bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A reproducible picture of open access health facility data in Africa and R tools to support improvement
Authors: South Andy , Dicko Ahmadou , Herringer Mark , Macharia Peter M. , Maina Joseph , Okiro Emelda A. , Snow Robert W. , van der Walt Anelda
Published: February 2021

Background:Open data on the locations and services provided by health facilities have, in some countries, allowed the development of software tools contributing to COVID-19 response. The UN and WHO encourage countries to make health facility location data open, to encourage use and improvement. We provide a summary of open access health facility location data in Africa using re-useable R code. We aim to support data analysts developing software tools to address COVID-19 response in individual countries. In Africa there are currently three main sources of such open data; 1) direct from national ministries of health, 2) a database for sub-Saharan Africa collated and published by a team from KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme and now hosted by WHO, and 3) The Global Healthsites Mapping Project in collaboration with OpenStreetMap.     

Methods:We searched for and documented official national facility location data that were openly available. We developed re-useable open-source R code to summarise and visualise facility location data by country from the three sources. This re-useable code is used to provide a web user interface allowing data exploration through maps and plots of facility type.

Results:Out of 52 African countries, seven currently provide an official open facility list that can be downloaded and analysed reproducibly. Considering all three sources, there are over 185,000 health facility locations available for Africa. However, there are differences and overlaps between sources and a lack of data on capacities and service provision.

Conclusions:These summaries and software tools can be used to encourage greater use of existing health facility location data, incentivise further improvements in the provision of those data by national suppliers, and encourage collaboration within wider data communities. The tools are a part of the afrimapr project, actively developing R building blocks to facilitate the use of health data in Africa.
SYSTEMS ON A CHIP (SOC) AND THE IMPACT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY ON THE CREATION OF A MODERN ECB
Authors: Zolnikov Vladimir , Evdokimova Svetlana , Arzamascev M. , Gridnev A.
Published: February 2021

The article discusses the advantages of the «System on a Chip» design technology used to create ECB in Russia. The measures of structuring the program for the development of domestic SOC technology are proposed. Attention is paid to the direction of Fabless – Foundry (Design – Production). The processes of interaction between designers, manufacturers and consumers from different sides are described.
MULTI-AGENT SIMULATION MODELING OF MILK INTAKE PROCESS
Authors: Gridnev Yu. , Nazoykin E. , Blagoveschenskiy I. , Stukalenko D. , Kuzero E.
Published: February 2021

The article is devoted to the creation of a multi-agent simulation model of the production process of receiving and storing milk; the description of the main parameters and the results obtained during the work with experiments with the model, as well as the description of the implementation of the multi-agent system using the Anylogic simulation environment are given. The introduction of multi-agent simulation methods allows to use digital tools to create a virtual copy of a real process with the ability to predict and identify food production facilities. The usage of simulation modeling is necessary for conducting experiments aimed at improving production processes through virtual testing.
La inteligencia artificial aplicada a la robótica en los conflictos armados. Debates sobre los sistemas de armas letales autónomas y la (in) suficiencia de los estándares del derecho internacional humanitario.
Authors: Porcelli Adriana Margarita
Published: February 2021

Los robots y la inteligencia artificial, hace unos años, eran parte de la literatura de ciencia ficción. Sin embargo, en la actualidad, así como desarrollan tareas en beneficio de la humanidad, se evidencia un creciente impulso para la guerra. El presente documento se centra en el potencial uso de las armas autónomas letales, comúnmente denominadas robots asesinos y analiza la pertinencia y suficiencia de la actual legislación internacional humanitaria. La metodología utilizada se basó en la descripción de los avances informáticos en el campo militar y en el análisis de los principios del derecho internacional humanitario a los efectos de determinar si los mismos pueden ser aplicados a esta nueva realidad o es necesario el dictado de nueva normativa. Este trabajo se compone de dos partes: la primera desarrolla el marco conceptual y la segunda, describe los avances en armas autónomas, su peligrosidad desde la mirada de sus defensores como de sus detractores y analiza la suficiencia de la legislación internacional vigente. Finalmente se concluye en la necesidad de adoptar un nuevo marco jurídico y ético internacional.
The Phishing Funnel Model: A Design Artifact to Predict User Susceptibility to Phishing Websites
Authors: Abbasi Ahmed , Dobolyi David , Vance Anthony , Zahedi Fatemeh Mariam
Published: February 2021

Phishing is a significant security concern for organizations, threatening employees and members of the public. Phishing threats against employees can lead to severe security incidents, whereas those against the public can undermine trust, satisfaction, and brand equity. At the root of the problem is the inability of Internet users to identify phishing attacks even when using anti-phishing tools. We propose the phishing funnel model (PFM), a framework for predicting user susceptibility to phishing websites. PFM incorporates user, threat, and tool-related factors to predict actions during four key stages of the phishing process: visit, browse, consider legitimate, and intention to transact. We evaluated the efficacy of PFM in a 12-month longitudinal field experiment in two organizations involving 1,278 employees and 49,373 phishing interactions. PFM significantly outperformed competing models in terms of its ability to predict user susceptibility to phishing attacks. A follow-up three-month field study revealed that employees using PFM were significantly less likely to interact with phishing threats relative to comparison models and baseline warnings. Results of a cost-benefit analysis suggest that interventions guided by PFM could reduce annual phishing-related costs by nearly $1,900 per employee relative to comparison prediction methods.
Financial Industry Affiliation and Hedge Fund Performance
Authors: Zheng Lingling , Yan Xuemin (Sterling)
Published: February 2021

