bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La retroalimentación en la escritura universitaria en pandemia. El caso de estudiantes ingresantes a carreras de ciencias médicas en Chile
Authors: Vásquez-Rocca Liliana , Varas Magaly , Richards Constanza
Published: April 2024

Durante la pandemia, gran parte del mundo se sometió a un confinamiento total, incluyendo a Chile. Esto implicó que las universidades desarrollaran las clases desde los hogares. Aunque se han realizado investigaciones sobre la retroalimentación de la escritura en la educación telemática, estas no han considerado el escenario pandémico. Por ello, este estudio explora la retroalimentación de la escritura universitaria en estudiantes de ciencias médicas durante la pandemia. Con un enfoque cuantitativo, la muestra consideró 341 estudiantes universitarios, a los que se les aplicó un cuestionario autoadministrado. Tras el análisis, los resultados indican lo siguiente: (a) la retroalimentación da cuenta de un proceso inicial eficiente; (b) los profesores no retroalimentarían en instancias intermedias, y (c) la retroalimentación sigue anclada en lo léxico-gramatical, prácticas similares a lo que ocurre en contextos presenciales.
Aprender a proteger o planeta por Metodologia de Projeto
Authors: Tavares Pitau Joana , Gamboa Maria José
Published: April 2024

O artigo, que se apresenta, espelha um percurso de aprendizagens realizadas no âmbito de um projeto de educação ambiental e de intervenção educativa, através da Metodologia de Trabalho por Projeto (MTP), realizado em contexto de educação pré-escolar, em Portugal. Seguindo um paradigma qualitativo, o estudo pretende analisar de que forma as crianças desenvolvem competências através da MTP. A abordagem explorada respeitou as necessidades individuais das crianças, o pensamento crítico e criativo, sendo que as intencionalidades educativas construídas no âmbito da intervenção, conduziram à promoção de diversas aprendizagens nas crianças. As evidências registadas revelam benefícios no seu desenvolvimento holístico, confirmando as potencialidades formativas da metodologia de projeto.
Predicting undergraduate academic performance in a leading Peruvian university: A machine learning approach
Authors: Salas Fabio , Caldas Josué
Published: April 2024

Despite improved higher education accessibility in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), challenges persist in student drop-out, especially for socio-economically disadvantaged students. While machine learning models have enhanced our understanding of this challenge by predicting academic performance, many studies overlook LMIC-specific institutional factors or focus on specific courses, limiting their generalizability and policy uses. To address these issues, the authors compiled a comprehensive database using administrative and census data to predict undergraduate academic performance at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). The study found that the most effective models were tree-based ensembles, particularly Random Forest, with key predictors including prior secondary school performance and university admission test scores. They present a high-performing model using only ten features that can predict future academic performance and potentially aid in reducing student drop-out at PUCP.
Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Ecology Essays: A Study in a Brazilian High School
Authors: Da Silva Neto Sebastião Luiz , Silva Leite Bruno
Published: April 2024

In recent years, technological advances have significantly transformed educational practices. The development and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots in education have recently generated widespread interest from teachers and students. In this context, this research aimed to evaluate the potential of AI resources as an auxiliary instrument in improving dissertation-argumentative essays prepared by second-year high school students on Ecology. This is qualitative research, specifically of the action research type, conducted through three stages. The results show that chatbots can be used as complementary resources in the classroom, in addition to having the potential to optimize the construction of knowledge. Finally, it was observed that chatbots were able to facilitate the application of content and make assessments more engaging and productive.
Color Vision as a Biological and Prognostic Marker in Ophthalmology, Along with Related Neurological Disorders
Authors: Piro Anna , Curcio Simone , Iona Teresa , Fortunato Francesco , Quattrone Andrea
Published: April 2024

Color Vision resulted to be a useful biological marker asserting the course and developing the most part of neurological disorders. The analysis of the impairment pathway of color vision from V1, brain primary visive area, to V4, brain color vision area allows us to better understand the impar brain pathways implied in different neurological disorders.
Nicotine or marijuana vaping exposure during pregnancy and altered immune responses in offspring
Authors: Ndeke Jonas M. , Klaunig James E. , Commodore Sarah
Published: April 2024

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) - which include electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, or simply e-cigs, and marijuana vaping have become increasingly popular. ENDS devices have been established as one of the tobacco quit methods and promoted to be safer compared to traditional tobacco cigarettes. Emerging evidence demonstrates that e-cigarette and marijuana vape use can be harmful, with potential associations with cancer. Herein, we summarize the level of evidence to date for altered immune response, with a focus on cancer risks in the offspring after maternal use of, or aerosol exposures from, ENDS or marijuana vape during pregnancy. From 27 published articles retrieved from PubMed, we sought to find out identified carcinogens in ENDS aerosols and marijuana vapor, which cross the placental barrier and can increase cancer risk in the offspring. Carcinogens in vaping aerosols include aldehydes, metals, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, tobacco alkaloids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds. Additionally, there was only one passive vaping exposure case study on a human fetus, which noted that glycerol, aluminum, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, selenium, and lead crossed from the mother to the offspring’s cord blood. The carcinogens (metals) in that study were at lower concentrations compared to the mother’s biological matrices. Lastly, we observed that in utero exposures to ENDS-associated chemicals can occur in vital organs such as the lungs, kidneys, brain, bladder, and heart. Any resulting DNA damage increases the risk of tumorigenesis. Future epidemiological studies are needed to examine the effects of passive aerosol exposures from existing and emerging electronic nicotine and marijuana products on developing offspring to cancer.
A PERCEPÇÃO DOS PEQUENOS AGRICULTORES DE PINHÃO – PR DIANTE O INCENTIVO RURAL:
Authors: Silva Celina Campos da , Stefani Silvio Roberto
Published: April 2024

