Relevant Information Research Articles

Deep learning applied to CO2 power plant emissions quantification using simulated satellite images

Abstract. The quantification of emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants through the inversion of plumes in satellite images remains a complex problem that current methods can only assess with significant uncertainties. The anticipated launch of the CO2M (Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring) satellite constellation in 2026 is expected to provide high-resolution images of CO2 (carbon dioxide) column-averaged mole fractions (XCO2), opening up new possibilities. However, the inversion of future CO2 plumes from CO2M will encounter various obstacles. A challenge is the low CO2 plume signal-to-noise ratio due to the variability in the background and instrumental errors in satellite measurements. Moreover, uncertainties in the transport and dispersion processes further complicate the inversion task. To address these challenges, deep learning techniques, such as neural networks, offer promising solutions for retrieving emissions from plumes in XCO2 images. Deep learning models can be trained to identify emissions from plume dynamics simulated using a transport model. It then becomes possible to extract relevant information from new plumes and predict their emissions. In this paper, we develop a strategy employing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to estimate the emission fluxes from a plume in a pseudo-XCO2 image. Our dataset used to train and test such methods includes pseudo-images based on simulations of hourly XCO2, NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), and wind fields near various power plants in eastern Germany, tracing plumes from anthropogenic and biogenic sources. CNN models are trained to predict emissions from three power plants that exhibit diverse characteristics. The power plants used to assess the deep learning model's performance are not used to train the model. We find that the CNN model outperforms state-of-the-art plume inversion approaches, achieving highly accurate results with an absolute error about half of that of the cross-sectional flux method and an absolute relative error of ∼ 20 % when only the XCO2 and wind fields are used as inputs. Furthermore, we show that our estimations are only slightly affected by the absence of NO2 fields or a detection mechanism as additional information. Finally, interpretability techniques applied to our models confirm that the CNN automatically learns to identify the XCO2 plume and to assess emissions from the plume concentrations. These promising results suggest a high potential of CNNs in estimating local CO2 emissions from satellite images.

(269) Distress with Sexual Function in LGB+ Individuals: Proposal for a Scoping Review

Abstract Introduction Distress associated with sexual function, usually described as “sexual distress” is typically defined as an intense negative emotional experience. It has gained significant attention in research, mainly due to its inclusion as a mandatory criterion for diagnosing sexual dysfunctions (SD). Literature suggests that sexual distress with sexual function can have wide-ranging implications, negatively affecting mental health, relationship dynamics, and overall well-being. Studies specifically targeting LGB+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other minority sexual orientations) people reveal that lesbian women commonly report distress related to sexual pain, difficulties with arousal, and low interest and desire for sexual activities. Additionally, research has indicated a high prevalence of sexual dysfunctions among gay men (e.g., erectile dysfunction). Regarding bisexual people, women in same-gender relationships may have high levels of sexual pain when compared with women in mixed-gender relationships. Furthermore, men in same-gender-oriented relationships reported a higher frequency of sexual problems when compared to men in mixed-gender relationships, who frequently reported anodyspareunia and difficulties with erect function. Objective Given the reported existence of sexual distress with sexual function in LGB+ people, exploring its specific correlates in LGB+ people is crucial, expanding knowledge in this field. We seek to answer the following research question: "What does the literature report/describe about sexual distress in LGB+ people and its correlates?". We aim to map all knowledge and gaps as well as clinical and research implications related to sexual distress in LGB+ people. Methods We will develop a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework (2005) and follow PRISMA guidelines and an open-science framework. We will consider relevant information such as publication year, country, sample demographics, methodological approach, study objectives, variables associated with sexual distress in LGB+ people, presence of a diagnosis of SD, comorbidity, and primary outcomes (e.g., sexual distress levels, sexual function, help-seeking behaviors). The search will be conducted on indexed databases (i.e., PubMed, APA PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection). Inclusion criteria are studies about sexual distress with sexual function with LGB+ people. The exclusion criteria are non-English studies and gray literature. The review will not restrict the data range of included studies and will consider both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed sources. The articles provided will be subjected to quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis to synthesize the literature. The search string will include terms such as, for example, (sexual* distress* OR sexual* concern OR sexual* bother) AND (psychological OR individual OR personal OR interpersonal OR relation* OR marital OR couple) AND (LGB+ people OR sexual minority OR non-heterosexual). Results We aim to identify existing theoretical and methodological approaches, flaws, and gaps. We hope to reach a comprehensive look at existing results in the field, opening room for future research while also aggregating clinically meaningful information. Conclusions This scoping review will be useful for researching and practicing sexual medicine with LGB+ people. Disclosure No.

