bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Particle-Impact Experiment for Studying Dynamic Behavior of Brittle Materials
Authors: Andrews Erik W. , Kim Kyung-Suk 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Results are presented from a particle-impact experiment to study the dynamic behavior of brittle materials. In the experiment a small, spherical particle of a brittle material impacts against a thick, hard anvil. The experimental configuration minimizes the damage to the target and allows one to focus on the damage to the particle. The impact process is observed using high-speed photography. Results are presented for tungsten carbide, alumina and silicon nitride particles striking a titanium diboride anvil. The radius of the particles ranged from 1.59 mm to 0.40 mm. It is observed that above a certain threshold velocity the particle undergoes fragmentation upon impact. This threshold velocity depends on the particle material properties, and decreases weakly with increasing particle radius. When plotted in a dimensionless form, the data for the different materials all fell within a narrow band. The non-dimensionalization was based on normalizing the threshold velocity by the longitudinal wave speed, and the particle radius by the intrinsic defect size in the material. In addition to reporting measurements of the threshold velocity, the observed patterns of particle fragmentation are described. This experiment provides a means of studying the threshold conditions for dynamic fragmentation and assessing the resistance to impact damage of brittle materials. In addition, this experiment should provide data valuable for the verification of models for the dynamic behavior of brittle materials.
Computational Modeling of Geometric and Material Nonlinearities With an Application to Impact Damage in Brittle Materials
Authors: Espinosa Horacio D. , Emore Gordon , Zavattieri Pablo 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
A model is presented for the dynamic finite element analysis of large-strain, high strain rate deformation behavior of materials. Both an isochoric plastic model for metals and a multiplane microcracking model for ceramics are introduced, and a temperature-dependent model is included. In addition, algorithms are presented for correcting finite element mesh distortion through mesh rezoning, optimization, and refinement. A surface-defined multibody contact algorithm designed to handle large relative displacements between bodies is included, with additions for friction and cohesive interfaces. A test example is examined, simulating a modified Taylor rod impact test in which an aluminum anvil strikes a ceramic specimen. Velocities are recorded at the free end of the ceramic and compared to experimental results. It is observed that the simulation produces the same overall features as the experimental data.
Cell Nucleation in Solid-State Polycarbonate-CO2 Foams: Evidence of a Triaxial Tensile Failure Mechanism
Authors: Holl Mark R. , Kumar Vipin , Garbini Joseph L. , Murray William R. 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
The mechanism for nucleation phenomenon in solid state microcellular foams is identified as a solid state failure process. This process originates at internal flaws within the gas-polymer matrix where it is induced by the presence of a state of hydrostatic tensile stress within the polymer matrix. The hydrostatic tensile stress is caused by the presence of the saturating gas within the polymer. The nucleation phenomenon is thermally activated at the effective glass transition temperature of the gas-polymer mixture. At this critical temperature, the hydrostatic tensile stress within the gas-polymer mixture is sufficient to cause the polymer matrix to fail, thereby creating a foam cell nucleus.
In general, the nucleation sites are observed to be flat, approximately circular, fracture sites. After the appearance of the initial fracture, gas diffuses from the gas-polymer matrix into the fracture. The fracture seam inflates during the growth process where growth begins with the appearance of a disk shaped fracture and concludes with an approximately spherical cell. The results and conclusions presented here are distinct from previous attempts to address the nucleation phenomena in solid state microcellular plastics, and suggest a new avenue to explain the cell nucleation phenomena observed in this process.
XdfA, a novel membrane-associated DedA family protein of
Xanthomonas campestris
, is required for optimum virulence, maintenance of magnesium, and membrane homeostasis
Authors: Padhi Yasobanta , Chatterjee Subhadeep 
Published: July 2023

ABSTRACT

Xanthomonas campestris
is an important member of the
Xanthomonas
group of phytopathogens that causes diseases in crucifers. In
X. campestris
, several virulence-associated functions, including some belonging to unknown predicted functions, have been implicated in the colonization and disease processes. However, the role of many of these unknown predicted proteins in
Xanthomonas
-host interaction and their exact physiological function is not clearly known. In this study, we identified a novel membrane-associated protein belonging to the DedA super family, XdfA, which is required for virulence in
X. campestris
. The DedA family of proteins are generally ubiquitous in bacteria; however, their function and actual physiological role are largely elusive. Characterization of ∆
xdfA
by homology modeling, membrane localization, and physiological studies indicated that XdfA is a membrane-associated protein that plays a role in the maintenance of membrane integrity. Furthermore, functional homology modeling analysis revealed that the XdfA exhibits structural similarity to a CorA-like magnesium transporter and is required for optimum growth under low magnesium ion concentration. We report for the first time that a putative DedA family of protein in
Xanthomonas
is required for optimum virulence and plays a role in the maintenance of membrane-associated functions and magnesium homeostasis.

