bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cyclic shift keying spread spectrum underwater acoustic communication using time reversal energy detector
Authors: Du Peng-Yu  , Yin Jing-Wei  , Zhou Huan-Ling  , Guo Long-Xiang  ,   Acoustic Science and Technology Laboratory, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China;,   College of Underwater Acoustic Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Published: December 2020

The fluctuation of sea surface and the Doppler effect cause carrier phase fluctuations of received signal, and the multipath expansion of the underwater acoustic channel makes received signal distorted, which can seriously influence the decoding performance of the cyclic shift spread spectrum system. In this paper, we propose cyclic shift energy detector (CS-ED) algorithm for cyclic shift keying spread spectrum system, which can solve the problem about the influence of carrier phase fluctuation by detecting the output energy of cyclic shift matched filter. The CS-ED combined with time reversal mirror is further proposed and analyzed in this paper by using a time-updated channel impulse-response estimate as a (match) filter to do time reversal processing to mitigate the multipath-induced interferences. Time reversal CS-ED method is simple and robust, which can make the system work in low SNR. Dalian Sea test validation and Lianhua lake test validation are carried on, showing that the low bit error rate underwater acoustic communication is achieved under the condition of multi-path extension, carrier phase fluctuation and low signal-to-noise ratio.
Tribological behavior of reciprocating motion between ferromagnetic films coated with polymethylmethacrylate films under magnetic field
Authors: Li Lü-Zhou  , Jiang Ji-Le  , Wei Rong-Han  , Li Jun-Peng  , Tian Yu  , Ding Jian-Ning  ,   State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;,   Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China;,   Division of Mechanics and Acoustics, National Institute of Metrology, China, Beijing 100029, China;,   NanoEngineering and BioMedical Systems Lab, “National” Tsinghua University, Taiwan, China
Published: December 2020

Magnetic thin films are widely used in magnetic recording and magnetorheology, and also in magnetic lubrication such as ferromagnetic fluids. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is used as a coating material on the surface of the magnetic material in an electromagnetic system because of its good dielectric properties. In this study, the tribological behavior of reciprocating motion between ferromagnetic films coated with PMMA films under a magnetic field is evaluated. The system of ferromagnetic films coated with PMMA films based on glass is called ferromagnetic/PMMA double membrane in this paper. Two pieces of membranes in each tribological experiment are absolutely the same. Two kinds of experimental conditions, that is, under dry friction and silicone oil lubrication, are used to investigate the influences of load and magnetic field strength on the friction performance of ferromagnetic/PMMA double membranes. Experimental results show that the magnetic field directly affects the friction performance of a ferromagnetic /PMMA double-film system, and the performance changes with the normal load and intensity of the magnetic field. However, the influence of magnetic field on the tribological property in the dry friction mode is different from that in the silicone oil lubrication mode. The influences of magnetic force and the changes of the physical properties of the friction pair on friction and friction coefficient, which are both induced by the magnetic field, are analyzed. The theoretical analysis results are in good agreement with the experimental date. This work provides a basis for designing and controlling magnetic film interface media.
Low loss and narrow-band THz filter based on magnetic photonic crystals
Authors: Teng Chen-Chen  , Zhou Wen  , Zhuang Yu-Yang  , Chen He-Ming  ,   Department of Opto-Electronic Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China;,   Bell Honors School, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
Published: December 2020

As a key point to applying and studying magnetic photonic crystal technology, communication devices such as the magnetic photonic crystal filters with high performance and easy integration are developed. We investigate the feasibility of ferrite magnetism materials that can be used to make photonic crystal filters. The optical properties of the magnetic materials may be tuned by adjusting the magnetic field or temperature. The band gap of the magnetic photonic crystal can thus be transferred by changing the external magnetic field. This kind of magnetic photonic crystal has a great application prospect. A low insertion loss and narrow-band filter is designed based on a magnetic field-controlled ferrite defect in a photonic crystal for a terahertz (THz) wave. Ferrite is a ferromagnetic metal oxide with high dielectric constant, low saturation magnetization intensity, and high magnetic permeability at high frequencies. According to the crystal structure it can be divided into three categories: spinel, garnet and magnetic rock types. The garnet ferrite crystal can be used to realize THz band transmission, and its absorption coefficient is low (0.05-0.3) in uniform polarization. In this paper, a novel magnetic THz photonic crystal filter is proposed, in which point defects are produced by the introduction of garnet ferrite magnetic materials. Based on the coupling characteristics between the linear defect wave guide and the point defects, THz wave with a certain wave length can be well coupled by changing the radius and arrangement of the resonant cavity, so as to achieve high efficiency filter function. The permeability properties of ferrite magnetic materials are changed with the variation of the intensity of the external magnetic field, and the tuning of the frequency of the resonance mode. The optical properties of the filter are analyzed in detail by using plane waves method(PWM) in finite difference time domain(FDTD). Simulation results show that by changing the point defect structure and the radius of a certain dielectric cylinder, the insertion loss and 3 dB bandwidth of the filter are 0.0997 dB and 8.22 GHz, respectively.
High speed gate driver circuit basd on metal oxide thin film transistors
Authors: Zhang Li-Rong  , Ma Xue-Xue  , Wang Chun-Fu  , Li Guan-Ming  , Xia Xing-Heng  , Luo Dong-Xiang  , Wu Wei-Jing  , Xu Miao  , Wang Lei  , Peng Jun-Biao  ,   Guangzhou New Vision Opto-Electronic Technology Company, Ltd. , Guangzhou 510730, China;,   School of Electronic and Information Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China;,   State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Published: December 2020

