bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychiatric symptoms and lifelong mental activities in cerebral amyloid angiopathy – a cross-sectional study
Authors: Dörner Marc , Tyndall Anthony , Hainc Nicolin , von Känel Roland , Neumann Katja , Euler Sebastian , Schreiber Frank , Arndt Philipp , Fuchs Erelle , Garz Cornelia , Glanz Wenzel , Butryn Michaela , Schulze Jan Ben , Schiebler Sarah Lavinia Florence , John Anna-Charlotte , Hildebrand Annkatrin , Hofmann Andreas B. , Machetanz Lena , Kirchebner Johannes , Tacik Pawel , Grimm Alexander , Jansen Robin , Pawlitzki Marc , Henneicke Solveig , Bernal Jose , Perosa Valentina , Düzel Emrah , Meuth Sven G. , Vielhaber Stefan , Mattern Hendrik , Schreiber Stefanie
Published: September 2024

Background

While several studies in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) focus on cognitive function, data on neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and lifelong mental activities in these patients are scarce. Since NPS are associated with functional impairment, faster cognitive decline and faster progression to death, replication studies in more diverse settings and samples are warranted.

Methods

We prospectively recruited n = 69 CAA patients and n = 18 cognitively normal controls (NC). The number and severity of NPS were assessed using the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Assessment Scale’s (ADAS) noncognitive subscale. We applied different regression models exploring associations between NPS number or severity and group status (CAA vs. NC), CAA severity assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), ADAS cognitive subscale), adjusting for age, sex, years of education, arterial hypertension, AD pathology, and apolipoprotein E status. Mediation analyses were performed to test indirect effects of lifelong mental activities on CAA severity and NPS.

Results

Patients with CAA had 4.86 times (95% CI 2.20-10.73) more NPS and 3.56 units (95% CI 1.94–5.19) higher expected NPS severity than NC. Higher total CAA severity on MRI predicted 1.14 times (95% CI 1.01.-1.27) more NPS and 0.57 units (95% CI 0.19–0.95) higher expected NPS severity. More severe white matter hyperintensities were associated with 1.21 times more NPS (95% CI 1.05–1.39) and 0.63 units (95% CI 0.19–1.08) more severe NPS. NPS number (MMSE mean difference − 1.15, 95% CI -1.67 to -0.63; ADAS cognitive mean difference 1.91, 95% CI 1.26–2.56) and severity (MMSE − 0.55, 95% CI -0.80 to -0.30; ADAS cognitive mean difference 0.89, 95% CI 0.57–1.21) predicted lower cognitive function. Greater lifelong mental activities partially mediated the relationship between CAA severity and NPS (indirect effect 0.05, 95% CI 0.0007-0.13), and greater lifelong mental activities led to less pronounced CAA severity and thus to less NPS (indirect effect − 0.08, 95% CI -0.22 to -0.002).

Discussion

This study suggests that NPS are common in CAA, and that this relationship may be driven by CAA severity. Furthermore, NPS seem to be tied to lower cognitive function. However, lifelong mental activities might mitigate the impact of NPS in CAA.
Effect of osteopenia and osteoporosis on failure of first and second dental implants: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Frumkin Nathalie , Iden Jennifer Ana , Schwartz-Arad Devorah
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The present study evaluated osteopenia (OPN) and osteoporosis (OP) as risk factors for dental implant failure and repeat failure.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study on over 100 randomly selected patients per analysis to determine the effect of health status, smoking status, sex, implant location and operative conditions on first and second (re-implantation) implant survival. Analyses were conducted first using chi-squared test, followed by multiple logistic regression for significant variables.

Results

In the cohort examining the effect of myriad risk factors on second implant survival, it was found that OPN and OP greatly impacted implant survival, wherein patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia had significantly more implant failures (p = 0.0353). Sex and operative conditions had no effect on implant survival, while implant location showed a notable effect wherein significantly more failures occurred in the maxilla vs mandible (p = 0.0299). Upon finding that OPN and OP have a significant effect on second implant survival, we conducted an additional study focusing on the impact of health status. Based on the multiple logistical regression analysis, we found that OPN and OP are the most significant factor in first implant survival (p = 0.0065), followed by diabetes (p = 0.0297). Importantly, it was observed that early implant failure is also significantly correlated with osteoporosis (p = 0.0044).

