bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Collaborative engagement of Hispanic communities in the planning, conducting, and dissemination of assistive technology research
Authors: Orellano-Colón Elsa M. , Rivero-Méndez Marta , Boneu-Meléndez Claudia X. , Solís-Báez Solymar , León-Astor Arelí , Juliá-Pacheco Mariolga , Santiago-Cruz María del Mar , Jutai Jeffrey W. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Introduction:
Community engagement (CE) is critical for research on the adoption and use of assistive technology (AT) in many populations living in resource-limited environments. Few studies have described the process that was used for engaging communities in AT research, particularly within low-income communities of older Hispanic with disabilities where limited access, culture, and mistrust must be navigated. We aimed to identify effective practices to enhance CE of low-income Hispanic communities in AT research.

Methods:
The community stakeholders included community-based organizations, the community healthcare clinic, the local AT project, and residents of the Caño Martín Peña Community in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The CE procedures and activities during the Planning the Study Phase comprised working group meetings with stakeholders to cocreate the funding proposal for the study and address the reviewers’ critiques. During the Conducting the Study Phase, we convened a Community Advisory Board to assist in the implementation of the study. During the Disseminating the Study Results Phase, we developed and implemented plans to disseminate the research results.

Results:
We identified seven distinct practices to enhance CE in AT research with Hispanic communities: (1) early and continuous input; (2) building trusting and warm relationships through personal connections; (3) establishing and maintaining presence in the community; (4) power sharing; (5) shared language; (6) ongoing mentorship and support to community members; and (7) adapting to the changing needs of the community.

Conclusion:
Greater attention to CE practices may improve the effectiveness and sustainability of AT research with low-income communities.
Using supervised machine learning classifiers to estimate likelihood of participating in clinical trials of a de-identified version of ResearchMatch
Authors: Vazquez Janette , Abdelrahman Samir , Byrne Loretta M. , Russell Michael , Harris Paul , Facelli Julio C. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIntroduction:Lack of participation in clinical trials (CTs) is a major barrier for the evaluation of new pharmaceuticals and devices. Here we report the results of the analysis of a dataset from ResearchMatch, an online clinical registry, using supervised machine learning approaches and a deep learning approach to discover characteristics of individuals more likely to show an interest in participating in CTs.Methods:We trained six supervised machine learning classifiers (Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), Gaussian Naïve Bayes (GNB), K-Nearest Neighbor Classifier (KNC), Adaboost Classifier (ABC) and a Random Forest Classifier (RFC)), as well as a deep learning method, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), using a dataset of 841,377 instances and 20 features, including demographic data, geographic constraints, medical conditions and ResearchMatch visit history. Our outcome variable consisted of responses showing specific participant interest when presented with specific clinical trial opportunity invitations (‘yes’ or ‘no’). Furthermore, we created four subsets from this dataset based on top self-reported medical conditions and gender, which were separately analysed.Results:The deep learning model outperformed the machine learning classifiers, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8105.Conclusions:The results show sufficient evidence that there are meaningful correlations amongst predictor variables and outcome variable in the datasets analysed using the supervised machine learning classifiers. These approaches show promise in identifying individuals who may be more likely to participate when offered an opportunity for a clinical trial.
Communities of practice, impression management, and great power status: Military observers in the Russo-Japanese War
Authors: Banerjee Kiran , MacKay Joseph 
Published: September 2020

AbstractMilitary attachés and wartime observers have received surprisingly little attention in international relations. Why do states exchange attachés, permitting uniformed foreigners to gather intelligence on their territory and during their wars? To explain, we adopt a broadly practice-theoretic approach, focusing on the individuals who developed the role by living it, showing how they both innovated a distinct military practice and established institutional legitimacy for attachés. We address an early historical case in which the practice proliferated: the Russo-Japanese War, throughout which observers represented multiple European states, on both sides of the conflict. Sometimes termed the first modern war, the conflict saw Japan's entry into the Eurocentric great power system. In this context, embedded attachés had a dual effect. On the one hand, a professional attaché community established itself: we show how local innovation by embedded officers, in the context of this structurally destabilising event, permitted the creation of a new institutional role that might otherwise have been impossible. On the other, the Japanese made use of the attachés as witnesses for Western governments, observing their performance of great power-hood, as they defeated Russia. The argument has implications for understanding both the military attaché system and communities of practice as such.
