bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sulfidation of Supported Ni, Mo and NiMo Catalysts Studied by In Situ XAFS
Authors: Gajdek Dorotea , Jensen Lucy Idowu Ajakaiye , Briois Valérie , Hulteberg Christian , Merte Lindsay R. , Blomberg Sara 
Published: January 2023

AbstractActive sites in Mo-based hydrotreating catalysts are produced by sulfidation. To achieve insights that may enable optimization of the catalysts, this process should be studied in situ. Herein we present a comparative XAFS study where the in situ sulfidation of Mo/δ-Al2O3 and Ni/δ-Al2O3 is compared to that of δ-Al2O3 supported NiMo catalysts with different NiMo ratios. The study also covers the comparison of sulfidation of Ni and Mo using different oxide supports as well as the sulfidation conditions applied in the reactor. The XAFS spectra confirms the oxide phase for all catalysts at the beginning of the sulfidation reaction and their conversion to a sulfidized phase is followed with in situ measurements. Furthermore, it is found that the monometallic catalysts are less readily sulfidized than bimetallic ones, indicating the importance of Ni-Mo interactions for catalyst activation. Mo K-edge XAFS spectra did not show any difference related to the support of the catalyst or the pressure applied during the reaction. Ni K-edge XAFS spectra, however, show a more complete sulfidation of the Ni species in the catalyst when SiO2 is used as a support as compared to the Al2O3. Nevertheless, it is believed that stronger interactions with Al2O3 support prevent sintering of the catalyst which leads to its stabilization. The results contribute to a better understanding of how different parameters affect the formation of the active phase of the NiMo catalysts used in the production of biofuel.
Of Marriage and Mathematics: Inferentialism and Social Ontology
Authors: Collin James Henry 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe semantic inferentialist account of the social institution of semantic meaning can be naturally extended to account for social ontology. I argue here that semantic inferentialism provides a framework within which mathematical ontology can be understood as social ontology, and mathematical facts as socially instituted facts. I argue further that the semantic inferentialist framework provides resources to underpin at least some aspects of the objectivity of mathematics, even when the truth of mathematical claims is understood as socially instituted.
Accommodating heterogeneity: the interaction of instructional scaffolding with student preconditions in the learning of hypothesis-based reasoning
Authors: Grimm Hanna , Edelsbrunner Peter A. , Möller Kornelia 
Published: January 2023

