bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clustered cases of human adenovirus types 4, 7, and 14 infections in US Department of Defense Beneficiaries during the 2018–2019 season
Authors: Pollio Adam R. , Fries Anthony C. , Yang Yu , Hughes Jerry J. , Fung Christian K. , Conte Matthew A. , Kuschner Robert A. , Collins Natalie D. , Macias Elizabeth A. , Hang Jun 
Published: February 2023

AbstractHuman adenoviruses (HAdV) are genetically diverse and can infect a number of tissues with severities varied from mild to fatal. HAdV types 3, 4, 7, 11, 14, 21, and 55 were associated with acute respiratory illnesses outbreaks in the United States and in other countries. The risk of outbreaks can be effectively controlled by HAdV vaccination or mitigated by screening and preventive measures. During the influenza season 2018–2019, the DoD Global Respiratory Pathogen Surveillance Program (DoDGRS) received 24 300 respiratory specimens. HAdV samples that produced positive cytopathic effects in viral cultivation were subjected to next‐generation sequencing for genome sequence assembly, genome typing, whole genome phylogeny, and sequence comparative analyses. A variety of HAdV types were identified in this study, including HAdV types 1–7, 14, 55, and 56. HAdV types 4, 7, and 14 were found in clustered cases in Colorado, Florida, New York, and South Carolina. Comparative sequence analyses of these isolates revealed the emergence of novel genetic mutations despite the stability of adenovirus genomes. Genomic surveillance of HAdV suggested possible undetected outbreaks and shed light on prevalence, genetic divergence, and viral evolution of HAdV. Continued surveillance will inform risk assessment and countermeasures.
mRNA vaccines: The future of prevention of viral infections?
Authors: Rzymski Piotr , Szuster‐Ciesielska Agnieszka , Dzieciątkowski Tomasz , Gwenzi Willis , Fal Andrzej 
Published: February 2023

AbstractMessenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID‐19 are the first authorized biological preparations developed using this platform. During the pandemic, their administration has been proven to be a life‐saving intervention. Here, we review the main advantages of using mRNA vaccines, identify further technological challenges to be met during the development of the mRNA platform, and provide an update on the clinical progress on leading mRNA vaccine candidates against different viruses that include influenza viruses, human immunodeficiency virus 1, respiratory syncytial virus, Nipah virus, Zika virus, human cytomegalovirus, and Epstein‐Barr virus. The prospects and challenges of manufacturing mRNA vaccines in low‐income countries are also discussed. The ongoing interest and research in mRNA technology are likely to overcome some existing challenges for this technology (e.g., related to storage conditions and immunogenicity of some components of lipid nanoparticles) and enhance the portfolio of vaccines against diseases for which classical formulations are already authorized. It may also open novel pathways of protection against infections and their consequences for which no safe and efficient immunization methods are currently available.
Evaluation and projections of extreme precipitation using a spatial extremes framework
Authors: Yang Lichao , Franzke Christian L. E. , Duan Wansuo 
Published: February 2023

AbstractExtreme precipitation events are a major natural hazard and cause significant socio‐economic damages. Precipitation events are spatially extended and, thus, can cause large water accumulations, which can lead to flooding events. In order to help design flood protection infrastructure, a detailed investigation of the temporal and spatial dependencies of extreme precipitation is essential. Here, we use a statistical spatial extremes framework to systematically study the historical and projected spatial–temporal characteristics of extreme precipitation in Germany. For this purpose, we use data from 10 high‐resolution global climate model‐regional climate model (GCM‐RCM) combinations from the EURO‐CORDEX initiative and derive a statistical spatial extremes precipitation model. Our results show that there are large spreads in reproducing the temporal–spatial characters of extreme precipitation. Few climate simulations can well present the temporal clustering of observed extreme precipitation in both summer and winter. In reproducing the spatial dependencies of the observations, most GCM‐RCM combinations behave well in summer, while in winter most RCMs produce too many spatially localized extreme precipitation events. The derived statistical model, which accounts for both the spatial and temporal variability, performs well in representing the spatial dependency and intensity characteristics in summer. Furthermore, global warming will have a significant impact on the temporal and spatial dependencies of extreme precipitation in Germany. There will be more temporal‐dependent and homogeneous extreme precipitation in summer; and more temporal‐independent and localized extreme precipitation in winter. The intensity quantified by the 25‐year return level of the 10 GCM‐RCM combinations is increasing; with relative changes ranging from 5.33% to 53.24% in summer and from −15.38% to 32.33% in winter under RCP8.5. A future projection by our statistical spatial extremes model using projected temperature from GCM‐RCM combinations as a covariate shows that the 25‐year return level will increase by 3.02% under RCP2.6 and 4.16% under RCP8.5 in winter.
Low‐cost technologies in a rich ecological context: Hotel California open‐air site at Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain
Authors: Santamaría Marta , Navazo Marta , Arnold Lee J. , Benito‐Calvo Alfonso , Demuro Martina , Carbonell Eudald 
Published: February 2023

