bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High‐Efficiency Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Atomic Layer Deposited Zirconium‐Doped Zinc Oxide
Authors: Poduval Geedhika K. , Duan Leiping , Hossain Md. Anower , Sang Borong , Zhang Yu , Zou Yingping , Uddin Ashraf , Hoex Bram
Published: July 2020

Organic solar cells (OSCs) are promising photovoltaic devices and zinc oxide (ZnO) is a commonly used electron transport layer (ETL) in OSCs. However, the conventional spin‐coating ZnO layer is currently limiting its efficiency potential. Herein, it is shown for the first time that atomic layer deposition (ALD), which allows for controlled thin film growth with atomic‐scale control, can effectively be used to optimize the ZnO for nonfullerene OSCs. First, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are discussed to show the impact of doping ZnO with zirconium (Zr) on its density of states and detail the synthesis of Zr doped ZnO films by ALD using a supercycle approach. A 2.4% Zr concentration is found to be optimal in terms of optoelectronic properties and sufficiently low defect density. The champion efficiency of 14.7% for a PM6:N3‐based nonfullerene OSC with Zr‐doped ZnO ETL are obtained, which is ≈1% absolute higher compared to a device with an undoped ZnO ETL. This improvement is attributed to a lower series resistance, a suppressed surface recombination, and an enhanced current extraction resulting from the Zr‐doped ZnO. This work demonstrates the potential of atomic‐scale engineering afforded by ALD towards achieving the ultimate efficiency of OSCs.
An Ink‐Composition Engineering Approach for Upscaling of Organic Solar Cells with High‐Efficiency Retention Factor
Authors: Andersen Thomas R. , Zhao Feng , Li Yaokai , Dickinson Michael , Chen Hongzheng
Published: July 2020

The potential for commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs) has vastly increased in recent years as the device efficiency for small‐scale laboratory OSCs has continuously increased. There are, however, still multiple challenges that need to be addressed and overcome. Among them, upscaling of the device manufacturing techniques to be compatible with the potential attributes of low cost must be the pinnacle. Herein, a pathway for upscaling with an ink‐engineering approach toward in‐air optimization of large‐area OSCs is presented. Optimized flexible indium tin oxide (ITO)‐free OSCs based on a PTB7‐TH:IEICO‐4F:PC71BM ternary blend show efficiencies up to 10.2% (device active area 0.88 cm2), which is the highest value reported to date (for in‐air slot‐die‐coated devices). This is achieved through ink modifications and optimizations as well as electrode and active layer compositional optimizations, leading to an impressive efficiency retention of 0.86 compared to the in‐literature optimized small‐scale devices.
A Review of Grazing Incidence Small‐ and Wide‐Angle X‐Ray Scattering Techniques for Exploring the Film Morphology of Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Mahmood Asif , Wang Jin‐Liang
Published: July 2020

In recent years, a rapid evolution of organic solar cells (OSCs) has been achieved by virtue of structural design of active layer materials and optimization of film morphology. Along with other characterization techniques, grazing incidence small‐ and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS and GIWAXS) have played significant role in deeper understanding of film morphology. Herein, the importance of these techniques is explained with examples from various aspects of OSCs. Different pre‐ and post‐processing conditions such as solvent effect, solvent additive, solvent, and thermal annealing are studied in the framework of these techniques. Moreover, the impact of donor:acceptor ratio and molecular weight of semiconductor on microstructure is also explored. Finally, the effect of chemical structure of organic semiconductors (both polymers and small molecules) on the film morphology is discussed. These techniques provide valuable information about crystallinity, phase separation, and domain size of nanostructured film morphology, which helps to optimize the film morphology and enhances the performance of OSCs. The role of these techniques will become more important as the mystery of film morphology still has to be solved.
Effect of fly ash and corrosion on bond behavior in reinforced concrete
Authors: Zhou Qingsong , Lu Caifeng , Wang Wei , Wei Shenghuai , Xi Bangfa
Published: July 2020

Reinforcing steel bar can exert its strength and ductility by bonding to concrete. However, corrosion of steel bars reduces the bonding effect. This study mainly investigated the coupling effects of fly ash (FA) and corrosion on bond behavior. The impressed current method was utilized to achieve the target corrosion degrees. Three crucial factors that have impact on bond behavior was considered, which were FA content, corrosion degree and stirrups. The bond behavior was discussed using the bond‐slip curves. The results showed that the slight corrosion (less than 2.1%) can improve the bond behavior, the supplement of 15% FA can result in a higher ultimate bond strength and to a substantial extent offset the reduction in bond strength owing to the severe corrosion of rebar. The effects of stirrups on bond strength mainly focused on fly ash concrete (FAC) and had an almost negligible impact on ordinary concrete. The results and discussions can be of great significance to establish the bond‐slip constitutive model under multi‐factor coupling conditions and also can give some important advices to the design of engineering structures.
Hybrid simulation of a tall building with a double‐decker tuned sloshing damper system under wind loads
Authors: Kwon Dae Kun , Kareem Ahsan
Published: July 2020

