bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants BA.5.2 and BF.7 in the Chinese mainland during December 2022 based on three online questionnaire surveys involving 211,093 participants.
Authors: Zhu Ke-Wei , Liao Qian-Qian 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
China announced 10 new measures to end the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy on December 7, 2022. Thereafter, mass nucleic acid testing in terms of administrative regions was discontinued. This work is a re-analysis of published COVID-19 data. The COVID-19 surveillance data were derived from the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hainan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The information of the main endemic strains of SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron wave obtained from the RCoV19 database. In order to investigate the actual infection rate of COVID-19, the Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Hainan Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued online questionnaires to local residents via the WeChat APP. A total of 211,093 residents participated in these online questionnaire surveys. This report revealed the results to summary the epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron wave after the end of the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy.
Expanding the Clinical and Genetic Features Associated with Combined Oxidative Phosphorylation Deficiency 11 Short Title: RMND1 Overview: A case report and review of the literatures
Authors: Bayrak Harun , Sezer Abdullah , Kılıç Mustafa 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Mutations in the RMND1 gene that cause defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain result in a very variable phenotypic clinic. We present a new patient from a consanguineous family who was severely affected by a previously identified combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency 11 and was treated promptly due to early diagnosis. At the 24th hour of her birth, she did not pass the cardiac pulse oximetry screening and presented with significant plasma creatinine and lactic acid elevation in laboratory findings. This case is the first patient of Turkish origin reported in the literature. RMND1-related mitochondrial disease was described for the first time in a patient who failed the neonatal cardiac examination. We also included patients with RMND1 mutation in the literature. Up-to-date, forty-eight patients have been reported. We analyzed the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and genetic data of 49 patients (98 alleles). We summarized all previously published patients and focus on the importance of early diagnosis. The most common variant in patients with RMND1 mutation was c.713A > G (p.Asn238Ser). Mortality was statistically significantly lower in patients with homozygous and compound heterozygous c.713A > G (p.Asn238Ser) mutations (p:<0.001). The second most common mutation was c1349G > C (p.*450Serext*31) and was reported in 11 patients (22.4%). Cardiac involvement and mortality were more common in patients with homozygous c.1349G > C (p.*450Serext*32) mutation (p:0.008 and 0.008 respectively). In this study, the effect of cardiac involvement on mortality in RMND1 mutation has been shown for the first time. We reported that mortality was lower in the c.713A > G (p.Asn238Ser) mutation. Additionally, mortality was more common in the c.1349G > C (p.*450Serext*32) mutation. These findings have not been previously reported in the literature.
4D‐CT Based CPD‐Demons Hybrid Image Registration for Pulmonary Functional Analysis
Authors: Wong Jing‐Xiang , Hung Shih‐Kai , Yang Eileen Chih‐Ying , Zheng Yin‐Xuan , Chen Liang‐Cheng , Lee Moon‐Sing , Lin Hon‐Yi , Chiou Wen‐Yen , Chuang Tzyy‐Ling , Hsieh Hui‐Ling 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose: Pulmonary function analysis is essential for implementing functional avoidance in modern radiotherapy treatment planning. The gold standard for pulmonary function analysis is the SPECT V-Q scan. However, additional radiation exposure introduced and dynamic image fusion remains obstacles in treatment planning.
Methods and Materials: This study proposes a hybrid deformable image registration method for pulmonary ventilation functional analysis. The proposed method separates the deformation of the human lung into two parts, deformation of the outer boundaries and the inner lung tissue. In reality, the deformation of the lung boundaries is constrained by adjacent organs such as the heart, parietal pleura, and diaphragm, where the lung boundaries exhibit non-linear, anisotropic deformation behavior, especially near the diaphragm; the inner lung tissue exhibit a more fluid-like, viscous deformation behavior. Therefore, in this study, the lung boundaries are modeled using the coherent point drift (CPD) registration method, while the inner lung tissue is registered using the Demons registration method. The proposed hybrid DIR method establishes the correspondence between exhalation and inhalation 3D-CT images of a 4D-CT data set.
