bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health risk assessment of heavy metals and physicochemical parameters in natural mineral bottled drinking water using ICP-MS in South Africa
Authors: John Samuel Odumu Ogana , Olukotun Stephen Friday , Kupi Tebogo Gilbert , Mathuthu Manny 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe contamination of natural mineral bottled drinking water with trace, heavy metals and rare-earth elements is a growing concern globally, especially in regions with limited access to safe drinking water sources. In South Africa, the safety of bottled water remains a critical issue due to potential health risks associated with heavy metal exposure. This study aimed to evaluate physicochemical parameters alongside to assess the health risks due to heavy metals in natural mineral bottled drinking water available in South Africa, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. A total of 21 bottled water samples from different brands were collected and analysed for heavy metal concentrations including Pb, Cd, As, Cr, Ni, Ba and Hg, as well as physicochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and total dissolved solids among others. The results revealed physicochemical parameters were within acceptable ranges, indicating overall water quality. Varying levels of heavy metals across different brands observed with concentrations of Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K and Mn in some samples exceeding permissible limits set by WHO and SAWQG for drinking water quality. The mean concentration of the heavy metals is in the decreasing toxicity order of Sr > Al > Ba > Mn > Cu > Cr > Zn > Fe > As > Co > U > Ni > Cs > Pb > Cd > Hg. The mean values of the chronic daily intake (CDI) for the concentration of heavy metals for adults are in the order of Cr > Fe > Sr > Ba > Mn > Cu > Zn > Li > V > As > Ni > Be > Pb > Hg > Cd and were below acceptable limits. The estimated values of both HQ and HI (with mean of 2.07E−03 and range of 0.00 to 1.76E−02) for the heavy metals are all found to be less than 1. The total mean value of ILCR is 4.67E−06, and range of 0.00 to 2.76E−05, which is insignificant and within the permissible level of the cancer risk guidance limit of 1.00E−06 to 1.00E−04. The results show that consumption of natural mineral bottled drinking water of South Africa is safe and may not cause any significant health risk to the populace. However, the long-time potential effects due to the few exceeded metals levels needed to be considered. Our findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on water quality assurance, offering insights into the overall integrity of the natural mineral bottled water supply chain in South Africa. This research not only serves as a foundation for regulatory measures but also underscores the significance of maintaining high-quality standards in the bottled water industry for public health and environmental sustainability.
Perov type T-contractive mappings on cone b-metric spaces with generalized c-distance
Authors: Nazir Talat , Abbas Mujahid , Silvestrov Sergei 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to study the sufficient conditions for the existence of fixed points of Perov type T-contractive mappings in the setup of complete cone b-metric space associated with generalized c-distance. Some examples are presented to support our main results and concepts defined herein. The results proved in the paper extend and generalize various well known results in the existing literature.
Skin Type Diversity in Skin Lesion Datasets: A Review
Authors: Alipour Neda , Burke Ted , Courtney Jane 
Published: August 2024

AbstractPurpose of reviewSkin type diversity in image datasets refers to the representation of various skin types. This diversity allows for the verification of comparable performance of a trained model across different skin types. A widespread problem in datasets involving human skin is the lack of verifiable diversity in skin types, making it difficult to evaluate whether the performance of the trained models generalizes across different skin types. For example, the diversity issues in skin lesion datasets, which are used to train deep learning-based models, often result in lower accuracy for darker skin types that are typically under-represented in these datasets. Under-representation in datasets results in lower performance in deep learning models for under-represented skin types.Recent findingsThis issue has been discussed in previous works; however, the reporting of skin types, and inherent diversity, have not been fully assessed. Some works report skin types but do not attempt to assess the representation of each skin type in datasets. Others, focusing on skin lesions, identify the issue but do not measure skin type diversity in the datasets examined.SummaryEffort is needed to address these shortcomings and move towards facilitating verifiable diversity. Building on previous works in skin lesion datasets, this review explores the general issue of skin type diversity by investigating and evaluating skin lesion datasets specifically. The main contributions of this work are an evaluation of publicly available skin lesion datasets and their metadata to assess the frequency and completeness of reporting of skin type and an investigation into the diversity and representation of each skin type within these datasets.
