bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does fiscal decentralization and eco‐innovation promote sustainable environment? A case study of selected fiscally decentralized countries
Authors: Ji Xiangfeng , Umar Muhammad , Ali Shahid , Ali Wajid , Tang Kai , Khan Zeeshan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis study highlights the importance of fiscal decentralization in promoting a sustainable environment. The literature on the importance of fiscal decentralization in affecting environmental quality is scant, and thus, this study attempts to fill the gap by incorporating the linear and nonlinear terms of fiscal decentralization as possible determinants for CO2 emissions. Particularly, we utilize data from seven highly fiscally decentralized countries, that is, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland, over the period 1990–2018. For empirical analysis, advanced panel data econometric tools are used that can deal with both heterogeneous coefficients and dependence of cross‐sections. The findings confirm that linear and nonlinear terms of fiscal decentralization improve the environment by reducing CO2 emissions. Moreover, gross domestic product (GDP) increases, while eco‐innovation and renewable energy usage reduce CO2 emissions. This study recommends that any policy that targets green growth will affect CO2 emissions. Moreover, policies targeting fiscal decentralization, GDP, eco‐innovation, and renewable energy will play the role in more than 1 year, namely in the long run.
Psychological adjustment in care providers following restraint of psychiatric patients
Authors: Holm Tine , Dolmer Signe , Staugaard Søren Risløv , Simonsen Arndis , Mors Ole 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMental healthcare providers face many difficult interactions with patients that can be emotionally demanding and have adverse effects on their well‐being. Recent theoretical models suggest that the interpretation of stressful episodes may be more important for psychological adjustment than the nature of the episodes. This study examined whether care providers' interpretations of mechanical restraint episodes were related to their adjustment. We asked 80 mental healthcare providers to recall mechanical restraint episodes and to rate them on centrality to identity and positive and negative influence on self‐understanding. They also completed scales measuring current symptoms of post‐traumatic stress, depression, life satisfaction, and well‐being. The results showed that care providers who interpreted mechanical restraint episodes as having a central negative influence on their identity experienced more symptoms of post‐traumatic stress. Care providers who gave higher ratings of positive self‐change following episodes reported more well‐being. Our findings suggest, that considering care providers' subjective interpretations of episodes and not merely the objective facts surrounding them is critical if we wish to mitigate the negative emotional impact of episodes.
Heterogeneous ozonation of ofloxacin using MnOx‐CeOx/γ‐Al2O3 as a catalyst: Performances, degradation kinetics and possible degradation pathways
Authors: Xu Shengkai , Yang Jiaxin , Hussein Rafaat , Liu Guangqing , Su Bensheng 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn this study, the performance of ofloxacin (OFX) degradation in synthetic wastewater using synthesized MnOx‐CeOx/γ‐Al2O3 as a heterogeneous ozonation catalyst was evaluated. The removal rates of OFX and chemical oxygen demand (COD) during 15‐day continuous‐flow experiments were 98.2% and 76.7% on average, respectively. An ozone index (mgCOD/mgO3) of 1.09 with a high ozone utilization efficiency of 91.39% was achieved. The pseudo‐first‐order rate constant of ofloxacin degradation reached 15.216 × 10−2 min−1, which was five times that (3.085 × 10−2 min−1) without catalysts. The results of gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) demonstrated that a variety of small‐molecule organics occurred in the final oxidation products, such as 4‐hydroxyl‐4‐methyl‐2‐pentanone and 2‐oxoadipic acid in addition to homologs of OFX. The results of this study suggested that hydroxyl radicals played critical roles in the degradation and mineralization of OFX via four main pathways: (a) electrophilic addition of nitrogen; (b) breakdown of carbon‐carbon double bonds; (c) hydrolysis of ether rings; and (d) halodecarboxylation of carboxyl groups. The biodegradability (BOD5/COD) of OFX after catalytic ozonation reached 0.54.Practitioner points

