bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An adaptation and validation of disaster resilience scale based on community engagement theory
Authors: Gokmenoglu Tuba , Dasci Sonmez Elif
Published: October 2024

This study aimed to adapt and validate the Disaster Resilience Scale, originally developed by Becker et al. and revised by Paton et al., for assessing disaster resilience within the Turkish school community with a focus on Community Engagement Theory. This theory emphasizes the role of community involvement in disaster resilience at various levels, including the individual, community, and societal/institutional. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, data from 428 teachers were analyzed to assess the validity and reliability of the scale's Turkish version and its alignment with dimensions. In the second phase, data from 1,422 teachers were used to further verify the reliability of using the Generalizability Theory test, and confirm validity through confirmatory factor analysis. The results confirmed that the Turkish version of the scale, with its 12 factors and 52 items was valid and reliable. Cronbach's Alpha coefficients for the dimensions ranged from 0.80 to 0.91, indicating high reliability. The findings highlight the practical implications of adapting the DRS for enhancing disaster resilience in school communities and underscore the importance of community engagement in disaster preparedness and education.
Assessment of structural and functional profile of dental centers for people with disabilities
Authors: Dua Kirti , Miglani Sanjay , Katyal Sakshi , Batra Panchali
Published: October 2024

Aims

People with disabilities (PWD) often face more significant oral healthcare needs than the general population. This study, conducted in response to the urgent and pressing need for improved dental care for PWD, aims to assess the infrastructural and work process flow of dental centers in Delhi that provide specialized dental care for PWD.

Methods and results

A descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare centers in Delhi, evaluating their infrastructure adaptations and work processes in delivering oral healthcare to PWD. The findings, which highlight the disparities in adaptations and work processes among different healthcare centers, are crucial for understanding the current state of oral healthcare for PWD in Delhi. The study reveals that while secondary and tertiary healthcare centers exhibit better adaptations for PWD than primary centers, challenges persist with insufficient accessibility and smooth functioning of the work process.

Conclusion

This study underscores the need for dentists to be equipped with the competence to address the unique needs of PWD. It also highlights the significant potential for improvement in oral healthcare for PWD, as dentists should become more aware of the importance of designing clinics that are accessible for PWD.
Fitness, Gray Matter Volume, and Executive Function in Cognitively Normal Older Adults: Cross‐Sectional Findings From the AGUEDA Trial
Authors: Coca‐Pulido Andrea , Solis‐Urra Patricio , Fernandez‐Gamez Beatriz , Olvera‐Rojas Marcos , Bellón Darío , Sclafani Alessandro , Toval Angel , Martín‐Fuentes Isabel , Bakker Esmée A. , Fernández‐Ortega Javier , Gomez‐Rio Manuel , Hillman Charles H. , Erickson Kirk I. , Ortega Francisco B. , Mora‐Gonzalez Jose , Esteban‐Cornejo Irene
Published: October 2024

The aim of the study is to investigate the association of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular strength indicators with gray matter volume (GMV) and to study whether fitness‐related regions of GMV are associated to executive function (EF) in cognitively normal older adults. Ninety‐one cognitively normal older adults (71.69 ± 3.91 years; 57.14% females) participated in this study from the AGUEDA trial. CRF was measured by a 2‐km walking test and a 6‐min walking test. Muscular strength was measured by handgrip, biceps curl, squats, and isokinetic strength tests. T1‐weigthed images were obtained through a magnetic resonance scan. GMV was determined by voxel‐based morphometric analysis. Standardized EF tests were performed. CRF did not show any positive association with GMV. Handgrip strength was positively associated with GMV (p < 0.001) in nine regions (β from 0.6 to 0.8 and k from 106 to 1927) and knee extension strength in three regions (β from 0.4 to 0.5 and k from 76 to 2776). Squats strength was negatively associated with GMV (p < 0.001) in two regions (β = −0.3, k = 1102 and k = 152) and the 2‐km walking test in one region (β = −0.4, k = 99). Only handgrip strength‐related GMV was associated with cognitive flexibility (p = 0.039, β = 0.215) and spatial working memory (p < 0.03, β 0.247–0.317), but not with EF score (p > 0.05). Muscular strength, but no CRF, may be positively related to GMV in cortical and subcortical regions, with implications for specific cognitive domains rather than the overall EF score. Specifically, handgrip strength was the indicator most associated with higher GMV, while squats strength and CRF were negatively related to GMV.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05186090.
CHARACTERIZATION THE ALLERGENICITY AND STABILITY OF ALLERGENS OF FRESHWATER SNAIL, Pomacea canaliculata
Authors: Misnan Rosmilah , Abd Aziz Norazlin Salahudin , Sockalingam Komathi , Kamarazaman Noor Asyikin , Mohamad Yadzir Zailatul Hani , Abdullah Noormalin , Bakhtiar Faizal
Published: October 2024

