bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Time-of-flight polarization contrast neutron imaging for enhanced characterization of ferritic phase fractions in Fe-Mn-Si shape memory alloys
Authors: Busi Matteo , Ferretto Irene , Malamud Florencia , Leinenbach Christian , Strobl Markus 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
The determination of the amount and distribution of different phase fractions in additively manufactured shape memory alloys processed with laser powder bed fusion is crucial for understanding the correlation between processing parameters, microstructure, and mechanical properties. Neutron imaging techniques, such as Bragg edge imaging and polarization contrast neutron imaging (PNI), have been introduced to complement and overcome the limitations of traditional characterization methods, which are often destructive and limited to surface analyses and small-sized specimens. Bragg edge imaging can distinguish and quantify crystallographic phase fractions with spatial resolutions of a few tens of micrometers, while PNI is highly sensitive to crystallographic phases and is particularly suited for sub-percent phase fractions and in-situ, time-resolved, and tomographic analyses. In this work, we present a time-of-flight PNI method that enables simultaneous measurements of phase fractions.
Development of Tracer Particles for Thermal Hydraulic Experiment by Neutron Imaging
Authors: Saito Y , Ito D , Odaira N , Kurita K , Iikura H 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
To observe flow velocity distributions by Neutron Imaging, suitable tracers are necessary. Their performance is highly dependent on their density, visibility, and wettability (if applied to liquid metal). Gold cadmium tracers have been developed for the Pb-Bi two-phase flow, however the visibility have not been verified depending on the particle size and the measurement system. As the candidates of tracer particles, Ag, Cd, Au-Cd, and Ag-Cd have been tested by varying its compositions and their diameters. Results show enough visibility if the particles size is larger than 1mm. In addition, Cd tracer particles were applied to the fluidized bed, where the bed materials are metallic particle made of stainless steel, with 1mm diameter. The diameter of Cd trace is about 1.5 mm. From the neutron imaging, the visibility of the tracers is enough to measure the velocity distributions in the fluidized bed.
Hydrogen diffusion in Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes specimens between 300°C-400°C by in-situ neutron imaging experiments
Authors: Stella V.M. , Soria S.R. , Gomez A. , Grosse M. , Schulz M. , Santisteban J. R. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Zirconium (Zr) alloys are widely used in nuclear power plants as fuel cladding and are susceptible to hydrogen (H) degradation. For long operational service, Zr-based components can suffer a mechanism known as Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC) associated to an increase of the crack propagation velocity by the re-orientation and precipitation of Zr hydride. In this process, the H mobility has a great influence. In the present work, the isothermal diffusion of H in Zr-2.5%Nb specimens obtained from a CANDU pressure tube were studied at consecutive temperatures of 300°C, 350°C, 375°C and 400°C. H content and mobility were quantified by in-situ neutron imaging experiments performed on ANTARES, the cold neutron imaging facility of FRM II. The time evolution of the H concentration across the specimen allowed the determination of diffusion coefficients, and an assessment of the limitations of existing models commonly used to describe H diffusion.
Synthesis of copper-reduced graphene oxide nanomaterials using glucose and study of its antibacterial and anticancer activities
Authors: Singh Anu , Gautam Akanksha , Banerjee Sagarika , Singh Awantika , Kushwaha Hemant R 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In this work, glucose-capped copper nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide nanomaterial are synthesized at 100 °C and 200 °C via chemical reduction method and studied for their antibacterial and anticancer activities. Synthesized nanomaterials were characterized using x-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, transmission electron microscope, and RAMAN. It is observed in transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction studies that copper nanoparticles deposited onto reduced graphene oxide are smaller than nanoparticles generated in the absence of reduced graphene oxide. Also, the size of copper nanoparticles synthesized at 200 °C is smaller than at 100 °C. Results suggest that Cu/Glu/rGO synthesized at both temperatures showed significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus anthracis, similarly, showed significant cell death in cancer cell lines [Cal33 and HCT-116 p53 (+/+)]. Interestingly, the nanomaterials were seen to be more effective against the cancer cell lines harboring aggregating mutant p53. Tumors with aggregating mutants of p53 are difficult to treat hence, Cu/Glu/rGO can be promising therapeutic agents against these difficult cancers. However, the antibacterial and anticancer activity of Cu/Glu/rGO synthesized at 100 °C where Cu2O form is obtained was found to be more effective compared to Cu/Glu/rGO synthesized at 200 °C where Cu form is obtained. Though fine-tuning of the material may be required for its commercial applications.
