bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fragmenty Reguły pasterskiej Grzegorza Wielkiego z przełomu XI i XII wieku odkryte w księdze ławniczej Krzywinia z lat 1512-1580
Authors: Kozak Adam , Łukaszewski Jakub
Published: March 2023

Badania nad średniowieczną makulaturą introligatorską („fragmentologia”) skoncentrowane były w Polsce dotychczas głównie na zbiorach bibliotecznych. Niniejszy artykuł prezentuje natomiast rezultat szerszej kwerendy w staropolskich zespołach akt miejskich z Archiwum Państwowego w Poznaniu, która ujawniła ponad 60 staropolskich ksiąg miejskich zawierających różnego rodzaju fragmenty dawniejszych rękopisów i starych druków. Najciekawszym odkryciem były tu dwie karty ochronne spisane pismem z przełomu XI i XII w. zawierające fragmenty Reguły pasterskiej Grzegorza Wielkiego odnalezione w szesnastowiecznej krzywińskiej księdze ławniczej.
Rzeczywistość hybrydalna
Authors: Jaskuła Sylwia
Published: March 2023

The modern world of human presence, thanks to the development of technology, is no
longer limited to the real dimension. Its second ‘pole’ is an increasingly developed
virtual world, of which the distinguishing feature is the lack of physical attributes.
The two dimensions: real and virtual, different from each other already in the very
foundations of their construction and analysis, are now mutually permeating and
complementary forms creating a new reality in which man is present. This new hybrid
world should be understood as a functionally diverse configuration of real and virtual
space, enabling their dynamic coexistence and free flow, while maintaining their
dissimilarity and relative independence. With its creation, both new possibilities of
its use and potential threats have become visible.
Tożsamości człowieka a hybrydyzacja życia społecznego – nowe perspektywy czy
zagrożenie dla jednostki?
Authors: Modzelewska Olga
Published: March 2023

The years 2020 and 2021 have forced many people to change their lives completely.
The coronavirus pandemic, anxiety related to the threat to health and life, but also the
uncertainty of tomorrow and the world, which turned out to be unfriendly to man,
contributed to the forced existential transformations of society. The transformation of
everyday functioning in almost every sphere of life and the requirement to adapt to the
changes that have taken place today is a challenge for most individuals. Work, private
life, family life, contacts with other people are increasingly transferred to cyberspace
or are taking on a new hybrid format. The new reality, especially in the initial period
of the pandemic, forced all participants of social life to transform and adapt their
everyday life to different principles of functioning in almost every area of
life.
Adaptación y Validación del Test de Alfabetización en Salud Mental Canadiense TMHHSCG en estudiantes chilenos.
Authors: Macaya Sandoval Ximena , Bustos Navarrete Claudio , Vicente Parada Benjamín , Wei Yifeng
Published: March 2023

Introducción: La Alfabetización en Salud Mental (ASM) se define como el conocimiento y las creencias sobre los trastornos mentales que ayudan a su reconocimiento, manejo y prevención. Objetivo: traducir, adaptar y validar el instrumento canadiense, Test Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide (TMHHSCG) en estudiantes de educación secundaria y universitarios chilenos. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de diseño instrumental en adolescentes (N = 454) y jóvenes (N=434). Luego de un proceso de traducción y retrotraducción, y entrevistas cognitivas, se realizaron análisis factorial para la validez de criterio y de constructo, análisis de validez convergente y divergente y análisis de invarianza factorial.  Resultados: De las 5 secciones del TMHHSCG-CL, 4 secciones presentan 2 factores y una sección con uno, todos los ítems cumplieron con el requisito de un factor superior o igual 0,3. Se presentaron niveles de correlación moderada, positiva y significativa entre las dimensiones del Test y entre este y las cinco escalas utilizadas para probar la validez de criterio, presento una buena consistencia interna y validez de constructo, convergente y discriminante. El análisis de invarianza de medición comparo modelos de manera progresiva mostrando una buena invarianza factorial. Conclusión: La versión chilena del TMHHSCG-CL muestra adecuadas propiedades psicométricas que incorpora todos los componentes de la ASM. siendo el primero de esta versión canadiense en español apto para ser aplicado en Chile y en América Latina que permitirá medir el nivel de ASM para realizar intervenciones de prevención y promoción en salud mental en adolescentes y jóvenes.
Optimization Problems in Graphs with Locational Uncertainty
Authors: Bougeret Marin , Omer Jérémy , Poss Michael
Published: March 2023

Many discrete optimization problems amount to selecting a feasible set of edges of least weight. We consider in this paper the context of spatial graphs where the positions of the vertices are uncertain and belong to known uncertainty sets. The objective is to minimize the sum of the distances of the chosen set of edges for the worst positions of the vertices in their uncertainty sets. We first prove that these problems are [Formula: see text]-hard even when the feasible sets consist either of all spanning trees or of all s – t paths. Given this hardness, we propose an exact solution algorithm combining integer programming formulations with a cutting plane algorithm, identifying the cases where the separation problem can be solved efficiently. We also propose a conservative approximation and show its equivalence to the affine decision rule approximation in the context of Euclidean distances. We compare our algorithms to three deterministic reformulations on instances inspired by the scientific literature for the Steiner tree problem and a facility location problem.

