bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mean-Field Models for EEG/MEG: From Oscillations to Waves
Authors: Byrne Áine , Ross James , Nicks Rachel , Coombes Stephen
Published: May 2021

Neural mass models have been used since the 1970s to model the coarse-grained activity of large populations of neurons. They have proven especially fruitful for understanding brain rhythms. However, although motivated by neurobiological considerations they are phenomenological in nature, and cannot hope to recreate some of the rich repertoire of responses seen in real neuronal tissue. Here we consider a simple spiking neuron network model that has recently been shown to admit an exact mean-field description for both synaptic and gap-junction interactions. The mean-field model takes a similar form to a standard neural mass model, with an additional dynamical equation to describe the evolution of within-population synchrony. As well as reviewing the origins of this next generation mass model we discuss its extension to describe an idealised spatially extended planar cortex. To emphasise the usefulness of this model for EEG/MEG modelling we show how it can be used to uncover the role of local gap-junction coupling in shaping large scale synaptic waves.
Brand as Promise
Authors: Bhargava Vikram R. , Bedi Suneal
Published: May 2021

Brands are widely regarded as a constellation of shared associations surrounding a company and its offerings. On the traditional view of brands, these associations are regarded as perceptions and attitudes in consumers’ minds in relation to a company. We argue that this traditional framing of brands faces an explanatory problem: the inability to satisfactorily explain why certain branding activism initiatives elicit the moralized reactive attitudes that are paradigmatic responses to wrongdoing. In this paper, we argue for a reframing of brands that calls for viewing brands as a series of normatively binding expectations that are ethically akin to promises. Our promissory framing of brands avoids the explanatory problem, illuminates a number of ethical requirements on branding, and reconceptualizes the role of brand managers.
Blockchain for decentralization of internet: prospects, trends, and challenges
Authors: Zarrin Javad , Wen Phang Hao , Babu Saheer Lakshmi , Zarrin Bahram
Published: May 2021

Blockchain has made an impact on today’s technology by revolutionizing the financial industry through utilization of cryptocurrencies using decentralized control. This has been followed by extending Blockchain to span several other industries and applications for its capabilities in verification. With the current trend of pursuing the decentralized Internet, many methods have been proposed to achieve decentralization considering different aspects of the current Internet model ranging from infrastructure and protocols to services and applications. This paper investigates Blockchain’s capacities to provide a robust and secure decentralized model for Internet. The paper conducts a critical review on recent Blockchain-based methods capable for the decentralization of the future Internet. We identify and investigate two research aspects of Blockchain that provides high impact in realizing the decentralized Internet with respect to current Internet and Blockchain challenges while keeping various design in considerations. The first aspect is the consensus algorithms that are vital components for decentralization of the Blockchain. We identify three key consensus algorithms including PoP, Paxos, and PoAH that are more adequate for reaching consensus for such tremendous scale Blockchain-enabled architecture for Internet. The second aspect that we investigated is the compliance of Blockchain with various emerging Internet technologies and the impact of Blockchain on those technologies. Such emerging Internet technologies in combinations with Blockchain would help to overcome Blockchain’s established flaws in a way to be more optimized, efficient and applicable for Internet decentralization.
Young People as Drivers or Inhibitors of the Sustainability Movement: The Case of Anti-Consumption
Authors: Ziesemer F. , Hüttel A. , Balderjahn I.
Published: May 2021

As overconsumption has negative effects on ecological balance, social equality, and individual well-being, reducing consumption levels among the materially affluent is an emerging strategy for sustainable development. Today’s youth form a crucial target group for intervening in unsustainable overconsumption habits and for setting the path and ideas on responsible living. This article explores young people’s motivations for engaging in three behavioural patterns linked to anti-consumption (voluntary simplicity, collaborative consumption, and living within one’s means) in relation to sustainability. Applying a qualitative approach, laddering interviews reveal the consequences and values behind the anti-consumption behaviours of young people of ages 14 to 24 according to a means-end chains analysis. The findings highlight potential for and the challenges involved in motivating young people to reduce material levels of consumption for the sake of sustainability. Related consumer policy tools from the fields of education and communication are identified. This article provides practical implications for policy makers, activists, and educators. Consumer policies may strengthen anti-consumption among young people by addressing individual benefits, enabling reflection on personal values, and referencing credible narratives. The presented insights can help give a voice to young consumers, who struggle to establish themselves as key players in shaping the future consumption regime.
The local dark sector
Authors: Bergé Joel , Baudis Laura , Brax Philippe , Chiow Sheng-Wey , Christophe Bruno , Doré Olivier , Fayet Pierre , Hees Aurélien , Jetzer Philippe , Lämmerzahl Claus , List Meike , Métris Gilles , Pernot-Borràs Martin , Read Justin , Reynaud Serge , Rhodes Jason , Rievers Benny , Rodrigues Manuel , Sumner Timothy , Uzan Jean-Philippe , Yu Nan
Published: May 2021

