bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Projecting Spring Consecutive Rainfall Events in the Three Gorges Reservoir Based on Triple-Nested Dynamical Downscaling
Authors: Zheng Yanxin , Li Shuanglin , Keenlyside Noel , He Shengping , Suo Lingling
Published: March 2024

Spring consecutive rainfall events (CREs) are key triggers of geological hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGR), China. However, previous projections of CREs based on the direct outputs of global climate models (GCMs) are subject to considerable uncertainties, largely caused by their coarse resolution. This study applies a triple-nested WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model dynamical downscaling, driven by a GCM, MIROC6 (Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate, version 6), to improve the historical simulation and reduce the uncertainties in the future projection of CREs in the TGR. Results indicate that WRF has better performances in reproducing the observed rainfall in terms of the daily probability distribution, monthly evolution and duration of rainfall events, demonstrating the ability of WRF in simulating CREs. Thus, the triple-nested WRF is applied to project the future changes of CREs under the middle-of-the-road and fossil-fueled development scenarios. It is indicated that light and moderate rainfall and the duration of continuous rainfall spells will decrease in the TGR, leading to a decrease in the frequency of CREs. Meanwhile, the duration, rainfall amount, and intensity of CREs is projected to regional increase in the central-west TGR. These results are inconsistent with the raw projection of MIROC6. Observational diagnosis implies that CREs are mainly contributed by the vertical moisture advection. Such a synoptic contribution is captured well by WRF, which is not the case in MIROC6, indicating larger uncertainties in the CREs projected by MIROC6.
Systemic glucocorticoid exposure and postoperative infection risk in 143,782 appendectomy patients—a Danish longitudinal nationwide study
Authors: Orgun Doruk , Nordestgaard Ask Tybjærg , Poulsen Henrik Enghusen , Gogenur Ismail , Ellervik Christina
Published: March 2024

Background

Glucocorticoids are conventionally associated with increased postoperative infection risk. It is necessary to clarify if preoperative glucocorticoid exposure is associated with postoperative infection in appendectomy patients and if the association is different for open and laparoscopic appendectomies.

Methods

A Danish nationwide study of appendectomy patients between 1996 and 2018. Exposures were defined as high (≥ 5 mg) versus no/low (< 5 mg) glucocorticoid exposure in milligram prednisone-equivalents/day preoperatively. The main outcome was any postoperative infection. Then, 90-day cumulative incidences (absolute risk) and adjusted hazard ratios (relative risk) of the outcome were calculated for high versus no/low glucocorticoid exposure within all appendectomies and within open and laparoscopic subgroups. Propensity-score matching was used for sensitivity analysis.

Results

Of 143,782 patients, median age was 29 years, 74,543 were female, and 7654 experienced at least one infection during the 90-day follow-up. The 90-day cumulative incidence for postoperative infection was 5.3% within the no/low glucocorticoid exposure group and 10.0% within the high glucocorticoid exposure group. Compared to no/low glucocorticoid exposure, adjusted hazard ratios for 90-day postoperative infection with high glucocorticoid exposure were 1.25 [95% CI 1.02–1.52; p = 0.03] for all appendectomies, 1.59 [1.16–2.18; p = 0.004] for laparoscopic appendectomies, and 1.09 [0.85–1.40; p = 0.52] for open appendectomies (pinteraction < 0.001). The results were robust to sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

Preoperative high (≥ 5 mg/day) glucocorticoid exposure was associated with increased absolute risk of postoperative infections in open and laparoscopic appendectomies. The relative risk increase was significant for laparoscopic but not open appendectomies, possibly due to lower absolute risk with no/low glucocorticoid exposure in the laparoscopic subgroup.
BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy in BRAF ex15 p.T599dup mutation-driven NSCLC: a case report
Authors: Jiang Lan , Yang Pirong , Liu Yufeng , Li Juan
Published: March 2024

BRAF mutations are found in 1–5% of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with V600 and non-V600 accounting for approximately 50% each. It has been confirmed that targeted therapy with dabrafenib + trametinib is effective in patients with metastatic NSCLC carrying BRAF V600E mutations. Preclinical studies have shown that dabrafenib + trametinib may also have inhibitory effects on some types of non-V600E mutations, especially some class II BRAF mutations. However, the efficacy of dabrafenib + trametinib on non-V600E mutant NSCLC in clinical practice only exists in some case reports. Here, we report a case of NSCLC patient carrying BRAF ex15 p.T599dup, who showed a clinical response to the combined therapy of dabrafenib + trametinib.
Risk sharing rule and safety loading in a peer to peer cooperative insurance model
Authors: Clemente Gian Paolo , Levantesi Susanna , Piscopo Gabriella
Published: March 2024

