bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictores cognitivos de la conducta parental en madres maltratadas
Authors: Aguinaga Alvarez Adolfo , Yaya Castañeda Elena Esther , Jaimes-Velásquez Carlos
Published: March 2024

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar los factores de la conducta racional que son predictores de las conductas parentales en 100 madres que reportaron ser maltratadas por sus parejas y acudieron a evaluación al Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses en la ciudad de Lima. Los instrumentos utilizados para recoger la información fueron el Inventario de Conducta Racional y el Inventario de Conducta Parental. Se aplicó el análisis de regresión múltiple mediante el método paso a paso (stepwise) para identificar los factores de la conducta racional que predicen las conductas parentales en la muestra del estudio. Los resultados indican que el factor aprobación predice la conducta parental hostil/coercitiva con una relación positiva, mientras que el factor grado de independencia predice la conducta parental apoyo/compromiso, siendo esta una relación negativa. Pese a que el factor sentimiento de culpa no cumple un rol predictivo, se discute su correlación positiva con la conducta parental hostil/coercitiva. Los hallazgos pretenden contribuir con el conocimiento de la interacción madre - hijo en contextos de violencia de pareja y motivar decisiones adecuadas para el manejo de esta problemática.
Cultural practices of breast care among breastfeeding mothers in the Sumba tribe: A descriptive qualitative study
Authors: Tarapandjang Dharma Sandi , Trishinta Sirli Mardianna , Ardiyani Vita Maryah
Published: March 2024

Introduction: The study aims to explore how the cultural practice of breast care among breastfeeding mothers in the Sumba tribe, specifically in Kiritana Village, might impact the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in the Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) province, with a potential influence estimated at 62.17%.Methods: This research employs a descriptive qualitative approach, utilizing a purposive sampling method. The participants consist of mothers who are within the first six months postpartum and engage in breast care practices. Following the framework proposed by Miles and Huberman, the data analysis process involves data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusions or verifying the data through researcher involvement in the interpretation process to elucidate the significance of the presented data.Results: There are two themes emerged: (1) Culture-based breast care of the Sumba Tribe in Kiritana Village is still being carried out from generation to generation, and (2) Cultural-based breast care practices in the Sumba Tribe, Kiritana Village which is still carried out by breastfeeding mothers are massaged using breastmilk, massaged using coconut oil, herbs which derived from plants and consuming fried corn and fried peanuts.Conclusions: Sumbanese people in Kiritana Village believe that cultural-based breast care can facilitate breast milk and can cure several diseases of the breast, such as sore nipples and swollen, stiff, and hard breasts. It is recommended that health service workers carry out a culture-based approach strategy to the problem of breastfeeding mothers in the Sumba Tribe. Further research on the effects of traditional treatments during postpartum, especially for breast care, is recommended.
Keywords: breast care; cultural practice; exclusive breastfeeding
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl pollution in marine environments: a viewpoint about Africa
Authors: Ben-Haddad Mohamed , De-la-Torre Gabriel E. , Aragaw Tadele Assefa , Mghili Bilal , Abelouah Mohamed Rida , Hajji Sara , Ait Alla Aicha
Published: March 2024

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent an extensive and expanding group of chemicals considered contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). These elements have found widespread usage in diverse industrial and commercial sectors since the 1940s. The advancement of modern analytical methods in developed countries has significantly contributed to the increased research on the environmental behavior and risk assessment of PFAS. However, what about developing countries? Over time, the focus on PFAS has expanded beyond legacy PFAS to encompass novel ones. In this perspective, we focus on analyzing the existing knowledge concerning PFAS in the marine environment, aiming to shed light on the limited research pertaining to per- and polyfluoroalkyl pollution in the marine ecosystems of Africa.
DSTree: A Spatio-Temporal Indexing Data Structure for Distributed Networks
Authors: Hojati Majid , Roberts Steven , Robertson Colin
Published: March 2024

The widespread availability of tools to collect and share spatial data enables us to produce a large amount of geographic information on a daily basis. This enormous production of spatial data requires scalable data management systems. Geospatial architectures have changed from clusters to cloud architectures and more parallel and distributed processing platforms to be able to tackle these challenges. Peer-to-peer (P2P) systems as a backbone of distributed systems have been established in several application areas such as web3, blockchains, and crypto-currencies. Unlike centralized systems, data storage in P2P networks is distributed across network nodes, providing scalability and no single point of failure. However, managing and processing queries on these networks has always been challenging. In this work, we propose a spatio-temporal indexing data structure, DSTree. DSTree does not require additional Distributed Hash Trees (DHT) to perform multi-dimensional range queries. Inserting a piece of new geographic information updates only a portion of the tree structure and does not impact the entire graph of the data. For example, for time-series data, such as storing sensor data, the DSTree performs better. Despite the advantages of our proposed framework, challenges remain. We conclude that more significant research effort from GIScience and related fields in developing decentralized applications is needed. The need for the standardization of different geographic information when sharing data on the IPFS network is one of the requirements.
The Impact of Magnesium on the Growth, Physiology and Quality of Tea Plants under Acid Stress
Authors: LV XinHang , Kong Haimin , Luo Yubo , Dong Dubi , Liu Wenbin , Wu Dongtao , Ye Zhengqian , Ma Jiawei , Liu Dan
Published: March 2024

