bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Occurence and risk factors of tuberculosis infection in orphanage children in Bali
Authors: Clearesta Kartika Eda , Mayangsari Ayu Setyorini Mestika , Wati Dyah Kanya , Purniti Ni Putu Siadi , Suwarba I Gusti Ngurah Made , Artana I Wayan Dharma
Published: May 2024

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that is still a common threat worldwide, especially in pediatric populations. TB transmission occurs particularly when the transmitter has no obvious manifestation of the disease. There is a higher incidence of TB infection in children than in the general population, especially in high risk populations such as children in orphanages. However, the incidence of TB infection in orphaned children in Indonesia, including Bali, is unknown.
Objective To describe the incidence and risk factors for TB infection in children in orphanages in Bali.
Methods This case-control study was conducted in 12 orphanages in Bali. Subjects were divided into a case group comprised of children with TB infection, and a control group comprised of those without TB infection. TB infection was diagnosed by positive tuberculin test without clinically confirmed TB.
Results A total of 175 children were recruited as subjects. There were 49 (28.0%) children with TB infection. Bivariate analysis revealed significant associations between density, humidity, ventilation/room area ratio, and area of ??origin with TB infection. Multivariate analysis showed that ventilation/room area ratio and room humidity of ?73% were independently positive correlated with TB infection. Natural lighting and BCG scar were not significantly different between groups.
Conclusion The  occurence of TB infection in children residing in orphanages in Bali  is high (28%). The risk factors identified independently  are lower ventilation and higher room humidity.
Comparative assessment of cognitive function of asthmatic and non-asthmatic children in Ilorin, Nigeria
Authors: Mohammed Salihu Sheni , Ibraheem Rasheedat Mobolaji , Abdulkadir Mohammed Baba , Adeboye Muhammed Akanbi Nurudeen , Gobir Aishatu Ahmed , Johnson Wahab Babatunde Rotimi
Published: May 2024

Background The presence of asthma in children may negatively impact their cognitive function, possibly due to intermittent hypoxia from repeated acute exacerbations, sleep deprivation, and school absenteeism. However, conflicting reports abound on cognitive performance among children with asthma.
Objective To assess and compare the cognitive function of asthmatic and non-asthmatic children in Ilorin, Nigeria. 
Methods This cross-sectional study compared the cognitive performance scores of 66 children with asthma aged 6-17 years, and the corresponding scores of 66 healthy age- and gender-matched children without asthma. Data obtained included sociodemographic, anthropometric, and clinical details. Cognitive function was assessed with the Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM) psychometric test.
Results  The male: female ratio was 1.3:1. The median RPM score of 50.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 25.0-75.0] in children with asthma was significantly higher than that of non-asthmatic children [32.5 (IQR 10.0-50.0)]; (P=0.016). A significantly higher proportion of asthmatic subjects (74.2%) were in the high grade RPM score category compared to the non-asthmatic children’s concomitant proportion (57.6%). Asthmatic subjects were twice as likely to belong to the high grade RPM score category than their non-asthmatic counterparts (OR=2.12; 95%CI 1.02 to 4.44; P=0.043). There was no significant association between RPM score grade and clinical severity of asthma in the subject population (P=0.554).
Conclusion  Children with asthma perform better in cognitive function assessment, using RPM test, compared to their non-asthmatic counterparts in Ilorin, Nigeria.
Nilai-Nilai Maqāṣid Dibalik Pertemuan Dengan Allah (Liqāallah) dalam QS. al-Kahfi [18]: 110 Perspektif Tafsir Maqāṣidi
Authors: Awwaliyyah Saadah , Ismail
Published: May 2024

Mayoritas manusia yang hidup saat ini menganggap pertemuan dengan Allah hanyalah fiktif belaka, belum tentu dirasakan oleh setiap manusia, juga hanya dapat di nikmati setelah adanya hari kebangkitan. Sehingga sangat mudah mengabaikan keberadaan Allah dengan menafikan nilai-nilai kebaikan menuju Allah. Tujuan tulisan ini untuk menggali makna Liqāallah denga mengangkat nilai-nilai maqāṣid al-Qur’an dan maqāṣid alsharia’ah dalam QS. Al-Kahfi[18]:110. Artikel ini termasuk jenis penelitian kepustakaan dengan metode analisis deskriptif yang diteliti  menggunakan pendekatan tafsir maqashidi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa lafadz Liqāallah tidak hanya bermakna pertemuan dengan Allah setelah hari akhir, tetapi juga bermakna ganjaran kebaikan dari Allah yang dapat diterima semasa hidup di dunia. Penulis juga menemukan nilai-nilai maqāṣid al-Qur’an dan maqāṣid al-sharia’ah dalam QS. AlKahfi[18]:110 yang dapat diterapkan dalam kehidupan seharihari. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat mengembalikan keyakinan manusia akan keberadaaan Allah dengan menanamkankembali nilai-nilai kebaikan menuju Allah. 
[The majority of people living today think that meeting God is just  a fiction, not necessarily felt by every human being, and can only  be enjoyed after the resurrection day. So it is very easy to ignore  the existence of Allah by denying the values of goodness towards  Allah. The aim of this article to explore the meaning of Liqāallah  by highlighting the values of maqāṣid al-Qur’an and maqāṣid alsharia’ah in the QS. Al-Kahfi[18]:110. This article is a type of library research with a descriptive analysis method that is researched using the maqāṣidi interpretation approach. The result of this research show that Liqāallah does not only mean meeting with Allah after thelast day, but it also of goodness from Allah can be received during life in the world. The author also finds the values of maqāṣid al-Qur’an and maqāṣid al-sharia’ah in the QS. Al-Kahfi[18]:110 which can be applied in everyday life. The result of this research are expetected to restore human belief in the exsistence of God by re-instilling good values toward Allah].
Puasa Dalam Al-Quran (Kajian Teks dan Konteks Serta Implikasi Etikanya)
Authors: Harpetinah  , Hakim Lukman Nul , Nur Kholifah Umi
Published: May 2024

