bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Lower Limb Activity Recognition Through Multi-Sensor Data Fusion in Tele-Rehabilitation
Authors: Ettefagh Alireza , Fekr Atena Roshan
Published: September 2023

Background: Tele-rehabilitation is the provision of physiotherapy services to individuals in their own homes. Activity recognition plays a crucial role in the realm of automatic tele-rehabilitation. By assessing patient movements, identifying exercises, and providing feedback, these platforms can offer insightful information to clinicians, thereby facilitating an improved plan of care. This study introduces a novel deep learning approach aimed at identifying lower-limb rehabilitation exercises. This is achieved through the integration of depth data and pressure heatmaps. We hypothesized that combining pressure heatmaps and depth data could improve the model’s overall performance.
Methods: In this study, depth videos and body pressure data from an accessible online dataset were used. This dataset comprises data from 30 healthy individuals performing 7 lower-limb rehabilitation exercises. To accomplish the classification task, three deep learning models were developed, all based on a 3D-CNN architecture. The models were designed to classify the depth videos, sequences of pressure data frames, and combination of depth videos and pressure frames. The models’ performance was assessed through leave-one-subject-out and leavemultiple- subjects-out cross-validation methods. Performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, were reported for each model.
Results: Our findings indicated that the model trained on the fusion of depth and pressure data showed the highest and most stable performance when compared with models using individual modality inputs. This model could effectively identify the exercises with an accuracy of 95.71%, precision of 95.83%, recall of 95.71%, and an F1-score of 95.74%.
Conclusion: Our results highlight the impact of data fusion for accurately classifying lower-limb rehabilitation exercises.We showed that our model could capture different aspects of exercise movements using the visual and weight distribution data from the depth camera and pressure mat, respectively. This integration of data provides a better representation of exercise patterns, leading to higher classification performance. Notably, our results indicate the potential application of this model in automatic tele-rehabilitation platforms.
Cost analysis of the management of end-stage renal disease patients in Abuja, Nigeria
Authors: Agada-Amade Yakubu Adole , Ogbuabor Daniel Chukwuemeka , Eborieme Ejimai , Onwujekwe Obinna Emmanuel
Published: September 2023

Background
Although the treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Authority is haemodialysis (HD), the cost of managing ESRD is understudied in Nigeria. Therefore, this study estimated the provider and patient direct costs of haemodialysis and managing ESRD in Abuja, Nigeria.
Method
The study was a cross-sectional survey from both healthcare provider and consumer perspectives. We collected data from public and private tertiary hospitals (n = 6) and ESRD patients (n = 230) receiving haemodialysis in the selected hospitals. We estimated the direct providers' costs using fixed and variable costs. Patients' direct costs included drugs, laboratory services, transportation, feeding, and comorbidities. Additionally, data on the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients were collected. The costs were summarized in descriptive statistics using means and percentages. A generalized linear model (gamma with log link) was used to predict the patient characteristics associated with patients’ cost of haemodialysis.
Results
The mean direct cost of haemodialysis was $152.20 per session (providers: $123.69; and patients: $28.51) and $23,742.96 annually (providers: $19,295.64; and patients: $4,447.32). Additionally, patients spent an average of $2,968.23 managing comorbidities. The drivers of providers’ haemodialysis costs were personnel and supplies. Residing in other towns (HD:β = 0.55, ρ = 0.001; ESRD:β = 0.59, ρ = 0.004), lacking health insurance (HD:β = 0.24, ρ = 0.038), attending private health facility (HD:β = 0.46, ρ < 0.001; ESRD: β = 0.75, ρ < 0.001), and greater than six haemodialysis sessions per month (HD:β = 0.79, ρ < 0.001; ESRD: β = 0.99, ρ < 0.001) significantly increased the patient’s out-of-pocket spending on haemodialysis and ESRD.
Conclusion
The costs of haemodialysis and managing ESRD patients are high. Providing public subsidies for dialysis and expanding social health insurance coverage for ESRD patients might reduce the costs.
Preparation of foam material via co-sintering of NaCl and PTFE for oil/water separation
Authors: Han Song , Wang Yanqing , xu yr
Published: September 2023

Bulk polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) foam is a great potential oil-water separation material, owing to the high hydrophobicity and lipophilicity property. However, the technique of fabricating PTFE foam with low cost, controllable porosity and high mechanical strength remains an urgent requirement due to its high chemical inertness induced limitation. A kind of bulk PTFE foam material is prepared by cold pressing co-sintering method, employing sodium chloride (NaCl) as pore forming agent. SEM measurements reveal that the size and distribution of pore structure are mainly determined by the particle size and content of NaCl, because the migration and diffusion behaviors of PTFE particles suffer from more inhibition induced by increased NaCl particles during sintering. The PTFE foam with uniformly distributed pore structures can be obtained from composite mixed with 70 wt% NaCl and 30 wt% PTFE, with a low thermal conductivity as low as 0.069 W/(m·K). With the decrease of PTFE content in raw composite, the density and mechanical properties of PTFE foam gradually declines. However, the tensile strength remains as low as 0.2 MPa, with an elongation rate of 21%, which guarantees the required mechanical strength avoiding being broken when use as a bulk oil absorption material. Remarkably, the PTFE foam shows a strong hydrophobicity, with a mean water contact angle of 137°, and separation efficiency more than 90%. The proposed bulk PTFE foam with low manufacturing cost and stable chemical and mechanical properties will provide data and theoretical support for the material applied in oil/water separation and thermal-protective coating.
Improved Integral Sliding Mode Control for Adaptive Synchronization of Delayed Recurrent Neural Networks
Authors: Xu Chun-Wei , Xiong Jing-Jing
Published: September 2023

