bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predicting the mortality of patients with Covid‐19: A machine learning approach
Authors: Emami Hassan , Rabiei Reza , Sohrabei Solmaz , Atashi Alireza 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackground and AimsInfection with Covid‐19 disease can lead to mortality in a short time. Early prediction of the mortality during an epidemic disease can save patients' lives through taking timely and necessary care interventions. Therefore, predicting the mortality of patients with Covid‐19 using machine learning techniques can be effective in reducing mortality rate in Covid‐19. The aim of this study is to compare four machine‐learning algorithm for predicting mortality in Covid‐19 disease.MethodsThe data of this study were collected from hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 in five hospitals settings in Tehran (Iran). Database contained 4120 records, about 25% of which belonged to patients who died due to Covid‐19. Each record contained 38 variables. Four machine‐learning techniques, including random forest (RF), regression logistic (RL), gradient boosting tree (GBT), and support vector machine (SVM) were used in modeling.ResultsGBT model presented higher performance compared to other models (accuracy 70%, sensitivity 77%, specificity 69%, and the ROC area under the curve 0.857). RF, RL, and SVM models with the ROC area under curve 0.836, 0.818, and 0.794 were in the second and third places.ConclusionConsidering the combination of multiple influential factors affecting death Covid‐19 can help in early prediction and providing a better care plan. In addition, using different modeling on data can be useful for physician in providing appropriate care.
Hemolysis scavenger proteins and renal function marker in children with sickle cell disease at steady state: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Fordjour Fatima A. , Kwarteng Alexander , Paintsil Vivian , Amanor Ernest , Ackah Ezekiel B. , Amuzu Evans X. , Sackey David S. , Akoto Alex Osei Yaw 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackground and AimsHemolysis is a fundamental feature of sickle cell disease (SCD) contributing to the vaso‐occlusive crisis of patients. The objectives of the study were to assess the link between hemolysis proteins and hematological parameters, and to validate cystatin C (CYS C) as a potent renal marker in diagnoising SCD.MethodHere, a cross‐sectional study carried out at the pediatric SCD clinic of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital comprised 90 SCD children (HbSC, HbSF, and HbSS). ANOVA, t‐test, and Spearman's rank correlation analysis were done. Elevated proteins levels were compared to standard values; alpha‐1 microglobulin (A1M) (1.8−65 µg/L), CYS C (0.1−4.5 µmol/L), and haemopexin (HPX) (500−1500 µg/mL).ResultsThe mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 9.830 (±0.3217) years, and 46% of them were males. From simple descriptive analysis, we observed that all but one patient had their HPX level below the reference range (<500 µg/mL). Here, A1M levels were shown to be within the appropriate reference range for all the patients except few patients. CYS C levels were also all within the required reference values. A Spearman's rank correlation test between full blood count and HPX generally suggested a weak but positive correlation; RBC (coef. = 0.2448; p = 0.0248), HGB (coef. = 0.2310; p = 0.030), hematocrit (coef. = 0.2509; p = 0.020), and platelet (coef. = 0.1545; p = 0.160). Mean corpuscular volume (coef. = ‐0.5645; p = 0.610) had a stronger but negative correlation with HPX. This study depicts a positive and stronger association between CYS C and HPX levels (coef. = 0.9996; p < 0.0001), validating the use of CYS C as a useful marker of renal function in persons with SCDs.ConclusionIn the present study, we show that A1M levels were normal for most of the patients, hence CYS C levels are not alarming in this study. Further, there exists a correlation between hemolysis scavenger proteins and hematological parameters.
Structural identification of multidimensional metal–organic frameworks using soft x‐ray tomography
Authors: Tang Po‐Hsiang , So Pamela Berilyn , Lin Zi‐Jing , Hsieh Chia‐Chun , Lai Lee‐Jene , Lin Chia‐Her 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis paper mainly discusses the applicability of using soft x‐ray tomography technology to examine the multidimensional structure of metal–organic frameworks, such as their core‐shell and hollow framework, by visually observing their corresponding images in different energy bands by different excitation energies for different elements. The results show that the use of soft x‐ray tomography (SXT) can effectively observe the distribution of metals in the structure, as well as observe the type of hollow pores the metal–organic framework (MOF) possesses. This pioneering evaluation of MOFs via SXT shows excellent performance in the structure identification of multidimensional metal–organic frameworks.
