bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Wearable sensors for prediction of intraamniotic infection in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes: a prospective proof of principle study
Authors: Brun Romana , Girsberger Julia , Rothenbühler Martina , Argyle Catrin , Hutmacher Juliane , Haslinger Christian , Leeners Brigitte 
Published: September 2022

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the use of wearable sensors for prediction of intraamniotic infection in pregnant women with PPROM.Materials and methodsIn a prospective proof of principle study, we included 50 patients diagnosed with PPROM at the University Hospital Zurich between November 2017 and May 2020. Patients were instructed to wear a bracelet during the night, which measures physiological parameters including wrist skin temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, and breathing rate. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed to evaluate the difference over time of both the wearable device measured parameters and standard clinical monitoring values, such as body temperature, pulse, leucocytes, and C-reactive protein, between women with and without intraamniotic infection.ResultsAltogether, 23 patients (46%) were diagnosed with intraamniotic infection. Regarding the physiological parameters measured with the bracelet, we observed a significant difference in breathing rate (19 vs 16 per min,P < .01) and heart rate (72 vs 67 beats per min,P = .03) in women with intraamniotic infection compared to those without during the 3 days prior to birth.In parallel to these changes standard clinical monitoring values were significantly different in the intraamniotic infection group compared to women without infection in the 3 days preceding birth.ConclusionOur results suggest that wearable sensors are a promising, noninvasive, patient friendly approach to support the early detection of intraamniotic infection in women with PPROM. However, confirmation of our findings in larger studies is required before implementing this technique in standard clinical management.
Off-axis vibration-elimination system of eccentric rotors with use of multiple automatic ball balancers
Authors: Pakuła Sebastian 
Published: September 2022

AbstractAn automatic ball balancer (ABB) is a device that is used to automatically balance eccentric rotors. The main principle of working such a device is based on the self-synchronization phenomenon. It is typically used in rotary machines with unknown or variable imbalances. The automatic balancing process requires an ABB unit be installed on an eccentric rotor axis; thus, its application is very limited and usually comes with a redesign of the rotary machine. This paper presents a new method to eliminate the vibration of rotary machines by the use of multiple ABBs mounted away from rotor axis. The ABB, unlike the commonly used vibrator with the fixed eccentricity, has ability to adjust eccentricity during the operation. That ability allows to achieve dynamic equilibrium by the use of only two ABBs. The article introduces theoretical bases of dynamic equilibrium in the steady state of a rotary machine system with multi ABBs and proves the existence of a dynamic equilibrium with the use of only two ABBs. It also contains the optimization results of a system with the use of up to five ABBs. The objective function was defined as to minimize the size of ABBs. The smaller size of such ABBs allows us to significantly extend the range of their application.
Tarsal attachment structures of the biting midge Forcipomyia paludis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), a specialized ectoparasite of Odonata imagines
Authors: Gorb Stanislav N. , Wildermuth Hansruedi , Kohl Stefan , Büsse Sebastian 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe female of the biting midge Forcipomyia paludis is a dipteran ectoparasite of West Palaearctic damselflies and dragonflies, sucking haemolymph mainly from wing veins of their hosts. This tiny midge remains firmly attached to the wings even during fast flight and aerial fight maneuvers as shown in the present paper by field studies of the large dragonfly, Cordulegaster boltonii. Since individuals of F. paludis firmly attach themselves to the challenging wing surface of their host and can successfully withstand drag and vibrations during flight, we assume that this midge species has specific microstructural adaptations on its legs for attaching to the wing surface. In our morphological study, we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), to study the structure of F. paludis tarsi, as well as the micro morphology of the wing surfaces of their host. Additionally, for the first time, we were able to show attachment devices of the midges dried out in contact with the host’s surface. The spatulae of the plantar setae and especially the empodial setae, are capable of replicating nanoscale wax crystals of the super hydrophobic wing coverage of the dragonfly wing membrane, in order to increase an effective contact area and therefore adhesion. This ability requires extremely soft materials of the spatula, which seems to be rather unique even in comparison to the leg attachment devices of other dipterans and other insect taxa in general.
Evaluierung kultureller Ökosystemleistungen renaturierter Fließgewässer
Authors: Hayes Daniel S. , Muhar Susanne , Popp Stephanie , Becsi Renate , Mühlmann Helena , Ofenböck Gisela , Scheikl Sigrid 
Published: September 2022

