bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long‐term immunogenicity and safety of heterologous boosting with a SARS‐CoV‐2 mRNA vaccine (SYS6006) in Chinese participants who had received two or three doses of inactivated vaccine
Authors: Huang Jianying , Qiu Yuanzheng , Luo Lin , Wu Jianyuan , Hu Di , Zhong Xiang , Lin Jiawei , Guo Lixian , Yang Hanyu , Li Chunlei , Wang Xinghuan 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe emerging new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) needs booster vaccination. We evaluated the long‐term safety and immunogenicity of heterologous boosting with a SARS‐CoV‐2 messenger RNA vaccine SYS6006. A total of 1000 participants aged 18 years or more who had received two (Group A) or three (Group B) doses of SARS‐CoV‐2 inactivated vaccine were enrolled and vaccinated with one dose of SYS6006 which was designed based on the prototype spike protein and introduced mutation sites. Adverse events (AEs) through 30 days and serious AEs during the study were collected. Live‐virus and pseudovirus neutralizing antibody (Nab), binding antibody (immunoglobulin G [IgG]) and cellular immunity were tested through 180 days. Solicited all, injection‐site and systemic AEs were reported by 618 (61.8%), 498 (49.8%), and 386 (38.6%) participants, respectively. Most AEs were grade 1. The two groups had similar safety profile. No vaccination‐related SAEs were reported. Robust wild‐type (WT) live‐virus Nab response was elicited with peak geometric mean titers (GMTs) of 3769.5 (Group A) and 5994.7 (Group B) on day 14, corresponding to 1602.5‐ and 290.8‐fold increase versus baseline, respectively. The BA.5 live‐virus Nab GMTs were 87.7 (Group A) and 93.2 (Group B) on day 14. All participants seroconverted for WT live‐virus Nab. Robust pseudovirus Nab and IgG responses to wild type and BA.5 were also elicited. ELISpot assay showed robust cellular immune response, which was not obviously affected by virus variation. In conclusion, SYS6006 heterologous boosting demonstrated long‐term good safety and immunogenicity in participants who had received two or three doses of SARS‐CoV‐2 inactivated vaccine.
Availability and utilization of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography at children's hospitals
Authors: Pathak Sagar J. , Attard Thomas , Hall Matthew , Arain Mustafa , Heyman Melvin B. , Perito Emily R. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractObjectivesNo study has explored whether availability of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is adequate and equitable across US children's hospitals. We hypothesized that ERCP availability and utilization differs by geography and patient factors.MethodsHealthcare encounter data from 2009 to 2019 on children with pancreatic and biliary diseases from the Pediatric Health Information System were analyzed. ERCP availability was defined as treatment at a hospital that performed pediatric ERCP during the year of service.ResultsFrom 2009 to 2019, 37,946 children (88,420 encounters) had a potential pancreatic or biliary indication for ERCP; 7066 ERCPs were performed. The commonest pancreatic diagnoses leading to ERCP were chronic (47.2%) and acute pancreatitis (43.2%); biliary diagnoses were calculus (68.3%) and obstruction (14.8%). No ERCP was available for 25.0% of pancreatic encounters and 8.1% of biliary encounters. In multivariable analysis, children with public insurance, rural residence, or of Black race were less likely to have pancreatic ERCP availability; those with rural residence or Asian race were less likely to have biliary ERCP availability. Black children or those with public insurance were less likely to undergo pancreatic ERCP where available. Among encounters for calculus or obstruction, those of Black race or admitted to hospitals in the West were less likely to undergo ERCP when available.ConclusionsOne‐in‐four children with pancreatic disorders and one‐in‐12 with biliary disorders may have limited access to ERCP. We identified racial and geographic disparities in availability and utilization of ERCP. Further studies are needed to understand these differences to ensure equitable care.
