bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction model for COVID-19 patient visits in the ambulatory setting
Authors: Li Riza C. , Harrison Cecelia K. , Jurkovitz Claudine T. , Papas Mia A. , Ndura Kevin , Kerzner Roger , Teal Cydney , Chiam Tze 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Objective Healthcare systems globally were shocked by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Policies put in place to curb the tide of the pandemic resulted in a decrease of patient volumes throughout the ambulatory system. The future implications of COVID-19 in healthcare are still unknown, specifically the continued impact on the ambulatory landscape. The primary objective of this study is to accurately forecast the number of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 weekly visits in primary care practices.Materials and Methods This retrospective study was conducted in a single health system in Delaware. All patients’ records were abstracted from our electronic health records system (EHR) from January 1, 2019 to July 25, 2020. Patient demographics and comorbidities were compared using t-tests, Chi square, and Mann Whitney U analyses as appropriate. ARIMA time series models were developed to provide an 8-week future forecast for two ambulatory practices (AmbP) and compare it to a naïve moving average approach.Results Among the 271,530 patients considered during this study period, 4,195 patients (1.5%) were identified as COVID-19 patients. The best fitting ARIMA models for the two AmbP are as follows: AmbP1 COVID-19+ ARIMAX(4,0,1), AmbP1 nonCOVID-19 ARIMA(2,0,1), AmbP2 COVID-19+ ARIMAX(1,1,1), and AmbP2 nonCOVID-19 ARIMA(1,0,0).Discussion and Conclusion: Accurately predicting future patient volumes in the ambulatory setting is essential for resource planning and developing safety guidelines. Our findings show that a time series model that accounts for the number of positive COVID-19 patients delivers better performance than a moving average approach for predicting weekly ambulatory patient volumes in a short-term period.
Linked changes in visual acuity, cortical population receptive field size, visual field map size, and retinal thickness in healthy human aging
Authors: Silva Maria Fatima , Harvey Ben , Jorge Lília , Canário Nádia , Machado Fátima , Soares Mário , Castelo-Branco Miguel 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Healthy human aging is associated with a deterioration of visual acuity, retinal thinning, visual field map shrinkage and increasing population receptive field sizes. Here we ask how these changes are related to each other in a cross-sectional sample of fifty healthy adults aged 20-80 years. We therefore hypothesized that age-related loss of macular retinal ganglion cells may lead to decreased visual field map sizes, and both may lead to increased pRF sizes in the cortical central visual field representation. We measured our participants’ perceptual corrected visual acuity using standard ophthalmological letter charts. We then measured their early visual field map (V1, V2 and V3) functional population receptive field (pRF) sizes and structural surface areas using fMRI, and their retinal structure using high-definition optical coherence tomography. With increasing age visual acuity decreased, pRF sizes increased, visual field maps surface areas decreased, and retinal thickness decreased. Among these measures, only functional pRF sizes predicted perceptual visual acuity, and Bayesian statistics support a null relationship between visual acuity and cortical or retinal structure. However, pRF sizes were in turn predicted by cortical structure only (visual field map surface areas), which were only predicted by retinal structure (thickness). These results suggest that linked disruptions of neural structure and function throughout the early visual system underlie the deterioration of perceptual visual acuity in healthy aging.
Factors associated with overall survival after recurrence in patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer: An ad-hoc analysis of the JBCRG-C06 Safari study
Authors: Kawaguchi Hidetoshi , Yamamoto Yutaka , Saji Shigehira , Masuda Norikazu , Nakayama Takahiro , Aogi Kenjiro , Anan Keisei , Ito Yoshinori , Ohtani Shoichiro , Sato Nobuaki , Takano Toshimi , Tokunaga Eriko , Nakamura Seigo , Hasegawa Yoshie , Hattori Masaya , Fujisawa Tomomi , Morita Satoshi , Yamaguchi Miki , Yamashita Hiroko , Yamashita Toshinari , Yotsumoto Daisuke , Toi Masakazu , Ohno Shinji 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background

