bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phosphate or nitrate imbalance induces stronger molecular responses than combined nutrient deprivation in roots and leaves of chickpea plants
Authors: Nasr Esfahani Maryam , Inoue Komaki , Nguyen Kien Huu , Chu Ha Duc , Watanabe Yasuko , Kanatani Asaka , Burritt David J. , Mochida Keiichi , Tran Lam‐Son Phan 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe negative effects of phosphate (Pi) and/or nitrate (NO3−) fertilizers on the environment have raised an urgent need to develop crop varieties with higher Pi and/or nitrogen use efficiencies for cultivation in low‐fertility soils. Achieving this goal depends upon research that focuses on the identification of genes involved in plant responses to Pi and/or NO3− starvation. Although plant responses to individual deficiency in either Pi (–Pi/+NO3−) or NO3− (+Pi/–NO3−) have been separately studied, our understanding of plant responses to combined Pi and NO3− deficiency (–Pi/–NO3−) is still very limited. Using RNA‐sequencing approach, transcriptome changes in the roots and leaves of chickpea cultivated under –Pi/+NO3−, +Pi/–NO3− or –Pi/–NO3− conditions were investigated in a comparative manner. –Pi/–NO3− treatment displayed lesser effect on expression changes of genes related to Pi or NO3− transport, signalling networks, lipid remodelling, nitrogen and Pi scavenging/remobilization/recycling, carbon metabolism and hormone metabolism than –Pi/+NO3− or +Pi/–NO3− treatments. Therefore, the plant response to –Pi/–NO3− is not simply an additive result of plant responses to –Pi/+NO3− and +Pi/–NO3− treatments. Our results indicate that nutrient imbalance is a stronger stimulus for molecular reprogramming than an overall deficiency.
Exclusive Growth? Rapidly Increasing Top Incomes Amid Low National Growth in South Africa
Authors: Bassier Ihsaan , Woolard Ingrid 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDespite South Africa’s need for inclusive economic growth, we find that the top income percentiles continue to diverge from the rest of the income distribution. We compare household survey data and tax data (which, unlike household survey data, includes accurate data for the very rich) to investigate the patterns of income growth over the period 2003 to 2018. We find that the gap between the stagnant middle and the top end of the income distribution widened, particularly over the post‐recession period. We also show that the divergence was partly driven by high returns to capital for those with top incomes.
A concept analysis of health communication in a home environment: Perspectives of older persons and their informal caregivers
Authors: Piculell Erik , Skär Lisa , Sanmartin Berglund Johan , Anderberg Peter , Bohman Doris 
Published: November 2020

BackgroundHealth communication (HC) is a vast research field focusing on changing health behaviours, and rapidly evolving technology is creating different ways and possibilities to reach target groups and audiences. In the context of home care, a deeper understanding of HC is lacking, specifically for older persons with care needs and their informal caregivers. The aim of this concept analysis is to identify and construct the meaning of HC from the perspective of older persons in need of care in the home environment and their informal caregivers.Materials and methodsThis study utilised Rogers’ (2000) Evolutionary Concept Analysis Method (EMCA) to create and construct a meaning of the concept of HC. The EMCA was based on a systematic literature review of scientific articles, using CINAHL, Pubmed and Inspec (2000‐2017). A total of 29 articles were retrieved and analysed.ResultsThe identified attributes of the concept were as follows: resources of the recipient, influence on decisions and advantages of tailored information. HC was described as both contributing to knowledge as well as being overwhelming where habits and resources influenced the use of information. The attributes led to the following descriptive definition of HC: ‘Tailored HC, based on needs and resources of the recipient influence care decisions’. The home environment influenced HC by habits and interactions between older persons and their informal caregivers.ConclusionsThe home environment influenced HC in terms of social aspects of interactions and habits and between the older person and the informal caregiver. Tailored information with the use of technology contributed to knowledge in care of older persons and their informal caregivers. HC was shown to contribute to improve care for older people in their home environment.
