bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Addition of green and black liquor in kraft pulping of Eucalyptus dunnii wood: possible solutions for the problems with kraft pulping caused by high calcium content
Authors: Vegunta Vijaya , Sevastyanova Olena , Deshpande Raghu , Lindén Pär A. , Garcia Andres , Björk Maria , Jansson Ulla , Henriksson Gunnar , Lindström Mikael E. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn our previous study, we demonstrated that Eucalyptus dunnii samples containing high calcium content show inferior pulping properties concerning delignification and polysaccharide degradation. This led us to investigate alternative methods for improving the pulping process of these samples. In the present work, we evaluated the effects of incorporating black and green liquors into the Eucalyptus dunnii chips before kraft pulping, aiming to enhance the pulping process and overcome the negative impact of high calcium content. The addition of both black and green liquors resulted in specific enhancements, with the green liquor having a more significant impact on the pulping process. Even wood samples with the highest calcium content demonstrated satisfactory pulping results when treated with green liquor. Delignification occurred more rapidly, and selectivity was higher for samples pre-treated with green liquor before kraft pulping. Moreover, calcium tended to follow the fiber under these conditions rather than being released into the black liquor, which may contribute to the improved pulping performance. Subsequent bleaching tests revealed that the bleachability of green liquor-treated pulp was nearly identical to that of a control pulp, while maintaining a higher viscosity. This suggests that incorporating green liquor into the pre-treatment process not only improves the pulping performance of Eucalyptus dunnii samples with high calcium content but also maintains desirable bleachability characteristics. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of these findings, we discuss the potential chemical explanations behind the observed improvements.
Changes in the macro and nano-structure of paper during moisture cycling
Authors: Larsson Per Tomas , Alfthan Johan , Simeonova Galya , Holmqvist Claes 
Published: December 2023

AbstractHygroexpansion, CP/MAS 13C-NMR, WAXS and SAXS measurements were carried out on sheets made from four different commercial pulps of varying lignin content. Non-directional laboratory sheets were made at different press levels from the pulps following different degrees of beating. The sheets were dried both freely and with restraints. Measurements were made on sheets before and after moisture cycling to determine hygroexpansion coefficients, changes in cellulose average lateral fibril dimensions and average cellulose crystallite sizes, with the aim of understanding macroscale and nanoscale changes as the result of moisture cycling. Within the sheets consistent and statistically significant structural changes were observed on both macro and nanoscale. On the macroscale, moisture cycling consistently induced irreversible shrinkage in sheets dried with restraints, but less so in the case of sheets dried freely. The hygroexpansion coefficients were typically higher for freely dried sheets compared with sheets dried with constraints. On the nanoscale, moisture cycling consistently caused an increase in the average crystallite sizes (WAXS) and the average lateral fibril dimensions (CP/MAS 13C-NMR), though the latter occurred with poor statistical significance. These changes were interpreted as an increase in the degree of order in the cellulose fibril interior/cellulose crystallite. There were no profound differences in the nanoscale changes observed for sheets dried with restraints and for sheets dried freely. Changes in the fibre wall nanostructure were of similar magnitudes when comparing results from freely dried low grammage sheets (less abundant inter-fibre joints) with freely dried sheets of higher grammage (more abundant inter-fibre joints). No obvious correlations were found between the macroscale and nanoscale measurements. The proposed explanation for this was that the nanoscale structural changes occurred similarly throughout the entirety of the fibre wall, independent of the proximity to an inter-fibre joint, and that the nanoscale structural changes were mainly the result of water penetrating into the interior of cellulose fibril aggregates. By using the same fibril model for evaluation of CP/MAS 13C-NMR and WAXS data, good-to-reasonable agreement were found for estimates of the degree of cellulose crystallinity.
