bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VALERII SHEVCHUK’S STORY “THE PLAGUE” (“MOR”) AND ALBERT CAMUS’ NOVEL “THE PLAGUE”: MATCHES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENTIALISM
Authors: Prylipko Iryna
Published: October 2024

The paper provides a comparative analysis of V. Shevchuk’s story “The Plague” and A. Camus’ novel “The Plague,” tracing both the common and differing features of the works in terms of worldviews, philosophical ideas, and poetics. The main focus is on the writers’ reception of ideas characteristic of existentialist philosophy, the affinity of the issues raised (such as absurdity, choice, sacrifice, suffering, duty, revolt, freedom, and limit situations), and the system of images (namely characters, cities, and the plague).
Both works combine historical, philosophical, and allegorical elements at the genre and content levels. However, a chronicle approach and a specific historical context are more pronounced in Camus’ novel “The Plague,” while V. Shevchuk’s story is based more on mystical and unreal elements, reflecting his dominant idiostyle known as neo-baroque poetics. The images in the works of A. Camus and V. Shevchuk are related and grounded in the philosophical ideas of existentialism, particularly the idea of choice. The heroes of both works make moral choices that demonstrate their revolt against absurdity, resistance to evil in all its forms, and, despite the endless struggle, give purpose to their paths, filling life with meaning.
The image of the city in A. Camus’ novel, in contrast to V. Shevchuk’s work, has clear time-space coordinates and a distinct historical context. In both works, the city appears as a closed space where absurdity reigns and a person is faced with the necessity of choice, revealing their true nature. Such circumstances allow for the representation of simulated types of behavior in limit situations. In both A. Camus’ novel and V. Shevchuk’s story, the image of the plague has a specific historical meaning (fascism in Camus’ “The Plague” and totalitarianism in Shevchuk’s work) and plays a role in a philosophical parable (metaphysical evil and evil as a part of the human inner world). Both the French and Ukrainian authors tend to similarly assess human behavior in an absurd world.
INNOVATIONS OF THE MODERN COMMENTARY ON SHEVCHENKO’S STORY “THE TWINS”
Authors: Boron Oleksandr
Published: October 2024

The paper discusses several controversial issues in the commentary on the story “The Twins” as part of the work on the academic three-volume edition of Shevchenko’s stories. The work is being performed by the Department of Shevchenko Studies of Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in cooperation with the Institute of Source Studies of Shevchenko Scientific Society in America. For a better understanding of Shevchenko’s text, the researcher provides more detailed explanations, a broader presentation of the literary context, full citation of some prototexts, etc. Special attention is given to the artistic meaning of Shevchenko's ironic reference to the extremely popular “Pismovnik” by Nikolaj Kurganov, the structure and content of which are described in the paper. The author of the song “O falelei! O falelei!” was identified, and the lowercase spelling within the title is substantiated in accordance with the autograph of the story and the text of the songbook. The history of the appearance and distribution of the so-called Berdychiv calendar mentioned by Shevchenko is explained in detail. It is found that the phrase attributed to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi in the story actually originates from Ivan Kotliarevskyi’s “Aeneid”. The paper also deals with the ridiculous engraving “The Last Day of Pompeii,” created on the basis of newspaper descriptions of the painting by Karl Briullov. Shevchenko's comments on Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” are presented alongside textual parallels from contemporary literary responses to its publication. The name of the inspector of Kyiv University students was commonly misspelled in scholarly sources, and this paper corrects the mistake. Biographical information about him is expanded using reliable documentary sources, and an analogy to the inspector's case described in the novel was found in Mykhailo Chalyi’s memoirs. The reputation of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz’s dubious dance class is highlighted based on the reference books of the 19th century.
Editorial
Authors: Os Editores
Published: October 2024

Prezados leitores da Revista Laborare,
Nesta edição, a publicação semestral eletrônica (ISSN: 2595-847X), editada pelo Instituto Trabalho Digno, traz à tona a crua realidade do mundo do trabalho contemporâneo, expondo graves violações aos direitos humanos dos trabalhadores.
O primeiro artigo, de Lucas Alves Mol e Ângela Barbosa Franco, desvela como a dinâmica do crowdsourcing on-line se assemelha perigosamente a condições análogas ao trabalho escravo. Diante da acirrada concorrência global, essas plataformas virtuais favorecem a implementação de condições laborais aviltantes, com jornadas exaustivas e remunerações irrisórias. Tal cenário de intensa precarização é agravado pela omissão do legislador brasileiro, que ainda não regulamentou esse novo modelo de organização do trabalho, bem como pelas divergências jurisprudenciais, que dificultam a efetiva tutela dos direitos básicos dos trabalhadores.
O segundo texto, de Jemmis Karters Tomé da Conceição, Anderson Lincoln Vital da Silva e Maria Izabel Ovellar Heckmann, aborda a complexidade da perícia em casos de adoecimento mental decorrente do assédio moral no trabalho. Apesar de esse fenômeno ser antigo, apenas recentemente o Brasil começou a estudá-lo de forma sistemática, demandando a atuação complementar de profissionais da psicologia e da psiquiatria. Nesse sentido, a recente Convenção 190 da OIT sobre a eliminação da violência e do assédio no mundo do trabalho, bem como a Resolução nº 14/2023 do Conselho Federal de Psicologia, representam avanços importantes, porém ainda insuficientes diante da magnitude do problema.
Esses artigos, publicados após rigorosa revisão cega por pares, evidenciam a urgência de uma abordagem interdisciplinar e de políticas públicas efetivas para enfrentar os desafios emergentes no mundo do trabalho, especialmente aqueles relacionados à precarização laboral e às violações de direitos humanos. Afinal, a concretização do direito humano ao trabalho digno, objetivo central desta revista técnico-científica com acesso livre, parece cada vez mais distante no cenário brasileiro contemporâneo.
Boa leitura!
A Study on the Green Laser Weldability of Copper-aluminum Battery Materials
Authors: Yoo Hyun Jong , Kim Myung Jin , Kang Hee Shin
Published: October 2024

