bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structure-based in-silico analysis of phytocompounds from Cleistanthus collinus for the development of effective insecticide against Tribolium castaneum
Authors: Sahoo Soma Prasad , Baliyarsingh Bighneswar 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Effective pest control requires the use of chemicals that are highly specific, safe, and eco-friendly. The richness of phytochemicals in the Cleistanthus collinus, a medicinal plant, indicates its plausibility role in controlling insects. This study aimed to identify potential insecticidal compounds from the leaves of Cleistanthus collinus against four different types of insect receptors of Tribolium castaneum through structure-based virtual screening. Homology modeling was used to generate 3D structures for each receptor, and the compound with the highest binding affinity was identified using Discovery Biovia Studio-2021. The screened phytocompound's insecticidal likeness was further assessed using the Tice rule that exhibit any deviations. Cedrene was found to be the best ligand for the acetylcholinesterase receptor, cytochrome p450 receptor, and GABA receptor, while cedrene and 1,2,3-benzenetriol were found to be the best ligands for the endoglucanase gene receptor. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the selected compounds interacted with the active sites of their respective receptors and, the linear relationship of inhibition constants with binding energy corroborates the insecticidal potential of phytocompounds. This study suggests that phytochemicals from C. collinus have the potential to act as insecticides by interacting with multiple receptors, offering insights for the development of novel and eco-friendly insecticides for pest control.
Thirty-three years follow-up of pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa without surgical treatment: case report and literature review
Authors: Mirhosseini Seyed Mohsen , Rezaei Mahdi , Yarmohammadi Hossein , Soltanipur Masood , Fattah Eisa , Bayat Fariba 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
The pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (PMAIF) is a rare complication of endocarditis or aortic valve surgery. Surgical treatment is often suggested, but the possibility of conservative management remains unclear.
Case presentation
The 33-year follow-up of a PMAIF that developed six years after aortic valve replacement (AVR) is reported. Initially, the patient began experiencing worsening dyspnea, and echocardiography revealed an ejection fraction (EF) of 20% with a PMAIF measuring 7 × 10 mm. Despite being advised to undergo surgery, the patient declined due to fear of high-risk surgical outcomes. Consequently, conservative treatment with close observation but without surgery was initiated. During the 33-year follow-up period, the patient did not exhibit any adverse health effects.
Conclusion
The surgery is not necessary for asymptomatic patients with PMAIF, even in cases of sizable pseudoaneurysms, as long as there are no additional local complications or rapid growth. The conservative and non-surgical approach is particularly applicable to patients with a high risk for surgery, for whom regular clinical and echocardiographic monitoring appears to be safe for handling this condition.
Central Obesity and Associated Factors among Public Service Employees in Adama Town in Ethiopia
Authors: Deybasso Haji Aman , Geda Yoseph Degaga , Gebaba Ebrahim Mohammed 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Introduction:
The prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing, contributing to 678 million obese adults and rapidly increasing in lower-income countries. This study assessed the magnitude of central obesity and associated factors among public service office employees in Adama Town in the Oromia Region in Ethiopia.
Methods
An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to February 26, 2020, among 590 public service employees. The data were collected by using interviewer-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. The data were coded, entered, cleaned, and entered into Epi Info version 7, and subsequently exported to SPSS version 26 for statistical analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to check the associations between the explanatory and outcome variables. The adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval was used to estimate the strength of associations. A P value < 0.05 indicated statistical significance.
Results
The overall prevalence of central obesity among public service office employees was 24.2% (95% CI: 20.9, 27.8), with 29.9% in males and 14.9% in females. The multivariate analysis showed that using motorized transportation (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.147, 4.459), eating food out of the home (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.089, 2.735), drinking alcohol (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.080, 3.038), being aged 33–42 years (AOR = 4.76, 95% CI = 2.513, 9.047), 43–52 years (AOR = 5.56, 95% CI = 2.850, 10.878) and 53 years and above (AOR = 13.25, 95% CI = 5.057, 34.747), not engaging in moderate physical activity (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.507, 3.653) and having a chronic illness (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.154, 3.200) were statistically associated with central obesity among public service office employees in the study area.
Conclusion
Nearly 25% of public service employees in the town had central obesity, which is a risk factor for metabolic syndromes. Mode of transportation, eating food out of home, drinking alcohol, age, level of physical activity, and presence of chronic illnesses were found to be independent predictors of central obesity. The public administration in the town should design a feasible preventive strategy to reduce the burden of obesity among public service employees in the study setting.
