bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Study on the Disinfection Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Disinfectant（ClO2）on Dental Chair Waterlines and its In Vitro Safety Evaluation
Authors: Cao yue , Hu yuya , Liu zhihuan , Wang zimo , feng jian ying 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background: This study explores the effectiveness and in vitro safety of chlorine dioxide disinfectants in the disinfection of dental chair unit waterlines (DUWLs). DUWLs are prone to biofilm formation and bacterial proliferation due to their unique structure and usage, necessitating efficient disinfection methods to ensure diagnostic and treatment safety.The study aims to assess the effectiveness of chlorine dioxide disinfectants in removing biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in DUWLs, while also examining their impact on cell safety and metal corrosion for dental practice use.
Materials:Chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 5, 20, and 80 mg/L were used to treat biofilms of S. aureus and E. coli cultured in DUWLs. The disinfection effectiveness was assessed through bacterial counts and culturing. Simultaneously, human skin fibroblast cells were treated with the disinfectant to observe changes in cell morphology and cytotoxicity. Additionally, the study included corrosion tests on various metals (carbon steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.).
Results: Experimental results showed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 20 mg/L and 80 mg/L significantly reduced the bacterial count of S. aureus and E. coli, indicating effective disinfection. In terms of cytotoxicity, higher concentrations were more harmful to cellular safety, but even at 80 mg/L, the cytotoxicity of chlorine dioxide remained within controllable limits. Corrosion tests revealed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants had a certain corrosive effect on carbon steel and brass, and the degree of corrosion increased with the concentration of the disinfectant.
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that chlorine dioxide disinfectants at certain concentrations significantly eradicate bacterial biofilms in DUWLs. However, they also present certain cytotoxicity and metal corrosiveness, necessitating consideration of these potential safety issues during use.
A Novel High Performance MEMS Capacitive Microphone
Authors: Habibi Hamidreza. , Ganji Bahram. Azizollah , Jafari-Talookolaei Ramazan-Ali. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
In applications related to audio, such as hearing aids, mobile phones, and audio sensors, a microphone with high sensitivity, low voltage, and linear performance is required. This article analyzes, designs, and simulates a new structure of a MEMS condenser microphone. The microphone uses four spiral arms, with one side fixed and the other connected to a support rod that transfers the diaphragm displacement to the arms. The square diaphragm is suspended in the air by the rod, and its entire area moves without bending and parallels to the fixed plate, utilizing its total area in an optimal way. By increasing the mechanical sensitivity and decreasing the electrical sensitivity, the proposed microphone reduces the bias voltage and utilizes the maximum air gap between the capacitor plates, resulting in almost linear diaphragm displacement. A free-body diagram was used to analyze the diaphragm structure, and the spring constant, pull-in voltage, sensitivity, and resonance frequency equations were calculated. The proposed microphone was simulated using Intellisuite software, and the simulation and analysis results had very high accuracy. The aluminum diaphragm had dimensions of 250×250 μm 2 , and the air gap was 1um. The diaphragm dimensions were reduced by 20%, and its pull-in voltage was reduced by 18% compared with previous work, while the microphone sensitivity was increased. The proposed microphone can also be used at a very low voltage of 0.1V. The open circuit sensitivity of the microphone at voltages of 0.1 is 15.8 nm/Pa, respectively.
Correlations of Sleep and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Intake with Body measurements in Children: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Shih Ya-Hui , Wu Hsin-Chuan , Pan Wen-Harn , Chang Hsing-Yi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Taiwan’s density of beverage shops was considered very high in the world. The intakes of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) were high in children and adolescents. This study investigated the relationship between sleep and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) intake with body composition.
For this purpose, data was pooled from two waves of Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) survey conducted in 2012 and in 2013-2016. Children aged 6-12 years were included. Variables included behaviors (nocturnal sleep duration and SSBs consumption) and body measurements (including external indicators (BMI, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, and upper-arm circumference) and internal indicators (bone mass, muscle mass, fat mass, and bone density)). Multiple regression was employed to examine the associations between behaviors and body measurements.
Results showed negative trends were observed between body measurements and sleep duration on weekdays (p-trend = 0.032 to <0.001) . In multiple regression, in the same SSBs consumption group, lower values of the external indicators (p = 0.013 to 0.002) and of the lean mass (p = 0.033 to 0.022) were associated with ≥ 9.5 h sleep in weekdays comparing to <8.5h. Inverse trends were also found in the external indicators (p-trend = 0.007 to 0.001) and lean mass (p-trend =0.014) which decreased with increasing sleep duration on weekdays..
