bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Novel Transfer Learning Approach for Early Detection of Childhood Pneumonia
Authors: NECIR HAMID , Rebai Younes , Nada Fatima-zohra 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Childhood pneumonia is a leading cause of death among young children worldwide. Early detection and treatment are crucial for a positive outcome, but diagnosing this disease can be challenging due to non-specific symptoms. Current methods for diagnosing childhood pneumonia, such as chest X-rays, can be time-consuming, expensive, and require specialized staff. In this paper, we propose a novel transfer learning approach to fine-tune the pre-trained MobileNet model for analyzing chest X-rays to identify patterns that may indicate early childhood pneumonia. To improve the performance of our model and minimize the risk of overfitting, we use five augmentation techniques and incorporate Gaussian and fish noises, which are commonly observed in medical images. Unlike previous approaches, which used the validation set and the training set interchangeably, we divide the dataset into three parts: the training set, the validation set, and the test set. This allows us to test our model on new images and detect overfitting problems that might not have been identified using a k-fold cross-validation approach or using the validation set as a test set. Finally, we validated our solution by comparing it to a set of existing approaches using the publicly available dataset entitled "Chest X-Ray Images (Pneumonia)". The results show that our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on the childhood pneumonia detection task, with an accuracy of 98%. This suggests that our approach has the potential to be used as a reliable tool for the early detection of childhood pneumonia in resource-limited settings.
Performance Evaluation of a Solar-powered Membrane Capacitive Deionization System Considering Energy Recovery
Authors: Bahrami HamidReza , Gorjian Shiva , Ghobadian Barat , Gheisari Jafar , Kuriqi Alban , Mokhtarzadeh Hamed 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) is characterized by low energy consumption, making this technology suitable to be powered by renewable energies. This study experimentally evaluated performance of a photovoltaic-powered MCDI system (PV-MCDI) in three main steps. In the first step, the effect of the charging current of the MCDI module and the feedwater flow rate on the water production rate was investigated. The results showed that the desalination rate increased by 49% when the supplied current increased from 2 A to 8 A. Similarly, the desalination rate improved by 25% when the flow rate decreased from 1.4 l/min to 0.2 l/min. The results also showed that the water recovery (WR) index does not depend on the feedwater salinity, amount of the supplied charging current, or feedwater flow rate rather than the module's operation, ranging from 47% to 71%. The second step studied the amount of energy available for recovery. The amount of supplied charging current, the discharging method, and the remaining charge in the MCDI module were evaluated. The results of the experiments indicated that the maximum energy consumed for the deionization of 1 liter of saline feedwater is 0.962 kJ (at a charging current of 10 A and a feedwater salinity of 1300 ppm). Moreover, under the specified operating conditions of a 4-A supplied charging current and a feedwater salinity of 1300 ppm, the maximum recovered energy from the MCDI module was obtained at 17.55%. The MCDI module was integrated with a small off-grid PV system in the third phase. The results of the economic analysis indicated that the financial payback decreases to less than one year when the treated water price is above 0.034 USD/l. Therefore, it was found that the PV-MCDI system, especially when combined with energy recovery, can compete in energy consumption with conventional electric desalination technologies such as electrodialysis (ED) and reverse osmosis (RO) when brackish water is desalinated.
Analysis of risk factors for acute kidney injury in children with severe wasp stings
Authors: Lu Jing , Dong Liqun , Zhang Lijuan , Guo Yannan , Liu Hanmin , Liu Yang 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in children with sepsis, chronic kidney disease (CKD), poisoning or other conditions. Wasp sting is recognized as an important etiology of AKI. Several retrospective studies have investigated AKI after wasp stings were reported in adults, but researches in children remain limited. This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of 48 children with severe wasp stings to identify the risk factors for acute kidney injury in this population.
Methods: This study included 48 children with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) after wasp stings injuries. Demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, management and clinical outcomes were collected, statistically analyzed and compared to identify early indicators or risk factors for acute kidney injury. The cases were divided into AKI and non-AKI group.
