bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantitative assessment of machine learning reliability and resilience
Authors: Faddi Zakaria , da Mata Karen , Silva Priscila , Nagaraju Vidhyashree , Ghosh Susmita , Kul Gokhan , Fiondella Lance 
Published: July 2024

AbstractAdvances in machine learning (ML) have led to applications in safety‐critical domains, including security, defense, and healthcare. These ML models are confronted with dynamically changing and actively hostile conditions characteristic of real‐world applications, requiring systems incorporating ML to be reliable and resilient. Many studies propose techniques to improve the robustness of ML algorithms. However, fewer consider quantitative techniques to assess changes in the reliability and resilience of these systems over time. To address this gap, this study demonstrates how to collect relevant data during the training and testing of ML suitable for the application of software reliability, with and without covariates, and resilience models and the subsequent interpretation of these analyses. The proposed approach promotes quantitative risk assessment of ML technologies, providing the ability to track and predict degradation and improvement in the ML model performance and assisting ML and system engineers with an objective approach to compare the relative effectiveness of alternative training and testing methods. The approach is illustrated in the context of an image recognition model, which is subjected to two generative adversarial attacks and then iteratively retrained to improve the system's performance. Our results indicate that software reliability models incorporating covariates characterized the misclassification discovery process more accurately than models without covariates. Moreover, the resilience model based on multiple linear regression incorporating interactions between covariates tracks and predicts degradation and recovery of performance best. Thus, software reliability and resilience models offer rigorous quantitative assurance methods for ML‐enabled systems and processes.
Does democracy stimulate remittances?
Authors: Makhlouf Farid 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThe phenomenon of remittances is the subject of intense debate among politicians, researchers, and academics. This is because it touches on a multitude of human, economic, and financial aspects. This paper empirically investigates the empirical relationship between political systems and remittances in order to understand how changes in political systems in the home and host countries affect remittances. By using the gravity model of bilateral remittance flows for 101 sending countries and 92 developing receiving countries for the period 2010–2017. Findings indicate that strengthening democratic processes in countries of origin leads to more remittances. This result is most pronounced in low‐income countries. However, democracy in host countries has a negative effect on remittances. These findings are robust to the different techniques and specifications used. Strengthening democratic institutions in low‐income countries can attract more financial flows.
Global dynamics and spatiotemporal patterns of a two‐species chemotaxis system with chemical signaling loop and Lotka–Volterra competition
Authors: Pan Xu , Mu Chunlai , Tao Weirun 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis paper considers a two‐species chemotaxis system with chemical signaling loop and Lotka–Volterra competition kinetics under the homogeneous Newman boundary condition in smooth bounded domains. The global existence and boundedness of solutions for the parabolic–elliptic/parabolic–parabolic system are established. In the strong competition case, the global stability of the semitrivial constant steady state is obtained under certain parameter conditions. Linear analyzes and numerical simulations demonstrate that chemical signaling loop can significantly impact population dynamics, and admit the coexistence in the exclusion competitive case, including nonconstant steady states, chaos, and spatially inhomogeneous time‐periodic types.
Spatiotemporal analysis of regional and age differences in tuberculosis prevalence in mainland China
Authors: Huang Fengwen , Bello Stephen Temitayo 
Published: July 2024

AbstractGlobally, tuberculosis is a leading cause of infectious disease deaths. China ranks third among the 30 high‐burden countries for tuberculosis and accounts for approximately 7.4% of the cases reported worldwide. Since very few studies have investigated the age difference in tuberculosis prevalence in mainland China, therefore, the preliminary characterisation of age differences in tuberculosis patients is not well understood. The data of reported sputum smear‐positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear‐negative cases in 340 prefectures from mainland China were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention from January 2009 to December 2018. Multiple statistical analysis and GIS techniques were used to investigate the temporal trend and identify the spatial distribution of sputum smear‐positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear‐negative cases in the study area. The results showed that the incidence of sputum smear‐positive and tuberculosis has dropped to a stable level, while sputum smear‐negative exhibited a rising trend. Additionally, sputum smear‐positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear‐negative are still highly prevalent in northwestern and southwestern regions of China. Interestingly, the young adult group (20–50 age) and elder group (>50 age) are more susceptible to being infected with tuberculosis, while lower infection levels were recorded in the juvenile group (<20 age). The present study investigated the temporal–spatial distribution of sputum smear‐positive, tuberculosis and sputum smear‐negative cases in mainland China before the COVID‐19 pandemic breakout, which would help the government agency establish an effective mechanism of tuberculosis prevention in high‐risk periods and high‐risk areas in the study region.
The first and second moments for the length of the period of the continued fraction expansion for d$\sqrt {d}$
Authors: Battistoni Francesco , Grenié Loïc , Molteni Giuseppe 
Published: July 2024