This study investigates how root environment acidification impacts tea seedlings and the role of magnesium (Mg) in mitigating these effects. We examine varying pH and Mg levels' influence on tea seedlings' resistance to abiotic stress, focusing on antioxidant capacity and nutritional content. In a hydroponic experiment, we varied root pH (3.5, 5.0, 6.5) and Mg concentrations (0.01, 0.4, 0.8 mM), assessing parameters like antioxidant capacity, peroxidative damage, and nutritional content at 1, 7, 15, and 30 days post-treatment. Root environment acidification and Mg deficiency worsened peroxidative damage in tea plant leaves and roots. Increased Mg supplementation enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, reducing malondialdehyde and mitigating oxidative damage from root environment acid stress. Under acid stress, 0.8 mM Mg significantly increased tea leaf polyphenols, amino acids, and water-soluble extracts. Mg notably boosted chlorophyll content, surpassing lower Mg levels at pH 5. Additionally, Mg reversed root vitality inhibition induced by acid stress, leading to increased nitrogen, potassium, and Mg concentrations in leaves, promoting balanced nutrient absorption. Mg supplementation is crucial for enhancing tea plant antioxidant capacity, alleviating growth inhibition from root environment acid stress, and improving chlorophyll content and root vitality, highlighting Mg's significance in tea cultivation and broader agricultural practices.
Effectiveness of AI-Based Resource Optimization in Cloud Environments: An Empirical Study Focused on Comparative Analysis between MSA and Rehost Systems
Authors: Yoo Do Jin , Seo Cheong Jeong
Published: March 2024

This study empirically analyzes the effectiveness of resource optimization utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) within cloud computing environments. It compares systems that have been transitioned from a Monolithic structure to Microservices Architecture (MSA) with those adopting a simple Rehost strategy, to validate the operational efficiency of two systems whose resource efficiency has been enhanced compared to traditional legacy systems. The research is based on systems that determined resource efficiency post-cloud migration using APM tools. It points out the limitations of traditional heuristic operation methods in resource optimization, which lead to issues such as application performance degradation, resource over-allocation, and increased operational costs. This study aims to overcome the conventional resource optimization standards that depended on the average peak usage of CPU and memory infrastructure, by introducing AI-based optimization tools, and applying on-premise standards to cloud and container environments to achieve resource optimization. The paper emphasizes the importance of resource optimization through AI-based automation tools, exploring the possibilities of resolving real-world application performance issues in cloud environments, reducing unnecessary resource usage costs, and cutting down on labor risks and operational expenses. Through this, it presents strategic directions on how AI technology can offer financial and operational advantages in managing cloud resources.
Neural Information Organizing and Processing – Neural Machines
Authors: Petrila Iosif Iulian
Published: March 2024

The informational synthesis of neural structures, processes, parameters and characteristics that allow a unified description and modeling as neural machines of natural and artificial neural systems is presented. The general informational parameters as the global quantitative measure of the neural systems computing potential as absolute and relative neural power were proposed. Neural information organizing and processing follows the way in which nature manages neural information by developing functions, functionalities and circuits related to different internal or peripheral components and also to the whole system through a non-deterministic memorization, fragmentation and aggregation of afferent and efferent information, deep neural information processing representing multiple alternations of fragmentation and aggregation stages. The relevant neural characteristics were integrated into a neural machine type model that incorporates unitary also peripheral or interface components as the central ones. The proposed approach allows overcoming the technical constraints in artificial computational implementations of neural information processes and also provides a more relevant description of natural ones.
Instantaneous Relativistic Precession of Mercury
Authors: Bootello Javier
Published: March 2024

The extra precession of Mercury - 42.9 seconds of arc per century - explained by General Relativity (GR), is the result of a secular addition of 5.02 × 10−7 rad. at the end of every orbit around the Sun. We will analyze, the instantaneous precession and its addition along one orbit, determine the magnitude and oscillations around the mean value, comparing key theoretical proposals. This angular precession, should be the result reaction of Mercury to the gravitoelectric action produced by the geometric curve space-time at each single point of the elliptic orbit. The better we should know about this instantaneous precession, the better we will determine the external action and its quantum core nature, if that is the case. The Doppler tracking of the MESSENGER spacecraft, produces only 1 m error, enough precision to deduce the complete geodesic orbit of Mercury as an open free-fall path, isolated from other planets gravitational interference. The aim of this article is also to encourage JPL, IMCCE. and other scientific teams to do so because, as far as I know, it has not been entirely measured yet, by accurately tracking that motion.
Developing a Manufacturing Industry Brain in Smart Cities: The Yiwu Knitting Industry Cloud Platform Case Study, China
Authors: Jinchi Ma , Weidong Wang , Cheng Zhou
Published: March 2024

