bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-collected samples as an additional option for STI testing in low-resource settings: a qualitative study of acceptability among adults in Rakai, Uganda
Authors: Ogale Yasmin Parvizi , Grabowski Mary Kathryn , Nabakka Proscovia , Ddaaki William , Nakubulwa Rosette , Nakyanjo Neema , Nalugoda Fred , Kagaayi Joseph , Kigozi Godfrey , Denison Julie A , Gaydos Charlotte , Kennedy Caitlin E
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Self-collected samples (SCS) for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing have been shown to be feasible and acceptable in high-resource settings. However, few studies have assessed the acceptability of SCS for STI testing in a general population in low-resource settings. This study explored the acceptability of SCS among adults in south-central Uganda.

Methods

Nested within the Rakai Community Cohort Study, we conducted semistructured interviews with 36 adults who SCS for STI testing. We analysed the data using an adapted version of the Framework Method.

Results

Overall, SCS was acceptable to both male and female participants, regardless of whether they reported recent STI symptoms. Perceived advantages of SCS over provider-collection included increased privacy and confidentiality, gentleness and efficiency. Disadvantages included the lack of provider involvement, fear of self-harm and the perception that SCS was unhygienic. Most participants preferred provider-collected samples to SCS. Nevertheless, almost all said they would recommend SCS and would do it again in the future.

Conclusion

SCS are acceptable among adults in this low-resource setting and could be offered as an additional option to expand STI diagnostic services.
Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on vascular cognitive impairment: a randomised controlled trial protocol
Authors: Xie Wei , Chen Xinxin , Ma Xichao , Song Sihui , Ma Hui , You Jiuhong , Huang Cheng
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has an increasing prevalence worldwide, accounting for at least 20%–40% of all diagnoses of dementia. The decline in cognitive function seriously impairs patients’ activities of daily living and social participation and reduces their quality of life. However, there is still a lack of advanced, definitive rehabilitation programmes for VCI. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) are recognised treatments for improving cognitive impairment. The former can restore oxygen supply in the brain by increasing oxygen partial pressure in brain tissue, while the latter can enhance neuronal excitability and promote synaptic plasticity. However, no studies have explored the effect of HBO combined with rTMS on VCI.

Methods and analysis

This study is designed as a single-centre, assessor-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial with four parallel arms. A total of 72 participants will be recruited and randomly assigned to the control group, HBOT group, rTMS group and HBOT combined with rTMS group at a ratio of 1:1:1:1. All enrolled participants will receive conventional treatment. The entire intervention period is 4 weeks, with a 3-week follow-up. Outcomes will be measured at baseline (T0), after a 4-week intervention (T1) and after an additional 3-week follow-up period (T2). The primary endpoint is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score. The secondary endpoints are Mini-Mental State Examination score, Modified Barthel Index score, latency and amplitude of P300, cerebral cortical oxygenated haemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxygenated haemoglobin (HbR) concentrations as measured by task-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval was obtained from the West China Hospital Clinical Trials and Biomedical Ethics Committee of Sichuan University (ethics reference: 2022 (1972)). The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated through scientific conferences and seminars.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR2300068242.
Experiences with remote interpreting tools in primary care settings: a qualitative evaluation of the implementation and usage of remote interpreting tools during a feasibility trial in Germany
Authors: Pruskil Susanne , Fiedler Jonas , Pohontsch Nadine Janis , Scherer Martin
Published: November 2023

Objective

This study aims to evaluate the usage and implementation of video remote (VR) interpreting and telephone remote (TR) interpreting in primary healthcare settings.

Design

This publication forms part of a larger three-pronged study in which we compared both remote interpreting modalities to each other and to a control group. This paper conveys the findings of the qualitative evaluation of the implementation and usage of both remote interpreting solutions. The quantitative evaluation of the 6-month intervention period (September 2018–February 2019) has been reported previously. After this period, we conducted focus groups with the healthcare professionals involved. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the structured qualitative content analysis.

Setting

We provided either VR or TR tools to 10 different primary healthcare practices (general medicine, gynaecology and paediatrics) in the city of Hamburg, Germany.

Participants

Three physicians and two physician’s assistants took part in the TR focus group. The VR focus group consisted of four physicians.

Results

The main topics identified were the importance of communication for diagnostic and therapeutic processes, previous solutions to language barriers, as well as advantages and disadvantages of the two remote interpreting solutions. Advantages included the possibility to adequately communicate with language discordant patients and the high quality of the interpreting. Disadvantages included the habituation time required for new technology as well as time constraints.

Conclusion

Our evaluation found that these solutions were highly appreciated, if not considered indispensable, for the delivery of appropriate medical care to language-discordant patients. Differences between the two modalities were named and concrete suggestions for improvement were made. Policy-makers should consider providing VR or TR as an adequate and safe interpreting service alternative when professional in-person interpreters are not available or too expensive.
Perioperative hypothermia prevention: development of simple principles and practice recommendations using a multidisciplinary consensus-based approach
Authors: Munday Judy , Duff Jed , Wood Fiona M , Sturgess David , Ralph Nicholas , Ramis Mary-Anne
Published: November 2023

Objectives

To develop a consensus on evidence-based principles and recommendations for perioperative hypothermia prevention in the Australian context.