We speculate on the development and availability of new innovative propulsion techniques in the 2040s, that will allow us to fly a spacecraft outside the Solar System (at 150 AU and more) in a reasonable amount of time, in order to directly probe our (gravitational) Solar System neighborhood and answer pressing questions regarding the dark sector (dark energy and dark matter). We identify two closely related main science goals, as well as secondary objectives that could be fulfilled by a mission dedicated to probing the local dark sector: (i) begin the exploration of gravitation’s low-acceleration regime with a spacecraft and (ii) improve our knowledge of the local dark matter and baryon densities. Those questions can be answered by directly measuring the gravitational potential with an atomic clock on-board a spacecraft on an outbound Solar System orbit, and by comparing the spacecraft’s trajectory with that predicted by General Relativity through the combination of ranging data and the in-situ measurement (and correction) of non-gravitational accelerations with an on-board accelerometer. Despite a wealth of new experiments getting online in the near future, that will bring new knowledge about the dark sector, it is very unlikely that those science questions will be closed in the next two decades. More importantly, it is likely that it will be even more urgent than currently to answer them. Tracking a spacecraft carrying a clock and an accelerometer as it leaves the Solar System may well be the easiest and fastest way to directly probe our dark environment.
Bridging the Digital Divide in Ethnic Minority Older Adults: an Organisational Qualitative Study
Authors: Choudrie Jyoti , Zamani Efpraxia , Obuekwe Chike
Published: May 2021

This paper aims to explore and understand the digital divide in older adults when accepting and using smart devices within an organization. Using an in-depth single case study, the digital divide is explored and understood using technology-mediated learning for older adults when using smart devices; ie. tablet devices. The case study is based on a group of educated, older Indian adult volunteers at a local Punjabi radio station. A qualitative approach used the data collection techniques of interviews, observations, informal conversations and reference to archival documents and interpretivism for analysis. Our findings revealed that older adults with ailments have shorter lives, contrary to popular perception, can be very active in their communities, are able to use basic IT and are willing to use technology when it leads to significant tangible or intangible benefits without considering the remaining time of their lives. Contributions for policymakers and industry are also offered in this paper.
Crossing the Maelstrom: New Departures in Viking Archaeology
Authors: Lund Julie , Sindbæk Søren M.
Published: May 2021

This paper reviews the achievements and challenges of archaeological research on Viking Age northern Europe and explores potential avenues for future research. We identify the reemergence of comparative and cross-cultural perspectives along with a turn toward studying mobility and maritime expansion, fueled by the introduction of biomolecular and isotopic data. The study of identity has seen a shift from a focus on collective beliefs and ritual to issues of personal identity and presentation, with a corresponding shift in attention to individual burials and the “animated objects.” Network ontologies have brought new perspectives on the emergence of sea trade and urban nodes and to the significance of outfield production and resources. Field archaeology has seen an emphasis on elite manors, feasting halls, and monuments, as well as military sites andthingassembly places, using new data from remote sensing, geophysical surveys, geoarchaeology, and metal detectors. Concerns over current climate change have placed the study of environment as a key priority, in particular in the ecologically vulnerable North Atlantic settlements. Discussing future directions, we call for alignment between societal/economic and individual/cultural perspectives, and for more ethically grounded research. We point to diaspora theory and intersectionality as frameworks with the potential to integrate genomics, identity, and society, and to ecology as a framework for integrating landscape, mobility, and political power.
Licensing imperative subjects without an imperative operator
Authors: van Alem Astrid
Published: May 2021

It is often assumed that imperatives contain a covert imperative licenser, such as an imperative operator. The purpose of the operator is to bind the imperative subject, and thereby derive a number of the syntactic properties of imperatives. In this paper, I show, based on variation in V2 imperatives in varieties of Dutch and German, that if there is an alternative way of licensing the imperative subject, presence of an imperative operator is not necessary. I put forth the novel observation that V2 imperatives are only allowed in varieties that have verbal umlaut. I argue that verbal umlaut corresponds to a syntactic encoding of person features on the imperative verb, which can bind the imperative subject. This voids the need for an imperative operator in SpecCP, and gives way to V2 imperatives in V2 languages like Dutch and German. The implication is that a covert imperative licenser is a last resort mechanism, rather than an inherent part of imperatives clauses.
Review of image segmentation techniques for layup defect detection in the Automated Fiber Placement process
Authors: Meister Sebastian , Wermes Mahdieu A. M. , Stüve Jan , Groves Roger M.
Published: May 2021

