bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes and knowledge of nurses working at night and sleep promotion in nursing home residents: multicenter cross-sectional survey
Authors: Wilfling Denise , Berg Almuth , Dörner Jonas , Bartmann Natascha , Klatt Thomas , Meyer Gabriele , Halek Margareta , Möhler Ralph , Köpke Sascha , Dichter Martin N.
Published: March 2023

Background

Sleep disturbances are common in nursing home residents and challenging for their nurses. Knowledge about sleep and sleep promoting factors is essential to provide adequate sleep management, where nurses play a key role. Therefore, nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards sleep and sleep promoting interventions is important as enabling or inhibiting factor for successful sleep management.

Methods

A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working wholly or partially at night in nursing homes in Germany. Data were collected between February and April 2021 via online or paper and pencil questionnaires, comprising 56 items. Nursing homes were recruited through existing cooperation with the study centers as well as via nursing home registers.

Results

Finally, 138 nursing homes participated and 271 nurses completed the survey. Nurses agreed that sleep disturbances are an important topic with important impact on resident’ health. Although, the assessment of sleep was seen as nurses’ responsibility, only 40 nurses (14.7%) stated that residents’ sleep was always documented. Only 21.7% reported the availability of policy documents providing guidance regarding the management of sleep disturbances. The vast majority (93.2%) reported never having received training about sleep and management of sleep disturbances after their basic nursing training.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that nurses working at night can play an important role in residents’ sleep promotion. The findings indicate nurses’ educational needs regarding sleep and sleep promotion. Nursing homes should implement institutional guidelines in order to promote residents’ sleep based on adequate evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions.
Spatial variation of cardiovascular mortality in Cali, Colombia, between 2010 and 2017
Authors: Murillo Luisa M. , Ramírez Carolina , Andrade-Bejarano Mercedes , Perlaza Guillermo , Barrera Lena
Published: March 2023

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and in Colombia. The analysis of CVD mortality has been mainly relied on individual factors and rates, but occurrence is also related to contextual conditions. Understanding the distribution of CVD in a region will contribute to implement more focused-preventive and care interventions.

Methods

Using the national mortality register established by the Department of National Statistics, standardized rates and spatial distribution of CVD mortality were estimated for Cali, Colombia, between 2010–2017. Global and local spatial aggregation was assessed using the Geary’s C test and for each district standardized mortality ratios smoothed by the Bayesian empirical were estimated.

Results

Over the period, CVD was the main cause of mortality with 28,804 deaths accounting for 23,8% of total deaths. The global CVD mortality rate varied from 235.9 to 257.4 per 100.000 habitants, with an average increase of 9.1% in the percentage change. The main cause of mortality were hypertensive diseases following by ischemic heart diseases and stroke. The standardized mortality ratios smoothed by the Bayesian empirical method showed that the districts 7, 13, 14, 15 and 16 located at the eastern area with the lowest socio-economic strata and the district 22 at the south of the city with the highest socio-economic strata had the high risks of CVD mortality. All these areas were at the boundary of the city. The the lowest risk was observed in districts 1 and 2 at the northwest area with the upper socio-economic strata. Over the study period, a spatial autocorrelation was found in the districts 1,9 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, and 21 by using the Geary’s C test. The highest significant spatial association was found in the districts 1 and 21.

Conclusion

Of 22 districts in Cali, the highest risk of CVD mortality was found in three at the lowest and one in the upper socio-economic strata between 2013 and 2017. Over the period a global spatial aggregation was identified due mainly to districts peripherical located suggesting that there could be contextual conditions influencing the risk. Therefore, there is a need for considering local conditions to prevent CVD mortality.
Prerequisites, barriers and opportunities in care for Q-fever patients: a Delphi study among healthcare workers
Authors: Brus Iris M. , Spronk Inge , Haagsma Juanita A. , Erasmus Vicki , de Groot Annemieke , Olde Loohuis Alfons G. M. , Bronner Madelon B. , Polinder Suzanne
Published: March 2023

Background

Q-fever is a zoonotic disease that can lead to illness, disability and death. This study aimed to provide insight into the perspectives of healthcare workers (HCWs) on prerequisites, barriers and opportunities in care for Q-fever patients.

Methods

A two-round online Delphi study was conducted among 94 Dutch HCWs involved in care for Q-fever patients. The questionnaires contained questions on prerequisites for high quality, barriers and facilitators in care, knowledge of Q-fever, and optimization of care. For multiple choice, ranking and Likert scale questions, frequencies were reported, while for rating and numerical questions, the median and interquartile range (IQR) were reported.