Results: Out of 48 children, 20 (41.7%) developed AKI, 28 (58.3%) did not. Among the children with AKI (16/20, 80%), it is observed that serum creatine level elevated within 24h since the wasp stings. Comparing the AKI and non-AKI groups, the AKI group exhibited more cases of cola-colored urine, oliguria and jaundice, higher sting number/body surface area (BSA) and sequential organ failure assessment scores (SOFA), as well as a higher level of C-reactive protein, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, troponin, creatine kinase and prothrombin time. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified cola-colored urine as a potential early risk factor for AKI.
Conclusions: This retrospective study explored the risk factors for AKI in children after severe wasp stings. The AKI group presented higher levels in the sting number/BSA, CRP, ALT, AST, TBIL, LDH, cTnI, and CK. It is also found that cola-colored urine may serve as an early indicator or potential risk factor for AKI after wasp stings in children, which is very easy to identify for first aiders or pediatricians.
Choices of measures of association affect the visualisation and composition of the multimorbidity networks
Authors: Baneshi Mohammad Reza , Dobson Annette , Mishra Gita 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Background: Network analysis, commonly used to describe the patterns of multimorbidity, uses the strength of association between conditions as weight to classify conditions into communities and calculate centrality statistics. Our aim was to examine the robustness of the results to the choice of weight.
Methods: Data used on 27 chronic conditions listed on Australian death certificates for women aged 85+. Five statistics were calculated to measure the association between 351 possible pairs: odds ratio (OR), lift, phi correlation, Salton cosine index (SCI), and normalised-joint frequency of pairs (NF). Network analysis was performed on the 10% of pairs with the highest weight according to each definition, the ‘top pairs’.
Results: Out of 56 ‘top pairs’ identified, 13 ones were consistent across all statistics. In networks of OR and lift, three of the conditions which did not join communities were among the top five most prevalent conditions. Networks based on phi and NF had one or two conditions not part of any community. For the SCI statistics, all three conditions which did not join communities had prevalence below 3%. Low prevalence conditions were more likely to have high degree in networks of OR and lift but not SCI.
Conclusion: Use of different statistics to estimate weights leads to different networks. For exploratory purposes, one may apply alternative weights to identify a large list of pairs for further assessment in independent studies. However, when the aim is to visualise the data in a robust and parsimonious network, only pairs which are selected by multiple statistics should be visualised.
Manure Application Effects on Nitrogen Uptake and Distribution in Organic Chinese Flowering Cabbage Based on 15N-tracing
Authors: Yang Yi , Wang Zhan , Zheng Wengang , Li Yinkun , Duan Minjie , Guo Wenzhong 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The application of large amounts of manure nitrogen (N) in Northwest China has had a serious negative impact on the sustainable development of regional organic agriculture and ecological environmental protection. Field experiments were conducted in three crop cycles in Ningxia, Northwest China, to study the effects of different manure application rates on the N absorption and utilization of Chinese Flowering Cabbage (CFC) and N distribution characteristics of manure, which were carried out on the basis of 0(M0), 300(M300), 600(M600), 900(M900), 1200(M1200) kg N·hm-2 manure N rates by setting an 15N micro-area. Results showed that the 15N absorption in each crop of CFC showed a parabola trend of "low high low" with an increase in the amount of manure, and the 15N absorption of the M900 treatment was the highest, which increased by 64.3 % compared with that of the M1200 treatment (P<0.05). After three crops of CFC, only 10.2–24.0% of manure N was absorbed by the crops, and 39.0–54.3% remained in the 0–100 cm soil layer, with a loss ratio of 35.5–48.5%. The manure N absorption rate under M900 treatment reached the maximum (24.0 %), and the amount of soil residual (351.11 kg·hm-2) was greater than the loss (333.28 kg·hm-2). N absorption in the M1200 treatment was 39.2 % lower than that in M900 (P<0.05), and the loss (581.17 kg·hm-2) was greater than that of the residue (487.64 kg·hm-2). The residual 15N was mainly distributed in the 0–40 cm soil layer, and the residual amount was 127.65–390.32 kg·hm-2, which accounted for 78.1–81.3% of the total residual amount. The nitrate-N content in the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layers increased with increasing manure application rates, and there was no significant difference between the M900 and M1200 treatments. However, the NO3–-15N content in the 40–100 cm soil layer in the M1200 treatment was 1.2 times higher than that in the M900 treatment (P<0.05). Therefore, considering the absorption, residue, and loss of manure N in crops, it can be concluded that a manure N application rate of 900 kg N·hm-2 is the most favorable for the production of three consecutive crops of CFC.
