bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Exact Calculation For The Debates Between Two Chinese Children More Than Two Thousands Years Ago
Authors: Li Hui , Pang Xinyi , Sun Bixia
Published: February 2024

In the ancient Chinese collection “Liezi · Tangwen”, there is a story about an argument between two children comparing the distance of the sun in the morning and at noon. One child argued based on the sun’s size, while the other arguedbased on the temperature. Confucius was unable to determine who was right, and today’s students who read the story from Chinese elementary school textbooks face the same dilemma. This paper aims to bridge the gap between Chinese literature and physics by providing scientific facts to the story. It will examine the impact of revolution and rotation on the difference in distance between morning and noon, and then combine them to determine which is closer. The findings show that the result is more complex than expected.
Clinical Value of Folate-Receptor Positive Circulating Tumor Cell in Diagnosing Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Liang Liu , Ye Wei , Rao Hui , Guo Xuemin
Published: February 2024

Backgrounds: Folate receptor-positive circulating tumor cells (FR+CTCs) have been proven effective in cancer diagnosis; this study aims to investigate the clinical significance of FR+CTC in diagnosing papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients.
Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 1129 patients. Ligand-targeted polymerase chain reaction (LT-PCR) was utilized to detect FR+CTC. Variables with statistical significance were selected to draw the ROC curves, and accordingly, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were calculated for comparison. The clinical data were used to construct univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. A predicting model was established, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
Results: 846 patients were finally included, of which 433 were clustered into the benign group and 413 were categorized into the papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) group. There were significant differences between FR+CTC, TSH, TT3, FT3, Tg, TgAb, and Age of the two groups (P＜0.05). The AUCs of the above seven risk factors were 0.690 (95% CI, 0.654-0.725), 0.632 (95% CI, 0.594-0.669), 0.567 (95% CI, 0.528-0.606), 0.585 (95% CI, 0.547-0.623), 0.735 (95% CI, 0.701-0.769), 0.588 (95% CI, 0.549-0.626) and 0.646 (95% CI, 0.609-0.683), respectively. The AUC of the combined model was 0.815 (95% CI, 0.785-0.844). The univariate and multivariate analysis identified age (OR, 0.41; 95% CI: 0.29-0.57), FR+CTC (OR, 3.7; 95% CI: 2.65–5.22), TSH (OR, 3.18; 95% CI: 2.22-4.59) and Tg (OR, 0.25; 95% CI: 0.18-0.35) as independent predictors.
Conclusions: FR+CTCs is a potential biomarker to distinguish PTC and is correlated with tumor location, ATA risk stratification (between high risk and low risk group), and N stage.
Trial registration: Not applicable.
All-Inorganic Ultrathin High Sensitivity Transparent Temperature Sensor Based on Mn-Co-Ni-O Nanofilms
Authors: Liu Changbo , Cui Yuanyuan , Sun Mengwei , Deng Yuan
Published: February 2024

The demand for optically transparent temperature sensors in intelligent devices is escalating. However, the performances of these sensors, particularly their sensitivity and resolution, require further enhancement. This study introduces a novel transparent and highly sensitive temperature sensor, characterized by its ultra-thin, freestanding design, and based on Mn-Co-Ni-O nanofilms. The Mn-Co-Ni-O-based sensor exhibits remarkable sensitivity, with a temperature coefficient of resistance of -4%℃-1, and is capable of detecting minuscule temperature fluctuations as small as 0.03 ℃. Additionally, the freestanding sensor can be transferred to any substrate for versatile application while maintaining robust structural stability and excellent resistance to interference, indicating its suitability for operation in challenging environments. The vertical integration of the sensor and a micro light-emitting diode on a polyimide substrate demonstrates its practical utility in monitoring the surface temperature of optical devices. Moreover, the implantation experiment of the sensor in rats confirms its favorable biocompatibility, highlighting the sensor's promising applications in the biomedical domain.
Experience of Chinese oncology nurses in providing care for patients with cutaneous toxicity of immunotherapy: A qualitative study
Authors: Yang Zhihui , Liu Suting , Li Xingwen , Su Qing , Luo Yuanyuan , Lu Ruiqi , Miao Jingxia , Zhang Lili
Published: February 2024

