bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of methods to calculate groundwater recharge for karst aquifers under a Mediterranean climate
Authors: Hepach P , Bresinsky L , Sauter M , Livshitz Y , Engelhardt I 
Published: July 2024

AbstractKarst aquifers can be particularly vulnerable to human activities and climate change due to their relatively high degree of connection with the surface. This study utilized an ensemble of event-based recharge calculation methods to address the problem of structural uncertainty for the example of the Western Mountain Aquifer (WMA), a Mediterranean karst aquifer located in Israel and the West Bank. Spatially distributed recharge estimates derived from the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the process-based infiltration model (PIM) were compared to site-specific, empirical regression models. The SWAT and PIM mean annual recharge estimates ranged from 32–34.6% of precipitation, almost equating to the results of empirical regression models (32–36%). Future recharge predictions under the influence of climate change were quantified by parameterizing the SWAT and PIM methods with a downscaled regional climate model of Israel. SWAT predicts a 23% decrease in recharge by 2051–2070 relative to 1981–2001. In contrast, PIM shows a 9% decrease, possibly due to the representation of infiltration through preferential flow pathways and exclusion of surface runoff processes. These divergent projections underline key methodological differences in the representation of hydrological processes. Nevertheless, both methods effectively provided good estimates of groundwater recharge. The recharge rates estimated from the various methods were integrated into MODFLOW to assess their relative impacts on groundwater storage dynamics. The ensemble of MODFLOW projected groundwater storage outputs can provide guidance for sustainable groundwater management in the region.
The social and family evaluation (SAFE) scale for caregivers of individuals with disorders of consciousness: preliminary results
Authors: Magnani F. G. , Cacciatore M. , Barbadoro F. , Ippoliti C. , Sattin D. , Magliacano A. , Draghi F. , De Nisco A. , Hakiki B. , Cecchi F. , Spinola M. , Estraneo A. , Leonardi M. 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Background
Caregivers’ involvement in the diagnostic and monitoring processes of the level of consciousness of patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) is strongly encouraged by international guidelines, as current literature suggests a better chance to detect behavioural responses when caregivers are involved in clinical assessments. Since caregivers’ involvement during clinical assessments can be difficult, the Social And Family Evaluation (SAFE) scale has been recently proposed as a standardised tool that caregivers can autonomously use to collect their opinions about the level of consciousness of patients with DoC, based on the behaviours manifested by the patients in a given time-window.

Objective
Providing preliminary results concerning SAFE adoption.

Methods
22 patients with DoC were assessed through the Coma Recovery Scale-revised (CRS-r), while their caregivers filled-in the SAFE.

Results
The SAFE showed a very high internal consistency, very high test-retest reliability, and high criterion validity when correlated to the CRS-r total score. Moreover, in line with the literature, the SAFE allowed the detection of some behaviours indicative of a higher level of consciousness than those detected by clinicians through the CRS-r in more than half of the sample.

Conclusion
Overall, these preliminary data are promising for the adoption of the SAFE to collect the opinions of the caregivers about the level of consciousness of patients with DoC, especially in those settings where it would be otherwise difficult to monitor the patients, such as long-term care structures and at home, as a tool for telemedicine allowing the monitoring of patients in remote settings.
A randomized controlled trial of social media promotion in neurosurgical publishing
Authors: Vieli Moira , Battilana Bianca , Alamri Alex , Rabiei Katrin , Lippa Laura , Karekezi Claire , Kolias Angelos , Serra Carlo , Regli Luca , Mathiesen Tiit , Staartjes Victor E. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe importance of social media has seen a dramatic increase in recent times, but much about its influence in academia is still unknown. To date, no comparative studies analysing the effect of social media promotion on citation counts have been undertaken in neurosurgical publishing. We randomized 177 articles published in Acta Neurochirurgica from May to September 2020. The 89 articles in the intervention group received a standardized social media promotion through one post on our official Twitter/X account, whereas the 88 articles in the control group did not receive any social media promotion. Citation counts, website visits and PDF downloads were tracked at one and two years post-promotion. We found no significant difference in number of citations at one year post-promotion (Intervention: 1.85 ± 3.94 vs. Control: 2.67 ± 6.65, p = 0.322) or at two years (5.35 ± 7.39 vs. 7.09 ± 12.1, p = 0.249). Similarly, no difference was detected in website visits at one (587.46 ± 568.04 vs. 590.65 ± 636.25, p = 0.972) or two years (865.79 ± 855.80 vs. 896.31 ± 981.97, p = 0.826) and PDF downloads at one (183.40 ± 152.02 vs. 187.78 ± 199.01, p = 0.870) or two years (255.99 ± 218.97 vs. 260.97 ± 258.44, p = 0.890). In a randomized study, a structured promotion of general neurosurgical articles on Twitter/X did not significantly impact citation count, website visits, or PDF downloads compared to no social media promotion. Combined with published evidence to date, the impact of social media on citation counts in academic publishing ultimately remains unclear.
Effects of classical biocontrol agents on indigenous natural enemies: reproduction in pomegranate butterfly Deudorix livia eggs by native and imported parasitoids
Authors: Al-Riyami Abdulhamid , Hardy Ian C. W. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractExotic natural enemies that are imported to control a target pest may attack non-target species or disrupt the performance of other natural enemies of the target that are already present. We evaluate possible interactions between three parasitoid species, the nativeTelenomus nizwaensisand the importedTrichogramma brassicaeandTrichogramma evanescens, when presented withDeudorix liviahost eggs under high-density laboratory conditions.Deudorix liviais a butterfly which is an economically damaging pest in the Omani pomegranate agro-ecosystem. Most (73.5% overall) of the observed parasitism was byT. nizwaensis.It performed best when presented with host eggs in the absence of either of theTrichogrammaspecies. These imported species thus have some potential to disrupt suppression of the pest by the indigenous natural enemy under lower-density conditions in the field, and neither of them achieved high parasitism rates themselves (laboratory conditions:T. brassicae = 12.5%;T. evanescens = 18.5%; with no evidence for any parasitism of field-collected eggs). Future efforts in this agro-ecosystem would best be directed towards encouragingT. nizwaensis,rather than towards importation ofTrichogramma. Screening for negative effects of natural enemies on the pest suppression provided by other natural enemies is recommended.
Geological adaptive intelligent control of earth pressure balance shield machine based on deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Liu Xuanyu , Zhang Wenshuai , Shao Cheng , Wang Yudong , Cong Qiumei 
Published: July 2024