Affiliation with a financial conglomerate may provide hedge funds with superior information about the conglomerate’s lending, investment banking, and brokerage clients; such affiliation can also lead to potential conflicts with the other units of the conglomerate and exacerbate the conflict between hedge fund companies and hedge fund investors. We find that affiliated funds significantly underperform unaffiliated funds. A difference-in-difference analysis confirms the negative relation between financial industry affiliation and hedge fund performance. Affiliated funds pursue asset-gathering strategies, overweight their conducted initial public offerings/seasoned equity offerings clients’ stocks, are more likely to commit legal and regulatory violations, and tend to exhibit a greater number of internal conflicts. Our results are consistent with conflict of interest exerting a negative impact on the performance of affiliated hedge funds. However, it is possible that lack of skill also contributes to the underperformance of affiliated funds.

This paper was accepted by Karl Diether, finance.
Targets, Predictability, and Performance
Authors: Peñaranda Francisco , Wu Liuren
Published: February 2021

We study market-timing strategies on a given portfolio to achieve a particular risk or return target. Targeting a constant risk level leads to increasing investment at better investment opportunities, whereas targeting a constant expected return does the opposite. Theoretical and numerical analysis shows that within the usual ranges of investment opportunities, risk targeting generates better unconditional performance than return targeting across a wide range of metrics. Empirical analysis with commonly constructed stock portfolios further highlights the practical infeasibility of return targeting due to the inherently low out-of-sample predicting power. By contrast, risk targeting tends to enhance unconditional stability and performance.

This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance.
Asymmetric Multidepot Vehicle Routing Problems: Valid Inequalities and a Branch-and-Cut Algorithm
Authors: uit het Broek Michiel A. J. , Schrotenboer Albert H. , Jargalsaikhan Bolor , Roodbergen Kees Jan , Coelho Leandro C.
Published: February 2021

In “Asymmetric Multidepot Vehicle Routing Problems: Valid Inequalities and a Branch-and-Cut Algorithm,” Uit het Broek, Schrotenboer, Jargalsaikhan, Roodbergen, and Coelho present a generic branch-and-cut framework to solve routing problems with multiple depots on directed graphs. They present new valid inequalities that eliminate subtours, enforce tours to be linked to the same depot, and enforce bounds on the number of customers in a vehicle tour. This is embedded in a branch-and-cut scheme that also contains generalized and adapted versions of valid inequalities that are well known for related routing problems. The authors show that the new inequalities tighten root node relaxations considerably. In combination with a simple but effective upper-bound procedure, only requiring a MIP solver and a smart reduction of the problem size, the authors show that the overall framework solves instances of considerably larger size to optimality than have been reported in the literature.
Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: an overview and management guide for clinicians
Authors: Jones Patrick , Lazic Darko , Somani Bhaskar K , Hawary Amr
Published: February 2021

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is a rare and chronic form of pyelonephritis. Patients can present with an array of signs and symptoms including flank pain, fever and weight loss. The insidious nature of its clinical presentation means that it can mimic a neoplastic process. Kidney stone disease, diabetes and female gender are the most common associated factors. Early diagnosis can be difficult, but is vital to avoid sequelae such as abscess formation and involvement of surrounding structures. Management requires a multidisciplinary approach. Definitive resolution can only be achieved through nephrectomy. This article provides an overview and guide to diagnosis, investigation and management.
Intramedullary nailing versus sliding hip screw for A1 and A2 trochanteric hip fractures
Authors: Mellema Jos J. , Janssen Stein , Schouten Tundi , Haverkamp Daniël , van den Bekerom Michel P J. , Ring David , Doornberg Job N. ,   Science of Variation Group
Published: February 2021

Aims

This study evaluated variation in the surgical treatment of stable (A1) and unstable (A2) trochanteric hip fractures among an international group of orthopaedic surgeons, and determined the influence of patient, fracture, and surgeon characteristics on choice of implant (intramedullary nailing (IMN) versus sliding hip screw (SHS)).

Methods

A total of 128 orthopaedic surgeons in the Science of Variation Group evaluated radiographs of 30 patients with Type A1 and A2 trochanteric hip fractures and indicated their preferred treatment: IMN or SHS. The management of Type A3 (reverse obliquity) trochanteric fractures was not evaluated. Agreement between surgeons was calculated using multirater kappa. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess whether patient, fracture, and surgeon characteristics were independently associated with choice of implant.

