bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the mosquito host range of Getah virus and the vector competence of selected medically important mosquitoes in Getah virus transmission
Authors: Azerigyik Faustus Akankperiwen , Faizah Astri Nur , Kobayashi Daisuke , Amoa-Bosompem Michael , Matsumura Ryo , Kai Izumi , Sasaki Toshinori , Higa Yukiko , Isawa Haruhiko , Iwanaga Shiroh , Ishino Tomoko
Published: March 2023

Background

The Getah virus (GETV) is a mosquito-borne Alphavirus (family Togaviridae) that is of significant importance in veterinary medicine. It has been associated with major polyarthritis outbreaks in animals, but there are insufficient data on its clinical symptoms in humans. Serological evidence of GETV exposure and the risk of zoonotic transmission makes GETV a potentially medically relevant arbovirus. However, minimal emphasis has been placed on investigating GETV vector transmission, which limits current knowledge of the factors facilitating the spread and outbreaks of GETV.

Methods

To examine the range of the mosquito hosts of GETV, we selected medically important mosquitoes, assessed them in vitro and in vivo and determined their relative competence in virus transmission. The susceptibility and growth kinetics of GETVs in various mosquito-derived cell lines were also determined and quantified using plaque assays. Vector competency assays were also conducted, and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and plaque assays were used to determine the susceptibility and transmission capacity of each mosquito species evaluated in this study.

Results

GETV infection in all of the investigated mosquito cell lines resulted in detectable cytopathic effects. GETV reproduced the fastest in Culex tritaeniorhynchus- and Aedes albopictus-derived cell lines, as evidenced by the highest exponential titers we observed. Regarding viral RNA copy numbers, mosquito susceptibility to infection, spread, and transmission varied significantly between species. The highest vector competency indices for infection, dissemination and transmission were obtained for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. This is the first study to investigate the ability of Ae. albopictus and Anopheles stephensi to transmit GETV, and the results emphasize the role and capacity of other mosquito species to transmit GETV upon exposure to GETV, in addition to the perceived vectors from which GETV has been isolated in nature.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of GETV vector competency studies to determine all possible transmission vectors, especially in endemic regions.

Graphical Abstract
Should acupuncture therapy be used for acute facial paralysis? A protocol for systematic review
Authors: Cheng Lu , Li Xiao-lin , Ying Yi , Du Shi-hao , Zhang Xu-dong , Guo Wei , Mi Shu-qi , Zhao Ji-ping
Published: March 2023

Background

Peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) results in functional disorder and social dysfunction, when it is under a severe condition at onset, long-term poor outcomes do occur. Different acupuncture methods have been reported to be potentially effective for shortening the disease course and reducing the occurrence of sequelae when they are applied at an early stage. Neuro edema is a common pathological feature in the acute phase, and many clinical studies have suggested its effect of reducing facial nerve edema. It is of value to estimate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment at the onset, and to assess the most suitable acupuncture method for the acute period.

Methods and analysis

All the RCTs and quasi-RCTs on acupuncture therapy for patients who is during acute stage of PFP will be included. The recovery rate of facial function, the time it takes to restore facial function and the odds of sequelae occurring will be the key parts we focus on. Psychological well-being and quality of life will also be evaluated. Literature searching will be conducted until December 31th, 2022 from eight databases systematically. Two reviewers will screen the literature and extract the data independently. RevMan software will be used for data analysis, and the version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB 2) will be used to assess the certainty of evidence. Forest plots and summary findings will be generated. If data permits, a meta-analysis will be conducted.

Ethics and dissemination

Since this study will not involve clinical treatment of patients, ethics approval is not required. The result of this study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication and as a proposal for clinical practice and further study on acupuncture treatment at the early stage of PFP.

Discussion

This review will summarize the evidence on the different type of acupuncture therapy for acute Bell’s palsy and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. We anticipate that it would be safe and effective when applied to the acute phase of PFP, and some specific suitable acupuncture methods would be found resulting from this review.

Systematic review registration

International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42020205127
Landscape pattern analysis using GIS and remote sensing to diagnose soil erosion and nutrient availability in two agroecological zones of Southern Mali
Authors: Sanogo Karamoko , Birhanu Birhanu Zemadim , Sanogo Souleymane , Ba Abdramane
Published: March 2023

Background

Soil is a basic natural resource for the existence of life on earth, and its health is a major concern for rural livelihoods. Poor soil health is directly associated with reduced agricultural land productivity in many sub-Saharan countries, such as Mali. Agricultural land is subjected to immense degradation and the loss of important soil nutrients due to soil erosion. The objective of the study was to diagnose the spatial distribution of soil erosion and soil nutrient variations under different land use in two agroecological zones of Southern Mali using the Geographical Information System (GIS) software, the empirically derived relationship of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, in-situ soil data measurement and satellite products. The soil erosion effect on agricultural land productivity was discussed to highlight the usefulness of soil and water conservation practices in Southern Mali.