In conclusion, among the children with the same frequency of SSBs consumption, external indicators and lean mass were lower in those with a longer nocturnal sleep duration on weekdays. Sleep and SSBs consumption are both crucial correlates for body measurements in children and should be considered together in public health policy formulation.
PointPCA: Point Cloud Objective Quality Assessment Using PCA-Based Descriptors
Authors: Alexiou Evangelos , Zhou Xuemei , Viola Irene , Cesar Pablo 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Point clouds denote a prominent solution for the representation of 3D photo-realistic content in immersive applications. Similarly to other imaging modalities, quality predictions for point cloud contents are vital for a wide range of applications, enabling trade-off optimizations between data quality and data size in every processing step from acquisition to rendering. In this work, we focus on use cases that consider human end-users consuming point cloud contents and, hence, we concentrate on visual quality metrics. In particular, we propose a set of perceptually relevant descriptors based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) decomposition, which is applied to both geometry and texture data for full-reference point cloud quality assessment. Statistical features are derived from these descriptors to characterize local shape and appearance properties for both a reference and a distorted point cloud. The extracted statistical features are subsequently compared to provide corresponding predictions of visual quality for the distorted point cloud. As part of our method, a learning-based approach is proposed to fuse these individual predictors to a unified perceptual score. We validate the accuracy of the individual predictors, as well as the unified quality scores obtained after regression against subjectively annotated datasets, showing that our metric outperforms state-of-the-art solutions. Insights regarding design decisions are provided through exploratory studies, evaluating the performance of our metric under different parameter configurations, attribute domains, color spaces, and regression models. A software implementation of the proposed metric is made available at the following link: https://github.com/cwi-dis/pointpca_suite.
Evidence of climate change in Sicily by means of rainfall data analysis
Authors: Pecorino Vera , Matteo Tiziana Di , Milazzo Matteo , Pasotti Luigi , Pluchino Alessandro , Rapisarda Andrea 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Rainfall constitutes an important climatic variable as its lack can lead to severe droughts while its excess can trigger catastrophic events. The Mediterranean basin is one of the European regions most affected by climate change's effects and Sicily island, for its location in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, represents a very interesting place to study climatic variables as for example rainfall trends. Due to its central position and peculiar orography, the seasonal variability of rainfall in this area is connected to the behavior of the surrounding climatic systems, such as the continental and Atlantic ones. Moreover, Sicily displayed unusual rainfall behavior and unexpected extreme precipitation events during the last decades. In this paper we have investigated rainfall data in Sicily from 2002 to 2023, by focusing on seasonal variability, in order to find possible evidences of climate change in the Mediterranean basin. We have performed a data-driven empirical study able to highlight underlying characteristics and trends. No models or hypothesis were a-priori assumed, neither results or data were rejected: raw hourly records were analysed, for the first time. This study provides a complete and clear picture of pluviometric regimes in Sicily from 2002 to 2023, mainly based on graphical visualization. Results show that precipitation variables behave homogeneously across the island, with a more pronounced tendency in eastern regions. By comparing previous works with the analysis of present study through a multi-annual approach, we have been able to identify the decrease of annual rainfall volumes and events in winter since 1920s, as well as a summer increase. We have observed precipitation anomalies since 2013: we could see that, in autumn rainfall has become more frequent in the last decade, in addition the number of extreme events has grown and precipitation volumes got more extreme during this season. On the other hand, in general, differences among seasons reduced. These changes are affecting in an important way the economy of Sicily which is mainly based on agriculture, farming and touristic activities. Therefore new strategies are urgently needed for managing resources and damages, in order to reduce human and economic losses. This work represents a first empirical analysis of hourly rainfall time series in Sicily and it depicts clearly, for the first time, signal of anomalies and evidence of climate change.
Inducing hydrophobicity in Stainless Steel 304 by mechanical texturing and chemical functionalization
Authors: Nanou Paraskevi , Zarkadoulas Athanasios , Pandis Pavlos K. , Tsilikas Ioannis , Katis Ilias , Almpani Despoina , Orfanoudakis Nikolaos , Vourdas Nikolaos , Stathopoulos Vassilis 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of combined texturing by micromachining and chemical functionalization on the wetting behavior and water condensation of a metallic surface. The transition from the Wenzel to Cassie-Baxter or impregnated Cassie-Baxter regimes was unveiled. Initially, grooved stainless steel 304 specimens displayed hydrophobic wetting in the Wenzel mode. The chemical functionalization with silane triggered a remarkable shift that was not observed in non-textured by micromachining samples. Thus contact angles surged, facilitating a transition to the Cassie-Baxter state for directional canal specimens and the impregnated Cassie-Baxter state for those with pyramidal patterns. Roll-off angle experiments showcased distinct behavior among specimens featuring canals or pyramidal structures. Specimens with canals exhibited notably lower roll-off angles compared to both flat surfaces and those with pyramidal patterns. Notably, the orientation of canals influenced these angles, with vertically aligned canals demonstrating reduced roll-off angles. In humid environments, micro-machined surfaces exhibited superior water condensation capabilities compared to untreated flat SS304 surfaces. Remarkably, chemically functionalized grooved specimens presented larger condensate droplet diameters than flat surfaces. Consequently a remarkable enhancement in water condensation and a 7 fold higher latent heat transfer coefficient is reported.
