bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adapting a youth suicide prevention program for rural communities in the United States: a feasibility study
Authors: Weissman Ruth Striegel , Scott Brandon G. , Edwards Kelley , Rose Jennifer S. , Kuntz Matthew , Wilcox Holly C.
Published: March 2024

Rural youth suicide represents a major source of mental health inequity in the United States (US). School-based suicide prevention programs may provide an effective avenue to address this mental health crisis among rural youth. This study’s primary goal is to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel implementation approach (utilizing teachers from a neighboring school) for delivering the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program, an evidence-based, universal youth suicide prevention curriculum, to high school students in rural Montana. We will recruit approximately 1300 9th grade student in four Montana schools. Using a non-inferiority design, we will randomize classrooms in each school to be instructed by a teacher from another school (YAM-TE; experimental) or a traditional external instructor (YAM-EXT; control). We will assess program fidelity of both YAM training and implementation via independent observer and instructor-reporter ratings. Youth will complete measures of acceptability at post-YAM and outcome measures at pre-YAM, post-YAM, and 12 month follow-up. Standard and mixed linear and logistic regression models will be used to test the main hypothesis that the YAM-TE does not differ from YAM-EXT regarding fidelity (teachers) and acceptability (teachers and youth). Exploratory analyses will test moderation of the intervention effect (e.g., sex, poverty) and the mediating effect of mental health literacy, belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness on the intervention effect. Results of this pilot study will inform the development of subsequent, fully powered noninferiority trials. Our long-term goal is to scale YAM-TE for implementation across rural US communities or, if culturally appropriate, more globally.
International human rights standards versus cultural practices: a case against harmful cultural practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a specific reference to FGM
Authors: Dau Santino Ayuel Longar
Published: March 2024

One of the major limitations of the cultural relativist contention is its property to rank group rights above and beyond individual rights. This paper, however, contends that such a postulation is utilitarian in character. It suggests that what is good for the many is conclusive as to the justness of an outcome. The paper further underscores that IHRs regime must be seen as an indivisible structure of interconnected sets of rights and freedoms within which the significance of each right and/or freedom is augmented or guaranteed by the synchronous protection of all other rights and/or freedoms. This proposition is pertinent to the enduring tension between IHRs standards and cultural practices in the African debate on human rights. Indeed, when juxtaposed against IHRs standards, certain cultural practices are evidently inimical to the inherent human dignity, contrary to the universal vision for the human rights regime. It stands to reason that, in the event of an irreconcilable friction between individual and group rights, the former must supersede the latter. The paper concludes that the long-standing normativity of specific traditional or cultural practices cannot plausibly be invoked as a defense for the continuation of harmful cultural practices, such as FGM, considering that such practices hardly ever  fall within the meaning of the group right to culture under IHRL and are, therefore, pernicious to the IHRs standards as culturally constituted.
Fostering Education in Epilepsy: A Canadian League Against Epilepsy Teaching Initiative
Authors: D’Onofrio Gianluca , Ramachandran Nair Rajesh , Reid Aylin Y. , Kobayashi Eliane , Jones Kevin , Bui Esther , Fantaneanu Tadeu A. , Appendino Juan Pablo
Published: March 2024

The Canadian League Against Epilepsy initiated a virtual epilepsy education program, conducting 29 webinars from March 2021 to September 2023. We report our experience, with the goal to inspire other groups to develop inclusive, equitable, and free educational spaces with a worldwide reach. Monthly sessions drew a median attendance of 118 participants, predominantly Canadian but also international, including physicians (58.9%) and trainees (22.8%). Post-webinar surveys (average 40% response rate) noted high satisfaction, a strong inclination to recommend the sessions, and an interest in clinical case-based topics. We plan to consider integrating a self-assessment section evaluating knowledge gained after each seminar.
Notes on the Difficulty of Studying the Ecuadorian State
Authors: Becker Marc
Published: March 2024

This essay reviews the following works:

Health in the Highlands: Indigenous Healing and Scientific Medicine in Guatemala and Ecuador. By David Carey Jr. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023. Pp. viii + 384. $34.95 paperback, $85.00 hardcover, $34.95 e-book. ISBN: 9780520344792.

Conjuring the State: Public Health Encounters in Highland Ecuador, 1910–1945. By A. Kim Clark. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2023. Pp. 200. $50.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780822947820.

La última guerra del Siglo de las Luces: Revolución Liberal y republicanismo popular en Ecuador. By Valeria Coronel. Quito: FLACSO Ecuador, 2022. Pp. xiv + 419. $18.00 paperback, $12.00 e-book. ISBN: 9789978676202.

Global Governance of the Environment, Indigenous Peoples and the Rights of Nature: Extractive Industries in the Ecuadorian Amazon. By Linda Etchart. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. Pp. xxxv + 270. $109.99 paperback, $109.99 hardcover, $84.99 e-book. ISBN: 9783030815219.

In the Shadow of Tungurahua: Disaster Politics in Highland Ecuador. By A. J. Faas. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2023. Pp. ix + 246. $34.95 paperback, $120.00 hardcover, $34.95 e-book. ISBN: 9781978831568.