Results

The results of the land use and land cover change analysis from 2015 to 2019 revealed significant area reductions in water bodies, bare land, and savanna woodland for the benefit of increased natural vegetation and agricultural land. There was significant variation in the annual soil loss under the different land use conditions. Despite recordings of the lowest soil erosion rates in the majority of the landscape (71%) as a result of field-based soil and water conservation practices, the highest rates of erosion were seen in agricultural fields, resulting in a reduction in agricultural land area and a loss of nutrients that are useful for plant growth. Spatial nutrient modelling and mapping revealed a high deficiency and significant variations (p < 0.05) in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and carbon (C) in all land use and land cover types for the two agroecologies.

Conclusions

The study highlighted the inadequacies of existing field-based soil and water conservation practices to reduce soil erosion and improve landscape management practices. The findings of the study can inform land management planners and other development actors to strategize and prioritize landscape-based intervention practices and protect catchment areas from severe erosion for the enhanced productivity of agricultural fields.
Psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the brief version of the difficulty in emotion regulation scale (DERS-16)
Authors: Fekih-Romdhane Feten , Kanj Gaelle , Obeid Sahar , Hallit Souheil
Published: March 2023

Background

The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the short form of the Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16) in an Arabic-speaking population-based adult sample in Lebanon. In particular, the factorial structure, composite reliability, convergent validity and gender invariance were investigated.

Methods

A total of 411 Lebanese adult participants (mean age of 32.86 ± 11.98 years, 75.4% females) took part of this cross-sectional web-based study. The forward and backward translation method was applied.

Results

Findings revealed good internal consistency of the Arabic DERS-16 total scale and five subscales (McDonald’s ω ranging from 0.81 to 0.95). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the five-factor solution of the scale and demonstrated strong measurement invariance across gender at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. No significant differences were found in all DERS-16 domains between men and women participants. Finally, the DERS-16 scores and sub-scores showed strong correlations with the Borderline Personality Questionnaire (r > .40), thus indicating its convergent validity.

Conclusion

Overall, the present findings suggest that the Arabic version of the DERS-16 may be a reliable and valid self-report measure that assesses ER difficulties as a multidimensional construct. Making the Arabic version of the DERS-16 available will hopefully strengthen its utilization for clinical and research purposes to benefit the millions of Arabic-speaking people worldwide.
A semi-supervised short text sentiment classification method based on improved Bert model from unlabelled data
Authors: Zou Haochen , Wang Zitao
Published: March 2023

Short text information has considerable commercial value and immeasurable social value. Natural language processing and short text sentiment analysis technology can organize and analyze short text information on the Internet. Natural language processing tasks such as sentiment classification have achieved satisfactory performance under a supervised learning framework. However, traditional supervised learning relies on large-scale and high-quality manual labels and obtaining high-quality label data costs a lot. Therefore, the strong dependence on label data hinders the application of the deep learning model to a large extent, which is the bottleneck of supervised learning. At the same time, short text datasets such as product reviews have an imbalance in the distribution of data samples. To solve the above problems, this paper proposes a method to predict label data according to semi-supervised learning mode and implements the MixMatchNL data enhancement method. Meanwhile, the Bert pre-training model is updated. The cross-entropy loss function in the model is improved to the Focal Loss function to alleviate the data imbalance in short text datasets. Experimental results based on public datasets indicate the proposed model has improved the accuracy of short text sentiment recognition compared with the previous update and other state-of-the-art models.
Significant risk of repeat adverse outcomes in recurrent gestational diabetes pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Lau Sue Lynn , Chung Alex , Kao Joanna , Hendon Susan , Hawke Wendy , Lau Sue Mei
Published: March 2023

Background

The risk of adverse outcomes in recurrent GDM pregnancy has not been well documented, particularly in women who have already had an adverse outcome. The aim of this study was to compare the risk of recurrent adverse delivery outcome (ADO) or adverse neonatal outcome (ANO) between consecutive gestational diabetes (GDM) pregnancies.

Methods

In this retrospective study of 424 pairs of consecutive (“index” and “subsequent”) GDM pregnancies, we compared the risk of ADO (instrumental delivery, emergency Caesarean section) and ANO (large for gestational age (LGA and small for gestational age (SGA)) in women with and without a history of adverse outcome in their index pregnancy.

Results

Subsequent pregnancies had higher rates of elective Caesarean (30.4% vs 17.0%, p < 0.001) and lower rates of instrumental delivery (5% vs 13.9%, p < 0.001), emergency Caesarean (7.1% vs 16.3%, p < 0.001) and vaginal delivery (62.3% vs 66.3%, p = 0.01). Index pregnancy adverse outcome was associated with a higher risk of repeat outcome: RR 3.09 (95%CI:1.30,7.34) for instrumental delivery, RR 2.20 (95%CI:1.06,4.61) for emergency Caesarean, RR 4.55 (95%CI:3.03,6.82) for LGA, and RR 5.01 (95%CI:2.73,9.22) for SGA). The greatest risk factor for subsequent LGA (RR 3.13 (95%CI:2.20,4.47)) or SGA (RR 4.71 (95%CI:2.66,8.36)) was having that outcome in the index pregnancy.

