bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On the evolution of the gender gap in life expectancy at normal retirement age for OECD countries
Authors: Coppola Mariarosaria , Russolillo Maria , Simone Rosaria 
Published: August 2022

AbstractPopulation aging is evolving at different rates across countries and over time, and it represents a long-term challenge for both the sustainability of pension schemes and for the realization of public intergenerational transfers. In this context, this work focuses on gender differences in survival at older ages. Specifically, we implement a comparative analysis of OECD countries to assess the adequacy of the corresponding gender-specific normal retirement age when faced with growing life expectancy. The analysis hinges on several graphical representations and is motivated by recent findings on Italian longevity to determine optimal retirement age shifts necessary to match growing life expectancy at older ages while accounting for model risk for mortality projections. Our analysis determines—at the country level—the extent to which adjustments to the normal retirement age are advisable for the sustainability of the intergenerational paradigm for pensions. The study considers males and females separately because most of these countries are characterized by aging societies where men and women have different crucial characteristics, including life expectancy. It is therefore important that policymakers have information on the future evolution of the longevity gender gap so they will be able to apply policies that preserve the principles of equality and solidarity and reduce the pension gender gap. We find groups of countries where gender gap in life expectancy follows the same dynamics.
Global prevalence of polypharmacy among the COVID-19 patients: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Ghasemi Hooman , Darvishi Niloofar , Salari Nader , Hosseinian-Far Amin , Akbari Hakimeh , Mohammadi Masoud 
Published: August 2022

AbstractBackgroundPolypharmacy has traditionally been defined in various texts as the use of 5 or more chronic drugs, the use of inappropriate drugs, or drugs that are not clinically authorized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy among the COVID-19 patients, and the side effects, by systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsThis study was performed by systematic review method and in accordance with PRISMA 2020 criteria. The protocol in this work is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021281552). Particular databases and repositories have been searched to identify and select relevant studies. The quality of articles was assessed based on the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale checklist. Heterogeneity of the studies was measured using theI2test.ResultsThe results of meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of polypharmacy in 14 studies with a sample size of 189,870 patients with COVID-19 is 34.6% (95% CI: 29.6–40). Studies have shown that polypharmacy is associated with side effects, increased morbidity and mortality among patients with COVID-19. The results of meta-regression analysis reported that with increasing age of COVID-19 patients, the prevalence of polypharmacy increases (p < 0.05).DiscussionThe most important strength of this study is the updated search to June 2022 and the use of all databases to increase the accuracy and sensitivity of the study. The most important limitation of this study is the lack of proper definition of polypharmacy in some studies and not mentioning the number of drugs used for patients in these studies.ConclusionPolypharmacy is seen in many patients with COVID-19. Since there is no definitive cure for COVID-19, the multiplicity of drugs used to treat this disease can affect the severity of the disease and its side effects as a result of drug interactions. This highlights the importance of controlling and managing prescription drugs for patients with COVID-19.
Association between cumulus cells—mRNA levels of AMHR2 and FSHR with oocyte maturity
Authors: Montazeri Fateme , Kalantar Seyed Mehdi , Fesahat Farzaneh , Sheikhha Mohammad Hasan , Omidi Marjan , Shafienia Hanieh , Hoseini Seyed Mehdi 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
Background
The gene expression of anti-Mullerian hormone receptor type 2 (AMHR2) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in cumulus cells (CCs) isolated from mature and immature oocytes was studied as a possible non-invasive approach for determining oocyte maturity and quality. The CCs of 100 infertile women with different etiologic factors were subdivided into control (CCs from MII) and case (CCs from GV) group. Q-PCR was used to evaluate FSHR and AMHR2 mRNA expression levels in CCs from mature and immature oocytes.

Results
AMHR2 and FSHR genes are significantly overexpressed (4–6 fold) in CCs from immature relative to mature oocyte. The expression level of AMHR2 gene in terms of etiologic subgroups is significantly different (P value 0.000). FSHR mRNA expression levels in CCs show no significant difference regarding etiologic subgroups (P value 0.575).

