bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integration of bio-inspired limb-like structure damping into motor suspension of high-speed trains to enhance bogie hunting stability
Authors: Zhang Heng , Ling Liang , Stichel Sebastian , Zhai Wanming 
Published: July 2024

AbstractHunting stability is an important performance criterion in railway vehicles. This study proposes an incorporation of a bio-inspired limb-like structure (LLS)-based nonlinear damping into the motor suspension system for traction units to improve the nonlinear critical speed and hunting stability of high-speed trains (HSTs). Initially, a vibration transmission analysis is conducted on a HST vehicle and a metro vehicle that suffered from hunting motion to explore the effect of different motor suspension systems from on-track tests. Subsequently, a simplified lateral dynamics model of an HST bogie is established to investigate the influence of the motor suspension on the bogie hunting behavior. The bifurcation analysis is applied to optimize the motor suspension parameters for high critical speed. Then, the nonlinear damping of the bio-inspired LLS, which has a positive correlation with the relative displacement, can further improve the modal damping of hunting motion and nonlinear critical speed compared with the linear motor suspension system. Furthermore, a comprehensive numerical model of a high-speed train, considering all nonlinearities, is established to investigate the influence of different types of motor suspension. The simulation results are well consistent with the theoretical analysis. The benefits of employing nonlinear damping of the bio-inspired LLS into the motor suspension of HSTs to enhance bogie hunting stability are thoroughly validated.
Influence of wind-blown sand content on the mechanical quality state of ballast bed in sandy railways
Authors: Chi Yihao , Xiao Hong , Zhang Zhihai , Wang Yang , Qian Zhongxia , Zhao Weize 
Published: July 2024

AbstractDuring the operation of sandy railways, the challenge posed by wind-blown sand is a persistent issue. An in-depth study on the influence of wind-blown sand content on the macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties of the ballast bed is of great significance for understanding the potential problems of sandy railways and proposing reasonable and adequate maintenance and repair strategies. Building upon existing research, this study proposes a new assessment indicator for sand content. Utilizing the discrete element method (DEM) and fully considering the complex interactions between ballast and sand particles, three-dimensional (3D) multi-scale analysis models of sandy ballast beds with different wind-blown sand contents are established and validated through field experiments. The effects of varying wind-blown sand content on the microscopic contact distribution and macroscopic mechanical behavior (such as resistance and support stiffness) of ballast beds are carefully analyzed. The results show that with the increase in sand content, the average contact force and coordination number between ballast particles gradually decrease, and the disparity in contact forces between different layers of the ballast bed diminishes. The longitudinal and lateral resistance of the ballast bed initially decreases and then increases, with a critical point at 10% sand content. At 15% sand content, the lateral resistance is mainly shared by the ballast shoulder. The longitudinal resistance sharing ratio is always the largest on the sleeper side, followed by that at the sleeper bottom, and the smallest on the ballast shoulder. When the sand content exceeds 10%, the contribution of sand particles to stiffness significantly increases, leading to an accelerated growth rate of the overall support stiffness of the ballast bed, which is highly detrimental to the long-term service performance of the ballast bed. In conclusion, it is recommended that maintenance and repair operations should be promptly conducted when the sand content of the ballast bed reaches or exceeds 10%.
Production efficiency of wheat farmers in the Arsi Zone, Oromia Region of Ethiopia
Authors: Agazhi Zenaye Degefu , Mada Melkamu , Alemu Mebratu 
Published: July 2024

AbstractWheat is a cereal crop that contributes to food security; thus, Ethiopia must boost the production efficiency of wheat to meet the sustainable development goal of eradicating hunger and poverty. Consequently, a significant revolution is occurring in the Ethiopian wheat industry to improve production and productivity. Therefore, it is critical to understand the current level of wheat farmers’ efficiency, as its production is highly influenced by existing agricultural technologies and climate change, which makes it dynamic. Accordingly, this study employed the parametric Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier and two-limit Tobit models to evaluate wheat farmers’ efficiency and determine their drivers in Ethiopia’s largest wheat-producing area, the Arsi Zone. A multistage sampling strategy was applied to obtain a representative sample of 422 wheat farmers. The model’s output suggested that the average technical, allocative, and economic efficiency scores were 80.8%, 88.1%, and 71.3%, respectively. It is confirmed that wheat farmers’ efficiencies can increase with household head age, education level, livestock ownership, contact with extension agents, wheat mechanization, and involvement in non/off-farm activities but decrease with household distance from the main market and total land holdings. To realize the potential gains from wheat cultivation in Ethiopia, the government needs to develop policies and strategies that enhance farmers’ education, livestock production, and extension contact, facilitate infrastructure, market development, and wheat mechanization, and promote non/off-farm activities.
Barriers to women’s participation in higher engineering education: a qualitative assessment of the role of social networks of students in a Ghanaian university
Authors: Omari Rose , Akuffobea-Essilfie Mavis , Baah-Tuahene Sylvia , Hagan Elizabeth , Sarpong-Anane Afua Bonsu , Asabo Rankine , Akon-Yamga Gordon , Kouevi Teko Augustin 
Published: July 2024

