bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneous Patient Graph Embedding in Readmission Prediction
Authors: Daneshva Hirad , Samavi Reza 
Published: September 2023

<p>The number of youth seeking mental health services has been increasing in the past decade. Accurate prediction of hospital readmission is a contributing factor in addressing youth mental health problem and healthcare service utilization. Medical records are an important source of information for readmission prediction, however utilizing such records in the context of mental care, requires overcoming two impeding challenges: the diversity of service utilization (e.g., using psychiatric vs. overdose vs. trauma clinics all for the same underlying mental health reason) and the heterogeneity of data associated with each service. Graph Neural Network (GNN) is shown to be promising in performing classification or regression tasks when input data bears a complex structure. In this research, we propose using graph embedding to first generate patient graph that captures episodic emergency department visits and the complex service utilizations of the patient. We then use GNN for readmission prediction. For embedding and training purposes, we utilize more than 4,000 unique mental health patients data over 19 years. To evaluate our approach we systematically compare a variety of of GNN models with four RNN models, namely LSTM, Bi-LSTM, GRU, and Bi-GRU. Our experimental evaluation demonstrates that encoding the complex interrelationship between features of a patient using graph embedding and GNN improves the performance of the predictive model compared to RNN counterparts. </p>
Optimization-Based k-Anonymity Algorithms
Authors: Liang Yuting , Samavi Reza 
Published: September 2023

<p>In this paper we present a formulation of <em>k</em>-anonymity as a mathematical <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/optimization-problem" target="_blank">optimization problem</a>. In solving this formulated problem, <em>k</em>-anonymity is achieved while maximizing the utility of the resulting dataset. Our formulation has the advantage of incorporating different weights for attributes in order to achieve customized utility to suit different research purposes. The resulting formulation is a Mixed Integer <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/linear-program" target="_blank">Linear Program</a> (MILP), which is NP-complete in general. Recognizing the complexity of the problem, we propose two practical algorithms which can provide near-optimal utility. Our experimental evaluation confirms that our algorithms are scalable when used for datasets containing large numbers of records.</p>
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Perverse Consequences of Well Intentioned Regulation: Evidence from India’s Child Labor Ban
Authors: Bharadwaj Prashant , Lakdawala Leah K. , Li Nicholas 
Published: September 2023

<p>Although bans against child labor are a ubiquitous policy tool, there is very little empirical evidence on their effectiveness. In this paper, we examine the consequences of India’s landmark legislation against child labor, the Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986. Using data from employment surveys conducted before and after the ban, and using age restrictions that determined whom the ban applied to, we show that the relative probability of child employment <em>increases</em> and child wages (relative to adult wages) decrease after the ban. Our main specification relies on comparing changes in work probabilities over time for children <em>of the same age</em> but with siblings who are rendered either eligible or ineligible for legal work when the ban is implemented. The increases in the probability of economic activity are largest for children (i) in areas where the industries targeted by the ban play a larger role in local labor markets, (ii) in areas where the probability of employer inspections is higher, and (iii) in families that are poorer. These results are consistent with a theoretical model building on the seminal work of Basu and Van (1998) and Basu (2005), where families use child labor to reach subsistence constraints and where child wages decrease in response to bans, leading poor families to utilize more child labor. We also find decreases in child participation in schooling (for younger children only) and no economically meaningful change in household outcomes like assets or calorie intake.</p>
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Borders, varieties and distribution costs: Evidence from a US-Canada retail chain
Authors: Li Nicholas 
Published: September 2023

<p>Using data from a large retailer operating in Canada and the United States, I examine how market size and retailer size at the local and regional levels shape the variety of products available to consumers at a given store. The average Canadian store carries many fewer varieties, and I show that this has a potentially large (negative) effect on consumer welfare for Canadian (vs. American) shoppers. I propose a novel method to quantify the international difference in retail distribution costs and find evidence that they are much higher in Canada. Exploiting intra-national variation in market and retailer characteristics, I find that up to a quarter of the international variety gap can be explained by observed local and regional market characteristics that lead to larger retail scale in the United States. I also show that retailer scale has independent effects on product variety, conditional on market characteristics, and that manufacturer size and retailer size are substitutes in distribution.</p>
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International Prices, Costs and Markup Diﬀerences
Authors: Gopinath Gita , Gourinchas Pierre-Olivier , Hsieh Chang-Tai , Li Nicholas 
Published: September 2023