Results

The overall agreement between surgeons on implant choice was fair (kappa = 0.27 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25 to 0.28)). Factors associated with preference for IMN included USA compared to Europe or the UK (Europe odds ratio (OR) 0.56 (95% CI 0.47 to 0.67); UK OR 0.16 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.22); p < 0.001); exposure to IMN only during training compared to surgeons that were exposed to both (only IMN during training OR 2.6 (95% CI 2.0 to 3.4); p < 0.001); and A2 compared to A1 fractures (Type A2 OR 10 (95% CI 8.4 to 12); p < 0.001).

Conclusion

In an international cohort of orthopaedic surgeons, there was a large variation in implant preference for patients with A1 and A2 trochanteric fractures. This is due to surgeon bias (country of practice and aspects of training). The observation that surgeons favoured the more expensive implant (IMN) in the absence of convincing evidence of its superiority suggests that surgeon de-biasing strategies may be a useful focus for optimizing patient outcomes and promoting value-based healthcare. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(4):775–781.
The rate of COVID-19 and associated mortality after elective hip and knee arthroplasty prior to cessation of elective services in UK
Authors: Clement Nicholas D. , Hall Andrew J. , Kader Nardeen ,   IMPACT Restart Collaboration, Ollivere Benjamin , Oussedik Sam , Kader Deiary F. , Deehan David J. , Duckworth Andrew D.
Published: February 2021

Aims

The primary aim was to assess the rate of postoperative COVID-19 following hip and knee arthroplasty performed in March 2020 in the UK. The secondary aims were to assess whether there were clinical factors associated with COVID-19 status, the mortality rate of patients with COVID-19, and the rate of potential COVID-19 in patients not presenting to healthcare services.

Methods

A multicentre retrospective study was conducted of patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 March 2020 to 31 March 2020) with a minimum of 60 days follow-up. Patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, procedure type, primary or revision, length of stay (LOS), COVID-19 test status, and postoperative mortality were recorded. A subgroup of patients (n = 211) who had not presented to healthcare services after discharge were contacted and questioned as to whether they had symptoms of COVID-19.

Results

Five (0.5%) of 1,073 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 postoperatively. When adjusting for confounding factors, increasing LOS (p = 0.022) was the only significant factor associated with developing COVID-19 following surgery and a stay greater than three days was a reliable predictor with an area under the curve of 81% (p = 0.018). There were three (0.3%) deaths in the study cohort and the overall mortality rate attributable to COVID-19 was 0.09% (n = 1/1,073), with one (20%) of the five patients with COVID-19 dying postoperatively. Of the 211 patients contacted, two had symptoms within two to 14 days postoperatively with a positive predictive value of 31% and it was therefore estimated that one patient may have had undiagnosed COVID-19.

Conclusion

The rate of postoperative COVID-19 was 0.5% and may have been as high as 1% when accounting for those patients not presenting to healthcare services, which was similar to the estimated population prevalence during the study period. The overall mortality rate secondary to COVID-19 was low (0.09%), however the mortality rate for those patients developing COVID-19 was 20%. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(4):681–688.
Study of Indoor Small Cell Deployments
Authors: Paulo Rui R. , J. Velez Fernando , Khan Bahram
Published: February 2021

This work aims at studying the indoor deployment of small cells, also known as femtocells, to provide coverage to a 5×5 grid geometry. The number of deployed HeNBs is 4, 5, or 6. An updated version of LTE-Sim is considered to extract values for Exponential Effective SINR Mapping (EESM), Packet Loss Ratio (PLR), maximum number of supported users, goodput and delay. Results reveal that the use of four HeNBs corresponds to the highest values of EESM. For the considered geometry, 3GPP suggested a maximum of five HeNBs. However, this deployment shows worser performance compared to the topology with four HeNBs. The geometry with six HeNBs is the one with the best overall performance results for the 5×5 grid of apartments.
Spectrum Sharing and Dynamic Spectrum Management Techniques in 5G and Beyond Networks: A Survey
Authors: Nidhi  , Mihovska Albena , Prasad Ramjee
Published: February 2021

Advancing technologies and bandwidth-hungry applications have increased mobile data traffic in the radio spectrum. Utilizing spectrum is one of the indispensable performance metric seconded by techniques to increase the bandwidth. Spectrum efficient techniques have always been a part of all the generations of wireless communication. It has considered being of utmost criticality with 5G networks. The spectrum sharing and management demand contributions from technical research groups as well as regulatory bodies. Recently, many technologies proved their potentials to invoke efficient spectrum utilization. Different approaches have been considered including cognitive radio, machine learning for dynamic spectrum management, spectrum sharing, spectrum harmonization, spectrum identification strategies, etc. Efficient technology is very important in order to have high spectral as well as energy efficiency. It is also important from a cost-efficiency perspective. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the various spectrum sharing and management aspects. This comparative study is motivated to provide a clear picture to design a spectrum efficient system for 5G and beyond the network.
Multilingualism, Trauma, and Liminality in The Bullet Collection: Contact Zones, Checkpoints, and Liminal Points
Authors: Hout Syrine
Published: February 2021

