Search

Secondary analysis of datasets can extend previous work in the field, provide a greater quantity of material, and has the advantages of speed and lower cost. More use of secondary data could improve the low esteem of educational research. (Contains 15 references.) (SK)

Examines a non-legislative report on fair use guidelines for educational multimedia for nonprofit educational institutions. Discusses applications to distance education via the Internet; time limitations; portion limits; specific limits for different types of media, including photographs and numeric databases; and number of copies. (Author/LRW)

Describes collection-development strategies for use in the identification, evaluation, and selection of numeric-data resources. Addresses three primary issues: the delineation of collecting scope and organizational role; the identification of potentially relevant data resources; and the evaluation of those resources in accordance with objective, systematic criteria. Discusses unresolved issues in the acquisition and archiving of numeric-data files. (Author/AEF)

Provides background on the selection process for government-produced CD-ROMS for small selective depository libraries. Hardware, software, staffing, and service issues relating to statistical CD-ROM databases are discussed from the perspective of the smaller depository library. Reasons for and against selection of these databases are considered. (13 references) (MES)

Discussion of computer-mediated communication (CMC) describes the SIPP (Survey of Income and Program Participation) ACCESS project, which provides access to statistical data through electronic networks; summarizes research on use of CMC by scientists; profiles communication by social scientists in the SIPP ACCESS network; and offers policy recommendations for CMC. (88 references) (MES)

Proposes an infrastructure to provide organizationwide access in a large university to government statistical databases issued on CD-ROM. Topics addressed include characteristics of government numeric data on CD-ROM, networked options, desired characteristics of networked CD-ROM access, hardware and network configurations, a prototype system, and database installation and usage. (10 references) (MES)

Discussion of electronic versions of maps focuses on TIGER files (i.e., electronic maps distributed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census) and their manipulation using geographic information system (GIS) technology. Topics addressed include applications of GIS software, projects to improve access to TIGER files, and the role of GIS in libraries. (MES)

Describes the WHDB (World Trade Database), an Austrian information service that provides worldwide commodity trade statistics. Results of a survey of available data sources that examined contents, user-friendliness, costs, retrieval language, service, and performance are presented; and online and CD-ROM databases are compared. (nine references) (MES)

Discusses the growth in nonbibliographic online databases and machine-readable data files (MRDF) that are accessed offline, and considers how libraries need to respond to the changing needs and expectations of researchers. Textual and numeric databases are described, and three possible levels of library service are outlined. (13 references) (LRW)

Discusses the use of numeric machine readable data files (MRDFs) in educational research. Three areas are addressed: MRDFs that deal specifically with educational topics and processes; the use of general databases, such as the 1990 census, by educational researchers; and the use of the new Integrated Postsecondary Educational System database to compare institutions. (six references) (CLB)

Describes the use of microcomputers and relational database management systems to improve access to numeric databases by the Data and Program Library Service at the University of Wisconsin. The internal records management system, in-house reference tools, and plans to extend these tools to the entire campus are discussed. (3 references) (CLB)

Discussion of issues concerned with providing library reference services to machine readable data files focuses on numeric databases. The team approach used at the University of Florida, which incorporates reference librarians, programers and data managers, database producers and vendors, and professional associations, is described. A bibliography of reference tools is provided. (CLB)

Discusses the events that led to the National Archives policy of preserving magnetic tapes of data generated by federal agencies and accumulating these databases as research tools. The current methods of preservation and access are described, and technical problems and archival concerns about standards are identified. (12 notes with references) (CLB)

Discusses the problems associated with using connect time as the basis of user fees for searching numeric online databases, and proposes a methodology for user charge estimation based on query formulation and results. (87 references) (CLB)

Discusses the advantages of maintaining local numeric databases, and describes the activities involved in creating a local database. The acquisition of files, user support, data storage and access, database management, costs, and planning strategies are discussed. (5 notes with references) (CLB)

Describes Janet (the Joint Academic Network), a wide area network linking computers and users in the British academic community. Topics discussed include interactive working; file transfer; electronic mail; job transfer; and online access to library catalogs, bibliographic and numeric databases, and commercial online hosts in Great Britain or overseas. (29 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes a scheme in the United Kingdom that coordinates geochemistry publications with a computerized geochemistry database. The database comprises not only data published in the journals but also the remainder of the pertinent data set. The discussion covers the database design; collection, storage and retrieval of data; and plans for future development. (three references) (CLB)

Examines factors that determine user charges based on query processing costs in numeric databases, and analyzes the problem of estimating such charges in advance. An approach to query cost estimation is presented which is based on the relational data model and the query optimization, cardinality estimation, and file design techniques developed in this context. (51 references) (Author/CLB)

