bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stable Isotope Analysis of Mammalian Enamel From the Early Pleistocene Site of Madigou, Nihewan Basin: Implications for Reconstructing Hominin Paleoenvironmental Adaptations in North China
Authors: Xu Zhe , Pei Shuwen , Hu Yaowu , de la Torre Ignacio , Ma Dongdong 
Published: December 2021

The reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes in the Pleistocene is an essential contribution to our understanding of human evolutionary and behavioral adaptations. Well preserved fluvio-lacustrine sediments at Nihewan basin have yielded a rich record of Early Pleistocene Paleolithic sites and mammalian fossils which provide a unique opportunity for exploring hominin behavior and paleoecology in North China. Taxonomic studies of mammalian fossils have provided important clues to the general environmental setting and landscapes of Early Pleistocene humans in the fluvio-lacustrine basin of Nihewan, but little is known about their isotopic signatures. In this paper, mammal teeth species at the Madigou archaeological site (ca. 1.2 Ma) were selected for bulk and sequential enamel stable isotope (C, O) analysis. Results show a variety of ecological environments, including grassland and sparse forest landscapes, and distinct patterns across taxa. C3-C4 mixed vegetation predominated, but C4 vegetation was also relevant at times. Madigou early humans likely experienced cold/warm or dry/wet fluctuations in this northern China basin. We hypothesize that the environmental fluctuations and diversified landscapes may have driven flexibility in various aspects of early human technological behaviors, and allowed hominins to face the environmental challenges of northern latitudes after the initial expansion from Africa into East Asia at the onset of the Middle Pleistocene Climate Transition.
Impact of Body Mass Index on Static Postural Control in Adults With and Without Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Yin Lianhua , Qin Jiawei , Chen Yannan , Xie Jinjin , Hong Cuiping , Huang Jia , Xu Ying , Liu Zhizhen , Tao Jing 
Published: December 2021

AimThe objective of this research was to determine the static postural control differences measured from a force platform in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and healthy control groups with different levels of body mass index (BMI), and detect the static postural control difference between T2DM and healthy control groups stratified by different BMI category. This research also explored the relationship of BMI and static postural performance.MethodsWe recruited 706 participants with T2DM and 692 healthy controls who were sufficiently matched for age, gender, and BMI in this cross-sectional study. The participants were stratified into three groups by BMI: normal weight, overweight, and obesity. All participants performed two-legged static stance postural control assessment on a firm force platform. The Center of Pressure (CoP) parameters were collected under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the static postural control parameters within each BMI category in both groups. The static postural control parameters among different weight groups were compared by Kruskal–Wallis test, post hoc pair-wise comparison were conducted. Generalized linear model was conducted to examine the association between BMI and static postural control parameters while controlling for confounding factors.ResultsHealthy control group had statistical difference in most CoP parameters compared to T2DM group based on all BMI categories. Normal weight participants presented significant difference compared with overweight and/or obesity for total track length (TTL) and velocity of CoP displacements in Y direction (V-Y) under eyes-open condition, and for most CoP parameters under eyes-closed condition in both groups. There were statistically significant correlations between BMI and most static postural control parameters under only eyes-closed condition according to the result of generalized linear model.ConclusionT2DM patients had impaired static postural control performance compared to healthy controls at all BMI categories. The findings also indicated the association between BMI and static postural control, where higher BMI individuals showed more static postural instability in both T2DM and healthy controls.
Feasibility of an Inversion Recovery-Prepared Fat-Saturated Zero Echo Time Sequence for High Contrast Imaging of the Osteochondral Junction
Authors: Jang Hyungseok , Ma Yajun , Carl Michael , Lombardi Alecio F. , Chang Eric Y. , Du Jiang 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe osteochondral junction (OCJ) region—commonly defined to include the deep radial uncalcified cartilage, tidemark, calcified cartilage, and subchondral bone plate—functions to absorb mechanical stress and is commonly associated with the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. However, magnetic resonance imaging of the OCJ region is difficult due to the tissues’ short transverse relaxation times (i.e., short T2 or T2*), which result in little or no signal with conventional MRI. The goal of this study is to develop a 3D adiabatic inversion recovery prepared fat saturated zero echo time (IR-FS-ZTE) sequence for high-contrast imaging of the OCJ.MethodAn IR-FS-ZTE MR sequence was developed to image the OCJ on a clinical 3T MRI scanner. The IR-FS-ZTE sequence employed an adiabatic inversion pulse followed by a fat saturation pulse that suppressed signals from the articular cartilage and fat. At an inversion time (TI) that was matched to the nulling point of the articular cartilage, continuous ZTE imaging was performed with a smoothly rotating readout gradient, which enabled time-efficient encoding of the OCJ region’s short T2 signal with a minimal echo time (TE) of 12 μs. An ex vivo experiment with six cadaveric knee joints, and an in vivo experiment with six healthy volunteers and three patients with OA were performed to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed approach for high contrast imaging of the OCJ. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) between the OCJ and its neighboring femoral and tibial cartilage were measured.ResultsIn the ex vivo experiment, IR-FS-ZTE produced improved imaging of the OCJ region over the clinical sequences, and significantly improved the contrast compared to FS-ZTE without IR preparation (p = 0.0022 for tibial cartilage and p = 0.0019 for femoral cartilage with t-test). We also demonstrated the feasibility of high contrast imaging of the OCJ region in vivo using the proposed IR-FS-ZTE sequence, thereby providing more direct information on lesions in the OCJ. Clinical MRI did not detect signal from OCJ due to the long TE (&gt;20 ms).ConclusionIR-FS-ZTE allows direct imaging of the OCJ region of the human knee and may help in elucidating the role of the OCJ in cartilage degeneration.
The U.S. Energy System and the Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel From Clean Electricity
Authors: Male Jonathan L. , Kintner-Meyer Michael C. W. , Weber Robert S. 
Published: December 2021

