bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Operator-norm homogenisation estimates for the system of Maxwell equations on periodic singular structures
Authors: Cherednichenko Kirill , D’Onofrio Serena 
Published: February 2022

AbstractFor arbitrarily small values of $$\varepsilon >0,$$

ε
>
0
,

we formulate and analyse the Maxwell system of equations of electromagnetism on $$\varepsilon $$
ε
-periodic sets $$S^\varepsilon \subset {{\mathbb {R}}}^3.$$

S
ε

⊂

R

3

.

Assuming that a family of Borel measures $$\mu ^\varepsilon ,$$

μ
ε

,

such that $$\mathrm{supp}(\mu ^\varepsilon )=S^\varepsilon ,$$

supp

(

μ
ε

)

=

S
ε

,

is obtained by $$\varepsilon $$
ε
-contraction of a fixed 1-periodic measure $$\mu ,$$

μ
,

and for right-hand sides $$f^\varepsilon \in L^2({\mathbb {R}}^3, d\mu ^\varepsilon ),$$

f
ε

∈

L
2

(

R

3

,
d

μ
ε

)

,

we prove order-sharp norm-resolvent convergence estimates for the solutions of the system. Our analysis includes the case of periodic “singular structures”, when $$\mu $$
μ
is supported by lower-dimensional manifolds. The estimates are obtained by combining several new tools we develop for analysing the Floquet decomposition of an elliptic differential operator on functions from Sobolev spaces with respect to a periodic Borel measure. These tools include a generalisation of the classical Helmholtz decomposition for $$L^2$$

L
2

functions, an associated Poincaré-type inequality, uniform with respect to the parameter of the Floquet decomposition, and an appropriate asymptotic expansion inspired by the classical power series. Our technique does not involve any spectral analysis and does not rely on the existing approaches, such as Bloch wave homogenisation or the spectral germ method.
Vulnerable Waters are Essential to Watershed Resilience
Authors: Lane Charles R. , Creed Irena F. , Golden Heather E. , Leibowitz Scott G. , Mushet David M. , Rains Mark C. , Wu Qiusheng , D’Amico Ellen , Alexander Laurie C. , Ali Genevieve A. , Basu Nandita B. , Bennett Micah G. , Christensen Jay R. , Cohen Matthew J. , Covino Tim P. , DeVries Ben , Hill Ryan A. , Jencso Kelsey , Lang Megan W. , McLaughlin Daniel L. , Rosenberry Donald O. , Rover Jennifer , Vanderhoof Melanie K. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractWatershed resilience is the ability of a watershed to maintain its characteristic system state while concurrently resisting, adapting to, and reorganizing after hydrological (for example, drought, flooding) or biogeochemical (for example, excessive nutrient) disturbances. Vulnerable waters include non-floodplain wetlands and headwater streams, abundant watershed components representing the most distal extent of the freshwater aquatic network. Vulnerable waters are hydrologically dynamic and biogeochemically reactive aquatic systems, storing, processing, and releasing water and entrained (that is, dissolved and particulate) materials along expanding and contracting aquatic networks. The hydrological and biogeochemical functions emerging from these processes affect the magnitude, frequency, timing, duration, storage, and rate of change of material and energy fluxes among watershed components and to downstream waters, thereby maintaining watershed states and imparting watershed resilience. We present here a conceptual framework for understanding how vulnerable waters confer watershed resilience. We demonstrate how individual and cumulative vulnerable-water modifications (for example, reduced extent, altered connectivity) affect watershed-scale hydrological and biogeochemical disturbance response and recovery, which decreases watershed resilience and can trigger transitions across thresholds to alternative watershed states (for example, states conducive to increased flood frequency or nutrient concentrations). We subsequently describe how resilient watersheds require spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability in hydrological and biogeochemical interactions between terrestrial systems and down-gradient waters, which necessitates attention to the conservation and restoration of vulnerable waters and their downstream connectivity gradients. To conclude, we provide actionable principles for resilient watersheds and articulate research needs to further watershed resilience science and vulnerable-water management.
Scalable, password-based and threshold authentication for smart homes
Authors: Huszti Andrea , Kovács Szabolcs , Oláh Norbert 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSmart homes are a special use-case of the IoT paradigm, which is becoming more and more important in our lives. Although sensors, devices and applications make our daily lives easier, they often collect our sensitive data, which may lead to security problems (e.g., hacked devices, botnets, etc.). In several cases, the appropriate security mechanisms are missing within the devices. Therefore, security measures have become a central topic in the field of IoT. The most essential requirements are secure user–device authentication and confidentiality of transferred sensitive data. Passwords are the most widely used factors in various areas, such as user authentication, key establishment, and also secret sharing. Password-based protocols that are resistant to typical threats, such as offline dictionary, man-in-the-middle and phishing attacks, generate new session keys. The major aim of these solutions is to guarantee high-level security, even if a user applies a single low-entropy human memorable password for all their accounts. We introduce a threshold and password-based, distributed, mutual authenticated key agreement with key confirmation protocol for a smart home environment. The proposed protocol is a scalable and robust scheme, which forces the adversary to corrupt $$l-1$$

