bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease: can you recognise it?
Authors: Mariotto Sara
Published: February 2025

At the 2024 annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), Professor Sara Mariotto presented a case study that demonstrated the diagnosis and treatment challenges of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). This article provides an overview of this presentation, highlighting key points for consideration.
Key takeaways from the ACPN's acute kidney injury plenary sessions
Authors: Mcgeever Linnet
Published: February 2025

Linnet Mcgeever recaps a series of talks given as part of the Association of Coloproctology Nurses' plenary sessions, delivered at the annual UK coloproctology conference in July 2024.
AVALIAÇÃO DE DESEMPENHO NA CADEIA DE SUPRIMENTOS: ANÁLISE DAS CARACTERÍSTICAS DE UM FRAGMENTO DA LITERATURA E OPORTUNIDADES DE PESQUISA
Authors: Da Silva Gonçalves Werner Camila , Da Silva de Oliveira Raimunda Macilena , Sausen Soares Cristiano , Costa da Silva Zonatto Vinícius
Published: February 2025

A Avaliação de Desempenho é um relevante instrumento gerencial em diferentes contextos organizacionais, auxiliando as organizações na busca de vantagens competitivas, sobretudo quando estruturadas em uma cadeia de suprimentos. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar características da pesquisa e oportunidades para estudos futuros acerca da avaliação de desempenho na cadeia de suprimentos, no contexto nacional e internacional, no período de 2010 a 2021. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, descritiva e bibliográfica, realizada com o auxílio do Knowledge Development Process-Constructivist (ProKnow-C) para seleção do Portfólio Bibliográfico contendo 21 artigos, submetidos à análise bibliométrica básica e avançada. Os resultados indicam predominância de pesquisas na fase inicial do ciclo de vida dos Sistemas de Avaliação de Desempenho, enfatizando a eficiência e eficácia dos indicadores, por meio da medição de desempenho. Identifica-se também que os países mais profícuos sobre a temática são a Índia e o Brasil, havendo a predisposição de novos estudos sobre cadeias de suprimentos verdes e sustentáveis. Este artigo contribui com a literatura ao apresentar tendências da pesquisa, como estudos em cadeias de suprimentos sustentáveis, oferecendo alternativas para a prática de gestão de desempenho interorganizacional.Palavras-chave: Cadeia Produtiva; Organizações Interligadas; Sistema de Avaliação de Desempenho.
TETO DE VIDRO INTERSECCIONAL: BARREIRAS NO PERCURSO EM DIREÇÃO AO SOL
Authors: Ferreira Claudia Aparecida Avelar , Nunes Simone Costa
Published: February 2025

O estudo teve o objetivo de compreender a barreira interseccional e os desafios estruturais de uma mulher negra que quebrou o teto de vidro interseccional e assentou na cadeira número um de corporações globais. Foi adotada a categoria analítica da interseccionalidade por demonstrar o sexismo, o racismo e a classe social na concepção estrutural e intracategórica, apontando como as estruturas gênero, raça e classe social marginalizam as mulheres negras. Trata-se de pesquisa descritiva e qualitativa, baseada em dados do livro de Rachel Maia: Meu Caminho até a Cadeira Número 1, tendo sido adotada a técnica análise de conteúdo. Os resultados demonstram que as barreiras passam pelo sexismo, racismo, classe social, sendo que os desafios foram dupla jornada, educação/mobilidade social, identidade e estereótipos. A quebra do teto de vidro interseccional é um processo complexo por causa das diversas violências e obstáculos no campo organizacional. Além disso, ter qualificação é outra dificuldade porque a maioria das mulheres negras se encontram marginalizadas e, por isso, as políticas afirmativas são fundamentais para a mobilidade intergeracional. Espera-se que este estudo possa fomentar novos estudos e debates na academia e nas organizações.
“BODY AND SOUL”: QUAIS OS BENEFÍCIOS DA ESPIRITUALIDADE PARA OS INDIVÍDUOS E AS ORGANIZAÇÕES? DESBRAVANDO OS CENÁRIOS DE PESQUISA E (RE)DESENHANDO NOVAS OPORTUNIDADES
Authors: Malheiros Michel Barboza , Tontini Julia , Wegner Roger da Silva , Richter Julia
Published: February 2025

O objetivo desta pesquisa é identificar os benefícios da espiritualidade no trabalho para indivíduos e organizações, por meio de uma revisão sistemática da literatura. Foram analisados 37 estudos da base de dados Web of Science. Os resultados destacam a relação da espiritualidade com liderança, desempenho, gestão do estresse, comportamento de cidadania organizacional, satisfação e bem-estar. Também foram evidenciados benefícios para indivíduos (como maior motivação) e para organizações (como aumento da produtividade). Esse estudo apresenta como contribuição a sistematização do conhecimento disponível com os principais avanços no campo, destacando os benefícios da espiritualidade para os indivíduos e para as organizações. Além disso, a agenda de pesquisa apresenta oportunidades ainda inexploradas e que podem contribuir para o avanço progressivo da temática.
AS DIMENSÕES DO ENGAJAMENTO NO CONTEXTO DE NEGÓCIOS: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA DA LITERATURA E AGENDA DE ESTUDOS FUTUROS
Authors: Kortz Bruno José Viana , Piato Éderson Luiz
Published: February 2025

