bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracking lithospheric delamination and surface processes across the Messinian salinity crisis
Authors: Mouthereau Frédéric , Boschetti Louise , Larrey Marine , Brichau Stéphanie , Beaudoin Nicolas E. , Huyghe Damien , Roberts Nick , Daëron Mathieu
Published: December 2023

Lithospheric delamination involves short-lived crustal and surface responses, alkaline magmatism, high heat flow and extension. In the Western Mediterranean, delamination is thought to have triggered uplift at the origin of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). This scenario is questioned by the insufficient temporal resolution relative to other proposed mechanisms that include crustal shortening and slab detachment. Here, we report new U-Pb ages and clumped isotope analyses from calcite veins formed in an intramontane basin of the eastern Betics. They reveal a short-lived fluid event from 8.5 to 5 Ma linked to extension and retreating delamination. The end of extension coincides with the onset of shortening and uplift at 4.5-3 Ma across the boundary between the Cabo de Gata arc basement and the Iberia margin. Our results reveal that the MSC was established before the onset of shortening while delamination was underway. The MSC is therefore the product of long-lived lithospheric thinning and evolution from calc-alkaline to high-alkaline magmatism during delamination. After the MSC, around 5 Ma, slab detachment triggered the formation of a new plate boundary fault and tectonic escape between Africa and Iberia.
Investigating Memory for Faces Based on Order of Emotional Contextual Information
Authors: Edwards Brandon H. , Walden Delaney , Bloom Paul A. , Steinmetz Katherine R. Mickley
Published: December 2023

Contextual affective information can influence recognition memory. However, the influence of the order of this information on memory has rarely been studied. To investigate this, a series of faces were shown along with contextual person-based information. Each face was shown twice, manipulating the order of the affective contextual information: (1) emotional then neutral, (2) neutral then emotional, or (3) neutral and then neutral. The first study included negative contextual information and the second included positive. One week later a recognition test was given for the faces. In both the negative study and positive study, recognition memory was uninfluenced by condition, suggesting that the order in which affective information is presented is largely irrelevant. Further, exploratory Bayesian analyses revealed that faces paired with the highest arousal sentences at encoding were the least likely to be recognized at retrieval, which may represent a biasing of attention towards the high arousal sentence and away from the low arousal face.
In situ Remnants of Solar Surface Structures from Jensen-Shannon Scalogram
Authors: Huang Zesen , Shi Chen , Velli Marco , Sioulas Nikos , Panasenco Olga , Bowen Trevor , Matteini Lorenzo , Xia Mingtao , Shi Xiaofei , Huang Sheng , Huang Jia , Casillas Lizet
Published: December 2023

The heliosphere is permeated with highly structured solar wind originating from the sun [7]. One of the primary science objectives of Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is to determine the structures and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind [18]. However, establishing the connection between in situ measurements and structures and dynamics in the solar atmosphere is challenging: most of the magnetic footpoint mapping techniques have significant uncertainties in the source localization of a plasma parcel observed in situ [39; 4; 5], and the PSP plasma measurements suffer from a limited field of view [26; 36]. Therefore it lacks a universal tool to self-contextualize the in situ measurements. Here we develop a novel time series visualization method named Jensen-Shannon Scalogram. Utilizing this method, by analyzing the magnetic magnitude data from both PSP and Ulysses [10], we successfully identify in situ remnants of solar atmospheric and magnetic structures spanning more than seven orders of magnitude, from years to seconds, including polar and mid-latitude coronal holes, [35; 5; 14] as well as structures compatible with super-granulation [9], “jetlets” [40; 48] and very small scale flaring activity [13]. Furthermore, computer simulations of Alfv´enic turbulence support key features of the observed magnetic magnitude distribution. Building upon these discoveries, the Jensen-Shannon Scalogram therefore not only enables us to reveal the fractal fine structures in the solar wind time series from both PSP and decades-old data archive, but will also serve as a general-purpose data visualization method applicable to all time series.
Hunting for quantum-classical crossover in condensed matter problems
Authors: Yoshioka Nobuyuki , Okubo Tsuyoshi , Suzuki Yasunari , Koizumi Yuki , Mizukami Wataru
Published: December 2023

The intensive pursuit for quantum advantage in terms of computational complexity has further led to a modernized crucial question: When and how will quantum computers outperform classical
computers? The next milestone is undoubtedly the realization of quantum acceleration in practical problems. Here we provide a clear evidence and arguments that the primary target is likely to be condensed matter physics. Our primary contributions are summarized as follows: 1) Proposal of systematic error/runtime analysis on state-of-the-art classical algorithm based on tensor networks; 2) Dedicated and high-resolution analysis on quantum resource performed at the level of executable logical instructions; 3) Clarification of quantum-classical crosspoint for ground-state simulation to be within runtime of hours using only a few hundreds of thousand physical qubits for 2d Heisenberg and 2d Fermi-Hubbard models, assuming that logical qubits are encoded via the surface code with the physical error rate of p = 10^{-3}. To our knowledge, we argue that condensed matter problems offer the earliest platform for demonstration of practical quantum advantage that is order-of-magnitude more feasible than ever known candidates, in terms of both qubit counts and total runtime.
Analysis of Summer Microclimate and Human Comfort Effects in Beijing Xishan National Forest Park
Authors: Ren Zhewen , Shao Feng , Wang Zemeng
Published: December 2023

