bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cobaloxime Photocatalysis for the Synthesis of Phosphorylated Heteroaromatics
Authors: Yu Ji‐Xin , Cheng Yuan‐Yuan , Chen Bin , Tung Chen‐Ho , Wu Li‐Zhu
Published: August 2022

Herein, cobaloxime is used for the first time as a catalyst for the synthesis of phosphorylated heteroaromatics, which is an intriguing and versatile functional motif. With visible‐light irradiation, cobaloxime not only oxidizes phosphine oxides to form phosphorus radicals (P‐radicals) for a subsequent reaction with radical acceptor isocyanides or heteroaromatics, but also combines the radical intermediate with β‐H elimination, thereby producing phosphorylated heteroaromatics with only H2 or CH4 as byproduct. Phosphine oxides with dialkyl, alkylaryl, and diaryl substituents could be directly transformed into phosphorylated phenanthridines, benzothiazoles, isoquinolines, and common heteroaromatics. This catalytic system features extremely mild conditions, broad substrate scope and good to excellent yields. Scale‐up reaction and sunlight reaction show the great application potential in the green synthesis of important organophosphorus chemicals.
Aryl‐aryl linked two‐dimensional covalent organic frameworks/cellulose composite monolith with hierarchical structure for aqueous dyes adsorption
Authors: Zhou Chengda , Zhou Huyan , Tang Shiyun , Zhang Fengmei , Lei Sheng , Li Zhenjie , Chen Mao , Liu Jingjing
Published: August 2022

Aryl‐aryl linked two‐dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D‐COFs) were synthesized by interfacial trimerization of 4,4′‐diacetylbiphenyl. The 2D‐COFs presented rigid skeleton structure, regular porosity and micron‐scale layered nanosheet structure, which can be easily exfoliated by sonication without destroying the micron size. The integration of 2D‐COFs and cellulose matrix via non‐solvent‐induced phase separation has facilely generated 2D‐COFs/cellulose composite monolith with hierarchical structure bearing nano/micro scale pores and 2D/3D dimensions. The composite monolith material has been successfully applied to dye adsorption using methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) as model adsorbates under aqueous conditions. At an initial dye concentration of 200 mg L−1 and neutral pH conditions, excellent adsorption capacities were presented (91.5 mg g−1 for MB, 67.3 mg g−1 for RhB), with satisfactory recyclability and good compatibility to different dye concentrations and pH environment. We anticipate the techniques will broaden the fabrication of COFs and related composite materials, and enable promising practical applications in porous materials and waste water treatment.
Does acute pancreatitis herald pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma? A multicenter electronic health research network study
Authors: Singh Ritu R. , Klein Alison P. , Sharma Neil R. , O'Reilly Eileen M.
Published: August 2022

Background and Objectives

High mortality in pancreas ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is related to delayed diagnosis and lack of cost‐effective early detection strategies. Retrospective studies have demonstrated an association between PDAC and acute pancreatitis (AP). Herein, we explore the incidence of PDAC in patients with non‐biliary and non‐alcoholic AP.

Methods

A population‐based, retrospective cohort study was conducted utilizing TriNetX (Cambridge, MA). Patients ≥40 years with AP (ICD‐10‐CM code: K85) and without biliary AP (K85.1), alcohol‐induced AP (K85.2) or chronic pancreatitis (K86.0, K86.1), were identified. The primary outcome was incidence of PDAC (C25) in patients at defined intervals following AP. We compared the rate of early‐stage diagnosis (stage 1–2) and surgical resection among patients with and without preceding AP.

Results

The incidence of PDAC ranged from 2.16% (1 year) to 3.43% (5 years). Patients with PDAC and AP in preceding year were more likely to undergo surgical resection relative to those without AP (10.1% vs. 6.3%, risk ratio 1.62: 95% confidence interval, CI 1.47–1.79). Early‐stage diagnosis of PDAC was more frequent in patients with preceding AP; however, difference was insignificant (p = 0.48; 95% CI 0.64–2.58).

Conclusion

AP is infrequently associated with PDAC and can precede a diagnosis of PDAC in a minority of patients without another known etiology of pancreatitis. Patients with a recent AP are more likely to undergo surgical resection of PDAC and a trend toward diagnosis at an earlier stage compared to patients with PDAC and without AP. The impact of AP‐related PDAC on survival is unknown.
Human action recognition using fusion‐based discriminative features and long short term memory classification
Authors: Karuppannan Kiruba , Darmanayagam Shiloah Elizabeth , Cyril Sunil Retmin Raj
Published: August 2022

