bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring the mechanical and bacterial prospects of flexible polyurethane foam with chitosan
Authors: Maamoun A. A. , Mahmoud A. A. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIn this work, chitosan (CT) with different ratios (0–5 wt.%) was utilized as a bio filler in polyurethane flexible (PUF) foam to increase mechanical performance and bacterial inhibition characteristics. The chemical structure of CT and polyurethane flexible foam/ chitosan (PUF/CT) composites was examined using FTIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the cross-link density of PUF/CT composites was examined using the Flory and Rhener equation. Moreover, the PUF/CT composites’ thermal stability was observed utilizing TGA analysis. Further, the morphology and phase behavior of the PUF/CT composites were investigated using SEM and DSC techniques, respectively. The results showed that the cross-link density, thermal stability, cavities sizes, and the glass transition temperature of soft segments Tg(ss) increased with increased CT wt.% content. Besides, characteristics like apparent density, compressive strength, elongation at break, and tensile strength were tested. The results indicated that the density and compressive strength increased by 128.00% and 305.64% for PUF/CT5%, respectively, compared with unfilled PUF foam. At the same time, the tensile strength and elongation at break enhanced 162.50% and 174.30% for PUF/CT4%, respectively, compared with unfilled PUF foam. Finally, the antibacterial test was carried out for PUF/CT composites using the broth dilution procedure. The results revealed that the bacterial growth was inhibited by increasing CT wt.% content. Thus, the obtained composites are promising for industrial biological applications such as packaging and medical intensive care units.
Graphical abstract
New phylogenetic insights on some species of Unionidae from Switzerland (Bivalvia, Palaeoheterodonta, Unionidae)
Authors: Pfarrer Beat , Carlevaro Anna , Stucki Pascal , Schwarzer Arno , Vicentini Heinrich , Neubert Eike 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSwitzerland’s drainage systems are divided into three major European river basins, i.e. the Po, the Rhône, and the Rhine basins. Until recently 32 species of freshwater mussel species (i.e. belonging to the genera Anodonta and Unio) were recognized for the country, albeit their identity and number remain uncertain especially, given the recent recognition of Unio mancus Lamarck, 1819 from the Rhône in France, and Unio elongatulus C. Pfeiffer, 1825 and Anodonta exulcerata Porro, 1838 from the Po basin in Italy. In this study, we molecularly assess Swiss populations of freshwater mussels to understand the identity and number of species as well as to characterize their distributions within this geologically differentiated Alpine country. We collected 125 specimens in 42 lakes and rivers representing the three major basins and performed a phylogenetic investigation of the collected specimens using two mitochondrial markers (COI & 16S) and one nuclear marker (28S). COI Haplotype networks are then presented for the identified species. Our new findings show that Unio elongatulus inhabits water bodies north of the main Alpine arc. No living populations of Unio mancus could be detected in Switzerland. Anodonta exulcerata is recorded from two localities north of Lake Maggiore and in the Swiss part of Lake Lugano. Anodonta anatina (Linnaeus, 1758) shows genetic differences between southern alpine and northern alpine populations. Our genetic data from Swiss populations of unionid species provides new records and knowledge concerning freshwater mussels from Central Europe and specifically from the Alpine region.
Gamma-Rays Induced Synthesis of Ag-Decorated ZnCo2O4–MoS2 Heterostructure as Novel Photocatalyst and Effective Antimicrobial Agent for Wastewater Treatment Application
Authors: Abdel Maksoud M. I. A. , El-Sayyad Gharieb S. , Mamdouh Nahla , El Rouby Waleed M. A. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe development of novel semiconductors-based-photocatalysts is a promising strategy for addressing environmental pollution. In the present study, gamma irradiation was utilized to induce the synthesis of the exceptionally efficient Ag-decorated ZnCo2O4–MoS2 heterostructure. XRD and EDX analyses were verified the successful synthesis of Ag-decorated ZnCo2O4–MoS2 heterostructure. Also, SEM and HR-TEM images were illustrated the heterostructure nature of the synthesized photocatalyst in the nanoscale regime. The obtained optical bandgap values verified that photocatalyst possesses a narrow semiconductor bandgap. Further, the Ag-decorated ZnCo2O4–MoS2 heterostructure exhibited superior photodegradation potential towards MB (95.4% removal of the MB). The antimicrobial potency of the synthesized samples had been investigated through ZOI, MIC, growth curve assay, and the effect of UV illumination. Also, the antibiofilm behaviour has been studied. The antibacterial reaction mechanism had been estimated by membrane leakage assay and SEM imaging. The tested samples displayed a positive potency to a broad spectrum of bacteria like Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. In particular, Ag–MoS2–ZnCo2O4 nanocomposite possessed the highest impact, followed by the spinal ZnCo2O4 NPs towards all the tested pathogenic microbes. In this assessment, the Ag-decorated ZnCo2O4–MoS2 heterostructure has been shown to be a promising candidate for wastewater treatment application.
Fire resistance properties of heavyweight magnetite concrete in comparison with normal basalt- and quartz-based concrete
Authors: Ali Suha Ismail Ahmed , Lublóy Éva 
Published: June 2022

