bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring semantic consistency in unpaired image translation to generate data for surgical applications
Authors: Venkatesh Danush Kumar , Rivoir Dominik , Pfeiffer Micha , Kolbinger Fiona , Distler Marius , Weitz Jürgen , Speidel Stefanie 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
In surgical computer vision applications, data privacy and expert annotation challenges impede the acquisition of labeled training data. Unpaired image-to-image translation techniques have been explored to automatically generate annotated datasets by translating synthetic images into a realistic domain. The preservation of structure and semantic consistency, i.e., per-class distribution during translation, poses a significant challenge, particularly in cases of semantic distributional mismatch.

Method
This study empirically investigates various translation methods for generating data in surgical applications, explicitly focusing on semantic consistency. Through our analysis, we introduce a novel and simple combination of effective approaches, which we call ConStructS. The defined losses within this approach operate on multiple image patches and spatial resolutions during translation.

Results
Various state-of-the-art models were extensively evaluated on two challenging surgical datasets. With two different evaluation schemes, the semantic consistency and the usefulness of the translated images on downstream semantic segmentation tasks were evaluated. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the ConStructS method in minimizing semantic distortion, with images generated by this model showing superior utility for downstream training.

Conclusion
In this study, we tackle semantic inconsistency in unpaired image translation for surgical applications with minimal labeled data. The simple model (ConStructS) enhances consistency during translation and serves as a practical way of generating fully labeled and semantically consistent datasets at minimal cost. Our code is available at https://gitlab.com/nct_tso_public/constructs.
Randomized Trial of Information for Older Women About Cessation of Breast Cancer Screening Invitations
Authors: Smith Jenna , Cvejic Erin , Houssami Nehmat , Schonberg Mara A. , Vincent Wendy , Naganathan Vasi , Jansen Jesse , Dodd Rachael H. , Wallis Katharine , McCaffery Kirsten J. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Older women receive no information about why Australia’s breast screening program (BreastScreen) invitations cease after 74 years. We tested how providing older women with the rationale for breast screening cessation impacted informed choice (adequate knowledge; screening attitudes aligned with intention).

Methods
In a three-arm online randomized trial, eligible participants were females aged 70–74 years who had recently participated in breast screening (within 5 years), without personal breast cancer history, recruited through Qualtrics. Participants read a hypothetical scenario in which they received a BreastScreen letter reporting no abnormalities on their mammogram. They were randomized to receive the letter: (1) without any rationale for screening cessation (control); (2) with screening cessation rationale in printed-text form (e.g., downsides of screening outweigh the benefits after age 74); or (3) with screening cessation rationale presented in an animation video form. The primary outcome was informed choice about continuing/stopping breast screening beyond 74 years.

Results
A total of 376 participant responses were analyzed. Compared to controls (n = 122), intervention arm participants (text [n = 132] or animation [n = 122]) were more likely to make an informed choice (control 18.0%; text 32.6%, p = .010; animation 40.5%, p < .001). Intervention arm participants had more adequate knowledge (control 23.8%; text 59.8%, p < .001; animation 68.9%, p < .001), lower screening intentions (control 17.2%; text 36.4%, p < .001; animation 49.2%, p < .001), and fewer positive screening attitudes regarding screening for themselves in the animation arm, but not in the text arm (control 65.6%; text 51.5%, p = .023; animation 40.2%, p < .001).

Conclusions
Providing information to older women about the rationale for breast cancer screening cessation increased informed decision-making in a hypothetical scenario. This study is an important first step in improving messaging provided by national cancer screening providers direct to older adults. Further research is needed to assess the impact of different elements of the intervention and the impact of providing this information in clinical practice, with more diverse samples.

