bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review on automated follicle identification for polycystic ovarian syndrome
Authors: Nazarudin A A , Zulkarnain Noraishikin , Hussain A. , Mokri S. S. , Nordin I. N. A. M.
Published: March 2020

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), is a condition of the ovary consisting numerous follicles. Accurate size and number of follicles detected are crucial for treatment. Hence the diagnosis of this condition is by measuring and calculating the size and number of follicles existed in the ovary. For diagnosis, ultrasound imaging has become an effective tool as it is non-invasive, inexpensive and portable. However, the presence of speckle noise in ultrasound imaging has caused an obstruction for manual diagnosis which are high time consumption and often produce errors. Thus, image segmentation for ultrasound imaging is critical to identify follicles for PCOS diagnosis and proper health treatment. This paper presents different methods proposed and applied in automated follicle identification for PCOS diagnosis by previous researchers. In this paper, the methods and performance evaluation are identified and compared. Finally, this paper also provided suggestions in developing methods for future research.
A comparative study of different imputation methods for daily rainfall data in east-coast Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Mariana Che Mat Nor Siti , Shaharudin Shazlyn Milleana , Ismail Shuhaida , Zainuddin Nurul Hila , Tan Mou Leong
Published: March 2020

Rainfall data are the most significant values in hydrology and climatology modelling. However, the datasets are prone to missing values due to various issues. This study aspires to impute the rainfall missing values by using various imputation method such as Replace by Mean, Nearest Neighbor, Random Forest, Non-linear Interactive Partial Least-Square (NIPALS) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Daily rainfall datasets from 48 rainfall stations across east-coast Peninsular Malaysia were used in this study. The dataset were then fed into Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model. The performance of abovementioned methods were evaluated using Root Mean Square Method (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency Coefficient (CE). The experimental results showed that RF coupled with MLR (RF-MLR) approach was attained as more fitting for satisfying the missing data in east-coast Peninsular Malaysia.
Using queuing theory to describe adaptive mathematical models of computing systems with resource virtualization and its verification using a virtual server with a configuration similar to the configuration of a given model
Authors: Martyshkin Alexey I. , Pashchenko Dmitry V. , Trokoz Dmitry A. , Sinev Mihail P. , Svistunov Boris L.
Published: March 2020

The article describes the issues of preparation and verification of mathematical models of computing systems with resource virtualization. The object of this study is to verify of mathematical models of computer systems with virtualization experimentally by creating a virtual server on the host platform and monitoring its characteristics under load. Known models cannot be applied to the aircraft with virtualization, because they do not allow a comprehensive analysis to determine the most effective option for the implementation of the initial allocation of resources and its optimization for a specific sphere and task of use. The article for the study used a closed queueing network. Simple models for the analysis of various structures of computer systems are experimentally obtained. To implement the properties of adaptability in the models, triggers are used that monitor and adjust the power of the processing channel in individual Queuing systems, depending on the specified conditions. Experiments prove the obtained results reliable and usable as a flexible tool for studying the virtualization properties when structuring computing systems. This knowledge could be of use for businesses interested in optimizing the server configuration for their IT infrastructure.
Adoption of technology on E-learning effectiveness
Authors: Denan Zarina , Munir Zarina Abdul , Razak Rahayu A. , Kamaruddin Kardina , Pandiyan Kaliani Sundram Veera
Published: March 2020

The incorporation of E-learning in both private and public tertiary education can help expedite the learning process. The utilization of fast-paced technology with E-learning also allows for a more flexible and convenient learning process. E-learning platforms can be accessed anywhere as long as there is an internet connection, including at home, the workplace, restaurants or while travelling. This allows for the benefit of distance learning. As such, the current study aims to examine the factor effectiveness of E-learning based on three variables, namely technology, instructors’ characteristics and students’ characteristics and their impact on distance learning. The education system has greatly evolved from the use of apparatus such as chalk and blackboards to the modern use of projectors to conduct lessons. In the current age, E-learning will have an effect on both instructors and teaching technology, aside from the students themselves. As an example, students are expected to know how to utilize these systems in their lessons, instructors must receive training in E-learning systems management and in terms of technology, the E-learning systems must be updated and operated using the most recent upgrades. E-learning is also cost-efficient, less time consuming and reduces the burden on both students and educators.
Search for a substring of characters using the theory of non-deterministic finite automata and vector-character architecture
Authors: Pashchenko Dmitry V. , Trokoz Dmitry A. , Martyshkin Alexey I. , Sinev Mihail P. , Svistunov Boris L.
Published: March 2020

The paper proposed an algorithm which purpose is searching for a substring of characters in a string. Principle of its operation is based on the theory of non-deterministic finite automata and vector-character architecture. It is able to provide the linear computational complexity of searching for a substring depending on the length of the searched string measured in the number of operations with hyperdimensional vectors when repeatedly searching for different strings in a target line. None of the existing algorithms has such a low level of computational complexity. The disadvantages of the proposed algorithm are the fact that the existing hardware implementations of computing systems for performing operations with hyperdimensional vectors require a large number of machine instructions, which reduces the gain from this algorithm. Despite this, in the future, it is possible to create a hardware implementation that can ensure the execution of operations with hyperdimensional vectors in one cycle, which will allow the proposed algorithm to be applied in practice.
An efficient feature selection algorithm for health care data analysis
Authors: R. Mythily , Banu.W Aisha , Mavaluru Dinesh
Published: March 2020

