bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carbon‐to‐nitrogen stoichiometry of organic amendments regulates microbial biomass growth and nitrogen mineralization in soil
Authors: Smith Brianna C. , Rogan Tara A. , Redding Matthew R. , Rabbi Sheikh M. F.
Published: November 2024

The carbon‐to‐nitrogen (C:N) ratio of organic amendments regulates nutrient cycling in soil through its influence on microbial activity. Where an organic amendment has a C:N ratio sparingly higher than that of soil microbes (C:N ratio 6.7—8.7), meeting microbial requirements of carbon and nitrogen may promote microbial biomass growth and nitrogen mineralization. Here we sought to understand the microbial response to the addition of organic amendments with varying C:N ratios and subsequent changes in nitrogen mineralization and plant nitrogen uptake. Dried insect larvae, beef feedlot manure and mixtures of beef feedlot manure with insect larvae or sugarcane residue were used as soil amendments to create a gradient of molar C:N ratios (Cm:Nm) ranging from 6 to 28. An untreated control treatment with a C:N ratio of 17 was also included. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) was grown in control and organic matter amended soils for 20 days after germination. The mixture of beef feedlot manure and insect larvae treatment (Cm:Nm = 9.7) had on average 68% higher microbial biomass compared with the other treatments. Beef feedlot manure with Cm:Nm ratio of 11 did not influence microbial biomass growth. The concentration of mineral nitrogen was highest in the insect larvae (Cm:Nm = 6) treatment, where 23% of the plant nitrogen was derived from the insect larvae as indicated by the δ15N of plant dry matter. We observed both carbon and nitrogen contents in the organic amendment determine microbial biomass growth and nitrogen mineralization in soil. The results presented here demonstrate that microbial response to organic amendments determines the availability of mineral nitrogen in soil.
How to … navigate specialised programmes for early‐career doctors in medical education
Authors: Lim Jun Jie , Birks Samuel , Roberts Chris
Published: November 2024

Investing in early‐career medical education programmes for aspiring clinician‐educators, scholars and leaders offers a strategic approach to shaping the future of health professions education internationally. This paper explores the design and impact of a nationally funded Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) within the United Kingdom. Drawing on existing literature and insights from local trainees, we provide practical guidance for early‐career doctors navigating entry into the field of health professions education. Additionally, we discuss the programme's potential to enhance professional development through structured mentorship, formal qualifications and active participation in scholarly activities, while also addressing the challenges inherent in navigating clinical and academic identities. This paper will be valuable to doctors embarking on early‐career medical education pathways, programme leaders and international stakeholders seeking to establish similar initiatives to support the next generation of health care educators and scholars.
Evaluation of Crushed Posaconazole Delayed Release Tablets in Lung Transplant Recipients
Authors: Gordon Rachael , Yen Bo , Dewey Katherine , Jariwala Ripal , Kukreja Jasleen , Hays Steven , Singer Jonathan P. , Florez Rebecca
Published: November 2024

Background

Invasive fungal infections can cause serious complications after lung transplant; therefore, prophylaxis with posaconazole is common. The posaconazole delayed‐release (DR) tablet is preferred. Although the package insert states DR tablets cannot be crushed, recent data suggest it is reasonable. We hypothesized that crushed posaconazole DR tablets could reach therapeutic levels in lung transplant recipients.

Methods

A retrospective study of lung transplant recipients between January 2018 and July 2023, who received crushed posaconazole DR for at least 5 days was completed. Posaconazole troughs were evaluated, and differences were compared between subjects who were therapeutic to those who were subtherapeutic. A cost analysis was also performed.

Results

Thirty subjects received crushed posaconazole DR and 50% were therapeutic. The median trough was 1 mg/L for those who were therapeutic and 0.4 mg/L for those who were not (p < 0.001). The median cumulative dose was 2000 mg, and there were no significant differences in the incidence of diarrhea or tube feeds. More subjects in the therapeutic group were loaded (33% vs. 13%), although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.39). No subjects had breakthrough aspergillus one month after starting crushed therapy.

Conclusion

Crushed posaconazole DR tablets are a viable and cost savings option, but loading doses and higher maintenance doses may be required to reach therapeutic levels. Those who received loading doses (intravenously or crushed) followed by a daily crushed dose of 400 mg were more likely to be therapeutic. Limitations of our study include that it is single‐center, small in sample size, and retrospective.

image
Epidemiology of Infections in Lung Transplant Recipients Treated With Belatacept
Authors: Heldman Madeleine R. , Saullo Jennifer L. , Menachem Brandon M. , Messina Julia A. , Arif Sana , Steinbrink Julie M. , Tam Patrick C. K. , Carugati Manuela , Wolfe Cameron R. , Baker Arthur W. , Maziarz Eileen K.
Published: November 2024

Background

Belatacept is a costimulatory blocker that can be used to prevent and treat rejection in lung transplant recipients (LuTRs). The epidemiology of infections in belatacept‐treated LuTRs has not been systematically evaluated.