Conclusion

A history of an adverse outcome is a powerful predictor of the same outcome in the subsequent GDM pregnancy. These high-risk women may warrant more directed management over routine GDM care such as altered glucose targets or increased frequency of ultrasound assessment.
Killer cell immunoglobulin receptor diversity and its relevance in the human host’s response to HIV infection in African populations
Authors: Mukisa John , Amujal Marion , Sande Obondo J. , Joloba Moses L. , Jjingo Daudi , Kateete David P. , Mardon Graeme , Matshaba Mogomotsi , Hanchard Neil , Hollenbach Jill A.
Published: March 2023

Host response to the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) involves both the innate and adaptive immune systems. As part of the innate immune system, the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) found on natural killer cells and some T-lymphocytes are genetically diverse and play key functions in the host response against viral pathogens. In the last decade, there has been substantial growth in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics capacity to understand human host genetics, including KIR. However, there is limited literature on how the KIR diversity informs the perspectives on HIV disease states in understudied African settings. A better understanding of the effects of KIRs on the host’s immune response to HIV in African settings is essential to inform strategies to develop more effective therapies and vaccines to improve health among people living with HIV (PLWH). In this paper, we review KIR diversity, the role of KIR immunogenetic variation in the human host response to HIV, discuss current perspectives on the studies to assess the relationship between KIR diversity and the HIV disease continuum, and suggest future research prospects.
Increased neutrophils in inflammatory bowel disease accelerate the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Kaneko Ryusei , Matsui Ako , Watanabe Mahiro , Harada Yoshihiro , Kanamori Mitsuhiro , Awata Natsumi , Kawazoe Mio , Takao Tomoaki , Kobayashi Yutaro , Kikutake Chie , Suyama Mikita , Saito Takashi , Saido Takaomi C. , Ito Minako
Published: March 2023

Background

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the neurodegenerative diseases and characterized by the appearance and accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates and phosphorylated tau with aging. The aggregation of Aβ, which is the main component of senile plaques, is closely associated with disease progression. AppNL-G-F mice, a mouse model of AD, have three familial AD mutations in the amyloid-β precursor gene and exhibit age-dependent AD-like symptoms and pathology. Gut-brain interactions have attracted considerable attention and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been associated with a higher risk of dementia, especially AD, in humans. However, the underlying mechanisms and the effects of intestinal inflammation on the brain in AD remain largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of intestinal inflammation on AD pathogenesis.

Methods

Wild-type and AppNL-G-F mice at three months of age were fed with water containing 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to induce colitis. Immune cells in the brain were analyzed using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis, and the aggregation of Aβ protein in the brain was analyzed via immunohistochemistry.

Results

An increase in aggregated Aβ was observed in the brains of AppNL-G-F mice with acute intestinal inflammation. Detailed scRNA-seq analysis of immune cells in the brain showed that neutrophils in the brain increased after acute enteritis. Eliminating neutrophils by antibodies suppressed the accumulation of Aβ, which increased because of intestinal inflammation.

Conclusion

These results suggest that neutrophils infiltrate the AD brain parenchyma when acute colitis occurs, and this infiltration is significantly related to disease progression. Therefore, we propose that neutrophil-targeted therapies could reduce Aβ accumulation observed in early AD and prevent the increased risk of AD due to colitis.
Factors affecting implementation of patient-reported outcome and experience measures in a pediatric health system
Authors: McCabe Erin , Rabi Sarah , Bele Sumedh , Zwicker Jennifer D. , Santana Maria J.
Published: March 2023

Background

The use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) in pediatric clinical practice can enhance clinical care and bring children and families’ perspectives into evaluations of healthcare services. Implementing these measures is complex and requires a thorough assessment of the context of implementation The purpose of this study is to describe the barriers and facilitators to PROMs and PREMs implementation and to recommend strategies for implementing these measures in a pediatric health system.

Methods

We used a qualitative descriptive approach to analyse data from interviews to understand the experiences of PROMs and PREMs users across different pediatric settings in a single Canadian healthcare system.

Results

There were 23 participants representing a variety of roles within the healthcare system and pediatric populations. We found five main factors that affected implementation of PROMs and PREMs in pediatric settings: 1) Characteristics of PROMs and PREMs; 2) Individual’s beliefs; 3) Administering PROMs and PREMs; 4) Designing clinical workflows; and 5) Incentives for using PROMs and PREMs. Thirteen recommendations for integrating PROMs and PREMs in pediatric health settings are provided.