Optimal reservoir operation for transport timescales using an integrated methodology
Authors: Xiong Guanle , Mao Jingqiao , Cai Haibin , Zhang Hongqing 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Dam construction hinders the transport process of water constituents, resulting in various water quality issues in reservoir areas that impede the sustainable development of hydropower. Conventional reservoir operation optimizations to address these issues face challenges in mathematizing multiple water quality objectives and solving high-dimensional computational problems. Taking a comprehensive perspective, we propose a methodology that incorporates the concept of transport timescales into optimal reservoir operation. Firstly, a specific transport timescale is estimated through numerical tracer experiments using a 3D hydrodynamic model. Subsequently, a surrogate model is developed to approximate the hydrodynamic model for computationally efficient estimation. Finally, we employ a non-dominated ranking genetic algorithm, combined with the surrogate model, to search for a Pareto-optimal solution for multiple objectives. As a case study, we selected flushing time as the representation of transport timescales and applied it to Xiangxi Bay (XXB) in the Three Gorges Reservoir, which has experienced serious water quality problems since dam construction. Our results show that under the optimal operation scheme, the average flushing time for the entire XXB is 23.991 d, which represents a 10.9% reduction compared to the practical operation scheme. The reduction rate of flushing time along XXB shows a monotonically increasing trend towards the reservoir mainstream, with a maximum reduction of 90.9%. The proposed methodology provides a heuristic tool that links optimal reservoir operation and the transport process of holistic water constituents for comprehensive water quality management in reservoirs.
Stokesian processes : inferring Stokes flows using physics-informed Gaussian processes
Authors: Molina John J , Ogawa Kenta , Taniguchi Takashi 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
We develop a probabilistic Stokes flow framework, using physics informed Gaussian processes, which can be used to solve both forward/inverse flow problems with missing and/or noisy data. The physics of the problem, specified by the Stokes and continuity equations, is exactly encoded into the inference framework. Crucially, this means that we do not need to explicitly solve the Poisson equation for the pressure field, as a physically meaningful (divergence-free) velocity field will automatically be selected. We test our method on a simple pressure driven flow problem, i.e. flow through a sinusoidal channel, and compare against standard numerical methods (Finite Element and Direct Numerical Simulations). We obtain excellent agreement, even when solving inverse problems given only sub-sampled velocity data on low dimensional sub-spaces (i.e. 1 component of the velocity on 1D domains to reconstruct 2D flows). The proposed method will be a valuable tool for analyzing experimental data, where noisy/missing data is the norm.
Ensuring continuity and impact in Arctic monitoring: a solution-orientated model for community-based environmental research
Authors: Mercer Louise , Whalen Dustin , Pokiak Deva-Lynn , Lim Michael , Mann Paul J 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Community-based monitoring (CBM) is increasingly cited as a means of collecting valuable baseline data that can contribute to our understanding of environmental change whilst supporting Indigenous governance and self-determination in research. However, current environmental CBM models have specific limitations that impact program effectiveness and the progression of research stages beyond data collection. Here, we highlight key aspects that limit the progression of Arctic CBM programs which include funding constraints, organisational structures, and operational processes. Exemplars from collaborative environmental research conducted in the acutely climate change impacted Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), Canada, are used to identify co-developed solutions to address these challenges. These learnings from experience-based collaborations feed into a new solution-orientated model of environmental community-based research (CBR) that emphasises continuity between and community ownership in all research stages to enable a more complete research workflow. Clear recommendations are provided to develop a more coherent approach to achieving this model, which can be adapted to guide the development of successful environmental CBR programs in different research and place-based contexts.
The Matter of Personae in Medieval Italy
Authors: Vise Melissa 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
This article hunts for the medieval understanding of juridical persona in the courtrooms of communal Italy (c.1250–1450). While corporate personae have been the long-favored subject of inquiry for both medieval and modern scholars, the ontological predecessor of the corporate persona, the juridical persona, remains undertheorized. The gap is surprising given that (i) the concept is central to other formative legal notions of standing, status, and identity and (ii) medieval legal practice’s erstwhile penchant was to gloss and re-gloss every word of its central texts. By considering cases of gestural blasphemy brought before both civic and ecclesiastical courts, this article discovers the multiple and context-specific meanings for persona at law. These shifting definitions hover around a theological impossibility: a material quality to divine persons that could render them subject to injury and defendable in court. I contend that the legal utility of the term persona rested in its ability to bridge conceptual gaps like that created in the prosecution of blasphemy. Persona was left definitionally both one and many for good legal reason.
