bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Experimental study on the bond behavior of polymer impregnated basalt textile embedded in a fine‐grained concrete
Authors: Zhang Xiaofei , Wang Xin , Zhou Jingyang , Wu Zhishen 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe bond properties between polymer impregnated basalt textile and fine‐grained concrete were studied by pull‐out test considering the effects of bond length, impregnation polymer type, surface condition, and transverse yarn. The experimental results showed the pull‐out load increased with the bond length increasing, and the slight decrease in bond strength was attributed to the nonlinear distribution of bond stress. Owing to the high viscosity and good permeability of epoxy resin, the bond strength of epoxy resin‐impregnated textile was 238% and 592% higher than that of textile impregnated with acrylic emulsion and polyvinyl chloride, respectively. Moreover, the bond properties were improved significantly for impregnated textile with sticking sand or fiber by increasing the interfacial friction between textile and concrete, and the highest bond strength was obtained for yarn sticking sand with particle sizes of 0.09 ~ 0.18 mm. The transverse yarn of epoxy resin‐impregnated textile can generate an interlocking effect to concrete due to the semi‐rigid node, which increased the bond strength by 48.6%, whereas this did not happen for textile impregnated with flexible material. Furthermore, the anchorage lengths of textile were calculated, and the proposed simple bond slip model can be used to describe the pull‐out response of polymer impregnated basalt textile embedded in concrete.
Bivalent monomer bearing styryl and five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate moieties for orthogonal radical and cationic ring‐opening polymerizations
Authors: Yoshida Yoshiaki , Krishnamurthy Suvratha , Asakura Naoya , Endo Takeshi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe synthesized a novel bivalent monomer 1 bearing 4‐vinylbenzyl group and five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate. This monomer 1 was polymerized orthogonally by free radical polymerization to afford polystyrene 1a bearing a five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate moiety in the side chain. On the other hand, cationic ring‐opening polymerization of five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate in the monomer 1 successfully proceeded, resulting in a narrow molecular weight distribution of polydithiocarbonate 1b bearing a 4‐vinylbenzyl group in the side chain. Furthermore, post‐polymerizations of 1a and 1b maintaining the polymerizable functionality were carried out respectively by suitable polymerization methods. The five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate of 1a underwent cationic ring‐opening polymerization with a high molar ratio of methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate at a high temperature compared to the case of monomer 1, whereas radical polymerization of the 4‐vinylbenzyl group of 1b successfully proceeded under the almost same conditions as the case of monomer 1. These post‐polymerizations achieved the synthesis of corresponding networked polymers 2a and 2b.
Changes in ventilation modes in the last decade and their impact on the prevalence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants
Authors: Adler‐Haltovsky Tehila , Gileles‐Hillel Alex , Erlichman Ira , Eventov‐Friedman Smadar 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundLess invasive forms of ventilation have evolved aiming to decrease bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) morbidity. It is unclear whether changes in ventilation practices have been associated with improvements in respiratory outcomes.ObjectiveTo examine the changes in ventilation modes in preterm neonates between two periods during the last decade and their impact on BPD prevalence.MethodsA retrospective chart review of very low birth weight infants and those born at less than 32 weeks gestation hospitalized during two periods: the years 2012–2013 and 2018–2019. The primary outcome was the prevalence of BPD. Study variables included the mode and duration of ventilation, duration of oxygen need, and perinatal clinical parameters.ResultsFour hundred eighty‐one infants were enrolled. Between the two study periods, a significant increase was observed in invasive (33%–47%, p = 0.002), and noninvasive ventilation rates (44%–72%, p < 0.001). The average duration of noninvasive ventilation increased significantly (from 9.24 to 14.08 days, p = 0.016). The total duration of respiratory support remained unchanged. The overall prevalence of moderate and severe BPD at 36 weeks corrected age remained approximately 40% in preterm infants born at less than 28 weeks gestation.ConclusionThe increasing use of non‐invasive ventilation was not accompanied by a reduction in the use of invasive ventilation, nor by a reduced prevalence of BPD. The high prevalence of BPD remains a significant problem in extreme prematurity. Other interventions, in addition to less aggressive ventilation, need to be explored.
