bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MCDGait: Multimodal Co-Learning Distillation Network with Spatial-Temporal Graph Reasoning for Gait Recognition in the Wild
Authors: Xiong Jianbo , Zou Shinan , Tang Jin , Tardi Tjahjadi
Published: March 2024

Gait recognition in the wild has attracted the attention of the academic community. However, existing unimodal algorithms cannot achieve the same performance on in-the-wild datasets as in-the-lab datasets because unimodal data have many limitations in-the-wild environments. Therefore, we propose a multimodal approach combining silhouettes and skeletons and formulates the multimodal gait recognition problem as a multimodal co-learning problem. In particular, we propose a multimodal co-learning distillation network (MCDGait) that integrates two student networks processing unimodal data into a single teacher network. Based on the semantic consistency of different modalities and the paradigm of deep mutual learning, the performance of the entire network is continuously improved via the bidirectional knowledge distillation between the student and teacher networks. Inspired by the observation that specific body parts or joints exhibit unique motion characteristics and have linkage with other parts or joints during walking, we propose a spatial-temporal graph reasoning module (ST-GRM). This module represents the parts or joints as graph nodes and the motion linkages between them as edges. By utilizing dynamic graph generator, the module implicitly captures the dynamic changes of the human body. Based on the generated graphs, the independent spatial-temporal linkage feature of each part and the interactive spatial-temporal linkage feature are aggregated simultaneously. Extensive experiments conducted on two in-the-wild datasets demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance of the proposed method. The average rank-1 accuracy on datasets Gait3D and GREW is 50.90% and 58.06%, respectively. The source code can be obtained from https://github.com/BoyeXiong/MCDGait.
Applying specific habitat indicators to study Asteraceae species diversity patterns in mountainous area of Beijing, China
Authors: zhang lin
Published: March 2024

Determining the distribution pattern and drivers of specific species diversity is significant for predicting the response to biodiversity and formulating conservation programs to reduce biodiversity loss. How to apply regional habitat indicators to study specific species diversity patterns is a hot spot in recent years. In this study, we investigated 112 Asteraceae plants sample plots and explored the effects of topography, soil nutrients and stand factors on Asteraceae species diversity by using SEM model. And the responses of Asteraceae species diversity to specific habitat factors was simulated by Maxent model. The results shown that soil nutrients had the highest, but topography and canopy closure had the lowest relative contributions to the Asteraceae species diversity among these factors. Topography and soil nutrients affected Asteraceae species diversity by direct and indirect effects. The contribution rate of each potential environmental variable’s impact on the Asteraceae species diversity was ranked as the following: STN (29.7%)> SOC (28.5%) > slope (8.5%)> Ele (8.1%). Asteraceae species diversity was abundant at high SOC (＞27g/kg), STN (＞1.8 g/kg), low Ele (165–333 m) and gentle slopes (5–12 degrees). Our study indicates that the Asteraceae species diversity could as an indicator to reflect or evaluate the level of soil nutrient content.
Modeling Network Traffic Generators for Cyber Ranges: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Bistene Jonas Vasconcelos , Chagas Clayton Escouper das , Santos Anderson Fernandes Pereira dos , Salles Ronaldo Moreira
Published: March 2024

Cyber ranges have evolved into indispensable environments for training personnel in the field of cyber defense. A critical aspect of enhancing the authenticity of these simulations involves the use of traffic generators, which accurately replicate real network traffic patterns. This article delves into the paramount role played by traffic generators within cyber ranges, highlighting their pivotal contribution to equipping personnel with the skills needed to respond adeptly to cyber threats. To address the modeling and validation of traffic generators comprehensively, it is essential to consider diverse approaches in cyber range training. To shed light on this subject, this review adopts a modified Scopus-based search methodology, providing in-depth insights into the methodologies and validation methods associated with traffic generator modeling and validation. The analysis concluded that the traffic generators used for computer network security training purposes can be broadly categorized into three main methodologies: model-based, trace-based, and hybrid approaches. Each of these methodologies has its own set of applications, limitations, and advantages. These factors have a direct influence on the validation parameters associated with these methodologies.
Children with secondary variants of CU traits exhibit preferential looking toward emotional female faces: evidence for gender-specific approach tendencies
Authors: Christou Antonios I. , Fanti Kostas , Mavrommatis Ioannis , Soursou Georgia
Published: March 2024

Children and adolescents with higher individual expression of CU traits have been shown to have aberrant patterns of approach-avoidance behavior in that they show a lack of avoidance. Additionally, approach-avoidance tendencies have been documented in the context of the angry-male/happy-female bias, where people tend to associate angry expressions with masculine faces (typically expected avoidance), and happy or surprised expressions with feminine faces (typically expected approach; Becker et al., 2007). The present eye-tracking study sought to investigate the potential existence of the gender-expression recognition bias in a sample of children with varying levels of CU traits. The sample consisted of 153 children (M = 9.97; SD: 1.28, min: 7.5; max: 49.0% girls). Results show that children with secondary variants of CU traits spent on average more time looking toward the happy and angry female faces compared to male faces in comparison to the low-risk, anxious, and primary CU groups. The study provides novel insights into the existence of elevated levels of gender-specific approach tendencies in children with secondary CU traits that are documented with preferential looking towards positively and negatively charged female faces.
Development and Optimization of maintenance Using Monte Carlo Method
Authors: Cheikh Khamiss , Boudi El Mostapha , Rabi Rabi , Mokhliss Hamza
Published: March 2024