A Feast of Flowers: Race, Labor, and Postcolonial Capitalism in Ecuador. By Christopher Krupa. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022. Pp. 328. $39.95 paperback, $99.95 hardcover, $39.95 e-book. ISBN: 9780812225129.

Transforming Ethnicity: Youth and Migration in the Southern Ecuadorian Andes. By Jorge Daniel Vásquez. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2023. Pp. xix + 105. $44.99 hardcover, $34.99 e-book. ISBN: 9783031300967.

Extractivism and Universality: Inside an Uprising in the Amazon. By Japhy Wilson. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2023. Pp. x +132. $128.00 hardcover, $42.36 e-book. ISBN: 9781032386126.
Fencing improves the establishment and growth of Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst wildlings
Authors: Birhane Emiru , Tesfay Abadi , Damtew Abebe , Girmay Zenebe , Gidey Tesfay , Bongers Frans
Published: March 2024

Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst is a flagship species of semi-arid areas of the East African region with substantial economic, ecological and cultural values. However, its persistence is currently threatened by both anthropogenic and natural pressures. This calls for an immediate conservation action. Planting seedlings of B. papyrifera in natural habitats using nursery-grown seedlings from seed and cuttings has been little successful. Fencing of naturally regenerated seedlings (wildlings) established under the parent trees could be used as an alternative option. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fencing on the seedling establishment and growth of B. papyrifera wildlings. The experiment was conducted using 36 plots in fenced and open conditions. The results showed that fencing significantly enhances the establishment and growth of B. papyrifera wildlings compared to the open areas. Fenced wildlings exhibited higher survival rates, increased height, greater leaf numbers, larger root collar diameters, larger leaf areas and higher leaf biomass compared to non-fenced wildlings. Therefore, the protection of B. papyrifera seedlings using a fencing intervention can improve the overall establishment and development of B. papyrifera seedlings, thereby contributing to the sustainable conservation and restoration of this valuable species.
Subjects’ strategies against lordship in Burgundian and Habsburg Flanders
Authors: De Waele Tom
Published: March 2024

From the thirteenth until the 18th century, the county of Flanders knew a special citizen status for rural residents. Country dwellers, normally residing under the jurisdiction and fiscality of lordships, could register themselves as external citizens or ‘outburghers’. Outburghership has primarily been researched within the context of state building and urban studies. This contribution prioritizes the perspective of the countryside. Studies on premodern Flanders have shown that the counts and cities tried to undermine the power of local lords by providing as many seigneurial subjects as possible with fiscal and judicial exemptions to the lords’ justice and taxes. The accessibility of outburghership and its varying appeal along time and space has not been adequately researched. This study argues that the heyday of outburghership in Flanders was between 1300 and 1550. After 1600, outburghership endured as defence mechanism against seigneurial lordship until both institutions met their demise in 1795.
Static Blame for gradual typing
Authors: SU CHENGHAO , CHEN LIN , YANHUI LI , ZHOU YUMING
Published: March 2024

Gradual typing integrates static and dynamic typing by introducing a dynamic type and a consistency relation. A problem of gradual type systems is that dynamic types can easily hide erroneous data flows since consistency relations are not transitive. Therefore, a more rigorous static check is required to reveal these hidden data flows statically. However, in order to preserve the expressiveness of gradually typed languages, static checks for gradually typed languages cannot simply reject programs with potentially erroneous data flows. By contrast, a more reasonable request is to show how these data flows can affect the execution of the program. In this paper, we propose and formalize Static Blame, a framework that can reveal hidden data flows for gradually typed programs and establish the correspondence between static-time data flows and runtime behavior. With this correspondence, we build a classification of potential errors detected from hidden data flows and formally characterize the possible impact of potential errors in each category on program execution, without simply rejecting the whole program. We implemented Static Blame on Grift, an academic gradually typed language, and evaluated the effectiveness of Static Blame by mutation analysis to verify our theoretical results. Our findings revealed that Static Blame exhibits a notable level of precision and recall in detecting type-related bugs. Furthermore, we conducted a manual classification to elucidate the reasons behind instances of failure. We also evaluated the performance of Static Blame, showing a quadratic growth in run time as program size increases.
The evolution of economies, technologies, and other institutions: exploring W. Brian Arthur's insights
Authors: Schrepel Thibault
Published: March 2024

Technology is a complex adaptive system that is both shaped by, and shapes, institutional arrangements. This critical insight, developed in depth by W. Brian Arthur – the father of complexity economics – is relevant to researchers interested in institutions. Arthur provides a method for capturing the underlying dynamics. He offers conceptual tools centred on the concept of increasing returns to make sense of some crucial challenges. He also suggests technical tools, including agent-based modelling, to tackle ill-defined economic, legal, and institutional problems. This article explores his body of work and derives some institutional insights from it.
Statistical estimation of noise induced hearing loss among the drivers in one of the most polluted cities of India
Authors: Manar Manish Kumar , Singh Shivendra Kumar , Bajpai Prashant Kumar , Verma Veerendra , Shukla Sheo Prasad , Singh Neeraj Kumar , Markandeya
Published: March 2024

