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This study focuses on developing and evaluating predictive models for bus travel times adaptable to any transit network, or to new roadway segments without prior travel time data. Most prior work relies on non-standardized features such as road traffic forecasts or closed-source datasets to test predictions on a single route or network. We leverage standardized and open-source data from GTFS and GTFS-RT feeds to gather four months of realtime bus position data from Seattle and Trondheim's transit networks. We then test and refine strategies for generalizing model predictions across both locations. To achieve this, we first develop a data pipeline to process and clean the raw data, then extract features from the standardized sources. We then evaluate the performance of several deep learning and heuristic models in predicting bus travel times between source and target bus networks. Holdout data is taken from selected routes in the source city to validate the internal generalization of the models. Data from the target city is used to evaluate the external generalization of the models. An ablation study explores the impact of different open data sources on model generalization (GPS, static timetables, OpenStreetMap and other realtime trips). We then extend the analysis to 33 international bus networks, placing the results in broader context and testing fine-tuning strategies for generalization. Results show that deep learning methods generalize well within the source network, with as little as 1% loss in MAPE on holdout routes. With minimal fine-tuning generalization is significantly improved on the target network. Model features built on static schedule data, realtime positions or OpenStreetMap embeddings improved generalization performance (up to 10% reduction in MAPE). This was more pronounced for networks with a greater initial quantity of training data. As a route-planning tool for roadways without prior data, geospatial data mining can provide reasonable bus travel time estimates. For cross-sectional bus network analysis, fine tuning on at least 100 trajectory samples for each target network is required to significantly outperform baseline heuristics. This necessitates a GTFS-RT or other standardized realtime data feed in the target city.

One of the risks of distraction osteogenesis-based techniques is the development of vascular complications, such as pseudoaneurysms associated with the osteotomies performed or the fixation elements of the external fixator used in the procedure.Pseudoaneurysm are formed when the tunica adventitia of the artery is injured, resulting in a gradual and persistent blood extravasation into the surrounding tissues that is encapsulated and connected to the arterial lumen.This report describes a rare case of a late-presentation pseudoaneurysm in the anterior tibial artery resulting from a tibial lengthening procedure aimed at addressing a leg length discrepancy in a 57-year-old female with severe peripheral neuropathy resulting from long-standing poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. We describe the diagnostic process, the treatment options and confirm how the shape of the bony callus can be a reliable indicator of this pathology, as has already been described in the literature.

The Continuity of Care Report (CCR) is a fundamental document for ensuring high-quality healthcare and a smooth transition between different levels of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of optimizing the CCR to improve its completion rate by hospital nurses and its review by primary care nurses. To achieve this, a retrospective observational study was conducted on patients discharged from the University Hospital of La Plana de Vila-real during two three-month periods, one prior to the CCR improvement (2022) and one after (2023). No increase in the completion rate for the CCR was observed following its optimization (p = 0.226). However, a statistically significant improvement was noted in the percentage of reports reviewed (p > 0.001), increasing from 4.4% (n = 49) in 2022 to 30.5% (n = 327) in 2023. These results indicate that the optimization of the Continuity of Care Report enhances the communication between specialized care and primary care professionals.

Nuestra investigación analiza la problemática de la inmigración latinoamericana ilegal a los Estados Unidos desde un corpus narrativo literario peruano: la novela Ma´ negra, la trotamundos (2022), de José Campos Dávila, y dos cuentos: “La mujer de la frontera” y “Las sombras y las mujeres”, pertenecientes al libro de relatos Los sueños de América (2000), de Eduardo González Viaña. En ese sentido, nuestro objetivo es analizar dos tópicos: 1) la importancia y el poder del documento, el cual implica no solo la arista legal, sino que también las estructuras culturales; 2) la homogeneidad y heterogeneidad cultural del pueblo latinoamericano. Toda esta reflexión hermenéutica nos permite aseverar que aquellos que toman la decisión de emigrar a los Estados Unidos de manera ilegal, les espera grandes obstáculos: materiales, legales y culturales.

We introduce the Billboard Melodic Music Dataset (BiMMuDa), which contains the lead vocal melodies of the top five songs of each year from 1950 to 2022 according to the Billboard year-end singles charts. In this article, the dataset’s compilation process and attributes are described in detail. The melody from each of the 371 songs was transcribed manually in full to create 371 MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) files, and then melodies from the songs’ different sections (e.g., verses, choruses) were exported into separate files to create an additional 1,133 MIDI files of shorter melodies. Lyrics to the songs are provided separately from the melodic transcriptions. This report includes comprehensive descriptions and graphical representations of the available metadata per song and per melody. Analysis of verse and chorus melodies revealed structural differences between them: chorus melodies have significantly fewer notes and lower note density, but larger melodic intervals on average. Whether added to existing datasets or used as a complete dataset, BiMMuDa can serve as ground truth data for a variety of MIR tasks as well as provide insight into the study of Western pop melody.

