bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Humidity effect on the transport properties of per‐fluorinated sulfonic acid/PTFE proton exchange membranes: Positron annihilation study
Authors: Elsharkawy Mohamed R. M. , Mohamed Hamdy F. M. , Hassanien Mohamed H. M. , Gomaa Mahmoud M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) technique was used to investigate the yield and lifetime of positronium (Ps) in three different samples of per‐fluorinated sulfonic acid/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) proton exchange membranes. The high probability of Ps formation enables the study of the hole volume size by the PAL technique and explains the mechanism of both methanol permeation and proton conductivity of the membranes in relation to the relative humidity (RH). The influence of various membrane parameters, including water uptake, proton conductivity, and mechanical properties, was studied. The concentration of water molecules and SO3−–H3O+groups is correlated with the ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the membranes where higher IEC leads to high absorbance of water. The proton conductivity is enhanced by increasing the IEC value of the membrane. The activation energies of decomposition temperature for the F‐950 membrane are the lowest (Eb = 2.856 and 1.030 eV for the 1st and 2nd decomposition peaks, respectively, implying that the membrane with high IEC is thermally less stable. With increasing the IEC of the membranes, the concentration of the water molecules/SO3 group increases. In addition, the proton conductivity of the membrane is positively influenced by increasing water content at high RH. The fact that the variations in hole volume size and both methanol permeability and proton conductivity are highly dependent on RH suggests that hole volume size plays an important role in many parameters of hydrated perfluorinated sulfonic acid/PTFE proton exchange membranes. The outcomes data were introduced and interpreted appropriately with a theoretical model and compared with the literature.
NLRP3 inflammasome as a key molecular target underlying cognitive resilience in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Banerjee Poulomi , Elliott Elizabeth , Rifai Olivia M , O’Shaughnessy Judi , McDade Karina , Abrahams Sharon , Chandran Siddharthan , Smith Colin , Gregory Jenna M 
Published: December 2021

AbstractUp to 50% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients present with cognitive deficits in addition to motor dysfunction, but the molecular mechanisms underlying diverse clinical and pathological presentations remain poorly understood. There is therefore an unmet need to identify molecular drivers of cognitive dysfunction to enable better therapeutic targeting and prognostication. To address this, we employed a non‐biased approach to identify molecular targets using a deeply phenotyped, clinically stratified cohort of cognitively affected and unaffected brain regions from three brain regions of 13 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with the same cognitive screening test performed during life. Using NanoString molecular barcoding as a sensitive mRNA sequencing technique on post‐mortem tissue, we profiled a data‐driven panel of 770 genes using the Neuropathology Panel, followed by region and cell type‐specific validation using BaseScope in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry. We identified 50 significantly dysregulated genes that are distinct between cognitively affected and unaffected brain regions. Using BaseScope in situ hybridisation, we also demonstrate that macromolecular complex regulation, notably NLRP3 inflammasome modulation, is a potential, therapeutically targetable, pathological correlate of cognitive resilience in ALS. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Experimental analysis of the warm stamping of metal/thermoplastic polymer nanocomposite laminates
Authors: Boroumand Farzad , Seyedkashi Seyed Mohammad Hossein , Pol Mohammad Hossein 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe effects of matrix type, temperature, and weight percentage of nano‐reinforcement on maximum drawing force and drawing depth have been studied in warm stamping of reinforced metal/nanocomposite laminates. The laminates were composed of two thermoplastic polymers of glass fibers‐reinforced polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride, two reinforcements of nanoclay and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes as the core layer, and aluminum 1050‐O as the skin layer. Change of the matrix type from polyvinyl chloride to polypropylene increased the maximum drawing force and decreased the drawing depth. Besides, the drawing depth in most samples was decreased by increasing the weight percentage of the nano reinforcement. Increase of the temperature led to increasing the drawing depth and decreasing the maximum drawing force. Temperature had the greatest effect on the output parameters, especially the drawing depth.