Snail allergy is considered a serious form of food allergy with prevalence of 1.4 to 22% worldwide. However, allergy to Pomacea canaliculata, a commonly consumed local snail has not been well-described. Hence, this study aimed to characterize the allergenicity and stability of the allergenic proteins of P. canaliculata by proteomics approach. Snail flesh was treated with several thermal and non-thermal treatments prior to overnight protein extraction. The snail proteins were then subjected to SDS-PAGE, followed by immunoblotting, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), 2-DE immunoblotting and mass-spectrometry analysis. Raw snail demonstrated 31 protein bands between 10 to 250 kDa, with fewer protein bands in treated snails. Boiled snails had the most protein bands among thermally treated snails, while salted and dried snails showed more bands than pickled snails among non-thermal treatments. Immunoblotting of raw extract demonstrated 16 IgE-binding bands, with the 33 and 42 kDa protein bands were identified as the major. The 33 kDa allergen was highly stable to all treatments applied, while the 42 kDa was sensitive to thermal and pickling treatments. Fewer allergenic bands were present in treated snails, with allergenicity ranked as raw > boiled > roasted > fried for thermal treatments, and raw > salted > dried > pickled for non-thermal treatments. Mass spectrometry identified the 33 kDa and 42 kDa allergens as tropomyosin and actin, respectively. In conclusion, P. canaliculata has numerous allergenic proteins with varying stability.
DEVELOPMENT OF DUAL-SWITCHES BRIDGELESS PFC TOTEM-POLE SEPIC CONVERTER FOR LED DRIVER APPLICATION
Authors: Romai Noor Mohamad Kamil , Ponniran Asmarashid , Aswad Hisham Muhammad Azizi , Kamit Kamarudin
Published: October 2024

This paper presents a Dual-Switch Bridgeless Power Factor Correction (DSBPFC) Single Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC) with Totem-Pole circuit structure for LED Driver Application. The conventional Full-Bridge Rectifier (FBR) SEPIC converter has five diodes, four in the rectifier bridge and one in the SEPIC. In addition, the FBR SEPIC converter has several drawbacks, including low power factor (PF), high current harmonics (THDi), and high output voltage ripple, due to the combination of two operation circuits in a single converter structure. The proposed DSBPFC SEPIC converter with Totem-Pole method improves PF and reduces THDi and output voltage ripple compared to the conventional FBR SEPIC. Additionally, it only requires three diodes instead of five. The optimization parameter design minimizes the THDi and output voltage ripple. In addition, to improve the quality of the AC source, the inductors are designed to operate in DCM and CCM based on the ripple-balancing concept between input and output inductors. As to reduce output voltage ripple, a high capacitance of output capacitor is used. The simulation result of the THDi is 3.8% whereas the experimental result shows that the THDi is 23.5%; which can be attributed to the parasitic elements at the passive components. Furthermore, the experimental results of the output voltage ripple are 2 V with output capacitance of 3300 μF, compared to the output voltage ripple of 4.40 V for 470 μF. Therefore, the proposed converter's design is confirmed with an output power of approximately 14.4 W.
EFFECTS OF CROSSWINDS ON THE FLOW STRUCTURE AROUND A NEXT-GENERATION HIGH-SPEED TRAIN EXITING A TUNNEL
Authors: Arafat Mohammad , Rajendran Sakthiraaj , Ishak Izuan Amin , Mat Zin Muhammad Al, Ain
Published: October 2024

This study investigates the effect of crosswind on the aerodynamic behavior of the Next-Generation High-Speed Train (NG-HST) model when exiting a tunnel. Utilizing a 1/25th scale model, three distinct train exit positions and four crosswind yaw angles (15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°) were considered. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation with the k-ε turbulence model was used to simulate the flow structure around the train at the crosswind velocity of 25 m/s. A mesh independence study was performed to ensure that the results were not influenced by mesh sizing. Furthermore, existing wind tunnel experiment data was used to validate the mesh setup. The results showed that the crosswind angle had a significant effect on the aerodynamic flow behavior of the train as it exited the tunnel. The airflow pattern on the train surface exhibited significant changes, and variations in pressure distribution were observed on both the leeward and windward sides of the train. Moreover, the cars outside the tunnel experienced greater pressure than the cars inside the tunnel. As the last car of the train emerged from the tunnel, the strong crosswind altered the vortex structure, particularly around the head car, emphasizing its critical role in ensuring safe train operation. The results can be used to improve the design of wind barriers and other infrastructure along the railway tracks to improve the operational stability and safety of high-speed trains.
NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON THE DI-CI ENGINE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS UNDER LPG - DIESEL DUAL FUEL COMBUSTION MODE
Authors: Tan Chau Vo , Vu Truong Giang Hoang , Huynh Giang Luong , Quoc Sy Nguyen
Published: October 2024

Properties of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) are suitable as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engines. This work aims to combine both numerical optimization analysis of LPG injector placement angle and subsequent experiment with selected mounting injector angle to investigate the effects of using LPG as a parallel-partial substitute fuel with diesel fuel under dual-fuel combustion mode. An electronic injection fuel control system was applied to the modified intake manifold to generate the appropriate LPG injection. Three mounting angle injector positions including 450, 900 and 1350 in the upstream direction of intake air have been defined by Ansys Fluent to take into account efficient LPG-air mixing. Then, the experiment was conducted with LPG-diesel dual-fuel combustion mode (DFC mode) and compared to entirely diesel combustion mode as baseline data. Different load conditions ranging from idle to 4.0 kW were imposed at a constant engine speed of 1700rpm. The obtained results revealed that the injector’s mounting angle position by 45  opposite to the intake air flow showed the correlation with the calculated LPG-air ratio in dual fuel combustion reaction. In DFC mode, the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) decreased on average by 4.6% and the LPG substitution rate gradually decreased while brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased for all engine loads. The exhaust temperature in the dual-fuel combustion mode was found to be higher than that of full diesel fuel mode at low loads (less than 2.5 kW) and began to decrease at higher loads.
PELLETIZED PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTING BACTERIA DERIVED FROM FERMENTED RICE WATER AND ITS INFLUENCE IN PAKCHOY GROWTH ENHANCEMENT
Authors: Ahbar Afiq Imran , Othman Nur Maizatul Idayu , Shamsuddin Aida Soraya , Abu Sari Norazlina
Published: October 2024