ABSTRACTHotel California is part of a network of open‐air Neanderthal sites located in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). In this study, we examine the technology of the lithic assemblages recovered from this site's archaeological levels 3 to 7, which are characterised by the use of local raw materials, non‐hierarchical centripetal exploitation systems, systematic production of flakes and few retouched items. This type of expedient technology is repeated throughout the entire sequence, which spans Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3 to 4. Through a comparison with the technocomplexes and occupation histories of surrounding sites – including a re‐evaluation of the published chronology for the nearby site of Fuente Mudarra, which is now dated exclusively to MIS 5 – we examine whether the detected pattern is applicable to the rest of the Atapuerca Mousterian record and if this expedient behaviour has equivalents in other sites in the region. Our findings show that the lithic procurement, exploitation and configuration strategies employed at the Sierra de Atapuerca open‐air sites were constant over broad time periods spanning MIS 5 to 3, in contrast to the technological sequences observed at other nearby sites on the Northern Iberian Plateau. The recurrent settlement of these open‐air Neanderthal sites over tens of thousands of years and the consistent use of expedient technologies during different occupation periods is likely attributable to the rich ecological context of the Sierra de Atapuerca environs.
Newborn Hearing Screening Results in Patients with Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct
Authors: Perry Julia , Sher Erica , Kawai Kosuke , Redfield Shelby , Sun Tieqi , Kenna Margaret 
Published: February 2023

ObjectivesEnlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) is the most common anatomic abnormality contributing to permanent hearing loss (HL) in children. Although the association between EVA and HL is well‐documented, the pass rate for the newborn hearing screening (NBHS) for patients with EVA‐related HL is not. Our objective was to investigate the association between NBHS results and audiologic and clinical outcomes in a large cohort of pediatric patients with EVA.MethodsThis was a retrospective chart review of patients seen in the Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement with confirmed HL, known NBHS results, and confirmed EVA. Demographic, clinical, audiologic, and imaging data were collected from the medical record. Frequency‐specific data points from pure‐tone audiograms and/or automated auditory brainstem response tests were recorded, and four‐frequency pure tone average was calculated using air conduction thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz.ResultsOf the 183 patients included in the study, 84 (45.9%) passed their NBHS, whereas 99 (54.1%) did not pass. Compared with patients who did not pass, patients who passed were more likely to have unilateral EVA and unilateral HL, whereas they were less likely to undergo cochlear implantation and to have causative SLC26A4 variants.ConclusionsEVA‐associated HL may be identified at birth or during childhood, with nearly half the patients in this cohort passing their NBHS. Our results provide prognostic information for patients with EVA who pass their NBHS and highlight the importance of regular hearing monitoring for children not initially suspected of having HL.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 133:2786–2791, 2023
Why we like to touch: Consumers' tactile esthetic appreciation explained by a balanced combination of unity and variety in product designs
Authors: Post Ruben A. G. , Blijlevens Janneke , Hekkert Paul , Saakes Daniel , Arango Luis 
Published: February 2023