Copper is widely utilized in electric vehicle batteries due to its excellent electrical conductivity, lightweight, and excellent corrosion resistance. However, copper has a high reflectivity of about 97% for infrared lasers, which makes it difficult to achieve stable welding quality. This study investigated using a green laser to weld nickel-coated copper and aluminum materials. After performing welding by changing the laser power and scan speed, the weld cross-section was observed with an optical microscope, and it was confirmed that the welding penetration depth and bead width increased as the heat input increased. The spatter on the bead surface and defects such as pores and cracks in the weld were caused by excessive heat input. Analysis of the weld cross-section using SEM-EDS showed that high heat input increased the formation of intermetallic compounds including CuAl2 and Cu9Al4. The mechanical properties of the weld were examined using a shear tensile test. The analysis results showed that intermetallic compounds caused brittleness in the weld joint, which lowered mechanical properties and caused defects such as pores and cracks. P60 (1.2 kW, scan speed: 250 mm/s), P80 (1.6 kW, scan speed: 375 mm/s), and P100 (1.2 kW, scan speed: 375 mm/s) were examples of excellent mechanical quality. The fastest welding condition, P100 (power: 2 kW, scan speed: 450 mm/s), was suggested as the most efficient welding condition.
Enhancing Political Topic Detection: Chaining Automated Speech Recognition and Language Models for Automated Classification
Authors: Ramos Mariana , Chaves Pedro , Almeida Pedro , Costa Patricio , Moreira Pedro
Published: October 2024

In this work, we present an approach for the automatic classification of political topics in the context of TV-broadcasted political debates. The full recordings of five Republican Party political debates were subjected to a pipeline involving automatic speech recognition and speaker diarization. The output chunks were then automatically classified based on a set of predefined political topics, according to (1) natural language processing (NLP, using mDeBERTa) and (2) large language models (LLMs, using GPT-4o, llama3-8b and llama 3-70b). The performance of the models was compared against manual classification. The results demonstrated that GPT-4o had the highest accuracy (69%) followed by llama3-70b (67%), llama3-8b (61%) and mDeBERTa (43%). Models’ accuracy further improved when considering secondary manual classifications from the human coders (GPT-4o: 75%, llama3-70: 74%, llama3-8b: 69%, mDeBERTa: 43%). This research demonstrates the viability of automated text classification, based on LLMs to summarize political debates.
Computation of Geometric Series on Relation between Dirichlet Eta Function and Riemann Zeta Function
Authors: Annamalai Chinnaraji
Published: October 2024

This paper presents a technique to computer a geometric series from the relationship between the Dirichlet eta function and the Riemann Zeta function.
Factors Related to Prematurity and Developmental Disturbance in The First Year of The Newborn Baby
Authors: Esteshareh Fatemeh , Jalambadani Zeinab , Keykhosravi Aghil , Attaran Anahita , Rashidi Omid , Neamatshahi Mahboubeh
Published: October 2024

Aim: Prematurity can cause neurodevelopmental defects and problems such as hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression; however, scarce studies have been conducted on the relationship between prematurity and fine and gross motor, communication, and problem-solving disturbances. The study aimed to assess factors related to prematurity and developmental disturbances in the first year after birth.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study conducted in Iran in 2021, 111 full-term and 111 preterm infants were followed and assessed in their first year of life using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using group statistics, independent sample tests, pair sample tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Preterm infants had problems in gross motor (31%), fine motor (30.1%), problem-solving (14.2%), and personal-social disorders (12.4%), based on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. In the logistic regression, the odds ratio increased in the variables of neonatal weight and height, history of infertility and child ranking, which indicates the confounding effect of other variables. There were no statistically significant multivariate associations between the explanatory variables. There was only a statistically significant correlation between gestational age and contracting.

