bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing soil C stock and C to N ratio of soil organic matter under mixed pine-beech forests at different scales
Authors: Getino-Álvarez Marina , San-Martin Roberto , Pretzsch Hans , Pach Maciej , Bravo Felipe , Turrión María-Belén 
Published: May 2023

AbstractHealthy soils are the second C sink on Earth, and this sink could last for hundreds or even thousands of years as stable soil organic matter (SOM). Forest soils, in particular, have the potential to store significant amounts of C, however, the amount of C sequestered and the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio of soil organic matter (SOM) depend on the vegetation influencing the soil. In the last decades, mixed stands have aroused great interest among the scientific community, but it is still necessary to intensify research on its effect on soils and their C storage capacity. In this study, we assess soil C sequestration potential in soil and litter of mixed and pure stands of Scots pine and beech (Pinus sylvestris–Fagus sylvatica). Three triplets (9 forest plots), two located in Southern Poland and one in Southern Germany were studied. A total of 40 circular subplots of 5 m radius were selected within the triplets, covering a wide range of species mixture, and soil and litter were sampled. Data were analyzed at two scales (plot-level and microsite-level) to determine which option is more appropriate when studying the mixing effect on SOM. Cstock in forest floor ranged between 2.5 and 11.1 Mg C ha−1and in mineral soil between 39.6 and 337.8 Mg ha−1. According to our findings, the percentage of species mixture primarily impacted the forest floor rather than the mineral soil. On the forest floor, stands with 25–50% pine in the mixture were found to have a C/N ratio between 20 and 30, which indicates an equilibrium state between mineralization and immobilization. In the mineral soil, total organic C was the only variable affected by mixture percentage (p < 0.1). Finally, microsite-level scale proved to be the most appropriate when studying tree stand composition effect on SOM, as the plot-level scale diluted or masked some effects.
Heat in German cities: a study on existing and planned measures to protect human health
Authors: Hannemann Laura , Janson Debora , Grewe Henny Annette , Blättner Beate , Mücke Hans-Guido 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAimExtreme heat events caused by climate change continue to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity. People living in cities in particular are exposed to heat as a result of the urban heat island effect. Although negative effects can be mitigated by heat health action plans (HHAPs), it remains unknown how many German cities have implemented such plans or other measures to reduce the health risks from heat. Therefore, this study surveyed the status of planned or published HHAPs and measures in German cities.Subject and methodsApproximately 10% of German cities with the greatest population density were sampled for the study (n = 70 cities). A frequency analysis of city concepts and city webpages was conducted to determine whether cities have already introduced concepts for climate adaptation, climate protection or an HHAP, and which measures are planned in detail.ResultsFifty-one cities have implemented measures to protect health from heat events. Forty-one cities integrated such measures into concepts, and only one city formulated an HHAP. Large cities in particular published measures. Long-term measures proved most common, for example, improved building envelope insulation and urban greening. Other than advice on individual behavior, hardly any acute heat health measures are being taken.ConclusionPublic health authorities can play an active role in communicating the health risks of heat and implementing HHAPs. To this end, the health risks of climate change need to be addressed consistently by all policy fields in Germany. There is also a need for further research in the evaluation of measures and HHAPs.
Planting trees in livestock landscapes to protect soil and water also delivers carbon sequestration
Authors: Iñamagua-Uyaguari Juan Pablo , Fitton Nuala , Smith Pete 
Published: May 2023