An Integrated Theory based-educational Intervention to Change Intention to Have a Child: Study Protocol of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Moridi Maryam , Damghanian Maryam , Keshaverz Sedigheh 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background:In high- and low-income countries, declining birth rates have become a global concern. Couples do not have enough information about the complications of delaying and reducing childbearing and this leads them to make inappropriate decisions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate whether an educational program based on integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM) affects child-free couples’ intention to have children and minimizes the consequences of this decline.Methods:Thirty couples (intervention, n=15; control, n=15) will be enrolled in this cluster randomized controlled trial. After collecting baseline data and separating participants in the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages based on the TTM, the samples were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive 60-minute training based on TPB components for four weeks. The first follow-up assessment was performed immediately after the intervention and the final assessment six months later. For all 3 time assessments, three questionnaires will be used: The knowledge questionnaire, the TTM, and the TPB questionnaire.The most important consequences are changes in knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and stages of intentions to have children.Discussion:Decision-makers will use the results of this study as a basis to design appropriate, transparent, and useful policies and interventions to improve or stop the decline of the fertility rate at the national level. Also, this study will help young couples who wish to have a child in their lifetime by providing relevant information so that they do not miss this opportunity and face the consequences of delaying having a child.Trial registration:This study was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT), Number: IRCT20220618055210N2, Date of registration: 2023- 10- 03.
Exploring the perceptions and experiences of older people on the use of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study
Authors: Tanhamira Lesley-Anne , Randhawa Gurch , Hewson David 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background: Physical inactivity is an ongoing problem throughout the lifespan. For older people, inactivity has a negative impact on wellbeing, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital technologies can be employed to encourage uptake of social and physical activity through remotely delivered interventions to improve wellbeing, however, we need to understand older people’s perceptions and experiences of using digital technologies before implementing these interventions.
Aims: To explore the perceptions and experiences of older people on the use of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 community dwelling older people from Hertfordshire, United Kingdom taking part in a remotely delivered mind-body physical activity programme called Positive Movement. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed and thematic analysis used.
Results: Four themes emerged from the data. The perceived impact of COVID-19 on social contact, perceived impact of COVID-19 on mental wellbeing, using digital platforms for health or exercise and using digital platforms for social contact.
Discussion: Participants reported reduced social contact due to COVID-19. Most participants reported using digital technologies for social inclusion rather than health reasons, and there were mixed views on the willingness to use digital technologies for physical activity.
Conclusion: Digital technologies offered a lifeline during COVID-19 to maintain social contact and their use was found acceptable by older people. Digital platforms such as Zoom can be further employed to conduct remotely delivered interventions with the aim to increase uptake of social and physical activity interventions within this population.
Monte Carlo Simulation on PTFE-Bound MgB4O7:Dy Film for Neutron Dosimetry
Authors: Prastowo Dian Adi , Isnaini Anissa , Abdurrosyid Imam , Junianto Irvan Dwi , Imron Anas Fahmi , Sarpriani Melly Risky 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Magnesium borate (MgB4O7) is currently being studied as the material for neutron dosimetry. To become a proper dosimeter, magnesium borate is doped with dysprosium as the activator and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is used as the binder. To estimate the response of PTFE-bound MgB4O7:Dy for neutron dosimetry, Monte Carlo simulation was conducted by PHITS (Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System) software. The simulation consisted of dosimeter film of said materials attached to a simplified human phantom. The amount of PTFE ranged from 50% to 90% and the thickness of the film was varied from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. The result showed that this film dosimeter had high response to thermal neutrons and low response to fast neutrons, in contrast with the response of human body. Furthermore, it also suggested that the sample with the highest MgB4O7 content had the lowest absorbed dose due to self-shielding effect while on the thicker film, the effect of self-shielding also reduced the sensitivity of this film dosimeter.
A Contrastive News Recommendation Framework based on Curriculum Learning
Authors: Zhou Xingran , Lin Nankai , Zheng Weixiong , Zhou Dong , Yang Aimin 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

News recommendation is a form of smart technology designed to offer users news content that matches their interests according to their preferences and interests. Nevertheless, current methodologies exhibit significant limitations. Traditional models often rely on simple random negative sampling for training, an approach that insufficiently captures the patterns and preferences of users' clicking behavior, thereby undermining the model's effectiveness. Furthermore, these systems often face challenges in insufficient modeling due to the limited nature of user interactions. Considering these challenges, this paper presents a contrastive news recommendation framework based on curriculum learning(CNRCL). Specifically, we relate the negative sampling process to users’ interests, and employ curriculum learning to guide the negative sampling procedure. To address the issue of insufficient user interest modeling, we propose to use contrastive learning to bring the user closer to news that is similar to the candidate news, thus enhancing the model's accuracy in predicting user interests, compensating for limited click behaviour. Evaluation of our proposed CNRCL model on the MIND benchmark dataset reveals its superiority over existing news recommendation methods.
