bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Research capacity strengthening methods and meanings: negotiating power in a global health programme on violence against women
Authors: Tilouche Nerissa , Kalichman Beatriz , Dheensa Sandi , Rossi Evelina , Hawcroft Claire , d'Oliveira Ana Flavia , Owda Heba , Bacchus Loraine J 
Published: December 2024

BackgroundThere has been much critical reflection among global health researchers about how power imbalances between high-income countries and low- and middle-income country collaborators are perpetuated through research programmes. Research capacity strengthening (RCS) is considered both a mechanism through which to redress structural power imbalances in global health research and a vehicle for their perpetuation. This paper examines the RCS programme of a multi-county study on violence against women, focussing on how it addressed power imbalances between countries and the challenges involved in doing so. It provides specific examples and lessons learnt.Methods18 semi-structured interviews were conducted online with group members from all five countries involved in the collaboration between April and June 2020. Reflexive thematic analysis, with inductive and deductive approaches was adopted.FindingsParticipants articulated their understandings of RCS as an opportunity for (1) mutual learning, understanding and collaboration and (2) personal and team career development. Participants perceived the RCS programme activities to simultaneously reinforce and challenge power asymmetries within global health research. Power dynamics within the RCS programme operated across three levels; the global health research environment, the research group level and within individual country teams. Participants described structural barriers at all three levels, but felt there were more opportunities to challenge power imbalances at the research group level.ConclusionDespite a strong commitment to addressing power imbalances through the RCS programme, progress was often hampered by the fact that these inequalities reflected broader structural issues in global health, as seen within Healthcare Responding to Violence and Abuse. The programme faced tensions between enhancing researchers’ careers while building capacity under the current model, which sometimes conflicted with creating social value or challenging epistemic and normative structures. Participants clearly expressed concerns about power imbalances within the partnership and were keen to address them through the RCS programme. This led to a steep learning curve and significant adaptations within the RCS programme to navigate these issues within existing structural limitations.
Performance of automated machine learning in detecting fundus diseases based on ophthalmologic B-scan ultrasound images
Authors: Wei Qiaoling , Chen Qian , Zhao Chen , Jiang Rui 
Published: December 2024

AimTo evaluate the efficacy of automated machine learning (AutoML) models in detecting fundus diseases using ocular B-scan ultrasound images.MethodsOphthalmologists annotated two B-scan ultrasound image datasets to develop three AutoML models—single-label, multi-class single-label and multi-label—on the Vertex artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Performance of these models was compared among themselves and against existing bespoke models for binary classification tasks.ResultsThe training set involved 3938 images from 1378 patients, while batch predictions used an additional set of 336 images from 180 patients. The single-label AutoML model, trained on normal and abnormal fundus images, achieved an area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) of 0.9943. The multi-class single-label model, focused on single-pathology images, recorded an AUPRC of 0.9617, with performance metrics of these two single-label models proving comparable to those of previously published models. The multi-label model, designed to detect both single and multiple pathologies, posted an AUPRC of 0.9650. Pathology classification AUPRCs for the multi-class single-label model ranged from 0.9277 to 1.0000 and from 0.8780 to 0.9980 for the multi-label model. Batch prediction accuracies ranged from 86.57% to 97.65% for various fundus conditions in the multi-label AutoML model. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the single-label model significantly outperformed the other two models in all evaluated metrics (p<0.05).ConclusionAutoML models, developed by clinicians, effectively detected multiple fundus lesions with performance on par with that of deep-learning models crafted by AI specialists. This underscores AutoML’s potential to revolutionise ophthalmologic diagnostics, facilitating broader accessibility and application of sophisticated diagnostic technologies.
