bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantifying Inequality: From Contentious Politics to the Dream of an Indifferent Power
Authors: De Leonardis Ota 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe historical meaning of inequality as a bond of domination and subjection at the centre of the vertical political architecture of modernity has been replaced by reference to quantitatively expressed distributive differences. This paper examines the role of the poverty threshold in reconfiguring the welfare field and establishing a binary syntax; the spread of spatial artefacts inscribing unequal positions into space through separation; and numbers that provide the language for measuring the distance between positions. Quantification matters in instrumental and expressive terms: together with tools for knowledge and action, it also provides visions. Further, the vision expressed in the quantified distance that frames inequality corresponds to the dream of a domination free from any bond with the dominated, being cognitively and morally indifferent to it.
Archaeology of a Quantification Device: Quantification, Policies and Politics in French Higher Education
Authors: Eyraud Corine 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThis paper follows a quantification device – French higher education performance indicators – from its birth through its construction to its uses. It differentiates three levels of analysis. First, the bedrock level: a calculative device is grounded in a founding vision. Second, the intermediate level: a quantification device contains a conception of the “raisons d’être” of the entity that is quantified. Third, the level of the micro-conventions of calculation which can give a particular orientation. However, the device is part of a larger configuration which constitutes the fourth dimension of our analytical grid. Levels and context are the fruit of socio-historical processes which can, but must not, lead to maximum coherence. Here, the device is not a very integrated assemblage, which explains its limited effects.
The Role of Non-essential Amino Acids in T Cell Function and Anti-tumour Immunity
Authors: Hope Helen Carrasco , Salmond Robert J. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractT cell activation, differentiation and proliferation is dependent upon and intrinsically linked to a capacity to modulate and adapt cellular metabolism. Antigen-induced activation stimulates a transcriptional programme that results in metabolic reprogramming, enabling T cells to fuel anabolic metabolic pathways and provide the nutrients to sustain proliferation and effector responses. Amino acids are key nutrients for T cells and have essential roles as building blocks for protein synthesis as well as in numerous metabolic pathways. In this review, we discuss the roles for uptake and biosynthesis of non-essential amino acids in T cell metabolism, activation and effector function. Furthermore, we highlight the effects of amino acid metabolism and depletion by cancer cells on T cell anti-tumour function and discuss approaches to modulate and improve T cell metabolism for improved anti-tumour function in these nutrient-depleted microenvironments.
CT classification model of pancreatic serous cystic neoplasms and mucinous cystic neoplasms based on a deep neural network
Authors: Yang Rong , Chen Yizhou , Sa Guo , Li Kangjie , Hu Haigen , Zhou Jie , Guan Qiu , Chen Feng 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Background
At present, numerous challenges exist in the diagnosis of pancreatic SCNs and MCNs. After the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), many radiomics research methods have been applied to the identification of pancreatic SCNs and MCNs.

Purpose
A deep neural network (DNN) model termed Multi-channel-Multiclassifier-Random Forest-ResNet (MMRF-ResNet) was constructed to provide an objective CT imaging basis for differential diagnosis between pancreatic serous cystic neoplasms (SCNs) and mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs).

Materials and methods
This study is a retrospective analysis of pancreatic unenhanced and enhanced CT images in 63 patients with pancreatic SCNs and 47 patients with MCNs (3 of which were mucinous cystadenocarcinoma) confirmed by pathology from December 2010 to August 2016. Different image segmented methods (single-channel manual outline ROI image and multi-channel image), feature extraction methods (wavelet, LBP, HOG, GLCM, Gabor, ResNet, and AlexNet) and classifiers (KNN, Softmax, Bayes, random forest classifier, and Majority Voting rule method) are used to classify the nature of the lesion in each CT image (SCNs/MCNs). Then, the comparisons of classification results were made based on sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, F1 score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), with pathological results serving as the gold standard.

