bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study Attenuation Parameters and Physical Properties of Silicone Rubber Reinforced with Nano- and Micro-Sized Aluminum Oxide Composites
Authors: El-Khatib Ahmed M. , Elesh E. , Hamada Mohamed S. , Sabry Eslam M. , Gouda Mona M.
Published: January 2024

Theoretical and practical research has been done on reinforced polymer composites, a more recent type of improved shielding material. This study examined the protective qualities of silicone rubber packed with nano- and micro-sized Al2O3. Aspects like the effective atomic number, mean free path, linear attenuation coefficient, and mass attenuation coefficient are used to evaluate these shielding materials. In terms of weight percentage and size, Al2O3 particles have been used to reinforce silicone rubber. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV visible spectrometer, thermal analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy have been investigated. The results show that aluminum oxide nanoparticles have a more homogeneous distribution within the samples than micro aluminum oxide particles, which is due to the fact that nanoparticles have a very large surface area-to-volume ratio when compared to the same material in bulk. As a result, the sample containing 40% by weight of nano Al2O3 has the largest attenuation coefficient value and the lowest half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP) values. Finally, it can be concluded that the sample containing nano Al2O3 can be utilized to create an innovative and versatile silicone rubber material. This material holds great potential for the manufacturing of gloves and protective jackets, specifically designed for radiation and nuclear shielding applications.
Scoping review of lacrosse: match demands, physical performance and injury surveillance
Authors: Ripley Nicholas J. , Wenham Tom , Collier Matthew
Published: January 2024

Background

Lacrosse has seen an uptake in participation in the last two decades. Moreover, with small-sided variants (box lacrosse [BL] and sixes lacrosse [SL]), with the latter being considered by the international Olympic committee. However, for athletes to perform at the highest level across the variations of lacrosse (field lacrosse [FL], BL and SL), sports coaches, practitioners and national governing bodies need to understand the demands, physical performance characteristics and injury incidence.

Objective

The objective of this scoping review is to explore the current state of the literature around lacrosse in key areas (match and training demands, physical performance and injury incidence). We additionally aimed to identify knowledge gaps in the literature.

Methods

The latest methodological guidance Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews for scoping reviews was followed. A systematic literature search was conducted in several electronic databases (ProQuest, PubMed, SCOPUS and institutional library), using relevant key terms. The present study is largely descriptive and quantifies proportions (%) of studies.

Results

Of the 4223 studies identified using the systematic search strategy, 120 studies were included within the final synthesis. 14 studies identified match or training demands across competitive levels and variations. 30 studies identified physical performance: 28 studies on FL athletes and two studies on BL. 75 studies identified injury incidence from lacrosse, all studies observed FL.

Conclusions

According to the results of this scoping review, there are large gaps within the literature that should be addressed. As international SL will be included in Olympic events this should be a focus of future research, attempting to identify match and training demands, physical performance characteristics and injury incidence. Moreover, as SL players are likely to be also participating in FL and BL, it could rapidly increase the demands placed upon players, both physically and psychologically.
Clinical importance of serum miRNA levels in breast cancer patients
Authors: Turkoglu Fatih , Calisir Akin , Ozturk Bahadir
Published: January 2024

There is limited data on the relationship of miRNAs with parameters that may affect surgical management or reflect tumour prognosis. It was aimed to evaluate serum miRNA levels in breast carcinoma cases and reveal the relationship between these levels and prognosis-related factors such as the histological type of the tumour, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, Ki-67 index, HER-2neu, E-cadherin, tumour size, CK5/6, CA15.3 levels, number of tumour foci, number of metastatic lymph nodes, and status of receiving neoadjuvant therapy. Thirty-five patients with a histopathologically confirmed breast carcinoma diagnosis in the case group and 35 healthy individuals in the control group were examined. miR-206, miR-17-5p, miR-125a, miR-125b, miR-200a, Let-7a, miR-34a, miR-31, miR-21, miR-155, miR-10b, miR-373, miR-520c, miR-210, miR-145, miR-139-5p, miR-195, miR-99a, miR-497 and miR-205 expression levels in the serum of participants were determined using the Polymerase Chain Reaction method. While serum miR-125b and Let-7a expression levels were significantly higher in breast cancer patients, miR-17-5p, miR-125a, miR-200a, miR-34a, miR-21, miR-99a and miR-497 levels were significantly lower in them. The Let-7a expression level had a statistically significant relationship with breast cancer histological type and HER-2neu parameters, miR-17-5p, miR-125b, Let-7a, miR-34a, miR-21 and miR-99a levels with E-cadherin, miR-34a, miR-99a and miR-497 with CA15.3, miR-125b, miR-200a and miR-34a with the number of metastatic lymph nodes, miR-125a with the number of tumour foci and miR-200a with the status of having the neoadjuvant therapy. Serum miR-17-5p, miR-125a, miR-125b, miR-200a, Let-7a, miR-34a, miR-21, miR-99a and miR-497 expression levels were determined to have predictive and prognostic importance in breast cancer.
ChatGPT and the Technology-Education Tension: Applying Contextual Virtue Epistemology to a Cognitive Artifact
Authors: Cassinadri Guido
Published: January 2024