Global competition has led to extraordinary changes in the way firms function. These developments have influenced maintenance and made its function even more vital to corporate success. To stay competitive, organizations must continuously enhance the amount of maintenance,so considerable efforts have been devoted in improving the economic performance of maintenance strategies for stochastically degrading production systems.This study is a contribution to robust decision making in maintenance of systems vulnerable to slow deterioration. Our first contribution is to create a criteria permitting the combined assessment of the mean economic performance and the resilience of various kinds of maintenance techniques. The benefit of the suggested criteria is that it adapts to various kinds of maintenance techniques and offers access to a simple and relevant assessment model. Specifically, using the long-term expected maintenance cost rate as the performance and the variance of maintenance cost per renewal cycle as the robustness, the study examines three representatives of time-based (BTM) and condition-based maintenance (CBM) families: a block replacement strategy (BR), a periodic inspection and replacement strategy (PIR) and quantile based and replacement strategy (QIR) . Mathematical cost models are created based on the homogeneous Gamma degradation process and probability theory. By using the Monte Carlo Method, the assessment of maintenance techniques involves a comparison against each other, applying a unique criteria to quantify performance and robustness in decision-making for each modification.
The Evolution and Scope of Cardiac Amyloidosis Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Echocardiography
Authors: mei Liao , Feng Chuangli , guo juan
Published: March 2024

Background: Cardiac Amyloidosis (CA), a major systemic amyloidosis type, significantly affects the heart and other vital organs. This bibliometric analysis aims to evaluate the evolution and scope of CA research, with a focus on echocardiography, up to November 2023.
Methods: Articles related to CA and echocardiography were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). Data analysis involved the R package 'bibliometrix' for summarizing key findings, keyword tracking, and mapping global collaborations. VOSviewer facilitated co-authorship and keyword trend analyses, while CiteSpace identified essential references.
Results: The study included 477 articles, with the USA, Italy, and France as the predominant contributors. Research output showed an increasing trend, particularly from 2014 onwards. Notable findings include the integration of artificial intelligence in echocardiography and the expansion of multimodal imaging methods. Common keywords included 'cardiac amyloidosis' and 'echocardiography.'
Conclusions: This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric overview of CA research, emphasizing the growing role of echocardiography enhanced by AI and advanced imaging techniques. The findings provide valuable insights for ongoing research and clinical practice in cardio-oncology.
Computational simulation of a compressible flow around the NASA CRM using PETSc4FOAM
Authors: Castro Hugo Guillermo , Zampini Stefano , Dalcin Lisandro Daniel , Parsani Matteo
Published: March 2024

Efficient simulation of industrial problems requires high-performance computing and appropriate linear solvers. The aim of this work is to present a performance analysis of the OpenFOAM [1] built-inlinear algebra solvers and the linear solvers available via PETSc4FOAM [2], when they are applied to large-scale problems. The problem selected for this comparison is the well-known NASA Common Research Model (CRM). This study highlights the importance of using appropriate linear solvers and high-performance computing for efficient simulation of industrial problems. The effectiveness of PETSc4FOAM for solving such problems using OpenFOAM is discussed. The results can aid in the selection of appropriate solvers and preconditioners for solving similar problems in the future.
Serum albumin levels and pulmonary embolism risk: insights from observational and mendelian randomization studies
Authors: Huang Zhihai , Huang Wenqiang , Pang Lingpin , Sun Jie , Wu Jun , Huang Tao , Peng Xiaodong , Wu Jinbo , Xian Qian , Guo Dingyu , Zhu Minghui , Sun Xishi
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND: Previous observational studies have linked serum albumin (ALB) to prognosis in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Nevertheless, the nature of the association between serum albumin and PE risk remains unclear, and the potential causality requires to be investigated. Our study aimed to integrate an observational study and a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to comprehensively assess the relationship between serum albumin and PE risk.
METHODS: A total of 13,326 participants, consisting of 749 PE patients and 12,577 non-PE controls, were selected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database for an observational study. The effects of serum albumin on PE risk were assessed using propensity score matching (PSM) and restricted cubic spline (RCS) model analysis, adjusting for multiple covariates. Subsequently, a two-sample MR analysis was performed using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to assess the causality between serum albumin and PE risk. Sensitivity analyses were carried out to confirm the robustness of MR results.
RESULTS: The results of PSM indicated that the serum albumin levels were lower in PE patients (3.97 g/dL) than in non-PE controls (4.09 g/dL). The RCS model demonstrated a linear negative correlation between serum albumin and PE risk (P for nonlinear > 0.05). MR analysis confirmed a causality between serum albumin (OR = 0.744, 95% CI: 0.642~0.861, P < 0.001) and PE risk.
CONCLUSION: Our study provided evidence that low serum albumin appeared to be associated with an increased risk of PE, and this association was possibly causal.
Coronectomy of mandibular third molars with dental pathology: a prospective cohort study of 121 molars
Authors: Bodegraven Arjan , Simons Rashida , Tuk Jacco , de Lange Jan , Lindeboom Jerome A.H.
Published: March 2024