Conclusion

We show here a marked relationship in which the risk of first and second implant failure are significantly higher in patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia.
Perceived loneliness: Why are Syrian refugees more lonely than other newly arrived migrants in Germany?
Authors: Rüdel Julia , Joly Marie-Pier
Published: September 2024

Migration often impacts the mental and emotional health of those needing to move from their home countries. Studies have focused on migrants’ levels of distress or well-being, and recent research looks at older migrants’ experience with loneliness. What has yet to be researched is how different migrant groups experience loneliness, and how these feelings are affected by the contexts of leaving one country and reception in another. Drawing on the theoretical framework of integration, this article asks whether newly arrived refugees in Germany differ in their perception of loneliness from other newly arrived migrants. It examines these perceptions as related to social contacts and the context—and interplay—of exit and reception. Using OLS regressions with data from the Recent Immigration Processes and Early Integration Trajectories in Germany (ENTRA) project, we find that Syrian refugees have higher levels of loneliness than migrant groups from Poland, Italy, and Turkey. The difference is largely attributable to Syrians not having local German contacts, surviving traumatic experiences at home, and migrating specifically for physical safety. We also find that discrimination and not being in the labor force are determinants of loneliness across all four groups, and that even when considering migrant origins and other effects, having local social contacts lowers levels of loneliness. Our results point to migration policies, such as those related to family reunification and labor market access, for producing inequalities in loneliness between Syrian refugees and other migrants in Germany.
Association between the visceral leishmaniasis vector Lutzomyia longipalpis and tree families in a Brazilian tropical urban area
Authors: Mesquita Marcelo Ribeiro , de Morais Lima Leonardo Henrique Guedes , Agarwal Shivani , Soares Maria Regiane Araujo , Werneck Guilherme Loureiro , Costa Carlos Henrique Nery
Published: September 2024

Background

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected disease endemic to many tropical and subtropical countries. In Brazil, VL is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum and is transmitted by the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. The geographical variation in the incidence of the disease in certain urban areas of Brazil suggests a possible association with features of the urban landscape. The objective of this study was to verify the association of urban tree families with the presence of the vector Lu. longipalpis.

Methods

The study area of the municipality of Teresina, capital of the State of Piauí. The sand flies were captured using CDC light traps—one placed close to the houses, on a tree in the backyard, less than 5 m from the house, and another in the living room. The traps remained three consecutive nights, or, at the most, alternating days, working 12 h a night (from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.), during 2016 and 2017.

Results

Tree species were identified in an area of 100 m radius around CDC-type traps for capturing Lu. longipalpis installed in household backyards. Association between tree families and the occurrence of Lu. longipalpis was evaluated using the Fisher exact test and multiple correspondence analysis. Both Anacardiaceae (represented by mango and cashew trees) and Meliaceae (neem) families were more commonly found around sand fly traps capturing fewer Lu. longipalpis. Conversely, Fabaceae (several species of legumes) and Myrtaceae (guava) trees were associated with traps capturing higher number of VL vectors. In multiple correspondence analysis, the presence of trees from the Myrtaceae, Combretaceae (Almond), Fabaceae and Arecaceae (different species of palm trees) families were grouped with traps capturing high number of insects.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that trees from the Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Combretaceae, and Arecaceae families might potentially attract sand flies, and Anacardiaceae and Meliaceae families may have a repellent effect. Finer analyses to distinguish the specific effects from the different species of the Anacardiaceae (mango and cashew), Arecaceae and Fabaceae families are still needed. The manipulation of urban landscaping might be a useful and clean alternative to help in the control of urban VL.
Pomegranate juice recuperates N’-Nitrosodiethylamine-induced kidney injury: evidence from biochemical and histological approaches
Authors: Husain Hadiya , Ahmad Riaz
Published: September 2024

Background

Pomegranate is considered as one of the oldest elixirs having various properties. Renal fibrosis is a preliminary sign of pathological degradation in most ailments related to kidney. Several efforts have been made for the discovery of cost-effective and safe therapeutics for the alleviation of renal diseases. There is a major dearth of studies on the action of pomegranate juice (PGJ) against NDEA-instigated kidney injury. This study investigates the protective and antifibrotic action of PGJ in restricting the occurrence of experimental renal fibrosis in Wistar rats. Renal injury was generated by a single intraperitoneal dose of 10 ml kg−1 b.wt. (1% NDEA stock), while fresh PGJ (i.p.) in doses of 2 ml kg−1 b.wt was administered thrice a week on alternate days for two weeks to observe amelioration. The renal function indices (blood urea, creatinine, and uric acid), SOD, CAT, LPO levels and renal anatomy (H&E, MT, Picrosirius and SEM) were investigated.

Results

The assessment of renal function demonstrates augmented levels of blood urea, creatinine and uric acid in NDEA-administered groups in comparison with controls. SOD, CAT declined significantly in NDEA Day-7- and Day-14-treated animals, while the MDA levels raised by ~ 70.5% and ~ 76.3% in these groups, respectively. However, supplementation of PGJ provided recuperation from these elevated levels in injured groups. H&E staining of the controls exhibited normal renal structure with intact glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule, while NDEA generated congestion of glomerular tuft, convoluted tubules with cloudy swelling and multiple subsidence of the renal tissue. Noticeable presence of collagen fibers in the interstitium of cortex region of kidney was observed by MT staining along with gross ultrastructural deterioration in NDEA-administered animals by electron microscopy. PGJ supplementation exhibited restoration of renal anatomy and physiology.

