bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Utilisation of indigenous knowledge to control gastrointestinal nematodes in Southern Africa
Authors: Kamba ET , Chimonyo M 
Published: March 2024

AbstractGastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) exacerbate the impact of droughts on the survival of cattle. The inadequacies of the conventional system make it increasingly important to explore indigenous knowledge (IK) to create drought-tolerant and GIN resilient herds. The objective of the study was to assess the indigenous strategies for controlling GIN during droughts. Face-to-face interviews with experts on IK were conducted to give insight into the importance, methods and ranking of GIN control. The experts identified 86 cattle that were used to test their assertions. The control methods used were identifying cattle that were susceptible to high GIN loads using predisposing factors, diagnosis of GIN burdens using faecal appearance, and treatment using phytotherapy. Experts ranked predisposing factors as the most critical control strategy and identified body condition, class, sex, coat colour, pregnancy status and lactation status as predisposing factors to high GIN burdens. Thin, older, dark-coloured cattle, as well as pregnant and lactating cows, were considered susceptible to GIN. However, pregnancy status, coat colour and sex were significantly associated with high GIN burdens. Cows were 2.6 times more likely to have high GIN burdens than bulls. Dark-coloured cattle were 3.5 times more likely to have high GIN burdens than light-coloured ones, and the likelihood of pregnant cows was 4.9 times higher than non-pregnant cows. A dark-coloured pregnant cow was extremely susceptible to high GIN burdens. In conclusion, knowledge of predisposing factors informs selection decisions when purchasing foundation stock. Cattle that are susceptible to high GIN loads are prioritised during droughts or culled where resources are scarce.
Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenzen zugewanderter Heranwachsender mit und ohne Fluchtbiografie: Welche Rolle spielt die sozioökonomische und ethno-linguale Schulklassenkomposition?
Authors: Glinka Hannah , Winkler Oliver 
Published: March 2024

ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag untersucht 1) den Zusammenhang zwischen der sozioökonomischen und ethno-lingualen Schulklassenkomposition und den Kompetenzen in Mathematik und den Naturwissenschaften von zugewanderten Jugendlichen und 2), ob Unterschiede in der sozialen Zusammensetzung der Schulklassen von Schülerinnen und Schülern mit und ohne Fluchtbiografie zu deren ungleichen Kompetenzständen beitragen. Mehrebenenanalysen mit Daten des IQB-Bildungstrends 2018 des Instituts zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen (IQB) für Jugendliche in der 9. Klasse (N Geflüchtete = 1406;N andere Zugewanderte = 1372) bestätigen zunächst, dass die sozioökonomische Schulklassenzusammensetzung beider Migrantengruppen positiv mit ihren Kompetenzen in Mathematik, Biologie, Chemie und Physik assoziiert ist. Dieser Zusammenhang wird partiell durch die mittleren kognitiven Grundfähigkeiten vermittelt. Die ethno-linguale Schulklassenkomposition liefert in keinem der untersuchten Kompetenzbereiche signifikante Ergebnisse. Individuelle deutschsprachliche Fähigkeiten vermitteln den Zusammenhang zwischen ethno-lingualer Komposition und den mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Kompetenzen, was die Rolle deutschsprachlicher Fähigkeiten für den mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Kompetenzerwerb unterstreicht. Wir finden des Weiteren eine erhebliche Ungleichheit in den betrachteten Kompetenzen zuungunsten der Geflüchteten. Trotz unterschiedlicher Rahmenbedingungen unterscheidet sich die durchschnittliche sozioökonomische Zusammensetzung der Schulklassen beider Gruppen kaum, sodass die Kompositionsmerkmale keinen Erklärungsbeitrag für die Disparitäten in den mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Kompetenzen liefern. Die Ergebnisse heben mögliche Folgen schulischer Sortierungslogiken nach dem familialen sozioökonomischen Status und die Bedeutung von intensiver Sprachförderung in Deutsch für geflüchtete Jugendliche bei deren Bildungsintegration hervor.
