bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance and future directions of transition metal sulfide‐based electrode materials towards supercapacitor/supercapattery
Authors: Das Arya , Raj Benjamin , Mohapatra Mamata , Andersen Shuang Ma , Basu Suddhasatwa
Published: July 2021

Advanced and sustainable energy storage technologies with tailorable electrochemically active materials platform are the present research dominancy toward an urgent global need for electrical vehicles and portable electronics. Moreover, intensive efforts are given to screen the widely available low‐cost materials with a focus to achieve superior electrochemical performance for the fabrication of energy storage devices. Transition metal‐based sulfides have prodigious technological credibility due to their compositional‐ and morphological‐based tunable electrochemical properties. Here the significant advances and present state‐of‐the‐art of such assured materials in different energy storage devices are discussed. Assessment of the intensive work invested in the progress of transition metals such as V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn Mo, and W based sulfides along with their structural/compositional engineering and addressable aspects for electrochemical performance enhancement are highlighted. Additionally, discussions on critical strategies for decisive mechanistic and kinetic views for charge storage phenomena with key challenges, such as volume expansions, low stability, and sluggish kinetics, are discussed. Finally, the challenges and future prospects demands for strategic approaches of such materials with prominence in futuristic directions are concluded.

This article is categorized under:

Energy Efficiency > Science and Materials

Energy Research & Innovation > Science and Materials
Sociology in the German Democratic Republic
Authors: Moebius Stephan
Published: July 2021

In the GDR (German Democratic Republic), sociology did not emerge until the 1960s. In 1963, the party program of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED, Socialist Unity Party of Germany, SUPG) explicitly called for the establishment of sociological research. GDR sociology developed under completely different conditions than in West Germany. It was overshadowed by Marxist-Leninist philosophy and political economy as well as instrumentalized by economic policy. Its focus was on the basic categories of work and production. The connection to economic policy and historical materialism promoted the tendency to economic reductionism in sociology. Sociology in the GDR was not based on the general tradition of sociology, which was understood as “bourgeois.” Besides Marx, the founding figures of sociology were avoided; not only were they seen as “bourgeois sociologists,” but many of them had also focused on meaningful action and the understanding of social processes rather than on the analysis of the laws of social development. Methodologically, the main focus was on quantitative methods. Sociology had the function of confirming the social laws whose theoretical interpretation was then reserved for historical materialism. It was not until the late 1980s that the situation changed somewhat and the relative autonomy of the social came increasingly into focus. This also led to first approaches to study the social position of women and gender relations. Overall, sociology in the GDR remained committed to a canonizing interpretation of Marxism-Leninism. In addition, it placed itself largely at the service of political power. Because of this its performance was limited enormously. Only when the social processes and dynamics could no longer be adequately described within the conventional ideological framework did certain changes occur.
Sociology in Germany After 1990
Authors: Moebius Stephan
Published: July 2021

While far-reaching intellectual influences changed the face of sociology in the 1980s, the development of sociology in the 1990s was first and foremost shaped by a concrete social and political transformation, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Soon after the German reunification, East German sociology almost entirely disappeared and West German sociology extended to the East. The triumph of capitalist society fostered a brief comeback of modernization theory. As the system change came along with severe social problems, theories and research projects focusing on social exclusion, precarious work, and xenophobia moved to the center stage of sociological thinking. The first decade of this century again brought about major changes for society and sociology. Market logic increasingly dominated social and education policy; economic thinking and its involvement in political affairs was on the rise and may have contributed to a marginalization of the influence of sociology on policy making. Characteristic is a further specialization and differentiation, visible through the multiplication of special sociologies. The landscape of sociological theory in Germany continued to change: Earlier, grand theories were dominant, whereas nowadays a trend toward sociological diagnoses of contemporary society can be observed. Overall, contemporary sociology in Germany can be characterized by the following features: (1) historically and philosophically informed sociological theory has always been and still is important, (2) German sociology lacks self-confidence compared to US-American sociology, (3) German sociology has a critical attitude and a strong tradition of public sociology, (4) self-critical debates and internal controversies have always existed and still persist in the field of German sociology. Most recently, this could be observed in the splitting off of the Academy of Sociology from the German Sociological Association and the accompanying debates.
Legal Basis and Regulatory Applications of the Once-Only Principle: The Italian Case
Authors: Gorgerino Francesco
Published: July 2021

This study presents how the OOP is related to the constitutional and institutional principles concerning the good performance and impartiality of public authorities and the protection of citizens’ rights against the action of public administration, with special regard to the Italian regulatory framework. The national path towards the implementation of the principle is examined, starting from the obligation of the use of self-certifications in place of certificates and the automatic acquisition of data and documents in administrative procedures down to the digitalization of administrations and the interoperability of public databases. A specific paragraph is devoted to the OOP in public procurement, as crucial for development of the European digital single market.
TOOP Trust Architecture
Authors: Boldrin Luca , Sellitto Giovanni Paolo , Tepandi Jaak
Published: July 2021