The probabilities of extinction in a branching random walk on a strip
Authors: Braunsteins Peter , Hautphenne Sophie 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe consider a class of multitype Galton–Watson branching processes with a countably infinite type set
$\mathcal{X}_d$
whose mean progeny matrices have a block lower Hessenberg form. For these processes, we study the probabilities
$\textbf{\textit{q}}(A)$
of extinction in sets of types
$A\subseteq \mathcal{X}_d$
. We compare
$\textbf{\textit{q}}(A)$
with the global extinction probability
$\textbf{\textit{q}} = \textbf{\textit{q}}(\mathcal{X}_d)$
, that is, the probability that the population eventually becomes empty, and with the partial extinction probability
$\tilde{\textbf{\textit{q}}}$
, that is, the probability that all types eventually disappear from the population. After deriving partial and global extinction criteria, we develop conditions for
$\textbf{\textit{q}} < \textbf{\textit{q}}(A) < \tilde{\textbf{\textit{q}}}$
. We then present an iterative method to compute the vector
$\textbf{\textit{q}}(A)$
for any set A. Finally, we investigate the location of the vectors
$\textbf{\textit{q}}(A)$
in the set of fixed points of the progeny generating vector.
On some threshold-one attractive interacting particle systems on homogeneous trees
Authors: Mu Y. X. , Zhang Y. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe consider the threshold-one contact process, the threshold-one voter model and the threshold-one voter model with positive spontaneous death on homogeneous trees
$\mathbb{T}_d$
,
$d\ge 2$
. Mainly inspired by the corresponding arguments for the contact process, we prove that the complete convergence theorem holds for these three systems under strong survival. When the system survives weakly, complete convergence may also hold under certain transition and/or initial conditions.
Existence of Gibbs point processes with stable infinite range interaction
Authors: Dereudre David , Vasseur Thibaut 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe provide a new proof of the existence of Gibbs point processes with infinite range interactions, based on the compactness of entropy levels. Our main existence theorem holds under two assumptions. The first one is the standard stability assumption, which means that the energy of any finite configuration is superlinear with respect to the number of points. The second assumption is the so-called intensity regularity, which controls the long range of the interaction via the intensity of the process. This assumption is new and introduced here since it is well adapted to the entropy approach. As a corollary of our main result we improve the existence results by Ruelle (1970) for pairwise interactions by relaxing the superstabilty assumption. Note that our setting is not reduced to pairwise interaction and can contain infinite-range multi-body counterparts.
Randomised rules for stopping problems
Authors: Hobson David , Zeng Matthew 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn a classical, continuous-time, optimal stopping problem, the agent chooses the best time to stop a stochastic process in order to maximise the expected discounted return. The agent can choose when to stop, and if at any moment they decide to stop, stopping occurs immediately with probability one. However, in many settings this is an idealistic oversimplification. Following Strack and Viefers we consider a modification of the problem in which stopping occurs at a rate which depends on the relative values of stopping and continuing: there are several different solutions depending on how the value of continuing is calculated. Initially we consider the case where stopping opportunities are constrained to be event times of an independent Poisson process. Motivated by the limiting case as the rate of the Poisson process increases to infinity, we also propose a continuous-time formulation of the problem where stopping can occur at any instant.
MUCHNIK DEGREES AND CARDINAL CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: MONIN BENOIT , NIES ANDRÉ 
Published: September 2020

AbstractA mass problem is a set of functions$\omega \to \omega $. For mass problems${\mathcal {C}}, {\mathcal {D}}$, one says that${\mathcal {C}}$is Muchnik reducible to${\mathcal {D}}$if each function in${\mathcal {C}}$is computed by a function in${\mathcal {D}}$. In this paper we study some highness properties of Turing oracles, which we view as mass problems. We compare them with respect to Muchnik reducibility and its uniform strengthening, Medvedev reducibility.For$p \in [0,1]$let${\mathcal {D}}(p)$be the mass problem of infinite bit sequencesy(i.e.,$\{0,1\}$-valued functions) such that for each computable bit sequencex, the bit sequence$ x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y$has asymptotic lower density at mostp(where$x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y$has a$1$in positionniff$x(n) = y(n)$). We show that all members of this family of mass problems parameterized by a realpwith$0 < p <1/2 $have the same complexity in the sense of Muchnik reducibility. We prove this by showing Muchnik equivalence of the problems${\mathcal {D}}(p)$with the mass problem$\text {IOE}({2^{2}}^{n})$; here for an order functionh, the mass problem$\text {IOE}(h)$consists of the functionsfthat agree infinitely often with each computable function bounded byh. This result also yields a new version of the proof to of the affirmative answer to the “Gamma question” due to the first author:$\Gamma (A)< 1/2$implies$\Gamma (A)=0$for each Turing oracleA.As a dual of the problem${\mathcal {D}}(p)$, define${\mathcal {B}}(p)$, for$0 \le p < 1/2$, to be the set of bit sequencesysuch that$\underline \rho (x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y)> p$for each computable setx. We prove that the Medvedev (and hence Muchnik) complexity of the mass problems${\mathcal {B}}(p)$is the same for all$p \in (0, 1/2)$, by showing that they are Medvedev equivalent to the mass problem of functions bounded by${2^{2}}^{n}$that are almost everywhere different from each computable function.Next, together with Joseph Miller, we obtain a proper hierarchy of the mass problems of type$\text {IOE}$: we show that for any order functiongthere exists a faster growing order function$h $such that$\text {IOE}(h)$is strictly above$\text {IOE}(g)$in the sense of Muchnik reducibility.We study cardinal characteristics in the sense of set theory that are analogous to the highness properties above. For instance,${\mathfrak {d}} (p)$is the least size of a setGof bit sequences such that for each bit sequencexthere is a bit sequenceyinGso that$\underline \rho (x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y)>p$. We prove within ZFC all the coincidences of cardinal characteristics that are the analogs of the results above.
