cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Involvement and Exploitation Strategy
Creators: name: Genovese, Gianluca
name: Montanari, Roberto
name: Peroni, Silvio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023

description: The deliverable presents the methods and tools identified and prepared by the project to achieve three main goals:

Identify and involve a number of relevant stakeholders categories in the project activities, according to the quadruple helix engagement approach;
identify and implement a series of exploitation activities to disseminate the results of the project in scientific communities, through conferences and events;
design and develop a set of communication tools and materials to reach the targeted audience and maximise the visibility of the project and its outputs. 
In order to measure the effectiveness of the defined actions and tools, a list of KPIs and expected results are eventually presented in the document.
The differential effects of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on intestinal microbial ecology and host redox responses
Creators: name: Rajendiran, Ethendhar
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2012

description: The gastrointestinal tract harbors complex bacteria which plays an important role in health and disease. Gut microbial antigens, in conjunction with ingested dietary components, are important in intestinal immune homeostasis. High omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n6 PUFA) can induce oxidative stress and inflammation in the gut. In contrast, omega-3 (n3 PUFAs) supplementation can cure several inflammatory diseases. However, the relationship between dietary PUFAs and the intestinal microbiota remain unknown. Our study was to determine the effect of high fat diets with varying n6 and n3 PUFA on mice microbiota and host responses. We used 20% wt/wt corn oil (high n6 PUFA), corn + fish oil (19% wt/wt corn oil added to 1% wt/wt fish oil; high n6 PUFA + long chain n3 PUFA), 20% wt/wt canola oil (low n6 PUFA) as diets keeping 5% wt/wt corn oil as a chow control. After feeding mice the high fat diets for 5 weeks, Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) was used to examine the gut microbiota.Immunofluorescence was carried out to examine immune and redox responses. All high fat diets,regardless of composition, significantly reduced Bacteroides spp. and increased in intestinal epithelial cell death. Mice fed 20% corn oil had high levels of bacteria from the Clostridium and Enterobacteriaceae; associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In contrast, mice fed corn oil diets supplemented with fish oil, had enriched beneficial microbe Lactobacillus and lower levels of Enterobacteriaceae and Clostridia species. Fish oil also reduced neutrophil infiltration as well suggesting that n3 PUFA is anti-inflammatory. In addition, unexpectedly, fish oil supplementation induced oxidative stress in the colon evident by the increased presence of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, a lipid peroxide product, and dual oxidase 2, which generates H₂O₂. In addition, catalase, an antioxidant was also low in the fish oil group. Canola oil, which contains n3, n6 PUFAs and a monounsaturated fat oleic acid, alters the microbiota similar to the corn oil group. Overall, our research suggests that n6 PUFA alters the microbial composition, enriching it with detrimental microbes. Fish oil supplementation can reverse this effect. However, we also provide evidence of fish oil supplementation increasing oxidative stress.
InTheMED D5.1 Report on Site Characterization and Hot Spot Identification
Creators: name: Akrout, Hanene
name: Ghrabi, Ahmed
name: Mellah, Thuraya
name: Mansouri, Lobna
name: Asarta, Janire Uribe
name: Gómez-Hernández, J. Jaime
name: Saysel, Ali K.
name: Copty, Nadim
name: Azevedo, Leonardo
name: Pereira, João Lino
name: Karatzas, George
name: Varouchakis, Emmanouil
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: groundwater, hotspot, water governance