Design

This study was informed by CAN-IMPLEMENT using the ADAPTE process: (1) formation of a multidisciplinary development team; (2) systematic search process identifying existing guidance for perioperative hypothermia prevention; (3) appraisal using the AGREE II Rigor of Development domain; (4) extraction of recommendations from guidelines meeting a quality threshold using the AGREE-REX tool; (5) review of draft principles and recommendations by multidisciplinary clinicians nationally and (6) subsequent round of discussion, drafting, reflection and revision by the original panel member team.

Setting

Australian perioperative departments.

Participants

Registered nurses, anaesthetists, surgeons and anaesthetic allied health practitioners.

Results

A total of 23 papers (12 guidelines, 6 evidence summaries, 3 standards, 1 best practice sheet and 1 evidence-based bundle) formed the evidence base. After evidence synthesis and development of draft recommendations, 219 perioperative clinicians provided feedback. Following refinement, three simple principles for perioperative hypothermia prevention were developed with supporting practice recommendations: (1) actively monitor core temperature for all patients at all times; (2) warm actively to keep body temperature above 36°C and patients comfortable and (3) minimise exposure to cold at all stages of perioperative care.

Conclusion

This consensus process has generated principles and practice recommendations for hypothermia prevention that are ready for implementation with local adaptation. Further evaluation will be undertaken in a large-scale implementation trial across Australian hospitals.
Trigger tool-based description of adverse events in helicopter emergency medical services in Qatar
Authors: Heuer Calvin , Howard Ian , Stassen Willem
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Adverse events (AEs) in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) remain poorly reported, despite the potential for harm to occur. The trigger tool (TT) represents a novel approach to AE detection in healthcare. The aim of this study was to retrospectively describe the frequency of AEs and their proximal causes (PCs) in Qatar HEMS.

Methods

Using the Pittsburgh Adverse Event Tool to identify AEs in HEMS, we retrospectively analysed 804 records within an existing AE TT database (21-month period). We calculated outcome measures for triggers, AEs and harm per 100 patient encounters, plotted measures on statistical process control charts, and conducted a multivariate analysis to report harm associations.

Results

We identified 883 triggers in 536 patients, with a rate of 1.1 triggers per patient encounter, where 81.2% had documentation errors (n=436). An AE and harm rate of 27.7% and 3.5%, respectively, was realised. The leading PC was actions by HEMS Crew (81.6%; n=182). The majority of harm (57.1%) stemmed from the intervention and medication triggers (n=16), where deviation from standard of care was common (37.9%; n=11). Age and diagnosis-adjusted odds were significant in the patient condition (6.50; 95% CI 1.71 to 24.67; p=0.01) and interventional (11.85; 95% CI 1.36 to 102.92; p=0.03) trigger groupings, while age and diagnosis had no effect on harm.

Conclusion

The TT methodology is a robust, reliable and valid means of AE detection in the HEMS domain. While an AE rate of 27.7% is high, more research is required to understand prehospital clinical decision-making and reasons for guideline deviance. Furthermore, focused quality improvement initiatives to reduce AEs and documentation errors should also be addressed in future research.
Survival and acute exacerbation for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or non-IPF idiopathic interstitial pneumonias: 5-year follow-up analysis of a prospective multi-institutional patient registry
Authors: Tsubouchi Kazuya , Hamada Naoki , Tokunaga Shoji , Ichiki Katsuyuki , Takata Shohei , Ishii Hiroshi , Kitasato Yasuhiko , Okamoto Masaki , Kawakami Satoru , Yatera Kazuhiro , Kawasaki Masayuki , Fujita Masaki , Yoshida Makoto , Maeyama Takashige , Harada Taishi , Wataya Hiroshi , Torii Ryo , Komori Masashi , Mizuta Yuichi , Tobino Kazunori , Harada Eiji , Yabuuchi Hidetake , Nakanishi Yoichi , Okamoto Isamu
Published: November 2023

Objective

Few prospective cohort studies with relatively large numbers of patients with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (non-IPF) of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) have been described. We aimed to assess disease progression and cause of death for patients with non-IPF IIPs or IPF under real-life conditions.

Methods

Data were analysed for a prospective multi-institutional cohort of 528 IIP patients enrolled in Japan between September 2013 and April 2016. Diagnosis of IPF versus non-IPF IIPs was based on central multidisciplinary discussion, and follow-up surveillance was performed for up to 5 years after patient registration. Survival and acute exacerbation (AE) were assessed.

Results

IPF was the most common diagnosis (58.0%), followed by unclassifiable IIPs (35.8%) and others (6.2%). The 5-year survival rate for non-IPF IIP and IPF groups was 72.8% and 53.7%, respectively, with chronic respiratory failure being the primary cause of death in both groups. AE was the second most common cause of death for both non-IPF IIP (24.1%) and IPF (23.5%) patients. The cumulative incidence of AE did not differ significantly between the two groups (p=0.36), with a 1-year incidence rate of 7.4% and 9.0% in non-IPF IIP and IPF patients, respectively. We found that 30.2% and 39.4% of non-IPF IIP and IPF patients, respectively, who experienced AE died within 3 months after an AE event, whereas 55.8% and 66.7% of such patients, respectively, died within 5 years after registration.

