bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Racial residential segregation and child mortality in the southern United States at the turn of the 20th century
Authors: Karbeah J'Mag , Hacker J. David 
Published: June 2023

AbstractA growing body of research considers racial residential segregation to be a form of systemic racism and a fundamental cause of persistent racial disparities in health and mortality. Historical research examining the impact of segregation on health and mortality, however, is limited to a few studies with poor data and inconsistent results. In this study, we examine the association between racial residential segregation and child mortality in the South at the turn of the 20th century. We rely on the new IPUMS 1900 and 1910 complete‐count databases to estimate child mortality in the 5 years before each census and construct segregation measures at the census enumeration district (ED), the lowest level of geography consistently available in the census. We calculate the proportion of households headed by Black individuals in each ED, and the Sequence Index of Segregation (SIS), which is based on the racial sequencing of household heads within each district. We construct models of child mortality for rural and urban areas, controlling for a wide variety of demographic and socioeconomic variables. The results indicate thatproportion BlackandSISwere strongly and positively associated with the mortality of Black children in most models and in both rural and urban areas.Proportion Blackwas also positively but more moderately correlated with the mortality of White children, whileSISwas not correlated or negatively correlated. These results suggest that racial segregation was a long‐standing fundamental cause of race disparities in health and mortality in the United States.
Thymoquinone induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in gastric cancer cells by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway
Authors: He Pengzhan , He Yang , Ma Jingjing , Liu Yinghui , Liu Chuan , Baoping Yu , Dong Weiguo 
Published: June 2023

AbstractGastric cancer (GC) is often diagnosed in the advanced stages with a poor prognosis. Thymoquinone (TQ) is known for its antitumor activity; however, the specific mechanism in GC remains unknown. In our study, TQ inhibited GC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis and autophagy in a concentration‐dependent manner. Transmission electron microscopy showed increased autophagosome formation in GC cells treated with TQ. Meanwhile, the LC3B puncta and LC3BII protein levels were significantly increased in GC cells, while p62 expression was significantly decreased. The autophagy inhibitor, Bafilomycin A1 enhanced TQ‐inhibited proliferation and TQ‐induced apoptosis, suggesting that TQ‐induced autophagy has a protective effect on GC cells. Furthermore, TQ decreased the phosphorylation levels of phosphatidylinositol‐4,5‐bisphosphate 3 kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). The PI3K agonist partially rescued TQ‐induced autophagy and apoptosis. Finally, in vivo experiments showed that TQ could inhibit tumor growth and promote apoptosis and autophagy. This study provides new insights into the specific mechanism for the anti‐GC effect of TQ. TQ inhibits the proliferation of GC cells and induces apoptosis and protective autophagy by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. The results suggest that the combination of TQ and autophagy inhibitors might be a potential chemotherapeutic strategy for GC.
Tuberculosis control in the face of emerging infectious diseases: Highlights from the 7th South African Tuberculosis Conference
Authors: Ma'aruf Shamsuddeen Yusuf , Smith Tayla , du Plessis Su‐Mari , Obasa Zimvo 
Published: June 2023