Conclusion
It seems that determining the expression level of AMHR2 and FSHR genes in CCs could help to understanding molecular mechanism of oocyte maturation process.
Discussion on the environmental adaptability of weather-resistant measures for earthen sites in China
Authors: Wang Xudong , Zhang Bo , Guo Qinglin , Pei Qiangqiang 
Published: August 2022

AbstractEarthen sites are important remains of past human societies. Weather-resistant measures comprise a major part of conservation efforts for earthen sites. Marked advancements in weather-resistant techniques have been made in recent years. Earthen sites are characterised by large numbers, large scales, various types, complex compositions, and diverse existing environments. Weather-resistant measures differ significantly in their environmental adaptability. The environmental adaptability of weather-resistant measures severely restricts further development and popularisation of weather-resistant technology at earthen sites. Based on the environmental and weathering characteristics of existing earthen sites in China, the consolidation and failure mechanisms of several weather-resistant measures (penetrating consolidation, sacrificial layers, soft capping, protective structures, and backfilling protection) were examined. The potential areas to increase the success of the different weather-resistant measures were obtained combined with the characteristics of various environmental boundaries.
Quantum tunneling decay due to a resonance state of negative energy and a decaying width
Authors: García-Calderón Gastón , Romo Roberto 
Published: August 2022

Abstract
By using an exact analytical formalism for quantum tunneling decay we show the existence of a regime of purely nonexponential decay for the survival probability in the full time interval and a propagating probability density along the external interaction region that evolves as a spreading process having no wavefront. This decaying regime follows from a complex pole of the propagator which in the wave number plane possesses an imaginary part larger than the corresponding real part, which implies a negative resonance energy and a decaying width, together with a dominant large overlap of the initial decaying state with the corresponding resonant state of the problem.
The relationship between choroidal thickness and axis length and corneal curvature in high myopia
Authors: Lu Hongwei , Guan Yongqing , Wei Guangchuan , Li Na 
Published: August 2022

Objectives: To measure choroidal thickness (CT) in highly myopia eyes using enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical tomography (EDI SD-OCT) and explore the relationship between the CT and axial length (AL) and corneal curvature.
Methods: This study assessed 66 eyes of 33 patients with both eyes of high myopia (equivalent sphericity ≥-6D or AL≥26mm) who underwent treatment at the department of ophthalmology, fourth hospital of Hebei Medical University from August 2020 to August 2021(High-myopia group). The control group included 54 eyes from 27 healthy volunteers. The patients in the two groups were 18~40 years old. EDI SD-OCT was used to measure the CT of subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and CT from fovea to nasal and temporal sides at an interval of 500~2500μm. The intraocular pressure, diopter, ocular axis, corneal curvature, and CT were compared between the two groups. The correlation between CT, diopter and AL was measured by Pearson’s r.
Results: The diopter, AL, vertical corneal curvature, and CT in the high-myopia group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There was significant correlation between SFCT and AL in both groups (P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between AL and CT in high-myopia group (r=-0.395, P<0.05), and a positive correlation between AL and CT in control group (r=0.29, P<0.05). There was a weak correlation between AL and gender, intraocular pressure, and horizontal corneal curvature(P<0.05), and a negative correlation between AL and diopter (r=-0.861, P<0.001).
Conclusion: EDI SD-OCT can quantitatively measure the CT of high myopia. The CT of patients with high myopia was significantly thinner than that of the control group of the same age. There was a significant correlation between diopter, AL and CT, suggesting that AL is a parameter indicating the degree of myopia, and the change of CT may play a role in the occurrence and development of high myopia.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.7.6409
How to cite this:Lu H, Guan Y, Wei G, Li N. The relationship between choroidal thickness and axis length and corneal curvature in high myopia. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(7):1999-2004. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.7.6409
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
A Helpful Guide for Parents and Guardians of People on the Autism Spectrum Disorder - Knowing Your Main Rights
Authors: Masoura Photini , Skitsou Alexandra , Dre Marianna , Charalambous Georgios 
Published: August 2022