Conclusion

Closer monitoring of disease progression and palliative care interventions after AE are important for non-IPF IIP patients as well as for IPF patients.
Prospective trial of natalizumab personalised extended interval dosing by therapeutic drug monitoring in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (NEXT-MS)
Authors: Toorop Alyssa A , van Lierop Zoë YGJ , Gelissen Liza MY , Hoitsma Elske , Zeinstra Esther MPE , van Rooij Luuk C , van Munster Caspar EP , Vennegoor Anke , Mostert Jop P , Wokke Beatrijs HA , Kalkers Nynke F , Hoogervorst Erwin LJ , van Eijk Jeroen JJ , Roosendaal Christiaan M , Kragt Jolijn J , Eurelings Marijke , van Genugten Jessie , Nielsen Jessica , Sinnige LGF , Kloosterziel Mark E , Arnoldus Edo PJ , van Dijk Gert W , Bouvy Willem H , Wessels Mark HJ , Boonkamp Lynn , Strijbis Eva MM , van Oosten Bob W , De Jong Brigit A , Lissenberg-Witte Birgit I , Barkhof Frederik , Moraal Bastiaan , Teunissen Charlotte E , Rispens Theo , Uitdehaag Bernard MJ , Killestein Joep , van Kempen Zoé LE
Published: November 2023

Background

Extended interval dosing (EID) of natalizumab is a promising strategy to optimise treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS). Personalised EID by therapeutic drug monitoring can enable further extension of treatment intervals.

Methods

The NEXT-MS trial is an investigator-initiated prospective phase IV non-randomised study. Adults with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS who received ≥6 natalizumab infusions were included in three groups: personalised EID with a target drug trough concentration of 10 µg/mL (EID10), an exploratory group of personalised EID with a target of 5 µg/mL (EID5) and standard interval dosing (SID) of 4 weeks. The primary outcome is radiological disease activity (new/newly enlarged T2 lesions) comparing the EID10 group to a historical cohort of SID (HSID).

Results

Results of the first phase of the NEXT-MS trial are reported here (n=376) as the study will continue with an amended protocol. In the EID10 group (n=251), incidence rate of radiological activity was 10.0 per 1000 person-years, which was non-inferior to the HSID cohort (24.7 per 1000 person-years (n=87), incidence rate difference 14.7, 90% CI −4.5 to 34.0). Incidence rate of radiological activity was 10.0 per 1000 person-years in the EID5 group (n=65), and 47.0 per 1000 person-years in the SID group (n=60). Serum neurofilament light levels did not increase over time within the EID groups. There were no cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

Conclusions

MS disease activity is adequately controlled with personalised natalizumab EID. Interval extension to a drug trough concentration of 5 µg/mL is likely a safe target to extend natalizumab treatment intervals >6 weeks.

Trial registration number

NCT04225312.
Comorbidities prior to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and diagnoses at discharge among survivors
Authors: Hjärtstam Nellie , Rawshani Araz , Hellsén Gustaf , Råmunddal Truls
Published: November 2023

Background

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a dismal prognosis with overall survival around 10%. Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the prevalence and significance of comorbidities in OHCA, as well as the underlying causes. Previously, 80% of sudden cardiac arrest have been attributed to coronary artery disease. We studied comorbidities and discharge diagnoses in OHCA in all of Sweden.

Methods

We used the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, merged with the Inpatient Registry and Outpatient Registry to identify patients with OHCA from 2010 to 2020 and to collect all their comorbidities as well as discharge diagnoses (among those admitted to hospital). Patient characteristics were described using means, medians and SD. Survival curves were performed among hospitalised patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as well as heart failure.

Results

A total of 54 484 patients with OHCA were included, of whom 35 894 (66%) were men. The most common comorbidities prior to OHCA were hypertension (43.6%), heart failure (23.6%), chronic ischaemic heart disease (23.6%) and atrial fibrillation (22.0%). Previous AMI was prevalent in 14.8% of men and 10.9% of women. Among women, 18.0% had type 2 diabetes, compared with 19.6% of the men. Among hospitalised patients, 30% were diagnosed with AMI, 27% with hypertension, 20% with ischaemic heart disease and 18% with heart failure as discharge diagnoses.

