bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The united shades of eliminative materialism
Authors: Tümkaya Serdal
Published: May 2022

This paper aims to provide a rational reconstruction of the claim of eliminative materialism (EM), espoused by Paul and Patricia Churchland. It will identify and clarify alternative understandings of that view and assess the version that is the most plausible interpretation in the light of the Churchlands' writings and contemporary discussions. The result of the analysis is that eliminativism is best understood as a methodological thesis regarding the scope and depth of the possible revision of (scientific and folk) usage of FP terms and principles. The problem is important not only, and nor primarily, for exegetical purposes. EM functions in contemporary metaphysics of mind mainly as a point of negative reference: for this reason, it is important to carefully formulate the main claim of EM so that the theorists taking part in the debate know what they actually disagree with. The careful formulation provided by this paper could show other philosophers that their position is not, in fact, as far from EM as they might have thought.
Induction of A549 Nonsmall‐Cell Lung Cancer Cells Proliferation by Photoreleased Nicotine
Authors: Kravchuk Danylo I. , Sotkis Ganna V. , Shcherbatiuk Mykola M. , Kravchuk Ruslan M. , Nazarenko Vassili G. , Gorbyk Petro P. , Shuba Yaroslav M.
Published: May 2022

Caged compounds comprise the group of artificially synthesized, light‐sensitive molecules that enable in situ derivation of biologically active constituents capable of affecting cells, tissues and/or biological processes upon exposure to light. Ruthenium‐bispyridine (RuBi) complexes are photolyzed by biologically harmless visible light. In the present study, we show that RuBi‐caged nicotine can be used as a source of free nicotine to induce proliferation of A549 nonsmall‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells by acting on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in these cells. RuBi‐nicotine was photolyzed using LED light source with the spectrum matching RuBi‐absorption. Photorelease of free nicotine ([Nic]p/r) was quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 5‐s‐long light exposure of 10 μm of RuBi‐nicotine generated 2 μm [Nic]p/r which enhanced A549 cell proliferation similarly to the 2 μm of plain nicotine during 72 h of cell culturing. Both RuBi‐nicotine per se and its photolysis byproduct exerted no effect on A549 cells. We conclude that RuBi‐nicotine can be a good source of free nicotine for inducing short‐ and long‐term biological effects. Photolysis of RuBi‐nicotine is quite effective, and can produce biologically relevant concentrations of nicotine at acceptable concentrations of the source material with the use of simple, inexpensive, and easily accessible light sources.
Association between startle reactivity to uncertain threats and structural brain volume
Authors: Manzler Charles A. , Radoman Milena , Khorrami Kia J. , Gorka Stephanie M.
Published: May 2022

Sensitivity to uncertain threat (U‐threat) is a clinically important individual difference factor in multiple psychopathologies. Recent studies have implicated a specific frontolimbic circuit as a key network involved in the anticipation of aversive stimuli. In particular, the insula, thalamus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) have recently been found to be robustly activated by anticipation of U‐threat. However, no study to date has examined the association between U‐threat reactivity and structural brain volume. In the present study, we utilized a pooled sample of 186 young adult volunteers who completed a structural MRI scan and the well‐validated No‐Predictable‐Unpredictable (NPU) threat of electric shock task. Startle eyeblink potentiation was collected during the NPU task as an objective index of aversive reactivity. ROI‐based analyses revealed that increased startle reactivity to U‐threat was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the right insula and bilateral thalamus, but not the dACC. These results add to a growing literature implicating the insula and thalamus as core nodes involved in individual differences in U‐threat reactivity.
Sibship and parentage reconstruction as genetic tool for designing and monitoring plant translocations
Authors: Van Rossum Fabienne
Published: May 2022

Estimating contemporary effective population size (Ne), sibship and parentage can be useful for designing and monitoring plant translocations. Contemporary Ne is an important indicator of population viability, as it considers several demographic factors, e.g. sex ratio, mate compatibility, inbreeding, nonrandom mating, and family size. Sibship and parentage analyses allow not only estimating genetic relatedness of transplants and post‐translocation generations, but also selfing rates, parent contributions to offspring and contemporary seed and pollen dispersal. Sibship assignment method was used to reconstruct offspring pedigree and parentage and to estimate contemporary Ne, selfing rate, and contemporary seed and pollen dispersal in wild (used as seed sources for translocation) and translocated populations of the self‐compatible, insect‐pollinated Dianthus deltoides (Caryophyllaceae). Source populations show very small Ne estimates (5–21) and high selfing rates (28.6–68.9%), despite high census sizes. The first post‐translocation generation (recruits and transplant seed progeny) showed small contemporary Ne estimates (19–53) and substantial selfing rates (8.4–22.3%), despite high flowering sizes, overall genetic diversity and multiple paternity. Parentage assignments revealed high levels of admixture between sources, restricted seed dispersal and successful—often restricted—pollen dispersal in the post‐translocation generation. Pollinator service, crosses between selfed or related transplants and floral display, may have contributed to selfing and pollen dispersal patterns in translocated populations. The present findings support the interest of sibship and parentage reconstruction as genetic tool for designing and monitoring plant translocations, emphasizing the importance of assessing the genetic quality of the transplants, and contributing to a more precise evaluation of population extinction risk.
Vaccines and the social amplification of risk
Authors: Larson Heidi J. , Lin Leesa , Goble Rob
Published: May 2022

