bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity analysis and validation of a genetic approach to enhance ergonomics in assembly lines
Authors: Dalle Mura Michela , Dini Gino
Published: August 2023

Manual assembly processes are largely performed today in the industry to benefit from human features of dexterity and flexibility. For this reason, the human factor should be properly regarded when designing assembly processes and systems, where repetitive and physically demanding operations are frequent. This work aims to present and validate a software tool for solving a bi-objective version of the assembly line balancing problem, in which, besides the efficiency of the process, the optimization of ergonomics is pursued. The software, based on a genetic algorithm, aims to distribute assembly tasks on the line to smooth the energetic workload among the different workers assigned to manual workstations, considering their physical capabilities and limits. To validate the system and assess its robustness, tests for different case studies taken from the industrial reality are presented and discussed, together with a sensitivity analysis conducted on problem parameters. Experimental results show that the developed tool optimizes the two objectives in different scenarios, thus demonstrating its profitable use in the industrial reality for planning manual assembly processes that do not overload workers assigned to the line.
Propofol Suppresses LPS-induced BBB Damage by Regulating miR-130a-5p/ZO-1 Axis
Authors: Gan Ning , Zhou Ying , Li Jing , Wang Aizhong , Cao Yiyun
Published: August 2023

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semi-permeable barrier that separates circulating blood from the extracellular fluid of the brain and central nervous system, which is crucial for maintaining brain homeostasis. This study aimed to explore the role of propofol in BBB damage and further evaluate the underlying molecular mechanism. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was administered to mice to create an in vivo BBB damage mice model. Additionally, hCMEC/D3 cells as brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) were treated with LPS to establish the in vitro BBB damage cell model. Subsequently, propofol was used for the BBB damage model. Evans blue staining and fluorescein sodium were utilized in the in vivo experiments to demonstrate BBB leakage and BBB permeability. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to assess cell viability and the trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) value was measured using an epithelial voltmeter. Furthermore, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure the levels of the inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The levels of miR-130a-5p and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in brain tissues and cells were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, or immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to demonstrate the association between miR-130a-5p and ZO-1. Propofol treatment suppressed BBB leakage, the amount of fluorescein sodium, and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the LPS-induced BBB damage mice model. Meanwhile, propofol treatment increased the TEER value in the LPS-induced hCMEC/D3 cells. Additionally, propofol treatment significantly down-regulated miR-130a-5p and up-regulated ZO-1. More importantly, miR-130a-5p directly targeted ZO-1 and negatively regulated ZO-1 expression in hCMEC/D3 cells. Furthermore, miR-130a-5p mimic partially reversed the effect of propofol on the TEER value and the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α in the LPS-induced hCMEC/D3 cells. Propofol suppressed LPS-induced BBB damage by regulating miR-130a-5p/ZO-1 axis. These findings suggested a potentially effective treatment approach for BBB damage.
A multi-criteria performance assessment of concentrated solar power plants for site and technology selection in Egypt
Authors: Bayoumi S. , Moharram N. A. , Shehata A. I. , Imam M. M. , El-Maghlany W. M.
Published: August 2023

The objective of this research is to investigate the implementation of two concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies in the 28 devoted locations in Egypt, in order to select the optimum site-specific CSP technology. This may be achieved by a validated thermo-economic simulation of power plants using the Sam advisory model and an investigation of the two proposed CSP technologies’ configurations to fulfill the power plant’s thermal demand. Simulations take into consideration the environmental, technical, financial, and economic aspects of the projects. Among many simulated parameters, three are considered to compare the two proposed technologies' configurations in the 28 locations utilizing geographic information system aid. Those parameters are the annual power production, the levelized cost of energy, and water consumption. A comparative analysis indicated that the solar tower requires 25% more land than the parabolic trough. The additional collecting area raised the net capital cost of the solar tower system by 15% over the parabolic trough model. As a result, the solar tower arrangement reduces the levelized cost of energy while increasing the yearly power generated and water required by the power plant. Simulation results favored the proposed solar tower configuration over the parabolic trough and recommended the implementation of such concentrated solar power projects in the central and eastern locations of Egypt.
An adaptive finite element method for Riesz fractional partial integro-differential equations
Authors: Adel E. , El-Kalla I. L. , Elsaid A. , Sameeh M.
Published: August 2023

The Riesz fractional derivative has been employed to describe the spatial derivative in a variety of mathematical models. In this work, the accuracy of the finite element method (FEM) approximations to Riesz fractional derivative was enhanced by using adaptive refinement. This was accomplished by deducing the Riesz derivatives of the FEM bases to work on non-uniform meshes. We utilized these derivatives to recover the gradient in a space fractional partial integro-differential equation in the Riesz sense. The recovered gradient was used as an a posteriori error estimator to control the adaptive refinement scheme. The stability and the error estimate for the proposed scheme are introduced. The results of some numerical examples that we carried out illustrate the improvement in the performance of the adaptive technique.
Urban Spectacle in Republican Milan
Authors: Palidda Alessandra
Published: August 2023

