bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Graduation approach to poverty reduction in the humanitarian context: Evidence from Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Atiya , Bhattacharjee Anindita , Nisat Rafia , Das Narayan
Published: January 2023

Increasing forcibly displaced populations worldwide are adversely affecting the poorest host communities' livelihoods. Livelihood programmes can reduce this tension by addressing host communities' skills and capital constraints. In this paper, we examine the effect of a customised version of BRAC's Ultra‐Poor Graduation (UPG) programme on the livelihoods of the host communities of Rohingya refugees. We find that the programme increases labour supply in self‐employment of working‐age men and women, household income, food expenditure and productive asset. Further, we find some weak evidence that the programme decreases the tension between hosts and Rohingya refugees.
A clean and discreet service: The role of corruption and secrecy in profit shifting by multinational firms
Authors: Binhadab Nouf , Gillanders Robert , McCluskey Thomas
Published: January 2023

We investigate the importance of corruption in shaping the profit‐shifting behaviour of multinational firms. Using country‐level panel data, we find a significant and positive correlation between corruption and profit shifting. Our findings are consistent with several theoretical arguments predicting that corruption may both facilitate and provide an incentive to firm behaviour that deprives poorer countries of much needed tax revenues. Our findings are robust across a number of corruption and profit‐shifting measures, as well as to an instrumental variable approach that controls for the potential endogeneity between profit shifting and corruption. Our findings also indicate a negative and significant relationship between financial secrecy and outward profit shifting. We conclude that corruption and financial secrecy undermine global efforts to tackle profit shifting by multinational firms.
Development of a high‐performance liquid chromatography method for rapid radiochemical purity measurement of [18F]PSMA‐1007, a PET radiopharmaceutical for detection of prostate cancer
Authors: Ioppolo Joseph A. , Alvarez de Eulate Eva , Cullen Danica R. , Mohamed Shifaza , Morandeau Laurence
Published: January 2023

Since first becoming commercially available in 2018, the PET radiopharmaceutical [18F]PSMA‐1007 has been used widely for the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. A pharmacopoeia monograph first became available in 2021, prescribing a radiochemical purity specification of >91%, based on analytical results from both TLC (for [18F]fluoride impurity alone) and HPLC (for all other 18F‐impurities). Though this monograph has provided clarity for the quality control testing of [18F]PSMA‐1007, it prescribes a HPLC method using phosphate buffer mobile phase that may present a risk of precipitation of phosphate salts in the HPLC system. The method also requires specialised hardware not immediately available to all laboratories. This work describes the development of a simple, rapid reversed‐phase HPLC method utilising 0.1 M ammonium formate mobile phase for the accurate assessment of both [18F]fluoride impurity and overall radiochemical purity in a single test. This method is especially useful for assessment of product stability over time. A more accurate TLC method for [18F]fluoride impurity is also described.
Understanding continuance intention of social Q&A communities for informal learning among university students
Authors: Zeng Huijuan , Bao Zheshi
Published: January 2023

Social Q&A refers to the process of information seeking based on questioning‐and‐answering in natural language through social networks. It facilitates knowledge gathering and interacting, and thus can be regarded as an appropriate environment for informal learning. This study intends to explore factors affecting continuance intention of using social Q&A communities for informal learning and meanwhile reveal the underlying mechanism among these factors. Data were obtained from 257 university students through an online survey. By using partial least squares based structural equation model, the proposed hypotheses and research model were analyzed. The findings show that homophily, interactivity and social presence are three determinants of collaborative learning and community identification in social Q&A community which further influences university students' continuance intention for informal learning. Our research extends the understanding of informal learning in social Q&A communities and indicates how to promote continuous informal learning in such environment.
What is good drinking water? 41 Years of risk perception on water quality in the vicinity of the Nuclear Research Centre Karlsruhe, 1956–1997
Authors: Gutting Alicia
Published: January 2023

This article traces the historical evolution of risk perception around the Nuclear Research Centre Karlsruhe, Germany, from 1956 to 1997. It does so by targeting the evolution of water‐related risks. Federal hopes in the postwar era that the Nuclear Research Centre would bring progress and prosperity clashed with local values and local perception of nuclear engineering as dangerous to health and the environment. Various conflicts arose and opponents made use of their past lived‐knowledge to foster their arguments against future decision‐making, mobilizing stories from the past to shape the future. The conflict culminated in the 1990s, when the municipality decided to lease the Centre's waterworks for future drinking water supply. The main argument of the article is that even though the public discourse shifted over the years from water pollution toward greater risks such as nuclear meltdowns, the local risk perception stayed with the water‐related risks. The article shows how the locals perceived and narrated their risk perception against the decision‐making of authorities as well as against the reasoning of scientists and experts.
Impacts of the Victoria Nile Bujagali hydropower dam on fisheries and livelihoods
Authors: Nduwayesu Everest , Basooma Anthony , Sekiranda Stephen Kabali , Balirwa John Stephen , Bassa Samuel , Muhumuza Elias , Mugeni Bairon , Mulowoza Alex , Musobya Moses , Nakiyende Herbert
Published: January 2023