Magnetic resonance imaging-based radiomics analysis of the differential diagnosis of ovarian clear cell carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma: a retrospective study
Authors: Takeyama Nobuyuki , Sasaki Yasushi , Ueda Yasuo , Tashiro Yuki , Tanaka Eliko , Nagai Kyoko , Morioka Miki , Ogawa Takafumi , Tate Genshu , Hashimoto Toshi , Ohgiya Yoshimitsu 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based features and radiomics analysis (RA)-based features for discriminating ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) from endometrioid carcinoma (EC).

Materials and methods
Thirty-five patients with 40 ECs and 42 patients with 43 CCCs who underwent pretherapeutic MRI examinations between 2011 and 2022 were enrolled. MRI-based features of the two groups were compared. RA-based features were extracted from the whole tumor volume on T2-weighted images (T2WI), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (cT1WI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression with tenfold cross-validation method was performed to select features. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to construct the discriminating models. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed to predict CCC.

Results
Four features with the highest absolute value of the LASSO algorithm were selected for the MRI-based, RA-based, and combined models: the ADC value, absence of thickening of the uterine endometrium, absence of peritoneal dissemination, and growth pattern of the solid component for the MRI-based model; Gray-Level Run Length Matrix (GLRLM) Long Run Low Gray-Level Emphasis (LRLGLE) on T2WI, spherical disproportion and Gray-Level Size Zone Matrix (GLSZM), Large Zone High Gray-Level Emphasis (LZHGE) on cT1WI, and GLSZM Normalized Gray-Level Nonuniformity (NGLN) on ADC map for the RA-based model; and the ADC value, spherical disproportion and GLSZM_LZHGE on cT1WI, and GLSZM_NGLN on ADC map for the combined model. Area under the ROC curves of those models were 0.895, 0.910, and 0.956. The diagnostic performance of the combined model was significantly superior (p = 0.02) to that of the MRI-based model. No significant differences were observed between the combined and RA-based models.

Conclusion
Conventional MRI-based analysis can effectively distinguish CCC from EC. The combination of RA-based features with MRI-based features may assist in differentiating between the two diseases.
Design and Performance Measures of AVS/R Systems: A Bibliometric Literature Review
Authors: Kızılırmak Elif Burcu , Öztaş Sinan , Çağlayan Nadide , Tutam Mahmut 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis paper provides an overview of research focused on autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval system (AVS/RS) and aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of current studies to identify potential future research directions. The analysis includes both bibliometric and systematic approaches. The former concentrates on quantitative aspects such as trends in studies, distributions, citations, and keywords of publications, while the latter evaluates papers by considering design factors and performance measures, categorizing them based on modeling approaches employed. This analysis can be instrumental in identifying shortcomings in prior studies and emphasizing the areas within the current literature where gaps exist. Our observation indicates that certain crutial design factors, even though widely employed in practice, have not been adequately addressed in the literature. It’s imperative to revisit and conduct more comprehensive exploration of performance measures, such as energy consumption and environmental impact.
Checkbox grading of handwritten mathematics exams with multiple assessors: how do students react to the resulting atomic feedback? A mixed-method study
Authors: Moons Filip , Iannone Paola , Vandervieren Ellen 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHandwritten tasks are better suited than digital ones to assess higher-order mathematics skills, as students can express themselves more freely. However, maintaining reliability and providing feedback can be challenging when assessing high-stakes, handwritten mathematics exams involving multiple assessors. This paper discusses a new semi-automated grading approach called ‘checkbox grading’. Checkbox grading gives each assessor a list of checkboxes consisting of feedback items for each task. The assessor then ticks those feedback items which apply to the student’s solution. Dependencies between the checkboxes can be set to ensure all assessors take the same route on the grading scheme. The system then automatically calculates the grade and provides atomic feedback to the student, giving a detailed insight into what went wrong and how the grade was obtained. Atomic feedback consists of a set of format requirements for mathematical feedback items, which has been shown to increase feedback’s reusability. Checkbox grading was tested during the final high school mathematics exam (grade 12) organised by the Flemish Exam Commission, with 60 students and 10 assessors. This paper focuses on students’ perceptions of the received checkbox grading feedback and how easily they interpreted it. After the exam was graded, all students were sent an online questionnaire, including their personalised exam feedback. The questionnaire was filled in by 36 students, and 4 of them participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that students could interpret the feedback from checkbox grading well, with no correlation between students’ exam scores and feedback understanding. Therefore, we suggest that checkbox grading is an effective way to provide feedback, also for students with shaky subject matter knowledge.
