bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and biomass for stabilizing heavy metals and reducing biochar toxicity: A review
Authors: Mohamed Badr A. , Ruan Roger , Bilal Muhammad , Khan Nadeem A. , Awasthi Mukesh Kumar , Amer Mariam A. , Leng Lijian , Hamouda Mohamed A. , Vo Dai‑Viet Nguyen , Li Jian 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe huge amounts of sewage sludge produced by municipal wastewater treatment plants induce major environmental and economical issues, calling for advanced disposal methods. Traditional methods for sewage sludge disposal increase greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Moreover, biochar created from sewage sludge often cannot be used directly in soil applications due to elevated levels of heavy metals and other toxic compounds, which alter soil biota and earthworms. This has limited the application of sewage sludge-derived biochar as a fertilizer. Here, we review biomass and sewage sludge co-pyrolysis with a focus on the stabilization of heavy metals and toxicity reduction of the sludge-derived biochar. We observed that co-pyrolyzing sewage sludge with biomass materials reduced heavy metal concentrations and decreased the environmental risk of sludge-derived biochar by up to 93%. Biochar produced from sewage sludge and biomass co-pyrolysis could enhance the reproduction stimulation of soil biota by 20‒98%. Heavy metals immobilization and transformation are controlled by the co-feed material mixing ratio, pyrolysis temperature, and pyrolysis atmosphere.
New ultrasonographic risk assessment of uterine scar dehiscence in pregnancy after cesarean section
Authors: Kawakami Kosuke , Yoshizato Toshiyuki , Kurokawa Yusuke , Okura Naofumi , Ushijima Kimio 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Purpose
We performed a new ultrasonographic risk assessment of uterine scar dehiscence, which is a potential risk factor for uterine rupture, in pregnancy after cesarean section. We attempted to shed light on the natural course of the change in the lower uterine segment by means of a longitudinal investigation through quantitative and qualitative evaluations.

Methods
This retrospective single-center study involved 31 women with a normal singleton pregnancy delivered by elective cesarean section between 2020 and 2021, with all women showing a “niche” in the lower uterine segments. The lower uterine segments were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using transvaginal ultrasonography at 16–21, 22–27, and 28–33 weeks of gestation, and subjects were divided into two groups: those with uterine dehiscence (12 women) and those without uterine dehiscence (19 women), depending on the gross findings of the lower uterine segments at cesarean section. Analyses were performed using Wilcoxon’s rank-sum and Mann–Whitney U test with a significance level of P < 0.05.

Results
The lower uterine segments changed from V-shaped to U-shaped to thin as gestation progressed and was more prominent in the uterine dehiscence group, occurring mostly at 22–27 weeks. At 22–27 weeks, the median myometrial thickness in the uterine dehiscence group was lower than in the group without uterine dehiscence (P = 0.0030). Thinning of the lower uterine segments had moved the cephalad at 22–27 and 28–33 weeks in cases with and without uterine dehiscence.