Smart cities are a new approach to facilitating urban development and transformation, driving coordinated development between regions, and achieving sustainable urban development. In the era of smart cities, industrial cloud platforms, as a concrete representation and carrier of “industrial brains”, are gradually becoming one of the core competences of urban manufacturing industries. Case study and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of a knitting industrial platform in Yiwu City, China are carried out. The following conclusion can be drawn: the construction mechanism and path of the manufacturing “industrial brain” in the smart city are divided into three stages according to the construction of the industrial platform. These include: functional development (FD), trust-building (TB), and value co-creation (VCC). The research conclusion helps to more deeply understand the effects of industrial platforms on constructing “industrial brains”. It provides effective transformation strategies and guidance for the manufacturing industry in the smart city, and pushes the industry to develop towards an intelligent, efficient, and environmental-friendly one. The research provides useful reference for applying the industrial platform to other industries and fields. Exploring the construction mechanism and path of the manufacturing “industrial brain” in the smart city can also contribute to the establishment of a new industrial ecosystem in the era of smart cities.
A Comparative Study of Relation Classification Approaches for Japanese Discourse Relation Analysis
Authors: Takahashi Keigo , Oka Teruaki , Komachi Mamoru , Takama Yasufumi
Published: March 2024

This paper presents a comparative analysis of classification approaches in the Japanese discourse relation analysis (DRA) task. In the Japanese DRA task, it is difficult to resolve implicit relations where explicit discourse phrases do not appear. To understand implicit relations further, we compared the four approaches by incorporating a special token to encode the relations of the given discourses. Our four approaches included inserting a special token at the beginning of a sentence, end of a sentence, conjunctive position, and random position to classify the relation between the two discourses into one of the following categories: CAUSE/REASON, CONCESSION, CONDITION, PURPOSE, GROUND, CONTRAST, and NONE. Our experimental results revealed that special tokens are available to encode the relations of given discourses more effectively than pooling-based approaches. In particular, the random insertion of a special token outperforms other approaches, including pooling-based approaches, in the most numerous CAUSE/REASON category in implicit relations and categories with few instances. Moreover, we classified the errors in the relation analysis into three categories: confounded phrases, ambiguous relations, and requiring world knowledge for further improvements.
Applying LSTM and GRU Methods to Recognize and Interpret Hand Gestures, Poses, and Face-Based Sign Language in Real Time
Authors: Ilham Amil Ahmad , Nurtanio Ingrid , Ridwang  , Syafaruddin
Published: March 2024

This research uses a real-time, human-computer interaction application to examine sign language recognition. This work develops a rule-based hand gesture approach for Indonesian sign language in order to interpret some words using a combination of hand movements, mimics, and poses. The main objective in this study is the recognition of sign language that is based on hand movements made in front of the body with one or two hands, movements which may involve switching between the left and right hand or may be combined with mimics and poses. To overcome this problem, a research framework is developed by coordinating hand gestures with poses and mimics to create features by using holistic MediaPipe. To train and test data in real time, the long short time memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) approaches are used. The research findings presented in this paper show that hand gestures in real-time interactions are reliably recognized, and some words are interpreted with the high accuracy rates of 94% and 96% for the LSTM and GRU methods, respectively.
Estimating Tomato Plant Leaf Area Using Multiple Images from Different Viewing Angles
Authors: Yamaguchi Nobuhiko , Okumura Hiroshi , Fukuda Osamu , Yeoh Wen Liang , Tanaka Munehiro
Published: March 2024

The estimation of leaf area is an important measure for understanding the growth, development, and productivity of tomato plants. In this study, we focused on the leaf area of a potted tomato plant and proposed methods, namely, NP, D2, and D3, for estimating its leaf area. In the NP method, we used multiple tomato plant images from different viewing angles to reduce the estimation error of the leaf area, whereas in the D2 and D3 methods, we further compensated for the perspective effects. The performances of the proposed methods were experimentally assessed using 40 “Momotaro Peace” tomato plants. The experimental results confirmed that the NP method had a smaller mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) on the test set than the conventional estimation method that uses a single tomato plant image. Likewise, the D2 and D3 methods had a smaller MAPE on the test set than the conventional method that did not compensate for perspective effects.
Special Issue on Cutting Edge of Reinforcement Learning and its Hybrid Methods
Authors: Miyazaki Kazuteru , Takadama Keiki
Published: March 2024

Since deep Q-networks and AlphaGO by Google DeepMind were proposed, not only a reinforcement learning integrated with deep learning but also its applications have attracted much attention on. ChatGPT, which learns by Proximal Policy Optimization as one of reinforcement learning mechanisms, is an excellent example.

With this background, we propose the special issue titled “Cutting Edge of Reinforcement Learning and its Hybrid Methods,” which is the same of the special issue in 2017, to cover the latest progress and trends in reinforcement learning and its hybrid methods (combined with machine learning, neural networks, and evolutionary computation).

We received 28 submissions, out of which 12 submissions were peer-reviewed and 16 submissions that were outside the scope of the special issue were excluded. After a thorough review process including comments and suggestions by reviewers, seven submissions were accepted. These included four theory and three application papers, indicating nearly equal contributions in theory and application aspects.

The content of the first three papers is related to inverse reinforcement learning, while the fourth one is not directly related to reinforcement learning but it would be related to reinforcement learning in the future. All papers address issues surrounding cutting-edge technology in reinforcement learning.