Population Trend and Distribution of Mountain (Lepus Timidus) and Brown Hares (Lepus Europaeus) in Central ALPS (N-Italy, 1980-2020)
Authors: MARTINO Greta , CHIATANTE Gianpasquale , FERLONI Maria , MERIGGI Alberto 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Mountainous regions are very vulnerable to climate changes, as they experience higher temperature increases than the surrounding environments. A general movement of species towards higher altitudes, in search of suitable sites, is being observed. In the case of the Italian Alps, an expansion of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is possible within the zones occupied by the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), which frequents higher altitudes. The risk is an increase in the hybridization and a contraction of the mountain hare’s range. In this study we analysed the hunting bags of brown and mountain hares from the period 1980-2020, in the province of Sondrio, in northern Lombardy (N-Italy), with the aim of: i) identify the environmental variables that influence the distribution of the two species, ii) create suitability maps of the study area, iii) identify the changes of the ranges of the two species, iv) highlight any population trends in relation to climate change. The results indicate that the two species select different altitudes, with the exception of the altitudes between 1000-1400 and 1800 m a. s. l. Both species select pastures and coniferous forests. The brown hare also selects mixed and broad-leaved forests, while the mountain hare high-altitude grasslands. No significant trends in population size, altitude, or spatial overlap of the two species were observed over the period investigated. Considering the period between 2000 and 2020, however, a moderate increase was highlighted for the brown hare. In all cases, weather variables do not seem to have influenced population trends.
Nomogram based on multi-modal ultrasound radiomics for the differentiation of benign and malignant ACR TI-RADS 4 and 5 categories thyroid nodules
Authors: Yi Ai-jiao , Xu Jing , Cao Chuang , Lv Wenzhi , Tu Liang , Wu Sai-Qun , Cui Xin-Wu , Dietrich Christoph F , Wang Bin 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Objective
To develop a multi-modal ultrasound including B-mode ultrasound (BMUS), shear wave elastography (SWE), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) radiomics nomogram and evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiomics nomogram for the differentiation of benign and malignant American College of Radiology (ACR) thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) 4 and 5 categories thyroid nodules.
Materials and Methods
From March 2019 to April 2022, a total of 133 patients with 139 ACR TI-RADS 4 and 5 categories thyroid nodules were enrolled. These nodules were divided randomly into a training and validation cohort. Radiomics features were extracted from BMUS, SWE and CEUS images. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and five cross-validations were used to select features and build radiomics score. A multi-modal ultrasound radiomics nomogram was established based on multivariate logistics regression analysis with multi-modal ultrasound including BMUS, SWE and CEUS radiomics score (Rad-score) and clinical characteristics, including BMUS features in the 2017 edition of ACR TI-RADS. The performance of the nomogram was assessed via discrimination, calibration and clinical usage in the training and validation cohorts.
Results
Multi-modal ultrasound radiomics had better diagnostic performance compared with using BMUS radiomics, SWE radiomics or CEUS radiomics alone. Based on multivariate logistics regression analysis, calcification and multi-modal ultrasound Rad-score were the independent risk factors for the discrimination of benign and malignant ACR TI-RADS 4 and 5 categories thyroid nodules. The nomogram incorporated with these independent risk factors had better diagnostic performance compared with clinical model. The AUC of nomogram in training and validation cohorts were 0.911 (95% CI, 0.850–0.972) and 0.883 (95% CI, 0.776–0.990), respectively. Decision curve analysis (DCA) indicated the nomogram had a high clinical value.
