bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trophic niche overlap between sympatric harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) at the southern limit of their European range (Eastern English Channel)
Authors: Planque Yann , Spitz Jérôme , Authier Matthieu , Guillou Gaël , Vincent Cécile , Caurant Florence 
Published: July 2021

AbstractSympatric harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are increasingly considered potential competitors, especially since recent local declines in harbour seal numbers while grey seal numbers remained stable or increased at their European core distributions. A better understanding of the interactions between these species is critical for conservation efforts. This study aimed to identify the trophic niche overlap between harbour and grey seals at the southern limit of their European range, in the Baie de Somme (BDS, Eastern English Channel, France), where numbers of resident harbour seals and visiting grey seals are increasing exponentially. Dietary overlap was identified from scat contents using hierarchical clustering. Isotopic niche overlap was quantified using δ13C and δ15N isotopic values from whiskers of 18 individuals, by estimating isotopic standard ellipses with a novel hierarchical model developed in a Bayesian framework to consider both intraindividual variability and interindividual variability. Foraging areas of these individuals were identified from telemetry data. The three independent approaches provided converging results, revealing a high trophic niche overlap due to consumption of benthic flatfish. Two diet clusters were dominated by either small or large benthic flatfish; these comprised 85.5% [CI95%: 80.3%–90.2%] of harbour seal scats and 46.8% [35.1%–58.4%] of grey seal scats. The narrower isotopic niche of harbour seals was nested within that of grey seals (58.2% [22.7%–100%] overlap). Grey seals with isotopic values similar to harbour seals foraged in coastal waters close to the BDS alike harbour seals did, suggesting the niche overlap may be due to individual grey seal strategies. Our findings therefore provide the basis for potential competition between both species (foraging on benthic flatfish close to the BDS). We suggest that a continued increase in seal numbers and/or a decrease in flatfish supply in this area could cause/amplify competitive interactions and have deleterious effects on harbour seal colonies.
Long‐term trends in marine turtle size at maturity at an important Atlantic rookery
Authors: Phillips Katrina F. , Stahelin Gustavo D. , Chabot Ryan M. , Mansfield Katherine L. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractFor species reaching maturity at a range of ages or sizes, factors that influence juvenile growth and size at maturity may have lasting impacts on overall fitness. Assessing when animals reach maturity is especially challenging for species which are difficult to follow through time as a result of highly migratory behavior, long life spans, or both. We examined nesting female size in a reproductive assemblage of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and loggerheads (Caretta caretta) on the east coast of Florida, USA. We used a long‐term dataset from 1982 to 2019 to estimate a minimum size at maturity interval on the basis of two standard deviations below mean female size for each species. The minimum size intervals for green turtles (81.4–89.3 cm) and loggerheads (68.1–79.1 cm) were lower than most previous estimates in the literature, many of which were simply the smallest individual ever observed. There was a significant decrease in the upper bound of the minimum size interval over the study period for both green turtles (1.6 cm) and loggerheads (4.1 cm). These shifts in size at maturity may be the result of changes in population demographics, habitat quality, and behavioral reactions to these changes. The development and periodic reassessment of robust estimators of maturity are an important part of programs centered around the monitoring and conservation of vulnerable wildlife populations.
Monitoring of circulating amino acids in patients with pancreatic cancer and cancer cachexia using capillary electrophoresis and contactless conductivity detection
Authors: Tůma Petr , Hložek Tomáš , Kamišová Jana , Gojda Jan 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBranched chain amino acids (BCAAs), alanine and glutamine are determined in human plasma by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection (CE/C4D). The baseline separation of five amino acids from other plasma components is achieved on the short capillary effective length of 18 cm in 3.2 mol/L acetic acid with addition of 13% v/v methanol as background electrolyte. Migration times range from 2.01 min for valine to 2.84 min for glutamine, and LODs for untreated plasma are in the interval 0.7–0.9 μmol/L. Sample treatment is based on the addition of acetonitrile to only 15 μL of plasma and supernatant is directly subjected to CE/C4D. Circulating amino acids are measured in patients with pancreatic cancer and cancer cachexia during oral glucose tolerance test. It is shown that patients with pancreatic cancer and cancer cachexia syndrome exhibit low basal circulating BCAAs and glutamine levels and loss of their insulin‐dependent suppression.