This paper is devoting to addressing the problem of adaptive synchronization for recurrent neural networks with time-varying delays, in which the unknown parameters are taken into account. A new and simple integral sliding mode control (SMC) strategy is developed motivated by the previous idea of the existing literature. Based on drive-response concept, the synchronization error system is firstly derived such that the corresponding synchronization error signal can be applied to construct a simple integral sliding mode manifold. Then, an appropriate sliding mode controller with adaptive laws is designed such that the reachability of the predefined manifold is ensured and thereafter the synchronization problem between the response system and a drive system with unknown parameters is addressed. Finally, two numerical examples are given to substantiate the effectiveness of the presented control strategy.
Network pharmacology of Potentilla nepalensis extract revealed p53, Nf- kB1, and HSP proteins as potential biomarkers
Authors: Praveen Mallari , Yaseen Muhammad , Buendia Ricardo , Sayed Mian Gul , Bhat Mashooq A , Zeiden Noha I
Published: September 2023

Potentilla nepalensis belongs to the Rosaceae family, and have numerous therapeutic applications as potent plant-based medicine. Forty phytoconstituents (PCs) from the root and stem through n-hexane (NR and NS) and methanolic (MR and MS) extracts were identified in our earlier studies. However, the PCs affecting human genes and their roles in the body are not disclosed till now. In this study, we employed network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations (MDS), and MMGBSA methodologies. SMILES format of PCs from the PubChem used as input to DIGEP-Pred, 764 identified as the inducing genes. Their enrichment studies have shown inducing genes gene ontology descriptions, involved pathways, associated diseases, and drugs. PPI networks constructed in String DB and network topological analysing parameters done in Cytoscape v3.10 revealed three biomarkers, TP53 from MS, NR, and NS induced genes; HSPCB and Nf-kB1 from MR induced genes. From 40 PCs, two PCs 1b (MR) and 2a (MS), showed better binding scores (kcal/mol) with p53 protein of -8.6, and − 8.0; three PCs 3a, (NR) 4a and 4c (NS) with HSP protein of -9.6, -8.7, and − 8.2. MDS and MMGBSA revealed these complexes are stable without higher deviations with better free energy values. Biomarkers identified in this study, have a prominent role in numerous cancers. Thus, further investigations such as in-vivo and in-vitro should be done on considering the PCs of P.nepalensis.
A retrospective feasibility study of lymph node metastasis in submucosa gastric cancer based on the evaluation of pre- and intra-operative clinical-pathologic characteristics in two centers
Authors: Yu Suyue , Mei Yu , Huang Jingyi , Gao Jianpeng , Feng Tienan , Yan Min , Zhu Zhenggang , Lu Aiguo , Zhu Zhenglun
Published: September 2023

Background. This paper investigates whether or not there are some preoperative predictors identifying lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with T1b gastric cancer and discusses the possibility of replacement by segmental gastrectomy (SG) or local gastrectomy (LG).
Methods. This study included patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical gastrectomy between January 2012 and December 2018, as well as those diagnosed with pT1b. Independent risk factors of lymph node metastasis were determined using univariate and multivariable logistics regression among clinicopathological characteristics. ROC curve was established to predict lymph node metastasis based on external data for validation.
Results. Among the 636 patients with pT1b gastric cancer as the internal training set, 168 (26.4%) had no lymph node metastasis. In addition, 3 cm or less in size (odds ratio [OR] 0.56, P<0.05), middle or upper portion (OR 0.64, P<0.05), differentiation (OR 0.40, P<0.001), without lymphatic-vascular invasion (LVI) (OR 0.39, P<0.001), and the negative status of HER2 (OR 0.46, P<0.005), were protective factors of LNM. A score was generated consisting of a middle portion and four other variables. ROC curve analysis on the external validation set revealed excellent discrimination as the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.815. The frequency of lymph node metastasis was 0% with all five protective factors.
Conclusions. Based on this retrospective study, T1b gastric cancer of the middle part of the stomach which is 3 cm or less in size, differentiated-type, negative HER2 status, and without lymphatic-vascular invasion might indicate pylorus-preserving gastrectomy due to lack of lymph node involvement.
Trial registration. The study is retrospectively registered.
Coupled thermoelastic isotropic laminates
Authors: Vannucci Paolo
Published: September 2023