Methods

We performed a single‐center retrospective study of all adult LuTRs who received belatacept as prevention or treatment of antibody‐mediated rejection (desensitization) or as part of maintenance immunosuppression from January 1, 2011, to June 30, 2022. We assessed the epidemiology of infections that occurred within 12 months following the first belatacept dose.

Results

Fifty‐two LuTRs received at least one dose of belatacept as either desensitization (n = 32) or maintenance immunosuppression (n = 20). Among 45 patients who were cytomegalovirus (CMV) donor and/or recipient seropositive, nine (20%) developed CMV infection. Seven (77%) CMV infections occurred despite valganciclovir prophylaxis and four (44%) were associated with antiviral resistance. Three (6%) LuTRs developed Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) associated post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Twenty‐five (48%) LuTRs developed 43 bacterial infections and five (10%) developed proven or probable invasive fungal disease. Incidence rates of viral, bacterial, and fungal infections were similar between the desensitization and maintenance groups: incidence rate ratios (95% confidence interval) were 0.70 (0.32–1.57), 1.31 (0.70–2.46), and 2.82 (0.31–25.2), respectively. Infection/PTLD prompted belatacept discontinuation in eight (15%) patients.

Conclusions

In the first year after belatacept initiation, LuTRs commonly developed CMV infections, EBV+ PTLD, and bacterial infections. Multicenter collaborations are needed to better understand infection risks in LuTRs treated with belatacept.

image
Exploring cultural and linguistic diversity in the English‐medium instruction university
Authors: Gülle Talip , Kurt Yavuz , Bayyurt Yasemin
Published: November 2024

This study utilizes questionnaires, interviews, and universities’ web content and strategy documents to investigate the reasons behind the rise of English‐medium instruction in Türkiye's higher education and its implications for intercultural communication. It identifies students’ motives for choosing Türkiye, such as educational quality, cultural ties, and affordability, and universities’ aim to enhance their internationalization, linguistic and cultural diversity, reputation, and financial standing. Analysis of web pages shows that while introducing “Turkish culture,” universities often adopt an essentialist perspective that involves making nation‐level generalizations, which may risk perpetuating stereotypes. Analysis of the internationalization strategies reveals an emphasis on English for internationalization and frequent references to values and attitudes toward cultural diversity but little to no emphasis on intercultural skills and critical understanding. Universities are employing diverse efforts to attract international students, but there remains potential for more comprehensive strategies to cultivate intercultural competence.
Cultural and Behavioral Insights into European Social Media Users: Platform Preferences and Personality Types
Authors: AlAfnan Mohammad Awad
Published: November 2024

The study examines European social media personalities based on age, gender, platform preference, and country of origin. The research sample, which consists of respondents from 19 European countries (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK) reflects the general population ratio and predominantly includes middle-aged individuals ensuring representative findings. Almost two-thirds of respondents engage with social media daily, highlighting its pervasive role in European life. Analysis of platform preferences reveals that Facebook and Instagram are the most popular, while TikTok and Snapchat are less favored, particularly among older demographics. The study shows that gender differences are significant, with females favoring Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, while males prefer LinkedIn and Twitter. This delineation underscores the varying social media consumption habits between genders. The study identifies three primary social media personalities: Lurkers, who passively consume content; Ultras, who exhibit obsessive usage; and Deniers, who balance regular use without dependency. Additional personalities include Ranters, Informers, and Peacocks, each representing unique motivations and engagement styles. This diversity in user behaviors highlights the multifaceted nature of social media engagement in Europe. A country-specific analysis reveals cultural and regional differences in social media use, with distinct preferences and behaviors emerging across Europe. For instance, Germans exhibit unique tendencies with a notable presence among Approval Seekers, Changelings, and Ghosts. Such variations underscore the importance of considering cultural contexts in social media strategies. The findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders, including marketers, policymakers, and platform developers. By understanding these diverse usage patterns, more effective campaigns can be designed, privacy and digital literacy issues can be addressed, and user experiences can be enhanced. This study underscores the integral role of social media in European life and provides a foundation for future research and strategy development.
Twisted mixed moments of the Riemann zeta function
Authors: Pliego Javier
Published: November 2024

We analyse a collection of twisted mixed moments of the Riemann zeta function and establish the validity of asymptotic formulae comprising on some instances secondary terms of the shape for a suitable constant and a polynomial . Such examinations are performed both unconditionally and under the assumption of a weaker version of the ‐conjecture.
Serum antigen tests for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis: a retrospective comparison of five
Aspergillus
antigen assays and one beta-D-glucan assay
Authors: Schub Thilo , Klugherz Isabel , Wagener Johannes , Prattes Juergen , Hoenigl Martin , Suerbaum Sebastian , Held Jürgen , Dichtl Karl
Published: November 2024

