bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating soil conditions around buried water pipelines using very‐low‐frequency band alternating current electrical resistivity survey
Authors: Jinguuji Motoharu , Yokota Toshiyuki
Published: December 2021

Underground pipeline infrastructures, such as water supply and industrial water pipes, were rapidly constructed in Japan during the 1970–1980s economic boom and have been ageing quickly. In general, corrosion of buried metal water pipes depends on the physicochemical properties of the soil around them. Conventionally, when conducting such investigations, the soil is excavated and sampled to analyse these properties in laboratories. As this damages the paved road surface, an alternative method is required. Resistivity is a significant physical property measured when investigating the corrosion risk of underground pipelines. Therefore, if geophysical exploration can facilitate the investigation of soil resistivity from the ground surface, it will play a key role in the renewal planning of water pipes. Traditionally, geophysical methods such as electrical and electromagnetic exploration have been used for measuring subsurface resistivity. Electrical exploration is a robust and noise‐tolerant method; however, it requires electrode installation. Most roads over the pipelines are paved, making conventional electrical exploration using metal electrodes a challenging task. Therefore, the Geological Survey of Japan, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, has developed a very‐low‐frequency band alternating current electrical surveying technique that uses water‐saturated polyvinyl alcohol sponge electrodes. In this technique, electrodes are placed on an asphalt or concrete paved surface and the electrode measures the soil resistivity profile and detects the corrosive soil distribution without damaging the paved surface. Moreover, we improved this equipment to enable vertical electrical survey of numerous points and acquired data for 740 m of the survey line in 1 day at Maborikaigan coast in Yokosuka City. We found that the resistivity values varied with the depths and locations of the buried water pipes. These variations indicated that surveys and evaluations on long survey lines along water pipe burial routes are essential for risk management in water pipelines.
Trajectory optimization with obstacles avoidance via strong duality equivalent and hp‐pseudospectral sequential convex programming
Authors: Xia Weibo , Wang Weihong , Gao Chuan
Published: December 2021

A trajectory optimization algorithm is developed in this article to compute a trajectory that avoids obstacles for an unmanned aerial vehicle and minimize the load factor. Quadratic and polyhedron obstacles are both considered in this article. To satisfy the safety distance requirements in engineering practice, a distance‐based obstacle avoidance constraint is formulated, which restricts the minimum distance that a vehicle can approach the obstacle. Strong duality equivalent converts the constraints into equivalent forms without introducing binary variables. Subsequently, the trajectory optimization problem is numerically solved via a hp‐pseudospectral sequential convex programming method, which iteratively solves a sequence of second‐order cone programming subproblems until convergence is attained. Furthermore, a modified trust‐region constraint and a customized nominal trajectory update rule are proposed to accelerate the convergence of the algorithm. A group of simulations are performed to demonstrate that the algorithm is computationally efficient and capable of generating a trajectory that satisfies safety distance requirements, preventing conservativeness in the trajectory, reducing the incidence of intersample constraints violation.
What a deep song: The role of music features in perceived depth
Authors: Wen Xin , Huang Zhengxi , Sun Zaoyi , Xu Liang
Published: December 2021

This study examines perceptions of music depth by exploring its relationships to different music features. First, a correlation analysis shows that the perceived depth of music is negatively correlated with valence and arousal and is also related to different music features, including tempo, Mel‐frequency cepstrum coefficients, chromagrams, spectral centroids, spectral bandwidth, spectral contrast, spectral flatness, spectral roll‐off, and tonal centroid features. Applying machine learning methods, we find that selected music features can predict perceptions of music depth, and a random forest regression (RFR) is found to perform best in this study. Finally, a feature importance analysis shows that the principal component of spectral contrast dominates the RFR‐based music depth recognition model, showing that deep music usually has clear and narrow‐band audio signals.
Primary central nervous system lymphoblastic B cell lymphoma located at cerebellum in a child: A case report and literature review
Authors: Yang Xueliang , Duan Yanlong , Zhou Chunju , Jin Ling , Zhang Ningning , Huang Shuang , Zhang Meng , Yang Jing , Zhang Yonghong
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is extremely rare in pediatric population. We reported a case of PCNSL in a 3‐year‐old girl and reviewed the literature in the past three decades.

