bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Performances and determinants of proficiency testing in clinical laboratory services at comprehensive specialized hospitals, northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Cherie Negesse , Deress Teshiwal , Wolde Maereg , Teketelew Bisrat Birke , Tamir Mebratu , Angelo Abiy Ayele , Terekegne Amare Mekuanint , Chane Elias , Nigus Mesele , Berta Dereje Mengesha , Adane Kasaw 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Proficiency testing (PT) is an impartial laboratory performance-evaluating system using an independent body. It is a mandatory accreditation requirement and means for improving the laboratory’s performance. The study aimed to evaluate the performance of PT, with a focus on identifying and discussing determinants that influence PT performance at comprehensive specialized hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out from 2020 to 2022. Using a convenient sampling technique, laboratory tests with recorded PT results in each hospital laboratory were included. A data collection template and customized checklists were used to collect the data. Epi Data Version 3.1 for data entry and STATA Version 14.1 for cleaning and analysis were used. Binary logistic regression analyses were used. Variables with p < 0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression were considered to be statistically significant. Over nine cycles, 3807 PT challenges were distributed. The total failure rate of the laboratories was 32.4%, with a peak failure rate of 40.3% in 2020, after which the failure rate was decline to 20.6% in 2022. Among the five laboratory sections, molecular biology had the lowest failure rate (22.2%), while microbiology had the highest failure rate (56.5%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that PT results reported without appropriate unit of measurement (AOR 7.5), lack of corrective action for PT nonconformance (AOR 7.1), and reagent unavailability (AOR 6.1) had significant effects on PT performance (p < 0.001). The results of this study showed that the overall performance of the laboratory was lower. Reporting PT results without appropriate units of measurement and not taking corrective action for PT nonconformance were the major aggravating factors for high failure rates.
Instance-level 6D pose estimation based on multi-task parameter sharing for robotic grasping
Authors: Zhang Liming , Zhou Xin , Liu Jiaqing , Wang Can , Wu Xinyu 
Published: April 2024

AbstractSix-dimensional pose estimation task predicts its 3D rotation matrix and 3D translation matrix in the world coordinate system by inputting the color image or depth image of the target object. Existing methods usually use deep neural networks to directly predict or regress object poses based on keypoint methods. The prediction results usually have deviations depending on whether the surface shape of the object is prominent or not and the size of the object. To solve this problem, we propose the six-dimensional pose estimation based on multi-task parameter sharing (PMP) framework to incorporate object category information into the pose estimation network through the form of an object classification auxiliary task. First, we extract the image features and point cloud features of the target object separately, and fuse them point by point; then, we share the confidence of each keypoint in pose estimation task and the knowledge of the classification task, get the key points with higher confidence, and predict the object pose; finally, the obtained object pose is passed through an iterative optimization network to obtain the final pose. The experimental results on the LineMOD dataset show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of pose estimation and narrow the gap in the prediction accuracy of objects with different shapes. We also tested on a new dataset of small-scale objects, which contains object RGBD images and accurate 3D point cloud information. The proposed method is applied to the grasping experiment on the UR5 robotic arm, which satisfies the real-time pose estimation results during the grasping process.
Warning sign of an accelerating decline in critically endangered killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Authors: Williams Rob , Lacy Robert C. , Ashe Erin , Barrett-Lennard Lance , Brown Tanya M. , Gaydos Joseph K. , Gulland Frances , MacDuffee Misty , Nelson Benjamin W. , Nielsen Kimberly A. , Nollens Hendrik , Raverty Stephen , Reiss Stephanie , Ross Peter S. , Collins Marena Salerno , Stimmelmayr Raphaela , Paquet Paul 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWildlife species and populations are being driven toward extinction by a combination of historic and emerging stressors (e.g., overexploitation, habitat loss, contaminants, climate change), suggesting that we are in the midst of the planet’s sixth mass extinction. The invisible loss of biodiversity before species have been identified and described in scientific literature has been termed, memorably, dark extinction. The critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) population illustrates its contrast, which we term bright extinction; namely the noticeable and documented precipitous decline of a data-rich population toward extinction. Here we use a population viability analysis to test the sensitivity of this killer whale population to variability in age structure, survival rates, and prey-demography functional relationships. Preventing extinction is still possible but will require greater sacrifices on regional ocean use, urban development, and land use practices, than would have been the case had threats been mitigated even a decade earlier.
