bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lower limb amputations among individuals living with diabetes mellitus in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review protocol
Authors: Owolabi Eyitayo Omolara , Adeloye Davies , Ajayi Anthony Idowu , McCaul Michael , Davies Justine , Chu Kathryn M. 
Published: April 2022

BackgroundThe burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated complications continue to burgeon, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Lower limb amputation (LLA) is one of the most life-altering complications of DM, associated with significant morbidity, mortality and socio-economic impacts. High-income countries have reported a decreasing incidence of DM-associated LLA, but the situation in many LMICs is unknown. We aim to conduct a systematic review to determine the incidence and prevalence of DM-associated LLA in LMICs to better inform appropriate interventions and health system response.Methods and analysisA systematic search of the literature will be conducted on five databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus and African Journal Online (AJOL). Only observational, quantitative studies reporting the incidence and/or prevalence of DM-related LLA will be considered. A validated study design-specific critical appraisal tool will be used to assess the risk of bias in individual studies. We will determine the incidence of LLA by examining the number of new cases of LLA among individuals with confirmed DM diagnosis during the specified period, while the prevalence will be based on the total number of all new and existing LLAs in a population. LLA will be considered as the resection of the lower limb from just above the knee to any point down to the toe. If heterogeneity is low to moderate, a random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted on extracted crude prevalence/incidence rates, with the median and interquartile range also reported. The systematic review will be performed in accordance with the JBI guideline for prevalence and incidence review. Study reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline.Prospero registration numberCRD42021238656.
Estimating the range of incremental cost-effectiveness thresholds for healthcare based on willingness to pay and GDP per capita: A systematic review
Authors: Iino Haru , Hashiguchi Masayuki , Hori Satoko 
Published: April 2022

Background
Decision-making in healthcare policy involves assessing both costs and benefits. In determining the cost-effectiveness (CE) threshold, willingness to pay (WTP) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), GDP per capita, and other factors are important. However, the relationship between WTP/QALY or GDP per capita and the CE threshold is unclear. It is important to clarify the relationship between WTP/QALY and GDP to provide a clear basis for setting the CE threshold.

Objective
The purpose of this study was to compare WTP/QALY and GDP per capita, and to develop a new CE threshold range based on WTP using GDP per capita. The relationship between WTP/QALY and healthy life expectancy (HALE) was also investigated.

Methods
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science from 1980/01/01 to 2020/12/31 using the following selection criteria (latest search: Dec 2021):1, studies that estimated WTP/QALY; 2, the general population was surveyed; 3, the article was in English. From the collected articles, we obtained average values of WTP/QALY for various countries and compared WTP/QALY with GDP per capita. The correlation between WTP/QALY and HALE was also examined.

Results
We identified 20 papers from 17 countries. Comparison of mean WTP/QALY values with GDP per capita showed that most WTP/QALY values were in the range of 0.5–1.5 times GDP per capita, though the median values were less than 0.5 times. Comparison of WTP/QALY with HALE showed a statistically significant positive correlation when Taiwan was excluded as an outlier.

Conclusions
Our results suggest a CE threshold range of 0.5–1.5 times GDP per capita is appropriate but lower than the WHO-recommended range of 1–3 times. The correlation between WTP/QALY and HALE suggests that investment in healthcare is reflected in an increased healthy life expectancy. Since WTP is based on consumer preferences, this range could be used to set a generally acceptable criterion.
Association between use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors with kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Shuo , He Wei , Zhao Lu , Mi Yaochuan 
Published: April 2022

Background
This study aimed to compare the efficacies of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors on kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes using network meta-analysis.

Methods
PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched for studies published up to September 28, 2020. Randomized clinical trials enrolling participants with type 2 diabetes were included, for which SGLT-2 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, and DPP-4 inhibitors were compared with either each other, or placebo or no treatment. A network meta-analysis using a Bayesian approach was performed. The primary outcome was composite renal events, and the secondary outcome was acute kidney injury (AKI) events. All research was conducted according to a protocol registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42020208090).

