bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aqueous extracts characteristics obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction from Ascophyllum nodosum seaweeds: effect of operation conditions
Authors: Gisbert Mauro , Barcala Manuel , Rosell Cristina M. , Sineiro Jorge , Moreira Ramón 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAqueous extracts fromAscophyllum nodosumbrown edible seaweeds were obtained after continuous ultrasound-assisted extraction. The effect of sonication time (from 2 to 6 min), sonication amplitude (from 80 to 100%) and solvent-solid ratio (from 20 to 40 g water g−1dried seaweed) on the extracts features was studied employing a Box-Behnken experimental design. Extracts were characterised by polyphenols, carbohydrate and uronic acid content. Response surface method (by means of a quadratic model) was successfully employed to relate chemical composition of extracts and operation conditions. Optimal experimental conditions were established to obtain maximal polyphenols content and several polyphenols-carbohydrates ratios together with the conditions that minimise energy consumption per extracted polyphenols amount relationship. Antioxidant capacities of extracts were measured employing different methods (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS). Positive linear correlations between antioxidant activity and total polyphenols content were established.
Experiences from Exporting Major Proof Assistant Libraries
Authors: Kohlhase Michael , Rabe Florian 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe interoperability of proof assistants and the integration of their libraries is a highly valued but elusive goal in the field of theorem proving. As a preparatory step, in previous work, we translated the libraries of multiple proof assistants, specifically the ones of Coq, HOL Light, IMPS, Isabelle, Mizar, and PVS into a universal format: OMDoc/MMT. Each translation presented great theoretical, technical, and social challenges, some universal and some system-specific, some solvable and some still open. In this paper, we survey these challenges and compare and evaluate the solutions we chose. We believe similar library translations will be an essential part of any future system interoperability solution, and our experiences will prove valuable to others undertaking such efforts.
Investigating the effect of nitrogen on the structural and tribo-mechanical behavior of vanadium nitride thin films deposited using R.F. magnetron sputtering
Authors: Aissani Linda , Fellah Mamoun , Chadli Ablel Hakim , Samad Mohammed Abdul , Cheriet Abderrahmane , Salhi Faiza , Nouveau Corinne , Weiß Sabine , Obrosov Aleksei , Alhussein Akram 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMagnetron sputtering is one of the most commonly used deposition techniques, which has received considerable attention in industrial applications. In particular, owing to its compatibility with conventional fabrication processes, it can produce and fabricate high-quality dense thin films of a wide range of materials. In the present study, nitrogen (N) was combined with pure vanadium in order to form binary nitride to improve its mechanical and tribological performance. To evaluate the influence of nitrogen on the structure of the as-deposited vanadium nitride (VN) coatings, the following techniques were used: XPS, XRD, SEM, AFM and optical profilometry. The residual stresses were determined by the curvature method using Stoney’s formula. The hardness and Young’s modulus were obtained by nanoindentation measurements. The friction behavior and wear characteristics of the films were evaluated by using a ball-on-disk tribometer. The obtained results showed that the N/V ratio increased with increasing the N2 flow rate while the deposition rate decreased. The preferred orientation was changed from (200) to (111) as the N2 flow rate increased with the presence of V–N and V–O binding energies as confirmed by XPS analysis. The nitrogen addition resulted in a columnar morphology and a fine structure with fine surface roughness. The VN thin film containing 49.5 at.% of nitrogen showed the best performance: highest mechanical properties (hardness = 25 GPa), lowest friction coefficient (μ = 0.37) and lowest wear rate (Ws = 2.72 × 10−5 mm3N−1 m−1). A good correlation between the film microstructure, crystallite size, residual stress and mechanical and tribological properties was observed.
Modeling and evaluating beat gestures for social robots
Authors: Zabala Unai , Rodriguez Igor , Martínez-Otzeta José María , Lazkano Elena 
Published: August 2021