description: The current document presents a report on the five case studies characterization. The scientific team in this document collected and analysed all the available data for the demo sites in Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Turkey and made an assessment on how the real situation is in each site.
 All five sites are investigated through a detailed SWOT analysis to identify the main groundwater problems, hotspots and key stakeholders, which are needed in WP2 (Task 2.1) and WP4 (Task 4.1).
 D5.1 highlighted the main issues such as water supplies, wastewater production, stream flows, rainfall, groundwater levels, pumping rates, water threats, hotposts needing immediate intervention and summarize the status of the aquifer.
 The deliverable 5.1 aims to help the setup of the best monitoring strategy for each case study using the HRMA, which will be carried out in Task 2.1 (WP2).
description: This project is part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 1923.
Burst statistics in Alcator C-Mod SOL turbulence
Creators: name: Garcia, O. E.
name: Cziegler, I.
name: Kube, R.
name: LaBombard, B.
name: Terry, J. L.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Bursty fluctuations in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of Alcator C-Mod have been analyzed using gas puff imaging data. This reveals many of the same fluctuation properties as Langmuir probe measurements, including normal distributed fluctuations in the near SOL region while the far SOL plasma is dominated by large amplitude bursts due to radial motion of blob-like structures. Conditional averaging reveals burst wave forms with a fast rise and slow decay and exponentially distributed waiting times. Based on this, a stochastic model of burst dynamics is constructed. The model predicts that fluctuation amplitudes should follow a Gamma distribution. This is shown to be a good description of the gas puff imaging data, validating this aspect of the model.
description: 8 pages, 6 figures
Sodium nitrite poisoning: an emerging trend in Forensic Toxicology
Creators: name: Senra, B.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: Sodium nitrite (NaNO2) is an odorless, white crystalline powder soluble in water, and like common salt in appearance and taste. It can be toxic for humans and can cause methemoglobinemia [1]. Its mechanism of toxicity mainly consists in the oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe2+) to ferric iron (Fe3+) of one of the four heme structures in hemoglobin [2]. This is a growing topic due to the consecutive increase in the number of reported intoxication cases in recent years, mainly of suicide attempts by ingesting this powder. Objective: This study aims to summarize and characterize intentional and accidental sodium nitrite intake cases in what concerns to age, gender, and outcome (in particular mortality). Methods: A literature search was carried out on January 3, 2023, on PubMed. Only articles published in the last 5 years from the date of the search were selected. After excluding duplicate, off-topic, or no-access articles, 23 articles were selected, including 8 case reports, 8 case series and 6 review articles. Results: Of the 34 victims reported in the articles studied, 21 were male and 13 are female. The age range of the victims was from 16 to 70 years. 29 cases had an intentional character, while only 5 were caused by food poisoning. The amount of NaNO2 ingested was from 0.75 to 113 g. Conclusions: A patient presenting with cyanosis and unresponsive without respiratory disease should raise suspicions of sodium nitrite poisoning. There was a higher mortality rate for older victims, so age should be a conditioning factor for the victim survival/death [1]. In 48.3% of the cases, NaNO2 was obtained from the internet and online suicide forums. Thus, there should be limitation of this information on the internet and more control on NaNO2 sales. These measures are being implemented in some countries, such as Canada [3].
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
Interpolatory H-infinity Model Reduction
Creators: name: Flagg, Garret
name: Beattie, Christopher
name: Gugercin, Serkan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Numerical Analysis (math.NA)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We introduce an interpolation framework for H-infinity model reduction founded on ideas originating in optimal-H2 interpolatory model reduction, realization theory, and complex Chebyshev approximation. By employing a Loewner "data-driven" framework within each optimization cycle, large-scale H-infinity norm calculations can be completely avoided. Thus, we are able to formulate a method that remains effective in large-scale settings with the main cost dominated by sparse linear solves. Several numerical examples illustrate that our approach will produce high fidelity reduced models consistently exhibiting better H-infinity performance than those produced by balanced truncation; these models often are as good as (and occasionally better than) those models produced by optimal Hankel norm approximation. In all cases, these reduced models are produced at far lower cost than is possible either with balanced truncation or optimal Hankel norm approximation.
A raman cell based on hollow core photonic crystal fibre for human breath analysis
Creators: name: Chow, Kam Kong
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2013

description: Lung cancer is the top cancer killer in Canada and North America. Current lung cancer detection tools involving X-ray, CT and bronchoscopy are relatively time-consuming and costly. Breath analyses done by mass spectrometry have shown that certain endogenous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are related to lung cancer and revealed the potential of breath analysis for lung cancer detection. But mass spectrometry is costly and has slow turnaround times. Raman spectroscopy is a promising candidate for breath analysis because it can offer unique fingerprint-type signals for molecular identification. Hollow core-photonic crystal fibre (HC-PCF) is a novel light guide which allows light to be guided in a small hollow core and it can be filled with a gaseous sample (i.e., human breath) for spectral analysis. Our objective is to develop a simple, cost-effective and non-invasive tool based on Raman spectroscopy for breath analysis and potentially lung cancer screening. A Raman-gas analyzer was designed, based on photonics technology. A gas supply system was built to provide a sealed environment for the loading and unloading of gaseous samples. A laser source at 785 nm was used as the pump for molecular excitation. Stokes Raman signals generated in the hollow core of the HC-PCF can be guided by collection optics and analyzed by a Raman spectrometer. Raman spectra have been obtained successfully from air, reference gases (hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, carbon dioxide gas), and human breath. The limit of detection of the system was found to be approximately 15 parts per million by CO² concentration in the ambient air, characterized by the Raman peaks at 1286 cm₋¹ and 1388 cm-1. This is more than a 100-fold improvement over the recently reported detection limit with a reflective capillary fibre-based Raman cell. Furthermore the detection limit can be further improved by changes to the optical configurations, optimizing the interaction length of the HC-PCF and possible pre-concentration method to enhance signal-to-noise ratio. This work demonstrated a working prototype of a simple, compact, and cost-effective Raman-gas analyzer based on hollow core photonic crystal fibre, which could potentially be used for lung cancer screening through breath analysis.
The Impact of Geographic Deprivation Levels on Acute Ischemic Stroke Care in Alberta
Creators: name: Eagles, Matthew
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Ischemic stroke
subject: health equity
subject: endovascular thrombectomy
subject: patient outcomes
subject: Epidemiology
subject: Public Health