AbstractLet be any positive and non‐square integer. We prove an upper bound for the first two moments of the length of the period of the continued fraction expansion for . This allows to improve the existing results for the large deviations of .
Relationship Between Motor Competence and Soccer-Specific Skills: A Longitudinal Study With Young Players
Authors: Fortunato Álvaro , Gonçalves Celina , Lopes Vítor P. 
Published: July 2024

The complexity of interactions in team sports requires players to have excellent technical skills. The purpose of this study was to longitudinally investigate the predictive value of motor competence (MC) on soccer-specific skills development. Participants were n = 79 boys, aged between 5.89 and 14.63 years at baseline followed for 3 consecutive years. MC was assessed with Körperkoordination Test für Kinder, and soccer-specific skills were assessed with soccer wall-volley, soccer dribble, juggling, and shuttle run with a ball. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate developmental trajectories of proficiency in soccer-specific skills. The final model shows that soccer-specific skills proficiency significantly improved, and that MC was a significant predictor of this improvement. For every point increase in MC, the change in soccer-specific skills proficiency improved to 0.03 z scores each year. In conclusion, MC is a predictor of specific soccer skills.
Therapeutic efficacy of pyronaridine-artesunate (Pyramax) in treating
Plasmodium vivax
malaria in the central highlands of Vietnam
Authors: Manh Nguyen Duc , Thanh Nguyen Van , Quang Huynh Hong , Van Nguyen Thi Thanh , San Nguyen Ngoc , Phong Nguen Chinh , Birrell Geoffrey W. , Edgel Kimberly A. , Martin Nicholas J. , Edstein Michael D. , Chavchich Marina 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT

The emergence and spread of chloroquine-resistant
Plasmodium vivax
have necessitated the assessment of alternative blood schizonticidal drugs. In Vietnam, chloroquine-resistant
P. vivax
malaria has been reported. In an open-label, single-arm trial, the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of pyronaridine-artesunate (Pyramax, PA) was evaluated in Dak Nong province, Vietnam. A 3-day course of PA was administered to adults and children (≥20 kg) infected with
P. vivax
. Patients also received primaquine (0.25 mg/kg daily for 14 days). PA was well tolerated with transient asymptomatic increases in liver transaminases. The per-protocol proportion of patients with day 42 PCR-unadjusted adequate clinical and parasitological response was 96.0% (95% CI, 84.9%–99.0%,
n
= 48/50). The median parasite clearance time was 12 h (range, 12–36 h), with a median fever clearance time of 24 h (range, 12–60 h). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as potential genetic markers of reduced drug susceptibility were analyzed in three putative drug resistance markers,
Pvcrt-o
,
Pvmdr1
, and
PvK12
. Insertion at position K10 of the
Pvcrt-o
gene was found in 74.6% (44/59) of isolates.
Pvmdr1
SNPs at Y976F and F1076L were present in 61% (36/59) and 78% (46/59), respectively. Amplification of
Pvmdr1
gene (two copies) was found in 5.1% (3/59) of parasite samples. Only 5.1% (3/59) of isolates had mutation 552I of the
PvK12
gene. Overall, PA rapidly cleared
P. vivax
blood asexual stages and was highly efficacious in treating vivax malaria, with no evidence of artemisinin resistance found. PA provides an alternative to chloroquine treatment for vivax malaria in Vietnam.

