bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity in needs and purchases in Australian retirees
Authors: Asher Anthony , Boonen Tim , Chang Le , Khemka Gaurav , Roberts Steven 
Published: December 2023

AbstractTo plan for retirement, it is important to understand how needs and purchases may change. We use data from a survey of elderly Australians to see how needs and purchases changed in different categories of goods and services. We looked especially at those who had experienced financial or health shocks. Our analysis shows variation in people's experiences, particularly for health costs, which increase with age. Having private health insurance appears to increase the level and volatility of health costs – presumably as a result of out‐of‐pocket costs. This information can be useful for financial advisors and superannuation trustees.
Forest carnivores living on the edge with invasive predators
Authors: Wampole E. M. , Farris Z. J. , Razafy P. , Gerber B. D. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe proliferation of forest edges and invasive predators have been identified as two primary threats to carnivore populations globally. These threats often occur in unison, facilitated by anthropogenic activities (e.g., fragmentation), and together may pose a greater influence than when they occur separately. Targeted conservation actions for forest carnivores, including Madagascar carnivores, have been hindered by a failure to understand the relative contributions of these factors in driving species declines. To fill this gap, we conducted an extensive camera survey along the edge of intact, continuous protected rainforests in eastern Madagascar to evaluate the extent invasive predators and forest edge separately and in combination affect native carnivore space use. We hypothesized that structural vegetation changes at the forest edge interact with invasive predator trap success and occurrence to reduce native carnivore space use near the forest edge and separately have less influence than when combined. In contrast to findings in fragmented and degraded forests of Madagascar, we found hard forest edge and invasive predators alone do not indiscriminately reduce native carnivore space use in continuous intact forest. Instead, we found free‐roaming dogs and cats interact with their surrounding environment (i.e., forest edge) in unique ways that shape species response differently than within interior forest. At the forest edge, vegetational changes of increasing shrub cover and the occurrence of dogs reduce space use of three of four native carnivores. However, we found greater effects of proximity to villages, especially with high invasive predator activity (free‐roaming cats). Ultimately, native carnivores showed variable sensitivities to pressures we examined, providing support for species‐specific management actions to maximize conservation outcomes. We encourage future studies to consider evaluating the magnitude of separate and combined threats to carnivores. In doing so, conservationists can better identify when threats can be managed in isolation and when they require simultaneous mitigation.
Koalas in space and time: Lessons from 20 years of vehicle‐strike trends and hot spots in South East Queensland
Authors: Dexter C. E. , Scott J. , Blacker A. R. F. , Appleby R. G. , Kerlin D. H. , Jones D. N. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe localized clustering of wildlife vehicle‐strike in space and time, often called ‘hot spots’, are commonly used to guide placement of road mitigation installations. We interrogated koala vehicle‐strike data across a 20‐year period between 1997 and 2016, examining trends in identified hot spots. We found that hot spots were not static and decline or emerge in line with the resultant pressures (e.g., from development and associated traffic increases) being exerted on koala populations within the surrounding landscape. We suggest that there is likely to be a relationship between hot spots waning over time and localized extinction of koalas. We feel strategies that solely focus on hot spot intervention will do little to halt and reverse the significant decline in the koala population across South East Queensland because they are almost always retrospective. It is imperative that regional wildlife movement solutions, around and across roads, are appropriately planned and implemented ahead of time (i.e., during initial construction/developmental expansion), if they are to serve as effective mitigation for remaining local koala population across South East Queensland. We caution against recommending mitigation based solely on historical vehicle‐strike data without considering contemporary population, movement and behavioural data.