Disseminated, fatal reactivation of bovine tuberculosis in a patient treated with adalimumab: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Capoferri Gioele , Ghielmetti Giovanni , Glatz Bettina , Mutke Markus R. , Tzankov Alexandar , Stephan Roger , Keller Peter M. , Labhardt Niklaus D. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) are known to increase the risk of tuberculosis (TB) reactivation, though cases involving Mycobacterium bovis are rarely reported.

Case presentation/results
We describe a case of disseminated TB with M. bovis in a 78-year-old woman with a negative Interferon-Gamma-Release Assay (IGRA), taking adalimumab due to rheumatoid polyarthritis, which resulted in a fatal outcome. The atypical clinical and histopathological features were initially interpreted as sarcoidosis. The case occurred in Switzerland, an officially bovine tuberculosis-free country. The whole genome sequence of the patient’s cultured M. bovis isolate was identified as belonging to the animal lineage La1.2, the main genotype in continental Europe, but showed significant genetic distance from previously sequenced Swiss cattle strains. In a literature review, four cases of bovine tuberculosis reactivation under TNFi treatment were identified, with pulmonal, oral and intestinal manifestations. Similar to our patient, two cases presented a negative IGRA before TNFi initiation, which later converted to positive upon symptomatic presentation of M. bovis infection.

Conclusion
This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of TB in immunosuppressed patients, the limited sensitivity of IGRA, and the importance of considering TB reactivation even in regions declared free of bovine tuberculosis. Detailed patient histories, including potential exposure to unpasteurized dairy products, are essential for guiding preventive TB treatment before TNFi initiation.
Tolerance of uncertainty and its role for teachers’ use of ICT in classroom in times of digital transformation
Authors: Gerick Julia , Killus Dagmar 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis paper focuses on conditions that are crucial for the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the classroom. Particular attention is given to teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty, which is seen as an important internal resource for coping with professional requirements. Furthermore, the paper examines whether teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty is related to other internal resources (positive views on ICT, ICT-related self-efficacy) and external resources (ICT-related teacher collaboration). The data are derived from a survey among 8th grade teachers in secondary schools in Germany conducted as part of the IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS 2018). The findings show a positive relationship between teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty and their use of ICT in the classroom. Teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty is furthermore in particular positively related to teachers’ positive views on ICT and ICT-related teacher collaboration at school. The relationship between teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty and their use of ICT in the classroom remained when statistically controlled for internal and external resources. Teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty can therefore be seen as a resource in the teaching profession.
When all you have is a hammer - integration challenges in coastal zone planning
Authors: Sørdahl Patrick Berg , Kvalvik Ingrid 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis paper critically examines the evolution of integration as a concept in coastal zone planning through an analysis of Norwegian municipal coastal zone plans spanning a 35-year period. By drawing on the framework of governmentality, we show how the coastal zone and the activities taking place there are being subject to problematizations, rationalizations and technologies for promoting integration. This illustrates how previous spatial dispositions themselves become problematized at later points, giving rise to new rationalizations and new technologies of governing, revealing a dynamic redefinition of integration in response to complex coastal governance challenges. What integration entails is not a given. Instead, it’s a fluid concept, evolving over time in meaning and intent. The paper also shows how ambitions for integrated or comprehensive planning can obscure the purpose of planning and increase complexity. With integration being framed as an undisputed answer to conflicts in the coastal zone, the difficulty of managing the multitude of coastal activities does not lead to a critical discussion on whether ‘integration’ is a fruitful ambition. Instead, it becomes an argument for yet more integrative efforts.