Conclusion

In summary, we find evidence that nowadays a minority of cardiac arrests are due to coronary artery disease and AMIs and its complications. Only 30% of all cases of OHCA admitted to hospital were diagnosed with AMI. Coronary artery disease is now likely in the minority with regard to causes of OHCA.
Algorithmic fairness in cardiovascular disease risk prediction: overcoming inequalities
Authors: Varga Tibor V
Published: November 2023

The main purpose of prognostic risk prediction models is to identify individuals who are at risk of disease, to enable early intervention. Current prognostic cardiovascular risk prediction models, such as the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2) and the SCORE2-Older Persons (SCORE2-OP) models, which represent the clinically used gold standard in assessing patient risk for major cardiovascular events in the European Union (EU), generally overlook socioeconomic determinants, leading to disparities in risk prediction and resource allocation. A central recommendation of this article is the explicit inclusion of individual-level socioeconomic determinants of cardiovascular disease in risk prediction models. The question of whether prognostic risk prediction models can promote health equity remains to be answered through experimental research, potential clinical implementation and public health analysis. This paper introduces four distinct fairness concepts in cardiovascular disease prediction and their potential to narrow existing disparities in cardiometabolic health.
Smoking history and all-cause, ischaemic heart disease and lung cancer mortality: follow-up study of 358 551 men and women aged 40–43 years
Authors: Tverdal Aage , Selmer Randi , Thelle Dag S
Published: November 2023

Aims

We studied the health consequences of quitting smoking before age 43 by time since quitting, number of years smoked and cigarettes smoked per day. The outcomes were all-cause, ischaemic heart disease and lung cancer mortality.

Design

Prospective study.

Setting

Norwegian counties.

Participants

Men and women aged 40–43 years who participated in a national cardiovascular screening programme and who were followed from 1985 to 2018.

Measurements

Self-reports from questionnaire on time since quitting smoking, years smoked and number of cigarettes per day, and measurements of height, weight and blood pressure, and a blood sample where serum was analysed for total serum cholesterol and triglycerides.

Findings

The all-cause mortality rate was 30% higher among quitters less than 1 year ago compared with never smokers (adjusted HR=1.30, 95% CI 1.18–1.43 in men and HR=1.31, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.50 in women). Quitters who had smoked longer than 20 years had 23% higher mortality in men (HR=1.23, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.34) and 32% higher mortality in women (HR=1.32, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.49). Past smoking of more than 20 cigarettes/day was associated with HR=1.14 (1.05–1.23) in men and HR=1.16 (1.01–1.32) in women. The HR for lung cancer was 6.77 (95% CI 4.86 to 9.45) for quitting men who had smoked for more than 20 years compared with never smokers. The corresponding figure for women was 5.75 (95% CI 4.08 to 8.09).

Conclusions

The mortality among quitters was close to that of never smokers, except for a higher mortality for lung cancer, which on the other hand was much lower than the lung cancer mortality in current smokers.
To leave or not to leave: American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) panel discussion on personal, parental, and family leave
Authors: Kheirbek Tareq , Hashmi Danielle L , Bankhead Brittany K , Holena Daniel N , Winfield Robert D , Zarzaur Ben L , Hartwell Jennifer , Stassen Nicole A , Foster Shannon M
Published: November 2023

Navigating planned and emergent leave during medical practice is very confusing to most physicians. This is especially challenging to the trauma and acute care surgeon, whose practice is unique due to overnight in-hospital call, alternating coverage of different services, and trauma center’s staffing challenges. This is further compounded by a surgical culture that promotes the image of a ‘tough’ surgeon and forgoing one’s personal needs on behalf of patients and colleagues. Frequently, surgeons find themselves having to make a choice at the crossroads of personal and family needs with work obligations:to leave or not to leave. Often, surgeons prioritize their professional commitment over personal wellness and family support. Extensive research has been conducted on the topic of maternity leave and inequality towards female surgeons, primarily focused on trainees. The value of paternity leave has been increasingly recognized recently. Consequently, significant policy changes have been implemented to support trainees. Practicing surgeon, however, often lack such policy support, and thus may default to local culture or contractual agreement. A panel session at the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma 2022 annual meeting was held to discuss the current status of planned or unanticipated leave for practicing surgeons. Experiences, perspectives, and propositions for change were discussed, and are presented here.
Integrating enhanced efficiency fertilizers and nitrogen rates to improve Canada Western Red Spring wheat
Authors: Fast Adam , Strydhorst Sheri , Wang Zhijie , Hernandez-Ramirez Guillermo , Hao Xiying , Semach Greg , Thompson Laurel , Holzapfel Chris , Enns Jessica , Spaner Dean , Beres Brian L.
Published: November 2023

Granular urea fertilizer applied at planting is prone to nitrogen (N) losses in certain environments. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) are developed to mitigate losses and optimize plant uptake. To determine the benefits of EEFs in grain yield and quality enhancement in Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat, an experiment was conducted from 2019 to 2022 at eight sites in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The effects of five N sources [urea; urea + urease inhibitor, N-( n-butyl)thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT); urea + nitrification inhibitor, nitrapyrin; urea + dual-inhibitor, NBPT + dicyandiamide; and polymer-coated urea, ESN® (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen®)] and four N rates (60, 120, 180, and 240 kg N ha−1) on CWRS wheat production were examined. Results indicated that N source affected grain yield in Dark Brown Chernozem soils but not in Black Chernozem or Dark Grey Luvisol soils. In Dark Brown Chernozem soils, a dual inhibitor increased grain yield by 3.1% and 3.9% relative to urea and polymer-coated urea, respectively, while all other EEFs attained similar results. The use of a dual inhibitor EEF led to greater net returns compared to urea and polymer-coated urea in the Dark Brown Chernozem soils. Grain protein concentration increased linearly with increasing N rate from 60 to 240 kg N ha−1. Generally, a rate of 120 kg N ha−1 was optimal for CWRS wheat grown in Canadian prairie conditions when coupled with EEFs, particularly a dual inhibitor, and grain yield and protein were often responsive.
Gravitational decoupling of anisotropic stars in the Brans–Dicke theory
Authors: Bamba Kazuharu , Bhatti M. Z. , Yousaf Z. , Shoukat Z.
Published: November 2023