Diabete is a silent killer, which will slowly kill the person if it goes undetected. The existing system which uses F-score method and K-means clustering of checking whether a person has diabetes or not are 100% accurate, and anything which isn't a 100% is not acceptable in the medical field, as it could cost the lives of many people. Our proposed system aims at using some of the best features of the existing algorithms to predict diabetes, and combine these and based on these features; This research work turns them into a novel algorithm, which will be 100% accurate in its prediction. With the surge in technological advancements, we can use data mining to predict when a person would be diagnosed with diabetes. Specifically, we analyze the best features of chi-square algorithm and advanced clustering algorithm (ACA). This research work is done using the Pima Indian Diabetes dataset provided by National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Using classification theorems and methods we can consider different factors like age, BMI, blood pressure and the importance given to these attributes overall, and singles these attributes out, and use them for the prediction of diabetes.
Simulations of the CNFETs using different high-k gate dielectrics
Authors: Dixit Ankita , Gupta Navneet
Published: March 2020

In this paper we presented the analysis of Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNFETs) using various high-k gate dielectric materials. The objective of this work was to choose the best possible material for gate dielectric. This paper also presented the study on the effect of thickness of gate dielectric on the performance of the device. For the analysis (19, 0) CNT was considered because the diameter of (19, 0) CNT is 1.49nm and the CNFETs have been fabricated with the CNT diameter of ~1.5nm. It has been observed that La2O3 is the best gate dielectric material followed by HfO2 and ZrO2. It was also observed that as thickness of gate dielectric material reduces, drain current of CNFET increases. The outcomes of this study matches with the analytical results and hence confirm the results
Performance evaluation of low-cost IoT based chlorophyll meter
Authors: Andrianto Heri , Suhardi Suhardi , Faizal Ahmad
Published: March 2020

Nutrient deficiencies in plants can be identified using a chlorophyll meter. However, current chlorophyll meters are still expensive and have many disadvantages. In this paper, a low-cost IoT-based chlorophyll meter has been developed. The performance of a low-cost IoT-based chlorophyll meter has been compared with the performance of a spectrophotometer (SP-3000nano) and a commercial chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502). A low-cost IoT-based chlorophyll meter has been functioning properly which is able to measure the chlorophyll content of plants in the field, get positions based on GPS satellites, store data in a memory module, and send data to the service system platform. The test results showed the coefficient of determination (R2) between SPAD-502 values and low-cost IoT-based chlorophyll meter values is 0.9705, this shows a significant correlation. An IoT-based chlorophyll meter can be used as a cheap alternative to the SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter.
Automated segmentation and detection of T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging brain images of glioma brain tumor
Authors: Zaihani Nur Hanina Izani Muhammad , Roslan Rosniza , Ibrahim Zaidah , Samah Khyrina Airin Fariza Abu
Published: March 2020

There are numerous studies on brain imaging applications.  The statistics in Malaysia showed that glioma is one of the most common type disease in brain tumor.  Glioma brain tumor is an abnormal growth of glial cells inside the brain tissues which known as cerebral tissues.  Radiologist commonly used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) image sequences to diagnose the brain tumor.  However, manual examination of the brain tumor diagnosis by radiologist is difficult and time-consuming task as tumors are occurred in variability of shape and appearance.  They will also inject a gadolinium contrast agent to enhance the image modality which will give the side effects to the patients.  Therefore, this paper presents an automated segmentation and detection of MRI brain images using Sobel edge detection and mathematical morphology operations.  The total of 30 glioma T1-Weighted MRI brain images are obtained from Brain Tumor Image Segmentation Benchmark (BRATS).  The results of segmentation and detection are quantitatively evaluated by using Area Overlap which produced the accuracy rate of 80.2% and shows that the presented methods are promising.
Non-invasive moisture content measurement system based on the ESP8266 microcontroller
Authors: Sitorus Agustami , Novrinaldi Novrinaldi , Bulan Ramayanty
Published: March 2020

Moisture content in the process of drying is often unknown when carrying out the drying process, especially the fluidized dryer. A lot of experimental designs are needed when observing the drying phenomenon more deeply.  It is because to stop and repeat drying process from the beginning again when the sample is taken to test its moisture content needed more experiments. Therefore, this paper presents development of a non-intrusive moisture measurement system prepared for fluidization type dryers. The method used in to conduct this research consists of (i) structural design analysis and (ii) functional (mechanical and electrical systems) and (iii) simple testing of the water content measurement system of constructed material. Test parameters observed include errors in measuring and fluctuating sensor signals against vibration applied to the weighing system. The results showed that non-intrusive moisture content measurement system for fluidized dryers based on the ESP8266 microcontroller had been successfully developed and worked normally. The measurement system has been calibrated with a coefficient of determination (R2) close to one. Measurement error resulting from the effect of vibration on this system shows a very satisfactory value of 6.89%.
УДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ КОМПЛЕКСУ ЛІКУВАЛЬНИХ ЗАХОДІВ У ВАГІТНИХ ІЗ ЗОВНІШНЬОСЕКРЕТОРНОЮ ДИСФУНКЦІЄЮ ПІДШЛУНКОВОЇ ЗАЛОЗИ
Authors: Bagniy N. I.
Published: March 2020

Мета дослідження – удосконалити лікування клінічних проявів раннього гестозу в першому триместрі вагітності шляхом корекції функціональних порушень печінки та зовнішньосекреторної функції підшлункової залози.