l
-
1

smart home devices, where l is the threshold, in order to perform an offline dictionary attack. The protocol is designed to achieve password-only setting, and end-to-end security if the chosen IoT devices are also authenticated besides the user. We also provide a security analysis of the protocol in AVISPA. We apply the on-the-fly model checker and the constraint-logic-based attack searcher to perform protocol verification for bounded numbers of sessions. We show that the proposed protocol provides session key secrecy and mutual authentication of the user and the device manager. Since efficiency is a crucial aspect, we implemented our protocol to measure the computation and communication costs and demonstrate that our solution is appropriate and eligible for smart homes.
Role of liver stiffness measurements in patients who develop hepatocellular carcinoma after clearance of the hepatitis C virus
Authors: Gyotoku Yoshinori , Shirahashi Ryosaku , Suda Toshikuni , Tamano Masaya 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Purpose
To measure changes in liver stiffness over time due to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in hepatitis C patients using shear wave elastography (SWE).

Methods
Patients with hepatitis C treated with DAA therapy in a university medical center between July 2015 and April 2020 were evaluated. Shear wave velocity (Vs) of the liver was measured using SWE. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), platelet count, and α-fetoprotein (AFP) were measured at the same time, and the FIB-4 index was estimated. Absence of hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed at baseline and end of therapy. Imaging was then performed every 6 months. Patient characteristics were compared between patients who did and did not develop carcinoma.

Results
The mean age of the 229 patients (93 men) was 65.6 years. Eight patients developed carcinoma during follow-up (mean 32.6 ± 19.5 months). Significant differences were found between the groups in terms of AFP, platelet count, and Fib-4 index at baseline; the pre-treatment data had the best relationship with hepatocarcinogenesis. Mean Vs decreased significantly during DAA therapy, and then decreased further. Liver stiffness 6 months after treatment ended had the best relationship with hepatocarcinogenesis.

Conclusion
In patients with a sustained virological response, risk of developing cancer can be predicted by measuring Vs approximately 6 months after treatment.
Characterization and modeling the hygroscopic behavior of cellulose acetate membranes
Authors: Khoshtinat Shiva , Carvelli Valter , Marano Claudia 
Published: February 2022