The Upper Victoria Nile (UVN) flows from Lake Victoria into Lake Kyoga, spanning 117 km and supports a diverse aquatic fauna that sustains livelihoods of riverside communities. The UVN is habitat to critically endangered (Labeo victorianus), near threatened (Oreochromis variabilis and Oreochromis esculentus), and rare species (Neochromis simotes). Four hydropower dams were built on the UVN to provide energy for industrial and socioeconomic development, notwithstanding consequential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. The impacts of Bujagali hydropower (BHP) dam on fisheries and livelihoods were assessed biannually (April and September) from 2006 to 2019, using fishing effort, species abundance, catch composition, and economic beach revenue at upstream, mid‐reservoir, and downstream transects. The fishing boats increased from 31 in 2009 to 293 in 2019 and fishers from 83 to 500 over the monitoring period. Maximum annual catch of 461.4 t was recorded in 2014 and lowest of 54.2 t in 2009. In all transects, Protopterus aethiopicus and Labeo victorianus were least in the commercial catches and the use of Mormyrus kannume juveniles as bait for Nile perch fishery corresponded with increased catches from 3.3 t in 2009 to 148.2 t in 2019. Women were mostly engaged in post‐harvest activities such as fish drying, smoking, and food vending. These observations suggest coupling effects of the hydropower dam and ineffective fisheries management. The harvest of M. kannume wild stocks for bait should be banned and research in possible domestication of the species undertaken. There is a need to strengthen fisheries enforcement to curb illegal effort and overexploitation and to implement conservation actions to mitigate potential biodiversity impacts from the hydropower dam operations.
Multiple assessments of non‐inferiority trials with ordinal endpoints
Authors: Xu Wenfu , Hou Yuli , Lu Tong‐Yu
Published: January 2023

Non‐inferiority (NI) trials are implemented when there is a practical demand to search for alternatives to standard therapies, such as to reduce side effects. An experimental treatment is considered non‐inferior to the standard treatment when it exhibits clinically non‐significant loss of efficacy. Ordinal categorical responses are frequently observed in clinical trials. It has been reported that responses measured using an ordinal scale produce more informative analysis than when responses collapse into binary outcomes. We study the NI trials using ordinal endpoints. We propose a latent variable model for ordinal categorical responses. Based on the proposed latent variable model, the mean efficacy of the different treatments is denoted by the corresponding mean parameter of the underlying continuous distributions. A two‐step procedure is proposed for model identification and parameter estimation. A non‐inferiority analysis can then be conducted based on the latent variable model and the corresponding estimation procedure. We also develop a method and an algorithm to produce an optimal sample size configuration based on the proposed testing procedure. Two clinical examples are provided for demonstrative purposes.
One‐Step Phase Separation for Core‐Shell Carbon@Indium Oxide@Bismuth Microspheres with Enhanced Activity for CO2 Electroreduction to Formate
Authors: Zhai Jingrong , Hu Ye , Su Mengfei , Shi Jiangwei , Li Hang , Qin Yezhi , Gao Feng , Lu Qingyi
Published: January 2023

It is a substantial challenge to construct electrocatalysts with high activity, good selectivity, and long‐term stability for electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid. Herein, bismuth and indium species are innovatively integrated into a uniform heterogeneous spherical structure by a neoteric quasi‐microemulsion method, and a novel C@In2O3@Bi50 core‐shell structure is constructed through a subsequent one‐step phase separation strategy due to melting point difference and Kirkendall effect with the nano‐limiting effect of the carbon structure. This core‐shell C@In2O3@Bi50 catalyst can selectively reduce CO2 to formate with high selectivity (≈90% faradaic efficiency), large partial current density (24.53 mA cm−2 at −1.36 V), and long‐term stability (up to 14.5 h), superior to most of the Bi‐based catalysts. The hybrid Bi/In2O3 interfaces of core‐shell C@In2O3@Bi will stabilize the key intermediate HCOO* and suppress CO poisoning, benefiting the CO2RR selectivity and stability, while the internal cavity of core‐shell structure will improve the reaction kinetics because of the large specific surface area and the enhancement of ion shuttle and electron transfer. Furthermore, the nano‐limited domain effect of outmost carbon prevent active components from oxidation and agglomeration, helpful for stabilizing the catalyst. This work offers valuable insights into core‐shell structure engineering to promote practical CO2 conversion technology.
Photomechanical Laser Fragmentation of IrO2 Microparticles for the Synthesis of Active and Redox‐Sensitive Colloidal Nanoclusters
Authors: Spellauge Maximilian , Tack Meike , Streubel René , Miertz Matthias , Exner Kai Steffen , Reichenberger Sven , Barcikowski Stephan , Huber Heinz Paul , Ziefuss Anna Rosa
Published: January 2023