Purpose Coronectomy is a valuable treatment proven safe for non-pathological mandibular third molars with an increased risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury. Coronectomy may also be useful for mandibular third molars with dentigerous cysts and caries, but this is not commonly performed due to the lack of well-designed, evidence-based studies. Here, we aim to investigate the safety of coronectomy for mandibular third molars with caries and dentigerous cysts.
Methods A total of 115 patients with an impacted mandibular third molar with a dentigerous cyst or caries underwent coronectomy or complete removal and received follow-up with clinical and radiographical examinations. We statistically compared the presence of postoperative complications after coronectomy versus complete removal.
Results Data from 121 molars were available for analysis. The results revealed no significant difference in the occurrence of postoperative complications (including persistent pain, inferior alveolar nerve injury, infection, alveolar osteitis, excessive bleeding, and the need for retreatment) between coronectomy and complete removal. Additionally, the incidence of postoperative complications was not related to any analyzed patient- or molar-related factors, including age, gender, health status, smoking, caries, dentigerous cyst extent, and impaction degree.
Conclusion For pathological impacted mandibular third molars with dentigerous cysts and caries, coronectomy exhibited both short-term and long-term safety, showing no significant difference in postoperative complications compared to total removal. Our results suggest that coronectomy can be indicated for pathological mandibular third molars with proximity to the inferior alveolar nerve.
TRIB3 As an Emerging Biomarker and Potential Target for Cholangiocarcinoma: Evidence from Experiments and Bioinformatics
Authors: Chen Shen , Jiao Yijie , Lai Yuping , Cao Jiarui , Cao Rui , Li Ke , Cheng Zhiheng , Liao Siqian , Niu Xiaoqiang , Tu Maopu , Mao Shengxun , Li Huizi
Published: March 2024

Cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) is an aggressive tumor originating from the epithelium of the bile duct, with increasing incidence and mortality rates. Cholangiocarcinoma, a malignant tumor that is difficult to detect in the early stages, has limited treatment options. There is an immediate requirement to identify biomarkers for earlier screening, prognostic analysis, and targeted therapy for CHOL. Studies have demonstrated that tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) is highly expressed in 16 different cancer types and is strongly associated with worse prognosis. However, the effects and mechanisms of TRIB3 expression in CHOL are not clear. Analysis of multiple databases and experiments suggests that TRIB3 is overexpressed in CHOL and positively correlates with bad prognosis compared to neighboring normal tissues. TRIB3 demonstrates high accuracy in predicting the diagnosis of CHOL (AUC=0.876). Bioinformatics analysis showed that TRIB3 was related to immunocyte infiltration in CHOL. Silencing of TRIB3 reduced proliferation, invasion and migration of CHOL cell lines RBE and HuccT1, while promoting apoptosis. In summary, TRIB3 is overexpressed in CHOL and promotes cell proliferation, invasion and migration, whereas silencing TRIB3 promotes apoptosis. TRIB3 is positively correlated with poor prognosis and accurately predicts the diagnosis of CHOL.TRIB3 may be an emerging biomarker and a potiential target for CHOL.
Secure Hash Function Utilizing Asymptotically Coupled Cross-Coupled Map Lattices in Spatial Dimensions
Authors: Li Yuxuan
Published: March 2024

The exploration of spatiotemporal chaos and its integration into cryptographic hash functions has attracted considerable attention, driven by the intrinsic complexity and unpredictability of chaotic systems. In this paper, we introduce a novel cross-coupled map lattice with spatially varying coupling coefficients, diverging from the traditional Cross-Coupled Map Lattice that utilizes fixed coupling coefficients. Our innovative approach incorporates a gradient in the coupling strength along the spatial dimension, which, as evidenced by our experiments, leads to enhanced chaotic indices. Capitalizing on the superior characteristics of the modified cross-coupled map lattice, we have devised a new hash function capable of transforming data of arbitrary length into hash values of 128, 256, or 512 bits. Through extensive experimentation, we have rigorously assessed the security performance of the proposed hash function. Our results indicate that the spatially varying coupling coefficients in the cross-coupled map lattice significantly bolster the hash function's robustness and reliability, rendering it an appealing choice for cryptographic applications and secure data transmission.
Globally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells
Authors: Brüwer Jan D. , Sidhu Chandni , Zhao Yanlin , Eich Andreas , Rößler Leonard , Orellana Luis H. , Fuchs Bernhard
Published: March 2024