Informed by theories of code-switching, memory, and trauma, my reading of Lebanese American Patricia Sarrafian Ward's diasporic novel The Bullet Collection (2003) centers on its multilingual usages to demonstrate how language play makes visible states of liminality or in-betweenness: between Lebanon and the US, the past and the present, the present and the future, childhood and adulthood, and trauma and recovery. I argue that this liminality, laid bare by a creative interpretation of the (mis)- and (dis)uses of multilingualism, is a concept that ties trauma, nostalgia, and homeness together and is fleshed out in three psychodynamic spaces: social contact zones, checkpoints, and liminal points. I zero in on code-switched materials, both overt and covert, to reveal how they are deeply, if often inconspicuously, connected to expressing traumas and (re)negotiating identities. By adopting this approach, I contribute, first, to the field of literary linguistics, relatively under-explored in connection with Arab American and Anglophone Arab fiction, and, second, chart a new pathway towards decolonizing trauma studies by examining its relationships with multilingualism, war, and nostalgia.
5.COYUNTURA CRÍTICA DE NEGOCIACIÓN ENTRE EL ESTADO DE CHILE Y EL PUEBLO-NACIÓN MAPUCHE
Authors: Valenzuela Van Treek Esteban , Henríquez Opazo Osvaldo
Published: February 2021

Estado y un pueblo indígena en América Latina, el cual se ha intensificado desde el año 1997 con un aumento del empoderamiento indígena en favor de la autodeterminación, la demanda de reconocimiento constitucional, devolución de tierras y recursos para su propia política de desarrollo. La coyuntura crítica de alta conflictividad social y territorial en Chile ha polarizado la postura autonomista indígena con el Estado, que insiste en una estrategia asistencialista y neo-productivista sin negociación política ni reconocimiento plurinacional en la Constitución. Por su parte, el movimiento mapuche, que coincide en su rechazo a la política estatal chilena, muestra diversas vertientes que promueven estrategias y agendas diferentes, no siempre complementarias y sinérgicas. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que las relaciones impulsadas desde los gobiernos, en función de la política asistencial, de seguridad y de participación simbólica, no han sido efectivas, que el modelo neo-productivista basado en la renta y monocultivo aplicado como estrategia de desarrollo no coincide con la cosmovisión del pueblo mapuche. Por su parte, las diferentes agrupaciones políticas, comunitarias e identitarias mapuches no logran coincidir con un único modelo de autogobierno, lo que sugiere que cualquier negociación debe ser flexible en reconocer la realidad confederal del principal pueblo-nación indígena de Chile.
La respuesta del movimiento feminista a la violencia sexual en el espacio público. La agresión sexual múltiple en las fiestas de San Fermín de 2016 como punto de inflexión
Authors: Camps Calvet Clara , Moreno Beltrán Anna
Published: February 2021

A partir de un caso de referencia, el caso de 'La Manada', cuya sentencia provocó en el Estado español enormes manifestaciones de mujeres que mostraban su desacuerdo con el dictamen de la misma, argumentamos que estas movilizaciones marcaron un punto de inflexión en la respuesta social a la violencia sexual. Así, a través de un caso específico y paradigmático, mostraremos cómo la incidencia del movimiento feminista, a través de diversas acciones, ha conseguido situar el debate sobre la violencia sexual en la agenda pública e incidir en los poderes públicos hasta conseguir el inicio de algunos cambios en el ámbito legislativo en relación a las violencias machistas en general, y la violencia sexual en particular. Sostenemos que el caso hizo de factor precipitante de la apertura social de unos nuevos “marcos de referencia” sobre los vínculos entre violencia sexual y cultura patriarcal que permitió que el discurso del movimiento feminista penetrara en la agenda movimentística y social y también en la agenda política.
Dual-band and polarization-independent metamaterial terahertz narrowband absorber
Authors: Pan Wu , Shen Tao , Ma Yong , Zhang Zhen , Yang Huan , Wang Xi , Zhang Xuewen , Li Yi , Yang Lihao
Published: February 2021

A dual-band terahertz metamaterial narrowband absorber is investigated based on a single simple windmill-shaped structure. The proposed metamaterial absorber achieves near-perfect absorption at 0.371 THz and 0.464 THz. The full width at half-maximum is 0.76% and 0.31% relative to absorption frequency. The multireflection interference theory is used for analyzing the absorption mechanism at low absorption frequency. The theoretical predictions of the decoupled model have excellent agreement with simulation results. By investigating the absorber’s distribution of electric field and surface current density at high absorption frequency, the absorber’s near-perfect absorption at the high absorption frequency originating from the magnetic resonance formed between the top metal structure and the bottom metal plane is explained. Besides, the absorber proposed is independent of the polarization angle. It is significant to various applications such as narrowband thermal radiation, photoelectric detection, biological sensing, and other fields.
Limited-angle tomographic phase microscopy utilizing confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy
Authors: Guo Rongli , Barnea Itay , Shaked Natan T.
Published: February 2021

