bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating socio‐economic and environmental factors influencing farm‐level water scarcity in Punjab, Pakistan*
Authors: Khan Muhammad Awais Ali , Mahmood Ch. Khalid , Ashraf Ijaz , Siddiqui Muhammad Tahir , Knox Jerry W. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPakistan's economy is primarily dependent on agriculture, but it faces serious water challenges. This paper critically evaluates the water resources and socio‐economic and environmental factors contributing to increased farm‐level water scarcity in the Punjab region. The study involved conducting structured interviews with 370 farmers to gather data necessary for conducting a detailed sociotechnical factor analysis. From this, eight factors were identified that were found to directly impact farmer well‐being including climate change (rise in temperature and erratic rainfall), poor socio‐economic farmer conditions, issues linked to the warabandi (canal water distribution system), inadequate irrigation, reduced water availability, poor water course maintenance, and low adoption of efficient irrigation techniques. The Kruskal‐Wallis test was then used to assess statistical differences between the respondents' demographic attributes and the identified factors. Demographic factors including age, education, land size, farming experience, and cultivated area showed significant mean differences with the eight factors. Young farmers with higher education levels were more likely to adopt high‐efficiency irrigation systems to conserve water. The research also highlighted the importance of introducing crops with a lower water demand into the region and the need to proactively support agricultural extension services to encourage farmers to adopt more efficient irrigation systems to improve crop productivity and facilitate on‐farm water conservation.
Loss of TANGO1 Leads to Absence of Bone Mineralization
Authors: Guillemyn Brecht , Nampoothiri Sheela , Syx Delfien , Malfait Fransiska , Symoens Sofie 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTTANGO1 (transport and Golgi organization‐1 homolog) encodes a transmembrane protein, which is located at endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exit sites where it binds bulky cargo, such as collagens, in the lumen and recruits membranes from the ER‐Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) to create an export route for cargo secretion. Mice lacking Mia3 (murine TANGO1 orthologue) show defective secretion of numerous procollagens and lead to neonatal lethality due to insufficient bone mineralization. Recently, aberrant expression of truncated TANGO1 in humans has been shown to cause a mild‐to‐moderate severe collagenopathy associated with dentinogenesis imperfecta, short stature, skeletal abnormalities, diabetes mellitus, and mild intellectual disability. We now show for the first time that complete loss of TANGO1 results in human embryonic lethality with near‐total bone loss and phenocopies the situation of Mia3−/− mice. Whole‐exome sequencing on genomic DNA (gDNA) of an aborted fetus of Indian descent revealed a homozygous 4‐base pair (4‐bp) deletion in TANGO1 that is heterozygously present in both healthy parents. Parental fibroblast studies showed decreased TANGO1 mRNA expression and protein levels. Type I collagen secretion and extracellular matrix organization were normal, supporting a threshold model for clinical phenotype development. As such, our report broadens the phenotypic and mutational spectrum of TANGO1‐related collagenopathies, and underscores the crucial role of TANGO1 for normal bone development, of which deficiency results in a severe‐to‐lethal form of osteochondrodysplasia. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research © 2020 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A novel acid‐tolerant β‐xylanase fromScytalidium candidum3C for the synthesis ofo‐nitrophenyl xylooligosaccharides
Authors: Eneyskaya Elena V. , Bobrov Kirill S. , Kashina Maria V. , Borisova Anna S. , Kulminskaya Anna A. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractEndo‐β‐xylanases are hemicellulases involved in the conversion of xylans in plant biomass. Here, we report a novel acidophilic β‐xylanase (ScXynA) with high transglycosylation abilities that was isolated from the filamentous fungusScytalidium candidum3C. ScXynA was identified as a glycoside hydrolase family 10 (GH10) dimeric protein, with a molecular weight of 38 ± 5 kDa per subunit. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of different xylans under acidic conditions and was stable in the pH range 2.6–4.5. The kinetic parameters of ScXynA were determined in hydrolysis reactions withp‐nitrophenyl‐β‐d‐cellobioside (pNP‐β‐Cel) andp‐nitrophenyl‐β‐d‐xylobioside (pNP‐β‐Xyl2), andkcat/Kmwas found to be 0.43 ± 0.02 (s·mM)−1and 57 ± 3 (s·mM)−1, respectively. In the catalysis of the transglycosylationo‐nitrophenyl‐β‐d‐xylobioside (oNP‐β‐Xyl2) acted both as a donor and an acceptor, resulting in the efficient production ofo‐nitrophenyl xylooligosaccharides, with a degree of polymerization of 3–10 ando‐nitrophenyl‐β‐d‐xylotetraose (oNP‐β‐Xyl4) as the major product (18.5% yield). The modeled ScXynA structure showed a favorable position for ligand entry ando‐nitrophenyl group accommodation in the relatively open −3 subsite, while the cleavage site was covered with an extended loop. These structural features provide favorable conditions for transglycosylation withoNP‐β‐Xyl2. The acidophilic properties and high transglycosylation activity make ScXynA a suitable choice for various biotechnological applications, including the synthesis of valuable xylooligosaccharides.
