bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Composition, distribution and movement of howler monkey troops (Alouatta palliata) in the agricultural landscape of Pital, San Carlos, Costa Rica
Authors: Vargas-Alpízar Paulina , Calderón-Sancho Esteban , Piedra-Castro Lilliana , Sánchez- Porras Ronald
Published: December 2023

Some areas intensively used by humans provide suitable habitat for wildlife, and knowledge of basic population characteristics of wildlife in these areas can help prioritize appropriate actions for their protection. The objective of the present study was to determine the distribution, composition and movement of troops of howler monkeys in an agricultural landscape of 8,400 ha in Pital of San Carlos, Costa Rica. This area contains a total of 115 forest fragments larger than 0.5 ha, of which 103 were evaluated, and 39 were occupied by monkeys. A total of 561 individuals were counted, for an ecological density of 1.44 individuals/ha. On average, troops were composed of 24% adult males, 45% adult females, 24% juveniles, and 7% infants. Most of reported monkey movements (76%) between fragments and through deforested areas covered less than 300 m. There is a positive relationship between increase in size and vegetation quality of the forest fragments with the number of howler monkeys found in the fragments. The high number of individuals encountered in this study, compared to that in other areas, may be related to the vegetation quality in fragments inside the study area or their surroundings.
Activity budgets of black and gold howler monkeys living in urban and natural habitats in southwest Paraguay
Authors: Overbeck Victoria , Gonzalez Pamela , Lau Wing Man , DesJardins Erica , Alesci Marco , Wellian Jake , Kane John , Henderson Melissa , Blood Rachel , Smith Rebecca L.
Published: December 2023

As urbanisation continues to encroach upon the natural habitats of wild primates, it is important to understand how species adapt to these anthropogenic changes by observing how they allocate time to different activities. This study investigated whether activity budgets of black-&-gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) living in an urban habitat (located in the city of Pilar, Ñeembucú, southwest Paraguay) differed from black-&-gold howler monkeys living in the surrounding natural environment of the Ñeembucú Wetland Complex. We recorded 404.32 h of observation over 73 days – 360.07 h of observation in the Urban habitat over 67 days and 44.25 h of observation in the Natural habitat over 6 days. When comparing activity budgets across habitat types, there was no difference in time allocated to any of the four behavioural categories, which could suggest that the black-&-gold howler monkeys are adapting well to increased urbanisation. Among all age-sex classes and habitats, resting was the most prevalent activity (67.51%), followed by feeding (13.05%), travelling (12.74%), socialising (6.17%), and other (0.53%). Overall, adult males spent significantly more time resting (mean= 71.14%) and less time travelling (mean=8.86%) compared to immature males (mean = 46.10%, P = 0.038 for resting; mean=17.83%, P=0.026).
Distribuição espacial de grupos familiares e preferência de habitat de Plecturocebus bernhardi em remanescente florestal no sudoeste da Amazônia brasileira
Authors: Silva Odair Diogo , Fermiano Eder Correa , Costa Thatiane Martins , Silva Dionei José , Filho Manoel dos Santos , Diogo Derli Rodrigues , Almeida Emerson Moreira , Gusmão Almério Câmara
Published: December 2023

Populações de Plecturocebus bernhardi estão sobre fortes pressões de redução de habitat, decorrente do protagonismo do agronegócio e crescimento de áreas urbanas no sudoeste da Amazônia brasileira. E o comportamento da espécie no uso desses tipos de habitats são desconhecidos. Compreender os efeitos da modificação de habitat nos motivou em estudar a distribuição espacial de grupos familiares e preferência de habitat da espécie em um remanescente de floresta no centro-sul do estado de Rondônia. Empregamos a metodologia de transecção linear utilizando playback com vocalização da espécie. Verificou-se a composição dos grupos, em diferentes locais (interior ou borda de parte do bloco de floresta da confluência dos rios Jí-Parana/Machado e São Pedro), fitofisionomia e estrato vertical de vegetação ocupado. Durante o estudo foram registrados 26 grupos de P. bernhardi em um esforço de amostragem de 29,9 km percorridos. Os grupos estavam estruturados com até quatro indivíduos, encontrados principalmente em estratos verticais intermediários, com maior registro de grupos em borda de floresta. A alta taxa de encontro de grupos registrados não atenuam nos cuidados de conservação da espécie, considerando que é cada vez menor a área de habitat para a espécie nessa porção da Amazônia.
Registration of high oil-yielding lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Steud.) Wats Variety CIM-Krishnapriya
Authors:   CSIR - Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Research Centre, Bangalore, India, CHANNAYYA H , NAGEGOWDA DA , BASKARAN K , VERMA RS , SUNDARESAN V , GUPTA P , ASHWINI KV , SINGH S , SWAMY GOWDA MR , JNANESHA AC , TRIVEDI PK
Published: December 2023

