bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving the data access control using blockchain for healthcare domain
Authors: Tahir Yinka Olaosebikan , Haw Su-Cheng , Yap Timothy Tzen Vun , Subramaniam Samini
Published: November 2021

Introduction: Unauthorized access to data is one of the most significant privacy issues that hinder most industries from adopting big data technologies. Even though specific processes and structures have been put in place to deal with access authorization and identity management for large databases nonetheless, the scalability criteria are far beyond the capabilities of traditional databases. Hence, most researchers are looking into other solutions, such as big data management.

Methods: In this paper, we firstly study the strengths and weaknesses of implementing cryptography and blockchain for identity management and authorization control in big data, focusing on the healthcare domain. Subsequently, we propose a decentralized data access and sharing system that preserves privacy to ensure adequate data access management under the blockchain. In addition, we designed a blockchain framework to resolve the decentralized data access and sharing system privacy issues, by implementing a public key infrastructure model, which utilizes a signature cryptography algorithm (elliptic curve and signcryption). Lastly, we compared the proposed blockchain model to previous techniques to see how well it performed.

Results: We evaluated the blockchain on four performance metrics which include throughput, latency, scalability, and security. The proposed blockchain model was tested using a sample of 5000 patients and 500,000 observations. The performance evaluation results further showed that the proposed model achieves higher throughput and lower latency compared to existing approaches when the workload varies up to 10,000 transactions.

Discussion: This research reviews the importance of blockchains as they provide infinite possibilities to individuals, companies, and governments.
FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF FUTURE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS TO WORK IN THE SYSTEM OF ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION
Authors: Breus Irina
Published: November 2021

The article is devoted to the peculiarities and prospects of practical training of future mathematics teachers to carry out cultural and educational activities in mathematics in educational institutions, including in the system of additional mathematical education. The experience of organizing educational and industrial practices of students of the directions 44.03.01 Pedagogical education, profile «Mathematics» and 44.03.05 Pedagogical education, profile «Mathematics and Computer Science», studying at the Institute of Mathematics, Mechanics and Computer Science named after I.I. is given. Vorovich of the Southern Federal University of Rostov-on-Don.

The article describes the main activities of students during academic and industrial practices: the study of the specific content of additional mathematical education, methods and means of organizing training; the development of didactic materials for the implementation of classes in the field of additional mathematical education; the implementation of career guidance in schools of Rostov-on-Don; conducting extracurricular activities in mathematics in educational institutions.
Signaling Through Advertising When an Ad Can Be Blocked
Authors: Chen Yuxin , Liu Qihong
Published: November 2021

Ad blocking may benefit all stakeholders with better quality ads through a signaling mechanism.
The Disciplining Effect of Status: Evaluator Status Awards and Observed Gender Bias in Evaluations
Authors: Botelho Tristan L. , Gertsberg Marina
Published: November 2021

We theorize that status awards will have a disciplining effect on evaluators, changing how they evaluate. Specifically, status awards will lead evaluators to place less weight on unreliable indicators of candidate quality, such as gender. We test this theory using data from restaurant evaluations on Yelp, focusing on the relationship between an evaluator’s restaurant rating and their reporting of being served by a man or a woman in their review text. We use Yelp’s evaluator status award (“Elite”) to analyze whether observed gender bias in the star ratings given to restaurants decreases after an evaluator receives this status award. We find that evaluators rate restaurants more similarly after receiving the award, regardless of whether they report being served by a man or a woman. Status awards in our context close the gender gap in restaurant ratings by 56.5% (a 0.07 stars improvement out of an initial rating gap of −0.13 stars). This reduction in gender bias is mostly due to a decrease in the number of extremely low (1 star) ratings in reviews that reference female servers. Research on status and evaluations has mostly focused on how evaluators react to increases in candidate status. We demonstrate the importance of evaluator status as a mechanism for decreasing observed gender differences in evaluations.

This paper was accepted by Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, organizations.
Pengaruh Pemberian Edukasi Audio Visual Terhadap Pengetahuan Pangan Halal di SMA Hang Tuah 2 Sidoarjo
Authors: Tariqul Soficho , Putri Endah Budi Permana
Published: November 2021

