bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dynamical behavior of rotavirus epidemic model with non‐probabilistic uncertainty under Caputo–Fabrizio derivative
Authors: Jena Rajarama Mohan , Chakraverty Snehashish , Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy 
Published: March 2023

AbstractRotavirus infection is also a major cause of death in babies and children. Rotavirus causes severe diarrhea in babies and infants in developed and underdeveloped countries. It has multiple types of transmission: human to human and human to the environment. This paper investigates the time‐fractional order rotavirus epidemic model in an uncertain environment defined in the Caputo–Fabrizio (CF) derivative sense. In the titled model, the initial conditions are considered as fuzzy numbers. A double parametric form (DPF) of fuzzy numbers has been used in the fuzzy fractional rotavirus model. A semi‐analytical approach called the homotopy perturbation Elzaki transform method (HPETM) has been employed to solve the present model with the fuzzy initial condition. In order to derive the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the model, the concept of fixed‐point theory is utilized. Various fuzzy and interval solutions have been computed by considering different values of fractional orders, fuzzy parameters, and parameters involved in the given model.
On optimally solving sub‐tree scheduling for wireless sensor networks with partial coverage: A branch‐and‐cut algorithm
Authors: Bianchessi Nicola 
Published: March 2023

AbstractGiven a wireless sensor network, we consider the problem to minimize its total energy consumption over consecutive time slots with respect to communication activities. Nonempty and disjoint subsets of nodes are required to be active and connected under a tree topology configuration in the different time slots, and each network node must be active in a unique time slot. Moreover, the power required by the same pair of network nodes to communicate on the associated direct channel may vary in the different time slots. The problem has been recently introduced in the literature under the name Sub‐Tree Scheduling for Wireless Sensor Networks with Partial Coverage. We focus on the exact solution of the problem. We present a branch‐and‐cut (BC) algorithm based on a novel integer linear programming formulation which allows avoiding the introduction of symmetries in the solution space. In particular, the algorithm relies on an efficient and nontypical separation algorithm for known valid inequalities, and on an easy‐to‐implement primal bound heuristic. The effectiveness of the BC algorithm is empirically shown through an extensive experimental analysis involving 300 newly generated benchmark instances with up to 200 network nodes and 8 time slots. Additionally, the experimental results show that the BC algorithm represents a valid computational tool to benchmark the performance of heuristics addressing the problem, and can be used in practice, as an heuristic solver, to tackle problem instances that are not too large.
Racial/ethnic disparities in sleep‐disordered breathing during pregnancy in the nuMoM2b study
Authors: Lucchini Maristella , Rayport Yael , Valeri Linda , Jelic Sanja , St‐Onge Marie‐Pierre , O'Brien Louise M. , Alcantara Carmela 
Published: March 2023

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) across racial/ethnic groups in 3702 pregnant people at 6 to 15 and 22 to 31 weeks gestational age, examine whether BMI modifies the association between race/ethnicity and SDB, and investigate whether interventions to reduce weight might reduce racial/ethnic disparities in SDB.MethodsDifferences by race/ethnicity in SDB prevalence and severity were quantified via linear, logistic, or quasi‐Poisson regression. Controlled direct effect was used to estimate whether intervening on BMI would remove/diminish differences by race/ethnicity in SDB severity.ResultsThis study comprised 61.2% non‐Hispanic White (nHW), 11.9% non‐Hispanic Black (nHB), 18.5% Hispanic, and 3.7% Asian people. SDB prevalence was higher for nHB compared with nHW pregnant people at 6 to 15 weeks (odds ratio [OR] 1.81, 95% CI [1.07, 2.97]), whereas at 21 to 32 weeks, Asian pregnant people had a higher SDB prevalence than nHW (OR 2.2, 95% CI [1.1, 4.0]). The severity of SDB differed across racial/ethnic groups in early pregnancy, with nHB pregnant people having a higher apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) (OR 1.35, 95% CI [1.07, 1.69]) compared with nHW. Having overweight/obesity was associated with a higher AHI (β = 2.36, 95% CI [1.97, 2.84]). Controlled direct effect analyses indicated that in early pregnancy, nHB and Hispanic pregnant people would have a lower AHI compared with nHW people had they had normal weight.ConclusionsThis study extends knowledge on racial/ethnic disparities in SDB to a pregnant population.
