bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In Vivo Localization of the Human Velocity Storage Mechanism and Its Core Cerebellar Networks by Means of Galvanic-Vestibular Afternystagmus and fMRI
Authors: Rühl Maxine , Kimmel Rebecca , Ertl Matthias , Conrad Julian , zu Eulenburg Peter 
Published: February 2022

AbstractHumans are able to estimate head movements accurately despite the short half-life of information coming from our inner ear motion sensors. The observation that the central angular velocity estimate outlives the decaying signal of the semicircular canal afferents led to the concept of a velocity storage mechanism (VSM). The VSM can be activated via visual and vestibular modalities and becomes manifest in ocular motor responses after sustained stimulation like whole-body rotations, optokinetic or galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). The VSM has been the focus of many computational modelling approaches; little attention though has been paid to discover its actual structural correlates. Animal studies localized the VSM in the medial and superior vestibular nuclei. A significant modulation by cerebellar circuitries including the uvula and nodulus has been proposed. Nevertheless, the corresponding neuroanatomical structures in humans have not been identified so far. The aim of the present study was to delineate the neural substrates of the VSM using high-resolution infratentorial fMRI with a fast T2* sequence optimized for infratentorial neuroimaging and via video-oculography (VOG). The neuroimaging experiment (n=20) gave first in vivo evidence for an involvement of the vestibular nuclei in the VSM and substantiate a crucial role for cerebellar circuitries. Our results emphasize the importance of cerebellar feedback loops in VSM most likely represented by signal increases in vestibulo-cerebellar hubs like the uvula and nodulus and lobule VIIIA. The delineated activation maps give new insights regarding the function and embedment of Crus I, Crus II, and lobule VII and VIII in the human vestibular system.
An improved LINMAP for multicriteria decision: designing customized incentive portfolios in an organization
Authors: Rubiano-Moreno Jessica , Nucamendi-Guillén Samuel , Cordero-Franco Alvaro , Rodríguez-Magaña Alejandro 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study proposes three new versions of the well-known linear programming technique for multidimensional preference analysis (LINMAP). LINMAP addresses the multi-criteria decision problem by analyzing individual differences in preferences in relation to a set of prespecified incentives in multidimensional attribute space. The proposed models satisfy the decision-maker’s specific needs, such as determining a fixed number of incentives to be active or assigning a minimum/maximum weight for the active incentives. The performance of the developed models is assessed using information from a case study in which a decision-maker desires to determine an optimal portfolio of incentives based on the preferences of individuals surveyed. Experimental results confirm that the proposed models could obtain solutions according to the decision-maker’s needs, yielding a better selection of incentives to activate and their corresponding distribution of the weights than those of the original LINMAP model. Moreover, the consistency of the proposed models is evaluated by performing a sensitivity analysis over database variations of the case study and comparing the outcomes with the results provided in the original case study. Overall, this work is promising when creating a design portfolio, considering individuals’ different preferences.
The complex challenge of governing food systems: The case of South African food policy
Authors: Kushitor Sandra Boatemaa , Drimie Scott , Davids Rashieda , Delport Casey , Hawkes Corinna , Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe , Ngidi Mjabuliseni , Slotow Rob , Pereira Laura M. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractInternational experience reveals that food policy development often occurs in silos and offers few tangible mechanisms to address the interlinked, systemic issues underpinning food and nutrition insecurity. This paper investigated what South African government policies cover in terms of different aspects of the food system, who is responsible for them, and how coordinated they are. Policy objectives were categorized into seven policy domains relevant to food systems: agriculture, environment, social protection, health, land, education, economic development, and rural development. Of the ninety-one policies reviewed from 1947–2017, six were identified as being "overarching" with goals across all the domains. About half of the policies focused on agriculture and the environment, reflecting an emphasis on agricultural production. Policies were formulated and implemented in silos. As a result, learning from implementation, and adjusting to improve impact has been limited. Particularly important is that coordination during implementation, across these complex domains, has been partial. In order to achieve its stated food and nutrition outcomes, including Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, South Africa needs to translate its policies into tangible, practical plans and processes guided by effective coordination and alignment. Key recommendations are practically to align policies to a higher-level "food goal", establish better coordination mechanisms, consolidate an effective monitoring and evaluation approach to address data gaps and encourage learning for adaptive implementation. Actively engaging the existing commitments to the SDGs would draw stated international commitments together to meet the constitutional commitment to food rights into an overarching food and nutrition security law.
Forced to stay at home—impact of curfews on mood during a pandemic for individuals with exercise dependence
Authors: Timme Sinika , Cook Brian , Schipfer Melanie , Stoll Oliver 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe effects of COVID-19-related lockdowns on deterioration of mental health and use of exercise to remediate such effects has been well documented in numerous populations. However, it remains unknown how lockdown restrictions impacted individuals differently and who was more likely to change their exercise behavior and experience negative well-being. The current study examined exercise dependence as a risk factor and its impact on exercise behavior and mood during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns on a global scale in 11,898 participants from 17 countries. Mixed effects models revealed that reducing exercise behavior was associated with a stronger decrease in mood for individuals at risk of exercise dependence compared to individuals at low risk of exercise dependence. Participants at high risk and exercising more prior to the pandemic reported the most exercise during lockdown. Effects of lowered mood were most pronounced in participants with high risk of exercise dependence who reported greater reduction in exercise frequency during lockdown. These results support recent etiological evidence for exercise dependence and add to a growing body of literature documenting mental health effects related to COVID-19.
Miracles persist: a reply to Sus
Authors: Linnemann Niels , Read James 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn a recent article in this journal, Sus purports to account for what have been identified as the ‘two miracles’ of general relativity—that (1) the local symmetries of all dynamical equations for matter fields coincide, and (2) the symmetries of the dynamical equations governing matter fields coincide locally with the symmetries of the metric field—by application of the familiar result that every symmetry of the action is also a symmetry of the resulting equations of motion. In this reply, we argue that, while otherwise exemplary in its clarity, Sus’ paper fails in this regard, for it rests upon a illegitimate application of the aforementioned result. Thus, we conclude,paceSus, that these two miracles persist in general relativity.
Simulation of non-dilute fibre suspensions using RBF-based macro–micro multiscale method
Authors: Nguyen Hung Quoc , Tran Canh-Dung 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe multiscale stochastic simulation method based on the marriage of the Brownian Configuration Field (BCF) and the Radial Basis Function mesh-free approximation for dilute fibre suspensions by our group, is further developed to simulate non-dilute fibre suspensions. For the present approach, the macro and micro processes proceeded at each time step are linked to each other by a fibre contributed stress formula associated with the used kinetic model. Due to the feature of non-dilute fibre suspensions, the interaction between fibres is introduced into the evolution equation to determine fibre configurations using the BCF method. The fibre stresses are then determined based on the fibre configuration fields using the Phan–Thien–Graham model. The efficiency of the simulation method is demonstrated by the analysis of the two challenging problems, the axisymmetric contraction and expansion flows, for a range of the fibre concentration from semi-dilute to concentrated regimes. Results evidenced by numerical experiments show that the present method would be potential in analysing and simulating various suspensions in food and medical industries.
Increasing the functional quality of Crocus sativus L. by-product (tepals) by controlling spectral composition
Authors: Orlando Matteo , Trivellini Alice , Puccinelli Martina , Ferrante Antonio , Incrocci Luca , Mensuali-Sodi Anna 
Published: February 2022

