bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of preventive behaviors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the endemic areas of northwest Iran: an application of BASNEF model
Authors: Moradi-Asl Eslam , Latifi Arman , Rashtbari Mahsa , Abbasi-Ghahramanloo Abbas , Rahimi Sara 
Published: June 2024

AbstractCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes and is endemic in many regions of the world and Iran, and annually imposes a large burden on the health system. This study was conducted to identify the effective factors in the preventive behaviors of CL based on the BASNEF model in endemic areas in the northwest of Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Bileh-Savar, ‘endemic areas of Ardabil Province, Iran’, from June 2022 to October 2022. 200 non-patients were included in the study by a multi-stage sampling method. A standard questionnaire based on the BASNEF model was applied for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Means and standard deviations were calculated to describe the continuous variables, and multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine the prediction of intention and behavior by the model structures. The BASNEF constructs predict 27% of behavioral intention changes. Among the constructs, attitude has a greater contribution in predicting changes (R2 = 0.27, p < 0.01). Also, the results showed that the BASNEF constructs predict 23% of behavior changes. Among the constructs, enabling factors have a greater contribution to predicting changes (R2 = 0.23, p < 0.01). This finding shows that behavior is more influenced by environmental factors, and educational interventions based on behavior change models, along with providing environmental conditions, can facilitate behavior change.
Evaluating the diagnostic efficacy of whole-body MRI versus 123I-mIBG/131I-mIBG imaging in metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma
Authors: Mori Hiroshi , Wakabayashi Hiroshi , Saito Shintaro , Nakajima Kenichi , Yoshida Kotaro , Hiromasa Tomo , Kinuya Seigo 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis study aimed to compare tumor lesion detectability and diagnostic accuracy of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) and radioiodine-labeled meta-iodo-benzylguanidine (mIBG) imaging techniques in patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL). This retrospective study included 13 patients had pheochromocytoma and 5 had paraganglioma, who were all suspected of having metastatic tumors. Each patient underwent WB-MRI and 123I-mIBG as a pretreatment screening for 131I-mIBG therapy. Two expert reviewers evaluated WB-MRI, 123I-mIBG images, and post-therapy 131I-mIBG images for the presence of metastatic lesions in the lungs, bones, liver, lymph nodes, and other organs. Diagnostic measures for detecting metastatic lesions, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and receiver operating characteristics (ROC)—area under the curve (AUC), were calculated for each imaging technique. We analyzed WB-MRI images for detecting metastatic lesions, which demonstrated sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, NPV, and AUC of 82%, 97%, 90%, 96%, 86%, and 0.92, respectively. These values were 83%, 95%, 89%, 94%, 86%, and 0.90 in 123I-mIBG images and 85%, 92%, 89%, 91%, 87%, and 0.91 in post-therapy 131I-mIBG images, respectively. Our results reveal the comparable diagnostic accuracy of WB-MRI to one of the mIBG images.
Discovering tungsten-based composites as plasma facing materials for future high-duty cycle nuclear fusion reactors
Authors: Marchhart Trevor , Hargrove Chase , Marin Alexandru , Schamis Hanna , Saefan Ashrakat , Lang Eric , Wang Xing , Allain Jean Paul 
Published: June 2024

AbstractDespite of excellent thermal properties and high sputtering resistance, pure tungsten cannot fully satisfy the requirements for plasma facing materials in future high-duty cycle nuclear fusion reactions due to the coupled extreme environments, including the high thermal loads, plasma exposure, and radiation damage. Here, we demonstrated that tungsten-based composite materials fabricated using spark-plasma sintering (SPS) present promising solutions to these challenges. Through the examination of two model systems, i.e., tungsten-zirconium composite for producing porous tungsten near the surface and dispersoid-strengthened tungsten, we discussed both the strengths and limitations of the SPS-fabricated materials. Our findings point towards the need for future studies aimed at optimizing the SPS process to achieve desired microstructures and effective control of oxygen impurities in the tungsten-based composite materials.
