bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of cellulose acetate/cellulose triacetate ratio on reverse osmosis blend membrane performance
Authors: Elkony Yasmeen , Mansour El‐Sayed , Elhusseiny Amel , Ebrahim Shaker 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSurface functionalization and modification including the grafting process are effective approaches to improve and enhance the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane performance. This work is aimed to synthesize grafted/crosslinked cellulose acetate (CA)/cellulose triacetate (CTA) blend RO membranes using N‐isopropylacrylamide (N‐IPAAm) as a monomer and N,N‐methylene bisacrylamide (MBAAm) as a crosslinker. The morphology of these membranes was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and their surface roughness was characterized by atomic force microscopy. The performance of these membranes was evaluated through measuring two major parameters of salt rejection and water flux using RO unit at variable operating pressures. It was noted that the surface average roughness obviously decreased from 148 nm for the pure CA/CTA blend membrane with 2.5% CTA to 110 nm and 87 nm for the grafted N‐IPAAm and grafted/crosslinked N‐IPAAM/MBAAm/CA/CTA‐RO membranes, respectively. Moreover, the contact angle decreased from 51.98° to 47.6° and 43.8° after the grafting and crosslinking process. The salt rejection of the grafted CA/CTA‐RO membrane by 0.1% N‐IPAAm produced the highest value of 98.12% and the water flux was 3.29 L/m2h at 10 bar.
On the application of hole‐selective MoOx as full‐area rear contact for industrial scale p‐type c‐Si solar cells
Authors: Nasser Hisham , Es Fırat , Zolfaghari Borra Mona , Semiz Emel , Kökbudak Gamze , Orhan Efe , Turan Raşit 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe present the feasibility of integrating substoichiometric molybdenum oxide (MoOx) as hole‐selective rear contact into the production sequence of industrial scale p‐type crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar cells. Thin films of MoOx are deposited directly on p‐type c‐Si by thermal evaporation at room temperature. It is found that Ag/MoOx/p‐type c‐Si rear contact structure exhibits low contact resistivity and modest surface recombination current density. The attained peak efficiency (η) of the fabricated solar cells is 17.65% with Voc of 626 mV, Jsc of 36.8 mA/cm2, and fill factor (FF) of 76.63%. Next, a complete loss analysis of a MoOx/p‐type Si heterojunction solar cell is carried out for the first time by using Quokka simulation software that employs characteristics of different layers which constitute the fabricated solar cell. Based on this loss analysis, the dominant loss mechanisms are defined and a roadmap to attain the desired highest possible efficiency from industrial scale p‐type c‐Si solar cells with full‐area MoOx hole‐collecting rear contact is explored.
Family factors and health‐related quality of life within 6 months of completion of childhood cancer treatment
Authors: al Ghriwati Nour , Stevens Evelyn , Velázquez‐Martin Bianca , Hocking Matthew C. , Schwartz Lisa A. , Barakat Lamia P. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractObjectiveThe transition from active cancer treatment to survivorship represents a period of uncertainty for youth and their families, but factors associated with adaptation during this period are understudied. We evaluated associations among cancer and treatment‐related variables, family factors (family functioning, caregiver health‐related quality of life [HRQL], and caregiver distress), and patient HRQL after treatment completion. We assessed the indirect effects of neurocognitive difficulties on youth HRQL through family factors.MethodsOne hundred fifty‐four caregivers (of patients’ ages 0–18 years) and 52 youth (ages 7–18 years) completed questionnaires assessing family factors, neurocognitive difficulties, and HRQL for patients within 6 months following treatment completion. Electronic health records were reviewed for cancer and treatment‐related information. Bootstrapping analyses assessed whether neurocognitive function had indirect effects on HRQL through family factors.ResultsFamily factors were associated with self‐ and caregiver reports of children's HRQL. Controlling for demographic, cancer, and treatment covariates, caregiver reports of their child's neurocognitive difficulties had an indirect effect on their reports of child physical HRQL through family functioning. Caregiver reports of their child's neurocognitive difficulties indirectly related to caregiver reports of child psychosocial HRQL through family functioning and caregiver HRQL. Indirect effects for self‐reported neurocognitive difficulties and HRQL were not supported.ConclusionsFindings highlight the need for routine psychosocial screening for youth and caregiver reports of family adjustment and HRQL during the transition off treatment. Providers are encouraged to offer interventions matched to specific needs for families at risk for poor family functioning to improve patient outcomes as they transition off treatment.
Quantifying improvements in water‐stable aggregation caused by corn stover retention
Authors: Ojekanmi Abimbola , Johnson Jane M. F. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractCorn (Zea mays L.) stover harvest must be balanced against protecting soil properties, including water‐stable aggregates (WSA). The formation and maintenance of WSA functions of multiple factors including management. Harvesting stover alters the mass of the residue retained, which might alter a soil's ability to form and maintain WSA. A study was conducted on two independently replicated fields under chisel plow (CP) and no‐till (NT) management, both in a corn–soybean [Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] rotation with four corn residue retention treatments (RRT): [harvesting only grain, grain plus cobs, grain plus about half the stover, and grain plus as much stover as possible (Grain + Aggressive)], returning about 8, 5, 4 and 2 Mg ha−1 yr−1 dry stover, respectively. Water‐stable aggregates, their distribution, and mean weight diameter (MWD) were determined on a clay loam or loam Mollisol collected at 0 to 5 and 5 to 10 cm. Treatments, crop phase, soil depth, and their interactions were analyzed via a mixed linear model. Linear regression was used to assay the relationships between WSA and the average mass of residue returned. In both fields, Grain + Aggressive had the lowest WSA and MWD, and fewer ≥2‐mm aggregates than other RRTs and, in the NT field, fewer in the 1‐ to 2‐mm class size as well. Overall, WSA increased by 0.85 and 2.25% per Mg stover returned under CP and NT, respectively. Harvesting stover reduced the formation and/or the maintenance of WSA, thereby reducing their ability to resist the erosive force of water.
Functional principal component analysis for longitudinal data with informative dropout
Authors: Shi Haolun , Dong Jianghu , Wang Liangliang , Cao Jiguo 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn longitudinal studies, the values of biomarkers are often informatively missing due to dropout. The conventional functional principal component analysis typically disregards the missing information and simply treats the unobserved data points as missing completely at random. As a result, the estimation of the mean function and the covariance surface might be biased, resulting in a biased estimation of the functional principal components. We propose the informatively missing functional principal component analysis (imFunPCA), which is well suited for cases where the longitudinal trajectories are subject to informative missingness. Computation of the functional principal components in our approach is based on the likelihood of the data, where information of both the observed and missing data points are incorporated. We adopt a regression‐based orthogonal approximation method to decompose the latent stochastic process based on a set of orthonormal empirical basis functions. Under the case of informative missingness, we show via simulation studies that the performance of our approach is superior to that of the conventional ones. We apply our method on a longitudinal dataset of kidney glomerular filtration rates for patients post renal transplantation.
Prediction model for recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after resection by using neighbor2vec based algorithms
Authors: Cao Yuankui , Fan Junqing , Cao Hong , Chen Yunliang , Li Jie , Li Jianxin , Zhang Simin 
Published: November 2020