The usage of inorganic fertilizer has been shown to have a negative impact. However, most farmers tend to use chemical fertilizers due to its significant useful effects on plants. This study aims to determine the influence of pelletized plant growth-promoting microbial consortium (PGPR) derived from fermented rice water in Pakchoy plants (Brassica rapa subsp.chinensis) growth enhancement. PGPR are characterized by tests for nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization and potassium solubilization, and indole compound productions which resulted all positive. The most effective isolates are chosen and was encapsulated into pellets form using bentonite powder. It was then applied to Pakchoy plants for four weeks based on four different treatments: control (T0), 0.5 g NPK fertilizer (T1), 0.1 g PGPR (T2), 0.5 g PGPR (T3) and 1.0 g PGPR (T4). The result significantly improved roots length (in cm), number of leaves and dry weight (in g). In future, the sustainable friendly approach like this can be potentially applied to the other crops like chili, rice, pineapple and vegetables.
EMPIRICAL STUDY OF SIGNAL STRENGTH PATH LOSS IN A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Mako Serah , Sahrani Shafrida , Kunsei Herman , R. P. Hoole Paul
Published: October 2024

Conducting performance analysis can be a valuable tool for mobile network operators (MNO) in optimizing network performance, improving user experience, and ensuring services, such as voice calls, data transmission, and video streaming, as well as to adhere to quality standards. This approach facilitates capacity planning, resource allocation, and the prompt identification and resolution of network congestion, hardware failures, or security breaches. In this paper, the performance of three MNOs around Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) is examined. The downlink frequency signal was measured and collected using the MST207T spectrum analyzer. The allocated frequency spectrum for each mobile network evolution from 3G to 4G-LTE was analyzed and calculated for signal strength path loss utilizing Free Space Path Loss (FSPL) and the Cost 231 Hata Model methods. 5G is not discussed in this paper as the technology is awaiting PNG market entry approval. The findings indicate that Digicel towers exhibit a decrease in downlink signal intensity and quality in areas with poor signal reception. Certain technical issues were observed to be responsible for the identified poor performances, including overcrowding of base stations (BS). The signal strength qualities of Bmobile Vodafone and Telikom exhibit variations, suggesting a moderate to poor level of quality. The data results from the path loss calculation also show an increase in fading signal strength quality. The findings of this empirical study would provide valuable insights for enhancing the efficiency and coverage of mobile communication networks around PNGUoT.
SEMI-BATCH EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON MULTIPLE CARBON DIOXIDE BUBBLES ABSORPTION IN SWEETENER SOLUTION UNDER VARYING PRESSURES
Authors: Dheyaa Nsaif Ahmed , Kareem Shakir Ibtehal
Published: October 2024

Increasing the absorbed carbon dioxide amount in sweetener solution is a new trend to modify soft drinks. This research investigated the optimum increase in absorbed carbon dioxide within the limits of permissible food specifications in the bubble column. Response surface methodology (RSM) utilizing the Box Behnken design (BBD) was used to conduct experiments operating conditions for achieving desired responses within specified ranges of pressure (2-4 bar), temperature (5-25°C), gas flow rate (0.2–0.4 L/min), and absorbent concentration (0–150 g/L). The experimentally obtained results were fitted to a second-order polynomial model—the increase in pressure and gas flow rate results in an increase in absorption yield (YCO2). Also, increasing the gas flow rate and temperature will increase the volumetric mass transfer coefficient (KLa), while, at high pressure and pore size KLa will be reduced. According to the obtained results at optimum conditions, 4 bar, 5°C, gas flow rate 0.4 L/min, sucrose concentration of 0 g/L, and pore diffuser 0.5 μm; The CO2 content (YCO2) was 8.34 g/L. The optimum conditions for combining the effect of high CO2 content (6.125 g/L) and best KLa value (0.1043 L/min) were: 2.83 bar, 5 °C, a gas flow rate of 0.4 L/min, a sucrose concentration of 65.15 g/L, and pore diffuser of 0.5 μm.
TEMPERATURE MONITORING FOR LASER METAL DEPOSITION USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: Talib Siti Qistina Arora , Mangsor Aneez Syuhada , Johari Abdul Rahman , Abd Aziz Muhammad Safwan , Krishnan Ganesan
Published: October 2024

