bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with mental health stigma among teachers and caregivers of primary school children in Mbale, Uganda
Authors: Braathu Nora , Kabatooro Mukisa Marjorie , Babirye Juliet N. , Wentzel-Larsen Tore , Skar Ane-Marthe Solheim , Engebretsen Ingunn M. S. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with approximately 55% aged below 18 years. Approximately 23% of Ugandan youths are struggling with mental disorders. Despite the high prevalence of mental disorders, the existing stigma surrounding mental health may discourage individuals from seeking help, resulting in untreated conditions that may worsen over time. Examining the factors associated with stigma is crucial for understanding specific target areas to reduce its impact. The current paper examines factors associated with mental health stigma among teachers and caregivers in 18 primary schools in Mbale, Uganda.
Methods
The current study used baseline data from the TREAT INTERACT stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial among 191 teachers and 732 caregivers. Stigma was measured using the revised Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination scale (PDD). Mental health knowledge was measured with the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), and Psychological aggression was measured with the Dimensions of Discipline Inventory (DDI). Data were analyzed using mixed effects models in R. Mean scores were rescaled to range from 0-100.
Results
On a range from 0-100, teachers had a mean of 30.7 (SD = 14.0) on the mental health stigma measure, while caregivers scored significantly higher with a mean of 36.9 (SD = 16.9). Lower mental health knowledge (Teachers: -0.36, 95% CI = -0.49; -0.22, Caregivers: -0.24, 95% CI = -0.32; -0.16) and higher prevalence of psychological aggression (Teachers: 0.13, 95% CI = 0.06; 0.21, Caregivers: 0.15, 95% CI = 0.10; 0.20) were significant predictors of higher levels of stigma. Fewer years of education (-4.51, 95% CI= -7.74; -1.29) were additionally significantly associated with higher levels of stigma among caregivers. Factors such as sex, age, school area, years working as a teacher, and caregiver wealth index were not statistically significant factors.
Conclusion
Higher levels of stigma were associated with lower mental health knowledge and higher frequencies of psychological aggression among teachers and caregivers. Additionally, lower caregiver education was associated with higher levels of stigma. This underscores the importance of targeted interventions to enhance mental health awareness and reduce aggressive disciplinary practices. Additionally, the observed associations with caregiver education emphasize the need for tailored approaches that account for demographic variations in stigma.
Modeling Convective Heat Transfer Augmentation of TiO 2 Nanofluids Using Neural Networks
Authors: Pouramini Zeinab , Fathabadi Motahareh Vakili , Shahryari Zohresadat 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

In this study, a neural network methodology was employed to estimate the forced convective heat transfer coefficient of nanofluids. Various operational parameters, including heat flux, thermal conductivity of fluids, nanoparticle concentration, and flow Reynolds number, were investigated to quantify the convective heat transfer coefficient. These operational parameters were introduced as inputs into an artificial neural network (ANN) to model the convective heat transfer coefficient. The addition of nanoparticles to the base fluid enhanced the forced convective heat transfer coefficient, with more significant effects observed in base fluids with lower thermal conductivity and flows characterized by higher Reynolds numbers and elevated heat fluxes. Good agreement between experimental data and the predicted results of the ANN demonstrates that the ANN can accurately model this process, except for higher heat flux.
The Safety of Endoscopy in Cirrhosis
Authors: Edelson Jerome Craig , Rockey Don C 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background: Endoscopic procedures are amongst the most commonly performed medical procedures and the serious adverse event rate is reported to be 1-3 adverse events per 1000 procedures.
Aims: Here, we have examined the safety of endoscopy specifically in cirrhotic populations.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective case (cirrhosis) -control (non-cirrhosis) study of the outcomes of patients undergoing endoscopy in a large academic medical center. The primary outcome was a procedural or post-procedural complication. Complete clinical data were collected for all patients undergoing endoscopic procedures - including esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, EUS, ERCP, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and others. Cirrhosis was carefully defined based on clinico-pathological grounds.
Results: We identified 16,779 patients who underwent endoscopy, including 2,618 with cirrhosis and 14,161 without cirrhosis. There were 167 complications (0.99%), which included 15/2618 cirrhotics (0.6%) and 152/14,161 (1.1%) non-cirrhotics. The most common complications were cardiopulmonary (including hypotension, hypoxemia, and ) found in 67% of patients; procedurally related complications occurred in 19% of patients. The complication rate was the same or lower in cirrhotics than controls undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (0.6% vs 0.9%, p = 0.03), colonoscopy (0.6% vs. 0.6%, p = NS), or ERCP (0.7% vs. 1.4%, p = NS)Logistic regression analysis identified the following features to be associated with an increased risk of having a complication: inpatient status, history of myocardial infarction, and an EUS procedure.
