bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Was Japan’s cluster-based approach toward coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a fantasy?: Re-examining the clusters’ data of January–March 2020
Authors: Sigeto TANAKA 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
BACKGROUND
The Japanese government and experts have claimed that they adopted the “cluster-based” approach to suppress the spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in early 2020 by detecting clusters through the retrospective tracing of infection sources. Moreover, they considered this approach to be a significant contributor in the prevention of outbreaks. However, this claim is not corroborated by existing literature, which consistently described COVID-19 clusters as comprising a relatively small proportion of the total number of cases detected during the period.
METHODS
To determine whether Japan successfully implemented the cluster-based approach in January–March 2020, the author collected publicly available information regarding 25 clusters (groups of five or more COVID-19 cases that came in contact at a common venue) reported by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare as of March 31, 2020. These clusters were classified into retrospectively or prospectively reached using a tracer. The number of cases related to each cluster was determined.
RESULTS
Among 2135 COVID-19 cases confirmed until the end of March 2020 in Japan, 9.3% of the cases were related to the five clusters found by retrospective tracing. In contrast, 35.3% of the cases were related to the 20 clusters found by prospective tracing, while 55.4% were unrelated to any cluster.
CONCLUSIONS
Japan’s COVID-19 response in early 2020 was not cluster based. Retrospective tracing has a limited contribution in detecting infectious cases and preventing further transmissions. The surveillance system mainly detects non-cluster cases and cluster-related cases using prospective contact tracing.
Polyploidization of Indotyphlops braminus, evidence from Isoform-sequencing
Authors: Zhu Fei , Lu Jing , Sun Ke , Deng Cao , Xu Yu 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Indotyphlops braminus is the only known triploid parthenogenetic snake, making it a compelling species to understand the mechanism of emergence of polyploid vertebrates. In this study, we applied Isoform-sequencing technology to sequence full-length transcriptomes of I. braminus. A total of non-redundant 51,849 transcript assemblies of this snake were finally generated and fully annotated with diverse gene function databases. The phylogenetic tree shows that I. braminus and Python bivittatus diverged 98.15 million years ago. One instance of subgenomic divergence in I. braminus was identified, dating at 11.5 ~ 15 million years ago. The full-length transcriptome resource generated as part of this research will aid transcriptome analysis and genomic evolution studies in the future.
Investigation of size and morphology effects of MgO nanostructures on the properties of MgO/transformer oil-based nanofluids
Authors: Farbod Mansoor , Saki Narges , Ahangarpour Ameneh 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
MgO nanoparticles and nanoflakes were prepared using sol-gel and hydrothermal methods and the effect of size and morphology of MgO nanostructures on the thermal conductivity and stability of the transformer oil-based nanofluid containing these nanostructures was investigated. The structural properties of the samples were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed that the nanostructure’s shape depends on the fabrication method, pH, temperature, and synthesis time. Also, the measurements showed that the thermal conductivity of nanofluids containing MgO nanoflakes with different wt.% has higher values than that of nanofluids containing MgO nanoparticles. It was found that by increasing the concentration of nano additives up to 1 wt.%, the thermal conductivity increased and then decreased for higher concentrations. The maximum increase of 11.3% was measured for nanofluid containing 1 wt.% of nanoflakes. Likewise, the stability of nanoflake’s nanofluid was observed to be higher.
The link between cognitive health and neighbourhood: perceptions of the public, and of policy-makers, about problems and solutions
Authors: Stevens Madeleine , Matosevic Tihana , Suarez-Pinilla Marta , Pais Sarah , Rossor Martin , Knapp Martin 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Background
Growing evidence indicates associations between neighbourhood-related factors such as pollution, social isolation and physical inactivity, and cognition, that is, our ability to think clearly, learn and remember. The evidence raises the possibility of neighbourhood intervention playing a role in protecting population cognitive health. However, there is little understanding of these associations among the public and policy-makers, what they mean and how they might be acted on. In this study we explored perceptions of the public and policy-makers about influences of neighbourhood factors on brain functioning, and how they should inform policy.
Methods
Qualitative methods were used in three phases; the study ran in parallel with a quantitative study looking at neighbourhood influences on cognition. In phase one, focus groups were conducted with middle-aged (40–69) members of the public to inform statistical modelling. In phase two, similar focus groups were held in four case study areas chosen based on the modelling results. In phase three, interviews with people in public health and policy roles were conducted, including people in the case study sites.
Results
Participants described effects on their cognition from community, culture and social interactions, access to green spaces and nature, upkeep and safety of the area, and pollution, traffic and noise. Solutions included better local consultation and involvement in policy and planning, support for community interactions and active and public transport, and education on cognition. There was little awareness, but much interest, from local policy-makers and implementers, about links between cognition and place. Barriers to implementation included lack of effective engagement with local communities, local funding and joined-up health and neighbourhood policy.