SAFe transformation in a large financial corporation
Authors: Putta Abheeshta , Paasivaara Maria , Lassenius Casper 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAs agile software development is increasingly adopted in the software industry, the popularity of scaling frameworks supporting adoption in large development contexts is increasing rapidly. While several such frameworks exist, the most popular one at the moment is the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Despite its popularity, there exists limited research on its usage and adoption. In this paper, we contribute by presenting a single case study in a large financial organization, studying the transformation reasons, transformation process, as well as the benefits, and challenges of SAFe adoption. We conducted 24 semi-structured interviews with 27 interviewees and analyzed the transcribed interviews using open and axial coding. We identified 17 reasons for SAFe adoption in this organization, of which the most salient ones were to shorten the time to market, improve collaboration, and use a well-described and comprehensive framework. An industry context-specific reason was the popularity of SAFe in the financial sector. The transformation in the case organization was top-down and proceeded step-wise. The most significant activities during the transformation were piloting, education, coaching, and the forming of agile release trains. Our case also implemented "Scrum tours" to increase the understanding of lean and agile principles. We identified 13 benefits of SAFe, of which improved collaboration, transparency, and shorter time to market were considered the most important. We identified a total of 16 challenges, with the most salient one being aligning the release trains with value streams. Failing with this led to cross-release train dependencies and coordination overhead, inhibiting agility. Further, the organization did not get rid of projects and project managers, which led to priority clashes and coordination overhead.
Genome-wide association mapping of genes for anthocyanin and flavonoid contents in Vietnamese landraces of black rice
Authors: Pham Cuong Hung , Do Tuyen Duc , Nguyen Hoa Thi Lan , Hoang Nga Thi , Tran Trung Duc , Vu Mi Thi Thao , Doi Hanh Hong , Bui Thu-Giang Thi , Henry Robert James 
Published: December 2023

AbstractPigmented rice is desirable in healthy human diets because of potential health benefits compared to white rice. Based on the high diversity of Vietnamese black rice landrace, mapping the loci and predicting putative candidate genes for anthocyanin and flavonoid contents in these landraces would be useful to support the improvement of pigmented rice. A panel of 94 black rice accessions from the National Plant Genebank of Vietnam was analyzed to determine the anthocyanin and flavonoid levels in the whole grain and genotyped using an improved 7 K SNP array. Phenotypic and genotypic data were integrated in a genome wide association study. This identified 32 SNPs significantly associated with total anthocyanin content and 16 SNPs associated with total flavonoid content located on Chromosomes (Chrs.) 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12 and on Chrs. 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12, respectively. A total of 72 candidate genes were co-located with the significant SNPs, of which 44 were predicted to be related to the pathways of biosynthesis of anthocyanin and flavonoid. Twenty candidate genes first reported in this study including the structural genes, LOC_Os03g62300.1 coding for chalcone isomerase and LOC_Os06g41800.1 coding for dihydroflavonol reductase and the regulatory gene, LOC_Os06g43090.1 coding for a MYB transcription factor, were strongly associated with anthocyanin synthesis. These candidate genes and significant SNPs could be used to analyze the function of genes and factors involved in anthocyanin synthesis and to improve pigmented rice by marker-assisted selection.
Point process convergence for symmetric functions of high-dimensional random vectors
Authors: Heiny Johannes , Kleemann Carolin 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe convergence of a sequence of point processes with dependent points, defined by a symmetric function of iid high-dimensional random vectors, to a Poisson random measure is proved. This also implies the convergence of the joint distribution of a fixed number of upper order statistics. As applications of the result a generalization of maximum convergence to point process convergence is given for simple linear rank statistics, rank-type U-statistics and the entries of sample covariance matrices.
