bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Competing risk nomogram and risk classification system for evaluating overall and cancer-specific survival in neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix: a population-based retrospective study
Authors: Liu J. , Lyu Y. , He Y. , Ge J. , Zou W. , Liu S. , Yang H. , Li J. , Jiang K. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Objective
Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (NECC) is a rare malignancy with poor clinical prognosis due to limited therapeutic options. This study aimed to establish a risk-stratification score and nomogram models to predict prognosis in NECC patients.

Methods
Data on individuals diagnosed with NECC between 2000 and 2019 were retrieved from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database and then randomly classified into training and validation cohorts (7:3). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses evaluated independent indicators of prognosis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis further assisted in confirming candidate variables. Based on these factors, cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) nomograms that predict survival over 1, 3, and 5 years were constructed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the concordance index (C-index), and the calibration curve estimated the precision and discriminability of the competing risk nomogram for both cohorts. Finally, we assessed the clinical value of the nomograms using decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results
Data from 2348 patients were obtained from the SEER database. Age, tumor stage, T stage, N stage, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery predicted OS. Additionally, histological type was another standalone indicator of CSS prognosis. For predicting CSS, the C-index was 0.751 (95% CI 0.731 ~ 0.770) and 0.740 (95% CI 0.710 ~ 0.770) for the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Furthermore, the C-index in OS prediction was 0.757 (95% CI 0.738 ~ 0.776) and 0.747 (95% CI 0.718 ~ 0.776) for both cohorts. The proposed model had an excellent discriminative ability. Good accuracy and discriminability were also demonstrated using the AUC and calibration curves. Additionally, DCA demonstrated the high clinical potential of the nomograms for CSS and OS prediction. We constructed a corresponding risk classification system using nomogram scores. For the whole cohort, the median CSS times for the low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups were 59.3, 19.5, and 7.4 months, respectively.

Conclusion
New competing risk nomograms and a risk classification system were successfully developed to predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS and OS of NECC patients. The models are internally accurate and reliable and may guide clinicians toward better clinical decisions and the development of personalized treatment plans.
An evaluation method of open-pit slope stability based on Poset theory
Authors: Jiang Juyu , Sun Jianxiong , Wang Dong , Wang Laigui , Cao Lanzhu , Cai Mingxiang 
Published: January 2024

AbstractTo achieve an objective and reasonable judgment on slope stability, the partially ordered set (Poset) theory is applied to the slope stability evaluation against the engineering background of an open pit slope. From the four aspects of rock mass structural characteristics, slope morphology, environment conditions and engineering conditions, 24 typical evaluation indices such as cohesion, internal friction angle, elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio are selected. Based on the Poset theory, a Poset evaluation model is established. According to the slope stability evaluation indices and the risk grade classification criteria, the slope stability risk grade is divided into four grades: stable (Grade I), generally stable (Grade II), slightly stable (Grade III) and unstable (Grade IV). The index data are normalized and the weight ranking information is used. Implicit weighting is carried out by means of accumulation. The comparison relation matrix, the Hasse matrix and the Hasse diagram are constructed for each factor layer and comprehensive index layer, respectively. This method was utilized to evaluate the risk grade of an engineering example, determine the slope risk grade, and compare with the actual situation. The results show that the slope to be evaluated is generally stable (Grade II) under the comprehensive evaluation indices of various factors, and the assessed stability condition is consistent with the actual situation. These verify the rationality and applicability of the proposed method and provide a new insight for accurately identifying the stability condition of open-pit slopes.
Advantages of natural fiber composites for biomedical applications: a review of recent advances
Authors: Faheed Noor K. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractCurrently, the use of natural fibers as reinforcements in composites offers several advantages, such as a decline in materials derived from non-renewable resources and a reduction in the effects on the environment. These substances have been effectively utilized in the fields of tissue engineering, wound care, drug delivery, and nanotechnology as hydrogels, scaffolding, matrices, and implantation. In terms of implants and other medical technology, biomaterials significantly contribute to the revolutionizing of human existence. Fundamentally, these materials must be extremely biocompatible and unaffected by physiological conditions in humans. Nevertheless, biodegradability is also a drawback of natural materials, as they cannot be as long-lasting as conventional artificial substances and are more prone to wear and tear because of their close contact with human tissue. Because the efficacy of a medical device depends on its suitability and capacity to perform the desired operation, selecting the appropriate material is crucial when developing a medical device. Therefore, by emphasizing modern advances in natural materials and applications, this study aims to emphasize both the fundamental characteristics of natural fibers and recent developments in the biomedical field. Finally, the impact of these implant materials on improving human life is also discussed.
Pediatric Market Access: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Maas Lieke , Joos Angelika , Hiligsmann Mickael 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Objectives
This qualitative study aims to analyze current PM regulation and market access requirements and proposes potential solutions to mitigate current challenges.

