Browse Articles

Logistics–client stable matching under 4PL to reduce the empty-loaded rate

Logistics, as a tertiary industry, has developed rapidly and become an important part of the national economy. However, owing to the behindhand logistics pattern, the logistics vehicles drive empty-loaded on their return trip, resulting in wastage of half of the delivery resources. This paper proposes a logistics–client matching model under fourth-party logistics (4PL) to reduce the empty-loaded rate. First, a preference calculation model between logistics providers and clients was constructed. Next, for clients with small quantities of goods, a linear logistics−client one-to-one stable matching model was constructed based on the stable marriage matching model. Then, for clients with large quantities of goods, a linear logistics−client many-to-one stable matching model was constructed with a novel linear many-to-one stable matching constraint. Finally, the case study indicated that the linear model supports large-scale and global optimization. The real case study verified that the proposed stable matching model is effective in reducing the empty-loaded rate compared to the ordinary matching model, and the matching solution was fairer.

Sleep deprivation impairs neurovascular coupling and cerebral vasomotor reactivity

Abstract Sleep deficiency increases the risk of cerebrovascular diseases. However, the effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on cerebral blood flow have been poorly studied. We examined the effect of 24-h of SD on the resting posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow velocities (FV), the visually evoked FV response in the PCA (neurovascular coupling), and the hypercapnia-induced FV response in the MCA (cerebral vasoreactivity). Visual evoked potential (VEP) and transcranial Doppler examinations were performed in 25 healthy adults before and after 24-h of SD. Cerebral vasoreactivity was measured by breath-holding test in left and right MCA. The visually evoked FV response was evaluated in left and right PCA. There was a tendency for increased resting mean FV in PCA (p = 0.08) and MCA (p = 0.07) after SD. Both the visually evoked FV response in the PCA and the hypercapnia-induced FV increase in the MCA were significantly lower after than before SD, however, no change in VEP amplitudes was found. Our study suggested that the impaired functional stimulation-evoked FV response after SD was not due to a reduced neuronal activation, but probably to a decreased vasodilatory response. Negative effects of SD on cerebral hemodynamics were also demonstrated by reduced cerebral vasoreactivity.

Long-term outcomes of biodegradable versus 2nd generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents in PCI: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background More than 3 million individuals globally experience STEMI each year, with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as the preferred revascularization method. While second-generation Drug Eluting Stents (DES) reduce restenosis compared to bare-metal stents, complications such as neoatherosclerosis and stent thrombosis remain. Second-generation stents, including durable polymer (DP-DES) and biodegradable polymer (BP-DES), aim to improve outcomes, though guidelines do not specify a preference. Given mixed results from prior studies and new long-term data, we aim to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing long-term outcomes of DP-DES vs. BP-DES following PCI. Methods This protocol has been developed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases will be searched for eligible observational and interventional studies from inception up to 5th of October 2024. Screening (title/abstract and full text), data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and quality of evidence assessment will be conducted by two independent reviewers. A random-effects model will be used to meta-analyse outcomes. Discussion DES have greatly advanced PCI for STEMI. However, long-term stent thrombosis remains an issue due to chronic inflammation and impaired healing from the stent’s polymer coating. To overcome this, BP-DES were introduced to dissolve their coating within 2–9 months. However, whether BP-DES offers superior long-term outcomes compared to second-generation DP-DES remains uncertain. While previous meta-analyses have shown similar outcomes, recent studies suggest BP-DES may offer better long-term results. This review will compare long-term outcomes (≥5 years) of BP-DES vs. DP-DES, providing important insights to inform clinical practice. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (CRD42024592579)

Neighborhood walkability and cardiometabolic disease in Texas

Abstract Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) affect significant numbers of adults in the United States, with 11% diagnosed with diabetes and 10% with cardiovascular diseases. Walking plays a crucial role in reducing health risks, particularly obesity and diabetes. We aim to explore the association between neighborhood walkability and CMD measures in Texas, while controlling for age, sex, racial/ethnic background, and family history of diabetes. We collected 1994 observations for the year 2019, merging data from the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Environmental Protection Agency. We employed multilevel linear regression and multilevel logistic regression analyses to assess the association between CMD measures and neighborhood walkability. Our findings revealed that higher neighborhood walkability is significantly associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) (β = − 0.28, CI − 0.45 to − 0.10) and a reduced risk of diabetes (OR 0.93, CI 0.86–0.99), indicating that when walkability increases by one unit, an individual’s BMI decreases by 0.28 kg/m2 and the odds of having diabetes decrease by 7%. We also found that African Americans living in communities with lower walkability scores compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Our findings highlight the need for urban planning policies promoting walkable neighborhoods, suggesting community-based approaches to health promotion.