Lemongrass, a highly aromatic herb rich in citral content within its essential oil, serves diverse industries like fragrance, culinary, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Traditional Indonesian cuisine benefits from its use as a spice, while it also contributes to Vitamin A production. Forecasts indicate a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.93% from 2021 to 2028, propelling the global lemongrass oil market from $41.98 million to $81.43 million. CSIR-CIMAP has diligently focused on advancing lemongrass cultivation and oil extraction through novel cultivars and agrotechnologies. Their efforts aim to elevate farmer income and cater to escalating lemongrass oil demands. A breakthrough cultivar, "CIM-Krishnapriya," has been introduced, poised to amplify lemongrass oil yield and subsequently augment farmers' earnings. This new cultivar boasts an herb yield of 25-30 t/ha and an oil yield of 300-320 kg/ha. Keywords: CIM-Krishnapriya, Citral, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Lemongrass, Poaceae
Registration of a high-yielding, high citronellol: geraniol ratio and unique sesquiterpene (6, 9- guaiadiene)-rich variety CIM-Bharat of rose scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L.)
Authors:   CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow-226015, TIWARI G , VERMA RK , GUPTA AK , KALRA A , VERMA RS , KUMAR S , NANNWARE AD , TANDON S , RAHMAN L , SEMWAL M , LOTHE NB , CHATURVEDI T , SINGH S , SINGH R , SINGH A , KUMAR R , KUMAR A , CHAUHAN A
Published: December 2023

Rose scented geranium, a South-African aromatic herb, is cultivated in both sub-tropical and temperate countries for its essential oil derived from the aerial parts that conveys a strong rosy-minty odour with a greenishyellow colour. The oil is a treasure trove of versatile chemicals with extensive applications in the high grade perfumery, pharmaceutical, and aroma industries. The annual rise in its essential oil import for indegenic consumption in the country warrants its genetic enhancement of existing germplasm for increasing per unit area productivity and quality of essential oil. With this backup, our team initiated a clonal selection scheme to develop a genetically improved clone, CIMAP-21A, capable of producing 70-80kg/ha of oil yield in a single harvest compared to other existing cultivars and check variety CIM-Pawan. The new developed variety also has unique chemical compositions to meet the quality standard of the perfumery industry. It has a high Citronellol: Geraniol (C: G) ratio (>3) with the presence and absence of unique sesquiterpene markers i.e., 6,9-guaiadiene (5.4%) and 10-epi-γ-eudesmol, respectively. The unique sturdy dark green stem and leaves are the distinguished morphological features of this strain. The developedclone is ideally suitable for cultivation in the entire North India and Western regions of the country. This strain has now been christened as CIM-Bharat and it is registered here as a new, improved variety of rose-scented geranium for its commercial release. Keywords: CIM-Bharat, Citronellol : Geraniol ratio, GC-MS, Molecular fingerprint, Pelargonium graveolens, Rose-scented Geranium
Revolutionizing Footwear Recommendations: A Data-Driven Approach Harnessing Advanced Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Zhuang Sing Hoi Leo
Published: December 2023

The footwear landscape is evolving. Individuals seek a personalized shoe and insole fit for enhanced comfort and health. Historically, footwear sizes were measured manually. This traditional method faced challenges in scalability and precision. The study leveraged big data and machine learning to refine shoe size recommendations. Data was sourced from online platforms, foot scanning devices, and user feedback. Rigorous preprocessing ensured the data's consistency and normalization. Multiple machine learning models were evaluated, with the Random Forest algorithm emerging as the most effective. The findings highlighted an improvement in recommendation accuracy.The research indicates that the integration of technology and data holds the potential to transform the footwear industry, prioritizing comfort and health.
Large-scale Data Mining Method based on Clustering Algorithm Combined with MAPREDUCE
Authors: Zhang Yulun , Zhang Chenxu , Yang Lei , Li Hongyang
Published: December 2023

With the continuous deepening and development of information technology, the diversity and amount of information in data continue to grow. Effectively mining these text data to extract valuable content has become an urgent task in the field of data research. This study combines the MapReduce distributed system with the K-means clustering algorithm to meet the challenges of large-scale data mining. At the same time, the paper use a distributed caching mechanism to solve the problem of repeated application of resources for multiple MapReduce collaborative operations and improve data mining efficiency. The combination of MapReduce's distributed computing and the advantages of K-means clustering algorithm provides an efficient and scalable method for large-scale data mining. Experimental results combining internal and external indicators show that the advantage of combining K-means with MapReduce is to fully utilize the distributed and parallel computing characteristics of MapReduce, providing users with an efficient and scalable data mining tool. Through this research, the paper provide new methods and insights for large-scale data mining, improving the efficiency and accuracy of data mining.
Analysis of Navigation Aid Effectiveness of Tianjin Port Water Depth Signal Tower and Development Protection under New Technical Conditions
Authors: Guo Qiang , Huo Huwei
Published: December 2023

The Tianjin Port Water Depth Signal Tower is a navigational aid facility that provides tidal level information. In the last century, it made great contributions to the shipping industry of Tianjin Port and played an indispensable role in local flood control work; However, with the improvement of the accuracy of marine radar sounders, the influence of background lights, the increase of surrounding buildings, and the continuous widening and deepening of navigation channels, it is becoming increasingly rare for ship drivers to obtain tidal level information through their eyes or with the help of telescopes. In addition, whether drivers can obtain tidal level information through these methods is also a topic worthy of attention and research.
Research on the Effect of Information Transmission based on Text Mining
Authors: Sun Yuting
Published: December 2023

