bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thermochromism applied to Transportation Engineering: asphalt roads and paints
Authors: Lima Orlando , Cardoso Pedro , Segundo Iran Rocha , Freitas Elisabete , Costa Manuel F. M. , Nascimento Heriberto , Afonso Cátia , Landi Salmon , Teixeira Vasco , Carneiro Joaquim 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Thermochromic materials change their optical response to temperature reversibly. This study explores the application of thermochromism to road engineering, which is still incipient in this area, from two perspectives. The first one is about the development of functionalized road markings (FRM) working as thermochromic sensors to alert the presence of ice on the road and, in this way, to improve road safety. The second one concerns the functionalization of asphalt pavements for reversible color change at high temperatures to reduce energy absorption in the form of heat and, in this way, mitigate Urban Heat Islands (UHI) effect. For the development of the FRM, thermocapsules were added into acrylic ink, applied to an AC10 asphalt mixture, submitted to high and low temperatures, and visually characterized. For the functionalization aiming for UHI reduction, thermochromic solutions (TS) containing thermocapsules, dye, and resin were superficially sprayed at an AC10, and the Quick Ultraviolet Accelerated Weathering Test (QUV) was performed with subsequent Colorimetry Analysis, where the color coordinates defined by the Comissione Internationale de l' Éclairage (CIE) were measured. The results show that it is possible to functionalize road marks to work as a thermochromic sensor. Also, this property can be improved by synthesizing or using thermocapsules with TT closer to the water melting point. The results also indicate that the asphalt pavement functionalization with surface spraying of TS points out to higher luminosity results in terms of color coordinate, which is intended for the mitigation of heat energy absorption, consequently mitigating the UHI.
Resonant Tunnelling Diode – Photodetectors for spiking neural networks
Authors: Lourenço J , Al-Taai Q R , Al-Khalidi A , Wasige E , Figueiredo J 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Spike-based neuromorphic devices promise to alleviate the energy greed of the artificial intelligence hardware by using spiking neural networks (SNNs), which employ neuron like units to process information through the timing of the spikes. These neuron-like devices only consume energy when active. Recent works have shown that resonant tunnelling diodes (RTDs) incorporating optoelectronic functionalities such as photodetection and light emission can play a major role on photonic SNNs. RTDs are devices that display an N-shaped current-voltage characteristics capable of providing negative differential conductance (NDC) over a range of the operating voltages. Specifically, RTD photodetectors (RTD-PDs) show promise due to their unique mixture of the structural simplicity while simultaneously providing highly complex non-linear behavior. The goal of this work is to present a systematic study of the how the thickness of the RTD-PD light absorption layers (100, 250, 500 nm) and the device size impacts on the performance of InGaAs RTD-PDs, namely on its responsivity and time response when operating in the third (1550 nm) optical transmission window. Our focus is on the overall characterization of the device optoelectronic response including the impact of the light absorption on the device static current-voltage characteristic, the responsivity and the photodetection time response. For the static characterization, the devices I-V curves were measured under dark conditions and under illumination, giving insights on the light induced I-V tunability effect. The RTD-PD responsivity was compared to the response of a commercial photodetector. The characterization of the temporal response included its capacity to generate optical induced neuronal-like electrical spike, that is, when working as an opto-to-electrical spike converter. The experimental data obtained at each characterization phase is being used for the evaluation and refinement of a behavioral model for RTD-PD devices under construction.
Plasmonic/magnetic liposomes based on nanoparticles with multicore-shell architecture for chemo/thermotherapy
Authors: Rodrigues Ana Rita O. , Santos Lia C. A. , Macedo Daniela O. , Rio Irina S. R. , Pires Ana , Pereira André M. , Arújo João P. , Castanheira Elisabete M. S. , Coutinho Paulo J. G. 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Multifunctional nanosystems are capable to carry one or more therapeutic agents (thermal and/or targeting agents and chemotherapeutic drugs), offering the capability to concurrently perform different treatment modalities using a single nanosystem. Cluster nanostructures, consisting of densely packed aggregates of magnetic nanoparticles, have shown enhanced heating capabilities. Their combination with plasmonic nanoparticles enable synergistic behavior between dual hyperthermia (magneto-photothermia), allowing overheating cancer cells while increasing drug toxicity. In this work, multicore magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) of MnFe2O4 were prepared using oxamide and melamine as clustering agents. The multicore NPs prepared with oxamide were covered with a gold shell, resulting in multicore magnetic/plasmonic NPs with an increased SAR of 173.80 W/g, under NIR light. Liposomes based on these magnetic/plasmonic NPs were prepared and the model drug curcumin was loaded in these nanocarriers with a high encapsulation efficiency. The fusion between the curcumin-loaded magnetic/plasmonic liposomes and models of cell membranes (labelled with Nile Red) was confirmed by FRET, pointing the magneto/plasmonic liposomes as promising for dual cancer therapy (combined hyperthermia and chemotherapy).
Design and test results of different aluminum coating layers on the sCMOS sensors for soft X-ray detection
Authors: Wang W.X. , Ling Z.X. , Zhang C. , Yuan W.M. , Zhang S.N. 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
In recent years, tremendous progress has been made on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors for applications as X-ray detectors. To shield the visible light in X-ray detection, a blocking filter of aluminum is commonly employed. We designed three types of aluminum coating layers, which are deposited directly on the surface of back-illuminated sCMOS sensors during fabrication. A commercial 2k × 2k sCMOS sensor is used to realize these designs. In this work, we report their performance by comparison with that of an uncoated sCMOS sensor. The optical transmissions at 660 nm and 850 nm are measured, and the results show that the optical transmission reaches a level of about 10-9 for the 200 nm aluminum layer and about 10-4 for the 100 nm aluminum layer. Light leakage is found around the four sides of the sensor. The readout noise, fixed-pattern noise and energy resolution of these Al-coated sCMOS sensors do not show significant changes. The dark currents of these Al-coated sCMOS sensors show a noticeable increase compared with that of the uncoated sCMOS sensor at room temperatures, while no significant difference is found when the sCMOS sensors are cooled down to about -15°C. The aluminum coatings show no visible crack after the thermal cycle and aging tests. Based on these results, an aluminum coating of a larger area on larger sCMOS sensors is proposed for future work.
Weakening seasonality of Indo-Pacific warm pool size in a warming world since 1950
Authors: Gan Qiuying , Leung Jeremy Cheuk-Hin , Wang Lei , Zhang Banglin 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Seasonal variation of the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) plays an important role in oceanographic and climatological processes. While expansion of the IPWP under greenhouse warming has been widely discussed, the response of IPWP seasonality to climate change has received limited attention. In this study, we found an obvious seasonal diversity in expansion of the IPWP from 1950 to 2020, with a maximum (minimum) expansion trend of 0.28