The evolution of digital technologies is reshaping consumer habits and needs, driving process automation, and giving rise to innovative business models like Insurtech. Peer-to-peer (P2P) insurance is emerging as part of this trend. P2P involves purchasing an insurance policy by sharing the risk with a group of peers. This group transparently monitors real-time savings and tracks claims filed by its members. At the policy’s expiration, if the actual risk is lower than anticipated, the peers receive a partial refund of their premium. This paper introduces a model to determine the entry price in a broker-based P2P scheme using a cooperative game approach. We employ the Shapley Value method to distribute the risk among participants. Numerical examples are included for illustration and discussion.
Mentha piperita powder enhances the biological response, growth performance, disease resistance, and survival of Oreochromis niloticus infected with Vibrio alginolyticus
Authors: Abu-Zahra Nagwa I. S. , ElShenawy Abeer M. , Ali Gehan I. E. , Al-sokary Eman T. , Mousa Mohamed A. , El-Hady Hala A. M. Abd
Published: March 2024

Recently, medical plants have been widely used as replacements for antibiotics in disease treatment. Because of its multiple medicinal uses, peppermint (Mentha piperita, MP) is a common herbal remedy. In the present study, MP powder was used as a feed additive to assess growth performance; hematological; biochemical and immune parameters; intestinal histology; and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) gene expression, as well as protection against Vibrio alginolyticus infection in Oreochromis niloticus. O. niloticus (n = 120, 25.66 ± 0.16 g) were fed diets containing 0 (CTR), 2, 3, or 4% MP for 60 days. The results revealed that the inclusion of 2% MP significantly improved the growth indices, intestinal morphological parameters, and reduced the feed conversion ratio. The 2% MP treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased hematological parameters (red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, packed cell volume% (PCV%), hemoglobin) compared with those of the CTR (P < 0.05). Additionally, feeding fish 2% MP diets decreased the levels of cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein). There were significant increases in immune responses (serum protein and phagocytic activity and index) and non-significant increases in the expression of IL-1β in the 2% MP group comparing with the other groups and the CTR group (P < 0.05). At the end of the feeding trial (60 days), fish were challenged with a virulent strain of Vibrio alginolyticus and the results showed that the mortality rate decreased in the 2% MP treatment group, followed by the 3% and 4% MP groups. Overall, the results revealed that the dietary inclusion of 2% MP can exhibit growth-promoting and immunostimulant effects for sustainable aquaculture.
Ethnic inequities in use of breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy in Aotearoa/New Zealand: which factors contribute?
Authors: Boyle Leah , Lawrenson Ross , Nosa Vili , Campbell Ian , Tin Tin Sandar
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) faces ethnic inequities with respect to breast cancer survival and treatment. This study establishes if there are ethnic differences in (i) type of surgery and (ii) receipt of radiotherapy (RT) following breast conserving surgery (BCS), among women with early-stage breast cancer in NZ.

Methods

This analysis used Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae (Breast Cancer Foundation National Register), a prospectively maintained database of breast cancers from 2000 to 2020. Logistic regression models evaluated ethnic differences in type of surgery (mastectomy or BCS) and receipt of RT with sequential adjustment for potential contributing factors. Subgroup analyses by treatment facility type were undertaken.

Results

Of the 16,228 women included, 74% were NZ European (NZE), 10.3% were Māori, 9.4% were Asian and 6.2% were Pacific. Over one-third of women with BCS-eligible tumours received mastectomy. Asian women were more likely to receive mastectomy than NZE (OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.39, 1.90) as were wāhine Māori in the public system (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.02, 1.44) but not in the private system (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.51, 1.21). In women undergoing BCS, compared to NZE, Pacific women overall and wāhine Māori in the private system were, respectively, 36 and 38% less likely to receive RT (respective OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.50, 0.83 and 0.62; 95% CI 0.39, 0.98).

Conclusion

A significant proportion of women with early-stage breast cancer underwent mastectomy and significant ethnic inequities exist. Modern guidelines encourage BCS + RT. In NZ, this outcome must be carefully monitored by ethnicity to facilitate equitable surgical management of early-stage breast cancer.
Effect of early dose reduction of osimertinib on efficacy in the first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Hori Tomoki , Yamamoto Kazuhiro , Ito Takefumi , Ikushima Shigeki , Omura Tomohiro , Yano Ikuko
Published: March 2024

Osimertinib is used as the first-line therapy for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, early dose reduction is often required due to adverse events (AEs). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of early dose reduction of osimertinib on efficacy and safety. This was a retrospective study including patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC who were started on osimertinib as the first-line therapy between August 2018 and December 2021. Patients whose doses were reduced to less than 80 mg/day within 6 months of osimertinib initiation or started at 40 mg/day were defined as the dose reduction group. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Factors affecting PFS were explored using the Cox proportional hazards model. A total of 85 patients were included in this study. No significant differences in patient characteristics were observed between the dose reduction (n = 25) and standard dose groups (n = 60). The median PFS in the dose reduction group was significantly prolonged compared with that in the standard dose group (26.0 months vs. 12.0 months, p = 0.03). Multivariable analysis of 84 patients, excluding a patient with unknown brain metastasis, revealed that EGFR exon 21 L858R mutation, malignant pleural effusion or pleural metastasis, liver metastasis, and dose reduction within 6 months were independent factors affecting PFS. Early dose reduction of osimertinib is an effective therapeutic strategy for prolonging PFS in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC.
I want to play a game: Examining sex differences in the effects of pathological gaming, academic self-efficacy, and academic initiative on academic performance in adolescence
Authors: Kristensen Sara Madeleine , Jørgensen Magnus , Haug Ellen
Published: March 2024