Sangstan proposed that, in the process of information dissemination, people only focus on the information field that makes them feel comfortable due to the influence of the public's own information needs and interest guidance. As time passes, they will shackle themselves to the cocoon like "cocoon room", which Sangstan called "information cocoon room". As an emerging open social media, microblog provides users with the convenience of information sharing and dissemination, and also creates a personalized social space. Based on this, this paper conducts text mining on topics in microblog through text mining technology, aiming to study the propagation law of public opinion. For Task 1, this paper uses the crawler technology to access the microblog search end api interface, and the code uses the python request package, so that the access interface can be determined and the data can be crawled. After that, this paper uses the jieba library to carry out regular expression and Chinese word segmentation, and constructs a word cloud map for statistical analysis. Finally, it quantitatively describes the spread process of topics through the number of word frequencies, and analyzes its influencing factors. For Task 2, this paper considers this problem as a typical evaluation problem. Therefore, this paper constructs the AHP analytic hierarchy process model to solve it, and constructs the expert evaluation matrix to score and evaluate it, so as to get the influence of these factors.
Automated Pricing and Replenishment Decision Modeling for Supermarket Vegetables
Authors: Zheng Luoyi , Lou Zhiyan
Published: December 2023

This paper analyzes the historical sales data of vegetable products in a fresh food supermarket, and explores the automatic pricing and replenishment decision-making scheme of vegetable products in this supermarket. Firstly, we integrate and clean the attached data, and then we solve the characteristics and interrelationships of individual products and categories by establishing SARIMA model and Spearman's correlation coefficient model, and then we use nonlinear regression model, nonlinear autoregressive neural network model and optimization model to realize automatic pricing and replenishment decision-making for vegetable products.
Comparative Study on BEV Vision and LiDAR Point Cloud Data Fusion Methods
Authors: Zhou Junyu
Published: December 2023

With the gradual maturity of autonomous driving technology, efficient fusion and processing of multimodal sensor data has become an important research direction. This study mainly explores the strategy of integrating BEV (Bird's Eye View) vision with LiDAR point cloud data. We evaluated the performance and applicability of each of the three main data fusion methods through in-depth comparison: early fusion, mid-term fusion, and late fusion. First of all, we summarize the working principle and data characteristics of BEV vision and LiDAR, and emphasize their key roles in auto drive system. Then, the theoretical basis and implementation methods of the three fusion strategies were described in detail. The experimental results show that different fusion strategies exhibit their own advantages in different application scenarios and requirements. For example, early fusion performs well in high-precision tasks, but has a high demand for computing resources. And mid-term fusion is more suitable in scenarios with high real-time requirements. Overall, this study provides in-depth insights and practical suggestions on the fusion of BEV vision and LiDAR data in the field of autonomous driving, laying a solid foundation for future research and applications.
Danskhedens skiftende konturer: Agnes Slott-Møller, Kunstnergaven og den nationale forpligtelse
Authors: Grand Karina Lykke , Mednick Thor J.
Published: December 2023

Artiklen handler om Kunstnergaven til Sønderjylland, en kunstsamling der blev grundlagt i 1914, på 50-året for den Anden Slesvigske Krig, og om kunstneren Agnes Slott-Møllers rolle i dette projekt. Artiklen sætter fokus på flere af Slott-Møllers taler i anledning af Kunstnergaven og diskuterer muligheden for, at hendes noget reaktionære nationalistiske retorik, var  medvirkende til, at gaven blev modtaget med manglende entusiasme. Artiklen antyder, at Slott-Møllers udsagn om gaven  placerede den på den forældede side af en langvarig kulturdebat i Danmark. En debat, der gik tilbage til guldalderen og  fortsatte med at have relevans ind i det tyvende århundrede.
Implementation of a decentralised clinical training programme (DCTP) at a university of technology in South Africa: Implications for health science education and clinical practice
Authors: Nxumalo C T , Mchunu G G , Maphalala M
Published: December 2023

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Groote Schuur Hospital neurosurgical intensive care unit: A 2-year review of admission characteristics
Authors: Rashid S , Joubert I , Semple P
Published: December 2023

Background. At Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NsICU) is a 6-bed unit headed by a specialist neurosurgeon with extensive experience in neurocritical care, working in close collaboration with intensivists from the Division of Critical Care. There is currently no detailed analysis of the demographics, diagnosis and management of patients admitted to the NsICU at GSH.
Objectives. To provide a detailed descriptive analysis of the demographics, diagnosis and management of patients admitted to the NsICU at GSH from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021.
Methods. A retrospective descriptive analysis was done of patients who received treatment in the NsICU from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021.
Results. A total of 685 patients were admitted to the unit over a 2-year period, with a male preponderance (68.2%). The average age was 42.5 (standard deviation (SD) 17.2) years. The most common neurosurgical diagnoses were traumatic brain injuries (39.6%), brain tumours (22.6%) and aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhages (9.9%). Emergency admissions comprised 76.6% of the total and 86.7% of patients were admitted postoperatively. Three hundred and seventy-two patients (54.3%) required mechanical ventilation, 132 (19.3%) required both an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor and brain tissue oxygenation monitor, 86 (12.5%) needed placement of an external ventricular drain, 50 (7.3%) needed placement of a tracheostomy tube and 16 (2.3%) needed placement of an ICP monitor only. The average duration of stay was 5.5 (1.3) days and NsICU mortality over 2 years was 11.1%.
Conclusion. The NsICU at GSH manages predominantly male trauma patients and a significant number of admitted patients require specialised invasive intracranial monitoring.
Factors affecting exit intentions from dairy farming in the Pampas region of Argentina.
Authors: Gastaldi Laura Beatriz , Galetto Alejandro Juan , Pace Guerrero Ignacio Raúl
Published: December 2023