description: Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke is a neurological emergency that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Treatments for this condition aim to reperfuse the ischemic brain and are time sensitive in nature. To optimize patient outcome, strokes need to be recognized quickly, triaged appropriately, and started down the optimal treatment pathway. Unfortunately, previous works have suggested that there are inequalities in the provision of stroke care and outcomes based on patient socioeconomic status (SES). The objective of this thesis was to assess for disparities in the management and outcomes of patients who suffer ischemic stroke in Alberta, Canada based on a measure of neighbourhood SES. Methods: We performed three retrospective cohort studies using population level data from the Quality Improvement in Clinical Research Database. All patients were treated with IV Alteplase between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. The outcomes of interest were treatment with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), patient outcome (home-time), and treatment acuity (emergency room triage scores and stroke to needle time). Our independent variable of interest was an individual’s neighbourhood deprivation, as calculated by the Pampalon Index. We used regression modeling to assess for relationships between our outcomes and independent variable of interest. Results: Overall deprivation was significantly associated with the odds of being treated with EVT, yet this difference was no longer statistically significant after controlling for the distance an individual lives from the nearest comprehensive stroke centre. There was no significant association between deprivation level and home-time or stroke to needle time; however, being from the most deprived areas of Alberta was significantly associated with less acute emergency room triage scores being assigned. Conclusions: We identified potential areas of disparity in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke based on a measure of neighbourhood SES. However, these gaps did not lead to significantly worse patient outcomes in this study cohort. Future works should attempt to replicate these findings while including patients who were not treated with Alteplase.
Sexual harassment and burnout in health care context
Creators: name: Figueira, J.
name: Alves, M. J.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: Burnout is a major problem among physicians [1]. Women physicians experience higher rates of both burnout and sexual harassment than their male counterparts. Sexual harassment may contribute to burnout. Some studies have shown a correlation between sexual harassment at workplace and burnout in women physicians [1]. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between sexual harassment and burnout in female physicians in a health care context. It is hypothesized that sexual harassment would be associated with female physician burnout. Methods: Apply a cross-sectional self-report study to assess burnout and sexual harassment among medical professionals [2]. Burnout will be assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) for Portuguese samples. Sexual harassment will be assessed with an adaptation of the Sexual Experiences Survey – Victimization Form [3]. Results: It is expected that respondents report some kind of sexual harassment experiences perpetrated by their work colleagues and eventually those experiences would be significantly correlated with burnout scores on female physicians [1,4]. Conclusions: This study expects to find that reports of burnout and sexual harassment perpetrated by work colleagues are significantly correlated. The results may also imply that there are significant rates of sexual harassment in medical settings.
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
A framework for contrast enhancement by dyadic wavelet analysis
Creators: name: Laine, Andrew F.
name: Fan, Jian
name: Schuler, Sergio
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 1994
Subjects: Biomedical engineering

description: This paper introduces a method for accomplishing mammographic feature analysis by multiresolution representations of the dyadic wavelet transform. Our approach consists of the application of non-linear enhancing functions E(z) within levels of a multiresolution representation. We show that there exists a simple constraint for E(z) such that image enhancement is guaranteed. Furthermore, a simple case in which the enhancement operator is a constant multiplier is mathematically equivalent to traditional unsharp masking. We show quantitatively that transform coefficients, modified within each level by non-linear operators, can make more obvious unseen or barely seen features of mammography without requiring additional radiation. Our results are compared with traditional image enhancement techniques by measuring the local contrast of known mammographic features.
Measuring non-Markovianity of processes with controllable system-environment interaction
Creators: name: Tang, Jian-Shun
name: Li, Chuan-Feng
name: Li, Yu-Long
name: Zou, Xu-Bo
name: Guo, Guang-Can
name: Breuer, Heinz-Peter
name: Laine, Elsi-Mari
name: Piilo, Jyrki
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2011
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Non-Markovian processes have recently become a central topic in the study of open quantum systems. We realize experimentally non-Markovian decoherence processes of single photons by combining time delay and evolution in a polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The experiment allows the identification of the process with strongest memory effects as well as the determination of a recently proposed measure for the degree of quantum non-Markovianity based on the exchange of information between the open system and its environment. Our results show that an experimental quantification of memory in quantum processes is indeed feasible which could be useful in the development of quantum memory and communication devices.
description: 5 pages, 4 figures. V2: Minor modifications, title changed
Variation of the physical-chemical parameters of diverse water bodies for study of diatom distribution and composition for forensic investigations
Creators: name: Portugal, M.
name: Couto, C.
name: Madureira-Carvalho, A.
name: Ribeiro, C.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: Diatoms are microalgae of fundamental ecological role in aquatic ecosystems; however, these microorganisms have been shown to provide valuable information for forensic investigations. Due to the characteristic diatom distribution in a water body, the presence of diatoms in objects may allow to correlate to a specific aquatic system and/or a suspect. Additionally, in cases of suspicious of death by drowning, the presence of diatoms in some organs and/or bones may give important information to support confirmation [1-3]. The occurrence of diatoms, concerning diversity and frequency in a water body, depends on temporal and physical-chemical water parameters [3,4]. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the seasonal and spatial variation of the physical-chemical parameters of different water for further correlation with the presence and geo-temporal variation of diatom composition. Methods: Six sampling points were selected in different regions of the Porto District: two wells (Póvoa de Varzim and Paredes); two on the Asprela streams; two in the natural reserve area of the Ave River. Samples were collected seasonally (Summer, Autumn and Winter) and temperature, conductivity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite and phosphate were measured. Water samples aliquots were separated for further analysis for diatom composition. Results: The results showed a seasonal and spatial variation of physical-chemical water parameters. High levels of turbidity were found in autumn, in all water bodies and the sampling point located in natural reserve showed the highest value (589.6 NTU), and the highest content of nutrient which may affect diatom composition. Preliminary studies showed a low occurrence of diatom in well water samples. Conclusions: These results suggest that, for these water bodies, the presence of suspended diatom may be low which may difficult the use of these organisms for forensic investigation. Nevertheless, further experiments are ongoing to correlate physical-chemical parameters with composition of other water bodies.
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
A framework for contrast enhancement by dyadic wavelet analysis
Creators: name: Laine, Andrew F.
name: Schuler, Sergio
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 1994
Subjects: Biomedical engineering