Матеріали та методи. Обстежено 45 вагітних жінок із проявами раннього гестозу середнього ступеня тяжкості. З них 21 вагітна склала групу порівняння та отримувала терапію відповідно до рекомендацій із ведення вагітних із проявами гестозу в ранніх термінах, а 24 пацієнткам другої групи до запропонованого комплексу лікування був призначений препарат, до складу якого входить сухий екстракт імбиру 150 мг у поєднанні з 6 мг вітаміну В6 по 1 капсулі тричі на добу впродовж 14 днів.

Результати дослідження та їх обговорення. У обстежених вагітних спостерігаються достовірні порушення біохімічних показників, які характеризують функціональний стан печінки та підшлункової залози у вигляді холестатичного, цитологічного та мезангіо-запального синдромів, що проявляються достовірним підвищенням вмісту загального білірубіну у сироватці крові за рахунок збільшення фракції прямого білірубіну, зростанням активності сироваткових амінотрансфераз АлАТ та АсАТ, показника тимолової проби, лужної фосфатази.

Низький рівень фекальної панкреатичної еластази-1 та високий кетоз свідчать про зовнішньосекреторну дисфункцію підшлункової залози. Застосування сухого екстракту імбиру в дозі 150 мг у поєднанні із вітаміном В6 у дозі 6 мг тричі на добу в основній групі вже на 3–4 добу від початку лікування дозволило не лише усунути виражену клінічну симптоматику раннього гестозу, але й відновити основні лабораторні біохімічні маркери печінкового обміну. Одночасне підвищення фекальної панкреатичної еластази-1 та відсутність кетозу є свідченням стабілізації функціонального стану роботи підшлункової залози.

Висновки. У вагітних із раннім гестозом середньої важкості виявлено функціональні порушення печінки та зовнішньосекреторної функції підшлункової залози, які є маркерами захворювання. Вагітним із проявами раннього гестозу у першому триместрі вагітності рекомендовано включення в комплексну терапію захворювання сухого екстракту імбиру в дозі 150 мг у поєднанні із вітаміном В6 у дозі 6 мг тричі на добу впродовж не менше 14 днів, що сприяє нормалізації клінічних проявів (покращенню самопочуття, ліквідації нудоти, зменшенню епізодів блювання) та лабораторних маркерів вже з 3–4 доби лікування.
ДИНАМІКА ВОДНИХ СЕКТОРІВ У ВАГІТНИХ ЖІНОК ІЗ ПАТОЛОГІЧНИМ ГЕСТАЦІЙНИМ ЗБІЛЬШЕННЯМ МАСИ ТІЛА
Authors: Ostafiichuk S. O.
Published: March 2020

Мета дослідження – встановити динаміку водних секторів у материнському організмі під час вагітності у жінок з рекомендованим та патологічним гестаційним збільшенням маси тіла (ГЗМТ).

Матеріали та методи. Обстежено 153 вагітних жінок з нормальною масою до вагітності (ІМТ (20,3±1,5) кг/м2). Рекомендоване ГЗМТ виявлено у 77 (50,3 %), недостатнє – у 31 (20,3 %), а надлишкове у 45 (29,4 %) пацієнток. Методом спектральної біоімпедансометрії (БІМ) об’єми загальної води організму (ЗВО), внутрішньоклітинної (ВКР) та позаклітинної рідини (ПКР), а також показники антропометрії, визначали в кожному триместрі.

Результати дослідження та їх обговорення. У групі жінок із рекомендованим ГЗМТ продемонстровано рівномірне зростання всіх рідинних компонентів із співвідношенням ПКР/ЗВО 0,35 у всіх триместрах. При недостатньому ГЗМТ відмічено нижчий показник ЗВО порівняно з нормальною надбавкою у масі, починаючи від ранніх термінів, відсутність динаміки відсотка ПКР, стабільний об’єм ВКР та збереження ПКР/ЗВО 0,34 у всіх триместрах. Надлишкове ГЗМТ супроводжується надмірним зростанням ЗВО в третьому триместрі, значним накопиченням рідини в інтерстиціальному секторі, починаючи вже з ранніх строків, із досягненням піку в кінці вагітності. Такий патологічний перерозподіл ПКР/ЗВО 0,39, 0,44 і 0,44 відповідно в кожному триместрі, порівняно з нормальним ГЗМТ, є ризиком акушерських та перинатальних ускладнень, пов’язаних з гемодинамічними розладами.