Puasa merupakan salah satu rukun islam yang sangat penting, puasa juga salah satu ibadah yang tidak bisa berpura-pura, dibandingkan dengan ibadah yang lain, ibadah puasa memiliki keistimewaan, karena dalam pelaksanaan ibadah puasa bersifat pribadi karena hanya orang yang berpuasa dan Allah Swt yang mengetahui pelaksanaannya. Namun, dalam penelitian ini masih banyak yang perlu dipahami lebih lanjut terutama mengenai apa itu implikasi etika puasa dalam al-Qur’an. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif deskriptif analitis dengan menggunakan metode library research yang mana sumber data yang digunakan yaitu data-data kepustakaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis implikasi etika puasa dalam alQur’an dengan kajian teks dan konteks. Hasil dari penelitian ini bahwa implikasi etika puasa dalam al-Qur’an merupakan suatu hasil yang didapatkan setelah melakukan ibadah puasa sesuai dengan aturan dan anjuran yang ada dalam al-Qur’an diantaranya adalah ikhlas, tekad, ridho, pasrah, dan memiliki prinsip ihsan, sabar, sungguh-sungguh, dan memiliki prinsip tawakkal.
[ Fasting is one of the most important pillars of Islam, fasting is also a form of worship that cannot be pretended, compared to other worship, fasting has special features, because the implementation of fasting is personal because only the person who is fasting and Allah SWT knows its implementation. However, in this research there is still a lot that needs to be understood further, especially regarding the ethical implications of fasting in the Koran. This research is a descriptive analytical qualitative research using the library research method where the data source used is library data. This research aims to analyze the ethical implications of fasting in the Koran by studying the text and context. The results of this research are that the ethical implications of fasting in the Qur’an are the results obtained after fasting in accordance with the rules and recommendations in the Qur’an, including sincerity, determination, blessing, surrender, and having the principle of ihsan. , patient, sincere, and has the principle of tawakkal.]
ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF ARNICA MONTANA ON EDEMA AND ECCHYMOSIS IN RHINOPLASTY
Authors: Búrigo Ane Trento , Fagundes Marina Serrato Coelho
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Edema and ecchymosis are the two most common complications that occur in the immediate postoperative period after rhinoplasties. Arnica montana is a homeopathic medicine used in wound healing and to improve edema and ecchymosis. The purpose of this study is to compare the benefit of Arnica montana used topically with the oral route after rhinoplasty. Methods: In this clinical trial, study subjects were divided into three groups. The first group received topical Arnica montana gel, the second group received it orally, and the third was the control group. Patients had photographs taken to analyze the edema and ecchymosis on the 1st and 7th postoperative days. The photographs were analyzed by two peer reviewers, who classified the edema and ecchymosis in degrees. Results: The mean age was 27.08 years, ranging from 16 to 53 years old. Female individuals predominated. For the two variables analyzed (edema and ecchymosis), results indicate there is no significant difference between the groups at both assessment times. Conclusion: In our prospective study, we found no significant differences between patients who underwent rhinoplasty who received the perioperative homeopathic medicine Arnica montana orally and topically from those in the control group.
ASSESSMENT OF NASAL IRRIGATION WITH XYLITOL IN THE POSTOPERATIVE ENDOSCOPIC SURGERIES OF PARANASAL SINUSES
Authors: Silva Caroline Feliz Fonseca Sepeda da , Silva Flávia Emilly Rodrigues da , Pauna Henrique F. , Hurtado Johann G. G. Melcherts , Santos Marco Cesar
Published: May 2024