Conclusion: Considering the importance of preterm birth and its impact on the developmental state of one-year-old preterm babies according to the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, as well as the subsequent problems and costs it causes for families and society, the importance of follow-ups and care before and during pregnancy in mothers with a history of infertility and mothers who have had family marriages is essential.

Keywords: risk factors, birth of full-term newborn, infant, premature birth
Discovery of plasma biomarkers related to blood-brain barrier dysregulation in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Dan Yuet Ruh , Chiam Keng-Hwee
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Blood-based biomarkers are quantitative, non-invasive diagnostic tools. This study aimed to identify candidate biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using publicly available omics datasets, using the hypothesis that with blood-brain barrier dysfunction in AD, brain-synthesized proteins can leak into plasma for detection.

Methods

Differential abundance results of plasma and brain proteomic datasets were integrated to obtain a list of potential biomarkers. Biological validity was investigated with intercellular communication and gene regulatory analyses on brain single-cell transcriptomics data.

Results

Five proteins (APOD, B2M, CFH, CLU, and C3) fit biomarker criteria. 4 corresponding transcripts (APOD, B2M, CLU, and C3) were overexpressed in AD astrocytes, mediated by AD-related dysregulations in transcription factors regulating neuroinflammation. Additionally, CLU specifically induced downstream expression of neuronal death genes.

Discussion

In conclusion, a 5-protein panel is shown to effectively identify AD patients, with evidence of disease specificity and biological validity. Future research should investigate the mechanism of protein leakage through the blood-brain barrier.
“I am strong in will but weak in action”: college English teachers’ research engagement in a Chinese regional university
Authors: Ni Hui
Published: October 2024

Research incompetence has become a bottleneck hindering the professional development of many CETs (College English teachers) in China, and research on language teachers’ research engagement needs to be enriched. The study explores the CETs’ research engagement in the context of institutional performance evaluation reform at a Chinese non-key university. In-depth interviews of six practitioners show that the prospects of their research engagement are promising but restricted by many personal and contextual constraints. Their motivation to engage with/in research tends to be mainly external despite some gratifying internal drives. The symbiotic teaching-research nexus is not well maintained in practice, the research atmosphere needs improving, and competent research teams are expected to be established and well managed. The professional appraisal reform has initially enhanced the staff’s research enthusiasm, but the boost may wear off due to its weak implementation. The university administration should offer essential resources and relevant support to teachers struggling in their academic careers. Moreover, teachers’ agency to conduct research should be stimulated.
Exercising educational equity using California’s physical fitness data: a call for more school physical fitness programs, data, and research
Authors: Templeton Da’Shay , Korchagin Ruslan
Published: October 2024

Childhood obesity has risen and is one of the most important global problems of our time, and school physical education programs are the key to ameliorating it. In American schools, physical fitness scores have declined; yet, global, national, state, and local concerns for the overall health, physical fitness, and wellbeing of children are at an all-time high. The lack of safe and affordable options for physical activity coupled with the significant decrease in physical activity rates among most American children underscores the need for programs, data, and research on physical fitness in schools, where children spend a significant amount of their time. The purpose of this brief research report is to call the federal government and states to mandate physical fitness programs and to increase data collection capacity on physical fitness in schools. Subsequently, this study asks researchers to study physical fitness in schools in the U.S. to increase its importance to policy makers and educational stakeholders and advance our understanding of educational inequities in school physical fitness. As an example, using descriptive analyses, we have provided policymakers, educational stakeholders, and researchers with a first look at California’s physical fitness data which shows how our findings complement prior literature as well as extend them. Implications for the research and practice are discussed.
Research on a coordinated control strategy of three-phase photovoltaic converters based on a buck–boost DC link
Authors: Chen Zhiyong , Hao Zhifang , An Jiakun , Fan Wenyi , Huang Yuan , Liu Qunying
Published: October 2024

The high inductance current ripple and the PV voltage fluctuations limitation at the DC (direct current) -DC link have been the unsolved problems in the photovoltaic systems tied in grid. A control strategy with a current hysteresis loop is proposed to address the issues of high inductance current ripple in photovoltaic systems which can achieve real-time duty cycle regulation. Differing from the conventional mode that uses one switch in the buck–boost DC–DC link, two switches have been designed here to separate the buck and boost modes for the coordinated control, which can achieve a wide PV voltage fluctuations range. Based on the conventional fixed-duty cycle determination method, a real-time duty cycle determination method is proposed by introducing changes in inductance current. In order to improve power conversion efficiency, the incremental conductance method is improved by introducing the steepest gradient descent to quickly achieve the maximum power point tracking. This study experimentally verifies the proposed current hysteresis coordinated control method, effectively suppressing the ripple of the inductor current and expand the PV voltage fluctuation in the DC–DC link on the basis of maintaining power conversion efficiency as much as possible.
Improving efficacy of TNBC immunotherapy: based on analysis and subtyping of immune microenvironment
Authors: Yang Yalan , Li Haifeng , Yang Wei , Shi Yanxia
Published: October 2024