Keeping distance! How infectious disease threat lowers consumers' attitudes toward densely displayed products
Authors: Yi Yanxi , Wang Wangshuai , Karimi Sahar , Katsumata Sotaro , Meng Lu (Monroe) 
Published: March 2024

AbstractInfectious diseases have been posing frequent and significant threats to us. However, research on how disease threat affects consumer behavior, especially sensory responses, is still limited. In this study, drawing on the theory of compensatory consumption, we show that consumers under disease threat are less willing to buy products presented in a dense display. This is because disease threat activates a high‐density avoidance mindset, which is carried over to the way in which products are placed. Moreover, this effect is mitigated when diseases are noninfectious or when disinfectant products are displayed. A set of four studies, which adopt lab and field settings, using different manipulations and measures, provide convergent evidence for these effects. Specifically, Study 1 examines the main effect of disease threat on product display. Study 2 tests the mediating role of high‐density avoidance mindset as well as the moderating role of disease infectiousness. Study 3 proceeds to explore product type as the other boundary condition. Finally, Study 4 provides real world evidence through a field experiment. Furthermore, in these studies, five alternative explanations were ruled out to further clarify the psychological process. These findings offer valuable insights for retailers regarding product display strategies.
Dosimetry of Large Field Valencia applicators for Cobalt‐60‐based brachytherapy
Authors: Píriz Gustavo H. , Gonzalez‐Sprinberg Gabriel A. , Ballester Facundo , Vijande Javier 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundNon‐melanoma skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and one of the main approaches is brachytherapy. For small lesions, the treatment of this cancer with brachytherapy can be done with two commercial applicators, one of these is the Large Field Valencia Applicators (LFVA).PurposeThe aim of this study is to test the capabilities of the LFVA to use clinically 60Co sources instead of the 192Ir ones. This study was designed for the same dwell positions and weights for both sources.MethodsThe Penelope Monte Carlo code was used to evaluate dose distribution in a water phantom when a 60Co source is considered. The LFVA design and the optimized dwell weights reported for the case of 192Ir are maintained with the only exception of the dwell weight of the central position, that was increased. 2D dose distributions, field flatness, symmetry and the leakage dose distribution around the applicator were calculated.ResultsWhen comparing the dose distributions of both sources, field flatness and symmetry remain unchanged. The only evident difference is an increase of the penumbra regions for all depths when using the 60Co source. Regarding leakage, the maximum dose within the air volume surrounding the applicator is in the order of 20% of the prescription dose for the 60Co source, but it decreases to less than 5% at about 1 cm distance.ConclusionsFlatness and symmetry remains unaltered as compared with 192Ir sources, while an increase in leakage has been observed. This proves the feasibility of using the LFVA in a larger range of clinical applications.
CT‐based radiomics for differentiating peripherally located pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma from carcinoid
Authors: Zhang Yi , Yang Xiaohuang , Bi Feng , Wen Lu , Niu Yue , Yang Yanhui , Lin Huashan , Yu Xiaoping 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundPulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) and pulmonary carcinoid (PC) are difficult to distinguish based on conventional imaging examinations. In recent years, radiomics has been used to discriminate benign from malignant pulmonary lesions. However, the value of radiomics based on computed tomography (CT) images to differentiate PSP from PC has not been well explored.PurposeWe aimed to investigate the feasibility of radiomics in the differentiation between PSP and PC.MethodsFifty‐three PSP and fifty‐five PC were retrospectively enrolled and then were randomly divided into the training and test sets. Univariate and multivariable logistic analyses were carried to select clinical predictor related to differential diagnosis of PSP and PC. A total of 1316 radiomics features were extracted from the unenhanced CT (UECT) and contrast‐enhanced CT (CECT) images, respectively. The minimum redundancy maximum relevance and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were used to select the most significant radiomics features to construct radiomics models. The clinical predictor and radiomics features were integrated to develop combined models. Two senior radiologists independently categorized each patient into PSP or PC group based on traditional CT method. The performances of clinical, radiomics, and combined models in differentiating PSP from PC were investigated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The diagnostic performance was also compared between the combined models and radiologists.ResultsIn regard to differentiating PSP from PC, the area under the curves (AUCs) of the clinical, radiomics, and combined models were 0.87, 0.96, and 0.99 in the training set UECT, and were 0.87, 0.97, and 0.98 in the training set CECT, respectively. The AUCs of the clinical, radiomics, and combined models were 0.84, 0.92, and 0.97 in the test set UECT, and were 0.84, 0.93, and 0.98 in the test set CECT, respectively. In regard to the differentiation between PSP and PC, the combined model was comparable to the radiomics model, but outperformed the clinical model and the two radiologists, whether in the test set UECT or CECT.ConclusionsRadiomics approaches show promise in distinguishing between PSP and PC. Moreover, the integration of clinical predictor (gender) has the potential to enhance the diagnostic performance even further.