In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess the impact of vehicular noise upon the 3-wheeler tempo drivers and to know whether there is any relationship between hearing loss and cumulative noise exposure. For this purpose, 3-wheeler tempo drivers (Exposed group) and non-commercial light motor vehicle car drivers (Unexposed group) were chosen as study subjects. Three traffic routes were selected to assess the noise level during waiting and running time in the exposed and unexposed groups. Among all three routes, the highest mean noise level (Leq) was observed on the Chowk to Dubagga route for waiting and en-route noise measurement. It was measured as 84.13 dB(A) and 86.36 dB(A) for waiting and en-route periods of 7.68 ± 3.46 and 31.05 ± 6.6 min, respectively. Cumulative noise exposure was found to be significantly different (p < 0.001) in all age groups of exposed and unexposed drivers. Audiometric tests have been performed over both exposed and unexposed groups. The regression analysis has been done keeping hearing loss among tempo drivers as the dependent variable and age (years) and Energy (Pa2 Hrs) as the independent variable using three different criteria of hearing loss definitions, i.e., World Health Organization, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria. Among these three criteria, the NIOSH criterion of hearing loss best explained the independent variables. It could explain the total variation in dependent variable by independent variable quite well, i.e., 68.1%. The finding showed a linear relationship between cumulative noise exposures (Pa2 Hrs) and the exposed group's hearing loss (dB), i.e., hearing loss increases with increasing noise dose. Based on the findings, two model equations were developed to identify the safe and unsafe noise levels with exposure time.
Clean-up of divalent cobalt ions by massive sequestration in a low-cost calcium silicate hydrate material
Authors: Hamilton Andrea , Bots Pieter , Zhou Han , Liu Bao , Hall Christopher
Published: March 2024

Cobalt is a critical resource in industrial economies for the manufacture of electric-vehicle batteries, alloys, magnets, and catalysts, but has acute supply-chain risks and poses a threat to the environment. Large-scale sequestration of cobalt in low-cost materials under mild conditions opens a path to cobalt recycling, recovery and environmental clean-up. We describe such sequestration of cobalt by a widely available commercial calcium silicate material containing the mineral xonotlite. Xonotlite rapidly and spontaneously takes up 40 percent of its weight of cobalt under ambient conditions of temperature and pressure and reduces dissolved cobalt concentrations to low parts per million. A new Sharp Front experimental design is used to obtain kinetic and chemical information. Sequestration occurs by a coupled dissolution-precipitation replacement mechanism. The cobalt silicate reaction product is largely amorphous but has phyllosilicate features.
Advancing high-performance visible light communication with long-wavelength InGaN-based micro-LEDs
Authors: Hsiao Fu-He , Miao Wen-Chien , Lee Tzu-Yi , Pai Yi-Hua , Hung Yu-Ying , Iida Daisuke , Lin Chun-Liang , Chow Chi-Wai , Lin Gong-Ru , Ohkawa Kazuhiro , Kuo Hao-Chung , Hong Yu-Heng
Published: March 2024

This study showcases a method for achieving high-performance yellow and red micro-LEDs through precise control of indium content within quantum wells. By employing a hybrid quantum well structure with our six core technologies, we can accomplish outstanding external quantum efficiency (EQE) and robust stripe bandwidth. The resulting 30 μm × 8 micro-LED arrays exhibit maximum EQE values of 11.56% and 5.47% for yellow and red variants, respectively. Notably, the yellow micro-LED arrays achieve data rates exceeding 1 Gbit/s for non-return-to-zero on–off keying (NRZ-OOK) format and 1.5 Gbit/s for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) format. These findings underscore the significant potential of long-wavelength InGaN-based micro-LEDs, positioning them as highly promising candidates for both full-color microdisplays and visible light communication applications.
A grey wolf optimization-based modified SPWM control scheme for a three-phase half bridge cascaded multilevel inverter
Authors: Nasser Abdelrahman M. , Refky Amr , Shatla Hamdy , Abdel-hamed Alaa M.
Published: March 2024

The Multilevel inverter (MLI) plays a pivotal role in Renewable Energy (RE) systems by offering a cost-effective and highly efficient solution for converting DC from Photovoltaic (PV) sources into AC at high voltages. In addition, an innovative technology holds immense significance as it not only enables the seamless integration of PV systems into the grid but also ensures optimal power generation, thereby contributing to the widespread adoption of RE and fostering a sustainable future. This paper presents a modified sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) control scheme for a three-phase half-bridge cascaded MLI-powered PV sources. The selection of the MLI configuration is motivated by its reduced number of switching components, which enhances system reliability and simplifies experimental implementation. Compared to the SPWM schemes which require (m−1) carriers that make the generation of the pulse circuit very complex, the proposed control scheme requires only three signals: a carrier signal, a triangular waveform, and a modulating signal. This approach significantly reduces the complexity of control and facilitates practical implementation. The proposed control scheme simulation is verified using MATLAB/SIMULINK Software. The grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is implemented to determine the optimal switching angles of the proposed control scheme. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) objective is selected to be the fitness function to be minimized for improving the quality of the output waveforms. For verification, the results of the proposed GWO-based modified SPWM control scheme are compared with those obtained using both the Particle swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic algorithm (GA) used in the literature. Simulation results declared that the proposed control scheme improves performance, especially THD which is minimized to 6.8%. Experimental validation has been conducted by building a laboratory prototype of the proposed system. The experimental and simulation results gave acceptable and limited convergent results considering the experimental difficulties.
Impact of metabolic syndrome on bone mineral density in men over 50 and postmenopausal women according to U.S. survey results
Authors: Tan Mo-Yao , Zhu Si-Xuan , Wang Gao-Peng , Liu Zhong-Xing
Published: March 2024