LOCATOR: feature extraction and spatial analysis of the cancer tissue microenvironment using mass cytometry imaging technologies
Authors: Ehsani Rezvan , Jonassen Inge , Akslen Lars A , Kleftogiannis Dimitrios 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Motivation
Recent advances in highly multiplexed imaging have provided unprecedented insights into the complex cellular organization of tissues, with many applications in translational medicine. However, downstream analyses of multiplexed imaging data face several technical limitations, and although some computational methods and bioinformatics tools are available, deciphering the complex spatial organization of cellular ecosystems remains a challenging problem.

Results
To mitigate this problem, we develop a novel computational tool, LOCATOR (anaLysis Of CAncer Tissue micrOenviRonment), for spatial analysis of cancer tissue microenvironments using data acquired from mass cytometry imaging technologies. LOCATOR introduces a graph-based representation of tissue images to describe features of the cellular organization and deploys downstream analysis and visualization utilities that can be used for data-driven patient-risk stratification. Our case studies using mass cytometry imaging data from two well-annotated breast cancer cohorts re-confirmed that the spatial organization of the tumour-immune microenvironment is strongly associated with the clinical outcome in breast cancer. In addition, we report interesting potential associations between the spatial organization of macrophages and patients’ survival. Our work introduces an automated and versatile analysis tool for mass cytometry imaging data with many applications in future cancer research projects.

Availability and implementation
Datasets and codes of LOCATOR are publicly available at https://github.com/RezvanEhsani/LOCATOR.
The landscape of microRNA interaction annotation: analysis of three rare disorders as a case study
Authors: Panni Simona , Panneerselvam Kalpana , Porras Pablo , Duesbury Margaret , Perfetto Livia , Licata Luana , Hermjakob Henning , Orchard Sandra 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In recent years, a huge amount of data on ncRNA interactions has been described in scientific papers and databases. Although considerable effort has been made to annotate the available knowledge in public repositories, there are still significant discrepancies in how different resources capture and interpret data on ncRNA functional and physical associations. In the present paper, we present a collection of microRNA–mRNA interactions annotated from the scientific literature following recognized standard criteria and focused on microRNAs, which regulate genes associated with rare diseases as a case study. The list of protein-coding genes with a known role in specific rare diseases was retrieved from the Genome England PanelApp, and associated microRNA–mRNA interactions were annotated in the IntAct database and compared with other datasets. RNAcentral identifiers were used for unambiguous, stable identification of ncRNAs. The information about the interaction was enhanced by a detailed description of the cell types and experimental conditions, providing a computer-interpretable summary of the published data, integrated with the huge amount of protein interactions already gathered in the database. Furthermore, for each interaction, the binding sites of the microRNA are precisely mapped on a well-defined mRNA transcript of the target gene. This information is crucial to conceive and design optimal microRNA mimics or inhibitors to interfere in vivo with a deregulated process. As these approaches become more feasible, high-quality, reliable networks of microRNA interactions are needed to help, for instance, in the selection of the best target to be inhibited and to predict potential secondary off-target effects.
Database URL: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/intact
Enterococcus faecalissuppressesStaphylococcus aureus-induced NETosis and promotes bacterial survival in polymicrobial infections
Authors: Kao Patrick Hsien-Neng , Ch'ng Jun-Hong , Chong Kelvin K L , Stocks Claudia J , Wong Siu Ling , Kline Kimberly A 
Published: October 2023

AbstractEnterococcus faecalis is an opportunistic pathogen that is frequently co-isolated with other microbes in wound infections. While E. faecalis can subvert the host immune response and promote the survival of other microbes via interbacterial synergy, little is known about the impact of E. faecalis-mediated immune suppression on co-infecting microbes. We hypothesized that E. faecalis can attenuate neutrophil-mediated responses in mixed-species infection to promote survival of the co-infecting species. We found that neutrophils control E. faecalis infection via phagocytosis, ROS production, and degranulation of azurophilic granules, but it does not trigger neutrophil extracellular trap formation (NETosis). However, E. faecalis attenuates Staphylococcus aureus-induced NETosis in polymicrobial infection by interfering with citrullination of histone, suggesting E. faecalis can actively suppress NETosis in neutrophils. Residual S. aureus-induced NETs that remain during co-infection do not impact E. faecalis, further suggesting that E. faecalis possess mechanisms to evade or survive NET-associated killing mechanisms. E. faecalis-driven reduction of NETosis corresponds with higher S. aureus survival, indicating that this immunomodulating effect could be a risk factor in promoting the virulence polymicrobial infection. These findings highlight the complexity of the immune response to polymicrobial infections and suggest that attenuated pathogen-specific immune responses contribute to pathogenesis in the mammalian host.
