bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimising abortion care: Perspectives of care providers and community stakeholders in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Chaouki Kate , Johnson Eleanor , Hui Lisa , Vaughan Cathy 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background In Australia, there are a range of barriers that may delay or inhibit a woman/pregnant person from accessing abortion, with these barriers disproportionately affecting marginalised populations. The northern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia, is home to a large population of women/gender diverse people of reproductive age, many of whom face significant socio-economic disadvantage. This study aims to understand health care provider and community stakeholder perspectives regarding barriers to, and patient experience of, abortion care in Melbourne’s north.Methods This qualitative study used individual in-depth semi-structured interviews. Twelve key informants were purposively selected based on their professional work and included abortion care providers, and representatives from local reproductive health, multicultural, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocacy services. Interviews were conducted via Zoom between June to August 2022. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Results Informants identified a range of barriers to abortion across individual, service, and socio-political levels. Informants expressed concern that individual level barriers such as financial disadvantage meant it could be difficult for consumers to access the services they need (e.g. GP appointments and ultrasound). They highlighted that these barriers can be further amplified for consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, who may face language barriers, racism and difficulty navigating the health care system. The concept of patient resourcefulness and resilience emerged as a novel finding. Informants also identified key factors that impact patient experience of abortion care, including service-based factors (eg. ease of locating a service) and the provision of respectful care. Factors that create barriers to access and negatively impact patient experiences of abortion are interlinked, demonstrating the importance of considering both elements for service quality improvement.Conclusion Known barriers to abortion are exacerbated in the region due to the concentration of marginalised populations and lack of affordable abortion services. Quality improvement approaches in this space need to address barriers at the individual, service, and socio-political levels to optimise patient experience and make a meaningful impact. Further research is planned to explore local consumers’ experiences of abortion care and ideas for quality improvement using co-design.
A meta-trained generator for quantum architecture search
Authors: He Zhimin , Chen Chuangtao , Situ Haozhen , Zhang Fei , Zheng Shenggen , Li Lvzhou 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) have made great success in the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) era due to their relative resilience to noise and high flexibility relative to quantum resources. Quantum architecture search (QAS) aims to enhance the performance of VQAs by refining the structure of the adopted parameterized quantum circuit (PQC). QAS is garnering increased attention owing to its automation, reduced reliance on expert experience, and its ability to achieve better performance while requiring fewer quantum gates than manually designed circuits. However, existing QAS algorithms optimize the structure from scratch for each VQA without using any prior experience, rendering the process inefficient and time-consuming. Moreover, determining the number of quantum gates, a crucial hyper-parameter in these algorithms is a challenging and time-consuming task. To mitigate these challenges, we accelerate the QAS algorithm via a meta-trained generator. The proposed algorithm directly generates high-performance circuits for a new VQA by utilizing a meta-trained variational autoencoder (VAE). The number of quantum gates required in the designed circuit is automatically determined based on meta-knowledge learned from a variety of training tasks. Furthermore, we have developed a meta-predictor to filter out circuits with suboptimal performance, thereby accelerating the algorithm. Simulation results on variational quantum compiling demonstrate that the proposed method achieves lower loss and runs 70 times faster than a state-of-the-art algorithm, namely differentiable quantum architecture search (DQAS).
Employing Post-Classification Comparison to Detect Land Use/Cover Change Patterns and Quantify Conversions in Abakaliki LGA, Ebonyi State, Nigeria Between 2000 - 2022
Authors: Onuegbu Francis , Egbu Anthony 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Rapid urbanization is restructuring landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa. This study employed post-classification comparison of multi-temporal Landsat imagery to characterize land cover changes in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria between 2000 and 2022, addressing the need for empirical baselines to guide sustainable planning. Four classes were considered and images classified with > 85% accuracy. Notably, over 21,000 hectares of vegetation were lost, while built-up and bare land increased by over 7,500 and 13,700 hectares respectively. Spatial patterns revealed urban encroachment into agricultural and forested lands. This establishes the first standardized quantification of Abakaliki LGA’s shifting landscape, with results supporting compact development models while conserving ecological services under ongoing transformations. Continued monitoring employing complementary socioeconomic data presents opportunities to more robustly optimize land management across sub-Saharan Africa's urbanizing regions. The study makes a significant contribution by establishing an empirical baseline characterizing Nigeria's urbanization trajectory essential for evidence-based stewardship of regional resources and livelihoods in a period of accelerating change.