This paper presents a new high speed gate driver circuit driven by In-Zn-O thin film transistors. Two methods are employed to improve the speed of this dirver: First, the input stage multiplex structure is adopted, one input stage drives three output stages; this could reduce the quantity of thin film transistors and also could achieve the narrow bezels in the AMOLED or AMLCD displays. Even the work frequency of the input stage becomes 1/3 of the output stage. When the speed of the circuit increass, there is enough time for input stage charging and discharging. So this kind of driver is suitable for high speed driving method. Second, three times the capacitance coupled effect generated in the gate driver can pull up the voltage level of the key nodes in the circuit, ensuring the signal integrity, While the first time the effect generated in the input stage is to reduce the charge time of the cascade signal and improve the speed of input stage. The second time that generated between input stage and output stage contrbutes to the integrity of cascade ouput signal and output control signal. A diode-connected thin film transistor applied to connect the output control signal and the gate of pull-up thin film transistors in output stage generates the three time capacitance coupled effects. Since the capacitance coupled effect can pull up the gate voltage of the pull-up thin film transistors during output period, the driving ability of the pull-up thin film transistors and the working speed could be promoted effectively. Simulation result shows that the capacitance coupled effect of each key node can pull up the voltage level considerably and the gate driver can normally work at the speed of 4 s. Finally, ten stage gate driver circuits have been fabricated successfully including ten input stages and thirty output stages. The test result shows that the proposed gate driver could work normally with a load of R=5 k and C=100 pF. Furthermore, the high speed test result shows that the output signal pulse width of the circuit is 2 s meeting the driving demands of the 4 k8 k display at the frame rate of 120 Hz. The power consumption of the gate dirver circuit is measured in different resolutions under the frame frequencies of 60 and 120 Hz respectively.
Analysis of spherical crystal dissolution in the solution
Authors: Wang Xiao-Hui  , Chen Ming-Wen  , Wang Zi-Dong  ,   School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China;,   School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Published: December 2020

Dissolution has attracted considerable attention since the dissolution is a common phenomenon in nature, and is of fundamental interest to reveal the morphology evolutions and microstructures of materials in materials science and pharmaceutical industry. A lot of research has been made in the field of crystal dissolution. And the solid-liquid interfacial energy is recognized as playing a key role in a wide range of material phenomena.The goal of the present study is to present analytical results for the dissolution of spherical crystal with the consideration of surface tension. In this review, we introduce the recent progress of spherical particle dissolution through similar studies. In our paper, a mathematical model is proposed to describe the dissolution process of a spherical crystal with moving boundary. The effect of surface tension through the Gibbs-Thomson condition is included in the mathematical model. And the dissolution of the spherical crystal is considered from the perspective of the concentration change of the solution. An asymptotic solution of the concentration and morphology for a spherical crystal in the dissolution is obtained by using the matched asymptotic expansion method. The results show that the surface tension has great effects on the concentration and interface shape of spherical crystal dissolution. As the surface tension parameter increases, the radius of the crystal decreases, the velocity of the spherical dissolution and the concentration of the solution increase. We have the conclusion that surface tension accelerates the dissolution process of the spherical crystal. And the larger the surface tension parameter, the faster the dissolution rate is and the shorter the dissolution time. The particle radius decreases with time going by, and the dissolution velocity increases with time increasing until the dissolution is completed. The concentration of the dissolution and interface shape of the spherical crystal can be calculated with the results obtained in this paper. It is shown that our analytical results accord well with the results obtained from the numerical results of Vermolen et al. [Vermolen F J, Vuik C, Zwaag S V D 2003 Mater. Sci. Eng. A 347 265].
Effect of thermal annealing on damage growth of mitigated site on fused silica
Authors: Jiang Yong  , Yuan Xiao-Dong  , Wang Hai-Jun  , Liao Wei  , Liu Chun-Ming  , Xiang Xia  , Qiu Rong  , Zhou Qiang  , Gao Xiang  , Yang Yong-Jia  , Zheng Wan-Guo  , Zu Xiao-Tao  , Miao Xin-Xiang  ,   Joint Laboratory for Extreme Conditions Matter Properties, Southwest University of Science and Technology and Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621010, China;,   Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China;,   School of Physical Electronics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Published: December 2020

