bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cerebrospinal α‐Synuclein Oligomers Reflect Disease Motor Severity in DeNoPa Longitudinal Cohort
Authors: Majbour Nour K. , Abdi Ilham Y. , Dakna Mohammed , Wicke Tamara , Lang Elisabeth , Ali Moussa Houda Y. , Thomas Mercy A. , Trenkwalder Claudia , Safieh‐Garabedian Bared , Tokuda Takahiko , Mollenhauer Brit , El‐Agnaf Omar 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundTangible efforts have been made to identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis and progression, with α‐synuclein (α‐syn) related biomarkers being at the forefront.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to explore whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of total, oligomeric, phosphorylated Ser 129 α‐synuclein, along with total tau, phosphorylated tau 181, and β‐amyloid 1–42 are (1) informative as diagnostic markers for PD, (2) changed over disease progression, and/or (3) correlated with motor and cognitive indices of disease progression in the longitudinal De Novo Parkinson cohort.MethodsA total of 94 de novo PD patients and 52 controls at baseline and 24‐ and 48‐month follow‐up were included, all of whom had longitudinal lumbar punctures and clinical assessments for both cognitive and motor functions. Using our in‐house enzymelinked immunosorbent assays and commercially available assays, different forms of α‐synuclein, tau, and β‐amyloid 1–42 were quantified in CSF samples from the De Novo Parkinson cohort.ResultsBaseline CSF total α‐synuclein was significantly lower in early de novo PD compared with healthy controls, whereas the ratio of oligomeric/total and phosphorylated/total were significantly higher in the PD group. CSF oligomeric‐α‐synuclein longitudinally increased over the 4‐year follow‐up in the PD group and correlated with PD motor progression. Patients at advanced stages of PD presented with elevated CSF oligomeric‐α‐synuclein levels compared with healthy controls.ConclusionsLongitudinal transitions of CSF biomarkers over disease progression might not occur linearly and are susceptible to disease state. CSF oligomeric‐α‐synuclein levels appear to increase with diseases severity and reflect PD motor rather than cognitive trajectories. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Multilevel space‐time multiplicative Schwarz preconditioner for parabolic equations
Authors: Li Shishun , Shao Xinping , Chen Rongliang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractSpace‐time methods are able to solve time‐dependent problems faster by exploiting the full power of high‐performance computer. In this article, a multilevel space‐time multiplicative Schwarz method is presented for solving parabolic equations in parallel on both spatial and temporal directions. In the implementation, the proposed Schwarz method is treated as preconditioner for GMRES, that is, a coupled system arising from the discretization of the parabolic equation is solved by using a multiplicative Schwarz preconditioned GMRES algorithm. We develop an optimal convergence theory to show that the convergence rate is bounded and independent of the spatial mesh sizes, the time step size, the number of subdomains, the number of levels, and the window size. Some numerical results obtained on a parallel computer with thousands of processors are presented to confirm the theory in terms of optimality and scalability. Moreover, numerical comparisons with traditional time‐stepping algorithms show that the proposed space‐time method earns lots of benefits when the number of processor cores is large.
Mechanical and acoustical properties of Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) fiber‐reinforced styrene butadiene rubber
Authors: El‐Wakil Abd El‐Aziz , Abd‐Elbasseer Mohammed , M.El‐Basheer Tarek 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe essential target of this investigation is to valorize an Eichhornia crassipes fiber (ECF) and maleates of Eichhornia crassipes fiber (MoECF) as reinforcing fillers in styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) composites in terms of the mechanical, acoustical, thermal, and morphological properties. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy characterizes the esterification of ECF with maleic anhydride (MA) and the graft of MoECF onto SBR. SBR composites manufactured with different loadings of ECF and MoECF (1, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 phr). Scanning electron microscope illustrates the MoECF upgrade interfacial adhesion with the SBR matrix. It is observed that 5 and 20 phr of MoECF enhance the tensile strength and elongation at break of SBR composites by 8% and 310%, respectively. 10 phr of MoECF maintains the tensile strength of SBR composite during the accelerated thermal aging course. While 20 phr of MoECF improves the tensile strength of SBR composite by 19% with increment‐accelerated thermal aging time to 7 days. The higher loading (10 and 20 phr) of MoECF ameliorates the thermal stability of SBR composites. SBR composite containing 10 phr of MoECF has sound absorption amplitude equal to 0.9 at the frequency of 400 Hz. The sound absorption performance improved within low‐frequency regions below 500 Hz with increasing thickness to 2.3 mm.