ZusammenfassungHydromorphologische Sanierungsmaßnahmen an Fließgewässern tragen maßgeblich zur Verbesserung von biologischen und physikalisch-chemischen Parametern bei. Gleichzeitig bieten renaturierte, naturnahe Flusslandschaften einer Vielfalt von Nutzerinnen und Nutzern unterschiedlichste Ökosystemleistungen, wie beispielsweise Erholungsmöglichkeiten oder Naturerlebnis. Bislang fehlte jedoch ein methodischer Rahmen, um diesen Mehrwert renaturierter Flüsse zu ermitteln und zu bewerten. Ziel unserer Studie war es daher, eine räumlich explizite, praktikable und reproduzierbare Methode zur Quantifizierung der potenziell verfügbaren kulturellen Ökosystemleistungen von Flüssen vor und nach Renaturierung zu erarbeiten. Dieser Ansatz umfasst die Identifizierung signifikanter Kriterien und Indikatoren sowie die weitere Entwicklung einer nicht-monetären, aber quantitativen Bewertung. Der Bewertungsrahmen wurde auf Grundlage von Literaturrecherchen, Expertinnen‑ und Experteninterviews und standardisierten Befragungen von Flussnutzerinnen und -nutzern entwickelt. Die hierarchisch aufgebaute Methode ermöglicht es, sieben Arten kultureller Ökosystemleistungen anhand eines vielfältigen Indikatorensets zu bewerten. In dieser Arbeit werden die kulturellen Ökosystemleistungen zweier Fallbeispiele, der Isel und des Liesingbachs, jeweils vor und nach der Renaturierung erfasst. Dadurch können die erzielten Veränderungen quantifiziert und dokumentiert werden. Die Evaluierungsergebnisse belegen, dass die Sanierungen von Isel und Liesingbach das Potenzial kultureller Ökosystemleistungen grundsätzlich erhöht haben. Dies trifft vor allem auf die wasserbezogenen Leistungen „Baden und Planschen“, „Bootfahren“ und „Angeln“ zu, aber auch auf passive Leistungen wie „Naturerlebnis und Ruhe“ sowie „Schönheit und Landschaftsbild“. „Wandern und Laufen“ sowie „Radfahren“ sind annähernd gleichgeblieben bzw. haben sich mitunter sogar verschlechtert. Die vorliegende Arbeit verdeutlicht somit, dass die vorliegende Methode geeignet ist, das Potenzial kultureller Ökosystemleistungen zu bewerten und die Veränderung zwischen der regulierten und der renaturierten Situation quantitativ zu erfassen. Diese praktischen Erprobungen und Ergebnisse dokumentieren, dass der hydromorphologische und ökologische Bewertungsrahmen von Renaturierungen durch die Integration dieser Methode in Planungs- und Monitoringprozesse um einen sozio-kulturellen Bewertungsansatz sinnvoll erweitert werden kann.
Effects of predation risk on the sensory asymmetries and defensive strategies of Bufotes balearicus tadpoles
Authors: Gazzola Andrea , Guadin Bianca , Balestrieri Alessandro , Pellitteri-Rosa Daniele 
Published: September 2022