Residual stresses will be formed around the mitigated site after the damaged site is irradiated by 10.6 m CO2 laser. Using those mitigated sites can improve the damage resistance ability in optics, and once the reinitiating damage occurs, the damaged site will grow under the subsequence irradiation and large fracture may form around the mitigated site. In this study, the annealing temperatures 650, 750 and 850 ℃, and time durations 6, 8, 10 and 12 h are used to anneal the samples. The sample annealed at 750 ℃ is the main research object of this study, while the sample annealed at 650 ℃ or 850 ℃ is only treated for 10 h. The differences of damage growth morphology and velocity of mitigated site on fused silica treated under those annealing conditions are investigated when it is damaged once again. Results are also compared with the damage growth behaviors of the unannealed substrate and mitigated site. It is indicated that the damage growth data still fit to an exponential curve even for the unannealed mitigated site. However, for the unannealed mitigated site, a more serious and larger size of damage site will be formed when the reinitiating damage occurs. It is mainly attributed to the fast propagation of crack under the effect of residual stress around the mitigated site. This behavior can be effectively controlled by the annealing treatment. Results show that the crack propagation behavior can be avoided when the retardation of mitigated sites is controlled in the range of 25 nm; moreover, the damage growth velocity and coefficient will gradually decrease with the increase of the annealing duration and annealing temperatures. A notable result indicates that there is no difference between the mitigated site and substrate when the retardation of mitigated sites is controlled below 10 nm, especially for the samples treated at 750 ℃ for 12 h and 850 ℃ for 10 h. Moreover, the reported investigation indicates that the stresses can still improve the damage resistance ability in optics. This is the most desirable outcome of the annealing treatment. Thus, the investigation results can provide a reference on how to analyze the effect of stress on damage growth of mitigated site and optimize the annealing parameters.
Inelastic neutron scattering and ab initio studies of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine
Authors: Liu Ben-Qiong  , Song Jian-Ming  , Zhang Wei-Bin  , Luo Wei  , Wang Yan  , Xia Yuan-Hua  , Zong He-Hou  , Gao Guo-Fang  , Sun Guang-Ai  ,   Key Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China;,   Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
Published: December 2020

As an important secondary explosive, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX, C3H6O6N6) is extensively used in military and industrial applications due to its high energy density and low sensitivity to external stimulations. Considerable attention has been devoted to the study of the detonation initiation, with particular interest in the mechanism by which energy is transferred from a shock wave to the internal molecular vibrations so as to begin endothermic decomposition. During the whole process, phonons as the primary carriers of heat may play an important role. Experimentally, inelastic neutron scattering (INS) technique provides a means of studying the dynamics of motions of atoms and molecules in the crystal, especially in the low frequency region which contains most phonon lattice modes. In this work, neutron diffraction pattern of polycrystalline RDX under ambient condition has been measured and compared with the calculated results, showing reasonable agreement with and thus confirming the structure of RDX. Subsequently, the vibrational INS spectrum of RDX has been measured at T=10 K over the region of 10-104~cm-1 by using cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer. On the basis of the solid-state density functional calculations with the generalized gradient approximation (BLYP and BP functionals), it is possible to perform normal-mode analysis, which agrees with previous assignments. A total of 9 phonon lattice modes and 3 internal vibrations have been identified. Eight possible doorway modes may be predicted in the energy range between 100 and 148~cm-1, which arise from the combinations of phonon lattice modes 38.3, 40.3, 50.2, 61.5~cm-1 and fundamental vibrations 86.6, 88.6, 101.4~cm-1. The doorway modes are the proposed bridge by which the energy of initial shockwave can pass from the external degrees of freedom into those of the molecule. It is shown that all of these eight modes have fundamental vibrational components that consist of nitro-group deformation vibrations. This point is of particular importance and supports the theory that the initial bond broken in detonation is the NN bond. This work may shed light on the mechanism of detonation initiation from a microscopic viewpoint.
Modeling and analysis of eddy-current loss of underwater contact-less power transmission system based on magnetic coupled resonance
Authors: Zhang Ke-Han  , Yan Long-Bin  , Yan Zheng-Chao  , Wen Hai-Bing  , Song Bao-Wei  ,   School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we investigate the transmission mechanism and eddy-current loss of the contact-less power transmission (CPT) system in seawater environment. Contact-less power transfer could be achieved in the three following ways: magnetic coupling, magnetic resonance coupling, and microwave radiation. When the primary and secondary coils are in resonance, a channel of low resistance in the magnetic resonance coupling system is formed. Therefore, it is used for medium-distance power transmission and it has less restrictions on orientation, which means that it has wide applications in many scenarios. Moreover, contact-less power transfer is safer and more concealed than traditional plug power supply, especially in underwater vehicles. Firstly, the mathematical model based on the mutual inductance model is proposed for the CPT system in the air, then the frequency analysis of the CPT model as well as theoretical explanation of the splitting phenomenon is conducted, after that we consider the seawater effect on the mutual inductance coefficient. Secondly, we build a mathematical model of the eddy-current loss in seawater circumstance according to the Maxwell's equations, where we introduce an average magnetic induction in cross section, then derive an approximate formula through Taylor expansion, and analyze the relations between eddy-current loss and the physical parameters including coil radius, resonance frequency, transmission distance, and magnetic induction. According to the theoretical results, we optimize these physical parameters and then design a 754 kHz CPT system, thereafter we validate the CPT system both in the air and in seawater and find the difference between these two circumstances, and verify the relations between eddy-current loss and the physical parameters which are proposed in our theory. It can be learned from the experiment that when transmission distance is 50 mm and transmission power is 100 W in the air, the transmission efficiency is over 80%, and when transmission distance is 50 mm and transmission power is 100 W in seawater, the transmission efficiency is over 67%. Apparently, our magnetic-resonance-coupling-based CPT system has potentials serving as an underwater vehicle.
Design of polarization-insensitive 1×2 directional coupler demultiplexer based on sandwiched structure
Authors: Wang Jing-Li , Chen Zi-Yu , Chen He-Ming ,   College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China,   Bell Honors School, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
Published: December 2020