Conclusions
People can perceive impacts of neighbourhoods on brain functioning and suggest ways local areas can be improved to support cognitive health. There is support for the idea of population-level interventions to support cognitive health.
The MHC class II transactivator affects local and systemic immune responses in an α-synuclein seeded rat model for Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Bäckström Filip , Jimenez-Ferrer Itzia , Grabert Kathleen , Belfiori Lautaro , Luk Kelvin , Swanberg Maria 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by intraneuronal inclusions of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn), neurodegeneration and a strong neuroinflammatory component. Studies have shown that genetic variants affecting quantity and quality of major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) have implications in PD susceptibility and that PD patients have α-Syn specific T lymphocytes in circulation. The class II transactivator (CIITA) is the major regulator of MHCII expression and reduced CIITA expression has been shown to significantly increase α-Syn induced neurodegeneration and pathology in an α-Syn overexpression rat model combined with α-Syn pre-formed fibrils (PFF). In this study, we characterized immune profiles associated with the enhanced PD-like pathology observed in congenic rats with Ciita allelic variants causing lower CIITA levels compared to the background strain. Flow cytometry showed that rats with lower CIITA levels had an increased proportion of MHCII+ microglia and circulating myeloid cells, yet lower levels of MHCII on individual cells. Additionally, lower CIITA levels were associated to higher TNF levels in serum, trends of higher CD86 levels in circulating myeloid cells and a lower CD4/CD8 T lymphocyte ratio in blood. Taken together, these results indicate that CIITA regulates susceptibility to PD-like pathology through baseline immune populations and serum TNF levels.
Development of a High-Frequency Ophthalmic Real-Time Ultrasound Imaging System Based on a 20 MHz Annular-Array Transducer
Authors: Wang Xiaochun , Li Zemeng , Zhou Sheng 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Ophthalmic ultrasound imaging is a widely used diagnostic method for examining ophthalmic diseases in the clinic. A single-element transducer is adopted in the traditional ophthalmic ultrasound imaging systems. Although full depth focusing can be achieved using a linear-array transducer, it is unsuitable for ophthalmic imaging due to its inability to be tightly coupled to the eyeball and its higher cost. Annular-array-based systems provide an alternative, striking a balance between image quality and cost. Here, we present a newly developed high-frequency ophthalmic real-time ultrasound imaging system based on an annular-array transducer. This system uses a custom-made five-element, 20 MHz annular-array transducer encapsulated in a stainless steel housing and mounted in a commercially available handheld mechanical probe designed specifically for clinical ophthalmic imaging. The system uses a printed circuit board scheme and FPGA as the core to complete the hardware system design and realize the ultrasonic echo signal processing and system timing management. Full depth dynamic focusing of each scanning beam was achieved by designing the transmit and receive beamforming. Combined with advanced integrated circuits, the miniaturization and low cost of the overall system are realized. Extensive tests, including hardware, wire phantom, and tissue mimicking phantom measurements, were conducted to demonstrate good performance of the system. The results showed that the designed system can effectively improve the imaging resolution and enhance the depth of field of the image, particularly reducing the blind area of the near-field. The results of the normal human eye test verified that the imaging results met the needs of clinical diagnosis and have a good clinical application prospect.
Bioinspired self-driven ultra-long-distance anti-gravity water transport device with core-shell and twofold hierarchical structure
Authors: Lu Qixin , Guan Yu , Fu Shaohai 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Self-driven anti-gravity water transport has attracted extensive attention in the fields. Herein, inspired by the multiple structures of trees, we propose a self-driven ultra-long-distance anti-gravity water transport device with a core-shell structure in the radial direction and a twofold hierarchical structure in the axial direction. The core and the shell of the device are composed of a hydrophilic ordered nanofiber bundle and a glass tube respectively, which can provide powerful capillary driving force and low flow/evaporation resistance for spontaneous water lifting. The core is equipped with a bottom-up decreasing pore size and non-uniformly distributed carbon nanotubes to form an axial twofold hierarchical structure, offering Laplace pressure difference and negative pressure as extra driving forces for water transport. The device achieves a significant breakthrough in ultra-long-distance water transport of 1070 mm (one order of magnitude higher than existing materials), which also exhibits long-term transport stability for over 30 days. The tree-inspired novel structural design of the device will provide new insights into the energy-free transport of fluids.