AbstractNowadays application of radiation shielding structures grows over the world. Nuclear buildings represent one of the most complicated radiation shielding structures; that is why a particular type of concrete is required to withstand different conditions during their lifespan. Unique properties such as the behaviour under elevated temperatures, radiation shielding, and thermal stability properties are essential to guarantee the fire resistance safety of nuclear buildings. However, some gaps are still there, warranting further investigation, particularly the thermal stability and fire-resistance properties of the heavyweight concrete. The properties are mechanical, physical, and deformation properties of concrete after being subjected to elevated temperature. This paper investigated the fire resistance properties of three concrete mixes. There were magnetite-based concrete, basalt-based concrete, and quartz-based concrete. Compressive and flexural strength, spalling, mass loss, porosity, and scanning electron microscopy were measured for the three concrete types after being subjected to different temperature steps at 20, 150, 300, 500, and 800 °C. The three types of concrete showed different fire resistance properties. Magnetite-based concrete has better heat/fire resistance than basalt- and quartz-based concrete; there was no significant change up to 500 °C, and explosive spalling occurred at 800 °C. Correspondingly, the maximum change in porosity and reduction in the compressive and flexural strength occurred at 300 °C, which indicates the good thermal stability of magnetite-based concrete. Concerning basalt-based and quartz-based concretes, cracks were observed at 500 °C, and cracks with colour change and small spalling were initiated at 800 °C. Therefore, the maximum growth in the porosity and the high reduction in the compressive and flexural strength in basalt-based concrete occurred at 800 °C. Likewise, the extreme change in the porosity occurred at 500 °C, and the drastic reduction in the compressive and the flexural strength in the quartz-based concrete was relatively high at 500 °C and 800 °C. The SEM observations and analysis obtained the appearance of microcracks, voids and degradation of C-S-H in different concrete mixes at 500 and 800℃.
Multivariate return period for different types of flooding in city of Monza, Italy
Authors: Bateni M. Mehdi , Martina Mario L. V. , Arosio ·Marcello 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe return period is a probabilistic criterion used to measure and communicate the random occurrence of geophysical events such as floods in risk assessment studies. Since an individual risk may be strongly affected by the degree of dependence amongst all risks, the need for the provision of multivariate design quantiles has gained ground. Consequently, several recent studies have focused on estimation of multi-hazard risk resulted from different hazard types. In this study, multi-hazard return periods are derived for riverine and pluvial floods in city of Monza, Italy, based on different copula dependence structures. It is shown that ignoring statistical dependence among different inter-correlated hazards may cause significant misestimation of risks.
Persistence of financial efficiency in indian hospitality and tourism industry: a dynamic panel Approach
Authors: Jaisinghani Dinesh , Joshi Mahesh , Goyal Jatin , Sharma Sharad 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThis paper analyses the degree of persistence of financial efficiency for the hospitality and tourism industry in India. The paper deploys the Data Envelopment Analysis technique to generate overall technical efficiency scores as well as pure technical efficiency scores. Furthermore, a dynamic panel technique proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991), is employed to test the degree of persistence of financial efficiency and its key determinants. The results confirm positive and significant persistence of efficiency for the sample firms from the hospitality industry in India. The overall results indicate that hospitality firms in India can create entry and exit barriers to generate positive persistence of financial efficiency. The study suggests regulators specifically focus on policies that can enhance the competitive dynamics of the industry. Such measures may make it imperative for the management of the firms in the sector to streamline their financial management policies to control costs and devise methods for the enhancement of revenues.
Coronary ostial angioplasty for juvenile Takayasu arteritis involving the coronary artery using external iliac artery grafts
Authors: Iwakura Tomohiro , Takanashi Shuichiro , Masuda Akio , Hayashida Miyu , Haraguchi Go , Nanasato Mamoru , Isobe Mitsuaki , Shimokawa Tomoki 
Published: June 2022

