bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
ALKBH5 enhances efficiency of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy by reducing Lnc-XIST/miRNA- 124-3p mediated FGL1 expression in bladder cancer
Authors: Xia Yangyang , Jiang Xuewen , Sang Zunmeng , Zang Maolin , Shi Kai , Cui Jianfeng , Wang Yong , Wang Wenfu , Zhu Yaofeng , Shi Benkang , Chen Shouzhen 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Background
Fibrinogen-like 1 (FGL1), the promising inhibitory immune checkpoint, has been proved to promote immune escape and abrogate the efficacy of immunotherapy in malignancy. However, knowledge on its dynamic expression and regulatory mechanism in course of cancer immunotherapy is limited in bladder cancer (BCa). The vital roles of N6‑methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation have been identified in multiple biological activities, including tumor immunity. However, the roles of m6A modification on FGL1 expression and anti-tumor immunity are unknown.
Methods
The associations of dynamic FGL1 expression with immunotherapy, tumor-infiltrated immune cells and prognosis in BCa patients were assessed in public datasets, vitro and vivo tumor models. Furthermore, a siRNAs kit targeting m6A related genes were utilized and identified that ALKBH5 regulated the expression of FGL1. Moreover, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (Me‑RIP), RT‑qPCR and rescue experiments were performed to validate the molecular mechanism underlying ALKBH5/Lnc-XIST axis in FGL1 expression. And the luciferase report assays were carried out to identify the sponge of Lnc-XIST with miR-124-3p and interactions between miR-124-3p and FGL1 and PD-L1. The xenograft tumor mice models were constructed to verify the anti-tumor effects of single or combined ICIs in BCa with aberrant expressions of FGL1 and ALKBH5.
Results
In this study, we found that high expression level of FGL1 was associated with poor immunotherapy response and prognosis in BCa. Functionally, elevated FGL1 expression reducing tumor-infiltrated CD8+ T cells and abrogated anti-tumor immunity in an immunocompetent mouse model. Furthermore, ALKBH5 knockdown significantly promoted FGL1 expression via up-regulating Lnc-XIST expression in an m6A dependent manner. Lnc-XIST was found to act as a ceRNA by sponging miR-124-3p which reversed up-regulation of FGL1 induced by ALKBH5. Further analysis identified that PD-L1 was also a downstream target of miR-124-3p in BCa. In addition, co-blockade of FGL1/LAG3 and PD-L1/PD-1 axis motivated more effective antitumor immune response in BCa with low ALKBH5 expressions.
Conclusion
Our study suggested that ALKBH5 regulated FGL1 expression via Lnc-XIST/ miR-124-3p axis in an m6A dependent manner and dual blockade of FGL1/LAG3 and PD-L1/PD-1 axis could significantly inhibit tumor growth in BCa with low-ALKBH5 expressions. These results will provide implications for precise and efficient therapeutic strategies in the BCa immunotherapy.
Predicting Handwritten Devanagari Characters using modified-Lenet Model Architecture
Authors: Dahal Ashim , Kattel Sushan 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Handwritten character recognition has always been an interesting area of pattern recognition for research in the field of image processing. Unlike its counterpart of English Character Recognition (CR), Devanagari Optical Character Recognition poses its own complications (DOCR). With 36 consonants, 14 vowels and 10 digits, it’s only generic that Nepali Devanagari Optical Character Recognition models tend to go bigger hence less efficient, but, as with all other problems, non efficient solutions are of no use to the real world. This paper includes novel research on accurate yet efficient Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture for DOCR. Dataset from Devanagari Handwritten Character Dataset (DHCD) was used to train the model to result in the highest accuracy achieved on the dataset along with ensured efficiency.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Depression Prevalence Amongst Nigerian Students Pursuing Higher Education
Authors: Cui Sunny , Ajayi Babatunde , Kim Esther , Egonu Remare 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders currently going undiagnosed in many developing countries, including Nigeria. Stigmatization, inadequate financial resources, poor healthcare infrastructure for accurate diagnosis, and low research attention are contributing factors to the prevalence of depression among youths in West Africa. This study therefore estimated the prevalence of depression among higher education students in Nigeria. Data was extracted and examined from 1225 publications by three independent reviewers. Pooling of logit-transformed data was done using generalized linear mixed-effects model, while restricted maximum likelihood was used to estimate between-study variance (τ2). Knapp-Hartung adjustments were included for calculating the confidence intervals around pooled effects; and R was used to calculate pooled estimates of depression prevalence. The effect of predictors of depression were examined by subgroup analyses and random-effect meta-regression models. Mean age of students across the 18 studies ranged from 19.09 to 26.3 years, with sample sizes ranging from 81 to 1482 participants. The pooled depression prevalence across studies was 26% (95% CI 0.18, 0.36) with high heterogeneity (I2 = 97%, τ2 = 0.9512). The subgroup analyses showed that higher education students in the Northwestern region of Nigeria have the highest depression prevalence (45.9%), followed by the South-South region (33%), Southeastern (22.1%), and Southwestern region (18.1%). Our findings show that depression among higher education students in Nigeria is highly prevalent. The factors contributing to the high depression prevalence, particularly among higher education students in the Northwestern region of Nigeria, should be investigated.
