bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex under the influence of psychoactive substances among young people in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda: prevalence, predictors, and implications for sexual and reproductive health programming
Authors: Ssekamatte Tonny , Nalugya Aisha , Mugambe Richard K. , Wagaba Brenda , Nakalembe Doreen , Bagonza Richard Asaba , Tigaiza Arnold , Kansiime Winnie K. , Mutebi Aloysious , Wafula Solomon T. , Ssempala Richard , Isunju John Bosco , Buregyeya Esther
Published: March 2022

BackgroundPsychoactive substance use has an impact on risky sexual behaviour. Globaly, over 275 million people use psychoactive substances, however evidence on the predictors of sex under the influence of these substatnces is scanty. We investigated the prevalence and predictors of sex under the influence of psychoactive substances among young people aged 18-24 years.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 744 sexually active young psychoactive substance users living in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a digitalized structured questionnaire preloaded on Kobocollect. The questionnaire captured data on the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, history of psychoactive substance use, and sexual behaviours. Data were analysed using STATA Version 14.0. A modified Poisson regression model was used to determine the factors associated with the outcome variable. Adjusted prevalence ratios at a p-value value ≤ 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval were considered.ResultsAbout 61.0% (454/744) of the respondents had sex under the influence of psychoactive substances in the last 30 days. The predictors of sex under the influence of psychoactive substances were being female (PR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04-1.34), being 20-24 years of age (PR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.04-1.44), being married (PR 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.31) or divorced/separated (PR 1.43, 95% CI: 1.26-1.61), not living with biological parents or guardians (PR 1.22, 95% CI: 0.99-1.50), earning 71 USD and below (PR 0.86, 95% CI: 0.79-1.03) and using alcohol (PR 1.43, 95% CI: 1.25-1.69), marijuana (PR 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02-1.31) and khat (PR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.10-1.42) in the last 30 days.ConclusionThis study revealed a high prevalence of sex under the influence of psychoactive substances among young people in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda. The predictors of sex under the influence of psychoactive substances were being female, being 20-24 years of age, being married or divorced/separated, not living with biological parents or guardians, and using alcohol, marijuana and khat in the last 30 days. There is a need for sexual and reproductive health programs to incorporate risk reduction interventions that aim to reduce sex under the influence of psychoactive substances among the said categories in informal settlements.
Study on the Effect and Mechanism of Circular Economy Promotion Law on the Utilization Rate of Industrial Solid Waste in Resource-based Cities
Authors: Guo Sidai , Lei Gaowen , Yuan Zihan
Published: March 2022

In recent decades, the impact of industrial solid waste (ISW) on the environment is arousing the government’s attention. Improving the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW not only reduces environmental pollution but also promotes the recycling of resources and ease the pressure on re-sources. This study uses the panel data of 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2015 to establish a DID model then empirically analyze the impact of the Circular Economy Promotion Law (CEPL) on the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW in resource-based cities. It was found that implementation of the CEPL will increase the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW in re-source-based cities. Furthermore, the higher the city's environmental regulation score, the more obvious the effect of the CEPL on the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW. This study also found that the impact of CEPL on the comprehensive utilization rate of ISW in resource-based cities will change due to variation of city’s type and city’s location. This study not only enriches the theoretical basis for the research on factors affecting ISW management but also provides new ideas for transforming the ISW management model and realizing a "win-win" between the economy and the ecological environment.
Therapeutic Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography for Pediatric Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Sun Rongjuan , Xu Xiaodan , Zheng Qipeng , Zhan Jianghua
Published: March 2022

Background: Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) disease has different causes and types between children and adults, which have been diagnosed increasingly in the pediatric group. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been gradually considered as a therapeutic method in adults, while in pediatric patients, there are not many reports of its usage. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the use condition of therapeutic ERCP in the management of pediatric HPB diseases.Methods: This systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed、Embase、Web of Science and the Cochrane library databases to identify all relevant articles published from inception to February 2022 that evaluated therapeutic ERCP in pediatric patients with Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary diseases. The researchers included studies that patients were less than 18 years old and underwent therapeutic ERCP procedures. A random-effects model was used to analyze the usage rate of therapeutic ERCP-procedures, procedural success rates, adverse events rates, and the rate of different therapeutic procedures. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and meta-regression were conducted to analyze the source of heterogeneity.Results: A total of 33 articles were included. After homogenization, the overall usage of therapeutic interventions accounts for 77% (95%CI74%-81%) in all ERCP procedures. After excluding outlier studies, the estimation of therapeutic procedure success rate is 74% (95% CI 69 %-79%), adverse events rate is 8% ( 95% CI 6 %-10%). In our study, stent placement is the most common procedure which makes up 75% (95%CI 65%-86%) of all therapeutic procedures. In addition, the usage proportion of sphincterotomy (ST), stone extraction/removal, bougienage/Balloon dilation is respectively 46% (95% CI 39 %-53%), 34% (95% CI 31%-38%), and 26% (95% CI 22%-29%).Conclusions: ERCP procedure is gradually considered as a therapeutic technique in pediatric patients, the proportion of therapeutic ERCP is 77% of total usage, which is increasing by the year. Meanwhile, its success rate is relatively high. It reflects that this operation modality is promising in the treatment of Hepato-pancreato-biliary disorders and is gradually expanded as more branch technologies are being used. A variety of operations can be achieved through ERCP procedures, and more functions should be developed in the future.
Metastatic extraocular sebaceous carcinoma: a case report and review of literature
Authors: TAOUFIK Hind , BOUJGUENNA Imane , BENLAASSEL Oumnia AIT , BELBACHIR Anass , RAIS Hanane , BENCHAMKHA Yassine , HOCAR Ouafa , AMAL Said
Published: March 2022