This study presents an advanced experimental system, hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL), recently referred to as hybrid testing, to validate the effectiveness of a double‐decker tuned sloshing damper (TSD) system with screens applied to a recently constructed tall building. The HIL simulation facilitates a performance analysis of a combined structure‐damper system in which the nonlinear behavior of liquid motion in a TSD is physically modeled, whereas a building system under wind loads that behaves linearly is embedded virtually utilizing a computer model. The scaled model of the TSD is composed of a computer‐controlled system with a shaking table, sensors, and a real‐time communication link. The virtual building system on the computer communicates in real time with the hardware, that is, the physical model of TSD to evaluate on‐the‐fly the performance of a combined building‐TSD system. External excitation including random loading characteristics of winds, waves, or earthquakes can be implemented in HIL to observe the dynamics of the building‐damper system under a host of loading scenarios. An example of a recently completed tall reinforced concrete building with multiple TSDs placed side by side in double‐decker configuration under a suite of external loads and the proposed damping estimation procedure to evaluate the amount of auxiliary damping with TSD for ensuring the TSD design is presented. It examines the habitability of the building in winds and evaluates the effectiveness of the TSD system as well as the efficacy of the first HIL simulation for an actual tall building‐TSD system equipped with screens inside.
A sandwich model of Cr(VI) adsorption and detoxification by Fenton modified chitosan
Authors: Jia Nanzhengfang , Yun Lingxiang , Huang Jinye , Chen Hui , Shen Chensi , Wen Yuezhong
Published: July 2020

The Fenton reaction has the advantages of short reaction time, low cost, no toxicity, and straightforward application and control. The Fenton reaction generates highly reactive HO•, which has been applied effectively. However, the effect of the generated Fe3+ has not been investigated widely. In this study, the Fenton reaction was used to improve the Cr(VI) adsorption and detoxification capacities of chitosan. After the Fenton modification, chitosan efficiently adsorbed Cr(VI) and transformed it into the less toxic Cr(III) in a wide pH range as a result of layer formation, which was described by a sandwich model. The adsorption of Cr(VI) onto the Fenton modified chitosan was in good agreement with the Freundlich adsorption model, and the adsorption capacity exceeded 120 mg/g. During the Fenton reaction, H2O2 and HO• with high oxidative activity broke the hydrogen bonds in the chitosan structure, resulting in the release of free amine groups for Fe3+ to form metal‐binding biopolymers. The distance between the chitosan polymers increased, and additional adsorption sites were created. HCrO4− entered the gap between the chitosan polymer and was adsorbed on the newly created adsorption sites. The sandwich adsorption model indicated that the Fenton modified chitosan provided a high concentration of active sites for Cr(VI) capture and detoxification.

Practitioner points

Fenton reaction was used to improve the adsorption ability of chitosan.

The formed Fe3+ in Fenton reaction was utilized.

HO· broke the hydrogen bonds and Fe3+ ions chelated with chitosan in modification.

Cr(VI) could be adsorbed and reduced efficiently by Fenton modified chitosan.

The Fenton modified chitosan provided a high concentration of active sites for Cr(VI) capture and detoxification.
The need for Internet of Things digital forensic black‐boxes
Authors: Chung Hyunji , Choo Kim‐Kwang Raymond
Published: July 2020

In our interconnected cyber‐physical world, the types and number of Internet of Things (IoT) will also increase. Such devices are also generally capable of capturing a broad range of information, including digital artifacts that can facilitate a digital investigation during a cyber security incident (e.g., data breach). In other words, IoT devices are potential evidence acquisition sources. We posit the importance of having a digital forensic black‐box, conceptually similar to the cockpit voice recorder (also known as a flight recorder) on aircrafts, to facilitate digital investigations. Using a smart home comprising many different IoT devices (e.g., smart home devices, smart vehicles, and smart wearables) as an example, we discuss where such a black‐box can reside and what sort of artifacts can be collected. This black‐box can also complement other existing digital forensic readiness strategies, such as those described in ISO/IEC 27043:2015. We also explore the associated design requirements such as data provenance. There are changes required to the organization's current computing architecture in order to deploy our proposed black‐box, as explained in this paper. In addition, we will explore the potential privacy implications and potential research opportunities (e.g., blockchain‐based digital forensic black‐box).

This article is categorized under:

Digital and Multimedia Science > Cloud Forensics

Digital and Multimedia Science > IoT Forensics
Gravitational wave background from Standard Model physics: complete leading order
Authors: Ghiglieri J. , Jackson G. , Laine M. , Zhu Y.
Published: July 2020

Abstract

We compute the production rate of the energy density carried by gravitational waves emitted by a Standard Model plasma in thermal equilibrium, consistently to leading order in coupling constants for momenta k ∼ πT. Summing up the contributions from the full history of the universe, the highest temperature of the radiation epoch can be constrained by the so-called Neff parameter. The current theoretical uncertainty ∆Neff≤ 10−3 corresponds to Tmax≤ 2 × 1017 GeV. In the course of the computation, we show how a subpart of the production rate can be determined with the help of standard packages, even if subsequently an IR subtraction and thermal resummation need to be implemented.
Flow boiling heat transfer characteristics using the modified eulerian and wall heat balance model
Authors: Okon C. E. , Turan A.
Published: July 2020