Conclusion
In conclusion, multi-modal ultrasound radiomics had better diagnostic performance, compared with using BMUS radiomics, SWE radiomics or CEUS radiomics alone. The multi-modal ultrasound radiomics nomogram showed satisfying accuracy for the differentiation of benign and malignant ACR TI-RADS 4 and 5 categories thyroid nodules, which might be a potentially noninvasive and useful method to discriminate benign and malignant nodules, it could assist surgeons in clinical decision making and thyroid nodules management, improve the prognosis of patients.
Macroscopic quantum correlation using coherence manipulations of polarization-path correlations of a continuous-wave lase
Authors: Ham Byoung 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Quantum superposition is normally sustained in a microscopic regime governed by Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle applicable to a single particle. Quantum correlation between paired particles implies the violation of local realism governed by classical physics. Over the last decades, quantum features have been implemented in various quantum technologies including quantum computing, communications, and sensing. Such quantum features are generally known to be impossible by any classical means. Here, a macroscopic quantum correlation is presented for coherence manipulations of polarization-path correlations of a continuous wave laser, satisfying the joint-parameter relation in an inseparable product-basis form. For the coherence control of the polarization-path correlation, a pair of electro-optic modulators is used in a noninterfering Mach-Zehnder interferometer for deterministic switching between paired polarization bases, resulting in the polarization product-basis superposition in a selective product-basis choice manner by a followed pair of acousto-optic modulators. This unprecedented macroscopic quantum feature opens the door to a new understanding of quantum mechanics beyond the microscopic regime for future classical optics-compatible quantum information.
Characterizations of Tzitzeica Curves Using Conformable Frenet Frame
Authors: Has Aykut , Yılmaz Beyhan , Ayvacı Hilal 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Tzitzeica curve is a mathematical curve that has been used to describe the behavior of certain physical phenomena. It was first discovered by Romanian mathematician Gheorghe Tzitzeica and has since been used to model many phenomena, including the motion of a pendulum, the oscillations of a vibrating string, and the flow of electricity through a circuit. The curve is an example of what is known as an elliptic curve and can be used to analyze complex systems. Its properties make it useful in many applications, such as cryptography and data compression. In the light of this information, the aim of this study, the conditions for a conformable curve and its spherical indicator curves to be a Tzitzeica curve will be examined. Thus, by understanding the behavior of the Tzitzeica curve, researchers can gain insight into complex systems and make more accurate predictions about their behavior.
MSC Classification: 26A33 , 53A04 , 53A55
Exact distributed quantum algorithm for generalized Simon’s problem
Authors: Li Hao , Qiu Daowen , Luo Le , Mateus Paulo 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Simon’s problem is one of the most important problems demonstrating the power of quantum algorithms, as it greatly inspired the proposal of Shor’s algorithm. The generalized Simon’s problem is a natural extension of Simon’s problem, and also a special hidden subgroup problem: Given a function f : {0, 1} n → {0, 1} m , with the property that for any x, y ∈ {0, 1} n , there is some unknown hidden subgroup S ≤ Z n 2 such that f (x) = f (y) iff x ⊕ y ∈ S, where |S| = 2 k for some 0 ≤ k ≤ n (m ≥ n − k). The goal of generalized Simon’s problem is to find the hidden subgroup S. In this paper, we present two key contributions. Firstly, we characterize the structure of the generalized Simon’s problem in distributed scenario and introduce a corresponding distributed quantum algorithm. Secondly, we refine the algorithm to ensure exactness due to the application of quantum amplitude amplification technique. Our algorithm offers exponential acceleration compared to the distributed classical algorithm. When contrasted with the centralized quantum algorithm for the generalized Simon’s problem, our algorithm’s oracle requires fewer qubits, thus making it easier to be physically implemented. Particulary, the exact distributed quantum algorithm we develop for the generalized Simon’s problem outperforms the best previously proposed distributed quantum algorithm for Simon’s problem in terms of generalizability and exactness.
Exploring the lived experiences of South African men having a premature baby: A Descriptive phenomenological approach.