Temperature monitoring during laser metal deposition (LMD) aids process control to ensure high-quality production. However, the fluctuating emissivity of the melt pool limits the accuracy of the existing non-contact temperature measuring devices. Thus, this work explores a new temperature monitoring technique, where the thermal radiation emitted by the processing zone was collected with a near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer and fitted to Planck's law to determine the temperature. This work has established the optimised angle and distance of the fiber probe from the LMD processing area to maximise the spectral signal acquisition. The temperature determined from the technique was cross-validated with a thermocouple, resulted in a small deviation of 2.39%. The applicability of the spectroscopic method for continuous temperature monitoring of the LMD process has been demonstrated. The optimised placement for the fiber probe end was determined at the 45˚ angle relative to the surface of the substrate and positioned 5 cm away from the molten pool. The temperature during the LMD process decreased gradually then stabilised after approximately 17 mm track length, resembling those reports in prior studies. Our findings support the practicality of the proposed temperature monitoring approach in LMD.
Multi-State Reliability Modeling and Assessment for Corrosion of Organic Coating-Substrate Structure
Authors: Xie Chaoyang , Zhang Hao
Published: October 2024

The organic coating-substrate structure suffers from corrosion reaction between the substrate material and water molecules during the storage stage. Multiphysics simulation is a promising tool for corrosion modeling and assessing the reliability of the organic coating-substrate structure. In this paper, a multistate modeling method is proposed toward the reliability modeling and assessment. First, to analyze the physicochemical process involved in the corrosion of organic coating-substrate structures, a multiphysics simulation method is developed. Then, the degradation performance of the organic coating-substrate structure is discretized into several states, and a Markov model is utilized to model the degradation process of the structure. The transition intensities of the Markov model are estimated by using the multiphysics simulation data. In the proposed method, the multiphysics simulation method can incorporate the diffusion equation and the kinetic equation of the corrosion, allowing for the simulation of water molecule diffusion within the organic coating and the coupling simulation of the metal corrosion process. Subsequently, the reliability of the organic coating-substrate structure is analyzed under varying temperatures, humidity levels, and protective material parameters. The result shows that higher ambient temperatures and relative humidity levels contribute to an accelerated corrosion rate of the substrate, and the reliability decreases.
Use of a Porcine Cadaver Model as a Human Surrogate for Behind Armor Blunt Trauma
Authors: McMahon Justin , Berthelson Parker , Eaton Madelyn , Lorente Ana , Leite Trevor , McEntire B. Joseph , Salzar Robert
Published: October 2024

Current body armor design evaluation is based on legacy backface deformation criteria for protection despite limited medical basis. This uniform protection approach, which does not account for anatomical and physiological variability within the torso, may result in heavy armors that limit Warfighter mobility. To optimize armor design, anatomical and physiological regional injury tolerances must be assessed through live animal experimentation. Prior to this, the animal and human must first be compared to determine the animal model's viability as a surrogate for thoracoabdominal behind armor blunt trauma (BABT) response. Here, 74 BABT impacts were conducted using ten midsized male postmortem human subjects (PMHS) and ten 40-kg porcine cadavers in matched testing conditions over the lungs, liver, and sternum. Injury risk functions were generated from experimental data and compared across surrogates at each body region. The PMHS and 40-kg porcine cadaver correlated well for chest wall injuries in the lung region, and similarities were noted in high-severity impacts to the liver. Further, assessment of the backface intrusion injury risk function showed regional tolerance differences between anatomical regions, highlighting the need for separate region-specific design criteria. These results indicate that the 40-kg porcine cadaver was an appropriate torso surrogate for certain PMHS regions, such as the ribcage overlaying the lungs and the liver, in BABT conditions. As this study used cadaveric tissue, future studies should investigate the physiological components of BABT-induced injury in a live animal model, focusing on quantifying regional injury tolerances toward armor design optimization.
HANNES: A Modular Neurointerventional Training Model
Authors: Schmiech Jonte , Wegner Marie , Wortmann Nadine , Sobirey Eve , Guerreiro Helena , Kyselyova Anna , Ramdani Nora , Krause Dieter
Published: October 2024

This work introduces version 2.0 of the Hamburg ANatomical NEurointerventional Simulator (HANNES): a novel modular neurointerventional simulator designed to provide a realistic platform for simulating various neurovascular pathologies and their endovascular therapies. Collaboratively developed by physicians and engineers, the neurointerventional simulator is designed with a modular product architecture combining standardized and variant modules to represent different training scenarios. The additively manufactured patient-based and patient-specific blood vessel tree consists of up to 13 individual components, including standardized features and interfaces for ease of connection. Patient-specific vessel models derived from medical imaging data allow customization and complexity adjustment. HANNES supports diverse neurointerventional training scenarios, including various modalities of aneurysm embolization, internal carotid artery (ICA)-stenosis, and thrombotic vessel occlusions, which can be treated through a transradial or transfemoral approach. The use and benefits of the model were evaluated with a group of trainees, who provided positive feedback, confirming the model's practicality and effectiveness in enhancing neurointerventional technical skills. In conclusion, HANNES represents a significant advancement in neurointerventional training, addressing the limitations of traditional training methods by simulating diverse disease patterns, enhancing medical staff's skills, and facilitating product testing.
Modified Centroid of Root Projection Method for Determining the Center of Resistance of a Tooth
Authors: Wang Jianing , Premaraj Thyagaseely Sheela , Premaraj Sundaralingam Prem , Gu Linxia , Dong Pengfei
Published: October 2024