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a life-threatening infection. Early and specific diagnosis is pivotal to ensure adequate therapy. Antigen testing from blood is a widespread and convenient diagnostic approach. Various tests for the detection of
Aspergillus
antigen as well as for the panfungal antigen β-1,3-D-glucan (BDG) are available, for which comprehensive comparisons are still lacking. Blood samples of 82 proven/probable (11/71) IA patients and 52 controls were tested using two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) (Bio-Rad and Euroimmun), one chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) (Vircell), one BDG assay (Fujifilm Wako), and two point of care (PoC) assays (Immy sōna and OLM). PoC assays were evaluated visually and used automated read out systems. Of the 82 IA patients, 37 had received solid organ transplantation (SOT) and 25 hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Sensitivities and specificities for the eight test systems ranged from 27% to 71% and from 64% to 100%. Estimating a 10% prevalence of IA, test performance would have resulted in positive and negative predictive values of 14%−100% and 91%−95%. Areas under the curve (AUCs) for all tests except GM were below 0.7. When the cut-off values for quantitative tests were normalized to a specificity close to 95%, sensitivities ranged from 14% to 40%. The use of automated read out systems for the PoC assays had a significant impact. Combining different tests did not result in better test strategies. Sensitivity of
Aspergillus
antigen testing from single serum samples is low. Due to specificity issues, the majority of tests is not suited for screening purposes. The different assays can meet different needs in different diagnostic settings.
FoxK1 and FoxK2 cooperate with ORF45 to promote late lytic replication of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus
Authors: Chen Qingyang , Li Xiaojuan , Quan Li , Zhou Rihong , Liu Xiangpeng , Cheng Lu , Sarid Ronit , Kuang Ersheng
Published: November 2024

Lytic replication is essential for persistent infection of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and the pathogenesis of related diseases, and many cellular pathways are hijacked by KSHV proteins to initiate and control the lytic replication of this virus. However, the mechanism involved in KSHV lytic replication from the early to the late phases remains largely undetermined. We previously revealed that KSHV open reading frame 45 (ORF45) plays important roles in late transcription and translation. In the present study, we revealed that the Forkhead box proteins FoxK1 and FoxK2 are ORF45-binding proteins and are essential for KSHV lytic gene expression and virion production, and that depletion of FoxK1 or FoxK2 significantly suppresses the expression of many late viral genes. FoxK1 and FoxK2 directly bind to the promoters of several late viral genes, ORF45 augments the promoter binding and transcriptional activity of FoxK1 and FoxK2, and then FoxK1 or FoxK2 cooperates with ORF45 to promote late viral gene expression. Our findings suggest that ORF45 interacts with FoxK1 and FoxK2 and promotes their occupancy on a cluster of late viral promoters and their subsequent transcriptional activity; consequently, FoxK1 and FoxK2 promote late viral gene expression to facilitate KSHV lytic replication.

IMPORTANCE

The forkhead box proteins FoxK1 and FoxK2 can act as transcriptional inhibitors or activators to regulate several important processes, including aerobic glycolysis, metabolism, autophagy, and antiviral responses. However, the subversion and functions of FoxK1 and FoxK2 during KSHV infection and the pathogenesis of related diseases remain unknown. Here, we revealed that ORF45 binds to FoxK1 and FoxK2 and increases their transcriptional activity during KSHV lytic replication; consequently, FoxK1 and FoxK2 bind to late viral promoters and cooperate with ORF45 to promote late lytic gene expression. Our findings reveal two new ORF45 partners and a new function of ORF45 in which it utilizes FoxK1 and FoxK2 to promote transcription during late KSHV lytic replication.
Fish
Snx27
promotes viral products by modulating the innate immune response and exosomal machinery
Authors: Yu Yepin , Liu Jiaxin , Zhao Zhiwen , Lan Xiaoming , Li Linmiao , Hu Junjie , Zang Ying-an , Zhang Xiujuan , Chen Jinping
Published: November 2024

Viral nervous necrosis caused by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV) poses a significant threat to the global aquaculture industry. Developing preventive methods to minimize economic losses due to NNV infections is crucial. This study explored the role of the sorting nexin 27 (
Snx27
) gene, encoded by the orange-spotted grouper (
Epinephelus coioides
) and referred to as
EcSnx27
, as an immune regulator affecting red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) infection
in vitro
. Our findings revealed that
EcSnx27
negatively regulates interferon (IFN)-related cytokines and the promoter activities of fish ISRE and NF-κB. Furthermore, we identified the SNX-FERM and SNX-FERM-like domains as responsible for the interaction between
EcSnx27
and RGNNV coat protein. Through the detection of viable virions associated with
EcSnx27
-containing exosomes, we propose that
EcSnx27
may contribute to the release process of RGNNV by influencing the apoptosis-linked gene 2-interacting protein X (ALIX)-associated exosomal pathway. Consequently, our study suggests that
EcSnx27
promotes RGNNV replication by inhibiting the IFN immune response and facilitating virus production and release through ALIX-mediated exosomal machinery.

