bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recent advance of microbial mercury methylation in the environment
Authors: Peng Xuya , Yang Yan , Yang Shu , Li Lei , Song Liyan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Methylmercury formation is mainly driven by microbial-mediated process. The mechanism of microbial mercury methylation has become a crucial research topic for understanding methylation in the environment. Pioneering studies of microbial mercury methylation are focusing on functional strain isolation, microbial community composition characterization, and mechanism elucidation in various environments. Therefore, the functional genes of microbial mercury methylation, global isolations of Hg methylation strains, and their methylation potential were systematically analyzed, and methylators in typical environments were extensively reviewed. The main drivers (key physicochemical factors and microbiota) of microbial mercury methylation were summarized and discussed. Though significant progress on the mechanism of the Hg microbial methylation has been explored in recent decade, it is still limited in several aspects, including (1) molecular biology techniques for identifying methylators; (2) characterization methods for mercury methylation potential; and (3) complex environmental properties (environmental factors, complex communities, etc.). Accordingly, strategies for studying the Hg microbial methylation mechanism were proposed. These strategies include the following: (1) the development of new molecular biology methods to characterize methylation potential; (2) treating the environment as a micro-ecosystem and studying them from a holistic perspective to clearly understand mercury methylation; (3) a more reasonable and sensitive inhibition test needs to be considered.

Key points
• Global Hg microbial methylation is phylogenetically and functionally discussed.
• The main drivers of microbial methylation are compared in various condition.
• Future study of Hg microbial methylation is proposed.

Graphical Abstract
Genetic structure and population diversity of Phytophthora infestans strains in Pacific western Canada
Authors: Babarinde Segun , Burlakoti Rishi R. , Peters Rick D. , Al-Mughrabi Khalil , Novinscak Amy , Sapkota Sanjib , Prithiviraj Balakrishnan 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is an economically important disease of potato and tomato worldwide. In Canada, an increase in late blight incidence and severity coincided with changes in genetic composition of P. infestans. We monitored late blight incidence on tomato and potato in Pacific western and eastern Canada between 2019 and 2022, identified genotypes of P. infestans, and examined their population genetic diversity. We identified four major existing genotypes US11, US17, US8, and US23 as well as 25 new genotypes. The US11 genotype was dominant in Pacific western Canada, accounting for 59% of the total population. We discovered the US17 genotype for the first time in Canada. We revealed a higher incidence of late blight and quite diverse genotypes of P. infestans in Pacific western Canada than in eastern Canada. We found high genetic diversity of P. infestans population from Pacific western Canada, as evidenced by the high number of multilocus genotypes, high values of genetic diversity indices, and emergence of 25 new genotypes. Considering the number of disease incidence, the detection of diverse known genotypes, the emergence of novel genotypes, and the high number of isolates resistant to metalaxyl-m (95%) from Pacific western Canada, the region could play a role in establishing sexual recombination and diverse populations, which could ultimately pose challenges for late blight management. Therefore, continuous monitoring of P. infestans populations in Pacific western region and across Canada is warranted.

