bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Analysis of the Fracturing Mechanism and Brittleness Characteristics of Anisotropic Shale Based on Finite-Discrete Element Method
Authors: Li Hongtao , Chapman David N. , Faramarzi Asaad , Metje Nicole 
Published: December 2023

AbstractShale anisotropy characteristics have great effects on the mechanical behaviour of the rock. Understanding shale anisotropic behaviour is one of the key interests to several geo-engineering fields, including tunnel, nuclear waste disposal and hydraulic fracturing. This research adopted the finite discrete element method (FDEM) to create anisotropic shale models in ABAQUS. The FDEM models were calibrated using the mechanical values obtained from published laboratory tests on Longmaxi shale. The results show that the anisotropic features of shale significantly affect the brittleness and fracturing mechanism at the micro-crack level. The total fracture number in shale under the Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) test is not only related to the brittleness of shale. It is also strongly dependent on the structure of the shale, which is sensitive to shale anisotropy. Two new brittleness indices, BIf and BICD, have been proposed in this paper. The expression for BIf directly incorporates the number of fractures formed inside of the rock, which provides a more accurate frac-ability using this brittleness index. It can be used to calculate the frac-ability of rocks in projects where there are concerns about fractures after excavation. Meanwhile, BICD links brittleness to the CD/UCS ratio in shale for the first time. BICD is easy to obtain in comparison to other brittleness indices because it is based on the Uniaxial Compressive Strength test only. In addition, it has been shown there is a relationship between tensile strength and the crack damage strength in shale. Based on this, an empirical relationship has been proposed to predict the tensile strength based on the Uniaxial Compressive Strength test.
Assessing Stress Variability in Fractured Rock Masses with Frictional Properties and Power Law Fracture Size Distributions
Authors: Lavoine Etienne , Davy Philippe , Darcel Caroline , Mas Ivars Diego , Kasani Hossein A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe presence of fractures in rock masses plays a major role in its stress state and its variability. Each fracture potentially induces a stress perturbation, which is correlated to its geometrical and mechanical properties. This work aims to understand and quantitatively predict the relationship between fractured systems and the associated stress fluctuations distribution, considering any regional stress conditions. The approach considers the rock mass as an elastic rock matrix into which a population of discrete fractures is embedded—known as a Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) modeling approach. We develop relevant indicators and analytical solutions to quantify stress perturbations at the fracture network scale, supported by 3D numerical simulations, using various fracture size distributions. We show that stress fluctuations increase with fracture density and decrease as a function of the so-called stiffness length, a characteristic length that can be defined as the ratio between Young’s modulus of the matrix and fracture stiffness. Based on these considerations we discuss, depending on DFN parameters, which range of fractures should be modeled explicitly to account for major stress perturbations in fractured rock masses.
Nestlings reared by males are in better body condition than those reared by females in uniparental European Penduline Tits
Authors: Czyż Beata , Wasińska Aleksandra , Lukoszek Klaudia 
Published: December 2023

AbstractConditions encountered during early development affect future survival and reproduction in many bird species. For parents, it is important what body condition the nestlings will achieve at fledging because the condition affects the offspring’s chances to survive and reproduce in the future. However, there is a trade-off between the number of nestlings and their condition. We studied parental behaviour and nestling body condition in uniparental Penduline Tits. In this small passerine, the parental care (incubation and food provisioning) is provided by the female only (49% of clutches in the study population) or the male only (15%). In addition, over a third of clutches are deserted by both parents before the start of incubation. We found that female-only cared clutches had more eggs and nestlings and produced more fledglings than male-only cared clutches. The incubation behaviour and incubation temperature in both types of clutches were similar. The provisioning rate per brood was positively, and the provisioning rate per nestling was negatively, correlated with brood size. Although males cared for smaller clutches, parent sex was not significant in both models of provisioning rates (per brood and per nestling). Moreover, the provisioning rate did not predict the brood’s average nestling condition. However, nestlings reared in broods with male care were in better condition than those reared by females. At the age of 13 days, they had a higher scaled mass index (describes the relative size of energy reserves) and higher haemoglobin levels. The results suggest that the lower productivity of male-only cared clutches, compared to those cared for only by females, may be compensated by the higher condition of nestlings. Information about the recruitment success of broods cared for by males and females will be necessary to test this prediction.
Start of dawn singing as related to physical environmental variables in an alpine environment
Authors: Paterno Julia , Korner-Nievergelt Fränzi , Anderwald Pia , Amrhein Valentin 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBirds often have a peak of singing activity at dawn, and the timing of dawn song is species-specific. However, the start of singing at dawn may also depend on environmental factors. We investigated the effects of different environmental variables on the start of dawn singing in six common songbird species in the woodlands of the Swiss National Park. Moon phase, aspect, temperature and road noise had the most consistent effects across species: dawn singing started earlier after brighter and warmer nights, on more east-exposed slopes, and in areas with more road noise. On average, birds started to sing 2.8 min earlier in areas with high road noise level compared to areas without road noise, and 4.7 min earlier in east-exposed slopes compared to west-exposed slopes. Further, birds started to sing on average 5.0 min earlier after full moon compared to new moon nights, 1.2 min earlier after warmer compared to colder nights, and 2.5 min earlier at 2200 m than at 1500 m a.s.l. The effects of date were more species-specific: Alpine Tits started to sing on average 4.9 min later at the end compared to the beginning of the study period, whilst Song Thrushes started to sing 9.0 min earlier. Our findings are in line with the results of previous studies on the effects of road noise, nocturnal light, and partly on temperature. Our study shows that variation in environmental variables may influence the start of dawn singing in different ways, and that anthropogenic factors like road noise can affect bird behaviour even in a highly protected area.
Transforming post-consumer cotton waste textiles into viscose staple fiber using hydrated zinc chloride
Authors: Bågenholm-Ruuth Edvin , Sanchis-Sebastiá Miguel , Hollinger Nadine , Teleman Anita , Larsson Per Tomas , Wallberg Ola 
Published: December 2023

