bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Camera-Based Crime Behavior Detection and Classification
Authors: Gao Jerry , Shi Jingwen , Balla Priyanka , Sheshgiri Akshata , Zhang Bocheng , Yu Hailong , Yang Yunyun
Published: May 2024

Increasing numbers of public and private locations now have surveillance cameras installed to make those areas more secure. Even though many organizations still hire someone to monitor the cameras, the person hired is more likely to miss some unexpected events in the video feeds because of human error. Several researchers have worked on surveillance data and have presented a number of approaches for automatically detecting aberrant events. To keep track of all the video data that accumulate, a supervisor is often required. To analyze the video data automatically, we recommend using neural networks to identify the crimes happening in the real world. Through our approach, it will be easier for police agencies to discover and assess criminal activity more quickly using our method, which will reduce the burden on their staff. In this paper, we aim to provide anomaly detection using surveillance videos as input specifically for the crimes of arson, burglary, stealing, and vandalism. It will provide an efficient and adaptable crime-detection system if integrated across the smart city infrastructure. In our project, we trained multiple accurate deep learning models for object detection and crime classification for arson, burglary and vandalism. For arson, the videos were trained using YOLOv5. Similarly for burglary and vandalism, we trained using YOLOv7 and YOLOv6, respectively. When the models were compared, YOLOv7 performed better with the highest mAP of 87. In this, we could not compare the model’s performance based on crime type because all the datasets for each crime type varied. So, for arson YOLOv5 performed well with 80% mAP and for vandalism, YOLOv6 performed well with 86% mAP. This paper designed an automatic identification of crime types based on camera or surveillance video in the absence of a monitoring person, and alerts registered users about crimes such as arson, burglary, and vandalism through an SMS service. To detect the object of the crime in the video, we trained five different machine learning models: Improved YOLOv5 for arson, Faster RCNN and YOLOv7 for burglary, and SSD MobileNet and YOLOv6 for vandalism. Other than improved models, we innovated by building ensemble models of all three crime types. The main aim of the project is to provide security to the society without human involvement and make affordable surveillance cameras to detect and classify crimes. In addition, we implemented the Web system design using the built package in Python, which is Gradio. This helps the registered user of the Twilio communication tool to receive alert messages when any suspicious activity happens around their communities.
BMI Is Bunk, but Fat Women Are Diseased: The Hypocrisy of “The Normal (White) Man”
Authors: Strings Sabrina , Bell Caryn
Published: May 2024

“Obesity”, is defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. Yet the tool, BMI, has been shown to be flawed in its weight classing. BMI categories were made by relying nearly exclusively on data about middle-class white males, creating “the normal (white) man”. Yet, BMI continues to be used as a diagnostic tool, and is increasingly deployed to stigmatize fat persons as “diseased”. This has critical implications for women—especially Black women and Latinas—who have some of the highest BMIs in the country. But, despite the consternation over the size of the bodies women of color have, there are nearly no studies to date examining the relationship between BMI and rates of chronic illness by race and gender. In this study, we examined the associations between BMI and type 2 diabetes (T2D) for women across race in comparison to white men. Relying on 20 years of NHANES data, we found that while Latinas and Black women were nearly 3 times and over 5 times as likely to have T2D than white men, respectively, the association between BMI and T2D was significantly weaker for Latinas than for white men. The association between BMI and T2D was markedly weaker for Black women. This study shows that racial and gendered health disparities cannot be explained by differences in rates of “obesity” as defined by a white male norm.
Fungal and Prokaryotic Communities in Soil Samples of the Aral Sea Dry Bottom in Uzbekistan
Authors: Šimonovičová Alexandra , Pauditšová Eva , Nosalj Sanja , Oteuliev Medetbay , Klištincová Nikola , Maisto Francesca , Kraková Lucia , Pavlović Jelena , Šoltys Katarína , Pangallo Domenico
Published: May 2024

Due to the falling water level in the Aral Sea and Muynak Lake, the content of salts dissolved in the water has gradually increased, and toxic elements have been deposited at the lake’s bottom and subsequently washed into the Aral region by the river. Bacteria, archaea and fungi are crucial for the cycling of several important inorganic nutrients in soils. From 15 genera and 31 species of recovered microscopic filamentous fungi, a big group was melanized, of which most of them were also phytopathogenic. The second group consisted of keratinophilic species. Isolated bacteria mainly included members of the genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Massilia, Rhodococcus and Nocardiopsis. High-throughput sequencing analysis permitted a better view of the mycobiome and prokaryotic communities (comprising archaea). The cultivation and sequencing approaches were shown to be complementary. The aim of the work was to identify soil microorganisms, including the order Halobacteriales, and to discover the differences in species diversity depending on soil salinity and the presence of PTEs in soil.
Residual Analysis for Poisson-Exponentiated Weibull Regression Models with Cure Fraction
Authors: Fidelis Cleanderson R. , Ortega Edwin M. M. , Cordeiro Gauss M.
Published: May 2024