Sociodemographic and clinical predictors of quality-of-life outcome in children and young people with primary brain tumour in Karachi, Pakistan: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Zahid Nida , Enam Syed Ather , Mårtensson Thomas , Azam Iqbal , Mushtaq Naureen , Moochhala Mariya , Hassan Aneesa , Kausar Faiza , Bakhshi Saqib , Rehman Lal , Javeed Farrukh , Mughal Muhammad Nouman , Altaf Sadaf , Kirmani Salman , Brown Nick 
Published: December 2024

BackgroundChildren and young people (CYP) with primary brain tumour (PBT) are at high risk for developing late effects, potentially affecting long-term quality of life (QoL). In low-income and middle-income countries, QoL has not been studied in depth in CYP. In the present study, CYP treated for PBTs in Pakistan were evaluated regarding (A) mean change in QoL scores pretreatment and 12 months post-treatment and (B) predictors of change in QoL scores 12 months post-treatment.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted from November 2020 to July 2023. CYP aged 5–21 years, with newly diagnosed PBTs, were recruited from tertiary care centres in Karachi, Pakistan. QoL was assessed using the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4 generic and brain tumour module, pretreatment and at 12 months post-treatment, by a trained psychologist.ResultsA total of 48 patients diagnosed with PBTs were enrolled in the study. At the 12-month post-treatment, 25 (52%) of the patients were reassessed, while 23 (48%) were lost to follow-up. There was no significant difference in mean global QoL scores of patients at 12 months post-treatment. On multivariable analysis, there was a statistically significant improvement in mean global QoL scores among those who underwent total surgical tumour resection (beta 7.7; 95% CI 0.9, 14.5) and maximum safe surgical tumour resection (beta 10.6; 95% CI 4.7, 16.6). However, there was a significant decline in mean global QoL scores among those who had hydrocephalous at diagnosis managed with a shunt and/or external ventricular drain (EVD) (beta −10.0; 95% CI −14.5, –5.5).ConclusionThis study found a decline in mean global QoL scores among those with hydrocephalous at diagnosis who were managed with a shunt and/or EVD but an improvement in those who underwent total or maximum safe surgical tumour resection. Larger-scale studies are needed to comprehensively evaluate and validate these outcomes.
Comparison of 1-hour floatation-REST versus conventional napping on heart rate variability in active individuals
Authors: Besson Cyril , De Stefani Gianluca , Baggish Aaron Leigh , Schmitt Laurent , Millet Gregoire , Gremeaux Vincent 
Published: December 2024

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of a 1-hour floatation-resting environmental therapy (FLO) versus conventional napping (NAP) on heart rate variability (HRV) in highly trained individuals.Methods20 non-fatigued participants underwent a prospective randomised interventional study comparing the impacts of FLO and NAP on both supine and standing HRV. Measurements were taken before and after each intervention under controlled conditions, and subjective experiences were assessed through questionnaires.ResultsFLO and NAP were associated with changes in HRV parameters but did so differently. NAP significantly enhanced supine parasympathetic activity, as evidenced by increased log-transformed root mean square of successive differences (p=0.02) and power spectral density (p=0.03) relative to heart rate (HR) values, confirming its effectiveness in promoting autonomic recovery. In contrast, despite being better perceived regarding subjective well-being (p=0.04), FLO conferred no significant changes in supine root mean square of successive differences and decreased power spectral density relative to HR (p=0.02). However, post-intervention comparisons were not statistically different. While supine HR decreased significantly following both interventions, standing HR measurements showed a non-significant increase for FLO compared with NAP (p=0.056).ConclusionIn highly trained individuals, FLO and NAP demonstrated minimal impact on acute autonomic function. NAP appears more effective for enhancing short-term parasympathetic activity, while FLO provides a more enjoyable experience. These findings underscore the importance of personalised recovery strategies and emphasise the need for further research into individual responses and the long-term effects of these interventions.