Background: Sebaceous carcinomas are rare, aggressive, malignant tumors that arise from sebaceous glands. They can be ocular or extraocular. They exhibit a variety of histologic growth patterns and diverse clinical presentations. Metastases are rarely reported.Observation: A 79 year old woman presented to our department with a quickly enlarging nodule involving the mid part of her forehead 2 weeks before admission. Histological examination found a sebaceous carcinoma. The patient underwent a total excision of the lesion, and was scheduled for Radiotherapy. She was lost to follow and returned 6 months later with a right latero cervical mass related to lymph node metastasis.Conclusion: Extraocular sebaceous carcinomas represent about 25% of all sebaceous carcinomas. The available literature on treatment recommends wide surgical excision with tumor-free margins with removal of regional lymph nodes, followed sometimes by adjuvant radiotherapy. Unlike our case where the evolution was quickly aggressive, these tumors were classically considered to be a less offensive neoplasm than their ocular equivalent.
Image Segmentation with Boundary-to-Pixel Direction and Magnitude Based on Watershed and Attention Mechanism
Authors: Xu Hongyang , Xing Yuanxiu , Wang Wenbo
Published: March 2022

An improved image segmentation algorithm with boundary-to-pixel direction and magnitude (IS-BPDM) is proposed to deal with small regions segmentation while keeping the accuracy of edge segmentation. First, we develop a BPDM network embedded with watershed and attention module and use an adaptive loss function to achieve each pixel’s robust and accurate BPDM which is defined as a two-dimensional vector, including direction and magnitude, and pointing from its nearest boundary pixel to itself. Then, we use the leaned BPDMs to obtain the refined initial segmented regions by considering the pixels near boundary have shorter magnitude and near root pixels have longer magnitude, meanwhile adjacent pixels in different regions or nearby pixels on both sides of root pixel in same region have opposite directions and nearby pixels in same region have similar directions. Last, we utilize a fast grouping method according to direction similarity to combine these initial segmented regions into final segmentation. The experimental results show that compared with the state-of-art methods in image segmentation, the IS-BPDM approach proposed in this paper achieves better segmentation accuracy and high computational efficiency, and outperforms in small regions segmentation on public datasets.
Influence of public health and infection control interventions during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic on the in-hospital epidemiology of pathogens: In hospital versus community circulating pathogens
Authors: Dapper Laura , Dick Aline , Nonnenmacher-Winter Claudia , Günther Frank
Published: March 2022

Background: The first detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Germany was reported in early February 2020. In addition, extensive control measures on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been placed in Germany since March 2020. These include contact and travel restrictions, distance rules, mandatory wearing of face masks and respirators, cancellation of mass events, closures of day-care centers, schools, restaurants and shops, isolation measures, and intensified infection control measures in medical and long-term care facilities. Changes in demand or access to health care services and intensified control measures can lead to changes in transmission dynamics and imply effects on the overall occurrence of infectious diseases in hospitals.Methods: To analyze the impact of infection control measures implemented in public on infectious diseases in hospitals, surveillance data from Marburg University Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The analysis was conducted from January 2019 to June 2021, referred to hospital occupancy and mobility data in the county of Marburg-Biedenkopf, and correlated to control measures in hospitals and the general population.Results: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated measures immediately impacted the occurrence of infectious diseases at the Marburg University Hospital. Significant changes were detected for virus-associated respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. The massive drop in norovirus infections was significantly affected by the onset of the pandemic (P = 0.028). Similar effects were observed for rotavirus (up to -89%), respiratory syncytial virus (up to -98%), and adenovirus infections (up to -90%). The decrease in gastrointestinal and respiratory virus detection rates was significantly affected by the decline in mobility (P < 0.05). Of note, since April 2020, there have been no detected influenza cases. Furthermore, Clostridioides difficile-related infections declined after late 2020 (- 44%). In contrast, no significant changes were detected in the prevalence of susceptible and drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. In particular, the detection rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates or multidrug resistant (MDR) and extended drug resistant (XDR) bacteria remained constant, although the consumption of hand disinfectants and protective equipment increased.Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures had a significant impact on infectious diseases and the detection of pathogens at the Marburg University Hospital. Significant changes were observed for community transmissible infections, while no such effects on pathogens primarily associated with nosocomial transmission could be detected.
Numerical analysis on long-term shifts of mixing regime and nutrient status in Lake Biwa under climate change
Authors: Zhou Jinxin , Yoshida Takero , Kitazawa Daisuke
Published: March 2022

