bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cover crop effects on soil structure and early sugar beet growth
Authors: Grunwald Dennis , Stracke Alexander , Koch Heinz‐Josef 
Published: March 2022

AbstractCover crops can improve soil properties, especially soil structure, through organic matter input and rooting activity. However, large variations exist among cover crops, which may lead to differences in the extent of these effects. In this study, cover crops with differing properties were compared regarding soil structure and subsequent sugar beet growth. Field experiments were conducted at two Luvisol sites in Central Germany. Four cover crops (oil radish, saia oat, spring vetch and winter rye) were compared with fallow. Cover crop effects on soil water, Nmin content, soil structure and subsequent early sugar beet growth were studied. Additionally, sugar beet received either no or optimal N fertilizer application. Rye and radish had the highest and vetch the lowest above‐ and belowground biomass. Soil water content was hardly affected by cover cropping, while topsoil Nmin contents in April were increased. Penetration resistance was lowered, and aggregate stability was increased by the cover crops, especially oil radish, while values after spring vetch were similar to those of fallow. Differences among the cover crops might be because of a differing root biomass. Independent of N fertilizer application, sugar beet biomass in May tended to be higher after all cover crops, in particular under oil radish. The higher aggregate stability and lower penetration resistance were found to be beneficial for early sugar beet growth. Thus, sugar beet can benefit from a 1‐year cultivation of preceding cover crops. Modifications of this effect through cover crop root biomass and architecture as well as repeated cover cropping need to be investigated in further studies.
On consciousness of the decision to discontinue blood donation: Intention to return and effective recovery activities
Authors: Saltzmann Carolin , Boenigk Silke 
Published: March 2022

AbstractObjectivesThis study aims to (1) explore the consciousness of blood donors' decision to stop donating blood, (2) analyse the association with the donors' intention to return to blood donation and the various reasons for discontinuation, and (3) identify effective activities for the recovery of donors who are no longer donating blood.Materials/methodsSurvey data of former German blood donors who did not donate blood for >36 months were collected (n = 1263). The data were analysed using multivariate linear regression and mediation analyses.ResultsThis study provides new insights into the consciousness of blood donors' decision to stop donating blood. Former blood donors may be located at distinct stages of consciousness about their decision of discontinuation. The results indicate that 44.9% of the former blood donors did not consciously decide to stop blood donation. Of the lapsed donors, 16.9% decided consciously and 18.2% were in between. Furthermore, 25.2% of the respondents who did not consciously decide to stop donating blood were willing to restart the same. The most effective activities for recovery are more flexible donation hours (29.1%), appointment‐scheduling online (24.8%), and sending out reminders (18.1%).ConclusionAddressing unconsciously lapsed donors is promising. Blood donation service providers should implement measures that support busy people; such measures may include appointment scheduling or pause‐options. The implementation of a systematic recovery management, entailing an analysis of the decision to discontinue blood donation with subsequent segmentation is advisable. This can help to foster individualised communication with blood donors.
Design of a Planar Cable-Driven Parallel Crane Without Parasitic Tilt
Authors: Étienne Lionel , Cardou Philippe , Métillon Marceau , Caro Stéphane 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) offer high payload capacities, large translational workspace, and high dynamics performances. Their rotational workspace is generally far more limited, however, which can be resolved using cable loops, as was shown in previous research. In the case of fully constrained CDPRs, cable loops can induce unwanted torques on the moving-platform (MP), causing it to tilt and move away from its intended position, which we call parasitic tilt. Hence, the orientation accuracy of such robots is usually limited. This paper deals with the design, modeling, and prototyping of a planar CDPR with infinite rotations, without parasitic tilt and without an additional motor. This robot, which we call a cable-driven parallel crane (CDPC), is composed of a mobile platform (MP) with an embedded mechanism and a transmission module. The MP is linked to the frame by four cables, three of them acting in parallel, forming in effect a double parallelogram. Among these three parallel cables, two form a cable loop, i.e., they are two strands of the same cable redirected to and from the MP through an embedded pulley. The two-degree-of-freedom (dof) motions of the moving-platform of the CDPC and the internal dof of its embedded mechanism are driven by a total of three actuators, which are fixed to the frame. As a consequence, the overall system is fully actuated, its total mass and inertia in motion is reduced, and it is free of parasitic tilts.
