bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Larvicidal and repellent effects of essential oils on the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus Sensu lato) with description of new larval repellent activity test method
Authors: Koc Samed , Gultekin Zeynep Nur , Kahraman Sevval , Cengiz Aysegul , Polat Burak , Caliskan Cansu , Tufan-Cetin Ozge , Cetin Huseyin 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe aim of this research was to investigate the larvicidal and repellent effects of essential oils (EOs) obtained from two Lamiaceae plant species, Origanum minutiflorum O. Schwarz & P.H. Davis and Dorystoechas hastata Boiss. & Heldr. ex Bentham, both endemic to Turkey, on Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. Latreille (Acari: Ixodidae). The study also introduces a new test method that can be used to assess the repellent effects against ticks. Both plant EOs exhibited the highest larvicidal activity against brown dog tick larvae after 24 h and LC50 and LC90 values were determined as 0.101% and 0.125% for O. minutiflorum essential oil and 0.937% and 2.1% for D. hastata essential oil, respectively. In this study, we have described a detailed protocol for a novel larval repellent activity test (LRAT) for essential oils and extracts, using simple equipment. The advantages and limitations of LRAT, when compared to other tests commonly used to determine repellent effect against ticks, are also included in this study. The LRAT was developed with modifications of the larval immersion test (LIT) and proves to be a highly efficient and easily observable method. It can be used to test any active substance that may be toxic to humans and animals. According to the LRAT, at the end of 3 h, O. minutiflorum essential oil showed a high repellent effect, varying between 84.14% and 100% at 1% concentration. This result was not statistically different from the DEET, the positive control. When comparing the larvicidal and repellent activities, O. minutiflorum essential oil was found to be more effective than D. hastata essential oil.
The usefulness of computer skills for enhanced teaching and learning among lecturers in an open distance e-learning (ODEL) environment
Authors: Enakrire Rexwhite Tega 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis study reports on the usefulness of computer skills for enhanced teaching and learning among lecturers in an open-distance e-learning (ODEL) environment. Computer skills have become fundamental due to increasing new technological tools of web-based management systems, laptops, digital tablets, learning management systems, webinars, and the applications of Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and WhatsApp manufactured daily. The quantitative research approach was employed in this study where data was collected through an online questionnaire from respondents in two ODEL institutions. The purposive and snowball sampling technique was applied to enable reaching out to lecturers with whom the author has contact in the two ODEL institutions. First, the author purposively approach those in his contacts, before requesting those lecturers he contacted to help spread the good news of his research investigation to other of their contacts. The study sampled 80 lecturers from both countries’ ODEL institutions leading to sending out 80 copies of the online questionnaire to the lecturers. Of the 80 online questionnaires sent, only 50 were received. The results obtained were analyzed using Microsoft Excel presented in frequency and percentage. Findings reveal that the purpose of computer skills is to enhance teaching and learning among Lecturers in the ODEL environment between the country’s institutions. Exposition to programming languages and applications, ability to navigate within the online platform, use of communication/networking tools of social media of Facebook, Twitter, and teleconferencing tools of Zoom, Skype, Webinar, Webcast, Teams, WhatsApp) were profoundly enabled through computer skills. Findings further indicate that computer skills have influenced lecturers for personal development in multifarious ways, user experience, memory usage, and storage of information, ease students grading, and developing course materials, facilitate instructional delivery of courses/modules taught at a geometric progression, and support lecturers using the asynchronous and synchronous method in teaching and learning. Based on the findings, the study recommends upskilling lecturers to advance their knowledge in computer skills through continual use of new technologies for better and quality services in teaching and learning to meet students’ information needs.
A Rapid Numerical Method for the Mullins–Sekerka Flow with Application to Contact Angle Problems
Authors: Eto Tokuhiro 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe Mullins–Sekerka problem is numerically solved in $${\mathbb {R}}^2$$

R

2

with the aid of the charge simulation method. This is an expansion of the numerical scheme by which Sakakibara and Yazaki computed the Hele–Shaw flow. We investigate a relationship among a time step, the number of collocation points and the position of singular points to ensure that the length of the generated approximate polygonal curves gradually decreases. We propose a new benchmark function for the Mullins–Sekerka flow to confirm that the scheme works well. Moreover, by changing the fundamental solutions of the charge simulation method, we are successful to establish a numerical scheme that can be used to treat the Mullins–Sekerka problem with the contact angle condition.