As global awareness of the climate-related freshwater quality heightens, research on lakes, as sentinels of climate change, has been and will continue to be valuable. The effects on lakes include mixing regime and nutrient status. Although the effects on mixing regime are investigated worldwide, a research gap exists for nutrient status. Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, experienced multiple environmental problems over the last 60 years with a well-recorded monitoring dataset. By validating the numerical model with monitoring data, a holistic understanding has been obtained. The mixing regime was represented by the overturn, and there exists an approximate one-month difference in the onset of overturn over the simulation period. The phosphorus nutrient is the limiting one and has been successfully controlled based on simulation results. Moreover, regarding the freshwater quality issue of hypoxia problem, a linear relationship exists between the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) and the concentration of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), indicating that further limiting the DIP loads is an effective and practicable solution proposal to alleviate hypoxia. Because climate change induces slow onset events, continuous works are necessary to serve a better management strategy of Lake Biwa and lakes elsewhere.
Clinical outcomes and safety of PD-1 inhibitors therapy in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Zhou Juanjuan , Cai Yunlong , Chen Zhen , Zhang Xiaomei , Xiang Xiaojun
Published: March 2022

Background
Immunotherapy is currently the standard regimen for the first-line treatment of gastric cancer. Nonetheless, the efficacy and safety of PD-1 inhibitors in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer remain uncertain.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was performed on 51 patients aged ≥ 65 years subjected to anti-PD-1 antibody therapy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2018 and May 2021. We analyzed related factors of the patients.
Result
Only 15.7% of all patients experienced immune-related events. Objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of patients were 31.4% and 78.4%, respectively. First-line treatment was associated with a better ORR. In univariate analysis, two or more distant metastatic organs, high LDH group, and non-excellent LIPI score group were associated with low MPFS and MOS ([HR, 3.745; CI, (1.667–7.244); P < 0.05], [HR, 2.304; CI, (1.137–4.670); P < 0.05], [HR, 2.822; CI, (1.314–6.059); P < 0.01], [HR, 3.024; CI, (1.191–7.677); p < 0.05], [HR, 3.050; CI, (1.302–7.147); p < 0.05], [HR, 2.607; CI, (1.060–6.407); P < 0.05]. First-line therapy was associated with better MOS (P < 0.05). Additionally, the number of distant metastatic organs was an independent prognostic risk factor for PFS.
Conclusions
In summary, treatment with PD-1 inhibitors on elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer yield satisfactory curative effect and manageable safety. Thus, elderly individuals with gastric cancer could greatly benefit from the first-line treatment use of PD-1 inhibitors.
Temporal Trends of Medical Cost and Cost-Effectiveness in Sepsis Patients -A Japanese Nationwide Medical Claims Database-the Japan Sepsis Alliance (JaSA) Study Group
Authors: Oami Takehiko , Imaeda Taro , Nakada Taka‑aki , Takahashi Nozomi , Yamao Yasuo , Nakagawa Satoshi , Ogura Hiroshi , Shime Nobuaki , Umemura Yutaka , Matsushima Asako , Fushimi Kiyohide
Published: March 2022

Background:Sepsis is the leading cause of death worldwide. Although the mortality of sepsis patients has been decreasing over the past decade, the trend of medical costs and cost-effectiveness for sepsis treatment remains insufficiently determined.Methods:We conducted a retrospective study using the nationwide medical claims database of sepsis patients in Japan between 2010 and 2017. After selecting sepsis patients with a combined diagnosis of presumed serious infection and organ failure, patients over the age of 20 were included in this study. The primary outcome was the annual trend of the effective cost per survivor, calculated from the gross medical cost and number of survivors per year. Subsequently, we performed subgroup and multiple regression analyses to determine the significant predictors contributing to an increase in medical cost.Results:Among 50,490,128 adult patients with claims, a total of 1,276,678 patients with sepsis were selected from the database. Yearly gross medical costs to treat sepsis gradually increased over the decade from $3.04 billion in 2010 to $4.38 billion in 2017 (rate = + $0.2 billion/year, p < 0.0001), whereas the total medical cost per hospitalization declined (rate = - $1,001/year, p < 0.0001). While the survival rate of sepsis patients improved during the study period, the effective cost per survivor significantly decreased (rate = - $1,723/year, p = 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, the gross medical cost of the late elderly (75 ≤ age) showed the highest coefficient throughout the time period, despite the lowest medical cost per person. While gender (male), number of chronic diseases, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of hospital stay, and site of infection (blood, heart, and meninges/brain/spinal cord) contributed to an increase in medical costs, an increase in age, admission year, and other types of infection (abdominal, bone and soft tissue, respiratory, and urogenital) were significant predictors of reduced medical costs.Conclusions:We demonstrated an increase in annual gross medical costs with an improvement in annual cost-effectiveness in patients with sepsis between 2010 and 2017. Among the various factors altering medical costs, gender (male), number of chronic diseases, ICU admission, length of hospital stay, and specific types of infection were associated with increased medical expenses.
Genome mining reveals polysaccharide-degrading potential and new antimicrobial gene clusters of novel intestinal bacterium Paenibacillus jilinensis sp. nov
Authors: Ma Ke , Chen Wei , Yan Shi-Qing , Lin Xiao-Qi , Liu Zhen-Zhen , Zhang Jia-Bao , Gao Yu , Yang Yong-Jun
Published: March 2022

