bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insights from dispersion in carbon nanotubes‐based poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) wearable sensors via solvent casting
Authors: Díaz‐Mena V. , Sánchez‐Romate Xoan F. , Sánchez M. , Ureña A. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractFlexible sensors, made of PVDF‐HFP reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are manufactured by solvent casting. More specifically, the effect of evaporation temperature and sonication time is explored. It is seen that two effects govern the dispersion of CNT: the sedimentation half‐time, and the breakage induced by the ultrasonication process. In this regard, it is found that 60°C is an optimum evaporation temperature to reach the highest value of electrical conductivity, since it offers a good balance between these effects, leading to the creation of a more efficient electrical network. This is also confirmed by the AC analysis, where these samples show the highest characteristic frequencies. The electromechanical results show a greater dependency on evaporation temperature for low sonication times, as the breakage induced by an ultrasonic process is not so pronounced and, therefore, the sedimentation effect plays a more dominant role. In addition, cycling tests show robust electromechanical response with cycling, and creep tests prove good electrical response of the sensors, less than 200 ms in some cases. Finally, proof of concept testing of wrist, shoulder, and neck monitoring highlights the potential of the proposed materials for sensing applications.Highlights
PVDF‐HFP/CNT nanocomposite strain sensors via solvent casting are proposed.
The effect of evaporation temperature and sonication time is studied.
DC and AC conductivities were analyzed and modeled via an equivalent circuit.
An outstanding Gauge Factor of 86.30 × 104 is achieved at 95% of strain level.
Two proof‐of‐concepts of medium and large movements are successfully achieved.
Data‐driven quality prediction in injection molding: An autoencoder and machine learning approach
Authors: Ke Kun‐Cheng , Wang Jui‐Chih , Nian Shih‐Chih 
Published: July 2024

AbstractIn the injection molding process, the pressure within the mold cavity is crucial to the quality of the final product. Due to the inability to directly observe the process, sensor technology is required to acquire data. Traditionally, experts interpret and encode pressure curves, but this method has limitations. This study proposes an innovative pressure curve encoding technique to overcome these limitations and achieve automation to obtain more comprehensive pressure information. The study employs mold flow analysis software and autoencoders to capture and encode pressure data, classifying pressure curves into global pressure and local pressure values. Subsequently, a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network is used for machine learning to predict multiple qualities. Results indicate that local pressure features perform better in predicting multiple‐quality targets than global pressure features, exhibiting smaller prediction ranges and higher prediction stability. Although domain knowledge‐based indicator features slightly outperform in terms of predictive capability, the low error results of the local pressure feature method validate the effectiveness of the autoencoder approach, demonstrating its potential for digital information extraction and practical quality prediction in the injection molding process.Highlights
Develops a product quality prediction system for efficient injection molding.
Autoencoders extract key features from pressure data without domain knowledge.
ML models predict quality indicators, optimizing injection molding processes.
Compares pressure features, showing data‐driven methods' prediction accuracy.
Beliefs regarding the use of imaging among patients with low back pain: A cross‐sectional study in the context of a middle‐income country
Authors: Diniz Leandro M. , Lemes Ítalo R. , Freire Ana P. C. F. , Guimarães Ana F. , Ferreira Lucas A. C. , Franco Marcia R. , Verhagen Arianne P. , Simoneau Guy , Pinto Rafael Z. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractIntroductionPatients with low back pain may play an active role in the prescription of excessive spine imaging.ObjectiveTo determine the proportion of patients with low back pain who have beliefs not aligned with current evidence regarding the use of imaging and to identify factors associated with these beliefs.DesignSecondary analysis of baseline data of a previously published randomized clinical trial.SettingOutpatient physical therapy clinic in a middle‐income country.PatientsIndividuals with non‐specific low back pain.MethodsOutcome variables were two statements assessing the extent of patient agreement on the need for imaging in the management of low back pain. The predictor variables were age, educational level, duration of symptoms, disability level, pain intensity in the last 24 hours, beliefs about inevitable consequences of low back pain (assessed using the Back Belief Questionnaire), and having received imaging previously. Multivariable logistic models were used for data analysis.Main Outcome Measure(s)Level of agreement with Statement 1: X‐rays or scans are necessary to get the best medical care for low back pain and Statement 2: Everyone with low back pain should have spine imaging.ResultsA total of 159 patients were included. Of these, 88.1% believed that imaging was necessary for the best medical care for low back pain and 62.9% believed that everyone with low back pain should obtain imaging. Lower scores on the Back Belief Questionnaire were associated with beliefs that imaging was necessary (odds ratio [OR] = 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81, 0.99) and low education level was associated with the belief that everyone with low back pain should obtain imaging (OR = 3.03, 95% CI: 1.38, 6.61), after controlling for potential confounders.ConclusionNearly 90% of patients believe that spine imaging is necessary for the management of low back pain. Beliefs about the inevitable consequences of low back pain and low education level may be factors that need to be considered when developing new interventions.
Unequal burials: Medicolegal death investigation system variation as a determinant of FEMA's disaster funeral assistance allocation
Authors: Zaychik Danielle 
Published: July 2024

AbstractFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster funeral assistance is available to cover funeral expenses for the relatives of disaster victims in the United States. However, funds are dependent on death certificate proof of a disaster‐related cause of death. Previous research has shown that the medicolegal death investigation (MDI) system may impact the quality of death certificate data. This research examines the relationship between MDI systems and FEMA disaster funeral assistance distribution. The results of the study indicate that centralized medical examiner systems have higher funeral assistance acceptance rates than other MDI system types. Democratic states and counties with fewer minority residents also have higher acceptance rates. Furthermore, acceptance rates varied significantly by FEMA regional office. These findings suggest that the distribution of funeral assistance may be influenced by administrative and political differences between states.
Fault reconstruction‐based robust tracking control design for periodic piecewise polynomial systems with disturbances
Authors: Aravinth Narayanan , Sakthivel Rathinasamy , Satheesh Thangavel , Kwon Oh‐Min 
Published: July 2024

AbstractIn this article, we address the topics of fault reconstruction and robust fault‐tolerant tracking control for periodic piecewise polynomial uncertain systems with time‐varying delays, faults and external disturbances. In detail, the periodic piecewise polynomial learning observer system is configured with the intent to concurrently reconstruct the faults and immeasurable states of the system that is being considered. Precisely, the key intent of this study centers around in devising a robust fault‐tolerant tracking control to achieve the tracking performance of the system as intended with mixed and passivity performance. To this end, a robust fault‐tolerant tracking control is designed by incorporating the reconstructed faults and error feedback, which aids in vouching for the outcomes that were desired. Besides, by building the periodic piecewise polynomial Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and making use of the matrix polynomial lemma and Wirtinger's inequality, certain adequate conditions are procured in the frame of linear matrix inequalities. Subsequently, the required gain values for the devised controller and the configured observer are found by using the established linear matrix inequalities. Ultimately, in order to attest the controller's intrinsic potential and relevance, numerical example along with the simulation results is supplied.
Spodosol development and soil organic carbon distribution along a lithosequence in perhumid coastal temperate rainforest
Authors: Fedenko Jennifer , D'Amore David , Spinola Diogo , Portes Raquel , Dere Ashlee , Lybrand Rebecca A. 
Published: July 2024

AbstractA dense concentration of old‐growth forest and a wet, cold climate promote mineral weathering and leaching in coastal temperate rainforest soils. Our objective was to assess soil development and soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution across 18 soil profiles in remote, upland terrain of southeast Alaska where pedon data are sparse. We made soil morphological observations, collected samples, and completed laboratory analyses to measure SOC content, pH, and particle size distribution. The survey of upland backslope soils included north‐ and south‐facing hillslopes derived from three lithologies (slate, metavolcanic, and phyllite). The soils across all sites were very gravelly (51.8 ± 20.4% coarse fragments), acidic (mineral soil pH 4.85 ± 0.45), and moderately deep (96.56 ± 37.80 cm); thin, broken E horizons were underlain by thick, carbon‐rich spodic horizons. Soil development was relatively consistent as demonstrated by the Profile Development Index with values from 15 to 26 and Podzolization Index values spanning 8 to 14. A mean pedon SOC stock of 198.02 ± 81.42 Mg C ha−1 (n = 18) was calculated using data collected for all upland organic and mineral soils from our work. The accumulation of SOC was similar among soils formed from contrasting lithologies with averages of 182 ± 15.70 Mg C ha−1 for slate, 188 ± 53.80 Mg C ha−1 for metavolcanic, and 218 ± 124 Mg C ha−1 for phyllite. Our work contributes to soil morphological observations, laboratory data, and SOC stock estimates required to better constrain and model pedogenic processes and SOC stock in remote forests where data sets are limited.
Evolution of secure development lifecycles and maturity models in the context of hosted solutions
Authors: Lange Felix , Kunz Immanuel 
Published: July 2024