Streptococcus spp. from bulk-tank milk and milking machine teatcups on small ruminant farms, and factors potentially associated with their isolation
Authors: Chatzopoulos Dimitris C. , Lianou Daphne T. , Michael Charalambia K. , Gougoulis Dimitris A. , Mavrogianni Vasia S. , Vasileiou Natalia G. C. , Katsafadou Angeliki I. , Politis Antonis P. , Kordalis Nikos G. , Katsarou Eleni I. , Ioannidi Katerina S. , Petinaki Efthimia , Fthenakis George C. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe objectives of this work were (a) to determine the presence of streptococci in samples from small ruminant dairy farms (bulk-tank milk and, where possible, teatcup swabs), (b) to investigate the potential adverse effects of streptococci on milk quality and (c) to investigate the importance of some husbandry factors for the isolation of streptococci. Bulk-tank milk samples and teatcups swab samples were examined bacteriologically for the presence of streptococci. Somatic cell counting and milk composition measurements were also performed. The husbandry factors present in each farm were assessed for potential associations with the isolation of streptococci. Streptococci were isolated from milk samples from 31.4% of sheep and 17.4% of goat farms and from 4.8% of sheep and 5.9% of goat teatcups. Streptococci were isolated more frequently from the upper part than the lower part of teatcups: 5.0% vs. 1.9%. Most isolates (57.9%) were identified as Streptococcus uberis. Most isolates (68.4%) were slime-producing; slime-production was more frequent among isolates from teatcups (83.3%) than from bulk-tank milk (55.0%). Somatic cell counts and milk composition did not differ between farms in which streptococci were or were not isolated. Machine-milking was associated with the isolation of streptococci from bulk-tank milk samples. The initial stage of the milking period (first two months) was found to be associated with the isolation of streptococci from milking machine teatcups in sheep farms only.
The influence of adaptive stresses on the survival of spray-dried Lactococcus lactis cells
Authors: Cnossen Débora C. , Rodrigues Ramila Cristiane , Martins Evandro , Junior José de Castro Cezarino , Carvalho Antônio Fernandes de 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe research described in this technical research communication examines the hypothesis that sublethal stress conditions can improve the survival of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis during drying and subsequent storage. After drying, the L. lactis that had adapted to acid or osmotic stresses did not differ statistically in terms of cell viability loss compared to the control samples tested (~0.38 log cycles). However, the cells that had adapted to oxidative conditions demonstrated a cell viability loss of only 0.01 log cycles. After 45 d of storage at temperatures of 4 and 25 °C, the final L. lactis sample populations were shown to be higher (112.5%) when they had been submitted to sublethal conditions of oxidative stress. When the cell samples were exposed to acid stress conditions, they exhibited a viability loss (0.82 log cycles) that was statistically different from the control sample (0.58 log cycles) after 45 d. Osmotic stress conditions did not demonstrate any influence over cell survival rates. Thus, submitting cells to oxidative stress conditions prior to storage has been shown to be a potential strategy for producing dehydrated cultures of L. lactis strains that are less sensitive to oxygen exposure.
Methodological approaches for vitrification of bovine oocytes
Authors: Dujíčková Linda , Makarevich Alexander V. , Olexiková Lucia , Kubovičová Elena , Strejček František 
Published: September 2020

SummaryNumerous factors affect vitrification success and post-thaw development of oocytes after in vitro fertilization. Therefore, elaboration of an optimal methodology ensuring higher cryotolerance of oocytes and subsequent blastocyst yield is still of great interest. This paper describes and evaluates critical factors affecting the success of oocyte vitrification. In particular, an appropriate oocyte stage such as maturation status (germinal vesicle stage, metaphase II stage), presence/absence of cumulus cells before vitrification, and the effect of follicle size, as well as different culture systems and media for in vitro production of embryos, the types and concentrations of cryoprotectants, and cooling and warming rates at vitrification are considered. Special attention is paid to various cryocarriers used for low-volume vitrification, which ensures safe storage of oocytes/embryos in liquid nitrogen and their successful post-thaw recovery. At the end, we focussed on how age of oocyte donors (heifers, cows) influences post-thaw development. This review summarizes results of recently published studies describing different methodologies of cryopreservation and post-thaw oocyte development with the main focus on vitrification of bovine oocytes.