Flow boiling heat transfer is routinely encountered in nuclear reactors, steam engines and other engineering applications. Although several researchers have carried out different numerical and experimental investigations on flow boiling, the underlying physics of the interfacial interaction is still a complex phenomenon to understand in detail. Hence, the numerical simulation and optimisation regarding the adoption of engineering flow boiling parameters have been conducted in this study using the Modified Eulerian-Eulerian Model (MEEM) and Wall Heat Balance Model (WHBM). To predict interpenetrating flow fields and to provide detailed relevant information on the flow behaviour, this study considered a uniform axial heating profile for a cylindrical flow channel. The Raynolds Average Navier Stokes (RANS) equation with an appropriate turbulence model are used to predict the effect of turbulence on the mean flow field, while the MEEM multiphase sub-models are employed to predict the temperature distribution along the wall, the average void fraction, tracking of the single bubble detachment diameter, heat balance at the wall, effect of surface roughness on heat transfer, the effect of aspect ratio, and the critical heat flux. The results obtained from this study are compared with the selected numerical investigation and experimental data presented in the open literature. The present study shows a better approximate prediction (with minimal uncertainties) of both the subcooled boiling heat transfer and the saturated boiling heat transfer. In summary, this study agrees with extant theories and experimental predictions. Thus, it has provided more profound insights into flow boiling heat transfer particularly for flow in a vertical pipe.
Influence of surface roughness on heat transfer during quenching hot metals with different nozzles
Authors: Fang Yuan , Woche Hermann , Specht Eckehard
Published: July 2020

The experimental work aims at investigating the influence of surface roughness on heat transfer by using different nozzles. Part of the rough surfaces are provided directly by the industry. These surfaces of casting products possess considerable roughness up to millimeters which can be either unstructured or with typical grooves in the casting direction. The understanding of its effect on cooling hot metals can help to shed light on the quenching process encountered in the industrial applications. This study will initially be carried out with individual nozzles, such as full cone and full jet nozzles, in order to identify the basic relations. Subsequently, a mold is also applied which can be regarded as a series of full jet nozzles. As for the experiments with mold, the plate is moving downwards with a preset velocity; meanwhile, the plate is fixed for experiments with full jet and full cone nozzle.
Precise determination of LJ parameters and Eucken correction factors for a more accurate modeling of transport properties in gases
Authors: Bechtel Simon , Bayer Brian , Vidaković-Koch Tanja , Wiser Artur , Vogel Herbert , Sundmacher Kai
Published: July 2020

The kinetic gas theory, in particular the equations of Chapman and Enskog, proved to be good and widely applicable approximations for modeling transport properties like diffusion coefficients, viscosities and thermal conductivities. However, these equations rely on at least the Lennard-Jones parameters and for polar gases also the dipole moment. In the scientific literature, the Lennard-Jones parameters are fitted to only one experimentally determined transport coefficient. This approach leads to good agreement between the Chapman Enskog equations employing the so obtained parameters with the experimental data for this specific transport property. However, utilizing the same parameters for modeling different transport properties oftentimes leads to distinct deviations. In this work, it is shown that the subset of Lennard-Jones parameters with which the Chapman Enskog equations can predict the experimental results with deviations comparable to the experimental uncertainty are not identical for each transport property. Hence, fitting towards one property doesn’t necessarily yield parameters that are suited to describe the other transport properties. In this publication, the Lennard-Jones parameters and a temperature dependent Eucken correction factor, leading to a significantly higher accuracy than the classical Eucken correction and also its modification by Hirschfelder, are therefore fitted towards all three transport properties simultaneously for seven exemplary gases. This approach leads to a significantly better agreement with experimental data for the three transport properties than the classical approach that relies on fitting to one single transport property and can be utilized to determine accurate sets of Lennard-Jones parameters and Eucken correction factors for any gas species. It provides a computationally inexpensive and practical method for the precise calculation of transport properties over a wide range of temperatures relevant for processes in the chemical industry.
Instant rule-out of suspected non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T with Copeptin versus a single low high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T: findings from a large pooled individual data analysis on 10,329 patients
Authors: Giannitsis Evangelos , Huber K. , Hamm C. W. , Möckel M.
Published: July 2020

Background

Evidence is sparse and inconsistent on the role of a dual marker strategy (DMS) combining Copeptin with cardiac troponin T (cTnT) for instant rule-out of a non-ST-segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) when high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is used.

Methods

Data on 10,329 patients from 5 trials were pooled to evaluate initial Copeptin in combination with hs-cTnT against a single marker strategy (SMS) based on hs-cTnT < limit of detection. Endpoints were sensitivities and negative predictive values (NPV) for rule-out of NSTEMI, 30-day all-cause mortality and rates of applicability for DMS or SMS.