AbstractCrocus sativus L. is a crop grown for spice production, and large amounts of residues from the flowers are produced during the process. The underutilized by-product from saffron spice production, the C. sativus tepals, was investigated as a promising raw material of natural bioactive compounds using light spectrum manipulation in controlled environments. The plants were grown under either light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or natural light (NL, greenhouse). LED experiments were performed in controlled-environment chambers (120 µmol m–2 s–1of photosynthetically active radiation, 18 °C, 16-h photoperiod). The LED treatments used were as follows: (i) red ʎ = 660 nm (62%) and blue ʎ = 450 nm (38%) (RB); and (ii) red ʎ = 660 nm (50%), green ʎ = 500–600 nm (12%), and blue ʎ = 4 50 nm (38%) (RGB). Flower growth parameters, total phenols, total flavonoids, flavonols, flavonol glycosides, and antioxidant properties were measured in harvested tepals. Floral by-products from plants grown under the two LED treatments accumulated higher amounts of antioxidant compounds compared to those of plants grown under NL. The total flavonoids content was significantly enhanced in the RGB LED treatment, while the corolla fresh weight significantly declined in the same treatments. The higher content of bioactive secondary metabolites in plants grown under both RB and RGB light environments resulted in increased antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH free-radical scavenging capacity and the ferric reducing antioxidant power method. These results indicate that manipulation of LED spectra could boost secondary metabolites and antioxidant capacity to obtain phytochemically enriched floral by-products with superior functional quality.
Novel insights on acetylcholinesterase inhibition by Convolvulus pluricaulis, scopolamine and their combination in zebrafish
Authors: Karunakaran Kalyani Bindu , Thiyagaraj Anand , Santhakumar Kirankumar 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAcetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors increase the retention of acetylcholine (ACh) in synapses. Although they alleviate cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease, their limited benefits warrant investigations of plant extracts with similar properties. We studied the anti-AChE activity of Convolvulus pluricaulis (CP) in a zebrafish model of cognitive impairment induced by scopolamine (SCOP). CP is a perennial herb with anti-amnesiac and anxiolytic properties. It contains alkaloid, anthocyanin, coumarin, flavonoid, phytosterol and triterpenoid components. Isoxazole (ISOX) was used as a positive control for AChE inhibition. CP-treated 168 hpf larvae showed a similar pattern of AChE inhibition (in the myelencephalon and somites) as that of ISOX-treated larvae. CP was superior to ISOX as evidenced by the retention of avoidance response behavior in adult zebrafish. Molecular docking studies indicated that ISOX binds Ser203 of the catalytic triad on the human AChE. The active components of CP—scopoletin and kaempferol—were bound by His447 of the catalytic triad, the anionic subsite of the catalytic center, and the peripheral anionic site. This suggested the ability of CP to mediate both competitive and non-competitive modes of inhibition. Surprisingly, SCOP showed AChE inhibition in larvae, possibly mediated via the choline-binding sites. CP + SCOP induced a concentration-dependent increase in AChE inhibition and ACh depletion. Abnormal motor responses were observed with ISOX, CP, ISOX + SCOP, and CP + SCOP, indicative of undesirable effects on the peripheral cholinergic system. Our study proposes the examination of CP, SCOP, and CP + SCOP as potential AChE inhibitors for their ability to modulate cognitive deficits.
Electrospun composites nanofibers from cellulose acetate/carbon black as efficient adsorbents for heavy and light machine oil from aquatic environment
Authors: Elmaghraby Nehad A. , Omer Ahmed M. , Kenawy El-Refaie , Gaber Mohamed , El Nemr Ahmed 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe feasibility of preparing cellulose acetate/carbon black (CA/CB) composite nanofiber in one step through electrospinning process and investigating its potential oil absorbability and application for machine oil removal from aquatic environment was reported. Different CA/CB composite nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning of cellulose acetate (CA) solution containing different loads of 0.7, 1.5, and 2.2% CB relative to the weight of CA and labeled as CA/CB0.7, CA/CB1.5, and CA/CB2.2. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed continuous and smooth fiber with submicron diameter ranging from 400–900 nm with good adhering of CB into CA nanofiber. Furthermore, the CA/CB composite nanofibers exhibited high surface area compared with CA nanofiber, which reached 3.057, 2.8718 and 8.244 m2/g for CA/CB0.7, CA/CB1.5 and CA/CB2.2, respectively. Oil adsorption tests were performed with heavy and light machine oils. The CA/CB composite nanofibers showed higher affinity for oil removal from an aqueous solution than pure CA nanofiber. The CA/CB1.5 composite nanofiber has an exceptional performance for the adsorption of both oils, and the maximum oil adsorbed reached 10.6 and 18.3 g/g for light and heavy machine oils, respectively. The kinetic of machine oils adsorption was fitted well by the pseudo-second-order model. Besides, CA/CB composite nanofiber exposed good adsorption properties and respectable reusability after regeneration for four consecutive cycles. The results advocate the excellent potential of as-fabricated CA/CB composite nanofiber as a promising reusable oil adsorbent for oil spill cleanup applications.
Eigenvalue-based entropy and spectrum of bipartite digraph
Authors: Sun Yan , Zhao Haixing 
Published: February 2022

