Multicriteria Model for Shared Parking and Parking Route Recommender Systems

In many congested areas, shared parking has gotten increasing attention because of its potential to alleviate parking resource shortages. However, managing parking resources remains a challenge when simultaneously considering multiple decision-making criteria of public travelers in allocating parking spaces and recommending optimal parking routes. To fill this gap, from four perspectives, i.e., driving, among shared parking lots, at a shared parking lot, between shared parking spaces and destinations, we proposed nine criteria for shared parking space allocations and parking route recommendations, and we also gave the quantitative models for different criteria. Furthermore, an analytic hierarchy process Entropy-TOPSIS grey relational analysis (AHP-Entropy-TOPSIS-GRA) method and an improved ant colony algorithm were proposed to solve the proposed allocation of parking spaces and recommend optimal parking routes, respectively. Finally, the validity of our proposed models and algorithms was tested by empirical parking data and road traffic data collected in Huai’an City, Jiangsu province, China. The research helps provide a theoretical foundation for implementing shared parking initiatives and improving public travelers’ parking satisfaction.

Nucleocapsid Mutations R203K/G204R Increase the Infectivity, Fitness and Virulence of SARS-CoV-2 (preprint)

In this study, cooccurring mutations R203K/G204R in the nucleocapsid protein are demonstrated adaptive and associated with the emergence of a high-transmissibility SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7. Through comparing a R203K/G204R mutant virus, created based on the USA-WA1/2020 SARS-CoV-2 strain, with the native virus in competition experiments, we found that the 203K/204R variants possess a replication advantage over the preceding R203/G204 variants, possibly related to ribonucleocapsid (RNP) assembly during virus replication. Moreover, the 203K/204R virus showed increased infectivity in a human lung cell line and induced increased damage to blood vessels in infected hamster lungs. Accordingly, we observed a positive association between increased COVID-19 severity and the incidence frequency of 203K/204R. Our work suggested a contribution of the 203K/204R mutations to the increased transmission and virulence of SARS-CoV-2. In addition to mutations in the spike protein, the mutations in the nucleocapsid protein are important for viral spreading during the pandemic.Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, SGC's Rapid Response Funding for COVID-19 (C-0002), the National Key Research and Development Program (2019YFC1604600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81970008 and 31200941), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2021CDJYGRH-009), the Youth Innovative Talents Training Project of Chongqing (CY210102) and the National Natural Science Foundation of HeBei province (19226631D).Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Nucleocapsid mutation R203K/G204R increases the infectivity, fitness and virulence of SARS-CoV-2 (preprint)

In addition to the mutations on the spike protein (S), co-occurring mutations on nucleocapsid (N) protein are also emerging in SARS-CoV-2 world widely. Mutations R203K/G204R on N, carried by high transmissibility SARS-CoV-2 lineages including B.1.1.7 and P.1, has a rapid spread in the pandemic during the past year. In this study, we performed comprehensive population genomic analyses and virology experiment concerning on the evolution, causation and virology consequence of R203K/G204R mutations. The global incidence frequency (IF) of 203K/204R has rose up from nearly zero to 76% to date with a shrinking from August to November in 2020 but bounced later. Our results show that the emergence of B.1.1.7 is associated with the second growth of R203K/G204R mutants. We identified positive selection evidences that support the adaptiveness of 203K/204R variants. The R203K/G204R mutant virus was created and compared with the native virus. The virus competition experiments show that 203K/204R variants possess a replication advantage over the preceding R203/G204 variants, possibly in relation to the ribonucleocapsid (RNP) assemble during the virus replication. Moreover, the 203K/204R virus increased the infectivity in a human lung cell line and induced an enhanced damage to blood vessel of infected hamsters' lungs. In consistence, we observed a positive association between the increased severity of COVID-19 and the IF of 203K/204R from in silicon analysis of global clinical and epidemic data. In combination with the informatics and virology experiment, our work suggested the contribution of 203K/204R to the increased transmission and virulence of the SARS-CoV-2. In addition to mutations on the S protein, the mutations on the N protein are also important to virus spread during the pandemic.