A multiscale differential‐algebraic neural network‐based method for learning dynamical systems
Authors: Huang Yin , Ding Jieyu 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe objective of dynamical system learning tasks is to forecast the future behavior of a system by leveraging observed data. However, such systems can sometimes exhibit rigidity due to significant variations in component parameters or the presence of slow and fast variables, leading to challenges in learning. To overcome this limitation, we propose a multiscale differential‐algebraic neural network (MDANN) method that utilizes Lagrangian mechanics and incorporates multiscale information for dynamical system learning. The MDANN method consists of two main components: the Lagrangian mechanics module and the multiscale module. The Lagrangian mechanics module embeds the system in Cartesian coordinates, adopts a differential‐algebraic equation format, and uses Lagrange multipliers to impose constraints explicitly, simplifying the learning problem. The multiscale module converts high‐frequency components into low‐frequency components using radial scaling to learn subprocesses with large differences in velocity. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed MDANN method effectively improves the learning of dynamical systems under rigid conditions.
Using anonymized mobility data to reduce inequality in the availability and use of urban parks
Authors: Filazzola Alessandro , Xie Garland , Birchard Katie , Shrestha Namrata , Brown Danny , MacIvor J. Scott 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Parks are an integral component of cities. Ensuring city residents have equitable and easy access to parks is crucial for human well‐being. In temperate climates, park accessibility is particularly important in the summer months when these green spaces provide an area to recreate, exercise and escape indoor temperatures and heat emanating from paved and built surfaces. However, there are well‐known disparities in park accessibility in cities globally that may threaten the health of city residents, especially with global warming.

We examined some of the largest city parks (>50 ha) in Toronto, Canada, by comparing park activity, housing demographics and daily weather patterns.

We found that parks that provided more green space area per resident were situated in neighbourhoods that had higher proportions of single‐detached housing, higher automobile use and fewer multistorey apartments. We also found a strong correlation between park activity with population density and the number of amenities in the park. Surprisingly, we found no relationship between park activity and daily weather patterns, although park use was higher on weekends and holidays. These results suggest denser communities are at a disadvantage because they have proportionately less park area within walking distance in addition to having no private green spaces (e.g. backyards).