Conclusions: Endoscopy in cirrhotic patients was as safe or safer in cirrhotic patients compared to others undergoing the same procedures.
Screening Carbon Nano Materials for preventing amyloid protein aggregation by adopting a facile method
Authors: Wilson Daisy L. , Carreon Ana , Chinnam Sampath , Sharifan Hamidreza , Ahlawat Jyoti , Narayan Mahesh 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
The soluble-to-toxic transformation of intrinsically disordered amyloidogenic proteins such as amyloid beta (Aβ), α-synuclein, mutant Huntingtin Protein (mHTT) and islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) among others is associated with disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), respectively. The dissolution of mature fibrils and toxic amyloidogenic intermediates including oligomers continues to be the pinnacle in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Yet, methods to effectively, and quantitatively, report on the interconversion between amyloid monomers, oligomers and mature fibrils fall short. Here we describe a simplified method that implements the use of gel electrophoresis to address the transformation between soluble monomeric amyloid proteins and mature amyloid fibrils. The technique implements an optimized but well-known, simple, inexpensive and quantitative assessment previously used to assess the oligomerization of amyloid monomers and subsequent amyloid fibrils. This method facilitates the screening of small molecules that disintegrate oligomers and fibrils into monomers, dimers, and trimers and/or retain amyloid proteins in their monomeric forms. Most importantly, our optimized method diminishes existing barriers associated with existing (alternative) techniques to evaluate fibril formation and intervention.
Birefringence changes induced by thermal cycling in lithium niobate
Authors: Jundt Dieter , Whittaker Matthew 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Lithium niobate exhibits slow refractive index drift after temperature excursions typical in device manufacturing. Such drift can degrade performance in certain devices. We analyze the birefringence changes in a range of temperatures to measure the magnitude and rate of change. Experiments were conducted by first annealing congruently grown, magnesium doped, and lithium-enriched crystals at a temperatures between 95oC and 215oC. Subsequent optical evaluation was performed between 95oC and 122oC using a table-top apparatus. The sample was illuminated with incandescent polarized light and transmitted light was collected with a compact spectrometer after passing through an analyzer so fringes could be recorded. Careful fringe analysis allows a precise estimate of birefringence changes at a reference wavelength with precision < 10−6. The observed birefringence changes can be explained by assuming that existing lithium vacancies re-arrange around positively charged point defects via lithium vacancy migration. Computer simulations for a simple model reproduce the major observations such as magnitude of change, activation energy for relaxation and the stretched exponential nature of the change. Similar effects are expected in lithium tantalate and the results suggest ways to minimize the influence on device operation.
Effect of the Merger between Nippon Oil and Kyushu Oil in 2008
Authors: Komatsubara Takashi 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
This study examines the effect of the merger between Nippon Oil and Kyushu Oil in 2008 on the Japanese gasoline market. This merger was thought to have a significant impact on the market because the former had the top share in the market at that time. In order to focus on the change in Japanese retail gasoline prices, this study adopts the analysis of difference-in-differences. Because there were many Kyushu Oil stations in the Kyushu region while there were few in other regions, this study compares price changes between the Kyushu and neighboring regions. As a result of the analysis, we find that there was little difference in price changes between the two regions after the merger.
JEL codes: L44, G34, L11, D22
Constitutive model of Viscoelastic-plastic strain characteristics and damage of South China red sandstone under chemical environment
Authors: ZHANG Shuanguang , ZHAO Shutian , FAN Mingzhuo , SUN Ye , LIU Wenbo , QI Wenhao 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
In this paper, a graded creep cyclic loading and unloading test was carried out to explore the viscoelastic-plastic rheological characteristics of red sandstone in South China under acidic environment. The mechanical parameters and viscoelastic-plastic strain characteristics of the acidic solution corrosive specimen were obtained by analyzing the rock deformation behavior by the improved viscoelastic-plastic strain separation method, and the instantaneous strain was separated into instantaneous elastic strain and instantaneous plastic strain, and the creep-strain strain was separated into viscoelastic strain and viscoplastic strain. Based on the nonlinear rheological theory, the constitutive equations of creep damage of rock in one-dimensional and three-dimensional stress states are derived. The results show that acid corrosion has little effect on the resistance to elastic deformation of red sandstone, the elastic deformation modulus remains basically the same at the same stress level, and the instantaneous elastic strain and viscoelastic strain are close to linear relationship with the deviator stress. The increase of acidity of the solution increases the plastic deformation of rock samples, in which the instantaneous plastic modulus increases gradually with the increase of the number of loading and unloading, and the instantaneous plastic strain increment decreases. The viscoplastic modulus gradually decreases with the increase of stress level, and the increase of viscoplastic strain increases. The creep flexibility and creep rate of viscoplastic have the same trend with the change, and increase with the increase of solution concentration and stress level. By introducing the chemical damage variable considering the plastic deformation of the material, the creep damage constitutive equation considering the viscoelastic-plastic strain separation is established, which can describe the variation of strain with time during loading and unloading, and verifies the rationality and accuracy of the proposed model by comparing it with the traditional Nishihara model.