IMPORTANCE

Bacterial DedA family proteins are involved in a range of cellular processes such as ion transport, signal transduction, and cell division. Here, we have discussed about a novel DedA family protein XdfA in
Xanthomonas campestris
pv.
campestris
that has a role in membrane homeostasis, magnesium transport, and virulence. Understanding membrane and magnesium homeostasis will aid in our comprehension of bacterial physiology and eventually will help us devise effective antimicrobial strategies to safeguard horticulturally and agriculturally important crop plants.
180° view on general practitioners’ leadership skills: practice-level comparisons of leader and staff assessments using data from the cluster-randomised controlled IMPROVEjobstudy
Authors: Schmidt Manuela , Seifried-Dübon Tanja , Göbel Julian , Degen Lukas , Werners Brigitte , Grot Matthias , Rind Esther , Pieper Claudia , Jöckel Karl-Heinz , Minder Karen , Rieger Monika A , Weltermann Birgitta 
Published: July 2023

ObjectivesStrong primary care leaders are needed to assure high quality services for patient populations. This study analysed general practitioners’ (GP) leadership skills comparing practice-level self and staff assessments based on the full range of leadership model and the leader-member exchange (LMX).SettingThe questionnaire survey was conducted among German general practice leaders and their staff participating in the IMPROVEjobtrial.ParticipantsThe study population comprised 60 German general practices with 366 participants: 84 GP practice leaders and 282 employees (28 physicians and 254 practice assistants).Primary and secondary outcome measuresLeadership skills of the practice leaders were measured using the Integrative Leadership Questionnaire (German Fragebogen für integrative Führung) and the LMX-7 questionnaire. Leaders rated themselves and practice staff rated their leaders. The data was analysed by paired mean comparisons on the practice level.ResultsFor most leadership dimensions, practice leaders rated themselves higher than their employees rated them. Differences were found for transformational leadership (p<0.001, d=0.41), especially for the dimensions ‘innovation’ (p<0.001, d=0.69) and ‘individuality focus’ (p<0.001, d=0.50). For transactional leadership, the dimension ‘goal setting’ differed significantly (p<0.01, d=0.30) but not the other dimensions. Scores for negative leadership were low and showed no differences between leaders and employees. Interestingly, employed physicians’ rated their practice leaders higher on the two transformational (‘performance development’, ‘providing a vision’) and all transactional dimensions. The LMX-7 scale showed high quality relationships between leaders and employees.ConclusionsThis 180° analysis of GPs’ leadership skills with self and employee ratings indicated good relationships. There is a potential to improve leadership regarding goal-setting, innovation and focusing on individual team members. These results allow for the development of targeted interventions.Trial registration numberGerman Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00012677. Registered 16 October 2019.
Level of education and sustainable return to work among long-term sick-listed workers with depression: a register-based cohort study (The Norwegian GP-DEP Study)
Authors: Meling Heidi Marie , Ruths Sabine , Baste Valborg , Hensing Gunnel , Haukenes Inger 
Published: July 2023