Pulsed laser fragmentation of microparticles (MPs) in liquid is a synthesis method for producing high‐purity nanoparticles (NPs) from virtually any material. Compared with laser ablation in liquids (LAL), the use of MPs enables a fully continuous, single‐step synthesis of colloidal NPs. Although having been employed in several studies, neither the fragmentation mechanism nor the efficiency or scalability have been described. Starting from time‐resolved investigations of the single‐pulse fragmentation of single IrO2 MPs in water, the contribution of stress‐mediated processes to the fragmentation mechanism is highlighted. Single‐pulse, multiparticle fragmentation is then performed in a continuously operated liquid jet. Here, 2 nm‐sized nanoclusters (NCs) accompanied by larger fragments with sizes ranging between several ten nm and several µm are generated. For the nanosized product, an unprecedented efficiency of up to 18 µg J−1 is reached, which exceeds comparable values reported for high‐power LAL by one order of magnitude. The generated NCs exhibit high catalytic activity and stability in oxygen evolution reactions while simultaneously expressing a redox‐sensitive fluorescence, thus rendering them promising candidates in electrocatalytic sensing. The provided insights will pave the way for laser fragmentation of MPs to become a versatile, scalable yet simple technique for nanomaterial design and development.
Fluorobenzene and Water‐Promoted Rapid Growth of Vertical Graphene Arrays by Electric‐Field‐Assisted PECVD
Authors: Shen Chao , Xu Shichen , Chen Zhuo , Ji Nannan , Yang Jinhui , Zhang Jin
Published: January 2023

Vertical graphene (VG) arrays show exposed sharp edges, ultra‐low electrical resistance, large surface‐to‐volume ratio, and low light reflectivity, thus having great potential in emerging applications, including field emission, sensing, energy storage devices, and stray light shields. Although plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is regarded as an effective approach for the synthesis of VG, it is still challenging to increase the growth rate and height of VG arrays simultaneously. Herein, a fluorobenzene and water‐assisted method to rapidly grow VG arrays in an electric field‐assisted PECVD system is developed. Fluorobenzene‐based carbon sources are used to produce highly electronegative fluorine radicals to accelerate the decomposition of methanol and promote the growth of VG. Water is applied to produce hydroxyl radicals in order to etch amorphous carbon and accelerate the VG growth. The fastest growth rate can be up to 15.9 µm h−1. Finally, VG arrays with a height of 144 µm are successfully synthesized at an average rate of 14.4 µm h−1. As a kind of super black material, these VG arrays exhibit an ultra‐low reflectance of 0.25%, showing great prospect in stray light shielding.
Mises's dynamics of interventionism: Lessons from Indian agriculture
Authors: Rajagopalan Shruti
Published: January 2023

Despite trade liberalization, industrial delicensing, and deregulation in other sectors of the Indian economy since 1991, the agricultural sector is stifled by arbitrary, complex, and ever‐increasing regulation in both input and product markets. This article resolves this puzzle of the Indian economy and, using Mises's theory of interventionism, explains the growth of regulation and subsidies in Indian agriculture. I argue that each intervention in agriculture created distortions in the market, necessitating the subsequent intervention in agricultural inputs and/or outputs. Land ceiling policies led to a large number of farmers with small and marginal landholdings. Attempts to increase agricultural productivity and income on small holdings led to interventions, and consequent distortions, in factor markets for seeds, fertilizer, electricity, water, credit, insurance, as well as in output markets in the form of minimum support prices. Indian agriculture policy serves as a cautionary tale of interventionism and needs systematic and comprehensive reforms.
The Physical Properties of High‐Quality Proteins Expanded Extrudates Made from Corn Meal, Chickpea Flour, and Yellow Pea Concentrate
Authors: Wang Chunyan , Alavi Sajid , Li Yonghui , Dogan Hulya
Published: January 2023

This study is carried out to produce high‐quality protein expanded extrudates from degermed corn meal–chickpea flour (DCM–CPF) blends and DCM–yellow pea concentrate (DCM–YPC) blends via a twin‐screw extruder. The effect of barrel temperature and screw speed (SS) on the DCM and DCM–CPF, DCM–YPC ratios and feed moisture content (16%–20%) on expansion are determined. The higher SS and barrel temperature decrease hardness and increase specific mechanical energy (SME), and all viscosities reduce compared to raw material for DCM extrudates. When SS is at 550 rpm and barrel temperature at 130°C, the higher legume addition decreases specific longitudinal expansion (SLE), expansion ratio (ER), all viscosities and increases hardness, piece density (PD), for all extrudates. The increasing of feed moisture content from 16% to 20% resulted in the PD and hardness increases significantly (p < 0.05) and SME, SLE, ER, peak viscosity (PV) values decrease for DCM–CPF extrudates, whereas SLE, hardness, PV values increase, ER decreases and there is no significantly change in PD for DCM–YPC extrudates. As compared to DCM–CPF‐III, DCM–YPC‐III exhibits better expansion with higher in vitro protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (IV‐PDCAAS) and PD per serving (30 g).
Optimization of Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction and Bioactivity of Ophiopogon japonicus Polysaccharides by Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Wen Yao , Su Caimei
Published: January 2023