Investigating the synergistic effect of olive trunk leaves powder and pineapple leaf fibers on the physical, tensile, and thermal properties of epoxy‐based composites
Authors: Senthilkumar K. , Chandrasekar M. , Jawaid Mohammad , Mahmoud Mohamed H. , Fouad Hassan , Santulli Carlo , Zaki Sheikh Ahmad 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe study evaluated the effect of adding different proportions (3/7, 1/1, and 7/3) of pineapple leaf fiber to composites reinforced with olive trunk leaves powder by measuring tensile properties, moisture absorption, and thermal stability. The results showed that the proportion of pineapple leaf fiber in the hybrid composites strongly influenced tensile properties, moisture absorption, and thermal stability. Increasing pineapple leaf fiber loading from 12 wt% to 28 wt% resulted in an important increase in tensile strength, namely an average of 46%. However, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the hybrid composites were inferior to those of the parent composites, which could be attributed to the relative inability of the hybrid composites to withstand tensile loads. Thermo‐gravimetric analysis results showed that the introduction of even the lowest amount of pineapple leaf fibers in the olive trunk leaves improved the thermal stability of the composites, bringing the degradation onset above 240°C, therefore suggesting the possibility of a future processing with most thermoplastic matrices. The differences in thermal stability between epoxy composites with 7/3 olive trunk leaves powder/pineapple leaf fiber, 1/1 olive trunk leaves powder/pineapple leaf fiber, and 3/7 olive trunk leaves powder/pineapple leaf fiber were very limited. Regarding moisture absorption, the presence of olive trunk leaves powder considerably reduced the weight gain, and also passing from 1/1 to 7/3 olive trunk leaves/pineapple leaf fibers offered a distinct advantage, measurable as more than 1% reduction in water saturation content.
Effect of mastic gum integration on improvement of polylactic acid biodegradable films
Authors: Aydogdu Emir Ayca , Akgun Mert , Kirtil Emrah 
Published: March 2023

AbstractCurrently, 90% of all packaging films are composed of non‐renewable, petroleum‐based materials. However, these materials have a significant environmental footprint. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a well‐known biodegradable thermoplastic polymer. However, the use of PLA poses some inherent challenges, like the brittleness of PLA films. For this study, with the objective of overcoming the shortcomings of PLA films, mastic gum (MG), which is an under‐utilized hydrophobic polymer, was incorporated into PLA, and the resultant films were characterized for their chemical (x‐ray diffraction [XRD], Fourier‐transform infrared [FTIR]), thermal (thermogravimetric analysis [TGA], dynamic mechanical analysis [DMA]), optical (optical microscope, color, and opacity), and barrier properties (water vapor permeability [WVP]). MG addition yielded films with much higher opacities and decreased WVPs up to 80%. Optical microscope images revealed the presence of some defects for films with MG concentrations above 1% g/g solvent, which also decreased the film's tear resistance. Glass transition temperature (Tg) values are reduced with MG addition, resulting in less rigid films at room temperature. In the end, MG incorporation yielded more flexible films with much better water barrier properties. In addition, all other properties of the films were drastically modified with MG addition. Hence, MG/PLA is demonstrated to be a promising biopolymer combination for the preparation of biodegradable films as a food packaging material.