Results

NPV for rule-out of NSTEMI was high, exceeding 99.0% for the lower limits of the 95% confidence intervals (99.0% vs 99.2%) for DMS and SMS, and NPV for all cause death at 30 days was similar with very low mortality after rule-out [0.07% (0.0–0.4%) vs 0.0% (0.0–1.2%), p = 1.0], but applicability was 2.4-fold higher [64.6% (63.0–66.2%) vs 27.9% (26.2%—29.7%), p < 0.001] with DMS than SMS. In a secondary analysis on DMS after inclusion of high risk patients, performance and applicability were similar.

Conclusion

Findings corroborate the 2015 European Society of Cardiology recommendation to use dual marker strategy for instant rule-out of NSTEMI, extending evidence to hs-cTnT. Novel data demonstrate a comparably safe and effective instant rule-out with Copeptin in combination with hs-cTnT versus a single marker strategy based on very low hs-cTnT but a more than twofold higher applicability of the dual marker strategy without the need to exclude very early presenters or other important subgroups.

Graphic abstract

Dual marker strategy using hs-cTnT at 99th percentile and Copeptin versus ESC 0-h immediate rule-out based on hs-cTnT < limit of detection
Evaluation of artifacts of cochlear implant electrodes in cone beam computed tomography
Authors: Bevis Nicholas , Effertz Thomas , Beutner Dirk , Gueldner Christian
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) offers a valid alternative to conventional Computed Tomography (CT). A possible radiation dose reduction with the use of CBCT in postoperative imaging of CIs is of great importance. Whether the visualization of Cochlear Implant (CI) electrodes in CBCT correlates with the radiation dose applied was investigated in this study.

Methods

We compared the visualization quality of Contour Advance CIs to Straight CIs from Cochlear using CBCT with varying tube parameters on whole-head specimen.

Results

The internal diameter of the cochlea decreases from base to apex, resulting in a significantly different intracochlear positioning of the two tested CI models. While electrodes of the Contour Advance series are located close to the modiolus, thus closer to the spiral ganglion neurons, those of the Straight series are located further away. The artifact portion of the electrode amounts to 50–70% of the radiological diameter of the electrode. An increase in artifact portion from the base (electrode #1 approx. 50%) to the apex (electrode #20 approx. 70%) of the cochlea was observed. The visualization of electrodes in the medial and apical part of the cochlea is limited due to artifact overlapping. There was no correlation between the artifact size and the applied radiation dose.

Conclusion

The results indicate that a reduction of the radiation dose by up to 45% of the currently applied radiation dose of standard protocols would be possible. Investigations of the effects on subjective image quality still need to be performed.
A load balance multi-scheduling model for OpenCL kernel tasks in an integrated cluster
Authors: Ahmed Usman , Lin Jerry Chun-Wei , Srivastava Gautam , Aleem Muhammad
Published: July 2020

Nowadays, embedded systems are comprised of heterogeneous multi-core architectures, i.e., CPUs and GPUs. If the application is mapped to an appropriate processing core, then these architectures provide many performance benefits to applications. Typically, programmers map sequential applications to CPU and parallel applications to GPU. The task mapping becomes challenging because of the usage of evolving and complex CPU- and GPU-based architectures. This paper presents an approach to map the OpenCL application to heterogeneous multi-core architecture by determining the application suitability and processing capability. The classification is achieved by developing a machine learning-based device suitability classifier that predicts which processor has the highest computational compatibility to run OpenCL applications. In this paper, 20 distinct features are proposed that are extracted by using the developed LLVM-based static analyzer. In order to select the best subset of features, feature selection is performed by using both correlation analysis and the feature importance method. For the class imbalance problem, we use and compare synthetic minority over-sampling method with and without feature selection. Instead of hand-tuning the machine learning classifier, we use the tree-based pipeline optimization method to select the best classifier and its hyper-parameter. We then compare the optimized selected method with traditional algorithms, i.e., random forest, decision tree, Naïve Bayes and KNN. We apply our novel approach on extensively used OpenCL benchmarks, i.e., AMD and Polybench. The dataset contains 653 training and 277 testing applications. We test the classification results using four performance metrics, i.e., F-measure, precision, recall and $$R^2$$

R
2

. The optimized and reduced feature subset model achieved a high F-measure of 0.91 and $$R^2$$

