Regular Search Research Articles

Trends in CT examination utilization in the emergency department during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increasing use of CT imaging in emergency departments, despite efforts of reducing low-value imaging, is not fully understood, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic related measures on trends and volume in CT examinations requested in the emergency department. CT examinations of the head, chest, and/or abdomen-pelvis (n = 161,008), and chest radiographs (n = 113,240) performed at our tertiary care hospital between 01/2014 and 12/2023 were retrospectively analyzed. CT examinations (head, chest, abdomen, dual-region and polytrauma) and chest radiographs requested by the emergency department during (03/2020-03/2022) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (04/2022-12/2023) were compared to a pre-pandemic control period (02/2018-02/2020). Analyses included CT examinations per emergency department visit, and prediction models based on pre-pandemic trends and inpatient data. A regular expressions text search algorithm determined the most common clinical questions. The usage of dual-region and chest CT examinations were higher during (+ 116,4% and + 115.8%, respectively; p < .001) and after the COVID-19 pandemic (+ 88,4% and + 70.7%, respectively; p < .001), compared to the control period. Chest radiograph usage decreased (-54.1% and - 36.4%, respectively; p < .001). The post-pandemic overall CT examination rate per emergency department visit increased by 4.7%. The prediction model underestimated (p < .001) the growth (dual-region CT: 22.3%, chest CT: 26.7%, chest radiographs: -30.4%), and the rise (p < .001) was higher compared to inpatient data (dual-region CT: 54.8%, chest CT: 52.0%, CR: -32.3%). Post-pandemic, the number of clinical questions to rule out "pulmonary infiltrates", "abdominal pain" and "infection focus" increased up to 235.7% compared to the control period. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, chest CT and dual-region CT usage in the emergency department experienced a disproportionate and sustained surge compared to pre-pandemic growth.

Validation of anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa diagnosis coding in Danish hospitals assisted by a natural language processing model

IntroductionThe Danish Health Care Registers rely on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-classification and stand as a widely utilized resource for health epidemiological research. Eating disorders are multifaceted syndromes where two distinctive diagnoses are defined, anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). However, the validity of the registered diagnoses remains to be verified. Manuel chart review is often the method for validation of diagnosis codes, but there is limited research on how natural language processing (NLP) models could enhance this process. ObjectiveTo investigate the accuracy of the clinical use of ICD-10 diagnosis codes F50.0, F50.1, F50.2, and F50.3 in the Danish Health Care Registers, using a manual chart review assisted by NLP. MethodFrom a cohort of all individuals attending hospitals in Region of Southern Denmark with registered electronic health information, we extracted medical information from the electronic health journal on 100 individuals with each of the four diagnosis codes. After extraction, an NLP model with regular expression search patterns identified relevant text passages for manual chart review. ResultsOverall, 372 of the 400 diagnosis codes (93%) were correct. A diagnosis code for AN was correct in 90% of instances, 96% for atypical AN, 96% for BN and 90% for an atypical BN diagnosis code. ConclusionWe found that the accuracy of a diagnosis code F50.0, F50.1, F50.2, and F50.3 to be high. This confirms that the generally well-documented validity of the Danish health care registers also applies to the eating disorder diagnoses.

Prospects for neutron star parameter estimation using gravitational waves from f modes associated with magnetar flares

ABSTRACT Magnetar vibrational modes are theorized to be associated with energetic X-ray flares. Regular searches for gravitational waves from these modes have been performed by Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) and Advanced Virgo, with no detections so far. Presently, search results are given in upper limits on the root sum square of the integrated gravitational-wave strain. However, the increased sensitivity of current detectors and the promise of future detectors invite the consideration of more astrophysically motivated methods. We present a framework for augmenting gravitational-wave searches to measure or place direct limits on magnetar astrophysical properties in various search scenarios using a set of phenomenological and analytical models.

Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of recurrence and metastasis of different surgical techniques for non-small cell lung cancer

IntroductionLung cancer remains the primary cause of cancer-related deaths on a global scale. Surgery is the main therapeutic option for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the optimal surgical approach...