Proposed is a discriminative feature modeling technique in three orthogonal planes (TOP) for human action recognition (HAR). Pyramidal histogram of orientation gradient‐TOP (PHOG‐TOP) and dense optical flow‐TOP (DOF‐TOP) techniques are utilized for salient motion estimation and description to represent the human action in a compact but distinct manner. The contribution of the work is to explicitly learn the gradual change of visual patterns using fusion of PHOG‐TOP and DOF‐TOP technique to discover the nature of the action. With this feature representation, dimensionality reduction is achieved by deep stacked autoencoders. The encoded feature representation is used in long short term memory (LSTM) classification for HAR. Experiments with better recognition rate demonstrate the discriminative power of the proposed descriptor. Moreover, the proposed modeling and LSTM classification outperforms the state of art methods for HAR.
Identification of QTL and alleles for agronomic and seed quality traits in C genome using a Brassica napus population diversified with B. oleracea
Authors: Nikzad Azam , Kebede Berisso , Megha Swati , Buchwaldt Miles , Parkin Isobel , Rahman Habibur
Published: August 2022

A genome‐wide association study (GWAS) was carried out by using a Brassica napus population of 175 lines, developed from six B. napus × B. oleracea interspecific crosses, and 5,743 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for agronomic and seed quality traits and to understand the effect of B. oleracea alleles on these traits. Heritability of these traits varied from 52.9 to 84.1%. About 79% of the SNPs were positioned to the nine C genome chromosomes, while only 21% to the 10 A genome chromosomes; this was largely due to little genetic variation in the A genome of this population, as expected. However, the SNPs were distributed throughout the entire length of the chromosomes suggesting their usefulness in GWAS. The C genome SNPs detected nine genomic regions affecting these traits. This included the genomic regions of C2 and C5 affecting days to flowering, C1 affecting the duration of grain‐filling period, C1, C5, and C8 affecting oil content, and C1, C2, and C6 affecting glucosinolate content; among these, some of the loci has not been reported previously. The QTL alleles of B. oleracea which can be beneficial in oilseed B. napus, such as the C5 QTL allele for the earliness of flowering, were also identified. Several putative candidate genes were identified in the QTL regions. Thus, the results provided evidence of the utility of the B. oleracea gene pool for use in unveiling the unidentified QTL in B. napus as well as its use in breeding.
Corporate social responsibility and export performance under stakeholder view: The mediation of innovation and the moderation of the legal form
Authors: Martos‐Pedrero Antonio , Jiménez‐Castillo David , Ferrón‐Vílchez Vera , Cortés‐García Francisco Joaquín
Published: August 2022

Prior confronting findings on the association between corporate social responsibility and profitability show that some aspects remain to be clarified about this binomial. Contributing to this body of research is particularly interesting in the case of the exporters to understand the role that corporate social responsibility may play in improving export performance. This study aims to determine the impact of firms' corporate social responsibility efforts on their export performance by examining innovation and the legal form of the organization as factors that could affect this relationship. Using data from 107 agri‐food companies, we found that corporate social responsibility has no direct effect on export performance. However, our results show that innovation serves as a mediator in this relationship. It was also found that companies that adopt associative legal forms (i.e., cooperatives) benefit more from their social responsibility practices than companies that adopt non‐associative legal forms.
Effects of initial leaching for estimates of mass loss and microbial decomposition—Call for an increased nuance
Authors: Lind Lovisa , Harbicht Andrew , Bergman Eva , Edwartz Johannes , Eckstein Rolf Lutz
Published: August 2022

Decomposition is essential to carbon, nutrient, and energy cycling among and within ecosystems. Several methods have been proposed for studying litter decomposition by using a standardized and commercially available substrate. One of these methods is the Tea Bag Index (TBI) which uses tea bags (green and rooibos tea) incubated for ~90 days. The TBI is now applied all over the globe, but despite its usefulness and wide application, the TBI (as well as other methods) does not explicitly account for the differences in potential loss of litter mass due to initial leaching in habitats with large differences in moisture. We, therefore, studied the short‐term mass losses (3–4 h) due to initial leaching under field and laboratory conditions for green and rooibos tea using the TBI and contextualized our findings using existing long‐term mass loss (90 days) in the field for both aquatic and terrestrial environments. For both tea litter types, we found a fast initial leaching rate, which could be mistaken for decomposition through microbial activity. This initial leaching was higher than the hydrolyzable fraction given in the description of the TBI. We also found that leaching increased with increasing temperature and that leaching in terrestrial environments with high soil moisture (>90%) is almost as large as in aquatic environments. When comparing our findings to long‐term studies, we found that up to 30–50% of the mass loss of green tea reported as decomposition could be lost through leaching alone in high moisture environments (>90% soil moisture and submerged). Not accounting for such differences in initial leaching across habitats may lead to a systematic overestimation of the microbial decomposition in wet habitats. Future studies of microbial decomposition should adjust their methods depending on the habitat, and clearly specify the type of decomposition that the study focuses on.
Timing and synchrony of birth in Eurasian lynx across Europe
Authors: Mattisson Jenny , Linnell John D. C. , Anders Ole , Belotti Elisa , Breitenmoser‐Würsten Christine , Bufka Ludek , Fuxjäger Christian , Heurich Marco , Ivanov Gjorge , Jędrzejewski Włodzimierz , Kont Radio , Kowalczyk Rafał , Krofel Miha , Melovski Dime , Mengüllüoğlu Deniz , Middelhoff Tomma Lilli , Molinari‐Jobin Anja , Odden John , Ozoliņš Jānis , Okarma Henryk , Persson Jens , Schmidt Krzysztof , Vogt Kristina , Zimmermann Fridolin , Andrén Henrik
Published: August 2022

