bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prunus dulcis-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and an evaluation of their biocidal properties
Authors: Gharpure Saee , Yadwade Rachana , Mehmood Shuana , Ankamwar Balaprasad 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Use of plant extracts for synthesizing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles is gaining importance due to their easy, eco-friendly, cost effective and non-toxic nature. In this study, an economical biosynthetic approach of ZnO formation was delineated where aqueous extract of Prunus dulcis (almond) leaves has been used as reducing/capping agent followed by their characterization studies. The present study has successfully synthesized pure, highly crystalline in nature, predominantly spherical ZnO nanoparticles within the size range 71–214 nm for nanocystallites and 526 nm-2.37 μm for aggregated flower-shaped ZnO nanoparticles. Microbicidal properties of uncalcined and calcined ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated using test microbes (bacteria: E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis; fungi Penicillium spp., F. oxysporum, A. flavus, R. solani). Lack of microbicidal potential was observed against all four bacteria and fungi. When tested for toxicity against HCT-116 carcinoma cells, these nanoparticles displayed non-toxic nature. This biocompatibility is influenced by physico-chemical properties of ZnO nanoparticles as well as biological properties of living cells. Thus, these ZnO nanoparticles can serve as an innocuous machinery in disease therapeutics due to the presence of their non-microbicidal and non-antineoplastic activities.
Effects of periodic parametric damping and amplitude-modulated signal on vibrational resonance and torus-doubling bifurcations occurrence in an asymmetric mixed Rayleigh-Liénard oscillator
Authors: Adéyémi C , Kpomahou YJF , Agbélélé JK , Adéchinan AJ , Yamadjako AE 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This research paper examines the effects of periodic parametric damping and amplitude-modulated signal on vibrational resonance and the occurrence of torus-doubling bifurcations in an asymmetric mixed Rayleigh-Liénard oscillator. The method of direct separation of the slow and fast motions is used to derive the approximate theoretical expression of response amplitude at the low frequency. The obtained results show that the presence of periodic parametric damping induces in the system multiple resonance peaks when the low frequency is varied. Moreover, the increase of carrier amplitude modulated increases or decreases the maximum amplitude value in certain range of the low frequency. However, when the periodic parametric damping coefficient is varied, one resonance peak occurs and the maximum amplitude value increases when the carrier amplitude modulated increases. The theoretical and direct numerical predictions have shown a fairly satisfactory agreement. On the other hand, the global dynamical changes of the system are numerically examined in context of vibrational resonance. It is found that, the system displays many torus attractors of different topologies, torus-doubling bifurcations, reverse torus-doubling bifurcations and torus-chaos. These observations are illustrated by plotting the phase portraits and their corresponding Poincaré maps.
Effect of a dynamic axial magnetic field on a preconditioned single-wire Z-pinch
Authors: Jiang Zhiyuan , Wu Jian , Wang Wei , Chen Ziwei , Zhou Xinmiao , Wang Zhenyu , Lu Yuanbo , Zhao Yiming , Shi Huantong , Li Xingwen 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
In this study, the effect and mechanism of a dynamic axial magnetic field on a preconditioned single-wire Z-pinch were investigated experimentally and theoretically. Optical diagnostic methods, including shadowgraphy, interferometry, Faraday rotation, and Thomson scattering, have been used to measure the parameters of magnetized plasmas. Compression of the azimuthal and axial magnetic fields was observed, and the suppression of the plasma instability was recorded and analyzed. The results showed that an external axial magnetic field could reduce the plasma instability and non-uniformity, but prolong the implosion time and weaken the compression ratio. In the implosion process with an axial magnetic field, the plasma rotated at a speed similar to that of imploding, which could be regarded as a stabilization method. A simplified model of the diffusion and compression processes of a dynamic axial magnetic field was developed to investigate the conditions for maximizing the amplitude of the axial magnetic field. Subsequently, the snowplow model was used to calculate the effect of axial magnetic fields on the implosion process and energy conversion.
Effect of Organosilane Functionalization of Kaolinite In Structure and Thermal Properties
Authors: Basith A , Venny  , Ni’mah A F , Mu’izzah N R , Sejati G P W , Pramono E 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The composite homogeneity of polymer and inorganic content is often constrained by the high difference in surface tension of the two components. Inorganic filler surface tension is usually reduced using organosilane modification to improve miscibility. In this study, organosilane was introduced into Kaolinite clay to produce silanated kaolinite (sKal). The modification was carried out by reacting kaolinite with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APS) in ethanol media. The products were characterized by Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and thermal analysis. Successful silanated modification, sKal structure, thermal properties, and dispersion stability under water were reported. The appearance of absorptions demonstrated the success of the Kaolin Aps modification. New spectra from the N-H and CH2 group organosilanes of APS, which bind to kaolinite. The addition of organosilane concentrations can affect the structure of kaolinite, increasingly more organosilanes are added, widening the plate spacing of each layer, and resulting in the breaking of the polymer chains and the exfoliation of platelets between the layers of kaolinite. Thermal stability showed an increase in thermal degradation after modification with Organosilan-APS. Furthermore, modifying Kaolinite with APS can improve dispersion stability in aqueous. Kaolinite-APS modification can accelerate the deposition of colloidal dispersions by lowering the surface tension of kaolinite. The data showed the potential of sKal as a modifier polymer in composite preparation for any application.