R
2

of 0.76. The proposed framework automatically distributes the workload based on the application requirement and processor compatibility.
Impacts of atmospheric and oceanic initial conditions on boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation forecast in the BCC model
Authors: Bo Zhongkai , Liu Xiangwen , Gu Weizong , Huang Anning , Fang Yongjie , Wu Tongwen , Jie Weihua , Li Qiaoping
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we evaluate the capability of the Beijing Climate Center Climate System Model (BCC-CSM) in simulating and forecasting the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO), using its simulation and sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) hindcast results. Results show that the model can generally simulate the spatial structure of the BSISO, but give relatively weaker strength, shorter period, and faster transition of BSISO phases when compared with the observations. This partially limits the model’s capability in forecasting the BSISO, with a useful skill of only 9 days. Two sets of hindcast experiments with improved atmospheric and atmosphere/ocean initial conditions (referred to as EXP1 and EXP2, respectively) are conducted to improve the BSISO forecast. The BSISO forecast skill is increased by 2 days with the optimization of atmospheric initial conditions only (EXP1), and is further increased by 1 day with the optimization of both atmospheric and oceanic initial conditions (EXP2). These changes lead to a final skill of 12 days, which is comparable to the skills of most models participated in the S2S Prediction Project. In EXP1 and EXP2, the BSISO forecast skills are improved for most initial phases, especially phases 1 and 2, denoting a better description for BSISO propagation from the tropical Indian Ocean to the western North Pacific. However, the skill is considerably low and insensitive to initial conditions for initial phase 6 and target phase 3, corresponding to the BSISO convection’s active-to-break transition over the western North Pacific and BSISO convection’s break-to-active transition over the tropical Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent. This prediction barrier also exists in many forecast models of the S2S Prediction Project. Our hindcast experiments with different initial conditions indicate that the remarkable model errors over the Maritime Continent and subtropical western North Pacific may largely account for the prediction barrier.
Strengthening convex relaxations of 0/1-sets using Boolean formulas
Authors: Fiorini Samuel , Huynh Tony , Weltge Stefan
Published: July 2020

In convex integer programming, various procedures have been developed to strengthen convex relaxations of sets of integer points. On the one hand, there exist several general-purpose methods that strengthen relaxations without specific knowledge of the set S of feasible integer points, such as popular linear programming or semi-definite programming hierarchies. On the other hand, various methods have been designed for obtaining strengthened relaxations for very specific sets S that arise in combinatorial optimization. We propose a new efficient method that interpolates between these two approaches. Our procedure strengthens any convex set containing a set $$ S \subseteq \{0,1\}^n $$

S
⊆

{
0
,
1
}

n

by exploiting certain additional information about S. Namely, the required extra information will be in the form of a Boolean formula $$\phi $$
ϕ
defining the target set S. The new relaxation is obtained by “feeding” the convex set into the formula $$\phi $$
ϕ
. We analyze various aspects regarding the strength of our procedure. As one application, interpreting an iterated application of our procedure as a hierarchy, our findings simplify, improve, and extend previous results by Bienstock and Zuckerberg on covering problems.
A comparison of culture-based, real-time PCR, droplet digital PCR and flow cytometric methods for the detection of Burkholderia cepacia complex in nuclease-free water and antiseptics
Authors: Ahn Youngbeom , Gibson Bailey , Williams Anna , Alusta Pierre , Buzatu Dan A , Lee Yong-Jin , LiPuma John J , Hussong David , Marasa Bernard , Cerniglia Carl E
Published: July 2020

The presence of Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) strains has resulted in recalls of pharmaceutical products, since these opportunistic pathogens can cause serious infections. Rapid and sensitive diagnostic methods to detect BCC are crucial to determine contamination levels. We evaluated bacterial cultures, real-time PCR (qPCR), droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), and flow cytometry to detect BCC in nuclease-free water, in chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) and benzalkonium chloride (BZK) solutions. Twenty BCC strains were each suspended (1, 10, 100, and 1000 CFU/ml) in autoclaved nuclease-free water, 10 μg/ml CHX, and 50 μg/ml BZK. Five replicates of each strain were tested at each concentration (20 strains × 4 concentrations × 5 replicates = 400 tests) to detect BCC using the aforementioned four methods. We demonstrated the potential of ddPCR and flow cytometry as more sensitive alternatives to culture-based methods to detect BCC in autoclaved nuclease-free water and antiseptics samples.
Toxicity study of Chlorella vulgaris water extract on female Sprague Dawley rats by using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guideline 420
Authors: Zainul Azlan Nurhazirah , Abd Ghafar Norzana , Mohd Yusof Yasmin Anum , Makpol Suzana
Published: July 2020

Chlorella vulgaris, a coccoid green eukaryotic microalga, is a popular food supplement and has been marketed as a nutritional supplement in Asia. Despite numerous reports on the antioxidant property of this species, its toxic effect has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to determine the acute oral toxic effect of C. vulgaris on female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. An acute oral toxicity assessment of C. vulgaris was performed based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guideline 420. These guidelines are divided into a sighting study and a main study. In the sighting study, C. vulgaris extract was administered orally in sequential doses of 5, 50, 300 and 2000 mg kg−1 body weight (BW) with one rat used for each dosage. Clinical observation and mortality were observed for each rat to monitor signs of toxicity for 14 days. BW and relative organ weight (ROW) were recorded. Blood was collected for liver function test (LFT). Gross pathological evaluations were performed after euthanasia of rats. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of the liver and kidney was also performed. The main study was performed based on the highest dose in the sighting study that did not exhibit any signs of toxicity and mortality. For 14 days, clinical observations, BW, and ROW were recorded. Blood from rats in the main study was also measured for LFT, and gross pathological evaluations and H&E staining of the liver and kidney were also performed. The highest dose of 2000 mg kg−1 BW C. vulgaris was used in the main study. No toxicity and mortality were observed in both the sighting study and the main study. Increases in BW were observed in both studies. Gross pathological evaluations showed no signs of organ abnormalities on each organ in the sighting and main studies. The ROW also showed no differences. The values of biochemical parameters in the liver function test showed no differences in the sighting study. However, in the main study, significant decreases in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were observed on day 14 compared with day 0 (p < 0.05). Chlorella vulgaris showed no toxicity at the dose of 2000 mg kg−1 BW. In conclusion, C. vulgaris can be categorized as unclassified according to the Globally Harmonised Classification System (GHS) for chemical substances and mixtures.
Interrogating Malcolm X’s “Ballot or the Bullet”
Authors: Farrah Daryl
Published: July 2020