Gaya hidup halal sekarang bukan hanya terbatas bagi umat muslim saja, melainkan sudah banyak negara-negara nonmuslim yang sudah menerapkan produk makanan halal. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberian edukasi audio visual terhadap pengetahuan pangan halal di SMA Hang Tuah 2 Sidoarjo. Jenis penelitian ini adalah True Experimental dengan menggunakan pre-posttest design. Teknik pengambilan sampel yaitu cluster sampling dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 86 responden yang terbagi menjadi 2 kelompok (43 orang pada kelompok edukasi media poster dan diskusi dan 43 orang pada kelompok edukasi media video. Analisis uji yang digunakan adalah uji Wilcoxon. Hasil diketahui bahwa ada pengaruh terhadap pengetahuan responden pada kelompok edukasi poster dan diskusi (p=0,019) dan pada kelompok edukasi video (p=0,000). Edukasi audio visual baik menggunakan media poster dan diskusi maupun video dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan pangan halal siswa di SMA Hang Tuah 2 Sidoarjo.
The Concept of Halal Tourism and The Fulfillment of Muslim Tourist Needs in Halal Tourism
Authors: Syah Putra M. Febtian , Tucunan Karina Pradinie
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this study is to give an overview of the concept of halal tourism and the fulfillment of the needs of Muslim tourists in halal tourism. The purpose of the development of halal tourism is to provide greater convenience for Muslim tourists to still be able to carry out their worship while traveling, showing that the most basic needs that are prioritized to be fulfilled in halal tourism are closely related to the activities of worship. There are at least 6 basic needs that Muslims need in their daily lives including when doing tourist activities, namely the need to purify with water, facilities for worship, halal food, tourist activities that do not conflict with Islamic values, Ramadan services, and recreational facilities/services with privacy. But please note that Muslims have heterogeneity in religious practice and obedience, so that the needs of each individual in traveling basically varies depending on their respective religious practices and obedience, so many parties propose the preparation of guidelines/provisions of minimum standards of needs of Muslim tourists that must be fulfilled.
A nurse's impact on patients living with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Eftekhari Helen
Published: November 2021

As we mark Global Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Week from 16-22 November 2021, BANCC president elect Helen Eftekhari reflects on the current evidence and the tremendous impact that cardiovascular nurses can have on care outcomes
ECG of the month
Authors: Bloe Charles
Published: November 2021

In this issue's ECG of the month, Charles Bloe presents a case of a 78-year-old man who was admitted with severe sudden-onset chest pain at rest.
Inflammatory bowel disease nurses' views on taking on a new role to support an online self-management programme for symptoms of fatigue, pain and urgency: a qualitative study to maximise intervention acceptance
Authors: Matthias Chanais , Fawson Sophie , Yan Li , Sweeney Louise , Moss-Morris Rona , Norton Christine
Published: November 2021

Background:

Patients can be empowered through self-managing their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms. It is important to understand how specialist IBD nurses can practically support patients to do this.

Aim:

To explore the perceptions of IBD specialist nurses about the implementation of a proposed nurse-guided online cognitive behavioural self-management intervention to manage symptoms of fatigue, pain and urgency.

Methods:

Five semi-structured focus groups (45 participants) were conducted with IBD nurses, and themes were identified through thematic analysis.

Findings:

Four themes were identified: (1) role of nurse as a facilitator; (2) nurse competence in facilitating the intervention; (3) nurse perception of patient needs; and (4) intervention implementation.

Conclusions:

The results of this study helped to refine the proposed guided online intervention with a view to sustainable implementation in clinical practice. Refinements included in-depth training and minimisation of additional workload for nurses through reducing patient contact, including an online messaging system for communication with patients.
How has Covid-19 affected health visiting teams?
Authors: Hancock Dave
Published: November 2021

Based on data collected through Freedom of Information requests, researchers at University College London generated a detailed picture of the effects of the pandemic on health visiting services in England. Dave Hancock reveals some highlights
Short-term success of proximal bone stock preservation in short hip stems: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: de Waard Sheryl , van der Vis Jacqueline , Venema Pascale A.H.T. , Sierevelt Inger N. , Kerkhoffs Gino M.M.J. , Haverkamp Daniël
Published: November 2021

Total hip arthroplasty is performed more frequently in younger patients nowadays, making long-term bone stock preservation an important topic. A mechanism for late implant failure is periprosthetic bone loss, caused by stress shielding around the hip stem due to different load distribution. Short stems are designed to keep the physical loading in the proximal part of the femur to reduce stress shielding. The aim of this review is to give more insight into how short and anatomic stems behave and whether they succeed in preservation of proximal bone stock. A systematic literature search was performed to find all published studies on bone mineral density in short and anatomic hip stems. Results on periprosthetic femoral bone mineral density, measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), were compiled and analysed per Gruen zone in percentual change. A total of 29 studies were included. In short stems, Gruen 1 showed bone loss of 5% after one year (n = 855) and 5% after two years (n = 266). Gruen 7 showed bone loss of 10% after one year and –11% after two years. In anatomic stems, Gruen 1 showed bone loss of 8% after one year (n = 731) and 11% after two years (n = 227). Gruen 7 showed bone loss of 14% after one year and 15% after two years. Short stems are capable of preserving proximal bone stock and have slightly less proximal bone loss in the first years, compared to anatomic stems.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:1040-1051. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.210030
Measuring Stem Diameter of Sorghum Plants in the Field Using a High-Throughput Stereo Vision System
Authors: Xiang Lirong , Tang Lie , Gai Jingyao , Wang Le
Published: November 2021

Highlights

A custom-built camera module named PhenoStereo was developed for high-throughput field-based plant phenotyping.

Novel integration of strobe lights facilitated application of PhenoStereo in various environmental conditions.

Image-derived stem diameters were found to have high correlations with ground truth, which outperformed any previously reported sensing approach.

PhenoStereo showed promising potential to characterize a broad spectrum of plant phenotypes.