The Safari study (UMIN 000015168) was a retrospective, multicenter study in which 1072 consecutive cases of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) advanced breast cancer (ABC) treated using 500 mg fulvestrant were registered. We previously reported the relationship between the patient factors and overall survival (OS) after the diagnosis using the same cases and the same factors for the analysis of time to treatment failure (TTF) in patients with ER + ABC. The current study is an ad-hoc analysis that focused on the relationship between the patient factors and OS after recurrence by adding factors generally associated with OS after recurrence.
Methods

The OS after recurrence in patients with ER + human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2−) recurrent breast cancer was analyzed via univariate and multivariate analyses with a Cox proportional hazards model.
Results

A total of 598 cases were used for the analysis of OS after recurrence. Multivariate analysis revealed that favorable OS (median, 6.4 years) was significantly correlated with long time from recurrence to fulvestrant use (≥ 3 years), low nuclear or histological grade (G3 vs. G1), long TTF of initial palliative endocrine therapy (≥ 12 months), and long time to initial palliative chemotherapy (≥ 2 years).
Conclusion

In patients with ER + HER2 − recurrent breast cancer who received endocrine therapy as the primary palliative treatment, the low proliferation activity of the tumor at the first diagnosis, sensitivity to initial endocrine therapy after the recurrence, and long time to the initiation of chemotherapy might be correlated with the favorable OS after recurrence.
Trial registration:

University Hospital Medical Information Network: UMIN 000015168, 2014/09/16
Alternate Event-triggered Aperiodically Intermittent Control for Synchronization of Multi-weighted Complex Networks
Authors: Xu Dongsheng , Su Huan , Guo Chenfei 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
In this paper, the exponential synchronization problem for multi-weighted complex networks via alternate event-triggered aperiodically intermittent control (AETAIC) is considered. Different from existing literature, the proposed AETAIC is triggered alternatively by two pre-defined conditions, which can fast react to asynchronous external events and show better real-time control performance. Meanwhile, AETAIC removes the restrictions of traditional intermittent control on the lower bound of control intervals and upper bound of control periods or the maximum proportion of rest intervals. Though graph theory and Lyapunov method, several sufficient conditions are given to ensure exponential synchronization of the studied networks and Zeno behaviors can be excluded. Moreover, the theoretical results demonstrate that the control gain affects the control widths and exponential convergence rate, which shows that AETAIC can further reduce the frequency of controller updates and release the computation burdens. Finally, in order to illustrate the theoretical results, two practical applications about Chua's circuits and coupled oscillators are presented. Meanwhile, numerical simulations are provided to validate the effectiveness of the results.
The relative importance of litter nutrients, C-related, and physical traits in controlling litter decomposition vary substantially between deciduous and evergreen species
Authors: Sun Zhaolin , Tian Peng , Zhao Xuechao , Liu Shengen , Wang Yanping , Wang Shunzhong , Fang Xiangmin , Wang Qingkui 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Litter decomposition plays important roles in maintaining ecosystem function and controlling carbon (C) and nutrient cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Thus, understanding its fundamental controlling factors is of great value to improve the accuracy of biologically driven global carbon (C) cycle of prediction models. In this study, we conducted a field decomposition experiment with 205 tree species litters and quantified the relative importance of litter nutrients, C-related and physical traits in controlling litter decomposition in different plant functional groups. The results showed that across all species, litter nutrients (65.1%) explained more variation in litter decomposition than physical (17.5%) and C-related traits (17.4%). Litter nutrients had lower explanation for deciduous species (47.0%) than for evergreen species (77.9%), while C-related and physical traits had higher explanation for deciduous litters (20.5% and 32.5%) than for evergreen species (13.5% and 8.6%), suggesting that the importance of these three categorized litter traits in controlling litter decomposability was plant functional type dependent. Nitrogen, tannins and water saturation capacity were the best predictors of litter decomposition among nutrients, C-related and physical traits, respectively, irrespective of plant functional types. In sum, our findings highlight the differences in the roles of initial litter nutrients, C-related and physical traits in regulating litter decomposition and suggest that litter trait-decomposition relationships vary substantially between deciduous and evergreen species, necessitating their explicit consideration in Earth’s C cycle models to improve the accuracy of predicting litter decomposition.
A brief gestalt intervention changes ultrasound measures of tongue movement during breastfeeding: case series
Authors: Douglas Pamela Sylvia , Perella Sharon Lisa , Geddes Donna Tracy 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Abstract Background Lactation consultants frequently advise adjustments to fit and hold (or positioning and attachment) with the aim of optimising intra-oral nipple placement. However, approaches to fit and hold interventions vary widely, with little evidence of benefits, and effects of fit and hold on infant tongue movement have not been examined. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate whether a gestalt breastfeeding intervention alters tongue movement, using measurements from ultrasound imaging to determine nipple placement and intra-oral nipple and breast tissue dimensions. Methods Ultrasound measurements were conducted in five breastfeeding dyads, infants aged between four and 20 weeks, while feeding in their usual or ‘standard’ position and again after brief application of gestalt principles of fit and hold. Four of the mother-baby pairs, who had received comprehensive lactation support, reported persisting nipple pain. Three of these infants had difficulty latching and fussed at the breast; three had been diagnosed with oral ties. A fifth pair was breastfeeding successfully. Results Ultrasound demonstrated that the distance from nipple tip to junction of the hard and soft palate decreased, intra-oral nipple and breast tissue dimensions increased, and nipple slide decreased after a brief gestalt intervention. Conclusion These preliminary findings suggest that changes in fit and hold impact on infant tongue movement. Further research investigating short-and long-term outcomes of a gestalt breastfeeding intervention in larger cohorts is required.
The effects on self-efficacy, motivation and perceived barriers of an intervention targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviours in office workers: A cluster randomized control trial
Authors: Blom Victoria , Drake Emma , Kallings Lena V. , Ekblom Maria M. , Nooijen Carla F. J. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background