This paper investigates the oscillatory behavior of nonlinear third-order dynamic equations on time scales. Our main approach is to transform the equation from its semi-canonical form into a more tractable canonical form. This transformation simplifies the analysis of oscillation behavior and allows us to derive new oscillation criteria. These criteria guarantee that all solutions to the equation oscillate. Our results extend and improve upon existing findings in the literature, particularly for the special cases where $ \mathbb{T} = \mathbb{R} $ and $ \mathbb{T} = \mathbb{Z} $. Additionally, we provide illustrative examples to demonstrate the practical application of the developed criteria.

Abstract We simulate N f = 2 + 1 QCD at the physical point combining open and periodic boundary conditions in a parallel tempering framework, following the original proposal by M. Hasenbusch for 2d CP N−1 models, which has been recently implemented and widely employed in 4d SU(N) pure Yang-Mills theories too. We show that using this algorithm it is possible to achieve a sizable reduction of the auto-correlation time of the topological charge in dynamical fermions simulations both at zero and finite temperature, allowing to avoid topology freezing down to lattice spacings as fine as a ∼ 0.02 fm. Therefore, this implementation of the Parallel Tempering on Boundary Conditions algorithm has the potential to substantially push forward the investigation of the QCD vacuum properties by means of lattice simulations.

Abstract Background Surgeries for sarcomas in the abdominal wall require wide resections, often radical en bloc resections, which generate major defects involving a very complex repair. The combined use of porcine dermal xenografts, together with composite meshes, may assist in the repair of these defects with minimal complications. Method We present a series of 19 patients (10 males and 9 females), with a mean age of 53.2 years (range: 11–86 years) treated in the Sarcoma Unit of the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital from January 2015 to December 2021. Histopathologically, there were four chondrosarcomas (21%), three Ewing sarcomas (15.7%), two desmoid tumours (10.5%), two undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (10.5%), two well-differentiated liposarcomas (10.5%), two leiomyosarcomas (10.5%), one synovial sarcoma, one dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, one fibromyxoid sarcoma (or Evans tumour), and one metastasis from an adenocarcinoma of unknown origin. All the patients were resected following surgical oncology principles and reconstructed by means of the combined use of a composite mesh acting as a neoperitoneum and a porcine dermal xenograft acting as an abdominal neofascia. Results The mean size of the defects generated after surgery for tumour excision was 262.8 cm2 (range: 150–600 cm2). After a mean follow-up of 38 months, six patients (31.5%) developed complications—two cases of wound dehiscence, one case of surgical wound infection, one case of graft partial necrosis, one case of anastomotic leak and one death due to multiorgan failure secondary to massive bronchoaspiration. Conclusion Surgeries for sarcomas of the abdominal wall require wide oncological resections, which generate major abdominal wall defects. The repair of these defects by means of the combined use of synthetic and biological meshes is a technique associated with minimal complications and excellent medium-term results.

The text discusses part of the results of the research "Education and Rural Schooling in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic" conducted by groups from the Rede Latino-Americana de escudos e pesquisas em Educação do Campo. Our objective is to analyze the working conditions of teachers in rural schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. We started with data resulting from interviews conducted with questionnaires and answered virtually. Out of the 645 responses we obtained, we selected 18 teachers who work in rural schools in the years 2020 and 2021. We begin the text by discussing labor and the worker, drawing on Marx, in the context of a society guided by the development model of capital. In the second part of the text, we specifically address the working conditions of teachers in rural schools during the Covid-19 pandemic; the analysis is based on the statements of the interviewees, engaging with the elements they brought forward. The precarization of work and the exhaustion of teachers during this period became evident. Finally, we present some considerations about the experiences lived by teachers during the pandemic.

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB), a major cause of disease and antimicrobial resistance, is spread via aerosols. Aerosols have diagnostic potential and airborne-microbes other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) may influence transmission. We evaluated whether PneumoniaCheck (PMC), a commercial aerosol collection device, captures MTBC and the aeromicrobiome of people with TB. Methods PMC was done in sputum culture-positive people (≥ 30 forced coughs each, n = 16) pre-treatment and PMC air reservoir (bag, corresponding to upper airways) and filter (lower airways) washes underwent Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing (sequencing also done on sputum). In a subset (n = 6), PMC microbiota (bag, filter) was compared to oral washes and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Findings 54% (7/13) bags and 46% (6/14) filters were Ultra-positive. Sequencing read counts and microbial diversity did not differ across bags, filters, and sputum. However, microbial composition in bags (Sphingobium-, Corynebacterium-, Novosphingobium-enriched) and filters (Mycobacterium-, Sphingobium-, Corynebacterium-enriched) each differed vs. sputum. Furthermore, sequencing only detected Mycobacterium in bags and filters but not sputum. In the subset, bag and filter microbial diversity did not differ vs. oral washes or BALF but microbial composition differed. Bags vs. BALF were Sphingobium-enriched and Mycobacterium-, Streptococcus-, and Anaerosinus-depleted (Anaerosinus also depleted in filters vs. BALF). Compared to BALF, none of the aerosol-enriched taxa were enriched in oral washes or sputum. Interpretation PMC captures aerosols with Ultra-detectable MTBC and MTBC is more detectable in aerosols than sputum by sequencing. The aeromicrobiome is distinct from sputum, oral washes and BALF and contains differentially-enriched lower respiratory tract microbes.

