bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Salivary MMP-8 and IL-1β for the Diagnosis of Periodontal Diseases in Pakistani Population
Authors: Kainat Rida , Ahmed Iftikhar , Alolaywi Abdullah Mohammed , Waheed Humera , Sultan Zohaib Khurshid , Moin Syed Faraz 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Objective Clinical methods use the subjective diagnosis of periodontal diseases by visual observation that could result in differences and variability of diagnosis. The addition of specific markers could aid in the accurate diagnosis of the local population. The objective of the study was to target two of the major proteins for possible significance in such an approach.
Materials and Methods Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 60 participants aged between 18 and 70 years. Three groups each with twenty participants were recruited into periodontitis, gingivitis, and healthy control.
Statistical Analysis The samples were analyzed using human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β).
Results SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the result. Posthoc analysis by Tukey's test revealed that MMP-8 levels were higher in gingivitis and periodontitis groups as compared with healthy controls. The test also revealed that IL-1β levels were higher in the periodontitis group compared with the healthy control and gingivitis group. Additionally, one-way analysis of variance analysis showed a significant effect on probing depth in gingivitis and periodontitis patients. The mean age of periodontitis group was significantly higher than other groups.
Conclusion Salivary biomarkers may provide useful diagnostic information and could be utilized as tests for periodontal disease screening, prognosis, and prediction.
Perfusion Dynamics during Secondary Flap Debulking with Liposuction
Authors: Geeroms Maxim , Lu Yun-Jui , Hsu Chung-Chen , Huang Ren-Wen , Lin Chih-Hung , Lin Cheng-Hung 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background Lower extremity trauma often necessitates reconstruction with flap transfer. One of the reconstructive goals is a thin soft tissue coverage with appropriate contour. Therefore, a secondary debulking of the flap is usually performed.
Methods Debulking through conventional lipectomy is compared with liposuction followed by excision of the defatted flap excess. Demographic data, surgical details, and postoperative outcomes are compared and analyzed. The perfusion dynamics of the flaps undergoing liposuction debulking are studied by means of perioperative indocyanine green fluorescence angiography, as well as postoperative laser Doppler imaging.
Results Patients undergoing lipectomy (n = 69; 57.5%) or liposuction (n = 51; 42.5%) debulking had a similar rate of postoperative complications. Partial necrosis was observed in 7.2% (lipectomy) versus 7.8% (liposuction) of flaps. Fluorescence angiography showed a substantial decrease in flap perfusion following the infiltration with an epinephrine-containing tumescent solution (74.3% ± 8.2% prior to infiltration versus 16.8% ± 7.1% after infiltration; p < 0.001), resulting in a dark flap appearance. Laser Doppler imaging confirmed the hypoperfusion on postoperative day 1.
Conclusion Secondary debulking of a lower extremity flap can be safely and efficiently performed through liposuction combined with peripheral excision of the defatted flap in a single stage. Perfusion studies may show a misleading hypoperfusion of the defatted flap, which does not accurately predict subsequent necrosis or complications.
Toward sustainable port development: an empirical analysis of China’s port industry using an ESG framework
Authors: Gu Xiyan , Zhu Yingjun , Zhang Jingxia 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn recent years, the issue of sustainable development has become increasingly important in the port industry. As port policies are altered under decentralization and governance models, the application of corporate responsibility (CR) is expanding. It is now expected that ports take on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) responsibilities. This paper focuses on the application of an ESG framework to the port industry in China, with a specific emphasis on social responsibilities. By focusing on ESG-focal issues in the port industry, we establish a model for evaluating the sustainability of ports that takes into account the three dimensions of environment, society, and governance. An empirical analysis of Shanghai Port in China is presented to illustrate the application of the framework. The paper highlights the main contribution of the ESG framework to support sustainable port development and provides recommendations for promoting the implementation of ESG and sustainable development in the industry.
Exploring students’ beliefs about web-based collaborative learning and their practices: a qualitative case study of university English-as-a-foreign-language readers
Authors: Zhang Xiaodong 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis semester-long qualitative case study, spanning 4 months, focused on an English reading course in which 20 university English-as-a-foreign-language readers were instructed to engage in web-based collaborative learning outside of class. The study drew on data resources including interviews with students, field notes on their web-based collaborative learning practices, and students’ written reflections. A thematic analysis of the data sources shows that the positivity of student readers’ beliefs about web-based collaborative learning (i.e., about web-based collaborative platforms and reading activities) changed over time but ultimately became stably positive. The change was found to be related to the interactions between their beliefs about web-based collaborative platforms and their beliefs about reading activities over time. The students’ beliefs about web-based collaborative learning were also found to be sensitive to factors regarding the students’ learning over time, including their prior learning experiences and their ongoing learning experiences. In the process, the students’ web-based collaborative learning practices were primarily driven by their positive beliefs and constrained by their negative beliefs although additional factors emerged over time from their learning process and intervened in the relationship between their beliefs and their learning. The implications of these findings on how to best engage students in web-based learning are discussed.