AbstractTakayasu arteritis can affect the coronary ostia, leading to myocardial ischemia. Coronary ostial angioplasty effectively treats coronary artery ostial lesions associated with Takayasu arteritis. We present a case of juvenile Takayasu arteritis with bilateral subclavian artery occlusions treated with a novel coronary artery ostial angioplasty using the external iliac artery.
Yb- and Er concentration dependence of the upconversion luminescence of highly doped NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4:Lu core/shell nanocrystals prepared by a water-free synthesis
Authors: Würth Christian , Grauel Bettina , Pons Monika , Frenzel Florian , Rissiek Philipp , Rücker Kerstin , Haase Markus , Resch-Genger Ute 
Published: June 2022

AbstractHigh sensitizer and activator concentrations have been increasingly examined to improve the performance of multi-color emissive upconversion (UC) nanocrystals (UCNC) like NaYF4:Yb,Er and first strategies were reported to reduce concentration quenching in highly doped UCNC. UC luminescence (UCL) is, however, controlled not only by dopant concentration, yet by an interplay of different parameters including size, crystal and shell quality, and excitation power density (P). Thus, identifying optimum dopant concentrations requires systematic studies of UCNC designed to minimize additional quenching pathways and quantitative spectroscopy. Here, we quantify the dopant concentration dependence of the UCL quantum yield (ΦUC) of solid NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4:Lu upconversion core/shell nanocrystals of varying Yb3+ and Er3+ concentrations (Yb3+ series: 20%–98% Yb3+; 2% Er3+; Er3+ series: 60% Yb3+; 2%–40% Er3+). To circumvent other luminescence quenching processes, an elaborate synthesis yielding OH-free UCNC with record ΦUC of ∼9% and ∼25 nm core particles with a thick surface shell were used. High Yb3+ concentrations barely reduce ΦUC from ∼9% (20% Yb3+) to ∼7% (98% Yb3+) for an Er3+ concentration of 2%, thereby allowing to strongly increase the particle absorption cross section and UCNC brightness. Although an increased Er3+ concentration reduces ΦUC from ∼7% (2% Er3+) to 1% (40%) for 60% Yb3+. Nevertheless, at very high P (> 1 MW/cm2) used for microscopic studies, highly Er3+-doped UCNC display a high brightness because of reduced saturation. These findings underline the importance of synthesis control and will pave the road to many fundamental studies of UC materials.
Is there more than one stickiness criterion?
Authors: Wang Anle , Müser Martin H. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAdhesion between an elastic body and a smooth, rigid substrate can lead to large tensile stresses between them. However, most macroscopic objects are microscopically rough, which strongly suppresses adhesion. A fierce debate has unfolded recently as to whether local or global parameters determine the crossover between small and large adhesion. Here, we report simulations revealing that the dependence of the pull-off force Fn on the surface energy γ does not only have two regimes of high and low adhesion but up to four regimes. They are related to contacts, which at the moment of rupture consist of (i) the last individual Hertzian-shaped contact, in which is linear in γ, (ii) a last meso-scale, individual patches with super-linear scaling, (iii) many isolated contact patches with extremely strong scaling, and (iv) a dominating largest contact patch, for which the pull-off stress is no longer negligible compared to the maximum, microscopic pull-off stress. Regime (iii) can be seen as a transition domain. It is located near the point where the surface energy is half the elastic energy per unit area in conformal contact. A criterion for the transition between regimes (i) and (ii) appears difficult to grasp.
Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz von Beschäftigten nach einer psychischen Erkrankung
Authors: Scharf Jessica , Loerbroks Adrian , Angerer Peter 
Published: June 2022