Proteome profiling of home-sampled dried blood spots reveals proteins of SARS-CoV-2 infections
Authors: Fredolini Claudia , Dodig-Crnković Tea , Bendes Annika , Dahl Leo , Dale Matilda , Albrecht Vincent , Mattsson Cecilia , Thomas Cecilia E. , Torinsson Naluai Åsa , Gisslen Magnus , Beck Olof , Roxhed Niclas , Schwenk Jochen M. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundSelf-sampling of dried blood spots (DBS) offers new routes to gather valuable health-related information from the general population. Yet, the utility of using deep proteome profiling from home-sampled DBS to obtain clinically relevant insights about SARS-CoV-2 infections remains largely unexplored.MethodsOur study involved 228 individuals from the general Swedish population who used a volumetric DBS sampling device and completed questionnaires at home during spring 2020 and summer 2021. Using multi-analyte COVID-19 serology, we stratified the donors by their response phenotypes, divided them into three study sets, and analyzed 276 proteins by proximity extension assays (PEA). After normalizing the data to account for variances in layman-collected samples, we investigated the association of DBS proteomes with serology and self-reported information.ResultsOur three studies display highly consistent variance of protein levels and share associations of proteins with sex (e.g., MMP3) and age (e.g., GDF-15). Studying seropositive (IgG+) and seronegative (IgG-) donors from the first pandemic wave reveals a network of proteins reflecting immunity, inflammation, coagulation, and stress response. A comparison of the early-infection phase (IgM+IgG-) with the post-infection phase (IgM-IgG+) indicates several proteins from the respiratory system. In DBS from the later pandemic wave, we find that levels of a virus receptor on B-cells differ between seropositive (IgG+) and seronegative (IgG-) donors.ConclusionsProteome analysis of volumetric self-sampled DBS facilitates precise analysis of clinically relevant proteins, including those secreted into the circulation or found on blood cells, augmenting previous COVID-19 reports with clinical blood collections. Our population surveys support the usefulness of DBS, underscoring the role of timing the sample collection to complement clinical and precision health monitoring initiatives.
Discrepancies in academic perceptions of climate change and implications for climate change education
Authors: Mbah Marcellus Forh 
Published: April 2024

AbstractClimate change is arguably the most severe threat faced by humanity today. In an attempt to understand how humanity can manage this phenomenon for planetary health, it is fundamental to have an understanding of what it is. This aligns with a critical gap in the extant literature, that is, how different perceptions of climate change among facilitators of learning (in this case, academics) can enable the establishment of a framework of critical consciousness that could boost climate change education and contribute to climate change management. To this end, the study that underpins this paper set out to capture the perceptions of climate change among a selection of academics at a local university in Cameroon. Following a comprehensive analysis of the data, different views on the subject emerged, aligning with scientific, observational, and cultural definitions. Drawing on theoretical insights into critical consciousness, the findings of this study have wider implications for climate change education at universities. A framework is suggested to support educators as they foster critical thinking among learners, as this can facilitate their ability and the wider community to make informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation strategies in light of climate change and the threats it carries.
The ER-SURF pathway uses ER-mitochondria contact sites for protein targeting to mitochondria
Authors: Koch Christian , Lenhard Svenja , Räschle Markus , Prescianotto-Baschong Cristina , Spang Anne , Herrmann Johannes M 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMost mitochondrial proteins are synthesized on cytosolic ribosomes and imported into mitochondria in a post-translational reaction. Mitochondrial precursor proteins which use the ER-SURF pathway employ the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as an important sorting platform. How they reach the mitochondrial import machinery from the ER is not known. Here we show that mitochondrial contact sites play a crucial role in the ER-to-mitochondria transfer of precursor proteins. The ER mitochondria encounter structure (ERMES) and Tom70, together with Djp1 and Lam6, are part of two parallel and partially redundant ER-to-mitochondria delivery routes. When ER-to-mitochondria transfer is prevented by loss of these two contact sites, many precursors of mitochondrial inner membrane proteins are left stranded on the ER membrane, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction. Our observations support an active role of the ER in mitochondrial protein biogenesis.