Although research has investigated the association between pathological gaming and academic performance in adolescence, the complexity of the relationship has not been thoroughly examined. This short longitudinal study aimed to investigate the interactions between pathological gaming, academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and academic performance in an adolescent sample, focusing on sex differences. The participants (N = 2853; 50.1% boys) were students in the second and third years of upper secondary school. Their grade point average (GPA) at graduation the same year was obtained. The moderated mediation structural equation model results showed that academic self-efficacy, directly and indirectly through academic initiative, impacted later GPA. There was no direct effect of pathological gaming on academic initiative or GPA. However, academic self-efficacy moderated the impact of pathological gaming on GPA for boys. In other words, boys with increased pathological gaming tended to achieve poorer grades in school if they experienced a strong academic self-efficacy. This study contributes to the understanding of the complex interplay between sex, pathological gaming, academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and academic performance. We suggest that future research examines confidence or other relevant factors as explanatory mechanisms in the relationships between pathological gaming, academic self-efficacy, and GPA, particularly in male samples.
Characteristics of crack growth in brittle solids with the effects of material heterogeneity and multi-crack interaction
Authors: Wang Luyu , Yin Zhen-Yu , Chen Weizhong
Published: March 2024

Despite the extensive research on crack propagation in brittle solids, numerous unexplored problems still necessitate in-depth study. In this work, we focus on numerical modeling of multi-crack growth, aiming to explore the effect of material heterogeneity and multi-crack interaction on this process. To do this, an improved singular-finite element method (singular-FEM) is proposed with incorporation of heterogeneity and crack interaction. An efficient algorithm is proposed for simulating multi-crack propagation and interaction. Stress singularity near crack tip is reproduced by the singular elements. The singular-FEM is convenient and cost-effective, as the zone far away from crack tips is directly discretized using linear elements, in contrast to the quadratic or transition elements utilized in traditional FEM. Next, the proposed method is validated through benchmark study. Numerical results demonstrate that the superiority of the singular-FEM, which combines the merits of low cost and high accuracy. Then, the mechanics of crack growth are explored in more complex scenarios, accounting for the effects of crack interaction, loading condition and heterogeneity on crack trajectory, stress field and energy release rate. The findings reveal that the combined effect of heterogeneity and crack interaction plays a critical role in the phenomenon of crack growth, and the proposed method is capable of effectively modeling the process.
Immobilization of radioactive sulphate waste simulate in polymer–cement composite based on recycled expanded polystyrene foam: evaluation of the final waste form resistance for Cs-134 and Co-60 leachability
Authors: Eskander Samir B. , Bayoumi Talat A. , Tawfik Magda E.
Published: March 2024

The present study investigates to incorporate spiked sulfate solution simulate into polymer–cement composite (PCC) based on recycled expanded polystyrene foam. The main aim is to convert the waste stream into leach resistance solid forms able to slow down or even to retard the back release of hazardous radionuclides to the surrounding. Effective parameters e.g. leachant medium, temperature, radioactivity contents, leachant volumes and radionuclides speciation versus the leaching time were studied. The incremental leach rate (Rn, cm/day) and the leach index (Lx) were evaluated for the final waste form after 145 days. The experimental results revealed that the Lx for the all variances can fulfil the waste acceptance criteria for the disposal facility and are above the threshold value of 6. Moreover, leach rate percentages for Cs-134 and Co-60 were not exceeding 2%. The acquired data, based on lab leaching experiments, can recommend the developed PCC under consideration for solidification of radioactive sulphate waste stream safely.
Can cross-domain term extraction benefit from cross-lingual transfer and nested term labeling?
Authors: Tran Hanh Thi Hong , Martinc Matej , Repar Andraz , Ljubešić Nikola , Doucet Antoine , Pollak Senja
Published: March 2024

Automatic term extraction (ATE) is a natural language processing task that eases the effort of manually identifying terms from domain-specific corpora by providing a list of candidate terms. In this paper, we treat ATE as a sequence-labeling task and explore the efficacy of XLMR in evaluating cross-lingual and multilingual learning against monolingual learning in the cross-domain ATE context. Additionally, we introduce NOBI, a novel annotation mechanism enabling the labeling of single-word nested terms. Our experiments are conducted on the ACTER corpus, encompassing four domains and three languages (English, French, and Dutch), as well as the RSDO5 Slovenian corpus, encompassing four additional domains. Results indicate that cross-lingual and multilingual models outperform monolingual settings, showcasing improved F1-scores for all languages within the ACTER dataset. When incorporating an additional Slovenian corpus into the training set, the multilingual model exhibits superior performance compared to state-of-the-art approaches in specific scenarios. Moreover, the newly introduced NOBI labeling mechanism enhances the classifier’s capacity to extract short nested terms significantly, leading to substantial improvements in Recall for the ACTER dataset and consequentially boosting the overall F1-score performance.
Multipath Attention and Adaptive Gating Network for Video Action Recognition
Authors: Zhang Haiping , Hu Zepeng , Yu Dongjin , Guan Liming , Liu Xu , Ma Conghao
Published: March 2024

