bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping review of ‘proof-of-concept’ in mental health implementation research using the TRL framework: a need for a better focus and conceptual clarification
Authors: Woods Cindy E , Lukersmith Sue , Salvador-Carulla Luis
Published: August 2024

Background

Proof-of-concept (PoC) development is a key step in implementation sciences. However, there is a dearth of studies in this area and the use of this term in health and social sciences is ambiguous.

Objective

The objective was to remove the ambiguity surrounding the PoC and pilot study stage in the research development process using a standard system to rate the development of projects and applications provided by the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) framework.

Design

Mapping review and critical analysis using TRL as the standard measure.

Search strategy and charting method

PubMed and PsycInfo databases were searched for papers that reported PoC studies of mental health interventions up to August 2023. Data were extracted, described and tabulated.

Eligibility criteria

Included were PoC studies in mental health implementation research. Exclusion criteria were research relating to biomedical (drugs) development, neurocognitive tools, neuropsychology, medical devices, literature reviews or discussion papers or that did not include the term ‘proof-of-concept’ in the title, abstract or text.

Results

From the 83 citations generated from the database search, 22 studies were included in this mapping review. Based on the study title, abstract and text, studies were categorised by research development stage according to the TRL framework. This review showed 95% of the studies used PoC incorrectly to describe the development stage of their research but which were not at this specific level of project development.

Conclusions

The TRL was a useful reference framework to improve terminological clarity around the term ‘proof-of-concept’ in implementation research. To extend the use of TRL in implementation sciences, this framework has now been adapted and validated to a health and social science-related research context accompanied by a health-related glossary of research process terms and definitions to promote a common vocabulary and shared understanding in implementation sciences.
Real-world implementation of the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise: what do football teams modify and why?
Authors: Dalen-Lorentsen Torstein , O'Brien James , Harøy Joar
Published: August 2024

Objectives

To evaluate the use and modification of the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise in football (soccer) teams, including the reasons for modification and alternate injury-prevention strategies.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, staff members from a convenience sample of 50 male elite, academy and amateur football teams in Norway, Germany and Austria completed an online questionnaire focussing on the implementation of the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise. Fourteen of the staff members also completed an interview.

Results

Forty-two teams (84%) reported using the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise, but the majority (65%) had modified the original programme. Modifications included changes to sets, repetitions, progressions and frequency and were particularly common among elite teams. The main reasons for modifications were managing overall player load, experiences and beliefs and individualisation. Despite modifications, all teams followed the basic principles of the original programme.

Conclusion

The adoption of the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise by football teams is high, but the vast majority of teams modify the programme. Despite these modifications, the basic principles of the programme are maintained.
Unintentional childhood mortality during emergencies in Israel: a comparative study
Authors: Agam Aviad , Godler Yigal , Calif Elad
Published: August 2024

Background

Armed conflicts are likely to have implications for the welfare and safety of children, potentially leading to increased rates of unintentional childhood injuries.

Methods

We examine data from Israel concerning the relationship between emergencies and childhood mortality due to unintentional injuries using the media-based database ofBeterem Safe Kids Israelto analyse seven events: 2008 Gaza War, 2014 Gaza War, first COVID-19 Lockdown, second COVID-19 Lockdown (September 2020), third COVID-19 Lockdown (December 2020), 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis and 2023 Israel–Gaza War. These events are categorised into Emergency Periods (EPs) and Emergency Routine Periods (periods during which an emergency extends and normalises into a stable routine; ERPs). For each EP we selected a comparable Routine Period (RP).

Results

Unintentional childhood mortality rates are lower during EPs, compared with RPs. Conversely, there is an increase in unintentional mortality rates during ERPs. EPs and ERPs occurring during armed conflicts exhibit higher unintentional mortality rates compared with health-related EPs and ERPs. Furthermore, military-related ERPs show higher unintentional mortality rates compared with the corresponding RPs. Unintentional mortality rates are notably higher among Arab children compared with Jewish children, particularly during ERPs. Unintentional childhood mortality also differs as a function of socioeconomic ranking, with widening gaps between municipalities of low socioeconomic ranking and municipalities of medium to high socioeconomic ranking, during EPs and ERPs.

Conclusions

We hypothesise that parents’ emotional availability declines during EPs and ERPs associated with military conflicts, coinciding with socioeconomic aspects, impacting families’ well-being and children’s safety.
State assault weapons bans are associated with fewer fatalities: analysis of US county mass shooting incidents (2014–2022)
Authors: DiMaggio Charles J , Klein Michael , Young Claire , Bukur Marko , Berry Cherisse , Tandon Manish , Frangos Spiros
Published: August 2024

Background

The need for evidence to inform interventions to prevent mass shootings (MS) in the USA has never been greater.

Methods

Data were abstracted from the Gun Violence Archive, an independent online database of US gun violence incidents. Descriptive analyses consisted of individual-level epidemiology of victims, suspected shooters and weapons involved, trends and county-level choropleths of population-level incident and fatality rates. Counties with and without state-level assault weapons bans (AWB) were compared, and we conducted a multivariable negative binomial model controlling for county-level social fragmentation, median age and number of gun-related homicides for the association of state-level AWB with aggregate county MS fatalities.

