bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unveiling the molecular mechanisms: dietary phytosterols as guardians against cardiovascular diseases
Authors: El Omari Nasreddine , Bakrim Saad , Khalid Asaad , Abdalla Ashraf N. , Iesa Mohamed A. M. , El Kadri Kawtar , Tang Siah Ying , Goh Bey Hing , Bouyahya Abdelhakim 
Published: May 2024

AbstractUntil recently, the main pharmaceuticals used to control cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) were statin-related drugs, known for their historical side effects. Therefore, there is growing interest in exploring alternatives, such as nutritional and dietary components, that could play a central role in CVD prevention. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how natural phytosterols found in various diets combat CVDs. We begin with a description of the overall approach, then we explore in detail the different direct and indirect mechanisms that contribute to reducing cardiovascular incidents. Phytosterols, including stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, ergosterol, and fucosterol, emerge as promising molecules within nutritional systems for protection against CVDs due to their beneficial effects at different levels through direct or indirect cellular, subcellular, and molecular mechanisms. Specifically, the mentioned phytosterols exhibit the ability to diminish the generation of various radicals, including hydroperoxides and hydrogen peroxide. They also promote the activation of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione, while inhibiting lipid peroxidation through the activation of Nrf2 and Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathways. Additionally, they demonstrate a significant inhibitory capacity in the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus playing a crucial role in regulating the inflammatory/immune response by inhibiting the expression of proteins involved in cellular signaling pathways such as JAK3/STAT3 and NF-κB. Moreover, phytosterols play a key role in reducing cholesterol absorption and improving the lipid profile. These compounds can be used as dietary supplements or included in specific diets to aid control cholesterol levels, particularly in individuals suffering from hypercholesterolemia.
Graphical Abstract
An Étude on the regularization and renormalization of divergences in primordial observables
Authors: Negro Anna , Patil Subodh P. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractMany cosmological observables derive from primordial vacuum fluctuations evolved to late times. These observables represent statistical draws from some underlying quantum or statistical field theoretic framework where infinities arise and require regularization. After subtraction, renormalization conditions must be imposed by measurements at some scale, mindful of scheme and background dependence. We review this process on backgrounds that transition from finite duration inflation to radiation domination, and show how in spite of the ubiquity of scaleless integrals, ultraviolet (UV) divergences can still be meaningfully extracted from quantities that nominally vanish when dimensionally regularized. In this way, one can contextualize calculations with hard cutoffs, distinguishing between UV and infrared (IR) scales corresponding to the beginning and end of inflation from UV and IR scales corresponding to the unknown completion of the theory and its observables. This distinction has significance as observable quantities cannot depend on the latter, although they will certainly depend on the former. One can also explicitly show the scheme independence of the coefficients of UV divergent logarithms. Furthermore, certain IR divergences are shown to be an artifact of the de Sitter limit and are cured for finite duration inflation. For gravitational wave observables, we stress the need to regularize stress tensors that do not presume a prior scale separation in their definition (as with the standard Isaacson form), deriving an improved stress tensor fit to purpose. We conclude by highlighting the inextricable connection between inferring $$N_\textrm{eff}$$

N
eff

bounds from vacuum tensor perturbations and the process of background renormalization.
Synergistic CO2 mineralization using coal fly ash and red mud as a composite system
Authors: Yao Zhenchao , Wang Yugao , Shen Jun , Niu Yanxia , Yang Jiang Feng , Wei Xianyong 
Published: May 2024

AbstractCO2 mineralization plays a critical role in the storage and utilization of CO2. Coal fly ash (CFA) and red mud (RM) are widely utilized as CO2 mineralizers. However, the inert calcium species in CFA limit its carbonation capacity, meanwhile the substantial Ca2+ releasing of RM is hindered by a covering layer of calcium carbonate. In this study, CO2 mineralization in a composite system of CFA and RM was investigated to enhance the carbonation capacity. Multiple analyzers were employed to characterize the raw materials and resulting mineralization products. The results demonstrated that a synergistic effect existed in the composite system of CFA and RM, resulting in improving CO2 mineralization rate and efficiency. The produced calcium carbonate was ectopically attached the surface of CFA in the composite system, thus slowing down its coverage on the surface of RM. This phenomenon facilitated further releasing Ca2+ from the internal RM, thereby enhancing CO2 mineralization efficiency. Meanwhile, the inclusion of RM significantly improved the alkalinity of the composite system, which not only promoted the dissolution of Ca2+ of the inert CaSO4(H2O)2 in CFA, but also accelerated CO2 mineralization rate. The investigation would be beneficial to CO2 mineralization using industrial solid wastes.