The importance of physical activity on health is clear, but changing behaviour is difficult. Successful interventions aiming to improve physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour is therefore of importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects on motivation, self-efficacy and barriers to change behaviour from two different behavioral intervention focusing either on reducing sedentary behaviour or on increasing physical activity as compared to a waiting list control group
Methods

The study was designed as a cluster randomized control trial (RCT) within two private companies. Self-efficacy, motivation and perceived barriers were together with demographic variables assessed before and after a 6-month intervention. Participants were assigned a cluster team which was randomly allocated to either the physical activity intervention (iPA), the sedentary behaviour intervention (iSED), or control group. Group differences were determined using Bayesian multilevel modelling (parameter estimate; credible interval (CI)), analysing complete cases and those who adhered to the protocol by adhering to at least 3 out of 5 intervention sessions.
Results

After the intervention, the complete cases analysis showed that the iPA group had significantly higher autonomous motivation (0.33, CI: 0.05–0.61) and controlled motivation (0.27, CI: 0.04–0.51) for physical activity compared with the control group, and the iSED group scored less autonomous and controlled motivation compared to the iPA group (0.38, CI: -0.69- -0.087 respectively − 0.32, CI: -0.57-0.07). Among individuals that adhered to the protocol, the results showed higher scores on Exercise (3.03, CI: 0.28–6.02) and Sedentary self-efficacy (3.59, CI: 0.35–7.15) for individuals in the iPA group and on Sedentary self-efficacy (4.77, CI: 0.59–9.44) for the iSED group compared to the control group.
Conclusion