No cenário de diversidades que define o Brasil, a Agenda 2030 dos Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável ODS da ONU torna-se uma oportunidade para o aperfeiçoamento da gestão pública e para a consolidação de políticas que promovam equidade entre as pessoas. A pesquisa é relevante no sentido de explorar o conhecimento por parte dos agricultores familiares do município. O presente estudo possui uma abordagem qualitativa, sendo que por meio de pesquisa de campo buscou esclarecer e responder a questão problema: existe incentivo da gestão pública municipal de Pinhão – PR, diante a valorização do pequeno agricultor e as ODS? A pesquisa foi desenvolvida mediante entrevistas com sete pessoas, sendo estes proprietários, arrendatários ou trabalhadores rurais, os quais desempenham atividades produtivas dentro dos limites do município de Pinhão-Pr. Salientam-se nesse estudo a centralidade e a união entre as políticas públicas, políticas sociais e sistemas de assistência social para o alcance desses importantes objetivos. O que se pode observar nesse estudo é a falta e acesso de informações ao pequeno agricultor e falta de incentivo para desenvolver as ODS junto a esse público.
Reconhecimento no Serviço Público: o Papel Preponderante dos Gestores
Authors: Medeiros Solene Nobre de , Jreige Cintia Miziara , Soares Kelma Jaqueline
Published: April 2024

Este estudo de caso, de caráter qualitativo, objetiva analisar o reconhecimento emitido pelos gestores no serviço público. Para isso, contou-se com uma amostra de 35 servidores de um órgão público distrital, que participaram de entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas. A análise de conteúdo permitiu a categorização dos dados e facilitou a discussão com o referencial teórico. Os resultados evidenciaram que os gestores favorecem o reconhecimento quando são capazes de demonstrar o quanto as contribuições dos trabalhadores são imprescindíveis para a organização do trabalho. No entanto, há obstáculos na atuação dos gestores que comprometem a eficácia das políticas de reconhecimento no trabalho. Dessa forma, destaca-se a importância de as organizações promoverem práticas de reconhecimento pelo impacto que elas têm no bem-estar dos trabalhadores e pelas vantagens que proporcionam às instituições.
Retorno ao trabalho após licença-maternidade: vivência de mulheres trabalhadoras
Authors: Santos Leticia Lima dos , Miranda Fernanda Maria de , Sousa Rosangela Aparecida de , Freitas Karen Grecco de , Silva Jaqueline Alcântara Marcelino da , Mininel Vivian Aline
Published: April 2024

Objetivo: compreender os impactos do retorno ao trabalho após a licença maternidade remunerada ou não, na perspectiva de mulheres trabalhadoras em meio a pandemia de Covid-19. Método: estudo qualitativo com mulheres trabalhadoras que retornaram ao trabalho após licença-maternidade, independente do vínculo empregatício. Dezessete mulheres participaram de entrevistas online, seguindo um roteiro semiestruturado, entre fevereiro e agosto de 2021. A análise temática de conteúdo foi realizada simultaneamente à coleta de dados e a amostra delimitada por saturação teórica. Resultados: o retorno ao trabalho influenciou a continuidade da amamentação, mesmo no trabalho remoto; a dualidade entre a carreira e o cuidado com os bebês comprometeu a satisfação no trabalho, devido a frustração com o desempenho profissional; identificada falta de apoio com os cuidados com o bebê (creches), reforçada pela pandemia. Conclusões: o retorno ao trabalho provocou nas mulheres tanto sentimentos negativos relacionados principalmente à separação, quanto reflexões sobre o sentido do trabalho. Impactou na amamentação e na qualidade do vínculo com o bebê, principalmente em mulheres sem direito à licença-maternidade protegida. Os empregadores e o Estado devem valorizar esta problemática a fim de assegurar o afastamento e retorno ao trabalho protegido, independente do vínculo empregatício, com intuito de proteger a saúde materno-infantil.
Vivências de Prazer e Sofrimento no Trabalho para Servidores Municipais Readaptados
Authors: Pauletto Micaela Mariane , Gonçalves Júlia , Pereira Eliane França , Frainer Suelen
Published: April 2024