Background: Immune-related cutaneous adverse events are the most frequently observed reactions in patients with cancer and significantly affect their quality of life. Hence, the administration of immunotherapy to patients poses a challenge to and is the responsibility of nurses. However, currently, there is limited knowledge regarding the experience of Chinese oncology nurses in caring for patients with immunotherapy-induced cutaneous toxicity.
Objective: To investigate the inner feelings and experiences of nurses providing care for patients with immunotherapy-induced cutaneous toxicity.
Design: A qualitative descriptive study.
Setting(s): Seven hospitals in Guangzhou, China.
Participants: A purposive sample of 14 nurses providing care to patients with immune-related cutaneous adverse events.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were utilized to explore the perspectives of the nurses. Transcripts were entered into NVivo 11.0. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the data for significant statements and phrases that were organized into themes and subthemes.
Results: Although cutaneous adverse eventsis a common adverse event related to immunotherapy, nurses still encounter obstacles and challenges in dealing with clinical scenarios such as time constraints, workload, and difficulties in managing severe cutaneous adverse events. It requires attention from leadership, communication among peers, patient cooperation and sufficient time in order to provide optimal skin management services. Three main themes were identified in the data: (I) Care for cancer patients with cutaneous toxicity; (II) A rich emotional experience; and (III) Factors affecting the management of cutaneous toxicity.
Conclusions: Chinese nurses reported that they experience both challenges and satisfaction in their nursing practices, with coexisting positive and negative emotions.
Gaining a comprehensive understanding of nurses' experience in managing immune-related cutaneous adverse events and recognizing the barriers they face during the management process is crucial for developing effective training programs to enhance their ability to handle immune-related cutaneous adverse events.
The Effect of Haplotype Size on Genomic Selection Accuracy and Epistasis: An Empirical Study in Rice
Authors: Montiel Maria , Moreno-Amores Jose , Angira Brijesh , Cerioli Tomasso , Robbins Kelly , McCouch Susan , Famoso Adam , Fritsche-Neto Roberto
Published: February 2024

Genomic selection (GS) has revolutionized breeding practices by integrating genotype and phenotype data to predict genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs), offering the potential to accelerate breeding cycles and intensify and enhance early-stage selections. This approach relies on the concept of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between genetic markers and quantitative trait loci (QTL) within populations. LD is the non-random association between alleles at different loci and provides valuable insights into recombination rates. This study aimed to investigate the influence of recombination on haplotype sizes and LD, assess the impact of additive (A) versus additive + epistasis (A+I) genetic models on GS prediction accuracy, and demonstrate how haplotype resolution in the training set (TS) impacts the prediction accuracy of GS. For this, we used biparental (MP2) and multiparent (MP6-8) populations, where the only difference between them was the recombination rate. Results revealed a direct relationship between LD decay and the number of recombination opportunities within populations, with smaller haplotype blocks observed in populations experiencing more recombination. The use of A+I models increased heritability but did not improve prediction accuracy. Finally, populations with smaller haplotype sizes in the TS exhibited enhanced prediction accuracy. This study demonstrates the effect of haplotype size on GS accuracy, and its uniqueness lies in its focus on populations where the sole differentiating factor is haplotype size. It offers an important tool for breeders in designing GS strategies, providing valuable guidance for future breeding efforts.
A Correlational Predictive Study of Core Self-Evaluations, Grit, and Success Expectancy
Authors: scott crystal
Published: February 2024

This quantitative correlational predictive study aims to determine if and to what extent core self-evaluations (CSE), grit, and age, combined and individually predict generalized expectancy for success (GES) in adults ages 18–65 in the United States. The sample size was 115. The theoretical foundation was the CSE Theory and the Grit Model. The instruments used for the study were CSE, Grit-S, and GESS-R Scales. The Grit-S and GESS-R had a high level of reliability with Cronbach’s alpha of .72 and .89, respectively. CSE showed a Cronbach’s alpha of .68. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to measure the predictive relationship between CSE, grit, and age combined and individually, and generalized expectancy for success (GES). The results for CSE, grit, and age combined showed statistically significant results F(3,111) = 27.56, p < .001, CSE showed a direct predictive relationship with GES (ß = .404, t = 4.940, p < .001), and grit showed an inverse predictive relationship with GES (β = − .360, t = -4.366, p < .001). The relationship was negative because GES decreased as grit increased. Age did not show statistically significant results (ß = − .063, t = − .866, p = .388), and the null hypothesis was maintained. The results of this study contribute to the literature on CSE, grit, and generalized expectancy for success.
High mountains of Central Europe as a refuge of surprising cytotype diversity of Huperzia selago (Lycopodiaceae)
Authors: Vejvodová Kateřina , Krejčí Joel , Koutecký Petr , Lučanová Magdaléna , Hornych Ondřej , Ekrt Libor Ekrt
Published: February 2024

Polyploidization is pivotal in plant speciation, enhancing adaptability, ecological tolerance and specific geographical distribution pattern. While cytotype diversity is extensively studied in angiosperms and ferns, knowledge in homosporous lycophytes remains very limited. This study addresses this gap, focusing on the homosporous lycophyte Huperzia selago in Central Europe. Employing flow cytometry, we assessed genome size in 1330 H. selago individuals from 208 populations identifying five distinctive cytotypes (2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x). Challenging chromosome counting on somatic gemmae roots was applied for the three lowest cytotypes yielded average counts of 140, 204, and 262 chromosomes, respectively. Geographical separation of cytotypes was not observed. Tetraploids were most widespread (72.7%), while triploids (21.3%) were rare, and extremely rare are cytotypes 2x, 5x, 6x constituted less than 5% of the dataset. Uncommon cytotypes were associated with the Alps and triploids occurs also in the highest parts of Western Carpathians. Hexaploid genome size (29 pg) approached upper limits reported in lycophytes. Around 27.3% of populations exhibited mixed cytotypes. Except for atypical diploids, spore abortion differed between even and odd ploidies, approximately 21.8% and 65.2%, respectively. Microcharacter sizes (stoma, spore) did not linearly correspond with increasing ploidy levels. The high ploidy-level diversity and cytotype coexistence in Central European Huperzia selago match the well documented patterns in ferns and angiosperms. These findings provide valuable insights into lycophyte polyploidy, underscoring the necessity for broader geographical sampling and applicance of molecular studies to elucidate phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic classifications within the genus Huperzia.
Ultraviolet-screening bioproducts by endolithic cyanobacteria from the Atacama Desert: the effect of salinity in growth and scytonemin production yields
Authors: Casero María Cristina , Herrero María Ángeles , Roche Juan Pablo De la , Quesada Antonio , Velázquez David , Cirés Samuel
Published: February 2024

