bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of endothelial cell loss in Viscoless phacoemulsification versus soft shell technique of phacoemulsification: A retrospective study
Authors: Mulchandani Ankita Vijay , Desai Abhijeet Umesh , Kaur Gurmanik , Modi Rohit
Published: March 2024

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to compare the consequences of soft shell and viscoless technique on corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in cataract patients after phacoemulsification.

Materials and Methods:

This is a retrospective study. A total of 206 eyes of 139 patients (75 males and 64 females) who underwent phacoemulsification surgery during the period from September 2019 to December 2019 were enrolled in the study. The patients who underwent phacoemulsification were divided into two groups depending on the type of surgery performed, that is, viscoless or soft shell technique. The pre-operative and post-operative records were compared. The primary outcome measure was endothelial cell count (ECC) measured at baseline and postoperatively. The differences between the two groups were analysed statistically. The study was done at Sohum Eye Care Centre, Mumbai, India.

Results:

No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of age, gender, diabetic status and cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), as P > 0.05. The inter-group mean difference between CDE did not differ significantly (P = 0.0626 and 0.1075, for 1 and 3 months inter-group comparison) between the two groups. However, a statistically significant mean difference of 99.9516 cells/mm2 (P < 0.0001), 116.4146 cells/mm2 (P = 0.0031) after one month and 90.4468 cells/mm2 (P = 0.0051), 145.2895 cells/mm2 (P < 0.0001) 3 months of surgery, between pre- and post-operative ECC, was observed in group 1 and group 2, respectively. The values of Pearson’s correlation (r = −0.3 to +0.3) suggested a very weak and non-significant strength of association of endothelial cell loss with age, gender, diabetic status and CDE postoperatively. Intergroup post-operative endothelial cell loss did not show any significant difference after 1 (P = 0.0644) and three months (P = 0.052) of phacoemulsification.

Conclusions:

Viscoless phacoemulsification surgery may be recommended in appropriate patients to avoid the side effects of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices.
Utility of Chromogenic Properties of P-Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde for Determination of Certain Anti-Depressant Drug in Bulk, Pharmaceutical Preparation and Application to Tablets Uniformity Testing
Authors:   Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71526, Egypt, WE Eltoukhi , RE Saraya ,   Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Port Said University, Port Said 42511, Egypt, YF Hassan ,   Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71526, Egypt, BI Salman ,   Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71526, Egypt
Published: March 2024

Simple, sensitive, accurate, and precise spectrophotometric assay has been developed and validated for the determination of selected anti-depressant drug namely; Milnacipran HCl (MCN) in pure form and pharmaceutical formulation. The method was based on the reaction of methanolic solution of selected anti-depressant drug with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde in acidic medium which give yellow product that can be determined at λex = 400 nm. The optimization of the reaction conditions such as the type of solvents, reagent concentration and reaction time were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, beer’s law is obeyed in the concentration range 60-300 μg mL-1, with good correlation coefficient (r² ≥ 0.998) and with a standard deviation (RSD% ≤ 0.0095). The limits of detection & the limits of quantification were found to be 13.1 and 40.0 μg mL-1, respectively. A Job’s plot of the absorbance versus the molar ratio of MCN to p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde under consideration indicated (1:1) ratio. The method were successfully applied to the determination of MCN in its pharmaceutical formulation and the results obtained by the proposed method for the pure MCN and commercial tablets agreed well with those obtained by the reported method.
Nanomaterials for Monitoring Glucose in Diabetes
Authors:   Institute of Physics, P.O: Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, India, SN Sarangi
Published: March 2024

Monitoring blood glucose levels assists diabetics in controlling their condition on a personal level, minimizing the negative effects of numerous other diseases associated with diabetes. Due to the short comings of current diagnostic techniques, many researches are being done to create more accurate ways to test glucose. There has been a huge need for the creation of advanced glucose biosensors for the human society. Research has mainly concentrated on attaining biocompatible and better sensing capabilities in comparison to the current technologies, which opens up new avenues for more effective glucose sensors. These efforts have been impacted by nanotechnology because of the unique properties of nanomaterials such as increase in the surface area of sensors, and enhances the catalytic properties of electrodes. Here, we will review the recent advancements in glucose biosensor based on nanomaterials that enhance the glucose sensor performance.
Preservation of Viable Microorganisms in the Laboratory: An Overview of Basics, Methods and Practical Recommendations for Beginners
Authors:   All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms, GK Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia, Puchkov Evgeny
Published: March 2024