AbstractGraph entropy is an important measure of the evolution and complexity of networks. Bipartite graph is a special network and an important mathematical model for system resource allocation and management. In reality, a network system usually has obvious directionality. The direction of the network, or the movement trend of the network, can be described with spectrum index. However, little research has been done on the eigenvalue-based entropy of directed bipartite network. In this study, based on the adjacency matrix, the in-degree Laplacian matrix and the in-degree signless Laplacian matrix of directed bipartite graph, we defined the eigenvalue-based entropy for the directed bipartite network. Using the eigenvalue-based entropy, we described the evolution law of the directed bipartite network structure. Aiming at the direction and bipartite feature of the directed bipartite network, we improved the generation algorithm of the undirected network. We then constructed the directed bipartite nearest-neighbor coupling network, directed bipartite small-world network, directed bipartite scale-free network, and directed bipartite random network. In the proposed model, spectrum of those directed bipartite network is used to describe the directionality and bipartite property. Moreover, eigenvalue-based entropy is empirically studied on a real-world directed movie recommendation network, in which the law of eigenvalue-base entropy is observed. That is, if eigenvalue-based entropy value of the recommendation system is large, the evolution of movie recommendation network becomes orderless. While if eigenvalue-based entropy value is small, the structural evolution of the movie recommendation network tends to be regular. The simulation experiment shows that eigenvalue-based entropy value in the real directed bipartite network is between the values of a directed bipartite small world and a scale-free network. It shows that the real directed bipartite network has the structural property of the two typical directed bipartite networks. The coexistence of the small-world phenomena and the scale-free phenomena in the real network is consistent with the evolution law of typical network models. The experimental results show that the validity and rationality of the definition of eigenvalue-based entropy, which serves as a tool in the analysis of directed bipartite networks.
The development trend of China’s aging population: a forecast perspective
Authors: Liu Xuchong , Zhu Jianian , Zou Kai 
Published: February 2022