Case presentation

A 3‐year‐old girl presented with gait disturbance. A contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance image of the brain showed a solitary bulky mass in the left cerebellar hemisphere, hydrocephalus and cerebellar tonsillar hernia. Surgical resection was performed and the patient was diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoblastic B cell lymphoma. Then the patient received regular chemotherapy, including 6 cycles of chemotherapy containing high‐dose methotrexate (HD‐MTX). The patient remains alive 15 months after the diagnosis with no evidence of active disease, but suffered twice chronic subdural hematoma, which was treated by burr hole drainage.

Conclusion

Lymphoblastic B cell lymphoma is a rare histologic subtype of pediatric PCNSL. Chemotherapy containing HD‐MTX remains the most effective treatment. The patient should avoid head impact after surgical resection of the tumor to prevent chronic subdural hematoma.
On the corners of the cubed‐sphere grid
Authors: Zerroukat M. , Allen T.
Published: December 2021

This note shows how the cubed‐sphere grid can be extended (i.e., halo filling) to achieve high‐order representation of fields and derivatives near the panel edges and specifically the corners of the cubed sphere. This makes it possible to obtain uniformly high‐order multi‐dimensional approximations and specifically makes the use of high‐order finite differences/volumes or fully multi‐dimensional semi‐Lagrangian schemes viable options with the cubed sphere.
High‐temperature mass spectrometric study of the thermodynamic properties in the Sm2O3‐ZrO2‐HfO2 system
Authors: Kablov Eugene N. , Stolyarova Valentina L. , Vorozhtcov Viktor A. , Lopatin Sergey I. , Shugurov Sergey M. , Shilov Andrey L. , Karachevtsev Fedor N.
Published: December 2021

Rationale

The Sm2O3‐ZrO2‐HfO2 system is a promising base for the development of a wide spectrum of new refractory materials. Reliable data on thermodynamic properties in this system are of significant importance for planning the preparation and application of high‐temperature ceramics. Especially, they can be useful for calculation of the unknown phase equilibria in this system.

Methods

The thermodynamic properties of the Sm2O3‐ZrO2‐HfO2 system were studied by the high‐temperature mass spectrometric method. The samples in the system under consideration synthesized by the solid‐state method were vaporized from a tungsten twin effusion cell using a MS‐1301 magnetic sector mass spectrometer. Ionization of the vapor species effusing from the cell was carried out by electrons at an energy of 25 eV.

Results

It was shown that, at temperatures below 2500 K, the main vapor species over the ceramics based on the Sm2O3‐ZrO2‐HfO2 system were SmO, Sm, and O corresponding to vapor composition over pure Sm2O3. The SmO, Sm, and O partial vapor pressures over the samples and the Sm2O3 activities were obtained in the temperature range 2319–2530 K. This allowed the excess Gibbs energy values to be determined. For comparison, the excess Gibbs energies in the Sm2O3‐ZrO2‐HfO2 system were also calculated by the semi‐empirical Kohler, Toop, Redlich‐Kister, and Wilson methods and optimized by the statistical thermodynamic Generalized Lattice Theory of Associated Solutions (GLTAS).

