bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Large scale simulation of labeled intraoperative scenes in unity
Authors: Dowrick Thomas , Davidson Brian , Gurusamy Kurinchi , Clarkson Matthew J 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Purpose
The use of synthetic or simulated data has the potential to greatly improve the availability and volume of training data for image guided surgery and other medical applications, where access to real-life training data is limited.

Methods
By using the Unity game engine, complex intraoperative scenes can be simulated. The Unity Perception package allows for randomisation of paremeters within the scene, and automatic labelling, to make simulating large data sets a trivial operation. In this work, the approach has been prototyped for liver segmentation from laparoscopic video images. 50,000 simulated images were used to train a U-Net, without the need for any manual labelling. The use of simulated data was compared against a model trained with 950 manually labelled laparoscopic images.

Results
When evaluated on data from 10 separate patients, synthetic data outperformed real data in 4 out of 10 cases. Average DICE scores across the 10 cases were 0.59 (synthetic data), 0.64 (real data) and 0.75 (both synthetic and real data).

Conclusion
Synthetic data generated using this method is able to make valid inferences on real data, with average performance slightly below models trained on real data. The use of the simulated data for pre-training boosts model performance, when compared with training on real data only.
Long-term forecasting in a coastal ecosystem: case study of a Southern restored Mediterranean lagoon: The North Lagoon of Tunis
Authors: Ben Hadid Nadia , Goyet Catherine , Ben Maiz Naceur , Shili Abdessalem 
Published: March 2022

