bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improved outcomes after groin hernia surgery in Sweden between 1992 and 2021: Swedish Hernia Register
Authors: Axman Erik , Holmberg Henrik , Nilsson Erik , Österberg Johanna , Dahlstrand Ursula , Montgomery Agneta , Nordin Pär , de la Croix Hanna 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Purpose
Surgery for groin hernia is one of the most common operations in the world. Therefore, research concerning the outcomes of groin hernia surgery is extremely important both for the individual patient as well as for those providing the healthcare funding. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of hernia surgery in Sweden over a 30 year time period, from 1992 to 2021.

Methods
All groin hernia repairs in the Swedish Hernia Register between 1992 to 2021 were analyzed with emphasis on the surgical method, reoperation rate for recurrence and date of surgery, specifically 1992–2001, 2002–2011 and 2012–2021. By using personal identification numbers, a cumulative reoperation rate has been deduced for males and females separately.

Results
A total of 368,502 groin hernia operations identified in the Swedish Hernia Register between 1992 to 2021 were eligible for analysis. Since the register was begun, there have been significant changes in the choice of operative techniques, from suture repair in 1992 to open anterior mesh repair around the year 2000, until today, where an increasing proportion of hernias are repaired using laparo-endoscopic techniques. There has been a reduction in the reoperation rate for recurrence in both males and females, with the most pronounced improvement being seen in females. The laparo-endoscopic technique is associated with a reduced incidence of reoperation for recurrence in females.

Conclusion
Groin hernia surgery in Sweden has undergone substantial changes over the past 30 years. Reoperation for recurrence has decreased significantly during recent years, especially in females.
Reinforcement Learning of Chaotic Systems Control in Partially Observable Environments
Authors: Weissenbacher Max , Borovykh Anastasia , Rigas Georgios 
Published: January 2025

AbstractControl of chaotic systems has far-reaching implications in engineering, including fluid-based energy and transport systems, among many other fields. In real-world applications, control algorithms typically operate only with partial information about the system (partial observability) due to limited sensing, which leads to sub-optimal performance when compared to the case where a controller has access to the full system state (full observability). While it is well-known that the effect of partial observability can be mediated by introducing a memory component, which allows the controller to keep track of the system’s partial state history, the effect of the type of memory on performance in chaotic regimes is poorly understood. In this study we investigate the use of reinforcement learning for controlling chaotic flows using only partial observations. We use the chaotic Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation with a forcing term as a model system. In contrast to previous studies, we consider the flow in a variety of dynamic regimes, ranging from mildly to strongly chaotic. We evaluate the loss of performance as the number of sensors available to the controller decreases. We then compare two different frameworks to incorporate memory into the controller, one based on recurrent neural networks and another novel mechanism based on transformers. We demonstrate that the attention-based framework robustly outperforms the alternatives in a range of dynamic regimes. In particular, our method yields improved control in highly chaotic environments, suggesting that attention-based mechanisms may be better suited to the control of chaotic systems.
Comparison of survival between unilateral and bilateral breast cancers using propensity score matching: a retrospective single-center analysis
Authors: Ozler Talar , Cosar Rusen , Sut Necdet , Nurlu Dilek , Parlar Şule , Ateş Sinan , Dertli Mert Hacı , Kavuzlu Yusuf , Kavukcu Sekip , Chousein Mert , Yıldız Gokay , Tunçbilek Nermin , Hacıoglu Muhammet Bekir , Tastekin Ebru , Topaloğlu Sernaz 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Purpose
The characteristics of patients with bilateral and unilateral breast cancer at the time of diagnosis or during follow-up have been compared, focusing on the differences in disease-free survival and overall survival between these groups.

Methods
A total of 1,947 patients diagnosed with invasive carcinoma were included in the study. 1876 ​​(96.4%) of our patients had unilateral and 71 (3.6%) had bilateral breast cancer. Among the bilateral breast cancer patients n = 47 were metachronous, while n = 24 were synchronous.