AbstractScientific and precise control of tunnelling parameters is of utmost importance during the construction of shield machines. Given the complexity of the working environment, manual operation is highly prone to causing safety accidents. Therefore, achieving intelligent control of the shield machine is crucial. Based on this, this paper proposes a geological adaptive intelligent control method of earth pressure balance shield machine using the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm as the framework, with Actor-Critic as the basis. Firstly, DDPG agent is constructed to replace the screw conveyor control system as the main body of strategy implementation. Secondly, an environmental model is established by utilizing the mechanism model between the sealed cabin pressure and the screw conveyor speed. The real-time sealed cabin pressure, target pressure, and pressure error serve as the state space, while the screw conveyor speed is used as the action space. A combined reward function is set based on safety and accuracy. Finally, the Actor network interacts with the environment under the supervision of the reward function and Critic network. Successful training is achieved when the cumulative reward value is maximized, resulting in the output of optimal control strategy. In this paper, the method dynamically regulates the screw conveyor speed by interacting with the geological environment, to realize the precise control of the sealed cabin pressure and ensure the dynamic balance between sealed cabin pressure and excavation face pressure. The test results show that this method has a good control effect on the sealed cabin pressure under various geological conditions, and can complete 72 kinds of soil transition tasks. It has strong soil adaptability and can respond well to the dynamic changes of soil conditions. This approach enhances the intelligence of the shield machine, mitigating inaccuracies attributed to human operation, which provides a guarantee of safe shield machine operation, whilst exhibiting valuable engineering applications.
Global overview of national regulations for antibiotic use in aquaculture production
Authors: Luthman Ola , Robb Dave H. F. , Henriksson Patrik J. G. , Jørgensen Peter S. , Troell Max 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe intensification of aquaculture industries around the globe has led to increased susceptibility and exposure to diseases. To ensure the well-being of animals and the profitability of the industry, many aquaculture farms resort to antibiotic treatments. However, with the increasing presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), it has become important to regulate and limit the use of antibiotics, especially in animal production and regarding the antibiotics that are deemed as critically important for human health by the World Health Organization (WHO). This review describes how AMR mitigation strategies have developed over time in international settings and how they relate to aquaculture. Furthermore, we analyzed how different countries and regions abide by these statutes, as well as the antibiotic standards from a selection of certification schemes. Our results show that the role of aquaculture has been inexplicitly addressed in international guidance documents and that there is a need to further increase the activities of aquaculture operations in combating AMR, with an emphasis on alternatives to antibiotic use. We also found that most countries and regions allow the highest priority-, or critically important antibiotics in aquaculture, which could have detrimental effects on animal, environmental, and public health. As a result, most countries fail to comply with the recommendations and standards set by international organizations and certification schemes.
Promoting and Protecting the Developing Self-identity of the Young, Transracially Adopted Child in South Africa
Authors: Heyns Maynette , Moen Melanie , Finestone Michelle , Shabangu Sifiso 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Transracial adoption (TRA), where parents from one race adopt a child from another race, usually occurs with Black children being adopted by White parents in South Africa.