Modeling, Control, and Simulation of a 3-Degrees of Freedom Mechanism Actuated by Pneumatic Artificial Muscles for Upper Limb Prosthesis Application
Authors: Markus A. T. , Sobczyk M. R. , Perondi E. A. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
This work reports advances in enabling the use of pneumatic artificial muscles (PAM) as an alternative to electromechanical actuators in upper-limb prostheses to take advantage of their low weight, clean, renewable energy source, and force compliance, which is especially suitable for interactions between machines and humans. It describes the model, simulation, and control of a 3-degrees of freedom (DOF) mechanism representing a prosthetic finger using PAM actuators. Its main contribution is the combination and expansion of classic nonlinear models and control methods for robotic systems to allow PAM actuators in the intended application, especially regarding transient effects in the generation of PAM forces. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism and its associated controller is verified through both numeric simulations and experimental results.
An Improved Parameterized Interpolation Method Based on Modified Chord Length
Authors: Xu Hanwen , Zhao Gongwei , Liu Yating , Ye Nanhai 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Aiming at the problem of smoothness of the B-spline curve interpolation, an improved parameterized interpolation method based on modified chord length is proposed. We construct a series of interpolation arcs using the relationship between the chord length and chord angle of given data points and then calculate the global knot parameters by replacing the chord length with the arc length. In addition, we propose curve smoothness index based on the relationship between the radius of curvature and the cumulative curve length and compare it with other classical methods to construct cubic B-spline curves in the tests; at the same time, the deviation error is used to evaluate the swing of the curve. Furthermore, two sets of point cloud data are used to test the surface interpolation for different parameterization methods, and the Gauss curvature map is used to evaluate the smoothness of interpolated surfaces. As a result, the proposed method performs better than other methods; the constructed curves and surfaces maintain a good performance.
Long Short-Term Memory-Based Cutting Depth Monitoring System for End Milling Operation
Authors: Vaishnav Shubham , Desai K. A. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
The technologies related to manufacturing processes monitoring, optimization, and control are becoming prevalent to achieve autonomous operations in Smart Manufacturing. The present work establishes an edge-level system based on the long short-term memory (LSTM) model for monitoring significant variations of cutting depths during end milling of near-net-shaped components. The proposed system consists of a trained LSTM model that decodes force data to identify cutting depths and an edge-level interface for displaying abnormal changes to the operator. The LSTM model development requires considerable labeled data consisting of cutting force sequences and corresponding depth classes generated using machining experiments. The present work proposes to develop the LSTM model using synthetic datasets generated using the mechanistic force model to minimize experimental efforts. The optimum configuration was derived by investigating the effect of network parameters and adaptive learning methods. The performance of an optimal network was substantiated by conducting tests using previously unseen synthetic datasets derived from the mechanistic model. The optimal network architecture was integrated with a dynamometer and an edge-level system to capture end milling force data and display cutting depth information. A set of end milling experiments are carried over a range of parameters to examine the efficacy of the proposed approach in estimating cutting depth deviations. It has been demonstrated that the approach can be effectively used as an edge-level system to capture significant cutting depth variations during the end milling and alert machine operators.
Enabling Traceability in Agri-Food Supply Chains Using an Ontological Approach
Authors: Ameri Farhad , Wallace Evan , Yoder Reid , Riddick Frank 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Traceability of food products to their sources is critical for quick responses to food emergencies. US law now requires stakeholders in the agri-food supply chain to support traceability by tracking food materials they acquire and sell. However, having the complete and consistent information needed to quickly investigate sources and identify affected material has proven difficult. There are multiple reasons that food traceability is a challenging task, including diversity of stakeholders and their lexicons, standards, tools, and methods; unwillingness to expose information about internal operations; lack of a common understanding of the steps in a supply chain; and incompleteness of data. The objective of this work is to address the traceability challenge by developing a formal ontology that can provide a shared and common understanding of the traceability model across all stakeholders in bulk food supply chains. A formal ontology can support semantic mediation, data integration, and data exploration, thus improving the intelligence and reliability of trace and track process. The Industrial Ontologies Foundry (IOF) procedures and principles are employed in the development of the supply chain traceability ontology. Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) is selected as the top-level ontology. A bottom-up approach is also adopted in a sense that a real use case related to the bulk grain domain is selected to be used for requirements definition and ontology validation. A software tool for visualization of the traceability graph is developed to validate the developed ontology based on simulated data. The test and validation results indicate that the developed ontology has the expressivity needed to represent the semantics of traceability data models within the scope of the selected use case. Also, it was observed that the developed supply chain traceability tool can effectively facilitate the track and trace process through visualizing the Resource Description Framework (RDF) triples, thus eliminating the need to formulate complex SPARQL queries for information retrievals.