Finally, a ventilation functional map is then constructed based on the difference in Hounsfield Units (HU) and compared to the ventilation of SPECT.
Results: For all 4D-CT SPECT data sets, the ventilation of the corresponding functional maps was found to deviate by no more than 7.92%. In addition, the lowest correlation between the corresponding functional maps is found to be 0.68, and the highest is 0.87.
Conclusion: With the results of this study, the basic feasibility of the proposed DIR for pulmonary functional analysis is confirmed. Furthermore, the 4D-CT-based ventilation functional maps have higher resolution compared to SPECT ventilation maps and give evidence of the former as a replacement for the
latter.
Screening of tumor antigens and immunogenic cell death landscapes of prostate cancer for exploration of mRNA vaccine
Authors: Yu Guopeng , Lin Yuansheng , Wang Jianqing , Zhou Lin , Lu Yingying , Fei Xiang , Gu Xin , Song Shangqing , Wang Jiangyi , Liu Yushan , Yang Qing , Seo Seung-Yong , Zhan Ming , Xu Bin 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background
Although the mRNA vaccine is effective against many kinds of cancers, its efficacy against prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) is still unclear. In this study, effective antigens of mRNA vaccine were excavated from the perspective of immunogenic cell death (ICD), and ICD subtypes of PRAD were further distinguished to establish an ICD landscape, thereby determining suitable vaccine recipients.
Methods
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) databases were applied to acquire RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical data of 554 and 131 patients, respectively. GEPIA was employed to measure prognostic indices. Then comparison of genetic alterations was performed utilizing cBioPortal, and correlation of identified ICD antigens with immune infiltrating cells was analyzed employing TIMER. Moreover, ICD subtypes were identified by means of consensus cluster, and ICD landscape of PRAD was depicted utilizing graph learning-based dimensional reduction.
Results
In total, 4 PRAD antigens were identified in PRAD, including FUS, LMNB2, RNPC3 and ZNF700, which had association with adverse prognosis and infiltration of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). PRAD patients were classified as two ICD subtypes based on their differences in molecular, cellular and clinical features. Patients in subtype ICDS2 had immune “hot” phenotype, whereas those in ICDS1 had an immune “cold” phenotype. Furthermore, ICD modulators and immune checkpoints were also differentially expressed between two ICD subtype tumors. Finally, ICD landscape of PRAD showed substantial heterogeneity among individual patients.
Conclusions
FUS, LMNB2, RNPC3 and ZNF700 are identified as antigens with potential to develop anti-PRAD mRNA vaccine, particularly for patients in subtype ICDS2. In summary, the research may provide a theoretical foundation for developing mRNA vaccine against PRAD as well as determining appropriate vaccine recipients.
Toripalimab combined with anlotinib as the second-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a prospective, single arm phase II clinical study
Authors: Wei Wei , Chen Xiyun , Zeng Tianmei , Yang Guang , Dong Yulong , Tao Chenjie , Han Qin , Lou Cheng , Shang Peipei , Cheng Zhuo , Hong Weipeng , He Yuange , Shen Weidong , Yuan Zhengang , Guo Lieping 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background
The most part of primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma having a poor prognosis. The treatment strategies including multitarget inhibitors, ICIs, and new options are being explored. Recently studies demonstrated the synergistic effect of anti-angiogenesis-targeted drugs combined with immunotherapy. In this study, we explored toripalimab combined with anlotinib as second-line therapy to evaluate the safety and efficacy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Patients and methods:
Twenty-six patients diagnosed with HCC and experienced disease progression or drug intolerance after first-line targeted therapy were included in this study. All enrolled patients received toripalimab combined with anlotinib. The primary endpoint of this study was the objective response rate (ORR), secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and disease control rates (DCR).