Results
SBBC, which had the lowest OS duration, showed a statistically significant difference compared to MBCC, similar to that observed in unilateral breast cancer (p = 0.027).

Conclusion
The fact that SBBC has the lowest survival rate despite more aggressive treatments should be considered a poor prognostic factor for survival on its own.
Navigating the Social World: The Interplay Between Cognitive and Socio-Affective Processes in Depression and Social Anxiety
Authors: Vos Lisa M. W. , Bronstein Michael V. , Gendron Maria , Joormann Jutta , Everaert Jonas 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Background
Biased and inflexible interpretations of ambiguous social situations are hypothesized to elevate risk for depression and social anxiety via their effects on social and affective processes. Yet, empirical support for this hypothesis remains limited.

Methods
This study investigated these socio-affective pathways by having a crowdsourced sample (N = 295) complete the emotional Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence task – a cognitive task designed to disentangle interpretation bias and inflexibility. Participants also completed measures of depression, social anxiety, and various aspects of socio-affective functioning, including rejection sensitivity, interpersonal emotion regulation, negative social interactions, and social integration.

Results
Network analysis revealed that negatively biased and inflexible interpretations were indirectly related to psychopathology symptoms through negative social interactions and putatively maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation strategies, such as negative feedback-seeking, excessive reassurance-seeking, co-rumination, and co-dampening. Additionally, positive interpretation bias was indirectly related to both depression and social anxiety symptoms through its negative association with rejection sensitivity.

Conclusions
By elucidating these pathways linking interpretation processes to depression and social anxiety via socio-affective functioning, this study provides a foundation for future empirical research and the development of more comprehensive cognitive-interpersonal theories of depression and social anxiety.
A randomized clinical study to evaluate the possible antifibrotic effect of zinc sulfate in chronic HCV patient receiving direct-acting anti-viral therapy
Authors: El-Haggar Sahar M. , Attalla Dina S. , Elhelbawy Mostafa , El-Afify Dalia R. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective
This study aimed to assess the potential antifibrotic impact of zinc sulfate in chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) patients receiving direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Methods
This randomized controlled study included 50 chronic HCV-infected patients with fibrosis stage (F1 & F2). Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: Group 1 (Control group, n = 25) received standard direct-acting antiviral therapy for 3 months, while Group 2 (Zinc group, n = 25) received 50 mg/day of zinc sulfate in addition to the standard direct-acting antiviral therapy for the same duration. Baseline and 3-month post-intervention assessments included evaluating serum levels of hyaluronic acid, transforming growth factor beta-1, and fibronectin. Furthermore, indices of liver fibrosis, such as the Fibrosis Index based on the 4 factors (FIB-4) and the Aspartate Transaminase-to-Platelet-Ratio Index (APRI), were calculated during these assessments.

Results
At baseline, the two studied groups had no statistical difference in demographic and laboratory data. After treatment, serum zinc levels significantly increased in the zinc-treated group compared to the control group. Additionally, serum fibronectin and hyaluronic acid levels were significantly reduced in group 2 (zinc group) compared to group 1 (control group). Moreover, zinc group showed lower APRI scores than the control group after a 3-month follow-up period, but there was non-significant difference in FIB-4 scores between the two groups after treatment. Furthermore, total bilirubin levels were reduced after zinc therapy for 3 months.

Conclusions
Administering zinc sulfate could potentially serve as a safe and efficient therapeutic strategy for the management of hepatic fibrosis in individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05465434, On 19/7/2022.
Association of serum vitamin D level and live birth rate in women undergoing frozen embryo transfer—a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Ko Jennifer K.Y. , Lam Mei Ting , Lam Kevin K.W. , Chan Tat On , Li Raymond H.W. , Ng Ernest H.Y. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Purpose
To assess the association of serum vitamin D level and the live birth rate in women undergoing frozen embryo transfer (FET).

