bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparing the performance of time series models with or without meteorological factors in predicting incident pulmonary tuberculosis in eastern China
Authors: Li Zhong-Qi , Pan Hong-Qiu , Liu Qiao , Song Huan , Wang Jian-Ming 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

Background
Many studies have compared the performance of time series models in predicting pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), but few have considered the role of meteorological factors in their prediction models. This study aims to explore whether incorporating meteorological factors can improve the performance of time series models in predicting PTB.

Methods
We collected the monthly reported number of PTB cases and records of six meteorological factors in three cities of China from 2005 to 2018. Based on this data, we constructed three time series models, including an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, the ARIMA with exogenous variables (ARIMAX) model, and a recurrent neural network (RNN) model. The ARIMAX and RNN models incorporated meteorological factors, while the ARIMA model did not. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to evaluate the performance of the models in predicting PTB cases in 2018.

Results
Both the cross-correlation analysis and Spearman rank correlation test showed that PTB cases reported in the study areas were related to meteorological factors. The predictive performance of both the ARIMA and RNN models was improved after incorporating meteorological factors. The MAPEs of the ARIMA, ARIMAX, and RNN models were 12.54%, 11.96%, and 12.36% in Xuzhou, 15.57%, 11.16%, and 14.09% in Nantong, and 9.70%, 9.66%, and 12.50% in Wuxi, respectively. The RMSEs of the three models were 36.194, 33.956, and 34.785 in Xuzhou, 34.073, 25.884, and 31.828 in Nantong, and 19.545, 19.026, and 26.019 in Wuxi, respectively.

Conclusions
Our study revealed a possible link between PTB and meteorological factors. Taking meteorological factors into consideration increased the accuracy of time series models in predicting PTB, and the ARIMAX model was superior to the ARIMA and RNN models in study settings.
Scanning acoustic microscopy for material evaluation
Authors: Yu Hyunung 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) or Acoustic Micro Imaging (AMI) is a powerful, non-destructive technique that can detect hidden defects in elastic and biological samples as well as non-transparent hard materials. By monitoring the internal features of a sample in three-dimensional integration, this technique can efficiently find physical defects such as cracks, voids, and delamination with high sensitivity. In recent years, advanced techniques such as ultrasound impedance microscopy, ultrasound speed microscopy, and scanning acoustic gigahertz microscopy have been developed for applications in industries and in the medical field to provide additional information on the internal stress, viscoelastic, and anisotropic, or nonlinear properties. X-ray, magnetic resonance, and infrared techniques are the other competitive and widely used methods. However, they have their own advantages and limitations owing to their inherent properties such as different light sources and sensors.
This paper provides an overview of the principle of SAM and presents a few results to demonstrate the applications of modern acoustic imaging technology. A variety of inspection modes, such as vertical, horizontal, and diagonal cross-sections have been presented by employing the focus pathway and image reconstruction algorithm. Images have been reconstructed from the reflected echoes resulting from the change in the acoustic impedance at the interface of the material layers or defects. The results described in this paper indicate that the novel acoustic technology can expand the scope of SAM as a versatile diagnostic tool requiring less time and having a high efficiency.
Screening of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels among elderly Egyptians admitted to the orthogeriatric unit by fracture hip
Authors: Rabiee Ahmed , AboElsoud Mohamed , Seif El Nasr Sayed M. , Abouzeid Sameh 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Background
Vitamin D deficiency increases muscle weakness and pain leading to reduced power and function, increased bone turnover and increased risk of falls and hip fractures in elderly. We postulated that vitamin D deficiency in sunny Egypt should be lower than western countries so we screen for prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among all elderly patient admitted to orthogeriatric unit by fracture hip.

