bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Country-report pattern corrections of new cases allow accurate 2-week predictions of COVID-19 evolution with the Gompertz model
Authors: Villanueva I. , Conesa D. , Català M. , López Cano C. , Perramon-Malavez A. , Molinuevo D. , de Rioja V. L. , López D. , Alonso S. , Cardona P. J. , Montañola-Sales C. , Prats C. , Alvarez-Lacalle E. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAccurate short-term predictions of COVID-19 cases with empirical models allow Health Officials to prepare for hospital contingencies in a two–three week window given the delay between case reporting and the admission of patients in a hospital. We investigate the ability of Gompertz-type empiric models to provide accurate prediction up to two and three weeks to give a large window of preparation in case of a surge in virus transmission. We investigate the stability of the prediction and its accuracy using bi-weekly predictions during the last trimester of 2020 and 2021. Using data from 2020, we show that understanding and correcting for the daily reporting structure of cases in the different countries is key to accomplish accurate predictions. Furthermore, we found that filtering out predictions that are highly unstable to changes in the parameters of the model, which are roughly 20%, reduces strongly the number of predictions that are way-off. The method is then tested for robustness with data from 2021. We found that, for this data, only 1–2% of the one-week predictions were off by more than 50%. This increased to 3% for two-week predictions, and only for three-week predictions it reached 10%.
Group decision-making algorithm with sine trigonometric r,s,t-spherical fuzzy aggregation operators and their application
Authors: Azeem Muhammad , Ilyas Ayesha , Ali Jawad , Ghamkhar Madiha , Syam Muhammad I. 
Published: May 2024

Abstractr, s, t-spherical fuzzy (r, s, t-SPF) sets provide a robust framework for managing uncertainties in decision-making, surpassing other fuzzy sets in their ability to accommodate diverse uncertainties through the incorporation of flexible parameters r, s, and t. Considering these characteristics, this article explores sine trigonometric laws to enhance the applicability and theoretical foundation for r, s, t-SPF setting. Following these laws, several aggregation operators (AOs) are designed for aggregation of the r, s, t-SPF data. Meanwhile, the desired characteristics and relationships of these operators are studied under sine trigonometric functions. Furthermore, we build a group decision-making algorithm for addressing multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems using the developed AOs. To exemplify the applicability of the proposed algorithm, we address a practical example regarding laptop selection. Finally, parameter analysis and a comprehensive comparison with existing operators are conducted to uncover the superiority and validity of the presented AOs.
Impact of warranty and green level of the product with nonlinear demand via optimal control theory and Artificial Hummingbird Algorithm
Authors: Ali Hachen , Akhtar Fleming , Manna Amalesh Kumar , Alrasheedi Adel Fahad , Shaikh Ali Akbar 
Published: May 2024

AbstractDue to the current environmental situation and human health, a green manufacturing system is very essential in the manufacturing world. Several researchers have developed various types of green manufacturing models by considering green products, green investments, carbon emission taxes, etc. Motivated by this topic, a green production model is formulated by considering selling price, time, warranty period and green level dependent demand with a carbon emission tax policy. Also, the production rate of the system is an unknown function of time. Per unit production cost of the products is taken as increasing function of production rate and green level of the products. In our proposed model, carbon emission rate is taken as linear function of time. Then, an optimization problem of the production model is constructed. To validate of our proposed model, a numerical example is considered and solved it by AHA. Further, other five metaheuristics algorithms (AEFA, FA, GWOA, WOA and EOA) are taken to compare the results obtained from AHA. Also, concavity of the average profit function and convergence graph of different metaheuristics algorithms are presented. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the impact of different system parameters on our optimal policy and reach a fruitful conclusion from this study.
