bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bioactive glasses incorporating less-common ions to improve biological and physical properties
Authors: Pantulap Usanee , Arango-Ospina Marcela , Boccaccini Aldo R. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBioactive glasses (BGs) have been a focus of research for over five decades for several biomedical applications. Although their use in bone substitution and bone tissue regeneration has gained important attention, recent developments have also seen the expansion of BG applications to the field of soft tissue engineering. Hard and soft tissue repair therapies can benefit from the biological activity of metallic ions released from BGs. These metallic ions are incorporated in the BG network not only for their biological therapeutic effects but also in many cases for influencing the structure and processability of the glass and to impart extra functional properties. The “classical” elements in silicate BG compositions are silicon (Si), phosphorous (P), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), and potassium (K). In addition, other well-recognized biologically active ions have been incorporated in BGs to provide osteogenic, angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects such as zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), strontium (Sr), gallium (Ga), fluorine (F), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), boron (B), lithium (Li), titanium (Ti), and copper (Cu). More recently, rare earth and other elements considered less common or, some of them, even “exotic” for biomedical applications, have found room as doping elements in BGs to enhance their biological and physical properties. For example, barium (Ba), bismuth (Bi), chlorine (Cl), chromium (Cr), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), ytterbium (Yb), thulium (Tm), germanium (Ge), gold (Au), holmium (Ho), iodine (I), lanthanum (La), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), niobium (Nb), nitrogen (N), palladium (Pd), rubidium (Rb), samarium (Sm), selenium (Se), tantalum (Ta), tellurium (Te), terbium (Tb), erbium (Er), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), vanadium (V), yttrium (Y) as well as zirconium (Zr) have been included in BGs. These ions have been found to be particularly interesting for enhancing the biological performance of doped BGs in novel compositions for tissue repair (both hard and soft tissue) and for providing, in some cases, extra functionalities to the BG, for example fluorescence, luminescence, radiation shielding, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. This review summarizes the influence of incorporating such less-common elements in BGs with focus on tissue engineering applications, usually exploiting the bioactivity of the BG in combination with other functional properties imparted by the presence of the added elements.
Hydrogel contained valproic acid accelerates bone-defect repair via activating Notch signaling pathway in ovariectomized rats
Authors: Tao Zhou-Shan , Li Tian-Lin , Xu Hong-Guang , Yang Min 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe purpose was to observe whether valproic acid (VPA) has a positive effect on bone-defect repair via activating the Notch signaling pathway in an OVX rat model. The MC3T3-E1 cells were cocultured with VPA and induced to osteogenesis, and the osteogenic activity was observed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, Alizarin Red (RES) staining and Western blotting (WB). Then the hydrogel-containing VPA was implanted into the femoral epiphysis bone-defect model of ovariectomized (OVX) rats for 12 weeks. Micro-CT, biomechanical testing, histology, immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR, and WB analysis were used to observe the therapeutic effect and explore the possible mechanism. ALP and ARS staining and WB results show that the cell mineralization, osteogenic activity, and protein expression of ALP, OPN, RUNX-2, OC, Notch 1, HES1, HEY1, and JAG1 of VPA group is significantly higher than the control group. Micro-CT, biomechanical testing, histology, immunofluorescence, and RT-qPCR evaluation show that group VPA presented the stronger effect on bone strength, bone regeneration, bone mineralization, higher expression of VEGFA, BMP-2, ALP, OPN, RUNX-2, OC, Notch 1, HES1, HEY1, and JAG1 of VPA when compared with OVX group. Our current study demonstrated that local treatment with VPA could stimulate repair of femoral condyle defects, and these effects may be achieved by activating Notch signaling pathway and acceleration of blood vessel and bone formation.
Enhanced model protein adsorption of nanoparticulate hydroxyapatite thin films on silk sericin and fibroin surfaces
Authors: Özcan Selçuk , Çiftçioğlu Muhsin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHydroxyapatite coated metallic implants favorably combine the required biocompatibility with the mechanical properties. As an alternative to the industrial coating method of plasma spraying with inherently potential deleterious effects, sol-gel methods have attracted much attention. In this study, the effects of intermediate silk fibroin and silk sericin layers on the protein adsorption capacity of hydroxyapatite films formed by a particulate sol-gel method were determined experimentally. The preparation of the layered silk protein/hydroxyapatite structures on glass substrates, and the effects of the underlying silk proteins on the topography of the hydroxyapatite coatings were described. The topography of the hydroxyapatite layer fabricated on the silk sericin was such that the hydroxyapatite particles were oriented forming an oriented crystalline surface. The model protein (bovine serum albumin) adsorption increased to 2.62 µg/cm2 on the latter surface as compared to 1.37 µg/cm2 of hydroxyapatite on glass without an intermediate silk sericin layer.
Strong Euler well-composedness
Authors: Boutry Nicolas , Gonzalez-Diaz Rocio , Jimenez Maria-Jose , Paluzo-Hildago Eduardo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we define a new flavour of well-composedness, called strong Euler well-composedness. In the general setting of regular cell complexes, a regular cell complex of dimension n is strongly Euler well-composed if the Euler characteristic of the link of each boundary cell is 1, which is the Euler characteristic of an $$(n-1)$$