Influences of clean fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on hydraulic fracture propagation and morphology in coal seam
Authors: Wang Gang , Wang Shuxin , Liu Yixin , Huang Qiming , Li Shengpeng , Xie Shuliang , Zheng Jinye , Fan Jiuyuan 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe viscosity of fracturing fluid and in-situ stress difference are the two important factors that affect the hydraulic fracturing pressure and propagation morphology. In this study, raw coal was used to prepare coal samples for experiments, and clean fracturing fluid samples were prepared using CTAB surfactant. A series of hydraulic fracturing tests were conducted with an in-house developed triaxial hydraulic fracturing simulator and the fracturing process was monitored with an acoustic emission instrument to analyze the influences of fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on coal fracture propagation. The results show that the number of branched fractures decreased, the fracture pattern became simpler, the fractures width increased obviously, and the distribution of AE event points was concentrated with the increase of the fracturing fluid viscosity or the horizontal in-situ stress difference. The acoustic emission energy decreases with the increase of fracturing fluid viscosity and increases with the increase of horizontal in situ stress difference. The low viscosity clean fracturing fluid has strong elasticity and is easy to be compressed into the tip of fractures, resulting in complex fractures. The high viscosity clean fracturing fluids are the opposite. Our experimental results provide a reference and scientific basis for the design and optimization of field hydraulic fracturing parameters.
Venture capital and the delegation of decision authority in startups: an exploratory study
Authors: Butticè Vincenzo , Colombo Massimo G. , Rovelli Paola 
Published: May 2024

AbstractWe study the delegation of authority over strategic decisions in startups and how it relates to venture capital (VC) investment through a mixed-methods study. We first show that startups typically centralize decision authority. The extent of delegation is higher if startups are VC-backed. In startups backed by corporate VC investors the aim is to leverage the unique knowledge possessed by entrepreneurial team members in a context characterized by low principal-principal agency costs. In those backed by independent VC investors, the increase in delegation is paired with the emergence of a polyarchy and decoupling between the formal and real organizations. In this situation delegation may serve as a control mechanism aligning the actions of startups with the interests of the VC investors.
Multifunctional nanorobot system in precise evaluation and manipulation of virus capsid
Authors: Xue Yuxuan , Wang Yichen , Liu Xinyu , Lin Jianfeng , Sun Zhiyong , Chen Jiangcheng , Xi Ning 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIt is imperative to have high adaptive techniques for sensing and manipulating biological targets at the nanoscale. This necessity becomes particularly crucial when dealing with fragile living bio-organisms like viruses, where the expression of capsids is closely linked to viral functions and genome constitution. Therefore, the development of a comprehensive system for dissecting and measuring viruses holds significant implications for the pharmaceutical industry and drug manufacturing. Leveraging the sub-nanometer spatial resolution and controllable tip-cantilever architecture of atomic force microscopy (AFM), a probe-laser system has been integrated as a self-sensing robotic end effector. To address intrinsic challenges in AFM-based robotic systems such as the lack of real-time monitoring, low scanning rates, and nonlinear motion caused by piezoelectric actuators, an augmented reality robotic system has been implemented. This system incorporates stereoscopic vision, a haptic feedback controller, a position recovery scheme, and a real-time force control algorithm. The integration of these components enhances the system’s capability to accurately dissect virus capsids. Operators can now perform highly efficient nanoscale tasks with multidimensional perception, utilizing the combination of stereoscopic vision and haptic force control. The position correction during manipulation can achieve a frame rate of over 30 frames per second, imperceptible to the operator, enabling closed-loop operation control. By adopting the proposed nanorobotic system in virology studies, it becomes possible to achieve accurate manipulation and dissection of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus capsids, and derive multi-parametric properties such as structural integrity, protein fragment thickness, and adhesive forces. The established nanobot system and experimental results serve as a guiding platform for high-accuracy evaluation in drug manufacturing development.