BackgroundDrug-resistant bacteria has posed a great threat to animal breeding and human health, it is obviously urgent to develop new antibiotics that can effectively combat drug-resistant bacteria. The commensal flora inhabited in the intestines become potential candidates owing to the production of a wide range of antimicrobial substances. In addition, host genomes do not encode most enzymes needed to degrade dietary structural polysaccharides, the decomposition of these polysaccharides mainly depends on gut commensals-derived CAZymes.Resultswe report a novel species isolated from the chicken intestine, designated as Paenibacillus jilinensis sp. nov. and with YPG26T (=CCTCC M2020899T) as type strain. The complete genome of P. jilinensis YPG26T consists of a single circular chromosome of 3.97 Mb in length, with a G+C content of 49.34% (mol %). It carries 33 rRNA genes, 89 tRNA genes, and 3871 protein-coding genes among which abundant carbohydrate degrading enzymes (CAZymes) are encoded. Moreover, this strain has capability to antagonize multiple pathogens in vitro, we identified putative 6 BGCs encoding bacteriocin, NRPs, PKs, terpenes and protcusin by genome mining. In addition, antibiotic susceptibility testing showed sensitivity to all antibiotics tested.ConclusionsThis study highlights the varieties of CAZymes genes and BGCs in the genome of Paenibacillus jilinensis. These findings confirm the beneficial function of gut microbiota, and also provide a promising candidate for the development of new carbohydrate degrading enzymes and antibacterial agents.
Clinical Effectiveness of Perioperative EPO combine with Iron sucrose Treatment in Total Knee Arthroplasty Surgery：Not blinded， prospective randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety
Authors: Yusufu Yalikun , Ren Ke , Li Yong gang , Wang Chen , Lu Jun
Published: March 2022

Trial design:
The purpose of this study was prospectively analyzing the effect of EPO combined with Iron sucrose on postoperative anemia prevention and prognosis of patients with TKA.
Methods
Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to treatment group or control group. Patients in the treatment group will perioperatively receive EPO for 10 days combined with iron sucrose injection for 3 days preoperative. The general data, hematological indexes, transfusion rate, total blood loss and knee joint function score will be analyzed.
Results
92 patients met the inclusion criteria, including 46 patients in the treatment group and 46 patients in the control group. There were no significant statistical differences in descriptive characteristics of the population between two groups. The results indicated that the anemic rate of the treatment group was significantly lower than control group after treatment (67.4%vs93.5%, P = 0.001). The hematological index also has significantly difference in two group. Such as Postoperative Hb, RBC count, Hct. The treatment group perioperative blood loss was significantly lower than control group (587.69 ± 340.81ml vs. 812.72 ± 329.7ml, P = 0.002). The treatment group shows better in HSS score and WOMAC score (HSS score: P = 0.007; WOMAC score: P = 0.001), HSS score improved 3.37 points and WOMAC score improved 12.08 points after operation than control group. No postoperative blood transfusion and postoperative complications occurred in the study period.
Conclusions
According to our study, we found that perioperative treatment of erythrocyte mobilization in patients with TKA can improve postoperative hemoglobin level, reduce postoperative total blood loss, and reduce postoperative anemic rate without increased drug cost on the hospitalization expenses. Patients received erythrocyte mobilization treatment can significantly accelerate the erythropoiesis after surgery, promote the hemoglobin level return to normal more quickly. The patiens after treatment shows advantage at HSS score and WOMAC score.
Pulmonary artery banding as adjunct therapy for ventricular recovery after ALCAPA-repair: a case report
Authors: Mets Gilles , Bové Thierry , François Katrien , Vandekerckhove Kristof , Panzer Joseph
Published: March 2022

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary anomaly commonly associated with severe but reversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. We present an ALCAPA case of persisting left ventricular failure with inability to wean off the ventilator and inotropes after successful coronary reimplantation, in whom pulmonary artery banding enabled bridging to myocardial recovery. Pulmonary artery banding may be considered as a bridge-to-recovery in selected cases of severe left ventricular dysfunction after ALCAPA-repair.
COMPREENDENDO OS MECANISMOS DE CORROSÃO DE LIGAS DE Al-Cu-Li: UMA INVESTIGAÇÃO ATRAVÉS DE TÉCNICAS ELETROQUÍMICAS GLOBAIS E LOCAIS
Authors: Araujo João , Silva Rejane , Viveiros Bárbara , Milagre Mariana , Machado Caruline , Costa Isolda
Published: March 2022

ON THE CORROSION MECHANISMS OF Al-Cu-Li ALLOYS: AN INVESTIGATION USING GLOBAL AND LOCAL ELECTROCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES. In this study, the corrosion mechanism of an Al-Cu-Li alloy manufactured by two different treatment routes (T3 and T851) was evaluated by immersion and electrochemical tests in solutions containing chloride ions (Cl-). For both alloys, the formation of cavities on the surface was associated with micrometer-sized intermetallics (IM’s), however, in addition to this attack, the alloy submitted to T851 treatment also presented an attack called severe localized corrosion (SLC), caused by the preferential attack to the nanometric T1 (Al2CuLi) phase. The electrochemical concepts involved in these two types of attacks were discussed. During the IM’s corrosive process, whereas the O2 reduction occurred over the IM’s, the Al dissolution is favored around the particle, forming trenching and cavities (with 2 and 6 mm of depth). On the other hand, the mechanism associated with the SLC is related to the formation of a differential aeration cell followed by the evolution of H2, with greater depth of attack penetration (8 and 35 mm). Additionally, by the use of the Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET), it was concluded that the higher anodic currents observed for the T851 temper were related to the relation between the anodic area (Aa) and the cathodic area (Ac).
RECENT ADVANCES IN CYANATION REACTIONS†
Authors: Silva Larissa , Marra Isabella , Amarante Giovanni
Published: March 2022