Performance evaluation of graphene oxide–MnO2 nanocomposite for alkaline membrane fuel cell
Authors: Ahmed Mushtaq , Ahmad Shahbaz , Nawaz Tahir , Durrani M. Ali , Ali Asghar , Saher Saim , Khan Muhammad Alam Zaib , Egilmez Mehmet , Samreen Ayesha , Mustafa Faisal 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe manganese dioxide/graphene oxide (MnO2/GO) nanocomposites were prepared from hydrothermally synthesized MnO2 nanorods and graphene oxide. Electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) of the fabricated MnO2/GO nanocomposites was evaluated using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) method. It is found that MnO2/GO nanocomposites deliver significantly enhanced performance compared to standalone MnO2 and GO with current density and onset potential values of 5.1 mA/cm2 and 0.93 V versus RHE, respectively. The alkaline membrane fuel cell (AMFC) characteristics were also studied. In particular, the single‐cell alkaline fuel cell stack with MnO2/GO nanocomposite as cathode loading produced a peak power density value of 82 mW/cm2. Our findings revealed great potential for MnO2/GO nanocomposites for their electrocatalytic performance and utilization in AMFC as the cathode. Namely, MnO2/GO achieved fuel cell functionalities that were comparable to the widely used commercial Pt/C. The enhanced electrochemical performance of MnO2/GO is attributed to the synergistic interaction between highly conductive GO sheets and active sites of MnO2 nanorods. The commendable performance of MnO2/GO suggests that it can be used as electrocatalysts in alkaline fuel cell applications.
Layered metal halide perovskite solar cells: A review from structure‐properties perspective towards maximization of their performance and stability
Authors: de Holanda Matheus S. , Moral Raphael F. , Marchezi Paulo E. , Marques Francisco C. , Nogueira Ana Flávia 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPerovskite solar cells (PSCs) technology is now reaching its full potential in terms of power conversion efficiency, but still presenting problems related to long‐term stability under operating conditions. One of the most promising alternatives to PSCs is the layered PSCs (2D‐PSCs). Layered perovskites present a huge compositional variety, which can be used to directly tune photophysical characteristics that influence the operational mechanisms of the devices. This review addresses the structural organization of both the organic and inorganic sublattices, focusing on how the structure influences the quantum and dielectric confinement, phonons and charge carriers' dynamics, charge mobility, and structural defects. We discuss the relation between the structure‐properties of layered perovskites with the performance of solar cells. We, then, offer insights into how these characteristics have been controlled in the assembly of 2D‐PSCs to improve their efficiency and stability. We conclude by giving a perspective of future developments and open areas of exploration that might impact the progress of this rapidly growing technology.image
Morphodynamics of an erodible channel under varying discharge
Authors: Adams David L. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAlluvial channels arise through the interaction between morphology, hydraulics, and sediment transport, known as the ‘fluvial trinity’. Over relatively short timescales where climate and geology are fixed but discharge and sediment supply may vary, this process facilitates adjustments towards steady state, where the system oscillates around a mean condition. The relationship between changes in conditions and geomorphic response may be highly complex and nonlinear, especially in systems with multiple modes of adjustment. This study examines the adjustment of an erodible channel with fixed banks and a widely graded sediment mixture to successive increases in discharge. With each increase in discharge, components of the fluvial trinity adjusted towards a steady state. Particularly at relatively low discharges, adjustments were controlled by intrinsic thresholds and highlighted important morphodynamic processes. Notably, there was a strong interplay between channel morphology and sediment transport, and an effect whereby larger‐than‐average grains controlled channel deformation. These two processes occurred at the bar scale and were highly spatialised, which has two important implications: (1) reach‐averaged representations of process provide only partial insight into morphodynamics; and (2) models of rivers that suppress these process feedbacks and size‐dependent transport may not replicate morphodynamics that typically occur in field conditions. The experiments provide quantitative evidence for conceptual models describing exponential approaches towards steady state and the potential for transiency if disturbance frequency exceeds the recovery time. They also highlight how in natural rivers, particularly those with greater degrees of freedom for adjustment (notably, lateral adjustment and meandering), continuous changes in discharge may lead to nonlinear rather than steady‐state behaviour. In these settings, more holistic analytical frameworks that embrace different aspects of the system are critical in understanding the direction, magnitude and timing of channel adjustments.