Results

The panel rated the care for Q-fever patients at a median score of 6/10 (IQR = 2). Sufficient knowledge of Q-fever among HCWs (36%), financial compensation of care (30%) and recognition of the disease by HCWs (26%) were considered the most important prerequisites for high quality care. A lack of knowledge was identified as the most important barrier (76%) and continuing medical education as the primary method for improving HCWs’ knowledge (76%). HCWs rated their own knowledge at a median score of 8/10 (IQR = 1) and the general knowledge of other HCWs at a 5/10 (IQR = 2). According to HCWs, a median of eight healthcare providers (IQR = 4) should be involved in the care for Q-fever fatigue syndrome (QFS) and a median of seven (IQR = 5) in chronic Q-fever care.

Conclusions

Ten years after the Dutch Q-fever epidemic, HCWs indicate that the long-term care for Q-fever patients leaves much room for improvement. Facilitation of reported prerequisites for high quality care, improved knowledge among HCWs, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and guidance on how to support patients could possibly improve quality of care. These prerequisites may also improve care for patients with persisting symptoms due to other infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.
Novel evolved Yarrowia lipolytica strains for enhanced growth and lipid content under high concentrations of crude glycerol
Authors: Tsirigka Asimina , Theodosiou Eleni , Patsios Sotiris I. , Tsoureki Antiopi , Andreadelli Aggeliki , Papa Elisavet , Aggeli Amalia , Karabelas Anastasios J. , Makris Antonios M.
Published: March 2023

Background

Yarrowia lipolytica is a well-studied oleaginous yeast known for its ability to accumulate and store intracellular lipids, while growing on diverse, non-conventional substrates. Amongst them, crude glycerol, a low-cost by-product of the biodiesel industry, appears to be an interesting option for scaling up a sustainable single-cell oil production process. Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) is a powerful tool to force metabolic adaptations endowing tolerance to stressful environmental conditions, generating superior phenotypes with industrial relevance.

Results

Y. lipolytica MUCL 28849 underwent ALE in a synthetic medium with increasing concentration of pure or crude glycerol as a stressing factor (9–20% v/v) for 520 generations. In one case of pure glycerol, chemical mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) was applied prior to ALE. Growth profile, biomass production and lipid content of 660 evolved strains (EVS), revealed 5 superior isolates; exhibiting from 1.9 to 3.6-fold increase of dry biomass and from 1.1 to 1.6-fold increase of lipid concentration compared to the parental strain, when grown in 15% v/v crude glycerol. NGS for differential gene expression analysis, showed induced expression in all EVS affecting nucleosomal structure and regulation of transcription. As strains differentiated, further changes accumulated in membrane transport and protein transport processes. Genes involved in glycerol catabolism and triacylglycerol biosynthesis were overexpressed in two EVS. Mismatches and gaps in the expressed sequences identified altered splicing and mutations in the EVS, with most of them, affecting different components of septin ring formation in the budding process. The selected YLE155 EVS, used for scale-up cultivation in a 3L benchtop bioreactor with 20% v/v crude glycerol, achieved extended exponential phase, twofold increase of dry biomass and lipid yields at 48 h, while citric acid secretion and glycerol consumption rates were 40% and 50% lower, respectively, compared to the parental strain, after 24 h of cultivation.

Conclusion

ALE and EMS-ALE under increasing concentrations of pure or crude glycerol generated novel Y. lipolytica strains with enhanced biomass and lipid content. Differential gene expression analysis and scale-up of YLE155, illustrated the potential of the evolved strains to serve as suitable “chassis” for rational engineering approaches towards both increased lipid accumulation, and production of high-added value compounds, through efficient utilization of crude glycerol.
Multimodal treatment with curative intent in a germline BRCA2 mutant metastatic ampullary adenocarcinoma: a case report
Authors: Mauri Gianluca , Gori Viviana , Patelli Giorgio , Roazzi Laura , Rizzetto Francesco , De Carlis Luciano , Mariani Anna , Cavallari Ugo , Prada Elisabetta , Cipani Tiziana , Aquilano Maria Costanza , Bonoldi Emanuela , Vanzulli Angelo , Siena Salvatore , Sartore-Bianchi Andrea
Published: March 2023

Background

Cancers of the Vater ampulla (ampullary cancers, ACs) account for less than 1% of all gastrointestinal tumors. ACs are usually diagnosed at advanced stage, with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. BRCA2 mutations are identified in up to 14% of ACs and, differently from other tumor types, therapeutic implications remain to be defined. Here, we report a clinical case of a metastatic AC patient in which the identification of a BRCA2 germline mutation drove a personalized multimodal approach with curative-intent.

Case presentation

A 42-year-old woman diagnosed with stage IV BRCA2 germline mutant AC underwent platinum-based first line treatment achieving major tumor response but also life-threatening toxicity. Based on this, as well as on molecular findings and expected low impact of available systemic treatment options, the patient underwent radical complete surgical resection of both primary tumor and metastatic lesions. Following an isolated retroperitoneal nodal recurrence, given the expected enhanced sensitivity to radiotherapy in BRCA2 mutant cancers, the patient underwent imaging-guided radiotherapy leading to long-lasting complete tumor remission. After more than 2 years, the disease remains radiologically and biochemically undetectable. The patient accessed a dedicated screening program for BRCA2 germline mutation carriers and underwent prophylactic bilateral oophorectomy.