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and bone mineral density (BMD) have shown a controversial link in some studies. This research aims to study their association in males over 50 and postmenopausal females using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Postmenopausal females and males over 50 were included in the study. MetS was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. BMD values were measured at the thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and pelvis as the primary outcome. Weighted multivariate general linear models have been employed to explore the status of BMD in patients with MetS. Additionally, interaction tests and subgroup analyses were conducted. Utilizing the NHANES database from 2003 to 2006 and 2011–2018, we included 1924 participants, with 1029 males and 895 females. In postmenopausal women, after adjusting for covariates, we found a positive correlation between MetS and pelvic (β: 0.030 [95%CI 0.003, 0.06]) and thoracic (β: 0.030 [95%CI 0.01, 0.06]) BMD, though not for lumbar spine BMD (β: 0.020 [95%CI − 0.01, 0.05]). In males over 50 years old, MetS was positively correlated with BMD in both Model 1 (without adjusting for covariates) and Model 2 (considering age and ethnicity). Specifically, Model 2 revealed a positive correlation between MetS and BMD at the pelvis (β: 0.046 [95%CI 0.02, 0.07]), thoracic spine (β: 0.047 [95%CI 0.02, 0.07]), and lumbar spine (β: 0.040 [95%CI 0.02, 0.06]). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the relationship between MetS and BMD remained consistent in all strata, underscoring the stability of the findings. In postmenopausal women, after adjusting for all covariates, a significant positive correlation was observed between MetS and BMD in the pelvis and thoracic spine, whereas this correlation was not significant for lumbar spine BMD. Conversely, in males, positive correlations between MetS and BMD at the lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and pelvis were identified in Model 2, which adjusted for age and ethnicity; however, these correlations disappeared after fully adjusting for all covariates. These findings highlight the potential moderating role of gender in the impact of MetS on BMD.
Comparative response to PDT with methyl-aminolevulinate and temoporfin in cutaneous and oral squamous cell carcinoma cells
Authors: Nicolás-Morala J. , Alonso-Juarranz M. , Barahona A. , Terrén S. , Cabezas S. , Falahat F. , Gilaberte Y. , Gonzalez S. , Juarranz A. , Mascaraque M.
Published: March 2024

Cutaneous and Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC, HNSCC) are among the most prevalent cancers. Both types of cancer can be treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) by using the photosensitizer Temoporfin in HNSCC and the prodrug methyl-aminolevulinate (MAL) in CSCC. However, PDT is not always effective. Therefore, it is mandatory to correctly approach the therapy according to the characteristics of the tumour cells. For this reason, we have used cell lines of CSCC (A431 and SCC13) and HNSCC (HN5 and SCC9). The results obtained indicated that the better response to MAL-PDT was related to its localization in the plasma membrane (A431 and HN5 cells). However, with Temoporfin all cell lines showed lysosome localization, even the most sensitive ones (HN5). The expression of mesenchymal markers and migratory capacity was greater in HNSCC lines compared to CSCC, but no correlation with PDT response was observed. The translocation to the nucleus of β-catenin and GSK3β and the activation of NF-κβ is related to the poor response to PDT in the HNSCC lines. Therefore, we propose that intracellular localization of GSK3β could be a good marker of response to PDT in HNSCC. Although the molecular mechanism of response to PDT needs further elucidation, this work shows that the most MAL-resistant line of CSCC is more sensitive to Temoporfin.
Comparison of the effectiveness of different normalization methods for metagenomic cross-study phenotype prediction under heterogeneity
Authors: Wang Beibei , Sun Fengzhu , Luan Yihui
Published: March 2024

The human microbiome, comprising microorganisms residing within and on the human body, plays a crucial role in various physiological processes and has been linked to numerous diseases. To analyze microbiome data, it is essential to account for inherent heterogeneity and variability across samples. Normalization methods have been proposed to mitigate these variations and enhance comparability. However, the performance of these methods in predicting binary phenotypes remains understudied. This study systematically evaluates different normalization methods in microbiome data analysis and their impact on disease prediction. Our findings highlight the strengths and limitations of scaling, compositional data analysis, transformation, and batch correction methods. Scaling methods like TMM show consistent performance, while compositional data analysis methods exhibit mixed results. Transformation methods, such as Blom and NPN, demonstrate promise in capturing complex associations. Batch correction methods, including BMC and Limma, consistently outperform other approaches. However, the influence of normalization methods is constrained by population effects, disease effects, and batch effects. These results provide insights for selecting appropriate normalization approaches in microbiome research, improving predictive models, and advancing personalized medicine. Future research should explore larger and more diverse datasets and develop tailored normalization strategies for microbiome data analysis.
A predictive model for post-thoracoscopic surgery pulmonary complications based on the PBNN algorithm
Authors: Zhou Cheng-Mao , Xue Qiong , Li HuiJuan , Yang Jian-Jun , Zhu Yu
Published: March 2024

