bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of different positions on neurodevelopment in preterm infants admitted in neonatal intensive care units: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Hullumani Sharath , Raghuveer Raghumahanti , Qureshi Moh'd Irshad
Published: April 2024

Introduction Preterm birth poses significant challenges to infant health, with neurodevelopmental outcomes often affected. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), positioning strategies are commonly employed with the aim of mitigating adverse effects and promoting neurodevelopment in preterm infants. However, the evidence regarding the impact of different positions on neurodevelopmental outcomes remains heterogeneous and inconclusive. Objective The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effects of different positioning strategies on neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Methods A comprehensive search will be conducted in electronic databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. To comply with the established guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, the systematic review will be conducted to identify relevant studies published up to the date of the search. This systematic review protocol has been registered in PROSPERO to ensure thorough and transparent reporting of the search process, synthesis of findings, and analysis methods. Discussion In the context of preterm infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), the discussion surrounding the effects of different positions on neurodevelopmental outcomes is multifaceted and warrants careful consideration. Variations in study methodologies, including sample sizes, outcome measures, and follow-up durations, underscore the need for standardized approaches to facilitate comparison and synthesis of findings. The heterogeneity in reported outcomes, ranging from cognitive and motor development to sensory processing, highlights the complexity of neurodevelopmental assessment in this population and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive evaluation frameworks. Through rigorous synthesis and analysis of existing literature, our protocol aims to contribute meaningful insights that can drive future research agendas and enhance neurodevelopmental outcomes for this vulnerable population. Systematic Review Registration number CRD42023492163
Development, validity and reliability of the systematic screening for handwriting difficulties tool
Authors: Farhat Faiçal , Ammar Achraf , Kammoun Mohamed Moncef , Mezghani Nourhen , Trabelsi Khaled , Jahrami Haitham , Gharbi Adnene , Rebai Haithem , Moalla Wassim , Kammoun Fatma , Triki Chahnez , Smits-Engelsman Bouwien
Published: April 2024

Background The purpose of this study was to develop an Arabic handwriting screening test and establish its psychometric properties. Methods Handwriting quality was evaluated using seven criteria from the Systematic Screening for Handwriting Difficulties Arabic (SOS-ARB) and writing speed were measured by counting the number of letters produced in 5 minutes. Construct validity was evaluated using hypothesis testing (learning disabilities, sex and age differences). Convergent validity was examined using data from 106 children with dysgraphia who were also administered the French version of the “Concise Assessment Methods of Children’s Handwriting” (BHK). Intrarater, interrater, and test-retest reliability were established for total and item scores. Results Handwriting test data were collected from 1274 children (6–10 years) in regular education, of whom 194 were diagnosed with Learning Disabilities (LD). The SOS-ARB scores differed between children with and without LD (F (1, 1273) = 330.90, p <.001, η2 = 0.209), males and females, and different age groups. In addition, significant differences in writing speed were shown between children with and without LD (F (1, 1273) = 60.26, p <0.001, η2 = 0.046), between females and males (F (1, 1273) = 7.57, p =0.01, η2 = 0.006), and between the different age groups (F (4, 1270) = 21.762, p <0.001, η2 = 0.065). A correlation coefficient of 0.72 for the quality score between the SOS-ARB and BHK confirmed convergent validity. Intrarater and interrater reliability were excellent in terms of quality scores (ICC coefficients = 0.988 and 0.972, respectively) and letter speed (ICC coefficients = 0.993 and 0.990, respectively). The quality score and letter speed had excellent and good test-retest reliability (ICC co-efficient = 0.968 and 0.784, respectively). Conclusions Results indicate that the SOS-ARB is a valid and reliable tool for scoring Arabic handwriting abilities in elementary school children.
Issues And Challenges Faced by Small Finance Banks in Debt Collection with Special Reference to Rural Areas - A Conceptual Study
Authors: Thenissery Priya , Chandrashekar Vidya , Mishra Suman
Published: April 2024

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) created Small Finance Banks (SFBs) in 2015 to encourage financial inclusion and offer banking services to underserved populations. Small business units, micro- and small businesses, farmers, and low-income households are just a few examples of the unbanked and underbanked groups of the population that SFBs primarily target with basic banking services. SFBs are nevertheless vulnerable to non-performing assets (NPAs), which can arise for a number of causes, just like other banks. SFBs use a variety of strategies, such as effective credit appraisal and monitoring, quick recovery actions, loan restructuring, and legal action against defaulters, to manage and reduce their NPA levels. To maintain compliance with prudential norms and protect stability, the RBI supervises and conducts routine inspections of SFBs.
PRODUCTIVITY AND ADAPTABILITY OF KWS WINTER RYE HYBRIDS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE ANCESTRAL REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN
Authors: Amirov Marat , Semenov Pavel , Cvetkov Timur , Sharakova Guliya , Zheltukhin Alexander
Published: April 2024