Dual antiplatelet versus alteplase in anterior and posterior circulation minor stroke
Authors: Cui Yu , Chen Hui-Sheng 
Published: December 2024

ObjectiveThe Antiplatelet versus R-tPA for Acute Mild Ischaemic Stroke trial has demonstrated the non-inferiority of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to alteplase in minor non-disabling stroke. This prespecified secondary analysis aimed to investigate whether the treatment effects were similar across stroke territories.MethodsParticipants were divided according to stroke territory, which were subdivided into DAPT and alteplase. An excellent functional outcome at 90 days defined as modified Rankin Scale scoring 0–1 was primary outcome. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score change and early neurological improvement measured by a 2-point decline in NIHSS score at 24 hours were secondary outcomes. Symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH) and bleeding events were safety outcomes. Primary analyses adjusted unbalanced baseline characteristics between treatments by multivariate logistic regression.ResultsA total of 719 patients were included: 566 in anterior circulation stroke (ACS) and 153 in posterior circulation stroke (PCS). Primary outcome was 94.1% in DAPT and 91.7% in alteplase among ACS patients (adjusted risk difference (RD) and 95% CI, 1.5% (−1.5% to 4.6%), p=0.32), while 91.2% in DAPT and 91.8% in alteplase among PCS patients (adjusted RD and 95% CI, −2.1% (−8.5% to 4.4%), p=0.53). Compared with alteplase, DAPT was associated with lower risk of sICH (p=0.03) and bleeding events (p<0.001) in ACS, but only lower risk of bleeding events (p=0.007) in PCS. Additionally, among ACS patients, the alteplase was superior to DAPT in terms of decrease in NIHSS score at 24 hours compared with admission (adjusted geometric mean ratio and 95% CI, −0.09 (−0.16 to −0.03), p=0.005) and early neurological improvement (adjusted RD and 95% CI, −7.2% (−11.6% to −2.7%), p=0.001).ConclusionAmong ischaemic stroke with minor non-disabling symptoms, DAPT was similar with intravenous alteplase regarding long-term functional outcome and better safety regardless of ACS or PCS. The potential benefit of intravenous alteplase regarding early neurological improvement in patients with ACS warrants further investigation.Trial registration numberNCT03661411.
Confidential VMs Explained: An Empirical Analysis of AMD SEV-SNP and Intel TDX
Authors: Misono Masanori , Stavrakakis Dimitrios , Santos Nuno , Bhatotia Pramod 
Published: December 2024

Confidential computing is gaining traction in the cloud, driven by the increasing security and privacy concerns across various industries. Recent trusted hardware advancements introduce Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs) to alleviate the programmability and usability challenges of the previously proposed enclave-based trusted computing technologies. CVM hardware extensions facilitate secure, hardware-isolated encrypted VMs, promoting programmability and easier deployment in cloud infrastructures. However, differing microarchitectural features, interfaces, and security properties among hardware vendors complicate the evaluation of CVMs for different use cases. Understanding the performance implications, functional limitations, and security guarantees of CVMs is a crucial step toward their adoption.
This paper presents a detailed empirical analysis of two leading CVM technologies: AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization-Secure Nested Paging (SEV-SNP) and Intel Trust Domain Extensions (TDX). We review their microarchitectural components and conduct a thorough performance evaluation across various aspects, including memory management, computational performance, storage and network stacks, and attestation primitives. We further present a security analysis through a trusted computing base (TCB) evaluation and Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) analysis. Our key findings demonstrate, among others, the effect of CVMs on boot time, memory management and I/O, and identify inefficiencies in their context switch mechanisms. We further provide insights into the performance implications of CVMs and highlight potential room for improvement.
Beyond App Markets: Demystifying Underground Mobile App Distribution Via Telegram
Authors: Guo Yanhui , Wang Dong , Wang Liu , Fang Yongsheng , Wang Chao , Yang Minghui , Liu Tianming , Wang Haoyu 
Published: December 2024

The thriving mobile app ecosystem encompasses a wide range of functionalities. However, within this ecosystem, a subset of apps provides illicit services such as gambling and pornography to pursue economic gains, collectively referred to as "underground economy apps". While previous studies have examined these apps' characteristics and identification methods, investigations into their distribution via platforms beyond app markets (like Telegram) remain scarce, which has emerged as a crucial channel for underground activities and cybercrime due to the robust encryption and user anonymity.