Phages play an essential role in controlling bacterial populations. Those infecting Pelagibacterales (SAR11), the dominant bacteria in surface oceans, have been studied in silico and by cultivation attempts. However, little is known about the quantity of phage-infected cells in the environment. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques, we here show pelagiphage-infected SAR11 cells across multiple global ecosystems and present evidence for tight community control of pelagiphages on the SAR11 hosts in a case study. Up to 19% of SAR11 cells were phage-infected during a phytoplankton bloom, coinciding with a ~ 90% reduction in SAR11 cell abundance within five days. Frequently, a fraction of the infected SAR11 cells were devoid of detectable ribosomes, which appear to be a yet undescribed possible stage during pelagiphage infection. We dubbed those cells ‘zombies’ and propose, among other possible explanations, a mechanism in which ribosomal RNA is used as a resource for the synthesis of new phage genomes. On a global scale, we detected phage-infected SAR11 and zombie cells in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Our findings illuminate the important impact of pelagiphages on SAR11 populations and unveil the presence of ribosome-deprived zombie cells as part of the infection cycle.
Comparison of corneal endothelial cell density reduction between primary open angle glaucoma and pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma patients at 3 years after Ex-Press® surgery
Authors: Yamazaki Hitoshi , Tojo Naoki , Otsuka Mitsuya , Ueda-Consolvo Tomoko , Hayashi Atsushi
Published: March 2024

Purpose
We compared corneal endothelial cell (CED) loss between primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and pseudo-exfoliation glaucoma (PEX) after Ex-Press (EXP) surgery.
Patients and Methods:
This was a single-facility retrospective study. We included patients who had undergone EXP surgery and were followed up > 3 years. We measured the CED before and after EXP surgery by noncontact specular microscopy. We measured the CED at baseline and 12, 24, and 36 months post-surgery and compared the means of the CED values and CED survival ratios after EXP surgery by paired t-test.
Results
We included 119 eyes that underwent EXP surgery: POAG group, n = 60 eyes; PEX group, n = 59 eyes. In the POAG group, the mean CED decreased from 2389 ± 321 at baseline to 2230 ± 424 cells/mm2 after 3 years. In the PEX group, the mean CED decreased from 2111 ± 510 at baseline to 1845 ± 628 cells/mm2 after 3 years. After the 3-year follow-up, the CED survival ratio was 93.3 ± 12.5% in the POAG group and significantly lower at 85.0 ± 19.5% in the PEX group (p = 0.0064). Two cases in the PEX group developed bullous keratopathy.
Conclusions
Compared to POAG, EXP surgery for PEX patients decreased their corneal endothelial cells faster.
Research of MEMS pressure sensor stability with PDA-NFL circuit
Authors: Basov Mikhail
Published: March 2024

The stability of pressure sensor chip output characteristics using the piezoresistive method in the form of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) is one of the most important features for sensors, which simultaneously demonstrates the relevance of the principles for design construction and the choice of fabrication technology for all element structures. The research analyzes the changes in the useful signal, as well as errors in mechanical and temperature characteristics of highly sensitive pressure sensor chips, which are more explicitly dependent on external factors. The main feature of this development is the application of a new electrical circuit in the form of piezoresistive differential amplifier with negative feedback loop (PDA-NFL) utilizing bipolar junction transistors (BjT), which allows to achieve a balance between high sensitivity, small chip area and low errors. This research considers the variations of two batch with pressure sensor chip PDA-NFL samples (area 4.00x4.00 mm2) for range of 1 kPa after 4.5 years (8 samples, sensitivity S1 after = (40.6 ± 6.4) mV/V/kPa, nonlinearity 2KNL 1 after = (0,81 ± 0.15) %/FS) and range of 5 kPa after 3.0 years (14 samples, sensitivity S5 after = (11.2 ± 1.8) mV/V/kPa, nonlinearity 2KNL 5 after = (0.10 ± 0.06) %/FS). The study demonstrates the unidirectional influence of residual mechanical stresses (RMS) from the pressure sensor assembly design on sensitivity and nonlinearity when pressure is applied from different sides of chip, initial membrane deflection, and temperature hysteresis errors.
Multi-omics models predict treatment response and overall survival for non-small cell lung cancer patients following chemo-radiotherapy: A multi-center study
Authors: Pan Yuteng , Shi Liting , Liu Yuan , Chen Jyh-cheng , Qiu Jianfeng
Published: March 2024

Background:
Varying chemoradiotherapy outcomes in individuals arose from the intricate physical conditions and tumor heterogeneity characteristic of non-small cell lung cancer patients. This study aimed to develop and validate multi-omics models based on the radiomics, pathomics, dosiomics and clinical information for illustrating the heterogeneity and predicting treatment response and overall survival of non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Methods:
This retrospective study including 220 non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy from three hospitals for overall survival prediction, with 142 of these patients specifically assessed for treatment response prediction. Radiomics and dosiomcis features were obtained from the region of interest, including first-order and texture features. Pathomics features were derived from whole slide images by Resnet34 network. Lasso regression, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting were employed for treatment response prediction to identify the most predictive biomarkers, with model performance evaluated through area under the curve and box plots. Overall survival analysis also involved three different feature selection methods, and model evaluation incorporated area under the curve, concordance index, Kaplan-Meier curves, and calibration curves. The shapley values calculated the contribution of different modality features to the models.
Results:
Multi-omics models consistently exhibited superior discriminative ability compared to single-modality models in predicting treatment response and overall survival. For treatment response, the multi-omics model achieved area under the curve values of 0.85, 0.81, and 0.87 in the training set, internal validation set, and external validation set, respectively. In the analysis of overall survival, the area under the curve and concordance index of the all-modalities model were 0.83/0.79, 0.74/0.74, and 0.73/0.72 in the training set, internal validation set, and external validation set, respectively.
Conclusion:
Multi-omics prediction models demonstrated superior predictive ability with robustness and strong biological interpretability. By predicting treatment response and overall survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients, these models had the potential to assist clinician optimizing treatment plans, supporting individualized treatment strategies, further improving tumor control probability and prolonging the patients’ survival.
Patient and Public Involvement in HIV research: a mapping review and development of an online evidence map
Authors: Jackson-Perry David , Cart-Richter Ellen , Haerry David , Ahmeti Lindrit , Bieri Annatina , Calmy Alexandra , Ballif Marie , Pasin Chloé , Notter Julia , Amstutz Alain
Published: March 2024