The association between adult-life smoking and age-related cognitive decline in Danish men

Background Most previous studies of effects of smoking on age-related cognitive decline have compared cognitive decline in current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers rather than investigating the effects of pack-years. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between smoking and age-related cognitive decline in a sample of men administered the same intelligence test in young adulthood and late midlife, using pack-years between the two assessments as the primary measure of exposure to smoking. Methods In 5052 men, scores on a military intelligence test (BPP, Børge Priens Prøve) were available from young adulthood and a late midlife follow-up assessment including the same intelligence test and a comprehensive questionnaire on socio-demographic factors, lifestyle, and health. Information on smoking was self-reported at follow up for eight age periods, and pack-years were calculated from age 19 based on information on daily smoking and the duration of each age period. The differences in cognitive decline between adult-life smokers and non-smokers and the differences between light, moderate, and heavy smokers defined by pack-years were analyzed in linear regression models. Results All smoking variables were only weakly associated with cognitive decline. Comparison of adult-life smokers and non-smokers showed less cognitive decline among smokers (1.12 IQ points, p <  0.001). Among smokers, analyses of pack-years suggested a weak dose-response relationship with more decline in heavy smokers than in light smokers (1.33 IQ points, p =  0.001). Independent of pack-years, current smoking was associated with larger cognitive decline than former smoking (1.73 IQ points, p <  0.001). Conclusion Smoking explained negligible fractions of the variance in cognitive decline, and thus our results did not indicate that smoking is a strong predictor of cognitive decline. The effects of pack-years suggest a relatively weak, possibly cumulative effect of smoking across the adult lifespan. The difference in decline between smokers and non-smokers may reflect participation bias and selective attrition at follow-up while the effects of current smoking may reflect either temporary effects of smoking or individual and life-style characteristics associated with continuation of smoking into late midlife.

Maternal and paternal lineage analysis of Island Southeast Asian goats reveals continental propagation routes and introgression through the Indian ocean

Key parameters and sensitivity analysis of lower limb muscle strength in young men with different gait patterns

Objective To explore the functional characteristics and principal component differences of electromyography in different phases of the gait cycle, to provide key parameters for identifying a complete gait, and to provide a reference for joint moment solving in the lower limb. Methods Twenty young men were selected to measure the natural gait EMG of 14 muscles of the lower limb using VICON and NORAXON devices. Gait was classified into two categories according to the Niyogi S A classification, integral EMG differences were compared, and principal component analysis was performed on the differing muscles to calculate Cohen’s d values for significant differences and ΔIEMG values for non-significant differences. Results (1) Significant differences existed in the integral EMG of the left semitendinosus, right semitendinosus, right biceps femoris, and left gastrocnemius muscles, both lateral and medial. (2) Principal component analysis showed significant differences in the left semitendinosus for principal component five (P < 0.1, ES = 1.40); right biceps femoris for principal component three (ES = 0.63, 10%-30%); and left gastrocnemius medial for principal component four (P < 0.05, ES = 1.81, 40%-60%). The ΔIEMG% of the right semitendinosus principal components I-IV were 97.96%, 92.24%, 87.26%, and 75.08%, respectively; and the ΔIEMG% of the left gastrocnemius medial principal components I-IV were 90.95%, 75.08%, 96.37%, and 85.39%, respectively. Conclusion (1) Left semitendinosus, right semitendinosus, right biceps femoris, and left gastrocnemius can be used as the main muscles for gait recognition. (2) The left semitendinosus principal component V, the right biceps femoris principal component III, and the left gastrocnemius medial principal component IV are sensitive indicators for gait stage classification.