AbstractLiver cancer has become the third cause that leads to the cancer death. For hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as the highly malignant type of liver cancer, its recurrence rate after operation is still very high because there is no reliable clinical data to provide better advice for patients after operation. To solve the challenging issue, in this work, we design a novel prediction model for recurrence of HCC using neighbor2vec based algorithm. It consists of three stages: (a) In the preparation stage, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to explore the independent predictors of HCC recurrence, (b) due to the low correlation between individual dimension and prediction target, K‐nearest neighbors (KNN) were found as a K‐vectors list for each patient (neighbor2vec), (c) all vectors lists were applied as the input of machine learning methods such as logistic regression, KNN, decision tree, naive Bayes (NB), and deep neural network to establish the neighbor2vec based prediction model. From the experimental results on the real data from Shandong Provincial Hospital in China, the proposed neighbor2vec based prediction model outperforms all the other models. Especially, the NB model with neighbor2vec achieves up to 83.02, 82.86, 77.6%, in terms of accuracy, recall rates, and precision.This article is categorized under:
Technologies > Data Preprocessing
Technologies > Classification
Technologies > Machine Learning
Twisted string theory in anti-de Sitter space
Authors: Li Songyuan , Troost Jan 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
We construct a string theory in three-dimensional anti-de Sitter space-time that is independent of the boundary metric. It is a topologically twisted theory of quantum gravity. We study string theories with an asymptotic N = 2 superconformal symmetry and demonstrate that, when the world sheet coupling to the space-time boundary metric undergoes a U(1) R-symmetry twist, the space-time boundary energy-momentum tensor becomes topological. As a by-product of our analysis, we obtain the world sheet vertex operator that codes the space-time energy-momentum for conformally flat boundary metrics.
Avoidance of high-risk linear structures by Skylarks in the early breeding season and implications for conservation management
Authors: Püttmanns Manuel , Balkenhol Niko , Filla Tim , Görlich Angela , Roeles Frank , Waltert Matthias , Gottschalk Eckhard 
Published: November 2020