A piecewise spline approach for modeling of ECG signals
Authors: Mishra Alka , Bhusnur Surekha 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This paper presents a new spline-based modeling method of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal that can reproduce normal as well as abnormal ECG beats. Large volume ECG data is required for automatic machine learning diagnostic systems, medical education, research and testing purposes but due to privacy issues, access to this medical data is very difficult. Given this, modeling an ECG signal is a very challenging task in the field of biomedical signal processing. Spline-based modeling is the latest and one of the most efficient methods with very low computational complexity in the domain of ECG signal generation. In this paper, healthy ECG and arrhythmia conditions have been considered for the synthetic generation, (namely Atrial fibrillation and Congestive heart failure ECG beats) because these are the leading causes of death globally. To validate the performance of the presented modeling method, it is tested on 100 signals, also the percentage root mean square difference (PRD) and the root mean square error (RMSE) have been determined. These calculated values are analyzed and the results are found to be very promising and show that the presented method is one of the best methods in the field of synthetic ECG signal generation. A comparison amongst relevant existing techniques and the proposed method is also presented. The performance merit values PRD and RMSE, for the proposed method obtained are 38.99 and 0.10092, respectively, which are lower than the values obtained in other compared methods. To ensure fidelity of the proposed modeling technique with respect to IEC60601 standard, few Conformance Testing Services (CTS)database signals have also been modelled with a very close resemblance with the standard signals.
Seasonal predictability of summer north african subtropical high in operational climate prediction models
Authors: Zhou Fang , Juma Ali Said , Zi Ran , Shi Jian , Liu Ming-Hong 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Seasonal predictability of summer North African Subtropical High (NASH) is investigated in this study by utilizing the hindcast data from four operational climate prediction models, including BCC_CSM1.1(m), NCEP CFSv2, ECMWF System 4, and JMA CPSv2. By reconstructing indices describing the variations in intensity, area, eastern boundary and ridge line of the NASH, it is shown that the intensity and area indices present high prediction skills compared to the relatively low prediction skills of position indices. The multi-model ensemble (MME) mean, calculated as the arithmetic average of the four models, presents relatively higher and stabler skills than individual models. Further investigation indicates that the prediction skill of the NASH is largely reliant on the models’ ability in reproducing the relationship between the NASH indices and the tropical-to-subtropical sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The pattern of atmospheric circulation anomaly over the North Africa in response to ENSO is well captured by the models, which suggests the dominant source of predictability of the NASH.
The challenge of generalization
Authors: Hewitt Martin 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This chapter discusses some of the challenges of attempting to sum up the Victorians in a short book. It emphasizes the complexity and contradictions of the Victorians, and the tensions that ran through the period. At the same time it claims the validity and importance of offering general statements, especially if these go beyond claims about what ‘the Victorians’ thought or did, and instead teases out the particular combination of ways of thinking and modes of doing which characterized the period. The chapter concludes with an outline of the rest of the book and a statement of its underlying aims.
Eminent and less eminent Victorians
Authors: Hewitt Martin 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This chapter turns attention from the world in which the Victorians lived to the Victorians themselves, asking who they were, both individually and as a group. It looks at the size and shape of the population of Victorian Britain, and its demographic character (life expectancy, health, fertility). It considers the various ways in which Victorian society was divided up, by class, gender and sexuality, race, and age. It then considers who we might think of as ‘representative Victorians’, using the Victorians’ own sense of their heroes and celebrities to consider what the leading figures across various aspects of Victorian life, politics, art, literature, science, and entertainment, tell us about the Victorians as a whole.
The Victorian world
Authors: Hewitt Martin 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
This chapter examines the Victorians in a national, international, and global context. It begins by considering the make-up of the British nation the Victorians lived in, describing its distinctive English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish components. It looks at Britain’s international relations and foreign policy, especially towards Europe and America. It then explores the ways in which Victorian Britain was imperial, and the ways in which the extension of the British empire, not just formal but also informal empire, spread particular versions of Victorian culture and society across the globe. It examines the violence and destructiveness of empire, along with its legacies.
Standardized trauma intake form with clinical decision support prompts improves care and reduces mortality for seriously injured patients in non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana: stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial
Authors: Gyedu Adam , Stewart Barclay T , Nakua Emmanuel , Donkor Peter 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Background
The WHO Trauma Care Checklist improved key performance indicators (KPIs) of trauma care at tertiary hospitals. A standardized trauma intake form (TIF) with real-time clinical decision support prompts was developed by adapting the WHO Trauma Care Checklist for use in smaller low- and middle-income country hospitals, where care is delivered by non-specialized providers and without trauma teams. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the TIF for improving KPIs in initial trauma care and reducing mortality at non-tertiary hospitals in Ghana.