Forecasting solar energetic particles using multi-source data from solar flares, CMEs, and radio bursts with machine learning approaches

Abstract This study presents a consistent method to the inherently imbalanced problem of predicting solar energetic particle (SEP) events, using a variety of datasets that include solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and radio bursts. We applied several machine learning (ML) methods, including Random Forests (RF), Decision Trees (dtree), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) with both linear (linSVM) and nonlinear (svm) kernels. To assess model performance, we used standard metrics such as Probability of Detection (POD), False Alarm Rate (FAR), True Skill Statistic (TSS), and Heidke Skill Score (HSS). Our results show that the RF model consistently outperforms the other algorithms across datasets containing flares, CMEs, and radio bursts. For the sweep frequency dataset, RF achieved a POD of $$0.85 (\pm 0.08)$$ , a FAR of $$0.30 (\pm 0.05)$$ , a TSS of $$0.78 (\pm 0.07)$$ ,and a HSS of $$0.71 (\pm 0.03$$ ). For the fixed-frequency dataset, RF produced a POD of $$0.76 (\pm 0.12)$$ , a FAR of $$0.31 (\pm 0.08)$$ , a TSS of $$0.71 (\pm 0.11)$$ ,and a HSS of $$0.67 (\pm 0.06$$ ). Key features for SEP prediction include CME linear speed and angular width across both datasets. For sweep frequency, flare intensity and integral soft X-ray (SXR) flux are crucial, while for fixed frequency, the rise time and duration of radio bursts at 1415 MHz are significant.

Aetiology, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and factors associated with bacteriuria among HIV-infected women attending Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) clinic at Bukoba Municipality, Tanzania

Background Bacteriuria is the detection of significant bacteria in urine in the presence or absence of signs and symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI). Bacteriuria in pregnant and lactating HIV-infected women can cause serious complications to women and fetuses for pregnant women. Due to the importance of bacteriuria, we determined the etiology, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and factors associated with bacteriuria in HIV-infected women. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study from January to April 2022 among HIV-infected women attending the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) clinic at Bukoba Municipality, Tanzania. Clean-catch midstream urine specimens were collected for culture on MacConkey and blood agars. We used colonial characteristics, Gram staining reactions, and biochemical tests to identify bacteria isolates. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. We used STATA version 15.0 for analysis. An association with bacteriuria was performed using modified poisson regressions. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results Of the 290 participants, 66 (22.8%) had significant bacteriuria. The predominant bacteria isolates were Escherichia coli 21 (31.8%). Among gram-negative bacteria, 17 (34.0%) were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producers, and 1 (25.0%) of Staphylococcus aureus were Methicillin-resistant. Escherichia coli showed a high rate of resistance against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 21 (100%), and amoxicillin clavulanic acid 20 (95.0%). Staphylococcus aureus was highly resistant to penicillin 4 (100%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 4 (100%). The proportion of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains was 45 (68.2%). Conclusions The prevalence of bacteriuria in HIV-infected women was relatively high. The pathogens were most resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, penicillin and amoxicillin clavulanic acid and more than two-third were MDR. The findings emphasize that the use of antimicrobial agents should be supported by culture and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) results.

The association positive and negative empathy have with depressive symptoms, resilience, and posttraumatic growth

Abstract Empathy, the ability to understand and respond to others’ emotional experiences, is often regarded as a universally positive trait. However, its role in psychological adjustment following adversity is more complex. The current study examined the relationships between empathy – measured globally and through its positive (compassionate concern) and negative (callousness) dimensions – and three outcomes of stress or trauma: depressive symptoms, resilience, and posttraumatic growth (PTG). College students ( N  = 403) completed online surveys assessing these variables, with controls for age, sex, and personality traits. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that global and positive empathy were positively associated with PTG, indicating empathy’s role in fostering personal and relational growth. However, positive empathy also predicted depressive symptoms, reflecting its potential to heighten vulnerability to emotional distress. Negative empathy was inversely related to PTG but unrelated to depressive symptoms or resilience. Resilience demonstrated weaker links with empathy, instead aligning more closely with personality traits like extraversion and conscientiousness. These findings highlight empathy’s dual impact, where it can contribute to personal growth while also increasing susceptibility to distress. Future research should explore empathy’s cognitive and affective components and develop strategies to minimize its negative effects while enhancing adaptive outcomes like PTG.