Transformations involving structurally complex molecules, natural products and representative molecules are extremely important to obtain key reaction intermediates, in addition to accessing molecules with bioactive properties. The development of cyanation methodologies in those molecules becomes important, because nitriles are versatile and important building blocks in organic synthesis. They can be converted into other organic functions, including amines, alcohols, α-amino acids and various carbonyl compounds and can therefore become relevant synthetic intermediates. Recent studies show new and intriguing asymmetric cyanation protocols or reagents as those that use electrophilic cyanide source, metal- and oxidant-free or avoid the use of toxic cyanide reagents. Photoredox catalysis emerges as a relevant approach from the point of view of green and sustainable chemistry; usually provides access to the versatile skeleton of α-aminonitriles that among their various modes of reactivity and provide access to reactive iminium ion. Thus, this perspective aims to highlight these impressive advances as well as to show their main advantages and applications
QUANTITATIVE SPECIATION OF THE LIQUID PHASE BY FTIR SPECTROSCOPY IN THE SYSTEM AMP-PZCO2-H2O
Authors: Zanone Armando , Tavares Denise , Paiva José
Published: March 2022

This work reports a multivariate calibration partial least square regression (PLS) model to quantify the liquid-phase concentrations of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), piperazine (PZ), bicarbonate, PZ monocarbamate, and PZ dicarbamate during the absorption/ desorption process by Fourier Transform Mid-Infrared spectroscopy (mid-FTIR). The model could predict 33 different concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 wt.% AMP, 0 to 15 wt.% PZ, and 0 to 12 wt.% total CO2 with relative errors lower than 10%, and 87% of the variance of all samples have been represented (R²), except for PZ dicarbamate. A comparison of a single PLS2 model was made with multiple PLS1 models, one for each chemical species present in the liquid phase. The latter had better predictions and made it possible to differentiate CO2 from its chemical forms, allowing a better understanding of the CO2 capture processes.
Registro e visualização da pandemia no Brasil
Authors: Regly Tainá , Carvalho Priscila Ramos , Pimenta Ricardo Medeiros
Published: March 2022

Este artigo relata o processo de elaboração e implementação de uma visualização de linha do tempo de registros informacionais sobre a pandemia do novo coronavírus no Brasil, a Timeline Covid-19. Com o objetivo de preservar registros informacionais na forma de notícias veiculados por meios de comunicação e jornalísticos na internet, e tornar mais acessível à recuperação da informação, intentamos contribuir para a salvaguarda da memória sobre a Covid-19 no âmbito brasileiro e sua respectiva memória jornalística. O método empregado trata de uma coleta manual de cobertura diária das notícias e cuja curadoria buscou atentar tanto para a diversidade e proveniência da informação, como para sua veracidade. A produção de dados seguiu-se pelo lançamento deles em uma planilha que possibilitou a sua visualização cronológica e a recuperação do seu conteúdo. Até a data do aceite deste artigo, pouco mais de quatro mil notícias já se encontram referenciadas na planilha, cuja sustentação foi realizada pelos membros do Laboratório em Rede de Humanidades Digitais (Larhud). Atendendo alguns princípios da metodologia da “pesquisa-ação”, prática comumente utilizada em diversos projetos do Larhud, segue-se também uma análise exploratória prévia do conteúdo da timeline com auxílio da ferramenta de análise semântica IRaMuTeQ. Seguindo aspectos conceituais da Ciência da Informação aplicados aos campos da Visualização e das Humanidades Digitais, concluímos este relato de pesquisa com a indicação de um aprimoramento computacional a ser empregado nos parâmetros do processo de coleta e com o reconhecimento da relevância da Timeline Covid-19 para a produção do conhecimento científico de base humanista e informacional sobre a pandemia do novo coronavírus.
Efficiency criterion of biased estimates. A new take on old problems
Authors: Mikhailov V. S.
Published: March 2022

