bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitigating Spurious Correlations for Self-supervised Recommendation
Authors: Lin Xin-Yu , Xu Yi-Yan , Wang Wen-Jie , Zhang Yang , Feng Fu-Li
Published: January 2023

Recent years have witnessed the great success of self-supervised learning (SSL) in recommendation systems. However, SSL recommender models are likely to suffer from spurious correlations, leading to poor generalization. To mitigate spurious correlations, existing work usually pursues ID-based SSL recommendation or utilizes feature engineering to identify spurious features. Nevertheless, ID-based SSL approaches sacrifice the positive impact of invariant features, while feature engineering methods require high-cost human labeling. To address the problems, we aim to automatically mitigate the effect of spurious correlations. This objective requires to 1) automatically mask spurious features without supervision, and 2) block the negative effect transmission from spurious features to other features during SSL. To handle the two challenges, we propose an invariant feature learning framework, which first divides user-item interactions into multiple environments with distribution shifts and then learns a feature mask mechanism to capture invariant features across environments. Based on the mask mechanism, we can remove the spurious features for robust predictions and block the negative effect transmission via mask-guided feature augmentation. Extensive experiments on two datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in mitigating spurious correlations and improving the generalization abilities of SSL models.
Franchising structure changes and shareholder value: Evidence from store buybacks and refranchising
Authors: Sadovnikova Anna , Kacker Manish , Mishra Saurabh
Published: January 2023

Drawing on agency theory and transaction cost analysis, this study investigates the impact of refranchising and buybacks of downstream retail units by franchising firms on shareholder value (i.e., stock returns). It further evaluates the contingency role of firm and industry factors in shaping this impact. An event study analysis over the years 2001–2020 confirms that both refranchising and buybacks positively affect stock returns. However, notable impact differences emerge between the two types of strategic decisions. For refranchising, firms with lower royalty rates, smaller returns-on-assets (ROA), and higher trade credit provided generate higher stock returns. Whereas, for buybacks, firms with higher royalty rates derive more value in stock markets. Analysis further shows that investors judge refranchising (buybacks) less (more) favorably in munificent industries, but industry dynamism has no effect on the stock returns generated from these moves. Together, the study offers important implications for franchising theory and retail practice in marketing.
Analysis of Stress Concentration Factors due to in-Plane Bending and out-of-Plane Bending Loads on Tubular TY-Joints of Offshore Structures
Authors: Sambo Mohamadou Aminou , Kol Guy Richard , Betchewe Gambo
Published: January 2023

The aim of this work is to study the stress distributions and the location of hot spots stress in the vicinity of the intersection lines of the tubular elements of the tubular TY-joints. Using the finite element models, we analyze the effects of geometrical parameters on the stress concentration factor in the case of in-plane bending and out-of-plane bending loads, around the weld toe of the tubular joints. Our results reveal the location of the maximum stress concentration factor at the heel or toe in the case of in-plane bending loads and at the saddle point in the case of out-of-plane bending loads. Six parametric equations are established and used to calculate the stress concentration factor at critical locations using the non-linear regression method. The results obtained from the finite element analysis are close to the results of the parametric equations and the experimental data from the previous work.
Quantitative Oculomotor Assessment in Hereditary Ataxia: Discriminatory Power, Correlation with Severity Measures, and Recommended Parameters for Specific Genotypes
Authors: Garces Pilar , Antoniades Chrystalina A. , Sobanska Anna , Kovacs Norbert , Ying Sarah H. , Gupta Anoopum S. , Perlman Susan , Szmulewicz David J. , Pane Chiara , Németh Andrea H. , Jardim Laura B. , Coarelli Giulia , Dankova Michaela , Traschütz Andreas , Tarnutzer Alexander A.
Published: January 2023

Characterizing bedside oculomotor deficits is a critical factor in defining the clinical presentation of hereditary ataxias. Quantitative assessments are increasingly available and have significant advantages, including comparability over time, reduced examiner dependency, and sensitivity to subtle changes. To delineate the potential of quantitative oculomotor assessments as digital-motor outcome measures for clinical trials in ataxia, we searched MEDLINE for articles reporting on quantitative eye movement recordings in genetically confirmed or suspected hereditary ataxias, asking which paradigms are most promising for capturing disease progression and treatment response. Eighty-nine manuscripts identified reported on 1541 patients, including spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA2, n = 421), SCA3 (n = 268), SCA6 (n = 117), other SCAs (n = 97), Friedreich ataxia (FRDA, n = 178), Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC, n = 57), and ataxia-telangiectasia (n = 85) as largest cohorts. Whereas most studies reported discriminatory power of oculomotor assessments in diagnostics, few explored their value for monitoring genotype-specific disease progression (n = 2; SCA2) or treatment response (n = 8; SCA2, FRDA, NPC, ataxia-telangiectasia, episodic-ataxia 4). Oculomotor parameters correlated with disease severity measures including clinical scores (n = 18 studies (SARA: n = 9)), chronological measures (e.g., age, disease duration, time-to-symptom onset; n = 17), genetic stratification (n = 9), and imaging measures of atrophy (n = 5). Recurrent correlations across many ataxias (SCA2/3/17, FRDA, NPC) suggest saccadic eye movements as potentially generic quantitative oculomotor outcome. Recommendation of other paradigms was limited by the scarcity of cross-validating correlations, except saccadic intrusions (FRDA), pursuit eye movements (SCA17), and quantitative head-impulse testing (SCA3/6). This work aids in understanding the current knowledge of quantitative oculomotor parameters in hereditary ataxias, and identifies gaps for validation as potential trial outcome measures in specific ataxia genotypes.
Profiles of Quality in Three Distinct Early Childhood Programs Using the Brief Early Childhood Quality Inventory (BEQI)
Authors: Raikes Abbie , Sayre Mojgani Rebecca , Heinzel-Nelson Alvarenga Lima Jem , Davis Dawn , Cassell Cecelia , Waldman Marcus , Escalante Elsa
Published: January 2023

Quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) is important for young children’s holistic healthy development. As ECCE scales, contextually relevant and feasible measurement is needed to inform policy and programs on strengths and areas for improvement. However, few measures have been designed for use across diverse contexts. Drawing on principles of mixed methods design, this study reports on a new approach to ECCE quality measurement: the Brief Early Childhood Quality Inventory. Using data from the USA, Liberia, and Colombia, results indicate variation in the items perceived as highly relevant to each setting and in the characteristics of classrooms including the degree of child autonomy, the types of activities, and in child/educator interactions and dialogue. However, despite this variation, a small set of items indicate potential functionality as cross-country anchor items. Findings lend support to the idea that quality measures can have some common elements with room for adaptation within and across settings. Future work in this area should address the possibility that the significance of these practices for child development also varies across settings.
Towards maximum value creation from potato protein liquor: volatile fatty acids production from fungal cultivation effluent
Authors: Sapmaz Tugba , Uwineza Clarisse , Mahboubi Amir , De Wever Heleen , Koseoglu-Imer Derya Y. , Taherzadeh Mohammad J.
Published: January 2023

The cornerstones of an efficient circular waste management strategy aiming for enhanced resource efficiency are maximizing organic waste valorization and improving residual conversion to biochemicals. In this regard, this study focuses on the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from the effluent of fungi biomass cultivation on low-grade residues from the potato starch industry with batch and semi-continuous membrane bioreactors (MBRs) containing the effluent of already fermented potato protein liquor (FPPL) inoculated with chicken and cow manure. The effect of pH in the batch experiments on the production and yield of VFAs during acidogenic digestion was evaluated. Rapid generation of VFAs at a concentration of up to 11.8 g/L could be successfully achieved in the MBR. Under the optimal conditions, a high yield of 0.65 g VFAs/g VSfed was obtained for the organic loading rate (OLR) of 1 g VS/L/d using FPPL substrate and chicken manure as inoculum. The results show that the application of sequential multi-step bioconversion of potato starch industry residues has the potential to increase the variety of value-added products generated from a single organic residue while enhancing nutrient recovery capacity.
Rapid point of care testing for four bacterial sexually transmitted infections using the portable isothermal loop-mediated nucleic acid amplification eazyplex platform
Authors: Esitgen Germaner Ece T. , Wassill Lars , Dichtl Karl , Roider Julia , Seybold Ulrich
Published: January 2023

Purpose

To analyze sensitivity and specificity of the rapid point-of-care (POC) eazyplex testing platform for bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI) among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods

272 anal, urethral, and pharyngeal swabs collected from 153 MSM were tested by both the eazyplex platform and an in-house PCR or culture in the university microbiology reference laboratory.

Results

Compared to the reference diagnostic method, the overall sensitivity/specificity of eazyplex was 88%/98% for N. gonorrhoeae, 82%/100% for C. trachomatis, 70%/ > 99% for U. urealyticum, and 85%/98% for M. hominis, respectively. Sensitivity for N. gonorrhoeae and U. urealyticum in urethral samples was 100%.

Conclusion

With good to very good sensitivity depending on the sampling site and pathogen as well as very good specificity overall the eazyplex platform is a useful rapid diagnostic method for POC bacterial STI-testing especially for N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis, allowing for almost immediate treatment initiation.
Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Larkoski Andrew J.
Published: January 2023

This original and innovative textbook takes the unique perspective of introducing and solving problems in quantum mechanics using linear algebra methods, to equip readers with a deeper and more practical understanding of this fundamental pillar of contemporary physics. Extensive motivation for the properties of quantum mechanics, Hilbert space, and the Schrödinger equation is provided through analysis of the derivative, while standard topics like the harmonic oscillator, rotations, and the hydrogen atom are covered from within the context of operator methods.

