bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Compositional synthesis of modular systems
Authors: Finkbeiner Bernd , Passing Noemi 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn contrast to the breakthroughs in reactive synthesis of monolithic systems, distributed synthesis is not yet practical. Compositional approaches can be a key technique for scalable algorithms. Here, the challenge is to decompose a specification of the global system into local requirements on the individual processes. In this paper, we present and extend a sound and complete compositional synthesis algorithm that constructs for each process, in addition to the strategy, a certificate that captures the necessary interface between the processes. The certificates define an assume-guarantee contract that allows for formulating individual process requirements. By bounding the size of the certificates, we then bias the synthesis procedure towards solutions that are desirable in the sense that they have a small interface. We have implemented our approach and evaluated it on scalable benchmarks: It is much faster than standard methods for distributed synthesis as long as reasonably small certificates exist. Otherwise, the overhead of synthesizing additional certificates is small.
Variability in the climate-radial growth correlation of Pinus massoniana of different diameter classes
Authors: Qiao Jingjing , Sun Yujun , Pan Lei , Luo Mi , Ding Zhidan , Sun Zhao 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe physiological characteristics of trees change with age, suggesting that growth-related climate signals vary over time. This study aimed to clarify the impacts of different diameter classes on the chronological characteristics of Pinus massoniana Lamb. and its response to climatic factors. Chronologies of Pinus massoniana were established in small diameter (14.1 cm), middle diameter (27.3 cm), and large diameter (34.6 cm) trees according to dendrochronology. The results show that: (1) radial growth of different diameter classes had varied characteristics and climate sensitivities; (2) radial growth of small diameter trees was affected by climatic factors of the previous and the current year, while large diameter trees were mainly affected by climatic factors of the current year; and (3) precipitation and temperature were key factors that restricted the radial growth of small and large diameter trees, respectively.
Mechanical joining in versatile process chains
Authors: Meschut Gerson , Merkein Marion , Brosius Alexander , Bobbert Mathias 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe use of mechanical joining technologies offers the possibility of joining mixed material structures, which are used in particular in lightweight construction. An integrated securing of the joinability in versatile process chains is currently hardly possible as the number of combinable tool variants as well as variable force- and path-based process parameters is infinite. A versatile process chain, i.e. a sequence of all the processes and process steps required for product manufacturing, enables targeted changes to the semi-finished product, the joint, the component or the joining process that exceed the originally planned extend while still ensuring joinability. In detail, it leads to a unique joint with its own mechanical property profile, which, against the background of the resulting infinite number of combinations, makes it impossible to secure the joinability on the conventional experimentally based approach without extensive safety factors. The Transregional Colaborative Research Center 285 (TCRC285), which also initiated this special issue, is intended to enable mechanical joining technology to be versatile in the sense of high application flexibility. This is to be achieved with a numerical representation of the complete process chain from the incoming semi finished product via the joining part production and the joining process to the property profile of the joint in the operating phase. Thus a predictability of the joinability can be achieved and improvements in the individual life cycles of a joint can be realized by grasping the cause-and-effect relationships. On the basis of this knowledge, new possibilities for intervention in the joining process are to be created for the adaptation of the joining processes. With the aid of the methods developed for this purpose, tools will later be available to the end user to substitute the large number of mechanical joining processes or joining task-specific configurations with a smaller number of adaptable processes. This expands the flexibility in material choices, enabling challenges in environmental issues and sustainability to be overcome.
Bridging Fidelities to Predict Nanoindentation Tip Radii Using Interpretable Deep Learning Models
Authors: Trost Claus O. W. , Zak Stanislav , Schaffer Sebastian , Saringer Christian , Exl Lukas , Cordill Megan J. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAs the need for miniaturized structural and functional materials has increased, the need for precise materials characterizaton has also expanded. Nanoindentation is a popular method that can be used to measure material mechanical behavior which enables high-throughput experiments and, in some cases, can also provide images of the indented area through scanning. Both indenting and scanning can cause tip wear that can influence the measurements. Therefore, precise characterization of tip radii is needed to improve data evaluation. A data fusion method is introduced which uses finite element simulations and experimental data to estimate the tip radius in situ in a meaningful way using an interpretable multi-fidelity deep learning approach. By interpreting the machine learning models, it is shown that the approaches are able to accurately capture physical indentation phenomena.
Recovery of Lanthanum from Aqueous Solutions by Crystallization as Lanthanum Sodium Sulfate Double Salt
Authors: Said Arshe , Lundström Mari , Louhi-Kultanen Marjatta 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe recovery of rare earth elements from spent nickel-metal hydride batteries by hydrometallurgical processing has become increasingly important in recent years. The present work investigated the effect of temperature, systems of adding the reactant, the molar ratio of sodium and lanthanum, and the initial concentration of six sulfate impurities (Ni, Co, Al, Mn, Fe, and Zn) on the crystallization of the monohydrate of sodium lanthanum sulfate double salt (NaLa(SO4)2·H2O) crystals from synthetic leachate solutions. The sodium sulfate reactant was added as an acidic solution by pumping or batchwise as a solid anhydrate salt to a pregnant lanthanum sulfate solution. Compared to precipitation with acidic sodium sulfate solution, precipitation with solid sodium sulfate yielded smaller single crystals, a greater tendency to form aggregates, and lower crystal purity. The lowest overall impurity and highest lanthanum quantity in crystals were obtained by semi-batch reactant adding performance of Na2SO4 solution at 70°C with Na/La molar ratio of 3. Real-time monitoring of the count rates of different chord length fractions clearly showed the influence of crystallization temperature on the precipitation kinetics.
Impact of haemoglobin variants on the use of haemoglobin A1c for the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes: a contextualised review
Authors: Liddy Anne Marie , Grundy Stephan , Sreenan Seamus , Tormey William 
Published: April 2022