While information security nowadays represents a core concern for any organization, Trust Management is usually less elaborated and is only important when two or more organizations cooperate towards a common objective. The overall Once-Only Principle Project (TOOP) architecture relies on the concept of trusted sources of information and on the existence of a secure exchange channel between the Data Providers and the Data Consumers in this interaction framework. Trust and information security are two cross-cutting concerns of paramount importance. These two concerns are overlapping, but not identical and they span all of the interoperability layers, from the legal down to the technical, passing through organizational and semantic layers. While information security aims at the preservation of confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, trust establishment guarantees that the origin and the destination of the data and documents are authentic (authenticity) and trustworthy (trustworthiness), and that data and documents are secured against any modification by untrusted parties (integrity). In this chapter, the TOOP Trust Architecture is presented, starting from a simple abstract model of interaction between two agents down to the detailed end-to-end trust establishment architecture, modeled onto the Toop Reference Architecture presented in the previous chapter.
Observation of charged droplets from electrospray ionization (ESI) plumes in API mass spectrometers
Authors: Markert Clara , Thinius Marco , Lehmann Laura , Heintz Chris , Stappert Florian , Wissdorf Walter , Kersten Hendrik , Benter Thorsten , Schneider Bradley B. , Covey Thomas R.
Published: July 2021

Electrospray ionization (ESI) generates bare analyte ions from charged droplets, which result from spraying a liquid in a strong electric field. Experimental observations available in the literature suggest that at least a significant fraction of the initially generated droplets remain large, have long lifetimes, and can thus aspirate into the inlet system of an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer (API-MS). We report on the observation of fragment signatures from charged droplets penetrating deeply the vacuum stages of three commercial mass spectrometer systems with largely different ion source and spray configurations. Charged droplets can pass through the ion source and pressure reduction stages and even into the mass analyzer region. Since droplet signatures were found in all investigated instruments, the incorporation of charged droplets is considered a general phenomenon occurring with common spray conditions in ESI sources.
Neurophysiology of epidurally evoked spinal cord reflexes in clinically motor-complete posttraumatic spinal cord injury
Authors: Vargas Luna Jose Luis , Brown Justin , Krenn Matthias J. , McKay Barry , Mayr Winfried , Rothwell John C. , Dimitrijevic Milan R.
Published: July 2021

Increased use of epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation (eSCS) for the rehabilitation of spinal cord injury (SCI) has highlighted the need for a greater understanding of the properties of reflex circuits in the isolated spinal cord, particularly in response to repetitive stimulation. Here, we investigate the frequency-dependence of modulation of short- and long-latency EMG responses of lower limb muscles in patients with SCI at rest. Single stimuli could evoke short-latency responses as well as long-latency (likely polysynaptic) responses. The short-latency component was enhanced at low frequencies and declined at higher rates. In all muscles, the effects of eSCS were more complex if polysynaptic activity was elicited, making the motor output become an active process expressed either as suppression, tonic or rhythmical activity. The polysynaptic activity threshold is not constant and might vary with different stimulation frequencies, which speaks for its temporal dependency. Polysynaptic components can be observed as direct responses, neuromodulation of monosynaptic responses or driving the muscle activity by themselves, depending on the frequency level. We suggest that the presence of polysynaptic activity could be a potential predictor for appropriate stimulation conditions. This work studies the complex behaviour of spinal circuits deprived of voluntary motor control from the brain and in the absence of any other inputs. This is done by describing the monosynaptic responses, polysynaptic activity, and its interaction through its input–output interaction with sustain stimulation that, unlike single stimuli used to study the reflex pathway, can strongly influence the interneuron circuitry and reveal a broader spectrum of connectivity.
Proton Pump Inhibitors Inhibit PHOSPHO1 Activity and Matrix Mineralisation In Vitro
Authors: Staines Katherine A. , Myers Katherine , Little Kirsty , Ralston Stuart H. , Farquharson Colin
Published: July 2021

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been associated with an increased risk of fragility fractures in pharmaco-epidemiological studies. The mechanism is unclear, but it has been speculated that by neutralising gastric acid, they may reduce intestinal calcium absorption, causing secondary hyperparathyroidism and bone loss. Here we investigated that hypothesis that the skeletal effects of PPI might be mediated by inhibitory effects on the bone-specific phosphatase PHOSPHO1. We found that the all PPIs tested inhibited the activity of PHOSPHO1 with IC50 ranging between 0.73 µM for esomeprazole to 19.27 µM for pantoprazole. In contrast, these PPIs did not inhibit TNAP activity. We also found that mineralisation of bone matrix in primary osteoblast cultures was inhibited by several PPIs in a concentration dependent manner. In contrast, the histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RA) nizatidine, famotidine, cimetidine and ranitidine had no inhibitory effects on PHOSPHO1 activity. Our experiments show for the first time that PPIs inhibit PHOSPHO1 activity and matrix mineralisation in vitro revealing a potential mechanism by which these widely used drugs are associated with the risk of fractures.
Experimental investigation of heat pipe performance under translational acceleration
Authors: Voigt I. , Drossel W.-G.
Published: July 2021