Methods
This is a retrospective cohort study involving 1489 infertile women who had frozen embryo transfer at two tertiary reproductive medicine centres from 2019 to 2021. Only the first frozen embryo transfer was included for women who had repeated transfers during the period. Archived serum samples taken at LH surge or before the start of progestogens for FET were analysed for 25(OH)D levels using mass spectrometry. The main outcome measure was the live birth rate. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l (< 20 ng/ml) based on the Endocrine Society Clinical Practice guidelines.

Results
The median age was 36 (25th–75th percentile 34–38) years. 37.7% (561/1489) women had cleavage stage embryo transfer and 62.3% (928/1489) women had blastocyst transfer. When analysing the results based on the threshold in the Endocrine Society guideline of 50 nmol/l (20 ng/ml) for vitamin D deficiency, there were no statistically significant differences in the live birth rate in the vitamin D deficient and non-deficient groups [151/489 (30.9%) vs 341/998 (34.2%), OR 0.861, 95% CI 0.683–1.086 P = 0.205]. There were no statistically significant differences in the pregnancy rates, ongoing pregnancy rates, and miscarriage rates between the two groups.

Conclusion
Serum vitamin D is not associated with birth rate in women undergoing FET.
The General Acceptability and Use of Smartphone App-Delivered Interventions for Gambling in Australia
Authors: Hawker C. O. , Merkouris S. S. , Thomas A. C. , Rodda S. N. , Cowlishaw S. , Dowling N. A. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractSmartphones can extend the reach of evidence-based gambling treatment services, yet the general acceptability of app-delivered gambling interventions remains unknown. This study examined the general acceptability and use of app-delivered gambling interventions, and predictors of both, among 173 Australian adults with a lifetime gambling problem (48.5% male, Mage = 46.4 years) recruited from an online panel. Overall, 55.5% of the sample had a positive attitude toward app-delivered gambling interventions, 8.1% had a neutral attitude, and 36.4% had a negative attitude. Furthermore, one in five participants (20.8%) reported using an app-delivered gambling intervention in their lifetime. Four dimensions of acceptability were examined, wherein 78.6% of participants endorsed confidence in the effectiveness of app-delivered gambling interventions and 66.5% perceived anonymity benefits, while 48.6% endorsed scepticism (e.g., potential to increase isolation) and 69.4% perceived technology-related threats (e.g., difficulty learning and applying app-based strategies). Positive predictors of acceptability and use included younger age, rural/regional residence, gambling expenditure, problem gambling severity, gambling harms, and use of professional support. Acceptability did not increase the likelihood of using app-delivered gambling interventions, however, which may suggest a translation gap. The findings support continued investment into the development and evaluation of app-delivered gambling interventions, with a focus on enhancing engagement and uptake. Uptake could be improved by promoting the effectiveness and anonymity of evidence-based app-delivered gambling interventions, particularly among receptive audiences (young people, rural/regional residents, those with greater problem gambling severity), while redressing scepticism and perceived technology-related threats among vulnerable subgroups (those with greater gambling expenditure and gambling-related harm).
Strong Markov Dissipation in Driven-Dissipative Quantum Systems
Authors: Mori Takashi 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The Lindblad equation, which describes Markovian quantum dynamics under dissipation, is usually derived under the weak system-bath coupling assumption. Strong system-bath coupling often leads to non-Markov evolution. The singular-coupling limit is known as an exception: it yields a Lindblad equation with an arbitrary strength of dissipation. However, the singular-coupling limit requires high-temperature limit of the bath, and hence the system ends up in a trivial infinite-temperature state, which is not desirable in the context of quantum control. In this work, it is shown that we can derive a Markovian Lindblad equation for an arbitrary strength of the system-bath coupling by considering a new scaling limit that is called the singular-driving limit, which combines the singular-coupling limit and fast periodic driving. In contrast to the standard singular-coupling limit, an interplay between dissipation and periodic driving results in a nontrivial steady state.
Almost-Sure Convergence of Iterates and Multipliers in Stochastic Sequential Quadratic Optimization
Authors: Curtis Frank E. , Jiang Xin , Wang Qi 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Stochastic sequential quadratic optimization (SQP) methods for solving continuous optimization problems with nonlinear equality constraints have attracted attention recently, such as for solving large-scale data-fitting problems subject to nonconvex constraints. However, for a recently proposed subclass of such methods that is built on the popular stochastic-gradient methodology from the unconstrained setting, convergence guarantees have been limited to the asymptotic convergence of the expected value of a stationarity measure to zero. This is in contrast to the unconstrained setting in which almost-sure convergence guarantees (of the gradient of the objective to zero) can be proved for stochastic-gradient-based methods. In this paper, new almost-sure convergence guarantees for the primal iterates, Lagrange multipliers, and stationarity measures generated by a stochastic SQP algorithm in this subclass of methods are proved. It is shown that the error in the Lagrange multipliers can be bounded by the distance of the primal iterate to a primal stationary point plus the error in the latest stochastic gradient estimate. It is further shown that, subject to certain assumptions, this latter error can be made to vanish by employing a running average of the Lagrange multipliers that are computed during the run of the algorithm. The results of numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the proved theoretical guarantees.
Habitat use and distribution of nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) in a mosaic of land use types and human population densities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Genevier Euan E. Z. , Price Cormac , Evans Nick , Streicher Jarryd P. , Downs Colleen T. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Context
Globally, with the continuous increase in human populations, unprecedented changes in land use are taking place. Little is known about how African reptiles respond to this rapid land use change.