A “Mean Quarrelsome Spirit:” Controversy in British Systematics, 1822–1836
Authors: Mursinna Jordan Thomas 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBritish systematics was distinctly marked by a raft of vituperative controversies around the turn of the 1830s. After the local collapse of broad consensus in the Linnaean system by 1820, the emergence of new schemes of classification—most notably, the “quinarian” system of William Sharp Macleay—brought with it an unprecedented register of public debate among zoologists in Britain, one which a young Charles Darwin would bitterly describe to his friend John Stevens Henslow in October 1836 as possessing a “mean quarrelsome spirit,” conducted in “a manner anything but like that of gentlemen.” This article aims to provide a social and conceptual account of the remarkable tenor of zoological discourse in Britain in the late 1820s and early 1830s, with joint attention to the philosophical and interpersonal commitments at play. In doing so, it analyzes the three of the period’s most striking public controversies, each of which counted key advocates of the quinarian system as central participants.
Reassessing the Interpretative Potential of Ethnographic Collections for Early Hunting Technologies
Authors: Milks Annemieke , Hoggard Christian , Pope Matt 
Published: December 2023

Abstract Archaeological studies of early weaponry have relied for decades on ethnographic parallels—whether from ethnohistorical accounts, ethnographic literature, or from objects studied in museum collections. While such accounts and collected objects provided key data in the past, including of morphometrics and functionality, few studies have explored the quality of such data. In this paper, we critically assess a dominant theoretical paradigm, namely the utility of ethnographic collections to assess Pleistocene archaeological material. Our focus is how ethnographic spear morphometrics are used to propose delivery methods of archaeological weapons. We discuss the archaeological significance of early spears, and the role that ethnography has played in interpreting them. We provide new morphometric data of ethnographic wooden spears, which have been used analogically to assess the earliest archaeological hunting tools. We systematically collected data from ethnographic collections of wooden spears in five museums in the UK and Australia including mass, length, diameters and point of balance, alongside any recorded information on provenance and use. Older datasets, as well as the data in this paper, are limited due to collection bias and a lack of detailed museum records. By subjecting the new data to statistical analyses, we find that with a few exceptions morphometrics are not reliable predictors of delivery as thrusting or hand-thrown spears (javelins). Prevalent hypotheses linking variables such as mass, tip design, or maximum diameter with delivery are unsupported by our results. However, the descriptive statistics provided may remain useful as a means of comparative data for archaeological material. We conclude that using simple morphometrics to parse weapon delivery has had a drag effect on forming new and interesting hypotheses about early weapons.
Techno-economic analysis of solar thermal collector for sustainable built environment
Authors: Khargotra Rohit , Kumar Raj , Kovács András , Singh Tej 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIndia has an abundance of solar energy resources. Nearly 90% of the urban dwellers in different parts of India used electricity for heating water. Using electricity for resident water heating not only contributes to negative environment impact via the emission of a substantial quantity of carbon dioxide but also places a financial burden on households. The examination of solar irradiance, economic feasibility, and hot water demands is crucial in assessing the potential of solar thermal collector (STC) to fulfill hot water requirement. In order to enhance the value of the STC, it is essential for the collector to effectively manage operations with a focus on minimizing cost. To get an optimal heating effect, the present STC is fastened with an obstruction inside the tube. The collector is examined in three distinct seasons to observe temperature variations and the appropriate use of the device during non-operational hours. The recommended average temperatures for summer, rainy season, and winter are 68, 57, and 47 °C, respectively. Additionally, a thorough examination of the economic analysis and payback period for STC was also conducted.
Extensions to generalized disjunctive programming: hierarchical structures and first-order logic
Authors: Perez Hector D. , Grossmann Ignacio E. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractOptimization problems with discrete–continuous decisions are traditionally modeled in algebraic form via (non)linear mixed-integer programming. A more systematic approach to modeling such systems is to use generalized disjunctive programming (GDP), which extends the disjunctive programming paradigm proposed by Egon Balas to allow modeling systems from a logic-based level of abstraction that captures the fundamental rules governing such systems via algebraic constraints and logic. Although GDP provides a more general way of modeling systems, it warrants further generalization to encompass systems presenting a hierarchical structure. This work extends the GDP literature to address two major alternatives for modeling and solving systems with nested (hierarchical) disjunctions: explicit nested disjunctions and equivalent single-level disjunctions. We also provide theoretical proofs on the relaxation tightness of such alternatives, showing that explicitly modeling nested disjunctions is superior to the traditional approach discussed in literature for dealing with nested disjunctions.