Trial Registration
ANZCTRN12623000033640.
Reducing hot water consumption through real-time feedback and social comparison using persuasive technologies: evidence from a Swiss energy-efficient district
Authors: Tomic Uros , Sütterlin Bernadette , Lobsiger-Kägi Evelyn , Marek Reto , Derungs Curdin , Sandmeier Ernst 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe buildings sector is a substantial contributor to total energy consumption and, according to current forecasts, will remain so in the near future. Technical energy efficiency innovations can reduce energy demand; however, if not accompanied appropriately by building occupants’ behaviour, discrepancies between planned and resulting energy consumption will persist, which is known as the building energy performance gap. To tackle this challenge, interventions such as feedback and social comparison are increasingly applied in combination with persuasive technologies. We report the results from a field experiment conducted in a Swiss energy-efficient district where two consecutive behavioural interventions involving persuasive technologies were tested: (1) real-time hot water consumption feedback while showering and (2) a weekly newsletter with social comparison feedback regarding overall hot water consumption, including hot water saving tips, in addition to real-time feedback. Based on the data from 33 households, we found that, compared with the baseline consumption, hot water consumption was 12.4% lower immediately after the real-time feedback intervention and 16.1% lower after the combined intervention. Hot water consumption increased again after the intervention phase, but it was still 9.7% lower than the baseline consumption 2 months after the combined intervention and 8.6% lower 4.5 months after the combined intervention. While the reductions after the real-time feedback and combined intervention were significant, the reductions 2 and 4.5 months after the combined intervention were not.
Housing Informality and Labor Informality in Space: In Search of the Missing Links
Authors: García Gustavo A. , Badillo Erika Raquel , Aristizábal Juan Manuel 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis paper analyzes the relationship between informal housing and labor informality at the intraurban level, considering these two phenomena' simultaneity and spatial dimensions. Our analysis focuses on the context of a city in a developing country, Medellín (Colombia), characterized by significant housing precariousness and low employment quality, where space seems to play an essential role in understanding this relationship. Using data from 176 analytical regions in Medellín for 2017, we estimate a series of spatial simultaneous equation models that consider the potential cross-equation correlations in the error terms. The results show that these two types of urban informality are highly persistent in space, with noticeable spatial clusters observed in the peripheral and marginalized areas of the city. Additionally, the estimated econometric models reveal that precarious working conditions are key to explaining the spatial choice of housing and its characteristics, and vice versa. These findings emphasize the need for place-based policies that specifically target disadvantaged areas and help improve residents' working and housing conditions to address urban informality.
Validation of the Super-Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI) among Swedish adolescents
Authors: Kapetanovic Sabina , Andersson Lisa , Svensson Robert , Johnson Björn 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis study examines the psychometric structure and properties of the Swedish version of the Super-Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI) among adolescents. In order to ensure the validity and feasibility of the measure, we examined the factor structure, measurement invariance across gender, age and ethnicity, and construct validity in relation to a number of correlates of narcissism in adolescence. Data were drawn from a large cross-sectional survey conducted in 35 schools in southern Sweden. The sample consisted of N = 5313 adolescents (Mage = 16.10 SD = 1.55) with 52.2% girls, 45.9% boys and 1.8% adolescents with unspecified gender, from compulsory and upper secondary schools in southern Sweden. The results showed that the measure holds a two-factor structure, suggesting the use of the subscales grandiosity and vulnerability separately, rather than as a unidimensional measure. The correlated factors grandiosity and vulnerability yielded full configural and metric invariance across gender, age, and ethnicity. Both grandiosity and vulnerability were correlated with externalizing and internalizing symptoms, as well as with low self-esteem. The study provides evidence for the utility of the SB-PNI among Swedish adolescents and indicates that the measure can be used across male and female adolescents of different ages and ethnic groups.
Effects of human herpesvirus 6B reactivation on cognitive function in cord blood transplant recipients: a prospective multicenter study
Authors: Ogata Masao , Oshima Kumi , Takano Kuniko , Kawano Rie , Ueda Yasunori , Imamura Takashi , Nakamura Yukinori , Okada Takahiro , Toubai Tomomi , Ueki Toshimitsu , Uoshima Nobuhiko , Ishida Hiroyuki , Shinohara Akihito , Seo Sachiko , Fukuda Takahiro , Inagaki Masatoshi 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis prospective multicenter study aimed to determine the effects of human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) reactivation on central nervous system (CNS) function in cord blood transplant (CBT) recipients. Our focus was to track HHV-6B reactivation and evaluate its association with delirium and cognitive function, specifically in the domains of verbal memory, attention/processing speed, and quality of life (QOL). A cohort of 38 patients participated in this study. Of the 37 patients evaluated, seven (18.9%) developed delirium, with six of these cases emerging after HHV-6B reactivation (median lag, 7 days). Evaluation of verbal memory showed that the final trial score for unrelated words at 70 days after transplantation was significantly lower than that before preconditioning (P = 0.004) among patients (n = 15) who experienced higher-level HHV-6B reactivation (median or higher maximum plasma HHV-6 DNA load for participating patients). Patients without higher-level reactivation did not show significant declines in verbal memory scores. QOL was assessed using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, and the social functioning score 1 year post-transplantation was significantly lower in patients who experienced higher-level HHV-6B reactivation than in those who did not. Our findings suggest that higher-level HHV-6B reactivation can detrimentally affect certain cognitive functions in CBT recipients.
Allograft Model of Aortic Arch Segment Grafting to Abdominal Aorta Through End-to-Side Anastomosis in Mice
Authors: Liu Chiyu , Chen Qi , He Mingyuan , Liao Yulin 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe mouse aortic transplantation model is a valuable tool for investigating the mechanisms of atherosclerosis regression, but few laboratories can generate it due to the operation difficulty, especially for the style of end-to-side anastomosis, which facilitates syngeneic heterotopic transplanting a plaque-rich aortic arch into the abdominal aorta. Here we provide a modified protocol for generating this allograft model, which is capable of overcoming several critical surgical challenges such as separating a longer abdominal aorta segment, reducing bleeding and thrombosis, optimizing aortotomy, and improving end-to-side anastomosis to guarantee a potent graft. By transplanting plaque-rich aortic arches into the abdominal aorta of wildtype mice, a high operation success rate (over 90%) was noted with aortic clamping time under 60 min, the graft potency was satisfactory evidenced by examinations of micro-CT, ultrasound, and lower limb blood flow measurement, while a significant atherosclerosis regression was observed in the grafts at 1 week after transplantation.
Graphical Abstract
Pazopanib-induced enteritis in a patient with renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Ariyoshi Misa , Hayashi Ryohei , Takasago Takeshi , Yamashita Ken , Hiyama Yuichi , Yuge Ryo , Urabe Yuji , Ueno Yoshitaka , Shimamoto Fumio , Oka Shiro 
Published: February 2024