Center of resistance (CR) has been widely accepted in dentistry as a reference point for controlling tooth moment, which depends on the direction of loading and the morphology of the periodontal ligament (PDL). In clinical practice, dentists estimate the location of CR based on the morphology of the root of teeth, which may lead to a misestimation of orthodontic treatment. A quick method was proposed to efficiently determine the CR by identifying the centroid of the root projection (CRP), according to the orthodontic force. However, the original CRP method was limited to single-rooted teeth, and it did not provide a strategy for handling the overlapping roots projection of multirooted teeth. To address this issue, we expanded the CRP method to accommodate multirooted teeth by calculating a weighted average of each root’s projection. We further validated the modified CRP method using finite element analysis (FEA) simulation for both single-rooted and multirooted teeth considering mesial–distal and buccal–lingual force directions. The evaluation of displacement distribution along the projection direction allowed us to assess translation and rotation movements, which confirmed that the centroid of root projection can accurately serve as the CR for the multirooted teeth. Additionally, we observed heterogeneous stress distributions in the multirooted teeth. Considering the well-acknowledged bone remodeling effect in response to local stress states, this indicated that comprehensive indexes beyond the CR are desired for evaluating or controlling tooth movement.
Quantifying patient satisfaction with process metrics using a weighted bundle approach
Authors: Riebling Nancy B , Norouzzadeh Shaghayegh , Reeder George , Mouradian Christina , Hillier Alison , Cowan Ryan , Doerfler Martin
Published: October 2024

Background

Current patient satisfaction assessment results are delayed and obtained from select patient surveys. As a result, these assessments may not represent the experience of the entire patient population. This study developed a method to measure and evaluate all patients’ experiences while they are within the care episode and link it to processes within the organisation.

Methods

Using the Six Sigma methodology, sites assembled diverse teams to categorise and analyse negative experience comments from patients to understand the drivers of dissatisfaction. These customer expectations lead to the development of the four components in the Patient Experience Bundle (PEB): communication, environment, basic needs/comfort and logistics. Individual process elements were ranked to create a numerical relationship between service and the needs expressed by the voice of the customer. Sites created surveys incorporating questions that focused on the bundle elements and measured daily bundle compliance. Graphical analysis and hypothesis testing enabled sites to determine key drivers of patient dissatisfaction within the bundle elements. Improvement strategies were developed and implemented to address the key drivers of patient dissatisfaction.

Results

After implementing process improvements focused on issues identified by the PEB, bundle compliance improved from an average of 51% to an average of 82.5% and Press Ganey Likelihood to Recommend (PG LTR) scores improved from an average of 64.73% to an average 74.64%. The data demonstrated that the trends in improving PEB are followed by meaningful changes in PG LTR scores.

Conclusion

This work is built on the identification of common elements of care that impact patient satisfaction and detailed mathematical analysis of the relationship between factors. Using the bundle concept, these improvement efforts maintain highly reliable processes to drive outcomes and provide real-time feedback on patient experience.
OMAHA: Opportunistic Message Aggregation for pHase-based Algorithms
Authors: Mahamdi Celia , Lejeune Jonathan , Sopena Julien , Sens Pierre , Makpangou Mesaac
Published: October 2024

In the cloud computing context, several applications run concurrently over the same underlying physical infrastructure. Phase-based algorithms are key building blocks for many distributed applications such as DBMS or transaction validation services. Indeed, these applications rely on consensus or atomic validation solved by phase-based algorithms (Paxos, ZAB, two-phase commit, etc.). In each phase, at least one participant broadcasts a message and waits for the responses from a subset of the recipients before starting the next phase. For a given phase-based algorithm, it is then possible to predict future communications for each node. Based on this observation, we propose a generic and low-intrusive solution to save network bandwidth in a cloud context by aggregating messages sent by several applications in an opportunistic way. We propose a new API to easily apply our mechanism with applications using phase-based algorithms. The core of this API is the overloading of the
send
primitive, where the users can define a tradeoff between message saving and latency degradation. We evaluate our mechanisms using multiple instances of the same algorithm (three variants of the Paxos consensus and the Zookeeper Atomic Broadcast algorithm) running concurrently. Our results show that a good tuning of the new
send
primitive saves up to 30% of bandwidth with only a 5% degradation in latency.
Algorithm 1050: SPEX Cholesky, LDL, and Backslash for Exactly Solving Sparse Linear Systems
Authors: Mejia-Domenzain Lorena , Chen Jinhao , Lourenco Christopher , Moreno-Centeno Erick , Davis Timothy A.
Published: October 2024

SPEX Cholesky, SPEX LDL, and SPEX Backslash are software packages for exactly solving sparse linear systems,

\(A\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{b}\)

. SPEX Cholesky, used for symmetric positive definite (SPD) systems, computes an integral Cholesky factorization to solve the system

\(A\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{b}\)

in time proportional to arithmetic work—to date the only algorithm for SPD linear systems with this property. SPEX LDL extends SPEX Cholesky for symmetric negative definite and symmetric indefinite matrices with exclusively non-zero leading principal minors. SPEX Backslash is a general-purpose exact solver that automatically determines the best ordering and factorization to exactly solve the system

