bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Cold Plasma Technology for Ensuring the Microbiological Safety and Quality of Foods
Authors: Nwabor Ozioma Forstinus , Onyeaka Helen , Miri Taghi , Obileke Kechrist , Anumudu Christian , Hart Abarasi 
Published: June 2022

AbstractChanging consumers’ taste for chemical and thermally processed food and preference for perceived healthier minimally processed alternatives is a challenge to food industry. At present, several technologies have found usefulness as choice methods for ensuring that processed food remains unaltered while guaranteeing maximum safety and protection of consumers. However, the effectiveness of most green technology is limited due to the formation of resistant spores by certain foodborne microorganisms and the production of toxins. Cold plasma, a recent technology, has shown commendable superiority at both spore inactivation and enzymes and toxin deactivation. However, the exact mechanism behind the efficiency of cold plasma has remained unclear. In order to further optimize and apply cold plasma treatment in food processing, it is crucial to understand these mechanisms and possible factors that might limit or enhance their effectiveness and outcomes. As a novel non-thermal technology, cold plasma has emerged as a means to ensure the microbiological safety of food. Furthermore, this review presents the different design configurations for cold plasma applications, analysis the mechanisms of microbial spore and biofilm inactivation, and examines the impact of cold plasma on food compositional, organoleptic, and nutritional quality.
CFD Analysis of Co-firing of Coke and Biomass in a Parallel Flow Regenerative Lime Kiln
Authors: Arévalo Roberto , Rezeau Adeline , Herce Carlos 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe lime industry is a highly energy intensive industry, with a huge presence worldwide. To reduce both production costs and pollutants emissions, some lime production plants are introducing more environmentally-friendly energy sources, such as local agro-industry residues. In this paper, a numerical tool is presented, which simulates a large-scale Parallel Flow Regenerative (PFR) kiln that currently uses coke as main fuel. The developed tool aims at investigating the combustion process under conditions of co-firing of coke and biomass and to assist the plant operators in the optimization of such operating conditions. To achieve this goal, a two-way coupling Euler–Lagrange approach is used to model the dynamics of the particulate phase and their interaction with the gas phase. Pyrolysis, volatiles oxidation and char oxidation are modelled by kinetics/diffusion-limited model (for heterogeneous reactions) and mixture fraction approach (for homogeneous reactions). Moreover, two methods are investigated for representing the limestone bed: a porous medium (PM) approach and a “solid blocks” (BM) tridimensional mesh. Comparison of the results for the case of 100% coke showed that the ideal “blocks” method is more accurate as it adequately simulates the scattering of fuel particles through the PFR kiln anchor, which is limited with the PM approach. Moreover, the temperature profile, maximum and minimum temperatures, as well as CO2 and O2 concentrations at outlet, are comprised in the expected range for this technology, according to available literature. Finally, the predicted results of a co-firing case with 60% biomass (in mass) were validated with measurements in an industrial facility, with production capacity of 440 calcium oxide tons per day. The results suggest that the model is fairly accurate to predict gas temperature, as well as O2 and NOX concentrations at the kiln outlet. Although some improvements are recommended to refine the CFD predictions, these promising results and the high computational efficiency laid the foundation for future modelling of co-firing of coke and biomass, as well as the modelling of the lime calcination process. It also paves the way for facilitating the reduction of pollutant emissions thus contributing to a more sustainable lime production.
Graphical Abstract
Experimental investigation of the effects of temperature on the morphological characteristics of geopolymer binders
Authors: Suppiah Raja Rajeswary , Nermoggan Pavithra , Shafiq Nasir 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSince the beginning of this century, assessment of the environmental impacts and the global warming potential of industrial practices and technologies are on the top agenda. Therefore, many construction materials such as cement systems are being designed for reducing the environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions. For that purpose, the petroleum industry is also striving for developing environmentally friendly cementing systems for oil well application; for example, a better alternative to the class-G cement, which is consumed in a tremendous amount worldwide. In finding the greener alternative to class-G cement, geopolymer binders are being researched for possible applications for oil-well cementing jobs. This paper presents the experimental investigation of the effects of temperature on the morphological characteristics of geopolymer binders. For that purpose, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide were used as the alkaline activator with fly ash as the precursor. Fifteen samples were prepared with a density of 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17 ppg (3 samples for each value of density). The samples were subjected to a temperature of 30, 60, and 90 °C and cured in a water bath for 24 h. Morphological and microstructural characteristics were analyzed using XRD and FESEM. In an overview, increases in temperature significantly impact the geopolymerization process where the microstructure in geopolymer cement produces more reacted particles, which results in excellent mechanical strength. Generally, the strength of geopolymers is associated with the fly ash dissolution FESEM image for 17 ppg mixture cured at 90 °C clearly shows that it underwent extensive geopolymerization with the formation of continuous alumino-silicate gel and almost entirely reacted fly ash particles, resulting in relatively dense geopolymer matrix.
How to quantify the impacts of diversification on sustainability? A review of indicators in coffee systems
Authors: Teixeira Heitor Mancini , Schulte Rogier P. O. , Anten Niels P. R. , Bosco Leosane C. , Baartman Jantiene E. M. , Moinet Gabriel Y. K. , Reidsma Pytrik 
Published: June 2022