Cultural factors and family influences on adolescent oral health: qualitative research in a socially disadvantaged population.

This qualitative study sought to assess the influence of cultural factors and family on oral health behaviour of 12- to 15-year-old adolescents from the socially disadvantaged population. A qualitative design was developed with focus group discussions (FGDs) among 12- to 15-year-old adolescents. Four focus groups (n = 32 participants) were created from a selected sample to capture oral health beliefs and practices, oral health-seeking behaviour along with other relevant information. Focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated. Data were analysed thematically and structural coding was applied. Three key themes that emerged from FGDs were importance of oral health; role of family in oral health behaviour; and beliefs influencing access, prevention and treatment of oral diseases. Cultural background, family values and beliefs were imperative in moulding the behaviour of adolescents towards oral health. The use of traditional oral hygiene aides was a norm in this population. Findings of the study provide greater insights into the authoritative role of family and cultural barriers in the uptake of dental services. The study also highlights the potential value of qualitative research and emphasizes the need to integrate oral health-associated cultural beliefs and attitudes of the adolescents towards a wider evidence base.

Ripple-Spreading Network of China’s Systemic Financial Risk Contagion: New Evidence from the Regime-Switching Model

Ripple-Spreading Network of China’s Systemic Financial Risk Contagion: New Evidence from the Regime-Switching Model

Mineral matrix deposition of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells exposed to silicocarnotite and nagelschmidtite bioceramics: In vitro comparison to hydroxyapatite.

This work presents the effect of the silicocarnotite (SC) and nagelschmidtite (Nagel) phases on in vitro osteogenesis. The known hydroxyapatite of biological origin (BHAp) was used as a standard of osteoconductive characteristics. The evaluation was carried out in conventional and osteogenic media for comparative purposes to assess the osteogenic ability of the bioceramics. First, the effect of the material on cell viability at 24 h, 7 and 14 days of incubation was evaluated. In addition, cell morphology and attachment on dense bioceramic surfaces were observed by fluorescence microscopy. Specifically, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was evaluated as an osteogenic marker of the early stages of bone cell differentiation. Mineralized extracellular matrix was observed by calcium phosphate deposits and extracellular vesicle formation. Furthermore, cell phenotype determination was confirmed by scanning electron microscope. The results provided relevant information on the cell attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation processes after 7 and 14 days of incubation. Finally, it was demonstrated that SC and Nagel phases promote cell proliferation and differentiation, while the Nagel phase exhibited a superior osteoconductive behavior and could promote MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation to a higher extent than SC and BHAp, which was reflected in a higher number of deposits in a shorter period for both conventional and osteogenic media.

Suicidal thoughts and daytime tiredness link together in adults in a nationwide population-based health examination study

Problems with sleep appear a key feature in psychological distress emerging as suicidal thoughts at its worst. As part of a nationwide health examination study on 4387 participants, aged 18–97 years, we analyzed, whether suicidal thoughts during the past 7 days as scored on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist were associated with current sleep disturbances including difficulties in falling or staying asleep, daytime tiredness, loss of sleep over worry, insufficient sleep, and the usage of sleeping pills. In the stepwise regression analysis of the recent suicidal thoughts, the current daytime tiredness showed the significant association most robustly, whereas by adding clinically relevant information to analysis, the current difficulties falling or staying asleep, the use of mental health services during the past 12 months, and the level of education predicted the recent suicidal thoughts significantly. To conclude, recent suicidal thoughts were significantly associated with current sleep disturbances.

Features of biliary tract diseases in ketamine abusers: a systematic review of case reports

Background and aimsAnesthesiologists prefer ketamine for certain surgeries due to its effectiveness as a non-competitive inhibitor of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in the brain. Recently, this agent has also shown promise as an antidepressant. However, ketamine can cause hallucinogenic effects and is sometimes abused as an illicit drug. Ketamine abuse has been associated with liver and bile duct complications. This systematic study aims to better understand cholangiopathy in ketamine abusers by reviewing case reports.Methods and materialIn this systematic review, a comprehensive literature search was conducted with the terms “biliary tract diseases” and “ketamine”. Case reports and case series of adult patients with documented ketamine abuse and reported cholangiopathy or biliary tract disease were included. We extracted the data of relevant information and the results were reported through narrative synthesis and descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 48 studies were initially identified, and 11 studies were finally included in the review. The mean age of the patients was 25.88 years. Of the 17 patients, 64.7% were men. Symptoms often included abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Most patients were discharged with improved symptoms and liver function. Common bile duct dilation and other findings were observed in imaging results and other diagnostic studies.ConclusionThis review highlights the diverse presentations and diagnostic modalities used in ketamine-induced cholangiography. These patients tend to be young men with deranged liver function tests and abdominal pain, which should be taken into consideration. These patients often require a multidisciplinary approach in their management.

