bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of moisture on the edgewise flexural properties of acetylated and unmodified birch plywood: a comparison of strength, stiffness and brittleness properties
Authors: Wang Yue , Wang Tianxiang , Crocetti Roberto , Wålinder Magnus 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBirch plywood has superior mechanical properties compared with that made from most softwoods. However, durability-related issues still limit the application of birch plywood in outdoor structures. A means to enhance its durability is to acetylate birch veneers before processing them into plywood. An earlier study showed that such acetylated birch plywood has equivalent mechanical properties to unmodified ones. However, there is a need to better understand the moisture effect on the mechanical properties of unmodified and acetylated birch plywood for a better design of structural birch plywood elements. Moreover, due to the pronounced in-plane anisotropy of plywood, extra concern should be given to the weakest load angle due to the weakest chain theory. In this study, acetylated and unmodified birch plywood specimens were conditioned in climate chambers under three different environments with a temperature of 20 °C and increasing relative humidity (RH) from 35 to 65% to 95%. Thereafter, their in-plane edgewise flexural properties with load-to-face grain angles of 0, 45, and 90 degrees were tested. The influence of both RH and measured moisture contents on bending strength and stiffness are then presented. Prediction formulas of mechanical properties with moisture contents are derived by performing linear regressions among test results. Variations of brittleness factors and brittleness indexes under various RH conditions and load-face grain angles were also studied.
PFΔScreen — an open-source tool for automated PFAS feature prioritization in non-target HRMS data
Authors: Zweigle Jonathan , Bugsel Boris , Fabregat-Palau Joel , Zwiener Christian 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a huge group of anthropogenic chemicals with unique properties that are used in countless products and applications. Due to the high stability of their C-F bonds, PFAS or their transformation products (TPs) are persistent in the environment, leading to ubiquitous detection in various samples worldwide. Since PFAS are industrial chemicals, the availability of authentic PFAS reference standards is limited, making non-target screening (NTS) approaches based on high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) necessary for a more comprehensive characterization. NTS usually is a time-consuming process, since only a small fraction of the detected chemicals can be identified. Therefore, efficient prioritization of relevant HRMS signals is one of the most crucial steps. We developed PFΔScreen, a Python-based open-source tool with a simple graphical user interface (GUI) to perform efficient feature prioritization using several PFAS-specific techniques such as the highly promising MD/C-m/C approach, Kendrick mass defect analysis, diagnostic fragments (MS2), fragment mass differences (MS2), and suspect screening. Feature detection from vendor-independent MS raw data (mzML, data-dependent acquisition) is performed via pyOpenMS (or custom feature lists) with subsequent calculations for prioritization and identification of PFAS in both HPLC- and GC-HRMS data. The PFΔScreen workflow is presented on four PFAS-contaminated agricultural soil samples from south-western Germany. Over 15 classes of PFAS (more than 80 single compounds with several isomers) could be identified, including four novel classes, potentially TPs of the precursors fluorotelomer mercapto alkyl phosphates (FTMAPs). PFΔScreen can be used within the Python environment and is easily automatically installable and executable on Windows. Its source code is freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/JonZwe/PFAScreen).
Graphical abstract
Posterior epistaxis management: review of the literature and proposed guidelines of the hellenic rhinological-facial plastic surgery society
Authors: Koskinas Ioannis , Terzis Timoleon , Georgalas Christos , Chatzikas Georgios , Moireas Georgios , Chrysovergis Aristidis , Triaridis Stefanos , Constantinidis Jannis , Karkos Petros 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Posterior epistaxis is a common emergency in ENT practice varying in severity and treatment. Many management guidelines have been proposed, all of which are a product of retrospective analyses due to the nature of this pathology, as large-scale double-blind studies are impossible—even unethical—to conduct. The purpose of this review is to perform a thorough analysis and comparison of every treatment plan available and establish guidelines for the best possible outcome in accordance to every parameter studied. Given the extensive heterogeneity of information and the multitude of studies on this topic, along with the comparison of various treatment options, we opted for a literature review as our research approach.