A multiple imputation‐based sensitivity analysis approach for regression analysis with a missing not at random covariate
Authors: Hsu Chiu‐Hsieh , He Yulei , Hu Chengcheng , Zhou Wei 
Published: March 2023

AbstractMissing covariate problems are common in biomedical and electrical medical record data studies while evaluating the relationship between a biomarker and certain clinical outcome, when biomarker data are not collected for all subjects. However, missingness mechanism is unverifiable based on observed data. If there is a suspicion of missing not at random (MNAR), researchers often perform sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of various missingness mechanisms. Under the selection modeling framework, we propose a sensitivity analysis approach with a standardized sensitivity parameter using a nonparametric multiple imputation strategy. The proposed approach requires fitting two working models to derive two predictive scores: one for predicting missing covariate values and the other for predicting missingness probabilities. For each missing covariate observation, the two predictive scores along with the pre‐specified sensitivity parameter are used to define an imputing set. The proposed approach is expected to be robust against mis‐specifications of the selection model and the sensitivity parameter since the selection model and the sensitivity parameter are not directly used to impute missing covariate values. A simulation study is conducted to study the performance of the proposed approach when MNAR is induced by Heckman's selection model. Simulation results show the proposed approach can produce plausible regression coefficient estimates. The proposed sensitivity analysis approach is also applied to evaluate the impact of MNAR on the relationship between post‐operative outcomes and incomplete pre‐operative Hemoglobin A1c level for patients who underwent carotid intervetion for advanced atherosclerotic disease.
Psychodrama in Portugal
Authors: Gonzalez António-José 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn this paper for the Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie (ZPS), the beginnings of psychodrama in the Portuguese-speaking community are visited, giving relevance to the history of the two psychodrama training organizations in Portugal and their cooperation. References are made to publishing works about psychodrama and sociodrama’s practice, theory, and research. The last sections of the paper address the challenges brought by the pandemic situation to the traditional settings of group psychotherapy and psychodrama and bring some reflections on the future of our shared practice as psychodramatists.
On the mobility of ghosts: spectral journeys in the South African lowveld
Authors: Niehaus Isak 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn studies of Southern Africa, ancestors and possessing spirits have received far greater attention than ghosts. It is only in recent years that fragmentary references to ghosts have begun to appear in the ethnographic record. In this article, I seek to redress this imbalance by documenting stories and accounts of encounters with ghosts in the South African lowveld. I turn to studies of ghosts in Asia and elsewhere as an analytical starting point for interpreting their social and cosmological significance. A widespread theory in this literature is that narratives of ghosts are a means of emplacement, connecting people to places. But the theory does not capture the way in which narratives in the South African lowveld depict ghosts as essentially mobile beings. This is most evident in accounts of vanishing hitchhikers on the highways and of a ghost called sauwe, which captures people’s minds and forces them to walk in the direction of graveyards. These narratives speak of displacement, of spectral journeys and of routes rather than stable locations. The apparitions serve as reminders of the failure to take care of the spirits of those who suffered violent deaths and bring them home. But we can also see them as traces of past injustices and of violence in a haunted landscape, and as mirrors of villagers’ own historical experiences of displacement, experiences that were a hallmark of forced removals and of the migrant labour system during the apartheid era.
Urban fractures: mobility, risk and the accidenté in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Phippard Trisha 
Published: March 2023

AbstractChanging practices of motorized mobility in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have given rise to what residents call the ‘accidenté’: a victim of a traffic accident, often involving the city’s increasingly ubiquitous motorcycles. This article explores the significance of the accidenté in Kikwit’s social universe and considers how everyday urban mobilities are imbued with a sense of bodily exposure, risk and the threat of broken bones, so much so that ‘fracture’ has come to be seen as an urban condition. This entanglement of perceptions of mobility, risk, fracture and urbanity represents both a particular spatialization of risk in relation to city life and a critique of how corporeal vulnerability is tied into other vulnerabilities in the daily lives of urbanites. By analysing how one can become an accidenté and what trajectories of care transpire after the moment of injury, this article reveals how this new patient subjectivity necessitates a confrontation with potentially enduring motility limitations and risky navigations of the city long after the accident.