Increasing the grain yield of winter rye, which occupies the fourth place of grain produced in the Republic of Tatarstan, remains relevant. The purpose of the study is to identify the most productive hybrid of winter rye of the KVS company in the conditions of gray forest soils of the Ancestral region of the Republic of Tatarstan. Field experiments and laboratory studies were conducted in 2022-2023 at Agrobiotechnopark LLC at the Kazan State Agrarian University. Agrochemical indicators of gray forest soils were as follows: the content of humus in the arable layer was more than 3.0 %, mobile phosphorus was very high 250-275 mg/kg (according to Kirsanov), exchangeable potassium was increased 121-170 mg/kg. The reaction of the soil medium was close to neutral (pH 6.6). The dry mass of roots and stems in the phases of tube entry and earing over the years of research in the hybrid of winter rye Tayo exceeded the indicators of the Aviator and Ravo hybrids. On average, over two years, the dry weight of the ear of the Aviator hybrid in the phase of milk ripeness was 0.77 g, in Equal to 0.74 g, in Tayo 0.81 g. Compared with other hybrids, field germination and safety of seedlings for harvesting were higher in the Tayo hybrid by 80.9 % and 86.9 %. Increased indicators for the number of productive stems per unit area of 584 pcs./m2, the number of spikelets and grains in 1 ear for the Tayo hybrid subsequently contributed to obtaining the highest biological yield. In a favorable 2022, winter rye hybrids generated high yields, in particular Aviator 8.05 t/ha, Pravo 8.06 t/ha, Tayo 8.74 t/ha. In 2023, the lowest yield according to experiments was obtained for the Ravo hybrid – 5.44 t/ha, and for the Aviator hybrid - 6.62 t/ha. A consistently high yield was formed by the Tayo hybrid – 7.03 t/ha.
Geopolymer Paving Blocks Made From Fly Ash and Bagasse Ash Under Different Curing Conditions
Authors:   Department of civil engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, 744 Suranarai Rd., Meung, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand, Somna Rattapon , Khamput Prachoom ,   Department of civil engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, 39 moo 1, Klong 6, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12110, Thailand, Somna Kiatsuda ,   Department of civil engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, 744 Suranarai Rd., Meung, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
Published: April 2024

This research aimed to study the geopolymer paving blocks made from fly ash and bagasse ash under different curing conditions. The fly ash was replaced by bagasse ash at 10, 20 and 30% by weight of the binder. Sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions were used as activated solutions. Three curing methods were studied: curing with plastic wrap (PT), curing at 35 °C for 1 hour (OV), and curing with sunlight (SU). Compressive strength and water absorption were investigated. The surface characteristics of the geopolymer paving block were studied using microstructure techniques. Sun curing provided the highest compressive strength. The water absorption values increased with an increase in the replacement percentage of bagasse ash. The surface of the geopolymer paving blocks showed remnants of the starting materials from the reaction. The geopolymer paste from the geopolymerization reaction was also found. This indicated the beneficial use of waste materials to produce environmentally friendly building materials.
IS THERE A ROLE FOR ANTIBIOTIC SUPPRESSION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FRACTURE-RELATED INFECTION FOLLOWING INTRAMEDULLARY NAILING?
Authors: Tsang Shao-Ting J , van Rensburg Adrian Jansen , Ferreira Nando
Published: April 2024

Introduction

The management of fracture-related infection has undergone radical progress following the development of international guidelines. However, there is limited consideration to the realities of healthcare in low-resource environments due to a lack of available evidence in the literature from these settings. Initial antimicrobial suppression to support fracture union is frequently used in low- and middle-income countries despite the lack of published clinical evidence to support its practice. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes following initial antimicrobial suppression to support fracture union in the management of fracture-related infection.

Materials & Methods

A retrospective review of consecutive patients treated with initial antimicrobial suppression to support fracture healing followed by definitive eradication surgery to manage fracture-related infections following intramedullary fixation was performed. Indications for this approach were; a soft tissue envelope not requiring reconstructive surgery, radiographic evidence of stable fixation with adequate alignment, and progression towards fracture union.

Results

This approach was associated with successful treatment in 51/55 (93%) patients. Fracture union was achieved in 52/55 (95%) patients with antimicrobial suppression alone. Remission of infection was achieved in 54/55 (98%) patients following definitive infection eradication surgery. Following antibiotic suppression, 6/46 (13%) pathogens isolated from intra-operative samples demonstrated multi-drug resistance.

Conclusions

Initial antimicrobial suppression to support fracture healing followed by definitive infection eradication surgery was associated with successful treatment in 93% of patients. The likelihood of remission of infection increases when eradication surgery is performed in a healed bone. This approach was not associated with an increased risk of developing multi-drug-resistant infections compared to contemporary bone infection cohorts in the published literature.
THE USE OF NITINOL CONTINUOUS COMPRESSION IMPLANTS IN ORTHOPAEDIC TRAUMA AND LIMB RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY
Authors: Mistry Dylan , Rahman Usama , Khatri Chetan , Carlos William , Stephens Alastair , Riemer Bryan , Ward Jayne
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Continuous compression implants (CCIs) are small memory alloy bone staples that can provide continuous compression across a fracture site, which change shape due to temperature changes. Reviews of CCIs in orthopaedics have documented their use in mainly foot and ankle surgery, with very limited descriptions in trauma. They could be beneficial in the management of complex or open injuries due to their low profile and quick insertion time. The aim of this case series were to clarify the use of CCIs in modern day limb reconstruction practice.