We would like to end by expressing that we hope and believe that this special issue can largely contribute to the development in the field of reinforcement learning while holding a wide international appeal.
Estimating Objective Weights of Pareto-Optimal Policies for Multi-Objective Sequential Decision-Making
Authors: Ikenaga Akiko , Arai Sachiyo
Published: March 2024

Sequential decision-making under multiple objective functions includes the problem of exhaustively searching for a Pareto-optimal policy and the problem of selecting a policy from the resulting set of Pareto-optimal policies based on the decision maker’s preferences. This paper focuses on the latter problem. In order to select a policy that reflects the decision maker’s preferences, it is necessary to order these policies, which is problematic because the decision-maker’s preferences are generally tacit knowledge. Furthermore, it is difficult to order them quantitatively. For this reason, conventional methods have mainly been used to elicit preferences through dialogue with decision-makers and through one-to-one comparisons. In contrast, this paper proposes a method based on inverse reinforcement learning to estimate the weight of each objective from the decision-making sequence. The estimated weights can be used to quantitatively evaluate the Pareto-optimal policies from the viewpoints of the decision-makers preferences. We applied the proposed method to the multi-objective reinforcement learning benchmark problem and verified its effectiveness as an elicitation method of weights for each objective function.
Implementasi pembinaan dan terapi keagamaan terhadap mental klien anak di BAPAS Kelas I Cirebon
Authors: Ghofur Muhammad Ikhsan , Izzuddin Izzuddin , Hidayat Tyara Salsa
Published: March 2024

BAPAS Class I Cirebon has a major role in the mental recovery efforts of children who conflict with the law. This assistance starts when the child conflicts with the law until the verdict is released. with the law until the verdict is free. This research is field research. The research data were analysed using qualitative methods. The data collection techniques used observation, documentation, and interviews. After the data is collected, it is then analysed using descriptive analysis. The findings of this research include Among them are: (1) The therapy used uses the method of Sufistic therapy and Sufi healing, namely the habituation of prayers and Sufi healing methods, namely habituation to prayer, fasting, reciting the Qur’an, muhasabah, and tafakur using advice and motivation, and using advice and motivation. The first therapy was given by guidance of child clients (BKA), and community counsellors directly gave the second. community. (2) The effect of the therapy provided is firstly the emergence of an awareness of what has been done and become a better self; secondly, motivation to follow the rules of law and society so that they can return to normal life in society. life in society normally.
Persepsi Penggiat Filsafat Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam Negeri (PTKIN) terhadap Dimensi Religiusitas
Authors: Asyadily Muhamad Hasan
Published: March 2024

The presence of philosophy in society is still widely questioned because it is considered capable of undermining beliefs, leading astray, and even having no benefits. The negative view of society towards philosophy is due to the religious and devout culture of the community. However, the development of education, especially at State Islamic Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) and the establishment of Aqidah and Islamic Philosophy Department, it has given rise to philosophers within the student community at PTKIN. Moreover, the unique behavior of philosophy enthusiasts often attracts attention within the PTKIN student community, prompting researchers to examine the perceptions of philosophy enthusiasts regarding the dimension of religiosity in the midst of Indonesia's predominantly religious and devout cultural environment. This research employs a qualitative approach using Glock and Stark's theory on the dimensions of religiosity. The results show that the perceptions of philosophy activists at PTKIN regarding religiosity encompass three aspects. First, of aqidah, philosophy activists may become doubtful about their beliefs or, conversely, strengthen their faith, as well as cleanse impure religious doctrines. Second, in terms of worship, the non-performance of religious rituals is not solely caused by philosophy, but there are other factors at play. Third, morality or akhlak, philosophy has a positive impact on the behavior of philosophy activists.
Mulla Sadra's Realism on The Principle of Ittihad al-'Aqil wa al-Ma'qul: A Response to Modern Realism
Authors: Walid Kholid Al
Published: March 2024

This article attempts to show Mulla Sadra’s model of realism by tracing it through his philosophical principles, especially the principle of Ittihad 'Aqil wa Ma'qul (subject-object unity). Furthermore, the study of the Sadra realism model, which is based on the principle of Ittihad 'Aqil wa Ma'qul, is presented to respond to fundamental epistemic-ontological issues, namely the relationship between the subject’s consciousness and external objects, in order to strengthen belief in the nature and existence of external reality, which is independent of contamination of the subject's mental decisions (mind-independent reality). How does the subject's consciousness relate to external objects? This problem is still an anxiety and has not been resolved by modern philosophers who focus on the discourse of perception, giving rise to various schools of realism, which are represented by two major schools: direct realism and indirect realism. By overcoming these epistemic problems, ultimately, this effort leads to the confirmation of Mulla Sadra's more original and comprehensive model of realism. This paper is attempted using a critical-analytical method, namely analyzing Mulla Sadra's philosophical ideas on the Ittihad 'Aqil wa Ma'qul principles and the views of modern realism by focusing on the issue of perception. The conclusions drawn from the results of the analysis of the Ittihad 'Aqil wa Ma'qul were used as a basis for responding to modern realism as well as an affirmation of Mulla Sadra's style of realism.
Konsep Ilmu dalam Perspektif Islam
Authors: Azfaruddin Muhammad Farid , Rasyid Abdullah , Mauludiyah Lilik , Mustofa Muhammad Lutfi
Published: March 2024