O trabalho, fundamental na construção da identidade e nos processos de socialização, contribui no desenvolvimento da saúde ou do adoecimento físico e/ou mental do trabalhador. Este estudo compreendeu as vivências de prazer e sofrimento relacionadas ao processo de readaptação de servidoras municipais. Foram entrevistadas, individualmente, cinco mulheres, servidoras municipais, que estavam com o processo de readaptação concluído. Utilizou-se da perspectiva teórica proposta pela Psicodinâmica do Trabalho na análise dos dados. Na percepção das trabalhadoras, dentro do contexto de trabalho, a organização e as condições são aspectos que contribuíram para o adoecimento, e consequente afastamento. O período fora do trabalho foi permeado de sentimentos negativos, mas compreendido como necessário para o reestabelecimento da saúde. As vivências de prazer no processo foram evidenciadas no apoio de colegas e chefias e na conclusão da readaptação. Já as vivências de sofrimento relacionaram-se ao receber a notícia do afastamento e a morosidade do processo de readaptação. De maneira geral, as vivências de readaptação foram predominantemente positivas e possibilitaram a reinserção adequada das trabalhadoras no mundo do trabalho.
Eksplorasi Etnomatematika pada Tenun Corak Insang Melayu Pontianak
Authors: Jamilah  , Nurmaningsih
Published: April 2024

Salah satu profil pelajar pancasila yang dikembangkan dalam kurikulum merdeka (kurikulum paradigma baru) ialah berkebhinekaan global dan salah satu upaya untuk mencapai profil tersebut melalui integrasi budaya tenun corak insang melayu Pontianak dalam pembelajaran matematika. Proses integrasi tersebut memerlukan sebuah pengkajian terhadap konsep matematika dan kaitannya terhadap budaya tenun corak insang. Penelitian ini hadir dengan tujuan untuk mengeksplorasi etnomatematika pada tenun corak insang melayu Pontianak. Melalui penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan etnografi dilakukan deskripsi terhadap hasil eksplorasi tersebut. Wawancara, observasi, dan studi dokumentasi menjadi teknik dalam pengumpulan data. Tokoh masyarakat melayu Pontianak menjadi subjek dalam penelitian ini. Setelah melalui tiga tahapan meliputi pengolahan data, analisis data, dan interpretasi, diperoleh hasil penelitian yang menunjukkan bahwa melalui eksplorasi tenun corak insang dapat dikonstruksi konsep dua garis sejajar dan konsep kesebangunan dan kekongruenan. Secara detail diperoleh bahwa rangkaian motif tenun corak insang tersusun atas kumpulan garis yang sejajar, dimana setiap garis memiliki gradien (nilai kemiringan) yang sama, yakni sebesar 11/4. Selanjutnya, rangkaian motif tenun corak insang juga tersusun atas bangun datar yang sebangun dan kongruen, dimana pada motif tenun corak insang setiap sisi-sisi yang bersesuaian sama panjang dan setiap sudut-sudut yang bersesuaian sama besar.
Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Interaktif Online Berbasis Desmos Activity Builder dengan Pendekatan Kontekstual pada Materi Teorema Pythagoras Kelas VIII di SMP Negeri 43 Jakarta
Authors: Tiara Erviana Tiara , Murdiyanto Tri , Haeruman Leny Dhianti
Published: April 2024

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan media pembelajaran online berbasis Desmos Activity Builder dengan pendekatan kontekstual sebagai media pembelajaran yang interaktif untuk siswa Kelas VIII SMP Negeri 43 Jakarta pada materi Teorema Pythagoras. Penelitian ini dilakukan di SMP Negeri 43 Jakarta. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Desember 2021 sampai dengan Agustus 2023, mulai dari melakukan analisis kebutuhan hingga menghasilkan produk media pembelajaran final. Pendekatan yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode penelitian dan pengembangan atau Research and Development (R&D). Konsep model pengembangan yang digunakan adalah model ADDIE yang terdiri dari lima langkah yaitu analyze, design, development, implementation dan evaluation. Penelitian ini telah menghasilkan media pembelajaran interaktif online berbasis Desmos Activity Builder dengan pendekatan kontekstual pada materi teorema Pythagoras Kelas VIII di SMP Negeri 43 Jakarta. Berdasarkan hasil validasi produk, rata-rata kelayakan yang diperoleh dari semua penilaian adalah 83% dan jika diinterpretasikan media pembelajaran ini mendapat kategori sangat baik. Maka dapat dikatakan bahwa media pembelajaran interaktif online berbasis Desmos Activity Builder dengan pendekatan kontekstual pada materi teorema Pythagoras Kelas VIII di SMP Negeri 43 Jakarta tergolong dalam kategori kelayakan sangat baik untuk digunakan dan dimanfaatkan sebagai media pembelajaran atau sumber belajar alternatif bagi siswa kelas VIII SMP dalam mempelajari materi teorema Pythagoras.
Advancements in Expanded Clay Manufacturing Using "Clay-Desert Sand-Oil Sludge" Sludge Composite Materials
Authors: Narmanova Rosa
Published: April 2024

This study explores the development of resource-saving expanded clay technology utilizing underutilized clay raw materials and oil extraction waste. Traditional expanded clay production is energy-intensive and often employs high-quality clay; however, our research identifies technological modes and parameters for producing expanded clay through plastic molding, incorporating substandard raw materials and oil sludge. This method eliminates the need for costly energy-releasing additives and reduces energy costs associated with drying and firing by 25-30%. The research aims to demonstrate the feasibility of this novel production technique in the Republic of Kazakhstan, considering the local availability of raw materials, energy resources, and regional demand for thermal insulation materials in industrial and civil construction. Our findings suggest that integrating 'Desert Sand-Oil Sludge' into the batch composition can effectively produce granulated porous thermal insulation material, aligning with the region's development strategy and offering significant economic and environmental benefits.