Evaluation of a chat GPT generated patient information leaflet about laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Authors: Lockie Elizabeth , Choi Julian 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundArtificial intelligence is increasingly being used in all aspects of life in information compilation and writing, and this includes healthcare. This study aimed to evaluate a Chat GPT generated patient information leaflet (PIL) against a surgeon generated version, in order to explore a potential application of this artificial intelligence language processing model.MethodsCross‐sectional study, undertaken May to June 2023, asking two cohorts (patients and doctors) to complete a questionnaire evaluating a Chat GPT generated PIL and a surgeon generated PIL about laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patients were having laparoscopic cholecystectomy at large private Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and doctors were recruited from this hospital and a public quaternary hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The study included a convenience sample of 28 patients and 16 doctors. The main outcome measure was a questionnaire (maximum score out of 8) based on validated evaluation instrument for PILs.ResultsThe study recruited 28 patients and 15 doctors to complete the questionnaire. The Chat GPT and surgeon generated PILs were scored similarly by patients (median 8 for both PIL; mean 7.5 for Chat GPT PIL vs. 7.1 for surgeon PIL). Doctors also scored both versions similarly, with slightly higher scores for Chat GPT over surgeon version (median 7 vs. 6; mean 6.7 vs. 5.6, respectively).ConclusionsThe Chat GPT generated PIL was assessed as being as good or slightly better than the surgeon generated version. This study shows that PIL are a feasible application of AI language processing models.
Inhibition of angiogenesis in the management of refractory gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with LVAD support
Authors: Inglis Sara S. , Asleh Rabea , Iyer Vivek N. , Schettle Sarah D. , Spencer Philip J. , Villavicencio Mauricio A. , Rodeheffer Richard J. , Kushwaha Sudhir S. , Behfar Atta , Rosenbaum Andrew N. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundGastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF‐LVADs) is often related to GI angiodysplasia (GIAD). We previously reported data on VEGF inhibition with IV bevacizumab in the treatment of LVAD‐associated GIAD bleeding, and now present follow‐up data on patients treated with IV bevacizumab and/or low‐dose oral pazopanib.MethodsAll consecutive adult patients with LVAD‐associated GIB from GIAD treated with bevacizumab or pazopanib, from July 20, 2017 to June 22, 2022, were included in the analysis. Data on hospitalizations, GI endoscopic procedures, and blood transfusions were obtained from first admission for GIB up to a median of 35.7 months following treatment initiation (range 1.3–59.8 months).ResultsEleven patients (91% male, mean 69.5 ± 8.9 years) were included. Eight patients (73%) received IV bevacizumab, two patients (18%) received oral pazopanib, and one patient (9%) received bevacizumab followed by pazopanib therapy. We observed a significantly decreased number of annualized hospitalizations for GIB (median difference − 2.87, p = 0.002), blood transfusions (median difference − 20.9, p = 0.01), and endoscopies (median difference − 6.95, p = 0.007) in patients pre‐ and post‐anti‐angiogenic therapy (bevacizumab and/or pazopanib). Similarly, a significant improvement in these clinical outcomes was noted in the bevacizumab group with decreased annualized hospitalizations (median difference − 2.75, p = 0.014), blood transfusions (median difference − 24.5, p = 0.047), and number of endoscopies (median differences −6.88, p = 0.006).ConclusionAnti‐angiogenic therapy with IV bevacizumab and/or low‐dose oral pazopanib appears to provide benefits in patients with LVAD‐associated GIB with reduced hospitalizations, blood transfusions, and need for GI endoscopic procedures.
Preservatives and pH in low‐dose atropine formulations for clinical trials
Authors: Iribarren Rafael , Cunha Celso , Kaymak Hakan , Grzybowski Andrzej 
Published: December 2023

AbstractOver a century ago, atropine has been tested to arrest myopia progression with good results. In recent years, many randomized clinical trials have tested different concentrations against placebo. Three recent such studies with low‐dose atropine showed that it was less effective than previous studies, even the last one showing no difference in myopia progression between the treated and control group. Previous randomized studies had been performed in Asian populations, and these last three were extended to Western Caucasian populations, based on the initial observation that differences in iris pigmentation could be a factor for a difference in effectiveness. We have noticed that the three last studies in the West have used the same patented formulation, while previous studies have preferred compounded low‐dose atropine. Here we review how the power of hydrogen (pH) and preservatives could account for differences in drug penetration to the eye, possibly explaining the differences between studies.