AbstractHbA1c is the established test for monitoring glycaemic control in diabetes, and intervention trials studying the impact of treatment on glycaemic control and risk of complications focus predominantly on this parameter in terms of evaluating the glycaemic outcomes. It is also the main parameter used when targets for control are being individualised, and more recently, it has been used for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. For laboratories performing this test and clinicians utilising it in their decision-making process, a thorough understanding of factors that can impact on the accuracy, and appropriate interpretation of the test is essential. The changing demographic in the Irish population over the last two decades has brought this issue sharply into focus. It is therefore timely to review the utility, performance and interpretation of the HbA1c test to highlight factors impacting on the results, specifically the impact of haemoglobin variants, and the impact of these factors on its utilisation in clinical practice.
Neuroblastoma Heterogeneity, Plasticity, and Emerging Therapies
Authors: Lundberg Kristina Ihrmark , Treis Diana , Johnsen John Inge 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Purpose of Review
The evolving information of the initiation, tumor cell heterogeneity, and plasticity of childhood neuroblastoma has opened up new perspectives for developing therapies based on detailed knowledge of the disease.

Recent Findings
The cellular origin of neuroblastoma has begun to unravel and there have been several reports on tumor cell heterogeneity based on transcriptional core regulatory circuitries that have given us important information on the biology of neuroblastoma as a developmental disease. This together with new insight of the tumor microenvironment which acts as a support for neuroblastoma growth has given us the prospect for designing better treatment approaches for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. Here, we discuss these new discoveries and highlight some emerging therapeutic options.