At the turn of the nineteenth century, Lombardy and its capital Milan lived through a season of intense social and political change, especially in the passage between Austrian Monarchy and Napoleonic republics (1796-1799, and 1800-1802). While affecting cultural production on all levels, this passage occasioned a significant change in terms of public celebration, with republican festivals and other celebratory occasions coming from revolutionary France being reframed amongst Milanese specificities. After establishing a solid historical and aesthetic background to Lombardy in this delicate period, to the revolutionary models and to the Milanese substrate, this Element aims at reconstructing and describing the main features of the French republican festivals in Milan, and their impact on the city's landscape, soundscape and self-representation. It will also conclude by offering some reflections on these events' consequences on the following century's patriotism/nationalism and cultural production, reinstating them as an interesting, albeit forgotten case study.
The Economics of Oil and Gas
Authors: Mu Xiaoyi
Published: August 2023

The availability of low-cost energy from fossil fuels - in particular oil - has been the driving force behind postwar global economic growth, such that the petroleum industry has some of the world's largest companies. This book examines the economics of the oil and gas industry, from exploration, development and production, to transportation, refining and marketing. At each stage of the value chain, the key economic costs and considerations are presented in order to provide the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the workings of the industry.

The book examines some of the unique economic challenges the industry faces, including negotiating international contracts with host countries (to gain access to hydrocarbons), managing the risks of recovery, implementing cross-border pipelines, dealing with huge variations in the taxation of refined products, and reacting to the effect of price control and subsidization in the OPEC nations which can create massive volatility in pricing. The search for low-carbon fuels, the impact of shale gas, the prospect of finite reserves, and the global political realities of the competing demands of oil-importing and oil-exporting countries are shown to make the sector high risk, but the economic rewards can be huge.
Everyday Economics
Authors: Coulter Steve
Published: August 2023

Much of economics is a top-down analysis that simplifies and reduces the huge varieties between individuals to a predictable range of characteristics that lend themselves to systematic analysis. This book eschews this conventional perspective, which sees national economies as simply agglomerations of the activities of millions of people, and instead explores the role played by the individual in the economy, in particular, how the individual experiences the economy. In so doing, the book is able to illuminate the economic landscape for the non-technical reader in a much more engaging and accessible way.

Steve Coulter examines those areas of our lives that most direcly connect with the economy - jobs, education, healthcare, housing, personal finance, welfare, consumption - and explores how the individual choices we make are determined. He shows how the things we experience, need and consume fit into a fast-changing and interdependent global economic setting and highlights the role of government and markets in shaping our lives.
Beyond Pandering: Investment Project Quality, Voter Support, and the Use of Investment Incentives
Authors: Jud Stefano
Published: August 2023

Why are politicians selective in granting investment incentives to foreign direct investment (FDI) projects? One understudied reason is that politicians want to minimize backlash from voters. In this article, I present the first study to systematically analyze voter preferences toward investment incentives. I theorize that voters should be more likely to support investment incentives for FDI projects that they perceive as “high quality”—that is, projects that voters perceive to be highly effective in improving the living standards of their communities. As a result, I expect that politicians who support low-quality FDI projects with incentives will lose voter support. A factorial survey experiment in the United States provides evidence in favor of this argument. Voters reward politicians only if they provide investment incentives to high-quality projects. An additional conjoint survey experiment highlights the importance of project characteristics that indicate high quality in increasing the approval of investment incentives. To demonstrate the external validity of these experimental results, I present descriptive evidence that illustrates the consistencies between the determinants of investment incentives for FDI projects and voter preferences.
The economics of species extinction: An economist’s viewpoint
Authors: Fraser Iain M. , Roberts David L. , Brock Michael
Published: August 2023

There is growing evidence to suggest that there is an increase in species extinction occurring globally. In this article, we briefly review the literature on the economics of species extinction, examining what is meant by extinction before explaining how economics has conceptualised this. The initial economics literature on species extinction focuses largely on renewable resources, in particular fisheries, but has subsequently evolved to cover many aspects of biodiversity across all physical scales, employing an increasing array of methodological tools. We also consider aspects of cultural and societal extinctions (e.g. local languages, local knowledge) and how this is positively correlated with loss of biodiversity, as well as an economist’s outlook on the potential to re-capture value post-extinction.
Hegel and the Paradox of Presence
Authors: Sares James
Published: August 2023