A Box–Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM) is employed to further optimize ultrasonic‐assisted extraction conditions for Ophiopogon japonicus polysaccharides. The results show that optimized extraction conditions are liquid–solid ratio of 22:1 mL g−1, ultrasonic time of 27 min, and ultrasonic power of 200 W. Under these conditions, the mean experimental value of extraction yield (39.49%) is achieved, which is 1.33 times that of distilled water leaching extraction (29.68%). In addition, one of the eluting fractions, SPs‐1, has high α‐glucosidase and α‐amylase inhibitory activities as well as 1,1‐Diphenyl‐2‐picrylhdrazyl radical and α‐glucosidase, 2,2’‐Azino‐bis (3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) cation scavenging activities with an IC50 value of 0.060, 0.021, 0.50, and 0.10 mg mL−1. Therefore, SPs‐1 from O. japonicus can be considered as multifunctional biological ingredients to be used in anti‐hyperglycemic pharmaceutical formulation and antioxidant in functional foods.
Women in urology: breaking down the barriers
Authors: Solomon Elshadaie , Reeves Fairleigh , Challacombe Ben
Published: January 2023

Gender inequality is more pronounced in urology than any other specialty in the UK. There are numerous barriers, biases and cultural characteristics that stop women taking up urology as their specialty. All of these will need to be overcome if equality is to be achieved.
Journal watch
Authors: Kirby Mike
Published: January 2023

Professor Mike Kirby, Editor of Trends in Urology and Men's Health, picks some interesting recent papers and highlights the ‘take‐home’ messages.
Visualizing and Quantifying mRNA Localization at the Invasive Front of 3D Cancer Spheroids
Authors: Moissoglu Konstadinos , Lockett Stephen J. , Mili Stavroula
Published: January 2023

Localization of mRNAs at the front of migrating cells is a widely used mechanism that functionally supports efficient cell movement. It is observed in single cells on two-dimensional surfaces, as well as in multicellular three-dimensional (3D) structures and in tissue in vivo. 3D multicellular cultures can reveal how the topology of the extracellular matrix and cell-cell contacts influence subcellular mRNA distributions. Here we describe a method for mRNA imaging in an inducible system of collective cancer cell invasion. MDA-MB-231 cancer cell spheroids are embedded in Matrigel, induced to invade, and processed to image mRNAs with single-molecule sensitivity. An analysis algorithm is used to quantify and compare mRNA distributions at the front of invasive leader cells. The approach can be easily adapted and applied to analyze RNA distributions in additional settings where cells polarize along a linear axis.
An In Vivo Model to Study Cell Migration in XYZ-T Dimension Followed by Whole-Mount Re-evaluation
Authors: Seynhaeve Ann L. B. , ten Hagen Timo L. M.
Published: January 2023

Cell migration is a very dynamic process involving several chemical as well as biological interactions with other cells and the environment. Several models exist to study cell migration ranging from simple 2D in vitro cultures to more demanding 3D multicellular assays, to complex evaluation in animals. High-resolution 4D (XYZ, spatial + T, time dimension) intravital imaging using transgenic animals with a fluorescent label in cells of interest is a powerful tool to study cell migration in the correct environment. Here we describe an advanced dorsal skinfold chamber model to study endothelial cell and pericyte migration and association.
Deep IoT Monitoring: Filtering IoT Traffic Using Deep Learning
Authors: Prabhugaonkar Gargi Gopalkrishna , Sun Xiaoyan , Wang Xuyu , Dai Jun
Published: January 2023

The use of IoT devices has significantly increased in recent years, but there have been growing concerns about the security and privacy issues associated with these IoT devices. A recent trend is to use deep network models to classify attack and benign traffic. A traditional approach is to train the models using centrally stored data collected from all the devices in the network. However, this framework raises concerns around data privacy and security. Attacks on the central server can compromise the data and expose sensitive information. To address the issues of data privacy and security, federated learning is now a widely studied solution in the research community. In this paper, we explore and implement federated learning techniques to detect attack traffic in the IoT network. We use Deep Neural Networks on the labeled dataset and Autoencoder on the unlabeled dataset in a federated framework. We implement different model aggregation algorithms such as FedSGD, FedAvg, and FedProx for federated learning. We compare the performance of these federated learning models with the models in a centralized framework and study which aggregation algorithm for the global model yields the best performance for detecting attack traffic in the IoT network.
The Exact WKB analysis for asymmetric scalar preheating
Authors: Enomoto Seishi , Matsuda Tomohiro
Published: January 2023

Abstract

Using the exact WKB analysis of the higher-order differential equations, we analyze the asymmetry in dynamical particle production of a complex scalar field. The solution requires the Stokes phenomena of the fourth-order differential equation. We found that the interference of different types of the Stokes phenomena causes matter-antimatter asymmetry. We also showed a specific example where asymmetry is forbidden in the exact calculation, but a false asymmetry appears in the perturbative expansion.
Risk of kidney disease following a pregnancy complicated by diabetes: a longitudinal, population-based data-linkage study among Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory, Australia
Authors: Hare Matthew J. L. , Maple-Brown Louise J. , Shaw Jonathan E. , Boyle Jacqueline A. , Lawton Paul D. , Barr Elizabeth L. M. , Guthridge Steven , Webster Vanya , Hampton Denella , Singh Gurmeet , Dyck Roland F. , Barzi Federica
Published: January 2023

Aims/hypothesis

The aim of this work was to investigate the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) following a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or pre-existing diabetes among Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia.