Results
Multi-channel-ResNet (AUC 0.98) was superior to Manual-ResNet (AUC 0.91).CT image characteristics of lesions extracted by ResNet are more representative than wavelet, LBP, HOG, GLCM, Gabor, and AlexNet. Compared to the use of three classifiers alone and Majority Voting rule method, the use of the MMRF-ResNet model exhibits a better evaluation effect (AUC 0.96) for the classification of the pancreatic SCNs and MCNs.

Conclusion
The CT image classification model MMRF-ResNet is an effective method to distinguish between pancreatic SCNs and MCNs.

Graphic abstract
The Effect of Mandatory Play Breaks on Subsequent Gambling Behavior Among Norwegian Online Sports Betting, Slots and Bingo Players: A Large-scale Real World Study
Authors: Hopfgartner Niklas , Auer Michael , Santos Tiago , Helic Denis , Griffiths Mark D. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIn order to protect gamblers, gambling operators have introduced a wide range of responsible gambling (RG) tools. Mandatory play breaks (i.e., forced termination of a gambling session) and personalized feedback about the gambling expenditure are two RG tools that are frequently used. While the motivation behind mandatory play breaks is simple (i.e., gambling operators expect gamblers to reduce their gambling significantly as a result of an enforced break in play), empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of the mandatory breaks is still limited. The present study comprised a real-world experiment with the clientele of Norwegian gambling operator Norsk Tipping. On the Norsk Tipping gambling website, which offers slots, bingo and sports-betting, forced termination occurs if gamblers have played continuously for a one-hour period. The study tested the effect of different lengths of mandatory play breaks (90 s, 5 min, 15 min) on subsequent gambling behavior, as well as the effect of combined personalized feedback concerning money wagered, won, and net win/loss. In total 21,129 online players (61% male; mean age = 47.4 years) experienced at least one play break between April 17 and May 21 (2020) with 156,989 mandatory play breaks in total. Results indicated that a 15-min mandatory play break led to a disproportionately longer voluntary play pause compared to 5-min and 90-s mandatory play breaks. Personalized feedback appeared to have no additional effect on subsequent gambling and none of the mandatory play breaks appeared to affect the increase or decrease in money wagered once players started to gamble again.
Unlocking a nose landing gear in different flight conditions: folds, cusps and a swallowtail
Authors: Knowles James A. C. , Krauskopf Bernd , Coetzee Etienne B. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThis paper investigates the unlocking of a non-conventional nose landing gear mechanism that uses a single lock to fix the landing gear in both its downlocked and uplocked states (as opposed to having two separate locks as in most present nose landing gears in operation today). More specifically, we present a bifurcation analysis of a parameterized mathematical model for this mechanical system that features elastic constraints and takes into account internal and external forces. This formulation makes it possible to employ numerical continuation techniques to determine the robustness of the proposed unlocking strategy with respect to changing aircraft attitude. In this way, we identify as a function of several parameters the steady-state solutions of the system, as well as their bifurcations: fold bifurcations where two steady states coalesce, cusp points on curves of fold bifurcations, and a swallowtail bifurcation that generates two cusp points. Our results are presented as surfaces of steady states, joined by curves of fold bifurcations, over the plane of retraction actuator force and unlock actuator force, where we consider four scenarios of the aircraft: level flight; steep climb; steep descent; intermediate descent. A crucial cusp point is found to exist irrespective of aircraft attitude: it corresponds to the mechanism being at overcentre, which is a position that creates a mechanical singularity with respect to the effect of forces applied by the actuators. Furthermore, two cusps on a key fold locus are unfolded in a (codimension-three) swallowtail bifurcation as the aircraft attitude is changed: physical factors that create these bifurcations are presented. A practical outcome of this research is the realization that the design of this and other types of landing gear mechanism should be undertaken by considering the effects of forces over considerable ranges, with a special focus on the overcentre position, to ensure a smooth retraction occurs. More generally, continuation methods are shown to be a valuable tool for determining the overall geometric structure of steady states of mechanisms subject to (external) forces.
A minimum-time obstacle-avoidance path planning algorithm for unmanned aerial vehicles
Authors: De Marinis Arturo , Iavernaro Felice , Mazzia Francesca 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIn this article, we present a new strategy to determine an unmanned aerial vehicle trajectory that minimizes its flight time in presence of avoidance areas and obstacles. The method combines classical results from optimal control theory, i.e. the Euler-Lagrange Theorem and the Pontryagin Minimum Principle, with a continuation technique that dynamically adapts the solution curve to the presence of obstacles. We initially consider the two-dimensional path planning problem and then move to the three-dimensional one, and include numerical illustrations for both cases to show the efficiency of our approach.
High Temperature Oxidation Performance of an Additively Manufactured Mo–9Si–8B Alloy
Authors: Becker Julia , Schmigalla Sven , Schultze Sabine , Rittinghaus Silja-Katharina , Weisheit Andreas , Schmelzer Janett , Krüger Manja 
Published: October 2021

