bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Removal of uranium ions from contaminated solutions by adsorption on cerium and lanthanum magnesium ferrite
Authors: Abd El-Magied Mahmoud O. , Rezk Mohamed M. , Bakr Yasser I. , Fawzy Mohamad M. , Sopaih Manar , Anwar Zeinab. M. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractMagnesium ferrites doped with lanthanum (MgLaF) and cerium (MgCeF) were synthesized according to the combustion method. These ferrite-based nanoparticles showed improved adsorption properties for uranium ions. The maximum capacity of 138.95 and 152.39 mg/g were achieved at pH 5 after 30 min of contact with the MgLaF and MgCeF nanoparticles. The outcomes demonstrated that the nanoparticles have a high adsorption affinity for uranium ions (θ ≥ 0.9396). This adsorption affinity was not significantly affected by the presence of other ions, where the amount of uranium adsorbed from granite leach liquor on MgLaF and MgCeF reached 122.7 and 134.8 mg/g.
Participant Perspectives on a Community Health Worker Intervention to Reduce Infant Mortality: A Mixed Methods Assessment of the Bronx Healthy Start Partnership
Authors: Fisher Elisa M. , Idehen Alma , Cárdenas Luisa , Lounsbury David W. , Jasani Foram , Rodgers Caryn R. R. , Gregoire Mayssa , Williams Rebecca , Weiss Linda , Hal Strelnick A. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Healthy Start is an initiative to reduce infant mortality and improve birth equity throughout the US, in large part by deploying community health workers (CHWs) to conduct home visits and provide educational and emotional support to new and expectant parents.

Methods
A mixed-methods assessment of the Bronx Healthy Start Partnership (BxHSP) was conducted as part of a quality improvement initiative to understand client perspectives regarding the impact of BxHSP on short- and intermediate-term outcomes that affect long-term well-being. Phone interviews (n = 16) and online surveys (n = 62) were conducted in English and Spanish with BxHSP participants in 2020 and 2022. The interview sample was selected purposefully; interview participants were eligible if they gave birth prior to mid-March 2020 and had received at least one CHW home visit. All individuals with open BxHSP cases (n = 379) were invited to complete the survey.

Results
Findings suggest that BxHSP CHWs can provide vital psychosocial, material, and educational resources that help engaged participants feel supported as new parents and develop knowledge and skills related to infant care. Results further suggest that these short-term outcomes contribute to lower stress, increased self-efficacy, and health-promoting infant care practices, enabling participants to feel more confident and capable as new parents.