AbstractHypothesis-based reasoning with conditionals is a skill that is required for engaging in integral activities of modern elementary school science-curricula. The teaching of this skill at this early stage of education, however, is demanding, particularly in whole school classes in which it is difficult to adapt teaching to children’s individual needs. We examine whether a scaffold that is static yet tailored to the context, in which the teacher explicitly models the reasoning process, manages to meet students’ individual cognitive preconditions for learning this skill. Within an inquiry-based learning setting, N = 143 third-graders underwent either an experimental condition in which they received the explicit scaffold, or a control condition in which they did not receive this specific scaffold. Employing a latent transition analysis and a general additive model, it is examined how the additional scaffold interacted with students’ prior knowledge, inhibition ability, and logical reasoning judged by their own teachers. It is found that the additional scaffolds managed to meet the needs of students with little prior knowledge; under the control condition, students with little prior knowledge showed decreased learning achievement, whereas under the experimental condition, students with differing prior knowledge learned to comparable extent and on a higher level. The scaffolds also almost fully diminished a disadvantage for students with lower teacher-judged logical reasoning, and supported students with high inhibition ability in mastering the most difficult aspect of reasoning based on irrelevant evidence. Implications for science education are discussed.
The Relationship of COVID-19 Vaccination with Mortality Among 86,732 Hospitalized Patients: Subpopulations, Patient Factors, and Changes over Time
Authors: Baker Timothy B. , Bolt Daniel M. , Smith Stevens S. , Piasecki Thomas M. , Conner Karen L. , Bernstein Steven L. , Hayes-Birchler Todd , Theobald Wendy E. , Fiore Michael C. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractInformation on COVID-19 vaccination effects on mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 could inform vaccination outreach efforts and increase understanding of patient risk.Determine the associations of vaccination status with mortality in adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19.This retrospective cohort study assessed the characteristics and mortality rates of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across 21 healthcare systems in the USA from January 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022.Adult patients admitted to participating hospitals who had COVID-19 diagnoses and/or positive PCR tests and completed their hospital stay via discharge or death.In-hospital mortality vs. discharge (outcome) and patient age, sex, race, ethnicity, BMI, insurance status, comorbidities, and vaccination status extracted from the electronic health record (EHR).Of 86,732 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 45,082 (52%) were female, mean age was 60 years, 20,800 (24%) were Black, and 22,792 (26.3%) had one or more COVID-19 vaccinations. Statistically adjusted mortality rates for unvaccinated and vaccinated patients were 8.3% (95% CI, 8.1–8.5) and 5.1% (95% CI, 4.8–5.4) respectively (7.9% vs. 4.5% with no immune compromise). Vaccination was associated with especially large reductions in mortality for obese (OR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.56–0.80) and severely obese (OR = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.41–0.67) patients and for older patients (OR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98–0.99). Mortality likelihood was higher later in the study period (August 2021–January 31, 2022) than earlier (January 1, 2021–July 30, 2021) (OR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.04–1.17) and increased significantly for vaccinated patients from 4.6% (95% CI, 3.9–5.2%) to 6.5% (95% CI, 6.2–6.9%).Patients vaccinated for COVID-19 had reduced mortality, especially for obese/severely obese and older individuals. Vaccination’s protective effect against mortality declined over time and hospitalized obese and older individuals may derive especially great benefit from prior vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.
Minimizing responsibility in the aggressive dynamics of bullying and its impact on other strategies of moral disengagement: a longitudinal study
Authors: Falla Daniel , Ortega-Ruiz Rosario , Romera Eva M. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractNot assuming responsibility, or minimizing it, after committing an offence is one of the four moral disengagement strategies linked to the phenomenon of bullying described by the Social Cognitive Theory. However, to date, there has been no research into the role of the agent’s locus in this process and the mediating effect of bullying perpetration in the possible evolutionary sequencing of moral disengagement strategies. This study addresses both of these goals. A total of 1107 schoolchildren (54.7% girls; Mage = 14.49; SD = 0.789) were surveyed in a longitudinal study at three time points spaced six months apart. The results indicated that minimizing responsibility directly predicts both cognitive restructuring and distortion of consequences. They also confirmed that aggressive perpetration in bullying has a mediating effect on all three strategies. Nevertheless, this sequential dynamic does not include dehumanization, which was not directly linked to minimizing responsibility and was mediated by the perpetration of aggression in bullying. We discuss the extent to which minimizing responsibility is the first step in a temporal sequence of moral disengagement mechanisms that help maintain the aggressive dynamic in bullying, so that it stimulates the other mechanisms and incorporates the locus of the aggressive agent. These findings allow us to advance in our understanding of the ethical dimension (sensitivity and moral criteria) implicit in the phenomenon of unjustified aggressiveness known as bullying.
DMP-Based Reactive Robot-to-Human Handover in Perturbed Scenarios
Authors: Iori Francesco , Perovic Gojko , Cini Francesca , Mazzeo Angela , Falotico Egidio , Controzzi Marco 
Published: January 2023

AbstractWhile seemingly simple, handover requires joint coordinate efforts from both partners, commonly in dynamic collaborative scenarios. Practically, humans are able to adapt and react to their partner’s movement to ensure seamless interaction against perturbations or interruptions. However, literature on robotic handover usually considers straightforward scenarios. We propose an online trajectory generation method based on Dynamic Movement Primitives to enable reactive robot behavior in perturbed scenarios. Thus, the robot is able to adapt to human motion (stopping should the handover be interrupted while persisting through minor disturbances on the partner’s trajectory). Qualitative analysis is conducted to demonstrate the capability of the proposed controller with different parameter settings and against a non-reactive implementation. This analysis shows that controllers with reactive parameter settings produce robot trajectories that can be deemed as more coordinated under perturbation. Additionally, a randomized trial with participants is conducted to validate the approach by assessing the subject perception through a questionnaire while measuring task completion and robot idle time. Our method has been shown to significantly increase the subjective perception of the interaction with no statistically significant deterioration in task performance metrics under one of the two sets of parameters analyzed. This paper represents a first step towards the introduction of reactive controllers in handover tasks that explicitly consider perturbations and interruptions.
A simulation-based optimization approach for designing transit networks
Authors: Nnene Obiora A. , Joubert Johan W. , Zuidgeest Mark H. P. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractPublic transport network design deals with finding efficient network solution(s) from a set of alternatives that best satisfies the often-conflicting objectives of stakeholders like passengers and operators. This work presents a simulation-based optimization (SBO) model for designing public transport networks. The work’s novelty is in developing such a network design model that fully accounts for the stochastic behavior of commuters on the transit network. The SBO discipline solves decision-based problems like the transit network design problem (TNDP) by combining simulation and optimization models. The proposed model integrates a disaggregated activity-based travel demand simulation with a multi-objective network optimization algorithm. Trip-based travel demand models are commonly used to represent traveler behavior in the literature. The approach limits its ability to accommodate the stochastic realities of traveler behavior in a transit network design solution. Using activity-based simulation instead makes it possible to account for a more realistic traveler behavior, especially real-time decisions made in response to changing network dynamics which ultimately affect the distribution of demand over time on the network. The proposed model is applied to the improved design of the integrated public transport network in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. The results show SBO can design efficient network solutions that reflect the objectives of network stakeholders.
The Impact of the Social Mood on the Italian Sovereign Debt Market: A Twitter Perspective
Authors: Carnazza Giovanni 
Published: January 2023