Conclusions

Pomegranate may be considered as a potent nutraceutical to prevent NDEA-induced renal damage and may be included as a daily dietary supplement.
SOX7 inhibits the malignant progression of bladder cancer via the DNMT3B/CYGB axis
Authors: Zhang Jingcheng , Zhang Wentao , Liu Ji , Liu Yuchao , Jiang Yufeng , Ainiwaer Ailiyaer , Chen Hanyang , Gu Zhuoran , Chen Haotian , Mao Shiyu , Guo Yadong , Xu Tianyuan , Xu Yunfei , Wu Yuan , Yao Xudong , Yan Yang
Published: September 2024

Bladder cancer (BCa) stands out as a highly prevalent malignant tumor affecting the urinary system. The Sex determining region Y-box protein family is recognized for its crucial role in BCa progression. However, the effect of Sex determining region Y-box 7 (SOX7) on BCa progression has not been fully elucidated. Herein, RNA-sequencing, western blot (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and tissue microarray were utilized to assess SOX7 expression in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, SOX7 expression, prognosis, and SOX7 + cytoglobin (CYGB) score were analyzed using R software. In vitro and vivo experiments were performed with BCa cell lines to validate the effect of SOX7 knockdown and overexpression on the malignant progression of BCa. The results showed that SOX7 exhibits low expression in BCa. It functions in diverse capacities, inhibiting the proliferative, migratory, and invasive capabilities of BCa. In addition, the experimental database demonstrated that SOX7 binds to the promoter of DNA methyltransferase 3 beta (DNMT3B), leading to the transcriptional inhibition of DNMT3B. This subsequently results in a reduced methylation of CYGB promoter, ultimately inhibiting the tumor progression of BCa. SOX7 + CYGB scores were significantly linked to patient prognosis. In conclusion, SOX7 inhibits the malignant progression of BCa via the DNMT3B/CYGB axis. Additionally, the SOX7 + CYGB score is capable of predicting the prognostic outcomes of BCa patients. Therefore, SOX7 and CYGB may play an important role in the progression of bladder cancer, and they can be used as prognostic markers of bladder cancer patients.
Optical properties of the 1D quasiperiodic photonic crystals comprising gyroidal superconductor for THz applications
Authors: Elsayed Hussein A. , El-Sherbeeny Ahmed M. , Nayak Suryakanta , Abukhadra Mostafa R. , Mehaney Ahmed
Published: September 2024

The present research proposes a quasiperiodic 1D photonic crystal structure, which is designed with a successive arrangement of gyroidal geometry-based Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide (BSCCO) superconducting material and SiO2 following a 10th order of Fibonacci sequences. The numerical simulation is carried out using the transfer matrix method to study the transmittance characteristics over a broad band of THz frequency range. The effects of various structural parameters such as filling fraction of BSCCO in the gyroidal layer, hosting materials of the gyroidal layer, and the Fibonacci sequence order on the transmission spectrum are extensively analyzed. It is observed that by suitably dealing with these parameters, we can easily control the number of stop bands, and the cutoff frequency as well. Therefore, the designed structure can be considered as an apt candidate for multichannel filtering applications in the THz frequency regime.
Body Mass Index and Diabetes Incidence Across the Adult Lifespan: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Authors: Malandrino Noemi , Metter E Jeffrey , Simonsick Eleanor M , Egan Josephine M , Chia Chee W , Walston Jeremy D , Ferrucci Luigi , Kalyani Rita R
Published: September 2024

Context

Body composition and glucose metabolism change with aging. Whether different levels of body-mass-index (BMI) are needed to define diabetes risk across the adult lifespan is unknown.

Objective

This work aimed to investigate whether BMI similarly reflects relative fat mass (FM) and diabetes risk across age groups.

Methods

Participants without diabetes from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (973 men, 1073 women), stratified by age (<50, 50-59, 60-69, ≥70 years) and categorized by either World Health Organization (WHO)-defined BMI categories (for normal weight, overweight or obesity) or BMI quartiles. The primary exposure was BMI. The primary outcome was diabetes incidence. The relationship of BMI to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry–derived FM was also investigated in older vs younger participants.

Results

The median (range) follow-up time was 7.1 years (range, 0-29.0 years). Within WHO-defined BMI categories, different age groups demonstrated significantly different FM percentage, FM/lean mass, and waist circumference (P < .05). WHO-defined BMI categories for overweight and obesity were generally related to higher diabetes risk compared to normal weight in all ages except 50 to 59 years. When BMI was categorized by quartiles, diabetes incidence increased dramatically beginning in quartile 2 (23-25 kg/m2) in older groups. BMI cutoffs with equivalent diabetes incidence rate as BMI 25 kg/m2 and 30.0 kg/m2 in individuals younger than 50 years were 22.7 kg/m2 and 25.2 kg/m2 for ages 50 to 59 years; 22.8 kg/m2 and 25.0 kg/m2 for ages 60 to 69 years; and 23.2 kg/m2 and 25.8 kg/m2 for ages 70 years and older, respectively.