Heat pipes provide highly efficient heat transfer and are powerful tools in thermal management systems. In contrast to most established systems, heat pipes operating within moving systems such as electric vehicles or machine tools are exposed to unsteady acceleration forces. In order to guarantee proper heat pipe function in scenarios involving accelerated movement, it is necessary to examine the effect of acceleration forces on the heat pipe behavior. This paper presents experimental investigations on the thermal performance of translationally moving heat pipes. The designed experimental set-up consists of a measurement platform mounted to a linear direct drive. By obtaining the temperature gradient between evaporator and condenser section, the thermal resistance of heat pipes is determined at standstill and under linear motion. The experiments were conducted using heat pipes with sintered, mesh and grooved wicks. The results demonstrate the motion influence on the thermal resistances depending on the heat pipe orientation and heat input.
Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of tubulin heterodimers explain the motion of a microtubule
Authors: Nasedkin Alexandr , Ermilova Inna , Swenson Jan
Published: July 2021

Microtubules are essential parts of the cytoskeleton that are built by polymerization of tubulin heterodimers into a hollow tube. Regardless that their structures and functions have been comprehensively investigated in a modern soft matter, it is unclear how properties of tubulin heterodimer influence and promote the self-assembly. A detailed knowledge of such structural mechanisms would be helpful in drug design against neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes etc. In this work atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the fundamental dynamics of tubulin heterodimers in a sheet and a short microtubule utilizing well-equilibrated structures. The breathing motions of the tubulin heterodimers during assembly show that the movement at the lateral interface between heterodimers (wobbling) dominates in the lattice. The simulations of the protofilament curvature agrees well with recently published experimental data, showing curved protofilaments at polymerization of the microtubule plus end. The tubulin heterodimers exposed at the microtubule minus end were less curved and displayed altered interactions at the site of sheet closure around the outmost heterodimers, which may slow heterodimer binding and polymerization, providing a potential explanation for the limited dynamics observed at the minus end.
The Nirenberg problem on high dimensional half spheres: the effect of pinching conditions
Authors: Ahmedou Mohameden , Ben Ayed Mohamed
Published: July 2021

In this paper we study the Nirenberg problem on standard half spheres$$(\mathbb {S}^n_+,g), \, n \ge 5$$(S+n,g),n≥5, which consists of finding conformal metrics of prescribed scalar curvature and zero boundary mean curvature on the boundary. This problem amounts to solve the following boundary value problem involving the critical Sobolev exponent:$$\begin{aligned} (\mathcal {P}) \quad {\left\{ \begin{array}{ll} -\Delta _{g} u \, + \, \frac{n(n-2)}{4} u \, = K \, u^{\frac{n+2}{n-2}},\, u > 0 &{}\quad \text{ in } \mathbb {S}^n_+, \\ \frac{\partial u}{\partial \nu }\, =\, 0 &{}\quad \text{ on } \partial \mathbb {S}^n_+. \end{array}\right. } \end{aligned}$$(P)-Δgu+n(n-2)4u=Kun+2n-2,u>0inS+n,∂u∂ν=0on∂S+n.where$$K \in C^3(\mathbb {S}^n_+)$$K∈C3(S+n)is a positive function. This problem has a variational structure but the related Euler–Lagrange functional$$J_K$$JKlacks compactness. Indeed it admitscritical points at infinity, which arelimitsof non compact orbits of the (negative) gradient flow. Through the construction of an appropriatepseudogradientin theneighborhood at infinity, we characterize thesecritical points at infinity, associate to them an index, perform aMorse type reductionof the functional$$J_K$$JKin their neighborhood and compute their contribution to the difference of topology between the level sets of$$J_K$$JK, hence extending the full Morse theoretical approach to thisnon compact variational problem. Such an approach is used to prove, under various pinching conditions, some existence results for$$(\mathcal {P})$$(P)on half spheres of dimension$$n \ge 5$$n≥5.
The antiferromagnetic XY model on the triangular lattice: chirality transitions at the surface scaling
Authors: Bach Annika , Cicalese Marco , Kreutz Leonard , Orlando Gianluca
Published: July 2021

We study the discrete-to-continuum variational limit of the antiferromagneticXYmodel on the two-dimensional triangular lattice. The system is fully frustrated and displays two families of ground states distinguished by the chirality of the spin field. We compute the$$\Gamma $$Γ-limit of the energy in a regime which detects chirality transitions on one-dimensional interfaces between the two admissible chirality phases.
Convergence of proximal solutions for evolution inclusions with time-dependent maximal monotone operators
Authors: Camlibel Kanat , Iannelli Luigi , Tanwani Aneel
Published: July 2021