Summary
Neuroblastoma is a disease with multiple facets. Detailed biological and molecular knowledge on neuroblastoma initiation, heterogeneity, and the communications between cells in the tumor microenvironment holds promise for better therapies.
Validation of adhesion characterization methods for antistick coatings applied in cooking systems
Authors: Rossi Stefano , Valdrè Federico , Calovi Massimo 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study aims to validate an effective methodological analysis for the characterization of the adhesion values of antistick coatings employed in cooking systems. The morphology and chemistry of four different industrial products were investigated by roughness measurements, electron microscopy observations and infrared spectroscopy analysis. The adhesion of the coatings was evaluated comparing various techniques, such as the surface contact angle measurements, the pull-off test and the single lap-joint tensile shear method, in synergy with degradation phenomena simulated by P.E.I. abrasion and dishwashing tests. The single lap-joint tensile shear test was able to evaluate evident differences between all the proposed coatings, regardless of their state of deterioration, featuring the best selectivity among the used methods. However, the pull-off test proved to be a viable and more economical alternative for fast evaluation techniques, considering the overall instrument costs. While all the polytetrafluoroethylene-based systems turned out to be totally uninfluenced by the chemical attacks performed during the dishwasher cycles, the sol–gel coating exhibited lower performances of the applied releasing agent, before and after the mechanical degradation tests. Therefore, sol–gel coatings, despite being proposed as valid alternatives to PTFE ones, do not achieve the same quality standards in terms of releasing properties, being in addition much more sensible to degradation and loss in performances.
Therapeutic benefits of niraparib tosylate as radio sensitizer in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: an in vivo and in vitro preclinical study
Authors: Cui Yuzhong , Huang Wei , Du Feng , Yin Xiaoyang , Feng Lei , Li Baosheng 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is associated with high morbidity and mortality rate for which radiotherapy is the main treatment modality. Niraparib, a Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 inhibitors (PARPi) was previously reported to confer radiosensitivity in different malignancies including non-small cell lung cancer. In this study, we assessed the in vivo ability of niraparib in conferring radiosensitivity to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Materials and methods
In this study, KYSE-30 and KYSE-150 cell lines were selected as in vivo esophageal squamous cell carcinoma models. The experimental groups were: niraparib tosylate alone, radiotherapy alone, control (no intervention), and combination therapy (radiotherapy + niraparib tosylate). Cell cytotoxicity assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, lentivirus transfection analysis, and xenograft models were used for confirming radiosensitizing ability of niraparib and to investigate the possible cellular mechanism involved in radiosensitization.

Results
The colony formation efficiency of the combination group was significantly much lower than that of the single radiation group (P < 0.01). Cell cytotoxicity assay demonstrated a significant reduction in proliferation of irradiated cells after treatment with niraparib tosylate compared to niraparib tosylate alone (P < 0.01). Cell apoptosis significantly increased in the combination group compared to either niraparib tosylate or radiotherapy alone (P < 0.01). Rate of tumor suppression rate was significantly high in the combined treatment group (P < 0.01) but, significantly decreased in nude mice. Western blot and lentivirus infection model suggested overexpression of FANCG genes to confer radiosensitivity.

Conclusion
These results suggest that the synergistic effect of niraparib tosylate and radiation may be related to the down-regulation of FANCG.
Criminal markets and networks in Cyberspace
Authors: Lavorgna Anita , Antonopoulos Georgios A. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis is an introduction to the special issue of Trends in Organized Crime on ‘criminal markets and networks in cyberspace’. All the contributions to this special issue, even if from different standpoints and focuses, help us understand how cyberspace is (re)shaping offenses and offenders.
Time point-independent tumor positivity of 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT pre- and post-biopsy in high-risk prostate cancer
Authors: Zou Sijuan , Song Shuang , Zhou Jianyuan , Yu Bo , Kuang Dong , Wang Zhihua , Zhu Xiaohua 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Objective
Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-PET/CT imaging has gained increasing clinical importance for the detection and staging of high-risk primary prostate cancer (PCa). However, it is unclear whether the routine practice of prostate biopsy obscures the image finding of PSMA-PET/CT. This study aimed to compare the tumor positivity rate of PSMA-PET/CT performed pre- (PSMA-PET/CTpre) and post-biopsy (PSMA-PET/CTpost) in high-risk PCa patients.