The ecology and evolution of reproductive timing and synchrony have been a topic of great interest in evolutionary ecology for decades. Originally motivated by questions related to behavioral and reproductive adaptation to environmental conditions, the topic has acquired new relevance in the face of climate change. However, there has been relatively little research on reproductive phenology in mammalian carnivores. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) occurs across the Eurasian continent, covering three of the four main climate regions of the world. Thus, their distribution includes a large variation in climatic conditions, making it an ideal species to explore reproductive phenology. Here, we used data on multiple reproductive events from 169 lynx females across Europe. Mean birth date was May 28 (April 23 to July 1), but was ~10 days later in northern Europe than in central and southern Europe. Birth dates were relatively synchronized across Europe, but more so in the north than in the south. Timing of birth was delayed by colder May temperatures. Severe and cold weather may affect neonatal survival via hypothermia and avoiding inclement weather early in the season may select against early births, especially at northern latitudes. Overall, only about half of the kittens born survived until onset of winter but whether kittens were born relatively late or early did not affect kitten survival. Lynx are strict seasonal breeders but still show a degree of flexibility to adapt the timing of birth to surrounding environmental conditions. We argue that lynx give birth later when exposed to colder spring temperatures and have more synchronized births when the window of favorable conditions for raising kittens is shorter. This suggests that lynx are well adapted to different environmental conditions, from dry and warm climates to alpine, boreal, and arctic climates. This variation in reproductive timing will be favorable in times of climate change, as organisms with high plasticity are more likely to adjust to new environmental conditions.
Crosstalk reduction between microstrip lines using TL‐shaped defected microstrip structure
Authors: Li Chenlong , Wang Yafei , Li Xuehua
Published: August 2022

Aiming at the problem of far‐end crosstalk between microstrip lines, a method to improve crosstalk by using the TL‐shaped defective microstrip structure (DMS) is proposed. This method optimizes the ratio of the capacitive coupling and the inductive coupling between coupled microstrip lines by etching TL‐shaped DMSs on the microstrip lines, reducing the strength of electromagnetic coupling, thereby achieving an improvement in crosstalk. The quantitative equivalent model, S‐parameters, and full‐wave EM simulations are used to analyze the frequency response of the TL‐shaped DMS and crosstalk between the microstrip lines. The results of High Frequency Structure Simulator software simulation and sample texts show that the TL‐shaped DMS can effectively improve the far‐end crosstalk while ensuring the transmission of signals on the microstrip line. In the frequency range of 0–8 GHz, the far‐end crosstalk can be improved by about 11 dB, and the maximum can be improved by 42 dB. Compared with other DMSs, the TL‐shaped DMS has better crosstalk improvement effect and practical application potential.
Direct reduced iron and zinc recovery from electric arc furnace dust
Authors: Matsukevich Iryna , Kulinich Natalia , Romanovski Valentin
Published: August 2022

BACKGROUND

At present, the volumes of use of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust are extremely insignificant. The volumes of their formation amount to thousands of tons per month. During storage, they have a negative impact on the environment. At the same time they are a material that has a valuable composition (oxides of iron, non‐ferrous metals, etc.) and is promising for recycling. However, the secondary use of zinc‐containing EAF dust in ferrous metallurgy leads to the accumulation of zinc in the lining of blast furnaces and frequent malfunctions.

RESULTS

It has been established that zinc oxide is mainly in the bound state in the composition of the franklinite phase (Zn,Mn,Fe)(Fe,Mn)2O4. The processes of solid‐phase reduction of EAF dust with the production of zinc concentrate and sponge iron, which are in demand as raw materials for non‐ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, have been studied. The optimal conditions for the reduction process were determined and the physicochemical characteristics, granulometric and phase composition of the initial materials, and reduction products were investigated.

CONCLUSIONS

It has been established that the use of a combination of reducing agents of different nature (coal coke and H2) during heat treatment at 1100 °C and cooling in a reducing medium (Ar/H2, 5 vol%) makes it possible to obtain sponge iron with impurities (the highest degree of iron metallization was 97.5%), and zinc oxide with a basic substance content of about 98.4 wt.%. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
On existence and concentration of solutions for Hamiltonian systems involving fractional operator with critical exponential growth
Authors: Costa Augusto C. R. , Maia Bráulio B. V. , Miyagaki Olímpio H.
Published: August 2022

This paper is concerned with the existence and concentration of ground state solutions for the following class of fractional Schrödinger system
where H has exponential critical growth, λ is a positive parameter and has a potential well with consisting of k disjoint components . The proof relies on variational methods and combines truncation arguments and the Moser iteration technique.
Topiramate and other kainate receptor antagonists for depression: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Shamabadi Ahmad
Published: August 2022

Background

Depression is a common disorder that affects patients' quality of life and incurs health system costs. Due to the resistance to treat depression, better understanding of neurophysiology was considered; one of the implications is the glutamatergic system. This study aims to systematically review clinical trials investigating the antidepressant effects of kainate receptor antagonists.