When do firms learn? Learning before versus after exporting
Authors: Vendrell-Herrero Ferran , Gomes Emanuel , Darko Christian K. , Lehman David W. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Organizational learning begins with experience. However, it remains an open question whether firms learn from a particular type of experience: exporting. This study aims to speak into this debate by examining when learning by exporting occurs. Our core thesis is that the timing of learning by exporting depends on a firm’s home market economic development. Drawing on classic theories of organizational learning, we posit that firms in more developed home markets will enjoy greater opportunities for learning before exporting whereas firms in less developed home markets will enjoy greater opportunities for learning after exporting. The former will be observed as a divergence in productivity among firms from different home markets, whereas the latter will be observed as convergence over time. The proposed hypotheses were tested and supported using longitudinal data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey. A range of theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.
Humorous Responses to Gender Injustice: The Contrasting Effects of Efficacy and Emotions on Women’s Collective Action Intentions
Authors: Cohen-Chen Smadar , Dhensa-Kahlon Rashpal K. , Hameiri Boaz 
Published: February 2024

AbstractResearch has shown that subversive humor may be used to challenge existing societal hierarchies by confronting people with prejudice. Expanding on this literature, we hypothesized that humor would create two simultaneous and offsetting psychological mechanisms: increasing collective action motivation by signaling speaker power and inspiring efficacy and decreasing collective action motivation by reducing negative emotions towards men as the powerful group. We tested our hypotheses in two experiments, conducted among self-identified women. Study 1 (N = 374) compared videos featuring a comedian (subversive humor vs. non-humor vs. unrelated humor) and Study 2 (N = 224) utilized vignettes depicting a woman’s response to a sexist workplace interaction (subversive humor vs. non-humor vs. amenable response). Subversive humor (vs. unrelated humor/amenable response) increased group efficacy and subsequently collective action intentions. Simultaneously, and as an offsetting mechanism, subversive humor (compared to non-humor) reduced negative emotions toward men and subsequently lowered collective action intentions. Our results call into question the efficaciousness of humor responses to inspire women observers toward collective action for gender equality and emphasize the need for a deeper understanding of humor as a tool to promote action for equality.
Sulfur Signature of a Mediterranean Wetland: The Case of Soils of the Inundated Floodplain Area at the Tablas de Daimiel National Park
Authors: Jiménez-Ballesta Raimundo , Mejias Miguel , Bravo Sandra , Amorós Jose A. , Pérez Caridad , García-Navarro Francisco J. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn the Mediterranean region, numerous wetlands co-exist with competitive agricultural systems. Although wetlands’ hydrology (in water volume, source, and residence time terms) plays a major factor in their ecosystem structure, many of these wetlands have been subjected to different degradation processes. One such case is the Tablas de Daimiel National Park (TDNP), which witnesses one of its most environmentally sensitive times. In this context, scarce information is available on the sulfur (S) contents in this wetland. To diagnose this wetland’s degradation status, 43 soil samples were selected and analyzed to investigate S contents in the surface soils (0 to 30 cm) of the inundated floodplain area of the TDNP. They represent different degrees of exposure to pollutants and exposure to flooding. Sulfur determination was carried out by X-ray fluorescence. The S contents in the area range between 1.85 and 37.15 g kg−1, with a mean value of 13.71 g kg−1, which implies marked variability throughout this wetland. The highest values were observed near the wetland entrance via the Gigüela River, while the lowest ones appeared at its exit, with a relatively uniform gradient from the entrance to the exit. The relatively high S concentrations observed at sites other than the wetland entrance can be probably related to the continuous non-point source contamination with P, N, and S fertilizer applications, via runoff agricultural production systems. The results of this study are essential for understanding and predicting total S variability within the TDNP (Spain), which can interfere with soil management practices.