The aerospace industry has established the Automated Fiber Placement process as a common technique for manufacturing fibre reinforced components. In this process multiple composite tows are placed simultaneously onto a tool. Currently in such processes manual testing requires often up to 50% of the manufacturing duration. Moreover, the accuracy of quality assurance varies significantly with the inspector in charge. Thus, inspection automation provides an effective way to increase efficiency. However, to achieve a proper inspection performance, the segmentation of layup defects need to be examined. In order to improve such defect detection systems, this paper performs a comprehensive ranking of segmentation techniques. Thus, 29 statistical, spectral and structural algorithms from related work were evaluated based on nine substantial criteria as assessed from literature and process requirements. For reasons of determinism and easy technology transferability without the need of much training data, the development of new Machine Learning algorithms is not part of this paper. Afterwards, seven of the most auspicious algorithms were studied experimentally. Therefore, laser line scan sensor depth maps from fibre placement defects were utilised. Furthermore noisy images were generated and applied for testing algorithm robustness. The test data contained five defect categories with 50 samples per class. It was concluded that Adaptive Thresholding and Cell Wise Standard Deviation Thresholding work best yielding detection accuracies mostly $$> 97$$

>
97

%. Noteworthy is that influenced input data can affect the detection results. Feasible algorithms with sensible parameter settings were able to perform reliable defect segmentation for layed material.
Deep Learning Enables Individual Xenograft Cell Classification in Histological Images by Analysis of Contextual Features
Authors: Juppet Quentin , De Martino Fabio , Marcandalli Elodie , Weigert Martin , Burri Olivier , Unser Michael , Brisken Cathrin , Sage Daniel
Published: May 2021

Patient-Derived Xenografts (PDXs) are the preclinical models which best recapitulate inter- and intra-patient complexity of human breast malignancies, and are also emerging as useful tools to study the normal breast epithelium. However, data analysis generated with such models is often confounded by the presence of host cells and can give rise to data misinterpretation. For instance, it is important to discriminate between xenografted and host cells in histological sections prior to performing immunostainings. We developed Single Cell Classifier (SCC), a data-driven deep learning-based computational tool that provides an innovative approach for automated cell species discrimination based on a multi-step process entailing nuclei segmentation and single cell classification. We show that human and murine cell contextual features, more than cell-intrinsic ones, can be exploited to discriminate between cell species in both normal and malignant tissues, yielding up to 96% classification accuracy. SCC will facilitate the interpretation of H&E- and DAPI-stained histological sections of xenografted human-in-mouse tissues and it is open to new in-house built models for further applications. SCC is released as an open-source plugin in ImageJ/Fiji available at the following link: https://github.com/Biomedical-Imaging-Group/SingleCellClassifier.
A machine learning based sentient multimedia framework to increase safety at work
Authors: Bonifazi Gianluca , Corradini Enrico , Ursino Domenico , Virgili Luca , Anceschi Emiliano , De Donato Massimo Callisto
Published: May 2021

In the last few decades, we have witnessed an increasing focus on safety in the workplace. ICT has always played a leading role in this context. One ICT sector that is increasingly important in ensuring safety at work is the Internet of Things and, in particular, the new architectures referring to it, such as SIoT, MIoT and Sentient Multimedia Systems. All these architectures handle huge amounts of data to extract predictive and prescriptive information. For this purpose, they often make use of Machine Learning. In this paper, we propose a framework that uses both Sentient Multimedia Systems and Machine Learning to support safety in the workplace. After the general presentation of the framework, we describe its specialization to a particular case, i.e., fall detection. As for this application scenario, we describe a Machine Learning based wearable device for fall detection that we designed, built and tested. Moreover, we illustrate a safety coordination platform for monitoring the work environment, activating alarms in case of falls, and sending appropriate advices to help workers involved in falls.
Geometric analysis of mixed-mode oscillations in a model of electrical activity in human beta-cells
Authors: Battaglin Simone , Pedersen Morten Gram
Published: May 2021

Human pancreatic beta-cells may exhibit complex mixed-mode oscillatory electrical activity, which underlies insulin secretion. A recent biophysical model of human beta-cell electrophysiology can simulate such bursting behavior, but a mathematical understanding of the model’s dynamics is still lacking. Here we exploit time-scale separation to simplify the original model to a simpler three-dimensional model that retains the behavior of the original model and allows us to apply geometric singular perturbation theory to investigate the origin of mixed-mode oscillations. Changing a parameter modeling the maximal conductance of a potassium current, we find that the reduced model possesses a singular Hopf bifurcation that results in small-amplitude oscillations, which go through a period-doubling sequence and chaos until the birth of a large-scale return mechanism and bursting dynamics. The theory of folded node singularities provide insight into the bursting dynamics further away from the singular Hopf bifurcation and the eventual transition to simple spiking activity. Numerical simulations confirm that the insight obtained from the analysis of the reduced model can be lifted back to the original model.
A Maize (Zea mays L.) BIK1-Like Receptor-Like Cytoplasmic Kinase Contributes to Disease Resistance
Authors: Li Weiran , Liao Chao-Jan , Bluhm Burt H. , Mengiste Tesfaye , Woloshuk Charles P.
Published: May 2021

Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) form a large subfamily of proteins in plants. RLCKs are known to regulate plant immunity to bacterial and fungal pathogens. In this study, we analyzed the genome-wide complement of maize RLCK genes and conducted detailed studies on one maize RLCK. The maize genome encodes 192 RLCKs that largely mirror the RLCK family in other plants. Previous studies implicated Arabidopsis BOTRYTIS INDUCED KINASE1 (BIK1) and TOMATO PROTEIN KINASE 1b (TPK1b) in plant resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae and the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. A novel maize RLCK, Zea Mays BIK1-LIKE KINASE 1 (ZmBLK1), was identified based on sequence similarity to the tomato and Arabidopsis RLCKs. We demonstrated that ZmBLK1 displays protein kinase activity in vitro and the protein localizes to the plasma membrane. Importantly, expression of ZmBLK1 partially rescued the growth and disease phenotypes of the Arabidopsis bik1 mutant plants. The expression of ZmBLK1 was induced in maize at 12 h after inoculation with Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (CMN), the bacterial pathogen causing Goss’s wilt. Interestingly, overexpression of ZmBLK1 in transgenic maize increased resistance to CMN but did not impact resistance to Aspergillus ear rot caused by the fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus and the associated aflatoxin contamination. These findings support our hypothesis that ZmBLK1 contributes to plant resistance to bacterial pathogens likely by modulating events early after pathogen infection, implying that the protein may interact with other membrane proteins early in the immune response pathway.
Inequalities between overpartition ranks for all moduli
Authors: Ciolan Alexandru
Published: May 2021

In this paper we give a full description of the inequalities that can occur between overpartition ranks modulo $$ c\ge 2. $$

c
≥
2
.

If $$ \overline{N}(a,c,n) $$

N
¯

(
a
,
c
,
n
)

denotes the number of overpartitions of n with rank congruent to a modulo c,  we prove that for any $$ c\ge 7 $$

c
≥
7

and $$ 0\le a<b\le \left\lfloor \frac{c}{2}\right\rfloor $$

0
≤
a
<
b
≤

c
2

we have $$ \overline{N}(a,c,n)>\overline{N}(b,c,n) $$

N
¯

(
a
,
c
,
n
)

>

N
¯

(
b
,
c
,
n
)

for n large enough. That the sign of the rank differences $$ \overline{N}(a,c,n)-\overline{N}(b,c,n) $$

N
¯

(
a
,
c
,
n
)

-

N
¯

(
b
,
c
,
n
)

depends on the residue class of n modulo c in the case of small moduli, such as $$ c=6, $$

c
=
6
,

is known due to the work of Ji et al. (J Number Theory 184:235–269, 2018) and Ciolan (Int J Number Theory 16(1):121–143, 2020). We show that the same behavior holds for $$ c\in \{2,3, 4,5\}. $$

c
∈
{
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
}
.
Topic space trajectories
Authors: Schaefermeier Bastian , Stumme Gerd , Hanika Tom
Published: May 2021

The annual number of publications at scientific venues, for example, conferences and journals, is growing quickly. Hence, even for researchers it becomes harder and harder to keep track of research topics and their progress. In this task, researchers can be supported by automated publication analysis. Yet, many such methods result in uninterpretable, purely numerical representations. As an attempt to support human analysts, we present topic space trajectories, a structure that allows for the comprehensible tracking of research topics. We demonstrate how these trajectories can be interpreted based on eight different analysis approaches. To obtain comprehensible results, we employ non-negative matrix factorization as well as suitable visualization techniques. We show the applicability of our approach on a publication corpus spanning 50 years of machine learning research from 32 publication venues. In addition to a thorough introduction of our method, our focus is on an extensive analysis of the results we achieved. Our novel analysis method may be employed for paper classification, for the prediction of future research topics, and for the recommendation of fitting conferences and journals for submitting unpublished work. An advantage in these applications over previous methods lies in the good interpretability of the results obtained through our methods.
Why do consumers not switch? An experimental investigation of a search and switch model
Authors: Buso Irene Maria , Hey John
Published: May 2021

Search and switching costs are two market frictions that are well known in the literature for preventing people from switching to a new and cheaper provider. Previous experimental literature has studied these two frictions in isolation. However, field evidence shows that these two frictions frequently occur together. Recently, a theoretical framework has been developed (Wilson in Eur Econ Rev 56(6):1070–1086) which studies the interplay between these two costs. We report on an experiment testing this theory to see if individual behaviour with search and switching costs is in line with the theoretical predictions derived from the optimal choice rule of Wilson. The results show the crucial role of the search strategy: not only, according to Wilson model, the search cost has a greater deterrent impact on search than the switching costs, but also the sub-optimality of the search strategy is the major source of sub-optimality in the switching behaviour.
Terrain classification and adaptive locomotion for a hexapod robot Qingzhui
Authors: Zhao Yue , Gao Feng , Sun Qiao , Yin Yunpeng
Published: May 2021