History: Accepted by David Alderson, Area Editor for Network Optimization: Algorithms & Applications.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2023.1276 .
Latest clinical research
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: March 2023

The latest studies of interest to primary care clinicians rounded up by Mark Greener
DE ONDE VEM OS ELEMENTOS QUÍMICOS
Authors: Cordeiro de Almeida Toni , Pereira Silva Gabriel , Oliveira de Melo Marcel , Silva Freitas Raquel , Fernandes de Fernandes Iranderly
Published: March 2023

Ao longo de toda a sua história, a humanidade se deparou com diversas perguntas de cunho filosófico sobre sua origem."De onde viemos?", "Para onde vamos?", "Do que somos feitos?"... todas estas perguntas são até hoje um mistério paranós. Porém, para pelo menos uma destas conseguimos encontrar uma resposta razoavelmente satisfatória. Sabemos quenós, e toda a matéria presente no Universo, somos constituídos de átomos que por sua vez são constituídos de outraspartículas que são também constituídas de partículas ainda mais fundamentais. Porém, uma pergunta que surge quase quecomo consequência da anterior é: de onde vem os átomos dos quais somos constituídos? Este trabalho apresenta umabreve resposta a esta última questão, descrevendo de forma simples a origem dos elementos químicos presentes no Universo.
Vilã ou heroína? Os dois lados da radiação
Authors: Oliveira de Melo Marcel , Pereira Silva Gabriel , Cordeiro de Almeida Toni , Guimarães Cerqueira Francina Estefânia , De Assis Moura Francisco , Fernandes de Fernandes Iranderly
Published: March 2023

Do descobrimento dos raios X aos dias atuais, a radiação tem sido estudada e reconhecida como uma poderosa ferramenta no desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico. Embora ela tenha sido fundamental para trazer a sociedade aos dias de hoje, até que se fossem conhecidos os cuidados necessários para sua utilização e seus efeitos ao atuar em organismos vivos, alguns acidentes se tornaram marcos históricos e ainda causam medo em algumas pessoas sobre a segurança de sua utilização. Casos como o acidente nuclear de Chernobyl e o acidente radiológico com Césio-137 em Goiânia fizeram muitas vítimas e deram à radiação uma má reputação que impede algumas pessoas de perceber como ela pode ser uma grande aliada em áreas essenciais à vida, como a medicina. Este artigo aborda de forma simplificada alguns tópicos sobre os estudos dos efeitos da radiação no corpo humano, desde os eventos históricos importantes, como sua descoberta e os acidentes que a trazem fama de vilã, ao seu papel nos dias atuais como heroína na área de saúde, ressaltando a importância dos cuidados a serem tomados na sua utilização.
TUBO DE RUBENS: UMA ATIVIDADE EXPERIMENTAL DE BAIXO CUSTO QUE CONTRIBUI PARA MELHORIA DO ENSINO DE FÍSICA
Authors: Dos Santos Sousa Adalberto , Gomes de Sousa Djalma , De Souza Pinheiro Halisson , Lima de Oliveira Erlania , Lima Vasconcelos Francisco Herbert
Published: March 2023

Este trabalho discute o uso de ferramentas pedagógicas que complementam as aulas expositivas de Física para o ensino da ondulatória. Para tanto, foi utilizado o experimento do Tubo de Rubens juntamente com ferramentas computacionais de simulações de ondas sonoras. A metodologia foi aplicada aos alunos da segunda série do ensino médio de uma escola pública do município de Caucaia-CE. O objetivo principal é que o método proporcione a cada aluno, através da participação direta, uma mudança nas estruturas cognitivas. Foram três etapas distintas com dezesseis alunos, em sete aulas de cinqüenta minutos até a conclusão da pesquisa. Na primeira foi realizada uma aula expositiva dos conceitos de ondulatória e aplicado o primeiro teste. Na segunda foi ministrada uma aula teórico-prática sobre Tubo de Rubens e aplicado um segundo teste acerca dos conteúdos. Por fim, no terceiro momento, foram aplicados um questionário motivacional e um avaliativo das aulas ministradas. Foi confirmada a alteração dos subsunçores dos alunos, em particular os subsunçores “ondas”. Pode-se concluir que o uso de experimentos potencializa a interatividade e o aprendizado.
UTILIZAÇÃO DO ARDUINO NO CÁLCULO EXPERIMENTAL DA GRAVIDADE: UM PROTÓTIPO ACESSÍVEL A DEFICIENTES VISUAIS
Authors: Lamon Machado Luan , Madureira Silva Julio César , Rodrigues Junior Edmundo , Destéffani Admiral Tiago
Published: March 2023