Entropy-based concept drift detection in information systems

As time passes, the data within information systems may continuously evolve, causing the target concept to drift. To ensure the effectiveness of data-driven decision making, it is crucial to detect drift in a timely manner and gather relevant information. In this paper, we introduce two methods that can directly detect concept drift in the provided information system, by considering a new perspective on uncertainty. First, using entropy under a single attribute constraint, we define the uncertainty of the target concept in an information system. By integrating the uncertainty of each attribute, the overall uncertainty of the target concept in the information system is obtained. Subsequently, two concept drift detection methods are proposed, namely EBTBM (Entropy-Based Threshold-Based Method) and EBSBM (Entropy-Based Sampling-Based Method). These methods utilize the defined uncertainty of the target concept as a statistical measure of the difference between two data blocks. Finally, extensive experiments on artificial and real-world data sets are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed concept drift detection methods.

The Core Might Change Anyhow We Define It: The Instability of Key Actors in Longitudinal Social Network Data

Central actors or opinion leaders are in the right structural position to spread relevant information or convince others about adopting an innovation or behaviour change. Who is a central actor or opinion leader might be conceptualised in various ways. Widely accepted centrality measures do not take into account that those in central positions in the social network may change over time. A longitudinal comparison of the set and importance of opinion leaders is problematic with these measures and therefore needs a novel approach. In this study, we investigate ways to compare the stability of the set of central actors over time. Using longitudinal survey data from primary schools (where the members of the social networks do not change much over time) on advice-seeking and friendship networks, we find a relatively poor stability of who is in the central positions anyhow we define centrality. We propose the application of combined indices in order to achieve more efficient targeting results. Our results suggest that because opinion leaders may change over time, researchers should be careful about relying on simple centrality indices from cross-sectional data to gain and interpret information (for example, in the design of prevention programs, network-based interventions or infection control) and must rely on more diverse structural information instead.

Can't get it out of my head: Proactive interference in the visual working memory of 3- to 8-year-old children.

Proactive interference (PI) occurs when previously learned memories compete with currently relevant information. Despite extensive literature investigating the effect in adults, little work has been done in young children. In three preregistered studies (N = 38, 35, 172; convenience samples from the Northeastern United States), first, we showed that 3-year-old toddlers are highly sensitive to the effect of PI in visual working memory and second, that these effects can originate from the reactivation of previously encoded information. Third, we tested how the ability to cope with PI changes between 2.5 and 7.5 years of age. Besides providing an estimate for the size of the interference effect at the youngest age to date, our findings have an important methodological implication: paradigms that repeat items across trials potentially underestimate young children's working memory abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Drug Polymorphism: An Important Pre-formulation Tool in the Formulation Development of a Dosage Form

Abstract: Polymorphism permits solids to have two or multiple crystal structures with varying orientations or conformations, and polymorph drug dissolution and solubility vary. Polymorphism influences drug efficacy, bioavailability and toxicity. Various parameters can regulate polymorph crystallization, including supersaturation phase, temperature, stirring rate, solvent addition rate, seed crystal, additives and pH. To characterize and monitor polymorphs, various analytical approaches are available, including powder X-Ray diffraction / X-Ray diffraction (PXRD/XRD), also called as Gold Standard method, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Infrared spectroscopy (IR), and microscopical studies. To prevent polymorphic change during production, distribution, and storage, formulation with the most stable form in the marketed product is considered. In addition, by monitoring each phase of raw material processing, polymorphisms can be controlled during dosage form manufacturing. The objective of this review is to provide concise information on drug polymorphism, their characterization process, their effect on the stability of dosage forms, factors controlling polymorphism in the crystallization process, some case studies on polymorphs, control of polymorphism during the formulation of successful dosage forms and some of the regulatory considerations regarding polymorphs. Various databases like Pubmed/Medline, Google Scholar and Web of Science of all English language articles were searched, and relevant information was collected regarding the importance of polymorphism in formulation development. From a vast literature survey, it was found that polymorphism is a very important tool in a pre-formulation study that provides information about the fate of a drug molecule in its journey. From the present study, it was concluded that the polymorphism property of a drug should be taken into consideration at the pre-formulation stage since it is a very important tool for the formulation of a successful dosage form with stability and efficacy.