TThis article examines the factors which explain exit from dairy farming in the Pampas region of Argentina. A representative sample of dairy farms was used, of which 12 % indicated their intention to exit in the next five years. High technical efficiency and the existence of a successor reduce the likelihood of exit dairy farming; while age of farmer, hired labor, and climate risk exposure are positively associated with exit intentions. The small dairy farms are more prone to exit than large ones, albeit with a smaller marginal effect.
Modelling Lithuanian family farms’ participation in agri-environmental subsidy schemes: a Neural Network Approach
Authors: Gesevičienė Kristina , Besusparienė Erika
Published: December 2023

Properly targeted agri-environmental subsidies (AES) can ensure the implementation of the European Green Deal goals. Hence, it is important to know what factors encourage family farms to participate in the AES schemes in order to select appropriate political tools and properly use the allocated subsidies. We propose a Multilayer Perceptron neural network to examine 34 Lithuanian crop family farms and identify the factors affecting their participation in the AES. The results indicate that the decision by the Lithuanian family farms regarding the participation mainly depends on a few factors, including the agricultural production output of the farm and farmers’ education, while other factors, such as farmer age and farm size, were less important.
Correspondencia entre Kant, Maimon y Herz del 7 de abril al 26 de mayo de 1789
Authors: Stepanenko Pedro
Published: December 2023

En esta colaboración traduzco y presento las cuatro cartas que conforman la correspondencia que tuvieron Maimon, Kant y Herz entre el 7 de abril y el 26 de mayo de 1789, ocasionada por la recomendación que Herz le hace a Maimon para que le envíe el manuscrito de su Ensayo sobre filosofía trascendental a Kant. El valor de esta correspondencia se debe a que representa un encuentro entre Kant y algunas de las ideas que caracterizarán el idealismo especulativo, a que ayuda a entender mejor la Deducción trascendental de los conceptos puros del entendimiento, y a que en ella se encuentra uno de los pocos comentarios escritos por Kant sobre cognición animal.
Noise characteristics analysis and suppression of optical system based on infrared superconducting single-photon detector
Authors: Zhou Fei , Chen Qi , Liu Hao , Dai Yue , Wei Chen , Yuan Hang , Wang Hao , Tu Xue-Cou , Kang Lin , Jia Xiao-Qing , Zhao Qing-Yuan , Chen Jian , Zhang La-Bao , Wu Pei-Heng ,   Reaserch Institute of Superconductor Electronics, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China,   Purple Mountain Laboratories, Nanjing 211111, China
Published: December 2023

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detector is a kind of refrigerated photon-counting detector with high performance, which can detect extremely weak signals. The noise of optical system is an important factor limiting the sensitivity of infrared superconducting nanowire single-photon detector. In order to improve the sensitivity of infrared detection system, the calculation model of signal-to-noise ratio and background radiation of infrared optical system based on superconducting single photon detector is established and the source of noise in optical system and the radiation emission of black body are analyzed theoretically. The noise characteristics of infrared optical system are quantitatively analyzed by photon counting capability of superconducting nanowire single-photon detector, and the relationship between the photon count rate and temperature under a small temperature difference is explored. An optical system based on infrared superconducting single photon detector is designed. The designed optical system improves the infrared photon coupling efficiency and the signal-to-noise ratio of the superconducting detection system, which are verified theoretically and experimentally , thus reducing the influence of background radiation on the detection system. The results show that the superconducting single-photon detector has high sensitivity to the analysis of the infrared optical system, and the minimum resolved movement distance is 2.74 × 10–2 mm. The physical coupling efficiency of the optical system and the photon count rate of the detection system are improved by optimizing the optical system, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the system increases by 2.7 times under the same conditions. It is expected that this infrared superconducting nanowire single-photon detector can be used in finer and higher precision detection field.
Quaternary nanoparticle array antenna for graphene/silicon near-infrared detector
Authors: Zhang Yi-Fei , Liu Yuan , Mei Jia-Dong , Wang Jun-Zhuan , Wang Xiao-Mu , Shi Yi ,   School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, China
Published: December 2023