Conclusions

The thermodynamic data calculated by the semi‐empirical approaches at 2423 K were shown to be lower than the experimental values. However, the Toop and Wilson methods were found to be useful for evaluation of the excess Gibbs energy values at the Sm2O3 mole fraction less and higher than 0.32, respectively. The self‐consistent thermodynamic description of the Sm2O3‐ZrO2‐HfO2 system was derived at high temperatures by optimization of the experimental results using the GLTAS.
Feature selection for imbalanced data with deep sparse autoencoders ensemble
Authors: Massi Michela Carlotta , Gasperoni Francesca , Ieva Francesca , Paganoni Anna Maria
Published: December 2021

Class imbalance is a common issue in many domain applications of learning algorithms. Oftentimes, in the same domains it is much more relevant to correctly classify and profile minority class observations. This need can be addressed by feature selection (FS), that offers several further advantages, such as decreasing computational costs, aiding inference and interpretability. However, traditional FS techniques may become suboptimal in the presence of strongly imbalanced data. To achieve FS advantages in this setting, we propose a filtering FS algorithm ranking feature importance on the basis of the reconstruction error of a deep sparse autoencoders ensemble (DSAEE). We use each DSAE trained only on majority class to reconstruct both classes. From the analysis of the aggregated reconstruction error, we determine the features where the minority class presents a different distribution of values w.r.t. the overrepresented one, thus identifying the most relevant features to discriminate between the two. We empirically demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm in several experiments, both simulated and on high‐dimensional datasets of varying sample size, showcasing its capability to select relevant and generalizable features to profile and classify minority class, outperforming other benchmark FS methods. We also briefly present a real application in radiogenomics, where the methodology was applied successfully.
Introducing M‐Tool: A standardised and inclusive mental model mapping tool
Authors: van den Broek Karlijn L. , Klein Sina A. , Luomba Joseph , Fischer Helen
Published: December 2021

Stakeholder mental model elicitation can produce valuable insights into perceptions of complex systems such as ecosystems, economies, or the climate. These mental models can uncover crucial differences in perceptions between stakeholders and prevalent misunderstandings of the system, which can ultimately contribute to successful resource management. This paper introduces a novel tool to capture mental models: M‐Tool. M‐Tool was designed to be user‐friendly for diverse samples, and standardized to ease aggregation and comparison of mental models. With this tool, participants create influence diagrams with a fixed set of pictograms representing the system variables, and weighted arrows to display their relations. M‐Tool can be used to identify differences or changes in mental models or to co‐produce knowledge with stakeholders and develop strategies to address challenges within the system. This paper describes how to tailor the tool to a research project and discusses how M‐Tool may be suitable for diverse research applications. © 2021 The Authors. System Dynamics Review published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of System Dynamics Society.
CoS2 Nanoparticles Anchored on MoS2 Nanorods As a Superior Bifunctional Electrocatalyst Boosting Li2O2 Heteroepitaxial Growth for Rechargeable Li‐O2 Batteries
Authors: Li Deyuan , Zhao Lanling , Xia Qing , Liu Lili , Fang Weiwei , Liu Yao , Zhou Zhaorui , Long Yuxin , Han Xue , Zhang Yiming , Wang Jun , Wu Yuping , Liu Huakun
Published: December 2021

Developing an excellent bifunctional catalyst is essential for the commercial application of Li‐O2 batteries. Heterostructures exhibit great application potential in the field of energy catalysis because of the accelerated charge transfer and increased active sites on their surfaces. In this work, CoS2 nanoparticles decorated on MoS2 nanorods are constructed and act as a superior cathode catalyst for Li‐O2 batteries. Coupling MoS2 and CoS2 can not only synergistically enhance their electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity, but also promote the heteroepitaxial growth of discharge products on the heterojunction interfaces, thus delivering high discharge capacity, stable cycle performance, and good rate capability.
Atomically Dispersed Iron with Densely Exposed Active Sites as Bifunctional Oxygen Catalysts for Zinc–Air Flow Batteries
Authors: Gao Lesen , Gao Xia , Jiang Peng , Zhang Cunyin , Guo Hui , Cheng Yuanhui
Published: December 2021

