bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women and CSR budgeting and spending: Does ownership enhance their CSR role?
Authors: Baatwah Saeed Rabea , Abdul Wahab Effiezal Aswadi
Published: August 2023

We investigate the impact of women shareholders on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and how they interact with women directors to exert a greater influence on CSR activities. Little is known about how women's ownership can enhance their roles in CSR practices. Based on data from Omani‐listed firms during 2016–2020 and using CSR budgeting and spending as proxies for CSR activities, firms with women shareholders allocate more CSR budgeting and spend more money on CSR activities. However, we also find that women directors can only affect CSR budgeting and spending if their representation on the board is increased. Furthermore, we find that firms with women shareholders and directors have higher CSR budgeting and spending. Further analysis reveals that women shareholders are more likely to spend money on CSR activities within the budgeted amount and are less likely to be associated with gaps between CSR budgeting and spending. This analysis also shows that the type of ownership (family versus non‐family) influences women shareholders' effects on CSR budgeting and spending. Our empirical findings provide critical insights into how woman shareholders influence CSR actions.
Epistemic justice and injustice among youth with mental health concerns
Authors: Greenblatt Andrea , Lee Eunjung , Ashcroft Rachelle , Muskat Barbara
Published: August 2023

This paper applied a critical narrative analysis to narratives of youth self‐identifying as having mental health concerns. Instances of epistemic justice and injustice were identified related to youth's interactions with clinical and educational institutions as well as with parents and peers. Youth experienced instances of institutional ignorance related to their experiences, as well as implicit and explicit silencing of their experiences. Youth also experienced validation from practitioners and teachers who validated their needs and knowledge of their own experiences. Implications for practice and research are discussed around promoting epistemically just practice with youth and in the mental health system.
Ethical dimensions in encounters with families with a disabled child
Authors: Daelman Silke , De Schauwer Elisabeth
Published: August 2023

Parents of a disabled child experience complex situations with varied and sometimes contradictory needs, interests, and emotions, and with ambiguities related to the possibilities for both child and family in the context of contemporary normative ableist thinking. In this review, we propose ethics based on ‘flourishing’ and ‘thisness’; with the goal to encourage people to see encounters with parents and families as emergent experimental spaces in which we remain open and interested in developments rather than in fixed ideas. Working with parents with lived experiences of raising a disabled child, we explore the collaboration processes among families, their support networks, and (medical) professionals. These encounters require an ethical perspective, with emergent listening as central to the process. A story is used to highlight the importance of listening as part of an assemblage, recognizing what is already there and affirming the potential for change. Engaging in ethical encounters with families with a disabled child asks for epistemic humility and the willingness to be unsure. Rather than offering step‐by‐step strategies, we open up for the encounter with the ‘incalculable other’.
“Which side are you on?” A historical study of union membership composition in seven Western countries
Authors: Batut Cyprien , Lojkine Ulysse , Santini Paolo
Published: August 2023

This study uses surveys from the past 60 years to study union membership in Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We first revisit aggregate union densities finding that, for France and Italy, they were at times under‐ and overestimated, respectively. Second, we document the evolution of the composition of union membership in terms of gender, occupation, education, and sector. Different stylized facts emerge for different groups of countries. These facts do not lend support to the composition‐based theory that attributes deunionization to deindustrialization, nor to the technological theory that predicts the exit of the high‐skilled from unions.
Analysis of MUC6 polymorphisms on the clinicopathologic characteristics of Asian patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Hua Chun‐Hung , Chuang Chun‐Yi , Chien Yi‐Chung , Su Chun‐Wen , Chen Shuo‐Chueh , Liu Liang‐Chih , Yang Shun‐Fa , Yu Yung‐Luen
Published: August 2023

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are generally associated with tobacco consumption, alcohol abuse or both. Mucins (MUCs) are high‐molecular‐weight glycoproteins produced by many epithelial tissues. Many studies have indicated that MUCs play an important role in cancer metastasis. MUC6 expression has been observed in gastric and oncocytic phenotypes and plays an important role during cancer progression. We found that levels of MUC6 are lower in Asian HNCC patients and affect the disease‐free survival of HNCC patients. Next, we investigated the combined effect of MUC6 polymorphisms and exposure to environmental carcinogens on the susceptibility to and clinicopathological characteristics of HNCC. Three single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MUC6 (rs7481521, rs6597947 and rs61869016) were analysed using real‐time PCR. After adjusting for other co‐variants, we found that carrying a CC genotype at MUC6 rs6597947 led to a lower risk of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) than wild‐type carriers among non‐betel‐quid chewers. Moreover, male oral cancer patients who carried the AA + CC genotype at MUC6 rs6597947 had a lower risk of lymph node metastasis than other genotypes, suggesting a significant functional compromise and decompensated disease. Therefore, our findings suggest that genetic variations in MUC6 may correlate to OSCC and indicate the progression in OSCC patients.
The effect of Banxia‐houpo decoction on CUMS‐induced depression by promoting M2 microglia polarization via TrkA/Akt signalling
Authors: Liu Li , Zhang Rong , Chen Chang , Xia Changbo , Yao Guangda , He Xiaogang , Xia Baomei
Published: August 2023