IMPORTANCE

Red grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV), a member of the
Nodaviridae
family, has emerged as a significant cause of fish diseases worldwide, leading to high morbidity and mortality rates. This study investigated the sorting nexin 27 (
Snx27
) gene encoded by the orange-spotted grouper (
Epinephelus coioides
) on RGNNV infection in grouper kidney cells. Our findings revealed that
EcSnx27
negatively regulated the interferon pathway, resulting in the promotion of RGNNV replication. Additionally, we observed that
EcSnx27
could interact with apoptosis-linked gene 2-interacting protein X (ALIX) and the RGNNV coat protein, suggesting its potential involvement in viral release processes through modulation of the exosomal pathway. Our study identified
EcSnx27
as a key target that RGNNV exploits to enhance viral production. This finding offers valuable insights into the immune evasion and viral release mechanisms of non-enveloped RNA viruses.
The genomic and phylogenetic characterization of lytic
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PAK bacteriophages BL4, BL6, and BL7 collected from aquatic samples
Authors: Mosharraf Fahareen B. , Rowell Austen , Bono Lisa M.
Published: November 2024

Environmental phages infecting
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PAK, an opportunistic pathogen, were isolated from playa lakes in Lubbock, TX. We present the genome sequence of three lytic bacteriophages. Upon analysis of sequence similarity, we identified the viruses as a part of an unclassified species within the genus
Pbunavirus
in the
Caudoviricetes
class.
Depression and its association with menstrual disturbance among female university students: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Eva Shangida Khatun , Aufi Saqib Salah , Mamun Abu Sayed Md Al , Sabiruzzaman Md , Wadood Md Abdul , Hossain Md Golam
Published: November 2024

Background

Depression and menstrual disturbance are common issues among female university students worldwide. Various studies in different countries have revealed a potential connection between depression and menstrual disturbance. However, no research specifically focusing on this relationship has been conducted with the Bangladeshi population. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression and its impact on menstrual disturbance among female university students in Bangladesh.

Methods

Data were collected from 470 female students of the University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh between September and November 2022. A multistage stratified random sampling method was employed to select a sample from the population. Depression severity was assessed using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire, categorising it as normal, depressive symptoms and probable depression. Two menstrual disturbances, irregular and painful menstruation, were considered. The factors associated with depression were examined using an ordinal logistic regression model.

Results

The findings indicated that 45.5% of female university students exhibited depressive symptoms, while 30.9% have probable depression. Additionally, 71% experienced menstrual pain and 17.7% reported irregular menstruation. Factors significantly associated with probable depression (p<0.05) included being underweight; paternal occupation other than a farmer, having a job or being in business; low-income and middle-income family; and having a chronic disease. Furthermore, students with depressive symptoms and probable depression were found to be at higher risk of experiencing menstrual disturbances, particularly painful and irregular menstruation. Specifically, those with depressive symptoms and probable depression were more likely to report painful menstruation.

Conclusion

In this study, it was noted that a notable proportion of female students were experiencing probable depression, which was found to have an association with menstrual disturbance. It is advisable that healthcare providers and university authorities prioritise the mental and reproductive health of female students for their holistic well-being.
Experiences with diagnostic delay among underserved racial and ethnic patients: a systematic review of the qualitative literature
Authors: Faugno Elena , Galbraith Alison A , Walsh Kathleen , Maglione Paul J , Farmer Jocelyn R , Ong Mei-Sing
Published: November 2024

Objective

Diagnostic delay is a pervasive patient safety problem that disproportionately affects historically underserved populations. We aim to systematically examine and synthesise published qualitative studies on patient experiences with diagnostic delay among historically underserved racial and ethnic populations.

Data sources

PubMed.

Eligibility criteria

Primary qualitative studies detailing patient or caregiver-reported accounts of delay in the diagnosis of a disease among underserved racial and ethnic populations; conducted in the USA; published in English in a peer-reviewed journal (years 2012–2022); study cohort composed of >50% non-white racial and ethnic populations.

Data analysis

Primary outcomes were barriers to timely diagnosis of a disease. Screening and thematic abstraction were performed independently by two investigators, and data were synthesised using the ‘Model of Pathways to Treatment’ conceptual framework.

Results

Sixteen studies from multiple clinical domains were included. Barriers to timely diagnosis emerged at the socioeconomic and sociocultural level (low health literacy, distrust in healthcare systems, healthcare avoidance, cultural and linguistic barriers), provider level (cognitive biases, breakdown in patient-provider communication, lack of disease knowledge) and health systems level (inequity in organisational health literacy, administrative barriers, fragmented care environment and a lack of organisational cultural competence). None of the existing studies explored diagnostic disparities among Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and few examined chronic conditions known to disproportionately affect historically underserved populations.

Discussion

Historically underserved racial and ethnic patients encountered many challenges throughout their diagnostic journey. Systemic strategies are needed to address and prevent diagnostic disparities.
Comparing validated stroke screening scales for identifying large and medium vessel occlusions: a prospective observational cohort study
Authors: Kothari Sachin A , Morsi Rami Z , Kozel Olivia A , Baskaran Archit , Sehgal Neha , Verhagen Metman Okker , Desai Harsh , Carrion-Penganos Julian , Thind Sonam , Smith Matthew M , Rana Rohini , Chahine Ahmad , Zakaria Jehad , Karar Lina , Sweid Ahmad , Siegler James E , Coleman Elisheva R , Brorson James R , Mendelson Scott J , Mansour Ali , Prabhakaran Shyam , Kass-Hout Tareq
Published: November 2024

Background

Rapid prehospital identification of acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusions (AIS-LVO) has been successful in triaging patients, but the use of stroke screening scales often varies. This study aims to compare different stroke screening scales for the detection of anterior and posterior circulation AIS-LVO and AIS secondary to medium vessel occlusions (AIS-MeVO).