The use of cure-rate survival models has grown in recent years. Even so, proposals to perform the goodness of fit of these models have not been so frequent. However, residual analysis can be used to check the adequacy of a fitted regression model. In this context, we provide Cox–Snell residuals for Poisson-exponentiated Weibull regression with cure fraction. We developed several simulations under different scenarios for studying the distributions of these residuals. They were applied to a melanoma dataset for illustrative purposes.
Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Faecal Sterols in Marine Sediments: An Evidence of Their Presence away from Point Sources–Kuwait’s Example
Authors: Uddin Saif , Habibi Nazima , Saeed Talat , Al-Sarawi Hanan A. , Behbehani Montaha , Faizuddin Mohammad
Published: May 2024

Coastal areas are vital ecosystems, supporting diverse marine life and providing resources essential to human well-being. However, sewage pollution poses a significant threat to these delicate environments, impacting water quality, biodiversity, and public health. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has gained importance. We believe the presence of faecal sterols in coastal and marine sediments is a reliable indicator of sewage contamination. At most sites, the faecal contamination was observed with ranges from 0.2 at 68% of the sampling sites, suggesting a large spatial distribution of sewage contamination beyond the discharge points. The positive correlation of faecal sterols with AMR provides an insight that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can spread to areas away from point sources. We propose that sterol ratios be considered as a screening tool for selecting the sites for AMR assessment. The analyses of sterols will be less time and cost-intensive compared to pharmaceutical analyses and can be a reliable indicator for AMR studies in areas where prior knowledge and experience are lacking.
Development of a Cost Prediction Model for Design Changes: Case of Korean Apartment Housing Projects
Authors: Ahn Ie-Sle , Kim Jae-Jun , Lee Joo-Sung
Published: May 2024

Apartment buildings are significantly popular among South Korean construction companies. However, design changes present a common yet challenging aspect, often leading to cost overruns. Traditional cost prediction methods, which primarily rely on numerical data, have a gap in fully capitalizing on the rich insights that textual descriptions of design changes offer. Addressing this gap, this research employs machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, analyzing a dataset of 35,194 instances of design changes from 517 projects by a major public real estate developer. The proposed models demonstrate acceptable performance, with R-square values ranging from 0.930 to 0.985, underscoring the potential of integrating structured and unstructured data for enhanced predictive analytics in construction project management. The predictor using Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) shows better predictive ability (R2 = 0.930; MAE = 16.05; RMSE = 75.09) compared to the traditional Multilinear Regression (MLR) model (R2 = 0.585; MAE = 43.85; RMSE = 101.41). For whole project cost changes predictions, the proposed models exhibit good predictive ability, both including price fluctuations (R2 = 0.985; MAE = 605.1; RMSE = 1009.5) and excluding price fluctuations (R2 = 0.982; MAE = 302.1; RMSE = 548.5). Additionally, a stacked model combining CatBoost and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms was developed, showcasing the effective prediction of cost changes, with or without price fluctuations.
Analysis in Terms of Environmental Awareness of Farmers’ Decisions and Attitudes: Reducing Pesticide Use and Risks
Authors: Gurbuz Ismail Bulent
Published: May 2024

Pesticide residues are a significant problem affecting the quality and safety of agricultural products in Turkey. This study aims to investigate farmers’ risk perception regarding pesticide residues, including the primary factors that influence their behavior from the farmers’ perspective. In addition, the main characteristics of pesticide residues encountered in the production of agricultural products against the current policy background is investigated to provide decision support to the Turkish government for improving the safe production of agricultural products. This paper uses a binary logistic model to analyze farmers’ perceptions of pesticide residues using a cross-sectional dataset of 323 vegetable growers in Bursa, Turkey. Farmer characteristics and pesticide application behavior were more effective in reducing residual risk perceptions than farm characteristics. The effects of membership in a cooperative, average amount of pesticide used, location where the pesticide was purchased, application timing, and adherence to last spraying and harvest timing on the perception of residues were the largest. Farmers receive helpful but limited information from pesticide distributors. However, the primary source of information is not the advisors, which is why these grievances exist. The study results show that policymakers should support cooperatives, expand pesticide training, and make public extension services more effective and that pesticide dealers should conduct more frequent inspections.
Pots to Plots: Microshock Weed Control Is an Effective and Energy Efficient Option in the Field
Authors: Bloomer Daniel J. , Harrington Kerry C. , Ghanizadeh Hossein , James Trevor K.
Published: May 2024

Seeking low environmental impact alternatives to chemical herbicides that can be integrated into a regenerative agriculture system, we developed and tested flat-plate electrode weeding equipment applying ultra-low-energy electric shocks to seedlings in the field. Better than 90% control was achieved for all species, with energy to treat 5 weeds m−2 equivalent to 15 kJ ha−1 for L. didymum and A. powellii, and 363 kJ ha−1 (leaf contact only) and 555kJ ha−1 (plants pressed to soil) for in-ground L. multiflorum, all well below our 1 MJ ha−1 target and a fraction of the energy required by any other weeding system. We compared applications to the leaves only or to leaves pressed against the soil surface, to seedlings growing outside in the ground and to plants growing in bags filled with the same soil. No previous studies have made such direct comparisons. Our research indicated that greenhouse and in-field results are comparable, other factors remaining constant. The in-ground, outdoor treatments were as effective and efficient as our previously published in-bag, greenhouse trials. The flat-plate system tested supports sustainable farming by providing ultra-low-energy weed control suitable for manual, robotic, or conventional deployment without recourse to tillage or chemical herbicides.
Navigating Land Conservation, Utilization, and Market Solutions: Insights from the Lanyang River Watershed, Taiwan
Authors: Chen Wan-Jiun , Jan Jihn-Fa , Chung Chih-Hsin , Liaw Shyue-Cherng
Published: May 2024