Zusammenfassung
Zielstellungen
Die Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz scheitert häufig an widersprüchlichen Erwartungen und Zielen der beteiligten Akteure. Aufgrund ihrer medizinischen Expertise und arbeitsplatzbezogenen Kenntnisse könnten Betriebsärzte bzw. Betriebsärztinnen gegenseitiges Verständnis und Zusammenarbeit der Beteiligten effektiv fördern. Es soll ein Leitfaden und eine Schulung zu dessen Anwendung entwickelt werden, die Betriebsärzte bzw. Betriebsärztinnen unterstützen, eine vermittelnde Rolle bei der Eingliederung psychisch erkrankter Beschäftigter einzunehmen.

Methoden
Basierend auf einer Literaturrecherche sowie umfangreichen qualitativen Vorarbeiten zu den Erwartungen der Akteure, wurden in mehreren konsekutiven Schritten ein Leitfaden und Schulungsmaterialien partizipativ mit Arbeitsmedizinerinnen und Arbeitsmedizinern und anderen Experten bzw. Expertinnen entwickelt, diskutiert und überarbeitet. Schließlich wurden Betriebsärzte und Betriebsärztinnen in Weiterbildungskursen in der Anwendung des Leitfadens geschult, um ihn anschließend im Arbeitsalltag auf Praktikabilität zu überprüfen.

Ergebnisse
Der Leitfaden informiert über die potenziell unterschiedlichen Erwartungen der Akteure bzw. Akteurinnen an den Rückkehrprozess und bietet umfassende Handlungshilfen für die vermittelnde Arbeit des Betriebsarztes/der Betriebsärztin. Nach der etwa zweistündigen manualisierten Schulung setzten innerhalb von 4 Monaten 9 von 37 Teilnehmern den Leitfaden für Rückkehrgespräche ein, 6 von 9 bewerteten ihn als hilfreich.

Schlussfolgerung
Die ersten positiven Anwendungserfahrungen des mit der Zielgruppe entwickelten Materials rechtfertigt eine größere Interventionsstudie, um den zu vermutenden positiven Effekt auf den Wiedereingliederungserfolg zu untersuchen.
Microbial Influenced Corrosion: Understanding Bioadhesion and Biofilm Formation
Authors: Pal Mirul K. , Lavanya M. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractMicrobiologically influenced corrosion, also known as microbial or biological corrosion, is produced by particular bacteria adhering to metal in water. It is widely acknowledged to be the direct cause of catastrophic corrosion failures, with associated damage costs accounting to many billions of US$ annually. Certain activities of microbial organisms such as their adherence capabilities are known to lead to the acceleration in corrosion rates of metals. Bacterial adherence is the beginning of the process of colonisation of a surface, known as biofilm development that involves physicochemical and molecular interactions. This process of bacterial adhesion is influenced by a myriad of parameters which are broadly categorised as environment, bacterial, and material characteristics. The following article reviews the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion to biomaterial surfaces, the factors affecting this adhesion, and the techniques used in estimating microbially influenced corrosion.
Normality of the Thue–Morse function for finite fields along polynomial values
Authors: Makhul Mehdi , Winterhof Arne 
Published: June 2022