An ultra-compact 1×2 demultiplexer based on directional coupler (DC) waveguide is proposed to separate the 1310 nm wavelength from 1550 nm wavelength, in which a new Si3N4/SiNx/Si3N4 sandwiched structure is used to realize polarization insensitivity. Firstly, the new sandwiched structure is designed to be polarization-independent. The coupling lengths of two orthogonal polarization modes at the same wavelength versus the gap between two parallel SiNx waveguides g1 are calculated with several groups of structure parameters of the demultiplexer. The result shows that the coupling lengths for the two orthogonal polarization modes at the same wavelength can be identical by choosing the proper g1. Then, how to realize the function of wavelength separation is studied. When one wavelength propagates at even multiple of coupling length and the other wavelength propagates at odd multiple of coupling length, and vice versa, the two working wavelengths will output from different output ports, thereby the two wavelengths are successfully separated. Under the premise of satisfying such conditions, a comparison of size and performance among the devices with different groups of structure parameters is given to find the best one. The demultiplexer based on Si3N4/SiO2 platform has a compact structure, easy integration and good tolerance. Three-dimensional(3D) finite-difference time-domain method is used for simulation, and the results show that the length of the DC waveguide is only 23 μm; the insertion loss and crosstalk are as low as 0.1 dB and–26.23 dB respectively; a broad 3-dB bandwidth of 200 nm is achieved. To demonstrate the transmission characteristics of the demultiplexer, the evolution of the excited fundamental mode in the demultiplexer is also given. The novel demultiplexer is polarization-independent and can work at 1310 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths simultaneously. It has a potential application value in future integrated optical circuits.
Taking Charge of Recurrence of a Glomus Tumor: About a Case and the Review of the Literature
Authors: Reda Badaoui , Amine Elmaqrout , Abedrahim Zaizi , Jalal Mekaoui , Jalal Boukhriss , Bouchaib Chafry , Driss Benchaba , Mostapha Boussouga
Published: December 2020

Glomus tumors of the hand are benign vascular tumors, which develop at the expense of the neuro-myo-arterial glomus. They represent about 1% -5% of all hand tumors. Their diagnosis is frequently delayed by the absence of specific signs, its confirmation is based on anatomopathological examination. Their treatment is based on complete surgical excision and restitution of the nail apparatus, the only guarantees of a good evolution without recurrence. We report the case of a recurrence of a glomus tumor of the ring finger in a woman where the pains reappeared 6 months after the first intervention.
The metapragmatics of “teasing” in Taiwanese Chinese conversational humour
Authors: Chang Wei-Lin Melody , Haugh Michael
Published: December 2020

One of the challenges faced by researchers working on conversational humour across languages is that the particular scientific metalanguage we use to talk about the phenomenon in question influences and shapes our understanding of it. The aim of this paper is to explore the import of such issues for research on conversational humour through an examination of the labels used by Taiwanese speakers of Mandarin Chinese when talking about what is broadly termed “teasing” in English. Our aim is to better understand the connotations of these various native terms, how they relate to each other, and how they are deployed by speakers when referring to “teasing” events. The study draws on interviews with native Taiwanese informants and an analysis of large web-based corpus of Mandarin Chinese, the zhTenTen17 Traditional Corpus, to show that “teasing” is conceptualised in complex ways by Taiwanese speakers of Chinese, and because of that the same “teasing” event is open to construal in different ways by those speakers. We conclude that metapragmatic studies of conversational humour in different languages are important if we are to avoid bleaching out important cultural properties and thereby distorting our objects of analysis.
Editorial: humour in contrast across languages and cultures
Authors: Mullan Kerry , Vincent-Durroux Laurence , David Caroline
Published: December 2020