Abstract. The stem diameter of sorghum plants is an important trait for evaluation of stalk strength and biomass potential, but it is a challenging sensing task to automate in the field due to the complexity of the imaging object and the environment. In recent years, stereo vision has offered a viable three-dimensional (3D) solution due to its high spatial resolution and wide selection of camera modules. However, the performance of in-field stereo imaging for plant phenotyping is adversely affected by textureless regions, occlusion of plants, variable outdoor lighting, and wind conditions. In this study, a portable stereo imaging module named PhenoStereo was developed for high-throughput field-based plant phenotyping. PhenoStereo features a self-contained embedded design, which makes it capable of capturing images at 14 stereoscopic frames per second. In addition, a set of customized strobe lights is integrated to overcome lighting variations and enable the use of high shutter speed to overcome motion blur. PhenoStereo was used to acquire a set of sorghum plant images, and an automated point cloud data processing pipeline was developed to automatically extract the stems and then quantify their diameters via an optimized 3D modeling process. The pipeline employed a mask region convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN) for detecting stalk contours and a semi-global block matching (SGBM) stereo matching algorithm for generating disparity maps. The correlation coefficient (r) between the image-derived stem diameters and the ground truth was 0.97 with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.44 mm, which outperformed any previously reported sensing approach. These results demonstrate that, with proper customization, stereo vision can be an effective sensing method for field-based plant phenotyping using high-fidelity 3D models reconstructed from stereoscopic images. Based on the results from sorghum plant stem diameter sensing, this proposed stereo sensing approach can likely be extended to characterize a broad range of plant phenotypes, such as the leaf angle and tassel shape of maize plants and the seed pods and stem nodes of soybean plants. Keywords: Field-based high-throughput phenotyping, Point cloud, Stem diameter, Stereo vision.
Validation and Development of Discharge Equations for 3D Printed Flumes for Flow Monitoring
Authors: Akhter Farhana , McMaine John , McLemore Alex J. , Hurst Morghan J.
Published: November 2021

Highlights

Two different configurations of 3D printed flumes of two different materials were tested for accuracy and variability.

Discharge equations were developed for 3D printed 0.122 m HS and 0.102 m Palmer-Bowlus flumes.

3D flumes are accurate and show no statistical variability between prints, providing a low-cost flow measurement tool.

Abstract. Flumes are specially shaped, engineered structures that have been used widely for measuring flow. Flumes are typically fabricated from aluminum or fiberglass; however, these types of flumes can be costly if purchased commercially and may lack machine precision if custom fabricated. This limits availability for widespread monitoring by smaller municipalities, engineering firms, or researchers with limited budgets. Using 3D printing technology (additive manufacturing) to produce flumes is very cost-effective, but variability between flumes and materials has not been tested, and discharge equations have not been developed for 3D printed flumes. In this study, a laboratory-scale setup was used to develop discharge equations for two types of 3D printed flumes (0.122 m HS flume and 0.102 m Palmer-Bowlus flume) made from two 3D printing materials: polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene terephthalate glycol modified (PETG). Variability between the same type of flume and between different materials for the same type of flume was analyzed to evaluate the consistency of the discharge equation with flumes of the same type. Eight models were developed to fit each dataset (PLA, PETG, and combined PLA and PETG) for both flume types and evaluated for goodness-of-fit and information criteria (AIC and BIC for model parsimony) to select the discharge equation for each flume type. Discharge equations were consistent for the same type of flume across each print and across different print materials. The discharge equations of 3D printed 0.122 m HS flumes and 0.102 m Palmer-Bowlus flumes are Q = 0.45624 × H2.351 and Q = 0.0001176 + 1.309 × (H - 0.0174625)2.235, respectively. The discharge equations of both flume types had R2adj values greater than 97% for the measured data of each individual flume. Both 3D printed flumes were consistent in measuring flow and are suitable for hydrologic monitoring. Keywords: 3D printing, Additive manufacturing, Discharge equation, Flume, Hydrologic monitoring.
Effects of Operating Parameters on the Efficacy of Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS) in Inactivating Escherichia coli on Stainless-Steel Surfaces
Authors: Si Yuchen , Yang Yingjie , Martel Myra , Thompson Brooke , Predicala Bernardo , Guo Huiqing , Zhang Lifeng , Kirychuk Shelley
Published: November 2021

Highlights

The efficacy of EWNS to disinfect surfaces was assessed at a bacterial concentration similar to pig barns.

Liquid pH, liquid conductivity, and applied voltage were found to directly affect the efficacy of EWNS.

The efficacy increased as liquid flow rate and distance between needle tip and counter electrode decreased.

An E. coli reduction of 3.0 log was achieved on a stainless-steel surface after 15 min exposure to EWNS.