This article examines Malcolm X’s 1964 speech titled the “Ballot or the Bullet.” He used both managerial and confrontational rhetoric in this text; however, Malcolm X’s background, the events preceding the speech, the themes Malcolm X used, and the pattern of the speech has led many people over the years to believe the rhetoric Malcolm X produced here was confrontational. Nevertheless, this work argues that this speech was overall managerial and that some of the ideas expressed in this speech are being used widely by people today on both sides of the political spectrum.
Validation of the German Version of the Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire (SMQ)
Authors: Böge Kerem , Schaeuffele Carmen , Jacobsen Pamela , Chadwick Paul , Ergen Emre , Hahne Inge , Bergmann Niklas , Boettcher Johanna , Wingenfeld Katja , Bajbouj Malek , Hahn Eric
Published: July 2020

Objectives

The aim of the study was to assess the convergent and divergent validity, reliability, utility, and treatment sensitivity of a newly translated German version of the Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire (SMQ). The SMQ is a 16-item instrument measuring mindful awareness of distressing thoughts, images, and perceptions, developed originally within the mindfulness for psychosis field.

Methods

Overall, three studies were conducted, comprising (1) a non-clinical sample of n = 848 (638 community sample and 210 meditators); (2) a clinical sample of n = 213 (106 schizophrenia and 107 depression); and (3) a clinical sample with n = 122 participants with emotional disorders within a randomized controlled study, of which 30 participants were also included in study 2. To assess convergent validity, participants completed the SMQ, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), and Comprehensive Inventory of Mindfulness Experiences (CHIME). To measure divergent validity, participants completed the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaires (BEAQ), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index 3 (ASI-3).

Results

Mean internal consistency (α = 0.89) and convergent (r = 0.66 to 0.73) and divergent validity (r = − 0.09 to − 0.50) were established and sensitivity to change over time following treatment (d = 0.86) was shown. For the clinical sample, a single-factor structure is suggested by principal component analysis.

Conclusions

Results provide first evidence for the utility of the German version of the SMQ for clinical practice and research in healthy individuals, meditators, and clinical groups. Further research is needed to examine the underlying construct of mindfulness.
Beneficiation of Nigerian bentonite using local materials
Authors: Igwilo Kevin C. , Uwaezuoke N. , Okoli N. , Obasi Franklin T. , Okoro Emeka E.
Published: July 2020

In previous studies, it has been found that the Nigerian bentonite is deficient in terms of its fluid loss and rheological properties which includes yield point. Also, due to its high calcium content and low sodium content as opposed to foreign bentonite, it does not meet the API standard of drilling. This research was carried out to beneficiate the Nigerian bentonite as regards its fluid loss properties, rheological properties and wellbore stability. Snail shell is seen as waste substance in Nigeria, and Mucuna solannie on the other hand is a local major food supplement in Nigeria and is found in large quantities. The elemental and oxide compositions of the snail shell and Mucuna solannie were determined through scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction measurements, respectively. The additives were used to beneficiate the Nigerian bentonite, and the test result proved that at considerable concentrations of the additives, the Nigerian bentonite was able to compete with foreign bentonite and also met API specifications. Both additives contain high concentrations of nanoparticles and inhibitive calcium and potassium for wellbore stability. Beneficiated Nigerian bentonite also proved to be viable economically when compared with foreign bentonite.
All-Fiber Liquid-Level Sensor Based on In-Line MSM Fiber Structure
Authors: Sun Tingting , Liu Zigeng , Liu Yun , Zhang Yang , Jing Zhenguo , Peng Wei
Published: July 2020

We propose and demonstrate an all-fiber liquid-level sensor using an in-line multimode-single-mode-multimode (MSM) fiber structure. A piece of single-mode fiber (SMF) is spliced to two sections of equivalent multimode fiber (MMF) which are used as both mode splitter and mode coupler. The cladding mode will be excited when the light propagates from MMF to SMF, and then it will be combined with fundamental mode to form a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) when the light propagates from SMF to the other MMF. The liquid level is detected by the selected resonant dips shift of the transmission spectrum. A sensing sensitivity of 264.6 pm/mm is achieved for the proposed sensor with an SMF length of 26mm. Due to its compact structure, easy fabrication, and high sensitivity, the proposed liquid-level sensor is attractive for practical applications in a variety of fields, such as marine detection and chemical processing.
Enduring Traditions and the (Im)materiality of Early Colonial Encounters in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Holland-Lulewicz Jacob , Thompson Victor D. , Wettstaed James , Williams Mark
Published: July 2020

