bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional status research in Uganda: A critical review and trend analysis
Authors:   Makerere University, Ogenrwoth B , Akumu G , Mugisha J , Muyonga JH
Published: October 2022

Uganda is ranked 77th out of 95 countries in terms of under-nutrition prevalence. Under-nutrition is closely linked to 40% of all mortalities among children below 5 years of age. It is projected that by 2050 malnutrition in all its dimensions combined will cost the country US $ 7.7 billion (19 trillion Uganda Shillings) in lost productivity, yet timely investing in nutrition would translate into an economic gain of US$ 1.7 billion (4.3 trillion Uganda shillings) through enhanced productivity. A critical review and trend analysis, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) approach was carried out. This was aimed at critically assessing the status of nutrition and identifying existing research gaps and intervention options. In addition, the study was focused on generating evidence for nutrition policy discourse. The review mainly focused on peer reviewed publications, covering the period from 2011 to 2022. A total of 215 materials were downloaded, 28 articles were used for literature review and 14 were used for further synthesis and trend analysis. It was found that stunting among children under 5 years was higher in the rural areas (37%) than in the urban areas (34%). Wasting and underweight among the same age group were most rampant in northern region, with prevalence rates of 7.5% and 14.6%, respectively, while stunting was most prevalent in western region (33.2%). Available data showed increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight. The proportion of women 15-49 years who were overweight or obese increased from 17% in 2006 to 19% in 2011 and 24% in 2016. On the other hand, prevalence of thinness among women aged 15-49 years declined from 12% in 2006 and 2011 to 9% in 2016. The review unearthed dearth of literature on nutrition for the elderly, adolescents and young adults. It would be prudent to invest in research to bridge the identified gaps. The outcome of such studies would be instrumental in informing nutrition policy in Uganda. Key words: Stunting, Obesity, Underweight, Overweight, Micronutrient deficiency
Improvement of soft skills in preschool teachers through gamification
Authors: Zhakupova Altynay , Yerkebayeva Saule , Zhumasheva Tolkyn , Myshbayeva Gulmira , Zhandildina Roza , Mukhanbetzhanova Ardak
Published: October 2022

With the use of education in technology, many applications in the field of education are among these teaching methods and techniques in gamification. Gamification provides many skill acquisitions. In this study, it is aimed to examine the opinions of teachers about the social skills gains of gamification for the application of gamification in preschool education. The qualitative method was used in the research. The study was conducted using the case study design, one of the qualitative research methods. Interviews were conducted with 35 preschool teachers working in independent kindergartens. The data obtained, as a result of the research, were analysed in detail using the content analysis method. As a result of the research, it was concluded that gamification education is especially effective in the preschool period and is effective in gaining skills for children. In the same way, it is seen that there are some problems in the implementation of gamification training. These problems can be eliminated with in-service training. It can be solved by providing technological support tools at school.

Keywords: Gamification, acquisition, preschool, teacher, education;
Technologies for developing language communication through creative thinking
Authors: Aigerim Bogenbayeva , Fauziya Orazbayeva , Meruyert Imankulova , Gulnara Abdrahman , Zharkinay Kokanova
Published: October 2022

The study’s goal is to use technology to improve language communication among primary school students through creative thinking. The research was applied in the spring term of 2021–2022. The study, which was carried out with the participation of 162 primary school students, was carried out using the quantitative research model. In the study, primary school students received 3 weeks of distance education and technology applications to improve language communication. In order to collect data for the study, a data collection tool developed by the people who created the problem was used. The findings collected from the data collection tool used in the research were added to the research in the form of tables and comments. When the results obtained are taken into consideration, it is seen that the language communication of the primary school students is improved with the use of technology and that they will use this field in their education.

Keywords: Primary school students, language communication, technologies, distance education;
Opportunities of innovator technologies in the educational process
Authors: Elmira Uaidullakyzy , Nikolaevna Radchenko Natalya , Izmagambetova Raissa , Zhussupbekova Gulsara , Gennadievna Sakhariyeva Svetlana , Kulzhanovna Yegenissova Almazhai
Published: October 2022

Digital generation and digital native concepts have become today’s terms. Along with technological developments, it is important to look at the changes with technological tools in the education process. Identifying innovator technologies used in the education process will contribute to future research. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine the documents related to the opportunities of innovator technologies in education scanned in the Web of Science database thematically and methodologically. In order to achieve this aim, a case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was adopted. In the selection of the articles included in the study, the sample was not determined and it was aimed to reach the whole universe. In this context, the documents in the Web of Science database were accessed through the library system of the university. While scanning the documents, the keywords ‘education’ and ‘technology’ were searched in all fields, and the keyword ‘innovator’ was searched within the title and all studies were found. The findings obtained from the research are explained in detail with the content analysis method. The research findings reached 505 documents. As a result of this research, it was concluded that the most work was carried out in 2016. It was concluded that the first study was carried out in 2004. With regard to the document type of the published studies, the most were proceedings papers (138). In the field of visual arts, the field in which the teachers’ work related to technology was mostly carried out was Education and Educational Research (119). The language most used was English (162).