Jet fuel is relatively small in terms of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions (10% of U.S. transportation sector in 2021, expected to increase to 14% by 2050). Still airlines have ambitious goals to reduce their greenhouse footprints from carbon-neutral growth beginning this year to reducing greenhouse gas emission for international flights by 50% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. The challenge is heightened by the longevity of the current fleet (30–50 years) and by the difficulty in electrifying the future fleet because only 5% of the commercial aviation greenhouse gas footprint is from regional flights that might, conceivably be electrified using foreseeable technology. Therefore, large amounts of sustainable aviation fuel will be needed to reach the aggressive targets set by airlines. Only 3 million gallons (11.4 ML) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) (with a heat of combustion totaling about 400 TJ = 0.0004 EJ) was produced in the U.S. in 2019 for a 26 billion gallon per year market (3.6 EJ/year). Fischer-Tropsch and ethanol oligomerization (alcohol-to-jet) are considered for producing SAF, including the use of renewable electricity and carbon dioxide. In sequencing the energy transition, cleaning the U.S. grid is an important first step to have the largest greenhouse gas emissions reduction. While carbon dioxide and clean electricity can potentially provide the SAF in the future, an ethanol oligomerization option will require less energy.
Fuzzy Decision-Based Optimal Energy Dispatch for Integrated Energy Systems With Energy Storage
Authors: Gao Qiang , Zhang Xiaodi , Yang Mixia , Chen Xianqing , Zhou Hongqing , Yang Qiang 
Published: December 2021

The integrated energy system is an important strategic direction in the world’s future energy field, which will become the main carrier form of the energy future of human society in the next 30–50 years, directly affecting or even determining the future energy strategy pattern of the world. There are many types of integrated energy system. In the study of optimal dispatching of energy storage, the integrated energy system is modeled according to the energy transmission characteristics of the integrated energy system, which mainly includes the combined cooling, heating and power system and the multi-type energy storage system containing electricity and heat storage. Then, a two-tier optimal scheduling model for an integrated energy system with multiple types of energy storage as the core is established, divided into the day-head scheduling layer and the real-time dispatch layer. At the day-head scheduling layer, an optimization model has been proposed with the minimum cost of the optimization goal and the power network, heating network, cooling network, energy storage operation constraints and carbon constraints as constraints. Then at the real-time dispatch layer, utilize the fuzzy controller to dispatch and control the electric storage system and the thermal storage system. Finally, the verification simulation experiment is carried out in an industrial park. Besides, the energy efficiency, economy and environmental performance before and after the integrated energy system connected to the multi-energy storage device are compared and analyzed, and different scheduling methods are used to compare and prove the advantages of the scheduling method.
Clinical Significance of Serum-Derived Exosomal LINC00917 in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Xiong Dani , Wang Chuanlin , Yang Zhaohui , Han Fusen , Zhan Huaibing 
Published: December 2021

Background: In this study, we aimed to explore the diagnostic potential of serum-based exosomal long intergenic noncoding RNA 917 (LINC00917) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods: Exosomes were extracted from NSCLC patients’ serum samples. Exosomal LINC00917 expression levels were compared, by qRT-PCR, between cancer patients and healthy controls, as well as sub-populations of cancer patients. The association between exosomal LINC00917 expression and NSCLC patients’ clinicopathologic factors were investigated, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn. In addition, NSCLC patients’ overall survivals (OSs) was examined based on exosomal LINC00917 expression and further evaluated by the cox regression analysis.Results: Serum-derived exosomal LINC00917 was highly expressed in NSCLC patients, and further upregulated in stage III/IV cancer patients. Exosomal LINC00917 yielded modestly good under the curve (AUC) values. Upregulated exosomal LINC00917 expression was closely associated with cancer patients’ advanced stages and shorter OSs.Conclusion: Serum-derived exosomal LINC00917 may hold diagnostic potential for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Landscape and Clinical Significance of Immune Checkpoint in Cutaneous Melanoma
Authors: Mao Rui , Yang Fan , Zhang Tongtong , Li Ji 
Published: December 2021