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) named “Vaccine Hesitancy” one of the top 10 threats to global health. Shortly afterward, the COVID‐19 pandemic emerged as the world's predominant health concern. COVID‐19 vaccines of several types have been developed, tested, and partially deployed with remarkable speed; vaccines are now the primary control measure and hope for a return to normalcy. However, hesitancy concerning these vaccines, along with resistance to masking and other control measures, remains a substantial obstacle. The previous waves of vaccine hesitancy that led to the WHO threat designation, together with recent COVID‐19 experience, provide a window for viewing new forms of social amplification of risk (SAR). Not surprisingly, vaccines provide fertile ground for questions, anxieties, concerns, and rumors. These appear in new globalized hyperconnected communications landscapes and in the context of complex human (social, economic, and political) systems that exhibit evolving concerns about vaccines and authorities. We look at drivers, impacts, and implications for vaccine initiatives in several recent historical examples and in the current efforts with COVID‐19 vaccination. Findings and insights were drawn from the Vaccine Confidence Project's decade long monitoring of media and social media and its related research efforts. The trends in vaccine confidence and resistance have implications for updating the social amplification of risk framework (SARF); in turn, SARF has practical implications for guiding efforts to alleviate vaccine hesitancy and to mitigate harms from intentional and unintentional vaccine scares.
The response of finely textured and organic soils to lime and phosphorus application: Results from an incubation experiment
Authors: Corbett David , Lynch Bridget , Wall David P. , Tuohy Patrick
Published: May 2022

A soil's responses to phosphorus (P) input differs based on its chemical composition. Soil acidity and the presence of metallic cations dictate a soil's chemical composition. Currently, soil P application recommendations are universal and do not account for differing soil composition. A targeted soil‐specific approach is required to optimize P efficiency and availability. A pot incubation experiment was established to explore the effects of contrasting lime and P application rates across a range of soils (25), characterized by fine particle size and high levels of soil organic matter. Three contrasting rates of P were applied (0, 50, and 150 kg P ha−1) both with and without ground lime (CaCO3) at 5 tonne ha−1 over a 140‐day incubation period. The addition of lime buffered the soil, increasing nutrient availability and reducing P fixation. The 50 kg P ha−1 treatment rate was required to achieve sufficient plant available P in both mineral soil textural classes. Current legislative recommendations however do not allow the application of such rates, which has an impact on agronomic performance. Loam soils experienced a greater increase in M3 soil P in comparison to clay and organic soils. Organic soils posed a major threat to water quality due to poor P retention. A re‐evaluation of P recommendations is required to account for soil variability as current P allowances are insufficient on these particular soils.
A comparison of peat properties in intact, afforested and restored raised and blanket bogs
Authors: Howson Tim R. , Chapman Pippa J. , Holden Joseph , Shah Nadeem , Anderson Russell
Published: May 2022

Recognition of peatlands as a key natural store of terrestrial carbon has led to new initiatives to protect and restore them. Some afforested bogs are being clear‐felled and restored (forest‐to‐bog restoration) to recover pre‐afforestation ecosystem function. However, little is known about differences in the peat properties between intact, afforested and restored bogs. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to take 122 peat cores from three separate microforms associated with intact (hollows; hummocks; lawns), afforested and restored bogs (furrows; original surface; ridges) at two raised and two blanket bog locations in Scotland. Common physical and chemical peat properties at eight depths were measured in the laboratory. Differences in bulk density, moisture and carbon content between the afforested (mean = 0.103 g cm−3, 87.8% and 50.9%, respectively), intact (mean = 0.091 g cm−3, 90.3% and 51.3%, respectively) and restored bogs (mean = 0.095 g cm−3, 89.7% and 51.1%, respectively) were small despite their statistical significance. The pH was significantly lower in the afforested (mean = 4.26) and restored bogs (mean = 4.29) than the intact bogs (mean = 4.39), whereas electrical conductivity was significantly higher (mean: afforested = 34.2, restored = 38.0, intact = 25.3 μS cm−1). While significant differences were found between treatments, effect sizes were mainly small, and greater differences in pH, electrical conductivity, specific yield and hydraulic conductivity existed between the different intact bogs. Therefore, interactions between geographic location and land management need to be considered when interpreting the impacts of land‐use change on peatland properties and functioning.
Evaluation of a point‐of‐care benchtop analyzer for quantitative measurement of C‐reactive protein in canine serum and plasma
Authors: Connolly Sara L. , Solter Phil , Don Joo Hoo , Jeong Kim Hyun , Constable Peter D.
Published: May 2022

Background

Canine C‐reactive protein (cCRP) is an acute‐phase protein that increases dramatically with inflammation and has potential utility in monitoring disease progression and response to treatment. Rapid, automated point‐of‐care test (POCT) formats could enhance the clinical utility of cCRP measurement.