This article studies the solutions of time-dependent differential inclusions which is motivated by their utility in optimization algorithms and the modeling of physical systems. The differential inclusion is described by a time-dependent set-valued mapping having the property that, for a given time instant, the set-valued mapping describes a maximal monotone operator. By successive application of a proximal operator, we construct a sequence of functions parameterized by the sampling time that corresponds to the discretization of the continuous-time system. Under certain mild assumptions on the regularity with respect to the time argument, and using appropriate tools from functional and variational analysis, this sequence is then shown to converge to the unique solution of the original differential inclusion. The result is applied to develop conditions for well-posedness of differential equations interconnected with nonsmooth time-dependent complementarity relations, using passivity of underlying dynamics (equivalently expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities).
How urban and rural birds respond to the colour of bird feeders?
Authors: Golawski Artur , Sytykiewicz Hubert
Published: July 2021

Birds can adapt to urban areas by modifying their foraging behaviours to exploit novel urban food sources, which are far more diverse than in the country. Neophobia, the fear of novelty, can lead to missed new sources of food. Urban populations of birds usually display a lesser level of neophobia than rural populations. We examined the response of birds in urban and rural habitats to the presence of new feeders. One feeder was green (the colour of preference, according to the literature), the other one was yellow (the colour avoided); feeders of these colours are not normally used in the study area, where the colour of bird feeders is usually the natural colour of wood. We hypothesised that the yellow feeder was more likely to be avoided by rural than urban birds because of the greater neophobia exhibited by the former. During the wintering season, we carried out 22 experiments in towns and 21 in villages in east-central Poland. The interaction between habitat and feeder colour was close to zero (number of visits to a feeder, choice of first feeder). However, we did find a smaller number of visits to yellow feeders and more frequent visits to feeders in urban areas. Birds may have treated the yellow colour as aposematic, hence their avoidance of yellow feeders, whereas more visits were made to feeders in urban areas because fewer natural food resources are available there than in rural habitats.
Numerical simulation method for predicting a flood hydrograph due to progressive failure of a landslide dam
Authors: Takayama S. , Miyata S. , Fujimoto M. , Satofuka Y.
Published: July 2021

Reducing the damage due to landslide dam failures requires the prediction of flood hydrographs. Although progressive failure is one of the main failure modes of landslide dams, no prediction method is available. This study develops a method for predicting progressive failure. The proposed method consists of the progressive failure model and overtopping erosion model. The progressive failure model can reproduce the collapse progression from a dam toe to predict the longitudinal dam shape and reservoir water level when the reservoir water overflows. The overtopping erosion model uses these predicted values as the new initial conditions and reproduces the dam erosion processes due to an overtopping flow in order to predict a flood hydrograph after the reservoir water overflows. The progressive failure model includes physical models representing the intermittent collapse of a dam slope, seepage flow in a dam, and surface flow on a dam slope. The intermittent collapse model characterizes the progressive failure model. It considers a stabilization effect whereby collapse deposits support a steep slope. This effect decreases as the collapse deposits are transported downstream. Such a consideration allows the model to express intermittent, not continuous, occurrences of collapses. Field experiments on the progressive failure of a landslide dam were conducted to validate the proposed method. The progressive failure model successfully reproduced the experimental results of the collapse progression from the dam toe. Using the value predicted by the progressive failure model, the overtopping erosion model successfully reproduced the flood hydrograph after the reservoir water started to overflow.
“Wisdom of the Elders” or “Loss of Experience” as a Mechanism to Explain the Decline in Traditional Ecological Knowledge: A Case Study on Awaji Island, Japan
Authors: Okui Kaori , Sawada Yoshihiro , Yoshida Takehito
Published: July 2021

Previous studies have reported that older people are more knowledgeable about nature than the younger generation. The relationship between people’s age and level of knowledge can be explained via two mechanisms: knowledge increases with age (wisdom of the elders), and opportunities to acquire knowledge decrease with successive generations (loss of experience). In this study, we examined the association between age and knowledge regarding the use of wild fruits among people living on Awaji Island in Japan. Analysis of the results revealed that the decline in knowledge among young people can be attributed to loss of experience. Furthermore, we found that the channels of knowledge transfer have changed between generations, earlier, children received it from their peers, but in recent years, it has been coming to them from older people and teachers.
Propofol detection for monitoring of intravenous anaesthesia: a review
Authors: Ferrier David C. , Kiely Janice , Luxton Richard
Published: July 2021