We consider in this paper the general properties of laminates designed to be isotropic in extension and in bending and with a coupling between the in- and out-of plane responses. In particular, we analyze the mathematical properties of the tensors describing the elastic and thermal behavior and the mechanical consequences of these properties. The differences, from the mathematical and mechanical point of view, between the hybrid laminates, i.e. composed by layers of different materials, and those made of identical plies, are pointed out and analyzed. The polar formalism for planar tensors is used in this study.
MSC Classification: 74A40 , 74B05 , 74E10 , 74E30 , 74K20.
Enhancing Aerial Human Action Recognition through GAN-boosted ResNeXt Architecture with Squeeze-and-Excitation Network
Authors: Kapoor Surbhi , Sharma Akashdeep , Verma Amandeep
Published: September 2023

Recognizing human actions in aerial videos captured by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) presents a significant challenge due to reduced resolution and blurry appearance of humans. To address this, we propose a novel two-module system, GAN-SE, that tackles these limitations and achieves remarkable improvements in human action recognition. The first module employs a super-resolution GAN to enhance the low-resolution images of detected humans. By generating high-resolution images, our system recovers lost information and significantly enhances the visual quality of the detections, thereby improving the accuracy of action recognition. In second module, we introduce a Squeeze and Excitation (SE) network combined with ResNeXt101 model to effectively calibrate the correlation between channel features. The SE network adaptively recalibrates feature responses in a channel-wise manner, enabling our model to focus on the most relevant information in feature maps. This leads to superior feature representation and more accurate predictions. To evaluate the performance of GAN-SE, extensive experiments were conducted on three challenging datasets: Aeriform in-action, UCF-ARG, and Okutama-Action. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our system, achieving an accuracy of 80.78%, 97.36%, and 77.50% on the respective datasets. These results outperform the state-of-the-art methods, reaffirming the superiority of GAN-SE in aerial human action recognition.
Weighted Norm Estimates for Commutators of Several Square Functions
Authors: WANG Wenhua
Published: September 2023

In this article, by using the atomic decomposition of weighted Herz-type Hardy spaces, the author obtains some strong type estimates for commutators of sveral square functions generated by BMO functions on these spaces. All these results are also new even for classical Herz-type Hardy spaces.
On a "keys-in-memory" approach to storage management and querying in object-oriented databases
Authors: Kozynchenko Alexander , Kozynchenko Sergey
Published: September 2023

The paper concerns the NoSQL object-oriented databases intended for processing the highly structured and interrelated data. These databases are characterized by the navigational access and non-declarative interface. To improve the efficiency of databases of this class it is proposed to have a database object divided into two parts. The “lightweight” part placed in RAM contains both own and referential integer identifiers (IDs), whereas a “heavyweight” part with the bulk of data remains on a disk, each in a separate file with the unique file name including an object ID. Such file names provide the quick initial navigation over the set of persistent objects. The eventual deeper search does not require reading an entire object, thus providing high query rates regardless of the amount of data stored. This approach results in reduced memory usage and increased speed. A case study of a desktop student registration system written in C + + shows the feasibility and effectiveness of the approach.
Prediction Method of Longitudinal Surface Settlement Caused by Double Shield Tunnelling Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Shang Wentao , Li Yan , Wei Huanwei , Qiu Youbao , Chen Chaowei , Gao Xiangrong
Published: September 2023

The accurate prediction of longitudinal surface settlement caused by shield excavation is crucial for ensuring the safety of the surrounding environment. This study optimally selects the slime mould algorithm (SMA) to optimize the hyperparameters of a random forest (RF), and uses SMA-RF to reduce the dimensionality of high-dimensional shield operational parameters. A double-input deep neural network (D-DNN) framework is proposed to predict the surface settlement caused by shield excavation. It includes two branches that obtain data from the left and right double-line tunnels as inputs. The performance of the D-DNN is evaluated by comparing it with that of a single-input deep neural network (S-DNN) framework. The results show that the SMA-RF effectively reduces the dimensionality of high-dimensional shield operational parameters by utilising a set of feature contributions and more than 90% of the parameters, thereby yielding highly precise prediction results; the dimension-reduced shield operational parameters following SMA-RF exhibit a strong nonlinear relationship with the surface settlement；the D-DNN considers double-line shield excavation and expands the database capacity, which is more than 1.5 times greater than that of the S-DNN, thereby enhancing the training effectiveness and prediction accuracy.
Ectoparasites in Small Mammals of Chilalo-Galama Mountains Range: Zoonotic Disease Transmission and One Health Significance
Authors: Kasso Mohammed
Published: September 2023