A Review on the Use of Chemicals as Steam Additives for Thermal Oil Recovery Applications
Authors: Du Xuan , Xi Changfeng , Shi Lanxiang , Wang Bojun , Qi Zongyao , Liu Tong , Zhou You , Lee Jungin , Babadagli Tayfun , Li Huazhou 
Published: March 2022

AbstractWe summarize the major recovery mechanisms of both steam-based recovery process and steam-chemical-based recovery process. Next, we review the previous lab-scale/field-scale studies examining the applications of surfactants, alkali, and novel chemicals in the steam-based oil recovery process. Among the different surfactants studied, alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) and linear toluene sulfonate are the recommended chemicals for their foam control/detergency effect. In particular, AOS was observed to perform especially well in residual oil saturation (ROS) reduction and sweep efficiency improvement when being co-injected with alkali. Application of organic alkali (alone or with a co-surfactant) has also drawn wide attention recently, but its efficacy in the field requires further investigation and the consumption of alkali by sands/clay is often an inevitable issue and, therefore, how to control the alkali loss requires further investigation. Novel chemical additives tested in the past five years include fatty acids (such as tail oil acid, TOA-Na+), biodiesel (o/w emulsion), along with other types of chemical additives including switchable hydrophilicity tertiary amines, chelating agents, deep eutectic solvents, graphite and SiO2 particles, ionic liquids, and urea. High thermal stability of some of the novel chemicals and their potential in increasing displacement efficiency and ROS reduction efficiency in the lab studies require further investigation for their optimized application in the field settings to minimize the use of steam while improving the recovery effectively.
Numerical Investigation of Aerosolization in the Venturi Dustiness Tester: Aerodynamics of a Particle on a Hill
Authors: Palakurthi Nithin Kumar , Ghia Urmila , Turkevich Leonid A. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Understanding particle detachment from surfaces is necessary to better characterize dust generation and entrainment. Previous work has studied the detachment of particles from flat surfaces. This work generalizes this to investigate the aerodynamics of a particle attached to various locations on a model hill. This work serves as a model for dust aerosolization in a tube, as powder is injected into the Venturi dustiness tester (VDT). The particle is represented as a sphere in a parallel plate channel, or, in two dimensions, as a cylinder oriented perpendicular to the flow. The substrate is modified to include a conical hill (3D) or wedge (2D), and the test particle is located at various positions on this hill. The governing incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved using the finite volume fluent code. The coefficients of lift and drag are compared with the results on the flat substrate. Enhanced drag and significantly enhanced lift are observed as the test particle is situated near the summit of the hill.
No-Load Power Loss of a Rear Axle Gear Transmission: Measurement and Validation
Authors: Cruz Justino A. O. , Marques Pedro M. T. , Seabra Jorge H. O. , Castro Jorge D. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
This work studies the power loss in a real axle box gear transmission under no-load operating conditions. The influence of the rotational speed and of the lubricant viscosity was considered. An experimental strategy was adopted in order to measure the overall power loss of the axle box, as well as to isolate the power loss contribution of the major components: crown wheel, pinion, seals, and the tandem taper roller bearings supporting the pinion shaft and the crown assembly. Although it was not possible to directly measure the power loss generated by each component, the results allowed to identify the major contributions to the rear axle inefficiency. In particular, those from the crown wheel churning, from the lubricant squeezing due to the pocketing between the pinion and crown gear teeth, and from the friction in the preloaded tapered roller bearings of the pinion shaft and of the crown assembly. In average, the tapered roller bearings supporting the pinion shaft are responsible for 74% of the overall power loss of the axle box. A numerical model was developed to predict the power loss of the axle box and of its components, which was correlated with the experimental measurements with high accuracy (R2 = 0.9990). The combination of the experimental measurements with the model predictions allowed a full understanding of the axle box power loss behavior under no-load operating conditions. This analysis can be used for the design of an axle box with improved efficiency.
Study on the Three-Dimensional Tribo-Dynamic Analysis of Piston Ring Pack Considering the Influence of Piston Secondary Motion
Authors: Liu Zhan , Meng Xianghui , Zhang Limin , Cheng Weisheng , Wang Xing 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
More detailed and accurate modeling is very important for analyzing and optimizing the tribological performance of the piston-ring-cylinder liner system. However, due to the difficulty of modeling and solving, theoretical studies on the three-dimensional (3D) tribodynamics of piston rings are limited. The tribodynamic model which couples the dynamics, mixed lubrication, and blow-by of piston-ring pack assemblies has not been found yet. Therefore, in this study, a 3D tribodynamic model of the piston-ring pack is developed considering the influence of piston secondary motion and the interaction forces and moments between piston ring and cylinder liner as well as between piston ring and ring groove. In addition to the ring end gaps, the influence of ring dynamics is also contained in the blow-by model. Coupled with gas flows and piston rotation, ring motions in the ring groove are investigated. It is found that ring dynamics has significant effects on the tribological performance, the axial reversing movement of piston ring is the main cause of gas pressure oscillation, piston motion has an obvious influence on the ring dynamics, the interaction forces and moments between piston and rings increase the secondary motion amplitude of piston, especially near the fire top dead center.