Advanced topics forming the basis of modern physics research are also included, such as the density matrix, entropy, and measures of entanglement. Written for an undergraduate audience, this book offers a unique and mathematically self-contained treatment of this hugely important topic. Students are guided gently through the text by the author's engaging writing style, with an extensive glossary provided for reference and numerous homework problems to expand and develop key concepts. Online resources for instructors include a fully worked solutions manual and lecture slides.
Image and Ornament in the Early Medieval West
Authors: Friedrich Matthias
Published: January 2023

Scholarship often treats the post-Roman art produced in central and north-western Europe as representative of the pagan identities of the new 'Germanic' rulers of the early medieval world. In this book, Matthias Friedrich offers a critical reevaluation of the ethnic and religious categories of art that still inform our understanding of early medieval art and archaeology. He scrutinises early medieval visual culture by combining archaeological approaches with art historical methods based on contemporary theory. Friedrich examines the transformation of Roman imperial images, together with the contemporary, highly ornamented material culture that is epitomized by 'animal art.' Through a rigorous analysis of a range of objects, he demonstrates how these pathways produced an aesthetic that promoted variety (varietas), a cross-cultural concept that bridged the various ethnic and religious identities of post-Roman Europe and the Mediterranean worlds.
From Rebels to Rulers
Authors: Naylor Paul
Published: January 2023

A reinterpretation of the history of Sokoto that provides a new assessment of its leaders and their visions for the Muslim state.
The Agincourt Campaign of 1415
Authors: Warner Michael P.
Published: January 2023

First full investigation into the men of Agincourt - their service, backgrounds, lives and experiences.
Songs for Cabo Verde
Authors: Hurley-Glowa Susan
Published: January 2023

Chronicles the work of Norberto Tavares, a Cabo Verdean musician and humanitarian who served as the conscience of his island nation during the transition from Portuguese colony to democratic republic.
An End‐To‐End Flood Stage Prediction System Using Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Windheuser L. , Karanjit R. , Pally R. , Samadi S. , Hubig N. C.
Published: January 2023

The use of automated methods for detecting and classifying different types of labels in flood images have important applications in hydrologic prediction. In this research, we propose a fully automated end‐to‐end image detection system to predict flood stage data using deep neural networks across two US Geological Survey (USGS) gauging stations, that is, the Columbus and the Sweetwater Creek, Georgia, USA. The images were driven from the USGS live river web cameras, which were strategically located nearby the monitoring stations and refreshed roughly every 30 s. To estimate the flood stage, a U‐Net Convolutional Neural Network (U‐Net CNN) was first stacked on top of a segmentation model for noise and feature reduction that diminished the number of images needed for training. A Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM), a dense model, and a CNN were then trained to predict the flood stage time series data in near real‐time (6, 12, 24, and 48 hr). The results revealed that the U‐Net CNN has a higher accuracy for image segmentation if the algorithm is stacked in front of the network. The absolute error with the U‐Net was 0.0654 feet at the Columbus while it was 0.0035 feet at the Sweetwater Creek, which were practically low for flood stage estimation. For time series prediction, among three models, the LSTM predicted the flood stage values more accurately during both historical (2015–2022) as well as real‐time forecasts, particularly for 24 and 48 hr timescales. We extensively evaluated the proposed flood stage prediction system against current state‐of‐the‐art methodologies partly crowd‐sourced and mined in real‐time.
Abnormal Sub‐Auroral Ion Drifts (ASAID) Developed in Various Inner‐Magnetosphere Configurations at Geomagnetically Quiet Times
Authors: Horvath Ildiko , Lovell Brian C.
Published: January 2023

Utilizing multi‐point observations, we investigate a series of inner‐magnetosphere configurations formed at Kp ≤ 3+ when the magnetosphere‐ionosphere (M‐I) conjugate Abnormal Sub‐Auroral Ion Drifts (ASAID) developed near the plasmapause. We analyze the development of ASAID by adopting the recent theories of (1) fast‐time short‐circuiting explaining SAID development and (2) Larmor radius effects explaining ASAID development. The earthward ASAID electric field developed (1) by short‐circuiting when the reconnection‐related earthbound hot ring current (RC) electrons became stopped and ions kept moving earthward and started their usual Larmor rotations, and (2) because of the larger Larmor radius of the hot RC ions creating excess positive charges in the nearby cold‐inner‐edge plasmasheet plasma and deficit negative charges inside the hot RC region. Respective new findings include the observations of (1a) earthward hot RC ion injections across and near the ASAID channel in the inner magnetosphere and (1b) the localized increase of energetic proton differential fluxes (good proxy for hot RC ions) in the topside ionosphere within the ASAID channel, and (2a) M‐I conjugate ASAID and ASAID‐SAID series created by their respective single intrusion and repeated intrusions of hot RC ions into the cold plasmasheet plasma. New findings also include (3) the specifications of plasma waves such as Kelvin‐Helmholtz surface waves and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves developed in the inner‐magnetosphere during plasmasheet rippling, and (4) the development of multiple ASAID channels in the hot zone impacted by EMIC waves.
Multimodal Rayleigh and Love Wave Joint Inversion for S‐Wave Velocity Structures in Kanto Basin, Japan
Authors: Nimiya Hiro , Ikeda Tatsunori , Tsuji Takeshi
Published: January 2023