Abstract. Several studies have shown the potential of engineered water nanostructures (EWNS) generated using a capillary electrospray system to inactivate foodborne bacteria; however, there is a lack of data on EWNS performance in inactivating microbes in livestock facilities. Thus, this laboratory-scale study investigated the effects of operating conditions on the efficacy of EWNS in inactivating Escherichia coli (E. coli) on coupons made of stainless steel, a common surface material in pig barns, at a bacterial concentration similar to levels found on pig barn surfaces. The electrospray module was composed of a capillary needle that was connected to a high-voltage power supply. The efficacy of the technology in inactivating E. coli was assessed with various operating parameters (i.e., applied voltage, distance between needle tip and counter electrode, and liquid flow rate, pH, and conductivity). The efficacy of the EWNS was found to be directly related to the liquid pH, liquid conductivity, and applied voltage, but inversely related to the liquid flow rate and distance between the needle tip and counter electrode. An E. coli reduction of 3.0 log was obtained after 15 min exposure to EWNS under the following operating conditions: liquid flow rate of 1 µL min-1, pH of 12, liquid conductivity of 14.72 mS cm-1, 2 cm distance between the needle tip and counter electrode, and -7.6 kV applied voltage. The results of this study can serve as an initial basis for the application of EWNS on surfaces in a real barn environment, where the presence of other factors, such as gases, dust, and other organic matter and microbial species, must be taken into account. Keywords: Electrospray, Engineered water nanostructures, E. coli, Stainless-steel surface, Surface decontamination.
Energy and Exergy Efficiencies of Fluidized and Fixed Bed Rice Drying
Authors: Luthra Kaushik , Sadaka Sammy
Published: November 2021

Highlights

Fluidized bed drying of rough riceat 40°C with or without ambient air dehumidification worked best based on the energy and exergy utilization.

The dryer lost exergy in the exit air, which was the primary cause of thermal inefficiency; recirculation of the exit air could improve the exergy efficiency.

Ambient air dehumidification did not reduce the dryer’s energy utilization and exergy efficiency for rough rice.

Abstract. Fluidized bed drying of rough rice in the U.S. has not been used to its full potential due to a lack of research to address rice quality impacts and energy consumption. Little research has been done to analyze the energy and exergy of fluidized bed drying of rough rice. Thermal analysis allows using the drying air’s energy better and improving the drying system’s thermal efficiency. In this study, energy utilization and energy utilization ratio were calculated using the first law of thermodynamics, while exergy loss and exergy efficiency were determined using the second law. Drying air temperature (40°C, 45°C, or 50°C), drying bed condition (fluidized or fixed), drying duration (30, 45, or 60 min), and ambient air dehumidification (yes or no) were the tested factors. A lab-scale drying system designed in a previous study was used. Three replicates were performed to minimize any bias or human errors. All factors significantly affected the energy and exergy of the drying process, except dehumidification and replication. The minimum and maximum energy utilization values were 0.01 and 0.55 kJ s-1 for fixed bed drying at 40°C for 30 min with dehumidification and fluidized bed drying at 50°C for 60 min without dehumidification, respectively. The minimum and maximum exergy efficiency values were 13.46% and 49.14% for fixed bed drying at 45°C for 45 min with dehumidification and fluidized bed drying at 40°C for 60 min with dehumidification, respectively. The primary cause of thermal inefficiency was attributed to the energy and exergy losses in the exit air, while the secondary source was the exergy and energy losses from the drying chamber and inlet air pipes. Costly solutions could be recirculation of the exit air and better insulation of the drying chamber and inlet pipes. However, using the optimal drying conditions for the energy and exergy utilization of the drying air is suggested. This study found that fluidized bed drying was better than fixed bed drying overall. At the primary drying stage, fluidized bed drying had a higher exergy efficiency, energy utilization, and energy utilization ratio than fixed bed drying. At 40°C, fluidized bed drying with or without ambient air dehumidification worked best based on the energy and exergy utilization of the drying system. Keywords: Dehumidification, Energy, Exergy, Fixed bed, Fluidized bed, Rice drying.
Wideband side-lobe level suppression metamaterial based on foldable spoof surface plasmon polaritons
Authors: Zhai Yipeng , Wang Jiafu , Zhu Ruichao , Jia Yuxiang , Wu Wenjuan , Zhang Zhongtao , Chen Hongya , Qiu Tianshuo , Qu Shaobo
Published: November 2021

In this work, we propose a method of suppressing the side-lobe level for transmitted waves based on foldable spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP). To this end, an SSPP structure is designed and folded with different angles to manipulate the amplitudes of co-polarization transmission coefficients, while the phases remain unchanged. In order to obtain the corresponding relationship between the transmission amplitudes and the folded angles, a nonlinear fitting was performed to get the mapping. After this, SSPP structures are arrayed according to the corresponding amplitudes of the discrete Taylor-distribution, so as to suppress the side-lobe level. To verify this idea, a transmissive metamaterial with wideband side-lobe level suppression (SLLS) was designed, fabricated and measured. The results demonstrated that the metamaterial has a good SLLS performance for transmitted waves, with approximately -20 dB SLL in a wide frequency region. This work provides an effective alternative to achieving SLLS and may find applications in antennas, radomes and stealth techniques, etc.
Survey of the four-mirror freeform imager solution space
Authors: Papa Jonathan C. , Howard Joseph M. , Rolland Jannick P.
Published: November 2021

