bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Automatic question-answer pairs generation and question similarity mechanism in question answering system
Authors: Aithal Shivani G. , Rao Abishek B. , Singh Sanjay 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWith the swift growth of the information over the past few years, taking full benefit is increasingly essential. Question Answering System is one of the promising methods to access this much information. The Question Answering System lacks humans’ common sense and reasoning power and cannot identify unanswerable questions and irrelevant questions. These questions are answered by making unreliable and incorrect guesses. In this paper, we address this limitation by proposing a Question Similarity mechanism. Before a question is posed to a Question-Answering system, it is compared with possible generated questions of the given paragraph, and then a Question Similarity Score is generated. The Question Similarity mechanism effectively identifies the unanswerable and irrelevant questions. The proposed Question Similarity mechanism incorporates a human way of reasoning to identify unanswerable and irrelevant questions. This mechanism can avoid the unanswerable and irrelevant questions altogether from being posed to the Question Answering system. It helps the Question Answering Systems to focus only on the answerable questions to improve their performance. Along with this, we introduce an application of the Question Answering System that generates the question-answer pairs given a passage and is useful in several fields.
Simulation of non-stationary stochastic ground motions based on recent Italian earthquakes
Authors: Sabetta Fabio , Pugliese Antonio , Fiorentino Gabriele , Lanzano Giovanni , Luzi Lucia 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis work presents an up-to-date model for the simulation of non-stationary ground motions, including several novelties compared to the original study of Sabetta and Pugliese (Bull Seism Soc Am 86:337–352, 1996). The selection of the input motion in the framework of earthquake engineering has become progressively more important with the growing use of nonlinear dynamic analyses. Regardless of the increasing availability of large strong motion databases, ground motion records are not always available for a given earthquake scenario and site condition, requiring the adoption of simulated time series. Among the different techniques for the generation of ground motion records, we focused on the methods based on stochastic simulations, considering the time- frequency decomposition of the seismic ground motion. We updated the non-stationary stochastic model initially developed in Sabetta and Pugliese (Bull Seism Soc Am 86:337–352, 1996) and later modified by Pousse et al. (Bull Seism Soc Am 96:2103–2117, 2006) and Laurendeau et al. (Nonstationary stochastic simulation of strong ground-motion time histories: application to the Japanese database. 15 WCEE Lisbon, 2012). The model is based on the S-transform that implicitly considers both the amplitude and frequency modulation. The four model parameters required for the simulation are: Arias intensity, significant duration, central frequency, and frequency bandwidth. They were obtained from an empirical ground motion model calibrated using the accelerometric records included in the updated Italian strong-motion database ITACA. The simulated accelerograms show a good match with the ground motion model prediction of several amplitude and frequency measures, such as Arias intensity, peak acceleration, peak velocity, Fourier spectra, and response spectra.
Invasion of Eragrostis albensis in Central Europe: distribution patterns, taxonomy and phylogenetic insight into the Eragrostis pilosa complex
Authors: Wróbel Anna , Klichowska Ewelina , Baiakhmetov Evgenii , Nowak Arkadiusz , Nobis Marcin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Eragrostis pilosa complex (Poaceae) comprises five widely distributed and regionally invasive species—E. albensis, E. amurensis, E. imberbis, E. multicaulis, and E. pilosa, distinguished by tiny and variable morphological characters and with so far unknown phylogenetic relationships. Recently, some doubts have been raised about the status of an invasive glandular morphotype occurring in Central Europe assigned either to E. amurensis or to E. albensis. Here, we addressed this issue by analysing morphology, internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA, and five inter-simple sequence repeat markers. The genetic evidence supported closer relationship of this glandular morphotype to eglandular E. albensis, widely established in Central Europe, than to glandular E. amurensis described from Asia. We propose to adopt a new taxonomic treatment that E. albensis includes both eglandular and glandular individuals, and to classify the glandular ones as E. albensis var. scholziana M. Nobis & A. Wróbel var. nova. Currently this new taxon is known from a dozen of localities in Central Europe and is invasive in the lower section of the Oder River valley, whereas Eragrostis albensis var. albensis has already spread widely across Europe in riparian phytocenoses and anthropogenic habitats. Since probably the first registered records in 1940s, it has been observed in European part of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and its further invasion is likely to proceed. We provided distribution maps concerning spread dynamics of E. albensis in Europe from 1947 to 2020. In total, the species has been observed on over 1300 localities so far, most of which were found after 2000.
Hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum × Myriophyllum sibiricum) exhibits traits associated with greater invasiveness than its introduced and native parental taxa
Authors: Glisson Wesley J. , Larkin Daniel J. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHybridization has been associated with increased invasiveness in plants. In North America, the hybrid aquatic plant Myriophyllum spicatum × Myriophyllum sibiricum (hybrid watermilfoil, hereafter HWM) is a cross between non-native invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (M. spicatum, EWM) and native northern watermilfoil (M. sibiricum, NWM). Lab-based trials have demonstrated higher growth rates in HWM compared to EWM and NWM, but these patterns have not been systematically examined in the field. In this study, we compared the invasiveness of HWM to its parental taxa, EWM and NWM, by examining the amount and timing of: (1) flowering, (2) surface cover, and (3) biomass (using stem counts as a proxy). We conducted repeat surveys of Myriophyllum beds at eight lakes (2–3 lakes/taxon) in the Minneapolis–St. Paul Metropolitan area (Minnesota, USA) between June 2017 and November 2018. HWM produced more flower spikes earlier and overall, and maintained consistently more flower spikes throughout the growing season than EWM and NWM. In addition, surface cover reached greater annual peaks and was higher for longer throughout the growing season for HWM than for both parental taxa. We did not observe a significant difference in stem counts among the three taxa, but HWM did reach a higher maximum number of stems than either parental taxon. This study provides field-based evidence of increased invasiveness associated with hybridization between EWM and NWM; specifically, greater reproductive potential via flowering and greater surface cover may increase HWM spread, have greater impacts on native species, and pose more of a nuisance to lake users.
Chlorinated paraffins in hinges of kitchen appliances
Authors: Sprengel Jannik , Vetter Walter 
Published: April 2021

AbstractChlorinated paraffins (CPs) are anthropogenic pollutants of growing environmental concern. These highly complex mixtures of thousands of homologs and congeners are usually applied as additives in lubricants or as flame retardants and plasticizers in polymers and paints. Recent studies indicated the presence of high amounts of CPs in the kitchen environment whose sources could not be unequivocally identified. One option was the use of CPs as or in lubricants of hinges. To test this hypothesis, we performed wipe tests on lubricants on 29 hinges of different types of kitchen appliances (refrigerators, baking ovens, dishwashers, freezers, microwave oven, pasta machine, food processor, steam cooker) and analyzed them for short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs). CPs were detected in 21 samples (72%). Per wipe, SCCP concentrations ranged between 0.02 and 10 µg (median 0.23 µg), while MCCPs ranged from 0.09 to 750 µg (median 1.0 µg). Highest MCCP amounts (380 and 750 µg per wipe, respectively) were determined in new and unused appliances. A medium correlation between SCCP content and appliance age was observed, but no additional statistic correlation between SCCP/MCCP amount and appliance type or manufacturer could be observed. CPs released from hinges by volatilization, abrasion, and cleaning processes could enter the environment and come in contact with persons living in the corresponding households.
Socially responsible investing: from the ethical origins to the sustainable development framework of the European Union
Authors: Martini Alice 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn this work, we present an overview of the historical development of socially responsible investing (SRI). We will argue that such a financial activity has been boosting in recent decades from a niche, mainly as a religious-led exclusionary practice, towards a mainstream strategy of risk analysis for institutional and retail investors. We also discuss the advances and possible drawbacks that regulatory activity and harmonization process on such industry have achieved at international level in recent years, with a special focus on the European Union. The study shows that the lack of a globally accepted taxonomy on what constitutes sustainable activities, of regulatory clarity and of high-quality data allowing for comparisons across industries and regions, together with practical and behavioural complexities are major critical issues that discourage SRI industry at the global level.
Analysis of Subcycle Electro-Optic Sampling Without Background
Authors: Beckh Cornelius , Sulzer Philipp , Fritzsche Niklas , Riek Claudius , Leitenstorfer Alfred 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe explore background-free options to detect mid-infrared (MIR) electric transients. The MIR field and a near-infrared probe interact via sum- (SFG) and difference-frequency generation (DFG) in an electro-optic crystal. An intuitive picture based on a phasor representation and rigorous numerical calculations are used for analysis. It turns out that separating photons generated either by SFG or DFG from the local oscillator via spectral filtering leads to a signal purely proportional the MIR intensity envelope. Background-free phase information may be extracted in a spectral window containing both SFG and DFG components and blocking the local oscillator background based on its orthogonal polarization. This variant leads to signal proportional to the square of the MIR field amplitude. It is limited by the finite efficiency of polarization filtering. The Hilbert transform as a conjugate variable to the electric field in the time domain turns out to play a fundamental role for the context discussed in this paper.
To them that hath: economic complexity and local industrial strategy in the UK
Authors: Mealy Penny , Coyle Diane 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDivergent economic performance in many countries has led to renewed interest in place-based policies, such as the UK’s local industrial strategies at the level of Combined Authorities or Local Economic Partnerships. However, an analysis of employment data using methods from the economic complexity literature demonstrates great heterogeneity in industrial strengths and future growth opportunities within those jurisdictions, raising challenges in designing common policies suited to all sub-geographies. Moreover, the ‘related’ industries into which low-complexity, low-wage local authorities could potentially diversify are also low-wage. Incremental policies building on existing local capacities are therefore likely to amplify divergence between prospering and left-behind areas.