Materials & Methods

This was a single centred study looking retrospectively at prospective data for patients who were treated for an acute fracture or non-union with a CCI between September 2019 and May 2023. Primary outcome was to determine the function and indication of the CCI as judged retrospectively and secondary outcomes investigated unplanned returns to theatre for infection or CCI failure.

Results

Sixty patients were eligible with a mean age of 44.2 (range 8–89). Fifty-one patients were treated for acute fractures, nine for non-unions; and almost half (27 patients) had open injuries. There were seven different sites for treatment with a CCI, the most common being tibia (25 patients) and humerus (14 patients). Of the 122 CCIs used, 80 were used as adjuncts for fixation in 48 patients. Their indication as an adjunct fell into three distrinct categories – reduction of fracture (39 CCIs), fixation of key fragments (38 CCIs) and compression (3 CCIs). Of these 48 patients, 4 patients had a frame fixation, 19 had a nail fixation, 24 patients had a plate fixation. Forty-two CCIs were used in isolation as definitive fixation, all were for midfoot dislocations expect an open iliac wing fixation from a machete attack and an isolated paediatric medial malleolus fixation. Two patients returned to theatre for infection and two due to CCI failure.

Conclusions

This series has demonstrated the versality of CCIs across multiple sites of the body and for a large variety of injuries. It has identified, when not used in isolation, three main indications to support traditional orthopaedic fixations. Given the unpredictability in limb reconstruction surgery, the diversity and potential of CCIs could form part of the staple diet in the modern-day practice.
THE FITBONE INTRAMEDULLARY LENGTHENING NAIL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ADULT AND PAEDIATRIC LIMB DEFORMITY: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY AT A TERTIARY REFERRAL LIMB RECONSTRUCTION SERVICE
Authors: Thompson Emmet , James Leroy , Narayan Badri , Peterson Nick
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Management of deformity involving limb length discrepancy (LLD) using intramedullary devices offers significant benefits to both patients and clinicians over traditional external fixation. Following the withdrawal of the PRECICE nail, the Fitbone became the primary implant available for intramedullary lengthening and deformity correction within our service. This consecutive series illustrates the advantages and complications associated with the use of this device, and describes a novel technique modification for antegrade intramedullary lengthening nails.

Materials & Methods

A retrospective cohort review was performed of patient outcomes after treatment with the Fitbone nail at two tertiary referral limb reconstruction services (one adult, one paediatric) between January 2021 to December 2023. Aetiology, indications, initial and final LLD, use of concomitant rail assisted deformity correction (ORDER), removal time and healing index were assessed. Complications of treatment were evaluated and described in detail, alongside technique modifications to reduce the rate of these complications.

Results

21 nails (18 femoral, 2 tibial, 1 humeral) were inserted in 6 adult and 13 paediatric patients. Post-traumatic and congenital/developmental LLD were the most common indications for surgery in the adult and paediatric cohorts respectively. ORDER was employed in 11 cases (9 femurs and 2 tibias). Treatment goals were achieved in all but one case. Complications included superficial infection, locking bolt migration, periprosthetic fracture and component failure. Seven patients required unplanned returns to theatre.

Conclusions

The Fitbone nail is an established option for intramedullary limb lengthening, however its use in the UK has been relatively limited compared to the PRECICE until 2021. Our data helps to define its place for limb lengthening and complex deformity correction in both adult and paediatric patients, including in humeral lengthening and retrograde femoral insertion across an open physis. We have identified important potential risks and novel techniques to simplify surgery and avoid complications.
Designing black mirrors
Authors: Willey Ronald R.
Published: April 2024

Black mirrors, or total absorbers, are related to neutral density (ND) filters. ND
filters are primarily concerned with transmittance, whereas a black
mirror has no transmittance and endeavors to reduce the reflectance to
zero in the wavelength band of interest by absorbing all the light.
Metal layers must be used for the absorptance capabilities and
dielectric layers to create the interference phases, which maximize
the electric field at the absorbing layers. Very thin metal layers,
whose indices of refraction vary with the thickness and require
special software handling in the design process, are required. The
procedures and an additional viewpoint on designing black mirrors are
discussed here.
Orchid: enhancing HPC interconnection networks through infrequent topology reconfiguration
Authors: Qin Liang , Gu Huaxi , Yu Xiaoshan , Cai Zheyi , Liu Junchen
Published: April 2024