Potassium levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome using spironolactone for long‐term
Authors: deOliveira Thais A. , Marchesan Lucas B. , Spritzer Poli M. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractObjectiveSpironolactone (SPL) has been used to manage hyperandrogenic manifestations in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but data on the risk of hyperkalemia in this population are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of hyperkalemia in women with PCOS using SPL in the long term.DesignSingle‐centre retrospective study.PatientsInclusion and analysis of 98 treatment periods in 78 women with PCOS (20 of whom were duplicates, returning after treatment interruption for a mean of 38 months) who received SPL for a minimum of 12 months and had at least three measurements of potassium levels over time.MeasurementsClinical and hormonal profiles before and during SPL treatment.ResultsMean age was 29.1 (SD: 9.6) years, and body mass index was 32.2 (SD: 8.1) kg/m². Nine patients had diabetes, and 22 had prediabetes. SPL was used in combination with combined oral contraceptive pills in 55 participants and progestin‐only pills/long‐acting reversible contraception in 28; metformin was added in 35, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers in 15. Median SPL dose was 100 (range: 50–150) mg. A total of 327 serum potassium measurements were obtained (84 pre‐exposure and 243 postexposure). Four potassium measurements were above the reference range before exposure and 19 during exposure. All potassium measurements above the reference range during follow‐up were classified as mild hyperkalemia (5.1–5.5 mEq/L).ConclusionsThe present findings suggest that women with PCOS, without kidney or heart disease, using SPL combined with hormonal contraception for managing clinical hyperandrogenism have a low incidence of hyperkalemia and well‐tolerated minor adverse effects.
Protocol for a national audit of the watch‐and‐wait approach in patients with rectal cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand: The ACCORD study
Authors:   STRATA Collaborative
Published: December 2023

AbstractAimThe watch‐and‐wait approach is increasingly being used in the management of rectal cancer as many patients achieve a clinical complete response after neoadjuvant treatment This national, multicentre, retrospective cohort study aims to understand the use of the watch‐and‐wait approach in the management of rectal cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand and its associated outcomes.MethodThis retrospective cohort study will include patients aged 18 years and over with biopsy proven rectal adenocarcinoma diagnosed between January 2015 and December 2022 who have a clinical complete response following neoadjuvant treatment (including short‐course radiotherapy, long‐course chemoradiotherapy or total neoadjuvant treatment) and have been managed with a watch‐and‐wait approach. Data will be collected from centres that manage rectal cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand with the eligible population being identified using data linkage with the National Cancer Registry.ConclusionThis multicentre, national cohort study will investigate the use of the watch‐and‐wait strategy for rectal cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through novel data linkage approaches, these data and methods will lay the foundation for a future prospective registry and outcome‐tracking initiative.
Feature redundancy removal for text classification using correlated feature subsets
Authors: Farek Lazhar , Benaidja Amira 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe curse of high dimensionality in text classification is a worrisome problem that requires efficient and optimal feature selection (FS) methods to improve classification accuracy and reduce learning time. Existing filter‐based FS methods evaluate features independently of other related ones, which can then lead to selecting a large number of redundant features, especially in high‐dimensional datasets, resulting in more learning time and less classification performance, whereas information theory‐based methods aim to maximize feature dependency with the class variable and minimize its redundancy for all selected features, which gradually becomes impractical when increasing the feature space. To overcome the time complexity issue of information theory‐based methods while taking into account the redundancy issue, in this article, we propose a new feature selection method for text classification termed correlation‐based redundancy removal, which aims to minimize the redundancy using subsets of features having close mutual information scores without sequentially seeking already selected features. The idea is that it is not important to assess the redundancy of a dominant feature having high classification information with another irrelevant feature having low classification information and vice‐versa since they are implicitly weakly correlated. Our method, tested on seven datasets using both traditional classifiers (Naive Bayes and support vector machines) and deep learning models (long short‐term memory and convolutional neural networks), demonstrated strong performance by reducing redundancy and improving classification compared to ten competitive metrics.