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) remains a disease of global concern caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the face of emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID‐19, dengue fever, Lassa fever, and Ebola, attention to the control of TB is losing its place as a priority in public and global health initiatives. Recently, after a hiatus enforced by the COVID‐19 pandemic, scientists, public health experts, and other stakeholders met in Durban, South Africa (SA) for the 7th South Africa Tuberculosis Conference to share, discuss, and recommend strategies to regain TB control. In this paper, we summarized and captured key plenary sessions and presentations by scientists and other stakeholders at the conference, which focused on various themes: pathogenesis of TB—pathogen and host, drugs/vaccine/diagnostics, implementation/health systems, and social and community aspects of TB. The current policy and effort to control TB have declined in recent times. We suggested a critical and inclusive engagement of funders, researchers, policymakers, and the civil society toward regaining TB control. Additional investigation into this paper may make it easier to identify control strategies to help realize the End TB Strategy.
African Medicines Agency: How it will change the landscape of medicines in Africa
Authors: Ogbodum Molly Unoh , Shomuyiwa Deborah Oluwaseun , Lucero‐Prisno Don Eliseo , Gutu Comfort Tanaka , Bouali Hajar , Bangura Buya Nabie , Fofana Moussa , Musa Mohamed Babiker , Daoud Hassan Ali , Owusu‐Mensah Priscilla , Fiagan David Do Céu , Danquah Cynthia Amaning , Samai Mohamed 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe African continent, with a population of about 1.2 billion, faces limited access to safe, high‐quality and effective medicine, resulting in a disproportionate disease burden. However, the scarcity of pharmaceuticals has been a significant problem for decades. The need to scale up local production of medicines in Africa is apparent, as over 70% of drugs available in the continent are imported. Africa's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry capacity is subpar due to inadequate production equipment and substandard operations. Inadequate pharmaceutical supplies encouraged the circulation of fake drugs, and the COVID‐19 pandemic highlighted the dangers of the continent's reliance on foreign supplies. Africa's porous borders create ease for drug counterfeiting, with little likelihood of detection once in the supply chain. The African Medicines Agency (AMA) was founded to model the European Medicines Agency to enhance regional drug production, regulation and patient access. The African Union's AMA is a specialized health organization tasked with enhancing regulatory harmonization of medicines, particularly in pharmaceutical production, to increase access to high‐quality medications across the continent. Africa's healthcare industry, particularly domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, will be a significant economic engine for the continent over the next 5 years. The establishment of AMA is a call to action for governments and regulators to enable Africa to manufacture 60% of the vaccines needed on the continent by 2040.
Achieving COVID‐19 herd immunity in Bangladesh
Authors: Mary Rabeya Mashferat , Alam Falguni , Miranda Adriana Viola , Lucero‐Prisno Don Eliseo , Bulbul Md. Mofijul Islam 
Published: June 2023

AbstractAchieving herd immunity against COVID‐19 through vaccination is a global target, including in lower resource settings. Despite the challenges and limitations, Bangladesh has achieved its target of vaccinating 70% of its population, with good vaccine coverage among refugees, remote population, and women. This can be attributed to the evidence‐informed adaptability and collaborative approaches of the program. Yet some challenges remain, including dependence on donors and the need to ramp up vaccination among the underserved communities. This article discusses the factors contributing to the achievements of the COVID‐19 vaccination program of Bangladesh and the remaining challenges that should be addressed by the government to ensure the sustainability of the program and inform future vaccination efforts.
Is iron deficiency caused by BMPR2 mutations or dysfunction in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients?
Authors: Theobald Vivienne , Grünig Ekkehard , Benjamin Nicola , Seyfarth Hans‐Jürgen , Halank Michael , Schneider Marc A. , Richtmann Sarah , Kazdal Daniel , Hinderhofer Katrin , Xanthouli Panagiota , Egenlauf Benjamin , Harutyunova Satenik , Hoeper Marius M. , Jonigk Danny , Sparla Richard , Muckenthaler Martina U. , Eichstaedt Christina A. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIron deficiency is common in idiopathic and heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension patients (I/HPAH). A previous report suggested a dysregulation of the iron hormone hepcidin, which is controlled by BMP/SMAD signaling involving the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR‐II). Pathogenic variants in the BMPR2 gene are the most common cause of HPAH. Their effect on patients' hepcidin levels has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to assess whether iron metabolism and regulation of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin was disturbed in I/HPAH patients with and without a pathogenic variant in the gene BMPR2 compared to healthy controls. In this explorative, cross‐sectional study hepcidin serum levels were quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. We measured iron status, inflammatory parameters and hepcidin modifying proteins such as IL6, erythropoietin, and BMP2, BMP6 in addition to BMPR‐II protein and mRNA levels. Clinical routine parameters were correlated with hepcidin levels. In total 109 I/HPAH patients and controls, separated into three groups, 23 BMPR2 variant‐carriers, 56 BMPR2 noncarriers and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. Of these, 84% had iron deficiency requiring iron supplementation. Hepcidin levels were not different between groups and corresponded to the degree of iron deficiency. The levels of IL6, erythropoietin, BMP2, or BMP6 showed no correlation with hepcidin expression. Hence, iron homeostasis and hepcidin regulation was largely independent from these parameters. I/HPAH patients had a physiologically normal iron regulation and no false elevation of hepcidin levels. Iron deficiency was prevalent albeit independent of pathogenic variants in the BMPR2 gene.
A systematic review of widening participation: Exploring the effectiveness of outreach programmes for students in second‐level schools
Authors: Ní Chorcora Eilís , Bray Aibhín , Banks Joanne 
Published: June 2023