Feasibility and safety of physical exercise in men with prostate cancer receiving androgen deprivation therapy and radiotherapy: a study protocol
Authors: Bressi Barbara , Iotti Cinzia , Cagliari Maribel , Cavuto Silvio , Fugazzaro Stefania , Costi Stefania 
Published: March 2022

IntroductionAndrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiotherapy (RT) increase survival in selected patients with prostate cancer. Nevertheless, the side effects of these therapies are associated with an increased risk of accidental falls and fractures and a decreased quality of life. Preliminary evidence suggests that physical exercise can be a valid strategy to reduce the side effects of ADT and RT in men with prostate cancer. Despite this knowledge, most patients with prostate cancer are insufficiently active, and there is a lack of data on the safety and adherence to the recommended dose of physical exercise. This study protocol is designed to examine the feasibility and safety of a multicomponent experimental physical exercise intervention targeting psychophysical and cognitive functions and the quality of life in this population.Methods and analysisThis is a pilot feasibility study. Twenty-five men currently treated with ADT and RT for prostate cancer will be invited to participate in a 20-week, multicomponent physical exercise intervention, including supervised and unsupervised exercise sessions and meeting the current recommendation for exercise in cancer. The primary outcomes are physical exercise feasibility (recruitment, adherence and drop-out rates) and safety (adverse events related and unrelated to the intervention). The secondary outcomes are muscle strength, balance, fatigue, symptoms of anxiety and depression, cognitive function, quality of life, and patient satisfaction. We will also record the number of accidental falls and fractures occurring during the intervention and at 1 year of follow-up.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received ethics approval from The Area Vasta Nord Local Ethics Committee (Province of Reggio Emilia, 23 June 2020, Number 520/2020/SPER/IRCCSRE). Recruitment began in September 2020 and will be completed in September 2021. The results will be disseminated through scientific journals and conference presentations.Trial registration numberNCT04500080.
Acute effect of breaking up prolonged sitting on cognition: a systematic review
Authors: Chueh Ting-Yu , Chen Yung-Chih , Hung Tsung-Min 
Published: March 2022

ObjectivesTo review the current evidence on the acute effects of interrupting prolonged periods of sitting with intermittent physical activity (PA) on cognition in healthy populations.DesignThis systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines.MethodsStudies were included if they investigated the acute effects of taking regular PA breaks from sitting on cognition in healthy populations without any cardiovascular disease, history of brain injury, or psychiatric or neurological disorder. Four electronic databases—PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE and ProQuest—were searched for eligible studies on 20 September 2020. Study quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale.ResultsSeven studies, involving 168 participants aged between 18 and 80 years, were eligible for inclusion in this review. Three of the seven studies found positive effects of interrupting sitting with either (a) 3 min of relatively high-intensity (6 km/hour) walking every 30 min on attention and inhibitory control in young adults; (b) hourly breaks with progressively longer duration (10–30 min) of very light-intensity cycling/walking on attention, working memory and cognitive flexibility in adults with obesity; or (c) an initial bout of continuous moderate-intensity exercise, followed by interruption of post-exercise sitting with 3 min breaks of light-intensity walking (3.2 km/hour) every 30 min, on working memory in older adults with overweight.ConclusionGiven the limited evidence with mixed findings on this topic in the literature and the heterogeneity of PA protocols across the included studies, the results regarding the effectiveness of interrupting prolonged sitting with PA breaks in improving cognition warrant further verification.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020147536.
Psychometric properties of self-reported measures of active ageing: a systematic review protocol using COSMIN methodology
Authors: Han Shuyu , Ji Mengmeng , Leng Minmin , Zhou Jia , Wang Zhiwen 
Published: March 2022

IntroductionEvaluation of active ageing is helpful in making public health policies, improving older adults’ quality of life and confronting global ageing challenges. However, there remains no systematic review to summarise all active ageing assessment tools and report their psychometric properties. This study aims to apply the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) methodology to review the psychometric properties of active ageing assessment tools obtained by multiple validation studies.Methods and analysisStudies that aim to validate patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of active ageing in older adults aged 60 and over and report one or more psychometric properties are eligible for this systematic review. We will consider studies conducted in any country or setting published either in English or Chinese. The following databases will be searched: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, CNKI, and Wanfang. Data extraction, assessment of methodological quality, summary of the quality of PROMs and grading of quality of evidence will be conducted according to the COSMIN methodology.Ethics and disseminationThis study will not collect individual data. Therefore, obtaining ethical approval is not applicable. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences and will help researchers choose active ageing assessment tools.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021287395.