Optimizing delivery time with an intelligent forecasting model: leveraging ai and machine learning for efficient logistics

Business analytics involves using various technologies to analyze data. Data mining focuses on the automated search for knowledge, patterns, or regularities in data. As a business analyst, it is essential to recognize the type of analytical technique appropriate for solving a specific problem. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) describes data using statistical and visualization techniques to highlight important aspects of that data for further analysis. This involves examining a data set from many angles, describing it, and summarizing it without making assumptions about its content. Exploratory data analysis is an essential step before diving into statistical modeling or machine learning to ensure that the data is really what it claims to be and that there are no apparent errors. This type of analysis should be part of data science projects in every organization. Visual analytics is sometimes confused with data visualization. Visual analysis is not simply a matter of graphically representing data. Modern, interactive visual analytics makes combining data from multiple sources easy and performs in-depth data analysis directly in the visualization. Additionally, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms can offer recommendations for exploration. Ultimately, visual analytics helps transform massive data sets into business insights that can positively impact an organization. Considering the previous comment about visual data analysis, it should be added that the system has extensive capabilities to create graphical dashboards containing reports and charts. It is essential that in the case of desktops, in addition to the visualizations included in the system itself, it is possible to embed reports from third-party tools.

Lazy incremental search for efficient replanning with bounded suboptimality guarantees

We present a lazy incremental search algorithm, Lifelong-GLS (L-GLS), along with its bounded suboptimal version, Bounded L-GLS (B-LGLS) that combine the search efficiency of incremental search algorithms with the evaluation efficiency of lazy search algorithms for fast replanning in problem domains where edge evaluations are more expensive than vertex expansions. The proposed algorithms generalize Lifelong Planning A* (LPA*) and its bounded suboptimal version, Truncated LPA* (TLPA*), within the Generalized Lazy Search (GLS) framework, so as to restrict expensive edge evaluations only to the current shortest subpath when the cost-to-come inconsistencies are propagated during repair. We also present dynamic versions of the L-GLS and B-LGLS algorithms, called Generalized D* (GD*) and Bounded Generalized D* (B-GD*), respectively, for efficient replanning with non-stationary queries, designed specifically for navigation of mobile robots. We prove that the proposed algorithms are complete and correct in finding a solution that is guaranteed not to exceed the optimal solution cost by a user-chosen factor. Our numerical and experimental results support the claim that the proposed integration of the incremental and lazy search frameworks can help find solutions faster compared to the regular incremental or regular lazy search algorithms when the underlying graph representation changes often.

FungiRegEx: A Tool for Pattern Identification in Fungal Proteomic Sequences Using Regular Expressions

In the context of proteomic-scale research, it is imperative to automatically analyze numerous species and subspecies to discern distinctive characteristics present in multiple species of the fungi kingdom that contain sequences of interest that could fulfill a specific biological function. To achieve this, complex sequences must be recognized within an organism’s entire set of proteomes. Our study presents FungiRegEx, a piece of software that facilitates the identification of regular expressions of proteomes of fungal organisms and uses real-time data retrieval of the different species from the JGI Mycocosm database without the need to download any file. Integrating a graphical user interface that makes it easy to use, the tool offers regular expression searches on 2402 fungal species from the JGI Mycocosm portal. The tool was validated with the AXSXG sequence and the RXRL effector, demonstrating the effectiveness of FungiRegEx in identifying user-defined patterns in the recovered sequences. This tool allows customization and filtering, and it can save results if required, combining speed, adaptability, and ease of use. It provides an experience without a console and programming, displaying the results in a GUI and making them easier to read. Its architecture guarantees optimized use of resources, time consumption, and implementation flexibility, allowing the customization of specific software parameters for resource management. The tool’s potential for future research and exploration is emphasized, providing a nuanced perspective on its practical use within the fungal genomics community. The tools are available at the addresses mentioned in the text.

АНАЛІЗ ПРИЧИН ВИНИКНЕННЯ ТА СПОСОБІВ ЗМЕНШЕННЯ ЗАЛИШКОВИХ НАПРУЖЕНЬ ПРИ SLM

Additive manufacturing (hereinafter – en. AM) is a modern set of technologies that make it possible to quickly and qualitatively create products with a unique geometry that are impossible or difficult to produce by traditional production methods. Currently, researchers pay attention to two major areas, namely AM quality systems and the search for new regularities in already well-known materials that were produced in a traditional way. This technology has a number of advantages for the manufacture of aerospace products, but, like all production technologies, this technology has a number of disadvantages and problems. Residual internal stresses are one of the features of metal materials produced by layer-by-layer fusion using SLM technology, but they can significantly affect mechanical properties and geometric parameters. Their presence is especially important for AM materials, which inevitably lead to significant internal stresses. Thus, the issue of reducing the influence of internal stresses requires a fundamental understanding of their influence on the geometric parameters and service characteristics of AM materials.