This paper presents a review of established and emerging methods for detecting and quantifying the intravenous anaesthetic propofol in solution. There is growing evidence of numerous advantages of total intravenous anaesthesia using propofol compared to conventional volatile-based anaesthesia, both in terms of patient outcomes and environmental impact. However, volatile-based anaesthesia still accounts for the vast majority of administered general anaesthetics, largely due to a lack of techniques for real-time monitoring of patient blood propofol concentration. Herein, propofol detection techniques that have been developed to date are reviewed alongside a discussion of remaining challenges.
Convergence of Discrete Period Matrices and Discrete Holomorphic Integrals for Ramified Coverings of the Riemann Sphere
Authors: Bobenko Alexander I. , Bücking Ulrike
Published: July 2021

We consider the class of compact Riemann surfaces which are ramified coverings of the Riemann sphere$\hat {\mathbb {C}}$ℂ̂. Based on a triangulation of this covering we define discrete (multivalued) harmonic and holomorphic functions. We prove that the corresponding discrete period matrices converge to their continuous counterparts. In order to achieve an error estimate, which is linear in the maximal edge length of the triangles, we suitably adapt the triangulations in a neighborhood of every branch point. Finally, we also prove a convergence result for discrete holomorphic integrals for our adapted triangulations of the ramified covering.
Elliptic and Parabolic Boundary Value Problems in Weighted Function Spaces
Authors: Hummel Felix , Lindemulder Nick
Published: July 2021

In this paper we study elliptic and parabolic boundary value problems with inhomogeneous boundary conditions in weighted function spaces of Sobolev, Bessel potential, Besov and Triebel-Lizorkin type. As one of the main results, we solve the problem of weightedLq-maximal regularity in weighted Besov and Triebel-Lizorkin spaces for the parabolic case, where the spatial weight is a power weight in the Muckenhoupt$A_{\infty }$A∞-class. In the Besov space case we have the restriction that the microscopic parameter equals toq. Going beyond theAp-range, wherepis the integrability parameter of the Besov or Triebel-Lizorkin space under consideration, yields extra flexibility in the sharp regularity of the boundary inhomogeneities. This extra flexibility allows us to treat rougher boundary data and provides a quantitative smoothing effect on the interior of the domain. The main ingredient is an analysis of anisotropic Poisson operators.
Association of lipoprotein(a) with intrinsic and on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity
Authors: Kille Alexander , Nührenberg Thomas , Franke Kilian , Valina Christian M. , Leibundgut Gregor , Tsimikas Sotirios , Neumann Franz-Josef , Hochholzer Willibald
Published: July 2021

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an independent, genetically determined, and causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Laboratory data have suggested an interaction of Lp(a) with platelet function, potentially caused by its interaction with platelet receptors. So far, the potential association of Lp(a) with platelet activation and reactivity has not been proven in larger clinical cohorts. This study analyzed intrinsic platelet reactivity before loading with clopidogrel 600 mg and on-treatment platelet reactivity tested 24 h following loading in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography. Platelet reactivity was tested by optical aggregometry following stimulation with collagen or adenosine diphosphate as well as by flow cytometry. Lp(a) levels were directly measured in all patients from fresh samples. The present analysis included 1912 patients. Lp(a) levels ranged between 0 and 332 mg/dl. There was a significant association of rising levels of Lp(a) with a higher prevalence of a history of ischemic heart disease (p < 0.001) and more extensive coronary artery disease (p = 0.001). Results for intrinsic (p = 0.80) and on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity (p = 0.81) did not differ between quartiles of Lp(a) levels. Flow cytometry analyses of expression of different platelet surface proteins (CD41, CD62P or PAC-1) confirmed these findings. Correlation analyses of levels of Lp(a) with any of the tested platelet activation markers did not show any correlation. The present data do not support the hypothesis of an interaction of Lp(a) with platelet reactivity.
Factitious disorders in Germany–a detailed insight
Authors: Prangenberg Julian , Aasly Jan , Doberentz Elke , Madea Burkhard , Schrader Harald
Published: July 2021

Factitious disorders (FDs) are well known to a majority of physicians; however, the corresponding ICD-10 diagnosis F68.1 remains severely under assigned and often misdiagnosed. Based on a previously conducted nationwide survey in Germany, we extended the analyzed variables to further understand FD characteristics.

The assignments regarding the following variables in the German diagnosis-related group statistics were analyzed: residence of the patient and location of the diagnosing institution, primary referral to the diagnosing institution, reason for admission and discharge, specialty department, total length of stay, length of stay in the longest treating department, surgery performed, case mix revenue, regional type of the treating institution, and patients’ region of origin.