O avanço tecnológico, principalmente com as redes sociais, impulsionou o fenômeno do engajamento em diversos setores produtivos, reformulando teorias e metodologias organizacionais e estabelecendo novas relações entre stakeholders. Este estudo visa oferecer uma revisão sistemática da literatura para mapear as principais dimensões do engajamento no contexto de negócios e identificar oportunidades de pesquisa. A análise de 688 artigos indexados nas bases Scopus e Web of Science foi realizada por meio do software VOSviewer, o que permitiu identificar padrões de engajamento em quatro dimensões principais: cliente, colaborador, corporativa e stakeholder. Os achados contribuem para o campo ao evidenciar a complexidade multidimensional do engajamento e sugerem uma agenda de pesquisa futura que explora novas abordagens de mensuração e integração estratégica do engajamento como um fator central para o desempenho organizacional. Esses resultados oferecem implicações práticas e acadêmicas ao destacar a relevância do engajamento para aprimorar as relações organizacionais e a performance empresarial.
GESTÃO DO CONHECIMENTO E DESIGUALDADES NAS ORGANIZAÇÕES: UMA ABORDAGEM CRÍTICA A PARTIR DA TEORIA FEMINISTA
Authors: Elias Maria Ligia Ganacim Granado Rodrigues , Rezende Daniela Leandro
Published: February 2025

Campo de Conhecimento: Este artigo se insere no campo da Gestão do Conhecimento (GC). Objetivo: Discutir teoricamente sobre a GC, bem como sobre as desigualdades nas organizações, explorando a relevância de teorias críticas feministas que se somam às demais para delinear a temática. Metodologia/Abordagem: Revisão bibliográfica narrativa e abordagem reflexiva. Resultados e conclusões: Este estudo busca discutir as contribuições teóricas das abordagens feministas e críticas para o campo da GC, destacando a relevância do tema das desigualdades nas organizações. O artigo traz uma contribuição teórica ao sistematizar pontos-chave para a Gestão do Conhecimento nas Organizações e ao apresentar uma revisão da literatura feminista dos estudos organizacionais, promovendo uma reflexão original sobre as desigualdades nesse ambiente, ao abordá-las sob uma perspectiva interseccional com a GC.
ANÁLISE TÉCNICA: UMA COMPARAÇÃO DO COMPORTAMENTO DE MODELOS OPERACIONAIS ENTRE O MERCADO FRACIONÁRIO E LOTE PADRÃO POR MEIO DA ANÁLISE TÉCNICA
Authors: Osowski Vitor José , Hersen Amarildo
Published: February 2025