Discussion
Findings underscore how programs like BxHSP can help address gaps in resources and improve health and well-being for pregnant and postpartum participants. Limitations include possible selection, recall, and/or social desirability biases as response rates were low and data were self-reported and retrospective. Limitations were addressed in part through triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data.
The 2020 Mw 6.6 Vernadsky transform earthquake sequence: rupture and Coulomb stress changes surrounding an oceanic core complex
Authors: de Melo Guilherme W. S. , Mitchell Neil C. , Sokolov Sergey Y. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractOceanic core complexes (OCCs) are upwards-convex areas of outcropping lower crustal or upper mantle rocks raised to the seabed by normal faults, commonly associated with weak lithologies such as serpentinites. They are common adjacent to transform valleys of slow-spreading ridges. In this paper, we analyse the September 2020, Mw 6.6 strike-slip earthquake and its two-week long aftershock sequence within the Vernadsky transform valley, using recordings from regional seismic stations. The aftershocks occurred in two phases. During the first four days, ∼ 131 events occurred east and northeast of the mainshock, overlapping an adjacent OCC complex along the northern flank of the transform valley. During the following nine days, 20 aftershocks occurred, including a Mw 5.8 event close to the OCC. To refine the locations of aftershocks, the spatial spread of the events (clustering) was refined by double-difference relocating 114 events, and five with teleseismic relative relocation. Modeling of static Coulomb stresses was carried out, based on a mainshock rupture length compatible with the 26–30 km horizontal extent of aftershocks. This revealed that the aftershocks occurred mainly in areas where static Coulomb stresses decreased, not increased. Other researchers have suggested that changes in fault strength can arise from dynamic stresses during major earthquakes, leading to seismicity in areas of decreased Coulomb stress. We explore this idea in the context of OCCs.
Metformin effectively alleviates the symptoms of Alzheimer in rats by lowering amyloid β deposition and enhancing the insulin signal
Authors: Abosharaf Hamed A. , Elsonbaty Yasmin , Tousson Ehab , Mohamed Tarek M. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) exhibits distinct biochemical and histopathological attributes, encompassing cellular, neuronal, and oxidative impairment. There is also an abnormal buildup, misfolding and clumping of amyloid β (Aβ). The present study aimed to explore the influence of the antihyperglycemic agent metformin on rats with AD-like symptoms, while also elucidating the intricate relationship between insulin resistance and AD. The rats were categorized into five groups: a control group, a saline-administered group, a metformin-treated group, AD-model rats, and AD-rats treated with a 200 mg/kg dose of metformin. Cognitive impairment was rated using the classical labyrinth test. Moreover, serum biochemical parameters, encompassing glucose levels, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, kidney, and liver function, were evaluated. Additionally, oxidative, antioxidant, and neurotransmitter parameters were measured in hippocampus tissues. Also, the Aβ and insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS-2) were measured by immunoblotting. Besides hippocampal histopathology, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and calretinin immunoreactivity were monitored. The study findings disclosed deficits in memory and learning capabilities among AD rats. Furthermore, AD-afflicted rats exhibited heightened glucose levels, elevated HOMA-IR and HbA1c values, alongside compromised liver, and kidney functions. Additionally, an upsurge in oxidative stress coincided with a notable reduction in the antioxidant system and neurotransmitters activities. The levels of Aβ deposition increased, while IRS-2 expression subsided, accompanied by alterations in the hippocampal structure and neuronal damage. These changes were paralleled by an intensification in GFAP reactivity and a detracting in calretinin reactivity. Metformin was altogether able to move forward cognitive execution by means of bringing down oxidative stress and Aβ conglomeration. Furthermore, metformin was able to improve neurotransmitters and insulin signals. AD, glucose impairment, and brain insulin resistance are completely interlinked, and future AD medications may be inspired by diabetic medication.
Equality of Magnetization and Edge Current for Interacting Lattice Fermions at Positive Temperature
Authors: Lampart Jonas , Moscolari Massimo , Teufel Stefan , Wessel Tom 
Published: November 2024

