir do repertório pessoal do usuário
Authors: Demaison André Leonardo , Franco Marisa Sel , Paschoarelli Luis Carlos
Published: August 2024

Cars are among the objects that most represent the evolution of human modernity. This condition is due to multifactorial aspects, including their use based on practical, aesthetic and symbolic functions, which vary according to the type of product. Although the automotive sector recognises the importance of these aspects, understanding how they are organised at the level of interaction between user and product has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to understand whether the perception of the practical, aesthetic and symbolic elements of cars can be influenced by the personal repertoire of individuals. Using the Repertory Grid Technique method, it was possible to conclude that users who have a strong relationship with cars look more at the physical and practical aspects of the product, while users who are less interested in cars are more concerned with the aesthetic and symbolic aspects. This reinforces the idea that designers should consider the influence of the user's repertoire when developing their products.
Dietary inflammatory index and inflammatory markers in Brazilian adolescents
Authors: Gomes Renata de Sousa , Viola Poliana Cristina de Almeida Fonseca , Carvalho Roberta Rejane Santos de , Shivappa Nitin , Hebert James R. , França Ana Karina Teixeira da Cunha , Carvalho Carolina Abreu de
Published: August 2024

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between t he inflammatory potential of the diet measured by the energy-adjusted diet inflammatory index (E-DII) and inflammatory markers in adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 518 adolescents aged 18 and 19 years from São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil in 2016. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess dietary intake from which E-DII scores were calculated to determine the inflammatory potential of the diet. The associations between E-DII and inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-4, TNF-α, and IFNγ) were analyzed using multivariable linear regression. The variables included in the adjusted model were identified using the directed acyclic graph. RESULTS: The diet of these adolescents was mostly pro-inflammatory; mean E-DII score was 1.71 and ranged from -2.44 to 5.58. Higher E-DII scores were positively associated with higher levels of IFNγ in the adjusted analysis (Adjusted Coef.: 1.19; 95%CI: 0.36–12.04). We observed no associations between E-DII and other inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-4, TNF-α). Study results indicate that E-DII is useful in evaluating the inflammatory potential of the diet of Brazilian adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectionally E-DII scores were positively associated with IFNγ concentrations. Future research should examine the association between changes in E-DII scores and levels of inflammatory markers longitudinally.
Empowering Research With the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines Registries Through Integration of a Database and Research Tools
Authors: Beon Chandler , Wang Lanjing , Manchanda Vihaan , Mallya Pratheek , Hong Haoyun , Picotte Holly , Thomas Kathie , Hall Jennifer L. , Zhao Juan , Feng Xue
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND:

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) has emerged as a vital resource in advancing the standards and practices of inpatient care across stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and resuscitation focus areas. The GWTG registry data have also created new opportunities for secondary use of real-world clinical data in biomedical research. Our goal was to implement a scalable database with an integrated user interface (UI) to improve GWTG data management and accessibility.

METHODS:

The curation of registry data begins by going through a data processing and quality control pipeline programmed in Python. This pipeline includes data cleaning and record exclusion, variable derivation and unit harmonization, limited data set preparation, and documentation generation of the registry data. The database was built using PostgreSQL, and integrations between the database and the UI were built using the Django Web Framework in Python. Smaller subsets of data were created using SQLite database files for distribution purposes. Use cases of these tools are provided in the article.

RESULTS:

We implemented an automated data curation pipeline, centralized database, and UI application for the American Heart Association GWTG registry data. The database and the UI are accessible through a Precision Medicine Platform workspace. As of March 2024, the database contains over 13.2 million cleaned GWTG patient records. The SQLite subsets benefit researchers by optimizing data extraction and manipulation using Structured Query Language. The UI improves accessibility for nontechnical researchers by presenting data in a user-friendly tabular format with intuitive filtering options.