Com a crescente participação de investidores pessoa física na bolsa de valores e recursos financeiros iniciais cada vez menores, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral identificar se um modelo operacional baseado em análise técnica, quando aplicado em ações do mercado fracionário, mais próxima à realidade destes novos investidores, possui resultados diferentes do que se teria ao trabalhar com o mercado de lote padrão, onde grandes investidores atuam. O método empregado foi o estudo analítico de um conjunto de variáveis extraído de dois modelos operacionais, testados em 70 pares de ações integrantes da carteira Ibovespa no período de cinco anos. Dos modelos elaborados, um é voltado para a volatilidade e outro que realiza compras somente em tendência de alta. Os testes dos modelos apresentados foram realizados com código de programação, via backtest dos modelos, com uso do software ProfitPro. Nos testes, extraiu-se as seguintes variáveis para cada ação: i) quantidade total de operações; ii) taxa percentual de operações que finalizaram com lucro; iii) payoff; iv) fator lucro. As variáveis foram submetidas a estatísticas descritivas (média aritmética simples, desvio padrão, variância e coeficiente de variação) e inferencial (coeficiente de correlação de Pearson e teste t pareado). Ainda, o efeito do teste t também foi medido por meio do teste d de Cohen. Os resultados sugerem modesta diferença nas estatísticas descritivas. Na inferencial, as médias das variáveis mostraram-se não estatisticamente diferentes, contudo o teste d de Cohen e a elevada dispersão dos dados tornam essa afirmativa questionável.
“A Different Kind of Reality”: Monica Ali’s In the Kitchen as Global Gothic
Authors: Juhász Tamás
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Engaging with narrative motifs of death, ghostliness, and a variety of underground activities, this article reads contemporary British author Monica Ali’s In the Kitchen (2009) as a literary example of the global Gothic. The purpose of this approach is to arrive at a better comprehension of the social, economic, and geographical contexts from which In the Kitchen emerges and which impact, as I argue in the second half of the essay, the main character Gabriel’s emotional and ethical responses to the exploitative criminal practices he recognizes underpin Western consumerism. To this end, I first reflect on the rather mixed critical reception of In the Kitchen and argue that much of the negative criticism about its excess and incoherence in fact highlights Ali’s interest in the elusive, hard-to-follow structures of global commerce. I then situate the novel in relation to the contemporary literary Gothic and related conversations about the global, the postcolonial, and the transnational.
When Push Comes to Shove: (Dis)junctures in Utility, Purpose, and Meaning in White College Students' Intra-Racial Conversations About Race
Authors: Whitehead Melvin A. , Foste Zak H.
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Prior scholarship has documented the experiences of white students engaging in racial dialogues in curricular and co-curricular contexts, however less research considers their conversations about race within their white peer and family networks, specifically within the context of anti-racist practice. This constructivist grounded theory study examined what white students' experiences having intra-racial conversations about race mean within their anti-racist practice and what, if anything, these conversations do. Our analysis revealed participants' divergent understandings of anti-racist practice and the various meanings they ascribed to their intra-racial conversations within that practice. Most participants operated through a lens that evaded the role of socially constructed power and de-centered People of Color, which significantly influenced how they conceptualized their anti-racist practice, the nature and purpose of their conversations, and their experiences within these conversations. Findings from this study extend existing literature by suggesting white college students' systemic understandings about racism do not necessarily generate conversations that disrupt white supremacy. These findings prompt questions about how anti-racist praxis among white students can move forward when they (a) remove POC from how they even conceptualize the purpose of intra-racial conversations about race, and (b) idealize their conversations in ways that obscure these absences.
Nonmydriatic Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in the Federally Qualified Health Center Primary Care Setting: Comparison of Active Outreach Versus Point-of-Care Testing
Authors: Hidad Adam G. , Bryar Paul J.
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Purpose. This study evaluates the efficacy of a diabetic eye care coordinator (DECC) conducting non-mydriatic diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) compared with primary care team screenings at the point-of-care (POC). Methods. The DECC model involved one person scheduling stand-alone, non-mydriatic diabetic eye-screening appointments, while the POC model incorporated these screenings into primary care visits. Metrics analyzed included average weekly screening (AWS), rate of DR, and percentage of gradable images (%GI). Results. The DECC model significantly increased AWS (from 7.3 to 15.8, p=.0005) and %GI (from 70.90% to 83.5%, p=.002). The rate of DR was similar across both models (32.77% POC vs. 34.18% DECC, p=.89). Conclusion. Implementing a DECC model significantly boosts the efficiency of diabetic retinopathy screening processes in FQHCs, potentially enhancing vision preservation efforts.
Hepatitis C Care in the Greater New Orleans Area: Patient Perspectives on the Barriers and Facilitators to Care
Authors: Lane Brittany L. , Seal David W. , Robertson Dielda J. , Kendall Carl , Hall Casey D. Xavier , Mgbere Osaro , Kissinger Patricia J.
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Increasing engagement in hepatitis C virus (HCV) care and treatment will help mitigate HCV incidence, morbidity, and mortality in the United States. This study aimed to understand the multilevel factors affecting engagement in HCV care after implementation of a subscription-based payment model for HCV treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients with chronic HCV from a federally qualified health center in New Orleans, Louisiana. We used a convenience sampling method to recruit patients for the study. The interviews conducted between May 2020 and February 2021 explored factors influencing linkage to and retention in HCV care, using the socio-ecological model as the guiding framework. An analysis of the interviews with 39 patients revealed multilevel barriers to care, including instability, provider attitudes, prior care experiences, and the corrections system. Facilitators identified included personal health journey, network HCV experiences, and HCV awareness. A multilevel approach to facilitate engagement in HCV care is imperative.
Potential Implications of the Large Number of Respondents Who Prefer Not to Identify Gender or Race on Burnout Surveys
Authors: Linzer Mark , Johnson Dawn , Stillman Martin , Goelz Elizabeth
Published: February 2025

Abstract: In burnout surveys, five to 15% of respondents prefer not to identify (PNTI) gender, race, or ethnicity and are often ignored in survey findings, yet this group of respondents appears to have the highest burnout rates. While stress is higher in workers who are Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color (BIPOC), burnout is often reported to be lower than in non-Hispanic White workers. Hypothesized reasons for not identifying include personal safety, perceived vulnerability, and believing little will occur in response to findings. Messaging survey safety, revising demographic queries, and acting upon findings may encourage individuals to identify race, gender, and ethnicity. If more respondents identified race, ethnicity, and gender, this would allow us to gain a fuller understanding of the lived experiences of all health care worker groups; the impact this may have on burnout rates in under-represented groups remains to be determined.
Patient Navigation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A Potential Approach to Timely Diagnosis
Authors: Mombaur Busisiwe , Dias Kaiseree
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) poses challenges for timely diagnosis due to its protean early manifestations and lack of definitive tests. This article explores how patient navigation interventions can expedite diagnosis, particularly for underserved patients who face disproportionately longer delays. Patient navigation has proven effective in reducing disparities in various diseases by providing guidance and support to patients and caregivers. It enhances awareness, facilitates communication with health care providers, and streamlines diagnosis. Drawing from literature on patient navigation in other diseases, this article proposes tailored adaptations for ALS diagnosis and addresses potential implementation barriers and strategies to overcome them. Integrating patient navigation into the ALS diagnostic pathway holds promise for improving efficiency, optimizing outcomes, and reducing health care disparities among underserved populations.
Osaki Midori: The World of Wandering in the Realm of the Seventh Sense (Part 3) 尾崎翠・ 「第七官界彷徨」 の世界
Authors: Noriko Mizuta
Published: February 2025