Ofloxacin wastewater was treated using catalytic ozonation in a 15‐day continuous experiment with MnOx‐CeOx/γ‐Al2O3 as a catalyst.
The ozone index reached 1.09 mgCOD/mgO3 during ozonation of ofloxacin.
The presence of the catalyst increased the reaction rate constant by a factor of five.
4‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐pentanone was the primary ofloxacin oxidation product.
Conjugated Bis(triarylboranes) with Disconnected Conjugation
Authors: Riensch Nicolas Alexander , Swoboda Lukas , Lik Artur , Krummenacher Ivo , Braunschweig Holger , Helten Holger 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA series of methylene‐bridged bis(triarylboranes) has been synthesized via two complementary routes using metal‐free catalytic Si/B exchange condensation under mild conditions. The title compounds comprise two borane moieties that show effective internal π‐conjugation involving the respective boron centers and the adjacent hetaryl groups. Conjugation between both borane units, however, is disrupted by the aliphatic linker. Cyclic voltammetry revealed minimal electronic communication between the boron centers, as evidenced by two closely spaced reduction processes. The UV‐vis spectra showed bathochromic shifted absorption bands compared to related monoboranes, which is attributed to the methylene bridge. A further red‐shift results upon introduction of methyl or SiMe3 groups at the terminal thiophene rings.
Elektronisches Lernen für Studenten in der Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde durch Nutzung des Content-Management-Systems ILIAS
Authors: van Bonn Sara M. , Grajek Jan S. , Großmann Wilma , Bernd Hans E. , Rettschlag Stefanie , Mlynski Robert , Weiss Nora M. 
Published: February 2021

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Der Präsenzunterricht ist die vorherrschende Lehrmethode der Universitäten, ist jedoch im Rahmen der digitalen Transformation und des zunehmenden Zugriffs auf Online-Lehrmaterialien zu hinterfragen. Ziel dieser Studie war es zu evaluieren, inwiefern das elektronische Lernen (E-Learning) online als Ersatz für das herkömmliche Anwesenheitspraktikum für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde genutzt werden kann.

Material und Methoden
Ein vollständig digitales elektronisches Lernkonzept wurde auf der Online-Lernplattform ILIAS erstellt und zur Verfügung gestellt. Die teilnehmenden Studierenden wurden in das elektronische Lernprogramm eingewiesen. Es wurden 4 Lerneinheiten (äußerer Hals [I], Rachen/Kehlkopf [II], Nase [III], Ohr [IV]) eingerichtet. Nach jeder Lerneinheit erfolgte abschließend ein themenentsprechender Multiple-Choice-Test. Sowohl vor als auch nach Durchführung der Lernkurse wurden die Studierenden gebeten, an der Evaluation teilzunehmen.

Ergebnisse
Insgesamt 105 Studierende nahmen vor und 85 Studierende nach erfolgtem elektronischem Lernprogramm an der Evaluation teil. Die Mehrheit der Studierenden (52,94 %) gab nach Durchführung der Kurse einen signifikant höheren Zufriedenheitswert bezüglich des Inhalts, der Darstellung der Lernsequenzen und der eigenen Kontrolle über Lerntempo bzw. Zeiteinteilung gegenüber dem Zeitpunkt vor Absolvierung des elektronischen Lernprogramms (34,29 %) an (p < 0,0001). Ein Großteil der Studierenden (54,12 %) wünscht sich das elektronische Lernangebot zusätzlich zur Präsenzlehre.