WHO WAS SIDONIUS’ CORRESPONDENT SIMPLICIUS? AN IDENTIFICATION PROBLEM IN THE LETTERS
Authors: Marolla Giulia 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis article presents, as a case study, the various inconsistencies which occur in the prosopographical entries concerning Simplicius, one of Sidonius’ most frequent addressees. Through the exegesis of passages of letters addressed to him (Epist. 3.11, 4.4, 4.7, 4.12, 5.4) and of passages believed to concern him (Carm. 24.89; Epist. 2.9 and 5.7), it argues for a revision of the common identification of Simplicius as brother of Apollinaris and Thaumastus, and for a re-evaluation of the sources which supposedly lead to this conclusion. Some cautionary remarks on the unchecked use of prosopography as a tool are followed by a hypothesis concerning the identity of this addressee of Sidonius.
Evolution in the management of aorta to left ventricular tunnel in a national congenital cardiology centre
Authors: Linnane N. , Alshahrani D. , Kenny D.P. , Walsh K.P. , McMahon C.J. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAn aorto-ventricular tunnel is a rare congenital cardiac defect, where a channel connects the lumen of the ascending aorta to the left or right ventricle. Four patients presented with an aorto-left ventricular tunnel over two decades at a median age of 8 months (range 0.1–10 months). Two patients (50%) had associated cardiac anomalies including hypoplastic left heart syndrome and left ventricular noncompaction/hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with aortic/pulmonary valve dysplasia in one patient each. Although traditionally surgical treatment has addressed this problem, management has evolved to transcatheter closure with excellent outcomes in appropriately selected patients at our national centre.
Dignity, Dementia and Death
Authors: Kerstein Samuel J. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAccording to Kant’s ethics, at least on one common interpretation, persons have a special worth or dignity that demands respect. But personhood is not coextensive with human life; for example, individuals can live in severe dementia after losing the capacities constitutive of personhood. Some philosophers, including David Velleman and Dennis Cooley, have suggested that individuals living after the loss of their personhood might offend against the Kantian dignity the individuals once possessed. Cooley has even argued that it is morally required on Kantian grounds for those who realize that they will lose their personhood as a result of dementia (e.g. Alzheimer’s) to hasten their deaths (e.g. commit suicide). This article specifies circumstances in which post-personhood living might indeed involve an affront to the Kantian dignity of a person who once was. However, the article contends, Kant implies that it is neither morally required nor even morally permissible for someone in an early stage of Alzheimer’s to hasten their death to avoid such an affront, even if they have autonomously chosen to do so. The article adds an ethical perspective to debate on physician-assisted dying, in particular on the moral permissibility of the soon-to-be-demented ending their lives.
Profiling of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) germplasm using in vitro drought screening and SSR markers
Authors: Ahmad N. S. , Abid M. A. , Al-Assie A. A. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractFoxtail millet (Setaria spp.) is an ancient cereal crop, having a short cropping cycle. Drought tolerance was assessed in this crop at an early growth stage and the extent of genetic diversity was measured between the foxtail millet genotypes, applying DNA markers. Tolerance of 18 foxtail millet genotypes was studied in vitro under four levels of polyethylene glycol (0, 10, 20 and 30% PEG-6000). PEG-6000 decreased final germination percentage and led to a reduction in shoot and root length with different stress levels. The genotypes ISe 869, ISe 1851 and yellow spike show superiority in stress tolerance for germination and the growth of root and shoot traits. They also clustered together in the biplot diagram and dendrogram of the genotypes based on the morphological traits. Marker polymorphism index (PI) was 80.36% and a total of 132 polymorphic alleles (4.00 alleles/locus) were obtained from 33 polymorphic primers. Polymorphic information content (0.54–0.83) was highly informative with an average value of 0.67. A dendrogram distributed the genotypes into five distinct clusters based on simple-sequence repeat (SSR) data, independent of their geographical distribution. A relationship was established between the SSR markers and the genotypes ability to tolerate drought stress. The SSR markers used could contribute to conducting DNA profiling of foxtail millet, and facilitating their use in future breeding programmes for drought tolerance in this crop. Based on water-stress experiment, three most tolerant genotypes: ISe 869, ISe 1851 and yellow spike are recommended to be cultivated under drought conditions around the world.