Transcriptomic analysis of the effect of remote ischaemic conditioning in an animal model of necrotising enterocolitis
Authors: Jones Ian Howard , Collins Jane Elizabeth , Hall Nigel John , Heinson Ashley Ivan 
Published: May 2024

AbstractNecrotising enterocolitis (NEC) has a complex pathophysiology but the common end-point is ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) and intestinal necrosis. We have previously reported that RIC significantly reduces the intestinal injury in a rat model of NEC. Here we describe the changes in intestinal mRNA occurring in the intestine of animals exposed to IRI, both with and without RIC. Related rat-pups were randomly assigned to four groups: SHAM, IRI only, RIC only and RIC + IRI. IRI animals, underwent 40 min of intestinal ischaemia, and 90 min of reperfusion. Animals that underwent RIC had three cycles of 5 min of alternating ischaemia/reperfusion by means of a ligature applied to the hind limb. Samples from the terminal ileum were immediately stored in RNA-preserving media for later next generation sequencing and transciptome analysis using R v 3.6.1. Differential expression testing showed that 868 genes differentially expressed in animals exposed to RIC alone compared to SHAM and 135 in the IRI and RIC group compared to IRI alone. Comparison between these two sets showed that 25 genes were differentially expressed in both groups. Pro-inflammatory molecules: NF-ĸβ2, Cxcl1, SOD2 and Map3k8 all show reduced expression in response to RIC. Targeted gene analysis revealed increased expression in PI3K which is part of the so-called RISK-pathway which is a key part of the protective mechanisms of RIC in the heart. Overall, this transcriptomic analysis shows that RIC provides a protective effect to the intestine via anti-inflammatory pathways. This could be particularly relevant to treating and preventing NEC.
Efficient transplacental transfer of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies between naturally exposed mothers and infants in Accra, Ghana
Authors: Partey Frederica D. , Obiri Dorotheah , Bonney Evelyn Yayra , Pobee Abigail Naa Adjorkor , Damptey Isaac Kumi , Ennuson Keren , Akwetea-Foli Jayln , Nuokpem Franklin Yengdem , Courtin David , Kusi Kwadwo A. , Mensah Benedicta A. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWe aimed to determine SARS-CoV-2 antibody seropositivity among pregnant women and the transplacental transfer efficiency of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies relative to malaria antibodies among SARS-CoV-2 seropositive mother-cord pairs. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Accra, Ghana, from March to May 2022. Antigen- specific IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (nucleoprotein and spike-receptor binding domain) and malarial antigens (circumsporozoite protein and merozoite surface protein 3) in maternal and cord plasma were measured by ELISA. Plasma from both vaccinated and unvaccinated pregnant women were tested for neutralizing antibodies using commercial kit. Of the unvaccinated pregnant women tested, 58.12% at antenatal clinics and 55.56% at the delivery wards were seropositive for both SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein and RBD antibodies. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in cord samples correlated with maternal antibody levels (N antigen rs = 0.7155, p < 0.001; RBD rs = 0.8693, p < 0.001). Transplacental transfer of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein antibodies was comparable to circumsporozoite protein antibodies (p = 0.9999) but both were higher than transfer rates of merozoite surface protein 3 antibodies (p < 0.001). SARS-CoV-2 IgG seropositivity among pregnant women in Accra is high with a boost of SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific IgG in vaccinated women. Transplacental transfer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 and malarial antibodies was efficient, supporting vaccination of mothers as a strategy to protect infants against SARS-CoV-2.
Multi-objective green vehicle scheduling problem considering time window and emission factors in ship block transportation
Authors: Guo Hui , Wang Jucheng , Sun Jing , Mao Xuezhang 
Published: May 2024

AbstractLogistics distribution is one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions at present, and there are also such distribution problems in the shipbuilding process. With the increasing attention paid to environmental problems, how to effectively reduce the energy consumption of block transportation and improve the utilization rate of resources in the factory is the key problem that China’s shipbuilding industry needs to solve at present. This article considers the time windows for block transportation tasks, as well as the self-loading constraints of different types of flat cars, and establishes an optimization model that minimizes the empty transport time and energy consumption of the flat cars as the optimization objective. Then, an Improved Genetic Whale Optimization Algorithm is designed, which combines the cross and mutation ideas of genetic algorithms and proposes a whale individual position updating mechanism under a mixed strategy. Furthermore, the performance and computational efficiency of the algorithm are verified through comparative analysis with other classical optimization algorithms on standard test examples. Finally, the shipyard’s block transportation example proves that the energy-saving ship block transportation scheduling method can effectively improve the efficiency of shipbuilding enterprise’s block transportation and reduce the energy consumption in the block transportation process. It proves the engineering practicality of the green dispatching method proposed in this paper, which can further provide a decision-making method for shipyard managers.