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive type of breast cancer that encompasses several distinct subtypes. Recent advances in immunotherapy offer a promising future for the treatment of these highly heterogeneous and readily metastatic tumors. Despite advancements, the efficacy of immunotherapy remains limited as shown by unimproved efficacy of PD-L1 biomarker and limited patient benefit. To enhance the effectiveness of TNBC immunotherapy, we conducted investigation on the microenvironment, and corresponding therapeutic interventions of TNBC and recommended further investigation into the identification of additional biomarkers that can facilitate the subtyping of TNBC for more targeted therapeutic approaches. TNBC is a highly aggressive subtype with dismal long-term survival due to the lack of opportunities for traditional endocrine and targeted therapies. Recent advances in immunotherapy have shown promise, but response rates can be limited due to the heterogeneous tumor microenvironments and developed therapy resistance, especially in metastatic cases. In this review, we will investigate the tumor microenvironment of TNBC and corresponding therapeutic interventions. We will summarize current subtyping strategies and available biomarkers for TNBC immunotherapy, with a particular emphasis on the need for further research to identify additional prognostic markers and refine tailored therapies for specific TNBC subtypes. These efforts aim to improve treatment sensitivity and ultimately enhance survival outcomes for advanced-stage TNBC patients.
Comparative analysis of diffusion length based on the volume scattering function measurements from the East and South China Seas
Authors: Han Chang , Tao Bangyi , Pan Yaorui , Song Qingjun , Huang Haiqing , Mao Zhihua
Published: October 2024

Particle scattering is a key factor affecting underwater light transport. The diffusion length (zD), defined as 1/[b(1 − g)], where b is the scattering coefficient and g is the asymmetry factor, is obtained from the volume scattering function (VSF) of the particle and plays a vital role in assessing the potential for underwater optical detection, imaging and communication. Owing to the lack of VSF datasets, the variation in zD at different wavelengths in various ocean areas remains unclear. In this study, we used a dual-wavelength (488 & 532 nm) VSFLab to conduct the VSF measurement experiments in the East China Sea (ECS) and the South China Sea (SCS), obtaining VSFs from 1.5° to 178.5° at 51 stations. Seven optical properties, including absorption (a), scattering (b), attenuation (c), diffuse attenuation coefficient (Kd), backscattering (bb), g, and zD, were calculated from the measured VSFs. A comparative analysis of the results was performed, which showed that the laser transmission capability at 532 nm was better than that at 488 nm in terms of the absorption or diffuse attenuation coefficient in the ECS, whereas superior performance was observed at 488 nm in the SCS. However, from the perspective of scattering, zD at 532 nm (zD(532)) demonstrated superior performance in both the ECS and SCS. This superiority was particularly noticeable in regions with exceptionally clear water, such as the eastern side of the Luzon Strait, where zD(532) exceeded zD(488) by approximately 20%. Overall, the findings of this study provide a new perspective for assessing underwater light transmission capabilities.
Influence of N, P, and Fe availability on Braarudosphaera bigelowii, Trichodesmium, Crocosphaera, and noncyanobacterial diazotrophs: a review
Authors: Cao Wenhui , Yang Qunhui , Ji Fuwu , Liu Cheng
Published: October 2024

Marine biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is crucial for introducing “new nitrogen” into the oceans. Over the past 30 years, numerous laboratory and on-board culture experiments have been conducted studying the effects of nutrients such as total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and dissolved iron (DFe) on marine diazotrophs such as Braarudosphaera bigelowii (B. bigelowii), Trichodesmium, Crocosphaera and noncyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs). Most studies concluded that elevated dissolved inorganic nitrogen levels inhibit nitrogen fixation in Trichodesmium, promote its growth, and have minimal effect on B. bigelowii. The impact on NCDs is unclear. Moreover, elevated dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) levels can promote individual growth, population growth, and nitrogen fixation in most diazotrophs in P-limited marine environments. Dissolved organic phosphorus is a potential phosphorous source for diazotrophs in low-DIP environments. Elevated DFe can promote population growth and nitrogen fixation in diazotrophs in Fe-limited marine environments. At present, most diazotrophs have yet to achieve pure culture. Moreover, the effect of nutrients on diazotrophs is mainly limited to the study of a single nutrient, which cannot accurately reflect the actual Marine environment where diazotrophs live. As a result, our understanding of the effect of nutrients on diazotrophs is still insufficient. Future research focusing on the issues above and the development of innovative technologies and methodologies to investigate the impact of marine BNF is highly recommended, which will allow for a more precise assessment of the impact of marine BNF on global primary productivity while providing a scientific foundation for rational evaluation of ocean CO2 uptake and emissions.
The evaluation of trace elements and associated risk in the polar ecosystem of the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica
Authors: Ni Zhixin , Chen Xin , Du Sen , Lu Chuqian , Luo Guangfu , Zhou Peng , Du Weimeng , Qi Luyang , Chen Changshu , Deng Wei , Dang Aicui
Published: October 2024