CONCLUSIONS:

With the implementation of the GWTG database and UI application, we addressed data management and accessibility concerns despite its growing scale. We have launched tools to provide streamlined access and accessibility of GWTG registry data to all researchers, regardless of familiarity or experience in coding.
Relationship of Subendocardial Perfusion to Myocardial Injury, Cardiac Structure, and Clinical Outcomes Among Patients With Hypertension
Authors: Xu Xiaolei , Divakaran Sanjay , Weber Brittany N. , Hainer Jon , Laychak Shelby S. , Auer Benjamin , Kijewski Marie Foley , Blankstein Ron , Dorbala Sharmila , Trinquart Ludovic , Slomka Piotr J. , Zhang Li , Brown Jenifer M. , Di Carli Marcelo F.
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND:

Coronary microvascular dysfunction has been implicated in the development of hypertensive heart disease and heart failure, with subendocardial ischemia identified as a driver of sustained myocardial injury and fibrosis. We aimed to evaluate the relationships of subendocardial perfusion with cardiac injury, structure, and a composite of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events consisting of death, heart failure hospitalization, myocardial infarction, and stroke.

METHODS:

Layer-specific blood flow and myocardial flow reserve (MFR; stress/rest myocardial blood flow) were assessed by
13
N-ammonia perfusion positron emission tomography in consecutive patients with hypertension without flow-limiting coronary artery disease (summed stress score <3) imaged at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA) from 2015 to 2021. In this post hoc observational study, biomarkers, echocardiographic parameters, and longitudinal clinical outcomes were compared by tertiles of subendocardial MFR (MFR
subendo
).

RESULTS:

Among 358 patients, the mean age was 70.6±12.0 years, and 53.4% were male. The median MFR
subendo
was 2.57 (interquartile range, 2.08–3.10), and lower MFR
subendo
was associated with older age, diabetes, lower renal function, greater coronary calcium burden, and higher systolic blood pressure (
P
<0.05 for all). In cross-sectional multivariable regression analyses, the lowest tertile of MFR
subendo
was associated with myocardial injury and with greater left ventricular wall thickness and volumes compared with the highest tertile. Relative to the highest tertile, low MFR
subendo
was independently associated with an increased rate of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.99 [95% CI, 1.39–6.44];
P
=0.005) and heart failure hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.76 [95% CI, 1.04–7.32;
P
=0.042) over 1.1 (interquartile range, 0.6–2.8) years median follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among patients with hypertension without flow-limiting coronary artery disease, impaired MFR
subendo
was associated with cardiovascular risk factors, elevated cardiac biomarkers, cardiac structure, and clinical events.
Effects of Sedentary Behavior Reduction on Blood Pressure in Desk Workers: Results From the RESET-BP Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Barone Gibbs Bethany , Perera Subashan , Huber Kimberly A. , Paley Joshua L. , Conroy Molly B. , Jakicic John M. , Muldoon Matthew F.
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND:

Sedentary behavior (SB) is observationally associated with cardiovascular disease risk. However, randomized clinical trials testing causation are limited. We hypothesized that reducing SB would decrease blood pressure (BP) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in sedentary adults.

METHODS:

This parallel-arm, 3-month randomized clinical trial recruited desk workers, age 18 to 65 years, with systolic BP 120 to 159 or diastolic BP (DBP) 80 to 99 mm Hg, off antihypertensive medications, and reporting <150 min/wk of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. Participants were randomized to a SB reduction intervention or a no-contact control group. The intervention sought to replace 2 to 4 h/d of SB with standing and stepping through coaching, a wrist-worn activity prompter, and a sit–stand desk. SB and physical activity were measured with a thigh-worn accelerometer and quantified during all waking hours and separately during work and nonwork times. Clinic-based resting systolic BP (primary outcome) and DBP, 24-hour ambulatory BP, and PWV were assessed by blinded technicians at baseline and 3 months.