Schlussfolgerungen
Das elektronische Lernprogramm ist ein vielversprechender Ansatz als Alternative bzw. Ergänzung zum traditionellen Lernen bzw. dem Lernen durch die Teilnahme an Präsenzveranstaltungen. Eine Erweiterung der digitalen Lehre kann auf der Basis dieser Untersuchung ausdrücklich unterstützt werden.
The lateral intraparietal sulcus takes viewpoint changes into account during memory-guided attention in natural scenes
Authors: Salsano Ilenia , Santangelo Valerio , Macaluso Emiliano 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPrevious studies demonstrated that long-term memory related to object-position in natural scenes guides visuo-spatial attention during subsequent search. Memory-guided attention has been associated with the activation of memory regions (the medial-temporal cortex) and with the fronto-parietal attention network. Notably, these circuits represent external locations with different frames of reference: egocentric (i.e., eyes/head-centered) in the dorsal attention network vs. allocentric (i.e., world/scene-centered) in the medial temporal cortex. Here we used behavioral measures and fMRI to assess the contribution of egocentric and allocentric spatial information during memory-guided attention. At encoding, participants were presented with real-world scenes and asked to search for and memorize the location of a high-contrast target superimposed in half of the scenes. At retrieval, participants viewed again the same scenes, now all including a low-contrast target. In scenes that included the target at encoding, the target was presented at the same scene-location. Critically, scenes were now shown either from the same or different viewpoint compared with encoding. This resulted in a memory-by-view design (target seen/unseen x same/different view), which allowed us teasing apart the role of allocentric vs. egocentric signals during memory-guided attention. Retrieval-related results showed greater search-accuracy for seen than unseen targets, both in the same and different views, indicating that memory contributes to visual search notwithstanding perspective changes. This view-change independent effect was associated with the activation of the left lateral intra-parietal sulcus. Our results demonstrate that this parietal region mediates memory-guided attention by taking into account allocentric/scene-centered information about the objects' position in the external world.
Impact of individualized management of breakthrough cancer pain on quality of life in advanced cancer patients: CAVIDIOPAL study
Authors: Tuca Rodríguez Albert , Núñez Viejo Miguel , Maradey Pablo , Canal-Sotelo Jaume , Guardia Mancilla Plácido , Gutiérrez Rivero Sonia , Raja Casillas Inmaculada , Herrera Abián María , López Bermudo Cristina 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of the study was to assess the impact of individualized management of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) on quality of life (QoL) of patients with advanced cancer in clinical practice.

Methods
A prospective, observational, multicenter study was conducted in patients with advanced cancer that were assisted by palliative care units. QoL was assessed with the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire at baseline (V0) and after 28 days (V28) of individualized BTcP therapy. Data on background pain, BTcP, comorbidities, and frailty were also recorded.

Results
Ninety-three patients completed the study. Intensity, duration, and number of BTcP episodes were reduced (p < 0.001) at V28 with individualized therapy. Transmucosal fentanyl was used in 93.8% of patients, mainly by sublingual route. Fentanyl titration was initiated at low doses (78.3% of patients received doses of 67 μg, 100 μg, or 133 μg) according to physician evaluation. At V28, mean perception of global health status had increased from 31.1 to 53.1 (p < 0.001). All scales of EORTC QLQ-C30 significantly improved (p < 0.001) except physical functioning, diarrhea, and financial difficulties. Pain scale improved from 73.6 ± 22.6 to 35.7 ± 22.3 (p < 0.001). Moreover, 85.9% of patients reported pain improvement. Probability of no ≥ 25% improvement in QoL was significantly higher in patients ≥ 65 years old (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.001–1.079) and patients hospitalized at baseline (OR 4.126; 95% CI 1.227–13.873).

Conclusion
Individualized BTcP therapy improved QoL of patients with advanced cancer. Transmucosal fentanyl at low doses was the most used drug.