(
n
-
1
)

-dimensional ball. Working in the particular setting of cubical complexes canonically associated with $$n$$
n
D pictures, we formally prove in this paper that strong Euler well-composedness implies digital well-composedness in any dimension $$n\ge 2$$

n
≥
2

and that the converse is not true when $$n\ge 4$$

n
≥
4

.
Increasing shareholder focus: the repercussions of the 2015 corporate governance reform in Japan
Authors: Mielcarz Paweł , Osiichuk Dmytro , Puławska Karolina 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe corporate governance reform promulgated in 2015 in Japan has contributed to a substantial increase of board independence and a reduction of average board tenure. Our empirical analysis covering 3405 public companies demonstrates that reinvigorated corporate oversight and an increasing post-reform shift towards prioritization of shareholder value have led to a persistent increase of corporate profitability, asset productivity, dividend payouts, acquisitions’ value, and valuation multiples. We also document a significant increase of sensitivity of executives’ and directors’ compensations to the dynamics of firms’ bottom lines. The positive changes are the most pronounced within companies where independent directors constitute a majority on the board. The most notable drawbacks of the reform are a significant reduction in net employment creation and in employee turnover within the largest companies. These might be a possible reason for the documented improvement in corporate performance. The number of part-time employees has also seen a significant increase. While being prima facie focused on reinvigorating the private sector, the corporate governance reform may implicitly undermine the established social contract based on job security. Therefore, our study is important from the perspective of sustainable development of the corporate sector as it demonstrates that while concentrating on improving corporate governance, it is also necessary to consider the business’ social responsibility.
Computational approaches to predicting treatment response to obesity using neuroimaging
Authors: Kozarzewski Leonard , Maurer Lukas , Mähler Anja , Spranger Joachim , Weygandt Martin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObesity is a worldwide disease associated with multiple severe adverse consequences and comorbid conditions. While an increased body weight is the defining feature in obesity, etiologies, clinical phenotypes and treatment responses vary between patients. These variations can be observed within individual treatment options which comprise lifestyle interventions, pharmacological treatment, and bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery can be regarded as the most effective treatment method. However, long-term weight regain is comparably frequent even for this treatment and its application is not without risk. A prognostic tool that would help predict the effectivity of the individual treatment methods in the long term would be essential in a personalized medicine approach. In line with this objective, an increasing number of studies have combined neuroimaging and computational modeling to predict treatment outcome in obesity. In our review, we begin by outlining the central nervous mechanisms measured with neuroimaging in these studies. The mechanisms are primarily related to reward-processing and include “incentive salience” and psychobehavioral control. We then present the diverse neuroimaging methods and computational prediction techniques applied. The studies included in this review provide consistent support for the importance of incentive salience and psychobehavioral control for treatment outcome in obesity. Nevertheless, further studies comprising larger sample sizes and rigorous validation processes are necessary to answer the question of whether or not the approach is sufficiently accurate for clinical real-world application.
Inverse association between the anticholinergic burden and hippocampus volume in a population-based cohort across the entire adult age range
Authors: Kilimann Ingo , Wucherer Diana , Ittermann Till , Völzke Henry , Bülow Robin , Hoffmann Wolfgang , Grabe Hans Jörgen , Wittfeld Katharina , Teipel Stefan Johannes 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMany medications of different indications have a relevant anticholinergic activity. The anticholinergic burden of medication has been shown to have significant effects on the cognition and the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia particularly in older patients. So far, most of the studies used data from geriatric patients and the effect of the anticholinergic burden on brain structures is still unexplored. Our study aimed to analyze possible associations of hippocampus and cholinergic basal forebrain volumes as vulnerable brain structures for the development of dementia and the anticholinergic burden in a population-based cohort of non-demented participants spanning the adult age range from 21 to 80 years. We analyzed associations between medication-related anticholinergic burden and structural MRI volumes from participants (n = 3087, 52.2% female) of the population-based “Study of Health in Pomerania” (SHIP). Anticholinergic burden was obtained from the current medication plan using the Anticholinergic Burden Scale (ACB). All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, education, and total intracranial volume. We found statistically significant associations between the ACB and the left and right hippocampus volume but not for the basal forebrain cholinergic system. Complementary voxel-based analysis across all participants revealed FWE-corrected (p =  < 0.05) clusters in the temporo-parietal regions reaching into frontal areas, showing reduced volumes with higher ACB scores. We identified an association between anticholinergic burden of medication on hippocampal volume suggesting a potential inverse effect of such medication. This association highlights the importance of a careful prescription of medication with anticholinergic activity at any adult age.
The smelting of copper in the third millennium cal BC Trentino, north-eastern Italy
Authors: Pearce Mark , Merkel Stephen , Hauptmann Andreas , Nicolis Franco 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This paper presents observations and analyses on seven slag pieces from two third-millennium cal BC (Late Copper Age/Early Bronze Age) rock shelters in the Trentino, north-eastern Italy: La Vela di Valbusa and the Riparo di Monte Terlago. We review previous work on contemporary slags from the region and show that the smelting did not follow the well-known ‘Timna’, ‘Eibner’ or so-called ‘Chalcolithic’ copper smelting processes. We show that ethnographic accounts of copper smelting in the Himalayas (Sikkim and Nepal) illuminate the smelting process, in particular the lack of preliminary roasting or ore beneficiation by washing, the use of slags as fluxes for the first smelt (matte smelting) and the use of wooden (?) implements to lift the hot slags from the furnace during the smelt. The rock inclusions in the slag are consistent with an ore origin from mines at Calceranica or Vetriolo, as previously reported in the literature.
Integration of dual fluidized bed steam gasification into the pulp and paper industry
Authors: Kuba Matthias , Benedikt Florian , Fürsatz Katharina , Fuchs Josef , Demuth Martin , Aichernig Christian , Arpa Leo , Hofbauer Hermann 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe pulp and paper industry represents an industry sector which is characterised by its already high degree of sustainability. Biomass is a renewable input material, and typically highly developed recovery cycles minimise the loss of chemicals used in the pulping process. However, certain parts of the recovery cycle are still operated on fossil fuels. This study deals with the substitution of the fossil-based gaseous fuel with product gas from biomass gasification.Gasification experiments have shown that bark available at pulp and paper mills is suitable to produce a product gas via dual fluidised bed steam gasification as a promising substitute for natural gas. Based on the comparison of process layouts regarding the separation of non-process elements, separation efficiency is derived for different setups. To ensure operational security of the chemical recovery cycle, comprehensive gas cleaning including heat exchangers, a particle filter, and a liquid scrubber unit is advised. The gas flow of fuel gas into the gas burner is increased as the heating value of the product gas is accordingly lower in comparison to natural gas. Furthermore, adaptions of the gas burner might be necessary to address the earlier ignition of the H2-rich product gas compared to natural gas.
Analysis of lightning ablation damage performance of glass fiber reinforced polymer materials
Authors: Shan Zezhong , Tian Minghui , Lu Xiang 
Published: December 2021