Infrared imaging chips are crucial for a broad range of military, medicine and biology applications. Although silicon detectors’ on-chip integration technology is matured, their low absorption in near-infrared light results in poor infrared photocurrent response. To increase the photodetector absorption efficiency, antenna-like metal nanoparticles have been widely adopted due to their plasmon resonance effects. Oligomer nanoparticles, including quaternary nanoparticles, exhibit plasmon resonance effects that localize and enhance the light field in a sub-wavelength range. Furthermore, they can interfere with each other to achieve Fano resonance and bound state in continuity, resulting in a stronger localization and enhancement of the electromagnetic field. In this study an array of gold quaternary nanoparticle oligomers is used as the antenna for a graphene/SOI (with 1 μm silicon) heterojunction near-infrared detector. Each oligomer consists of four gold squares, each with a size of 250 nm, forming two pairs of dipoles similar to the orbital hybridization of hydrogen atoms. This thus results in a multi-body coupling structure with bonding state and anti-bonding state. The antenna array parameters, such as the periodic constant, gap between nanoparticles, and angle (θ) between the oligomers, are meticulously adjusted. The optimized device is characterized by using photocurrent and photocurrent mapping, achieving a 2-fold enhancement in photoresponsivity with the maximum value at θ ~ 40°. Notably, a consistent dip in photocurrents is observed for different periods or gap arrays when the angle theta is 20°. The simulation is conducted by using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD), revealing the emergence of Fano-like resonance in the transmittance spectra of the array at approximately 850 nm. The interference caused by the strongly coupling system to the plane coupled leakage field and the nanoparticle plasmon mode results in the formation of a new discrete leakage mode, i.e. the Fano-like resonance. The antenna helps to concentrate and emit the light field energy directionally to the detector, while there is a trade-off between the loss caused by nanoparticles absorption and the leakage energy. The photocurrent reaches a minimal point at a theta angle of 20° angle. At this point, the energy is localized in the oligomers, and the metal absorption loss weakens the plasmon enhancement effect. These findings are further supported by the simulation results of electric field and Poynting vector distribution. These findings indicate an important and promising way to enhance the photo detection efficiency via nanostructured plasmonic antenna.
Ultrathin acoustic metasurface carpet cloaking based on Helmholtz resonances
Authors: Sui Yu-Mei , He Zhao-Jian , Bi Ren-Gui , Kong Peng , Wu Ji-En , Zhao He-Ping , Deng Ke ,   Key Labratory of Intelligent Sensors and Advanced Sensing Materials of Hunan Province, School of Physics and Electronic Science, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411021, China,   Department of Physics, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China,   Hunan University of Finance and Economics, Changsha 410205, China
Published: December 2023

With the development of metamaterials, the acoustic cloaking has attracted extensive attention due to its novel physics and potential applications. In recent years, based on the phase compensation modulation from Generalized Snell’s law and coordinate transformation, the acoustic cloakings in underwater and air have been widely and deeply studied. However, there is still an urgent need to design acoustic cloaks that are thinner and less affected by the incident angle of acoustic waves. Further, the designed cloaks should have a wider operating band and be more suitable for irregular objects.

In this paper, an ultrathin curved acoustic metasurface carpet cloaking is studied by using of phase compensation modulation. The phase modulation is based on Helmholtz resonance (HR). The metasurface carpet is immersed in air, since the vibration mode of acoustic wave in the air is relatively single, thus the physical essence can be elucidated more clearly. The carpet cloak is composed of 52 Helmholtz resonant units, and the size of resonant unit is less than 0.2 of working wavelength.

The phase change of HR unit is solved analytically by using the Generalized Snell’s law, and confirmed by the Multiphysics COMSOL software. The parameter effects of HR unit on the phase change are studied, demonstrating that the phase change of HR unit is sensitive to the change of height and radius of HR unit, while the change of width of HR cavity neck can make the phase of HR unit change smoothly. Therefore, when building 52 HR units, the width of the HR cavity neck is designed, and the height and radius of HR unit stay fixed.

The simulating results demonstrate that the designed cloak works well in a frequency range from 5850 Hz to 7550 Hz. Also, we study the cloaking effect for oblique incidence, and the results show that the carpet cloak works well for incident angle less than 30°. To quantitatively analyze the bandwidth of the cloaking, we calculate the cosine similarity value. It elucidates that the value of the cloak is very close to that of the flat ground in a corresponding working frequency range. The cloak designed in this work is made of ultrathin Helmholtz Resonant structures. This cloak is simple and easy to realize and conducive to potential applications.
A novel computational pipeline for var gene expression augments the discovery of changes in the Plasmodium falciparum transcriptome during transition from in vivo to short-term in vitro culture
Authors: Andradi-Brown Clare , Wichers-Misterek Jan Stephan , von Thien Heidrun , Höppner Yannick D. , Scholz Judith A. M. , Hansson Helle , Hocke Emma Filtenborg , Gilberger Tim-Wolf , Duffy Michael F. , Lavstsen Thomas , Baum Jake , Otto Thomas D. , Cunnington Aubrey J. , Bachmann Anna
Published: December 2023

The pathogenesis of severe
Plasmodium falciparum
malaria involves cytoadhesive microvascular sequestration of infected erythrocytes, mediated by
P. falciparum
erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). PfEMP1 variants are encoded by the highly polymorphic family of
var
genes, the sequences of which are largely unknown in clinical samples. Previously, we published new approaches for
var
gene profiling and classification of predicted binding phenotypes in clinical
P. falciparum
isolates (Wichers
et al
., 2021), which represented a major technical advance. Building on this, we report here a novel method for
var
gene assembly and multidimensional quantification from RNA-sequencing that outperforms the earlier approach of Wichers
et al
., 2021 on both laboratory and clinical isolates across a combination of metrics. Importantly, the tool can interrogate the
var
transcriptome in context with the rest of the transcriptome and can be applied to enhance our understanding of the role of
var
genes in malaria pathogenesis. We applied this new method to investigate changes in
var
gene expression through early transition of parasite isolates to
in vitro
culture, using paired sets of
ex vivo
samples from our previous study, cultured for up to three generations. In parallel, changes in non-polymorphic core gene expression were investigated. Modest but unpredictable
var
gene switching and convergence towards
var2csa
were observed in culture, along with differential expression of 19% of the core transcriptome between paired
ex vivo
and generation 1 samples. Our results cast doubt on the validity of the common practice of using short-term cultured parasites to make inferences about
in vivo
phenotype and behaviour.
Examining the Influence of Transformational Leadership and Job Satisfaction to Reduce Turnover Intention with Organizational Commitment as a Mediator
Authors: Suroya Azizah Fida , Bagis Fatmah , Widhiandono Hengky , Rahmawati Ika Yustina
Published: December 2023