Results
Our study showed that vitamin D deficiency is common in elderly Egyptian patients admitted to orthogeriatric unit with hip fractures.
Of the study group (n 290 patients) vitamin D levels were sufficient (30 ng/dl or more) in 24 patients (8.3%) and insufficient (between 20 ng and 30 ng) in 125 patients (43.1%) and deficient (less than 20) in 141 patients (48.7%). Among the study group, female patients had lower levels of vitamin D (18.8 ± 6.9) compared to males (20.5 ± 6.7) P value 0.034.
Although our study failed to link different levels of vitamin D with activity of daily life: P value was (0.116) in bathing, (0.058) in dressing, (0.115) in toileting and (054) in transfer.
A little difference was found in feeding (0.036) and previous fall (0.011) and cognitive impairment; MiniCOG < 3 P value 0.017. Both previous falls and cognitive decline are in turn linked to increased fracture risk

Conclusion
Hypovitaminosis D is common among older patients with hip fractures even in sunny Egypt remaining slightly lower than its prevalence in western countries. Although no direct significant correlations with activity of daily life, vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher risks of previous falls and cognitive impairment both in turn increases the risk of fractures.
Predictors of Vertebral Deformity in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: The PETALE Study
Authors: Fiscaletti Melissa , Samoilenko Mariia , Dubois Josée , Miron Marie-Claude , Lefebvre Geneviève , Krajinovic Maja , Laverdière Caroline , Sinnett Daniel , Alos Nathalie 
Published: November 2020

Abstract

Background
The prevalence of vertebral deformities in long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is unknown. Our objectives were to identify the prevalence of vertebral deformities and their risk factors among long-term childhood ALL survivors.

Methods/Results
We recruited 245 (49% male) long-term childhood ALL survivors from the Preventing Late Adverse Effects of Leukemia Cohort (French-Canadian ALL survivors treated between the years 1987 and 2010 with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute clinical trials protocols, who did not experience disease relapse and/or receive hematopoietic stem cell transplant). Median age at recruitment was 21.7 years (range, 8.5-41) and median time since diagnosis was 15.1 years (range, 5.4-28.2). All participants underwent spine radiograph and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans. The prevalence of vertebral deformity was 23% with 88% classified as grade 1 according to the Genant method. The majority of vertebral deformities were clinically silent. Regression analysis confirmed male sex (risk ratio [RR] = 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-3.24; P = 0.011), higher glucocorticoid cumulative dose (RR = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00-1.10; P = 0.032), and back pain (RR = 2.44; 95% CI, 1.56-3.84; P &lt; 0.001) as predictors of prevalent vertebral deformity. Sex differences in vertebral deformity predictors emerged.