Conclusion
A model of morphological changes in the niche was constructed based on qualitative and quantitative assessments. The morphological changes and actual thinning of the lower uterine segments were prominent in the second trimester in women considered to have uterine scar dehiscence.
Degradation of Plasticised Poly(lactide) Composites with Nanofibrillated Cellulose in Different Hydrothermal Environments
Authors: Wolf M. H. , Gil-Castell O. , Cea J. , Carrasco J. C. , Ribes-Greus A. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn this study, bionanocomposite films based on poly(lactide) (PLA) plasticised with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (7.5 wt%) and reinforced with various contents of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) (1, 3, 5 wt%) were prepared. The hydrothermal degradation was investigated through immersion in several aqueous environments at temperatures of 8, 23, 58, and 70 °C as a function of time (7, 15, 30, 60, 90 days). The effect of water immersion on the physicochemical properties of the materials was assessed by monitoring the changes in the morphology, thermo-oxidative stability, thermal properties, and molar mass through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The hydrothermal degradation behaviour was not critically affected regardless of the nanofibrillated cellulose content. All the materials revealed certain integrity towards water immersion and hydrolysis effects at low temperatures (8 and 23 °C). The low hydrothermal degradation may be an advantage for using these PLA biocomposites in contact with water at ambient temperatures and limited exposure times. On the other hand, immersion in water at higher temperatures above the glass transition (58 and 70 °C), leads to a drastic deterioration of the properties of these PLA-based materials, in particular to the reduction of the molar mass and the disintegration into small pieces. This hydrothermal degradation behaviour can be considered a feasible option for the waste management of PLA/PEG/NFC bionanocomposites by deposition in hot aqueous environments.
Extrapolation quadrature from equispaced samples of functions with jumps
Authors: Berrut Jean–Paul , Trummer Manfred R. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBased on the Euler–Maclaurin formula, the Romberg quadrature method extrapolates trapezoidal values to improve their accuracy when computing the integral of smooth functions from equispaced samples. It has been known at least since an article of Lyness in 1971 that the Euler–Maclaurin formula may be extended to accommodate functions with jumps. In the present work, we develop an extrapolation method, based on this extended formula, for the quadrature of such discontinuous functions. We illustrate the method with numerical examples, using one as well as several sample vectors.
Overcoming the Domain Gap in Neural Action Representations
Authors: Günel Semih , Aymanns Florian , Honari Sina , Ramdya Pavan , Fua Pascal 
Published: December 2022

AbstractRelating behavior to brain activity in animals is a fundamental goal in neuroscience, with practical applications in building robust brain-machine interfaces. However, the domain gap between individuals is a major issue that prevents the training of general models that work on unlabeled subjects. Since 3D pose data can now be reliably extracted from multi-view video sequences without manual intervention, we propose to use it to guide the encoding of neural action representations together with a set of neural and behavioral augmentations exploiting the properties of microscopy imaging. To test our method, we collect a large dataset that features flies and their neural activity. To reduce the domain gap, during training, we mix features of neural and behavioral data across flies that seem to be performing similar actions. To show our method can generalize further neural modalities and other downstream tasks, we test our method on a human neural Electrocorticography dataset, and another RGB video data of human activities from different viewpoints. We believe our work will enable more robust neural decoding algorithms to be used in future brain-machine interfaces.
Ill-Posedness and the Bias-Variance Tradeoff in Residual Stress Measurement Inverse Solutions