AbstractEutrophication episodes are common in freshwater and coastal environments, causing significant damage to drinking water and aquaculture. Predictive models are efficient approaches for anticipating eutrophication or algal blooms because ecologists and environmentalists can estimate water pollution levels and take appropriate precautionary steps ahead of time. In aquatic ecosystems, chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) can be employed as a water quality indicator, revealing information on man-made physical, chemical, and biological changes variations or seasonal interventions. In the present study, a Seasonal AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model was developed to forecast monthly Chl-aconcentrations in the North Lagoon of Tunis, a Ramsar site, and one of the most important lagoons in Tunisia, using approximately three decades of historical data, starting from January 1989 to April 2018. SARIMA (2,0,2)(2,0,2)12was found to be the best-fitting model for Chl-aforecasting in the North Lagoon of Tunis. The resulting SARIMA model was validated with actual monthly Chl-aconcentrations from our last observations. Furthermore, with only one input variable, the SARIMA model showed greater applicability as a eutrophication early warning system using actual past Chl-adata. Finally, the SARIMA model was utilized to anticipate Chl-alevels from May 2018 to December 2025 as an early warning system for ecosystem managers and decision-makers for next generations.
Economic Analysis of Alternative Ware Potato Storage Technologies in Uganda
Authors: Wauters Pieter , Naziri Diego , Turinawe Alice , Akello Regina , Parker Monica L. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn Uganda, potato is primarily grown as a cash crop and smallholder farmers sell majority of their produce immediately after harvest. Only a few farmers store ware potato for later sale using various traditional storage methods. Main reasons are farmers’ immediate need for cash, the low volumes of potato harvested, fear of loss during storage due to pests and diseases, and a lack of adequate storage facilities. In order to exploit the seasonal market price fluctuations and increase the economic return of potato farming, improved individual and collective ambient ware potato storage units were introduced. Unlike traditional storage facilities that maintain the marketability of stored potato up to five weeks only, improved ambient stores can maintain their marketability up to nine weeks. This article uses cost-benefit analysis methods to compare the economic performance of improved ambient stores with traditional storage facilities. Results indicate that few of the traditional and improved collective storage units generated profit, an aspect that was attributed to management challenges. The improved individual stores performed overall well, generating higher profit margins than improved collective stores. Improved individual stores had an average payback period of three to four years that could even be reduced to less than one year if used at full capacity. Due to their characteristics, improved individual ambient ware potato stores thus seem to be particularly suitable to substantially increase the income of potato farming households.
The Historical Significance of the Welded Tuffs from Arucas, Canary Islands
Authors: Cárdenes V. , Cabrera-Guillén D. , López-Piñeiro S. , de Argandoña V. G. Ruiz , Rubio-Ordóñez A. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractArucas Stone (Piedra de Arucas) is a welded tuff quarried in the town of Arucas, on the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Archipelago. This rock has been quarried for centuries, not only for building but also for many other purposes, such as manufacturing water cisterns or conduits, and especially for carving. The quarrying and economic activity related to this stone have profoundly shaped the history and economy of the city of Arucas, in terms not only of extraction, but also of a highly valued local artisan tradition of stone carving. Immigrants from the Canary Islands even brought this stone to several countries in South America, where it was used to erect numerous important architectural heritage sites. Nowadays, this stone is only quarried in two areas, even though it is often required for the restoration and rehabilitation of historical buildings. Its special characteristics, and, above all, its historical importance, make this stone a prime candidate for Global Heritage Stone designation.
Towards a cyber-physical system for sustainable and smart building: a use case for optimising water consumption on a SmartCampus
Authors: Barroso Sergio , Bustos Pablo , Núñez Pedro 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn recent years, the joint advance of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence is enabling challenging developments for Smart Cities and Communities (S&CC). In particular, the SmartCampus, as an essential part of S&CC, acquires a transverse protagonism. On the one hand, SmartCampuses are a realistic representation of more complex systems (i.e., intelligent cities or territories) where to deploy sensors and plan specific goals. Nevertheless, on the other hand, Smartcampuses allow the coexistence of different technologies and networks of experts that facilitate the development, testing, and evolution of technologies. This paper describes the Cyber-Physical System SmartPoliTech, an Internet of Things Framework, as part of a future smart campus. SmartPoliTech develops an innovative framework that facilitates communication between different systems, data visualization, consumption modeling, alert generation, and the awareness of sustainability and environmental issues. This framework is based on a Service-Oriented Architecture to control all processes, from hardware to decision-making systems. This paper provides a sustainable and intelligent water management system to predict water consumption using Gaussian Mixture Models as day-, month- and even hour-dependent functions based on this Cyber-Physical System. The proposed solution can be used in any facility, with significant benefits being foreseen in metrics such as the minimization of water wastage.
Algorithmic Political Bias in Artificial Intelligence Systems
Authors: Peters Uwe 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSome artificial intelligence (AI) systems can display algorithmic bias, i.e. they may produce outputs that unfairly discriminate against people based on their social identity. Much research on this topic focuses on algorithmic bias that disadvantages people based on their gender or racial identity. The related ethical problems are significant and well known. Algorithmic bias against other aspects of people’s social identity, for instance, their political orientation, remains largely unexplored. This paper argues that algorithmic bias against people’s political orientation can arise in some of the same ways in which algorithmic gender and racial biases emerge. However, it differs importantly from them because there are (in a democratic society) strong social norms against gender and racial biases. This does not hold to the same extent for political biases. Political biases can thus more powerfully influence people, which increases the chances that these biases become embedded in algorithms and makes algorithmic political biases harder to detect and eradicate than gender and racial biases even though they all can produce similar harm. Since some algorithms can now also easily identify people’s political orientations against their will, these problems are exacerbated. Algorithmic political bias thus raises substantial and distinctive risks that the AI community should be aware of and examine.
Obesity and lipid metabolism disorders determine the risk for development of long COVID syndrome: a cross-sectional study from 50,402 COVID-19 patients
Authors: Loosen Sven H. , Jensen Björn-Erik Ole , Tanislav Christian , Luedde Tom , Roderburg Christoph , Kostev Karel 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Metabolic disorders have been identified as major risk factors for severe acute courses of COVID-19. With decreasing numbers of infections in many countries, the long COVID syndrome (LCS) represents the next major challenge in pandemic management, warranting the precise definition of risk factors for LCS development.

Methods
We identified 50,402 COVID-19 patients in the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA) featuring data from 1056 general practices in Germany. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for the development of LCS.

Results
Of the 50,402 COVID-19 patients included into this analysis, 1,708 (3.4%) were diagnosed with LCS. In a multivariate regression analysis, we identified lipid metabolism disorders (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.28–1.65, p < 0.001) and obesity (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08–1.44, p = 0.003) as strong risk factors for the development of LCS. Besides these metabolic factors, patients’ age between 46 and 60 years (compared to age ≤ 30, (OR 1.81 95% CI 1.54–2.13, p < 0.001), female sex (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.20–1.47, p < 0.001) as well as pre-existing asthma (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.39–2.00, p < 0.001) and depression (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.47, p = < 0.002) in women, and cancer (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.09–1.95, p = < 0.012) in men were associated with an increased likelihood of developing LCS.