Enhancing visual question answering with a two‐way co‐attention mechanism and integrated multimodal features
Authors: Agrawal Mayank , Jalal Anand Singh , Sharma Himanshu 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn Visual question answering (VQA), a natural language answer is generated for a given image and a question related to that image. There is a significant growth in the VQA task by applying an efficient attention mechanism. However, current VQA models use region features or object features that are not adequate to improve the accuracy of generated answers. To deal with this issue, we have used a Two‐way Co‐Attention Mechanism (TCAM), which is capable enough to fuse different visual features (region, object, and concept) from diverse perspectives. These diverse features lead to different sets of answers, and also, there is an inherent relationship between these visual features. We have developed a powerful attention mechanism that uses these two critical aspects by using both bottom‐up and top‐down TCAM to extract discriminative feature information. We have proposed a Collective Feature Integration Module (CFIM) to combine multimodal attention features and thus capture the valuable information from these visual features by employing a TCAM. Further, we have formulated a Vertical CFIM for fusing the features belonging to the same class and a Horizontal CFIM for combining the features belonging to different types, thus balancing the influence of top‐down and bottom‐up co‐attention. The experiments are conducted on two significant datasets, VQA 1.0 and VQA 2.0. On VQA 1.0, the overall accuracy of our proposed method is 71.23 on the test‐dev set and 71.94 on the test‐std set. On VQA 2.0, the overall accuracy of our proposed method is 75.89 on the test‐dev set and 76.32 on the test‐std set. The above overall accuracy clearly reflecting the superiority of our proposed TCAM based approach over the existing methods.
Position statement of the German STI Society on the prophylactic use of doxycycline to prevent STIs (Doxy‐PEP, Doxy‐PrEP)
Authors: Werner Ricardo Niklas , Schmidt Axel Jeremias , Potthoff Anja , Spornraft‐Ragaller Petra , Brockmeyer Norbert Hermann ,   for the German STI Society (DSTIG)
Published: December 2023

SummaryOver the past two decades, there has been a rise in the incidence of syphilis, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). This has sparked interest in studying the prophylactic use of doxycycline to prevent syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), commonly referred to as Doxycycline Pre‐ or Post‐Exposure Prophylaxis (Doxy‐PrEP, Doxy‐PEP). At the same time, demand from potential users for this preventive measure is increasing.Several randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that the prophylactic use of doxycycline in MSM and trans women using HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis (HIV‐PrEP) or living with an HIV infection effectively reduces the risk of syphilis and chlamydia infections. At present, however, unresolved questions remain, particularly regarding implications of a broad implementation of prophylactic doxycycline to prevent STIs on tetracycline and other antimicrobial resistance in bacterial STIs, non‐STI‐related bacterial pathogens, and the microbiome.In response to the increasing demand and the challenge of balancing effectiveness, safety, and the risk of promoting antibiotic resistance, the German STI Society (DSTIG) has issued a position statement, providing specific recommendations regarding potential indications, criteria, and occasions for the use of doxycycline in STI prevention. These recommendations are based on current evidence and expert opinion.