Authors: Beghini M. , Grossi T. , Prime M.B. , Santus C. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackgroundRelaxation methods determine residual stresses by measuring the deformations produced by incremental removal of a subdomain of the specimen. Measured strains at any given increment, determined by the cumulative effect of the relieved stresses, appear as an integral equation, which must be inverted to obtain residual stresses. In practice, stress distributions are discretized by a finite-dimensional basis, to transform the integral equations into a linear system of equations, which is often ill-conditioned.ObjectiveThis article demonstrates that the problem is actually ill-posed and comes with an inherent bias-variance tradeoff.MethodsThe hole drilling method is used as an example application, and the practical effects of ill-posedness are illustrated.ResultsTraditional regularization of the solution by limiting the resolution of the discretization reduces solution variance (noise) at the expense of increased bias and often results in the ultimately harmful practice of taking fewer data points. A careful analysis including the alternate Tikhonov regularization approach shows that the highest number of measurements should always be taken to reduce the variance for a given regularization scheme. Unfortunately, the variability of a regularized solution cannot be used to build a valid confidence interval, since an unknown bias term is always present in the true overall error.ConclusionsThe mathematical theory of ill-posed problems provides tools to manage the bias-variance tradeoff on a reasonable statistical basis, especially when the statistical properties of measurement errors are known. In the long run, physical arguments that provide constraints on the true solution would be of utmost importance, as they could regularize the problem without introducing an otherwise unknown bias. Constraining the minimum length scale to some physically meaningful value is one promising possibility.
Late Iron Age Whaling in Scandinavia
Authors: Hennius Andreas , Ljungkvist John , Ashby Steven P. , Hagan Richard , Presslee Samantha , Christensen Tom , Gustavsson Rudolf , Peets Jüri , Maldre Liina 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe use of marine mammal bone as a raw material in the manufacturing of gaming pieces in the Scandinavian late Iron Age has been observed and discussed in recent years. New empirical studies have created a chronology as well as a typology showing how the design of the gaming pieces is tightly connected to different choices of raw material; from antler in the Roman and Migration periods, to whale bone in the sixth century, and walrus in the tenth century. Macroscopic examination can, however, rarely go beyond determining that the material is ‘cetacean bone’. The following article presents the taxonomic identifications of 68 samples of whale bone gaming pieces, determined using Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry analysis. The results demonstrate the consistent use of bones from Balaenidae sp. most probably the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). This paper presents strong evidence for active, large-scale hunting of whales in Scandinavia, starting in the sixth century. The manufacture of gaming pieces was probably not the driver for the hunt, but merely a by-product that has survived in the archaeological record. Of greater importance were probably baleen, meat, and blubber that could be rendered into oil. This oil might have been an additional trading product in the far-reaching trade networks that were developing during the period. This study supports previous studies suggesting that Iron Age and medieval trade and resource exploitation had a much more severe influence on ecosystems than previously expected. It adds additional insights into anthropogenic impact on mammal populations in prehistory.
Digital tomosynthesis spot view in architectural distortions: outcomes in management and radiation dose
Authors: Fiaschetti Valeria , Ubaldi Nicolo’ , De Fazio Smeralda , Ricci Aurora , Maspes Federico , Cossu Elsa 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate if digital breast tomosynthesis spot compression view (DBT-SCV) could be an additional projection to confirm or deny architectural distortions (ADs) detected by digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) while assessing the average glandular radiation dose.