\(A\mathbf{x}=\mathbf{b}\)

. Computationally, we test the accuracy of MATLAB sparse backslash, the state-of-the-art collection of sparse matrix solvers, revealing it is near perfect for 87% of the tested instances. In addition, we show that SPEX Cholesky outperforms alternate exact solvers in runtime; specifically, SPEX Cholesky outperforms the exact solver Linbox and exact LU factorization on 70% and 92% of tested instances, respectively. Each of SPEX Cholesky, SPEX LDL, and SPEX Backslash is implemented in C and is accompanied by easy-to-use Python and MATLAB interfaces. They are distributed via GitHub, as a component of the SPEX software package, and as component of SuiteSparse.
CRUD-RAG: A Comprehensive Chinese Benchmark for Retrieval-Augmented Generation of Large Language Models
Authors: Lyu Yuanjie , Li Zhiyu , Niu Simin , Xiong Feiyu , Tang Bo , Wang Wenjin , Wu Hao , Liu Huanyong , Xu Tong , Chen Enhong
Published: October 2024

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is a technique that enhances the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) by incorporating external knowledge sources. This method addresses common LLM limitations, including outdated information and the tendency to produce inaccurate “hallucinated” content. However, evaluating RAG systems is a challenge. Most benchmarks focus primarily on question-answering applications, neglecting other potential scenarios where RAG could be beneficial. Accordingly, in the experiments, these benchmarks often assess only the LLM components of the RAG pipeline or the retriever in knowledge-intensive scenarios, overlooking the impact of external knowledge base construction and the retrieval component on the entire RAG pipeline in non-knowledge-intensive scenarios. To address these issues, this article constructs a large-scale and more comprehensive benchmark and evaluates all the components of RAG systems in various RAG application scenarios. Specifically, we refer to the CRUD actions that describe interactions between users and knowledge bases and also categorize the range of RAG applications into four distinct types—create, read, update, and delete (CRUD). “Create” refers to scenarios requiring the generation of original, varied content. “Read” involves responding to intricate questions in knowledge-intensive situations. “Update” focuses on revising and rectifying inaccuracies or inconsistencies in pre-existing texts. “Delete” pertains to the task of summarizing extensive texts into more concise forms. For each of these CRUD categories, we have developed different datasets to evaluate the performance of RAG systems. We also analyze the effects of various components of the RAG system, such as the retriever, context length, knowledge base construction, and LLM. Finally, we provide useful insights for optimizing the RAG technology for different scenarios. The source code is available at GitHub:
https://github.com/IAAR-Shanghai/CRUD_RAG
.
Unsupervised Video Moment Retrieval with Knowledge-Based Pseudo-Supervision Construction
Authors: Wang Guolong , Wu Xun , Tu Xun , Liu Zhaoyuan , Yan Junchi
Published: October 2024

Video moment retrieval locates a specified moment by a sentence query. Recent approaches have made remarkable advancements with large-scale video-sentence annotations. These annotations require extensive human labor and expertise, leading to the need for unsupervised fashion. Generating pseudo-supervision from videos is an effective strategy. With the power of the large-scale pre-trained model, we introduce knowledge into constructing pseudo-supervision. The main technical challenge is improving pseudo-supervision diversity and alleviating noise brought by external knowledge. To address these problems, we propose two Knowledge-Based Pseudo-Supervision Construction (KPSC) strategies: KPSC-P and KPSC-F. They all follow two steps: generating diverse samples and alleviating knowledge chaos. The main difference is that the former first learns a representation space with prompt tuning, while the latter directly utilizes data information. KPSC-P has two modules: (1) Proposal Prompt (PP): Generate temporal proposals; (2) Verb Prompt (VP): Generate pseudo-queries with noun-verb patterns. KPSC-F also has two modules: (1) Captioner: Generating candidate queries; (2) Filter: Alleviating knowledge chaos. Thus, our KPSC involves two attempts to extract knowledge from pre-trained models. Extensive experiments show that our attempts outperform the existing unsupervised methods on two public datasets (Charades-STA and ActivityNet-Captions) and perform on par with several methods using stronger supervision.
Simplify to the Limit! Embedding-Less Graph Collaborative Filtering for Recommender Systems
Authors: Zhang Yi , Zhang Yiwen , Sang Lei , Sheng Victor S.
Published: October 2024