Introduction: Increasing evidence indicates the benefits of patient and public involvement (PPI) in medical research, and PPI is increasingly expected by funders and publishers. We conducted a mapping review of studies reporting examples of PPI implementation in HIV research, and developed an online evidence map to guide researchers in the planning of PPI in HIV research projects.
Methods: We systematically searched Medline and Embase up until March 16, 2023, including search terms with variations for PPI and HIV. We extracted information from identified studies in duplicate and analysed the data descriptively and qualitatively to describe types of PPI models and report benefits, challenges, and mitigation strategies. This study was co-initiated and co-led by people living with HIV. PPI was embedded into all parts of the research process, and we report and reflect on our own PPI experience in this study.
Results: We identified twelve studies reporting PPI in HIV research between 1992 and 2020. Most PPI examples informed clinical trials, but also qualitative research, questionnaire development, research priority setting and surveys. Only six studies described the number and characteristics of PPI members involved. We observed four PPI models, from a model that solely engaged PPI members for a specific task to a model whereby PPI representatives were integrated into the study team with decision-making authority. Benefits reported included wider dissemination of research results, better understanding of research material and results, and higher levels of trust and learning between researcher and communities. Most reported challenges were lack of specific resources for PPI, levels of knowledge and expertise, risk of disclosure, and diversity of the PPI team. We embedded PPI from study inception onwards, which probably pre-empted some of the challenges reported in the reviewed examples.
Conclusions: This mapping review summarizes published examples of PPI in HIV research for various phases of research. There is clear need to strengthen the reporting on PPI processes in HIV research, e.g., by following the GRIPP2 guidelines, and to develop guidance on its hands-on implementation. The resulting online evidence map is a starting point to guide researchers on how to integrate PPI in their own research.
Hyper-3DG: Text-to-3D Gaussian Generation via Hypergraph
Authors: Di Donglin , Yang Jiahui , Luo Chaofan , Xue Zhou , Chen Wei , Yang Xun , Gao Yue
Published: March 2024

Text-to-3D generation represents an exciting field that has seen rapid advancements, facilitating the transformation of textual descriptions into detailed 3D models. However, current progress often neglects the intricate high-order correlation of geometry and texture within 3D objects, leading to challenges such as over-smoothness, over-saturation and the Janus problem. In this work, we propose a method named "3D Gaussian Generation via Hypergraph (Hyper-3DG)", designed to capture the sophisticated high-order correlations present within 3D objects. Our framework is anchored by a well-established mainflow and an essential module, named "Geometry and Texture Hypergraph Refiner (HGRefiner)". This module not only refines the representation of 3D Gaussians but also accelerates the update process of these 3D Gaussians by conducting the Patch-3DGS Hypergraph Learning on both explicit attributes and latent visual features. Our framework allows for the production of finely generated 3D objects within a cohesive optimization, effectively circumventing degradation. Extensive experimentation has shown that our proposed method significantly enhances the quality of 3D generation while incurring no additional computational overhead for the underlying framework.
Mobile Application to Improve Music Theory Learning
Authors: Benites-Pesantes Dayana P. , Cieza-Mostacero Segundo E.
Published: March 2024

The general objective of the research was to improve the learning of music theory in the educational institution Mariano Melgar in 2023, the research was applied with a pure experimental design, also, a sample of 60 students was taken from the band workshop, where 30 were assigned to the Control Group (CG) and 30 to the Experimental Group (EG), the latter used the mobile application developed in Android Studio and Unity; Likewise, the information was collected through questionnaires and observation sheets; subsequently, the data was analyzed and processed using the Jamovi V2.3.28. The results showed an increase of 40% in the Level of Understanding of Musical Symbology (NCS), a decrease of 30% in the Number of Errors in Score Reading (NELP) and an increase of 21.4% in the Level of Satisfaction (NSE). It was concluded that the use of a mobile application significantly improved the learning of music theory in the Mariano Melgar educational institution.
Semiconductor electron-phonon equations: A rung above Boltzmann in the many-body ladder
Authors: Stefanucci Gianluca , Perfetto Enrico
Published: March 2024