Este artigo descreve um protótipo para aferir o valor da aceleração da gravidade acessível a alunos com deficiência visual. O dispositivo utiliza Arduino, grafias em braile e sensor acústico, o que possibilita aos alunos cegos realizarem de forma tátil e audível a medição do valor experimental da gravidade com razoável precisão, apresentando erros percentuais relativos da ordem de 1,5%. Todo o projeto é de fácil construção e os componentes utilizados são acessíveis e facilmente encontrados no mercado nacional. Os testes com o protótipo indicaram que, dada sua interface intuitiva e consistência nos resultados obtidos, ele pode ser uma boa opção para aulas práticas com alunos com e sem deficiência visual.
RESOLUÇÃO DE EDO’S UTILIZANDO MÉTODOS NUMÉRICOS DE ORDEM SUPERIOR COM LINGUAGEM PYTHON
Authors: Destéffani Admiral Tiago
Published: March 2023

Este artigo tem o objetivo de descrever, por meio de dois exemplos, como podemos utilizar a plataforma Python para implementar um código de obtenção de solução numérica para problemas de valor inicial, EDO’s com condições de contorno. Um dos exemplos é a solução de uma EDO que modela o movimento de uma máquina de Atwood para uma das massas variando com o tempo, o outro é o exemplo de uma barra em queda livre sendo, simultaneamente, desacelerada por uma força magnética variável. A metodologia do trabalho se baseou em utilizar o método de Runge Kutta de quarta ordem para obtenção dos autovalores dentro de um intervalo de tempo e, posteriormente, comparar os autovalores com os valores exatos da função solução analítica das EDO’s. Os resultados mostraram concordância com desvio padrão médio da ordem de sigma = 10−6 além de ter se mostrado, com poucas adaptações, uma opção para soluções de diversos PVI’s, comuns na física.
UMA ALTERNATIVA DE EXPERIMENTO VIRTUAL PARA O ENSINO REMOTO UTILIZANDO SIMULAÇÃO PHET DE PINÇAMENTO ÓPTICO
Authors: Gonçalves Silva André Flávio , Cruz da Silva Sabrita , Moreira Lima Carlos Henrique
Published: March 2023

No ano de 2020, com advento da pandemia, as interações pessoais ficaram reduzidas devido o distanciamento físico. Estetrabalho propõe uma alternativa para abordar alguns conceitos físicos utilizando o simulador PhET. A simulação escolhidafoi o pinçamento óptico o qual foi o fenômeno físico descrito por Arthur Ashkin ganhador do Nobel de Física de 2018, osexperimentos virtuais podem ser aplicados em graduações na área de Ciências da Natureza onde existem a disciplina deBiofísica, Física Moderna e Físico-Química.
O ENSINO DE LABORATÓRIO DE FÍSICA NA EDUCAÇÃO DO CAMPO: AS ESTRATÉGIAS DA FEIRA DE CIÊNCIAS E DO TEATRO
Authors: Paixão Barbosa Maíra Lorena , Ribeiro Miltão Milton Souza
Published: March 2023

Neste trabalho pretendemos apresentar estudo do ensino de laboratório de física na educação do campo considerandoas estratégias de feira de ciências e do teatro. Para tanto, fizemos uma imersão em duas EFAs e na comunidade de Siribinha, onde a feira de ciências e uma peça teatral foram apresentadas. Um questionário e diálogos foram utilizados para avaliarmos os resultados obtidos de imersão feita. As atividades apresentadas levaram em consideração aspectos da Pedagogia da Alternância utilizada na Educação do Campo, onde as atividades experimentais apresentadas na feira de ciências e na peça teatral consideraram elementos da abordagem do ensino de laboratório sob um enfoque epistemológico. Em termos do teatro, consideramos o seu uso enquanto uma TIC bem como um teatro didático-pedagógico. Como desfecho do trabalho, percebeu-se que a Física, em geral, não é compreendida apropriadamente pelos atores participantes do processo de ensino aprendizagem.
Print de placenta
Authors: Moscardini Susana
Published: March 2023

Esta é uma foto de um carimbo de placenta realizado em tela. O carimbo de placenta é uma arte comumente realizada pelas doulas que tem como intuito eternizar de maneira lúdica e colorida a imagem das placentas das gestantes que as contratam. A placenta é um órgão que se forma exclusivamente para nutrir o bebê dentro do útero e ao final do parto, a saída deste órgão sinaliza, de fato, o seu término. Após eliminada a placenta, a doula a coloca cuidadosamente sobre uma superfície reta, retira o excesso de sangue e, de acordo com suas próprias habilidades criativas, colore a superfície fetal da placenta e carimba um papel ou uma tela, transferindo o colorido no molde da face placentária. Normalmente o aspecto se assemelha à copa de uma árvore, com o cordão umbilical simbolizando o caule. Além deste tipo de atividade, as doulas oferecem também suporte contínuo à mulher durante o parto, atuando com suporte físico e emocional através do uso de métodos não farmacológicos como ferramentas de alívio da dor do parto. As doulas não atuam apenas no momento do parto, seu trabalho é oferecer cuidado em todo ciclo gravídico-puerperal, de forma a oferecer suporte informativo à mulher na gestação, com educação perinatal, auxiliando no preparo para o parto, assim como suportando o pós parto e puerpério, principalmente nas primeiras demandas de ajustes da amamentação. É comprovado cientificamente que o suporte à mulher oferecido pelas doulas reduz o número de cesarianas, os pedidos de analgesia farmacológica, a incidência de parto instrumental (uso de fórceps ou vácuo extrator), a utilização de ocitocina, o tempo do trabalho de parto, a chance de bebês com baixo apgar no quinto minuto e, ainda, aumenta a satisfação da mulher na sua experiência de parto. Para conhecer mais o trabalho da doula conheça o livro "Doula: mulheres que se ajudam no momento mais importante da gestação", de autoria da doula Susana Moscardini (@doulasusana no instagram), que será publicado em Outubro de 2022 pela editora Buzz, e estará à venda nas principais livrarias do Brasil e em diversas plataformas.
The convenience of gaming
Authors: Skelly Thomas A.M. , Haulund Jensen Kristian , Halkier Bente
Published: March 2023