Methods
A stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial was conducted by stationing research assistants at emergency units of eight non-tertiary hospitals for 17.5 months to observe management of injured patients before and after introduction of the TIF. Differences in performance of KPIs in trauma care (primary outcomes) and mortality (secondary outcome) were estimated using generalized linear mixed regression models.

Results
Management of 4077 injured patients was observed (2067 before TIF introduction, 2010 after). There was improvement in 14 of 16 primary survey and initial care KPIs after TIF introduction. Airway assessment increased from 72.9 to 98.4 per cent (adjusted OR 25.27, 95 per cent c.i. 2.47 to 258.94; P = 0.006) and breathing assessment from 62.1 to 96.8 per cent (adjusted OR 38.38, 4.84 to 304.69; P = 0.001). Documentation of important clinical data improved from 52.4 to 76.7 per cent (adjusted OR 2.14, 1.17 to 3.89; P = 0.013). The mortality rate decreased from 17.7 to 12.1 per cent among 302 patients (186 before, 116 after) with impaired physiology on arrival (hypotension or decreased level of consciousness) (adjusted OR 0.10, 0.02 to 0.56; P = 0.009).

Conclusion
The TIF improved overall initial trauma care and reduced mortality for more seriously injured patients.

Registration number
NCT04547192 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Quality of life after severe acute pancreatitis: systematic review
Authors: Giorga Andrea , Hughes Michael , Parker Simon , Smith Andrew , Young Alistair 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Background
Severe acute pancreatitis, the most severe form of acute pancreatitis, can alter pancreatic morphology, physiology, and function resulting in long-term morbidity, even after a single episode. This review assesses long-term outcomes and quality of life of severe acute pancreatitis.