Comparative financial profitability of agroforestry and cereal monocropping practices in Northwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Tebkew Mekuanent , Asfaw Zebene , Worku Adefires , Atinkut Haimanot 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Complimentary agroforestry systems play an important role in agri-food systems, ecosystem security, sustainable natural resource management, mitigates climate change, world development sustainability, and improving farmers' financial conditions worldwide. While the empirical literature on land use and agroforestry systems in Northwestern Ethiopia appears to be extensive, the literature on comparative financial analysis of agroforestry is very scanty. Thus, this study was conducted in the north-western of Ethiopia to: (1) explore the financial feasibility of farmers’ investments in three common agroforestry practices (i.e., homegarden, dogwood (Rhamnus prinoides), and coffee-shade), (2) evaluate and compare the relative financial attractiveness of the selected agroforestry practices and those of the cereal crop practices, and (3) discuss profitability constraints and identify potential solutions to farmers’ agroforestry practices. The result shows that all agroforestry practices were financially profitable (NPV ha− 1 193,932 − 296,739 ETB, r = 10%). The coffee-based was most profitable, with 34.65%, and 26.45% higher NPV ha− 1 than Dogwood and homegarden, respectively, but it has irregular cash flow patterns. Although all are profitable (positive NPV and EAI, and > Unity BCR ), agroforestry practices were financially more attractive than monoculture cereal practices (NPV ranges ETB 58,643 to 167,106) and had a crucial impact on the farmers’ income flow. Sensitivity analysis reveals more impact on returns from changes in discount rate than labour costs and revenue. Market fluctuation, disease, lack of improved fruit tree varieties, land shortage, and input shortages, particularly water pumps, were major constraints for the establishment and profitability of agroforestry practices. Government should support and subsidize different varieties of tree species, establish and develop market chains, and provide credit services and seeds and seedlings to enhance the adoption of agroforestry practices and increase the financial return of farm households. Through the positive externalities of trees, providing incentives to encourage the establishment and adoption of agroforestry practices by farmers may also benefit society. This is also in line with implementing and expanding the country's current state-led green legacy initiative.
Experimental Investigation Into Changes in the Material Surface Roughness of Underground Structures During Their Driving Into Soil
Authors: Boyarintsev Andrey , Samohina Anastasiya 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

The mechanical interaction between dispersive soils and the surface of underground structures is fundamental in the formation of their load-bearing capacity. The technical and economic effectiveness of piles and flexible or reinforced retaining structures mainly depends on the friction forces between the structure material and the soil. One of the main factors that significantly affect friction is the surface roughness of a material.
The installation process for certain underground structures, such as pile driving or vibratory pile driving, involves prolonged contact between the structure material and dispersive soils; some structural elements may slide dozens of meters through the soil. In view of this, changes in the material surface properties of an underground structure during this process may be quite likely. Despite a significant amount of tribological research, such experiments do not fully reflect the process of driving piles into soils and, accordingly, are not appropriate for evaluating with sufficient accuracy changes in the material surface properties of underground structures during this process.
In this research, an immersion of an underground structure in fine sand of medium size was simulated using three different materials: steel, fibreglass and fluoroplastic. The surface roughness of the materials was monitored as they moved through the sand. It was established that the roughness of each of the materials decreased as the driving depth increased. The magnitude of this change is influenced by such material properties as density, shear strength and hardness.
Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Ta/CHS/n-HA Composite Scaffolds Based on SLM Technology
Authors: Wei Shan , Xu Cheng-Tao , Zhang Ren-Gang , Wang Zheng-Yu , Tang Yue-Yue , Zhang Xin-Xin , Liu He , Li Xiang 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Fabrication of porous metallic implants using additive manufacturing technology are expected to be an ideal treatment for substantial segmental bone defects. Gyroid porous tantalum (Ta) was produced by selective laser melting (SLM). Chitosan (CHS) and nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) composite sponges were prepared in the pores of porous Ta by freeze-drying. The porous Ta possesses a pore diameter of about 359 μm, porosity of 65.8%, elastic modulus of 1.69 GPa, and compressive strength of 68.59 MPa, which make it suitable for bearing loads. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the pores of porous Ta were filled with CHS/n-HA composite sponge with a pore diameter of 20–80 μm and n-HA particles embedded on the pore wall of the CHS sponge.
The composite sponge could provide an ideal affinity microenvironment for cell adhesion and growth, which could regulate cellular behaviors and promote new bone regeneration. Porous Ta/CHS/n-HA composite scaffolds fabricated by SLM exhibited the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of porous Ta, as well as the bioactivity and osteoinductivity of organic–inorganic composite biomaterials. These results indicate that porous Ta/CHS/n-HA composite scaffolds fabricated by SLM could serve as an ideal substitute for bone defect repair.
Prevalence of Menstrual Problems and associated factors among reproductive women in Mogadishu Somalia
Authors: Ali Fadumo Hassan , Fiidow Osman Abubakar , ali Abdilatif Mohmed , Mohamed Yusuf Abdirasak , Hussein Safia Khalif , Dirie Ahmed Mohamed , Moussa Ayan Aden 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background
This study investigates the prevalence and impact of menstrual problems among reproductive-aged women in Mogadishu, Somalia. Menstrual problems encompass a range of abnormal uterine bleeding patterns and associated symptoms, affecting women worldwide. The study aims to shed light on the sociodemographic factors, menstrual patterns, and psychological symptoms associated with menstrual difficulties in this specific context.