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a condition of nasal inflammation that requires multifactorial treatment, including surgery, with indication of nasal irrigation to reduce nasal symptoms. Xylitol can be associated with nasal irrigation due to its therapeutic effect. Our study aims to assess the relationship between the effects of nasal irrigation with saline solution compared to xylitol through clinical questionnaires (visual analogue scale, NOSE and SNOT-22). Fifty-two patients, divided into two groups (26 in the “Xylitol” group and 26 in the “Saline” group) answered validated questionnaires in Portuguese about their nasal symptoms (nasal obstruction, runny nose, need to blow out sneezes, among others), and general symptoms, before and after endoscopic endonasal surgery, after a period of 30 days of nasal irrigation. The “Xylitol” group showed significant improvement in pain symptoms and nasal symptoms after surgery and irrigation using a xylitol solution. The “Saline” group also showed improvement in symptoms, but to a lesser extent. Our study suggests that xylitol solutions can be used in the postoperative period of endoscopic endonasal surgery, as it leads to a greater reduction in nasal symptoms without incurring higher costs to patients.
COMPARATIVE TOMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE FRONTAL BEAK AND ITS CORRELATIONS
Authors: Amadeu Nicole Tássia , Scarabotto Patricia Cristina , Iwamoto Cassio Wassano
Published: May 2024

Introduction: The frontal sinus has a complex and varied anatomy, being considered challenging in the nasosinusal surgical approach. Tomographic anatomical landmarks, such as the frontal beak (FB), are essential for understanding and planning strategies for the treatment of this region. Objective: to investigate tomographic measurements of the FB and its correlations, focusing on the angle formed between the FB, columella and frontal sinus ostium (FCO). Methods: Retrospective and analytical study, based on the review of medical records of computed tomography scans of the paranasal sinuses, independently evaluated by two otolaryngologists. Divergent data were reassessed by a third experienced surgeon. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: CT scans of 50 patients aged 19 to 73 years were studied, totaling 100 images. Columella-FB distance and FB thickness were higher in men (p≤0.001); the size of the frontal ostium (FOD) was smaller the greater the number of frontal cells (p=0.012) and FCO angle (p=0.003); the FCO angle varied according to the position of the FB (FOG) (p<0.001), level of surgical difficulty (p<0.001) and columella-FB distance (p=0.017); the most prevalent frontal cell was the agger nasi (97%). Discussion: Thickness and location of the FB, as well as FOD, are known to be related to the difficulty of surgical access to the frontal recess, and the FCO angle showed a significant correlation with the measures studied. Conclusion: The frontal beak is a constant structure, which measurements and correlations, such as the FCO angle, can configure an auxiliary tool for the otolaryngologist and serve as basis for future studies.
USE OF PROBIOTICS IN ALLERGIC RHINITS: A PILOT STUDY
Authors: Costa Rafael Augusto , Mizoguchi Flavio Massao
Published: May 2024

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a nasal inflammatory disease. It manifests itself with nasal obstruction/blockage, rhinorrhea, itching and sneezing in response to contact with allergens. Its diagnosis is clinical and confirmed with allergy tests. Its treatment may involve antihistamines, topical corticosteroids, as well as immunotherapy, which is considered the only treatment capable of altering the clinical history of the disease. To evaluate the use of probiotics to control allergic rhinitis symptoms. This is a comparative experimental pilot study in which 11 adult employees were evaluated in 4 weeks and, of these, 9 were also evaluated in 8 weeks. Everyone used 0.9% physiological solution, budesonide 200 mcg/day nasally and desloratadine, when necessary. Among the volunteers, 7 also used the combination of probiotics, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175, one capsule a day. There was statistical relevance in the probiotic group for sneezing in the 4-week evaluation and for nasal obstruction in the 8-week evaluation. The results of this comparative pilot study may have been influenced by the small sample size. Even so, it was possible to find data with statistical relevance that confirmed the benefit of using probiotics, mainly to reduce sneezing and nasal obstruction. Despite being a promising form of RA treatment, more studies are needed on the use of probiotics for this purpose.
THE PERCEPTION OF BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER IN RHINOPLASTY BY FACIAL PLASTIC SURGEONS
Authors: Carvalho Thaís Cristina , Pires Ícaro de Almeida Toledo , Soares Caio Márcio Correia , Neto Odin Ferreira do Amaral , Souza Thiago Sasso Carmona de
Published: May 2024

Rhinoseptoplasty is among the most performed aesthetic/functional procedures in the world. Among those who seek surgery are those whose aesthetic defect, real or imagined, is interpreted by themselves in a disproportionate way, leading to suffering and/or significant impairment of psychosocial functioning and quality of life. These are diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). These are patients who commonly have high expectations regarding the surgical outcome and who are often not satisfied post-operatively. The objective of this study was to correlate the profile of the rhinoplasty surgeon with the perception of BDD in their daily practice, analyzing whether the professional’s profile influences the perception or approach of patients with body self-image disorders. This is a cross-sectional and analytical study carried out with 80 surgeons, who completed a questionnaire related to the surgeon’s profile, professionals’ level of knowledge about TDC and how they approach these patients. Results: There was a very similar distribution of respondents in terms of gender, with a slight predominance of male surgeons, the vast majority of whom were otorhinolaryngologists with up to two years of practice in the specialty. Most respondents stated that they were unfamiliar with BDD, not even carrying out the assessment or screening, and were unaware of the disorder’s diagnostic methods. Most participants reported having come across patients with BDD in the last year, including operating on them, and showing less satisfaction with the result of the procedure, which led to threats in some cases. The frequency of screening for Body Dysmorphic Disorder was associated with length of time in the profession, and having knowledge about BDD was also associated with years of practice in rhinoplasty and the number of annual rhinoplasties. Overall, having knowledge about TDC was associated with years of rhinoplasty practice, as well as with the number of rhinoplasties performed per year.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE THREEDIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION OF FACIAL CT SCANS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE STEREOPHOTOGRAMMETRY
Authors: Cardoso Hyngridhy Sanmay da Silva , Cavalcanti Gabriel Zorron
Published: May 2024