Conclusions

Even considering the intrinsic limitations of a single clinical report, we suggest that the finding of BRCA germline mutations in ACs should be taken into consideration, together with other clinical variables, given their potential association with remarkable response to cytotoxic chemotherapy that might be burdened with enhanced toxicity. Accordingly, BRCA1/2 mutations might offer the opportunity of personalizing treatment beyond PARP inhibitors up to the choice of a multimodal approach with curative-intent.
Perioperative safety and prognosis following parenchyma-preserving surgery for solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas
Authors: Gao Yong , Guo Feng , Lu Zipeng , Xi Chunhua , Wei Jishu , Jiang Kuirong , Miao Yi , Wu Junli , Chen Jianmin
Published: March 2023

Background/objectives

To evaluate perioperative safety and outcome of parenchyma-preserving pancreatectomy and risk factors of metastasis and recurrence for patients with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN).

Methods

Demographic data, operative and pathological parameter, follow-up data of patients with SPN undergoing their first operation were collected in our single center from May 2016 to October 2021 and compared between regular pancreatectomy group and parenchyma-preserving surgery group. Risk factors for metastasis and recurrence were investigated.

Results

A total of 194 patients were included, 154 of whom were female and the average age of all patients was 33 years old. Most patients were asymptomatic, with the most common complaint being abdominal pain or discomfort. Of them, 62 patients underwent parenchyma-preserving pancreatectomy including middle segment pancreatectomy and enucleation, and 132 patients underwent regular pancreatectomy including pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy and total pancreatectomy. Patients in the parenchyma-preserving surgery group had a shorter duration of operation, less intraoperative bleeding, and decreased risk of combined organ removal and blood transfusion, with no statistical significance yet. The two groups exhibited a similar incidence of postoperative complications including grade B and C pancreatic fistula, delayed gastric emptying, postoperative pancreatic hemorrhage, and other complications, as well as radiological intervention, relaparotomy and the length of postoperative hospital stay. There were no perioperative deaths. All the patients, except 18 of those who discontinued follow-up, were alive with a median follow-up time of 31 months. Three patients in the regular pancreatectomy group were observed to have liver metastasis, and no metastasis was observed in the parenchyma-preserving surgery group. Significant risk factors for tumor metastasis and recurrence were tumor size, angioinvasion, and nerve infiltration.

Conclusions

Parenchyma-preserving surgery did not significantly increase the frequency of perioperative complications or recurrence and might be preferable if comprehensive conditions allow.
Intestinal barrier functions in hematologic and oncologic diseases
Authors: Haroun Elio , Kumar Prashanth Ashok , Saba Ludovic , Kassab Joseph , Ghimire Krishna , Dutta Dibyendu , Lim Seah H.
Published: March 2023

The intestinal barrier is a complex structure that not only regulates the influx of luminal contents into the systemic circulation but is also involved in immune, microbial, and metabolic homeostasis. Evidence implicating disruption in intestinal barrier functions in the development of many systemic diseases, ranging from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis to autism, or systemic complications of intestinal disorders has increased rapidly in recent years, raising the possibility of the intestinal barrier as a potential target for therapeutic intervention to alter the course and mitigate the complications associated with these diseases. In addition to the disease process being associated with a breach in the intestinal barrier functions, patients with hematologic and oncologic diseases are particularly at high risks for the development of increased intestinal permeability, due to the frequent use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and chemoradiation. They also face a distinct challenge of being intermittently severely neutropenic due to treatment of the underlying conditions. In this review, we will discuss how hematologic and oncologic diseases are associated with disruption in the intestinal barrier and highlight the complications associated with an increase in the intestinal permeability. We will explore methods to modulate the complication. To provide a background for our discussion, we will first examine the structure and appraise the methods of evaluation of the intestinal barrier.
Cerebro-spinal fluid glucose and lactate concentrations changes in response to therapies in patIents with primary brain injury: the START-TRIP study
Authors: Gouvêa Bogossian Elisa , Taleb Chahnez , Aspide Raffaele , Badenes Rafael , Battaglini Denise , Bilotta Federico , Blandino Ortiz Aaron , Caricato Anselmo , Castioni Carlo Alberto , Citerio Giuseppe , Ferraro Gioconda , Martino Costanza , Melchionda Isabella , Montanaro Federica , Monleon Lopez Berta , Nato Consolato Gianluca , Piagnerelli Michael , Picetti Edoardo , Robba Chiara , Simonet Olivier , Thooft Aurelie , Taccone Fabio Silvio
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Altered levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose and lactate concentrations are associated with poor outcomes in acute brain injury patients. However, no data on changes in such metabolites consequently to therapeutic interventions are available. The aim of the study was to assess CSF glucose-to-lactate ratio (CGLR) changes related to therapies aimed at reducing intracranial pressure (ICP).