AbstractGlass fiber-reinforced polymer materials have been effectively used in civil aviation aircraft, but due to low electrical conductivity, a large area of ablation damage will occur after lightning strikes, which greatly threatens the safety of civil aircrafts. Based on this, the coupled electrical-thermal finite element analysis model for a lightning ablation damage of glass fiber reinforced polymer materials is established, and the analysis results are compared with the experiment, and the error rate is 1.26%, which verifies the accuracy of the model. In addition, different influencing factors are analyzed to study the lightning protection characteristics of glass fiber reinforced polymer on carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates. The results show that glass fiber reinforced polymer materials have low lightning resistance, but they can effectively reduce the lightning ablation damage area of carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates under the joint protection of them and aluminum coating. However, they have different protective effects on different protective forms of laminates. Among them, the thickness of aluminum coating has a higher impact on the lightning protection efficiency of full spraying aluminum protective laminates, and the thickness of glass fiber reinforced polymer materials has a higher impact on the lightning protection efficiency of local spraying aluminum protective laminates.
A computational framework for modeling complex sensor network data using graph signal processing and graph neural networks in structural health monitoring
Authors: Bloemheuvel Stefan , van den Hoogen Jurgen , Atzmueller Martin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractComplex networks lend themselves for the modeling of multidimensional data, such as relational and/or temporal data. In particular, when such complex data and their inherent relationships need to be formalized, complex network modeling and its resulting graph representations enable a wide range of powerful options. In this paper, we target this—connected to specific machine learning approaches on graphs for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) from an analysis and predictive (maintenance) perspective. Specifically, we present a framework based on Complex Network Modeling, integrating Graph Signal Processing (GSP) and Graph Neural Network (GNN) approaches. We demonstrate this framework in our targeted application domain of SHM. In particular, we focus on a prominent real-world SHM use case, i. e., modeling and analyzing sensor data (strain, vibration) of a large bridge in the Netherlands. In our experiments, we show that GSP enables the identification of the most important sensors, for which we investigate a set of search and optimization approaches. Furthermore, GSP enables the detection of specific graph signal patterns (i. e., mode shapes), capturing physical functional properties of the sensors in the applied complex network. In addition, we show the efficacy of applying GNNs for strain prediction utilizing this kind of sensor data.
Digital campaigning as a policy of democracy promotion: Applying deliberative theories of democracy to political parties
Authors: Odzuck Eva , Günther Sophie 
Published: December 2021