Methods

We prospectively analyzed stroke alert activations at a comprehensive stroke center between August 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023. We applied eight stroke screening scales (BE-FAST, LAMS, PASS, FAST-ED, EMS RACE, 3-ISS, VAN, and NIHSS) to each stroke alert in the emergency department (ED) and inpatient wards. The final diagnosis was classified as AIS-LVO or AIS-MeVO, AIS without LVO or MeVO, intracranial hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack, or stroke mimic.

Results

A total of 198 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 63.9±15.3 years, 62.1% were female (n=123), and 84.3% were African American/black subjects (n=167). The LAMS scale had a strong performance (area under the curve (AUC) 0.750 (95% CI 0.668 to 0.831)), closely followed by the FAST-ED (AUC 0.736 (95% CI 0.649 to 0.822)) and the VAN (AUC 0.735 (95% CI 0.651 to 0.818)) scales. Cut-off points selected from coordinates of the receiver operating characteristic curves were 3, 3, and a positive VAN, respectively.

Conclusion

This is the first prospective cohort study to compare the performance of eight different screening scales among stroke alerts for detection of AIS-LVO and AIS-MeVO. We found LAMS to be the most discriminative tool, followed by FAST-ED and VAN. However, the findings were non-significant, reinforcing existing retrospective literature that these validated screening scales perform similarly and one is not superior.
Effects of different endovascular treatments on cerebral perfusion changes and stroke recurrence in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis
Authors: Zhang Jiayin , Wang Zhe , Hou Zhikai , Yu Ying , Yang Jiabao , Fu Weilun , Ma Ning , Yan Long
Published: November 2024

Background

In patients with refractory intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD), percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTBA) is less complex but typically results in higher postprocedural residual stenosis than percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting (PTAS).

Methods

This study included patients with symptomatic ICAD with 70–99% stenosis treated with either PTBA or PTAS. All patients underwent preprocedural and postprocedural CT perfusion, which was processed by automated RAPID software. The rate of cerebral perfusion change was defined as the ratio of the volume of perfusion change to the preprocedural perfusion volume. Perioperative complications within a 30-day follow-up period were documented. Baseline characteristics, degree of stenosis before and after procedures, perioperative complications, and the rates of cerebral perfusion change were compared between groups. Patients were followed up for stroke recurrence within 1 year postprocedure, with survival analysis used to examine the relationship between procedure type and recurrence.

Results

Between March and December 2021, 107 patients were enrolled: 30 (28.0%) were treated with PTBA and 77 (72.0%) with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting (PTAS). The PTBA group showed higher postprocedural residual stenosis than the PTAS group (P<0.004). The cerebral perfusion change rates were not significantly different between the groups (P=0.891). Three (3.9%) complications occurred in the PTAS group and none in the PTBA group during the 30-day follow-up. Stroke recurrence did not significantly differ between the procedures (P=0.960).

Conclusions

Immediate cerebral perfusion changes and the rate of stroke recurrences have no significant difference between the two groups.
ToMCCA: a Toy Monte Carlo Coalescence Afterburner
Authors: Mahlein Maximilian , Pinto Chiara , Fabbietti Laura
Published: November 2024

Antinuclei in our Galaxy may stem either from annihilation or decay of dark matter, or from collisions of cosmic rays with the interstellar medium, which constitute the background of indirect dark matter searches. Understanding the formation mechanism of (anti)nuclei is crucial for setting limits on their production in space. Coalescence models, which describe the formation of light nuclei from final-state interaction of nucleons, have been widely employed in high-energy collisions. In this work, we introduce ToMCCA (Toy Monte Carlo Coalescence Afterburner), which allows for detailed studies of the nuclear formation processes without the overload of general-purpose event generators. ToMCCA contains parameterizations of the multiplicity dependence of the transverse momentum distributions of protons and of the baryon-emitting source size, extracted from ALICE measurements in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s} = 5 - 13$$

s

=
5
-
13

TeV, as well as of the event multiplicity distributions, taken from the EPOS event generator. ToMCCA provides predictions of the deuteron transverse momentum distributions, with agreement of $$\sim 5\%$$

∼
5
%

with the experimental data. The results of ToMCCA show that the coalescence mechanism in pp collisions depends only on the event multiplicity, not on the collision system or its energy. This allows the model to be utilized for predictions at lower center-of-mass collision energies, which are the most relevant for the production of antinuclei from processes related to dark matter. This model can also be extended to heavier nuclei as long as the target nucleus wavefunction and its Wigner function are known.
Stability of Cauchy horizon in Einstein–Power–Maxwell–de Sitter black holes
Authors: Chen Lu , Li Fei
Published: November 2024