3D CNN networks can model existing large action recognition datasets well in temporal modeling and have made extremely great progress in the field of RGB-based video action recognition. However, the previous 3D CNN models also face many troubles. For video feature extraction convolutional kernels are often designed and fixed in each layer of the network, which may not be suitable for the diversity of data in action recognition tasks. In this paper, a new model called Multipath Attention and Adaptive Gating Network (MAAGN) is proposed. The core idea of MAAGN is to use the spatial difference module (SDM) and the multi-angle temporal attention module (MTAM) in parallel at each layer of the multipath network to obtain spatial and temporal features, respectively, and then dynamically fuses the spatial-temporal features by the adaptive gating module (AGM). SDM explores the action video spatial domain using difference operators based on the attention mechanism, while MTAM tends to explore the action video temporal domain in terms of both global timing and local timing. AGM is built on an adaptive gate unit, the value of which is determined by the input of each layer, and it is unique in each layer, dynamically fusing the spatial and temporal features in the paths of each layer in the multipath network. We construct the temporal network MAAGN, which has a competitive or better performance than state-of-the-art methods in video action recognition, and we provide exhaustive experiments on several large datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
The Sun’s Large-Scale Flows I: Measurements of Differential Rotation & Torsional Oscillation
Authors: Mahajan Sushant S. , Upton Lisa A. , Antia H. M. , Basu Sarbani , DeRosa Marc L. , Hess Webber Shea A. , Todd Hoeksema J. , Jain Kiran , Komm Rudolf W. , Larson Tim , Nagovitsyn Yury A. , Pevtsov Alexei A. , Roudier Thierry , Tripathy Sushanta C. , Ulrich Roger K. , Zhao Junwei
Published: March 2024

We have developed a comprehensive catalog of the variable differential rotation measured near the solar photosphere. This catalog includes measurements of these flows obtained using several techniques: direct Doppler, granule tracking, magnetic pattern tracking, global helioseismology, as well as both time-distance and ring-diagram methods of local helioseismology. We highlight historical differential rotation measurements to provide context, and thereafter provide a detailed comparison of the MDI-HMI-GONG-Mt. Wilson overlap period (April 2010 – Jan 2011) and investigate the differences between velocities obtained from different techniques and attempt to explain discrepancies. A comparison of the rotation rate obtained by magnetic pattern tracking with the rotation rates obtained using local and global helioseismic techniques shows that magnetic pattern tracking measurements correspond to helioseismic flows located at a depth of 25 to 28 Mm. In addition, we show the torsional oscillation from Sunspot Cycles 23 and 24 and discuss properties that are consistent across measurement techniques. We find that acceleration derived from torsional oscillation is a better indicator of long-term trends in torsional oscillation compared to the residual velocity magnitude. Finally, this analysis will pave the way toward understanding systematic effects associated with various flow measurement techniques and enable more accurate determination of the global patterns of flows and their regular and irregular variations.
Determination of dissociation constants of cephalosporin antibiotics by cellmetry method
Authors: Sadatsharifi Malek , Purgel Mihály
Published: March 2024

Acid dissociation constants of three cephalosporin antibiotics (cefapirin, ceftiofur, and cefotaxime) were calculated by a newly developed methodology. Plane-wave DFT calculations were performed to determine the pKa values, and by choosing the appropriate cell sizes, accurate values could be calculated. Some characteristic points were found which helped us to find correlations among the structural and physic-chemical parameters, and correlation factors were defined as well. This present study can be a base for further approaches to determining acid dissociation constants of cephalosporin molecules.

Graphical Abstract
Experiment-driven rationalism
Authors: Garancini Daniele Bruno
Published: March 2024

Philosophers debate about which logical system, if any, is the One True Logic. This involves a disagreement concerning the sufficient conditions that may single out the correct logic among various candidates. This paper discusses whether there are necessary conditions for the correct logic; that is, I discuss whether there are features such that if a logic is correct, then it has those features, although having them might not be sufficient to single out the correct logic. Traditional rationalist arguments suggest that the necessary conditions of thought are necessary and sufficient conditions singling out the correct logical and mathematical theories. In the contemporary debate, Chalmers advocates a view along this line. Jago, analogously, suggests that the necessary conditions for thought—or, as he calls them, our basic epistemic expectations—single out a family of logical and mathematical theories. Warren and Williamson, on the other hand, argue that there are no necessary conditions of thought. I argue that there are necessary conditions for thought, and these are necessary but not sufficient conditions to be the correct logic; indeed, these are features that all logics—correct or incorrect—share. No view we can understand is ruled out by the necessary conditions for thought, but we cannot understand quite any view. Human linguistic and conceptual abilities are genetically constrained, and these constraints are our best guide to the boundaries of logic. Arguing for this, I tackle two dogmas of modern rationalism: namely, the view that the biological constraints of human cognition have no bearing on the boundaries of the epistemic space, and the view that the boundaries of thought coincide with the boundaries of language.
Ecological river health assessments, based on fish ordination analysis of ecological indicator entities and the biological integrity metrics, responding to the chemical water pollution
Authors: Jargal Namsrai , Kim Jeong-Eun , Ariunbold Bilguun , An Kwang-Guk
Published: March 2024

