bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A fundamental comprehension and recent progress in advanced Pt‐based ORR nanocatalysts
Authors: Wang Yao , Wang Dingsheng , Li Yadong 
Published: March 2021

AbstractToday, Pt/C catalysts are widely used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The practical applications of PEMFCs still face many limitations in the preparation of advanced Pt‐based catalysts, including high cost, limited life‐time, and insufficient power density. A kinetically sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is primarily responsible for these issues. The development of advanced Pt‐based catalysts is crucial for solving these problems when the large‐scale application of PEMFCs is to be realized. Herein, we demonstrate the design principle of advanced Pt‐based catalysts with an emphasis on theoretical understandings to practical applications. Generally, three main strategies (including strain effect, electronic effect, and ensemble effect) that governing the initial activity of Pt‐based electrocatalysts are elaborated in detail in this review. Recent advanced Pt‐based ORR catalysts are summarized and we present representative achievements to further reveal the relationship of excellent ORR performance based on theoretical mechanisms. Then we focus on the preparation standards of membrane electrode assembles and testing protocols in practice. Finally, we predict the remaining challenges and present our perspectives with regards to design strategies for improving ORR performance of Pt‐based catalysts in the future.
Heteroditopic Calix[6]arene Based Intervowen and Interlocked Molecular Devices
Authors: Cera Gianpiero , Arduini Arturo , Secchi Andrea , Credi Alberto , Silvi Serena 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSince the dawn of supramolecular chemistry, calixarenes have been employed as platforms onto which functional groups and binding sites can be loaded in a regio‐ and stereocontrolled manner for the recognition of charged and neutral species. Despite their wider annulus, potentially suitable to bind larger guests, the larger members of the calixarene series have been relatively less employed, mainly because of the synthetic difficulties to control their conformational flexibility and their regioselective functionalization. In this account, we will present the achievements gained during the last two decades on the use of the calix[6]arene as a platform to build‐up structures in which the macrocycle acts as a wheel for the synthesis of oriented (pseudo)rotaxanes. We also account on how these calix[6]arene hosts affect the reactivity or spectroscopic properties of their bound guests.
Krankheitsmodifizierende Therapie der sekundär progredienten Multiplen Sklerose
Authors: Hoffmann Olaf , Gold Ralf 
Published: March 2021

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Bei der Multiplen Sklerose (MS) besteht ein Krankheitskontinuum vom klinisch isolierten Syndrom über die schubförmig-remittierende MS zur sekundär progredienten MS (SPMS). Es bestehen zahlreiche Therapieansätze mit Wirksamkeit auf die schubförmigen und fokal-entzündlichen Krankheitsaspekte, während die Therapie der sekundären Progredienz und der mit ihr assoziierten Aspekte der Pathologie weiterhin eine Herausforderung darstellt.

Ziel der Arbeit
Übersicht der aktuellen Optionen zur krankheitsmodifizierenden Therapie der SPMS.

Material und Methoden
Ergebnisse randomisierter klinischer Studien werden substanzspezifisch dargestellt und bewertet.

Ergebnisse
Randomisierte klinische Studien zur Behinderungszunahme bei SPMS zeigten für β‑Interferone widersprüchliche, für Natalizumab negative Ergebnisse. Orales Cladribin und Ocrelizumab reduzierten die Behinderungszunahme bei schubförmiger MS, wurden jedoch nicht gezielt in einer SPMS-Population untersucht. Positive Ergebnisse zu Mitoxantron sind für heutige SPMS-Patienten mit Blick auf das Nebenwirkungsprofil nur bedingt relevant. Für das Blut-Hirn-Schranken-gängige Siponimod wurde in der EXPAND-Studie bei typischen SPMS-Patienten eine signifikante Reduktion des Risikos der Behinderungsprogression nachgewiesen. Subgruppenanalysen sprechen für eine noch höhere Wirksamkeit von Siponimod bei jüngeren Patienten mit aktiver SPMS.