Oxidized glutathione reverts carbapenem resistance in blaNDM-1-carrying Escherichia coli
Authors: Ye Dongyang , Li Xiaowei , Zhao Liang , Liu Saiwa , Jia Xixi , Wang Zhinan , Du Jingjing , Ge Lirui , Shen Jianzhong , Xia Xi 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe emergence of drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae carrying plasmid-mediated β-lactamase genes has become a significant threat to public health. Organisms in the Enterobacteriaceae family containing New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase‑1 (NDM-1) and its variants, which are capable of hydrolyzing nearly all β-lactam antibacterial agents, including carbapenems, are referred to as superbugs and distributed worldwide. Despite efforts over the past decade, the discovery of an NDM-1 inhibitor that can reach the clinic remains a challenge. Here, we identified oxidized glutathione (GSSG) as a metabolic biomarker for blaNDM-1 using a non-targeted metabolomics approach and demonstrated that GSSG supplementation could restore carbapenem susceptibility in Escherichia coli carrying blaNDM-1 in vitro and in vivo. We showed that exogenous GSSG promotes the bactericidal effects of carbapenems by interfering with intracellular redox homeostasis and inhibiting the expression of NDM-1 in drug-resistant E. coli. This study establishes a metabolomics-based strategy to potentiate metabolism-dependent antibiotic efficacy for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Metal-ion-determined geometrical configurations of metallo-cages with different emission properties
Authors: Zhai Zirui , Bai Qixia , Guan Yu-Ming , Zhao He , Wu Tun , Pang Jingxian , Xu Haoxuan , Xie Ting-Zheng , Zhang Zhe , Wang Pingshan 
Published: April 2024

The capsule-like tetrahedral metallo-cage Zn6L4 (Fe6L4) was constructed when using Zn (Fe) with strong coordination ability. In the case of Cd possessing weak coordination capability, Cd6L4 exhibits a completely different tetrahedral geometry.
Insight into the nature of carbon–metal bonding for N-heterocyclic carbenes in gold/silver complexes and nanoparticles using DFT-correlated Raman spectroscopy: strong evidence for π-backbonding
Authors: Kuster Lucille , Bélanger-Bouliga Marilyne , Shaw Thomas E. , Jurca Titel , Nazemi Ali , Frenette Mathieu 
Published: April 2024

N-Heterocyclic carbenes stabilize metallic complexes, nanoclusters, nanoparticles and surfaces. Using DFT-correlated Raman spectroscopy, the carbon–metal bond was directly observed and the contribution of π-backbonding was confirmed and quantified.
Edge‐guided representation learning for underwater object detection
Authors: Dai Linhui , Liu Hong , Song Pinhao , Tang Hao , Ding Runwei , Li Shengquan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractUnderwater object detection (UOD) is crucial for marine economic development, environmental protection, and the planet's sustainable development. The main challenges of this task arise from low‐contrast, small objects, and mimicry of aquatic organisms. The key to addressing these challenges is to focus the model on obtaining more discriminative information. The authors observe that the edges of underwater objects are highly unique and can be distinguished from low‐contrast or mimicry environments based on their edges. Motivated by this observation, an Edge‐guided Representation Learning Network, termed ERL‐Net is proposed, that aims to achieve discriminative representation learning and aggregation under the guidance of edge cues. Firstly, an edge‐guided attention module is introduced to model the explicit boundary information, which generates more discriminative features. Secondly, a hierarchical feature aggregation module is proposed to aggregate the multi‐scale discriminative features by regrouping them into three levels, effectively aggregating global and local information for locating and recognising underwater objects. Finally, a wide and asymmetric receptive field block is proposed to enable features to have a wider receptive field, allowing the model to focus on smaller object information. Comprehensive experiments on three challenging underwater datasets show that our method achieves superior performance on the UOD task.