Comparison of the incidence of bleeding between baloxavir marboxil and other anti‐influenza drugs among outpatients with influenza virus infection: A retrospective cohort study using an employment‐based health insurance claims database in Japan
Authors: Hara Azusa , Hara Kanae , Komeda Takuji , Ogura Eriko , Miyazawa Shogo , Kobayashi Chiduru , Fujiwara Masakazu , Yoshida Manami , Urushihara Hisashi 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPurposeAlerts for bleeding events are included in the Japanese package inserts of some anti‐influenza drugs, including baloxavir marboxil and oseltamivir. However, there are few reports on the incidence of bleeding events during treatment with anti‐influenza drugs. This large‐scale quantitative assessment compared the incidence of bleeding events in influenza patients treated with baloxavir and other anti‐influenza drugs and in untreated patients.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used a large‐scale Japanese employment‐based health insurance claims database provided by JMDC Inc. and included outpatients diagnosed with influenza between October 1, 2018 and April 11, 2019. Bleeding events were identified by International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes. Incidences were compared between patients treated with baloxavir or neuraminidase inhibitors and untreated patients. Odds ratios were calculated after exact matching to adjust for potential confounders.ResultsAmong 529 201 influenza episodes, 30 964 were untreated and 498 237 were treated with anti‐influenza drugs: baloxavir, 207 630; oseltamivir, 143 722; zanamivir, 28 208; peramivir, 5304; laninamivir, 113 373. Crude incidence proportions for total bleeding up to 20 days after influenza diagnosis were similar among treated groups, with a slightly higher value for peramivir (0.21% vs. 0.19% for baloxavir, oseltamivir, zanamivir, and laninamivir), and 0.30% in untreated patients. After exact matching, the incidence of bleeding for baloxavir was similar to that for other anti‐influenza treatments (odds ratios for baloxavir were 0.90–0.99 compared to other therapies).ConclusionsBased on real‐world observation using a large‐scale claims database, a similar incidence of bleeding events was observed in recipients of the different anti‐influenza drugs.
Fault‐tolerant finite‐time adaptive higher order sliding mode control with optimized parameters for attitude stabilization of spacecraft
Authors: Amrr Syed Muhammad , Sarkar Rajasree , Banerjee Arunava , Saidi Abdelaziz Salah , Nabi Mashuq un 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis article considers the problem of attitude regulation of rigid spacecraft under the effect of inertial ambiguity, exogenous disturbances, input saturation, and actuator uncertainties. In this regard, an adaptive second‐order sliding mode control (ASOSMC) is designed to provide robustness against the lumped disturbances (the combination of uncertainties and faults). The ASOSMC presents a two‐fold advantage over conventional SMC. The use of adaptive law eliminates the assumption of a priori knowledge on the upper bounds of the disturbances. Further, the SOSMC methodology alleviates the high‐frequency chattering in the input without compromising robustness. The theoretical analysis under the proposed strategy guarantees the convergence of sliding surface and system states to the origin in a finite‐time. Besides, this work also resolves the inbuilt problem of unwinding in the quaternion‐based attitude representation. Further, the nominal parameters of the proposed control law are optimized offline using an ant lion optimization method. The numerical simulation validates the effectiveness of the proposed controller by comparing its performance with the other existing controllers.
Finite‐time tracking control for nonaffine nonlinear pure‐feedback systems with a prescribed performance
Authors: Zhang Faxiang , Chen Yang‐Yang 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis article investigates the finite‐time tracking control problem of nonlinear pure‐feedback systems with nonaffine input signals. By using a low‐pass filter, the nonaffine system is transformed into a pure‐feedback system with an affine input. To characterize the dynamic and steady‐state performance, a new performance function is defined, which is intergraded into adaptive fuzzy rules to design a novel fractional‐power‐based output tracking controller. It is shown that the tracking error converges to a predefined range at a settling time according to the traditional finite‐time stability theory. Simulation results obtained for two examples reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Discovery of Robust Ferroelectricity in 2D Defective Semiconductor α‑Ga2Se3
Authors: Xue Wuhong , Jiang Qitao , Wang Fakun , He Ri , Pang Ruixue , Yang Huali , Wang Peng , Yang Ruilong , Zhong Zhicheng , Zhai Tianyou , Xu Xiaohong 
Published: December 2021

Abstract2D ferroelectrics with robust polar order in the atomic‐scale thickness at room temperature are needed to miniaturize ferroelectric devices and tackle challenges imposed by traditional ferroelectrics. These materials usually have polar point group structure regarding as a prerequisite of ferroelectricity. Yet, to introduce polar structure into otherwise nonpolar 2D materials for producing ferroelectricity remains a challenge. Here, by combining first‐principles calculations and experimental studies, it is reported that the native Ga vacancy‐defects located in the asymmetrical sites in cubic defective semiconductor α‑Ga2Se3 can induce polar structure. Meanwhile, the induced polarization can be switched in a moderate energy barrier. The switched polarization is observed in 2D α‑Ga2Se3 nanoflakes of ≈4 nm with a high switching temperature up to 450 K. Such polarization switching could arise from the displacement of Ga vacancy between neighboring asymmetrical sites by applying an electric field. This work removes the point group limit for ferroelectricity, expanding the range of 2D ferroelectrics into the native defective semiconductors.