Results
In total, we retrieved 17 445 studies, of which 98 articles enrolling 186 335 participants were included for the network meta-analysis. For our primary outcome, the network meta-analysis revealed no significant difference between drug classes regardless of baseline factors. However, GLP-1 receptor agonists were most likely ranked best among the three drugs in reducing composite renal events (80%, moderate-quality evidence). Compared with the control groups (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.87, low-quality evidence), GLP-1 receptor agonists (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.96, moderate-quality evidence) and with DPP-4 inhibitors (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.86, low-quality evidence), SGLT-2 inhibitors were associated with a lower risk of AKI events.

Conclusions
In this network meta-analysis, although none of the three new antidiabetic drug classes reduced the composite renal events in participants with type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists may be more effective. The use of SGLT-2 inhibitors was associated with a lower AKI event risk than DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, placebo, or no treatment.
Quantitative analysis of morphological and functional alterations of the meibomian glands in eyes with marginal entropion
Authors: Yang Min Kyu , Sa Ho-Seok , Kim Namju , Jeon Hyun Sun , Hyon Joon Young , Choung Hokyung , Khwarg Sang In 
Published: April 2022

Purpose
To quantitatively analyze morphological and functional alterations of the meibomian glands in eyes with marginal entropion and their changes after surgery.

Methods
Sixty eyes of 52 patients with marginal entropion and underwent meibography and interferometer were included. One-hundred and seventeen age- and sex-matched eyes with minimal to mild meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were recruited as control eyes. Meibomian gland loss (MGL) and lipid layer thickness (LLT) were compared between eyes with marginal entropion and control eyes. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the extent of entropion. MGL and average LLT at 1 and 5 months after surgery were compared with those of 20 eyes with marginal entropion followed without surgery.

Results
In eyes with marginal entropion, MGL was higher (27.7% vs. 12.8%, P = 0.014), and average LLT was thinner (64 nm vs. 86 nm, P = 0.005) than those in control eyes. MGL was higher in eyes with more extensive entropion (> 2/3 eyelid width) than in eyes with less extensive entropion (≤ 1/3 eyelid width) (40.5% vs. 13.2%, P = 0.001). Average LLT increased after surgery (97 nm at 1 month, P = 0.003; 75 nm at 5 months, P = 0.319), and thicker than that of eyes followed without surgery (97 nm vs. 66 nm, P = 0.046). MGLs after surgery remained unchanged from the preoperative MGL (all P > 0.7).

Conclusion
Marginal entropion is associated with morphological and functional alterations of the meibomian glands. Functional improvement after entropion repair suggests that marginal entropion could cause or exacerbate MGD. Further studies are required to establish the role of entropion repair in managing MGD.
Classification of Pneumonia Risk Factor Characteristics in Toddlers Using Classification and Regression Trees (CART) Case Study Regional General Hospital dr. Tengku Mansur Tanjungbalai
Authors: Mangunsong Elvira Yolanda , Huda Prasetya Nurul , Rakhmawati Fibri 
Published: April 2022

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in children in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that this disease causes 16% of deaths in children under 5 years of age worldwide. Pneumonia is included in the top 10 diseases that suffer the most every month at the RSUD dr.Tengku Mansyur Tanjungbalai, throughout 2019 there were 73 children under five years with pneumonia and 5 of them were declared dead without hospitalization. This study is useful to find out the results of the classification accuracy of the classification and regression trees (CART) for risk factors for pneumonia in children under five years. CART classification is done by dividing the total data of under-five patients with the ratio of 15% testing data and 85% learning data. The classification accuracy obtained for the prediction data was 50% with the percentage of sensitivity and specificity of 94,12% and 14,29% respectively.
Chukonu
Authors: Yu Bowen , Feng Guanyu , Cao Huanqi , Li Xiaohan , Sun Zhenbo , Wang Haojie , Zhu Xiaowei , Zheng Weimin , Chen Wenguang 
Published: April 2022