A very distinct difference was observed in the assignment rates based on the homeland of the diagnosed patient and diagnosing institution. The assignment rate showed no significant difference across German regions. Based on our findings, a patient with FD in Germany might exhibit the following “typical” traits: A woman in her late thirties from a rural area is referred by a physician or another hospital wherein she was previously treated for more than a day to an institution for fully inpatient hospital treatment wherein she completes her treatment regularly. Dermatology, neurology, emergency, and internal medicine departments tend to be confronted with patients with FDs more often than other departments; however, surgery is performed in every fifth case. Patients are primarily treated in only one department for ~ 25 days. The case mix revenue will most probably not exceed €5000.
Pay Them No Mind: the Influence of Implicit and Explicit Robot Mind Perception on the Right to be Protected
Authors: Keijsers Merel , Bartneck Christoph , Eyssel Friederike
Published: July 2021

Mind perception is a fundamental part of anthropomorphism and has recently been suggested to be a dual process. The current research studied the influence of implicit and explicit mind perception on a robot’s right to be protected from abuse, both in terms of participants condemning abuse that befell the robot as well as in terms of participants’ tendency to humiliate the robot themselves. Results indicated that acceptability of robot abuse can be manipulated through explicit mind perception, yet are inconclusive about the influence of implicit mind perception. Interestingly, explicit attribution of mind to the robot did not make people less likely to mistreat the robot. This suggests that the relationship between a robot’s perceived mind and right to protection is far from straightforward, and has implications for researchers and engineers who want to tackle the issue of robot abuse.
Hesperetin inhibits foam cell formation and promotes cholesterol efflux in THP-1-derived macrophages by activating LXRα signal in an AMPK-dependent manner
Authors: Chen Xuanjing , Zou Dezhi , Chen Xiaoling , Wu Huanlin , Xu Danping
Published: July 2021

Cholesterol efflux from macrophages is the first step of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), whose increase inhibits cholesterol accumulation and foam cell formation to suppress atherogenesis. Hesperetin has been reported to exert several protective effects on cardiovascular diseases, while little is known about the role of hesperetin and its underlying mechanism in macrophage foam cell formation. In this study, we sought to investigate the potential effects of hesperetin on foam cell formation and cholesterol efflux by using human macrophages, focusing on liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) and AMPK. We found that hesperetin treatment reduced foam cell formation, intracellular cholesterol levels and the cholesterol esterification rate, and increased cholesterol efflux in THP-1 macrophages. Hesperetin increased the levels of LXRα protein and its targets, including ABCA1, ABCG1, SR-BI, and phosphorylated-AMPK. Meanwhile, the hesperetin-induced increase in LXRα expression was further increased by the AMPK agonist and inhibited by an AMPK inhibitor. Meanwhile, hesperetin increased the levels of LXRα mRNA and its target genes, all of which were decreased in cells transfected with the AMPKα1/α2 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Furthermore, the hesperetin-induced inhibition of foam cell formation and promotion of cholesterol efflux were decreased by transfection of AMPKα1/α2 siRNA. In conclusions, We are the first to report that hesperetin activate AMPK in THP-1-derived macrophages. This activation upregulats LXRα and its targets, including ABCA1, ABCG1 and SR-BI, which significantly inhibits foam cell formation and promotes cholesterol efflux. Our results highlight the therapeutic potential of hesperetin to possibly reduce foam cell formation. This new mechanism might contribute the anti-atherogenic effects of hesperetin.
Optimizing anaerobic co-digestion of goat manure and cotton gin trash using biochemical methane potential (BMP) test and mathematical modeling
Authors: Kaur Harjinder , Kommalapati Raghava R.
Published: July 2021

Anaerobic co-digestion is widely adopted to enhance process efficacy by balancing the C/N ratio of the feedstock while converting organic wastes to biomethane. Goat manure (GM) and cotton gin trash (CGT) were anaerobically co-digested in triplicate batch bioreactors. The process was optimized and evaluated utilizing mathematical equations. The liquid fraction of the digestate was analyzed for nitrate and phosphate. The co-digestions with 10 and 20% CGT having the C/N ratios of 17.7 and 19.8 yielded the highest and statistically similar 261.4 ± 4.8 and 262.6 ± 4.2 mL/gvs biomethane, respectively. The biodegradability (BD) of GM and CGT was 94.5 ± 2.7 and 37.6 ± 0.8%, respectively. The BD decreased proportionally with an increase in CGT percentage. The co-digestion having 10% CGT yielded 80–90% of biomethane in 26–39 d. The modified Gompertz model-predicted and experimental biomethane values were similar. The highest synergistic effect index of 15.6 ± 4.7% was observed in GM/CGT; 30:70 co-digestion. The concentration of nitrate and phosphate was lower in the liquid fraction of digestate than the feedstocks, indicating that these nutrients stay in the solid fraction. The results provide important insights in agro-waste management, further studies determining the effects of effluent application on plants need to be conducted.
Research and experiments on electromagnetic-driven multi-joint bionic fish
Authors: Wang Zhuo , Wang Luoyao , Wang Tao , Zhang Bo
Published: July 2021