Dementia risk reduction: why haven't the pharmacological risk reduction trials worked? An in‐depth exploration of seven established risk factors
Authors: Peters Ruth , Breitner John , James Sarah , Jicha Gregory A. , Meyer Pierre‐Francois , Richards Marcus , Smith A. David , Yassine Hussein N. , Abner Erin , Hainsworth Atticus H. , Kehoe Patrick G. , Beckett Nigel , Weber Christopher , Anderson Craig , Anstey Kaarin J. , Dodge Hiroko H. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIdentifying the leading health and lifestyle factors for the risk of incident dementia and Alzheimer's disease has yet to translate to risk reduction. To understand why, we examined the discrepancies between observational and clinical trial evidence for seven modifiable risk factors: type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, estrogens, inflammation, omega‐3 fatty acids, and hyperhomocysteinemia. Sample heterogeneity and paucity of intervention details (dose, timing, formulation) were common themes. Epidemiological evidence is more mature for some interventions (eg, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]) than others. Trial data are promising for anti‐hypertensives and B vitamin supplementation. Taken together, these risk factors highlight a future need for more targeted sample selection in clinical trials, a better understanding of interventions, and deeper analysis of existing data.
Anti‐cancer potentials of Gynura procumbens leaves extract against two canine mammary cancer cell lines
Authors: Jermnak Usuma , Supsavhad Wachiraphan , Kunakornsawat Sunee , Jaroensong Tassanee , Watcharasit Piyajit , Visitnonthachai Daranee , Pairor Selapoom , Phaochoosak Napasorn 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe anti‐cancer effects of Gynura procumbens leaves extract (GPE) have been reported in various human cancers. However, the anti‐cancer effects and molecular mechanisms of this extract on canine mammary cancer (CMC) have not yet been elucidated.ObjectivesThe main goal of this study was to investigate the anti‐cancer properties of GPE against two CMC cell lines (CHMp‐13a and CHMp‐5b).MethodsThe GP leaves were extracted with 80% ethanol. Anti‐cancer potentials of GPE on CHMp‐13a and CHMp‐5b cancer cell lines using dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT), wound healing, transwell migration, and caspase 3/7 activity assays were evaluated. The mRNA expression levels of two oncogenes: epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and twist family bHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST) and one tumour suppressor gene: phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in these cell lines were determined by quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). In addition, The EGFR and PTEN protein levels as well as protein kinase B (AKT) and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation levels expression were also evaluated by western blot analysis.ResultsThe results showed that GPE caused a significant concentration‐ and time‐dependent reduction in cell proliferation of both CHMp‐13a and CHMp‐5b cells, detected by MTT assays. This extract also significantly suppressed cancer cell migration in both cell lines, tested by wound healing and transwell migration assays. Additionally, the increase in caspase 3/7 activity observed in both CMC cell treated with GPE suggests that GPE induced caspase 3/7 dependent apoptosis. Moreover, GPE significantly decreased EGFR mRNA and protein expression levels compared to control in both cell lines in a dose‐dependent manner.ConclusionThese findings emphasized that GPE has an in vitro anti‐cancer activity against CMC by inhibiting EGFR signalling pathway. Thus, GPE may serve as an alternative therapy in CMC with high EGFR expression.
A New Imagination for Waste and Water in India’s Peri-Urban Interface
Authors: Mundoli Seema , Dechamma C. S. , Auddy Madhureema , Sanfui Abhiri , Nagendra Harini 
Published: December 2021

AbstractCities are often seen as incubators for enterprise and innovation. However, in this urbanisation era, we seem to suffer from a lack of imagination on how to handle the many environmental problems associated with expanding cities. This is especially true in the case of the peri-urban interface (PUI), a geographical and conceptual landscape with which the city core often has a contentious relationship. In this chapter we look at the complex linkages between water and waste in the PUIs of two metropolitan cities: Bengaluru and Kolkata. We look at two water systems: Kannuru lake in Bengaluru and Kolkata’s wetlands. Kannuru is a freshwater lake that supported traditional livelihoods and subsistence use by local communities, while Kolkata’s peri-urban wetlands not only served as the city’s natural sewage treatment plant but also enabled agriculture and aquaculture. Urbanization has adversely impacted both these water systems. Kannuru lake is threatened by a landfill on its periphery, while sewage-based farming and fisheries in Kolkata’s wetlands have been impacted by changes in land use and composition of sewage. We unravel the complexity in the waste-water relationship, where waste is seen as a pollutant in one and as a nutrient in the other. We attempt to understand how we can re-envision waste and water linkages in the PUIs of expanding cities if India needs to move towards a sustainable future.