Keywords: Innovative approach, technology, education, educational opportunity;
Entre la fragilidad de la vida y la insistencia del mundo
Authors: Skliar Carlos Bernardo
Published: October 2022

Este texto intenta abordar las relaciones entre conocimiento, mundo y vida y sus relaciones con la educación. El problema del conocer es planteado en términos de una contradicción entre saber y aprender, busca en la narración de la experiencia su expresión más acabada y distingue las  nociones de posición y exposición. Para ello se toma como punto de partida la distinción entre el estar y el ser o, para decirlo de otro modo,  con las formas del estar siendo que escapan de su identificación o su conversión en formas reconocibles de la existencia humana.
Implementasi Nilai – Nilai Kewirausahaan Melalui Market Day Di TK IT Ar-Rahmah
Authors: Ningsih Iqlima Fitria , Munastiwi Erni , Gusti Notonagoro Sabdo
Published: October 2022

This study aims to determine how the implementation of entrepreneurial values in early childhood through market day activities at TK IT Ar-Rahmah, Bener Meriah Regency. Using qualitative methods, namely field research (field research). The results of this study indicate that in applying entrepreneurial values, namely by introducing market day activities to children such as bringing food and drinks, accessories and other skills that children can trade with their friends, this activity is very fun. The entrepreneurial values that appear in children are disciplined attitude to queue, wait for food, be honest when food has been taken or have been paid for, creative and also foster an attitude of independence in children.
Communicating the move towards social entrepreneurship: The role of key partners for women empowerment initiative in East Java
Authors: Widodo Suko , Asmorowati Sulikah , Dewi Anita , Wijaya Calvin Nathan , Husniati Charisma
Published: October 2022

The empowerment as well as welfare impact of the implementation of the Feminisation of Poverty Alleviation Program (PFK Program) on its beneficiaries – the underprivileged Female Household Heads (KRTPs)- in East Java, can be considered as range from low to moderate. In this, there is a need for furthering the empowerment impact of the program, which can be done, amongst other, through the adoption a social business model, namely Business Model Canvas (BMC). This study aims to examine key partners’ role in supporting the adoption of Business Model Canvas (BMC) elements for a government-initiated entrepreneurship program at the grass-roots level. The study employs qualitative case study research using observation, document analysis and interviews with 98 key partners in four districts (Banyuwangi, Lamongan, Nganjuk, and Trenggalek). The key partners are divided into three categories, namely local governments, KRTPs, and local institutions/communities. The study finds that to further the empowerment impact of the PFK Program, Trenggalek is the readiest among the four districts, followed by Nganjuk, Lamongan, and Banyuwangi, to adopt Business Model Canvas (BMC). It is further argued that the application of Business Model Canvas (BMC) can contributed to an adequate description of key partners’ readiness to support the program by establishing the customer segments, value propositions, channels, revenue streams, customer relationships, key resources, and managing the cost structure that accelerate the role of key partners in moving towards social entrepreneurship.
Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of using fine-grained and nested parallelism to increase the speedup of parallel computing in multicore computer systems
Authors: Martell Valerii , Korochkin Aleksandr , Rusanova Olga
Published: October 2022

The article presents a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of using parallelism of varying granularity degrees in modern multicore computer systems using the most popular programming languages and libraries (such as C#, Java, C++, and OpenMP). Based on the performed comparison, the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of computations in multicore computer systems by using combinations of medium- and fine-grained parallelism were also investigated. The results demonstrate the high potential efficiency of fine-grained parallelism when organizing intensive parallel computations. Based on these results, it can be argued that, in comparison with more traditional parallelization methods that use medium-grain parallelism, the use of separately fine-grained parallelism can reduce the computation time of a large mathematical problem by an average of 4%. The use of combined parallelism can reduce the computation time of such a problem to 5,5%. This reduction in execution time can be significant when performing very large computations.
Simulations of new COVID-19 pandemic waves in Ukraine and in the world by generalized SIR model
Authors: Nesteruk Igor
Published: October 2022

New waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine, which began in the summer of 2021, and after holidays in the middle of October 2021, were characterized by the almost exponential growth of smoothed daily numbers of new cases. This is a matter of great concern and the need to immediately predict the epidemic dynamics in order to assess the maximum possible values of new cases, the risk of infection, and the number of deaths. The generalized SIR-model and corresponding parameter identification procedure were used to simulate and predict the dynamics of two new epidemic waves in Ukraine and one worldwide. Results of calculations show that new cases in Ukraine will not stop appearing before November 2022. The pandemic can continue for another ten years if the global situation with vaccination, testing, and treatment does not change.
Research of autoencoder-based user biometric verification with motion patterns
Authors: Havrylovych Mariia , Danylov Valeriy
Published: October 2022

In the current research, we continue our previous study regarding motion-based user biometric verification, which consumes sensory data. Sensory-based verification systems empower the continuous authentication narrative – as physiological biometric methods mainly based on photo or video input meet a lot of difficulties in implementation. The research aims to analyze how various components of sensor data from an accelerometer affect and contribute to defining the process of unique person motion patterns and understanding how it may express the human behavioral patterns with different activity types. The study used the recurrent long-short-term-memory autoencoder as a baseline model. The choice of model was based on our previous research. The research results have shown that various data components contribute differently to the verification process depending on the type of activity. However, we conclude that a single sensor data source may not be enough for a robust authentication system. The multimodal authentication system should be proposed to utilize and aggregate the input streams from multiple sensors as further research.
Analisis Performansi Jaringan pada Aplikasi Video Conference dengan Menggunakan Metode Quality of Service (Studi Kasus : Google Meet, Zoom meet dan Discord)
Authors: Pangestu Ananda , Kresna A Iqsyahiro
Published: October 2022

Indonesia dan seluruh dunia tahun ini mengalami kejadian yang tak terlupakan yaitu pandemi covid-19, pandemi covid-19 sangat mempengaruhi seluruh aktivitas kegiatan mulai dari kegiatan sosial, bekerja, sekolah, dan berbagai aktivitas yang berkaitan dengan keramaian. Masyarakat dituntut untuk melakukan kegiatan secara individu tidak berkomunikasi secara langsung, hal tersebut yang membuat masyarakat sulit sekali untuk melakukan berbagai aktivitas. Kegiatan online tatap muka berbasis internet merupakan suatu solusi yang sangat membantu di tengah pandemi seperti ini, mulai dari aktivitas perkantoran, sekolah, kuliah, bahkan berbincang bersama keluarga tidak luput dari teknologi digital. Ada beberapa aplikasi yang dipakai untuk melakukan kegitan tatap muka online yaitu google meet, zoom meet, dan discord, dalam melakukan kegiatan online tersebut ada suatu parameter lalu lintas jaringan yang dapat dilakukan salah satunya menggunakan QoS (Quality of Service) metode tersebuat merupakan point penting dalam melakukan analisis performansi jaringan, dalam metode QoS terdapat beberapa unsur pengukuran mulai dari throughput, packet loss, delay dan jitter. Objek penelitian ini menganalisis kondisi jaringan secara realtime, data diambil menggunakan beberapa provider jaringan, kemudian dihitung agar mendapatkan kualitas jaringan yang bagus sehingga dapat mengetahui provider jaringan mana yang bisa digunakan untuk melakukan kegiatan tatap muka online. Penelitian data diambil pada pukul pagi hari pukul 08.00 s/d 10.00 kemudian siang hari pukul 12.00 s/d 14.00 dari keseluruhan penelitian didapatkan hasil pada penggunaan aplikasi discord menggunakan provider biznet sesi pagi hari 08.00 s/d 08.30 mendapatkan throughput 4939 Kbps dan siang hari pukul 12.30 s/d 13.00 sebesar throughput 5887 Kbps. kemudian persentase packet loss terbesar terdapat pada penggunaan aplikasi google meet menggunakan provider biznet sesi siang hari pukul 12.00 s/d 12.30 mendapatkan packet loss 10,0% walaupun masuk dalam persentase terbesar namun masih dalam kategori bagus. Delay dan jitter terbesar terjadi pada saat penggunaan aplikasi discord sesi siang hari pukul 13.00 s/d 13.30 menggunakan provider xl mendapatkan delay 108 m/s, jitter 108 m/s namun untuk delay masih dalam kategori sangat bagus tapi untuk jitter masuk ke dalam kondisi sedang. selain hasil yang disebutkan tadi paada semua aplikasi dan 5 provider sesi pagi dan siang hari parameter yang diukur masih memenuhi standart TIPHON dan termasuk dalam kategori sangat bagus dan bagus.
DESKTOP BASED LIBRARY DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM
Authors: FUADI ISMAIL NUR , ANDI SANO ANDREAS NOVITO , Prihantoro Cahyo
Published: October 2022