Incidence of ultrasonographic signs of pneumothorax in asymptomatic neonates
Authors: Montero Gato Jon , Sacristán Pablo Andrés , Vázquez Nerea López , Martín Mónica de las Heras , Amorós Ana Gutiérrez , Fernández Lorena Rodeño 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIntroductionPneumothorax in neonates can be life‐threatening. In neonates without respiratory distress, spontaneous pneumothorax can also develop under certain conditions.ObjectivesTo determine the incidence of ultrasonographic signs of pneumothorax in asymptomatic neonates using lung ultrasound as the diagnostic tool.MethodsThis was an observational prospective study conducted at the Basurto University Hospital (Bilbao, Spain) between January 2018 and December 2020. Lung ultrasound was performed during routine examination of asymptomatic neonates admitted to the maternity ward.ResultsOf a total of 204 asymptomatic neonates included in the study, 21 (10.3%) presented ultrasound signs of pneumothorax (Group A), and 183 (89.7%) had a normal lung ultrasound (Group B). Lung ultrasound was performed after a mean of 19 h of life (range 9–34). The presence of A‐lines behind the sternum in the anterior transverse plane, at the intermammillary level, was observed in 100% of patients in Group A compared to no cases in Group B (p < 0.0001). The neonates of Group A presented the lung point located in the midclavicular line, indicative of a mild air leak.ConclusionsLung ultrasound allows precise detection of suspected small‐sized air leaks that can be detected in asymptomatic neonates. The true incidence of pneumothorax in asymptomatic neonates may be substantially higher than previously described in the literature.
Burning characteristics of ammonium nitrate propellant containing fine ammonium perchlorate – influence of porosity of ammonium perchlorate**
Authors: Tsuchiya Hironori , Togashi Ryoto , Kohga Makoto 
Published: March 2023

AbstractFine porous ammonium perchlorate (PAP) has small holes in its crust, and the voids in the particles are connected to the outside. The porosity of PAP results in fine bubble contamination in a propellant because the voids in PAP cannot be completely charged with a binder. Fine bubble contamination can improve the burning rate characteristics of an ammonium perchlorate (AP) propellant. The influence of the porosity of PAP on the burning characteristics of an ammonium nitrate (AN)/AP propellant and the effect of Fe2O3 as a catalyst on them were investigated in this study. The void fraction of the propellant increased with increasing mass ratio between AP and all oxidizers (ξ) and ranged from 1.3 % to 3.2 %. The porosity of PAP increased the burning rate of AN/AP propellants. This effect increased with decreasing pressure and was independent of ξ. However, porosity had minimal influence on the burning rate of AN/AP propellants with Fe2O3. The effect of the catalyst on the increase in the burning rate due to the porosity of PAP was influenced by pressure and ξ. The effect on the AN/AP propellant was greatest when ξ was in the 0.5–0.6 range.
Deriving mechanism‐based pharmacodynamic models by reducing quantitative systems pharmacology models: An application to warfarin
Authors: Falkenhagen Undine , Knöchel Jane , Kloft Charlotte , Huisinga Wilhelm 
Published: March 2023

AbstractQuantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models integrate comprehensive qualitative and quantitative knowledge about pharmacologically relevant processes. We previously proposed a first approach to leverage the knowledge in QSP models to derive simpler, mechanism‐based pharmacodynamic (PD) models. Their complexity, however, is typically still too large to be used in the population analysis of clinical data. Here, we extend the approach beyond state reduction to also include the simplification of reaction rates, elimination of reactions, and analytic solutions. We additionally ensure that the reduced model maintains a prespecified approximation quality not only for a reference individual but also for a diverse virtual population. We illustrate the extended approach for the warfarin effect on blood coagulation. Using the model‐reduction approach, we derive a novel small‐scale warfarin/international normalized ratio model and demonstrate its suitability for biomarker identification. Due to the systematic nature of the approach in comparison with empirical model building, the proposed model‐reduction algorithm provides an improved rationale to build PD models also from QSP models in other applications.