The frequency of video game consumption is a contested topic among scholars. In existing research, the extent of video game use is often related to the terminologies ‘excessive gaming’, ‘video game addiction’ and ‘problem gaming’. Yet the socio-material and practical qualities of gaming in everyday life have received little theoretical and empirical attention in the research on frequent video gaming. By considering these issues this article aims at detaching time spent gaming from a problem framework through a practice theoretical perspective. The empirical data stems from a qualitative study of young Danish adults who are frequently engaged in gaming. The article finds that gaming is constituted by multiple socio-material components that make it highly convenient to consume in everyday life. First, the devices and applications involved in gaming setups conjure mundane, and not focused, engagements with video games. Second, the mobility of gaming enables it to be simultaneously performed with other everyday practicalities such as cooking or commuting. Third, frequent video gaming may occur because the affordances of gaming grant easy access and flexible options for socialising. The convenience of gaming suggests that frequent engagements with video gaming can be viewed as a consequence of how people value their time use.
Vibration phases estimation based on orthogonal interferometry of inner view field for ISAL imaging and detection
Authors: Zhou Kai , Li Daojing , Gao Jinghan , Cui Anjing , Wu Jiang , Wu Shumei , Wang Yefei , Liu Kai , Tan Songnian , Gao Yang , Yao Yuan
Published: March 2023

Inverse synthetic aperture ladar (ISAL) has the capability to achieve high-resolution imaging of long-distance targets in a short time because of the laser’s short wavelength. However, the unexpected phases introduced by target vibration in the echo can cause defocused imaging results of the ISAL. How to estimate the vibration phases has always been one of the difficulties in ISAL imaging. In this paper, in view of the echo’s low signal-to-noise ratio, the orthogonal interferometry method based on time-frequency analysis is proposed to estimate and compensate the vibration phases of ISAL. The method can effectively suppress the influence of noise on the interferometric phases and accurately estimate vibration phases using multichannel interferometry in the inner view field. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through simulations and experiments, including a 1200 m distance cooperative vehicle experiment and a 250 m distance noncooperative unmanned aerial vehicle experiment.
Design of a transparent and flexible broadband omnidirectional antenna using characteristic mode analysis
Authors: Fu Chen , Wu Xingyi , Zhu Xiaobo , Sun Daying , Yue Yutao , Gu Wenhua
Published: March 2023

An optically-transparent, mechanically flexible, monopole-radiation-characteristic, broadband omnidirectional antenna is proposed in this work. The radiator layer of the sandwich-structured antenna consists of a circular central patch with 16 circular satellite patches, and the characteristic mode analysis (CMA) was used to guide the detailed design process. We first analyzed the different modes of the 3×3 circular patch array, further reduced the size of the surrounding patch to increase the required omnidirectional mode bandwidth, further reduced the cross-polarization by adjusting the distance between the four corner patch and the central patch, and finally increased the number of surrounding patches to increase the bandwidth and gain. The entire analysis and optimization process uses the CMA. The antenna was excited by a single probe, with good omnidirectionality, low cross-polarization, and broad operating bandwidth in (5-12.7) GHz, achieving 87% relative bandwidth and peak gain of 4.1 dBi. The antenna has a radius of 27 mm and a thickness of 4.5 mm. A transparent and flexible antenna sample was fabricated on a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate using electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing technology. The optical transmittance of the horseshoe-structured metal grids fabricated by EHD was investigated, as well as the equivalent surface resistance evaluation method. The theoretical optical transmittance of the horseshoe-structured single-layer silver grid on the PDMS substrate was 81.2%, versus 80.8% measured value, with an equivalent surface resistance of roughly 5 Ω/◻. The proposed antenna was bent on a 50 mm-radius cylinder surface and retained excellent omnidirectionality.
Building an explanatory model for snakebite envenoming care in the Brazilian Amazon from the indigenous caregivers’ perspective
Authors: de Farias Altair Seabra , do Nascimento Elizandra Freitas , Gomes Filho Manoel Rodrigues , Felix Aurimar Carneiro , da Costa Arévalo Macio , Adrião Asenate Aline Xavier , Wen Fan Hui , de Carvalho Fabíola Guimarães , Murta Felipe , Machado Vinícius Azevedo , Sachett Jacqueline , Monteiro Wuelton M.
Published: March 2023

Background

In the Brazilian Amazon, snakebite envenomings (SBE) disproportionately affect indigenous peoples. Communication between indigenous and biomedical health sectors in regards to SBEs has never been explored in this region. This study aims to build an explanatory model (EM) of the indigenous healthcare domain for SBE patients from the perspective of the indigenous caregivers.