Conclusion

WHO-defined BMI categories do not reflect similar diabetes risk across the lifespan. Diabetes incidence is greater at lower levels of BMI in older adults and may lead to underestimation of diabetes risk with aging, particularly among those traditionally classified as normal-weight individuals.
Communicative Potential of Lexicographical Products in Contemporary Art
Authors: Gik A.
Published: September 2024

Visual art and contemporary communication studies have many common points of contact, since both spheres of intellectual activity are engaged in the transfer and accumulation of various types of information. Visual art reflects cultural values, traditions and social problems. Understanding these aspects helps to better understand the context of a work of art, similar to the cultural context in communication. Modern technologies allow artists to experiment with new forms and means of expression, which reflects technological changes in the field of communication.

The question of the effectiveness of the communication process remains: how to ensure the transfer of information so that it is transmitted and explicated correctly and completely? The lexicographic practice of creating dictionaries uses a traditional communicative model in the form of a dictionary entry. We call this type of transfer of lexicographic information a lexicographic canon.

Lexicography contributes to the unification of terminology in various fields of knowledge, which helps to avoid misunderstandings and improves communication between specialists.

The article examines the ways of using canons of lexicographic presentation of material in texts of contemporary art. A dictionary as a collection of information about various phenomena contained in concepts, terms and their definitions is a universal form of knowledge. Dictionary representation allows us to record and pass on knowledge from generation to generation. Traditionally, the dictionary form is associated with scientific discourse. Contemporary art creatively uses the established lexicographic canon. The external form of the dictionary is used almost unchanged, but the content of the dictionary entry is modified, and the author's methods of presenting information are introduced. The functions of the dictionary are shifting towards the information and advertising discourse of non-commercial art. Modern authors initiate a creative approach to creating a dictionary of a new type of art - mail art. The material of our study was the alphabetical dictionaries published in the magazines "Numero" and "Kairan" of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The methods of studying the material are descriptive, comparative, intermedial. The communicative aspect of lexicographic practice is aimed at creating dictionaries that not only provide information about words, but also ensure effective communication in the language, contributing to the development of users' language skills.
Code and Data Repository for The Electric Vehicle Routing and Overnight Charging Scheduling Problem on a Multigraph
Authors: Yamín Daniel , Desaulniers Guy , Mendoza Jorge E.
Published: September 2024

This repository provides the data for the problem (mE-VRSPTW) and the code for the solution method (a BPC algorithm).
Determining ethical criteria for admissions to a rehabilitation unit: a survey of senior rehabilitation physicians
Authors: Friedman Alan , Jotkowitz Alan , Novack Victor , Treger Iuly
Published: September 2024

Background/Aims

There is great demand for the beds in the new rehabilitation department in the authors' hospital. To determine ethical criteria for admission to the department, all senior rehabilitation physicians in the country were surveyed regarding their willingness to admit patients in various ethical scenarios. The aim was to determine whether there are consensus ethical principles governing whom to admit to the limited beds.

Methods

The survey was administered to senior medical personnel responsible for admissions decisions. Out of the 54 people contacted, 30 completed the surveys (all were fully completed apart from one survey in which one clinical scenario was not answered).

Results

Over 90% of respondents agreed to not admit non-compliant patients or to give precedence to those who were considered to be very important people, and 88% agreed on admitting a homeless patient. First come, first served was not considered an important criterion. Cronbach's alpha was <0.6. There was no consensus on most of the issues presented.

Conclusions

It remains difficult to pinpoint what rehabilitation physicians consider ethical ‘givens’. This research suggests that no specific ethical principle underlying the triage decisions in rehabilitative medicine can be discerned. Larger studies are warranted.

Implications for practice

No ethically or specific principle underlying the triage decisions in rehabilitative medicine can be discerned. What one doctor may consider a clear ethical decision another physician may not concur.
Inappropriate use of nocebic language in prehospital care: a cautionary tale
Authors: Newton Andrew
Published: September 2024

Background:

Nocebic communication can impair patient outcomes and increase their risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. It could therefore be legitimately regarded as a patient safety issue.

Aims:

This study aimed to determine whether nocebic effects (negative outcomes) induced by potentially harmful word and language choices commonly occur in clinical practice involving paramedics and other emergency responders.

Methods:

Five publicly available televised excerpts of prehospital care encounters were reviewed. Cases typically involved the treatment of patients who had sustained serious traumatic injuries. The incidence of words and language patterns commonly associated with nocebo effects were collected using a template to enable relevant dialogue to be tracked and recorded.

Results:

Emergency responders, typically paramedics and doctors in these examples, frequently employed nocebic words and poor language pattern choices even though less harmful forms of communication were available and more clinically appropriate.