Sustainable and economical alternatives to fragment capture materials in explosive and ballistic trials
Authors: Read James , Quinlan Philip , Bloodworth-Race Susie , Hazael Rachael , Critchley Richard 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Strawboard has been utilised as a fragmentation capture material since the 1960s, mainly employed to capture fragments from explosives and explosive devices from arena trials of munitions. As this material has historically been calibrated to a known standard, it has a proven record of allowing research establishments to ascertain the velocity of a fragment based on the depth of penetration of the strawboard. During the time of calibration, strawboard was used as a common building material which was both widely available and relatively affordable; however, due to the recent economic crisis and geopolitical supply issues, this is no longer the case. Building on initial testing, this paper investigates alternatives to strawboard to determine if a cheaper, more readily available material can be used instead. The alternatives are compared and judged based on the NATO ARSP-03 guideline for capture material which includes metrics such as price and attainability, as well as assessing environmental impact and its ability to be used as a viable alternative to strawboard in an explosive environment. Based on these NATO guidelines, explosive fragmentation and ballistic experiments were conducted, and ten materials were tested based on the following criteria: Handling, Density, Flammability, Calibration, Cost and Availability. Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) was found to be a suitable alternative to strawboard. The data demonstrates that it provides the same capture performance as strawboard at approximately a quarter of the cost and is far more readily available. Other materials also showed potential and further testing should be undertaken to validate these materials as alternatives to MDF.
Predictors of HBsAg seroclearance in patients with chronic HBV infection treated with pegylated interferon-α: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jiang Shaowen , Guo Simin , Huang Yan , Yin Yalin , Feng Jingwen , Zhou Huijuan , Guo Qing , Wang Weijing , Xin Haiguang , Xie Qing 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background and aims
The identification of reliable predictors for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance remains controversial. We aimed to summarize potential predictors for HBsAg seroclearance by pegylated interferon-α (PegIFNα) in patients with chronic HBV infection.

Methods
A systematic search of the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases was conducted from their inception to 28 September 2022. Meta-analyses were performed following the PRISMA statement. Predictors of HBsAg seroclearance were evaluated based on baseline characteristics and on-treatment indicators.

Results
This meta-analysis encompasses 27 studies, including a total of 7913 patients. The findings reveal several factors independently associated with HBsAg seroclearance induced by PegIFNα-based regimens. These factors include age (OR = 0.961), gender (male vs. female, OR = 0.537), genotype (A vs. B/D; OR = 7.472, OR = 10.738), treatment strategy (combination vs. monotherapy, OR = 2.126), baseline HBV DNA (OR = 0.414), baseline HBsAg (OR = 0.373), HBsAg levels at week 12 and 24 (OR = 0.384, OR = 0.294), HBsAg decline from baseline to week 12 and 24 (OR = 6.689, OR = 6.513), HBsAg decline from baseline ≥ 1 log10 IU/ml and ≥ 0.5 log10 IU/ml at week 12 (OR = 18.277; OR = 4.530), and ALT elevation at week 12 (OR = 3.622). Notably, subgroup analysis suggests no statistical association between HBsAg levels at week 12 and HBsAg seroclearance for treatment duration exceeding 48 weeks. The remaining results were consistent with the overall analysis.