Prevention of earthquake disaster is critical in the densely populated Kanto Basin, Japan, because of the presence of thick sediments that amplify strong ground motion. For this, a high‐resolution three‐dimensional S‐wave velocity model is essential to understand the complex amplification of strong ground motion. We constructed a three‐dimensional S‐wave velocity model using the joint inversion of multimodal dispersion curves of Rayleigh and Love waves. Inclusion of higher modes significantly improved the accuracy and precision of the surface‐wave inversion by more than 50% compared to using only fundamental mode. Our proposed model revealed a low‐velocity anomaly of sediments toward the east and a curved velocity contour of the basement rock, thereby better explaining the observed complex surface‐wave dispersion curves that have been unexplained in past homogeneous multilayered models. Estimated S‐wave velocity model better reflected subsurface heterogeneity, providing vital information for hazard assessment in a metropolitan area where huge earthquakes are expected.
Hydrogen Partitioning Between Olivine and Orthopyroxene: Implications for the Lithosphere‐Asthenosphere Structure
Authors: Kang Lei , Karato Shun‐ichiro
Published: January 2023

Hydrogen solubility was determined in olivine and orthopyroxene under water‐saturated conditions at P = 3–5 GPa and T = 1373–1573 K. For olivine, polycrystalline samples were prepared from San Carlos olivine, and for orthopyroxene synthetic samples were prepared from oxide mixture containing 1.5–5 wt% of Al2O3. Olivine and orthopyroxene were placed next to each other and annealed under various pressure and temperature conditions for 3–5 hr. Hydrogen content was measured across each sample by FTIR spectroscopy. Under the water‐saturated conditions, the hydrogen solubility in olivine increases with pressure and temperature similar to previous results. Hydrogen solubility in Al2O3‐bearing orthopyroxene also increases with temperature and pressure for a fixed Al2O3 content. Based on these observations we calculated the partition coefficients of hydrogen between orthopyroxene and olivine assuming the fugacity dependence of hydrogen solubility in olivine and Al2O3‐bearing orthopyroxene reported by previous studies. We find that the partition coefficient depends weakly on temperature but strongly on pressure and water fugacity. Our results are extended to an open system where Al2O3 content in orthopyroxene changes with pressure and temperature. At relatively low pressures and low water fugacity (in the lithosphere (shallower than ∼50 km)), the partition coefficient is high and a majority of hydrogen is present in orthopyroxene. Consequently, the influence of water on the bulk physical properties is small. In contrast, at higher pressures and higher water fugacity (in the asthenosphere), the partition coefficient is smaller and a substantial amount of hydrogen is present in olivine. Consequently, hydrogen has a strong effect on the bulk properties of the asthenosphere reducing viscosity and increasing electrical conductivity.
Does multimorbidity result in de-prioritisation of COPD in primary care?
Authors: Smith Carolina , Hasselgren Mikael , Janson Christer , Kisiel Marta A. , Lisspers Karin , Nager Anna , Sandelowsky Hanna , Ställberg Björn , Sundh Josefin , Montgomery Scott
Published: January 2023

The aim of this study was to describe factors associated with having COPD regularly reviewed in primary care by a nurse or physician and assess whether there was de-prioritisation for COPD in multimorbid patients. We defined de-prioritisation as not having at least one check-up by a physician during a two-year period. Among 713 COPD patients in the Swedish PRAXIS study, 473 (66%) had at least one check-up during the study period (ending in 2014). Patients with check-ups were more likely to have three or more comorbid conditions (31.9% vs. 24.6%) and exacerbations (35.1% vs. 21.7%) than those without. Compared with those without comorbidity, those with three or more diagnoses had increased relative risk ratios (and 95% CI) for consultations discussing COPD with only a physician (5.63 (2.68–11.79)), COPD-nurse only (1.67 (0.83–3.37)) or both (2.11 (1.09–4.06)). COPD patients received more frequent check-ups considering COPD if they had comorbidity or a history of exacerbations. We found no evidence of de-prioritisation for COPD in multimorbid patients.
Eagle-449: A volumetric, whole-brain compilation of brain atlases for vestibular functional MRI research
Authors: Smith Jeremy L. , Ahluwalia Vishwadeep , Gore Russell K. , Allen Jason W.
Published: January 2023

Human vestibular processing involves distributed networks of cortical and subcortical regions which perform sensory and multimodal integrative functions. These functional hubs are also interconnected with areas subserving cognitive, affective, and body-representative domains. Analysis of these diverse components of the vestibular and vestibular-associated networks, and synthesis of their holistic functioning, is therefore vital to our understanding of the genesis of vestibular dysfunctions and aid treatment development. Novel neuroimaging methodologies, including functional and structural connectivity analyses, have provided important contributions in this area, but often require the use of atlases which are comprised of well-defined a priori regions of interest. Investigating vestibular dysfunction requires a more detailed atlas that encompasses cortical, subcortical, cerebellar, and brainstem regions. The present paper represents an effort to establish a compilation of existing, peer-reviewed brain atlases which collectively afford comprehensive coverage of these regions while explicitly focusing on vestibular substrates. It is expected that this compilation will be iteratively improved with additional contributions from researchers in the field.
Antibiotic-sterol interactions provide insight into the selectivity of natural aromatic analogues of amphotericin B and their photoisomers
Authors: Borzyszkowska-Bukowska Julia , Czub Jacek , Szczeblewski Paweł , Laskowski Tomasz
Published: January 2023