Interconnection networks are key components of high-performance computing (HPC) systems. As HPC evolves towards the exascale era, providing sufficient bisection bandwidth between computing node pairs through oversubscription in traditional networks becomes prohibitively expensive and impractical. Over the past decade, several architectures leveraging optical circuit switches (OCSs) for dynamic link bandwidth allocation have gained traction. These architectures require frequent network topology reconfiguration to adapt to changing traffic demands. However, practical implementation remains hampered by the long reconfiguration delays inherent in OCS technology. We propose Orchid, an architecture that leverages OCSs to achieve infrequent topology reconfigurations, effectively addressing the problem of long reconfiguration delays. A key innovation of Orchid is its ability to extract stable traffic matrices from historical data. This functionality guides the reconfiguration of the topology without the need for adjustments with each traffic matrix, thereby enabling the sharing of OCS overhead over an extended timeframe. Furthermore, Orchid addresses potential congestion arising from unexpected traffic through the joint design of OCS configuration and routing, ensuring an even distribution of traffic across global links. Extensive experiments using real HPC application traces and synthetic traffic demonstrate that Orchid achieves significant performance improvements compared to existing HPC interconnection networks. Specifically, Orchid reduces packet delay by at least 3× and enhances throughput by up to 60%.
Wavenumber-dependent dynamic light scattering optical coherence tomography measurements of collective and self-diffusion
Authors: Cheishvili Konstantine , Besseling Rut , Hermes Michiel , Kalkman Jeroen
Published: April 2024

We demonstrate wavenumber-dependent DLS-OCT measurements of collective and self-diffusion coefficients in concentrated silica suspensions across a broad q-range, utilizing a custom home-built OCT system. Depending on the sample polydispersity, either the collective or self-diffusion is measured. The measured collective-diffusion coefficient shows excellent agreement with hard-sphere theory and serves as an effective tool for accurately determining particle sizes. We employ the decoupling approximation for simultaneously measuring collective and self-diffusion coefficients, even in sufficiently monodisperse suspensions, using a high-speed Thorlabs OCT system. This enables particle size and volume fraction determination without the necessity of wavenumber-dependent measurements. We derive a relationship between the particle number-based polydispersity index and the ratio of self and collective mode amplitudes in the autocorrelation function and utilize it to measure the particle number-based polydispersity index. Notably, the polydispersity determined in this manner demonstrates improved sensitivity to smaller particle sizes compared to the standard intensity-based DLS cumulant analysis performed on dilute samples.
Nd:YVO4/YVO4 cascaded Raman laser pumped dual-wavelength signal wave MgO:PPLN-OPO with wide range adjustable wavelength interval
Authors: Lei Peng , Bai Yuntao , Ding Xin , Jiang Guoxin , Wei Fangying , Sun Yang , Du Jiangeng , Zhang Ruofan , Xie Ying , Li Runlin , Wu Liang , Zhang Guizhong , Yao Jianquan
Published: April 2024

This article presents a dual-wavelength signal wave output system capable of generating a broad range of adjustable wavelength intervals. The setup involved the creation of a dual-wavelength cascaded Raman laser featuring composite cavities operating at 1176 nm and 1313 nm. Experimental investigations were carried out on an external cavity MgO:PPLN-OPO driven by the cascaded Raman laser. By setting the crystal polarization period to 27.6-34.4 µm and the temperature to 50-130°C, adjustable tunable output of dual-wavelength signal wave at 1176 nm-MgO:PPLN-OPO (1550-2294 nm) and 1313 nm-MgO:PPLN-OPO (1768-2189 nm) was achieved with a wavelength interval of 0-218 nm. Under the conditions of a period of 34.4 µm, temperature of 90°C, and an incident Raman power of 2.6 W, the highest conversion efficiency of Raman to dual-wavelength signal wave (2212, 2182 nm) was 34.2%. Furthermore, the maximum output power of dual-wavelength signal wave was recorded at 1.02 W with an incident Raman power of 3.33 W.
Beam swinging coherent Doppler wind lidar utilizing wavelength switching through a single telescope
Authors: Tsuji Hidenobu , Kotake Nobuki , Kameyama Shumpei , Ando Toshiyuki , Haraguchi Eisuke
Published: April 2024

We have developed a new, to the best of our knowledge, beam swinging coherent Doppler wind lidar (BS-CDWL) by employing a wavelength switching method using mass-produced components for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical communication systems. This BS-CDWL also has a single and position-to-angle conversion telescope for multiple LOS measurement which contributes to cost-effectiveness. Preliminary wind sensing result is shown with measurable range of up to 350 m.
Comparative study of phase retrieval algorithms for surface shape measurement by optical profilometry
Authors: Baya Sina , Bahich Mustapha , Boulmane Lahsen
Published: April 2024

Recent advances in optical sensors and information processing technology have granted a rapid progress in three-dimensional (3D) optical metrology, enabling highly accurate 3D inspection of complex-shaped objects. However, the 3D object surface estimation requires a phase recovery from so-called intensity fringe patterns of the tested objects. In this work, we present a comparative study of three most highlighted phase retrieval methods (phase shifting, Fourier transform and wavelet transform) using single or multiple acquired fringe patterns. Moreover, the phase retrieval methods performance is tested on additive and multiplicative noise based degraded fringe patterns, giving some qualitative and quantitative conclusions. Some experimental data are processed using Fourier transform and wavelet transform based algorithms to confirm accuracy of these two phase retrieval techniques.
Optogenetic manipulation of lysosomal physiology and autophagy-dependent clearance of amyloid beta
Authors: Zeng Wenping , Li Canjun , Wu Ruikun , Yang Xingguo , Wang Qingyan , Lin Bingqian , Wei Yanan , Li Hao , Shan Ge , Qu Lili , Cang Chunlei
Published: April 2024