Ectoparasites play a vital role in the transmission of zoonotic diseases and are an essential component of the ecosystem. However, very few studies have been conducted on the ectoparasites of small mammals in Ethiopia, particularly in the Chilalo-Galama Mountains Range. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the species composition, prevalence, distribution, and small mammal host interaction of ectoparasites in the study area. Different traps were used to capture small mammals from where ectoparasites were recovered. The collected ectoparasites were identified to families, genera, and species levels. The parameters like prevalence (P), Abundance (A), mean abundance (MA), Relative Abundance (RA), mean intensity (MI) and constituent ratio (C) were used for the analysis. The study identified disease-carrying ectoparasites based on presence absence of parasite for public and domestic animal health risks. Out of the 204 small mammals examined, 150 were infected by one or more groups of ectoparasites, with an overall prevalence accounting for 73.53%. Out of these individuals the majority 35 (17.16%) were infested by Myobiidae mites followed by Ambyloma 29 (14.22%) and Polyplax 21 (10.29%). Myobiidae mites infested half of the 28 species of hosts examined, followed by Ambyloma (9) and Polyplax(7) species. A total of 1993 individuals of ectoparasites that belonged to 24 taxa in 5 different groups namely flea, lice, tick, mite and flies were recorded. Flea and tick each had five genera, louse six genera, mite six families and bat flies two families were collected from small mammals examined for ectoparasite. Several ectoparasite taxa which have the potential to pose zoonotic disease risks to humans and domestic animals were recorded. The findings underscore the need for further research and surveillance to understand the impact of ectoparasites on small mammal populations and to develop effective strategies for disease control and prevention by promoting the one health approach.
Oscillatory motions of multiple spikes in three-component reaction-diffusion systems
Authors: Xie Shuangquan , Yang Wen , Zhang Jiaojiao
Published: September 2023

For three specific singular perturbed three-component reaction-diffusion systems that admit $N$-spike solutions in one of the components on a finite domain, we present a detailed analysis for the dynamics of temporal oscillations in the spike positions. The onset of these oscillations is induced by N Hopf bifurcations with respect to the translation modes that are excited nearly simultaneously. To understand the dynamics of N spikes in the vicinity of Hopf bifurcations, we combine the center manifold reduction and the matched asymptotic method to derive a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) of dimension 2N describing the spikes' locations and velocities, which can be recognized as normal forms of multiple Hopf bifurcations. The reduced ODE system then is represented in the form of linear oscillators with weakly nonlinear damping. By applying the multiple-time method, the leading order of the oscillation amplitudes is further characterized by an N-dimensional ODE system of the Stuart-Landau type. Although the leading order dynamics of these three systems are different, they have the same form after a suitable transformation. On the basis of the reduced systems for the oscillation amplitudes, we prove that there are at most ⌊ N/2 ⌋ +1 stable equilibria, corresponding to ⌊ N/2 ⌋ +1 types of different oscillations. This resolves an open problem proposed by Xie et al. (Nonlinearity, 34 (2021), pp. 5708-5743) for a three-component Schnakenberg system and generalizes the results to two other classic systems. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the analytic results.
Mathematics Subject Classification: 37L10, 35K57, 35B25, 35B36
The use of tools for automatic proof of mathematical logic theorems for modeling the dynamic balance of minerals in the human body
Authors: Kondratenko Viktoria , Slovianov Leonid
Published: September 2023

Computer scientists build a logical framework for a particular subject or phenomenon. This methodology involves the use of axioms, which are self-evident statements that serve as the basis for a logical system. Axiomatic modelling begins by identifying the relevant concepts and objects that will be studied and then defining these concepts using axioms. These axioms are chosen based on their simplicity, consistency, and logical power, and are used to build a series of logical statements or theorems that describe the behaviour of the system being studied. This method allows researchers to build a clear and logical foundation for their work and allows them to prove the validity of their results through logical deduction. It is often used in mathematics and computer science, but can also be applied to other fields such as economics, physics, social science, biology and medicine. We proposed an extension of the method by incorporating knowledge about physiological processes in the human body by introducing biomedical parameters and logic and developed the novel method of Logical Dialectical Modelling (LDM). This original methodology uses, as tools, the logic of predicates of the 1st order and the Robinson method of automatic theorem proving. It prevents errors and simplifies the process of proving statements. The first time we applied LDM for the problem of providing the human body with the necessary dynamic balance of minerals. We analysed data [1,44,45] on the dependence of disease symptoms on the values of quantitative indicators of the concentration of minerals in the hair of children in the Chornobyl zone,LDM can provide a structured, logical approach to diagnostics that can help identify the root causes of problems and guide more effective treatment planning. LDM can be used together with artificial intelligence (AI) systems to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnostic processes. LDM is based on logical statements, they can be tested and refined using a rigorous, mathematical approach, which can help to increase the reliability and accuracy of the models. This can be useful for doctors in evaluating patients and making accurate diagnoses promptly. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the use of LDM through in medicine too.
Extended Random Histogram Forest for Unsupervised Anomaly Detection
Authors: Ansarirad Pouyan , Hashemi Sattar
Published: September 2023