Apache Spark is a widely deployed big data analytics framework that offers such attractive features as resiliency, load-balancing, and a rich ecosystem. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement in its performance. Although a data-parallel system in a native programming language significantly improves performance, it may require re-implementing many functionalities of Spark to become a full-featured system. It is desirable for native big data systems to just write a compute engine in native languages to ensure high efficiency, and reuse other mature features provided by Spark rather than re-implement everything. But the interaction between the JVM and the native world risks becoming a bottleneck.
This paper proposes Chukonu, a native big data framework that re-uses critical big data features provided by Spark. Owing to our novel DAG-splitting approach, the potential Spark integration overhead is alleviated, and its even outperforms existing pure native big data frameworks. Chukonu splits DAG programs into run-time parts and compile-time parts: The run-time parts are delegated to Spark to offload the complexities due to feature implementations. The compile-time parts are natively compiled. We propose a series of optimization techniques to be applied to the compile-time parts, such as operator fusion, vectorization, and compaction, to significantly reduce the Spark integration overhead. The results of evaluation show that Chukonu has a speedup of up to 71.58X (geometric mean 6.09X) over Apache Spark, and up to 7.20X (geometric mean 2.30X) over pure-native frameworks on six commonly-used big data applications. By translating the physical plan produced by SparkSQL into Chukonu programs, Chukonu accelerates Spark-SQL's TPC-DS performance by 2.29X.
Design of a new synthetic nanocatalyst resulting high fuel quality based on multiple supports: experimental investigation and modeling
Authors: Jarullah Aysar T. , Ahmed Mustafa A. , Al-Tabbakh Ban A. , Mujtaba Iqbal M. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
In order to meet the environmental legislations related to sulfur content, it is important to find an alternative techniques for deep removal of sulfur components from fuels. So, in this study, a novel nano-catalyst based on iron oxide (Fe2O3) as active component prepared over composite support (γ-Alumina + HY-zeolite) is developed here for efficient removal of sulfur compounds from fuel via oxidation process. The precipitation method is employed first to prepare the composite support and then the impregnation method is utilized to generate a novel synthetic homemade (Fe2O3/composite support) nanocatalysts that has not been developed in the literature (iron oxide over composite support). The characterizations of the prepared catalysts display that the surface area of the catalyst increases with increasing the amount of Y-zeolite in composite support. The effectiveness of the catalysts is tested by utilizing oxidative desulfurization (ODS) operation under several operating conditions. The results of the experimental work show that the activity of oxidative desulfurization enhances with increasing Y-zeolite, temperature, and batch time under moderate operating conditions. The oxidative desulfurization efficiency followed the order: CAT-1 < CAT-2 < CAT-3. The CAT-3 performed the high removal of sulfur compounds (90.73%) at 100 min and 423 K. The best values of the kinetic parameters of the ODS process are then determined based on experimental data and model based techniques within gPROMS package. Finally, the reactor model is used to determine the optimal operating conditions while maximizing the removal of sulfur compounds leading to cleaner fuel. Where, 99.3% of the sulfur removal has achieved at batch time of 190.6 min, temperature of 543.56 K and initial sulfur content at 0.8668 wt% in the presence of CAT-3 based on the optimal kinetic parameters (order of reaction (n) of 1.9865719, activation energy (EA) at 29.942 kJ/mol and pre-exponential factor (k
0) with 622.926 wt−0.9865719 min−1).
Numerical study on thermal-hydraulic characteristics of flattened microfin tubes
Authors: Singh Ankit Rajkumar , Solanki Anand Kumar 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
The thermal-hydraulic characteristics and performance of the circular and flattened straight tubes with longitudinal inward microfins are studied with isothermal wall condition and Reynold numbers (Re) between 10,000 and 30,000. The geometric models with fins (8, 12, and 16 fins) and three flattening ratios (1.4, 2, and 3.4) are considered for the simulation. The results indicate that the longitudinal microfins have a limited effect on the improvement of heat transfer, but the application of microfins increases the pressure drop significantly. Furthermore, an increase in Reynolds number increases the heat transfer characteristics. Therefore, a discriminative use of longitudinal microfins for circular tubes to improve thermal performance is advised. Flattening the microfin tubes has shown a significant increase in heat transfer coefficient and friction factor compared to circular cross-section tubes with microfins. The percentage gain in heat transfer with the flattening ratio of 3.4 is about 52% compared to the circular fin tube at Re = 30,000. A 61% increase in centreline velocity is observed at Re = 10,000. Area-based Enhancement Factor (AEF) and performance evolution factor (PEF) are more than 1 for flattened tubes with microfins. It shows an improvement in the overall thermal-hydraulic characteristics of tubes.
Design and performance analysis of a compact, wideband dual polarized antenna for WLAN & WiMAX applications
Authors: Mandal Santimoy , De Arnab , Ghosh Chandan Kumar 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Dual polarization is achieved by putting a rectangular or circular patch in between two orthogonal gaps. At the beginning a single-polarized patch is considered. Then by using anequivalent circuit, the impedance matching property of the gap is being configured. After optimization of the length of the patch and width of the gap, a dual polarized antenna is being considered. Here in this article we projected a new technique to design dual polarized microstrip antenna for WLAN, WiMAX, wireless applications using circular patch. By combining all resonant modes we have finally achieved a wide operating bandwidth. Experimental result of the projected antenna shows the operating bandwidth of 21.56% (5.24–6.37 GHz) for (differential mode S-parameter) S
dd11 ≤ −10 dB with a high port isolation of 40 dB and a relative gain of 13.5 dBi is achieved. From the result analysis this antenna finds its applications for various WLAN and Wi-MAX frequency band.
The biological activity and application of Monascus pigments: a mini review
Authors: Feng Shan-Shan , Li Wen , Hu Yong-Jun , Feng Jian-Xiang , Deng Jing 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Monascus pigments (MPs), as secondary metabolites of Monascus, are microbial pigments which have been used for thousands of years. MPs are widely used in food industry as food pigments and preservatives, which have the stability of light resistance, high temperature resistance and acid-base change resistance. In addition, the antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-tumor biological activities of MPs have also attracted people’s attention. Moreover, Due to the presence of citrinin, the safety of MPs still needs to be discussed and explored. In this paper, the production, biological activity, application in various fields and methods of detection and reduction of citrinin of MPs were reviewed, which provide new insights into the study and safe application related to human different diseases, medicines or health care products with MPs as active substances.
WEYand the structure of relative clauses in Nigerian Pidgin English
Authors: Akinlotan Mayowa 
Published: April 2022