Abstract: Osaki Midori (1896–1971) left behind only a few literary works before returning to her home in Tottori and falling silent. Yet these few avant-garde texts are now recognized as crucial to the study of Japanese women's modernist literature. As a woman writer who ignored the strict gender divisions of her time, her works continue to resonate with readers today. The mystery behind her forced return to Tottori and retirement from writing has prompted new attention to her life story, which seems to illustrate the conflict for women between a literary career and family obligations, and the realms she created in avant-garde prose that transcend the bounds of reality.
Through the Oral Histories of Okinawan Women: Gendered Experiences of Migration and Settlement in Argentina after the Pacific War 沖縄人女性のオーラル・ヒストリー−ジェンダーの観点から見た戦後アルゼンチンにおける移住と定住の経験
Authors: Ishihara Mariana Alonso
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This study examines the narrations of 13 Okinawan women who arrived in Argentina in the 1950s and 1960s through oral history and document analysis. It determines how women's perceptions of their formative wartime and migration experiences can testify to the gendered impact of these events on their experiences and the multifaceted agency of women in dealing with these memories. The narrators indicate the tension between expected roles of femininity and women's new ideas and how the past shaped their relationship with Okinawa and Japan in terms of diasporic identity. Further, this study presents how they actively engage with the dominant discourses of Japanese and Okinawan immigrants in Argentina while resisting a romanticized interpretation, demonstrating their agency in understanding their life stories, and negotiating their identities. Overall, this study expands upon the postwar generation's complex relationship with the discourses of gender, nation, and belongingness and diversifies their history.
Introduction to the Biophotonics Congress 2024 feature issue
Authors: Kang Dongkyun , Da Silva Anabela , Lynch Jennifer , Mallidi Srivalleesha , Pircher Michael , Saknite Inga
Published: February 2025

We present a feature issue containing 14 papers based on a subset of the studies presented during the Optica Biophotonics Congress: Biomedical Optics held on April 7-10, 2024, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
LoRePIE: ℓ0 regularized extended ptychographical iterative engine for low-dose and fast electron ptychography
Authors: Moshtaghpour Amirafshar , Velazco-Torrejon Abner , Robinson Alex W. , Browning Nigel D. , Kirkland Angus I.
Published: February 2025

The extended Ptychographical Iterative Engine (ePIE) is a widely used phase retrieval algorithm for electron ptychography from 4-dimensional (4-D) ccanning transmission electron microscopy (4-D STEM) measurements acquired with a focused or defocused electron probe. However, ePIE relies on redundancy in the data and hence requires adjacent illuminated areas to overlap. In this paper, we propose a regularized variant of ePIE that is more robust to low overlap ratios. We examine the performance of the proposed algorithm on an experimental 4-D STEM data of double layered Rotavirus particles acquired in a full scan with 85% overlap. By artificial down-sampling of the probe positions, we have created synthetic 4-D STEM datasets with different overlap ratios and use these to show that a high quality reconstruction of Rotavirus particles can be obtained from data with an overlap as low as 56%.
Resource allocation and BER performance analysis in OFDMA VLC systems
Authors: Forouzesh Moslem , Kashef Seyed Sadra
Published: February 2025

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) can be utilized for remote observation of patients and old individuals at home as medical applications. Visible light communication (VLC) has been proposed as an efficient technology for medical WBANs. By considering the key feature of VLC systems, VLC can be used in extra-WBAN links from node (patients) to access point. Since symbol error rates (SERs) is critical metric in medical WBANs, we propose joint power and subcarrier allocation scheme in VLC systems to minimize SERs subject to transmit power limitation, and required minimum rate for each user. Here, the improved channel model is utilized for VLC link between different numbers of patients and access point which is considered received signal power dependence noise (RSN). In addition, the effect of tilting assisted receiver on resource allocation is evaluated. Moreover, to address real-world challenges like patient movement and obstructions, we propose incorporating wall-mounted mirrors to reflect light signals and thus maintain reliable communication, considering both line-of-sight (LoS) and non-line-of-sight (NLoS) transmission. The numerical results indicate that RSN and receiver tilting have a significant impact on the allocation of resources. Furthermore, it is shown that outage probability can approach zero using the NLoS link of proposed wall-mounted mirrors.
GitHub enables collaborative and reproducible laboratory research
Authors: Chen Katharine Y. , Toro-Moreno Maria , Subramaniam Arvind Rasi
Published: February 2025

GitHub, a platform widely used in software development, offers a robust framework for documenting all activities of laboratory research projects. This Community Page highlights the benefits of, and provides guidance for, incorporating the GitHub ecosystem into “wet” lab workflows.
Scoping review protocol: The chrononutrition factors in association with glycemic outcomes in adult population
Authors: Chong Guey Yong , Kaur Satvinder , Talib Ruzita Abd , Loy See Ling , Tan Hui Yin , Mok Kok Hoe Wilfred , Chen Ling-Wei , Siah Woan Yie , Chee Yin Yin , June Lem Ee Mun , Koo Hui Chin
Published: February 2025