Anomaly detection is a fundamental task in the field of unsupervised machine learning, aimed at identifying instances that significantly deviate from other input data. This problem has various applications, including identifying defective products in industries, detecting network intrusions, medical diagnostics, and many other cases. Despite extensive research conducted in this field, a solution with satisfactory performance under all conditions and types of data has not yet been achieved. One effective unsupervised method is the Random Histogram Forest (RHF) approach, which utilizes a probabilistic approach. Based on the evaluation metric of average precision of the area under the precision-recall curve (AP), this approach has shown better performance compared to other methods in terms of AP. However, due to its inherent mechanism, this approach also has limitations. In this article, these limitations are examined, and solutions and methods are proposed to address these constraints, and an extension approach called Extended Random Histogram Forest (ERHF) is introduced for unsupervised anomaly detection. ERHF utilizes data projection and dimensionality reduction methods to enhance the compatibility between the data and the internal mechanism of RHF. Instead of randomly selecting splitting points in the process of constructing random trees, the Skewness score is used to choose more targeted splitting points. Additionally, multidimensional hyperplanes with random slopes are used for data partitioning instead of pointwise splits. Furthermore, the mechanism for calculating the anomaly score of instances is modified to enable the use of subsampling. The performance evaluation of the proposed ERHF method using various metrics (AP, AUC, Recall, F1) on ODDS datasets demonstrates that ERHF significantly outperforms the RHF method.
Net benefit of smaller human populations to environmental integrity and individual health and well-being
Authors: Saraswati Chitra Maharani , Judge Melinda A. , Weeda Lewis J. Z. , Prata Ndola , Bassat Quique , Souëf Peter N. Le , Bradshaw Corey J. A.
Published: September 2023

Background
The global human population is still growing such that our collective enterprise is driving environmental catastrophe. Despite a decline in average population growth rate, we are still experiencing the highest annual increase of global human population size in the history of our species — averaging an additional 84 million people per year since 1990.
Objectives
No review to date has accumulated the available evidence describing the associations between increasing population and environmental decline, nor solutions for mitigating the problems arising. We summarise the available evidence of the relationships between human population size and growth and environmental integrity, human prosperity and well-being, and climate change.
Methods
We used PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to identify all relevant peer-reviewed and grey-literature sources examining the consequences of human population size and growth on the biosphere.
Results
We reviewed papers describing and quantifying the risks associated with population growth, especially relating to climate change. These risks are global in scale, such as greenhouse-gas emissions, climate disruption, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and spread of disease — all potentially catastrophic for human standards of living, health, and general well-being. The trends increasing the risks of global population growth are country development, demographics, maternal education, access to family planning, and child and maternal health.
Discussion
Support for nations still going through a demographic transition is required to ensure progress occurs within planetary boundaries and promotes equity and human rights. Ensuring the well-being for all under this aim itself will lower population growth and further promote environmental sustainability.
Evaluating the performance of the Generalized Hyperbolic skew Student t-distribution in modeling risk via simulation studies
Authors: Albert Antwi
Published: September 2023

The exponential-polynomial tail of the generalized hyperbolic skew Student-t distribution allows it to handle volatility asymmetry, heavy-semi heavy tails, and substantial skewness, thus the distribution has been found to be superiority in modelling volatility and extreme tail risk in comparison to competing distributions. However, because there are no known empirical tests to clearly differentiate between the tails of the empirical distribution of returns, one is likely to wrongly identify the generalized hyperbolic skew Student t-distribution as the true distribution. Under such circumstances, should one be worried about the accuracy of the forecasts? This is the question the study seeks to answer to provide insights to practitioners and researchers. In this regard, simulated returns are generated via GARCH framework under different distributional data generating assumptions and are then used to forecast volatility and tail risk to assess the performance of the different distributional assumptions. Observations from the results suggest that under a mis-specified distributional assumption for the true data generating process, the generalized hyperbolic skew Student-t distribution do not trade off forecast accuracies in for volatility and extreme tail risk forecasts but the same cannot be said about value-at-risk when the extreme returns occur below the quantile of interest. It is therefore recommended that when volatility and extreme tail risk forecasting is the objective of interest, and the tails of the returns are more Gaussian-like and exhibit substantial skewness, one should not be worried about the accuracy of the forecast when the generalized hyperbolic skew Student-t distribution is wrongly identified as the true distribution of the data generating process.
Assessing Climatic Anomalies and Trends: A Comprehensive Study of rainfall indices, minimum and maximum temperature
Authors: Arya Er. Vinay , Rao Mavidnam Someshwar
Published: September 2023