Methods

The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021213912). Scopus, ISI, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and two trial registries were searched for randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of topiramate, phenobarbital, and other ten barbiturates in depression. The difference with control groups in terms of changing depressive symptoms was the primary outcome.

Results

Nine trials were identified, in which 784 patients were studied. The efficacy of thiopental was comparable to that of imipramine, with fewer side effects. When administered with electroconvulsive therapy, it had fewer to similar effects and fewer side effects than ketamine. Both monotherapy and adjunctive therapy with topiramate were effective and tolerable in treating depressed patients. Phenobarbital had therapeutic effects compared to imipramine and amitriptyline with fewer side effects.

Conclusion

Regarding the glutamatergic hypothesis of depression and obtained promising results, further studies of kainate receptor antagonists in high‐quality trials are recommended. Given the high prevalence of depression in epileptic patients, more problems with its treatment, and the fact that the studied agents were anticonvulsants, it is recommended that future studies prioritize depressed‐epileptic patients.
Advances in understanding Kawasaki disease‐related immuno‐inflammatory response and vascular endothelial dysfunction
Authors: Wang Yuchen , Li Tao
Published: August 2022

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology, which tends to involve coronary arteries and can lead to acquired heart disease in children. The immuno‐inflammatory response and vascular endothelial dysfunction are important causes of coronary artery disease in patients with KD. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS‐C) is a rare inflammatory disease in children identified in recent years, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection; this disease overlaps with KD. This review examines research progress concerning the immuno‐inflammatory response and vascular endothelial dysfunction associated with KD, as well as differences between KD and MIS‐C.
ReaxFF‐based molecular dynamics simulation of the interactions between OH radicals in plasma and succinate dehydrogenase in cancer cell mitochondria
Authors: Wang Huichao , Zhao Tong , Wang Xiaolong , Wang Daohan , Zhang Yuantao
Published: August 2022

In the plasma‐induced apoptosis of cancer cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause mitochondrial enzyme dysfunction and inhibit the respiration of cancer cells. In this article, we explored the microscopic reaction mechanism between succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and the OH radicals in plasma. The results showed that the hydrogen abstraction reaction was the most basic reaction mode. The S–H bond had the highest reaction activity, and the cysteine had the highest reaction participation rate in the simulation. Increasing OH radical concentration, the damage degree of SDH increased, while the utilization rate of OH decreased. This study facilitates a new perspective of the apoptosis mechanism of cancer cells in plasma therapy and provides a reference for the clinical plasma treatment of cancer.
Click Chemistry Mediated by Photochemical Energy
Authors: Arora Amandeep , Singh Kamaljeet
Published: August 2022

Light mediated chemical reactions have emerged as an important class of reactions known as photoclick reactions. These reactions have allowed synthesis of complex molecular structures to be performed under mild conditions. The spatiotemporal control offered by photoclick reactions cannot be achieved by thermal processes. This review captures the advances in the area of photoclick chemistry and highlights the importance of light induced cycloaddition reactions, thiol‐ene/yne reactions and hetero‐Diels–Alder reactions.
Detailed Reaction Mechanism of Bis‐(o‐Aminomethylphenylboronic Acid)‐based Receptors with Various Length Methylene‐chain Linkers with D‐Glucose
Authors: Ohno Yuki , Tanaka Rei , Suzuki Yota , Sugaya Tomoaki , Iwatsuki Satoshi , Inamo Masahiko , Ishihara Koji
Published: August 2022

The detailed reaction mechanisms of several bis‐(o‐aminomethylphenylboronic acid)‐based receptors, linked with methylene chains of different lengths (i. e., DBAn (n=2, 3, and 4) having 2n methylene groups), with D‐glucose were kinetically investigated in methanolic aqueous solutions. The pKa measurements showed that the two boronic acid moieties in DBAn were equivalent and had no electronic interaction between them. DBA2 reacted with D‐glucose to form a 1 : 1 product, in which two boronic acid moieties in one molecule of DBA2 were bound to two reactive sites in one molecule of D‐glucose. DBA3 and DBA4 reacted with D‐glucose to form a 1 : 2 product, in which the two boronic acid moieties in one molecule of DBA3 or DBA4 were bound to two molecules of D‐glucose simultaneously through one reactive site. Thus, in the recognition of D‐glucose, the distance between the two boronic acid moieties in DBAn was optimal for n=2 and too long for n=3 or 4.
Improved Synthesis of Key Intermediate of Baloxavir Marboxil, an Anti‐Influenza Drug
Authors: Hu Zhenfei , Li Maocheng , Meng Xin , Guo Bin
Published: August 2022