Correction: Diagnostic performance of two rapid tests for syphilis screening in people living with HIV in Cali, Colombia

Smart green spectrophotometric estimation and content uniformity testing of chlorphenoxamine HCl and caffeine in bulk forms and combined pharmaceutical formulation

Abstract Chlorphenoxamine hydrochloride is a chemical that has attracted interest because of its notable anti-histaminic and anti-cholinergic characteristics. Moreover, it has been recognized as a highly efficient tool in the fight against several lethal viral diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus. In this study, five efficient and straightforward univariate spectrophotometric approaches are proposed for accurately measuring the quantities of Caffeine and Chlorphenoxamine HCl in bulk forms and combined pharmaceutical formulations. Notably, these methods based on an advanced approach using the factorized response spectrum and not require any initial processing.They have been classified into three spectrophotometric platform windows. The study of Window I focuses on absorption spectra of substances in their original states(zero-order). It includes, absorbance resolution method (AR), extended absorbance difference method (EAD), and factorized zero order method (FZM). Window II focuses on the factorized derivative method (FDM), while Window III focuses on factorized ratio difference method (FRM). These approaches successfully measured concentration of Caffeine and Chlorphenoxamine HCl within a range of 3–35.0 and 3–45.0 μg/mL, respectively. The factorized response spectrum’s exclusivity stems from its capacity to fully separate the mentioned components in mixture and recover the pure spectra. Validation of the suggested approaches has been conducted according to guidelines established by International Council for Harmonization, which demonstrated acceptable levels of accuracy and precision. The scope of this work has been expanded to include verification of content uniformity of dosage units according to recommendations outlined in United States Pharmacopoeia. Greenness profile of the proposed approaches has been properly assessed using state-of-the-art software metrics, in comparison to the reported one. Finally, the proposed methods demonstrated strong compliance with the recently established principles of white field of analytical chemistry.

Selective Photocatalytic Aerobic Oxidation of Methane to Methyl Hydroperoxide by ZnO-Loaded Single-Atomic Ruthenium Oxide Catalyst

Ageing and digital shopping: Measurement and validation of an innovative framework

Senior citizens are the fastest growing demographic in the world. Amid an intensification of digitalisation across every sector, evidence suggests older people are slow to adopt and use many online tools and services. Moreover, despite studies showing differences in the online behaviour of older people compared to the rest of the population, established models specifically dedicated to explaining their behaviour have remained limited. Therefore, based on components of UTAUT, we propose a new conceptual model that specifically focuses on senior citizens. We introduce four new constructs: health needs, place of settlement (rural/urban), perceived trust, and perceived risk. Data were collected from 320 seniors in Russia and a structural equation modelling was used for data analysis. With a cumulative variance of 86%, the test and validation results demonstrate that our proposed model provides a better explanation of older people’s online shopping behaviour than the original UTAUT model. This model provides an important framework for future studies on the digital shopping behaviours of seniors.

Learning features for offline handwritten signature verification using spatial transformer network

Social media as a workplace panopticon: The development and validation of social media monitoring by workplace contacts scale

The monitoring of employees’ private social network accounts by employers and colleagues has become increasingly prevalent, yet research in this area remains limited. To address this gap, the present study developed and validated a scale to measure social media monitoring by workplace contacts (SMMWC). The scale, comprising fifteen items, was developed using Hinkin’s (1998) approach to scale development and has four dimensions based on the concept of panoptic effect by Foucault (1977) and Botan (1996). While Study 1, based on 334 employees, focused on scale development, Study 2, based on 302 employees, replicated the factor structure of the SMMWC scale and examined its impact on outcomes, using a time-lagged design. The SMMWC scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including factorial validity; discriminant validity with electronic performance monitoring and user perceptions of social media monitoring; and criterion-related validity with online disclosure, social capital, emotional exhaustion, and self-concept clarity. Notably, SMMWC was positively associated with online disclosure in both the studies and was significantly related to emotional exhaustion and self-concept clarity in Study 2, suggesting that SMMWC can influence employees’ online behavior and psychological well-being.