Understanding the intricate interplay of climate variables and their impacts on regional ecosystems is paramount for informed decision-making and effective adaptation strategies. This study delves into the multifaceted climate dynamics of the middle Ganga basin through a comprehensive analysis that spans spatial patterns, temporal trends, and statistical methodologies. Spatial analysis of wet and dry events from 1991 to 2020 reveals distinct regional variations. The upper half of the basin experiences heightened wet years, while the lower half grapples with recurring severe droughts. Augmenting the spatial exploration, our examination of rainfall and temperature trends highlights dynamic precipitation patterns, ranging from 500 to 1400 mm annually. Minimum and maximum temperatures exhibit variations across four temporal spans, furnishing a holistic portrayal of temperature dynamics. Harnessing the power of statistical tools, we unveil temporal trends through linear regression, Mann Kendall tests, and Sen's slope, offering a robust comprehension of rainfall and temperature shifts. These insights empower stakeholders with actionable data for resilient decision-making. Our research, deeply rooted in the middle Ganga basin's specifics, underscores the necessity of localized studies to unlock the complexities of climate dynamics. This approach aligns with the drive for precise climate adaptation and mitigation measures, promoting a harmonious coexistence of human development and environmental integrity. By fusing spatial analyses, trend assessments, and robust statistics, this study paints an intricate tapestry of climate dynamics. With implications for sustainable development, resource management, and policy formulation, these findings foster the narrative of climate resilience in the heart of the middle Ganga basin.
Development of the hyolaryngeal architecture in horseshoe bats: Insights into the evolution of the pulse generation for laryngeal echolocation
Authors: Nojiri Taro , Takechi Masaki , Furutera Toshiko , Brualla Nicolas L.M. , Iseki Sachiko , Fukui Dai , Tu Vuong Tan , Meguro Fumiya , Koyabu Daisuke
Published: September 2023

Background
The hyolaryngeal apparatus generates biosonar pulses in the laryngeally echolocating bats. The cartilage and muscles comprising the hyolarynx of laryngeally echolocating bats are morphologically modified compared to those of non-bat mammals, as represented by the hypertrophied intrinsic laryngeal muscle. Despite its crucial contribution to laryngeal echolocation, how the development of the hyolarynx in bats differs from that of other mammals is poorly documented. The genus Rhinolophus is one of the most sophisticated laryngeal echolocators, with the highest pulse frequency in bats. The present study provides the first detailed description of the three-dimensional anatomy and development of the skeleton, cartilage, muscle, and innervation patterns of the hyolaryngeal apparatus in two species of rhinolophid bats using micro-computed tomography images and serial tissue sections and compares them with those of laboratory mice. Furthermore, we measured the peak frequency of the echolocation pulse in active juvenile and adult individuals to correspond to echolocation pulses with hyolaryngeal morphology at each postnatal stage.
Results
We found that the sagittal crests of the cricoid cartilage separated the dorsal cricoarytenoid muscle in horseshoe bats, indicating that this unique morphology may be required to reinforce the repeated closure movement of the glottis during biosonar pulse emission. We also found that the cricothyroid muscle is ventrally hypertrophied throughout ontogeny, and that the cranial laryngeal nerve has a novel branch supplying the hypertrophied region of this muscle. Our bioacoustic analyses revealed that the peak frequency shows negative allometry against skull growth, and that the volumetric growth of all laryngeal cartilages is correlated with the pulse peak frequency.
Conclusions
The unique patterns of muscle and innervation revealed in this study appear to have been obtained concomitantly with the acquisition of tracheal chambers in rhinolophids and hipposiderids, improving sound intensity during laryngeal echolocation. In addition, significant protrusion of the sagittal crest of the cricoid cartilage and the separated dorsal cricoarytenoid muscle may contribute to the sophisticated biosonar in this laryngeally echolocating lineage. Furthermore, our bioacoustic data suggested that the mineralization of these cartilages underpins the ontogeny of echolocation pulse generation. The results of the present study provide crucial insights into how the anatomy and development of the hyolaryngeal apparatus shape the acoustic diversity in bats.
Return to work after hospitalization for sepsis; a nationwide, registry-based cohort study.
Authors: Skei Nina , Mo Karoline , Nilsen Tom Ivar Lund , Aasdahl Lene , Prescott Hallie , Damås Jan Kristian , Gustad Lise Tuset
Published: September 2023

Background: Survivors of sepsis hospitalization commonly experience functional impairment, which may limit return to work. We aimed to investigate return to work (RTW) of patients with sepsis and the associations between patient and clinical characteristics with RTW.
Methods: Working-age patients (18 to 60 years) admitted to a Norwegian hospital with sepsis between 2010 and end of 2021 were identified using the Norwegian Patient Registry and linked to sick-leave data from the Norwegian National Social Security System Registry. The outcomes were time to RTW, trends in age-standardized proportions of RTW and probability of sustainable RTW (31 days of consecutive work). The trends were calculated for each admission year, reported as annual percentage change with 95% CI. Cox regression analysis, including crude and adjusted hazard risk (HRs), was used to explore the association between sustainable RTW and patient and clinical characteristics (e.g., COVID-19 vs non-COVID-19 sepsis, ward vs intensive care admission) with RTW.
Results Among 35.839 hospitalizations for sepsis among patients aged 18 to 60 years during the study period, 12.260 (34.2%) were working prior to hospitalization and included in this study. The mean age was 43.7 years. At 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-discharge, 58.6%, 67.5%, and 63.4%, respectively, were working. The overall annual age-standardized RTW proportion at 6 months and 1 year remained stable throughout the study period, while the 2-year age-standardized RTW declined by 1.51% (95% CI, -2.22 to -0.79) per year, from 70.01% (95% CI, 67.21 to 74.80) in 2010 to 57.04% (95% CI, 53.81to 60.28) in 2019. Characteristics associated with sustainable RTW were younger age, fewer comorbidities, and fewer organ dysfunctions. The probability of sustainable RTW was higher in patients with COVID-19-related sepsis (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.49) than in sepsis patients and lower in ICU-patients (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.61) compared to ward-patients.
Conclusion The decrease in RTW from 1 to 2 years and the temporal trend of declining RTW at 2 years needs attention, and further work facilitation efforts are required, especially in vulnerable groups that may need other interventions than today to achieve sustained RTW.
Ohnsporn (Orchis anthropophora) in einem Steinbruch in Geseke/Westfalen – ein neues Vorkommen an der nördlichen Arealgrenze
Authors: Unterladstetter Volker , Jagel Armin , Jagel Armin
Published: September 2023