Anisotropic spherically symmetric solutions within the framework of the Brans–Dicke theory are uncovered through a unique gravitational decoupling approach involving a minimal geometric transformation. This transformation effectively divides the Einstein field equations into two separate systems, resulting in the alteration of the radial metric component. The first system encompasses the influence of the seed source, derived from the metric functions of the isotropic Tolman IV solution. Meanwhile, the anisotropic source is subjected to two specific constraints in order to address the second system. By employing matching conditions to determine the unknown constants at the boundary of the stellar object, a comprehensive examination of the internal structure of stellar systems ensues. This investigation delves into the impact of the decoupling parameter, the Brans–Dicke parameters, and a scalar field on the structural characteristics of anisotropic spherically symmetric spacetimes, all while considering the strong energy conditions.
Lévy-Leblond equation and Eisenhart–Duval lift in Koopman–von Neumann mechanics
Authors: Parida Bikram Keshari , Sen Abhijit , Dhasmana Shailesh , Silagadze Zurab K.
Published: November 2023

The Koopman–von Neumann (KvN) mechanics is an approach that was formulated long ago to answer the question regarding the existence of a Hilbert space representation of classical mechanics. KvN mechanics is a non-relativistic theory, and it is not clear how spin can be included in it, since spin is widely regarded as a relativistic property. Cabrera et al., in Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 227, 2195 (2019) argued that the Spohn equation [Spohn, Ann. Phys. 282, 420 (2000)] is the correct classical framework for the Koopman–von Neumann theory corresponding to the Dirac equation. However, after Lévy-Leblond’s seminal work on this topic, it became clear that spin naturally arises also from the Galilean invariant wave equations, without any need of relativistic considerations. Inspired by this, we propose another possibility of including spin in the KvN formalism: the Lévy-Leblond equation in the Koopman–von Neumann formalism can be obtained as a null reduction of the massless Dirac equation in the Eisenhart–Duval lift metric. To illustrate the idea, we implement it for a one-dimensional classical system without magnetic interactions.
A Study of Digital Museum Collection Recommendation Algorithm Based on Improved Fuzzy Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Chen Yi , Sun Jingsong , Xu Ziyue , Zhang Genglong , Qi Naibin , Song Yuchen
Published: November 2023

With the rapid advancement of internet technology, various industries have accumulated vast amounts of data, including on user behavior and personal preferences. Traditional museums can leverage this user data to uncover individual preferences and offer personalized services to their visitors. However, the exponential growth of information has also led to the problem of information overload, making it challenging for users to find relevant information within the vast data landscape. Consequently, the utilization rate of available information decreases. By harnessing the power of cloud computing, big data analytics, and recommendation systems, museums can enhance visitors’ touring experiences by helping them discover collections aligned with their interests and connecting with like-minded individuals. To address this objective, the research focuses on optimizing the initial clustering centers of the fuzzy clustering algorithm and parallelizing the optimized algorithm using MapReduce, resulting in the development of a novel MapReduce-based k-prototype fuzzy c-means (MRKPFCM) algorithm. Subsequently, the MRKPFCM algorithm is combined with the classical collaborative filtering algorithm to create a hybrid and parallelized collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm, incorporating elements such as MRKPFCM, audience, and collection. This hybrid algorithm is further supplemented by a content-based recommendation approach to generate comprehensive and refined recommendation results. Experimental findings demonstrate that the predictive scoring errors, as measured by RMSE and MAE, exhibited a downward trend when the number of nearest neighbors for target users fell within the range of 10–20. For instance, the studied algorithm’s MAE value decreased from 0.7512 to 0.7179, surpassing the corresponding figures for the two comparison algorithms. Moreover, with an increase in the number of nearest neighbors within the same range, all three algorithms experienced improved accuracy in prediction results. In particular, the accuracy rate rose from 17.84% to 18.82%, outperforming the two comparison algorithms. In summary, the enhanced hybrid recommendation algorithm achieved through this study displays superior recommendation accuracy and holds significant practical value.
Soybean Leaf Diseases Recognition Based on Generative Adversarial Network and Transfer Learning
Authors: Yu Xiao , Chen Cong , Gong Qi , Li Weihan , Lu Lina
Published: November 2023