Methods
Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from pharmaceutical industry, regulatory authorities, national health technology assessment (HTA) bodies, pediatricians, and academia from the Netherlands (NL), Germany (DE), the United Kingdom (UK), and France (FR) to get insight into the pediatric research, the regulatory and reimbursement processes, challenges, and solutions. Themes for further testing were developed on how to facilitate pediatric market access. Atlas.ti 9 was used to analyze the findings.

Results
Heterogeneity in requirements for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and HTA approvals are noted. By example, DE grants direct reimbursement after regulatory approval, the other countries require additional reimbursement which generate delays and challenges in patient access after marketing authorization. Key components in facilitating PM market access include multi-stakeholder collaboration, transparency, patient representatives, informed consent guidance, real-world evidence, and appropriate clinical trial designs. Pricing models based on the economic capabilities of individual countries could further reduce delays and challenges in market access. The additional specific pediatric incentives should be taken as best practice to encourage innovation in pediatric conditions.

Conclusion
This study highlights differences in requirements for regulatory and reimbursement approval, along with international differences in pricing and reimbursement procedures for pediatric market access.
Carrageenans as biostimulants and bio-elicitors: plant growth and defense responses
Authors: Hossain Md. Motaher , Sultana Farjana , Khan Sabia , Nayeema Jannatun , Mostafa Mahabuba , Ferdus Humayra , Tran Lam-Son Phan , Mostofa Mohammad Golam 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn the context of climate change, the need to ensure food security and safety has taken center stage. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are traditionally used to achieve higher plant productivity and improved plant protection from biotic stresses. However, the widespread use of fertilizers and pesticides has led to significant risks to human health and the environment, which are further compounded by the emissions of greenhouse gases during fertilizer and pesticide production and application, contributing to global warming and climate change. The naturally occurring sulfated linear polysaccharides obtained from edible red seaweeds (Rhodophyta), carrageenans, could offer climate-friendly substitutes for these inputs due to their bi-functional activities. Carrageenans and their derivatives, known as oligo-carrageenans, facilitate plant growth through a multitude of metabolic courses, including chlorophyll metabolism, carbon fixation, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, secondary metabolite generation, and detoxification of reactive oxygen species. In parallel, these compounds suppress pathogens by their direct antimicrobial activities and/or improve plant resilience against pathogens by modulating biochemical changes via salicylate (SA) and/or jasmonate (JA) and ethylene (ET) signaling pathways, resulting in increased production of secondary metabolites, defense-related proteins, and antioxidants. The present review summarizes the usage of carrageenans for increasing plant development and defense responses to pathogenic challenges under climate change. In addition, the current state of knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms and metabolic alterations in plants during carrageenan-stimulated plant growth and plant disease defense responses has been discussed. This evaluation will highlight the potential use of these new biostimulants in increasing agricultural productivity under climate change.
The neuropsychopharmacology of acetyl-L-carnitine (LAC): basic, translational and therapeutic implications