AbstractAs reported in previous studies, the processing of Mo–Si–B alloys using additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, like directed energy deposition (DED) shows a high technical feasibility. The present work investigates the cyclic oxidation performance of an AM DED Mo–9Si–8B alloy. Depending on the temperature (800 °C, 1100 °C, 1300 °C), the oxidation mechanisms vary, which is due to different reactions at the surface of the alloys accompanied with mass changes of samples. These mass changes can be explained on the basis of microstructural investigations. However, compared to a powder metallurgically processed Mo–9Si–8B alloy, the AM-DED alloy shows competitive oxidation performance at potential application temperatures of 1100 °C and 1300 °C, while a catastrophic materials degradation occurs at 800 °C as also observed in other Mo-rich Mo–Si–B alloys.
Association between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality and morbidity
Authors: Semczuk-Kaczmarek Karolina , Rys-Czaporowska Anna , Sierdzinski Janusz , Kaczmarek Lukasz Dominik , Szymanski Filip Marcin , Platek Anna Edyta 
Published: October 2021

AbstractCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting the world unevenly. One of the highest numbers of cases were recorded in the most polluted regions worldwide. The risk factors for severe COVID-19 include diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases. It has been known that the same disease might be worsened by chronic exposure to air pollution. The study aimed to determine whether long-term average exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Poland. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for each voivodeship (the main administrative level of jurisdictions) in Poland were collected from March 4, 2020, to May 15, 2020. Based on the official data published by Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection voivodeship-level long-term exposure to main air pollution: PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, O3 (averaged from 2013 to 2018) was established. There were statistically significant correlation between COVID-19 cases (per 100,000 population) and annual average concentration of PM2.5 (R2 = 0.367, p = 0.016), PM10 (R2 = 0.415, p = 0.009), SO2 (R2 = 0.489, p = 0.003), and O3 (R2 = 0.537, p = 0.0018). Moreover, COVID-19 deaths (per 100,000 population) were associated with annual average concentration of PM2.5 (R2 = 0.290, p = 0.038), NO2 (R2 = 0.319, p = 0.028), O3 (R2 = 0.452, p = 0.006). The long-term exposure to air pollution, especially PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3 seems to play an essential role in COVID-19 prevalence and mortality. Long-term exposure to air pollution might increase the susceptibility to the infection, exacerbates the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections, and worsens the patients’ prognosis. The study provides generalized and possible universal trends. Detailed analyzes of the phenomenon dedicated to a given region require taking into account data on comorbidities and socioeconomic variables as well as information about the long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 cases and deaths at smaller administrative level of jurisdictions (community or at least district level).
"COVID-19 spreads round the planet, and so do paranoid thoughts". A qualitative investigation into personal experiences of psychosis during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Lyons Minna , Bootes Ellen , Brewer Gayle , Stratton Katie , Centifanti Luna 
Published: October 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic is likely to affect people who have had previous experiences of psychosis – either positively or negatively. A research gap exists in looking at qualitative experiences of the pandemic. In the present study, we address the research gap in those who self-identified as having psychosis via Reddit discussion forum posts, collecting data from a popular online community. Sixty-five posts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Five overarching themes were identifie; declining mental health, changed psychosis experiences, personal coping experiences, social connectedness and disconnectedness, and COVID-19 as a metaphor. The data show that there are varied experiences associated with the pandemic. People who have experiences of psychosis do not only have vulnerabilities but may also perceive themselves as having strengths that allow them to cope better.
The Financial Impacts of COVID-19 on United Methodist Churches in North Carolina: A Qualitative Study of Pastors’ Perspectives and Strategies
Authors: Eagle David E. , Johnston Erin , Headley Jennifer , Holleman Anna 
Published: October 2021