We present the results and methods of a survey of the four-mirror freeform imager solution space. This survey is a grid search over the parameters that remain after reducing the solution space’s degrees of freedom using first-, second-, and third-order aberration theory. We then optimize the systems’ higher-order surface shapes through sixth-order. Finally, we discuss general trends in the systems’ performance versus volume and etendue and their utility in trade studies.
Ultra-thin sputter-deposited infrared rugate mirror for enhancing solar-to-thermal energy conversion
Authors: De Luca Daniela , Kortge David , Di Gennaro Emiliano , Russo Roberto , Bermel Peter
Published: November 2021

A dielectric mirror with high infrared reflection and high visible transmission, based on an easily fabricated stepped index rugate filter structure, is presented. Its fabrication involves sputtering depositions, using only two targets, to make five different material compositions. The ultra-wide reflection band is tunable in both position and width, adapting the thickness of the layers and eventually introducing chirped layers. When applied to evacuated solar thermal devices, efficiency improvements of up to 30% can be achieved, making this mirror an attractive solution for reducing radiative losses through the cold-side photon recycling mechanism.
The epidemiology of soil-transmitted helminth infections in children up to 8 years of age: Findings from an Ecuadorian birth cohort
Authors: Chis Ster Irina , Niaz Hamzah F. , Chico Martha E. , Oviedo Yisela , Vaca Maritza , Cooper Philip J.
Published: November 2021

Background

There are few prospective longitudinal studies of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections during early childhood. We studied the epidemiology of and risk factors for soil-transmitted helminth infections from birth to 8 years of age in tropical Ecuador.

Methods

2,404 newborns were followed to 8 years of age with periodic stool sample collections. Stool samples were collected also from household members at the time of the child’s birth and examined by microscopy. Data on social, environmental, and demographic characteristics were collected by maternal questionnaire. Associations between potential risk factors and STH infections were estimated using generalized estimated equations applied to longitudinal binary outcomes for presence or absence of infections at collection times.

Results

Of 2,404 children, 1,120 (46.6%) were infected with at least one STH infection during the first 8 years of life. The risk ofA.lumbricoides(16.2%) was greatest at 3 years, while risks of any STH (25.1%) andT.trichiura(16.5%) peaked at 5 years. Factors significantly associated with any STH infection in multivariable analyses included age, day-care (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.03–1.73), maternal Afro-Ecuadorian ethnicity (non-Afro vs. Afro, OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.43–0.70) and lower educational level (secondary vs. illiterate, OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.22–0.45)), household overcrowding (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.21–1.94)), having a latrine rather than a water closet (WC vs. latrine, OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62–0.95)), and STH infections among household members (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.59–2.58)).T.trichiurawas more associated with poverty (high vs. low socioeconomic status, OR, 0.63, 95% CI 0.40–0.99)] and presence of infected siblings in the household (OR 3.42, 95% CI 2.24–5.22).

Conclusion

STH infections, principally withA.lumbricoidesandT.trichiura, peaked between 3 and 5 years in this cohort of children in tropical Ecuador. STH infections among household members were an important determinant of infection risk and could be targeted for control and elimination strategies.
Spatial protein heterogeneity analysis in frozen tissues to evaluate tumor heterogeneity
Authors: Fomitcheva-Khartchenko Anna , Rapsomaniki Maria Anna , Sobottka Bettina , Schraml Peter , Kaigala Govind V.
Published: November 2021

A new workflow for protein-based tumor heterogeneity probing in tissues is here presented. Tumor heterogeneity is believed to be key for therapy failure and differences in prognosis in cancer patients. Comprehending tumor heterogeneity, especially at the protein level, is critical for tracking tumor evolution, and showing the presence of different phenotypical variants and their location with respect to tissue architecture. Although a variety of techniques is available for quantifying protein expression, the heterogeneity observed in the tissue is rarely addressed. The proposed method is validated in breast cancer fresh-frozen tissues derived from five patients. Protein expression is quantified on the tissue regions of interest (ROI) with a resolution of up to 100μm in diameter. High heterogeneity values across the analyzed patients in proteins such as cytokeratin 7,β-actin and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) using a Shannon entropy analysis are observed. Additionally, ROIs are clustered according to their expression levels, showing their location in the tissue section, and highlighting that similar phenotypical variants are not always located in neighboring regions. Interestingly, a patient with a phenotype related to increased aggressiveness of the tumor presents a unique protein expression pattern. In summary, a workflow for the localized extraction and protein analysis of regions of interest from frozen tissues, enabling the evaluation of tumor heterogeneity at the protein level is presented.
Infectious complications related to radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors: The role of antibiotics
Authors: Nakagomi Ryo , Tateishi Ryosuke , Mikami Shintaro , Wake Taijiro , Kinoshita Mizuki Nishibatake , Nakatsuka Takuma , Minami Tatsuya , Sato Masaya , Uchino Koji , Enooku Kenichiro , Nakagawa Hayato , Asaoka Yoshinari , Shiina Shuichiro , Koike Kazuhiko
Published: November 2021

Background and aim

Prophylactic administration of antibiotics within 24 hours of surgery is recommended to reduce the risk of infection. We conducted a prospective study to compare the efficacy of single administration of antibiotics with a historical control of continuous administration of antibiotics for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of malignant liver tumors.