Legged robots have potential advantages in mobility compared with wheeled robots in outdoor environments. The knowledge of various ground properties and adaptive locomotion based on different surface materials plays an important role in improving the stability of legged robots. A terrain classification and adaptive locomotion method for a hexapod robot named Qingzhui is proposed in this paper. First, a force-based terrain classification method is suggested. Ground contact force is calculated by collecting joint torques and inertial measurement unit information. Ground substrates are classified with the feature vector extracted from the collected data using the support vector machine algorithm. Then, an adaptive locomotion on different ground properties is proposed. The dynamic alternating tripod trotting gait is developed to control the robot, and the parameters of active compliance control change with the terrain. Finally, the method is integrated on a hexapod robot and tested by real experiments. Our method is shown effective for the hexapod robot to walk on concrete, wood, grass, and foam. The strategies and experimental results can be a valuable reference for other legged robots applied in outdoor environments.
Frequency-domain loss function for deep exposure correction of dark images
Authors: Yadav Ojasvi , Ghosal Koustav , Lutz Sebastian , Smolic Aljosa
Published: May 2021

We address the problem of exposure correction of dark, blurry and noisy images captured in low-light conditionsin the wild. Classical image-denoising filters work well in the frequency space but are constrained by several factors such as the correct choice of thresholds and frequency estimates. On the other hand, traditional deep networks are trained end to end in the RGB space by formulating this task as an image translation problem. However, that is done without anyexplicitconstraints on the inherent noise of the dark images and thus produces noisy and blurry outputs. To this end, we propose a DCT/FFT-based multi-scale loss function, which when combined with traditional losses, trains a network to translate the important features for visually pleasing output. Our loss function is end to end differentiable, scale-agnostic and generic; i.e., it can be applied to both RAW and JPEG images in most existing frameworks without additional overhead. Using this loss function, we report significant improvements over the state of the art using quantitative metrics and subjective tests.
Dihydroceramide Desaturase Functions as an Inducer and Rectifier of Apoptosis: Effect of Retinol Derivatives, Antioxidants and Phenolic Compounds
Authors: Alsanafi Mariam , Brown Ryan D. R. , Oh Jeongah , Adams David R. , Torta Federico , Pyne Nigel J. , Pyne Susan
Published: May 2021

Dihydroceramide desaturase (Degs1) catalyses the introduction of a 4,5-trans double bond into dihydroceramide to form ceramide. We show here that Degs1 is polyubiquitinated in response to retinol derivatives, phenolic compounds or anti-oxidants in HEK293T cells. The functional predominance of native versus polyubiquitinated forms of Degs1 appears to govern cytotoxicity. Therefore, 4-HPR or celecoxib appear to stimulate the de novo ceramide pathway (with the exception of C24:0 ceramide), using native Degs1, and thereby promote PARP cleavage and LC3B-I/II processing (autophagy/apoptosis). The ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of Degs1 is positively linked to cell survival via XBP-1s and results in a concomitant increase in dihydroceramides and a decrease in C24:0 ceramide levels. However, in the case of 4-HPR or celecoxib, the native form of Degs1 functionally predominates, such that the apoptotic programme is sustained. In contrast, 4-HPA or AM404 do not produce apoptotic ceramide, using native Degs1, but do promote a rectifier function to induce ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of Degs1 and are not cytotoxic. Therefore, Degs1 appears to function both as an ‘inducer’ and ‘rectifier’ of apoptosis in response to chemical cellular stress, the dynamic balance for which is dependent on the nature of chemical stress, thereby determining cytotoxicity. The de novo synthesis of ceramide or the ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of Degs1 in response to anti-oxidants, retinol derivatives and phenolic compounds appear to involve sensors, and for rectifier function, this might be Degs1 itself.
Follicular Epithelial Dysplasia as Hashimoto Thyroiditis-Related Atypia: a Series of 91 Specimens
Authors: Kholová Ivana , Kalfert David , Lintusaari Jarkko , Rajakorpi Erja , Ludvíková Marie
Published: May 2021

Follicular epithelial dysplasia (FED) is described as Hashimoto thyroiditis-related atypia and is thought to be a possible precancerous lesion. Dysplasia as an interface between normal state and carcinoma is described in a wide range of diseases and carcinogenesis chains. On the other hand, inflammation-related atypia and cancerogenesis is also widely studied. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed 91 specimens of thyroid gland surgical resections with FED during a 10-year-period at the university hospital pathology department. The study population consisted of 68 females and 15 males aged between 22 and 86 years. The preoperative cytology diagnoses had mainly been in the indeterminate categories with prevailing AUS/FLUS results in the FED-only group (p = 0.005) and suspicious for malignancy and malignant in the group with FED plus adjacent malignancy. The decision for surgery was malignancy related in 48.2% of the cases. The lesions were sized 0.1–3.5 mm and multifocal in 45.1% of the cases. Immunohistochemically, the atypical cells were cyclin D1-positive in 67.5%, galectin-3 in 72.7%, CK19 in 85.7%, and HBME-1 in 87.0% of cases. In conclusion, FED is suggested to be a pathogenetic link between inflammation-related atypia and papillary carcinoma and thus a premalignant precursor of papillary carcinoma in HT as 36.1% of the specimens contained also papillary carcinoma in the present study. Both histopathological nuclear features and the immunoprofile of FED are widely shared with that of papillary carcinoma.
Control of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration by Mechanical Activation of Red Mud
Authors: Mucsi Gábor , Halyag Nóra , Kurusta Tamás , Kristály Ferenc
Published: May 2021