Linking the explicit probability of entrainment of instrumented particles to flow hydrodynamics
Authors: AlObaidi Khaldoon , Valyrakis Manousos 
Published: July 2021

AbstractObtaining a better understanding of the underlying dynamics of the interaction of turbulent flows and the bed surface that contains them, leading to the transport of coarse particles in fluvial, coastal, and aeolian environments, is considered as one of the fundamental objectives and the most complex problems in Earth surface dynamics and engineering. Recent technological advancements have made it possible to directly assess sediment entrainment rather than monitoring surrogate flow metrics, which could be related indirectly to sediment entrainment. In this work, a novel and low‐cost instrumented particle, 7 cm in diameter, is used to directly assess the incipient entrainment of a coarse particle resting on a bed surface. The particle has inertial measurement units (IMUs) embedded within its waterproof shell, enabling it to track the particle's motions and quantify its inertial dynamics. The sensors of the instrumented particle are calibrated using simple and easy‐to‐validate theoretically physical motions to estimate the uncertainties in their readings, which are reduced using an inertial sensor fusion process. A series of well‐designed laboratory flume incipient motion experiments are performed to assess the entrainment of the instrumented particle for a range of flowrates near the threshold of motion. The readings of the instrumented particle are used to derive metrics that are related to the probability of its incipient entrainment. The flow velocity measurements are obtained for the experiment runs, and the derived metrics are explicitly linked to the flow hydrodynamics responsible for the entrainment. The framework presented in this work can be used for a range of similar applications of low‐cost instrumented particles, spanning the interface of sensing and instrumentation in engineering (i.e., infrastructure and environmental monitoring) and geosciences (e.g., habitat assessment).
Rebalancing Himmat: Affect and Vernacular Approaches to Inequality in North India
Authors: Kowalski Julia 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis article explores how affect shaped frontline workers’ efforts to address gender inequality in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Counselors, frontline workers who helped women facing violence seek legal and social support, used the term himmat, courage/daring, to criticize the behavior of men and to celebrate the bravery of women. In counseling interactions, activist writing, and everyday speech, people used the word himmat to describe how affect might be marshaled for social transformation. I argue that himmat animates social movements addressing inequality, simultaneously serving as a felt diagnostic of hierarchy and a prompt to act against that hierarchy. Phenomena such as himmat are what I call affective fulcrums. A fulcrum both generates and limits motion. As an affective fulcrum, himmat channels affect that gains energy from relations shaped by a grid of inequality, including gender inequality. Yet it also creates movement around and within those unequal relations. Using himmat as an example of an affective fulcrum, I argue that attention to the role of affect in women's rights organizations can help us better analyze how inequality grounds efforts for change even as it allows for movement towards transformation.
A direct forcing immersed boundary method for cavitating flows
Authors: Stavropoulos Vasilakis Evangelos , Rodriguez Carlos , Kyriazis Nikolaos , Malgarinos Ilias , Koukouvinis Phoevos , Gavaises Manolis 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn the current study, an immersed boundary method for simulating cavitating flows with complex or moving boundaries is presented, which follows the discrete direct forcing approach. Although the immersed boundary methods are widely used in various applications of single phase, multiphase, and particulate flows, either incompressible or compressible, and numerous alternative formulations exist, to the best of the authors' knowledge, a handful of computational works employ such methodologies on cavitating flows. The herein proposed method, following previous works of the author's group, tries to fill this gap and to solidify the development of a computational tool of a simple formulation capable to tackle complex numerical problems of cavitation modeling. The method aims to be used in a wide range of applications of industrial interest and treat flows of engineering scales. Therefore, a validation of the method is performed by numerous benchmark test‐cases, of progressively increasing complexity, from incompressible low Reynolds number to compressible and highly turbulent cavitating flows.