AbstractA 69-year-old woman presented to our department with the chief complaint of diarrhea. She had undergone left nephrectomy for renal cancer 14 years earlier. Three years earlier, metastasis was detected in the left retroperitoneal cavity, and pazopanib administration was initiated. In the 29th month after the start of chemotherapy, the patient developed diarrhea, and on the 31st month, computed tomography showed thickening of the intestinal wall. Colonoscopy revealed white villi, intramucosal hemorrhage in the terminal ileum, and rough inflammatory mucosa with inflammatory polyps extending from the transverse to the sigmoid colon. Suspecting pazopanib-induced enteritis, we discontinued the medication, and the diarrhea resolved within 3 days. On the 21st day after discontinuation, colonoscopy revealed that the inflammatory polyps had shrunk, and the inflammatory findings had improved. Biopsy of the white villi of the ileum revealed histiocytes. The patient resumed treatment with pazopanib at 400 mg/day and developed soft stool on the 7th day after resumption. Compared with other tyrosine-kinase inhibitor-induced enteritis cases, this case showed less bleeding and more extensive inflammatory findings. There are similarities as well as differences from cases of previously reported pazopanib-induced enteritis. The mechanisms and characteristics of this disease require further investigation.
Die Zeitenwende und die Renaissance der Verteidigung
Authors: Schwegmann Christoph 
Published: February 2024

ZusammenfassungMit der Zeitenwende erlebt Verteidigung in Deutschland eine Renaissance. Sie ist eine Rückkehr zum Verteidigungsauftrag des Grundgesetzes. Dieser war als Ausdruck staatlicher Selbstbehauptung Grundlage für die Wiederbewaffnung der Bundesrepublik. Der Autor argumentiert, dass diese Perspektive wichtig ist, um den Verteidigungsauftrag mit Blick auf aktuelle Herausforderungen in zeitgenössischer Weise zu erfüllen.
Satellite Remote Sensing Shows Maintenance of Fish Pond Area Improves Persistence of Eurasian Otters in Hong Kong
Authors: Fung Jamie , Ledger Martha J. , McMillan Sharne , Wu Jin , Lee Calvin K. F. , Bonebrake Timothy C. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractUrbanization and land cover change are significantly affecting the availability of habitats for wildlife worldwide. However, linking species persistence to large-scale habitat changes is challenging, especially when wildlife monitoring data is lacking. In China, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a species of conservation concern and is listed as endangered as a consequence of declining populations across the country. Hong Kong is home to a small population of Eurasian otters, which are primarily restricted to a set of wetlands in the inner Deep Bay area. However, the drivers of their historical distribution changes are largely unknown. We combined otter spraint data from 2018 to 2019 with historical records of otter data spanning 1959–2018 to examine otter habitat preference and changes in their distribution, relating this with land cover changes measured by Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 satellite remote sensing in the past (1986 and 1995) and present (2018) using supervised random forest classification. We found that otters showed habitat preference for fish ponds and watercourses, and persisted in areas where fish pond area was more readily available. We also found no significant effect of the extent of land cover changes on otter persistence, suggesting that the species is resilient to some level of fish pond loss and find value in available terrestrial habitats. Our results demonstrate the utility of relating satellite remote sensing data to species distribution data over decadal time scales and highlight the importance of managing terrestrial and wetland habitats for otters and other key species in increasingly urbanized landscapes.
Clostridioides difficile recurrence in individuals with and without cancer: a Swedish population-based cohort study
Authors: Mpakaniye Peace , Boven Annelies , Callens Steven , Engstrand Lars , Vlieghe Erika , Brusselaers Nele 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Patients with cancer are vulnerable to Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) due to their disease, treatment and regular hospital contact, yet if CDI-recurrence is more common remains unclear, and differences among cancer types remain unexplored.