Simultaneously measuring the dichroism and the dielectric response of an azobenzene-doped organic glass former
Authors: Dzik E. , Datin P. , Dognon J.-P. , Fajolles C. , Wiertel-Gasquet C. , Carrière D. , Ladieu F. 
Published: December 2023

We have designed an experimental setup allowing to simultaneously measure both the dielectric response of a supercooled liquid and the dynamics of azobenzene chromophores dispersed in it. Both the azobenzene chromophores and the organic glass former have been synthesized with similar reaction paths: they are chemically similar, apart from the azobenzene group responsible for the strong optical absorption in the [350; 450 nm] range for the chromophores, while the embedding supercooled liquid is optically transparent. This material is deposited on transparent electrodes with an inter-electrode gap as small as 4 µm—obtained thanks to optical lithographic techniques. We show that our setup is sensitive enough to measure the coupling between the dielectric macroscopic response and the isomerization dynamics of 1% of chromophores excited by a 0.5–5 mW/cm2 light beam. We demonstrate that this coupling neither comes from the heating of the sample due to the light absorption nor from changes of the sample shape with light. Finally, we discuss the few physical effects, which may give rise to this coupling, and show that our experiment could test some recent predictions done in the framework of random first order transition theory of the glassy state.
Photothermal vortex interferometer with azimuthal complex spectra analysis for the measurement of laser-induced nanoscale thermal lens dynamics
Authors: Dong Jingtao , Zhang Tengda , Yang Lei , Zhang Yuzhong , Lu Rongsheng , Xie Xinglong 
Published: December 2023

A photothermal vortex interferometer (PTVI) is proposed to fill the gap of full-field measurement of the laser-induced nanoscale thermal lens dynamics of optical elements. The PTVI produces a multi-ring petal-like interferogram by the coaxial coherent superposition of the high-order conjugated Laguerre–Gaussian beams. The non-uniform optical path change (OPC) profile resulting from the thermal lens causes the petals of the interferogram at the different radii to shift by the different azimuths. To demodulate such an interferogram, an azimuthal complex spectra analysis is presented by using a camera with a pixelated multi-ring pattern written on its sensor to extract multiple azimuthal intensity profiles synchronously from the interferogram. Therefore, the OPC profile can be determined dynamically from the complex spectra of the azimuthal intensity profiles at the main frequency components. An analytical thermophysical model of the thermal lens is given, and the basic principle of the azimuthal complex spectra analysis is revealed. A proof-of-concept experiment is demonstrated using a N-BK7 glass sample heated by a pump laser. The results verified that the PTVI achieves the measurement accuracy of 47 pm with a standard deviation of 358 pm (3σ) and can be used for full-field measurement of the nanoscale OPC profile caused by the thermal lens dynamics. Due to the picometer-scale accuracy of the PTVI, the absorption coefficient and thermal diffusivity of the glass sample were determined to be A0 = 0.126 m−1 and D = 5.63 × 10−7 m2 s−1, respectively, which agree with the nominal ones of A0 = 0.129 m−1 and D = 5.17 × 10−7 m2 s−1. Although the PTVI is only suitable for measuring the rotationally symmetric OPC, it shows less computation burden and hardware complexity, and it is proved to be a highly sensitive and effective tool in studying optical, thermo-physical, and mechanical properties of optical elements.
Study on oxidation behaviors of Zr–Sn–Nb alloy in water steam at 1250 °C
Authors: Tang Dewen , Che Zhiyuan , Jiang Rui 
Published: December 2023

To investigate the effect of different oxidation times on the oxidation behavior of Zr–Sn–Nb alloy in a high-temperature steam environment at 1250 °C, steam oxidation tests were conducted on the Zr–Sn–Nb alloy at 1250 °C for durations ranging from 100 to 5000 s. Microstructural and elemental composition analyses of the Zr–Sn–Nb alloy were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and optical microscopy. The results showed that in the initial stages of oxidation (0–1000 s), the weight gain per unit area followed a parabolic trend. After 2500 s of oxidation, the weight gain rate significantly increased. In the later stages of oxidation (after 4000 s), the weight gain curve transitioned from a parabolic shape to a linear law. With increasing oxidation time, the thickness of the oxide layer gradually increased. In the early stages (0–2500 s), the growth rate of the oxide layer thickness was relatively slow, but the appearance of micro-pores and cracks was observed. However, after 2500 s, the steam oxidation rate of the Zr–Sn–Nb alloy significantly accelerated, leading to fracture and failure of the alloy specimens. The change in oxide layer thickness over time followed a parabolic law before 2500 s and a linear law after 2500 s. The growth curve of the α-Zr(O) layer within 5000 s also followed a parabolic law.
