bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increasing Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index and Pregnancy Outcomes in the United States: Analysis of the US Vital Statistics Records (2015-2019)
Authors: AKINYEMI OLUWASEGUN , Tanna Resham , Adetokunbo Stella , Omokhodion Ofure , Fasokun Mojisola , Akingbule Akinwale , Martins Chidi , Ajogbasile Oluwole , Fakorede Mary , Ogundipe Tayo , Filani Oladunni 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background: With 42% of adult Americans obese and 2/3rd of Americans overweight or obese, increased body mass index (BMI) is fast becoming normalized. There is a need to continue highlighting the association between pre-pregnancy obesity and adverse pregnancy outcomes in the country. The aim of the present study is to determine the association between increasing pre-pregnancy BMI and pregnancy outcomes.Methods: We utilized the United States Vital Statistics records to collate data on all childbirths in the United States between 2015 and 2019. We determined the association between increasing pre-pregnancy BMI and adverse pregnancy outcomes using multivariate analysis. Neonatal outcomes measures include the 5-min Apgar score, neonatal unit admission, neonates receiving assisted ventilation > 6 hours, neonatal antibiotics use, and neonatal seizures. Maternal outcomes include cesarean section rate, mothers requiring blood transfusion, unplanned hysterectomy, and intensive care unit admission. In addition, we controlled for maternal parameters such as race/ethnicity, age, insurance type, and preexisting conditions such as chronic hypertension, and prediabetes. Other covariates include paternal race, age and education level, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), induction of labor, weight gain during pregnancy, gestational age at delivery, and delivery weight. Results: We studied 15 627 572 deliveries in the US vital statistics records between 2015 and 2019. Among these women, 3.36% were underweight, 43.19% were with a normal BMI, 26.34% were overweight, 14.73% were in the obese class I, 7.23% were in the obese class II, and 5.14% in the obese class III. Increasing pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with significant adverse outcomes across all measures of maternal and neonatal outcomes. Conclusion: Increasing pre-pregnancy body mass index is associated with significant adverse pregnancy outcomes. Since pre-pregnancy BMI is a modifiable risk, women should be encouraged to lose weight before pregnancy to improve pregnancy outcomes.
The Observation of Rare, but Strong Individual Increase of Self-Reported Sexual Arousal while being Confronted with Experimental Sexual Stimuli – an Issue for Forensic Research?
Authors: Jordan Kirsten , Fromberger Peter , Müller Isabel , Wild Tamara , Müller Jürgen 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Confronting persons with sexual stimuli to measure sexual interest is common practice in experimental forensic research. In own projects, the presentation of such stimuli resulted in strong individual increase of subjective sexual arousal in some participants and premature study termination for one forensic inpatient due to increased emotional lability and decompensation. It cannot be excluded that the confrontation with sexual images could have increased the risk for (sexual) recidivism in these few patients. Thus, we exploratively analyzed individual, self-indicated sexual arousal of 241 forensic inpatients, outpatients and non-forensic participants before and after being confronted with sexual stimuli in three different experiments. We found moderate, but significant increase in experienced subjective sexual arousal after all experiments. Looking at individual cases, up to 14% of participants indicated high sexual arousal values. The patients among them were more likely to be diagnosed with paraphilia (pedophilia) or affective disorders, and to receive anti-depressive treatment. We assume a higher emotional lability or/and reduced emotion regulation abilities in those patients. By means of this data analysis, we want to sensitize researchers to potentially dangerous consequences of sexual stimulus presentation. A careful weighing up of anticipated scientific knowledge gain and a potentially increased risk of recidivism or decompensation seems indispensable.
Lactoferrin affects fertilization, implantation, and pregnancy in rats
Authors: Massa Estefanía , Gola Aldana , Moriconi Marianela , Celso Agustina Lo , Madariaga María José , Pelusa Fabián , Ghersevich Sergio 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Lactoferrin (LF) is present in the oviduct, reduces in vitro gamete interaction, and affects sperm capacitation parameters in humans. Our aim was to investigate LF actions on further stages of the reproductive process in the Wistar rat model. Motile sperm were obtained from cauda epididymis to assess LF binding by direct immunofluorescence and LF effect on acrosome reaction (AR) using a Coomassie blue staining. After ovarian hyperstimulation of female rats, oocytes were surgically recovered and coincubated with motile sperm and different doses of LF to estimate the in vitro fertilization (IVF) rate. To evaluate the LF effect on pregnancy and embryo implantation, female rats (80 days old) were placed with males and received daily intraperitoneal injections of LF during one complete estrous cycle (pregnancy experiments) or during the first 8 gestational days (implantation experiments). The number of pregnant females and live born pups was recorded after labor. Moreover, the number of implantation sites was registered during the implantation period. LF was able to bind to the sperm head, midpiece, and tail. Ten and 100 µg/ml LF stimulated the AR but reduced the IVF rate. The administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg LF significantly decreased the number of implantation sites and the litter size, whereas 100 mg/kg LF declined the pregnancy rate. The results suggest that LF might interfere with the reproductive process, possibly interfering with gamete interaction or inducing a premature AR; nevertheless, the mechanisms involved are yet to be elucidated.