Ultrastructural analysis of nigrostriatal dopaminergic terminals in a knockin mouse model of DYT1 dystonia
Authors: Pan Ke , Jinnah Hyder A. , Hess Ellen J. , Smith Yoland , Villalba Rosa M. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractDYT1 dystonia is associated with decreased striatal dopamine release. In this study, we examined the possibility that ultrastructural changes of nigrostriatal dopamine terminals could contribute to this neurochemical imbalance using a serial block face/scanning electron microscope (SBF/SEM) and three‐dimensional reconstruction to analyse striatal tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive (TH‐IR) terminals and their synapses in a DYT1(ΔE) knockin (DYT1‐KI) mouse model of DYT1 dystonia. Furthermore, to study possible changes in vesicle packaging capacity of dopamine, we used transmission electron microscopy to assess the synaptic vesicle size in striatal dopamine terminals. Quantitative comparative analysis of 80 fully reconstructed TH‐IR terminals in the WT and DYT1‐KI mice indicate (1) no significant difference in the volume of TH‐IR terminals; (2) no major change in the proportion of axo‐spinous versus axo‐dendritic synapses; (3) no significant change in the post‐synaptic density (PSD) area of axo‐dendritic synapses, while the PSDs of axo‐spinous synapses were significantly smaller in DYT1‐KI mice; (4) no significant change in the contact area between TH‐IR terminals and dendritic shafts or spines, while the ratio of PSD area/contact area decreased significantly for both axo‐dendritic and axo‐spinous synapses in DYT1‐KI mice; (5) no significant difference in the mitochondria volume; and (6) no significant difference in the synaptic vesicle area between the two groups. Altogether, these findings suggest that abnormal morphometric changes of nigrostriatal dopamine terminals and their post‐synaptic targets are unlikely to be a major source of reduced striatal dopamine release in DYT1 dystonia.
An assessment of equine veterinarian knowledge and perceptions of ticks and tick‐borne diseases in the United States to inform continuing education needs
Authors: Machtinger Erika T. , Smarsh Danielle N. , Kenny Laura B. , Poh Karen C. , Orr‐Gissinger Erin L. , Kirkland Brittani G. , Springer Hayley R. 
Published: December 2023

SummaryBackgroundTicks can harm horses and transmit diseases, making them a growing concern for owners and veterinarians. Veterinarians play a crucial role in providing advice on tick prevention and control. Yet, no research has examined their perspectives on equine ticks and tick‐borne disease (TBD).ObjectivesThe objective was to assess equine veterinarians' experiences, knowledge and practices related to fundamental aspects of tick biology and identification, tick bite prevention and TBD in the United States.Study designThis project surveyed equine veterinarians in the United States about their knowledge of ticks and TBD affecting horses using nonprobability convenience sampling. The survey questions were grouped into six categories: respondent demographics, knowledge of ticks and TBDs, tick control option availability, tick and TBD frequency in horses and veterinary education and information availability.MethodsData were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi‐square analysis and t‐tests. The sample was divided into Northeast and United States veterinarians, and a significance level of p < 0.05 was set. The study aimed to inform continuing education development for veterinarians by assessing their knowledge, practices and perceptions of ticks and TBDs.ResultsThe results indicate that while equine veterinarians know the importance of TBDs in equine health, knowledge on ticks and TBDs varies significantly.Main limitationsLimitations for the current study include potential response bias and a limited sample from many states.ConclusionsThere is a need for increased tick control and prevention options and more animal‐specific resources for tick and TBD prevention. Veterinarians and horse owners require greater education and comprehensive information to prevent tick‐borne illnesses in horses. Collaborations between academia, industry and the human medicine community are suggested to build capacity for training veterinarians.
Effect of number of fatigue cycles on fatigue data: CFRP (prepreg and wet‐layup)
Authors: Banks‐Sills Leslie , Choron Tomer , Simon Ido 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn carrying out fatigue delamination propagation tests to assess the propagation rate versus a function of the energy release rate, the question arises as to the necessary number of cycles required to properly characterize the behavior. Tests were performed elsewhere on two different carbon/epoxy, multidirectional woven composite laminates containing a delamination using constant amplitude cycling by means of displacement control for various cycle ratios. The aim was to carry out the tests for
cycles. Most specimens complied with this requirement. In this study, the fatigue data are analyzed including the first
cycles, the first
cycles, the first
cycles, and
cycles. It was seen that although the delamination length versus the cycle number could be quite similar between different cycle ranges, the Paris relation constants could be significantly different. It is suggested to carry out tests for as many cycles as possible.