Mineral carbonation is a potentially attractive sequestration technology for the permanent safe disposal and immobilization of CO2. In this technology, CO2 is chemically reacted with calcium, sodium, and magnesium containing materials to form thermodynamically stable and environmentally harmless minerals, usually carbonates. In our research, mechanical activation of red mud was carried out in order to enhance its reactivity by means of mechanochemical reactions (surface activation), and its sequestration behaviour was investigated using carbon dioxide gas at 25 °C temperature and at high pressure (5 bar) in an autoclave. The reacted red mud was characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, laser particle size analyzer, BET specific surface area measurement, and pH measurement. It was found that mechanical activation improved the CO2 sequestration ability by 1.7 wt% of red mud, as demonstrated by the above investigations. The pH of red mud slurry can be lowered by reacting it with carbon dioxide. During our measurements, the pH of the suspension decreased from 10 to 6.81. Furthermore, the carbonation process can be successfully used to decrease the amount of harmful PM10 (particles with a diameter of 10 μm or less) and PM2.5 (particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less) fraction. The proportion of 10 μm particles can be reduced by 40% and that of 2.5 μm by 20%.

Graphic Abstract
Mixed Lithium and Sodium Ion Aprotic DMSO Electrolytes for Oxygen Reduction on Au and Pt Studied by DEMS and RRDE
Authors: Hegemann M. , Bawol P. P. , Köllisch-Mirbach A. , Baltruschat H.
Published: May 2021

In order to advance the development of metal-air batteries and solve possible problems, it is necessary to gain a fundamental understanding of the underlying reaction mechanisms. In this study we investigate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, from species formed during ORR) in Na+ containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on poly and single crystalline Pt and Au electrodes. Using a rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) generator collector setup and additional differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS), we investigate the ORR mechanism and product distribution. We found that the formation of adsorbed Na2O2, which inhibits further oxygen reduction, is kinetically favored on Pt overadsorption on Au. Peroxide formation occurs to a smaller extent on the single crystal electrodes of Pt than on the polycrystalline surface. Utilizing two different approaches, we were able to calculate the heterogeneous rate constants of the O2/O2− redox couple on Pt and Au and found a higher rate for Pt electrodes compared to Au. We will show that on both electrodes the first electron transfer (formation of superoxide) is the rate-determining step in the reaction mechanism. Small amounts of added Li+ in the electrolyte reduce the reversibility of the O2/O2− redox couples due to faster and more efficient blocking of the electrode by peroxide. Another effect is the positive potential shift of the peroxide formation on both electrodes. The reaction rate of the peroxide formation on the Au electrode increases when increasing the Li+ content in the electrolyte, whereas it remains unaffected on the Pt electrode. However, we can show that the mixed electrolytes promote the activity of peroxide oxidation on the Pt electrode compared to a pure Li+ electrolyte. Overall, we found that the addition of Li+ leads to a Li+-dominated mechanism (ORR onset and product distribution) as soon as the Li+ concentration exceeds the oxygen concentration.

Graphical abstract
Markets and institutional fields: foundational concepts and a research agenda
Authors: Mountford Nicola , Geiger Susi
Published: May 2021

We borrow the notion of field from institutional theory to think through how markets and their ‘outsides’–or at least one particular manifestation of an ‘outside’–stand in a dynamic and interactive relationship. We distinguish the field and the market in terms of issues versus exchange and identity versus position. We argue that the lack of clarity as to how fields and markets differ, relate, overlap, and are bounded, jeopardizes our ability to address important societal debates concerning the roles of markets within and across other areas of social life. It also hinders a consolidation of insights across different approaches to studying markets, even though researchers from different disciplines often address similar concerns. Key questions for which both conceptual and analytical clarity are essential include how markets and their ‘outsides’ (here: fields) intersect; whether and how diverse sets of actors interact, work, and migrate between fields and markets; and what dynamics may be observable between field and market. We provide four illustrative examples of field/market relationships and a theoretical, methodological, and empirical research agenda for future research into markets and their ‘outsides’.
Groundwater vulnerability risk assessment in south Darb El Arbaein, south Western Desert
Authors: ElKashouty Mohamed
Published: May 2021