BackgroundThe incidence of cutaneous melanoma (CM) is increasing, and its prognosis is not optimistic. Although immune checkpoint (ICP) inhibitors are effective in the treatment of CM patients, they are not effective for all CM patients. There is an urgent need for a marker to predict both the prognosis and the immunotherapy effect in patients with CM.ApproachesTwo groups of patients with greatly different prognosis and response to immunotherapy were identified by unwatched cluster exploration of TCGA on the basis of 34 ICPs. The prognosis and immunotherapy effect of CM were predicted by developing a precise and given signature on the basis of ICPs, and a multivariate Cox risk regression model was established from the TCGA cohort consisting of 454 CM samples. The model was validated in 210 and 231 samples in the test and verification cohorts, respectively.ResultsThe prognosis in clinical subgroups was predicted by the classification system. High-risk patients had poorer responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Finally, the signature was recognized as an independent prognostic factor. Based on checkpoint-based signature (ICPBS) and clinical characteristics, we constructed a nomogram for the prognosis in patients with CM, which was superior to ICPBS in efficacy than ICPBS alone.ConclusionAs a useful prognostic tool to further improve cancer immunotherapy, the signature can accurately predict recurrence and overall survival among patients with CM.
Molecular Subtypes Based on Cell Differentiation Trajectories in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Differential Prognosis and Immunotherapeutic Responses
Authors: Huang Zhen-Dong , Liu Zi-Zhen , Liu Yan-Yi , Fu Yong-Cheng , Lin Lu-Lu , Hu Chao , Gu Hui-Yun , Wei Ren-Xiong 
Published: December 2021

ObjectiveHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignant tumors. We aimed to investigate the HNSCC cell differentiation trajectories and the corresponding clinical relevance.MethodsBased on HNSCC cell differentiation-related genes (HDRGs) identified by single-cell sequencing analysis, the molecular subtypes and corresponding immunity, metabolism, and stemness characteristics of 866 HNSCC cases were comprehensively analyzed. Machine-learning strategies were used to develop a HNSCC cell differentiation score (HCDscore) in order to quantify the unique heterogeneity of individual samples. We also assessed the prognostic value and biological characteristics of HCDscore using the multi-omics data.ResultsHNSCCs were stratified into three distinct molecular subtypes based on HDRGs: active stroma (Cluster-A), active metabolism (Cluster-B), and active immune (Cluster-C) types. The three molecular subtypes had different characteristics in terms of biological phenotype, genome and epigenetics, prognosis, immunotherapy and chemotherapy responses. We then demonstrated the correlations between HCDscore and the immune microenvironment, subtypes, carcinogenic biological processes, genetic variation, and prognosis. The low-HCDscore group was characterized by activation of immunity, enhanced response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, and better survival compared to the high-HCDscore group. Finally, by integrating the HCDscore with prognostic clinicopathological characteristics, a nomogram with strong predictive performance and high accuracy was constructed.ConclusionsThis study revealed that the cell differentiation trajectories in HNSCC played a nonnegligible role in patient prognosis, biological characteristics, and immune responses. Evaluating cancer cell differentiation will help to develop more effective immunotherapy, metabolic therapy, and chemotherapy strategies.
Therapeutic Plateletpheresis in Patients With Thrombocytosis: Gender, Hemoglobin Before Apheresis Significantly Affect Collection Efficiency
Authors: Jiang Hongqiang , Jin Yanxia , Shang Yufeng , Yuan Guolin , Liu Dandan , Li Jianfang , Wang Cong , Ding Lu , Tong Xiqin , Guo Shishang , Gong Fayun , Zhou Fuling 
Published: December 2021