Polarization and the Decline of Economic Voting in American National Elections
Authors: Ellis Christopher R. , Ura Joseph Daniel 
Published: November 2020

ObjectiveThere is substantial evidence that American voters blame or credit the president for the state of the economy when making electoral decisions. However, a variety of findings on economic voting, cognitive biases in information processing, and party polarization indicate that both objective and subjective economic information should become less important to voters as partisan polarization increases. We evaluate whether partisan polarization attenuates the link between economic performance and citizens’ votes.MethodsWe estimate statistical models of the incumbent party vote shares in U.S. presidential elections from 1952 to 2016 including as predictive terms national partisan polarization (DW‐NOMINATE) and the interaction between polarization and economic growth (annualized second quarter GDP change in election years).ResultsWe find support for our expectation that greater partisan polarization mitigates the association between economic performance and American election returns.ConclusionEconomic performance exerts less influence on vote choices when parties are highly polarized than when they are not. Also, currently high levels of partisan polarization in the United States indicate elections will remain competitive, even if economic conditions otherwise favor or undermine an incumbent candidate's chances of winning.
Enhancing Democracy: Can Civic Engagement Foster Political Participation?
Authors: Binder Martin 
Published: November 2020

ObjectiveThe aim of the present article is to address Tocqueville's hypothesis that voluntary associations and volunteering are breeding grounds for democratic virtues and skills and thus enhance political participation.MethodsData from the British Household Panel Survey data set spanning the years 1991–2008 are analyzed using multivariate panel data regression techniques to assess the effect of voluntary association membership/activities on political participation in the United Kingdom.ResultsIt is found that organizational activity (more than mere membership) positively impacts political participation, but these effects are smaller than usually found and depend on types of associations and degree of activity. Sensitivity analyses support the finding that the political interest more strongly predicts political party support than associational activities. Further support for causal interpretations is scant.ConclusionSome evidence for Tocqueville's hypothesis can be found for the United kingdom during the sample horizon, but the effect is sensitive to model specification and issues of reverse causation remain.
Short‐ and long‐distance signaling in plant defense
Authors: Sun Tongjun , Zhang Yuelin 
Published: November 2020

SummaryWhen encountering microbial pathogens, plant cells can recognize danger signals derived from pathogens, activate plant immune responses and generate cell‐autonomous as well as non‐cell‐autonomous defense signaling molecules, which promotes defense responses at the infection site and in the neighboring cells. Meanwhile, local damages can result in the release of immunogenic signals including damage‐associated molecule patterns and phytocytokines, which also serve as danger signals to potentiate immune responses in cells surrounding the infection site. Activation of local defense responses further induces the production of long‐distance defense signals, which can move to distal tissue to activate systemic acquired resistance. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on various signaling molecules involved in short‐ and long‐distance defense signaling, and emphasize the roles of regulatory proteins involved in the processes.