This essay evaluates Hegel's claim that the phenomenon of time exhibits a quantitative logic in the context of a paradox concerning temporal presence. On the one hand, in time, the present always is. It seems that the very nature of time, assuming that it is really passing, requires us to assent to the continuous being of the present. If time is always passing, there must always be a present when the passing actually occurs and thus when beings actually exist. On the other hand, any particular moment of presence, as a point or an interval, immediately ceases to be or has not yet come to be. And, because of this, no delineated moment can be purely self-present. Conceived as an unextended point, presence would be nothing enduring of its own against time's passing, while, conceived as an interval, presence contains before and after within itself, meaning as an interval that is not actually present at once. The paradox is therefore that time's passing demands we think being present and presence as being, while being present, strictly speaking, seems impossible due precisely to that passing. Hegel claims to reconcile the self-same form of presence, a presence that always is, with continuous change under the category of quantity. However, I argue that the non-identity between the logical category and the phenomenon of time renders this reconciliation ineffective against the paradox, breaking down, more specifically, as it concerns the formation of a temporal magnitude. I evaluate alternative Hegelian interpretations for determining whether the irresolvability of the paradox proves problematic after all, arguing that the paradox in fact presents a significant problem for the conceivability of temporal existence.
Support for wildlife consumption bans and policies in China post-Covid-19
Authors: Rizzolo Jessica Bell , Zhu Annah Lake , Chen Ruishan
Published: August 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic, which probably arose from zoonotic sources, has provoked wide-ranging discussion on which wildlife policies can best prevent future pandemics. More work needs to be done to investigate support for regulatory frameworks in China post-Covid-19 and specifically to model how perceptions of the relationship between wildlife consumption and risk of zoonotic diseases combine with other variables to influence support for wildlife policies. We report on a 2021 quantitative survey conducted in China. The objectives were to measure attitudes towards the current wildlife consumption ban and wildlife regulations in China and to model which variables correlate with support for bans on wild-caught and farmed wildlife. The sample was almost evenly split between considering the ban on wild animal consumption in China to be adequate (45%) or not strict enough (42%). Protection against future pandemics and protection of the environment were motivators for supporting the ban for c. 80% of respondents. The results also indicated strong support for wildlife bans. A majority of respondents supported bans of both wild-caught and farmed wildlife, although support for bans of wild-caught animals was greater for most taxa. Furthermore, the perceived zoonotic risk of a taxon was a more prevalent correlate of support for a ban for wild-caught wildlife than for farmed wildlife. Our results indicate substantial support for the current wildlife consumption ban in China, and opportunities to further mitigate the environmental and zoonotic risks of wildlife consumption.
Neural correlates of context-dependent extinction recall in social anxiety disorder: relevance of intrusions in response to aversive social experiences
Authors: Fricke Susanne , Seinsche Rosa J. , Neudert Marie K. , Schäfer Axel , Zehtner Raphaela I. , Stark Rudolf , Hermann Andrea
Published: August 2023

Background

There are phenomenological similarities between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and posttraumatic stress disorder, such as a provoking aversive event, posttraumatic stress symptoms (e.g. intrusions) in response to these events and deficient (context-dependent) fear conditioning processes. This study investigated the neural correlates of context-dependent extinction recall and fear renewal in SAD, specifically in patients with intrusions in response to an etiologically relevant aversive social event.

Methods

During functional magnetic resonance imaging a two-day context-dependent fear conditioning paradigm was conducted in 54 patients with SAD and 54 healthy controls (HC). This included fear acquisition (context A) and extinction learning (context B) on one day, and extinction recall (context B) as well as fear renewal (contexts C and A) one day later. The main outcome measures were blood oxygen level-dependent responses in regions of interest and skin conductance responses.

Results

Patients with SAD showed reduced differential conditioned amygdala activation during extinction recall in the safe extinction context and during fear renewal in the acquisition context compared to HC. Patients with clinically relevant intrusions moreover exhibited hypoactivation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during extinction learning, extinction recall, and fear renewal in a novel context, while amygdala activation more strongly decreased during extinction learning and increased during fear renewal in the acquisition context compared with patients without intrusions.

Conclusions

Our study provides first evidence that intrusions in SAD are associated with similar deficits in context-dependent regulation of conditioned fear via the vmPFC as previously demonstrated in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Performance pay and non-native language comprehension: Can we learn to understand better when we’re paid to listen?
Authors: Afghani Chasen , Baese-Berk Melissa M. , Waddell Glen R.
Published: August 2023

Non-native speech is difficult for native listeners to understand. While listeners can learn to understand non-native speech after exposure, it is unclear how to optimize this learning. Experimental subjects transcribed non-native speech and were paid either a flat rate or based on their performance. Participants who were paid based on performance demonstrated improved performance overall and faster learning than participants who were paid a flat rate. These results suggest that exposure alone is not sufficient to optimize learning of non-native speech and that current models of this process must be revised to account for the effects of motivation and incentive.
Putting a Human Face on It: Gender and Photographic Meaning in a Canadian Women's Coal Mine Campaign
Authors: Spence Jean , Stephenson Carol
Published: August 2023

In January 1999, the Canadian government announced their withdrawal from the Cape Breton mining industry with a settlement package for redundant miners, which was considered inadequate by miners and their families. In response, a group of women organized a community-based campaign, United Families (UF), led by two women who traveled to Ottawa to meet national politicians presenting themselves explicitly as “miners’ wives.” While the UF located their campaign within the context of family and community, as expected of miners’ wives, their principal focus was the men disadvantaged by the settlement. Here they strayed onto the terrain of the men's union.