The use of 3D technology has become important in the practice of surgeons, due to the limitations of 2D photographs. This is a prospective, analytical, and comparative study, which aims to analyze in a comparative way the three-dimensional reconstruction of two different systems, through computed tomography of the face and the respective stereophotogrammetry acquired from the same face. It was possible to reconstruct a total of 25 meshes from participants who underwent facial tomography and photogrammetry at the IPO Hospital. The study aims to describe the computerized technique of three-dimensional reconstruction of the face and mainly to evaluate the equivalence of the surface of the face obtained by two different techniques that propose the analysis of the anatomy. The first mesh was obtained by computed tomography. The second by the stereophotogrammetry technique, with capture performed by the clOner scanner and with the reconstruction of the mesh in the Reality Capture application. In addition, to demonstrate a three-dimensional facial evaluation system without ionizing radiation, low cost, and high availability. The results obtained were sufficient to demonstrate the equivalence between the meshes. Thus, stereophotogrammetry of the face is a new option for anatomical analysis of the face. It does not cause discomfort or risks to the patient and increases the possibilities of analysis.
Houttuynia cordata Thunb: Ethnobotanical and availability notes in the Cu Chi district, Vietnam
Authors: Tran Thanh Thang , Le Thi Thuy Tien , Nguyen Thi Truc Thi
Published: May 2024

Houttuynia cordata, a plant with a long history of traditional medicinal and culinary uses across different cultures, has shown effectiveness in treating various ailments in Southeast Asia. The Cu Chi district of southern Vietnam, is home to 35 out of the country's 54 ethnic minority groups, making it an ideal location to investigate the traditional uses and availability of H. cordata within the local community. The study findings reveal notable differences in leaf anatomy, thickness, and vascular bundles, which can be attributed to variations in soil conditions. The Phu My Hung area, characterized by lower soil moisture and nutrient content, indicates more pronounced drought conditions. H. cordata from this region exhibits higher antioxidant capacity and develops lignified cells as an adaptation to dry conditions, thereby enhancing water use efficiency. The findings of this study highlight the significant implications of the distinct populations of H. cordata belonging to the same species. These populations have undergone morphological and physiological adaptations in response to their specific ecological conditions. Notably, the H. cordata population from drought-prone areas such as Phu My Hung exhibits remarkable potential for medicinal applications. This suggests that the unique environmental pressures in these regions have influenced the plant's composition and properties, making it a valuable resource for medicinal research and potential therapeutic developments. The identification and utilization of such adaptations in H. cordata populations could have far-reaching implications in the field of medicine, offering new avenues for drug discovery and the treatment of various ailments.
Question mark ear deformity: a case study and surgical technique
Authors: Jadeedi Sondus Al , Al-Alawi Khalifa , Al-Busaidi Said
Published: May 2024

Clefts of the ear are rare and typically develop within the earlobe. They were first described by Vincent et al. in association with urogenital anomalies. Subsequently, Cosman reported them in 1970, referring to the condition as “question mark ear,” which led to its naming. This deformity is infrequently reported and is not well-documented in the literature. In this paper, we present the first reported case in the Omani population of bilateral Cosman ear, associated with a mild cranial deformity. We also discuss the social impact of this condition and introduce our corrective technique for moderate forms of deformity.
Social Change and Demythologization: (A Reading of Kuntowijoyo's Novels)
Authors: Effendy Chairil , Asrori Muhammad
Published: May 2024

This study attempts to read Kuntowijoyo's thoughts in five of his novels, namely Kereta Api yang Berangkat Pagi Hari (KAyBPH, 1966), Pasar (1972), Khotbah di Atas Bukit (KdAB, 1976), Mantra Pejinak Ular (MPU, 2000), and Wasripin dan Satinah (WS, 2003). Through heuristic and hermeneutic readings and analysis using a socio-historical approach, the following results were obtained. First, the five novels contain a common thread of relatively similar issues, namely social change. The first novel emphasizes social change in the village community in the post-war Sala region. It illustrates that the village community is still in the value system of "guyub rukun", although it has been infiltrated by the values of individualism. The second novel emphasizes social change with the setting of a market in Java. It depicts a society that is entering an era of madness (manners are violated, capital owners act exploitatively, government officials work at will); only those who are eling (remembering) and vigilant and understand the role of taste will survive life. The third novel emphasizes the social changes caused by development that is too physical, neglecting spiritual development, so that people lose their grip on life. The fourth novel emphasizes the social changes in the sub-district around Sala under the New Order regime. There is resistance from community members to the party's power, but it is subtle. Furthermore, in the last novel, social changes in the fishing community on the North Coast of Java under the New Order regime are also emphasized. The heavy pressure of socio-economic life gave birth to the myth of Ratu Adil. The treatment of the authoritarian regime was met with strong resistance: the community attacked and killed the security forces who engineered injustice. Secondly, socio-historically, the five novels show the development of problems in Indonesian society. Thirdly, all five novels show the details of the physical location of villages in Java, as well as the socio-cultural values of the people. Fourth, the novels show the author's response to the social life of Indonesian society from the beginning of independence to under the New Order regime.
Comprehensive Evaluation of GNN Training Systems: A Data Management Perspective
Authors: Yuan Hao , Liu Yajiong , Zhang Yanfeng , Ai Xin , Wang Qiange , Chen Chaoyi , Gu Yu , Yu Ge
Published: May 2024

