bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors Using Chemical Similarity Analysis Combined with Machine Learning
Authors: Juárez-Mercado Karina Eurídice , Gómez-Hernández Milton Abraham , Salinas-Trujano Juana , Córdova-Bahena Luis , Espitia Clara , Pérez-Tapia Sonia Mayra , Medina-Franco José L. , Velasco-Velázquez Marco A.
Published: February 2024

SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) is an enzyme that cleaves viral polyproteins translated from the viral genome, which is critical for viral replication. Mpro is a target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. Herein, we performed a large-scale virtual screening by comparing multiple structural descriptors of reference molecules with reported anti-coronavirus activity against a library with >17 million compounds. Further filtering, performed by applying two machine learning algorithms, identified eighteen computational hits as anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds with high structural diversity and drug-like properties. The activities of twelve compounds on Mpro’s enzymatic activity were evaluated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays. Compound 13 (ZINC13878776) significantly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 Mpro activity and was employed as a reference for an experimentally hit expansion. The structural analogues 13a (ZINC4248385), 13b (ZNC13523222), and 13c (ZINC4248365) were tested as Mpro inhibitors, reducing the enzymatic activity of recombinant Mpro with potency as follows: 13c > 13 > 13b > 13a. Then, their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities were evaluated in plaque reduction assays using Vero CCL81 cells. Subtoxic concentrations of compounds 13a, 13c, and 13b displayed in vitro antiviral activity with IC50 in the mid micromolar range. Compounds 13a–c could become lead compounds for the development of new Mpro inhibitors with improved activity against anti-SARS-CoV-2.
First Description of Marinoquinoline Derivatives’ Activity against Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Diethelm Luiza Tamie Hirata , Ramos Amanda Bruno da Silva Bellini , de Lorena Giovanna Braga , Trajano Bruna Inácio , do Espírito Santo Rafael Dias , de Menezes Renata Priscila Barros , Scotti Marcus Tullius , Colombo Fabio Antonio , Marques Marcos José , Correia Carlos Roque Duarte , Reimão Juliana Quero
Published: February 2024

Toxoplasmosis is a globally prevalent zoonotic disease with significant clinical implications, including neurotoxoplasmosis, a leading cause of cerebral lesions in AIDS patients. The current pharmacological treatments for toxoplasmosis face clinical limitations, necessitating the urgent development of new therapeutics. Natural sources have yielded diverse bioactive compounds, serving as the foundation for clinically used derivatives. The exploration of marine bacteria-derived natural products has led to marinoquinolines, which feature a pyrroloquinoline core and demonstrate in vitro and in vivo anti-Plasmodium activity. This study investigates the in vitro anti-Toxoplasma gondii potential of six marinoquinoline derivatives. Additionally, it conducts absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) predictions, and evaluates the in vivo efficacy of one selected compound. The compounds displayed half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values between 1.31 and 3.78 µM and half-maximal cytotoxic concentration (CC50) values ranging from 4.16 to 30.51 µM, resulting in selectivity indices (SI) from 3.18 to 20.85. MQ-1 exhibiting the highest in vitro SI, significantly reduced tachyzoite numbers in the peritoneum of RH-infected Swiss mice when it was orally administered at 12.5 mg/kg/day for eight consecutive days. Also, MQ-1 significantly reduced the cerebral parasite burden in chronically ME49 infected C57BL/6 mice when it was orally administered at 25 mg/kg/day for 10 consecutive days. These findings underscore the promising anti-T. gondii activity of marinoquinolines and their potential as novel therapeutic agents against this disease.
Plant-Produced Viral Nanoparticles as a Functionalized Catalytic Support for Metabolic Engineering
Authors: Sator Christian , Lico Chiara , Pannucci Elisa , Marchetti Luca , Baschieri Selene , Warzecha Heribert , Santi Luca
Published: February 2024

Substrate channeling could be very useful for plant metabolic engineering; hence, we propose that functionalized supramolecular self-assembly scaffolds can act as enzymatic hubs able to perform reactions in close contiguity. Virus nanoparticles (VNPs) offer an opportunity in this context, and we present a functionalization strategy to display different enzymes on the outer surface of three different VNPs produced in plants. Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) and Potato virus X (PVX) plant viruses were functionalized by the genetic fusion of the E-coil peptide coding sequence to their respective coat proteins genes, while the enzyme lichenase was tagged with the K-coil peptide. Immobilized E-coil VNPs were able to interact in vitro with the plant-produced functionalized lichenase, and catalysis was demonstrated by employing a lichenase assay. To prove this concept in planta, the Hepatitis B core (HBc) virus-like particles (VLPs) were similarly functionalized by genetic fusion with the E-coil sequence, while acyl-activating enzyme 1, olivetolic acid synthase, and olivetolic acid cyclase enzymes were tagged with the K-coil. The transient co-expression of the K-coil-enzymes together with E-coil-VLPs allowed the establishment of the heterologous cannabinoid precursor biosynthetic pathway. Noteworthy, a significantly higher yield of olivetolic acid glucoside was achieved when the scaffold E-coil-VLPs were employed.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Numerical Simulation on Flow Behavior of Molten Slag–Metal Mixture over a Spinning Cup
Authors: Wang Jun , Pan Yuhua , Zhao Ming , Ma Ping , Lv Shali , Huang Yawei
Published: February 2024