We recommend revising municipal zoning around certain parks and the creation of new green spaces as methods to balance park provisioning in the city. Our findings suggest that designing and maintaining accessible, amenity‐rich parks is an important strategy for promoting health and well‐being in urban populations.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Establishing the sensitivity and specificity of the gynaecological cancer distress screen
Authors: Seib Charrlotte , Harbeck Emma , Anderson Debra , Porter‐Steele Janine , Nehill Caroline , Sanmugarajah Jasotha , Perrin Lewis , Shannon Catherine , Cabraal Nimithri , Jennings Bronwyn , Otton Geoffrey , Adams Catherine , Mellon Anne , Chambers Suzanne 
Published: March 2024

AbstractObjectiveNuanced distress screening tools can help cancer care services manage specific cancer groups' concerns more efficiently. This study examines the sensitivity and specificity of a tool specifically for women with gynaecological cancers (called the Gynaecological Cancer Distress Screen or DT‐Gyn).MethodsThis paper presents cross‐sectional data from individuals recently treated for gynaecological cancer recruited through Australian cancer care services, partner organisations, and support/advocacy services. Receiver operating characteristics analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the DT‐Gyn against criterion measures for anxiety (GAD‐7), depression (patient health questionnaire), and distress (IES‐R and K10).ResultsOverall, 373 individuals aged 19–91 provided complete data for the study. Using the recognised distress thermometer (DT) cut‐off of 4, 47% of participants were classified as distressed, while a cut‐off of 5 suggested that 40% had clinically relevant distress. The DT‐Gyn showed good discriminant ability across all measures (IES‐R: area under the curve (AUC) = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.82–0.90; GAD‐7: AUC = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.85–0.93; K10: AUC = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.85–0.92; PHQ‐9: AUC = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.81–0.89) and the Youden Index suggested an optimum DT cut‐point of 5.ConclusionsThis study established the psychometric properties of the DT‐Gyn, a tool designed to identify and manage the common sources of distress in women with gynaecological cancers. We suggest a DT cut point ≥5 is optimal in detecting ‘clinically relevant’ distress, anxiety, and depression in this population.
Local perceptions of the benefits versus negative impacts of weedy grasses in central Madagascar, with a focus on the genus Digitaria
Authors: Randrianarimanana Noro Fenitra Harimbao , Rakotomalala Nantenaina Herizo , MacKinnon Lorna , Rakotoarinivo Mijoro , Randriamampianina Jean‐Augustin , Ralimanana Hélène , Ryan Philippa , Vorontsova Maria Sergeevna 
Published: March 2024

Societal Impact StatementPlants and agricultural practices are an integral part of human food systems and well‐being. Here, an example of an ethnobotanical research approach is provided to increase our understanding of the relationship between plants and human activities in Madagascar, where the agricultural sector is the local economy basis. This research examines weeds of the Poaceae family, assessing their recognition and societal impacts, and quantifying farmers' perception of the Poaceae weed's status in cropping systems. A better understanding of farmers' weed knowledge will strengthen our ability to inclusively support rural highland Malagasy food systems, incorporating science with traditional knowledge.Summary

Research on the perceptions and knowledge of Poaceae weeds was conducted in three areas of Madagascar's central highlands: Itremo massif, Ambohidray village and Vakinankaratra region. This work aims to identify the best‐known species and understand their roles in crop and livestock systems. Additionally, it presents detailed data on Digitaria species.
The approach was based on field surveys and farmer's interviews, with plant voucher specimens and photographs to facilitate identification. Relative frequency of citations, confidence interval, and use values indexes were calculated to assess cultural significance.
We carried out 111 interviews, where 87 taxa were mentioned, of which 51 are Poaceae, including 11 Digitaria species. Farmers classify the Poaceae weeds in three ways: their impacts on agricultural activities, use category and vegetative growth patterns, the latter especially significant for Digitaria. Locally common grasses are perceived as weeds when they are abundant and cause yield loss. The most damaging species is Digitaria humbertii, confirmed by half of the interviews. More than 40% of the farmers use Poaceae weeds in composting, more than 20% as fodder, and more than 8% as medicine.
Overall, 67% of the species mentioned are judged useful. The diversity of useful species and the associated indigenous knowledge is important to the local communities, but, weeds are still perceived as negative generally. The Poaceae are overall neglected in Malagasy ethnobotany, and an in‐depth analysis of farmer knowledge is needed. The data obtained will be useful for future studies and the conservation of agrobiodiversity, especially endemic species that are not widely known.