Priority conservation areas for protected saproxylic beetles in Romania under current and future climate scenarios
Authors: Mirea Marian Dumitru , Miu Iulia Viorica , Popescu Viorel Dan , Brodie Bekka S. , Chiriac Silviu , Rozylowicz Laurentiu 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Climate change poses an increasing risk to biodiversity and habitats important for saproxylic beetles are likely to experience severe pressure and threats. The diversity of saproxylic beetles is an indicator of healthy forest ecosystems, and thus, the conservation of beetles is now a priority for EU Member States. We developed ensemble species distribution models for five saproxylic beetles for current and three-time future horizons under two emission scenarios and two GCMs. We then used a systematic conservation planning approach to assess the effectiveness and resilience to climate change of Romanian Natura 2000 network for saproxylic beetles while identifying future areas for protected area expansion to meet EU conservation targets. Our study revealed that under all scenarios and time horizons, the saproxylic beetles will lose over 80% of their suitable habitat and restrict their distribution to higher elevations. According to the prioritization analysis, we found that when considering 30% of the landscape as protected, an average of 85% of species distribution is retained with priority areas overlapping the Carpathian Mountains, while for the current conditions (18% of Romania’s terrestrial surface), the existing Natura 2000 network does not perform well, with almost ~30% of the saproxylic species distributions falling inside. Our results support the idea that the distribution of saproxylic beetles could change as a result of climate change, and the effectiveness of the current Natura 2000 network is put into question as it may be insufficient in protecting these species. To achieve the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 of protecting at least 30% of the EU’s land, we urge the expansion of the Natura 2000 sites.
High -Temperature short term / in situ oxidation behaviour of Haynes-230 at 1200 °C
Authors: S Kathiravan , Kaliaraj Gobi Saravanan , Kirubaharan A. M. Kamalan , Kumar Ravi Ranjan , Kamatchi Hariharan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The reliability and oxidation kinetics behaviour of the Haynes-230 alloy used in hot combustion components for very long-term applications are of great interest to researchers. To recreate the real-time environment, the in situ surface oxidation behaviour of Haynes-230 alloy at high temperature exposures (800, 1000, and 1200°C) is studied in a customized furnace setup equipped with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The heat-treated samples' phase analysis, surface morphology, and chemical composition were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The various forms of surface oxide layer formation were investigated using Raman spectroscopy. The EIS method was also utilized to evaluate the oxidation behaviour of Haynes-230 at various temperatures and time durations. Furthermore, the oxidation kinetics were investigated under thermal loading and unloading conditions, and capacitive behaviour was observed under unloading conditions.
Morphological characteristics of morphotypes of Solenostemon rotundifolius [(Poir.) J. K. Morton] cultivated in Burkina Faso and Ghana
Authors: BA Aminata Hamidou , NANEMA Kiswendsida Romaric , KIEBRE Zakaria , KUSI Francis 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Solenostemon rotundifolius, also known as fabirama, frafra potato or pessa, is an annual herb belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It is widely cultivated in tropical regions of Africa and Asia for its edible tubers. S. rotundifolius has significant nutritional, medicinal and socioeconomic potential. Despite its proven potential, S. rotundifolius is one of the minor plants in its cultivation area. As a vegetatively propagated species, the morphotypes characteristics of S. rotundifolius are stable and could be a reference for a clear description and use of landraces. Several studies on the species were based mainly on tuber skin color to identify the morphotypes. However, using this criterion alone can lead to errors in identifying the morphotypes of S. rotundifolius. The present study was carried out to contribute to a better description of the morphotypes of S. rotundifolius cultivated in Burkina Faso and Ghana based on qualitative traits. Twelve accessions of S. rotundifolius, including five from Burkina Faso and seven from Ghana, identified based on leaves and inflorescence aspect, were characterized in Fisher block design with three replications. Thirty qualitative traits related to foliage, flowers, and tubers were recorded. Based on the morphological variability, eight morphotypes were identified. The most discriminating morphological traits were the young plant stem and leaves color, the leaves thickness, the apical leaves color, the flower organs color, the tuber shape, the tuber skin and flesh color. The characteristics of the morphotypes could be a reference for future descriptions of S. rotundifolius morphological variability and for breeding purposes.