Centrifugal granulation technology using a spinning cup opens a potential way to recycle steel slag that is currently difficult to reuse. The objective of this research was to study the flow characteristics of a molten slag–metal mixture that was produced during smelting reduction in molten steel slag, passing over a spinning cup, so as to explore the feasibility of using centrifugal granulation technology to treat the steel slag. This was achieved by developing and implementing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that incorporated free-surface multiphase flow to predict the thickness of the liquid slag film at the edge of the spinning cup (slag film thickness for short), which was an important parameter for estimating the size of the slag particles resulting from centrifugal granulation of the molten slag–metal mixture. The influences of various relevant parameters, including spinning cup diameter, slag feeding rate, cup spinning speed, etc., on the slag film thickness were analyzed. Additionally, hot experiments on centrifugal granulation of a molten slag–metal mixture were conducted to verify the results of the numerical simulations. The experimental results indicated a progressive reduction in the Sauter mean diameter of the slag particles as the metallic iron content in the slag increased. Specifically, when the iron content rose from 5% to 15% at a cup spinning speed of 2500 RPM, the Sauter mean diameter decreased by 13.77%. The numerical simulation results showed that the slag film thickness had a positive relationship to the slag feeding rate but a negative relationship to the spinning cup diameter and the cup spinning speed. Furthermore, the ratio between the mean slag particle diameter and the slag film thickness decreased nearly linearly with the increase in the metallic iron content in slag, with the average ratio being approximately 4.25, and this relationship was useful for estimating the slag particle size from the slag film thickness. Therefore, the present research results can provide theoretical guidance for the industrial application of spinning cup centrifugal granulation technology to effectively treat and recycle steel slags.
Spatiotemporally Mapping Non-Grain Production of Winter Wheat Using a Developed Auto-Generating Sample Algorithm on Google Earth Engine
Authors: Zhang Meng , Sun Peijun , Sun Zhangli
Published: February 2024

Spatiotemporally mapping winter wheat is imperative for informing and shaping global food security policies. Traditional mapping methods heavily rely on sufficient and reliable samples obtained through labor-intensive fieldwork and manual sample collection. However, these methods are time-consuming, costly, and lack timely and continuous data collection. To address these challenges and fully leverage remote sensing big data and cloud computing platforms like Google Earth Engine (GEE), this paper developed an algorithm for Auto-Generating Winter Wheat Samples for mapping (AGWWS). The AGWWS utilizes historical samples to determine the optimal migration threshold by measuring Spectral Angle Distance (SAD), Euclidean Distance (ED), and Near-Infrared band Difference Index (NIRDI). This facilitates the auto-generation of winter wheat sample sets for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2021. Approximately two-thirds of the samples were allocated for training, with the remaining one-third used for validating the mapping method, employing the One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM). The Huang–Huai–Hai (HHH) Plain, a major winter wheat production region, was selected to perform the algorithm and subsequent analysis on. Different combinations of the hyper-parameters, gamma and nu, of the OCSVM based on the Gaussian Radial Basis Function Kernel were tested for each year. Following correlation analysis between the winter wheat area derived from the generated maps and the national statistical dataset at the city level, the map with the highest corresponding R2 was chosen as the AGWWS map for each year (0.77, 0.77, 0.80, 0.86, and 0.87 for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2021, respectively). The AGWWS maps ultimately achieved an average Overall Accuracy of 81.65%. The study then explores the Non-Grain Production of Winter Wheat (NGPOWW) by analyzing winter wheat change maps from 2000–2005, 2005–2010, 2005–2010, and 2015–2021 in the HHH Plain. Despite an overall increase in the total planted area of winter wheat, the NGPOWW phenomena has led to concerning winter wheat planting marginalization. Compensatory winter wheat areas are notably situated in mountainous and suburban cultivated lands with low qualities. Consequently, despite the apparent expansion in planted areas, winter wheat production is anticipated to be adversely affected. The findings highlight the necessity for improved cultivated land protection policies monitoring the land quality of the compensation and setting strict quota limits on occupations.
Rainfall Erosivity Characteristics during 1961–2100 in the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Li Xiuping , Xiao Peiqing , Hao Shilong , Wang Zhihui
Published: February 2024