Soybean leaf disease labeling data are not easy to obtain, and soybean leaf disease model training often needs a lot of data. Due to the limitations of fixed rules such as rotation and clipping, traditional data enhancement cannot generate images with diversity and variability. In view of the above problems, this study proposed a data enhancement method based on generative adversarial network to expand the original soybean leaf disease dataset. This method was based on cyclic confrontation network, and its discriminator uses dense connection strategy to realize feature reuse, so as to reduce the amount of calculation. In the training process, improved transfer learning is used to automatically fine tune the pre-training model. The accuracy of the optimized method in 9 kinds of soybean leaf disease image recognition is 95.84%, which is 0.98% higher than the traditional fine-tuning method. The experimental results show that this method based on generating confrontation network has significant ability in generating soybean leaf disease image, and can expand the existing dataset. In addition, this method also provides an effective data enhancement solution for the expansion of other crop disease image datasets.
FedSuper: A Byzantine-Robust Federated Learning Under Supervision
Authors: Zhao Ping , Jiang Jin , Zhang Guanglin
Published: November 2023

Federated Learning (FL) is a machine learning setting where multiple worker devices collaboratively train a model under the orchestration of a central server, while keeping the training data local. However, owing to the lack of
supervision
on worker devices, FL is vulnerable to
Byzantine attacks
where the worker devices controlled by an adversary arbitrarily generate poisoned local models and send to FL server, ultimately degrading the utility (e.g., model accuracy) of the global model. Most of existing Byzantine-robust algorithms, however, cannot well react to the threatening Byzantine attacks when the ratio of compromised worker devices (i.e., Byzantine ratio) is over 0.5 and worker devices’ local training datasets are not independent and identically distributed (non-IID). We propose a novel Byzantine-robust
Fed
erated Learning under
Super
vision (FedSuper), which can maintain robustness against Byzantine attacks even in the threatening scenario with a very high Byzantine ratio (0.9 in our experiments) and the largest level of non-IID data (1.0 in our experiments) when the state-of-the-art Byzantine attacks are conducted. The main idea of FedSuper is that the FL server
supervises
worker devices via injecting a shadow dataset into their local training processes. Moreover, according to the local models’ accuracies or losses on the shadow dataset, we design a Local Model Filter to remove poisoned local models and output an optimal global model. Extensive experimental results on three real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and the superior performance of FedSuper, compared to five latest Byzantine-robust FL algorithms and two baselines, in defending against two state-of-the-art Byzantine attacks with high Byzantine ratios and high levels of non-IID data.
Graph Domain Adaptation: A Generative View
Authors: Cai Ruichu , Wu Fengzhu , Li Zijian , Wei Pengfei , Yi Lingling , Zhang Kun
Published: November 2023

Recent years have witnessed tremendous interest in deep learning on graph-structured data. Due to the high cost of collecting labeled graph-structured data, domain adaptation is important to supervised graph learning tasks with limited samples. However, current graph domain adaptation methods are generally adopted from traditional domain adaptation tasks, and the properties of graph-structured data are not well utilized. For example, the observed social networks on different platforms are controlled not only by the different crowds or communities but also by domain-specific policies and background noise. Based on these properties in graph-structured data, we first assume that the graph-structured data generation process is controlled by three independent types of latent variables, i.e., the semantic latent variables, the domain latent variables, and the random latent variables. Based on this assumption, we propose a disentanglement-based unsupervised domain adaptation method for the graph-structured data, which applies variational graph auto-encoders to recover these latent variables and disentangles them via three supervised learning modules. Extensive experimental results on two real-world datasets in the graph classification task reveal that our method not only significantly outperforms the traditional domain adaptation methods and the disentangled-based domain adaptation methods but also outperforms the state-of-the-art graph domain adaptation algorithms. The code is available at
https://github.com/rynewu224/GraphDA
.
Exploring Dense Retrieval for Dialogue Response Selection
Authors: Lan Tian , Cai Deng , Wang Yan , Su Yixuan , Huang Heyan , Mao Xian-Ling
Published: November 2023

Recent progress in deep learning has continuously improved the accuracy of dialogue response selection. However, in real-world scenarios, the high computation cost forces existing dialogue response selection models to rank only a small number of candidates, recalled by a coarse-grained model, precluding many high-quality candidates. To overcome this problem, we present a novel and efficient response selection model and a set of tailor-designed learning strategies to train it effectively. The proposed model consists of a dense retrieval module and an interaction layer, which could directly select the proper response from a large corpus. We conduct re-rank and full-rank evaluations on widely used benchmarks to evaluate our proposed model. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model notably outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines on both re-rank and full-rank evaluations. Moreover, human evaluation results show that the response quality could be improved further by enlarging the candidate pool with nonparallel corpora. In addition, we also release high-quality benchmarks that are carefully annotated for more accurate dialogue response selection evaluation. All source codes, datasets, model parameters, and other related resources have been publicly available.