×

107 km2/decade in winter (0.17

×

107 km2/decade in spring), which consequently reduces the seasonality amplitude of the variation in IPWP size. This is primarily attributed to the seasonal difference in the climatological spatial sea surface temperature (SST) pattern over the Indo-Pacific Ocean, especially that over the tropical Indian Ocean, which determines the capacity for IPWP expansion. Heat budget analyses show that the seasonal shortwave radiation and latent heat fluxes are the major factors controlling the capacity for change in IPWP size across seasons. The presented analyses emphasize the significant weakening of the seasonality of IPWP size, which may have great impacts on the ecological environment of the IPWP and the tropical climate system, and remind us that the intrinsic properties of the climate background of Indo-Pacific SST hold important clues about IPWP expansion under climate change.
Linking repeat lidar with Landsat products for large scale quantification of fire-induced permafrost thaw settlement in interior Alaska
Authors: Zhang Caiyun , Douglas Thomas A , Brodylo David , Jorgenson M Torre 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
The permafrost–fire–climate system has been a hotspot in research for decades under a warming climate scenario. Surface vegetation plays a dominant role in protecting permafrost from summer warmth, thus, any alteration of vegetation structure, particularly following severe wildfires, can cause dramatic top–down thaw. A challenge in understanding this is to quantify fire-induced thaw settlement at large scales (>1000 km2). In this study, we explored the potential of using Landsat products for a large-scale estimation of fire-induced thaw settlement across a well-studied area representative of ice-rich lowland permafrost in interior Alaska. Six large fires have affected ∼1250 km2 of the area since 2000. We first identified the linkage of fires, burn severity, and land cover response, and then developed an object-based machine learning ensemble approach to estimate fire-induced thaw settlement by relating airborne repeat lidar data to Landsat products. The model delineated thaw settlement patterns across the six fire scars and explained ∼65% of the variance in lidar-detected elevation change. Our results indicate a combined application of airborne repeat lidar and Landsat products is a valuable tool for large scale quantification of fire-induced thaw settlement.
Combined impact of summer NAO and northern Russian shortwave cloud radiative effect on Eurasian atmospheric circulation
Authors: Liu Le , Wu Bingyi , Ding Shuoyi 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Based on ERA-Interim and CERES_SYN1deg Ed4.1 datasets, the combined influence of summer North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO) and positive shortwave cloud radiative effect (SWCRE) events in northern Russia on Eurasian atmospheric circulation is investigated at the intraseasonal scale. The impact of the SNAO on the position of the North Atlantic storm track is modified combined with the Ural anticyclone anomaly contributed by positive northern Russian SWCRE anomalies, which could affect the summer stationary wave pattern. During positive northern Russian SWCRE events under SNAO+, the upstream wave train enhanced by the southward Ural anticyclone anomaly is easily trapped by the northward South Asian jets, thus propagating to low latitudes and causing extreme heat events in East Asia. Under SNAO-, the wave train propagates in the British–Baikal Corridor pattern along polar front jet towards the Far East, slowing down the dramatic melting of sea ice in the Laptev and East Siberian seas. Summer positive SWCRE events in northern Russian act as a bridge by promoting the emergence of the Ural anticyclone anomaly, influencing extreme weather in East Asia and Arctic sea ice variability.
Objective Analysis of Breast Symmetry in Female Patients Undergoing Breast Reconstruction After Total Mastectomy
Authors: Sampathkumar Urmila , Bui Thao , Liu Jun , Nowroolizarki Zhale , Bordes Mary Catherine , Hanson Summer E , Reece Gregory P , Markey Mia K , Merchant Fatima A 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Background
Satisfaction with the breast aesthetic outcome is an expectation of breast reconstruction surgery, which is an integral part of cancer treatment for many patients. We evaluated postreconstruction breast symmetry in 82 female patients using distance and volume measurements.