Rainfall erosivity, which signifies the inherent susceptibility of soil erosion induced by precipitation, plays a fundamental role in formulating a comprehensive soil loss equation (RUSLE). It stands as a crucial determinant among the foundational factors considered in a comprehensive soil loss equation’s establishment. Nonetheless, the prediction and quantification of future alterations in rainfall erosivity under the influence of global warming have been relatively limited. In this study, climate change was widely evaluated and 10 preferred global climate models in the Loess Plateau were selected by using the data sets of 27 models simulating climate change and the CN05.1 data set provided by the latest CMIP6. The monthly precipitation forecast data were obtained by using the delta downscaling method. Combined with trend analysis, significance test, and coefficient of variation, the annual rainfall erosivity during 1961–2100 under four SSP scenarios was analyzed and predicted. Among the 27 GCM models used in this paper, the most suitable climate models for simulating monthly precipitation in the Loess Plateau were CMCC-CM2-SR5, CMCC-ESM2, TaiESM1, EC-Earth3, EC-Earth-Veg-LR, INM-CM4-8, CAS-ESM2-0, EC-Earth-Veg, ACCESS-ESM1-5, and IPSL-CM6A-LR. In comparison to the base period (1961–1990), during the historical period (1961–2014), the average annual rainfall erosivity on the Loess Plateau amounted to 1259.64 MJ·mm·hm−2·h−1·a−1, showing an insignificant downward trend. In the northwest of Ningxia, Yulin City and Yanan City showed a significant upward trend. In the future period (2015–2100), the annual rainfall erosivity continues to constantly change and increase. The potential average increase in rainfall erosivity is about 13.48–25.86%. In terms of spatial distribution, most areas showed an increasing trend. Among these regions, the majority of encompassed areas within Shanxi Province, central Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia increased greatly, which was not conducive to soil and water conservation and ecological environment construction. This study offers a scientific reference for the projected future erosivity characteristics of the Loess Plateau.
The Violent Aspect of Widowhood Rites in the South African Context
Authors: Shoko Ratidzai , Danke Sizakele
Published: February 2024

In African culture, widowhood is frequently accompanied by rites that must be carried out by the widow. Widows are compelled to carry out these rites and may not feel comfortable executing them since they involve violence. The minority who dares to refuse to participate can face serious consequences because they are persecuted by their families and society. Research shows that widows suffer from fear and coercion, stigmatisation, dehumanising experiences, movement and social restrictions, and exposure to harmful traditional practices. This article examines violent aspects of widowhood rites within the South African context. A qualitative study that examined oppressive structures and how they impacted social injustice and the marginalisation of widows was employed. The data were collected from a purposeful sample of widows in Gauteng province, South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from 28 widows, which were then subjected to thematic analysis. Our findings showed that widows were subjected to painful widowhood rites, which were frequently performed against their preferences. The rites affected them both physically and emotionally. The article recommends that policies be put in place to safeguard the rights of widows and protect them from exploitative cultural beliefs.
Emissions Reduction Target Plan and Export Product Quality: Evidence from China’s 11th Five-Year Plan
Authors: Zhou Xingye , Xu Helian
Published: February 2024

Determining how environmental policy affects export competitiveness is essential for achieving win–win objectives in environmental governance and trade development. We examine whether and how China’s emissions reduction policy declines the firm’s export product quality during the 11th five-year plan via the difference-in-difference-in-difference method. The main findings of this paper are as follows: (i) Compared with less polluting industries, the export production quality declines 5.74% and 3.31%, respectively, as the pollution reduction targets of SO2 and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are set 1 unit higher in more polluting industries. (ii) The negative effect is greater in Western regions as well as state-owned firms. (iii) Local officials facing promotion pressure are more incentivized to raise emissions reduction goals, as well as greater increasing emissions abatement costs, thus leading to greater declines in export quality. However, the innovation compensation effect still remains. (iv) The negative effects can be mitigated through product switching that contributes to resource allocation within firms towards their core products, or executing the first-mover advantage in response to the emissions reduction plan.
Sustainable Optimizing Performance and Energy Efficiency in Proof of Work Blockchain: A Multilinear Regression Approach
Authors: Rukhiran Meennapa , Boonsong Songwut , Netinant Paniti
Published: February 2024