AbstractDespite the potential of diversification strategies to achieve sustainability, diversified systems such as agroforestry are still not widely implemented by farmers, which indicates the need to further understand and adequately assess the impacts of diversification to inform the design of complex systems. In this paper, we conduct a systematic literature review focused on agroforestry coffee systems, to assess (i) how current methods and indicators are used to quantify the impact of diversification on multiple dimensions of system sustainability, and (ii) to assess the impact of diversification through coffee agroforestry on multiple dimensions of sustainability. Our analysis was based on 215 selected papers and all the indicators identified could be classified in one of the sustainability dimensions proposed in our framework: ecosystem services (57.2%), biodiversity (35.6%), input use (4%), socio-economic sustainability (2.7%) and resilience capacity (0.5%). Despite the broad scope of the indicators, individual studies were found to often lack interdisciplinarity and a systemic view on agroecosystems. Besides, not only were there few studies that included the impacts of diversification on input use, socio-economic sustainability and resilience capacity, but specific biodiversity attributes (e.g. functional diversity, landscape diversity) and ecosystem services (e.g. soil biological quality, water regulation, pollination) were generally underreported. The impact of diversification was more positive than negative in all dimensions of sustainability, with the exception of crop productivity. Yet, diversified systems are associated with reduced costs and high yields can still be achieved in diversified systems with appropriate agricultural management (e.g. adequate number and type of shade trees). Key to reaping the benefits of diversified systems is that the diversity of elements is carefully integrated considering the impact on multiple dimensions of system sustainability. A better understanding of synergies and trade-offs remains crucial for the customized design of diverse and sustainable systems for a variety of geo-climatic conditions.
Maize grain yield responses to realistic biochar application rates on smallholder farms in Kenya
Authors: Kätterer Thomas , Roobroeck Dries , Kimutai Geoffrey , Karltun Erik , Nyberg Gert , Sundberg Cecilia , de Nowina Kristina Röing 
Published: June 2022