Aloe‐emodin targets multiple signaling pathways by blocking ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of DUSP1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells
Authors: Chen Shanlin , Guan Xiaoxue , Xie Lei , Liu Chuanyu , Li Chunhong , He Min , Hu Jiahua , Fan Hui , Li Quanwen , Xie Liuping , Yang Mingqing , Zhang Xiaoling , Xiao Shengjun , Tang Jianhong 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAloe‐emodin (AE) has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of several cancer cell lines, including human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines. In this study, we confirmed that AE inhibited malignant biological behaviors, including cell viability, abnormal proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of NPC cells. Western blotting analysis revealed that AE upregulated the expression of DUSP1, an endogenous inhibitor of multiple cancer‐associated signaling pathways, resulting in blockage of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)‐1/2, protein kinase B (AKT), and p38‐mitogen activated protein kinase（p38‐MAPK） signaling pathways in NPC cell lines. Moreover, the selective inhibitor of DUSP1, BCI‐hydrochloride, partially reversed the AE‐induced cytotoxicity and blocked the aforementioned signaling pathways in NPC cells. In addition, the binding between AE and DUSP1 was predicted via molecular docking analysis using AutoDock‐Vina software and further verified via a microscale thermophoresis assay. The binding amino acid residues were adjacent to the predicted ubiquitination site (Lys192) of DUSP1. Immunoprecipitation with the ubiquitin antibody, ubiquitinated DUSP1 was shown to be upregulated by AE. Our findings revealed that AE can stabilize DUSP1 by blocking its ubiquitin–proteasome‐mediated degradation and proposed an underlying mechanism by which AE‐upregulated DUSP1 may potentially target multiple pathways in NPC cells.
The state of human papillomavirus research in Africa
Authors: Kanmodi Kehinde Kazeem , Egbedina Eyinade Adeduntan , Amzat Jimoh , Aminu Kafayat , Nnyanzi Lawrence Achilles 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) research scholarship evaluation is pivotal to the strategic planning, implementation and sustainability of HPV prevention and control programmes in Africa. Hence, this study evaluated HPV research scholarship in Africa.MethodsThis review—a bibliometric analysis—investigated the trends, patterns, dynamics and funding of HPV‐related literature production in Africa with a focus on the inequalities existing across thematic and subject areas, researchers, institutions and countries/territories/dependencies. The study data were obtained from SCOPUS database and analysed using the Microsoft Excel 2021 software.ResultFrom 1974 (inception year) till 16 July 2022, a total of 2587 SCOPUS‐indexed literature on HPV were produced by African authors, with an average production rate of 50.5 publications per year (1974–2021). A few publications (1.2%) were in the Social Sciences. Most (95.1%) publications were in English, only a few (3.9%) were in French, whereas none was in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili or any other official language of the African Union. South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt were the three most prolific African countries. The 10 most prolific researchers were affiliated to public institutions in South Africa, Tanzania and Botswana. The top 10 funding sponsors were public institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium and South Africa. Moreover, researchers and institutions affiliated to South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda were the predominant beneficiaries. Only two indigenous journals made the list of top 10 journals publishing HPV research outputs from Africa.ConclusionScholarly HPV research productivity in Africa is very low and worsened by multiple inequality gaps. There is an urgent need for equitably strengthening HPV research capacity in Africa.
An improved adaptive EWMA control chart for monitoring time between events with application in health sector
Authors: Aslam Muhammad , Khan Majid , Rasheed Zahid , Anwar Syed Masroor , Abbasi Saddam Akber 
Published: March 2023

AbstractNonconforming events rarely occur in high‐quality processes, and the time between events () is likely to be followed by a skewed distribution, such as an exponential distribution. This paper proposes the upper and lower‐sided improved adaptive exponentially weighted moving control charts for monitoring data modeled by the exponential distribution. The proposed control charts are labeled as control charts, that is, the and control chart, respectively. The control chart detects the upward shifts, while the control chart identifies the downward shifts in the process. The Monte Carlo simulations are used to approximate the run length distribution of the proposed control charts. Numerical results associated with various performance measures, such as average run length (), standard run length (), median run length (), extra quadratic loss (), relative average run length (), and performance comparison index () are computed. The proposed control charts compared to the respective existing control charts, such as , , , and control charts, at a single shift, as well as over a specified range of shifts. The comparison reveals that the proposed control charts outperform the existing control charts for both single specified shifts and over a certain range of shifts. Finally, real‐life data of hospital stay time for male patients with traumatic brain injury are analyzed for the applicability of the control chart in the health sector.