AbstractNatural gestures are a desirable feature for a humanoid robot, as they are presumed to elicit a more comfortable interaction in people. With this aim in mind, we present in this paper a system to develop a natural talking gesture generation behavior. A Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) produces novel beat gestures from the data captured from recordings of human talking. The data is obtained without the need for any kind of wearable, as a motion capture system properly estimates the position of the limbs/joints involved in human expressive talking behavior. After testing in a Pepper robot, it is shown that the system is able to generate natural gestures during large talking periods without becoming repetitive. This approach is computationally more demanding than previous work, therefore a comparison is made in order to evaluate the improvements. This comparison is made by calculating some common measures about the end effectors’ trajectories (jerk and path lengths) and complemented by the Fréchet Gesture Distance (FGD) that aims to measure the fidelity of the generated gestures with respect to the provided ones. Results show that the described system is able to learn natural gestures just by observation and improves the one developed with a simpler motion capture system. The quantitative results are sustained by questionnaire based human evaluation.
Soft and hard information in equity crowdfunding: network effects in the digitalization of entrepreneurial finance
Authors: Estrin Saul , Khavul Susanna , Wright Mike 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAs a digital financial innovation, equity crowdfunding (ECF) allows investors to exploit the complementarity of information provision and network effects in a reduced transaction cost environment. We build on the underlying distinction between soft and hard information and show that ECF platforms create an environment of greater information pooling that benefits from network externalities. We test our hypotheses using a unique proprietary dataset and find that soft information has a greater impact than hard on the likelihood that a financing pitch will be successful. Moreover, the effects of soft information are amplified by the size of the investor network on the platform and network size also positively moderates the effect of information on the amount invested during each pitch. We conclude that ECF platforms can successfully exploit low transaction costs of the digital environment and bring network externalities to bear on investor decisions. Taken together that these increase the supply of funds to entrepreneurs.
MATTER: A tool for generating end-to-end IoT test scripts
Authors: Olianas Dario , Leotta Maurizio , Ricca Filippo 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn the last few years, Internet of Things (IoT) systems have drastically increased their relevance in many fundamental sectors. For this reason, assuring their quality is of paramount importance, especially in safety-critical contexts. Unfortunately, few quality assurance proposals for assuring the quality of these complex systems are present in the literature. In this paper, we extended and improved our previous approach for semi-automated model-based generation of executable test scripts. Our proposal is oriented to system-level acceptance testing of IoT systems. We have implemented a prototype tool taking in input a UML model of the system under test and some additional artefacts, and producing in output a test suite that checks if the system’s behaviour is compliant with such a model. We empirically evaluated our tool employing two IoT systems: a mobile health IoT system for diabetic patients and a smart park management system part of a smart city project. Both systems involve sensors or actuators, smartphones, and a remote cloud server. Results show that the test suites generated with our tool have been able to kill 91% of the overall 260 generated mutants (i.e. artificial bugged versions of the two considered systems). Moreover, the optimisation introduced in this novel version of our prototype, based on a minimisation post-processing step, allowed to reduce the time required for executing the entire test suites (about -20/25%) with no adverse effect on the bug-detection capability.
Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide by Heterogenized Cofacial Porphyrins
Authors: Tian Pengfei , Su Jianjun , Song Yun , Ye Ruquan , Zhu Minghui 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGreat attention has been paid to cofacial porphyrins due to their many unique advantages over their monomeric analogs. However, their synthesis is usually complicated. In this work, a facile impregnation method for preparing heterogenized, cofacially stacked porphyrins is proposed. An anionic porphyrin is introduced as an underlayer for immobilization of cationic cobalt porphyrin via electrostatic force. The metal center of the underlying molecule contributes to the electronic structure of the upper cationic cobalt porphyrin. Screening reveals the anionic iron porphyrin to be the most efficient underlayer molecule, lowering the activation energy barrier of CO2 electroreduction, with an improved turnover frequency by 74% to 8.0 s−1 at − 0.6 V versus RHE.
Tris (2,3-Dibromopropyl) Isocyanurate (TDBP-TAZTO or TBC) Shows Different Toxicity Depending on the Degree of Differentiation of the Human Neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) Cell Line
Authors: Szychowski Konrad A. , Skóra Bartosz , Mańdziuk Marzena 
Published: August 2021