The problems encountered during the research, namely that the library service system is not yet computerized, such as borrowing books and returning books, is still recorded in the form of bookkeeping, while searching for book data is still manual which takes a long time. Services that still use manual processes will lead to slow library work which results in student dissatisfaction with library services.
Using Docker virtual containers to launch services
Authors: Burenkov I. A.
Published: October 2022

Docker is a virtualization tool that allows developers and system administrators to run applications and services in containers isolated from each other and from the guest operating system. Docker containers, unlike other virtualization tools, work directly with the host machine hardware, which is good for system resource consumption. Containers run from prebuilt images. The ability to collect all dependencies and application data in an image allows you not to worry about compatibility with the systems in which the container will run. The independence of containers from each other allows you to run entire groups of related services, in which a change of version or data in one of the containers does not affect the functioning of the rest of the group.
Increasing the durability of cold forging dies hardening with intermediate tempering
Authors: Berdiev D. M. , Toshmatov R. K. , Abdullaev A. Kh.
Published: October 2022

Based on studies of the tool wear nature for cold stamping, the expediency of using heat treatment by quenching with intermediate tempering has been established. Considering that the dislocation density changes little at 1100–1150 ºС, it was recommended this specific temperature range for heat treatment. Intermediate tempering at 450 ºС is the most preferable, as it provides not only dislocation structure stabilization, but also reduces internal stresses after the first hardening. This treatment increases the durability of the forging tool by 2–3 times.
Analysis of Regulatory Documents for Determining Loads for Buildings and Structures
Authors: Davydov E. Yu.
Published: October 2022

The calculation of building structures begins with the determination of loads and effects. The correctness of determining the values of loads and impacts, and in particular their calculated values, largely determines the reliability of structural forms, their durability and economic efficiency. The paper considers the regulatory documents for determining snow, wind and crane loads, as well as loads due to their own weight of load-bearing and enclosing structures. In most cases, changing  the values of snow loads in the direction of their increase is labor- and material-intensive, since after this, it is required to examine all the supporting structures that perceive snow loads,  recalculation them, and quite often, strengthen 

them. It is proposed to review snow loads no more than once every 20–25 years. Wind speed increases with height increases. This is confirmed by statistical data obtained at many weather stations located in the Republic of Belarus and foreign countries. Failure to take into account the change in wind pressure along the height leads to significant increase in the efforts from the wind load by 2-3 times. The increase in the efforts from the wind load, as well as from the snow load, entails the need for a mass survey of buildings and structures and, as a rule, expensive work to strengthen the supporting structures. Determination of loads from overhead cranes in the current regulatory documents is completely focused on the characteristics of European hoisting mechanisms, which largely does not correspond to the characteristics of cranes used in the Republic of Belarus. It is proposed to determine crane loads according to SP [Sanitary Regulations] CYbG20.133330.2011 “Loads and impacts” (updated edition of SNiP [Construction Standards and Regulations] 2.01.07–85*). When determining the design loads from the own mass of structural forms, the reliability factor for loads is used. The values of these coefficients in the current regulatory documents are unreasonably high, especially for metal structures.
Directions for Improving Business Models of Industrial Enterprises in the Republic of Belarus in the Context of Digitalization
Authors: Solodovnikov S. Y. , Serhiyevich T. V.
Published: October 2022

Directions for improving the business models of industrial enterprises in the Republic of Belarus in the context of digitalization have been developed. Studies of the theoretical foundations of business models transformation have been carried out in the industry. To achieve this goal, tasks such as identifying the specifics of the digital transformation of an industrial enterprise, studying the prerequisites for the transformation of business models of industrial enterprises in the Republic of Belarus in the context of digitalization, developing and essentially characterizing areas for improving the business models of industrial enterprises in the Republic of Belarus in the context of digitalization. The materials used are the works of domestic and foreign scientists-economists, data from research reports performed by the authors, and national statistical data. The systematic and institutional approaches, analysis and synthesis have been applied. A methodological approach has been developed to transform the business model under the influence of digitalization as to the process of irreversible qualitative changes in the mechanism of reproduction of the use value of the economic system, due to the introduction of digital technologies and tools in production and business processes, in systems of interaction with other participants in the value chain and consumers, as well as in the goods or services themselves. This made it possible to explore the possibilities of transforming business models under the influence of digitalization of the interaction of an enterprise with other participants in the value chain (network) and the state; interaction between the enterprise and the consumer; improvement of internal production and business processes, including creation of digital services. Technical-technological and organizational-economic relations at an industrial enterprise are considered as factors in the digitalization of its business model. As prerequisites for the transformation of business models of industrial enterprises in the Republic of Belarus in the context of digitalization, the following were identified: an increase in the access of industrial enterprises to computing power, high-speed data transfer, and cloud technologies;  a positive dynamics of indicators of digitalization of the Belarusian economy and society, digitalization of the sphere of public administration and interactions “state-business” and “state-population”. All this, as a result of the study, made it possible to develop directions for improving the business models of industrial enterprises in the Republic of Belarus in the context of digitalization.
Sub-analysis of multi-center planning radiosurgery for intracranial metastases through automation (MC-PRIMA) comparing plan quality between UK and International Centers
Authors: Chan Mark K.H.
Published: October 2022