Interactions Between Background Ground Vibration and Earthquakes Before and After the 2011 Mw 9 East Japan Earthquake
Authors: Kikuchi Hiroyuki 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
We have been investigating the background ground vibration (BGV) that is imperceptible to humans. In this study, we examined how this BGV interacts with earthquakes and successfully elucidated the dynamics of the ground before and after the Mw9 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) as several consecutive dynamic events. Stress-related parameters (stress) and geometry-related parameters (fractal dimension representing geometric complexity) were extracted from the BGV data to characterize the BGV. Insights into the interaction between the BGV and earthquakes before and after the GEJE were obtained as follows: Approximately 4 to 3 years before the GEJE, the stress increased significantly and remained at that level until the occurrence of the GEJE. During this period of high stress, a mid-scale earthquake occurred. However, the decrease in stress due to the mid-scale earthquake was significantly smaller compared to the background stress, and its impact on the BGV was minor. However, the remaining stress suggests the possibility of larger earthquakes occurring after the mid-scale earthquake. From about 1 year before the GEJE to the time of the GEJE, the fractal dimension indicating subtle geometric damage increased significantly, leading to the occurrence of the GEJE. Approximately 1 to 3 years after the GEJE, the stress remained high, but the fractal dimension gradually decreased and stabilized. Subsequently, a mid-scale earthquake occurred, and although there was no change in the fractal dimension, the stress decreased significantly. This can be interpreted as a transition induced by the mid-scale earthquake to a more stable state of the BGV.
Scheduling of drip irrigation under the ultra-high density of guava orchard
Authors: Shanker Karuna , Prasad Kunal , Misra Sanyat , Das Bikash , Jha Keshaw Kumar 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Over two consecutive years (2012–2013 and 2013–2014), a field experiment was conducted on a 5-year-old guava orchard of cv. Sardar in Ranchi, where drip irrigation systems were installed in ultra-high-density guava orchards. The experiment aimed to study the water system booking and water prerequisites of guava based on available soil water content and its consumption, as well as the pan evaporation replenishment. 240 guava trees were organized in a randomized block design consisting of four repetitive blocks, with a spacing of 1.0 m x 2.0 m. Five irrigation scheduling methods were applied in the field experiment, which included four levels of open pan evaporation primarily-based drip irrigation schedules (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% pan evaporation replenishment) and one rainfed plot as a control. Each treatment contained 12 plants per unit with four repetitions for each treatment. The results indicated that irrigation scheduling based on pan evaporation replenishment had better yield and quality compared to the schedule method for water system plans. Tree grown under irrigation level at 20% of PE showed maximum irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), which decreased with the increasing quantity of water applied. Application of irrigation at 60% PE showed higher fruit yields of guava planted at ultra-high density, with some parameters like an increase in fruit weight being observed to be better under this treatment. Moreover, reducing the quantity of water applied from 100% PE to 60% PE did not affect the fruit quality parameters. Therefore, it is suggested to utilize water at 60% of PE letter with two days irrigation interval for commercial cultivation of guava under ultra-high-density planting patterns.
Federated Edge Computing Strategy for Fault Tolerance in Distributed Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Jamshidi O. , Abbasi M. , Ramazani A. , Khosravi M. , Taherkordi A. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Large Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) can extract suitable features from data but increase memory and energy consumption and require a significant amount of computing resources, especially for IoT infrastructures. CNNs can be distributed across end devices, edge, and cloud, but their distribution may increase privacy risks and latency. This paper proposes to utilize only the edge (fog) and end devices to mitigate these risks. The approach involves dividing a large neural network (NN) into several smaller NNs and distributing them across the end devices. The proposed method increases the security of learning systems by ensuring that all NNs on distributed end devices and entities involved in the learning process are engaged in joint learning and undergo continuous validation. However, the accuracy decreases in case of end device failure. To avoid a significant decrease in accuracy, we introduce a modifier module at the edge to improve results in the event of end device failure. This module is built using the NNs on the end devices. The experimental results show that the accuracy obtained in the case of the failure of one of the end devices can be improved by approximately 1.5% using the modifier module. This achievement enables the efficient performance of CNNs on edge devices and improves service delivery in areas such as healthcare and the use of self-driving vehicles.