AbstractTris (2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate (TDBP-TAZTO or TBC) is a heterocyclic hexabromated flame retardant. It is widely used during the production of many synthetic compounds. High concentrations of TDBP-TAZTO were found in river water, surface sediments, soil, earthworms, and carp tissues. Moreover, it has been shown that this compound can cross the blood–brain barrier and accumulate in the gut and brain of carp. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) has been characterized as a multifunctional intracellular sensor and receptor. AhR is an activator of cytochrome P450 1A1 and 1A2, which metabolize various toxic compounds. The aim of the study was to explain how/whether TDBP-TAZTO increases the expression and/or activity of the CYP1A1 enzyme and the AhR and TUBB3 expression during SH-SY5Y cell differentiation. SH-SY5Y cells were differentiated for 7 and 14 days using retinoic acid. Cell viability, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, and mRNA expression of CYP1A1, AhR, and TUBB3 were assessed. Our experiment showed that, during the differentiation process, the ability of TDBP-TAZTO to induce EROD activity in SH-SY5Y cells subsequently decreased, which may have been an effect of cell differentiation into neurons. Moreover, the results suggest that TDBP-TAZTO can affect the differentiation process. Since no CYP2B6 mRNA expression was detected, the CAR receptor may not be involved in the TDBP-TAZTO mechanism of action. However, more research is needed in this field to elucidate this mechanism precisely.
Targeting phytoprotection in the COVID-19-induced lung damage and associated systemic effects—the evidence-based 3PM proposition to mitigate individual risks
Authors: Liskova Alena , Koklesova Lenka , Samec Marek , Abdellatif Basma , Zhai Kevin , Siddiqui Manaal , Šudomová Miroslava , Hassan Sherif T.S. , Kudela Erik , Biringer Kamil , Giordano Frank A. , Büsselberg Dietrich , Golubnitschaja Olga , Kubatka Peter 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe risks related to the COVID-19 are multi-faceted including but by far not restricted to the following: direct health risks by poorly understood effects of COVID-19 infection, overloaded capacities of healthcare units, restricted and slowed down care of patients with non-communicable disorders such as cancer, neurologic and cardiovascular pathologies, among others; social risks—restricted and broken social contacts, isolation, professional disruption, explosion of aggression in the society, violence in the familial environment; mental risks—loneliness, helplessness, defenceless, depressions; and economic risks—slowed down industrial productivity, broken delivery chains, unemployment, bankrupted SMEs, inflation, decreased capacity of the state to perform socially important programs and to support socio-economically weak subgroups in the population. Directly or indirectly, the above listed risks will get reflected in a healthcare occupation and workload which is a tremendous long-term challenge for the healthcare capacity and robustness. The article does not pretend to provide solutions for all kind of health risks. However, it aims to present the scientific evidence of great clinical utility for primary, secondary, and tertiary care to protect affected individuals in a cost-effective manner. To this end, due to pronounced antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, naturally occurring plant substances are capable to protect affected individuals against COVID-19-associated life-threatening complications such as lung damage. Furthermore, they can be highly effective, if being applied to secondary and tertiary care of noncommunicable diseases under pandemic condition. Thus, the stratification of patients evaluating specific health conditions such as sleep quality, periodontitis, smoking, chronic inflammation and diseases, metabolic disorders and obesity, vascular dysfunction, and cancers would enable effective managemenet of COVID-19-associated complications in primary, secondary, and tertiary care in the context of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (3PM).
Phenolic composition of leaf and flower extracts of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.)
Authors: Brozdowski Jakub , Waliszewska Boguslawa , Gacnik Sasa , Hudina Metka , Veberic Robert , Mikulic-Petkovsek Maja 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Key Message

The best yields in the extraction of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanols and total phenolics from black cherry flowers were obtained with 40% ethanol and the poorest with water. A 30% higher content of total phenolics was obtained from leaves by using methanol rather than water.

Context
Black cherry (Prunus serotina Erhr.) is widespread in Europe. Because it is an invasive species, most research has been aimed at trying to find a method to remove this shrub from forests. The incentive for the development of the research was that we were trying to find a possible folk use of black cherry leaves and flowers.