AbstractTactile experiences are a pivotal part of consumer behavior and choice. However, very little is known about why consumers esthetically appreciate touching products. The principle of Unity‐in‐Variety, stating that consumers like to perceive variety but only when this variety is presented as a coherent whole, has been shown to partly explain consumers' esthetic appreciation in the visual domain. We theorize that the psychological mechanisms underlying the esthetic principle of Unity‐in‐Variety are modality‐independent, and therefore that this principle also applies to consumers' tactile esthetic appreciation. Across three studies, using existing products and novel 3D printed product designs systematically manipulated along the perceptual dimensions of unity and variety, we show that both unity and variety independently contribute to tactile esthetic appreciation. Furthermore, because unity and variety are inherently partial opposites, esthetic appreciation of products is highest when both unity and variety are simultaneously maximized.
Verification of operational numerical weather prediction model forecasts of precipitation using satellite rainfall estimates over Africa
Authors: Wang Yan , Gueye Moussa , Greybush Steven J. , Greatrex Helen , Whalen Andrew J. , Ssentongo Paddy , Zhang Fuqing , Jenkins Gregory S. , Schiff Steven J. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractRainfall is an important variable to be able to monitor and forecast across Africa, due to its impact on agriculture, food security, climate‐related diseases and public health. Numerical weather models (NWMs) are an important component of this work, due to their complete spatial coverage, high resolution and ability to forecast into the future. In this study, the spatio‐temporal skill of short‐term forecasts of rainfall across Africa from 2016 through 2018 is evaluated. Specifically, the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction‐Global Forecast System (NCEP‐GFS) forecast models are verified by Rainfall Estimates 2.0 (RFE2) and African Rainfall Climatology Version 2 (ARC2), which are fused products of satellite and in situ observations and are commonly used in analysis of African rainfall. Model rainfall forecasts show good consistency with the satellite rainfall observations in spatial distribution over Africa on the seasonal timescale. Evaluation metrics of daily and weekly forecasts show high spatial and seasonal variations over the African continent, including a strong link to the location of the inter‐tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and topographically enhanced precipitation. The rainfall forecasts at 1 week aggregation time are improved against daily forecasts.
Evaluation of NMR predictors for accuracy and ability to reveal trends in 1H NMR spectra of fatty acids
Authors: Chhaganlal Milan N. , Underhaug Jarl , Mjøs Svein A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractFour different nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) predictors have been evaluated for their ability to predict 600‐MHz 1H spectra of free fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters of 20 common fatty acids. The predictors were evaluated on two main criteria: (1) their accuracy in direct prediction of the spectra (absolute accuracy) and (2) the ability to reveal trends or predict the change that occurs in the spectra as a result of a change in the fatty acid carbon chain, or by esterification of the free fatty acids to methyl esters (relative accuracy). The absolute accuracy in chemical shift prediction for fatty acids was good, compared with previous reports on a broader range of compounds. All four predictors had median prediction errors for chemical shifts of the signals in fatty acid methyl esters well below 0.1 ppm and as low as 0.015 ppm for one of the predictors. However, all predictors also had outliers with errors far above the upper interquartile range. In general, they also fail to reproduce trends of diagnostic value that were observed in the experimental data or properly predict the result of a minor change in molecular structure. All four predictors depend on experimental data from different origins. This may be a limiting factor for the relative accuracy of the predictors.
Optimization of Grade Transitions in Bulk Poly(propylene) Polymerizations
Authors: Silva Jonildo S. , Melo Príamo A. , Pinto José Carlos 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn the present paper, a dynamic optimization problem regarding grade transitions in bulk poly(propylene) polymerization processes is formulated and solved for the first time. Initially, a detailed dynamic process model is presented and implemented, comprising mass and energy balances, some of the polymer properties (such as the melting flow index and the xylene solubles) and regulatory control loops. Additionally, the effects of cocatalyst and electron donor on the propagation rate constant are taken into account. Then, the dynamic optimization problem is formulated and an evolutionary algorithm is used to solve the resulting nonlinear programming problem. It is shown that there is significant coupling among the manipulated variables and the controlled performance and polymer property variables, which adds complexity to the grade transition problem and demands the simultaneous manipulation of multiple variables during transitions. Despite the inherent open‐loop unstable nature of the analyzed process, it is shown that smooth grade transition trajectories can be accomplished through proper adjustment of the objective function weights. Finally, it is shown that the obtained optimum trajectories can significantly diminish the transition time, which can be of paramount importance for the plant economics.
An energy stable, conservative and bounds‐preserving numerical method for thermodynamically consistent modeling of incompressible two‐phase flow in porous media with rock compressibility
Authors: Kou Jisheng , Wang Xiuhua , Chen Huangxin , Sun Shuyu 
Published: February 2023

SummaryIn this paper, we consider modeling and numerical simulation of incompressible and immiscible two‐phase flow in porous media with rock compressibility. Using the second law of thermodynamics, we rigorously derive a thermodynamically consistent mathematical model, which characterizes the two‐phase capillarity and rock compressibility through free energies, thereby following an energy dissipation law. We also derive a general and thermodynamically consistent formulation for the effective pore fluid pressure acting on rocks, which is a fundamental problem for two‐phase flow with rock compressibility. To solve the model effectively, we propose an energy stable numerical method, which can preserve multiple physical properties, including the energy dissipation law, full conservation law for both fluids and pore volumes, and positivity of porosity and saturations. Benefiting from the newly‐developed energy factorization approach and careful treatments for the effective pressure and porosity, the proposed scheme can inherit the energy dissipation law at the discrete level. The fully discrete scheme is constructed using a locally conservative cell‐centered finite difference method. The implicit strategy is applied to treat the upwind phase mobilities and porosity in the phase mass conservation equations and the porosity equation so as to conserve the mass of each phase as well as pore volumes. The positivity of porosity and saturations is proved without any restrictions on time step and mesh sizes. An efficient sequential iterative method is also developed to solve the nonlinear system resulting from the scheme. Finally, numerical results are given to verify the features of the proposed method.
Prognostic Significance of a Model Based on Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Genetic Polymorphisms in Laryngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Ye Yuchu , Wu Taowei , Liang Faya , Fan Jianming , Song Pan , Li Yixin , Xie Wenqian , Huang Xiaoming , Han Ping 
Published: February 2023