In this article, a process to prepare the key chiral intermediate (R)‐7‐(benzyloxy)‐3,4,12,12a‐tetrahydro‐1H‐[1,4]oxazino[3,4c]pyrido[2,1‐f][1,2,4]triazine‐6,8‐dione 6‐R of influenza antiviral drug baloxavir marboxil is described. The process includes a novel preparation of 2‐(2,2‐dimethoxyethoxy) ethanamine 13 with more convenient and safer manipulation, and a method to convert the mother liquor of the chemical resolution to the racemate 7‐(benzyloxy)‐3,4,12,12a‐tetrahydro‐1H‐[1,4]oxazino[3,4‐c]pyrido[2,1‐f][1,2,4]triazine‐6,8‐dione 6‐rac. This new process has been successfully demonstrated on the 50 g scale of 13 with 66.4 % yield in 3 steps, and 10 g scale of 6‐R via 9 steps with 99.9 % purity, >99 % ee and 11.0 % overall yield. All the steps just involve simple purifications without chromatography.
Improved Durability and Activity of FeVO4 toward Photocatalytic Benzene Hydroxylation by Atomic Layer Deposited Al2O3
Authors: Liang Hanying , Fang Zixun , Wei Danlei , Yu Dexi , Yang Can , Hou Yidong , Zhang Jinshui
Published: August 2022

Selective hydroxylation of benzene to phenol over a visible light driven photocatalyst is a sustainable approach for the green synthesis of phenol. Iron vanadate (FeVO4) nanorods with an intrinsic photo‐Fenton catalytic behavior toward H2O2 activation is a promising candidate photocatalyst for the benzene hydroxylation reaction; however, its photocatalytic performance was greatly limited by the serious leaching of metals during the hydroxylation process. Herein, it has been demonstrated that this issue can be well addressed by the conformably coating of FeVO4 nanorods with an atomically‐precise thickness controlled dense Al2O3 layer (FeVO4@Al2O3) through the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. The Al2O3 nanolayer can well protect the FeVO4 nanorods from directly contacting with the reaction solution, thus effectively suppressing the leaching of metals during the photocatalytic hydroxylation process. In addition, the Al2O3 coating on FeVO4 also facilitates the kinetic control of heterogeneous benzene hydroxylation reaction over the catalyst surface, such as the benzene adsorption behavior and the photo‐Fenton activation of H2O2. As a result, FeVO4@Al2O3 exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance with a good durability in the long‐term production of phenol.
New Dye/Dendrimer Photoinitiating Systems Operating under Visible Radiation: Eco‐Friendly Synthesis of Highly Viscous Polymers
Authors: Militello María Paula , Gambetta Carolina , Ramírez María Laura , Bertolotti Sonia Graciela , Previtali Carlos Mario , Arbeloa Ernesto Maximiliano
Published: August 2022

A series of new eco‐friendly photoinitiating systems (PIs) based on several water‐soluble xanthenic dye/PAMAM dendrimer formulations are tested by polymerizing a typical vinyl monomer such as acrylamide. After irradiation with visible LEDs, solutions of viscosity up to 15‐fold higher than those with PIs based on low molecular weight amines are obtained. A correlation between solution viscosity and dendrimer structure is also observed. Polymers with ultra‐high molecular weights up to around 107 are estimated from viscosimetric assays. In addition, very fast reactions are observed under direct solar radiation and the properties of the thus obtained polymers are similar to those synthesized with LEDs. The present findings are promissory for future research and technological applications of the PIs evaluated.
IFC‐based semantic modeling of damaged RC beams using 3D point clouds
Authors: Shu Jiangpeng , Zhang Congguang , Yu Ke , Shooshtarian Mohammed , Liang Peng
Published: August 2022

It is important to assess existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures with damages. This task, however, is traditionally empirical and time‐consuming. To improve assessment accuracy and efficiency, this study proposed an approach to semantic model damaged RC beams based on point clouds. A slice‐based method for automatically modeling deformed beams and a color‐based crack detection method were developed for generating building information modeling (BIM) and finite element (FE) models. Furthermore, to enhance structural assessment and decision‐making by providing both damage and loading performance analysis data, a framework to extend the existing IFC standard was proposed for interoperability issues between FE models and BIM, aiming to integrate semantic‐enrichment damages and FE analysis results in the as‐is BIM model. Experiments were carried out on a simply supported RC beam subjected to a concentrated load. As a result, the improvement of the developed as‐is BIM model for damage visualization and structural assessment was confirmed.
Ultrasound‐based radiomics features: a gain or loss for risk stratification in patients with endometrial cancer
Authors: Zhang L. , Zhang B.
Published: August 2022

Linked article: This Correspondence comments on Moro et al. Click here to view the article.
CTL$$^*$$ Model Checking for Data-Aware Dynamic Systems with Arithmetic
Authors: Felli Paolo , Montali Marco , Winkler Sarah
Published: August 2022

The analysis of complex dynamic systems is a core research topic in formal methods and AI, and combined modelling of systems with data has gained increasing importance in applications such as business process management. In addition, process mining techniques are nowadays used to automatically mine process models from event data, often without correctness guarantees. Thus verification techniques for linear and branching time properties are needed to ensure desired behavior.

