bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of different time discretization schemes for solving the Allen–Cahn equation
Authors: Ayub Sana , Rauf Abdul , Affan Hira , Shah Abdullah 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
This article aims to solve the nonlinear Allen–Cahn equation numerically. The diagonally implicit fractional-step θ-(DIFST) scheme is used for the discretization of the time derivative term while the space derivative is discretized by the conforming finite element method. The computational efficiency of the DIFST scheme in terms of CPU time and temporal error estimation is computed and compared with other time discretization schemes. Several test problems are presented to show the effectiveness of the DIFST scheme.
Effects of berberine on cholinesterases and monoamine oxidase activities, and antioxidant status in the brain of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Adefegha Stephen A. , Dada Felix A. , Oyeleye Sunday I. , Oboh Ganiyu 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Several studies had been conducted to examine the link between diabetes and diabetes encephalopathy. This study was conducted to examine the potency of berberine (BER) on the restoration of impaired neurochemicals in the brain of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats.

Methods
Fifty-six (56) adult rats weighing between 200 and 230 g were randomly divided into seven groups (n=8) as follows; Group I is normal control; Groups II and III were normal rats treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg respectively; Group IV–VII were STZ-induced rats, but Groups V–VII were treated with acarbose (25 mg/kg), 50 and 100 mg/kg of BER, respectively.

Results
The result of the study showed that untreated STZ-induced diabetic rats have increased acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities, and malonylaldehyde (MDA) level, with concomitant decrease of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, and glutathione (GSH) level. However, daily treatment with 50 and 100 mg/kg BER and ACA significantly reversed these effects.

Conclusions
The findings of this study clearly indicated that BER possesses neuro-protective and antioxidative potentials and normalize neurochemical impairment distort by diabetes.
Risk factors and outcomes of abnormal bleeding after external cephalic version
Authors: Matsui Hitoshi , Ogawa Kohei , Okamoto Aikou , Sago Haruhiko 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Objectives
To present the consequences of and risk factors for abnormal bleeding after ECV (external cephalic version).

Methods
We conducted a retrospective chart review at a single center in Japan. Abnormal bleeding was defined as vaginal bleeding and/or intrauterine hemorrhage. We descriptively assessed birth outcomes among women with abnormal bleeding, and investigated the risk factors using a logistic regression analysis.

Results
Of 477 women who received ECV, 39 (8.2%) showed abnormal bleeding, including 16 (3.4%) with intrauterine hemorrhage. Of the 16 women with intrauterine hemorrhage, 14 required emergency cesarean section; none experienced placental abruption, a low Apgar score at 5 min (<7), or low umbilical cord artery pH (<7.1). Among 23 women who had vaginal bleeding without intrauterine hemorrhage, four cases underwent emergency cesarean section and one case of vaginal delivery involved placental abruption. The risk of abnormal bleeding was higher in women with a maximum vertical pocket (MVP) of <40 mm in comparison to those with an MVP of >50 mm (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 3.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23–9.90), as was higher in women with unsuccessful ECV than in those with successful ECV (aOR: 4.54, 95% CI: 1.95–10.6).