Conclusions:

Inappropriate nocebic effect-inducing language is frequently used by emergency response personnel, potentially inflicting avoidable pain and anxiety.
From frontline to forefront: paramedics as healthcare leaders within the NHS
Authors: Phillips Joel Simon
Published: September 2024

The NHS in the UK faces numerous challenges, including increasing demand for services, financial constraints and the need for effective leadership. Paramedics are exceptional healthcare leaders within the NHS in the UK, possessing unique skill sets and experiences that make them invaluable in leadership roles. Their clinical expertise, decisive decision-making abilities, and adaptability, honed in challenging frontline environments, are crucial assets in healthcare leadership. Transformational and situational leadership theories align seamlessly with paramedic practice, showcasing their ability to inspire teams and effectively navigate diverse healthcare scenarios. Evidence demonstrates paramedics' significant positive impact on patient care, organisational performance, and healthcare innovation when in leadership positions. Despite their capabilities, challenges persist, including historical professional hierarchies and underrepresentation of certain groups in leadership. A new framework for developing paramedic leaders addresses these issues, emphasising targeted training, interprofessional collaboration, and inclusive practices. Recommendations include implementing comprehensive leadership development programmes, enhancing incident scene management training, and addressing psychological factors affecting leadership effectiveness. By fully recognising and nurturing paramedic leadership, the NHS can leverage their unique perspectives to create a more resilient, efficient, and patient-centred healthcare system to meet current and future challenges.
To err is an opportunity
Authors: Sofield Katy
Published: September 2024

After making her first major error as a newly qualified paramedic, Katy Sofield reflects on the incident and on her lessons learned
Partially Observable Stochastic Game for Analysing Complex Attacks in IoT Networks
Authors: Hamza Lamia , Yousfi Mayliss , Bounehar Lynda
Published: September 2024

The Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed interactions with the world around us. This technology encompasses a network of connected physical devices often vulnerable to attack. Recently, with billions of devices connected, protecting sensitive data and preventing cyber-attacks are becoming more and more paramount. In this paper, a new technique is proposed to enable the administrator to be aware of the various vulnerabilities threatening his system and to choose the most appropriate remediation method based on his cost constraints. This solution adapts to the specific needs of IoT networks. The approach, AGA-POSG, consists of transforming an IoT network security problem into a finite two-player Partially Observable Stochastic Game (POSG) and extracting the best strategies by Analysing an Attack Graph (AGA). To obtain a good solution, the game is presented in normal form, and the method of eliminating dominated strategies is used to determine the best defense strategies. Efficient security measures were implemented to eliminate or mitigate identified attack paths with costs incurred in the attack graph to the target for each of the two players.
Optimization of Information Security Management Mechanism for Distribution Network Information Storage Based on RBAC and Development of Visual Operation and Maintenance Platform
Authors: Zheng Lv , Xi Fang , Lei Huang , Dan Jiang , Shuang Ran , Lei Liang
Published: September 2024

Facing the challenge of information storage security brought by the rapid development of distribution network technology, this paper analyzes the essential requirements and current security problems of distribution network information storage and designs. It implements a set of security management schemes based on the RBAC model. User authentication and authorization processes are emphasized to ensure only authorized users can access critical information resources. The application in the actual distribution network environment shows that the scheme can improve the security performance of the system, reduce unauthorized access attempts by up to 40%, and improve data processing efficiency by about 30%. The scheme also reduces the complexity of system maintenance, and the number of security events that administrators need to deal with is reduced by about 50% compared to traditional security mechanisms. These data fully prove that the security management mechanism based on RBAC is efficacious in improving the distribution network’s information storage security and operational efficiency. This article proposes and studies an optimization scheme for information security management mechanisms based on RBAC in distribution network information storage technology. This scheme effectively improves the security and reliability of the distribution network information storage system through refined permission management and access control. This study provides innovative strategies, empirical data for distribution network information storage security management, and valuable references for future research on power grid information security.
Design of a Lightweight Network Intrusion Detection System Based on Artificial Intelligence Technology
Authors: He Li
Published: September 2024

Network security issues have become crucial with the boost of Internet of Things technology. To detect lightweight network intrusion, this research improves the population initialization mode of given the genetic algorithm given the Pearson correlation coefficient and constructs a feature selection model. In view of the one-dimensional convolutional neural network model, it introduces the gated cyclic unit neural network model. It uses pruning operations to realize the lightweight of the model and build an intrusion detection model. The results showed that the accuracy, detection rate, and time average of the improved genetic algorithm were 79.55%, 90.32%, and 189.4 s, which were 14.87%, 30.35%, and 33.05% higher than the traditional genetic algorithm model, respectively. The intrusion detection model has achieved an accuracy of 95.0%, and the loss function value is 0.15. Compared with other deep learning models, it is more robust and performs better in intrusion detection. The average accuracy of the model testing after lightweight is 88.6%, the average detection rate is 98.12%, and the average testing time is 82 s, which improves the model’s performance compared to before lightweight. This study could markedly enhance the accuracy and detection rate of lightweight network intrusion detection, with higher detection efficiency and better performance, and possesses an essential influence in improving network security.
Developing Adaptive Homomorphic Encryption through Exploration of Differential Privacy
Authors: Ameur Yulliwas , Bouzefrane Samia , Banerjee Soumya
Published: September 2024