Preservation of viable microbial cultures in laboratory practice is necessary for performing both short-term and long-term projects with microorganisms in vitro. There is no universal method to preserve cultures of live microbial cells of different taxonomic groups. This brief review summarizes the basics of methods for short-term and long-term preservation of viable cultures of microorganisms in vitro. Practical recommendations are presented for the preservation of viable cultures of microorganisms, which can be useful in conventional microbiological laboratories.
Artemisinin-More than a Malarial Drug
Authors:   Lab no 106, Plant Secondary Metabolite Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, India, Undirwade Anagha M , S Patil Anita ,   Lab no 106, Plant Secondary Metabolite Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, India, Gawai Diksha P ,   Lab no 106, Plant Secondary Metabolite Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, India
Published: March 2024

In Asia, Artemisia annua L. tea and press juice are used to cure malaria and its associated symptoms. Artemisia annua comes under the Anthemideae tribe, which includes the roughly 500 species of Artemisia L., is primarily distributed in Asia, Europe, and North America. Due to the presence of numerous active components or secondary metabolites, artemisia typically exhibits a wide range of bioactivity. The drug’s active component, Artemisinin (ARS), was created as an antimalarial and is used all over the world. It’s interesting to note that the bioactivity is not just used to cure malaria. It is discovered that medications of the ARS type also exhibit anti-cancerous activity in vivo and in vitro. Artemisinin and its analogues have been demonstrated to reduce intracellular free iron levels in cancer cells, which are substantially higher than those in normal cells. Apoptosis, necrosis, necroptosis, tumour-related signal transduction pathways are responses to oxidative stress in cancer cells that are triggered by ARS and its derivatives. Artemisia annua L. extracts contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifungal antimicrobial substances. The purpose of this review is to illustrate how artemisinin retrieves various illnesses and conditions. Another objective of ours is to compile an up-to-date report on the various activities of artemisinin
A Method for Preparation of Desulfurizing Biomass and Bioupgraders from Crude Oil
Authors:   Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran, Al-Khazaali Wisam Mohammed Kareem , Ahmad Ataei Seyed ,   Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Published: March 2024

Emissions from human activities contribute to air pollution, global warming, and environmental degradation. These effects can harm human health and ecosystems, underscoring the importance of sustainable practices to mitigate the impact of emissions on the environment. By the time on the first exploration of reservoirs and first design contracts dates of refineries, there are many challenges appeared on the health, safety, and environment by conduction of the oil such as the higher contents of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, halogen, metals, and aromatics. There are many side effects on the human health starting from the simple to the malignant diseases such as cancer. Also, the safety of equipment and catalysts are affected by the presence of high content of these impurities in oils by many phenomena such as corrosion, erosion, and poisoning. In this study, microorganisms’ colony has been isolated from Amara crude oil by using 9k medium (ATCC 2436). It was found that this colony has the ability to make Biodesulfurization (BDS) of crude oil from 4.4 to 3.845 %. Also, it was found that this isolated colony upgraded the oil in improvement API-density.
Biotechnology Sustainability in Energy Development
Authors:   Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran, Al-Khazaali Wisam M Kareem , Ahmad Ataei Seyed ,   Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Published: March 2024

The application of biotechnology in the oil and environmental sectors plays a crucial role in promoting sustainability. Biotechnology offers innovative solutions for enhancing oil recovery, reducing environmental impacts, and advancing sustainable practices. In the oil sector, biotechnology enables the development of microbial-enhanced oil recovery techniques that improve oil extraction efficiency while minimizing environmental disturbances. Additionally, biotechnological approaches facilitate the remediation of oil-contaminated environments by harnessing the capabilities of microorganisms to degrade hydrocarbons. In the environmental sector, biotechnology aids in the development of renewable energy sources, such as biofuels, through the efficient conversion of biomass. Moreover, biotechnological advancements contribute to the sustainable management of waste, wastewater treatment, and the preservation of biodiversity. Embracing biotechnology in these sectors fosters a sustainable pathway by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, mitigating pollution, and promoting resource efficiency, ultimately supporting the long-term well-being of both ecosystems and human societies.
Extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stromal cells and red blood cells feature distinct biomolecular corona dynamics
Authors: Musicò Angelo , Zendrini Andrea , Gimenez Reyes Santiago , Mangolini Valentina , Paolini Lucia , Romano Miriam , Papait Andrea , Silini Antonietta Rosa , Di Gianvincenzo Paolo , Neva Arabella , Cretich Marina , Parolini Ornella , Almici Camillo , Moya Sergio , Radeghieri Annalisa , Bergese Paolo
Published: March 2024