Conclusions
A certain number of women who underwent ECV had abnormal bleeding, including vaginal bleeding and/or intrauterine hemorrhage, many of them resulted in emergency cesarean section. Although all of cases with abnormal bleeding had good birth outcomes, one case of vaginal bleeding was accompanied by placental abruption. Small amniotic fluid volume and unsuccessful ECV are risk factors for abnormal bleeding.
Miller’s Tale: Why the Sympathy Principle is Inadequate
Authors: Slater Joe 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn the aftermath of Peter Singer’s ‘Famine, Affluence and Morality’, the argument he put forward received significant criticism, largely on the grounds that it demanded too much of moral agents. Several attempts have been made since to formulate moral principles that adequately express the stringency of our duties of beneficence. Richard Miller proposed one such option, which has several advantages over Singer’s principle. In particular, because it concerns ourdispositionsrather than operating over every possible occasion for beneficence, it avoids problems of iterative demands. However, I argue that Miller’s principle is inadequate, because 1) it seems too weak, 2) it appears to be ambiguous and 3) it can give unduly harsh verdicts on unlucky moral agents.
Multifactorial Information Management (MIM): summing up the emerging alternative to Information Structure
Authors: Ozerov Pavel 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The paper presents the emerging alternative to the field of Information Structure, termed here Multifactorial Information Management (MIM). This framework regards the process of information structuring as an interplay of diverse language-specific categories and discourse strategies, belonging to various areas of linguistic inquiry. The paper illustrates the application of this approach to cross-linguistic findings and suggests perspectives for future research. It also demonstrates how a multifactorial approach to information management eliminates the need for idiosyncratic concepts such as topic, focus and dedicated cognitive models associated with them.
Physicochemical properties of South African prickly pear fruit and peel: Extraction and characterisation of pectin from the peel
Authors: Lekhuleni Isobel Lerato Gosh , Kgatla Tsietsie Ephraim , Mashau Mpho Edward , Jideani Afam Israel Obiefuna 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical properties, extract and characterise pectin from green (Morado), purple (Algerian), and orange (Gymno carpo) varieties of South African prickly pear (PP) (Opuntia ficus-indica) fruit peel. Pectin was extracted using sulphuric acid at four different pH levels (1, 2, 3, and 4) and three different microwave power levels (low 300 W, medium 400 W, and high 500 W) at a fixed time of 10 min. Yield of pectin for purple ranged from 2.9 to 13.8%, orange from 1.4 to 9.8%, and from 2.3 to 10.0% for green prickly pear peel (PPP). Maximum yield of 13.8% on purple, 10.0% on green, and 9.8% on orange was obtained at pH 1.0 and medium power level. Ash content of the extracted pectin was significantly high at 25.16, 34.26, and 36.30% for green, orange and purple PPP, respectively. However, pectin showed lower moisture content and equivalent weight. The methoxyl contents were 2.28, 2.38, and 3.86%, for anhydrouronic acid contents were 25.58, 25.93, and 38.84%, and degree of esterification was 49.87, 50.63, and 56.39% across the orange, purple, and green varieties. The PPP pectin spectra exhibited similarities in their absorption pattern to that of commercial citrus pectin.
Greatness and the Convertibility of Literary Capital: W. D. Howells and Black Writers
Authors: Sedlmeier Florian 
Published: March 2021

AbstractOpening with James Weldon Johnson’s discourse on artistic greatness, I discuss William Dean Howells’s assessment of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Charles W. Chesnutt through the lens of the convertibility of literary capital, developed with Pierre Bourdieu. From within the racial taxonomy and with white middle-class readers as implied addressees, Howells conceives of both writers as participating in a literary market, a field structured by the tenets of realism. Howells endows Dunbar with universal literary capital and creates a regional affiliation that breaches the color line, before he singles out his poems written in vernacular notation as lasting contributions and asserts the valence of such notation as general poetic practice. On Chesnutt he bestows literary capital by marking and converting two innovations: the genre of the short story and the representation of a world in-between the racial divide. In turn, the convertibility of that world is secured by a comparison of social class habits.
A Large-Scale True Triaxial Seepage Apparatus for Evaluating Impact under High Stress State and High Hydraulic Heads
Authors: Chen Chenghao , Chen Shengshui , Mei Shiang , Tang Yi , Li Yuhan 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Seepage phenomenon can be characterized as a hydromechanical coupled issue that threatens the performance of hydraulic facilities as well as infrastructures. In this study, a large-scale true triaxial seepage apparatus was developed to investigate the hydraulic parameters of coarse-grained cohesionless soil under complex stress states and various water heads. A specimen with a maximal size of 1,050 by 550 by 550 mm was provided, and a 3-D loading system was equipped. The loading capacity in all 3 directions reaches 9 MPa, and the water supply system can produce a water head equivalent to 300 m. A detailed description of each component of the true triaxial seepage apparatus is presented. A series of tests were carried out using coarse-grained cohesionless soil naturally sampled from BaTang Dam in Sichuan Province, China. The experimental arrangement encompassed the repeatability tests and various horizontal seepage tests under different triaxial stress states. Test results show that the hydraulic conductivity of the test soil exhibits a negative power relationship with the hydraulic gradient. The newly developed apparatus is verified to be a useful tool to investigate the hydraulic features of coarse-grained cohesionless soil under triaxial stress conditions.
Activation of MrgprA3 and MrgprC11 on Bladder-Innervating Afferents Induces Peripheral and Central Hypersensitivity to Bladder Distension
Authors: Grundy Luke , Caldwell Ashlee , Garcia-Caraballo Sonia , Grundy David , Spencer Nick J. , Dong Xinzhong , Castro Joel , Harrington Andrea M. , Brierley Stuart M. 
Published: March 2021