<p> Relative cross-border retail prices, in a common currency, comove closely with the nominal exchange rate. Using product-level prices and wholesale costs from a grocery chain operating in the United States and Canada, we decompose this variation into relative costs and markup components. The high correlation of nominal and real exchange rates is driven mainly by changes in relative costs. National borders segment markets. Retail prices respond to changes in costs in neighboring stores within the same country but not across the border. Prices have a median discontinuous change of 24 percent at the border and 0 percent at state boundaries. </p>
Using Active Learning Techniques to Engage Audiences in Oral Presentations
Authors: Mazrouei Sara , Schwartz Michelle 
Published: September 2023

<p>In this chapter, we provide an outline for a workshop in which participants learn about active learning techniques and how to use the BOPPPS (Bridge, Objective, Pre-assessment, Participatory learning, Post-assessment, Summary) model to structure presentations and engage their audiences. Participants in this workshop develop a short presentation on a topic of interest. They complete an outline of their presentation using a BOPPPS template. Later, they deliver the presentation to their fellow participants and receive feedback from their peers on whether the presentation was comprehensive, actively engaging, and inclusive of all participants.</p>
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Healthy Foundations Study: a randomised controlled trial to evaluate biological embedding of early-life experiences
Authors: Gonzalez Andrea , Catherine Nicole , Boyle Michael , Jack Susan M. , Atkinson Leslie , Kobor Michael , Sheehan Debbie , Tonmyr Lil , Waddell Charlotte , MacMillan Harriet L. 
Published: September 2023

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<p><strong>Introduction</strong> Adverse early experiences are associated with long-lasting disruptions in physiology, development and health. These experiences may be ‘biologically embedded’ into molecular and genomic systems that determine later expressions of vulnerability. Most studies to date have not examined whether preventive interventions can potentially reverse biological embedding. The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is an evidence-based intervention with demonstrated efficacy in improving prenatal health, parenting and child functioning. The Healthy Foundations Study is an innovative birth cohort which will evaluate the impact of the NFP on biological outcomes of mothers and their infants.</p>
<p><strong>Methods and analysis</strong> Starting in 2013, up to 400 pregnant mothers and their newborns were recruited from the British Columbia Healthy Connections Project—a randomised controlled trial of the NFP, and will be followed to child aged 2 years. Women were recruited prior to 28 weeks’ gestation and then individually randomised to receive existing services (comparison group) or NFP plus existing services (intervention group). Hair samples are collected from mothers at baseline and 2 months post partum to measure physiological stress. Saliva samples are collected from infants during all visits for analyses of stress and immune function. Buccal swabs are collected from infants at 2 and 24 months to assess DNA methylation. Biological samples will be related to child outcome measures at age 2 years.</p>
<p><strong>Ethics and dissemination</strong> The study received ethical approval from seven research ethics boards. Findings from this study will be shared broadly with the research community through peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations, as well as seminars with our policy partners and relevant healthcare providers. The outcomes of this study will provide all stakeholders with important information regarding how early adversity may lead to health and behavioural disparities and how these may be altered through early interventions.</p>
Effects of household chaos and parental responsiveness on child executive functions: a novel, multi-method approach
Authors: Andrews Krysta , Dunn James R. , Prime Heather , Duku Eric K. , Atkinson Leslie , Tiwari Ashwini , Gonzalez Andrea 
Published: September 2023