Whistler‐Mode Transmission Experiments in the Radiation Belts: DSX TNT Circuit Simulation and Data Analysis
Authors: Tu Jiannan , Song Paul , Galkin Ivan A. , Reinisch Bodo W. , Johnston William R. , Starks Michael J. , Su Yi‐Jiun , Cooke David , Ginet Gregory P. , Inan Umran S. , Lauben David S. , Miyoshi Yoshizumi , Matsuda Shoya , Kasahara Yoshiya , Kojima Hirotsugu , Shinohara Iku 
Published: March 2023

AbstractHigh‐power transmission experiments in the very low frequency (VLF) mode have been conducted by the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) satellite in the radiation belts using a novel transmitter that automatically tunes to find the resonance frequency of the transmitter circuit including the antenna. The resulting voltage–frequency curves are used to derive antenna impedance at the resonance. The analysis shows that the antenna reactance is far less than that of a dipole antenna in free space. The derived radiation resistance is up to several tens of kilo Ohms. Most interestingly, it is found that the radiation resistance is inversely proportional to the square of transmission wave frequency. The transmitted power can be up to 80 W for the DSX transmitter with an 82‐m long tip‐to‐tip antenna, showing that the high‐power VLF transmission is feasible. Whistler wave transmission inside the higher‐density plasmasphere is more efficient. Data analysis indicates that the antenna impedance does not vary systematically with the antenna orientation angle relative to the ambient magnetic field. The previous dominant theoretical studies yield not only incorrect values of the impedance but a completely different frequency dependence than that derived from DSX experiments. Instead, the recent theories correctly capture both the antenna impedance magnitude and the frequency dependence.
Epigenetic clocks suggest accelerated aging in patients with isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Authors: Baldelli Luca , Pirazzini Chiara , Sambati Luisa , Ravaioli Francesco , Gentilini Davide , Calandra-Buonaura Giovanna , Guaraldi Pietro , Franceschi Claudio , Cortelli Pietro , Garagnani Paolo , Bacalini Maria Giulia , Provini Federica 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIsolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD) is the strongest prodromal marker for α-synucleinopathies. Overt α-synucleinopathies and aging share several mechanisms, but this relationship has been poorly investigated in prodromal phases. Using DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks, we measured biological aging in videopolysomnography confirmed iRBD patients, videopolysomnography-negative and population-based controls. We found that iRBDs tended to be epigenetically older than controls, suggesting that accelerated aging characterizes prodromal neurodegeneration.
Comparison of concurrent validity of different malnutrition screening tools with the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) among stroke survivors in Malaysia
Authors: Wong Hui Jie , Harith Sakinah , Lua Pei Lin , Ibrahim Khairul Azmi 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIndividuals with stroke are at high malnutrition risk in both the acute and chronic phases. This study aimed to assess the validity of different malnutrition screening tools for stroke patients in rehabilitation phase. Participants in this study were 304 stroke patients from three hospitals in the East-Coast region of Peninsular Malaysia from May–August 2019. The concurrent validity of the Malnutrition Risk Screening Tool-Hospital (MRST-H), Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), Malnutrition Universal Screening (MUST) and Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002) was assessed with the diagnostic criteria for malnutrition proposed by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM-DCM). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and the area under the curve were computed. MUST and MRST-H demonstrated good validity regardless of different age groups (> 80% sensitivity and specificity); meanwhile, MST and MNA-SF had fair validity, yet NRS-2002 had poor to fair validity with GLIM-DCM. Only MRST-H and NRS-2002 were significantly correlated with all anthropometric indices, dietary energy intake, and health-related quality of life in both age groups. In conclusion, MRST-H and MUST showed good concurrent validity with GLIM-DCM and can be considered as appropriate malnutrition screening tool in discriminating malnutrition among stroke individuals attending rehabilitation centre in Malaysia regardless of their age groups.