AbstractLateralization consists of the differential use of bilateral organs or limbs and is well described in many taxa and in several contexts. Common ecological frameworks where it can be observed are foraging and predatory ones, with benefits related to both visual and auditory lateralization such as faster response or increasing neural processing ability. Anuran amphibians are considered relevant models for investigating lateralization, due to their great ecological variety and the possibility of easily being raised under laboratory conditions. By adopting the “rotational preference test”, we used Balearic green toad tadpoles to test the effects of behavioural defensive responses triggered by different predator types (native vs alien, i.e. dragonfly larvaeAeshna cyaneaand adult red swamp crayfishProcambarus clarkii) and diets (fasted vs. tadpole-fed predators) on their lateralization. We recorded tadpoles’ responses to five different chemical cues: clean water (control treatment), fasted dragonfly larvae and crayfish, and tadpole-fed dragonfly larvae and crayfish. Green toad tadpoles did not show a bias in a predominant direction, although lateralization occurred at the individual level, as shown by the intensity index (LA). Perceived predation risk was the highest in tadpoles exposed to the combined chemical cues of conspecific prey and native predators, which elicited both changes in the intensity of lateralization and a marked reduction in tadpoles’ activity level. Our results suggest that contextual predation threat may induce very rapid changes in the expression of asymmetries at the individual level, and might play a role as part of the complex defensive strategies adopted by prey in the attempt to escape predators.
Polycircular domains, numerical conformal mappings, and moduli of quadrilaterals
Authors: Nasser Mohamed , Rainio Oona , Rasila Antti , Vuorinen Matti , Wallace Terry , Yu Hang , Zhang Xiaohui 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWe study numerical conformal mappings of planar Jordan domains with boundaries consisting of finitely many circular arcs, also called polycircular domains, and compute the moduli of quadrilaterals for these domains. Experimental error estimates are provided and, when possible, comparison to exact values or other methods are given. We also analyze the rate of convergence as a function of the number of degrees of freedom. The main ingredients of the computation are boundary integral equations combined with the fast multipole method.
Levetiracetam Modulates EEG Microstates in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Ricci Lorenzo , Croce Pierpaolo , Pulitano Patrizia , Boscarino Marilisa , Zappasodi Filippo , Narducci Flavia , Lanzone Jacopo , Sancetta Biagio , Mecarelli Oriano , Di Lazzaro Vincenzo , Tombini Mario , Assenza Giovanni 
Published: September 2022

AbstractTo determine the effects of Levetiracetam (LEV) therapy using EEG microstates analysis in a population of newly diagnosed Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) patients. We hypothesized that the impact of LEV therapy on the electrical activity of the brain can be globally explored using EEG microstates. Twenty-seven patients with TLE were examined. We performed resting-state microstate EEG analysis and compared microstate metrics between the EEG performed at baseline (EEGpre) and after 3 months of LEV therapy (EEGpost). The microstates A, B, C and D emerged as the most stable. LEV induced a reduction of microstate B and D mean duration and occurrence per second (p < 0.01). Additionally, LEV treatment increased the directional predominance of microstate A to C and microstate B to D (p = 0.01). LEV treatment induces a modulation of resting-state EEG microstates in newly diagnosed TLE patients. Microstates analysis has the potential to identify a neurophysiological indicator of LEV therapeutic activity. This study of EEG microstates in people with epilepsy opens an interesting path to identify potential LEV activity biomarkers that may involve increased neuronal inhibition of the epileptic network.
Persona preparedness: a survey instrument for measuring the organizational readiness for deploying personas
Authors: Salminen Joni , Nielsen Lene , Bahloul Malik , Jørgensen Rasmus Grønlund , Santos João M. , Jung Soon-Gyo , Jansen Bernard J. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractUser-centric design within organizations is crucial for developing information technology that offers optimal usability and user experience. Personas are a central user-centered design technique that puts people before technology and helps decision makers understand the needs and wants of the end-user segments of their products, systems, and services. However, it is not clear how ready organizations are to adopt persona thinking. To address these concerns, we develop and validate the Persona Readiness Scale (PRS), a survey instrument to measure organizational readiness for personas. After a 12-person qualitative pilot study, the PRS was administered to 372 professionals across different industries to examine its reliability and validity, including 125 for exploratory factor analysis and 247 for confirmatory factor analysis. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit with five dimensions: Culture readiness, Knowledge readiness, Data and systems readiness, Capability readiness, and Goal readiness. Higher persona readiness is positively associated with the respondents’ evaluations of successful persona projects. Organizations can apply the resulting 18-item scale to identify areas of improvement before initiating costly persona projects towards the overarching goal of user-centric product development. Located at the cross-section of information systems and human–computer interaction, our research provides a valuable instrument for organizations wanting to leverage personas towards more user-centric and empathetic decision making about users.
Palliative Farming
Authors: Moen Ole Martin , Devolder Katrien 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBillions of animals live and die under deplorable conditions in factory farms. Despite significant efforts to reduce human consumption of animal products and to encourage more humane farming practices, the number of factory-farmed animals is nevertheless on an upward trajectory. In this paper, we suggest that the high levels of suffering combined with short life-expectancies make the situation of many factory-farmed animals relevantly similar to that of palliative patients. Building on this, we discuss the radical option of seeking to reduce the suffering of factory-farmed animals through the use of drugs that alleviate pain and distress, administered under a regimen where experiential wellbeing is prioritized over the aim of avoiding drug-dependence.
Chromium doped ZnO nanoparticles for energy storage, gas and humidity sensing and spin based electronic devices applications
Authors: Moussa N. M. , Ebrahim F. M. , Adly K. , Hassaan M. Y. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThis work was suggested to study the impact of Cr ions doping on the structural, optical, electrical and magnetic behavior of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The Zn1-xCrxO (with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.14 wt %) samples were fabricated by the co-precipitation technique. The obtained samples were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV–vis spectrophotometer, Ac measurements and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). As a key results of all the mentioned above tools we can be summarized them as following; XRD patterns showed the presence of wurtzite (hexagonal) crystal structure with secondary phase formation in all doped samples. Also, it was found that as Cr ions were increased the particle size showed gradually decreasing in the samples that doped with Cr ions content of (0.06 and 0.1 wt %), while at 0.14 Cr content a slight increase was observed. The FTIR spectroscopy spectra showed the existence of chromium ions in the structure of ZnO nanoparticles. UV–vis spectra showed a red shift in the centers of the absorption bands. The energy band gab was found to be increased from 3.84 to 4.02 eV with increasing Cr content. The dielectric parameters such as, dielectric constant ($${\varepsilon }^{^{\prime}}$$