The Rule of Law and Corporate Actors: Measuring Influence
Authors: Uvarova Olena 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
This article proposes an approach for conceptualizing and assessing the extent to which corporate actors impact the rule of law environment in different societies. To achieve this, the methodology for the Corporate Actors and the Rule of Law Index is developed based on a reimagined methodology derived from the Rule of Law Index by the World Justice Project, originally conceived in a state-centric manner. The methodology proposed in this article includes the following factors: preventing corporate capture and corporate contribution to structural inequality, corporate integrity and transparency, meaningful stakeholder engagement; order and security; impact on the regulatory sphere; corporate accountability for human rights abuses; access to grievance mechanisms. Measuring the influence of corporate actors on the rule of law and indicating the dynamic of this influence significantly contributes to the overall understanding of the rule of law environment. The absence of such measurement distorts the comprehension of the balance of power in a society, impedes the development of legal regulation, obstructs the identification of problematic issues in ensuring the rule of law, and hinders efforts to address them.
Effects of Accelerated Reproductive Timing in Response to Childhood Adversity on Lifetime Reproductive Success in Modern Environments
Authors: Kometani Atsushi , Ohtsubo Yohsuke 
Published: August 2024

AbstractPsychosocial acceleration theory postulates that human females have an evolved reaction norm that accelerates reproductive timing in response to childhood adversity, such as low socioeconomic status (SES). While this theory has garnered widespread acceptance in psychology, the extant evidence suggests that such a reaction norm was not adaptive in pre-industrialised human populations (and in a wild baboon population). However, there has been no study examining whether such psychosocial acceleration is adaptive in contemporary societies. Therefore, this study, conducted in Japan and the US, tests the hypothesis that early fertility is associated with higher lifetime reproductive success (LRS) among women from low SES families, while it is associated with lower LRS among women from high SES families. Participants were women aged 45–50 years (480 Japanese women in Study 1 and 780 American women in Study 2). Participants reported their childhood SES, early adulthood SES, and number of children. The results were not supportive of the hypothesis. In both the Japanese and American samples, early fertility was associated with higher LRS regardless of childhood SES. In other words, accelerated reproductive timing did not selectively confer fitness advantages on women from low-SES families. The results of this study are generally in line with previous findings in pre-industrialised societies.
A fast mask synthesis method for face recognition
Authors: Guo Kaiwen , Zhao Chaoyang , Wang Jinqiao 
Published: August 2024

AbstractMask face recognition has recently gained increasing attention in the current context. Face mask occlusion seriously affects the performance of face recognition systems, because more than 75% of the face area remains unexposed and the mask directly causes an increase in intra-class differences and a decrease in inter-class separability in the feature space. To improve the performance of face recognition model against mask occlusion, we propose a fast and efficient method for mask generation in this paper, which can avoid the need for large-scale collection of real-world mask face training sets. This approach can be embedded in the training process of any mask face model as a module and is very flexible. Experiments on the MLFW, MFR2 and RMFD datasets show the effectiveness and flexibility of our approach that outperform the state-of-the-art methods.
Seasonality of Subsurface Shear Instabilities at Tropical Instability Wave Fronts in the Atlantic Ocean in a High‐Resolution Simulation
Authors: Specht Mia Sophie , Jungclaus Johann , Bader Jürgen 
Published: August 2024

AbstractTropical Instability Waves (TIWs) have been shown to modulate upper ocean mixing. However, previous studies on the modulation of TIW related mixing are based on small numbers of TIWs and have not considered temporal variability, which can lead to discrepancies in the findings. In this study, using a 12‐year simulation carried out with a comprehensive, global, high‐resolution ocean model, we present evidence of seasonally modulated shear instabilities at TIW fronts in the Atlantic Ocean that reach down to the thermocline depth, potentially inducing mixing below the mixed layer depth. We find that, regardless of whether TIWs are present earlier in the year, frontal instabilities and potential mixing primarily occur in boreal summer, coinciding with a vertical shear maximum between the mean zonal currents. We argue that in the Atlantic Ocean, vertical shear at TIW fronts does usually not suffice to cause frontal instabilities below the mixed layer depth. Instead, the background shear needs to be sufficiently large in addition to TIW shear, to overcome the stability. The background shear in turn varies seasonally and is strongly driven by the variability of the northern branch of the South Equatorial Current (nSEC). As such, the variability of the nSEC strongly contributes to the generation and modulation of instabilities at TIW fronts that reach below the mixed layer depth and have the potential to induce mixing. Our results highlight the importance of seasonal variability when studying TIW impacts and their effect on mixing.