Lysosomes are degradation centers of cells and intracellular hubs of signal transduction, nutrient sensing, and autophagy regulation. Dysfunction of lysosomes contributes to a variety of diseases, such as lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) and neurodegeneration, but the mechanisms are not well understood. Altering lysosomal activity and examining its impact on the occurrence and development of disease is an important strategy for studying lysosome-related diseases. However, methods to dynamically regulate lysosomal function in living cells or animals are still lacking. Here, we constructed lysosome-localized optogenetic actuators, named lyso-NpHR3.0, lyso-ArchT, and lyso-ChR2, to achieve optogenetic manipulation of lysosomes. These new actuators enable light-dependent control of lysosomal membrane potential, pH, hydrolase activity, degradation, and Ca2+ dynamics in living cells. Notably, lyso-ChR2 activation induces autophagy through the mTOR pathway, promotes Aβ clearance in an autophagy-dependent manner in cellular models, and alleviates Aβ-induced paralysis in the Caenorhabditis elegans model of Alzheimer’s disease. Our lysosomal optogenetic actuators supplement the optogenetic toolbox and provide a method to dynamically regulate lysosomal physiology and function in living cells and animals.
HGCLAMIR: Hypergraph contrastive learning with attention mechanism and integrated multi-view representation for predicting miRNA-disease associations
Authors: Ouyang Dong , Liang Yong , Wang Jinfeng , Li Le , Ai Ning , Feng Junning , Lu Shanghui , Liao Shuilin , Liu Xiaoying , Xie Shengli
Published: April 2024

Existing studies have shown that the abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) usually leads to the occurrence and development of human diseases. Identifying disease-related miRNAs contributes to studying the pathogenesis of diseases at the molecular level. As traditional biological experiments are time-consuming and expensive, computational methods have been used as an effective complement to infer the potential associations between miRNAs and diseases. However, most of the existing computational methods still face three main challenges: (i) learning of high-order relations; (ii) insufficient representation learning ability; (iii) importance learning and integration of multi-view embedding representation. To this end, we developed aHyperGraphContrastiveLearning with view-awareAttentionMechanism andIntegrated multi-viewRepresentation (HGCLAMIR) model to discover potential miRNA-disease associations. First, hypergraph convolutional network (HGCN) was utilized to capture high-order complex relations from hypergraphs related to miRNAs and diseases. Then, we combined HGCN with contrastive learning to improve and enhance the embedded representation learning ability of HGCN. Moreover, we introduced view-aware attention mechanism to adaptively weight the embedded representations of different views, thereby obtaining the importance of multi-view latent representations. Next, we innovatively proposed integrated representation learning to integrate the embedded representation information of multiple views for obtaining more reasonable embedding information. Finally, the integrated representation information was fed into a neural network-based matrix completion method to perform miRNA-disease association prediction. Experimental results on the cross-validation set and independent test set indicated that HGCLAMIR can achieve better prediction performance than other baseline models. Furthermore, the results of case studies and enrichment analysis further demonstrated the accuracy of HGCLAMIR and unconfirmed potential associations had biological significance.
Correlating transcription and protein expression profiles of immune biomarkers following lipopolysaccharide exposure in lung epithelial cells
Authors: Jacobsen Daniel E. , Montoya Makaela M. , Llewellyn Trent R. , Martinez Kaitlyn , Wilding Kristen M. , Lenz Kiersten D. , Manore Carrie A. , Kubicek-Sutherland Jessica Z. , Mukundan Harshini
Published: April 2024

Universal and early recognition of pathogens occurs through recognition of evolutionarily conserved pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by innate immune receptors and the consequent secretion of cytokines and chemokines. The intrinsic complexity of innate immune signaling and associated signal transduction challenges our ability to obtain physiologically relevant, reproducible and accurate data from experimental systems. One of the reasons for the discrepancy in observed data is the choice of measurement strategy. Immune signaling is regulated by the interplay between pathogen-derived molecules with host cells resulting in cellular expression changes. However, these cellular processes are often studied by the independent assessment of either the transcriptome or the proteome. Correlation between transcription and protein analysis is lacking in a variety of studies. In order to methodically evaluate the correlation between transcription and protein expression profiles associated with innate immune signaling, we measured cytokine and chemokine levels following exposure of human cells to the PAMP lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Expression of 84 messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts and 69 proteins, including 35 overlapping targets, were measured in human lung epithelial cells. We evaluated 50 biological replicates to determine reproducibility of outcomes. Following pairwise normalization, 16 mRNA transcripts and 6 proteins were significantly upregulated following LPS exposure, while only five (CCL2, CSF3, CXCL5, CXCL8/IL8, and IL6) were upregulated in both transcriptomic and proteomic analysis. This lack of correlation between transcription and protein expression data may contribute to the discrepancy in the immune profiles reported in various studies. The use of multiomic assessments to achieve a systems-level understanding of immune signaling processes can result in the identification of host biomarker profiles for a variety of infectious diseases and facilitate countermeasure design and development.
Risk factors of central catheter bloodstream infections in intensive care units: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Huang Huayong , Chang Qiaoling , Zhou Yanhui , Liao Li
Published: April 2024