One‐Pot Synthesis of Dual Supramolecular Associative PMMA‐Based Copolymers and the Precise Thermal Property Tuning
Authors: Hayashi Mikihiro , Kimura Takahiro , Oba Yuta , Takasu Akinori 
Published: December 2020

AbstractDual supramolecular associative polymers have attracted attention for efficient physical property modification. Herein, a one‐pot synthesis of dual supramolecular associative poly(methyl methacrylate)‐based copolymers via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization using a novel methacrylate‐type monomer (coded as UP‐MA) bearing a urea bond and a pendant pyridine group is demonstrated. UP‐MA is synthesized by reacting 4‐picolylamine and 2‐isocyanatoethyl methacrylate. The subsequent RAFT copolymerization of UP‐MA and methyl methacrylate (MMA) can be performed by directly adding MMA, a chain transfer agent, and a radical initiator into the reaction solution of UP‐MA. The estimated values of radical reactivity ratio (r) for UP‐MA and MMA are close to unity, attaining a nearly ideal random sequence of the dual supramolecular associative units in the copolymer chain. By blending a metal salt into the random copolymer, coordination bonds between the salt and the pyridine groups are formed, and the urea groups simultaneously form hydrogen bonds, generating a dual supramolecular associative network. Precise tuning of the thermal property is realized by changing the fraction of the metal salt and associative groups in the copolymers.
Stability of conventional and machine learning‐based tumor auto‐segmentation techniques using undersampled dynamic radial bSSFP acquisitions on a 0.35 T hybrid MR‐linac system
Authors: Friedrich Florian , Hörner‐Rieber Juliane , Renkamp C. Katharina , Klüter Sebastian , Bachert Peter , Ladd Mark E. , Knowles Benjamin R. 