1
Fine-grain Quantitative Analysis of Demand Paging in Unified Virtual Memory
Authors: Allen Tyler , Cooper Bennett , Ge Rong
Published: November 2023

The abstraction of a shared memory space over separate CPU and GPU memory domains has eased the burden of portability for many HPC codebases. However, users pay for ease of use provided by system-managed memory with a moderate-to-high performance overhead. NVIDIA Unified Virtual Memory (UVM) is currently the primary real-world implementation of such abstraction and offers a functionally equivalent testbed for in-depth performance study for both UVM and future Linux Heterogeneous Memory Management (HMM) compatible systems. The continued advocacy for UVM and HMM motivates improvement of the underlying system. We focus on UVM-based systems and investigate the root causes of UVM overhead, a non-trivial task due to complex interactions of multiple hardware and software constituents and the desired cost granularity.

In our prior work, we delved deeply into UVM system architecture and showed internal behaviors of page fault servicing in batches. We provided quantitative evaluation of batch handling for various applications under different scenarios, including prefetching and oversubscription. We revealed that the driver workload depends on the interactions among application access patterns, GPU hardware constraints, and host OS components. Host OS components have significant overhead present across implementations, warranting close attention.

This extension furthers our prior study in three aspects: fine-grain cost analysis and breakdown, extension to multiple GPUs, and investigation of platforms with different GPU-GPU interconnects. We take a top-down approach to quantitative batch analysis and uncover how constituent component costs accumulate and overlap, governed by synchronous and asynchronous operations. Our multi-GPU analysis shows reduced cost of GPU-GPU batch workloads compared to CPU-GPU workloads. We further demonstrate that while specialized interconnects, NVLink, can improve batch cost, their benefits are limited by host OS software overhead and GPU oversubscription. This study serves as a proxy for future shared memory systems, such as those that interface with HMM, and the development of interconnects.
Reputations at Work: Origins and Outcomes of Shared Person Perceptions
Authors: Connelly Brian S. , McAbee Samuel T.
Published: November 2023

Reputations are immensely consequential for both people and organizations. Yet research on reputations in the workplace is fragmented across a number of literatures. In this article, we first review conceptual and definitional issues surrounding the study of reputations in the workplace. We then summarize several theoretical frameworks for studying reputations drawing from the literature on accuracy and errors in person perception, surveying the Realistic Accuracy Model, Self-Other Knowledge Asymmetry model, impression management, socioanalytic theory, social cognition, stereotypes, gossip, and culture. We present the Trait-Reputation-Identity model as a framework for integrating these disparate literatures. Next, we discuss broad areas where workplace reputations may impact individual and organizational outcomes including job performance, career success, and well-being. We conclude by offering a number of observations regarding the state of the literature on reputations and prospects for contributing to organizational psychology and organizational behavior.
Leadership Emergence: Answering the “How” and “Why” Questions by Considering Levels of Analysis and Form of Emergence
Authors: Gardner William L. , Hanna Andrew A. , Noghani Farzaneh , Cogliser Claudia C.
Published: November 2023

Leadership emergence is an inherently dynamic process whereby certain individuals come to be seen as leaders by others, some of whom will choose to follow them. The circumstances under which leadership emergence occurs depend on the persons involved, their interactions, and the context. Yet leadership research has too often viewed leadership emergence from a static and entity perspective, where some individuals are assumed to have qualities that predispose them to lead, without explaining how and why emergence occurs. Alternatively, we apply a typology that examines leadership emergence across levels of analysis (event, individual, dyadic, group, and organizational) and forms of emergence (global, compositional, and compilational). We examine representative theories of leadership emergence at the intersections of these considerations to demonstrate the utility of adopting a multilevel and dynamic perspective. Additionally, we offer recommendations for applying this typology to advance future theory and research into leadership emergence.
Some Identities of Fully Degenerate Dowling Polynomials and Numbers
Authors: Luo Lingling , Ma Yuankui , Liu Wencong , Kim Taekyun
Published: November 2023

Recently, Kim-Kim introduced the degenerate Whitney numbers of the first and second kind involving the degenerate Dowling polynomials and numbers. In this paper, we introduce the fully degenerate Dowling polynomials and the fully degenerate Bell polynomials and derive some identities involving these polynomials. We also obtain the generating functions, expressions, and recurrence relations for the fully degenerate Dowling polynomials and the fully degenerate Bell polynomials and other special polynomials and numbers.
Attention-Based Image-to-Video Translation for Synthesizing Facial Expression Using GAN
Authors: Alemayehu Kidist , Jifara Worku , Jobir Demissie
Published: November 2023