Methods

We undertook a longitudinal study of linked healthcare datasets. All Aboriginal women who gave birth between 2000 and 2016 were eligible for inclusion. Diabetes status in the index pregnancy was as recorded in the NT Perinatal Data Collection. Outcomes included any stage of CKD and ESKD as defined by ICD-10 coding in the NT Hospital Inpatient Activity dataset between 2000 and 2018. Risk was compared using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

Among 10,508 Aboriginal women, the mean age was 23.1 (SD 6.1) years; 731 (7.0%) had GDM and 239 (2.3%) had pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy. Median follow-up was 12.1 years. Compared with women with no diabetes during pregnancy, women with GDM had increased risk of CKD (9.2% vs 2.2%, adjusted HR 5.2 [95% CI 3.9, 7.1]) and ESKD (2.4% vs 0.4%, adjusted HR 10.8 [95% CI 5.6, 20.8]). Among women with pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy, 29.1% developed CKD (adjusted HR 10.9 [95% CI 7.7, 15.4]) and 9.9% developed ESKD (adjusted HR 28.0 [95% CI 13.4, 58.6]).

Conclusions/interpretation

Aboriginal women in the NT with GDM or pre-existing diabetes during pregnancy are at high risk of developing CKD and ESKD. Pregnancy presents an important opportunity to identify kidney disease risk. Strategies to prevent kidney disease and address the social determinants of health are needed.

Graphical abstract
Best Practices in Designing, Sequencing, and Identifying Random DNA Barcodes
Authors: Johnson Milo S. , Venkataram Sandeep , Kryazhimskiy Sergey
Published: January 2023

Random DNA barcodes are a versatile tool for tracking cell lineages, with applications ranging from development to cancer to evolution. Here, we review and critically evaluate barcode designs as well as methods of barcode sequencing and initial processing of barcode data. We first demonstrate how various barcode design decisions affect data quality and propose a new design that balances all considerations that we are currently aware of. We then discuss various options for the preparation of barcode sequencing libraries, including inline indices and Unique Molecular Identifiers (UMIs). Finally, we test the performance of several established and new bioinformatic pipelines for the extraction of barcodes from raw sequencing reads and for error correction. We find that both alignment and regular expression-based approaches work well for barcode extraction, and that error-correction pipelines designed specifically for barcode data are superior to generic ones. Overall, this review will help researchers to approach their barcoding experiments in a deliberate and systematic way.
Morphological and molecular identification of third-stage larvae of Anisakis typica (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from Red Sea coral trout, Plectropomus areolatus
Authors: Mostafa Nesma Abbas , Abdel-Ghaffar Fathy , Fayed Hamed Omar , Hassan Ayat Adel
Published: January 2023

Anisakidosis is a foodborne zoonotic infection induced by members of the family Anisakidae via the consumption of raw or undercooked fish such as sushi and sashimi. Identifying anisakid larval species is critical for the epidemiology and diagnosis of diseases caused by them. This study aimed at identifying Anisakis larvae collected from marine fish in Egyptian waters based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis. Thirty marine fish coral trout, Plectropomus areolatus, were collected from Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt, to investigate larval nematodes of the genus Anisakis. The larvae were detected encapsulated in the peritoneal cavity and muscle of the fish host. This examination revealed that anisakid larvae naturally infected 19 fish specimens with a prevalence of 63.33% and a mean intensity of 4.1 ± 0.40. Most of them (68 larvae: 71.57%) were found in the musculature. Morphological and morphometric analyses using light and scanning electron microscopy revealed a head region with a prominent boring tooth, inconspicuous lips, and a characteristic protruded cylindrical mucron. All larvae in this study possessed the same morphology as Anisakis Larval type I. Molecular analysis based on ITS region using maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic methods confirmed them as Anisakis typica. This is the first study to identify A. typica larvae from the commercial fish coral trout P. areolatus in Egyptian waters using morphological and molecular methods.
(In Situ) Determination of Hydrogen Entry into Galvanized Dual-phase Steel During Corrosive Exposure
Authors: Schimo-Aichhorn Gabriela , Traxler Ines , Muhr Andreas , Luckeneder Gerald , Faderl Josef , Grienberger Sandra , Duchaczek Hubert , Stellnberger Karl-Heinz , Rudomilova Darya , Prosek Tomas , Stifter David , Hild Sabine
Published: January 2023

The aim of this contribution is to present a comprehensive approach to study the extent of hydrogen entry into a hot-dip-galvanized DP1000 steel, which is exposed to corrosive conditions. For this purpose, the Z100 coating was immersed in 5% sodium chloride solution at room temperature. The distribution of hydrogen and the spots of increased hydrogen entry were detected with scanning Kelvin probe (SKP) and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM). Effects of hydrogen inserted during corrosion on the mechanical properties were determined in slow-strain rate tests (SSRT). Hydrogen quantification was achieved via thermal desorption mass spectrometry (TDMS), giving additional insights into the mobility of the inserted hydrogen within the steel by distinguishing diffusible and trapped hydrogen.
Complex hyperbolic orbifolds and hybrid lattices
Authors: Falbel Elisha , Pasquinelli Irene
Published: January 2023