Here we consider data-aware dynamic systems with arithmetic (DDSAs), which constitute a concise but expressive formalism of transition systems with linear arithmetic guards. We present a CTL$$^*$$

∗

model checking procedure for DDSAs that addresses a generalization of the classical verification problem, namely to compute conditions on the initial state, called witness maps, under which the desired property holds. Linear-time verification was shown to be decidable for specific classes of DDSAs where the constraint language or the control flow are suitably confined. We investigate several of these restrictions for the case of CTL$$^*$$

∗

, with both positive and negative results: witness maps can always be found for monotonicity and integer periodicity constraint systems, but verification of bounded lookback systems is undecidable. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we implemented it in an SMT-based prototype, showing that many practical business process models can be effectively analyzed.
Singular solutions for semilinear elliptic equations with general supercritical growth
Authors: Miyamoto Yasuhito , Naito Yūki
Published: August 2022

A positive radial singular solution for $$\Delta u+f(u)=0$$

Δ
u
+
f
(
u
)
=
0

with a general supercritical growth is constructed. An exact asymptotic expansion as well as its uniqueness in the space of radial functions are also established. These results can be applied to the bifurcation problem $$\Delta u+\lambda f(u)=0$$

Δ
u
+
λ
f
(
u
)
=
0

on a ball. Our method can treat a wide class of nonlinearities in a unified way, e.g., $$u^p\log u$$

u
p

log
u

, $$\exp (u^p)$$

exp
(

u
p

)

and $$\exp (\cdots \exp (u)\cdots )$$

exp
(
⋯
exp
(
u
)
⋯
)

as well as $$u^p$$

u
p

and $$e^u$$

e
u

. Main technical tools are intrinsic transformations for semilinear elliptic equations and ODE techniques.
The Political Ontology of Corporate Social Responsibility: Obscuring the Pluriverse in Place
Authors: Ehrnström-Fuentes Maria , Böhm Steffen
Published: August 2022

This article examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) through the lens of political ontology. We contend that CSR is not only a discursive mean of legitimization but an inherently ontological practice through which particular worlds become real. CSR enables the politics of place-making, connecting humans and nonhumans in specific territorial configurations in accordance with corporate needs and interests. We discuss three CSR mechanisms of singularization that create a particular corporate ontology in place: (1) community engagements that form ‘stakeholders’; (2) CSR standards and certifications that produce singular sustainable environments; and (3) CSR reporting that erases ontological conflicts and enables the singularized representation (of the environment and the community) to travel to other locations of the corporate world. We argue that these ontological CSR practices obscure the pluriverse of other world and place-making practices that would create different kinds of sustainabilities based on less extractive and non-corporate ways of being in place.
Correlates for Suicidality Among At-risk Youth Receiving Community-Based Mental Health Services
Authors: Celedonia Karen L. , Karukivi Max , Abio Anne , Valenti Michael W. , Lowery Wilson Michael
Published: August 2022

“At-risk” adolescents are at high risk of unsuccessfully transitioning into adulthood and are also at elevated risk for suicidal behavior. Though much research has been conducted on risk factors for suicidality among the general adolescent population, research on suicidality among “at-risk” adolescents is lacking. This is a notable gap in the literature given that “at-risk” adolescents may be three times more likely to exhibit suicidality. The present study addressed this research gap by examining correlates for suicidality among “at-risk” adolescents receiving mental health services in the community. Using Electronic Health Record (EHR) data, risk factors for suicidality were analyzed at the bivariate and multivariate levels. Sexual abuse was a significant predictor of suicidality, as well as impulsivity for suicide attempt only. These findings may serve as useful adjuncts in the design of suicidality-screening tools and follow-up practices within the context of community-based mental health organizations which target at-risk adolescents.
Exploring the limits of dissent: the case of shooting bias
Authors: Leuschner Anna , Fernandez Pinto Manuela
Published: August 2022

The shooting bias hypothesis aims to explain the disproportionate number of minorities killed by police. We present the evidence mounting in support of the existence of shooting bias and then focus on two dissenting studies. We examine these studies in light of Biddle and Leuschner’s (2015) “inductive risk account of epistemically detrimental dissent” and conclude that, although they meet this account only partially, the studies are in fact epistemically and socially detrimental as they contribute to racism in society and to a social atmosphere that is hostile to science as scholars working on issues of racism come under attack. We emphasize this final point via recourse to Kitcher’s “Millian argument against the freedom of research.”
Virtual testing of multifunctional moveable actuation systems
Authors: Hollmann R. W. , Schäfer A. , Bertram O. , Rädel M.
Published: August 2022