Investigation of Ctenocephalides felis on domestic dogs and Rickettsia felis infection in the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Authors: Tsai Kun‐Hsien , Yen Tsai‐Ying , Wu Wen‐Jer , Carvalho Ronalg , Raoult Didier , Fournier Pierre‐Edouard 
Published: November 2020

AbstractRickettsia felis is an obligate intracellular Gram‐negative bacterium which causes flea‐borne spotted fever in humans. In the past decades, R. felis has been detected worldwide in Ctenocephalides felis fleas and various other arthropods. However, due to its shared symptoms with other common vector‐borne diseases, human infection is prone to be underestimated or misdiagnosed, especially in the malaria‐endemic areas including sub‐Saharan Africa, where confirmatory laboratory diagnoses are not usually available. In this study, a ‘One Health’ approach was adopted to explore potential vector‐borne and zoonotic pathogens in the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe (DRSTP), an island nation in the Gulf of Guinea. By collaborating with local veterinarians, 1,187 fleas were collected from 95 domestic dogs across the country and later identified as Ct. felis using taxonomic keys. A cytochrome oxidase gene‐based phylogenetic analysis revealed that all collected fleas belonged to a single haplotype and were identical to isolates from Ivory Coast and Brazil that clustered into a clade of tropical distribution. Additional samples of 14 chigoe fleas (Tunga penetrans) were collected from the surrounding environment of the dogs’ resting spots. Rickettsia felis infection in fleas was examined by molecular methods targeting the citrate synthase (gltA)‐ and outer membrane protein A (ompA)‐coding genes as well as the R. felis‐specific pRF plasmid. The bacterial DNA was detected in 21.01% (146/695) of cat fleas but none of the chigoe fleas. Microimmunofluorescence assay was then performed to assess pathogen exposure of the residents. Of 240 dried blood spots from participants with dog contacts, 8 (3.33%) exhibited R. felis antibodies. Our findings demonstrated the presence of R. felis in DRSTP. Further extensive epidemiological studies regarding its prevalence and its role in causing febrile illness while the nation is entering pre‐elimination stage of malaria will be carried out.
Benefit Cost Analysis of Electrification of Urban Districts: Case Study of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Authors: Rajabi Roya , Thompson Jordan , Krarti Moncef 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn this paper, the results of a feasibility analysis are summarized to assess the energy, economic, and environmental benefits of electrification and renewable energy integration for an urban district of Old City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. First, the energy demand for the district is reduced through the implementation of cost-effective energy efficiency measures (EEMs) appropriate for Philadelphia’s climate. Then, a combination of distributed generation (DG) systems including wind, photovoltaics, and hydropower is evaluated to determine optimized hybrid systems that meet the energy demand of non-electrified and electrified districts. The analysis indicates that the implementation of common and proven EEMs to all the district buildings can reduce its annual energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 13% and 13.8%, respectively. These EEMs are estimated to be cost-effective based on the current electricity price of $0.082/kWh offered by Philadelphia’s utility, Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO). Through cost optimization analysis, a hybrid DG system combining wind and hydropower connected to the grid is found to lower the cost of energy for the non-electrified district to $0.007/kWh, lower than the current PECO rate, with the added benefit to lower carbon emissions by 10%. Moreover, the analysis considered the case of an electrified district which reduces life cycle costs by 3.5%. By implementing electrification and EEMs, the electricity usage decreases by 14% and peak demand by 19.5% as well as CO2 emissions by 18%. Through cost optimization to design a hybrid DG system that can meet energy demands of the electrified district, wind and hydropower connected to the grid is found to achieve a cost of energy of $0.008/kWh and carbon emissions reduction of 34.9%.
Balloon Locomotion for Extreme Terrain
Authors: Nayar Hari D. , Pauken Michael T. , Cable Morgan L. , Hans Michael A. , Ginoya Manit 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
BALLET (BALloon Locomotion for Extreme Terrain) is a new concept vehicle for robotic surface mobility on planetary bodies with an atmosphere. The vehicle is composed of a buoyant balloon with six evenly distributed suspended payload modules each serving as a foot for locomotion over inaccessible rugged terrain. While the physics of BALLET will apply on Venus and Mars, the environmental conditions and available component technology limit our consideration to Titan. We describe the concept in detail, its applications for science missions on Titan, mission deployment scenarios, analyses of the concept under varying environmental conditions, and simulations of its locomotion. The concept is shown to be feasible and provides a new approach for exploration of rugged lakes, dunes, shorelines, and cryovolcanic regions on Titan.
