bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monitoring of the inertization of cargo tanks of LNG class vessels
Authors: Matieiko Oleksii 
Published: November 2024

The results of monitoring the inertization of cargo tanks of vessels intended for the transportation of liquefied natural gas are given. It is determined that the mandatory stage of cargo operations in the port of unloading of liquefied natural gas is the inertization of tanks. It is noted that on gas-carrying vessels, the following sources of inert gases can be: flue gases of vessel's auxiliary boilers; gases generated in the inert gas generator during the burning of liquid fuel in them; directly chemically pure inert gas (usually nitrogen). It is also stated that the inertization of cargo tanks is carried out by one of two methods: either dilution of the gas atmosphere (which is the process of mixing two environments), or replacement of the gas atmosphere (in which the gases supplied to the tank form a dividing layer and gradually displace the residual vapors cargo). The stability and integrity of the dividing layer determines the inertization quality of cargo tanks. Control of the state of the dividing layer in the cargo tank is impossible with optical or visual means of control, which is caused by the opaque environment inside the tank. In this regard, it is proposed to determine the integrity of the separating layer, as well as the level at which it is located in the cargo tank, by measuring the concentration of inert gas in the volume of the tank. Research was carried out on a gas carrier with a cargo capacity of 42,563 m3. Inertization of the vessel's cargo tanks was ensured with the help of nitrogen, which was generated by an inert gas generator using the Pressure Swing Adsorption technology. Nitrogen concentration monitoring in the volume of the cargo tank was performed at levels corresponding to 5 %, 20 %, 50 %, 80 % and 95 % of the tank depth. Research on determining the effect of nitrogen pressure entering the cargo tanks for their inertization on the stability and integrity of the dividing layer was carried out in the range of 0.95–1.05 MPa. The duration of the experiment was 210 minutes, fixation of nitrogen concentration values was performed every 30 minutes. As a result, optimal pressure values were established, according to which the inertization is ensured in the minimum time. The critical pressure values at which the separation layer breaks down were also determined.
Determination of the possibility of using a functional apparatus for the production of multi-component semi-finished products with a high degree of readiness
Authors: Zahorulko Andrii , Tytarenko Nataliia , Ibaiev Eldar , Chuiko Lyudmila , Zahorulko Vitaly 
Published: November 2024

The object of research is a functional apparatus for the production of paste-like and powdered vegetable semi-finished products. The problem of combined heat and mass exchange treatment of vegetable raw materials are solved by using a functional apparatus for concentration and drying for processing and production complexes, farm lands. The expected effect during the approbation of the device is predicted under the condition of a functional approach combining the processes of concentration and drying with precise control of the temperature regime due to the use of a film-like resistive electronic heater of the radiating type.
In the study, the approbation of a functional device for the production of multi-component vegetable semi-finished products of a high degree of readiness, with concentration and drying in the field of infrared heating at a temperature of 50 °C, was performed. Real-time temperature measurement was carried out by an automatic unit based on TRM, which ensured the accuracy of control at each stage. The temperature of the mashed mass during processing increased from 20.3 °С to 23.2 °С, reaching optimal conditions for forming a film with a thickness of 0.5 mm. In the rotary reboiler, the temperature in height varied from 25.7 °C to 50.1 °C, which contributed to the preservation of the properties of thermolabile raw materials. In the lower part of the apparatus, the temperature of the finished product was 49.8 °C, maintaining the necessary temperature regime for drying. The device creates a convective air flow (0.01 m/s) with the help of Peltier elements, which stabilizes the heat exchange at a temperature of 51.3 °C on the technical partition.
The practical use of the functional apparatus will allow its use at processing and production complexes and directly at the places of collection of plant raw materials for resource-efficient production of semi-finished products with a high degree of readiness. These semi-finished products can act as independent functional products for people in extreme conditions or as recipe ingredients for the recipes of various food products.
Changes in cognitive functional performance and basic activities of daily living in patients with traumatic brain injury after two methods of cognitive retraining
Authors: Franzsen Denise , Msengana Zukiswa 
Published: November 2024