Enhanced Carbon Flux Response to Atmospheric Aridity and Water Storage Deficit During the 2015–2016 El Niño Compromised Carbon Balance Recovery in Tropical South America
Authors: Liu Junjie , Bowman Kevin , Palmer Paul I. , Joiner Joanna , Levine Paul , Bloom A. Anthony , Feng Liang , Saatchi Sassan , Keller Michael , Longo Marcos , Schimel David , Wennberg Paul O. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDuring the 2015–2016 El Niño, the Amazon basin released almost one gigaton of carbon (GtC) into the atmosphere due to extreme temperatures and drought. The link between the drought impact and recovery of the total carbon pools and its biogeochemical drivers is still unknown. With satellite‐constrained net carbon exchange and its component fluxes including gross primary production and fire emissions, we show that the total carbon loss caused by the 2015–2016 El Niño had not recovered by the end of 2018. Forest ecosystems over the Northeastern (NE) Amazon suffered a cumulative total carbon loss of ∼0.6 GtC through December 2018, driven primarily by a suppression of photosynthesis whereas southeastern savannah carbon loss was driven in part by fire. We attribute the slow recovery to the unexpected large carbon loss caused by the severe atmospheric aridity coupled with a water storage deficit during drought. We show the attenuation of carbon uptake is three times higher than expected from the pre‐drought sensitivity to atmospheric aridity and ground water supply. Our study fills an important knowledge gap in our understanding of the unexpectedly enhanced response of carbon fluxes to atmospheric aridity and water storage deficit and its impact on regional post‐drought recovery as a function of the vegetation types and climate perturbations. Our results suggest that the disproportionate impact of water supply and demand could compromise resiliency of the Amazonian carbon balance to future increases in extreme events.
Exciton-harvesting enabled efficient charged particle detection in zero-dimensional halides
Authors: Wang Qian , Wang Chenger , Shi Hongliang , Chen Jie , Yang Junye , Beitlerova Alena , Kucerkova Romana , Zhou Zhengyang , Li Yunyun , Nikl Martin , Sun Xilei , OuYang Xiaoping , Wu Yuntao 
Published: August 2024

AbstractMaterials for radiation detection are critically important and urgently demanded in diverse fields, starting from fundamental scientific research to medical diagnostics, homeland security, and environmental monitoring. Low-dimensional halides (LDHs) exhibiting efficient self-trapped exciton (STE) emission with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) have recently shown a great potential as scintillators. However, an overlooked issue of exciton-exciton interaction in LDHs under ionizing radiation hinders the broadening of its radiation detection applications. Here, we demonstrate an exceptional enhancement of exciton-harvesting efficiency in zero-dimensional (0D) Cs3Cu2I5:Tl halide single crystals by forming strongly localized Tl-bound excitons. Because of the suppression of non-radiative exciton-exciton interaction, an excellent α/β pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) figure-of-merit (FoM) factor of 2.64, a superior rejection ratio of 10−9, and a high scintillation yield of 26 000 photons MeV−1 under 5.49 MeV α-ray are achieved in Cs3Cu2I5:Tl single crystals, outperforming the commercial ZnS:Ag/PVT composites for charged particle detection applications. Furthermore, a radiation detector prototype based on Cs3Cu2I5:Tl single crystal demonstrates the capability of identifying radioactive 220Rn gas for environmental radiation monitoring applications. We believe that the exciton-harvesting strategy proposed here can greatly boost the applications of LDHs materials.