A cloud-based architecture for explainable Big Data analytics using self-structuring Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Mills Nishan , Issadeen Zafar , Matharaarachchi Amali , Bandaragoda Tharindu , De Silva Daswin , Jennings Andrew , Manic Milos 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBig Data is steadily expanding beyond the boundaries of its foundational constructs of three primary Vs, Volume, Velocity and Variety, and two secondary Vs, Veracity and Value. The advent of 5G networks, Edge computing and IoT technologies has transformed Big Data into this modern context. With these new manifestations of Big Data, the focus is not only on the data itself but on the context that it applies to its immediate environment as well as the human and societal perception of this context. It is increasingly challenging for conventional AI algorithms to process and transform this data, analyse and visualise a broad spectrum of insights, and then formulate the explainability of such insights in terms of bias, transparency, safety, ethics, and causality. Self-structuring Artificial Intelligence (SSAI) addresses the limitations of conventional AI by adapting to the inherent structure of the data, incrementally learning and abstracting from this structure. SSAI has not been investigated in a cloud-based setting for generating explainable insights from these new types of Big Data. In this paper we propose a cloud-based architecture for explainable Big Data analytics using SSAI in highly-connected 5G and Edge computing environments. The proposed architecture is empirically evaluated on a commercial scale Big Data use case of Smart Grid for Smart Cities. The results of these experiments confirm the functionality and effectiveness of the proposed architecture.
Application and evaluation of plant-based edible active coatings to enhance the shelf-life and quality attributes of Jara lebu (Citrus medica)
Authors: Rob Md. Mahfuzur , Pappu Md. Mahfujul Haque , Arifin Md. Shoaib , Era Tahsin Nusrat , Akhi Masuma Zahan , Bhattacharjya Debu Kumar , Kayshar Md. Shahidullah , Jubayer Md. Fahad 
Published: May 2024

AbstractEdible coatings for fruits and vegetables are the subject of intensive agro-based research. These coatings provide value to the product due to their multifunctionality and sustainability. The current study focuses on the development and evaluation of plant-based edible active coatings for Jara lebu (Citrus medica), with the aim of determining the effectiveness of these coatings in extending the shelf-life and preserving the quality attributes. Different blends of corn starch and various plant extracts were formulated and all formulations were applied by immersion onto the fruit surface. The study had five treatment groups: T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4. T0 served as the control group, while T1 consisted of a mixture of 2% corn starch and 0.5% glycerol. T2 included a combination of 2% corn starch, 0.5% glycerol, and 1.5% holy basil. T3 comprises 2% corn starch, 0.5% glycerol, and 1.5% wild turmeric. Lastly, T4 consisted of 2% corn starch, 0.5% glycerol, and 1.5% Indian pennywort. Control and coated samples were kept under the same conditions for 35 days before being evaluated for changes in their physiological, physicochemical, and sensory qualities. Coated sample T2 significantly prolonged the shelf-life of Jara lebu samples, having the least weight reduction (26.25%) and retaining most of the essential nutrients (TSS = 7.09%, pH = 3.0, vitamin C = 22.03 mg/100 g, TPC = 44.57 mg GAE/g DW, TFC = 45.24 mg QE/g DW, antioxidant = 86.09%). This sample received the highest overall acceptability score, a maximum of 8.24. Sensory evaluations revealed no adverse effects on taste, aroma or appearance, suggesting these coatings can be an eco-friendly and efficient method for preserving the freshness and quality of Jara lebu and potentially other citrus fruits.