Synthesis of Gemini-type imidazoline quaternary ammonium salt using by-product fatty acid as corrosion inhibitor for Q235 steel
Authors: Ma Yuting , Qi Weijun , Yu Min , Huang Nengkun , Li Ruiming , Tan Jihuai , Zhu Xinbao 
Published: June 2024

AbstractGemini-type imidazoline quaternary ammonium salt is a new type of environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor has been widely used in engineering materials. However, most of them are hazardous/toxic compounds derived from petroleum-based products, which did harm to environment. In this work, an environmentally friendly Gemini-shaped imidazoline quaternary ammonium salt corrosion inhibitor (G211) was synthesized using cheap fatty acid recycled from dimer acid industry as feedstock. The corrosion inhibition effects of G211 on Q235 steel in 1 M HCl solution were investigated through weight loss experiments, potential polarization curves, and alternating current impedance spectroscopy experiments. The results show that the inhibition rate of G211 as a mixed-type inhibitor is up to 94.4% and the concentration drop as low as 500 ppm at 25 ℃. The adsorption of G211 on Q235 surface follows Langmuir adsorption isothermal curve. The chemical composition of the Q235 steel surface was analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the possible corrosion inhibition mechanism of G211 on the surface of Q235 steel is proposed. This article not only presents an outstanding solution for safeguarding Q235 steel against corrosion but also introduces a feasible method for high-value utilization of monomer acid (MA).
Exploring e-sports fans’ motivation for watching live streams based on self-determination theory
Authors: Tang Yuxin , Zhang Xiaowen , Zan Shengfeng 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis study seeks to examine the multifaceted influences of diverse motivational factors on the live streaming engagement of e-sports fans based on self-determination theory. While previous research has focused on the offline participation in e-sports events, the shift towards live streaming engagement has created a new and underexplored area: the motivations for live streaming viewing among e-sports fans. Consequently, this research develops an e-sports Live Streaming Viewing Motivation Scale for evaluating both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations underlying e-sports fans’ live streaming engagement, and then utilises SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0 to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. Subsequently, multiple linear regression analysis of 1052 questionnaires is employed to construct models and evaluate hypotheses. Findings indicate that : (1) Intrinsic motivation exhibits significant impact on the live viewing behaviour of e-sports fans. (2) However, the impact of extrinsic motivation is insignificant. (3) When both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations coexist, intrinsic motivation maintains a positive impact, whereas extrinsic motivation demonstrates a negative influence. (4) The motivational influence is multifaceted; notably, dimensions such as idol worship, leisure entertainment, and competitive stimulation positively affect live viewing motivation, while belonging identification, social engagement, and peripheral activities exert a negative impact. In conclusion, intrinsic motivation emerges as the primary driving force behind e-sports fans’ live streaming viewing behaviour. Extrinsic motivation fails to independently influence live streaming engagement and even dampens enthusiasm when combined with intrinsic motivation. Theoretically, this study contributes to the existing literature on Self-determination theory and motivations behind e-sports live streaming viewing behaviour. It not only refines the motivation scale, but also elucidates the impact of various motivations on viewing behaviour. Practically, it provides insights for optimising e-sports products and services.