Hernando de Soto's expedition through the southeastern United States between 1539 and 1543 is often regarded as a watershed moment for the collapse of Indigenous societies across the region. Historical narratives have proposed that extreme depopulation as a result of early contact destabilized Indigenous economies, politics, networks, and traditions. Although processes of depopulation and transformation were certainly set in motion by this and earlier colonial encounters, the timing, temporality, and heterogeneous rhythms of postcontact Indigenous histories remain unclear. Through the integration of radiocarbon and archaeological data from the Mississippian earthen platform mound at Dyar (9GE5) in central Georgia, we present a case of Indigenous endurance and resilience in the Oconee Valley that has long been obfuscated by materially based chronologies and typologies. Bayesian chronological modeling suggests that Indigenous Mississippian traditions persisted for up to 130 years beyond contact with European colonizers. We argue that advances in modeling radiocarbon dates, along with meaningful consultation/collaboration with descendant communities, can contribute to efforts that move us beyond a reliance on materially based chronologies that can distort and erase Indigenous histories.
Mean reflected stochastic differential equations with jumps
Authors: Briand Phillippe , Ghannoum Abir , Labart Céline
Published: July 2020

In this paper, a reflected stochastic differential equation (SDE) with jumps is studied for the case where the constraint acts on the law of the solution rather than on its paths. These reflected SDEs have been approximated by Briand et al. (2016) using a numerical scheme based on particles systems, when no jumps occur. The main contribution of this paper is to prove the existence and the uniqueness of the solutions to this kind of reflected SDE with jumps and to generalize the results obtained by Briand et al. (2016) to this context.
Asymptotic properties of random Voronoi cells with arbitrary underlying density
Authors: Gibbs Isaac , Chen Linan
Published: July 2020

We consider the Voronoi diagram generated by n independent and identically distributed
$\mathbb{R}^{d}$
-valued random variables with an arbitrary underlying probability density function f on
$\mathbb{R}^{d}$
, and analyze the asymptotic behaviors of certain geometric properties, such as the measure, of the Voronoi cells as n tends to infinity. We adapt the methods used by Devroye et al. (2017) to conduct a study of the asymptotic properties of two types of Voronoi cells: (1) Voronoi cells that have a fixed nucleus; (2) Voronoi cells that contain a fixed point. We show that the geometric properties of both types of cells resemble those in the case when the Voronoi diagram is generated by a homogeneous Poisson point process. Additionally, for the second type of Voronoi cells, we determine the limiting distribution, which is universal in all choices of f, of the re-scaled measure of the cells.
Transitional Burials in Late Antique Villas in the North-Western Provinces: Assessing Distributions and Characteristics
Authors: Dodd James
Published: July 2020

The end of the villa landscape in the north-western Roman provinces is characterized by significant transformation. One facet is the use of the villa complex and its surrounding area for funerary purposes. Traditionally, these burials have been divided into large-scale reuse of sites in the Migration period and small-scale transitional burials. The study of the latter has previously often been misguided or neglected. In this article, the author examines these transitional burials, addresses their historical background, and presents a new approach for assessing the scale, temporal distribution, and characteristics of a group of sites with funerary evidence in Belgica, Britannia, and the Germanic provinces.
WITCH-KILLINGS AND THE LAW IN UGANDA
Authors: Solomon Rukundo
Published: July 2020

People believed to be witches have been killed in many parts of Africa since precolonial times. Belief in witchcraft persists today among many people, occasionally resulting in the killing of the suspected witch. The killer views witchcraft as an attack similar in nature to the use of physical force and therefore kills the witch in an attempt to end the perceived attack. As it stands today, the law in Uganda fails to strike a balance between the rights of the deceased victim violated through murder and those of the accused who honestly believes that he or she or a loved one was a victim of witchcraft. This article argues that the defenses that are currently available—mistake of fact, self-defense, insanity, and provocation by witchcraft—are insufficient, as they fail to strike that delicate balance. A more pragmatic approach to the issue of witch-killing, one that deals with the elimination of belief in witchcraft, is necessary.
Introduction to the Special Issue on the Soviet Famines of 1930–1933
Authors: Graziosi Andrea
Published: July 2020

The 20th century has been a century of political famines, that is, famines directly—and at times willfully—caused by human policies, in war1and in peacetime. Scores of millions starved to death in times during which there was enough food to feed everyone and the means to transport it where needed.
Home Security: Drug Rehabilitation Centres, the Devil and Domesticity in Guatemala City
Authors: O'Neill Kevin Lewis
Published: July 2020

Pentecostal drug rehabilitation centres in Guatemala City are informal responses to drug use, with these all-male institutions attempting to save drug users from what some Christians call ‘the devil’. Of ethnographic interest is that the mothers, sisters and wives not only pay for the capture and captivity of their loved ones but also volunteer their labour to support these centres. This article, in response, assesses not only the Christian impulse to domesticate sinners but also the extent to which a cult of domesticity organises Guatemala's war on drugs.
The CEAS and the Europeanization of Turkey’s Asylum Policy after the Syrian Crisis
Authors: Bilgin A. Asli , Arikan Harun
Published: July 2020