Effect of crack propagation on surface formation mechanism and surface morphology evaluation of longitudinal–torsional composite ultrasonic mill-grinding of Si3N4
Authors: Yi Shicheng , Qiao Guochao , Zheng Wei , Zhou Ming 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Crack extension is critical in determining surface forming process and machined surface quality of hard brittle materials. However, there is still a lack of research on this subject. In this work, the effect of crack extension on surface formation mechanism and surface morphology of silicon nitride ceramics was investigated via longitudinal–torsional composite ultrasonic-assisted mill-grinding, and reconstruction model of machined surface morphology considering crack extension was proposed. This model was quantitatively characterized and evaluated by the average roughness Sa and the kurtosis Sku. It is found that simulation results considering crack expansion were in good agreement with experimental results. Average relative errors in average roughness and kurtosis were found to be 7.95% and 9.46%, respectively. Primary effect analysis was performed to understand the influence of process parameters on machined surface morphology. It is found that ultrasonic vibration leads to changes in shear angle and shear velocity of abrasive grains, thereby changing machined surface morphology. Results presented here provide practical method for predicting and controlling machined surface quality during precision machining of ceramic materials.
Health Effects of Liquid and Gaseous Fuels for Household Energy Use: Systematic Evidence Mapping
Authors: Nix Emily , Fleeman Nigel , Lorenzetti Federico , Lewis Jessica , Shen Guofeng , Abebe Lydia , Li Yaojie , Xing Ran , Maden Michelle , Duarte Rui , Bresnahan Rebecca , Williams Kendra N. , Adair-Rohani Heather , Pope Daniel , Puzzolo Elisa 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Background
Exposure to household air pollution results in a substantial global health burden. The World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Household Fuel Combustion stipulate emission rates for household energy devices should meet air quality guidelines and protect health. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, natural gas, and alcohol fuels are considered clean for health due to their low emissions at the point of use. In light of the ongoing energy transition and increasing emphasis on these fuels, it is imperative to provide an updated synthesis of the impacts of these fuels on health.
Methods
A systematic review was completed on the health effects of liquid and gaseous fuels for household energy use for cooking, heating, and lighting across high-, middle- and low-income countries. Comprehensive searches were undertaken in twelve international databases and selected studies were compiled into a new publicly available WHO Health Effects of Household Liquid & Gaseous Fuels Database, containing key study characteristics including pollutants and/or health outcomes measured. This database was then mapped to understand the breadth of evidence and potential gaps.
Results
From 48,130 search results, 587 studies were extracted for inclusion in the database on completion of the full-text review. Studies represented low-, middle- and high-income countries over several decades – there has been a substantial increase in evidence from low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) published in the last decade, particularly in Asia. Most evidence focused on LPG for cooking in LMICs or natural gas used in high-income countries for cooking and heating. Women were the most studied demographic, with self-reported health outcomes and symptoms being the most common assessment method. Particulate matter and nitrogen oxides were the most monitored pollutants. A wide array of health symptoms and disease and injury outcomes were assessed, and most concerned respiratory health.