The study of knowledge in Islam is very important. Knowledge in modern times is considered lacking in explaining phenomena in this era. The purpose of writing this article is to analyze the Islamic perspective on science, including the concepts, classifications, and roots of science. This research method is qualitative with a literature study approach originating from e-journals, books and trusted media. The results of this study state that first, the concept of science according to Islam does not only discuss physical aspects, but also metaphysical aspects. Science must also have objectivity, meaning that it can be accepted by many people and not be influenced by individual thoughts. Second, Islam broadly classifies knowledge into two, namely fardu ain knowledge and fardu kifayah knowledge. Figures of Muslim scientists such as Al-Farabi and Ibn Nadhim divided world knowledge into more detail. Third, Knowledge in Islam comes from the Al-Qur'an, Hadith, intellect, and intuition. How to obtain this knowledge can be through revelation, five senses, reason, and heart or intuition. Fourth, Modern science in the West began to develop, and Western society relinquished the influence of the church to adopt a modern way of thinking that emphasized rationality and empirical evidence. Western thought considers religion and science to be separate, viewing this division as a hindrance to progress. However, in the Islamic tradition, religious and secular powers are not divided
Islamization of Science Ismail Raji al-Faruqi and Integration-Interconnection of Science Amin Abdullah: A Comparative Study
Authors: Syihabuddin Muhammad , Soleh Achmad Khudori , Mursyid Achmad Yafik
Published: March 2024

The discourse on the dichotomy of modern science and Islamic science is an interesting topic of discussion and is always debated by Muslim scientists. Some of them, namely Ismail Raji al-Faruqi and Amin Abdullah, are trying to respond to and solve problems that occur in the scientific realm. Al-Faruqi initiated the Islamization of science which seeks to unify the two sciences (science and Islam). Likewise, Amin Abdullah with his integration-interconnection paradigm also offers an open dialogue between the two sciences. Then this research aims to look at the structure of thought between the two figures mentioned, as well as looking for common threads related to the similarities and differences in the ideas of science integration being promoted. This research uses library research methods through several textual sources related to the topic discussed, primarily in the form of books by the two figures studied, and secondary in the form of scientific articles that have related themes. The results of this article are: 1) The Islamization of al-Faruqi's knowledge leads to the relevance between science and Islam, science is Islamized through twelve concrete steps based on the concept of monotheism. 2) Amin Abdullah's ideas regarding integration-interconnection can be seen from the spider web framework which emphasizes mastery of various sciences, both modern science and Islamic science. 3) The similarities in thinking between the two can be seen through the spirit in answering scientific dichotomies. The difference is, that al-Faruqi emphasized mastery of modern knowledge (science) to then be converted to Islam to conform to the pattern of monotheistic teachings. Meanwhile, Amin Abdullah's ideas emphasized mastery of general science and Islam. So that each scientific group is aware of its limitations and shortcomings so that they can complement and complement each other
Digits Recognition for Arabic Handwritten through Convolutional Neural Networks, Local Binary Patterns, and Histogram of Oriented Gradients
Authors: Hasan Bushra Mahdi , Jaber Zahraa Jasim , Habeeb Ahmad Adel
Published: March 2024

التعرف على النص المكتوب بخط اليد هو موضوع دراسة له تطبيقات عديدة. أحد هذه التطبيقات هو تمييز الكتابة اليدوية في المستندات الرسمية، المخطوطات التاريخية، الشيكات المصرفية وما الى ذلك، وهي مشكلة يمكن اعتبارها بشكل نسبي مشكلة أمنية. كان لموضوع التعرف على خط اليد حيز كبير من الدراسة والتحليل في السنوات الأخيرة. يستخدم الأشخاص النص العربي في العديد من البلدان، بما في ذلك جميع البلدان التي تعتمد اللغة العربية كلغة أساسية بالإضافة إلى اللغات الفارسية والأردية والباشتو فإنها تستخدم الرموز العربية من حروف وارقام. ونظرًا للتنوع اللامتناهي في الكتابة اليدوية للأشخاص فان أنظمة التعرف عليها تواجه العديد من التحديات. تهدف هذه الورقة إلى فحص فعالية بعض التقنيات في معالجة مشكلة التعرف على الأرقام المكتوبة بخط اليد العربية (AHNR). على وجه التحديد الطرق قيد الدراسة هي الشبكات العصبية التلافيفية (CNNs)، والتي أثبتت فائدتها في مجالات متنوعة وتقدم حلولًا فعالة. النمط الثنائي المحلي (LBP) كتقنية لاستخراج الميزات وهو مشغل تركيبي فريد وفعال يجد تطبيقًا واسع النطاق في مجال أجهزة الكمبيوتر مثل التعرف على القياسات الحيوية واكتشاف الأهداف. وأيضا الرسم البياني للتدرجات الموجهة (HOG) كتقنية لاستخراج الميزات والتي تستخدم في رؤية الكمبيوتر ومعالجة الصور لغرض اكتشاف الأشياء حيث يركز واصف HOG على هيكل أو شكل كائن وهو أفضل من أي واصف حافة لأنه يستخدم المقدار وكذلك زاوية التدرج لحساب الميزات. علاوة على ذلك، سيتم استخدام خوارزمية K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) كمصنف بالتزامن مع LBP وHOG. بمقارنة أداء الطرق الثلاثة حقق نموذج الشبكة العصبية التلافيفية (CNN) ما يقرب من 99 % من دقة التعرف، وهو مقارب لنهج HOG ولكن من حيث الفعالية الحسابية، كان نموذج CNN أسرع بمقدار o.61 ثانية من نهج HOG.
Prey Size Determines Handling and Capture Tactics in the Western Grebe
Authors: Dorado David
Published: March 2024