Evaluation of the ecological health of rivers requires a focused examination of how biological indicators respond to chemical stressors to offer key insights for effective conservation strategies. We examined the influence of stressors on aquatic ecosystems by analyzing various ecological entities and biotic integrity metrics of fish communities. A nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) approach was applied to determine scores based on 19 fish ecological entities (FEs) and a fish-based multi-metric index of biotic integrity (mIBI-F). The composition of fish communities in reference clusters differed from the disturbed clusters due to instream chemical stressors. These chemical stressors, including high levels of nutrients, organic matter, and ionic/suspended solids, were linked to variation in the key indicator FEs, whose guild identities were closely associated with instream chemical degradation. The scores of FEs (abundance weighted) and mIBI-F metrics in the first NMDS axis (NMDS1) were significantly linked with chemical health indicators (p < 0.001), such as total phosphorus (R2 = 0.67 and 0.47), electrical conductivity (R2 = 0.59 and 0.49), and chlorophyll-a (R2 = 0.48 and 0.25). These NMDS1 scores showed better accuracy than the conventional mIBI-F score in capturing river ecological health linked with chemical health status as determined by a multi-metric index of water pollution. Our study suggests that based on the ordination approach, the biological integrity of these systems reflected the chemical health.
The Use and Knowledge Around Vaping and Their Correlates Among University Students—A Cross-sectional Australian Study
Authors: Leung Janni , Ellem Rhiannon , Glasgow Sophia , Rowe Amy-Leigh , Gardner Lauren , Davidson Lily , Campbell Gabrielle , Pocuca Nina , Tisdale Calvert , Chan Gary , Hides Leanne
Published: March 2024

The increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use (“vaping”) among youth has emerged as a public health concern. We aim to explore vape use, knowledge levels, and correlates in a sample of Australian young adults. Participants from six residential university colleges in Queensland, Australia, were invited to complete an online survey. The sample included 716 students (Mage=18.1 years). Correlates of vape use and knowledge examined included socio-demographic variables, other substance use, and mental health, including PHQ-9 depression and GAD-7 anxiety. In our sample, 62% of students reported lifetime vaping. Just under half (47.5%) of the sample had used flavour with nicotine vapes, 18.0% had used flavour only, and 2.8% had used other drugs. Past month vaping rates were low at 4.2% for daily use of flavour with nicotine vapes. Co-use of cigarettes was observed with nicotine vapes but most only vaped occasionally. A substantial proportion lacked knowledge about the legality (37.4%) and health harms (25.4%) of vapes. Males had higher odds of vaping. Use of cigarettes, binge drinking, and cannabis use were associated with vaping. While the co-use of cigarettes with nicotine vapes was observed, this was generally only seen among those who vaped occasionally. A notable knowledge gap existed regarding the legality and awareness of the health harms of vaping, signalling a need for educational initiatives. Future research should continue to monitor emerging vaping trends and long-term outcomes. The project was pre-registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (registration number: ACTRN12622000239763).
Social Media Addiction Predicts Compromised Mental Health as well as Perceived and Objective Social Isolation in Denmark: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Nationwide Survey Linked to Register Data
Authors: Santini Ziggi Ivan , Thygesen Lau Caspar , Andersen Susan , Tolstrup Janne S. , Koyanagi Ai , Nielsen Line , Meilstrup Charlotte , Koushede Vibeke , Ekholm Ola
Published: March 2024

Social media addiction has previously been linked to compromised mental health and social isolation; however, most studies are cross-sectional or based on convenience samples. The objective of the current study was to assess the extent to which social media addiction predicts compromised mental health and social isolation (including bi-directionality) in a large prospective sample of Danish adults. Data stem from a nationwide longitudinal Danish survey of 1958 adults (aged 16+) conducted in 2020 and 2021. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) was used. Validated scales were used to assess depression, mental wellbeing, and loneliness. A total of 2.3% screened positive for social media addiction. As compared to no symptoms, social media addiction was associated with an elevated risk for depression (OR = 2.71; 95% CI 1.08, 6.83) and negatively with mental wellbeing (coef = −1.29; 95% CI −2.41, −0.16). Similarly, social media addiction was associated with an elevated risk of loneliness (OR = 4.40; 95% CI 1.20, 16.19), and negatively with social network size (coef = −0.46; 95% CI −0.86, −0.06). There is a need for preventive actions against addictive social media use, as this poses significant risk to mental health and social functioning in the working age population.
AI-assisted automatic MRI-based tongue volume evaluation in motor neuron disease (MND)
Authors: Vernikouskaya Ina , Müller Hans-Peter , Ludolph Albert C. , Kassubek Jan , Rasche Volker
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Motor neuron disease (MND) causes damage to the upper and lower motor neurons including the motor cranial nerves, the latter resulting in bulbar involvement with atrophy of the tongue muscle. To measure tongue atrophy, an operator independent automatic segmentation of the tongue is crucial. The aim of this study was to apply convolutional neural network (CNN) to MRI data in order to determine the volume of the tongue.