Lung function after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: A prospective cohort study in children
Authors: Iovine Elio , Di Mattia Greta , Nenna Raffaella , La Regina Domenico Paolo , Mancino Enrica , Petrarca Laura , Conti Maria Giulia , Matera Luigi , Virgili Fabrizio , Midulla Fabio ,   and on behalf of the Long COVID Research Group
Published: April 2023

AbstractIntroductionAlthough impaired lung function after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection has been described in adults, it is unclear whether lung function might be altered in children, especially among asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients. In this study, we report the results of lung function testing performed after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in a large pediatric population.MethodsThe study included 589 patients with previous confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection aged 0–18 years. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients during acute infection were enrolled in the study. A spirometry was performed in all cooperating patients.ResultsThe mean age of enrolled patients was 9.6 years and the mean time from infection to enrollment was 171 days. Spirometry was performed and deemed evaluable in 433 patients. No patient had reduced forced vital capacity (FVC) and only 14 patients (3.2%) had a forced expiratory volume in the First second (FEV1) < 80%. The mean spirometry values recorded were in the normal range. There were no statistically significant differences in spirometry values between patients with respiratory symptoms during infection and those without. Similarly, there were no differences in spirometry parameters according to the time elapsed between infection and enrollment.ConclusionLung function, according to spirometry values, does not appear to be impaired long after infection in the pediatric population. The presence of respiratory symptoms during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection would not represent a risk factor for impaired lung function in this cohort of patients.
Comparison of hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels hazards and practical risk management strategies
Authors: MacNguyen Richard 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe use of hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier is increasing globally. Existing processes are being expanded, and hydrogen is also being incorporated into novel technologies and processes. As new hydrogen applications and processes are being developed, it is important for industry professionals to understand the associated hazards and how they differ from the hazards of hydrocarbon fuels. While best practices and risk management strategies for hydrocarbon fuel processes are mature and generally known within thre industry, the hazards of hydrogen processes, such as liquid storage tanks and fuel dispensers, are less commonly understood by those who may be planning to enter this industry. The objective of this paper is to explain the hazards of hydrogen and to provide a comparison of these hazards with those of commonly used hydrocarbon fuels through a review of the flammable hazards, consequence modeling, and select hydrogen‐release incidents. The analysis will provide current industry risk practitioners with useful guidance to understand the hazards associated with this increasingly popular fuel. This paper provides information in three main sections. The first section provides a review and comparison of fire and explosion hazards for hydrogen as compared to hydrocarbon fuels. Second section provides consequence modeling results comparing hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels for similar release scenarios using a common software model (DNV Phast version 8.71). Third section provides a review of select hydrogen incidents.
Q‐Whex: A simple and highly mobile quasi‐wheeled hexapod robot
Authors: Zhang Guoteng , Ma Shugen , Liu Jinguo , Zeng Xianwu , Kong Lingyu , Li Yibin 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThis paper presents the design and control of Q‐Whex, an untethered, quasi‐wheeled hexapod robot. Q‐Whex has only six actuators—one motor located at each hip—achieving mechanical simplicity that promotes reliable and robust operation in real‐world tasks. All of the robot's mechanical parts are simply fabricated with carbon fiber plates, which makes the robot very easy to make. Q‐Whex is capable of performing wheeled‐like smooth rides over flat ground with a tripod gait, and thereby prevent the common problem of trunk fluctuations in legged‐wheel robots. It is also able to traverse height variations well exceeding its trunk clearance. The performance of Q‐Whex is evaluated in various scenarios, including driving and turning over flat terrains, ramp‐riding, step‐crossing, stair‐climbing, and irregular terrain‐traversing.