AbstractOrganizations creating software commonly utilize software development lifecycles (SDLCs) to structure development activities. Secure development lifecycles (SDLs) integrate into SDLCs, adding security or compliance activities. They are widely used and have been published by industry leaders and in literature. These SDLs, however, were mostly designed before or while cloud services and other hosted solutions became popular. Such offerings widen the provider's responsibilities, as they not only deliver software but operate and decommission it as well. SDLs, however, do not always account for this change. Security maturity models (SMMs) help to assess SDLs and identify improvements by introducing a baseline to compare against. Multiple of these models were created after the advent of hosted solutions and are more recent than commonly referenced SDLs. Recent SMMs and SDLs may therefore support hosted solutions better than older proposals do. This paper compares a set of current and historic SDLs and SMMs in order to review their support for hosted solutions, including how support has changed over time. Security, privacy, and support for small or agile organizations are considered, as all are relevant to hosted solutions. The SDLs analyzed include Microsoft's SDL, McGraw's Touchpoints, the Cisco's SDL, and Stackpole and Oksendahl's SDL2. The SMMs reviewed are OWASP's Software Assurance Maturity Model 2 and DevSecOps Maturity Model. To assess the support for hosted solutions, the security and privacy activities foreseen in each SDLC phase are compared, before organizational compatibility, activity relevance, and efficiency are assessed. The paper further demonstrates how organizations may select and adjust a suitable proposal. The analyzed proposals are found to not sufficiently support hosted solutions: Important SDLC phases, such as solution retirement, are not always sufficiently supported. Agile practices, such as working in sprints, and small organizations are often not sufficiently considered as well. Efficiency is found to vary based on the application context. A clear improvement trend from before the proliferation of hosted solutions cannot be identified. Future work is therefore found to be required.
Introduction: A Policy-Focused Approach
Authors: Laffin Martin , Wayenberg Ellen , Kuhlmann Sabine , Bergström Tomas 
Published: July 2024

AbstractThis book aims to contribute to our theoretical and empirical understanding of comparative intergovernmental studies and public administration during a period of increasing political, social, and economic crises. These crises have meant that, over recent years, those involved with intergovernmental relationships (IGR) have had to cope with new challenges and manage often unprecedented tensions between levels of government. In particular, new and emergent issues have arrived on the political agenda. These issues create present or looming crises in government and wider society—such as over disease control (such as Covid-19), mass migration, and climate change. They pose new and complex governance challenges, and place strains on the political responsiveness, policymaking capacities, and operational capacities of existing European substate political-administrative institutions. These unprecedented challenges necessitate a critical examination of the prevailing assumptions that underpin contemporary studies on European substate government and intergovernmental relations (IGR). This book provides such an examination through applying a policy-focused approach (Hacker & Pierson, 2014). This approach departs from the conventional institutional-focused approach, prevalent in past comparative European intergovernmental relations studies, which seeks to explain contemporary IGR arrangements predominantly in terms of the persistent and dominant influence of political-institutional, structural legacies (e.g. Loughlin et al., 2011). In contrast, the policy-focused approach contends that the structures and processes of IGR are best understood by analysing how specific policy issues are navigated by actors.
Inter-administrative Relations in Migrant Integration: France, Germany, and Sweden Compared
Authors: Oehlert Franziska , Kuhlmann Sabine 
Published: July 2024