Associations Between Supported Accommodation and Health and Re-offending Outcomes: a Retrospective Data Linkage Study
Authors: Gibbs Daisy , Colledge-Frisby Samantha , Farnbach Sara , Doyle Michael , Shakeshaft Anthony , Larney Sarah 
Published: February 2024

AbstractFollowing release from prison, housing and health issues form a complex and mutually reinforcing dynamic, increasing reincarceration risk. Supported accommodation aims to mitigate these post-release challenges. We describe the impact of attending Rainbow Lodge (RL), a post-release supported accommodation service for men in Sydney, Australia, on criminal justice and emergency health outcomes. Our retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data includes 415 individuals referred to RL between January 2015 and October 2020. Outcomes of interest were rates of criminal charges, emergency department (ED) presentations and ambulance attendance; and time to first reincarceration, criminal charge, ED presentation and ambulance attendance. The exposure of interest was attending RL; covariates included demographic characteristics, release year and prior criminal justice and emergency health contact. Those who attended RL (n= 170, 41%) more commonly identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (52% vs 41%;p= 0.025). There was strong evidence that attending RL reduced the incidence criminal charges (adjusted rate ratio [ARR] = 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.340.86;p= 0.009). Absolute rates indicate a weak protective effect of RL attendance on ED presentation and ambulance attendance; however, adjusted analyses indicated no evidence of an association between attending RL and rates of ED presentations (ARR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.65–1.21), or ambulance attendance (ARR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.57–1.18). There was no evidence of an association between attending RL and time to first reincarceration, charge, ED presentation or ambulance attendance. Greater detail about reasons for emergency health service contact and other self-report outcome measures may better inform how supported accommodation is meeting its intended aims.
3D Printing Iron/Iron Oxide Composites by Metal Material Extrusion from an Industrial Waste
Authors: Tirado-González J. G. , Esguerra-Arce J. , Esguerra-Arce A. , Herrera-Quintero L. K. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe material extrusion 3d printing technique has proved to be reliable and low cost for obtaining metal parts. Therefore, in the present work, its suitability for obtaining pieces of a material composed of iron/iron oxide from an industrial waste was studied. Once the powder was obtained by chemical partial reduction, filaments were manufactured with a polymer matrix of TPE/PP/SA in a polymer–powder proportion of 13–87 wt.%. The influence of temperature and printing speed on the geometry of the printed and sintered parts, as well as on their mechanical and microstructural properties, was evaluated. The results showed that the printing speed had a significant impact on the print geometry of the parts, while the printing temperature had no effect. During thermal debinding and sintering, an additional chemical reduction due to the production of reducing agents during the decomposition of the polymer matrix was observed. This shows that the selection of the polymer matrix affects the microstructure of the sintered parts.
Comparative In Vitro Study of the Cytotoxic Effects of Doxorubicin’s Main Metabolites on Cardiac AC16 Cells Versus the Parent Drug
Authors: Reis-Mendes Ana , Vitorino-Oliveira Cláudia , Ferreira Mariana , Carvalho Félix , Remião Fernando , Sousa Emília , de Lourdes Bastos Maria , Costa Vera Marisa 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDoxorubicin (DOX; also known as adriamycin) serves as a crucial antineoplastic agent in cancer treatment; however, its clinical utility is hampered by its’ intrinsic cardiotoxicity. Although most DOX biotransformation occurs in the liver, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of DOX biotransformation and its’ metabolites on its induced cardiotoxicity remains to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to explore the role of biotransformation and DOX's main metabolites in its induced cardiotoxicity in human differentiated cardiac AC16 cells. A key discovery from our study is that modulating metabolism had minimal effects on DOX-induced cytotoxicity: even so, metyrapone (a non-specific inhibitor of cytochrome P450) increased DOX-induced cytotoxicity at 2 µM, while diallyl sulphide (a CYP2E1 inhibitor) decreased the 1 µM DOX-triggered cytotoxicity. Then, the toxicity of the main DOX metabolites, doxorubicinol [(DOXol, 0.5 to 10 µM), doxorubicinone (DOXone, 1 to 10 µM), and 7-deoxydoxorubicinone (7-DeoxyDOX, 1 to 10 µM)] was compared to DOX (0.5 to 10 µM) following a 48-h exposure. All metabolites evaluated, DOXol, DOXone, and 7-DeoxyDOX caused mitochondrial dysfunction in differentiated AC16 cells, but only at 2 µM. In contrast, DOX elicited comparable cytotoxicity, but at half the concentration. Similarly, all metabolites, except 7-DeoxyDOX impacted on lysosomal ability to uptake neutral red. Therefore, the present study showed that the modulation of DOX metabolism demonstrated minimal impact on its cytotoxicity, with the main metabolites exhibiting lower toxicity to AC16 cardiac cells compared to DOX. In conclusion, our findings suggest that metabolism may not be a pivotal factor in mediating DOX's cardiotoxic effects.