Early Enteral Nutrition is Associated with Improved Outcomes in Critically Ill Mechanically Ventilated Medical and Surgical Patients
Authors: Haines Krista , Ohnuma Tetsu , Grisel Braylee , Krishnamoorthy Vijay , Raghunathan Karthik , Sulo Suela , Kerr Kirk W. , Besecker Beth Y. , Cassady Bridget A. , Wischmeyer Paul E. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Data suggest that guidelines for enteral nutrition (EN) initiation are not closely followed in clinical practice. In addition, critically ill mechanically ventilated (MV) patients have varying metabolic needs, which often increase and persist over time, requiring personalized nutrition intervention. While both over- and under-nutrition can impact patient outcomes, recent data suggest that targeted early EN delivery may reduce mortality and improve clinical outcomes. This study examined if early EN improves clinical outcomes and decreases costs in critically ill patients on MV in real-world practice.
METHODS: Data from a nationwide administrative-financial database between 2018‒2020 was utilized to identify eligible adult critical care patients. Patients who received EN within 3 days after intubation (early EN) were compared to patients who started EN after 3 days of intubation (late EN). Outcomes of interest included hospital mortality, discharge disposition, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), MV days, and total cost. After inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting, outcomes were modeled using a nominal logistic regression model for hospital mortality and discharge disposition, a linear regression model for cost, and Cox proportional-hazards model for MV days, hospital and ICU LOS.
RESULTS: A total of 27,887 adult patients with early MV were identified, of which 16,772 (60.1%) received early EN. Regression analyses showed that the early EN group had lower hospital mortality (OR=0.88, 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.94), were more likely to be discharged home (OR=1.47, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.56), had fewer MV days (HR=1.23, 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.37), shorter hospital LOS (HR=1.43, 95% CI, 1.33 to 1.54) and ICU LOS (HR=1.36, 95% CI, 1.27 to 1.46), and lower cost (-$21,226; 95% CI, -$23,605 to -$18,848) compared to the late EN group.
CONCLUSION: Early EN within 3 days of MV initiation in real-world practice demonstrated improved clinical and economic outcomes. These data suggest that early EN is associated with decreased hospital mortality, increased discharge to home, and decreased hospital and ICU LOS, time on MV, and cost compared to delayed initiation of EN; highlighting the importance of early EN to optimize outcomes and support the recovery of critically ill patients on MV.
Evaluation of Water and Sediment Quality of İnaltı Cave (Northern Turkey) by Using Multivariate Statistical Methods
Authors: ÇİL Eylem AYDEMİR , UNCUMUSAOĞLU Arzu AYDIN , ERGEN Şeyda FİKİRDEŞİCİ , GÜRBÜZER Pınar 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Heavy metals, which are among the important pollutants that threaten ecosystems, have been a particularly intriguing subject of accumulation studies. The present study aimed to reveal the water and sediment quality, pollution status, and their usability for living organisms in 10 stations for the first time in İnaltı cave, which has two underground ponds. Concentrations of 9 heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, Cd, Cr, Al) and 1 metalloid (As) were determined in samples taken. These results were compared to the limit values in Sediment Quality Guides (SQGs) and analyzed further using different sediment evaluation methods. SQGs values revealed that the amounts of Cd and Ni are of concern. Examining the concentrations of metals in the water, the ranking by concentration was found to be Al > Cr > Pb > Cu > As > Mn and the elements were considered not to pose any environmental risk. The enrichment of detected Cd metal in the sediment is remarkable. In addition, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical clustering analysis were carried out in order to make the obtained data easier to understand and interpret. While designing the most appropriate action plans for water management, more clear and understandable information can be obtained by using these methods and interpreting the raw data. In the cave, individuals belonging to the Niphargus genus, a member of the Malacostraca class, Niphargidae Family, were identified in the sediment.
The Use of the Load Reduction Device and High Modulus Synthetic Lines for Improved Semi-submersible Station Keeping Performance
Authors: Golden Danny , Doyle Tom , Borg Michael , Bosman Rigo , Carr David 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The burgeoning Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) sector requires cost reduction in order to compete with fixed offshore wind and other traditional and renewable energy sources (DNV, 2020; InnoEnergy, 2017). One major cost contributor in FOW is the mooring system. Volume effects are expected to deliver significant savings for most cost drivers, but moorings are already produced at scale and at volume for the oil and gas sector, and innovation is required to address the specific challenges of FOW (Carbon Trust, 2018). This work presents the validation of an innovative and high impact mooring configuration based on integrating the engineered platform compliance provided by the Load Reduction Device (LRD) with the reliability and lifetime performance of Dyneema ® DM20 for the mooring of a market-ready semi-sub platform at 15MW scale. The Inclined Taut Mooring (ITM) comprises a 3-line array with vertically loaded anchors within a reduced mooring footprint, fully synthetic mooring lines, and optimized system compliance provided through an in-line LRD on each line. The ITM allows mooring designers to significantly reduce component count, risk of failure, CAPEX and lifetime cost of the mooring system. This paper presents the technical validation of the ITM system through numerical modelling and wave tank testing with a variant of the TetraSub developed by Stiesdal Offshore Technologies (SOT) at the Offshore Basin in MARIN in Q3 2021.