Efficacy of acetylsalicylic acid in schizophrenia: a literature review

IntroductionThere has been growing evidence to support the hypothesis that inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.ObjectivesThe aim of the present literature review was to assess the efficacy of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) as an adjuvant agent in the treatment of an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.MethodsWe searched randomized clinical trials based on regular searches of MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed.ResultsWe included four studies. The results were in favor of the efficacy of ASA in the study where authors targeted early psychosis. Illness duration seems to predict response to anti-inflammatory agents.ConclusionsFurther studies of early stages of schizophrenia are helpful.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Using sequential statistical tests for efficient hyperparameter tuning

Hyperparameter tuning is one of the most time-consuming parts in machine learning. Despite the existence of modern optimization algorithms that minimize the number of evaluations needed, evaluations of a single setting may still be expensive. Usually a resampling technique is used, where the machine learning method has to be fitted a fixed number of k times on different training datasets. The respective mean performance of the k fits is then used as performance estimator. Many hyperparameter settings could be discarded after less than k resampling iterations if they are clearly inferior to high-performing settings. However, resampling is often performed until the very end, wasting a lot of computational effort. To this end, we propose the sequential random search (SQRS) which extends the regular random search algorithm by a sequential testing procedure aimed at detecting and eliminating inferior parameter configurations early. We compared our SQRS with regular random search using multiple publicly available regression and classification datasets. Our simulation study showed that the SQRS is able to find similarly well-performing parameter settings while requiring noticeably fewer evaluations. Our results underscore the potential for integrating sequential tests into hyperparameter tuning.

3D Path Planning of the Solar Powered UAV in the Urban-Mountainous Environment with Multi-Objective and Multi-Constraint Based on the Enhanced Sparrow Search Algorithm Incorporating the Levy Flight Strategy

In response to practical application challenges in utilizing solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for remote sensing, this study presents a three-dimensional path planning method tailored for urban-mountainous environment. Taking into account constraints related to the solar-powered UAV, terrain, and mission objectives, a multi-objective trajectory optimization model is transferred into a single-objective optimization problem with weight factors and multi-constraint and is developed with a focus on three key indicators: minimizing trajectory length, maximizing energy flow efficiency, and minimizing regional risk levels. Additionally, an enhanced sparrow search algorithm incorporating the Levy flight strategy (SSA-Levy) is introduced to address trajectory planning challenges in such complex environments. Through simulation, the proposed algorithm is compared with particle swarm optimization (PSO) and the regular sparrow search algorithm (SSA) across 17 standard test functions and a simplified simulation of urban-mountainous environments. The results of the simulation demonstrate the superior effectiveness of the designed improved SSA based on the Levy flight strategy for solving the established single-objective trajectory optimization model.

Coordination compounds of indium, gadolinium, and erbium nitrates with low urea content

Objectives. To date, compounds of rare earth nitrates with urea in a ratio of 1:4 and indium in a ratio of 1:6 have been synthesized and structurally characterized. However, there is a lack of research into similar compounds having a lower urea content. The purpose of this work was to continue the search for regularities of structure formation for complexes of various elements with urea.Methods. Novel coordination compounds were synthesized and characterized by powder- and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, as well as infrared spectroscopy.Results. The interaction of indium, gadolinium and erbium nitrates with urea (Ur) in an aqueous solution under conditions of ligand deficiency produces the previously unknown coordination compounds cis-[In(Ur)4(NO3)2]NO3, [Gd(H2O)2(Ur)2(NO3)3], and [Er(H2O)2(Ur)(NO3)3]. The indium complex is shown to have an ionic structure, whereas the gadolinium and erbium complexes have a molecular structure. In the indium complex, the coordination number is 6; the cation has an octahedral structure; it involves two cis-arranged monodentate nitrate groups and four monodentate urea molecules. The coordination number of gadolinium is 10; here, the coordination polyhedron is a distorted pentagonal bipyramid at the vertices of which there are two water molecules, while in the internal polygonal base there are two monodentate urea molecules and three bidentate chelating nitrate groups oriented perpendicular to the polygonal base of the bipyramid. The coordination number of erbium is 9; the coordination polyhedron is a distorted tricapped trigonal prism.Conclusions. In contrast with the gadolinium complex, one urea molecule is coordinated in the erbium complex instead of two, decreasing the coordination number from 10 to 9. In the indium complex cation, the coordination number is 6; unlike the gadolinium and erbium complexes, the cation does not contain water, and the nitrate groups are monodentate.