Dissociation line and driving force for nucleation of the nitrogen hydrate from computer simulation
Authors: Algaba Jesús , Torrejón Miguel J. , Blas Felipe J. 
Published: December 2023

In this work, we determine the dissociation line of the nitrogen (N2) hydrate by computer simulation using the TIP4P/Ice model for water and the TraPPE force field for N2. We use the solubility method proposed recently by some of us to evaluate the dissociation temperature of the hydrate at different pressures, from 500 to 1500 bar. Particularly, we calculate the solubility of N2 in the aqueous solution when it is in contact with a N2-rich liquid phase and when in contact with the hydrate phase via planar interfaces as functions of temperature. Since the solubility of N2 decreases with temperature in the first case and increases with temperature in the second case, both curves intersect at a certain temperature that determines the dissociation temperature at a given pressure. We find a good agreement between the predictions obtained in this work and the experimental data taken from the literature in the range of pressures considered in this work. From our knowledge of the solubility curves of N2 in the aqueous solution, we also determine the driving force for nucleation of the hydrate, as a function of temperature, at different pressures. In particular, we use two different thermodynamic routes to evaluate the change in chemical potential for hydrate formation. Although the driving force for nucleation slightly decreases (in absolute value) when the pressure is increased, our results indicate that the effect of pressure can be considered negligible in the range of pressures studied in this work. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the driving force for nucleation of a hydrate that exhibits crystallographic structure sII, along its dissociation line, is studied from computer simulation.
Characteristics of interacting carbon-antisite-vacancies in 4H silicon carbide
Authors: Liu Qingsong , Deng Jun , Sun Yong , Wang Zhengjia , Song Shuwei 
Published: December 2023

Spin defects in semiconductors have demonstrated promising electronic structures for potential applications in quantum computing and sensing. Among various proposed quantum byte systems, spin defects in silicon carbide have attracted significant attention due to several advantages they offer over other options. In this study, we investigate carbon-antisite-vacancy defects in 4H silicon carbide through ab initio density functional theory calculations. With the HSE06 functionals, the ab initio computation can predict much more accurate electronic structures. However, the corresponding computational cost is high, especially for supercells consisting of several hundreds of atoms. In this investigation, the carbon-antisite-vacancy defect is studied by using a high-performance computing cluster, with a specific focus on supercells that encompass two such defects. The extension of a single carbon-antisite-vacancy defect is depicted by referring to the spin density distribution. Different defect types show similar spin density patterns. Based on the single defect characteristics, supercells with paired carbon-antisite-vacancy defects are created. It is found that the binding energy can reach 2 eV for overlapping defects. In the case of insignificant overlap of the corresponding single defects, the ground state magnetic moment is 4 µB, accompanied by a negligible binding energy. However, if there is a significant overlap of the spin density, the magnetic moment changes to 2 µB. These findings can serve as helpful references for the study of spin defects in 4H silicon carbide, particularly in the potential carbon-antisite-vacancy application research.
Enhancement and switch effect of equal-spin Andreev reflection in ferromagnet/insulator/Ising superconductor junctions
Authors: Li Wen , Yang De-Jing , Lu Wei-Tao 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
We study the property of equal-spin Andreev reflection (ESAR) in the ferromagnet/insulator/Ising superconductor junction where Ising spin–orbit coupling is taken into account in the insulator. It is found that the ESAR exhibits a regular oscillation with the insulating barrier, the amplitude and period of which can be effectively controlled by the chemical potentials. Compared to that in the ferromagnet/Ising superconductor junction, the ESAR is greatly increased due to the resonant mode, suggesting an enhanced spin-triplet pairing. As an application, the proposed junction may work as a switch to turn on and off the ESAR. Furthermore, the insulating barrier does not change the magnetoanisotropic period of ESAR because of the invariant symmetry of the system, however, the magnetoanisotropy is strengthened.
First-principles study of phase transition in the α-In2Se3/metal heterostructures
Authors: Yu Zhuo-Liang , Zhang Chen-Ye , Tan Qing-Shou , Tao Jia-You , Sun Xiao-Xiang , Luo Liang , Li Fen , Zhao Yu-Qing , Li Chang , Lang Lin 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
With the discovery of two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials such as CuInP2S6 and α-In2Se3, the ferroelectric field effect transistors (Fe-FETs) based on these materials have entered a rapid-development period. The metal/semiconductor contact is an unavoidable topic in the construction of devices. In this paper, heterostructures α-In2Se3/metals (Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag and Au) are discussed. According to different stacking types, the structures and energy of 160 heterostructures are calculated and compared. When α-In2Se3 contacts with the Pd, Pt and Cu, the α-In2Se3 may transforms into β-In2Se3. This phenomenon has hardly been mentioned or analyzed in previous reports. Contacting with the Au and Ag, the α-In2Se3 maintains the original structure. The internal physical mechanism of phase transition is explained from the binding energy and the charge transfer. The paper provides sufficient theoretical support for research and development of the Fe-FETs based on α-In2Se3.