Diskussion
Für den Einsatz bisheriger krankheitsmodifizierender Therapien bei SPMS besteht begrenzte Evidenz. Mit Siponimod steht eine neue Option zur Therapie der aktiven SPMS zur Verfügung, definiert durch Schübe oder fokal-entzündliche MRT-Aktivität. Für die Indikationsstellung sind einerseits die frühe Erkennung einer schubunabhängigen Progression, andererseits die Abgrenzung der aktiven SPMS von einer nicht aktiven Erkrankung von entscheidender Bedeutung.
Calculating the gravity-free shape of sheet metal parts
Authors: Claus Felix , Hagen Hans , Hamann Bernd 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis paper presents an iterative finite element (FE)–based method to calculate the gravity-free shape of nonrigid parts from an optical measurement performed on a non-over-constrained fixture. Measuring these kinds of parts in a stress-free state is almost impossible because deflections caused by their weight occur. To solve this problem, a simulation model of the measurement is created using available methods of reverse engineering. Then, an iterative algorithm calculates the gravity-free shape. The approach does not require a CAD model of the measured part, implying the whole part can be fully scanned. The application of this method mainly addresses thin, unstable sheet metal parts, like those commonly used in the automotive or aerospace industry. To show the performance of the proposed method, validations with simulation and experimental data are presented. The shown results meet the predefined quality goal to predict shapes within a tolerance of ± 0.05 mm measured in surface normal direction.
Self-assembly of coated microdroplets at the sudden expansion of a microchannel
Authors: Schirrmann Kerstin , Cáceres-Aravena Gabriel , Juel Anne 
Published: March 2021

AbstractWe report observations of the self-assembly of coated droplets into regular clusters at the sudden expansion of a microfluidic channel. A double emulsion consisting of a regular train of coated microdroplets was created upstream of the channel expansion, so that the inter-drop distance, droplet length, velocity and coating thickness could be varied by imposing different inlet pressures, albeit not independently. Provided that the enlarged channel remains sufficiently confined to prohibit propagation in double file, droplets can assemble sequentially into regular linear clusters at the expansion. Droplets join a cluster via the coalescence of their coating film with that of the group ahead. This coalescence occurs when the droplets approach each other to within a critical distance at the expansion, enabled by hydrodynamic interactions within the train. Clusters comprising a finite number of droplets are obtained because reconfiguration of the droplet assembly during coalescence increases the distance to the following droplet. Decreasing the inter-drop distance increases the cluster size up to a maximum value beyond which continuous clusters form. Formalising these observations in a simple model reveals that clusters of any size are possible but that they occur for increasingly narrow ranges of parameter values. Our experimental observations suggests that background experimental fluctuations limit the maximum discrete cluster size in practice. This method of self-assembly offers a robust alternative to flow focusing for encapsulating multiple cores in a single coating film and the potential to build more complex colloidal building blocks by de-confining the clusters.
Minimum distance-unbalancedness of trees
Authors: Kramer Marie , Rautenbach Dieter 
Published: March 2021

AbstractFor a graph G, and two distinct vertices u and v of G, let $$n_{G}(u,v)$$

n
G

(
u
,
v
)

be the number of vertices of G that are closer in G to u than to v. Miklavič and Šparl (arXiv:2011.01635v1) define the distance-unbalancedness of G as the sum of $$|n_{G}(u,v)-n_{G}(v,u)|$$

|

n
G

(
u
,
v
)

-

n
G

(
v
,
u
)