Conclusions
We report a significant prevalence of vertebral deformities in this young cohort. Male sex, cumulative glucocorticoid dose, and back pain were identified as predictors of prevalent vertebral deformity. Back pain emerging as a strong predictor of vertebral deformity underscores the importance of ongoing bone health surveillance in survivors with persistent vertebral deformities treated with these earlier protocols.
Tissue-Specific Effects of Leptin on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism
Authors: Pereira Sandra , Cline Daemon L , Glavas Maria M , Covey Scott D , Kieffer Timothy J 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe discovery of leptin was intrinsically associated with its ability to regulate body weight. However, the effects of leptin are more far-reaching and include profound glucose-lowering and anti-lipogenic effects, independent of leptin’s regulation of body weight. Regulation of glucose metabolism by leptin is mediated both centrally and via peripheral tissues and is influenced by the activation status of insulin signaling pathways. Ectopic fat accumulation is diminished by both central and peripheral leptin, an effect that is beneficial in obesity-associated disorders. The magnitude of leptin action depends upon the tissue, sex, and context being examined. Peripheral tissues that are of particular relevance include the endocrine pancreas, liver, skeletal muscle, adipose tissues, immune cells, and the cardiovascular system. As a result of its potent metabolic activity, leptin is used to control hyperglycemia in patients with lipodystrophy and is being explored as an adjunct to insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes. To fully understand the role of leptin in physiology and to maximize its therapeutic potential, the mechanisms of leptin action in these tissues needs to be further explored.
Checklists
Authors: Zambrana Rocío 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
In July 2019, almost two weeks of protest led to the ousting of Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo “Ricky” Rosselló. The diversity and creativity of the protests were nationally and internationally celebrated. Asambleas de pueblo, people's assemblies, continued political participation beyond the protests. This article attends to a feature of the protests that has yet to be explored. Throughout the protests, checklists appeared on signs, on walls in Old San Juan, and on Facebook and Twitter. These index a modality of power explicit in the protests and in reserve in the asambleas. The checklists, I suggest, record the power of removal that established the protests as successful irrespective of the institutional impact that Rosselló's resignation purportedly had on the indebted colony. The checklists inscribe the ongoing task of interruption, to the point of removal, that seeks to render coloniality inoperative in the everyday.
From the Ottoman Empire to Post-1923
Authors: Yonucu Deniz , Suciyan Talin 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
The author of The Armenians in Modern Turkey, historian Talin Suciyan, puts the Armenian genocide survivors at the center of her research to provide a new perspective on the history of the Turkish Republic. Suciyan analyzes the experiences and lives of its Armenian population several decades after the genocide. In this interview, Deniz Yonucu speaks with Suciyan on her research and innovative anthrohistorical approach to understanding the paths that led to the annihilation of Armenians, the effects of the genocide in modern Turkey, and the importance of focusing attention on the experiences of survivors after catastrophic experiences of genocides. The survivor as described in this interview is neither a wretched of the earth, who is forced to live a tortured life, nor a subaltern whose voice cannot acquire speech. The survivor instead is an existence whose past, present and future is constantly denied, and therefore robbed from her.
Photooxidation Products from a Marine Cadinane Sesquiterpenoid
Authors: Kurnianda Viqqi , Fujimura Hiroyuki , Kanna Yoko , Tanaka Junichi 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
To show that artifacts can readily form during research on marine natural products, a common marine sesquiterpenoid 1 was treated with sunlight in the presence of a pigment. Another set of solutions were prepared and kept in shade under the bench for two weeks as negative controls. As a result, four oxygenated derivatives 2–5 were obtained. A unique structure of a highly oxidized molecule 5 was solved by X-ray crystallography.
Ambiguity and Probabilistic Information
Authors: Dominiak Adam , Lefort Jean-Philippe 
Published: November 2020

Experiments detecting ambiguity aversion often rely on the assumption that probabilities are exogenously given for some uncertain events. However, the canonical models that accommodate ambiguity into economic theory, such as the maxmin expected utility (MEU) and Choquet expected utility (CEU) models, are purely subjective. These models do not specify how subjects could incorporate exogenous probabilities into decisions. We study two approaches for embedding exogenous probabilities in the context of the thought experiments suggested by Mark Machina. We show that Machina’s choice behavior entails fundamentally different consequences for the ambiguity models mentioned; although it violates the CEU model, it is consistent with the MEU model. For the latter model, Machina’s experiments can test whether individuals adhere to expected utility for prospects whose consequences occur with the exogenously given probabilities. This paper was accepted by Manel Baucells, decision analysis.
Vocational Student Teachers’ Self-Reported Experiences in Creating ePortfolios
Authors: Korhonen Anne-Maria , Ruhalahti Sanna , Lakkala Minna , Veermans Marjaana 
Published: November 2020