To support their case the women took photographs of miners leaving the pit at the end of a shift and organized them into an album. This became a catalyst for the disjuncture between the gendered expectations associated with female roles, and the women's efforts to represent the interests of the men. Intended as objective evidence in support of their position, the photographs carried a range of complex emotions relating to the women's campaign: They expressed the subjective meanings of the women's relationship with mining and the men photographed, as well as providing material evidence of the condition of the miners. This subjectivity was overlaid onto gendered subtexts inscribed within the history of photography in the public and domestic spheres.

In campaign negotiations the women struggled to control the meaning of the photographic images and their endeavors resulted in only very minor amendments to the original settlement. The UF women's creative use of photography ultimately undermined the legitimacy of the women's negotiations. However, the photographs remain a testament to the history of mining in Cape Breton and to the emotional commitment of women to a partnership with men forged through the sexual division of labor in coal mining.

This article draws upon a range of evidence and theories of gender, activism, and photographic practice to analyze the ways in which the women were disadvantaged in their campaign.
Trivially Satisfied Desires: A Problem for Desire-Satisfaction Theories of Well-Being
Authors: Hemmerich Luca
Published: August 2023

In this article, I argue that desire-satisfaction theories of well-being face the problem of trivially satisfied desires. First, I motivate the claim that desire-satisfaction theories need an aggregation principle and reconstruct four possible principles desire-satisfactionists can adopt. Second, I contend that one of these principles seems implausible on numerous counts. Third, I argue that the other three principles, which hold that the creation and satisfaction of new desires is good for individuals and can be called proliferationist, are vulnerable to an objection from trivially satisfied desires. They implausibly imply that forming desires that are trivially satisfied is good for individuals. Finally, I argue that trivially satisfied desires may also worsen desire-satisfactionism's classical problem of pointless desires. Together, these claims constitute a challenge to desire-satisfactionism.
Genre, Class and Gender in a Suffragist Operetta: Melinda and Her Sisters (1916) at the Waldorf-Astoria
Authors: Winter Kendall Hatch
Published: August 2023

Alva Belmont and Elsa Maxwell's Melinda and Her Sisters (1916) is a little-known work promoting women's suffrage, which was publicly performed only once in New York City. It was advertised as an operetta, a decision which minimised its overt stylistic and functional similarities to other genres of popular musical theatre from the period, namely, musical comedy and pageantry. Framed through Jeffrey Kallberg's concept of genre as a ‘gesture of labeling’, this article asks what could be gained – artistically, financially and politically – by Belmont and Maxwell's invocation of operetta and by their disavowal of other appropriate genre alternatives. I argue that the strategy reflects their fundraising priorities, the attitudes of their intended audience, and the social, political and artistic climates that constrained women's activities. This case study offers genre as a productive lens through which to interpret gynocentric musical production and performance.
NOTE: A GREEK SCHOLIUM IN THE CORPUS GABIRIANUM
Authors: Bamballi Nicolás
Published: August 2023

Kitāb muḫtaṣar waǧīz fī l-usṭuqussāt § 1, 1 p. 63, l. 6ff. Bos-Langermann:

inna Arisṭūṭālīsa ḥadda l-usṭuqussa fī kitābihi l-mawsūmi bi-Kitābi s-samāʾi bi-an qāla: al-usṭuqussu huwa š-šayʾu llaḏī minhu {mā}

3    yatakawwanu {mā huwa lahū usṭuqussun} 〈š-šayʾu〉 kawnan awwaliyyan wa-huwa mawǧūdun fī l-mukawwani immā bi-l-quwwati wa-immā bi-l-fiʿli. wa-ammā fī kitābihī fī-Mā baʿda ṭ-ṭabīʿiyyāti (!) fa-innahū ḫaṣṣa

6    l-qawla bi-an qāla innahū mawǧūdun fī l-mukawwani bi-l-quwwati lā bi-l-fi ʿli. wa-ʿanā bi-qawlihi “llaḏī yakūnu minhu š-šayʾu kawnan awwaliyyan” absaṭa mā yakūnu l-mukawwanu lahū ay {awwal kawn} aṣġara aǧzāʾi

9    l-mukawwani.
Response Tendencies to Positively and Negatively Worded Items of the	Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale With Eye-Tracking Methodology
Authors: Koutsogiorgi Chrystalla C. , Michaelides Michalis P.
Published: August 2023