It has been reported that Banxia‐houpo decoction (BXHPD) serves as the anti‐depressant treatment for a mild and severe depressive disease with limited side effects. The present study was performed to evaluate the protective effect of BXHPD on chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS)‐induced depression and explore its effect on TrkA/Akt‐mediated microglia polarization. The CUMS procedure was carried out, and the mice were intragastrically treated with BXHPD once daily. The selective TrkA inhibitor GW441756 was applied to further investigate the role of TrkA in BXHPD‐mediated microglia polarization. The behaviour test including open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), novelty‐suppressed feeding test (NSFT), tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST) was performed. The concentrations of pro‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐6, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐12 and anti‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐4, IL‐10 were determined using Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The population of Iba1+ cells and the length of microglia processes were observed under the fluorescence microscope. The mRNA expressions of Arg1, Ym1 and Fizzl1 were measured by PCR. The protein expressions of TrkA, p‐Tyr490‐TrkA, p‐Ser473‐Akt, p‐Ser473‐Akt1, p‐Ser474‐Akt2, p‐CREB and Jmjd3 were detected by western blot. Our results showed that BXHPD attenuated CUMS‐induced depressive‐like behaviour, promoted anti‐inflammatory cytokines, inhibited pro‐inflammatory cytokines, suppressed microglia activation, promoted M2 phenotype‐specific indices and upregulated the expressions of TrkA, p‐Tyr490‐TrkA, p‐Ser473‐Akt, p‐Ser473‐Akt1, p‐Ser474‐Akt2, p‐CREB and Jmjd3. The above beneficial effect of BXHPD can be blocked by TrkA inhibitor GW441756. This work demonstrated that BXHPD exerted an anti‐depressant effect by promoting M2 phenotype microglia polarization via TrkA/Akt pathway.
Theorie und Praxis der Pantomime zwischen Frankreich und Österreich/Deutschland: Aspekte eines Kulturtransfers
Authors: Mazellier‐Lajarrige Catherine
Published: August 2023

Der Beitrag untersucht Formen und Wege des Kulturtransfers zwischen Frankreich und Österreich, bzw. Deutschland, im Bereich der Pantomime, insbesondere unter dem Blickwinkel der „Texttheatralität“ (Poschmann). Bei vielen deutschsprachigen Pantomimenautoren ist die Begegnung mit der Pariser Pantomime, die 1888 mit der Gründung des „Cercle Funambulesque“ ihre Wiedergeburt feiert, für Theorie und Praxis ausschlaggebend. Diese künstlerische Befruchtung wird sowohl in den theoretischen Ansätzen als auch in den praktischen Umsetzungen präzisiert, wobei anhand eines Beispiels, nämlich LevetzowsDie beiden Pierrots, die „Theatralität“ der pantomimischen Texte im Hinblick auf ihre Nähe zum Epischen, ihr performatives Potenzial, ihre Materialität und Metatextualität analysiert wird.
A new solution to the problem of luck
Authors: Whittle Ann
Published: August 2023

The issue of whether and how we have the control necessary for freedom and moral responsibility is central to all control accounts of freedom and moral responsibility. The problem of luck for libertarians aims to show that indeterministic agents are ill‐equipped with the control required for freedom and moral responsibility. In view of this, we must either endorse scepticism about the possibility of free and morally responsible agents, or make some form of, possibly revisionary, compatibilism work.

In this paper, I shall offer a new solution to the problem of luck for libertarians. After outlining the problem of luck, I shall argue that, given a particular approach to mental causation, indeterminism can be viewed as an essential requirement of free and morally responsible action. After this, I shall distinguish between different types of inability and show how this provides us with a solution to the problem of luck. Finally, I shall consider some advantages and objections to the proposed solution.
Incidence and risk factors of cognitive dysfunction in hemodialysis patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Liu Jun , Chen Kehong , Chen Jia , Fu Lili , Zhang Weiwei , Lin Jing , Wan Jingfang
Published: August 2023

Background

The study aims to explore the incidence and risk factors of cognitive dysfunction in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for clinical studies on the association between hemodialysis and cognitive dysfunction from the database's inception to 1 December 2022. Two researchers independently completed data extraction and risk of bias assessments for the included studies. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA15.0 software.

Results

Ten studies were included in this meta‐analysis, with a total of 5535 hemodialysis patients, that is, 2033 patients with cognitive dysfunction and 3502 patients with normal cognitive function. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale scores of the included studies were greater than 5. Meta‐analysis results suggested that the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in hemodialysis patients was (effect size = 51%, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.33, 0.69]), and hemodialysis patients with cognitive dysfunction were often older than those with normal cognition (standard mean difference [SMD] = 0.49, 95% CI [0.31, 0.68]). Female gender was a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in hemodialysis patients (relative risk [RR] = 1.21, 95% CI [1.04, 1.41]); diabetes (RR = 1.33, 95% CI [1.04, 1.71]) and stroke (RR = 1.66, 95% CI [1.08, 2.55]) increased the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in hemodialysis patients.