We present a multimodal imaging technique, combining tomographic phase microscopy with limited angular projection range and number, and two-channel spinning-disk confocal scanning fluorescence microscopy. This technique allows high-accuracy 3D refractive index (RI) profiling of live cells in spite of the missing projections. The cellular outer shape and its interior organelles measured by the confocal fluorescence imaging not only specify the cell in molecular levels, but also provide the 3D distributions of the whole cell as well as its organelles. We take these additional 3D morphological details as constraints in Gerchberg-Papoulis-based optical diffraction tomography algorithm. We then obtain an accurate 3D RI tomogram, even with a sparse angular range having a small number of perspective projections, otherwise providing low-accuracy RI reconstruction. Then, we obtain both cellular molecular specificity and inner RI values of the cell and its organelles. We compare the reconstructed 3D RI profiles of various samples, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed technique.
Large mode-area chalcogenide multicore fiber prepared by continuous two-stage extrusion
Authors: Xiao Jing , Wang Jinjing , Xu Tiesong , Zhong Minghui , Liang Xiaolin , Shen Jingfei , Wang Xunsi , Zhao Zheming , Wang Jun , Wu Guolin , Feng Zan , Shen Xiang , Nie Qiuhua , Wang Rongping
Published: February 2021

A large mode-area (LMA) chalcogenide multicore fiber (MCF) with 13 hexagonally arranged cores has been designed and fabricated for mid-infrared (MIR) high power laser delivery. The dependence of mode distributions, bending loss and dispersion characteristics on the fiber structure parameters has been investigated by the method of finite element analysis at a wavelength range from 3 to 5 μm. An ultra-large fundamental mode (FM) effective area of ∼8000 μm2 as well as a low normal dispersion down to -46 ps/nm/km at 3 μm are theoretically obtained, which is of great benefit to high power MIR laser delivery. The fiber possesses a calculated low bending loss less than 0.075 dB/m as the bending radius is larger than 0.4 m. Finally, a well-structured 13-core fiber consisting of Ge9As23Se68 and Ge10As22Se68 glasses is fabricated via the continuous two-stage extrusion method, and this fiber shows a low optical loss of 0.28 dB/m at 6.6 µm, which is the lowest fiber loss for a micro-structured chalcogenide fiber obtained via extrusion, to the best of our knowledge.
Ultrafast spatiotemporal control of directional launching of surface plasmon polaritons in a plasmonic nano coupler
Authors: Qin Yulu , Ji Boyu , Song Xiaowei , Lin Jingquan
Published: February 2021

Ultrafast spatiotemporal control of a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) launch direction is a prerequisite for ultrafast information processing in plasmonic nanocircuit components such as ultrafast on–off of plasmonic switching and information recording. Here we realize for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, ultrafast spatiotemporal control of the preferential launch direction of an SPP at the nano-femtosecond scale via a plasmonic nano directional coupler. The spatiotemporal switching of the SPP field was revealed using time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM). Experimental results show that the extinction ratio of the SPP directional coupler can be substantially optimized by properly selecting the amplitude and time delay of the two incident light pulses in the experiment. More importantly, we demonstrate a solution for the launch direction of the SPP field, switched in a plasmonic nano directional coupler on the femtosecond timescale, by adjusting the instantaneous polarization state of the excitation light. The TR-PEEM images are supported by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. We believe the results of this study can be used to develop high-speed, miniaturized signal processing systems.
Iota-carrageenan neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and inhibits viral replication in vitro
Authors: Morokutti-Kurz Martina , Fröba Maria , Graf Philipp , Große Maximilian , Grassauer Andreas , Auth Janina , Schubert Ulrich , Prieschl-Grassauer Eva
Published: February 2021

In the absence of a vaccine and other effective prophylactic or therapeutic countermeasures the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains a significant public health threat. Attachment and entry of coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 is mainly mediated by the spike glycoprotein. Here, we show that iota-carrageenan can inhibit the cell entry of the SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped lentivirus in a dose dependent manner. SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped lentivirus particles were efficiently neutralized with an IC50 value of 2.6 μg/ml iota-carrageenan. Experiments with patient isolated wild type SARS-CoV-2 virus showed an inhibition of replication in a similar range. In vitro data on iota-carrageenan against various Rhino- and endemic Coronaviruses showed similar IC50 values and translated readily into clinical effectiveness when a nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan demonstrated a reduction of severity and duration of symptoms of common cold caused by various respiratory viruses. Accordingly, our in vitro data on SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped lentivirus and replication competent SARS-CoV-2 suggest that administration of iota-carrageenan may be an effective and safe prophylaxis or treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Variation in the timing of Covid-19 communication across universities in the UK
Authors: Quiroz Flores Alejandro , Liza Farhana , Quteineh Husam , Czarnecka Barbara
Published: February 2021