Висновки. Продемонстровано доцільність використання спектральної біоімпедансометрії для моніторингу динаміки водних секторів у вагітних жінок, починаючи з першого триместру, з метою раннього виявлення надмірної затримки рідини та перерозподілу рідинних секторів, що приводить до патологічного ГЗМТ і є проявом гемодинамічної дезадаптації впродовж перебігу вагітності.
РЕТРОСПЕКТИВНИЙ АНАЛІЗ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ПРОГРАМ ДОПОМІЖНИХ РЕПРОДУКТИВНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ У ЖІНОК ІЗ РІЗНИМИ ФОРМАМИ БЕЗПЛІДДЯ
Authors: Strelko G. V. , Nochvina O. A.
Published: March 2020

Мета дослідження – аналіз ефективності застосування різних програм допоміжних репродуктивних технологій (ДРТ) у жінок із різними формами безпліддя за даними ретроспективного аналізу медичної документації.

Матеріали та методи. Проведено дослідження ефективності програм ДРТ шляхом ретроспективного аналізу причини та структури безпліддя, застосування різних методів ДРТ, настання вагітності та пологів у жінок із різними формами безпліддя, зокрема «поганих відповідачів» протягом 2013–2016 років.

Результати дослідження та їх обговорення. Доведено, що кількість жінок із різними формами безпліддя та, відповідно, циклів ДРТ невпинно зростає. Відзначено зростання частоти як жіночого, так і чоловічого безпліддя з приблизно однаковим відсотковим співвідношенням, з перевагою жіночого в 3,3 раза, та зміни структури суто жіночого безпліддя, де на перший план у 2016 році виходить трубно-перитонеальний фактор – 123/49,4 % та ендометріоз – 89/35,7 %. Також спостерігається невпинне зростання жінок із безпліддям старшої вікової категорії: жінки віком 35–39 років у 2013 році становили 27,4 %, тоді як у 2016 році вже 31,7 %. У віці понад 40 років у 2013 році звернулися 17,6 % жінок, у 2016 році – 29,3 %. При цьому, незважаючи на розвиток програм допоміжних репродуктивних технологій, особливо у жінок старшої вікової групи, та збільшення використання з 2013 по 2016 рік таких методик, як ICSI, (57/45,8 та 248/81,1 % відповідно), донація ооцитів (6/4,8 та 58/18,9 % відповідно), цикли із переносом заморожених ембріонів (19/15,3 та 95/31,0 % відповідно) та проведення передімплантаційної генетичної діагностики (ПГД) ембріонів (2/1,6 та 28/9,2 % відповідно), особливо у жінок старшої вікової групи, кількість діагностованих клінічних вагітностей суттєво не відрізняється протягом 2013–2016 років.

Висновок. Представлені результати дослідження доводять, що вірогідність настання вагітності має зворотний зв’язок із віком жінки та її оваріальним резервом, що може бути предиктором низької оваріальної відповіді на контрольовану стимуляцію яєчників у програмах ДРТ.
LEVONORGESTREL INTRAUTERINE SYSTEM AND CERVICAL CANCER. CLINICAL DIFFICULTIES
Authors: Kruk O. Yu.
Published: March 2020

Introduction. In recent years, intrauterine systems releasing levonorgestrel became popular. They are a reliable and safe means of contraception. However, the hormonal effects of such systems sometimes mask the clinical manifestations of intercurrent diseases, including those manifested by irregular uterine bleeding.

Case Description: The emergence of diagnostic difficulties in the occurrence of cervical cancer in two women who used intrauterine systems releasing levonorgestrel.

Conclusion. Proper evaluation of irregular vaginal bleeding, including cervical cytology, is a prerequisite for all women who are carriers of intrauterine systems releasing levonorgestrel.
Endothelin-1 Mediates the Systemic and Renal Hemodynamic Effects of GPR81 Activation
Authors: Jones Natalie K. , Stewart Kevin , Czopek Alicja , Menzies Robert I. , Thomson Adrian , Moran Carmel M. , Cairns Carolynn , Conway Bryan R. , Denby Laura , Livingstone Dawn E.W. , Wiseman John , Hadoke Patrick W. , Webb David J. , Dhaun Neeraj , Dear James W. , Mullins John J. , Bailey Matthew A.
Published: March 2020

GPR81 (G-protein-coupled receptor 81) is highly expressed in adipocytes, and activation by the endogenous ligand lactate inhibits lipolysis. GPR81 is also expressed in the heart, liver, and kidney, but roles in nonadipose tissues are poorly defined. GPR81 agonists, developed to improve blood lipid profile, might also provide insights into GPR81 physiology. Here, we assessed the blood pressure and renal hemodynamic responses to the GPR81 agonist, AZ′5538. In male wild-type mice, intravenous AZ′5538 infusion caused a rapid and sustained increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Renal artery blood flow, intrarenal tissue perfusion, and glomerular filtration rate were all significantly reduced. AZ′5538 had no effect on blood pressure or renal hemodynamics in
Gpr81
−/−
mice.
Gpr81
mRNA was expressed in renal artery vascular smooth muscle, in the afferent arteriole, in glomerular and medullary perivascular cells, and in pericyte-like cells isolated from kidney. Intravenous AZ′5538 increased plasma ET-1 (endothelin 1), and pretreatment with BQ123 (endothelin-A receptor antagonist) prevented the pressor effects of GPR81 activation, whereas BQ788 (endothelin-B receptor antagonist) did not. Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, which increases renal extracellular lactate, increased the renal expression of genes encoding ET-1, KIM-1 (Kidney Injury Molecule 1), collagen type 1-α1, TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), and F4/80 in wild-type mice but not in
Gpr81
−/−
mice. In summary, activation of GPR81 in vascular smooth muscle and perivascular cells regulates renal hemodynamics, mediated by release of the potent vasoconstrictor ET-1. This suggests that lactate may be a paracrine regulator of renal blood flow, particularly relevant when extracellular lactate is high as occurs during ischemic renal disease.
Derivation and Application of a Tool to Estimate Benefits From Multiple Therapies That Reduce Recurrent Stroke Risk
Authors: Richards Adam , Jackson Nicholas J. , Cheng Eric M. , Bryg Robert J. , Brown Arleen , Towfighi Amytis , Sanossian Nerses , Barry Frances , Li Ning , Vickrey Barbara G.
Published: March 2020