Cyanobacteria inhabiting extreme environments constitute a promising source for natural products with biotechnological applications. However, they have not been studied in-depth for this purpose due to the difficulties in their isolation and mass culturing. The Atacama Desert suffers one of the highest solar irradiances that limits the presence of life on its hyperarid core to endolithic microbial communities supported by cyanobacteria as primary producers. Some of these cyanobacteria are known to produce scytonemin, a UV-screening liposoluble pigment with varied biotechnological applications in cosmetics and other industries. In this work we carried out a strain selection based on growth performance among 8 endolithic cyanobacteria of the genera Chroococcidiopsis, Gloeocapsa and Gloeocapsopsis isolated from non-saline rocks of the Atacama Desert. Then we investigated the influence of NaCl exposure on scytonemin production yield. Results in the selected strain (Chroococcidiopsis sp. UAM571) showed that rising concentrations of NaCl lead to a growth decrease while triggering a remarkable increase in the scytonemin content, reaching maximum values at 20 g L-1 of NaCl over 50-fold higher scytonemin contents than those obtained without NaCl. Altogether, these findings point out to cyanobacteria from the Atacama Desert as potentially suitable candidates for pilot-scale cultivation with biotechnological purposes, particularly to obtain scytonemin.
Bayesian approach for assessment of co-variances and genetic parameters of economically important traits in Sahiwal cattle
Authors: RATWAN POONAM , Kumar Manoj , Chakravarty Atish Kumar
Published: February 2024

Precise as well as unbiased estimates of genetic parameters of economically important traits is important in lieu of framing breeding programmes for genetic progress of dairy animals. Present work was carried out to assess the co-variances along with genetic parameters of economically important traits in Sahiwal cattle with Bayesian approach. Records of Sahiwal cattle kept at ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana spanned over duration of 29 years i.e. 1988–2016 were used. Heritability estimates ± posterior standard deviation for 305 days’ milk yield (305DMY), lactation milk yield (LMY), lactation length (LL), peak yield (PY), days to attain peak yield (DPY), dry period (DP), gestation period (GP), calving to first insemination interval (CFI), days open (DO) and calving interval (CI) as obtained were 0.21 ± 0.04, 0.23 ± 0.04, 0.16 ± 0.03, 0.16 ± 0.03, 0.07 ± 0.02, 0.08 ± 0.02, 0.07 ± 0.02, 0.08 ± 0.02, 0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.11 ± 0.02, respectively and estimates of repeatability for the corresponding traits were 0.24 ± 0.04, 0.27 ± 0.04, 0.21 ± 0.04, 0.22 ± 0.03, 0.12 ± 0.03, 0.15 ± 0.03, 0.15 ± 0.03, 0.17 ± 0.03, 0.19 ± 0.03 and 0.19 ± 0.03. Moderate heritability values for 305DMY and LMY implies that sufficient additive genetic variability is available to obtain selection response. Repeatability estimates for 305DMY, LMY and PY were moderate, pointing towards the possibility of early appraisal of Sahiwal cattle for selection. Antagonistic genetic associations were observed between reproduction and production traits suggesting that reproduction traits need due attention while selecting high producing Sahiwal animals.
Enhancing Face Recognition Performance: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Deep Learning Models and a Novel Ensemble Approach with Hyperparameter Tuning
Authors: S Jana , B Sudharani , S.N Chandra Shekhar , K Vaishnavi , E Aarthi , S Ravi Chand , S Gopalakrishnan
Published: February 2024