We constructed an early prediction model for postoperative pulmonary complications after thoracoscopic surgery using machine learning and deep learning algorithms. The artificial intelligence prediction models were built in Python, primarily using artificial intelligencealgorithms including both machine learning and deep learning algorithms. Correlation analysis showed that postoperative pulmonary complications were positively correlated with age and surgery duration, and negatively correlated with serum albumin. Using the light gradient boosting machine(LGBM) algorithm, weighted feature engineering revealed that single lung ventilation duration, history of smoking, surgery duration, ASA score, and blood glucose were the main factors associated with postoperative pulmonary complications. Results of artificial intelligence algorithms for predicting pulmonary complications after thoracoscopy in the test group: In terms of accuracy, the two best algorithms were Logistic Regression (0.831) and light gradient boosting machine(0.827); in terms of precision, the two best algorithms were Gradient Boosting (0.75) and light gradient boosting machine (0.742); in terms of recall, the three best algorithms were gaussian naive bayes (0.581), Logistic Regression (0.532), and pruning Bayesian neural network (0.516); in terms of F1 score, the two best algorithms were LogisticRegression (0.589) and pruning Bayesian neural network (0.566); and in terms of Area Under Curve(AUC), the two best algorithms were light gradient boosting machine(0.873) and pruning Bayesian neural network (0.869). The results of this study suggest that pruning Bayesian neural network (PBNN) can be used to assess the possibility of pulmonary complications after thoracoscopy, and to identify high-risk groups prior to surgery.
Image encryption scheme based on improved four-dimensional chaotic system and evolutionary operators
Authors: Niu Ying , Zhou Hangyu , Zhang Xuncai
Published: March 2024

To enhance the security of image data transmission, and address the weaknesses of existing image encryption schemes based on chaotic systems, particularly concerning resistance to differential attacks and the unstable performance of chaotic systems, this article introduces an improved four-dimensional chaotic system and integrates evolutionary operators to propose an image encryption scheme. Firstly, a method for generating pseudo-random sequences associated with the plaintext is designed. The change rate of the ciphertext pixel value exceeds 0.9967 after a slight modification of the plaintext pixel value, significantly improving the plaintext sensitivity and the scheme's ability to resist selected plaintext attacks. Secondly, an individual rearrangement operation is introduced to achieve bit-level scrambling, and pixel-level scrambling is achieved by selection strategy. Subsequently, crossover and mutation operations are incorporated into image encryption. To reflect the randomness of the pairing, we adopt the pseudo-random sequence generated by the chaotic system to control the crossover and mutation operators, and a diffusion operation is performed on selected pixel pairs. Finally, ciphertext feedback is applied. Experimental results and performance analysis demonstrate that the proposed scheme not only enhances the security of encrypted images but also effectively resists noise and cropping attacks. This method effectively meets the high-security requirements of images in network transmission and provides new ideas for further research in the field of image encryption.
Magnetic resonance imaging based finite element modelling of the proximal femur: a short-term in vivo precision study
Authors: Majcher Kadin B. , Kontulainen Saija A. , Leswick David A. , Dolovich Allan T. , Johnston James D.
Published: March 2024

Proximal femoral fractures are a serious life-threatening injury with high morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has potential to non-invasively assess proximal femoral bone strength in vivo through usage of finite element (FE) modelling (a technique referred to as MR-FE). To precisely assess bone strength, knowledge of measurement error associated with different MR-FE outcomes is needed. The objective of this study was to characterize the short-term in vivo precision errors of MR-FE outcomes (e.g., stress, strain, failure loads) of the proximal femur for fall and stance loading configurations using 13 participants (5 males and 8 females; median age: 27 years, range: 21–68), each scanned 3 times. MR-FE models were generated, and mean von Mises stress and strain as well as principal stress and strain were calculated for 3 regions of interest. Similarly, we calculated the failure loads to cause 5% of contiguous elements to fail according to the von Mises yield, Brittle Coulomb-Mohr, normal principal, and Hoffman stress and strain criteria. Precision (root-mean squared coefficient of variation) of the MR-FE outcomes ranged from 3.3% to 11.8% for stress and strain-based mechanical outcomes, and 5.8% to 9.0% for failure loads. These results provide evidence that MR-FE outcomes are a promising non-invasive technique for monitoring femoral strength in vivo.
Clinically-observed FOXA1 mutations upregulate SEMA3C through transcriptional derepression in prostate cancer
Authors: Tam Kevin J. , Liu Liangliang , Hsing Michael , Dalal Kush , Thaper Daksh , McConeghy Brian , Yenki Parvin , Bhasin Satyam , Peacock James W. , Wang Yuzhuo , Cherkasov Artem , Rennie Paul S. , Gleave Martin E. , Ong Christopher J.
Published: March 2024