Experimental characterization of polydisperse particle‐loaded flow for linear resin transfer molding injections
Authors: Siddig Nihad A. , Bizet Laurent , El Moumen Ahmed , Saouab Abdelghani 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis study investigates the experimental filtration of micron‐scale particles of a wide granulometry through fibrous media. The method used examines a key parameter in the resin transfer molding process which is the spatial evolution of particulate filler concentration. Tests were carried out with three grades of ceramic microparticle suspensions dispersed in glycerol/water blends, injected into a quasi‐unidirectional fibrous medium. The influence of process parameters was extensively studied through a series of experiments by varying initial concentrations of suspension, injection pressures, pure liquid viscosities, fiber volume fractions, and particle size distributions. A non‐destructive, simple, economical, and rapid characterization method was used, which consisted of taking samples of suspensions at different points through the preform length and obtaining concentrations through density measurements. The evolution of granulometry from the inlet to the outlet was studied and the size range of retained particles was deduced. Tests revealed that the particle concentration decreased with increased sampling distance. Fiber content and particle size distribution were the most influential factors on filtration behavior. The analysis showed that the smaller‐sized particles are largely deposited at the fiber's surface, while the average‐ to large‐sized ones were either blocked at the inlet, transported to the outlet, or settled under gravitational forces.
Diversity and biotechnological potential of rhizobia isolated from lima bean nodules collected at a semiarid region
Authors: Louzada Rodrigues Tainara , Martins da Costa Elaine , de Almeida Ribeiro Paula Rose , de Carvalho Fernanda , Rufini Márcia , Oliveira Silva Aline , dos Santos Teixeira Anita Fernanda , de Assis Pereira Thiago , Reis Sales Flávia , de Souza Moreira Fatima Maria 
Published: May 2021

AbstractLima bean (Phaseolus lunatusL.) is the second most important species of thePhaseolusgenus worldwide. In Brazil, it is grown primarily in the semiarid Northeast region. Although lima bean establishes symbiosis with N2‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia), there is not yet a recommended inoculant. The aim of this study was to phenotypically and genotypically characterize rhizobia strains isolated from root nodules of lima bean collected in a Northeast region, and to evaluate their efficiency in supplying N nutrition to the crop under axenic conditions and in a Humic Rhodic Hapludox with and without correction of acidity. The symbiotic efficiencies were evaluated in a greenhouse under axenic conditions and, afterward, in pots with nonautoclaved soil with and without liming. Treatments consisted of the strains under evaluation, controls without inoculation (with low or high concentration or without mineral N), and a strain efficient for the crop. In all, 66 strains were isolated from the root nodules with predominance of strains belonging to theBradyrhizobiumgenus. Liming brought about increases in lima bean development as it interacted with some strains. Six strains of theBradyrhizobiumgenus, belonging to groups of type strains that includeB. elkaniiandB. japonicum, stood out for their biotechnological potential as inoculants for lima bean, and they should be tested in the field with the aim of validating their recommendation as inoculants for that crop.
Free Radical Polymerization of o‐Carborane Functionalized Styrene: Effect of Substitution Position at Carbon and Boron
Authors: Wen Xin‐Yu , Cao Ke , Wu Ji , Zhang Cai‐Yan , Li Xia , Jiang Linhai , Yang Junxiao 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe AIBN initiated radical polymerization of o‐carborane functionalized styrenes has been developed. The styrene decorated on the cage boron or cage carbon vertex of o‐carboranes were all compatible with this polymerization. The Mw of the desired P[4‐(B3‐o‐carborane)‐styrene] and P[C1‐methylene‐o‐carborane‐4‐vinylbenzene] could up to 3.5×105 and 1.7×105, respectively. This work offers an efficient method for synthesis of o‐carborane functionalized polystyrenes, which has important reference for synthesis of o‐carborane containing polymers.
Imperceptible Supercapacitors with High Area‐Specific Capacitance
Authors: Ge Jin , Zhu Minshen , Eisner Eric , Yin Yin , Dong Haiyun , Karnaushenko Dmitriy D. , Karnaushenko Daniil , Zhu Feng , Ma Libo , Schmidt Oliver G 
Published: May 2021

AbstractImperceptible electronics will make next‐generation healthcare and biomedical systems thinner, lighter, and more flexible. While other components are thoroughly investigated, imperceptible energy storage devices lag behind because the decrease of thickness impairs the area‐specific energy density. Imperceptible supercapacitors with high area‐specific capacitance based on reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (RGO/PANI) composite electrodes and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/H2SO4 gel electrolyte are reported. Two strategies to realize a supercapacitor with a total device thickness of 5 µm—including substrate, electrode, and electrolyte—and an area‐specific capacitance of 36 mF cm−2 simultaneously are implemented. First, the void volume of the RGO/PANI electrodes through mechanical compression is reduced, which decreases the thickness by 83% while retaining 89% of the capacitance. Second, the PVA‐to‐H2SO4 mass ratio is decreased to 1:4.5, which improves the ion conductivity by 5000% compared to the commonly used PVA/H2SO4 gel. Both advantages enable a 2 µm‐thick gel electrolyte for planar interdigital supercapacitors. The impressive electromechanical stability of the imperceptible supercapacitors by wrinkling the substrate to produce folds with radii of 6 µm or less is demonstrated. The supercapacitors will be meaningful energy storage modules for future self‐powered imperceptible electronics.