Open access to scientific resources of institutional repositories of Ukrainian higher educational institutions for information and library direction

The purpose of the article is to analyse the level of providing open access to scientific resources in Ukrainian higher education institutions’ institutional repositories for information and library direction. The research methodology is based on general scientific and special cognition methods, including analysis, synthesis, monitoring and comparison. The scientific novelty of the work consists of expanded ideas about the possibilities of activating the work of higher educational institutions’ institutional repositories for information and library direction as a component of determining their ratings at the world level through the maximum realising openaccess provision to their scientific resources for developing scientific and technical progress. Conclusions. The article analyses the institutional repositories of 10 higher education institutions for information and library direction by using Webometrics, QS World University Rankings, and SimilarWeb. The analysis of using the levelof institutional repositories testified to its inadequacy. The research based on using web analytics by SimilarWeb made it possible to identify four leaders of higher education institutions in terms of the number of users’ visitsto their repositories: West Ukrainian National University (WUNU), National Aviation University (NAU), Ternopil National Technical University named after Ivan Puluj (TNTU). Geographical, gender, age, thematic diversification of higher educational institutions’ institutional repositories, as well as the level of their using the main communication channels (direct appeal, regular search, referrals, e-mail, social networks) thanks to the analysis of their websites’ traffic were determined. The recommendations for improving information culture for scientific and pedagogical staff, students, librarians, management of higher educational institutions for information and library direction, and all participants of scientific communication were given through activating their using institutional repositories to promote them in the global scientific and educational space as components in increasing the rating positions of higher educational institutions in Webometrics and QS World University Rankings thanks to providing open access to scientific resources for developing scientific and technological progress

The Study of Notes and Notebooks: Some Epistemological and Ontological Issues

"The aim of the present paper is to situate the recent attempts to study the phenomena of knowledge management in a larger epistemological context. More precisely, I intend to look at it from the perspective of the philosophy of the humanities. This involves understanding it as an endeavor concerned with the search for regularities. As a result, key notions figuring in the repertoire of this kind of undertaking, primarily those of notes and notebooks, are scrutinized for the purpose of revealing their theoretical function. This points towards some ontological issues, such as the idea of taking notes as cultural kinds, namely something analogous to the idea of natural kinds. Keywords: notes, notebooks, cultural kind, cultural artefact, pattern, commonplace-book"

Optimizing process and methods for a living systematic review: 30 search updates and three review updates later

ObjectiveTo describe the living systematic review (LSR) process and to share experience of planning, searches, screening, extraction, publishing and dissemination to inform and assist authors planning their own LSR. Many LSR do not publish more than one update, we hope this paper helps to increase this. Study Design and SettingA Cochrane LSR with an international author team that has been ‘living’ for two years, with monthly search updates and three full updates published in this time. LSRs are regularly updated systematic reviews that allow new evidence to be incorporated as it becomes available. LSR are ideally suited to policy-relevant topics where there is uncertainty and new evidence will likely impact the interpretation and/or certainty of outcomes. ResultsThe key features of the process that require consideration are: specifying the frequency of searches and triggers for full updates in the protocol; stakeholder input; publishing and disseminating monthly search findings. A strong team, incorporating methodological and topic expertise, with core members that meet regularly is essential. Regular search updates make it important to have a clear cyclical schedule of activity. To achieve timely updates this process should be streamlined, for example, using automated monthly searches, and systematic reviewing software for screening. LSR provide a unique opportunity to incorporate stakeholder feedback. ConclusionsWe recommend that LSRs should be: justified; carefully planned including the timing of search updates, triggers for publication and termination; published in a timely manner; have a clear dissemination plan; and a strong core team of authors.