Aims: This study examines the role of transformational leadership and job satisfaction in reducing turnover intention in the hospitality sector, including the mediating factor of organizational commitment on employees at the 4-star hotels in Purwokerto.

Study Design: This research uses a quantitative approach with questionnaire data collection methods.

Place and Duration of Study: This research was conducted on employees at the 4-star hotels in Purwokerto, totaling 176 respondents from 276 employees between September 2023 - October 2023.

Methodology: The retrieval technique used is quota sampling which is done by setting quotas based on the proportion of each hotel. This research was conducted using Partial Least Square analysis. The results of this analysis calculate the percentage of the results of the demographic conditions of all employee respondents at the 4-star hotels so that the calculations are even. As a result, the sampling collected 176 respondents, including 123 male and 53 female employees, with a predominance of ages 20 - 25 years.

Results: Using a significant level of 5%, the results of the analytical calculations prove that Transformational Leadership, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment have a negative but insignificant effect on Turnover Intention. Transformational Leadership and Job Satisfaction positively and significantly affect Organizational Commitment. The mediation results show that Organizational Commitment cannot mediate the relationship between Transformational Leadership and job satisfaction on turnover intention.

Conclusion: The results of this study show that leaders who implement transformational leadership practices and satisfied employees can increase organizational commitment, but it cannot significantly reduce turnover intention.
Medical Effect of Emission from Unregulated Refineries at Rumuolumeni Community in Port Harcourt Rivers State Nigeria
Authors: Akagbue Bertha Onyenachi , Aminu Mu’awiya Baba , Siame Tasha , Ofure Oseigbovo Favour , Amaobichukwu Chibuzor Titus , Adinoyi Enebe Simon , Nwafor Emmanuel Abiodun , Ogunsanya Tolulope Idiat , Abolade Yisa Adeniyi , Bolaji Olayiwola
Published: December 2023

This study investigates air quality in the Rumuolumeni environs, River State, Nigeria, which started in November 2016 when soot became a public health hazard to date. The study identified the cause of the soot, which is unregulated refineries (known as kpoo fire), and compared effluent from a regulated refinery and the source in the chosen community. The population of the study area and its environs have witnessed adverse environmental influences as a result of the emissions and accumulation of unburnt carbon materials (soot) within the first four quarters of 2016. This research has provided a solution that will ensure that federal government environmental agency/ regulatory bodies in terms of environmental protection should carry out their functions effectively and efficiently on soot pollution, which has resulted in a decline in public health in the study area. In addition, numerous local refineries built in the area by quacks should be eliminated so as to reduce environmental pollution and public health hazards further. In conclusion, the investigation has further revealed that the numerous home-made petroleum refineries are the major sources of black carbon pollution, which has a direct link to the host community and its environs.
Safety and Proven Risk Assessment on the Release of Wolbachia-Inserted Aedes Aegypti: Lesson Learned from the Partial Resistance of the Community
Authors: Siagian Forman Erwin
Published: December 2023

Aims: to describe the basis of partial rejection from the community regarding the government's plan to expand the range of releases of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which have been inserted with the endosymbiont bacteria Wolbachia spp. to reduce the incidence of dengue hemorrhagic fever and offers a more rational approach based on community based medicine to educate massively first before expecting community participation.

Discussion: Aedes aegypti which laboratorily inserted with Wolbachia, an endosymbiont bacterium, naturally occurring in insects is actually a great success story in several countries, e.g., Brazil. In Jogjakarta, Indonesia this success story also repeated even though unfortunately when the government tries to expand the programme, some part of the community reject it. Lack of sufficient community education perhaps become the main reason of rejection from those who do not understand yet regarding the benefit.

Conclusion: Tackling social determinants of Health is necessary in order to make a national programme can be implemented and receive support from the community.
Effect of Sowing Time Induced Weather Regimes on Growth and Yield of Chickpea under Irrigated Condition
Authors: Goud V. V. , Karunakar A. P.
Published: December 2023