|

over all unordered pairs of distinct vertices u and v of G. Confirming one of their conjectures, we show that the stars minimize the distance-unbalancedness among all trees of a fixed order.
New Inertial Projection Methods for Solving Multivalued Variational Inequality Problems Beyond Monotonicity
Authors: Izuchukwu Chinedu , Shehu Yekini 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we present two new inertial projection-type methods for solving multivalued variational inequality problems in finite-dimensional spaces. We establish the convergence of the sequence generated by these methods when the multivalued mapping associated with the problem is only required to be locally bounded without any monotonicity assumption. Furthermore, the inertial techniques that we employ in this paper are quite different from the ones used in most papers. Moreover, based on the weaker assumptions on the inertial factor in our methods, we derive several special cases of our methods. Finally, we present some experimental results to illustrate the profits that we gain by introducing the inertial extrapolation steps.
A Kalman particle filter for online parameter estimation with applications to affine models
Authors: He Jian , Khedher Asma , Spreij Peter 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this paper we address the problem of estimating the posterior distribution of the static parameters of a continuous-time state space model with discrete-time observations by an algorithm that combines the Kalman filter and a particle filter. The proposed algorithm is semi-recursive and has a two layer structure, in which the outer layer provides the estimation of the posterior distribution of the unknown parameters and the inner layer provides the estimation of the posterior distribution of the state variables. This algorithm has a similar structure as the so-called recursive nested particle filter, but unlike the latter filter, in which both layers use a particle filter, our algorithm introduces a dynamic kernel to sample the parameter particles in the outer layer to obtain a higher convergence speed. Moreover, this algorithm also implements the Kalman filter in the inner layer to reduce the computational time. This algorithm can also be used to estimate the parameters that suddenly change value. We prove that, for a state space model with a certain structure, the estimated posterior distribution of the unknown parameters and the state variables converge to the actual distribution in $$L^p$$

L
p

with rate of order $${\mathcal {O}}(N^{-\frac{1}{2}}+\varDelta ^{\frac{1}{2}})$$

O
(

N

-

1
2

+

Δ

1
2

)

, where N is the number of particles for the parameters in the outer layer and $$\varDelta $$
Δ
is the maximum time step between two consecutive observations. We present numerical results of the implementation of this algorithm, in particularly we implement this algorithm for affine interest models, possibly with stochastic volatility, although the algorithm can be applied to a much broader class of models.
The effect of social distancing on the reach of an epidemic in social networks
Authors: Gutin Gregory , Hirano Tomohiro , Hwang Sung-Ha , Neary Philip R. , Toda Alexis Akira 
Published: March 2021

AbstractHow does social distancing affect the reach of an epidemic in social networks? We present Monte Carlo simulation results of asusceptible–infected–removed with social distancingmodel. The key feature of the model is that individuals are limited in the number of acquaintances that they can interact with, thereby constraining disease transmission to aninfectious subnetworkof the original social network. While increased social distancing typically reduces the spread of an infectious disease, the magnitude varies greatly depending on the topology of the network, indicating the need for policies that are network dependent. Our results also reveal the importance of coordinating policies at the ‘global’ level. In particular, the public health benefits from social distancing to a group (e.g. a country) may be completely undone if that group maintains connections with outside groups that are not following suit.
Typical patterns of malalignment in the degenerative acromioclavicular joint
Authors: Farkhondeh Fal Milad , Junker Marius , Kircher Jörn 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Introduction
Although arthroscopic acromioclavicular (AC) joint resection is a frequently performed procedure, the pathophysiology of non-traumatic AC joint degeneration is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether non-traumatic AC joint degeneration shows a typical pattern and whether it starts at the posterior part of the joint with malalignment of the articular surfaces.

Materials and methods
In a retrospective monocentric diagnostic study, healthy and affected subjects were investigated using T2 magnet resonance imaging (MRI) scans in the transverse plane. Group 1 included 30 healthy asymptomatic adults with no history of trauma (mean age, 38.6 years). In group 2, 90 patients with symptomatic AC joints who underwent arthroscopic AC joint resection were included (mean age, 60.0 years). All patients with relevant pathologies that affect the AC joint were excluded. Malalignment was defined as posterior joint space smaller than 2 mm in conjunction with an AC angle lower than 12°.

Results
The measured values were (mean group 1 in mm; mean group 2 in mm; p-value): anterior joint space (6.07; 5.63; 0.50), central joint space (2.97; 2.09; 0.001), and posterior joint space (3.97; 2.38; 0,001), AC angle (7.63; 19.2; 0.001). In group 1, n = 24 (80%) of subjects showed aligned AC joints, whereas in group 2, only n = 11 (12.2%) of joints were aligned (p < 0.001). Increasing age correlated significantly with malalignment (r = 0.21, p = 0.021).