Machine Learning (ML) classifiers are pivotal in various applied ML domains. The accuracy of these classifiers requires meticulous training, making the exposure of training datasets a critical concern, especially concerning privacy. This study identifies a significant trade-off between accuracy, computational efficiency, and security of the classifiers. Integrating classical Homomorphic Encryption (HE) and Differential Privacy (DP) highlights the challenges in parameter tuning inherent to such hybrid methodologies. These challenges concern the analytical components of the HE algorithm’s privacy budget and simultaneously affect the sensitivity to noise in the subjected ML hybrid classifiers.
This paper explores these areas and proposes a hybrid model using a basic client-server architecture to combine HE and DP algorithms. It then examines the sensitivity analysis of the aforementioned trade-off features. Additionally, the paper outlines initial observations after deploying the proposed algorithm, contributing to the ongoing discourse on optimizing the balance between accuracy, computational efficiency, and security in ML classifiers.
Rereading General Land Office Archives: Louise Erdrich’s Four Souls and Archival Sovereignty
Authors: Turner Alison
Published: September 2024

Abstract: The work of activists, researchers, and archivists to decolonize collections of documents that record indigenous land dispossession is complex and ongoing, not so unlike the process of land dispossession itself. The process of digitizing colonialist land records raises questions of privacy and access—to whom are these records accessible, and to whom should their access be denied—as much as questions about the categories under which records are archived. A sample of three late nineteenth-century colonialist land records belonging to Chippewa community members, now archived by the General Land Office (GLO) and available online, shows that the people who were allotted land do not mark the documents, and that the documents are cluttered with addendums and marginalia handwritten by colonialist bureaucrats. This article shows how Louise Erdrich’s Matchimanito saga, particularly the novel Four Souls , makes visible new ways of interpreting these nonfictional land records with a lens of what Emily Lederman calls “archival sovereignty.” Tracing the fictional land deed of one of the novel’s protagonists, Fleur Pillager, throughout her ongoing responses to colonialist land dispossession, the article identifies three literary devices that contribute to a fictional world of archival sovereignty: multiple and changing metaphors to describe colonialist bureaucracy, which is explored as a form of motion; Fleur’s persistence and decision-making that requires colonialist response, actions that shape the contents of the land record and are thus a form of co-authorship of that record; and a narrative world that disregards the bureaucratically imposed power of possessing land records, emphasizing instead the ongoing story that such records represent. The article shows how these literary devices make it possible to reread nonfictional land records with a lens that makes visible indigenous decision-making, stories, and sovereignty.
Biology as a Construct: Universals, Historicity, and the Postmodern Critique
Authors: Kiaris Hippokratis
Published: September 2024

abstract: The integration of postmodern thinking in the sciences, especially in biology, has been subject to harsh criticism. Contrary to Enlightenment ideals of objectivity and neutrality in the scientific method, the postmodern stance holds that truth is relative, not universal, and therefore progress is ambiguous. The effect of postmodern thought has ramifications that extend from the distrust of preexisting scientific conclusions to questions about the impact of progress in society. It also reflects skepticism about the scientific endeavor. Especially when postmodern ideas are considered to have gained traction, the anti-postmodern critique has become harsher. At stake is whether postmodern notions are indeed irrelevant, and—even more important—whether they compromise scientific progress. The conditional significance of universals in biology and the role of historicity in the evolutionary process makes biology different from the other natural sciences and subjects it to the postmodern critique. This article argues that rather than being viewed as a science that seeks universals, biology should be viewed as a construct, more relevant to a technology, aiming to attain functionalities. Such recognition may fuel progress and assist biology in attaining its ultimate goal, which is to address the most intricate questions about the living world.
The Hippocratic Oath: Misreading and Rereading an Ancient Text
Authors: Baker Robert
Published: September 2024

abstract: The Hippocratic oath is such an enduring icon of medical morality that physicians in Nazi Germany invoked it to protest Euthanasie , the systematized killing of weak or sick children, people with incurable diseases, hospitalized criminals (a category applicable to gays), geriatric patients, long-term patients, patients not of German blood (Jews and Romani), and people with disabilities. Several expert witnesses at the 1945 Nuremberg Medical Trial also cited the oath to condemn Nazi physicians' abuse of human research subjects. Noting these invocations, in 1947 the physicians who founded the World Medical Association modernized the Hippocratic oath to convey to future medical students its foundational precepts: benefitting the sick, not harming them, not breaching confidentiality, and not treating patients unjustly, irrespective of their gender or social status. This article presents a historically accurate reading of the oath's strange-seeming passages to show that it does not prohibit abortion, euthanasia (medical aid in dying), or surgery. The article also contends that oath-swearing remains an important asset in teaching clinicians their role responsibilities, and that its ethics supports women's rights to reproductive health care and can valorize challenges to venture-capitalist and for-profit managements that prioritize profitability over providing quality health care for patients.
Analysis of Personal, Organisational and Environmental Characteristics Related to Professional Turnover Intention
Authors: Akrout Onsa , Damak-Ayadi Salma
Published: September 2024