AbstractEngineering is critical for socio-economic development, however only a few women participate in engineering education and careers. This study aimed to identify the types of negative information propagated by the social networks of engineering students that could create barriers to students, and particularly women’s retention in engineering education and careers, and assess whether they influence men and women differently. The study was exploratory hence six focus group discussions were conducted with undergraduate engineering students in their second, third, and fourth years of study in a Ghanaian university. An interview guide was used to, among others, examine the perceptions and misconceptions of students’ social networks about engineering and the negative information that circulates within the networks. Demotivating information from students’ social networks were mainly misconceptions such as (1) engineering is too difficult and strenuous for women, and only meant for strong and well-built people, (2) engineering negatively affects women’s beauty and body image, (3) engineering makes women unfashionable and unattractive, and (4) engineering is a threat to marital and family lives. Both female and male students were negatively affected by misinformation about engineering being difficult and having limited job prospects as well as societal preferences for other programmes such as medicine. The misinformation could serve as a barrier, especially for students lacking ‘faith and the spirit of perseverance’ to pursue and graduate from engineering programmes. While efforts are being made to bridge the gender gap in engineering education and careers, there are misconceptions and misinformation that can hinder progress toward achieving the desired gender parity. Educational policies must integrate gender-responsive strategies including addressing the socio-cultural and stereotypical factors and public misconceptions. There is a need to provide strategic counselling services to engineering students to be able to cope with the effects of negative information from their social networks especially during the early years of their studies in the universities.
Criteria for stopping high-flow nasal oxygen for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Pan Jason Timothy , See Kay Choong 
Published: July 2024

AbstractHigh-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has been widely promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to circumvent invasive mechanical ventilation. While there are several reported benefits, randomized trials demonstrate inconsistent variable success. We hypothesize that this is due to variable stopping criteria. This systematic review’s purpose is to review these criteria and investigate any associations with HFNC outcomes. We searched PubMed and EMBASE for all English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2022, focusing on respiratory rate as a threshold for escalation of respiratory support. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on trial failure criteria, and intubation and mortality benefits were studied. Fisher’s exact test was performed following a 5% level of significance. Of the 22 RCTs included, 4 (18.2%) reported significant intubation benefits and 1 (0.05%) reported significant mortality benefit. The presence of objective failure criteria with a prespecified high respiratory rate threshold (35 breaths per minute or higher) had a significant effect on intubation rate reduction (P = 0.02). However, this result might be limited by the heterogeneity of the included studies. Further RCTs are required to confirm this conclusion. Given that a high respiratory rate threshold was associated with a reduction of intubation without increasing mortality, we hypothesize that among patients receiving HFNC who were eventually not intubated, the avoidance of intubation led to better clinical outcomes, while among eventually intubated patients, delays led to poorer outcomes.
Aggressive Aerosol Mitigation Policies Reduce Chances of Keeping Global Warming to Below 2C
Authors: Wood R. , Vogt M. A. , McCoy I. L. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAerosol increases over the 20th century delayed the rate at which Earth warmed as a result of increases in greenhouse gases (GHGs). Aggressive aerosol mitigation policies arrested aerosol radiative forcing from ∼1980 to ∼2010. Recent evidence supports decreases in forcing magnitude since then. Using the approximate partial radiative perturbation (APRP) method, future shortwave aerosol effective radiative forcing changes are isolated from other shortwave changes in an 18‐member ensemble of ScenarioMIP projections from phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). APRP‐derived near‐term (2020–2050) aerosol forcing trends are correlated with published model emulation values but are 30%–50% weaker. Differences are likely explained by location shifts of aerosol‐impacting emissions and their resultant influences on susceptible clouds. Despite weaker changes, implementation of aggressive aerosol cleanup policies will have a major impact on global warming rates over 2020–2050. APRP‐derived aerosol radiative forcings are used together with a forcing and impulse response model to estimate global temperature trends. Strong mitigation of GHGs, as in SSP1‐2.6, likely prevents warming exceeding 2C since preindustrial but the strong aerosol cleanup in this scenario increases the probability of exceeding 2C by 2050 from near zero without aerosol changes to 6% with cleanup. When the same aerosol forcing is applied to a more likely GHG forcing scenario (i.e., SSP2‐4.5), aggressive aerosol cleanup more than doubles the probability of reaching 2C by 2050 from 30% to 80%. It is thus critical to quantify and simulate the impacts of changes in aerosol radiative forcing over the next few decades.
Amazonian Tectonic Evolution of Ceraunius and Tractus Fossae, Mars, and Implications for Local Magmatic Sources
Authors: Shahrzad Stephanie , Bramham Emma K. , Piazolo Sandra , Thomas Mark , Byrne Paul K. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe heavily faulted Martian terrains of Ceraunius Fossae and Tractus Fossae, south of the Alba Mons volcano, have previously only been considered as parts of larger tectonic studies of Alba Mons, and consequently the complexity of the faulting remains unclear. As these terrains are in the midst of the large Tharsis volcanoes, the study of their surface deformation has the potential to help unravel the volcano‐tectonic deformation associated with the growth of Tharsis as well as to decipher details of the magma‐tectonic processes responsible for graben formation. Here, we distinguish between faults and collapse structures based on image and topographic evidence. We mapped ∼12,000 faults, which we grouped into three distinct fault groups based on orientation, morphology, and relative ages. These show a temporal evolution in the mapped fault orientations from NE to N‐S to NW with associated changes in stress orientations. We also mapped collapse features and categorized them into four different groups: pit‐crater chains, catenae, u‐shaped troughs and chasmata. Examining the four collapse structure groups reveals that they are likely four progressive stages in the erosional evolution of pit‐crater chains. Together, this revealed a structural history heavily influenced by lateral diking from both local (radial to Alba Mons, Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons) and regional (radial to Tharsis) sources, and vertical diking from a proposed Ceraunius Fossae centered magma source. This, along with an updated crater size‐frequency distribution analysis of the unit ages, reveals a highly active tectonic and magmatic environment south of Alba Mons in the Middle Amazonian.
Scale‐Dependent Inter‐Catchment Groundwater Flow in Forested Catchments: Analysis of Multi‐Catchment Water Balance Observations in Japan
Authors: Oda Tomoki , Iwasaki Kenta , Egusa Tomohiro , Kubota Tayoko , Iwagami Sho , Iida Shin'ichi , Momiyama Hiroki , Shimizu Takanori 
Published: July 2024