Highlights:

Resource Utilization: Uses oil waste and substandard clay to produce expanded clay, reducing reliance on high-quality materials.

Energy Savings: Cuts energy costs for production by 25-30% through innovative processing.

Regional Benefit: Aligns with Kazakhstan's strategy by utilizing local resources and supporting construction needs.

Keywords: Expanded Clay, Oil Sludge, Desert Sand
Financing natural infrastructure : the Elizabeth River Project, Chesapeake Bay, VA
Authors: Kalaidjian Ellis , Kurth Margaret , Greenfeld Bari , Smith Matthew
Published: April 2024

Knowledge gaps surrounding natural infrastructure (NI) life cycles and performance thwart widespread implementation of NI in civil works projects. In particular, information about funding or financing the scoping, design, construction, monitoring, and adaptive management of NI projects constitutes a key need as there is no standard process for securing funds. This technical note is part of a series documenting successful examples of funding NI projects and sharing lessons learned about a variety of funding and financing methods to increase the implementation of NI projects. The research effort is a collaboration between the Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) and Systems Approach to Geomorphic Engineering (SAGE) programs of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This technical note explores how the Elizabeth River Project (ERP), a nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, developed a homeowner cost-sharing program to fund NI projects—living shorelines, rain gardens, and riparian buffers—within an urban watershed.
Localization of High-Titanium Dolerites in Kimberlite Fields: Possible Causes and a New Criterion for Kimberlite Search
Authors: Tomshin M.D. , Pokhilenko N.P. , Gogoleva S.S. , Zemnukhov A.L.
Published: April 2024

—The generalized chemical composition data on the studied dolerites from the Vilyui–Markha dike swarm (Vilyui paleorift) allowed detecting geochemically anomalous areas among them. It has been found that percentage of TiO2 and a number of heavy rare-earth elements (Th, Ta, Hf, Y, Nd) in the dolerites of dikes located within the kimberlite fields show almost twofold increase compared to the normal content for these elements in the Vilyui–Markha dolerites. Similar behavior of these elements is also observed in the dolerite dikes near the Kuoika kimberlite field (the Molodo dike swarm, Olenek paleorift). It is inferred that there is a connection between the increase in abundances of titanium and rare-earth elements in the dolerites and that the latter occur within the lithosphere blocks hosting kimberlite fields. The areas of lithospheric mantle roots linked with the formation of proto-kimberlites may have had bearing on the composition of tholeiite melt both in the processes of its generation and during its ascent to the Earth’s surface, which led to its local enrichment in titanium and a number of other elements. While the processes of the alignment of the geochemical composition between the high-titanium basites and the rest of the melt beyond the contours of the lithospheric blocks with kimberlite fields were weakly pronounced, they were responsible for appearance of zones enriched in titanium. Kimberlite fields that formed before or after basite magmas intrusion overlap with placements of high-titanium dolerite dikes. Thus, high-titanium dolerites in dike swarms (belts) can be used as one of the criteria for kimberlite searches. In view of the above, two new potential zones (Tenkelyakh and Kyulenke areas) for kimberlite exploration have been identified within the Vilyui–Markha dike swarm.
Antimalarial effect of ethanol extract of Parinari curatellifolia stem-bark in Plasmodium berghei-NK 65 infected mice.
Authors: Michael Lomi Oruchukwu , Joshua Parker Elijah , Amah Christian Chijioke , Okoro Ikechukwu Jacob , Felix Joshua Ogah
Published: April 2024

Background: The use of Parinari curatellifolia for the management of malaria by Africans without scientific validation, prompted this study, to investigate the antimalarial effect of ethanol extract of Parinari curatellifolia stem bark (EEPCSB) in Plasmodium berghei (NK-65)-infected mice.
Method: Thirty mice (16 -21 g) were grouped into six of five mice each. Group 1 (uninfected) served as normal control while groups 2-6 were infected. Group 2 (positive control) was untreated while group 3 (standard control) received 20/120 mg/kg b.w. of arthemeter/lumefantrine, groups 4-6 received 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg b.w. of EEPCSB respectively. The treatment lasted for four consecutive days. Parasitemia, heamatological and biochemical tests were carried out using established methods. The obtained data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Result: The extract significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed the parasitemia, and produced significant (p < 0.05) increase in the PCV, RBC, and Hgb and a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the WBC of groups 4-6 compared to the positive control. The liver function marker enzymes - AST, ALT, ALP, and total bilirubin were all significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in the treated animals, while there was a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and LDL, and a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the HDL of the infected animals compared to the positive control. While there was a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in lipid peroxidation marker MDA in the treated groups, the activities of the SOD and catalase, significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared to the positive control. The GSH concentration reduced significantly (p < 0.05) in the treated groups compared to the untreated group.
Conclusion: The extract showed excellent antimalarial effect by reducing parasitemia and reversing haematological and biochemical aberrations in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice as demonstrated in this study. Therefore, Parinari curatellifolia stem bark could be a source of lead compound for a novel and effective antimalarial drug.
WITHDRAWN: Crop management and distribution by linear programming method using the Excel software for planning the agricultural production
Authors: Fytilis Konstantinos , Karaouzas Ioannis
Published: April 2024