Conclusions
This is the first meta-analysis to identify predictors of HBsAg seroclearance with PegIFNα-based regimens, including baseline and on-treatment factors, which is valuable in developing a better integrated predictive model for HBsAg seroclearance to guide individualized treatment and achieve the highest cost-effectiveness of PegIFNα.
The role of loneliness and positivity on adolescents’ mental health and sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Pecora Giulia , Laghi Fiorenzo , Baumgartner Emma , Di Norcia Anna , Sette Stefania 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed unprecedented challenges with profound repercussions on adolescents’ mental health and sleep quality. However, only a few studies have focused on the aspects potentially related to adolescents’ well-being during the pandemic. The present study aimed to understand the role of loneliness and positivity on adolescents’ mental health difficulties and sleep-related issues in the emergency period. A sample of N = 564 Italian adolescents (Mage = 15.86, SD = 1.41) participated in the survey. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that loneliness was positively associated with mental health difficulties and sleep-related issues. In contrast, positivity was negatively related to mental health difficulties and sleep-related issues. Results also showed that gender moderated the relation between positivity and sleep latency. In detail, higher levels of positivity were associated with reduced sleep latency for females but not for males. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of studying the determinants of adolescents’ well-being during such challenging events.
Negotiating and Reinventing Identities by South Asian Women in the Context of Transnational Mobility
Authors: Neupane Gita 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis study investigates the experiences of women spouses of international students from South Asia in the United States to understand how they navigate, adapt, and reinvent their identities in the new environment. Through intimate narratives gathered from 15 participants via semi-structured qualitative interviews, their lived experiences were thoroughly examined. Employing grounded theory and inductive analysis, three key themes emerged: (1) the loss of professional identities established in their home countries due to the devaluation of academic credentials and work experience in the new setting; (2) the challenges of identity conflict encountered while transitioning between different work cultures; and (3) the significance placed on gendered identities and associated roles within the family sphere. The analysis highlights the dynamic evolution of these women’s identities, shaped by the intersectionality of various systems of oppression. Despite facing compromised status and familial responsibilities, the participants exhibited resilience by embracing differences and redefining meanings of life across times and spaces. This study contributes to our understanding of how transnational mobility for higher education from the Global South to the Global North, sustained by the racialized labor market, perpetuates a heteronormative gender order that privileges men and marginalizes women.
The Heterotic-Ricci Flow and Its Three-Dimensional Solitons
Authors: Moroianu Andrei , Murcia Ángel J. , Shahbazi C. S. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWe introduce a novel curvature flow, the Heterotic-Ricci flow, as the two-loop renormalization group flow of the Heterotic string common sector and study its three-dimensional compact solitons. The Heterotic-Ricci flow is a coupled curvature evolution flow, depending on a non-negative real parameter$$\kappa $$κ, for a complete Riemannian metric and a three-formHon a manifoldM. Its most salient feature is that it involves several terms quadratic in the curvature tensor of a metric connection with skew-symmetric torsionH. When$$\kappa = 0$$κ=0the Heterotic-Ricci flow reduces to the generalized Ricci flow and hence it can be understood as a modification of the latter via the second-order correction prescribed by Heterotic string theory, whereas when$$H=0$$H=0and$$\kappa >0$$κ>0the Heterotic-Ricci flow reduces to a constrained version of the RG-2 flow and hence it can be understood as a generalization of the latter via the introduction of the three-formH. Solutions of Heterotic supergravity with trivial gauge bundle, which we callHeterotic solitons, define a particular class of three-dimensional solitons for the Heterotic-Ricci flow and constitute our main object of study. We prove a number of structural results for three-dimensional Heterotic solitons, obtaining, in particular, the complete classification of compact three-dimensionalstrongHeterotic solitons as hyperbolic three-manifolds or quotients of the Heisenberg group equipped with a left-invariant metric. Furthermore, we prove that all Einstein three-dimensional Heterotic solitons have constant dilaton and leave as open the construction of a Heterotic soliton with non-constant dilaton. In this direction, we prove that Einstein Heterotic solitons with constant dilaton are rigid and therefore cannot be deformed into a solution with non-constant dilaton. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first rigidity result for compact supergravity solutions in the literature.