Autism is a serious developmental disorder that affects people throughout their lives, affecting their perception, thinking and behavior. It has been observed that there is a lack of information regarding the rights of parents and guardians of children on the autism spectrum, especially those of vulnerable social groups. A short guide was written in order to inform the parents and guardians about their rights. Furthermore, a bibliographic review of the international, European and Greek legislation framework was carried out and we came to the conclusion that there is an extensive legislation framework for the protection of the rights of individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents.
Attitudes toward and knowledge of collaboration of dental and medical practice among medical students in Southern India: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey
Authors: Atul Kumar Harshit , Uppoor Ashita , Kadakampally David , Unnikrishnan B , Mithra Prasanna 
Published: August 2022

Background: Enhancing oral health care services provided through inter-professional collaboration between medical and dental practitioner is important, and even essential. The purpose of this study is to assess the attitude toward and knowledge of medical-dental collaborative practice among medical students attending colleges in Southern India. Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among medical students and interns of medical colleges in coastal South India with prior information and permission. The questionnaire consisted of 11 questions to assess attitude toward and knowledge of medical-dental collaborative practice. The demographic backgrounds of participants were also recorded. Chi square test was employed for data analysis. The responses obtained were correlated with age, gender and year of study of participants using Pearson’s correlation test Results: A total 250 questionnaires were distributed and 234 responses were appropriately completed. Most of the students agreed that oral health was an integral part of systemic health, however participants disagreed on attending compulsory rotation in dentistry at a statistically significant level (p<0.05), moreover participants did not agree with physicians having an active role in motivating their patients for regular dental check-up. 82% of the medical students believe that dental check-up should be included in health packages under health insurance. A statistically significant (p<0.05) difference was observed among 3 rd year & 4 th year students and interns and also it was found that female students provided more positive responses towards medical-dental collaboration. Conclusions: Even though medical students showed fairly positive attitudes and knowledge towards dentistry, the analysis within the study groups showed that knowledge and attitudes regarding the collaborative practice worsened over the academic years among the medical students. In order to destigmatize and foster interprofessional collaboration which would contribute to higher resource efficiency and the standard of care, continuing education in both the disciplines would be highly beneficial.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy as determinants to enhance the online brand positioning
Authors: Ahmad Umar Faruq , Mahdee Junainah , Abu Bakar Normazalila 
Published: August 2022

Background - Marketers face evolution of online brand positioning marketing strategy due to changes of search engine algorithm that affects the reaching out of brands to potential internet users. Brand owners realise that to be relevant in modern market, they need to transition and focus more into online market. However, many brand owners have ignored the power of search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy for attracting the online market, which is highly competitive and faces rapid changes. A brand can be considered as old fashioned if it does not utilise the SEO as their marketing strategy, in penetrating the online marketplace. Various studies have analysed factors that can enhance the persistency of using the SEO strategy, however gaps remain regarding the relationship of this strategy with the online brand positioning. The main aim of this study was to identify the persistency of using the SEO strategy including the niche point of differentiation, valuable content, targeted keyword and scalable link building, as the determinants that enhance the success of online brand positioning. Methods – This study applies quantitative design using online survey to gather information from the online business entrepreneurs. The survey questionnaire was arranged to focus on the use of SEO as a new way to strategies online business. Results – Based on the results of this study, most online entrepreneurs have somewhat realised the effects of using the SEO strategy to enhance effectiveness of online brand positioning. Conclusion – This research provides insights on the importance of SEO strategy in online business positioning. It is hoped that the online entrepreneurs will take the SEO strategy into consideration in the positioning of their brand in the marketplace.
A spatio-temporal atlas of the developing fetal brain with spina bifida aperta
Authors: Fidon Lucas , Viola Elizabeth , Mufti Nada , David Anna L. , Melbourne Andrew , Demaerel Philippe , Ourselin Sébastien , Vercauteren Tom , Deprest Jan , Aertsen Michael 
Published: August 2022