Methods
A review of the literature was performed using PubMed Database and search terms included “posterior epistaxis”, “treatment”, “management”, “guidelines”, “algorithm” “nasal packing”, “posterior packing”, “surgery”, “SPA ligation”, “embolization”, “risk factors” or a combination of the above.

Results
Initial patients’ assessment invariably results in most cases in posterior packing. There seems to be a superiority in recent literature of early surgery over nasal packing as a definitive treatment. Embolization is usually used after surgery failure, except for specific occasions.

Conclusion
Despite the vast heterogeneity of information, there seems to be a need for re-evaluation of the well-established treatment plans according to more recent studies.

Graphical abstract
Amelioration of Parkinsonian tremor evoked by DBS: which role play cerebello-(sub)thalamic fiber tracts?
Authors: Deuter Daniel , Mederer Tobias , Kohl Zacharias , Forras Patricia , Rosengarth Katharina , Schlabeck Mona , Röhrl Daniela , Wendl Christina , Fellner Claudia , Schmidt Nils-Ole , Schlaier Jürgen 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Background
Current pathophysiological models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) assume a malfunctioning network being adjusted by the DBS signal. As various authors showed a main involvement of the cerebellum within this network, cerebello-cerebral fiber tracts are gaining special interest regarding the mediation of DBS effects.

Objectives
The crossing and non-decussating fibers of the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (c-DRTT/nd-DRTT) and the subthalamo-ponto-cerebellar tract (SPCT) are thought to build up an integrated network enabling a bidimensional communication between the cerebellum and the basal ganglia. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of these tracts on clinical control of Parkinsonian tremor evoked by DBS.

Methods
We analyzed 120 electrode contacts from a cohort of 14 patients with tremor-dominant or equivalence-type PD having received bilateral STN-DBS. Probabilistic tractography was performed to depict the c-DRTT, nd-DRTT, and SPCT. Distance maps were calculated for the tracts and correlated to clinical tremor control for each electrode pole.

Results
A significant difference between “effective” and “less-effective” contacts was only found for the c-DRTT (p = 0.039), but not for the SPCT, nor the nd-DRTT. In logistic and linear regressions, significant results were also found for the c-DRTT only (pmodel logistic = 0.035, ptract logistic = 0,044; plinear = 0.027).

Conclusions
We found a significant correlation between the distance of the DBS electrode pole to the c-DRTT and the clinical efficacy regarding tremor reduction. The c-DRTT might therefore play a major role in the mechanisms of alleviation of Parkinsonian tremor and could eventually serve as a possible DBS target for tremor-dominant PD in future.
Neural networks as an approximator for a family of optimization algorithm solutions for online applications
Authors: López-Rojas Arturo D. , Cruz-Villar Carlos A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a sufficient condition at which a neural network can approximate a set of optimization algorithm solutions; we establish under which conditions a neural network can replace an optimization algorithm to solve a problem with the objective of safely deploying that network in a system where online solutions are necessary to simplify the hardware or allowing the processor to solve the optimization problem on time. To that end, first, we define the family of optimization problems to be addressed; then, we construct a vector with the parameters on which the solution depends, in order to propose a function based on the first-order Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions to find conditions under which the inverse of the proposed function maps the problem minimizer with respect to the constructed vector, we provide the sufficiency proof of, both, existence and feasibility of approximation by a neural network regarding the inverse function. Two case studies are proposed, one numerical case showing how a neural network can solve an optimization problem faster than popular solvers to illustrate how it can be implemented in applications where the computation time is tight, and the other case is a Model Predictive Control implementation with the optimization problem solver replaced by a neural network which allows a hardware downgrade; both cases are presented with time statistics comparisons.
Approaching the isoperimetric problem in $$H_{{\mathbb {C}}}^m$$ via the hyperbolic log-convex density conjecture
Authors: Silini Lauro 
Published: November 2023

