bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Macroseismic intensity hazard maps for Italy based on a recent grid source model
Authors: Cito Pasquale , Chioccarelli Eugenio , Iervolino Iunio 
Published: January 2022

AbstractSeismic hazard maps from probabilistic seismic hazard analysis or PSHA collect, at different sites, the values of the (site-specific) ground motion intensity measures of interest that, taken individually, have the same exceedance return period. For large-scale analyses, a widely used intensity measure is the macroseismic (MS) intensity, that provides an assessment of the earthquake effect based on the observed consequences in the hit area. Hazard maps can be developed in terms of MS intensity, and some examples exist in this respect. In the case of Italy, the last MS hazard map is based on the same seismic source model (known as MPS04) adopted to derive the design seismic actions of the current building code, a study dating more than ten years ago. It provides results in terms of countrywide Mercalli–Cancani–Sieberg (MCS) intensity level with 475 years return period. This short paper presents and discusses MCS probabilistic seismic hazard maps for Italy based on a recent grid-seismicity source model, herein named MPS19, synthetizing the large effort of a wide scientific community. The results, which are obtained by means of classical PSHA, are given in the form of maps referring to the 475 years return period, and also others of earthquake engineering interest. Moreover, it is discussed that the return period does not univocally identifies the MS intensity because, although MS is, by definition, a discrete random variable, it is modelled, in a given earthquake, by means of a normal distribution, that is, treated as continuous. Thus, the maps of the minimum return period causing the occurrence or exceedance of different MCS intensities are also provided. Finally, the comparison between the 475 years return period hazard map presented and the one which is currently the point of reference in Italy, that is, computed using MPS04, is briefly discussed. All the computed maps are made available to the reader as supplemental material.
Key Genes Associated with Tumor-Infiltrating Non-regulatory CD4- and CD8-Positive T Cells in Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhao Zijun , Wang Chaonan , Chu Peishan , Lu Xin 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially T-cell infiltration, plays a key role in the prognosis and drug sensitivity of HCC. Our study aimed to analyze genes related to non-regulatory CD4+and CD8+T cell in HCC. Data of HCC samples were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. According to stromal and immune score retrieved by Estimation of Stromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumor tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm, differentiated expressed genes (DEGs) between high and low stromal/immune scoring groups were collected. Using Cibersort algorithm, abundance of immune cells was calculated and genes related with CD4+and CD8+T cells were selected. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks and networks of microRNA (miRNA)–target gene interactions were illustrated, in which CD4+and CD8+T cell-related core genes were selected. Finally, Cox regression test and Kaplan–Meier (K–M) survival analysis were conducted. Totally, 1579 DEGs were identified, where 103 genes and 407 genes related with CD4+and CD8+T cell were selected, respectively. Each of 30 core genes related to CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells were selected by PPI network. Four genes each related with the two types of T cells had a significant impact on prognosis of HCC patients. Amongst, KLRB1 and IL18RAP were final two genes related to both two kinds of T cells and associated with overall survival of the HCC patients.
Ethical Orientation and Research Misconduct Among Business Researchers Under the Condition of Autonomy and Competition
Authors: Fink Matthias , Gartner Johannes , Harms Rainer , Hatak Isabella 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe topics of ethical conduct and governance in academic research in the business field have attracted scientific and public attention. The concern is that research misconduct in organizations such as business schools and universities might result in practitioners, policymakers, and researchers grounding their decisions on biased research results. This study addresses ethical research misconduct by investigating whether the ethical orientation of business researchers is related to the likelihood of research misconduct, such as selective reporting of research findings. We distinguish between deontological and consequentialist ethical orientations and the competition between researchers and investigate the moderating role of their perceived autonomy. Based on global data collected from 1031 business scholars, we find that researchers with a strong deontological ethical orientation are less prone to misconduct. This effect is robust against different levels of perceived autonomy and competition. In contrast, researchers having a consequentialist ethical orientation is positively associated with misconduct in business research. High levels of competition in the research environment reinforce this effect. Our results reveal a potentially toxic combination comprising researchers with a strong consequentialist orientation who are embedded in highly competitive research environments. Our research calls for the development of ethical orientations grounded on maxims rather than anticipated consequences among researchers. We conclude that measures for ethical governance in business schools should consider the ethical orientation that underlies researchers’ decision-making and the organizational and institutional environment in which business researchers are embedded.
Enzymatic synthesis of cellulose in space: gravity is a crucial factor for building cellulose II gel structure
Authors: Kuga Tomohiro , Sunagawa Naoki , Igarashi Kiyohiko 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
We previously reported in vitro synthesis of highly ordered crystalline cellulose II by reverse reaction of cellodextrin phosphorylase from the cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium (Hungateiclostridium) thermocellum (CtCDP), but the formation mechanism of the cellulose crystals and highly ordered structure has long been unclear. Considering the specific density of cellulose versus water, the formation of crystalline and highly ordered structure in an aqueous solution should be affected by gravity. Thus, we synthesized cellulose with CtCDP stable variant at the International Space Station, where sedimentation and convection due to gravity are negligible. Optical microscopic observation suggested that cellulose in space has a gel-like appearance without apparent aggregation, in contrast to cellulose synthesized on the ground. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) indicated that cellulose synthesized in space has a more uniform particle distribution in the ~ 100 nm scale region than cellulose synthesized on the ground. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that both celluloses have a micrometer scale network structure, whereas a fine fiber network was constructed only under microgravity. These results indicate that gravity plays a role in cellulose II crystal sedimentation and the building of network structure, and synthesis in space could play a role in designing unique materials.