Context: The context of the study is vocational teacher education and the participants are vocational student teachers. They are studying in a blended learning setting as part time students. They represent several disciplines of vocational education and training. The vocational teacher studies take one year and are 60 credits. The study relates to the discussion of vocational education and training (VET) and teachers’ competencies that they are transferring to their VET students by sharing the knowledge of their subject area and working practices. This study is an exploration of one of these working practices: making competence visible in a digital format.Approach: Student teachers’ descriptions of their practices and recommendations of supportive methods for composing an ePortfolio are reviewed and their motivation to compose an ePortfolio is studied as a part of the personal learning environment (PLE) philosophy.Findings: The data revealed some typical practices, such as composing an ePortfolio (the most popular ways of doing this were recording reflections in a learning diary and using digital tools to document artefacts) and making vocational teachers’ competence visible through an ePortfolio (understanding the difference between workspace and showcase portfolios and what kinds of competence to document). The recommendations mentioned by participants were supportive methods of composing an ePortfolio (collaborative learning processes with peers, lecturers’ feedback and assessment and clear instructions) as well as methods of making vocational teachers’ competence visible (e.g. orientation to ePortfolio work using learning objectives and assessment criteria for ePortfolios). Participating student teachers are/were motivated to work with ePortfolios in various ways and expressed an intrinsic motivation to pursue personal growth and become a vocational teacher.Conclusions: The study revealed vocational student teachers’ various perceptions of scaffolding and motivational orientations to make their competence visible through ePortfolios. These can be used to design scaffolding processes to support students’ ePortfolio activities. ePortfolios are used as a study method to promote student teachers’ career development and personal growth and to help them acquire teacher competencies. The study concludes with a review of the learning objectives and the assessment criteria for the ePortfolio process in a vocational teacher education program.
The development of gendered occupational aspirations across adolescence: examining the role of different types of upper-secondary education
Authors: Basler Ariane , Kriesi Irene , Imdorf Christian 
Published: November 2020

Gender-typical educational and occupational goals are an important precursor of educational gender segregation and unequal opportunities of men and women in the labour market. However, little is known about how gender-typical aspirations develop during childhood and adolescence. Drawing on identity and opportunity arguments from a developmental perspective, this paper attempts to fill this gap by examining whether and to what extent gender-typical aspirations change during adolescence and how track allocation in secondary school is related to the development of gendered occupational aspirations between the ages of 15 and 21. The analyses are based on the Swiss Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. They include an observation span of six years, during which respondents were surveyed at the ages of 15, 16, 18 and 21.The findings show that gender-typical occupational aspirations were most prevalent at the age of 15. Their level and development differed by upper-secondary school track and gender. Young men’s aspirations were considerably more gender-typical than those of young women. Aspirations became less gender-typical for women in baccalaureate school and in initial vocational education and training programmes with high academic requirements and, in particular, for young men who entered vocational education and training with low requirements. Overall, our results support the assumption that changes in gender-typical aspirations during adolescence are the result of an interplay between opportunity structures offered by the upper-secondary school track, identity and status considerations.
Profilometry of an optical microfiber based on modal evolution
Authors: Jafari Foroogh , Ranjbar-Naeini Omid R. , Zibaii Mohammad I. , Latifi Hamid 
Published: November 2020

The waist diameter of a tapered optical fiber (TOF) has been determined using the modal evolution during the tapering process of a single-mode optical fiber (SMF28) through the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) analysis. The STFT was utilized to calculate the cutoff moment of the different modes. By the knowledge of the cutoff diameter, the final diameter of the waist with accuracy better than 5 nm was measured. The TOF shape depends on the flame parameters, the material properties, and the stretching conditions. By calculating the TOF deformation rate of the TOF, the diameter of TOFs near the waist has been measured with an accuracy of 6.1%; moreover, the TOFs were fabricated with a non-uniform flame.
Anaesthetists’ attitudes towards attending the funerals of their patients: A cross-sectional study among Australian and New Zealand anaesthetists
Authors: Kim Kwangtaek , Churilov Leonid , Tan Chong Oon , Phan Tuong , Geertsema Jake , Krieser Roni , Mehra Rishi , Stewart Paul Anthony , Rachbuch Clive , Huang Andrew , Weinberg Laurence 
Published: November 2020