CLINICAL TRIALS

This study is registered with the

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry
as
ACTRN12618001429246

.
Unusual A(H1N7) influenza A virus isolated from free-range domestic ducks in Bangladesh, 2023
Authors: Turner Jasmine C. M. , Walker David , Hasan Md. Kamrul , Akhtar Sharmin , Barman Subrata , Mukherjee Nabanita , McKenzie Pamela , Webby Richard J. , Feeroz Mohammed M. 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT

In Bangladesh, free-range duck farms provide opportunities for the generation of novel influenza A viruses as evidenced by the emergence of an unusual A(H1N7) virus in 2023. Continued surveillance of such environments for the potential emergence of influenza A viruses with novel properties remains a priority.
Challenges, barriers and solutions for implementing clinical practice guidelines: a qualitative study in southern Iran
Authors: Salari Hedayat , Najm Fatemeh , Yazdankhahfard Mohammadreza , Esfandiari Atefeh 
Published: July 2024

BackgroundIdentifying the challenges of implementing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) can provide valuable information for decision-makers and health policymakers at the national and local levels. The implementation of CPGs requires the development of strategies to facilitate their use. This research aimed to determine the challenges, barriers and solutions for implementing CPGs from the expert point of view in Bushehr University of Medical Sciences.MethodsThis qualitative research uses content analysis conducted in 2022 in southern Iran. In-depth interviews were conducted with the physicians and experts in the health system. Interviewing continued until reaching the saturation level. Altogether, 22 experts were interviewed. The interview guide was used to explore experts’ opinions. All the interviews were recorded and then transcribed. Finally, coding and data analysis was done using MAXQDA 2022 software.ResultsThe analysis revealed 4 main themes and 20 subthemes. The four main themes included challenges related to physicians, medical education, the health system and patients. The most common themes were the lack of sufficient training (related to the medical education system), equipment and infrastructure, and the lack of adaptation of clinical guidelines (related to the health system). The solutions included 4 main themes and 19 subthemes.ConclusionThe most mentioned topic by the experts was training CPGs in medical schools. In Iran’s current medical education system, the training of CPGs is not included in the curriculum. It is proposed to reform the medical education system in Iran. In addition, health inequalities such as lack of access to equipment, supplies and insurance in under-resourced areas and disparities in research/training/medical education should be addressed to improve the validity of guidelines.
Reappraisal and refined diagnosis of ultrasonography and histological findings for hydatidiform moles: a multicentre retrospective study of 821 patients
Authors: Zhao Yating , Cai Limeng , Huang Bo , Yin Xiangang , Pan Dan , Dong Jie , Zheng Lei , Chen Hao , Lin Jun , Shou Huafeng , Zhao Zhigang , Jin Lanying , Zhu Xiaoxu , Cai Luya , Zhang Xiaofei , Qian Jianhua 
Published: July 2024

AimsSpecific identification of a hydatidiform mole (HM) and subclassification of a complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) or partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) are critical. This study aimed to reappraise the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography and histology with a refined diagnosis.MethodsThis was a retrospective, multicentre cohort study of 821 patients with histologically suspected HM specimens. Refined diagnostic algorithms with p57 immunohistochemistry and short tandem repeat (STR) genotyping were performed and used as the true standard for assessing the diagnostic performance of the original ultrasonography and morphology methods. The diagnostic performance was calculated using accuracy, agreement rate, sensitivity and the positive predictive value (PPV) compared with refined diagnostic results.ResultsOf the 821 histologically suspected HM cases included, 788 (95.98%) were successfully reclassified into 448 CHMs, 213 PHMs and 127 non-molar (NM) abortuses. Ultrasonography showed an overall accuracy of 44.38%, with a sensitivity of 44.33% for CHM and 37.5% for PHM. The overall classification accuracy of the original morphological diagnosis was 65.97%. After exclusion of the initially untyped HMs, the overall agreement rate was 59.11% (κ=0.364, p<0.0001) between the original and refined diagnoses, with a sensitivity of 40.09% and PPV of 96.05% for diagnosing CHMs and a sensitivity of 84.98% and a PPV of 45.59% for diagnosing PHMs. The interinstitutional variability of morphology in diagnosing HMs was significant among the 15 centres (range, 8.33%–100.00%, p<0.0001).ConclusionThe current diagnosis of HM based solely on ultrasound or morphology remains problematic, and ancillary techniques, particularly p57 immunohistochemistry and DNA genotyping, should be integrated into routine practice as much as possible.
Chronic mitral regurgitation predicts acute heart failure and worse outcomes after endovascular treatment for large vessel occlusion stroke
Authors: Chen Liyuan , Gong Chen , Huang Jiacheng , Chen Yangmei , Sang Hongfei , Kong Weilin , Guo Meng , Huang Liping , Chen Boyu , Nguyen Thanh N , Liu Chang 
Published: July 2024