The energy-intensive characteristics of the computations performed by graphics processing units (GPUs) in proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain technology are readily apparent. The optimization of GPU feature configuration is a complex subject that significantly impacts a system’s energy consumption and performance efficiency. The primary objectives of this study are to examine and improve the energy consumption characteristics of GPUs, which play a crucial role in the functioning of blockchains and the mining of cryptocurrencies. This study examines the complex relationship between GPU configurations and system architecture components and their effects on energy efficiency and sustainability. The methodology of this study conducts experiments involving various GPU models and mining software, evaluating their effectiveness across various configurations and environments. Multilinear regression analysis is used to study the complex relationships between critical performance indicators like power consumption, thermal dynamics, core speed, and hash rate and their effects on energy efficiency and performance. The results reveal that strategically adjusting GPU hardware, software, and configuration can preserve substantial energy while preserving computational efficiency. GPU core speed, temperature, core memory speed, ETASH algorithms, fan speed, and energy usage significantly affected the dependent computational-efficiency variable (p = 0.000 and R2 = 0.962) using multilinear regression analysis. GPU core speed, temperature, core memory speed, fan speed, and energy usage significantly affected efficient energy usage (p = 0.000 and R2 = 0.989). The contributions of this study offer practical recommendations for optimizing the feature configurations of GPUs to reduce energy consumption, mitigate the environmental impacts of blockchain operations, and contribute to the current research on performance in PoW blockchain applications.
Constructing and Testing AI International Legal Education Coupling-Enabling Model
Authors: Wang Yunyao , Yang Shudong
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we aim to assess the coupling capability of artificial intelligence in international legal education, delving into crucial aspects of its implementation and effectiveness. This paper constructs a coupling empowerment model of AI international legal education by using artificial intelligence technology. It also discusses the application of Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient in correlation analysis, the implementation of AI knowledge mapping in the help of intelligent parents, and the application of BP neural algorithm in artificial neural networks in order to establish a cognitive student model. This teaching mode can provide personalized learning experience and intelligent teaching support and allow accurate assessment of students’ learning level and cognitive ability. The results show that the employment rate of students is increased from 75% to 100%, and the evaluation of practicability is maintained at 10 points. It proves that AI technology provides an innovative approach to international law education, which is expected to promote the efficient use of educational resources and improve students’ performance and employment rate.
Digital and Sustainable (Twin) Transformations: A Case of SMEs in the European Union
Authors: Burinskienė Aurelija , Nalivaikė Jolanta
Published: February 2024

In the European Digital Decade 2030 Policy Program, the following guidelines for European digital transformation are named, which means that more than 90% of small- and medium-sized companies reach at least a basic level of digital intensity. In addition to that, the European Commission pays a lot of attention to implementing the “Green Deal” in order to achieve less environmental impact. ICT SMEs already play a key role in Europe’s green and digital transformation, creating technologies that promote sustainability and strengthen Europe’s position. The limited and fragmented application of today’s digital and sustainable technologies in SMEs is observed at the EU level. The bibliometric literature analytical results show that the number of papers on the digital direction is five times higher than on the sustainable direction topic. The paper seeks to identify directions that could help SMEs to speed up this twin transformation in each EU country. The authors proposed a two-stage methodology, which is used for researching twin transformations in SMEs. According to the methodology, first, the authors analysed the indicators of EU-27 SMEs, representing their activity towards the twin transformation, comparing them among other size classes. The results show that the SME’s numbers in the 16 indicators area are worse than the numbers characterizing EU-27 enterprises, having more than ten employees. In addition, a multi-criteria decision making-based assessment framework was constructed to show the progress towards the twin transition. The provided research shows which areas require more attention from SMEs and policy makers responding to the twin transformation objectives.
The Impact of Blockchain Technology Adoption on an E-Commerce Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering Consumer Trust
Authors: Ma Deqing , Ma Pengcheng , Hu Jinsong
Published: February 2024

This paper analytically explores the value of blockchain technology in building consumer trust in recyclers. We focus on an e-commerce closed-loop supply chain composed of an online platform and a manufacturer. In the forward chain, the platform selects a reselling or marketplace model to sell products. In the reverse chain, the platform collects used products, and the unknown whereabouts of the used products will cause consumer mistrust and be detrimental to the corporate image. Blockchain technology can address these challenges by improving the visibility of the recycling chain. By constructing differential game models, we specify the conditions for blockchain implementation and explore its impact on the online sales model choice and the E-CLSC performance. The findings show that the manufacturer consistently benefits from blockchain technology, while the platform decides to adopt it when the long-term profits outweigh the initial investment costs. Interestingly, the sales model selection will not change with the advent of blockchain technology. We further show the benefits of blockchain-enabled recycling and provide tangible insights for related practitioners.
Evaluating the Environmental Quality of Forest Remnants Using Landscape Metrics
Authors: Longo Regina Márcia , da Silva Alessandra Leite , Ribeiro Admilson Irio , Gomes Raissa Caroline , Sperandio Fabricio Camillo , Nunes Adélia N.
Published: February 2024

Forest remnants are hotspots of biodiversity and play an important role in providing services such as regulating the climate, reducing surface runoff, helping erosion control, protecting and contributing to the balance of ecosystems, and other functions. Despite this, natural vegetation is fragmented and limited to a few remnants, which are gradually suffering from anthropogenic pressures. Assessing the environmental quality of these remnants is therefore vital to understanding their current condition and to provide support for their conservation. This study aims to assess the environmental quality of forest remnants in six water basins in the municipality of Campinas/SP, Brazil. Forest remnants were mapped, and their environmental quality was assessed by applying an analytic hierarchy process (AHP), considering a set of structural landscape metrics previously selected from the literature. Of the 2319 forest remnants evaluated, 4.5% and 30%, respectively, registered high and low environmental quality. The Atibaia and Jaguari basins recorded the highest number of environmentally fragile remnants due to their small size and being predominantly elongated, and to the high erodibility of the soil. In the Anhumas, Capivari, Capivari-Mirim, and Quilombo basins, medium-sized forest remnants predominate. There is a greater distance between them, with a high intensity of land use/land cover in their surroundings, related to the prevalence of urbanized areas. Specific management actions should be taken in each of these basins.
Online Grocery Shopping: Exploring the Influence of Income, Internet Access, and Food Prices
Authors: Olumekor Michael , Singh Harman Preet , Alhamad Ibrahim Abdullah
Published: February 2024