Abstract: The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was developed as a unitary scale to assess attitudes toward the self. Previous studies have shown differences in responses and psychometric indices between the positively and negatively worded items, suggesting differential processing of responses. The current study examined differences in response behaviors toward two positively and two negatively worded items of the RSES with eye-tracking methodology and explored whether those differences were more pronounced among individuals with higher neuroticism, controlling for verbal abilities and mood. Eighty-seven university students completed a computerized version of the scale, while their responses, response time, and eye movements were recorded through the Gazepoint GP3 HD eye-tracker. In linear mixed-effects models, two negatively worded items elicited higher scores (elicited stronger disagreement) in self-esteem, and different response processes, for example, longer viewing times, than two positively worded items. Neuroticism predicted lower responses and more revisits to item statements. Eye-tracking can enhance the examination of response tendencies and the role of wording and its interaction with individual characteristics at different stages of the response process.
Visualizing the Deep Insides of Planets and Moons
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: August 2023

A novel method uses gravity data to determine where density anomalies lie inside planetary bodies.
Different Methods in Assessing El Niño Flavors Lead to Opposite Results
Authors: Abdelkader Di Carlo Isma , Braconnot Pascale , Carré Matthieu , Elliot Mary , Marti Olivier
Published: August 2023

El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) flavors have been defined to characterize ENSO events and their teleconnections. Studying El Niño flavor evolution during the Holocene period can provide valuable insights into changes over long time scales. We investigated ENSO flavor evolution using simulations spanning the last 6,000 years and present‐day observations. Two approaches to computing ENSO flavors, in agreement in the present, lead to opposite trends in the last 6,000 years. The methods also differ significantly in their representation of ENSO flavor patterns. However, incorporating the sensitivity of the methods to calibration periods and mean state changes yields similar interpretations of ENSO variability changes. Both methods suggest an increase in El Niño variability spreading to the west and east tropical Pacific over the past 6,000 years. Standardizing El Niño flavor definitions is necessary for meaningful comparisons between studies and robust climate variability analysis.
Abnormal spectral and scale-free properties of resting-state EEG in girls with Rett syndrome
Authors: Sysoeva Olga , Maximenko Vladimir , Kuc Alexander , Voinova Victoria , Martynova Olga , Hramov Alexander
Published: August 2023

Spontaneous EEG contains important information about neuronal network properties that is valuable for understanding different neurological and psychiatric conditions. Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, caused by mutation in the MECP2 gene. RTT is characterized by severe motor impairments that prevent adequate assessment of cognitive functions. Here we probe EEG parameters obtained in no visual input condition from a 28-channels system in 23 patients with Rett Syndrome and 38 their typically developing peers aged 3–17 years old. Confirming previous results, RTT showed a fronto-central theta power (4–6.25 Hz) increase that correlates with a progression of the disease. Alpha power (6.75–11.75 Hz) across multiple regions was, on the contrary, decreased in RTT, also corresponding to general background slowing reported previously. Among novel results we found an increase in gamma power (31–39.5 Hz) across frontal, central and temporal electrodes, suggesting elevated excitation/inhibition ratio. Long-range temporal correlation measured by detrended fluctuation analysis within 6–13 Hz was also increased, pointing to a more predictable oscillation pattern in RTT. Overall measured EEG parameters allow to differentiate groups with high accuracy, ROC AUC value of 0.92 ± 0.08, indicating clinical relevance.
Exploring adaptation responses of maize to climate change scenarios in southern central Rift Valley of Ethiopia
Authors: Markos Daniel , Worku Walelign , Mamo Girma
Published: August 2023

In this study, we assessed responses of adaptation options to possible climate change scenarios on maize growth and yield by using projections of 20 coupled ensemble climate models under two representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 by means of a DSSAT model. Growth and yield simulations were made across present and future climate conditions using the hybrid maize variety (Shone). Subsequently, simulated yields were compared with farmer’ average and on-farm trial yields. Results showed that on-farm trial yield (5.1–7.3 t ha−1) lay in between farmers’ average yield (2.9–5 t ha−1) and water-limited potential yield (6.3–10.6 t ha−1). Maize yields achieved in farmers’ fields are projected to decline towards mid-century and further towards the end of the century regardless of the adaptation options compared with baseline in low potential clusters. Results of a combination of adaptation options including February planting, use of 64 kg ha−1 N and conservation tillage provided yield advantage of 5.8% over the 30 cm till under medium GHGs emission scenario during mid-century period at Shamana. Mulching with 5 t ha−1 was projected to produce a 4–5% yield advantage in the Hawassa cluster during the mid-century period regardless of changes in tillage or planting window. Under a high GHGs emission scenario, over 13.4% yield advantage was projected in the Bilate cluster due to conservation tillage and June planting during the mid-century period. In the Dilla cluster, the use of 10 t ha−1 mulch, conservation tillage and early planting (February) would result in a 1.8% yield advantage compared with the control either in medium or high GHGs emission scenarios. Thus, the most promising and least risky practices among simulated strategies were the use of nitrogen and mulching in combination with tillage or planting date adjustment. However, adaptation options remained least promising and highly risky if not integrated with mulching or nitrogen use. Hence, the negative impacts of future climate change and subsequent yield gaps would be reduced by optimizing the application of nitrogen, mulch and their interaction with planting date and tillage in high and low potential areas of maize production.
A 36,200-year-old carving from Grotte des Gorges, Amange, Jura, France
Authors: d’Errico Francesco , David Serge , Coqueugniot Hélène , Meister Christian , Dutkiewicz Ewa , Pigeaud Romain , Sitzia Luca , Cailhol Didier , Bosq Mathieu , Griggo Christophe , Affolter Jehanne , Queffelec Alain , Doyon Luc
Published: August 2023