ε

′

) and dielectric loss ($$\mathrm{tan}\delta$$

tan
δ

), were investigated as a function of frequency and Cr doping content. The results showed increasing values of $${\varepsilon }^{^{\prime}}$$

ε

′

at lower frequencies especially with high Cr doping content, whereas $$\mathrm{tan}\delta$$

tan
δ

gives a higher value for the blank sample at a lower frequencies and decreased as the doping of Cr concentration increased. The ac conductivity (σac) for Cr doping samples showed increasing values, especially the sample of 0.14 wt % Cr concentration. In addition, the Cr doped ZnO nanoparticles exhibited a ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. All the results obtained from the different techniques were considered promising for different applications i.e. energy storage devices, gas and humidity sensing and spin based electronic devices applications.
A Trace Inequality for Solenoidal Charges
Authors: Raiţă Bogdan , Spector Daniel , Stolyarov Dmitriy 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWe prove that for α ∈ (d − 1,d), one has the trace inequality
$$ {\int}_{\mathbb{R}^{d}} |I_{\alpha} F| d\nu \leq C |F|(\mathbb{R}^{d})\|\nu\|_{\mathcal{M}^{d-\alpha}(\mathbb{R}^{d})} $$

∫

ℝ

d

|

I

α

F
|
d
ν
≤
C
|
F
|
(

ℝ

d

)
∥
ν

∥

M

d
−
α

(

ℝ

d

)

for all solenoidal vector measures F, i.e., $F\in M_{b}(\mathbb {R}^{d};\mathbb {R}^{d})$
F
∈

M

b

(

ℝ

d

;

ℝ

d

)
and divF = 0. Here Iα denotes the Riesz potential of order α and $\mathcal M^{d-\alpha }(\mathbb {R}^{d})$

ℳ

d
−
α

(

ℝ

d

)
the Morrey space of (d − α)-dimensional measures on $\mathbb {R}^{d}$

ℝ

d

.
Maritime Cultural Heritage, Coastal Change and Threat Assessment in Syria
Authors: Westley Kieran , Carayon Nicolas , Anbar Jafar , Breen Colin , Blue Lucy 
Published: September 2022