Study on the effect of rubber content on the frost resistance of steel fiber reinforced rubber concrete
Authors: Jiang Lei , Jing Jiahua , Zhang Ming , Yang Shuai 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn cold areas, the steel fiber reinforced rubber concrete (SFRRC) pavement is exposed to natural environment and experiences varying degrees of damage from freezing and thawing. This can have a serious impact on the normal usage and safe operation of the pavement structure. This research examines the impact of varying rubber concentrations on multiple variables, such as the rate of mass reduction, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, and thickness of the damage layer (Hf) during freeze–thaw (F-T) durability testing conducted on SFRRC. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted to determine the degradation pattern exhibited by SFRRC. The internal structure evolution and pore structure characteristics of SFRRC were examined using scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry techniques, which revealed the underlying damage mechanism in SFRRC during F-T cycles. The results suggest that the addition of an appropriate amount of rubber can effectively enhance the frost resistance of SFRRC in water. A gradual improvement in the frost resistance of SFRRC is observed when increasing the rubber content from 0 to 10%. The optimal frost resistance is observed in SFRRC with 10% rubber content. However, when the rubber content reaches 15%, SFRRC exhibits significant degradation and lower level of resistance to freezing compared to SFRRC without rubber. Microcracks form within SFRRC due to the freezing–thawing forces experienced during the experiment, resulting in the development of a damage layer that extends from the surface to the interior. The compressive strength of the damaged layer significantly decreases as Hf increases. The addition of appropriate rubber in SFRRC improves its pore structure, leading to an increased proportion of harmless or less harmful pores and a reduction in average pore size, thereby significantly enhancing its frost resistance.
A very lightweight image super-resolution network
Authors: Bai Haomou , Liang Xiao 
Published: June 2024

AbstractRecently, ConvNeXt and blueprint separable convolution (BSConv) constructed from standard ConvNet modules have demonstrated competitive performance in advanced computer vision tasks. This paper proposes an efficient model (BCRN) based on BSConv and the ConvNeXt residual structure for single image super-resolution, which achieves superior performance with very low parametric numbers. Specifically, the residual block (BCB) of the BCRN utilizes the ConvNeXt residual structure and BSConv to significantly reduce the number of parameters. Within the residual block, enhanced spatial attention and contrast-aware channel attention modules are simultaneously introduced to prioritize valuable features within the network. Multiple residual blocks are then stacked to form the backbone network, with Dense connections utilized between them to enhance feature utilization. Our model boasts extremely low parameters compared to other state-of-the-art lightweight models, while experimental results on benchmark datasets demonstrate its excellent performance. The code will be available at https://github.com/kptx666/BCRN.
Metagenomic and culture-dependent analysis of Rhinopithecius bieti gut microbiota and characterization of a novel genus of Sphingobacteriaceae
Authors: Wang Qiong , Zhan Peng-Chao , Han Xiu-Lin , Lu Tao 
Published: June 2024

AbstractCulture-dependent and metagenomic binning techniques were employed to gain an insight into the diversification of gut bacteria in Rhinopithecius bieti, a highly endangered primate endemic to China. Our analyses revealed that Bacillota_A and Bacteroidota were the dominant phyla. These two phyla species are rich in carbohydrate active enzymes, which could provide nutrients and energy for their own or hosts’ survival under different circumstances. Among the culturable bacteria, one novel bacterium, designated as WQ 2009T, formed a distinct branch that had a low similarity to the known species in the family Sphingobacteriaceae, based on the phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence or phylogenomic analysis. The ANI, dDDH and AAI values between WQ 2009T and its most closely related strains S. kitahiroshimense 10CT, S. pakistanense NCCP-246T and S. faecium DSM 11690T were significantly lower than the accepted cut-off values for microbial species delineation. All results demonstrated that WQ 2009T represent a novel genus, for which names Rhinopithecimicrobium gen. nov. and Rhinopithecimicrobium faecis sp. nov. (Type strain WQ 2009T = CCTCC AA 2021153T = KCTC 82941T) are proposed.