Methods

A single triplanar CNN of U-Net architecture trained on axial, coronal, and sagittal planes was used for the segmentation of the tongue in MRI scans of the head. The 3D volumes were processed slice-wise across the three orientations and the predictions were merged using different voting strategies. This approach was developed using MRI datasets from 20 patients with ‘classical’ spinal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 20 healthy controls and, in a pilot study, applied to the tongue volume quantification to 19 controls and 19 ALS patients with the variant progressive bulbar palsy (PBP).

Results

Consensus models with softmax averaging and majority voting achieved highest segmentation accuracy and outperformed predictions on single orientations and consensus models with union and unanimous voting. At the group level, reduction in tongue volume was not observed in classical spinal ALS, but was significant in the PBP group, as compared to controls.

Conclusion

Utilizing single U-Net trained on three orthogonal orientations with consequent merging of respective orientations in an optimized consensus model reduces the number of erroneous detections and improves the segmentation of the tongue. The CNN-based automatic segmentation allows for accurate quantification of the tongue volumes in all subjects. The application to the ALS variant PBP showed significant reduction of the tongue volume in these patients and opens the way for unbiased future longitudinal studies in diseases affecting tongue volume.
Spezifizierung des COACTIV-Modells der professionellen Handlungskompetenz von Lehrkräften für den Bereich Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung
Authors: List Marit Kristine , Schönenberger Stephan , Hartig Johannes
Published: March 2024

Das Ziel von Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE) ist, Lernende zu befähigen, an der Bewältigung der aktuellen Herausforderungen der Weltgesellschaft mitzuarbeiten. Diese Studie untersucht, über welche professionellen Handlungskompetenzen eine Lehrkraft verfügen muss, um qualitativ hochwertigen BNE-Unterricht durchführen zu können. Dazu wurde das COACTIV-Modell professioneller Handlungskompetenz von Lehrkräften (Baumert und Kunter 2011) mittels qualitativer Daten aus 20 Interviews mit Fachdidaktiker:innen und Lehrkräften für den Bereich BNE spezifiziert. Die Ergebnisse der Studie zeigen, dass die COACTIV-Kompetenzdimensionen (Professionswissen, Überzeugungen, Motivation, Selbstregulation) auf BNE übertragen werden können. Die Daten zeigen auch, dass die Modellkomponenten zum Teil weiter ausdifferenziert und im Hinblick auf BNE spezifischer definiert werden sollten: So ist etwa die Interdisziplinarität der BNE-bezogenen Unterrichtsinhalte ein relevanter Aspekt, der sich z. B. in der BNE-spezifischen Modellkomponente für fachdidaktisches Wissen über fächerübergreifende Unterrichtsgestaltung zeigt.
Multipurpose Additives Toward Improving the Polymer Cold Spray Process
Authors: Bacha Tristan W. , Haas Francis M. , Nault Isaac M. , Stanzione Joseph F.
Published: March 2024

Polymers have proven to be challenging to cold spray, particularly with high efficiency and quality when using inexpensive nitrogen (N2) and air propellants. Helium (He), when used as a process propellant, can improve spray deposit properties but is often undesirable due to its limited availability and high cost. In this study, additives of multiple particle sizes and materials were mixed with polymer powder in an effort to improve the performance of polymer sprays using mainly N2 as a process propellant. The effects of hard-phase additives on deposit microstructure were investigated by precise ion beam polishing of deposit cross sections and subsequent electron microscope imaging. Additional metrics including the density and post-spray composition of deposits were investigated to quantify the peening effect and the amount of embedded additive. Additives, regardless of size, were observed to embed in the spray deposits. Additionally, hard-phase additives demonstrated nozzle cleaning properties that continually remove polymer fouling on the nozzle walls. Inversely, sprays with polymer powder and no additives tended to clog the nozzle throat and diverging section because of continual fouling.
Determining the manner of death in victims in drug-induced psychosis: a case of an atypical head stab wound
Authors: Handlos Petr , Klabal Ondřej , Vojtek Vladimír , Handlosová Klára , Krejčí Tomáš , Uvíra Matěj
Published: March 2024