To investigate the feeding behavior of the Western Grebe (Aechmophorous occidentalis), I observed the actions of one kept in a laboratory pool and fed fish of various sizes and in varying numbers during four trials per day. The grebe consumed fish under 4 cm in length underwater but brought all fish longer that 5 cm to the surface so they could be oriented for swallowing headfirst. The Western Grebe is likely gape-limited in its choice of fish and can only ingest prey that can be swallowed easily.
David F. DeSante’s Birds of Cabo San Lucas, Fall 1968: A Historic Account
Authors: DeSante David F. , Erickson Richard A. , Marrón Gerardo , Pyle Peter
Published: March 2024

In preparation for his doctoral studies at Stanford University, the late David F. DeSante spent the fall of 1968 studying migratory landbirds at Cabo San Lucas. Although his hopes to capture numerous vagrant warblers were not met, he amassed an impressive list of distributional records for the Baja California Peninsula at a time when few ornithologists were working there. Among these were peninsular firsts for the Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris), Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris), Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus), Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris). Another six species, and one subspecies, were found for the first time in Baja California Sur. Venturing away from the immediate confines of Cabo San Lucas, DeSante established the first peninsular record of the Gray-headed Junco (Junco hyemalis caniceps) and first state records for another five species and one subspecies. Although many of these records have been reported previously, the junior authors believe it is appropriate to synthesize them more completely with current context, in Dave’s honor.
Second Prebasic Molt of a Black-headed Gull at Anchorage, Alaska
Authors: Scher Robert L.
Published: March 2024

A second-cycle Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), a rare to casual visitor in western North America, remained at Anchorage, Alaska, from 16 July through 17 September 2023, providing a unique opportunity to track and document most stages of its second prebasic molt into definitive (adult) basic plumage. I estimated that the Anchorage bird required approximately 3 to 3.5 months (early/mid-June through late September) to complete the molt of its primaries. This is notably longer than the “average” 2.5 months stated for second-cycle Black-headed Gulls in several publications, but consistent with the duration and calendar limits reported by others for the entire species (mid-May/June through September). The start and duration of rectrix molt relative to the stage of primary molt closely matched that described for gulls in general, and specifically for predefinitive Bonaparte’s (C. philadephia) and Western (Larus occidentalis) gulls. When first observed in mid-July, the Anchorage bird had a white tail, as in definitive plumage, a trait infrequent in first-cycle Black-headed Gulls; then it molted the tail again through August. Although Black-headed Gulls occurring in western North America have been presumed to originate from eastern Asia, the timing of the Anchorage bird’s primary molt closely matched that published for second-cycle Black-headed Gulls in Europe, which has reported to be earlier—though molt schedules of Charadriiformes at the population level are highly variable.
A single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the lungs of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Sun Guoqiang , Li Kuan , Ping Jiale , Zhao Liyun , Cui Chao , Wu Junping , Xie Lixin , Ma Shuai , Fan Yan , Wang qiaoran , Zhang Weiqi , Qu Jing , Wang Si , Chen Huaiyong , Liu Guang-Hui
Published: March 2024

Patients with a history of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection commonly acquire irreversible and often progressive pulmonary defects. Here, we sought to understand, at a high resolution, the mechanisms underlying structural changes and functional impairments in lungs following tuberculosis (TB). To this end, we generated the first single-cell transcriptomic landscape of the human lung after TB infection, and deciphered disease-associated cell type-specific molecular profiles, including hyperinflammation, cell death, fibrosis, and cellular senescence, a thus far unappreciated molecular event of TB pathology. We identified prominent loss of pulmonary endothelial cells and augmented pulmonary vascular inflammation as hallmarks of disability in the post-TB lung. Mechanistically, we found that blunted FOXO3 and overactivated Thrombin-THBD signaling exacerbate vascular inflammation and cellular senescence in pulmonary endothelial cells. Overall, our work depicts a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of pulmonary TB and provides potential therapeutic targets to relieve the pulmonary impairment after TB.
Step Network: A Neural Network that Takes Into Account Spatial Structure and Texture Features for Human Pose Transfer
Authors: Mo Han , Xu Yang , Zhang Caideng , Zhang Yongdan
Published: March 2024