The Biomolecular Corona (BC) is a typical phenomenon that occurs at the interface between the nanomaterial and the surrounding media, involving the adsorption or the desorption of macromolecules at this interface. Studying BC dynamic properties on soft nanomaterials (i.e., liposomes or extracellular vesicles) proves to be challenging. Advancing in situ methodologies for investigating BC on soft nanoparticles is essential for elucidating the intricate interplay between surface composition, properties, and dynamic BC formation. In this study, we present new evidence of distinct dynamics in BC formation for two extracellular vesicle (EV) subtypes. Utilizing Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) coupled with a fluorescent monoclonal antibody as a corona probe enabled the characterization of macromolecule exchange at the EV surface and the dynamic evolution of the BC.
Design and synthesis of dinuclear bismuth(III) complexes with potent ribonuclease-like activity
Authors: Hanatani Yutaro , Kurohara Takashi , Yamashita Yasunobu , Marynberg Sacha , Takada Yuri , Itoh Yukihiro , Suzuki Takayoshi
Published: March 2024

Several metal complexes with ribonuclease-like activity have been developed as chemical biology tools for RNA regulation. However, their RNA-cleavage activity is insufficient under physiological conditions. Here, we have identified novel dinuclear bismuth(III) complexes that contain dipyridine/dipicolinate-based ligands as artificial ribonucleases to induce efficient RNA cleavage. Our optimization studies of the ligand structure indicated that the dipyridine/dipicolinate scaffold of the ligands plays a key role in maintaining the dinuclear arrangement of the bismuth(III) centers and tuning the Lewis acidity of the bismuth(III) ions to achieve potent RNA-cleavage activity. The mechanistic analysis of the RNA-cleavage reaction suggested that cooperative activation of a phosphate group in RNAs and water molecules coordinated by two bismuth(III) centers results in a rapid nucleophilic attack of the 2′-hydroxy group of a ribose to the phosphate and facilitates the removal of a 5′-alkoxide by protonation to generate a 2′,3′-cyclic phosphate and a 5′-hydroxy product. Thus, the developed dinuclear bismuth(III) complexes represent promising tools for chemical biology studies.
AJICAP-M: Traceless Affinity Peptide Mediated Conjugation Technology for Site-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugate Synthesis
Authors: Matsuda Yutaka , Shikida Natsuki , Hatada Noriko , Yamada Kei , Seki Takuya , Nakahara Yuichi , Endo Yuta , Shimbo Kazutaka , Takahashi Kazutoshi , Nakayama Akira , Mendelsohn Brian A. , Fujii Tomohiro , Okuzumi Tatsuya , Hirasawa Shigeo
Published: March 2024

A traceless site-selective conjugation method, “AJICAP-M,” was developed for native antibodies at specific sites using Fc-affinity peptides, focusing on Lys248 or Lys288. It produces antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with consistent drug-to-antibody ratios, enhanced stability, and simplified manufacturing. Comparative in vivo assessment demonstrated AJICAP-M's superior stability over traditional ADCs. This technology has been successfully applied to continuous-flow manufacturing, marking the first achievement in site-specific ADC production. This manuscript outlines AJICAP-M's methodology and its effectiveness in ADC production.
What is Common Becomes Normal; Black-White Variation in the Effects of Adversities on Subsequent Initiation of Tobacco and Marijuana During Transitioning into Adolescence
Authors: Assari Shervin , Najand Babak , Sheikhattari Payam
Published: March 2024

Background: While adversities across domains of finance, race, family, and life may operate as risk factors for initiation of substance use in adolescents, the influence of these factors may vary across racial groups of youth. Unfortunately, the existing knowledge is minimal about racial differences in the types of adversities that may increase the risk of subsequent substance use initiation during the transition into adolescence. Aim: To compare racial groups for the effects of adversities across domains of finance, race, family, and life on subsequent substance use initiation among pre-adolescents transitioning into adolescence. Methods: In this longitudinal study, we analyzed data from 6003 non-Latino White and 1562 non-Latino African American 9-10-year-old children transitioning into adolescence. Data came from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Participants were followed for up to thirty-six months as they transitioned to adolescence. The independent variables were adversities related to the domains of finance, race, family, and life. The primary outcomes were time to first tobacco or marijuana use. Age, puberty, and gender were confounders. Cox regression models were used for data analysis. Results: For White youth, tobacco use was under influence of having two parents in the household (HR = .611; 95% CI = .419-.891), parental education (HR = .900; 95% CI = .833-.972), household income (HR = .899; 95% CI = .817-.990), racial stress (HR = 1.569; 95% CI = 1.206-2.039), and life stress (HR =1.098 ; 95% CI = 1.024-1.178) and marijuana use was under influence of neighborhood income (HR = .576; 95% CI = .332-.999) and financial stress (HR =4.273; 95% CI = 1.280-17.422). No adverse condition predicted tobacco or marijuana use of African American youth. Conclusion: The effects of adversities on substance use depend on race. While various types of adversities tend to increase subsequent initiation of tobacco and marijuana, such factors may be less influential for African American adolescents, who experience more of such adversities. What is common may become normal.
PENGARUH KOMISARIS INDEPENDEN, KEPEMILIKAN BLOCKHOLDER DAN FINANCIAL SLACK TERHADAP PELAPORAN KEUANGAN MELALUI INTERNET
Authors: Fidelia Jessica , Yudhanti Ceicilia Bintang Hari
Published: March 2024

Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk menguji dan menganalisis pengaruh dari komisaris independen, kepemilikan blockholder, dan financial slack terhadap pelaporan keuangan melalui internet. Objek yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah perusahaan non-keuangan yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI) pada periode tahun 2019-2021. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan keberadaan komisaris independen dan kepemilikan blockholder tidak menunjukkan pengaruh terhadap pelaporan keuangan melalui internet. Namun untuk financial slack menunjukkan pengaruh positif terhadap pelaporan keuangan melalui internet.
DAMPAK NEGATIF GAME ONLINE FREE FIRE TERHADAP PERILAKU KOMUNIKASI ANAK PEMAIN GAME ONLINE FREE FIRE DI DUSUN BILE TEPUNG LOMBOK BARAT
Authors: Fathurrijal Fathurrijal , Hamudani Hamudani , Rahmawati Endang , Ishanan Ishanan , Abdillah M. Zaki
Published: March 2024

Apart from being a medium of entertainment, online games can also be used as a medium of communication between players, because online games have communication features that allow players to interact, even though they are in different places. The intensity of the interaction of free-fire online game players, depending on the duration of the game, the longer the duration of the game they participate in, the potential for negative communication behavior to arise spontaneously. This study found that there was a negative impact of the free-fire online game on the negative behavior and forms of communication of children playing free-fire online games in Bile Tepung Hamlet, West Lombok.
ANALISIS PERILAKU POLITIK GENERASI MILENIAL DAN Z INDONESIA DALAM VIRTUAL SPHERE
Authors: Wahyudi Wahyudi , Loilatu Mohammad Jafar
Published: March 2024

Quantitatively, penetration of Indonesian internet and social media users has increased sharply in the last two years, because it is ranked third in the world. Social media has become a new form of public sphere which is then called the virtual sphere. Social media as a virtual sphere is used by the millennial and Z generations to respond, criticize and build public opinion related to political issues in Indonesia. This research aims to determine the development of political behavior of the Indonesian millennial and Z generation in the virtual sphere. The theoretical basis used is Jurgen Habermas's public sphere theory and Papacharissi's Virtual Sphere theory. The results of the analysis show that the political behavior of the millennial and Z generations in the virtual sphere is influenced by their respective backgrounds. The behavior of the Indonesian millennial and Z generations tends to be impolite. The younger generation tends to carry out cyberbullying, hate speech, hoaxes and character assassination against parties who have different political views.
KOMPENSASI, IKLIM ORGANISASI, MOTIVASI KERJA DAN KOMITMEN ORGANISASIONAL KARYAWAN PONDOK PESANTREN DI KECAMATAN LENEK
Authors: Khaer Muhammad Hizbi , Mulyono Sugeng , Suswati Endang , Sulaiman Sulaiman
Published: March 2024

This study was meant 1) to determine the partial influence of compensation, organizational climate and motivation on Employee Organizational Commitment in Islamic Boarding Schools in Lenek District, East Lombok Regency. 2) to find out whether the variables Compensation, Organizational Climate, and Work Motivation simultaneously influence the Employee Organizational Commitment in Islamic Boarding Schools in Lenek District, East Lombok Regency. 3) to find out among the variables Compensation, Organizational Climate, and Motivation, which variable had the most dominant influence on the Employee Organizational Commitment in Islamic Boarding Schools in Lenek District, East Lombok Regency. This study was a causal associative research. This study was also a population study where the number of respondents who returned the questionnaire was 80 respondents. Quantitative analysis technique was used in this study with the assistance of the SPSS 20. It showed that 1) Compensation had a positive influence on the employee organizational commitment at Islamic Boarding School, Lenek District. East Lombok. 2) Organizational climate had a positive influence on the employee organizational commitment at Islamic Boarding School, Lenek District. East Lombok. 3) Motivation had a positive influence on the employee organizational commitment at the Islamic Boarding School, Lenek Regency East Lombok. 4) Compensation, Organizational Climate and Motivation had simultaneously a significant effect on Employee Organizational Commitment at Islamic Boarding School, Lenek District. East Lombok. 5) Among the three independent variables, Compensation, Organizational Climate and Motivation, Motivation influenced most significantly on Employee Organizational Commitment.
STRATEGI KEPEMIMPINAN DALAM MENINGKATKAN KINERJA KARYAWAN BUMD PD. SELAPARANG AGRO LOMBOK TIMUR
Authors: Salmukin Salmukin , Hadiyati Ernani , Muawanah Umi
Published: March 2024