AbstractA comprehensive corpus-driven account of the internal structure, meaning and interpretation of relative clauses in Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE) is missing in the literature. Relativisation, including its process, strategies, constraints, structural patterning, meaning and interpretation, is an important syntactic structure in any language, and therefore is crucial to our understanding of the extent to which syntactic and semantic structures in NPE differ from standard varieties of English. Relying on corpus material extracted from a popular web media outlet BBC News Pidgin, the study shows that user/speakers of NPE are cognitively enabled and creative in varying relative clauses along simple and complex choices and that structural and semantic complexities operative in the relativisation process in NPE are not too different from standard Englishes. Unlike in standard English where relativiserswhoandwhichclearly relate to the animacy of the relativised NP, relativiser representingwey, which can be classified as a prototype for relativisersweh,wen, andwia, does not clearly make such distinction. Also, it is shown thatweyembodies the syntactic and semantic properties of these other relativisers, a phenomenon classified asrelativiser reduction.
Procedure of functional transposition analysis in the English language
Authors: Kovbasko Yurii 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe paper presents an attempt to develop a procedure of researching functional transposition in English. Functional transposition is interpreted as a diachronicsynchronic functional process and its outcome, which presupposes the ability of lexical units, by means of grammaticalization and lexicalization and without application of any morphological and/or syntactical markers, to acquire and realize functions inherent to other word classes. The procedure consists of four major stages which cover the entire process of transposition of each lexical unit from its origin and up to the current use. The main methods include: definition and componential analyses, historical analysis of origin, diachronic corpus analysis, and synchronic corpus analysis. In the present paper, the procedure is verified with a case study of the lexical unit ‘IN’. It has been established that in the case of ‘IN’, functional transposition started from the category of prepositions. The tendency of its development shows that after a gradual decrease and stabilization, observed in Early and Late Modern English, respectively, functional transposition of ‘IN’ has undergone a dramatic increase in Present-Day English. It is explained by formation of new sociocultural situations and institutionalization of numerous patterns of functionally transposed ‘IN’ in the language.
A bidirectional study of the association between insomnia, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and comorbid low back pain and lower limb pain
Authors: Ho Kevin K. N. , Skarpsno Eivind S. , Nilsen Kristian B. , Ferreira Paulo H. , Pinheiro Marina B. , Hopstock Laila A. , Johnsen Marianne Bakke , Steingrímsdóttir Ólöf A. , Nielsen Christopher S. , Stubhaug Audun , Simic Milena 
Published: April 2022