Single Stage Long Lifespan LED Driver using Resonant Converter
Authors: JUNAID K A MOHAMED , SUKHI Y , JEYASHREE Y , AHAMED A FAYAZ 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
This paper proposes novel approach to design single stage LED driver which suppresses the ripples in the lamp. This converter assures high power factor in the input supply side. The resonant elements limit the ripple current which passes through the lamp. Because of the resonant elements in the circuit, the bulk capacitance is eliminated and film capacitors are used, better efficiency and discontinuous conduction assures high power factor. Load power is controlled by the variation of duty cycle of the MOSFET switches with constant frequency. Design values of the converter elements are calculated using the equations derived during the modes of operation. Experimental setup is built for 24W LED lamp and results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed LED driver.
Constructing Molecular Bridge for High-Efficiency and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells based on P3HT Hole Transport Material
Authors: Xu Dongdong , Gong Zhiming , Jiang Yue , Feng Yancong , Wang Zhen , Gao Xingsen , Lu Xubing , Zhou Guofu , Liu Jun-Ming , Gao Jinwei 
Published: August 2022

AbstractPoly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is one of the most attracting hole transport materials (HTMs) for the pursuing of stable, low-cost and high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the poor contact and the severe recombination at P3HT/perovskite interface lead to a low power conversion efficiency (PCE). Thus, we have constructed a molecular bridge, MDN, whose malononitrile group can anchor the perovskite surface while triphenylamine group can form π − π stacking with P3HT, to form a charge transport channel. In addition, MDN was also found effectively passivate the defects and reduce the recombination to a large extent. Finally, a PCE of 22.87% has been achieved with MDN doped P3HT (M-P3HT) as HTM, much higher than the efficiency of PSCs with pristine P3HT. Furthermore, MDN gave the un-encapsulated device an enhanced long-term stability that 92% of its initial efficiency has been maintained even after two months of aging at 75% relative humidity (RH) followed by one month of aging at 85% RH in the atmosphere, and the PCE has not been changed after operating at the maximum power point (MPP) under 1 sun illumination (~ 45oC in N2) over 500 hours.
Unsupervised EEG Preictal Interval Identification in Patients with Drug-resistant Epilepsy
Authors: Leal Adriana , Curty Juliana , Lopes Fábio , Pinto Mauro F. , Oliveira Ana , Sales Francisco , Bianchi Anna M. , Ruano Maria G. , Dourado António , Henriques Jorge , Teixeira César 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Typical seizure prediction models aim at discriminating interictal brain activity from pre-seizure electrographic patterns. Given the lack of a preictal clinical definition, a fixed interval is widely used to develop these models. Recent studies reporting preictal interval selection among a range of fixed intervals show inter- and intra-patient preictal interval variability, possibly reflecting the heterogeneity of the seizure generation process. Obtaining accurate labels of the preictal interval can be used to train supervised prediction models and, hence, avoid setting a fixed preictal interval for all seizures within the same patient. Unsupervised learning methods hold great promise for exploring preictal alterations on a seizure-specific scale.
Multivariate and univariate linear and nonlinear features were extracted from scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signals collected from 41 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy undergoing presurgical monitoring. Nonlinear dimensionality reduction was performed for each group of features and each of the 226 seizures. We applied different clustering methods in searching for preictal clusters located until two hours before the seizure onset.
We identified preictal patterns in 90% of patients and 51% of the visually inspected seizures. The preictal clusters manifested a seizure-specific profile with varying duration (22.9±21.0 minutes) and starting time before seizure onset (47.6±27.3 minutes). Searching for preictal patterns on the EEG trace using unsupervised methods showed that it is possible to identify seizure-speciﬁc preictal signatures for some patients and some seizures within the same patient.
In-situ suture based on a nasoseptal mucosal flap for repair of grade 3 leaks associated with an expanded endoscopic endonasal approach
Authors: Song Pingan , Hu Guowen , Xiong Yuanyuan , Lv Shigang , Li Shaoguang , Xu Jiang , Guo Hua , Wu Lei 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background
To investigate the reliability and efficacy of a modified technique for preventing postoperative grade 3 leaks associated with an expanded endoscopic endonasal approach (EEEA).