Chrononutrition, which examines the relationship between circadian rhythms and nutrition, has been associated with glycemic outcomes in adults. However, published data on delayed meal timing, increased meal frequency and frequent breakfast skipping have shown inconsistent glycemic outcomes due to variations in methodologies and populations studied. This review presents the scoping review protocol designed to map the evidence on the association between chrononutrition factors and glycemic outcomes in adults. The methodology framework from Arksey and O’Malley will be adapted for this scoping review. Relevant publications will be searched on databases including PubMed, EBSCO Host, ProQuest Central, MEDLINE & Ovid, Scopus and Web of Science. This review focuses on original articles published from January 2014 to 2024, involving participants aged 18 years and older, published in English, and encompassing experimental and observational studies. A comprehensive keyword search strategy will be developed to identify relevant articles. Two reviewers will independently screen the abstracts and titles to determine the eligibility. Subsequently, the full text of potentially eligible articles will be reviewed by additional independent reviewer for final inclusion, with full text screening being verified by two reviewers, and interrater reliability will be conducted. Data from the included articles will be extracted, collated and charted to summarize the relevant methods, outcomes and key findings. This Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist will be used to guide the development of protocol. This scoping review represents a novel approach to summarize the association between chrononutrition factors and glycemic outcomes among adults. We anticipate the findings of the review will provide stakeholder with crucial evidence-based information for development of effective intervention to manage glycemic outcome in adults. This protocol has been prospectively registered in the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PA9BU).
Measuring progress in availability and readiness of Basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC) services in Bangladesh, 2014–2017
Authors: Sayeed Abu , Saha Nondo , Akter Ema , Hasan Md. Mehedi , Pickard Anita , Saha Anindita , Siddique Abu Bakkar , Hossain Aniqa Tasnim , Ameen Shafiqul , Jabeen Sabrina , Islam Tanjeena Tahrin , Hossain Lubna , Raza Sahar , Tanvir K. M. , Rahman Fariya , Jahan Farhana , Alam Mohammed Ahsanul , Arifeen Shams El , Rahman Ahmed Ehsanur , Ahmed Anisuddin
Published: February 2025

Increasing the availability and readiness of basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC) services is essential for improving maternal and neonatal health. However, little is known about any progress made in the availability and readiness of BEmONC services in Bangladesh. Using nationally representative data from the Bangladesh Health Facility Survey conducted between 2014 and 2017, we measured changes in the availability and readiness of BEmONC services in health facilities in Bangladesh, calculating the BEmONC service availability and readiness scores according to the World Health Organization Service Availability and Readiness Assessment guideline. The percentage of health facilities performing all seven basic signal functions declined slightly from 13% in 2014 to 11% in 2017. The decline was largely noticed in Maternal and Child Welfare Centers, Upazila Health Complexes, and Union Subcenter/Rural Dispensaries, as well as in all divisions except Rangpur. No remarkable changes in overall readiness of health facilities across location, division and facility type were observed between 2014 and 2017. However, significant reductions in availability and readiness were noticed when item-specific assessment was made. Type of health facility was significantly associated with both availability and readiness scores in adjusted regression models. Appropriate strategies and efforts could improve the availability and readiness of BEmONC services in health facilities in Bangladesh.
Energy-environmental evaluation of conventional and variable rate technology sprayer; application of Life Cycle Assessment
Authors: Fathi Rostam , Ghasemi-Nejad-Raeini Mahmoud , Abdanan Mehdizadeh Saman , Taki Morteza , Mardani Najafabadi Mostafa
Published: February 2025

The objective of this research was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the energy and environmental efficiency of a smart sprayer with a variable rate in orange production. The smart sprayer was developed from a standard orchard sprayer with a fixed rate using different equipment. Energy indicators, encompassing energy efficiency, energy productivity, energy intensity and net energy gain, were calculated. Environmental indicators, including global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication and human toxicity potentials, were estimated using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method in 15 midpoint and 4 endpoint categories. The findings demonstrated that the smart sprayer with a variable rate held a significant advantage over the conventional sprayer with a fixed rate in terms of reducing the pesticide deposition on the trees, lowering pesticide consumption, increasing the energy efficiency and productivity and mitigating the environmental impacts. The maximum pesticide lowering was 46%, achieved at a speed of 1.6 km.hr-1. The energy efficiency and productivity changed from 0.594 to 0.650 and from 0.313 to 0.342 kg.MJ-1, respectively. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) declined from 422.860 to 407.573 kg CO2 eq per ton of orange production. The reduction of chemical pesticide, diesel fuel and agricultural machinery consumption contributed to the decrease in environmental emissions. Consequently, the smart sprayer with a variable rate emerged as a significantly more sustainable and efficient solution for orange production.
Effects of initial foot position on neuromuscular and biomechanical control during the stand-to-sit movement: Implications for rehabilitation strategies
Authors: Jeon Woohyoung , Dalby Ashley , Dong Xuanliang Neil , Goh Chung-Hyun
Published: February 2025

Background

Initial foot position (IFP) is one of the important movement strategies that influence neuromuscular and biomechanical control during sit-to-stand (STS) movements. Similarly, stand-to-sit (StandTS) is vital in rehabilitation settings for evaluating strength and balance control during descending movements. Understanding how IFP impacts changes in biomechanical and neuromuscular movement control factors during StandTS can provide valuable insights for designing effective rehabilitation programs.