Numerical analysis and optimization of the effects of incremental strain rate in the wire drawing process
Authors: Badi Ridha , Bensaada Said , Tala-Ighil Nacer , LEBAAL Nadhir 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This work deals with a numerical analysis of the effect of incremental strain rate (cumulative strain) in the drawing process of AA-6005 aluminum alloy wire. A finite element method and optimization procedure using a simplex algorithm were used to optimize the dies geometry of all ranges. For this, a 95% total strain rate was realized in three configurations ranges of wire drawing process. This ranges are extracted by the optimization procedure, a decreasing strain rate for an initial value of 35%, a constant strain rate of 24.67% and an increasing strain rate for an initial value of 12%, were imposed respectively. The analysis results (principal stresses, damages distribution, residual hydrostatic pressure, plastic power,...) are used to predict the drawing force, axial surface stress and die stress to be adjusted to ensure improved quality of the drawing process. The cuppy wire and stress concentrations causing central burst (chevron) formation and fractures were predicted during the simulation. For this, different die diameters were used in the analysis. This analysis was performed on the Forge®NxT3 finite element code and validated with the wire drawing test results of the literature.
An investigation of the use of plastic waste in the manufacture of plastic bricks
Authors: Rauniyar Abishek , Nakrani Rinkal Kishor , Narpala Saketh Reddy , Nehaun . , Arun Sija 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
There is an increase in waste production among the Indian population. Some of these wastes pose a threat to the environment. There is also a significant amount of plastic waste in the country. Even though it is not biodegradable, it poisons trees and aquatic organisms. Thus, waste plastics were repurposed for use in the construction industry. Cement, fly ash, M sand, and plastic waste fibres are used to make plastic bricks. Polypropylene (PP) has a high deformation capacity and is a cost-effective material. Plastic waste is used in this study in the form of polypropylene fibres. To produce the bricks, different mix ratios were used in which PP waste was used in proportions of 5%, 10%, and 15% (represented as Mix1, Mix2, and Mix3), based on the total mixing of the polycarbonate substance volume of bricks. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing plastic wastes to produce a cost-effective and lightweight plastic brick for use in construction. Compressive strength, water absorption, soundness, efflorescence, and hardness tests were carried out on the bricks. The compressive strength of mix 2 at a load of 426 kilograms is the highest of the three plastic bricks tested. A comparison of this proportion with other mix proportions and conventional brick effectiveness.
A multi-modal analysis of REDD+ baselines in Cambodia
Authors: Pauly Maren , Crosse William , Moore Colin , Brown Kevin , Griffin Oliver , Brade Thom , Mitchard Edward , Freund Jeremy , Appleby Sarah , Tosteson Joshua 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Cambodia is facing widespread deforestation due to agriculture, logging, land grabbing, and infrastructure. The implementation of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects has become a key strategy to protect at-risk forests using the sale of verified emission reductions as financing; generated by reducing forest loss against counterfactual baseline scenarios. We test a series of ex-post baseline assessment methodologies on three Cambodian REDD+ projects using two geospatial datasets (one global and one locally calibrated for maximum accuracy); integrating results to assess the reasonable accuracy of their respective baselines. We find different datasets applied to different control sites produce a wide range of forest loss rates. The baselines of all three projects fall within or below a “zone of reasonable accuracy,” based on an integration of ex-post forest loss rate results, establishing the concept of reasonable accuracy as a valid standard against which to assess REDD+ project baselines.