Objectives
Clinical factors, such as reconstruction type (implant-based and autologous reconstruction), laterality, timing of reconstruction (immediate, delayed, and sequential), radiation therapy (RT), and demographic factors (age, BMI, race, and ethnicity), were evaluated as predictors of postoperative symmetry. Matched preoperative and postoperative measurements for a subset of 46 patients were used to assess correlation between preoperative and postoperative symmetry.

Methods
We used standardized differences between the left and right breasts for the sternal notch to lowest visible point distance and breast volume as metrics for breast, positional symmetry, and volume symmetry, respectively. We performed statistical tests to compare symmetry between subgroups of patients based on reconstruction type, laterality, timing, RT, and demographics.

Results
Overall, reconstruction type, reconstruction timing, and RT were observed to be factors significantly associated with postoperative symmetry, with implant reconstructions and immediate reconstruction procedures, and no RT showing better postoperative breast volume symmetry. Subgroup analyses, for both reconstruction type and laterality, showed superior volume symmetry for the bilateral implant reconstructions. No correlation was observed between preoperative and postoperative breast symmetry. Demographic factors were not significant predictors of postreconstruction symmetry.

Conclusions
This comprehensive analysis examines multiple clinical factors in a single study and will help both patients and surgeons make informed decisions about reconstruction options at their disposal.

Level of Evidence: 3
Insane in the vembrane: filtering and transforming VCF/BCF files
Authors: Hartmann Till , Schröder Christopher , Kuthe Elias , Lähnemann David , Köster Johannes 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Summary
We present vembrane as a command line variant call format (VCF)/binary call format (BCF) filtering tool that consolidates and extends the filtering functionality of previous software to meet any imaginable filtering use case. Vembrane exposes the VCF/BCF file type specification and its inofficial extensions by the annotation tools VEP and SnpEff as Python data structures. vembrane filter enables filtration by Python expressions, requiring only basic knowledge of the Python programming language. vembrane table allows users to generate tables from subsets of annotations or functions thereof. Finally, it is fast, by using pysam and relying on lazy evaluation.

Availability and implementation
Source code and installation instructions are available at github.com/vembrane/vembrane (doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7003981).

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The effects of 105 biological, socioeconomic, behavioral, and environmental factors on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and a severe course of COVID-19: a prospective, explorative cohort study
Authors: Flegr Jaroslav , Flegr Pavel , Příplatová Lenka 
Published: December 2022