RESULTS:

Participants (n=271) had a mean age of 45 years and systolic BP/DBP 129/83 mm Hg. Compared with controls, intervention participants reduced SB (−1.15±0.17 h/d), increased standing (0.94±0.14 h/d), and increased stepping (5.4±2.4 min/d; all
P
<0.05). SB and activity changes mainly occurred during work time and were below the goal. The intervention did not reduce BP or PWV in the intervention group compared with controls. Between-group differences in resting systolic BP and DBP changes were −0.22±0.90 (
P
=0.808) and 0.13±0.61 mm Hg (
P
=0.827), respectively. The findings were similarly null for ambulatory BP and PWV. Decreases in work-time SB were associated with favorable reductions in resting DBP (r=0.15,
P
=0.017). Contrary to our hypotheses, reductions in work-time SB (r=−0.19,
P
=0.006) and increases in work-time standing (r=0.17,
P
=0.011) were associated with unfavorable increases in carotid-femoral PWV. As expected, increases in nonwork-time standing were favorably associated with carotid-femoral PWV (r=−0.14,
P
=0.038).

CONCLUSIONS:

A 3-month intervention that decreased SB and increased standing by ≈1 hour during the work day was not effective for reducing BP. Future directions include examining effects of interventions reducing SB through activity other than work-time standing and clarifying association between standing and PWV in opposite directions for work and nonwork time.

REGISTRATION:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03307343.
Evolutionary Sparsity Regularisation-Based Feature Selection for Binary Classification
Authors: Nguyen Bach Hoai , Xue Bing , Zhang Mengjie
Published: August 2024

In classification, feature selection is an essential preprocessing step that selects a small subset of features to improve classification performance. Existing feature selection approaches can be divided into three main approaches: wrapper approaches, filter approaches, and embedded approaches. In comparison with the two other approaches, embedded approaches usually have better trade-off between classification performance and computation time. One of the most well-known embedded approaches is sparsity regularisation-based feature selection which generates sparse solutions for feature selection. Despite its good performance, sparsity regularisation-based feature selection outputs only a feature ranking which requires the number of selected features to be predefined. More importantly, the ranking mechanism introduces a risk of ignoring feature interactions which leads to the fact that many top-ranked but redundant features are selected. This work addresses the above problems by proposing a new representation that considers the interactions between features and can automatically determine an appropriate number of selected features. The proposed representation is used in a differential evolutionary (DE) algorithm to optimise the feature subset. In addition, a novel initialisation mechanism is proposed to let DE consider various numbers of selected features at the beginning. The proposed algorithm is examined on both synthetic and real-world datasets. The results on the synthetic dataset show that the proposed algorithm can select complementary features while existing sparsity regularisation-based feature selection algorithms are at risk of selecting redundant features. The results on real-world datasets show that the proposed algorithm achieves better classification performance than well-known wrapper, filter, and embedded approaches. The algorithm is also as efficient as filter feature selection approaches.
Genetic Variability and Cluster Analysis of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Genotypes in Debre Tabor, Northwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Shferaw Solomon , Tarekegne Wossen
Published: August 2024

Faba bean, a globally important pulse, offers genetic variation for plant breeders, although information on this variability is scarce in Ethiopia. Therefore, the study was conducted to assess the genetic variability of genotypes using 49 genotypes with 7 × 7 simple lattice designs. The experiment was conducted at in Fogera National Rice Research and Training Center at Debre Tabor research site in north western Ethiopia. Analysis of variance revealed that there were highly significant differences among forty-nine genotypes for all studied traits (days to flowering, days to maturity, grain filling period, number of branch, plant height, pod per plant, biomass yield, harvest index, hundred seed weight, chocolate spot and seed yield). High GCV and PCV was observed in pod per plant and chocolate spot both at genotypic and phenotypic level including number of branch at phenotypic level. Moderate to high heritability estimates were observed in all studied traits. A high genetic advance in percent of mean was observed in the number of branches per plant, the number of pods per plant, grain yield, seed weight, and chocolate spot. In conclusion, the study found that the ET 07013-1 and ET 07005-1 genotypes are potential for future breeding programs, but further experimentation across locations and seasons is needed. It is recommended to give much attention to traits with high heritability and GAM, which include the number of branches per plant, the number of pods per plant, grain yield, hundred seed weight, and chocolate spot. The best genotypes should be included in future breeding programs to maximize yield even further. It is recommended to closely monitor traits with high heritability and high GAM.
Encoder-Decoder Transformers for Textual Summaries on Social Media Content
Authors: Papagiannopoulou Afrodite , Angeli Chrissanthi
Published: August 2024