Shift-Equivariant Similarity-Preserving Hypervector Representations of Sequences
Authors: Rachkovskij Dmitri A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHyperdimensional Computing (HDC), also known as Vector-Symbolic Architectures (VSA), is a promising framework for the development of cognitive architectures and artificial intelligence systems, as well as for technical applications and emerging neuromorphic and nanoscale hardware. HDC/VSA operate with hypervectors, i.e., neural-like distributed vector representations of large fixed dimension (usually > 1000). One of the key ingredients of HDC/VSA are the methods for encoding various data types (from numeric scalars and vectors to graphs) by hypervectors. In this paper, we propose an approach for the formation of hypervectors of sequences that provides both an equivariance with respect to the shift of sequences and preserves the similarity of sequences with identical elements at nearby positions. Our methods represent the sequence elements by compositional hypervectors and exploit permutations of hypervectors for representing the order of sequence elements. We experimentally explored the proposed representations using a diverse set of tasks with data in the form of symbolic strings. Although we did not use any features here (hypervector of a sequence was formed just from the hypervectors of its symbols at their positions), the proposed approach demonstrated the performance on a par with the methods that exploit various features, such as subsequences. The proposed techniques were designed for the HDC/VSA model known as Sparse Binary Distributed Representations. However, they can be adapted to hypervectors in formats of other HDC/VSA models, as well as for representing sequences of types other than symbolic strings. Directions for further research are discussed.
Integrated clinical and prognostic analyses of mTOR/Hippo pathway core genes in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Feng Tianhang , Chen Ping , Wang Tao , Lai Chunyou , Yao Yutong 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most aggressive and dismal cancers globally. Emerging evidence has established that mTOR and Hippo pathways are oncogenic drivers of HCC. However, the prognostic value of these pathways in HCC remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to develop a gene signature utilizing the mTOR/Hippo genes for HCC prognostication. A multiple stage strategy was employed to screen, and a 12-gene signature based on mTOR/Hippo pathways was constructed to predict the prognosis of HCC patients. The risk scores calculated by the signature were inversely correlated with patient prognosis. Validation of the signature in independent cohort confirmed its predictive power. Further analysis revealed molecular differences between high and low-risk groups at genomic, transcriptomic, and protein-interactive levels. Moreover, immune infiltration analysis revealed an immunosuppressive state in the high-risk group. Finally, the gene signature could predict the sensitivity to current chemotherapeutic drugs. This study demonstrated that combinatorial mTOR/Hippo gene signature was a robust and independent prognostic tool for survival prediction of HCC. Our findings not only provide novel insights for the molecular understandings of mTOR/Hippo pathways in HCC, but also have important clinical implications for guiding therapeutic strategies.
Profiles of general, test, and mathematics anxiety in 9- and 12-year-olds: relations to gender and mathematics achievement
Authors: Williams Kate , White Sonia L. J. , English Lyn D. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
As international focus increasingly turns to the need to build a future mathematics workforce, research has aimed to better understand the salient individual and contextual factors that influence maths engagement and achievement across development. This study investigates self-reported general anxiety, test anxiety, and maths anxiety in two cohorts of Australian students aged 9–10 years (n = 158) and 12–13 years (n = 115) and associations with maths achievement and gender. Test and maths anxiety were negatively correlated with maths achievement and there were no gender differences in maths achievement. Cross-sectional latent profile analyses established two anxiety profiles in the older cohort (low and high across all anxiety measures) and a more complex five-profile solution for the younger cohort (various combinations of anxiety). Members of profiles with higher levels of test and mathematics anxiety had lower maths achievement, with girls over-represented in these profiles.