AbstractLet $$\varvec{F}_q$$

F

q

be the finite field of q elements, where $$q=p^r$$

q
=

p
r

is a power of the prime p, and $$\left( \beta _1, \beta _2, \dots , \beta _r \right) $$

β
1

,

β
2

,
⋯
,

β
r

be an ordered basis of $$\varvec{F}_q$$

F

q

over $$\varvec{F}_p$$

F

p

. For $$\begin{aligned} \xi =\sum _{i=1}^rx_i\beta _i, \quad x_i\in \varvec{F}_p, \end{aligned}$$

ξ
=

∑

i
=
1

r

x
i

β
i

,

x
i

∈

F

p

,

we define the Thue–Morse or sum-of-digits function $$T(\xi )$$

T
(
ξ
)

on $$\varvec{F}_q$$

F

q

by $$\begin{aligned} T(\xi )=\sum _{i=1}^{r}x_i. \end{aligned}$$

T

(
ξ
)

=

∑

i
=
1

r

x
i

.

For a given pattern length s with $$1\le s\le q$$

1
≤
s
≤
q

, a vector $$\varvec{\alpha }=(\alpha _1,\ldots ,\alpha _s)\in \varvec{F}_q^s$$

α

=

(

α
1

,
…
,

α
s

)

∈

F

q
s

with different coordinates $$\alpha _{j_1}\not = \alpha _{j_2}$$

α

j
1

≠

α

j
2

, $$1\le j_1<j_2\le s$$

1
≤

j
1

<

j
2

≤
s

, a polynomial $$f(X)\in \varvec{F}_q[X]$$

f

(
X
)

∈

F

q

[
X
]

of degree d and a vector $$\mathbf{c} =(c_1,\ldots ,c_s)\in \varvec{F}_p^s$$

c
=

(

c
1

,
…
,

c
s

)

∈

F

p
s

we put $$\begin{aligned} \mathcal{T}(\mathbf{c} ,\varvec{\alpha },f)=\{\xi \in \varvec{F}_q : T(f(\xi +\alpha _i))=c_i,~i=1,\ldots ,s\}. \end{aligned}$$

T

(
c
,

α

,
f
)

=
{
ξ
∈

F

q

:
T

(
f

(
ξ
+

α
i

)

)

=

c
i

,

i
=
1
,
…
,
s
}
.

In this paper we will see that under some natural conditions, the size of $$\mathcal{T}(\mathbf{c} ,\varvec{\alpha },f)$$

T
(
c
,

α

,
f
)

is asymptotically the same for all $$\mathbf{c} $$
c
and $$\varvec{\alpha }$$

α

in both cases, $$p\rightarrow \infty $$

p
→
∞

and $$r\rightarrow \infty $$

r
→
∞

, respectively. More precisely, we have $$\begin{aligned} \left||\mathcal{T}(\mathbf{c} , \varvec{\alpha }, f) |- p^{r-s} \right|\le (d-1)q^{1/2} \end{aligned}$$

|
T

(
c
,

α

,
f
)

|

-

p

r
-
s

≤

(
d
-
1
)

q

1
/
2

under certain conditions on d, q and s. For monomials of large degree we improve this bound as well as we find conditions on d, q and s for which this bound is not true. In particular, if $$1\le d<p$$