AbstractDespite efforts to increase agricultural production sustainably in sub-Saharan Africa, large gaps remain between actual and potential yield of food crops. Adding biochar to degraded cropland soils in the African tropics has significant potential to enhance crop productivity. Biochar-based farming can also mitigate climate change, through soil carbon storage. This study involved six smallholder farms at sites in eastern, central, and western Kenya that are characterized by different pedo-climatic conditions. We examined the response of non-fertilized and fertilized maize monoculture to three dosages of biochar that are realistic for domestic production by farmers at each of the sites over four growing seasons. Commonly available biomass wastes in each agro-ecosystem (coconut shells, coffee husks, maize cobs) were used as feedstock for biochar, which was applied at 1, 5, and 10 Mg ha−1 at the start of the experiment. Across seasons and fertilizer treatments, maize grain yield (dry matter) showed consistently positive responses, with an average increase of 1.0, 2.6, and 4.0 Mg ha−1, respectively, above the control for the three biochar application rates. Absolute responses of maize grain yield to specific biochar doses were similar across the four investigated seasons and replicate farms within sites, and uncorrelated to yield levels in the control treatment. Here, we show for the first time that yield response to biochar decreased with increasing application rate, indicating that it may be better to spread a given amount of biochar over a large area rather than concentrating it to a smaller area, at least when biochar is applied along plant rows at rates ≥1 Mg ha−1, as in our experiment. This study demonstrated that application of biochar, locally produced from available biomass residues, is a promising approach to enhance agricultural production and carbon storage on smallholder farms under a wide range of pedo-climatic conditions in Kenya.
Transfinite diameter on the graph of a polynomial mapping and the DeMarco–Rumely formula
Authors: Ma‘u Sione 
Published: June 2022

AbstractWe study Chebyshev constants and transfinite diameter on the graph of a polynomial mapping $$f:{{\mathbb {C}}}^2\rightarrow {{\mathbb {C}}}^2$$

f
:

C

2

→

C

2

. We show that two transfinite diameters of a compact subset of the graph (i.e., defined with respect to two different collections of monomials) are equal when the set has a certain symmetry. As a consequence, we give a new proof in $${{\mathbb {C}}}^2$$

C

2

of a pullback formula for transfinite diameter due to DeMarco and Rumely that involves a homogeneous resultant.
The association between frailty risk and COVID-19-associated all-mortality in hospitalised older people: a national cohort study
Authors: Maynou Laia , Owen Rhiannon , Konstant-Hambling Rob , Imam Towhid , Arkill Suzanne , Bertfield Deborah , Street Andrew , Abrams Keith R. , Conroy Simon 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Introduction
Frailty has emerged as an important construct to support clinical decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, doubts remain related to methodological limitations of published studies.

Methods
Retrospective cohort study of all people aged 75 + admitted to hospital in England between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2021. COVID-19 and frailty risk were captured using International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) diagnostic codes. We used the generalised gamma model to estimate accelerated failure time, reporting unadjusted and adjusted results.

Results
The cohort comprised 103,561 individuals, mean age 84.1, around half female, 82% were White British with a median of two comorbidities. Frailty risk was distributed approximately 20% low risk and 40% each at intermediate or high risk. In the unadjusted survival plots, 28-day mortality was almost 50% for those with an ICD-10 code of U071 (COVID-19 virus identified), and 25–35% for those with U072 (COVID-19 virus not identified). In the adjusted analysis, the accelerated failure time estimates for those with intermediate and high frailty risk were 0.63 (95% CI 0.58–0.68) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.62–0.72) fewer days alive respectively compared to those with low frailty risk with an ICD-10 diagnosis of U072 (reference category).

Conclusion
In older people with confirmed COVID-19, both intermediate and high frailty risk were associated with reduced survival compared to those with low frailty risk.
What is built and what is taught: The difference between teaching and professional practice in building structures
Authors: Olmedo Carlos , Calle Alejandro , Antuña Joaquín 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe authors show the great difference that exists between structural solutions that are taught and that students have to resolve to obtain the qualification of Architect and the constructive and structural solutions that are common in professional practice in Spain. A database of structural solutions used in master’s degree projects for professional qualification and their results was therefore prepared and compared with existing statistical construction data. It can be deduced from this data that there is a discrepancy between students’ proposals and usual practice, in structural types as well as in terms of size, materials and building category.
Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit: Not Just End-of-life Care
Authors: Pan Hongyan , Shi Weihua , Zhou Qilong , Chen Guofeng , Pan Pengfei 
Published: June 2022