Background

Central catheter bloodstream infections (CRBSI) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. However, few factors are generally accepted and some studies have conflicting finding about some factors, possibly caused by limitation associated with an individual study. This study was to identify risk factors for CRBSI in intensive care units.

Methods

We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of science and EMBASE databases and the 4 top Chinese-language databases, including WanFang data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM) as of July 2023. Case control and cohort studies were included. Two authors independently screened the literature and evaluated the quality of the studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS). The pooled effect size was estimated using the odds ratio (OR), and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. The Cochrane Q (χ2) and I2 tests were used to assess heterogeneity among studies, and each risk factor was tested for its robustness using fixed- or random-effects models.

Findings

A total of 32 studies enrolled, among which eleven factors were identified, they were divided into two categories: modifiable and unmodifiable factors. Modifiable factors: duration of catheterization (≥ 5d) (OR: 2.07, 95%CI: 1.41–3.03), duration of catheterization (≥ 7d) (OR: 3.62, 95%CI: 2.65–4.97), duration of catheterization (≥ 14d)(OR: 4.85, 95%CI: 3.35–7.01), total parenteral nutrition (OR: 2.27,95%CI: 1.56–3.29), use of multiple-lumen catheters(OR: 3.41, 95%CI: 2.27–5.11), times of tube indwelling (OR: 3.50, 95%CI: 2.93–4.17), length of ICU stay (OR: 4.05, 95%CI: 2.41–6.80), the position of indwelling(OR: 2.41, 95%CI: 2.03–2.85); Unmodifiable factors: APACHEII scores (OR: 1.84, 95%CI: 1.54–2.20), Age≥ 60 years old (OR: 2.19, 95%CI: 1.76–2.73), the extensive use of antibiotic (OR: 3.54, 95%CI: 1.65–7.61), Diabetes mellitus (OR: 3.06, 95%CI: 2.56–3.66), Immunosuppression (OR: 2.87, 95%CI: 2.08–3.95).

Conclusions

Effective interventions targeting the above modifiable factors may reduce the risk of developing CRBSI in ICU and improve the clinical outcome of patients. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.
How does the online innovation community climate affect the user’s value co-creation behavior: The mediating role of motivation
Authors: Tan Qiong , Tan Juan , Gao Xiaohui
Published: April 2024

Online Innovation Community (OIC) serves as a virtual space for users to exchange products and services, and share knowledge and information. Previous studies have indicated that community climate is an important factor affecting users’ value co-creation behavior, however, the influencing process has not been clearly revealed from the perspective of motivation. In this study, we explored the relationship between online innovation community climate (supportive climate and controlling climate), user motivation and value co-creation behavior (user’s participation behavior and user’s citizenship behavior) based on the SOR model. The study sample included 29,835 pieces of information from 3,315 users in 14 product sections of the OnePlus Community which were analyzed with Mplus8.1. The findings revealed that: (1) The supportive climate had a positive impact on user’s citizenship behavior(β = 0.042), while the controlling climate exerted a significant positive impact on user’s citizenship behavior (β = 0.078) and user’s participation behavior(β = 0.099); (2) The need for achievement played a suppressing effect between community climate and user’s participation behavior, the need for power played a suppressing effect between supportive climate and user’s value co-creation behavior, and the need for affiliation played a mediating role between supportive climate and user’s citizenship behavior (β = 0.010) and user’s participation behavior(β = 0.006); (3) Community trust positively moderated the relationship between the need for achievement and user’s participation behavior(β = 0.058) as well as between the need for power and user’s participation behavior(β = 0.043).
Teachers' Experiences of Using Play and Al's Pals to Teach Socio-Emotional Skills Through Coaching Support Models
Authors: Tamakloe Deborah , Powers Elizabeth , Landis Alisa , McCracken Lori
Published: April 2024

Interactive teaching strategies provide opportunities for engaging children in discussing difficult concepts such as socio-emotional wellbeing and wide range of ideas about their social and personal lives. However, few studies have explored preschool teachers’ efficacy of using coaching through ‘Play and puppetry programs as approaches to developing children’s emotional regulation, socio-emotional learning and wellbeing. This paper reports on a “Labyrinth Project” aimed to gain in-depth understandings of preschool teachers’ experiences and perspectives pertaining to their efficacy of using play and puppetry as tools to promote children’s emotional learning and development. The results showed that despite early challenges with the use of these two teaching strategies, coaching and professional development facilitated a progression from feelings of inadequacy to confidence to teach social emotional skills using play and puppetry. At the end of the second year of this three-year project, children demonstrated improved cognitive skills in managing their emotions. Suggestions are made on how to improve the project to achieve high quality outcomes.
“Don’t Call on Me!”: Mediating Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Mathematics Anxiety in a Problem-Based Classroom
Authors: Koehne Christine , Huang WenYen , Chesky Nataly
Published: April 2024