AbstractBy analysing the relationship between a new experimental daily index based on Twitter data (the Istat’s Social Mood on Economy Index—SMoEI) and the structure of Italian (and Spanish) sovereign interest rates, our work sheds new light on the great significance of the interconnections between economic sentiment and the Italian sovereign bond market. A placebo test performed on Spain introduces a possible extension of this linkage to the European market, highlighting the deep integration of financial markets within the European Monetary Union. Within a VAR and VECM framework with daily frequency data (2016–2022), we show that public shaping mechanisms play a role in the cost of debt financing. Our analysis emphasises the importance of economic sentiment when it comes to financial markets, putting the role of macroeconomic fundamentals in a different light. This result should be interpreted with caution, as updates to fundamentals can be affected by a time lag. In any case, recognising the importance of this index has at least two implications: on the one side, the SMoEI could represent a more responsive indicator for predicting investor sentiment; on the other side, media channels—as well as the European and national institutions—should gain relevance for their potential impact on collective sentiment, encouraging the importance of economic education and non-alarmist communication.
Autonomous demand and technical change: exploring the Kaldor–Verdoorn law on a global level
Authors: Deleidi Matteo , Fontanari Claudia , Gahn Santiago José 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis paper aims to explain labour productivity through the lens of a Kaldorian perspective. To assess the relationship between output, demand, capital accumulation, and labour productivity, we apply Panel Structural Vector Autoregressive (P-SVAR) modelling to a dataset of 52 countries observed over a long-time span as provided by the Penn World Table. Findings validate the Kaldorian perspective and show that demand shocks—measured by government expenditures and exports—produce positive and persistent effects on labour productivity. Findings are confirmed even when the full sample is broken down to consider developed and developing countries separately.
Development of Rectangular Vibration Isolators with Double Core Systems for Structures
Authors: Altalabani Diyar , Hejazi Farzad 
Published: January 2023

AbstractOne of the best techniques for isolating structures from the ground is the seismic isolation technique. Nowadays, square and circular base isolators are the most frequently employed shapes. Nevertheless, these configurations are not applicable for the wall-like structures; since the applied loads are not distributed in a way that provides a uniform support condition along the shear walls. To address this issue, attempts were made to develop novel rectangular isolators with lead/rubber cores. A total of five large-scale rectangular isolators were experimentally tested and subsequently subjected to finite element analysis. A rectangular seismic isolator having double lead cores was proposed to improve its effectiveness. Exposure to lead-containing materials has been shown to have poisonous effects on both the human health and environment. To avoid this, an isolator having double rubber cores was developed. Moreover, the rubber cores are wrapped with one layer of CFRP sheet and stainless steel tube to enhance the damping ratio of the rectangular isolators. Thereafter, the novel isolators were implemented in a 10-storey tunnel-form building using nonlinear dynamic analyses. The seismic performance of the buildings was then studied by conducting Incremental Dynamic Analyses. The experimental outcomes demonstrated that confining the rubber cores by stainless steel tube and CFRP sheet increased the energy absorption along the length of the isolators by 15 and 7%, respectively. Moreover, the damping ratios of the rectangular isolator with double lead cores have also increased by 36 and 47% along its length and width, respectively.
Methods of Political Influence of Weak Interests Using the Example of the Reform Process of the Bundesteilhabegesetz (Federal Participation Act)
Authors: Schultz Laura 
Published: January 2023

AbstractPeople with disabilities and their associations should have the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes by following the principle of “nothing about us without us,” according to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. This slogan was pursued as part of the reform process of the Federal Participation Act (Bundesteilhabegesetz) in Germany. Interest groups of people with disabilities (also referred to as “weak interests” in reference to association research) were intensively involved in various stages of the process. This article is based on results of a dissertation project that involved the process tracing method of the reform process of this new law. This paper takes a closer look at the methods of political influence used by interest groups of people with disabilities. Which activities were particularly effective in the context of the process considered here? What can other interest groups learn from the reform process of the Federal Participation Act about the direct use of power resources and lobbying? The power resource approach adapted to weak interests provides a basis, as do various lobbying activities, for demonstrating different ways in which weak interests influence the reform process. As the paper will show, the mix of different lobbying activities helped to assert some of their demands.
Ultrafast protein response in the Pfr state of Cph1 phytochrome
Authors: Yang Yang , Stensitzki Till , Lang Christina , Hughes Jon , Mroginski Maria Andrea , Heyne Karsten 
Published: January 2023