Conclusion
Lipid metabolism disorders and obesity represent age-independent risk factors for the development of LCS, suggesting that metabolic alterations determine the risk for unfavorable disease courses along all phases of COVID-19.
AI-powered narrative building for facilitating public participation and engagement
Authors: Marmolejo-Ramos Fernando , Workman Thomas , Walker Clint , Lenihan Don , Moulds Sarah , Correa Juan C. , Hanea Anca M. , Sonna Belona 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAlgorithms, data, and AI (ADA) technologies permeate most societies worldwide because of their proven benefits in different areas of life. Governments are the entities in charge of harnessing the benefits of ADA technologies above and beyond providing government services digitally. ADA technologies have the potential to transform the way governments develop and deliver services to citizens, and the way citizens engage with their governments. Conventional public engagement strategies employed by governments have limited both the quality and diversity of deliberation between the citizen and their governments, and the potential for ADA technologies to be employed to improve the experience for both governments and the citizens they serve. In this article we argue that ADA technologies can improve the quality, scope, and reach of public engagement by governments, particularly when coupled with other strategies to ensure legitimacy and accessibility among a broad range of communities and other stakeholders. In particular, we explore the role “narrative building” (NB) can play in facilitating public engagement through the use of ADA technologies. We describe a theoretical implementation of NB enhanced by adding natural language processing, expert knowledge elicitation, and semantic differential rating scales capabilities to increase gains in scale and reach. The theoretical implementation focuses on the public’s opinion on ADA-related technologies, and it derives implications for ethical governance.
The Garment Industry in Bangladesh, Corporate Social Responsibility of Multinational Corporations, and The Impact of COVID-19
Authors: Reza Ninia , Du Plessis Jean Jacques 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis article investigates the Bangladeshi garment industry that supplies ready-made garments for global brands and the corporate social responsibilities (CSRs) of the brands/multinational corporations (MNCs) towards their supply chains. Although outsourcing and global trade have boosted the living standards of many people in the Bangladeshi garment industry, there are some significant concerns regarding the working conditions and treatment of workers in these supply chains. This, in turn, cannot, and should not, be detached from the legal relationship between the Bangladeshi supply chains and the MNCs contracting with them. This article examines the impact of COVID-19, which has exposed the fragility and the pre-existing flaws in the relationship between the MNCs and their suppliers more clearly than at any other time in history. There is a huge governance gap between MNCs and supply chains that needs to be addressed urgently. This article assesses the legality of the cancellation of orders by the brands that invoked the force majeure clause. In doing so, this paper briefly deals with the responses of three American retail companies, namely Sears, Kohl’s, and the Arcadia Group, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It illustrates that the power asymmetry between the MNCs and their suppliers has put the supply chains in an unreasonably disadvantageous position, creating unfair and even unconscionable conduct by several MNCs. This article also looks at solutions for the existing problems, focusing, inter alia, on non-financial reporting requirements in the US and the EU to implement CSR in supply chains. However, disappointingly, the authors had to conclude that MNCs typically have the propensity to disregard CSR, whenever it is convenient for them and use CSR for mere “greenwashing” purposes for their strategic benefit only. It is a problem that requires constant attention and continuing research to find long-term solutions. The article employs doctrinal methodology and, by conducting a meta-analysis of literature and case-studies, it provides a comprehensive understanding of how the industry works.
Reflections on the concept of musical development
Authors: Welch Graham F. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract‘The Sequence of Musical Development’ by Swanwick and Tillman was published in the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) in 1986. This year marks its 35thanniversary and provides an occasion to look back on the article’s content and legacy. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the antecedents for the article’s underlying concepts, as well as how our understanding of children and young people’s musical behaviours and development has evolved. Alternate and more nuanced perspectives, both available at the time and since, draw on an expanding, diverse, multidisciplinary research base. These enable us to have a better grasp of the strengths of the original, as well as what continues to need investigation.
Individual differences in the acquisition of language-specific and dialect-specific allophones of intervocalic /d/ by L2 and heritage Spanish speakers studying abroad in Sevilla
Authors: Regan Brendan 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis study examines the role of language proficiency and other individual factors (attitudes, input) in the acquisition of language-specific [ð] and dialect-specific [∅] allophones of Spanish intervocalic /d/ in the /ado/ context by L2 and heritage Spanish speakers during a short-term study abroad in Sevilla, Spain. Twenty L2-intermediate, 10 L2-advanced, and 10 Heritage-advanced Spanish speakers completed a reading task at the beginning and the end of the program. Based on an acoustic analysis, a mixed-effects linear regression model found that only L2-advanced and Heritage-advanced groups demonstrated more approximant-like [ð] over time. However, proficiency level interacted with attitudes and input. There were a few [∅] realizations, mostly produced by an L2-advanced speaker who also demonstrated metalinguistic awareness of the dialect-specific allophone. The findings imply that advanced (L2 and heritage) speakers with favorable attitudes toward the local variety are most likely to demonstrate gradient language-specific allophonic changes during a short-term SA program.
The KIDScore™ D3 scoring system contributes to the prediction of embryonic development potential: A promising tool for screening high-quality embryos
Authors: Zhou Jing , Li Rou , Zhou Jun , Nie Yu-Ling , Li Mei-Qing , Liao Hong-Qing 
Published: March 2022