In the current fraught relationship between nature and human society, land conservation and utilization have spawned intensive conflicts that require mediation. The present study explores this issue of coordination between nature and society in a fragile watershed located in northeastern Taiwan: the Lanyang River Watershed. Land zoning in this area has been historically classified and legally implemented, and additional development is constrained by an application review process. Currently, additional land utilization is still in demand in sensitive areas of this watershed, such as for mining and tilling. Due to the geographically, geologically, and climatically fragile characteristics of the watershed, the hillside residents have benefited from the conservation of nature with comprehensive ecosystem services but are at the forefront of the loss of life and property caused by forest ecosystem degradation. They are one of the key local resource users and main stakeholders. Applying the contingent valuation method to survey the hillside residents, the present study assessed the economic value they receive from the comprehensive ecosystem services offered by the natural forest ecosystems. Their opinions are explored using a survey on their awareness of ecosystem damage, their opinions on damage compensation, and on the feasible compensation channels for damage. As the study results ascertained the high value of the comprehensive ecosystem services continuously delivered by the conserved forest ecosystem, the study affirmed that conservation in the area classified and zoned as sensitive is an economic beneficial policy. With a high regard for ecosystem services and awareness of the impact of degradation and of the general agreement for the feasibility of channels of damage compensation, the continuity of conservation for these comprehensive ecosystem services is the preferred strategy for the local hillside residents. To emphasize this further, the opinions of the local community at the intersection of nature and society, where there is a delineated land zoning framework, strongly favor conservation over intensive resource exploitation and agricultural expansion, making further development an unfavorable strategy.
A Knowledge Graph-Driven Analysis of the Interlinkages among the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators in Different Spatial Resolutions
Authors: Androna Christina Maria , Mandilara Ioanna , Fotopoulou Eleni , Zafeiropoulos Anastasios , Papavassiliou Symeon
Published: May 2024

The way towards sustainable development is paved through the commitment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which encompass a wide range of global challenges. The successful progress of these goals depends on the identification and understanding of their interconnected nature. A plethora of data is made available for tracking targets related to the SDGs at country, regional and urban levels. However, various challenges are identified to semantically align and homogeneously represent such data to improve their interoperability, comparability and analysis. In the current work, we provide an innovative solution for analyzing SDG-oriented data based on the development of a Knowledge Graph that provides access to semantically aligned data for the SDGs. We consider Knowledge Graphs as a suitable technology for the representation of data related to the interlinkages among SDGs, since they provide a structured representation of knowledge that incorporates entities, relationships and attributes, organized in a graph format. We examine the interlinkages among indicators of the same SDG, as well as across indicators of the various SDGs. Such interlinkages are further evaluated as synergies or trade-offs. Our analysis is applied in country and regional levels, considering various constraints in terms of data quality and availability. In total 476 synergies are identified at the national level among the SDGs, compared to 140 trade-offs. The SDGs that mostly participate in the synergies are SDGs 17, 10, 9 and 8, while SDGs 7 and 16 participate in most of the trade-offs. At the regional level, SDGs 8, 4 and 9 are more active in terms of interlinkages.
A Necessary Optimality Condition on the Control of a Charged Particle
Authors: Aksoy Nigar Yildirim , Celik Ercan , Zengin Merve
Published: May 2024

We consider an optimal control problem with the boundary functional for a Schrödinger equation describing the motion of a charged particle. By using the existence of an optimal solution, we search the necessary optimality conditions for the examined control problem. First, we constitute an adjoint problem by a Lagrange multiplier that is related to constraints of theory on symmetries and conservation laws. The adjoint problem obtained is a boundary value problem with a nonhomogeneous boundary condition. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the adjoint problem. Then, we demonstrate the differentiability of the objective functional in the sense of Frechet and get a formula for its gradient. Finally, we give a necessary optimality condition in the form of a variational inequality.
The Effect of Temperature on the London Dispersive and Lewis Acid-Base Surface Energies of Polymethyl Methacrylate Adsorbed on Silica by Inverse Gas Chromatography
Authors: Hamieh Tayssir
Published: May 2024

Inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution was used to determine the surface thermodynamic properties of silica particles and PMMA adsorbed on silica, and more particularly, to quantify the London dispersive energy γsd, the Lewis acid γs+, and base γs− polar surface energies of PMMA/silica composites as a function of the temperature and the recovery fraction θ of PMMA. The polar acid-base surface energy γsAB and the total surface energy of the different composites were then deduced as a function of the temperature. In this paper, the Hamieh thermal model was used to quantify the surface thermodynamic energy of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) adsorbed on silica particles at different recovery fractions. A comparison of the new results was carried out with those obtained by applying other molecular models of the surface areas of organic molecules adsorbed on the different solid substrates. An important deviation of these molecular models from the thermal model was proved. The determination of γsd, γs+, γs−, and γsAB of PMMA in both the bulk and adsorbed phases showed an important non-linearity variation of these surface parameters as a function of the temperature. The presence of maxima in the curves of γsd(T) highlighted the second-order transition temperatures in PMMA showing beta-relaxation, glass transition, and liquid–liquid temperatures. These three transition temperatures depended on the adsorption rate of PMMA on silica. The proposed method gave a new relation between the recovery fraction of PMMA and its London dispersive energy, showing an important effect of the temperature on the surface energy parameters of the adsorption of PMMA on silica. A universal equation relating γsd(T,θ) of the systems PMMA/silica to the recovery fraction and the temperature was proposed.
Exploring the Burden of PM2.5-Related Deaths and Economic Health Losses in Beijing
Authors: Wang Xiaoqi , Dewancker Bart Julien , Tian Dongwei , Zhuang Shao
Published: May 2024

Air pollution is one of the major global public health challenges. Using annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration data from 2016 to 2021, along with the global exposure mortality model (GEMM), we estimated the multi-year PM2.5-pollution-related deaths divided by different age groups and diseases. Then, using the VSL (value of statistical life) method, we assessed corresponding economic losses and values. The number of deaths attributed to PM2.5 in Beijing in 2021 fell by 33.74 percent from 2016, while health economic losses would increase by USD 4.4 billion as per capita disposable income increases year by year. In 2021, the average annual concentration of PM2.5 in half of Beijing’s municipal administrative districts is less than China’s secondary ambient air quality standard (35 μg/m3), but it can still cause 48,969 deaths and corresponding health and economic losses of USD 16.31 billion, equivalent to 7.9 percent of Beijing’s GDP. Therefore, it is suggested that more stringent local air quality standards should be designated to protect public health in Beijing.
Glucose and Oxygen Levels Modulate the Pore-Forming Effects of Cholesterol-Dependent Cytolysin Pneumolysin from Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Hoffet Michelle Salomé , Tomov Nikola S. , Hupp Sabrina , Mitchell Timothy J. , Iliev Asparouh I.
Published: May 2024

A major Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogenic factor is the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin pneumolysin, binding membrane cholesterol and producing permanent lytic or transient pores. During brain infections, vascular damage with variable ischemia occurs. The role of ischemia on pneumolysin’s pore-forming capacity remains unknown. In acute brain slice cultures and primary cultured glia, we studied acute toxin lysis (via propidium iodide staining and LDH release) and transient pore formation (by analyzing increases in the intracellular calcium). We analyzed normal peripheral tissue glucose conditions (80 mg%), normal brain glucose levels (20 mg%), and brain hypoglycemic conditions (3 mg%), in combinations either with normoxia (8% oxygen) or hypoxia (2% oxygen). At 80 mg% glucose, hypoxia enhanced cytolysis via pneumolysin. At 20 mg% glucose, hypoxia did not affect cell lysis, but impaired calcium restoration after non-lytic pore formation. Only at 3 mg% glucose, during normoxia, did pneumolysin produce stronger lysis. In hypoglycemic (3 mg% glucose) conditions, pneumolysin caused a milder calcium increase, but restoration was missing. Microglia bound more pneumolysin than astrocytes and demonstrated generally stronger calcium elevation. Thus, our work demonstrated that the toxin pore-forming capacity in cells continuously diminishes when oxygen is reduced, overlapping with a continuously reduced ability of cells to maintain homeostasis of the calcium influx once oxygen and glucose are reduced.
Toward a Categorization of Virus-ncRNA Interactions in the World of RNA to Disentangle the Tiny Secrets of Dengue Virus
Authors: Bermudez-Santana Clara Isabel , Gallego-Gómez Juan Carlos
Published: May 2024

In recent years, the function of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) as regulatory molecules of cell physiology has begun to be better understood. Advances in viral molecular biology have shown that host ncRNAs, cellular factors, and virus-derived ncRNAs and their interplay are strongly disturbed during viral infections. Nevertheless, the folding of RNA virus genomes has also been identified as a critical factor in regulating canonical and non-canonical functions. Due to the influence of host ncRNAs and the structure of RNA viral genomes, complex molecular and cellular processes in infections are modulated. We propose three main categories to organize the current information about RNA–RNA interactions in some well-known human viruses. The first category shows examples of host ncRNAs associated with the immune response triggered in viral infections. Even though miRNAs introduce a standpoint, they are briefly presented to keep researchers moving forward in uncovering other RNAs. The second category outlines interactions between virus-host ncRNAs, while the third describes how the structure of the RNA viral genome serves as a scaffold for processing virus-derived RNAs. Our grouping may provide a comprehensive framework to classify ncRNA–host-cell interactions for emerging viruses and diseases. In this sense, we introduced them to organize DENV–host-cell interactions.
Molecular Methods for the Simultaneous Detection of Tomato Fruit Blotch Virus and Identification of Tomato Russet Mite, a New Potential Virus–Vector System Threatening Solanaceous Crops Worldwide
Authors: Luigi Marta , Tiberini Antonio , Taglienti Anna , Bertin Sabrina , Dragone Immacolata , Sybilska Anna , Tarchi Franca , Goggioli Donatella , Lewandowski Mariusz , Simoni Sauro , Faggioli Francesco
Published: May 2024