Discusses the current status and future expectations of scientific and technical numeric databases. A bibliography provides resources for background readings, directories or listings of compilations, and subject specific discussions. Numeric database addresses and a summary of available databases are also provided. (CLB)

Describes three groups of databases sponsored by the European Communities Commission: Eurobases, a textual database of the contents of the "Official Journal" of the European Community; the European Community Host Organization (ECHO) databases, which offer multilingual information about Europe; and statistical databases. Information on access and fees is included. (CLB)

Describes the way a relational database management system manages a large historical data collection project. Shows that such databases are practical to construct. States that the programing tasks involved are not for beginners, but the rewards of having data organized are worthwhile. (GG)

Describes microform sources of government information available in Canada. The information contained in these sources includes a union list of Canadian newspapers, government statistics, revised federal statutes, products of the Atmosphere Environment Service, and the documentary history of records relating to Indian affairs. (17 references) (CLB)

The Kara Sea has been systematically studied since the beginning of the 20th century. Large amounts of data have been accumulated as a result of both national and international expeditions. Many publications have been devoted to Kara Sea regional zoning as per the geomorphological, biological, oceanographic aspects of its nature. This paper presents the results of statistical analysis of combined hydrophysical and hydrochemical data. On its basis, seven regions of the Kara Sea were identified, and for each region, the main characteristics are presented and the factors governing them are highlighted. The results can be used to reconstruct the seasonal variability of hydrophysical and hydrochemical parameters, as well as to analyze their interannual variability in different regions of the sea in order to study climatic change response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revolutionized our understanding of the genetic architecture of complex traits and diseases. GWAS summary statistics have become essential tools for various genetic analyses, including meta-analysis, fine-mapping, and risk prediction. However, the increasing number of GWAS summary statistics and the diversity of software tools available for their analysis can make it challenging for researchers to select the most appropriate tools for their specific needs. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available software tools and databases for GWAS summary statistics analysis. We conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify relevant software tools and databases. We categorized the tools and databases by their functionality, including data management, quality control, single-trait analysis, and multiple-trait analysis. We also compared the tools and databases based on their features, limitations, and user-friendliness. Our review identified a total of 305 functioning software tools and databases dedicated to GWAS summary statistics, each with unique strengths and limitations. We provide descriptions of the key features of each tool and database, including their input/output formats, data types, and computational requirements. We also discuss the overall usability and applicability of each tool for different research scenarios. This comprehensive review will serve as a valuable resource for researchers who are interested in using GWAS summary statistics to investigate the genetic basis of complex traits and diseases. By providing a detailed overview of the available tools and databases, we aim to facilitate informed tool selection and maximize the effectiveness of GWAS summary statistics analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational Sentiment Analysis involves the automation of human emotion comprehension by categorizing sentiments as positive, negative, or neutral. In the contemporary digital environment, the extensive volume of social media content presents significant challenges for manual analysis, thereby necessitating the development and implementation of automated analytical tools. To address the limitations of existing techniques, which heavily rely on machine learning and extensive dataset pre-training, we propose an innovative unsupervised approach for sentiment classification. This novel methodology is grounded in game theory concepts, particularly the population game model, offering a promising solution by circumventing the need for extensive training procedures. We extract two textual features from review comments, namely context score and emotion score. Leveraging lexicon databases and numeric scores, this cognitive mathematical framework is language-independent. Competitive results are demonstrated across various domains (hotels, restaurants, electronic devices, etc.), and the efficacy of the proposed work is validated in two languages (English and Hindi). The highest accuracy recorded for the English domain dataset is 89%, while electronic Hindi reviews attain an 84% accuracy rate. The proposed model exhibits domain and language independence, validated through statistical analyses confirming the significance of the findings. The framework demonstrates noteworthy rationality and coherence in its outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the incidence and characteristics of maternal suicide. Design: Nationwide population‐based cohort study. Setting: The Netherlands, 2006–2020. Population: Women who died during pregnancy or within 1 year postpartum, and a reference population of women aged 25–45 years. Methods: The Cause of Death Register and Medical Birth Register were linked to identify women who died within 