Positive resection margins in Crohn’s disease are a relevant risk factor for postoperative disease recurrence
Authors: Kelm Matthias , Benatzky Clara , Buck Viktoria , Widder Anna , Schoettker Katrin , Rosenfeldt Mathias , Brand Markus , Schlegel Nicolas , Germer Christoph-Thomas , Meining Alexander , Nusrat Asma , Flemming Sven 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPostoperative disease recurrence in Crohn’s disease represents a relevant issue despite recent advancements in surgical and medical therapies. Additional criteria are necessary to improve the identification of patients at risk and to enable selective therapeutic approaches. The role of resection margins on disease recurrence remains unclear and general recommendations are lacking. A single-center retrospective analysis was performed including all patients who received ileocecal resection due to Crohn’s disease. Resection margins were analyzed by two independent pathologists and defined by histopathological criteria based on previous consensus reports. 158 patients were included for analysis with a median follow up of 35 months. While postoperative morbidity was not affected, positive resection margins resulted in significantly increased rates of severe endoscopic recurrence at 6 months (2.0% versus 15.6%, p = 0.02) and overall (4.2% versus 19.6%, p = 0.001), which resulted in significantly increased numbers of surgical recurrence (0% versus 4.5%, p = 0.04). Additionally, positive margins were identified as independent risk factor for severe endoscopic disease recurrence in a multivariate analysis. Based on that, positive margins represent an independent risk factor for postoperative endoscopic and surgical disease recurrence. Prospective studies are required to determine whether extended resection or postoperative medical prophylaxis is beneficial for patients with positive resection margins.
Chronic circadian rhythm disorder induces heart failure with preserved ejection fraction-like phenotype through the Clock-sGC-cGMP-PKG1 signaling pathway
Authors: Che Yiyang , Shimizu Yuuki , Hayashi Takumi , Suzuki Junya , Pu Zhongyue , Tsuzuki Kazuhito , Narita Shingo , Shibata Rei , Murohara Toyoaki 
Published: May 2024

AbstractEmerging evidence has documented that circadian rhythm disorders could be related to cardiovascular diseases. However, there is limited knowledge on the direct adverse effects of circadian misalignment on the heart. This study aimed to investigate the effect of chronic circadian rhythm disorder on heart homeostasis in a mouse model of consistent jetlag. The jetlag model was induced in mice by a serial 8-h phase advance of the light cycle using a light-controlled isolation box every 4 days for up to 3 months. Herein, we demonstrated for the first time that chronic circadian rhythm disorder established in the mouse jetlag model could lead to HFpEF-like phenotype such as cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, and cardiac diastolic dysfunction, following the attenuation of the Clock-sGC-cGMP-PKG1 signaling. In addition, clock gene knock down in cardiomyocytes induced hypertrophy via decreased sGC-cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. Furthermore, treatment with an sGC-activator riociguat directly attenuated the adverse effects of jetlag model-induced cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, and cardiac diastolic dysfunction. Our data suggest that circadian rhythm disruption could induce HFpEF-like phenotype through downregulation of the clock-sGC-cGMP-PKG1 signaling pathway. sGC could be one of the molecular targets against circadian rhythm disorder-related heart disease.