Methods

Twelve healthy young adults participated in this study, examining three symmetric IFPs: (1) REF (reference); (2) wide: each foot was shifted outwards by 30% from REF; (3) TO (toes-out): symmetric toes-out angle of 30° from REF. Kinematic and kinetic differences among the three IFPs during StandTS were analyzed, along with the characteristics of muscle activation patterns using muscle synergy analysis.

Results

In the wide IFP, trunk flexion angle was reduced, and valgus angle was greater than in the other IFPs. The TO IFP resulted in greater dorsiflexion and knee flexion angles compared to the REF and wide IFPs. Compared to the REF IFP, both wide and TO IFPs showed greater eccentric work at the hip joint in the anterior-posterior (power absorption) and the vertical direction (gravitational force control) and demonstrated reduced postural sway in medio-lateral and vertical directions. Muscle synergy analysis of EMG activity revealed increased activation of back and plantar flexor muscle in the wide IFP, and increased contribution of hip joint muscles in the TO IFP.

Conclusion

The wide IFP increased the valgus angle, leading to reduced trunk flexion with increased back muscle activation. The TO IFP enabled greater angular displacement at the ankle and knee joints, enhancing hip joint muscle involvement in StandTS movement control. Both the wide and TO IFPs facilitated hip joint work, improving postural sway control during the descent phase of StandTS. These findings provide valuable insights for designing rehabilitation strategies tailored to specific patient needs.
SignFormer-GCN: Continuous sign language translation using spatio-temporal graph convolutional networks
Authors: Arib Safaeid Hossain , Akter Rabeya , Rahman Sejuti , Rahman Shafin
Published: February 2025

Sign language is a complex visual language system that uses hand gestures, facial expressions, and body movements to convey meaning. It is the primary means of communication for millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals worldwide. Tracking physical actions, such as hand movements and arm orientation, alongside expressive actions, including facial expressions, mouth movements, eye movements, eyebrow gestures, head movements, and body postures, using only RGB features can be limiting due to discrepancies in backgrounds and signers across different datasets. Despite this limitation, most Sign Language Translation (SLT) research relies solely on RGB features. We used keypoint features, and RGB features to capture better the pose and configuration of body parts involved in sign language actions and complement the RGB features. Similarly, most works on SLT research have used transformers, which are good at capturing broader, high-level context and focusing on the most relevant video frames. Still, the inherent graph structure associated with sign language is neglected and fails to capture low-level details. To solve this, we used a joint encoding technique using a transformer and STGCN architecture to capture the context of sign language expressions and spatial and temporal dependencies on skeleton graphs. Our method, SignFormer-GCN, achieves competitive performance in RWTH-PHOENIX-2014T, How2Sign, and BornilDB v1.0 datasets experimentally, showcasing its effectiveness in enhancing translation accuracy through different sign languages. The code is available at the following link: https://github.com/rabeya-akter/SignLanguageTranslation.
Semi-rational evolution of a recombinant DNA polymerase for modified nucleotide incorporation efficiency
Authors: Zhai Lili , Wang Zi , Liu Fen , Xu Chongjun , Wang Jingjing , Han Hongyan , Xie Qingqing , Zhang Wenwei , Zheng Yue , Buell Alexander K. , Dong Yuliang
Published: February 2025

Engineering improved B-family DNA polymerases to catalyze 3′-O-modified nucleotide reversible terminators is limited by an insufficient understanding of the structural determinants that define polymerization efficiency. To explore the key mechanism for unnatural nucleotide incorporation, we engineered a B-family DNA polymerase from Thermococcus Kodakaraenis (KOD pol) by using semi-rational design strategies. We first scanned the active pocket of KOD pol through site-directed saturation mutagenesis and combinatorial mutations and identified a variant Mut_C2 containing five mutation sites (D141A, E143A, L408I, Y409A, A485E) using a high-throughput microwell-based screening method. Mut_C2 demonstrated high catalytic efficiency in incorporating 3’-O-azidomethyl-dATP labeled with a Cy3 dye, whereas the wild-type KOD pol failed to catalyze it. Computational simulations were then conducted of the DNA binding region of KOD pol to predict additional mutations with enhanced catalytic activity, which were subsequently experimentally verified. By a stepwise combinatorial mutagenesis approach, we obtained an eleven-mutation variant, named Mut_E10 by introducing additional mutations to the Mut_C2 variant. Mut_E10, which carried six specific mutations (S383T, Y384F, V389I, V589H, T676K, and V680M) within the DNA-binding region, demonstrated over 20-fold improvement in enzymatic activity as compared to Mut_C2. In addition, Mut_E10 demonstrated satisfactory performance in two different sequencing platforms (BGISEQ-500 and MGISEQ-2000), indicating its potential for commercialization. Our study demonstrates that a significant enhancement in its catalytic efficiency towards modified nucleotides can be achieved efficiently through combinatorial mutagenesis of residues in the active site and DNA binding region of DNA polymerases. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the incorporation of modified nucleotides by DNA polymerase. The sites of beneficial mutations, as well as the nucleotide incorporation mechanism identified in this study, can provide valuable guidance for the engineering of other B-family DNA polymerases.
Bayesian spatio-temporal disease mapping of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh
Authors: Barket Sefat - E- , Karim Md. Rezaul , Salan Md. Sifat Ar
Published: February 2025