Based on the characteristics of high-frequency swing during fast swimming of fish, this paper designs a bionic fish-driven joint based on electromagnetic drive to achieve high-frequency swing. Aiming at the characteristic parameters of high-frequency swing control, the Fourier transform is used to separate the characteristic parameters and then compared the driving accuracy of the joints in open-loop and closed-loop. The comparison results show that the closed-loop control is performed after Fourier transform. Under the same driving conditions, the closed-loop control method can improve the joint driving accuracy. Then a bionic fish robot composed of three joints is designed according to this method and Kane method is used to model it dynamically and combined with the central pattern generator control method to complete model simulation and related experiments. The experimental results show that the bionic fish prototype can swim faster under high-frequency swing under electromagnetically driven joints.
Moraic reversal and realisation: analysis of a Japanese language game
Authors: Kitaoka Daiho , Mackenzie Sara
Published: July 2021

This paper provides a description and an Optimality Theory analysis of the Japanese language game sakasa kotoba. This analysis contributes to the phonological study of language games, as sakasa kotoba constitutes a novel language game type: total mora reversal. In addition, our analysis contributes to the study of Japanese phonology, by providing evidence (i) for the mora, (ii) on the internal structure of the syllable in Japanese and (iii) on the representation of moras occurring in complex syllables, namely coda nasals, geminates and long vowels. The patterning of these moras suggests that the game manipulates intermediate representations, rather than underlying or surface forms. We propose a formal analysis within the framework of Stratal OT. The analysis uses a game-specific constraint to motivate reversal, with other aspects of game form shape determined through the interaction of markedness and faithfulness constraints.
The Significance of Tiny Contributions: Barnett and Beyond
Authors: Carlson Erik , Jedenheim Edling Magnus , Johansson Jens
Published: July 2021

In a discussion of Parfit's Drops of Water case, Zach Barnett has recently proposed a novel argument against “No Small Improvement”; that is, the claim that a single drop of water cannot affect the magnitude of a thirsty person's suffering. We first show that Barnett's argument can be significantly strengthened, and also that the fundamental idea behind it yields a straightforward argument for the transitivity of equal suffering (a much stronger and more important conclusion than Barnett's). We then suggest that defenders of No Small Improvement could reject a Pareto principle that is presupposed in Barnett's argument and our developments of it. However, this does not save No Small Improvement, since there is a convincing argument against this claim that does not presuppose the Pareto principle.
Second-by-second infant and mother emotion regulation and coregulation processes
Authors: Somers Jennifer A. , Luecken Linda J. , McNeish Daniel , Lemery-Chalfant Kathryn , Spinrad Tracy L.
Published: July 2021

Context-appropriate infant physiological functioning may support emotion regulation and mother–infant emotion coregulation. Among a sample of 210 low-income Mexican-origin mothers and their 24-week-old infants, dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM) was used to examine whether within-infant vagal functioning accounted for between-dyad differences in within-dyad second-by-second emotion regulation and coregulation during free play. Vagal functioning was captured by within-infant mean and variability (standard deviation) of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during free play. Infant emotion regulation was quantified as emotional equilibria (within-person mean), volatility (within-person deviation from equilibrium), carryover (how quickly equilibrium is restored following a disturbance), and feedback loops (the extent to which prior affect dampens or amplifies subsequent affect) in positive and negative affect during free play; coregulation was quantified as the influence of one partner's affect on the other's subsequent affect. Among infants with lower RSA variability, positive affect fluctuated around a higher equilibrium, and negative affect fluctuated around a lower equilibrium; these infants exhibited feedback loops where their positive affect dampened their subsequent negative affect. As expected, infants with higher mean RSA exhibited more volatility in positive affect, feedback loops between their positive and negative affect, and stronger mother-driven emotion coregulation. The results highlight differences in simultaneously occurring biological and emotion regulation.
Investigation of flavonoid expression and metabolite content patterns during seed formation of Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch.
Authors: Li Chengshuai , Zhang Lijing , Niu Decao , Nan Shuzhen , Miao Xiumei , Hu Xiaowei , Fu Hua
Published: July 2021