Methods
This is a retrospective cohort study enrolling 8864 DBT exams, of which only cases detecting primary AD and with BI-RADS 2–5 score were considered. Seventy-one AD cases examined with DBT-SCV, US and MRI were evaluated for correlation in terms of BI-RADS score; variables among exams were assessed for inter-relationships.

Results
Of all ADs identified at DBT, biopsy yielded malignancy in only 38%. PPV in identifying malignancy of ADs was higher for DBT-SCV than DBT (p < 0.05); the NPV of DBT-SCV was 94%. The difference between DBT and DBT-SCV in the detection of benign ADs was statistically significant (p < 0.05). AD without US or MRI confirmation was less likely to represent malignancy (p < 0.05). In detecting malignant cases of ADs, both DBT and DBT-SCV were strongly correlated with US and RM (Kappa > 0.90). In identifying benign cases of ADs, DBT-SCV was poorly/moderately correlated with US and RM (Kappa 0.25 and 0.66); DBT was negatively correlated with US and MRI.

Conclusion
DBT-SCV could be useful to better characterize AD firstly identified by DBT, keeping dose levels within the reference limits. If AD is detected by DBT without an US or MRI correlate, that is not confirmed by DBT-SCV, a “wait and see” approach can be applied to reduce unnecessary biopsy.
On the Applicability of Iron-Based Coatings Against Abrasion and Cavitation Erosion Wear
Authors: Varis Tommi , Lagerbom Juha , Suhonen Tomi , Terho Sakari , Laurila Jussi , Vuoristo Petri 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIron-based coatings are often considered as replacement of hard chromium and WC-Co, as they pose lower health and environmental impact. In many cases, the combination of mechanical and chemical properties of iron-based alloys may be satisfactory and their relatively low cost makes these coatings an interesting candidate for many applications. This study is inspired by opportunities to harden the iron-base materials by strain hardening, solid solution strengthening, and precipitation hardening. Already commercially available Fe-based coating materials with precipitates of mixed carbides and borides in the metastable austenitic matrix achieve a high hardness. In this study, the cavitation erosion and abrasion resistance of various Fe-based coatings produced by HVAF and HVOF processes were investigated. Four experimental precipitates containing materials were prepared, and the sprayed coatings were tested for abrasive wear and cavitation erosion. In addition to precipitates, the contributions of martensite and retained austenite phases were investigated by influencing the microstructure through heat treatments, as the ability of these phases to influence ductility and toughness can be crucial to achieve the desired material properties. The properties of experimental and two commercial Fe-based alloys are compared with WC-Co and Cr3C2-NiCr coatings by property mapping.
Water table dynamics of dune slacks in an arid zone
Authors: Hernández-Cordero Antonio Ignacio , Menéndez Inmaculada , Martín Betancor Moisés , Romero Martín Lidia Esther , Mangas José , Pérez-Chacón Espino Emma 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn this study, a characterisation is undertaken of the humid dune slacks water table situated in the arid transgressive coastal dune field of the Maspalomas Special Area of Conservation, ES701007 (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain). Humid dune slacks are listed as a European Union Habitat (EU Habitat 2190 humid dune slacks) in Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive. This water table is relatively stable throughout the year, with a 41 cm maximum oscillation. The annual dynamics of the flow pattern and water table level depend on the climate conditions. At the end of the hydrological dry season the mean water table drops (ca. 11 cm) and water flows to the lagoon. After rains, the mean water table level rises (ca. 4 cm) and flows towards the Maspalomas beach. The distribution of plant communities (associated to EU Habitat 2190) in the Maspalomas humid dune slacks depends on water table depth, pH and salinity. The knowledge acquired in this study of the water table dynamics has enabled a better understanding of the spatial distribution patterns of the vegetation of these slacks, in particular with respect to the relationship between the water table flux toward the coast during the dry season and the distribution of plant communities in the slacks closest to the coast. The study of the dynamics of the water table of the slacks and the associated vegetation has allowed us to better understand the characteristics of the Maspalomas humid dune slacks and potentially improve their management as EU Habitat. This is especially significant considering that the only European arid climate dune field where this habitat can be found is in Maspalomas.
A Schwarz Lemma for the Pentablock
Authors: Alshehri Nujood M. , Lykova Zinaida A. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn this paper, we prove a Schwarz lemma for the pentablock. The pentablock $$\mathcal {P}$$
P
is defined by $$\begin{aligned} \mathcal {P}=\{(a_{21}, {\text {tr}}A, \det A) : A=[a_{ij}]_{i,j=1}^2 \in \mathbb {B}^{2\times 2}\} \end{aligned}$$

P
=
{

(

a
21

,
tr
A
,
det
A
)

:
A
=

[

a

ij

]

i
,
j
=
1

2

∈

B

2
×
2

}

where $$\mathbb {B}^{2\times 2}$$

B

2
×
2

denotes the open unit ball in the space of $$2\times 2$$

2
×
2

complex matrices. The pentablock is a bounded non-convex domain in $$\mathbb {C}^3$$

C

3

which arises naturally in connection with a certain problem of $$\mu $$
μ
-synthesis. We develop a concrete structure theory for the rational maps from the unit disc $$\mathbb {D}$$
D
to the closed pentablock $$\overline{\mathcal {P}}$$

P
¯

that map the unit circle $$\mathbb {T}$$
T
to the distinguished boundary $$b\overline{\mathcal {P}}$$

b

P
¯

of $$\overline{\mathcal {P}}$$

P
¯

. Such maps are called rational $${\overline{\mathcal {P}}}$$

P
¯

-inner functions. We give relations between $${\overline{\mathcal {P}}}$$

P
¯

-inner functions and inner functions from $$\mathbb {D}$$
D
to the symmetrized bidisc. We describe the construction of rational $${\overline{\mathcal {P}}}$$