We investigated the Strong Cosmic Censorship (SCC) conjecture in Einstein–Power–Maxwell–de Sitter (EPMdS) black holes by analyzing the quasinormal modes (QNMs) of a massless neutral scalar field perturbation. Using the pseudospectral method, we calculated the QNM frequencies across various cosmological constants and nonlinear electromagnetic parameters. Our results show that for black holes far from extremality, the lowest QNM frequency $$-\text {Im} (\omega )/\kappa _-$$

-
Im

(
ω
)

/

κ
-

remains below 1/2. However, as the black holes approach extremality, the lowest mode’s $$-\text {Im} (\omega )/\kappa _-$$

-
Im

(
ω
)

/

κ
-

consistently exceeds 1/2, leading to a violation of SCC. Moreover, with a fixed cosmological constant, as the nonlinearity parameter $$\alpha $$
α
increases, the interval of SCC violation under the charge extremality ratio narrows. Considering that $$k = 1/2 + 1/\alpha $$

k
=
1
/
2
+
1
/
α

is inversely proportional to $$\alpha $$
α
, our results indicate that increasing the order k of the non-linear electromagnetic field can effectively mitigate SCC violations.
Optical properties of a hollow cylindrical quantum wire in a parallel applied magnetic field
Authors: Tshipa Moletlanyi , Masale Monkami , Feddi Kawtar , Pérez Laura M. , Feddi Elmustapha
Published: November 2024

In this theoretical study, we investigate optical properties of a hollow cylindrical quantum wire in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field. The magnetic field is applied parallel to the axis of the quantum wire. The investigations were achieved by solving the Schrödinger equation within the effective mass approximation. The optical properties studied were absorption coefficient (AC) of electromagnetic radiation and changes in refractive index (CRI) of the hollow cylinder. The parallel applied magnetic field lifts the degeneracy of states of opposite angular momentum (the $$\pm |m |$$

±
|
m
|

states, m being the angular momentum quantum number) known as the Zeeman splitting. As such, in the presence of magnetic field, AC splits into two branches, one corresponding to a transition involving the positive m states and the other corresponding to a transition involving the negative m states. Increase in intensity of the electromagnetic radiation reduces the magnitude of the AC. Presence of inner radius of the hollow cylindrical wire lowers transition energies. Apart from absorption due to the $$(m=0 \rightarrow \pm 1)$$

(
m
=
0
→
±
1
)

transitions, the presence of the inner radius also facilitates absorption due the $$(m=-1\rightarrow 0)$$

(
m
=
-
1
→
0
)

transition as the magnetic field strength increases, a phenomenon that does not happen in solid cylindrical quantum wires. The presence of the inner radius also enhances AC in strong magnetic field. Increase in intensity of the electromagnetic radiation affects the CRI (here considered up to third order), introducing a normal dispersion region in an otherwise anomalous region. The parallel magnetic field also splits the CRI depending on the sign of the m states involved in the transitions.
Research on Personalized Cultural Learning Platform Based on Collaborative Filtering and Popularity Recommendation
Authors: Yan Liu
Published: November 2024

With the rapid progress of information technology, it has become the demand of the times to use the power of the Internet to inherit and develop Chinese traditional culture. Given the challenge of users searching for learning content in massive online resources, personalized recommendation systems have become the key to improving user experience. This paper focuses on building a personalized Chinese traditional culture learning platform based on collaborative filtering and popularity recommendation, aiming to stimulate users’ interest in learning traditional culture through intelligent algorithms. In terms of technical implementation, this study relies on the Django framework and MySQL database to build a feature-rich and user-friendly traditional cultural learning platform, supporting users’ diverse learning needs, and providing flexible learning paths and abundant learning resources. Experimental evaluation shows that the hybrid algorithm of collaborative filtering and popularity recommendation proposed in this paper has improved recommendation performance compared to existing methods, effectively enhancing user satisfaction and platform activity. This platform not only promotes the digital dissemination of traditional culture, but also provides users with a highly autonomous and personalized learning experience, meeting the contemporary society’s pursuit of diversified and personalized cultural learning.
Optimization Analysis of Clothing Fabric Design Based on Autoencoder and Generative Adversarial Neural Network
Authors: Junlian He , Fei Ma , Wengxia Yue
Published: November 2024

In order to meet the challenges of increasingly diverse clothing styles and consumer demands in the market, traditional fabric design methods have become difficult to meet the needs of rapid iteration and innovation due to their time-consuming, costly, and subjective preferences of designers. In view of this, we propose an innovative fabric design optimization simulation strategy aimed at breaking through these bottlenecks through technological means. This strategy cleverly integrates advanced technologies of variational autoencoder (VAE) and generative adversarial network (GAN). First, VAE is used to capture and learn the complex distribution characteristics of existing clothing fabric designs, which include key information such as fabric texture, color matching, and structural details. Subsequently, GAN uses the hidden vectors obtained from VAE as input to generate brand new fabric design samples. During the training phase, GAN continuously iterates and optimizes, engaging in intense “adversarial” interactions between its generator and discriminator. The generator is dedicated to creating new samples that are as close to real fabric designs as possible, while the discriminator is responsible for identifying the authenticity of these samples. This process is implemented through backpropagation (BP) loss function, ensuring that the generated fabric design can visually simulate real fabrics. Experimental verification shows that this method can not only effectively generate high-quality and realistic clothing fabric designs, but also greatly shorten the design cycle and reduce costs.
A Comparative Study on the Monitoring of Abnormal Power Consumption Behavior by Different Models
Authors: Zhang Lijuan
Published: November 2024