Methods and materials
The research, conducted over six months with 568 participants from Mogadishu Somali-Turkey Training and Research Hospitals, explores various factors, including age, marital status, education, occupation, and household income. The findings reveal that approximately 60% of women in Somalia report experiencing menstrual difficulties, including painful periods, heavy bleeding, irregular cycles, and premenstrual syndrome.
Limited access to healthcare services poses a significant barrier to addressing menstrual problems, particularly among refugee adolescent girls in Somalia. Sociocultural factors, fear, and cultural barriers contribute to these challenges. The study employs a cross-sectional design, utilizing a questionnaire to gather information on participants' demographics, menstrual patterns, and associated symptoms.
The results indicate no significant association between sociodemographic factors and menstrual problems. However, factors such as the average length of the menstrual cycle, premenstrual spotting, amount of flow, absenteeism from work or class, use of analgesics, abnormal vaginal bleeding, and a history of amenorrhea show statistically significant relationships with menstrual difficulties.
Furthermore, the study explores the psychological and physical symptoms associated with menstrual difficulties. Participants reported various symptoms, including depression, crying spells, anger, tension, anxiety, body aches, lower back pain, fatigue, breast tenderness, swelling, abdominal cramping, headache, insomnia, and acne.
The article concludes by emphasizing the need for comprehensive reproductive health programs in Mogadishu, addressing factors such as low contraceptive prevalence, inadequate access to reproductive health services, and the impact of menstrual problems on women's quality of life. Improving these aspects can contribute to enhanced reproductive health outcomes and overall well-being for women in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The first case report on metacarpal osteomyelitis in a horse in Ethiopia
Authors: Yadeta Waktole , Girma Sisay , Beyene Takele , Tesfaye Reta 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background: Osteomyelitis is a bone infection that can occur in horses and can affect any bone in the body, including the metacarpal bone. The metacarpal bone, located in the front leg of the horse between the knee and the fetlock joint, is commonly affected by osteomyelitis caused by bacterial infection. Horse metacarpal osteomyelitis disease has been reported in different countries. However, there are no previous case reports of this disease in Ethiopia. Therefore, this case report was conducted to describe a case of metacarpal osteomyelitis infection in a 10-year-old stallion brought to the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA), Equine Hospital of Addis Ababa University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, on November 10, 2020.
Case presentation: The horse was presented with a history of decreased work capacity, depression, swelling, and lameness in the lower left foreleg. The physical examination showed clinical signs of depression, erratic gait, poor body condition, pale mucous membranes from fever and a slightly increased heart rate with normal respiratory rates. In addition, lameness of the left foreleg, pain and hot swelling were found on the left metacarpal bone and tissue, with an abscess. Diagnostic aids and X-rays were used to identify swelling of the affected metacarpal bone, revealing soft tissue swelling around the affected bone, slight destruction of the bone tissue, and irregular bone contours. Microbiological culture of the affected tissue revealed Staphylococcus bacteria. Finally, we confirmed the case as metacarpal osteomyelitis caused by Staphylococcus bacteria.
A combination of antibiotics (penicillin) and an anti-inflammatory drug (phenylbutazone) was administered. The condition of the horse improved (with reduced swelling and lameness), and the horse recovered after 3 weeks. Unfortunately, since the horse was sold by the owner after recovery, long-term follow-up and health check-ups were not conducted.
Conclusions: In conclusion, this is the first case report of metacarpal osteomyelitis in a horse in Ethiopia, and the findings show the importance of appropriate diagnosis and medication for successful treatment of this disease.
Retrospective Cohort Study of Tumor Size and Survival in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Xie Yuping , Chen Tingting , Xu Hongyan , Zhuang Genghui , Wu Huiping , Fang Wenzheng 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Introduction: Tumor size constitutes a very important staging factor among patients afflicted by solid tumors, and was closely associated with the overall survival (OS). Nonetheless, the prognostic import of tumor size in gastric cancer (GC) remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Method: A multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) along with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed for GC using Cox proportional hazard regression models. To assess the non-linear association between tumor size and OS, we employed a restricted cubic spline regression analysis. Additionally, a two-piece-wise Cox proportional hazard model was utilized to determine the threshold effect. The efficacy prediction of tumor size was tested by ROC curve.