Results

73.3% (95% CI 72.1 to 74.5) of victims and 97.2% (95% CI 96.3 to 98.3) of shooters were males. When compared with incidents involving weapons labelled ‘handguns’, those involving a weapon labelled AR-15 or AK-47 were six times more likely to be associated with case-fatality rates greater than the median (OR=6.1, 95% CI 2.3 to 15.8, p<0.00001). MS incidents were significantly more likely to occur on weekends and during summer months. US counties in states without AWB had consistently higher MS rates throughout the study period (p<0.0001), and the slope for increase over time was significantly lower in counties with AWB (beta=−0.11, p=0.01). In a multivariable negative binomial model, counties in states with AWB were associated with a 41% lower incidence of MS fatalities (OR=0.58, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.97, p=0.02).

Conclusions

Counties located in states with AWB were associated with fewer MS fatalities between 2014 and 2022.
Micro-WADA and balloon test occlusion for sacrifice of distal P2 aneurysm
Authors: Tebha Sameer Saleem , Underwood Robert , Sagi Vishwanath , Ding Dale , Starke Robert M , Abecassis Isaac Josh
Published: August 2024

Here we present a fusiform, partially thrombosed, previously ruptured aneurysm in the posterior cerebral artery that was treated with parent vessel sacrifice after a micro-WADA and micro-balloon test occlusion (video 1). These aneurysms pose treatment challenges due to their deep location, morphology, and potentially eloquent distal supply.1 2 Primary coiling, stent assisted coiling, or microsurgical clipping are often not viable options, whereas flow diversion, parent vessel sacrifice,3 or trapping with bypass are usually employed. Pharmacological provocative testing via a micro-WADA4 5 with or without a micro-balloon test occlusion is critical to establish whether the territory at risk has functional eloquence, although specific reports for using these techniques are limited. We describe the patient presentation, initial treatment attempt and failure, and our protocol for performing a micro-WADA/balloon test occlusion test.

Video 1

 Micro wada for PCA aneurysm.
Effect of mannitol on postoperative delirium in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Hemmati Maslakpak Masumeh , Negargar Sohrab , Farbod Ali , Khalili Ahmadali , Bilehjani Eisa , Alinejad Vahid , Faravan Amir
Published: August 2024

Objective

Postoperative delirium (POD), especially after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), is a relatively common and severe complication increasing side effects, length of hospital stay, mortality and healthcare resource costs. This study aimed to determine the impact of using mannitol serum in the prime of CPB for preventing the occurrence of delirium in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

Methods

This study is a single-centre, double-blinded, randomised, controlled trial that was conducted from December 2022 to May 2023. Patients in the age range of 18–70 who underwent elective coronary artery bypass surgery were included in the study. In the control group (n=45), the prime solution included Ringer’s lactate serum. In the intervention group (n=45), the prime solution consisted of 200 mL mannitol serum and Ringer’s lactate serum. The primary outcome of the study was the incidence of POD. Secondary outcomes included the duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 30-day in-hospital mortality.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics and risk factors between the control and intervention groups (p<0.05). However, the incidence of POD was significantly lower in the intervention group compared with the control group (22.25% vs 42.2%, p=0.035). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding CPB time, aortic cross-clamp time, duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in ICU (p<0.05). Additionally, mortality rates and rates of return to the operating room did not differ significantly between the two groups (p<0.05).

Conclusions

This study concluded that adding mannitol to the prime of CPB pump can help reduce the incidence of delirium after cardiac surgery.

Trial registration number

IRCT20221129056660N1.
Systolic blood pressure at age 40 and 30-year stroke risk in men and women
Authors: Walle-Hansen Marte Meyer , Hagberg Guri , Myrstad Marius , Berge Trygve , Vigen Thea , Ihle-Hansen Hege , Thommessen Bente , Ariansen Inger , Lyngbakken Magnus Nakrem , Røsjø Helge , Rønning Ole Morten , Tveit Arnljot , Ihle-Hansen Håkon
Published: August 2024

Background

American and European guidelines define hypertension differently and are sex agnostic. Our aim was to assess the impact of different hypertension thresholds at the age of 40 on 30-year stroke risk and to examine sex differences.

Methods

We included 2608 stroke-free individuals from the Akershus Cardiac Examination 1950 Study, a Norwegian regional study conducted in 2012–2015 of the 1950 birth cohort, who had previously participated in the Age 40 Program, a nationwide health examination study conducted in 1990–1993. We categorised participants by systolic blood pressure (SBP) at age 40 (<120 mm Hg (reference), 120–129 mm Hg, 130–139 mm Hg and ≥140 mm Hg) and compared stroke risk using Cox proportional hazard regressions adjusted for age, sex, smoking, cholesterol, physical activity, obesity and education. Fatal and non-fatal strokes were obtained from the Norwegian Cardiovascular Disease Registry from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2020, in addition to self-reported strokes.