Methods

A multicentric prospective cohort study was conducted in 12 intensive care units (ICUs) from September 2017 to March 2022. Adult (> 18 years) patients admitted after an acute brain injury were included if an external ventricular drain (EVD) for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring was inserted within 24 h of admission. During the first 48–72 h from admission, CGLR was measured before and 2 h after any intervention aiming to reduce ICP (“intervention”). Patients with normal ICP were also sampled at the same time points and served as the “control” group.

Results

A total of 219 patients were included. In the intervention group (n = 115, 53%), ICP significantly decreased and CPP increased. After 2 h from the intervention, CGLR rose in both the intervention and control groups, although the magnitude was higher in the intervention than in the control group (20.2% vs 1.6%; p = 0.001). In a linear regression model adjusted for several confounders, therapies to manage ICP were independently associated with changes in CGLR. There was a weak inverse correlation between changes in ICP and CGRL in the intervention group.

Conclusions

In this study, CGLR significantly changed over time, regardless of the study group. However, these effects were more significant in those patients receiving interventions to reduce ICP.
Challenges in small cetacean telemetry: an attempt at developing a remotely deployed attachment device for single-pin dorsal fin satellite transmitters
Authors: Balmer Brian C. , Westgate Andrew J. , McFee Wayne E.
Published: March 2023

Satellite telemetry is critical for collecting fine-scale temporal and spatial data on individual animals that has broad-scale applicability at population and species levels. There have been significant advances in the remote deployment of satellite telemetry devices on large cetacean species. However, the development of comparable remote attachment methodologies for small cetaceans is still limited. Currently, satellite tag attachment for small cetaceans requires manual capture that increases the risk to the target animal, can be logistically challenging, and cost prohibitive. The goal of this project was to develop a novel tool to remotely attach single-pin satellite telemetry devices to the dorsal fin of individual small cetaceans. Three different spring-loaded designs and one pneumatic version of the remote attachment device were built in an iterative process to identify a successful deployment methodology. Ultimately, as a result of logistical challenges associated with a Category 5 hurricane, the COVID-19 pandemic, and engineering complexities related to dorsal fin morphology and small cetacean behavior, the objective of this project was not met. However, lessons learned from these attempts to develop this new sampling tool have applicability for future researchers in the successful completion of a safe and effective methodology for remote attachment of satellite tags to small cetacean dorsal fins.
Myelin in Alzheimer’s disease: culprit or bystander?
Authors: Maitre Michel , Jeltsch-David Hélène , Okechukwu Nwife Getrude , Klein Christian , Patte-Mensah Christine , Mensah-Nyagan Ayikoe-Guy
Published: March 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with neuronal and synaptic losses due to the accumulation of toxic amyloid β (Αβ) peptide oligomers, plaques, and tangles containing tau (tubulin-associated unit) protein. While familial AD is caused by specific mutations, the sporadic disease is more common and appears to result from a complex chronic brain neuroinflammation with mitochondriopathies, inducing free radicals’ accumulation. In aged brain, mutations in DNA and several unfolded proteins participate in a chronic amyloidosis response with a toxic effect on myelin sheath and axons, leading to cognitive deficits and dementia. Αβ peptides are the most frequent form of toxic amyloid oligomers. Accumulations of misfolded proteins during several years alters different metabolic mechanisms, induce chronic inflammatory and immune responses with toxic consequences on neuronal cells. Myelin composition and architecture may appear to be an early target for the toxic activity of Aβ peptides and others hydrophobic misfolded proteins. In this work, we describe the possible role of early myelin alterations in the genesis of neuronal alterations and the onset of symptomatology. We propose that some pathophysiological and clinical forms of the disease may arise from structural and metabolic disorders in the processes of myelination/demyelination of brain regions where the accumulation of non-functional toxic proteins is important. In these forms, the primacy of the deleterious role of amyloid peptides would be a matter of questioning and the initiating role of neuropathology would be primarily the fact of dysmyelination.
Approach to the Patient: The Evaluation and Management of Men ≥50 Years With Low Serum Testosterone Concentration
Authors: Grossmann Mathis , Jayasena Channa N , Anawalt Bradley D
Published: March 2023

Although testosterone replacement in men with classic hypogonadism due to an identified pathology of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis is uncontroversial, the role of testosterone treatment for men with age-related declines in circulating testosterone is unclear. This is due to the lack of large, long-term testosterone therapy trials assessing definitive clinical endpoints. However, men ≥50 years of age, particularly those who have a body mass index >25 kg/m2 and multiple comorbidities, commonly present with clinical features of androgen deficiency and low serum testosterone concentrations. Clinicians are faced with the question whether to initiate testosterone therapy, a difficult dilemma that entails a benefit-risk analysis with limited evidence from clinical trials. Using a case scenario, we present a practical approach to the clinical assessment and management of such men.
Weekly Somapacitan in GH Deficiency: 4-Year Efficacy, Safety, and Treatment/Disease Burden Results From REAL 3
Authors: Sävendahl Lars , Battelino Tadej , Højby Rasmussen Michael , Brod Meryl , Röhrich Sebastian , Saenger Paul , Horikawa Reiko
Published: March 2023

Context

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children is currently treated with daily injections of GH, which can be burdensome for patients and their parents/guardians. Somapacitan is a GH derivative in development for once-weekly treatment of GHD.