Results: A cohort comprising 2,012 gastric cancer patients who had undergone gastrectomy was included in our secondary analysis, sourced from a multicenter study conducted in Korea. Also, we found a nonlinear association between tumor size and OS at the turning point as 5.7 (95%CI: 5.1, 6.8). The HR for mortality was 1.50 (95%CI: 1.38, 1.64) for tumors size <5.7, while 1.09 (95%CI: 1.05, 1.13) with size ≥ 5.7. There was still a significant non-linear relationship between OS and size after adjusting for potential confounding factors (P=0.001). In addition, Besides, a significantly higher HR was found in young GC patients(≤45: 1.33; 95%CI:1.24, 1.41; >45, 1.16; 95%CI: 1.13,1.19; P for interaction = 0.0004 ).
Conclusions: Tumor size was non-linear associated with survival for patients receiving gastrectomy. It might have the higher predictive power in young GC.
Fecal microbiota transplantation attenuates Alzheimer’s disease symptoms in APP/PS1 transgenic mice via inhibition of the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated inflammation
Authors: Li Xiang , Ding Qingyong , Wan Xinxin , Wu Qilong , Ye Shiqing , Lou Yongliang 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prevalent and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the leading cause of dementia. The underlying mechanisms of AD have not yet been completely explored. Neuroinflammation, an inflammatory response mediated by certain mediators, has been exhibited to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AD. Additionally, disruption of the gut microbiota has been found to be associated with AD, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach. However, the precise mechanism of FMT in the treatment of AD remains elusive. In this study, FMT was performed by transplanting fecal microbiota from healthy wild-type mice into APP/PS1 mice (APPswe, PSEN1dE9) to assess the effectiveness of FMT in mitigating AD-associated inflammation and to reveal its precise mechanism of action. The results demonstrated that FMT treatment improved cognitive function and reduced the expression levels of inflammatory factors by the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in mice, which was accompanied by the restoration of gut microbial dysbiosis. These findings suggest thatFMT has the potential to ameliorate AD symptoms and delay the disease progression in APP/PS1 mice.
Maximum Norepinephrine Dosage as an Priming Indicator for Vasopressin Therapy for Neonatal Septic Shock: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Zhong Jun , Zhang Jing , Lin Yingyi , Ma Dongju , Mo Jing , Ye Xiuzhen 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Vasopressin is uesd as a second-line vasopressor for neonates with septic shock, but the optimal timing of initiation is uncertain. We hypothesized that norepinephrine (NE) dosage is associated with neonatal septic shock mortality, and can be used for determining the optimal timing of vasopressin therapy in neonates. This study explores the correlation between the maximum norepinephrinedosage (MND) and mortality in neonates with septic shock, aiming to inform the timing of vasopressin therapy in such cases. This retrospective cohort study included neonates with evidence of septic shock and those who received NE infusion. The predictive efficacy of MND for mortality was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and its correlation was assessed via multivariate logistic regression. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationship between MND and poor prognostic indicators. The study included 123 neonates, with 106 in the survival group and 17 in the death group. The death group had significantly lower birth weight (p=0.022), 1-min Apgar score (p=0.005), serum albumin (p＜0.001), pH value (p=0.013), and base excess (BE) (p=0.001) levels, but higher lactate (LAC) levels (p=0.009). MND demonstrated an ROC area under the curve of 0.775 (95% CI: 0.63-0.92, p＜0.001) for predicting mortality, with an optimal threshold of 0.3 µg/(kg·min), a sensitivity of 82.4%, and a specificity of 75.5%. Multivariatelogistic regression indicated that an MND > 0.3 µg/(kg·min) (OR, 64.45, 95% CI: 3.04-1364.94) significantly increased mortality risk. Spearman rank correlation showed a positive correlation between MND and LAC (r=0.252, p=0.005), vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) (r=0.836, p＜0.001), and a negative correlation with BE (r=-0.311, p=0.001).
Conclusions: MND > 0.3 µg/(kg·min) is closely associated with mortality in neonates with septic shock and can serve as a primary auxiliary tool for deciding the timing of vasopressin therapy.
Bi-Directional Context-Aware Networks for the Nested Named Entity Recognition
Authors: Li Yao , Liao Ningsheng , Yan He , Zhang Ye , Wang Xu 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
A prevalent method for nested named entity recognition involves enumerating all potential entity spans within a given sentence, considering these spans as potential entity types, and subsequently subjecting them to classification. Nevertheless, this span-centric approach traditionally undertakes the decoding of each entity span independently, neglecting the underlying semantic connections that exist between these spans, as well as the valuable information pertaining to the specific locations of the head and tail tokens within each span. Therefore, we introduced a bidirectional context-aware network specifically engineered to model and elucidate the semantic relationships that underpin these spans. Additionally, we improve the bi-affine mechanism by introducing rotational position coding to capture the relative position information between the head and tail markers. We carried out experiments on three nested datasets, producing convincing outcomes that firmly demonstrate the superior performance of our model compared to existing models, particularly in terms of F1 scores.