Atomically dispersed iron embedded carbon is a promising bifunctional catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), but its exposed iron sites must be increased. Herein, the authors propose a double steric hindrance strategy by using zeolitic imidazolate frameworks‐8 as the first barrier skeleton and encapsulated phenylboronic acid as the second space obstruction to realize densely exposed atomic iron sites. Prepared PA@Z8‐FeNC has the highest iron content (5.49 wt%) among reported transition‐metal‐based single‐atom oxygen catalysts. Meanwhile, its concave surfaces, hollow structures, and hierarchical pores enable the high utilization rate of iron sites to 88.5 ± 4.5% and exposed active site density to 5.2 ± 0.3 × 1020 sites g−1. Resultantly, PA@Z8‐FeNC exhibits superior activity and stability to commercial Pt/C and IrO2 for the ORR and OER in half‐cells and zinc–air flow batteries. This provides insight for developing densely and accessibly active sites in single‐atom catalysts.
Controllable 3D Porous Ni Current Collector Coupled with Surface Phosphorization Enhances Na Storage of Ni3S2 Nanosheet Arrays
Authors: Fan Xiaoyong , Sun Ruibo , Zhu Yongqiang , Zhang Shuai , Gou Lei , Lu Li , Li Donglin
Published: December 2021

3D porous Ni is fabricated via an easily scalable electroless plating method using a dynamic template formed through in‐situ hydrogen bubbles. The pore size in the range of several micrometers is controllable through adjusting the Ni2+ depositing rate and hydrogen bubbles releasing rate. The Ni3S2 nanosheet arrays anode is then grown on the unique 3D porous Ni current collector followed by subsequent surface phosphorization. The tremendous interconnected pores and rich voids between the Ni3S2 nanosheet arrays cannot only provide rapid transferring channels for Na+, but also accommodate volumetric changes of the Ni3S2 electrode during cycling, guaranteeing the integrity of the active material. In addition, the surface phosphorized layer enhances the electronic conductivity through providing an electron transport highway along the 3D Ni3S2, NiP2 layer, and 3D porous Ni current collector, and simultaneously stabilizes the electrode/electrolyte interphase as a protecting layer. Because of these merits, the phosphorized 3D porous Ni3S2 (3D P‐Ni3S2) electrode is capable of delivering an ultra‐stable capacity of 387.5 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and a high capacity retention of 85.3% even at a high current density of 1.6 A g−1.
Phase Control of Cs‐Pb‐Br Derivatives to Suppress 0D Cs4PbBr6 for High‐Efficiency and Stable All‐Inorganic CsPbBr3 Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Zhu Jingwei , He Benlin , Yao Xinpeng , Chen Haiyan , Duan Yanyan , Duan Jialong , Tang Qunwei
Published: December 2021

The precise phase control of Cs‐Pb‐Br derivatives from 3D CsPbBr3 to 0D Cs4PbBr6 highly determines the photovoltaic performance of all‐inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, the preferred phase conversion from precursor to Cs‐Pb‐Br derivatives is revealed by theoretically calculating the Gibbs free energies (∆G) of various phase conversion processes, allowing for a simplified multi‐step solution‐processable spin‐coating method to hinder the formation of detrimental 0D Cs4PbBr6 phase and enhance the photovoltaic performance of a PSC because of its large exciton binding energy, which is regarded as a recombination center. By further accelerating the interfacial charge extraction with a novel 2D transition metal dichalcogenide ReSe2, the hole‐free CsPbBr3 PSC achieves a champion efficiency of 10.67% with an impressive open‐circuit voltage of 1.622 V and an excellent long‐term stability. This work provides an in‐depth understanding on the precise Cs‐Pb‐Br perovskite phase control and the effect of derivatives on photovoltaic performance of advanced CsPbBr3 PSCs.
The development of data analytics maturity assessment framework: DAMAF
Authors: Gökalp Mert Onuralp , Gökalp Ebru , Gökalp Selin , Koçyiğit Altan
Published: December 2021