<p><strong>Background</strong></p>
<p>Executive functions can be adversely affected by contextual risks in the home environment including chaos and parenting challenges. Furthermore, household chaos negatively influences parenting practices. Few studies, however, have examined the role of parenting in the association between household chaos and child executive functions.</p>
<p><strong>Methods</strong></p>
<p>Using a sample of 128 school-aged children (mean = 61.9 months, SD = 2.0, range 58–68 months) and their mothers, the present study examined direct and indirect effects (via parental responsiveness) of household chaos on child executive functioning. Multi-measures were used including performance-based assessments, behavioural observations, questionnaires, and video-home tours.</p>
<p><strong>Results</strong></p>
<p>Household chaos had both a direct effect on child executive functions (β = − .31, 95% CI [− .58, − .04]) and an indirect effect (β = − .05, 95% [− .13, − .01]) via parental responsiveness. Further, the indirect effect was only significant for household instability.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>These findings indicate that parental responsiveness may be compromised by household chaos, with implications for the executive functions of school-aged children. Preventative strategies are needed to improve the stability in the home and strengthen parenting practices.</p>
Correlates of hybridization in plants
Authors: Mitchell Nora , Campbell Lesley , Ahern Jeffrey R. , Paine Kellen C. , Giroldo Aelton B. , Whitney Kenneth D. 
Published: September 2023

<p>Hybridization is a biological phenomenon increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary process in both plants and animals, as it is linked to speciation, radiation, extinction, range expansion and invasion, and allows for increased trait diversity in agricultural and horticultural systems. Estimates of hybridization frequency vary across taxonomic groups, but causes of this variation are unknown. Here, we ask on a global scale whether hybridization is linked to any of 11 traits related to plant life history, reproduction, genetic predisposition, and environment or opportunity. Given that hybridization is not evenly distributed across the plant tree of life, we use phylogenetic generalized least squares regression models and phylogenetic path analysis to detect statistical associations between hybridization and plant traits at both the family and genus levels. We find that perenniality and woodiness are each weakly associated with an increased frequency of hybridization in univariate analyses, but path analysis suggests that the direct linkage is between perenniality and increased hybridization (with woodiness having only an indirect relationship with hybridization via perenniality). Weak associations between higher rates of hybridization and higher outcrossing rates, abiotic pollination syndromes, vegetative reproductive modes, larger genomes, and less variable genome sizes are detectable in some cases but not others. We argue that correlational evidence at the global scale, such as that presented here, provides a robust framework for forming hypotheses to examine and test drivers of hybridization at a more mechanistic level.</p>
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Rapid, high-titer biosynthesis of melanin using the marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens
Authors: Smith Aaron D. , Tschirhart Tanya , Compton Jaimee , Hennessa Tiffany M. , VanArsdale Eric , Wang Zheng 
Published: September 2023

Melanin is one of the most abundant natural biomolecules on Earth. These macromolecular biopolymers display several unique physical and chemical properties and have garnered interest as biomaterials for various commercial and industrial applications. To this end, extensive research has gone into refining methods for the synthesis and extraction of melanin from natural and recombinant sources. In this study, we developed and refined a procedure using a recombinant microbial system for the biosynthesis of melanin using the tyrosinase enzyme Tyr1 and tyrosine as a substrate. Using the emergent microbial chassis organisms Vibrio natriegens, we achieved maximal yields of 7.57 g/L, and one of the highest reported volumetric productivities of 473 mg L−1 h−1 with 100% conversion rates in an optimized, minimally defined medium. Additionally, we identified and investigated the use of a native copper responsive promoter in V. natriegens for stringent regulation of heterologous protein expression as a cost effective alternative to traditional IPTG-based induction. This research represents a promising advancement towards a green, rapid, and economical alternative for the biomanufacture of melanin.
Metabolic syndrome and its associated factors among type 2 diabetic patients in Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia Region
Authors: Shita Abel , Teshome Habtamu , Ayalew Mulugeta , Yesuf Wudu , Getachew Dawit 
Published: September 2023