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the VetChroma canine‐specific POCT assay for the quantitative measurement of cCRP in canine serum or plasma.

Methods

Serum and plasma from discarded canine diagnostic samples were used. Evaluation included intra‐ and inter‐assay coefficients of variation and observed total error (TEobs), linearity and spike recovery, the effect of interfering substances and sample matrices, and a method comparison study.

Results

Intra‐assay variation ranged from 2.5%–6.1%, and inter‐assay variation ranged from 2.1%–5.4%. The TEobsranged from 15.1%–19.7%. The assay was linear over the manufacturer's analytical range with no evidence of constant or proportional bias. Recovery of purified cCRP from canine serum ranged from 116.2% to 138.4%. Hemolysis, icterus, and turbidity did not interfere with the assay. The comparison of paired plasma and serum samples revealed constant and proportional bias. Comparison of the VetChroma cCRP assay to a commercial cCRP ELISA revealed significantly different results.

Conclusions

The VetChroma cCRP assay has acceptable test performance to measure serum cCRP concentration. The POCT protocol and test kit are valid for clinical use, although results obtained using other cCRP assays or plasma may not be directly compared.
Allee Effects in Population Biology
Authors: Ufuktepe Ünal
Published: May 2022

The Allee effect is a phenomenon in biology characterized by a positive correlation between population density (size) and its per capita growth rate. This effect is simply a casual positive relationship between the number of individuals in a population and their overall individual fitness. The more individuals there are, up to a point, the better they fare. So as population size approaches a threshold, favorable influences stimulate its growth, and when it goes below it, unfavorable influences inhibit its growth. In 1975, Beddington et al modified a model by adopting the single species density-dependent Ricker model. We extend single-species models with Allee effects to two-species/two-dimensional population models and focus our attention in a Beddington model with Allee effects.
Experimental Study on the Effect of Injection Timing on a Dual Fuel Diesel Engine Operated With Biogas Derived From Food Waste
Authors: Chandrashekar Jagadish , Gumtapure Veershetty
Published: May 2022

The present work emphasizes the effects of injection timing on the characteristics of a 5.2-kW powered four-stroke diesel engine using biogas and its heat loss analysis. The biogas is obtained from food waste consisting of methane (CH4)—88.1% and carbon dioxide (CO2)—11.8% as the composition. The biogas (BG) is selected by mass basis ranging from 20% to 60% with 10% increments and is used to operate the engine by dual-fuel mode. The effect of three injection timings such as 25.5 deg (retarded), 27.5 deg (actual), and 29.5 deg (advanced) before top-dead center (bTDC) under dual-mode operation to enhance the properties of the engine is studied, and the results are compared with diesel mode at actual injection timing. Maximum brake thermal efficiency of 30.1% was observed for BG20 operated at 29.5-deg bTDC injection timing (IT). The dual mode operated at the injection timing of 29.5-deg bTDC showed an increase in cylinder pressure compared to diesel by 11.9% at full load conditions, whereas carbon monoxide emission was lower by 5.2% at 29.5-deg bTDC IT than diesel, and nitrogen oxide emission was lower at 25.5 deg bTDC IT than diesel mode by 45%. Besides, at 75% engine load, the least amount of heat losses was observed for BG50 exhibiting effective conversion of fuel energy into equivalent work higher than that of diesel by 2.2%, respectively.
Inhibitory Activity of Antibacterial Mouthwashes and Antiseptic Substances against Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Williams Eloise , Zhang Bowen , Chow Eric P. F. , Chea Socheata , Phillips Tiffany R. , Maddaford Kate , Krysiak Marcelina , Nong Yi , Stefanatos Helen , Pasricha Shivani , Fairley Christopher K. , Wiliamson Deborah A.
Published: May 2022

Improved treatment and prevention strategies, such as antimicrobial mouthwashes, may be important for addressing the public health threat of antimicrobial-resistant
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
. Here, we describe the activity of seven common antibacterial mouthwashes and antiseptics against
N. gonorrhoeae
isolates, incorporating the use of a human saliva test matrix.
Intestinal Immune Development Is Accompanied by Temporal Deviation in Microbiota Composition of Newly Hatched Pigeon Squabs
Authors: Xu Qianqian , Zhao Wenyan , Li Yan , Zou Xiaoting , Dong Xinyang
Published: May 2022

The pigeon (
Columba livia
), an altricial bird, is one of the most economically important farmed poultry for table purposes. Identifying the interaction between intestinal mucosal immune system development and commensal microbiota colonization in neonates is of paramount importance for understanding how early life events affect resistance to disease and potential productivity later in life.
Multicenter Study of Susceptibility of Aspergillus Species Isolated from Iranian University Hospitals to Seven Antifungal Agents
Authors: Badiee Parisa , Boekhout Teun , Zarei Mahmoudabadi Ali , Mohammadi Rasoul , Ayatollahi Mousavi Seyyed Amin , Najafzadeh Mohammad Javad , Soltani Jafar , Hashemi Jamal , Diba Kambiz , Ghadimi-Moghadam Abdolkarim , Salimi-Khorashad Ali Reza , Shokohi Tahereh , Amin Shahidi Maneli , Ghasemi Fatemeh , Jafarian Hadis
Published: May 2022