Seed banks and seed survival of submersion for an emerging plant invader in the Colorado River system, USA
Authors: Jackson S. Ka‐Voka , Pilkington Lonnie H. , Berghel Kevin M. , Chiquoine Lindsay P. , Abella Scott R. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractSoil seed banks along shorelines and the ability of seeds to survive submersion in water are among potential factors that can influence seed supply, a frequent driver of riparian plant invasions. We investigated germinable soil seed banks and the ability of seeds to germinate after different durations of submersion in water for non‐native ravennagrass (Saccharum ravennae), an emerging but poorly understood invader of riparian habitats in the American Southwest, including along the Lake Powell section of the Colorado River where we performed the study. We assessed soil seed bank composition in 27 ravennagrass‐invaded plots using the emergence technique and evaluated effects on ravennagrass germination of submersion in river water for up to 15 months in a laboratory experiment. Ravennagrass was sparse in soil seed banks, detected in samples from only one of the 27 plots. Instead, soil seed banks were dominated by the non‐native annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and a mixture of native early colonizers (e.g., Pseudognaphalium stramineum) and shrubs (e.g., Baccharis emoryi). Although ravennagrass seed germination was low (<9%) in the submersion experiment, some seeds retained germinability after 15 months of continuous submersion in water. Results suggest that while ravennagrass may have limited on‐site, readily germinable soil seed banks, potential implications of its protracted seed viability in water for dispersal along waterways warrants further attention.
How different amino acid scoring patterns recommended by FAO/WHO can affect the nutritional quality and protein claims of lentils
Authors: Sá Amanda G. A. , Hang Jiayi , Jardine Laura , Bett Kirstin E. , House James D. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAs a nutritious pulse and protein source, lentils play an important role in the plant‐based protein market. Pulses' nutritional quality is influenced by their protein content and amino acid composition. Recommended scoring patterns by FAO/WHO can estimate protein quality for dietary assessment, but different guidelines for protein content in food labeling exist in North America. This study determined the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) and amino acid score (AAS) for the protein quality assessment of lentils. The impact of different recommended amino acid scoring patterns by FAO/WHO (1991, 2013) on AAS and AAS corrected for in vitro protein digestibility (AAS‐IVPDC) were evaluated. The impact of AAS‐IVPDC for determining protein content claims for lentils using USA standards was also evaluated. Sulfur AA and tryptophan were the most limiting amino acids. From this work, estimates of lentil protein quality vary with different recommended amino acid scoring patterns. IVPD in lentils was 82.6%, while mean AAS‐IVPDC values ranged from 37.5% to 64.0%. Regarding the protein content claims, if considering a similar interpretation to the protein digestibility–corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) system (i.e., corrected content is ≥ 5.0 g per RACC), all lentil samples were considered a “good source of protein.” However, if considering a similar interpretation to digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) system (i.e., corrected content is ≥ 5.0 g per RACC and a claim threshold of 75%), no samples met these protein claims due to the arbitrary cut‐off. The criteria set for making protein content claims should be revised.
Microfluidic‐Assisted Self‐Assembly of 2D Nanosheets toward in situ Generation of Robust Nanofiber Film
Authors: Zhou Liangliang , Han Jingtao , Xiao Jijun , Yang Xiaoning , Chen Su 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMethods allow the enhancement of nanofibers via self‐assembly are potentially important for new disciplines with many advantages, including multi‐anchor interaction, intrinsic mechanical properties and versatility. Herein, a microfluidic‐assisted self‐assembly process to construct hydroxyl functionalized boron nitride nanosheets (OH−BNNS)/graphene oxide (GO)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite nanofiber film, in which stable and precisely controlled self‐assembly is fulfilled by the confined ultra‐small‐volume chip is demonstrated. Multiple fine structural analyses alongside with the density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations are implemented to confirm the synergistic effect of noncovalent interactions (hydrogen bonding interaction, π – π stacking interaction, and van der Waals attraction) plays a critical role in the robust micro‐structure and a massive 700% enhancement of mechanical strength via adding only 0.3 wt% OH−BNNS and GO. Importantly, profiled from broadband optical absorption ability, robust mechanical properties and outstanding flexibility, the self‐assembled 3D OH−BNNS/GO/TPU nanofiber film reveals an adorable evaporation rate of 4.04 kg m−2 h−1 under one sun illumination with stable energy transfer efficiency (93.2%) by accompanying hydrogen bonding interaction. This microfluidic‐assisted self‐assembly strategy will provide a constructive entry point for the rational design of nanofibers and beyond.