Understanding the sensory mechanisms innervating the bladder is paramount to developing efficacious treatments for chronic bladder hypersensitivity conditions. The contribution of Mas-gene-related G protein-coupled receptors (Mrgpr) to bladder signaling is currently unknown. Using male and female mice, we show with single-cell RT-PCR that subpopulations of DRG neurons innervating the mouse bladder expressMrgprA3(14%) andMrgprC11(38%), either individually or in combination, with high levels of coexpression withTrpv1(81%-89%). Calcium imaging studies demonstrated MrgprA3 and MrgprC11 agonists (chloroquine, BAM8-22, and neuropeptide FF) activated subpopulations of bladder-innervating DRG neurons, showing functional evidence of coexpression between MrgprA3, MrgprC11, and TRPV1. Inex vivobladder-nerve preparations, chloroquine, BAM8-22, and neuropeptide FF all evoked mechanical hypersensitivity in subpopulations (20%-41%) of bladder afferents. These effects were absent in recordings fromMrgpr-clusterΔ−/−mice.In vitrowhole-cell patch-clamp recordings showed that application of an MrgprA3/C11 agonist mixture induced neuronal hyperexcitability in 44% of bladder-innervating DRG neurons. Finally,in vivoinstillation of an MrgprA3/C11 agonist mixture into the bladder of WT mice induced a significant activation of dorsal horn neurons within the lumbosacral spinal cord, as quantified by pERK immunoreactivity. This MrgprA3/C11 agonist-induced activation was particularly apparent within the superficial dorsal horn and the sacral parasympathetic nuclei of WT, but notMrgpr-clusterΔ−/−mice. This study demonstrates, for the first time, functional expression of MrgprA3 and MrgprC11 in bladder afferents. Activation of these receptors triggers hypersensitivity to distension, a critically valuable factor for therapeutic target development.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDetermining how bladder afferents become sensitized is the first step in finding effective treatments for common urological disorders such as overactive bladder and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Here we show that two of the key receptors, MrgprA3 and MrgprC11, that mediate itch from the skin are also expressed on afferents innervating the bladder. Activation of these receptors results in sensitization of bladder afferents, resulting in sensory signals being sent into the spinal cord that prematurely indicate bladder fullness. Targeting bladder afferents expressing MrgprA3 or MrgprC11 and preventing their sensitization may provide a novel approach for treating overactive bladder and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
Cortex-Wide Dynamics of Intrinsic Electrical Activities: Propagating Waves and Their Interactions
Authors: Liang Yuqi , Song Chenchen , Liu Mianxin , Gong Pulin , Zhou Changsong , Knöpfel Thomas 
Published: March 2021

Cortical circuits generate patterned activities that reflect intrinsic brain dynamics that lay the foundation for any, including stimuli-evoked, cognition and behavior. However, the spatiotemporal organization properties and principles of this intrinsic activity have only been partially elucidated because of previous poor resolution of experimental data and limited analysis methods. Here we investigated continuous wave patterns in the 0.5–4 Hz (delta band) frequency range on data from high-spatiotemporal resolution optical voltage imaging of the upper cortical layers in anesthetized mice. Waves of population activities propagate in heterogeneous directions to coordinate neuronal activities between different brain regions. The complex wave patterns show characteristics of both stereotypy and variety. The location and type of wave patterns determine the dynamical evolution when different waves interact with each other. Local wave patterns of source, sink, or saddle emerge at preferred spatial locations. Specifically, “source” patterns are predominantly found in cortical regions with low multimodal hierarchy such as the primary somatosensory cortex. Our findings reveal principles that govern the spatiotemporal dynamics of spontaneous cortical activities and associate them with the structural architecture across the cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIntrinsic brain activities, as opposed to external stimulus-evoked responses, have increasingly gained attention, but it remains unclear how these intrinsic activities are spatiotemporally organized at the cortex-wide scale. By taking advantage of the high spatiotemporal resolution of optical voltage imaging, we identified five wave pattern types, and revealed the organization properties of different wave patterns and the dynamical mechanisms when they interact with each other. Moreover, we found a relationship between the emergence probability of local wave patterns and the multimodal structure hierarchy across cortical areas. Our findings reveal the principles of spatiotemporal wave dynamics of spontaneous activities and associate them with the underlying hierarchical architecture across the cortex.
The fracture toughness of martensite islands in dual-phase DP800 steel
Authors: Tian Chunhua , Kirchlechner Christoph 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn situ microcantilever bending tests were performed on martensite islands in a dual-phase (DP) steel to extract the fracture toughness of martensite at the microscale and to understand damage initiation during forming of DP steels. All microcantilevers were produced through FIB milling. The martensite islands do not exhibit linear elastic brittle fracture; instead, significant ductile tearing is observed. The conditional fracture initiation toughness extracted by definition and by Pippan’s transfer criterion isKi = 6.5 ± 0.4 MPa m1/2andKi,2% = 10.1 ± 0.3 MPa m1/2, respectively. The obtained value is well-represented by the strength-toughness trend of other ferritic steel grades. Considering the yield stress of the same martensite island, we found that crack initiation can occur only in very large martensite islands or in a banded or agglomerated martensite structure.Graphic abstract
NOANET: A Continuously Operating GNSS Network for Solid-Earth Sciences in Greece
Authors: Chousianitis Konstantinos , Papanikolaou Xanthos , Drakatos George , Tselentis G.-Akis 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The NOANET network is a continuously operating high-rate Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network in Greece whose primary role is to enhance and support geophysical research employing GNSS data. This network is operated by the Institute of Geodynamics of the National Observatory of Athens and currently (September 2020) consists of 26 stations, most of which are located close to major seismogenic structures of Greece to optimally measure tectonic and seismically induced motions. All NOANET receivers are configured to record and collect data with a sampling rate of 1 Hz, although some of them also collect data every 5 Hz on their ring buffer. The network is committed to free and open data sharing within the scientific community, and the collected data are made available via the NOANET data repository and distribution point for all interested parties with no limitations. Integrity, validity, and quality checks of the acquired data are performed using a variety of software tools along with in-house developed programs to supervise the network performance and detect ill-formed data and/or awkward station behavior. In addition, the conventional low-rate GNSS observation data of all NOANET stations are routinely processed on a daily basis to supervise their performance through their position time series. Since the beginning of its establishment, the NOANET network has recorded a variety of deformation signals, and a large number of published papers have used GNSS data from stations that are part of NOANET to constrain, model, and interpret the nature of the associated geophysical phenomena.
The Efficiency Comparison and Application of Proposed Rhombus Ranked Set Sampling
Authors: Choudri Mishal , Saeed Nadia , Saleem Kanwal 
Published: March 2021