The behavior and influence mechanisms of trace elements in Antarctic ecosystems are particularly complex and important. This study aims to assess the ecological risk to the Fildes Peninsula by systematically analyzing the distribution of trace elements, and provides a scientific basis for the protection of the Antarctic ecosystem. Trace element concentrations in the soils of the Fildes Peninsula are highest for Fe, Al, and Mg, with notable differences in distribution due to varying topographies and landscapes. Principal component analysis reveals strong correlations among Zn, Fe, Mn, Co, and Cu, and distinct patterns for Na, Ca, As, and Cr. Moss demonstrates a high enrichment capacity for Cu and Zn, often accumulating them to higher levels than soil, with significant spatial variation observed. The bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for K and Ag exceed 1 at all 12 stations, indicating a high capacity for bioaccumulation. Over half of the stations show BAF values greater than 1 for Na, Ca, and Cd, while the other trace elements have BAF values greater than 1 at only limited stations. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) shows most trace elements in the Fildes Peninsula soils are unpolluted, with Mg, Mn, Cr, and Ni concentrations varying between unpolluted and moderate pollution, and all potential ecological risk index (PERI) values under 150 indicating low ecological risk.
Optimizing extubation success: a comparative analysis of time series algorithms and activation functions
Authors: Huang Kuo-Yang , Lin Ching-Hsiung , Chi Shu-Hua , Hsu Ying-Lin , Xu Jia-Lang
Published: October 2024

Background

The success and failure of extubation of patients with acute respiratory failure is a very important issue for clinicians, and the failure of the ventilator often leads to possible complications, which in turn leads to a lot of doubts about the medical treatment in the minds of the people, so in order to increase the success of extubation success of the doctors to prevent the possible complications, the present study compared different time series algorithms and different activation functions for the training and prediction of extubation success or failure models.

Methods

This study compared different time series algorithms and different activation functions for training and predicting the success or failure of the extubation model.

Results

The results of this study using four validation methods show that the GRU model and Tanh’s model have a better predictive model for predicting the success or failure of the extubation and better predictive result of 94.44% can be obtained using Holdout cross-validation validation method.

Conclusion

This study proposes a prediction method using GRU on the topic of extubation, and it can provide the doctors with the clinical application of extubation to give advice for reference.
The association of dietary insulinemic indices with PI3K, PTEN, and Akt gene expressions in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues among individuals undergoing abdominal surgery
Authors: Ahmadirad Hamid , Teymoori Farshad , Farhadnejad Hossein , Shimi Ghazaleh , Asghari Golaleh , Yuzbashian Emad , Zarkesh Maryam , Mirmiran Parvin , Khalaj Alireza
Published: October 2024

Background/objective

The current study investigates the association between dietary insulinemic indices and Akt, PTEN, and PI3K gene expressions in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) among individuals undergoing abdominal surgery.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 176 individuals, aged 18–84 years, who had undergone abdominal surgery. The participants were classified based on body mass index (BMI) as normal (BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI = 25–29.9 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). The food frequency questionnaire was used to determine dietary glycemic and insulinemic indices. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was conducted for the expression of PI3K, PTEN, and Akt genes.

Results

In the final adjusted model, in normal-weight patients, there was an inverse relationship between the lifestyle with a higher insulinemic potential and the PI3K gene expression in VAT. In addition, there was an inverse association between dietary insulin load and the Akt gene expression in VAT. However, a higher glycemic index was positively associated with the PTEN gene expression in VAT. In overweight patients, a high insulinemic potential of the diet was associated with higher PTEN gene expression in VAT. In obese individuals, there were positive associations between lifestyle index for insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia and the PI3K gene expression in VAT. Moreover, the higher insulinemic potential of diet and lifestyle was positively related to a higher expression of the PTEN and Akt genes in VAT.

Conclusion

Our findings revealed that high insulinemic lifestyles and dietary patterns may be related to the expression of PI3K, PTEN, and Akt in adipose tissues.
Identifying and presenting key country-specific indicators related to medication adherence: a comprehensive study across European countries
Authors: Ágh Tamás , Garuolienė Kristina , Granas Anne Gerd , Gregório João , Aksoy Nilay , Khanyk Nataliia , Ortner Hadžiabdić Maja , Kardas Przemyslaw ,   European Network to Advance Best Practices and Technology on Medication Adherence (ENABLE) Collaborators
Published: October 2024