Conclusions

The most important risk factors for cognitive dysfunction associated with hemodialysis might be female gender, old age, diabetes, and stroke. Close attention should be paid to such patients for early prevention.
Iridial melanocytoma in a ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis): A case report and review of avian melanocytic neoplasia
Authors: Spitznagel Katya , Sadar Miranda J. , Terhaar Hannah , Brandao Joao , Teixeira Leandro , de Linde Henriksen Michala
Published: August 2023

A 21‐year‐old, suspected female captive ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) was followed for 3 years due to an iridial mass of the left eye (OS) that progressively increased in size. Enucleation of OS was eventually recommended due to the iridial mass taking up approximately 75% of the anterior chamber, and the bird seemed less active. A complete physical examination, complete blood cell count, biochemistry, and survey radiographs were performed pre‐surgery with no findings indicating metastasis. A subconjunctival enucleation was performed and the globe was submitted for histopathology through the Comparative Ocular Pathology Lab of Wisconsin. The histopathologic evaluation determined the mass to be consistent with an iris melanocytoma, which has not been previously reported in this species. The patient recovered well from surgery and has remained comfortable and active for 117 days post‐surgery. This case report aimed to review the current available information on avian ocular neoplasms as well as describe the clinical presentation, medical management and surgical procedure, and long‐term follow‐up for this patient to enhance clinical understanding of the behavior of iris melanocytic tumors in avian species.
Structural and Lithological Models of Ilmenite Placer Deposits in Ukraine
Authors: Ganzha Olena , Okholina Tetiana , Kroshko Yulia , Kuzmanenko Halyna , Kovalchuk Myron
Published: August 2023

Since the 1950s, a large number of geological prospecting and exploration works have been carried out on the territory of Ukraine, dedicated to the search and exploration of placer titanium deposits. As a result, a powerful titanium raw material base has been created, in particular, titanium ore deposits with reserves and resources exceeding the total titanium reserves of all other countries of the world have been explored and prepared for exploration. The most promising deposits began to be developed and became the basis for the creation of the Irshanskiy mining and processing plant (Zhytomyr region) and the Vilnohirsk mining and metallurgical plant (Dnipropetrovsk region). The relevance of the presented subject is conditioned upon the need to use the latest information support tools to improve the quality of processing and presentation of geological information. The paper presents a summary lithostratigraphic scheme, features of the  genesis and distribution of ore material (ilmenite) of the Krasnokutsk, Zlobychi, and Birzuliv deposits. These deposits are located in different parts (according to the tectonic division) of Ukraine, they have a diversified lithostratigraphy, geological and genetic types. Structural-lithological modelling of these objects is carried out. According to the presented structural and lithological models and paleogeographic reconstructions of the time of deposit formation, the change in ilmenite distribution depending on the type of placer formation is shown.
Toward Sustainable Manufacturing Facilities: Utilization of Solar Energy for Efficient Scheduling of Manufacturing Processes
Authors: Houchati Mahdi , Alabtah Fatima G. , Beitelmal AbdlMonem H. , Khraisheh Marwan
Published: August 2023

The utilization of solar energy as a renewable energy source has been a subject of interest for researchers in recent years. Despite recent advances in promoting solar energy, its intermittent and unpredictable nature limits its widespread utilization in manufacturing facilities. This research paper focuses on utilizing solar energy for efficient scheduling of manufacturing processes while keeping friendly environmental conditions for the workers. The work proposes an energy-aware dynamic scheduling procedure to minimize production and building costs by optimizing the utilization of an onsite photovoltaic (PV) system energy generation. The proposed method considers various factors such as the availability of solar energy, energy consumption of different manufacturing processes, and thermal requirements of the building. A stochastic energy prediction algorithm is developed to forecast the hourly one-day-ahead solar resources based on year-long solar radiation observations collected from an outdoor solar test facility in Qatar. This study shows that using the forecasted PV output improves the overall efficiency of manufacturing processes and building thermal requirements, thus achieving up to a 20% reduction in energy costs. These findings help the development of sustainable manufacturing systems and decrease the negative environmental impacts from industries.
Moving to an Activity-Friendly Community Can Increase Physical Activity
Authors: Lee Chanam , Xu Minjie , Zhu Xuemei , Towne Samuel D. , Sang Huiyan , Lee Hanwool , Ory Marcia G.
Published: August 2023