Objective

This work aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of somapacitan, and associated disease/treatment burden, after 4 years of treatment and 1 year after switching to somapacitan from daily GH.

Methods

This long-term safety extension of a multicenter, controlled phase 2 trial (NCT02616562) took place at 29 sites in 11 countries. Patients were prepubertal, GH-naive children with GHD. Fifty patients completed 4 years of treatment. Patients in the pooled group received somapacitan (0.04, 0.08, 0.16 mg/kg/week) for 1 year, followed by the highest dose (0.16 mg/kg/week) for 3 years. Patients in the switched group received daily GH 0.034 mg/kg/day for 3 years, then somapacitan 0.16 mg/kg/week for 1 year. Main outcome measures were height velocity (HV), change from baseline in HV SD score (SDS), change from baseline in height SDS, disease burden, and treatment burden for patients and parents/guardians.

Results

Changes from baseline in HV and HV SDS were similar and as expected in both groups. Observer-reported outcomes showed that patients and parents/guardians seem to have experienced a reduced treatment burden when switching from daily GH to somapacitan. Most parents/guardians (81.8%) strongly/very strongly preferred somapacitan over daily GH.

Conclusions

Somapacitan showed similar efficacy and safety in patients who continued somapacitan treatment and those who switched from daily GH to somapacitan. Once-weekly injections may lead to a reduced treatment burden relative to once-daily injections. A plain-language summary of this work is available.
Annotations
Authors: Chandler Nahum Dimitri
Published: March 2023

In Annotations Nahum Dimitri Chandler offers a philosophical interpretation of W. E. B. Du Bois’s 1897 American Negro Academy address, “The Conservation of Races.” Chandler approaches Du Bois as a generative and original philosophical thinker-writer on the status and historical implication of matters of human difference, both the fact of and the very idea thereof. Chandler proposes both a close reading of Du Bois’s engagement of the concept of so-called race and a deep meditation on Du Bois’s conceptualization of historicity in general. He elaborates on the way Du Bois’s thought in this address can give an account of the organization of the historicity that yields the emergence of something like the African American, at once with its own internal dimensions and yet also as an originary articulation of forces and possibilities that have world historical implications. Chandler refigures Du Bois’s thought as a vital theoretical resource for rethinking our concepts of differences among humans and, so too, our understanding of modern historicity itself.
Estimation of pigment concentration in LDPE via in-line hyperspectral imaging and machine learning
Authors: Amariei Georgiana , Schaarup-Kjær Anne , Klarskov Pernille , Henriksen Martin , Hinge Mogens
Published: March 2023

Due to the increasing amount of plastic waste and high-quality demands on recycled plastic interest for in-line composition estimation in plastics has grown the last few years. This study investigates pigment blue 15 : 3 with varying concentrations in LDPE. Samples are investigated with two industrial hyperspectral imaging systems where one has the hyperspectral range from 450 nm to 1050 nm and the other from 950 nm to 1750 nm. A model based on peak ratios of selected bands and model based on a principal component analysis have been tested. The models only predict pigment concentrations between 40.0 wt% and 1.7 × 10–3 wt% if both spectral ranges are combined. Unknown samples containing pigment concentration ranging from 20 wt% to 0.31 wt% were predicted and correlated to the actual pigment concentrations (R2 = :0.977) and the PC-based model outperforms the peak ratio model. The studied approach can be a part of the solution to the plastic challenge and can be transferred to other applications where concentration determination is key.
Capital-Reallocation Frictions and Trade Shocks
Authors: Lanteri Andrea , Medina Pamela , Tan Eugene
Published: March 2023

What are the short-term effects of an import-competition shock on capital reallocation and aggregate productivity? To address this question, we develop a quantitative model with heterogeneous firms and capital-reallocation frictions. We discipline the model with micro data on investment dynamics of Peruvian manufacturing firms and trade flows between China and Peru. Because of large frictions in firm downsizing and exit, an import-competition shock induces a temporary aggregate-productivity loss and larger dispersion in marginal products, due to investment inaction and exit of some productive firms. Empirical evidence on the effects of trade shocks on capital reallocation supports the model mechanism. (JEL E22, E23, F14, L60, O14, O16, O19)
Inter-rater agreement between radiologists using the novel CT-TDV (T3c+; tumour deposits; EMVI) system in patients with potentially curable right colon cancer
Authors: Hodges Nicola , Duxbury Oliver , Corr Alison , Cho Seung Hyon , Miskovic Danilo , Brown Gina
Published: March 2023

Objectives:

The novel CT-TDV scoring system, identifying T3c + disease; the presence/absence of tumour deposits and EMVI has been shown to be superior in predicting prognosis when compared to the CT-TNM staging system in the evaluation of colon cancer. Reproducibility of this scoring system between specialist GI radiologists has not been assessed previously. The aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater agreement of gastrointestinal radiologists in assessing the novel pre-operative CT-TDV scoring of patients with potentially curable right-sided colon cancer.