Effect of prenatal exposure to Benzo[a]pyrene on ovarian toxicity and reproductive dysfunction: Protective effect of atorvastatin in the embryonic period
Authors: Rahmani Zahra , Karimpour Malekshah Abbasali , Zargari Mehryar , Talebpour Amiri Fereshteh 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAs an environmental contaminant, Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P; BaP) disrupts the antioxidant signaling and thus leads to the induction of oxidative stress and the damage of DNA in the ovary. low‐dose atorvastatin (ATV) has antioxidant and anti‐apoptotic properties. The present study aimed to survey the effects of prenatal exposure to BaP on ovarian toxicity and also to investigate the protective role of ATV in reducing ovarian toxicity. In this study, rats were divided into seven groups: control, ATV (10 mg/kg), oil, BaP (10 and 20 mg/kg), and ATV + BaP (10 and 20 mg/kg). BaP and ATV were administrated from gestation day 7–16 (GD7 to GD16), orally. 10 weeks after the birth, female offsprings were examined for oxidative stress markers, sex hormones, ovarian and tubular tissue structure, and the apoptosis markers. Data showed that BaP significantly reduced glutathione, increased malondialdehyde level, and disrupted the tissue structure of the ovary. Moreover, estrogen and progesterone levels significantly decreased in the offsprings rats. Also, BaP increased caspase‐3 immunoreactivity. Atorvastatin treatment along with BaP in the embryonic period were able to bring the antioxidant status and sex hormones levels relatively close to normal. Besides, histological findings showed that atorvastatin was able to improve ovarian and oviduct abnormalities caused by BaP. Based on the above studies be concluded that atorvastatin in the embryonic during was able to reduce ovarian damage caused by BaP with antioxidant and anti‐apoptotic properties.
A mixture theory for the moisture transport in polyamide
Authors: Sharma Prateek , Diebels Stefan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPolyamide exhibits hygroscopic nature and can absorb up to 10% of moisture relative to its dry weight. The absorbed moisture increases the mobility of the molecular chains and causes a reduction in the glass transition temperature. Thus, depending on the moisture distribution, a polyamide component can show different stiffness and relaxation times. Moreover, the moisture distribution also depends on the mechanical loading of the material as the volumetric deformation results in a change of the available free volume for the moisture. Thus, a strongly coupled model is required to describe the material behaviour. In this work, a thermodynamically consistent coupled model within the framework of mixture theory is developed. The mechanical deformation of polyamide 6 (PA6) is based on a linear viscoelastic material model, and the moisture transport is based on a nonlinear diffusion model. The stiffness and the relaxation time of the viscoelastic model change with the moisture concentration. Furthermore, the moisture transport is affected by the pressure gradient generated by the mechanical loading of the material. This strongly coupled model has been implemented using the finite element method, and simulation results are presented for a three-point bending experiment.
Incorporating Ecosystem Services in the Assessment of Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures
Authors: Souliotis Ioannis , Voulvoulis Nikolaos 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe EU Water Framework Directive requires the development of management responses aimed towards improving water quality as a result of improving ecosystem health (system state). Ecosystems have potential to supply a range of services that are of fundamental importance to human well-being, health, livelihoods and survival, and their capacity to supply these services depends on the ecosystem condition (its structure and processes). According to the WFD, Programmes of Measures should be developed to improve overall water status by reducing anthropogenic catchment pressures to levels compatible with the achievement of the ecological objectives of the directive, and when designed and implemented properly should improve the ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems that the delivery of ecosystem services depends on. Monitoring and evaluation of implemented measures are crucial for assessing their effectiveness and creating the agenda for consecutive planning cycles. Considering the challenges of achieving water status improvements, and the difficulties of communicating these to the wider public, we develop a framework for the evaluation of measures cost-effectiveness that considers ecosystem services as the benefits from the reduction of pressures on water bodies. We demonstrate its application through a case study and discuss its potential to facilitate the economic analysis required by the directive, and that most European water authorities had problems with. Findings demonstrate the potential of the methodology to effectively incorporate ecosystem services in the assessment of costs and benefits of proposed actions, as well as its potential to engage stakeholders.