These findings indicate that the
interventions were successful in increasing self-efficacy in each
intervention group and autonomous motivation for exercise in the
iPA group, in particular when actively participating in the
motivational counselling sessions.
Comparative Study of Modified Conical Cavity Receiver With Other Receivers for Solar Paraboloidal Dish Collector System
Authors: K Arjun Singh , NATARAJAN SENDHIL KUMAR 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Solar Parabolic Dish Concentrators are one of the most efficient solar power conversion technologies. The cavity receivers are most common type, used for reducing the heat losses from the receiver. In this paper a novel cavity receiver is proposed and the objective is to compare the novel modified conical cavity receiver with the existing cavity receivers such as cylindrical, conical and modified cavity receivers. The cavity receivers are designed for the parabolic dish of 4m diameter which is installed at National Institute of Technology Puducherry, India. Ray tracing analysis is carried out to determine the size of the receiver. The analysis was carried out for various orientations of the receivers from 0° to 90° with a step size of 15° and also for the cavity temperatures: 300℃, 400℃, 500℃, 600℃ and 700℃. Based on the results obtained the modified conical cavity receiver is found to be the best design in terms of minimum heat losses compared to other receivers. The next best choices are found to be modified cavity, conical cavity and cylindrical cavity receiver. The whole analysis is conducted with a developed model in COMSOL Multiphysics.
Predicting the probability of transforming different classes of monthly droughts in Iran
Authors: Mahmoudi Peyman , Rigi Allahbakhsh 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The main objective of this study was to predict the transition probability of different drought classes by applying Homogenous and non- Homogenous Markov chain models. The daily precipitation data of 40 synoptic stations in Iran, for a period of 35 years (1983–2018), was used to access the study objectives. The Effective Drought Index (EDI) was applied to categorize Iran’s droughts. With the implementation of cluster analysis on the daily values of effective drought index (EDI), it was observed that Iran can be divided into five separate regions based on the behavior of the time series of the studied stations. The spatial mean of the effective drought index (EDI) of each region was also calculated. After forming the transition frequency matrix, the dependent and correlated test of data was conducted via chi-square test. The results of this test confirmed the assumption that the various drought classes are correlated in five studied regions. Eventually, after adjusting the transition probability matrix for the studied regions, the homogenous and non-homogenous Markov chains were modeled and Markov characteristics of droughts were extracted including various class probabilities of drought severity, the average expected residence time in each drought class, the expected first passage time from various classes of droughts to the wet classes, and the short-term prediction of various drought classes. Regarding these climate areas, the results showed that the probability of each category is reduced as the severity of drought increases from poor drought category to severe and very severe drought. In the non-homogeneous Markov chain, the probability of each category of drought for winter, spring, and fall indicated that the probability of weak drought category is more than other categories. Since the obtained anticipating results are dependent on the early months, they were more accurate than those of the homogeneous Markov chain. In general, both Markov chains showed favorable results that can be very useful for water resource planners.
Effectiveness of Zinc Chloride Mouthwashes on Oral Mucositis and Weight of Patients with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy
Authors: oshvandi khodayar , Vafaei Seyed Yaser , Kamallan Seyed Ramesh , Khazaei Salman , Ranjbar Hossein , Mohammadi Fateme 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background: Oral mucositis is one of the most emerging and debilitating complications of chemotherapy during the treatment period, which strongly affects the nutritional status and physical and mental condition of these patients. Zinc can efficiently prevent and treat oral mucositis and promote oral health due to its increased protein synthesis and improved cell membrane stability and membrane wound healing. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of zinc chloride mouthwash on the prevention, incidence, and severity of oral mucositis in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.Methods: The present study was a randomized control trial study.96 patients with a cancer diagnosis selected from one oncology clinic affiliated to the University of Medical Sciences in western Iran. Then they assigned randomly to the zinc chloride group and placebo group. The patients in each group should rinse their mouths every 8 hours two times and each time 2 min with 7.5 ml from mouthwash. The severity of mucositis and weight loss examined blindly at the baseline and 3-week follow-up.Results: The incidence and severity of oral mucositis between groups was significant at the end of the first (p < 0.026), second (p < 0.002) and third (p < 0.001) week. The mucositis severity controlled welly during the third weeks in the zinc chloride group. The difference in the weight loss was significant between the zinc chloride and the placebo group (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Zinc chloride mouthwash was effective in preventing and reducing the severity of oral mucositis and improving weight in these patients, and can be recommended for patients undergoing chemotherapy.Trial registration: We can therefore recommend zinc chloride as preventive care at the beginning of chemotherapy to improve oral health and subsequently preventing weight loss in these patients.
Stability of Radiomic Features in Fast Scanned FLAIR&nbsp;for Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Comparison With Conventional FLAIR&nbsp;
Authors: Joo Leehi , Jung Seung Chai , Lee Hyunna , Park Seo Young , Kim Minjae , Park Ji Eun , Choi Keum Mi 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
From May 2015 to June 2016, 296 patients undergoing 1.5-Tesla MRI for symptoms of acute ischemic stroke were retrospectively enrolled. Conventional, echo-planar imaging (EPI) and echo train length (ETL)-FLAIR were simultaneously obtained in 118 patients (1st group), and conventional, ETL-, and repetition time (TR)-FLAIR were simultaneously obtained in 178 patients (2nd group). A total of 595 radiomics features were extracted from one region-of-interest (ROI) reflecting the acute and chronic ischemic hyperintensity, and concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) of the radiomics features were calculated between the fast scanned and conventional FLAIR for paired patients (1st group and 2nd group). Stabilities of the radiomics features were compared with the proportions of features with a CCC higher than 0.85, which were considered to be stable in the fast scanned FLAIR. EPI-FLAIR showed higher proportions of stable features than ETL-FLAIR, and TR-FLAIR also showed higher proportions of stable features than ETL-FLAIR, both in acute and chronic ischemic hyperintensities of whole- and intersection masks (p <.002). Radiomics features in fast scanned FLAIR showed variable stabilities according to the sequences compared with conventional FLAIR. Therefore, radiomics features may be used cautiously in applications for feature analysis as their stability and robustness can be variable.
Giant Mesozoic Coelacanths (Osteichthyes, Actinistia) Reveal High Body Size Disparity Decoupled From Taxic Diversity
Authors: Cavin Lionel , Piuz André , Ferrante Christophe , Guinot Guillaume 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The positive correlation between speciation rates and morphological evolution expressed by body size is a macroevolutionary trait of vertebrates. Although taxic diversification and morphological evolution are slow in coelacanths, their fossil record indicates that large and small species coexisted, which calls into question the link between morphological and body size disparities. Here, we describe and reassess fossils of giant coelacanths. Two genera reached up to 5 meters long, placing them among the ten largest bony fish that ever lived. The disparity in body size adjusted to taxic diversity is much greater in coelacanths than in ray-finned fishes, and is decoupled from a high rate of speciation or a high rate of morphological evolution. Genomic and physiological characteristics of the extant Latimeria may reflect how the extinct relatives grew to such a large size. These characteristics highlight new evolutionary traits specific to these “living fossils”.
The Evaluation of Patient Demographics, Etiologies and Apraclonidine Test Results in Adult Horner's Syndrome
Authors: Karti Dilek Top , karti omer , Durmaz Gulsum Saruhan , Gokcay Figen , Celebisoy Nese 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Purpose: We aimed to demonstrate the patient demographics, etiologies and apraclonidine test results in adult Horner's syndrome Methods: This retrospective study was performed by the analysis of medical data of patients who were given 0.5% apraclonidine test. Patients' past medical history, demographic data, etiologies, accompanying neurological findings, and pharmacological test results were assessed.Results: Forty patients (21 females and 19 males) with a mean age of 50.3 ± 11.6 years were evaluated. Apraclonidine 0.5% test was positive in 37 patients (92.5%). An etiology could be identified in 20 patients (central (9 patients, 45%), preganglionic (9 patients, 45%), and postganglionic (2 patients, 10%)). Neurological findings accompanying Horner’s syndrome were present in 9 patients.Conclusion: Despite detailed investigations, in a significant number of patients with Horner's syndrome an underlying cause may not be detected. Among the identifiable lesions, central and preganglionic involvements are still the first leading causes of Horner's syndrome. In addition, apraclonidine test may not be positive in all patients and a negative response does not exclude Horner's syndrome.