Tomato fruit blotch virus (ToFBV) (Blunervirus solani, family Kitaviridae) was firstly identified in Italy in 2018 in tomato plants that showed the uneven, blotchy ripening and dimpling of fruits. Subsequent High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) analysis allowed ToFBV to be identified in samples collected in Australia, Brazil, and several European countries, and its presence in tomato crops was dated back to 2012. In 2023, the virus was found to be associated with two outbreaks in Italy and Belgium, and it was included in the EPPO Alert list as a potential new threat for tomato fruit production. Many epidemiologic features of ToFBV need to be still clarified, including transmission. Aculops lycopersici Massee (Acariformes: Eriophyoidea), the tomato russet mite (TRM), is a likely candidate vector, since high population densities were found in most of the ToFBV-infected tomato cultivations worldwide. Real-time RT-PCR tests for ToFBV detection and TRM identification were developed, also as a duplex assay. The optimized tests were then transferred to an RT-ddPCR assay and validated according to the EPPO Standard PM 7/98 (5). Such sensitive, reliable, and validated tests provide an important diagnostic tool in view of the probable threat posed by this virus–vector system to solanaceous crops worldwide and can contribute to epidemiological studies by simplifying the efficiency of research. To our knowledge, these are the first molecular methods developed for the simultaneous detection and identification of ToFBV and TRM.
Isolation and Molecular Evidence of Tunisian Sheep-like Pestivirus (Pestivirus N) in Persistently Infected Sheep in Northern Italy, 2023
Authors: Sozzi Enrica , Leo Gabriele , Lamcja Fatbardha , Lazzaro Massimiliano , Salogni Cristian , Lelli Davide , Bertasio Cristina , Magagna Giulia , Moreno Ana , Alborali Giovanni Loris , Bazzucchi Moira , Lavazza Antonio
Published: May 2024

Over the last few decades, several pestiviruses have been discovered in ruminants, pigs, and, more recently, in non-ungulate hosts. Consequently, the nomenclature and taxonomy of pestiviruses have been updated. The Tunisian sheep-like pestivirus (TSV, Pestivirus N) is an additional ovine pestivirus genetically closely related to classical swine fever virus (CSFV). In this study, during a survey of pestivirus infections in ovine farms in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy, we identified and isolated a pestivirus strain from a sheep that was found to belong to Pestivirus N species based on its genomic nucleotide identity. The sheep itself and its lamb were found to be persistently infected. We performed molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of three viral genomic regions (a fragment of 5′-UTR, partial Npro, and the whole E2 region). In conclusion, these results confirmed circulating TSV in Northern Italy after notification in Sicily, Italy, and France. Correlation with Italian, Tunisian, and French strains showed that detection might have resulted from the trading of live animals between countries, which supports the need for health control measures.
Advances in Detecting Cystic Echinococcosis in Intermediate Hosts and New Diagnostic Tools: A Literature Review
Authors: Hajjafari Ashkan , Sadr Soheil , Santucciu Cinzia , Masala Giovanna , Bayat Mansour , Lotfalizadeh Narges , Borji Hassan , Partovi Moghaddam Soroush , Hajjafari Khashayar
Published: May 2024

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disease affecting humans and animals. Despite a lack of clarity about many details of parasite–intermediate host interactions, the nature of the immune responses triggered by hydatid infection has revealed new perspectives. This study discusses the latest advances in elucidating the immunologic mechanism of echinococcosis and its detection and potential approaches to enhance serodiagnosis accuracy. Moreover, nanobiosensors have been evaluated according to their potential to improve treatment efficiency and aid in an early diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis. The serum of an intermediate host can diagnose CE by analyzing antibodies induced by Echinococcus granulosus. Among the most notable features of this method are its noninvasive ability and high sensitivity, both of which make it an excellent tool for clinical diagnosis. Several serological tests, including ELISAs and immunoblotting, can detect these antibodies to assess the disease’s state and determine the treatment outcome. A thorough understanding of what cross-reactivity means and the stage of the disease are crucial to interpreting serological results. Nanobiosensors have also proven better than conventional biosensors in detecting hydatid cysts. Additionally, they are highly sensitive and versatile when detecting specific biomarkers, improving diagnostic accuracy. These immunomodulatory molecules, induced by E. granulosus, are a good candidate for diagnosing cystic echinococcosis because they alter intermediate host immune responses. Hydatid cyst detection is also enhanced through nanobiosensors, which provide better accuracy.
Assessing the Impacts of Different Levels of Nano-Selenium on Growth Performance, Serum Metabolites, and Gene Expression in Heat-Stressed Growing Quails
Authors: Mahmoud Rania , Salama Basma , Safhi Fatmah A. , Pet Ioan , Pet Elena , Ateya Ahmed
Published: May 2024