AbstractEcuador has committed to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic activities, including livestock production. This sector can also contribute to mitigation by increasing carbon sequestration and storage capacity through increasing tree coverage. Although feasible, tree cover expansion would require agricultural land, creating a conflict with food production, thus appropriate areas need to be selected, and the impacts on livestock production quantified. Following water protection legislation and soil protection guidelines, we use a combination of measurements on 100 farms with land cover datasets to identify suitable areas for increasing tree coverage in livestock landscapes. Land cover classification was performed in 2 km areas around 100 livestock farms in the coastal and Amazon regions in Ecuador. Riparian zones were identified following legislation and steepland pastures identified from a slope map. Pasture in riparian areas or steeplands (slope > 15%) were considered suitable for increasing tree coverage by restoration or silvopastoral systems (SPS). The impact of forest/silvopastoral on biomass production was quantified. Overall, 855 km of rivers were studied, between 1–18% of riparian areas were classified as pastures, whilst from the 85992 ha included in the land cover classification, 41668 ha were identified as steepland, 1–28% of steepland was covered by pastures. We estimate that steepland pasture conversion into forest could offset 1.8–10% of Ecuador’s annual GHG emissions from the agricultural sector, but its impacts could represent a decrease > 50% of pasture biomass production at landscape level. Transformation of riparian and steepland pastures into SPS, could deliver important carbon sequestration, with a reduction in pasture biomass production of less than 20%.
Exposure Risks and Potential Control Measures for a Fire Behavior Lab Training Structure: Part A—Fire Dynamics and Thermal Risk
Authors: Stakes Keith , Willi Joseph M. , Chaffer Ryan , Madrzykowski Daniel , Horn Gavin P. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractNational Fire Protection Association standard 1403 provides the fire service with guidance for conducting effective live fire training with the goal of minimizing health and safety hazards. The document provides guidelines for materials to be included in the training fuel package, but the fire service has raised questions about the use of specific types of wood products for this purpose. In this study, the fire dynamics generated when utilizing five different Class A materials that have been historically employed as training fuels [low density wood fiberboard, oriented strand board (OSB), pallets, particle board, plywood] in a single compartment fire training structure (Fire Behavior Lab) were characterized. A specific focus was placed on understanding the thermal and visual environment created for firefighters located at typical locations for instructors (front and rear of structure) and students (middle of the structure). The pallet fuel package required the longest time to transition through the six ventilation cycles while the OSB fuel package was the quickest. Additionally, the most consistent fire dynamics were demonstrated with the OSB fuel followed by particle board and plywood, while fiberboard and pallets resulted in less repeatable flashover or rollover demonstration. The OSB fuel package resulted in the highest peak heat fluxes and pallets resulted in the lowest. The most severe exposures were measured at the front instructor location. To control thermal risks when conducting training in the Fire Behavior Lab structure, instructors and students should orient themselves as low as possible in the observation area and behind the interior baffle when possible. Considering the high radiant exposures for the front instructor location, providing a local shield and reducing the time in the training structure can also reduce risk for thermal injury or personal protective equipment damage. Overall, different fuels can impact thermal exposures to firefighters, but varying fuels also affects the consistency of the fire dynamics being presented to the firefighting students.
Self-improving situation awareness for human–robot-collaboration using intelligent Digital Twin
Authors: Müller Manuel , Ruppert Tamás , Jazdi Nasser , Weyrich Michael 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe situation awareness, especially for collaborative robots, plays a crucial role when humans and machines work together in a human-centered, dynamic environment. Only when the humans understands how well the robot is aware of its environment can they build trust and delegate tasks that the robot can complete successfully. However, the state of situation awareness has not yet been described for collaborative robots. Furthermore, the improvement of situation awareness is now only described for humans but not for robots. In this paper, the authors propose a metric to measure the state of situation awareness. Furthermore, the models are adapted to the collaborative robot domain to systematically improve the situation awareness. The proposed metric and the improvement process of the situation awareness are evaluated using the mobile robot platform Robotino. The authors conduct extensive experiments and present the results in this paper to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results are compared with the existing research on the situation awareness, highlighting the advantages of our approach. Therefore, the approach is expected to significantly improve the performance of cobots in human–robot collaboration and enhance the communication and understanding between humans and machines.
Thermal characterization of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-ABS obtained with different manufacturing processes
Authors: Alonso Alain , Lázaro Mariano , Lázaro David , Alvear Daniel 
Published: May 2023

AbstractPolymers are widely employed in many areas, e.g. transport, packaging, electronic devices, etcetera. Among them, acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) is one of the most employed polymers due to its mechanical properties, its ease to mechanize and recyclability. Nevertheless, according to the fire properties, ABS behaviour is usually worse than other polymers, therefore, they have to be upgraded with flame retardant additives. To characterize the fire behaviour of a certain material is necessary to address several typology of tests, providing relevant properties such as thermal conductivity, flammability and heat released. However, researchers may not always be able to run all tests due to the lack of apparatus or samples. Therefore, it is necessary to seek bibliographic sources. As one might expect, for a given material, the property values should be similar, regardless of who performs the test. However, sometimes slightly different results are obtained, which may be due to different causes, such as differences in test set-up and in material composition/manufacture. These differences in properties may lead researcher to doubt which data to use. This paper presents the results of different types of tests using neat ABS polymer. Additionally, these results are compared with the data from literature, discussing the similarities/differences and offering a more comprehensive characterization of ABS. The laboratory techniques included in this work are: thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, laser flash analysis, smoke density, cone calorimeter, fire propagation and flammability.
Temporal uncertainty in disease diagnosis
Authors: Hofmann Bjørn 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThere is a profound paradox in modern medical knowledge production: The more we know, the more we know that we (still) do not know. Nowhere is this more visible than in diagnostics and early detection of disease. As we identify ever more markers, predictors, precursors, and risk factors of disease ever earlier, we realize that we need knowledge about whether they develop into something experienced by the person and threatening to the person’s health. This study investigates how advancements in science and technology alter one type of uncertainty, i.e., temporal uncertainty of disease diagnosis. As diagnosis is related to anamnesis and prognosis it identifies how uncertainties in all these fields are interconnected. In particular, the study finds that uncertainty in disease diagnosis has become more subject to prognostic uncertainty because diagnosis is more connected to technologically detected indicators and less closely connected to manifest and experienced disease. These temporal uncertainties pose basic epistemological and ethical challenges as they can result in overdiagnosis, overtreatment, unnecessary anxiety and fear, useless and even harmful diagnostic odysseys, as well as vast opportunity costs. The point is not to stop our quest for knowledge about disease but to encourage real diagnostic improvements that help more people in ever better manner as early as possible. To do so, we need to pay careful attention to specific types of temporal uncertainty in modern diagnostics.
Portions and countability: A crosslinguistic investigation
Authors: de Vries Hanna , Tsoulas George 
Published: May 2023