The earliest European carvings, made of mammoth ivory, depict animals, humans, and anthropomorphs. They are found at Early Aurignacian sites of the Swabian Jura in Germany. Despite the wide geographical spread of the Aurignacian across Europe, these carvings have no contemporaneous counterparts. Here, we document a small, intriguing object, that sheds light on this uniqueness. Found at the Grotte des Gorges (Jura, France), in a layer sandwiched between Aurignacian contexts and dated to c. 36.2 ka, the object bears traces of anthropogenic modifications indicating intentional carving. Microtomographic, microscopic, three-dimensional roughness and residues analyses reveal the carving is a fragment of a large ammonite, which was modified to represent a caniformia head decorated with notches and probably transported for long time in a container stained with ochre. While achieving Swabian Jura-like miniaturization, the Grotte des Gorges specimen displays original features, indicating the craftsman emulated ivory carvings while introducing significant technical, thematic, and stylistic innovations. This finding suggests a low degree of cultural connectivity between Early Aurignacian hunter-gatherer groups in the production of their symbolic material culture. The pattern conforms to the existence of cultural boundaries limiting the transmission of symbolic practices while leaving space for the emergence of original regional expressions.
Inducing factors and deformation mechanism of the Zhangjiacitang landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area
Authors: Chen Hongyu , Zou Jianhua , Wang Xinghua , Lv Peng , Tan Zefu , Cheng Longfei , Wei Qiang
Published: August 2023

Landslides are the most widely distributed geological hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). Understanding the deformation mechanism and evolution of landslides is of great significance for their prevention and control. In this study, we focused on the Zhangjiacitang landslide, a typical bank landslide in the TGRA. We analyzed the relationship between landslide deformation and water level fluctuations and rainfall, based on accumulated displacement monitoring data, to clarify their triggering factors and deformation mechanism. The results show that the Zhangjiacitang landslide is a large-scale accumulation landslide. Under the influence of cyclic water level fluctuations and periodic rainfall, the accumulated displacement–time curve shows a “stepped” characteristic. Heavy rainfall emerged as the primary factor influencing the deformation of the Zhangjiacitang landslide, leading to substantial deformation throughout different periods. The deformation of the landslide exhibited a positive correlation with the intensity of rainfall. In contrast, the impact of water level changes on the landslide deformation was more intricate. A rapid water level drop (> 0.3 m/d) tended to intensify the landslide deformation, while the slow water level drop period (< 0.3 m/d) did not exhibit such an effect. This study emphasizes the need for closely monitoring the landslide status during heavy rainfall periods and rapid water level decline periods. The findings of this study provide a certain reference for landslide monitoring, early warning, prevention and control in the TGRA.
Longitudinal analysis for the risk of depression according to the consumption of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage in non-diabetic and diabetic population
Authors: Park Sung Keun , Chung Yeongu , Chang Yoosoo , Oh Chang-Mo , Ryoo Jae-Hong , Jung Ju Young
Published: August 2023

Studies have presented that high intake of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage (SSCB) was more associated with the prevalence of depression. However, longitudinal evidence is still insufficient to identify whether the effect of SSCB on incident depression is independent of metabolic factors. Therefore, to evaluate the effect of SSCB consumption on the risk of depression, we analyzed the risk of depression according to the consumption of SSCB in 87,115 working aged Koreans who responded to Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. They were categorized into 5 groups by SSCB consumption based on one serving dose (200 ml) with never/almost never, < 1 serving/week, 1 ≤ serving/week < 3, 3 ≤ serving/week < 5, and 5 ≤ serving/week. During follow-up, CES-D ≥ 16 was determined as incident depressive symptom. Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for depressive symptom. In analysis for all study participants, the risk of depressive symptom significantly increased proportionally to SSCB consumption (never/almost never: reference, < 1 serving/week: 1.12 [1.07–1.17], 1 ≤  ~  < 3 serving/week: 1.26 [1.19–1.33], 3 ≤  ~  < 5 serving/week: 1.32 [1.23–1.42], and ≥ 5 serving/week: 1.45 [1.33–1.59]). This association was identically observed in men, women, normal glycemic subgroup and prediabetes subgroup.
Prescription of vitamin D was associated with a lower incidence of hip fractures
Authors: Yakabe Mitsutaka , Hosoi Tatsuya , Matsumoto Shoya , Fujimori Kenji , Tamaki Junko , Nakatoh Shinichi , Ishii Shigeyuki , Okimoto Nobukazu , Kamiya Kuniyasu , Akishita Masahiro , Iki Masayuki , Ogawa Sumito
Published: August 2023