Online grocery shopping has grown rapidly in recent years. It has been promoted as a way to overcome the systemic inequalities in food access and increase sustainable food practices. A growing body of studies has highlighted the impact of income, food prices, and internet access/connection on shaping people’s behavior in buying groceries online. However, there is a dearth of prior studies that have examined the impact of these three factors at the macro/meso level. Therefore, this paper presents an analysis of these factors from a sample of 16 Russian regions with a combined population size of more than 44 million people. We used a fixed effects linear regression model to analyze panel data on median income, mobile internet connection, food price index, and online grocery sales. Our results show the significant impact of income and imply that while online grocery shopping holds huge promise for overcoming unequal access to food and achieving sustainability, entrenched challenges such as poverty and income inequality might be difficult to shake off.
Spatiotemporal Variation and Prediction Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover and Ecosystem Service Changes in Gannan, China
Authors: Luo Xin , Luo Yongzhong , Le Fangjun , Zhang Yishan , Zhang Han , Zhai Jiaqi
Published: February 2024

For the preservation of ecosystems, including the enhancement of ecological strategies, examining the temporal and geographical variance in ecosystem services (ESs) and land use/land cover change (LUCC) is crucial. Gannan is situated on the upper Yellow River, which is a notable water conservation region with excellent ecological quality, but in the background of the local traditional production mode and rapid economic development, natural disasters, grassland degradation, and other ecological problems occur frequently. The integrated valuing of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) model and the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model are combined in this work to assess the spatiotemporal variance in ESs in Gannan. We set up three scenarios in modeling future land use—ecological protection (EP), natural development (ND), and economic development (ED) in 2050—and analyzed and evaluated the drivers of the variation in ESs. In order to reveal the LUCC in Gannan between 1990 and 2020, we predicted the LUCC and ESs spatial distribution characteristics in 2050, explored the correlation between its driving factors, and comprehensively analyzed and propose optimization measures and protection strategies. Through several simulation experiments, the findings indicate the following: (1) the largest percentage of land expansion for construction in Gannan between 1990 and 2020 is 74.53%, and the most noticeable percentage of shrinkage in the sand area is 20.67%; (2) from 1990 to 2020, Gannan’s water yield, carbon storage, soil retention, and habitat quality all changed, by 60 × 108 m3, 0.04 × 108 t, −10.66 × 108 t, and −0.02, respectively; (3) ESs are influenced by a variety of natural and societal variables: the southern and southwestern regions of Gannan are home to the majority of ESs hot spot areas, while the northern region is home to the majority of cold spot areas. This study contributes to the analysis of the developmental traits of Gannan ecosystems and can serve as a model for the preservation of terrestrial ecosystems with comparable environmental traits.
Impact of Broadband China Infrastructure Strategy on Fintech: A Quasi-Natural Experiment
Authors: Cao Hongjie , Shen Kexin , Chen Qifan , Wen Wen
Published: February 2024

Fintech has made an important contribution to the inclusive and sustainable balanced development of the digital economy, and how to improve its development has become a research hotspot. This paper utilizes the Broadband China strategy approved in 2013 as the policy shock, and constructs a DID model to analyze the impact of new infrastructure construction on fintech. The study shows that new infrastructure construction is conducive to the improvement of fintech, and this impact is realized through the all-encompassing expansion of the breadth of fintech coverage and further exploration of the depth of its use. Moreover, heterogeneity studies find that the driving effect of new infrastructure construction on fintech is more prominent in eastern cities, sub-provincial cities, large-scale cities and cities with low levels of traditional infrastructure. This study not only provides evidence for assessing the policy effect of new infrastructure construction, but also provides theoretical and empirical support for how the state promotes the development of fintech, which has certain policy implications.
Participatory Mapping of Holistic Youth Well-Being: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Anderson Kayla M. , Morgan Kathryn Y. , McCormick Megan L. , Robbins Natalie N. , Curry-Johnson Stacy E. , Christens Brian D.
Published: February 2024

Urban environments influence well-being among young people in many ways, yet youth perspectives are often excluded from decision-making processes including urban planning and design. From 2020 to 2021, the Nashville Youth Design Team, a participatory action research and design collective composed of high school students in Metro Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee investigated the influence of built environments on diverse aspects of youth well-being. By employing a comprehensive eight-element definition of wellness (i.e., environmental, financial, intellectual, mental, physical, recreational, social, and spiritual), the team created and disseminated a Youth Wellness survey to middle and high school students across Nashville-Davidson County. In their survey, youth researchers asked their peers to rate their own wellness across each of these eight domains. The participants were also encouraged to identify locations in the city that either supported or detracted from their sense of well-being. This study utilized these data to conduct a spatial analysis, exploring how proximity to wellness-supporting or detracting locations influenced young people’s self-reported well-being. The data from open-ended survey questions were also analyzed qualitatively to provide context on how different environmental factors influence youth well-being. This research offers insights into the relationship between the built environment and youth wellness, highlighting the importance of incorporating youth perspectives into urban planning efforts.
A Unified Perspective on Poincaré and Galilei Relativity: I. Special Relativity
Authors: Cardall Christian Y.
Published: February 2024