Aims
The aim of this work was to study the detailed phenolic profile of extracts of P. serotina leaves and flowers.

Methods
Three types of extracts of P. serotina were made. The extracts were analysed for differences in phenolics content based on different extraction methods. HPLC-MSn was used to identify the phenolic compounds, and HPLC–DAD was used for their quantification.

Results
The results show that different extraction methods result in differences in the amount of extractables. Flavanols are the main group of identified compounds in both leaves and flowers. A larger extraction efficiency leads to a higher amount of phenolics in the flowers compared to leaves (49.8 vs. 36.5 g/kg dry weight). No difference was detected in the amount of phenolics between water extracts of leaves and flowers. Each extract can be considered rich in phenolics.

Conclusion
This work shows that leaves and flowers of P. serotina are a rich source of phenolic compounds. We provide interesting results that might be of interest in the industrial valuation of several compounds.
Verbale und nonverbale Indikatoren der kognitiven Komponente situational-naturwissenschaftlichen Interesses
Authors: Brandtner Miriam , Hertel Silke 
Published: August 2021

ZusammenfassungFrühkindliche (naturwissenschaftliche) Interessen werden bislang vorrangig anhand von Befragungen erhoben. Wie zuverlässig Kinder bereits im Kindergartenalter über ihre Interessen Auskunft geben können, lässt sich kritisch diskutieren: einerseits, da Befragungen eine adäquate Rekonstruktion vergangener Zustände erfordern; andererseits, da sich Kinder ihrer Umwelt noch überwiegend nonverbal mitteilen. Nichtsdestotrotz ist zur Bestimmung des mentalen Konstrukts Interessensgegenstand die Erhebung von Selbstauskünften unumgänglich. Die vorliegende Studie wählt daher einen Zugang zu frühkindlichen naturwissenschaftlichen Interessen, der spontane Selbstauskünfte und Verhaltensbeobachtungen integriert. Hierfür wurden zehn Kinder in drei Lernsituationen der frühen naturwissenschaftlichen Bildung videografiert. Spontane Äußerungen wurden zur Einschätzung ihres aktuellen Interessensgegenstands herangezogen. Die Aufmerksamkeitsintensität in der nonverbalen Lerngegenstands-Auseinandersetzung diente als Anhaltspunkt für ihre momentane Interessiertheit. Es zeigten sich signifikant-positive Zusammenhänge zwischen der Verbalisierung eines naturwissenschaftlichen Interessensgegenstands und der nonverbalen Interessensausprägung. Dies legt nahe, dass die Kinder vorwiegend situational-naturwissenschaftliche Interessen entwickelt haben. Varianzanalysen wiesen auf bedeutsame Unterschiede in den naturwissenschaftlichen Interessensausprägungen hin, die einerseits von Kind-, andererseits von Lernsituations-Merkmalen beeinflusst wurden. Zeitreihenanalysen zeigten zudem, dass die Kinder meist erst nach mehreren Minuten interessiert-nonverbaler Auseinandersetzung ihr Interesse auch verbal zum Ausdruck brachten. Dies spricht für die Bedeutung schweigender Auseinandersetzungsprozesse in der Entwicklung situationalen Interesses.
Research Progress on Corrosion Resistance of Magnesium Alloys with Bio-inspired Water-repellent Properties: A Review
Authors: Xu Jinkai , Cai Qianqian , Lian Zhongxu , Yu Zhanjiang , Ren Wanfei , Yu Huadong 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThanks to its excellent mechanical properties, magnesium alloys have many potential applications in the aerospace and other fields. However, failure to adequately solve corrosion problems of magnesium alloy becomes one of the factors restricting its wide use in many industrial fields. Inspired by nature, researchers designed and fabricated bio-inspired water-repellent (superhydrophobic and slippery liquid-infused porous surface) surfaces with special wetting properties by exploring the surface microstructures of plants and animals such as lotus leaf and nepenthes pitcher, exhibiting excellent corrosion-resistant performance. This article summarizes the research progress on corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys with bio-inspired water-repellent properties in recent years. It mainly introduces the corrosion reasons, types of corrosion of magnesium alloys, and the preparation of magnesium alloys with bio-inspired water-repellent properties to improve corrosion resistance. In particular, it is widely used and effective to construct water-repellent and anti-corrosion coating on the surface of magnesium alloy by surface treatment. It is hoped that the research in this review can broaden the application range of magnesium alloys and provide a powerful reference for the future research on corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys.
Generalized Oppositional Moth Flame Optimization with Crossover Strategy: An Approach for Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Xia Jianfu , Zhang Hongliang , Li Rizeng , Chen Huiling , Turabieh Hamza , Mafarja Majdi , Pan Zhifang 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn the original Moth-Flame Optimization (MFO), the search behavior of the moth depends on the corresponding flame and the interaction between the moth and its corresponding flame, so it will get stuck in the local optimum easily when facing the multi-dimensional and high-dimensional optimization problems. Therefore, in this work, a generalized oppositional MFO with crossover strategy, named GCMFO, is presented to overcome the mentioned defects. In the proposed GCMFO, GOBL is employed to increase the population diversity and expand the search range in the initialization and iteration jump phase based on the jump rate; crisscross search (CC) is adopted to promote the exploitation and/or exploration ability of MFO. The proposed algorithm’s performance is estimated by organizing a series of experiments; firstly, the CEC2017 benchmark set is adopted to evaluate the performance of GCMFO in tackling high-dimensional and multimodal problems. Secondly, GCMFO is applied to handle multilevel thresholding image segmentation problems. At last, GCMFO is integrated into kernel extreme learning machine classifier to deal with three medical diagnosis cases, including the appendicitis diagnosis, overweight statuses diagnosis, and thyroid cancer diagnosis. Experimental results and discussions show that the proposed approach outperforms the original MFO and other state-of-the-art algorithms on both convergence speed and accuracy. It also indicates that the presented GCMFO has a promising potential for application.
(Inter)subjectivisation et chaines sémantiques dans les adverbes français en–ment: analyse du passage de l'adverbe intégré à la proposition au marqueur discursif
Authors: Álvarez-Prendes Emma 
Published: August 2021