Results

The mean age was 40.1±0.3 years (50.4% women) and mean SBP was 128.3±13.5 mm Hg (mean±SD). Stroke occurred in 115 (4.4%) individuals (32 (28%) women and 83 (72%) men) during 29.4±2.9 years of follow-up. SBP between 130 and 139 mm Hg was not associated with stroke (adjusted HR 1.71, 95% CI 0.87 to 3.36) while SBP ≥140 mm Hg was associated with increased stroke risk (adjusted HR 3.11, 95% CI 1.62 to 6.00). The adjusted HR of stroke was 4.32 (95% CI 1.66 to 11.26) for women and 2.66 (95% CI 1.03 to 6.89) for men, with non-significant sex interactions.

Conclusions

SBP ≥140 mm Hg was significantly associated with 30-year stroke risk in both sexes. A small subgroup of women had SBP ≥140 mm Hg and systolic hypertension was a strong risk factor for stroke in these women.

Trial registration number

NCT01555411.
miRNAs as potential biomarkers for subclinical atherosclerosis in Sjögren’s disease
Authors: Zehrfeld Nadine , Abelmann Malin , Benz Sabrina , Seeliger Tabea , Engelke Fiona , Skripuletz Thomas , Baer Christian , Thum Thomas , Witte Torsten , Sonnenschein Kristina , Ernst Diana , Derda Anselm Arthur
Published: August 2024

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate gene expression, controlling numerous cellular processes. Dysregulation of miRNA function is linked to various diseases, making them attractive diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Examples include hsa-miR-92a-3p, hsa-miR-126-3p, hsa-miR-143-3p, hsa-miR-145-5p and hsa-miR-204-5p, which are associated with endothelial function. Their prevalence in Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is unknown. We assessed the prevalence of these miRNAs in serum of patients with SjD, correlating levels with cardiovascular risk factors and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) to evaluate their utility in risk stratification.

Methods

199 patients with SjD and 100 age and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. Five different miRNAs (hsa-miR-92a-3p; hsa-miR-126-3p; hsa-miR143-3p; hsa-miR-145-5p; hsa-miR-204-5p) were analysed by quantitative real-time PCR. The miRNA results were compared with known clinical and disease-related parameters.

Results

Four miRNAs showed significantly different expressions compared with HC. MiR-92a-3p was upregulated (p=0.025) and miR-126-3p (p=0.044), miR-143-3p (p=0.006) and miR-204-5p (p=0.009) downregulated in SjD compared with HC. The comparison between HC and SjD with/without organ involvement revealed descriptively increased miR-92a-3p levels in patients with SjD with organ involvement (p=0.087). Furthermore, miR-92a-3p levels correlated positively with cIMT as an expression of subclinical atherosclerosis (r=0.148, p=0.04).

Conclusion

In conclusion, patients with SjD demonstrated differences in their expression of miRNAs linked to regulation of endothelial function. Reduction of specific miRNAs was associated with increased cardiovascular risk, suggesting a potentially protective role for these miRNAs. Furthermore, miR-92a-3p could be helpful for molecular detection of early-stage atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular risk in SjD.
Soil organic carbon pools as influenced by 21 years of conservation agriculture management practices in Saskatchewan
Authors: Hangs Ryan , Schoenau Jeff , Dhillon Gurbir , St. Luce Mervin , McConkey Brian
Published: August 2024

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content is a key metric of soil quality and limited work has been done to examine the effect of long-term conservation agriculture management practices (CAMP) on SOC pools within western Canadian soils. We assessed the nature and permanence of sequestered SOC within 90 diverse Saskatchewan surface (0–10 cm) agricultural soils before and after 21 years of CAMP. Comparisons were made of total SOC, labile and dynamic SOC fractions (light fraction, water-extractable, and microbial biomass), respirable CO2–C during a 6-week incubation, along with spectroscopic characterization using 13C/12C stable isotope ratio and ATR-FTIR. Among soil climatic zones, the SOC content increased in the semi-arid Brown and Dark Brown soils, ranging from 2.4 to 3.7 Mg C ha−1 (111.4–187.7 kg C ha−1 year−1), but did not change in the subhumid Black, Dark Gray, and Gray soils. Overall, soils having the smallest initial SOC level were most responsive to CAMP and accumulated more SOC. According to the δ13C data, CAMP appeared to reduce annual crop moisture stress, especially within the Brown soil zone. Decreased light fraction and water-extractable SOC contents in Black, Dark Gray, and Gray soils could reflect more intense decomposition and greater surface stratification of crop residues. Brown soils experienced the largest increase in microbial biomass-C content. The CO2–C emissions from the Brown, Dark Brown, and Gray soils under CAMP suggest greater SOC stability in 2018 compared with 1996. The ATR-FTIR data pointed to enhanced SOC persistence, via more stabilized SOC forms and mineral-associated organic C fractions.
An investigation of the stability of polymer compositions at constant electric field
Authors: Aliyeva I. K. , Aliyeva E. R. , Mustafayeva E. A. , Karimova N. K. , Rahimova K. E.
Published: August 2024