Many Graph Neural Network (GNN) training systems have emerged recently to support efficient GNN training. Since GNNs embody complex data dependencies between training samples, the training of GNNs should address distinct challenges different from DNN training in data management, such as data partitioning, batch preparation for mini-batch training, and data transferring between CPUs and GPUs. These factors, which take up a large proportion of training time, make data management in GNN training more significant. This paper reviews GNN training from a data management perspective and provides a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the representative approaches. We conduct extensive experiments on various benchmark datasets and show many interesting and valuable results. We also provide some practical tips learned from these experiments, which are helpful for designing GNN training systems in the future.
DAHA: Accelerating GNN Training with Data and Hardware Aware Execution Planning
Authors: Li Zhiyuan , Jian Xun , Wang Yue , Shao Yingxia , Chen Lei
Published: May 2024

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have been gaining a reputation for effective modeling of graph data. Yet, it is challenging to train GNNs efficiently. Many frameworks have been proposed but most of them suffer from high batch preparation cost and data transfer cost for mini-batch training. In addition, existing works have limitations on the device utilization pattern, which results in fewer opportunities for pipeline parallelism. In this paper, we present DAHA, a GNN training framework with data and hardware aware execution planning to accelerate end-to-end GNN training. We first propose a data and hardware aware cost model that is lightweight and gives accurate estimates on per-operation time cost for arbitrary input and hardware settings. Based on the cost model, we further explore the optimal execution plan for the data and hardware with three optimization strategies with pipeline parallelism: (1) group-based in-turn pipelining of batch preparation neural training to explore more optimization opportunities and prevent batch preparation bottlenecks; (2) data and hardware aware rewriting for intra-batch execution planning to improve computation efficiency and create more opportunities for pipeline parallelism; and (3) inter-batch scheduling to further boost the training efficiency. Extensive experiments demonstrate that DAHA can consistently and significantly accelerate end-to-end GNN training and generalize to different message-passing GNN models.
RTScan: Efficient Scan with Ray Tracing Cores
Authors: Lv Yangming , Zhang Kai , Wang Ziming , Zhang Xiaodong , Lee Rubao , He Zhenying , Jing Yinan , Wang X. Sean
Published: May 2024

Indexing is a core technique for accelerating predicate evaluation in databases. After many years of effort, the indexing performance has reached its peak on the existing hardware infrastructure. We propose to use ray tracing (RT) cores to move the indexing performance and efficiency to another level by addressing the following technical challenges: (1) the lack of an efficient mapping of predicate evaluation to a ray tracing job and (2) the poor performance by the heavy and imbalanced ray load when processing skewed datasets. These challenges set obstacles to effectively exploiting RT cores for predicate evaluation.

In this paper, we propose RTScan, an approach that leverages RT cores to accelerate index scans. RTScan transforms the evaluation of conjunctive predicates into an efficient ray tracing job in a three-dimensional space. A set of techniques are designed in RTScan, i.e., Uniform Encoding, Data Sieving, and Matrix RT Refine, which significantly enhances the parallelism of scans on RT cores while lightening and balancing the ray load. With the proposed techniques, RTScan achieves high performance for datasets with either uniform or skewed distributions and queries with different selectivities. Extensive evaluations demonstrate that RTScan enhances the scan performance on RT cores by five orders of magnitude and outperforms the state-of-the-art approach on CPU by up to 4.6×.
Sorting on Byte-Addressable Storage: The Resurgence of Tree Structure
Authors: Zheng Ying , Tan Kian-Lee
Published: May 2024

The tree structure is notably popular for storage and indexing; however, tree-based sorting such as tree sort is rarely used in practice. Nevertheless, with the advent of byte-addressable storage (BAS), the tree structure captures our attention with its write-once property. This property aligns well with BAS's asymmetric read-write characteristics. In this paper, we seek to answer the question: Can tree-based sorting algorithms outperform existing algorithms in the hybrid DRAM-BAS system? To address this, first, we conduct a comprehensive study to assess the compatibility of existing sorting algorithms with such hybrid memory systems and explore the challenges. We then delve into various design dimensions of tree-sort algorithms which leads to an optimized variant,
TSort.
Finally, a comparative analysis is conducted among three different sets of sorting algorithms, including in-place sorts, external sorts, and tree-based sorts. The results indicate that TSort not only challenges the traditional negative perceptions of the tree structure in sorting but also exhibits excellent performance. It outperforms all other counterparts across diverse datasets, whether uniformly distributed or skewed, in most cases.
AeonG: An Efficient Built-in Temporal Support in Graph Databases
Authors: Hou Jiamin , Zhao Zhanhao , Wang Zhouyu , Lu Wei , Jin Guodong , Wen Dong , Du Xiaoyong
Published: May 2024