AbstractLinear structures in winter cereals like tramlines are frequently used but high-risk nesting sites for Eurasian Skylarks when crop vegetation becomes impenetrable during May. However, their influence on nest-site selection before vegetation greatly limits choice is less studied. Between 2017 and 2019, we located 32 nests in winter cereals during the early breeding season and show that Skylarks nested 2 m further away from linear structures than expected if nest location was random. We interpret this avoidance as anti-predation behavior and propose additional tramline fragments for conservation management. Moreover, we confirm earlier findings about a higher nest predation risk on linear structures and a shifting of nesting sites towards them in the later breeding season.
Admissible dissimilarity value (ADV) as a measure of subsampling reliability: case study North Sea cod (Gadus morhua)
Authors: Wischnewski Julia , Bernreuther Matthias , Kempf Alexander 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe shape of the length frequency distribution (LFD) is an important input for stock assessments and one of the most important features in studies of fish population dynamics, providing estimates of growth parameters. In practice, oversampling may occur when sampling commercially important species. At times of more and more limited resources, the length sample size can be optimized at some stages of national or regional sampling programmes, without reducing the quality of stock assessments. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate a general distribution-free methodological approach for an optimization of sample size developed as an alternative to both analytical and bootstrap approaches. A novel framework to identify the reduced but still informative sample and to quantify the (dis) similarity between reduced and original samples is proposed. The identification procedure is based on the concept of reference subsample, which represents a theoretical minimal representative subsample that despite smaller sample size still preserves a reasonably precise LFD for certain species. The difference between the original sample and the reference subsample called admissible dissimilarity value (ADV) serves as the upper threshold and can be used to quantify the reliability of derived subsamples. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to validate the approach under various LFD shapes. We illustrate in case studies how ADV can support to evaluate adequate sampling effort. The case studies focus on length samples from the German commercial vessels fishing for North Sea cod (Gadus morhua).
Foreign aid, oil revenues, and political accountability: Evidence from six experiments in Ghana and Uganda
Authors: de la Cuesta Brandon , Martin Lucy , Milner Helen V. , Nielson Daniel L. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractForeign aid may act much like oil money in reducing voters’ willingness to demand accountability from their government, enabling corruption, clientelism, and repression. This is an important causal mechanism connecting public budgets to quality of governance. Yet other scholarship counters that aid is more beneficial than oil, either indirectly because of donor oversight or directly because aid is more likely to produce citizen pressures on governments. Empirical work on the topic employs observational data at the national, macro level, and has left the question unresolved. At the micro level, in some countries citizens have experience with aid revenues and oil funds, thus possessing information about the political implications of these different revenue sources. This article provides the first experimental tests of the direct mechanism linking aid and oil revenues to demands from citizens for greater political accountability. We report the effects of randomly assigned treatments identifying aid funds compared to oil money on behavior of citizens in six survey and lab experiments in Ghana and Uganda. We find no differences in accountability pressures when subjects are randomly assigned to aid or oil conditions in any experiment, including a survey-based field experiment in Uganda that employed very strong information treatments on the extent of aid and oil funds. Though little evidence suggests that either windfall necessarily reduces accountability demands from baseline in a meaningful way, citizens’ actions for aid money were statistically indistinguishable from oil revenues across all experiments. Aid may well have governance effects through the indirect route of donor oversight, but the results presented here suggest no evidence that aid, compared to oil, directly induces greater accountability demands among citizens.
Diaphyseal femoral fracture due to severe vitamin D3 deficiency and low parathyroid hormone levels on long-term hemodialysis: a case report
Authors: Hatano Masaki , Kitajima Izuru , Isawa Kazuya , Hirota Yutaka , Suwabe Tatsuya , Hoshino Junichi , Sawa Naoki , Nakamura Masaki , Yamamoto Seizo , Ubara Yoshihumi 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIntroductionCurrently, there are no reports of diaphyseal femoral fracture equivalent to atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) in patients receiving long-term hemodialysis (HD).Case reportA 56-year-old Japanese man receiving long-term HD for 34 years was admitted to our hospital due to a delay in postoperative healing. The patient began maintenance hemodialysis at 22 years of age. The patient then underwent surgical parathyroidectomy (PTX) for secondary hyperparathyroidism at 43 years of age, which resulted in decreased levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Thereafter, this patient’s serum 1,25(OH)2D3level was very low because active vitamin D3derivative was not administered. At 54 years of age, a transverse fracture of the femoral shaft equivalent to AFF occurred. Surgery with open reduction and internal fixation using intramedullary nailing was performed; however, the delay of postoperative healing continued for 16 months. A left iliac crest bone biopsy was performed and showed osteoid-like lesion and an increase of woven bone. The patient received active vitamin D3derivative and recombinant human PTH (1–34) derivative. Twenty-nine months after the first surgery, a reoperation was performed. Simultaneously, a right iliac crest bone biopsy was performed. Bone morphometrical improvement was confirmed. Six months after resurgery, the bone union was achieved.SummarySevere vitamin D3deficiency and decreased levels of PTH may induce a higher osteoid state and an increase of woven bone, which may then attribute to the development of diaphyseal femoral fracture and impairment of postoperative bone healing. It is hypothesized that treatment with active vitamin D3and teriparatide acetate may be a therapeutic option via the accelerated formation of lamellar bone for refractory diaphyseal femoral fracture of long-term dialysis.
Softening Behavior of Cold-Sprayed Aluminum-Based Coatings AA1200 and AA7075 During Annealing
Authors: Bobzin K. , Wietheger W. , Hebing J. , Gerdt L. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractFor lightweight constructions, joining dissimilar metals is often indispensable to achieve exceptional properties. A common challenge is the bonding of steel and aluminum parts. The use of cold-sprayed coatings as a bonding agent is an innovative approach for high pressure die casting (HPDC) aluminum-steel hybrid components in order to achieve a metallurgical bonding, although it comes with high requirements in terms of coating adhesive and cohesive strength. Therefore, the main aim of this study is the optimization of a post-processing treatment of cold-sprayed coatings in order to improve the cohesive strength to help the introduced coatings withstand the mechanical and thermal stresses during HPDC. The effect of the heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the cold-sprayed Al99.0 and AA7075 coatings was investigated. Freestanding coatings were heat-treated at a temperature of T = 400 °C for different dwell times in order to analyze the recrystallization kinetics through hardness measurements. Two different heat treatment states along with an as-sprayed condition were chosen to investigate the evolution of the mechanical properties of the coatings by means of 3-point bending tests. Besides the softening of the coatings during the heat treatment, sintering effects at splat boundaries and their impact on fracture mechanisms were investigated using electron microscopy.
Characterization and oil recovery enhancement by a polymeric nanogel combined with surfactant for sandstone reservoirs
Authors: Almahfood Mustafa , Bai Baojun 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe characterization and enhanced oil recovery mechanisms of a nanosized polymeric cross-linked gel are presented herein. A negatively charged nanogel was synthesized using a typical free radical suspension polymerization process by employing 2-acrylamido 2-methyl propane sulfonic acid monomer. The synthesized nanogel showed a narrow size distribution with one peak pointing to a predominant homogeneous droplet size. The charged nanogels were also able to adsorb at the oil–water interfaces to reduce interfacial tension and stabilize oil-in-water emulsions, which ultimately improved the recovered oil from hydrocarbon reservoirs. In addition, a fixed concentration of negatively charged surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate or SDS) was combined with different concentrations of the nanogel. The effect of the nanogels combined with surfactant on sandstone core plugs was examined by running a series of core flooding experiments using multiple flow patterns. The results show that combining nanogel and SDS was able to reduce the interfacial tension to a value of 6 Nm/m. The core flooding experiments suggest the ability of the nanogel, both alone and combined with SDS, to improve the oil recovery by a factor of 15% after initial seawater flooding.
On kernels of Toeplitz operators
Authors: Nowak M. T. , Sobolewski P. , Sołtysiak A. , Wołoszkiewicz-Cyll M. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe apply the theory of de Branges–Rovnyak spaces to describe kernels of some Toeplitz operators on the classical Hardy space $$H^2$$