Conclusions

Implementing and sustaining the use of PROMs and PREMs in pediatric health settings presents several challenges. The information presented will be useful for individuals who are planning or evaluating the implementation of PROMs and PREMs in pediatric settings.
A study on the effect of preoperative warming on post-induction core temperature and incidence of postoperative shivering in patients under general anesthesia
Authors: Aloysius Lawrence , Balakrishnan Mallika , Ravindran Subha , Krishna Jagathnath
Published: March 2023

Background

Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (IPH) defined as core temperature below 36.0 °C is a common complication of general anesthesia with prevalence up to 70%. Warming of peripheral tissues prior to induction of anesthesia reduces the central to peripheral temperature gradient, thereby minimizing central heat loss due to heat redistribution, after induction of anesthesia. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prewarming on post-induction core temperature and incidence of perioperative inadvertent hypothermia leading to postanesthetic shivering (PAS) in patients undergoing general anesthesia.

This is a single-arm study performed after authorization from the scientific review committee (IRB no.:10/2015/05) in a cohort of patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years in ASA I and II physical status, undergoing GA for elective surgeries lasting less than 3 h. Rates of IPH and PAS in 60 patients who were warmed before anesthesia over a 30-min period with a forced-air warmer set at 38.0 °C were compared with existing data from an equal number of cohorts who received only intraoperative warming, during similar surgical procedures according to routine GA.

Comparisons between the two groups were made using the Student’s t-test and chi-square test. A paired t-test or Wilcoxon’s signed rank test was applied for pairwise comparisons. The results were considered statistically significant when the P-value was < 0.05.

Results

The mean decrease in core temperature in the unwarmed group was 0.7 °C (+ /- 0.23) compared with a 0.2 °C decrease (+ /- 0.06) in the prewarmed group of patients. A total of 31.70% of patients in the unwarmed group developed IPH compared with one patient (1.7%) in the prewarmed group shortly after onset. Twenty-six patients (43.30%) in the unwarmed group had hypothermia at the end of surgery, compared with one patient (1.7%) in the prewarmed group. Shivering was observed in 46% of patients in the unwarmed group, while no shivering was observed in the prewarmed group.

Conclusions

Preoperative warming is an effective intervention to reduce the frequency of core temperature drops after induction of anesthesia, thereby preventing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia and the incidence of postoperative shivering.
Examining Cancer Patients' Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Teleoncology: Findings From 15 Nigerian Outpatient Cancer Clinics
Authors: Joseph Adedayo , Shour Abdul R. , Lasebikan Nwamaka N. , Jimoh Mutiu A. , Adegboyega Bolanle C. , Nwachukwu Emmanuella , Awofeso Opeyemi , Ajose Azeezat , Ibraheem Abiola , Fatiregun Omolara Aminat , Ali-Gombe Musa , Aliyu Usman M. , Kotkat Abdallah Elsaid , Biyi-Olutunde Olusegun Abayomi , Oboh Evaristus Oseiwe , Zubairu Ismail H. , Haider Mohammad Rifat , Olatosi Bankole , Puthoff David , Onitilo Adedayo A.
Published: March 2023

PURPOSE

To examine cancer patients' perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on teleoncology in Nigeria.

METHODS

Data from a multicenter survey conducted at 15 outpatient clinics to 1,097 patients with cancer from April and July 2020 were analyzed. The study outcome was telemedicine, defined as patients who reported their routine follow-up visits were converted to virtual visits because of COVID-19 (coded yes/no). Covariates included patient age, ethnicity, marital status, income, cancer treatment, service disruption, and cancer diagnosis/type. Stata/SE.v.17 (StataCorp, College Station, TX) was used to perform chi-square and logistic regression analyses. P values ≤ .05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The majority of the 1,097 patients with cancer were female (65.7%) and age 55 years and older (35.0%). Because of COVID-19, 12.6% of patients' routine follow-ups were converted to virtual visits. More patients who canceled/postponed surgery (17.7% v 7.5%; P ≤ .001), radiotherapy (16.9% v 5.3%; P ≤ .001), and chemotherapy (22.8% v 8.5%; P ≤ .001), injection chemotherapy (20.6% v 8.7%; P ≤ .001) and those who reported being seen less by their doctor/nurse (60.3% v 11.4%; P ≤ .001) reported more follow-up conversions to virtual visits. In multivariate analyses, patients seen less by their doctors/nurses were 14.3 times more likely to have their routine follow-ups converted to virtual visits than those who did not (odds ratio, 14.33; 95% CI, 8.36 to 24.58).

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 caused many patients with cancer in Nigeria to convert visits to a virtual format. These conversions were more common in patients whose surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and injection chemotherapy treatments were canceled or postponed. Our findings suggest how COVID-19 affects cancer treatment services and the importance of collecting teleoncological care data in Nigeria.
Phosphorylation controls the oligomeric state of She2 and mRNA localization in yeast
Authors: Farajzadeh Nastaran , Shahbabian Karen , Bouaziz Yani , Querido Emmanuelle , Chartrand Pascal
Published: March 2023