Providing Education about HIV/AIDS in Smks. Santo Yosef Nazaret Jayapura District

ABSTRACT The lack of appropriate and relevant information about HIV/AIDS and supported by the curious attitude of teenagers causes teenagers to be one of the populations with high risk behavior. Apart from that, the problem of HIV/AIDS in adolescents does not only have a negative physical impact, but can also affect mental health, emotions, economic conditions and social welfare in the long term. This not only affects teenagers themselves, but also families, society and the nation so that knowledge and attitudes have an important role in shaping behavior in preventing HIV/AIDS. However, in this case it is necessary to provide information in the form of education to increase knowledge and improve their own attitudes. The method used in this service so that students can be interested and absorb the education provided more quickly is providing education through audio-visual media (video) and print media (leaflets). Health education using videos and leaflets has a more significant impact on increasing knowledge because teenagers will be more interested in videos and leaflets, making teenagers less bored of watching and reading. Keywords: Education about HIV/AIDS, Knowledge and attitudes of female students, HIV/AIDS Videos and Leaflets, SMKS. Santo Yosef Nazareth, Jayapura Regency.

Evaluating the accuracy of the Ophthalmologist Robot for multiple blindness-causing eye diseases: a multicentre, prospective study protocol

IntroductionEarly eye screening and treatment can reduce the incidence of blindness by detecting and addressing eye diseases at an early stage. The Ophthalmologist Robot is an automated device that can...

Educational attainment as a predictor of poverty and social exclusion: Empirical analysis of Serbian case

This study examines the impact of education on the risk of poverty and social exclusion in a single-country framework. Relying on household and individual level data from the annual EU-SILC survey obtained in Serbia in 2020, we estimate the market and non-market benefits of education in the context of combating poverty and social exclusion in developing countries. Based on a representative sample of the adult population in Serbia, we explore to what extent the risk of poverty and social exclusion can be predicted by the levels of educational attainment. Econometric estimations indicate that educational underachievement acts as a significant driver of poverty and social exclusion. Probit regression analysis indicates that the risk of experiencing poverty and social exclusion decreases substantially with higher education levels. We include three model specifications that calculate the predicted probability of being at risk of poverty, severely materially deprived and exposed to combined risks. Holding other predictors constant, the decrease in poverty and social exclusion probability attributed to a one level increase in educational attainment amounts up to 7.96% (for unemployed women with only primary education). The analysis confirms that the highest gains from schooling are materialized for the categories of respondents who are not active in the labor market and those with the lowest levels of educational attainment. Besides this, self-perceived health and labor market activity significantly affect the risk of poverty, material deprivation and social exclusion. The impact of age differs across our model specifications, indicating that age increases the probability of severe material deprivation and the combined risk of poverty and deprivation, while older age appears to go in hand with a lower risk of poverty itself. These results offer relevant information that should be considered when determining the optimal level of social investment in education.

Spectral density classification for environment spectroscopy

Spectral densities encode the relevant information characterizing the system–environment interaction in an open-quantum system problem. Such information is key to determining the system’s dynamics. In this work, we leverage the potential of machine learning techniques to reconstruct the features of the environment. Specifically, we show that the time evolution of a system observable can be used by an artificial neural network to infer the main features of the spectral density. In particular, for relevant examples of spin-boson models, we can classify with high accuracy the Ohmicity parameter of the environment as either Ohmic, sub-Ohmic or super-Ohmic, thereby distinguishing between different forms of dissipation.

PhraseMap: Attention-Based Keyphrases Recommendation for Information Seeking.

Many Information Retrieval (IR) approaches have been proposed to extract relevant information from a large corpus. Among these methods, phrase-based retrieval methods have been proven to capture more concrete and concise information than word-based and paragraph-based methods. However, due to the complex relationship among phrases and a lack of proper visual guidance, achieving user-driven interactive information-seeking and retrieval remains challenging. In this study, we present a visual analytic approach for users to seek information from an extensive collection of documents efficiently. The main component of our approach is a PhraseMap, where nodes and edges represent the extracted keyphrases and their relationships, respectively, from a large corpus. To build the PhraseMap, we extract keyphrases from each document and link the phrases according to word attention determined using modern language models, i.e., BERT. As can be imagined, the graph is complex due to the extensive volume of information and the massive amount of relationships. Therefore, we develop a navigation algorithm to facilitate information seeking. It includes (1) a question-answering (QA) model to identify phrases related to users' queries and (2) updating relevant phrases based on users' feedback. To better present the PhraseMap, we introduce a resource-controlled self-organizing map (RC-SOM) to evenly and regularly display phrases on grid cells while expecting phrases with similar semantics to stay close in the visualization. To evaluate our approach, we conducted case studies with three domain experts in diverse literature. The results and feedback demonstrate its effectiveness, usability, and intelligence.