This study focuses on Beijing Xishan National Forest Park and analyzes the temperature and air humidity of Forest Park, forests, and water bodies during the summer season. Negative air ions are also monitored, and formulas are utilized to analyze human comfort. The study examines the influence of different microclimate comfort levels on visitor numbers and activities. The results indicate that, based on the findings of this study, the grasslands in Beijing Xishan National Forest Park can reduce the average temperature by 0.52℃. Human intervention has advantages in altering the microclimate function of urban grasslands. The temperature reduction rate in the summer forests is 3.09%, and the air humidity increase rate is 7.4%, both of which are higher than those of the grasslands. The temperature reduction rate in sparsely planted forests is significantly lower than that in densely planted forests, and the air humidity increase rate in sparsely planted forests is significantly lower than that in densely planted forests. The reasonable configuration of mixed structures of trees, shrubs, and grass in urban and suburban park designs directly affects the intensity of the surrounding forest microclimate and human activities. The temperature reduction rate and air humidity increase rate near the curved and strip-shaped water systems in Xishan National Forest Park are higher than those of the control site, indicating the need to pay attention to water system design in urban and suburban park designs while considering the size and allocation of water bodies. The forest NAI (Negative Air Ion) concentration in Xishan National Forest Park exhibits an unimodal pattern of daily variation, with a daily average of 2142 ions/cm3. The period between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM has the highest concentration of negative air ions during the day. In terms of visitor comfort analysis in the park, walking is the most sensitive activity to microclimate comfort, followed by resting, playing chess, and sports, while activities such as lake viewing, dog walking, and photography are less sensitive.
Fair National Carbon Accountability for past and future emissions
Authors: Hahn Thomas , Höglund Robert , Morfeldt Johannes , Karlsson Mikael , Fetzer Ingo
Published: December 2023

Quantifying fair national shares of the remaining global carbon budget has proven challenging for the Paris Agreement. Here, we propose a new indicator – Fair National Carbon Accountability – that quantifies countries’ responsibility for mitigation and CO2 removal in addition to achieving their own targets. Considering carbon debts since 1990 and future claims due to countries’ emission pathways, the indicator uses an equal cumulative emissions per capita approach to allocate accountability in proportion to countries’ total excessive carbon claims. The carbon budget is exceeded by 565 Gt fossil CO2 when limiting warming below 1.5oC (50% probability). The accountability for these excessive claims is highest for China and the USA, and highest per capita for the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The ability to pay for this accountability, however, is challenging for Iran, Kazakhstan and several BRICS members, in contrast to the G7 members.
Urgent incontinence increases the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in people with diabetes
Authors: Wan Hao , Chen Tao , Zhan Xiangpeng , Zheng Fuchun , Liu Jiahao , Chen Luyao , Fu Bin
Published: December 2023

Background
Studies on the association between urinary incontinence and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in diabetic populations are limited, and further studies are needed to investigate this association.
Methods
Data were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Survey database (2001–2018). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established. A cohort of 4819 individuals was included. Multivariate weighted Cox regression analysis was performed to comprehensively explore the relationship between urinary incontinence and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in the diabetic population. Subgroup analysis was performed to explore heterogeneity.
Results
In the study on the effect of urge incontinence on all-cause mortality, after adjusting for all covariates, all-cause mortality occurred in diabetic subjects with urge incontinence compared with subjects without urge incontinence. OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.15–1.54. Also in the study of urge incontinence versus cardiovascular death in diabetic patients, cardiovascular death occurred in diabetic patients with urge incontinence compared with subjects without urge incontinence. OR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.02–1.72. Subgroup analysis showed that there were two interacting covariates, and the relationship was still significant after removing variables. The results of multivariate Cox regression for all-cause death and cardiovascular disease death showed OR = 1.36, 95%CI 1.17–1.58; OR = 1.35, 95%CI 1.02–1.78. No significant association was found between stress incontinence and mixed incontinence.
Conclusions
Our results suggest a positive impact of urge incontinence on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in diabetic patients. Further studies are needed to elucidate the causal relationship between urge incontinence and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in diabetic patients.
Produced Water Treatment by Semi-Continuous Sequential Bioreactor and Microalgae Photobioreactor
Authors: Khairuddin Nur Farahah Mohd
Published: December 2023