Background and Purpose—

Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, antiplatelet/antithrombotic use, and smoking cessation reduce risk of recurrent stroke. However, gaps in risk factor control among stroke survivors warrant development and evaluation of alternative care delivery models that aim to simultaneously improve multiple risk factors. Randomized trials of care delivery models are rarely of sufficient duration or size to be powered for low-frequency outcomes such as observed recurrent stroke. This creates a need for tools to estimate how changes across multiple stroke risk factors reduce risk of recurrent stroke.

Methods—

We reviewed existing evidence of the efficacy of interventions addressing blood pressure reduction, cholesterol lowering, antiplatelet/antithrombotic use, and smoking cessation and extracted relative risks for each intervention. From this, we developed a tool to estimate reductions in recurrent stroke risk, using bootstrapping and simulation methods. We also calculated a modified Global Outcome Score representing the proportion of potential benefit (relative risk reduction) achieved if all 4 individual risk factors were optimally controlled. We applied the tool to estimate stroke risk reduction among 275 participants with complete 12-month follow-up data from a recently published randomized trial of a healthcare delivery model that targeted multiple stroke risk factors.

Results—

The recurrent stroke risk tool was feasible to apply, yielding an estimated reduction in the relative risk of ischemic stroke of 0.36 in both the experimental and usual care trial arms. Global Outcome Score results suggest that participants in both arms likely averted, on average, 45% of recurrent stroke events that could possibly have been prevented through maximal implementation of interventions for all 4 individual risk factors.

Conclusions—

A stroke risk reduction tool facilitates estimation of the combined impact on vascular risk of improvements in multiple stroke risk factors and provides a summary outcome for studies testing alternative care models to prevent recurrent stroke.

Registration—

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT00861081.
LINSPECTOR: Multilingual Probing Tasks for Word Representations
Authors: Şahin Gözde Gül , Vania Clara , Kuznetsov Ilia , Gurevych Iryna
Published: March 2020

Despite an ever-growing number of word representation models introduced for a large number of languages, there is a lack of a standardized technique to provide insights into what is captured by these models. Such insights would help the community to get an estimate of the downstream task performance, as well as to design more informed neural architectures, while avoiding extensive experimentation that requires substantial computational resources not all researchers have access to. A recent development in NLP is to use simple classification tasks, also called probing tasks, that test for a single linguistic feature such as part-of-speech. Existing studies mostly focus on exploring the linguistic information encoded by the continuous representations of English text. However, from a typological perspective the morphologically poor English is rather an outlier: The information encoded by the word order and function words in English is often stored on a subword, morphological level in other languages. To address this, we introduce 15 type-level probing tasks such as case marking, possession, word length, morphological tag count, and pseudoword identification for 24 languages. We present a reusable methodology for creation and evaluation of such tests in a multilingual setting, which is challenging because of a lack of resources, lower quality of tools, and differences among languages. We then present experiments on several diverse multilingual word embedding models, in which we relate the probing task performance for a diverse set of languages to a range of five classic NLP tasks: POS-tagging, dependency parsing, semantic role labeling, named entity recognition, and natural language inference. We find that a number of probing tests have significantly high positive correlation to the downstream tasks, especially for morphologically rich languages. We show that our tests can be used to explore word embeddings or black-box neural models for linguistic cues in a multilingual setting. We release the probing data sets and the evaluation suite LINSPECTOR with https://github.com/UKPLab/linspector .
Abstract Syntax as Interlingua: Scaling Up the Grammatical Framework from Controlled Languages to Robust Pipelines
Authors: Ranta Aarne , Angelov Krasimir , Gruzitis Normunds , Kolachina Prasanth
Published: March 2020