The aim of this research is to explore and describe leadership strategies in improving the performance of BUMD PD Selaparang Agro employees, East Lombok Regency. In this research, researchers used descriptive qualitative research where the presentation of the data was done by describing the data in the form of words and language. Data collection techniques use observation, interviews and documentation. The data analysis method uses stages starting from data reduction, data presentation and verification. Research results Leadership strategies in improving employee performance in PD. Selaparang Agro does several things, namely: 1) Building good communication with employees by briefing every morning and open communication. 2) Provide motivation to employees. 3) Provide comparative study opportunities in order to increase employee experience, skills and abilities at work. 4) Apply discipline. 5) Give rewards or awards to employees who achieve achievements.
Improved Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization in Software Engineering Supervision
Authors:   Department of Basic Teaching, Guangdong Vocational Institute of Sport, Guangzhou 510663, China, Yue Ping , Wang Zhiguo ,   School of Internet of Things Engineering, Guangdong Polytechnic of Science and Technology, Guangzhou 510630, China
Published: March 2024

In the 21st century, the software industry has achieved great development. The development complexity and volume of software projects are also continuously increasing. The design of software engineering supervision network plans is becoming increasingly important. In response to the poor optimization performance and poor convergence and distribution of optimal solutions in existing network planning algorithms, the Pareto optimal solution set construction method, global extremum selection method, and fitness value determination method of multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm are improved to enhance the convergence and distribution of the algorithm. Traditional methods only optimize one or two objectives of network planning, resulting in inconsistency with actual engineering. A multi-objective model based on resources, duration, cost, and quality is established for comprehensive optimization. Based on the results, the Pareto optimal solution curves obtained by the proposed algorithm on three classic test functions are consistent with the actual theoretical Pareto frontier curves. The proposed method is applied to engineering project examples. 10 solutions that meet the schedule requirements are obtained. Most engineering projects have a quality of over 80%, which verifies the practicality of the algorithm. The algorithm has achieved good results in optimizing engineering quality. Therefore, this model has the ability to consider various indicators such as resources and costs to obtain software engineering quality improvement plans. It has certain application potential.
Forms and functions of gestures in preverbal 12- to 15-months old infants
Authors: Gupta Shreejata , Pequay Eulalie , François Clément , Dautriche Isabelle
Published: March 2024

Speech and co-speech gestures always go hand in hand. Whether we find the precursors of these co-speech gestures in infants before they master their native language still remains an open question. Except for deictic gestures, there is little agreement on the existence of iconic, non-referential and conventional gestures before children start producing their first words. Here, we bridge this knowledge gap by leveraging an ethological method already established for describing speech independent gestures in nonhuman primates, to analyse the spontaneous gestures produced by infants when interacting with their caregivers. We manually annotated video recordings of infant-caregiver interactions (26h) from the CHILDES platform, to describe the gesture forms, types and functions in six infants from 12 to 15 months of age. We describe 62 gesture forms in the preverbal repertoire. These were categorised into deictic, iconic, non-referential and conventional gesture types, similar to co-speech gesture types. We also find that the type-function relation of preverbal gestures map similarly to type-meaning relation of co-speech gestures. Taken together, our results illustrate linguistic properties of infant gestures in the absence of speech, suggesting them to be precursors of co-speech gestures.
Migration Route Selection for a Microservice in a Fog Computing Network
Authors: Tefikova Meriem , Kuzmina Ekaterina , Volkov Artem
Published: March 2024

Purpose. The new generation of communication networks has provided the basis for the realization of new classes of services, one of which are URLLC services. These services include concepts such as Tactile Internet. The transmission medium for URLLC requires high bandwidth and reliability of communication channels as well as ultra-low latency in the network. To cover these requirements, various technologies, such as fog computing and microservice architecture, are introduced into the architecture of networks. The latter is more often recommended to be used together with support for microservice migration between devices. A related goal is to determine the efficient route to the destination server. Methods. Conducting research on a model network with the collection of real load statistics from the network nodes and their analysis to determine the most efficient migration route for microservice according to the proposed algorithm based on these data. Novelty. The novelty of the presented method consists in adapting the classical algorithm of route selection in a graph to solve the actual problem of microservice migration route selection. Results. The parameters that need to be considered for efficient routing during microservice migration and the level of network architecture that should control the migration were defined. The results have shown that the proposed method is preferred over the AODV protocol. Practical relevance. It is quantitatively shown that using the proposed method the CPU resources consumption on the network nodes during microservice migration can be reduced total by 77 %, the RAM resources usage by 14 %, the percentage of lost packets on the used communication channels can be reduced total by 7 %, which would provide higher network reliability and increase its performance.
Algorithm for Effectiveness Evaluating of Graphical User Interfaces Color Aesthetic
Authors: Vostrykh Aleksey
Published: March 2024