Nano-minerals are employed to enhance mineral bioavailability thus promoting the growth and well-being of animals. In recent times, nano-selenium (nano-Se) has garnered significant attention within the scientific community owing to its potential advantages in the context of poultry. This study was conducted to explore the impact of using variable levels of nano-Se on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, serum constituents, and gene expression in growing Japanese quails under both thermoneutral and heat stress conditions. A randomized experimental design was used in a 2 × 3 factorial, with 2 environmental conditions (thermoneutral and heat stress) and 3 nano-Se levels (0, 0.2, and 0.5 mg/kg of diet. The findings revealed that heat stress negatively affected the growth and feed utilization of quails; indicated by the poor BWG and FCR. Additionally, oxidative stress was aggravated under heat stress condition; indicated by increased lipids peroxidation and decreased antioxidant enzymes activities. The addition of nano-Se, especially at the level of 0.2 mg/kg of diet, significantly improved the performance of heat stressed quails and restored blood oxidative status. The expression profile of inflammatory and antioxidant markers was modulated by heat stress and/or 0.2 and 0.5 nano-Se in conjunction with environmental temperature in quail groups. In comparison to the control group, the heat stress-exposed quails’ expression profiles of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-8 showed a notable up-regulation. Significantly lower levels of the genes for IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-8 and higher levels of the genes for SOD and GPX as compared to the heat stress group demonstrated the ameliorative impact of 0.2 nano-Se. The expression profiles of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-8 are dramatically elevated in quails exposed to 0.5 nano-Se when compared to the control group. SOD and GPX markers, on the other hand, were markedly down-regulated. It was concluded that nano-Se by low level in heat stressed growing quails provides the greatest performance and its supplementation can be considered as a protective management practice in Japanese quail diets to reduce the negative impact of heat stress.
An Improved DeNSE Methodology for Optimal Sectorization of Water Distribution Networks
Authors: Vasilic Zeljko , Babic Branislav , Ivetic Damjan , Kapelan Zoran , Stanic Milos
Published: May 2024

Sectorization of a water distribution network (WDN) into district meter areas (DMAs) is considered a key strategy for an efficient management of WDNs. Typically, it involves a two-stage procedure: a clustering stage, in which the division of the WDN into clusters is performed, and a dividing stage, which involves the placement of valves and flow meters on the cluster’s boundary pipes to define the DMAs. While recently published methods attempt to enhance both the clustering and dividing stages, they fail to provide decision-making flexibility. They also neglect to consider the presence of existing valves in the WDN, which can significantly affect the evaluated implementation cost, often considered the primary decision-driving factor. This paper presents improvements to the previously introduced DeNSE method for sectorization of WDNs, aiming to address these deficiencies. The methodology consists of a clustering stage, based on the network uniformity index, and a dividing stage, in which the originally used heuristic procedure is replaced with Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization, minimizing implementation cost. Consideration of existing valves in WDN and criteria for water supply security are also included in the dividing stage to offer a better estimate of implementation costs and post-sectorized operational efficiency of the WDN. Finally, GIS visualization is implemented, and a hydraulic model of the sectorized WDN (EPANET file) is generated, providing practitioners with valuable insights and decision-making flexibility. The methodology is tested on a part of the Amsterdam WDN in the Netherlands, serving as a pilot for methodology evaluation. A range of feasible sectorization solutions is generated and compared based on implementation cost and three performance indicators (PIs). The paper provides an in-depth discussion on the selection of preferable sectorization solution. The reported results demonstrate the method’s efficiency in optimizing sectorization solutions with minimum implementation cost whilst preserving the WDN operational efficiency and meeting the local design criteria.
System-Level Offshore Wind Energy and Hydrogen Generation Availability and Operations and Maintenance Costs
Authors: Lochhead Robert , Donnelly Orla , Carroll James
Published: May 2024

With the current trends of wind energy already playing a major part in the Scottish energy supply, the capacity of wind farms is predicted to grow exponentially and reach further depths offshore. However, a key challenge that presents itself is the integration of large producing assets into the current UK grid. One potential solution to this is green hydrogen production, which is being heavily researched in industry, with many concepts being investigated for large-scale purposes. However, the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs and availability of green hydrogen systems need to be quantified to ensure economical and technical viability, which is sparse in the available literature. The study presented in this paper investigated the availability and O&M costs of coupled wind–hydrogen systems by attempting to quantify the failure rates, repair times, repair costs and number of technicians required for key green hydrogen components. This study also utilised an O&M model created by the University of Strathclyde, which uses Monte Carlo Markov chain simulations to produce the O&M outputs. A number of assumptions were made throughout the study in relation to the O&M model inputs, and the baseline availability for the coupled wind–hydrogen system was 85.24%. Whilst the wind turbine still contributed a major part to the downtime seen in the simulations, the combined hydrogen system also contributed a significant amount, a total of 37%, which could have been due to the technology readiness levels of some the components included in the hydrogen system.
Arte, política e autonomia no Brasil a partir de 2013
Authors: Dos Santos Guilherme Marcondes , Sant'anna Sabrina Marques Parracho , Miranda Ana Carolina Freire Accorsi
Published: May 2024