AbstractLarge amounts of cellulose-based waste textiles are generated every year, yet little is done to recycle this waste. Alternatives such as fiber-to-fiber recycling, where a significant part of the value of the waste textiles is recovered, are attractive possibilities. In this study, we have investigated the viability of using hydrated zinc chloride (ZnCl2·4H2O) as a solvent and swelling agent to convert cotton waste textiles (the most abundant cellulose-based waste textile) into a dissolving pulp that can be used as raw material for the production and spinning of viscose fibers. The solvent produced an accessible dissolving pulp and exhibited excellent recyclability, maintaining good dissolving power even after repeated recycling. The dissolving pulp was subsequently used to produce viscose dope, a spinning solution which was spun and cut into viscose staple fibers. The viscose dope exhibited good properties (moderate filter clogging value and gamma number), and the resulting staple fibers were strong and of good quality (high linear density, elongation, and tenacity). These results illustrate the potential of using hydrated zinc chloride for the production of viscose grade dissolving pulp from cotton waste textiles.
eXplainable artificial intelligence for automatic defect detection in additively manufactured parts using CT scan analysis
Authors: Bordekar Harsh , Cersullo Nicola , Brysch Marco , Philipp Jens , Hühne Christian 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Additive Manufacturing (AM) and in particular has gained significant attention due to its capability to produce complex geometries using various materials, resulting in cost and mass reduction per part. However, metal AM parts often contain internal defects inherent to the manufacturing process. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), particularly Computed Tomography (CT), is commonly employed for defect analysis. Today adopted standard inspection techniques are costly and time-consuming, therefore an automatic approach is needed. This paper presents a novel eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) methodology for defect detection and characterization. To classify pixel data from CT images as pores or inclusions, the proposed method utilizes Support Vector Machine (SVM), a supervised machine learning algorithm, trained with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.94. Density-Based Spatial Clustering with the Application of Noise (DBSCAN) is subsequently applied to cluster the identified pixels into separate defects, and finally, a convex hull is employed to characterize the identified clusters based on their size and shape. The effectiveness of the methodology is evaluated on Ti6Al4V specimens, comparing the results obtained from manual inspection and the ML-based approach with the guidance of a domain expert. This work establishes a foundation for automated defect detection, highlighting the crucial role of XAI in ensuring trust in NDT, thereby offering new possibilities for the evaluation of AM components.
A component-based design approach for energy flexibility in cyber-physical manufacturing systems
Authors: Assad Fadi , Rushforth Emma J. , Harrison Robert 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Energy flexibility of manufacturing systems helps to meet sustainable manufacturing requirements and is getting significant importance with rising energy prices and noticeable climate changes. Considering the need to proactively enable energy flexibility in modern manufacturing systems, this work presents a component-based design approach that aims to embed energy flexibility in the design of cyber-physical production systems. To this end, energy management using Industry 4.0 technologies (e.g., Internet of Things and Cyber-physical Systems) is compared to the literature on energy flexibility in order to evaluate to what extent the energy flexibility practice takes advantage of Industry 4.0 technologies. Another dimension is the coverage of the life cycle of the manufacturing system which guarantees its sustainable design and the ability to achieve energy flexibility by configuring the energy consumption behaviour. A data-based design approach of the energy-flexible components is proposed in the spirit of the Reference Architectural Model Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0), and then it is exemplified using an electric drive (as a component) in order to show the practical applicability of the approach. The energy consumption behaviour of the component is modelled using machine learning techniques. The digital twin of the studied component is developed using Visual Components virtual engineering environment, then its energy consumption behaviour is included in the model allowing the system integrator/decision-maker to configure the component based on the energy availability/price. Finally, external services in terms of an optimisation module and a deep learning module are connected to the digital twin.
International inventor teams and technological variety in multinational enterprises