AbstractA major challenge for universities across the globe is to address the lack of diversity within higher education. Widening participation (WP) programmes can vary between in‐reach and outreach programmes. Some initiatives focus on either pre‐entry stage (primary or secondary schools) or post‐entry stage (helping students adapt to university life). This systematic literature review provides an analysis of the effectiveness of widening participation outreach programmes, a topic that is relatively unexplored, particularly at school level education. By examining empirical studies of widening participation interventions, the paper allows for the investigation of the educational outcomes measured in these programmes. A total of 19 studies were included, which analysed quantitative or mixed‐method data. The findings indicate a growth in the evidence base for widening participation programmes for second‐level students over the last decade. Interventions identified in the literature were categorised by their approach, which included guidance‐based interventions, multidimensional interventions or pedagogical interventions. The findings confirm some positive effects for widening participation outreach programmes on a range of outcomes including students' college readiness, educational aspirations and college enrolment. The review argues for consistency in the way in which educational outcomes are measured, as well as the need for cross‐collaboration and sharing of data between schools and universities, to enable more effective measurement of widening participation programmes in future research.
Context and implicationRationale for this studyThis study gives an up‐to‐date synthesis of outreach interventions in secondary schools which aim to widen participation at higher education. A review of its kind has not been conducted in the last decade.Why the new findings matterFindings highlight the most effective new interventions, as well as, the challenges in defining success, research design and collecting accurate data across secondary and tertiary educational institutions.Implications for educational researchers and policy makersThis systematic review provides an overview for widening participation WP practitioners of what types of outreach interventions are out there, offering templates and ideas for introducing these kinds of initiatives in other universities and partnership schools. The paper highlights to policy makers, the need to create policies that enable cross‐collaboration and sharing of data between schools and universities. Implications for researchers include discussion around how success is being defined, what outcomes are being measured, the need for longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes as well as the collection of baseline data of participants.
Composite event‐triggered H∞ control for nonlinear switched singular systems with a mode‐dependent triggering strategy
Authors: Yang Anqing , Zhao Zhenli , Shi Hongpeng , Ma Shuping 
Published: June 2023