In response to growing security concerns and the increasing demand for face recognition (FR) technology in various sectors, this research explores the application of deep learning techniques, specifically pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models, in the field of FR. The study leverages five pre-trained CNN models, including DenseNet201, ResNet152V2, MobileNetV2, SeResNeXt, and Xception, for feature extraction, followed by SoftMax classification. A novel weighted average ensemble model, optimized through a grid search technique, is introduced to enhance feature extraction and classification performance. Robust data pre-processing, encompassing resizing, data augmentation, splitting, and normalization, is emphasized to ensure reliable FR systems. The research systematically investigates hyperparameters across deep learning models, fine-tuning network depth, learning rate, activation functions, and optimization methods. Comprehensive evaluations are conducted on diverse datasets, including ORL, GTAV, GTF, FEI, LFW, F_LFW, and YTF, to assess the effectiveness of the proposed models. Key contributions of this work include the utilization of pre-trained CNN models for feature extraction, extensive evaluation across multiple datasets, the introduction of a weighted average ensemble model, emphasis on robust data pre-processing, systematic hyperparameter tuning, and the use of comprehensive evaluation metrics. The results showcase the superior performance of the proposed method, consistently outperforming all other models across key metrics, including Recall, Precision, F1 Score, Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC), and Accuracy. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves further highlight the models' classification abilities. Notably, the proposed method achieves an exceptional accuracy of 99.48% on the LFW dataset, surpassing state-of-the-art benchmarks. In conclusion, this research presents a significant advancement in FR technology, offering a reliable and accurate solution supported by empirical evidence. The proposed method demonstrates the potential of pre-trained CNN models, ensemble learning, robust data pre-processing, and hyperparameter tuning in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of FR systems, with implications for various real-world applications.
Univariate analysis of factors associated with the stomatology curriculum system and graduate quality in universities
Authors: liu zhihuan , Zhang Ming , Pei Shanshan , Song Qingyuan , Bao Lingxian , Tao Weijie , Zheng Pei , Feng Jianying , Wang Shuhua
Published: February 2024

Background
The curriculum system is a central component in achieving the goals and specifications of talent training schemes. However, problems and difficulties exist in curriculum provision due to a lack of curriculum system design logic. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the university curriculum system and graduate quality and to reveal the design logic of the curriculum system.
Methods
A total of 699 stomatology graduates from a university in Zhejiang were selected as research subjects from 2015 to 2022. The students’ curriculum system and graduate quality data were collected and classified. The graduate quality information contained 1) the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) pass rate and score, 2) the postgraduate entrance rate and destination, and 3) the employment rate and work institution. Regression analysis was also conducted to assess the correlation between the curriculum system and graduate quality.
Results
Univariate analysis revealed significant associations between general education, specialization, and stomatology X courses and NBDE score, postgraduate entrance rate and destination, and work institution. All courses except public elective courses had significant impacts on NBDE score. General basic, medical English, and employment guidance courses significantly influenced the postgraduate entrance rate and destination. Restricted elective and public elective courses had significant effects on employment rate and work institution .
Conclusions
Increasing the number of specialized and stomatology X courses in the curriculum system is beneficial for deepening graduates' expertise and enhancing their education. Moreover, English courses are suggested to be offered in the early stage to improve the postgraduate rate and establish a solid foundation for careers.
Barriers and Misconceptions Hindering Reduction of Intestinal Schistosomiasis in Mbita Sub-County, Western Kenya
Authors: Ngetich Benard Cheruiyot , Nagi Sachiyo , Chadeka Evans Asena , Takeuchi Rie , Sassa Miho , Bahati Felix , Kobayashi Noriko , Moriyasu Taeko , Masaku Janet , Okomo Gordon , Ouma Collins , Njomo Doris , Njenga Sammy , Hamano Shinjiro
Published: February 2024

Background
Community and individual participation are crucial for the success of schistosomiasis control. The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the importance of enhanced sanitation, health education, and mass treatment in the fight against schistosomiasis. These approaches rely on the knowledge and practices of the community to be successful; however, where the community knowledge is low and inappropriate, it hinders intervention efforts. Hence, it is essential to identify barriers and misconceptions related to awareness of schistosomiasis, sources of infection, mode of transmission, symptoms, and control measures.
Methods
This was a mixed-method cross-sectional study involving 1,200 pre-school aged children randomly selected and examined for Schistosoma mansoni infection using the Kato-Katz technique. All parents/guardians of selected children were enrolled for a pre-tested questionnaire survey, while 42 were engaged in focus group discussions (FGDs).
Results
The majority of the respondents (85.5%) had heard about schistosomiasis, and its awareness was associated with the participant’s level of education (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.08, 0.34). A positive association was observed between higher educational attainment and knowledge of the causative agent (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.96). Low education level was significantly associated with limited knowledge of transmission through lake water contact (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.52, 0.97) and infection from the lake (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.57). Notably, parents/guardians who have heard of schistosomiasis could not recognize symptoms of S. mansoni infection, such as abdominal pain (91.8%, 815/888) and blood in the stool (85.1%, 756/888). Surprisingly, 49.8% (442/888) incorrectly identified hematuria (blood in urine), a key sign of S. haematobiumbut not S. mansoni, in an endemic area for S. mansoni infection. The majority (82.6%, 734/888) of parents/guardians were unaware that dams are potential infection sites, despite 53.9% (479/888) of their pre-school aged children testing positive for schistosome infection.
Conclusion
The study revealed a low level of knowledge on intestinal schistosomiasis causes, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms and potential infection sites within the community, all of which contributes to misconceptions and may hinder control efforts.
Trace Determination of Cr(VI) and Total Cr in Fruit and Vegetable Samples: Utilizing Monte Carlo Simulation for Risk Assessment in an Iranian Mining Area
Authors: Dizaji Rana , Malekpouir Mina , Abdi Khosrou , kamali Koorosh
Published: February 2024