Produced water (PW) from oil and gas exploration has adverse effects on aquatic life and living organisms that need to be treated before discharge. However, proper treatment is essential to meet the permissible limits. In the study, the PW was first pre-treated with activated sludge. The pre-treated PW was then utilized as a feed for the Scenedesmus obliquus microalgae in a 13 L photobioreactor. Initially, 10% of the PW was introduced in 90% microalgae culture, and after exponential growth, an additional 25% of PW was added without any additional nutrients. This study has demonstrated the impact of semi-continuous treatment on the growth of microalgae as well as the removal of pollutants including total organic carbon (TOC) and heavy metals. Moreover, salinity, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and total dissolved solids (TDS) of the PW-microalgae culture were assessed. The removal efficiency for TOC, TDS and EC was 64, 49.8, and 49.1% respectively. Furthermore, S. obliquus has effectively removed barium, iron, and manganese heavy metals 95, 76, and 52% respectively. S. obliquus has been found to be able to grow in a mixotrophic environment as it has reduced TOC in the PW.
Inflammatory bowel disease and diabetic nephropathy risk: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis
Authors: Wang Chunjie , Fang Bai , LI Luyao , Fang Lin , Fan Xin , Yu Kuipeng , Yang Xiangdong
Published: December 2023

Background: Previous studies have reported the link between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and Diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, due to the inherent limitations of retrospective studies, the association between the two forms is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the etiology of IBD on DN using the Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis.
Methods: We downloaded summary statistics of IBD, UC, CD and DN from the Open Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) with a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR). Five different MR methods were performed to prove causality. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) method is the main method, supplemented by MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted model, simple model.
Results: Genetically determined IBD (OR=1.016, 95% CI=0.944-1.094, P=0.668), UC (OR = 0.955, 95% CI 0.860-1.060, P = 0.393) and CD (OR = 1.039, 95% CI 0.967-1.117, P = 0.299) all showed that there was no causal relationship on DN. The result of supplementary method was consistent with that of IVW method.
Conclusions: There have been many reports of kidney disease in patients with IBD, particularly DN. However, our study did not observe a strong genetic association between IBD and DN. This work supplemented the results of previous retrospective studies.
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Health Professions Educators in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Authors: Farghaly Amira , Moawd Samah
Published: December 2023

Background: The role of the health professions educator is important for the planning and implementation of curricula in health professions schools. Many changes took place to the health professions curricula during the past twenty years. These changes require changes in the roles of the health professions educator. The study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of health professions educator in the Eastern Mediterranean context.
Methods: the effectiveness of the health professions educator (EHPE) questionnaire was developed as a 44-item questionnaire measuring ten functions of the health professions educator based on a conceptual framework. It targeted health professions educators in the colleges of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, applied medical sciences and nursing in both governmental and private universities in the Eastern Mediterranean region. It was distributed through WhatsApp and Facebook groups of health professions educators. One way ANOVA was used to compare the means of the different professions as regards the ten scales of the questionnaire. Sampling adequacy was measured and exploratory factor analysis was performed using Varimax rotation.
Results: The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.9, and those of individual scales ranged between 0.263 and 0.816. Statistically significant differences were present among professions in all scales, except clinical teaching and mentoring. The sample was adequate for factoring and the principal axis factoring generated 11 interpretable factors.
Conclusion: the study concluded that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool that could measure the effectiveness of health professions educators in the Middle Eastern context.
Implementing group care in Dutch and Surinamese maternity and child care services: The vital importance of addressing outer context barriers
Authors: Martens Nele , Haverkate Tessa M.I. , Hindori-Mohangoo Ashna D. , Hindori Manodj P. , Aantjes Carolien J. , Beeckman Katrien , Damme Astrid Van , Reis Ria , Rijnders Marlies , Kleij Rianne RMJJ van der , Crone Mathilde R.
Published: December 2023

Background
By addressing physical and psychosocial needs, group care (GC) improves health-related behaviours, peer support, parent-provider interactions and may improve birth outcomes. Hence, global implementation of GC is encouraged. Context analyses prior to implementation are vital to elucidate which local factors may support or hinder implementation.
Methods
Contextual analyses conducted in the Netherlands and Suriname were compared to identify the factors relevant to the implementability of GC as perceived by healthcare professionals (HCPs). 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Dutch and Surinamese healthcare professionals. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and coded using the Framework approach. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research guided the development of the interview guide and of the coding tree.
Results
Outer setting: Concerns regarding funding surfaced in both countries. Due to limited health insurance coverage, additional fees would limit accessibility in Suriname. In the Netherlands, midwives dreaded lower revenue due to reimbursement policies that favour one-on-one care.
Inner setting: Appropriate space for GC was absent in one Dutch and three Surinamese facilities. Role division regarding GC implementation was clearer in the Netherlands than in Suriname.
Innovation: HCPs from both countries expected increased social support, health knowledge among women, and continuity of care(r).
Individuals/innovation deliverers: Self-efficacy and motivation emerged as intertwined determinants to GC implementation in both countries.
Individuals/innovation recipients: Competing demands can potentially lower acceptability of GC in both countries. While Dutch HCPs prioritised an open dialogue with mothers, Surinamese HCPs encouraged the inclusion of partners.
Process: Campaigns to raise awareness of GC were proposed. Language barriers were a concern for Dutch but not for Surinamese HCPs.
Conclusions
While the most striking differences between both countries were found in the outer setting, they trickle down and affect all layers of context. Ultimately, at a later stage, the process evaluation will show if those outer setting barriers we identified prior to implementation actually hindered GC implementation. Changes to the health care systems would ensure sustained implementation in both countries, and this conclusion feeds into a more general discussion: how to proceed when contextual analyses reveal barriers that cannot be addressed with the time and resources available.
Association of major depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with thyroid cancer: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomized study
Authors: Qiu Rongliang , Lin Huihui , Jiang Hongzhan , Shen Jiali , He Jiaxi , Fu Jinbo
Published: December 2023