A semantic adjustment to what physicists mean by the terms ‘special relativity’ and ‘general relativity’ is suggested, which prompts a conceptual shift to a more unified perspective on physics governed by the Poincaré group and physics governed by the Galilei group. After exploring the limits of a unified perspective available in the setting of 4-dimensional spacetime, a particular central extension of the Poincaré group—analogous to the Bargmann group that is a central extension of the Galilei group—is presented that deepens a unified perspective on Poincaré and Galilei physics in a 5-dimensional spacetime setting. The immediate focus of this paper is classical physics on affine 4-dimensional and 5-dimensional spacetimes (‘special relativity’ as redefined here), including the electrodynamics that gave rise to Poincaré physics in the first place, but the results here may suggest the existence of a ‘Galilei general relativity’ more extensive than generally known, to be pursued in the sequel.
Bipolar Fuzzy Supra Topology via (Q-) Neighborhood and Its Application in Data Mining Process
Authors: Pazar Varol Banu , Malkoç Hami
Published: February 2024

The aim of this study is to provide neighborhood structures in bipolar fuzzy supra topological space and to show the applicability of bipolar fuzzy supra topology to the medical diagnosis problem. Firstly, we give some properties related to bipolar fuzzy points and their neighborhood structure in bipolar fuzzy supra topological spaces. Then, we consider another important structure, “quasi-coincident”, in the case of bipolar fuzzy points and bipolar fuzzy sets. Then, we introduce the corresponding neighborhood structure called “Q-neighborhood system” by using the quasi-coincident relations. Furthermore, we also investigate the characterization of bipolar fuzzy supra topological space in terms of quasi-neighborhoods. Finally, we present a new method to solve medical diagnosis problems by using the bipolar fuzzy score function.
From Toxin to Treatment: A Narrative Review on the Use of Botulinum Toxin for Autonomic Dysfunction
Authors: Rempel Lucas , Malik Raza N. , Shackleton Claire , Calderón-Juárez Martín , Sachdeva Rahul , Krassioukov Andrei V.
Published: February 2024

Since its regulatory approval over a half-century ago, botulinum toxin has evolved from one of the most potent neurotoxins known to becoming routinely adopted in clinical practice. Botulinum toxin, a highly potent neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, can cause botulism illness, characterized by widespread muscle weakness due to inhibition of acetylcholine transmission at neuromuscular junctions. The observation of botulinum toxin’s anticholinergic properties led to the investigation of its potential benefits for conditions with an underlying etiology of cholinergic transmission, including autonomic nervous system dysfunction. These conditions range from disorders of the integument to gastrointestinal and urinary systems. Several formulations of botulinum toxin have been developed and tested over time, significantly increasing the availability of this treatment for appropriate clinical use. Despite the accelerated and expanded use of botulinum toxin, there lacks an updated comprehensive review on its therapeutic use, particularly to treat autonomic dysfunction. This narrative review provides an overview of the effect of botulinum toxin in the treatment of autonomic dysfunction and summarizes the different formulations and dosages most widely studied, while highlighting reported outcomes and the occurrence of any adverse events.
Transcriptional Differential Analysis of Nitazoxanide-Mediated Anticanine Parvovirus Effect in F81 Cells
Authors: Su Xia , Zhou Hongzhuan , Han Ziwei , Xu Fuzhou , Xiao Bing , Zhang Jin , Qi Qi , Lin Lulu , Zhang Huanhuan , Li Songping , Yang Bing
Published: February 2024

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a single-stranded DNA virus that can cause typical hemorrhagic enteritis, and it is one of the common canine lethal viruses. In previous studies, we screened the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s drug library and identified nitazoxanide (NTZ), which has anti-CPV capabilities. To investigate the potential antiviral mechanisms, we first reconfirmed the inhibitory effect of NTZ on the CPV by inoculating with different doses and treating for different lengths of time. Then, the differences in the transcription levels between the 0.1%-DMSO-treated virus group and the NTZ-treated virus group were detected using RNA-seq, and a total of 758 differential expression genes (DEGs) were finally identified. Further Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of the DEGs revealed that these genes are involved in a variety of biological processes and/or signaling pathways, such as cell cycle, mitosis and cell proliferation and differentiation. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis further identified hub genes associated with cell cycle and division among the DEGs. In addition, the expression levels of some of the enriched genes were detected, which were consistent with the high-throughput sequencing results. Moreover, when the cell cycle was regulated with cell cycle checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor MK-8776 or Prexasertib HCl, both inhibitors inhibited the CPV. In summary, the transcriptome differential analysis results presented in this paper lay the foundation for further research on the molecular mechanism and potential targets of NTZ anti-CPV.
Phytohormone Supplementation for Nutrient Removal from Mariculture Wastewater by Oocystis borgei in Sequential Batch Operation
Authors: Liu Yang , Deng Chengcheng , Song Xinyue , Hu Zhangxi , Li Feng , Zhang Yulei , Li Changling , Huang Xianghu , Zhang Ning
Published: February 2024