This work presents the current state of the virtual testing activities performed within the Virtual Product House (VPH) start-up project. In this project a multidisciplinary, collaborative end-to-end process for virtual product design is developed. On the basis of preliminary design and concept studies on aircraft level, the process focusses on design, manufacturing and testing of aircraft systems and structural components with special attention to certification aspects. The initial use case considers the trailing edge flap of a long-range aircraft and its actuation system. Design and analysis tools are integrated in a remote workflow execution environment to automatically generate designs and evaluate them by virtual test means. Virtual tests facilitate knowledge on properties and behavior of the virtual product in early development phases and allow to optimize design flaws in consecutive design iterations to hence reduce the risk of costly corrections later in the development process. The testing is setup in multiple stages. Currently, domain-specific tests are carried out for the moveable structure and its actuation system, with the latter being in focus for the current text. These tests address the functional verification of the actuation system in nominal and failure cases. A SysML model comprising system requirements and architecture is used to model test cases and trace test results. On the basis of these test cases, simulation configurations for virtual tests are automatically built, executed and evaluated. With this method, a continuous evaluation of designs in terms of functional verification of the moveable actuation system is possible. Moreover, the automated execution of all steps allows to determine the effects of design changes quickly without a large amount of labor-intensive and error-prone work.
Algorithmic Political Bias—an Entrenchment Concern
Authors: Franke Ulrik
Published: August 2022

This short commentary on Peters (Philosophy & Technology 35, 2022) identifies the entrenchment of political positions as one additional concern related to algorithmic political bias, beyond those identified by Peters. First, it is observed that the political positions detected and predicted by algorithms are typically contingent and largely explained by “political tribalism”, as argued by Brennan (2016). Second, following Hacking (1999), the social construction of political identities is analyzed and it is concluded that algorithmic political bias can contribute to such identities. Third, following Nozick (1989), it is argued that purist political positions may stand in the way of the pursuit of all worthy values and goals to be pursued in the political realm and that to the extent that algorithmic political bias entrenches political positions, it also hinders this healthy “zigzag of politics”.
Rethinking curriculum: A pandemic opportunity for re-engagement with the Arts?
Authors: Cunningham Margaret , Gibson Robyn
Published: August 2022

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights endorses the goal of education for all children. Inequalities of access and equity, however, are apparent in both the developed and developing world, which indicates that this goal remains aspirational. The rupture of education during the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified these existing inequalities in education systems worldwide. Throughout the pandemic, teachers have modelled a positive mindset as they pivoted from the physical classroom to online learning. This paper will suggest that the current pandemic may indeed offer education policy makers an opportunity to re-think curriculum design and, with a growth mindset, re-engage with the Arts as an equal key learning area in the curriculum. It is to the Arts that schools and communities have turned for joyful and multi-layered support during the pandemic, an underlying belief in the importance of the Arts for the wellbeing and cognitive development of the child. This belief, supported by a robust body of evidence amassed internationally over many decades, is central to the authors’ contention that a more inclusive and comprehensive engagement with the Arts would facilitate curriculum reform, such as that sought by the New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia. Furthermore, we contend that the COVID-19 pandemic may be the necessary catalyst to activate such welcome reform. We anticipate our analysis and its findings to first be relevant for the state of NSW, then beyond, to resonate nationally and internationally.
Quantum algorithms for SVD-based data representation and analysis
Authors: Bellante Armando , Luongo Alessandro , Zanero Stefano
Published: August 2022

This paper narrows the gap between previous literature on quantum linear algebra and practical data analysis on a quantum computer, formalizing quantum procedures that speed-up the solution of eigenproblems for data representations in machine learning. The power and practical use of these subroutines is shown through new quantum algorithms, sublinear in the input matrix’s size, for principal component analysis, correspondence analysis, and latent semantic analysis. We provide a theoretical analysis of the run-time and prove tight bounds on the randomized algorithms’ error. We run experiments on multiple datasets, simulating PCA’s dimensionality reduction for image classification with the novel routines. The results show that the run-time parameters that do not depend on the input’s size are reasonable and that the error on the computed model is small, allowing for competitive classification performances.
Chemical and biological diversity of new natural products from marine sponges: a review (2009–2018)
Authors: Hong Li-Li , Ding Ya-Fang , Zhang Wei , Lin Hou-Wen
Published: August 2022

Marine sponges are productive sources of bioactive secondary metabolites with over 200 new compounds isolated each year, contributing 23% of approved marine drugs so far. This review describes statistical research, structural diversity, and pharmacological activity of sponge derived new natural products from 2009 to 2018. Approximately 2762 new metabolites have been reported from 180 genera of sponges this decade, of which the main structural types are alkaloids and terpenoids, accounting for 50% of the total. More than half of new molecules showed biological activities including cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and antimalarial activities. As summarized in this review, macrolides and peptides had higher proportions of new bioactive compounds in new compounds than other chemical classes. Every chemical class displayed cytotoxicity as the dominant activity. Alkaloids were the major contributors to antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities while steroids were primarily responsible for pest resistance activity. Alkaloids, terpenoids, and steroids displayed the most diverse biological activities. The statistic research of new compounds by published year, chemical class, sponge taxonomy, and biological activity are presented. Structural novelty and significant bioactivities of some representative compounds are highlighted. Marine sponges are rich sources of novel bioactive compounds and serve as animal hosts for microorganisms, highlighting the undisputed potential of sponges in the marine drugs research and development.
Engineering of ultra-high performance self-compacting mortar with recycled steel fibres extracted from waste tires
Authors: Abdolpour Hassan , Niewiadomski Paweł , Sadowski Łukasz , Kwiecień Arkadiusz
Published: August 2022