Collective dynamics and long-range order in thermal neuristor networks
Authors: Zhang Yuan-Hang , Sipling Chesson , Qiu Erbin , Schuller Ivan K. , Di Ventra Massimiliano 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIn the pursuit of scalable and energy-efficient neuromorphic devices, recent research has unveiled a novel category of spiking oscillators, termed “thermal neuristors.” These devices function via thermal interactions among neighboring vanadium dioxide resistive memories, emulating biological neuronal behavior. Here, we show that the collective dynamical behavior of networks of these neurons showcases a rich phase structure, tunable by adjusting the thermal coupling and input voltage. Notably, we identify phases exhibiting long-range order that, however, does not arise from criticality, but rather from the time non-local response of the system. In addition, we show that these thermal neuristor arrays achieve high accuracy in image recognition and time series prediction through reservoir computing, without leveraging long-range order. Our findings highlight a crucial aspect of neuromorphic computing with possible implications on the functioning of the brain: criticality may not be necessary for the efficient performance of neuromorphic systems in certain computational tasks.
The SLICE-3D dataset: 400,000 skin lesion image crops extracted from 3D TBP for skin cancer detection
Authors: Kurtansky Nicholas R. , D’Alessandro Brian M. , Gillis Maura C. , Betz-Stablein Brigid , Cerminara Sara E. , Garcia Rafael , Girundi Marcela Alves , Goessinger Elisabeth Victoria , Gottfrois Philippe , Guitera Pascale , Halpern Allan C. , Jakrot Valerie , Kittler Harald , Kose Kivanc , Liopyris Konstantinos , Malvehy Josep , Mar Victoria J. , Martin Linda K. , Mathew Thomas , Maul Lara Valeska , Mothershaw Adam , Mueller Alina M. , Mueller Christoph , Navarini Alexander A. , Rajeswaran Tarlia , Rajeswaran Vin , Saha Anup , Sashindranath Maithili , Serra-García Laura , Soyer H. Peter , Theocharis Georgios , Vos Ayesha , Weber Jochen , Rotemberg Veronica 
Published: August 2024

AbstractAI image classification algorithms have shown promising results when applied to skin cancer detection. Most public skin cancer image datasets are comprised of dermoscopic photos and are limited by selection bias, lack of standardization, and lend themselves to development of algorithms that can only be used by skilled clinicians. The SLICE-3D (“Skin Lesion Image Crops Extracted from 3D TBP”) dataset described here addresses those concerns and contains images of over 400,000 distinct skin lesions from seven dermatologic centers from around the world. De-identified images were systematically extracted from sensitive 3D Total Body Photographs and are comparable in optical resolution to smartphone images. Algorithms trained on lower quality images could improve clinical workflows and detect skin cancers earlier if deployed in primary care or non-clinical settings, where photos are captured by non-expert physicians or patients. Such a tool could prompt individuals to visit a specialized dermatologist. This dataset circumvents many inherent limitations of prior datasets and may be used to build upon previous applications of skin imaging for cancer detection.
Proteomic profiling of Arabidopsis nuclei reveals distinct protein accumulation kinetics upon heat stress
Authors: Muñoz-Díaz E. , Fuenzalida-Valdivia I. , Darrière T. , de Bures A. , Blanco-Herrera F. , Rompais M. , Carapito C. , Sáez-Vásquez J. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractHeat stress (HS) impacts the nuclear proteome and, subsequently, protein activities in different nuclear compartments. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a short exposure to 37 °C leads to loss of the standard tripartite architecture of the nucleolus, the most prominent nuclear substructure, and, consequently, affects the assembly of ribosomes. Here, we report a quantitative label-free LC‒MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography coupled to tandem Mass Spectrometry) analysis to determine the nuclear proteome of Arabidopsis at 22 °C, HS (37 °C for 4 and 24 h), and a recovery phase. This analysis identified ten distinct groups of proteins based on relative abundance changes in the nucleus before, during and after HS: Early, Late, Transient, Early Persistent, Late Persistent, Recovery, Early-Like, Late-Like, Transient-Like and Continuous Groups (EG, LG, TG, EPG, LPG, RG, ELG, LLG, TLG and CG, respectively). Interestingly, the RNA polymerase I subunit NRPA3 and other main nucleolar proteins, including NUCLEOLIN 1 and FIBRILLARIN 1 and 2, were detected in RG and CG, suggesting that plants require increased nucleolar activity and likely ribosome assembly to restore protein synthesis after HS.