AbstractToday’s election campaigns are heavily data-driven. Despite the numerous skeptical voices questioning the compatibility of specific campaigning practices with fundamental principles of liberal democracies, there has to date been little comprehensive work in this area from the perspective of normative democratic theory. Our article addresses this gap by drawing on recent research on the normative theory of political parties in the field of deliberative democratic theory. The deliberative theories of democracy proposed by Habermas and Rawls contain structural elements of a normative theory of the political party: the special status of political parties as mediators between background culture and the political forum, between the political system and the public sphere, and between the individual and the state, confers on them a central position as actors in in the public use of reason and deliberation.We argue in this article for a view of digital campaigning as a policy of democracy promotion and for the proposition that, alongside other actors, political parties have a special responsibility in this regard. We point to the implications for the evaluation and design of digital political microtargeting that arise from the application of deliberative principles to political parties and consider the need they reveal for the ongoing development of detailed, nuanced normative theories of democracy.
Spillover Effects from the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal: An Analysis of Stock and Corporate Bond Markets
Authors: Barth Florian , Eckert Christian , Gatzert Nadine , Scholz Hendrik 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis study examines spillover effects following Volkswagen’s admission of emissions cheating. We first estimate initial operational losses of 8.45% of Volkswagen’s equity market capitalization on the date before the announcement, reputational losses up to five times these losses, and significant negative shocks to its stocks and bonds. Analyzing spillover effects from this shock beyond the usually only measured losses in equity value, we find significant negative net spillover effects to European competitors and suppliers in both stock and bond markets. Studying the economic effects in more detail, we show that Volkswagen’s total losses of 27.4 billion euros in terms of changes in equity market values over the first five event days are almost entirely composed of abnormal losses. Furthermore, competitors (suppliers) overall suffered 18.3 (12.6) billion euros of abnormal losses during this time, with 60% (69%) of the firms exhibiting negative changes, especially European competitors and suppliers connected to Volkswagen. These figures are further increased by negative bond market value changes. Overall, our results strongly emphasize that neglecting debt holders losses can lead to an underestimation of such events.
Gendered Pathways to the County-level People's Congress in China
Authors: Jiang Xinhui 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWomen are underrepresented in legislature almost worldwide, and China is no exception. Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) implemented its first gender quota in 1933, gender quotas and women's representation in China remain understudied. This study fills the literature gap by examining the subnational variation in gender quota implementation and women's representation in the county-level people's congresses (CPC). Through a comparison of four county-level units in Hunan and Hubei with similar socioeconomic features yet contrasting results in the numbers of female representatives elected in the 2016 CPC election, this study argues that women's access to CPCs is affected by the CCP's adoption and enforcement of grassroots quotas. The fieldwork shows that although all cases introduced a 30 per cent gender quota, only CPCs in Hunan province were able to meet the quota requirements. This was because the grassroots quota threshold was raised in Hunan and strictly enforced, partly as a response to the 2013 Hengyang vote-buying scandal. In contrast, CPCs in Hubei province nominated a large number of “first hands” (yibashou) candidates, very few of whom were women.
Machine learning for the extragalactic astronomy educational manual
Authors: Vasylenko Maksym , Dobrycheva Daria 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWe evaluated a new approach to the automated morphological classification of large galaxy samples based on the supervised machine learning techniques (Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, and k-Nearest Neighbours) and Deep Learning using the Python programming language. A representative sample of ∼315000 SDSS DR9 galaxies at z < 0.1 and stellar magnitudes r < 17.7m was considered as a target sample of galaxies with indeterminate morphological types. Classical machine learning methods were used to binary morphologically classification of galaxies into early and late types (96.4% with Support Vector Machine). Deep machine learning methods were used to classify images of galaxies into five visual types (completely rounded, rounded in-between, smooth cigar-shaped, edge-on, and spiral) with the Xception architecture (94% accuracy for four classes and 88% for cigar-like galaxies). These results created a basis for educational manual on the processing of large data sets in the Python programming language, which is intended for students of the Ukrainian universities.