Large-Time Behavior of Two Families of Operators Related to the Fractional Laplacian on Certain Riemannian Manifolds
Authors: Papageorgiou Effie 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis note is concerned with two families of operators related to the fractional Laplacian, the first arising from the Caffarelli-Silvestre extension problem and the second from the fractional heat equation. They both include the Poisson semigroup. We show that on a complete, connected, and non-compact Riemannian manifold of non-negative Ricci curvature, in both cases, the solution with$$L^1$$L1initial data behaves asymptotically as the mass times the fundamental solution. Similar long-time convergence results remain valid on more general manifolds satisfying the Li-Yau two-sided estimate of the heat kernel. The situation changes drastically on hyperbolic space, and more generally on rank one non-compact symmetric spaces: we show that for the Poisson semigroup, the convergence to the Poisson kernel fails -but remains true under the additional assumption of radial initial data.
Potential Mediators of a School-Based Digital Intervention Targeting Six Lifestyle Risk Behaviours in a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of Australian Adolescents
Authors: O’Dean Siobhan M. , Sunderland Matthew , Smout Scarlett , Slade Tim , Chapman Cath , Gardner Lauren A. , Thornton Louise , Newton Nicola C. , Teesson Maree , Champion Katrina E. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractLifestyle risk behaviours—physical inactivity, poor diet, poor sleep, recreational screen time, and alcohol and tobacco use—collectively known as the “Big 6” emerge during adolescence and significantly contribute to chronic disease development into adulthood. To address this issue, the Health4Life program targeted the Big 6 risk behaviours simultaneously via a co-designed eHealth school-based multiple health behaviour change (MHBC) intervention. This study used multiple causal mediation analysis to investigate some potential mediators of Health4Life’s effects on the Big 6 primary outcomes from a cluster randomised controlled trial of Health4Life among Australian school children. Mediators of knowledge, behavioural intentions, self-efficacy, and self-control were assessed. The results revealed a complex pattern of mediation effects across different outcomes. Whilst there was a direct effect of the intervention on reducing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity risk, the impact on sleep duration appeared to occur indirectly through the hypothesised mediators. Conversely, for alcohol and tobacco use, both direct and indirect effects were observed in opposite directions cancelling out the total effect (competitive partial mediation). The intervention’s effects on alcohol and tobacco use highlighted complexities, suggesting the involvement of additional undetected mediators. However, little evidence supported mediation for screen time and sugar-sweetened beverage intake risk. These findings emphasise the need for tailored approaches when addressing different risk behaviours and designing effective interventions to target multiple health risk behaviours. The trial was pre-registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12619000431123.
Exploring the Pharmacological Potential of Onosma riedliana: Phenolic Compounds and Their Biological Activities
Authors: Ćavar Zeljkovıć Sanja , Sahinler Saliha Seyma , Sarikurkcu Cengiz , Kirkan Bulent , Binzet Riza , Tarkowski Petr 
Published: December 2023

AbstractOnosma riedliana Binzet & Orcan, a traditionally used plant species, has been explored for its therapeutic potential in this study. The work presented here is the first report on the phenolic profile and biological activity of this species. Three extracts of varying polarity were prepared, with the methanolic extract containing the highest phenolic content (97.62 ± 0.20 mgGAE/g). Key phenolic compounds identified included pinoresinol, hesperidin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid. The methanolic extract exhibited exceptional antioxidant properties, rivaling Trolox as a positive control, primarily attributed to hesperidin and luteolin. Moreover, the ethyl acetate extract demonstrated remarkable inhibition of cholinesterase and tyrosinase enzymes, while the methanolic extract displayed potent activity against carbohydrate hydrolytic enzymes, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Again, phenolic compounds were shown to be responsible for the inhibition of cholinesterases and tyrosinase, but not for α-amylase and α-glucosidase. These findings underscore Onosma riedliana’s potential for incorporation into diverse pharmaceutical formulations, given its multifaceted bioactivity.