Aspergillus
species are the leading cause of invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised hosts. The susceptibility of
Aspergillus
species to antifungal agents might be different.
A Small KPC-2-Producing Plasmid in
Klebsiella pneumoniae
: Implications for Diversified Vehicles of Carbapenem Resistance
Authors: Chen Qiwei , Liu Lizhang , Hu Xiaofang , Jia Xu , Gong Xiaowei , Feng Youjun , Huang Man
Published: May 2022

A rare ST437 isolate termed K186 was clinically determined which was unlike ST11, the dominant sequence type of CRKP. Whole-genome sequencing enabled us to discover three distinct resistance plasmids, namely, pK186_1, pK186_2, and pK186_KPC. Among them, pK186_KPC appears as a unique plasmid ~26 kb in size, much smaller than the prevalent forms (~120 to ~170 kb).
Two-Photon Laser Lithography of Active Microcavity Structures
Authors: Maydykovskiy A. I. , Mamonov E. A. , Mitetelo N. V. , Soria S. , Murzina T. V.
Published: May 2022

Fabrication of active fluorescent microstructures with given parameters is an important task of integrated optics. One of the most efficient methods of fabrication of such microstructures is two-photon laser lithography. However, most polymers used in this technology have a relatively low quantum yield of fluorescence. In this work, the properties of microcavity structures obtained by the indicated method from hybrid polymers with addition of various dyes have been studied. The possibility of formation of high-quality microstructures from activated polymers, conservation of their luminescent properties after polymerization under intense laser irradiation, and reduction of the exposure of two-photon laser lithography by two orders of magnitude in the presence of Coumarin-1 dye has been demonstrated. The nonlinear optical microscopy study has shown that the spatial distribution of scattered fluorescence in microcavity structures based on the polymer with the dye corresponds to the excitation of cavity modes or whispering gallery modes.
Exact solution for a traversable wormhole in a curvature-coupled antisymmetric background field
Authors: Maluf R. V. , Muniz C. R
Published: May 2022

In this work, we study a traversable wormhole sourced by an ideal matter fluid with an antisymmetric 2-tensor background field coupled to gravity in a scenario of spontaneously broken Lorentz symmetry. Contrary to employed in the literature, we use a nonminimal curvature-coupling term $$B^{\mu \nu }B^{\kappa \lambda }R_{\mu \nu \kappa \lambda }$$

B

μ
ν

B

κ
λ

R

μ
ν
κ
λ

which incorporates all three kinds of Lorentz-violating coefficient for the pure-gravity sector of the minimal standard-model extension. We find that the wormhole is non-asymptotically globally flat and determine the allowed parameters of the theory, showing that the matter fluid must be necessarily anisotropic. We also analyze the energy conditions, checking their validity range and comparing them with those predicted by general relativity.
Characterizing Fractal Genetic Variation in the Human Genome from the Hapmap Project
Authors: Borri Alessandro , Cerasa Antonio , Tonin Paolo , Citrigno Luigi , Porcaro Camillo
Published: May 2022

Over the last decades, the exuberant development of next-generation sequencing has revolutionized gene discovery. These technologies have boosted the mapping of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the human genome, providing a complex universe of heterogeneity characterizing individuals worldwide. Fractal dimension (FD) measures the degree of geometric irregularity, quantifying how “complex” a self-similar natural phenomenon is. We compared two FD algorithms, box-counting dimension (BCD) and Higuchi’s fractal dimension (HFD), to characterize genome-wide patterns of SNPs extracted from the HapMap data set, which includes data from 1184 healthy subjects of eleven populations. In addition, we have used cluster and classification analysis to relate the genetic distances within chromosomes based on FD similarities to the geographical distances among the 11 global populations. We found that HFD outperformed BCD at both grand average clusterization analysis by the cophenetic correlation coefficient, in which the closest value to 1 represents the most accurate clustering solution (0.981 for the HFD and 0.956 for the BCD) and classification (79.0% accuracy, 61.7% sensitivity, and 96.4% specificity for the HFD with respect to 69.1% accuracy, 43.2% sensitivity, and 94.9% specificity for the BCD) of the 11 populations present in the HapMap data set. These results support the evidence that HFD is a reliable measure helpful in representing individual variations within all chromosomes and categorizing individuals and global populations.
Experimental study on the characteristics of multimerging pedestrians through macroscopic and microscopic analysis
Authors: Jiang Jiajia , Jiang Nan , Li Fan , Geng Dewang , Zhang Ping , Yang Lizhong , Li Maoyu
Published: May 2022