Methodology/Principal findings

This is a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews of eight indigenous caregivers who are representatives of the Tikuna, Kokama and Kambeba ethnic groups, in the Alto Solimões River, western Brazilian Amazon. Data analysis was carried out via deductive thematic analysis. A framework was built containing the explanations based on three explanatory model (EM) components: etiology, course of sickness, and treatment. To indigenous caregivers, snakes are enemies and present conscience and intention. Snakebites have a natural or a supernatural cause, the last being more difficult to prevent and treat. Use of ayahuasca tea is a strategy used by some caregivers to identify the underlying cause of the SBE. Severe or lethal SBEs are understood as having been triggered by sorcery. Treatment is characterized by four components: i) immediate self-care; ii) first care in the village, mostly including tobacco smoking, chants and prayers, combined with the intake of animal bile and emetic plants; iii) a stay in a hospital, to receive antivenom and other treatments; iv) care in the village after hospital discharge, which is a phase of re-establishment of well-being and reintroduction into social life, using tobacco smoking, massages and compresses to the affected limb, and teas of bitter plants. Dietary taboos and behavioral interdictions (avoiding contact with menstruating and pregnant women) prevent complications, relapses, and death, and must be performed up to three months after the snakebite. Caregivers are in favor of antivenom treatment in indigenous areas.

Conclusions/Significance

There is a potential for articulation between different healthcare sectors to improve the management of SBEs in the Amazon region, and the aim is to decentralize antivenom treatment so that it occurs in indigenous health centers with the active participation of the indigenous caregivers.
Factors associated with poor glycemic control among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Gamo and Gofa zone public hospitals, Southern Ethiopia: A case-control study
Authors: Dawite Firehiwot , Girma Meseret , Shibiru Tamiru , Kefelew Etenesh , Hailu Tadiwos , Temesgen Rodas , Abebe Getachew
Published: March 2023

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a serious global public health problem that affects the whole life of people in terms of their biological, psychological, and social effects. Complications and death from diabetes occur from poorly controlled blood glucose levels. Thus, dealing with glycemic control is essential for controlling the development of devastating acute and chronic complications related to diabetes. Therefore, this study aims to assess factors associated with poor glycemic control among type2 diabetes patients in public hospitals of Gamo and Gofa zone southern, Ethiopia, 2021.

Methods

An institution-based unmatched case-control study was employed among 312 randomly selected participants using a pre-tested, interviewer-administered, and structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with poor glycemic control using IBM SPSS version 25. The strength of association was assessed by using an Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Result

Factors associated with poor glycemic control based on multivariable analysis were, having comorbidity (AOR = 2.35, 95% CI (1.39–3.95)), adhering to dietary recommendations (AOR = 0.31, 95% CI (089–0.51)), poor social support (AOR = 3.31, 95% CI (1.59–6.85)), physical exercise (AOR = 1.86 95% CI (1.11–3.12)), and having poly-pharmacy (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI (1.39–5.74)).

Conclusion and recommendation

This study indicated a significant association of comorbidity, physical exercise, poly-pharmacy, low social support, and adherence to dietary recommendations with poor glycemic control. We suggest that the health care providers and concerned bodies encourage patients to have regular check-ups and work on providing necessary social support.
A deep graph convolutional neural network architecture for graph classification
Authors: Zhou Yuchen , Huo Hongtao , Hou Zhiwen , Bu Fanliang
Published: March 2023

Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) are powerful deep learning methods for non-Euclidean structure data and achieve impressive performance in many fields. But most of the state-of-the-art GCN models are shallow structures with depths of no more than 3 to 4 layers, which greatly limits the ability of GCN models to extract high-level features of nodes. There are two main reasons for this: 1) Overlaying too many graph convolution layers will lead to the problem of over-smoothing. 2) Graph convolution is a kind of localized filter, which is easily affected by local properties. To solve the above problems, we first propose a novel general framework for graph neural networks called Non-local Message Passing (NLMP). Under this framework, very deep graph convolutional networks can be flexibly designed, and the over-smoothing phenomenon can be suppressed very effectively. Second, we propose a new spatial graph convolution layer to extract node multiscale high-level node features. Finally, we design an end-to-end Deep Graph Convolutional Neural Network II (DGCNNII) model for graph classification task, which is up to 32 layers deep. And the effectiveness of our proposed method is demonstrated by quantifying the graph smoothness of each layer and ablation studies. Experiments on benchmark graph classification datasets show that DGCNNII outperforms a large number of shallow graph neural network baseline methods.
Extracting patient-level data from the electronic health record: Expanding opportunities for health system research
Authors: Farrand Erica , Collard Harold R. , Guarnieri Michael , Minowada George , Block Lawrence , Lee Mei , Iribarren Carlos
Published: March 2023

Background

Epidemiological studies of interstitial lung disease (ILD) are limited by small numbers and tertiary care bias. Investigators have leveraged the widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) to overcome these limitations, but struggle to extract patient-level, longitudinal clinical data needed to address many important research questions. We hypothesized that we could automate longitudinal ILD cohort development using the EHR of a large, community-based healthcare system.