Social media has a leading role to our lives due to radical upgrade of internet and smart technology. It is the primary way of informing, advertising, exchanging opinions and expressing feelings. Posts and comments under each post shape public opinion on different but important issues making social media’s role in public life crucial. It has been observed that people's opinions expressed through social networks are more direct and representative than those expressed in face-to-face communication. Data shared on social media is a cornerstone of research because patterns of social behavior can be extracted that can be used for government, social, and business decisions. When an event breaks out, social networks are flooded with posts and comments, which are almost impossible for someone to read all of them. A system that would generate summarization of social media contents is necessary. Recent years have shown that abstract summarization combined with transfer learning and transformers has achieved excellent results in the field of text summarization, producing more human-like summaries. In this paper, a presentation of text summarization methods is first presented, as well as a review of text summarization systems. Finally, a system based on the pre-trained T5 model is described to generate summaries from user comments on social media.
An Effective Matrix Technique for the Numerical Solution of Second Order Differential Equations
Authors: Kamoh Nathaniel , Dang Bwebum , Mrumun Comfort
Published: August 2024

In this paper, an effective technique for solving differential equations with initial conditions is presented. The method is based on the use of the Legendre matrix of derivatives defined on the close interval [-1,1]. Properties of the polynomial are outlined and further used to obtain the matrix of derivative which was used in transforming the differential equation into systems of linear and nonlinear algebraic equations. The systems of these algebraic equations were then solved using Gaussian elimination method to determine the unknown parameters required for approximating the solution of the differential equation. The advantage of this technique over other methods is that, it has less computational manipulations and complexities and also its availability for application on both linear and nonlinear second-order initial value problems is impressive. Other advantage of the algorithm is that high accurate approximate solutions are achieved by using a greater number of terms of the Legendre polynomial and once the operational matrix is obtained, it can be used to solve differential equations of higher order by introducing just a little manipulation on the operational matrix. Some existing sample problems from literature were solved and the results were compared to show the validity, simplicity and applicability of the proposed method. The results obtained validate the simplicity and applicability of the method and it also reveals that the method perform better than most existing methods.
Optimization of Papain Enzyme Activity Using a Response Surface Methodology Approach
Authors: Dejene Fitsum , Molla Yaynabeba , Wedajo Bikila
Published: August 2024

Enzyme-based leather dehairing has become widely recognized as a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical processes. In recent decades, the demand for plant-based enzymes has grown, leading to the need to improve catalytic efficiency and meet industrial requirements through advanced extraction and isolation techniques. Therefore, the objective of this study was to extract plant papain enzyme from Carica papaya and evaluate their potential as a dehairing agent in the leather industry. The experimental study was conducted in a laboratory setting from July to August 2023. Carica papaya samples were collected from various locations in Arba Minch town. Papain enzyme was extracted from Carica papaya by grinding it in a blender with extraction media such as distilled water and 50 mM phosphate buffers. The optimization of proteolytic activity was performed using the response surface method and Box-Behnken Design (BBD), considering parameters like pH, temperature, and reaction time. The optimized conditions for temperature, pH, and reaction time were found to be 55°C, 7.5, and 38.5 minutes, respectively, resulting in an optimum protease activity of 32 U/ml. The crude protease enzyme derived from papaya was successfully used to dehair goat hides at 25°C for 16 hours without the addition of Na2S. Microscopic analysis revealed hides that were free of epidermis and hair, with clean pores and no significant damage to the grain surface. In conclusion, the papain enzyme derived from Carica papaya can be a valuable tool for implementing cleaner technologies in tanneries, particularly for lime and sulphide-free dehairing processes.
Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis of Yield and Yield Components in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) Genotypes
Authors: Shferaw Solomon , Tarekegne Wossen
Published: August 2024