A new scheme ‘Rhombus Ranked Set Sampling’ (RRSS) is developed in this research together with its properties for estimating the population means. Mathematical validation along with the simulation evaluation is presented. The proposed method is an addition to the family of different sampling methods and generalization of ‘Folded Ranked Set Sampling’ (FRSS). For the simulation process, nine probability distributions are considered for the efficiency comparison of proposed scheme from which four are symmetric and rest are asymmetric among which Weibull and beta distributions which are used twice, unlike parametric values. (Al-Naseer, 2007 and Bani-Mustafa, 2011). Through simulation processes, it is observed that RRSS is competent and more reliable relative to simple random sampling (SRS), ranked set sampling (RSS) and folded ranked set sampling (FRSS). It is noted that for all the underlying distributions, an increase in the efficiency of Rhombus Ranked Set Sampling (RRSS) is achieved via increasing the size of the sample ‘p’. Besides the efficiency comparison, consistency of the proposed method is also valued by using Co-efficient of Variation (CV). Secondary data on zinc (Zn) concentration and lead (Pb) contamination in different parts and tissues of freshwater fish was collected to illustrate the evaluation of RRSS against SRS, RSS, FRSS and ERSS (extreme ranked set sampling). The results obtained through real life illustration defend the simulation study and hence indicates that the RRSS estimator is efficient substitute for existing methods (Al-Omari, 2011).
Earthquake Impact, Coping Mechanism, and the Community Discourses: Experiences from the Central Hills of Nepal
Authors: Suvedi Mukti 
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Nepal is vulnerable to many hazards and disasters. Geographically, Nepal is situated at the Indi-an and Eurasian seismic plates and is prone to disasters like floods, landslides, fire, and earthquakes. The earthquake of April 25, 2015, with a 7.8 Richter scale and several aftershocks, have resulted in a considerable loss of human lives, physical infrastructure, and natural resources in Nepal. Many studies on the impacts of the earthquake mentioned the challenges in community recovery. This paper examines and explains the impact of earthquakes on family and community, how family and community cope during the disaster. Besides coping mechanisms, this paper explains discourses or conflicts in the family and communities. The paper is an outcome of a statistical analysis of 912 households' survey conducted in Nepal's central hill, Kispang Rural municipality, a community affected by the 2015 earthquake in Nuwakot district.
Methods: This research relies on literature review, key informant interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), field visits, expert interviews, etic and emic approaches to observe from the field. The research questionnaires were prepared and performed a household survey of 912 households. Various questions on how the earthquake in Nepal "X" has created the "Y" impacts and discourses or conflict in the family and the community in Nepal's central hills were analyzed.
Results: The earthquake has impacted the families and communities; however, the families and communities had shown distinct coping mechanisms to stay resilient to the impact—various factors were identified where family discourses and conflict escalated, which has impacted the community peace. Family level discourses and conflict emerged mainly in collectivist society or joint or extended families. Gender-based violence/ conflict is also measured and found augmented after the earthquake in the community.
Conclusion: The research study concluded that family discourses and conflict emerged when disaster relief and reconstruction policies do not incorporate the affected communities' needs. The multi-dimensional holistic, integrated policies that integrate all the affected communities' needs will support building community and family-level peace. Discriminative policies that divide families and communities should not be practiced.