Key points
• Genotypes of P. infestans in Pacific western were quite diverse than in eastern Canada.
• We discovered US17 genotype for the first time in Canada and identified 26 novel genotypes.
• Approximately 95% of P. infestans isolates were resistant to metalaxyl-m.
Public transport crowdshipping: moving shipments among parcel lockers located at public transport stations
Authors: Wyrowski Alexander , Boysen Nils , Briskorn Dirk , Schwerdfeger Stefan 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn view of success stories of unicorn startups from the sharing and gig economy such as Airbnb, DiDi, or Uber, it is not surprising that postal service providers try to transfer the sharing idea toward their last-mile delivery services: owners of under-used assets (here private crowdshippers traveling anyway) are connected with users willing to pay for the use of these assets (here postal service providers having to deliver parcels). In this paper, we consider a special form of crowdshipping where public transport users, steered by a smartphone app, pick up parcels from parcel lockers, take these shipments with them on their subway rides, and deposit these parcels into other lockers. Finally, the actual recipients can pick up their shipments from their most convenient parcel lockers, e.g., on their own way back home from work. We formulate the optimization problem that matches crowdshipping demand and supply and determines the routes along lockers and crowdshippers each parcel takes. Specifically, we allow that each parcel is moved by multiple cooperating crowdshippers and solve this problem with different objective functions capturing the individual aims of the main stakeholders: shippers, crowdshippers, recipients, and the platform provider. We evaluate the relationship of these objectives and quantify the efficiency loss of a more restricted matching policy, where only a single crowdshipper can be assigned to each parcel’s complete path between origin and destination. Finally, we also explore the impact of delays and investigate whether specific objectives protect against unforeseen events.
Elastoplastic peridynamic formulation for materials with isotropic and kinematic hardening
Authors: Pirzadeh Atefeh , Dalla Barba Federico , Bobaru Florin , Sanavia Lorenzo , Zaccariotto Mirco , Galvanetto Ugo 
Published: February 2024

AbstractWe present an ordinary state-based peridynamic model in 2D and 3D consistent with rate-independent J2 plasticity with associated flow rule. The new contribution is the capability of the elastoplastic law to describe isotropic, kinematic and mixed hardening. The hardening formulations follow those available in the literature for classical elastoplasticity. The comparison between the results obtained with the peridynamic model and those obtained with a commercial FEM software shows that the two approaches are in good agreement. The extent of the plastic regions and von Mises stress computed with the new model for 2D and 3D examples match well those obtained with FEM-based solutions using ANSYS.
Ramsey Numbers and Graph Parameters
Authors: Lozin Vadim 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAccording to Ramsey’s Theorem, for any natural p and q there is a minimum number R(p, q) such that every graph with at least R(p, q) vertices has either a clique of size p or an independent set of size q. In the present paper, we study Ramsey numbers R(p, q) for graphs in special classes. It is known that for graphs of bounded co-chromatic number Ramsey numbers are upper-bounded by a linear function of p and q. However, the exact values of R(p, q) are known only for classes of graphs of co-chromatic number at most 2. In this paper, we determine the exact values of Ramsey numbers for classes of graphs of co-chromatic number at most 3. It is also known that for classes of graphs of unbounded splitness the value of R(p, q) is lower-bounded by $$(p-1)(q-1)+1$$

(
p
-
1
)
(
q
-
1
)
+
1

. This lower bound coincides with the upper bound for perfect graphs and for all their subclasses of unbounded splitness. We call a class Ramsey-perfect if there is a constant c such that $$R(p,q)=(p-1)(q-1)+1$$

R
(
p
,
q
)
=
(
p
-
1
)
(
q
-
1
)
+
1

for all $$p,q\ge c$$

p
,
q
≥
c

in this class. In the present paper, we identify a number of Ramsey-perfect classes which are not subclasses of perfect graphs.
Dietary patterns associated with the incidence of hypertension among adult Japanese males: application of machine learning to a cohort study
Authors: Li Longfei , Momma Haruki , Chen Haili , Nawrin Saida Salima , Xu Yidan , Inada Hitoshi , Nagatomi Ryoichi 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The previous studies that examined the effectiveness of unsupervised machine learning methods versus traditional methods in assessing dietary patterns and their association with incident hypertension showed contradictory results. Consequently, our aim is to explore the correlation between the incidence of hypertension and overall dietary patterns that were extracted using unsupervised machine learning techniques.

Methods
Data were obtained from Japanese male participants enrolled in a prospective cohort study between August 2008 and August 2010. A final dataset of 447 male participants was used for analysis. Dimension reduction using uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) and subsequent K-means clustering was used to derive dietary patterns. In addition, multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and the incidence of hypertension.