Objectives
A sub-analysis of the MC-PRIMA study was performed to compare the plan quality of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to brain metastases between UK and other international centers.
Methods and materials:
Six SRS centers from the UK and nineteen from other international centers autoplanned using the Multiple Brain Mets software for a five brain metastases study case from the planning competition that was originally organized by the Trans-Tasmania Radiation Oncology Group (TROG). 23 dosimetric metrics and the resulting composite plan score (maximum 150) per the TROG planning competition were compared between the UK and the other international centers. Planning experience and planning time from each planner were recorded and compared.
Results
Planning experiences between two groups are equal. Except for mean dose to the hippocampus, all other 22 dosimetric metrics were comparable between the UK and the other international centers. The inter-planner variations in these 23 dosimetric metrics and the composite plan score were also statistically equivalent. Planning time is slightly longer in the UK group (mean = 86.8 minutes ) with a mean difference of 50.3 minutes.
Conclusions
Autoplanning effectively achieves standardization of the plan quality of SRS to multiple brain metastases within UK and further against other international centers. Significant planning efficiency gain may help to increase the capacity of SRS service by alleviating the clinical and technical loadings.
Soft tissue stabilization of the hinge position in medial closed wedge distal femoral osteotomy: an anatomical study
Authors: Oda Taiga , Maeyama Akira , Yoshimura Ichiro , Ishimatsu Tetsuro , Miyazaki Kotaro , Tachibana Katsuro , Yoshimitsu Kengo , Yamamoto Takuaki
Published: October 2022

Background: Soft tissue has an important role in stabilizing the hinge point of medial closed wedge distal femoral osteotomy (MCWDFO). However, there are conflicting data on the soft tissue anatomy around the hinge point of MCWDFO and, therefore, further anatomical data are needed. The purposes of the study were to: 1) anatomically analyze the soft tissue around the hinge point of MCWDFO; 2) radiologically define the appropriate hinge point to prevent an unstable hinge fracture based on the result of the anatomical analysis; and 3) histologically analyze the soft tissue based on the result of the anatomical analysis.
Methods:
In 20 cadaveric knees, the capsule attachment of the distal lateral side of the femur was marked with a radiopaque ball bearing. A digital planning tool was used to calculate the area of the marked capsule attachment around the ideal hinge point of MCWDFO on radiographs. The soft tissue around the hinge point was histologically examined and the periosteal thickness was measured and visualized graphically. The graph and radiograph were overlayed using image editing software, and the appropriate hinge position was determined based on the periosteal thickness.
Results:
As a result, the periosteal thickness of the distal lateral femur tended to rapidly decrease from the metaphyseal region toward the diaphyseal region. The overlayed graph and radiograph revealed that the periosteal thickness changed in the region corresponding to the apex of the turning point of the femoral metaphysis in all cases.
Conclusions:
In conclusion, the periosteum might support the hinge of MCWDFO within the area surrounded by the apex of the turning point of the femoral metaphysis and the upper border of the posterior part of the lateral femoral condyle.
Rice growth stages modulate rhizosphere bacteria and archaea co-occurrence and sensitivity to long-term inorganic fertilization
Authors: Dondjou Donald Tchouomo , Diedhiou Abdala Gamby , Mbodj Daouda , Mofini Marie-Thérèse , Pignoly Sarah , Ndiaye Cheikh , Diedhiou Issa , Assigbetse Komi , Manneh Baboucarr , Laplaze Laurent , Kane Aboubacry
Published: October 2022