Investigating the impact of a large river and its surrounding contextual conditions on pedestrians’ summer thermal perceptions in a Cfa-climate city
Authors: Liu Ting , Wang Siqi , Zhang Jian , He Lintai , Cheng Bin , Peng Huiyun , Liu Fanchun , Tan Bo , Shang Xiaowei , Liu Fan 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThermal comfort studies are usually employed to find subjective thermal responses [indicated by neutral temperature (NT), i.e. the temperature with no thermal stress] of residents from a region towards thermal environments. According to the recently published works in the literature, NTs are affected by many factors, such as geographical location and microenvironments. To elucidate the origins of these effects, the impact of microenvironment elements around a water surface on pedestrians’ thermal perceptions was systematically investigated in this work. The Fujiang River (FJR) in Mianyang City was taken as the sample site. The municipal meteorology station is located next to the site by around 2.5 km. By performing meteorology measurements combining questionnaires, it was found that the riverside NT (indicated by physiologically equivalent temperature, PET) of Mianyang in the summer of 2023 was 21.4 °C. The relationship between the distance from the water (DFW) and NT was quadratic linear. The same phenomenon took place by using either PET or Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) indexes. Meanwhile, the meteorological contexts also affected NTs, including relative humidity (RH) and air velocity (Va). Regarding RH, the NPET increased from 15.2 °C (RH = 50%) to 26.9 °C (RH = 90%). In contrast, the NPET dropped from 23.0 to − 50.6 °C when the Va increased from 0.2 to 2.5 m/s, respectively. From our analysis, it was demonstrated that human thermal responses are significantly affected by both the microenvironmental and meteorological backgrounds around the water surface. Our work provides valuable insights for the proper use of water surfaces in urban design for adjusting thermal comfort.
Eco-evolutionary processes shaping floral nectar sugar composition
Authors: Liu Yicong , Dunker Susanne , Durka Walter , Dominik Christophe , Heuschele Jonna M. , Honchar Hanna , Hoffmann Petra , Musche Martin , Paxton Robert J. , Settele Josef , Schweiger Oliver 
Published: June 2024

AbstractFloral nectar sugar composition is assumed to reflect the nutritional demands and foraging behaviour of pollinators, but the relative contributions of evolutionary and abiotic factors to nectar sugar composition remain largely unknown across the angiosperms. We compiled a comprehensive dataset on nectar sugar composition for 414 insect-pollinated plant species across central Europe, along with phylogeny, paleoclimate, flower morphology, and pollinator dietary demands, to disentangle their relative effects. We found that phylogeny was strongly related with nectar sucrose content, which increased with the phylogenetic age of plant families, but even more strongly with historic global surface temperature. Nectar sugar composition was also defined by floral morphology, though it was not related to our functional measure of pollinator dietary demands. However, specialist pollinators of current plant-pollinator networks predominantly visited plant species with sucrose-rich nectar. Our results suggest that both physiological mechanisms related to plant water balance and evolutionary effects related to paleoclimatic changes have shaped floral nectar sugar composition during the radiation and specialisation of plants and pollinators. As a consequence, the high velocity of current climate change may affect plant-pollinator interaction networks due to a conflicting combination of immediate physiological responses and phylogenetic conservatism.
Complete mitogenome and intra-family comparative mitogenomics showed distinct position of Pama Croaker Otolithoides pama
Authors: Siddika Most Ayesha , Ahmed Khandaker Asif , Alam Mohammad Shamimul , Bushra Jannatul , Begum Rowshan Ara 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe Pama Croaker, Otolithoides pama, is an economically important fish species in Bangladesh. Intra-family similarities in morphology and typical barcode sequences of cox1 create ambiguities in its identification. Therefore, morphology and the complete mitochondrial genome of O. pama, and comparative mitogenomics within the family Sciaenidae have been studied. Extracted genomic DNA was subjected to Illumina-based short read sequencing for De-Novo mitogenome assembly. The complete mitogenome of O. pama (Accession: OQ784575.1) was 16,513 bp, with strong AC biasness and strand asymmetry. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) among 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) of O. pama was also analyzed. The studied mitogenomes including O. pama exhibited consistent sizes and gene orders, except for the genus Johnius which possessed notably longer mitogenomes with unique gene rearrangements. Different genetic distance metrics across 30 species of Sciaenidae family demonstrated 12S rRNA and the control region (CR) as the most conserved and variable regions, respectively, while most of the PCGs undergone a purifying selection. Different phylogenetic trees were congruent with one another, where O. pama was distinctly placed. This study would contribute to distinguishing closely related fish species of Sciaenidae family and can be instrumental in conserving the genetic diversity of O. pama.