Results
Finally 22 patients met the protocol were included in the data analysis. The ORR was 7.69%, the mPFS was 3.12 months, mOS was 10.89 months, and DCR was 42.31%, among which 1 patient achieved CR, 1 patient achieved PR, and 9 patients achieved SD. By the last follow-up, the duration of CR in patients had been more than 2 years. No treatment-related deaths occurred, generally this combination therapy is well tolerated.
Conclusion
In patients who experience disease progression with first-line sorafenib or lenvatinib, toripalimab combined with anlotinib may be a good choice for second-line treatment and is well tolerated. TP53 mutations may serve as biomarkers for this treatment and larger sample size is required for further confirmation.
Imitation Learning for Mean Field Games with Correlated Equilibria
Authors: Zhao Zhiyu , Xu Renyuan , Zhang Haifeng , Wang Jun , Yang Yaodong 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Imitation learning (IL) is a powerful approach for acquiring optimal policies from demonstrated behaviors. However, applying IL to a large group of agents is arduous due to the exponential surge in interactions with an increase in population size. Mean Field Theory provides an efficient tool for analyzing multi-agent problems by gathering information at the population level. Although the approximation is tractable, restoring mean field Nash equilibria (MFNE) from demonstrations is challenging. Furthermore, many real-world problems, including traffic network equilibrium induced by public routing recommendations and pricing equilibrium of goods on E-commerce platforms, cannot be explained by the classic MFNE concept. In both cases, the intervention of the platform introduces correlation devices to the equilibrium. To address this issue, we propose a novel solution concept called Adaptive Mean Field Correlated Equilibrium (AMFCE) that generalizes MFNE. We establish a framework based on IL and AMFCE that recovers the AMFCE policy from real-world demonstrations. Our framework characterizes mean-field evolution using signatures from the rough path theory, and it has the significant benefit of recovering both the equilibrium policy and correlation device from data. We test our framework against state-of-the-art IL algorithms for mean field games (MFGs) on several tasks, including a real-world traffic flow prediction problem. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method and its potential for predicting and explaining large population behavior under correlated signals.
Exact simulation of classical heat engine cycles using single-ion phonon laser
Authors: Zhang Jian-Qi , Yuan Quan , Wei Ya-Qi , Dai Shuang-Qing , Li Pei-Dong , Li Ji , Cui Tai-Hao , Zhou Fei , Chen Liang , Feng Mang , Lin Ji 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Heat engines are essential devices in modern industry, converting heat energy into useful mechanical work via their working substances. Here we experimentally simulate the conventional heat engine by employing the vibrational mode of a single trapped ion as the working substance. In contrast to simply employing the ion in thermal motion, we consider to coherently stimulate the ion's vibrational motion as the phonon laser, which helps acquiring clearer results by effectively suppressing the thermal fluctuation. As such, we demonstrate in exact and high signal-to-noise way the standard steps of both the Otto and Carnot cycles in a single ion, and compare their maximum efficiencies by monitoring the amplitude and frequency of the vibration. Our work witnesses an interesting single-atom thermal engine using coherently controlled phonons. It would be the smallest platform for simulating or demonstrating classical thermodynamic laws and phenomena at a single ion scale via optical manipulation techniques for phonon lasers.
Compost as green adsorbent for the azo dyes - structural characterization and dye removal mechanism
Authors: Kyziol-Komosinska Joanna , Dzieniszewska Agnieszka , Pasieczna-Patkowska Sylwia , Kołbus Anna , Czupioł Justyna 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of using compost as a 'green adsorbent' for the removal of five anionic azo dyes belonging to the monoazo, disazo and trisazo classes: Direct Red 81 (DR-81), Direct Blue 74 (DB-74), Reactive Blue 81 (RB-81), Reactive Red 198 (RR-198) and Acid Black 194 (ABk-194) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of the compost was determined using a batch method with initial dye concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 mg/L. The kinetics of dye removal followed a pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. The monoazo dyes RB-81, RR-198 and ABk-194 with the smaller molecule size were adsorbed the fastest. The Langmuir and Sips models best fit the adsorption system with maximum adsorption capacities in the range of 12.64 mg/g (RR-198) − 20.92 mg/g (ABk-194) and 12.57 mg/g (RR-198) − 25.43 mg/g (ABk-194), respectively. The adsorption depended on the dye structure, especially on the ratio of the numbers of proton donor to proton acceptor locations in functional groups. The differences in adsorption mechanism could be explained by thermodynamic properties such as dipole moments, HOMO-LUMO energy gap, polarisability, electron affinity, ionisation potential, electronegativity and chemical hardness obtained by Density Functional Theory.