Today, data analytics plays a vital role in attaining competitive advantage, generating business value, and driving revenue streams for organizations. Thus, the organizations pay significant attention to improve their data analytics maturity. Nevertheless, the existing literature is dramatically limited in proposing a comprehensive roadmap to assist organizations for this scope. Thus, this study focuses on developing data analytics maturity assessment framework (DAMAF) that evaluates the organizational data analytics maturity in a staged manner from maturity level 0: incomplete to maturity level 5: optimizing. The DAMAF comprises the nine different data analytics attributes to address the specific needs of each data analytics maturity level. Accordingly, it aims to support organizations in assessing their current data analytics maturity, determining organizational gaps in data analytics, and preparing an extensive roadmap and suggestions for data analytics maturity improvement. In this research, we employed the DAMAF in an organization as a case study to evaluate its applicability and usefulness. The results showed that DAMAF properly reveals the data analytics gaps and provides a structured roadmap for continuously advancing the data analytics maturity of an organization.
Constructing a PPI Network Based on Deep Transfer Learning for Protein Complex Detection
Authors: Yuan Xin , Deng Hangyu , Hu Jinglu
Published: December 2021

In the detection of protein complexes, the completeness of a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network is crucial. Complete PPI networks, however, are not available for most species because experimentally identified PPIs are usually very limited. This paper proposes a deep learning based PPI predictor to construct a complete PPI network, from which protein complexes are detected using a spectral clustering method. For this purpose, the unknown PPIs are estimated by using a deep PPI predictor consisting of a semi‐supervised SVM classifier and a deep feature extractor of the convolutional neural network (CNN). Meanwhile, the similarities of gene ontology (GO) annotations contribute to protein interactions, and the differences of subcellular localizations contribute to negative interactions. Considering that, we pretrain the deep CNN feature extractor in a class of deep GO annotation and subcellular localization predictors using datasets from the type species, then transfer it to the PPI prediction model for fine‐tuning. In this way, we have a deep PPI detector enhanced with transfer learning of GO annotation and subcellular localization prediction. Experimental results on benchmark datasets show that the proposed method outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art methods. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
[{TcI(NO)(LOMe)(PPh3)Cl}2Ag](PF6) and [TcII(NO)(LOMe)(PPh3)Cl](PF6): Two Unusual Technetium Complexes with a “Kläui‐type” Ligand
Authors: Roca Jungfer Maximilian , Ernst Moritz Johannes , Hagenbach Adelheid , Abram Ulrich
Published: December 2021

The reaction of [TcI(NO)(LOMe)(PPh3)Cl] ({LOMe}−=η5‐cyclopentadienyltris(dimethyl phosphito‐P)cobaltate(III)) with Ag(PF6) gives two unexpected products: the dimeric technetium(I) complex [{Tc(NO)(LOMe)(PPh3)Cl}2Ag](PF6) with a central Ag+ ion and the cationic Tc(II) compound [Tc(NO)(LOMe)(PPh3)Cl](PF6). The products have been studied spectroscopically and by X‐ray diffraction.
Methodological approach for the development of an operator assistance system for the press shop
Authors: Kott Matthäus , Echler Daniel , Groche Peter
Published: December 2021

The productivity of a deep drawing process strongly relies on its robustness as well as the experience of the machine operator. Steadily increasing requirements regarding weight, design and efficiency lead to a production operating increasingly closer to the process limits, making it more challenging to ensure a high robustness of the process. Minimal process fluctuations caused by disturbances such as varying material properties or changing tribological conditions may negatively affect the process due to deteriorated product properties as well as an increased risk of scrap. Thus, a target-oriented adjustment of available parameters by the machine operator becomes more difficult, and an increased knowledge about the causes of defects is more important. In the past, several approaches with different combinations of sensors and actuators have been investigated to enable a stable process window based on a control system. This paper presents a method to address the need for a more robust process by developing an operator assistance system that enables the identification of the component state and provides decision support to the machine operator. The methodological approach includes a thorough process analysis to evaluate the expediency of such a system and to make a reasonable preselection of sensors in order to avoid unnecessary costs.
Multitrophic Interactions Between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Foliar Endophytic Fungi and Aphids
Authors: Razak Nadia Ab , Gange Alan C.
Published: December 2021