FOXA1 is a pioneer transcription factor that is frequently mutated in prostate, breast, bladder, and salivary gland malignancies. Indeed, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) commonly harbour FOXA1 mutations with a prevalence of 35%. However, despite the frequent recurrence of FOXA1 mutations in prostate cancer, the mechanisms by which FOXA1 variants drive its oncogenic effects are still unclear. Semaphorin 3C (SEMA3C) is a secreted autocrine growth factor that drives growth and treatment resistance of prostate and other cancers and is known to be regulated by both AR and FOXA1. In the present study, we characterize FOXA1 alterations with respect to its regulation of SEMA3C. Our findings reveal that FOXA1 alterations lead to elevated levels of SEMA3C both in prostate cancer specimens and in vitro. We further show that FOXA1 negatively regulates SEMA3C via intronic cis elements, and that mutations in FOXA1 forkhead domain attenuate its inhibitory function in reporter assays, presumably by disrupting DNA binding of FOXA1. Our findings underscore the key role of FOXA1 in prostate cancer progression and treatment resistance by regulating SEMA3C expression and suggest that SEMA3C may be a driver of growth and tumor vulnerability of mCRPC harboring FOXA1 alterations.
Radiomics analysis for distinctive identification of COVID-19 pulmonary nodules from other benign and malignant counterparts
Authors: Selvam Minmini , Chandrasekharan Anupama , Sadanandan Abjasree , Anand Vikas K. , Ramesh Sidharth , Murali Arunan , Krishnamurthi Ganapathy
Published: March 2024

This observational study investigated the potential of radiomics as a non-invasive adjunct to CT in distinguishing COVID-19 lung nodules from other benign and malignant lung nodules. Lesion segmentation, feature extraction, and machine learning algorithms, including decision tree, support vector machine, random forest, feed-forward neural network, and discriminant analysis, were employed in the radiomics workflow. Key features such as Idmn, skewness, and long-run low grey level emphasis were identified as crucial in differentiation. The model demonstrated an accuracy of 83% in distinguishing COVID-19 from other benign nodules and 88% from malignant nodules. This study concludes that radiomics, through machine learning, serves as a valuable tool for non-invasive discrimination between COVID-19 and other benign and malignant lung nodules. The findings suggest the potential complementary role of radiomics in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia exhibiting lung nodules and suspicion of concurrent lung pathologies. The clinical relevance lies in the utilization of radiomics analysis for feature extraction and classification, contributing to the enhanced differentiation of lung nodules, particularly in the context of COVID-19.
Betanin dye extracted from ayrampo (Opuntia soehrensii) seeds to develop dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Flint Heather V. , Rivera Tito Harry Anderson , James Richard D. , Cucinotta Fabio , Gibson Elizabeth , Quintana Caceda María Esther
Published: March 2024

Pigments extracted from ayrampo seeds of the Peruvian-native cactus (Opuntia soehrensii) were used in dye-sensitized solar cells with promising efficiencies.
Near-infrared imaging for visualizing the synergistic relationship between autophagy and NFS1 protein during multidrug resistance using an ICT–TICT integrated platform
Authors: Hu Wei , He Yifan , Ren Haixian , Chai Li , Li Haiyan , Chen Jianbin , Li Chunya , Wang Yanying , James Tony D.
Published: March 2024

Drug resistance is a major challenge for cancer treatment, and its identification is crucial for medical research.
1,1′-Bis-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene appended d8- and d10-configuration based thiosquarates: the molecular and electronic configurational insights into their sensitization and co-sensitization properties for dye sensitized solar cells
Authors: Kushwaha Aparna , Srivastava Devyani , Prakash Om , Kociok-Köhn Gabriele , Gosavi Suresh W. , Chauhan Ratna , Muddassir Mohd. , Kumar Abhinav
Published: March 2024

New dppf appended d8- and d10-configuration based thiosquarates synthesized and used as sensitizers and co-sensitizers with N719 dye in dye sensitized solar cells.
A carbon quantum dot-decorated g-C3N4 composite as a sulfur hosting material for lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Liu Yang , Cai Dandan , Zheng Feng , Qin Ziwei , Li Ying , Li Wenxian , Li Aijun , Zhao Yufeng , Zhang Jiujun
Published: March 2024

Graphitic C3N4 (g-C3N4) assembled with highly-dispersed carbon quantum dots is designed as a cooperative catalyst to accelerate the reaction kinetics of lithium polysulfide conversion.
Recent advances in microbial and enzymatic engineering for the biodegradation of micro- and nanoplastics
Authors: Choi Jaewon , Kim Hongbin , Ahn Yu-Rim , Kim Minse , Yu Seona , Kim Nanhyeon , Lim Su Yeon , Park Jeong-Ann , Ha Suk-Jin , Lim Kwang Suk , Kim Hyun-Ouk
Published: March 2024

This review examines the escalating issue of plastic pollution, specifically highlighting the detrimental effects on the environment and human health caused by microplastics and nanoplastics.
Photoswitching the fluorescence of nanoparticles for advanced optical applications
Authors: Zhong Wencheng , Shang Li
Published: March 2024