Results
We identified four dietary patterns: ‘Low-protein/fiber High-sugar,’ ‘Dairy/vegetable-based,’ ‘Meat-based,’ and ‘Seafood and Alcohol.’ Compared with ‘Seafood and Alcohol’ as a reference, the protective dietary patterns for hypertension were ‘Dairy/vegetable-based’ (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.19–0.80, P = 0.013) and the ‘Meat-based’ (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.16–0.86, P = 0.022) after adjusting for potential confounding factors, including age, body mass index, smoking, education, physical activity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. An age-matched sensitivity analysis confirmed this finding.

Conclusion
This study finds that relative to the ‘Seafood and Alcohol’ pattern, the ‘Dairy/vegetable-based’ and ‘Meat-based’ dietary patterns are associated with a lower risk of hypertension among men.
Matrix Li–Yau–Hamilton estimates under Ricci flow and parabolic frequency
Authors: Li Xiaolong , Zhang Qi S. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractWe prove matrix Li–Yau–Hamilton estimates for positive solutions to the heat equation and the backward conjugate heat equation, both coupled with the Ricci flow. We then apply these estimates to establish the monotonicity of parabolic frequencies up to correction factors. As applications, we obtain some unique continuation results under the nonnegativity of sectional or complex sectional curvature.
Infant head and brain segmentation from magnetic resonance images using fusion-based deep learning strategies
Authors: Torres Helena R. , Oliveira Bruno , Morais Pedro , Fritze Anne , Hahn Gabriele , Rüdiger Mario , Fonseca Jaime C. , Vilaça João L. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractMagnetic resonance (MR) imaging is widely used for assessing infant head and brain development and for diagnosing pathologies. The main goal of this work is the development of a segmentation framework to create patient-specific head and brain anatomical models from MR images for clinical evaluation. The proposed strategy consists of a fusion-based Deep Learning (DL) approach that combines the information of different image sequences within the MR acquisition protocol, including the axial T1w, sagittal T1w, and coronal T1w after contrast. These image sequences are used as input for different fusion encoder–decoder network architectures based on the well-established U-Net framework. Specifically, three different fusion strategies are proposed and evaluated, namely early, intermediate, and late fusion. In the early fusion approach, the images are integrated at the beginning of the encoder–decoder architecture. In the intermediate fusion strategy, each image sequence is processed by an independent encoder, and the resulting feature maps are then jointly processed by a single decoder. In the late fusion method, each image is individually processed by an encoder–decoder, and the resulting feature maps are then combined to generate the final segmentations. A clinical in-house dataset consisting of 19 MR scans was used and divided into training, validation, and testing sets, with 3 MR scans defined as a fixed validation set. For the remaining 16 MR scans, a cross-validation approach was adopted to assess the performance of the methods. The training and testing processes were carried out with a split ratio of 75% for the training set and 25% for the testing set. The results show that the early and intermediate fusion methodologies presented the better performance (Dice coefficient of 97.6 ± 1.5% and 97.3 ± 1.8% for the head and Dice of 94.5 ± 1.7% and 94.8 ± 1.8% for the brain, respectively), whereas the late fusion method generated slightly worst results (Dice of 95.5 ± 4.4% and 93.8 ± 3.1% for the head and brain, respectively). Nevertheless, the volumetric analysis showed that no statistically significant differences were found between the volumes of the models generated by all the segmentation strategies and the ground truths. Overall, the proposed frameworks demonstrate accurate segmentation results and prove to be feasible for anatomical model analysis in clinical practice.
Primiparas’ prenatal depressive symptoms, anxiety, and salivary oxytocin level predict early postnatal maternal–infant bonding: a Japanese longitudinal study
Authors: Kanekasu Hitomi , Shiraiwa Yachiyo , Taira Shu , Watanabe Hiroko 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
It was reported that maternal-infant bonding failure predicts abusive parenting. Maternal-infant bonding is important to prevent child abuse. This study aimed to investigate the association between prenatal depressive symptoms, anxiety, cortisol, and oxytocin levels, and postnatal maternal–infant bonding.