Objectives
We used sightings to establish if Nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) are persisting in a mosaic of human population densities and land use types in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.

Methods
We collected sighting data throughout KwaZulu-Natal between April 2022 and July 2023, using three main methods, namely urban sightings obtained from reptile relocation groups and collaborations with reptile relocators; sightings obtained from personal encounters and citizen scientist observations using social media,s posters, newspaper articles and interviews; and sightings from iNaturalist observations.

Results
We obtained and used 419 sightings and then identified two hotspot areas in the province on which we chose to focus. Site A was dominated by natural habitat, and anthropogenic land use types dominated site B. We found a significant relative selection strength for most tested land covers over anthropogenic cover in site A, whereas most were insignificant in site B. Our results suggest that the use of anthropogenic land use types by Nile monitors in KwaZulu-Natal may be driven by habitat transformation and loss. Nile monitors were found persisting in urban mosaic landscapes and, when compared with available cover, were found in increasingly wooded (natural and urban vegetation) areas with increased human populations. Furthermore, they used small anthropogenic water bodies (e.g., swimming pools and storm drains), making them less reliant on rivers in urban environments. Their population demographics were similar in low and high human population density, but there appeared to be a skew towards smaller and younger individuals in medium human population density areas. Reproduction was occurring successfully in urban environments, but the detection of larger monitors by potential wild and domestic predators and negative human interactions pose risks. Our study outlined the importance of natural and managed (e.g., gardens, parks, golf courses) green spaces in urban mosaic landscapes for wildlife persistence, specifically Nile monitors, and supporting human well-being as well as reptile conservation. There is an overall need for more research on this highly exploited yet understudied reptilian urban adapter.
Identification of a Subpopulation of Astrocyte Progenitor Cells in the Neonatal Subventricular Zone: Evidence that Migration is Regulated by Glutamate Signaling
Authors: Martinez-Lozada Zila , Guillem Alain M. , Song Isabella , Gonzalez Michael V. , Takano Hajime , Parikh Esha , Rothstein Jeffrey D. , Putt Mary E. , Robinson Michael B. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
In mice engineered to express enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the control of the entire glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) gene, eGFP is found in all ‘adult’ cortical astrocytes. However, when 8.3 kilobases of the human GLT1/EAAT2 promoter is used to control expression of tdTomato (tdT), tdT is only found in a subpopulation of these eGFP-expressing astrocytes. The eGFP mice have been used to define mechanisms of transcriptional regulation using astrocytes cultured from cortex of 1–3 day old mice. Using the same cultures, we were never able to induce tdT+ expression. We hypothesized that these cells might not have migrated into the cortex by this age. In this study, we characterized the ontogeny of tdT+ cells, performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and tracked their migration in organotypic slice cultures. At postnatal day (PND) 1, tdT+ cells were observed in the subventricular zone and striatum but not in the cortex, and they did not express eGFP. At PND7, tdT+ cells begin to appear in the cortex with their numbers increasing with age. At PND1, scRNA-seq demonstrates that the tdT+ cells are molecularly heterogeneous, with a subpopulation expressing astrocytic markers, subsequently validated with immunofluorescence. In organotypic slices, tdT+ cells migrate into the cortex, and after 7 days they express GLT1, NF1A, and eGFP. An ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) antagonist reduced by 50% the distance tdT+ cells migrate from the subventricular zone into the cortex. The pan-glutamate transport inhibitor, TFB-TBOA, increased, by sixfold, the number of tdT+ cells in the cortex. In conclusion, although tdT is expressed by non-glial cells at PND1, it is also expressed by glial progenitors that migrate into the cortex postnatally. Using this fluorescent labeling, we provide novel evidence that glutamate signaling contributes to the control of glial precursor migration.