description: This paper describes a method of pattern recognition targeted for recognizing complex annotations found in paper documents. Our investigation is motivated by the high reliability required for accomplishing autonomous interpretation of maps and engineering drawings. Our approach includes a strategy based on multiscale representations obtained by hexagonal wavelet analysis. A feasibility study is described in which more than 10,000 patterns were recognized with an error rate of 2.06% by a neural network trained using multiscale representations  from a class of 52 distinct patterns. We observed a 21-fold reduction in the amount of information needed to represent each pattern for recognition. These results suggest that high reliability is possible at a reduced cost of representation.
Barriers, Facilitators, and Experiences with Exercise Among Individuals of South Asian Heritage Living with and Beyond Cancer
Creators: name: Bansal, Mannat
Publisher: name: Kinesiology
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: exercise oncology
subject: South Asian
subject: barriers
subject: facilitators
subject: preferences
subject: Education--Health
subject: Oncology

description: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the physical activity (PA) experiences, as well as needs, barriers, and facilitators to exercise, among individuals of South Asian heritage diagnosed with cancer. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used for this study. Individuals of South Asian heritage were recruited via a mix of convenience sampling and purposive sampling, with outreach via radio, posters in community settings, and via participants in current exercise oncology studies. Inclusion criteria included being over the age of 18; diagnosed with any cancer type and stage; pre, during, or post-treatment; able to speak English, Hindi, or Punjabi; and self-identified as South Asian. Data for this study was collected via semi-structured interviews conducted in either Hindi, Punjabi, or English. Interviews were transcribed verbatim in the original language and then analysed using conventional content analysis. The codes created through analysis were then translated and back-translated to ensure accuracy. Codes were then organized into themes and categories. Results: Eight participants were recruited, with 5 interviews in Punjabi and 3 interviews in English. The three themes that were created from the participant interviews include: 1) Culture, 2) Informational Needs, and 3) The Nature of Exercise Oncology Programming. Within these themes, categories included PA needs, barriers, and facilitators. Conclusion: Participants’ perspectives provided insights into the PA experiences, barriers, facilitators, and needs of people of South Asian heritage living with and beyond cancer. The results can be used to inform the tailoring of exercise oncology resources to better support physical activity for this population.
Gold nanoparticles for forensic application
Creators: name: Almeida Cardoso Da Costa, A. C.
name: Mateus, A.
name: Fernandes Patrício, T. M.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: Nanotechnology has grown exponentially over the years, considering the versatility of applications [1]. Metallic nanoparticles present various advantages, highlighting their versatility, low toxicity, high biocompatibility, biodegradability, stability, and low production cost [2–4]. Metallic nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles (NPAu), can be used for incorporation in systems due to the colorimetric properties that allow identification through color change [1]. There are methodologies for detecting latent fingerprints under development, using NPAu for forensic application [2–4]. On the other hand, NPAu are used for illicit drug testing methods [2–4]. One of the barriers to the application of metallic nanoparticles is their synthesis through manual methodologies, making this process time-consuming and complex. The growing interest in nanoparticles and biomaterials opens the opportunity to design and develop novel and optimized prototype for biomaterials and nanoparticles synthesis. Objective: Demonstrate the potential of applying a versatile prototype for the synthesis of nanoparticles and biomaterials for biomedical and forensic applications. Methods: Herein, a versatile prototype for the synthesis of biomaterials and nanoparticles, namely NPAu is presented [5]. The main aim is to synthesize gold nanoparticles under controlled conditions, as temperature, pH, conductivity, among others. The as-produced nanoparticles will be used to identify diverse diseases, applied to biomedical or forensic applications. Results: A versatile prototype for biomaterials synthesis is presented. Gold nanoparticles will be synthesized, and chemical, physical, thermal properties will be evaluated. A proper biological condition will be addressed to characterize the gold nanoparticles. NPAu will be tested for the detection of traces, drugs or diseases, to be for example applied to several forensic areas. Conclusions: Development of the BioRobotBeads system demonstrates an emergent evolution of nanotechnology, especially for biomedical and forensic applications.
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
Towards the Development of Valid, Reliable, and Acceptable Tools for Assessing the Outcomes and Impacts of Health Research Partnerships
Creators: name: Mrklas, Kelly
Publisher: name: Cumming School of Medicine
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: scoping review
subject: systematic review
subject: outcomes
subject: impacts
subject: health research partnerships
subject: evaluation
subject: psychometrics
subject: pragmatics
subject: Health Sciences