1 year postpartum. Data were combined with deaths reported to the Audit Committee for Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (ACMMM), which performs confidential enquiries. Maternal suicides were compared with a previous period (1996–2005). Risk factors were obtained by combining vital statistics databases. Main outcome measures: Comparison of incidence and proportion of maternal suicides among all maternal deaths over time, sociodemographic and patient‐related risk factors and underreporting of postpartum suicides. Results: The maternal suicide rate remained stable with 68 deaths: 2.6 per 100 000 live births in 2006–2020 versus 2.5 per 100 000 in 1996–2005. The proportion of suicides among all maternal deaths increased from 18% to 28%. Most suicides occurred throughout the first year postpartum (64/68); 34 (53%) of the women who died by suicide postpartum were primiparous. Compared with mid‐level, low educational level was a risk factor (odds ratio 4.2, 95% confidence interval 2.3–7.9). Of 20 women reported to the ACMMM, 11 (55%) had a psychiatric history and 13 (65%) were in psychiatric treatment at the time of death. Underreporting to ACMMM was 78%. Conclusions: Although the overall maternal mortality ratio declined, maternal suicides did not and are now the leading cause of maternal mortality if late deaths up to 1 year postpartum are included. Data collection and analysis of suicides must improve. Linked article: This article is commented on by Griffiths pp. 1399 in this issue. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/1471‐0528.17804. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the significant growth of e-commerce in Romania, which has surpassed the rates of expansion observed in other more developed countries of the European Union. Based on market analysis by sector-specific companies, the Romanian e-commerce market has reached over €6.5 billion. This rapid growth trajectory is expected to continue, driven by various factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the natural evolution of the market. The main purpose of this study is to assess the expansion of the e-commerce market in Romania, identify the key factors behind this growth, and project future market values. Data for this analysis has been collected from industry reports, market analysis, and relevant statistical databases. The study uses a quantitative approach, utilizing financial data and growth rates to forecast future market trends. The dataset includes financial figures from e-commerce sales, digital services such as bill payments, and airline and hotel bookings from 2018 to 2023. Projections for 2024 and beyond were derived from this historical data. In 2019, the e-commerce market in Romania was valued at €4.68 billion, representing a significant increase compared to previous years. By 2020, amid the pandemic, the market value increased to €5.5 billion, marking a 38.4% increase from the previous year. Forecasts for 2024 estimate that the market will exceed €8 billion. In addition, when related digital services are included, the total market value could exceed €10 billion, illustrating the substantial economic impact of the online sector and the growth potential. This study highlights the dynamic nature of the e-commerce landscape in Romania and underlines the significant economic opportunities it presents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of Pseudomonas stutzeri as a cause of infections in humans has been increasing. However, only case reports and small series of P. stutzeri bloodstream infections have been published. Epidemiological data on these infections are extremely scarce. Our objective was to describe the incidence, epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance rates, and outcomes of P. stutzeri bloodstream infections in a large population-based cohort in Australia. Retrospective, laboratory-based surveillance study conducted in Queensland, Australia (population ≈ 5 million) during 2000–2019. Clinical information was obtained from public hospital admissions and vital statistics databases. In total, 228 episodes of P. stutzeri bloodstream infections were identified. Increased incidence was observed in the later years, especially in older men, and was higher during the rainy months of the year and in the warmest and more humid regions of the state. The majority of bloodstream infections were community-onset with 120 (52.6%) community-associated and 59 (25.9%) ambulatory healthcare-associated episodes. Only 49 cases (21.5%) were nosocomial. The most common foci of infection were skin and soft tissue, lower respiratory tract, and intra-abdominal. No isolate showed antimicrobial resistance. Thirty-one patients (13.6%) died. The mortality rate in patients with a respiratory infectious source was higher (21%). P. stutzeri bloodstream infection was predominantly a community-onset condition including ambulatory healthcare related cases, with increasing incidence, especially in older males. No antimicrobial resistance was observed. Mortality was high in patients with respiratory infectious source. This new observational data have implications when considering the epidemiology of these infections and for patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background UK studies examining vitiligo burden and vitiligo-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) are lacking. Objective To describe the incidence and prevalence of vitiligo, the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with vitiligo, vitiligo burden, HCRU, incidence of mental health comorbidities and management strategies, including treatment patterns. Methods This retrospective study used UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics databases to analyse patients with vitiligo from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2021. Results Among 17 239 incident patients, mean incidence of vitiligo was 0.16 (2010–2021) per 1000 person-years [PY; range 0.10 (2020–COVID-19) to 0.19 (2010/2013/2018)]; among 66 217 prevalent patients, prevalence increased from 0.21% (2010) to 0.38% (2021). The most common comorbidities recorded after vitiligo diagnosis were diabetes (19.4%), eczema (8.9%), thyroid disease (7.5%) and rheumatoid arthritis (6.9%). Mental health diagnoses recorded at any time included depression and/or anxiety (24.6%), depression (18.5%), anxiety (16.0%) and sleep disturbance (12.7%), and recorded after vitiligo diagnosis in 6.4%, 4.4%, 5.5% and 3.9%, respectively. Mental health comorbidities were more common in White (e.g. depression and/or anxiety 29.0%) than in Black (18.8%) and Asian (16.1%) patients. In adolescents, depression and/or anxiety was most commonly diagnosed after a vitiligo diagnosis than before (7.4% vs. 1.8%). Healthcare resources were used most frequently in the first year after vitiligo diagnosis (incident cohort), typically dermatology-related outpatient appointments (101.9/100 PY) and general practitioner consultations (97.9/100 PY). In the year after diagnosis, 60.8% of incident patients did not receive vitiligo-related treatment (i.e. topical corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, oral corticosteroids or phototherapy), increasing to 82.0% the next year; median time from diagnosis to first treatment was 34.0 months (95% confidence interval 31.6–36.4). Antidepressants and/or anxiolytics were recorded for 16.7% of incident patients in the year after diagnosis. In 2019, 85.0% of prevalent patients did not receive vitiligo-related treatments. Conclusion Most patients were not on vitiligo-related treatments within a year of diagnosis, with the time to first treatment exceeding 2 years, suggesting that vitiligo may be dismissed as unimportant. New effective treatments, early initiation and psychological intervention and support are needed to reduce the vitiligo burden on patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several types of cancer can be detected early through thermography, which uses thermal profiles to image tissues in recent years, thermography has gained increasing attention due to its non-invasive and radiation-free nature. There is a growing need for thermographic images of breast cancer lesions in different nationalities and ages to develop this technique, however. This study aims to introduce a dataset of breast thermograms. Material and Methods: In this study, thermographic images of breast cancer from Iranian samples were prepared and confirmed due to the limited number of breast thermogram databases. The prepared database was tested using artificial intelligence and another well-known DMR database (Database for Mastology Research) in this study to determine its reliability. Results: A variety of deep learning architectures and transfer learning are used to evaluate these databases for accuracy, sensitivity, speed, training compliance, and validation compliance. According to best-fitted structures for both types of databases, the database obtained from this study has a quality comparable to the DMR reference database, with minimum accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and F-score of 80%, 86%, 86%, 88%, and 87%, respectively. Conclusion: Using thermography as a method of early breast screening is demonstrated to be effective. In comparison to DMR, the lower statistics of the proposed database (between 2 and 7 percent) indicates that more diverse breast thermograms should be captured in conjunction with improvements to imaging equipment as well as adherence to thermography recording protocols in order to improve the reliability and efficiency of the database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer and its etiology could be related to various environmental contaminants such as particulate matter (PM). The objective of our study is to evaluate the potential association between exposure to PM during pregnancy and the incidence of childhood leukemia. We established a population-based nationwide cohort using the Spanish Birth Registry Statistics database of the National Statistics Institute. We used spatiotemporal land use random forest models to estimate the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 for the entire pregnancy and by trimesters. We conducted logistic regression analyses adjusted for various covariates. In addition, we fitted generalized additive models (GAMs) to estimate the non-linear relationship between PM levels and leukemia incidence. The study included 3,112,123 children and 1066 cases of leukemia. The results for the continuous variable of PM10 exposure levels suggested an increased risk of childhood leukemia to be associated with higher exposure. The results for the categorized PM10 variable suggest an increased risk of childhood leukemia among pregnant women whose exposure levels were higher than the median (third and fourth quartiles). The results for PM2.5 were weaker. We found association between exposure to PM10 during pregnancy and an increased risk of childhood leukemia. Our findings indicate that public health interventions should aim to reduce air pollution to lower the incidence of childhood leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a nonparametric compound Poisson model for underreported count data that introduces a latent clustering structure for the reporting probabilities. The latter are estimated with the model's parameters based on experts' opinion and exploiting a proxy for the reporting process. The proposed model is used to estimate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Apulia, Italy, based on a unique statistical database covering information on m = 258 municipalities obtained by integrating multisource register information. Accurate prevalence estimates are needed for monitoring, surveillance, and management purposes; yet, counts are deemed to be considerably underreported, especially in some areas of Apulia, one of the most deprived and heterogeneous regions in Italy. Our results agree with previous findings and highlight interesting geographical patterns of the disease. We compare our model to existing approaches in the literature using simulated as well as real data on early neonatal mortality risk in Brazil, described in previous research: the proposed approach proves to be accurate and particularly suitable when partial information about data quality is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive malignancy that is usually diagnosed at a late stage. Prior data showed increasing incidence of GBC in the US. However, little is known about race/ethnic‐specific incidence and mortality trends of GBC per stage at diagnosis. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a time‐trend analysis of GBC incidence and mortality rates categorized by race/ethnicity and stage‐at‐diagnosis. Methods: Age‐adjusted GBC incidence and mortality rates were calculated using SEER*Stat software from the United States Cancer Statistics database (covers ~98% of US population between 2001 and 2020) and NCHS (covers ~100% of the US population between 2000 and 2020) databases, respectively. Race/Ethnic groups were Non‐Hispanic‐White (NHW), Non‐Hispanic‐Black (NHB), Hispanic, Non‐Hispanic‐Asian/Pacific‐Islander (NHAPI), and Non‐Hispanic‐American‐Indian/Alaska‐Native (NHAIAN). Stage‐at‐diagnoses were all stages, early, regional, and distant stages. Joinpoint regression was used to generate time‐trends [annual percentage change (APC) and average APC (AAPC)] with parametric estimations and a two‐sided t‐test (p‐value cut‐off 0.05). Results: 76,873 patients were diagnosed with GBC with decreasing incidence rates in all races/ethnicities except NHB who experienced an increasing trend between 2001 and 2014 (APC = 2.08, p < 0.01) and plateauing afterward (APC = −1.21, p = 0.31); (AAPC = 1.03, p = 0.03). Among early‐stage tumors (9927 patients), incidence rates were decreasing only in Hispanic (AAPC = −4.24, p = 0.006) while stable in other races/ethnicities (NHW: AAPC = −2.61, p = 0.39; NHB: AAPC = −1.73, p = 0.36). For regional‐stage tumors (29,690 patients), GBC incidence rates were decreasing only in NHW (AAPC = −1.61, p < 0.001) while stable in other races/ethnicities (NHB: AAPC = 0.73, p = 0.34; Hispanic: AAPC = −1.58, p = 0.24; NHAPI: AAPC = −1.22, p = 0.07). For distant‐stage tumors (31,735 patients), incidence rates were increasing in NHB (AAPC = 2.72, p < 0.001), decreasing in Hispanic (AAPC = −0.64, p = 0.04), and stable in NHW (AAPC = 0.07, p = 0.84) and NHAPI (AAPC = 0.79, p = 0.13). There were 43,411 deaths attributed to GBC with decreasing mortality rates in all races/ethnicities except NHB who experienced a stable trend (AAPC = 0.25, p = 0.25). Conclusion: Nationwide data over the last two decades show that NHB patients experienced increasing GBC incidence between 2001 and 2014 followed by stabilization of the rates. This increase was driven by late‐stage tumors and occurred in the first decade. NHB also experienced non‐improving GBC mortality, compared to other race and ethnic groups who had decreasing mortality. This can be due to lack of timely‐access to healthcare leading to delayed diagnosis and worse outcomes. Future studies are warranted to investigate contributions to the revealed racial and ethnic disparities, especially in NHB, to improve early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contaduría y Administración is the property of Facultad de Contaduria y Administracion-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the paper a mathematical model of the process of operating aviation refuelling vehicles supplying fuel to aircraft before flight was developed. The present work is a continuation and supplement to the model contained in [52]. The phase space of the process under study was mapped by a 7-state directed graph of the operation process. To calculate the technical readiness index (Kgt) Markov chains and processes were used. Also, in Section 3, Results and discussions, optional methods for determining the technical readiness coefficient of a vehicle were provided (Kgt), based on the total time of the object in individual operating states. This is an alternative in a situation where the analysed process cannot reach a stable average state indefinitely. Two types of measures were used to determine the readiness, i.e. border probabilities and average times of the object in individual states. In both cases, the basis was statistical databases with operational vehicle data, which enabled the calculation of the readiness index and coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of undertaking this study is to examine the relationship between macroeconomic variables and foreign direct investments. The study includes a statistical analysis of the relationship between macroeconomic indicators on one hand, and foreign direct investment on the other (Roukanas, 2020), for the period 2010–2015, in Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, and Ireland. The aforementioned analysis focused on European Union (EU) member states that were hit by the global economic recession and received assistance from the Institutions. The criterion for their selection was the implementation of fiscal adjustment programmes with the aim of enabling their stabilisation and recovery. The data that will be used were drawn from the statistical databases of the EU, where official data are published and processed with the use of the Stata statistical software. Initially, various combinations of models were explored and the most appropriate ones were selected. These selected models show the dependent variables to be dynamically influenced by the independent variables and provide an opportunity for future research to enrich the model with additional interdependent variables showing variations in the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]