Methods:

Ninety-three right colon cancer pre-operative CT scans were graded as CT TDV “good” versus TDV “poor” by four radiologists. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between all four readers and individual readers against the central radiologist using Cohen’s κ statistic.

Results:

The ICC comparing those graded as TDV “good” versus TDV “poor” for all 93 cases was 0.61 (0.51–0.70) indicating moderate reliability. Individual κ scores across the 93 cases were 0.76, 0.59 and 0.59 (p < 0.001) indicating moderate to substantial agreement.

Conclusion:

The CT TDV scoring system is reproducible amongst trained gastrointestinal radiologists in the assessment of newly diagnosed right colon cancer.

Advances in knowledge:

This further validates the clinical utility of the CT TDV scoring system as a prognostic tool to guide the management of patients with potentially curable right colon cancer.
Triple Helix Innovation Ecosystem: The Role of Small and Medium Enterprises Community in Enhancing Performance
Authors: Noya Sunday , Taneo Stefanus Y.M. , Melany Melany
Published: March 2023

Purpose: This study seeks to reveal the relationship between the triple helix innovation ecosystem and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs’) performance and the role of the SME community as the mediator between the triple helix innovation ecosystem and SMEs’ performance.
Methodology/Approach: This study uses a quantitative approach. Data were collected using an online questionnaire from 386 SME managers who are members of the SME community in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia. SEM-PLS was used to analyse the data to examine the relationship of three latent variables: triple helix ecosystem, SME community, and SMEs’ performance.
Findings: The triple helix ecosystem in this study was the collaboration of three agents, namely the government, large companies, and universities. This study proves that the triple helix ecosystem innovation is positively and significantly related to the performance of SMEs. Another important finding is that the SME community partially mediates the triple helix innovation ecosystem relationship and SME performance. The SME community has a strategic role in the triple helix agents intervention process to improve the performance of SMEs.
Research Limitation/Implication: The data were collected through an online questionnaire so that it could not reveal the process of operational interventions of triple helix agents to improve SMEs’ performance. The performance of SMEs did not measure internal business processes, such as the presence of technology in processes, product development, and time savings.
Originality/Value of paper: This research contributes to the literature through triple helix analysis as an ecosystem in improving the performance of SMEs.
An Ensemble Learning Approach with Gradient Resampling for Class-Imbalance Problems
Authors: Zhao Hongke , Zhao Chuang , Zhang Xi , Liu Nanlin , Zhu Hengshu , Liu Qi , Xiong Hui
Published: March 2023

Imbalanced classification is widely referred in many real-world applications and has been extensively studied. Most existing algorithms consider alleviating the imbalance by sampling or guiding ensemble learners with punishments. The combination of ensemble learning and sampling strategy at class level has achieved great progress. Actually, specific hard examples have little benefit for model learning and even degrade the performance. From the view of identifying classification difficulty of samples, one important motivation is to design algorithms to finely equip different samples with progressive learning. Unfortunately, how to perfectly configure the sampling and learning strategies under ensemble principles at the sample level remains a research gap. In this paper, we propose a new view from the sample level rather than class level in existing studies. We design an ensemble approach in pipe with sample-level gradient resampling, that is, balanced cascade with filters (BCWF). Before that, as a preliminary exploration, we first design a hard examples mining algorithm to explore the gradient distribution of classification difficulty of samples and identify the hard examples. Specifically, BCWF uses an under-sampling strategy and a boosting manner to train T predictive classifiers and reidentify hard examples. In BCWF, moreover, we design two types of filters: the first is assembled with a hard filter (BCWF_h), whereas the second is assembled with a soft filter (BCWF_s). In each round of boosting, BCWF_h strictly removes a gradient/set of the hardest examples from both classes, whereas BCWF_s removes a larger number of harder and easy examples simultaneously for final balanced-class retention. Consequently, the well-trained T predictive classifiers can be used with two ensemble voting strategies: average probability and majority vote. To evaluate the proposed approach, we conduct intensive experiments on 10 benchmark data sets and apply our algorithms to perform default user detection on a real-world peer to peer lending data set. The experimental results fully demonstrate the effectiveness and the managerial implications of our approach when compared with 11 competitive algorithms.

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

Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72101176, 71722005, and 72241432], the National Key R&D program of China [Grant 2020YFA0908600] and the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City [Grant 18JCJQJC45900].