1
≤
d
<
p

we have the dichotomy that the bound is valid if $$s\le d$$

s
≤
d

and for $$s\ge d+1$$

s
≥
d
+
1

there are vectors $$\mathbf{c} $$
c
and $$\varvec{\alpha }$$

α

with $$\mathcal{T}(\mathbf{c} ,\varvec{\alpha },f)=\emptyset $$

T
(
c
,

α

,
f
)
=
∅

so that the bound fails for sufficiently large r. The case $$s=1$$

s
=
1

was studied before by Dartyge and Sárközy.
Understanding the organisational dynamics and ethos of local degrowth cooperatives
Authors: Cunico Giovanni , Deuten Sebastiaan , Huang I-Chun 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAs a concept challenging the growth paradigm, degrowth is put into practice in different ways. Ones of which are degrowth-oriented cooperatives: organisations composed of producers and consumers that intend to keep a locally oriented focus and embrace more responsible economic practices to promote socio-ecological sustainability. Despite their flourishing relevance, a robust understanding of their functioning is still missing. This becomes essential to comprehend how they differ from normal cooperatives and support their diffusion. Therefore, this work investigates the internal organisational dynamics in a degrowth cooperative through a case study. We used a participatory system dynamics modelling approach involving the cooperative’s members to develop a causal-loop model describing the cooperative’s main functioning. Several dynamics appeared to take place within the cooperative, reinforcing ones favouring cooperative growth and balancing ones limiting its expansion. While growth dynamics and conflict emergence resemble normal cooperatives’ behaviour, limiting mechanisms, depending on the local focus and the potential setting of income sufficiency thresholds, are expected to prevent the cooperative from excessive expansion and lose its degrowth ethos. Moreover, the participatory modelling method used appeared to contribute to improving the members’ understanding of the problems, identifying shared solutions, and enhancing communication. This study's contribution is two-fold: first, it reports the organisational dynamics of a cooperative practising degrowth and, second, highlights how participatory modelling can be a powerful tool in those contexts to increase members’ engagement and enhance communication.
Effectiveness and acceptability of intranasal povidone-iodine decolonization among fracture fixation surgery patients to reduce Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization
Authors: Schweizer Marin L. , Herwaldt Loreen A. , Boyken Linda , Pottinger Jean , Quinn Rachel , Diekema Daniel J. , Armstrong-Pavlik Fiona , Ward Melissa , Sekar Poorani , Willey Michael C. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractWe evaluated povidone-iodine (PVI) decolonization among 51 fracture-fixation surgery patients. PVI was applied twice on the day of surgery. Patients were tested for S. aureus nasal colonization and surveyed. Mean S. aureus concentrations decreased from 3.13 to 1.15 CFU/mL (P = .03). Also, 86% of patients stated that they felt neutral or positive about their PVI experience.
ON THE PARITY OF THE GENERALISED FROBENIUS PARTITION FUNCTIONS
Authors: ANDREWS GEORGE E. , SELLERS JAMES A. , SOUFAN FARES 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAndrews [Generalized Frobenius Partitions, Memoirs of the American Mathematical Society, 301 (American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1984)] defined two families of functions,
$\phi _k(n)$
and
$c\phi _k(n),$
enumerating two types of combinatorial objects which he called generalised Frobenius partitions. Andrews proved a number of Ramanujan-like congruences satisfied by specific functions within these two families. Numerous other authors proved similar results for these functions, often with a view towards a specific choice of the parameter
$k.$
Our goal is to identify an infinite family of values of k such that
$\phi _k(n)$
is even for all n in a specific arithmetic progression; in particular, we prove that, for all positive integers
$\ell ,$
all primes
$p\geq 5$
and all values
$r, 0 < r < p,$
such that
$24r+1$
is a quadratic nonresidue modulo
$p,$

$$ \begin{align*} \phi_{p\ell-1}(pn+r) \equiv 0 \pmod{2} \end{align*} $$
for all
$n\geq 0.$
Our proof of this result is truly elementary, relying on a lemma from Andrews’ memoir, classical q-series results and elementary generating function manipulations. Such a result, which holds for infinitely many values of
$k,$
is rare in the study of arithmetic properties satisfied by generalised Frobenius partitions, primarily because of the unwieldy nature of the generating functions in question.