Study design and methods

We applied a previously validated algorithm to the EHR of a community-based healthcare system to identify ILD cases between 2012–2020. We then extracted disease-specific characteristics and outcomes using fully automated data-extraction algorithms and natural language processing of selected free-text.

Results

We identified a community cohort of 5,399 ILD patients (prevalence = 118 per 100,000). Pulmonary function tests (71%) and serologies (54%) were commonly used in the diagnostic evaluation, whereas lung biopsy was rare (5%). IPF was the most common ILD diagnosis (n = 972, 18%). Prednisone was the most commonly prescribed medication (911, 17%). Nintedanib and pirfenidone were rarely prescribed (n = 305, 5%). ILD patients were high-utilizers of inpatient (40%/year hospitalized) and outpatient care (80%/year with pulmonary visit), with sustained utilization throughout the post-diagnosis study period.

Discussion

We demonstrated the feasibility of robustly characterizing a variety of patient-level utilization and health services outcomes in a community-based EHR cohort. This represents a substantial methodological improvement by alleviating traditional constraints on the accuracy and clinical resolution of such ILD cohorts; we believe this approach will make community-based ILD research more efficient, effective, and scalable.
Using multi-focus group method as an effective tool for eliciting business system requirements: Verified by a case study
Authors: Wu Robert M. X. , Wang Yongwen , Shafiabady Niusha , Zhang Huan , Yan Wanjun , Gou Jinwen , Shi Yong , Liu Bao , Gide Ergun , Kang Changlong , Zhang Zhongwu , Shen Bo , Li Xiaoquan , Fan Jianfeng , He Xiangqian , Soar Jeffrey , Zhao Haijun , Sun Lei , Huo Wenying , Wang Ya
Published: March 2023

This research aims to explore the multi-focus group method as an effective tool for systematically eliciting business requirements for business information system (BIS) projects. During the COVID-19 crisis, many businesses plan to transform their businesses into digital businesses. Business managers face a critical challenge: they do not know much about detailed system requirements and what they want for digital transformation requirements. Among many approaches used for understanding business requirements, the focus group method has been used to help elicit BIS needs over the past 30 years. However, most focus group studies about research practices mainly focus on a particular disciplinary field, such as social, biomedical, and health research. Limited research reported using the multi-focus group method to elicit business system requirements. There is a need to fill this research gap. A case study is conducted to verify that the multi-focus group method might effectively explore detailed system requirements to cover the Case Study business’s needs from transforming the existing systems into a visual warning system. The research outcomes verify that the multi-focus group method might effectively explore the detailed system requirements to cover the business’s needs. This research identifies that the multi-focus group method is especially suitable for investigating less well-studied, no previous evidence, or unstudied research topics. As a result, an innovative visual warning system was successfully deployed based on the multi-focus studies for user acceptance testing in the Case Study mine in Feb 2022. The main contribution is that this research verifies the multi-focus group method might be an effective tool for systematically eliciting business requirements. Another contribution is to develop a flowchart for adding to Systems Analysis & Design course in information system education, which may guide BIS students step by step on using the multi-focus group method to explore business system requirements in practice.
Spatial distribution of common childhood illnesses, healthcare utilisation and associated factors in Ethiopia: Evidence from 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey
Authors: Defar Atkure , B. Okwaraji Yemisrach , Tigabu Zemene , Persson Lars Åke , Alemu Kassahun
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Childhood illnesses, such as acute respiratory illness, fever, and diarrhoea, continue to be public health problems in low-income countries. Detecting spatial variations of common childhood illnesses and service utilisation is essential for identifying inequities and call for targeted actions. This study aimed to assess the geographical distribution and associated factors for common childhood illnesses and service utilisation across Ethiopia based on the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey.

Methods

The sample was selected using a two-stage stratified sampling process. A total of 10,417 children under five years were included in this analysis. We linked data on their common illnesses during the last two weeks and healthcare utilisation were linked to Global Positioning System (GPS) information of their local area. The spatial data were created in ArcGIS10.1 for each study cluster. We applied a spatial autocorrelation model with Moran’s index to determine the spatial clustering of the prevalence of childhood illnesses and healthcare utilisation. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) analysis was done to assess the association between selected explanatory variables and sick child health services utilisation. Hot and cold spot clusters for high or low utilisation were identified using Getis-Ord Gi*. Kriging interpolation was done to predict sick child healthcare utilisation in areas where study samples were not drawn. All statistical analyses were performed using Excel, STATA, and ArcGIS.

Results

Overall, 23% (95CI: 21, 25) of children under five years had some illness during the last two weeks before the survey. Of these, 38% (95%CI: 34, 41) sought care from an appropriate provider. Illnesses and service utilisation were not randomly distributed across the country with a Moran’s index 0.111, Z-score 6.22, P<0.001, and Moran’s index = 0.0804, Z-score 4.498, P< 0.001, respectively. Wealth and reported distance to health facilities were associated with service utilisation. Prevalence of common childhood illnesses was higher in the North, while service utilisation was more likely to be on a low level in the Eastern, South-western, and the Northern parts of the country.