The Developmental Trajectory of Empathy and Its Association with Early Symptoms of Psychopathology in Children with and without Hearing Loss
Authors: Tsou Yung-Ting , Li Boya , Wiefferink Carin H , Frijns Johan H M , Rieffe Carolien 
Published: April 2021

AbstractEmpathy enables people to share, understand, and show concern for others’ emotions. However, this capacity may be more difficult to acquire for children with hearing loss, due to limited social access, and the effect of hearing on empathic maturation has been unexplored. This four-wave longitudinal study investigated the development of empathy in children with and without hearing loss, and how this development is associated with early symptoms of psychopathology. Seventy-one children with hearing loss and cochlear implants (CI), and 272 typically-hearing (TH) children, participated (aged 1–5 years at Time 1). Parents rated their children’s empathic skills (affective empathy, attention to others’ emotions, prosocial actions, and emotion acknowledgment) and psychopathological symptoms (internalizing and externalizing behaviors). Children with CI and TH children were rated similarly on most of the empathic skills. Yet, fewer prosocial actions were reported in children with CI than in TH children. In both groups, affective empathy decreased with age, while prosocial actions and emotion acknowledgment increased with age and stabilized when children entered primary schools. Attention to emotions increased with age in children with CI, yet remained stable in TH children. Moreover, higher levels of affective empathy, lower levels of emotion acknowledgment, and a larger increase in attention to emotions over time were associated with more psychopathological symptoms in both groups. These findings highlight the importance of social access from which children with CI can learn to process others’ emotions more adaptively. Notably, interventions for psychopathology that tackle empathic responses may be beneficial for both groups, alike.
Prioritizing Surgical Services during on-Going Pandemic Response: Modification and Reliability of the Medically Necessary Time Sensitive Surgery (MeNTS) Scoring Tool
Authors: Saleeby Erin , Acree Rachel , Wieslander Cecilia , Truong Christina , Garcia Lisa , Eckhardt Sarah , Hari Anjali , Al-Marayati Laila , Greenwell Lisa , Holschneider Christine H. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHealth systems are struggling to manage a fluctuating volume of critically ill patients with COVID-19 while continuing to provide basic surgical services and expand capacity to address operative cases delayed by the pandemic. As we move forward through the next phases of the pandemic, we will need a decision-making system that allows us to remain nimble as clinicians to meet our patient’s needs while also working with a new framework of healthcare operations. Here, we present our quality improvement process for the adaptation and application of the Medically Necessary Time-Sensitive (MeNTS) toolto gynecologic surgical services beyond the initial COVID response and into recovery of surgical services; with analysis of the reliability of the modified-MeNTS tool in our multi-site safety net hospital network. This multicenter study evaluated the gynecology surgical case volume at three tertiary acute care safety net institutions within the LA County Department of Health Services: Harbor-UCLA (HUMC), Olive View Medical Center (OVMC), and Los Angeles County + University of Southern California (LAC+USC). We describe our modified-Delphi approach to adapt the MeNTS tool in a structured fashion and its application to gynecologic surgical services. Blinded reviewers engaged in a three-round iterative adaptation and final scoring utilizing the modified tool. The cohort consisted of 392 female consecutive gynecology patients across three Los Angeles County Hospitals awaiting scheduled procedures in the surgical queue.The majority of patients were Latina (74.7%) and premenopausal (67.1%). Over half (52.4%) of the patients had cardiovascular disease, while 13.0% had lung disease, and 13.8% had diabetes. The most common indications for surgery were abnormal uterine bleeding (33.2%), pelvic organ prolapse (19.6%) and presence of an adnexal mass (14.3%). Minimally invasive approaches via laparoscopy, robotic-assisted laparoscopy, or vaginal surgery was the predominant planned surgical route (54.8%). Modified-MeNTS scores assumed a normal distribution across all patients within our cohort (Median 33, Range 18–52). Overall, ICC across all three institutions demonstrated “good” interrater reliability (0.72). ICC within institutions at HUMC and OVMC were categorized as “good” interrater reliability, while LAC-USC interrater reliability was categorized as “excellent” (HUMC 0.73, OVMC 0.65, LAC+USC 0.77). The modified-MeNTS tool performed well across a range of patients and procedures with a normal distribution of scores and high reliability between raters. We propose that the modified-MeNTS framework be considered as it employs quantitative methods for decision-making rather than subjective assessments.