The perfect case estimation scenario involves unbiased estimation with minimal variance, if such estimate exists. Currently, there are no means of obtaining unbiased estimates (if they do exist!). For instance, a maximum likelihood estimate (NBT test plan) of a mean time to failure Tmn = (total operation time)/(number of failures) is highly biased. Those involved in solving applied problems are not satisfied with the situation. Efficient unbiased estimates are used whenever such are available. If it is impossible to find an efficient unbiased estimate in terms of standard deviation, then biased estimate comparison is to be mastered. The vast majority of problems is associated with biased estimates. Within the class of biased estimates, estimates with minimal bias are to be sought, and, among the latter, those with minimal bias. Such estimates in the class of biased estimates should be called bias-efficient or simply efficient, which does not contradict the conventional definition, but only extends it. Such search process guarantees that the obtained estimates are highly accurate. However, with this definition of a bias-efficient estimate, there will always be a pair of compared estimates, in which the total bias of one estimate is slightly higher than that of the other, the same being the case with the total variances of such estimates, but in a different order. In this setting, a formal selection of a bias-efficient estimate becomes impossible and is arbitrary, i.e., the test engineer selects a bias-efficient estimate intuitively. In this case, the test engineer’s choice may prove to be incorrect. Thus arises the problem of constructing a criterion of efficiency that would enable a formal selection of a bias-efficient estimate. The Aim of the paper. The paper aims to build an efficiency criterion, using which the choice of a bias-efficient estimate is unambiguously defined through computation. Methods of research. To find the bias-efficient estimate, we used integral numerical characteristics of the accuracy of the estimate, namely, the total square of the offset of the expected implementation of a certain variant estimate from the examined parameters of the distribution laws, etc. Conclusions. 1) For the binomial plan and the test plan with recovery and limited test time, performance criteria were constructed that allow unambiguously identifying the bias-efficient estimate out of the submitted estimates. 2) Based on the constructed performance criteria for various test plans, bias-efficient estimates were selected out of the submitted ones.
Synthesis of new, more powerful statistical tests through multiplicative clustering of classical Frozini and Murota-Takeuchi tests with the Hurst test for the purpose of testing small samples for normality
Authors: Ivanov A. I. , Kupriyanov E. N.
Published: March 2022

Aim. The paper examines the problem of small sample analysis by means of synthesizing new statistical tests generated by the clustering of the Hurst statistical test with the Frozini test, as well as with the Murota-Takeuchi test. The problem of normal distribution hypothesis testing on samples of 16 to 25 experiments is solved. Such significant limitations of the sample size arise in subject areas that include biometrics, biology, medical science and economics. In this case, the problem can be solved by applying not one, but a number of statistical tests to the analysis of the same small sample. Methods. It is suggested multiplying the Hurst test outputs by the Frozini test and/or the Murota-Takeuchi test outputs. A multiplicative clustering was performed for pairs of examined tests and their combination. It was shown that for each known statistical test, an equivalent artificial neuron can be constructed. A neural network integration of about 21 classical statistical tests constructed in the last century becomes possible. It is expected that the addition of new statistical tests in the form of artificial neurons will improve the quality of multi-criteria analysis solutions. Formally, the products of non-recurrent pairs of 21 original classical statistical tests should produce 210 new statistical tests. That is significantly more than the total number of statistical tests developed in the last century for the purpose of normality testing. Results. Pairwise product of the examined tests allows reducing the probability of errors of the first and second kind by more than 1.55 times as compared to the basic Hurst test. In case of triple product of the tests, the probabilities of error decrease relative to the basic Hurst test and to the associated second test. It is noted that there is no steady improvement in the quality of the decisions made by multiplicative mathematical constructions. The probabilities of error of the new test obtained by multiplying three of the examined tests are approximately 1.5% worse as compared to those of the tests obtained by multiplying pairs of the original tests. Conclusions. By analogy with the examined tests, the proposed data processing methods can also be applied to other known statistical tests. In theory, it becomes possible to significantly increase the number of new statistical tests by multiplying their final values. Unfortunately, as the number of clustered statistical tests grows, mutual correlations between the newly synthesized tests grow as well. The latter fact limits the capabilities of the method proposed in the paper. Further research is required in order to identify the most efficient combinations of pairs, triples or large groups for known statistical tests.
Propulsão hipersônica
Authors: Pereira Artur Cristiano Paulino , Toro Paulo Gilberto de Paula , Marinho George Santos
Published: March 2022

São descritos os princípios de funcionamento da tecnologia scramjet e suas aplicações ao transporte hipersônico para voo na estratosfera e acesso ao espaço. Comparam-se vantagens e desvantagens do uso de hidrogênio como combustível em relação aos hidrocarbonetos. Discutem-se problemas atinentes à proteção térmica, mistura combustível – ar e estabilização de chama. Para finalizar, apresentam-se alternativas para solução desses problemas.
Análise da implementação de medidas de eficiência energética em uma indústria cerâmica de pequeno porte em Russas/CE
Authors: Bessa Neto Luiz José de , Sombra Júnior Francisco José , Guerra Fabiana Karla de Oliveira Martins Varella
Published: March 2022

O segmento da indústria cerâmica no Brasil está vinculado ao setor da construção civil, com uma participação estimada do PIB nacional em 1%. No Ceará, por exemplo, o segmento da indústria cerâmica encontra-se em um processo de reestruturação. Nesse viés, o presente trabalho apresenta um estudo de caso de eficiência energética referente a parte elétrica em uma indústria cerâmica de pequeno porte localizada na cidade de Russas-CE. O objetivo é estudar a viabilidade da implementação de algumas medidas de eficiência energética no âmbito da presente indústria, bem como analisar a possibilidade da mudança do grupo tarifário B3 para o grupo A4 e, posteriormente, averiguar os impactos econômicos concernentes a tais transmutações. Com o desenvolvimento do vigente estudo, observou-se que simples ações concernentes à eficiência energética, tais como possíveis rodízios e substituições dos motores elétricos da indústria cerâmica, podem proporcionar melhorias significativas em todo processo produtivo, expressando uma economia no consumo mensal de energia elétrica de aproximadamente 3.200 kWh. Ademais, conclui-se que a mudança do grupo tarifário B3 para o grupo A4, inserido na modalidade tarifária Horo Sazonal Verde, é vantajosa para a indústria, tendo em vista que a mesma estaria economizando cerca de R$ 16.000,00 em três meses de consumo.
Modelagem de um acompanhamento estratégico de KPIs apoiado no Scrum: estudo aplicado a gestão da manutenção de atividades primarizadas em distribuidoras de energia elétrica
Authors: Sá Júnior José Ivan de , Cavalcante Fabricio , Fernandes Neto André Pedro
Published: March 2022