The electric breakdown strength of polymer composites (PC) polyethylene — low-density polypropylene (PP-LDPE) with various supramolecular structures (SMS) was studied at the stable electric field in the temperature range of 293–370 K, under various conditions. It was shown that the breakdown strength ([Formula: see text] of PC increases with increasing voltage rise rate, and decreases with increasing temperature. The existence of dependences between electrical durability ([Formula: see text] and intensity of constant electric field ([Formula: see text] indicates that the electrical destruction of PC is a kinetic process, the rate of which is determined by the electric field strength and temperature.
Design of a Digital Receive Beamformer ASIC Based Ultrasound Imaging System Prototype
Authors: Kidav Jayaraj U. , Rajesh M. , Sreejeesh S. G. , Kumar Pavan , Kumar Navin , Vinisha P.
Published: August 2024

This paper presents the design of an eight-channel digital receive beamformer application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based ultrasound (US) imaging system. The designed prototype system supports up to 64 transmit and 16 receive channels. ASIC-based 16-channel US transceiver board is designed for frontend processing, and for backend processing Intel[Formula: see text] Core™-i5 based PC is employed. The transceiver board employs two ASICs for digital receive beamforming and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) for transmit beamforming and system control. The necessary power supplies for the transceiver board are provided by a custom designed and developed high voltage (HV) and low voltage (LV) power supply board. The transceiver board performs the frontend processing like transmit beamforming, control, analog signal conditioning and digital receive beamforming. The received beamformed data are directly transferred to a host PC via the Gigabit Ethernet interface for image formation, post-processing and display. The ASIC-based system developed can provide real-time B-mode imaging with a maximum frame rate of 102 fps with a field of view (FOV) of [Formula: see text]. These results indicate that the ASIC-based US imaging systems can provide better processing capability and performance.
Fibered 3-manifolds with unique incompressible surfaces
Authors: Cremaschi Tommaso , Yarmola Andrew
Published: August 2024

We present a family [Formula: see text] of fibered hyperbolic 3-manifolds whose fiber [Formula: see text] is the unique connected incompressible surface and the genus [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] can be arbitrary. This answers a question of Agol.
A global compactness result and multiplicity of solutions for a class of critical exponent problems in the hyperbolic space
Authors: Bhakta Mousomi , Ganguly Debdip , Gupta Diksha , Sahoo Alok Kumar
Published: August 2024

This paper deals with global compactness and the multiplicity of positive solutions to problems of the type [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] denotes the ball model of the hyperbolic space of dimension [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) is a nonnegative functional in the dual space of [Formula: see text]. The potential [Formula: see text] is assumed to be strictly positive, such that [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] denotes the geodesic distance. We establish profile decomposition of the functional associated with the above equation. We show that concentration occurs along two different profiles, namely, hyperbolic bubbles and localized Aubin–Talenti bubbles. For [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], profile decomposition was studied in Bhakta and Sandeep [Poincaré–Sobolev equations in the hyperbolic space, Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations 44 (2012) 247–269]. However, due to the presence of the potential [Formula: see text], an extension of profile decomposition to the present set-up is highly nontrivial and requires several delicate estimates and geometric arguments concerning the isometry group (Möbius group) of the hyperbolic space. Further, using the decomposition result, we derive various energy estimates involving the interacting hyperbolic bubbles and hyperbolic bubbles with localized Aubin–Talenti bubbles. Finally, combining these estimates with topological and variational arguments, we establish a multiplicity of positive solutions in the cases: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] separately. The equation studied in this paper can be thought of as a variant of a scalar-field equation with a critical exponent in the hyperbolic space, although such a critical exponent problem in the Euclidean space [Formula: see text] has only a trivial solution when [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]
The effect of higher-order dissipation on solutions of the generalized Korteweg–de Vries equation
Authors: Bona J. L. , Chen H. , Hong Y. , Panthee M. , Scialom M.
Published: August 2024

This paper is concerned with the generalized Korteweg–de Vries equation [Formula: see text] in the supercritical case [Formula: see text]. For such values of [Formula: see text], it is expected that large, smooth initial data can lead to locally smooth solutions that blow up in finite time.

The question raised here is whether or not the addition of a suitable dissipative term could mitigate this putative blowup. The dissipative addition considered is of the form [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a non-negative integer. It turns out that for [Formula: see text], there are values of [Formula: see text] for which global well-posedness obtains for arbitrarily large initial data for any [Formula: see text], no matter how small. In general, it is shown that for any value of [Formula: see text] and initial data [Formula: see text] whose norm is bounded by [Formula: see text], say, there is a [Formula: see text] depending on [Formula: see text] such that if [Formula: see text], then the solution emanating from [Formula: see text] is global. However, if [Formula: see text], numerical simulations show that solutions can still blow up even in the presence of dissipation if [Formula: see text] is not large enough.
A Novel Model for Train–Track-Bridge Dynamic Interaction Considering Non-Uniform Structural Parameters and Nonlinear Interlayer Contact
Authors: Chen Yao , Feng Qingsong , Yang Zhou , Lei Xiaoyan , Sheng Xiaozhen
Published: August 2024