Who gets public goods? Effects of ethnic diversity and exclusion on urban and rural populations' access to water and sanitation
Authors: Jadoon Amira , Khalid Hina , Fox Ashley 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWhy do some countries provide better access to life‐saving public goods than others? An enduring explanation from the political economy literature points to ethnic heterogeneity in impeding public goods provision. However, previous studies have not examined how the “diversity deficit” directly affects access to improved water and sanitation, a leading cause of continued under‐5 mortality globally, and how this effect varies for urban versus rural communities. Using cross‐sectional time series analysis of 149 low and middle‐income countries between 1990 and 2013, this study explores the relationship between national ethnic diversity and ethnic‐based political exclusion, and rural and urban populations’ access to water and sanitation. We find that ethnic diversity rather than ethnic exclusion predicts lower access to water and sanitation, although more so for rural populations, and that this relationship may be the most pronounced in South Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa. This suggests that the negative impact of diversity rooted in coordination problems may be rooted at the national level for goods that require both long‐term investment and ongoing resources. Our findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how national‐level ethnic diversity can exert divergent effects on the provision of public goods to rural versus urban populations, while also highlighting regional variation.
Paying for nature‐based solutions: A review of funding and financing mechanisms for ecosystem services and their impacts on social equity
Authors: Thompson Austin , Bunds Kyle , Larson Lincoln , Cutts Bethany , Hipp J. Aaron 
Published: March 2023

AbstractFunding and financing challenges remain a persistent barrier to implementing nature‐based solutions that enhance ecosystem services, facilitate adaptation to climate change, and combat environmental stressors in cities. In the absence of adequate public financial resources, private funds are often expected to fill the gap. But market‐driven, nature‐based solutions can contribute to an inequitable distribution of urban ecosystem services by focusing on net benefits provided by nature. To help foster sustainable development and ensure that nature‐based solutions reach diverse and historically marginalized populations and communities, this scoping review explores the ecosystem services provided by nature‐based solutions and the payment mechanisms that produce and maintain them, focusing on literature on the United States. Findings suggest that the net benefits provided by nature‐based solutions and the available payment mechanisms vary based on the solution utilized (e.g., urban trees, parks, community gardens). Further, the distribution of benefits from nature‐based solutions is influenced by local historical, cultural, political, economic, and environmental contexts, the voices included in decision‐making, and the payment mechanisms used. Inspired by social equity principles, we present a framework for ecosystem service provision that is sensitive to market‐driven funding, financing, and partnerships. Practitioners can use this framework to assess whether payment schemes work in tandem with place (the local context) and process (governance and planning approaches) to ameliorate or exacerbate disparities in nature‐based solutions and the benefits they provide to people.
Non‐Symmetrical Tetraaryl‐α‐Diimines via Transimination: A Promising Route for Non‐Symmetrical 1,3,4,5‐Tetraarylimidazolium Chlorides
Authors: Joy Bony P. , Paul Sudeep , Sethy Sandhyarani , Gudimetla Vittal B. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractA single step approach for the synthesis of non‐symmetrical tetraaryl‐α‐diimines via the transimination route at room temperature was developed. The reported procedure was found to be an elegant route for making non‐symmetrical tetraaryl‐α‐diimines, which upon cyclization yields a series of new non‐symmetrical 1,3,4,5‐tetraarylimidazolium chlorides, as stable N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors.