Flavonoids are a group of phenolic secondary metabolites in plants that have important physiological, ecological and economic value. In this study, using the desert plant Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch. as the sample material, the content and components of the total flavonoids in its seeds at seven different developmental stages were determined. In addition, the genes involved in flavonoid metabolism were identified by full-length transcriptome sequencing (third-generation sequencing technology based on PacBio RS II). Their expression levels were analysed by RNA-seq short reading sequencing, to reveal the patterns and regulation mechanisms of flavonoid accumulation during seed development. The key results were as follows: the content of total flavonoids in mature seeds was 15.05 mg g−1, including five subclasses: flavonols, chalcones, flavones, flavanones and proanthocyanidins, among which flavonols accounted for 45.78%. The period of rapid accumulation of flavonoids was 40–70 d following anthesis. The high expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) and UDP-glucose:flavonoids 3-o-glucosyltransferase (UF3GT) promoted the accumulation of total flavonoids, while the high expression of flavonoids 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H) and flavonols synthase (FLS) made flavanols the main component. Transcription factors such as the MYB-bHLH-WDR (MBW) complex and Selenium-binding protein (SBP) directly regulated the structural genes of flavonoid metabolism, while C2H2-type zinc finger (C2H2), Zinc-finger transcription factor (GATA), Dehydration-responsive element binding (DREB), Global Transcription factor Group E protein (GTE), Trihelix DNA-binding factors (Trihelix) and Phytochrome-interacting factor (PIF) indirectly promoted the synthesis of flavonoids through hormones such as brassinoidsteroids (BRs) and abscisic acid (ABA). These results provided valuable resources for the application of related genes in genetics and breeding.
RUSSELLIAN DEFINITE DESCRIPTION THEORY—A PROOF THEORETIC APPROACH
Authors: INDRZEJCZAK ANDRZEJ
Published: July 2021

The paper provides a proof theoretic characterization of the Russellian theory of definite descriptions (RDD) as characterized by Kalish, Montague and Mar (KMM). To this effect three sequent calculi are introduced: LKID0, LKID1 and LKID2. LKID0 is an auxiliary system which is easily shown to be equivalent to KMM. The main research is devoted to LKID1 and LKID2. The former is simpler in the sense of having smaller number of rules and, after small change, satisfies cut elimination but fails to satisfy the subformula property. In LKID2 an additional analysis of different kinds of identities leads to proliferation of rules but yields the subformula property. This refined proof theoretic analysis leading to fully analytic calculus with constructive proof of cut elimination is the main contribution of the paper.
IMPROVING STRONG NEGATION
Authors: NIKI SATORU
Published: July 2021

Strong negation is a well-known alternative to the standard negation in intuitionistic logic. It is defined virtually by giving falsity conditions to each of the connectives. Among these, the falsity condition for implication appears to unnecessarily deviate from the standard negation. In this paper, we introduce a slight modification to strong negation, and observe its comparative advantages over the original notion. In addition, we consider the paraconsistent variants of our modification, and study their relationship with non-constructive principles and connexivity.
Safe Linkage of Cohort and Population-Based Register Data in a Genomewide Association Study on Health Care Expenditure
Authors: de Zeeuw Eveline L. , Voort Lykle , Schoonhoven Ruurd , Nivard Michel G. , Emery Thomas , Hottenga Jouke-Jan , Willemsen Gonneke A. H. M. , Dykstra Pearl A. , Zarrabi Narges , Kartopawiro John D. , Boomsma Dorret I.
Published: July 2021

There are research questions whose answers require record linkage of multiple databases that may be characterized by limited options for full data sharing. For this purpose, the Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations (ODISSEI) consortium has supported the development of the ODISSEI Secure Supercomputer (OSSC) platform that allows researchers to link cohort data to data from Statistics Netherlands and run large-scale analyses in a high-performance computing (HPC) environment. Here, we report a successful record linkage genomewide association (GWA) study on expenditure for total health, mental health, primary and hospital care, and medication. Record linkage for genotype data from 16,726 participants from the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) with data from Statistics Netherlands was accomplished in the secure OSSC platform, followed by gene-based tests and estimation of total and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability. The total heritability of expenditure ranged between 29.4% (SE 0.8) and 37.5% (SE 0.8), but GWA analyses did not identify SNPs or genes that were genomewide significantly associated with health care expenditure. SNP-based heritability was between 0.0% (SE 3.5) and 5.4% (SE 4.0) and was different from zero for mental health care and primary care expenditure. We conclude that successfully linking genotype data to administrative health care expenditure data from Statistics Netherlands is feasible and demonstrates a series of analyses on health care expenditure. The OSSC platform offers secure possibilities for analyzing linked data in large scale and realizing sample sizes required for GWA studies, providing invaluable opportunities to answer many new research questions.
The Generalizability of Online Experiments Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Peyton Kyle , Huber Gregory A. , Coppock Alexander
Published: July 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed new constraints on empirical research, and online data collection by social scientists increased. Generalizing from experiments conducted during this period of persistent crisis may be challenging due to changes in how participants respond to treatments or the composition of online samples. We investigate the generalizability of COVID era survey experiments with 33 replications of 12 pre-pandemic designs, fielded across 13 quota samples of Americans between March and July 2020. We find strong evidence that pre-pandemic experiments replicate in terms of sign and significance, but at somewhat reduced magnitudes. Indirect evidence suggests an increased share of inattentive subjects on online platforms during this period, which may have contributed to smaller estimated treatment effects. Overall, we conclude that the pandemic does not pose a fundamental threat to the generalizability of online experiments to other time periods.