The dynamic characteristics of the track and bridge system change continuously with the mileage and operating environment, exhibiting highly significant nonlinear and nonuniform spatial distribution features. Based on the Generalized Rayleigh–Ritz Method (GRRM) and Component Mode Synthesis (CMS), this work presents a novel method to establish a three-dimensional model of train–track–bridge interaction that considers the nonuniform distribution of track–bridge system parameters and the nonlinear contact between track and bridge layers. Unlike traditional Finite Element Method (FEM) models, the GRRM-based structure employs generalized displacements without nodal degrees of freedom, thus avoiding the complex processes of element discretization and assembly when constructing tracks/bridges with nonuniform physical and geometric parameters. Additionally, when dealing with the nonlinear contact relationship between track and bridge layers, this model does not require incremental or iterative methods. By introducing CMS to truncate the modes of each substructure in the track–bridge system and establishing the reduced-order model of the entire system based on boundary conditions at the coupling interface, the matrix dimensions can be effectively reduced, thereby improving computational efficiency. The accuracy and efficiency of this newly developed train–track–bridge dynamic model have been validated through comparisons with FEM-based models and measured results. Finally, several numerical examples demonstrate the engineering practicality of this model.
Experimental Study and Mathematical Modeling of Magnetorheological Elastomers Considering Molecular Chain Network and Temperature Influence
Authors: Tian Yun , Xu Zhao-Dong , Guo Ying-Qing , Zhu Li-Hua , Dong Yao-Rong , Li Qiang-Qiang , Yang Yang , He Jia-Xuan
Published: August 2024

In this paper, anisotropic magnetorheological (MR) elastomers have been prepared using a magneto-thermal coupling process. The composition of these elastomers includes a silicone rubber matrix, carbonyl iron particles (CIP), and assorted additives. We have conducted experimental and modeling studies to analyze the dynamic mechanical properties of MREs under varying conditions of temperatures, magnetic field strengths, displacement amplitudes, and frequencies. Furthermore, to explore the variations in shear storage modulus and loss factor under diverse loading conditions, two MRE vibration mitigation devices with varying CIP weight fractions have been prepared and tested in shear mode. The findings indicate that the MRE devices exhibit pronounced temperature-dependent and magnetorheological effects. Notably, both the shear storage modulus and loss factor increase with rising magnetic field strength, excitation frequency, and CIP weight fraction, whereas they decrease as ambient temperature and displacement amplitude rise. Building on these results, a modified fractional order derivative microstructure (MFMS) model which integrates the molecular chain network of MREs with the temperature–frequency equivalence principle has been proposed to predict and characterize the dynamic viscoelastic properties of MREs under various working conditions. A comparative analysis of experimental and model-calculated data confirms that the proposed model accurately describes the dynamic viscoelastic properties of MREs.
3D Image Reconstruction Using Virtual Reality and Multimodal Deep Learning
Authors: Chen Yong
Published: August 2024

Three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction techniques have found extensive applications in fields such as medicine, education, and computer science, enabling high-precision 3D images to enhance work efficiency. However, traditional methods of 3D image reconstruction solely rely on acoustic information, resulting in limited accuracy. Therefore, a novel method based on virtual reality (VR) and multimodal deep learning is proposed for 3D image reconstruction. First, VR technology is employed to capture 3D image information, followed by de-noising and removal of redundant information. Second, a logarithmic transformation method is employed to enhance the details in the 3D image. Finally, a multimodal deep learning method is utilized to reconstruct the 3D image from the perspectives of imagery, sound, and video. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior 3D image reconstruction with an accuracy of over 90%. The reconstruction process is efficient and exhibits low signal-to-noise ratio, while the average registration error is less than 0.04%. These findings highlight the practical value and potential applications of the proposed method.
Multiresolution Analysis of the US Stock Market Nonlinear Dynamics Based on Surrogate Data and Singular Value Decomposition
Authors: Alvarez-Ramirez Jose
Published: August 2024

An accurate characterization of the nonlinear behavior of stock markets is of prime importance for the proper design of investment portfolios and the pricing of financial instruments. Surrogate data analysis based on phase randomization and singular value decomposition (SVD) was used to test for multiresolution nonlinear dynamics in the US stock market. The study pointed to the presence of nonlinear dynamics acting at different time scales. Nonlinearity is stronger for larger time horizons and is directly linked to the diversity of patterns, quantified in terms of the SVD entropy, displayed by returns.
Wavelet Self-Similar Models for Air Pollutants Dynamics and Application
Authors: Aljohani Abdulrahman F. , Mabrouk Anouar Ben , Areshi Mounirah , Bouslimi Jamel , Shaltout Abdallah A. , Laatar Ali H.
Published: August 2024

Self-similar and generally scaling laws are pointed out in time series issued from different types of data. The analysis of these structures has been conducted via many advanced mathematical tools such as wavelets. In this paper, we propose to exploit some self-similar type models for the modeling of time series issued from air quality and/or pollution data, by using wavelet multifractal techniques. The applied models are shown to involve self-similar, multi-scaling and also noised structures. The resulting models are applied empirically on a sample of data issued from air pollution factors in the northwestern region of Tabuk governorate in Saudi Arabia. Some of the chemicals and materials are essential components of many air pollution factors such as PM10 and PM2.5 particles.
A SPECIALIZED SYSTEM FOR IN VITRO TEST OF ANATOMIC GLENOIDS BASED ON ASTM F2028-14
Authors: LI HAO , LIU BIN , DONG CHENGZHI , CHEN TIANQI , JIAN QIWEI
Published: August 2024