An efficient diagnostic strategy for intermittent faults in electronic circuit systems by enhancing and locating local features of faults
Authors: Jia Zhen , Wang Shengdong , Zhao Ke , Li Zhifei , Yang Qiqi , Liu Zhenbao 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Due to their short duration, concealability, and random occurrence, intermittent faults have become the most dangerous hazard in electronic circuit systems. However, existing intelligent diagnostic methods often struggle to provide substantial effectiveness for such objects. This article proposes a scheme to enhance the output signal of electronic circuits to make the features more intuitive and facilitate fault feature mining, and designs a scheme to mine tiny fault features from global signals. First, the circuit’s output signal undergoes an S-transform to obtain its time-frequency domain characteristics. Next, a sequence and excitation networks attention module is employed to allocate weights to different channels. Finally, the aforementioned output is used as input to the Swin transformer framework to thoroughly explore fault features. Three electronic circuits are used as experimental circuits to test the proposed method. The experiment shows that the proposed diagnostic method is fast and has an accuracy of over 97%. Therefore, the effectiveness of the designed strategy that includes multiple attention mechanisms in mining intermittent fault features in electronic circuit systems has been demonstrated.
A novel pulse-echo piezoelectric transducer for detecting quasi-static component induced by an ultrasonic longitudinal wave
Authors: Lai Quanqing , Lu Lu , Xu Caibin , Hu Ning , Deng Mingxi 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
For effectively detecting the quasi-static component (QSC) of an ultrasonic longitudinal wave, which is closely related to the elastic nonlinearity of material, we proposed a novel pulse-echo piezoelectric transducer consisting of a high-frequency piezoelectric wafer, a frequency selective isolation layer, a low-frequency piezoelectric wafer, and an acoustic backing. The high-frequency wafer generates the primary longitudinal wave (PLW) tone burst, while the high- and low-frequency wafers receive the pulse echo containing both the PLW component and QSC, respectively. We analyze the pulse-echo formation of the high-frequency PLW tone burst in a specimen, and conduct numerical simulations and experiments to validate the effectiveness of the proposed transducer. The results demonstrate that the low-frequency receiver is more efficient at detecting the QSC, even though the high-frequency wafer can also receive the echo of the QSC pulse. Specifically, the QSC pulse can still be detected by the low-frequency receiver when the high-frequency PLW tone burst is completely attenuated. The novel pulse-echo transducer proposed in this paper expands the design perspectives for transducers used in ultrasonic non-destructive testing.
A 3D transfer learning approach for identifying multiple simultaneous errors during radiotherapy
Authors: van den Berg Kars , Wolfs Cecile J A , Verhaegen Frank 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Objective. Deep learning models, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), can take full dose comparison images as input and have shown promising results for error identification during treatment. Clinically, complex scenarios should be considered, with the risk of multiple anatomical and/or mechanical errors occurring simultaneously during treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capability of CNN-based error identification in this more complex scenario. Approach. For 40 lung cancer patients, clinically realistic ranges of combinations of various treatment errors within treatment plans and/or computed tomography (CT) images were simulated. Modified CT images and treatment plans were used to predict 2580 3D dose distributions, which were compared to dose distributions without errors using various gamma analysis criteria and relative dose difference as dose comparison methods. A 3D CNN capable of multilabel classification was trained to identify treatment errors at two classification levels, using dose comparison volumes as input: Level 1 (main error type, e.g. anatomical change, mechanical error) and Level 2 (error subtype, e.g. tumor regression, patient rotation). For training the CNNs, a transfer learning approach was employed. An ensemble model was also evaluated, which consisted of three separate CNNs each taking a region of interest of the dose comparison volume as input. Model performance was evaluated by calculating sample F1-scores for training and validation sets. Main results. The model had high F1-scores for Level 1 classification, but performance for Level 2 was lower, and overfitting became more apparent. Using relative dose difference instead of gamma volumes as input improved performance for Level 2 classification, whereas using an ensemble model additionally reduced overfitting. The models obtained F1-scores of 0.86 and 0.62 on an independent test set for Level 1 and Level 2, respectively. Significance. This study shows that it is possible to identify multiple errors occurring simultaneously in 3D dose verification data.