Seedling Potential Attributing Ecological Variables: Trees Species Diversity along an Elevational Gradient in the Temperate Hill Forest, Central Nepal
Authors: Dani Ram Sharan , Baniya Chitra Bahadur 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Present research examined the tree diversity and their regeneration patterns along an elevation gradient in the temperate hilly forest, Central Nepal. Data were collected from 300 sample plots of 10 x 10 m2 each. A total of 10 elevation bands of 100 m difference sampled from 1365 to 2450 m asl. A random sampling method was used to collect information in three seasons, winter, pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons. Circumference at breast height (CBH) was used to broadly categorize the plant species into trees, saplings and seedlings. Present study found nearly ninety percent tree species were at regenerating stage. The tree species richness ranged from 12 to 25 with density of 350 to 1200 individuals per hectare. Species richness of tree and sapling showed statistically significant unimodal pattern, peaked at mid-elevation. Elevation showed a strong and positive linear relationship with the seedling density (Deviance = 0.99, p < 0.001) and significant hump shaped relationship with sapling density (Deviance = 0.95, p < 0.001). Similarly, elevations showed statistically significant negative hump shaped relationship with all tree, sapling and seedling's Simpson indices (Deviances = 0.89, 0.87 and 0.57). The highest values of the Shannon-Weiner index and lowest value of the Simpson index were found at mid-elevation for all growth forms. In the study area, 49% tree species found in a good renewal status, 32% were in fair renewal, and 11% at a poor regenerating condition. Nevertheless, 4.3% tree species were reported as non-regenerating stage and 4.3% were newly introduced species. Hence, the regeneration status of the study area was considered as fairly good since sapling (78.5%) > seedling (10.6%) ≤ mature (10.9%). Among tested environmental variables elevation, annual mean rainfall, aspect, slopes, pH, N and annual mean temperatures were the most influential factors in regeneration of trees species.
Effect of DMPEI coating against biofilm formation on PVC catheters nanotopography surface
Authors: Tarabal Vinícius Souza , Abud Yuri Komatsu Damas , Silva Flávia Gontijo da , Cruz Luisa Ferreira da , Fontes Giselle Nogueira , Silva Jose Antônio da , Filho Celso Barbosa de Sant’Anna , Sinisterra Ruben Dario , Granjeiro Jose Mauro , Granjeiro Paulo Afonso 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the major causes of morbidity in the health system. UTIs are directly linked to the use of urethral catheters, especially in surgical cases. PVC is one of the most used materials in catheters. Biofilms are polymeric structures that generate a safe environment for cell replication and the acquisition of antibiotic resistance. Strategies to prevent the development of biofilms on medical device surfaces involve molecules with antimicrobial properties, among them N,N-dodecyl, methyl polyethylenimine (DMPEI). This study aims to characterize the PVC and PVC-DMPEI surface morphology by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and hydrophobicity by contact angle measurement. Adhesion assay with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans allowed the analysis of DMPEI efficacy in preventing microorganism adhesion onto PVC. Butanol efficiently solubilized 2 mg.mL− 1 DMPEI without compromising the PVC structure. SEM analysis confirmed the presence of a film of DMPEI on the PVC surface, reducing the roughness of the PVC surface (AFM), but increasing its hydrophilicity (contact angle analysis). The E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans adhesion assay onto PVC-DMPEI presented a significative reduction of 89.33%, 94.26%, and 86.63% in the presence of cells, respectively. SEM images confirmed the cell colonization reduction onto PVC-DMPEI surfaces and the significant change in E. coli morphology. DMPEI films efficiently reduce the adhesion of E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans onto PVC. The DMPEI polymer has the technological potential for coating smart medical devices with biofilm anti-adhesive properties.