description: Background Researchers and their partners need access to high quality assessment tools to demonstrate the tangible outcomes and impacts of their work. As health research partnership approaches grow in popularity and mandated use, so too will the demand for tools to systematically measure their effects. This thesis surveyed literature spanning partnership traditions to locate and examine the globally available tools for assessing health research partnership outcomes and impacts. It systematically identified and assessed tools and tool characteristics (conceptual, psychometric, pragmatic), terminology, use of theories, models and frameworks, and examined the nature of outcomes and impacts arising from studies using tools with known characteristics. Methods We searched four electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL+, PsychINFO) from inception to June 2021 without limits, and guided by an a priori protocol and search strategy. We retained studies involving a health research partnership, the development, use, and/or assessment of tools to evaluate partnership outcomes and impacts as a study aim, studies that reported empirical psychometric evidence (manuscript 2), and those with explicit conceptual foundations, empirical psychometric evidence, and pragmatic characteristics (manuscript 3). Study quality was assessed in both systematic reviews. Results Of 56123 total citations, we screened 36027 de-duplicated records, yielding 2784 full text records, ultimately retaining 169, 49, and 37 eligible studies, respectively. Studies were largely North America-centric, and published in English, after 2010. The tools we located were mostly bespoke (205); few had distinguishing conceptual, psychometric, and pragmatic features (58). The research revealed persistent measurement challenges across partnership traditions, including non-standard terminology, inconsistent reporting and use of term definitions, insufficient psychometric/pragmatic tools and a lack of quantitative methods and deliberate focus on tool development, testing, and use, among others. As compared with other historical reviews, very few of the identified studies and tools overlapped; yet the key messages regarding the need to evolve measurement and tool development were the same. Conclusions Dedicated, collaborative efforts among research partnership traditions are required to coordinate the advancement of partnership measurement and science, and to tackle complex outcomes and impacts measurement challenges in this rapidly expanding research field.
Graphical abstracts in Forensic Sciences – science communication and literacy
Creators: name: Florek, C.
name: Dinis-Oliveira, R. J.
name: Soares Carrola, J.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: Scientific digital communication presents a diversity of add-on summaries to verbal abstracts [1]. Among these native HTML and PDF publications, Graphical Abstracts (GAs) are possibly the oldest [2] and are prevalent in chemistry, medicine, and biology [3]. Even so, some biomedical sub-areas seem to resist to the use of GAs, including the Forensic area. Objective: Review the frequency of GAs in scientific forensics journals and alert for the importance of at least optional GA presentation. Methods: A search of scientific literature was done using Pubmed and ScienceDirect looking for: “graphical abstract”, “forensic” and “forensic science”, and analyzing major journals assessing the prevalence of GA: mandatory; optional; specific image; the first image of the paper; only online or in the pdf. Results: According to the h5-index, eight publishers are responsible for publishing the 20 most important Forensic Sciences journals. GAs are optional in 30% (n=6) and mandatory in 5% (n=1), some use the first image as GA. In Elsevier, Oxford Academy and MDPI journals, GAs are mandatory or optional. Guidelines for GA elaboration are usually brief, and Elsevier presents more detailed guidelines. Bentham Science asks for animated video abstract (as a complement to GA), the most complex format to be produced. Conclusions: The reduced adherence of important publishers to GAs may be related to I) idiosyncrasies from forensic areas which can make GAs unattractive; II) resistance to digital genres [4,5]; III) being seen by others as means of trivializing and simplifying technical knowledge [6,7]. Furthermore, for some researchers, GA construction is time-consuming and a waste of time. We can deduce also that a lack of literacy is a possible factor. It is essential to focus on critical digital literacy strategies to prepare students and researchers to produce high-quality multimodal genres with diverse digital tools without losing scientific quality.
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
Assessment of the CYP450 inhibitory potential of LSD, 5-MeO-DMT and mescaline: an in vitro study
Creators: name: Silva-Carvalho, M.
name: Brito-Da-Costa, A. M.
name: Dinis-Oliveira, R. J.
name: Madureira-Carvalho, Á.
name: Dias Da Silva, D.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: LSD, 5-MeO-DMT and mescaline are classic hallucinogens known for their recreational use, whose consumption increased in the last decades. Despite some available data on the toxicokinetics of these drugs, little is known about their CYP450 metabolism [1,2,3]. Nevertheless, this information is of crucial relevance to predict drug-drug interactions and understand toxicological phenomena, in particular interindividual variability. Objective: This study evaluated the potential inhibition of LSD, 5-MeO-DMT and mescaline over CYP450 isoenzymes (CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2B6 and CYP2A6). Methods: The Vivid® CYP450 screening kits were used following the manufacturer’s instructions. Concentration ranges tested for each drug were 6.1x10-5–1.0 mM, 1.95x10-4–4.0 mM and 6.1x10-5–1.0 mM for CYP3A4; 9.54x10-8–1.0 mM, 9.54x10-7–4.0 mM and 6.1x10-5–4.0 m for CYP2D6; 2.56x10-5–2.0 mM, 2.44x10-4–6.0 mM and 6.1x10-5–4.0 mM for CYP2B6; and 1.91x10-6–1.0 mM, 2.86x10-6–4.0 mM and 2.29x10-5–1.0 mM for CYP2A6, for LSD, 5-MeO-DMT and mescaline, respectively. Solvent and positive controls of inhibition, i.e., ketononazole (CYP3A4), quinidine (CYP2D6), miconazole (CYP2B6) and tranylcypromine (CYP2A6) were used. Fluorescence was measured for 60 minutes at excitation and emission wavelengths of 415/20 and 460/20 nm, respectively. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated using GraphPad Prism 9.3.0. Five independent experiments were performed for CYP3A4, four for CYP2D6 and two for CYP2B6 and 2A6. Results: IC50 values of 80.92 mM, 203.27 mM, 97.59 mM for CYP3A4; 0.61 mM, 3.47 mM, 558.53 mM for CYP2D6; 604.68 mM, 653.55 mM, 323.98 mM for CYP2B6; and 54.44 mM, 124.82 mM, 96.35 mM for CYP2A6, were obtained for LSD, 5-MeO-DMT and mescaline, respectively. Conclusions: LSD and 5-MeO-DMT have a strong potential to inhibit CYP2D6, which is highly polymorphic and therefore implicated in great toxicological interindividual variability. CYP3A4 which is involved in the metabolism of many drugs and food is also greatly inhibited by LSD and mescaline.
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
Derivatives Pricing with Fractional Discrete-time Models
Creators: name: Jayaraman, Sarath Kumar
Publisher: name: Science
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Fractional GARCH
subject: Affine models
subject: Variance-dependent pricing kernels
subject: Long memory
subject: VIX options
subject: Target volatility options
subject: Heston-Nandi GARCH
subject: Inverse Gaussian GARCH
subject: Education--Finance
subject: Education--Mathematics
subject: Economics
subject: Statistics
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: This thesis studies the pricing of European style derivatives with various affine models. Most of this thesis focuses on the impact of long memory on asset return modelling and option pricing. We propose a general discrete-time pricing framework based on affine multi-component volatility models that admit ARCH(∞) representations. It not only nests a large variety of option pricing models from the literature, but also allows for the introduction of novel fractionally integrated processes for option valuation purposes. Using an infinite sum characterization of the log-asset price’s cumulant generating function, we derive semi-explicit expressions for European option prices under a variance-dependent stochastic discount factor. We carry out an extensive empirical analysis which includes estimations based on different combinations of returns and options of the S&P 500 index for a variety of short- and long-memory models. Our results indicate that the inclusion of long memory into return modelling substantially improves the option pricing performance. Using a set of out-of-sample option pricing errors, we show that long-memory models outperform richer parametrized one- and two-component models with short-memory dynamics. The last part of the thesis studies the pricing of volatility derivatives with affine models. We propose semi-closed form solutions, subject to an inversion of the Fourier transform, for the price of VIX options and target volatility options under affine GARCH models based on Gaussian and Inverse Gaussian distributions. The empirical performance of the two affine GARCH models is tested using different calibration exercises based on historical returns and market quotes on VIX and SPX options.
synthetic cannabinoids ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA accelerate SH-SY5Y proliferation via stimulation of CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors
Creators: name: Dias-Da-Silva, D.
name: Roque-Bravo, R.
name: Silva, J. P.
name: Carmo, H.
name: Carvalho, F.
Publisher: name: Scientific Letters
Year: 2023