Pedestrian merging behavior is one of the most frequently observed complex pedestrian behaviors and has a certain limited impact on evacuation efficiency in emergency situations. However, experimental research on the multiple merging behavior of pedestrians is very limited. To explore the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of multiple-merging under special-angle conditions, this paper studies the pedestrian behavior of the main channel and branches in multiple-merging behavior, and analyzes the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of pedestrians in the case of multiple merging. The width of the main channel is fixed at 2.4[Formula: see text]m, the angle between the branches and the main channel is 30, and the change in the width of the merging branches is 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6[Formula: see text]m. A total of 171 volunteers participated in the experiment, and UWB equipment was used to extract pedestrian trajectories. Obvious lanes were formed during the experiment, and there were obvious ramps. The density of the double branches is significantly higher than that of the single branch, and the maximum saturation value can reach 3.75[Formula: see text]ped/m2. When the width of the branch becomes narrower, the branch entrance and the main channel block each other. When the width of the branch is narrow enough, the influence of the number of branches on the speed of the branch is reduced. When the number of branches increases, to make the distribution of pedestrians more even, the width of the branches also needs to be increased. We also analyzed the headway distance and found that almost all the volunteers in the experiment were under the free system. The results are helpful for correction of the multimerging simulation model and design improvement of the daily multimerging scene.
Band gap of two-dimensional topological insulator with a double quantum well structure
Authors: Li Shijie , Xia Tongsheng
Published: May 2022

The bulk energy gap of two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs) is generally small, leading to their study being limited to extremely low temperatures, thus increasing the energy gap of 2D TIs is an urgent challenge. It has been reported that the compressive strain could enhance the band gap of the 2D TI to about 55 meV. Based on this result, this paper further calculated the band structures of 2D TIs with a special structure, i.e., the double quantum well, and especially evaluated their band gaps. We found that by choosing different internal barrier thicknesses, asymmetry factors and electric fields, numerical results show that the energy gap of the TIs with double quantum well (DQW) structure can further reach over 70 meV. This result might be significant for the possible applications of 2D TIs.
Ab-initio calculation of electronic, mechanical, optical and phonon properties of ZrXH3(X = Co, Ni and Cu): A key towards potential hydrogen storage materials
Authors: Razzaq Samia , Murtaza G. , Khalil Rana Muhammad Arif , Ahmad Nazir , Raza Hafiz Hamid
Published: May 2022

Hydrogen storage is attractive in research interests due to clean, renewable and green energy properties of hydrogen. Therefore, frequently research studies are carried out to find suitable and innovative materials that fulfill the criteria of hydrogen storage materials. First-principles calculations of ZrXH3([Formula: see text], Ni and Cu) compounds are carried out to find their hydrogen storage properties by using CASTEP code. Structural, mechanical, electronic and optical properties of these materials have been studied. Gravimetric hydrogen storage densities of these materials are also calculated. Electronic properties of these hydrides are also discussed which show the metallic nature of these hydrides. Moreover, mechanical properties identified through elastic constants proved their mechanical stability by satisfying Born stability criteria. Bulk, shear, Young’s moduli, Poisson’s ratio and Vickers hardness show that these three compounds are hard, ductile and have good resistance toward change. We have also calculated the phonon dispersion curves and phonon density of states by using density functional perturbation theory.
The effect of environment to the Hodgkin–Huxley Neuron
Authors: Li Bobin
Published: May 2022

Based on the Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) model, a model of calculation is constructed to simulate the neuron. In this paper, how the factors affect the function of HH model is carefully analyzed. It is indicated that temperature is a key role for performance of HH model, under different parameters including temperature, external stimulation, etc.
A partial offloading algorithm based on intelligent sensing
Authors: Izgi Zehra Pinar , Saglam Fatma Nur , Sahoo S. , Rezazadeh Hadi , Akinyemi Lanre
Published: May 2022

In this paper, the exact solutions of the logarithmic nonlinear Schrödinger equation (log-NLS) types, namely, the logarithmic perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation (log-pert-NLS), logarithmic improved nonlinear Schrödinger (log-imp-NLS) and logarithmic perturbed improved nonlinear Schrödinger (log-pert-imp-NLS) are examined. These solutions are attained by eliminating logarithmic nonlinearity. The solutions show different Gaussian solitary patterns in different conditions. The dynamics of the obtained solutions are analyzed by means of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) graphs.
Fabrication of highly transparent AlON ceramics by fast formed direct aqueous slip casting green body
Authors: Ma Liya , Shan Yingchun , Sun Xiannian , Gao Mingze , Han Xiaoguang , Xu Jiujun
Published: May 2022

By using a copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride (Isobam-104) as dispersant to prepare slurries of high solid loading, aluminum oxynitride (AlON) green bodies were fast formed by direct aqueous slip casting. Based on the experiments on solid loading and dispersant amount, the optimal sample pressureless sintered at 1880[Formula: see text]C for 2.5 h showed the highest transmittance of 80.1%. The slurry drying time in mold was effectively reduced to only 2 h by increasing solid loading, which is more adaptive to fabricate complex-shaped and/or large-sized AlON components of high transparency.
The ballistic and diffusive thermal transport in low-dimensional structures
Authors: Zhang Xian-Ran , Peng Xiao-Fang
Published: May 2022