Examining variations in body composition among patients with colorectal cancer according to site and disease stage
Authors: da Silva Nascimento Mayra Laryssa , Alves Bennemann Nithaela , de Sousa Iasmin Matias , de Oliveira Bezerra Mara Rubia , Villaça Chaves Gabriela , Moreira Lima Verde Sara Maria , Fernandes Maurício Silvia , Barreto Campello Carvalheira José , Santos Mendes Maria Carolina , Miranda Ana Lucia , da Costa Pereira Jarson Pedro , Gonzalez M. Cristina , Prado Carla M. , Fayh Ana Paula Trussardi 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPatients with colorectal cancer (CRC) often exhibit changes in body composition (BC) which are associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Many studies group colon and rectal cancers together, irrespective of staging, potentially affecting assessment and treatment strategies. Our study aimed to compare BC in patients with CRC focusing on tumor location and metastasis presence. A total of 635 individuals were evaluated, with a mean age of 61.8 ± 12.4 years and 50.2% female. The majority had rectal cancer as the primary cancer site (51.0%), and 23.6% had metastatic disease. The first regression model showed tumor site and metastasis as independent factors influencing skeletal muscle (SM), skeletal muscle index (SMI), and visceral adipose tissue variability (all p values < 0.05). The second model, adjusted for BMI, indicated tumor site as the primary factor affecting SMI variations (adjusted R2 = 0.50 p < 0.001), with colon tumors inversely associated with SM (standardized β − 2.15(− 3.3; − 0.9) p < 0.001). A third model, considering all the confounders from the directed acyclic graphs, was constructed and the found association remained independent. Our findings highlight significant BC variations in patients with CRC, influenced by tumor location and metastases presence, underscoring the need for location-specific assessment in CRC management.
Sweet corn association panel and genome-wide association analysis reveal loci for chilling-tolerant germination
Authors: Wu Zhenxing , Wang Tingzhen , Chen Jianjian , Zhang Yun , Lv Guihua 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSweet corn is highly susceptible to the deleterious effects of low temperatures during the initial stages of growth and development. Employing a 56K chip, high-throughput single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sequencing was conducted on 100 sweet corn inbred lines. Subsequently, six germination indicators—germination rate, germination index, germination time, relative germination rate, relative germination index, and relative germination time—were utilized for genome-wide association analysis. Candidate genes were identified via comparative analysis of homologous genes in Arabidopsis and rice, and their functions were validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results revealed 35,430 high-quality SNPs, 16 of which were significantly correlated. Within 50 kb upstream and downstream of the identified SNPs, 46 associated genes were identified, of which six were confirmed as candidate genes. Their expression patterns indicated that Zm11ΒHSDL5 and Zm2OGO likely play negative and positive regulatory roles, respectively, in the low-temperature germination of sweet corn. Thus, we determined that these two genes are responsible for regulating the low-temperature germination of sweet corn. This study contributes valuable theoretical support for improving sweet corn breeding and may aid in the creation of specific germplasm resources geared toward enhancing low-temperature tolerance in sweet corn.
Shifting to machine supervision: annotation-efficient semi and self-supervised learning for automatic medical image segmentation and classification
Authors: Singh Pranav , Chukkapalli Raviteja , Chaudhari Shravan , Chen Luoyao , Chen Mei , Pan Jinqian , Smuda Craig , Cirrone Jacopo 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAdvancements in clinical treatment are increasingly constrained by the limitations of supervised learning techniques, which depend heavily on large volumes of annotated data. The annotation process is not only costly but also demands substantial time from clinical specialists. Addressing this issue, we introduce the S4MI (Self-Supervision and Semi-Supervision for Medical Imaging) pipeline, a novel approach that leverages advancements in self-supervised and semi-supervised learning. These techniques engage in auxiliary tasks that do not require labeling, thus simplifying the scaling of machine supervision compared to fully-supervised methods. Our study benchmarks these techniques on three distinct medical imaging datasets to evaluate their effectiveness in classification and segmentation tasks. Notably, we observed that self-supervised learning significantly surpassed the performance of supervised methods in the classification of all evaluated datasets. Remarkably, the semi-supervised approach demonstrated superior outcomes in segmentation, outperforming fully-supervised methods while using 50% fewer labels across all datasets. In line with our commitment to contributing to the scientific community, we have made the S4MI code openly accessible, allowing for broader application and further development of these methods. The code can be accessed at https://github.com/pranavsinghps1/S4MI.