Background: Major depression disease (MDD), schizophrenia (SCZ), and bipolar disorder (BD) are common psychiatric disorders and the relationship with thyroid cancer has been of great interest. This study aimed to investigate the potential causal effects of MDD, SCZ, BD, and thyroid cancer.
Method: We used publicly available summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies to select genetic variant loci associated with major depression disease (MDD), SCZ, BD, and thyroid cancer as instrumental variables (IVs), which were quality-controlled and clustered, and we used three Mendelian randomization (MR) methods: inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression and Weighted Median Estimator(WME) methods to estimate a bidirectional causal relationship between mental illness and thyroid cancer. In addition, we performed heterogeneity and multivariate tests to verify the validity of IVs.
Result: We used a two-sample bidirectional MR analysis to find a positive causal association between MDD and thyroid cancer risk. The results of the IVW analysis (OR = 3.956 95% CI= 1.177-13.299; P = 0.026) and the WME method (OR = 5.563 95% CI= 0.998-31.008; P = 0.050) confirmed that MDD may increase the risk of thyroid cancer same conclusion. Additionally, our study found a correlation between genetic susceptibility to SCZ and thyroid cancer (OR = 1.532 95% CI= 1.123-2.088; P = 0.007). The results of the WME method analysis based on the median estimate (OR = 1.599 95% CI= 1.014-2.521; P = 0.043) also supported that SCZ may increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Furthermore, our study did not find a causal relationship between BD and thyroid cancer. In addition, the results of reverse MR analysis showed no significant causality between thyroid cancer and MDD, SCZ, and BD (P>0.05), ruling out the possibility of reverse causality.
Conclusions: This MR method analysis provides new evidence to support that MDD and SCZ may be positively associated with thyroid cancer risk, while also ruling out a correlation between BD and thyroid cancer. These results may have important implications for public health policy and clinical practice. Future studies will help elucidate this association's biological mechanisms and potential confounders.
Erector spinae plane block did not improve postoperative pain-related outcomes and recovery after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery : a randomised controlled double-blinded multi-center trial
Authors: Clairoux Ariane , Moore Alex , Caron-Goudreau Maxime , Soucy-Proulx Maxim , Thibault Maxime , Brulotte Véronique , Bélanger Marie-Ève , Raft Julien , Godin Nadia , Idrissi Moulay , Desroches Julie , Ruel Monique , Fortier Annik , Richebé Philippe
Published: December 2023

Introduction

There is a sizable niche for a minimally invasive analgesic technique that could facilitate ambulatory video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Our study aimed to determine the analgesic potential of a single-shot erector spinae plane (ESP) block for VATS. The primary objective was the total hydromorphone consumption with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) 24 h after surgery.

Methods

We conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind study with patients scheduled for VATS in two major university-affiliated hospital centres. We randomized 52 patients into two groups: a single-shot ESP block using bupivacaine or an ESP block with normal saline (control). We administered a preoperative and postoperative (24 h) quality of recovery (QoR-15) questionnaire and assessed postoperative pain using a verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) score. We evaluated the total standardized intraoperative fentanyl administration, total postoperative hydromorphone consumption (PCA; primary endpoint), and the incidence of adverse effects.

Results

There was no difference in the primary objective, hydromorphone consumption at 24 h (7.6 (4.4) mg for the Bupivacaine group versus 8.1 (4.2) mg for the Control group). Secondary objectives and incidence of adverse events were not different between the two groups at any time during the first 24 h following surgery.