AbstractMigrant integration is a prime example of intergovernmental coordination and multilevel governance; first because no level of government can carry out this task alone, and second because its cross-cutting nature often leads to fragmented institutional structures that must be overcome. Within the research strand of intergovernmental relations (IGR), the focus has been on executive actors and governmental decision-makers, resulting in an underexposure of the role of public administration, known as inter-administrative relations (IAR). Against this backdrop, we aim to remedy some of the deficits in IGR research by (1) adopting an explicit IAR perspective which systematically addresses the role of local governments; (2) including a comparative dimension in IAR research that accounts for different administrative ‘starting conditions’ in European countries; and (3) using the policy area of migrant integration as a case in point to empirically investigate developments of institutional convergence and divergence in IAR patterns. It is argued that the coordination of migrant integration in the three countries examined has moved towards more intergovernmental coordination, on the one hand, and that the role of municipalities in this context has been enhanced—varying degrees of (de-)centralization notwithstanding. While certain convergent patterns of inter-governmental coordination have become apparent during the migration crisis, historical path dependencies and administrative cultures still appear to be factors that influence institutional development.
AI Cards: Towards an Applied Framework for Machine-Readable AI and Risk Documentation Inspired by the EU AI Act
Authors: Golpayegani Delaram , Hupont Isabelle , Panigutti Cecilia , Pandit Harshvardhan J. , Schade Sven , O’Sullivan Declan , Lewis Dave 
Published: July 2024

AbstractWith the upcoming enforcement of the EU AI Act, documentation of high-risk AI systems and their risk management information will become a legal requirement playing a pivotal role in demonstration of compliance. Despite its importance, there is a lack of standards and guidelines to assist with drawing up AI and risk documentation aligned with the AI Act. This paper aims to address this gap by providing an in-depth analysis of the AI Act’s provisions regarding technical documentation, wherein we particularly focus on AI risk management. On the basis of this analysis, we propose AI Cards as a novel holistic framework for representing a given intended use of an AI system by encompassing information regarding technical specifications, context of use, and risk management, both in human- and machine-readable formats. While the human-readable representation of AI Cards provides AI stakeholders with a transparent and comprehensible overview of the AI use case, its machine-readable specification leverages on state of the art Semantic Web technologies to embody the interoperability needed for exchanging documentation within the AI value chain. This brings the flexibility required for reflecting changes applied to the AI system and its context, provides the scalability needed to accommodate potential amendments to legal requirements, and enables development of automated tools to assist with legal compliance and conformity assessment tasks. To solidify the benefits, we provide an exemplar AI Card for an AI-based student proctoring system and further discuss its potential applications within and beyond the context of the AI Act.
Verantwortungsvolle Wissenschaftsbewertung in der Medizin – was zählt?
Authors: Herrmann-Lingen Christoph 
Published: July 2024

ZusammenfassungDer vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet aus der Sicht eines Praktikers die Zielsetzungen und Probleme der Evaluation medizinischer Forschung und der hierauf basierenden Leistungsorientierten Mittelvergabe (LOM) bzw. der Indikatorgestützten Mittelallokation (IMA). Nach einer allgemeinen Einführung ins Thema stellt er, methodische Probleme der Publikationsbewertung als eines zentralen Leistungsindikators und unerwünschte Effekte bibliometrisch definierter Anreiz- und Steuerungssysteme dar. In einem Exkurs wird dabei auch auf die durch extrinsische Incentivierungen erzeugten Interessenkonflikte und ihre potenziell schädlichen Effekte auf das Wissenschaftssystem eingegangen. Im zweiten Teil werden Probleme aktueller Anreiz- und Incentivierungssysteme im spezifischen Kontext medizinischer Forschung skizziert und Anregungen für eine Weiterentwicklung wissenschaftsadäquater und multidimensionaler Evaluations- und Anreizsysteme formuliert.
Dimensionen und Qualitätsmaße zur Evaluation medizinischer Forschung – Kontext und Ansätze des Projekts QuaMedFo
Authors: Biesenbender Sophie 
Published: July 2024