Conclusions
Patients with symptomatic degenerative changes of the AC joint show a typical pattern of anterior opening of the joint with early contact of the posterior joint surfaces in contrast to healthy subjects. Increasing age influences this effect.
How Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire Can Help Physicians in Treating C1-Inhibitor Deficiency Patients?
Authors: Balla Zsuzsanna , Ignácz Bettina , Varga Lilian , Kőhalmi Kinga Viktória , Farkas Henriette 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire (AE-QoL) is an angioedema (AE)-specific validated questionnaire, which surveys the quality of life of diagnosed patients. The questionnaire has been used in multiple clinical trials. Our aim was to investigate how the questionnaire can assist physicians in the everyday practice of following up and managing C1-inhibitor deficiency patients. In a prospective trial conducted in our center between 2016 and 2018, 125 hereditary angioedema and 10 diagnosed with acquired angioedema completed an AE-QoL during their annual follow-up visit. Laboratory indices (i.e., complement levels) were obtained for each patient. Statistical analysis comparing clinical data with QoL parameters was performed. Results of the analysis show that AE-QoL total score and number of AE attacks per year correlated well (r = 0.47; p < 0.0001). Women reached higher AE-QoL total score values than men, over a 3-year period (p = 0.0014). The highest AE-QoL total scores were reached by the 41–60-year age group; we obtained a similar result, when analyzing the four domains. No correlation was found between the AE-QoL total score and complement parameters. Patients with a negative correlation between AE-QoL total score and number of AE attacks had a positive correlation with psychologic attributes like fatigue/mood and fears/shame domains. Patients that acquired HAE showed a significant correlation between the annual number of AE attacks and the AE-QoL total scores (r = 0.46; p < 0.0001). The study establishes the use of AE-QoL as a clinical tool for follow-up which can help in the complex assessment of both hereditary and acquired HAE patients, and help to develop better therapeutic strategies.
Doing the right thing or doing things right: what is better for a successful manufacturing reshoring?
Authors: Boffelli Albachiara , Fratocchi Luciano , Kalchschmidt Matteo , Silva Susana Cristina Lima da Costa e 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe article concerns the revision of earlier decisions to offshore production activities (so called “relocation of second degree”); more specifically it is focused on the “reshoring” (also referred as “relocation to the home country”, “back-reshoring” or “back-shoring”). The research aims are to investigate what types of mistakes occur along the decision-making and implementation process and how they affect the outcome, in terms of success or failure, of a relocation strategy. A multiple case study involving four companies in the fashion industry from Portugal and Italy was conducted. The cross-case analysis allowed to differentiate decision-making mistakes from implementation ones and to assess differences and similarities among the cases in terms of content of the relocation, drivers and outcomes. The research contributes to previous literature on reshoring by bringing evidence of different types of mistakes to be considered, thus requiring further conceptualization of the reshoring process. Managers and entrepreneurs should consider the importance of doing the things right also during the implementation, too often underestimated. The present article is the first one in the reshoring literature bringing evidence of cases of failure in the relocation decisions and discriminating among different kinds of mistakes.
Gut-liver axis modulation of Panax notoginseng saponins in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Xu Yu , Wang Ning , Tan Hor-Yue , Li Sha , Zhang Cheng , Feng Yibin 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Background and aims
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an obesity-related comorbidity, and it is characterized as a spectrum of liver abnormalities, including inflammation, steatosis, and fibrosis. The gut-liver axis is implicated in the pathogenesis and development of NAFLD. A promising drug agent targeting the gut-liver axis is expected to reverse NAFLD.

Methods
We utilized high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice and obesity-prone Lepob mice to examine the gut-liver regulation of the natural medicine Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS) on NAFLD.

Results
PNS exhibited potent anti-lipogenesis and anti-fibrotic effects in NAFLD mice, that was associated with the TLR4-induced inflammatory signalling pathway in liver. More strikingly, PNS treatment caused a deceleration of gut-to-liver translocation of microbiota-derived short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) products. PNS-induced TLR4 inhibition and restoration of Claudin-1 and ZO-1 proteins in the gut-liver axis contributed to the reverse of leaky gut, which in turn abolished by the addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an agonist of TLR4. Specifically, hepatic steatosis in HFD-treated mice was attenuated by PNS through regulating AMPKα, but restored by the replenishment of LPS. Meanwhile, the anti-fibrotic effect of PNS was abolished by LPS stimulation via the overproduction of collagen I/IV and α-SMA.