Abstract syntax is an interlingual representation used in compilers. Grammatical Framework (GF) applies the abstract syntax idea to natural languages. The development of GF started in 1998, first as a tool for controlled language implementations, where it has gained an established position in both academic and commercial projects. GF provides grammar resources for over 40 languages, enabling accurate generation and translation, as well as grammar engineering tools and components for mobile and Web applications. On the research side, the focus in the last ten years has been on scaling up GF to wide-coverage language processing. The concept of abstract syntax offers a unified view on many other approaches: Universal Dependencies, WordNets, FrameNets, Construction Grammars, and Abstract Meaning Representations. This makes it possible for GF to utilize data from the other approaches and to build robust pipelines. In return, GF can contribute to data-driven approaches by methods to transfer resources from one language to others, to augment data by rule-based generation, to check the consistency of hand-annotated corpora, and to pipe analyses into high-precision semantic back ends. This article gives an overview of the use of abstract syntax as interlingua through both established and emerging NLP applications involving GF.
Fair Is Better than Sensational: Man Is to Doctor as Woman Is to Doctor
Authors: Nissim Malvina , van Noord Rik , van der Goot Rob
Published: March 2020

Analogies such as man is to king as woman is to X are often used to illustrate the amazing power of word embeddings. Concurrently, they have also been used to expose how strongly human biases are encoded in vector spaces trained on natural language, with examples like man is to computer programmer as woman is to homemaker. Recent work has shown that analogies are in fact not an accurate diagnostic for bias, but this does not mean that they are not used anymore, or that their legacy is fading. Instead of focusing on the intrinsic problems of the analogy task as a bias detection tool, we discuss a series of issues involving implementation as well as subjective choices that might have yielded a distorted picture of bias in word embeddings. We stand by the truth that human biases are present in word embeddings, and, of course, the need to address them. But analogies are not an accurate tool to do so, and the way they have been most often used has exacerbated some possibly non-existing biases and perhaps hidden others. Because they are still widely popular, and some of them have become classics within and outside the NLP community, we deem it important to provide a series of clarifications that should put well-known, and potentially new analogies, into the right perspective.
Two new species of Silba (Diptera; Lonchaeidae) from Japan with unusual larval development sites
Authors: MACGOWAN IAIN
Published: March 2020

Two new species of Silba Macquart, 1851 namely Silba mitsuii sp. nov. and Silba fungicola sp. nov. are described from Japan. The adults of the first species were obtained from larvae found in the flower buds of Camellia japonica L. and of the second from fungal fruiting bodies. This is the first time these types of larval habitat have been recorded for a Silba species.
Three new species of the genus Nazeris (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae) from China
Authors: SU JING-JING , LI XIAO-YAN , ZHOU HONG-ZHANG
Published: March 2020

This paper reports three new species of the genus Nazeris Fauvel, 1873 from mainland China, namely Nazeris mahuanggouensis Su, Li and Zhou, sp. nov. and Nazeris zhouhaishengi Su, Li and Zhou, sp. nov. from Sichuan Province, Nazeris wuluozhenensis Su, Li and Zhou, sp. nov. from Guizhou Province. For all species included we offer color plates of normal light photos for general morphology and detailed aedeagus structures.
Telebasis rojinegra (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) sp. nov. from Costa Rica
Authors: HABER WILLIAM A.
Published: March 2020

Telebasis rojinegra sp. nov. was recorded from ponds at La Selva Biological Station and three other sites in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. The new species appears closely related to T. boomsmae Garrison, 1994 recorded from Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica, T. collopistes Calvert, 1902 ranging from Mexico to Honduras, and T. garrisoni Bick & Bick, 1995 from South America, but differs in having straighter and more elongate paraprocts and a half black pattern on the rear of the head. The female mesostigmal plates are also distinct from the above species. Telebasis rojinegra was active on the water primarily during afternoon hours.
Association of Circulating Hepatocyte Growth Factor and Risk of Incident Peripheral Artery Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Garg Parveen K. , Buzkova Petra , Wassell Christina L. , Allison Matthew , Criqui Michael , Larson Nicholas B. , Bielinski Suzette J.
Published: March 2020

Higher levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) have been associated with the presence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), but prospective associations are unknown. We examined the association of circulating HGF levels with incident PAD. Between 2000 and 2002, HGF was measured in 6742 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants without PAD. Incident clinical PAD, adjudicated on the basis of a positive history for the presence of disease-related symptoms or treatment, was ascertained through 2015. Incident low ankle-brachial index (ABI), defined as an ABI < 0.9 and a decline of ≥ 0.15, was assessed among 5736 individuals who had an ABI > 0.9 at baseline and ≥1 follow-up ABI measurement 3 to 10 years later. There were 116 clinical PAD and 197 low ABI events that occurred over a median follow-up of 14 and 9 years, respectively. After adjustment for demographic and clinical variables, a standard deviation increment of HGF (303 ng/L) was associated with an increased risk of clinical PAD (hazard ratio: 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.39) but not a low ABI (rate ratio: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.85-1.25). In conclusion, higher HGF levels were modestly associated with an increased risk of developing clinical PAD.
Measuring Motivation to Take Low-Stakes Large-Scale Test: New Model Based on Analyses of “Participant-Own-Defined” Missingness
Authors: Liu Yuan , Hau Kit-Tai
Published: March 2020