Changing Agriculture and Climate Variability in Peri-Urban Gurugram, India
Authors: Mishra Pratik , Vij Sumit 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFarmers across India are protesting the apathy of the state towards the agricultural sector, which is facing a triple crisis – economic, ecological and existential. This chapter attempts to locate the changing dynamics of agriculture at a frontier where a geographically specific articulation of this crisis comes to the fore: in Budhera, a peri-urban village bordering Gurugram city in the Indian state of Haryana. The village is still largely agrarian but undergoing rapid changes under the influence of (peri-)urbanization. Our ethnographic research investigates the juxtaposition of these urbanization processes with the more general impacts of climate variability on peri-urban agriculture. Although climate variability plays out at a larger scale than the urbanization processes, the conditions for peri-urban agriculture derive from an intersection of both. The results show how dimensions of agrarian livelihoods such as cropping choices, irrigation cycles, sharecropping arrangements, declining common property resources and land use changes to non-agricultural uses are influenced by (peri-)urbanization processes. We conclude that changes in land and water use in Budhera reshape agricultural practices and can cascade upon climate variability impacts in making agriculture more precarious for peri-urban farmers.
Views from the Sluice Gate: Water Insecurity, Conflict and Cooperation in Peri-Urban Khulna, Bangladesh
Authors: Khan M. Shah Alam , Rahman Rezaur , Tarin Nusrat Jahan , Huda Sheikh Nazmul , Hossain A. T. M. Zakir 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter explores conflict and cooperation around water infrastructure in relation to contestations over water and land in peri-urban Khulna, Bangladesh. It analyses how these contestations, together with the effects of climate change and urbanization, contribute to water insecurity. These dynamics are explored by viewing the peri-urban space as a hydro-social system where physical infrastructure (a sluice gate), hydrological processes and various actors interact. Through participatory appraisal, stakeholder analysis and social power mapping, we analyse the emergence, manifestations and implications of conflicts, and how power relations influence the conflict dynamics. The chapter further presents the process and outcome of participatory actions for capacity-building of communities to facilitate their empowerment by elevating their knowledge level and negotiating capabilities toward securing water and resolving conflicts. We argue that conflicts and water insecurities of peri-urban communities largely emerge from the absence of their participation in the planning and management of water infrastructure, and their limited capacity to resist changes in the control of water and agricultural land. The chapter concludes that peri-urban communities lack the power and agency to mitigate the impacts of urbanization and climate change, while neither urban nor rural planning processes formally recognize the peri-urban and its specific water security problems and needs. This policy gap leads to increasingly complex conflicts and water insecurities. Success and sustainability of alternative livelihood choices and collective action by marginalized communities depend much on continued advocacy, cooperation among and between communities and government agencies, commitment of a trusted neutral actor, and mutual understanding and respect for each other’s positions.
Concluding Reflections: Towards Alternative Peri-Urban Futures?
Authors: Roth Dik , Narain Vishal 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis final chapter summarizes the main contributions of the book and provides some ideas on carrying forward the research and action research agenda presented in this book. The peri-urban requires concerted engagement and new, transformative, policy approaches. Continued reliance on formal policy approaches is likely to have only a limited impact or even to be counterproductive. Strong partnerships across academics and civil society organizations are required in order to create a stronger scientific discourse on the peri-urban, as well as to catalyze changes within and beyond peri-urban spaces. While selective state apathy towards the peri-urban needs correction, the messy and transitory nature of peri-urban spaces will require engagements across a wide spectrum of actors beyond the state. An understanding of these approaches is necessary before prescribing “policy reforms” for the peri-urban.
Uncertainty and Complexity: Towards Model-Based Demography
Authors: Bijak Jakub 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter focuses on the broad methodological and philosophical underpinnings of the Bayesian model-based approach to studying migration. Starting from reflections on the uncertainty and complexity in demography and, in particular, migration studies, the focus moves to the shifting role of formal modelling, from merely describing, to predicting and explaining population processes. Of particular importance are the gaps in understanding asylum migration flows, which are some of the least predictable while at the same time most consequential forms of human mobility. The well-recognised theoretical void of demography as a discipline does not help, especially given the lack of empirical micro-foundations in formal modelling. Here, we analyse possible solutions to theoretical shortcomings of demography and migration studies from the point of view of the philosophy of science, looking at the inductive, deductive and abductive approaches to scientific reasoning. In that spirit, the final section introduces and extends a research programme of model-based demography.
Towards More Realistic Models
Authors: Hinsch Martin , Bijak Jakub , Hilton Jason 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis chapter is devoted to the presentation of a more realistic version of the model, Risk and Rumours, which extends the previous, theoretical version (Routes and Rumours) by including additional empirical and experimental information following the process described in Part II of this book. We begin by offering a reflection on the integration of the five elements of the modelling process, followed by a more detailed description of the Risk and Rumours model, and how it differs from the previous version. Subsequently, we present selected results of the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, enabling us to make further inference on the information gaps and areas for potential data collection. We also present model calibration for an empirically grounded version of the model, Risk and Rumours with Reality. In that way, we can evaluate to what extent the iterative modelling process has enabled a reduction in the uncertainty of the migrant route formation. In the final part of the chapter, we reflect on the model-building process and its implementation.