To enhance the nutrient removal efficiency of Oocystis borgei for mariculture wastewater (MW), the effects and processes of three phytohormones on nitrogen and phosphorus removal from synthetic mariculture wastewater (SMW) by O. borgei under sequential batch operation were compared. The findings revealed that the supplementation with 10−6 M 3-indoleacetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA3), and zeatin (ZT) resulted in the most effective elimination, while there was no appreciable difference among them. The nitrogen and phosphorus indices of the effluent dramatically reduced (p < 0.01) upon the supplementation of phytohormones, and the removal effects were ranked as NO3−-N > PO43−-P > NH4+-N > NO2−-N. The removal rates for NH4+-N and PO43−-P were 0.72–0.74 mg·L−1·d−1 and 1.26–1.30 mg·L−1·d−1, respectively. According to physiological studies, phytohormones enhanced the levels of photosynthetic pigments and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (Fv/Fm and φPSII), thereby improving photosynthetic activity. Additionally, they stimulated Nitrate Reductase (NR) and Glutamine Synthetase (GS) activities to promote nitrogen metabolism and increased Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and carotenoid contents to mitigate oxidative stress damage caused by abiotic stress. These activities contribute to the proliferation of O. borgei, which in turn resulted in an increase in the assimilation of nitrogen and phosphorus from SMW. In conclusion, phytohormone supplementation significantly increased nutrient removal from SMW by O. borgei in a sequential batch reactor, which has potential application in MW treatment.
Building a Smart Water City: IoT Smart Water Technologies, Applications, and Future Directions
Authors: Okoli Nwakego Joy , Kabaso Boniface
Published: February 2024

Water is an essential service for the sustainable development and economic competitiveness of any country. The global water demand has increased substantially due to economic development, climate change, and rising population. The Internet of Things (IoT) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can help conserve available water resources. Smart cities apply IoT to boost the performance and efficiency of urban facilities. Smart cities are towns created to use IoT and ICT (innovative technologies) such as smart water applications. Several studies on smart water technology have been conducted, but there is a need to review current research that leverages the IoT as a communication technology to design effective smart water applications. This review paper is aimed at presenting evidence on the current design of smart water applications. The study also covers publication statistics to increase collaboration between stakeholders. Findings show that various technologies such as microcontrollers, embedded programming languages, sensors, communication modules, and protocols are used by researchers to accomplish their aim of designing IoT-based smart water solutions. None of the publications employed the 5G mobile networks as a communication module for their smart water application development. Findings further show that the integration of 3D printing and solar energy into IoT-based smart water applications is revolutionary and can increase the sustainability of the systems. Future directions required to ensure that developed smart water applications are widely adopted to help conserve and manage water resources are suggested.
Research on YOLOv5 Vehicle Detection and Positioning System Based on Binocular Vision
Authors: Zhang Yixiao , Gong Yuanming , Chen Xiaolong
Published: February 2024

Vehicle detection and location is one of the key sensing tasks of automatic driving systems. Traditional detection methods are easily affected by illumination, occlusion and scale changes in complex scenes, which limits the accuracy and robustness of detection. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes a vehicle detection and location method for YOLOv5(You Only Look Once version 5) based on binocular vision. Binocular vision uses two cameras to obtain images from different angles at the same time. By calculating the difference between the two images, more accurate depth information can be obtained. The YOLOv5 algorithm is improved by adding the CBAM attention mechanism and replacing the loss function to improve target detection. Combining these two techniques can achieve accurate detection and localization of vehicles in 3D space. The method utilizes the depth information of binocular images and the improved YOLOv5 target detection algorithm to achieve accurate detection and localization of vehicles in front. Experimental results show that the method has high accuracy and robustness for vehicle detection and localization tasks.
Hovering Is Not Helping: Relationships among Helicopter Parenting, Attachment, Academic Outcomes, and Mental Health in College Students
Authors: Miller Robert W. , Rainbolt Cindy L. , Tallents Sarah
Published: February 2024