AbstractWe prove that the magnetization is equal to the edge current in the thermodynamic limit for a large class of models of lattice fermions with finite-range interactions satisfying local indistinguishability of the Gibbs state, a condition known to hold for sufficiently high temperatures. Our result implies that edge currents in such systems are determined by bulk properties and are therefore stable against large perturbations near the boundaries. Moreover, the equality persists also after taking the derivative with respect to the chemical potential. We show that this form of bulk-edge correspondence is essentially a consequence of homogeneity in the bulk and locality of the Gibbs state. An important intermediate result is a new version of Bloch’s theorem for two-dimensional systems, stating that persistent currents vanish in the bulk.
Silence as complicity and action as silence
Authors: Donohue J. L. A. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSilence sometimes constitutes moral complicity. We see this when protestors take to the streets against racial injustice. Think of signs with the words: “Silence is complicity.” We see this in instances of sexual harassment, when we learn that many knew and said nothing. We see this in cases of wrongdoing within a company or organization, when it becomes clear that many were aware of the negligent or criminal activity and stayed silent. In cases like this we consider agents morally complicit in virtue of their silence. Flagrant injustices cry out for action, and sometimes remaining silent amounts to complicity in those injustices. What philosophy owes us is an account of how it could be that silence constitutes complicity. In this paper I argue that one possibility is an account grounded in problematic deliberative contribution. The core idea of “deliberative complicity,” as I call it, is that agents have moral duties concerning the moral deliberation of other agents, and failures in these duties can amount to moral complicity. For example, an agent aware that a colleague is sexually harassing his students has a deliberative obligation to report the misconduct, and their silence in failing to report constitutes a failure to fulfill their deliberative obligation, a failure that grounds their moral complicity in the harassment. If my argument is successful, it provides a distinctive reason to prefer a deliberative account of moral complicity: it can capture cases of silent complicity that other views of moral complicity cannot. And further, by turning our attention toward our interpersonal deliberative obligations, a deliberative account of complicity can incorporate helpful resources from recent work in social epistemology and speech act theory as we set out to determine when and why silence amounts to complicity. And when it does, we cannot stay silent. We must speak.
Updating neoclassical economics with contemporary conceptions of homo economicus: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Munien Inderasan , Telukdarie Arnesh 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe postulation of rationality pervading neoclassical economics, having found to be lacking in veracity, necessitates an update of Homo economicus in neoclassical economics. An empirical formulation of economics predicated on an evolutionary framework of cognitive development is widely akcnowledged to expand the application and utility of economic models and this study identifies the key research areas associated with the contemporisation of neoclassical economics and reviews the extant body of knowledge on the status of the endeavour. A co-occurring keyword procedure is used to perform a bibliometric analysis to evaluate the extent to which the body of knowledge has progressed with updating the conception of Homo economicus in neoclassical economics. Data obtained from the Scopus and Web of Science databases are subjected to treatment by the procedure which ultimately reflects the relevance and quantity of research output related to the objective of updating neoclassical economics. The results show that, apart from the area of cognitive biases, the research contribution from the identified focus areas are insufficient with 14 of the 18 fields contributing only 12% of the research ouput related to the updating of neoclassical economics. The key insight of this study is that while the failures of neoclassical economics have been well documented in the literature, the effort to improve economic predictions to better approach reality by updating the characterisation of Homo economicus with evidence based findings relating to human behaviour is still immature. It is recommended that the computational and analytical tools endowed by the digital revolution be employed to close the research gap enabling the creation of debiasing strategies and acucrate economic predictions.
Synergistic effects of gamma irradiation/salmide®, a sodium chlorite-based oxy-halogen, on microbiological control and the shelf life of chicken breasts
Authors: Abdelkader Reham M. M. , Abolmaaty Assem , Amin Dina H. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractA novel portable chamber was developed to extend the shelf life of chicken breasts through a synergistic treatment of gamma irradiation and Salmide®, a sodium chlorite-based oxy-halogen. This combination successfully enhanced the shelf life by utilizing a low dosage of gamma irradiation alongside low concentrations of Salmide (200 ppm sodium chlorite). Fresh chicken breast samples were treated with gamma irradiation, then packed in ice containing Salmide within the portable chamber, and subsequently stored for 20 days in a refrigerator at 4 °C ± 1. The study investigated aerobic bacterial counts, sensory analysis, and Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels. Results showed that Salmide alone significantly reduced microbial counts and extended shelf life by 8 days. Gamma irradiation at 1 kGy, either alone or combined with Salmide, caused a sequential reduction in total aerobic bacterial counts by 2,3 logarithmic cycles, respectively, extending the storage period to 12 days. Furthermore, a 16 day shelf life extension was achieved with gamma irradiation at 3 kGy, either alone or in combination with Salmide, resulting in a reduction of total aerobic bacteria by 5 logarithmic cycles. This study is the first to employ Salmide in conjunction with gamma irradiation as an innovative technology in a portable chamber to enhance the safety and shelf life of chicken breasts during storage in the designed portable chamber.
The method of radiation risk assessment based on physico-geographical regionalisation: a case study of Carpathians, Poland
Authors: Jędrzejek Filip , Szarłowicz Katarzyna , Stobiński Marcin 
Published: November 2024