The full text of this preprint has been withdrawn by the authors as it was submitted and made public without the full consent of all the authors. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as a reference. Questions should be directed to the corresponding author.
KRAS silencing alters chromatin physical organization and transcriptional activity in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Martins Flávia , Machado Ana Luísa , Ribeiro Andreia , Oliveira Susana Mendonça , Carvalho Joana , Matthiesen Rune , Backman Vadim , Velho Sérgia
Published: April 2024

Clinical data revealed that KRAS mutant tumors, while initially sensitive to treatment, rapidly bypass KRAS dependence to acquire a drug-tolerant phenotype. However, the mechanisms underlying the transition from a drug-sensitive to a drug-tolerant state still elude us. Here, we show that global chromatin reorganization is a recurrent and specific feature of KRAS-dependent cells that tolerated KRAS silencing. We show that KRAS-dependent cells undergo G0/G1 cell cycle arrest after KRAS silencing, presenting a transcriptomic signature of quiescence. Proteomic analysis showed upregulated chromatin-associated proteins and transcription-associated biological processes. Accordingly, these cells shifted euchromatin/heterochromatin states, gained topologically associating domains, and altered the nanoscale physical organization of chromatin, more precisely by downregulating chromatin packing domains, a feature associated with the induction of quiescence. In addition, they also accumulated transcriptional alterations over time leading to a diversification of biological processes, linking chromatin alterations to transcriptional performance. Overall, our observations pinpoint a novel molecular mechanism of tolerance to KRAS oncogenic loss driven not by specific gene alterations but by global reorganization of genomic information, in which cells transition chromatin domain structure towards a more quiescent state and gain transcriptional reprogramming capacity
Functional Transitions of the Default Mode Network Predict Self-Reported Resilience
Authors: Goh Joshua , Hsu Chun-Wei , Hsieh Shulan , Lin Wan-Rue , Chang Ya-Ting , Su Yu-Shiang , Yang Cheng-Ta , Chang Yun-Hsuan , Lin Sheng-Hsiang
Published: April 2024

How the brain maintains stability in its internal states is fundamental to understanding human resilience of psychological states against external perturbations. Here, we evaluated the neurocomputational stability of the default mode network (DMN) using indices of its functional transitions based on multi-voxel states and conventional regional mean responses, and examined associations with self-reported resilience. Smaller DMN functional state transitions selectively predicted greater perceived self-resilience amidst lower life outlook or social support. Transitions of DMN mean responses were broadly associated with generic resilience measures, albeit susceptible to signal confounds. These findings form a foundational basis for making neurocomputational linkages between subjective experience and brain functional dynamics. Implications are also present for targeted interventions that fortify brain stability and mental resilience amidst environmental stressors.
Adversarial selective domain adaptation with feature cluster for skin cancer diagnosis
Authors: Gou Qiyu , Cui Guanxun
Published: April 2024

Medical imaging approaches widely employ deep neural networks for the investigation and diagnosis of different skin disorders. However, recent studies suggest that even a proficient model based on deep learning might struggle with generalization when applied to datasets from disparate cohorts due to domain shift phenomena. Meanwhile, there are usually need many well-labelled images utilized for the training process to attain a stronger level of performance. In order to alleviate the domain shift and the necessity for adequate training data, we introduce a novel method termed as adversarial selective domain adaption with feature cluster (ASDA). It achieves effective performance improvement of model when the target dataset is smaller than the source dataset. Specifically, we generate a set of feature clusters for each sample in the target domain to alleviate the demand for data. Subsequently, a conditional domain adversarial network is used to mitigate domain shift. Finally, due to consistency issues between feature clusters and samples, we propose a method of selective minmax entropy to maintain consistency. Our method diverges from typical domain adaption approaches that solely target reducing the domain gap. Instead, we address both the discrepancy between domains and the problem of limited data in the target dataset simultaneously. Extensive experiments have been undertaken on datasets pertaining to skin cancer, that confirms ASDA's efficacy in skin cancer diagnosis for dermatoscopic and clinic image.
Experimental study on mechanical properties and breakage of high temperature carbon fiber-bar reinforced concrete under impact load
Authors: Wang Hao , Lv Nao , Lu Ziyi , Wang Haibo , Zong Qi
Published: April 2024