Rhizosphere microbial communities are important components of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in paddy field ecosystems where they contribute to nutrient cycling and rice productivity. However, the rhizosphere microbial sensitivity to anthropic soil disturbance across plant growth stages remains little investigated. Here, we tracked the effects of long-term (> 25 years) N and NPK-fertilization on bacterial and archaeal community inhabiting the rice rhizosphere at three growth stages (tillering, panicle initiation and booting). Our results reveal that the effect of long-term inorganic fertilization on rhizosphere microbial communities varied with growth stage and that the bacterial and archaeal community differed in their response to N and NPK-fertilization. The microbial communities inhabiting the rice rhizosphere at the panicle initiation appear to be more sensitive to long-term inorganic fertilization than those at the tillering and booting stage. However, the effect of growth stage on microbial sensitivity to long-term inorganic fertilization was more strongly pronounced for bacterial than archaeal community. Furthermore, our results reveal dynamics of bacteria and archaea co-occurrence patterns in the rice rhizosphere, with differentiated bacterial and archaeal pivotal roles in the microbial inter-kingdom networks across growth stages. Hence, our study brings new insights on rhizosphere bacteria and archaea co-occurrence and sensitivity to long-term inorganic fertilization across growth stages in field-grown rice. By identifying one of the critical rice growth stages during which rhizosphere microbial communities are highly sensitive to inorganic fertilization, our results open new avenues for developing appropriate strategies in microbiome engineering to mitigate biotic and abiotic stress and improve crop yields.
Projection of Temperature Extremes of Egypt Using CMIP6 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways
Authors: Hamed Mohammed Magdy , Salehie Obaidullah , Nashwan Mohamed Salem , Shahid Shamsuddin
Published: October 2022

Global warming has amplified the frequency and other properties of temperature extremes, especially in hot dry countries, and significantly affected the environment. Egypt is one of the hot desert climate regions that are more susceptible to climate change and associated hazards. This study attempted to project the changes in temperature extremes for three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), namely SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5 and two future periods (early future: 2020–2059, and late future: 2060–2099) by using annual maximum (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) of general circulation model (GCMs) of Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6). The findings showed that most temperature extremes indices would increase especially by the end of the century. In the late future, the change in the mean minimum temperature (4.3°C) was projected to be higher than the mean maximum temperature (3.7°C). The number of hot days would increase by more than 80 days in the late future over the south and southeast of the country. Contrarily, the cold night temperatures would decrease by -0.95 to -3.0°C for different SSPs. The study indicates that the country is likely to experience an additional hotter climate rather than a colder one.
Early experience in minimally invasive esophagectomy for treatment of thoracic esophageal cancer
Authors: Achim Florin , Constantin Adrian , Mossen Ahmed , Rosianu Cristian , Constantinoiu Silviu , Predescu Dragos
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) has gained popularity in the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer over the past three decades. By introducing minimally invasive techniques, esophageal oncological surgery has advanced in terms of safety, radicality, functional preservation and quality of life post-esophagectomy of the patients.
Material and Method: We present the experience of the Center of Excellence in Esophageal Surgery at Sf. Maria Clinical Hospital regarding total (MIE) through total 3D HD thoraco-laparoscopic modified McKeown triple approach. In between January 2015 - December 2021, 24 patients (M) were treated for thoracic esophageal cancer. The average age of patients was 57 years. Most of the esophageal tumors were midthoracic (62.5%), 83.3% were squamous carcinomas and half were moderately differentiated. Most of the esophageal tumors were locally advanced tumors (cT3N1 – 58.3%), 18 patients were staged III. 70.8% of patients received neoadjuvant chemo radiotherapy.
Results: Thoracoscopic esophageal mobilizations were successful in all 24 patients, no conversion to thoracotomy. Laparoscopic gastric mobilizations were successful in all 24 patients, conversion to open technique was performed in 7 patients for creation extracoporeally of the gastric conduit through an epigastric minilaparotomy. The esophageal substitute was represented by the gastric conduit. The intraoperative blood loss was minimal. The average duration of surgical interventions was 360 minutes. All the surgical interventions were considered with curative intention (R0). The rate of intraoperative complications was 20.8%. The rate of early postoperative complications was 66%. Distribution of postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo Classification (0-33.3%, 1-16.6%, 2-4.1%, 3a-12.5%, 3b-8.3%, 4a-0%, 4b-8.3%, 5-16.6%) highlighted a rate of 33.3% of major complications. The advantages of MIE observed in the studied group in the postoperative period were: reduced postoperative pain, improved comfort and early mobilization of the patients.
Conclusions: The early outcomes of using the minimally invasive approach in the treatment of esophageal cancer in our clinic include the reduction of perioperative morbidity, the duration of hospitalization and a faster recovery.
Online Parent Training for The Initial Management of ADHD referrals (OPTIMA): The protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a digital parenting intervention implemented to support parents and children on a treatment waitlist.
Authors: Kostyrka-Allchorne Kasia , Ballard Claire , Byford Sarah , Cortese Samuele , Daley David , Downs Johnny , French Blandine , Glazebrook Cristine , Goldsmith Kimberley , Hall Charlotte L , Hedstrom Ellen , Kovshoff Hanna , Kreppner Jana , Lean Nancy , Sayal Kapil , Shearer James , Simonoff Emily , Thompson Margaret , Sonuga-Barke Edmund
Published: October 2022