Continuous‐dilated temporal and inter‐frame motion excitation feature learning for gait recognition
Authors: Hua Chunsheng , Zhang Hao , Li Jia , Pan Yingjie 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe authors present global‐interval and local‐continuous feature extraction networks for gait recognition. Unlike conventional gait recognition methods focussing on the full gait cycle, the authors introduce a novel global‐ continuous‐dilated temporal feature extraction (TFE) to extract continuous and interval motion features from the silhouette frames globally. Simultaneously, an inter‐frame motion excitation (IME) module is proposed to enhance the unique motion expression of an individual, which remains unchanged regardless of clothing variations. The spatio‐temporal features extracted from the TFE and IME modules are then weighted and concatenated by an adaptive aggregator network for recognition. Through the experiments over CASIA‐B and mini‐OUMVLP datasets, the proposed method has shown the comparable performance (as 98%, 95%, and 84.9% in the normal walking, carrying a bag or packbag, and wearing coats or jackets categories in CASIA‐B, and 89% in mini‐OUMVLP) to the other state‐of‐the‐art approaches. Extensive experiments conducted on the CASIA‐B and mini‐OUMVLP datasets have demonstrated the comparable performance of our proposed method compared to other state‐of‐the‐art approaches.
Primary component segmental design to suppress the normal force ripple for the permanent magnet linear synchronous motor
Authors: Tan Qiang , Tian Bing , Wang Xinbang , Huang Xuzhen , Li Liyi 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThere is not only thrust but also normal force between the primary and secondary components for the single‐side flat plate permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM). The normal force will fluctuate periodically, which will cause friction perturbation and finally affect the positioning accuracy of linear feed system. For the single‐side flat plate PMLSM, the variation law of normal force ripple under the coupling effect of multiple effects is studied, and the method of primary component segmental design to suppress it is proposed. Firstly, the influence of the cogging effect, the end effect and the armature reaction on the normal force ripple is analysed. Meanwhile the mathematical model of normal force ripple is established. Secondly, the PMLSM with segmental primary component is introduced and its suppression mechanism to the normal force ripple is expounded. On this basis, a scheme combining the non‐integer pole slot matching with the primary component segmental design is proposed to further suppress the normal force ripple. Finally, an 18‐slot 96/5‐pole prototype is taken as an example to carry out the finite element simulation and experimental test, of which the results verify the research theory in this paper.
Grid voltage sensorless control of a single‐phase shunt hybrid active power filter
Authors: Karbasforooshan Mohammad‐Sadegh , Monfared Mohammad 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHere, a grid voltage sensorless control of an LCL‐filtered LC‐tuned single‐phase shunt hybrid active power filter (HAPF) is proposed, which offers high‐quality harmonic current compensation with low hardware requirements. An estimation algorithm replaces the grid voltage sensor and associated circuitry to reduce the size and cost. This paper presents a straightforward and accurate modelling of the suggested structure and its filtering characteristics, followed by a comprehensive yet simple parameter design procedure. An inherent damping technique that uses digital delay rather than virtual or physical damping resistors eliminates the need for additional sensors or extra power losses. As part of the design, a high‐quality reference current is generated for the filter, which is then effectively tracked using a proportional controller with sufficient bandwidth and stability margin. An experimental prototype is implemented to verify the theoretical results, and several steady‐state and transient waveforms are reported to demonstrate the superior performance of the HAPF.