Improved Dosimetry in Radiotherapy with Gold-Coated Fiber Optics
Authors: Mohammed Mohammed Sayed , Said Zeinab A , Mohammed Asmaa M S 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background: Patients receiving radiotherapy, a clinical treatment process in which radiation ‎is used for the treatment of various types of cancer, utilize a variety of radiation sources with ‎unique characteristics and procedures. In vivo dose measurements can help identify systematic ‎and random errors in delivery of the treatment and therefore play an important role in quality ‎assurance. Recently, the photon response of optical fibers has been investigated by many research ‎groups. The small diameters of optical fibers increase the possibility of producing a dosimeter ‎with high spatial resolution, important in the sense that an accurate value for the absorbed dose in ‎the surrounding tissue of the dosimeter can be more accurately reported. Another important ‎advantage of optical fibers as radiation dosimeters is that, unlike conventional TLDs, optical ‎fibers are impervious to water. The aim of this study is to verify the dosimetric use of fiber ‎optics in interface dosimetry and to investigate a novel enhanced dose technique using different ‎gold thicknesses as a coating for fiber optics.‎
Methods: To achieve this goal, commercially available Ge-doped SiO2 optical fibers (Cor Active, ‎Canada) with a core diameter of 50.9 ± 4.1 µm were irradiated using a 250 kVp superficial X-ray ‎machine and a dose of 3 Gy. Before irradiation, fiber optics were prepared, and the following ‎steps, preheat annealing and reading, were performed.‎
Results: The results show enhancement with increasing gold (Au) thickness, with the highest ‎percentage dose enhancement of approximately 160% obtained at 80 nm. A slight deviation from ‎the enhancement was obtained at 20 nm, the first thickness of gold. Encouraging results from ‎such studies have paved the way for the development of optical fiber radiation dosimeters ‎specifically tailored to the task of dosimetry in radiotherapy.‎
‎ Conclusion: An optical fiber dosimeter can be placed within the tissue of interest, which is ‎applicable due to its flexibility.‎
DGNet: A handwritten mathematical formula recognition network based on deformable convolution and global context attention
Authors: Wen Cuihong , Yin Lemin , Liu Shuai 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The Handwritten Mathematical Expression Recognition (HMER) task aims to generate corresponding LATEX sequences from images of handwritten mathematical expressions. Currently, the encoder-decoder architecture has made significant progress in this task. However, the architecture based on the DenseNet encoder fails to adequately consider the unique features of handwritten mathematical expressions (HME) and the similarity between different characters. Additionally, the decoder, with its small receptive field during the decoding process, fails to effectively capture the spatial positional information of the targets, resulting in a lack of global contextual information during decoding.To address these issues, this paper proposes a neural network called DGNet based on deformable convolution and global contextual attention. Our network takes into full consideration the sparse nature of handwritten mathematical formulas and utilizes the properties of deformable convolution, allowing the convolution kernel to deform based on the content of the neighborhood. This enables our model to better adapt to geometric changes and other deformations in handwritten mathematical expressions. Simultaneously, we introduce GCAttention in optimizing the feature part to fully aggregate global contextual features of both position and channel.In experiments, our model achieved accuracies of 58.51%, 56.32%, and 56.1% on the CROHME 2014, 2016, and 2019 datasets, respectively. This research introduces a more effective deep learning architecture to the field of handwritten mathematical expression recognition, providing a strong foundation for future research and applications.
Proximity effects in a single- and two-band superconducting heterostructures: time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau approach.
Authors: Aguirre C. A. , Faúndez Julián , Díaz P. , Laroze D. , Barba-Ortega J. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

In this work, we study the proximity effects in a single-and two-band superconducting three-dimensional heterostructure, described by two condensates (condensate 1 and condensate 2) under the presence of an external magnetic field perpendicular to the heterostructure. The distance between the interface of both condensate is given by the parameter λ ′. We solve the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations considering a Josephson-like coupling to explore properties such as magnetization, Gibbs free energy and the Abrikosov vortex state. We considered three cases, in the case 1: both condensates are composed by a single-band, case 2: the condensates are composed by two-bands and case 3: the condensate 1 has a single-band and the condensate 2 has two-bands. As a results, we highlight the variation of the first critical field and the novel vortex configuration induced by the proximity effect between the superconducting condensates. This phenomenon exerts a substantial influence on the arrangement of vortex in each of the superconducting bands.
Wide Beam Antenna for MIMO-Based Automotive Radar Applications
Authors: Pillai Jyothishree , Prajapati Jitendra , Upadhayay Madhur Deo 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

In this article, a new microstrip antenna design is proposed that offers a wide half-power beamwidth over a frequency range of 77-81 GHz. The antenna has a size of 7x7x0.508µm³ and is built on a Taconic substrate (εr=2.2). Parasitics are used in the antenna to enhance the beamwidths to 158.6°,149.6°, and 139°, at 77 GHz, 79 GHz, and 81 GHz, respectively. A 2x2 MIMO arrangement is also studied to increase the overall gain of the system up to 12.2 dB, although there is a slight reduction in the beamwidths to 139.9°, 142.7°, and 133.5° at 77 GHz, 79 GHz, and 81 GHz respectively. The single element as well as the MIMO configuration achieve side lobe level suppression of -10.9 dB. The analysis of different MIMO performance metrics, including envelope correlation coefficient, channel capacity loss, diversity gain, mean effective gain, TARC, etc., has shown that they are all within acceptable ranges.