Combination of meta‐analysis of QTL and GWAS to uncover the genetic architecture of seed yield and seed yield components in common bean
Authors: Izquierdo Paulo , Kelly James D. , Beebe Stephen E. , Cichy Karen 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIncreasing seed yield in common bean could help to improve food security and reduce malnutrition globally due to the high nutritional quality of this crop. However, the complex genetic architecture and prevalent genotype by environment interactions for seed yield makes increasing genetic gains challenging. The aim of this study was to identify the most consistent genomic regions related with seed yield components and phenology reported in the last 20 years in common bean. A meta‐analysis of quantitative trait locus (QTL) for seed yield components and phenology (MQTL‐YC) was performed for 394 QTL reported in 21 independent studies under sufficient water and drought conditions. In total, 58 MQTL‐YC over different genetic backgrounds and environments were identified, reducing threefold on average the confidence interval (CI) compared with the CI for the initial QTL. Furthermore, 40 MQTL‐YC identified were co‐located with 210 SNP peak positions reported via genome‐wide association (GWAS), guiding the identification of candidate genes. Comparative genomics among these MQTL‐YC with MQTL‐YC reported in soybean and pea allowed the identification of 14 orthologous MQTL‐YC shared across species. The integration of MQTL‐YC, GWAS, and comparative genomics used in this study is useful to uncover and refine the most consistent genomic regions related with seed yield components for their use in plant breeding.
Neural Network-Guided Synthesis of Recursive List Functions
Authors: Kobayashi Naoki , Wu Minchao 
Published: April 2023

AbstractKobayashi et al. have recently proposed NeuGuS, a framework of neural-network-guided synthesis of logical formulas or simple program fragments, where a neural network is first trained based on data, and then a logical formula over integers is constructed by using the weights and biases of the trained network as hints. The previous method was, however, restricted the class of formulas of quantifier-free linear integer arithmetic. In this paper, we propose a NeuGuS method for the synthesis of recursive predicates over lists definable by using the left fold function. To this end, we design and train a special-purpose recurrent neural network (RNN), and use the weights of the trained RNN to synthesize a recursive predicate. We have implemented the proposed method and conducted preliminary experiments to confirm the effectiveness of the method.
Stack-Aware Hyperproperties
Authors: Bajwa Ali , Zhang Minjian , Chadha Rohit , Viswanathan Mahesh 
Published: April 2023

AbstractA hyperproperty relates executions of a program and is used to formalize security objectives such as confidentiality, non-interference, privacy, and anonymity. Formally, a hyperproperty is a collection of allowable sets of executions. A program violates a hyperproperty if the set of its executions is not in the collection specified by the hyperproperty. The logicHyperCTL*has been proposed in the literature to formally specify and verify hyperproperties. The problem of checking whether a finite-state program satisfies aHyperCTL*formula is known to be decidable. However, the problem turns out to be undecidable for procedural (recursive) programs. Surprisingly, we show that decidability can be restored if we consider restricted classes of hyperproperties, namely those that relate only those executions of a program which have the same call-stack access pattern. We call such hyperproperties,stack-aware hyperproperties.Our decision procedure can be used as a proof method for establishing security objectives such as noninference for recursive programs, and also for refuting security objectives such as observational determinism. Further, if the call stack size is observable to the attacker, the decision procedure provides exact verification.