Authors: Nell Jonathan , Jackson Kyle , Andipatin Michelle 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Much has been written about fathers, fatherhood and premature babies. However, in the South African context, studies about the experiences of fathers having a premature baby is lacking. This study is original as no other published studies seem to exist in South Africa that speaks to fathers’ lived experiences of having a premature baby. This study aimed to explore how South African fathers (n = 10) experience having a premature baby using a descriptive phenomenological approach. A descriptive phenomenological approach that allowed for the distillation and elucidation of common core experiences among fathers who had a premature baby. The findings demonstrated that the participants experienced intense fears regarding the survival and wellbeing of their children; They reported experiencing financial difficulties related to hospital bills and experienced being alienated by hospital institutions. Despite these reported barriers, these fathers were adamant in their resolve to support their children and partners during this challenging time.
Removal of soluble Se from mining influenced water by native mine site bacteria depends on the consortium composition
Authors: Nkansah-Boadu Frank , Hatam Ido , Flibotte Stephane , Baldwin Susan A. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Soluble Se compounds are of great concern in mine influenced water (MIW) from many coal and metal mines due to Se bioaccumulation in aquatic environments and toxicity to birds and fish. Biological treatment to remove soluble Se to regulated levels, which are on the orders of µg-Se/L, is challenging due to the chemical and biological complexity of MIW. For instance, co-contaminant nitrate can inhibit selenate reduction. Native bacteria consortia from mine impacted aquatic environments are sources for known and novel selenate reducing bacteria. In this study, two consortia of native bacteria enriched from different locations on a coalmine known to exhibit elevated release of Se were tested for their ability to remove soluble Se from a typical MIW in sequencing batch bioreactors. One consortium, enriched from an impacted natural vegetated wetland known to harbour native microorganisms involved in selenate-Se reduction, when inoculated into MIW achieved limited soluble Se removal in the presence of nitrate. The other consortium enriched from a disused tailing storage facility achieved greater removal of soluble Se in the presence of nitrate. Genome-resolved metagenomics were used to identify and track consortium members and identify putative novel selenate reducing microorganisms.
A High-Speed Low-Offset Double Tail Dynamic Comparator for Low-Power Applications
Authors: George Reena , Ch Nagesh 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

This paper presents a double tail dynamic comparator (DTDC) to obtain the high speed, low-power and low-offset voltage. In the proposed design, a regenerative latch is activated more quickly and it uses the lowest amount of power with an addition of two PMOS switching transistors MR4 and MR5 to the latch stage. The design and simulations are carried out in 90 nm CMOS technology with the supply voltage of 0.8 V having the clock frequency of 1 GHz. The simulation results confirm that the power consumption and offset voltages are significantly reduced in the proposed DTDC. The power consumption is 11.67 µW, the delay and slew rate are 76.97 ps and 10.51 V/ns, respectively. And also the offset voltage is reduced to 1.657 mV. Further, the total power consumption is reduced by a factor of 77.11 % in comparison to existing works. In addition, the Monte-Carlo simulation for the analysis of the 1-sigma offset error is performed.
The model integrating channel attention for point cloud classify and segment
Authors: Li HengYu , Yang JiaZhi 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
point cloud classification is still a challenging task due to the unordered, unstructured and discrete characteristics of point cloud data. Based on the successful application of Transformer in other fields, this paper attempts to extract enhanced features from channel relations, and designs a new point cloud classification segmentation model, which integrates channel attention mechanism. The model first constructs local regions using farthest point sampling and K-nearest neighbors methods, then normalizes the sampling points to make them normally distributed, then extracts features using residual MLPs, and finally uses attention mechanisms to enhance channel information, to enhance the effect of feature extraction. We performed point cloud classification and segmentation experiments on multiple datasets, with OA at 84.9\% and mAcc at 83.1\% on the ScanObjectNN dataset, OA at 93.5\% and mAcc at 91.3\% on the ModelNet40 dataset; On the ShapeNet dataset, the mean union-intersection ratio (mIoU) was 86.4\% . Compared with other methods, there are different degrees of lead in all aspects.