The thermal transport property in low-dimensional structures has been studied theoretically taking into account the effect of temperature on phonon–phonon coupling. New thermal-transport equations are developed to discriminatively treat the ballistic and diffusive thermal transport in quantum structures. Using the new thermal transport equations, the thermal transport properties in GaAs nanowire and zigzag graphene nanoribbon are investigated to demonstrate the crossover from ballistic to diffusive thermal transport.
High fidelity quantum blind dual-signature protocols
Authors: Zhang Ming-Hui , Xie Jia-Hui
Published: May 2022

This work proposes two kinds of fault tolerant quantum blind dual-signature (QBDS) protocols with photon quartets, which are robust against the collective-dephasing noise and collective-rotation noise, respectively. In the protocols, the initial information needs to be signed by the message owner in addition to the signer, which will be well suitable for application in some E-payment and E-government systems that require the message owner to provide authentication information. Both QBDS protocols are constructed with logical qubits which are immune to the collective noise, thereby the protocols can provide higher communication fidelity with respect to the existing quantum signature protocols. Furthermore, the protocols had been proved to be secure against some individual eavesdropping attacks. Meanwhile, the protocols satisfy the characteristics of quantum blind signature (QBS) protocols such as unforgeability, undeniability and blindness.
Band gap renormalization of the InSe by laser radiation
Authors: Salmanov V. M. , Guseinov A. G. , Rzayev R. M. , Mamedov R. M. , Hajiyeva V. I.
Published: May 2022

Nonlinear absorption of light and its time evolution in InSe under the influence of picosecond laser excitation have been investigated experimentally. It was shown that the decrease in exciton absorption in InSe at high levels of optical excitation is due to the exciton–exciton interaction and screening of the Coulomb potential by free carriers, generated by laser light. Observations of induced absorption in the energy region between the exciton level and the edge of the conduction band are associated with the appearance of a continuum of states due to a shift in the edge of the energy band.
Attribute-Guided Global and Part-Level Identity Network for Person Re-Identification
Authors: Pan Shaoming , Feng Wenqiang , Chong Yanwen
Published: May 2022

Most of the person re-identification (re-ID) algorithms based on deep learning mainly learn the global feature representation of pedestrians, while ignoring the important role of fine-grained pedestrian attribute features on re-ID tasks. Pedestrian attributes are middle-level semantic features, which have invariance in different poses, camera views, and illumination conditions. Considering the robustness and promotion of pedestrian attributes for person re-ID task, we propose an Attribute-guided Global and Part-level identity Network (AGPNet), which consists of a global identity task, a part-level identity task, and a pedestrian attributes learning task. AGPNet takes advantage of perceived semantic information of pedestrian attributes and deploys them as guidance to attend to human body regions and learn robust feature representation in the feature representation construction stage. Extensive experiments on two large-scale person re-ID datasets (Market-1501 and DukeMTMC-reID) show the effectiveness of our method, which is competitive with the state-of-the-art algorithms.
Lightweight Convolution Neural Network Based on Multi-Scale Parallel Fusion for Weed Identification
Authors: Wang Zhen , Guo Jianxin , Zhang Shanwen
Published: May 2022

Accurate identification of weed species is the premise for controlling weeds in field. But it is a challenging task due to the complexity and high-dimensional nonlinearity of the weed images in natural field. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) model has been widely applied to image identification, but most of the CNNs models have the problems of large parameters, low identification accuracy, and single feature scale. This paper presents a novel deep neural network structure, named as MPF-Net for weed species identification. In MPF-Net, firstly, the weed images is sent into two different scales of depthwise separable convolution layers; secondly, the parallel output feature information is cross-fused, and uses the residual learning structure to increase the network model depth and feature extraction ability; finally the lightweight model PL-Model and the scale reduction module SR-Model are stacked together to construct the lightweight network. We have performed extensive experiments on real weed datasets, and compared the proposed MPF-Net against several variations of lightweight networks. The experimental results on the weed image dataset show that the proposed method is effective and feasible for weed species identification.
A New Design of Occlusion-Invariant Face Recognition Using Optimal Pattern Extraction and CNN with GRU-Based Architecture
Authors: Pankaj  , Bharti P. K. , Kumar Brajesh
Published: May 2022

Face detection is a computer technology being used in a variety of applications that identify human faces in digital images. In many face recognition challenges, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are regarded as a problem solver. Occlusion is determined as the most common challenge of face recognition in realistic applications. Several studies are undergoing to obtain face recognition without any challenges. However, the occurrence of noise and occlusion in the image reduces the achievement of face recognition. Hence, various researches and studies are carried out to solve the challenges involved with the occurrence of occlusion and noise in the image, and more clarification is needed to acquire high accuracy. Hence, a deep learning model is intended to be developed in this paper using the meta-heuristic approach. The proposed model covers four main steps: (a) data acquisition, (b) pre-processing, (c) pattern extraction and (d) classification. The benchmark datasets regarding the face image with occlusion are gathered from a public source. Further, the pre-processing of the images is performed by contrast enhancement and Gabor filtering. With these pre-processed images, pattern extraction is done by the optimal local mesh ternary pattern. Here, the hybrid Whale–Galactic Swarm Optimization (WGSO) algorithm is used for developing the optimal local mesh ternary pattern extraction. By inputting the pattern-extracted image, the new deep learning model namely “CNN with Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU)” network performs the recognition process to maximize the accuracy, and also it is used to enhance the face recognition model. From the results, in terms of accuracy, the proposed WGSO-[Formula: see text] model is better by 4.02%, 3.76% and 2.17% than the CNN, SVM and SRC, respectively. The experimental results are presented by performing their comparative analysis on a standard dataset, and they assure the efficiency of the proposed model. However, many challenging problems related to face recognition still exist, which offer excellent opportunities to face recognition researchers in the future.
Powers of edge ideals of weighted oriented graphs with linear resolutions
Authors: Banerjee Arindam , Das Kanoy Kumar , Selvaraja S.
Published: May 2022