This case report presents a rare case of an atypical head stab wound suffered by a drug addict and inflicted with a screwdriver during drug-induced psychosis. It describes the diagnostic and treatment procedures in the hospital and the findings of the subsequent autopsy. It also analyzes the review of the interpretation of the CT scans made upon admission and the subsequent treatment by an independent medical review panel, which revealed signs of medical mismanagement. Therefore, it also discusses the legal consequences that the case may have involved for the attending physicians in addition to the consequences for the suspected perpetrator. The report raises many issues encountered in the case in terms of the clinical treatment and forensic determination of the manner of death in cases of injuries caused by sharp instruments and highlights the importance of comprehensive evaluation of the circumstantial evidence together with the clinical or autopsy findings, since such evidence may sometimes be overlooked in clinical practice.
Human Rights Violations Committed Against Human Rights Defenders Through the Use of Legal System: A Trend in Europe and Beyond
Authors: Koula Aikaterini-Christina
Published: March 2024

Human rights defenders (HRDs) fight for various human rights and address concerns related to corruption, employment, the environment, and other issues. They also challenge powerful state and private stakeholders and seek justice for human rights abuses. Therefore, HRDs are increasingly becoming targets of violent attacks and abuse with the aim of silencing them. This article begins by providing a brief definition of HRDs and then proceeds to outline the risks associated with their work in defending human rights. It also identifies the perpetrators responsible for these violations. The article categorises the types of abuses against HRDs into two main categories, with a particular focus on the widespread tactic of using the legal system to target and silence defenders in Europe, which is also emerging globally. It introduces a taxonomy of various types of violations through the legal system. By categorising the types of violations against HRDs and establishing a taxonomy to aid in identifying these tactics, the article seeks to deepen understanding and awareness of the varied abuses experienced by HRDs, as well as their deviation from human rights standards, providing a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, and defenders.
The international skating union ruling of the CJEU and the future of CAS arbitration in transnational sports governance
Authors: Duval Antoine
Published: March 2024

One of the least visible and yet potentially most consequential findings in the trio of decisions related to transnational sports governance rendered by the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on 21 December 2023 concerns the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It is relatively easy to overlook, as it is tucked away in the much-less scrutinized International Skating Union (ISU) judgment of the Court. Yet, as will be argued at the end of this article, the CJEU’s conclusions regarding the bindingness of CAS arbitration are consequential and will limit the function of the CAS as a kind of safety valve for the Olympic Movement. First, the article traces how the CAS became part of the ISU case in the original decision of the European Commission (EC). Thereafter, I discuss why the General Court (GC), when reviewing the ISU decision, annulled the part dedicated to the CAS, as well as the position of Advocate General (AG) Rantos in his Opinion, which mostly endorsed the GC’s findings. This section is followed by a discussion of the main tenets of the ruling of the Grand Chamber. The final part provides a general assessment of the impact of the decision on the CAS and on the future of transnational sports governance.
Opportunistic pathogenicity observed for the endophytic fungus
Diaporthe ueckerae on Gossypium hirsutum plants
Authors: Marques Matheus Mendonça de Souza , Silva Isabella de Oliveira , Bessa Layara Alexandre , Vitorino Luciana Cristina
Published: March 2024

Cotton crops are routinely threatened by emerging fungal diseases.
Fungal endophytes also can be considered latent phytopathogens. In this study we
tested the hypothesis that an endophytic strain of Diaporthe, isolated from chlorotic leaves of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), could trigger physiological
effects of biotic stress in this oilseed plant. We also assessed the
histopathological aspects of the mycelial interaction of the endophyte with the
adaxial surface of G. hirsutum leaves. Thus, we
studied the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments, pattern of gas exchange, and
photochemistry of cotton plants subjected to inoculation with Diaporthe ueckerae via root and leaf at three different
phenological stages (vegetative, reproductive, and maturation). Additionally, we
histopathologically analyzed infected leaves using electron microscopy to study the
process of leaf colonization by this endophytic fungus. We evidenced that D. ueckerae inoculation negatively affected the
synthesis of photosynthetic pigments in plants at vegetative and reproductive
stages. Moreover, inoculation also negatively affected the photosynthetic rate and
carboxylation efficiency of these plants. We also found that the presence of the
endophyte increased transpiration and decreased water use efficiency in the plants.
Furthermore, foliar inoculation negatively affected stomatal conductance, whereas
inoculation via leaf or root reduced the photochemical performance of cotton. We
also observed that D. ueckerae colonizes the leaf
tissues of G. hirsutum via glandular trichomes
and forces penetration into the epidermis using appressoria, and the plant responds
by closing the stomata. The observed physiological alterations are indicative of
biotic stress, confirming the hypothesis that D.
ueckerae may be an opportunistic phytopathogen for cotton
plants.
Roles of biochars’ properties in their water-holding capacity and bound water evaporation: quantitative importance and controlling mechanism
Authors: Zhang Huiying , Cheng Yue , Zhong Yinhua , Ni Jinzhi , Wei Ran , Chen Weifeng
Published: March 2024