A class of second‐order schemes with application to chemically reactive radiative natural convection flow in a rectangular enclosure
Authors: Nawaz Yasir , Arif Muhammad Shoaib , Nazeer Amna 
Published: July 2021

AbstractA new class of explicit second‐order schemes is proposed for solving time‐dependent partial differential equations. This class of proposed schemes is constructed on three‐time levels. Stability is found for the scalar two‐dimensional heat equation and the system of time‐dependent partial differential equations. This partial differential equations system comprises a non‐dimensional set of equations obtained from the governing equations of natural convection chemically reactive fluid flow in a rectangular enclosure with thermal radiations. Flow is generated by applying the force of pressure. Graphs of streamlines, contours plots of velocity, temperature and concentration profiles, local Nusselt number, and local Sherwood number are displayed with the variation of time and parameters in the considered partial differential equations. Results are shown in the form of streamlines and contour plots. It is found that local Nusselt number has dual behavior by enhancing radiation parameter whereas local Sherwood number de‐escalates by upraising the reaction rate parameter. It is hoped that the results in this pagination will serve as a valuable resource for future fluid‐flow studies in an enclosed industrial environment.
Effect of chitosan coating containing Nepeta pogonosperma extract on shelf life of chicken fillets during chilled storage
Authors: Afshar Mehrabi Fatemeh , Sharifi Akram , Ahvazi Maryam 
Published: July 2021

AbstractChicken meat is highly susceptible to microbial and chemical spoilage due to its high moisture and protein content. The use of edible coatings contains herbal extracts with antioxidant and antibacterial properties that help to extend the shelf life of meat products. In this study, the effect of chitosan coating (2%) and Nepeta pogonosperma extract (NPe) (0.2% and 0.6%) and their combination on chemical properties (pH, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid index (TBARS), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N)) and microbial (aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas sp.) of chicken fillets were studied over a 12‐day refrigerated storage period compared to the control sample. The results of NPe DPPH radical scavenging activity (DRSA) showed that IC50 and total phenolic contents values were 94.65 μg/ml and 113.53 mg GAE/g extract, respectively. Statistical results showed that the rate of increase in pH, PV, TBARS, and TVB‐N of all coated treatments were lower than control. Microbial analysis results showed a decrease in the growth of different bacteria in chitosan‐treated combined with NPe compared to the control sample during chilled storage. Chicken fillets coated with chitosan and 0.6% NPe displayed a longer shelf life compared to other samples.
Integrated provenance and tectonic implications of the Cretaceous–Palaeocene clastic sequence, Changla Gali, Lesser Himalaya, Pakistan
Authors: Qasim Muhammad , Ahmad Jalil , Ding Lin , Tanoli Javed Iqbal , Sattar Maryam , Rehman Qasim Ur , Awais Muhammad , Umar Muhammad , Baral Upendra , Khan Hawas 
Published: July 2021

This study documented the field relationship and integrated provenance of a clastic sequence exposed at the Mesozoic–Cenozoic boundary located in Changla Gali section, Lesser Himalaya, Pakistan, to provide an insight into Cretaceous tectonics of the northern Indian margin. This boundary sequence is represented by the Early Palaeocene Hangu Formation, which consists of shales in the lower part and sandstone in the upper part. The contact relationship of the Early Palaeocene Hangu Formation with the underlying Late Cretaceous Kawagarh Formation is marked by an angular unconformity. The detrital zircons extracted from the shale and sandstone samples shows a major age cluster, which varies between ~700 and ~1,100 Ma (45%), ~1,600 and ~1,900 Ma (15%), and ~480 and ~590 Ma. Additionally, two minor age clusters of the detrital zircons are identified, that is, ~2,300–2,500 Ma and ~600–700 Ma. The younger detrital zircon grains have ages of 298 ± 4 Ma, 297 ± 4 Ma and 116 ± 3 Ma. This age pattern reflect the major source area as the Indian Plate. The two younger Permian zircon grains may be derived from the Panjal mafic volcanic rocks exposed in the vicinity of the study