This study aims to understand the ways in which problem-based teaching in a mathematics content course can alleviate pre-service elementary school teachers' mathematics anxiety. The significance of this work is to help increase the content and pedagogical knowledge of mathematics education, as outlined in STEM policies. Using a mixed method approach, the teachers-researchers explore what methods, procedures, and other perhaps unknown variables, helped pre-service elementary teachers decrease their mathematics anxiety during two mathematics content courses. The findings illuminate five major themes the authors discuss, which are illustrated by rich descriptions of students’ narratives and interviews. Given the importance of mathematics education, particularly the need for strengthening it at the childhood level, this work contributes to a growing body of research that can help future elementary education teachers become exemplary educators.
Migration and the Constant Search for Self-Improvement in Africa
Authors:   University of Ghana, Kandilige Leander , Ampah Geraldine Asiwome , Abutima Theophilus Kwabena ,   University for Development Studies
Published: April 2024

Globally, narratives about the nexus between migration and development have gained prominence among academics, policymakers, development practitioners, as well as social partners. However, the historical and contextual factors that have shaped the patterns of migration flows within and from the African continent have been poorly conceptualized and theorized. The components of migration that have the propensity to lead to self-improvement and development such as the sending of cash, social, and political remittances; skills and knowledge transfers; and diaspora-origin country engagements, need to be examined as a composite in order to fully appreciate the developmental potential of migration within the African context. Using thematic and content analysis of relevant extant literature, we examine the contextual factors that characterize the nexus between migration and self-improvement/development in Africa. Our analyses are situated within an Africa-centered conceptualization of development and migration. We argue that the development impacts of migration vary across different regions in Africa depending on the contextual factors that shape such migrations. Migration spurs self-improvement and development just as self-improvement and development facilitate migration.
Researchers Expectations Towards Library Research Support Services (LRSS)
Authors: Singh Kuldeep , Siwach Anil Kumar
Published: April 2024

This cross-sectional study is aimed to identify the expectations and problems faced by faculty members and research scholars at Maharshi Dayanand University regarding library research support services (LRSS) under seven service dimensions. The research outcome reveals that the service most anticipated by the participants was ‘Database Services’ having the highest mean score, followed by ‘Infrastructure Facilities’ and ‘Institutional Repositories’. The least expected service was ‘Scholarly Communication Services’ which had the lowest mean score. The only service with significant differences between gender and qualifications was ‘Infrastructure Facilities’. In terms of challenges faced, the most noteworthy problems identified included inadequate funding for Article Processing Charges and limited access to computers in the library. Other problems included a lack of training in research support tools and ICT skills, lack of accessibility to library services from home, poor Internet connectivity, and lack of training/ consultation to use services. The library staff was reported to be helpful and supportive. The study provides insights into the expectations and problems of users in the context of LRSS. The study also highlights the imperative need for adequate funding for APCs and improved computer facilities, alongside targeted training initiatives for optimum use of research support tools and enhancing ICT skills to improve the efficacy of LRSS.
Citation Behaviour of Physics and Astronomy Researchers in the Western Himalayan Region
Authors: N Muruli , Harinarayana N. S.
Published: April 2024

The study aims to examine the citation behaviour of Physics and Astronomy researchers from Indian central universities in the Western Himalayan region. By employing Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny packages in R Studio, an analysis of 13,065 cited sources was conducted using data from the Scopus database over a ten-year span (2012- 2021). The findings highlight a preference for influential journal articles and reviews, with an inclination towards articles authored by two or three individuals. These findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders including researchers, policymakers, and funders, to enhance research impact in the region. The study also draws attention to ‘undefined’ tags in bibliographic data and calls for refinement in defining metadata to enhance bibliographic data quality and reliability.
Analysing Library and Information Science Articles Using Topic Modeling Approaches
Authors: Majhi Debasis , Mukherjee Bhaskar
Published: April 2024