Authors: Bigio Benedetta , Azam Shofiul , Mathé Aleksander A. , Nasca Carla 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMitochondrial metabolism can contribute to nuclear histone acetylation among other epigenetic mechanisms. A central aspect of this signaling pathway is acetyl-L-carnitine (LAC), a pivotal mitochondrial metabolite best known for its role in fatty acid oxidation. Work from our and other groups suggested LAC as a novel epigenetic modulator of brain plasticity and a therapeutic target for clinical phenotypes of depression linked to childhood trauma. Aberrant mitochondrial metabolism of LAC has also been implicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to other processes implicated in the pathophysiology of both major depressive disorders and Alzheimer’s disease, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance. In addition to the rapid epigenetic modulation of glutamatergic function, preclinical studies showed that boosting mitochondrial metabolism of LAC protects against oxidative stress, rapidly ameliorates insulin resistance, and reduces neuroinflammation by decreasing proinflammatory pathways such as NFkB in hippocampal and cortical neurons. These basic and translational neuroscience findings point to this mitochondrial signaling pathway as a potential target to identify novel mechanisms of brain plasticity and potential unique targets for therapeutic intervention targeted to specific clinical phenotypes.
Solving Traveling Salesman Problem Using Parallel River Formation Dynamics Optimization Algorithm on Multi-core Architecture Using Apache Spark
Authors: Alhenawi Esra’a , Khurma Ruba Abu , Damaševic̆ius Robertas , Hussien Abdelazim G. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAccording to Moore’s law, computer processing hardware technology performance is doubled every year. To make effective use of this technological development, the algorithmic solutions have to be developed at the same speed. Consequently, it is necessary to design parallel algorithms to be implemented on parallel machines. This helps to exploit the multi-core environment by executing multiple instructions simultaneously on multiple processors. Traveling Salesman (TSP) is a challenging non-deterministic-hard optimization problem that has exponential running time using brute-force methods. TSP is concerned with finding the shortest path starting with a point and returning to that point after visiting the list of points, provided that these points are visited only once. Meta-heuristic optimization algorithms have been used to tackle TSP and find near-optimal solutions in a reasonable time. This paper proposes a parallel River Formation Dynamics Optimization Algorithm (RFD) to solve the TSP problem. The parallelization technique depends on dividing the population into different processors using the Map-Reduce framework in Apache Spark. The experiments are accomplished in three phases. The first phase compares the speedup, running time, and efficiency of RFD on 1 (sequential RFD), 4, 8, and 16 cores. The second phase compares the proposed parallel RFD with three parallel water-based algorithms, namely the Water Flow algorithm, Intelligent Water Drops, and the Water Cycle Algorithm. To achieve fairness, all algorithms are implemented using the same system specifications and the same values for shared parameters. The third phase compares the proposed parallel RFD with the reported results of metaheuristic algorithms that were used to solve TSP in the literature. The results demonstrate that the RFD algorithm has the best performance for the majority of problem instances, achieving the lowest running times across different core counts. Our findings highlight the importance of selecting the most suitable algorithm and core count based on the problem characteristics to achieve optimal performance in parallel optimization.
ADAM SMITH AND THE BANKERS: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
Authors: Duncan Alfred , Nolan Charles 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAdam Smith promoted free banking—private, competitive, convertible banknotes. He also supported restrictions on banks. We study Smith’s views and the era in which they developed, suggesting his ‘regulations’ were a backstop against banks’ risks to depositors but primarily monetary stability. In modern parlance, Smith supported macroprudential regulations to underpin monetary stability, as did Friedman and Schwartz the US FDIC. We discuss why Smith’s vision for banking went unrealised. Bank regulation became microprudential and ran aground in 2008/2009. The prominence of macroprudential regulation now provides a chance to reorientate regulation to support monetary stability. Early signs are not promising.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE ON ADAM SMITH@300
Authors: Ghosal Sayantan , Muscatelli Anton , Roy Graeme 
Published: January 2024