Interoperability of Botswana’s healthcare systems using semantic prescription ontologies

<p>The developing country of Botswana’s health information system faces interoperability challenges mainly due to the lack of shared patient medical data and histories between private and public healthcare providers, which leads to increased medical errors, increased healthcare costs, and potentially fatal outcomes. This research proposes an intelligent electronic prescription ontology (IEPO) framework to share Botswana’s patient electronic health records (EHRs) between private and public healthcare systems for a standardized and semantically rich data exchange. IEPO was evaluated for interoperability using the recall metric for completeness to capture the degree of all relevant information for exchange and the precision metric for accuracy performance to gauge the degree of error minimization during interoperability. The harmonic means of precision and recall called the F1- score, offered the overall interoperability performance. IEPO outperformed related works by 75% in recall, 54% in precision, and 76% in F1-score, demonstrating improved interoperability performance. Furthermore, IEPO was evaluated for correctness and expressiveness through competency questions via queries, results confirming correct and expressive responses.</p>

Drug Safety Evaluation of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in Diabetic Comorbid Patients by Review of Systemic Extraglycemic Effects.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of this drug in diabetic patients with comorbidities of all systems. In this review, the beneficial effects of this drug and its mechanism on the disorders of every system of humans in relation to diabetes have been studied, and finally, its adverse effects have also been discussed. The search for relevant information is carried out in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases by using the following terms: diabetes mellitus type 2, SGLT, SGLT2 inhibitors, (SGLT2 inhibitors) AND (Pleiotropic effects). All English-published articles from 2016 to 2023 have been used in this study. It should be noted that a small number of articles published before 2016 have been used in the introduction and general informations. Its beneficial effects on improving cardiovascular disease risk factors and reducing adverse events caused by cardiovascular and renal diseases have proven in most large clinical studies that these effects are almost certain. It also has beneficial effects on other human systems such as the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, the circulatory system, and the nervous system; more of them are at the level of clinical and pre-clinical trials but have not been proven in large clinical trials or meta-analyses. With the exception of a few adverse effects, this drug is considered a good choice and safe for all diabetic patients with comorbidities of all systems.

Holistic evaluation of involute gear surfaces using 3D point cloud inversion

Gear users desire increased performance from their products and are interested in predicting the behavior (vibration, loss, service life, etc), and gear manufacturers are interested in adjusting machining parameters to manufacture even better gears. Both require proficient metrology. The evaluation standards were originally written to classify the manufacturing capability of machine tools and as tolerances tighten they may not provide enough insight into the functional performance of the manufactured parts. Furthermore, the advantage of modern coordinate and gear measuring machines is not fully taken into account when applying standardized measurement and evaluation strategies. Improved analysis tools can increase the relevant information gained from current measurement capabilities and enable more useful functional characteristics to be specified by designers and manufacturers. A key improvement is to move from profile and helix line traces to flank surfaces and corresponding fitted form elements. This is achieved by the introduced method. We present an inversion algorithm that fits dimension, form, and pose, and is applicable with current methods through freezing of specific fitting parameters. The method fits a synthetic point cloud with output results that are accurate to the 7th digit, or in practical terms are numerically equal. The inversion method can increase the understanding of error contributions and the functional performance of gears.

Requiring Circularity Data in Bim With Information Delivery Specification

Implementing the circular economy model in the built environment demands high-quality information about the building stock and products. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is considered vital to capturing relevant information. This study uses a constructive research method to assess BIM support for effectively capturing circularity-related information. We identified circularity needs and transcribed them into actionable, machine-interpretable form, applying the novel Information Delivery Specification (IDS) standard. Considered use cases include material composition, quality and identity, environmental impacts, and disassembly aspects. We discuss the benefits, challenges, and suitability of modelling such information based on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema. The developed IDS specification allows for semi-automated compliance checking of BIM content. Most considered aspects can be expressed in BIM but often lack consistent terminology. Difficult to document are disassembly instructions and elements’ connections. Discussed technical limitations help rationalise the amount of information reasonable to capture in BIM. The study bridges the gap between sustainability expert demand for data and BIM deliverables. Resultant knowledge enables practitioners to increase the availability of quality data relevant for future building disassembly, reuse or adaptation.