In large-scale low-stake assessment such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), students may skip items (missingness) which are within their ability to complete. The detection and taking care of these noneffortful responses, as a measure of test-taking motivation, is an important issue in modern psychometric models. Traditional approaches based on questionnaires and item response theory may have different limitations. In the present research, we proposed a new way by directly using “participant-own-defined” missing item information (user missingness) in a zero-inflated Poisson model. An empirical study using the PISA 2015 data (eight representative economies in two cultures) and another simulation study were conducted to validate our new approach. Results indicated that our model could successfully capture test-taking motivation. We also found that the Confucian students had lower user missingness irrespective of item positions as compared with their Western counterparts.
Conceptualising Socio-Economic Formations of Labour and Workers’ Power in Global Production Networks
Authors: Pun Ngai , Tse Tommy , Shin Victor , Fan Lulu
Published: March 2020

Despite the importance today of global production networks in linking the international division of labour between the Global North and the Global South, the workers in such networks receive relatively little attention from those interested in the sociology of work. This study applies Glucksmann’s concept of ‘socio-economic formations of labour’ to understand global production networks as an instituted economic process that helps perpetuate an uneven global capitalism, and reveals a specific configuration of macro- and micro-scale labour formations in China’s garment sector. We argue that labour agency is a productive factor negotiating global production networks while under the constraints of capital and management. Taking a bottom–up perspective, socio-economic factors are found to give China’s garment workers significant power in various forms which – to a certain extent – shapes the multi-layered structure of garment global production networks. Workers’ power is conceptualised by sociological tools in order to substantiate the concept of abstract labour.
In Ireland We ‘Love Both’? Heteroactivism in Ireland’s Anti-Repeal Ephemera
Authors: Browne Kath , Nash Catherine Jean
Published: March 2020

Resistances to sexual and gender rights are shifting and need new theorisations. This article develops the analytical concept of heteroactivism by exploring its relation to abortion debates in Ireland. Heteroactivism as an analytical category examines resistances to sexual and gender rights that seek to reiterate the place of the heteronormative family (both in terms of gender norms and heterosexuality) through activisms that can stand against new legislative orders. The article investigates three texts to explore how the ‘Vote No’ campaign in Ireland discussed ‘loving both’, but in the main thrust of the poster campaign instead focused on the foetus as an ‘unborn child’. Using textual and visual analysis, we show the creation of Ireland through seeking to ‘love both’ and create a distinction from the dangers, and foreign contagion, of England. The article concludes by arguing that ongoing work is needed to explore heteroactivism and its diverse manifestations, including in abortion debates.
Community Triage of Otology Patients Using a Store-and-Forward Telemedicine Device: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Gupta Nishi , Chawla Neeraj , Gupta Digant , Dhawan Nidhi , Janaki Vidya R.
Published: March 2020

Chronic otitis media is a major contributor to acquired hearing loss in developing countries. Developing countries such as India, with huge populations and poor health infrastructures, have always felt the shortage of trained specialists who can provide quality care to meet the enormous demand for treatment of this disease. This pilot study assessed the feasibility of empowering trained health workers equipped with ENTraview, a store-and-forward telemedicine device that integrates a camera- enabled smart phone with an otoscope. This device allows the screening of otology patients within the community. Three months of extensive training was provided to five community health workers on primary ear and hearing care, including training on the use of the ENTraview device. Community otology screenings were conducted to triage otology patients and provide them with specialized ENT care at a tertiary hospital. In the initial 6 months of the project, 45 screening camps were organized, which screened 3,000 patients free of cost. Of these 3,000 screened patients, 54% (1,619) were referred for ENT consultation and 215 patients reported. Nearly 50% (103) of the 215 reporting patients required surgical intervention, and 29 patients underwent surgery. Reaching out to the community by remote screening of ear diseases by trained technicians with a telemedicine device seems to be an effective and cost-effective way to triage patients with otologic pathologies.
Stock Market Returns and GDP News
Authors: Patatoukas Panos N.
Published: March 2020

What is the link between stock returns and news about economic growth? Using consensus forecasts from the Philadelphia Fed’s Survey of Professional Forecasters, I find that the univariate association between stock returns and gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast surprises is indistinguishable from zero. Although consistent with prior macro-finance research, this phenomenon is intriguing if one believes that the stock market should move in sync with the economy. I consider two non–mutually exclusive hypotheses for this puzzling phenomenon. The first hypothesis is that GDP growth forecast surprises are correlated with offsetting cash flow news and discount rate news. The second hypothesis is that GDP growth forecast surprises measure news about economic growth with noise. I extract a measure of market-level discount rate news using accounting data and find evidence consistent with the hypothesis of offsetting value-relevant news. Overall, this article makes an important step toward resolving evidence of a disconnect between stock market returns and news about economic growth. More broadly, this article illustrates how accounting constructs and methods can be applied to inform macro-finance questions.
Self-regulated learning skills of prospective music teachers in Turkey
Authors: Boon Ebru Tuncer
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate self-regulated learning skills of prospective music teachers in Turkey ( N = 222). This study also investigated whether self-regulated learning skills of prospective music teachers differed according to their gender, academic year, daily practice hours, and most recent instrument exam grade. The data were collected through the Self-Regulated Learning Skills Scale developed by Turan. Analyses revealed that statistically significant differences were found between the Planning and Goal Setting subscale and gender variable. The female students had higher planning and goal setting compared to the male students. The results also showed that the male students were more dependent learners. Students whose instrument exam grade was between 76 and 100 had higher planning and goal setting skills. Prospective music teachers who practiced their instruments more than 3 hr a day showed higher self-regulated learning skills than those who practiced less. Implications for future research and practical applications are also discussed.
A closer look at opportunities for blind adults: Impacts of stigmatization and ocularcentrism
Authors: Bulk Laura Yvonne , Smith Andrea , Nimmon Laura , Jarus Tal
Published: March 2020