Analysis, design, and reliability evaluation of a modified multi‐port quasi‐resonant converter with high gain
Authors: Harini Sampath , Nallaperumal Chellammal , Hosseinpour Alireza 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHigh‐gain converters play a vital role in all industrial applications such as automobiles, motor drives, renewable energy systems, and railway transportation sectors. The conventional converters have low gain owing to high‐voltage stress on active MOSFET, diode and low efficiency related with high operating pulse ratio. To overcome the limitations associated with the conventional converters, this study proposes a non‐isolated configuration of multiport quasi‐resonant converter (MP‐QRC) with high gain. The proposed MP‐QRC has the merits of high‐voltage gain, reduced number of components, minimum conduction losses, realization of soft switching in the devices and improved reliability. Moreover, the proposed converter is scalable and can serve as a good candidate in microgrid environment where the integration of more than one input is essential. In this paper, first a comprehensive analysis of various operation modes and design constraints are presented. Further, the study is supported with a reliability evaluation of proposed converter based on component failure. Also, the futuristic behaviour of MP‐QRC under continuous conduction mode as a function of operational and environmental variables is investigated to ascertain the reliability. The steady‐state operation of the converter is demonstrated for off‐board electric vehilce (EV) charging using MATLAB/SIMULINK and experiments performed on a 300‐W test rig.
Ausbildung von MFA in der Ophthalmologie. Ergebnisse einer Stichprobe
von großen augenmedizinischen Zentren
Authors: Hahn Ursula , Kellner Ulrich 
Published: April 2024

ZusammenfassungDer Fachkräftemangel in der vertragsärztlichen Versorgung betrifft zunehmend auch
Medizinische Fachangestellte (MFA) in ärztlichen Praxen und MVZ. Ausbildung kann
die damit verbundenen Probleme perspektivisch abfedern, aktuell bilden jedoch
nur 42% der Praxen aus. Mit einer Erhebung in einer Stichprobe großer
augenmedizinischer Zentren sollte eine anderweitig aufgestellte These, dass
größere Praxen und MVZ überproportional ausbilden, überprüft werden. Außerdem
wurde eine Wechselwirkung zwischen Trägerschaft (ärztlicher Eigenbesitz (äE);
Fremdbesitz (F)) und dem Ausbildungsengagement evaluiert. In einer
fragebogengestützten Vollerhebung (2022) von in einem Verbund organisierten
großen augenmedizinischen Zentren unterschiedlicher Trägerschaft wurden die
Ausbildungsquote nach Hauptbetriebsstätten (HBS), die Zahl der
MFA-Auszubildenden (MFA-A) je HBS, Besetzungsprobleme und geplante Änderung im
Ausbildungsengagement erhoben. Die Verteilungsmaße der quantitativen Daten
wurden gesamt und getrennt nach Trägerschaft ausgewertet und auf Signifikanz
geprüft. Die Ergebnisse wurden den Daten einer repräsentativen Erhebung
(2020/2021) über alle Praxen und MVZ gegenübergestellt. Um den auf die
Stichprobe entfallende Anteil an allen augenheilkundlichen MFA-A zu ermitteln,
wurde in einer Hochrechnung deren Gesamtzahl ermittelt. Die Ausbildungsquote der
insgesamt 100 HBS der 14 befragten Zentren (äE: 11,F: 3) der Stichprobe lag mit
82% (äE: 93%, F: 79%) über der repräsentativen Erhebung (41%). In der Stichprobe
waren im Durchschnitt 5,9 MFA-A je HBS tätig (äE: 5,6, F: 7,1), in der
Vergleichserhebung 1,5. 50% der Zentren der Stichprobe berichteten von
Besetzungsproblemen, 25% wollten ihr Ausbildungsengagement ausweiten; die
Vergleichswerte der repräsentativen Befragung lagen für beide Parameter bei 11%.
Stratifiziert nach Trägerschaft wiesen weder Ausbildungsquote noch MFA-A je HBS
signifikante Unterschiede auf. Laut Hochrechnung waren 2021 knapp 1.966 MFA-A in
der Augenheilkunde tätig, davon entfielen 19,5% auf die Zentren der
Studienpopulation. Von allen MFA-A der Stichprobe entfielen 71% auf die nach
Anzahl HBS deutlich größeren Zentren in Fremdbesitz. Die Erhebung bestätigt für
die Stichproben den positiven Zusammenhang von Größe von Praxen und MVZ und
Ausbildungsengagement. Es bestehen keine signifikanten Unterschiede nach
Trägerschaft.