Let [Formula: see text] be a weighted oriented graph and [Formula: see text] denote the corresponding edge ideal. In this paper, we give a combinatorial characterization of [Formula: see text] which has a linear resolution. As a consequence, we prove that if [Formula: see text] is the edge ideal of a weighted oriented graph [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] has a linear resolution if and only if all powers of [Formula: see text] have a linear resolution. Also, we prove that if [Formula: see text] is a weighted oriented graph and [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] has a linear resolution if and only if all powers of [Formula: see text] have linear quotients. We provide a lower bound for the regularity of powers of edge ideals of weighted oriented graphs in terms of induced matching. Finally, we obtain a general upper bound for the regularity of edge ideals of weighted oriented graphs.
A note on integer-valued skew polynomials
Authors: Behajaina Angelot
Published: May 2022

Given an integral domain [Formula: see text] with quotient field [Formula: see text], the study of the ring of integer-valued polynomials [Formula: see text] has attracted a lot of attention over the past decades. Recently, Werner has extended this study to the situation of skew polynomials. To be more precise, if [Formula: see text] is an automorphism of [Formula: see text], one may consider the set [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the skew polynomial ring and [Formula: see text] is a “suitable” evaluation of [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text]. For example, he gave sufficient conditions for [Formula: see text] to be a ring and study some of its properties. In this paper, we extend the study to the situation of the skew polynomial ring [Formula: see text] with a suitable evaluation, where [Formula: see text] is a [Formula: see text]-derivation. Moreover we prove, for example, that if [Formula: see text] is of finite order and [Formula: see text] is a Dedekind domain with finite residue fields such that [Formula: see text] is a ring, then [Formula: see text] is non-Noetherian.
Combination of Fuzzy-Weighted Zero-Inconsistency and Fuzzy Decision by Opinion Score Methods in Pythagorean m-Polar Fuzzy Environment: A Case Study of Sign Language Recognition Systems
Authors: Albahri O. S. , AlSattar H. A. , Garfan Salem , Qahtan Sarah , Zaidan A. A. , Ahmaro Ibraheem Y. Y. , Alamoodi A. H. , Zaidan B. B. , Albahri A. S. , Al-Samarraay Mohammed S. , Jasim Ali Najm , Baqer M. J.
Published: May 2022

In the fuzzy multicriteria decision-making approach, a committee of decision-makers is usually involved in the assessment of the suitability of different alternatives based on the evaluation criteria by using linguistic terms and their equivalent fuzzy numbers. In this context, researchers have developed the Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS) to overcome the limitation of intuitionistic fuzzy set in the description of decision-maker information such as imposing restrictions on the representation of membership and nonmembership grades. On the one hand, PFS still does not have sufficient ability and flexibility to deal with such issues. On the other hand, multipolar technology is used to operate large-scale systems in real-life situations, especially in dealing with dissatisfaction and indeterminacy grades for the alternatives of the reference set. Thus, m-polar fuzzy set is utilized and applied with other fuzzy sets because of its remarkable ability as a tool for depicting fuzziness and uncertainty under multipolar information in many circumstances. With the practical features of m-polar fuzzy set in combination with PFS, this paper employs it to extend two considerable MCDM methods, namely, fuzzy decision by opinion score method and fuzzy-weighted zero inconsistency. Such extensions, called Pythagorean m-polar fuzzy-weighted zero-inconsistency (Pm-PFWZIC) method and Pythagorean m-polar fuzzy decision by opinion score method (Pm-PFDOSM), are formulated to weight the evaluation criteria followed by alternative ranking progressively. The research methodology is presented as follows. Firstly, the mechanisms of Pm-PFWZIC and Pm-PFDOSM are formulated and integrated into the development phase. Secondly, the description of the real-world case study of the evaluation and benchmarking of the sign language recognition systems is adapted and presented. The result of Pm-PFWZIC shows that the criterion of ‘finger movements’ has the highest weight amongst the rest of the criteria, whereas ‘misclassification error’ has the lowest weight. In the ranking results, a variation of ranking is scored by each expert, and group decision-making is applied to solve the individual ranking variety. The robustness of the formulated methods is evaluated using systematic ranking, sensitivity analysis and comparison analysis.
A Novel Perspective to Sustainable Supplier Performance Evaluation Problem: A Case Study Based on Determining the Optimum Number of Clusters
Authors: Keskin Gulsen Aydin
Published: May 2022