Blind Canadians experience higher rates of unemployment, social isolation, and poverty than sighted Canadians. Examining what influences opportunities can help to identify the factors that disable blind people. During initial analysis, stigma and ocularcentrism emerged as important factors. Thus, this article examines how stigma operates culturally, socially, politically, and economically to shape opportunities among blind adults. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six legally blind participants (visual acuity of 20/200 or below), aged 19–65 years. Thematic analysis was employed to understand the common and diverging narratives of participants. Within participant narratives, ocularcentrism is found to contribute to stigmatization at societal, interpersonal, and internalized levels. Opportunities are experienced within this context, and the stigmatization experienced both shaped and was shaped by participation in activities. It is imperative that a closer look is given to how stigma shapes the opportunities for blind people, so that individuals, teachers, practitioners, and policy makers can develop relevant and effective interventions and can challenge stigmatization.
Six-month reviews for stroke survivors: a study of the modified Greater Manchester Stroke Assessment Tool with care home residents
Authors: Patchwood Emma , Woodward-Nutt Kate , Rothwell Katy , Perry Catherine , Tyrrell Pippa , Bowen Audrey
Published: March 2020

Objectives:

To explore the feasibility of using a stroke-specific toolkit for six-month post-stroke reviews in care homes to identify unmet needs and actions.

Design:

An observational study including qualitative interviews to explore the process and outcome of reviews.

Setting:

UK care homes.

Participants:

Stroke survivors, family members, care home staff (review participants) and external staff involved in conducting reviews (assessors).

Interventions:

Modified Greater Manchester Stroke Assessment Tool (GM-SAT).

Results:

The observational study provided data on 74 stroke survivors across 51 care homes. In total, out of 74, 45 (61%) had unmet needs identified. Common unmet needs related to blood pressure, mobility, medicine management and mood. We conducted 25 qualitative interviews, including 13 review participants and 12 assessors. Three overarching qualitative themes covered acceptability of conducting reviews in care homes, process and outcomes of reviews, and acceptability of modified GM-SAT review toolkit. The modified GM-SAT review was positively valued, but stroke survivors had poor recall of the review event including the actions agreed. Care home staff sometimes assisted with reviews and highlighted their need for training to support day-to-day needs of stroke survivors. Assessors highlighted a need for clearer guidance on the use of the toolkit and suggested further modifications to enhance it. They also identified organizational barriers and facilitators to implementing reviews and communicating planned actions to GPs and other agencies.

Conclusion:

The modified GM-SAT provides a feasible means of conducting six-month reviews for stroke survivors in care homes and helps identify important needs. Further modifications have enhanced acceptability. Full implementation into practice requires staff training and organizational changes.
Simultaneous contact and aerodynamic force estimation (s-CAFE) for aerial robots
Authors: Tomić Teodor , Lutz Philipp , Schmid Korbinian , Mathers Andrew , Haddadin Sami
Published: March 2020

In this article, we consider the problem of multirotor flying robots physically interacting with the environment under influence of wind. The results are the first algorithms for simultaneous online estimation of contact and aerodynamic wrenches acting on the robot based on real-world data, without the need for dedicated sensors. For this purpose, we investigated two model-based techniques for discriminating between aerodynamic and interaction forces. The first technique is based on aerodynamic and contact torque models, and uses the external force to estimate wind speed. Contacts are then detected based on the residual between estimated external torque and expected (modeled) aerodynamic torque. Upon detecting contact, wind speed is assumed to change very slowly. From the estimated interaction wrench, we are also able to determine the contact location. This is embedded into a particle filter framework to further improve contact location estimation. The second algorithm uses the propeller aerodynamic power and angular speed as measured by the speed controllers to obtain an estimate of the airspeed. An aerodynamics model is then used to determine the aerodynamic wrench. Both methods rely on accurate aerodynamics models. Therefore, we evaluate data-driven and physics-based models as well as offline system identification for flying robots. For obtaining ground-truth data, we performed autonomous flights in a 3D wind tunnel. Using this data, aerodynamic model selection, parameter identification, and discrimination between aerodynamic and contact forces could be performed. Finally, the developed methods could serve as useful estimators for interaction control schemes with simultaneous compensation of wind disturbances.
“Ngeli”: Flowing together in a Gamelan ensemble
Authors: Tan Leonard , Tjoeng Jeanette , Sin Hui Xing
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the collective flow experiences of participants while playing in a Gamelan ensemble. Participants were 15 members of a Gamelan ensemble in Singapore who were prompted to articulate their phenomenological experiences through extensive semi-structured interviews. Their responses were then transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes with initial codes guided by flow and collective flow theories. Three themes emerged from the data: community, chemistry, and collective peak. The Javanese term “ ngeli” surfaced from the interviews as a parallel notion to the Western concept of flow. Implications for theory and practice were proffered in light of the findings.