Introduction: Evidence supports a bottom-up approach to assist in addressing functional cognitive deficits in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). There is however, little evidence supporting the use of online programmes for this purpose. The aim of this research was to describe the outcomes for cognitive functional performance and basic activities of daily living (bADL) or self-care functioning after cognitive retraining using an online programme versus task-oriented intervention for patients with acute mild and moderate traumatic brain injury (TBIs).
Methods: A quantitative, quasi experimental, longitudinal research design was used for determining within-group and between-groups changes for cognitive functional performance and bADL functioning in two sample groups with mild to moderate TBI. Intervention using an online programme (n=7) or task-oriented activities (n=15) was evaluated at three assessment intervals: on recruitment into the study (Assessment 1), on completion of inpatient hospital intervention (Assessment 2) and after four weeks of home programme intervention and fortnightly outpatient intervention (Assessment 3).
Results: Results for both groups showed a statistically significant change for cognitive functional performance assessed on the Bay Area Functional Performance Evaluation (BaFPE) while the task-oriented cognitive training group also achieved a statistically significant change in bADL scores during the first inpatient assessment period. Only the online programme group had statistically significant improvement during the home programme in the third assessment period.
Conclusion: Cognitive retraining using an online programme or task-oriented activities resulted in positive change in a therapist directed inpatient programme but a structured, graded, online programme was more effective in supporting significant improvement in cognitive functional performance when used with an outpatient home programme.

Implications for practice

Cognitive retraining using an online programme or task orientated activities have a positive outcome for cognitive functional performance in patients with mild or moderate TBI in a therapist directed inpatient intervention.
A task orientated approach for cognitive retraining appears to have positive effect on bADL outcomes.
Cognitive retraining using an online programme intervention should be considered as a home programme to improve cognitive functional performance in patients with mild or moderate TBI.
Matematyka stosowana
Authors: Goriely Alain , Konarzewska Iwona 
Published: November 2024

Autor wprowadza Czytelnika w tajniki matematyki stosowanej oraz bada jej związki z matematyką czystą, nauką i inżynierią. Wyjaśnia naturę matematyki stosowanej, omawia jej wczesne osiągnięcia w fizyce i inżynierii oraz jej rozwój jako odrębnej dziedziny po II wojnie światowej. Korzystając z przykładów historycznych, bieżących zastosowań i wyzwań, prezentuje szczególną rolę, jaką matematyka odgrywa we współczesnym świecie, a także odkrywa jej dalekosiężny potencjał.
Celem książki jest ukazanie problemów, z którymi na co dzień borykają się matematycy stosowani oraz sposobu, w jaki kształtują swoje poglądy na świat. W większości przypadków autor wykorzystuje perspektywę historyczną, aby opowiedzieć o tym, jak pewne problemy naukowe lub matematyczne przekształcają się w nowoczesne teorie matematyczne i jak teorie te są nadal aktywnymi obszarami badań, w których pojawiają się nowe wyzwania.

Applied Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction was originally published in English in 2018. This translation is published by arrangement with Oxford University Press. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego is responsible for this translation from the original work and Oxford University Press shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies or ambiguities in such translation or for any losses caused by reliance thereon.
Ephedra alenda from the Algerian Sahara: Ethnobotanical Investigation, Evaluation of Total Polyphenols, Antioxidant Potential and Antibacterial Properties
Authors: Berreghıoua A. , Zıane L. 
Published: November 2024