Conclusion
This is the first time that evidence on the health effects of liquid and gaseous fuels for household energy use has been systematically appraised. Most evidence concerned cooking and heating, with a paucity of information on the health effects from lighting. Limited evidence was available on the health effects of liquid fuels (such as alcohol fuels), with most studies concerning gaseous fuels. The WHO Health Effects of Household Liquid & Gaseous Fuels Database represents a valuable resource to examine both the positive and negative health effects from these fuels.
Socioeconomic Disparity in the Association Between Air Pollution Exposure and Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Crepeau Philip , Zhang Zhenyu , Udyavar Rhea , Morris-Wiseman Lilah , Biswal Shyam S. , Ramanathan Murugappan , Mathur Aarti 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Background
Cumulative exposure to air pollution in the form of fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm [PM2.5]) has been associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). This study aims to evaluate subgroups of patients at the highest risk.
Methods
Under IRB approval, adult patients (age ≥ 18) newly diagnosed with PTC between 1/2013-12/2016 across a single health care system were identified using electronic medical records. These patients were compared to a control group of patients without any evidence of thyroid disease. Cumulative PM2.5 exposure was calculated for each patient using a deep learning neural networks model, which incorporated meteorological and satellite-based measurements at the patients’ residential zip code. Adjusted multivariate logistic regression was used to quantify the association between cumulative PM2.5 exposure and PTC diagnosis. We tested whether this association differed by gender, race, BMI, smoking history, current alcohol use, and median household income.
Results
A cohort of 1,990 patients with PTC and a control group of 6,919 patients without PTC were identified. Compared to the control group, patients with PTC were more likely to be older (51.2 vs. 48.8 years), female (75.5% vs 46.8%), White (75.2% vs. 61.6%), and never smokers (71.1% vs. 58.4%) (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, current alcohol use, median household income, current smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, COPD, and asthma, 3-year cumulative PM2.5 exposure was associated with a 1.41-fold increased odds of PTC diagnosis (95%CI: 1.23–1.62). This association varied by median household income (p-interaction = 0.03). Compared to those with a median annual household income <$50,000, patients with a median annual household income between $50,000 and <$100,000 had a 43% increased risk of PTC diagnosis (aOR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.19–1.72), and patients with median household income ≥$100,000 had a 77% increased risk of PTC diagnosis (aOR = 1.77, 95%CI: 1.37–2.29).
Conclusions
Cumulative exposure to PM2.5 over 3 years was significantly associated with the diagnosis of PTC. This association was most pronounced in those with a high median household income, suggesting a difference in access to care among socioeconomic groups.
Money Laundering in Real Estate (RE): The Case of Canada
Authors: Lokanan Mark , Chopra Gaurav 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Money laundering is a defiance of law and order within the Real Estate (RE) sector in Canada. Laundering of illicit funds impacts the stability, reliability, and integrity of the government, financial institutions, and the economic sectors. Due to its mysterious nature, there are more unknowns about the quantum of snow washing in the property market or its effects on price inflation. Using data from the Cullen Commission about Money Laundering in Canada, this chapter is an effort to examine the nuances that law enforcement encounters while investigating illegal investment operations. This chapter illuminates a broad range of problems around the investigations of on unlawful investments and recommends pragmatic solutions to the illicit flow of money in RE in Canada.
Improved YOLOX-X based UAV aerial photography object detection algorithm
Authors: Wang Xin , He Ning , Hong Chen , Wang Qi , Chen Ming 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aerial photography object detection has high research significance in the fields of disaster rescue, ecological environmental protection, and military reconnaissance. The larger width of UAV photography introduces background interference into the detection task, whereas the relatively high imaging height of the UAV results in mostly small objects in the aerial images. A UAV aerial photography object detection algorithm YOLOX_w with improved YOLOX-X is proposed to handle the characteristics of complex backgrounds and the large number of small objects in UAV aerial photography images. The model’s performance in detecting small objects is first improved by preprocessing the training set with the slicing aided hyper inference (SAHI) algorithm and by data augmentation. Then, a shallow feature map with rich spatial information is introduced into the path aggregation network (PAN), and a detection head is added to detect small objects. Next, the ultra-lightweight subspace attention module (ULSAM) is added to the PAN stage to highlight the target features and weaken the background features, which improves the detection accuracy of the network. Finally, the loss function of the bounding box regression is optimized to further improve network prediction accuracy. Experimental results on the VisDrone dataset demonstrate that the detection accuracy of the proposed YOLOX_w algorithm improved by 8% when compared with the baseline YOLOX-X. Moreover, migration experiments on the DIOR dataset verify the effectiveness and robustness of the improved method.