Graphical abstract
A Realistic Theory of Quantum Measurement
Authors: Harrison Alan K. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractWe propose that the ontic understanding of quantum mechanics can be extended to a fully realistic theory that describes the evolution of the wavefunction at all times, including during a measurement. In such an approach the wave equation should reduce to the standard wave equation when there is no measurement, and describe state reduction when the system is measured. The general wave equation must be nonlinear and nonlocal, and we require it to be time-symmetric; consequently, this approach is not a new interpretation but a new theory. The wave equation is an integrodifferential equation (IDE). The time symmetry requirement leads to a retrocausal approach, in which the wave equation is solved subject to initial and final conditions to determine history at intermediate times. We propose that different outcomes from (apparently) identically prepared experiments may result from uncontrolled parameters; both the nonlocality and the retrocausality of the theory imply that Bell’s Theorem cannot rule out such “hidden variables.” Beginning with Hamilton’s principle, we demonstrate the construction of such a theory by replacing the action with a functional designed to give rise to a nonlinear, nonlocal IDE as the wave equation. This IDE reduces to the standard wave equation (a differential equation) in the absence of a measurement, but exhibits state reduction to a single eigenvalue when the system interacts with another system with the properties of a measurement apparatus. We demonstrate several desirable features of this theory; for other properties we indicate their plausibility and possible avenues to a proof.
Toward Gamma Ray Immune Fibre-Optic Phosphor Thermometry for Nuclear Decommissioning
Authors: Pisani Nicolò , Numkam Fokoua Eric , Davidson Ian A. K. , Poletti Francesco , Slavík Radan , Lowe Dave , Machin Graham , Sutton Gavin 
Published: January 2022

AbstractTemperature measurement of stored nuclear waste is important for long-term monitoring. Conventional sensors can degrade in ionizing radiation from induced transmutations and their frequent replacement is inconvenient. A thermometer based on suitable phosphors can overcome some problems, but the optical signal needs to be transmitted through an optical fibre and processed remotely away from the dangerous area. This requires that the optical fibre itself be suitably resistant to radiation-induced damage. Here, we report transmission measurements through a type of hollow-core fibre based on anti-resonance and with transmission windows at wavelengths suitable for use with the thermographic phosphor magnesium fluorogermanate whilst subjected to gamma radiation. Its performance is compared to commercially available standard fibres (single mode and radiation hard fibres) at dose rates equivalent to decades of use in a storage facility. Transmission was unchanged for the anti-resonant fibre at the phosphor emission wavelength and it was successfully incorporated into a fibre thermometer that worked from $${20}\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$