Through the use of path coefficient analysis and correlation, crop breeders can improve complex traits like grain yield through indirect selection. The current study set out to quantify the relationship between yield and traits related to yield as well as pinpoint critical features for indirect selection aimed at enhancing the grain yield of faba bean. The objective of the current study was to identify key characteristics for indirect selection targeted at increasing the grain yield of faba beans as well as quantify the relationship between yield and variables related to yield. The study was conducted at Fogera National Rice Research and Training Center at the Debre Tabor research site used a 7x7 simple lattice design with two replications to evaluate 49 faba bean genotypes during the rainy cropping season of 2022. The study found a significant positive correlation between grain yield, plant height, pod number, biomass yield, 100-seed mass, and harvest index. The study found that biomass yield and harvest index significantly impact grain yield, suggesting they can be used as indirect selection criteria to enhance faba bean grain yield.
The Emerging Challenges of Customer Relationship Management with Customer Data Platforms (CDP): Constraints and Perspectives
Authors: Jian Chen , Dan Dan
Published: August 2024

Customers today are increasingly demanding a personalized shopping experience, coupled with stringent data security measures and prompt responses. As the landscape of online privacy evolves, particularly with the anticipated sunset of third-party cookies by 2024, businesses face a critical imperative to revamp their customer data management strategies. The emergence of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) stands out as a pivotal solution in this evolving ecosystem. This article undertakes a detailed critique of CDPs, starting with insights gathered from both users and industry experts, and subsequently examining consumer perceptions and behaviors in the digital realm. At the heart of contemporary consumer expectations lies the desire for tailor-made interactions that reflect their preferences and behaviors. This demand necessitates robust data management tools capable of aggregating, analyzing, and activating customer data across multiple touchpoints. CDPs have emerged as a central tool in this endeavor, offering businesses a unified platform to integrate disparate data sources and derive actionable insights in real-time. By leveraging comprehensive customer profiles built from first-party data, CDPs enable businesses to deliver personalized experiences that foster customer loyalty and drive revenue growth. Moreover, the impending demise of third-party cookies, compounded by stringent data protection regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), underscores the urgency for businesses to adopt privacy-centric data practices. CDPs play a crucial role in this paradigm shift by empowering businesses to ethically collect and utilize customer data, thereby enhancing transparency and trust. However, challenges persist, including the complexity of integrating CDPs into existing infrastructures and ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks. From a consumer standpoint, attitudes towards data privacy are evolving, with an increasing emphasis on transparency and control over personal information. Consumers are more inclined to engage with brands that demonstrate a commitment to data security and ethical data usage practices. This shift necessitates a nuanced approach from businesses using CDPs, emphasizing not only personalization but also data protection and consent management. While CDPs offer substantial benefits in navigating the complexities of modern data management and meeting consumer expectations for personalized experiences, their successful implementation hinges on addressing technical, regulatory, and ethical considerations. By doing so, businesses can not only adapt to the evolving landscape of digital privacy but also foster enduring customer relationships grounded in trust and mutual value.
Leveraging Pre-trained Deep Learning Models for Remote Sensing Image Classification: A Case Study with ResNet50 and EfficientNet
Authors: Bobba Srivani
Published: August 2024