According to virtue epistemology, the main aim of education is the development of the cognitive character of students (Pritchard, 2014, 2016). Given the proliferation of technological tools such as ChatGPT and other LLMs for solving cognitive tasks, how should educational practices incorporate the use of such tools without undermining the cognitive character of students? Pritchard (2014, 2016) argues that it is possible to properly solve this ‘technology-education tension’ (TET) by combining the virtue epistemology framework with the theory of extended cognition (EXT) (Clark and Chalmers, 1998). He argues that EXT enables us to consider tools as constitutive parts of the students’ cognitive system, thus preserving their cognitive character from technologically induced cognitive diminishment. The first aim of this paper is to show that this solution is not sufficient to solve the TET. Second, I aim to offer a complementary and more encompassing framework of tool-use to address the TET. Then, I apply it to the educational uses of ChatGPT as the most notable example of LLM, although my arguments can be extended to other generative AI systems. To do so, in Sect. 1.1, I present Pritchard’s framework of cognitive character and virtue epistemology applied in education, to which I am committed in this treatment. In Sects. 2 and 3, I respectively illustrate Pritchard’s (2014) solution to the TET, and I highlight the general limitations of his proposal. Thus, in Sect. 4.1 I characterize ChatGPT as a computational cognitive artifact using Fasoli’s (Fasoli, 2017, 2018) taxonomy of cognitive artifacts. In Sect. 4.2, I introduce my proposal, which combines Pritchard’s account of virtue epistemology with Fasoli’s (2017, 2018) taxonomy of cognitive artifacts to address the TET. Finally, in Sect. 5.1, I present some epistemically virtuous uses of ChatGPT in educational contexts. To conclude, I argue in favor of a multidisciplinary approach for analyzing educational activities involving AI technologies such as ChatGPT.
Track Thyself? The Value and Ethics of Self-knowledge Through Technology
Authors: Leuenberger Muriel
Published: January 2024

Novel technological devices, applications, and algorithms can provide us with a vast amount of personal information about ourselves. Given that we have ethical and practical reasons to pursue self-knowledge, should we use technology to increase our self-knowledge? And which ethical issues arise from the pursuit of technologically sourced self-knowledge? In this paper, I explore these questions in relation to bioinformation technologies (health and activity trackers, DTC genetic testing, and DTC neurotechnologies) and algorithmic profiling used for recommender systems, targeted advertising, and technologically supported decision-making. First, I distinguish between impersonal, critical, and relational self-knowledge. Relational self-knowledge is a so far neglected dimension of self-knowledge which is introduced in this paper. Next, I investigate the contribution of these technologies to the three types of self-knowledge and uncover the connected ethical concerns. Technology can provide a lot of impersonal self-knowledge, but we should focus on the quality of the information which tends to be particularly insufficient for marginalized groups. In terms of critical self-knowledge, the nature of technologically sourced personal information typically impedes critical engagement. The value of relational self-knowledge speaks in favour of transparency of information technology, notably for algorithms that are involved in decision-making about individuals. Moreover, bioinformation technologies and digital profiling shape the concepts and norms that define us. We should ensure they not only serve commercial interests but our identity and self-knowledge interests.
Modeling and Forecasting of Water Demand in the City of Istanbul Using Artificial Neural Networks Optimized with Rao Algorithms
Authors: Uzlu Ergun
Published: January 2024

In this study, a hybrid artificial neural network (ANN)-Rao series (Rao_1, Rao_2, and Rao_3) algorithm model was developed to analyze water consumption in Istanbul province, Turkey. A multiple linear regression (MLR) model was developed and an ANN was also trained with back-propagation (BP) artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithms for comparison. Gross domestic product and population data were treated as independent variables. To test the accuracy of the presently developed hybrid model, its outputs were compared with those of ANN-BP, ANN-ABC, and MLR models. Error values calculated for the test set indicated that the ANN-Rao_3 algorithm outperformed the MLR, ANN-BP, and ANN-ABC reference models as well as ANN-Rao_1 and ANN-Rao_2 algorithms. Therefore, using the ANN-Rao_3 model, water consumption forecasts for Istanbul province were generated out to 2035 for low-, expected-, and high-water demand conditions. The model-generated forecasts indicate that the water requirements of Istanbul in 2035 will be between 1182.95 and 1399.54 million m3, with the upper-range estimates outpacing supplies. According to low and expected scenarios, there will be no problem in providing the water needs of Istanbul until 2035. However, according to high scenario, water needs of Istanbul will not be provided as of 2033.Therefore, water conservation policies should be enacted to ensure provision of the water needs of Istanbul province from 2033 onward.
Sepsis mimics among presumed sepsis patients at intensive care admission: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Lengquist Maria , Varadarajan Anjali , Alestam Shiva , Friberg Hans , Frigyesi Attila , Mellhammar Lisa
Published: January 2024