Real-world graphs are often dynamic and evolve over time. It is crucial for storing and querying a graph's evolution in graph databases. However, existing works either suffer from high storage overhead or lack efficient temporal query support, or both. In this paper, we propose AeonG, a new graph database with built-in temporal support. AeonG is based on a novel temporal graph model. To fit this model, we design a storage engine and a query engine. Our storage engine is hybrid, with one current storage to manage the most recent versions of graph objects, and another historical storage to manage the previous versions of graph objects. This separation makes the performance degradation of querying the most recent graph object versions as slight as possible. To reduce the historical storage overhead, we propose a novel
anchor+delta
strategy, in which we periodically create a complete version (namely anchor) of a graph object, and maintain every change (namely delta) between two adjacent anchors of the same object. To boost temporal query processing, we propose an anchor-based version retrieval technique in the query engine to skip unnecessary historical version traversals. Extensive experiments are conducted on both real and synthetic datasets. The results show that AeonG achieves up to 5.73× lower storage consumption and 2.57× lower temporal query latency against state-of-the-art approaches, while introducing only 9.74% performance degradation for supporting temporal features.
Subthalamic nucleus synchronization between beta band local field potential and single‐unit activity in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Bayman Eric , Chee Keanu , Mendlen Madelyn , Denman Daniel J. , Tien Rex N. , Ojemann Steven , Kramer Daniel R. , Thompson John A.
Published: May 2024

Local field potential (LFP) oscillations in the beta band (13–30 Hz) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of Parkinson's disease patients have been implicated in disease severity and treatment response. The relationship between single‐neuron activity in the STN and regional beta power changes remains unclear. We used spike‐triggered average (STA) to assess beta synchronization in STN. Beta power and STA magnitude at the beta frequency range were compared in three conditions: STN versus other subcortical structures, dorsal versus ventral STN, and high versus low beta power STN recordings. Magnitude of STA‐LFP was greater within the STN compared to extra‐STN structures along the trajectory path, despite no difference in percentage of the total power. Within the STN, there was a higher percent beta power in dorsal compared to ventral STN but no difference in STA‐LFP magnitude. Further refining the comparison to high versus low beta peak power recordings inside the STN to evaluate if single‐unit activity synchronized more strongly with beta band activity in areas of high beta power resulted in a significantly higher STA magnitude for areas of high beta power. Overall, these results suggest that STN single units strongly synchronize to beta activity, particularly units in areas of high beta power.
Zur Bedeutung der Hintergrundbelastung bei toxikologischen Untersuchungen an historischem Schriftgut
Authors: Arndt Torsten , Stemmerich Karsten
Published: May 2024

Im 19. Jahrhundert wurden zur Gestaltung von Büchern oft prächtige schwermetallhaltige Pigmente verwendet. Ist das in unseren Bibliotheken und Museen bewahrte historische Schriftgut dadurch „Gefährlich Schön“ (Hawksley)? Geht von den auf den Buchschnitten und -einbänden aufgelagerten und zum Teil auch im Staub enthaltenen arsenhaltigen Pigmenten eine Gesundheitsgefährdung aus? Wir gehen diesen Fragen nach, indem wir die an der Universitätsbibliothek Kiel erhobenen Daten in Bezug zur natürlichen Arsen-Hintergrundkonzentration sowie zur täglichen obligaten Arsenaufnahme setzen.
Promoting interaction and lowering speaking anxiety in an EMI course: a group dynamic assessment approach
Authors: Kao Yu-Ting
Published: May 2024

This study first examined the effectiveness of applying the Group Dynamic Assessment (G-DA) approach to assessing the oral skills of non-native English-speaking university students who are provided with mediation by their teacher in a small group setting. Second, it aimed to understand whether employing innovative G-DA techniques could reduce the speaking anxiety felt by university students if they received support from either their teacher or their peers during assessment. Fifty freshmen’ speaking performance on TOEFL integrated speaking tasks, and their responses to the teacher’s mediation in groups were compared. Results showed that (1) the G-DA approach could be a beneficial tool for assessing English oral proficiency in the EMI context, and (2) the procedures involved in G-DA helped university students feel less anxiety when prompted to respond orally. It provides insights into an alternative approach to assessment which can be employed to group learning in the context of EMI courses.
“Avenging the Nation”. Freedom of the Press and Constitutional Deliverance in Trollope’s Palliser Novels
Authors: Nicolini Matteo
Published: May 2024