AbstractObjectiveBecause of the high costs associated with early‐stage laryngeal carcinoma diagnosis and prognosis prediction, this study attempts to find valuable targets to establish a novel predictive model by focusing on the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotype and other peripheral blood markers.Study DesignRetrospective study.SettingTertiary comprehensive hospital.MethodsFrom January 2011 to January 2021, 362 cases of laryngeal carcinoma were included and divided into 2 groups in this retrospective analysis. Information on medical history, alcohol, and tobacco consumption habits, ALDH2 genotypes, and other peripheral blood markers was collected. Endpoints of the current study included disease‐free survival and overall survival. A nomogram model for overall survival was established and evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.ResultsA total of 236 patients were included in the training cohort, and the other 126 were included in the validation cohort. The median follow‐up of the patients was 9.6 years (interquartile range: 7.5‐12.5 years). Peripheral fibrinogen, hemoglobin, and ALDH2 genotypes were significantly associated with an increase in laryngeal carcinoma mortality rate on Kaplan‐Meier curves. The ROC curve showed that the effectiveness of overall survival prediction by the nomogram model was better than that of traditional clinical staging.ConclusionA prognostic nomogram of laryngeal carcinoma patients involving ALDH2 and peripheral blood markers and T and N stages was constructed and validated.
Machine Learning Prediction of Objective Hearing Loss With Demographics, Clinical Factors, and Subjective Hearing Status
Authors: Gathman Tyler J. , Choi Janet S. , Vasdev Ranveer M.S. , Schoephoerster Jamee A. , Adams Meredith E. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractObjectiveHearing loss (HL) is highly prevalent, yet underrecognized and underdiagnosed. Lack of standardized screening, awareness, cost, and access to hearing testing present barriers to HL identification. To facilitate prescreening and selection of patients who warrant audiometric evaluation, we developed a machine learning (ML) model to predict speech‐frequency pure‐tone average (PTA).Study DesignCross‐sectional study.SettingNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).MethodsThe cohort included 8918 adults (≥20 years) who completed audiometric testing with NHANES (2012‐2018). The primary outcome measure was the prediction of better hearing ear speech‐frequency PTA. Relevant predictors included demographics, medical conditions, and subjective assessment of hearing. Supervised ML with a tree‐based architecture was used. Regression performance was determined by the mean absolute error (MAE) with binary classification assessed with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).ResultsUsing the full set of predictors, the test set MAE between the ML‐predicted and actual PTA was 5.29 dB HL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.97‐5.61). The 5 most influential predictors of higher PTA were increased age, worse subjective hearing, male gender, increased body mass index, and history of smoking. The 5‐factor abbreviated model performed comparably to the extended feature set with MAE 5.36 (95% CI: 5.03‐5.69) and AUC for PTA > 25 dB HL of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90‐0.94).ConclusionThe ML model was able to predict PTA with patient demographics, clinical factors, and subjective hearing status. ML‐based prediction may be used to identify individuals who could benefit most from audiometric evaluation.
Comparing Linear and Volumetric Tumor Measurements During Observation of Growing Sporadic Vestibular Schwannomas
Authors: Killeen Daniel E. , Marinelli John P. , Lohse Christine M. , Lees Katherine A. , Link Michael J. , Carlson Matthew L. , Hunter Jacob B. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the correlation between linear and volumetric changes in vestibular schwannomas (VS).Study DesignRetrospective imaging review was performed on patients diagnosed with sporadic VS from 2000 to 2019 who demonstrated linear growth on observation with serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).SettingTwo large tertiary care centers.MethodsChanges in diameter on serial MRI scans, measured by 1995 American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery guidelines, were compared to changes in volume, calculated by segmentation.ResultsNinety‐two patients had VS confined to the internal auditory canal (IAC) with 236 MRIs analyzed, and 108 patients had VS involving the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) with 193 MRIs analyzed. The Spearman rank correlation coefficients between changes in diameter and volume for IAC and CPA tumors were 0.43 (p < .001) and 0.65 (p < .001), respectively. Linear diameter increases of 1 to <2 mm corresponded to a median volume change of 32% (interquartile range [IQR]: 6%‐86%) for IAC tumors, compared to 23% (IQR: 13%‐40%) for CPA tumors. Linear diameter increases of 2 to <3 mm (ie, the minimum linear diameter change classically considered “true growth”) corresponded to a median volume change of 42% (IQR: 23%‐100%) and 47% (IQR: 26%‐69%) for IAC and CPA tumors, respectively.ConclusionChanges in linear diameter significantly correlated with changes in volume for IAC and CPA tumors, although diameter changes that did not meet the definition of linear growth (<2 mm) had corresponding median volume changes in excess of 20% for both IAC and CPA tumors.