Aromatic heptaene macrolides (AHMs) belong to the group of polyene macrolide antifungal antibiotics. Members of this group were the first to be used in the treatment of systemic fungal infections. Amphotericin B (AmB), a non-aromatic representative of heptaene macrolides, is of significant clinical importance in the treatment of internal mycoses. It includes the all-trans heptaene chromophore, whereas the native AHMs contain two cis-type (Z) double bonds within the chromophore system. Lately we have proven that it is possible to obtain AHMs’ stable derivatives in the form of all-trans (AmB-type) isomers by photochemical isomerization. Our further studies have shown that such alteration leads to the improvement of their selective toxicity in vitro. Computational experiments carried out so far were only an initial contribution in the investigation of the molecular basis of the mechanism of action of AHMs and did not provide explanation to observed differences in biological activity between the native (cis-trans) and isomeric (all-trans) AHMs. Herein, we presented the results of two-dimensional metadynamics studies upon AmB and its aromatic analogues (AHMs), regarding preferable binary antibiotic/sterol complexes orientation, as well as more detailed research on the behaviour of AHMs’ alkyl-aromatic side chain in cholesterol- or ergosterol-enriched lipid bilayers.
Hybrid and herd immunity 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 exposure among individuals from a community treatment program
Authors: Chevaisrakul Parawee , Lumjiaktase Putthapoom , Kietdumrongwong Pongtorn , Chuatrisorn Ittiporn , Chatsangjaroen Pongsan , Phanuphak Nittaya
Published: January 2023

The death rate from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in 2022 was lower than the death rate in 2021, when the infection rate increased. Hybrid immunity provided by a combination of vaccination and infection, including asymptomatic infection, may confer effective protection against death. We explored the combined effect of asymptomatic infection and hybrid immunity by studying T-cell and antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 among individuals treated in home health care services 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection was demonstrated in 24.4% of close contacts. The levels of immunity were not different between patients and close contacts. Anti-RBD IgG against SARS-CoV-2 increased in a dose-dependent manner with the number of vaccine doses. Interestingly, the T-cell response decreased soon after a booster dose of vaccine. Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection could not enhance immunity against SARS-CoV-2 among vaccinated close contacts. Full vaccination was crucial to provide hybrid immunity. However, when designing vaccine strategies, T-cell exhaustion after multiple vaccinations should be considered.
A genome-wide association study identifies distinct variants associated with pulmonary function among European and African ancestries from the UK Biobank
Authors: Sinkala Musalula , Elsheikh Samar S. M. , Mbiyavanga Mamana , Cullinan Joshua , Mulder Nicola J.
Published: January 2023

Pulmonary function is an indicator of well-being, and pulmonary pathologies are the third major cause of death worldwide. We analysed the UK Biobank genome-wide association summary statistics of pulmonary function for Europeans and individuals of recent African descent to identify variants associated with the trait in the two ancestries. Here, we show 627 variants in Europeans and 3 in Africans associated with three pulmonary function parameters. In addition to the 110 variants in Europeans previously reported to be associated with phenotypes related to pulmonary function, we identify 279 novel loci, including an ISX intergenic variant rs369476290 on chromosome 22 in Africans. Remarkably, we find no shared variants among Africans and Europeans. Furthermore, enrichment analyses of variants separately for each ancestry background reveal significant enrichment for terms related to pulmonary phenotypes in Europeans but not Africans. Further analysis of studies of pulmonary phenotypes reveals that individuals of European background are disproportionally overrepresented in datasets compared to Africans, with the gap widening over the past five years. Our findings extend our understanding of the different variants that modify the pulmonary function in Africans and Europeans, a promising finding for future GWASs and medical studies.
Post-decellularized printing of cartilage extracellular matrix: distinction between biomaterial ink and bioink
Authors: Mokhtarinia Kiana , Masaeli Elahe
Published: January 2023

The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides mechanical support and biochemical signals to chondrocytes in cartilage regeneration. Accordingly, decellularized cartilage materials are being used to make bioinks or biomaterial inks that mimic the natural ECM.
Two-dimensional organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite ferroelastics: (PEA)2[CdCl4], (3-FPEA)2[CdCl4], and (4-FPEA)2[CdCl4]
Authors: Yue Zhi-Yuan , Luo Wang , Wang Na , Li Hua-Kai , Xu Ze-Jiang , Feng Yan , Shi Chao , Ye Heng-Yun , Miao Le-Ping
Published: January 2023

Three 2D organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites ferroelastics with dielectric switch. This work provides a new case for the preparation of 2D perovskite ferroelastic materials and the possibility for the application in actuators.
Modulation of Bi3+ luminescence from broadband green to broadband deep red in Lu2WO6 by Gd3+ doping and its applications in high color rendering index white LED and near-infrared LED
Authors: Wang Xuejiao , Feng Xiaowen , Molokeev Maxim S. , Zheng Huiling , Wang Qiushi , Xu Chunyan , Li Ji-Guang
Published: January 2023

Phosphors that exhibit tunable broadband emissions are highly desired in multi-functional LEDs, including pc-WLEDs and pc-NIR LEDs.
Lignin-based acrylate adhesive without organic solvent processing
Authors: Yan Yongping , Li Yao , Han Ying , Ma Zihao , Sun Yanning , Li Jigeng , Sun Guangwei
Published: January 2023