Starting from the ab initio many-body theory of electrons and phonons, we go through a series of well defined simplifications to derive a set of coupled equations of motion for the electronic occupations and polarizations, nuclear displacements as well as phononic occupations and coherences. These are the semiconductor electron-phonon equations (SEPE), sharing the same scaling with system size and propagation time as the Boltzmann equations. At the core of the SEPE is the mirrored Generalized Kadanoff-Baym Ansatz (GKBA) for the Green’s functions, an alternative to the standard GKBA which we show to lead to unstable equilibrium states. The SEPE treat coherent and incoherent degrees of freedom on equal footing, widen the scope of the semiconductor Bloch equations and Boltzmann equations, and reduce to them under additional simplifications. The new features of the SEPE pave the way for first-principles studies of phonon squeezed states and coherence effects in time-resolved absorption and diffraction experiments.
Topological defects in Floquet circuits
Authors: Tan Mao Tian , Wang Yifan , Mitra Aditi
Published: March 2024

We introduce a Floquet circuit describing the driven Ising chain with topological defects. The corresponding gates include a defect that flips spins as well as the duality defect that explicitly implements the Kramers-Wannier duality transformation. The Floquet unitary evolution operator commutes with such defects, but the duality defect is not unitary, as it projects out half the states. We give two applications of these defects. One is to analyze the return amplitudes in the presence of “space-like” defects stretching around the system. We verify explicitly that the return amplitudes are in agreement with the fusion rules of the defects. The second application is to study unitary evolution in the presence of “time-like” defects that implement anti-periodic and duality-twisted boundary conditions. We show that a single unpaired localized Majorana zero mode appears in the latter case. We explicitly construct this operator, which acts as a symmetry of this Floquet circuit. We also present analytic expressions for the entanglement entropy after a single time step for a system of a few sites, for all of the above defect configurations.
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVEMEDICINE USAGE AMONG PATIENTS WITH TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS INEASTERN PROVINCE, SAUDI ARABIA2022-2023
Authors:   Saudi Board of Family Medicine Family Medicine Senior Registrar., Ahmed Alnasser Muna , Abdulrazzaq Alduhileb Walaa ,   Saudi Board of Family Medicine Family Medicine Consultant., Bader Al-Eid Safiah ,   Saudi Board of Family Medicine Family Medicine Senior Registrar., Abdullah Al Senan Sumayya ,   Saudi Board of Family Medicine Family Medicine Senior Registrar.
Published: March 2024

Introduction: Complementary and Alternative Medicineisbeing used along with evidence-based medicine among diabetic patients. In Saudi Arabia, itwas widely utilized among diabetic patients, and this was coupled with the high prevalence of diabetes.This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among diabetic patients in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among patients with type 2 diabetes attending primary healthcare centers in Eastern Province between the years 2022 to 2023. A self-administered questionnaire translated from English into Arabic was distributed. Results: Total of 381 diabetic patients, 54.1% were females and 46.2% were aged between 41 to 60 year-old. Poor knowledge of the basic facts of complementary and alternative medicine was found in 50.1% of the patients while 17.3% had moderate knowledge and the remaining 32.5% hada good knowledge level. Regarding the attitude, 40.7% showed positive attitudes, 48.6% neutral, and only 10.8% considered having negative attitudes. The prevalence of patients who were using complementary and alternative medicine products for the treatment of diabetes was 40.9%. Conclusion: Despite the lack of knowledge among diabetic patients regarding the basic facts of complementary and alternative medicine, a considerable proportion of them were using it and were seen to have an optimistic attitude regarding its beneficial effects. Identifying opportunities to foster the balanced use of complementary and alternative medicinethrough evidence-based guidelines and patient-centered approaches is warranted.
Talking about my generation: exploratory insights from water policy makers in British Columbia
Authors: Nikolakis William , Nelson Harry , Martínez-Carrasco Amanda
Published: March 2024

The values held by policy makers can influence policy change. But what those values are and their source has received little attention. We argue that one source of these values – and associated differences – is rooted in generational ‘social frames’. We provide evidence from an exploratory survey in British Columbia, Canada, where transformative changes in water policy are being implemented, which include potential changes in water governance to include First Nations (or Indigenous Peoples). Controlling for a range of variables, we found consistent generational differences between personal and organizational values, differences in priorities, and preferences for certain types of economic instruments between Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennial respondents. We offer our thoughts as to how these differences may influence the policy process. We also call for public water agencies to develop structures that harness this diversity for internal policy learning, adaptation and innovation.
Tü Mmaleiwakira. Nacer nuevamente del vientre de la madre
Authors: Mercado Epieyu Rafael , Mengual Rodolfo
Published: March 2024

Este texto es derivado de una investigación colaborativa que se dio durante la formación de Rodolfo Mengual como pedagogo de la Madre Tierra. En este escrito se comparte el origen de la cultura wayuu explicado desde el significado de vida, así como las tres pedagogías del encierro del hombre wayuu, la danza ancestral yonna y el vientre como el primer encierro donde se nutre y se fortalece nuestros cuerpos con las plantas medicinales. Las tres prácticas pedagógicas son una conexión con el mundo espiritual, animal, vegetal y wayuu para volver a tejer esa armonía y equilibrio dentro de la comunidad y el territorio. Al final del documento se encuentra la transcripción de una entrevista que se hizo a un wayuu que practicó las tres pedagogías del encierro.
Diseño(s) otro(s). Prácticas y periferias
Authors: Buitrago Trujillo Juan Camilo , Cardona Olaya Félix Augusto ,   Universidad Antonio Jose Camacho, Chávez López Christian ,   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Imbol Álvarez Carlos Manuel ,   Universidad de Ibagué, Suárez Vásquez Lina María , Fernández Silva Claudia ,   Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Vio Olga F. , Álvarez Pedro , Castro Ruiz Luis Angel ,   Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, Rodríguez Castaño Luis Hernando
Published: March 2024