Background

Diagnosing sepsis remains a challenge because of the lack of gold-standard diagnostics. Since there are no simple, broadly accepted criteria for infection, there is a risk of misclassifying sepsis patients (sepsis mimics) among patients with organ failure. The main objective of this study was to investigate the proportion of non-infected patients (sepsis mimics) in ICU patients with presumed sepsis at intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

Methods

Adult patients were screened retrospectively during 3.5 years in four ICUs in Sweden for fulfilment of the sepsis-3 criteria at ICU admission (presumed sepsis). Proxy criteria for suspected infection were sampled blood culture(s) and concomitant antibiotic administration. Culture-negative presumed sepsis patients were screened for infection according to the Linder-Mellhammar Criteria of Infection (LMCI). Sepsis mimics were defined as without probable infection according to the LMCI. Confirmed sepsis was defined as presumed sepsis after the exclusion of sepsis mimics.

Results

In the ICU presumed sepsis cohort (2664 patients), 25% were considered sepsis mimics. The most common reasons for ICU admission among sepsis mimics were acute heart failure and unspecific respiratory failure. Comparing sepsis mimics and confirmed sepsis showed that confirmed sepsis patients were slightly more severely ill but had similar mortality. C-reactive protein had modest discriminatory power (AUROC 0.71) with confirmed sepsis as the outcome.

Conclusions

One-fourth of a presumed ICU sepsis population identified with the sepsis-3 criteria could be considered sepsis mimics. The high proportion of sepsis mimics has a potential dilutional effect on the presumed sepsis population, which threatens the validity of results from sepsis studies using recommended sepsis criteria.
Running-Related Injury Incidence: Does It Correlate with Kinematic Sub-groups of Runners? A Scoping Review
Authors: Adamson Léa , Vandamme Liam , Prior Trevor , Miller Stuart Charles
Published: January 2024

Background

Historically, kinematic measures have been compared across injured and non-injured groups of runners, failing to take into account variability in kinematic patterns that exist independent of injury, and resulting in false positives. Research led by gait patterns and not pre-defined injury status is called for, to better understand running-related injury (RRI) aetiology and within- and between-group variability.

Objectives

Synthesise evidence for the existence of distinct kinematic sub-groups across a population of injured and healthy runners and assess between-group variability in kinematics, demographics and injury incidence.

Data Sources

Electronic database search: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Wiley), Embase, OVID, Scopus.

Eligibility Criteria

Original, peer-reviewed, research articles, published from database start to August 2022 and limited to English language were searched for quantitative and mixed-methods full-text studies that clustered injured runners according to kinematic variables.

Results

Five studies (n = 690) were included in the review. All studies detected the presence of distinct kinematic sub-groups of runners through cluster analysis. Sub-groups were defined by multiple differences in hip, knee and foot kinematics. Sex, step rate and running speed also varied significantly between groups. Random injury dispersal across sub-groups suggests no strong evidence for an association between kinematic sub-groups and injury type or location.

Conclusion

Sub-groups containing homogeneous gait patterns exist across healthy and injured populations of runners. It is likely that a single injury may be represented by multiple movement patterns, and therefore kinematics may not predict injury risk. Research to better understand the underlying causes of kinematic variability, and their associations with RRI, is warranted.
Post-COVID Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Spera Francesco Raffaele , Mistrulli Raffaella , Salerno Luigi , Vannini Federico , Muthukkattil Melwyn Luis , Falcetti Roberta , Segal Terry , Barbato Emanuele , Buonsenso Danilo
Published: January 2024

Purpose of Review

Long COVID, or post-COVID Condition, is increasingly recognized in children and adolescents, despite being less studied compared with the adult population. Recent studies are documenting that inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) may be key clinical problems in patients with long COVID, and preliminary findings have shown that these may be important features also in children. However, POTS and IST are poorly known among non-specialized pediatricians, and this gap may limit access to appropriate care for children and adolescents with long COVID or other post-viral fatigue syndromes. In this review, we critically evaluate the available literature investigating the burden of post-COVID-19 IST and POTS in children and young people, their pathogenesis, and available evidence for their management in the pediatric population.