Abstract The confirmed number of SARS-CoV-2 infections up to 18 October 2022 is 626 million worldwide, but information about factors affecting the probability of infection or a severe course of COVID-19 remains insufficient and often speculative. Only a small number of factors have been rigorously examined, mostly by retrospective or cross-sectional studies. We ran a preregistered study on 5164 Internet users who shared information with us about their exposure to 105 risk factors and reported being COVID-19 negative before the beginning of the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic. After the fourth wave, in which 709 (13.7%) of participants were infected, we used a partial Kendall test controlled for sex, age, and urbanization to compare the risk of infection and a severe course of the disease in subjects who initially did and did not report exposure to particular risk factors. After the correction for multiple tests, we identified 13 factors – including male sex, lower age, blood group B, and larger household size – that increased the risk of infection and 16 factors – including mask-wearing, borreliosis in the past, use of vitamin D supplements, or rooibos drinking – that decreased it. We also identified 23 factors that increased the risk of a severe course of COVID-19 and 12 factors that decreased the risk. This preregistered longitudinal study is of explorative nature. Therefore, although the observed effects were strong and remained highly significant even after correction for multiple tests, it will be necessary to confirm their existence in future independent studies.
Improved prediction of new COVID-19 cases using a simple vector autoregressive model: evidence from seven New York state counties
Authors: Kitaoka Takayoshi , Takahashi Harutaka 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
With the rapid spread of COVID-19, there is an urgent need for a framework to accurately predict COVID-19 transmission. Recent epidemiological studies have found that a prominent feature of COVID-19 is its ability to be transmitted before symptoms occur, which is generally not the case for seasonal influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Several COVID-19 predictive epidemiological models have been proposed; however, they share a common drawback – they are unable to capture the unique asymptomatic nature of COVID-19 transmission. Here, we propose vector autoregression (VAR) as an epidemiological county-level prediction model that captures this unique aspect of COVID-19 transmission by introducing newly infected cases in other counties as lagged explanatory variables. Using the number of new COVID-19 cases in seven New York State counties, we predicted new COVID-19 cases in the counties over the next 4 weeks. We then compared our prediction results with those of 11 other state-of-the-art prediction models proposed by leading research institutes and academic groups. The results showed that VAR prediction is superior to other epidemiological prediction models in terms of the root mean square error of prediction. Thus, we strongly recommend the simple VAR model as a framework to accurately predict COVID-19 transmission.
Progression and interventional therapy of a coronary pseudoaneurysm: a case report
Authors: Gersch Svante , Baraki Hassina , Toischer Karl 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Background
Coronary pseudoaneurysms (PSAs) occur as a rare complication following drug-eluting stent implantation and have been reported to occur between 1 week and 4 years after implantation. Most of them remain in a stable state, but progression of PSAs increases the risk of rupture and haemorrhagic cardiac tamponade.

Case summary
Here, we present a case of a 55-year-old patient, who developed a PSA of the proximal left circumflex artery after stent implantation of the left main artery, left anterior descending artery, and left circumflex artery. Within &lt;1 year, the patient was readmitted to different hospitals due to cardiac decompensation and myocardial infarction. Thereafter, coronary angiography and computed tomography scans were performed, and progression of the PSA could be documented. Interventional therapy was chosen due to the high surgical risk of the patient. Implantation of a covered stent from the left main artery into the left anterior descending artery was chosen to treat the PSA, thereby silencing the chronically occluded left circumflex artery, followed by dilatation with a non-compliant balloon. The patient has remained asymptomatic in a 6-month follow-up.

Discussion
Coronary PSA should be controlled with respect to progression, and appropriate therapy can be chosen for treatment.
402 A SIMPLIFIED ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC FORMULA TO ESTIMATE CARDIAC INDEX IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
Authors: Gaspardone Carlo , Romagnolo Davide , Baldetti Luca , Fasolino Alessandro , Peveri Beatrice , Calvo Francesco , Gramegna Mario , Pazzanese Vittorio , Sacchi Stefania , Beneduce Alessandro , Falasconi Giulio , Fiore Giorgio , Rampa Lorenzo , Ajello Silvia , Mara Scandroglio Anna 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Background and aim
Measurement of cardiac index (CI) is crucial in the hemodynamic assessment of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The most reliable trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) technique for CI estimation is the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) Doppler method that requires, among other parameters, the LVOT cross-sectional area (CSA) measurement. However, geometrical assumptions inherent limitations and practical disadvantages related to the ICU setting, hamper LVOT-CSA assessment. In this study, we aimed to validate a simplified formula, leveraging only on LVOT-velocity time integral (VTI) and heart rate (HR) variables, for the non-invasive estimation of CI in ICU patients.

Methods and Results
We prospectively enrolled 50 consecutive patients admitted to our ICU requiring PAC over a one-year period. For each patient we measured the CI by PAC (CIPAC) and TTE. The latter was obtained both with the “traditional formula” (traditional CITTE), requiring LVOT-CSA assessment, and our new “simplified formula” (simplified CITTE). The correlation between the simplified CITTE and CIPAC was strong (r = 0.81) and resulted significantly greater than the traditional CITTE and CIPAC correlation (r = 0.70; p &lt; 0.05 for Pearson r coefficients comparison). Both TTE-based CI showed an acceptable agreement (+0.19±0.48 L/min/m2 for simplified CITTE and -0.18±0.58 L/min/m2 for traditional CITTE) with the reference CIPAC.

Conclusion
In this study, we propose an easy-to-use and practical approach, leveraging on TTE LVOT-VTI and HR only, for non-invasive estimation of CI in ICU patients.