Methods
The participants completed a self-report prenatal questionnaire that included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in the second trimester. Blood and saliva were collected in the second trimester. Cortisol levels were measured in plasma, while oxytocin levels were measured in saliva. Postnatal questionnaires, including the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS), were administered at 2–5 days, 1 month, and 3 months postpartum. Multiple linear regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were conducted for analysis.

Results
Sixty-six primiparas participated in the study. Prenatal depressive symptoms (EPDS ≥ 9) and anxiety (STAI-S ≥ 42) were observed in 21.2% and 28.8% of the participants, respectively. The median cortisol and oxytocin levels were 21.0 µg/dL and 30.4 pg/mL, respectively. Multivariate linear regression showed that postnatal social support, prenatal depressive symptoms, anxiety, and salivary oxytocin levels predicted MIBS scores at 2–5 days postpartum. At 1 month postpartum, household income, history of miscarriage, postnatal social support, and prenatal anxiety predicted MIBS scores. At 3 months postpartum, only postnatal social support predicted MIBS scores. The results of GEE showed that prenatal anxiety, oxytocin levels, postpartum period, household income, and postpartum social support were associated with MIBS scores.

Conclusion
Prenatal depressive symptoms, anxiety, and lower salivary oxytocin levels were predicted to worsen maternal–infant bonding at 2–5 days postpartum. Prenatal anxiety was predicted to cause the same 1 month postpartum. Measuring prenatal depressive symptoms, anxiety, and salivary oxytocin levels may render the assessment of the risk of maternal–infant bonding failure during the early postpartum period and intervene during pregnancy possible.
Effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors on ultrafiltration in patients with peritoneal dialysis: a protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial (EMPOWERED)
Authors: Doi Yohei , Shinzawa Maki , Arisato Tetsuya , Oka Hideaki , Matsumoto Ayumi , Kitamura Harumi , Nakazono Yumi , Nishiya Yoichi , Ueda Yoshiyasu , Kamimura Taro , Hayashi Terumasa , Yoshihara Fumiki , Isaka Yoshitaka 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Volume overload is common and associated with high mortality in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). Traditional strategies including diuretics, water/salt restriction, and icodextrin-based solutions cannot always fully correct this condition, necessitating novel alternative strategies. Recent studies confirmed the expression of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) in the human peritoneum. Experimental data suggest that SGLT2 inhibitors decrease glucose absorption from the PD solution, thereby increasing the ultrafiltration volume. This trial aims to assess whether SGLT2 inhibitors increase the ultrafiltration volume in patients on PD.

Methods
The EMPOWERED trial (trial registration: jRCTs051230081) is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Patients with clinically diagnosed chronic heart failure are eligible regardless of the presence of diabetes if they use at least 3 L/day glucose-based PD solutions. Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive empagliflozin 10 mg once daily and then placebo or vice versa. Each treatment period will last 8 weeks with a 4-week washout period. This study will recruit at least 36 randomized participants. The primary endpoint is the change in the daily ultrafiltration volume from baseline to week 8 in each intervention period. The key secondary endpoints include changes in the biomarkers of drained PD solutions, renal residual function, and anemia-related parameters.

Conclusions
This trial aims to assess the benefit of SGLT2 inhibitors in fluid management with a novel mechanism of action in patients on PD. It will also provide insights into the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on solute transport across the peritoneal membrane and residual renal function.
Measuring EQ-5D-5L utility values in parents who have experienced perinatal death
Authors: Camacho Elizabeth M. , Gold Katherine J. , Murphy Margaret , Storey Claire , Heazell Alexander E. P. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Background
Policymakers use clinical and cost-effectiveness evidence to support decisions about health service commissioning. In England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that in cost-effectiveness analyses “effectiveness” is measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), derived from health utility values. The impact of perinatal death (stillbirth/neonatal death) on parents’ health utility is currently unknown. This knowledge would improve the robustness of cost-effectiveness evidence for policymakers.