Methods

Between February 1, 1999 and November 30, 2010, a total of 6,763 RFA treatments were performed in 2,355 patients, using a protocol with continuous administration of prophylactic antibiotics. On December 1, 2010, we began using a revised protocol with a single administration of prophylactic antibiotics, while continuing to use the old continuous administration protocol for patients who declined the new protocol. Interim analysis was performed to assess the safety of the single administration protocol. Thereafter, from April 1, 2012, all patients were treated using the new protocol. Risk factors for infectious complications of RFA were assessed using logistic regression.

Results

From December 2010 to March 2012, 766 RFA treatments were performed in 663 patients using the new antibiotic protocol. Infectious complications were observed following 4 of these treatments (0.52%). As the upper limit of the confidence interval (CI) resulting from a one-sided binomial test was exactly the prespecified limit of 1.0%, from April 2012 onwards, we treated all patients using the new protocol with single administration of prophylactic antibiotics. A total of 3,547 RFA treatments were performed using the single administration protocol. Univariable logistic regression indicated that prior transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and maximal tumor diameter were significant risk factors for infectious complications (P = 0.04 and P < 0.001, respectively). Multivariable analysis indicated that the adjusted hazard ratio of single vs. continuous administration of antibiotics was 1.20 (95% CI: 0.53–2.75; P = 0.66).

Conclusions

The rate of infectious complications related to RFA was acceptably low. Single administration of prophylactic antibiotics did not significantly increase the rate of infectious complications related to RFA, compared with a more intensive antibiotic protocol.
Using self-determination theory to understand and improve recruitment for the Coaching for Healthy Ageing (CHAnGE) trial
Authors: Haynes Abby , Sherrington Catherine , Wallbank Geraldine , Wickham James , Tong Allison , Kirkham Catherine , Manning Shona , Ramsay Elisabeth , Tiedemann Anne
Published: November 2021

Background

Intervention trials promoting physical activity among older people frequently report low and unrepresentative recruitment. Better understanding of reasons for participation can help improve recruitment. This study explored why participants enrolled in the Coaching for Healthy Ageing (CHAnGE) trial, including how their decision was influenced by recruitment strategies. CHAnGE was a cluster randomised controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a healthy ageing program targeting inactivity and falls. Seventy-two groups of people aged 60+ were recruited from community organisations via informal presentations by the health coaches.

Methods

We conducted a secondary thematic analysis of interview data from our wider qualitative evaluation in which 32 purposively sampled trial participants took part in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of CHAnGE. Data relating to recruitment and participation were analysed inductively to identify themes, then a coding framework comprising the core constructs from self-determination theory—autonomy, competence and relatedness—was used to explore if and how this theory fit with and helped to explain our data.

Results

Recruitment presentations promoted the CHAnGE intervention well in terms of addressing value expectations of structured support, different forms of accountability, credibility, achievability and, for some, a potential to enhance social relationships. Participation was motivated by the desire for improved health and decelerated ageing, altruism and curiosity. These factors related strongly to self-determination concepts of autonomy, competence and relatedness, but the intervention’s demonstrated potential to support self-determination needs could be conveyed more effectively.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that recruitment could have greater reach using: 1. Strengths-based messaging focusing on holistic gains, 2. Participant stories that highlight positive experiences, and 3. Peer support and information sharing to leverage altruism and curiosity. These theory-informed improvements will be used to increase participation in future trials, including people in hard-to-recruit groups. They may also inform other physical activity trials and community programs.
Heuristics for the sustainable harvest of wildlife in stochastic social-ecological systems
Authors: Law Elizabeth A. , Linnell John D. C. , van Moorter Bram , Nilsen Erlend B.
Published: November 2021

Sustainable wildlife harvest is challenging due to the complexity of uncertain social-ecological systems, and diverse stakeholder perspectives of sustainability. In these systems, semi-complex stochastic simulation models can provide heuristics that bridge the gap between highly simplified theoretical models and highly context-specific case-studies. Such heuristics allow for more nuanced recommendations in low-knowledge contexts, and an improved understanding of model sensitivity and transferability to novel contexts. We develop semi-complex Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) models capturing dynamics and variability in ecological processes, monitoring, decision-making, and harvest implementation, under a diverse range of contexts. Results reveal the fundamental challenges of achieving sustainability in wildlife harvest. Environmental contexts were important in determining optimal harvest parameters, but overall, evaluation contexts more strongly influenced perceived outcomes, optimal harvest parameters and optimal harvest strategies. Importantly, simple composite metrics popular in the theoretical literature (e.g. focusing on maximizing yield and population persistence only) often diverged from more holistic composite metrics that include a wider range of population and harvest objectives, and better reflect the trade-offs in real world applied contexts. While adaptive harvest strategies were most frequently preferred, particularly for more complex environmental contexts (e.g. high uncertainty or variability), our simulations map out cases where these heuristics may not hold. Despite not always being the optimal solution, overall adaptive harvest strategies resulted in the least value forgone, and are likely to give the best outcomes under future climatic variability and uncertainty. This demonstrates the potential value of heuristics for guiding applied management.
In employees’ favour or not?—The impact of virtual office platform on the work-life balances
Authors: Rathnaweera Dharshana , Jayathilaka Ruwan
Published: November 2021