Recent Findings

In line with adult studies, there is increasing evidence that also children with long COVID may suffer from IST and POTS. Case reports and case series, as well as pediatric experience from other conditions, suggest that IST and POTS can be treated also in the pediatric population

IST and POTS are under-recognized conditions in children. Clinical findings as well as diagnostics like 24-h ECG and heart rate variability are non-invasive tests to diagnose IST and POTS. If properly recognized, these conditions are treatable.
Students’ Mathematical Thinking in Movement
Authors: Gandell Robyn
Published: January 2024

Mathematics education research is increasingly focused on how students’ movement interacts with their cognition. Although usually characterized as embodiment research, movement research often theorizes the body in diverse ways. Ingold (Making: Anthropology, archaeology, art and architecture, 2013) proposes that thinking and knowing emerge from the entwined, dynamic flows of human and non-human materials in a process called making and, following Sheets-Johnstone (The primacy of movement (Vol. 82), 2011), contends that humans think in movement. The study that this paper draws on employs Ingold’s making to study students’ movement during mathematical problem solving. In this paper I also recruit Laban’s movement elements (Laban & Ullmann, 1966/2011) as a framework to describe and analyse how the body moves in space and time and to incorporate the often-forgotten dynamic qualities of movement. This paper investigates the movement of a small group of tertiary students as they engage with a mathematical prompt (a task in Abstract Algebra), using thick description, to answer the questions: (1) How do students think mathematically in movement? (2) How do Laban’s elements help inform research into students’ movement? Through the lens of Laban’s movement elements, my analysis demonstrates that students think mathematically in movement. These findings suggest that mathematics educators may be overlooking valuable instances of students’ mathematical thinking and knowing: the thinking and knowing in movement which may not be available through verbalizations or artefacts. Although thinking in movement does not fit a traditional conceptualization of undergraduate mathematics, which privileges written communication heavily reliant on notation, to understand students’ mathematical cognition more comprehensively, mathematics educators need to reconsider and appreciate students’ mathematical thinking in movement.
Numerical simulations of fault stick–slip characteristics in different temperature fields at laboratory scale
Authors: Ma Ke , Zhao Yong , Zhao Qianbai , Xie Haijun , Li Jingrui
Published: January 2024

With the increasing demand for deep engineering development, there is an urgent need to study the evolution and formation mechanisms of the stick–slip process in faults at high temperatures. Although research on fault stick–slip behaviors at room temperature and laboratory scales has yielded some findings, exploring them at high temperatures is challenging, especially when acoustic emission (AE) monitoring is involved. To address this, the research conducted numerical simulations of fault stick–slip characteristics under thermo-mechanical coupling using the discrete element method to solve the problem. This approach aimed to provide insights into fault stick–slip behaviors and AE characteristics across different temperature fields. Subsequently, the evolution of the stress–strain characteristics (the number of stick–slip cycles, slip-initiation stress, slip-initiation stress drop, and maximum stress drop), energy dissipation, and AE characteristics (energy, magnitude, failure mechanism, and b-value) in the stick–slip process were systematically analyzed. The findings of this study aim to address existing shortcomings in AE tests and simulation methods related to fault stick–slip behaviors at high temperatures.
Reasonable value range of damage stress during rock brittle failure under compression
Authors: Yang Baicun , Jiang Xinyu , Duan Yongting , Song Chuyang
Published: January 2024

It is significant to clarify the reasonable value range of damage stress in the brittle failure process of rock to predict rock instability, such as collapse and landslide. Previous studies on damage stress were mostly limited to the statistical analysis of results obtained through laboratory rock mechanics experiments, and relevant theoretical studies are urgently needed. This study first derived the theoretical expression of the ratio of the rock damage stress to the peak stress σcd/σf by combining the three dimensional renormalization group model established by the proper stress transfer mechanism with the rock damage constitutive model, and obtained its theoretical range. Then, the rationality of the theoretical results was tested by analyzing the statistical results obtained through laboratory rock mechanics experiments for samples with different lithologies under different confining pressures. The reasonable value range of σcd/σf for describing the brittle failure of rock under compression is [0.76, 0.93]. The reasons for some experimentally obtained σcd/σf values falling outside of the reasonable range are discussed. The findings of this study can be useful for the investigation of disaster mechanisms and the development of rock mass instability prediction models.
Fundamentals of Ultrasonic Treatment of Aluminum Alloys
Authors: Jaime Raquel F. , Puga Hélder , Prokic Miodrag , Söderhjelm Carl , Apelian Diran
Published: January 2024

High integrity cast aluminum components require the use of molten metal processing technologies prior to casting. These include processes such as degassing to reduce porosity, filtration to reduce inclusion content, addition of grain refiners to refine the grain structure, and the addition of chemical modifiers to alter the morphology of eutectic phases. Ultrasonic treatment (UST) is a novel processing method through which ultrasonic energy is introduced into molten metal for the purpose of degassing as well as modifying the cast microstructure. To optimize the use and applications of UST, it is necessary to examine the fundamental mechanisms and the limiting values of controlling parameters. The effectiveness of UST to perform a desired application within a molten metal is highly dependent on temperature, volume of liquid metal, and the state of the frequency in use. The mechanisms of ultrasonic energy imparted within molten metal will be discussed as well as the benefits of UST during molten metal processing.
Research Ethics and Ethical Research: An Example of Integrating Ethics in R&I Research
Authors: Gabel Friedrich , Schobert Maira , Krüger Marco
Published: January 2024