Patients and methods
We matched 58 PSMA-PET/CTpost with 58 PSMA-PET/CTpre studies for primary detection of high-risk PCa according to clinical characteristics. Three subgroups of PSMA-PET/CTpost were defined by the intervals after biopsy (≤ 1 week, 1 ~ 2 weeks, and 2 ~ 5 weeks). Tumor positivity rates were determined, and SUVmax of primary tumors were compared separately for the two main groups and the related subgroups. Malignant prostate tissues from 20 of these patients were examined by immunohistochemical analysis of PSMA. In addition, the values of PSMA-PET/CTpre and PSMA-PET/CTpost in assessing seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) were evaluated in patients who underwent radical prostatectomy.

Results
All the primary tumors were positive on PSMA-PET/CTpost and PSMA-PET/CTpre imaging, resulting in a patient-based positivity rates of 100% (58/58) in both groups. All examined IHC results (20/20) confirmed the high-level expression of PSMA. SUVmax of primary tumors did not differ between the two main groups (16.1, IQR 9.8–26.6 vs. 16.5, IQR 11.0–26.7, p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis of PSMA-PET/CTpost (≤ 1 week, 1 ~ 2 weeks, and 2 ~ 5 weeks) also showed no significant difference in tumor SUVmax (15.8, IQR 9.5–22.2; 17.8, IQR 9.8–29.2; and 15.4, IQR 10.1–30.3. p > 0.05). PSMA-PET/CTpost and PSMA-PET/CTpre exhibited similar value in SVI detection as well.

Conclusions
The tumor positivity rate was consistently high for PSMA-PET/CT pre- and post-biopsy. A prior biopsy does not seem to affect the tumor positivity rate of PSMA-PET/CT in high-risk PCa.
Faculty diversity in California environmental studies departments: implications for student learning
Authors: Taylor Amani M. , Hernandez Arien J. , Peterson Aysha K. , Jinnah Sikina 
Published: April 2022