Editorial
Mastering second language humour: the ultimate challenge
Authors: Vincent-Durroux Laurence , Mullan Kerry , David Caroline , Béal Christine , Poussard Cécile
Published: December 2020

This small-scale study on verbal humour takes place within a larger project entitled “From perception to oral production”, which aims to identify the links between comprehension and production processes and the sources of difficulty for French learners of English. The data consist of three comparable corpora of filmed semi-structured interviews with first (L1) and second (L2) language students: French-French L1; English-English L1; and English L1 with L2. The interviews revolve around the same extract of an American romantic comedy, which the students were asked to describe and comment upon. Instances of spontaneous humour were found to occur in all corpora and were analysed using the cross-cultural comparative model previously used for French-English comparative studies of verbal humour (Béal & Mullan 2013; 2017a; Mullan & Béal 2018a).The humour used by the native speakers of French (N=7) and English (N=7) served as the initial basis for comparison with the L2 English speakers (N=34). It was found that the humour and laughter in the L1 interviews were employed by both parties to achieve certain pragmatic functions related to this particular institutional setting: the participants used humour primarily to create a connection with the interviewer (often through implicit references, and especially where both participants were female). The French students speaking English as L2 tended to use self-oriented humour as a face-saving device to deflect from their production or comprehension difficulties.The use of humour by all L1 and L2 participants nevertheless reflected specific cultural tendencies outlined in Béal & Mullan (2013; 2017a) and Mullan & Béal (2018a), such as the prevalence of third-party oriented humour in French interactions and of self-deprecating humour in English. In sum, and perhaps unsurprisingly, we show that the French learners of English have mastered some aspects of humour in their L2, but still exhibit most of the characteristics of verbal humour from their native French.
The lexical semantics of blaguer: French ways of bringing people together through persuasion, deception and laughter
Authors: Waters Sophia
Published: December 2020

This study presents a lexical semantic analysis of the French verb blaguer and related expressions. This verb belongs to a suite of “French humour practices”, and French-English dictionaries translate it as ‘to joke’. However, Anglo-specific terminology such as “joke” does not match the conceptual semantics of blaguer and its related noun blague. Relying on Anglo-specific terms to categorise culture-specific practices perpetuates conceptual and terminological Anglocentrism. This study furthers the call to avoid the dangers of sustaining Anglocentrism in the theoretical vocabulary of humour studies (Goddard & Mullan 2020; Goddard 2018; Wierzbicka 2014a).            Working from the assumption that semantic categories reflect particular ways of speaking, thinking, and behaving, this study’s goal is to capture the insider perspective that French speakers have about the meaning of the verb blaguer and the noun blague. Making local understandings more obvious and accessible to cultural and linguistic outsiders will increase cross-cultural understanding and foster appreciation for the different ways that speakers construct and interpret their world with words (Levisen & Waters 2017).            The analytical tool for this study is the technique of semantic explication couched in the simple cross-translatable and culture-neutral words of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (Goddard & Wierzbicka 2014). Carefully chosen example sentences are drawn from Google searches (google.fr) of authentic language use of the verb blaguer and the noun blague. Comparative reference is made to the verb ‘to joke’ from Australian English to highlight the differences in the conversational humour cultures of French and English speakers (Goddard & Mullan 2020; Béal & Mullan 2013, 2017).
Multilevel effects of alcohol among early adolescents in an urban school district
Authors: Croff Julie , Cox Ronald , Washburn Isaac , Liu Chao , Broadbent Clinton
Published: December 2020

Aims: To examine how interpersonal interactions within and between the social networks formed by teachers, parents, students, and others shape the unique culture of the school, which in turn, reciprocally exerts a determining influence on each individual in the network.

Design: Cross-sectional study exploring whether factors associated with alcohol use at the individual level also exert influence on the culture of a school.

Setting: Twelve middle schools within an urban school district in the Midwestern United States.

Participants: Seventh grade students (N = 1,620).

Measures: Lifetime alcohol use behaviors; mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in their child’s education; and peer deviance. 

Findings: The findings of this study suggest that as parents’ involvement in education increases, and as peer deviance decreases, there are direct benefits to the child, and a protective effect for other children within the school when, in the aggregate, parental involvement increases and peer deviance decreases.

Conclusions: The effect of interventions to improve parent involvement and reduce peer deviance, with examinations at the individual-level and school-level, warrant future study.
Major challenges in substance use research in Canada in 2019
Authors: Sornpaisarn Bundit , Ali Farihah , Elton-Marshall Tara , Imtiaz Sameer , Probst Charlotte , Sornpaisarn Sarnti , Rehm Jürgen
Published: December 2020

Aims: To synthesize knowledge on substance use and substance-attributable burden in Canada to determine research priorities for the next 3 to 5 years.

Methods: We searched for and analyzed the latest epidemiological estimates of substance use prevalence and attributable burden and for economic data on the costs of substance use.