Groundwater resources in the south Darb El Arbaein are currently threatened by agricultural impact and rock water interaction associated with over exploitation. Planning of Nubian sandstone aquifer is required, especially in this new invest area. It is implemented by GIS to establish vulnerability areas and to evaluate protocol plans for hydrogeological parameters and soil. The TDS concentration ranged from 750 to 1350 ppm, confirms the impact of non-point source (agricultural activity). It is because recharging Nile water has TDS concentration of 100–300 ppm. Aquifer vulnerability delineation areas by lithogenic and anthropogenic sources have been recently highlighted for water resources systems planning and management. The correlation among hydrogeological, geological, and hydrogeochemical characteristics was discussed and achieved. Ten stratified beds were matched by GIS with specified average weights to them according to their relative importance for groundwater vulnerability. The chosen layers are TDS, aquitard thickness, water depth, hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, slope, total hardness (TH), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), discharge rate (Q), and screen length. The groundwater impact distribution reflect five categories ranged from no to excellent aquifer potential levels. Class I (very low vulnerability) was in the northern part and contains 11.1% (16.02 km2) of the area. While very high vulnerability (class V) was in southeast, east, it represents 10.4% (14.96 km2). The preferred invested area was northeast rather than other areas; otherwise, the groundwater degradation enhanced. The vegetation/ or barren lands were established by band 4/band 3, band 3/band 4 ratios and composite RGB 7, 4, and 1 satellite images.
Significance of multi-objective optimization in logistics problem for multi-product supply chain network under the intuitionistic fuzzy environment
Authors: Gupta Srikant , Haq Ahteshamul , Ali Irfan , Sarkar Biswajit
Published: May 2021

Determining the methods for fulfilling the continuously increasing customer expectations and maintaining competitiveness in the market while limiting controllable expenses is challenging. Our study thus identifies inefficiencies in the supply chain network (SCN). The initial goal is to obtain the best allocation order for products from various sources with different destinations in an optimal manner. This study considers two types of decision-makers (DMs) operating at two separate groups of SCN, that is, a bi-level decision-making process. The first-level DM moves first and determines the amounts of the quantity transported to distributors, and the second-level DM then rationally chooses their amounts. First-level decision-makers (FLDMs) aimed at minimizing the total costs of transportation, while second-level decision-makers (SLDM) attempt to simultaneously minimize the total delivery time of the SCN and balance the allocation order between various sources and destinations. This investigation implements fuzzy goal programming (FGP) to solve the multi-objective of SCN in an intuitionistic fuzzy environment. The FGP concept was used to define the fuzzy goals, build linear and nonlinear membership functions, and achieve the compromise solution. A real-life case study was used to illustrate the proposed work. The obtained result shows the optimal quantities transported from the various sources to the various destinations that could enable managers to detect the optimum quantity of the product when hierarchical decision-making involving two levels. A case study then illustrates the application of the proposed work.
Correction to: Theory, Evidence, and Policy on Dual‑Class Shares: A Country‑Specific Response to a Global Debate
Authors: Gurrea-Martínez Aurelio
Published: May 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40804-021-00214-2
Plant Pollen Grains: A Move Towards Green Drug and Vaccine Delivery Systems
Authors: Iravani Siavash , Varma Rajender S.
Published: May 2021

Pollen grains and plant spores have emerged as innovative biomaterials for various applications such as drug/vaccine delivery, catalyst support, and the removal of heavy metals. The natural microcapsules comprising spore shells and pollen grain are designed for protecting the genetic materials of plants from exterior impairments. Two layers make up the shell, the outer layer (exine) that comprised largely of sporopollenin, and the inner layer (intine) that built chiefly of cellulose. These microcapsule shells, namely hollow sporopollenin exine capsules have some salient features such as homogeneity in size, non-toxic nature, resilience to both alkalis and acids, and the potential to withstand at elevated temperatures; they have displayed promising potential for the microencapsulation and the controlled drug delivery/release. The important attribute of mucoadhesion to intestinal tissues can prolong the interaction of sporopollenin with the intestinal mucosa directing to an augmented effectiveness of nutraceutical or drug delivery. Here, current trends and prospects related to the application of plant pollen grains for the delivery of vaccines and drugs and vaccine are discussed. "Image missing"
Challenges in transfer of gas-liquid reactions from batch to continuous operation: dimensional analysis and simulations for aerobic oxidation
Authors: Friedland Jens , Güttel Robert
Published: May 2021