Background: Creating activity-friendly communities (AFCs) is an important strategy to increase physical activity (PA). While cross-sectional links between community environments and PA are well documented, their causal relationships remain insufficiently explored. Methods: Using the accelerometer and survey data collected from adults who moved to an AFC (cases) and similar non-AFC-residing adults who did not move (comparisons), this pre–post, case-comparison study examines if moving to an AFC increases PA. Data came from 115 participants (cases = 37, comparisons = 78) from Austin, Texas, who completed 2 waves of 1-weeklong data collection. Difference-in-difference analyses and fixed-effect models were used to test the significance of the pre–post differences in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) between cases and comparisons, for the full sample and the subsample of 37 pairs matched in key covariates using the Propensity Score Matching method. Results: Average treatment effect generated based on Propensity Score Matching and difference-in-difference showed that moving to this AFC led to an average of 10.88 additional minutes of daily MVPA (76.16 weekly minutes, P = .015). Fixed-effect models echoed the result with an increase of 10.39 minutes of daily MVPA after moving to the AFC. We also found that case participants who were less active at baseline and had higher income increased their MVPA more than their counterparts. Conclusions: This study showed that, among our study sample, moving to an AFC increased residents’ PA significantly when compared to their premove level and the comparison group. This causal evidence suggests the potential of AFCs as sustainable interventions for PA promotion.
Species redistribution creates unequal outcomes for multispecies fisheries under projected climate change
Authors: Liu Owen R. , Ward Eric J. , Anderson Sean C. , Andrews Kelly S. , Barnett Lewis A. K. , Brodie Stephanie , Carroll Gemma , Fiechter Jerome , Haltuch Melissa A. , Harvey Chris J. , Hazen Elliott L. , Hernvann Pierre-Yves , Jacox Michael , Kaplan Isaac C. , Matson Sean , Norman Karma , Pozo Buil Mercedes , Selden Rebecca L. , Shelton Andrew , Samhouri Jameal F.
Published: August 2023

Climate change drives species distribution shifts, affecting the availability of resources people rely upon for food and livelihoods. These impacts are complex, manifest at local scales, and have diverse effects across multiple species. However, for wild capture fisheries, current understanding is dominated by predictions for individual species at coarse spatial scales. We show that species-specific responses to localized environmental changes will alter the collection of co-occurring species within established fishing footprints along the U.S. West Coast. We demonstrate that availability of the most economically valuable, primary target species is highly likely to decline coastwide in response to warming and reduced oxygen concentrations, while availability of the most abundant, secondary target species will potentially increase. A spatial reshuffling of primary and secondary target species suggests regionally heterogeneous opportunities for fishers to adapt by changing where or what they fish. Developing foresight into the collective responses of species at local scales will enable more effective and tangible adaptation pathways for fishing communities.
In vitro modeling of CD8
+
T cell exhaustion enables CRISPR screening to reveal a role for BHLHE40
Authors: Wu Jennifer E. , Manne Sasikanth , Ngiow Shin Foong , Baxter Amy E. , Huang Hua , Freilich Elizabeth , Clark Megan L. , Lee Joanna H. , Chen Zeyu , Khan Omar , Staupe Ryan P. , Huang Yinghui J. , Shi Junwei , Giles Josephine R. , Wherry E. John
Published: August 2023

Identifying molecular mechanisms of exhausted CD8 T cells (T
ex
) is a key goal of improving immunotherapy of cancer and other diseases. However, high-throughput interrogation of in vivo T
ex
can be costly and inefficient. In vitro models of T
ex
are easily customizable and quickly generate high cellular yield, enabling CRISPR screening and other high-throughput assays. We established an in vitro model of chronic stimulation and benchmarked key phenotypic, functional, transcriptional, and epigenetic features against bona fide in vivo T
ex
. We leveraged this model of in vitro chronic stimulation in combination with CRISPR screening to identify transcriptional regulators of T cell exhaustion. This approach identified several transcription factors, including BHLHE40. In vitro and in vivo validation defined a role for BHLHE40 in regulating a key differentiation checkpoint between progenitor and intermediate T
ex
subsets. By developing and benchmarking an in vitro model of T
ex
, then applying high-throughput CRISPR screening, we demonstrate the utility of mechanistically annotated in vitro models of T
ex
.
Pangenome analysis provides insights into the genetic diversity, metabolic versatility, and evolution of the genus
Flavobacterium
Authors: Kim Minji , Cha In-Tae , Lee Ki-Eun , Li Meng , Park Soo-Je
Published: August 2023

Members of the genus
Flavobacterium
are widely distributed and produce various polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. Many species in the genus have been isolated and characterized. However, few studies have focused on marine isolates or fish pathogens, and in-depth genomic analyses, particularly comparative analyses of isolates from different habitat types, are lacking. Here, we isolated 20 strains of the genus from various environments in South Korea and sequenced their full-length genomes. Combined with published sequence data, we examined genomic traits, evolution, environmental adaptation, and putative metabolic functions in total 187 genomes of isolated species in
Flavobacterium
categorized as marine, host-associated, and terrestrial including freshwater. A pangenome analysis revealed a correlation between genome size and coding or noncoding density.
Flavobacterium
spp. had high levels of diversity, allowing for novel gene repertories via recombination events. Defense-related genes only accounted for approximately 3% of predicted genes in all
Flavobacterium
genomes. While genes involved in metabolic pathways did not differ with respect to isolation source, there was substantial variation in genomic traits; in particular, the abundances of tRNAs and rRNAs were higher in the host-associdated group than in other groups. One genome in the host-associated group contained a
Microviridae
prophage closely related to an enterobacteria phage. The proteorhodopsin gene was only identified in four terrestrial strains isolated for this study. Furthermore, recombination events clearly influenced genomic diversity and may contribute to the response to environmental stress. These findings shed light on the high genetic variation in
Flavobacterium
and functional roles in diverse ecosystems as a result of their metabolic versatility.