Method
Using multiple case studies (seven children) and a qualitative research design, the self-identity (personal and social) of six- to ten-year-old TRA children was explored. Data were collected from the adoptive parents and teachers by means of semi-structured interviews and the Child Behaviour Checklist. Additionally, parents completed a questionnaire and a Likert-style response scale. Participating children were assessed by an independent psychologist using three projective techniques. The data generated were thematically analysed.

Results
There were six emergent themes, all conducive to healthy self-identity development by securing primary identity motivators of belonging and acceptance. The children exhibited advanced communicative skills and a novel approach to group membership, increasing their social accessibility and inclusion. A distinctive theme was a desire for a dedicated personal space and possessions symbolizing permanence in the family. The universal adoptive elements of loss and rejection was confirmed, possibly more prevalent due to an observable adoptive status and physical dissimilarity from the adoptive family. Intentional parenting promoting healthy self-identity was apparent. Lastly, the importance of placing the children in an accommodating and sensitive school environment was noted.

Discussion
While not a comparative study, and with only seven children, it appears that these TRA children, with the acquisition of positive social skills and a sensitive and purposeful home and school environment, possessed the building blocks necessary to nurture a healthy self-identity.
Flow birefringence of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions in three-dimensional flow fields: revisiting the stress-optic law
Authors: Nakamine Kento , Yokoyama Yuto , Worby William Kai Alexander , Muto Masakazu , Tagawa Yoshiyuki 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis study systematically investigates the flow birefringence of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions. The aim is to clarify the importance of the stress component along the camera’s optical axis in the stress-optic law (SOL), which describes the relationship between birefringence, the retardation of transmitted polarized light, and the stress field. More than 100 datasets pertaining to the retardation of CNC suspensions (concentrations of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 wt%) in a laminar flow field within a rectangular channel (aspect ratios of 0.1, 1, and 3) are systematically obtained. The measured retardation data are compared with the predictions given by the conventional SOL excluding the stress component along the camera’s optical axis and by the SOL including these components as second-order terms (2nd-order SOL). The results show that the 2nd-order SOL gives a significantly better agreement with the measurements. Based on the 2nd-order SOL, the retardation at the center of the channel, where the effect of the stress component along the camera’s optical axis is most pronounced, is predicted to be proportional to the square of the flow rate, which agrees with the experimental data. The results confirm the importance of considering the stress component along the camera’s optical axis in the flow birefringence of CNC suspensions at high flow rates, even for quasi-two-dimensional channel flow.
$$\textsf {TOPAS}$$2-pass key exchange with full perfect forward secrecy and optimal communication complexity
Authors: Schäge Sven 
Published: July 2024

AbstractWe present Transmission optimal protocol with active security ($$\textsf {TOPAS}$$
TOPAS
), the first key agreement protocol with optimal communication complexity (message size and number of rounds) that provides security against fully active adversaries. The size of the protocol messages and the computational costs to generate them are comparable to the basic Diffie-Hellman protocol over elliptic curves (which is well-known to only provide security against passive adversaries). Session keys are indistinguishable from random keys—even under reflection and key compromise impersonation attacks. What makes $$\textsf {TOPAS}$$
TOPAS
stand out is that it also features a security proof of full perfect forward secrecy (PFS), where the attacker can actively modify messages sent to or from the test-session. The proof of full PFS relies on two new extraction-based security assumptions. It is well-known that existing implicitly-authenticated 2-message protocols like $$\textsf {HMQV}$$
HMQV
cannot achieve this strong form of (full) security against active attackers (Krawczyk, Crypto’05). This makes $$\textsf {TOPAS}$$
TOPAS
the first key agreement protocol with full security against active attackers that works in prime-order groups while having optimal message size. We also present a variant of our protocol, $$\textsf {TOPAS+}$$

TOPAS
+

, which, under the Strong Diffie-Hellman assumption, provides better computational efficiency in the key derivation phase. Finally, we present a third protocol termed $$\textsf {FACTAS}$$
FACTAS
(for factoring-based protocol with active security) which has the same strong security properties as $$\textsf {TOPAS}$$
TOPAS
and $$\textsf {TOPAS+}$$