Methods
A comprehensive literature review was conducted across MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and PubMed electronic databases on 18 January 2021 and updated on 26 April 2022 to ensure no new literature had been omitted. All studies were prospective or retrospective, included adult patients (&gt;18 years) presenting with acute pancreatitis for whom data on long-term outcomes specifically after severe acute pancreatitis were reported. Quantitative and qualitative data extraction and synthesis were carried out and no meta-analysis was performed. Outcome measures included aetiology and mortality of severe acute pancreatitis, length of stay, endocrine and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, chronic symptoms, and quality of life compared with healthy controls as assessed by validated questionnaires.

Results
Fourteen retrospective cohort studies were included, for a total of 779 patients, using quality of life questionnaires. The most common aetiology of severe acute pancreatitis was biliary (36 per cent) followed by alcoholic (29 per cent). Mortality rate ranged from 5 to 35 per cent and length of stay ranged from 2 to 367 days. Quality of life was somewhat lower in patients with exocrine insufficiency, but unaffected by endocrine insufficiency or chronic symptoms. Quality of life was more likely to be reduced in the first 4 years but normalize thereafter and was more likely to be negatively affected where alcohol was the aetiology. In four studies, the relationship between disease severity and lower quality of life was investigated, and a significant correlation was found.

Conclusion
The review shows how a single episode of severe acute pancreatitis can have a variable effect on long-term quality of life, which is different to previous studies showing a strong reduction in quality of life. This could indicate that in current times treatment modalities are more effective.
Alternative Endoscopy Reading Paradigms Determine Score Reliability and Effect Size in Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Reinisch Walter , Pradhan Vivek , Ahmad Saira , Zhang Zhen , Gale Jeremy D 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Objective
Central reading of endoscopy is advocated by regulatory agencies for clinical trials in ulcerative colitis [UC]. It is uncertain whether the local/site reader should be included in the reading paradigm. We explore whether using locally- and centrally-determined endoscopic Mayo subscores [eMS] provide a reliable final assessment and whether the paradigm used has an impact on effect size.

Methods
eMS data from the TURANDOT [NCT01620255] study were used to retrospectively examine seven different reading paradigms (using the scores of local readers [LR], first central readers [CR1], second central readers [CR2], and various consensus reads [ConCR]) by assessing inter-rater reliabilities and their impact on the key study endpoint, endoscopic improvement.

Results
More than 40% of eMS scores between two trained central readers were discordant. Central readers had wide variability in scorings at baseline (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] of 0.475 [0.339, 0.610] for CR1 vs CR2). Centrally-read scores had variable concordance with LR (LR vs CR1 ICC 0.682 [0.575, 0.788], and LR vs CR2 ICC 0.526 [0.399, 0.653]). Reading paradigms with LR and CR which included a consensus, enhanced ICC estimates to &gt;0.8. At Week 12, without the consensus reads, the CR1 vs CR2 ICC estimates were 0.775 [0.710, 0.841], and with consensus reads the ICC estimates were &gt;0.9. Consensus-based approaches were most favourable to detect a treatment difference.