Abstract Background An equal distribution of hospital structures represents an important factor to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Generally, the most diffused approach to measure the potential availability to healthcare is the provider-to-population ratio based on the number of beds or professionals. However, this approach considers only the availability of resources provided at regional or local level ignoring the spatial accessibility of interregional facilities that are particularly accessed by patients living at the borders. Aim of this study is to outline the distribution of the intra and interregional services in Italy to capture the level of equity across the country. Moreover, it explores the impact of the accessibility to these resources on interregional patient’s mobility to receive care. Methods To compute spatial accessibility, we propose an alternative approach that applies the enhanced two-step floating catchment area (ESFCA) to capture the level of attraction of intra and interregional hospitals to a given population. Moreover, the adoption of process and outcome indices captured to what extent the quality of structures influenced patients in choosing services located inside or outside their region of residence. Results The study confirms that there is an unequal distribution of high-quality resources at regional and national level with a high level of inequality in the availability and accessibility of quality resources between the north and south part of Italy. This is particularly true considering the accessibility of intraregional resources in the southern part of the country that clearly influences patient choice and contribute to a significant cross border passive mobility to northern regions. This is confirmed by an econometric model that showed a significant effect of spatial accessibility with the propensity of patients of travel from the region of residence to receive care. Conclusions The analysis of intra and interregional components of spatial accessibility may contribute to identify to what extent patients are willing to travel outside their region of residence to access to care services. Moreover, it can contribute to gain a deeper understanding of the allocation of health resources providing input for policy makers on the basis of the principles of service accessibility in order to contain patient mobility.

La trata de personas, una forma moderna de esclavitud, afecta a millones en todo el mundo, violando derechos fundamentales. Esta investigación se centró en analizar la lucha por los derechos humanos y la justicia en la protección de la vulnerabilidad humana frente a la trata de personas. Se utilizó un enfoque de revisión y el análisis de contenido, se recuperaron 101 estudios, de los cuales se seleccionaron 25 que abordaban directamente la trata desde una perspectiva socio-jurídica. Las categorías emergentes incluyeron "Trata de personas y explotación: La vulnerabilidad humana", "Migración y fronteras: La complejidad e impacto humano de la migración", y "Derechos humanos y delitos: La justicia y la reparación en la lucha contra la trata y la explotación de personas". Los resultados sugieren que abordar la trata de personas requiere un enfoque multidisciplinario y colaborativo, destacando la necesidad de medidas de protección, prevención, y estrategias de cooperación entre gobiernos, organizaciones, empresas y la comunidad internacional. Se concluye que la lucha contra esta práctica demanda esfuerzos constantes y coordinados para prevenir y combatir eficazmente la trata de personas.

Abstract Since 2021, the emergence of variants of concern (VOC) has led Brazil to experience record numbers of in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The expanded spread of the SARS-CoV-2 combined with a low vaccination rate has contributed to the emergence of new mutations that may enhance viral fitness, leading to the persistence of the disease. Due to limitations in the real-time genomic monitoring of new variants in some Brazilian states, we aimed to investigate whether genomic surveillance, coupled with epidemiological data and SARS-CoV-2 variants spatiotemporal spread in a smaller region, can reflect the pandemic progression at a national level. Our findings revealed three SARS-CoV-2 variant replacements from 2021 to early 2022, corresponding to the introduction and increase in the frequency of Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants, as indicated by peaks of the Effective Reproductive Number (Reff). These distinct clade replacements triggered two waves of COVID-19 cases, influenced by the increasing vaccine uptake over time. Our results indicated that the effectiveness of vaccination in preventing new cases during the Delta and Omicron circulations was six and eleven times higher, respectively, than during the period when Gamma was predominant, and it was highly efficient in reducing the number of deaths. Furthermore, we demonstrated that genomic monitoring at a local level can reflect the national trends in the spread and evolution of SARS-CoV-2.