A class of complex hyperbolic lattices inPU(2, 1) called the Deligne-Mostow lattices has been reinterpreted by Hirzebruch (see [1, 10] and [24]) in terms of line arrangements. They use branched covers over a suitable blow up of the complete quadrilateral arrangement of lines in$$\mathbb {P}^2$$P2to construct the complex hyperbolic surfaces over the orbifolds associated to the lattices. In [18] and [19], fundamental domains for these lattices have been built by Pasquinelli. Here we show how the fundamental domains can be interpreted in terms of line arrangements as above. This parallel is then applied in the following context. Wells in [25] shows that two of the Deligne-Mostow lattices inPU(2, 1) can be seen as hybrids of lattices inPU(1, 1). Here we show that he implicitly uses the line arrangement and we complete his analysis to all possible pairs of lines. In this way, we show that three more Deligne-Mostow lattices can be given as hybrids.
Infinitesimal rigidity for cubulated manifolds
Authors: Battista Ludovico
Published: January 2023

We prove the infinitesimal rigidity of some geometrically infinite hyperbolic 4- and 5-manifolds. These examples arise as infinite cyclic coverings of finite-volume hyperbolic manifolds obtained by colouring right-angled polytopes, already described in the papers (Battista in Trans Am Math Soc 375(04):2597–2625, 2022; Italiano et al. in Invent Math, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00222-022-01141-w). The 5-dimensional example is diffeomorphic to $$N\times {{\mathbb {R}}}$$

N
×
R

for some aspherical 4-manifold N which does not admit any hyperbolic structure. To this purpose, we develop a general strategy to study the infinitesimal rigidity of cyclic coverings of manifolds obtained by colouring right-angled polytopes.
Principal bundles and connections modelled by Lie group bundles
Authors: Castrillón López Marco , Rodríguez Abella Álvaro
Published: January 2023

In this work, generalized principal bundles modelled by Lie group bundle actions are investigated. In particular, the definition of equivariant connections in these bundles, associated to Lie group bundle connections, is provided, together with the analysis of their existence and their main properties. The final part gives some examples. In particular, since this research was initially originated by some problems on geometric reduction of gauge field theories, we revisit the classical Utiyama Theorem from the perspective investigated in the article.
Feeling and performing ‘the crisis’: on the affective phenomenology and politics of the corona crisis
Authors: Tietjen Ruth Rebecca
Published: January 2023

How does it feel to be in a crisis? Is the idea of the crisis itself bound to our affectivity in the sense that without the occurrence of specific emotions or a change in our affective lives at large we cannot even talk about a crisis properly speaking? In this paper, I explore these questions by analyzing the exemplary case of the corona crisis. In order to do so, I first explore the affective phenomenology of crises in general and the corona crisis in particular, thereby paying attention to both individual (personal) and collective (socio-political) crises and crisis experiences. Then, I turn to the limits of the analogy between individual and collective crises. I reflect on how socio-political crises are not simply there but performed and procedurally constructed and show how, in the context of the corona pandemic, fears and hopes, feelings of solidarity and antagonistic emotions mirror political interests and values. While the phenomenological reflections in the first part help us to account for the fact that crises are not just objective facts but also subjective forms of experience, the political reflections in the second part help us to do justice to the inherently political nature of the language and experiences of (collective) crises. I conclude by pointing out a twofold relationship between (socio-political) crisis and critique. Thanks to their characteristic affective phenomenology, crises are tools of criticism; but due to their inherently political character, they also themselves have to be subjected to critique.
Responsibility, Free Will, and the Concept of Basic Desert
Authors: Menges Leonhard
Published: January 2023

Many philosophers characterize a particularly important sense of free will and responsibility by referring to basically deserved blame. But what is basically deserved blame? The aim of this paper is to identify the appraisal entailed by basic desert claims. It presents three desiderata for an account of desert appraisals and it argues that important recent theories fail to meet them. Then, the paper presents and defends a promising alternative. The basic idea is that claims about basically deserved blame entail that the targets have forfeited their claims that others not blame them and that there is positive reason to blame them. The paper shows how this view frames the discussion about skepticism about free will and responsibility.
Comparative Analysis of the Coffee and Cocoa Industry By-Products on the Performance of Polyethylene-Based Composites
Authors: Hejna Aleksander , Barczewski Mateusz , Kosmela Paulina , Mysiukiewicz Olga
Published: January 2023

The application of plant-based by-products from the food industry as minimally processed functional fillers for polymeric composites is an increasingly popular trend among researchers and manufacturers. While minimizing the preprocessing of lignocellulosic fillers leads to an increase in the sustainability of the overall composite and a decrease of the carbon footprint, filler modification is usually indispensable to obtaining sufficient mechanical and thermomechanical properties of a composite. The goal of the presented study was a comprehensive analysis of the structure, mechanical and thermal performance of polyethylene-based (PE) composites with spent coffee grounds (FK) and cocoa husks (KK). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements showed the antioxidant activity of both fillers, extending the oxidation induction time by 100% (54 min) compared to pure PE (20 min). Composites with up to 5 wt% of the filler were characterized by low porosity (0.5%) and revealed tensile strength of about 20 MPa, which is comparable with the results of unmodified PE. However, the materials' ductility was affected, reducing elongation at break and tensile toughness by two orders of magnitude. In order to quantify changes in adhesion at the interface, a comprehensive analysis of thermomechanical parameters based on dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was carried out, including the assessment of interactions on the interface of the composite caused by the increase in free volume inside composites' structure.