Background
Children referred for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often present with a broader pattern of conduct problems including oppositionality and defiance. This combination can be extremely stressful to parents, lower parents’ self-esteem, and negatively impact family life. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that families receive support as soon as possible after their referral. However, as clinical services are overstretched, and traditional in-person parenting intervention programmes are expensive, families often must waittimes a long time prior to receiving this vital input. To address this, we have created a digital parenting programme called STEPS. It is delivered as a mobile phone app providing a set of tools and resources that can be easily accessed at parents’ convenience. This study aims to evaluate the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of STEPS in supporting parents of children with high levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention, and conduct problems, who are waiting to be assessed by specialist children’s clinical services.
Methods
Online Parent Training for The Initial Management of ADHD referrals (OPTIMA) is a two-arm superiority parallel randomised controlled trial with an internal pilot study. We aim to recruit 352 parents and their children, who have been accepted onto a waitlist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services or similar child health services. Parents who consent will be randomised 1:1 to either the STEPS or wait-as-usual (WAU) group. The trial will be conducted remotely (online and telephone) with measures taken at baseline, three-, six -, nine-, and 12- months post-randomisation. The primary objective is to evaluate whether STEPS reduces the severity of children’s oppositional and defiant behaviour, as rated by parents, measured at three months post-randomisation compared to WAU.
Discussion
Digital solutions, such as mobile phone apps, have potential for delivering psychological support for parents of children with clinical-level needs in a timely and inexpensive manner. This trial will provide data on the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of the STEPS app, which could support the implementation of this scalable parenting intervention programme into standard clinical care and, ultimately, improve the outcomes for families of children referred to specialist child and adolescent health services.
Trial registration
: The trial has been prospectively registered on 18 November 2021; ISRCTN 16523503. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16523503
Modeling Homophily in Dynamic Networks with Application to HIV Molecular Surveillance
Authors: DeGruttola Victor , Nakazawa Masato , Lin Tuo , Liu Jinyuan , Goyal Ravi , Little Susan , Tu Xin , Mehta Sanjay
Published: October 2022

Background: Efforts to control the HIV epidemic can benefit from knowledge of the relationships between the characteristics of people who have transmitted HIV and those who became infected by them. Investigation of this relationship is facilitated by the use of HIV genetic linkage analyses, which allows inference about possible transmission events among people with HIV infection. Two persons with HIV (PWH) are considered linked if the genetic distance between their HIV sequences is less than a given threshold, which implies proximity in a transmission network. The tendency of pairs of nodes (in our case PWH) that share (or differ in) certain attributes to be linked is denoted homophily. Below, we describe a novel approach to modeling homophily with application to analyses of HIV viral genetic sequences from clinical series of participants followed in San Diego. Over the 22-year period of follow-up, clusters of genetically linked viral sequences tended to increase in size. Such increase results from HIV transmissions to new people from those already in the cluster–either directly or through intermediaries.
Methods: Our analytical approach makes use of a logistic model to describe homophily with regard to demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics–that is we investigate whether similarities (or differences) between PWH in these characteristics are associated with their sequences being linked. To investigate the performance of our methods, we conducted on a simulation study for which data sets were generated in a way that reproduced the structure of the observed database.
Results: Our results demonstrated strong positive homophily associated with hispanic ethnicity, and strong negative homophily, with birth year difference. The second result implies that the larger the difference between the age of a newly-infected PWH and the average age for an available cluster, the lower the odds of a newly infected person joining that cluster. We did not observe homophily associated with prior diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases. Our simulation studies demonstrated the validity of our approach for modeling homophily, by showing that the estimates it produced matched the specified values of the statistical network generating model.
Conclusions: Our novel methods provide a simple and flexible statistical network-based approach for modeling the growth of viral (or other microbial) genetic clusters from linkage to new infections based on genetic distance.
A traceable and revocable multi-authority attributed-based access control scheme for mineral industry data secure storage in blockchain
Authors: Zhang Xiaohong , Du Wenqi , Moshayedi Ata Jahangir
Published: October 2022

With the rapid advancements of the mineral industry, the data generated by this industry chain have increased dramatically. To reduce the growing pressure of data storage and security risks, we design a credible on-chain and off-chain collaborative dual storage system that integrates blockchain technology and Interplanetary file system (IPFS), also construct a traceable and revocable multi-authority ciphertext-policy attributed-based encryption (CP-ABE) algorithm to meet the demand of privacy protection and dynamic fine-grained access control. Furthermore, the multi-authority layered authorization with a central authority model distributes system overhead while enabling the platform can be regulated. More importantly, our scheme achieves accurate trace of the malicious users by white-box traceability and capable of implementing indirect immediate user and attribute revocation without requiring key or ciphertext updates. Finally, the proposed scheme is indistinguishability under chosen-plaintext attack (IND-CPA) secure in the standard model. And the performance analysis demonstrates that our scheme is feature-rich, practical and efficient.
Regional Environment and Correlates of Nursing Facilities Closures in Taiwan
Authors: Wang Charlotte , Chang Ching-Yun , Chen Chen-Fen
Published: October 2022