Hydrochemical Characterization of Surface Water in Phewa Lake, Gandaki Province, Nepal
Authors: Pant Ramesh Raj , Qaiser Faizan Ur Rehman , Yadav Ishwar Chandra , Guanxing Wang , Bishwakarma Kiran , Pal Khadka Bahadur , Thapa Lal B , Panthi Khim , Joshi Susan 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Securing water to satisfy the needs of humans and the ecosystem is one of the prime issues worldwide. This study aims to characterize the hydrochemical properties and water quality of Phewa Lake, Nepal. The mean pH and DO were found to be 7.98 and 6.08 mg/L, respectively. The ionic dominancy of water follows the order of Ca2+>Na+>K+>Mg2+, and HCO3−>SO42−>Cl−>NO3−. The Piper plot characterizes the Ca-HCO3 type of water facies, and the Gibbs diagram indicates the rock weathering as a major controlling mechanism. The high ratios of (Ca2+ + Mg2+)/TZ+, (Ca2+ + Mg2+)/(Na++ K+), Ca2+/Na+, and HCO3− /Na+, i.e., 0.84, 5.33, 6.48, and 5.36, respectively also confirmed the dominancy of carbonate weathering. The drinking and irrigational indices revealed that the lake water was relatively better in monsoon compared to the pre-monsoon season. The study provides new insights on hydrochemical characteristics which contribute to the sustainable management of Ramsar-listed lakes in the Himalayas.
DeepVARwT: Deep Learning for a VAR Model with Trend
Authors: Li Xixi , Yuan Jingsong 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
The vector autoregressive (VAR) model has been used to describe the dependence within and across multiple time series. This is a model for stationary time series which can be extended to allow the presence of a deterministic trend in each series. Detrending the data either parametrically or nonparametrically before fitting the VAR model gives rise to more errors in the latter part. In this study, we propose a new approach called DeepVARwT that employs deep learning methodology for maximum likelihood estimation of the trend and the dependence structure at the same time. A Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network is used for this purpose. To ensure the stability of the model, we enforce the causality condition on the autoregressive coefficients using the transformation of Ansley and Kohn (1986). We provide a simulation study and an application to real data. In the simulation study, we use realistic trend functions generated from real data and compare the estimates with true function/parameter values. In the real data application, we compare the prediction performance of this model with state-of-the-art models in the literature.
The Prevalence of Refractive errors Among a Sample of Syrian Population with Keratoconus
Authors: Akwan Rami , Issa Sameh , Aljaramani Raghad , Alhouri Hasan , Alhouri Ahmad 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Introduction: Keratoconus is an ectatic disease of the cornea characterized by central or paracentral thinning and steepening that causes a cone-like protrusion of the cornea resulting in reduction in patient's visual acuity usually with progressive myopia and astigmatism. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of refractive errors and grading among a sample of Syrian patients with Keratoconus.