AbstractRadiological assessment of the environment in expansive territories poses significant challenges due to the complexity of spatial and environmental variables. The aim of this study was to use and present the advantages of a physico-geographical regionalisation methodology to improve the precision and effectiveness of radiological assessments in large areas. The study area was a region of the Polish Carpathian mountains with a territory of 19,600 km2. By integrating geographic information systems (GIS) and radiological data, this research analysed a similarity of environmental attributes (soil type, lithology, mineralogy) and absorbed dose rate (ADR) level from the terrestrial origin for populations. Consistency in terms of the nature and origin of the relief and lithological diversity was a key aspect that distinguished the radiological characteristics. Therefore, consistency was observed at the macroregional level according to physiographic mapping. The study demonstrates the utility of macroregionalisation in capturing spatial ADR heterogeneity and provides a new strategy in radiological monitoring.
Graphical Abstract
Generation of short-term follow-up chest CT images using a latent diffusion model in COVID-19
Authors: Kawata Naoko , Iwao Yuma , Matsuura Yukiko , Higashide Takashi , Okamoto Takayuki , Sekiguchi Yuki , Nagayoshi Masaru , Takiguchi Yasuo , Suzuki Takuji , Haneishi Hideaki 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Despite a global decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients, early prediction of the clinical course for optimal patient care remains challenging. Recently, the usefulness of image generation for medical images has been investigated. This study aimed to generate short-term follow-up chest CT images using a latent diffusion model in patients with COVID-19.

Materials and methods
We retrospectively enrolled 505 patients with COVID-19 for whom the clinical parameters (patient background, clinical symptoms, and blood test results) upon admission were available and chest CT imaging was performed. Subject datasets (n = 505) were allocated for training (n = 403), and the remaining (n = 102) were reserved for evaluation. The image underwent variational autoencoder (VAE) encoding, resulting in latent vectors. The information consisting of initial clinical parameters and radiomic features were formatted as a table data encoder. Initial and follow-up latent vectors and the initial table data encoders were utilized for training the diffusion model. The evaluation data were used to generate prognostic images. Then, similarity of the prognostic images (generated images) and the follow-up images (real images) was evaluated by zero-mean normalized cross-correlation (ZNCC), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity (SSIM). Visual assessment was also performed using a numerical rating scale.

Results
Prognostic chest CT images were generated using the diffusion model. Image similarity showed reasonable values of 0.973 ± 0.028 for the ZNCC, 24.48 ± 3.46 for the PSNR, and 0.844 ± 0.075 for the SSIM. Visual evaluation of the images by two pulmonologists and one radiologist yielded a reasonable mean score.

Conclusions
The similarity and validity of generated predictive images for the course of COVID-19-associated pneumonia using a diffusion model were reasonable. The generation of prognostic images may suggest potential utility for early prediction of the clinical course in COVID-19-associated pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
The Effect of Hidden Damage on Local Process Variability in Al-10 Pct Si Alloy High-Pressure Die Castings
Authors: Olofsson Jakob , Bogdanoff Toni , Tiryakioğlu Murat , Bramann Horst , Sturm Jörg 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
An approach to evaluate and quantify process variability in the mechanical performance of castings is explored. The process variability describes the effect of hidden damage given to the metal before solidification on the material performance measured by elongation to failure. The approach is demonstrated on a casting produced by high-pressure die casting (HPDC) with different filling conditions in serial production. Statistical analyses have been conducted on data obtained from several positions throughout the casting to determine whether a position is performing differently from other positions. The results show that elongation in most positions follows the same Weibull distribution. However, the local evaluation shows that one position stands out and follows a separate distribution. Casting simulations, Digital Image Correlation (DIC), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) reveal that this position displays an increased amount of hidden damage that causes the local reduction in elongation. The investigated changes in prefill amount do not significantly affect the material quality, which is more controlled by the quality of the melt and the nature of mold filling.
Biochemical and structural characterisation of thermostable acid- and pepsin-soluble collagens from South African Geelbek (Atractoscion aequidens) scales and its potential application in film formation
Authors: Sibiya Hlalanathi , Bhagwat Prashant , Permaul Kugenthiren , Pillai Santhosh 
Published: November 2024