Glenoid loosening, primarily induced by the “rocking horse” phenomenon from humeral head load on the glenoid rim, is the foremost complication and cause of failure in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty. The dynamic load exerted by universal fatigue testing machines significantly deviates from the standard ASTM F2028-14 in the rocking test. To accurately conduct the in vitro loosening test on anatomic glenoids, a specialized system and customized test methods are developed to achieve anatomic glenoid rocking and subluxation tests. The horizontal and vertical loading can be achieved synchronously or asynchronously by two self-developed high-performance electromagnetic linear motors. In addition, the subluxation tests on anatomic glenoids are verified by finite element simulation. The results show that the subluxation load and translation of anatomic glenoids in the subluxation tests are consistent with those in numerical simulations. The error of the applied axial force in the rocking tests is only 5[Formula: see text]N, strictly meeting the standard of ASTM F2028-14. During the rocking tests, the system runs smoothly and the software works well, indicating the feasibility of the in vitro shoulder joint test system. This study provides an approach to accurate dynamic evaluation of glenoid loosening or disassociation.
A Novel Blockchain-Based Privacy-Preserved Data Sharing Using Deep Maxout Network in Federated Learning
Authors: Suganthi S. , Sree Kala T.
Published: August 2024

The quick emergence in the quantity of data produced through the linked devices of Internet of Things (IoT) models opened the novel potential to improve service qualities for budding tools considering data sharing. However, privacy problems are main issues of data providers for sharing data. The outflow of confidential data causes severe problems beyond the loss in finance of providers. A blockchain-based secured data-sharing model is devised for dealing with various kinds of parties. Thus, data-sharing issue is modeled as a machine learning issue by adapting federated learning (FL). Here, data privacy is controlled by sharing data in spite of exposing genuine data. At last, the FL is combined in consensus task of permissioned blockchain for accomplishing federated training. Here, the data model learning is executed using a deep maxout network (DMN), which is trained using jellyfish search African vultures optimization (JSAVO). Moreover, the data-sharing records are generated to share data amid data providers and requestors. The proposed JSAVO-based DMN outperformed with better accuracy of 93.3%, FPR of 0.054, loss function of 0.067, mean square error (MSE) of 0.346, mean average precision of 94.6, RMSE of 0.589, computational time of 17.47[Formula: see text]s, and memory usage of 48.62[Formula: see text]MB.
Correlating NAD(P)H lifetime shifts to tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells: A metabolic screening study with time-resolved flow cytometry
Authors: Valentino Samantha , Ortega-Sandoval Karla , Houston Kevin D. , Houston Jessica P.
Published: August 2024

Time-resolved flow cytometry (TRFC) was used to measure metabolic differences in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. This specialty cytometry technique measures fluorescence lifetimes as a single-cell parameter thereby providing a unique approach for high-throughput cell counting and screening. Differences in fluorescence lifetime were detected and this was associated with sensitivity to the commonly prescribed therapeutic tamoxifen. Differences in fluorescence lifetime are attributed to the binding states of the autofluorescent metabolite NAD(P)H. The function of NAD(P)H is well described and in general involves cycling from a reduced to oxidized state to facilitate electron transport for the conversion of pyruvate to lactate. NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetimes depend on the bound or unbound state of the metabolite, which also relates to metabolic transitions between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis. To determine if fundamental metabolic profiles differ for cells that are sensitive to tamoxifen compared to those that are resistant, large populations of MCF-7 breast cancer cells were screened and fluorescence lifetimes were quantified. Additionally, metabolic differences associated with tamoxifen sensitivity were measured with a Seahorse HS mini metabolic analyzer (Agilent Technologies Inc. Santa Clara, CA) and confocal imaging. Results show that tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells have increased utilization of glycolysis for energy production compared to tamoxifen-sensitive breast cancer cells. This work is impacting because it establishes an early step toward developing a reliable screening technology in which large cell censuses can be differentiated for drug sensitivity in a label-free fashion.
Retinal layer segmentation using gradient feature calculation in OCT
Authors: Liu Lei , Liu Yeman , Yan Xiaoteng , Bian Haiyi , Xu Hang , Li Chunzhong , Duan Hongnan
Published: August 2024