AbstractWe examine three constructions across several languages in which a mass noun is embedded in what appears to be a count environment, but the construction as a whole remains mass. We argue that the discussed phenomena—“Q-noun” constructions like lots of water, bare measure constructions like kilos of sugar, and pluralised mass nouns in languages like Greek and Persian—all involve portioning-out of the embedded mass denotation. We provide a structural account of portioning out and propose structures that derive both mass and count portioning out. Adopting an overlap-based approach to the mass/count distinction (e.g. Landman 2011; Rothstein 2011; Khrizman et al. 2015; Landman 2016) we provide a compositional semantics for the proposed structures.The examined phenomena all share an inference of large quantity or abundance that, we argue, cannot be reduced to the lexical meaning of the portioning-out expression, nor to a multiplicity inference contributed by plural morphology. We show that our cases of mass portioning-out involve a total order ≤ on portion size and propose to analyse the abundance inference in terms of an uninformativity-based Quantity implicature, following the analysis of the positive form (Mary is tall) in Rett’s (2015) approach to adjectival gradability.
Simulation of reduction of oxidized metal nanoparticles
Authors: Zhdanov Vladimir P. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractI analyze theoretically the spatio-temporal kinetics of reduction of oxidized metal nanoparticles by hydrogen (or methane). The focus is on the experimentally observed formation of metal and oxide domains separated partly by pores. The interpretation of such multiphase processes in nanoparticles at the mean-field level is hardly possible primarily due to complex geometry, and accordingly I use the lattice Monte Carlo technique in order to tackle this problem. The main conclusions drawn from the corresponding generic simulations are as follows. (i) The patterns predicted are fairly sensitive to the metal-metal and metal-oxygen interactions. With decreasing the former interaction and increasing the latter interaction, there is transition from the formation of metal aggregates and voids to the formation of a metal film around the oxide core. (ii) During the initial phase of these kinetics, the extent of reduction can roughly be described by using the power law, and the corresponding exponent is about 0.3. (iii) With decreasing the hydrogen (or methane) pressure and/or increasing the oxide nanoparticle size, as expected, the kinetics are predicted to become longer. (iv) The dependence of the patterns on the presence of the support and/or Kirkendall void in an oxide nanoparticle is shown as well.
Clinical manifestations and immune response to tuberculosis
Authors: Carabalí-Isajar Mary Lilián , Rodríguez-Bejarano Oscar Hernán , Amado Tatiana , Patarroyo Manuel Alfonso , Izquierdo María Alejandra , Lutz Juan Ricardo , Ocampo Marisol 
Published: May 2023

AbstractTuberculosis is a far-reaching, high-impact disease. It is among the top ten causes of death worldwide caused by a single infectious agent; 1.6 million tuberculosis-related deaths were reported in 2021 and it has been estimated that a third of the world’s population are carriers of the tuberculosis bacillus but do not develop active disease. Several authors have attributed this to hosts’ differential immune response in which cellular and humoral components are involved, along with cytokines and chemokines. Ascertaining the relationship between TB development’s clinical manifestations and an immune response should increase understanding of tuberculosis pathophysiological and immunological mechanisms and correlating such material with protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem globally. Mortality rates have not decreased significantly; rather, they are increasing. This review has thus been aimed at deepening knowledge regarding tuberculosis by examining published material related to an immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mycobacterial evasion mechanisms regarding such response and the relationship between pulmonary and extrapulmonary clinical manifestations induced by this bacterium which are related to inflammation associated with tuberculosis dissemination through different routes.
High-efficiency inspecting method for mobile robots based on task planning for heat transfer tubes in a steam generator
Authors: Xu Biying , Zhang Xuehe , Ou Yue , Zhang Kuan , Xing Zhenming , Cai Hegao , Zhao Jie , Fan Jizhuang 
Published: May 2023