SummaryThis paper considers the event‐triggered control problem of nonlinear switched singular systems (NSSSs) with incremental quadratic constraints (IQCs) via a mode‐dependent hybrid triggering strategy. First, impulsive control is introduced to reduce the effect of impulse caused by switching, and the closed‐loop system is modeled as an impulsive NSSS. Then, a novel mode‐dependent hybrid event‐triggering strategy (ETS) consisting of disturbance‐influenced ETS and Lyapunov‐function‐dependent ETS is constructed to avoid Zeno behavior and asynchronous phenomena. Based on this ETS and admissible edge‐dependent average dwell time (AED‐ADT) method, some new sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are derived to ensure that the closed‐loop system is regular, impulse‐free, has a unique solution, and is globally uniformly asymptotically stable (GUAS) with a weighted performance. Further, Zeno behavior is excluded by calculating the minimum lower bound of inter‐event time. Finally, a numerical example and a practical application are proposed to demonstrate the validity of the results.
A sensor‐based assistive technology for lower‐limb‐disabled agricultural workers and abled female workers for tractor clutch and brake operation
Authors: Hota Smrutilipi , Tewari V. K. , Dhruw Laxmi Kant , Chandel Abhilash K. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractAgricultural mechanization although reduces the food demand and supply gap through improved and smart technologies, it also risks the lower‐limb disability of workers due to accidents that restrict them to participate in agricultural operations due to the unavailability of appropriate assistive technologies. The lack of use of ergonomics further minimizes the inclusion of female workers in farming operations. Therefore, this study is focused on the development of a sensor‐based wireless hand control system for tractor clutch and brake operation to assist lower‐limb‐disabled agricultural workers and abled females in tractor operation. Actuation force and speed of conventional clutch and brake pedals were evaluated using an integrated foot transducer and used as a reference for the design of the system (clutch: 92–310 N, 36–43 mm/s; brake: 106–329 N, 57–63 mm/s). The hand control system consists of a transmitter and a receiver node incorporating a single‐board computer, matrix keypad, voltage regulators, relay switches, wireless communication through radio frequency modules, and electric linear actuators connected with the pedals through L‐shaped clips, nuts, bolts, and chains. The response time of the developed system was determined as 100 ms and the stopping distance of the tractor using the hand control system ranged from 44.0 to 190.7 cm at a forward speed of 2.1–7.9 km/h. The ergonomic evaluation measured using the K4b2 oxygen analyzer identified the foot control usage in tractors as high energy consuming (9.7–15.1 kJ/min) compared with the hand control usage (7.3–14.1 kJ/min). Electromyography‐root mean square (EMG‐RMS) of upper limb muscle, extension digitorum was found to be highest (14.76–45.29 µV) and was significantly affected by forward speed, gender, subjects, and type of control (p < 0.01) whereas, EMG‐RMS of other selected upper limb muscles, middle deltoid, flexor carpi radialis, and brachioradialis was not significantly affected by the type of control (foot or hand). Muscle workload of all the muscles was observed within the recommended limit (<30%) during the tractor operation with the developed hand control system. The developed hand control system provides options to bypass foot‐based actuation requirement for lower limb disabled as well as female workers. The novel design requires minimal workplace and operating forces and is inclusive of operator ergonomics.
Development of a real‐time work‐related postural risk assessment system of farm workers using a sensor‐based artificial intelligence approach
Authors: Singh Lakhwinder Pal , Kumar Praveen , Lohan Shiv Kumar 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIn recent years, the promotion of farm mechanization has been directed toward reducing the human discomfort and fatigue associated with various agricultural work‐related activities. During these activities, many factors (like force, awkward posture, vibration, repetition, etc.) play a significant role in causing musculoskeletal disorders. Second, ergonomic risk assessment of physical work is conventionally conducted through observation and direct/indirect physiological measurements. However, these methods are time‐consuming and require human subjects to perform the motion to obtain detailed body movement data. In the present study, a semiautomatic rapid entire body assessment (REBA) evaluation tool is developed for real‐time assessment of agricultural work‐related musculoskeletal disorders risk of farm workers using Kinect V2 sensor‐based artificial intelligence approach. It allows the investigator speedy detect of awkward postures leading to critical conditions and to reduce subjective bias. It is useful to analyze online as well as offline posture analysis, it detects the critical areas of the body posture, which may lead to the musculoskeletal disorders of agricultural workers, and suggest aptly to correct the posture. The Kinect V2 REBA assessment score was found with a factual significant match with the reference expert evaluation as reflected by the Landis and Koch scale k = 0.673 (p < 0.001), 95% confidence interval (CI) for the left side, and k = 0.644 (p < 0.001), 95% CI for the right side of the body respectively.
Climate and environmental data contribute to the prediction of grain commodity prices using deep learning
Authors: Wang Zilin , French Niamh , James Thomas , Schillaci Calogero , Chan Faith , Feng Meili , Lipani Aldo 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundGrain commodities are important to people's daily lives and their fluctuations can cause instability for households. Accurate prediction of grain prices can improve food and social security.Methods & MaterialsThis study proposes a hybrid Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM)‐Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to forecast weekly oat, corn, soybean and wheat prices in the United States market. The LSTM‐CNN is a multivariate model that uses weather data, macroeconomic data, commodities grain prices and snow factors, including Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), snowfall and snow depth, to make multistep ahead forecasts.ResultsOf all the features, the snow factor is used for the first time for commodity price forecasting. We used the LSTM‐CNN model to evaluate the 5, 10, 15 and 20 weeks ahead forecasting and this hybrid model had the lowest Mean Squared Error (MSE) at 5, 10 and 15 weeks ahead of prediction. In addition, Shapley values were calculated to analyse the feature contribution of the LSTM‐CNN model when forecasting the testing set. Based on the feature contribution, SWE ranked third, fifth and seventh in feature importance in the 5‐week ahead forecast for corn, oats and wheat, respectively, and 7–8 places higher than total precipitation, indicating the potential use of SWE in grain price forecasting.ConclusionThe hybrid multivariate LSTM‐CNN model outperformed other models and the newly involved climate data, SWE, showed the research potential of using snow as an input variable to predict grain prices over a multistep ahead time horizon.
Cultural conflicts and wellbeing in Africa
Authors: Kouladoum Jean‐Claude , Maiport Miandinguem Dem Oyel , Ndinga Mathias Marie Adrien 
Published: June 2023