In light of food safety concerns, accurately determining Chromium (VI) concentrations in fruits and vegetables is imperative. Due to their complex matrices, achieving precise and efficient Cr(VI) measurement remains challenging, leading to uncertainty in dietary intake data. This study aimed to assess the Cr(VI) concentration in apples, grapes cultivated in farmlands and carrots available in local markets. An alkaline extraction method was employed at 80°C for 5 minutes, utilizing a solution containing 50 mM EDTA and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). Apples and grapes were collected from two distinct case studies: Case Study A, located near Lead and Zinc factories, and Case Study B, situated at a significant distance from mining sites. The average total Cr and Cr(VI) concentrations in apples from the contaminated Case Study A were 438.4 ± 157 µg kg⁻¹ and < LOD, respectively. For grapes, were 450.265 ± 65.530 µg kg⁻¹ and 70.303 ± 18.208 µg kg⁻¹. Conversely, the lowest average concentrations of Cr and Cr(VI) were observed in grapes, with values of 314.27 ± 14.41 µg kg⁻¹ and 52.06 ± 2.79 µg kg⁻¹, respectively, attributed to Case Study B. In the case of apples, the values were 241.65 ± 11.466 µg kg⁻¹ for Cr and < LOD for Cr(VI). For carrots available in the markets, the total Cr and Cr(VI) concentrations were found to be 2493.159 ± 280.57 µg kg⁻¹ and 326.32 ± 65.89 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. The assessment of potential health risks indicated that the intake of carrots and grapes increases the local population's carcinogenic Cr(VI) risks.
Lack of TYK2 Signaling Enhances Host Resistance to Candida albicans Skin Infection
Authors: Strobl Birgit , Miranda Sara , Lassnig Caroline , Schmidhofer Kristina , Kjartansdottir Hrönn , Vogl Claus , Tangermann Simone , Tsymala Irina , Müller Mathias , Kuchler Karl
Published: February 2024

Candida albicans is the most common human fungal pathogen, causing diseases ranging from local to life-threating systemic infections. Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), a crucial mediator in several cytokine signaling pathways, has been associated with protective functions in various microbial infections. However, its specific contribution in the immune response to fungal infections has remained elusive. In this study, we show that mice lacking TYK2 or its enzymatic activity exhibit enhanced resistance to skin infection, limiting fungal spread and accelerating wound healing. Impaired TYK2-signaling prompted the formation of a distinctive layer of necrotic neutrophils around the fungal pathogens. Transcriptomic analysis revealed TYK2's pivotal role in regulating interferon-inducible genes in neutrophils, thereby impacting their antifungal capacity during infection. Furthermore, we show that TYK2-dependent interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) production by innate-like T cells contributes to fungal dissemination from the skin to the kidneys. Our study uncovers a hitherto unrecognized detrimental role of TYK2 in cutaneous C. albicans infections. These insights are particularly relevant in light of the growing use of TYK2 inhibitors to treat psoriatic diseases and are promising for the use of TYK2 inhibitors as options to treat fungal skin infections.
Differences in walking access to health-care services between formal and informal areas in 19 sub-Saharan cities
Authors: Friesen John , Georganos Stefanos , Haas Jan
Published: February 2024

Purpose: Spatial accessibility to health-care is a critical factor in ensuring equitable health outcomes. While studies on a global, continental, and national level exist, our understanding of intra-urban differences, particularly between formal and informal areas within cities in sub-Saharan Africa, remains limited.
Methods: This study integrates openly available datasets on land use in 19 sub-Saharan cities, health-care facilities in the region, and street networks from OpenStreetMap. Using these datasets, we calculate service areas around hospitals, considering travel times ranging from 1 to 180 minutes with walking as the mode of travel. The resulting service areas are then merged with population data from WorldPop, allowing us to assess the proportion of the population with specific travel times for different land uses.
Results: Our analysis reveals that 43% of the urban population can reach hospitals within 15 minutes, 69% within 30 minutes, and 85% within 60 minutes. Importantly, we observe significant differences between formal and informal areas, with informal areas experiencing a disadvantage in terms of spatial accessibility to health-care facilities.
Conclusion: This study sheds light on the spatial accessibility landscape of health-care facilities in sub-Saharan African cities, emphasizing the need to consider intra-urban disparities, particularly in informal areas. The findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions and urban planning strategies to address these disparities and ensure that health-care services are accessible to all segments of the urban population.
FOLLOW-U; study protocol evaluating oncological systemic treatment response of advanced bladder cancer patients using urinoids
Authors: Viergever Bastiaan J. , Suelmann Britt B.M. , Zuidema Alba , Kranenburg Onno , Meijer Richard P.
Published: February 2024