Com o elevado desenvolvimento do setor elétrico brasileiro nos últimos anos, é perceptível o incremento de demanda e competitividade para esse segmento, principalmente para as organizações que lidam diretamente com a geração, transmissão, distribuição e comercialização de energia elétrica. Neste cenário, é fundamental que os negócios busquem constantemente otimizar seus requisitos de atendimento ao cliente, além de padrões de qualidade, custo, segurança e performance dos processos. Desse modo, a área de manutenção surge como peça-chave para atingir níveis de serviço desejáveis e margens de desempenho operacional aceitáveis, contribuindo para uma tendência de primarização de algumas atividades que vem ganhando força recentemente. Para tornar a gestão desse processo eficiente, esse estudo objetiva modelar um acompanhamento de indicadores-chave de desempenho (KPIs - Key Performance Indicators) que permita checar os resultados e controlar os ganhos esperados a nível estratégico. Para tanto, fez-se uma pesquisa exploratória aplicada, através da investigação bibliográfica dos métodos ágeis aderentes ao contexto. Optando por utilizar o framework Scrum como apoio à modelagem da solução proposta. Resultando em um modelo integrado, possível de se aplicar em diversos contextos e, em diferentes atividades de manutenção presentes no dia a dia das distribuidoras de energia elétrica.
BİR DOLGU BARAJIN REZERVUARINDAKİ SUYUN ANİ ÇEKİLMESİ SIRASINDAKİ STABİLİTE ANALİZİ
Authors: TOPÇU Emre , BAĞRIAÇIK Baki , ERDAĞ Ahmet
Published: March 2022

Bu çalışma, geçirimsiz yatak üzerinde kil çekirdekli kurgusal dolgu barajının stabilite analizine ve SLIDE V.6.0 ve PLAXIS yazılımları kullanılarak sonuçların hesaplanmasına odaklanmaktadır. Dolgu şevlerinin stabilitesi beş farklı analiz yöntemi ile kontrol edilmiştir: sırasıyla Fellenuis, Bishop, Janbu, Morgenstern-Price ve Spencer yöntemleri. Suyun ani çekilme hızının 3m/gün olduğu ve rezervuar su seviyesinin 8 günde 3 m'ye düştüğü varsayılmaktadır. Gözlem sonuçlarına göre barajın memba eğiminin stabilitesi önemli ölçüde azalmıştır, ancak suyun çekilmesi durumunda hala stabildir. Rezervuar su seviyesinin tüm durumları için güvenlik faktörü 1.3'ten büyüktür. Rezervuarda ani su çekilmesinin başlamasından sonra kısa sürede baraj yamaçlarının kaymasına karşı güvenlik faktörünün bir miktar azaldığı, ardından artmaya başladığı sonucuna varılmıştır. Bu, zemindeki efektif gerilmelerin artmasına ve dolayısıyla kayma mukavemetinin artmasına yol açan aşırı boşluk suyu basıncının zamanla azalmasından kaynaklanmaktadır.
An Objective System for Quantitative Assessment of Television Viewing Among Children (Family Level Assessment of Screen Use in the Home-Television): System Development Study
Authors: Vadathya Anil Kumar , Musaad Salma , Beltran Alicia , Perez Oriana , Meister Leo , Baranowski Tom , Hughes Sheryl O , Mendoza Jason A , Sabharwal Ashutosh , Veeraraghavan Ashok , O'Connor Teresia
Published: March 2022

Background

Television viewing among children is associated with developmental and health outcomes, yet measurement techniques for television viewing are prone to errors, biases, or both.

Objective

This study aims to develop a system to objectively and passively measure children’s television viewing time.

Methods

The Family Level Assessment of Screen Use in the Home-Television (FLASH-TV) system includes three sequential algorithms applied to video data collected in front of a television screen: face detection, face verification, and gaze estimation. A total of 21 families of diverse race and ethnicity were enrolled in 1 of 4 design studies to train the algorithms and provide proof of concept testing for the integrated FLASH-TV system. Video data were collected from each family in a laboratory mimicking a living room or in the child’s home. Staff coded the video data for the target child as the gold standard. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for each algorithm, as compared with the gold standard. Prevalence and biased adjusted κ scores and an intraclass correlation using a generalized linear mixed model compared FLASH-TV’s estimation of television viewing duration to the gold standard.