Comparing the effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ warm-up and conventional warm-up in enhancing cyclist performance and mitigating injury risk

A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD

We aimed to assess the psychoeducational quality of TikTok content about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the perspective of both mental health professionals and young adults across two pre-registered studies. In Study 1, two clinical psychologists with expertise in ADHD evaluated the claims (accuracy, nuance, overall quality as psychoeducation material) made in the top 100 #ADHD TikTok videos. Despite the videos’ immense popularity (collectively amassing nearly half a billion views), fewer than 50% of the claims about ADHD symptoms were judged to align with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In Study 2, 843 undergraduate students (no ADHD =  224, ADHD self-diagnosis =  421, ADHD formal diagnosis =  198) were asked about their typical frequency of viewing #ADHD content on TikTok and their perceptions of ADHD and were shown the top 5 and bottom 5 psychologist-rated videos from Study 1. A greater typical frequency of watching ADHD-related TikToks was linked to a greater willingness to recommend both the top and bottom-rated videos from Study 1, after controlling for demographics and ADHD diagnostic status. It was also linked to estimating a higher prevalence of ADHD in the general population and greater challenges faced by those with ADHD. Our findings highlight a discrepancy between mental health professionals and young adults regarding the psychoeducational value of #ADHD content on TikTok. Addressing this is crucial to improving access to treatment and enhancing support for those with ADHD.

Performance of wearable finger ring trackers for diagnostic sleep measurement in the clinical context

Abstract Ring-trackers are a growing consumer wearable category that provide a number of sleep metrics, yet their measurement accuracy remains poorly understood. Previous validation studies have mainly focused on healthy individuals, while a significant part of the potential present and future value lies in applications on non-healthy subjects. To enable applications in research and medical applications, rigorous evaluation of performance in clinical settings against the gold-standard polysomnography is needed. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated how the measurements of three commercially available ring trackers (Oura, SleepOn, Circul) perform against polysomnography in a university sleep lab population with a diverse set sleep-related disorders as well as sleep-unrelated medical conditions. We evaluated individual-level and group-level discrepancies of standard sleep measures and conducted an epoch-by-epoch analysis of sleep staging classification performance using a standardized analysis framework. While average group-level sleep measures are similar (e.g., TST differences between rings and gold standard were below 12 min for the Oura ring), individual-level differences often remained large. Ring-derived sleep metrics were characterized by complex bias, indicating that their correction is non-trivial. Sleep/Wake distinction of the Oura and SleepOn rings reached similar performance as previously reported for healthy individuals (~ 85% accuracy), but was worse for the Circul ring (~ 65% accuracy). Sleep stage classification (Wake, Light, Deep, REM sleep) sensitivity ranged from 0.14 (REM sleep classification of the Circul ring) to 0.58 (Light sleep classification of the SleepOn ring). Across all sleep stages, the Oura and SleepOn ring performed similarly (53.18% and 50.48% accuracy), whereas the Circul ring performed worse (35.06% accuracy). Our findings confirm recent descriptions of device-related bias and additionally uncover practical limitations in the application in a real-world sleep laboratory patient cohort. Critically, while some devices may demonstrate reasonable agreement with PSG on average, this agreement masks substantial individual-level inaccuracies, prohibiting their use in clinical sleep medicine, as accurate assessment of individual nights, including both nights with exceptionally low or high sleep quality and quantity, is essential for patient care.

Measuring attitudes towards voluntary childlessness: Indicators in European comparative surveys

The prevalence of voluntary childlessness is rising in Europe, likely accompanied by growing social acceptance. However, more evidence is needed on how to measure this acceptance in comparative surveys. This study examines two dimensions of voluntary childlessness: prescriptive and proscriptive. The aim of this study is to show how the two dimensions differ in measuring voluntary childlessness and to highlight the factors that shape these attitudes. Findings reveal that socio-demographic variables relate differently to the two dimensions of the acceptance of voluntary childlessness for men and women. At the macro level, lower gender inequality predicts higher acceptance of voluntary childlessness across both dimensions. Conversely, higher childlessness rates are associated with favourable attitudes only in the prescriptive dimension, while country-level religiosity does not predict either dimension. The study underscores the importance of distinguishing between dimensions of voluntary childlessness, as different factors shape their acceptance. Additionally, no differences emerge in attitudes toward voluntary childlessness for males and females.