IMPORTANCE

The genus
Flavobacterium
is a diverse group of bacteria that are found in a variety of environments. While most species of this genus are harmless and utilize organic substrates such as proteins and polysaccharides, some members may play a significant role in the cycling for organic substances within their environments. Nevertheless, little is known about the genomic dynamics and/or metabolic capacity of
Flavobacterium
. Here, we found that
Flavobacterium
species may have an open pangenome, containing a variety of diverse and novel gene repertoires. Intriguingly, we discovered that one genome (classified into host-associated group) contained a
Microviridae
prophage closely related to that of enterobacteria. Proteorhodopsin may be expressed under conditions of light or oxygen pressure in some strains isolated for this study. Our findings significantly contribute to the understanding of the members of the genus
Flavobacterium
diversity exploration and will provide a framework for the way for future ecological characterizations.
Supplemental Material: FTIR study of H2O in silicate minerals and mineral inclusions in chromite from the peridotite zone of the Stillwater complex (Montana, USA): Evidence for chromitite formation in an H2O-rich environment
Authors: Bai Yang , Su Ben-Xun , et al.
Published: August 2023

Table S1: Number, brief descriptions, and locations of the studied samples from the Stillwater complex. Table S2: Major-element compositions of silicate minerals in two types of inclusions and interstitial matrix. Table S3: Major-element concentrations of bulk inclusion and proposed parental magmas for the ultramafic series. Figure S1: Backscattered electron images showing the distribution of polymineralic inclusions in chromite from the Stillwater complex. Figure S2: Details of backscattered electron images showing morphology, texture, and mineral assemblage of polymineralic inclusions in chromite from the Stillwater complex. Figure S3: Details of backscattered electron images of single-phase inclusions occurring in margins of chromite grains. Figure S4: Cross-polarized photomicrographs for selected samples. Figure S5: Unpolarized infrared absorption spectra for olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene from the Stillwater complex.
On parahoric Hitchin systems over curves
Authors: Wang Bin
Published: August 2023

In this paper, we talk about parahoric Hitchin systems over smooth projective curves with the structure group a semisimple simply connected group. We prove the equivalence of parahoric Hitchin systems over the curve with Hitchin systems over a corresponding root stack with a finite cyclic group action determined (up to conjugation) by the parahoric data. And we also show the compatibility of the equivalence with Hitchin maps. We work over an algebraically closed field with a mild assumption of the characteristic.
MCA-NER: Multi-Contextualized Adversarial-Based Attentional Deep Neural Network for Named Entity Recognition
Authors: He Shufeng , Zhu Peng , Zhao Yanxia , Sun Dianqi
Published: August 2023

Multi-contextualized representations learning is vital for named entity recognition (NER), which is a fundamental task for effectively extracting structured information from unstructured text, and forming knowledge bases. This task is particularly challenging when dealing with Chinese text given the absence of evident word boundaries. Chinese word segmentation (CWS) can be leveraged to recognize word boundaries, but named entities often encompass multiple segmented words, making it crucial to use boundary information to correctly recognize and distinguish the relationships between these words. In this paper, we propose MCA-NER, a multi-contextualized adversarial-based attentional deep learning approach for Chinese NER, which combines CWS and part-of-speech (POS) tagging information with the classic BiLSTM-CRF NER model, using adversarial multi-task learning. The model incorporates several self-attention components for adversarial and multi-task learning, effectively synthesizing task-specific and common information attribution while improving performance across all three tasks. Experimental results on the three datasets provide compelling evidence that supports the effectiveness and performance of our model.
LHFNet: A Fast and Accurate Object Detector Based on CenterNet
Authors: Shi Xianrang , Su Yang , Ti Yan , Song Tinglun
Published: August 2023

This paper proposes LHFNet, an improved object detection method based on CenterNet, which achieves a better speed-accuracy trade-off. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: We design a lightweight Hourglass network to reduce the number of parameters and computations of CenterNet, thus improving the detection speed. We introduce an intermediate feature map fusion module to enhance the feature extraction capability of Hourglass, which compensates for the possible performance degradation caused by the network simplification. We apply an attention module to the final heat map to improve the image feature representation. We design and optimize a series of loss functions to train LHFNet effectively. Through the research in this paper, we demonstrate that the feature map fusion and the attention module greatly improve the performance of LHFNet. We evaluate our method on the COCO dataset and achieve a high accuracy at a fast speed (Tesla V100), which outperforms other object detection methods in terms of both accuracy and efficiency.
Classification of Retinal Vascular Diseases Using Ensemble Decision Tree in Thermal Images
Authors: Meenakshi R. Madura , Padmapriya N. , Venkateswaran N. , Shperling Shany , Leshno Ari
Published: August 2023