RésuméLes adverbes français se terminant en–mentont évolué par un double processus de grammaticalisation. Une première grammaticalisation, d'origine romane, a été responsable de l'émergence de tels adverbes, tandis qu'un second processus (appelé (inter)subjectification) a entrainé des changements syntaxiques et sémantiques spécifiques. Selon Traugott, ces changements répondent aux principaux critères établis pour le processus de grammaticalisation (recatégorisation, amélioration de la portée syntaxique, sens plus abstraits, enrichissement pragmatique et unidirectionalité (Traugott 1995b, 2010; Traugott et Dasher 2002). Afin de prouver cette hypothèse, j'analyse ici une collection de tels adverbes qui ont au moins trois usages différents en français contemporain :sérieusement,honnêtement,franchement,apparemment,carrément,décidément,étonnammentetseulement. Outre l'analyse synchronique et diachronique de ces adverbes, je rapporte des régularités spécifiques (ou chaînes sémantiques, selon Heine et Kuteva (2002) observées au cours de leur évolution.
Ben Sira on the Free Will Problem: A Comparison with Chrysippus
Authors: Li Xi 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis article deals with the similarities and differences between Ben Sira and Chrysippus regarding their solutions to the tension between free will and determinism. Both Ben Sira and Chrysippus argue for compatibilism, the theory that free will and determinism are compatible. However, Ben Sira and Chrysippus have different understandings of freedom required by moral responsibility. According to Chrysippus, consent is the internal cause of persons’ actions, and, thus, they should be responsible for these actions. By contrast, Ben Sira claims that although being shaped by God’s plan, persons could have done otherwise and, in this sense, are responsible for their sins. The first section of this article examines the texts of Ben Sira and Chrysippus regarding the problem of free will. The second section discusses the positions of Ben Sira and Chrysippus on compatibilism. The last section explains the possible influence of Chrysippus on Ben Sira and the main difference between their understandings of freedom.