During the Covid-19 pandemic, universities in the UK used social media to raise awareness and provide guidance and advice about the disease to students and staff. We explain why some universities used social media to communicate with stakeholders sooner than others. To do so, we identified the date of the first Covid-19 related tweet posted by each university in the country and used survival models to estimate the effect of university-specific characteristics on the timing of these messages. In order to confirm our results, we supplemented our analysis with a study of the introduction of coronavirus-related university webpages. We find that universities with large numbers of students are more likely to use social media and the web to speak about the pandemic sooner than institutions with fewer students. Universities with large financial resources are also more likely to tweet sooner, but they do not introduce Covid-19 webpages faster than other universities. We also find evidence of a strong process of emulation, whereby universities are more likely to post a coronavirus-related tweet or webpage if other universities have already done so.
Improving the state-of-the-art in Thai semantic similarity using distributional semantics and ontological information
Authors: Netisopakul Ponrudee , Wohlgenannt Gerhard , Pulich Aleksei , Hlaing Zar Zar
Published: February 2021

Research into semantic similarity has a long history in lexical semantics, and it has applications in many natural language processing (NLP) tasks like word sense disambiguation or machine translation. The task of calculating semantic similarity is usually presented in the form of datasets which contain word pairs and a human-assigned similarity score. Algorithms are then evaluated by their ability to approximate the gold standard similarity scores. Many such datasets, with different characteristics, have been created for English language. Recently, four of those were transformed to Thai language versions, namely WordSim-353, SimLex-999, SemEval-2017-500, and R&G-65. Given those four datasets, in this work we aim to improve the previous baseline evaluations for Thai semantic similarity and solve challenges of unsegmented Asian languages (particularly the high fraction of out-of-vocabulary (OOV) dataset terms). To this end we apply and integrate different strategies to compute similarity, including traditional word-level embeddings, subword-unit embeddings, and ontological or hybrid sources like WordNet and ConceptNet. With our best model, which combines self-trained fastText subword embeddings with ConceptNet Numberbatch, we managed to raise the state-of-the-art, measured with the harmonic mean of Pearson on Spearmanρ, by a large margin from 0.356 to 0.688 for TH-WordSim-353, from 0.286 to 0.769 for TH-SemEval-500, from 0.397 to 0.717 for TH-SimLex-999, and from 0.505 to 0.901 for TWS-65.
Monitoring beam-quality constancy considering uncertainties associated with ionization chambers in Daily QA3 device
Authors: Han Su Chul , Kim Jihun , Han Min Cheol , Chang Kyung Hwan , Park Kwangwoo , Kim Ho Jin , Kim Dong Wook , Kim Jin Sung
Published: February 2021

This study evaluates the changes occurring in the X-ray energy of a linear accelerator (LINAC) using a Daily QA3 detector system. This is accomplished by comparing the Daily QA3 results against those obtained using a water phantom. The X-energy levels of a LINAC were monitored over a duration of 1 month using the Daily QA3 system. Moreover, to account for the uncertainty, the reproducibility of the Daily QA3 ionization-chamber results was assessed by performing repeated measurements (12 per day). Subsequently, the energy-monitoring results were compared with the energy-change results calculated using the water-phantom percentage depth dose (PDD) ratio. As observed, the 6- and 10-MV beams experienced average daily energy-level changes of (-0.30 ± 0.32)% and (0.05 ± 0.38)%, respectively, during repeated measurements. The corresponding energy changes equaled (-0.30 ± 0.55)% and (-0.05 ± 0.48)%, respectively, when considering the measurement uncertainty. The Daily QA3 measurements performed at 6 MV demonstrated a variation of (2.15 ± 0.81)% (i.e., up to 3%). Meanwhile, the corresponding measurements performed using a water phantom demonstrated an increase in the PDD ratio from 0.577 to 0.580 (i.e., approximately 0.5%). At 10 MV, the energy variation in the Daily QA3 measurements equaled (-0.41 ± 0.82)% (i.e., within 1.5%), whereas the corresponding water phantom PDD ratio remained constant at 0.626. These results reveal that the Daily QA3 system can be used to monitor small energy changes occurring within radiotherapy machines. This demonstrates its potential for use as a secondary system for monitoring energy changes as part of the daily quality-assurance workflow.
Future fertility of patients with zero oocytes yield in their first IVF cycle attempt
Authors: Orvieto Raoul , Farhi Jacob , Nahum Ravit , Basch Shani , Haas Jigal , Aizer Adva
Published: February 2021

Purpose

We aim to estimate the future fertility of patient undergoing their first IVF cycle attempt with no oocyte retrieved, and to identify factors that might predict those who will conceive in subsequent IVF cycle attempt.

Methods

A cohort retrospective study of all consecutive women attending our IVF unit, for their first IVF cycle attempt, between January 2013 to December 2019, who reached the ovum pick-up (OPU) stage with zero oocyte retrieved. Patients’ characteristics and infertility-treatment-related variables in the first IVF cycle attempt were compared between those who conceived in a subsequent cycle and those who did not. Moreover, infertility-treatment-related variables during successful cycles resulting in pregnancy were compared to those without.