Purpose: currently, for the performance of various job responsibilities by users, there is a wide range of software characterized, in addition to functionality, by cognitive and ergonomic characteristics, on which such user indicators as: work speed, satisfaction, probability of making mistakes, etc. depend. In order to select the most effective software products from a variety of existing analogues, a scientific and methodological tool based on a strict mathematical apparatus is needed, which will avoid subjectivity of the evaluation results. The purpose of the work is to develop a scientific and methodological tool in the form of an algorithm that allows evaluating software products to select the most effective ones. Methods: to achieve this goal, a comparative analysis of a wide range of approaches from such fields of science as visual aesthetics was carried out; human-computer interaction, gestalt psychology, neuroaesthetics, perceptual psychology and ergonomics, which allowed us to identify a number of approaches capable of solving the tasks of this study. Novelty: compared with differential approaches to software evaluation, the developed algorithm is based on the aggregation of a number of selected indicators for evaluating the consistency of information and functional elements of graphical user interfaces. Results: an algorithm for evaluating the consistency of information and functional elements of graphical user interfaces has been developed, which allows evaluating and comparing software products in this area.
Marrubium vulgare Extract Improves Spatial Working Memory and Oxidative Stress Damage in Scopolamine-Treated Rats
Authors: Lazarova Maria I. , Tsvetanova Elina R. , Georgieva Almira P. , Stefanova Miroslava O. , Uzunova Diamara N. , Denev Petko N. , Tasheva Krasimira N.
Published: March 2024

Background: The cholinergic neuronal loss in the basal forebrain and increasing brain oxidative stress are one of the main features of the brain suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Marrubium vulgare (M. vulgare), commonly known as ‘white horehound,’ possesses a variety of valuable properties, such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities. Moreover, it possesses neuromodulatory properties that could potentially impact short-term memory functions. Objective: The present study was undertaken to investigate the preventive effects of water M. vulgare extract on working memory, cholinergic neurotransmission, and oxidative stress in rats with scopolamine (Sco)-induced dementia. Methods: Male Wistar rats (200–250 g) were divided into four experimental groups. The plant extract was administered orally for 21 days, and Sco (2 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally for 11 consecutive days. The behavioral performance of the animals was evaluated by the T-maze test. The effect of the extract on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and antioxidant status in cortex and hippocampus were also monitored. Results: Our experimental data revealed that treatment with M. vulgare significantly increased the percentage of correct choices of rats with Sco-induced dementia in the T maze test (by 38%, p < 0.05). Additionally, it reduced AChE activity in the hippocampus (by 20%, p < 0.05) and alleviated oxidative stress induced by Sco, particularly in the cortex. Conclusions: M. vulgare water extract demonstrated working memory preserving effect in rats with Sco-induced dementia, AChE inhibitory activity and in vivo antioxidant potential, and deserve further attention.
Effects of an Angiotensin IV Analog on 3-Nitropropionic Acid-Induced Huntington’s Disease-Like Symptoms in Rats
Authors: Wells Russell G. , Azzam Azzam F. , Hiller Amie L. , Sardinia Michael F.
Published: March 2024

Background: Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric dysfunction caused by a mutant huntingtin protein. Compromised metabolic activity resulting from systemic administration of the mitochondrial toxin, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), is known to mimic the pathology of HD and induce HD-like symptoms in rats. N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6)-amino hexanoic amide (PNB-0408), also known as Dihexa, has been shown to have neuroprotective and procognitive properties in animal models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Given the mechanism of action and success in other neurodegenerative diseases, we felt it an appropriate compound to investigate further for HD. Objective: The present study was designed to test if PNB-0408, an angiotensin IV analog, could attenuate 3-NP-induced HD-like symptoms in rats and serve as a potential therapeutic agent. Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomized into three groups consisting of a “vehicle” group, a “3-NP” group, and a “3-NP + PNB-0408” group. PNB-0408 was administered along with chronic exposure to 3-NP. Animal body weight, motor function, and cognitive abilities were measured for five weeks, before euthanasia and histopathological analysis. Results: Exposure to 3-NP decreased the amount of weight rats gained, impaired spatial learning and memory consolidation, and led to marked motor dysfunction. From our observations and analysis, PNB-0408 did not protect rats from the deficits induced by 3-NP neurotoxicity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that PNB-0408 may not be an efficacious treatment strategy for preventing 3-NP-induced HD-like symptoms in a preclinical model. These data highlight the need for further research of this compound in alternate models and/or alternative approaches to managing this disorder.
RETRACTED: A comparative study of fuzzy multi-objective investment project portfolio selection and optimization based on financial return and different risk measurements
Authors: Chiadamrong Navee , Suthamanondh Pisacha
Published: March 2024