The stochastic generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation (SGNLSE) of third order in the Stratonovich sense is examined here. New elliptic, hyperbolic, trigonometric, and rational stochastic solutions are obtained using a modified mapping method. Because the GNLSE is extensively used in nonlinear optical phenomena, optical fiber communication systems, communication and heat pulse propagation in materials, the obtained solutions may be used to study a broad range of relevant physical phenomena. In order to interpret the effects of multiplicative noise, the dynamic performances of the various obtained solutions are displayed utilizing 3-D and 2-D graphs. We infer that multiplicative noise impacts and stabilizes the behavior of SGNLSE solutions.

The main aims of the present research were to: (1) describe the scientific outputs indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, from now on WoS, regarding the use of comic books as didactic resources in the teaching-learning of the sciences, and; (2) establish the conceptual structure of scientific output regarding the use of comic books as didactic resources in the teaching-learning of science. A quantitative-bibliometric methodology was followed on a sample of 60 scientific documents recovered using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses strategy, from now on PRISMA. Findings suggest that the topic is still emerging given the novelty of the discipline and that published studies tend to be low impact in terms of the number of citations they receive. With regards to the conceptual structure, the most relevant themes and trends to emerge pertained to medical education, comic books and illustrations, and the use of mobile devices. Finally, analysis of the keywords used by the top 20 most relevant authors, it was possible to infer a degree of correspondence between sources, keywords and the continents responsible for the greatest scientific output on the topic.

Intellectual character education has been primarily expressed in terms of educating for intellectual virtues (EFIV). This aim of teaching intellectual virtues has received some challenges, such as how it fails to articulate adequate action guidance through exemplarist pedagogy, and how it neglects the pervasiveness of intellectual vice among students. To respond to these challenges, this paper considers the aim of educating against intellectual vices (EAIV) -- teaching students not to develop intellectual vices or weakening those that they have already developed -- which comes with the emergence of vice epistemology. More specifically, I look at how negative epistemic exemplars can be used as a classroom strategy for EAIV, and demonstrate how this could address the aforementioned weaknesses of EFIV.

Research and innovation are highlighted as significant priorities among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. However, most HEIs in the country have a poor culture of research and innovation, which results in low academic productivity. This literature review was conducted to understand the dynamics of a teaching, research, and innovative university, discuss the current status of Philippine HEIs in terms of research (R&D)-innovation productivity, and excerpt best practices from leading universities in the country as a benchmark for other higher institutions toward building a culture of research and innovation. This study highlights different viewpoints but reveals one thing in common among the established research universities: they have exemplary administrative leadership and proper institutional framework, with strong qualifications from their faculty to absorb all the resources pouring in, thereby significantly boosting them and yielding a fruitful result in terms of research and innovation. With these, other Philippines HEIs need to build and develop a vital research and innovative culture among their stakeholders to produce tangible outcomes, which can be utilized for industry-related improvements and new market opportunities, and to address the nation's most pressing issues. Without the support and proper compensation within academia, industry, and government, the pool of talents will be put on the shelf. Nevertheless, leveling up from teaching institutions to become a research and innovative academia remains interesting as it depends primarily on the university's vision and actions, which are mostly affected by its internal and external environment. This paper hopes to be a springboard in formulating policy and practice toward enhancing research and innovation efficiency among the Philippine HEI's that could contribute to the overall nationwide progress.

Introduction: About 15–20 % of babies that suffer perinatal asphyxia die and around 25 % of the survivors exhibit permanent neural outcomes. Minimization of this global health problem has been warranted. This study investigated if the offspring of pregnant female rats allowed to spontaneously exercise on running wheels along a 11-day pregnancy period were protected for somatic and neurodevelopmental disturbs that usually follow neonatal anoxia. Methods: spontaneous exercise was applied to female rats which were housed in cages allowing free access to running wheels along a 11-day pregnancy period. Their offspring were submitted to anoxia 24–36 h after birth. Somatic and sensory-motor development of the pups were recorded until postnatal day 21 (P21). Myelin basic protein (MBP)-stained areas of sensory and motor cortices were measured at P21. Neuronal nuclei (NeuN)-immunopositive cells and synapsin-I levels in hippocampal formation were estimated at P21 and P75. Results: gestational exercise and / or neonatal anoxia increased the weight and the size of the pups. In addition, gestational exercise accelerated somatic and sensory-motor development of the pups and protected them against neonatal-anoxia-induced delay in development. Further, neonatal anoxia reduced MBP stained area in the secondary motor cortex and decreased hippocampal neuronal estimates and synapsin-I levels at P21; gestational exercise prevented these effects. Therefore, spontaneous exercise along pregnancy is a valuable strategy to prevent neonatal-anoxia-induced disturbs in the offspring. Conclusion: spontaneous gestational running wheel exercise protects against neonatal anoxia-induced disturbs in the offspring, including (1) physical and neurobehavioral developmental impairments, and (2) hippocampal and cortical changes. Thus, spontaneous exercise during pregnancy may represent a valuable strategy to prevent disturbs which usually follow neonatal anoxia.