Background: Spina bifida aperta (SBA) is a birth defect associated with severe anatomical changes in the developing fetal brain. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) atlases are popular tools for studying neuropathology in the brain anatomy, but previous fetal brain MRI atlases have focused on the normal fetal brain. We aimed to develop a spatio-temporal fetal brain MRI atlas for SBA. Methods: We developed a semi-automatic computational method to compute the first spatio-temporal fetal brain MRI atlas for SBA. We used 90 MRIs of fetuses with SBA with gestational ages ranging from 21 to 35 weeks. Isotropic and motion-free 3D reconstructed MRIs were obtained for all the examinations. We propose a protocol for the annotation of anatomical landmarks in brain 3D MRI of fetuses with SBA with the aim of making spatial alignment of abnormal fetal brain MRIs more robust. In addition, we propose a weighted generalized Procrustes method based on the anatomical landmarks for the initialization of the atlas. The proposed weighted generalized Procrustes can handle temporal regularization and missing annotations. After initialization, the atlas is refined iteratively using non-linear image registration based on the image intensity and the anatomical land-marks. A semi-automatic method is used to obtain a parcellation of our fetal brain atlas into eight tissue types: white matter, ventricular system, cerebellum, extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid, cortical gray matter, deep gray matter, brainstem, and corpus callosum. Results: An intra-rater variability analysis suggests that the seven anatomical land-marks are sufficiently reliable. We find that the proposed atlas outperforms a normal fetal brain atlas for the automatic segmentation of brain 3D MRI of fetuses with SBA. Conclusions: We make publicly available a spatio-temporal fetal brain MRI atlas for SBA, available here: https://doi.org/10.7303/syn25887675. This atlas can support future research on automatic segmentation methods for brain 3D MRI of fetuses with SBA.
Anlatıda İnteraktiflik Olgusu: Farklı Söylem Biçimlerinde ‘Gerçek (Actual) İnteraktivite’ ve ‘Algısal (Perceived) İnteraktivite’ Düzeylerinin Yansımaları
Authors: UÇAR KARTOĞLU Neslihan , GULİYEV Ziyad , ÖZERDEN Emre 
Published: August 2022

Bu araştırma ise anlatı geleneğindeki belirli alanların tarihsel gelişimlerle paralel dönüşümünü ve gelişimini ilgili örnekler üzerinden değerlendirerek kavramsal bir çerçeve sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışma interaktiflik olgusunu iki boyutlu bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmektedir: “algısal interaktiflik”, “gerçek interaktiflik”. Çalışma kapsamında bu iki interaktiflik boyutu sinema, tiyatro ve sergileme alanlarında incelenmiş ve anlatı yöntemlerindeki dijitalleşme düzeylerinin de bu alanlardaki interaktiflik boyutlarına etkileri taranmıştır.
Bulgular her üç alanda da iki interaktif boyutun etkin olduğunu, ancak dijital yöntemlerin kullanımlarının yaygınlaşması ile bu iki boyutun farklı uygulamalarla kullanıldığını göstermiştir. Bununla birlikte dijitalleşme süreci ile kültür endüstrisinin temel alanları alan sinema, tiyatro ve sergileme alanlarının anlatı pratiklerinde “gerçek interaktiflik” boyutu daha etkin kullanmaya başladığı gözlemlenmiştir.
Simulation analysis of high-order high-duty-cycle surface gratings
Authors: Tian Kun , Zou Yonggang , Shi Linlin , Zhang He , Xu Yingtian , Fan Jie , Tang Hui , Ma Xiaohui 
Published: August 2022