Authors: Damioli Giacomo , Jindra Björn , Kristiansen Annette 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis study investigates the relationship between international inventor teams and the technological variety of multinational enterprises. We frame this relationship conceptually by considering two possible attributes of diversity in international inventor teams: cultural differences and heterogeneous knowledge. We employ a dataset for 454 multinational enterprises with 71,126 subsidiaries across 185 countries that applied for 139,066 priority patents during the period 2007–2014. Fixed-effects panel estimations indicate that international inventor teams are positively associated with both related and unrelated technological variety at the level of the MNE. Such relationships display diminishing marginal returns, pointing to management and coordination costs reducing the benefits from international inventor teams. In addition, we find that MNEs with higher technological innovation capability deal with the additional complexity from managing and coordinating international inventor teams by consolidating technological variety.
Assessment of compound occurrence of storm surge and river flood in Ise and Mikawa Bays, Japan using a framework of atmosphere–ocean–river coupling
Authors: Toyoda Masaya , Mori Nobuhito , Kim Sooyoul , Shibutani Yoko , Yoshino Jun 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis study evaluated the compound flood risk of 11 different-sized rivers in the estuaries of the Ise and Mikawa Bays, Japan using an integrated framework of atmosphere–ocean–river developed in this study (one-way coupling). First, the framework was developed by incorporating the river channel into a coupled model of surge-wave-tide to include the interaction of the storm surge runup and river flow. In addition, the framework was validated by the Typhoon Trami (2018)-induced meteorological field, discharge, and storm surge with high accuracy. Second, the time difference between the storm surge and discharge at the estuary (ΔT) was investigated, assuming six typhoons with different tracks and similar distributions of intensity and precipitation using Typhoon Hagibis (2019) as a case study. The ΔT was highly positively correlated with the length of the river channel (correlation coefficient: 0.90). Moreover, the smaller rivers were more prone than large rivers to simultaneous storm surges and high river flow. The average ΔT for the smaller rivers was 180.4 min (normalized S.D. = 0.31) with a minimum of 15 min in the most severe case, while the average ΔT for the large-scale rivers was 614.1 min (normalized S.D. = 0.39). We clarified that the storm surge and high river flow occurred simultaneously (within 15 min) in the most severe river case (Yagyu River). These results infer that small rivers have a more significant impact on the co-occurrence of storm surge and high-river flow than large-scale rivers.
The importance of urban areas in supporting vulnerable and endangered mammals
Authors: Boakes Zach , Stafford Richard , Bramer Isobel , Cvitanović Marin , Hardouin Emilie A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe fragmentation of habitats associated with urbanisation poses a significant threat to already vulnerable and endangered mammal species. While the county of Dorset has been identified as one of the UK’s biodiversity hotspots, it is characterised by large-scale urbanisation and intensive agriculture. Focusing on the largest urban area of Dorset—the conurbation of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole—this study aims to investigate the importance of urban areas in supporting vulnerable and endangered mammals by comparing it to four other major land cover categories in the county: arable & horticulture, grassland, woodland, and heathland. The study utilises data collected by the county’s environmental records department through mainly volunteer-contributed ad-hoc sighting data of 10 872 georeferenced mammal records collected between 2000 and 2018. Our findings reveal that, despite having significantly different mammal communities to all other land covers, urban land cover was shown to host four out of five of the vulnerable and endangered species recorded in this study. These included the European rabbit (vulnerable on the IUCN red list), hazel dormouse (vulnerable on the UK red list), West European hedgehog (vulnerable on the UK red list) and European water vole (endangered on the UK red list). Our findings highlight the significance of urban areas as important habitats for mammal biodiversity, presenting an opportunity for the conservation of specific vulnerable and endangered species. Despite limitations in ad-hoc sighting data, our analysis indicates an overrepresentation of certain 'charismatic' species, like foxes and hedgehogs, in urban samples, likely due to their high intrinsic value to the population. While the recognition of urban habitats for 'red list' species is growing, it is also important to acknowledge the relative importance of charismatic species to urban human communities in conservation and management strategies.
Effect of conditional release on violent and general recidivism: A causal inference study
Authors: Karimi-Haghighi Marzieh , Castillo Carlos , Tolan Songül , Lum Kristian 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Objectives
To study the effect of Conditional Release (C.R.) on recidivism. To compare this effect along different recidivism risk levels, to evaluate whether risk-assessment-based policies that prioritize people in lower risk categories for release maximally reduce recidivism.