area. However, a single Cretaceous grain may be attributed to ophiolites, as well as Tethyan Himalayan (TH) volcanic rocks. Similarly, the sandstone petrographic results show that the sandstones are quartz‐rich, which show derivation from the craton interior provenance, which is likely the Indian Plate. However, the trace element data suggest a mixed source consisting of felsic and mafic rocks. The contribution of the mafic source is likely associated with the Panjal mafic rocks exposed along the northern Indian margin. The field relationship shows that the underlying Mesozoic sequence is folded prior to the deposition of the Hangu Formation. This folding suggests that the northern Indian margin experienced a regional compression during the Late Cretaceous time, which folded the Mesozoic sequence before the resumption of sedimentation during the Palaeocene. Furthermore, the detrital zircon provenance suggests that the sediments were mainly derived from the Indian Plate. Combining the results, it can be concluded that the compressional event is likely associated with the Late Cretaceous ophiolite obduction onto the leading edge of the Indian Plate. However, the absence of the major ophiolitic age component in the detrital record may suggest that the ophiolites were emplaced over the northern Indian margin but remained submerged during Early Palaeocene time.
Effects of acute and chronic depression on 12‐year long‐term outcomes after stroke
Authors: Lee Eun‐Hye , Kim Ju‐Wan , Kang Hee‐Ju , Kim Sung‐Wan , Shin Il‐Seon , Kim Joon‐Tae , Park Man‐Seok , Cho Ki‐Hyun , Kim Jae‐Min 
Published: July 2021

AbstractObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate whether acute and chronic poststroke depression (PSD) were associated with cardio–cerebrovascular events (CVEs).MethodsA total of 423 patients with recent stroke were recruited from 2006 to 2009. They were diagnosed with major or minor depressive disorder during the acute phase (within 2 weeks) after stroke. Of these, 284 completed the same diagnostic evaluation during the chronic phase (1 year) after stroke. An average 12‐year (range 8.7–14.1 years) follow‐up was conducted to assess composite CVEs including recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, and vascular death after the index stroke. During the follow‐up, Kaplan–Meier event rates for outcomes were calculated, and hazard ratios were estimated using Cox regression models after adjusting for a range of covariates.ResultsThe composite CVE incidence was higher in patients with acute or chronic PSD than in those without. Composite event incidence was highest in patients with PSD during both the acute and chronic phases.ConclusionsThe presence of depression at acute and chronic phase of stroke predicted worse long‐term cardio–cerebrovascular outcomes. Evaluation of PSD during both the acute and chronic phases is recommended.
Numerical investigations on the performance of a multistrut hydrogen injector in a scramjet combustor
Authors: Kireeti S. K. , Sastry G. R. K. , Gugulothu S. K. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis study aims at investigating the effect of a multistrut‐based hydrogen injector in a scramjet combustor underreacting case. The numerical analysis is carried out using two‐dimensional Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the Shear Stress Transport k − ω turbulence model in contention to comprehend the flow physics during scramjet combustion. The three major parameters, such as the shock wave pattern, wall pressures, and static temperature across the combustor, are validated with the reported experimental results. The results comply with the range, indicating that the adopted simulation method for single strut injection can be extended for other investigations. It is noticed that with multistrut injectors, as hydrogen jet pressure increases in the supersonic flow field, the jet penetration rate in the lateral direction of the flow and the total pressure loss as compared with the baseline injection pressure conditions has increased. The supersonic flow characteristics are determined based on the flow properties, combustion efficiency, mixing efficiency, and total pressure loss. Compared with the single‐strut output of a scramjet combustor, multistruts inclusion increased the combustion efficiency by almost 18%, the mixing efficiency attained the maximum with 16% fewer lengths. The total pressure loss in single‐strut is 14% lower than that of multistrut.