Purpose: The present work aimed to determine the type of individuals who intend to leave the public accounting profession by examining personal, organisational and environmental characteristics related to this intention.Methodology: The authors conducted two analyses to provide a global view of the association between personal, organisational and environmental factors and professional turnover intention. The first analysis was both descriptive and explicative (segmentation analysis), and the last was explicative (multiple regression analysis).Findings: The findings of the segmentation analysis show significant differences between the characteristics of accounting professionals who have the intention to leave the public accounting profession and those who do not. These differences are linked to their job level and to the type of firm they work for.The results of the regression model used to test the research hypotheses reveal that the intention to leave public accounting perceived to be higher among those who work in the Big Four accounting firms and among those exposed to more attractive opportunities.Limitations: In this study, we focused on intention and ignored the actual behaviour of leaving the profession, although many studies consider professional turnover intention a strong predictor of professional turnover.Moreover, the association between the professional turnover intention and profiles deserves more investigation by adding the concept personality to establish a solid foundation of knowledge and predictions.Implications: Understanding the impact of personal, organisational and environmental characteristics on the intention to leave the public accounting profession allows accounting professionals to position themselves in the process of career progress. The findings highlight that the intention to leave public accounting is perceived to be higher among those who work in the Big Four accounting firms and those exposed to more attractive opportunities. The implications of these results interest the Ordre des Experts comptables de Tunisie (OECT), which is the professional body that organizes the chartered accountancy profession in Tunisia, and the Big Four. The OECT and these firms could reverse the balance of opportunities by offering career development opportunities within the profession and the accounting firms, respectively, that are better than those offered outside the profession. Efforts should be directed towards financial rewards, promotion velocity and more branches of activity within the profession.Contribution: This study enhances the understanding of professional turnover intention, which, to our knowledge, has not received much interest from researchers. Also, the cultural context of Tunisia helps explain our findings, which do not always corroborate our predictions.
Introduction to the JOCN Special Issue on Intelligent Networks at the Edge
Authors: Kilper Daniel , Wosinska Lena , Zhu Zuqing
Published: September 2024

This Special Issue on Intelligent Networks at the Edge contains a collection of invitation-only extensions based on papers presented at the Future Optical Networks and Communications (FONC) Symposium in the IEEE Future Network World Forum (FNWF), 13–15 November 2023, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We present a brief introduction followed by an overview of the topics covered in the papers.
Photonics Research Interview with Professor Connie Chang-Hasnain
Authors: Sun Hao
Published: September 2024

Professor Connie Chang-Hasnain discusses her career in semiconductor optoelectronics with her former student, Prof. Hao Sun.
AcuM and AcuK: The global regulators controlling multiple cellular metabolisms in a dimorphic fungus Talaromyces marneffei
Authors: Wangsanut Tanaporn , Amsri Artid , Kalawil Thitisuda , Sukantamala Panwarit , Jeenkeawpieam Juthatip , Andrianopoulos Alex , Pongpom Monsicha
Published: September 2024

Talaromycosis is a fungal infection caused by an opportunistic dimorphic fungus Talaromyces marneffei. During infection, T. marneffei resides inside phagosomes of human host macrophages where the fungus encounters nutrient scarcities and host-derived oxidative stressors. Previously, we showed that the deletion of acuK, a gene encoding Zn(2)Cys(6) transcription factor, caused a decreased ability for T. marneffei to defend against macrophages, as well as a growth impairment in T. marneffei on both low iron-containing medium and gluconeogenic substrate-containing medium. In this study, a paralogous gene acuM was deleted and characterized. The ΔacuM mutant showed similar defects with the ΔacuK mutant, suggesting their common role in gluconeogenesis and iron homeostasis. Unlike the pathogenic mold Aspergillus fumigatus, the ΔacuK and ΔacuM mutants unexpectedly exhibited normal siderophore production and did not show lower expression levels of genes involved in iron uptake and siderophore synthesis. To identify additional target genes of AcuK and AcuM, RNA-sequencing analysis was performed in the ΔacuK and ΔacuM strains growing in a synthetic dextrose medium with 1% glucose at 25 °C for 36 hours. Downregulated genes in both mutants participated in iron-consuming processes, especially in mitochondrial metabolism and anti-oxidative stress. Importantly, the ΔacuM mutant was sensitive to the oxidative stressors menadione and hydrogen peroxide while the ΔacuK mutant was sensitive to only hydrogen peroxide. The yeast form of both mutants demonstrated a more severe defect in antioxidant properties than the mold form. Moreover, ribosomal and ribosomal biogenesis genes were expressed at significantly lower levels in both mutants, suggesting that AcuK and AcuM could affect the protein translation process in T. marneffei. Our study highlighted the role of AcuK and AcuM as global regulators that control multiple cellular adaptations under various harsh environmental conditions during host infection. These transcription factors could be potentially exploited as therapeutic targets for the treatment of this neglected infectious disease.
PERMMA: Enhancing parameter estimation of software reliability growth models: A comparative analysis of metaheuristic optimization algorithms
Authors: Pradhan Vishal , Patra Arijit , Jain Ankush , Jain Garima , Kumar Ajay , Dhar Joydip , Bandyopadhyay Anjan , Mallik Saurav , Ahmad Naim , Badawy Ahmed Said
Published: September 2024