Background
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is an aggressive disease characterized by poor prognosis and high risk for metastases. Neo-adjuvant or induction (in case of node-positive disease) cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy is recommended for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, response rates are highly variable, survival benefit is modest and generally limited to patients without residual (muscle-invasive) disease. Additionally, up to 50% of patients is cisplatin-ineligible due to comorbidities. Furthermore, (long-term) toxicity due to platinum-based chemotherapy treatment of bladder cancer can result in grade 3/4 adverse events in up to 82% of cases.
Given the high rate of distant recurrences after neo-adjuvant/induction cisplatin-based chemotherapy and surgical resection, there is an urgent need for more effective treatment approaches, including strategies to evaluate and predict therapy responses.
Methods
The aim of this FOLLOW-U project is to enable precision medicine in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). In this study we will use non-invasive urine-derived tumor organoid (urinoid) technology to follow tumor responses in MIBC patients undergoing systemic neo-adjuvant or induction treatment. The aim of the study is to include 60 patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy and to establish 10 complete patient sets of sequential urinoid cultures before, during, and at the end of their treatment. Tumor drug sensitivity, resistance-development, and disease progression will be characterized using whole genome-, RNA-, single cell karyotype sequencing, immunohistochemistry and drug screening in a patient-specific manner.
Discussion
Overall, we aim to provide novel non-invasive urine-based organoid (urinoid) model-systems to study treatment resistance in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. These model-systems are patient specific and reflect the heterogeneous nature of bladder cancer at several time points over a patient’s treatment. Taken together, these urinoids model systems will provide the possibility to comprehensively study specific bladder cancer treatment and resistance over time. Ultimately, these non-invasive patient specific models can provide a follow-up tool of patients, allowing tailoring treatment efficacy to therapy sensitivity changes as they emerge.
A Simple and Efficient Attack on the Merkle-Hellman Knapsack Cryptosystem
Authors: Bi Jingguo , Su Lei
Published: February 2024

The Merkle-Hellman knapsack cryptosystem was one of the two earliest public key cryptosystems, which was invented by Merkle and Hellman in 1978. One can recover the whole group of equivalent keys by using Shamir's method. The most time-consuming part of Shamir's attack is to recover the critical intermediate parameters by solving an integer programming problem with a fixed number of variables, whose worst-case complexity is exponential in the number of variables. In this paper, we present an improved algorithm to analyze the basic Merkle-Hellman public key cryptosystem. The main idea of our method is that we recover a partial super-increasing sequence as the equivalent private key, which is the main difference from Shamir's. More precisely, we first obtain a super-increasing sequence except for the first small part by invoking the LLL algorithm on a special lattice with a small dimension. After that, we can recover most part of the plaintext from the tail by solving the super-increasing knapsack method. Finally, we can recover the first part of plaintext from solving a size-reduced knapsack problem. Experimental data shows that one can recover the whole plaintext in less than 1 second on a laptop successfully for the typical parameters of the Merkle-Hellman cryptosystem, whose time complexity is reduced by a polynomial level compared with Shamir's algorithm.
Somatic growth outcomes in response to an individualized neonatal sodium supplementation protocol
Authors: Harshman Lyndsay , Stalter Elliot , Verhofste Silvia , Dagle John , Steinbach Emily , Eyck Patrick Ten , Wendt Linder , Segar Jeffrey
Published: February 2024

Objective
Evaluate the impact of a sodium (Na) supplementation protocol based upon urine Na concentration on growth parameters and morbidities.
Study Design
Retrospective cohort study of infants 260/7-336/7 weeks gestational age (GA) cared for before (2012-15, n = 225) and after (2016-20, n = 157) implementation of the protocol. Within- and between-group changes over time were assessed using repeated measures generalized linear models.
Results
For infants 260/7-296/7 weeks GA, utilization of the protocol was associated with increased mean body weight z-score at 8-weeks postnatal age, increased mean head circumference z-score at 16-weeks postnatal age, and decreased time on mechanical ventilation (all p < 0.02). No impact on growth was identified for infants 30–336/7 weeks GA. Incidences of hypertension, hypernatremia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and culture positive sepsis were unaffected by the protocol.
Conclusion
Protocolized Na supplementation results in improved growth and reduced time on invasive mechanical ventilation in extremely preterm infants without increasing incidence of morbidities.
Spatial Analysis of Water Consumption in the Macroeconomic Sectors of the State of Ceará, Brazil
Authors: Soares Rogério Barbosa , Silva Samiria Maria Oliveira , Medeiros Cleyber Nascimento , Lopes Tereza Margarida Xavier Melo
Published: February 2024