Background: This study is part of the contribution to the development of the medicinal plant Ephedra alata from the region of Bechar, Algeria. This work aimed to measure yields, total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant capacity and antibacterial evaluation. Methods: In this laboratory investigation during March 2023 to December 2023, the samples were macerated; total phenolic and flavonoids contents were analyzed using a colorimetric method, while antioxidant capacity was assessed through DPPH. The antibacterial essay was carried out by the disc diffusion method on a solid medium using Muller Hinton. Result: Phytochemical screening confirms the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, free quinones, reducing sugars, saponins, sterols, tannins and terpenes. Methanol extract represents the highest yield (4.41%), followed by butanol extract (3.3%), ethyl acetate extract (1.25%) and dichloromethane extract (0.69%). The dosage carried out revealed the content of plyphenols and flavonoids in the methanol extract was (175.73±0.25 μg EAG/mg DE) and (35.2±0.17 μg QE/mg DE), respectively. The evaluation of the antioxidant effect of the crude extracts by free radical scavenging DPPH gave the IC50 values of the extracts methanol, butanol, ethyl acetate and dichloromethane (0.170, 0.244, 0.324 and 2.23 mg/mL), respectively. The investigation into antibacterial activity revealed that the methanol extract significantly inhibited all tested bacteria, while the dichloromethane extract showed the lowest inhibition of Escherichia coli.
Harnessing an integrated glyco-nanovaccine technology for enhanced cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Niimura Mayumi , Sakamoto Yasuhisa , Shimoda Mayuko , Harada Narumi , Maeda Ayato , Wada Shiho , Murata Koki , Liu Saisai , Ohara Haruka , Iwamoto Asuka , Kanamori Yohei , Nita Akihiro , Wakao Masahiro , Suda Yasuo , Oshiumi Hiroyuki , Hayashi Tomoko , Carson Dennis , Shinchi Hiroyuki , Moroishi Toshiro 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy, particularly using immune checkpoint inhibitors, has revolutionized cancer treatment; however, its efficacy remains limited to a subset of patients. Nanoparticles have potential in cancer treatment because they offer advantages such as biocompatibility, greater stability, and precise targeting capabilities. In this study, we investigated the potential of an integrated glyco-nanovaccine (iGN) comprising gold nanoparticles conjugated with a synthetic Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) ligand, sugar chains, and peptide antigens for cancer immunotherapy. In murine models, iGN effectively induced antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells, demonstrating prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against tumor growth. iGN stimulated antigen-presenting cells via the TLR7–MYD88 pathway, enhancing antigen presentation and priming of cytotoxic T cells. Combination therapy with iGN and anti-PD-1 antibodies further enhanced the therapeutic outcomes. These findings underscore the potential of iGN as a promising strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy, particularly when used in combination with immune checkpoint blockade, to bolster antitumor immune responses and improve therapeutic outcomes.
Association between Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and Cognitive Function: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Wang Long , Wang Na , Li Weihua , Liu Huanbing , Nie Lizhong , Shi Menglian , Xu Wei , Zuo Shuai , Xu Xinqun 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background: Population aging is increasing annually, and cognitive dysfunction is a prevalent issue among the elderly.
Aims:This study aims to investigate the association between the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and cognitive function.
Methods:The study included 2,653 participants aged 60 years and older, who had complete valid data from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The assessment utilized the CERAD Word Learning subtest (CERAD WL), the Animal Fluency Test, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) to evaluate cognitive function, subsequently categorizing participants into normal cognitive function and cognitive impairment groups. Logistic regression analysis was conducted individually based on a control risk factor model to investigate the relationship between the elderly nutritional risk index and cognitive function.
Results: Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that older adults, those with a partner, individuals with low educational attainment, and those with diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (P < 0.05). Conversely, a low nutritional risk index in older adults was significantly linked to a reduced risk of cognitive impairment (P < 0.05). In contrast, both low to moderate nutritional risk and high nutritional risk did not show significant associations with cognitive impairment risk when compared to no nutritional risk (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Moderate to high nutritional risk (low GNRI levels) was independently associated with cognitive decline related to processing speed, sustained attention, and executive function.
Occupational Burnout and Resilience among Palliative Care Practitioners in China: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Tan Fang , Wu Yan , Li Na , Zhang Chuan , CHen Shan , Huang Lan , Chen Yang , Jiang Jianjun , Deng Qian 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
Compared with other health practitioners, medical practitioners who are engaged in palliative care face negative emotions caused by painful patients and grieving from family members at any time, which results in enormous psychological pressure for medical staff, and the risk related to job burnout is significantly greater.
Objective
To investigate the factors influencing job burnout and the resilience of palliative care practitioners.
Methods
Semistructured interviews were employed to gather the data. Data analysis was guided by Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Face‒to-face interviews were carried out from September 2023–April 2024 in the palliative care ward of one of the top three hospitals in a province of China.
Results
A total of 22 palliative care practitioners were interviewed. The interview data were organized, and relevant topics were extracted and summarized from two perspectives: factors influencing job burnout among palliative care practitioners and effective strategies for addressing job burnout.
Conclusion
The factors influencing job burnout among palliative care practitioners in China include personal factors, career advancement, salary and welfare, work-related factors, and environmental factors. Effective measures to address job burnout include self-regulation, social support, and targeted intervention strategies.
Endoscopic and imaging evaluations of the primary tumor response in patients with proficient mismatch repair colorectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy
Authors: Li Yuegang , Han Chengcheng , Cheng Yao , Hu Gang , Zhuang Meng , Wang Xishan , Tang Jianqiang 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background
Neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy is a potential treatment option for patients with proficient mismatch repair/microsatellite stable colorectal cancer. Preoperative screening via endoscopy and imaging exams could help identify patients who may potentially achieve a complete response after neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of endoscopy and imaging examinations for predicting pathological complete response after neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy.
Methods
This single-center, retrospective, observational study included patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer by biopsy between 2015 and 2023 at a tertiary referral center. The main outcome measures included endoscopic examination, imaging findings, and pathological results after neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy.
Results
This study included 36 patients with locally advanced proficient mismatch repair colorectal cancer. Postoperative pathology revealed that 17 patients (47.2%) achieved a complete response (ypT0N0). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the endoscopic ypT0N0 diagnosis were 62.5%, 80.0%, and 80.6%, respectively; those of imaging-based ypT0N0 diagnosis were 43.8%, 100%, and 75.0%, respectively; and those of the combined diagnosis were 37.5%, 100%, and 72.2%, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the endoscopic and imaging ypT0N0 diagnoses were 0.768 and 0.706, respectively.
Conclusions
The specificities of endoscopy and imaging for diagnosing complete response after neoadjuvant combination immunotherapy for colorectal cancer were high, however, sensitivities were low. Therefore, radical surgery should still be recommended for patients with an incomplete response based on either examination. Larger-scale studies are required to determine if a watch-and-wait strategy is suitable for patients with a complete response based on these two examinations.
Small Traffic Sign Recognition Method Based on Improved YOLOv7
Authors: Meng Bo , Shi Weida 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