Almost all living plants can be simultaneously colonised by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the roots and endophytes in the shoots, while also being attacked by insect herbivores. However, to date, no study has ever examined the multitrophic interactions between these two different fungal groups and insects on any species of forb. Here, we examined the effects of two commercial species mixtures of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and two foliar endophytes (Colletotrichum acutatum and Cladosporium oxysporum) on the growth of an invasive weed, Impatiens glandulifera, and the aphids that attack it. AMF reduced plant biomass, which was most evident when C. oxysporum was inoculated. Mycorrhizal fungi had few effects on aphids, and these depended on the identity of the endophytes present. Meanwhile, endophytes tended to increase aphid numbers, but this depended on the identity of the AMF inoculum. Throughout, there were differences in the responses of the plant to the two mycorrhizal mixtures, demonstrating clear AMF specificity in this plant. These specific effects were also strongly affected by the endophytes, with a greater number of interactions found between the AMF and endophytes than between the endophytes themselves. In particular, AMF reduced infection levels by the endophytes, while some endophyte inoculations reduced mycorrhizal colonisation. We suggest that both AMF and endophytes could play an important part in future biological control programmes of weeds, but further multitrophic experiments are required to unravel the complexity of interactions between spatially separated parts of the plant microbiome.
Acute impact of an endurance race on biventricular and biatrial myocardial strain in competitive male and female triathletes evaluated by feature-tracking CMR
Authors: Chen Hang , Warncke Malte L. , Muellerleile Kai , Saering Dennis , Beitzen-Heineke Antonia , Kisters Anna , Swiderska Monika , Cavus Ersin , Jahnke Charlotte M. , Adam Gerhard , Lund Gunnar K. , Tahir Enver
Published: December 2021

Objectives

Cardiac adaptation in endurance athletes is a well-known phenomenon, but the acute impact of strenuous exercise is rarely reported on. The aim of this study was to analyze the alterations in biventricular and biatrial function in triathletes after an endurance race using novel feature-tracking cardiac magnetic resonance (FT-CMR).

Methods

Fifty consecutive triathletes (45 ± 10 years; 80% men) and twenty-eight controls were prospectively recruited, and underwent 1.5-T CMR. Biventricular and biatrial volumes, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), FT-CMR analysis, and late gadolinium imaging (LGE) were performed. Global systolic longitudinal (GLS), circumferential (GCS), and radial strain (GRS) were assessed. CMR was performed at baseline and following an endurance race. High-sensitive troponin T and NT-proBNP were determined. The time interval between race completion and CMR was 2.3 ± 1.1 h (range 1–5 h).

Results

Post-race troponin T (p < 0.0001) and NT-proBNP (p < 0.0001) were elevated. LVEF remained constant (62 ± 6 vs. 63 ± 7%, p = 0.607). Post-race LV GLS decreased by tendency (− 18 ± 2 vs. − 17 ± 2%, p = 0.054), whereas GCS (− 16 ± 4 vs. − 18 ± 4%, p < 0.05) and GRS increased (39 ± 11 vs. 44 ± 11%, p < 0.01). Post-race right ventricular GLS (− 19 ± 3 vs. − 19 ± 3%, p = 0.668) remained constant and GCS increased (− 7 ± 2 vs. − 8 ± 3%, p < 0.001). Post-race left atrial GLS (30 ± 8 vs. 24 ± 6%, p < 0.0001) decreased while right atrial GLS remained constant (25 ± 6 vs. 24 ± 6%, p = 0.519).

Conclusions

The different alterations of post-race biventricular and biatrial strain might constitute an intrinsic compensatory mechanism following an acute bout of endurance exercise. The combined use of strain parameters may allow a better characterization of ventricular and atrial function in endurance athletes.