Patients with osteoporosis are prone to fragility fractures. Evidence of the effects of active forms of vitamin D on hip fracture prevention is insufficient. We examined the association between vitamin D prescription and incidence of new fractures using the data of osteoporotic patients from the nationwide health insurance claims database of Japan. The follow-up period was 3 years after entry. The untreated patients were never prescribed vitamin D during follow-up (n = 422,454), and the treated patients had a vitamin D medication possession ratio of ≥ 0.5 at all time points (n = 169,774). Propensity score matching was implemented on these groups, yielding 105,041 pairs, and subsequently, the control and treatment groups were established and analyzed. The incidence of new fractures was significantly lower in the treatment group compared with the control group (6.25% vs. 5.69%, hazard ratio 0.936 [95% confidence interval 0.904–0.970], p < 0.001*). By site, hip fractures significantly decreased (0.89% vs. 0.42%, p < 0.001), but not vertebral and radial fractures. Subgroup analysis by vitamin D type showed a significantly lower incidence of total fractures only in alfacalcidol (hazard ratio 0.676 [95% confidence interval 0.628–0.728], p < 0.001*). The results suggest that vitamin D prescription was associated with a reduced incidence of hip fractures.
High-energy Combustion Agents of Organic Borohydrides
Authors: Zhang XiaoHong , Pang WeiQiang , DeLuca Luigi T , Zhao Yu
Published: August 2023

Combustion agents for solid fuel propellants and explosives have gained widespread interest in recent years. Their high gravimetric heat of combustion enhances the performance of modern energetic materials. Borohydride compounds have proved to be excellent candidates in this application.

High-Energy Combustion Agents of Borohydrides covers the most recent developments in the advanced combustion agents of borohydrides. Experimental studies covering the synthesis and characterisation of borohydrides are examined, as well as the interactions between borohydride and propellant ingredients. The properties of BHN/nano Al composites are discussed, as is the effect of borohydrides on the properties of fuel-rich solid propellants. The book concludes with a summary of the prospective development of high-energy combustion agents in solid propellants and explosives, and looks into the future development of military applications.

Authored by renowned experts in the field, this book will appeal to researchers in academia and industry seeking a better understanding of how to improve the ignition and combustion performance of propellants and explosives.
Free and coordinated biarsolyls
Authors: Kirk Ryan M. , Hill Anthony F.
Published: August 2023

The first μ-biarsolyl complex is described, and discussed in the context of structural and computational studies of free biarsolyls.
Discovery of two ent-atisane diterpenoid lactones with AChE inhibitory activity from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana
Authors: Wei Jiangchun , Li Zhiyue , Shan Min , Wu Fengzhi , Li Limin , Ma Yucui , Wu Junhong , Li Xinping , Liu Yaqian , Hu Zhengxi , Zhang Yonghui , Wu Zhengzhi
Published: August 2023

Euphorlactone A (1), a rearranged ent-atisane norditerpenoid with an undescribed 3-nor-2,4-olide-ent-atisane scaffold, and euphorlactone B (2), a new ent-atisane diterpenoid with an unprecedented seven-membered lactone ring C, were isolated from the roots of Euphorbia fischeriana.
Dihydropyrrole-3-thiones: one-pot synthesis from propargylamines, acyl chlorides and sodium sulfide
Authors: Volkov Pavel A. , Khrapova Kseniya O. , Vyi Ekaterina M. , Telezhkin Anton A. , Bidusenko Ivan A. , Albanov Alexander I. , Schmidt Elena Yu. , Trofimov Boris A.
Published: August 2023

A one-pot synthesis of 1,2,5-trisubstituted-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrole-3-thiones (up to 91% yield) by the successive treatment of available propargylamines with acyl chlorides (PdCl2/CuI/Ph3P/Et3N, toluene, 40–45 °C, 3 h) and sodium sulfide (Na2S·9H2O, EtOH, 20–25 °C, 7 h) has been developed.
Statics and diffusive dynamics of surfaces driven by p-atic topological defects
Authors: Vafa Farzan , Mahadevan L.
Published: August 2023

Inspired by epithelial morphogenesis, we consider a minimal model for the shaping of a surface driven by p-atic topological defects.
PPE: Point position embedding for single object tracking in point clouds
Authors: Su Yuanzhi , Wang Yuan‐Gen , Wang Weijia , Zhu Guopu
Published: August 2023