This study provides the first comprehensive exploration of the underground mobile app ecosystem on Telegram. Overcoming the complexities of the Telegram environment, we build a novel dataset and analyze the prevalence, promotional strategies, and characteristics of these apps. Our findings reveal the significant prevalence of these apps on Telegram, with the total sum of subscription user numbers across channels promoting these apps equivalent to 1% of Telegram's user base. We find these apps primarily cater to gambling and pornography services. We uncover sophisticated promotional strategies involving complex networks of apps, websites, users, and channels, and identify significant gaps in Telegram's content moderation capabilities. Our analysis also exposes the misuse of iOS features for app distribution and the prevalence of malicious behaviors in these apps. This research not only enhances our understanding of the underground app ecosystem but also provides valuable insights for developing effective regulatory measures and protecting users from potential risks associated with these covert operations. Our findings provide implications for platform regulators, app market operators, law enforcement agencies, and cybersecurity professionals in combating the proliferation of underground apps on encrypted messaging platforms.
The effect percussive therapy on equine thoracic profile, mechanical nociceptive thresholds, spinal and limb kinematics and gait symmetry
Authors: Tabor G. , Nason N. , Maddock C. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Therapeutic devices are increasingly used by therapists and horse owners. Percussive therapy (PCT) has been shown to effect blood flow, tissue oxygenation, increase range of motion (ROM) and improve recovery in humans. The aims of this study were to investigate the immediate effects of PCT on horses. Using a within-subjects randomised blinded cross-over design, twelve polo horses in training received two 12-min PCT sessions to the major superficial muscle groups, with the device on or off, 24-h apart. Pre- and post-intervention or sham sessions epaxial muscle mechanical nociceptive thresholds (MNT) and thoracic (T) profile dimensions were measured. Each horse performed four in-hand trot passes where spinal kinematics and gait symmetry were measured with inertial measurement units, plus stride length was analysed via 2D video recordings. There were no significant differences between MNT measures. Within the sham group, thoracic profile was significantly different pre and post at T18 (mean change -0.48 cm ± 1.03; ) and in the intervention group, there was a significant difference between the pre and post at T13 (mean change = −0.76 cm ± 1.35). There was no significant difference in stride length or gait symmetry at the poll, withers, and pelvis but differences in T6, T13, L3 and sacrum ROM in the sham group and T6 and T18 in the intervention group were seen. Overall, the application of PCT did not result in MNT or stride length changes in the intervention group when compared to the sham scenario although there were minor changes to thoracolumbar profile and spinal ROM. Further research assessing walk kinematics, ridden horse performance are recommended, along with assessing different PCT applications and other variables such as blood flow and neurophysiological responses that affect behaviour.
The Image Rhetoric and Narrative Aesthetics of “Teasing and Irony” in Contemporary Chinese Art
Authors: Liu Yongliang , Simatrang Sone 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The “scar art” of the 1980s mainly came from reflection on and criticism of the entire society. In 1990s China, influenced by both Western modernism and postmodernism, a phenomenon of “Teasing and Irony” emerged in contemporary Chinese art. At this time, contemporary art began to present a state of deconstruction from poetry, novels, film and television, art, performance art, conceptual art and so on, to people’s real lives. Deconstruction of authority and of classics became the pursuit of the times. The emergence of this cultural trend of Teasing and Irony involved a game of power and discourse. There were also expressions of criticism, ridicule, irony and kitsch, forming an abnormal postmodern narrative aesthetic that formed the main ecology of contemporary Chinese art in the 1990s.