The role of ethics in research and innovation projects (R&I) has become much more important in recent decades. Particularly, security-related research is required to reflect on normative issues within the research process. At the same time, the form in which ethics is addressed differs greatly. This is not only due to different research agendas (e.g. ethics as an evaluation criterion of research or a research endeavour in itself) and aims (e.g. technology development, social or medical research) but also because of different perceptions with regard to the role of ethics within the research project (e.g. ethics as an external standard to comply with or ethics as a research strand within an interdisciplinary research project). As differences in the level of ethical reflection are not problematic as such, but might be rooted in the specific research interest itself, it might be difficult for those in charge of performing ethical research in R&I projects to develop ethics research designs for new projects. Focussing on security research, we present in this contribution, how ethics was included into the work performed in a trans- and interdisciplinary EU research project. Thereby, four levels of ethical reflection are distinguished and illustrated with examples. These levels can be subsumed under the categories research ethics and ethical research. The paper is intended as one example of how ethics can be integrated into security-related research, which might and should be complemented with other approaches in order to help researchers developing an ethical inventory of procedures to conduct ethical research in security domain.
Modified medication use in dysphagia: the effect of thickener on drug bioavailability—a systematic review
Authors: Atkin Jayne , Devaney Christopher , Yoshimatsu Yuki , Smithard David
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Dysphagia is associated with long-term conditions including strokes, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and frailty. Dysphagia affects 30–40% of the population aged over 65 years-old. Adults with dysphagia often experience long-term conditions requiring multiple medications (often > 5) to manage these. The thickening of liquids is a common compensatory strategy in dysphagia management. Studies suggest that immersion in thickened liquids affects medicines’ solubility in vitro. Clinicians and pharmacists are unaware of the pharmacokinetic/therapeutic effects of thickened liquids on oral medicines. We conducted a systematic review of existing literature on thickeners’ effects on drug bioavailability.

Methodology

We performed a literature search of MEDLINE & EMBASE. Search terms included: dysphagia/thickened diet (EMBASE only)/ bioavailability or absorption of medicines or pharmacokinetics; excluded: NG feeds/animal studies. Studies included: all genders, countries, > 18 years, community and hospital settings. PRISMA guidance was followed.

Results

Five hundred seventy results were found, and 23 articles identified following the reference list review. Following an abstract and full-text review, 18 were included. Most articles evaluated thickeners on dissolution profiles in-vitro, with a few investigating in-vivo. Most studies were single-centre prospective studies identifying that thickeners generally affect dissolution rates of medications. Few studies assessed bioavailability or used clinical outcomes.

Conclusion

Dysphagia and polypharmacy are common in older adults, but little is known about the effects of altering liquid viscosity on the therapeutic effect of most medications. Further larger-scale studies are required to evaluate the therapeutic impact of thickener, on a bigger range of medications, factoring in other variables such as type of thickener, viscosity of thickener and duration of immersion.
Assessing dynamical resilience indicators in older adults: a prospective feasibility cohort study
Authors: Kolk Daisy , MacNeil Vroomen Janet L. , Melis René J. F. , Ridderikhof Milan L. , Buurman Bianca M.
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Measuring dynamical resilience indicators based on time series data may improve the prediction of health deterioration in older adults after hospital discharge. We examined the feasibility of an intensive prospective cohort study examining dynamical resilience indicators based on time series data of symptoms and physical activity in acutely ill older adults who visited the Emergency Department (ED).

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study with time series data from symptom questionnaires and activity trackers. Thirty older adults (aged 75.9 ± 5.5 years, 37% female) who were discharged from the ED of a tertiary hospital in the Netherlands were included in the study. We monitored self-reported symptoms using a daily online questionnaire, and physical activity using an activity tracker for 30 days. Descriptive data on participant eligibility and adherence to and acceptability of the assessments were collected.

Results

Of 134 older patients visiting the ED, 109/134 (81%) were eligible for inclusion and 30/109 (28%) were included. Twenty-eight (93%) of the included participants completed follow-up. Regarding the adherence rate, 78% of participants filled in the questionnaire and 80% wore the activity tracker. Three (10%) participants completed fewer than three questionnaires. Most participants rated the measurements as acceptable and seven (23%) participants experienced an adverse outcome in the 30 days after discharge.

Conclusion

Such an intensive prospective cohort study examining dynamical resilience indicators in older adults was feasible. The quality of the collected data was sufficient, some adjustments to the measurement protocol are recommended. This study is an important first step to study resilience in older adults.
Detailed Analysis of Pedestrian Activity Recognition in Pedestrian Zones Using 3D Skeleton Joints Using LSTM
Authors: Jan Qazi Hamza , Badella Yogitha Sai , Berns Karsten
Published: January 2024