This study tackles the critical challenge of medication non-adherence in healthcare by pinpointing indicators related to medication adherence (IRMAs) across 39 European countries and Israel. Utilizing a structured expert survey methodology within the European Network to Advance Best Practices and Technology on Medication Adherence (ENABLE; COST Action CA19132), our research identified key country-specific IRMAs and collected data on these indicators to understand the multifaceted nature of medication adherence. The research was conducted in two phases: firstly, defining key IRMAs through a two-round expert survey, and secondly, gathering country-specific data on these IRMAs through literature reviews and additional expert surveys. The study revealed a diverse range of 26 top-ranked IRMAs, including six related to country characteristics, four to social/economic factors, three each to therapy-related and patient-related factors, one to condition-related factors, and nine to healthcare system-related factors. The availability of country-specific data on these IRMAs varied among the countries, highlighting the need for more comprehensive data collection and research. The findings from this study not only underscore the complexity of predicting medication adherence but also lay the groundwork for developing targeted, country-specific interventions to improve adherence. Moreover, this research offers valuable insights for policymakers, highlighting the importance of understanding the multifaceted nature of medication adherence and offering a valuable resource in formulating targeted health policies to enhance health outcomes and reduce the economic burden associated with medication non-adherence.
Potential of volatile organic compounds in the management of insect pests and diseases of food legumes: a comprehensive review
Authors: Makhlouf Leila , El Fakhouri Karim , Kemal Seid Ahmed , Maafa Ilyas , Meftah Kadmiri Issam , El Bouhssini Mustapha
Published: October 2024

Cool season legumes (Faba bean, chickpea, lentil, pea, and grass pea) are important protein harvests for food and nutrition security in many countries. They play key roles in sustainable cereal production through their ecological benefits. However, diseases and pests attack continue to have a substantial impact on crop yield and quality. Although growers used different control options to manage these biotic stresses such as pesticide application, cultural practices, and resistant varieties, there is a pressing need for the development of new, more cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to help farmers in facing the existing environmental issues. Recently, there is a growing interest among researchers in exploiting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) for the elaboration of disease and pest control strategies in food legumes and other crops. These compounds have important functions in ecological relationships occurring between plants and their surrounding environment, as well as plants and others species, such as pests and pathogens. Due to their unique properties, VOCs can be employed in improving management alternatives for food legume diseases and pests. In this assessment, we investigated the role of VOCs in plant-pest and plant-pathogen interactions and their present applications in pest and diseases control strategies. We emphasized the ecological importance of employing plant VOCs in legume farming and crop breeding. Additionally, we highlighted the potential of microbial VOCs in facilitating microbe-microbe, microbe-plant and microbe-plant-pest interactions, along with their role in food legume protection.
Maize yield prediction with trait-missing data via bipartite graph neural network
Authors: Wang Kaiyi , Han Yanyun , Zhang Yuqing , Zhang Yong , Wang Shufeng , Yang Feng , Liu Chunqing , Zhang Dongfeng , Lu Tiangang , Zhang Like , Liu Zhongqiang
Published: October 2024

The timely and accurate prediction of maize (Zea mays L.) yields prior to harvest is critical for food security and agricultural policy development. Currently, many researchers are using machine learning and deep learning to predict maize yields in specific regions with high accuracy. However, existing methods typically have two limitations. One is that they ignore the extensive correlation in maize planting data, such as the association of maize yields between adjacent planting locations and the combined effect of meteorological features and maize traits on maize yields. The other issue is that the performance of existing models may suffer significantly when some data in maize planting records is missing, or the samples are unbalanced. Therefore, this paper proposes an end-to-end bipartite graph neural network-based model for trait data imputation and yield prediction. The maize planting data is initially converted to a bipartite graph data structure. Then, a yield prediction model based on a bipartite graph neural network is developed to impute missing trait data and predict maize yield. This model can mine correlations between different samples of data, correlations between different meteorological features and traits, and correlations between different traits. Finally, to address the issue of unbalanced sample size at each planting location, we propose a loss function based on the gradient balancing mechanism that effectively reduces the impact of data imbalance on the prediction model. When compared to other data imputation and prediction models, our method achieves the best yield prediction result even when missing data is not pre-processed.
Instrumented measures of sedentary behavior and physical activity are associated with depression among children and adolescents: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Lu Songtao , Sun Jun , Guo Zhiguang , Yi Mingyu , Zhang Yuheng , Wang Jiali , Wang Yue
Published: October 2024

Background

Higher sedentary behavior (SB) and lower physical activity (PA) are associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes. SB and PA can be objectively assessed using inertial sensors to evaluate body movements. This study aimed to quantify the association between instrumented measures of SB (i-SB) and PA (i-PA) and depression among children and adolescents using a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Methods

An electronic search was conducted on six databases up to May 12, 2024. A dose–response meta-analysis was conducted to determine the association between i-SB and i-PA and depression, expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

Five cross-sectional and 11 longitudinal studies comprising 26,109 participants met the inclusion criteria. Comparing the most sedentary with the least sedentary groups of participants resulted in a pooled ORs of 1.05 (95% CI 0.94–1.16). Comparing the least active with the most active groups of participants resulted in pooled ORs of 0.93 (95% CI 0.84–1.07), 0.89 (95% CI 0.79–1.00), 0.83 (95% CI 0.66–0.99), and 0.73 (95% CI 0.58–0.89) for light, moderate-to-vigorous (MV), vigorous, and total PA, respectively. Robust error meta-regression analyses showed clear dose–response relationships between i-SB and i-MVPA and depression.