This article has been retracted. A retraction notice can be found at https://doi.org/10.3233/JIFS-219433.
Economic optimization of fresh logistics pick-up routing problems with time windows based on gray prediction
Authors: Liang Yonghong , Ge Xianlong , Jin Yuanzhi , Zheng Zhong , Zhang Yating , Jiang Yunyun
Published: March 2024

The rapid development of modern cold chain logistics technology has greatly expanded the sales market of agricultural products in rural areas. However, due to the uncertainty of agricultural product harvesting, relying on the experience values provided by farmers for vehicle scheduling can easily lead to low utilization of vehicle capacity during the pickup process and generate more transportation cost. Therefore, this article adopts a non-linear improved grey prediction method based on data transformation to estimate the pickup demand of fresh agricultural products, and then establishes a mathematical model that considers the fixed vehicle usage cost, the damage cost caused by non-linear fresh fruit and vegetable transportation damage and decay rate, the cooling cost generated by refrigerated transportation, and the time window penalty cost. In order to solve the model, a hybrid simulated annealing algorithm integrating genetic operators was designed to solve this problem. This hybrid algorithm combines local search strategies such as the selection operator without repeated strings and the crossover operator that preserves the best substring to improve the algorithm’s solving performance. Numerical experiments were conducted through a set of benchmark examples, and the results showed that the proposed algorithm can adapt to problem instances of different scales. In 50 customer examples, the difference between the algorithm and the standard value in this paper is 2.30%, which is 7.29% higher than C&S. Finally, the effectiveness of the grey prediction freight path optimization model was verified through a practical case simulation analysis, achieving a logistics cost savings of 9.73%.
SSF: Sparse point cloud object detection based on self-adaptive voxel encoding and focal-sparse convolution
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Zilong , Zhu Yongjian , Li Jianxin
Published: March 2024

Point cloud object detection is gradually playing a key role in autonomous driving tasks. To address the issue of insensitivity to sparse objects in point cloud object detection, we have made improvements to the voxel encoding and 3D backbone network of the PVRCNN++. We have introduced adaptive pooling operations during voxel feature encoding to expand the point cloud information within each voxel, followed by the utilization of multi-layer perceptrons to extract richer point cloud features. On the 3D backbone network, we have employed adaptive sparse convolution operations to make the backbone network’s channel count more flexible, allowing it to accommodate a wider range of input data types. Furthermore, we have integrated Focal Loss to tackle the issue of class imbalance in detection tasks. Experimental results on the public KITTI dataset demonstrate significant improvements over the PVRCNN++, particularly in pedestrian and bicycle detection tasks. Specifically, we have observed 1% increase in detection accuracy for pedestrians and 2.1% improvement for bicycles. Our detection performance also surpasses that of other comparative detection algorithms.
Task allocation algorithm for distributed large data stream group computing in the era of digital intelligence
Authors: Sun Ling , Jiang Rong , Wan Wenbing
Published: March 2024

In the era of digital intelligence, this paper studies the task allocation algorithm of distributed large data stream group computing, and reasonably allocates the task of group computing to meet the needs of massive computing and analysis of distributed large data stream. According to the idea of swarm intelligence perception and crowdsourcing platform, the task allocation model of distributed large data stream group computing is constructed to realize the task allocation of group computing. A distributed large data stream group computing task model and a user model are constructed, user attributes are initialized by using the accuracy of the answers submitted by users, the possibility that users can participate in the group computing task is predicted by a logistic regression algorithm, so that user candidate sequences participating in the computing task can be obtained, and the accuracy of the user’s real topics and corresponding topics can be grasped by capturing the candidate users’ real topics and evaluating the accuracy algorithm. Select the users who meet the subject area, update the candidate user sequence, and filter the users again on the basis of fully considering the factors such as information gain, user integrity and cost, so as to get the final user sequence and complete the task allocation of group computing. Experiments show that this method can solve the problem of distributed large data flow group computing task allocation, achieve high accuracy, reduce the cost, and effectively improve the information gain.
Enhancing spectrum utilization and primary user detection in cognitive radio networks through greedy cooperative spectrum sensing
Authors: Dhivya S. , Rajeswari A.
Published: March 2024

The utilization of the spectrum is optimized through which primary users of modern wireless communication technologies might obtain a higher chance of detection. The research aims to study how the NI-USRP hardware platform can be used to set up greedy cooperative spectrum sensing for cognitive radio networks. Research primarily deals with energy detection and eigenvalue-based detection approaches, both of which are highly recognized for their capacity to sense the spectrum without having prior knowledge of the primary user signals. In the hardware arrangement, there is one transmitter and two cognitive radio receivers. LABVIEW makes it simple to deploy and maximizes the detection probability across a large sample. Here, it was demonstrated that cooperative spectrum sensing is superior to non-cooperative spectrum sensing, which results in a reduction in the risk of errors occurring during detection. The research discovered that the OR combination rule has a higher detection probability than the AND rule at the same time. The research emphasizes the significance of expanding cooperative spectrum sensing to improve overall detection capabilities. SNRs that are more than 10 dB allow the energy detector to operate, and the eigenvalue detector continues to work when the SNR drops to –9 dB.
Improving big data analytics data processing speed through map reduce scheduling and replica placement with HDFS using genetic optimization techniques
Authors: Sundara Kumar M.R. , Mohan H.S.
Published: March 2024