A patient’s death can pose significant stress on the family and the treating anaesthetist. Anaesthetists’ attitudes about the benefits of and barriers to attending a patient’s funeral are unknown. Therefore, we performed a prospective, cross-sectional study to ascertain the frequency of anaesthetists’ attendance at a patient’s funeral and their perceptions about the benefits and barriers. The primary aim was to investigate the attitudes of anaesthetists towards attending the funeral of a patient. The secondary aims were to examine the perceived benefits of and barriers to attending the funeral and to explore the rate of bonds being formed between anaesthetists, patients and families. Of the 424 anaesthetists who completed the survey (response rate 21.2%), 25 (5.9%) had attended a patient’s funeral. Of the participants, 364 (85.9%) rarely formed special bonds with patients or their families; 233 (55%) believed that forming a special bond would increase the likelihood of their attendance. Showing respect to patients or their families was the most commonly perceived benefit of attending a funeral. Participants found expression of personal grief and caring for the patient at the end-of-life and beyond beneficial to themselves and the family. Fear of their attendance being misinterpreted or perceived as not warranted by the family as well as time restraints were barriers for their attendance. Most anaesthetists had never attended a patient’s funeral. Few anaesthetists form close relationships with patients or their families. Respect, expression of grief and caring beyond life were perceived benefits of attendance. Families misinterpreting the purpose of attendance or not expecting their attendance and time restraints were commonly perceived barriers.
Trial registration: ACTRN 12618000503224.
Serum electrolytes disorder and its associated factors among adults admitted with metabolic syndrome in Jimma Medical Center, South West Ethiopia: Facility based crossectional study
Authors: Timerga Abebe , Kelta Endryas , Kenenisa Chala , Zawdie Belay , Habte Aklilu , Haile Kassahun 
Published: November 2020

Background
Electrolytes play an important role in controlling acid base balance, blood clotting, and body fluid and muscle contractions. Serum electrolytes concentrations are most commonly used tests for assessment of a patient’s clinical conditions, and are associated with morbidity and mortality. Any derangements from the normal range of electrolyte levels in the body is described as electrolyte disorders. The Current study was aimed to determine serum electrolytes disorder and its associated factors among adults admitted with metabolic syndrome at Jimma medical center, South West Ethiopia.

Methods
A Facility based cross sectional study was conducted on 256 patients admitted medical center with metabolic syndrome during the study period. The World Health Organization stepwise assessment tools and patients’ medical records were used to collect information on factors associated with electrolyte disorders. Bivariable and Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with electrolyte disorder at the level of significance of p value <0.25 with 95% confidence interval of crude odds ratio and <0.05 with 95% confidence interval of adjusted odds ratio respectively.

Results
The overall prevalence of electrolyte disorders was 44.1% (95%CI:40.99–47.20) with hyponatremia 42.9% (95%CI:39.81–45.99) as the leading electrolyte disorder followed by hypokalemia 20.7% (95%CI:18.17–23.23), hypochloremia 17.6% (95%CI:15.22–19.98) and hypocalcemia 9.4% (95%CI:7.57–11.22). Non-formal education [AOR: 6.81; 95%CI:(3.48,17.01)] alcohol consumption [AOR: 4.28; 95%CI:(1.71,10.70)], diuretics, diuretics [AOR: 4.39; 95%CI:(2.10,9.15)], antidiabetics [AOR: 5.18; 95%CI:(2.44,11.00)], and body mass index [AOR: 11.51; 95%CI:(3.50,18.81)] were identified as independent factors for electrolyte disturbance in multivariable logistic regression.

Conclusion
The finding of the study revealed that nearly half the study participants with metabolic syndromes had electrolyte disorder. Educational status, habit of alcohol consumption, diuretics, antidiabetics, and having higher body mass index were the independent factors associated with electrolyte disorders. Determination of Serum electrolytes, proper administration of diuretic and health education on behavioral factors were the necessary measures that should be done by concerned bodies to reduce electrolytes disorder.