Graphical Abstract
Inventory of School Supports-Youth Report (ISS-YR): Development and Validation with Military-Connected Students
Authors: Steggerda Jake C. , Cavell Timothy A. , Drew Alison L. , Nicholson Juliann H. , Herrera Carla , Gaffney Debby , Smith Slep Amy M. , Spencer Renée 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis study describes the development of a 12-item inventory of school supports for military-connected (MC) children. Participants were 444 students (grades 3 or 5) with an active-duty military parent (48% female; 57.3% White, 10.7% Black, 6.2% Native American, 5% Asian, 3.3% Pacific Islander, 17.5% bi/multiracial; 19% Latinx). Youth completed the Inventory of School Supports-Youth Report (ISS-YR) and measures of academic efficacy, parental involvement in school, school connectedness, and whether they had a non-parental supportive adult in their life. Parents reported on parent–teacher relationship quality. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor model (functional and relational support). Results psychometrically supported the ISS-YR. Scores demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability. Results also supported the measure’s convergent and criterion validity as evidenced by positive associations with school connectedness, academic efficacy, parental school involvement, and parent–teacher relationship quality. Youth with a supportive adult in their life at and outside of school had the highest ISS-YR scores. Implications of these findings for schools’ efforts to support MC students are discussed.
Mass-time equivalence in dynamic equilibrium systems
Authors: Shamohammadi Shayan , Shamohammadi Bahar 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe truth of time has been debated for more than two centuries. Scientists like Leibniz, Einstein, Rowley, Wheeler and DeWitt believe that it is the result of change in the world and is not original. According to our research, only Einstein introduced the law of space–time and showed that time is woven in space (general relativity), but no one (at least in classical physics) explained the relationship between time and changes in the world (mass and energy). has not provided In the rest of the references, only mathematical and theoretical topics are presented. In kinetic experiments (in various scientific fields), time is used as a variable to plot kinetic curves. This choice is neither scientific nor based on principled modeling. For this reason, kinetic models are presented experimentally. The aim of this research is (1) to introduce the "dynamic mass (∂Mout/∂Min)" equation as a platform for mass-based modeling in open systems. (2) Introducing the relationship between mass (m) and time (t) or mass-time equivalence in mass flows (mass conversion or mass transfer system). (3) Expansion of time relativity in mass-mass systems. To achieve the objectives of the study, the equation "dynamic mass (∂M/∂M)" based on the law of conservation of mass has been introduced for the first time. Then, using the dynamic mass equation, the absorption model was presented in two mass forms (mass-mass curve) and time (mass-time curve). Then, using Fe2+, Pb2+, Cr6+, Ni2+, Cd2+and As2+ elements and Jacobi activated carbon, Iranian activated carbon, and blowy sand adsorbents, routine kinetic and isotherm tests were performed separately. To evaluate the absorption model, three methods were used: (1) evaluation by evaluation indices (R2 and RMSE) and (2) comparison of the "temporal form of the model" with the kinetic models of absorption (Lagergren and Ho et al.) and (3) comparison of the "mass form of the model" with Shammahmadi adsorption isotherm model.
Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Nickel-plating Thickness on Continuous-wave Laser Welding of Copper and Steel Tab Joints for Battery Manufacturing
Authors: Francioso Michele , Angeloni Caterina , Fortunato Alessandro , Liverani Erica , Ascari Alessandro 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe welding of dissimilar materials, such as copper and steel, holds significant industrial significance in the production of electric vehicle batteries. These materials are commonly used in the case of connections between busbars and cylindrical cells inside a battery pack. To optimize welding and guarantee protection against corrosion, nickel is commonly used in the form of a coating. In this paper, the effect of nickel plating thickness on copper-to-steel welds made with laser technology is investigated. The initial phase consists of a statistical characterization of the nickel plating thickness of the busbar in order to identify the thickness ranges. Experiments were conducted using two different fiber laser sources (a single-mode laser source and a beam-shaping laser source) equipped with a Galvo scanner head; the fluence value and the thickness of nickel plating varied during the experiments. The study conducted has revealed that the thickness of nickel plating plays a crucial role in the weld bead interface, particularly when using a single-mode source. Furthermore, when using the beam-shaping laser source, the fluence employed can have a significant impact on both the depth of penetration and the interface width.
Exploring better image captioning with grid features
Authors: Yan Jie , Xie Yuxiang , Guo Yanming , Wei Yingmei , Luan Xidao 
Published: February 2024

AbstractNowadays, Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) has shown promising prospects in both computer vision and natural language processing communities. Meanwhile, as an essential aspect of AIGC, image to captions has received much more attention. Recent vision-language research is developing from the bulky region visual representations based on object detectors toward more convenient and flexible grid ones. However, this kind of research typically concentrates on image understanding tasks like image classification, with less attention paid to content generation tasks. In this paper, we explore how to capitalize on the expressive features embedded in the grid visual representations for better image captioning. To this end, we present a Transformer-based image captioning model, dubbed FeiM, with two straightforward yet effective designs. We first design the feature queries that consist of a limited set of learnable vectors, which act as the local signals to capture specific visual information from global grid features. Then, taking augmented global grid features and the local feature queries as inputs, we develop a feature interaction module to query relevant visual concepts from grid features, and to enable interaction between the local signal and overall context. Finally, the refined grid visual representations and the linguistic features pass through a Transformer architecture for multi-modal fusion. With the two novel and simple designs, FeiM can fully leverage meaningful visual knowledge to improve image captioning performance. Extensive experiments are performed on the competitive MSCOCO benchmark to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach, and the results show that FeiM yields more eminent results than existing advanced captioning models.
Assessing the Roles of Symmetry, Prototypicality, and Sexual Dimorphism of face Shape in Health Perceptions
Authors: Leger Kathlyne , Dong Junzhi , DeBruine Lisa M. , Jones Benedict C. , Shiramizu Victor K. M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractHealth perceptions are thought to play an important role in human mate preferences. Although many studies have investigated potential relationships between health ratings of faces and facial symmetry, prototypicality, and sexual dimorphism, findings have been mixed across studies. Consequently, we tested for potential relationships between health ratings of faces and the symmetry, prototypicality, and sexual dimorphism of those faces’ shapes. When these three shape characteristics were considered in separate regression models, we observed significant positive relationships between health ratings and both shape symmetry and prototypicality. By contrast, health ratings and sexual dimorphism were not significantly correlated in these analyses. However, in analyses in which symmetry, prototypicality, and sexual dimorphism were entered simultaneously as predictors in a single model, prototypicality, but not symmetry, was significantly correlated with health ratings. Moreover, sexual dimorphism predicted health ratings of female, but not male, faces in these analyses. Collectively, these results suggest that the relationship between symmetry and health ratings is, at least partly, driven by the effect of prototypicality on health perceptions and highlight the importance of considering multiple aspects of face shape when investigating factors that predict perceived health.