Objective
This study aimed to estimate the impact of perinatal death on parents’ health utility.

Methods
An online survey conducted with mothers and fathers in England who experienced a perinatal death. Participants reported how long ago their baby died and whether they/their partner subsequently became pregnant again. They were asked to rate their health on the EQ-5D-5L instrument (generic health measure). EQ-5D-5L responses were used to calculate health utility values. These were compared with age-matched values for the general population to estimate a utility shortfall (i.e. health loss) associated with perinatal death.

Results
There were 256 survey respondents with a median age of 40 years (IQR 26–40). Median time since death was 27 months (IQR 8–71). The mean utility value of the sample was 0.774 (95% CI 0.752–0.796). Utility values in the sample were 13% lower than general population values (p < 0.05). Over 10 years, this equated to a loss of 1.1 QALYs. This reduction in health utility was driven by anxiety and depression.

Conclusions
Perinatal death has important and long-lasting health impacts on parents. Mental health support following perinatal bereavement is especially important.
A framework for building comprehensive cancer center’s capacity for bidirectional engagement
Authors: Trapl Erika S. , Koopman Gonzalez Sarah , Austin Kristina 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Community engagement has benefits for cancer centers’ work and for its researchers. This study examined the experiences and perceptions of community engagement by members of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) to create and implement a framework to meet the needs of the entire cancer center.

Methods
This study included three phases: 1) Semi-structured interviews with 12 researchers from a basic science program to identify needs and suggestions for the support of community engagement; 2) Preliminary interview results informed the development of a survey of 86 cancer center members’ about their awareness of and readiness to integrate community outreach and engagement into their research; and 3) The Case CCC Office of Community Outreach and Engagement reviewed the results from phases 1 and 2 to develop and then utilize a framework of engagement opportunities.

Results
In the interviews and surveys, cancer center members recognized the importance of community engagement and expressed an interest in participating in COE-organized opportunities for bidirectional engagement. While participation barriers include communication issues, limited awareness of opportunities, and competing priorities, members were open to learning new skills, changing approaches, and utilizing services to facilitate engagement. The framework outlines engagement opportunities ranging from high touch, low reach to low touch, and high reach and was used to develop specific services.

Conclusion
This study identified varying needs around community engagement using an approach aimed at understanding the perspectives of a community of scientists. Implementing the framework enables reaching scientists in different ways and facilitates scientists’ recognition of and engagement with opportunities.
Balancing and sequencing of mixed-model parallel robotic assembly lines considering energy consumption
Authors: Soysal-Kurt Halenur , İşleyen Selçuk Kürşat , Gökçen Hadi 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAs technology advances, the integration of robots in the assembly line has become widespread. While robots offer numerous benefits, such as increased productivity and improved product quality, they also result in higher energy usage. Finding the optimal line balance while considering energy consumption is a challenging task in a robotic assembly line that produces multiple product models in a mixed sequence. This paper addresses the mixed-model parallel robotic assembly line balancing and model sequencing (MPRALB/S) problem. The objectives of this problem are to minimize cycle time and energy consumption. The authors have not found any existing research on this topic in the literature. To solve the MPRALB/S problem, a modified non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (MNSGA-II) is developed. Since there is no existing benchmark data for the MPRALB/S problem, new datasets are generated for this study. The MPRALB/S problem is illustrated through a numerical example. The performance of MNSGA-II is evaluated with non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) and restarted simulated annealing through commonly used performance metrics including hypervolume ratio (HVR), ratio of non-dominated solutions (RP) and generational distance (GD). According to the results of the computational study, MNSGA-II outperforms NSGA-II in approximately 81% of the problem instances for HVR, 71% for RP, and 76% for GD. The results show that MNSGA-II is an effective approach for solving the MPRALB/S problem and achieves competing performance compared to other algorithms.