Methods
We use a dataset of 22,726 incarcerated persons released from 87 prison centers in Spain. We apply multiple causal inference methods including Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Inverse Propensity score Weighting (IPW), and Augmented Inverse Propensity Weighting (AIPW) to determine Average Treatment Effect (ATE) of C.R. on recidivism.

Results
Granting C.R. significantly reduces violent and general recidivism risks.

Conclusions
The results suggest that C.R. can promote a safe and supervised return to the community while protecting public safety. ATEs obtained through causal inference methods suggest that granting C.R. exclusively to low-risk inmates does not lead to the maximum reduction of recidivism, and hence we propose alternatives to be studied further.
A lipidomic and metabolomic signature of a very low-carbohydrate high-fat diet and high-intensity interval training: an additional analysis of a randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Cipryan Lukas , Kosek Vit , García Carlos J. , Dostal Tomas , Bechynska Kamila , Hajslova Jana , Hofmann Peter 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Introduction
Regular physical activity and dietary variety are modifiable and influential factors of health outcomes. However, the cumulative effects of these behaviors are not well understood. Metabolomics may have a promising research potential to extend our knowledge and use it in the attempts to find a long-term and sustainable personalized approach in exercise and diet recommendations.

Objective
The main aim was to investigate the effect of the 12 week very low carbohydrate high fat (VLCHF) diet and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on lipidomic and metabolomic profiles in individuals with overweight and obesity.

Methods
The participants (N = 91) were randomly allocated to HIIT (N = 22), VLCHF (N = 25), VLCHF + HIIT (N = 25) or control (N = 19) groups for 12 weeks. Fasting plasma samples were collected before the intervention and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks. The samples were then subjected to untargeted lipidomic and metabolomic analyses using reversed phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Results
The VLCHF diet affected plasma lipids considerably while the effect of HIIT was unremarkable. Already after 4 weeks of intervention substantial changes of plasma lipids were found in both VLCHF diet groups. The changes persisted throughout the entire 12 weeks of the VLCHF diet. Specifically, acyl carnitines, plasmalogens, fatty acyl esters of hydroxy fatty acid, sphingomyelin, ceramides, cholesterol esters, fatty acids and 4-hydroxybutyric were identified as lipid families that increased in the VLCHF diet groups whereas lipid families of triglycerides and glycerophospholipids decreased. Additionally, metabolomic analysis showed a decrease of theobromine.

Conclusions
This study deciphers the specific responses to a VLCHF diet, HIIT and their combination by analysing untargeted lipidomic and metabolomic profile. VLCHF diet caused divergent changes of plasma lipids and other metabolites when compared to the exercise and control group which may contribute to a better understanding of metabolic changes and the appraisal of VLCHF diet benefits and harms.

Clinical Trial Registry number
NCT03934476, registered 1st May 2019 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03934476?term=NCT03934476&draw=2&rank=1.
Extended automated quantification algorithm (AQuA) for targeted 1H NMR metabolomics of highly complex samples: application to plant root exudates
Authors: Alexandersson Elin , Sandström Corine , Meijer Johan , Nestor Gustav , Broberg Anders , Röhnisch Hanna E. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Introduction
The Automated Quantification Algorithm (AQuA) is a rapid and efficient method for targeted NMR-based metabolomics, currently optimised for blood plasma. AQuA quantifies metabolites from 1D-1H NMR spectra based on the height of only one signal per metabolite, which minimises the computational time and workload of the method without compromising the quantification accuracy.

Objectives
To develop a fast and computationally efficient extension of AQuA for quantification of selected metabolites in highly complex samples, with minimal prior sample preparation. In particular, the method should be capable of handling interferences caused by broad background signals.

Methods
An automatic baseline correction function was combined with AQuA into an automated workflow, the extended AQuA, for quantification of metabolites in plant root exudate NMR spectra that contained broad background signals and baseline distortions. The approach was evaluated using simulations as well as a spike-in experiment in which known metabolite amounts were added to a complex sample matrix.

Results
The extended AQuA enables accurate quantification of metabolites in 1D-1H NMR spectra with varying complexity. The method is very fast (< 1 s per spectrum) and can be fully automated.

Conclusions
The extended AQuA is an automated quantification method intended for 1D-1H NMR spectra containing broad background signals and baseline distortions. Although the method was developed for plant root exudates, it should be readily applicable to any NMR spectra displaying similar issues as it is purely computational and applied to NMR spectra post-acquisition.