Retinal diseases pose significant challenges to global healthcare systems, necessitating accurate and efficient diagnostic methods. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has emerged as a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring retinal conditions due to its noncontact and noninvasive nature. This paper presents a novel retinal layering method based on OCT images, aimed at enhancing the accuracy of retinal lesion diagnosis. The method utilizes gradient analysis to effectively identify and segment retinal layers. By selecting a column of pixels as a segmentation line and utilizing gradient information from adjacent pixels, the method initiates and proceeds with the layering process. This approach addresses potential issues arising from partial layer overlapping, minimizing deviations in layer segmentation. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method in accurately segmenting eight retinal boundaries, with an average absolute position deviation of 1.75 pixels. By providing accurate segmentation of retinal layers, this approach contributes to the early detection and management of ocular conditions, ultimately improving patient outcomes and reducing the global burden of vision-related ailments.
Effect of Cu and MWCNT doping in ZrO2 for visible light photodegradation of methylene blue
Authors: Arévalo S. Pérez , Blanco L. Rojas , Sánchez T. G. , De Dios F. Servin , Escobar B. L. Pérez , Morales E. Ramírez
Published: August 2024

Compounds Cu/ZrO2 and Cu/MWCNTs/ZrO2 were obtained from doping zirconium oxide with copper and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using the sol–gel. For the synthesis, zirconium tetrabutoxide was used as a precursor and the obtained powders were thermally treated at 600[Formula: see text]C. The powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Visible and FTIR Spectroscopy. The photocatalytic tests were carried out with methylene blue as a contaminant. The compounds showed tetragonal phase Cu doped and Cu/MWCNTs doped, respectively. The absorbance difference between the ZrO2 compound and the doped ones showed absorption bands at 2.47 eV attributed to the d–d transition of the Cu2+ ions and at 5.6 eV, attributed to the direct band-to-band transition of the ZrO2 band gap. The compound that presented the best photocatalytic activity is Cu/MWCNTs/ZrO2.
Facile fabrication of NF-loaded Co3O4 monolithic catalyst and its application in the reduction of P-nitrophenol
Authors: Tuo Qingwen , Wei Ying , Xie Xiaoling , Li Gang
Published: August 2024

In this work, a foam nickel-loaded Co3O4 nanosheet featuring an integral structure (NF@Co3O4) was successfully fabricated by a facile hydrothermal-calcination strategy. The catalytic performance of the NF@Co3O4 was evaluated using the reduction of P-nitrophenol (PNP) to P-aminophenol (PAP) under NaBH4 as a model reaction. A reduction rate of 94.44% for PNP was achieved under the following reaction parameters over 25 min at 25°C: two slices of NF@Co3O4 monolithic catalysts (3×4cm2), a PNP concentration of 15 mg L [Formula: see text] (500mL), and a NaBH4 dosage of 15 mmol L [Formula: see text]. Moreover, NF@Co3O4 presented a stable performance in PNP reduction, maintaining a reductive conversion above 91% over sixteen consecutive runs. This study suggested that NF-loaded Co3O4 is a promising monolithic catalyst for the treatment of phenol-containing wastewater, owe to its superb catalytic performance and ease of recovery.
China’s Security Presence and BRI in African Countries: Implications for the United States and the European Union
Authors: Bharti Mukesh Shankar , Kumari Suprabha
Published: August 2024

China’s security presence has been growing steadily in proportion to the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative, reflected in a larger military footprint in Africa in the form of logistical and resupply bases. The BRI/military nexus has allowed Beijing to play a larger role in African affairs more recently, raising alarms in the United States and the European Union. Despite growing speculation and skepticism in some quarters, African societies still welcome Beijing’s increasing investment and deeper involvement in regional security matters. After Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea is the most likely nation to host the next Chinese military base. But at the same time, the West’s scrutiny of Beijing’s rising profile and deeper security involvement in Africa will also grow as China continues to chip away at the West’s influence on the continent. A steadier security footing for China would change great power dynamics in the region even as competition between Beijing on the one hand and Washington and Brussels on the other will still be limited to the economic and financial domains.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: MICHAEL IKEHI E.
Published: August 2024

The agricultural and allied sectors of many countries have experienced the impacts of climate change in one way or the other. This study highlights the impacts of climate change on agriculture, water resources, health, and economy of sub-Sahara African countries. The study reveals its significant threats to gross domestic product (GDP) and economic sustainability at the national level, and livelihoods, food security, and well-being of citizens at individual level. The study explored research reports on adaptation, mitigation, and integrated approaches to solving climate change issues. Meta AI was found useful in generating data for the study. Though climate change is a global issue, impacts on the countries of the global north are quite different from those of the global south, with impacts being more severe in sub-Sahara Africa. GDP, GDP/capital, contribution of agriculture to GDP, and water availability will decline while numbers of people living below poverty line, people displaced and occasions of deceases will increase due to climate change. Policy and practice interventions with consideration for local factors are recommended to enhance adaptation capacity, promote sustainable development, and support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. This study provides policy insight to the growing discussions on climate change issues globally, especially as it focuses on how its impacts alter the economic situations and daily expectations of the already indigent farmers in the countries of the global south. These countries contribute very little to causation of climate change, yet are at the receiving end of the impacts with extremely high Climate Change Vulnerability Index values recorded.
Graph-Based Bidirectional Transformer Decision Threshold Adjustment Algorithm for Class-Imbalanced Molecular Data
Authors: Hayes Nicole , Merkurjev Ekaterina , Wei Guo-Wei
Published: August 2024