Este libro presenta textos derivados de la investigación y la reflexión sobre el diseño en el mundo, atravesadas por realidades diferentes que configuran este campo del conocimiento: las prácticas del diseño en América Latina; desarrollo tecnológico en espacios de aprendizaje y circulación; consumo cultural del diseño; la relación entre diseño, archivo y memoria; la historiografía del diseño desde una perspectiva de género; el diseño en espacios de diversidad lingüística y multicultural, y las relaciones entre diseño, arte y ciencia.
La fotografía, un documento social
Authors:   Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Colombia, Munera Barbosa Beatriz , Chaves G. J. Ignacio ,   Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios
Published: March 2024

Cinco años después de su primera edición, la Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano se propuso reeditar y poner de nuevo a disposición del público La fotografía, un documento social. Esta edición incluye once textos de los que se publicaron en la primera edición, algunos de los cuales se han actualizado a las nuevas realidades y retos de la fotografía, en los cuales autoras y autores reflexionan sobre el papel de la fotografía en relación con la memoria, la historia, la documentación y la construcción de un relato social.
Evaluation of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria associated to pastures of Bracharia from acid soils
Authors: Mendoza Jonathan Alberto , Mazo Carolina , Conn Lina Margarita , Rincón Castillo Álvaro , Rojas Tapias Daniel , Bonilla Buitrago Ruth
Published: March 2024

Rhizobia have been widely known by their capacity to form a symbiotic relationship with legumes and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Recently, however, rhizobia have shown to associate with plants in different botanical families. In this study, we aimed at elucidating the diversity of rhizobia associated to grasses, and determine their capabilities to solubilize phosphate in both lab and greenhouse experiments. Isolation of rhizobia was performed using rhizosphere from Brachiaria brizantha and B. decumbens and a promiscuous legume trap plant (i.e. Vigna unguiculata). Thirty days after inoculation of the trap plant, rhizobia were isolated from nodules using the conventional protocol, classified in basis on their phenotypic features, and molecularly grouped using Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA). Finally, phosphate solubilization assays and greenhouse experiments were carried out on representatives of each ARDRA cluster. The results showed that the diversity of rhizobia varied between both plant species, which suggests that plant exudates significantly determine the composition of the plant microbiome. Surprisingly, most of the isolated associated to B. brizantha rhizosphere exhibited typical attributes of slow-growing rhizobia, whereas rhizobia from B. decumbens displayed a mixed diversity including slow-, intermediate-, and fast-growing rhizobia. Sequencing of 16S rRNA of ARDRA representatives showed that most of the rhizobia isolated from B. brizantha belonged to the Mesorhizobium and Bradyrhizobium genera, while those isolated from B. decumbens were phylogenetically clustered into Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium. The capability of the isolates to solubilize phosphate was studied using iron and calcium phosphate. We observed that overall Bradyrhizobium exhibited the highest ability to solubilize iron phosphate; by contrast, calcium phosphate was similarly solubilized within representatives of the three genera. In greenhouse experiments, we found that plants inoculated with isolated BT53, BD17 and BD21 exhibited a significantly higher content of phosphorus (p≤0.05). Additionally, dry weight was significantly higher in the treatment inoculated with BT16 isolate (p≤0.05). We conclude that 1) rhizobia is found associated with grasses, 2) plant genotype determines rhizobia diversity 3) rhizobia are able to solubilize phosphorus, and 4) they might be used to promote plant in different plant families. We further believe that further studies will reveal the true role of those old-known legume symbionts in development and growth of other important crops.
Métodos de aplicación de nematodos entomopatógenos para control de Compsus viridivittatus Guérin-Méneville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Durán Laura D , Ossa Julián , Caicedo Ana M , Carabali Muñoz Arturo
Published: March 2024

El picudo C. viridivittatus se consideró uno de los principales limitantes fitosanitarios del cultivo de cítricos en regiones productoras de Colombia, se considera una plaga de doble acción, ya que la larva causa daño en raíces y el adulto en hojas. El estado de larva es el más dañino, éstas caen al suelo y se entierran rápidamente para proceder a su alimentación, inicialmente lo hacen de raicillas y pelos absorbentes para después alimentarse de raíces más gruesas consumiendo la epidermis y cortezas de las raíces secundarias y de la raíz pivotante. Los daños causados por los estados larvarios no solo afectan el rendimiento, sino el tamaño y la calidad del fruto. Los nematodos entomopatógenos son considerados una de las principales estrategias de reducción de poblaciones de insectos plagas, que cumplen una fase biológica en el suelo. En este sentido, estudios recientes permitieron identificar especies de nematodos nativos de los géneros Heterorhabditis sp. y Steinernema sp. Como reguladores biológicos promisorios para el manejo de poblaciones de adultos y larvas de C. viridivitattus.
Validation of 3 Computer-Aided Facial Phenotyping Tools (DeepGestalt, GestaltMatcher, and D-Score): Comparative Diagnostic Accuracy Study
Authors: Reiter Alisa Maria Vittoria , Pantel Jean Tori , Danyel Magdalena , Horn Denise , Ott Claus-Eric , Mensah Martin Atta
Published: March 2024