Abstract

Objectives
To examine the possible bidirectional association between insomnia and comorbid chronic low back pain (LBP) and lower limb pain and to explore whether high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) amplifies these associations.

Methods
We calculated adjusted risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the development of insomnia and mild-to-severe chronic LBP and lower limb pain at 11 years follow-up in participants aged ≥32 years and with hsCRP ≤10 mg/L at baseline in 2007–2008: 3,714 without chronic LBP or lower limb pain (sample 1) and 7,892 without insomnia (sample 2).

Results
Compared to participants without chronic pain, participants with comorbid chronic LBP and lower limb pain had a RR of insomnia of 1.37 (95% CI 1.12–1.66). Compared with participants without insomnia, participants with insomnia did not have an increased risk of comorbid chronic LBP and lower limb pain (RR: 1.06, 95% CI 0.76–1.46); however, participants with insomnia had a RR of chronic LBP of 1.20 (95% CI 1.02–1.42). There was no strong amplifying effect of elevated hsCRP (3.00–10.0 mg/L) on these associations.

Conclusions
These findings suggest that elevated hsCRP does not amplify the associations between insomnia and mild-to-severe chronic LBP and lower limb pain. Further research using data on the temporal relation between insomnia, chronic pain, and inflammatory responses are required to fully understand the causal pathways.
Quantifizierung von Redundanz in Sensornetzwerken und die Beziehung zur Messunsicherheit
Authors: Kok Gertjan 
Published: April 2022

Zusammenfassung
In diesem Beitrag wird das Konzept der Redundanz aus metrologischer Sicht betrachtet. Anstatt die Anzahl der Messungen und der Freiheitsgrade des Systems zu zählen oder informationstheoretische Betrachtungen der Entropie zu machen, wird ein relativ praktischer und anschaulicher Ansatz gewählt, in dem der Redundanzbegriff eng mit der Messunsicherheit verknüpft wird. Metrologische Redundanz wird definiert über eine Änderung in der Messunsicherheit der Messgröße, wenn Sensoren aus dem Netzwerk herausgenommen werden. Eine alternative Angabe ist die Höchstanzahl der Sensoren, die aus dem Netzwerk herausgenommen werden können, ohne dass die Unsicherheit der Zielgröße über einen vorher gewählten Wert steigt. Verschiedene Metriken werden definiert, um die Redundanz zu quantifizieren. Die Begriffe und Metriken werden anhand verschiedener Beispiele erläutert. Diese beinhalten sowohl simulierte als auch reale Netzwerke und die Sensoren messen entweder dieselbe Größe (homogenes Netzwerk) oder unterschiedliche Größen (heterogenes Netzwerk).