AbstractMany heat transfer tubes are distributed on the tube plates of a steam generator that requires periodic inspection by robots. Existing inspection robots are usually involved in issues: Robots with manipulators need complicated installation due to their fixed base; tube mobile robots suffer from low running efficiency because of their structural restricts. Since there are thousands of tubes to be checked, task planning is essential to guarantee the precise, orderly, and efficient inspection process. Most in-service robots check the task tubes using row-by-row and column-by-column planning. This leads to unnecessary inspections, resulting in a long shutdown and affecting the regular operation of a nuclear power plant. Therefore, this paper introduces the structure and control system of a dexterous robot and proposes a task planning method. This method proceeds into three steps: task allocation, base position search, and sequence planning. To allocate the task regions, this method calculates the tool work matrix and proposes a criterion to evaluate a sub-region. And then all tasks contained in the sub-region are considered globally to search the base positions. Lastly, we apply an improved ant colony algorithm for base sequence planning and determine the inspection orders according to the planned path. We validated the optimized algorithm by conducting task planning experiments using our robot on a tube sheet. The results show that the proposed method can accomplish full task coverage with few repetitive or redundant inspections and it increases the efficiency by 33.31% compared to the traditional planning algorithms.
Multi-level Factors Influencing Decisions About Stopping Surveillance Colonoscopy in Older Adults: a Qualitative Study
Authors: Schifferdecker Karen E. , Ramesh Nithya Puttige , Walter Louise C. , Calderwood Audrey H. 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Background
Little is known about patient or provider experience and perceptions of stopping surveillance among older adults with a history of colon polyps. While guidelines recommend ceasing routine colorectal cancer screening in adults  > 75 years and those with limited life expectancy, guidance for ceasing surveillance colonoscopy in those with prior colon polyps suggests individualizing recommendations.

Objective
Identify processes, experiences, and gaps around individualizing decisions to stop or continue surveillance colonoscopy for older adults and areas for improvement.

Design
Phenomenological qualitative study design using recorded semi-structured interviews from May 2020 through March 2021.

Participants
15 patients aged  ≥ 65 in polyp surveillance, 12 primary care providers (PCPs), and 13 gastroenterologists (GIs).

Approach
Data were analyzed using a mixed deductive (directed content analysis) and inductive (grounded theory) approach to identify themes related to stopping or continuing surveillance colonoscopies.

Key Results
Analysis resulted in 24 themes and were clustered into three main categories: health and clinical considerations; communication and roles; and system-level processes or structures. Overall, the study found support for discussions around age 75–80 on stopping surveillance colonoscopy with considerations for health and life expectancy and that PCPs should take a primary role. However, systems and processes for scheduling surveillance colonoscopies largely bypass PCPs which reduces opportunities to both individualize recommendations and facilitate patients’ decision-making.

Conclusions
This study identified gaps in processes to implement current guidelines for individualizing surveillance colonoscopy as adults grow older, including opportunities to discuss stopping. Increasing the role of PCPs in polyp surveillance as patients grow older provides more opportunities for individualized recommendations, so patients can consider their own preferences, ask questions, and make a more informed choice for themselves. Changing existing systems and processes and creating supportive tools for shared decision-making specific to older adults with polyps would improve how surveillance colonoscopy is individualized in this population.
Effect of TiAlNbCrSi Alloy Microstructure Produced by Mould Casting (MC) or Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF) on Scale Grown Under Dry Air and Steam
Authors: Morgiel J. , Dudziak T. , Maj L. , Kirchner A. , Klöden B. , Weißgärber T. , Rzad E. , Pomorska M. , Tobola D. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractTiAl parts fabricated with additive manufacturing have begun to find applications in car and aviation industry. Optimization of their properties concentrates on introduction of new alloying additions improving the TiAl ductility and oxidation resistance. Their effect on the mechanical properties was worked out quite well, but the knowledge how they affect the oxidation processes is still limited. Therefore the present experiment was aimed at investigation of scale grown over mould cast (MC) and electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) Ti–48Al–2Nb–0.7Cr–0.3Si (at. pct) alloys. It was conducted at 650 °C for 1000 hours both in dry air and steam covering early stages of this process. The scale microstructure, chemical and phase composition was examined with the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Applied treatment caused development of three-layer scale, i.e. with major portions of R-TiO2 + α-Al2O3/R-TiO2/α-Al2O3. The one formed during dry-air oxidation of the EB-PBF alloy was most compact. Steam oxidizing changed morphology of rutile present at its surface from rod/plate-like into whiskers. The Si turned out to be especially active during scale growth diffusing up to its surface. The presence of steam further increased mobility of both Si and Cr rising their presence in the upper part of the scale. The Nb was found to accumulate within the substrate area adjoining to the scale. Refinement of EB-PBF microstructure as compared with the MC alloy resulted in promoting reaction at the scale/substrate front contributing significantly to development of thicker oxide coating and nitrides bearing oxidation affected zone.