Methods and Materials: It is a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Damascus hospital in Syria between the period (September 2021 till the end of April 2022). The study included both newly diagnosed patients as well as patients doing checkups for their previously diagnosed KCN at the time of study. The topographical variables studied are as follows: Kmax, TL, Pachy apex, and maximum posterior and anterior elevation data measured with (BFTE) reference body within the 8-mm diameter zone. Uncorrected and best corrected distal visual acuities were determined by subjective refraction tests. A phoropter was used to subjectively define the patient's eyeglass prescription and refraction errors. All done without cycloplegic drugs

Results: The sample size analyzed was 93 patients corresponding to 173 eyes. Unilateral involvement was (7.5%) and bilateral KCN was (92.5%) with a male to female distribution (44.1%) to (55.9%) respectively. Mean age was 29.7 ±10.9 within the range of [ 9 - 72 years]. The mean values for topographical variables measured were as follows: K.max (52.7 ± 6.07 D [range; 43 - 74.5]), TL (473.3 ± 43.1 µm [range; 343 - 609]), Pachy (486.05 ± 41.17 µm [range; 369 - 612]), Maximum anterior elevation (14.53 ± 10.08 µm [range; 2 - 48]) and Maximum posterior elevation (31.05 ± 19.36 µm [range; 5 - 93]). Regarding refractive status, mean spherical refraction was: -1.87 ± 3.69 [range: 10.25 to −17.00 D], mean cylindrical refraction was: -2.85 ± 1.9 [range: 0.00 to −10.00] and mean SE refraction was: -3.30 ± 3.98 [range: 8.75 to −20.50 D]. The mean values of the measured UDVA (log Mar) for 149 eyes was 0.5 ± 0.4 [range: 0 to 1.30] and of BCVA (log Mar) with spectacles was 0.14 ± 0.19 [range: 0 to 1.00]. In terms of KCN grading moderate grade was the most common (43.1%) followed by mild grade (45.1%) as for severe grade it accounted for (11.0%) in total. Compound myopic astigmatism (57.2%) constituted the majority of cases followed by Simple myopic astigmatism (23.1%) and Mixed astigmatism (9.9%). Correlation between absolute value of SE and Kmax (r = 0.669, P-value = 0.000) and with TL (r = -0.393, P-value = 0.000)

Conclusion:
The clinical profile of keratoconus in Syrian patients is comparable to other studies worldwide with it being more frequent in females and having Compound myopic astigmatism being the most common refractive error related to eyes with keratoconus.
Continuation of some three-dimensional nearly circular symmetric periodic orbits in the elliptic restricted three-body problem
Authors: Xu Xing-Bo , Song Ye-Zhi 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Some families of nearly circular symmetric periodic orbits of comet- and Hill-type in the elliptic restricted three-body problem (ERTBP) are numerically explored by the Broyden method with a linear search. These orbits have inclinations near 90°, where the reference plane is the orbital plane of the primaries. Set the ratio of the mean motions between the orbit of the infinitesimal body and the relative orbit of the primaries as m/k. For the masses of the primaries equal, comet-type doubly-periodic orbitsare calculated when 1/98 ≤ m/k ≤ 1/102. These orbits are not stable for all cases of the initial conditions. Set one mass to be small, some symmetric periodic orbits are also found. For the Hill-type orbits, some symmetric periodic orbits are also calculated withone mass big or small.
NMAstudio web-application: A brief tutorial
Authors: Metelli Silvia , Chaimani Anna 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
For a given medical condition, network meta-analysis (NMA) compares multiple available treatments in a network of comparative studies and provides both direct and indirect estimates of the relative effects for all treatments at hand. Despite NMA is increasingly used to inform decision-making, the lack of user-friendly software is still limiting its usage within a restricted community of researchers and end-users. In this tutorial, we describe NMAstudio, a novel user-friendly tool aimed to produce and visualise network meta-analyses in a fully interactive way. NMAstudio enhances visualisation while simplifying the reporting and interpretation of findings. The main feature of the application is a direct visual connection between a customisable network diagram and the main NMA outputs. Specifically, users upload their data and interact with the network diagram by clicking one or more nodes-treatments or edges-comparisons; based on the selection made, tailored outputs and information are displayed. NMAstudio is written in Python and connected to the R package netmeta to produce the NMA estimates.
Forced Burgers equation with sticky impulsion source
Authors: Moutsinga Octave , Nzissila Florent 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
We consider the inviscid Burgers equation with force ∂tu + ∂x(u2/2) = ν, where the discontinuities of initial datum u0 are interpreted as force sources. Thence, ν is the force of shocks in a sticky dynamics of (paradoxically) non accelerated particles, whose the mass distribution field is ∂xu. The force has its own dynamics of density field η = u − w (the experienced impulsion), where w denotes the sticky particle velocity field. Along the sticky particle trajectory t |→ Xt, the processes t |→ η(Xt, t), u(Xt, t), w(Xt, t) are backward martingales.
2010 MSC: 28C05, 35Q35, 35Q53, 76F20, 76F55, 76M35