AbstractInter‐catchment groundwater flow (IGF) plays an essential role in streamflow generation and water quality in forested headwaters. Multiple factors are thought to contribute to IGF, including climate, topographical, and geological factors. However, studies have not clarified the relationships between IGF and catchment properties in the headwater catchments due to the lack of observational data at scales smaller than 100 ha. This study examined possible factors influencing IGF using random forest analysis based on annual water balance data from 152 forested catchments ranging from 0.09 to 9400 ha in Japan. The results showed that catchment scale had the greatest influence on IGF, and IGF tended to decrease with increasing catchment area at scales of less than 10 ha. The average IGF stabilized around zero in catchments greater than 10 ha. The averaged IGF trend with catchment scale indicated more outward groundwater flow in catchments smaller than 10 ha, but no relationship between IGF and catchment size in catchments larger than 10 ha. The variability in IGF decreased with catchment size and was lowest at 10–100 ha. The decrease in variability in catchments less than 100 ha was mainly due to river confluence and the increased variability in catchments larger than 100 ha indicated potential observation errors increase in catchments of this size.
Long-term health in individuals born preterm or with low birth weight: A cohort study
Authors: Amadou Coralie , Ancel Pierre-Yves , Zeitlin Jennifer , Ribet Céline , Zins Marie , Charles Marie-Aline 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Background
To measure the association of prematurity and non-preterm low birth weight (LBW) with several long-term health outcomes.

Methods
We selected adult participants from the Constances cohort. Associations between preterm birth (<37 weeks versus ≥37 weeks) and outcomes were measured using modified Poisson regression with adjustment for participant age and parental history. We used the same modeling methods to measure the association between LBW (i.e., <sex-specific 10th percentile) and outcomes in participants born ≥ 37 weeks. We tested for an interaction between exposures and sex.

Results
Among 30,295 participants, preterm birth (5.2%) was associated with (RR[CI95]): obesity (1.25[1.08–1.46]), hypertriglyceridemia (1.23[1.07–1.42]), high LDL-cholesterol (1.16[1.05–1.28]), high blood pressure (HBP) (1.22[1.08–1.36]), metabolic syndrome (1.35[1.06–1.71]), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (1.26[1.08–1.47]), allergic and atopic symptoms (1.06[1.01–1.12]), and lack of tertiary education (1.11[1.02–1.20]). Women had a significantly higher risk of hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome. In non-preterm participants, LBW was associated with prediabetes/diabetes (1.30[1.12–1.52]), HBP (1.22[(1.12–1.33]) and lack of tertiary education (1.13[1.07–1.20]), whereas the risk of obesity (0.83[0.73–0.95]) and abdominal obesity (0.84[0.76–0.93]) was reduced.

Conclusion
Preterm birth and non-preterm LBW are both risk factors for several adult outcomes. However, regarding excess fat storage, their long-term effect seems to be in the opposite direction.