Thermodynamic and Kinetic Studies of the Activities of Aldehydic C−H Bonds toward Their H‐Atom Transfer Reactions
Authors: Fu Yan‐Hua , Wang Fang , Zhao Ling , Zhang Yanwei , Shen Guang‐Bin , Zhu Xiao‐Qing 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAldehydes can not only accept hydrogen atoms to be reduced to alcohols, showing their oxidation properties; but also can donate hydrogen atoms of the C(sp2)−H bonds as hydrogen atom donors, showing their reduction properties. In this article, the hydrogen atom transfer reactions of eight aldehydes and free radicals in acetonitrile at 298 K were studied. The thermo‐kinetic parameters ΔG≠°(XH) of C(sp2)−H bonds in aldehydes were obtained by ΔG≠XH/Y=ΔG≠°(XH)+ΔG≠°(Y) as the ΔG≠°(Y) of free radicals were available in our previous work. The bond dissociation free energies ΔGo(XH) of C(sp2)−H bonds were calculated by iBonD HM method. The intrinsic resistance energies ΔG≠XH/X were determined as the ΔG≠°(XH) and ΔGo(XH) were available. ΔGo(XH), ΔG≠XH/X, and ΔG≠°(XH) were used to access the H‐donating abilities of C(sp2)−H bonds in aldehydes in thermodynamics, kinetics and actual HAT reactions. The scales and the effect of the structures of aldehydes on ΔGo(XH), ΔG≠XH/X, and ΔG≠°(XH) were discussed carefully. The oxidizing and reducing abilities of aldehydes, and the comparison of H‐donating abilities between C(sp2)−H of aldehydes with C(sp3)−H of the corresponding alcohols were also researched in detail. This paper not only fills the gap in the study of H‐donating activities of aldehydic C−H bonds, but also provides data support for the design and synthesis of more C(sp2)−H type antioxidants.
High Resolution Membrane Structures within Hybrid Lipid‐Polymer Vesicles Revealed by Combining X‐Ray Scattering and Electron Microscopy
Authors: Seneviratne Rashmi , Coates Georgina , Xu Zexi , Cornell Caitlin E. , Thompson Rebecca F. , Sadeghpour Amin , Maskell Daniel P. , Jeuken Lars J. C. , Rappolt Michael , Beales Paul A. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractHybrid vesicles consisting of phospholipids and block‐copolymers are increasingly finding applications in science and technology. Herein, small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo‐electron tomography (cryo‐ET) are used to obtain detailed structural information about hybrid vesicles with different ratios of 1‐palmitoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (POPC) and poly(1,2‐butadiene‐block‐ethylene oxide) (PBd22‐PEO14, Ms = 1800 g mol−1). Using single particle analysis (SPA) the authors are able to further interpret the information gained from SAXS and cryo‐ET experiments, showing that increasing PBd22‐PEO14 mole fraction increases the membrane thickness from 52 Å for a pure lipid system to 97 Å for pure PBd22‐PEO14 vesicles. Two vesicle populations with different membrane thicknesses in hybrid vesicle samples are found. As these lipids and polymers are reported to homogeneously mix, bistability is inferred between weak and strong interdigitation regimes of PBd22‐PEO14 within the hybrid membranes. It is hypothesized that membranes of intermediate structure are not energetically favorable. Therefore, each vesicle exists in one of these two membrane structures, which are assumed to have comparable free energies. The authors conclude that, by combining biophysical methods, accurate determination of the influence of composition on the structural properties of hybrid membranes is achieved, revealing that two distinct membranes structures can coexist in homogeneously mixed lipid‐polymer hybrid vesicles.
Engineering Single Cu Sites into Covalent Organic Framework for Selective Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction
Authors: Zhang Yize , Cao Lili , Bai Guoyi , Lan Xingwang 
Published: March 2023

AbstractPhotocatalytic CO2 conversion into value‐added chemicals is a promising route but remains challenging due to poor product selectivity. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as an emerging class of porous materials are considered as promising candidates for photocatalysis. Incorporating metallic sites into COF is a successful strategy to realize high photocatalytic activities. Herein, 2,2′‐bipyridine‐based COF bearing non‐noble single Cu sites is fabricated by chelating coordination of dipyridyl units for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The coordinated single Cu sites not only significantly enhance light harvesting and accelerate electron–hole separation but also provide adsorption and activation sites for CO2 molecules. As a proof of concept, the Cu‐Bpy‐COF as a representative catalyst exhibits superior photocatalytic activity for reducing CO2 to CO and CH4 without photosensitizer, and impressively, the product selectivity of CO and CH4 can be readily modulated only by changing reaction media. Experimental and theoretical results reveal the crucial role of single Cu sites in promoting photoinduced charge separation and solvent effect in regulating product selectivity, which provides an important sight onto the design of COF photocatalysts for selective CO2 photoreduction.