description: Background: Synthetic cannabinoids (SC), one of the most popular groups of new psychoactive substances, display a broad pharmacological action close to that of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, while THC is a partial agonist of the cannabinoid receptors type 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2, respectively), SC present a full and more potent agonistic activity on these receptors [1]. Since new evidence demonstrates that cannabis can accelerate ageing/cell senescence [2,3], we therefore hypothesized that SC might also display this ability. Objective: To measure putative SC-induced acceleration of neuronal senescence and, in case of positive effects, to ascertain the extent to which SC-mediated proliferation depends on the effects of the CB1 and CB2. Methods: This work began by evaluating neuronal proliferation of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells after exposure to two trendy SC, ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA. Proliferation was evaluated using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, following exposure to drugs at the biologically-relevant concentrations of 1mM, 1nM and 1pM, for 24h, 48h, 72h, and 96h. Then cells were incubated with 0.5 µM SR141716A and SR144528 (selective inverse agonists for CB1 and CB2, respectively), for 20 min prior to exposure to the SC. Results: At 96h, both ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA significantly increased SH-SY5Y proliferation (p<0.05) at all tested concentrations (1mM, 1nM and 1pM, respectively: 119%, 125%, and 129% for ADB-FUBINACA; 129%, 140%, and 140% for AMB-FUBINACA), compared to the control. Co-exposure of these SC and the receptor inverse agonists reverted the proliferation increase to values not significantly different from that of the antagonist controls, indicating that CB1 and CB2 are likely involved in this SC-mediated proliferative effect. Conclusions: SH-SY5Y proliferation was accelerated after SC exposure. As this increased proliferation results in increased cell divisions, our data suggest that the SC tested may accelerate senescence-related processes. As such, assessing key senescence markers will ensue.
description: Scientific Letters, Vol. 1 No. Sup 1 (2023)
Novel Acoustic Sensing Method for In-situ Concrete Mechanical Properties Monitoring
Creators: name: Kong, Zhihao
Publisher: name: Purdue University Graduate School
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 400505
subject: Construction materials
classificationCode: 400510
subject: Structural engineering
classificationCode: 400599
subject: Civil engineering not elsewhere classified