This essay examines the notion of constitutional deliverance within the Victorian settlement. The expression points to the way constitutional arrangements react to threats that may disrupt the politico-legal order. Rooted in constitutional morality, it entails executing justice, restoring order, and protecting individuals’ rights and freedoms. To this end, it analyses Phineas Finn, Phineas Redux, and The Prime Minister, i.e. three of the six Anthony Trollope’s Palliser Novels, and explores whether the freedom of the press executed constitutional deliverance in the Victorian era. The essay will focus on Mr Quintus Slide, the editor of the People’s Banner, whose acts of moralisation seem to fit into the (political and biblical) notion of deliverance. The article argues that Slide used the press not to deliver the Nation, but to avenge his own interests. In so doing, he contradicted the idea of constitutional deliverance as embedded in Parliament, where the anointed Monarch summons His body politic to execute justice and protect it.
The Paradoxes of Sin: Vengeance as Death Drive in Janet Lewis’s The Wife of Martin Guerre
Authors: Carpi Daniela
Published: May 2024

If revenge functions to compensate for inequity arising from an initial transgression, thereby restoring equity, can we speak of restoration of an equitable social or personal situation in Janet Lewis’s novel The Wife of Martin Guerre (1941)? This work belongs to Janet Lewis’s series of three novels based on “Cases of Circumstantial Evidence”, of which The Wife of Martin Guerre is the most famous. It concerns the case of Martin Guerre, the sixteenth-century French peasant who apparently returned home to his wife after a long absence but was later revealed to be an impostor. The wife at first believes that the impostor is indeed her husband, then starts to have doubts, gathers information to contest his assertions, develops an exaggerated religious sense of guilt for the sin of adultery, and successfully sues him, leading to his being hanged. Several questions arise: is she justified in feeling guilty for having given in to sexual attraction, thus blinding herself to the available clues pointing to the impostor’s deception? Can the outcome be considered an equitable result, despite the fact that the false Martin Guerre was actually a good administrator, dealing fairly both with his subjects and his wife, and thus created a much more harmonious life for everybody than the lawful husband had done? I consider the story as a case of revenge stemming from an incorrect religious perspective, or alternatively narcissistic damage, which does not bring about redress of a tort, but rather social unhappiness.
Loyal to Whom? Friends, Spies, Revenge, and Our Man in Havana
Authors: Rossi Giuseppe
Published: May 2024

The essay deals with the law and revenge issue, questioning the fundamental assumption according to which the law, by its own nature, should act as a substitute for vengeance. Provided that both law and revenge have their common grounds on the different, and at times conflicting, feelings of resentment and loyalty, the paper maintains that law can prevent revenge only if it is trusted by the victims, being itself a part to a bond of loyalty. Graham Greene’s 1958 “entertainment” Our Man in Havana is chosen as a reference scenario. The paper analyses the characters’ attitudes towards the law, their resentments, and their bonds of loyalty, and investigates the emotional scenario behind the two revenges mentioned in the novel. Finally, the essay maintains that each person’s degree of trust in the law, and therefore their willingness to renounce revenge, depends on that person’s own choices and inner feelings about themselves and the community.
Understanding Cooperation in Russian–Turkish Energy Relations
Authors: Akgül Pınar
Published: May 2024

This article conceptualises one of the most important factors shaping the Russian–Turkish multidimensional partnership—the dynamics around energy. It seeks to answer the question: “To what extent does energy ensure cooperation in Russian–Turkish relations, despite current tensions?” The author argues that even though the two countries have had disagreements over each other’s involvement in certain energy projects, their shared interests in energy have been strengthened by their interdependence and have led to a greater convergence, which in turn allows for cooperation. As a result, the energy sector serves as a mitigating factor in bilateral relations. The author focuses on Russian and non-Russian natural gas pipeline projects, using the interdependence theory as a theoretical framework.
FT4-to-FT3 ratio is a novel prognostic marker in subacute combined spinal cord degeneration patients
Authors: Luo Song , Wang Xiao-rui , Yang Li-juan , Zou Liang-yu
Published: May 2024

Objectives

The FT4-to-FT3 ratio (FFR) variations in patients with subacute combined spinal cord degeneration (SCSD) as a potentially useful prognostic indicator are still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the changes of FFR as a potentially valuable prognostic predictor in patients with SCSD.

Methods

This study included 144 consecutive SCSD patients who received standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedures between January 2015 and December 2021 and were admitted to the Department of Neurology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University. At the time of admission, we gathered data on all patients’ demographics, daily routines, previous chronic conditions, medication histories, and other clinical details. For the purpose of measuring FFR, blood samples were specifically taken within 48 h of admission. The degree of neurological impairment of patients was assessed using the functional disability scale at the time of admission. At 6 months following discharge, the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to evaluate the clinical prognosis. To evaluate the relationship between the FFR and the risks of a poor outcome (mRS > 2), univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized. The significance of the FT4/FT3 ratio in predicting the clinical outcomes in SCSD patients 6 months after discharge was assessed using the area under curve-receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC).