Identifying trends in research through co-citation or content analysis of journal contents is quite a common practice in LIS research. In this study, however, we proposed the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a popular topic-modeling approach for identifying research trends of published articles in three Scopus-indexed Indian LIS journals. A total of 1213 titles & their abstracts published between 2011 and 2022 have been considered. From these data, a corpus of frequently used 15 key phrases was identified from each journal using Count Vectorizer and then ten topics having higher coherence scores were extracted from each journal corpus using LDA techniques to understand to what extent these topics are different in these journals. The analysis of the study indicates that ‘Library users’ studies’ especially in academic libraries; and ‘bibliometric indicators for measuring research growth are a few common topics in these journals and, technological innovation; utilisation of electronic and print information resources; library management; or network analysis are some of the topics that are journal specific. From the t-SNE visualisation and pyLDAvis diagram, it was seen that the topics of DJLIT are significantly unique with discrete distributions than the other two journals. On analysing the growth of the top ten topics longitudinally, it was seen that research on digital libraries, analysing the global output, online search strategy, ranking universities, etc. are concurrent interests of research among researchers while academic library resources, including electronic resources and its use, open access are among diminishing research interests of authors. Since the topic-modeling approach can provide results devoid of bias, it can be used to identify research land scape longitudinally as well as obsolescence of topic in a domain.
Mobile technologies in forestry sector: using smartphones to measure trees height
Authors: Faustino da Silva Junior Ivan , Lorensi do Canto Juliana , De Melo Almeida Débora , Meza Ucella Filho João Gilberto , Costa da Silva Gualter Guenther , Da Silva Santana José Augusto , Mota Oliveira Ermelinda Maria
Published: April 2024

This paper aims to evaluate the usage of the smartphone app “Smart Measure” to measure the tree’s height, comparing the results with real heights obtained using a measure tape after logging and with heights obtained with two hypsometer instruments (Suunto and TruPulse 200), usually used in forestry. We evaluated 30 trees of Eucalyptus spp. aged 6 years in a homogeneous planting. Trees were measured by 3 previously trained operators which didn’t have any communication between themselves. Tree’s height was obtained and analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses and factorial analyses. The ability and the training of the operator were determinant factors, but the three instruments presented the possibility to obtain trustable and precise height measurements, in a way that the app “Smart Measure” can be utilized with accuracy to measure the trees if there’s a previous training by the operator.
Space-Time Least-Squares Finite Element Methods for Parabolic Distributed Optimal Control Problems
Authors: Führer Thomas , Karkulik Michael
Published: April 2024

We present a method for the numerical approximation of distributed optimal control problems constrained by parabolic partial differential equations.
We complement the first-order optimality condition by a recently developed space-time variational formulation of parabolic equations which is coercive in the energy norm, and a Lagrange multiplier.
Our final formulation fulfills the Babuška–Brezzi conditions on the continuous as well as discrete level, without restrictions.
Consequently, we can allow for final-time desired states, and obtain an a posteriori error estimator which is efficient and reliable up to an additional discretization error of the adjoint problem.
Numerical experiments confirm our theoretical findings.
Liouville theorem on Ricci shrinkers with constant scalar curvature and its application
Authors: Mai Weixiong , Ou Jianyu
Published: April 2024

In this paper we consider harmonic functions on gradient shrinking Ricci solitons with constant scalar curvature. A Liouville theorem is proved without using gradient estimate: any bounded harmonic function is constant on gradient shrinking Ricci solitons with constant scalar curvature. As an application, we show that the space of harmonic functions with polynomial growth has finite dimension.
Auf Rädern
Authors: Liessmann Konrad Paul
Published: April 2024

The article outlines the basic lines of a phenomenology of driving. The starting point is the thesis that “driving” does not occur in nature and is therefore a form of movement reserved for humans, which is linked to the invention of the wheel. This invention expanded the possibilities of mobility in technical and social terms. We argue that, on the one hand, travelling on wheels strengthens individuality and the feeling of freedom, but on the other hand it has a strong socio-political component that is often ignored: Efficient driving requires a dense road network, and this only emerges as the achievement of a community. Referring back to Matthew B. Crawford’s philosophy of driving and Günther Anders’ philosophy of technology, the question of whether the “autonomous car” restricts or expands the freedom of drivers is discussed. Finally, it is shown that the concept of driving, as manifested above all in the automobile, has also had a significant influence on our concept of social progress. However, this concept has fallen into crisis due to the ecological collateral damage of combustion technology.
Pointwise convergence and nonlinear smoothing of the generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation
Authors: Yan Wei , Wang Weimin , Yan Xiangqian
Published: April 2024

This paper is devoted to studying the pointwise convergence problem and nonlinear smoothing of the generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation.
Firstly, we present an alternative proof of Theorem 1.5 of Linares and Ramos [Maximal function estimates and local well-posedness for the generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation, SIAM J. Math. Anal.
53 (2021), 1, 914–936] and Theorem 1.8 of Linares and Ramos [The Cauchy problem for the

L
2

L^{2}

-critical generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation in dimension 3, Comm. Partial Differential Equations
46 (2021), 9, 1601–1627].
Secondly, we give an alternative proof of Theorem 1.1 of Ribaud and Vento [A note on the Cauchy problem for the 2D generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equations, C. R. Math. Acad. Sci. Paris
350 (2012), 9–10, 499–503] and present the nonlinear smoothing and uniform convergence of two-dimensional generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation.
Thirdly, we give an alternative proof of Theorem 1.4 of Linares and Ramos [Maximal function estimates and local well-posedness for the generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation, SIAM J. Math. Anal.
53 (2021), 1, 914–936].
Finally, we study the nonlinear smoothing and uniform convergence of 𝑛-dimensional generalized Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation with

n
≥
3

n\geq 3

.