Conclusion
The ICC between the eMS of two trained and experienced central readers is unexpectedly low, which reinforces that currently used central reading processes are still associated with several weaknesses.
Malicious Motives or Innocent Intentions? How Moral Reactions to “Collateral Damage” Shape Perceptions of Intent in Wartime Conduct
Authors: Traven David , Holmes Marcus , Chu Jonathan A 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The laws of war prohibit intentional attacks on civilians, a fact that reflects the widely held view that intentional killings are particularly egregious, far more so than incidental killings or pure accidents. Yet, recent scholarship in moral psychology shows that the relationship between intention-understanding and moral judgments can also go the other way, that is, that judgments about whether an action is right or wrong can influence the degree to which people regard the action as intentional or unintentional. Drawing on this line of research, in this article we examine how moral intuitions influence perceptions of the intent to harm civilians in war. Using vignette-based survey experiments, we look at whether complying with the international humanitarian law principles of proportionality and precaution in attacks affects intentionality attributions. Our results suggest that when soldiers are perceived as having broken these principles, people are more likely to conclude that they killed civilians intentionally.
Unitarity of some barycentric rational approximants
Authors: Jawecki Tobias , Singh Pranav 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The exponential function maps the imaginary axis to the unit circle and for many applications this unitarity property is also desirable from its approximations. We show that this property is conserved not only by the $(k,k)$-rational interpolant of the exponential on the imaginary axis, but also by $(k,k)$-rational barycentric approximants that minimize a linearized approximation error. These results are a consequence of certain properties of singular vectors of Loewner-type matrices associated to linearized approximation errors. Prominent representatives of this class are rational approximants computed by the adaptive Antoulas–Anderson (AAA) method and the AAA–Lawson method. Our results also lead to a modified procedure with improved numerical stability of the unitarity property and reduced computational cost.
Spatial Asymptotic Expansions in the Navier–Stokes Equation
Authors: McOwen Robert , Topalov Peter 
Published: August 2023

AbstractWe prove that the Navier–Stokes equation for a viscous incompressible fluid in ${\mathbb {R}}^{d}$ is locally well-posed in spaces of functions allowing spatial asymptotic expansions with log terms as $|x|\to \infty $ of any a priori given order. The solution depends analytically on the initial data and time so that for any $0&lt;\vartheta &lt;\pi /2$ it can be holomorphically extended in time to a conic sector in ${\mathbb {C}}$ with angle $2\vartheta $ at zero. We discuss the approximation of solutions by their asymptotic parts.
E.H. Carr’s Theory of Law: Exploring the Elements and Problems of International Law
Authors: Chas Carmen 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
E.H. Carr’s thought and approach to international relations have been the subject of several recent works. Though the insights offered by this new literature are extremely valuable, the lack of engagement with Carr’s wider oeuvre—including Britain: A Study of Foreign Policy from the Versailles Treaty to the Outbreak of War, Conditions of Peace, The New Society, Nationalism and After, History of the Soviet Union Series, and articles—has inhibited the level of understanding we have gained of his thought. This paper offers a reinterpretation of Carr’s theory of international law that challenges the prevailing arch-realist reading of his theory. It explores the distinct elements of Carr’s thought on the limits and problems of international law, revealing his insights into the nature of international law and the ways in which it is affected by national interests and nationalism. Finally, this paper argues that this rarely tackled and misunderstood aspect of Carr’s theory of international relations is clearly present in his works and that it provides a powerful commentary on the fundamental problems faced by international law.
Experimental and numerical study on the mechanical behaviours of two rocks with circular openings
Authors: Gui Yilin , Cevik Yusuf , Ma Jianjun 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
The presence of discontinuities in rocks can significantly compromise the performance of the rocks in terms of strength and stiffness, thereby threatening the reliability and safety of engineering structures built in or on the rocks, for example, tunnels, and slopes. In this paper, a comprehensive set of experimental tests, including Brazilian disc tests and uniaxial compression tests, were performed for two distinct rocks including granite and sandstone with seven patterns of opening holes, in addition to intact rock specimens. To investigate the micro-cracks initiation and propagation, a hybrid continuum-discrete element method incorporating a cohesive fracture model was adopted to simulate the laboratory testing. The stress–strain relations, micro-cracks initiation and propagation, Young’s modulus, compressive strength, tensile strength and micro-cracks rate and orientation were discussed. The results showed that the presence of the holes could significantly influence the tensile strength and compressive strength. However, its influence on the Young’s modulus was found to be relatively insignificant.