High-order surface grating distributed feedback lasers are known to operate with a fundamental mode, narrow linewidth, high power, and high slope efficiency. The adoption of high-order surface gratings can avoid epitaxial re-growth necessary for the fabrication of conventional buried gratings, which simplifies the fabrication process and reduces device cost. It is essential for the design and optimization of device structure to clarify the influence of the change of grating structure parameters on grating characteristics (coupling and loss). Based on Lumerical’s Mode Solutions and multiple grating samples, we evaluated the coupling and loss coefficients of surface gratings as a function of duty cycle, order, and V-groove topography. As the order increases, the duty cycle corresponding to the peak value of the grating coupling coefficient increases gradually and approaches one. The grating coupling coefficient decreases with increasing order but increases at some specific orders. At high duty cycles, the width of the grating groove corresponding to the peak of the coupling coefficient remains substantially in the range of 100–150 nm, which is close to the length of a quarter-wavelength in the grating groove filling material. Regarding the grating groove morphology, the fabrication difficulty of the V-shaped groove grating is obviously less than that of the rectangular groove grating, but its coupling coefficient is slightly smaller than that of the rectangular shaped groove grating of the same depth. The larger the V-shaped groove width, the smaller the peak coupling coefficient and the corresponding sidewall inclination will be. Losses decrease with increasing duty cycle and decreasing sidewall inclination of the V-groove.
High-energy and high-average-power two-channel Yb:YAG amplifier with passive coherent combining
Authors: Kuznetsov Ivan , Chizhov Sergey , Palashov Oleg 
Published: August 2022

A two-channel laser amplifier with passive coherent combining based on Yb:YAG active elements with bright diode end pumping was developed. The pulse energy limits of a one-channel scheme are investigated, and the ability to double pulse energy in the two-channel scheme is demonstrated. 10 mJ pulse energy at a repetition rate of 1.5 kHz and 5 mJ at 6 kHz simultaneously with high gain and perfect beam quality at coherent combining efficiency over 97% was achieved.
Prevalence and determinants of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in HIV-infected individuals living within visceral leishmaniasis endemic areas of Bihar, India
Authors: Mahajan Raman , Owen Sophie I. , Kumar Shiril , Pandey Krishna , Kazmi Shahwar , Kumar Vikash , Adams Emily R. , Harshana Amit , Burza Sakib 
Published: August 2022

People living with HIV (PLHIV) have an increased risk of developing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and poor outcomes compared to HIV negative individuals. Here, we aim to establish the prevalence and determinants of asymptomatic Leishmania infection (ALI) in a cohort of PLHIV in Bihar, India. We hoped to evaluate optimal diagnostic algorithms to detect ALI in PLHIV. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of PLHIV ≥18 years of age with no history or current diagnosis of VL or post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) at anti-retroviral therapy centres within VL endemic districts of Bihar. ALI was defined as a positive rK39 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), rK39 rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and/or quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Additionally, the urinary Leishmania antigen ELISA was evaluated. Determinants for ALI were established using logistic regression and agreement between diagnostic tests calculated using Cohen’s Kappa. A total of 1,296 PLHIV enrolled in HIV care, 694 (53.6%) of whom were female and a median age of 39 years (interquartile range 33–46), were included in the analysis. Baseline prevalence of ALI was 7.4% (n = 96). All 96 individuals were positive by rK39 ELISA, while 0.5% (n = 6) and 0.4% (n = 5) were positive by qPCR and rK39 RDT, respectively. Negligible or weak agreement was seen between assays. Independent risk factors for ALI were CD4 counts <100 (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.2–7.6) and CD4 counts 100–199 (OR = 2.1;95% CI:1.1–4.0) compared to CD4 counts ≥300, and a household size ≥5 (OR = 1.9;95% CI:1.1–3.1). A total of 2.2% (n = 28) participants were positive by Leishmania antigen ELISA, detecting 20 additional participants to the asymptomatic cohort. Prevalence of ALI in PLHIV in VL endemic villages in Bihar was relatively high. Using the Leishmania antigen ELISA, prevalence increased to 9.0%. Patients with low CD4 counts and larger household size were found to have significantly higher risk of ALI.
Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registration CTRI/2017/03/008120.