Conclusion

Our study provided evidence of geographic clustering of common childhood illnesses and health service utilisation when the child was sick. Areas with low service utilisation for childhood illnesses need priority, including actions to counteract barriers such as poverty and long distances to services.
Learning and STEM identity gains from an online module on sequencing-based surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the environment: An analysis of the PARE-Seq curriculum
Authors: Bliss Scarlet S. , Abraha Eve A. , Fuhrmeister Erica R. , Pickering Amy J. , Bascom-Slack Carol A.
Published: March 2023

COVID-19 necessitated the rapid transition to online learning, challenging the ability of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professors to offer laboratory experiences to their students. As a result, many instructors sought online alternatives. In addition, recent literature supports the capacity of online curricula to empower students of historically underrepresented identities in STEM fields. Here, we present PARE-Seq, a virtual bioinformatics activity highlighting approaches to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research. Following curricular development and assessment tool validation, pre- and post-assessments of 101 undergraduates from 4 institutions revealed that students experienced both significant learning gains and increases in STEM identity, but with small effect sizes. Learning gains were marginally modified by gender, race/ethnicity, and number of extracurricular work hours per week. Students with more extracurricular work hours had significantly lower increase in STEM identity score after course completion. Female-identifying students saw greater learning gains than male-identifying, and though not statistically significant, students identifying as an underrepresented minority reported larger increases in STEM identity score. These findings demonstrate that even short course-based interventions have potential to yield learning gains and improve STEM identity. Online curricula like PARE-Seq can equip STEM instructors to utilize research-driven resources that improve outcomes for all students, but support must be prioritized for students working outside of school.
Inventory and analysis of literature on the organisation of eight European academic medical centres—A scoping review
Authors: Cardinaal Ester M. M. , Duighuisen Heleen N. W. , Jeurissen Patrick P. T. , Berden Hubert
Published: March 2023

Academic Medical Centres (AMCs) are important organisations for shaping healthcare. The purpose of this scoping review is to understand the scope and type of evidence related to the organisation of European AMCs. We selected the study population intending to obtain a demographic cross-section of European countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK. We focused our search strategy on the relationship between medical schools and AMCs, the organisation of governing bodies, and legal ownership. We searched the bibliographic databases of PubMed and Web of Science (most recent search date 17-06-2022). To enrich the search result, we used Google search engines to conduct targeted searches for relevant websites. Our search strategy yielded 4,672 records for consideration. After screening and reviewing full-text papers, 108 sources were included. Our scoping review provided insight into the scope and type of evidence related to the organisation of European AMCs. Limited literature is available on the organisation of these AMCs. Information from national-level websites complemented the literature and provided a more complete picture of the organisation of European AMCs. We found some meta-level similarities regarding the relationship between universities and AMCs, the role of the dean and the public ownership of the medical school and the AMC. In addition, we found several reasons why a particular organisational and ownership structure was chosen. There is no uniform model for AMC organisations (apart from some meta-level similarities). Based on this study, we cannot explain the diversity in these models. Therefore, further research is needed to explain these variations. For example, by generating a set of hypotheses through in-depth case studies that also focus on the context of AMCs. These hypotheses can then be tested in a larger number of countries.
Humans peeing: Justice-involved women’s access to toilets in public spaces
Authors: Smoyer Amy B. , Pittman Adam , Borzillo Peter
Published: March 2023

Justice-involved women face myriad challenges as they negotiate the terms of community supervision and manage the long-term implications and stigma of living with a criminal record. Major tasks that women juggle include securing safe, affordable housing, finding and retaining employment, accessing physical and mental health care (including substance use treatment), and handling relationships with family, friends, children, and intimate partners. In addition to these responsibilities, women must meet their basic physiological needs to eat, sleep, and use the toilet. Women’s ability to safely meet their personal care needs may impact their capacity to manage their criminal-legal challenges. This study uses qualitative methods to understand justice-involved women’s lived experiences related to urination. Specifically, the study reports on a thematic analysis of 8 focus groups conducted with justice-involved women (n = 58) and the results of a toilet audit conducted in the downtown areas of the small city in the United States where the focus group participants were living. Findings suggest that women had limited access to restrooms and reported urinating outside. Lack of restroom access impacted their engagement with social services support and employment and their ability to travel through public spaces. Women perceived their public toilet options as unsafe, increasing their sense of vulnerability and reinforcing the idea that they did not have full access to citizenship in the community because of their criminal-legal involvement. The exclusion and denial of women’s humanity that is perpetuated by a lack of public toilet access impacts women’s psychosocial outcomes. City governments, social service agencies, and employers are encouraged to consider how lack of toilet access may impact their public safety and criminal-legal objectives and expand opportunities for people to access safe restroom facilities.
Biopsychosocial effects and experience of use of robotic and virtual reality devices in neuromotor rehabilitation: A study protocol
Authors: Zanatta Francesco , Steca Patrizia , Fundarò Cira , Giardini Anna , Felicetti Guido , Panigazzi Monica , Arbasi Giovanni , Grilli Cesare , D’Addario Marco , Pierobon Antonia
Published: March 2023

Background

Robot-assisted therapy (RAT) and virtual reality (VR)-based neuromotor rehabilitation have shown promising evidence in terms of patient’s neuromotor recovery, so far. However, still little is known on the perceived experience of use of robotic and VR devices and the related psychosocial impact. The present study outlines a study protocol aiming to investigate the biopsychosocial effects and the experience of use of robotic and non-immersive VR devices in patients undergoing neuromotor rehabilitation.