A field experiment conducted to study the effect to find out optimum time of sowing and suitable cultivar for sustainable chickpea production in the region. The study was undertaken to find yield variation with extended sowing date. Five different sowing dates viz., 30th October (44 MW), 15th November (46 MW), 30th November (48 MW), 15th December (50 MW) and 30th December (52 MW) with two chickpea cultivars viz., JAKI 9218 and Vijay were studied. The varieties selected dominated chickpea cultivation in the region. The results revealed that crop sown on 30th October produced higher but statistically equivalent number of pods/plant, number of seeds/plant and grain yield as compared to 15th November sowing. Crop sown on 30th October accumulated higher Growing Degree Days (GDD: 2012 day0C) and Heliothermal Units (HTU: 13515 0C day hr) closely followed by 15th November sown crop (GDD; 1975-day 0C, HTU: 13130 0C day hr) during cropping period from vegetative to pod-seed development phase. The number of pods/plant, weight of seed/plant and test weight was higher in cultivar JAKI 9218 than Vijay. Maximum GDD (1888 0C day) and HTU (12706 0C day hr) were accumulated by cultivar JAKI 9218 closely followed by  Vijay (GDD: 1856 0C day; HTU: 12449 0C day hr).
A Fuzzy-Based Control System for Customers’ Admission in a Two-Station Queue Network
Authors: Gbadebo Adegbuyi David , Akinwale Adio Taofiki , Sodiya Adesina Simon , Akinleye Ayoola Simeon
Published: December 2023

The study proposes a fuzzy-based control of admission of customers in a queue network with two stations in tandem. Each of the stations has individual arrival streams which may either be accepted or rejected. Class i arrivals occur in a Poisson stream with constant rate λi, i = 1, 2. Successive services in each station j are independent and exponentially distributed, with mean 1/µj  in station j, j =1, 2, irrespective of the customer’s class. The objective of the study is to decide an optimal admission policy based on the state of the queue such that profit is maximized. The state of the system is described by (z1, z2), where zi  is the number of customers in station i, and i = 1, 2. The tool adopted is a fuzzy process which determines this policy using the fuzzy input values, s and λ giving a corresponding decision, dec. which is either  a ‘1’ or ‘0’ representing ‘Admit’ or ‘Reject’ respectively. The membership functions of arrivals were defined and implemented using fuzzy rules to derive a fuzzy output of decision which either ‘Admit’ or ‘Reject’ an arrival. Numerical results show a considerable improvement in the control of customers’ admission and it was concluded that the proposed method is efficient in the control of customers’ admission in queue network.
Modelling Safety Behaviour from Safety Climate among Healthcare Workers in Benin City
Authors: Udegbe V. E.  , Amah V. E.  , Ugwoha E.
Published: December 2023

It is counter-intuitive that the healthcare industry, whose mission is the care of the sick, is itself a “high-hazard” industry for the workers it employs. Injuries at the workplace are related to unsafe work behaviour and unsafe work procedures. This research work concerns modelling safety behaviour from safety climate among healthcare workers in Benin city. The model incorporates safety climate constructs as independent variables and safety behaviour as the dependent variable. A questionnaire survey obtained 277 responses from multiple healthcare facilities in Benin City. A purposive/judgmental sampling approach was adopted to get respondents that fit the study. Multiple regression analysis was appropriate in building the model. 10 variables were originally collated but only 7 variables with factor loadings greater than 0.6 were retained after principal component analysis, and only 5 variables were statistically significant for the model development. The beta coefficients were used to study the impact of each construct on the safety behaviour of employees. As a result, safety climate constructs like management commitment, supervisory environment, workers’ involvement, personal appreciation of risk, and supportive environment, were substantially correlated with the safety behaviour of employees with 15.13, -10.309, 5.647, 1.649, -12.288 beta coefficients respectively. The overall R2 determination coefficient was 0.897 which depicts the model explains 89.7% of the variance in safety behaviour. This model has enormous potential to inspire healthcare management to facilitate safety behaviour and to successfully monitor the safety of healthcare sector workers. This research reveals that slips, trips, falls, needle prick injuries, cross-contamination, infections and diseases, mental stress, exposure to x-ray radiation, direct contact with contaminated specimen, musculoskeletal disorder as the most recurring accidents/near misses experienced as a result of unsafe behaviour of healthcare workers in their organizations. This research also reveals unsafe behaviours such as improper use of PPE, no use of PPE, taking shortcuts, verbal abuse, unsafe injection practice, working long hours, negligence and carelessness as some of the unsafe behaviours of healthcare workers in their organizations. Findings from this research reveals shortage of staff, fines and associated legal fees, retraining of new staff as some of the cost and consequences of unsafe work behaviour by healthcare workers to their organizations.   Management should concentrate on more significant constructs to achieve the optimal and successful safety performance of healthcare workers.
Attendance by the nursing team of people with cancer in primary health care: integrative review / Acompanhamento pela equipe de enfermagem às pessoas com câncer na Atenção Primária à Saúde: revisão integrativa
Authors: Martins Thais , Vieira Nascimento Leonardo , Vitor Andrade João , Albino Silva Simone , Costa Isabelle Cristinne Pinto , De Souza Terra Fábio
Published: December 2023

Objetivo: analisar as evidências científicas sobre o acompanhamento pela equipe de enfermagem às pessoas com câncer na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Métodos: revisão integrativa utilizando a estratégia PICo. Foram incluídos artigos primários, publicados de 2005 a 2022, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol, realizando-se a busca em seis bases de dados. Para a análise, utilizou-se a estratégia de Mapa Conceitual. Resultados: obteve uma amostra de quatro estudos, evidenciou-se que o acompanhamento se dá por meio da visita domiciliar e pela consulta de enfermagem. Estes caracterizam-se pela realização de ações inespecíficas, pela escassez de recursos disponíveis, por uma rede de informações desarticulada, frágil e pela falta de comunicação entre os setores especializados. Conclusão:  para que o acompanhamento ocorra de forma efetiva, é necessário estabelecimento de fluxos de informações entre níveis de atenção, educação permanente e oferta de conteúdo sobre assistência oncológica desde a graduação.
The influence of the lunar cycle in labor and low-risk delivery / A influência do ciclo lunar no trabalho de parto e parto de baixo risco
Authors: Trigueiro Tatiane , Janiacki Karoline , Vicari Kauane , Oliveira Fabio , Souza Silvana , Wall Marilene
Published: December 2023