Trial registration
This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov database (NCT02840500) on July 19, 2016.
Visco- and poroelastic contributions of the zona pellucida to the mechanical response of oocytes
Authors: Stracuzzi Alberto , Dittmann Johannes , Böl Markus , Ehret Alexander E. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractProbing mechanical properties of cells has been identified as a means to infer information on their current state, e.g. with respect to diseases or differentiation. Oocytes have gained particular interest, since mechanical parameters are considered potential indicators of the success of in vitro fertilisation procedures. Established tests provide the structural response of the oocyte resulting from the material properties of the cell’s components and their disposition. Based on dedicated experiments and numerical simulations, we here provide novel insights on the origin of this response. In particular, polarised light microscopy is used to characterise the anisotropy of the zona pellucida, the outermost layer of the oocyte composed of glycoproteins. This information is combined with data on volumetric changes and the force measured in relaxation/cyclic, compression/indentation experiments to calibrate a multi-phasic hyper-viscoelastic model through inverse finite element analysis. These simulations capture the oocyte’s overall force response, the distinct volume changes observed in the zona pellucida, and the structural alterations interpreted as a realignment of the glycoproteins with applied load. The analysis reveals the presence of two distinct timescales, roughly separated by three orders of magnitude, and associated with a rapid outflow of fluid across the external boundaries and a long-term, progressive relaxation of the glycoproteins, respectively. The new results allow breaking the overall response down into the contributions from fluid transport and the mechanical properties of the zona pellucida and ooplasm. In addition to the gain in fundamental knowledge, the outcome of this study may therefore serve an improved interpretation of the data obtained with current methods for mechanical oocyte characterisation.
Stochastic single machine scheduling problem as a multi-stage dynamic random decision process
Authors: Roohnavazfar Mina , Manerba Daniele , Fotio Tiotsop Lohic , Pasandideh Seyed Hamid Reza , Tadei Roberto 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn this work, we study a stochastic single machine scheduling problem in which the features of learning effect on processing times, sequence-dependent setup times, and machine configuration selection are considered simultaneously. More precisely, the machine works under a set of configurations and requires stochastic sequence-dependent setup times to switch from one configuration to another. Also, the stochastic processing time of a job is a function of its position and the machine configuration. The objective is to find the sequence of jobs and choose a configuration to process each job to minimize the makespan. We first show that the proposed problem can be formulated through two-stage and multi-stage Stochastic Programming models, which are challenging from the computational point of view. Then, by looking at the problem as a multi-stage dynamic random decision process, a new deterministic approximation-based formulation is developed. The method first derives a mixed-integer non-linear model based on the concept of accessibility to all possible and available alternatives at each stage of the decision-making process. Then, to efficiently solve the problem, a new accessibility measure is defined to convert the model into the search of a shortest path throughout the stages. Extensive computational experiments are carried out on various sets of instances. We discuss and compare the results found by the resolution of plain stochastic models with those obtained by the deterministic approximation approach. Our approximation shows excellent performances both in terms of solution accuracy and computational time.
Atomistic Basis of Microtubule Dynamic Instability Assessed Via Multiscale Modeling
Authors: Hemmat Mahya , Odde David J. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMicrotubule “dynamic instability,” the abrupt switching from assembly to disassembly caused by the hydrolysis of GTP to GDP within the β subunit of the αβ-tubulin heterodimer, is necessary for vital cellular processes such as mitosis and migration. Despite existing high-resolution structural data, the key mechanochemical differences between the GTP and GDP states that mediate dynamic instability behavior remain unclear. Starting with a published atomic-level structure as an input, we used multiscale modeling to find that GTP hydrolysis results in both longitudinal bond weakening (~ 4kBT) and an outward bending preference (~ 1.5kBT) to both drive dynamic instability and give rise to the microtubule tip structures previously observed by light and electron microscopy. More generally, our study provides an example where atomic level structural information is used as the sole input to predict cellular level dynamics without parameter adjustment.
Stochastic flowering phenology in Dactylis glomerata populations described by Markov chain modelling
Authors: Frisk Carl A. , Adams-Groom Beverley , Skjøth Carsten A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractUnderstanding the relationship between flowering patterns and pollen dispersal is important in climate change modelling, pollen forecasting, forestry and agriculture. Enhanced understanding of this connection can be gained through detailed spatial and temporal flowering observations on a population level, combined with modelling simulating the dynamics. Species with large distribution ranges, long flowering seasons, high pollen production and naturally large populations can be used to illustrate these dynamics. Revealing and simulating species-specific demographic and stochastic elements in the flowering process will likely be important in determining when pollen release is likely to happen in flowering plants. Spatial and temporal dynamics of eight populations of Dactylis glomerata were collected over the course of two years to determine high-resolution demographic elements. Stochastic elements were accounted for using Markov chain approaches in order to evaluate tiller-specific contribution to overall population dynamics. Tiller-specific developmental dynamics were evaluated using three different RV matrix correlation coefficients. We found that the demographic patterns in population development were the same for all populations with key phenological events differing only by a few days over the course of the seasons. Many tillers transitioned very quickly from non-flowering to full flowering, a process that can be replicated with Markov chain modelling. Our novel approach demonstrates the identification and quantification of stochastic elements in the flowering process of D. glomerata, an element likely to be found in many flowering plants. The stochastic modelling approach can be used to develop detailed pollen release models for Dactylis, other grass species and probably other flowering plants.
Dynamic Spectrum Management with Network Function Virtualization for UAV Communication
Authors: Xu Zhengjia , Petrunin Ivan , Tsourdos Antonios 
Published: February 2021