Important properties of biochar as an effective soil amendment are its high water-holding capacity (WHC) and inhibition of water evaporation. However, the mechanism and the importance of biochar properties in controlling its own WHC and bound water evaporation remain little known. In this study, wheat straw and pine sawdust biochars were pyrolyzed in N2-flow, CO2-flow, and air-limitation environments at 300–750 ℃, and a series of the produced biochars’ properties were characterized to explore the dominant controlling factors of their WHC and bound water evaporation. The results have shown that with the increasing contents of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen as well as such ratios as H/C, and (O + N)/C, WHC of the biochars was also increasing while the evaporation of biochar-bound water was decreasing. With an increase in the other studied factors, such as carbon content, pH, and specific surface area (SSA), WHC of the biochars was decreasing, and the evaporation of biochar-bound water was increasing. That was connected with the fact that biochar-nitrogen was mainly in pyridinic and pyrrolic forms, while oxygen was in the form of C = O and C–O bonds. These forms of nitrogen and oxygen could be the receptors of hydrogen bonds to link to H2O molecules. Aliphatic hydrogen with a weak positive charge could be a donor of hydrogen bonds to link to H2O molecules. However, high carbon content, as well as high SSA, indicated more exposed aromatic carbon (hydrophobic sites) that could suppress the binding of H2O molecules. Additionally, high pH indicated that H2O molecules were dominated by OH–, which generated strong electrostatic repulsion with the negatively charged nitrogen- and oxygen-containing groups of biochar. It was also shown that the nitrogen-containing groups played a more important role (importance – 0.31) in WHC of the biochar than other parameters, including carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, ash contents, pH, SSA (importance from 0.02 to 0.09). Nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon contents had the most important influence on the evaporation of biochar-bound water in all studied factors. Furthermore, wheat straw biochar produced at low pyrolysis temperatures in N2 atmosphere (with high nitrogen and oxygen contents) had the highest WHC and the lowest evaporation of biochar-bound water. Consequently, it can be suggested that biochar rich in nitrogen can be an effective water retention agent and can improve agricultural soil moisture.

Graphical Abstract
Design of Chest Visual Based Image Reclamation Method Using Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform and Edge Preservation Smoothing Algorithm
Authors: Kumar B. P. Pradeep , Darshan S. L. Shiva , Naresh E. , Srinidhi N. N. , Shreyas J.
Published: March 2024

The proposed article put forward a new scheme for image reclamation using second phase discrete symlet transform for medical images. The current medical image reclamation approaches have limitations in providing accurate reclamation fallouts with high visual insight and low computational complexity. To address these issues, this model presents a methodology for creating a medical image database using Image Reclamation using DT-CWT and EPS filter suited for the Resolution Enhancement of query chest image sample well utilized to get better retrieval rate where DWT algorithm is utilized for feature extraction of query input images. Flat and perpendicular prognoses of summation of pixels are analyzed to extract BC quantities, which are then used to compute the matching score of similarity for the images present in the database. The system selects the samples that are most pertinent to the given query sample image based on the matching score. The system’s untrained database is used to obtain the photographs with the highest BC value. The projected method aims to improve the enhancement of sampled image by DT-CWT EPS algorithm to leads to increase the accuracy and efficiency of medical image reclamation for various research applications.
Harmonic Bloch space on the real hyperbolic ball
Authors: Üreyen A. Ersin
Published: March 2024

We study the Bloch and the little Bloch spaces of harmonic functions on the real hyperbolic ball. We show that the Bergman projections from $$L^\infty ({\mathbb {B}})$$

L
∞

(
B
)

to $${\mathcal {B}}$$
B
, and from $$C_0({\mathbb {B}})$$

C
0

(
B
)

to $${\mathcal {B}}_0$$

B
0

are onto. We verify that the dual space of the hyperbolic harmonic Bergman space $${\mathcal {B}}^1_\alpha $$

B

α
1

is $${\mathcal {B}}$$
B
and its predual is $${\mathcal {B}}_0$$

B
0

. Finally, we obtain atomic decompositions of Bloch functions as series of Bergman reproducing kernels.
Soliton solutions to a nonlinear wave equation via modern methods
Authors: Sarker Shuvo , Karim Rezaul , Akbar M. Ali , Osman M. S. , Dey Pinakee
Published: March 2024

In this pioneering study, we have systematically derived traveling wave solutions for the highly intricate Zoomeron equation, employing well-established mathematical frameworks, notably the modified (G′/G)-expansion technique. Twenty distinct mathematical solutions have been revealed, each distinguished by distinguishable characteristics in the domains of hyperbolic, trigonometric, and irrational expressions. Furthermore, we have used the formidable computational capabilities of Maple software to construct depictions of these solutions, both in two-dimensional and three-dimensional visualizations. The visual representations vividly capture the essence of our findings, showcasing a diverse spectrum of wave profiles, including the kink-type shape, soliton solutions, bell-shaped waveforms, and periodic traveling wave profiles, all of which are clarified with careful precision.