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.2023.1274 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2021.0104 ) at ( http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6360996 ).
Distributionally Robust Batch Contextual Bandits
Authors: Si Nian , Zhang Fan , Zhou Zhengyuan , Blanchet Jose
Published: March 2023

Policy learning using historical observational data are an important problem that has widespread applications. Examples include selecting offers, prices, or advertisements for consumers; choosing bids in contextual first-price auctions; and selecting medication based on patients’ characteristics. However, existing literature rests on the crucial assumption that the future environment where the learned policy will be deployed is the same as the past environment that has generated the data: an assumption that is often false or too coarse an approximation. In this paper, we lift this assumption and aim to learn a distributionally robust policy with incomplete observational data. We first present a policy evaluation procedure that allows us to assess how well the policy does under worst-case environment shift. We then establish a central limit theorem type guarantee for this proposed policy evaluation scheme. Leveraging this evaluation scheme, we further propose a novel learning algorithm that is able to learn a policy that is robust to adversarial perturbations and unknown covariate shifts with a performance guarantee based on the theory of uniform convergence. Finally, we empirically test the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm in synthetic datasets and demonstrate that it provides the robustness that is missing using standard policy learning algorithms. We conclude the paper by providing a comprehensive application of our methods in the context of a real-world voting data set.

This paper was accepted by Hamid Nazerzadeh, data science.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [Grant CCF-2106508] and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research [Award FA9550-20-1-0397]. Z. Zhou also gratefully acknowledges the JP Morgan AI Research Grant and the New York University’s Center for Global Economy and Business faculty research grant for support on this work. Additional support is gratefully acknowledged from the National Science Foundation [Grants 1915967 and 2118199].

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4678 .
Human and Machine: The Impact of Machine Input on Decision Making Under Cognitive Limitations
Authors: Boyacı Tamer , Canyakmaz Caner , de Véricourt Francis
Published: March 2023

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by many organizations has recently raised concerns that AI may eventually replace humans in certain tasks. In fact, when used in collaboration, machines can significantly enhance the complementary strengths of humans. Indeed, because of their immense computing power, machines can perform specific tasks with incredible accuracy. In contrast, human decision makers (DMs) are flexible and adaptive but constrained by their limited cognitive capacity. This paper investigates how machine-based predictions may affect the decision process and outcomes of a human DM. We study the impact of these predictions on decision accuracy, the propensity and nature of decision errors, and the DM’s cognitive efforts. To account for both flexibility and limited cognitive capacity, we model the human decision-making process in a rational inattention framework. In this setup, the machine provides the DM with accurate but sometimes incomplete information at no cognitive cost. We fully characterize the impact of machine input on the human decision process in this framework. We show that machine input always improves the overall accuracy of human decisions but may nonetheless increase the propensity of certain types of errors (such as false positives). The machine can also induce the human to exert more cognitive efforts, although its input is highly accurate. Interestingly, this happens when the DM is most cognitively constrained, for instance, because of time pressure or multitasking. Synthesizing these results, we pinpoint the decision environments in which human-machine collaboration is likely to be most beneficial.

This paper was accepted by Jeannette Song, operations management.

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4744 .
“Divân-ı Kebîr’de yer alan rebap çalgısına yönelik metaforların hermeneutik açıdan incelenmesi” başlıklı makaleye ilişkin düzeltme
Authors: Soylu Bağçeci Fulya , Özdemir Mücahit
Published: March 2023

Bu düzeltme daha önce yayınlanan makalemizde sehven unutulan bir bilgilendirmeden ibarettir.
GC-MS Analysis of Phytoactive Compounds, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Citrullus lanatus Seeds
Authors: Shah Ashfaq Ahmad , Gupta Amit , Rehman Aqueel-Ur- , Kapoor Sanchita , Kaur Harmanpreet , Rohilla Bharat , Rashmi Kumari , Bajpai AB
Published: March 2023

The current study investigated the therapeutic potential of Citrullus lanatus seeds which are commonly discarded after eating the fruit. In this day and age, plant secondary metabolites are preferred therapeutic agents to manage a variety of diseases and disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the bioactive secondary metabolite profile of Citrullus lanatus seeds by investigating total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant potential, and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of bioactive compounds and anti-bacterial properties of four different crude extracts. Alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, tannins, saponins, phytosterols, terpenoids, and glycosides were revealed in the seeds after qualitative phytochemical examination utilizing several solvents of varying polarity and established techniques of analysis. DPPH radical scavenging assay was used to assess the antioxidant potential and the total flavonoid and phenolic contents in seed extracts were determined using the spectrophotometric method. Methanolic extract revealed higher extractive yield, antioxidant potential, a higher total phenolic content (132.68 ± 0.861 mg of GAg), and higher total flavonoid content (48.13 ± 0.451 mg of Qg) as compared to other extracts. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of all four seed extracts revealed the presence of 27 high and low molecular weight chemical entities in toto with varying amounts. These bioactive chemical substances have been revealed to be physiologically significant and essential from a pharmaceutical standpoint. This research demonstrates that the Citrullus lanatus seeds are high in bioactive secondary metabolites that are beneficial to human health, have a high antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial action against certain bacterial strains, indicating that these seeds have a lot of therapeutic value.
Medication Adherence using Medication Possession Ratio and Proportion of Days Covered among Elderly Diabetic Patients Visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital in Puducherry
Authors: Prabhu Kamalesh , J. Salwe Kartik , Saravanabavan Nandhini , Manimekalai K.
Published: March 2023