Although the European Union (EU) has a Common European Asylum System (CEAS), the policy stance of the Member States towards the Syrian crisis caused some problems in the implementation of the CEAS. Within this context, Turkey has turned into the most important partner of the EU due to the fact that it prevents the entrance of the asylum-seekers into the territory of the Member States. Therefore, the Syrian issue has become a bargaining chip between Turkey and the EU. This article examines the Europeanization process of Turkey’s asylum policy as well as the development of the CEAS and its implementation with respect to Syrian refugees within the EU.
Donald Westlake’s Ordo: Not Euro, not Noir, but Euro-Noir?
Authors: Baetens Jan , Schultze Ana , Truyen Fred
Published: July 2020

Noir is a genre label with a long and complex history. The success of certain European home-grown forms of the genre (the French polar, the Scandinavian noir, etc.) invite us to reflect on the range but also the limits of the label in today’s European culture. The seemingly paradoxical example of Donald Westlake’s Ordo, an American noir novel that is perhaps neither ‘truly American’ nor ‘noir’ (and perhaps not even a ‘novel’) will serve here as a test case for some reflections on the actual use and function of the noir label in European literary culture.
Understanding food westernisation and other contemporary drivers of adult, adolescent and child nutrition quality in urban Vietnam
Authors: Umberger Wendy J , Rupa Jesmin A , Zeng Di
Published: July 2020

Objective:

To examine the association between consumption of western foods purchased and consumed away from home and measures of nutrition quality: average daily caloric intake and macronutrient (carbohydrates, fat and protein) shares, for urban consumers in Vietnam, a country undergoing economic transition.

Design:

Cross-sectional observational data were collected using household surveys and 24-h food diaries. Outcome variables were individual average daily caloric intake and shares of calories from macronutrients: carbohydrates, fat and protein. The key explanatory variable was individual daily share of calories from western food purchased and consumed away from home. Ordinary least squares and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the association between the outcome variables: caloric intake and macronutrient shares and the share of calories from western food consumed away from home.

Setting:

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Participants:

In total, 1685 households and 4997 individuals, including adults (aged$$ \ge $$18 years), adolescents (aged 10–17 years) and children (aged 0–9 years).

Results:

The share of calories from western food away from home was significantly associated with higher caloric intake among male and female adults (P< 0·01), adolescents (P< 0·01) and male children (P< 0·10) and was associated with higher shares of fat for male and female adults (P< 0·01), adolescents (P< 0·01) and male children (P< 0·01).

Conclusions:

Policymakers must be conscious of the numerous factors associated with poor nutrition quality, especially in younger Vietnamese individuals. Relevant interventions targeting at risk groups are required if nutrition improvement is a long-term goal.
Taking Authoritarian Anti-Corruption Reform Seriously
Authors: Carothers Christopher
Published: July 2020

Scholars generally assume that authoritarian regimes will not curb corruption because autocrats benefit from it politically, use anti-corruption campaigns as excuses to purge rivals, and reject democratic institutions widely thought to reduce corruption, such as judicial independence. However, I argue that authoritarian regimes curb corruption more frequently—and sometimes more effectively—than scholars realize. Using a novel scoring system for anti-corruption efforts, I find that there have been at least twenty-five substantial anti-corruption efforts and nine successful reforms by authoritarian regimes in recent decades. Despite the association between democracy and corruption control, successful reforms have been by fully authoritarian regimes, rather than hybrid regimes, and employed a decidedly authoritarian approach, rather than the conventional approach emphasizing democratic institutions. This authoritarian approach to corruption control commonly involves power centralization, top-down control and penetration, and regime propaganda. I illustrate these points with a “least likely” case study of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s controversial anti-corruption campaign. At the theoretical level, I suggest that authoritarian regimes succeed in overcoming challenges—corruption being a hard challenge—through their own institutional strengths, rather than by mimicking democracies. This points to the need to reconsider certain influential views in the study of authoritarianism.
Practical Solutions to Forensic Contextual Bias
Authors: Quigley-McBride Adele
Published: July 2020

Abstract. In 2009, the National Research Council (NRC) globally criticized forensic science and, in particular, the potential for contextual bias to increase errors in forensic examination. Nevertheless, very few research-based solutions have been proposed and, of the current recommendations, none are consistently used in practice. Two experiments are presented here. Experiment 1 replicates and extends the Quigley-McBride and Wells (2018) study in which fingerprint lineups (the Filler-Control Procedure) were shown to neutralize the effect of contextual information on novice fingerprint evaluations. Experiment 2 demonstrates that restricting the use of evidence lineups to verification decisions would also be effective for reducing incorrect match decisions without straining resources. In both experiments, the filler-control procedure consistently reduced the effect of suggestive contextual information and protected innocent suspect prints from being mistakenly matched to crime samples. Interdisciplinary approaches are discussed as a way to help close the gap between research and forensic science practice.