AbstractSyria’s coastal and nearshore zone contains a significant, but under-researched, record of maritime cultural heritage (MCH) ranging from prehistory to the present. This is exemplified by a lack of underwater investigations, but also limited investigation of key onshore maritime sites such as ports and harbours. There is also a lack of specialist in-country management regarding maritime cultural heritage research and protection. This situation has been worsened by the ongoing conflict (since 2011), which has reduced (already limited) field investigation. To assist in the advancement of Syrian maritime archaeology, this paper presents a baseline assessment which makes use of a geospatial database generated from satellite imagery as well as both published and grey literature. This assessment reviews past coastal environment changes affecting the Syrian littoral, and then highlights past disturbances and potential future threats impacting the MCH. This is done through analysis of all coastal/nearshore sites documented to date and showcased in more detail using two case studies: Tabbat al-Hammam and Ras Ibn Hani. This enables discussion of the current state of Syrian maritime archaeology and suggests ways forward for its future management and investigation.
Bioactivity and Mechanical Properties Characterization of Bioactive Glass Incorporated with Graphene Oxide
Authors: El-khooly M. S. , Abdraboh A. S. , Bakr A. M. , Ereiba K. H. T. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractIn this study, the bioactivity and the mechanical properties (Mechanical compressive strength, Hardness, and density) of bioglass (BG) and bioglass/graphene oxide (BG/GO) were investigated. Bioglass in chemical composition [60SiO2_35CaO_5P2O5] was prepared via the sol–gel method. GO was added to the bioglass (BG) with different contents (0.5, 1, 2, and 3) wt.% named as 0.5%GO, 1%GO, 2%GO, and 3%GO samples respectively. The synthesized specimens were characterized by several techniques Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Compressive strength, Hardness, and density were studied also by different techniques to obtain the optimum Mechanical samples. The biological activity was studied by an in-vitro test in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 33 days. Results showed that: the 0.5%GO sample exhibited optimum mechanical compressive strength by approximately 82% compared to the BG sample. Hardness was increased from 0.5%GO sample up to 1%GO sample compared to BG sample and gradually decreased in 2%GO Sample and 3%GO. Bioactivity results showed deposition of HA layer on the bioglass surface and there was no significant change in it with the addition of graphene oxide.
Demonstrating the role of symbionts in mediating detoxification in herbivores
Authors: Dearing M. Denise , Kaltenpoth Martin , Gershenzon Jonathan 
Published: September 2022

AbstractPlant toxins constitute an effective defense against herbivorous animals. However, many herbivores have evolved adaptations to cope with dietary toxins through detoxification, excretion, sequestration, target site insensitivity and/or via behavioral avoidance. While these adaptations are often directly encoded in herbivore genomes, evidence is accumulating that microbial symbionts can reduce the dose of plant toxins by metabolizing or sequestering them prior to absorption by the herbivore. Here, we describe a few well-studied examples to assess such symbiont-mediated detoxification and showcase different approaches that have been used for their analyses. These include: (i) a host phenotypic route in which the symbiotic association is manipulated to reveal host fitness costs upon toxin exposure in the presence/absence of detoxifying symbionts, including function restoration after symbiont re-infection, (ii) a molecular microbiological approach that focuses on the identification and characterization of microbial genes involved in plant toxin metabolism, and (iii) an analytical chemical route that aims to characterize the conversion of the toxin to less harmful metabolites in vivo and link conversion to the activities of a detoxifying symbiont. The advantages and challenges of each approach are discussed, and it is argued that a multi-pronged strategy combining phenotypic, molecular, and chemical evidence is needed to unambiguously demonstrate microbial contributions to plant toxin reduction and the importance of these processes for host fitness. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the topic, we aim to provide a guideline to researchers interested in symbiont-mediated detoxification and hope to encourage future studies that contribute to a more comprehensive and mechanistic understanding of detoxification in herbivores and their symbionts.
Influence of mixed 2-thiocytosine–ionic surfactants adsorption layers on kinetics and mechanism of Bi(III) ions electro reduction: use of the nanostructured R-AgLAFE
Authors: Nosal-Wiercińska Agnieszka , Martyna Marlena , Wiśniewska Małgorzata 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe nanostructured cyclically refreshable liquid amalgam film silver-based electrode (R-AgLAFE) was applied to study of the Bi(III) electrode process in the presence of 2-thiocytosine and selected ionic surfactants. The application of voltammetrictechniques (SWV, CV, DC), as well as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) allowed the determination of the kinetic which in turn, defined the 2-thiocytosine catalytic effect and also their correlation in the presence of surfactants. The presence of mixed 2-thiocytosine-CTAB and 2-thiocytosine-SDS adsorption layers affects the mechanism and kinetics of Bi(III) ions electro-reduction process in chlorate(VII). CTAB and SDS change the dynamics of the catalytic impact of 2-thiocytosine on Bi(III) ions electro reduction. In both cases, the Bi–(RS–Hg) complex plays a key role, as it is the 2-thiocytosine that dominates in the establishment of the adsorption equilibria of the studied mixed adsorption layers.