Messenger RNA (mRNA) localization is an important mechanism controlling local protein synthesis. In budding yeast, asymmetric localization of transcripts such asASH1mRNA to the bud tip depends on the She2 RNA-binding protein. She2 assembles as a tetramer to bind RNA, but the regulation of this process as part of the mRNA locasome is still unclear. Here, we performed a phosphoproteomic analysis of She2 in vivo and identified new phosphosites, several of which are located at the dimerization or tetramerization interfaces of She2. Remarkably, phosphomimetic mutations at these residues disrupt the capacity of She2 to promote Ash1 asymmetric accumulation. A detailed analysis of one of these residues, T109, shows that a T109D mutation inhibits She2 oligomerization and its interaction with She3 and the importin-α Srp1. She2 proteins harboring the T109D mutation also display reduced expression. More importantly, this phosphomimetic mutation strongly impairs the capacity of She2 to bind RNA and disruptsASH1mRNA localization. These results demonstrate that the control of She2 oligomerization by phosphorylation constitutes an important regulatory step in the mRNA localization pathway.
Ο ρόλος και η επίδραση της Κίνας στο παγκόσμιο εμπορικό σύστημα και την παγκόσμια εμπορική διπλωματία
Authors: Χούπης Μιχαήλ
Published: March 2023

Είναι αδιαμφισβήτητο γεγονός ότι η Κίνα είναι η ανερχόμενη οικονομική δύναμη του 21ου αιώνα. Μετά από την ένταξη της στον Π.Ο.Ε., η οικονομική άνοδος της Κίνας επέφερε πολλές αλλαγές σε όλους τους τομείς της διεθνούς πολιτικής οικονομίας, όπως το εμπόριο, το συνάλλαγμα, τις επενδύσεις, τα κεφάλαια, την ενέργεια, την τεχνολογία, την ασφάλεια κ.α. Σε όλους αυτούς τους τομείς οι πολιτικές εξελίξεις δεν επηρεάζονται πλέον μόνο από τις ισχυρές χώρες της Δύσης (Η.Π.Α., Ε.Ε.).Προκειμένου να εξηγηθεί το εμπορικό και οικονομικό θαύμα της Κίνας, η παρακάτω διατριβή εξετάζει την ιστορική εξέλιξη της παρουσίας της Κίνας στο διεθνές εμπόριο, τη σύγχρονη εμπορική πολιτική της, τις εμπορικές της συμφωνίες, την ανάπτυξη των νέων Δρόμων του Μεταξιού ως μέσο επεκτατικής πολιτικής και γεωοικονομικής στρατηγικής, την ενεργειακή της πολιτική, καθώς και τους νεότερους εμπορικούς πολέμους.
Turning their backs on the ‘ladder of success’? Unexpected responses to the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status
Authors: Moss Rachael H. , Kelly Brian , Bird Philippa K. , Nutting Hannah Z. , Pickett Kate E.
Published: March 2023

Subjective social status measures a person’s perception of their social class relative to other people and has theoretically and empirically been positively associated with health and wellbeing. A widely used measure of this construct is the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, which asks people to report their social status by placing themselves on a ladder which represents the social hierarchy of their society or community; the scale has been used with many different populations across many countries. In this research note, we describe two cases where we encountered unexpected reactions to the MacArthur Scale that we believe highlight (a) the salience of relative social status for people’s wellbeing in contemporary society and (b) the concomitant sensitivities raised by measuring this subjective experience. We discuss the implications of these observations for future research.
Scalable Parallel Nonlinear Optimization with PyNumero and Parapint
Authors: Rodriguez Jose S. , Parker Robert B. , Laird Carl D. , Nicholson Bethany L. , Siirola John D. , Bynum Michael L.
Published: March 2023

We describe PyNumero, an open-source, object-oriented programming framework in Python that supports rapid development of performant parallel algorithms for structured nonlinear programming problems (NLP’s) using the Message Passing Interface (MPI). PyNumero provides three fundamental building blocks for developing NLP algorithms: a fast interface for calculating first and second derivatives with the AMPL Solver Library (ASL), a number of interfaces to efficient linear solvers, and block-structured vectors and matrices based on NumPy, SciPy, and MPI that support distributed parallel storage and computation. PyNumero’s design enables efficient, parallel algorithm development using high-level Python syntax while keeping expensive numerical calculations in fast, compiled implementations based on languages like C and Fortran. To demonstrate the utility of PyNumero, we also present Parapint, a Python package built on PyNumero for parallel solution of dynamic optimization problems. Parapint includes a parallel interior-point solver based on Schur-Complement decomposition. We illustrate the effectiveness of PyNumero for developing parallel algorithms with both code examples and scalability analyses for parallel matrix-vector dot products, parallel solution of structured systems of linear equations using Schur-Complement decomposition, and the parallel solution of a two-dimensional PDE optimal control problem. Our numerical results show nearly perfect scaling to more than 1,000 cores for large matrix-vector dot products and structured linear systems. Moreover, we obtain more than 354 times speedup for the optimal control example.

History: Accepted by Alice Smith, EIC/Ted Ralphs, Area Editor/Software Tools.