The fundamental challenge in video generation is not only generating high-quality image sequences but also generating consistent frames with no abrupt shifts. With the development of generative adversarial networks (GANs), great progress has been made in image generation tasks which can be used for facial expression synthesis. Most previous works focused on synthesizing frontal and near frontal faces and manual annotation. However, considering only the frontal and near frontal area is not sufficient for many real-world applications, and manual annotation fails when the video is incomplete. AffineGAN, a recent study, uses affine transformation in latent space to automatically infer the expression intensity value; however, this work requires extraction of the feature of the target ground truth image, and the generated sequence of images is also not sufficient. To address these issues, this study is proposed to infer the expression of intensity value automatically without the need to extract the feature of the ground truth images. The local dataset is prepared with frontal and with two different face positions (the left and right sides). Average content distance metrics of the proposed solution along with different experiments have been measured, and the proposed solution has shown improvements. The proposed method has improved the ACD-I of affine GAN from 1.606 ± 0.018 to 1.584 ± 0.00, ACD-C of affine GAN from 1.452 ± 0.008 to 1.430 ± 0.009, and ACD-G of affine GAN from 1.769 ± 0.007 to 1.744 ± 0.01, which is far better than AffineGAN. This work concludes that integrating self-attention into the generator network improves a quality of the generated images sequences. In addition, evenly distributing values based on frame size to assign expression intensity value improves the consistency of image sequences being generated. It also enables the generator to generate different frame size videos while remaining within the range [0, 1].
Enhancing Fairness in Federated Learning: A Contribution‐Based Differentiated Model Approach
Authors: Wan Tao , Deng Xianqing , Liao Weichuan , Jiang Nan
Published: November 2023

Federated learning (FL) has emerged as a promising framework for collaborative machine learning, allowing the training of machine learning models on distributed devices without centralizing sensitive data. However, FL falls short in terms of fairness, as each client receives the same model regardless of their individual contributions. This unfairness discourages active client participation in FL. To address this challenge, we propose a contribution‐based differentiated global model mechanism. Specifically, we introduce the contribution score as a metric to assess client contributions in FL and utilize deep Q‐networks (DQN) to dynamically update the contribution scores. Subsequently, we allocate clients to different clusters based on their contributions by using a clustering algorithm, where each cluster is associated with a distinct global model. This mechanism encourages clients to make greater contributions for improved global models. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach in enhancing fairness in FL.
A Topical Scalp Serum Containing Adenosine, MgSO4, Vitamin CG, and Pre‐ and Probiotic Fractions Reduces Discomfort and Associated Symptoms of Sensitive Scalp
Authors: Massiot Philippe , Magne Françoise , Weisgerber Florence , Thomet Anais , Pouradier Florence , Loussouarn Geneviève , Kerob Delphine
Published: November 2023

Purpose. Sensitive scalp (SScalp) is characterized by abnormal and nociceptive sensations, such as stinging and itching, that lead to scalp discomfort. This study assessed the benefit of a once‐daily serum containing Adenosine, Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4), Vitamin C Glucoside (CG), and pre‐ and probiotic fractions in subjects with SScalp. Methods. An open‐label, single center study in adult subjects with a Global Scalp Discomfort (GSD) score of ≥8 (0–27), defined as the sum of individual symptom scores (0–9) for itching, stinging, and warming sensations. The frequency of scratching was self‐declared. Evaluations were performed immediately after the 1st application (D0Timm) and at D21, during which the cosmetic acceptability was additionally assessed. Transepidermal water loss and skin hydration were assessed at baseline, D21, and D28. Squalene (SQ) and SQOOH were analyzed at D0T0, D21T0, and D28. Tolerance was assessed throughout the study. Results. 42 subjects (30 women and 12 men) participated in this study. The mean age was 44.0 ± 13.0 years. At baseline, the mean GSD was 13.9 ± 3.28. The GSD and symptoms significantly (p  <  0.0001) improved at D0Timm and lasted until the end of the study (D28), with insignificant worsening. There was a significant reduction of SQOOH at D21 and D28. Subject satisfaction was high, associated with a good tolerance. A similar and significant (p  <  0.0001) improvement was observed for subjects with more severe symptoms and a GSD score ≥14 at baseline. Conclusion. The topical serum significantly reduces SScalp, global discomfort, and oxidative stress and is beneficial in the management of sensitive scalp. This TRIAL is registered with NCT05630027.
Research on the Deformation Law and Stress Distribution Characteristics of Overburden under the Influence of Multiple Faults
Authors: Qi Yaobin , Yu Weijian , Yu Desun , Guo Hanxiao , Pan Bao
Published: November 2023

Taking the geological conditions of a coal mine in Liupanshui City, Guizhou Province, as the background. The fracture law of the roof in the coal face and the height of the “Two zones” were obtained through theoretical analysis and empirical formula calculation, and the results were verified using similar simulation experiments. Through numerical simulation were researched the stress distribution characteristics of the overlying strata on the working face under the influence of multiple faults. The results showed that in the early stage of mining, F1 undergoes activation under the influence of the main roof weighting, leading to an increase in the degree of plastic damage to the coal seam and strata behind the working face, causing a redistribution of the behind abutment pressure. Finally, under the influence of the F1 barrier effect, the vast majority of the behind abutment pressure is transferred to the lower strata of F1, leading to a continuous increase in stress concentration there. But as the working face continues to advance, the blocking effect of the roof plastic zone above the goaf on the transmission of the behind abutment pressure of the working face begins to appear and continues to increase, leading to a decrease in the peak stress at the lower strata of F1. The stress change process on the F2 side is similar to that on the F1 side, the front abutment pressure is initially distributed in the strata in front of the working face, but as the activation degree of F2 continues to intensify, it gradually shifts to the lower strata of F2, and ultimately the majority of the front abutment pressure is borne by the lower strata of F2.