Photoswitchable fluorescent nanoparticles (PF NPs) are an emerging type of optical nanomaterial with distinct photo-responsive properties, which have shown promising applications in diverse fields recently.
A comparative assessment of 16S ribosomal RNA and Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I (COI) Primers for Amphibian DNA Barcoding
Authors: Farhana Ramli Farah , Munian Kaviarasu , Othman Nursyuhada , Hartini Sariyati Nur , Akmal Fawwazah Abdullah-Fauzi Nurfatiha , Ilham-Norhakim Mohd Lokman , Abu Bakar Abdul-Latiff Muhammad
Published: March 2024

Amphibians, a diverse and ecologically important group, are facing global declines due to various factors, including habitat loss and climate change. Accurate species identification is crucial for effective conservation efforts, and DNA barcoding has emerged as a powerful tool in this regard. This study compares the efficacy of two DNA barcoding primer sets, targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and the Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene, for identifying 20 amphibian species. While both primer sets successfully amplified sequences, the 16S rRNA gene region identified all 20 samples, whereas the COI region identified 14. The amplified sequences, approximately 550 base pairs for 16S rRNA and 658 base pairs for COI facilitated precise taxonomic placement within amphibian families using Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic trees. These findings enhance DNA barcoding methodology and aid in understanding amphibian diversity, crucial for effective conservation strategies amidst global declines drives by habitat loss, diseases, and climate change.
Prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) Escherichia coli recovered from ICU and non-ICU at dr. Zainoel Abidin General Hospital
Authors: Mahdani Wilda , Albela Asha , Hayati Zinatul , Suhartono Suhartono
Published: March 2024

Research conducted at Zainoel Abidin General Hospital in Banda Aceh between January 2022 and July 2023, focused on the prevalence and susceptibility patterns of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli associated with nosocomial infections. This study employed a retrospective descriptive methodology to analyze clinical specimens from both the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU settings. Of the 520 isolates examined, 365 (70.19%) were identified as ESBL-producing Escherichia coli. The age group of 56-65 had the highest prevalence (28.21%), with female patients contributing 52.50% of the isolates. Both ESBL-producing and non-ESBL-producing E. coli had almost equivalent prevalence among patients treated in the ICU and non-ICU, accounting for 67%. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed high levels of resistance to carbapenem. Conversely, polymyxin B showed complete susceptibility (100%) and cefoxitin exhibited an 85% susceptibility rate. These findings underscore the alarm resistance levels of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli isolates.
Enhanced stability of a three-dimensional graphene nanosheets networks modified asphalt mixture
Authors: Nqabisa Simphiwe , Khamlich Saleh , Oliver Graeme
Published: March 2024

To date, several concepts have been developed to enhance the mechanical and service life of asphalt pavements. Additives such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers and carbon black are used in the hot mix asphalt (HMA) or the asphalt binder (i.e., bitumen) for higher resistance to permanent deformations such as rutting, and transverse thermal cracking due to increased traffic volumes, vehicle mass and axle loads. In this study, graphene nanosheets (GNs) were used as potential modifier of bitumen binder in the HMA. The objective of this work is to investigate the impact of GNs modified bitumen on the Marshall stability and flow of the asphalt mixture using laboratory-compacted samples. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study revealed a diffraction peak of GNs (002) at 2θ =26.5° along the bitumen’s γ-band and 10-band, which confirm a successful dispersion of GNs into bitumen binder. Furthermore, morphological analysis showed formation of a three dimensional (3d) interconnected networks of GNs between the bitumen micro-structures which could act as bridges for increased flexural strength of the binder. The Marshall stability and flow test results indicate that the mechanical properties of asphalt mixture were influenced by the addition of GNs to the bitumen binder. At 5% by weight of GNs modified bitumen (GNs-B), the compacted hot-mix Asphalt sample showed a higher Marshall stability of 11.7 kN recording 13.6% enhancement in comparison with the asphalt mixture with pure bitumen (P-B). In addition, when GNs-B was used, a lower flow of 1.4 mm was recorded which is desirable to prevent rutting and other forms of failure in asphalt pavements. This study underlines that adding GNs into asphalt binders such as bitumen could play a key role in enhancing the performance of asphalt pavements, which in turn extends their service life and saves maintenance expenses.
Certain investigation on feasibility of developing riser less ductile iron castings
Authors: Subramanian Saravanan Venkatachalam , Palanisamy Chandramohan , Raman Raghu , Olubambi Peter Apata
Published: March 2024

The solidification mechanism of ductile iron is a bit complex due to the precipitation of graphite and silicon. These elements change the solidification pattern of cast iron. Density of these elements is less than iron leads to occupying more volume consequently increase the overall metal volume. There are two aspects on this increase in metal volume. One is, reducing this volume increase to reduce the creation of porosities at the earlier stage of solidification and second is, using this volume increase to remove porosity at the later stage of solidification. Proper understanding of this graphite expansion in cast iron solidification will bring insights on reducing or removing of the risers. The current study focus on correlating the net contraction and austenitic liquidus point with shrinkage. The average contraction found through this study is 1.36 % which is more than the net expansion of 0.25 % (without riser) reported in literature. The study found that properly balancing graphite precipitation, pouring temperature and mold strength can enable riserless casting of ductile iron by compensating for liquid contraction through graphite expansion.
Community empowerment – based communication pattern to prevent forest and land fires
Authors: Yazid Tantri Puspita , Wirman Welly , Rasyid Anuar , Yozani Ringgo Eldapi , Susanti Hevi
Published: March 2024