Funding: This work was funded in part by the Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) with funding from the Office of Fossil Energy, Cross-Cutting Research, U.S. Department of Energy. This work was also funded by Sandia National Laboratories Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program.

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2023.1272 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2021.0285 ) at ( http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7192328 ).
Integrating Users’ Contextual Engagements with Their General Preferences: An Interpretable Followee Recommendation Method
Authors: Ran Yaxuan , Liu Jiani , Zhang Yishi
Published: March 2023

Users’ contextual engagements can affect their decisions about who to follow on online social networks because engaged (versus disengaged) users tend to seek more information about the interested topic and are more likely to follow relevant accounts successively. However, existing followee recommendation methods neglect to consider contextual engagement by only relying on users’ general preferences. In the light of the chronological characteristic of the user’s following behavior, we draw on the engagement theory and propose an interpretable algorithm, namely preference-engagement latent Dirichlet allocation (PE-LDA), which integrates users’ contextual engagements with their general preferences for followee recommendation. Specifically, we suggest that if engaged in the current interest, a user will be more likely to select a followee relevant to that interest. If not, the user tends to select a followee according to their general preference. To implement this framework, we extend the original LDA by (1) introducing an indicator to represent whether the user is engaged in the current interest or not and (2) allowing a potential dependency between a user’s successive interests to describe the condition of contextual engagement. We conduct extensive experiments using a real-world Twitter data set. Results demonstrate the superior performance of PE-LDA compared with several existing methods.

History: Accepted by Ram Ramesh, Area Editor for Data Science and Machine Learning.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71702066, 71802192, 71832010, 72172112, and 72272152].

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2023.1284 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2021.0172 ) at ( http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7460938 ).
A POLÍTICA DE AÇÕES AFIRMATIVAS: entre a representatividade e a produção acadêmica
Authors: JEFFREY DEBORA CRISTINA
Published: March 2023

A política de ações afirmativas representa uma política pública amplamente analisada pela opinião pública, comunidade acadêmica entre outros espaços envolvidos diretamente na efetividade do sistema de cotas étnico-raciais, especialmente após a aprovação da Lei 12.711/2012 que dispõe sua adoção em instituições do sistema federal de ensino (Institutos Federais e Instituições do Ensino Superior). No entanto, como campo de estudos e pesquisas na área de política educacional, tendo em vista o subsídio de ações afirmativas pelos gestores de instituições de ensino superior, ainda representa um processo em constituição. A partir desta problematização, o presente artigo objetiva analisar tal proposição, mediante levantamento documental de Dossiês envolvendo a temática e que foram publicados entre os anos de 2003 e 2022, em periódicos na área de política educacional e relações étnico-raciais, utilizando os seguintes descritores: ação afirmativa, ações afirmativas, política de ações afirmativas e política de cotas. Evidenciou-se que a representatividade da política de ações afirmativas nas publicações selecionadas está diretamente vinculada como sinônimo do sistema de cotas étnico-raciais, sem que se considere as especificidades que envolvem a área de análise de políticas educacionais, sem que possam subsidiar as ações de gestores de instituições de ensino superior públicas.
Medical attitudes towards transgender patients
Authors: Bashir Seher , Fend Maximillian , Sarfraz M Aamer
Published: March 2023

Background/Aims

Those identifying as transgender make up a significant and growing number of individuals. They face discrimination in healthcare and have been known to have adverse physical and mental health outcomes because of stigma. A study was carried out to ascertain how doctors perceive and interact with their transgender patients.

Methods

The attitudes of doctors, working in mental and physical healthcare settings in a borough in south-east England, towards transgender patients were evaluated by administering a standardised questionnaire.

Results

The response rate was 22%. Most doctors who responded had encountered a transgender patient, but consultants were more likely to identify and interact with them comfortably, used their preferred pronouns, and knew about policies relating to their care than trainee doctors.

Conclusions

These findings add to the growing data regarding the perceptions about transgender patients in healthcare settings.
Expert guidelines on exercise and physical activity for people with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Williams Craig A , Núñez-Camara Marietta , Schneiderman Jane E , Tomlinson Owen W
Published: March 2023

Research has shown that there is a lack of confidence and understanding in how to use exercise for managing cystic fibrosis. This editorial discusses the key points of a consensus statement that highlights what is and is not known about the relationship between cystic fibrosis and exercise.
Teacher Stress During the First Wave of COVID-19 Infections: An Analysis According to Demographic and Labor Variables
Authors: Vargas-Rubilar Natalia Andrea , Oros Laura Beatriz
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this study was to analyze the work situations that education professionals perceived as stressful during the first wave of COVID-19 infections, and their possible variation according to demographic characteristics and working conditions. Empirical, quantitative, ex-post-facto, cross-sectional study was carried out, in which participated 9,058 teachers (86.9% women; M age = 41.08; SD = 8.82) who completed a semi-structured questionnaire of demographic and labor information and a scale of teacher stressors in the context of a pandemic. It was used Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) with post hoc Bonferroni contrasts to study the variations in the perception of stress according to demographic and work variables. The MANOVAs indicated significant variations in the perception of stress according to the teachers' gender, age, marital status, having dependents (children and parents), the level of education of the teacher, the employment situation (permanent vs. transitory), teaching seniority, the type of educational management, the number of students in charge and the number of weekly working hours (for all cases, Hotelling's F with p <.001).  
Performance of a Multi-Sensor Capacitance Probe in Estimating Soil Water Content and Field Capacity
Authors: Mehata Mukesh , Datta Sumon , Taghvaeian Saleh , Ochsner Tyson , Mirchi Ali , Moriasi Daniel N.
Published: March 2023

Highlights

Among six manufacturer calibrations, the default calibration resulted in the largest errors.