Conclusion

Our multi-centre randomized, controlled, double-blinded study found no advantage of an ESP block over placebo for VATS for opioid consumption, pain, or QoR-15 scores. Further studies are ongoing to establish the benefits of using a denser block (single-shot paravertebral with a continuous ESP block), which may provide a better quality of analgesia.
A novel communication-less control method for PV-ESS DC microgrids
Authors: Bai Zhifeng , li jingyu , Wu Xiaolan , Yang Yongzhi , Guo Guifang
Published: December 2023

This paper presents a novel communication-less control method for PV-ESS DC microgrids. First, the ESS closest to the critical load is selected as the master unit, and output voltage is set at the nominal voltage. This unit injects an AC signal into the DC bus, and the frequency of the signal is determined by the unit's SOC and current. Then, other ESSs (called slave units) regulate their output currents according to the received AC signal frequency and local SOC without participating in the bus voltage regulation. In addition, thelogic signal is introduced to determine whether the PV module operates at maximum power point Tracking (MPPT) or droop control mode based on the received frequency. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control method achieves superior performance compared to traditional droop control. The method ensures higher load sharing accuracy, lower voltage deviation, and SOCs equalization in the DC microgrid system relying no communication link.
Dual T-cell constant β chain (TRBC)1 and TRBC2 staining for the identification of T-cell neoplasms by flow cytometry
Authors: Horna Pedro , Weybright Matthew , Ferrari Mathieu , Jungherz Dennis , Peng YaYi , Akbar Zulaikha , Ilca F , Otteson Gregory , Seheult Jansen , Ortmann Janosch , Shi Min , Maciocia Paul , Herling Marco , Pule Martin , Olteanu Horatiu
Published: December 2023

The diagnosis of leukemic T-cell malignancies is often challenging, due to overlapping features with reactive T-cells and limitations of currently available T-cell clonality assays. Recently developed therapeutic antibodies specific for the mutually exclusive T-cell receptor constant β chain (TRBC)1 and TRBC2 isoforms provide a unique opportunity to assess for TRBC-restriction as a surrogate of clonality in the flow cytometric analysis of T-cell neoplasms. To demonstrate the diagnostic utility of this approach, we studied 135 clinical specimens with (50) or without (85) T-cell neoplasia, in addition to 29 blood samples from healthy donors. Dual TRBC1 and TRBC2 expression was studied within a comprehensive T-cell panel, in a fashion similar to the routine evaluation of kappa and lambda immunoglobulin light chains for the detection of clonal B-cells. Polytypic TRBC expression was demonstrated on total, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells from all healthy donors; and by intracellular staining on benign T-cell precursors. All neoplastic T-cells were TRBC-restricted, except for 5 cases (10%) lacking TRBC expression. T-cell clones of uncertain significance were identified in 15 samples without T-cell malignancy (13%), and accounted for smaller subsets than neoplastic clones (median: 4.7% vs. 73% of lymphocytes, p < 0.0001). Single staining for TRBC1 produced spurious TRBC1-dim subsets in 21 clinical specimens (16%), all of which resolved with dual TRBC1/2 staining. Assessment of TRBC restriction by flow cytometry provides a rapid diagnostic method to detect clonal T-cells, and to accurately determine the targetable TRBC isoform expressed by T-cell malignancies.
Factors that Affect the Sleep of Women in Informal Settlements in Kenya
Authors: Ukoh Ebuka , Achieng Stephanie Otieno , Plaxico LaNae , Balakrishnan Anna K , Obara Lena Moraa , Dzombo Millicent , Ramchal Meagan , Amponsah Enoch , Brown Haley , Musyimi Christine , Witte Susan , Winter Samantha
Published: December 2023

Background
Sleep is essential for overall health and well-being. Most sleep quality and health research focuses on high-income countries. Less is known about the sleep quality of women residing in lower and middle-income Countries (LMICs), including Kenya. Many physical, psychological, cultural, and environmental factors influence quality of sleep. There is limited research focused on sleep quality among women in LMICs, and no research explicitly focused on women in informal settlements in these countries; yet, women in informal settlements in LMICs often face challenges that could severely affect sleep health. Through an exploratory mixed-methods study, we explore rates of sleep quality and self-reported factors associated with sleep disturbance among a probability sample of n = 800 women in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Findings will contribute to the knowledge base regarding sleep quality within populations in informal settlements, which may inform tailored interventions and policies designed to nurture the distinct sleep needs of people living in LMICs.
Methods
Data were collected in September 2022. The data were part of the baseline of an 18-month longitudinal cohort study examining mental health and climate change among women living in two informal settlements in Nairobi–Mathare and Kibera. Items from the Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI) were collected to examine women's sleep habits and quality of sleep. Quality of sleep scores were calculated. Open-ended questions were asked about factors contributing to sleep disturbance, and a thematic analysis was conducted to summarize the findings.
Findings:
Just under 29% of women (N = 229) met the criteria for poor quality sleep. Open-ended findings identify stress as the main factor affecting sleep. Childcare, financial instability, physical health, climate, grief, and loss also impacted women's sleep.
Interpretation:
The findings of this paper highlight the need for more research focused on sleep quality in informal settlements in LMICs, especially among women. We suggest that interventionists and policymakers can develop targeted interventions and policies to improve sleep quality and address risk factors by better understanding this population's specific challenges and enhancing overall awareness and education of sleep and its importance for health in these communities.
A biomechanical finite element analysis of two varieties of axial screw fixation techniques
Authors: Li Zhao , Meng Fanchao , Fang Yushi , Qin Ruiyu , Zhang Xun , Yan Jinglong , Zhao Wei
Published: December 2023