This paper investigates and compares the performance of three distinct models for monitoring abnormal electricity consumption behavior: Support Vector Regression (SVR), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and a novel model that incorporates an attention mechanism known as PSO-ATT-LSTM (PAL), which integrates a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm with an attention mechanism into the LSTM framework. The PAL model is specifically designed to enhance forecasting accuracy by optimizing the network parameters through PSO and focusing on significant temporal features via the attention mechanism. This design allows PAL to outperform the other two models in predicting future electricity consumption, particularly in identifying anomalous patterns. The study utilizes a dataset with hourly electricity consumption values and evaluates the models using metrics such as Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE). The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the PAL model in terms of predictive accuracy and its ability to capture abnormal consumption behaviors more effectively than SVR and LSTM.
A High Scalability Memory NoC with Shared-Inside Hierarchical-Groupings for Triplet-Based Many-Core Architecture
Authors: Li Chunfeng , Shi Feng , Yin Fei , Soliman Karim , Wei Jin
Published: November 2024

Innovative processor architecture designs are shifting towards Many-Core Architectures (MCAs) to meet the future demands of high-performance computing as the limits of Moore’s Law have almost been reached. Many-core processors utilize shared memory hierarchies to achieve high-speed memory systems, improving memory access efficiency. However, as the number of cores multiplies, the scalability of this system is significantly constrained by the increased proportion of long-distance and Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA). Improving the scalability of MCAs is crucial for achieving large/super-scale general-purpose many-core processors. This work proposes a high scalability memory Network-on-Chip (NoC) for Triplet-Based Many-Core Architecture (TriBA), named TriBA-mNoC. TriBA-mNoC maintains a consistent core-to-core spacing as the network scale increases, effectively preventing increased long-distance memory access latency. Moreover, it leverages an inherent advantage of shared-inside hierarchical-groupings, alleviating common NUMA issues in the NoC design. Evaluations of static network characteristics show that TriBA-mNoC outperforms most classical NoCs in network diameter, average distance, and cost. TriBA-mNoC can be integrated with TriBA in the same silicon die with a tile-like floorplan, forming a novel NoC called TriBA-NoC, which can combine the strengths of both networks to maximize the architecture performance. We evaluated the memory access performance and scalability of TriBA-NoC using the mathematical evaluation models and actual simulations with real traffic (PARSEC 3.0 and SPLASH-2) at different network scales. The mathematical evaluation results indicate that TriBA-NoC achieves an aggregate speedup of approximately 3x compared with 2D-Mesh for a similar number of cores. Furthermore, TriBA-NoC’s single-core speedup efficiency remains stable as the number of cores increases under the same cache hit ratio, while 2D-Mesh experiences a rapid decline, highlighting TriBA-NoC’s exceptional scalability. Finally, the actual traffic simulation results show that TriBA-NoC achieves an average memory access latency and time reduction of 25.90% − 40.50% and 5.61% − 31.69% respectively, compared with 2D-Mesh.
RTPL: A Real-Time Communication Protocol for LoRa Network
Authors: Fahmida Sezana , Jain Aakriti , Modekurthy Venkata Prashant , Ismail Dali , Saifullah Abusayeed
Published: November 2024

The industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is prominently emerging in applications of large-scale and wide-area applications, such as oilfield management, smart grid management, real-time equipment monitoring, and integration of traffic management systems for smart cities. Relying on short-range wireless technologies (e.g., WirelessHART and ISA100.11a), traditional wireless solutions for industrial automation find it challenging to support the expansive scale of today’s IIoT. To address this limitation, we propose to adopt LoRaWAN, a prominent low-power wide-area network technology, for industrial automation. LoRaWAN for industrial automation poses some unique challenges. The fundamental building blocks of any industrial automation system are feedback control loops that largely rely on real-time communication. LoRaWAN traditionally adopts a simple protocol based on ALOHA with no collision avoidance or Listen Before Talk with Clear Channel Assessment and Random Backoff mechanisms to minimize energy consumption, which are less suitable for real-time communication. Existing real-time protocols for short-range technologies cannot be applied to a LoRaWAN network due to its unique characteristics such as asymmetry between downlink and the uplink spectrum, predefined modes (or classes) of operation, and concurrent reception through orthogonal spreading factors. In this paper, we address these challenges and propose RTPL- a Real-Time communication Protocol for LoRaWAN networks. RTPL is a low-overhead and conflict-free communication protocol allowing autonomous real-time communication of low-energy devices and exploits LoRa’s capability of parallel communication. We implement our approach on LoRa devices and evaluate through both physical experiments and extensive simulations. All results show that RTPL achieves on average 75% improvement in real-time performance without sacrificing throughput or energy compared to traditional LoRaWAN.
PriPrune: Quantifying and Preserving Privacy in Pruned Federated Learning
Authors: Chu Tianyue , Yang Mengwei , Laoutaris Nikolaos , Markopoulou Athina
Published: November 2024

Model pruning has been proposed as a technique for reducing the size and complexity of Federated learning (FL) models. By making local models coarser, pruning is intuitively expected to improve protection against privacy attacks. However, the level of this expected privacy protection has not been previously characterized, or optimized jointly with utility.