AbstractExploiting materials with the ability to respond to the environmental stimuli is experiencing an enormous research interest. In particular, polymers that are sensitive to the changes of humidity levels attract great attention as self-actuators. The sensitivity of these materials to the level of moisture is expressed by their hygroscopic properties, namely, the coefficient of hygroscopic expansion. In this context, this study details the effect of moisture absorption on cellulose acetate membranes, as potential material for humidity-responsive self-actuators. The aim is two-fold. The first deals with the evaluation of the coefficient of hygroscopic expansion (α) through the determination of the absorbed moisture concentration at saturation (Csat) and the relevant moisture absorption induced strain (εhygro). The second assesses the accuracy of a finite element modeling in describing the coupling of moisture absorption in cellulose acetate membranes and the corresponding dimensional variation, using the material properties experimentally measured. The experimentally measured Csat and εhygro resulted a non-linear dependency on relative humidity. Also the coefficient of hygroscopic expansion (α = Csat /εhygro) resulted to have a non-linear dependency on the relative humidity, as well. By this input, numerical simulations were performed for different relative humidity levels, showing accurate description of experimental data.
ICT infrastructure in firms and online sales
Authors: Hagsten Eva 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study investigates whether the underlying information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure of firms affects the development of online sales, based on a novel micro-aggregated panel dataset encompassing a large group of European countries. The dataset includes continuous measures of online sales activities, as well as of standard production function input variables. Dynamic System GMM estimations show positive and significant associations between the proportion of firms selling online and the ICT infrastructure, measured as the proportion of broadband internet connected employees. The magnitude of the effect is stronger in the group of manufacturing than in the service firms, but in both industries, there is a threshold beyond which the positive effects of the infrastructure diminish. In addition, there is evidence that improvements in the infrastructure lead to a stronger effect on medium-sized and large rather than on small firms.
Narratives of the Future Affect Fertility: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment
Authors: Vignoli Daniele , Minello Alessandra , Bazzani Giacomo , Matera Camilla , Rapallini Chiara 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn recent years, fertility rates have declined in most wealthy countries. This phenomenon has largely been explained by focusing on the rise of economic uncertainty. We contribute to this debate by arguing that, under uncertain conditions,narratives of the future—i.e., socially conveyed imagined futures—impact individuals’ decision-making about childbearing. To assess this impact, we conducted (for the first time in fertility intention research) a controlled laboratory experiment in two contrasting settings: Florence (Italy,N = 800) and Oslo (Norway,N = 874). Individuals were randomly exposed to a specific positive or negative future economic scenario (treatments) and were compared with individuals who were not exposed to any scenario (control group). Participants were then asked whether they intended to have a child in the next three years. The results showed a clearcausalimpact of narratives of the future on fertility intentions among the participants. Moreover, when the actual economic condition at the macro- (country context) or micro-level (labor-market status and characteristics) was more favorable,negativenarratives of the future played a more crucial role. Conversely, when the actual economic conditions were less favorable,positivenarratives of the future proved especially important. We conclude that, in the era of global uncertainty, individuals respond to more than their actual situation and constraints; narratives of the future create adistance experiencefrom the daily routine that plays a potent role by inhibiting or facilitating fertility decision-making.
The Positive Effect of Women’s Education on Fertility in Low-Fertility China
Authors: Chen Shuang 
Published: February 2022