AbstractWe prove that geodesic balls centered at some base point are uniquely isoperimetric sets in the real hyperbolic space $$H_{{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$

H

R

n

endowed with a smooth, radial, strictly log-convex density on the volume and perimeter. This is an analogue of the result by G. R. Chambers for log-convex densities on $${\mathbb {R}}^n$$

R

n

. As an application we prove that in any rank one symmetric space of non-compact type, geodesic balls are uniquely isoperimetric in a class of sets enjoying a suitable notion of radial symmetry.
Farmers’ perspectives on water availability in the lower Volta Delta region in Ghana
Authors: Sarku Rebecca 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSmallholder farmers in the lower Volta Delta of Ghana operate in a risky and uncertain context due to water scarcity. However, the conventional analyses of water availability have mainly focused on drought, rainfall occurrence, and other climatic or weather elements, using secondary biophysical data with relatively little emphasis on farmers’ perceptions and how socioeconomic factors contribute to the vulnerability of farming in the lower Volta Delta. This study examines farmers’ perceptions of vulnerability to water availability to determine how perception is socially constructed and differentiated in various locations. The study was conducted using qualitative research methods in the Ada East, Ada West, South Tongu, and Anloga Districts in the lower Volta Delta of Ghana. Findings reveal that climate is not the only stressor on livelihoods in the area. Farmers perceive their livelihoods as vulnerable to socioeconomic stressors, including limited freshwater and groundwater resources. The perceived severity of water availability conditions determines farmers’ response strategies, such as crop selection, planting dates, irrigation strategies, and other agronomic practices. These findings have important implications for researchers, agricultural extension agents, and policymakers to design appropriate measures and approaches to deal with water scarcity for farming in the region. The study also contributes valuable insights into the loss and damage incurred by farmers due to climate change and variability in the region.
The effects of abaloparatide on hip geometry and biomechanical properties in Japanese osteoporotic patients assessed using DXA-based hip structural analysis: results of the Japanese phase 3 ACTIVE-J trial
Authors: Sone Teruki , Ohnaru Kazuhiro , Sugai Takumi , Yamashita Akiko , Okimoto Nobukazu , Inoue Tetsuo , Matsumoto Toshio 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Summary
Daily subcutaneous injection of 80 μg abaloparatide increased bone mineral density in Japanese patients with osteoporosis at high fracture risk in the ACTIVE-J trial. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry–based hip structural analysis from ACTIVE-J data showed improved hip geometry and biomechanical properties with abaloparatide compared with placebo.

Purpose
Abaloparatide (ABL) increased bone mineral density (BMD) in Japanese patients with osteoporosis at high fracture risk in the ACTIVE-J trial. To evaluate the effect of ABL on hip geometry and biomechanical properties, hip structural analysis (HSA) was performed using ACTIVE-J trial data.

Methods
Hip dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans from postmenopausal women and men (ABL, n = 128; placebo, n = 65) at baseline and up to week 78 were analyzed to extract bone geometric parameters at the narrow neck (NN), intertrochanteric region (IT), and proximal femoral shaft (FS). Computed tomography (CT)-based BMD and HSA indices were compared between baseline and week 78.

Results
ABL treatment showed increased mean percent change from baseline to week 78 in cortical thickness at the NN (5.3%), IT (5.3%), and FS (2.9%); cross-sectional area at the NN (5.0%), IT (5.0%), and FS (2.6%); cross-sectional moment of inertia at the NN (7.6%), IT (5.1%), and FS (2.5%); section modulus at the NN (7.4%), IT (5.4%), and FS (2.4%); and decreased mean percent change in buckling ratio (BR) at the IT (− 5.0%). ABL treatment showed increased mean percent change in total volumetric BMD (vBMD; 2.7%) and trabecular vBMD (3.2%) at the total hip and decreased mean percent change in BR at femoral neck (− 4.1%) at week 78 vs baseline. All the changes noted here were significant vs placebo (P < 0.050 using t-test).

Conclusion
A 78-week treatment with ABL showed improvement in HSA parameters associated with hip geometry and biomechanical properties vs placebo.