In this paper, we first characterize the privacy offered by pruning. We establish information-theoretic upper bounds on the information leakage from pruned FL and we experimentally validate them under state-of-the-art privacy attacks across different FL pruning schemes. Second, we introduce
PriPrune
– a privacy-aware algorithm for pruning in FL.
PriPrune
uses defense pruning masks, which can be applied locally after
any
pruning algorithm, and adapts the defense pruning rate to jointly optimize privacy and accuracy. Another key idea in the design of
PriPrune
is
Pseudo-Pruning
: it undergoes defense pruning within the local model and only sends the pruned model to the server; while the weights pruned out by defense mask are withheld locally for future local training rather than being removed. We show that
PriPrune
significantly improves the privacy-accuracy tradeoff compared to state-of-the-art pruned FL schemes. For example, on the FEMNIST dataset,
PriPrune
improves the privacy of
PruneFL
by 45.5% without reducing accuracy.
Fog Computing Technology Research: A Retrospective Overview and Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Vinueza-Naranjo Paola G. , Chicaiza Janneth , Rumipamba-Zambrano Ruben
Published: November 2024

Researchers’ interest in Fog Computing and its application in different sectors has been increasing since the last decade. To discover the emerging trends inherent to this architecture, we analyzed the scientific literature indexed in Scopus through a bibliometric study. Exposing trends in areas of development will allow researchers to understand the changes and evolution over time. For analysis purposes, we used three approaches: performance analysis, science mapping, and literature clustering. Analysis results revealed promising investigation areas in the Fog Computing architecture from 2012 to 2021, which emphasizes that Fog Computing will continue to be an interesting field of research in the future.
Evaluation Methodologies in Software Protection Research
Authors: De Sutter Bjorn , Schrittwieser Sebastian , Coppens Bart , Kochberger Patrick
Published: November 2024

Man-at-the-end
(MATE) attackers have full control over the system on which the attacked software runs, and try to break the confidentiality or integrity of assets embedded in the software. Both companies and malware authors want to prevent such attacks. This has driven an arms race between attackers and defenders, resulting in a plethora of different protection and analysis methods. However, it remains difficult to measure the strength of protections because MATE attackers can reach their goals in many different ways and a universally accepted evaluation methodology does not exist. This survey systematically reviews the evaluation methodologies of papers on obfuscation, a major class of protections against MATE attacks. For 571 papers, we collected 113 aspects of their evaluation methodologies, ranging from sample set types and sizes, over sample treatment, to performed measurements. We provide detailed insights into how the academic state of the art evaluates both the protections and analyses thereon. In summary, there is a clear need for better evaluation methodologies. We identify nine challenges for software protection evaluations, which represent threats to the validity, reproducibility, and interpretation of research results in the context of MATE attacks and formulate a number of concrete recommendations for improving the evaluations reported in future research papers.
Noise-Resistance Learning via Multi-Granularity Consistency for Unsupervised Domain Adaptive Person Re-Identification
Authors: Zhu Yangchun , Zheng Yufei , Liu Jiawei , Li Yao , Zha Zheng-jun
Published: November 2024

Unsupervised domain adaptive person re-identification aims at adapting the re-identification model trained on a labeled source domain to an unlabeled target domain. The mainstream pipeline alternates between clustering-based pseudo-label prediction and representation learning, but the imperfect interaction between these steps generates noisy pseudo labels that diminish the model’s effectiveness. Previous methods reduce noisy pseudo labels impact by assessing consistency only at a single granularity level, overlooking multi-level confidence analysis for better feature representation. To address the issue, we propose a novel multi-granularity consistency network (MGCN) to perform the noise-resistance learning across different granularity consistency perspectives, including prototype-wise consistency, triplet-wise consistency and list-wise consistency, to suppress the contribution of noisy samples simultaneously. Specifically, the prototype-wise consistency leverages the prototypical output affinity between teacher and student networks to evaluate the reliability of pseudo label of a target sample, thus reducing their negative impact on identity classification loss. Triplet-wise consistency focuses on the triplet distance discrepancies between the teacher and student networks to retain the reliable and informative samples that satisfy triplet distance constraint in the triplet loss, thereby facilitating more effective model training and improved performance in the target domain. Furthermore, the list-wise consistency uses accurate list-wise similarity rankings from the teacher’s memory bank to select more dependable neighboring samples in the student’s memory bank, pulling these closer in feature space to alleviate the detrimental effects of noisy labels in contrastive loss. Based on the multi-granularity consistency, MGCN evaluates the credibility of pseudo labels and adjusts their impact across three re-ID losses for effective domain adaptation. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method achieves significant improvements over the existing methods on multiple benchmarks.