ObjectivesSick-listed workers with depression are at higher risk of long-term, recurrent sickness absence and work disability, suggesting reduced likelihood of sustainable return to work (SRTW). Though likelihood of RTW has been associated with education level, less is known about the association over time, post-RTW. We aimed to investigate associations between educational level and SRTW among long-term sick-listed workers with depression.MethodsNationwide cohort study, based on linked data from Norwegian health and population registries, including all inhabitants of Norway aged 20–64 years on long-term sick leave with a depression diagnosis given in general practice between 1 January 2009 and 10 April 2011 (n=13.624, 63.7% women). Exposure was the highest attained education level (five groups). Three outcome measures for SRTW were used, with 0 days, ≤30 days and ≤90 days of accumulated sickness absence post-RTW during a 2-year follow-up. Associations between exposure and outcomes were estimated in gender-stratified generalised linear models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and duration of sick leave.ResultsHigher-educated workers had a higher likelihood of SRTW 0, SRTW ≤30 and SRTW ≤90 than the lowest-educated groups in the crude models. Among men, this association was mainly explained when adjusting for occupation. Among women, the highest educated group had a higher likelihood of SRTW 0 (RR=1.45, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.71) and SRTW ≤30 and SRTW ≤90 in the fully adjusted models.ConclusionsAn educational gradient in SRTW was mainly explained by occupation among men but not among women. These findings suggest gendered differences in associations between education level and SRTW, which could inform interventions aiming to promote equal opportunities for SRTW.
Agata: in-beam spectroscopy with relativistic beams
Authors: Bentley M. A. , Benzoni G. , Wimmer K. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractAn analysis of the capabilities of AGATA for in-beam $$\gamma $$
γ
-ray spectroscopy at relativistic energies is presented. AGATA’s ability to determine the position of $$\gamma $$
γ
-ray interaction points in the Germanium crystal provides the crucial ingredient for attaining high $$\gamma $$
γ
-ray energy resolution when the emitting nucleus is traveling at more than half the speed of light. This is the typical velocity of exotic nuclei exiting the SuperFRS spectrometer at the future FAIR facility, where AGATA will be deployed as part of the high-resolution in-beam spectroscopy project, HISPEC. A discussion of different experimental techniques using AGATA under these conditions is presented, including analysis of the different Doppler-based methods for lifetime determination. The properties of the key reaction mechanisms expected to be applied for in-beam $$\gamma $$
γ
-ray spectroscopy at FAIR are discussed, along with the aspects of those reactions that can be exploited by the advanced capabilities of the AGATA array.
Canonical momenta in digitized Su(2) lattice gauge theory: definition and free theory
Authors: Jakobs Timo , Garofalo Marco , Hartung Tobias , Jansen Karl , Ostmeyer Johann , Rolfes Dominik , Romiti Simone , Urbach Carsten 
Published: July 2023

AbstractHamiltonian simulations of quantum systems require a finite-dimensional representation of the operators acting on the Hilbert space$$\mathcal {H}$$H. Here we give a prescription for gauge links and canonical momenta of an SU(2) gauge theory, such that the matrix representation of the former is diagonal in$$\mathcal {H}$$H. This is achieved by discretising the sphere$$S_3$$S3isomorphic to SU(2) and the corresponding directional derivatives. We show that the fundamental commutation relations are fulfilled up to discretisation artefacts. Moreover, we directly construct the Casimir operator corresponding to the Laplace–Beltrami operator on$$S_3$$S3and show that the spectrum of the free theory is reproduced again up to discretisation effects. Qualitatively, these results do not depend on the specific discretisation of SU(2), but the actual convergence rates do.
Integrated Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Improves Disease Classification and Risk Stratification of MDS with Ring Sideroblasts
Authors: Todisco Gabriele , Creignou Maria , Bernard Elsa , Björklund Ann-Charlotte , Moura Pedro Luis , Tesi Bianca , Mortera-Blanco Teresa , Sander Birgitta , Jansson Monika , Walldin Gunilla , Barbosa Indira , Reinsbach Susanne E. , Hofman Isabel Juliana , Nilsson Christer , Yoshizato Tetsuichi , Dimitriou Marios , Chang David , Olafsdottir Svannildur , Venckute Larsson Sigita , Tobiasson Magnus , Malcovati Luca , Woll Petter , Jacobsen Sten Eirik W. , Papaemmanuil Elli , Hellström-Lindberg Eva 
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Purpose:
Ring sideroblasts (RS) define the low-risk myelodysplastic neoplasm (MDS) subgroup with RS but may also reflect erythroid dysplasia in higher risk myeloid neoplasm. The benign behavior of MDS with RS (MDSRS+) is limited to SF3B1-mutated cases without additional high-risk genetic events, but one third of MDSRS+ carry no SF3B1 mutation, suggesting that different molecular mechanisms may underlie RS formation. We integrated genomic and transcriptomic analyses to evaluate whether transcriptome profiles may improve current risk stratification.

Experimental Design:
We studied a prospective cohort of MDSRS+ patients irrespective of World Health Organization (WHO) class with regard to somatic mutations, copy-number alterations, and bone marrow CD34+ cell transcriptomes to assess whether transcriptome profiles add to prognostication and provide input on disease classification.

Results:
SF3B1, SRSF2, or TP53 multihit mutations were found in 89% of MDSRS+ cases, and each mutation category was associated with distinct clinical outcome, gene expression, and alternative splicing profiles. Unsupervised clustering analysis identified three clusters with distinct hemopoietic stem and progenitor (HSPC) composition, which only partially overlapped with mutation groups. IPSS-M and the transcriptome-defined proportion of megakaryocyte/erythroid progenitors (MEP) independently predicted survival in multivariable analysis.