TOPAS
+

but whose security is solely based on the factoring assumption in groups of composite order (except for the proof of full PFS).
Conditionals: Inferentialism Explicated
Authors: Crupi Vincenzo , Iacona Andrea 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAccording to the view of conditionals named inferentialism, a conditional holds when its consequent can be inferred from its antecedent. This paper identifies some major challenges that inferentialism has to face, and uses them to assess three accounts of conditionals: one is the classical strict account, the other two have recently been proposed by Douven and Rott. As will be shown, none of the three proposals meets all challenges in a fully satisfactory way. We argue through novel formal results that a variation of the evidential account of conditionals suggested by Crupi and Iacona is the most promising candidate to develop inferentialism in a coherent formal framework.
An Edge-Preserving Regularization Model for the Demosaicing of Noisy Color Images
Authors: Boccuto Antonio , Gerace Ivan , Giorgetti Valentina , Martinelli Francesca , Tonazzini Anna 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis paper proposes an edge-preserving regularization technique to solve the color image demosaicing problem in the realistic case of noisy data. We enforce intra-channel local smoothness of the intensity (low-frequency components) and inter-channel local similarity of the depth of object borders and textures (high-frequency components). Discontinuities of both the low-frequency and high-frequency components are accounted for implicitly, i.e., through suitable functions of the proper derivatives. For the treatment of even the finest image details, derivatives of first, second, and third orders are considered. The solution to the demosaicing problem is defined as the minimizer of an energy function, accounting for all these constraints plus a data fidelity term. This non-convex energy is minimized via an iterative deterministic algorithm, applied to a family of approximating functions, each implicitly referring to geometrically consistent image edges. Our method is general because it does not refer to any specific color filter array. However, to allow quantitative comparisons with other published results, we tested it in the case of the Bayer CFA and on the Kodak 24-image dataset, the McMaster (IMAX) 18-image dataset, the Microsoft Demosaicing Canon 57-image dataset, and the Microsoft Demosaicing Panasonic 500-image dataset. The comparisons with some of the most recent demosaicing algorithms show the good performance of our method in both the noiseless and noisy cases.
Green Fabrication of Nanomaterials Using Microorganisms as Nano-Factories
Authors: Eweis Abdullah A. , El-Raheem Hany Abd , Ahmad Maged S. , Hozzein Wael N. , Mahmoud Rehab 
Published: July 2024

AbstractNanoparticle synthesis under environmentally friendly conditions has been conducted utilizing natural resources in order to reduce the reliance on hazardous chemicals. For example, the utilization of microbial synthesis has enabled the production of nanoparticles that exhibit biocompatibility, stability, and safety. Microorganisms facilitate the growth of crystals while preventing aggregation. They serve as both reducing agents and capping agents by offering enzymes, peptides, poly(amino acids), polyhydroxyalkanoate, and polysaccharides. In this review, we present an overview of nanoparticle synthesis based on microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, algae, and actinobacteria, encompassing metals such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu), titanium dioxide ((TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), iron oxide (Fe2O3), and selenium (Se). The nanoparticles typically vary in size from 1 to 100 nm and exhibit various shapes including spherical, rod-shaped, triangular, cubic, and hexagonal shapes. Additionally, this review discusses the mechanisms behind the synthesis of metal nanoparticles by microorganisms, whether they occur intracellularly or extracellularly.
Comparison of continuous temperature measurement methods in the intensive care unit: standard bladder catheter measurements versus non-invasive transcutaneous sensors
Authors: Ehlers Ulrike Elisabeth , Ulmer Jens , Keller Mirja , Klein Carsten , Pietsch Urs 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare a wearable system for body core temperature measurement versus bladder and tympanic thermometers in an intensive care setting. The question was, if continuous non-invasive sensors in the intensive care unit represent an alternative to current standard methods of invasive continuous bladder temperature measurement methods?
Between May and September 2023, a comparative investigation involving 112 patients was conducted in a 20-bed surgical intensive care unit to assess various temperature probes, including those placed in the tympanic tube, bladder, and skin. To achieve this, a wireless non-invasive sensor system provided by greenTEG AG, Switzerland, was affixed to different body locations (clavicular and lateral chest) of each catheterized patient (equipped with a temperature probe) admitted to the intensive care unit. Furthermore, tympanic temperatures were recorded at specified intervals. The measurement duration ranged from a minimum of six hours to a maximum of six days, resulting in the analysis of a total of 355 simultaneous temperature measurements.
In this study, a wearable temperature measurement system attached to two different body sites revealed a consistent negative bias compared to bladder temperature. In addition, the measurements were particularly influenced by body constitution. The tested system in all patients showed a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.45 °C for the lateral chest and 0.50 °C for the clavicular position. Tympanic measurements had a mean absolute error of 0.35 °C. In patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 the MAE increased to 0.5 °C for the lateral chest and 0.56 °C for the clavicular position. In contrast, the tympanic measurement had a reduced MAE of 0.32 °C, which is well below this threshold when compared to bladder measurements.
In conclusion the investigated system did not meet the clinically relevant acceptance criteria and showed low precision in correctly identifying fever episodes compared to invasive temperature probes, however its main advantage lies in its continuity and non-invasiveness. This makes it a potential alternative to intermittent tympanic measurement devices. In this study we were able to show, that in at least one subset of patients, the non-invasive and continuous device demonstrated a precision comparable to tympanic measurements.
The accuracy of all non-invasive methods was lower than in previous studies, suggesting that the use of bladder temperature as reference and user related variations may have introduced additional errors.