Graphical Abstract
Water table depth effect on growth and yield parameters of hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): a lysimeter study
Authors: Odili Franklin , Bhushan Shashi , Hatterman-Valenti Harlene , Magallanes López Ana M. , Green Andrew , Simsek Senay , Vaddevolu Uday B. P. , Simsek Halis
Published: January 2023

Groundwater is a significant source of plant water use since groundwater consumption of plants reduces the volume of surface irrigation water. In this study, groundwater table effect on hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and yield parameters were investigated using a lysimeter technique in a controlled environment. Three different groundwater table depths including 30, 60, and 90 cm and a control treatment with surface irrigation were tested. The results showed that water consumption in the 90 cm water table depth was 11% and 31% lower than the water consumption in the 60 and 30 cm water table depths, respectively. Consequently, the groundwater table depth increased, and crop water consumption decreased. Similarly, with the increasing water table depth from 30 to 90 cm in the lysimeter, the crop water use efficiency and crop yield increased by 79% and 71%, respectively. The 90 cm water table produced the highest crop yield, above-ground biomass, and kernel quality compared to 30 and 60 cm water table depths. Quality analysis of the wheat kernels indicated that the kernels from the 90 cm depth had relatively higher starch content, pasting properties, and gluten proteins compared to the kernels from other water table depths.
The Impact of Standard Ablation Strategies for Atrial Fibrillation on Cardiovascular Performance in a Four-Chamber Heart Model
Authors: Gerach Tobias , Schuler Steffen , Wachter Andreas , Loewe Axel
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most frequent cardiac arrhythmias in the industrialized world and ablation therapy is the method of choice for many patients. However, ablation scars alter the electrophysiological activation and the mechanical behavior of the affected atria. Different ablation strategies with the aim to terminate atrial fibrillation and prevent its recurrence exist but their impact on the performance of the heart is often neglected.

Methods

In this work, we present a simulation study analyzing five commonly used ablation scar patterns and their combinations in the left atrium regarding their impact on the pumping function of the heart using an electromechanical whole-heart model. We analyzed how the altered atrial activation and increased stiffness due to the ablation scars affect atrial as well as ventricular contraction and relaxation.

Results

We found that systolic and diastolic function of the left atrium is impaired by ablation scars and that the reduction of atrial stroke volume of up to 11.43% depends linearly on the amount of inactivated tissue. Consequently, the end-diastolic volume of the left ventricle, and thus stroke volume, was reduced by up to 1.4 and 1.8%, respectively. During ventricular systole, left atrial pressure was increased by up to 20% due to changes in the atrial activation sequence and the stiffening of scar tissue.

Conclusion

This study provides biomechanical evidence that atrial ablation has acute effects not only on atrial contraction but also on ventricular performance. Therefore, the position and extent of ablation scars is not only important for the termination of arrhythmias but is also determining long-term pumping efficiency. If confirmed in larger cohorts, these results have the potential to help tailoring ablation strategies towards minimal global cardiovascular impairment.
Thermal analysis of a high-altitude solar platform
Authors: Beneitez Ortega Cristina , Zimmer Dirk , Weber Patrick
Published: January 2023

High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft operate under adverse thermal conditions, with ambient pressures and temperatures very low and at the same time high amounts of heat introduced by sun radiation. Thus, thermal management of the aircraft systems, such as electronics and batteries is a very challenging task. A first step in solving this is generating accurate models of the thermal dynamics of the HALE. This paper presents the thermal analysis of a solar-electric stratospheric HALE at the ground case. A thermal mathematical model based on first principles was developed for such an analysis. In a further step, an initial test campaign was performed. The test campaign included static and dynamic temperature measurements on an aircraft wing structure segment. The experiments throughout this test campaign showed good compliance of the results with the previously derived mathematical models, with differences of less than 5 $$\,^{\circ }$$

∘

C between the measured and simulated temperature curves.
Development of a Motion Control for a highly dynamic, self-propelled driving simulator
Authors: Ottensmeier Meike , Prokop Günther
Published: January 2023