AbstractDespite pervasive evidence of more educated women having lower fertility, it remains unclear whether education reduces women’s fertility. This study presents new evidence of the causal effect of women’s education on fertility from China, where fertility has remained below the replacement level since the early 1990s. To account for endogeneity, the study exploits the timing and varying intensity of China’s higher education expansion as exogenous sources of increase in women’s education. Using data from China General Social Survey (2010–2012), findings show that each year of women’s education induced by the higher education expansion increases the number of children ever born by 10%. According to the average marginal effects, each additional year of women’s education increases the number of children ever born by 0.14, decreases the probability of having no children by 3 percentage points, and increases the probability of having two or more children by 4 percentage points. Two mechanisms drive the positive effect of education: first, education does not cause an increase in the mean age at first marriage; second, among ever-married women, education increases their demand for children. Findings from this study have important implications for China and other low-fertility developing countries.
Gestational Age in Autistic Children and Adolescents: Prevalence and Effects on Autism Phenotype
Authors: Martini Miriam I. , Merkelbach Inge , Begeer Sander 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPre- and post-term children show increased autism risk. Little is known about gestational age (GA) prevalence among autistic children, and their respective autism phenotype. We compared prevalence of pre-, full- and post-term birth between a population-derived sample of N = 606 (137 females, 22.61%) autistic children and adolescents (mean age = 14.01, SD = 3.63, range 3–24) from the Netherlands Autism Register, and matched controls from the Dutch birth register. Autism phenotype and comorbid symptoms were assessed with the AQ-short and SDQ questionnaires. Using logistic regression, we found higher prevalence of pre- and post-term birth among autistic individuals but no phenotypical differences across GA groups. Autism risk was particularly elevated for post-term children, highlighting the need for closer investigation of autism on the whole GA range.
Debt Problem of One Partner and Depressive Morbidity in the Other: A 2-Year Follow-up Register Study of Different-Sex Couples in Sweden
Authors: Rojas Yerko 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study sets out to examine whether depressive morbidity varies by status of financial indebtedness of a spouse or cohabiting partner. For this purpose, individuals aged between 20 and 60 with a different-sex spouse/cohabiting partner with a registration date for a debt at the Swedish Enforcement Authority (SEA) during 2017 (n = 6979) are followed-up for a 2-year period for prescriptions of antidepressants and compared with a sample from the general Swedish population (n = 29,708). The analysis is based on penalized maximum likelihood logistic regressions. Both women and men were more likely to suffer from depressive morbidity if the spouse/cohabiting partner had been registered at the SEA in 2017 and was still active for a debt in the SEA’s register in 2018 (OR 1.31 and OR 1.57, respectively), irrespective of their own health, employment, socioeconomic status, and other background variables. This also held true for men if a wife/cohabiting partner had been registered at the SEA in 2017 but was no longer active for a debt in the SEA’s register in 2018 (OR 1.29). For women, on the other hand, only those with no history (11-year period) of prescription of psychotropic medications were also at an enhanced risk of depressive morbidity if a husband/cohabiting partner had gone from being registered for a debt at the SEA in 2017, to not being registered as active for a debt in the SEA’s register in 2018 (OR 1.24). The results reinforce the importance of acknowledging that negative effects of financial indebtedness extend beyond the individual debtor.
The role of adult noctuid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and their food plants in a nocturnal pollen-transport network on a Mediterranean island
Authors: Ribas-Marquès Elisa , Díaz-Calafat Joan , Boi Marzia 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Noctuidae belong to one of the largest families of night-flying Lepidoptera. However, despite being among the most common nocturnal flower-visitors, they have seldom been included in pollination networks. Similarly, the current knowledge on food plants used by adults is rather scarce. In this article, we build the first moth–plant pollen transfer network in the Balearic archipelago. We aim to increase the knowledge of which plants are used as food resources by adult Noctuidae, assess how specific or generalist nocturnal pollinators and their food plants are and establish the first baseline information on adult Noctuidae–plant interactions on the archipelago and the Mediterranean. 20.7% of the adult Noctuidae in our samplings carried pollen and were therefore potentially involved in nocturnal pollination. The family Ericaceae, and especially Arbutus unedo, was a key food resource for our moth community, with 46% of the total recorded interactions belonging to this plant. Overall, both plants and moths in our system behaved in a generalist way. Niche overlap was larger in moths than in plants, suggesting that the functional role that moth species take in our system is more redundant than that taken by plants. Robustness values suggest that the network functionality would not collapse despite the extinction of a few species.