The tremendous positive driving effect of Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) and Graph Contrastive Learning (GCL) for recommender systems has become a consensus. GCN encoders are extensively used in recommendation models for capturing high-order connectivities between users and items, whereas GCL accelerates the training of recommendation tasks by adding extra supervision signals from contrastive objectives. However, little attention has been paid on corresponding theories that are truly tailored to recommendation tasks. From the technical perspective, Collaborative Filtering (CF) is seen as an important factor in recommender systems. It is applied to measure user–user, item–item, and user–item similarities rather than to achieve better clustering or node classification results. Besides, heuristic-based data augmentation may not be hold true in the field of recommender systems as it requires additional training costs and introduces noises that will corrupt the interaction graph structure and the semantic information of nodes. To tackle these limitations, we propose a novel Embedding-Less Graph Collaborative Filtering (EGCF) for recommendation, which is tailor-made for the problem mentioned for CF and further simplifies existing solutions. Structurally, it consists of two parts: embedding-less GCN and embedding-less GCL. The former improves user–item affinity by streamlining user-type embeddings and carrying out iterative graph convolution. And the latter utilizes three-type contrastive objectives to directly measure the alignment and the uniformity of users, items, and interaction pairs, respectively, avoiding any type of data augmentation or multi-view construction. Even though EGCF has been extremely streamlined, extensive experimental results on three classical datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of EGCF in terms of recommendation accuracy and training efficiency. The code and used datasets are released at
https://github.com/BlueGhostYi/ID-GRec
.
DiPri
: Distance-Based Seed Prioritization for Greybox Fuzzing—RCR Report
Authors: Qian Ruixiang , Zhang Quanjun , Fang Chunrong , Yang Ding , Li Shun , Li Binyu , Chen Zhenyu
Published: October 2024

This replicated computational results (RCR) report describes how to (1) set up
DiPri
and (2) replicate the experimental results. The primary artifact is the C/C++ prototype of
DiPri
, which is essentially an extension of the state-of-the-art greybox fuzzer AFL++ (version 4.06). Other artifacts include the Java implementation of
DiPri
on Zest, the materials for integrating
DiPri
into FuzzBench and Magma, and the scripts for running docker and processing data. All artifacts can be found at our GitHub repository

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and Zenodo archive.

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Mn Doped MoO3 with Self-Assembled Nanoflowers Structure and Enhanced Gas Sensing Properties to Triethylamine
Authors: Lv Shuai-Shuai , Jiao Si-Qi , Sun Yu-Hang , Zhang Cheng , Qiao Xin-Feng , Liu Jian , Chen Xi-Jun , Yang Wei-Cheng , Zheng Xiao-Hong
Published: October 2024

Increasing quality of life requires low power consumption and reliable gas sensing technology for real-time monitoring of the environment. Herein, based on the principle of ion compensation and charge compensation, Mn-doped MoO3 self-assembled nanoflowers were designed and prepared, and their gas-sensing performance were studied. Benefiting from abundant defective sites and surface chemical state changes, the sensor exhibits superior characteristics for triethylamine detection, including ultrahigh response (436.9), short response time (7 s), small detection limit (1 ppm), and remarkable selectivity. The gas-sensitive mechanism of M-MoO3 was explained from the points of view of charge compensation and ion compensation, and it was proved that the incorporation of Mn into MoO3 was an effective way to improve its gas sensitivity. This work provides a potential strategy for widespread triethylamine detection and provides new ideas for the design of high-performance sensors.
Surface Treatment of Rammed Earth Heritage Sites Using MICP Technology: An Investigation of Rainwater Erosion Resistance via Indoor Experiments and In Situ Testing
Authors: Liu Liang , Zhang Yun , Chen Wanting , Cao Haiying , Guo Lianjun , Zheng Lingling , Li Tianli , Shu Rong , Li Dongdong
Published: October 2024

Rammed earth, a commonly used building material in ancient times, differs from natural sedimentary layers in that it is more compact. Buildings constructed from historical rammed earth sites frequently encounter the issue of rainwater erosion. Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is commonly applied to sand soil treatment, yet reports on its use for stabilizing rammed earth are scarce. This study focused on the rammed earth of the Shanhaiguan Great Wall and explored the efficacy of MICP in mitigating rain erosion through permeation tests, splash experiments, and scouring trials. The findings indicate that the forms of rain erosion damage under MICP treatment vary across different operational conditions. In laboratory experiments, as the concentration of the cementation solution increases, the amount of calcium carbonate crystals also increases. However, the permeability, splash resistance, and rain erosion resistance initially increase and then decrease. When the cementation solution concentration is 1.0 mol/L, the penetration rate is the highest, lasting 712.55 s. The splash pit rate is the lowest, at only 1.2 mm, and the soil erosion rate is the lowest, at only 4.13%. The rain erosion resistance in the field test exhibit the same trend, and the optimal concentration is 1.2 mol/L. The optimal concentration mechanism involves the aggregation of calcium carbonate crystals at suitable cementation solution concentrations, which begin to fill the soil particle pores, effectively resisting rainwater erosion. At lower concentrations of the cementation solution, calcium carbonate crystals are merely adsorbed by soil particles without blocking the pores. Due to the high compressibility of rammed earth, which results in lower porosity, a higher concentration of the cementation solution leads to rapid pore clogging by excessive calcium carbonate crystals, which accumulate on the surface to form a white crust layer. The MICP technique can effectively alleviate rainwater erosion in rammed earth, and the optimal concentration needs to be tailored to the porosity of the rammed earth. This mechanism was also validated in field scouring experiments on the Shanhaiguan Great Wall’s rammed earth.
Cluster Headache Decreases Life Expectancy: A Longitudinal Assessment During 40 Years in a Headache Clinic Cohort
Authors: Madera Jorge , Pascual Julio , Pérez-Pereda Sara , Muñoz Pedro , González-Quintanilla Vicente
Published: October 2024

Background: Cluster headache (CH) is one of the most disabling primary headaches. Nowadays, it is unknown if it has an impact on reducing life expectancy.