Published: December 2020

PurposeHybrid MRI‐linear accelerator systems (MR‐linacs) allow for the incorporation of MR images with high soft‐tissue contrast into the radiation therapy procedure prior to, during, or post irradiation. This allows not only for the optimization of the treatment planning, but also for real‐time monitoring of the tumor position using cine MRI, from which intrafractional motion can be compensated. Fast imaging and accurate tumor tracking are crucial for effective compensation. This study investigates the application of cine MRI with a radial acquisition scheme on a low‐field MR‐linac to accelerate the acquisition rate and evaluates the effect on tracking accuracy.MethodsAn MR sequence using tiny golden‐angle radial k‐space sampling was developed and applied to cine imaging on patients with liver tumors on a 0.35 T MR‐linac.Tumor tracking was assessed for accuracy and stability from the cine images with increasing k‐space undersampling factors. Tracking was achieved using two different auto‐segmentation algorithms: a deformable image registration B‐spline similar to that implemented on the MR‐linac and a convolutional neural network approach known as U‐Net.ResultsRadial imaging allows for increased temporal resolution with reliable tumor tracking, although tracking robustness decreases as temporal resolution increases. Additional acquisition‐based artifacts can be avoided by reducing the angle increment using tiny golden‐angles. The U‐net algorithm was found to have superior auto‐segmentation metrics compared to B‐spline. U‐net was able to track two well‐defined tumors, imaged with just 30 spokes per image (10.6 frames per second), with an average Dice coefficient ≥ 83%, Hausdorff distance ≤ 1.4 pixel, and mean contour distance ≤ 0.5 pixel.ConclusionsRadial acquisitions are commonplace in dynamic imaging; however, in MR‐guided radiotherapy, robust tumor tracking is also required. This study demonstrates the in vivo feasibility of tumor tracking from radially acquired images on a low‐field MR‐linac. Radial imaging allows for decreased image acquisition times while maintaining robust tracking. The U‐net algorithm can track a tumor with higher accuracy in images with undersampling artifacts than a conventional deformable B‐spline algorithm and is a promising tool for tracking in MR‐guided radiation therapy.
MP2 versus density functional theory calculations in CO2‐sequestration reactions with anions: Basis set extrapolation and solvent effects
Authors: Quattrociocchi Daniel G. S. , de Oliveira Antonio Rafael , Carneiro José Walkimar de Mesquita , Rocha Carlos Murilo Romero , Varandas António J. C. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe emission of carbon dioxide in large amounts is commonly believed to be the main cause of global climate changes. Development of CO2 capture processes is still a big current challenge. Some anions have been studied for the gas sequestration process due their great affinity to CO2. In this work, electronic structure calculations were performed at the MP2/aug‐cc‐pvtz level to compute the interaction between 20 anions and CO2. A complete basis set scheme, using extrapolated energies, was also employed for both gas phase and solvent calculations. The reactions between the anions and CO2 were therefore studied in four different conditions (gas phase, toluene, tetrahydrofuran and water). The trends observed for the reaction thermodynamics with the MP2 method is similar to that observed previously with the B3LYP‐D3 and M06‐2X functionals. The reactions in the gas phase are highly exothermic and do not involve any activation energy. The solvent effect reduces the exothermicity and induces an intrinsic activation barrier. The negative charge is dispersed in the adduct, leading to a weaker interaction in a polar solvent. Then, increasing the medium polarity, the energy difference between the adduct and the reactants decreases. We also observed a limit for solvent stabilization in the low dielectric constant range. For example, the results obtained with tetrahydrofuran are closer to those obtained with water than to those obtained with toluene. Considering both the thermodynamics of the reaction and the differential solvent effects, we were able to indicate anions derived from alkyl sulfides as the most convenient for CO2 sequestration among the set here considered.
Compost and legume management differently alter soil microbial abundance and soil carbon in semiarid pastures
Authors: Otuya Rael , Slaughter Lindsey C. , West Charles P. , Deb Sanjit K. , Acosta‐Martinez Veronica 
Published: December 2020

AbstractEstablishment of improved perennial pasture systems for livestock production has been demonstrated to improve soil health in the semiarid Texas Southern High Plains (SHP). Use of waste products from other components of the animal production chain, such as applying composted manure from feedlot operations to grazed pastures, may provide an additional means of improving soil health and sustainability of these systems. However, few studies have examined the impact of composted animal manure on the changes in soil microbial communities, although they are important indicators of soil health. We investigated the effects of a one‐time composted cattle manure application at 3.36 Mg ha−1 on soil microbial community size and structure, soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), and soil organic matter (SOM) up to 1.5 yr after application. We compared pastures consisting of either WW‐B. Dahl Old World bluestem grass [Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T. Blake] alone or in mix with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Results showed that compost application significantly increased SOC by about 4.4 g kg−1 soil within 1.5 yr after application. In N‐fertilized grass‐only pastures, compost addition increased microbial phospholipid fatty acid abundance, SOC, TN, and SOM, but no significant differences were observed between compost treatments in unfertilized pastures containing legumes. Our results show that even a one‐time compost addition at a relatively low rate can augment SOC in this semiarid pasture system after 1.5 yr, and that stimulation of soil microbial abundance and soil C and N from compost is more pronounced in fertilized grass‐only pastures compared with those with legume establishment.