Optimization of a Bioinspired Piezocomposite Pump Based on an Electromechanical Model
Authors: Shan Xin , Bilgen Onur 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
This paper presents the mechanical design and modeling of an active segment of a bioinspired piezocomposite aquatic pump. The design and analysis is based on an electromechanical Euler-Bernoulli beam model. The self-contained propulsion/pumping system is composed of a series of piezo-active soft cymbal-like segments that are connected by passive soft films. By applying coordinated excitations for expansion and contraction to different active segments, the design creates a traveling wave along the pump axis, which in return propels the fluid to generate a unidirectional thrust force. In the model, the insulation and mechanical properties of the waterproofing sealant layer are considered. Using the proposed electromechanical model, a parametric analysis is conducted to understand the effectiveness of the cymbal-like piezocomposite active segment. Two performance metrics are considered, including the area change of the enclosed by the cymbal-like segment, and the work done by the actuators. The optimal structural parameters of the piezocomposite pump are decided by these performance metrics.
Parametric Analysis of Structural Properties of a Rectangular Partially-Clamped Wing
Authors: Katibeh Mohammad , Bilgen Onur 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
The so-called solid-state ornithopter concept seeks to employ piezoelectric materials to generate flapping motion instead of relying on conventional mechanisms and multi-component actuation systems. The motion can be induced on a wing-like partially-clamped composite substrate with a piezocomposite device (i.e. the Macro-Fiber Composite actuator.) In this research, a design for a flapping wing is proposed based on the analysis of critical system parameters such as geometric properties and boundary conditions. A series of finite element simulations are conducted based on the variation of those parameters. Consequently, the effects of parameters on the structural response is studied. Also, modal analysis is done to examine the effects of geometric parameters on the resonant frequencies of the system. Heaving and pitching responses are examined.
Pneumatic Extension Actuators With Kirigami Skins
Authors: Iannucci Steven , Li Suyi 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Soft pneumatic actuators have found many applications in robotics and adaptive structures. Traditionally, these actuators are constructed by wrapping layers of reinforcing helical fibers around an elastomeric tube. This approach is versatile and robust, but it suffers from a critical disadvantage: cumbersome fabrication procedures. Wrapping long helical filaments around a cylindrical tube requires expensive equipment or excessive manual labor. To address this issue, we propose a new approach towards designing and constructing pneumatic actuators by exploiting the principle of kirigami, the ancient art of paper cutting. More specifically, we use “kirigami skins” — plastic sleeves with carefully arranged slit cuts — to replace the reinforcing helical fibers. This paper presents an initial investigation on a set of linear extension actuators featuring kirigami skins with a uniform array of cross-shaped, orthogonal cuts. When under internal pressurization, the rectangular-shaped facets defined by these cuts can rotate and induce the desired extension motion. Through extensive experiments, we analyze the elastic and plastic deformations of these kirigami skins alone under tension. The results show strongly nonlinear behaviors involving both in-plane facet rotation the out-of-plane buckling. Such a deformation pattern offers valuable insights into the actuator’s performance under pressure. Moreover, both the deformation characteristics and actuation performance are “programmable” by tailoring the cut geometry. This study lays down the foundation for constructing more capable Kirigami-skinned soft actuators that can achieve sophisticated motions.
Self-Sensing Control of Antagonistic SMA Actuators Based on Resistance-Displacement Hysteresis Compensation
Authors: Prechtl Johannes , Seelecke Stefan , Motzki Paul , Rizzello Gianluca 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a well-known class of smart materials which allow the design of compact and silent actuation mechanisms. A remarkable feature of SMAs is self-sensing, namely the possibility to reconstruct the actuator position information from electrical resistance measurements. In case of simple SMA actuators, such as spring-loaded wires, the relation between resistance and displacement is usually linear and thus simple to exploit for self-sensing. For more advanced actuator types, such as protagonist-antagonist SMA configurations, the resistance-displacement characteristic is often hysteretic and thus more difficult to invert in real-time. To deal with this issue, this work proposes a novel self-sensing method for protagonist-antagonist SMA actuators having a highly hysteretic resistance-displacement behavior. An online hysteresis compensation scheme, based on the modified Prandtl-Ishlinskii model, is implemented and used to linearize the resistance-displacement characteristic. A lab setup which allows characterization of antagonistic SMA system as well as implementation of self-sensing control architectures is also developed. Experimental results show how, when combined with a PI controller, the developed scheme permits to noticeably reduce the error in comparison to compensator-free self-sensing architectures.