Es wird berichtet über ein Vorkommen des Ohnsporns an der Nordgrenze des Areals in einem stillgelegten Kalksteinbruch in Geseke (Westfalen). Dies stellt den Erstfund für die Westfälische Bucht dar. Der Wuchsort und die Begleitpflanzen werden beschrieben und die Herkunft des Ohnsporns wird vor dem Hintergrund einer postulierten Arealerweiterung der Art im Zuge der Klimaerwärmung diskutiert.
Germplasm Ownership: Related Corn Inbreds
Authors: Troyer A. Forrest , Rocheford Torbert R.
Published: September 2023

Corn (Zea mays L.) germplasm ownership methods are unwieldy and limit progress. Agronomic performance in hybrids better identifies inbreds for distinctness, i.e., independent varieties (IVs) or for dependency, i.e. essentially derived varieties (EDVs) than do molecular methods alone. Our objectives were to assess hybrid agronomic performance of some popular, closely related inbreds on the basis of molecular methods, and to offer thoughts on developing inbreds and on germplasm ownership. Significant agronomic differences were detected between the following: two hybrids in the same genetic group on the basis of 21 isozymic loci; two closely related inbreds (B73 and LH119) with 88.6% (62/70) RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) similarity; and two closely related inbreds (Mo17 and LH51) with 88.2% (60/68) RFLP similarity. We suggest raising dependency standards for patenting inbreds to 90% or more, allowing the right to use and also paying a small royalty for only 5 yr on EDVs to the owner of the IV, and maintaining a research exemption to provide elite inbreds for developing new inbreds and experimental hybrids to all breeders. This will help maintain genetic gain for corn grain yield and serve the common good.
Olivine—The Alteration Rock Star
Authors: Plümper Oliver , Matter Juerg
Published: September 2023

Olivine is the main component of the Earth’s upper mantle, on which our tectonic plates rest. As such, olivine has been studied since the dawn of geology and is regarded as the storyteller of the Earth’s interior. Its physical and chemical properties provide insight into its creation in magmas and its voyage through the upper mantle. However, when olivine is exposed to aqueous fluids, it adopts a more rebellious, rock star–like disposition. Here, we show that the discord, or disequilibrium, between olivine, its reaction products, and fluids containing water and carbon dioxide is so significant that it has been instrumental in changing the Earth throughout the planet’s history and will continue to do so well into the future.
Financial literacy and financial attitude on financial management behavior: An examination of the mediating role of the behavioral intention of students at private universities in Indonesia
Authors: Fitri Wahyuni Sri , Radiman  , Shareza Hafiz Muhammad , Jufrizen
Published: September 2023