As autonomous and assisted driving technologies progress rapidly, the significance of traffic sign recognition intensifies. Currently, the detection accuracy of algorithms for traffic sign recognition remains suboptimal, particularly when identifying small traffic signs amid complex backgrounds and under inadequate lighting, leading frequently to errors in detection. This paper introduces an enhanced method for small traffic sign recognition, underpinned by an improved version of YOLOv7. Initially, The Spatial Pyramid Pooling Fast and Cross-Stage Partial Connection (SPPFCSPC) strategy was used to improve the feature extraction of small targets. Subsequently, a ShuffleAttention-CARAFE (S-CARAFE) upsampling operator is crafted. S-CARAFE refocuses on key features within the input data, boosting the information detail and improving feature recombination. Finally, the introduction of a new Normalized Wasserstein Distance (NWD) method resolves the traditional IoU measurement's sensitivity to small-target traffic signs. Experimental results show that the mAP@0.5 and mAP@0.5:0.9 values of the model trained on the TT100K dataset are increased by 3.48% and 2.29%, respectively. Additionally, the algorithm's improvements are validated on the small-target characteristics of the CCTSDB dataset and the sorted foreign traffic sign dataset, effectively elevating the recognition of small traffic signs across varying environments, consequently advancing the traffic sign recognition capacity of autonomous driving systems.
Automated Pipeline for Leaf Spot Severity Scoring in Peanuts Using Segmentation Neural Networks
Authors: Larsen Joshua , Dunne Jeffrey , Austin Robert , Newman Cassondra , Kudenov Michael 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Background: Late and early leaf spot in peanuts is a foliar disease contributing to a significant amount of lost yield globally. Peanut breeding programs frequently focus on developing disease-resistant peanut genotypes. However, existing phenotyping protocols employ subjective rating scales, performed by human raters, who determine the severity of leaf spot infection. The objective of this study was to develop an objective end-to-end pipeline that can serve to replace an expert human scorer in the field. This was accomplished using image capture protocols and segmentation neural networks that extracted lesion areas from plot-level images to determine an appropriate rating for infection severity.
Results: The pipeline incorporated a neural network that accurately determined the infected leaf surface area and identified dead leaves from plot-level cellphone imagery. Image processing algorithms then convert these labels into quality metrics that can efficiently score these images based on infected versus non-infected area. The pipeline was evaluated using field data from plots with varying leaf spot severity, creating a dataset of thousands of images that spanned conventional visual severity scores ranging from 1-9. These predictions were based on the amount of infected leaf area and the presence of defoliated leaves in the surrounding area. We were able to demonstrate automated scoring, as compared to exprt visual scoring, with a root mean square error of 0.996 visual scores, on individual images (one image per plot), and 0.800 visual scores when three images were captured of each plot.
Conclusion: Results indicated that the model and image processing pipeline can serve as an alternative to human scoring. Eliminating human subjectivity for the scoring protocols will allow non-experts to collect scores and may enable drone-based data collection. This could reduce the time needed to obtain new lines or identify new genes responsible for leaf spot resistance in peanut.
Impact testing of 2,4-dinitroanisole-based melt-cast explosive under low-intensity loading with adjustable amplitude and duration
Authors: Ying Wujiang , Li Zhuoheng , Liu Pan , Miao Feichao , Zhou Lin , Zhang Xiangrong 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Laboratory testing with adjustable loading amplitudes and durations remains the primary method for assessment of the safety of explosives under either launch or penetration environment. In this study, a novel impact testing laboratory equipment with loading amplitudes ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 GPa and pulse durations ranging from 1 to 8 ms is established. It was used to investigate the safety of a 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN)-based melt-cast explosive subjected to impact loading in either launch or penetration scenarios. The explosive's response to the impact loading depends not only on the loading characteristics (peak pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise) but also on the confinements of the explosives. The ignition events of the explosives exhibited some randomness. A logistic regression analysis method was utilized to analyze such ignition events. This method can predict the ignition events of the DNAN-based melt-cast explosive with a high accuracy, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the method. The effect of the confinements of the explosives on the accuracy of this method was also investigated.