Big Data Analytics (BDA) is an unavoidable technique in today’s digital world for dealing with massive amounts of digital data generated by online and internet sources. It is kept in repositories for data processing via cluster nodes that are distributed throughout the wider network. Because of its magnitude and real-time creation, big data processing faces challenges with latency and throughput. Modern systems such as Hadoop and SPARK manage large amounts of data with their HDFS, Map Reduce, and In-Memory analytics approaches, but the migration cost is higher than usual. With Genetic Algorithm-based Optimization (GABO), Map Reduce Scheduling (MRS) and Data Replication have provided answers to this challenge. With multi objective solutions provided by Genetic Algorithm, resource utilization and node availability improve processing performance in large data environments. This work develops a novel creative strategy for enhancing data processing performance in big data analytics called Map Reduce Scheduling Based Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (MRSNSGA). The Hadoop-Map Reduce paradigm handles the placement of data in distributed blocks as a chunk and their scheduling among the cluster nodes in a wider network. Best fit solutions with high latency and low accessing time are extracted from the findings of various objective solutions. Experiments were carried out as a simulation with several inputs of varied location node data and cluster racks. Finally, the results show that the speed of data processing in big data analytics was enhanced by 30–35% over previous methodologies. Optimization approaches developed to locate the best solutions from multi-objective solutions at a rate of 24–30% among cluster nodes.
Work ability and mental health at return to work after COVID-19: A descriptive study among healthcare workers
Authors: Youssfi Imen , Mechergui Najla , Ziedi Hiba , Mersni Mariem , Chemingui Siwar , Haouari Wala , Aouida Dorra , Youssef Imen , Ladhari Nizar
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCW) may experience anxiety and prolonged work schedules during pandemics. The mental health status after a COVID-19 infection and the work ability of HCW are interesting criteria in assessing their fitness to work at the return to work (RTW) medical visit. OBJECTIVES: To assess mental health and work ability after a COVID-19 infection among HCW at the RTW medical visit. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out among HCW of Charles Nicolle Hospital of Tunisia infected with COVID-19 from September to December 2020. Anxiety and depression were screened using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). The perceived ability to work at RTW was measured using the Work Ability Index (WAI). RESULTS: We included 531 HCW. The median age was 40 years. HCW belonged to surgical departments (36.9%) and were nurses (32.4%). The median delay to RTW was 15 days (IQR: 13–18). At the RTW medical visit, certain anxiety and depression were found in 36.5% and 33.3% of the patients respectively. The perceived work ability was evaluated as good to very good in 37.8% of cases. The delay to RTW increased proportionally with a better-perceived work ability (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: Our study described the perceived work ability and the prevalence of anxiety and depression among the HCW at the RTW medical visit after COVID-19 infection in the early stages of the pandemic. Specific strategies for RTW after COVID-19 should take into consideration the mental health and work ability of HCW.
Change competence: An integrative literature review
Authors: Reineholm Cathrine , Lundqvist Daniel , Wallo Andreas
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND: Organizations are in a state of continual evolution, driven by the relentless shifts in their external environments. Numerous theories have been proposed to understand the essential skills and capabilities for successful organizational change. Yet, there remains a gap in capturing a holistic view necessary to fully comprehend the dynamics of competence in today’s rapidly changing landscape. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to explore and consolidate the concept of ‘competence’ in the context of organizational change processes. METHODS: Employing an integrative literature review approach, a total of 3,230 studies were screened. Out of these, 32 studies were selected based on strict relevance and quality criteria, providing a robust foundation for the analysis. RESULTS: The findings reveal a multi-layered nature of organizational change, highlighting that the nature and prerequisites of change vary significantly across different organizational levels. By applying a competence lens, we discern how required competence during change are not uniform but rather vary depending on whether they are applied in an operational or strategic context. This demonstrates a nuanced, level-dependent variability in change competence across the organizational hierarchy. CONCLUSION: We conceptualize ‘change competence’ as a dual-faceted construct. It encompasses both the capacity to leverage existing organizational competence and the adeptness to develop new competence, thereby meeting the evolving demands imposed by both internal and external drivers of change. This comprehensive understanding paves the way for more effective strategies in managing organizational change.