In this study, it is aimed to contribute to the development of companies in order to reach the desired values utilizing the cluster features of the suppliers in a sustainable supplier evaluation process and to guide the supplier in this regard. The clustering features acquired at the end of the study will guide the determination of sustainable supplier criteria and potential new suppliers according to the sector and business line in future studies. The first step of the three-stage model is to apply the best–worst method to determine the weights of the criteria. At the second stage, suppliers are clustered together by the k-means algorithm and silhouette index method. At the third stage, suppliers are divided into categories, and suggestion policies for each supplier category are included. Then, sensitivity analysis has been performed to analyze the effects of variations of criteria weights on the result of the proposed model. Finally, to express the integrated method, a real-life sustainable supplier selection problem is solved and suppliers are categorized according to their similarities. Following evaluation, it was seen that the environmental management system and waste management criteria were the most critical criteria in the categorization of suppliers. When its reasons are investigated, sectoral characteristics come into prominence. The results indicate that the proposed model fits well as a multicriteria decision-making tool for sustainable supplier selection and evaluation decisions. Finally, it is predicted that this model will evaluate new suppliers or new products/services to be procured and selected from the set of features.
Reforming the Activities of Leaders for Professional Level Employee Engagement: A Blue Ocean Leadership Approach
Authors: Porkodi S. , Tabash Bassam Khalil Hamdan
Published: May 2022

For an organisation, it is noteworthy to engage employees, where the organisations look to their workers’ inventiveness, activities and are proactive with the solutions for the current requirements. Achieving employees’ engagement is similar to the new Blue Ocean leadership approach (BOL) that gives an entirely new system as worker’s points of view are considered in building a new leadership profile. The key objective of this research paper is to analyse the impact of BOL on professional-level employee engagement through Kim and Mauborgne’s BOL grid four-action framework variables, particularly in the private sector. To test the developed hypothesis, the researcher applied simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis methods. The result of this research study showed that all the four-action BOL grid variables are significant in employee engagement. Further, to develop the new leadership profile, the researcher also used multiple regression analysis to conduct a detailed analysis on the impact of the BOL approach through BOL grid four-action framework variables separately. From the outcomes of the evaluation, it is accomplished that the new leadership blue ocean methodology creates a higher influence on employee engagement via the detected acts along with activities in the new BOL grid since the Create variables have extremely higher significance with 87% ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]), the Eliminate variables have next-level higher significance with 84% (([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]), followed by the Raise variables that have the next higher importance with 72% ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) which displays the consequence of BOL grid (all four-action) variables on employee engagement. In view of impending private sectors in Oman Vision 2040, the results of this research could be an important pointer to be considered in Oman’s private sector development.
Deep Weak Approximation of SDEs: A Spatial Approximation Scheme for Solving Kolmogorov Equations
Authors: Naito Riu , Yamada Toshihiro
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we propose a new computation scheme for numerical solutions of Kolmogorov equations based on a high-order weak approximation method of stochastic differential equations and deep learning. The scheme provides a spatial approximation for solving Kolmogorov equations without the curse of dimensionality. We show numerical examples based on the proposed scheme for high-dimensional Kolmogorov equations.
Time fractional super KdV equation: Lie point symmetries, conservation laws, explicit solutions with convergence analysis
Authors: Gulsen Selahattin , Inc Mustafa
Published: May 2022

In this work, one-point Lie symmetry method is applied to time fractional super KdV equation in order to obtain similarity variables and similarity transformations with Riemann–Liouville derivative. These transformations reduce the governing equation to an ordinary differential equation of fractional order. A new and effective conservation theorem based on Noether’s theorem is used to obtain conserved vectors. Then, we construct power series solutions for the reduced time fractional ordinary differential equation and prove that the solutions are convergent. Lastly, some interesting graphs are given to explain physical behaviors.
Malaysia’s Relations with China under Mahathir 2.0: Reaffirming Bilateral Ties, Renegotiating Economic Collaboration, Reasserting Security Interests
Authors: NGEOW CHOW BING , JAMIL NUR SHAHADAH
Published: May 2022

This paper examines Malaysia’s evolving relations with China during the second Mahathir administration from 2018 to 2020 in political, economic, and security aspects. While much of the foreign media portrayed the unprecedented change of government in May 2018 as an instance of “pushing back” against China, this paper refutes this simplistic view. It argues that while there were uncertainties in bilateral relations in the initial period following the election, the “Mahathir 2.0” administration ultimately renewed and reaffirmed its relationship with China on a positive note. Economically, the Mahathir 2.0 administration sought to renegotiate Malaysia’s economic relationship with China to align it with its political economy agenda. In terms of security, Prime Minister Mahathir had at first sought to form a new normative framework but later came to adopt a more assertive stand in the South China Sea dispute. At the same time, he showed a continued (but cautious) willingness to engage in defense diplomacy and military-to-military relations with China. This paper analyzes these developments in light of the theoretical framework of neoclassical realism which takes into account the systemic, domestic, and personal factors in influencing the country’s foreign policy. It also interprets these developments as exercises in hedging by a small power in an age of increasing uncertainty.