Background: Patient adherence to treatment is crucial for successful therapy while treating chronic conditions like diabetes mellitus. Medication possession ratio (MPR) and proportion of Days Covered (PDC) are the most common measures of medication adherence using refill records. Methods: A prospective hospital-based longitudinal study was carried out among elderly patients, both males and females on oral hypoglycaemic medication from May-August 2019 in the Department of General Medicine in Puducherry. MPR was calculated as the sum of the days' supply for all fills of a given drug in a particular period divided by the number of days in the period while PDC was calculated as the number of days the drug supplied during the study period divided by the number of days in the study period. MPR and PDC ≥ 80% was considered as adherence to medication. Results: In our study, 80% of elderly diabetic patients were adherent to medication according to medication possession ratio (MPR), while adherence according to the proportion of days covered was much lesser and was only 64.4%. We found a significant association between medication adherence in elderly diabetic patient’s factors such as monthly family income, literacy, and presence of a caretaker while there was no association between medication adherence in elderly diabetic patients upon the age of the patient, number of drugs prescribed and monthly cost of the medicines. Conclusion: Medication adherence in elderly diabetic patients mainly depends on many factors such as monthly family income, literacy and presence of the caretaker and not depending upon the age of the patient, number of drugs prescribed and monthly cost of the medicines. Larger studies are necessary to realize the proper impact of nonadherence on this group of the population
Cytotoxicity Test of Active Compounds Natural Ingredients of Snail Mucus (Achatina fulica) Against BHK-21 Fibroblast Cells
Authors: IGAAP Swastini , Sumerti Ni Nengah , Nuratni Ni Ketut
Published: March 2023

Snails are unpleasant yet beneficial. Rural people have used one to treat illnesses like toothache for years. We will test snail's mucus Achatina fulica's cytotoxic activity against Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK-21) fibroblast cells at 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100% and its resistance to Phorpyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, E. Faecalis, and S. aureus using Microtetrazolium (MTT) assay. The test and comparison solution was incubated with 5x103/100 l cells in 96-well plates. 5 mg/mL MTT completed the solution's incubation. ELISA readers measured purple color intensity. The formula transformed absorbance data at 595 nm into percent alive cells. ELISA readers read data. ANOVA, parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov data normality test were performed. The cytotoxicity statistical test shows the following results: 12.5 % (0.76875 ±0.01117), 25% (0.49350 ±0.004796), 50% (0.30250 ±0.006658) and 100% (0.171 ±0.10488). The lowest cytotoxicity of Achatina fulica snail mucus is 12.5% with an average of 0.768. Achatina fulica snail mucus resists Phorpyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, E. Faecalis, and S. aureus at 12.5%.
Spectral studies of Nd3+ doped different fluorophosphate glasses for their aptness in laser applications at 1060 nm
Authors:   Sri Venkateswara University, Narayana Devara B. Surya , Ratnakaram Y.C. , Kumar M.
Published: March 2023

Neodymium doped fluorophosphate (FP:Nd3+) glasses with different chemical compositions (59NH4H2PO4+15ZnO +15BaF2+10X+1·0NdF3 (X=LiF, NaF, CaF2, SrF2, AlF3)) were prepared by melt quenching. Their structures and spectroscopic properties were studied using x-ray diffraction, FTIR, FT-Raman and 31P, 27Al MAS NMR techniques. Various structural groups were identified using FTIR and FT-Raman spectra. The depolymerisation of metaphosphate chains are described by the decrease of Q2 tetrahedral sites allowing the formation of pyrophosphate groups revealed by 31P MAS NMR spectroscopic studies. Optical properties were studied using absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters Ωλ (λ=2, 4 and 6) were estimated from absorption spectra. Radiative parameters such as transition probabilities (A), radiative lifetimes (τR), integrated absorption cross-sections (Σ) and branching ratios (βR) were calculated. Two emission lines at 1060 and 1330 nm were observed for Nd3+ in all the fluorophosphate glasses. From the emission spectra, emission characteristics were studied via optical band gains (σe×τR) and gain bandwidths (σe×Δλeff). Fairly large numerical values for peak emission cross-sections (σe) and branching ratios (β) for 4F3/2Æ4I11/2 transition of Nd3+ ion doped calcium fluorophosphate glass were observed. These results are rosy for NIR laser application at 1060 nm.