As autonomous driving technology is developing rapidly, demands for pedestrian safety, intelligence, and stability are increasing. In this situation, there is a need to discern pedestrian location and action, such as crossing or standing, in dynamic and uncertain contexts. The success of autonomous driving for pedestrian zones depends heavily on its capacity to distinguish between safe and unsafe pedestrians. The vehicles must first recognize the pedestrian, then their body movements, and understand the meaning of their actions before responding appropriately. This article presents a detailed explanation of the architecture for 3D pedestrian activity recognition using recurrent neural networks (RNN). A custom dataset was created for behaviors such as parallel and perpendicular crossing while texting or calling encountered around autonomous vehicles. A model similar to Long-Short Term Memory (LSMT) has been used for different experiments. As a result, it is revealed that the models trained independently on upper and lower body data produced better classification than the one trained on whole body skeleton data. An accuracy of 97% has been achieved for lower body and 88–90% on upper body test data, respectively.
Single-Trace Side-Channel Attacks on NTRU Implementation
Authors: Rabas Tomáš , Buček Jiří , Lórencz Róbert
Published: January 2024

Most of the currently used cryptosystems are not secure in the presence of cryptographically relevant quantum computers. As the research in quantum technologies proceeds, a need for quantum-safe cryptography is imminent. NTRU is a post-quantum public-key cryptosystem based on lattices and was a finalist in the 3rd round of the post-quantum standardization process organized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This paper aims to study the implementation security of the cryptosystem with respect to an attacker with access to power leakage. Such a threat model is relevant especially, but not only, for embedded devices. We studied a countermeasure implementation of the NTRU decryption algorithm from An et al. (Appl Sci https://doi.org/10.3390/app8112014, 2018) that claimed its security against power attacks. This paper revisits an attack presented in as reported by Rabas (In: Proceedings of the
9th International Conference on Information Systems Security and Privacy,
ICISSP 2023, Lisbon, 2023) that shows it is in fact vulnerable even in the case of just a single trace available to the enemy for extracting the key. We then describe a new profiling template attack on the implementation and show experimental results of the attack using the same datasets, resulting in a comparison of these two methods and further confirmation of the vulnerability of the algorithm even to generic profiling attacks. Several possible types of countermeasures are discussed.
Improving human sperm motility via red and near-infrared laser irradiation: in-vitro study
Authors: Ahmed Rasha , Hamdy Omnia , Elattar Shaimaa , Soliman Amany Ahmed
Published: January 2024

Improved sperm motility is necessary for successful sperm passage through the female genital system, efficacious fertilization, and a greater probability of pregnancy. By stimulating the mitochondrial respiratory chain, low-level laser photobiomodulation has been shown to increase sperm motility and velocity. The respiratory chain in mitochondria is the primary site of action for cytochrome c oxidase because it can absorb light in the visible and infrared ranges. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of red laser 650 nm, near infrared laser (NIR) 980 nm, and combination of both on human spermatozoa motility and DNA integrity at different doses. An in-vitro controlled trial was performed in Al Zahraa university hospital laboratory using thirty fresh human semen specimens. Samples were exposed to red laser 650 nm, near infrared laser (NIR) 980 nm, and combination of both for various irradiation times. Sperm motility for the test and control aliquots was assessed as recommended in the manual of WHO-2021. Sperm chromatin integrity was evaluated using the Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay. Results revealed almost 70%, 80% and 100% increase in the total motility after 3 min of the 650-nm, 980-nm and the combined laser irradiation, respectively. Additionally, the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion assay was carried out on sperm heads utilizing human sperm DNA fragmentation, demonstrating that none of the three laser types had any discernible effects.

Graphical abstract
Sicily and the Hellenistic Mediterranean World
Authors: Walthall D. Alex
Published: January 2024

In Sicily and the Hellenistic Mediterranean World, D. Alex Walthall investigates the royal administration of Hieron II (r. 269-215 BCE), the Syracusan monarch who leveraged Sicily's agricultural resources to build a flourishing kingdom that, at one time, played an outsized role in the political and cultural affairs of the Western Mediterranean. Walthall's study combines an historical overview with the rich archaeological evidence that traditionally has not been considered in studies of Hellenistic kingdoms. Exploring the Hieronian system of agricultural taxation, he recasts the traditional narrative of the island's role as a Roman imperial 'grain basket' via analysis of monumental granaries, patterns of rural land-use, standardized grain measures, and the circulation of bronze coinage— the material elements of an agricultural administration that have emerged from recent excavations and intensive landscape survey on the island. Combining material and documentary evidence, Walthall's multi-disciplinary approach offers a new model for the writing of economic and social history of ancient societies.
Quantifying Interseismic Volume Strain from Chemical Mass‐Balance Analysis in Tectonic Mélanges
Authors: Chen T.‐W. , Smye A. , Fisher D. , Hashimoto Y. , Raimbourg H. , Famin V.
Published: January 2024