BackgroundValvular diseases are widely recognized as important etiologies for large vessel occlusion stroke (LVO) but their impact on outcomes among patients with LVO receiving endovascular treatment (EVT) are less well delineated.MethodsThis study was a post hoc exploratory analysis of the RESCUE-BT trial, DEVT trial and BASILAR prospective registry. Outcome measures included the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and post-stroke early acute heart failure (EAHF). Chronic significant mitral regurgitation (csMR) was defined as a long-existing mitral regurgitation (MR) with moderate-to-severe MR grade examined by the transthoracic echocardiography. Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained by logistic regression models.ResultsAmong 2011 patients in these three studies, 837 individuals receiving EVT with available information for valvular status were included in this study. In all categories of chronic valvular disorders, only csMR was related to very poor outcomes (mRS 5–6, aOR 2.76 (95% CI 1.59 to 4.78), P<0.001). CsMR (aOR 7.65 (95% CI 4.33 to 13.49), P<0.001) was an independent predictor of post-stroke EAHF. Mediation analysis showed that csMR increased EAHF instead of reocclusion events or venous thrombosis mediated its effects on functional outcome (49.50% (95% CI 24.83% to 90.00%)). Identical results of csMR on clinical outcomes and post-stroke EAHF were detected in novel cohorts constructed by propensity score matching and sensitivity analysis.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that csMR was a mediator of heart-brain interaction associated with poor outcomes of LVO after EVT by increasing the frequency of post-stroke EAHF. Replication of these findings in a larger cohort is warranted.
Prevalence of sexually transmitted infection in pregnancy and their association with adverse birth outcomes: a case–control study at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi
Authors: van der Veer Charlotte , Kondoni Chifundo , Kuyere Annie , Mtonga Fatima , Nyasulu Vita , Shaba George , Morroni Chelsea , Gadama Gladys , Gadama Luis , Kawaza Kondwani , Dube Queen , French Neil , Lissauer David , Freyne Bridget 
Published: July 2024

BackgroundThere are limited data on the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and their contribution to adverse birth outcomes (ABO) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We performed a case–control study to assess the prevalence of STI and their association with ABO among women attending Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.MethodsA composite case definition for ABO included stillborn, preterm and low birthweight infants and infants admitted to neonatal intensive care unit within 24 hours of birth. Following recruitment of an infant with an ABO, the next born healthy infant was recruited as a control. Multiplex PCR forNeisseria gonorrhoeae(NG),Chlamydia trachomatis(CT) andTrichomonas vaginalis(TV) was performed on maternal vaginal swabs. HIV and syphilis status was determined on maternal and infant serum. For syphilis, we used combined treponemal/non-treponemal rapid point-of-care tests in parallel with rapid plasma reagin tests, PCR forTreponema pallidumand clinical parameters to diagnose and stage the infection. We compared STI positivity between cases and controls.ResultsWe included 259 cases and 251 controls. Maternal prevalence of STI was 3.1%, 2.7% and 17.1% for NG, CT and TV, respectively. Maternal prevalence of untreated syphilis was 2.0% and 6.1% for early stage and late/unknown stage, respectively; prevalence of treated syphilis was 2.7%. The HIV prevalence was 16.5%. HIV infection significantly increased the odds for ABO (OR=3.31; 95% CI 1.10 to 9.91) as did NG positivity (OR=4.30; 95% CI 1.16 to 15.99). We observed higher rates of ABO among women with untreated maternal syphilis (early: OR=7.13; 95% CI 0.87 to 58.39, late/unknown stage: OR=1.43; 95% CI 0.65 to 3.15). Maternal TV and CT infections were not associated with ABO.ConclusionSTI prevalence among pregnant women in Malawi is comparable to other SSA countries. HIV, NG and untreated syphilis prevalence was higher among women with ABO compared with women with healthy infants.
Comparative impact of conventional and alternative gut health management programs on plasma and tibia attributes in broiler chickens raised in commercial and research settings
Authors: Bean-Hodgins L. , Mohammadigheisar M. , Edwards A.M. , Kiarie E. G. 
Published: July 2024