Impact statement

Preterm birth is associated with a higher long-term risk of obesity, whereas low birth weight is not.

This study improves the understanding of the common idea that low birth weight is associated with a long-term risk of obesity, whereas it might depend on the cause of low birth weight.

These findings provide new insights into the difficult distinction between the long-term adverse health effects of preterm birth and low birth weight.
Differential signalling requirements for RIPK1-dependent pyroptosis in neutrophils and macrophages
Authors: Yow See Jie , Rosli Safwah Nasuha , Hutchinson Paul E. , Chen Kaiwen W. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractTLR4 and TNFR1 signalling promotes potent proinflammatory signal transduction events, thus, are often hijacked by pathogenic microorganisms. We recently reported that myeloid cells retaliate Yersinia blockade of TAK1/IKK signalling by triggering RIPK1-dependent caspase-8 activation that promotes downstream GSDMD and GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in macrophages and neutrophils respectively. However, the upstream signalling events for RIPK1 activation in these cells are not well defined. Here, we demonstrate that unlike in macrophages, RIPK1-driven pyroptosis and cytokine priming in neutrophils are driven through TNFR1 signalling, while TLR4-TRIF signalling is dispensable. Furthermore, we demonstrate that activation of RIPK1-dependent pyroptosis in neutrophils during Yersinia infection requires IFN-γ priming, which serves to induce surface TNFR1 expression and amplify soluble TNF secretion. In contrast, macrophages utilise both TNFR1 and TLR4-TRIF signalling to trigger cell death, but only require TRIF but not autocrine TNFR1 for cytokine production. Together, these data highlight the emerging theme of cell type-specific regulation in cell death and immune signalling in myeloid cells.
Reduced speech coherence in psychosis-related social media forum posts
Authors: Plank Laurin , Zlomuzica Armin 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe extraction of linguistic markers from social media posts, which are indicative of the onset and course of mental disorders, offers great potential for mental healthcare. In the present study, we extracted over one million posts from the popular social media platform Reddit to analyze speech coherence, which reflects formal thought disorder and is a characteristic feature of schizophrenia and associated psychotic disorders. Natural language processing (NLP) models were used to perform an automated quantification of speech coherence. We could demonstrate that users who are active on forums geared towards disorders with a higher degree of psychotic symptoms tend to show a lower level of coherence. The lowest coherence scores were found in users of forums on dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. In contrast, a relatively high level of coherence was detected in users of forums related to obsessive–compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression. Users of forums on posttraumatic stress disorder, autism, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder exhibited medium-level coherence. Our findings provide promising first evidence for the possible utility of NLP-based coherence analyses for the early detection and prevention of psychosis on the basis of posts gathered from publicly available social media data. This opens new avenues for large-scale prevention programs aimed at high-risk populations.
Is volumetric pricing for drinking water an effective revenue strategy in rural Mali?
Authors: Wagner Johannes , Koehler Johanna , Dupuis Mikael , Hope Rob 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAfrica lags behind the world on operational and financial progress to maintain safe drinking water services. In rural Mali, we explore the implications of monthly flat fee contributions and volumetric (pay-as-you-fetch) payments for water use and revenue generation. By assessing 4413 months of data across 177 handpumps, we find that once payment modalities switch from volumetric payments to monthly flat fees, a waterpoint registers a more than three-times higher monthly revenue. While flat fees cover a higher share of the operational costs of providing reliable water services, a subsidy gap persists. Flat fees appear to stimulate daily water use which more than doubles compared to volumetric payments. We estimate that a 1 °C increase in average monthly temperature is associated with 180 more litres of water used every day per handpump, emphasising the importance of climate-resilient water supplies. Based on these insights, we discuss the role of professional service delivery models to support reliable drinking water services for rural communities.
Direct observation of translational activation by a ribonucleoprotein granule
Authors: Chen Ruoyu , Stainier William , Dufourt Jeremy , Lagha Mounia , Lehmann Ruth 
Published: July 2024

AbstractBiomolecular condensates organize biochemical processes at the subcellular level and can provide spatiotemporal regulation within a cell. Among these, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules are storage hubs for translationally repressed mRNA. Whether RNP granules can also activate translation and how this could be achieved remains unclear. Here, using single-molecule imaging, we demonstrate that the germ cell-determining RNP granules in Drosophila embryos are sites for active translation of nanos mRNA. Nanos translation occurs preferentially at the germ granule surface with the 3′ UTR buried within the granule. Smaug, a cytosolic RNA-binding protein, represses nanos translation, which is relieved when Smaug is sequestered to the germ granule by the scaffold protein Oskar. Together, our findings uncover a molecular process by which RNP granules achieve localized protein synthesis through the compartmentalized loss of translational repression.