Portrait synthesis guided by pose presents a challenging frontier in image generation. In our latest research, we have introduced an innovative network called the Step network, specifically designed to overcome the limitations identified in previous works. Our approach differs from traditional methods by honing in on the spatial structure of the pose, enabling a gradual migration of the pose while minimizing the loss of spatial structure information at each step. Taking inspiration from triplet loss, we have incorporated Style Discriminator to elevate texture generation. Moreover, in contrast to prior research, we have placed greater emphasis on refining the generation of facial areas. To achieve this, we employed a specialized loss function that combines triplet loss and L1 loss to optimize facial features, resulting in images that are more aligned with human perception. Additionally, we have also extended our method to include the ability to replace clothing on the body. To evaluate the quality of the images generated, we utilized evaluation metrics wihch are PSNR, SSIM, FID, and LPIPS. Through both qualitative and quantitative experiments comparing our approach with state-of-the-art models, we have demonstrated significant improvements across these metrics, confirming its superiority. Specifically, our method achieved a PSNR of 18.0376, SSIM of 0.7686, FID of 10.8102, and LPIPS of 0.1665. Our experimental results and open source code in the following url: https://github.com/FineURRight/Step-Network/tree/main.
Comparison of NRS-2002 and MST nutritional screening and correlation with quality of life items in lung cancer patients (REAL-TIME observation study)
Authors: Carnio Simona , Cantale Ornella , Capizzi Irene , Stura Ilaria , Nepote Alessandro , Samuelly Alessandro , Bernardi Giulia , Parravicini Maria Vittoria Pacchiana , Tinivella Marco , Tiozzo Elisa , Mariniello Annapaola , Parlagreco Elena , Tabbò Fabrizio , Lanzetta Cristina , Artusio Elisa , Capelletto Enrica , Bertaglia Valentina , Mogavero Andrea , Morelli Anna Maria , Passiglia Francesco , Bironzo Paolo , Mecca Caterina , Consito Lorena , Rio Benedetta Del , Napoli Valerio Maria , Arizio Francesca , Pasqualini Giorgia , Diberti Sara , Giurdanella Vincenza , Novello Silvia
Published: March 2024

Purpose
Approximately a 70% of lung cancer (LC) patients experience malnutrition. Therefore, a rapid and functional nutritional assessment is needed. Several nutritional screening instruments are available for clinical use. This study aimed to compare the Nutritional Risk Screening − 2002 (NRS-2002) and the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) to assess malnutrition in LC patients.
Methods
MST, NRS-2002, quality of life (QoL) assessment and Handgrip Test were performed in LC patients at baseline (T0), at day 30th (T1) and at day 90th (T2). The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) was used to assess patients’ QoL.
Results
The nutritional counselling intervention was offered to 198 LC patients. At T0, NRS-2002 and MST identified 141 and 127 patients at moderate/high risk of malnutrition, respectively. A concordance was observed between the two screening tests throughout the observation period with a correlation coefficient 0.7 (p < 0.001). LC patients with weight loss ≥ 5% at T0, age > 67 years and severe inappetence were more likely to report an NRS-2002 ≥ 3 while weight loss ≥ 5%, inappetence, malaise and depression were significantly associated with an MST ≥ 3.
Conclusion
These results suggest that both NRS-2002 and MST are useful tools to detect malnutrition in LC patients, with several QoL items associated with malnutrition status.
Vacant niches in a species-poor system: resource partitioning based on diet quality for a Mexican clam in the Baltic Sea
Authors: Karlson Agnes ML , Kautsky Nils , Granberg Matilda , Garbaras Andrius , Lim Hwanmi , Liénart Camilla
Published: March 2024

Invasive species are often generalist species that can take advantage of formerly unexploited resources. The existence of such vacant niches is more likely in species-poor systems like the Baltic Sea. The suspension-feeding wedge clam, Rangia cuneata, native to estuarine environments in the Gulf of Mexico, was sighted for the first time in the southeastern Baltic in 2010 and a few years later in the north along the Swedish coast. To explore possible competition for food resources between R. cuneata and the three native clams inhabiting Baltic shallow soft bottoms, stable isotope and fatty acid analyses were conducted. There was no overlap between R. cuneata and any of the native species in neither stable isotope nor fatty acid niches. This suggests efficient partitioning of resources; multivariate analyses indicate that separation was driven mainly by δ13C and by certain fatty acids reflecting different phytoplankton groups. R. cuneata reflected seasonal variation in phytoplankton more than other clams and contained more of fatty acid biomarkers for cyanobacteria reflecting higher trophic plasticity. In conclusion, the addition of R. cuneata to the Baltic shallow soft bottoms suggest the existence of a vacant niche, however long-term effects on other species and on nutrients cycling require further studies.
Is unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy superior to percutaneous interlaminar endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of L5/S1 disc herniation? A retrospective study
Authors: YIN Jianjian , MA Tao , GAO Gongming , CHEN Qi , NONG Luming
Published: March 2024