Midlatitude Mesoscale Thermal Air-sea Interaction Enhanced by Greenhouse Warming
Authors: Zhang Xingzhi , Ma Xiaohui , Wu Lixin , Yang Peiran , Song Fengfei , Jing Zhao , Chen Hui , Qu Yushan , Yuan Man , Chen Zhaohui , Gan Bolan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The influence of greenhouse warming on mesoscale air-sea interactions, crucial for modulating ocean circulation and climate variability, remains largely unexplored due to the limited resolution of current climate models. This study addresses this gap by analyzing eddy-resolving high-resolution climate simulations and observations, focusing on the coupling between mesoscale sea surface temperature (SST) and latent heat flux (LHF) in winter. Our findings reveal a consistent increase in mesoscale SST-LHF coupling in the major western boundary current regions under warming, characterized by a heightened nonlinearity between warm and cold eddies and a more pronounced enhancement in the northern hemisphere. To understand the dynamics, we develop a theoretical framework that links mesoscale thermal coupling changes to large-scale factors, which indicates that the projected changes are collectively determined by historical background wind, SST, and the rate of SST warming. Among these factors, the large-scale SST and its warming rate are the primary drivers of hemispheric asymmetry in mesoscale coupling intensification. This study introduces a simplified approach for assessing the projected mesoscale thermal coupling changes and implies a growing significance of mesoscale air-sea interaction in shaping weather and climate patterns in a warming world.
Incidence of Mortality and Its Predictors among Preterm Neonates in Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memmorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hossana, Ethiopia: A Prospective Follow-Up Study
Authors: Tirore Lire Lemma , Erkalo Desta , Abose Selamu , Melaku Lamesginew Mossie , Tirago Essayas Mulugeta , Shiferaw Abriham , Habte Aklilu , Gebrehaweria Menaseb 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality accounting for 35% of all neonatal deaths worldwide, and the second most frequent cause of death for under five children. Despite different efforts, preterm neonatal mortality is still persistently high in Ethiopia. Little is known about death and its predictors among preterm neonates in the study area.
Objective: This study is aimed at estimating the incidence of mortality and its predictors among preterm neonates admitted to the NICU of NEMMCSH.
Methods and materials: A hospital-based prospective follow-up study was conducted from January to November 2022. A total of 197 preterm neonates were selected consecutively and followed. The Kaplan-Meier survival and failure curves were used to describe the proportion of deaths over time and to compare groups. The independent effects of covariates on the hazard of death were analyzed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model.
Results: Preterm neonates were followed for 1840 person-days. The mean time to death was 5.68 days (SD = 5.54). The incidence of mortality was 26.08 (95% CI: 19.65, 34.61) per 1000 person days. Preterm neonates of mothers with eclamsia (AHR = 3.03), preterm neonates who have not received KMC (AHR = 2.26), and preterm neonates who have not exclusively breastfed (AHR = 4.4) had higher hazards of death as compared to their counterparts.
Conclusion and recommendation: The mean time to death was 5.68 days (SD = 5.54). The incidence of mortality was 26.08 per 1000 person days. Eclamsia, KMC, and exclusive breastfeeding were significant predictors of death among preterm neonates. The role of KMC in reducing mortality rates and improving outcomes has to be emphasized for mothers and families. Caregivers have to ensure that mothers and families receive adequate support and resources to facilitate KMC, including access to lactation support, counseling, and assistance with practical aspects of caregiving. Counseling and practical support to enhance exclusive breastfeeding initiation and continuation have to be strengthened. Special attention has to be given to the preterm neonates of mothers with eclampsia.
Effectiveness and Safety Evaluation of Terlipressin in the Treatment of Dynamic Intestinal Obstruction in End-Stage Liver Disease
Authors: Wan Xia , Xu Hua , Li Hu , Zhong Shan , Lei Yu , Deng Huan , Fu Xiao , Zhou Zhi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Dynamic intestinal obstruction is a common complication in end-stage liver disease (ESLD), our aim is to assess the effectiveness and safety of low-dose terlipressin for treating dynamic intestinal obstruction in ESLD.
The study was divided into two phases, in the exploratory phase, low-dose terlipressin was administered to treat patients with dynamic intestinal obstruction in an attempt to explore its effectiveness. In the clinical research phase, patients with intestinal obstruction were categorized into terlipressin treatment group (low-dose terlipressin was added to the conventional treatment) and conventional treatment group (1:3) using permuted-block randomization. The remission of intestinal obstruction, time to symptom remission, and differences in adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.
In the exploratory phase, 26 patients were exposed to low-dose terlipressin, 12 were cured, 11 were moderately effective, and 3 were ineffective. The mean time to abdominal bloating remission was 2 days, and the time to anal flatus and feces passage was 1 day. In the clinical research phase, 131 patients with intestinal obstruction were enrolled，the mean time to abdominal pain and bloating remission, as well as anal flatus and feces passage in the terlipressin treatment group (32/131) was demonstrably shorter compared to the conventional treatment group (98/131) (P<0.001), and the remission rate was higher than that in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse events was similar.
Low-dose terlipressin treatment could considerably increase intestinal obstruction remission in ESLD patients with dynamic intestinal obstruction, and have good safety.