Social mobility and physical restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed a severe challenge to operate under conventional nine to five work practices in a physical office setting. As a coping strategy for the survival of business, economy, and livelihoods, certain organisations were compelled to transform to virtual office platforms. This was a sudden transformation of work practices and consequently, impacting with mixed outcomes on lifestyles of workers. Given that very limited studies have shed light into the context, this study contributes immensely to fill research gap. The main objective of this study is to identify the impact of the virtual office platform on work-life balance in the Sri Lankan context. The methodology adopted for this study is quantitative. An online questionnaire to collect data was primarily distributed to employees in the virtual platform. Analysis of this study is based on three regression models and results ascertain that both working and non-working environments have highly significant impact on the work-life balance, although non-working environment has a bigger influence on work balance (Gender and no of children). Findings are useful and unique, enabling both employers and employees to adopt a focused approach to maximize the potential of virtual platforms to enhance employee well-being so that mutual benefits can be materialized.
Beyond personal factors: Multilevel determinants of childhood stunting in Indonesia
Authors: Mulyaningsih Tri , Mohanty Itismita , Widyaningsih Vitri , Gebremedhin Tesfaye Alemayehu , Miranti Riyana , Wiyono Vincent Hadi
Published: November 2021

Background

Stunting is still a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, including Indonesia. Previous studies have reported the complexities associated with understanding the determinants of stunting. This study aimed to examine the household-, subdistrict- and province-level determinants of stunting in Indonesia using a multilevel hierarchical mixed effects model.

Methods

We analyzed data for 8045 children taken from the 2007 and 2014 waves of the Indonesian Family and Life Surveys (IFLS). We included individual-, family-/household- and community-level variables in the analyses. A multilevel mixed effects model was employed to take into account the hierarchical structure of the data. Moreover, the model captured the effect of unobserved household-, subdistrict- and province-level characteristics on the probability of children being stunted.

Results

Our findings showed that the odds of childhood stunting vary significantly not only by individual child- and household-level characteristics but also by province- and subdistrict-level characteristics. Among the child-level covariates included in our model, dietary habits, neonatal weight, a history of infection, and sex significantly affected the risk of stunting. Household wealth status and parental education are significant household-level covariates associated with a higher risk of stunting. Finally, the risk of stunting is higher for children living in communities without access to water, sanitation and hygiene.

Conclusions

Stunting is associated with not only child-level characteristics but also family- and community-level characteristics. Hence, interventions to reduce stunting should also take into account family and community characteristics to achieve effective outcomes.
A machine learning-based typing scheme refinement for Listeria monocytogenes core genome multilocus sequence typing with high discriminatory power for common source outbreak tracking
Authors: Liu Yen-Yi , Chen Chih-Chieh
Published: November 2021

Background

As whole-genome sequencing for pathogen genomes becomes increasingly popular, the typing methods of gene-by-gene comparison, such as core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) and whole-genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST), are being routinely implemented in molecular epidemiology. However, some intrinsic problems remain. For example, genomic sequences with varying read depths, read lengths, and assemblers influence the genome assemblies, introducing error or missing alleles into the generated allelic profiles. These errors and missing alleles might create “specious discrepancy” among closely related isolates, thus making accurate epidemiological interpretation challenging. In addition, the rapid growth of the cgMLST allelic profile database can cause problems related to storage and maintenance as well as long query search times.

Methods

We attempted to resolve these issues by decreasing the scheme size to reduce the occurrence of error and missing alleles, alleviate the storage burden, and improve the query search time. The challenge in this approach is maintaining the typing resolution when using fewer loci. We achieved this by using a popular artificial intelligence technique, XGBoost, coupled with Shapley additive explanations for feature selection. Finally, 370 loci from the original 1701 cgMLST loci of Listeria monocytogenes were selected.

Results

Although the size of the final scheme (LmScheme_370) was approximately 80% lower than that of the original cgMLST scheme, its discriminatory power, tested for 35 outbreaks, was concordant with that of the original cgMLST scheme. Although we used L. monocytogenes as a demonstration in this study, the approach can be applied to other schemes and pathogens. Our findings might help elucidate gene-by-gene–based epidemiology.
Effects of bouncing the barbell in bench press on throwing velocity and strength among handball players
Authors: Løken Jørund , Solstad Tom Erik Jorung , Stien Nicolay , Andersen Vidar , Saeterbakken Atle Hole
Published: November 2021