Unsatisfiability Proofs for Distributed Clause-Sharing SAT Solvers
Authors: Michaelson Dawn , Schreiber Dominik , Heule Marijn J. H. , Kiesl-Reiter Benjamin , Whalen Michael W. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractDistributed clause-sharing SAT solvers can solve problems up to one hundred times faster than sequential SAT solvers by sharing derived information among multiple sequential solvers working on the same problem. Unlike sequential solvers, however, distributed solvers have not been able to produce proofs of unsatisfiability in a scalable manner, which has limited their use in critical applications. In this paper, we present a method to produce unsatisfiability proofs for distributed SAT solvers by combining the partial proofs produced by each sequential solver into a single, linear proof. Our approach is more scalable and general than previous explorations for parallel clause-sharing solvers, allowing use on distributed solvers without shared memory. We propose a simple sequential algorithm as well as a fully distributed algorithm for proof composition. Our empirical evaluation shows that for large-scale distributed solvers (100 nodes of 16 cores each), our distributed approach allows reliable proof composition and checking with reasonable overhead. We analyze the overhead and discuss how and where future efforts may further improve performance.
Active Learning for SAT Solver Benchmarking
Authors: Fuchs Tobias , Bach Jakob , Iser Markus 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBenchmarking is a crucial phase when developing algorithms. This also applies to solvers for the SAT (propositional satisfiability) problem. Benchmark selection is about choosing representative problem instances that reliably discriminate solvers based on their runtime. In this paper, we present a dynamic benchmark selection approach based on active learning. Our approach predicts the rank of a new solver among its competitors with minimum runtime and maximum rank prediction accuracy. We evaluated this approach on the Anniversary Track dataset from the 2022 SAT Competition. Our selection approach can predict the rank of a new solver after about 10 % of the time it would take to run the solver on all instances of this dataset, with a prediction accuracy of about 92 %. We also discuss the importance of instance families in the selection process. Overall, our tool provides a reliable way for solver engineers to determine a new solver’s performance efficiently.
Correct Approximation of Stationary Distributions
Authors: Meggendorfer Tobias 
Published: April 2023

AbstractA classical problem for Markov chains is determining their stationary (or steady-state) distribution. This problem has an equally classical solution based on eigenvectors and linear equation systems. However, this approach does not scale to large instances, and iterative solutions are desirable. It turns out that a naive approach, as used by current model checkers, may yield completely wrong results. We present a new approach, which utilizes recent advances in partial exploration and mean payoff computation to obtain a correct, converging approximation.
Robust Almost-Sure Reachability in Multi-Environment MDPs
Authors: van der Vegt Marck , Jansen Nils , Junges Sebastian 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMultiple-environment MDPs (MEMDPs) capture finite sets of MDPs that share the states but differ in the transition dynamics. These models form a proper subclass of partially observable MDPs (POMDPs). We consider the synthesis of policies that robustly satisfy an almost-sure reachability property in MEMDPs, that is,onepolicy that satisfies a propertyfor allenvironments. For POMDPs, deciding the existence of robust policies is an EXPTIME-complete problem. We show that this problem is PSPACE-complete for MEMDPs, while the policies require exponential memory in general. We exploit the theoretical results to develop and implement an algorithm that shows promising results in synthesizing robust policies for various benchmarks.
Mungojerrie: Linear-Time Objectives in Model-Free Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Hahn Ernst Moritz , Perez Mateo , Schewe Sven , Somenzi Fabio , Trivedi Ashutosh , Wojtczak Dominik 
Published: April 2023

AbstractMungojerrie is an extensible tool that provides a framework to translate linear-time objectives into reward for reinforcement learning (RL). The tool provides convergent RL algorithms for stochastic games, reference implementations of existing reward translations for $$\omega $$
ω
-regular objectives, and an internal probabilistic model checker for $$\omega $$
ω
-regular objectives. This functionality is modular and operates on shared data structures, which enables fast development of new translation techniques. Mungojerrie supports finite models specified in PRISM and $$\omega $$
ω
-automata specified in the HOA format, with an integrated command line interface to external linear temporal logic translators. Mungojerrie is distributed with a set of benchmarks for $$\omega $$
ω
-regular objectives in RL.