Helicopter parenting (or overparenting) refers to developmentally inappropriate or intrusive tactics to control a child’s behavior. Helicopter parents are usually trying to help their children, but their behavior has been associated with adverse academic, adjustment, and mental health outcomes in older children (i.e., adolescents, young adults), who should be developing more autonomy. The current study examined potential associations between helicopter parenting, attachment security, and academic and mental health outcomes in college students, hypothesizing that higher rates of helicopter parenting would be associated with more insecure attachment with parental figures and closest friends, poorer mental health (i.e., higher rates of depression and/or anxiety), and reduced academic motivation, performance, and self-efficacy. Our sample of 135 college students completed measures of anxiety, depression, and somatization, academic self-efficacy and motivation, perceptions of parental involvement, and dimensions of attachment in multiple relationships (i.e., mother, father, and closest friend). As expected, the bivariate and regression analyses revealed that higher levels of parental involvement (i.e., helicopter parenting) predicted significantly more insecure parental and peer attachment, greater internalizing, and lower effort regulation among college students.
Efeitos psicofisiológicos da música: uma revisão de literatura e análise de dois vídeos
Authors: Martelli Jéssica , Parizzi Betânia , Freire Marina Horta
Published: February 2024

This research aims to study the psychophysiological effects of music on humans. This is qual-itative research of an exploratory nature. Initially, a Literature Review on the subject was im-plemented to support the analysis of two videos - that of an elderly woman with dementia and that of a six-month-old baby, both exposed to a musical experience. Three evaluators were invited to participate in the research: two music professionals – a Music Therapist and a Music Educator, and a Professional from another area. Through the technique of Content Analysis, the speeches of the three evaluators on the two videos outlined four categories of psychophysiological effects of music. They were: (1) music, emotion, and expression; (2) mu-sic and cognition; (3) music, rhythm, and movement; (4) music and physiology. These cate-gories were confirmed by the theoretical references studied. It is concluded that the psy-chophysiological effects of music on human beings are powerful and profound, even at the extremes of life. Music can be a stimulating and modifying agent of emotions, memories, movements, and subjective meanings that it provides to each individual. It sensitizes and produces narratives that fit into the time of the one who experiences it.
Pitch perception preference in children with or without formal musical education
Authors: Marquetti Beatriz Quirino , Muchiutti Éder Costa , Rodrigues Felipe Viegas
Published: February 2024

Among the mental functions recruited by music, timbre processing is possibly one of the most interesting, as it exemplifies the perceptual constancy that allows recognition of regularities in the environment. The objective of the present work was to investigate the musical perception of children with formal music education and the prevalence of fundamental and spectral lis-teners based on the differential perception of complex tones. Thirty children between 10 and 15 years old participated, who responded to 48 pairs of tones, in which the second tone should be judged as ascending or descending. The participants' responses allowed the calculation of an index of pitch perception preference (Δp). The results show that the Control Group pre-sented Δp closer to zero than the Musicians Group, both with normal distribution. Therefore, musicians and nonmusicians have subtle differences in the perception of complex tones, with a preference for fundamental listeners among the musicians investigated.
Aprendizagem musical autorregulada: uma revisão da literatura internacional
Authors: Soares Leandro Taveira
Published: February 2024

In this article, I present a review of the international literature on self-regulated music learn-ing, presenting works with a theoretical profile (review and theoretical works, properly) and experimental (empirical research). This review has as the primary goal to discuss results of research that aim to apply the theoretical approaches of self-regulated learning in musical activities. This discussion highlights the studies that examine, tangentially or directly, the theme of my research, namely: the acquisition of autonomy in practice during higher educa-tion in music. With this review, I seek to situate the reader on state of the art in this theme and support research in the field of performance pedagogy, both the discussion of its theoretical foundation and the indication of strategies for conducting experimental research.
O pensamento transdisciplinar no cenário musical
Authors: de Lima Sonia Regina Albano
Published: February 2024

This article aims to verify and discuss the extent to which transdisciplinary thinking is present in music, whether in contexts focused on creation, performance, research, or in music teaching. The most endorsed authors, among others, were Basarab Nicolescu, E. Morin, F. Capra, S. Magnani, E. Fubini, M. Jiminez. After studying, it was found that it is possible for music to ingratiate itself with transdisciplinarity in the processes of musical creation and in-terpretation and that, from a different perception, the musical language itself contains ele-ments and procedures that are present in transdisciplinarity.
Dissonâncias não influenciam as habilidades visuoespaciais ou as emoções de universitários saudáveis
Authors: Creste Daniel Oliveira , Muchiutti Éder Costa , Rodrigues Felipe Viegas
Published: February 2024

There is evidence that music properties could modulate mood and improve the performance of visuospatial skills. Dissonances in music are interpreted as unpleasant by untrained liste-ners. We investigated whether dissonances can modulate emotions and alter the performance of a visuospatial task. Twenty-five healthy university students participated, divided into the Control Group (n=10), the Consonance Group (n=8), and the Dissonance Group (n=7). All were screened for current psychiatric symptoms, underwent a visuospatial test before and after the music listening period, and were evaluated by the OASIS, which investigates emo-tions. The results showed no effect caused by dissonance in music, both on emotions and vi-suospatial skills, in young people with little previous musical contact. These results suggest that the tempo and mode of music and the melody itself are the only known factors capable of modulating visuospatial performance.