Results

59 met the study inclusion criteria, yielding zero oocytes. During the follow-up period, 12 (20.3%) women conceived (one conceived twice), and 8 (14%) gave birth to a live infant. Cumulative live-birth rate per OPU and per patients were 4% and 14%, respectively. Clinical pregnancies were achieved after 3.61+1.4 cycle attempts (range: 1–6), with no live-births following the fifth IVF cycle attempt. No in-between group differences were observed in ovarian stimulation variables of their first IVF cycle attempt. Moreover, in those cycles resulting in pregnancy, patients achieved a significantly higher number of fertilized oocytes (2.15+1.5 vs 0.94+1.5, respectively; p<0.01) and a higher mean top-quality embryos (TQE) (1.76+0.9 vs 0.73+1.2, respectively; p<0.003).

Conclusion

Women yielding zero oocytes at their first IVF cycle attempt, may achieve 14% cumulative live-birth rate after 5 IVF cycle attempts. Moreover, those who conceived in subsequent IVF cycle attempts were those achieving 2 or more fertilized oocytes/TQE.
Perceptions of hospital staff on the performance of Quality Improvement teams in the regional referral hospitals in Tanzania: A cross sectional study
Authors: Kacholi Godfrey , Mahomed Ozayr H.
Published: February 2021

Background

To ensure patient-centered quality care for all citizens, Quality Improvement (QI) teams have been established across all public hospitals in Tanzania. However, little is known about how hospital staff perceive the performance of hospital QI teams in Tanzania. This study assessed the perceptions of hospital staff of the performance of QI teams in selected regional referral hospitals in Tanzania.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in four selected regional referral hospitals between April and August 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 385 hospital staff in the selected hospitals. Measures of central tendency, proportions and frequencies were used to assess level of perception of hospital staff. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between the perceptions of hospital staff of the performance of QI teams and their socio-demographic factors.

Results

The overall mean perception score of the performance of QI teams was 4.84 ± 1.25. Hospital staff aged 35 and over (n = 130; 68%), female hospital staff (n = 144; 64%), staff in clinical units (n = 136; 63%) and staff with post-secondary education (n = 175; 63%) perceived that the performance of QI teams was good. Improved hospital cleanliness was viewed as strength of QI teams, whilst inadequate sharing of information and inadequate reduction in patient waiting time were considered as weaknesses of QI team performance. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that there was no statistical association between the perceptions of hospital staff and their socio-demographic characteristics.

Conclusion

The overall perception of hospital staff of the performance of QI teams was good, with the main limitation being sharing of hospital QI plans with hospital staff. Hospital staff should be involved in the development and implementation of hospital QI plans, which would promote a positive perception of staff of the performance of QI teams and enhance sustainability of QI teams.
Impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on orthopedic trauma numbers and patterns in an academic Level I Trauma Center in Berlin, Germany
Authors: Maleitzke Tazio , Pumberger Matthias , Gerlach Undine A. , Herrmann Carolin , Slagman Anna , Henriksen Louise S. , von Mauchenheim Frederic , Hüttermann Nils , Santos Anabel N. , Fleckenstein Florian N. , Rauch Geraldine , Märdian Sven , Perka Carsten , Stöckle Ulrich , Möckel Martin , Lindner Tobias , Winkler Tobias
Published: February 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of drastic shutdown measures worldwide. While quarantine, self-isolation and shutdown laws helped to effectively contain and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on trauma care in emergency departments (EDs) remains elusive.

Methods

All ED patient records from the 35-day COVID-19 shutdown (SHUTDOWN) period were retrospectively compared to a calendar-matched control period in 2019 (CTRL) as well as to a pre (PRE)- and post (POST)-shutdown period in an academic Level I Trauma Center in Berlin, Germany. Total patient and orthopedic trauma cases and contacts as well as trauma causes and injury patterns were evaluated during respective periods regarding absolute numbers, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and risk ratios (RRs).

Findings

Daily total patient cases (SHUTDOWN vs. CTRL, 106.94 vs. 167.54) and orthopedic trauma cases (SHUTDOWN vs. CTRL, 30.91 vs. 52.06) decreased during the SHUTDOWN compared to the CTRL period with IRRs of 0.64 and 0.59. While absolute numbers decreased for most trauma causes during the SHUTDOWN period, we observed increased incidence proportions of household injuries and bicycle accidents with RRs of 1.31 and 1.68 respectively. An RR of 2.41 was observed for injuries due to domestic violence. We further recorded increased incidence proportions of acute and regular substance abuse during the SHUTDOWN period with RRs of 1.63 and 3.22, respectively.

Conclusions

While we observed a relevant decrease in total patient cases, relative proportions of specific trauma causes and injury patterns increased during the COVID-19 shutdown in Berlin, Germany. As government programs offered prompt financial aid during the pandemic to individuals and businesses, additional social support may be considered for vulnerable domestic environments.
Addressing the huge poor–rich gap of inequalities in accessing safe childbirth care: A first step to achieving universal maternal health coverage in Tanzania
Authors: Bintabara Deogratius
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Despite skilled attendance during childbirth has been linked with the reduction of maternal deaths, equality in accessing this safe childbirth care is highly needed to achieving universal maternal health coverage. However, little information is available regarding the extent of inequalities in accessing safe childbirth care in Tanzania. This study was performed to assess the current extent, trend, and potential contributors of poor-rich inequalities in accessing safe childbirth care among women in Tanzania.