The procedure of categorizing images from remote sensing is also another application of machine learning not just ground-based platforms (for instance satellites), aerial platforms become platforms sometimes in aviation either. They erase the counterparts that were based on individual categories and are portrayed on a specific part of the image. Geospatial Supply of gravel mainly is used for producing railway track, road and concrete surface. Data by analyzing their buildup, dams, bridges, extraordinary open spaces, reservoirs and canals. It targets to be specific and exact as possible in a different specific area of the land. Aspects of the enlarged portrait or distinctions weaved into the completed arts. This might have aspects such as mapping of the trees, plants, rivers, cities, farms and woodlands, and other items. Geospatial image classification is necessary for the identification and real-time analysis of different hazards and unrests. Provide numerous applications, including waste management, water resources, air quality, and traffic control in the urban contexts. Planning, monitoring the environment, land cover, mapping, as well as post-disaster recovery. Management team, traffic control, and situation assessments. In the past, human experts situated in a selected area classified geographical images by means of manual processing. One that involved the allocation of too much time. As this is one of the two broad categories, how to get rid of it is consequently. Applying machine learning and deep learning methods we analyze and interpret the data in order to reduce the time required to provide feedback which allows the system to reach a higher accuracy. The procedure will also be more reliable and the outcome will hopefully be more efficient CNNs are one of the deep learning subclasses in which the network learns and improves without the need for human intervention. It extracts features from images. They are main for the performance and metrics to help the organization to decide on whether they have accomplished their goals, using visual imagery.
Impacts of Climate Change on Streamflow on Dawa Sub-watershed, Genale-Dawa River Basin, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Bulti Ayana , Abegaz Fentaw
Published: August 2024

Climate change is statistical variations over an extended period in the features of the climate system, such as variations in global temperatures and precipitation, caused by human and natural sources. In this study aimed to measure and examine how streamflow in the Dawa sub-basin, Genale Dawa River basin was affected by climate change. It used the average of five regional climate models from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) Africa, under two different scenarios of Representative Concentration Pathways: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The baseline scenario was based on the data from 1975 to 2005, while the future scenarios were based on the data from 2020s (2025–2054) and 2050s (2055–2084). The HBV hydrological model used to assess the impact on streamflow. The HBV model showed good statistical performance in simulating the impact of climate change on streamflow, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.88 and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.77 for monthly calibration, and R2 of 0.86 and NSE of 0.83 for monthly validation. The impacts quantified using the mean monthly changes in precipitation, maximum and minimum temperatures. The bias-corrected precipitation and temperature showed a reasonable increase in both future periods for both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. These changes in climate variables resulted in a decrease in mean annual streamflow by 1.6 and 3.5% for RCP 4.5 and by 4.6 and 4.9% for RCP 8.5 scenarios of the 2020s and 2050s, respectively. Based on the analysis that predicted a drop in precipitation during the months, and seasons and an increase in precipitation during the Belg season, with a corresponding decrease and rise in stream flow throughout the watershed. So to offset the variation in the watershed, community should adopt various; Soil and water conservation technologies, Using drought tolerant crops, Implementing various trees and appropriate design and applying a water harvesting structure like in-situ, internal or micro catchment, external or macro catchment water harvesting and Surface runoff harvesting. This result offers useful information for current and future water resource management in the basin and similar other watershed in the country.
Assessment of Stingless Bee Production Potentials, Distribution, and Constraints in West Hararghe Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Giza Segni , Dawud Sudi , Dugda Dema
Published: August 2024