SummaryUsing the KIDScoreTM D3 (KID3) scoring system, day 3 embryos observed by time-lapse imaging (TLI) were scored to explore the predictive value of the KID scoring system on the developmental potential of embryos. The kinetic parameters of 477 normal fertilized embryos from 77 patients who underwent TLI in our hospital from January 2019 to June 2020 were evaluated by KID3, and the embryos were divided into five groups according to the scores for retrospective analysis of blastocyst formation. Additionally, the high-quality blastocyst formation rate, pregnancy rate and early abortion rate were analyzed via KID3 and traditional morphological assessments, and comparisons of differences among different ages were also performed. In the KID3 estimate, the blastocyst or high-quality blastocyst formation rate in the score 5 group was markedly higher than that in the score 1–4 groups. Blastocyst or high-quality blastocyst formation rates in the A group (the results of two evaluation tools indicated they were excellent embryos) and the B group (KID3: excellent embryos, traditional evaluation: not excellent embryos) were evidently increased in comparison with the C or D group (KID3: not excellent embryos, traditional evaluation: excellent embryo or not, respectively). Furthermore, the percentages of score 5 embryos, blastocyst and high-quality blastocyst formation rates for patients ≥ 35 years old were markedly decreased compared with those for patients < 34 years old, while the trends of nondiploid cleavage, multinucleation and asymmetric division were the opposite. Collectively, the KID3 scoring system may be a promising predictive tool for screening embryos with better developmental potential.
“The only thing I wonder is when I will have surgery again”: everyday life for children with right ventricle outflow tract anomalies during assessment for heart surgery
Authors: Svensson Birgitta , Liuba Petru , Wennick Anne , Berghammer Malin 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackground:Children with right ventricle outflow tract anomalies require repeated heart surgeries, thereby needing regular preoperative assessments throughout their lifetime. This situation puts a heavy burden on these children. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore how children diagnosed with right ventricle outflow tract anomalies experience their heart disease and their everyday life during the preoperative assessment and after the decision on whether to perform a new cardiac surgery.Methods:Individual interviews were conducted with nine children between 9 to 17 years of age on three occasions from 2014 to 2016. In total there were 27 interviews which all were analyzed with thematic analysis.Results:The analysis yielded three themes and eight subthemes. The theme Me and my heart disease concerns children’s experiences of the heart disease. Almost all described symptoms and how they adapt in their everyday life. The theme Being me concerns the children’s sense of self, where their heart disease was not prominent. The theme Being placed in someone else’s hands describes how the assessment was more of a safety net at least until the decision of heart surgery.Conclusion:The children’s symptoms, their experiences during the assessment, their future surgeries and how the heart disease affects their everyday life could be better understood as elements of their adaptation to the heart disease. In order to achieve individualized support based on the child’s experiences and to ensure that these children are involved in their own care a child-centered approach is recommended.
Life satisfaction, health-related quality of life and physical activity after treatment for valvular aortic stenosis
Authors: Kjellberg Olofsson Cecilia , Skovdahl Pia , Fridolfsson Jonatan , Arvidsson Daniel , Börjesson Mats , Sunnegårdh Jan , Buratti Sandra 
Published: March 2022

AbstractObjective:To investigate health-related quality of life and life satisfaction in children and adolescents treated for isolated congenital valvular aortic stenosis compared to healthy peers. Our second aim was to investigate the relationship between objectively measured physical activity, health-related quality of life and life satisfaction in the same group.Methods:Forty-eight patients, 8–18 years of age, were recruited, as well as 43 healthy peers matched for age, gender and residential area. Health-related quality of life was assessed by the KIDSCREEN-52 self-report and parent proxy report, and life satisfaction was evaluated with the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Physical activity was measured with an accelerometer for 7 days. Sports participation was self-reported.Results:No differences in the health-related quality of life domains were found between patients and controls in the self-reports. In the proxy reports, parents of the adolescents rated their child’s autonomy lower than did the parents of the healthy controls. A negative relationship was found between moderate to vigorous physical activity, sports participation, life satisfaction and the psychological well-being domain in adolescent patients. In children there was a positive relationship between moderate physical activity and the physical and psychological well-being domains.Conclusion:Overall, children and adolescents treated for valvular aortic stenosis reported similar life satisfaction and health-related quality of life as their healthy peers. The negative relationships between intense physical activity and sports participation with health-related quality of life and life satisfaction in adolescent patients might be explained by both physical and psychological factors in these teenagers with complex, lifelong heart disease.