Objetivo: identificar a relação das fases da lua com o início do trabalho de parto de parturientes atendidas em uma maternidade de risco habitual. Método: estudo transversal, com coleta retrospectiva de dados de uma maternidade de risco habitual em Curitiba, Paraná, em 2018. Os dados foram coletados entre março a maio de 2021 e analisados de forma estatística. Resultados: foram analisados 1.963 internamentos, prevaleceram mulheres entre 20 a 29 anos (58,5%), primigestas (41,4%), com 39 semanas de gestação (25,9%), nascimento via vaginal (87,4%), atendidos por médicos (44,2%) e enfermeiros obstetras (43,6%). O maior número de internamentos foi na fase Quarto Minguante (26,5%); não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre o número de internamentos nos dias de mudança de fase da Lua em relação aos outros (p= 0,942). Conclusão: a não relação das fases lunares com o início do trabalho de parto auxilia a desvendar crenças populares sobre gestação e parto.
Nonprescription Medications for Adults With Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Vordenberg Sarah E.
Published: December 2023

This JAMA Patient Page describes the types of nonprescription medications for allergic rhinitis and how to use them.
Rates of Opioid Overdose Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Individuals Released From Prison
Authors: Barsky Benjamin A. , Dunn Devon , Erdman Elizabeth A. , Jolin James R. , Rosenthal Meredith B.
Published: December 2023

This cross-sectional study examines opioid overdose patterns by race and ethnicity among individuals released from prison in Massachusetts.
Reflections on My Journey With Cancer—Unexpected Insights From Game Night
Authors: Cortez Campaña Jorge
Published: December 2023

This essay describes reflections on the author’s journey with cancer through unexpected insights from a casual game night with friends.
Four-Year Follow-Up of a Pigmented Vitreous Cyst
Authors: Zhu Chengcheng , Liu Changhui , Wang Jing
Published: December 2023

This case report discusses a diagnosis of pigmented vitreous cyst in a man aged 18 years who presented with a 2-week history of seeing a floater in his right eye.
cAMP‐phosphodiesterase 4D7 (PDE4D7) forms a cAMP signalosome complex with DHX9 and is implicated in prostate cancer progression
Authors: Gulliver Chloe , Busiau Tara , Byrne Ashleigh , Findlay Jane E. , Hoffmann Ralf , Baillie George S.
Published: December 2023

A robust body of work has demonstrated that a reduction in cAMP‐specific 3′,5′‐cyclic phosphodiesterase 4D isoform 7 (PDE4D7) is linked with negative prostate cancer outcomes; however, the exact molecular mechanism that underpins this relationship is unknown. Epigenetic profiling has shown that the PDE4D gene can be hyper‐methylated in transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2)–ETS transcriptional regulator ERG (ERG) gene‐fusion‐positive prostate cancer (PCa) tumours, and this inhibits messenger RNA (mRNA) expression, leading to a paucity of cellular PDE4D7 protein. In an attempt to understand how the resulting aberrant cAMP signalling drives PCa growth, we immunopurified PDE4D7 and identified binding proteins by mass spectrometry. We used peptide array technology and proximity ligation assay to confirm binding between PDE4D7 and ATP‐dependent RNA helicase A (DHX9), and in the design of a novel cell‐permeable disruptor peptide that mimics the DHX9‐binding region on PDE4D7. We discovered that PDE4D7 forms a signalling complex with the DExD/H‐box RNA helicase DHX9. Importantly, disruption of the PDE4D7–DHX9 complex reduced proliferation of LNCaP cells, suggesting the complex is pro‐tumorigenic. Additionally, we have identified a novel protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation site on DHX9 that is regulated by PDE4D7 association. In summary, we report the existence of a newly identified PDE4D7–DHX9 signalling complex that may be crucial in PCa pathogenesis and could represent a potential therapeutic target.
Mechanical Investigation of Solid MNs Penetration into Skin Using Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Liu Tianqi , Sun Yanfang , Zhang Wenjing , Wang Rui , Lv Xinyu , Nie Lei , Shavandi Amin , Yunusov Khaydar E. , Jiang Guohua
Published: December 2023

In the past two decades, microneedles (MNs) patches as a promising platform have been extensively investigated for transdermal delivery of drug drugs, cells, and active substances and extraction of bio‐fluids. To realize painless, efficacious, and safe transdermal delivery, these MNs must penetrate the skin to the appropriate depth without breaking or bending. Therefore, effective prediction of mechanical properties such as skin penetration of microneedles is crucial for the material and structural design of MNs. In this article, a numerical simulation of the insertion process of the microneedle into various types of skin modeling is reported using the finite element method. The effective stress failure criterion has been coupled with the element deletion technique to predict the complete insertion process. The numerical results show a good agreement with the reported experimental data for the deformation and failure of the skin and the insertion force.