Plasma and tibia attributes were investigated in broiler chickens raised on three gut health management programs in commercial farms (study 1) and research station settings (study 2). The programs were as follows: (1) conventional antibiotics (CON), (2) raised without medically important antimicrobials (RWMIA), and (3) raised without antibiotics (RWA). Birds had free access to feed and water from placement to harvest; samples of blood and left tibia were collected on day 28 in both studies and further samples were taken on day 41 in study 2. In both studies, there were no program differences ( P > 0.05) on plasma metabolites with exception of enzyme concentrations with notably higher levels of circulating plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in birds reared on the RWA program ( P ≤ 0.04). Differences were observed among programs for tibia length in both studies ( P < 0.05). Birds reared on RWMIA exhibited significantly ( P = 0.016) higher tibia ash than CON on day 41. Observed differences in the plasma enzyme concentrations, tibia length, and ash concentration suggest altered metabolism which could be linked to gut health management programs and their ability to support gut integrity and function in the absence of antibiotics.
A pilot bioavailable strontium isotope baseline map of Southern British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Tarrant Damon , Hepburn Joe , Renson Virginie , Richards Michael 
Published: July 2024

Strontium isotopes are used for provenience and mobility studies in archaeology, ecology, and forensic studies, and rely on accurate baseline maps that are used to compare and interpret human and animal strontium ratios. Here, we present a bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map, also called an isoscape, for southern British Columbia derived from modern plant samples’ 87Sr/86Sr ratios. We sampled 67 medium root depth plants over a 900 km transect from the southern BC coast to inland BC to capture the natural 87Sr/86Sr ratios of plants along the four major geological belts in British Columbia. Non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis and pairwise Wilcox tests were used to examine whether the geological belts had statistically significant mean differences. It was found that the province could be effectively divided into east and west, with the Coastal–Intermontane and Omineca–Foreland regions having statistically different means from each other. 87Sr/86Sr ratios had statistically significant relationships with salt deposition, volcanic deposition, and mean age of the underlying lithology. Generally, 87Sr/86Sr ratios increased with distance from the coast as the atmospheric input of radiogenic strontium from marine-derived rainwater decreased and the input of radiogenic strontium isotopes from the underlying geology of the Rockies in the far east of the province increased.
Activity and Durability of Pt/Ir Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction as a Function of Different Platinum Shells
Authors: Kaplan D. , Tereshchuk P. , Sisorov S. , Popov I. , Remennik S. , Burstein L. , Shviro M. , Natan A. , Peled E. 
Published: July 2024

We performed a systematic experimental and theoretical analysis of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability of Pt/Ir catalysts featuring different platinum shells. Four Pt/Ir catalysts with different platinum monolayers (ML) on an iridium core were synthesized. The nanostructure and composition of the catalysts were studied using scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy–dispersive X–ray spectroscopy, X–ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy–dispersive X–ray spectroscopy. ORR activity and catalyst durability were studied using cyclic voltammetry with rotating disk electrode. Density functional theory calculations were performed to estimate the ORR activity of Pt(111) and nML Pt/Ir(111) surfaces (n = 0, 1, 2). Although the specific ORR activities of the synthesized Pt/Ir catalysts were lower or comparable to those of 50%Pt/C, the mass activities were higher due to the enhanced utilization of platinum. Accelerated stress tests (ASTs) revealed that the durability of 1 ML Pt/Ir surpassed that of the other studied catalysts. The factors influencing the trends in specific and mass activities, durability, and the feasibility of implementing a Pt/Ir system in practical proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are discussed.