Financial management behavior is an implementation action of planning and managing a person’s financial resources, both in consumption and investment activities, which can show a person’s characteristics in financial management based on the risks that arise so that each needs good control. This study aims to determine the impact of financial literacy and financial attitude on financial management behavior, mediated by the behavioral intentions of university students. The participants in this study are undergraduate students currently enrolled at prestigious private universities in Medan (North Sumatra, Indonesia). This study’s population and sample consisted of students from the Faculty of Economics and Business at Private Universities in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Purposive and snowball sampling were used with data collection techniques, namely online questionnaires. The Likert scale measures indicators in responses to statements and questions. There were 150 respondents for this study’s data collection. The findings of the study indicate that financial literacy influences financial management behavior and behavioral intentions (p < 0.05). Financial attitude affects financial management behavior (p < 0.05), financial attitude does not affect behavioral intentions (p > 0.05), and behavioral intention affects Financial Management Behavior (p < 0.05). Behavioral intentions do not mediate the effect of financial literacy on Financial Management Behavior (p > 0.05), and the effect of financial attitudes on Financial Management Behavior is not mediated by behavioral intentions (p > 0.05). AcknowledgmentsThis study is supported by all levels of management at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara for funding Fundamental research in 2022 and thanks also to the ranks of the Institute of Research and Community Service (LPPM) Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara.
Exploring the effectiveness of social control mechanisms in fostering citizen involvement in rural local budgeting: The Kazakhstani perspective
Authors: Ismailova Rymkul , Kalymbetova Aigul , Torebekova Zulfiya , Bokayev Yerlan , Aitkozhina Aliya
Published: September 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the involvement of citizens in the administration of local budgets, which significantly contribute to the financial and economic independence of rural areas. The study presents the findings of a sociological research conducted in the Turkestan region, Kazakhstan. The survey included 259 rural residents from 14 rural districts and two significant cities in the region, all aged 18 and above and permanent residents of these areas. The analysis is based on the survey results, focusing on the overall level of citizens’ engagement in decision-making regarding local budget formation and distribution in rural areas. The study reveals a low level of citizen participation in managing the local budget. While general meetings and local gatherings serve as primary avenues for citizen involvement, only 79.9% of respondents reported participating in budget discussions, with only 20.1% of their opinions considered during budget allocation.Finally, the study identifies several factors that negatively affect effective citizen participation in local budget management. These factors include a lack of timely awareness and information about upcoming planning and budget meetings (56.4%), insufficient transparency in the actions of local executive leaders (Akims) (14.3%), bureaucratic complexity and a formal approach to budget discussions (3.5%), and low levels of citizen trust in rural district Akims (5.4%).
Acknowledgment This study is funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (BR18574203).
CONSTRUÇÃO DE PROCEDIMENTO OPERACIONAL PADRÃO COMO FERRAMENTA FACILITADORA DE GESTÃO EM SAÚDE EM UMA FACULDADE DE ODONTOLOGIA
Authors: Mácola de Almeida Gabriel , Lima de Andrade Camila , Bezerra Dias Hércules , Silva do Nascimento Liliane
Published: September 2023

Introdução: O Procedimento Operacional Padrão é uma relevante ferramenta de gestão para otimizar o processo de trabalho dentro da perspectiva da resolutividade definida nos princípios do SUS. Objetivo: elaborar um POP para estandardizar o funcionamento do fluxo de materiais do almoxarifado da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade Federal do Pará. Metodologia: Estudo descritivo que propôs a criação de uma ferramenta de tecnologia leve dividido em três etapas: aprofundamento teórico, elaboração e refinamento. Resultados: A equipe envolvida no processo de trabalho da unidade de saúde colaborou com a construção do instrumento, favorecendo o estabelecimento de vínculo e assertividade. O POP elaborado constitui subsídio para organização do fluxo com o objetivo de esclarecer, facilitar e padronizar o uso do almoxarifado, promovendo estratégias de uso adequado no manejo dos materiais e a racionalização dos mesmos, com a finalidade de tirar máximo proveito e reduzir custos. Conclusões: A elaboração da ferramenta promoveu aprimoramento do processo de trabalho no manejo dos materiais e equipamentos odontológicos. A participação dos sujeitos envolvidos gerou fortalecimento do vínculo e co-responsabilização.
ABSENTEÍSMO E SUAS CAUSAS NO CONTEXTO DA SAÚDE DOS TRABALHADORES EM ONCOLOGIA: REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA
Authors: Martins Jéssica Martinelli , Costa Ketyllem Tayanne da Silva , Capistrano Gustavo Nepomuceno , Mendes Cristina Katya Torres Teixeira , Cavalcante Elisangela Franco de Oliveira , Andrade Fábia Barbosa de
Published: September 2023

Introdução: O ritmo elevado de trabalho, somado às demandas físicas e psicológicas, levam ao estresse nos contextos pessoal e laboral, o que faz com que as pessoas se afastem de seus ambientes de trabalho como um dos motivos apontados para a incapacidade para o trabalho. Essa realidade tem sido amplamente observada no ambiente hospitalar, possivelmente associada a problemas relacionados à fadiga da compaixão, geralmente em serviços de oncologia. Dessa forma, a motivação deste estudo foi compreender os motivos do absenteísmo em oncologia, e se esse episódio ocorre devido ao processo de trabalho. Objetivo: Investigar as causas do absenteísmo entre profissionais expostos a riscos ambientais em hospitais oncológicos. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisão de escopo sobre o tema do absenteísmo, o que indica novos rumos para futuras investigações. Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura com base em três pilares: 1) O processo de trabalho multidisciplinar em oncologia e o risco de adoecimento; 2) O absentismo dos profissionais de saúde em oncologia; 3) O problema da pandemia de COVID-19 para os trabalhadores da saúde. Posteriormente, foram escolhidos os descritores e a partir deles foram realizadas buscas nas bases de dados eletrônicas PUBMED, LILACS e SCOPUS. Resultados: Obteve-se um resultado de dez estudos. Constatou-se que os principais transtornos, que levam à incapacidade para o trabalho e, por sua vez, ao absenteísmo, foram de origem psíquica (depressão e Síndrome de Burnout) e de origem musculoesquelética. Conclusões: A dupla jornada de trabalho foi citada como fator facilitador para o aparecimento desses transtornos, onde tais cenários não incapacitam o trabalhador para o desenvolvimento de suas atividades, que podem ser temporárias ou permanentes.