Background
To compare the biomechanical properties of C2 pedicle and translaminar screws by establishing an atlantoaxial vertebral model using three-dimensional finite element analysis.
Methods
A finite element model of the atlantoaxial vertebra model was developed. C2 pedicle and translaminar screws were implanted in the model. The screw load-displacement ratios were analysed and compared between the two types of screws under the up/down and left/right load conditions; the vertebrae load-displacement ratios under the anterior flexion/posterior extension (FLX/EXT), left /right lateral bending (LLB/RLB), and left/right rotation (LAR/RAR) load conditions; bone-nail interface stress values and screw load-displacement ratios under the physiological load conditions; and structural stress values of the nail-rod structure under the front/back and left/right load conditions.
Results
The C2 pedicle screw group (C2PG) exhibited significantly higher load-displacement ratios than the C2 translaminar screw group (C2TG) in all directions: up/down and left/right. The vertebral load-displacement ratios in FLX/EXT, LLB/RLB, and LAR/RAR were significantly higher in C2PG compared to C2TG. Under physiological loading, the maximum stress of cortical bone in C2TG exceeded threshold significantly, and the anteriormost part of the vertebrae had much more displacement in C2TG than in C2PG. In nail-rod stability studies, C2TG had higher peak screw-rod structure stress under anterior-posterior loading.
Conclusions
The present finite element model suggested that the C2 translaminar screw provide lower biomechanical stability compared to the C2 pedicle screw.
Optimizing asphalt mix design using machine learning methods based on RIOCHTrack data
Authors: Cheng Chunru. , Liu Jian , Yaohui Su , Wang Linbing. , Wang Xudong.
Published: December 2023

Traditional mix design is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process ,requiring extensive testing and relying heavily on engineering experience. In order to enhance the speed and efficiency of asphalt concrete mix design process,this study investigated the use of machine learning techniques to predict key parameters of concrete mixture design,such as voids in the mineral aggregate (VMA), voids in the coarse aggregate(VCA), and dry density of the mixture(pd). Four machine learning methods, namely support vector regression, artificial neural network, random forest, and AdaBoost models were trained using data from RIOHTRack. Metircs releatde to asphalt mix design such as gradation, asphalt content, asphalt properties, compaction method, and compaction temperature were used as input variables. Various encoding methods were employed to encode classification variables, with the ordinal encoding method yielding the most favorable results. Through the calculation of different performance scoring metrics, such as coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and by plotting the development curve of volume parameters and asphalt content, the most suitable prediction model was selected for each target variable. The analysis revealed that the random forest model (R2 = 0.8595 for pd, R2 = 0.9488 for VMA) demonstrated the best performance in predicting pd and VMA, while the Adaboost model (R2 = 0.9716) was chosen for predicting VCA. By calculating different performance scoring metrics, such as coefficient of determination (R2), root means square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and plotting the development curve of volume parameters and asphalt content, the final prediction model was selected for each target variable. The analysis revealed that the random forest model (R2 = 0.8595 for pd, R2 = 0.9488 for VMA) demonstrated the best performance in predicting pd and VMA, while the Adaboost model (R2 = 0.9716) was chosen for predicting VCA.
Investigation of turbulent flow field in maglev centrifugal blood pumps of CH-VAD and Heartmate III using large-eddy simulation
Authors: Wu Peng , Xiang Wen-Jing , Zhang Ke-Jia , Du Guan-Ting
Published: December 2023

Maglev bearings can avoid serious blood damage caused by mechanical bearings, and has become the primary trend of blood pumps. Maglev blood pumps allow a relatively large clearance to improve blood washout and reduce the stress inside the clearance so that blood damage can be reduced. Nonetheless, large clearances also lead to high secondary flow and turbulence intensity, causing further blood damage. This study aims to conduct a thorough analysis of flow fields in two typical maglev blood pumps, the CH-VAD and Heartmate III which feature distinct designs of secondary flow path and impeller (semi-open versus closed impeller) using large eddy simulation (LES) with a focus on the secondary flows and their interaction with the main flows. LES was found to be superior to the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method in predicting performance curves. At high flow rate (8L/min), the efficiency of CH-VAD remains high compared with 5 L/min, while the efficiency of Heartmate III drops considerably. The wide clearance in Heartmate III induced high secondary flow and flow loss, leading to an large incidence angle at both working conditions. The high viscous stress inside the clearances is the major cause of flow loss and potential blood damage in CH-VAD. This study shows that Maglev bearings dose not guarantee good blood compatibility, clearances should be designed based on trade-offs among high shear stress inside smaller clearance, and strong recirculations caused by larger clearances. This study provides useful reference for the design and optimization of maglev blood pumps.
Environmental implication of the production of non-centrifugal sugar in the Colombian Andean region
Authors: Sanchez Nestor , Cobo Martha , Rodríguez-Fontalvo David , Ruiz-Pardo Ruth Y. , Roedl Anne
Published: December 2023