AbstractRapid increases in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) applications are attributed to severe spectrum collision issues, especially when UAVs operate in spectrum scarce environments, such as urban areas. Dynamic air-to-ground (A2G) link solutions can mitigate this issue by utilizing programmable communication hardware in the air and real-time assignment of spectrum resources to achieve high-throughput and low-latency connectivity between UAVs and operators. To mitigate the high-computation issue among ground control station (GCS) networks and provide a broad communication coverage for large number of UAVs, we propose an advanced UAV A2G communication solution integrated with the dynamic spectrum management (DSM) and network function virtualization (NFV) technology to serve urban operations. The edge-cutting UAV communication technologies are surveyed. The proposed scheme is discussed in terms of the high-level system architecture, virtual network architecture, specific virtual functions (SVFs), and affiliated operation support databases. Some major research challenges are highlighted and the possible directions of future research are identified.
Influence of Krypton Seeding on EU DEMO Operation with Lithium Divertor
Authors: Poradziński M. , Ivanova-Stanik I. , Pełka G. , Pericoli Ridolfini V. , Zagórski R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDEMO reactor with liquid lithium divertor operation in presence of krypton seeding is analyzed. Integrated core-scrape-off layer-divertor code COREDIV is used. Sputtering model is revised and sputtering dependence on the divertor surface temperature fitted to the experimental data is added. It was found that Kr seeding is beneficial for DEMO operation. Plasma fuel dilution by lithium ions is reduced to the level of $$1\%$$

1
%

for high level of Kr seeding and fusion power is comparable to the modelling results for argon or neon seeded DEMO with tungsten divertor. Simulations show that high confinement mode is possible in presence of Kr seeding (power across the separatrix stays above the L-H threshold).
Comparing Methods and Defining Practical Requirements for Extracting Harmonic Tidal Components from Groundwater Level Measurements
Authors: Schweizer Daniel , Ried Vincent , Rau Gabriel C. , Tuck Jonathan E. , Stoica Petre 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe groundwater pressure response to the ubiquitous Earth and atmospheric tides provides a largely untapped opportunity to passively characterize and quantify subsurface hydro-geomechanical properties. However, this requires reliable extraction of closely spaced harmonic components with relatively subtle amplitudes but well-known tidal periods from noisy measurements. The minimum requirements for the suitability of existing groundwater records for analysis are unknown. This work systematically tests and compares the ability of two common signal processing methods, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and harmonic least squares (HALS), to extract harmonic component properties. First, realistic conditions are simulated by analyzing a large number of synthetic data sets with variable sampling frequencies, record durations, sensor resolutions, noise levels and data gaps. Second, a model of two real-world data sets with different characteristics is validated. The results reveal that HALS outperforms the DFT in all aspects, including the ability to handle data gaps. While there is a clear trade-off between sampling frequency and record duration, sampling rates should not be less than six samples per day and records should not be shorter than 20 days when simultaneously extracting tidal constituents. The accuracy of detection is degraded by increasing noise levels and decreasing sensor resolution. However, a resolution of the same magnitude as the expected component amplitude is sufficient in the absence of excessive noise. The results provide a practical framework to determine the suitability of existing groundwater level records and can optimize future groundwater monitoring strategies to improve passive characterization using tidal signatures.