Trial registration
JAPIC CTI-173575
Application of electrical resistivity tomography and geotechnical techniques for identification and characterization of collapsible soils in Bafoussam (Western, Cameroon)
Authors: Meyomesse Samuel Erick , Koah Na Lebogo Serge Parfait , Bisso Dieudonné , Zo′o Zame Philemon 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Road failure catastrophes have increased in frequency in the West Cameroon area. The collapsed soil characteristics that contribute to these phenomena in Bafoussam have been investigated using the geophysical investigation combined with geotechnical tests. The result of electrical resistivity tomography shows water conditions and heterogeneity of road foundation materials: resistivity values higher than 200 Ωm indicate dry materials, values between 30 and 200 Ωm define wet materials, and values lower than 30 Ωm indicate the very wet or water-saturated materials. These water-saturated materials can therefore move, bounded by a sliding surface of high-resistivity materials. Geotechnical properties analysis shows that these materials are clayey-sensitive water (64% clay fraction; A-7-6), very plastic (liquid limit: 46–63% plasticity limit: 29–39%), compressible, with high porosity (e > 0.8), low shear strength, and high friction angle (24–37°). The quality of foundation materials associated with high slopes (> 40°) and heavy rainfall in wet seasons (July–October) means that seepage water is the main factor responsible for the mass movement observed on the road of Western Cameroon. The construction or rehabilitation of these roads should be carried out in compliance with the natural conditions of the project site.

Article highlights
- 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography method is able to determine the nature, subsurface structure and water conditions of road foundation soils.
- Geotechnical test can be used to define the physical and mechanical properties of road foundation soils.
- These two techniques complement each other to understand the mass movement observed on two sections of road failures caused by seepage water.
Hybrid impedance and admittance control for optimal robot–environment interaction
Authors: Ye Dexi , Yang Chenguang , Jiang Yiming , Zhang Hui 
Published: November 2023

AbstractCompliant interaction between robots and the environment is crucial for completing contact-rich tasks. However, obtaining and implementing optimal interaction behavior in complex unknown environments remains a challenge. This article develops a hybrid impedance and admittance control (HIAC) scheme for robots subjected to the second-order unknown environment. To obtain the second-order target impedance model that represents the optimal interaction behavior without the accurate environment dynamics and acceleration feedback, an impedance adaptation method with virtual inertia is proposed. Since impedance control and admittance control have complementary structures and result in unsatisfactory performance in a wide range of environmental stiffness due to their fixed causality, a hybrid system framework suitable for the second-order environment is proposed to generate a series of intermediate controllers which interpolate between the responses of impedance and admittance controls by using a switching controller and adjusting its switching duty cycle. In addition, the optimal intermediate controller is selected using a mapping of the optimal duty cycle to provide the optimal implementation performance for the target impedance model. The proposed HIAC scheme can achieve the desired interaction and impedance implementation performance while ensuring system stability. Simulation and experimental studies are performed to verify the effectiveness of our scheme with a 2-DOF manipulator and a 7-DOF Franka EMIKA panda robot, respectively.
Statistical Mapping of Magnetic Topology at Venus
Authors: Xu Shaosui , Frahm Rudy A. , Ma Yingjuan , Luhmann Janet G. , Mitchell David L. , Persson Moa 
Published: November 2023