Background In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches in the United States were forced to stop meeting in person and move to remote forms of worship and congregational life. This shift likely impacted congregational finances, which are primarily driven by individual donations. Initial research has suggested that there is a great deal of heterogeneity in the financial impact on congregations, but there has been scant research examining how pastors and congregations are managing finances during this period. Purpose This research examines the impact of COVID-19 and its associated restrictions on congregational finances and the strategies pastors used to adapt their church's finances to the health restrictions. Methods We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with 50 pastors in the North Carolina and Western North Carolina Conferences of the United Methodist Church appointed to 70 congregations. Using applied thematic analysis, we analyzed transcripts at both the pastor and congregation-level to identify similarities and differences in financial impact, financial strategies, and pastor experiences during the pandemic. Results Most congregations reported small decreases in giving that were offset by federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and other grants from the denomination. Some congregations, mostly urban and fairly large, reported significant increases in giving, while several other, predominantly small congregations, reported their church's finances had been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Even in cases where the net impact of the pandemic was small or non-existent, pastors were forced to adopt a host of new strategies to manage finances. In general, small and large congregations experienced and responded to the financial impact of the pandemic very differently.and Implications. Conclusions This research suggests that the pandemic's impact on congregational finances were more than just on the bottom line. And while most churches weathered the economic challenges without severe impacts, questions remain as to the long-term impact of the pandemic on church finances.
When Disaster Risk Management Systems Fail: The Case of Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe
Authors: Munsaka Edson , Mudavanhu Chipo , Sakala Lucy , Manjeru Pepukai , Matsvange Diego 
Published: October 2021

AbstractOn 14 March 2019, Zimbabwe was hit by Cyclone Idai, leaving immeasurable destruction of unprecedented magnitude in its wake. In Chimanimani District, many lives were lost, many people were reported missing, and others were displaced. The question that immediately comes to mind is: Was the country prepared to manage the Cyclone Idai disaster? Reflecting on the community experiences, the purpose of this research was to interrogate the strength of the disaster risk reduction legislation and institutions in Zimbabwe in the face of meteorological hazards. The research also evaluated the extent of the impact Cyclone Idai had on the Chimanimani communities and the factors that increased the vulnerability to the cyclone. A mixed method approach that involved 1180 participants was used. The study found that disaster risk management legislation and institutions in Zimbabwe are weak. Cyclone Idai resulted in the loss of many human lives, loss of livelihoods, and massive damage to infrastructure. The cyclone exposed capacity and policy gaps in Zimbabwe’s disaster risk management system. The study makes a number of recommendations, including strengthening disaster legislation and policy, and disaster risk governance. Given the communities’ response to the disaster occurrence, the study also recommends strengthening social capital.
PROUD-MAL: static analysis-based progressive framework for deep unsupervised malware classification of windows portable executable
Authors: Rizvi Syed Khurram Jah , Aslam Warda , Shahzad Muhammad , Saleem Shahzad , Fraz Muhammad Moazam 
Published: October 2021