COVID‐19 herd immunity in Lebanon: Challenges and prospects
Authors: Maatouk Christopher , Germanos Orestis , Aad Anna‐Maria , Gandour Georges , Buban Julian M. A. , Maatouk Ralph , Zeina Michelle , Budhathoki Shyam Sundar , Lucero‐Prisno Don Eliseo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCOVID‐19 hit Lebanon at the worst time, amid an economic downward spiral and national protests regarding living conditions and political corruption. The first case was found on February 21, 2020, and the first batch of vaccines arrived on March 24, 2021. Although neither natural infection nor mass vaccination truly provided herd immunity, the latter was a more effective way to handle the pandemic, and Lebanon fell short on that path. During the pandemic, a myriad of factors complicated its response to the virus. Thanks to the COVAX program, the country received 1086,720 doses donated and 1626,390 deliveries. All in all, over 5.8 million doses have been administered. A total of 2.74 million people received at least one dose, and 2.4 million had a complete primary vaccination series. However, around 98% of the population were infected with the virus. Issues that stopped the vaccination campaigns include a lack of trust in government officials and news media, leading to false information propagating and remaining unchallenged online. Other factors include the economic collapse, which led to the Lebanese currency losing over 98% of its initial worth. Some Lebanese people might find themselves either unable to reach proper health facilities or unwilling to adopt the narrative pushed by the political elite. Poverty also worsened affected infected individuals’ prognosis and mortality. A bigger emphasis must be put on reaching individuals with disabilities or in low‐income areas, as they were the most affected by the pandemic. Problems these communities face include the lack of funding for special education schools and the lack of accessibility to medical information promoted by the government. Lebanon must learn from the issues that arose during this pandemic and focus on fixing them in advance to prepare for any other health emergency that might turn up in the future.
Neurotensin induces sustainable activation of the ErbB–ERK1/2 pathway, which is required for developmental competence of oocytes in mice
Authors: Okamoto Asako , Nakanishi Tomoya , Tonai Shingo , Shimada Masayuki , Yamashita Yasuhisa 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPurposeLH induces the expression of EGF‐like factors and their shedding enzyme (ADAM17) in granulosa cells (GCs), which is essential for ovulation via activation of the ErbB–ERK1/2 pathway in cumulus cells (CCs). Neurotensin (NTS) is reported as a novel regulator of ovulation, whereas the NTS‐induced maturation mechanism in oocytes remains unclear. In this study, we focused on the role of NTS in the expression of EGF‐like factors and ErbBs, and ADAM17 activity, during oocyte maturation and ovulation in mice.MethodsThe expression and localization in GC and CC were examined. Next, hCG and NTS receptor 1 antagonist (SR) were injected into eCG‐primed mice, and the effects of SR on ERK1/2 phosphorylation were investigated. Finally, we explored the effects of SR on the expression of EGF‐like factors and ErbBs, and ADAM17 activity in GC and CC.ResultsNTS was significantly upregulated in GC and CC following hCG injection. SR injection suppressed oocyte maturation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. SR also downregulated part of the expression of EGF‐like factors and their receptors, and ADAM17 activity.ConclusionsNTS induces oocyte maturation through the sustainable activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway by upregulating part of the EGF‐like factor‐induced pathway during oocyte maturation in mice.
Control of coupled nonaffine multiagent stochastic systems by classical PID
Authors: Yuan Shuo 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe classical PID (proportional‐integral‐derivative) control is the most basic and widely used control algorithm in engineering systems by far. Whether PID control can effectively deal with coupled multiagent uncertain nonlinear dynamics is well worth investigating. In this article, a class of PID controlled multiagent stochastic systems with coupled uncertain dynamics is considered, where the control input is nonaffine. Each agent has its own regulation objective, and only has access to its own regulation error information for PID feedback. First, a PID parameter set will be constructed explicitly based on some prior knowledge about the nonlinear functions, such that the overall multiagent system can be stabilized globally in the mean square sense, as long as the PID parameters are chosen from the constructed set. Moreover, the regulation error will be proven to have an upper bound proportional to the noise intensity along the reference signal. Furthermore, it will be shown that the regulation error of each agent can be arbitrarily small by choosing the PID parameters suitably large. Finally, the theoretical results will be verified by simulations.