Method
This study was a retrospective review of 33 patients who presented with intraoperative grade 3 leaks after the use of an EEEA for resection of skull base lesions from January 2017 to February 2022. Patients who received the conventional method from January 2017 to December 2019 were included in Group A. Patients who received the modified in-situ suture technique from 2020 onward were included in Group B. The Whitney test and chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were conducted to analyze the differences in several postoperative outcomes between the two groups.
Result
Five cases of postoperative CSF leaks and a single intracranial infection occurred in Group A. No postoperative CSF leaks or intracranial infection occurred in Group B. The in-situ suture technique avoided the need to take autologous fat and fascia lata from the thigh (p < 0.001), reduced postoperative bed rest (p < 0.001), and decreased the incidence of postoperative CSF leaks (p = 0.049) and the total hospital stay (p = 0.011). No significant differences in re-repair, hospitalization costs or postoperative intracranial infection were noted between the two groups.
Conclusion
This modified technique could represent an effective and safe option for repairing grade 3 leaks associated with the EEEA. In the future, the focus should be on increasing the number of surgeries and continuing follow-up to monitor and evaluate the long-term efficacy of this approach.
Inevitable-Metaverse: A Novel Twitter Dataset for Public Sentiments on Metaverse
Authors: Hayawi Kadhim , Shahriar Sakib , Serhani Mohamed Adel , Alothali Eiman 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Metaverse has emerged as a novel technology with the objective to merge the physical world into the virtual world. This technology has seen a lot of interest and investment in recent times from prominent organizations including Facebook which has changed its company name to Meta with the goal of being the leader in developing this technology. Although people in general are excited about the prospects of metaverse due to potential use cases such as virtual meetings and virtual learning environments, there are also concerns due to potential negative consequences. For instance, people are concerned about their data privacy as well as spending a lot of their time on the metaverse leading to negative impacts in real life. Therefore, this research aims to further investigate the public sentiments regarding metaverse on social media. A total of 86565 metaverse-related tweets were used to perform lexicon-based sentiment analysis. Furthermore, various machine and deep learning models with various text features were utilized to predict the sentiment class. The BERT transformer model was demonstrated to be the best at predicting the sentiment categories with 92.6% accuracy and 0.91 F-measure on the test dataset. Finally, the implications and future research directions were also discussed.
Magnetic anchor technique assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal cancer
Authors: Pan Min , Zhang Miaomiao , Xu Shuqin , Lyu Yi , Yan Xiaopeng 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Esophageal cancer has high incidence globally and is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. This study intends to explore the feasibility and applicability of magnetic anchor technique (MAT)-assisted ESD for early esophageal cancer. Isolated pig esophagus was used as the experimental model, and the magnetic anchor device was designed by us. The soft tissue clip and the target magnet (TM) were connected by a thin wire through a small hole at the tail end of the TM. Under gastroscopic guidance, the soft tissue clip was clamped to the edge of the lesioned mucosa, which was marked in advance. By changing the position of the anchor magnet (AM) outside the esophagus, the pulling force and pulling direction of the TM could be changed, thus exposing the mucosal peeling surface and assisting the ESD. Herein, MAT-assisted ESD was successfully completed for 10 isolated esophageal putative mucosal lesions. During the entire experiment, the TM remained firmly connected with the soft tissue clip and did not affect the opening, closing, and release of the soft tissue clip. The interaction between the TM and AM could provide sufficient tissue tension and completely expose the mucosa, which greatly assists the surgeon with the operation. There was no avulsion of the mucosa, and mucosal lesions were intact when peeled. We found MAT-assisted ESD safe and feasible for early esophageal cancer. It could greatly improve the endoscopic operation experience and showed good clinical application prospects.
Geospatial Variabilities and Trends in Extreme Agroclimatic Indicators in the Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Chalchissa Fedhasa Benti , Diga Girma Mamo , Feyisa Gudina Legese , Tolossa Alemayehu Regassa 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Floods, droughts, and heat waves are becoming more common in Ethiopia, inflicting havoc on the country's rain-fed agricultural productivity. The objective of the study was to investigate the patterns and volatility of the extreme agroclimatic indicator in the Jimma zone. Raw data of daily rainfall temperatures from ten weather stations recorded between 1991 and 2020 was processed using the Climate Impact version 2 (ClimPact2) tool to extract extreme agroclimatic indicators. A regression model and descriptive statistics were used, respectively, to examine the spatial and time-series patterns of the 12 significant extreme agroclimatic indicators that were selected from a total of 27. The geographic distribution of the variables was displayed using ArcMap. The results show that the coefficient of variation for the number of consecutive dry days, the number of days with heavy rain, very heavy rain, and extremely heavy rain is greater than 30%. The annual mean of consecutive dry days was 35 days per year, with a 44% coefficient of variation. The minimum and maximum values of the indicators were recorded at Gera (11 days per year) and Omo-Nada (77 days per year), respectively. The total annual average rainfall was extremely heavy (248.28 mm) and very heavy (59.80 mm), with very high coefficients of variation of 45 and 62%, respectively. The western and northeastern portions of the research area were eroded as a result of these rainfall extremes. The eastern portion of the research area was impacted mostly by the coldest day temperatures, the warmest day temperatures, and consecutive dry days. The number of cool nights and cool days both dropped significantly at all stations, while the number of warm nights, cold (TXn), and warm (TXx) daytime temperatures over the study area. There can be no dispute regarding the socio-economic effects of climate variability and change, which are increasingly being detected to harm residents because of a significant increase in agroclimatic extreme events. It is suggested that studies on the impacts of agroclimatic indicators on agriculture be conducted.