AbstractEnterprises are striving to remain protected against malware-based cyber-attacks on their infrastructure, facilities, networks and systems. Static analysis is an effective approach to detect the malware, i.e., malicious Portable Executable (PE). It performs an in-depth analysis of PE files without executing, which is highly useful to minimize the risk of malicious PE contaminating the system. Yet, instant detection using static analysis has become very difficult due to the exponential rise in volume and variety of malware. The compelling need of early stage detection of malware-based attacks significantly motivates research inclination towards automated malware detection. The recent machine learning aided malware detection approaches using static analysis are mostly supervised. Supervised malware detection using static analysis requires manual labelling and human feedback; therefore, it is less effective in rapidly evolutionary and dynamic threat space. To this end, we propose a progressive deep unsupervised framework with feature attention block for static analysis-based malware detection (PROUD-MAL). The framework is based on cascading blocks of unsupervised clustering and features attention-based deep neural network. The proposed deep neural network embedded with feature attention block is trained on the pseudo labels. To evaluate the proposed unsupervised framework, we collected a real-time malware dataset by deploying low and high interaction honeypots on an enterprise organizational network. Moreover, endpoint security solution is also deployed on an enterprise organizational network to collect malware samples. After post processing and cleaning, the novel dataset consists of 15,457 PE samples comprising 8775 malicious and 6681 benign ones. The proposed PROUD-MAL framework achieved an accuracy of more than 98.09% with better quantitative performance in standard evaluation parameters on collected dataset and outperformed other conventional machine learning algorithms. The implementation and dataset are available at https://bit.ly/35Sne3a.
Lake water quality observed after extreme rainfall events: implications for water quality affected by stormy runoff
Authors: Fukushima Takehiko , Kitamura Tatsumi , Matsushita Bunkei 
Published: October 2021

AbstractTo investigate the effects of extreme rainfall events (EREs) on lake water quality, we analyzed the lake monthly monitoring data at the stations close to inflow rivers. We tested the hypothesis that the effects depend on rainfall magnitude, season, distance from the rivers, etc. The highest correlations with many water-quality indicators were obtained for the rainfall amount for the preceding 10 days before the water sampling days; i.e., negatively with Na+, Cl−, chlorophyll a (Chla), and COD, and positively with ortho-phosphate. We used the threshold of rainfall amount ≥ 140 mm to choose EREs and evaluate the water quality on such occasions because quite low values of Na+, Cl−, and Chla thresholds (≤ 25th percentile) were observed in some of the EREs. The event samples (group 1; G1) meeting the above thresholds probably represented the inflow waters during EREs (generally occurred in Oct–May), and the others (group 2; G2) indicated significant changes in the lakes (Jun to Sep), probably depending on the lake’s state of primary production. In the events of lower rainfall events (50 mm to 140 mm for 10 days), fast recoveries of algal production usually occurred even in Oct to May. The values of COD, total phosphorus, and ortho-phosphate in G1 were higher than the values of river water quality in the baseflow conditions, whereas both the G1 and baseflow values of nitrogen were nearly the same. The effects of ERFs on lake water quality from the viewpoints of tempo-longitudinal distributions, future monitoring, and climate change were discussed.
Suitability of DIC and ESPI optical methods for monitoring fatigue damage development in X10CrMoVNb9-1 power engineering steel
Authors: Kopec M. , Brodecki A. , Kukla D. , Kowalewski Z. L. 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
The aim of this research was to compare the effectiveness of two different optical measurement techniques (digital image correlation—DIC and electronic speckle pattern interferometry—ESPI) during fatigue damage development monitoring in X10CrMoVNb9-1 (P91) power engineering steel for pipes. The specimens machined from the as-received pipe were subjected to fatigue loadings and monitored simultaneously using DIC and ESPI techniques. It was found that DIC technique, although characterised by lower resolution, was more effective than ESPI. DIC allows to monitor the fatigue behaviour of steel specimens and accurately indicate the area of potential failure even within the initial stage of fatigue damage development.