Soil organic matter components and characteristics of forest soil in spruce and sycamore plantations in the temperate region
Authors: Apori Samuel Obeng , Giltrap Michelle , Dunne Julie , Tian Furong 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe stability of soil organic matter (SOM) that governs soil organic carbon (SOC) storage depends on its characteristics and components, but little is known about how tree species in forest ecosystems affect SOM components and characteristics. In this study, we used FTIR spectroscopy to investigate plantations of two ecologically and economically significant tree species—namely, spruce (Picea spp.) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)—in order to determine how the different litter inputs and root-microbe interactions of these two plantations affect the functional groups, components, and characteristics of their SOM. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (10–20 cm). In the 0–10 cm soil depth, the SOM's hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and aromatic components differ between the spruce and sycamore plantations. The hydrophobic components constitute the primary constituents of the SOM of the two forest plantations, in contrast to the expected predominance of the hydrophilic component of the SOM. Also, the high hydrophobicity (hydrophilic/hydrophobic) in the subsoil of the spruce plantations was attributed to a decrease in hydrophilic components and a subsequent increase in hydrophobic components of the SOM. The sycamore plantations exhibited a higher SOM aromaticity and a greater degree of decomposition than the spruce plantations. The aforementioned distinctions emphasise the contrasting mechanisms involved in transforming and turnover of the two-tree species' soil organic matter (SOM).
An assessment of environmental impacts in mining areas of Paschim Bardhhaman district, West Bengal, India
Authors: Halder Bijay , Bandyopadhyay Jatisankar , Mukherjee Saptadeep 
Published: May 2024

AbstractMining is the most significant economic action in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. Simultaneously, it has an enormous figure of negative influences on the natural, environmental, ecological, and social environment. The land use and land cover (LULC) alteration, coal mining effect (open-cast) on the LULC, and the local environmental influences are deliberated. The Paschim Bardhhaman’s LULC area is examined for the period of 30 years i.e., since the year like 1991 to 2021. Furthermore, alteration examination and spatial–temporal dynamics of LULC quantification are also deliberated. Analysis discloses that the water body marginally increased from 0.64% in 1991 to 0.96% in 2021. Mining area increased from 0.00% (1991) to 8.97% (2021) respectively. Instead, vegetation has decreased from 40.17% (1991) to 31.20% (2021) continuously. Similarly, settlement increased from 5.02% to 13.77% in the year 1991 to 2021 respectively. Agricultural land progressively decreased from 44.47% (1991) to 39.73% (2021) respectively. Raniganj Coalfield area, Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL), and Coal India Limited (CIL) are the triggers for open cast mining. Land surface temperature (LST) increased by 7.96 ˚C (summer) and 10.24 ˚C (winter) between 30 years. The LST, LULC, and vegetation limitations are substantial factors in the universally changing climate investigations. Thermal infrared remote sensing demonstrated its competence for observing temperature and moving micro-climate in urban regions. The outcomes indicate that the outside temperature influences self-heating surfaces (hotspots) regions. The examination likewise shows that the outside temperature influences the self-heating surfaces (hotspots) regions.
Evidence for the Eastern Agricultural Complex Crops in the Upper Delaware Valley: Botanical Analysis from the Manna Site (36Pi4)
Authors: Reamer Justin M. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractFrom the Archaic period onward, Indigenous populations across the Eastern Woodlands cultivated a suite of crops known to archaeologists as the Eastern Agricultural Complex. However, aside from squash (Cucurbita pepo) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus), little evidence exists for the cultivation of these plants in the northeastern Algonquian homeland. Botanical analysis from the Manna site (36Pi4), located in the Upper Delaware Valley, provides evidence for the cultivation of the full suite of Eastern Agricultural Complex crops. Flotation samples analyzed from Manna provide the first evidence for possible Lenape cultivation of chenopodium (Chenopodium berlandieri), squash, sunflower, and marshelder (Iva annua) from contexts dating to AD 0–1650 (Middle and Late Woodland) at Manna. Lenape cultivation of these crops complicates the traditional view of Indigenous agricultural systems in northeastern North America and raises questions about when and how these species were introduced to the region.