AbstractPhotoisomerization is a fundamental process in several classes of photoreceptors. Phytochromes sense red and far-red light in their Pr and Pfr states, respectively. Upon light absorption, these states react via individual photoreactions to the other state. Cph1 phytochrome shows a photoisomerization of its phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore in the Pfr state with a time constant of 0.7 ps. The dynamics of the PCB chromophore has been described, but whether or not the apoprotein exhibits an ultrafast response too, is not known. Here, we compare the photoreaction of 13C/15N labeled apoprotein with unlabeled apoprotein to unravel ultrafast apoprotein dynamics in Cph1. In the spectral range from 1750 to 1620 cm−1 we assigned several signals due to ultrafast apoprotein dynamics. A bleaching signal at 1724 cm−1 is tentatively assigned to deprotonation of a carboxylic acid, probably Asp207, and signals around 1670 cm−1 are assigned to amide I vibrations of the capping helix close to the chromophore. These signals remain after photoisomerization. The apoprotein dynamics appear upon photoexcitation or concomitant with chromophore isomerization. Thus, apoprotein dynamics occur prior to and after photoisomerization on an ultrafast time-scale. We discuss the origin of the ultrafast apoprotein response with the ‘Coulomb hammer’ mechanism, i.e. an impulsive change of electric field and Coulombic force around the chromophore upon excitation.
Graphical abstract
Use of portable air purifiers to reduce aerosols in hospital settings and cut down the clinical backlog
Authors: Salmonsmith Jacob , Ducci Andrea , Balachandran Ramanarayanan , Guo Liwei , Torii Ryo , Houlihan Catherine , Epstein Ruth , Rubin John , Tiwari Manish K. , Lovat Laurence B. 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has severely affected capacity in the National Health Service (NHS), and waiting lists are markedly increasing due to downtime of up to 50 min between patient consultations/procedures, to reduce the risk of infection. Ventilation accelerates this air cleaning, but retroactively installing built-in mechanical ventilation is often cost-prohibitive. We investigated the effect of using portable air cleaners (PAC), a low-energy and low-cost alternative, to reduce the concentration of aerosols in typical patient consultation/procedure environments. The experimental setup consisted of an aerosol generator, which mimicked the subject affected by SARS-CoV-19, and an aerosol detector, representing a subject who could potentially contract SARS-CoV-19. Experiments of aerosol dispersion and clearing were undertaken in situ in a variety of rooms with two different types of PAC in various combinations and positions. Correct use of PAC can reduce the clearance half-life of aerosols by 82% compared to the same indoor-environment without any ventilation, and at a broadly equivalent rate to built-in mechanical ventilation. In addition, the highest level of aerosol concentration measured when using PAC remains at least 46% lower than that when no mitigation is used, even if the PAC's operation is impeded due to placement under a table. The use of PAC leads to significant reductions in the level of aerosol concentration, associated with transmission of droplet-based airborne diseases. This could enable NHS departments to reduce the downtime between consultations/procedures
Subclinical myocardial assessment after BNT162b2 messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccination in adolescents with chronic heart disease: a speckle-tracking echocardiography study
Authors: Başkan Serra , Özer Pelin Karaca , Keskin Gülperi Yağar , Gövdeli Elif Ayduk , Ömeroğlu Rukiye Eker 
Published: January 2023

AbstractPurpose:Case reports of the development of perimyocarditis in adolescents and young adults after BNT162b2 messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccination have raised concerns about the cardiac side effects of the vaccine. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical follow-up and subclinical myocardial function after mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents with chronic heart disease.Methods:Forty-one adolescents aged 12–18 who were followed up at paediatric cardiology clinic between December 2021 and May 2022, and who had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine were included in the study. The patients were evaluated five times in total – before the vaccination, one week after receiving the first dose, one month after receiving the first dose, one week after receiving the second dose, and one month after receiving the second dose. Cardiac assessment for all patients included an electrocardiogram, transthoracic echocardiography, and two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain echocardiography for left ventricular subclinical myocardial function.Results:The mean age of the adolescents was 16.2 ± 1.5 years, and 56% (n = 23) were male. There was no statistically significant difference in patients' echocardiographic measurements including left ventricular global longitudinal strain and electrocardiogram parameters including PR, QRS, and QTc intervals through the follow-up. Seven patients reported cardiac complaints at post-vaccination follow-up visits, but laboratory and echocardiographic evidence of cardiac involvement was not observed.Conclusions:Based on the results of our study, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine did not cause impairment in subclinical myocardial function assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography in adolescents with chronic heart disease.