Biodiesel production from waste chicken oil using nanoeggshell heterogeneous catalyst with isopropyl ether as cosolvent
Authors: M. Kirubakaran , V. Arul Mozhi Selvan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe main aim of the present work is to produce biodiesel from waste chicken fat using a nanoeggshell heterogeneous catalyst. For the first time, isopropyl ether was used as cosolvent and investigated the effects of transesterification factors affecting the biodiesel yield. The eggshell has been activated in the muffle furnace at 900°C and was further characterized by using X‐ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and Hammet indicator to study the catalytic behavior of the catalyst. Optimization of transesterification parameters such as methanol‐to‐oil ratio, methanol‐to‐cosolvent ratio, catalyst concentration, and reaction time have been investigated using statistical techniques of response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design. The empirical value of methyl ester yield obtained from RSM (95.7%) could be comparable with the experimental value (98.1%) and showed that the model shall be considered statistically significant at 97% confidence level. Using Design expert software, by point prediction tool, the experiments were repeated for two times under optimal conditions attained biodiesel yield of 97.2%. The experimental work explored that the addition of isopropyl ether improved the biodiesel yield with a reduction in reaction time from 4 to 1.5 h. The catalyst reusability was stable up to four cycles of the transesterification reaction.
Processability of Moist Superalloy Powder by SLM
Authors: Mitterlehner Marco , Danninger Herbert , Gierl-Mayer Christian , Gschiel Harald , Hatzenbichler Markus 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMoisture is often claimed to be one of the main reasons for poor processability of powders when using L‑PBF processes. To determine the influence of moisture on the processability, gas atomized superalloy powder IN718 has been printed in two parallel runs: once in the as-received and dry condition and once after four weeks of storage in an atmosphere containing a relative humidity of 75%. Thereby different specimens have been prepared for notched impact tests, tensile tests, roughness, and metallographic analysis. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the powder before and after the build job as well as that of the printed parts have been analysed. The results obtained with the differently conditioned powders have been compared in the end to determine the influence of humidity on the processability on IN718 powder.
The nexus between perceptions of inequality and preferences for redistribution
Authors: Iacono Roberto , Ranaldi Marco 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper shows that perceptions of inequality are a key factor in the formation of preferences for redistribution and thereby in the determination of the equilibrium redistribution level. We build on the novel stylized facts provided by the survey experimental literature on perceptions of income inequality, highlighting that agents incorrectly estimate the shape of the income distribution because of limited information. Agents with income above the mean believe they are poorer than they actually are, and agents with income below the mean believe themselves to be richer. We revisit the standard framework on the political economy of redistribution and extend it in two ways. First, we introduce a more general two-sided inequality aversion. Second, we incorporate perceptions of income inequality, modeled by assuming that agents form expectations on the income level of the richest and the poorest in society. We show analytically that the equilibrium redistribution level is crucially determined by the interplay between the information treatment correcting the bias in perceptions of inequality and fairness considerations specified by the degree of inequality aversion. By doing this, we add (biased) perceptions of inequality to the list of potential factors explaining why, notwithstanding high inequality, an increase in the desire for redistribution has not been observed in many countries.