Estimating interseismic deformation in subduction fault zones can offer insights into the frequency and magnitude of megathrust earthquakes. Diffusive mass transfer is a significant mechanism of strain during interseismic periods along the plate interface, observed through the pervasive scaly fabrics and mineral veins in tectonic mélanges of ancient accretionary prisms. The dissolution of fluid‐mobile elements (e.g., Si and Large‐Ion Lithophile Elements) along scaly folia and subsequent reprecipitation as veins lead to the enrichment of fluid‐immobile elements (e.g., Ti and High Field Strength Elements) in scaly fabrics. The kinetics of dissolution‐precipitation is temperature‐dependent, suggesting depth‐dependent mass transfer along subduction interfaces. Here, we evaluate the magnitudes of volume strain in a suite of mélange samples that span peak metamorphic temperatures of 130–340°C. Micro‐chemical analysis shows that the depletion of fluid‐mobile elements and enrichment of fluid‐immobile elements in scaly fabrics increases with temperature. Assuming the conservation of Ti, we apply mass balance constraints to calculate the volumetric strain in scaly fabrics. Results indicate average volumetric strain of 28% and 95% in the individual scaly fabrics of the Lower Mugi and Makimine mélanges in Japan, which record temperatures near the updip and downdip isotherms bounding the seismogenic zone, respectively. To determine the total volume strain within an area of interest, we integrate the amount of volume loss along individual microstructures across the network using image analyses, which ranges from 3% to 14% for the mélanges. Our approach demonstrates the potential to fully describe the deformation related to mass transfer by connecting characterization in different scales with geochemical analyses.
Long‐Term Landslide Evolution and Restoration After the Wenchuan Earthquake Revealed by Time‐Series Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Wang Xin , Fan Xuanmei , Fang Chengyong , Dai Lanxin , Zhang Wei , Zheng Hongrui , Xu Qiang
Published: January 2024

A powerful earthquake, particularly in mountainous regions, has the ability to trigger an immense number of landslides, resulting in severe damages. However, effectively assessing their recoveries in the years following the mainshocks has not yet been attempted due to the lack of continuously updated landslide inventories. Therefore, we proposed a novel detection framework utilizing time‐series Landsat images from 2000 to 2021, which enabled us to achieve a long‐term landslide inventory in the seismic zone for the first time. The response patterns of landslide development under different conditions were explored in detail. The restoration models were quantitatively established, revealing that the recoveries of post‐earthquake landslide activity and vital environmental indicators require a range from ∼5.29 to ∼25.00 years. This pioneering research is highly beneficial in comprehending the impact of earthquake‐induced hazards on short‐term land surface damage and long‐term ecological equilibrium.
The Response of Surface Temperature Persistence to Arctic Sea‐Ice Loss
Authors: Lewis Neil T. , Seviour William J. M. , Roberts‐Straw Hannah E. , Screen James A.
Published: January 2024

We investigate the response of surface temperature persistence, quantified using a lagged autocorrelation, to imposed Arctic sea‐ice loss in coupled model experiments. Sea‐ice loss causes increases in persistence over ocean in midlatitudes and the low‐Arctic, which are of a similar magnitude to the total response to climate change in these regions. Using an idealized model, we show that sea‐ice loss induces a slowing of meridional wind anomalies, which can drive the midlatitude persistence increase obtained in coupled models. Sea‐ice loss should induce persistence increases in the Arctic, through its effect on the surface heat capacity. However, in coupled models with imposed sea‐ice loss, persistence increase in the Arctic is essentially absent. We suggest that methods used to constrain sea‐ice in coupled models may spuriously reduce the effects of sea‐ice loss on persistence.
Time‐Dependent Role of Multiyear La Niña in Impacting the Pacific Tropical Instability Waves
Authors: He Wei‐Bang , Yang Yang , Liang X. San
Published: January 2024

Previous studies have shown that the tropical instability waves (TIWs) in the Equatorial Pacific are enhanced during La Niña and suppressed during El Niño. Unlike El Niño which tends to decay quickly, La Niña often persists through the subsequent one or 2 years, becoming a multiyear La Niña. Using a time‐dependent and space‐localized energetics formalism and a suite of observational and reanalysis data, we found that the eddy kinetic energy (EKE) associated with TIWs only peaks during the first‐year La Niña and decreases significantly during the second‐year La Niña. This is caused, to the first order, by the weaker equatorial cold tongue near the equator and anomalous cooling in the off‐equator regions during the second‐year La Niña, as compared to the first‐year La Niña, which leads to a significant decrease in meridional density shear, and thus a reduction in baroclinic instability. Meanwhile, the weakened South Equatorial Current during the second‐year La Niña also contribute to EKE decrease by transferring less kinetic energy to the TIWs via barotropic instability. The meridionally broad spatial pattern of negative temperature anomalies during the second‐year La Niña is the major reason for the weakened TIW activity.
Measuring Methane Stemming from Tree Stems
Authors: Sidder Aaron
Published: January 2024

Wetland tree stem emissions have emerged as a significant contributor to the global methane budget. A new study tracks how they vary by season, location, and hydrological conditions.
Novel exosomal circEGFR facilitates triple negative breast cancer autophagy via promoting TFEB nuclear trafficking and modulating miR-224-5p/ATG13/ULK1 feedback loop
Authors: Song Huachen , Zhao Zitong , Ma Liying , Zhao Weihong , Hu Yi , Song Yongmei
Published: January 2024