Software reliability growth models (SRGMs) are universally admitted and employed for reliability assessment. The process of software reliability analysis is separated into two components. The first component is model construction, and the second is parameter estimation. This study concentrates on the second segment parameter estimation. The past few decades of literature observance say that the parameter estimation was typically done by either maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) or least squares estimation (LSE). Increasing attention has been noted in stochastic optimization methods in the previous couple of decades. There are various limitations in the traditional optimization criteria; to overcome these obstacles metaheuristic optimization algorithms are used. Therefore, it requires a method of search space and local optima avoidance. To analyze the applicability of various developed meta-heuristic algorithms in SRGMs parameter estimation. The proposed approach compares the meta-heuristic methods for parameter estimation by various criteria. For parameter estimation, this study uses four meta-heuristics algorithms: Grey-Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Regenerative Genetic Algorithm (RGA), Sine-Cosine Algorithm (SCA), and Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA). Four popular SRGMs did the comparative analysis of the parameter estimation power of these four algorithms on three actual-failure datasets. The estimated value of parameters through meta-heuristic algorithms are approximately near the LSE method values. The results show that RGA and GWO are better on a variety of real-world failure data, and they have excellent parameter estimation potential. Based on the convergence andR2distribution criteria, this study suggests that RGA and GWO are more appropriate for the parameter estimation of SRGMs. RGA could locate the optimal solution more correctly and faster than GWO and other optimization techniques.
Predicting future grizzly bear habitat use in the Bitterroot Ecosystem under recolonization and reintroduction scenarios
Authors: Sells Sarah N. , Costello Cecily M.
Published: September 2024

Many conservation actions must be implemented with limited data. This is especially true when planning recovery efforts for extirpated populations, such as grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) within the Bitterroot Ecosystem (BE), where strategies for reestablishing a resident population are being evaluated. Here, we applied individual-based movement models developed for a nearby grizzly bear population to predict habitat use in and near the BE, under scenarios of natural recolonization, reintroduction, and a combination. All simulations predicted that habitat use by grizzly bears would be higher in the northern half of the study area. Under the natural recolonization scenario, use was concentrated in Montana, but became more uniform across the northern BE in Idaho over time. Use was more concentrated in east-central Idaho under the reintroduction scenario. Assuming that natural recolonization continues even if bears are reintroduced, use remained widespread across the northern half of the BE and surrounding areas. Predicted habitat maps for the natural recolonization scenario aligned well with outlier and GPS collar data available for grizzly bears in the study area, with Spearman rank correlations of ≥0.93 and mean class values of ≥9.1 (where class 10 was the highest relative predicted use; each class 1–10 represented 10% of the landscape). In total, 52.4% of outlier locations and 79% of GPS collar locations were in class 10 in our predicted habitat maps for natural recolonization. Simulated grizzly bears selected habitats over a much larger landscape than the BE itself under all scenarios, including multiple-use and private lands, similar to existing populations that have expanded beyond recovery zones. This highlights the importance of recognizing and planning for the role of private lands in recovery efforts, including understanding resources needed to prevent and respond to human-grizzly bear conflict and maintain public acceptance of grizzly bears over a large landscape.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia uses a c-di-GMP module to sense the mammalian body temperature during infection
Authors: Wang Yan , Wang Kai-Ming , Zhang Xin , Wang Wenzhao , Qian Wei , Wang Fang-Fang
Published: September 2024

The body temperature of Warm-blooded hosts impedes and informs responses of bacteria accustomed to cooler environments. The second messenger c-di-GMP modulates bacterial behavior in response to diverse, yet largely undiscovered, stimuli. A long-standing debate persists regarding whether a local or a global c-di-GMP pool plays a critical role. Our research on a Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain thriving at around 28°C, showcases BtsD as a thermosensor, diguanylate cyclase, and effector. It detects 37°C and diminishes c-di-GMP synthesis, resulting in a responsive sequence: the periplasmic c-di-GMP level is decreased, the N-terminal region of BtsD disengages from c-di-GMP, activates the two-component signal transduction system BtsKR, and amplifies sod1-3 transcription, thereby strengthening the bacterium′s pathogenicity and adaptation during infections in 37°C warm Galleria mellonella larvae. This revelation of a single-protein c-di-GMP module introduces unrecognized dimensions to the functional and structural paradigms of c-di-GMP modules and reshapes our understanding of bacterial adaptation and pathogenicity in hosts with a body temperature around 37°C. Furthermore, the discovery of a periplasmic c-di-GMP pool governing BtsD-BtsK interactions supports the critical role of a local c-di-GMP pool.