Non-centrifugal sugar (Panela) is a natural sweet enhancer obtained from sugarcane. In this process, waste from the agricultural industry is disposed of incorrectly, fossil fuels are used, and the furnaces' efficiency is low, leading to environmental problems. Therefore, this study aims to assess the environmental impacts of Panela production to identify possible hotspots and propose alternatives to reduce the environmental impacts such as acidification, global warming, freshwater eutrophication, and particulate matter emissions. Aspen Plus, interviews, and databases were used to determine life cycle inventory that then was used to calculate environmental impacts. Central results showed that producing 1 kg of Panela results in a carbon footprint of 4.09 kg CO2-eq and removes 6.02 kg CO2 during the growth phase. Moreover, the acidification potential, freshwater eutrophication, and particulate matter emissions were 0.21 molc H+-eq, 0.0077 kg P-eq, and 0.0042 kg PM2.5-eq, respectively. These impacts are mainly due to the harvesting phase, as agro-industrial wastes such as sugarcane press mud, and leaves are disposed of incorrectly. To solve this issue, suitable methods of fertilization are proposed, achieving a reduction in acidification potential and particulate matter emissions by 80%. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 35% if bagasse is not burned. Hence, the combination of both alternatives will improve the sustainable production of Panela. The significance of this study is to show new alternatives to reduce the environmental impact of Panela. Besides, these strategies such as improving agricultural practices and designing new furnaces are aligned with national policies.
To retire or not to retire? A Comprehensive Examination of Retirement Decision Dynamics in Italy
Authors: Fabiani Michele
Published: December 2023

The issue of active aging has become central to the public debate in many Western countries, given the increasing aging of the population and the future challenges associated with it. This phenomenon is tightly intertwined with choices regarding the retirement period, which can be postponed for different reasons by individuals in a society. The purpose of this paper is to understand what personal and family characteristics influence future choices about retirement date in Italy. Utilizing data provided by the Bank of Italy in the Survey on Household Income and Wealth (SHIW), a logistic regression is performed to observe the impact of different covariates on the hypothesized retirement date of individuals close to retirement, over the age of 50 who are still in working status.
Enhanced RTP Method for Nonlinear Statistical Prediction of Ship Structural Response
Authors: Sadaoki Matsui
Published: December 2023

In this study, the ERTP (Enhanced RAO-based Translation Process) method, which is an enhanced version of the RTP method proposed in the previous study, is newly proposed. The RTP method approximates the extreme value distribution in arbitrary irregular waves from the nonlinear response in regular waves based on the idea of the transformation process, in which the nonlinear process is regarded as a transformation of a linear process. However, it was found that the RTP method is inaccurate when the response spectrum has multiple peaks, which is often the case for stresses in ship structures in waves. To solve this problem, the author developed the ERTP method, which defines a nonlinear transformation based on the Lp-norm of the response spectrum. A direct load and structure analysis (DLSA) considering the nonlinearity of wave loads was conducted and confirmed that the proposed method can reasonably estimate the extreme value distribution even for structural elements with a multi-peaked response spectrum with respect to the wave direction.
To study the diagnostic and prognostic value of GADD45α in AML based on bioinformatics and its preliminary experimental validation
Authors: Gui Yonghui , Zhang Nannan , Tong Wenjing , Chen Qiong , Yang Peng
Published: December 2023