Water consumption generated by the economic structure exhibits spatial variation within a territory due to the influence of economic and geographical factors that impact the demand and supply of water. Thus, this study assessed the spatial dependence of total water consumption through the use of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA). For this purpose, two statistical tests of spatial autocorrelation were applied: The Global Moran's Index (I) and the Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA). The spatial structure of the data was determined by the Rook-type spatial contiguity matrix. Positive spatial autocorrelation was found based on the analysis of the Global Moran's I statistic. It was observed that consumption is not evenly distributed in its geographical space, indicating the formation of clusters of municipalities with High-High, High-Low, Low-High, and Low-Low aggregation patterns. In the univariate analysis of total water consumption by LISA, clusters of municipalities with High-High aggregation were identified in the Hydrographic Regions of Baixo Jaguaribe, Curu, Litoral, Médio Jaguaribe, and Bacias Metropolitanas, indicating a strong positive association between the consumption in these regions and their neighbors. In the bivariate analysis between total Water consumption and Gross Value Added of the municipalities in Ceará, two more Hydrographic Regions with High-High aggregation were identified, in addition to those already identified in the univariate analysis, namely Acaraú and Banabuiú. Thus, the study identifies spatial clusters that are essential for identifying regional inequalities and facilitating decision-making in the allocation of water resources.
Short-Term Passenger Flow Prediction Model of Rail Transit Based on Inherit Long Short-term Memory Network
Authors: wang di , liu xia
Published: February 2024

Short-term passenger flow prediction is considered as an effective means of timely passenger flow evacuation. In this paper a novel inherit long short-term memory network (inherit-LSTM) model is proposed to predict short term passenger flow of transit. Traditional long short-term memory network models have the characteristics of long-term dependencies. This causes heavy weight on redundant information for a large number of historical data and leads current feature information to be ignored. In order to reduce excessive dependence on historical information, an inherit-LSTM model is proposed by using inheritance gate to retain more current input information. Comparing with the traditional model, this model takes full account of the effects for weather and large-scale emergencies. We compare our model against well-known existing machine/deep learning prediction models(Auto-Regressive with extra inputs and Long short-term memory network). The experimental results show that inherit-LSTM model is more accurate than the other two models in predicting short-term passenger flow.
Mineralisation of soil organic phosphorus with different P sources: results from three long-term field experiments
Authors: Raguet Pablo , Houot Sabine , Montenach Denis , Mollier Alain , Ziadi Noura , Karam Antoine , Morel Christian
Published: February 2024

Phosphorus (P) is a major nutrient for crops, and its application to agricultural soils as inorganic or organic fertilizer is crucial for optimising P availability to plants to sustain and ensure food production. The mineralisation of soil organic phosphorus (SOP) may play a significant role in supplying plant-available P. This study aimed to determine the SOP mineralisation rate in soils cropped under contrasting agropedoclimatic conditions. The rate was determined by applying to SOP the modelling approach developed by Hénin and Dupuis in 1945 for soil organic carbon. We used three French long-term field experiments (LTFEs) on P fertilisation combining different P rates (0–112 kg P ha-1yr-1), applied for decades as superphosphate or various organic waste products (OWPs), on different soil types, and different annual crop successions. These databases include long time-series data of topsoil SOP and soil inorganic phosphorus (SIP) contents and annual crop measurements. For the three LTFEs, the initial SOP stocks were 446, 595, and 1145 kg P ha-1, the P amounts exported during harvest were 26.5, 26.6, and 25.3 kg P ha-1yr-1, and the P remaining in the topsoil as crop residues were 15.0, 14.4, and 11.5 kg P ha-1yr-1 with significant differences across yields, plant organs, and fertilisation treatments. During the post-harvest year, 2.5, 7.9, and 11.0 kg P ha-1yr-1 were incorporated into SOP by the decomposition of crop residues and OWPs. The rates of SOP mineralisation, 2.1, 5.4, and 11.2 kg P ha-1 yr-1, differed significantly across the LTFEs. The SOP stocks did not change significantly with the years of cropping and fertilisation, irrespective of P fertilisation. The SIP stocks closely corresponded to the cumulative P budget (i.e., cumulative sum of applied P – exported P).
In Tough Seas: Overcoming Field Challenges Through Innovation and Partnerships With DPAA
Authors: Mires Calvin , Kovacs Evan , Lickliter-Mundon Megan , Mazza Alba
Published: February 2024

In 2022 and 2023, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) partnered with Marine Imaging Technologies (Marine Imaging, hereafter) to conduct remote sensing survey operations in Guam to search for and possibly confirm the locations of four separate B-29 Superfortress wreck sites. The reported locations for these sites were in challenging environments; high seas, fast currents, and strong winds pose hazardous conditions for survey teams and equipment. Additionally, the bathymetry of the areas consists of dynamic changes in depths with sudden valleys, rises, and seamounts, mirroring the rocky coastline which poses threats to successful, strategic surveying and quality results. Marine Imaging Technologies worked with Eastern Search and Survey to develop an innovative survey system that allowed flexibility and pliability for small boat, deeper water, and limited crew operations. This paper discusses the goals, challenges, and results of this project and looks at ways forward on similar missions partnering with DPAA to account for MIA service members.
Modelling and Optimization of Electrodeposited Amorphous Fe-P Alloys Using CCC Design and RSM
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Yu Jing , Liu Zhengda , Li Yuetong
Published: February 2024