Fundamentals of electro-mechanically coupled cohesive zone formulations for electrical conductors
Authors: Kaiser T. , Menzel A. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMotivated by the influence of (micro-)cracks on the effective electrical properties of material systems and components, this contribution deals with fundamental developments on electro-mechanically coupled cohesive zone formulations for electrical conductors. For the quasi-stationary problems considered, Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism reduce to the continuity equation for the electric current and to Faraday’s law of induction, for which non-standard jump conditions at the interface are derived. In addition, electrical interface contributions to the balance equation of energy are discussed and the restrictions posed by the dissipation inequality are studied. Together with well-established cohesive zone formulations for purely mechanical problems, the present developments provide the basis to study the influence of mechanically-induced interface damage processes on effective electrical properties of conductors. This is further illustrated by a study of representative boundary value problems based on a multi-field finite element implementation.
CNN-based and DTW features for human activity recognition on depth maps
Authors: Trelinski Jacek , Kwolek Bogdan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this work, we present a new algorithm for human action recognition on raw depth maps. At the beginning, for each class we train a separate one-against-all convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract class-specific features representing person shape. Each class-specific, multivariate time-series is processed by a Siamese multichannel 1D CNN or a multichannel 1D CNN to determine features representing actions. Afterwards, for the nonzero pixels representing the person shape in each depth map we calculate statistical features. On multivariate time-series of such features we determine Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) features. They are determined on the basis of DTW distances between all training time-series. Finally, each class-specific feature vector is concatenated with the DTW feature vector. For each action category we train a multiclass classifier, which predicts probability distribution of class labels. From pool of such classifiers we select a number of classifiers such that an ensemble built on them achieves the best classification accuracy. Action recognition is performed by a soft voting ensemble that averages distributions calculated by such classifiers with the largest discriminative power. We demonstrate experimentally that on MSR-Action3D and UTD-MHAD datasets the proposed algorithm attains promising results and outperforms several state-of-the-art depth-based algorithms.
Japanese medical learners’ achievement emotions: Accounting for culture in translating Western medical educational theories and instruments into an asian context
Authors: Nomura Osamu , Wiseman Jeffrey , Sunohara Momoka , Akatsu Haruko , Lajoie Susanne P. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMedical learners’ achievement emotions during educational activities have remained unexamined in Asian cultural contexts. The Medical Emotion Scale (MES) was previously developed to assess achievement emotions experienced by North American medical learners during learning activities. The goal of this study was to create and validate a Japanese version of the Medical Emotion Scale (J-MES). We translated the MES into Japanese and conducted two initial validation studies of the J-MES. In the first pilot study, we asked five, native-Japanese, second-year medical students to assess their emotions with the J-MES during a computer-based clinical reasoning activity. Each participant was then interviewed to assess the clarity and suitability of the items. In a second, larger study, 41 Japanese medical students were recruited to assess the psychometric properties of the J-MES. We also conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with ten of these participants to explore potential cultural features in the achievement emotions of Japanese students. The first pilot study demonstrated that the J-MES descriptions were clear, and that the scale captured an appropriate range of emotions. The second study revealed that the J-MES scale’s profiles and internal structure were largely consistent with control-value theory. The achievement emotions of pride, compassion, and surprise in the J-MES were found to be susceptible to cultural differences between North American and Japanese contexts. Our findings clearly demonstrated the scoring capacity, generalizability, and extrapolability of the J-MES.
The Nature of the Self, Self-regulation and Moral Action: Implications from the Confucian Relational Self and Buddhist Non-self
Authors: Chu Irene , Vu Mai Chi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe concept of the self and its relation to moral action is complex and subject to varying interpretations, not only between different academic disciplines but also across time and space. This paper presents empirical evidence from a cross-cultural study on the Buddhist and Confucian notions of self in SMEs in Vietnam and Taiwan. The study employs Hwang’s Mandala Model of the Self, and its extension into Shiah’s non-self-model, to interpret how these two Eastern philosophical representations of the self, the Confucian relational self and Buddhist non-self, can lead to moral action. By demonstrating the strengths of the model, emphasizing how social and cultural influences constrain the individual self and promote the social person leading to moral action, the paper extends understanding of the self with empirical evidence of the mechanisms involved in organizational contexts.
The Acceptability of Accountability
Authors: Bone John , Crosetto Paolo , Hey John , Pasca Carmen 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper reports on an experimental test of the acceptability of the Principle of Accountability. This is a principle of social justice, and states, “individuals should be rewarded for factors under their control […], but not for factors outside their control” (Cappelen and Tungodden (2009)). We specifically ask for acceptability of theprincipleunderlying it, rather than for particular rewards in particular instances. We carry out the test with both an Internal and an External Dictator, conducting a laboratory experiment with a total of 240 subjects. We find that there is broad, but not overwhelming support for the Principle. When the Principle is internally inconsistent no clear preference emerges, which is not surprising.