AbstractDespite Venus having insignificant intrinsic magnetic fields, the magnetic connectivity between the solar wind and the Venus ionosphere, or magnetic topology, is not as simple as expected and is also important for characterizing the Venus space environment. This study provides a technique combining superthermal electron energy and pitch angle distributions to infer up to 6 subtypes of magnetic topology at Venus. This enables us to determine magnetic topology with automated procedures using the Venus Express (VEx) observations from May 2006 to November 2014. We find that the draped topology (both ends of a field line not connected to the collisional ionosphere) is the dominant topology in the near‐Venus space environment, >70%, except at low altitudes close to the ionosphere. The open (a field line connected to both the solar wind and the collisional ionosphere) and closed (a field line connected only to the collisional ionosphere) topologies make up 20%–30% on average of the magnetotail and up to 50% at low altitudes. This study provides the first characterization of the statistical distributions of different magnetic topologies at Venus.
An Investigation of Non‐Spherical Smoke Particles Using CATS Lidar
Authors: Midzak N. , Yorks J. E. , Zhang J. , Nowottnick E. P. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSmoke particles originating from biomass burning events are typically assumed to be spherical, yet non‐spherical smoke particles are also reported from in situ observations. The spatial and temporal distributions of non‐spherical smoke particles, which could have impacts on passive‐ and active‐based satellite aerosol retrievals, are not yet well understood. In this analysis, using NASA's Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS) lidar data during the biomass burning season over Africa and South America from 2015 to 2017, we studied the frequency and distribution of non‐spherical smoke particles. A supplemental smoke aerosol typing algorithm was developed to identify aerosol layers containing non‐spherical smoke particles which could otherwise be misclassified as dust or dust mixture using the CATS standard aerosol typing algorithm. Approximately 30% of smoke layers over Africa and South America are non‐spherical (depolarization ratio >0.1) and align with dry biomes of low soil moisture values. Conversely, spherical smoke layers (depolarization ratio <0.1) are in moist regions. The modified algorithm with improved discrimination of non‐spherical smoke detection using CATS depolarization ratio was further verified with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hybrid Single‐Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model, Aerosol Robotic Network Ångström exponent retrievals, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research Reanalysis soil moisture data. This study highlights the limitations of current aerosol typing algorithms and the potential of algorithms employing ancillary data to improve aerosol typing such as multi‐wavelength volume depolarization ratio measurements or synergy with passive sensors to further discriminate between aerosol types from spaceborne elastic backscatter lidar.
Impact of Quaternary Glaciations on Denudation Rates in North Pamir—Tian Shan Inferred From Cosmogenic 10Be and Low‐Temperature Thermochronology
Authors: Kudriavtseva Anna , Codilean Alexandru T. , Sobel Edward R. , Landgraf Angela , Fülöp Réka‐H. , Dzhumabaeva Atyrgul , Abdrakhmatov Kanatbek , Wilcken Klaus M. , Schildgen Taylor , Fink David , Fujioka Toshiyuki , Gong Lingxiao , Rosenwinkel Swenja , Merchel Silke , Rugel Georg 
Published: November 2023

AbstractWe explore the spatial and temporal variations in denudation rates in the northern Pamir—Tian Shan region using 10Be‐derived denudation rates from modern (n = 110) and buried sediment (2.0–2.7 Ma; n = 3), and long‐term exhumation rates from published apatite fission track (AFT; n = 705) and apatite (U‐Th‐Sm)/He (AHe; n = 211) thermochronology. We found moderate correlations between denudation rates and topographic metrics and weak correlations between denudation rates and annual rainfall, highlighting complex linkages among tectonics, climate, and surface processes that vary locally. The 10Be data show a spatial trend of decreasing modern denudation rates from west to east, suggesting that deformation and precipitation control denudation in the northern Pamir and western Tian Shan. Farther east, the denudational response of the landscape to Quaternary glaciations is more pronounced and reflected in our data. Modern 10Be denudation rates are generally higher than the long‐term AFT and AHe exhumation rates across the studied area. In the Kyrgyz Tian Shan, on average, the highest 10Be denudation rates are recorded in the Terskey range, south of Lake Issyk‐Kul. Here, modern denudation rates are higher than 10Be‐derived paleo‐denudation rates, which are comparable in magnitude with the long‐term exhumation rates inferred from AFT and AHe. We propose that denudation in the region, particularly in the Terskey range, remained relatively steady during the Neogene and early Pleistocene. Denudation increased due to glacial‐interglacial cycles in the Quaternary, but this occurred after the onset and intensification of the Northern Hemisphere glaciations at 2.7 Ma.