Multiple model fault diagnosis and fault tolerant control for the launch vehicle’s attitude control system
Authors: Chang-lin X. , Shu-ming Y. , Yu-qiang C. , Li-jun S. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractFor the launch vehicle attitude control problem, traditional methods can seldom accurately identify the fault types, making the control method lack of pertinence, which largely affects the effect of attitude control. This paper proposes an active fault tolerant control strategy, which mainly includes fault diagnosis and fault tolerant control. In the fault diagnosis part, a small deviation attitude dynamics model of the launch vehicle is established, Kalman filters with different structures are designed to detect and isolate faults through residual changes, and the fault quantity of the actuator is further estimated. In the fault tolerant control part, the following control scheme is adopted according to the above diagnostic information: when the sensor fault is detected, the sensor measurement data is reconstructed; when the actuator fault is identified, the control allocation matrix is reconstructed. Simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively diagnose sensor fault and actuator faults, and significantly improve attitude tracking accuracy and control adjustment time.
Human-animal interactions and machine-animal interactions in animals under human care: A summary of stakeholder and researcher perceptions and future directions
Authors: Williams Ellen , Sadler Jennifer , Rutter Steven Mark , Mancini Clara , Nawroth Christian , Neary Joseph M , Ward Samantha J , Charlton Gemma , Beaver Annabelle 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Animals under human care are exposed to a potentially large range of both familiar and unfamiliar humans. Human-animal interactions vary across settings, and individuals, with the nature of the interaction being affected by a suite of different intrinsic and extrinsic factors. These interactions can be described as positive, negative or neutral. Across some industries, there has been a move towards the development of technologies to support or replace human interactions with animals. Whilst this has many benefits, there can also be challenges associated with increased technology use. A day-long Animal Welfare Research Network workshop was hosted at Harper Adams University, UK, with the aim of bringing together stakeholders and researchers (n = 38) from the companion, farm and zoo animal fields, to discuss benefits, challenges and limitations of human-animal interactions and machine-animal interactions for animals under human care and create a list of future research priorities. The workshop consisted of four talks from experts within these areas, followed by break-out room discussions. This work is the outcome of that workshop. The key recommendations are that approaches to advancing the scientific discipline of machine-animal interactions in animals under human care should focus on: (1) interdisciplinary collaboration; (2) development of validated methods; (3) incorporation of an animal-centred perspective; (4) a focus on promotion of positive animal welfare states (not just avoidance of negative states); and (5) an exploration of ways that machines can support a reduction in the exposure of animals to negative human-animal interactions to reduce negative, and increase positive, experiences for animals.
Learning-based augmentation of physics-based models: an industrial robot use case
Authors: Retzler András , Tóth Roland , Schoukens Maarten , Beintema Gerben I. , Weigand Jonas , Noël Jean-Philippe , Kollár Zsolt , Swevers Jan 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In a Model Predictive Control (MPC) setting, the precise simulation of the behavior of the system over a finite time window is essential. This application-oriented benchmark study focuses on a robot arm that exhibits various nonlinear behaviors. For this arm, we have a physics-based model with approximate parameter values and an open benchmark dataset for system identification. However, the long-term simulation of this model quickly diverges from the actual arm’s measurements, indicating its inaccuracy. We compare the accuracy of black-box and purely physics-based approaches with several physics-informed approaches. These involve different combinations of a neural network’s output with information from the physics-based model or feeding the physics-based model’s information into the neural network. One of the physics-informed model structures can improve accuracy over a fully black-box model.