Results

FLASH-TV demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting faces (95.5%-97.9%) and performed well on face verification when the child’s gaze was on the television. Each of the metrics for estimating the child’s gaze on the screen was moderate to good (range: 55.1% negative predictive value to 91.2% specificity). When combining the 3 sequential steps, FLASH-TV estimation of the child’s screen viewing was overall good, with an intraclass correlation for an overall time watching television of 0.725 across conditions.

Conclusions

FLASH-TV offers a critical step forward in improving the assessment of children’s television viewing.
PriSUD-Nordic—Diagnosing and Treating Substance Use Disorders in the Prison Population: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Bukten Anne , Lokdam Nicoline Toresen , Skjærvø Ingeborg , Ugelvik Thomas , Skurtveit Svetlana , Gabrhelík Roman , Skardhamar Torbjørn , Lund Ingunn Olea , Havnes Ingrid Amalia , Rognli Eline Borger , Chang Zheng , Fazel Seena , Friestad Christine , Hesse Morten , Lothe Johan , Ploeg Gerhard , Dirkzwager Anja J E , Clausen Thomas , Tjagvad Christian , Stavseth Marianne Riksheim
Published: March 2022

Background

A large proportion of the prison population experiences substance use disorders (SUDs), which are associated with poor physical and mental health, social marginalization, and economic disadvantage. Despite the global situation characterized by the incarceration of large numbers of people with SUD and the health problems associated with SUD, people in prison are underrepresented in public health research.

Objective

The overall objective of the PriSUD (Diagnosing and Treating Substance Use Disorders in Prison)-Nordic project is to develop new knowledge that will contribute to better mental and physical health, improved quality of life, and better life expectancies among people with SUD in prison.

Methods

PriSUD-Nordic is based on a multidisciplinary mixed method approach, including the methodological perspectives of both quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative part includes ethnographic fieldwork and semistructured interviews. The quantitative part is a registry-based cohort study including national registry data from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The national prison cohorts will comprise approximately 500,000 individuals and include all people imprisoned in Norway, Sweden, and Demark during the period from 2000 to 2019. The project will investigate the prison population during three different time periods: before imprisonment, during imprisonment, and after release.

Results

PriSUD-Nordic was funded by The Research Council of Norway in December 2019, and funding started in 2020. Data collection is ongoing and will be completed in the first quarter of 2022. Data will be analyzed in spring 2022 and the results will be disseminated in 2022-2023. The PriSUD-Nordic project has formal ethical approval related to all work packages.

Conclusions

PriSUD-Nordic will be the first research project to investigate the epidemiology and the lived experiences of people with SUD in the Nordic prison population. Successful research in this field will have the potential to identify significant areas of benefit and will have important implications for ongoing policy related to interventions for SUD in the prison population.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/35182
Cuerpo de hombre, emociones y afectos en la vulnerabilidad. Impacto psicosocial de la pandemia en la salud de los varones
Authors: Castellanos-Suárez Viviana , Olarte Ramos Carlos Arturo
Published: March 2022

El presente artículo es el resultado de explorar a partir de una revisión bibliográfica, documental, registrada y sistemática el estado actual del impacto psicosocial de la pandemia por la COVID-19 entre los hombres, a fin de sintetizar ideas, hallazgos y demás información que permitan conocer qué áreas emocionales, afectivas o relacionales se han visto afectadas en los varones, así como los factores que han influido para que estas áreas sean vulneradas. Para ello se determinaron tres ámbitos de impacto: 1) efectos en los estados emocionales y afectivos, 2) efectos relacionales y sociales, y 3) cambios hacia la llamada nueva normalidad. La revisión permitió concluir que mientras los impactos afectivos y emocionales se centran en el incremento de los niveles de estrés, depresión, ansiedad, los impactos relacionales y sociales giran en torno a cambios en los estereotipos de género; entretanto, los cambios asociados a la nueva normalidad aún están difusos y se orientan hacia el fomento de la interdependencia para asegurar la sobrevivencia humana. Se concluye que es necesario impulsar estudios sobre los varones como sujetos o cuerpos más vulnerables físicamente al contagio, validando y visibilizando sus emociones y afectos, así como apuntalar a la deconstrucción de la negación, evasión o postergación de su derecho a la afectividad, a fin de favorecer la salud física, psíquica y mental en la nueva realidad.
La ciencia abierta: desafíos para la construcción de cultura científica en la República Dominicana
Authors: Madé Manuel , Gómez-Valenzuela Víctor
Published: March 2022

En noviembre de 2021, la UNESCO celebró en París su 41a reunión de la Conferencia General para establecer acuerdos, siendo uno de ellos la ciencia abierta; en este evento la República Dominicana dijo presente y dio su aprobación a esta iniciativa (Presidencia, 2021). La iniciativa de la ciencia abierta implica una gran oportunidad para la democratización de la ciencia y un desafío para los países miembros que acogieron la propuesta, sobre todo porque deben diseñar estrategia en materia de política de ciencia y tecnologías acorde con la filosofía de la ciencia abierta para la rendición de cuentas ante la UNESCO. En este breve ensayo, estaremos abordando algunos aspectos que deben ser considerados para enfrentar los desafíos acaecidos en la apuesta por la ciencia abierta con vista a la construcción de una cultura científica y tecnológica en la República Dominicana.