Production of 3D Printed Flexible Strain Sensors
Authors: Mamer Trevor , Garcia Jose , Leon-Salas Walter D. , Voyles Richard , Nawrocki Robert A. , Yokota Tomoyuki , Someya Takao , Ducharne Benjamin , Newell Brittany 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
3D printing technologies have advanced significantly in recent years allowing for additive manufacturing of new structured materials, expanding the range, function, and capabilities of manufactured components. In this work, flexible capacitors were produced using additive manufacturing and compared to commercially available capacitance sensors in strain testing. The sensors utilize thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) printed using fused filament fabrication methods as a dielectric substrate and a combination of flexible inks for production of the conductive surface. Flexible inks were printed using syringe based deposition methods on a custom designed printer using the TPU substrate. Results demonstrated successful capacitor production with capacitance values ranging from 2–70 pF depending on geometry, material, and printing conditions. The 3D printed flexible capacitors were characterized over a frequency range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz and compared to commercial roll-to-roll produced capacitors. Strain testing was conducted from 0–50% strain using a mechanical testing machine for the range of sensors and final capacitance post strain was measured to calculate deviation from original capacitance values. The sensors exhibited a relatively linear increase in capacitance when strained and returned to a resting position upon release of strain with minimal hysteresis effects, demonstrating their utility as 3D printed sensors.
A Computational Study of Strain Sensing via 3D-Printed CNF-Modified PLA Strain Gauges
Authors: Maynard Cole M. , Hernandez Julio A. , Doak Andrew , Mardikis Benjamin , Viz Monica , Newell Brittany , Garcia Jose , Tallman Tyler N. 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Additive manufacturing technologies and products have seen significant growth in the last decade but have the potential to see greater advancement with the addition of functional material properties in filaments, vastly expanding the product range. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a common fused deposition modeling (FDM) material used for additive manufacturing. Currently, filament materials are limited in terms of electrical properties with the majority of filaments being dielectric. Imparting electrical properties via nanofiller modification of traditionally insulating PLA is an exciting direction for multi-functional additive manufacturing. The work presented in this manuscript computationally explores the piezoresistive strain sensing performance of multi-functional PLA. Specifically, we use experimental conductivity data collected from carbon nanofiber (CNF)-modified PLA to calibrate a computational piezoresistivity model. This computational model is then used to simulate the resistance change-strain relationship of a representative additively manufactured sensor shape. This study shows that the CNF/PLA sensor exhibits a non-linear response with a strain-dependent gauge factor ranging from 15.0 in compression to up to approximately 33.2 in tension. Computational tools such as the ones presented herein are important for further development of additively manufactured sensors since it allows researchers to explore a wide design space (e.g. shape, material type, etc.) without resorting to trial and error experimentation. This allows the incredible versatility of additive manufacturing to be more thoroughly leveraged.
High Voltage AC Control of SMA Wires
Authors: Gorges Tom , Rizzello Gianluca , Seelecke Stefan , Motzki Paul 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Alternating voltage is available in many environments for actuators. Due to the fact that a lot of actuators cannot directly handle this type of supply voltage, such as shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators, the voltage is usually converted to direct current. In the case of SMA actuators, the supply voltage often even has to be adjusted to the electrical resistance of each particular actuator. Due to high energy potential in AC supplies, conventional activation for SMA actuators over several seconds is not possible.
In this study a control procedure for SMA wire actuators with high AC voltage supply is presented, which allows very flexible and versatile control of SMA wires. In addition two different types of activation are distinguished in an experimental study: one-time activation and activation over a longer period of time. The objective of the one-time activation is to reach a given actuator displacement. The activation over time is intended to hold a given position. The results of this series of experiments are presented and the resulting energy saving potential in high voltage SMA activation is observed.