BackgroundPatients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are prone to modifiable and non-modifiable complications, which can be grouped under metabolic syndrome (MetS). Evaluating MetS in patients with diabetes is critical for the prevention of cardiovascular disease among patients with DM. In Ethiopia, more specifically in the southwest of Ethiopia, these kinds of information are lacking. Thus, this study estimated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among type 2 diabetic patients and its associated factors.MethodsA health facility-based cross-sectional study was done from May 1 to 30, 2021. The data were collected using structured questionnaires, laboratory investigations, and anthropometric measurements. MetS was diagnosed using the modified International Diabetic Federation guidelines (IDF) and the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria. The data was entered into Epidata and analyzed using SPSS software. Bivariable and multiple variable logistic regression was done to identify the factors associated with MetS. In multiple-variable logistic regression analysis, variables that have a p-value ≤ 0.05 were declared to have statistical significance.ResultThe majority (31.4%) of study participants were within the age group of 41-50 years and the mean ± SD of age is 51.75 ± 11.66, and 54.9% of them were men. In this study, the prevalence of MetS was 31.4% and 41.2% using the IDF and NCEP-ATP III criteria, respectively. Being a woman (AOR = 11.33, 95% CI; 3.73, 34.34; p &lt; 0.001), having a lower level of education (AOR=7.10, 95% CI; 1.88, 26.70; p &lt;0.004), and performing high physical activities (AOR=0.08, 95%CI; 0.01, 0.40; p &lt;0.002) were significantly associated with MetS.ConclusionAccording to this study, the magnitude of Metabolic Syndrome in Mizan-Teppi University Teaching Hospital was 31.4% and 41.2% using IDF and NCEP-ATP III criteria, respectively. Being a woman and having a lower level of education increased the odds of MetS among patients with DM while performing high physical activities decreased the odds of MetS among patients with DM. Therefore, to prevent metabolic syndrome among type 2 DM patients in the study area, it is crucial to focus on women and individuals who have not had access to adequate education. One way to do this is by prioritizing interventions that involve physical activity.
Microbiome profile and calprotectin levels as markers of risk of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection
Authors: Vázquez-Cuesta Silvia , Lozano García Nuria , Fernández Ana I. , Olmedo María , Kestler Martha , Alcalá Luis , Marín Mercedes , Bermejo Javier , Díaz Francisco Fernández-Avilés , Muñoz Patricia , Bouza Emilio , Reigadas Elena 
Published: September 2023

IntroductionClostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the main cause of nosocomial diarrhoea in developed countries. Recurrent CDI (R-CDI), which affects 20%-30% of patients and significantly increases hospital stay and associated costs, is a key challenge. The main objective of this study was to explore the role of the microbiome and calprotectin levels as predictive biomarkers of R-CDI.MethodsWe prospectively (2019-2021) included patients with a primary episode of CDI. Clinical data and faecal samples were collected. The microbiome was analysed by sequencing the hypervariable V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene on an Illumina Miseq platform.ResultsWe enrolled 200 patients with primary CDI, of whom 54 developed R-CDI and 146 did not. We analysed 200 primary samples and found that Fusobacterium increased in abundance, while Collinsella, Senegalimassilia, Prevotella and Ruminococcus decreased in patients with recurrent versus non-recurrent disease. Elevated calprotectin levels correlated significantly with R-CDI (p=0.01). We built a risk index for R-CDI, including as prognostic factors age, sex, immunosuppression, toxin B amplification cycle, creatinine levels and faecal calprotectin levels (overall accuracy of 79%).DiscussionCalprotectin levels and abundance of microbial genera such as Fusobacterium and Prevotella in primary episodes could be useful as early markers of R-CDI. We propose a readily available model for prediction of R-CDI that can be applied at the initial CDI episode. The use of this tool could help to better tailor treatments according to the risk of R-CDI.
Comparative analysis of bile metabolic profile in patients with biliary obstruction complicated by Clonorchis sinensis infection
Authors: Zhang Xueli , Han Su , Jiang Xu , Duan Shanshan , Gao Yannan , Ding Jian , Li Xiang , Sun Beibei , Hu Xinyi , Zhang Xiaoli , Zhang Weizhe 
Published: September 2023