The study was proposed to assess the stingless bee production potentials, distribution, and constraints in West Hararghe Zone Oromia Regional State Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used. A structured and semi-structured questionnaire was prepared and data were collected by using the purposive sampling method. A total of 80 respondents were interviewed and practical field investigations were conducted. According to the study results, about 59.26%, 100%, 77.78%, and 21.05% of respondents in Sire Gudo, Sire Qallo, Sire Qallo Gato, and Sire Qallo Haro Xaxe respectively get stingless bees suddenly without searching. As per the study's findings about 74.07%, 0%, 44.44% and 68.42% of respondents in Sire Gudo, Sire Qallo, Sire Qallo Gato and Sire Qallo Haro Xaxe kebeles reported that no management was given for stingless bee. According to the present findings about 51.85%, 0%, 22.22%, and 21.05% of respondents in Sire Gudo, Sire Qallo, Sire Qallo Gato and Sire Qallo Haro Xaxe kebeles reported that honey harvesting is the challenge of stingless bee production. In Gemechis district there was indigenous knowledge regarding stingless bee production, the searching method of stingless bees, honey harvesting from stingless bees, the use of stingless bees, and constraints/challenges of stingless bee production. The main challenge of stingless bee production in the study district was nest destruction during honey harvesting. In general, the overall stingless bee production in the study area was hopeful and to establish a sustainable stingless bee production, proper management and adaptation of stingless bees in artificial hive is essential. Once more, further study is required to study the production potential, of this bee in the rest part of the West Hararghe Zone.
Conditional Optimization of Single Cell Protein Production from Crude Oil by Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Haider Mustafa , Rages Ashraf , Al-Mergany Huda
Published: August 2024

The study was carried out to investigate the possible biodegradation of crude oil as a carbon by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from marine environment (Ras El-Menkar- Benghazi- Libya) using basal yeast extract protease peptone-3 (BYP) enriched medium. The isolated bacterium was identified and characterized according to its cultural condition and microbial biochemical properties. Different experiments were developed throughout this study to stimulate bacterial growth and production of single cell protein (SCP). The results show that the optimal concentration of crude oil as a carbon source for the highest bacterial growth (1.14g/l), and production of SCP (0.65g/l; 57.02% of the biomass dry weight) was 1%. This was required to utilize up to 50.6% of oil as a carbon source. As to the nitrogen source, the optimal concentration of ammonium chloride was 0.1%, in which the bacterial growth and SCP production increased to 1.23 g/l and 0.67 g/l respectively. The stimulating effects of organic and inorganic factors on the bacterial growth and SCP production was also tested. Addition of inorganic nutrients such as potassium phosphate (0.05%), magnesium sulphate (0.01%), and organic nutrient in the form of yeast extract (0.1%) to the fermentation medium slightly promoted the bacterial growth which reflected positively on SCP production and the percentage of the consumed crude oil, (>57%) at final pH value of 8.0. The obtained results indicated that the isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa posses the ability to utilize the crude oil and use it as a carbon for bacterial growth and production of SCP.
Evaluating Giftii Biopesticides Containing Glucosinolates and Hydrolysis Phenolic Compounds for Wheat Leaf Blotch Disease Management
Authors: Mamo Tsigehana
Published: August 2024

The efficacy of Giftii biopesticide as a substitute fungicide for managing Septoria tritici blotch and enhancing wheat yield was evaluated through comprehensive field trials conducted at multiple locations. The study employed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to assess differences among treatments in terms of yield and Area under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC). The results indicated significant differences (P < 0.05) among the treatments. The trials revealed notable variations in AUDPC across different application rates of Giftii biopesticide. Control plots, which received no treatment, exhibited the highest disease severity with an AUDPC of 1499.17% in days. In contrast, plots treated with Giftii at a rate of 0.75 liters per hectare showed the lowest disease severity, with an AUDPC of 1361.83% in days. These findings demonstrate a substantial reduction in disease spread when Giftii biopesticide was applied, compared to the untreated control plots. In terms of yield, the data showed significant differences among the treatments. The highest mean yield was recorded for the 0.75 liters per hectare application rate of Giftii, producing 4.3 tons per hectare. This was a marked improvement compared to the control treatment, which yielded only 2.7 tons per hectare. Statistical analysis further confirmed a significant difference between the control plots and those treated with 0.5 liters per hectare of Giftii biopesticide. These findings underscore the potential of Giftii biopesticide as an effective fungicide for managing Septoria tritici blotch and improving wheat yields. The significant reduction in disease severity and the corresponding increase in yield with Giftii application suggest it could be a viable alternative to conventional fungicides. The study highlights Giftii's efficacy and supports its consideration for broader use in wheat production to enhance crop health and productivity.