Conclusions:
These results provide essential input on the molecular basis of SF3B1-unmutated MDSRS+ and propose HSPC quantification as a prognostic marker in myeloid neoplasms with RS.
Civic Purpose among Higher Education Students – A Study of Four Dutch and Finnish Institutions
Authors: Kuusisto Elina , de Groot Isolde , Schutte Ingrid , Rissanen Inkeri 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Given the increasing interest in academic citizenship in higher education, this study examines the civic purposes of higher education students in two European countries, namely the Netherlands and Finland, and relations between students’ worldviews and their civic purposes. The majority of students was categorized as so-called disengaged or dreamers, respectively either not civically interested or active or then visioning but not actualizing civic interests. Students with a purposeful profile referring to high civic interest, action, and identity, were most prevalent among Dutch students with a humanistic worldview and Finnish students reporting religions other than Christianity. Students from both countries not identifying with any organized worldviews were more likely to be allocated to the disengaged profile. Possible explanations for differences in student profiles are discussed.
Fusing Numerical Weather Prediction Ensembles with Refractivity Inversions during Surface Ducting Conditions
Authors: Greenway Daniel P. , Haack Tracy , Hackett Erin E. 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
This study investigates the use of numerical weather prediction (NWP) ensembles to aid refractivity inversion problems during surface ducting conditions. Thirteen sets of measured thermodynamic atmospheric data from an instrumented helicopter during the Wallops Island field experiment are fit to a two-layer parametric surface duct model to characterize the duct. This modeled refractivity is considered “ground truth” for the environment and is used to generate the synthetic radar propagation loss field that then drives the inversion process. The inverse solution (refractivity derived from the synthetic radar data) is compared with this ground truth refractivity. For the inversion process, parameters of the two-layer model are iteratively estimated using genetic algorithms to determine which parameters likely produced the synthetic radar propagation field. Three numerical inversion experiments are conducted. The first experiment utilizes a randomized set of two-layer model parameters to initialize the inversion process, while the second experiment initializes the inversion using NWP ensembles, and the third experiment uses NWP ensembles to both initialize and restrict the parameter search intervals used in the inversion process. The results show that incorporation of NWP data benefits the accuracy and speed of the inversion result. However, in a few cases, an extended NWP ensemble forecast period was needed to encompass the ground truth parameters in the restricted search space. Furthermore, it is found that NWP ensemble populations with smaller spreads are more likely to hinder the inverse process than to aid it.
Validation of the Atmospheric Dispersion Model NAME against Long-Range Tracer Release Experiments
Authors: Selvaratnam Vibha , Thomson David J. , Webster Helen N. 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
The Met Office’s atmospheric dispersion model Numerical Atmospheric-Dispersion Modeling Environment (NAME) is validated against controlled tracer release experiments, considering the impact of the driving meteorological data and choices in the parameterization of unresolved motions. The Cross-Appalachian Tracer Experiment (CAPTEX) and Across North America Tracer Experiment (ANATEX) were long-range dispersion experiments in which inert tracers were released and the air concentrations measured across North America in the 1980s. NAME simulations of the experiments have been driven by both reanalysis meteorological data from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and data from the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. NAME predictions of air concentrations are assessed against the experimental measurements, using a ranking method composed of four statistical parameters. Differences in the performance of NAME according to this ranking method are compared when driven by different meteorological sources. The effect of changing parameter values in NAME for the unresolved mesoscale motions parameterization is also considered, in particular, whether the parameter values giving the best performance rank are consistent with values typically used. The performance ranks are compared with analyses in the literature for other particle dispersion models, namely, Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT), Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT), and Flexible Particle (FLEXPART). It is found that NAME performance is comparable to the other dispersion models considered, with the different models responding similarly to differences in driving meteorological data.
Mesh Fixation Versus Nonfixation in Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lv Yuxing , Yang Bo , Hao Gaopeng , Wang Yinquan 
Published: July 2023

Background It remains controversial whether mesh should be fixed during laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to compare fixation and nonfixation in laparoscopic groin hernia repair. Methods A registration was listed with PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews; registration no. CRD42022350469). Databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched to identify RCTs comparing fixation with nonfixation in laparoscopic groin hernia repair. The primary outcomes were postoperative pain at 24 hours and recurrence. Secondary outcomes were mean operative time, urinary retention, and postoperative pain at 6 months. Results A total of 18 trials, including 2617 patients with 2878 hernias, were included in this meta-analysis. In contrast to the fixation group, the nonfixation group was associated with lower postoperative pain scores at 24 hours and 6 months, a shorter mean operative time, and a lower incidence of urinary retention. There were no significant differences between the 2 types of procedures in terms of the rate of recurrence for patients with an inguinal hernia orifice smaller than 4 cm in size. Conclusions The nonfixation technique is an effective method to reduce urinary retention, mean operative time, and postoperative pain at 24 hours and at 6 months; however, the rate of recurrence was comparable to that of the fixation method.