Sensor performance was negatively affected by higher clay content and salinity.

Sensor-based approaches to estimating field capacity were inconsistent and spatially variable.

Abstract. Maintaining the economic and environmental sustainability of crop production requires optimizing irrigation management using advanced technologies such as soil water sensors. In this study, the performance of a commercially available multi-sensor capacitance probe was evaluated under irrigated field conditions across western Oklahoma. The effects of clay content and salinity on sensor performance were investigated too. In addition, the field capacity (FC) of soil cores collected at study sites was determined in the laboratory. These laboratory FC values were used to assess the performance of two sensor-based approaches for estimating FC: the days to reach laboratory FC after major watering events and the percentile of collected sensor readings that represented laboratory FC. The results showed that among the six calibrations provided by the manufacturer, the default and silty clay loam calibrations produced the largest and smallest soil water content errors, respectively. Errors generally increased with clay and salinity, except for the heavy clay calibration, which showed improved performance with increasing clay content. The default and sand calibrations were more sensitive to increases in clay and salinity compared to other calibrations. In the case of sensor-based FC, on average, one to three days were required to reach laboratory FC, with a large range of one to nine days. The percentiles representing laboratory FC had an average of 56% and a range of 3%-97%. Overall, the sensor-based approaches produced inconsistent and highly variable estimates of FC. Keywords: Calibrations, Clay content, Irrigation scheduling, Salinity, Sensor accuracy, Soil water threshold.
Das Extended-Reality-Canvas – Wie können Unternehmen XR-Projekte erfolgreich implementieren?
Authors: Pöhler Ludger , Belda Fabian , Teuteberg Frank
Published: March 2023

Extended-Reality-Technologien (XR-Technologien) haben in den vergangenen Jahren einen erheblichen technologischen Fortschritt erfahren. In der Arbeitswelt wird ihre Implementierung mit zahlreichen Vorteilen, wie z. B. Produktivitätssteigerungen, geringeren Kosten und verbessertem Lernen assoziiert. Dennoch stellt die disruptive XR-Technologie Unternehmen bei der Implementierung vor zahlreiche Herausforderungen, die sich von einer veränderungsresistenten Unternehmenskultur bis hin zu gesundheitlichen Bedenken bei Mitarbeitern erstrecken. Unternehmen fehlt es an Instrumenten, die das Innovationsmanagement bei der Überwindung dieser Hürden spezifisch unterstützen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wurde daher das XR-Canvas entwickelt, das als Workshop-Instrument zur Spezifikation und Implementierung von XR-Projekten in Unternehmen eingesetzt werden kann. Es integriert elf Handlungsfelder in den Dimensionen Technologie, Organisation, Umwelt und Anwender, die auf Basis einer systematischen Literaturrecherche identifiziert wurden. Abgeleitet von Experteninterviews werden final Handlungsempfehlungen gegeben, wie das Canvas die XR-Implementierung unterstützen und die organisationale Ambidextrie fördern kann. Somit liefert dieser Beitrag einerseits Erkenntnisse, welche Faktoren die XR-Implementierung beeinflussen. Andererseits liefert er eine Innovationsmethode, um diese Einflussfaktoren strukturiert in XR-Anwendungsfällen zu spezifizieren.
The Ultra fit community mask—Toward maximal respiratory protection via personalized face fit
Authors: Hyun Chulho , Jensen Mark M. , Yang Kisuk , Weaver James C. , Wang Xiaohong , Kudo Yoshimasa , Gordon Steven J. , Samir Anthony E. , Karp Jeffrey M.
Published: March 2023

Effective masking policies to prevent the spread of airborne infections depend on public access to masks with high filtration efficacy. However, poor face-fit is almost universally present in pleated multilayer disposable face masks, severely limiting both individual and community respiratory protection. We developed a set of simple mask modifications to mass-manufactured disposable masks, the most common type of mask used by the public, that dramatically improves both their personalized fit and performance in a low-cost and scalable manner. These modifications comprise a user-moldable full mask periphery wire, integrated earloop tension adjusters, and an inner flange to trap respiratory droplets. We demonstrate that these simple design changes improve quantitative fit factor by 320%, triples the level of protection against aerosolized droplets, and approaches the model efficacy of N95 respirators in preventing the community spread of COVID-19, for an estimated additional cost of less than 5 cents per mask with automated production.
Association of hospital centrality in inter-hospital patient-sharing networks with patient mortality and length of stay
Authors: Bergmark Regan W. , Jin Ginger , Semco Robert S. , Santolini Marc , Olsen Margaret A. , Dhand Amar
Published: March 2023

Objective

The interdependence of hospitals is underappreciated in patient outcomes studies. We used a network science approach to foreground this interdependence. Specifically, within two large state-based interhospital networks, we examined the relationship of a hospital’s network position with in-hospital mortality and length of stay.