Looking into the Eyes of Aswang: Alyx Arumpac’s Aswang (2019) as a “Gothumentary” of the Philippine War on Drugs
Authors: Goh Jan Marvin A. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Alyx Ayn Arumpac’s Aswang (2019) navigates an intimate terrain of the Philippine “war on drugs” during Rodrigo Duterte’s administration by documenting first-hand narratives from its various affected victims. The film challenges documentary norms as it entangles the reality of extrajudicial killings with the folkloric spectre of the “aswang.” Aswang’s (2019) narratives seek to temporarily disrupt perceptions of reality and expose the underbelly of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, as spearheaded by the program “Oplan Tokhang,” within the dark urban spaces of Manila. By employing horror as an allegorical medium, Aswang (2019) blurs the boundaries between reality and folklore, which urges its viewers to engage in a more interpretive cinematic encounter. It also augments the depiction of its victims’ actual harrowing experiences impacted by state-sanctioned violence through the cinematic instillation of fear and radical hope through visual, thematic, and symbolic elements.
Singing Crimes, Rhyming News: Folksong Newsprints, Horror Sensibilities, and the Rise of Sensationalist Mass Media in Siam, 1920s–1940s
Authors: Jiamrattanyoo Arthit 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The proliferation of print media in early-twentieth-century Siam coincided with the rising popularity of folk vocal music. By the 1920s, certain styles of folk balladry were appropriated by urban writers for news reportage and sociopolitical criticism with doses of sensationalization. Published in periodicals and chapbooks, this popular literature was characterized by its versification of true crimes and its typical focus on the figure of the criminal or the ghost. My article examines this hybrid genre of news entertainment at the nexus of a modern structure of the horror experience, folk music tradition, print capitalism, and journalistic culture in Siam. It argues that the genre constituted an early wave of Thai sensationalist mass media that represented a new aesthetic of horror and violence as sources of popular consumption and morbid curiosity. It also shaped the public’s horror and gothic sensibilities and anticipated the lurid intensification of print sensationalism in post-wwii Thailand.
Variable-Diameter Deployable Structure Composite Preforms Made by Braiding and Needle-Punching Integrated Forming Technology
Authors: Zhou Zhengxi , Guo Zitong , Shan Zhongde , Sun Zheng , Zhang Jun , Geng Fengchen , Wang Yaoyao , Yang Tianzheng , Zhuang Zhiqi 
Published: December 2024

AbstractVariable-diameter deployable carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites possess deformation and load-bearing functions and are composed of stiff-flexible coupled preforms and matrix. The stiff-flexible coupled preform, serving as the reinforcing structure, directly determines the deployable properties, and its forming technology is currently a research challenge. This paper designs a braiding and needle-punching (BNP) composite preform forming technology suitable for stiff-flexible coupled preforms. Before forming, the preform is partitioned into flexible and rigid zones, with braiding and needle-punching performed layer by layer in the respective zones. A retractable rotating device is developed to form the stiff-flexible coupled preform, achieving a diameter variation rate of up to 26.6% for the BNP preform. A structural parameter model is also established to describe the geometric parameter changes in the deformation and load-bearing areas of the preform during deployment as a function of the braiding angle. Based on experiments, this paper explains the performance changes of BNP composites concerning the structural parameters of the preform. Experimental analysis shows that as the braiding angle increases, the tensile performance of BNP composites significantly decreases, with the change rate of tensile strength first decreasing and then increasing. Additionally, when the braiding angle is less than 21.89°, the impact toughness of BNP composites remains within the range of 83.66 ± 2 kJ/m2. However, when the braiding angle exceeds 21.89°, the impact toughness of BNP composites gradually decreases with increasing braiding angle. Furthermore, a hybrid agent model based on Latin hypercube sampling and error back-propagation neural network is developed to predict the tensile and impact properties of BNP composites with different structural parameters, with maximum test relative errors of 1.89% for tensile strength and 2.37% for impact toughness.