Results: Based on trends over 2014-2019, opioid, alcohol, and cannabis use were identified as research priorities due to their current or anticipated future impact on health burden in Canada. Specifically, future research efforts should be directed towards: (a) reducing the number of opioid prescriptions, investing in interventions for those already addicted to opioids,  preventing both the development of opioid use disorders and deaths due to overdose; (b) identifying ways to reduce hazardous and harmful drinking, particularly among those with low socioeconomic status; and (c) monitoring and evaluating the impacts of the recent policy implementations for the legalization of cannabis on various outcomes. While tobacco attributable burden has been decreasing, it is important to continue to monitor vaping use over time.

Conclusions:  Substance use is a significant and increasing risk factor for burden of disease, and research efforts are necessary to reduce this burden in Canada.
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON DADRU IN KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA
Authors: Akhtar Roji Afroja Yeasmin , Chattopadhyaya Abichal
Published: December 2020

Background-Dadru is one type of kustha which manifests in skin mainly irrespective of age & sex, whose description resembles ringworm or dermatophytosis. In modern science the clinical manifestation of dadru is closely similar to local infection/ tinea infection which is affecting 15% of population. Dadru comes under oupasargika roga. It is contagious, spread person to person by malaja krimi through sweda (contact with infected person, contact with clothes of infected person). Methods-the method used is a survey method with cross sectional approach, with a total sample 103 patients. The epidemiological characteristics of respondents surveyed consisted of the characteristics (santarpanaja nidan, gender, knowledge, occupation & personal hygiene), the characteristic of the place (population density), and the characteristic time diagnosed (months). Results-The results showed that the epidemiological characteristics of dadru were more in female sex (65.04%), with low elementary education (87.37%), had less knowledge about disease (76.69%), did not maintain personal hygiene enough (57.28%), excessive intake of santapanaja nidan (91.06), residential density had not qualified (88.34%) and most likely diagnosed in the period of June to August (57.27%). Conclusion-The incidence of dadru in Kolkata are increasing day by day. So, proper treatment protocol is needed to treat these patients. In Ayurveda, different types of preventive measures including dincharya have been mentioned to prevent spreading of oupasargika roga. All these preventive measures can be applied in prevention of dadru.
ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF UPAVISHA SNUHI: A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE
Authors: Govindrao Asolkar Geeta , Vithalrao Nikam Ashwin , Venkatrao Pawade Uday , Pramodrao Anjankar Meghsham
Published: December 2020

Cancer is one of the dreaded diseases of 20th century responsible for causing most fatalities and spreading further with increasing incidence in 21st century. Ayurveda an ancient science provides many useful remedies for these types of advanced diseases. Upavishas narrated in Agadtantra contribute for many fruitful therapeutic formulations. Snuhi (Euphorbia neriifolia Linn.) is one among these upavishas is knocking out as an effective Anticancer agent. Traditionally it is mainly used in Kushtha, Udara, Shotha, Pandu, Gulma, Dushivisha, Visha chikitsa. Various In Vitro & In Vivo studies has been conducted to evaluate the anticancer activity of Upavisha Snuhi (Euphorbia neriifolia Linn.) in the form of its extracts. In this study a special emphasis is on gathering details of Upavisha Snuhi from available classical text and assemble data related to the In Vivo and In Vitro Anticancer activity of Upavisha Snuhi.
Insertion loop‐mediated folding propagation governs efficient maturation of hyperthermophilic Tk‐subtilisin at high temperatures
Authors: Uehara Ryo , Dan Nanako , Amesaka Hiroshi , Yoshizawa Takuya , Koga Yuichi , Kanaya Shigenori , Takano Kazufumi , Matsumura Hiroyoshi , Tanaka Shun‐ichi
Published: December 2020

The serine protease Tk‐subtilisin from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis possesses three insertion loops (IS1‐IS3) on its surface, as compared to its mesophilic counterparts. Although IS1 and IS2 are required for maturation of Tk‐subtilisin at high temperatures, the role of IS3 remains unknown. Here, CD spectroscopy revealed that IS3 deletion arrested Tk‐subtilisin folding at an intermediate state, in which the central nucleus was formed, but the subsequent folding propagation into terminal subdomains did not occur. Alanine substitution of the aspartate residue in IS3 disturbed the intraloop hydrogen‐bonding network, as evidenced by crystallographic analysis, resulting in compromised folding at high temperatures. Taking into account the high conservation of IS3 across hyperthermophilic homologues, we propose that the presence of IS3 is important for folding of hyperthermophilic subtilisins in high‐temperature environments.
FOXM1D potentiates PKM2‐mediated tumor glycolysis and angiogenesis
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zhang Xin , Huang Sheng , Chen Jianfeng , Ding Peipei , Wang Qi , Li Luying , Lv Xinyue , Li Ling , Zhang Pingzhao , Zhou Danlei , Wen Wenyu , Wang Yiping , Lei Qun‐Ying , Wu Jiong , Hu Weiguo
Published: December 2020