Methods
This Swedish nationwide population-based cohort included all 43,150 individuals with recorded CDI (2006–2019) to assess CDI-recurrence in individuals with and without cancer, with binary multivariable logistic regression, stratified by anatomical location, and survival status.

Results
Compared to those without cancer (N = 29,543), ongoing cancer (diagnosis < 12 months; N = 3,882) was associated with reduced recurrence (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.73–0.89), while there was no association with cancer history (diagnosis ≥ 12 months; N = 9,725). There was an increased 8-week all-cause mortality (Ongoing cancer: OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.43–1.74; Cancer history: OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.36–1.55) compared to those without cancer. Among CDI-survivors, those with ongoing cancer presented with a decreased odds of recurrence (OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.76–0.94), compared to those without cancer history, with no association for those with cancer history (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.97–1.1). Large variations were seen across cancer types, with the highest observed proportion of recurrence in oral and mesothelial cancer, and the lowest for esophageal cancer, although no statistically significant OR were found.

Conclusion
The population-based study indicates that individuals with cancer may have fewerrecurrences than expected, yet variations by cancer type were large, and mortality was high.
Evaluating the physico-mechanical performance of cement mortar reinforced with metakaolin/graphene oxide dual nano-additives
Authors: Mokhtar M. M. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractResearchers interested in producing high-mechanical-performance cement-based structures follow many strategies to achieve this purpose; one of these is the dual addition of materials. The current study was used thermal activation and chemical exfoliation to successfully prepare nano-metakaolin (NMK), whereas Hummers’ traditional technique was followed to prepare graphene oxide (GO). The key aim of this investigation was to promote the mechanical performance of cement mortars by incorporating both NMK and GO in the same matrix, where very few studies have examined the usage of both NMK and GO in the same cement matrix. For this purpose, six groups of plain and blended mortars were cast, with the cement being partially replaced with 10% NMK and GO being added at ratios of 0.01–0.04 wt.% of cement. The pore size distribution of the prepared mortars was studied using the nitrogen adsorption method, while phase composition/decomposition analysis was recognized by TGA and XRD. The microstructure was investigated by SEM. The obtained results revealed a great enhancement of splitting tensile strength by about 71% and about 20% for compressive strength, in addition to the refinement of the pore structure and promotion of the hydration reaction as confirmed by XRD, TGA, and SEM analysis.
The role of nudge-based messages on the acceptability and download of COVID-19 contact tracing apps: survey experiments
Authors: Kurokawa Hirofumi , Sasaki Shusaku , Ohtake Fumio 
Published: February 2024

AbstractWe investigated the effectiveness of nudge-based messages in promoting the download of contact tracing apps, particularly in the context of low uptake due to serious distrust in the product. Even in the presence of distrust towards the app, promoting downloads can be a beneficial means of preventing infection spread at a stage before pharmacological interventions, such as vaccines or therapeutic drugs, are established. Two studies were conducted with Japanese residents who had not yet downloaded any contact tracing apps. Study 1, based on smartphone location data, targeted 2690 individuals who had gone out despite public instructions to stay at home. Study 2 targeted 4126 individuals whose web-search behavior could be tracked. Nudge-based messages did not increase app downloads in either study. In Study 1, where participants were considered non-cooperative, these messages also did not enhance acceptability such as willingness to accept and intention to download the apps. Conversely, in Study 2, a more representative sample, nudge-based messages emphasizing altruism, economic losses, and medical losses increased app acceptability, although they did not increase searches related to the app's keywords.
Privacy-Preserving Classification on Deep Learning with Exponential Mechanism
Authors: Ju Quan , Xia Rongqing , Li Shuhong , Zhang Xiaojian 
Published: February 2024

AbstractHow to protect the privacy of training data in deep learning has been the subject of increasing amounts of related research in recent years. Private Aggregation of Teacher Ensembles (PATE) uses transfer learning and differential privacy methods to provide a broadly applicable data privacy framework in deep learning. PATE combines the Laplacian mechanism and the voting method to achieve deep learning privacy classification. However, the Laplacian mechanism may greatly distort the histogram vote counts of each class. This paper proposes a novel exponential mechanism with PATE to ensure the privacy protection. This proposed method improves the protection effect and accuracy through the screening algorithm and uses the differential privacy combination theorems to reduce the total privacy budget. The data-dependent analysis demonstrates that the exponential mechanism outperforms the original Laplace mechanism. Experimental results show that the proposed method can train models with improved accuracy while requiring a smaller privacy budget when compared to the original Pate framework.