Turning radiology reports into epidemiological data to track seasonal pulmonary infections and the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesTo automatically label chest radiographs and chest CTs regarding the detection of pulmonary infection in the report text, to calculate the number needed to image (NNI) and to investigate if these labels correlate with regional epidemiological infection data.Materials and methodsAll chest imaging reports performed in the emergency room between 01/2012 and 06/2022 were included (64,046 radiographs; 27,705 CTs). Using a regular expression-based text search algorithm, reports were labeled positive/negative for pulmonary infection if described.Data for regional weekly influenza-like illness (ILI) consultations (10/2013–3/2022), COVID-19 cases, and hospitalization (2/2020–6/2022) were matched with report labels based on calendar date. Positive rate for pulmonary infection detection, NNI, and the correlation with influenza/COVID-19 data were calculated.ResultsBetween 1/2012 and 2/2020, a 10.8–16.8% per year positive rate for detecting pulmonary infections on chest radiographs was found (NNI 6.0–9.3). A clear and significant seasonal change in mean monthly detection counts (102.3 winter; 61.5 summer; p < .001) correlated moderately with regional ILI consultations (weekly data r = 0.45; p < .001).For 2020–2021, monthly pulmonary infection counts detected by chest CT increased to 64–234 (23.0–26.7% per year positive rate, NNI 3.7–4.3) compared with 14–94 (22.4–26.7% positive rate, NNI 3.7–4.4) for 2012–2019. Regional COVID-19 epidemic waves correlated moderately with the positive pulmonary infection CT curve for 2020–2022 (weekly new cases: r = 0.53; hospitalizations: r = 0.65; p < .001).ConclusionText mining of radiology reports allows to automatically extract diagnoses. It provides a metric to calculate the number needed to image and to track the trend of diagnoses in real time, i.e., seasonality and epidemic course of pulmonary infections.Clinical relevanceDigitally labeling radiology reports represent previously neglected data and may assist in automated disease tracking, in the assessment of physicians’ clinical reasoning for ordering radiology examinations and serve as actionable data for hospital workflow optimization.Key Points• Radiology reports, commonly not machine readable, can be automatically labeled with the contained diagnoses using a regular-expression based text search algorithm.• Chest radiograph reports positive for pulmonary infection moderately correlated with regional influenza-like illness consultations (weekly data; r = 0.45; p < .001) and chest CT reports with the course of the regional COVID-19 pandemic (new cases: r = 0.53; hospitalizations: r = 0.65; p < 0.001).• Rendering radiology reports into data labels provides a metric for automated disease tracking, the assessment of ordering physicians clinical reasoning and can serve as actionable data for workflow optimization.

Rate of Missed Intracranial Colloid Cysts on MRI and CT.

Intracranial colloid cysts of the third ventricle are rare; however, they may be symptomatic. They can create a mass effect on the foramina of Monro, resulting in acute hydrocephalus. Colloid cysts are detectable on CT and MRI but are commonly missed. In this paper, we investigate the rate of missed colloid cysts on MRI and/or CT imaging within our multihospital metropolitan medical group. A retrospective, institutional review board-approved search of the network-wide picture archiving and communication system (PACS) from January 1, 2010, to October 31, 2020, was performed to identify reports including a "colloid cyst" in MRI brain or CT head imaging. Results without imaging and/or surgical confirmation of intracranial colloid cysts were excluded, rendering 229 cases. A PACS review of these cases was performed by two neuroradiologists to determine instances where the cyst had previously been imaged but not diagnosed on either CT or MRI. Two hundred twenty-nine subjects had confirmed colloid cysts through imaging and/or surgical reports. Of these, 46 had prior imaging depicting a colloid cyst either on CT and/or MRI without mention on the interpretative report, resulting in a non-detection rate of 20.1%. Intracranial colloid cysts can be missed at a considerably high rate, which is concerning given their clinically unpredictable nature and ability to cause significant morbidity and mortality. As such, it is important to take a proactive approach to searching for these cysts as part of a regular imaging search pattern and to continue to determine new methods of increasing detection sensitivity.

Radiotherapy to regional nodes in early breast cancer: an individual patient data meta-analysis of 14 324 women in 16 trials