Methods

We constructed interhospital network graphs using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey for Florida (2014) and California (2011). The exposure of interest was hospital centrality, defined as weighted degree (sum of all ties to a given hospital from other hospitals). The outcomes were in-hospital mortality and length of stay with sub-analyses for four acute medical conditions: pneumonia, heart failure, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction. We compared outcomes for each quartile of hospital centrality relative to the most central quartile (Q4), independent of patient- and hospital-level characteristics, in this retrospective cross-sectional study.

Results

The inpatient cohorts had 1,246,169 patients in Florida and 1,415,728 in California. Compared to Florida’s central hospitals which had an overall mortality 1.60%, peripheral hospitals had higher in-hospital mortality (1.97%, adjusted OR (95%CI): Q1 1.61 (1.37, 1.89), p<0.001). Hospitals in the middle quartiles had lower in-hospital mortality compared to central hospitals (%, adjusted OR (95% CI): Q2 1.39%, 0.79 (0.70, 0.89), p<0.001; Q3 1.33%, 0.78 (0.70, 0.87), p<0.001). Peripheral hospitals had longer lengths of stay (adjusted incidence rate ratio (95% CI): Q1 2.47 (2.44, 2.50), p<0.001). These findings were replicated in California, and in patients with heart failure and pneumonia in Florida. These results show a u-shaped distribution of outcomes based on hospital network centrality quartile.

Conclusions

The position of hospitals within an inter-hospital network is associated with patient outcomes. Specifically, hospitals located in the peripheral or central positions may be most vulnerable to diminished quality outcomes due to the network. Results should be replicated with deeper clinical data.
Evaluation of outpatient treatment for non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19: The experience of a regional centre in the UK
Authors: Goodwin Amanda T. , Thompson Jonathan S. , Hall Ian P.
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Antivirals, such as molnupiravir, and SARS-CoV-2 neutralising monoclonal antibodies (nMAbs), such as sotrovimab, reduced the risk of hospitalisation and death in clinical trials of high-risk non-hospitalised patients with Covid-19. However, the real-world benefits of these drugs are unclear.

Aims

To evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of high-risk patients referred for outpatient antiviral or nMAb treatment for symptomatic Covid-19.

Methods

The records of patients referred to a large UK Covid Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU) over nine weeks (December 2021-February 2022) were reviewed. Data were collected on demographics, referral indications, vaccination, deprivation, treatment, complications, hospital admission, and mortality.

Results

1820 patients were referred to the CMDU, with 604 (33.2%) suitable for further assessment. 169 patients received sotrovimab, 80 patients received molnupiravir, 70 patients declined treatment, and 266 were ineligible for treatment because of resolving symptoms. There were trends towards higher proportions of female and white patients, lower deprivation scores, and malignancy- or transplant-related indications in the groups receiving treatment compared with untreated patients. Covid-19-related hospitalisations occurred in 1.2% of the treated group and 3.0% of the untreated group indicating a potential treatment effect, however Covid-related hospitalisations were lower than reported in the original clinical trials (2.2% compared with 7–10%).

Conclusion

The referral pathways for outpatient treatment of Covid-19 are inefficient, and the UK system may not be serving all groups equitably. Hospitalisation with Covid-19 was rare regardless of treatment. Ongoing service evaluation is required to ensure efficient use of resources for the outpatient management of Covid-19.
Optimizing facility location, sizing, and growth time for a cultivated resource: A case study in coral aquaculture
Authors: Lippmann Ryu B. , Helmstedt Kate J. , Gibbs Mark T. , Corry Paul
Published: March 2023

Production of cultivated resources require additional planning that takes growth time into account. We formulate a mathematical programming model to determine the optimal location and sizing of growth facilities, impacted by resource survival rate as a function of its growth time. Our method informs strategic decisions regarding the number, location, and sizing of facilities, as well as operational decisions of optimal growth time for a cultivated resource in a facility to minimize total costs. We solve this facility location and sizing problem in the context of coral aquaculture for large-scale reef restoration using a two-stage algorithm and a linear mixed-integer solver. We assess growth time in a facility in terms of its impact on survival (post-deployment) considering growth quantity requirements and growth facility production constraints. We explore the sensitivity of optimal facility number, location, and sizing to changes in the geographic distribution of demand and cost parameters computationally. Results show that the relationship between growth time and survival is critical to optimizing operational decisions for grown resources. These results inform the value of data certainty to optimize the logistics of coral aquaculture production.