To investigate the effects of high temperature and carbon fiber-bar reinforcement on the dynamic mechanical properties of concrete materials, a muffle furnace was used to treat two kinds of specimens, plain and carbon fiber-bar reinforced concrete, at high temperatures of 25, 200, 400 and 600 ℃. Impact compression tests were carried out on two specimens after high-temperature exposure using a Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test setup combined with a high-speed camera device to observe the crack extension process of the specimens. The effects of high temperature and carbon fiber-bar reinforcement on the peak stress, energy dissipation density, crack propagation and fractal dimension of the concrete were analyzed. The results showed that the corresponding peak strengths of the plain concrete specimens at 25, 200, 400, and 600°C were 88.37, 93.21, 68.85, and 54.90 MPa, respectively, and the peak strengths after the high-temperature exposure first increased slightly and then decreased rapidly. The mean peak strengths corresponding to the carbon fiber-bar reinforced concrete specimens after high-temperature action at 25, 200, 400, and 600°C are 1.13, 1.13, 1.21, and 1.19 times that of plain concrete, respectively, and the mean crushing energy consumption densities are 1.27, 1.31, 1.73, and 1.59 times that of plain concrete, respectively. The addition of carbon fiber-bar reinforcement significantly enhanced the impact resistance and energy dissipation of the concrete structure, and the higher the temperature was, the more significant the increase. An increase in temperature increases the number of crack extensions and width, and the high tensile strength of the carbon fiber-bar reinforcement and the synergistic effect with the concrete material reduce the degree of crack extension in the specimen. The fractal dimension of the concrete ranged from 1.92 to 2.68, that of the carbon fiber-bar reinforced concrete specimens ranged from 1.61 to 2.42, and the mean values of the corresponding fractal dimensions of the plain concrete specimens after high-temperature effects at 25, 200, 400, and 600°C were 1.19, 1.21, 1.10, and 1.11 times those of the fiber-reinforced concrete specimens, respectively. The incorporation of carbon fiber-bar reinforcement reduces the degree of rupture and fragmentation of concrete under impact loading and improves the safety and stability of concrete structures.
HDR-DANet: Single HDR Image Reconstruction via Dual Attention
Authors: Ma Jindong , Zhang Haitao
Published: April 2024

Restoring high dynamic range images with a single low dynamic range image is a challenging task due to the limited brightness range captured by most consumer camera sensors, leading to missing details in overexposed or underexposed areas of the image. The current methods suffer from weak reconstruction ability for inconspicuous complex features in the extreme exposure area, resulting in arti-facts still appearing in the extreme exposure area after reconstruction. This paper proposes an end-to-end network based on dual attention to solve this problem. Specifically, this paper designs a pixel-level spatial attention mechanism with luminance mask to refine the spatial attention to the pixel level, and can focus on inconspicuous feature areas in the overexposed and underexposed regions. This paper also designs a concentrated channel attention mechanism to maximize the use of image context information, accurately assigning the channel weight and effectively extracting the complex features in the image. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations show the superiority of our approach over state-of-the-art methods.
RETRACTED: Global distributions of reactive iron and aluminum minerals govern soil carbon storage
Authors: Zhou Zhenghu , Ren Siyu , Wang Chuankuan
Published: April 2024

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Classification of pre-seismic gravity perturbation and background noises based on scattering network
Authors: Gou Jianing , Liu Zhenghua , Li Ji , Liu Ziwei
Published: April 2024

The surge of tidal gravity data collected in China is outpacing our abilities for analysis, and it is challenging for human expert to deal with such huge datasets. Moreover, there is no chance for experts to detect earthquake related signal in time due to sophisticated signal processing procedure. In this paper, we attempt to use scattering network to extract features from continues gravity data, and apply gaussian mixture model to classify earthquake-related signals and background noises in an unsupervised way. We take The Yangbi and Maduo earthquakes for example. The Yangbi Ms6.4 (99.87°E, 25.67°N) and Maduo Ms7.4 (98.34°E, 34.59°N) Earthquake occurred successively on May 21–22, 2021 in Dali, Yunnan Province and Guoluo, Qinghai Province of China. The 1Hz sampling records from 4 tidal gravimeters near the epicenter, including one superconductivity gravimeters (#066) and three gPhone gravimeters (YL, GRM and LS stations), altogether spanning from 11th May to 22th May, 2021, were obtained and analyzed. Just simple preprocessing for the raw gravity data (earth tide and air pressure corrections), various signals are identified using scattering network, including background noises, coseismic gravity change and possible preseismic gravity perturbation, which could be caused by the slow strike-slip of fault during earthquake preparation. YL station, about 53 km away from the epicenter of the Yangbi earthquake, show no obvious anomaly signal in spectrogram on May 15–19, but the possible gravity perturbation could be detect indirectly using scattering network, same for the other stations. In this paper, we demonstrate how scattering network may be used to identify weak pre-seismic gravity anomaly signals, enabling real-time seismic monitoring with tidal gravimeters array.
Giant impact on early Ganymede and its subsequent reorientation
Authors: Hirata Naoyuki
Published: April 2024