Key Points

• Triathletes demonstrate a decrease of LV global longitudinal strain by tendency and constant RV global longitudinal strain following an endurance race.

• Post-race LV and RV global circumferential and radial strains increase, possibly indicating a compensatory mechanism after an acute endurance exercise bout.

• Subgroup analyses of male triathletes with focal myocardial fibrosis did not demonstrate alterations in biventricular and biatrial strain after an endurance race.
Process limits for percussion drilling of stainless steel with ultrashort laser pulses at high average powers
Authors: Brinkmeier David , Holder Daniel , Loescher André , Röcker Christoph , Förster Daniel J. , Onuseit Volkher , Weber Rudolf , Abdou Ahmed Marwan , Graf Thomas
Published: December 2021

The availability of commercial ultrafast lasers reaching into the kW power level offers promising potential for high-volume manufacturing applications. Exploiting the available average power is challenging due to process limits imposed by particle shielding, ambient atmosphere breakdown, and heat accumulation effects. We experimentally confirm the validity of a simple thermal model, which can be used for the estimation of a critical heat accumulation threshold for percussion drilling of AISI 304 steel. The limits are summarized in a processing map, which provides selection criteria for process parameters and suitable lasers. The results emphasize the need for process parallelization.
How lesions at different locations along the visual pathway influence pupillary reactions to chromatic stimuli
Authors: Kelbsch Carina , Stingl Krunoslav , Jung Ronja , Kempf Melanie , Richter Paul , Strasser Torsten , Peters Tobias , Wilhelm Barbara , Wilhelm Helmut , Tonagel Felix
Published: December 2021

Purpose

To examine systematically how prechiasmal, chiasmal, and postchiasmal lesions along the visual pathway affect the respective pupillary responses to specific local monochromatic stimuli.

Methods

Chromatic pupil campimetry (CPC) was performed in three patient groups (10 subjects with status after anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, 6 with chiasmal lesions, and 12 with optic tract or occipital lobe lesions (tumor, ischemia)) using red, low-intensity red, and blue local stimuli within the central 30° visual field. Affected areas - as determined by visual field defects revealed using conventional static perimetry - were compared with non-affected areas. Outcome parameters were the relative maximal constriction amplitude (relMCA) and the latency to constriction onset of the pupillary responses.

Results

A statistically significant relMCA reduction was observed in the affected areas of postchiasmal lesions with red (p = 0.004) and low-intensity red stimulation (p = 0.001). RelMCA reduction in the affected areas seemed more pronounced for low-intensity red stimulation (46.5% mean reduction compared to non-affected areas; 36% for red stimulation), however statistically not significant. In prechiasmal lesions, a statistically significant latency prolongation could be demonstrated in the affected areas with low-intensity red stimulation (p = 0.015).

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the choice of stimulus characteristics is relevant in detecting defects in the pupillary pathway of impairment along the visual pathway, favoring red stimuli of low intensity over blue stimuli. Such knowledge opens the door for further fundamental research in pupillary pathways and is important for future clinical application of pupillography in neuro-ophthalmologic patients.
Formation and degeneration of scaled capillary notochaetae in Owenia fusiformis Delle Chiaje, 1844 (Oweniidae, Annelida)
Authors: Müller Julian , Bartolomaeus Thomas , Tilic Ekin
Published: December 2021