AbstractInitially, palliative care in the intensive care unit (ICU) was designed to improve hospice care. Today it has emerged as a core component of ICU care. ICU palliative care should follow the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice and fidelity. To integrate primary palliative care and professional palliative care into ICU care management, there are different modes: integrative, consultative, and a combined approach. All ICU patients should receive palliative care which includes symptom management and shared decision-making. Further research is needed to explore how to provide the best palliative care for ICU patients and their families.
B.2 Does gender equality exist in the surgical management of degenerative lumbar disease?
Authors: MacLean MA , Touchette CJ , Han J , Christie SD , Pickett G 
Published: June 2022

Background: Despite efforts toward gender equality in clinical trial enrollment, females are frequently underrepresented and gender-specific data analysis is often unavailable. The purpose of this study was to determine if gender equality exists in the management of degenerative lumbar disease. Methods: Part 1: A systematic scoping review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, in order to synthesize the adult surgical literature regarding gender differences in pre- and post-operative clinical assessment scores for patients diagnosed with degenerative lumbar disease.Part 2: An ambispective cohort analysis (multi-variate logistic regression) of the Canadian Spine Outcomes Research Network registry was performed to address knowledge gaps identified in “Part 1”. Results: Part 1: Thirty articles were identified, accounting for 32,951 patients. Female patients have worse absolute pre-operative pain, disability and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). Following surgery, females have worse absolute pain, disability, and HRQoL, but demonstrate an equal or greater interval change compared to males.Part 2: Data was analyzed for 5,039 patients. Significant gender differences in pre-operative utilization of healthcare resources (medication use, diagnostic testing, medical and allied healthcare professional visits) were identified. Conclusions: Significant gender disparities in clinical assessment scores and the pre-operative utilization of healthcare resources were identified for patients undergoing surgery for degenerative lumbar disease.
“I Never Saw as Good a Nature Show Before”: Walt Disney, Environmental Education, and the True-Life Adventures
Authors: Dorn Charles 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAlongside Walt Disney's animated movies, television programming, and theme parks, scholars have examined The Walt Disney Studios’ True-Life Adventures series of live-action nature documentary films for their impact on popular culture. Historians, however, have mostly overlooked the significance of the True-Life Adventures for student learning about the natural world. Amending this historiographical shortcoming, this essay examines Disney's innovative approach to wildlife filmmaking, describes viewers’ reactions to the True-Life Adventures’ educational qualities, and investigates the Studios’ efforts to use the films to enter the education market. The study breaks new ground by analyzing seldom accessed documents preserved in the Walt Disney Archives both to reveal how students, teachers, and college and university faculty responded to the films and to examine the extension of the nature documentaries through related media.
Beyond glacier-wide mass balances: parsing seasonal elevation change into spatially resolved patterns of accumulation and ablation at Wolverine Glacier, Alaska
Authors: Zeller Lucas , McGrath Daniel , Sass Louis , O'Neel Shad , McNeil Christopher , Baker Emily 
Published: June 2022

AbstractWe present spatially distributed seasonal and annual surface mass balances of Wolverine Glacier, Alaska, from 2016 to 2020. Our approach accounts for the effects of ice emergence and firn compaction on surface elevation changes to resolve the spatial patterns in mass balance at 10 m scale. We present and compare three methods for estimating emergence velocities. Firn compaction was constrained by optimizing a firn model to fit three firn cores. Distributed mass balances showed good agreement with mass-balance stakes (RMSE = 0.67 m w.e., r = 0.99, n = 41) and ground-penetrating radar surveys (RMSE = 0.36 m w.e., r = 0.85, n = 9024). Fundamental differences in the distributions of seasonal balances highlight the importance of disparate physical processes, with anomalously high ablation rates observed in icefalls. Winter balances were found to be positively skewed when controlling for elevation, while summer and annual balances were negatively skewed. We show that only a small percent of the glacier surface represents ideal locations for mass-balance stake placement. Importantly, no suitable areas are found near the terminus or in elevation bands dominated by icefalls. These findings offer explanations for the often-needed geodetic calibrations of glaciological time series.
The importance of optimal body condition to maximise reproductive health and perinatal outcomes in pigs
Authors: Muro Bruno BD , Carnevale Rafaella F , Leal Diego F , Almond Glen W , Monteiro Matheus S , Poor André P , Schinckel Allan P , Garbossa Cesar AP 
Published: June 2022