Insight into pore size distribution and moisture migration behavior in aerogel cementitious composites using BET-MIP and LF-NMR methods
Authors: Yang Jianhong H. , Huang Dongmei M. , Feng Zhenmin M. , Yuan Qi , Jin Mengsha S. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
The durability of cementitious composites is closely related to their internal pore distribution and moisture migration patterns. In this study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), specific surface area and porosity test (BET) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) techniques were used to compare and analyze the effects of different SiO2 aerogel contents on the pore size distribution, pore water content distribution and internal water transport of Silica aerogel incorporated Cementitious composites (AICs). The results show that with the increase of aerogel content, the pore structure of AICs has changed, and the pore connectivity has been enhanced. Compared with AIC0, the porosity of AIC10 increased by 11.89%. BET-MIP combined characterization method and LF-NMR method showed consistency in analyzing the change trend of pore size distribution of AICs, showing a trend of increasing the proportion of macroporous pore volume, thereby accelerating the water transport rate and reducing the durability of the material. In addition, during the water absorption process, the water distribution inside the material is uneven, and the area with low water content shows a cold tone in the spatial imaging.
Dynamics of longitudinal Hawaiian hotspot motion and the formation of the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend
Authors: Hu Jiashun , Zhang Jie 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Formation of the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend has been a key geological puzzle that involves both plate tectonics and plume dynamics. Constrained by paleomagnetic data, southward hotspot motion has been considered a major contributor to the formation of the bend, but the role of longitudinal hotspot motion remains largely overlooked. Here, using geometric analysis with constraints from plate kinematics, we show a significant longitudinal hotspot motion is required to fit the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain. Further application of global mantle convection models reveals a westward (by ~6°) and then an eastward (by ~2°) hotspot drift in addition to the southward motion before and after the bend, with the westward motion primarily controlled by the intraoceanic subduction in Northeast Pacific. While both the westward and southward motion are required to fit the seamount chain, the former contributes ~20 degrees to the bend angle, larger than the later, challenging traditional views. Combining geodynamically-predicted Pacific Plate motion change at 47 Ma, our model provides a nearly perfect fit to the seamount chain, suggesting plate-mantle reorientation as the ultimate cause. It also suggests that the Hawaiian plume conduit is tilted towards the southwest, solving the long-lasting debate on the source of the Hawaiian plume among seismological studies.
Identify Liver Fibrosis Associated Hub Genes Using Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Jin Li , Cheng Zhuo , Huang Hanfei , Deng Lin , Ma Meidiao , Qu Siming , Yuan Bo , Fang Yuan , Ye Youzhi , Zeng Zhong 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background. Cirrhosis is defined as diffuse liver fibrosis (LF) caused by various chronic liver diseases and characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in liver tissue. However, the molecular mechanism of cirrhosis has not been well understood. This study aimed to identify significant gene expression profiles that participate in cirrhosis pathogenesis using bioinformatics and to discover novel biomarkers.
Methods. Two LF datasets (GSE14323 and GSE139602), both consisted of cirrhosis patients and healthy individuals, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and used for further analysis. Firstly, differential expression analyses were conducted to discover overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using the limma package. Next, the clusterProfiler function was adopted to carry out the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes as well as Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the DEGs was constructed in the STRING database. In addition, hub genes were extracted through the cytoHubba plug-in. To verify the results we observed from the bioinformatics analysis, mouse models were established by receiving Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) injections or 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) diet.
Results. A total of 81 upregulated and 21 downregulated overlapping DEGs were identified in cirrhosis tissues compared to healthy controls. 9 hub genes included SPP1, SOX9, THBS2, LUM, LAMA2, PECAM1, VIM, COL1A2, and COL3A1 were identified by the PPI analysis from the 81 upregulated overlapping DEGs. RT-PCR of the fibrotic liver tissues from the mouse model showed that the mRNA levels of Spp1, Sox9, Col1a2 and Col3a1 were up-regulated in mice treated with CCl4, while Spp1, Thbs2, Lum, Pecam1, Vim, Col1a2, and Col3a1 were up-regulated in mice treated with DDC. Predictive analyses provided drug compounds that are associated with LF.
Conclusion. The present study identified hub genes that were associated with the occurrence of LF may provide reference for future studies to better explore the pathogenesis of cirrhosis, and play a possible role for developing drugs for LF.