A Novel Suture Training System for Open Surgery Replicating Procedures Performed by Experts Using Augmented Reality
Authors: Nagayo Yuri , Saito Toki , Oyama Hiroshi 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe surgical education environment has been changing significantly due to restricted work hours, limited resources, and increasing public concern for safety and quality, leading to the evolution of simulation-based training in surgery. Of the various simulators, low-fidelity simulators are widely used to practice surgical skills such as sutures because they are portable, inexpensive, and easy to use without requiring complicated settings. However, since low-fidelity simulators do not offer any teaching information, trainees do self-practice with them, referring to textbooks or videos, which are insufficient to learn open surgical procedures. This study aimed to develop a new suture training system for open surgery that provides trainees with the three-dimensional information of exemplary procedures performed by experts and allows them to observe and imitate the procedures during self-practice. The proposed system consists of a motion capture system of surgical instruments and a three-dimensional replication system of captured procedures on the surgical field. Motion capture of surgical instruments was achieved inexpensively by using cylindrical augmented reality (AR) markers, and replication of captured procedures was realized by visualizing them three-dimensionally at the same position and orientation as captured, using an AR device. For subcuticular interrupted suture, it was confirmed that the proposed system enabled users to observe experts’ procedures from any angle and imitate them by manipulating the actual surgical instruments during self-practice. We expect that this training system will contribute to developing a novel surgical training method that enables trainees to learn surgical skills by themselves in the absence of experts.
‘Return to Work’ Coordinator Model and Work Participation of Employees: A Natural Intervention Study in Finland
Authors: Kausto Johanna , Oksanen Tuula , Koskinen Aki , Pentti Jaana , Mattila-Holappa Pauliina , Kaila-Kangas Leena , Nevala Nina , Kivimäki Mika , Vahtera Jussi , Ervasti Jenni 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPurpose Employers increasingly use ‘return to work’ (RTW) coordinators to support work ability and extend working careers, particularly among employees with reduced work ability. We examined whether applying this model was associated with changes in employee sickness absence and disability retirements. Methods We used data from the Finnish Public Sector study from 2009 until 2015. Employees where the model was introduced in 2012 constituted the cases (n = 4120, one municipality) and employees where the model was not in use during the follow-up, represented the controls (n = 5600, two municipalities). We analysed risk of disability retirement in 2013–2015 and risk of sickness absence after (2013–2015) vs. before (2009–2011) intervention by case–control status. Results The incidence of disability retirement after the intervention was lower in cases compared to controls both in the total population (hazard ratio HR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.30–0.79) and in the subgroup of participants with reduced work ability (HR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.12–0.99). The risk of sickness absence increased from pre-intervention to post-intervention period both among cases and controls although the relative increase was greater among cases (RRpost- vs. pre-intervention = 1.26, 95% CI 1.14–1.40) than controls (RRpost- vs. pre-intervention = 1.03, 95% CI 0.97–1.08). In the group of employees with reduced work ability, no difference in sickness absence trends between cases and controls was observed. Conclusions These findings suggest that RTW-coordinator model may increase employee sickness absence, but decrease the risk of disability retirement, i.e., permanent exclusion from the labour market.
PDE/Statistical Mechanics Duality: Relation Between Guerra’s Interpolated p-Spin Ferromagnets and the Burgers Hierarchy
Authors: Fachechi Alberto 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe examine the duality relating the equilibrium dynamics of the mean-fieldp-spin ferromagnets at finite size in the Guerra’s interpolation scheme and the Burgers hierarchy. In particular, we prove that—for fixedp—the expectation value of the order parameter on the first side w.r.t. the generalized partition function satisfies the$$p-1$$p-1-th element in the aforementioned class of nonlinear equations. In the light of this duality, we interpret the phase transitions in the thermodynamic limit of the statistical mechanics model with the development of shock waves in the PDE side. We also obtain the solutions for thep-spin ferromagnets at fixedN, allowing us to easily generate specific solutions of the corresponding equation in the Burgers hierarchy. Finally, we obtain an effective description of the finiteNequilibrium dynamics of the$$p=2$$p=2model with some standard tools in PDE side.
Weak coupling limit for Schrödinger-type operators with degenerate kinetic energy for a large class of potentials
Authors: Cuenin Jean-Claude , Merz Konstantin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe improve results by Frank, Hainzl, Naboko, and Seiringer (J Geom Anal 17(4):559–567, 2007) and Hainzl and Seiringer (Math Nachr 283(3):489–499, 2010) on the weak coupling limit of eigenvalues for Schrödinger-type operators whose kinetic energy vanishes on a codimension one submanifold. The main technical innovation that allows us to go beyond the potentials considered in Frank, Hainzl, Naboko, and Seiringer (2007), Hainzl and Seiringer (2010) is the use of the Tomas–Stein theorem.