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells are in a more hypoxic and starved state than non-TNBC cells, which makes TNBC cells always maintain high autophagy levels. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the progress of tumorigenesis. However, the regulation and functions of autophagy-induced circRNAs in TNBC remain unclear. In our study, autophagy-responsive circRNA candidates in TNBC cells under amino acid starved were identified by RNA sequencing. The results showed that circEGFR expression was significantly upregulated in autophagic cells. Knockdown of circEGFR inhibited autophagy in TNBC cells, and circEGFR derived from exosomes induced autophagy in recipient cells in the tumor microenvironment. In vitro and in vivo functional assays identified circEGFR as an oncogenic circRNA in TNBC. Clinically, circEGFR was significantly upregulated in TNBC and was positively associated with lymph node metastasis. CircEGFR in plasma-derived exosomes was upregulated in breast cancer patients compared with healthy people. Mechanistically, circEGFR facilitated the translocation of Annexin A2 (ANXA2) toward the plasma membrane in TNBC cells, which led to the release of Transcription Factor EB (a transcription factor of autophagy-related proteins, TFEB) from ANXA2-TFEB complex, causing nuclear translocation of TFEB, thereby promoting autophagy in TNBC cells. Meanwhile, circEGFR acted as ceRNA by directly binding to miR-224-5p and inhibited the expression of miR-224-5p, which weakened the suppressive role of miR-224-5p/ATG13/ULK1 axis on autophagy. Overall, our study demonstrates the key role of circEGFR in autophagy, malignant progression, and metastasis of TNBC. These indicate circEGFR is a potential diagnosis biomarker and therapeutic target for TNBC.
Cerebrovascular responses to a 90° tilt in healthy neonates
Authors: Tran Nhu N. , Chwa Jason S. , Brady Kenneth M. , Borzage Matthew , Brecht Mary-Lynn , Woon Jessica X. , Miner Anna , Merkel Carlin A. , Friedlich Philippe , Peterson Bradley S. , Wood John C.
Published: January 2024

Background

Tilts can induce alterations in cerebral hemodynamics in healthy neonates, but prior studies have only examined systemic parameters or used small tilt angles (<90°). The healthy neonatal population, however, are commonly subjected to large tilt angles (≥90°). We sought to characterize the cerebrovascular response to a 90° tilt in healthy term neonates.

Methods

We performed a secondary descriptive analysis on 44 healthy term neonates. We measured cerebral oxygen saturation (rcSO2), oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate (HR), breathing rate (BR), and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE) over three consecutive 90° tilts. These parameters were measured for 2-min while neonates were in a supine (0°) position and 2-min while tilted to a sitting (90°) position. We measured oscillometric mean blood pressure (MBP) at the start of each tilt.

Results

rcSO2 and BR decreased significantly in the sitting position, whereas cFTOE, SpO2, and MBP increased significantly in the sitting position. We detected a significant position-by-time interaction for all physiological parameters.

Conclusion

A 90° tilt induces a decline in rcSO2 and an increase in cFTOE in healthy term neonates. Understanding the normal cerebrovascular response to a 90° tilt in healthy neonates will help clinicians to recognize abnormal responses in high-risk infant populations.

Impact

Healthy term neonates (≤14 days old) had decreased cerebral oxygen saturation (~1.1%) and increased cerebral oxygen extraction (~0.01) following a 90° tilt.

We detected a significant position-by-time interaction with all physiological parameters measured, suggesting the effect of position varied across consecutive tilts.

No prior study has characterized the cerebral oxygen saturation response to a 90° tilt in healthy term neonates.
Multiomic analysis implicates nuclear hormone receptor signalling in clustering epilepsy
Authors: de Nys Rebekah , van Eyk Clare L. , Ritchie Tarin , Møller Rikke S. , Scheffer Ingrid E. , Marini Carla , Bhattacharjee Rudrarup , Kumar Raman , Gecz Jozef
Published: January 2024

Clustering Epilepsy (CE) is an epileptic disorder with neurological comorbidities caused by heterozygous variants of the X chromosome gene Protocadherin 19 (PCDH19). Recent studies have implicated dysregulation of the Nuclear Hormone Receptor (NHR) pathway in CE pathogenesis. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the impact and mechanisms of loss of PCDH19 function in CE pathogenesis, we have performed epigenomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of CE relevant models. Our studies identified differential regulation and expression of Androgen Receptor (AR) and its targets in CE patient skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, our cell culture assays revealed the repression of PCDH19 expression mediated through ERα and the co-regulator FOXA1. We also identified a protein-protein interaction between PCDH19 and AR, expanding upon the intrinsic link between PCDH19 and the NHR pathway. Together, these results point to a novel mechanism of NHR signaling in the pathogenesis of CE that can be explored for potential therapeutic options.