Conclusion

Both i-SB and i-PA were significantly associated with risk of depression in children and adolescents, which may become non-significant after mutual adjustment for i-PA and i-SB.

Systematic review registration

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=546666], identifier [CRD42024546666].
Seclusion and mechanical restraint in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: an increased use in mental health settings
Authors: Goulet Marie-Hélène , Cassivi Christine , Hupé Catherine , Jean-Baptiste Francelyne , Dumais Alexandre
Published: October 2024

Purpose

COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions have significantly changed the environment and the delivery of direct care in all health services, including psychiatric hospitals. The aim of the study is two-fold: 1) to retrospectively assess the incidence of seclusion and mechanical restraint in a Quebec mental health hospital over 4 years; and 2) to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their incidence.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study based on medical records from a Quebec mental health hospital collected (a) from April 2016 to March 2019), (b) from April 2019 to March 2020 (pre-COVID onset), and (c) from April 2020 to March 2021 (post-COVID onset). Descriptive statistics, chi square tests, Mann-Kendall test and Welch’s t-test were performed.

Results

Following several years during which the use of restrictive measures remained stable, we have noted a significant increase within the first year following the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase can be seen in the use of both seclusion and restraints, which have risen 205% and 170% respectively.

Conclusion

There are a multitude of factors associated with the incidence of seclusion and restraint that have the potential to be triggered during emergencies and global crisis situations, impacting in turn the rights of an already vulnerable population.
Descriptive analysis of 1,048 presentations in the first five years of a zero-suicide framework in a child and youth mental health service in Australia
Authors: Branjerdporn Grace , McCosker Laura K. , Jackson Derek , Gillespie Kerri M. , McDowell Sarah , Chand Sandeep , Joshi Hitesh , Pisani Anthony R. , Stapelberg Nicolas J. C. , Welch Matthew , Turner Kathryn , Woerwag-Mehta Sabine
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Suicide in children is a significant and unacceptable global phenomenon. This paper provides a descriptive overview of the children presenting in the first five years (2016-2021) of the implementation of the Zero Suicide Framework (ZSF) and Suicide Prevention Pathway (SPP) at a Child and Youth Mental Health Service in Queensland, Australia.

Methods

Basic demographic variables (sex, age, socioeconomic status), and changes in presentations over time, are presented for 1,048 children. Completeness of selected SPP components relating to care planning and universal interventions are examined as an indicator of fidelity to the SPP model of care. The paper then focuses on the cohort of children who received care through the SPP in 2020, describing their demographic characteristics and baseline clinical scores.

Result

There was an increase in admissions each year and children presented with a diverse range of clinical needs. The SPP greatly increased the provision of first line interventions for patients.

Discussion

A standardized approach to suicide prevention improves consistency in management. These findings may inform the use of the ZSF/SPP in child mental health settings globally.
Prevalence and allergy-related risk factors of overactive bladder in children in Northeast China
Authors: Zheng Yue , Yin Lu , Wang Xiuli , Zhao Chengguang , Du Yue
Published: October 2024

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) and its risk factors related to allergies among children in Northeastern China.

Methods

A community survey on OAB was conducted in Northeast China from 1 April 2022 to 30 April 2022. The survey targeted children aged 5–14 years and utilized questionnaires. A total of 1,394 children were enrolled, and their parents were requested to fill out a questionnaire to provide basic information about the children. This encompassed details regarding the presence or absence of urgent urination unrelated to urinary tract infection, urinary tract infection, allergic rhinitis, asthma or cough variant asthma, atopic dermatitis, anaphylactic conjunctivitis, urticaria, constipation, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The prevalence of OAB was calculated. The chi-squared test was used to analyze OAB-related factors, which were subsequently included in the logistic regression model for multi-factor analysis.

Results

The overall OAB prevalence was 10.7% (120 of 1,121), including 47 mild cases (39.2%), 71 moderate cases (59.1%), and 2 severe cases (1.7%). OAB prevalence decreased with age (p < 0.05). The risk factors associated with OAB were allergic asthma (OR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.12–3.13), atopic dermatitis (OR = 2.45, 95%CI: 1.61–3.73), anaphylactic conjunctivitis (OR = 1.61, 95%CI: 1.07–2.42), and urticaria (OR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.40–2.66).