Methods

Adopting a prospective, two-arm, non-randomized study design, patients with different neuromotor diseases (i.e., acquired brain injury, Parkinson’s Disease, and total knee/hip arthroplasty) undergoing rehabilitation will be included. In a real-world clinical setting, short- (4 weeks) and long-term (6 months) changes in multiple patient’s health domains will be investigated, including the functional status (i.e., motor functioning, ADLs, risk of falls), cognitive functioning (i.e., attention and executive functions), physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the psychological status (i.e., anxiety and depression, quality of life satisfaction). At post-intervention, the overall rehabilitation experience, the psychosocial impact of the robotic and VR devices will be assessed, and technology perceived usability and experience of use will be evaluated through a mixed-methods approach, including both patients’ and physiotherapists’ perspectives. Repeated measures within-between interaction effects will be estimated, and association analyses will be performed to explore the inter-relationships among the variables investigated. Data collection is currently ongoing.

Implications

The biopsychosocial framework adopted will contribute to expanding the perspective on patient’s recovery within the technology-based rehabilitation field beyond motor improvement. Moreover, the investigation of devices experience of use and usability will provide further insight into technology deployment in neuromotor rehabilitation programs, thereby maximising therapy engagement and effectiveness.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05399043.
Effects of a financial incentive scheme for dementia care on medical and long-term care expenditures: A propensity score–matched analysis using LIFE study data
Authors: Kawabata Jun , Fukuda Haruhisa
Published: March 2023

Objective

Japan introduced a financial incentive scheme in April 2016 to improve hospital-based dementia care, but its effectiveness remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the scheme’s impact on medical and long-term care (LTC) expenditures, as well as on changes in care needs levels and daily living independence levels among older persons one year after hospital discharge.

Methods

We linked medical and LTC claims databases, and retrospectively identified patients who received LTC needs certification and daily living independence assessments in Fukuoka, Japan. Case patients (received care under the new scheme) were those admitted from April 2016 to March 2018, and control patients were those admitted from April 2014 to March 2016 (before the scheme was implemented). Through propensity score matching, we identified 260 case patients and 260 control patients, and compared using t-tests, and chi-square tests.

Results

The analyses found no significant differences between the case and control groups in medical expenditure (US$26,685 vs US$24,823, P = 0.37), LTC expenditure (US$16,870 vs US$14,374, P = 0.08), daily living independence level changes (26.5% vs 20.4%, P = 0.12), or care needs level changes (36.9% vs 30%, P = 0.11).

Conclusions

The financial incentive scheme for dementia care did not demonstrate any beneficial effects on patients’ healthcare expenditures or health conditions. Further studies are needed to examine the scheme’s long-term effects.
A high-throughput newborn screening approach for SCID, SMA, and SCD combining multiplex qPCR and tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Tesorero Rafael , Janda Joachim , Hörster Friederike , Feyh Patrik , Mütze Ulrike , Hauke Jana , Schwarz Kathrin , Kunz Joachim B. , Hoffmann Georg F. , Okun Jürgen G.
Published: March 2023

Early diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and sickle cell disease (SCD) improves health outcomes by providing a specific treatment before the onset of symptoms. A high-throughput nucleic acid-based method in newborn screening (NBS) has been shown to be fast and cost-effective in the early detection of these diseases. Screening for SCD has been included in Germany’s NBS Program since Fall 2021 and typically requires high-throughput NBS laboratories to adopt analytical platforms that are demanding in terms of instrumentation and personnel. Thus, we developed a combined approach applying a multiplexed quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for simultaneous SCID, SMA, and 1st-tier SCD screening, followed by a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) assay for 2nd-tier SCD screening. DNA is extracted from a 3.2-mm dried blood spot from which we simultaneously quantify T-cell receptor excision circles for SCID screening, identify the homozygous SMN1 exon 7 deletion for SMA screening, and determine the integrity of the DNA extraction through the quantification of a housekeeping gene. In our two-tier SCD screening strategy, our multiplex qPCR identifies samples carrying the HBB: c.20A>T allele that is coding for sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS). Subsequently, the 2nd tier MS/MS assay is used to distinguish heterozygous HbS/A carriers from samples of patients with homozygous or compound heterozygous SCD. Between July 2021 and March 2022, 96,015 samples were screened by applying the newly implemented assay. The screening revealed two positive SCID cases, while 14 newborns with SMA were detected. Concurrently, the qPCR assay registered HbS in 431 samples which were submitted to 2nd-tier SCD screening, resulting in 17 HbS/S, five HbS/C, and two HbS/β thalassemia patients. The results of our quadruplex qPCR assay demonstrate a cost-effective and fast approach for a combined screening of three diseases that benefit from nucleic-acid based methods in high-throughput NBS laboratories.