20

∘

C

to $$200\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$

200

∘

C

. Performance at the phosphor excitation wavelength needs to be improved by modification to the hollow-core fibre design, but we show that a hybrid of single mode and anti-resonant fibres can already be made into a thermometer with suitable gamma immunity.
Application of iron-based magnetic nanoparticles stabilized with triethanolammonium oleate for theranostics
Authors: Pawlik Piotr , Blasiak Barbara , Depciuch Joanna , Pruba Marcin , Kitala Diana , Vorobyova Svetlana , Stec Malgorzata , Bushinsky Maxim , Konakov Artem , Baran Jaroslaw , Fedotova Julia , Ivashkevich Oleg , Parlinska-Wojtan Magdalena , Maximenko Alexey 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe novel iron-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized with triethanolammonium oleate were produced. The specimens were divided into two groups: the top NPs (extracted from the supernatant) and the bottom NPs (nanoparticles sedimented at the bottom of the flask during centrifugation), respectively. The XRD and Mössbauer studies revealed a presence of the Fe3O4 phase in both types of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the formation of maghemite layer on the surface of nanoparticles was observed. Average particle sizes determined from TEM and XRD studies were lower than the superparamagnetic limit for the magnetite NPs. For glycerol dispersions of both types of NPs, when exposed to 100 kHz external magnetic field, a significant heat release was observed. Furthermore, the contrasts of T1- and T2-weighted MR images were significantly dependent on the concentration of NPs in their water solutions. Additionally, the reductions of the relaxation times were different for the top and the bottom NPs. The viability studies of the colon cancer cells have shown low cytotoxicity of both types of NPs due to their coating with triethanolammonium oleate, which confirm the possibility to apply the NPs for MRI-guided hyperthermia. Moreover, the presence of NPs did not cause greatest increase of the number of apoptotic cells in the human dermal fibroblasts’ culture and has stimulated proliferation of those cells, revealing great potential of the NPs in regenerative medicine.
Graphical abstract
SnSe:Kx intermetallic thermoelectric polycrystals prepared by arc-melting
Authors: Gainza Javier , Moltó Sergio , Serrano-Sánchez Federico , Dura Oscar J. , Fernández-Díaz María Teresa , Biškup Neven , Martínez José Luis , Alonso José Antonio , Nemes Norbert M. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractNeutron powder diffraction and thermoelectric characterization of SnSe:Kx intermetallic alloys are presented. Nanostructured ingots were prepared by arc-melting elemental tin and selenium along with potassium hydride. Up to x = 0.1 of K can be incorporated into SnSe. Rietveld refinement of the diffractograms locates potassium on the Sn site in the high-temperature Cmcm structure. However, in the low-temperature Pnma structure, K cannot be localized by difference Fourier maps, indicating the incorporation of K in a disordered form in the interlayer space. STEM-EELS indicates the incorporation of K into the SnSe grains. The resistivity upon K-doping at intermediate temperatures decreases by 1–2 orders of magnitude, but at high temperature is higher than the undoped SnSe. The Seebeck coefficient of K-doped SnSe remains p-type and almost temperature independent (400 μV/K for x = 0.1). The ultralow thermal conductivity of undoped SnSe decreases further upon K-doping to below 0.3 W/m K.
Josephson Current as a Boundary Condition for Gor’kov Equations
Authors: Ovchinnikov Yu. N. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe magnitude of the Josephson current completely determines the value of the order parameters in superconductors separated by a barrier of low transparency, up to the second order in transparency. The second harmonic in the current value is equal to zero in the second approximation of perturbation theory with respect to the barrier transparency, regardless of the approximation within which the bulk superconductors are considered. When considering the correction terms, a new small parameter arises associated with the height of the potential barrier. This effect leads to the suppression of the modulus of the order parameter at the barrier surface and, hence, to the renormalization of the amplitude of the Josephson current.
The relationship between physical and mental health multimorbidity and children’s health-related quality of life
Authors: O’Loughlin Rachel , Hiscock Harriet , Pan Tianxin , Devlin Nancy , Dalziel Kim 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPurposeTo examine the relationships between physical health problems, and borderline or clinical levels of mental health symptoms and children’s health-related quality of life (HRQoL).MethodsData were from theLongitudinal Study of Australian Children(2004–2018). Parents reported on their child’s HRQoL (PedsQL), physical health problems and mental health symptoms (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ). A pooled cross-sectional analysis using linear regressions examined the relationships between physical health and clinical/borderline mental health symptoms, individually and when multi-morbid, and children’s HRQoL, and whether these relationships vary by a range of child, family and social factors.ResultsThe sample comprised 47,567 observations of children aged 4–17 years. Borderline and clinical levels of mental health symptoms were associated with significantly lower HRQoL, equal to more than two-times (10.5 points) and more than three-times (16.8 points) the clinically meaningful difference, respectively. This was a larger difference than that associated with physical health problems (4.4 points). We found a significant interaction effect between physical health problems and clinical mental health symptoms which was associated with even poorer HRQoL after accounting for the individual relationships of both problems. Mental health problems were associated with poorer HRQoL for older versus younger children; and the interaction effect was significant for boys but not girls.ConclusionFindings highlight the importance of identifying and addressing mental health symptoms in children of all ages, even if these problems do not meet formal clinical criteria. Particular attention should be paid to the mental health and HRQoL of children with physical–mental multimorbidity, who are at risk of disproportionately poorer HRQoL.
“Poison to the Economy”: (Un-)Taxing the Wealthy in the German Federal Parliament from 1996 to 2016
Authors: Hilmar Till , Sachweh Patrick 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe concentration of wealth is a key component of the rise in economic inequality at the beginning of the twenty-first century. While the abolition of taxes on private wealth during the 1990s and 2000s is recognized as an important institutional driver behind this development, comparatively little is known about the justification of tax cuts for the wealthy in advanced democracies. This paper investigates how the abolishment of the personal net wealth tax in Germany, a country with high levels of wealth inequality, has been debated and justified in parliament over a period of 20 years. Using a mixed methods approach that combines computational social science methods and a qualitative analysis, we examine how Germany’s two major parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), have variously construed the meaning and purpose of the wealth tax and justified their support for or opposition to it. While the Social Democrats debate the wealth tax primarily from a social justice perspective, the Christian Democrats rely on an efficiency frame that invokes biological metaphors, enabling them to narrate the wealth tax as a threat to the social body. Paradoxically, then, by arguing that the tax is “poison to the economy”, conservative discourse succeeds in linking opposition to the wealth tax to a principle of social unity. On these grounds, we suggest that future research should scrutinize how the interrelation between political discourse and institutional architectures has facilitated the rise of wealth inequality in recent decades.
The effect of financial crises on deforestation: a global and regional panel data analysis
Authors: Antonarakis Alexander S. , Pacca Lucia , Antoniades Andreas 
Published: January 2022