Results

About 90 patients (62.5%) of the 144 patients had poor outcomes, while 54 (37.5%) had favorable outcomes. Higher FFR at admission was independently linked to higher odds of a poor outcome, according to a logistic analysis. With an optimized cutoff value of >2.843, the FFR exhibited the maximum accuracy for predicting a poor outcome, according to the AUC‒ROC curve (AUC 0.731, P < 0.001; sensitivity, 77.8%; specificity, 83.3%). FFR was identified as an independent predictor of poor outcomes by multivariate logistic regression (OR, 2.244; 95% CI, 1.74–2.90; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

We discovered that in patients who had a bad result 6 months after discharge, the FFR had dramatically increased at the time of admission, providing a unique prognostic marker in patients with SCSD.
Dissecting Mismatch Negativity: Early and Late Subcomponents for Detecting Deviants in Local and Global Sequence Regularities
Authors: Huang Yiyuan Teresa , Wu Chien-Te , Koike Shinsuke , Chao Zenas C.
Published: May 2024

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is commonly recognized as a neural signal of prediction error evoked by deviants from the expected patterns of sensory input. Studies show that MMN diminishes when sequence patterns become more predictable over a longer timescale. This implies that MMN is composed of multiple subcomponents, each responding to different levels of temporal regularities. To probe the hypothesized subcomponents in MMN, we record human electroencephalography during an auditory local–global oddball paradigm where the tone-to-tone transition probability (local regularity) and the overall sequence probability (global regularity) are manipulated to control temporal predictabilities at two hierarchical levels. We find that the size of MMN is correlated with both probabilities and the spatiotemporal structure of MMN can be decomposed into two distinct subcomponents. Both subcomponents appear as negative waveforms, with one peaking early in the central-frontal area and the other late in a more frontal area. With a quantitative predictive coding model, we map the early and late subcomponents to the prediction errors that are tied to local and global regularities, respectively. Our study highlights the hierarchical complexity of MMN and offers an experimental and analytical platform for developing a multitiered neural marker applicable in clinical settings.
Unsupervised Characterization of Prediction Error Markers in Unisensory and Multisensory Streams Reveal the Spatiotemporal Hierarchy of Cortical Information Processing
Authors: Ghosh Priyanka , Talwar Siddharth , Banerjee Arpan
Published: May 2024

Elicited upon violation of regularity in stimulus presentation, mismatch negativity (MMN) reflects the brain's ability to perform automatic comparisons between consecutive stimuli and provides an electrophysiological index of sensory error detection whereas P300 is associated with cognitive processes such as updating of the working memory. To date, there has been extensive research on the roles of MMN and P300 individually, because of their potential to be used as clinical markers of consciousness and attention, respectively. Here, we intend to explore with an unsupervised and rigorous source estimation approach, the underlying cortical generators of MMN and P300, in the context of prediction error propagation along the hierarchies of brain information processing in healthy human participants. The existing methods of characterizing the two ERPs involve only approximate estimations of their amplitudes and latencies based on specific sensors of interest. Our objective is twofold: first, we introduce a novel data-driven unsupervised approach to compute latencies and amplitude of ERP components accurately on an individual-subject basis and reconfirm earlier findings. Second, we demonstrate that in multisensory environments, MMN generators seem to reflect a significant overlap of “modality-specific” and “modality-independent” information processing while P300 generators mark a shift toward completely “modality-independent” processing. Advancing earlier understanding that multisensory contexts speed up early sensory processing, our study reveals that temporal facilitation extends to even the later components of prediction error processing, using EEG experiments. Such knowledge can be of value to clinical research for characterizing the key developmental stages of lifespan aging, schizophrenia, and depression.
Pandemija i ja: psihološki aspekti krize izazvane pandemijom bolesti COVID-19
Authors: Vulić-Prtorić Anita , Bodrožić Selak Matea , Sturnela Paola
Published: May 2024

U ovoj monografiji prikazan je istraživačko-edukativni projekt Pandemija i ja u kojem su sudjelovali studenti psihologije i njihovi prijatelji i poznanici, njih ukupno oko 750. Projekt je pokrenut na početku pandemije (u ožujku 2020. godine) u sklopu nastave iz kolegija Zdravstvena psihologija i Praktikum iz psihodijagnostike na Odjelu za psihologiju Sveučilišta u Zadru. Cilj projekta bio je pružanje međusobne psihološke potpore i poticanje mentalno-zdravstvene pismenosti, a u svrhu prevencije negativnih psiholoških posljedica pandemije. Nas tri autorice zajedno s našim studentima prve i druge godine diplomskog studija, osmišljavale smo online upitnike i anketna pitanja, psihoedukativne materijale, radile analizu prikupljenih podataka i obavještavale sudionike o dobivenim rezultatima. Na temelju analize pokazatelja psihičkog zdravlja može se zaključiti da se u ovom istraživanju radilo o sudionicima koji su se dobro nosili sa novonastalom situacijom. Dobiveni rezultati sastavni su dio nekoliko diplomskih i završnih radova naših studenata te prezentacija na stručnim i znanstvenim skupovima. No, više od svega, ovaj je projekt za velik broj nas bio oblik međusobne podrške i način da što lakše prođemo kroz ovo krizno razdoblje.