P
¯

-inner functions $$x = (a, s, p) : \mathbb {D} \rightarrow \overline{\mathcal {P}}$$

x
=

(
a
,
s
,
p
)

:
D
→

P
¯

of prescribed degree from the zeroes of a, s and $$s^2-4p$$

s
2

-
4
p

. The proof of this theorem is constructive: it gives an algorithm for the construction of a family of such functions x subject to the computation of Fejér–Riesz factorizations of certain non-negative trigonometric functions on the circle. We use properties and the construction of rational $${\overline{\mathcal {P}}}$$

P
¯

-inner functions to prove a Schwarz lemma for the pentablock.
Theranostics in prostate cancer
Authors: Lipp Rainer W. 
Published: December 2022

SummaryThis review summarizes current evidence of “theranostics” for patients with prostate cancer. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a glycoprotein which can be labeled with positron-emitting tomographic (PET) tracers like fluorine-18, gallium-68, or copper-64 and can be labeled with beta emitters like lutetium-177 to treat patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). PSMA PET/CT has been shown to be superior to computer tomography (CT) and bone scintigraphy in accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in the evaluation of metastatic tumor sites and may change treatment management. However, outcome studies showing an improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and/or overall survival (OS) after management change is missing. PSMA PET/CT is highly recommended in prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence (PSA > 0.2 ng/ml). Patients presenting with high PSMA expression in PSMA PET/CT may be favorably treated with 177lutetium-617. In the TheraP study, a multicenter phase 2 trial, patients with mCRPC were randomly assigned to receive either 177lutetium-617 or cabazitaxel. The results indicate fewer treatment-related adverse events in patients treated with 177lutetium-617, an improvement in PSA response, but no improvement in OS after 36 months follow-up. In the VISION trial, a phase 3 international study, patients with mCRPC were randomly assigned to receive either 177lutetium-617 and standard of care (SOC) or SOC alone. At 12 months, radiographic PFS or PSA-PFS was 18% in patients treated with 177lutetium-617 and 3% in patients treated with SOC alone. The real status of 177lutetium-617 in the sequel of treatment regimens remains unclear and additional studies are therefore warranted.
Quadrilateral reptiles
Authors: Laczkovich Miklós 
Published: December 2022

AbstractA polygon P is called a reptile, if it can be decomposed into $$k\ge 2$$

k
≥
2

nonoverlapping and congruent polygons similar to P. We prove that if a cyclic quadrilateral is a reptile, then it is a trapezoid. Comparing with results of Betke and Osburg we find that every convex reptile is a triangle or a trapezoid.
Life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis of Jatropha biodiesel production in China
Authors: Liu Yanbing , Zhu Zongyuan , Zhang Rui , Zhao Xubo 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn this study, a Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is integrated within a life cycle assessment (LCA) model to comprehensively evaluate the energy, environment, and economic impacts of the Jatropha biodiesel production in China. The total energy consumption of producing 1 ton of Jatropha biodiesel is 17566.16 MJ, in which fertilizer utilization and methanol production consume 78.14% and 18.65% of the overall energy consumption, respectively. The production of 1 ton of Jatropha biodiesel emits a number of pollutants, including 1184.52 kg of CO2, 5.86 kg of dust, 5.59 kg of NOx, 2.67 kg of SO2, 2.38 kg of CH4, and 1.05 kg of CO. By calculating and comparing their environmental impacts potentials, it was discovered that NOx and dust emissions during the fertilizer application, combustion of Jatropha shells, and methanol production urgently require improvement, as they contribute to serious global warming and particulate matter formation issues. LCC study shows that the cost of Jatropha biodiesel is 796.32 USD/ton, which is mostly contributed by Jatropha oil cost (44.37% of the total cost) and human input (26.70% of the total cost). Additional profits are generated by the combustion of Jatropha shells and glycerol by-product, which can compensate 16.76% of the cost of Jatropha biodiesel.
Graphical Abstract