Methods

This study used data from 2004, 2010, and 2016 Tanzania Demographic Health Surveys. The two maternal health services 1) institutional delivery and 2) skilled birth attendance was used to measures access to safe childbirth care. The inequalities were assessed by using concentration curves and concentration indices. The decomposition analysis was computed to identify the potential contributors to the inequalities in accessing safe childbirth care.

Results

A total of 8725, 8176, and 10052 women between 15 and 49 years old from 2004, 2010, and 2016 surveys respectively were included in the study. There is an average gap (>50%) between the poorest and richest in accessing safe childbirth care during the study period. The concentration curves were below the line of inequality which means women from rich households have higher access to the institutional delivery and skilled birth attendance inequalities in accessing institutional delivery and skilled birth attendance. These were also, confirmed with their respective positive concentration indices. The decomposition analysis was able to unveil that household’s wealth status, place of residence, and maternal education as the major contributors to the persistent inequalities in accessing safe childbirth care.

Conclusion

The calls for an integrated policy approach which includes fiscal policies, social protection, labor market, and employment policies need to improve education and wealth status for women from poor households. This might be the first step toward achieving universal maternal health coverage.
A dyadic examination of self-determined sexual motives, need fulfillment, and relational outcomes among consensually non-monogamous partners
Authors: Wood Jessica , Quinn-Nilas Christopher , Milhausen Robin , Desmarais Serge , Muise Amy , Sakaluk John
Published: February 2021

Intimate and sexual relationships provide opportunity for emotional and sexual fulfillment. In consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships, needs are dispersed among multiple partners. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and dyadic data from 56 CNM partnerships (112 individuals), we tested how sexual motives and need fulfillment were linked to relational outcomes. We drew from models of need fulfillment to explore how sexual motives with a second partner were associated with satisfaction in the primary relationship. In a cross-sectional and daily experience study we demonstrated that self-determined reasons for sex were positively associated with sexual satisfaction and indirectly linked through sexual need fulfillment. Self-determined reasons for sex predicted need fulfillment for both partners at a three-month follow up. The association between sexual motives and need fulfillment was stronger on days when participants engaged in sex with an additional partner, though this was not related to satisfaction in the primary relationship. Implications for need fulfillment are discussed.
Protocol: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of fetal and infantile environmental exposure in etiopathogenesis of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
Authors: Boybeyi-Turer Ozlem , Çelik Hasan Tolga , Arslan Umut Ece , Soyer Tutku , Tanyel Feridun Cahit , Kiran Sibel
Published: February 2021

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is one of the hallmark pediatric surgical diseases. However, its etiology remains incompletely understood. By systematically reviewing the literature, we aim to clarify the effect of the effect of occupational and environmental factors and role of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism in the etiopathogenesis of IHPS. The systematic review is drafted with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA) and the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE). Systematic literature search will be performed for the period 2000 (Jan) to 2020 (Dec) in the databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed. The systematic search will cover the literature in English and Turkish language and will be limited to studies on human subjects. Four investigators will independently search the databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed) according to the defined search strategy. The full-text of the selected articles will be screened independently by four reviewers, against the inclusion criteria. Descriptive data will be extracted from each study regarding: study details, methods, participants, outcomes and calculations of association for potential further statistical analysis. If meta-analysis could not be undertaken, systematic approach to analyzing the findings of included multiple studies will be described. Heterogeneity will be assessed by quantifying the inconsistency across studies using I2 statistic. Statistical analysis will be performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 3.0 software. The p values lower than 0.05 will be considered statistically significant for all analyses.
Mobile phone applications use while driving in Ukraine: Self-reported frequencies and psychosocial factors underpinning this risky behaviour
Authors: Hill Tetiana , Stephens Amanda N. , Sullman Mark J. M.
Published: February 2021

Despite the fact that mobile phones have been transformed over the last decade into information and communication hubs that are fundamental to modern life, there is little information on how this has impacted on mobile phone use while driving. The present study was conducted in Ukraine, where this risky behaviour remains a common driving practice, despite legislative bans. A total of 220 (male = 82%; mean age = 35.53; SD = 10.54) drivers completed an online survey assessing frequency of engaging in a range of mobile phone applications while driving. Four variables of the theory of planned behaviour (general attitude and intention towards phone use while driving, social norms towards mobile phone use, perceived behavioural control, the specific beliefs about being able to engage in distracting activities and drive safely), and type A behaviour pattern were also collected. The results showed that, during the last year, 65% of drivers had read a text message and 49% had written a text using mobile phone applications. Likewise, a substantial proportion of the sample reported using social media while driving, by checking (34%), sending or typing a post (25%) on social network applications. Hierarchical stepwise regressions showed that a positive attitude towards mobile phone use while driving and beliefs about being able to drive safely and write or read a text message were significantly associated with the mobile phone applications use while driving. No associations were found between the type A behaviour pattern and mobile phone applications use.