Background: Thrombocytosis is a common symptom in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), and excessive proliferation may deteriorate into thrombosis, bleeding, myelofibrosis, and may ultimately convert to acute leukemia. This study aimed to investigate the collection efficiency of plateletpheresis (CEPP) and factors influencing its efficacy in patients with thrombocytosis.Materials and Methods: From September 2010 to December 2016, 81 patients from two institutions in China with myeloproliferative neoplasms and thrombocytosis accompanied by severe symptoms were treated with plateletpheresis by Fresenius COM. TEC machine.Results: After apheresis, the median CEPP was 20.71% (IQR: 9.99–36.69%) and median PLT reduction rate was 25.87% (IQR: 21.78–36.23%). Further analysis showed that no significant difference was observed between PLT count with 800–1,000 × 109/L and &gt; 1,000 × 109/L. The PLT counts significantly decreased (P &lt; 0.001) after plateletpheresis, the red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin (HGB), and hematocrit (HCT) levels showed no significant differences before- or after- plateletpheresis. Multivariate analysis showed that female sex (P = 0.009) and HGB (P = 0.010) before apheresis were associated with CEPP. Female (P = 0.022), HCT (P = 0.001) and blood volume (P = 0.015) were associated with the PLT reduction rate. Furthermore, symptoms were relieved after apheresis in patients whose PLT count was 800–1,000 × 109/L accompanied with symptoms.Conclusions: It is reasonable to perform plateletpheresis when the PLT count is over 800 × 109/L and patients are complicated by clinical symptoms such as dizziness, headache, somnolence, and stupor. Plateletpheresis is effective in removing PLTs especially in females with high HGB.
Efficacy and Safety of Anticoagulation Treatment in COVID-19 Patient Subgroups Identified by Clinical-Based Stratification and Unsupervised Machine Learning: A Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Bian Yi , Le Yue , Du Han , Chen Junfang , Zhang Ping , He Zhigang , Wang Ye , Yu Shanshan , Fang Yu , Yu Gang , Ling Jianmin , Feng Yikuan , Wei Sheng , Huang Jiao , Xiao Liuniu , Zheng Yingfang , Yu Zhen , Li Shusheng 
Published: December 2021

Objective: To explore the efficacy of anticoagulation in improving outcomes and safety of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in subgroups identified by clinical-based stratification and unsupervised machine learning.Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study unselectively reviewed 2,272 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Tongji Hospital between Jan 25 and Mar 23, 2020. The association between AC treatment and outcomes was investigated in the propensity score (PS) matched cohort and the full cohort by inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis. Subgroup analysis, identified by clinical-based stratification or unsupervised machine learning, was used to identify sub-phenotypes with meaningful clinical features and the target patients benefiting most from AC.Results: AC treatment was associated with lower in-hospital death risk either in the PS matched cohort or by IPTW analysis in the full cohort. A higher incidence of clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) was observed in the AC group, but not major bleeding. Clinical subgroup analysis showed that, at admission, severe cases of COVID-19 clinical classification, mild acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) cases, and patients with a D-dimer level ≥0.5 μg/mL, may benefit from AC. During the hospital stay, critical cases and severe ARDS cases may benefit from AC. Unsupervised machine learning analysis established a four-class clustering model. Clusters 1 and 2 were non-critical cases and might not benefit from AC, while clusters 3 and 4 were critical patients. Patients in cluster 3 might benefit from AC with no increase in bleeding events. While patients in cluster 4, who were characterized by multiple organ dysfunction (neurologic, circulation, coagulation, kidney and liver dysfunction) and elevated inflammation biomarkers, did not benefit from AC.Conclusions: AC treatment was associated with lower in-hospital death risk, especially in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Unsupervised learning analysis revealed that the most critically ill patients with multiple organ dysfunction and excessive inflammation might not benefit from AC. More attention should be paid to bleeding events (especially CRNMB) when using AC.
Efficacy and Safety of Mucopolysaccharide Polysulfate Cream for Non-Exudative Eczema: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Ming , Li Yan , Xiang Lujing , Li Linfeng 
Published: December 2021

Background: Mucopolysaccharide polysulfate (MPS) cream as a moisturizer is widely applied to treat eczema, and a lot of clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy and safety. However, there is no further research to collect and analyze these studies.Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of MPS cream as monotherapy or add-on therapy for non-exudative eczema.Methods: Ten databases were searched to identify the eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to July 31, 2021. Revman 5.3 software was used for the meta-analysis.Results: A total of eligible 20 studies were included. Among the 20 studies, 2 studies compared MPS cream with other moisturizers, 14 compared MPS cream plus topical corticosteroids (TCS) with TCS alone, and 4 compared with MPS cream plus tacrolimus ointment with tacrolimus ointment alone. The pooled results demonstrated that MPS cream had a higher total efficacy rate [Risk ratio (RR) 1.21, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.30, P &lt; 0.00001], a lower recurrence rate (RR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.74, P = 0.002) and a lower pruritus score [mean difference (MD) −1.78, 95% CI: −2.16 to −1.40, P &lt; 0.00001] than urea cream or vaseline ointment. Moreover, in comparison with TCS or tacrolimus ointment alone, the combination treatment performed better in terms of total efficacy rate, total symptom score, recurrence rate, and pruritus score. For safety, the skin adverse events were mild, and MPS cream as monotherapy or add-on therapy did not increase the risk of skin adverse events.Conclusions: MPS cream as monotherapy or add-on therapy could provide a good effect for treating non-exudative eczema with mild and tolerable skin adverse events. However, due to the suboptimal quality of the included studies, high-quality and large-sample RCTs are needed in the future for update or validation.Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/), identifier: CRD42021265735.