South–South Trade and Economic Growth: Panel Data Tests of Africa’s Market Integration
Authors: Musila Jacob , Yiheyis Zelealem 
Published: August 2022

AbstractPolicymakers in the South have initiated several regional trading schemes in the last four decades aimed at increasing South-South trade believing that it will help achieve rapid economic growth and development. Although many analysts have examined the impact of regional trade arrangements on South-South trade, little is known about the impact of South-South trade on economic growth of the member states. This paper uses panel data for the period 1996-2018 to estimate the impact of intra-African trade on economic growth of 47 African countries. Applying the instrumental variable – fixed effects and Driscoll – Kraay standard errors estimation approach, we obtain negative and statistically significant relationships between real GDP per capita growth and the various measures of intra-African trade intensity. Our empirical results suggest that the gain to African countries is higher with multilateral trade expansion than with only an expansion of intra-African trade. Besides trade, we also find that traditional factors such as rate of investment and institutional quality have significant and positive influences on real GDP per capita growth.JEL: C33, F15, O47, O55
Accounting for complex intracluster correlations in longitudinal cluster randomized trials: a case study in malaria vector control
Authors: Ouyang Yongdong , Kulkarni Manisha A. , Protopopoff Natacha , Li Fan , Taljaard Monica 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background: The effectiveness of malaria vector control interventions is commonly evaluated using parallel-arm cluster randomized trials with outcomes assessed using repeated cross-sectional surveys. A key requirement in designing and analyzing cluster randomized trials is to account for the intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC). In addition to exchangeable correlation (which assumes a constant ICC over time), correlation structures proposed for longitudinal cluster trials are block exchangeable (which allows a different within- and between-period ICC) and exponential decay (which allows the between-period ICC to decay at an exponential rate). More flexible correlation structures that do not require a decay are available in statistical software packages and, although not formally proposed for longitudinal cluster trials, may offer some advantages. Our objectives were to empirically explore the impact of these correlation structures on treatment effect inferences, identify gaps in the methodological literature, and make practical recommendations for investigators designing and analyzing such trials.Methods: We obtained data from a longitudinal parallel-arm cluster randomized trial conducted in Tanzania to compare four different types of insecticide-treated bed-nets. Malaria prevalence was assessed in repeated cross-sectional surveys of 45 households in each of 84 villages at baseline, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months post-randomization (19,083 children in total). We re-analyzed the data using mixed-effects logistic regression according to a prespecified analysis plan but under five different correlation structures as well as a robust variance estimator under exchangeable correlation and compared the estimated correlations and treatment effects.Results: The estimated correlation structures varied substantially across different models. The unstructured model was the best-fitting model based on information criteria. Although point estimates and confidence intervals for the treatment effect were similar, allowing for more flexible correlation structures led to different conclusions based on statistical significance. Use of robust variance estimators generally led to wider confidence intervals.Conclusion: More flexible correlation structures should not be ruled out in longitudinal cluster randomized trials. This may be particularly important in malaria trials where outcomes may fluctuate over time. In the absence of robust methods for selecting the best-fitting correlation structure, researchers should examine sensitivity of results to different assumptions about the ICC.
Analysis of the Unsteady Surface Pressure Distribution of a Pitching Airfoil using Modal Decomposition
Authors: Nikoueeyan Pourya , Naughton Jonathan 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
This work presents an exploratory attempt to understand how modal decomposition can be utilized for characterizing the behavior of the unsteady surface pressure distribution on a pitching airfoil. The unsteady aerodynamics of a thick airfoil geometry across a wide range of conditions were studied. Analyzing the pressure distributions across cases with different levels of flow separation yielded results that exhibited transitional behavior that encouraged modal analysis. The utility of the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition in capturing the distinct physical features of the unsteady pressure distribution was then evaluated. The first four global spatial modes extracted from surface pressure data resemble important and understandable attributes of the pressure distribution for an oscillating airfoil. The four-mode description sufficiently reconstructs the surface pressure data even for conditions with complex unsteady flow interactions. The resulting reconstructed pressure distributions can be used to approximate lift and moment coefficients with good accuracy.