Reservoir computing quality: connectivity and topology
Authors: Dale Matthew , O’Keefe Simon , Sebald Angelika , Stepney Susan , Trefzer Martin A. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWe explore the effect of connectivity and topology on the dynamical behaviour of Reservoir Computers. At present, considerable effort is taken to design and hand-craft physical reservoir computers. Both structure and physical complexity are often pivotal to task performance, however, assessing their overall importance is challenging. Using a recently developed framework, we evaluate and compare the dynamical freedom (referring to quality) of neural network structures, as an analogy for physical systems. The results quantify how structure affects the behavioural range of networks. It demonstrates how high quality reached by more complex structures is often also achievable in simpler structures with greater network size. Alternatively, quality is often improved in smaller networks by adding greater connection complexity. This work demonstrates the benefits of using dynamical behaviour to assess the quality of computing substrates, rather than evaluation through benchmark tasks that often provide a narrow and biased insight into the computing quality of physical systems.
The nature of the semantic stimulus: the acquisition of every as a case study
Authors: Rasin Ezer , Aravind Athulya 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWe evaluate the richness of the child’s input in semantics and its relation to the hypothesis space available to the child. Our case study is the acquisition of the universal quantifierevery. We report two main findings regarding the acquisition ofeveryon the basis of a corpus study of child-directed and child-ambient speech. Our first finding is that the input in semantics (as opposed to the input in syntax or phonology) is rich enough to systematically eliminate instances of the subset problem of language acquisition: overly general hypotheses about the meaning ofeverycan violate pragmatic constraints, making such hypotheses incompatible with the child’s input. Our second finding is that the semantic input is too poor to eliminate instances of what we refer to as the superset problem, the mirror image of the subset problem. We argue that at least some overly specific hypotheses about the meaning ofeveryare compatible with the child’s input, suggesting either that those hypotheses are not made available by UG or that non-trivial inductive biases are involved in children’s acquisition ofevery.
The unbearable dispersal of being: Narrativity and personal identity in borderline personality disorder
Authors: Schmidt Philipp , Fuchs Thomas 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe disturbances in a subject’s sense of identity. Persons with BPD suffer from recurrent feelings of emptiness, a lack of self-feeling, and painful incoherence, especially regarding their own desires, how they see and feel about others, their life goals, or the roles to which they commit themselves. Over the past decade or so, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists have turned to philosophical conceptions of selfhood to better understand the borderline-specific ruptures in the sense of identity, which are frequently associated with severe affective instability and turbulence in interpersonal relationships. Fuchs (2007) has suggested that these disturbances in self-experience can best be described and explained by using notions—widely discussed in philosophy and psychology—ofnarrativityandnarrative identity. On such a narrative view, key features of BPD present significant modifications of proto-narrative structures and inhibit the development of a narrative identity, resulting in a disturbed sense of identity. Although the role of narrativity in BPD has been acknowledged by many researchers, some have voiced dissatisfaction with what they take to be limitations of a narrativistic understanding of the disorders of identity characterizing BPD, and have proposed alternative, allegedly non-narrativistic, accounts. In this paper, we critically examine an example of the latter, viz. Gold and Kyratsous’ (2017) account ofthe person as an intrapersonal team reasoner. We defend a narrativistic understanding of BPD identity disorder against their objections. To this end, we propose a broader, and more finely-differentiated, concept of narrativity. On this account, four aspects of narrativity are distinguished, the disordering of which can affect those with BPD. As it turns out, our account implies that even Gold and Kyratsous—in order to ground their approach—must either make use of these aspects or propose an as-yet unarticulated alternative. This casts doubt upon whether their approach is non-narrativistic after all.
Introduction to the special issue “embodied cognition and education”
Authors: Agostini Evi , Francesconi Denis 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis special issue focuses on the theoretical, empirical and practical integrations between embodied cognition theory (EC) and educational science. The key question is: Can EC constitute a new theoretical framework for educational science and practice? The papers of the special issue support the efforts of those interested in the role of EC in education and in the epistemological convergence of EC and educational science. They deal with a variety of relevant topics in education and offer a focus on the role of the body and embodied experience in learning and educational settings. In conclusion, some further topics are suggested that will need to be investigated in the future, such as a critical evaluation of the possibility for an epistemological alliance between educational theory and embodied cognition, and the contribution that enactive cognition can provide to educational systems, organizations, institutions and policies.