In the field of medicine, thermal image processing and analysis play a significant role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of diseases. For example, during the last decade, several studies have been performed based on thermal image processing for ocular disease diagnosis. This research proposes a unique approach for the classification of subgroups of two retinal vascular diseases, namely diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The class imbalance problem is a well-known issue when working with medical data, where one class is significantly less represented than another class in the dataset. To deal with the class imbalance issue, an ensemble decision tree classifier with a random under-sampling and adaptive boosting (RUSBoost) technique is proposed. The performance of the proposed classifier is compared with various traditional machine learning-based classifiers. Experimental results show that the proposed ensemble tree outperforms other classifiers through high accuracy, [Formula: see text]-score, and Mathews correlation coefficient (MCC) values in classifying diabetic eye diseases and AMD diseases. The proposed ensemble decision tree distinguishes dry AMD and wet AMD over healthy controls with 95% average accuracy. Also, it classifies diabetic retinopathy (DR) with diabetic macular edema (DME) and DR without DME with 94% average accuracy. The classifier could distinguish dry and wet AMD which did not work around in temperature analysis on the manual temperature measurement. The performance of the automated classification model is on par with the performance of the temperature analysis of OST for DME and DR without DME.
Confirmation Method for Flight Operators’ Interaction Based on the Improved Lightweight DenseNet
Authors: Wang Yawen , Yao Yining , Wang Changyuan , Jiang Guangyi , Xue Pengxiang , Zhang Yu
Published: August 2023

Rapid and accurate confirmation of operational intent can improve the efficiency of flight operators in handling sudden emergencies. A lightweight DenseNet flight operator blink interaction confirmation method based on visual gaze is proposed to address the issues of low accuracy and long-time consumption in traditional methods for confirming operational intentions. After determining whether the visual gaze of the flight operator is located at the confirmation button, this method uses two consecutive blinks to confirm the intention of the operation. When performing blink recognition, an improved lightweight DenseNet network model is used, which only uses one block and introduces attention SEBlocks in its [Formula: see text]1 and [Formula: see text]2 layers. Through testing experiments on our own dataset with open and closed eye images, it has been shown that this method has higher accuracy and lower loss compared to the classical DenseNet for open and closed eye recognition. The interactive experiment of flight operation intention confirmation showed that this method requires a shorter time for operation intention confirmation.
The Taylor resolution over a skew polynomial ring
Authors: Ferraro Luigi , Martin Desiree , Frank Moore W.
Published: August 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be a field and let [Formula: see text] be a monomial ideal in the polynomial ring [Formula: see text]. In her thesis, Taylor introduced a complex which provides a finite free resolution for [Formula: see text] as a [Formula: see text]-module. Later, Gemeda constructed a differential graded structure on the Taylor resolution. More recently, Avramov showed that this differential graded algebra admits divided powers. We generalize each of these results to monomial ideals in a skew polynomial ring [Formula: see text]. Under the hypothesis that the skew commuting parameters defining [Formula: see text] are roots of unity, we prove as an application that as [Formula: see text] varies among all ideals generated by a fixed number of monomials of degree at least two in [Formula: see text], there is only a finite number of possibilities for the Poincaré series of [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text] and for the isomorphism classes of the homotopy Lie algebra of [Formula: see text] in cohomological degree larger or equal to two.
Multi-derivations of Poisson algebras
Authors: Jiang Jun
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this paper is to study multi-derivations of Poisson algebras. First, we show that the space of multi-derivations of a Lie algebra [Formula: see text] with the Nijenhuis–Richardson bracket is a differential graded Lie algebra. Then we introduce the notion of a multi-derivation of a Poisson algebra, and show that the space of multi-derivations of a Poisson algebra with the Nijenhuis–Richardson bracket is also a graded Lie algebra. Finally, we study multi-derivations of three concrete Poisson algebras coming from linear Poisson manifolds, symplectic manifolds and Poisson manifolds with vanishing first cohomology groups. We establish the relationship between multi-derivations of a Lie algebra [Formula: see text] and multi-derivations of the linear Poisson manifold [Formula: see text], and show that a two-derivation of a connected symplectic manifold [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the Poisson bivector field induced by the symplectic structure [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a real number. We also prove that a two-derivation of a connected Poisson manifold [Formula: see text] with trivial Poisson cohomology group [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a Casimir function.
Tuberculosis transmission with multiple saturated exogenous reinfections
Authors: Das Saduri , Srivastava Prashant K. , Biswas Pankaj
Published: August 2023