The origin and early evolution of the Jovian moon Ganymede, known to have an internal ocean1,2, have garnered considerable interest in the field of origin of satellites and life. Ganymede has an ancient impact structure, called a furrow system3-7. The furrow system is the largest impact structures in the outer solar system and the impact should have significantly affected Ganymede’s early history; however, its impact is poorly understood. Here we show that mass redistribution induced by the furrow-forming impact caused a reorientation (true polar wander) of Ganymede. The center of the furrow system is located close to the tidal axis, indicating that the impact created a positive mass anomaly that reoriented the impact site toward the tidal axis. We found that an impactor with a radius of 150 km and an incidence angle between 60° and 90°can reproduce the current location of the furrow system. Furthermore, this ejecta model is adoptable in Pluto’s reorientation. Although it is proposed that Pluto’s reorientation indicates the presence of a global ocean8,9, our model indicates that it occurs even if no ocean.
HPV vaccine uptake, HPV infection and vaccination related knowledge and health beliefs among health sciences students in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu: An analytical cross-sectional study
Authors: Sanjay Madhavan , Narendranath Raveendran , Seetharaman Narayanan , Naidu Deepika , Kumar Mohan
Published: April 2024

Background: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, is the leading cause of cervical cancer. However, it is preventable.
Objectives:To determine the prevalence of HPV vaccine uptake among health sciences students in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu; and to determine the levels of knowledge and health beliefs regarding HPV infection and vaccination.
Methods:This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted among health sciences students in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu between November 2022, and January 2023.
Results: A total of 1139 participants of mean (SD) age 19.5 years (1.5) were enrolled. More than two thirds were females (68.1%). The prevalence of HPV vaccine uptake was 5.0%; of which 87.6% were recommended by doctors. Of the 1082 participants who had not taken HPV vaccine, 35.8% were willing to take if provided free of cost. Only 4.8% participants had adequate overall knowledge regarding HPV infection and vaccination; with 9.8% having adequate general HPV knowledge, 29.3% having adequate HPV vaccine knowledge, 4.0% having adequate HPV testing, and 4.0% having adequate HPV vaccine availability knowledge. One in five (19.4%) participants had favourable/appropriate health beliefs regarding HPV infection and its vaccination – with 43.5% having perceived benefits, 39.5% having perceived sensitivity, 34.6% having perceived severity, and 19.8% having perceived obstacles. The overall HPV – Knowledge scale scores (HPV-KS) and overall HPV infection and vaccine health belief model scale (HBMS-HPVV) scores had a significant positive correlation (r=0.251; p=<0.001). Participants with employed mothers, from upper socioeconomic status, with history of HPV vaccination in the family, and uptake of HPV vaccine for self were associated with significantly higher overall HPV-KS scores. Similarly, overall HBMS-HPVV scores were significantly higher among participants from urban family residence, with literate mothers, and from upper socioeconomic status.
Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of multifaceted interventions that address knowledge gaps, dispel myths or misconceptions, and tailor messaging to resonate with diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The antioxidant ability and cytotoxicity of extracted and purified R-phycoerythrin from commercial porphyra haitanensis
Authors: Haizhao Huang , Yifan Zhao , Chunchun Wang , Meng Li , Wu Xialing , Yucang Zhang
Published: April 2024

Porphyra haitanensis was popular as healthy food source. People mainly absorbed nutrient by intaking porphyra haitanensis foods, which leaded to poor utilization of the fluorescence characteristics of R-phycoerythrin(R-PE) in porphyra haitanensis. In this study, the R-PE protein was extracted by freeze-thawing cycle assisted with sonication and then purified from commercial porphyra haitanensis. For the purified R-PE, there was a maximum absorbance peak at 565 nm and a maximum fluorescence peak at 575 nm. SDS-PAGE result showed there were three bands-α, β, γ corresponded to 19 kDa, 20 kDa and 32 kDa. And the LC-MS results showed it was corresponded to the wild type R-PE. The purified R-PE was stable between the pH from 5 to 10 and temperature from 25 ℃ to 55 ℃. It was sensitive to Cu2 + at the limitation of 65 nM. Also, the purified R-PE behaved the good antioxidant activity of 1 mg/mL concentration and little cytotoxicity of L02 cells. These results indicated the R-PE extracted and purified from commercial porphyra haitanensis could be used as fluorescent probe to detect Cu2+ and antioxidant raw material in vitro and in vivo potentially.
“We are actually being involved in management of the patient”: A qualitative exploration of experiences of students and faculty regarding the use of clinical simulation in Busitema University and Lira University
Authors: Epuitai Joshua , Adongo Pamella R. , Oboth Paul , Apili Felister , Kumakech Edward , Owusu-Sekyere Samuel , Wandabwa Julius N
Published: April 2024