AbstractFaculty diversity is an important driver of student success, especially for students of color. Yet, faculty diversity has not kept pace with the increase in student diversity within US 4-year postsecondary institutions. While students of color make up 42.5% of this population, faculty of color only constitute 24.4%. This study empirically examines these trends in environmental studies departments in California. Using survey data collected from faculty within 22 such departments in the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems, this study explores the demographic characteristics of faculty in these departments, how these demographics are related to tenure status, and the implications of these results for student success. Importantly, we show that despite students of color constituting 58.2% (UC) and 52.4% (CSU) of the student population within environmental studies departments, faculty of color only represent 22.5% (UC) and 17.7% (CSU) within these departments. These disparities are even more pronounced for Black/African American, Latinx, and Native American populations, which is particularly problematic since many of these schools are Hispanic-Serving Institutions. We conclude that UC and CSU environmental studies departments must take seriously the task of diversifying their faculty and argue that anti-racist training for hiring committees, differentiated support for faculty of color, and creating an inclusive campus climate are key factors for the recruitment and retention of faculty of color.
Bioassay-guided isolation of cytotoxic constituents from the flowers of Aquilaria sinensis
Authors: Yang Jun , Hu Dong-Bao , Xia Meng-Yuan , Luo Ji-Feng , Li Xing-Yu , Wang Yue-Hu 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBioassay-guided fractionation of the EtOH extract from the flowers of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng. (Thymelaeaceae) led to the isolation of a new cucurbitane-type triterpenoid, aquilarolide A (1), along with five known compounds (2–6). The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments and mass spectrometry (MS) data and theoretical calculations of its electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Aquilarolide A, cucurbitacin E (3), cucurbitacin B (4), and 7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl]-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (6) showed significant cytotoxicity against human lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A-1, human lung squamous cell carcinoma NCI-H520, human lung adenocarcinoma A549, and paclitaxel-resistant A549 (A549/Taxol) cell lines. All four active compounds, with IC50 values ranging from 0.002 to 0.91 μM, had better inhibitory activities against A549/Taxol cells than paclitaxel (IC50 = 1.80 μM). Among them, cucurbitacin E (IC50 = 0.002 μM) is the most active. Further studies are needed to evaluate their in vivo antitumor activities and to clarify their mechanisms.
Graphical Abstract
Star fruit extract and C-glycosylated flavonoid components have potential to prevent air pollutant-induced skin inflammation and premature aging
Authors: Wu Ping , Iwahashi Hiroyasu , Xie Hai-Hui , Wang Ying , Zhou Yan-Yang , Kiso Akinori , Kawashima Yoshihito , Wei Xiao-Yi 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAir pollution adversely affects skin, leading to skin inflammation and premature skin aging. Plant derived antioxidant compounds have been considered to be promising in discovery of effective agents for the protection of skin from the damage by air pollutants. Our previous studies demonstrated that Averrhoa carambola fruit (known as star fruit) is rich in flavonoid C-glycosides with unique structures and potent antioxidant activity. Thus, the star fruit extract (SFE) and main flavonoid C-glycoside components, carambolasides I, J, and P (1–3), carambolaflavone B (4), and isovitexin 2″-O-α-l-rhamnoside (5), were investigated for the activity against air pollutant stress in human epidermis. As a result, SFE and compounds 1–5 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against protein carbonylation in oxidative-stressed stratum corneum with the best activity being shown by compound 3. SFE and compounds 2–5 were also active against engine exhaust-induced protein carbonylation in stratum corneum. When further evaluated, SFE and compound 3 significantly inhibited gene expression of the key inflammation mediators IL-1α and COX-2 in PM-stressed keratinocytes. The results indicated that SFE and the flavonoid C-glycosides are potentially effective against air pollutant-induced skin inflammation and premature aging.
Graphical Abstract
Radial basis function-based vector field algorithm for wildfire boundary tracking with UAVs
Authors: Feng Licheng , Katupitiya Jay 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis paper tackles the problem of dynamic wildfire boundary tracking with UAVs. Wildfire boundary is treated as the zero-level set curve of an implicit function and is approximated with radial basis functions. Its propagation is modeled with the Hamilton–Jacobi equation with an arbitrary initial boundary as the input. To navigate UAVs to the wildfire boundary, an analytical velocity vector field, whose integral curves converge to the wildfire boundary, is constructed on the basis of the typical radial basis function thin-plate spline. Computer simulations with a single UAV and multiple UAVs have been conducted for the evaluation of the proposed solution, and numerical results show that the proposed algorithm can ensure the successful tracking of an arbitrarily shaped wildfire boundary.
Improving Human Decision-making by Discovering Efficient Strategies for Hierarchical Planning
Authors: Consul Saksham , Heindrich Lovis , Stojcheski Jugoslav , Lieder Falk 
Published: April 2022

AbstractTo make good decisions in the real world, people need efficient planning strategies because their computational resources are limited. Knowing which planning strategies would work best for people in different situations would be very useful for understanding and improving human decision-making. Our ability to compute those strategies used to be limited to very small and very simple planning tasks. Here, we introduce a cognitively inspired reinforcement learning method that can overcome this limitation by exploiting the hierarchical structure of human behavior. We leverage it to understand and improve human planning in large and complex sequential decision problems. Our method decomposes sequential decision problems into two sub-problems: setting a goal and planning how to achieve it. Our method can discover optimal human planning strategies for larger and more complex tasks than was previously possible. The discovered strategies achieve a better tradeoff between decision quality and computational cost than both human planning and existing planning algorithms. We demonstrate that teaching people to use those strategies significantly increases their level of resource-rationality in tasks that require planning up to eight steps ahead. By contrast, none of the previous approaches was able to improve human performance on these problems. These findings suggest that our cognitively informed approach makes it possible to leverage reinforcement learning to improve human decision-making in complex sequential decision problems. Future work can leverage our method to develop decision support systems that improve human decision-making in the real world.