Aquaculture of Polychaete annelids and their importance for Latin America
Authors: Herrera-Perez Melissa 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Interest in using polychaeta annelids as an alternative feed source for aquaculture was generated by providing an alternative to clams and mussels as bait. This has subsequently led to increased interest in their reproduction, with countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Australia and France successfully creating extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive systems of production. Studies have also reported the use of polychaeta annelids in Integrated Multi-trophic Systems (IMTA), their interest as ornamental species, and research at the biotechnological level. In Latin America, Ecuador, Chile and Peru report research on their exploration in culture, their use as shrimp feed and their involvement in IMTA. However, so far, Chile is the only country that has successfully achieved knowledge of the reproductive cycle of two polychaeta species. The polychaeta families that demand greater research include Eunicidae, Onuphidae, Nereididae, Arenicolidae, and Glyceridae. Due to their ecological characteristics, some species are also potential contributors to parasite infections. As such, correct taxonomic identification based on their ecological and physiological characteristics, could increase the potential for their use as an alternative aquaculture feed ingredient, reducing feeding costs through recirculation systems. The present investigation was conducted through research using the bibliographic databases: Elsevier, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus and Google Scholar.
How does Public Transit Serve Post-Secondary Students in Toronto? A Utility- based Analysis of Accessibility by Transit for Discretionary Trips
Authors: Loa Patrick , Habib Khandker Nurul 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Post-secondary students are a segment of the population whose activity-travel behaviour is not well understood. In particular, there is a relative dearth of studies that have examined the determinants of behaviours related to the participation of out-of-home activities among post-secondary students. This study uses data from a web-based survey administered to students attending universities in Toronto to examine the determinants of the location choices of these individuals when using transit to participate in discretionary activities. Additionally, count- and utility-based measures of accessibility by transit for university students in Toronto are calculated and compared. The specification of the location choice model offers insights into the determinants of location choice decisions made by university students for discretionary trips and highlight the impacts of transit level-of-service and land use attributes on location choice decisions. Moreover, the findings suggest that the impacts of these attributes can differ based on socio-demographic characteristics. The comparison of count- and utility-based accessibility measures underscore the shortcomings of the former, which stem from the treatment of all opportunities as equally attractive. The results of this study aim to contribute to the literature by offering insights into an aspect of the activity-travel behaviour of post-secondary students that has received relatively little attention. Similarly, the results of the study can be used to help inform planning decisions by shedding light on the activity-travel behaviour of a segment of the population that has typically been underrepresented in traditional household travel surveys.
IODnet: Indoor/Outdoor Telecommunication Signal Detection through Deep Neural Network
Authors: Abdollahi Meisam , Mashhadi Sepideh , Sabzalizadeh Ramin , Mirzaei Alireza , Elahi Mohammad , Baharloo Mohammad , Baniasadi Amirali 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
In many Internet of Things (IoT) applications, knowing the device's location can be quite important for some reasons such as asset tracking and inventory management, geolocation services, safety and security, environmental monitoring, and proximity-based interactions. Mobile users often experience mobile services/applications within an indoor or outdoor environment. Operators and other service providers can offer more appropriate services to users if they predict their location. Several attempts have been made to categorize the location of users, but this paper proposes a methodology that increases the accuracy of the predicted values through Deep Neural Networks. Based on the proposed method, the accuracy of operator-side labels can be improved by comparing operator-side labeled datasets with real-world labeled drive-test collected datasets. The goal was to develop an accurate model to correct unassured labels of a dataset with more accurate labels based on three datasets collected with crowd-sourcing and drive-testing approaches. Also, the proposed method was compared with state-of-the-art learning algorithms in order to justify its superiority. The experimental results indicate that the F1-score metric may be as high as 98\% in some datasets.