Existing 3D single object tracking methods primarily extract features from the global coordinates of point clouds, overlooking the potential exploitation of their positional information. However, due to the unordered, sparse, and irregular nature of point clouds, effectively exploring their positional information presents a significant challenge. In this letter, the network is explicitly reformulated by introducing a point position embedding module in conjunction with a self‐attention coding module, replacing the use of global coordinate inputs. The proposed reformulation is further integrated into a top‐notch model M2‐Track, called Point Position Embedding (PPE) in this letter. Comprehensive empirical analysis are performed on the KITTI and NuScenes datasets. Experimental results show that the PPE surpasses M2‐Track by a large margin in overall performance. Especially for the challenging NuScenes dataset, the method attains the highest precision and success in all classes compared to state‐of‐the‐art methods. The code is available at https://github.com/GZHU‐DVL/PPE.
Effect of mineral additives on the adherence strength of reinforced concrete with increased corrosion resistance
Authors: Hung Ngo Xuan , Bulgakov Boris , Aleksandrova Olga , Pilipenko Anton
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the corrosion resistance of steel reinforcement in concrete samples containing modifying additives using an accelerated electrochemical corrosion method. It was found that the adhesion strength between the reinforcement and the cement stone of concrete largely depends on the corrosion resistance of the reinforcement in concrete. At the same time, the best result from the tested concretes was shown by the developed concrete of optimal composition, in which the adhesion strength between concrete and reinforcement is 1.7 times higher than that of control concrete without mineral additives. The obtained results can be explained by the fact that an increase in the density of concrete due to the modification of its structure with organo-mineral additives leads not only to an increase in its strength, but also to a better protection of steel reinforcement in concrete from corrosion. This will help to increase the durability of reinforced concrete structures of offshore hydraulic structures in Vietnam and increase the period of their maintenance-free operation.
Some aspects of the processes of obtaining and application of mineral powders as fillers for cement systems
Authors: Adilkhodzhaev Anvar , Kadirov Ilkhom , Kudratov Bekzod , Khasanov Bakhridin , Radjabov Mirzokhid , Kondrashenko Valery
Published: August 2023

The main theoretical prerequisites for the thermodynamic analysis of the process of grinding rocks are given. The structural-energetic relationships between the regularities of plastic deformation with energy characteristics that occur during the crushing of mineral substances are described. The evaluation of the grindability of rocks in a ball mill under different grinding modes was made. Rational operating modes of the mill have been determined to ensure the required degree of grinding, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the energy consumption of the grinding process. To assess the quantitative content of adsorption centers, a classification of the “indicator of reduced hydration activity” is proposed. (Ppga), allowing the most accurate assessment of the contribution of the surface activity of mineral fillers to the course of the processes of interactions and transformations occurring in a hydrated medium.
Experimental study of an I-beam reinforced steel sheet pile under axial tension
Authors: Kalugin Ivan , Ibragimov Alexander
Published: August 2023

This article discusses the connection of a steel sheet pile to an I-beam by welding to increase the horizontal load-bearing capacity. The connection to the I-beam is checked during an experimental study for axial tension. Deformations at reference and maximum loads, as well as stresses in the weld metal and I-beam metal, are recorded. During the tests, the bearing capacity of the welded joints was confirmed, data on plastic deformations of the sheet pile walls under various loads were obtained.
Strength of reinforced concrete columns under special complex influences
Authors: Tamrazyan Ashot , Alekseytsev Anatoly
Published: August 2023

A method for evaluating the strength, stiffness and stability of medium-flexible columns with a square cross-sectional shape and symmetrical reinforcement is proposed. Combined impacts from constant longitudinal force, horizontal impact with trapezoidal pulse shape and deterioration in mechanical properties of concrete from natural influences such as corrosion are taken into account. Various combinations of such influences are also considered. The computational model is represented by volumetric concrete elements rigidly connected to rebars. The dynamic transient process is based on an implicit integration scheme using a stepwise procedure. At each step, the nonlinear problem is solved by the Newton-Raphson method. The data characterizing the degree of danger of occurrence of local strength deterioration for column variants have been compared. The dependence of the value of longitudinal force on the value of transverse impact is found, provided that the load-carrying capacity of the column is ensured.
Alignment of excess deformations of buildings using the Geocomposite method
Authors: Chunyuk Dmitry , Selviyan Serafima
Published: August 2023

One of the problems arising in the buildings in operation is the manifestation of excessive deformations, which leads to an emergency condition of the structure. It often occurs because of the heterogeneity of the construction site, the presence of weak soils in the base of the building and the presence of a variable groundwater level. We have proposed the Geocomposite method to compensate excessive subsidence by the example of an emergency building. In the article the calculations are made and the technology of application of this method is described.