The promise of supersymmetry
Authors: Fischer Enno 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSupersymmetry (SUSY) has long been considered an exceptionally promising theory. A central role for the promise has been played by naturalness arguments. Yet, given the absence of experimental findings it is questionable whether the promise will ever be fulfilled. Here, I provide an analysis of the promises associated with SUSY, employing a concept of pursuitworthiness. A research program like SUSY is pursuitworthy if (1) it has the plausible potential to provide high epistemic gain and (2) that gain can be achieved with manageable research efforts. Naturalness arguments have been employed to support both conditions (1) and (2). First, SUSY has been motivated by way of analogy: the proposed symmetry between fermions and bosons is supposed to ‘protect’ the small Higgs mass from large quantum corrections just as the electron mass is protected through the chiral symmetry. Thus, SUSY held the promise of solving a major problem of the Standard Model of particle physics. Second, naturalness arguments have been employed to indicate that such gain is achievable at relatively low cost: SUSY discoveries seemed to be well in reach of upcoming high-energy experiments. While the first part of the naturalness argument may have the right form to facilitate considerations of pursuitworthiness, the second part of the argument has been problematically overstated.
The roles of pyroptosis in genitourinary diseases
Authors: Liu Haopeng , Liu Haoran , Huang Guoshuai , Yuan Hexing , Zhang Xuefeng 
Published: December 2023

AbstractPyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis and necrosis, is thought to be closely associated with the pathogenesis of diseases. Recently, the association between pyroptosis and urinary diseases has attracted considerable attention, and a comprehensive review focusing on this issue is not available. In this study, we reviewed the role of pyroptosis in the development and progression of benign urinary diseases and urinary malignancies. Based on this, pyroptosis has been implicated in the development of urinary diseases. In summary, this review sheds light on future research directions and provides novel ideas for using pyroptosis as a powerful tool to fight urinary diseases.
Association between ambient particulate matters and anhedonia among patients with depression
Authors: Xie Tianqin , Zhang Yu , Kong Hui , Guan Lianzi , Zhang Lei , Yu Jiakuai , Zhu Peng , Ma Shuangshuang , Zhu Dao-min 
Published: December 2023

AbstractRecent studies have linked ambient air pollution to depression. Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression which severely impacts on prognosis. The present study aims to investigate the association of PM2.5 and PM10 exposure with anhedonia in depressed patients. A total of 538 patients with depression who were hospitalized at the Fourth People’s Hospital of Hefei between June 2017 and December 2021 were included. We estimated ambient particulate matters exposure, including PM2.5 and PM10, using a satellite-based spatiotemporal model at a resolution of 1 km2. The revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) and the revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) were evaluated. The association of ambient particulate matters and anhedonia was examined using multiple linear regression models, adjusted for potential confounders. We observed that exposure to PM2.5 were significantly associated with increased RSAS score and RPAS score, with the major effect in the 12-month exposure window (β = 1.238; 95%CI, 0.353, 2.123) and 18-month exposure window (β = 1.888; 95%CI, 0.699, 3.078), respectively. Meanwhile, PM10 levels were also significantly associated with increased RSAS score and RPAS score, with the major effect in the 18-month exposure window (β = 1.220; 95%CI, 0.439, 2) and 3-month exposure window (β = 1.602; 95%CI, 0.062, 3.143), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that both PM2.5 and PM10 were significantly associated with anhedonia in females, patients < 40 years old, low family income group, and those who had a higher educational level. Our study suggests that long-term PM2.5 and PM10 exposure are associated with more severe anhedonia in patients with depression. These associations were different in subgroup by age, gender, family income, and educational level.