The introduction of lauryl methacrylate enhances the compatibility of lignin, which in turn enhances the infiltration and mechanical strength of the adhesive, and can replace the use of organic solvents.
Synthesis of cyclopenta[b]benzofurans via biomimetic oxidative phenol–enamine [3 + 2] cycloaddition
Authors: Bashir Muhammad Adnan , Chen Xuanjie , Wang Tie , Guo Hui , Zhai Hongbin
Published: January 2023

A hemin/t-BuOOH-catalyzed oxidative phenol–enamine formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition has been developed, enabling the environmentally benign synthesis of valuable cyclopenta[b]benzofuran scaffolds under sustainable reaction conditions.
An ADS‐B signal poisoning method based on generative adversarial network
Authors: Wu Tianhao , Zhang Shunjie , Yang Jungang , Lei Pengfei
Published: January 2023

Automatic dependent surveillance‐broadcast (ADS‐B) has been widely used due to its low cost and high precision. The deep learning methods for ADS‐B signal classification have achieved a high performance. However, recent studies have shown that deep learning networks are very sensitive and vulnerable to small noise. An ADS‐B signal poisoning method based on Generative Adversarial Network is proposed. This method can generate poisoned signals. One of ADS‐B signal classification networks is assigned as the attacked network and another one as the protected network. When poisoned signals are fed into these two well‐performed classification networks, the poisoned signal will be recognized incorrectly by the attacked network while classified correctly by the protected network. An attack‐protect‐similar loss function is further proposed to achieve ‘triple‐win’ in leading attacked network poor performance, protected network well performance and the poisoned signals similar to unpoisoned signals. Experimental results show that the attacked network classifies poisoned signals with 1.55% classification accuracy, while the protected network classifies rate is still maintained at 99.38%.
Effective kernel‐principal component analysis based approach for wisconsin breast cancer diagnosis
Authors: Mushtaq Zohaib , Qureshi Muhammad Farrukh , Abbass Muhammad Jamshed , Al‐Fakih Sadeq Mohammed Qaid
Published: January 2023

This work aims to identify cancerous (malignant) and non‐malignant (non‐cancerous) cells in a breast cancer database. Wisconsin breast cancer data (WBC) was utilized and obtained from the University of California, Irvine's machine learning repository. The proposed approach involves the Naive bayes algorithm with Gaussian distribution of the function in combination with Chi‐squared‐based attributes selection approach. This experimentation has been done after reducing the dimensional space of the used data with extended Kernel Principal Component Analysis (K‐PCA). Five different kernels in K‐PCA have been tested after the implementation of necessary pre‐processing techniques. The performance assessment of the proposed system has been evaluated based on confusion matrix‐based accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity. Our proposed methodology with six selected feature and sigmoid K‐PCA attained the best accuracy of 99.28%. This result outer performs many state‐of‐the‐art studies recently published on the identical dataset.
Multi‐modal machine learning based on electrocardiogram data for prediction of patients with ischemic heart disease
Authors: You Yi , Wang Wei , Li Dongze , Jia Yu , Li Dong , Zeng Rui , Zhang Lei
Published: January 2023

Electrocardiogram is a non‐invasive method to diagnose patients with cardiovascular diseases. Electrocardiogram analysis methods using deep neural networks have been widely used in recent years and are becoming more efficient and accurate than traditional machine learning methods. Exercise electrocardiogram is useful in the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, but the study of long‐term ischemic heart disease prediction based on exercise electrocardiogram is still limited.

To investigate the early predictive value of exercise electrocardiogram in addition to basic physiological data in incident ischemic heart disease in a random general population sample followed from 40 to 69 years of age, a multi‐modal fusion model is designed to predict ischemic heart disease based on machine learning methods. With the deep feature extractor and multi‐modal feature fusion module, the proposed model performance is better than the traditional expert feature based methods and only deep neural networks. This implies that this proposed model may be improved in a contemporary era of ischemic heart disease prevention with the gradually declining incidence of ischemic heart disease.
Collaborative and adversarial network for text‐independent speaker verification in domain adaptation
Authors: Qiang Junhao , Yang Qun , Gao Jie , Liu Shaohan
Published: January 2023

Speaker verification models have achieved good results on the single genre data. But the performance degrades when model training and testing are not in the same domain. The adversarial training method is proposed to solve this problem by minimizing domain distribution differences. However, the adversarial training ignores domain‐specific information for the domain‐invariant speaker representations. In this paper, an improved collaborative adversarial network for domain adaptation in speaker verification is performed. Compared to the adversarial training, a collaborative discriminator is newly incorporated that learns domain‐specific information at the lower layers. Further, the projection block is added to the collaborative discriminator. It reduces the noise introduced by the collaborative discriminator. Experiments are conducted in different mismatch scenarios and using different speaker encoders. All the experimental results show that the performance of this method is better than the baseline and previous work using adversarial training.
Static sensor assisted rotor temperature estimation of permanent magnet machine for the low‐speed servo applications
Authors: Sun Le , Gan Hui , Xiao Xin
Published: January 2023

A permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) temperature estimation method fusing the classic lumped‐parameter thermal network (LPTN) and the stator sensor temperature information is investigated. With respect to the industrial servo applications, it is important to monitor the rotor magnet temperature to extend the machine thermal utilisation. A simple LPTN is developed and the quadratic programming is applied to identify the model parameters. The research work shows that the rotor temperature is sensitive to the rotor speed even at low speeds, and this simple estimation network can provide an accurate estimation. The winding sensor information can further improve the performance. A compound mechanism is built, by which the winding temperature estimation error is used as feedback to suppress the model‐based temperature estimation error accumulation. The estimation performance is compared with a regular constant LPTN‐based method. Experimental results based on a PMSM are presented to validate the proposed method.
Retracted: Cable tunnel unmanned aerial vehicle location and navigation method based on ultra wideband and depth camera fusion
Authors: He Guanghua , Huang Xueling , Xu Yahui , Qin Jun , Sun Ke
Published: January 2023

With the increasing demand for electric energy, more and more cities are constructing cable tunnels. In order to prevent the cable in the tunnel from being damaged, regular inspection of the cable tunnel is very important. However, due to the large scale of cable tunnel construction, the traditional manual inspection is difficult to meet the maintenance requirements. With the development of intelligent technology, the intelligent patrol mode of UAV has gradually replaced the traditional manual patrol mode and become the main patrol mode of cable tunnel. Therefore, the positioning and navigation method of cable tunnel UAV is studied in this paper. By using UWB localization algorithm and depth camera fusion, the positioning and navigation methods of UAVs are determined and compared with the positioning algorithm based on optical flow. Experimental comparison results show that the maximum and minimum yaw angles of UAV positioning based on the proposed algorithm are 2.41° and 0.16°, while the maximum and minimum yaw angles of UAV positioning based on the comparison algorithm are 3.11° and 1.51°. It can be seen that the integration of UWB and depth camera is of great significance for the research of positioning and navigation methods of cable tunnel UAVs.
Enhanced clustering based routing protocol in vehicular ad‐hoc networks
Authors: Naeem Afia , Rizwan Muhammad , Alsubai Shtwai , Almadhor Ahmad , Akhtaruzzaman Md. , Islam Shayla , Rahman Hameedur
Published: January 2023

A vehicular ad‐hoc network (VANET) is derived from a mobile ad‐hoc network that is a part of less infrastructure network design. Vehicular communication in VANET can be achieved using vehicle‐to‐infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle‐to‐vehicle (V2V) communication. A vehicle communicates with other vehicles through onboard units while communicating with roadside units in an infrastructure mode. Secure clustering is required for the communication between nodes in the whole network. The fundamental problem with the VANET is the instability of the network that occurs due to vehicles' mobile nature, which decreases the network's efficiency. This research proposes an enhanced cluster‐based lifetime protocol ECBLTR that focuses on maximising the network's stability of routing and average throughput. The Sugeno model fuzzy inference system is used for assessing the cluster head (CH) that takes residual energy, local distance, node degree, concentration, and distance from the base station as input parameters. Our enhanced routing protocol shows that the proper channel model with an efficient routing protocol enhances the link throughput of the VANET for fixed network size. Our results show an efficient selection method of CH through the fuzzy system and a 10% increase in network lifetime. Furthermore, performance evaluation also demonstrates the impact of network sizes and routing protocols on packet delivery ratio and packet loss, average end‐to‐end delay, and overhead transmission.
Facile green synthesis inorganic cuprous oxide nanoparticles and their antibacterial properties
Authors: Binjawhar Dalal Nasser , Alsharari Salam S. , Albalawi Aisha , Abdulhasan Maryam Jawad , Khat Mehr , Ameen Fuad
Published: January 2023

Here, the authors described a sustainable green synthesis approach to synthesize cuprous oxide nanoparticles (NPs) using Olea europaea extract. The resulting synthesized cuprous oxide NPs were characterized by the UV–Visible spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The average cuprous oxide NPs crystallite size of about 30 nm was calculated using the Scherrer formula. According to TEM, the resulting synthesized cuprous oxide NPs are spherical shaped. The cuprous oxide NP provides good antibacterial activity versus the two strains compared to Olea europaea aqueous extract; cuprous oxide NP has higher MIC against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Reconstructive Strategies in Pediatric Patients after Oncological Chest Wall Resection: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lonnee Pieter W. , Ovadja Zachri N. , Hulsker Caroline C.C. , van de Sande Michiel A.J. , van de Ven Cornelis P. , Paes Emma C.
Published: January 2023