Background

While characteristic facial features provide important clues for finding the correct diagnosis in genetic syndromes, valid assessment can be challenging. The next-generation phenotyping algorithm DeepGestalt analyzes patient images and provides syndrome suggestions. GestaltMatcher matches patient images with similar facial features. The new D-Score provides a score for the degree of facial dysmorphism.

Objective

We aimed to test state-of-the-art facial phenotyping tools by benchmarking GestaltMatcher and D-Score and comparing them to DeepGestalt.

Methods

Using a retrospective sample of 4796 images of patients with 486 different genetic syndromes (London Medical Database, GestaltMatcher Database, and literature images) and 323 inconspicuous control images, we determined the clinical use of D-Score, GestaltMatcher, and DeepGestalt, evaluating sensitivity; specificity; accuracy; the number of supported diagnoses; and potential biases such as age, sex, and ethnicity.

Results

DeepGestalt suggested 340 distinct syndromes and GestaltMatcher suggested 1128 syndromes. The top-30 sensitivity was higher for DeepGestalt (88%, SD 18%) than for GestaltMatcher (76%, SD 26%). DeepGestalt generally assigned lower scores but provided higher scores for patient images than for inconspicuous control images, thus allowing the 2 cohorts to be separated with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.73. GestaltMatcher could not separate the 2 classes (AUROC 0.55). Trained for this purpose, D-Score achieved the highest discriminatory power (AUROC 0.86). D-Score’s levels increased with the age of the depicted individuals. Male individuals yielded higher D-scores than female individuals. Ethnicity did not appear to influence D-scores.

Conclusions

If used with caution, algorithms such as D-score could help clinicians with constrained resources or limited experience in syndromology to decide whether a patient needs further genetic evaluation. Algorithms such as DeepGestalt could support diagnosing rather common genetic syndromes with facial abnormalities, whereas algorithms such as GestaltMatcher could suggest rare diagnoses that are unknown to the clinician in patients with a characteristic, dysmorphic face.
Higher Charlson Comorbidity Index is a Risk Factor for Hip Fracture in Older Adults at Lower Temperatures: A Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)
Authors: Chiang Ming-Hsiu , Kuo Yi-Jie , Huang Shu-Wei , Tran Duy Nguyen Anh , Chuang Tai-Yuan , Lin Chung-Ying , Chen Yu-Pin
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND

The incidence of hip fractures is increasing, and there have been reports linking cold weather to a higher risk of fractures.

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to evaluate clinical variables in hip fracture patients who may predispose them to such fractures under different temperatures.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study conducted at a single medical center, enrolling older adults (≥60 years) who had experienced a hip fracture. Comprehensive clinical histories and detailed information regarding each patient's hip fracture were obtained. All meteorological data were extracted from the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau database. Multiple clinical parameters that may have a close connection with the temperature at which the hip fracture occurred were screened. Statistical analysis involved using the Pearson correlation test or the independent Student’s t-test, followed by generalized estimating equation analysis.

RESULTS

The cohort comprised 506 older adults with hip fractures. Initial univariate analysis revealed that a history of past cerebrovascular accidents, Charlson Comorbidity Index, patient age, and preinjury Barthel Index were significantly related to the temperature at which the hip fractures occurred. The generalized estimating equation analysis indicated that only the Charlson Comorbidity Index had a considerably inverse association with temperature. This finding suggests that for older adults with a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index, hip fractures tend to occur at lower temperatures, and vice versa.

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbidities are the only clinical concern that predisposes older adults to hip fracture under colder temperatures. This epidemiological finding could guide future patient education and hip fracture prevention programs.

CLINICALTRIAL

TMU-JIRB N201709053
Rule-Based Natural Language Processing in Volcanic Ash Data Searching System
Authors: Priandana Rangga Kusuma , Indra Indra
Published: March 2024

Indonesia is a country with a unique geography. The confluence of three tectonic plates located in the country results in frequent natural disasters, from earthquakes to volcanic activity. BMKG is a monitoring agency tasked with providing information related to these natural disasters. However, one type of natural disaster data, the SIGMET data (Significant Meteorological Information) used to provide information on volcanic ash, has a complicated format that is difficult for ordinary people to understand. Therefore, this research seeks to make finding information related to volcanic ash and volcanic eruptions in Indonesia easier in terms of access and comprehension. In this research, an application design will be carried out that can search SIGMET data by implementing natural language processing with a production rule base. The research results have an accuracy rate of 84% using 25 test sample sentences that combine sentences and words contained in the important words section.