Neste artigo, procuramos discutir recentes casos de turvamento das fronteiras da autonomia da arte, a partir da judicialização da crítica a exposições de arte no Brasil. Procuramos argumentar que os recentes processos resultam de dinâmicas próprias ao campo da arte e ao campo político que tiveram repercussão a partir dos movimentos de 2013 e de movimentos artísticos que surgiram então. Artivismo e arte pública são, portanto, conceitos chave aqui.
Crianças refugiadas na Corte Europeia de Direitos Humanos
Authors: De Andrade Aline Memória , Frota Mont'Alverne Tarin Cristino
Published: May 2024

Examinamos a jurisprudência da Corte Europeia de Direitos Humanos quanto a casos envolvendo menores migrantes, considerando se a detenção destes é medida necessária ou xenofóbica. A metodologia utilizada foi levantamento bibliográfico e documental, além de análise jurisprudencial. Trata-se de problemática atual, poiscrianças refugiadas são uma constante nas migrações e requerem proteção especial, principalmente quando desacompanhadas. Concluímos que as detenções europeias de menores migrantes configuram xenofobia.
HIV-associated pneumonia: bacterial, fungal, viral
Authors: Lavreniuk V. V. , Beniova S. N. , Simakova A. I. , Gorelova I. S. , Mikhaylov A. O. , Nagornaia A. V. , Kondrashova Yu. L.
Published: May 2024

The paper presents a critical analysis of the data on incidence and etiology of pneumonia among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The features and prospects of differential diagnosis for various types of pneumonia are considered. The paper emphasizes the urgency of highly sensitive methods for diagnostics of pneumonia and its features in HIV-positive patients.
Neurotrophins and vascular endothelial growth factor in oral fluid of elderly patients: diagnostic value for chronic periodontitis and oral lichen planus
Authors: Bazarnyi V. V. , Kopenkin M. A. , Polushina L. G. , Sementsova E. A. , Mandra Yu. V.
Published: May 2024

Objective. To evaluate the vascular endothelial growth factor A and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the oral fluid of mature and elderly patients with chronic periodontitis and oral lichen planus. Materials and methods. The study involved 56 participants. The control group consisted of healthy volunteers aged 18–44 (n=10). The comparison group included relatively healthy elderly people aged 60–74 (n=12). The distinguished groups of patients with age-associated dental diseases included: moderate chronic periodontitis mature patients of 45–59 years (n=10) and elderly patients (n=14), as well as elderly patients with oral lichen planus (n=10). The patients underwent dental examination. The content of neurotrophins and vascular endothelial growth factor A in saliva (BDNF/ NGF beta/ VEGF-A Human ProcartaPlex Simplex Kit, Invitrogen, USA) was determined by the multiparametric fluorescence analysis with magnetic microspheres (xMAP, Luminex 200, USA) in compliance with the manufacturer protocol. Results. The groups reveal no differences in the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor beta. The elderly patients with oral lichen planus were found to obtain the highest angiogenesis factor, which diagnostic value was assessed by ROC-analysis. The test appears moderately accurate (AUC=0.875). Conclusion. Vascular endothelial growth factor A can be considered for laboratory monitoring of elderly patients with oral lichen planus.
Comparative characterization of interleukin genotypes and risks of bronchial asthma phenotypes in children
Authors: Shumatov V. B. , Prosekova E. V. , Dolgopolov M. S. , Turyanskaya A. I. , Kovalchuk V. K. , Sabynych V. A.
Published: May 2024

The present paper analyses genetic predictors of various endotypes and phenotypes of bronchial asthma in children. The review of data on the structure and prevalence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin genes demonstrates their correlation with the risk of virus-induced and allergen-induced phenotypes of bronchial asthma. Significant differences in genotypes correlate with aberrant production of interleukin and the risks for developing various phenotypes of the disease. The studies into genetic factors indicate the significance of functional polymorphisms of interleukin genes as predictors associated with phenotypes and risk of the disease.
Case of successful treatment of spinal infection in a patient with high comorbidity and septic manifestations
Authors: Yarikov A. V. , Vishnevsky A. A. , Filyaeva A. S. , Pavlova E. A. , Perlmutter O. A. , Fraerman A. P. , Voloshin V. N.
Published: May 2024

The study presents a clinical case of complex treatment of a patient with high comorbidity (Charlson comorbidity index = 6 points) who had severe sepsis (SOFA score = 8 points) with multiple foci of pyogenic infection (spinal epiduritis, paravertebral and subdural abscesses, purulent meningitis, bilateral lower lobe pneumonia). The syndrome-based approach with the use of minimally invasive approaches in the early stages (no later than 12 hours from the onset of clinical manifestations of the disease) ensured a favorable outcome. Based on the results of surgical treatment, a conclusion was made about the tactics of surgical treatment in patients with spinal infection against the background of sepsis.
Using flow-vacuum-washing isolation device for comprehensive treatment of maxillofacial purulent-inflammatory wounds
Authors: Kubanychbekov M. K. , Shayakhmetov D. B. , Adambekov D. A. , Tsoi A. R. , Aldzhambayeva I. Sh.
Published: May 2024