Highly active PdxNi1−xO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) nanocomposites for electrolytic water splitting in alkaline medium
Authors: Iqbal M. Z. , Kriek R. J. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Nanocomposite electrocatalysts, having a general molecular formula of PdxNi1−xO (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5), were synthesised employing a modified Pechini combustion method. The prepared electrocatalysts were subjected to physicochemical analyses such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The electrochemical characterisations of these catalysts were carried out employing cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronopotentiometry (CP). With nickel(II) oxide (NiO) being a well-known oxygen evolution electrocatalyst in alkaline medium, our synthesised NiO exhibited an overpotential of 262 mV (the lowest to date of all NiO electrocatalysts reported) at the benchmark current density of 10 mA.cm−2 in 0.1 M KOH. A palladium nanocomposite, however, in the form of Pd0.2Ni0.8O, delivered improved activity in that an overpotential of only 252 mV was required to accomplish 10 mA.cm−2. Charge transfer resistance at the electrode/electrolyte interface was calculated as being 14.25 Ω for the Pd0.2Ni0.8O electrocatalyst employing an EIS technique, which suggests fast kinetics. All electrocatalysts displayed good durability under the investigated conditions.
Eco-friendly Synthesis of Schiff base Mn(II) and Cu(II) Complexes: Antimicrobial, Antifungal, Molecular Docking and Anticancer Studies
Authors: Veeravel C. , K Rajasekar , Chakkaravarthy P. , Selvarani R. , Kosiha A. , Sathya V. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The Schiff base ligand, (E-N-((E)-3-phenylallylidene) aniline was prepared by from cinnamaldehyde with aniline via green route synthetic method. Reactions of the ligand with Mn(II) and Cu(II) precursors generate new complexes. The structures of the ligand and the new metal complexes were elucidated using various physicochemical measurements (FT-IR, NMR, Mass, UV-Vis, and elemental analyses). Further, the in vitro antibacterial and antifungal studies divulge that the Cu(II) complex exhibited potent activity over the ligand and Mn complex. In contrast the new manganese complex outperformed the nickel complex as well as the ligand in the cleavage of PUC57 DNA by the involvement of free radicals. Furthermore the in vitro cytotoxicity of the compounds against oral cancer cell line has been examined. The molecular docking studies revealed that the Mn(II) complex interact with SER-15 through hydrogen bonding and it is closely associated with Bax protein with three hydrogen bond interactions through the amino acids residues GLN-32 and ASP-33. Ultimately, the most frequently used parameters for the prediction of drug-likeness were calculated for the new Schiff base compounds.
MAFSIDS ： A reinforcement learning-based intrusion detection model for multi-intelligence feature selection networks
Authors: Ren Kezhou , Zeng Yifan , Zhong Yuanfu , Sheng Biao , Zhang Yingchao 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

In the era of big data, the growing number of cyber assaults poses a significant danger to network services. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) rely on the quality of its features to accurately identify cyber threats. Nowadays prevalent IDS prefer to create intricate neural networks and pay less attention to the problem of feature selection. In this study, we present a multi-intelligence feature selection network intrusion detection model based on reinforcement learning. The model extracts feature information of network traffic by means of a graph convolutional neural network (GCN), using multiple deep Q-network (DQN)-based intelligences to decide whether the corresponding features are selected, and then trains classifiers to identify network attacks by means of deep reinforcement learning (DRL). We examined the model's performance using both the NSL-KDD and CSE-CIC-IDS2018 datasets. The simulation experimental results demonstrate that MAFSIDS is able to extract accurate feature information from the input data via the GCN network, and that the multi-intelligence will then select the optimal feature subset and learn the data via DRL to ultimately enhance the model's cyber attack recognition performance. In the era of big data, the model has vast application potential and provides a solid assurance for network security.
FPGA-Based Real-time T2 Spectrum Inversion Algorithm for LWD-NMR Logging with Periodic Thermal Management
Authors: Fan Chenguang , Li Muyao , Liu Wenzhong , Cheng Jingjing 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The LWD-NMR instruments are limited by the telemetry bandwidth and logging timing requirements, so the echo T2 spectrum inversion function must be implemented at downhole logging instruments. Firstly, the inversion problem of T2 spectrum is converted to a non-negative least squares problem and solved by the accelerated projective gradient descent (APGD) algorithm. Secondly, the distributed structure is used in FPGA design to shorten the time for the APGD algorithm. Finally, a software cooling method based on a multi-core structure and periodic thermal management technology is deployed. Therefore, the inversion algorithm of echo T2 spectrum deployed on FPGA not only meets the requirements of real-time inversion calculation but also reduces the temperature effectively by means of software cooling. It provides a useful reference for the research of the downhole data processing technology of LWD.