Evaluation of electrocardiographic markers of cardiac arrhythmic events and their correlation with cardiac iron overload in patients with β-thalassemia major
Authors: Demircan Tulay , Onder Sivis Zuhal , Tatlı Güneş Burçak , Karadeniz Cem 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIron overload is associated with an increased risk of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Data regarding the relationship between electrocardiographic parameters of atrial depolarisation and ventricular repolarisation with cardiac T2* MRI are scarce. Therefore, we aimed to investigate these electrocardiographic parameters and their relationship with cardiac T2* value in patients with β-thalassemia major. In this prospective study, 52 patients with β-thalassemia major and 52 age- and gender-matched healthy patients were included. Electrocardiographic measurements of QT, T peak to end interval, and P wave intervals were performed by one cardiologist who was blind to patients’ data. All patients underwent MRI for cardiac T2* evaluation. Cardiac T2* scores less than 20 ms were considered as iron overload. P wave dispersion, QTc interval, and the dispersions of QT and QTc were significantly prolonged in β-thalassemia major patients compared to controls. Interestingly, we found prolonged P waves, QT and T peak to end dispersions, T peak to end intervals, and increased T peak to end/QT ratios in patients with T2* greater than 20 ms. No significant correlation was observed between electrocardiographic parameters and cardiac T2* values and plasma ferritin levels. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that atrial depolarisation and ventricular repolarisation parameters are affected in β-thalassemia major patients and that these parameters are not correlated with cardiac iron load.
Motor activity patterns can distinguish between interepisode bipolar disorder patients and healthy controls
Authors: Schneider Jakub , Bakštein Eduard , Kolenič Marian , Vostatek Pavel , Correll Christoph U. , Novák Daniel , Španiel Filip 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundBipolar disorder (BD) is linked to circadian rhythm disruptions resulting in aberrant motor activity patterns. We aimed to explore whether motor activity alone, as assessed by longitudinal actigraphy, can be used to classify accurately BD patients and healthy controls (HCs) into their respective groups.MethodsNinety-day actigraphy records from 25 interepisode BD patients (ie, Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) < 15) and 25 sex- and age-matched HCs were used in order to identify latent actigraphic biomarkers capable of discriminating between BD patients and HCs. Mean values and time variations of a set of standard actigraphy features were analyzed and further validated using the random forest classifier.ResultsUsing all actigraphy features, this method correctly assigned 88% (sensitivity = 85%, specificity = 91%) of BD patients and HCs to their respective group. The classification success may be confounded by differences in employment between BD patients and HCs. When motor activity features resistant to the employment status were used (the strongest feature being time variation of intradaily variability, Cohen’s d = 1.33), 79% of the subjects (sensitivity = 76%, specificity = 81%) were correctly classified.ConclusionA machine-learning actigraphy-based model was capable of distinguishing between interepisode BD patients and HCs solely on the basis of motor activity. The classification remained valid even when features influenced by employment status were omitted. The findings suggest that temporal variability of actigraphic parameters may provide discriminative power for differentiating between BD patients and HCs while being less affected by employment status.
A 6-month follow-up study on response and relapse rates following an acute trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with major depression
Authors: Arici Chiara , Benatti Beatrice , Cafaro Rita , Cremaschi Laura , Degoni Luca , Pozzoli Sara , Oldani Lucio , Molteni Laura , Giorgetti Federica , Priori Alberto , Viganò Caterina , Dell’Osso Bernardo 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundLittle is known about the post-acute effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with major depression. The present study focused on the 6-month follow-up of a sample of patients with major depression, after the completion of an acute 4 weeks rTMS trial, with the aim of evaluating response (in terms of sustained and late response) and relapse rates.MethodsFollowing the completion of an acute trial of rTMS (T0-T4), 31 drug-resistant depressed patients (bipolar or unipolar) entered a naturalistic follow-up period of 6 months, with three timepoints (T5, T6, and T7) during which they were assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Young Mania Rating Scale.ResultsResults showed that in the 6 months following an acute transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) trial, a higher rate of late responders was observed among previously acute TMS nonresponders (63.64%, 7 out of 11) compared to the rate of relapse among those who had acutely responded to TMS (10%, 2 out of 20). In addition, an overall high rate of maintained response (90%) was observed.ConclusionPresent findings seem to support the possibility of obtaining a clinical response also after the end of an acute TMS trial in patients with major depression. The concomitant low rate of relapse observed at the end of follow-up along with a high rate of maintained response provides further support to the post-acute efficacy of TMS. Nonetheless, further controlled studies, with larger samples and longer follow-up observation, are needed to confirm the reported results.