AbstractFish processing typically generates large amounts of non-edible by-products, which contain collagen protein as one of the principal constituents. In this study, the biochemical properties, in vitro fibril-forming potential and film-forming potential of acid (ASC)- and pepsin (PSC)-soluble collagens extracted from the scales of geelbek (Atractoscion aequidens) were evaluated. Based on ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, electrophoretic pattern, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, both ASC and PSC were classified as type I collagen. Further, amino acid composition analyses confirmed the presence of 326 and 319 glycine residues/1000 residues in ASC and PSC, respectively, which is characteristic of collagen. The collagens were thermally stable, with a maximum transition temperature of 112.27 °C for ASC and 113.41 °C for PSC. The collagens also demonstrated excellent fibril-forming potential, as indicated by SEM analysis. Being a bioactive material, the extracted collagen was further utilised to prepare collagen–chitosan films. The presence of collagen–chitosan interaction was revealed by FTIR spectra examination of the films, confirming a favourable modification of collagen’s secondary structure. Colour, differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated that the collagen–chitosan films had moderate colour indices and enhanced thermal properties. Overall, this study offers insights into biomaterial fabrication using geelbek collagen that could potentially be useful in the biomedical and food industries.
Graphical abstract
Construct, merge, solve and adapt
Authors: Blum Christian 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe CMSA algorithm for combinatorial optimization is a hybrid technique based on repeatedly solving sub-instances to the original problem instance. The incumbent sub-instance is extended at each iteration by the probabilistic generation of valid solutions to the original problem instance and by adding the components found in these solutions to the sub-instance. In addition, the incumbent sub-instance is reduced at each iteration by removing seemingly useless solution components. In recent years the usefulness of the CMSA algorithm has been shown by a range of applications to different combinatorial optimization problems. In this work, we provide a gentle introduction to CMSA by describing the application to the so-called minimum global domination problem as an example.
Optimization of fermentation conditions for microbial transglutaminase production by Streptoverticillium cinnamoneum KKP 1658 using response surface methodology (RSM)
Authors: Kolotylo Vitaliy , Piwowarek Kamil , Synowiec Alicja , Kieliszek Marek 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Microbial transglutaminase (MTG) is an enzyme widely used in the food industry because it creates cross-links between proteins, enhancing the texture and stability of food products. Its unique properties make it a valuable tool for modifying the functional characteristics of proteins, significantly impacting the quality and innovation of food products. In this study, response surface methodology was employed to optimize the fermentation conditions for microbial transglutaminase production by the strain Streptoverticillium cinnamoneum KKP 1658. The effects of nitrogen dose, cultivation time, and initial pH on the activity of the produced transglutaminase were investigated. The significance of the examined factors was determined as follows: cultivation time > nitrogen dose > pH. The interaction between nitrogen dose and cultivation time was found to be crucial, having the second most significant impact on transglutaminase activity. Optimal conditions were identified as 48 h of cultivation with a 2% nitrogen source dose and an initial medium pH of approximately 6.0. Under these conditions, transglutaminase activity ranged from 4.5 to 5.5 U/mL. The results of this study demonstrated that response surface methodology is a promising approach for optimizing microbial transglutaminase production. Future applications of transglutaminase include the development of modern food products with improved texture and nutritional value, as well as its potential use in regenerative medicine for creating biomaterials and tissue scaffolds. This topic is particularly important and timely as it addresses the growing demand for innovative and sustainable solutions in the food and biomedical industries, contributing to an improved quality of life.