Bench press is a popular training-exercise in throw related sports such as javelin, baseball and handball. Athletes in these sports often use bouncing (i.e., letting the barbell collide with the chest) to create an increased momentum to accelerate the barbell upwards before completing the movement by throwing the barbell. Importantly, the effects of the bouncing technique in bench press have not been examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of bench press throw with (BPTbounce) or without bounce (BPT) on throwing velocity (penalty and 3-step), 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) and average power output (20-60kg) in bench press among handball players. Sixteen male amateur handball players (7.1±1.9 years of handball experience) were randomly allocated to an eight-week supplementary power training program (2 x week-1) with either the BPT or BPTbounce. Except for the bounce technique, the training programs were identical and consisted of 3 sets with 3–5 repetitions at 40–60% of 1-RM with maximal effort in free-weight barbell bench press throw. The results revealed no significant differences between the groups in any of the tests (p = 0.109–0.957). However, both groups improved penalty throw (BPT; 4.6%, p<0.001, ES = 0.57; BPTbounce; 5.1%, p = 0.008, ES = 0.91) and 1-RM (BPT; 9.7%, p<0.001, ES = 0.49; BPTbounce; 8.7%, p = 0.018, ES = 0.60), but only the BPT improved the 3-step throw (BPT; 2.9%, p = 0.060, ES = 0.38; BPTbounce; 2.3%, p = 0.216, ES = 0.40). The BPT improved power output only at 20kg and 30kg loads (9.1% and 12.7%; p = 0.018–0.048, ES = 0.43–0.51) whereas BPTbounce demonstrated no significant differences across the loads (p = 0.252–0.806). In conclusion, the bounce technique demonstrated similar effects on throwing velocity, muscle strength and muscle power output as conventional bench press throw without the bounce technique.
Risk factors and spatio-temporal patterns of livestock anthrax in Khuvsgul Province, Mongolia
Authors: Zorigt Tuvshinzaya , Ito Satoshi , Isoda Norikazu , Furuta Yoshikazu , Shawa Misheck , Norov Natsagdorj , Lkham Baasansuren , Enkhtuya Jargalsaikhan , Higashi Hideaki
Published: November 2021

Anthrax is a worldwide zoonotic disease. Anthrax has long been a public health and socio-economic issue in Mongolia. Presently, there is no spatial information on carcass burial sites as a potential hazard of future anthrax outbreaks and possible risk factors associated with anthrax occurrences in Mongolia. Here, we analyze retrospective data (1986–2015) on the disposal sites of livestock carcasses to describe historical spatio-temporal patterns of livestock anthrax in Khuvsgul Province, which showed the highest anthrax incidence rate in Mongolia. From the results of spatial mean and standard deviational ellipse analyses, we found that the anthrax spatial distribution in livestock did not change over the study period, indicating a localized source of exposure. The multi-distance spatial cluster analysis showed that carcass sites distributed in the study area are clustered. Using kernel density estimation analysis on carcass sites, we identified two anthrax hotspots in low-lying areas around the south and north regions. Notably, this study disclosed a new hotspot in the northern part that emerged in the last decade of the 30-year study period. The highest proportion of cases was recorded in cattle, whose prevalence per area was highest in six districts (i.e., Murun, Chandmani-Undur, Khatgal, Ikh-Uul, Tosontsengel, and Tsagaan-Uul), suggesting that vaccination should prioritize cattle in these districts. Furthermore, size of outbreaks was influenced by the annual summer mean air temperature of Khuvsgul Province, probably by affecting the permafrost freeze-thawing activity.
Detection of overdose and underdose prescriptions—An unsupervised machine learning approach
Authors: Nagata Kenichiro , Tsuji Toshikazu , Suetsugu Kimitaka , Muraoka Kayoko , Watanabe Hiroyuki , Kanaya Akiko , Egashira Nobuaki , Ieiri Ichiro
Published: November 2021

Overdose prescription errors sometimes cause serious life-threatening adverse drug events, while underdose errors lead to diminished therapeutic effects. Therefore, it is important to detect and prevent these errors. In the present study, we used the one-class support vector machine (OCSVM), one of the most common unsupervised machine learning algorithms for anomaly detection, to identify overdose and underdose prescriptions. We extracted prescription data from electronic health records in Kyushu University Hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. We constructed an OCSVM model for each of the 21 candidate drugs using three features: age, weight, and dose. Clinical overdose and underdose prescriptions, which were identified and rectified by pharmacists before administration, were collected. Synthetic overdose and underdose prescriptions were created using the maximum and minimum doses, defined by drug labels or the UpToDate database. We applied these prescription data to the OCSVM model and evaluated its detection performance. We also performed comparative analysis with other unsupervised outlier detection algorithms (local outlier factor, isolation forest, and robust covariance). Twenty-seven out of 31 clinical overdose and underdose prescriptions (87.1%) were detected as abnormal by the model. The constructed OCSVM models showed high performance for detecting synthetic overdose prescriptions (precision 0.986, recall 0.964, and F-measure 0.973) and synthetic underdose prescriptions (precision 0.980, recall 0.794, and F-measure 0.839). In comparative analysis, OCSVM showed the best performance. Our models detected the majority of clinical overdose and underdose prescriptions and demonstrated high performance in synthetic data analysis. OCSVM models, constructed using features such as age, weight, and dose, are useful for detecting overdose and underdose prescriptions.