Conclusion
PNS exerted hepatoprotection against NAFLD in both ob/ob and HFD-induced obese mice, primarily by mediating the gut-liver axis in a TLR4-dependent manner.

Graphic abstract
The Toolbox of Methods for Multidirectional Characterization of Dietary Nucleic Acids; Verification for Raw and Processed Food Products
Authors: Cieślewicz Joanna , Koziara Zuzanna , Ćwiklińska Wiktoria , Bartoszek Agnieszka 
Published: March 2021

AbstractCurrently, the nutritional value of food is associated mainly with components such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. However, another important macromolecules present in many foods are dietary nucleic acids (dietNA), i.e., DNA as well as both coding and non-coding RNAs. In the context of food chemistry and nutrition, dietNA are nowadays vastly neglected. In consequence, there are no dedicated methodologies to characterize dietNA. In this study, using raw or processed meat and plant products as model foodstuffs, we developed a toolbox of methods borrowed from other fields (histology, toxicology, molecular biology) that enable the initial characterization of dietNA as a necessary step on the way to systematic evaluation of their nutritional role. The proposed set of methods embraces (i) paraffin embedding of food samples and their staining to visualize the distribution and variety of dietNA in situ; (ii) comet assay to assess integrity of nuclear DNA with possible detection of DNA damage; (iii) dietNA isolation with and without RNAse digestion to determine the content of both DNA and RNA; (iv) electrophoretic separation of isolates to profile dietNA fragments. Such a combined methodological approach revealed clear differences between dietNA derived from raw and processed food products. We believe that the presented set of methods will encourage the broader research on dietNA to understand their role as a nutritionally relevant food component.
Managing charity 4.0 with Blockchain: a case study at the time of Covid-19
Authors: Rangone Adalberto , Busolli Luca 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Covid-19 emergency is demonstrating the need to follow new solutions that can support the important role played by non-profit organizations around the world. Contrary to what should have happened to further combat the effect of pandemic, the majority of philanthropic organisations had a negative impact on fundraising, suffering a substantial decrease. Today, the Blockchain can play a pivotal role to re-establish pre-pandemic standards and enhance the development of global philanthropy. However, it is still too little considered due to the criticalities encountered during the launch and development of the initiatives as well as for a general incomprehension of its technology. Therefore, this work aims to demonstrate the Blockchain impact on the development of charity 4.0, especially in an extremely dramatic historical moment marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective is achieved through the case study of Charity Wall, an emerging Italian social marketplace appreciated by important business associations for its innovative solutions in the charity 4.0 sector and for the important support provided to NPOs during their traditional function as well as against Covid-19 in Italy. Through a benchmark analysis, this work succeeds in highlighting the innovative solutions proposed by Charity Wall compared to the charity 4.0 systems on the market. More specifically, through the Charity Wall case study it is possible to demonstrate which aspects of Blockchain technology can be used to strengthen the philanthropic system by avoiding cases of fraud to the detriment of beneficiaries, receivers and donors as well as to create a closer network between the various philanthropic players to support charitable initiatives against the Covid-19.
Superconvergence of interpolated collocation solutions for weakly singular Volterra integral equations of the second kind
Authors: Huang Qiumei , Wang Min 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we discuss the superconvergence of the “interpolated” collocation solutions for weakly singular Volterra integral equations of the second kind. Based on the collocation solution $$u_h$$

u
h

, two different interpolation postprocessing approximations of higher accuracy: $$I_{2h}^{2m-1}u_h$$

I

2
h

2
m
-
1

u
h

based on the collocation points and $$I_{2h}^{m}u_h$$

I

2
h

m

u
h

based on the least square scheme are constructed, whose convergence order are the same as that of the iterated collocation solution. Such interpolation postprocessing methods are much simpler in computation. We further apply this interpolation postprocessing technique to hybrid collocation solutions and similar results are obtained. Numerical experiments are shown to demonstrate the efficiency of the interpolation postprocessing methods.