In this study, central composite circumscribed (CCC) design and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to model and optimize the electrodeposition characteristics of amorphous Fe-P alloys. Based on the results of a previous single-factor experiment, the significance of the influencing factors was determined using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Three factors significantly impacting the P content, hardness and corrosion current density of a deposit were identified: the bath temperature, pH and H2PO2− concentration. The statistical relationships between the process parameters and individual responses were established based on the CCC experimental data and RSM. The optimal parameters for each response were derived, and the influences of interaction terms were investigated. A desirability function was applied to determine the sample with the optimal comprehensive performance, featuring both high hardness and low corrosion current density. Due to the complex electrodeposition mechanisms of amorphous Fe-P alloys, the predicted P contents in deposits largely deviated from the experimental contents. However, the predictions of the hardness, corrosion current density and comprehensive performance were very accurate.
EDMHA: Encrypting data using Merkle Hellman algorithm for secure sharing in Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN)
Authors: CHINNADURAI Gomathi , NAGARAJAN Santhiyakumari
Published: February 2024

With its many potential applications and huge impact on people’s health, wireless body area networks have gained a lot of attention and are now considered a promising technology in the health care sector. It’s a network tailored to the human body, with the express purpose of tracking and relaying vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram readings. As the demand of individual health monitoring rose, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) are becoming highly distinctive within health applications. Nowadays, WBAN is much easier to access then what it used to be. However, due to WBAN’s limitation , properly sophisticated security protocols do not exist. As WBAN devices deal with sensitive data and could be used as a threat to the owner of the data or their family, securing individual devices is highly important. Despite the importance in securing data, existing WBAN security methods are focused on providing light weight security methods. This led to most security methods for WBAN providing partial security protocols, which left many possibilities in compromising the system. Initially, a Compression Aware Reliable and Accurate Data Transmission Network (CRADTN) is studied as a solution to this security issue because it is secure, but also it is introduced to enhancement and prevent malicious access. Then an Encrypting Data using Merkle Hellman Algorithm (EDMHA) framework is proposed which employs MHA to encrypt the data contents. This helps to considerably reduce the risk of unauthorised access to the data. The proposed scheme is evaluated in terms of message size, energy consumption, and computation cost, and the results are compared with those of existing schemes. The result shows that the proposed method can achieve higher efficiency than conventional methods.
Transparent-ATC-DNN: Deep Neural Network Based ATC Drug Class Prediction Using 17 Molecular Properties and Transparency Analysis Using SHAP Explanation for Property Categorization.
Authors: Chaurasia Anushka , Kumar Deepak , a Yogita
Published: February 2024

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system assigns unique codes to drugs for tracking, aiding in prescription, public health policies, and research. Different classifiers with distinct properties have been used earlier to predict ATC drug classes. However, Limited research has been conducted on 17 molecular properties and classifier transparency, emphasising the need of categorising each feature to increase model explainability. In this paper,a Transparent-ATC-DNN (Transparent ATC drug class prediction using Deep Neural Network) deep neural network and SHAP based framework was proposed for ATC drug class prediction and feature categorisation based on their contribution towards prediction. The 17 molecular properties and ATC data were extracted from PubChem and SIDER databases and then mapped based on drug identifier. The resulting dataset contained information on 1117 drugs, including their molecular properties, and 14 ATC drug classes. The proposed framework was applied to this dataset utilizing MLSMOTE to manage multilabel class imbalance and compared with eight classifiers, namely the ETC, KNN, SVM, RF, DT, XGBoost, LSTM, and 1D-CNN. The results of multilabel DNN architecture demonstrated promising performance, achieving an average accuracy of 98.89 ± .002, a hamming loss of 1.50 ± .002, and an ROC-AUC of 98.47 ± .003. Features were evaluated and categorized into three distinct categories: highest, lowest, and none, showcasing the proposed framework's effectiveness and explanatory power in predicting ATC drug classes.
The Egyptian National HPC Grid (EN-HPCG): Open-Source Slurm Implementation from Cluster to Grid Approach
Authors: Elshambakey Mohammed , Maiyza Aya I. , Kashkoush Mona S. , Fathy Ghada M. , Hassan Hanan A.
Published: February 2024

Recently, Egypt has recognized the pivotal role of High-Performance Computing in advancing science and innovation. The Egyptian National High Performance Computing Grid (EN-HPCG) advocates for consolidating high-performance computing resources, creating a unified pool accessible to all universities and scientific research centers using the PBS Pro scheduler. Therefore, this paper delves into the architecture and capabilities of the EN-HPCG grid using two different workload management systems: (i) Slurm (Open-Source) and (ii) PBS Pro (Licensed). Additionally, it assesses the grid's performance in specific high-throughput computing (HTC) applications using the NAS Grid parallel benchmark (NGB). The evaluation includes grid-level performance metrics such as throughput, and the number of tasks completed as a function of time. Also, the presented methodology aims to assist potential partners in their decision-making process to join the EN-HPCG grid, with a focus on the site speed-up metric. Our results showed that it is not advisable to integrate a cluster with high-speed hardware with a cluster possessing outdated hardware when using the Slurm scheduler. In contrast, the PBS Pro scheduler takes into account online decision-making in a dynamic environment using a unified grid.