AbstractOvernutrition or undernutrition during all or part of the reproductive cycle predisposes sows to metabolic consequences and poor reproductive health which contributes to a decrease in sow longevity and an increase in perinatal mortality. This represents not only an economic problem for the pig industry but also results in poor animal welfare. To maximise profitability and increase sustainability in pig production, it is pivotal to provide researchers and practitioners with synthesised information about the repercussions of maternal obesity or malnutrition on reproductive health and perinatal outcomes, and to pinpoint currently available nutritional managements to keep sows’ body condition in an optimal range. Thus, the present review summarises recent work on the consequences of maternal malnutrition and highlights new findings.
Updated Global Reference Models of Broadband Coherent Infrasound Signals for Atmospheric Studies and Civilian Applications
Authors: Kristoffersen S. K. , Le Pichon A. , Hupe P. , Matoza R. S. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe International Monitoring System (IMS) infrasound network has been established to detect nuclear explosions and other signals of interest embedded in the station‐specific ambient noise. The ambient noise can be separated into coherent infrasound (e.g., real infrasonic signals) and incoherent noise (such as that caused by wind turbulence). Previous work statistically and systematically characterized coherent infrasound recorded by the IMS. This paper expands on this analysis of the coherent ambient infrasound by including updated IMS data sets with data up to the end of 2020 for all 53 of the currently certified IMS infrasound stations using an updated configuration of the Progressive Multi‐Channel Correlation (PMCC) method. This paper presents monthly station‐dependent reference curves for the back azimuth, trace velocity, and root mean squared amplitude, which provides a means to determine the deviation from the nominal monthly behavior. In addition, a daily Ambient Noise Stationarity (ANS) factor based on deviations from the reference curves is determined for a quick reference to the coherent signal quality compared to the nominal situations. Newly presented histograms provide a higher resolution spectrum, including the observations of the microbarom peak, as well as additional peaks reflecting station‐dependent environmental noise. The aim of these reference curves is to identify periods of suboptimal operation (e.g., nonoperational sensor) or instances of strong abnormal signals of interest.
Estimating Argo Float Trajectories Under Ice
Authors: Oke Peter R. , Rykova Tatiana , Pilo Gabriela S. , Lovell Jennifer L. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSince the Argo program began, 568 floats returned almost 31,000 profiles, at high‐southern latitudes, with no measured position. These data are either disseminated with positions linearly interpolated between known positions, or with no geographic positions. Here, we present a simple method for estimating unknown Argo float trajectories. We try to identify trajectories that approximately follow contours along three different properties: potential vorticity (f/H), sea‐level, and density at 1,000 m. No single property‐constraint can be used to estimate trajectories for all position‐gaps. Each constraint fails for 9%–18% of gaps, where no continuous contour between the end‐points exists. But all constraints fail for the same position‐gap, for fewer than 1% of cases. For a given position‐gap, when a trajectory is identified using two or three different constraints, we select the shortest trajectory to be used to “fill the gap”. This selection process could be performed better by an Expert Operator, inspecting each estimated trajectory, and selecting the trajectory that is most consistent with a priori knowledge of the circulation in the vicinity of the position‐gap. Nonetheless, using the objective metric for selection, we find that 41.2% of position‐gaps use the f/H‐constraint, 32.1% use density, and 25.8% use sea‐level. We assess the estimated trajectories for consistency, by comparing bottom depths beneath trajectories to the deepest measurements in each profile. We find inconsistencies for 11.6% of position‐gaps using our method, compared to 28.0% using linearly‐interpolated trajectories. Adoption of the estimated trajectories for measurements under ice may yield benefits to many applications.