H
2

. In particular, we discuss the kernels of the operators $$T_{{\bar{f}}/ f}$$

T

f

¯

/
f

and $$T_{{\bar{I}}{\bar{f}}/ f}$$

T

I

¯

f

¯

/
f

, where f is an outer function in $$H^2$$

H
2

and I is inner such that $$I(0)=0$$

I
(
0
)
=
0

. We also obtain a result on the structure of de Branges–Rovnyak spaces generated by nonextreme functions.
Taste receptor polymorphisms and longevity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Di Bona Danilo , Malovini Alberto , Accardi Giulia , Aiello Anna , Candore Giuseppina , Ferrario Anna , Ligotti Mattia E. , Maciag Anna , Puca Annibale A. , Caruso Calogero 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBitter taste receptors (TAS2R) are involved in a variety of non-tasting physiological processes, including immune-inflammatory ones. Therefore, their genetic variations might influence various traits. In particular, in different populations of South Italy (Calabria, Cilento, and Sardinia), polymorphisms of TAS2R16 and TAS238 have been analysed in association with longevity with inconsistent results. A meta-analytic approach to quantitatively synthesize the possible effect of the previous variants and, possibly, to reconcile the inconsistencies has been used in the present paper. TAS2R38 variants in the Cilento population were also analysed for their possible association with longevity and the obtained data have been included in the relative meta-analysis. In population from Cilento no association was found between TAS2R38 and longevity, and no association was observed as well, performing the meta-analysis with data of the other studies. Concerning TAS2R16 gene, instead, the genotype associated with longevity in the Calabria population maintained its significance in the meta-analysis with data from Cilento population, that, alone, were not significant in the previously published study. In conclusion, our results suggest that TAS2R16 genotype variant is associated with longevity in South Italy.