AbstractManaging our transition to sustainability requires a solid understanding of how conditions of financial crisis affect our natural environment. Yet, there has been little focus on the nature of the relationship between financial crises and environmental sustainability, especially in relation to forests and deforestation. This study addressed this gap by providing novel evidence on the impact of financial crises on deforestation. A panel data approach is used looking at Global Forest Watch deforestation data from > 150 countries in > 100 crises in the twenty-first century. This includes an analysis of crises effects on principle drivers of deforestation; timber and agricultural commodities—palm oil, soybean, coffee, cattle, and cocoa. At a global level, financial crises are associated with a reduction in deforestation rates (− 36 p.p) and deforestation drivers; roundwood (− 6.7 p.p.), cattle (− 2.3 p.p.) and cocoa production (− 8.3 p.p.). Regionally, deforestation rates in Asia, Africa, and Europe decreased by − 83, − 43, and 22 p.p, respectively. Drivers behind these effects may be different, from palm oil (− 1.3 p.p.) and cocoa (− 10.5 p.p.) reductions in Africa, to a combination of timber (− 9.5 p.p) and palm oil in Asia. Moreover, financial crises have a larger effect on deforestation in low-income, than upper middle- and high-income countries (− 51 vs − 39 and − 18 p.p. respectively). Using another main dataset on yearly forest cover—the ESA-Climate Change Initiative—a picture arises showing financial crises leading to small global decreases in forest cover (− 0.1 p.p.) with a small agricultural cover increase (0.1 p.p). Our findings point to financial crises as important moments for global deforestation dynamics. Yet, to consolidate benefits on decreasing deforestation, governments need to enhance their sustainable forest management during crisis periods rather than let it slip down national agendas. Finally, to achieve the SDGs related to forests, better global forest cover datasets are needed, with better forest loss/gain data, disturbance history, and understanding of mosaicked landscape dynamics within a satellite pixel.
Operating with Names: Operational Definitions in the Analects and Beyond
Authors: Rogacz Dawid 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe philosophy of Confucius has often been accused of lacking classical definitions of its core concepts. However, as I shall argue, Confucius systematically used nonclassical definitions—to be precise, operational ones. The notion of operational definition comes from Percy Bridgman’s The Logic of Modern Physics (Bridgman 1927) and means that the definiendum is defined by a set of operations that results in determining the meaning of the term in question. In the case of Confucian argumentation, operational definitions are mostly nominal and, in contrast to unambiguous methods of measurement, also context-dependent. This results in there being various yet not mutually inconsistent definitions of one term, and in “paradigmatic examples” playing a crucial role. As I show, this mode of defining things had major implications for the content of Confucius’ thought. In fact, many of its forms could be traced back to other Chinese philosophers, including those of non-Confucian provenance.
Interferon regulatory factor-1 regulates cisplatin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in A549 lung cancer cells
Authors: Zhang Lemeng , Cheng Tianli , Yang Hua , Chen Jianhua , Wen Xiaoping , Jiang Zhou , Yi Huihuang , Luo Yongzhong 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the expression and function of interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). IRF-1 expression and its prognostic value were investigated through bioinformatic analysis. The protein expression levels of IRF-1, cleaved caspase 3, and LC3-I/II were analyzed by western blotting. A lentiviral vector was used to overexpress or knockdown IRF-1 in vitro. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed by JC-1 and DCFH-DA staining, respectively. ATP, SOD, MDA, cell viability, LDH release, and caspase 3 activity were evaluated using commercial kits. Compared to the levels in normal tissues, IRF-1 expression was significantly lower in lung cancer tissues and was a prognostic factor for NSCLC. Cisplatin treatment-induced IRF-1 activation, ROS production, ATP depletion, SOD consumption, and MDA accumulation in A549 lung cancer cells. IRF-1 overexpression promoted mitochondrial depolarization, oxidative stress, and apoptotic cell death and inhibited autophagy in A549 cells, and these effects could be reversed by IRF-1 knockdown. These data suggest that IRF-1 regulates apoptosis, autophagy and oxidative stress, which might be served as a potential target for increasing chemotherapy sensitivity of lung cancer.