An appropriate reconstruction strategy after surgical resection of chest wall tumors in children is important to optimize outcomes, but there is no consensus on the ideal approach. The aim of this study was to provide an up-to-date systematic review of the literature for different reconstruction strategies for chest wall defects in patients less than 18 years old. A systematic literature search of the complete available literature was performed and results were analyzed. A total of 22 articles were included in the analysis, which described a total of 130 chest wall reconstructions. All were retrospective analyses, including eight case reports. Reconstructive options were divided into primary closure (n = 21 [16.2%]), use of nonautologous materials (n = 83 [63.8%]), autologous tissue repair (n = 2 [1.5%]), or a combination of the latter two (n = 24 [18.5%]). Quality of evidence was poor, and the results mostly heterogeneous. Reconstruction of chest wall defects can be divided into four major categories, with each category including its own advantages and disadvantages. There is a need for higher quality evidence and guidelines, to be able to report uniformly on treatment outcomes and assess the appropriate reconstruction strategy.
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Children: Clinical Profile and Management Outcome in a Developing Country's Rural Neurosurgery Practice
Authors: Oyemolade Toyin Ayofe , Adeleye Amos Olufemi , Ekanem Inwonoabasi Nicholas , Ogunoye Adeyemi Damilola
Published: January 2023

Background There is paucity of data-driven study on pediatric traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in the developing countries. This study aims to define the clinical profile of pediatric traumatic SCI in a rural tertiary hospital in a sub-Saharan African country.

Methods This was a prospective observational study of all children with spinal cord injury managed at our center over a 42-month period.

Results There were 20 patients, comprising 13 males and 7 females with a mean age of 11.5 years. Road traffic crash was the cause in 70% of the cases (motorcycle accident = 45%), and fall from height in 25%. Pedestrians were the victims of the road traffic crash in 42.9% (6/14) of the cases, while 21.4% (3/14) and 28.6% (4/14) were passengers on motorcycles and in motor vehicles, respectively. The cervical spine was the most common location of injury, occurring in 90% of the cases (18/20). Seventy-five percent of the patients (15/20) had transient deficits, but were grossly normal neurologically on examination (American Spinal Cord Injury Association [ASIA] grade E); 2 patients had ASIA D, while 1 patient each had ASIA C, B, and A injuries. All patients were managed nonoperatively. The patients with incomplete deficits improved, while those with complete injury did not make any motor or sensory gain.

Conclusion Road traffic accident, mostly motorcycle crash, was the most common etiology of pediatric SCI in this series, and most of the injuries were located in the cervical spine. Disabling injury constituted a small proportion of pediatric SCI in our practice.
Buoyant fluid injections at high viscosity contrasts in an inclined closed-end pipe
Authors: Akbari S. , Taghavi S. M.
Published: January 2023

This paper studies the buoyant miscible injection of a high-viscosity fluid in a pipe filled with a low-viscosity fluid. The injection is carried out via an eccentric inner pipe inside an inclined closed-end outer pipe. A heavy fluid is injected into a light fluid at a constant density difference. Although the density difference is small, the buoyancy force, quantified via the Archimedes number (Ar), remains large. Our research relies on non-intrusive experimental methods, via a mix of high-speed camera imaging, ultrasound Doppler velocimetry, planar laser induced fluorescence, and particle image velocimetry techniques, accompanied by complementary numerical simulations. The effects of the viscosity ratio (M), the Reynolds number (Re) and the inclination angle (β) are analyzed on the injection/placement flow dynamics. Accordingly, a detailed description of the flow is presented, in terms of the concentration and velocity fields, the average front velocity of the heavy fluid (V¯f), the mixing index, and the flow regimes. The findings reveal that V¯f is mainly governed by an inertial-buoyant balance, allowing us to develop a correlation for V¯f vs Ar, M, Re and β. The results also show that a heavy fluid front separation occurs when M is small, β is large (i.e., near-vertical inclinations), and Re is large. This observation permits us to classify the flows into separation and non-separation regimes, in a dimensionless group plane based on a combination of the aforementioned dimensionless numbers.
Energetics of spreading droplets and role of capillary waves at low Weber numbers below 10
Authors: Yoon Ikroh , Chergui Jalel , Juric Damir , Shin Seungwon
Published: January 2023

In this study, we investigate the energy conversion and dissipation mechanisms of spreading droplets on a solid surface at a low Weber number regime, which neither conventional energy-balance-based theories nor empirical scaling laws can completely explain. The energetic analysis presented in this study shows that on a hydrophilic surface, the actual primary energy source driving the spreading process is the initial surface energy not the initial kinetic energy. The conventional energy-balance-based approaches are found to be valid only for the spreading process on a hydrophobic surface. Particular attention is also paid to the roles of the capillary waves. The capillary waves are found to play significant roles in all of the important flow physics, that is, the interfacial structure, the oscillatory motions and the rapid collapse of the liquid film, the onset of the viscous regime, and the energy loss mechanism. It is also shown that the energy dissipation caused by the capillary-wave-induced phenomena can be estimated to be 25%–35% and 55%–65% of the total energy loss for a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic surface, respectively, at the low Weber number regime.
A modified Kripkean theory of negative existentials
Authors: He Chaoan
Published: January 2023

In a 2019 paper, Hausmann raised a new and interesting problem for Kripke’s account of negative existentials. He argued that Kripke’s account leads to the absurd consequence that anybody who has good reasons to believe that there are no propositions also has good reasons to believe that he or she does not exist. In this paper I propose a modified Kripkean theory, which is invulnerable to a Hausmann-like argument. As will be seen, the modified theory can be squarely justified in light of the key observations behind Kripke’s original proposal.