BackgroundClonorchiasis is an important foodborne parasitic disease. However, eggs of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) cannot be detected in feces during biliary obstruction. Moreover, many diseases can cause biliary obstruction, such as gallstones, adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and Ascaris lumbricoides infection. Therefore, it is of great significance to distinguish between patients of biliary obstruction and biliary obstruction with C. sinensis infection.MethodsA total of 48 biliary obstruction patients were enrolled, including 23 infected with C. sinensis (C. sinensis) (OB+C.s) and 25 non-infected subjects (OB). The bile samples were collected by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS). Additionally, multivariate statistical analysis methods were employed to identify differential metabolites. Next, bile amino acid levels were determined by targeted metabolomics analysis.ResultA total of 146 and 132 significant metabolites were identified in electrospray ionization (ESI)+ and ESI− modes, respectively. The levels of amino acids (asparagine, glutamate, ornithine) and polyamines (spermidine and spermine) were significantly changed. Targeted analysis showed that the levels of amino acids (such as L-arginine, L-glutamine, L-lysine, L-propionic, and L-tyrosine) were lower in OB+C.s patients compared to those in OB patients. Marked metabolic pathways were involved in “Glutathione metabolism”, “Caffeine metabolism”, “Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism”, “Arginine and proline metabolism”, “Purine metabolism”, “Beta-Alanine metabolism”, and “D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism”.ConclusionThese results show that there were significant differences between OB+C.s and OB patients, especially in amino acids. The metabolic signature and perturbations in metabolic pathways may help to better distinguish OB+C.s and OB patients.
The classical Cuevas River section revisited: an update to the style and timing of deformation of the Aconcagua region based on new geological, structural and geochronological data (32°50′S)
Authors: Fennell Lucas M. , Martos Federico Exequiel , Peluffo Nicolás A. , Acevedo Eliana , Fernández Paz Lucía , Morel Luciano , Scazziota Mauro , Naipauer Maximiliano , Hauser Natalia , Litvak Vanesa D. , Folguera Andrés 
Published: September 2023

The Aconcagua region constitutes a classical site to study the growth of the Andes, being host of the highest mountain of South America and focus of numerous investigations since its first description by Charles Darwin almost 200 years ago. The last detailed works in this area characterized it as a typical thin-skinned fold-thrust belt with a basal detachment located in the lower evaporitic units of the Mesozoic sequences. Previous authors in this area correlated the different thrust sheets on the basis of their marine fossils, sedimentological characteristics and structural relations. Although these criteria were useful for the identification of the marine and evaporitic units, the resemblance between the nonmarine red beds and among the different volcanic units has difficulted their unequivocal assignment. Moreover, the inaccessibility of the outcrops and the lack of an adequate geochronological control has led to underestimate the importance of the Aconcagua fold-thrust belt in the last couple of years, being characterized as a secondary feature in Andean orogenesis. A series of new field observations, sedimentological studies and geochronological analyses were performed to update the geological map of this area and build a schematic cross section along the Río Cuevas at 32°50’S in west-central Argentina. These studies allowed the identification of important variations on the thickness of the Upper Jurassic nonmarine sequences associated with the activity of normal faults and the development of structural highs. Many of these normal faults are presently inverted, which suggests that tectonic inversion played an important role in the structuration of this region, leading to a deformational style that varies from a thick-skinned inner domain towards a thin-skinned frontal sector. A series of sedimentological profiles aided by four new U-Pb detrital zircon analyses and its integration with new geochronological databases allowed the documentation of previously unrecognized Paleogene deposits, the age reassignation of several volcanic and sedimentary units and the modification of the stratigraphy. Finally, at least three contractional events with different structural mechanisms were identified along this transect, revealing a dynamic tectonic evolution that underscores the role of structural inheritance and the relevance of the Aconcagua fold-thrust belt in the Andean orogeny.