Two-dimensional metal–organic framework for post-synthetic immobilization of graphene quantum dots for photoluminescent sensing
Authors: Chen You-Liang , Kurniawan Darwin , Tsai Meng-Dian , Chang Jhe-Wei , Chang Yu-Na , Yang Shang-Cheng , Chiang Wei-Hung , Kung Chung-Wei 
Published: May 2024

AbstractImmobilization of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on a solid support is crucial to prevent GQDs from aggregation in the form of solid powder and facilitate the separation and recycling of GQDs after use. Herein, spatially dispersed GQDs are post-synthetically coordinated within a two-dimensional (2D) and water-stable zirconium-based metal–organic framework (MOF). Unlike pristine GQDs, the obtained GQDs immobilized on 2D MOF sheets show photoluminescence in both suspension and dry powder. Chemical and photoluminescent stabilities of MOF-immobilized GQDs in water are investigated, and the use of immobilized GQDs in the photoluminescent detection of copper ions is demonstrated. Findings here shed the light on the use of 2D MOFs as a platform to further immobilize GQDs with various sizes and distinct chemical functionalities for a range of applications.
Welche medizinische Fachdisziplinen werden von ME/CFS-Erkrankten
aufgesucht? Eine Public-Health-Studie zur Notwendigkeit einer besseren
ärztlichen Aus- und Fortbildung
Authors: Habermann-Horstmeier Lotte , Horstmeier Lukas Maximilian 
Published: May 2024

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund Vielen Ärzt:innen in Deutschland ist die Erkrankung ME/CFS
noch unbekannt. Innerhalb des Gesundheitssystems zeigen sich immer wieder
erhebliche Defizite im Umgang mit ME/CFS-Erkrankten. Ziel der vorliegenden
Studie war es daher u. a. zu ermitteln, welchen Fachrichtungen die im Rahmen der
Diagnosestellung von den Betroffenen konsultierten Ärzt:innen angehören und ob
sich hieraus Hinweise auf das ärztliche Vorgehen im Rahmen des Diagnoseprozesses
ableiten lassen.
Methode Als Teil des APAV-ME/CFS-Surveys wurden hierzu die Antworten von
674 erwachsenen ME/CFS-Erkrankten (>20 J.; 554 ♀, 120 ♂), bei denen bereits
eine ärztliche ME/CFS-Diagnose vorlag, statistisch untersucht. Das Sampling
erfolgte durch Selbstaktivierung und über das Schneeballprinzip. Die Daten
wurden in erster Linie deskriptiv ausgewertet. Zur Betrachtung möglicher
Zusammenhänge wurde eine Varianzanalyse durchgeführt.
Ergebnisse Fast ein Viertel der Proband:innen litt nach eigener
Einschätzung seit 6 bis 10 Jahren an ME/CFS. Bei 62% wurde die Diagnose
innerhalb von bis zu 10 Jahren nach Beginn der Erkrankung gestellt. Bei 6,4%
dauerte es 21–40 Jahre. Knapp 75% der Proband:innen konsultierten im bisherigen
Krankheitsverlauf 6 bis 15 verschiedene Ärzt:innen verschiedenster
Fachrichtungen, insbesondere aus der Allgemeinmedizin, Neurologie, Inneren
Medizin und Psychosomatik/Psychiatrie. Die Diagnose wurde am häufigsten von
Vertreter:innen der Allgemeinmedizin und der Immunologie gestellt. Im
Durchschnitt nannten die Proband:innen 11 bei ihnen häufig auftretende, meist
neuroregulative Symptome.
Schlussfolgerungen Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass bei ME/CFS im Rahmen
der Diagnosefindung in Deutschland bislang ein an einzelnen ME/CFS-Symptomen
orientiertes Überweisungsverhalten zu Fachärzt:innen bzw. ein eher willkürliches
Kontaktieren von Ärzt:innen verschiedenster Fachrichtungen vorherrscht. Daher
sind Aus- und Fortbildungsmaßnahmen zum Thema ME/CFS in allen Fachdisziplinen
sowohl im niedergelassenen und stationären als auch im Reha-Bereich dringend
nötig.