Colony morphotype diversification as a signature of bacterial evolution
Authors: Kovács Ákos T 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
The appearance of colony morphotypes is a signature of genetic diversification in evolving bacterial populations. Colony structure highly depends on the cell–cell interactions and polymer production that are adjusted during evolution in an environment that allows the development of spatial structures. Nucci and colleagues describe the emergence of a rough and dry morphotype of a noncapsulated Klebsiella variicola strain during a laboratory evolution study, resembling genetic changes observed in clinical isolates.
The impact of paramutations on the invasion dynamics of transposable elements
Authors: Scarpa Almorò , Kofler Robert 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
According to the prevailing view, the trap model, the activity of invading transposable elements (TEs) is greatly reduced when a TE copy jumps into a piRNA cluster, which triggers the emergence of piRNAs that silence the TE. One crucial component in the host defence are paramutations. Mediated by maternally deposited piRNAs, paramutations convert TE insertions into piRNA producing loci, thereby transforming selfish TEs into agents of the host defence. Despite this significant effect, the impact of paramutations on the dynamics of TE invasions remains unknown. To address this issue, we performed extensive forward simulations of TE invasions with piRNA clusters and paramutations. We found that paramutations significantly affect TE dynamics, by accelerating the silencing of TE invasions, reducing the number of insertions accumulating during the invasions and mitigating the fitness cost of TEs. We also demonstrate that piRNA production induced by paramutations, an epigenetically inherited trait, may be positively selected. Finally, we show that paramutations may account for three important open problems with the trap model. Firstly, paramutated TE insertions may compensate for the insufficient number of insertions in piRNA clusters observed in previous studies. Secondly, paramutations may explain the discrepancy between the observed and the expected abundance of different TE families in Drosophila melanogaster. Thirdly, piRNA clusters may be crucial to trigger the host defence, but paramutations render the clusters dispensable once the defence has been established. This could account for the lack of TE activation when three major piRNA clusters were deleted in a previous study.
The Swiss Federal Supreme Court’s Fire Ring Decision and the Evaluation of Works of Applied Art Under Copyright Law – A Burning Topic
Authors: Rauch Gregor 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In its most recent Fire Ring decision, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court had to rule on the copyright protection of works of applied art for the first time in several years. Works of applied art are included in the Swiss Copyright Act in Art. 2(2)(f) as a separate category of protected works, distinguished from other categories of works because they serve a utilitarian purpose and combine practical applicability with an additional aesthetic appeal. In light of the most recent CJEU decisions regarding copyright protection of works of applied art and industrial design, specifically its decisions in Brompton (GRUR International 2020, 969) and Cofemel (GRUR International 2020, 322) the Swiss Federal Supreme Court had the opportunity – not being directly bound by Union law – to position itself with regard to EU judicial practice and at the same time update its own sparse and partly outdated case law. However, it clearly failed to do so, not only from a legal-theoretical perspective but also from a case-specific perspective, and this raises some additional questions that deserve to be addressed.
Effects of building information modeling prior knowledge on applying virtual reality in construction education: lessons from a comparison study
Authors: Chen Xingbin , Li Sining , Li Gengying , Xue Bin , Liu Bingsheng , Fang Yuan , Seo JoonOh , Kim Inhan , Kim Jung In 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Applying building information modeling (BIM) and virtual reality (VR) in construction education is an effective way to achieve better study motivation, learnability, creativity, and observation of the real world. However, whether different levels of BIM prior knowledge affect students’ VR experimental learning, if at all, has not been examined. Therefore, this study employs a teaching intervention experiment to access the VR learning process based on the BIM prior knowledge. A total of 47 students, from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, participated in the experiment. They were grouped according to whether they had taken the prior BIM tutorial section, with 23 participants in the group having completed the tutorial and 24 participants in the group that had not. Experiment materials were created and rendered via Autodesk Revit and Iris VR; the materials supported three tasks related to the underground design review scenarios and three other tasks about site planning review scenarios. After the experiment, a comparison study was done to discuss their differences based on VR task performances and satisfaction. The results revealed that the BIM prior knowledge mediated both the two-dimensional and three-dimensional navigations when students performed the tasks. Moreover, the relationship differences within the satisfactions showed that BIM prior knowledge effectively affected the learning outcomes. In conclusion, the comparison study implies that students’ BIM prior knowledge is efficacious in the students’ VR task performance and their VR satisfaction from cognitive and memory perspectives.