Purpose
To compare the clinical outcomes of unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy (UBED) and percutaneous interlaminar endoscopic discectomy (PIED) for treating L5/S1 disc herniation.
Methods
Patients with L5/S1 disc herniation treated with UBED (n = 46) and PIED (n = 50) in our hospital during the same period were retrospectively reviewed. Total blood loss (TBL), operation time, hospital stay, complications, total hospitalization costs, clinical efficacy and modified MacNab criteria were collected and evaluated. Percentage of facet joint preservation measured on axial CT scans obtained pre-operation and post-operation.
Results
The mean follow-up period was 14.07 ± 3.50 months in UBED group, and 14.52 ± 5.37 months in PIED group. The total blood loss and hospitalization cost was more in the UBED Group. The operative time and hospital stay time in the UBED Group was similar with that in PIED Group. The postoperative VAS back, leg scores and ODI score were significantly improved compared with the preoperative scores in both two groups. There was no significant difference in VAS back and leg scores between two groups at 1-day post-operation and final follow-up period. All patients of two groups had similar ODI scores at final follow-up period. The percentage of facet joint preservation is 96.56 ± 9.11% in UBED group, which is significantly less than in PIED group with 99.22 ± 1.52%. One patient in both groups showed postoperative hematoma. A dural tear occurred in UBED group and a never root injury occurred in PIED group. There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction rates between two groups.
Conclusion
UBED indicates similar clinical effect compared with PIED for treating L5/S1 disc herniation, and there was no significant increase in surgical time or hospital stay. However, more facet joint damage, total blood loss and hospitalization cost may be the disadvantages of UBED technique and need to be taken seriously.
Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (TENS) on labor pain and the duration of first stage of labor.
Authors: Joseph Smita Elizabeth , Thomas Annamma , Mhaskar Rita , Michael John
Published: March 2024

Purpose: Labour pain is caused by contraction of the uterine muscles and the pressure of the baby’s presenting part on the cervix. The effective management of labour pain plays a decisive role in the labour outcome indicating the need for a non-pharmacological therapy to manage labour pain.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 300 pregnant women at low antenatal risk who anticipated full term vaginal delivery in a tertiary care hospital in Urban South India. During the active phase of first stage of labour, the women in the experimental group received TENs which was increased in intensity with the increase in pain and the women in the control group received TENS at baseline intensity. Both groups of women received the routine obstetric care. The primary outcome measure was intensity of labour pain assessed using the Visual Analog Scale at 3-4 cms of cervical dilatation and at full cervical dilatation. An independent sample t-test compared the mean VAS scores and labour duration between groups. A Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables between the groups.
Results: The experimental group (n=150) had statistically significantly lower mean VAS scores at full cervical dilatation than the control group (n=150) (p < 0.001) and a statistically significant shorter duration of the active labour phase than the control group (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that TENS can be used as a non-pharmacological therapy to reduce pain perception and to shorten the active phase of first stage of labour.
Enhancing Quality of Life and Emotional Well- Being: A Prospective Analysis of Patients Undergoing Diathermy Ablation for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Authors: Kotani Kiriko , Banno Sumi , Mitani Takeji , Nishizawa Haruki , Iwata Aya , Fujii Takuma
Published: March 2024

This study aimed to analyze the changes in quality of life (QOL) and emotional well-being of patients undergoing diathermy ablation for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 (CIN). A total of 40 patients were recruited for a prospective clinical trial, and the European Organization of Research and Treatment for Cancer (EORTC)-QLQ-C30 and EORTC-QLQ-CX24 questionnaires were used to assess QOL before surgery and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were employed for statistical analysis. The results showed significant improvements in emotional functioning, body image, symptom experience, and physical functioning after surgery. Vaginal discharge and abnormal bleeding decreased over time, indicating improved symptom control. Sexual activity was temporarily affected but eventually returned to preoperative levels at six months after surgery. This study highlights the positive impact of diathermy ablation on patients' psychological well-being and QOL, and emphasizes the importance of patient-centered care in the treatment of CIN. These survey questionnaires will make it possible to globally compare QOL assessments between patients undergoing various treatments, such as trachelectomy, for cervical cancer and those with precancerous lesions in the future.
Identification and Characterization of Abiotic Stress Induced novel UDP-Glucosyltransferase (UGT72L11) Gene from Glycyrrhiza glabra L.
Authors: Hussain Shahnawaz , Verma Bhawna , Manzoor Malik Muzafar , Goyal Pooja , Devi Ritu , Gupta Ajai Prakash , Dhar Manoj kumar , chowdhary Fariha , Gupta Suphla
Published: March 2024

The present study reports a unique broad spectrum UDP-glycosyltransferase from Glycyrrhiza glabra involved in multiple stress responses and abscisic acid mediated glycosylation. The identified UGT72L11gene was cytoplasmic with ORF of 1425 bp encoding a 52.2 kDa protein of 474 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed maximum homology (73.3%) with epicatechin 3-glucosyltransferase (ACC38470) from Medicago truncatula exhibiting sequence uniqueness. The gene was differentially expressed in shoot tissues and significantly upregulated in abscisic acid treatment (122.3 folds) and under cold stress (36 folds) in planta. In-silico Structure-Activity-Relationship revealed GLU279, ARG386, PRO380 and TRP379 residues being involved in receptor-ligand interactions. The UGT72L11 protein was optimal between 10ºC to 30ºC preferring quercetin-UDPGlc (Km 0.23) over kaempferol-UDPGlc (Km 0.47). The purified recombinant protein showed multi-substrate O-glycosylation towards various classes of aglycones, abscisic acid, and also displayed C-glycosylation with colchicine as a foundation for the future medicinal applications.