Abstract2023 marks the tercentenary of the birth of Adam Smith. A towering figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, his writings helped to establish the discipline we now refer to as Political Economy. Indeed, many of his ideas remain the foundation of economic theories still in use today. It is this ongoing relevance, and the lessons we can take from Smith’s methods, that binds the papers in this Special Issue together. The Special Issue draws upon excellent contributions from renowned scholars covering a wide array of Smith’s contributions to economics and political economy.
Morphological and molecular characterization of plagiorchiid trematodes (Plagiorchis: Plagiorchiidae, Digenea) from bats with redescription of Plagiorchis mordovii Shaldybin, 1958
Authors: Kirillova N.Y. , Kirillov A.A. , Shchenkov S.V. , Knyazev A.E. , Vekhnik V.A. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Five Plagiorchis spp. parasitize bats in European Russia: Plagiorchis elegans, Plagiorchis koreanus, Plagiorchis mordovii, Plagiorchis muelleri, and Plagiorchis vespertilionis. Their identification is difficult due to a high morphological similarity. The morphological variability of these species is poorly studied. The taxonomic position of P. mordovii remains debatable. The purpose of our study was to analyse Plagiorchis spp. from European bats using a combination of morphological and molecular-phylogenetic approaches and to establish the taxonomic position of the problematic species P. mordovii.Plagiorchis spp. were shown to be variable morphologically and morphometrically both from various host species and from different specimens of the same species. We presented a new taxonomic key for identification of the Plagiorchis spp. from European bats, provided a complete description of Plagiorchis mordovii, and confirmed the validity and the generic affiliation of this species.
Morphometry of Tidal Meander Cutoffs Indicates Similarity to Fluvial Morphodynamics
Authors: Gao C. , Lazarus E. D. , D’Alpaos A. , Ghinassi M. , Ielpi A. , Parker G. , Rinaldo A. , Gao P. , Wang Y. P. , Tognin D. , Finotello A. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSinuous channels wandering through coastal wetlands have been thought to lack lateral‐migration features like meander cutoffs and oxbows, spurring the broad interpretation that tidal and fluvial meanders differ morphodynamically. Motivated by recent work showing similarities in planform dynamics between tidal and fluvial meandering channels, we analyzed meander neck cutoffs from diverse tidal and fluvial environments worldwide, and show that tidal cutoffs are widespread. Their perceived paucity stems from pronounced channel density and hydrological connectivity in coastal wetlands, comparatively small size of most tidal channels, and typically dense vegetation cover. Although these factors do not efface tidal meander cutoffs, they collectively inhibit oxbow formation and make tidal cutoffs ephemeral features that can escape detection. We argue that similar morphodynamic processes drive cutoff formation in tidal and fluvial landscapes, with differences arising only during post‐cutoff evolution. Such process similarity has important implications for understanding coastal wetland ecomorphodynamics and predicting their long‐term evolution.
Slab Subduction and Pull Link Magmatism at Active and Passive Continental Margins
Authors: Dai Li‐Qun , Zhao Kai , Zhao Zi‐Fu , Sun Guo‐Chao , Gong Bing , Ma Li‐Tao 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSubduction leads to voluminous arc magmatism at active continental margins; however, the potential far‐field geodynamic connections with coeval magmatism along opposing passive margins, are rarely investigated. Here we report large‐scale and parallel mafic dike swarms on the South Qinling passive margin, whose geochemical features record the thick and cold subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath passive margin was gradually replaced by thin and hot one during the early Paleozoic. The subduction of the Proto‐Tethys oceanic lithosphere led to arc magmatism along the active margin, shortly after the rift‐related mafic dike swarms occurred along the passive margin. Subsequent to the continuous oceanic subduction including the ridge‐margin collision, mantle upwelling and slab rollback eventually triggered large‐scale rift‐related magmatism and the opening of new ocean basin at passive margin, and also back‐arc magmatism on the active margin. We highlight slab subduction and pull link the geodynamic processes at active and passive continental margins, which improves our understanding of plate tectonics.
Imaging Step Formation in In‐Cloud Lightning Initial Development With VHF Interferometry
Authors: Pu Yunjiao , Cummer Steven A. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWe investigate sequential processes underlying the initial development of in‐cloud lightning flashes in the form of initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) between 7.4 and 9.0 km altitudes, using a 30–250 MHz VHF interferometer. When resolved, IBPs exhibit typical stepped leader features but are notably extensive (>500 m) and infrequent (∼1 millisecond intervals). Particularly, we observed four distinct phases within an IBP stepping cycle: the emergence of VHF sources forming edge structures at previous streamer zone edges (interpreted as space stem/leader development), the fast propagation of VHF along the edge structure (interpreted as the main leader connecting the space leader), the fast extension of VHF beyond the edge structure (interpreted as fast breakdown), and a decaying corona fan. These measurements illustrate clearly the processes involved in the initial development of in‐cloud lightning flashes, evidence the conducting main leader forming, and provide insights into other processes known to occur simultaneously, such as terrestrial gamma ray flashes.
Exact Alpha‐Beta Mapping of IGRF Magnetic Field in the Ionosphere
Authors: Romashets E. , Vandas M. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractFinding the magnetic flux mapping in the ionosphere is very important. It would not only divide the surface into the elements with the same flux, but also indicate locations of conjugated points. It is important for studies of field aligned currents and bouncing of energetic charged particles and their precipitation. The existing methods involve numerical magnetic field lines tracing in the entire volume of the magnetosphere or numerical integration along assumed contour lines of the Euler potentials on the surface of the ionosphere. It is possible to determine the mapping with these methods near the magnetic equator, but not on middle latitudes and near and inside the polar caps. Our approach is to search for the Euler potentials as a sum of basic functions with their coefficients. Each basic function is a product of a sine or cosine of longitude multiplied by m and the Legendre polynomial of the colatitude angle cosine and of the order n. Maxima of m and n in this calculation were set to 13. The difference between the radial component from the cross product of the Euler potentials gradients and from International Geomagnetic Reference Field is less than 0.01 percent. We discuss the possibility of using orthogonal coordinates defined on the sphere's surface, which remain finite functions of θ and φ everywhere except for the vicinities of the North and South poles. The issues with numerical errors accumulated on long tracing are avoided when using this approach.