Implications for insect conservation
Detecting flower preferences and the role of nocturnal insects on pollination will allow understanding of ecosystem functionality and will be crucial for conservation of both moths and organisms that depend on them.
In vitro characterization of hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles compounds and their biocompatibility in vivo
Authors: Cintra Cristiane C. Vital , Ferreira-Ermita Dayana A. C. , Loures Fabrícia H. , Araújo Pascally M. A. G. , Ribeiro Iara M. , Araújo Fabiana R. , Valente Fabrício L. , Reis Emily C. Carlo , Costa Ana Cristina F. M. , Bicalho Sheila M. C. M. , Borges Andréa P. B. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBioactive materials in combination with antibiotics have been widely developed for the treatment of bone infection. Thus, this work aims to characterize six biomaterials formulated with different concentrations of hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles, in addition to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the antibiotic diffusion test on agar. Furthermore, in vivo biocompatibility and the reabsorption process of these materials were analyzed. XRD showed that both hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite present high crystallinity. The photomicrographs obtained by SEM revealed that composites have a complex surface, evidenced by the irregular arrangement of the hydroxyapatite and cobalt ferrite granules, besides demonstrating the interaction between their components. The antibiotic-diffusion test showed that all biomaterials produced an inhibition halo inStaphylococcus aureuscultures. For the biocompatibility study, composites were surgically implanted in the dorsal region of rabbits. At 15, 30, 70, and 100 days, biopsies of the implanted regions were performed. The biomaterials were easily identified during histological analysis and no significant inflammatory process, nor histological signs of toxicity or rejection by the adjacent tissue were observed. We can conclude that the biomaterials analyzed are biocompatible, degradable, and effective in inhibiting the in vitro growth ofStaphylococcus aureus.
Micro-XRF-inferred depositional history of the Orakei maar lake sediment sequence, Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Peti Leonie , Augustinus Paul C. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractLake sediment records offer insights into past climate and environmental changes. There are, however, few continuous lake sediment records from the Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes that span the last glacial interval (LGI) and have the requisite chronological control and sampling resolution. Orakei maar paleolake in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, is an exception, as it contains a high-resolution record of continuous lacustrine sedimentation from its formative phreatomagmatic eruption ~ 130 ka, until post-glacial sea-level rise breached the crater tuff rim and connected the lake to the sea ~ 9 ka. We used micro-XRF core scanning, dry bulk density, loss-on-ignition and visual facies descriptions to investigate the depositional history of Orakei maar lake as a response to regional and global drivers of climate change, and to erosional events in the lake catchment. The climate history of the lake was divided into six depositional phases: (I) Early warming with frequent in-wash events, followed by climate fluctuations coeval with marine isotope stages (MIS) 5e to mid-5c, (II) Warm, quiescent depositional conditions during mid-MIS 5c to 5a, (III) A colder, windier interval during MIS 4, (IV) Warmer conditions with dominantly autochthonous sedimentation during MIS 3, (V) Cold conditions followed by a slow temperature increase and the onset of sea-level rise during late MIS 2, (VI) Warm conditions that culminated in formation of a peat unit at the top of the Orakei lacustrine sediment sequence, which was terminated by an influx of massive marine muds into the basin at 9.75 ka. Comparison of the inferred climate evolution at Orakei with climate inferences from the global marine benthic MIS record during LGI shows general agreement, though inferred climate changes consistently occur earlier at Orakei than in the MIS. There is also general agreement in temperature changes inferred from the Orakei record and from other regional lake sediment records, but more detailed comparison requires additional proxy climate data such as pollen, organic geochemistry and biomarkers, to better understand discrepancies between some records. This study demonstrated the great potential of the Orakei record for paleoclimate inference and the applicability of micro-XRF core scanning data for addressing questions about paleoclimate and paleoenvironment. It also highlighted past intervals that require further study.
Diffusion-Localization Transition Point of Gravity Type Transport Model on Regular Ring Lattices and Bethe Lattices
Authors: Koike Hajime , Takayasu Hideki , Takayasu Misako 
Published: February 2022

AbstractFocusing on the diffusion-localization transition, we theoretically analyzed a nonlinear gravity-type transport model defined on networks called regular ring lattices, which have an intermediate structure between the complete graph and the simple ring. Exact eigenvalues were derived around steady states, and the values of the transition points were evaluated for the control parameter characterizing the nonlinearity. We also analyzed the case of the Bethe lattice (or Cayley tree) and found that the transition point is 1/2, which is the lowest value ever reported.