Multilingual end-to-end ASR for low-resource Turkic languages with common alphabets
Authors: Bekarystankyzy Akbayan , Mamyrbayev Orken , Mendes Mateus , Fazylzhanova Anar , Assam Muhammad 
Published: June 2024

AbstractTo obtain a reliable and accurate automatic speech recognition (ASR) machine learning model, it is necessary to have sufficient audio data transcribed, for training. Many languages in the world, especially the agglutinative languages of the Turkic family, suffer from a lack of this type of data. Many studies have been conducted in order to obtain better models for low-resource languages, using different approaches. The most popular approaches include multilingual training and transfer learning. In this study, we combined five agglutinative languages from the Turkic family—Kazakh, Bashkir, Kyrgyz, Sakha, and Tatar,—in order to provide multilingual training using connectionist temporal classification and an attention mechanism including a language model, because these languages have cognate words, sentence formation rules, and alphabet (Cyrillic). Data from the open-source database Common voice was used for the study, to make the experiments reproducible. The results of the experiments showed that multilingual training could improve ASR performances for all languages included in the experiment, except Bashkir language. A dramatic result was achieved for the Kyrgyz language: word error rate decreased to nearly one-fifth and character error rate decreased to one-fourth, which proves that this approach can be helpful for critically low-resource languages.
Bimodality in simulated precipitation frequency distributions and its relationship with convective parameterizations
Authors: Ahn Min-Seop , Ullrich Paul A. , Lee Jiwoo , Gleckler Peter J. , Ma Hsi-Yen , Terai Christopher R. , Bogenschutz Peter A. , Ordonez Ana C. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractBimodality in precipitation frequency distributions is often evident in atmospheric models, but rarely in observations. This study i) proposes a metric to objectively quantify the bimodality in precipitation distributions, ii) evaluates model simulations contributed to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) phase 5 (CMIP5), phase 6 (CMIP6), and the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains (DYAMOND) project by comparing them to satellite-based and reanalysis precipitation products, and iii) investigates possible origins of bimodal precipitation distributions. Our results reveal that about 83% (20 out of 24) of CMIP5 and 70% (21 out of 30) of CMIP6 models used in this study exhibit bimodal distributions. The few DYAMOND models that use a deep convective parameterization also show bimodal distributions, while most DYAMOND models do not. Predictably, the bimodality originates from the separation of precipitation process between resolved grid-scale and parameterized subgrid-scale. However, in a larger number of models bimodality arises from the parameterized subgrid-scale convective precipitation alone.
Use of PSMA PET/CT to detect prostate cancer metastatic to a preexisting thyroid nodule
Authors: Chalker Cameron , Yilmaz Burçak , Trone Kristin , Parecki Genevieve , Chen Athena , Lim James Y. , Mallak Nadine , Sokolova Alexandra O. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractProstate cancer (PCa) seldom metastasizes to the thyroid gland, and only a limited number of cases are documented in the literature. The application of a relatively recent and highly sensitive imaging technique, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography—computed tomography (PET/CT), has enhanced the identification of metastatic disease. Nevertheless, as PSMA is expressed in various tissue types, the clinical importance of a PSMA-avid thyroid lesion remains largely uncertain. A minor, yet noteworthy, percentage of these lesions are ultimately determined to be malignant. Here we describe the case of a 70-year-old man with a past medical history of Lynch syndrome who presented to an outpatient oncologic clinic for management of very high risk localized PCa. He developed metastatic recurrence and his disease progressed through several lines of therapy, including immunotherapy and targeted treatments. He was found to have a new, intense PSMA uptake in an existing, previously benign thyroid nodule. Sonographic evaluation revealed changing morphology despite grossly stable size. Repeat biopsy confirmed the unusual finding of PCa metastasis to a known thyroid nodule. The shift in PSMA avidity played a pivotal role in discerning this metastatic deposit. There is a potential risk that such lesions may be inadequately acknowledged. The impact of the patient’s Lynch syndrome on this presentation remains uncertain.