Protecting Vulnerable Respondents: A Critical Analysis of the Privacy-Preserving Methods of the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census
Authors: Muralidhar Krishnamurty , Domingo-Ferrer Josep , Sánchez David , Ruggles Steven 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the statistical disclosure limitation (SDL) methodologies employed by the U.S. Census Bureau on the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census releases under the perspective of the disclosure risk of the most vulnerable respondents. We first review the SDL methodology used up to the Decennial Census 2010, which was based on targeted swapping. Second, we examine recently reported reconstruction and reidentification results on the Decennial Census 2010 outputs, which form the foundation for the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to switch to a differentially private (DP) method for the 2020 release. Third, we examine the actual privacy and data accuracy achieved by the DP method and compare with the privacy and accuracy offered by the formerly employed swapping mechanism. We conclude that the DP method is not an adequate solution to protect the typically sparse tables present in the Decennial Censuses because it does not offer meaningful privacy guarantees in general, it poorly protects the privacy of the most vulnerable respondents in particular, and it significantly degrades the quality of the released data. We also argue that the claimed disclosure risks of previous Census releases were overstated because of a flawed reidentification procedure. Therefore, the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to change the SDL methodology to a DP-based one for the 2020 release was not only unwarranted, but it also reduced privacy and data quality compared to former releases.
Adults’ participation in non-formal literacy programmes in Cambodia: A mixed-methods study of motivational factors and barriers
Authors: Lang Sophat 
Published: January 2025

AbstractDespite significant progress, literacy programme implementation in Cambodia continues to face challenges concerning inactive learning participation, irregular attendance and dropout. Learners’ motivation to engage in learning literacy, and the barriers that prevent them from doing so, are not adequately researched. This mixed-methods study aims to investigate learners’ perceptions of what motivates them to participate in literacy learning and the barriers they face. The author conducted a survey with 256 adult literacy learners and interviewed 12 literacy teachers and 15 learners. The results show that learners’ major motivations are to obtain literacy skills, help their children learn, become the family’s role model, and develop themselves to gain a better standing in their community. Although male and female learners were motivated by similar factors, there was variation between those learning in factories and those learning in the community, and between urban and provincial learners. This indicates that, although learners had similar reasons for learning, certain reasons stood out as the most important. Barriers to learning included lack of time, family burdens, and negative views about learning. This study implies that understanding adults’ contexts and learning motivation, organising flexible learning schedules and responsive learning content, and expanding literacy programmes to the workplace may contribute to reducing learning barriers, increasing participation, and bridging the gap between learning supply and demand.