AbstractPolitical instability and cultural conflicts in Africa have resulted in depression, loss of lives and destruction of properties, thus deteriorating the well‐being of the citizens. The objective of the study is to assess the effect of cultural conflicts on well‐being in 41 African countries from 2006 to 2017. This study adopted the Driscoll/Kraay estimator to address the concerns of cross‐sectional dependence. Cultural conflict is proxied by the ethnic tensions indicator while well‐being is captured by a subjective indicator of happiness measured as a life ladder indicator. The findings further reveal that well‐being is negatively affected by the interaction between religious conflicts and ethnic conflicts and interactions between internal conflicts and ethnic tensions. Robustness analysis is carried out by considering the factor of colonialism where the study sample is divided into two sub‐samples representing the former British and French colonies in Africa. The results reveal a negative effect of ethnic tensions on well‐being and also a negative role of religious tensions and internal conflicts on the modulating effect of ethnic tensions on well‐being in both former French and British colonies in Africa. The findings of the study recommend that policymakers should formulate policies that would improve intertribal relations, and ensure equality in public service and the management of state affairs to avoid intertribal conflicts which could help to improve the well‐being of all the citizens.
Rhodium Catalyzed Carbonylative Approaches for Heterocycles Synthesis
Authors: Yamini  , Kumar Ashish , Das Pralay 
Published: June 2023

AbstractDuring the past few decades, carbonylative heterocyclic chemistry have acquired a significant chemical alteration for both academic as well as industrial research. Carbonylative heterocycles are commonly used in organic synthesis and fine chemicals preparation. Introduction of carbonyl group can surge the carbon number of parent molecules in the carbonylation reaction. Herein, we have summarized the main developments achieved on rhodium catalyst from last 20 years in the area of carbonylative heterocyclic synthesis.
Supramolecular self‐assembly of polymeric carbon nitride with high photocatalytic activity
Authors: Ma Bingxiang , Li Na , Shen Yunxia , Li Min , Wei Yaoyi , Zhao Yu 
Published: June 2023

AbstractMelamine and cyanic acid were self‐assembled into the supramolecular precursor through hydrogen bonding, and the precursor was treated by adding different amounts of H2O2. A series of polymeric carbon nitrides by H2O2 were prepared by the high temperature calcination method, and these samples were characterized by various modern analysis methods. Taking Rhodamine B(RhB) as the pollutant, the effect of H2O2 addition on the photocatalytic performance of polymeric carbon nitride was investigated. The results show that the addition of H2O2 affected the structural composition of polymeric carbon nitride and enhanced its photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic degradation of RhB by the polymeric carbon nitride with 30 mL H2O2 was the best, and the degradation time of RhB to 90 % by this polymeric carbon nitride was at least 10 min earlier than that of the sample without H2O2. The degradation of RhB by the polymeric carbon nitride with 30 mL H2O2 was 99.7 % within 30 min. This polymeric carbon nitride had good stability, and the degradation of RhB decreased slightly after cyclic experiment but the chemical groups remained unchanged.