In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model for tuberculosis transmission, which incorporates multiple saturated exogenous reinfections, is proposed and explored. The existence of disease-free and endemic steady states is investigated. Disease-free equilibrium (DFE) is locally asymptotically stable (LAS) but not globally asymptotically stable (GAS) when the basic reproduction number, [Formula: see text]. However, it is GAS only when there is no exogenous reinfection. The local asymptotic stability and global asymptotic stability of the unique endemic equilibrium point (EEP) are established under certain conditions when [Formula: see text]. Further, the EEP is GAS when [Formula: see text], provided there is no exogenous reinfection. When [Formula: see text] is below unity, the presence of multiple endemic equilibria is found which leads to backward bifurcation. It is demonstrated that the system encounters a Hopf-bifurcation when the transmission rate [Formula: see text] crosses a critical value, resulting in the formation of limit cycles, i.e. periodic solutions bifurcate around the EEP when [Formula: see text] passes a critical value. The stability and direction of Hopf-bifurcation are also studied. The results of the analytical work are validated through numerical simulations. A numerical simulation illustrates that EEP losses its stability via Hopf-bifurcation for specific parameters. However, when the bifurcation parameter [Formula: see text] is increased further, the EEP regains its stability. In addition, Hopf-bifurcation occurs due to exogenous reinfection rates [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Thus, our model shows some important nonlinear dynamical behaviors.
Traveling wave solutions for a three-component noncooperative systems arising in nonlocal diffusive biological models
Authors: Zhang Ran , Zhao Hongyong
Published: August 2023

This paper aims to study the existence of traveling wave solutions (TWS) for a three-component noncooperative systems with nonlocal diffusion. Our main results reveal that when a threshold [Formula: see text], there exists a critical wave speed [Formula: see text]. By using sub- and super-solution methods and Schauder’s fixed point theorem, we prove that the system admits a nontrivial TWS for each [Formula: see text]. Meanwhile, we show that there exists no nontrivial TWS for [Formula: see text] by detailed analysis. Finally, we apply our results to a nonlocal diffusive epidemic model with vaccination, and the boundary asymptotic behavior of TWS for the special case is obtained by constructing a suitable Lyapunov functional. Our research provides some insights on how to deal with the problem of TWS for the nonlocal diffusive epidemic models with bilinear incidence, which extends some results in the previous studies.
Novel intelligent Bayesian computing networks for predictive solutions of nonlinear multi-delayed tumor oncolytic virotherapy systems
Authors: Anwar Nabeela , Ahmad Iftikhar , Kiani Adiqa Kausar , Shoaib Muhammad , Raja Muhammad Asif Zahoor
Published: August 2023

Oncolytic viral immunotherapy is gaining considerable prominence in the realm of chronic diseases treatment and rehabilitation. Oncolytic viral therapy is an intriguing therapeutic approach due to its low toxicity and dual function of immune stimulations. This work aims to design a soft computing approach using stupendous knacks of neural networks (NNs) optimized with Bayesian regularization (BR), i.e. NNs-BR, procedure. The constructed NNs-BR technique is exploited in order to determine the approximate numerical treatment of the nonlinear multi-delayed tumor virotherapy (TVT) models in terms of the dynamic interactions between the tumor cells free of viruses, tumor cells infected by viruses, viruses, and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs). The strength of state-of-the-art numerical approach is incorporated to develop the reference dataset for the variation in the infection rate for tumor cells, virus-free tumor cell clearance rate by CTLs, CTLs clearance rate for infectious tumor cells, the natural lifecycle of infectious tumor cells, the natural lifecycle of viral cell, the natural lifecycle of CTLs cells, tumor cells free of viruses’ maximum proliferation rate, production of tumor cells with an infection, CTLs simulated ratio for infectious tumor cells, CTLs simulated ratios for virus-free cells and delay in time. The dataset is randomly chosen/segmented for training-testing-validation samples to construct the NNs models optimized with backpropagated BR representing the approximate numerical solutions of the dynamic interactions in the TVT model. The performance of the designed NNs-BR technique is accessed/evaluated and outcomes are found in good agreement with the reference solutions having the range of accuracy from 10[Formula: see text] to 10[Formula: see text]. The efficacy of NNs-BR paradigm is further substantiated after rigorous analysis on regression metrics, learning curves on MSE, and error histograms for the dynamics of TVT model.
High activity and sinter-resistance of Ni@silicalite-1 catalyst for dry reforming of methane
Authors: Han Chunlan , Zhu Xiaoxiao , Wang Xinping
Published: August 2023

This paper reports a highly active and stable Ni@silicalite-1 catalyst for dry reforming of methane. In the reaction conducted at 800[Formula: see text]C, CH4/CO2=1/1 and GHSV=100,000 mL⋅g[Formula: see text]⋅h[Formula: see text] for 100 h, the Ni@silicalite-1 delivered CH4 conversions of 93% without deactivation. This superior property of the catalyst comes from the special structure that large amounts of Ni (13.7 wt.%) are embedded in the silicalite-1 zeolite crystals as small particles ([Formula: see text]4.7 nm), with the zeolite channels transferring molecules while with the zeolite framework resisting the Ni particle migration.
Study of Boolean networks via matrices of support
Authors: Wei Yangjiang , Zou Yi Ming
Published: August 2023