The rise of devastating impacts of climate change has reached an urgent situation that we must act immediately to combat these problems. As the 13th sustainable development goal focused on climate actions. Bengkalis Regency as one of the highest potentials for land fire has become one of the biggest contributors to air pollution and land fire in Riau province, Indonesia. The role of Masyarakat Peduli Api (MPA) (Anti Fire Community) is to prevent those problems mainly focused on the society to combat the climate impact specifically air pollution and land fire in Bengkalis regency. The purpose of this research is to design a communication pattern for the prevention of forest and land fires based on community empowerment in Desa Wisata, Bukit Batu, Kab. Bengkalis. This study uses a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) by generating village mapping, season calendar, village tracing, Venn diagram, changes and trends analysis, and metrics ranking. The subject in this study were Anti Fire Community Bengkalis regency, visitors, and the public in general. The result showed that communication pattern is required to pursue effective collaboration between all parties to combat the impact of climate change. Moreover, the action that done by MPA has become one of preventive action to solve land fires.
Siak green policy in environmental political flows in Indonesia: Political policy perspectives, gender mainstreaming and public participation
Authors: Firdaus Emilda , Mardiana  , Andrikasmi Sukamariko , Handoko Tito
Published: March 2024

The Siak Hijau policy is a barometer of the success of regional governments in supporting the achievement of the SDGs in Indonesia. This policy is in line with the long-term vision for the development of Riau and Siak which prioritizes environmental governance, increasing participatory space and transparency. This study was carried out in collaboration between the Siak Regency Government, FITRA Riau and other stakeholders. The research method used is a qualitative research method, data collection is carried out using structured interviews and observation. Directed discussions at regional apparatus organization forums were carried out to obtain complete data. This study found that the green siak policy is a policy that has received a lot of support from non-governmental organizations. However, this policy is not yet gender responsive because there is no special budget allocation that is affirmative towards empowering women’s groups. Public participation in this policy is quite good considering that public involvement in planning and implementing the Green Siak policy continues to be encouraged by the Siak Regency regional government.
Investigating the impact of pillar shape on flexible erythrocyte separation through deterministic lateral displacement
Authors: Wu Jiangbo , Zhang Wenyu , Du Xiaoze , Liu Jie , lv Yao , He Yongqing
Published: March 2024

The deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) method has gradually moved beyond the separation of spherical rigid particles and has been successfully applied to the field of biological cells, especially to the separation of disc-shaped flexible erythrocytes. Different shapes of micropillars in the DLD device significantly affect the sorting performance of erythrocytes. We investigated the effect of the flow field in the gap of micropillars of different shapes (circular, triangular, I-shaped) on the behavior of erythrocyte tumbling motion. The simulation results showed that in the I-shaped pillar DLD device, compared with the circular and triangular pillars, the erythrocytes exhibited a stable and continuous flipping motion during the movement along the array offset direction, which enabled the effective separation size to be maintained at a high level. In addition, the formula for calculating the critical diameter of the I-shaped pillar DLD array for separating erythrocytes was obtained by fitting, which provides strong support for a more efficient design of the I-shaped pillar DLD device dedicated to erythrocyte sorting.
Megafires and koala occurrence: a comparative analysis of field data and satellite imagery
Authors: Orlando Cristian Gabriel , Montague-Drake Rebecca , Turbill John , Crowther Mathew S.
Published: March 2024

Megafires can have a devastating effect on koala populations. With climate change increasing habitat vulnerability to wildfires, understanding how to efficiently measure the impact of these events on koalas is essential. We analysed the relationship between the 2019-2020 megafires and the probability of koala occurrence in Mid North Coast NSW. We found that two on-field and one satellite-derived variables measuring fire severity equally explained koala occurrence. The probability of koala occurrence decreased with increasing fire severity. This supports the use of remote sensing imagery to efficiently monitor the impact of future fire events on koala populations in the region.
Down-sampling from hierarchically structured corpus data
Authors: Sönning Lukas
Published: March 2024

Resource constraints often force researchers to downsize the list of tokens returned by a corpus query. This paper sketches a methodology for down-sampling and offers a survey of current practices. We build on earlier work and extend the evaluation of down-sampling designs to settings where tokens are clustered by text file and lexeme. Our case study deals with third-person present-tense verb inflection in Early Modern English and focuses on five predictors: year, gender, genre, frequency, and phonological context. We evaluate two strategies for selecting 2,000 (out of 11,645) tokens: simple down-sampling, where each hit has the same selection probability; and structured down-sampling, where this probability is inversely proportional to the author- and verb-specific token count. We form 500 subsamples using each scheme and compare regression results to a reference model fit to the full set of cases. We observe that structured down-sampling shows better performance on several evaluation criteria.