Purulent-inflammatory diseases of the maxillofacial region (MFR) refer to frequent complications of odontogenic inflammatory processes. The successful treatment of this pathology is based on adequate drainage of the pustule, complete evacuation of wound exudates and effective local therapy of the wound. The paper presents the flow-vacuum-washing isolation device as an effective method of comprehensive treatment for MFR abscesses and phlegmons caused by antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms and in patients with poor immunologic resistance.
INVESTIGATION OF THE PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE PLATE CLEARING TENDENCY SCALE (T-PCTS) IN TURKISH ADULTS
Authors: Şarahman Kahraman Ceren , Memiç İnan Cansu , Yabancı Ayhan Nurcan
Published: May 2024

It is thought that the tendency to finish all the food on the plate (plate clearing tendency) is a behavior that can be frequently observed in individuals and may increase the frequency of obesity. It was aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Plate Clearing Tendency Scale (PCTS), which was developed to evaluate individual differences in plate clearing tendency, in a sample of Turkish individuals. The study was conducted with 333 adults (32.7% male, 67.3% female) aged between 19 and 64 years (mean 32.4±11.5). Individuals completed the questionnaire online. Validity and reliability analyses were conducted for the Turkish version of the plate cleaning tendency scale (T-PCTS). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the T-PCTS, and reliability analyses and Spearman correlations were also examined. The one-factor structure of the T-PCTS showed good model fit and had acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach alpha and McDonald Omega ≥0.70). No relationship was found between T-PCTS and food cravings and its sub-factors (p>0.05). A negative and non-significant relationship was found between total T-PCTS score and body mass index (r=-0.022, p>0.05). T-PCTS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring plate clearing tendency in Turkish adults. The tendency to clean the plate was not affected by immediate situations that guide eating behavior such as food cravings. Considering that long-term negative eating behaviors are effective in the emergence of obesity, the tendency to clean the plate may be shaped by past eating behaviors and may provide a new perspective on obesity management.
Pengaruh Politik Minoritas di Indonesia dalam Pilpress 2024 (Relevansi Konsep Fairness John Rawls)
Authors: Endi Yohanes , Ranubaya Fransesco Agnes
Published: May 2024

The focus of this research examines the relevance and implications of John Rawls' concept of fairness in the context of minority politics in Indonesia, especially in the 2024 presidential election. John Rawls, in his A Theory of Justice, proposes the concept of justice as fairness, which is based on two principles: the same basic freedoms for all citizens and fair equality of opportunity. This study analyzes how this concept can be applied to Indonesia's political situation, where ethnic and religious minorities are often marginalized in the political and policy-making process. Through literature analysis and public opinion survey methods, this study evaluates how the 2024 presidential election reflects Rawls' principles of justice, particularly in terms of fair treatment, distribution of opportunities, and inclusion. The findings show that the Prabowo-Gibran presidential ticket received widespread support from various religious groups, including minorities, indicating the potential for inclusivity and acceptance in the context of this election. However, the study also underlines the risk of polarization and discrimination in political campaigns, emphasizing the need to maintain plurality
An InGaAs-based Fin-EHBTFET with a heterogate and barrier layer for high performance
Authors: Liu Hu , Li Peifeng , Zhou Xiaoyu , Wang Pengyu , Li Yubin , Pan Lei , Zhang Wenting
Published: May 2024

This paper proposes a fin electron-hole bilayer tunneling FET with a heterogate and an InAlAs barrier layer (HBF-EHBTFET). The heterogate can suppress off-state leakage caused by point tunneling, while the InAlAs barrier layer prevents source–drain direct tunneling, significantly reducing the off-state current (I
off). P-type Gaussian doping can not only solve the problem of the inability to generate a hole layer during device fabrication, but also reduce the turn-on voltage of line-tunneling, ultimately increasing on-state current and reducing average subthreshold swing (SS
avg). By optimizing parameters of the heterogate and InAlAs barrier layer, HBF-EHBTFET can obtain I
off of 2.37 × 10−16 A μm−1, SS
avg of 17.97 mV dec−1, a cutoff frequency (f
T) of 13.2 GHz, and a gain bandwidth product (GBW) of 1.58 GHz. Compared with traditional EHBTFET, HBF-EHBTFET exhibits a reduction in I
off by four orders of magnitude, a decrease in SS
avg by 65.27%, and an increase in f
T and GBW by 78.59% and 93.62%, respectively.
Development of Tm-doped CaHfO3 single-crystal-scintillators for application to integrated-type detectors
Authors: Endo Yusuke , Ichiba Kensei , Nakauchi Daisuke , Kato Takumi , Kawaguchi Noriaki , Yanagida Takayuki
Published: May 2024

Photoluminescence and scintillation properties of Tm:CaHfO3 single crystals were investigated. From the results of photoluminescence properties, all the Tm:CaHfO3 samples showed emission bands due to the 4f–4f transitions of Tm3+, and the 1.0% Tm:CaHfO3 sample showed the highest quantum yield among all the samples upon excitation at 360 nm. The afterglow levels at 20 ms after X-ray irradiation for 2 ms were approximately 12 000 ppm. Pulse height spectra using 137Cs as γ-ray source revealed the 1.0% Tm:CaHfO3 sample showed the highest light yield of 1250 photons MeV−1 among all the samples.