Tumor growth, especially in the late stage, requires adequate nutrients and rich vasculature, in which PKM2 plays a convergent role. It has been reported that PKM2, together with FOXM1D, is upregulated in late‐stage colorectal cancer and associated with metastasis; however, their underlying mechanism for promoting tumor progression remains elusive. Herein, we revealed that FOXM1D potentiates PKM2‐mediated glycolysis and angiogenesis through multiple protein–protein interactions. In the presence of FBP, FOXM1D binds to tetrameric PKM2 and assembles a heterooctamer, restraining PKM2 metabolic activity by about a half and thereby promoting aerobic glycolysis. Furthermore, FOXM1D interacts with PKM2 and NF‐κB and induces their nuclear translocation with the assistance of the nuclear transporter importin 4. Once in the nucleus, PKM2 and NF‐κB complexes subsequently augment VEGFA transcription. The increased VEGFA is secreted extracellularly via exosomes, an event potentiated by the interaction of FOXM1 with VPS11, eventually promoting tumor angiogenesis. Based on these findings, our study provides another insight into the role of PKM2 in the regulation of glycolysis and angiogenesis.
Refining immunotherapeutic approaches to high‐risk neuroblastoma based on tumor genomic profiles
Authors: Grossmann Liron D. , Maris John M.
Published: December 2020

In this issue, Coronado et al. attempt to improve our understanding of the factors affecting the response to immunotherapy in a large subset of high‐risk neuroblastoma with hemizygous deletion of chromosome 11q. By using several computational approaches, the authors study potential transcriptional and post‐transcriptional pathways that may affect the response to immunotherapy and further be leveraged therapeutically in a biomarker‐directed fashion.
Exploring the Mental Health Needs of Persons With Autoimmune Diseases During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Proposed Framework for Future Research and Clinical Care
Authors: Bingham Kathleen S. , Rozenbojm Nathalie , Chong‐East Mariah , Touma Zahi
Published: December 2020

Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has been associated with increased psychological distress globally, it poses unique challenges to persons who are potentially more vulnerable to its effects, including patients with autoimmune disease. In this article, we review the published literature and media reports to determine factors that may contribute to mental health challenges in persons with autoimmune disease. We then explore existing mental health interventions that have been developed for use in COVID‐19 and in patients with autoimmune disorders in general. We identified several potential contributors to psychological distress in patients with autoimmune disease during the pandemic, as follows: feelings of discrimination related to societal response to COVID‐19, fear of infection and uncertainty related to immunosuppressive medication, diminished access to usual care and resources, previous health‐related trauma, and the exacerbating effect of social isolation. Drawing from existing literature, we synthesize the identified evidence to develop a proposed framework for researching and managing mental health challenges in autoimmune disease during the pandemic and its aftermath.
Oncological benefits of portal vein embolization for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Beppu Toru , Yamamura Kensuke , Okabe Hirohisa , Imai Katsunori , Hayashi Hiromitsu
Published: December 2020

Portal vein embolization (PVE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was first introduced in 1986 and has been continuously developed throughout the years. Basically, PVE has been applied to expand the indication of liver resection for HCC patients of insufficient future liver remnant. Importantly, PVE can result in tumor progression in both embolized and non‐embolized livers; however, long‐term survival after liver resection following PVE is at least not inferior compared with liver resection alone despite the smaller future liver remnant volume. Five‐year disease‐free survival and 5‐year overall survival were 17% to 49% and 12% to 53% in non‐PVE patients, and 21% to 78% and 44% to 72% in PVE patients, respectively. At present, it has proven that PVE has multiple oncological advantages for both surgical and nonsurgical treatments. PVE can also enhance the anticancer effects of transarterial chemoembolization and can avoid intraportal tumor cell dissemination. Additional interventional transarterial chemoembolization and hepatic vein embolization as well as surgical two‐stage hepatectomy and associated liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy can enhance the oncological benefit of PVE monotherapy. Taken together, PVE is an important treatment which we recommend for listing in the guidelines for HCC treatment strategies.
The scaling economics of small unit operations
Authors: Weber Robert S. , Askander Jalal A. , Barclay John A.
Published: December 2020

We present a correlation that represents the capital costs of the components of even very small modular facilities. Conversion of distributed feedstocks (eg, associated natural gas, biomass, and carbonaceous wastes) could provide a small fraction of the liquid fuels now used for transportation in the U.S. (~6%), or nearly half of the chemical products now made from petroleum. However, those resources tend to be available at small geographically distributed sites, and they are difficult or expensive to transport to a distant processing center. Modular, and likely intensified, processes that can be numbered up promise to enable utilizing such distributed resources. Early stage economics evaluation of those processes requires cost estimates for the components, which are likely smaller in scale than can be accommodated by the 0.6 power law typically used in chemical engineering.
Education, merit and mobility: Opportunities and aspirations of refugee youth in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp
Authors: Bellino Michelle J.
Published: December 2020