Background

COVID-19 is a highly transmittable respiratory illness induced by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus. The spatio-temporal analysis considers interactions between space and time is essential for understanding the virus’s transmission pattern and developing efficient mitigation strategies.

Objective

This study explicitly examines how meteorological, demographic, and vaccination with all doses of risk factors are interrelated with COVID-19’s complex evolution and dynamics in 64 Bangladeshi districts over space and time.

Methods

The study employed Bayesian spatio-temporal Poisson modeling to determine the most suitable model, including linear trend, analysis of variance (ANOVA), separable models, and Poisson temporal model for spatiotemporal effects. The study employed the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) and Watanabe-Akaike information criterion (WAIC) for model selection. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach also provided information regarding both prior and posterior realizations.

Results

The results of our study indicate that the spatio-temporal Poisson ANOVA model outperformed all other models when considering various criteria for model selection and validation. This finding underscores the significant relationship between spatial and temporal variations and the number of cases. Additionally, our analysis reveals that maximum temperature does not appear to have a significant association with infected cases. On the other hand, factors such as humidity (%), population density, urban population, aging index, literacy rate (%), households with internet users (%), and complete vaccination coverage all play vital roles in correlating with the number of affected cases in Bangladesh.

Conclusions

The research has demonstrated that demographic, meteorological, and vaccination variables possess significant potential to be associated with COVID-19-affected cases in Bangladesh. These data show that there are interconnections between space and time, which shows how important it is to use integrated modeling in pandemic management. An assessment of the risks particular to an area allows government agencies and communities to concentrate their efforts to mitigate those risks.
miR-455-3p has superior diagnostic potential to PSA in peripheral blood for prostate cancer
Authors: Cen Yi , Feng Shourui , Xu Yuyu , Zhang Churuo , Lin Xiangjin , Ye Xuan , Zha Zeyu , Wang Haiyan , Zhu Guangbin
Published: February 2025

Background

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is commonly used as a biomarker to diagnose and predict the course of prostate cancer (PCa). However, PSA detection is susceptible to changes in the physiologic environment, which may lead to some misdiagnosis. Thus, it is crucial to find a novel diagnostic marker.

Methods

We accessed microRNA (miRNA) expression datasets (GSE206793 and GSE112264) from the GEO database, analyzing peripheral blood samples from PCa patients. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified using GEO2R. A specific miRNA, miR-455-3p, was pinpointed through rigorous analysis of clinical correlations and ROC curves. Peripheral blood samples from healthy individuals and PCa patients were subjected to qRT-PCR validation, aligning results with the GSE206793 dataset. The miRWalk database was utilized to predict downstream genes, while STRING facilitated the construction of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. KEGG pathway analysis enriched our understanding of potential molecular pathways.

Results

We found that miR-455-3p was highly expressed in the peripheral blood of PCa patients with Gleason score (GS) ≥ 8, while independent of T stage, age and PSA. ROC analysis revealed a favorable diagnostic efficacy of miR-455-3p and AUC for the two datasets was respectively 0.943 and 0.847. The qRT-PCR assay also revealed consistent results. Interestingly, the PSA levels of P1 (GS = 5 + 4) and P6 (GS = 3 + 3) were respectively 3.38 and 4.45 ng/ml, while miR-455-3p was highly expressed in both, suggesting its low misdiagnosis. The speculation was validated in GSE206793 dataset. Finally, 9 potential targets of miR-455-3p were predicted. PPI network revealed PPP2R2A, ITGB1 and CDKN1A as key nodes. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that they were enriched in various cancers, biological processes and molecular signals.

Conclusion

Our study identifies miR-455-3p as a promising diagnostic marker for PCa, outperforming PSA in terms of specificity and sensitivity. The robustness of miR-455-3p, coupled with its potential downstream targets and associated pathways, highlights its clinical significance for improved PCa diagnosis and management.
4D trajectory prediction and conflict detection in terminal areas based on an improved convolutional network
Authors: Ma Xin , Zheng Linxin , Lu Xikang
Published: February 2025