Methods: We calculated years of potential life lost (YPLL) in deceased individuals from a CH registry of a third‐level hospital, using as cutoff the estimated life expectancy for our general population according to their sex and year of death. Furthermore, a descriptive and comparative analysis of the main causes of death, risk factors, and toxic habits was carried out.

Results: There were 25 deaths among the 152 individuals included. Twenty‐one (84%) died earlier than expected with a mean of 9.14 YPLL (p = 0.001). Cancer was the most common cause of death in CH patients (64% of deaths vs. 28.5% expected in general population, p ≤ 0.001). Eighty percent and 45% of our deceased patients were smokers and 60% and 45% regular alcohol consumers at the diagnosis of CH and at death, respectively. The percentage of smokers at diagnosis was significantly higher than that in the reference population (80% vs. 33.2%, p < 0.001). There was a significantly higher frequency of arterial hypertension (76% vs. 19.82%, p < 0.001) and diabetes mellitus (40% vs. 7.8%, p < 0.001) at death in CH individuals compared to general population.

Conclusions: CH implies a loss of almost one decade of life expectancy by an increase in cancer deaths. Tobacco and alcohol consumption seem to be the main underlying causes. These results call for an action plan for a better management of CH patients since their diagnosis.
Twirling Operations to Produce Energy Eigenstates of a Hamiltonian by Classically Emulated Quantum Simulation
Authors: Oshima Kazuto
Published: October 2024

We propose a simple procedure to produce energy eigenstates of a Hamiltonian with discrete eigenvalues. We use ancilla qubits and quantum entanglement to separate an energy eigenstate from the other energy eigenstates. We exhibit a few examples derived from the (1 + 1)‐dimensional massless Schwinger model. Our procedure in principle will be applicable for a Hamiltonian with a finite‐dimensional Hilbert space. Choosing an initial state properly, we can in principle produce any energy eigenstate of the Hamiltonian.
Anatomical Variations of the Gallbladder and Bile Ducts: An MRI Study
Authors: Yason Kigundu , Gonza Kirum Gonzaga , Michael Okello , William Buwembo , Munabi Ian , Michael Kawooya
Published: October 2024

Background: The anatomy of the biliary tree is complex with anatomical variations which can be found in ~50% of the patients.

Purpose: Existing research on these variations primarily stems from studies in developed countries, with uncertain applicability to the Ugandan population due to noted ethnic differences in incidence rates.

Objective: The study was aimed at describing the anatomical variations of the gallbladder and bile ducts.

Methods: This retrospective cross‐sectional study conducted at Kampala MRI Centre from January 2017 to December 2022 analyzed MRCP images and reports from 231 patients to document gallbladder and bile duct variations.

Results: 53.2% of patients exhibited typical cystic duct anatomy, and 51% had Type 1 variations in intrahepatic ducts. Importantly, the study identified a significant correlation between age and common bile duct diameter.

Conclusion: The findings showed various anatomical variations that were slightly higher in the study population than those reported in the literature. This study emphasizes the critical need for comprehensive knowledge to enhance surgical safety, minimize iatrogenic trauma, and improve the accuracy of diagnostic imaging and hepatobiliary procedures.
Promise and Peril of a Genotype‐First Approach to Mendelian Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Asatryan Babken , Murray Brittney , Tadros Rafik , Rieder Marina , Shah Ravi A. , Sharaf Dabbagh Ghaith , Landstrom Andrew P. , Dobner Stephan , Munroe Patricia B. , Haggerty Christopher M. , Medeiros‐Domingo Argelia , Owens Anjali T. , Kullo Iftikhar J. , Semsarian Christopher , Reichlin Tobias , Barth Andreas S. , Roden Dan M. , James Cynthia A. , Ware James S. , Chahal C. Anwar A. ,   the Genotype‐First Approach Investigators
Published: October 2024

Precision medicine, which among other aspects includes an individual's genomic data in diagnosis and management, has become the standard‐of‐care for Mendelian cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, early identification and management of asymptomatic patients with potentially lethal and manageable Mendelian CVD through screening, which is the promise of precision health, remains an unsolved challenge. The reduced costs of genomic sequencing have enabled the creation of biobanks containing in‐depth genetic and health information, which have facilitated the understanding of genetic variation, penetrance, and expressivity, moving us closer to the genotype‐first screening of asymptomatic individuals for Mendelian CVD. This approach could transform health care by diagnostic refinement and facilitating prevention or therapeutic interventions. Yet, potential benefits must be weighed against the potential risks, which include evolving variant pathogenicity assertion or identification of variants with low disease penetrance; costly, stressful, and inappropriate diagnostic evaluations; negative psychological impact; disqualification for employment or of competitive sports; and denial of insurance. Furthermore, the natural history of Mendelian CVD is often unpredictable, making identification of those who will benefit from preventive measures a priority. Currently, there is insufficient evidence that population‐based genetic screening for Mendelian CVD can reduce adverse outcomes at a reasonable cost to an extent that outweighs the harms of true‐positive and false‐positive results. Besides technical, clinical, and financial burdens, ethical and legal aspects pose unprecedented challenges. This review highlights key developments in the field of genotype‐first approaches to Mendelian CVD and summarizes challenges with potential solutions that can pave the way for implementing this approach for clinical care.