Data sets with imbalanced class sizes, where one class size is much smaller than that of others, occur exceedingly often in many applications, including those with biological foundations, such as disease diagnosis and drug discovery. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to identify data elements of classes of various sizes, as a failure to do so can result in heavy costs. Nonetheless, many data classification procedures do not perform well on imbalanced data sets as they often fail to detect elements belonging to underrepresented classes. In this work, we propose the BTDT-MBO algorithm, incorporating Merriman–Bence–Osher (MBO) approaches and a bidirectional transformer, as well as distance correlation and decision threshold adjustments, for data classification tasks on highly imbalanced molecular data sets, where the sizes of the classes vary greatly. The proposed technique not only integrates adjustments in the classification threshold for the MBO algorithm in order to help deal with the class imbalance, but also uses a bidirectional transformer procedure based on an attention mechanism for self-supervised learning. In addition, the model implements distance correlation as a weight function for the similarity graph-based framework on which the adjusted MBO algorithm operates. The proposed method is validated using six molecular data sets and compared to other related techniques. The computational experiments show that the proposed technique is superior to competing approaches even in the case of a high class imbalance ratio.
A Deep Retinex-Based Low-Light Enhancement Network Fusing Rich Intrinsic Prior Information
Authors: Li Yujie , Wei Xuekai , Liao Xiaofeng , Zhao You , Jia Fan , Zhuang Xu , Zhou Mingliang
Published: August 2024

Images captured under low-light conditions are characterized by lower visual quality and perception levels than images obtained in better lighting scenarios. Studies focused on low-light enhancement techniques seek to address this dilemma. However, simple image brightening results in significant noise, blurring, and color distortion. In this paper, we present a low-light enhancement (LLE) solution that effectively synergizes Retinex theory with deep learning. Specifically, we construct an efficient image gradient map estimation module based on convolutional networks that can efficiently generate noise-free image gradient maps to assist with denoising. Second, to improve upon the traditional optimization model, we design a matrix-preserving optimization method (MPOM) coupled with deep learning modules, and it exhibits high speed and low memory consumption. Third, we incorporate image structure, image texture, and implicit prior information to optimize the enhancement process for low-light conditions and overcome prevailing limitations, such as oversmoothing, significant noise, and so forth. Through extensive experiments, we show that our approach has notable advantages over the existing methods and demonstrate superiority and effectiveness, surpassing the state-of-the-art methods by an average of 1.23 dB in PSNR for the LOL and VE-LOL datasets. The code for the proposed method is available in a public repository for open-source use:
https://github.com/luxunL/DRNet
.
Semi-supervised RGB-D Hand Gesture Recognition via Mutual Learning of Self-supervised Models
Authors: Zhang Jian , He Kaihao , Yu Ting , Yu Jun , Yuan Zhenming
Published: August 2024

Human hand gesture recognition is important to Human-Computer-Interaction. Gesture recognition based on RGB-D data exploits both RGB and depth images to provide comprehensive results. However, the research under scenario with insufficient annotated data is not adequate. In view of the problem, our insight is to perform self-supervised learning with respect to each modality, transfer the learned information to modality specific classifiers and then fuse their results for final decision. To this end, we propose a semi-supervised hand gesture recognition method known as Mutual Learning of Rotation-Aware Gesture Predictors (MLRAGP), which exploits unlabeled training RGB and depth images via self-supervised learning and achieves multimodal decision fusion through deep mutual learning. For each modality, we rotate both labeled and unlabeled images to fixed angles and train an angle predictor to predict the angles, then we use the feature extraction part of the angle predictor to construct the category predictor and train it through labeled data. We subsequently fuse the category predictors about both modalities by impelling each of them to simulate the probability estimation produced by the other, and making the prediction of labeled images to approach the ground truth annotation. During the training of category predictor and mutual learning, the parameters of feature extractors can be slighted fine-tuned to avoid underfitting. Experimental results on NTU-Microsoft Kinect Hand Gesture dataset and Washington RGB-D dataset demonstrates the superiority of this framework to existing methods.
“It Was Something I Naturally Found Worked and Heard About Later”: An Investigation of Body Doubling with Neurodivergent Participants
Authors: Eagle Tessa , Baltaxe-Admony Leya Breanna , Ringland Kathryn E.
Published: August 2024

Body doubling has emerged as a community-driven phenomenon primarily employed by neurodivergent individuals. In this work, we survey 220 people to investigate how, when, and why they engage in body doubling and their own definitions for it. The community roughly defines it as using the presence of others to start, stay focused on, or accomplish a task. Tasks can be productivity or leisure-related. A body double can be collocated or remote, recorded or live, known or a stranger. This phenomenon remains nameless to many neurodivergent individuals; however, once presented with the term and concept, many recognize it as a strategy they have engaged in for years. We present the variety of ways people engage in body doubling (e.g., at a café, with YouTube videos), the diverse range of tasks people utilize it for (e.g., studying and working, doing dishes, cleaning, and exercising), and their motivations for doing so (e.g., generating momentum, staying on task). Lastly, we present implications for future work based upon a two-part model of body doubling as a continuum of space/time and mutuality.