ZusammenfassungDas Verbundprojekt „Qualitätsmaße zur Evaluation medizinischer Forschung“ (QuaMedFo, Projektzeitraum 2019–2022) war der Ausgangspunkt für den vorliegenden Sammelband „Qualitätsmessung als Prisma“, welcher verschiedene Perspektiven auf die Evaluation medizinischer Forschung in Deutschland versammelt. Dieser Beitrag enthält eine Beschreibung des Projekts QuaMedFo und eine Einordnung in den allgemeinen Stand der Forschung sowie die aktuelle Diskussion zum Thema datengestützte Bestandsaufnahmen und Forschungsevaluationen. Am Beispiel der medizinischen Forschung und bestehender Evaluationspraxen im deutschen Wissenschaftssystem werden strukturelle, methodische und praktische Herausforderungen bei Entwicklung adäquater Betrachtungs- und Bewertungsinstrumente skizziert. Das Kapitel umfasst eine Kontextualisierung und Hinführung zu den im QuaMedFo-Projekt durchgeführten Analysen verschiedener Dimensionen und Datenzugänge für die Evaluation medizinischer Forschung und setzt den konzeptionellen Ausgangspunkt für die Ableitung von Empfehlungen und Denkanstößen.
Boundary Liouville conformal field theory in four dimensions
Authors: Gaikwad Adwait , Kislev Amitay C. , Levy Tom , Oz Yaron 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Higher dimensional Euclidean Liouville conformal field theories (LCFTs) consist of a log-correlated real scalar field with a background charge and an exponential potential. We analyse the LCFT on a four-dimensional manifold with a boundary. We extend to the boundary, the conformally covariant GJMS operator and the $$ \mathcal{Q} $$
Q
-curvature term in the LCFT action and classify the conformal boundary conditions. Working on a flat space with plate boundary, we calculate the dimensions of the boundary conformal primary operators, the two- and three-point functions of the displacement operator and the boundary conformal anomaly coefficients.
The potential of an artificial intelligence for diagnosing MRI images in rectal cancer: multicenter collaborative trial
Authors: Hamabe Atsushi , Takemasa Ichiro , Ishii Masayuki , Okuya Koichi , Hida Koya , Nishizaki Daisuke , Sumii Atsuhiko , Arizono Shigeki , Kohno Shigeshi , Tokunaga Koji , Nakai Hirotsugu , Sakai Yoshiharu , Watanabe Masahiko 
Published: July 2024

Abstract
Background
An artificial intelligence-based algorithm we developed, mrAI, satisfactorily segmented the rectal tumor, rectum, and mesorectum from MRI data of rectal cancer patients in an initial study. Herein, we aimed to validate mrAI using an independent dataset.

Methods
We utilized MRI images collected in another nationwide research project, "Open versus Laparoscopic Surgery for Advanced Low Rectal Cancer Patients". MRIs from 467 cases with upfront surgery were utilized; six radiologists centralized the MRI evaluations. The diagnostic accuracies of mrAI and the radiologists for tumor depth were compared using pathologic diagnosis as a reference.

Results
For all cases, centralized diagnosis demonstrated 84.2% sensitivity, 37.7% specificity, and 73.7% accuracy; mrAI exhibited 70.6% sensitivity, 61.3% specificity, and 68.5% accuracy. After limiting MRIs to those acquired by a Philips scanner, with an inter-slice spacing of ≤ 6 mm—both conditions similar to those used in the development of mrAI—the performance of mrAI improved to 76.8% sensitivity, 76.7% specificity, and 76.7% accuracy, while the centralized diagnosis showed 81.8% sensitivity, 36.7% specificity, and 71.3% accuracy. Regarding relapse-free survival, the prognosis for tumors staged ≥ T3 was significantly worse than for tumors staged ≤ T2 (P = 0.0484) in the pathologic diagnosis. While no significant difference was observed between ≥ T3 and ≤ T2 tumors in the centralized diagnosis (P = 0.1510), the prognosis for ≥ T3 was significantly worse in the mrAI diagnosis (P = 0.0318).

Conclusion
Proper imaging conditions for MRI can enhance the accuracy of mrAI, which has the potential to provide feedback to radiologists without overestimating tumor stage.