AbstractTo accurately predict the aging population in China, a novel grey prediction model (CFODGMW(1,1, $$\alpha $$
α
) model) is established in this study. The CFODGMW(1,1, $$\alpha $$
α
) model has all the advantages of the weighted least square method, combined fractional-order accumulation generation operation and grey prediction model with time power term, which makes it have excellent prediction performance. Compared with the traditional grey prediction model based on the least square method and the first-order accumulation operation, the CFODGMW(1,1, $$\alpha $$
α
) model has stronger adaptability. The proposed model and its competing models are used to analyze the aging population in five regions of China. The results show that the prediction performance of the CFODGMW(1,1, $$\alpha $$
α
) model is better than other models. Based on this, the CFODGMW(1,1, $$\alpha $$
α
) model is used to predict the aging population in China in the next 4 years, and some suggestions are given based on the development trend of the aging population.
Architecture Design and Interface Engineering of Self-assembly VS4/rGO Heterostructures for Ultrathin Absorbent
Authors: Li Qi , Zhao Xuan , Zhang Zheng , Xun Xiaochen , Zhao Bin , Xu Liangxu , Kang Zhuo , Liao Qingliang , Zhang Yue 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe employment of microwave absorbents is highly desirable to address the increasing threats of electromagnetic pollution. Importantly, developing ultrathin absorbent is acknowledged as a linchpin in the design of lightweight and flexible electronic devices, but there are remaining unprecedented challenges. Herein, the self-assembly VS4/rGO heterostructure is constructed to be engineered as ultrathin microwave absorbent through the strategies of architecture design and interface engineering. The microarchitecture and heterointerface of VS4/rGO heterostructure can be regulated by the generation of VS4 nanorods anchored on rGO, which can effectively modulate the impedance matching and attenuation constant. The maximum reflection loss of 2VS4/rGO40 heterostructure can reach − 43.5 dB at 14 GHz with the impedance matching and attenuation constant approaching 0.98 and 187, respectively. The effective absorption bandwidth of 4.8 GHz can be achieved with an ultrathin thickness of 1.4 mm. The far-reaching comprehension of the heterointerface on microwave absorption performance is explicitly unveiled by experimental results and theoretical calculations. Microarchitecture and heterointerface synergistically inspire multi-dimensional advantages to enhance dipole polarization, interfacial polarization, and multiple reflections and scatterings of microwaves. Overall, the strategies of architecture design and interface engineering pave the way for achieving ultrathin and enhanced microwave absorption materials.
Positive Solutions for Anisotropic Singular Dirichlet Problems
Authors: Papageorgiou Nikolaos S. , Scapellato Andrea 
Published: February 2022

AbstractWe consider a Dirichlet problem driven by a (p(z), q(z))-Laplacian and a reaction involving the sum of a parametric singular term plus a superlinear perturbation. We prove a bifurcation-type result describing the changes in the set of positive solutions as the parameter $$\lambda >0$$

λ
>
0

varies. Also we show that for every admissible parameter the problem has a smallest positive solution and obtain the monotonicity and continuity properties of the minimal solution map.
Predicting the effect of dissolved humic acid on sorption of benzotriazole to biochar
Authors: Wu Lin , Zhao Xiaoli , Bi Erping 
Published: February 2022

AbstractDissolved organic matter plays a critical role in affecting sorption properties of biochar for organic contaminants. In this study, dissolved humic acid (DHA) as a representative of dissolved organic matter and oak sawdust-derived biochar as a sorbent were prepared and characterized. Roles of DHA in sorption of benzotriazole (BTA), an emerging organic contaminant, to biochar in different electrolyte solutions were investigated. The results revealed the dual roles of DHA in BTA sorption to biochar. On the one hand, DHA can compete for sites and/or block pores available for BTA to inhibit the adsorption of BTA to biochar. On the other hand, the sorbed DHA on biochar can serve as additional partitioning phase to promote the partition of BTA. The finding was in accordance with the site energy distribution analysis of BTA sorption that the site energy of the highest occurring frequency in the DHA-BTA system was lower than that in the DHA-free system (3.41–10.4 versus 13.1–20.1 kJ mol−1). The variation in apparent BTA sorption to biochar affected by DHA was thus a combination of changes in both its partition and adsorption properties. A modified Dual-mode model including the aqueous concentration of DHA was proposed to predict the effect of DHA on BTA sorption to biochar in different electrolyte solutions, which showed good prediction performance with most BTA sorption coefficient (Kd, L g−1) deviations within 0.1 log unit.