The new concept of the self-propelled driving simulator comprises a hexapod, a yaw joint and a wheel-based motion platform with four individually steerable wheels. This concept provides a theoretically unlimited motion range, which especially enables highly dynamic drive maneuvers. To ensure an omnidirectional motion, the motion platform has to accelerate instantly in any direction. This requirement leads to the main challenges in the control system of the simulator: taking into account the nonlinear and transient tire characteristics and generating the target accelerations as expected by the driver. According to these requirements, the Motion Control is only for controlling the horizontal dynamics of the motion platform. The Motion Control presented in this paper includes various model definitions, especially regarding the essential tire characteristics considered within an extended HSRI (Highway Safety Research Institute) tire model. The Motion Control as Two-Degrees-of-Freedom control contains a Feedforward for generating target body forces, a Control Allocation for an optimal force distribution to the wheels, a Single Wheel Control as a specific control of the tire forces, and a Compensation Control on acceleration level. Investigation of this control by simulation, using a simplified reference model, already revealed a high controller performance regarding accuracy and quality. The optimal force distribution leads to an equal adhesion utilization and the Compensation Control compensates the remaining Single Wheel Control deviations. Difficulties only occur for the steering angle in the case of low velocity up to a standstill. Due to the exact input–output linearization, the Single Wheel Control leads to a singularity and instability. Therefore, the steering angle requires exceptional control in this case.
Investigation of the electrochemical intercalation of Ca2+ into graphite layer carbon nano filaments as a novel electrode material for calcium-ion batteries
Authors: Nishimura Yuichiro , Yamazaki Shuzo , Sakoda Takahiro , Nakagawa Kiyoharu
Published: January 2023

We investigated the electrochemical intercalation of Ca2+ or solvated Ca2+ into Marimo nano carbon (MNC) as an anode material for calcium-ion batteries. When Ca (ClO4)2 and Ca (TFSI)2 were used as electrolyte salts, the solution structure changed in the γ-butyrolactone solvent. Additionally, higher charge capacitance was obtained at the MNC electrode than at the graphite electrode. When heat-treated MNCs were used with each electrolyte (ClO4)2 intercalated better than Ca (TFSI)2.
Biochar for Wastewater Treatment and Soil Improvement in Irrigated Urban Agriculture: Single and Combined Effects on Crop Yields and Soil Fertility
Authors: Asirifi Isaac , Kaetzl Korbinian , Werner Steffen , Heinze Stefanie , Abagale Felix Kofi , Wichern Marc , Lübken Manfred , Marschner Bernd
Published: January 2023

This work evaluated the agronomic and soil fertility effects of using municipal wastewater or anaerobically treated wastewater for irrigation and applying biochar to a soil from the Guinea savanna agroecological zone of Ghana. For this purpose, untreated municipal wastewater (WW), the effluent of an anaerobic wastewater filtration system (TWW), and clean water (CW) were used as irrigation water in a pot trial. Additionally, rice-husk biochar in the form of raw biochar (RB), water-washed biochar (WB), and biochar used as wastewater filter material (FB) were added to the soil, testing the influence on soil fertility and crop yield. Lettuce and carrot were selected for the pot study, grown on soil mixed with the biochar types at 20 t ha−1 and irrigated with either WW, TWW, or CW. Our results indicated higher crop growth morphology and yields (up to 90% increase) by WW and TWW than CW. The average yield of carrot (34.1 g pot−1) and lettuce (29.3 g pot−1) with TWW irrigation were the highest, followed by 31.2 and 27 g pot−1 with WW, then the lowest yields of 21.7 and 19.5 g pot−1 of carrot and lettuce irrigated with CW respectively. Compared to WW, TWW was more beneficial to plant development, causing an up to 10% increase in crop yields. Soils with FB and WB produced similar agronomic effects and plant nutrient concentrations but were lower than pots amended with RB. Nevertheless, combining RB with TWW showed increasing effects on pH, CEC, and P availability in the highly weathered acidic soil. The results suggest a beneficial effect of biochar-filtered wastewater on soil fertility and crop growth, offering the potential to enhance resource use efficiency in irrigated urban agroecosystems.
Fashion Companies Pioneering with Eco-Innovations in the Swedish Fashion Industry: Motivations, Resources, and Cooperation
Authors: Le Feber Naomi , Smit Martijn J.
Published: January 2023

Eco-innovations are required to solve the environmental issues in the fashion industry, but their widespread implementation and diffusion is still limited. Both literature and practice indicate that multi-stakeholder cooperation can provide necessary knowledge, scale, and resources that single actors lack. This qualitative research employed an explorative case-study approach to develop an understanding of how and why certain fashion companies in Sweden innovate and what role cooperation has in their eco-innovative activities. The findings suggest the importance of environmental motivations, market opportunities, and cluster effects. These findings contribute to the development of strategies for a sustainable transition of the fashion industry.
The Court of Richard II and Bohemian Culture
Authors: Thomas Alfred
Published: January 2023

The first detailed exploration of the role played by Bohemian tradition and customs on the court of Richard II.
Farm Animal Welfare and Food Information for European Union Consumers: Harmonising the Regulatory Framework for More Policy Coherence
Authors: Di Concetto Alice
Published: January 2023

Today, there are a dozen labelling schemes pertaining to farm animal welfare in at least seven Member States. Despite the proliferation of animal welfare labels, European Union rules on food information to consumers concerning the treatment of farmed animals used in animal-source food production remain fragmented and incomplete. On the one hand, the rules contained in agricultural regulations primarily aim to harmonise marketing standards, but only for some products. On the other hand, consumer protection rules aim to protect consumers from misleading commercial claims but not misleading claims about animal treatment specifically. After examining the situation that has led to the proliferation of animal welfare food labels in the European Union, this article analyses the animal welfare food labelling landscape and presents different regulatory pathways to best harmonise consumer information on farm animal welfare.