description: In this research, a novel acoustic sensor with a waveguide is made to induce the local volumetric resonance of concrete material. The sensor is embedded in fresh concrete and monitors the in-place elastic modulus and strength development of the concrete. The resonant peak of the EMI spectrum of the sensor is governed by the concrete material in the proximate area of the sensor. The sensor itself does not affect the position of the resonant peak.This research covers theoretical demonstration, sensor design and prototyping, remote testing systems, experimental study, and machine learning. Current work demonstrated the sensor successfully produced the resonant peaks that are related to the concrete curing process (R-square=0.86 for lab testing and R-square=0.64 for field testing); however, the sensitivity (S=1.00 Hz/psi) of the resonant frequency is not sufficient for practical application.Machine learning algorithms were employed to map the EMI spectra to concrete strength profile. Several existing architectures were explored and evaluated. A novel machine learning scheme was proposed and successfully improved the accuracy of prediction. The algorithm is also able to handle real-time data with decent generalization among diverse concrete mixtures.The integration test for the sensing system, including the sensor, the data collection device, the data pipeline, and the trained machine learning models, was performed in field testing of eight States. The averaged MAPE of the field prediction results is 23.43% for field structures and 16.13% for companion beam samples.The knowledge produced during this study further advanced the application of EMI sensors in the NDE of concrete material. The EMI resonator tailored for local structural resonance is reported in this study for the first time. The EMI data processing algorithm using machine learning that is generalizable among various concrete mixtures is employed in this study for the first time. This study would be helpful for the real-world application of the EMI technique in the NDE of concrete and other phase-changing materials.
Moving from Discussion Boards to Jamboard
Creators: name: Danyluk, Patricia
Publisher: name: Werklund School of Education
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: asynchronous learning
subject: asynchronous discussion
subject: Jamboard
subject: online learning
subject: student engagement
subject: educational technology
subject: critical thinking
subject: collaboration
subject: online interaction
subject: Werklund School of Education Online Pedagogy Series Vignettes