Radiotherapy has become much better targeted since the 1980s, improving both safety and efficacy. In breast cancer, radiotherapy to regional lymph nodes aims to reduce risks of recurrence and death. Its effects have been studied in randomised trials, some before the 1980s and some after. We aimed to assess the effects of regional node radiotherapy in these two eras. In this meta-analysis of individual patient data, we sought data from all randomised trials of regional lymph node radiotherapy versus no regional lymph node radiotherapy in women with early breast cancer (including one study that irradiated lymph nodes only if the cancer was right-sided). Trials were identified through the EBCTCG's regular systematic searches of databases including MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and meeting abstracts. Trials were eligible if they began before Jan 1, 2009. The only systematic difference between treatment groups was in regional node radiotherapy (to the internal mammary chain, supraclavicular fossa, or axilla, or any combinations of these). Primary outcomes were recurrence at any site, breast cancer mortality, non-breast-cancer mortality, and all-cause mortality. Data were supplied by trialists and standardised into a format suitable for analysis. A summary of the formatted data was returned to trialists for verification. Log-rank analyses yielded first-event rate ratios (RRs) and confidence intervals. We found 17 eligible trials, 16 of which had available data (for 14 324 participants), and one of which (henceforth excluded), had unavailable data (for 165 participants). In the eight newer trials (12 167 patients), which started during 1989-2008, regional node radiotherapy significantly reduced recurrence (rate ratio 0·88, 95% CI 0·81-0·95; p=0·0008). The main effect was on distant recurrence as few regional node recurrences were reported. Radiotherapy significantly reduced breast cancer mortality (RR 0·87, 95% CI 0·80-0·94; p=0·0010), with no significant effect on non-breast-cancer mortality (0·97, 0·84-1·11; p=0·63), leading to significantly reduced all-cause mortality (0·90, 0·84-0·96; p=0·0022). In an illustrative calculation, estimated absolute reductions in 15-year breast cancer mortality were 1·6% for women with no positive axillary nodes, 2·7% for those with one to three positive axillary nodes, and 4·5% for those with four or more positive axillary nodes. In the eight older trials (2157 patients), which started during 1961-78, regional node radiotherapy had little effect on breast cancer mortality (RR 1·04, 95% CI 0·91-1·20; p=0·55), but significantly increased non-breast-cancer mortality (1·42, 1·18-1·71; p=0·00023), with risk mainly after year 20, and all-cause mortality (1·17, 1·04-1·31; p=0·0067). Regional node radiotherapy significantly reduced breast cancer mortality and all-cause mortality in trials done after the 1980s, but not in older trials. These contrasting findings could reflect radiotherapy improvements since the 1980s. Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council.

Institutional Repositories of Higher Education Institutions in Ukraine for Training Specialists in the Field of Information, Li-Brary and Archive Studies as a Component of Academic Communica-Tion Quality in Modern Educational Space

The purpose of the article is to conduct a comparative analysis of institutional repositories of higher education institutions of Ukraine for training specialists in the field of information, library, and archival studies as a component of the quality of academic communication in the modern educational space. The research methodology is based on the application of the theory of scientific communication, general scientific and special methods of cognition, including analysis, synthesis, monitoring, and comparison. The scientific novelty of the study is to expand the understanding of the current situation of demand among users of scientific and educational resources of institutional repositories of higher education institutions for the training of specialists in the field of information, library, and archival studies. Conclusions. The article analyses the institutional repositories of ten higher education institutions for training of specialists in the field of information, library, and archival studies using Webometrics, QS World University Rankings, and SimilarWeb. Despite the high-ranking positions of the leading higher education institutions in Webometrics and QS World University Rankings, user access to institutional repositories remains at an insufficient level. A study based on web analytics by SimilarWeb has identified four leading HEIs by the number of visits to their repositories by users: Western Ukrainian National University (WUNU), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (TSNU), National Aviation University (NAU), and Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University (VNU). The level of use of the main communication channels (direct access, regular (standard) search, referrals, e-mail, social networks) for the use of repositories by each higher education institution is also determined, and recommendations are given on the promotion of scientific and educational resources of repositories and the use of PR and advertising technologies by librarians and all participants of scientific communication of higher education institutions to improve its quality in the modern educational space. Key words: institutional repository, higher education institution, electronic archive, training of specialists in the field of information, library, and archive studies, communication channels, scientific communication.

Association between 25-hydroxy vitamin D and lung function (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC) in children and adults with asthma: A systematic review.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that poses significant individual, social, financial and healthcare burdens. Physicians and researchers have recommended 25-hydroxy vitamin D supplementation, in combination with prescribed medication, as a potential means of reducing asthma severity. This systematic review focuses on the association between 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels and lung function in both children and adults with asthma. We identified published work by searching MEDLINE via PubMed, using regular search terms related to 25-hydroxy vitamin D and asthma. Fourteen studies were screened out of 643 eligible citations from MEDLINE research that involved 65 children and 951 adults. A strong positive association was observed in four studies, whereas five showed a moderate association, and two had no correlation. The majority of studies found a negative correlation between 25-hydroxy vitamin D deficiency and mild, uncontrolled and partly controlled asthma. 25-hydroxy vitamin D 25 OH values were below 20 ng/ml in the majority of studies, and those with uncontrolled severe asthma showed the lowest values.