At present, the passenger traffic volume of civil aviation is gradually increasing, and the scale of the airline network is gradually expanding. In order to optimize the air traffic service mode more safely and scientifically, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has proposed a new concept of trajectory based operation (TBO). According to the basic principle and core structure of TBO, aiming at improving the accuracy of Four Dimensional (4D) Trajectory prediction and the reliability of multi-trajectory flight conflict detection, the trajectory prediction model is established by using convolutional neural networks-bidirectional gated recurrent unit (CNN-BiGRU), and the conflict evaluation of prediction results is realized by using trajectory distance detection function. The simulation experiment shows that the simulation experiment is carried out by introducing the real automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) historical track data in the terminal area of the busy airport. The experimental results are compared with the experimental results of the single long short-term memory (LSTM) model and the gated recurrent unit (GRU) model in the same data set. The results show that the CNN-BiGRU trajectory prediction model is superior to the comparison model in many evaluation indexes, and the conflict detection results can be evaluated for the future 800 seconds interval of the two trajectories.
Impact of overwork on self-assessed health of rural-to-urban migrants: Limitations of work incentives moderation effect and industry heterogeneity
Authors: Huo Zhaoxin , Wang Ya
Published: February 2025

Overwork is widely recognized as harmful to workers’ physical and mental health, yet studies focusing on income-driven rural-to-urban migrants are lacking. This research aims to explore the effects of working hours on the health of rural-to-urban migrants in China, examining the moderating role of work incentives and industry heterogeneity. Using 2018 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) data, we analyzed 3,475 valid samples with a binary logit model, categorizing working hours into comfortable work, tolerable work, moderate overwork, and severe overwork. Interaction and subgroup regression models were employed to examine the moderating effects of work incentives across industries. The results indicate that comfortable work does not improve health, while moderate overwork is harmful, with severe overwork having a greater negative impact. This effect is stronger for rural-to-urban migrants in capital-intensive industries compared to labor-intensive industries. Work incentives only mitigate health damage from overwork in labor-intensive sectors, but this effect disappears under severe overwork across all industries. This study contributes by highlighting the unique health impacts of overwork on income-driven rural-to-urban migrants and revealing the limitations of work incentives and industry differences, offering new insights into the relationship between employment and health.
Notch2/3-DLL4 interaction in urothelial cancer cell lines supports a tumorigenic role of Notch signaling pathways in bladder carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Chuan , Weimann Annett , Stolzenburg Jens-Uwe , Neuhaus Jochen , Berndt-Paetz Mandy
Published: February 2025

Introduction

The Notch pathway plays an important role in many aspects of cancer biology and acts in a dichotomous way in bladder cancer. The mechanisms behind this behavior are still elusive. Here, we analyzed DLL4 and Notch receptor expression, interaction and downstream signaling in human bladder cancer cells.

Materials and methods

The expression levels of Notch pathway components (Notch1-4, DLL4, HES1, HEY1) were assessed in papillary (G1: RT-4) and non-papillary bladder cancer cell lines (G2-G4: RT-112, 647-V, T-24, KU-19-19, CAL-29) by qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence. Expression data were validated by analyzing data from open-source databases (CCLE; TCGA). The endogeneous interactions of Notch2/Notch3 receptors and the ligand DLL4 were studied by in situ proximity ligation assay. Activation of canonical Notch signaling was evaluated by stimulation with recombinant DLL4 protein.

Results

All Notch targets were expressed, with Notch2 and Notch3 showing the highest expression levels. Endogeneous interactions between Notch2/3 and DLL4 were detected in all BCa cell lines. Amounts of Notch2/3-DLL4 complexes were high in RT-112 and CAL-29, while RT-4/647-V showed moderate and T-24, KU-19-19 low abundance. Proportion of (peri-) nuclear interaction complexes correlated negatively with Notch downstream targets. DLL4 stimulation resulted in canonical Notch pathway activation and increased tumor cell viability and proliferation in RT-4, 647-V, T-24 and KU-19-19 cells.

Discussion

The Notch signaling pathway can discriminate between different receptors and may play an essential role in the progression of bladder carcinoma. We demonstrated for the first time direct interactions between DLL4 and Notch2/3 associated to activation of canonical downstream Notch signaling and increased tumor cell behavior in human bladder cancer cells. Our data support the view that the Notch2/3-DLL4 axis plays an oncogenic role in bladder cancer. Further analyses of Notch signaling in bladder cancer can promote the development of tailored anti-DLL4/Notch bladder cancer therapies in the future.
Mixed attention ensemble for esophageal motility disorders classification
Authors: Wu Xiaofang , Guo Cunhan , Lin Junwu , Lin Zhenheng , Chen Qun
Published: February 2025

Esophageal motility disorders result from dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter and abnormalities in esophageal peristalsis, often presenting symptoms such as dysphagia, chest pain, or heartburn. High-resolution esophageal manometry currently serves as the primary diagnostic method for these disorders, but it has some shortcomings including technical complexity, high demands on diagnosticians, and time-consuming diagnostic process. Therefore, based on ensemble learning with a mixed voting mechanism and multi-dimensional attention enhancement mechanism, a classification model for esophageal motility disorders is proposed and named mixed attention ensemble(MAE) in this paper, which integrates four distinct base models, utilizing a multi-dimensional attention mechanism to extract important features and being weighted with a mixed voting mechanism. We conducted extensive experiments through exploring three different voting strategies and validating our approach on our proprietary dataset. The MAE model outperforms traditional voting ensembles on multiple metrics, achieving an accuracy of 98.48% while preserving a low parameter. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, providing valuable reference to pre-diagnosis for physicians.