description: Jamboard is a digital interactive whiteboard that allows learners to collaborate in real time. Jamboard was released by Google in 2017 and is one of the free products on Google’s G-suite. Prior to discovering Jamboard, I relied upon discussion boards in each of my classes. In my role as instructor, discussion boards provided me with insight into who was completing the course readings and acted as a form of assessment, both formative and summative. In this brief vignette, I discuss how Jamboards offer many of the advantages of discussion boards and provide students with the opportunity to interact with their instructor and peers. This results in a more enjoyable online course.
The Use of Telehealth Technology in Remote Management of Vestibular Disorders: A Scoping Review
Creators: name: Maayken Van Den Berg
name: Hutchins, Selena
Publisher: name: OSF Registries
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Physiotherapy
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Rehabilitation and Therapy
subject: Physical Therapy

description: A scoping review on the current telehealth technologies available to assist in the remote assessment and intervention of vestibular disorders.
Using a student-centered online professional learning approach to support preservice teacher development in digital assessment practices
Creators: name: Delanoy, Nadia
name: Walz, Jodie
Publisher: name: Office of Teaching & Learning
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: digital assessment
subject: preservice teacher education
subject: online learning
subject: online professional learning
subject: student-centred learning
subject: technology-enhanced assessment
subject: preservice teacher field experience
subject: transference-focused learning
subject: TPACK framework
subject: online pedagogy
subject: Werklund School of Education Online Pedagogy Series Vignettes

description: This vignette describes the collaboration between the Werklund School of Education (WSE) and an urban school district to offer a student-centered digital assessment professional learning series aimed at preservice teachers. Specifically, by prioritizing preservice teacher assessment development, the collaboration between an adjunct assistant professor and education consultant in educational technology resulted in a rich design of online professional learning. The core intentions were to support preservice teachers’ learning about assessment practices within the digital age, while connecting the learned theories to their practice. In this vignette, we will outline our considerations in the design focus of student centeredness related to the professional learning, how this work supported technology-enhanced practice in a highly interactive learning series, as well as some participant feedback collected at the end of the series.
State of the Art of Level Set Methods in Segmentation and Registration of Medical Imaging Modalities
Creators: name: Angelini, Elsa D.
name: Jin, Yinpeng
name: Laine, Andrew F.
Publisher: name: Columbia University
Year: 2004
Subjects: Biomedical engineering

description: Segmentation of medical images is an important step in various applications such as visualization, quantitative analysis and image-guided surgery. Numerous segmentation methods have been developed in the past two decades for extraction of organ contours on medical images. Low-level segmentation methods, such as pixel-based clustering, region growing, and filter-based edge detection, require additional pre-processing and post-processing as well as considerable amounts of expert intervention or information of the objects of interest. Furthermore the subsequent analysis of segmented objects is hampered by the primitive, pixel or voxel level representations from those region-based segmentation. Deformable models, on the other hand, provide an explicit representation of the boundary and the shape of the object. They combine several desirable features such as inherent connectivity and smoothness, which counteract noise and boundary irregularities, as well as the ability to incorporate knowledge about the object of interest. However, parametric deformable models have two main limitations. First, in situations where the initial model and desired object boundary differ greatly in size and shape, the model must be re-parameterized dynamically to faithfully recover the object boundary. The second limitation is that it has difficulty dealing with topological adaptation such as splitting or merging model parts, a useful property for recovering either multiple objects or objects with unknown topology. This difficulty is caused by the fact that a new parameterization must be constructed whenever topology change occurs, which requires sophisticated schemes. Level set deformable models, also referred to as geometric deformable models, provide an elegant solution to address the primary limitations of parametric deformable models. These methods have drawn a great deal of attention since their introduction in 1988. Advantages of the contour implicit formulation of the deformable model over parametric formulation include: (1) no parameterization of the contour, (2) topological flexibility, (3) good numerical stability, (4) straightforward extension of the 2D formulation to n-D. Recent reviews on the subject include papers from Suri. In this chapter we give a general overview of the level set segmentation methods with emphasize on new frameworks recently introduced in the context of medical imaging problems. We then introduce novel approaches that aim at combining segmentation and registration in a level set formulation. Finally we review a selective set of clinical works with detailed validation of the level set methods for several clinical applications.
$\bar B\to Dτ\bar ν_τ$ vs. $\bar B\to Dμ\bar ν_μ$
Creators: name: Becirevic, Damir
name: Kosnik, Nejc
name: Tayduganov, Andrey
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
subject: High Energy Physics - Lattice (hep-lat)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Recent experimental results for the ratio of the branching fractions of $\bar B\to D^{(*)}τ\bar ν_τ$ and $\bar B\to D^{(*)}μ\bar ν_μ$ decays came as a surprise and lead to a discussion of possibility to constraining New Physics through these modes. Here we focus on ${\cal B}(\bar B\to Dτ\bar ν_τ)/{\cal B}(\bar B\to Dμ\bar ν_μ)$ and argue that the result is consistent with the Standard Model within $2σ$, and that the test of compatibility of this ratio with the Standard Model can be done experimentally with a minimal theory input. We also show that these two decay channels can provide us with quite good constraints of the New Physics couplings.
description: 10 pages (published version)