The main novelty of this study is producing Ultra High-Performance Self Compacting Mortar (UHPSCM) incorporated Recycled Steel Fibre (RSF) from waste tires. For this purpose, different mix compositions including 0%, 1%, and 3% RSF content in terms of volume were proposed. Self-compacting ability was assessed using mini-cone tests, while nondestructive testing has been used to evaluate the effect of RSF inclusion on the compaction of UHPSCM constituent materials. Mechanical performances were investigated using compression and unnotched flexural tests. Residual flexural strength in both service limit state (SLS), ultimate limit state (ULS), and two equivalent flexural strengths were evaluated under notched flexural tests and analysed using statistical approaches. Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) has been employed for the analysis behaviour of developed mortars under different loadings. Additionally, an element deletion approach was used to evaluate the fracture of UHPSCM under compression and flexural loadings. The experimental results showed that adding 1% and 3% of RSF resulted in decreasing workability by 3% and 22%, respectively. Improving compressive strength by 16% and 22% and flexural by 7% and 8% were noticed in the case of samples with 1% and 3% fiber, respectively, in 28 days. In spite of the significant improvement of post-cracking behaviour of samples with 3% of RSF, this behaviour was insignificant for the samples with 1% of RSF. However, with less amount of fibre inclusion, brittle failure can be altered to ductile failure. Moreover, the behaviour of the tested specimens under different loadings was successfully predicted using Finite Element (FE) simulations.

Graphical abstract
Near carbon-zero cycle from VOCs capture to carbon fixation
Authors: Yin Zefang , Cui Chaojie , Yu Xiang , Zhao Wanghua , Lin Dexi , Zhang Yu , Li Kang , Qian Weizhong
Published: August 2022

A new technical route of organic matter capture and carbon fixation is proposed in response of the increasingly strict emission standards of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in petrochemical industry and the Chinese national strategic development goals of carbon peak and carbon neutralization. A closed loop from raw materials to adsorbents for gas treatment can be achieved by two key technical characteristics: (1) construct a new mesoporous adsorbent with complete desorption and regeneration function by carbon nanotubes (CNTs); (2) convert gaseous organic matter which cannot be recycled in liquid/gas state to CNTs. It realizes the resource integration of "turning waste into treasure" and maximizes the carbon emission reduction effect of waste gas treatment process without consuming extra precious fossil fuel, compared with the traditional technologies of VOCs treatments, including combustion or catalytic oxidation. What’s more, the increase in supply of various green electricity is expected to change the current situation of large investment and heavy cost burden of environmental protection technology, and make a great contribution to the national carbon peak and carbon neutrality policy.
The Hidden Tier of Social Services
Authors: Lavee Einat
Published: August 2022

What do frontline social service providers do during client interactions when they lack adequate formal organizational resources to respond to clients' needs? To answer this question, this Element presents two large-scale qualitative studies of Israeli frontline providers of social services. Drawing on interviews of public-sector workers (Study 1, N=214), it introduces a widespread phenomenon, where the vast majority of frontline workers regularly provide a large range of informal personal resources (IFRs) to clients. Study 2 (N=84) then compares IFR provision between workers from the public, nonprofit and private sectors. The comparative analysis demonstrates how workers' rationale for providing personal resources to clients is shaped by particular role perceptions embedded in values, norms and behavioral expectations that vary by employment sector. The Element concludes by presenting ramifications of the phenomenon of IFR provision in terms of citizens' wellbeing, social inequality, gender relations and the future of work in public administration.
Grazyna Bacewicz, The 'First Lady of Polish Music'
Authors: Ambache Diana
Published: August 2022

This Element explores the life and work of Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969), as a composer, violinist, pianist and author. She lived a remarkable life in Poland, navigating the complex world of Polish communist society and Soviet dominance after the Second World War, and brought Polish music to wider European attention. The Element describes the historical context of her life, her major achievements, and the language and development of her compositions, which attracted notable interest in Polish musical life. She wrote a wide range of pieces, making a significant contribution to the string repertoire, with important String Quartets and violin works. In her sixty years she achieved impressive triumphs as a women composer, served the Polish Composers Union and often judged major international competitions.
The -Delaunay tessellation: Description of the model and geometry of typical cells
Authors: Gusakova Anna , Kabluchko Zakhar , Thäle Christoph
Published: August 2022

In this paper we introduce two new classes of stationary random simplicial tessellations, the so-called$\beta$- and$\beta^{\prime}$-Delaunay tessellations. Their construction is based on a space–time paraboloid hull process and generalizes that of the classical Poisson–Delaunay tessellation. We explicitly identify the distribution of volume-power-weighted typical cells, establishing thereby a remarkable connection to the classes of$\beta$- and$\beta^{\prime}$-polytopes. These representations are used to determine the principal characteristics of such cells, including volume moments, expected angle sums, and cell intensities.