Drawing on observations and interviews with teachers and students enrolled in a camp secondary school, this article documents how youth aspirations are constructed, supported and constrained in the context of a limited opportunity structure. Data demonstrate that schools enforce cultural scripts of meritocracy, along with assurances that hard work in school will be rewarded with post‐secondary education and economic returns. The possibilities for upward social mobility driving this narrative were central to sustaining hope for students, despite being structurally out of reach of the vast majority. Nearing school completion, as young people confronted a gap between their aspirations and the opportunities available for their fulfilment, they more readily critiqued the inequitable distribution and quality of educational opportunities available to citizens and noncitizens. Yet even as they developed these critiques, they strategically reasserted the logic of educational meritocracy, rationalising that ranked systems benefitting a few to the exclusion of the majority were reasonable and just in contexts of scarcity. This study illustrates the ways that marginalised groups such as refugees deepen awareness of structural inequities and develop systemic critiques informed by their experiences, while strategically reinscribing trust and aspiring to inclusion in the same system in which they experienced betrayal. In the context of unprecedented global im/migration, this article draws attention to everyday struggles of refugee youth and a rapidly growing educational challenge that needs to be addressed systematically in contexts of displacement.
Quantitative ultrasound radiomics in predicting recurrence for patients with node‐positive head‐neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with radical radiotherapy
Authors: Dasgupta Archya , Fatima Kashuf , DiCenzo Daniel , Bhardwaj Divya , Quiaoit Karina , Saifuddin Murtuza , Karam Irene , Poon Ian , Husain Zain , Tran William T. , Sannachi Lakshmanan , Czarnota Gregory J.
Published: December 2020

This prospective study was conducted to investigate the role of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) radiomics in predicting recurrence for patients with node‐positive head‐neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with radical radiotherapy (RT). The most prominent cervical lymph node (LN) was scanned with a clinical ultrasound device having central frequency of 6.5 MHz. Ultrasound radiofrequency data were processed to obtain 7 QUS parameters. Color‐coded parametric maps were generated based on individual QUS spectral features corresponding to each of the smaller units. A total of 31 (7 primary QUS and 24 texture) features were obtained before treatment. All patients were treated with radical RT and followed according to standard institutional practice. Recurrence (local, regional, or distant) served as an endpoint. Three different machine learning classifiers with a set of maximally three features were used for model development and tested with leave‐one‐out cross‐validation for nonrecurrence and recurrence groups. Fifty‐one patients were included, with a median follow up of 38 months (range 7–64 months). Recurrence was observed in 17 patients. The best results were obtained using a k‐nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier with a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and an area under curve of 76%, 71%, 75%, and 0.74, respectively. All the three features selected for the KNN model were texture features. The KNN‐model‐predicted 3‐year recurrence‐free survival was 81% and 40% in the predicted no‐recurrence and predicted‐recurrence groups, respectively. (p = 0.001). The pilot study demonstrates pretreatment QUS‐radiomics can predict the recurrence group with an accuracy of 75% in patients with node‐positive HNSCC.

Clinical trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov.in identifier NCT03908684.
Defining Child Sexual Abuse: Perspectives from Mothers Who Experienced this Abuse
Authors: Lange Brittany C. L. , Condon Eileen M. , Gardner Frances
Published: December 2020

Key Practitioner Messages

The definition of child sexual abuse (CSA) is highly variable in the literature. This is problematic as these differing definitions affect research results, which in turn inform practice.

A survey was conducted to ascertain survivors' definitions of CSA using both open‐ and closed‐ended questions.

The findings can be used to inform discussions of the CSA definition used by researchers and policymakers, and to inform CSA assessment among practitioners.
Unifying atmospheric biology research for the U.S. scientific community
Authors: Williams Claire G. , Smith David J.
Published: December 2020

A global COVID‐19 pandemic, rising asthma and allergies, along with climate change impacting storm intensity and frequency, point to an urgent need to unify U.S. atmospheric biology research. To this end, we briefly define atmospheric biology, summarize its fragmented history, and then outline how to unify the field to provide benefits for the U.S. science community and its citizens. Atmospheric biology refers to the study of concentrations, sources, sinks, transformation, and impacts of airborne microorganisms inclusive of pollen, fungal spores, algae, lichens, bacteria, viruses, cellulose fibers, and other biomolecules or fragments of cells. Here our focus is biological particles, both respirable (PM10) and systemic (PM2.5). Due to its interdisciplinary dependencies and broadness of scales from nanometers to kilometers, atmospheric biology research is highly fragmented in the U.S. science community. It lacks shared paradigms and common vocabulary. This deficit calls for recognizing atmospheric biology as a research community in its own right, thereby linking human health to climate change. We need to recognize atmospheric biology’s importance to national security and science diplomacy. Advanced atmospheric biology research is being conducted in Europe, Russia, and China, not in the United States.