The transfer of gas-liquid reactions from conventional batch processes into continuous operation using milli and micro reactors is claimed as an important step towards process intensification. Importantly, this transfer step should be realized in an early phase of process development, already, in order to minimize research efforts towards the undesired operation strategy. The main challenge of this approach, therefore, arises from lack of knowledge in the early stage of process development and the resulting system with high degrees of freedom. This contribution presents an approach to tackle this challenge by means of mathematical modelling and simulation for the aerobic oxidation of 9,10-dihydroanthracene (DHA) catalyzed by polyoxometalates (POMs) being used as example for gas-liquid reactions. The reaction was chosen as it provides sufficient complexity, since it consists of three consecutive oxidation steps of DHA and a parallel catalytic redox-cycle according to a Mars-van-Krevelen mechanism. It also provides the challenge of unknown reaction kinetics, which have been estimated in this contribution. The dimensionless balance equations for reactor modeling are derived and parametrized based on early stage experimental results obtained in batch operation mode. The discrimination between batch and continuous operation was performed by means of characteristic dimensionless numbers using the identical mathematical model for comparability reasons. The model was used to perform sensitivity studies with emphasis on the interplay between mass transfer characteristics and reaction kinetics for both the batch and continuous operation mode. The simulation results show that the performance of both operation modes mainly depend on the oxidation state of the POM catalyst, which is caused by the differences in oxygen availability. Therefore, results obtained in batch operation mode are prone to be masked by mass transfer issues, which affects catalyst and reactor development at the same time and may thus cause maldevelopments. With respect to process development it can thus be concluded that the transfer from batch to continuous operation together with mathematical modeling is important in an early phase, already, in order to detect limitations misleading the development. Finally, even simple models with roughly estimated parameters from preliminary experiments are shown to be sufficient in the early phase and can systematically be improved, in the subsequent phases.

Graphical abstract
Zero-inflated-censored Weibull and gamma regression models to estimate wild boar population dispersal distance
Authors: de Freitas Costa Eduardo , Schneider Silvana , Carlotto Giulia Bagatini , Cabalheiro Tainá , de Oliveira Júnior Mauro Ribeiro
Published: May 2021

The dynamics of the wild boar population has become a pressing issue not only for ecological purposes, but also for agricultural and livestock production. The data related to the wild boar dispersal distance can have a complex structure, including excess of zeros and right-censored observations, thus being challenging for modeling. In this sense, we propose two different zero-inflated-right-censored regression models, assuming Weibull and gamma distributions. First, we present the construction of the likelihood function, and then, we apply both models to simulated datasets, demonstrating that both regression models behave well. The simulation results point to the consistency and asymptotic unbiasedness of the developed methods. Afterwards, we adjusted both models to a simulated dataset of wild boar dispersal, including excess of zeros, right-censored observations, and two covariates: age and sex. We showed that the models were useful to extract inferences about the wild boar dispersal, correctly describing the data mimicking a situation where males disperse more than females, and age has a positive effect on the dispersal of the wild boars. These results are useful to overcome some limitations regarding inferences in zero-inflated-right-censored datasets, especially concerning the wild boar’s population. Users will be provided with an R function to run the proposed models.
Effects of nano-particles on cold recycled asphalt properties
Authors: Hasaninasab Shahab
Published: May 2021

Cold recycling of asphalt is an effective solution to reduce the environmental impacts of pavement construction and operation. This approach reduces the use of scarce resources and fossil fuels, and prevents the spread of greenhouse pollutants in the air. Despite its benefits, recycled asphalt does have drawbacks, some of which include nibbling, stripping, and less resistance to fatigue. The use of additives can improve the mechanical properties of recycled asphalt. In this research, the addition of Nano-lime, Nano-Alumina, and Nano-clay instead of cement, to bitumen emulsion in recycled asphalt was used to improve the properties of asphalt resilient modulus and fatigue. A comparative method was used to analyze the obtained experimental results. In this study the resilient modulus and fatigue properties of asphaltic concrete were measured. The results show that asphalt fatigue properties and resilient modulus improve significantly with the addition of different Nano-particle percentages.
Pre- and post-pyrolysis effects on iron impregnation of ultrasound pre-treated softwood biochar for potential catalysis applications
Authors: Peter Aneeshma , Chabot Bruno , Loranger Eric
Published: May 2021

Slow pyrolysis is widely used to convert biomass into useable form of energy. Ultrasound pre-treatment assisted pyrolysis is a recently emerging methodology to improve the physicochemical properties of products derived. Biochar, the solid residues obtained from pyrolysis, is getting considerable attention because of its good physicochemical properties. Various modification techniques have been implemented on biochars to enhance their properties. Ultrasonic pre-treated wood biochar has showcased efficient surface and adsorption properties. Iron impregnated biochar is interesting as it has potentially proved the efficiency as an efficient low-cost catalyst. In this study, by combining the advantages of ultrasonic pre-treatment and iron impregnation, we have synthesized a series of Fe-impregnated biochar from softwood chips. Pre- and post-pyrolysis methods using a lab-scale pyrolyser had been implemented to compare the pyrolysis product yields and degree of impregnation. Biochars derived from ultrasound pre-treated woodchips by post pyrolysis demonstrated better impregnation of Fe ions on surface with better distribution of pyrolysis products such as biochar and biogas. The surface functionality of all ultrasound pre-treated biochars remained the same. However, post-pyrolysed samples at high frequency ultrasound pre-treatment showed better thermal stability. The chemical characteristics of these modified biochars are interesting and can indeed be used as a cost-effective replacement for various catalytic applications.