Objectives
Exploring the expression status, prognostic value, immune infiltration, potential functions, and mechanisms of GADD45α in AML using bioinformatics.
Methods
Using the GEPIA2 database to analyze the expression levels of GADD45α in AML and other cancers, and to assess the correlation between GADD45α levels and prognosis in AML. Conducting immune regulation gene analysis, immune checkpoint analysis, and immune infiltration analysis of GADD45α in AML in Sangerbox. Obtaining the protein interaction network with GADD45α from the STRING database and conducting GO and KEGG analysis in Sangerbox. By establishing stable overexpression of GADD45α in AML cells, using CCK-8 and Annexin V-FITC/APC to respectively detect the effects of overexpression and knockdown of GADD45α on cell proliferation and apoptosis in AML cells. Validating the diagnostic and prognostic value of GADD45α in AML. All data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software.
Results
GADD45α is mostly downregulated in cancer, and is downregulated in AML, which is associated with poor prognosis. We found significant correlation between GADD45α and immune cells in AML in Sangerbox. We also found that GADD45α expression in AML is closely related to 43 checkpoints, including VEGFB, ARG1, KIR2DL1, KIR2DL3, TIGIT, and is closely related to five types of immune cells, including chemokines, receptors, MHC, immune inhibitors, and immune stimulators. This indicates that GADD45α may coordinate the activity of these ICP genes in different signaling pathways and may become an ideal immunotherapy target. We found that GADD45α interacts with TDG, FOXO3, TP53, CDKN1A, CDK1, AURKA, CCNB1, PCNA, MAP2K6, and MAP3K4 proteins, and after GO and KEGG analysis, we found that its biological function may be involved in cell cycle arrest, mitotic G1/S checkpoint, and other processes. KEGG enrichment of GADD45α is related to cell senescence, cell cycle, p53 signaling pathway, and FoxO signaling pathway. Overexpression of GADD45α can inhibit the proliferation of leukemia cells, promote apoptosis, and after GADD45α knockdown, it can promote the proliferation of leukemia cells and inhibit apoptosis.
Conclusions
GADD45α is a prognostic marker for AML, and its expression levels are associated with various immune cell molecules, immune checkpoints, and immune regulatory genes. Detecting GADD45α levels helps predict the prognosis of AML, providing a new method for optimizing and monitoring the effectiveness of anti-AML immunotherapy. Further validation of the GADD45α signaling pathway is more conducive to the discovery of occurrence and development mechanisms, and is more beneficial for patient treatment.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Mediates the Relationship between Depressive Symptomatology and Cognition in Older but not Younger Adults
Authors: Barros Catarina , Sampaio Adriana , Pinal Diego
Published: December 2023

Background
Aging is commonly associated with emotional, physical, and cognitive changes, with the latter, particularly affecting executive functioning. Further, such changes may interact. For instance, depressive symptomatology is a known risk factor for developing cognitive deficits, especially at older ages. In contrast, an active lifestyle, reflected in high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels, has proven to protect against adverse effects on cognition across the adult lifespan. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between depressive symptomatology, CRF, and cognition during critical developmental stages, namely in young adults (YA), when cognitive abilities are at their peak, and in older adults (OA), when they may start to decline.
Methods
Eighty-one OA with ages between 60 and 89 years (M = 70.46; SD = 7.18) and 77 YA with ages between 18 and 34 years (M = 22.54; SD = 3.72) went through (i) a sociodemographic interview, (ii) an emotional assessment, (iii) a battery of cognitive tests, and (iv) a physical evaluation assessing CRF levels, visceral fat and body-mass index.
Results
Results showed that OA exhibited lower general cognitive performance, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, memory, and CRF. Depressive symptoms and anxiety were not different among groups, with CRF mediating the relationship between depressive symptoms and cognition in the OA group.
Conclusions
The present study provides valuable insights into the interplay between emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being. Additionally, it calls attention to how lifestyle factors can play a protective role against the adverse effects that depressive symptoms have on cognition, particularly at older ages.
Humanoid Avatars in Individualised Virtual Reality for Supporting Mental Health: Self-Compassion & Cost Minimisation
Authors: Elliott Thomas C. , Henry Julie D. , Baghaei Nilufar
Published: December 2023

Avatars are employed within Virtual Reality environments to interact with participants in training and therapeutic settings. Avatars have been introduced with varying quality mainly due to historical technological limitations with respect to computer graphics and hardware. The VR community may assume that with the development of higher quality and therefore ever more lifelike avatars, implies an advance in avatar performance, yielding ever better human interactions. But is that true? Until now this has not yet been investigated fully. The authors of this paper recognised how contextual evidence suggests that ‘lifelike’ avatars may potentially hinder VR therapeutic outcomes. As a result, an individualised virtual reality self-compassion therapy was replicated but replaced all the ‘lifelike’ avatars with cartoony humanoid avatars and re-measured user experience as well as therapeutic benefit. The results show a dramatic increase in user experience on areas pertaining to feelings of dependability, which demonstrates a reduction in ‘eeriness’ likely caused by the Uncanny Valley phenomenon previously invoked by the too realistic ‘lifelike’ avatars. The data therefore suggests that humanoid avatars are an affordable substitute with better interaction.
Frames: Reduction of Size of Binary Decision Diagrams using an Alternative Representation
Authors: García-Zapata Juan Luis
Published: December 2023

Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) have long been a fundamental data structure in computer science and computational logic, due to their compact representation and efficient manipulation of Boolean functions. This paper introduces the concept of frame, an ordered array of partitions of a set that facilitates a structured approach to representing and analyzing Boolean functions. Frames enable a generalization of BDD constructions, providing a more flexible structure. The paper presents a description of frame-based BDDs, together with algorithms for frame change operations and for constructing frames that maximize the efficiency of Boolean functions representation. Additionally, computational complexities associated with these algorithms are discussed. Notably, we propose an algorithm that, for a Boolean function on \(n\) variables, constructs a frame-based BDD with \(n+2\) nodes or less in \(O(n^5)\) functional operations.
MSC Classification: 68R05 , 06E30 , 05A18 , 68W30 , 68R10.