Conclusion

OAB prevalence among children in Northeastern China was found to be 10.7%, with its risk factors being allergic asthma, anaphylactic conjunctivitis, urticaria, and atopic dermatitis. The identification of allergy-related risk factors may provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of OAB.
LRMP: Layer Replication with Mixed Precision for spatial in-memory DNN accelerators
Authors: Nallathambi Abinand , Bose Christin David , Haensch Wilfried , Raghunathan Anand
Published: October 2024

In-memory computing (IMC) with non-volatile memories (NVMs) has emerged as a promising approach to address the rapidly growing computational demands of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). Mapping DNN layers spatially onto NVM-based IMC accelerators achieves high degrees of parallelism. However, two challenges that arise in this approach are the highly non-uniform distribution of layer processing times and high area requirements. We propose LRMP, a method to jointly apply layer replication and mixed precision quantization to improve the performance of DNNs when mapped to area-constrained IMC accelerators. LRMP uses a combination of reinforcement learning and mixed integer linear programming to search the replication-quantization design space using a model that is closely informed by the target hardware architecture. Across five DNN benchmarks, LRMP achieves 2.6–9.3× latency and 8–18× throughput improvement at minimal (<1%) degradation in accuracy.
Exploring the utility of bioaerosol metagenomics compared to PCRs for swine pathogen surveillance
Authors: Muwonge Adrian , Gerber Priscilla F. , Wee Bryan A. , Thomson Jill , Wang Jingjing , Halbur Patrick G. , Opriessnig Tanja
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Pathogen introduction and transmission at the farm, regional, or national level are associated with reduced animal welfare and negative impacts on herd economics. Ongoing infectious disease surveillance, active or passive, is therefore of high importance. For optimal resolution, each pig is sampled individually, for example by collecting blood or nasal swabs. In recent years, oral fluids have become very useful for population surveillance at the pen level. Another alternative is sampling the air to capture pathogens circulating across the entire barn via bioaerosols.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the potential utility of bioaerosol metagenomics for pathogen detection on pig farms.

Methods

Bioaerosols via automated air sampler, and oral fluid via pen-based ropes, were collected from each of two Scottish indoor pig farms. All samples were subjected to conventional routine bacterial isolation. Total genomic nucleic acids were extracted for PCR screening for three pig DNA viruses, three bacterial Mycoplasma species and an RNA virus. Illumina shotgun metagenomic sequencing was also conducted.

Results

Oral fluids contained more DNA compared to bioaerosol samples. DNA integrity exhibited limited impact on PCR or sequence yield. While Streptococcus suis could be cultured from a single oral fluid sample, reads mapped to S. suis were detectable in all metagenomic samples. Other bacterial pig pathogens, including Mycoplasma hyorhinis, M. hyopneumoniae and M. hyosynoviae, were detected in oral fluid and aerosols by PCR and metagenomics. One of the two farms was PRRSV positive, and the virus was detectable via PCR in oral fluids but not in bioaerosols. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene profiles had less variation between bioaerosols and oral fluids. Some identified AMR genes had strikingly similar abundance overall.

Conclusion

Overall, these findings indicate that there is potential utility of bioaerosol metagenomics for pathogen surveillance on pig farms; however, more research is needed for technical and cost optimization to allow for routine pathogen detection on livestock farms.
Histopathological Characteristics of Percutaneous Endomyocardial Biopsy in Heart Transplant Rejection Surveillance: A Single Center Experience
Authors: Farcas Anca Otilia , Stoica Mihai Ciprian , Voidazan Septimiu , Maier Ioana Maria , Maier Adrian Cornel , Suciu Horatiu , Sin Anca Ileana
Published: October 2024

Background: Heart transplantation (HT) remains the ultimate treatment for end-stage heart failure. An endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is “the gold standard” diagnostic procedure used in HT rejection surveillance. The aim of this study is to provide a detailed analysis of the histopathological characteristics of the EMB and to investigate if there is a correlation between some histopathological changes, such as fibrosis, vasculitis, Quilty effect (Q.E.), myocytes damage, and the presence of episodes of acute rejection. Methods: In this retrospective study, 200 EMBs were included, coming from 65 patients transplanted in the Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation (ICvDT) Targu Mures between 2012 and 2024. Fibrosis, vasculitis, Q.E., myocyte damage, etc., were microscopically evaluated to see if these parameters correlate with rejection episodes. Results: The mean age was 38.18 years (SD 15.67), 25% of biopsies being recorded in the 41–50 age group. 77.14% of total acute cellular rejection (ACR) was of mild rejection, with most registered in the 11–20 age group; the cases of severe rejection being recorded in the 41–50 age group. Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) was recorded more frequently in women with a representation of 23.4%, compared to 8.5% of men. 86.7% (39 cases) of the total number of EMBs with fibrosis score 3 and 71.4% (15 cases) of the total EMBs with fibrosis score 2 were recorded in men, compared to the 28.6% (6 cases) of fibrosis score 2 recorded in women (p = 0.013). 50.0% of all the EMB recorded in the 61–70 age group showed fibrosis score 3, compared to 34.8% of those from the 21–30 age group. The Q.E. was identified in 13% of the biopsies and, in some patients, it was observed across 3–4 successive biopsies. Mild vasculitis was associated in 34.9% of cases with ISHLT ≥ 1R and moderate vasculitis was associated in 87.5% of cases with ISHLT ≥ 1R. Conclusions: Fibrosis was detected much more frequently in men and in the 61–70 age group. In addition to the histopathological changes specific to acute rejection, there are other pathological changes, such as the Q.E., and vasculitis and myocytes damage and disarray, that seem to suggest a close connection with rejection, but extensive studies are needed to confirm this.