Background: Closing nursing facilities profoundly influences the lives of current residents and access for future residents, yet data are limited on whether regional factors impact the closures of nursing facilities. This study examines the factors associated with closure of nursing facilities in Taiwan, including regional factors (e.g., location of the institution, medical accessibility, bed cost and property price), government regulations (e.g., competent authority, institutional appraisal grade and subsidies) and individual institutional factors (e.g., institutional attributes, managers’ backgrounds).
Methods: We investigated 199 nursing facilities in two neighboring cities with different population densities, property price and medical resources from 2011 to 2019, analyzed their survival probabilities, and explored the risk factors via survival analysis.
Results: For every increase of US$333 in property price per Taiwanese ping [3.305 m2], the hazard ratio was equal to 1.009. Also, institutions in metropolitan areas were less likely to close (hazard ratio, 0.313). Secondly, institutions with lower appraisal levels were more likely to be closed (hazard ratio, 4.874). Finally, operator background, institutional type and bed occupancy were important individual institutional factors related to closure.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that regional factors affect the continued operation of nursing facilities. Institutional operators who rent are easily affected by property price fluctuation, but it is difficult to directly reflect the rent cost on the charges of residents and adjust it according to market fluctuations at any time. Additionally, operating in low-population-density areas proves problematic. Furthermore, people living in non-metropolitan areas use institutional resources accessibility issues need awareness. Our findings show that the government should pay more attention to the risk factors of nursing home closures. We also recommend that the supervising authorities of nursing facilities include these items as part of their regular data collection, examine the relationships between risk factors, observe the impact of regional factors such as population density, the number of institutions, and property prices in the region on institutions, and establish an early warning system.
Maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with COVID-19 among pregnant and postpartum women in public and private hospitals in Brazil
Authors: Arlindo Ellen , Souza Renato Renato T , Costa Maria Laura , Cecatti Jose Jose G , Tedesco Ricardo P , Fernandes Karayna G , Martins-Costa Sérgio HA , Peret Frederico JA , Feitosa Francisco E , Traina Evelyn , Haddad Samira M , Andreucci Carla B Andreucci B , Guida José Paulo , Junior Mário D Correa , Dias Marcos AB , Oliveira Leandro , Junior Elias F Melo , Luz Marília GQ da , Raupp Gustavo dos Santos , Centeno Anne , Filho Edson V Cunha , Vettorazzi Janete
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a great challenge to ascertain adequate healthcare throughout regions. The country registered increased numbers of maternal deaths and adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 infection, rising great concern. There is scarce data on findings among public versus private settings.

Objective

to compare maternal and perinatal outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, among admissions in public and private maternity hospitals during a period before vaccination.

Study Design

Secondary analysis of the REBRACO initiative, a national multicenter cohort study in Brazil, considering pregnant and postpartum women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infections (from February 2020 to February 2021) in 15 maternity centers (2 private and 13 public facilities). Sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics were compared according to the type of hospital care. In addition, clinical, laboratory findings and maternal and perinatal outcomes were compared in both groups. The prevalence ratio (PR) and its 95%CI for each predictor and outcome were calculated.

Results

Of 559 symptomatic cases tested, 289 confirmed COVID-19 cases were included, with 213 (72.7%) women in public hospitals and 76 (27.3%) women in private hospitals. SARS-CoV-2 infection frequency was not significantly different among groups. Women treated at public hospitals had lower schooling (p < 0.001), and half of them declared that their pregnancy was not planned. There were 13 maternal deaths among women treated at public services and no maternal deaths among pregnant women treated at private hospitals (p-value – 0,024). Pregnant women in public hospitals had higher rates of fever (p-value – 0,041), tachypnea (p-value – 0,003), abnormal laboratory findings in liver enzymes (p-value – 0,005), severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS (p-value 0.014) and their neonates presented more neonatal respiratory distress (p-value – 0,020).

Conclusion

Adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes were worse in the public hospital group with increased rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome and neonatal respiratory distress. The alarming difference between the number of deaths in patients treated in the public and private sector calls attention to the need to better understand the differences in access to health and other delays experienced by patients of different social levels.
Bioenergy Potential and Kinetic of Biogas Production in Anaerobic Digestion of Slaughterhouse Effluent
Authors: HOUNDEDJIHOU Dègninou , KODOM Tomkouani , TCHAKALA Ibrahim , BAWA Moctar Limam , DJANEYE Gbandi
Published: October 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.