Introduction: Experiences regarding the use of simulation in low-resource settings like Uganda where it has not taken root have not been explored. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of students, clinical staff, and faculty regarding the use of clinical simulation in teaching undergraduate students.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted at Busitema and Lira Universities in Uganda. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with the faculty staff and 10 focused group discussions with undergraduate Nursing, Midwifery, Medical and Anesthesia students. The study obtained ethical clearance from the Busitema University Research and Ethics Committee (BUFHS-2023-78) and Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (HS3027ES). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data
Results: Four themes emerged from the data. Simulation was seen to be about improvising and (return) demonstration. Concerns of realism were expressed including notions that simulation was not real, that simulation felt real and the extreme end that simulation tends to present the ideal setting. Perceived benefits of simulation include room for mistakes and immediate feedback, enhanced confidence and self-efficacy, enhanced acquisition of soft and clinical skills, prepares students for clinical placement, convenient and accessible. Concerns were expressed related to whether skills in clinical simulation would translate to clinical competence in the clinical setting
Conclusion: Students perceived simulation to be beneficial. However, concerns about realism and transferability of skills to clinical settings were noted. Clarifying preconceived notions against the use of clinical simulation will enhance its utilization in educational settings where simulation is not readily embraced.
Phase field fracture modelling of flexible piezoelectric materials considering different electrical boundary conditions
Authors: Lv Shihao , Li Bingyang , Shi Yan , Gao Cunfa
Published: April 2024

Flexible piezoelectric materials have gained considerable attention due to their remarkable properties, including electromechanical coupling and high stretchability. These materials have found extensive applications in the field of flexible electronic devices. However, the issue of fracture in flexible piezoelectrics cannot be ignored. In general, these flexible/stretchable materials experience fractures when subjected to significant deformation. While previous studies have primarily focused on fracture problems of brittle piezoelectric materials with low failure strain. There is a need to investigate the fracture behavior of flexible piezoelectrics with finite deformation. Within the framework of the phase field method, this work addresses the fracture of flexible piezoelectrics utilizing a nonlinear electromechanical material model. To solve the coupled governing equations, a residual controlled staggered algorithm (RCSA) is employed in the user element subroutine of commercial software ABAQUS. By utilizing the phase field method and a nonlinear electromechanical material model, this study provides insights into the fracture mechanisms and the effects of various factors on the fracture behavior of these materials. Specifically, the effects of external electric fields, displacements, and various electrical boundary conditions across the crack are investigated. This research contributes to a better understanding of flexible piezoelectric materials and can aid in the development of strategies to enhance their fracture resistance and durability in practical applications.
A framework for harmonized cross-border seismic risk assessment
Authors: Babič Anže , Polese Maria , Tocchi Gabriella , Faravelli Marta , Borzi Barbara , Dolšek Matjaž
Published: April 2024

In transboundary areas, harmonizing risk assessment across borders is essential for effective risk management. However, differing methodologies for seismic risk assessment used by different countries can yield unequal results on either side of the border. This study presents a framework for harmonized cross-border time-based risk assessment, built upon established seismic risk assessment practices at the national level. The framework considers cross-border hazard, exposure, fragility, and consequence models, aiming to harmonize different data sources, methodologies, and models. An emphasis is given to a heuristic approach for the harmonization of fragility curves defined in the national fragility models. The proposed framework is implemented for the Italian-Slovenian cross-border region defined by municipalities near Gorizia and Nova Gorica. The results reveal differences in seismic risk levels between the building stocks on the Slovenian and Italian sides, primarily due to higher building density, seismic hazard, and vulnerability in Italy, while the seismic risk to people was observed to be nearly equal for urban centres like Gorizia and Nova Gorica. These findings can be used to design joint strategies for long-term risk management of the analysed cross-border region. However, further research is needed, particularly to overcome limitations related to the data sources of the exposure models and methodologies for fragility and consequence models, which can be addressed over a long period through systematic standardization of cross-border seismic risk assessment.
PFDP: Privacy-preserving Federated Distillation Method for Pretraining Language Models
Authors: Chen Chaomeng , Su Sen
Published: April 2024

Advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) have been significantly driven by the adoption of comprehensive pretrained language models (PLMs) such as BERT, RoBERTa.
Nevertheless, increasing concerns regarding data privacy and the enforcement of stringent data protection regulations, such as PDPA and GDPR, have highlighted the limitations of traditional centralized machine learning methods.
Federated Learning (FL) emerges as a promising solution that mitigates privacy concerns by training models on client devices and aggregating the parameters on a central server, thus avoiding direct data transfer.
Despite its considerable potential, FL?s application in NLP faces numerous challenges.
These include the need to replicate architectural designs across different devices, the management of non-Independent and Identically Distributed (non-IID) data, and the significant communication overhead caused by frequent transfers of model parameters.
Federated Distillation (FD) has been proposed to overcome these challenges by facilitating information transfer through unlabeled public proxy datasets. This approach helps to reduce communication costs and promotes collaboration among different model architectures. However, FD carries potential privacy risks and may result in substantial loss of previously acquired knowledge, thus diminishing the model's effectiveness.
To address these issues, we introduce the Privacy-preserving Federated Distillation Method for Pretraining Language Models (PFDP).
Our approach distinguishes itself from conventional methods by injecting noise into a select portion of a predetermined dataset, thereby minimizing its impact on the model's utility. Besides, PFDP utilizes transfer learning to improve the generalization abilities of the global model and reduce the impact of catastrophic forgetting. The extensive assessment across many classification tasks illustrates the efficacy of PFDP in enhancing accuracy while safeguarding privacy.