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of Boolean networks by using their matrices of support. We derive properties about the transients, fixed points, and limit cycles. We also study the graph properties of the phase spaces of Boolean networks, and show how to use matrices of support to construct Boolean networks with prescribed dynamics.
Performance Study of ACET/PTFE Modified Graphite Felt Electrode for Electrocatalytic H2O2 Reaction
Authors: Yu Qi , Wang Huanhuan , Chen Yahui , Cai Ying , Wang Jing
Published: August 2023

Multiphase electro-Fenton is considered as a promising technology for the degradation of organic pollutants, and in order to ensure its effectiveness and to make it cheaper and easier, this study develops novel cathodes for in situ H2O2 generation. Graphite felt (RGF) modified by acetylene black (ACET)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was selected to prepare a superhydrophobic electrode (APGF), and the effects of each factor of ACET:PTFE, oxygen flux, and current density on the production of H2O2 were investigated, and the rate of H2O2 production under the optimized conditions of the experiment was 35.96 mg h−1 cm−2 which can meet the requirements of Electro-Fenton technology. The physicochemical characterization of RGF and APGF electrodes was analyzed, and the electrocatalytic performance was evaluated by using an electrochemical workstation to test APGF (7:1 ∼ 1:3). Probing the mechanism analysis, the APGF electrode surface is hydrophobic and the C/F functional groups synergize to increase the reactive sites and improve the reactivity and selectivity. Dissolved oxygen in the electrolyte diffused to the active center on the cathode surface escaped from the liquid phase, forming a new phase with bubble adsorption for easier activation, and e-conjugated H+ to produce *OOH intermediates, and then e-conjugated H+ to obtain H2O2.
Studies on Electrochemical Performance of Flower-Like La4Mo7O27 Nanostructures towards Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Quraishi Baqar Ali , Manjunatha C. , Ashoka S. , Shivaraj B. W. , Nishchith B. S. , Yogesh K. , Hari Krishna R.
Published: August 2023

Hydrogen production from water electrolysis demands modern and improved catalytic materials with increased electrocatalytic characteristics. A simple hydrothermal approach was used to prepare lanthanum molybdate (La4Mo7O27) nanoflowers. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques were used to characterise the physical structure and crystallinity of the prepared La4Mo7O27 nanoflowers. The SEM images reveal La4Mo7O27 was composed of nanoflowers. The prepared La4Mo7O27 nanoflowers were used as electrocatalyst to catalyse oxygen evolution reaction (OER) where it requires the overpotentials of 400 mV to generate hydrogen at the current density of 20 mA cm−2, which is less than that of commercially available bare nickel foam (450 mV).
Overexpression of Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Inhibits the Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells
Authors: Ren Wenjia , Yue Cheng , Liu Linjun , Du Licheng , Xu Ke , Zhou Yubai
Published: August 2023

Lung cancer is one of the most lethal malignant tumors in the world. Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common pathological subtype. However, the molecular mechanism of NSCLC progress is still unclear. We extracted the expression data of the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) gene in NSCLC tissues from the TCGA database. The results of paired t‐test showed that the BTK gene was significantly underexpressed in NSCLC tissues. To further verify the above results, we detected the expression of the BTK gene in NSCLC cell lines A549, H1299, and H1650 at the RNA and protein levels by real‐time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western Blot analysis, respectively. The results showed that BTK was low expressed in NSCLC tissues and cells. More importantly, the expression of the BTK gene is also significantly related to the patient’s age, gender, tumor range (T), lymph node invasion (N), tumor stage, and prognosis, and its expression level gradually decreases with the progress of the disease. It is speculated that BTK may be an independent prognostic factor of NSCLC. Our experimental results are consistent with the above clinical correlation analysis results. Overexpression of BTK can significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells and can block the G0/G1 tumor cell cycle, indicating that overexpression of BTK can inhibit the growth, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells.
Policy Efforts to Promote the Adoption of Autonomous Vehicles: Subsidy and AV Lanes
Authors: Liu Chao , Jia Hongfei , Lin Yu , Wang Guanfeng , Tian Jingjing , Wu Ruiyi , Gao Heyao
Published: August 2023

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to improve safety, traffic capacity, and energy efficiency, but these advantages can only be realized when the AV market penetration is sufficiently high. To promote the adoption of AVs, it would be crucial for the government to take policy measures. This paper develops a two-stage model to explore the effects of subsidy and AV lanes’ policies on AV adoption. In the first stage, given the subsidy policy, the vehicle manufacturer sets AV price to pursue maximum profit while anticipating the choice of consumers for AVs or conventional vehicles (CVs), from which the AV market penetration can be accessed. Subsequently, based on the AV market penetration acquired from the first stage model, an optimization model integrating the mixed traffic assignment is developed in the second stage to determine the time-dependent progressive AV lanes’ deployment plan. The first and second stage models are solved using the simulation-optimization and genetic-algorithm-based approaches, respectively. Due to the mutual influence of the two models, an iterative optimization approach is applied to solve the whole model. Two numerical experiments are conducted, and the results demonstrate the positive effects of subsidy and AV lane policies on increasing AV market penetration. The analysis provides significant managerial insights for policymakers to promote the development of AVs.