Phylotranscriptomic studies of the past decade have repeatedly placed Oweniidae together with Magelonidae, as the sister group to remaining annelids. This newly established placement clearly makes them a key-lineage for understanding annelid evolution and morphology. One of the most prominent morphological features of all annelids are their chaetae. The arrangement and formation process (chaetogenesis) of these chitinous bristles have been studied extensively in hooked chaetae that are arranged in rows. However, the information on other types of chaetae is still scarce. In this study, we investigated the scaled capillary notochaetae of Owenia fusiformis, looking both into the formation process that causes the scaly surface ornamentation and into their arrangement within tight bundles. Our results demonstrate the incredible plasticity of chaetogenesis that allows forming a vast array of three-dimensional structures. The capillary chaetae of Owenia fusiformis are unique in lacking an enamel coating and the scales covering the apical surface of each chaeta are formed by a single microvillus of the chaetoblast. Furthermore, the bundle of chaetae has a peripherally located formative site and a central degenerative site and it appears to result from a secondary curling of the chaetal sac.
Augmented reality visualization in brain lesions: a prospective randomized controlled evaluation of its potential and current limitations in navigated microneurosurgery
Authors: Roethe Anna L. , Rösler Judith , Misch Martin , Vajkoczy Peter , Picht Thomas
Published: December 2021

Background

Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to support complex neurosurgical interventions by including visual information seamlessly. This study examines intraoperative visualization parameters and clinical impact of AR in brain tumor surgery.

Methods

Fifty-five intracranial lesions, operated either with AR-navigated microscope (n = 39) or conventional neuronavigation (n = 16) after randomization, have been included prospectively. Surgical resection time, duration/type/mode of AR, displayed objects (n, type), pointer-based navigation checks (n), usability of control, quality indicators, and overall surgical usefulness of AR have been assessed.

Results

AR display has been used in 44.4% of resection time. Predominant AR type was navigation view (75.7%), followed by target volumes (20.1%). Predominant AR mode was picture-in-picture (PiP) (72.5%), followed by 23.3% overlay display. In 43.6% of cases, vision of important anatomical structures has been partially or entirely blocked by AR information. A total of 7.7% of cases used MRI navigation only, 30.8% used one, 23.1% used two, and 38.5% used three or more object segmentations in AR navigation. A total of 66.7% of surgeons found AR visualization helpful in the individual surgical case. AR depth information and accuracy have been rated acceptable (median 3.0 vs. median 5.0 in conventional neuronavigation). The mean utilization of the navigation pointer was 2.6 × /resection hour (AR) vs. 9.7 × /resection hour (neuronavigation); navigation effort was significantly reduced in AR (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The main benefit of HUD-based AR visualization in brain tumor surgery is the integrated continuous display allowing for pointer-less navigation. Navigation view (PiP) provides the highest usability while blocking the operative field less frequently. Visualization quality will benefit from improvements in registration accuracy and depth impression.

German clinical trials registration number.

DRKS00016955.
Carriage of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales in wastewater treatment plant workers and surrounding residents — the AWARE Study
Authors: Rodríguez-Molina Daloha , Berglund Fanny , Blaak Hetty , Flach Carl-Fredrik , Kemper Merel , Marutescu Luminita , Gradisteanu Gratiela Pircalabioru , Popa Marcela , Spießberger Beate , Weinmann Tobias , Wengenroth Laura , Chifiriuc Mariana Carmen , Larsson D. G. Joakim , Nowak Dennis , Radon Katja , de Roda Husman Ana Maria , Wieser Andreas , Schmitt Heike
Published: December 2021

To investigate
whether wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) workers and residents living in close proximity to a WWTP have elevated carriage rates of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales, as compared to the general population. From 2018 to 2020, we carried out a cross-sectional study in Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania among WWTP workers (N = 344), nearby residents (living ≤ 300 m away from WWTPs; N = 431) and distant residents (living ≥ 1000 m away = reference group; N = 1165). We collected information on potential confounders via questionnaire. Culture of participants’ stool samples was performed with ChromID®-ESBL agar plates and species identification with MALDI-TOF–MS. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for carrying ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC). Sensitivity analyses included stratification by country and interaction models using country as secondary exposure. Prevalence of ESBL-EC was 11% (workers), 29% (nearby residents), and 7% (distant residents), and higher in Romania (28%) than in Germany (7%) and the Netherlands (6%). Models stratified by country showed that within the Romanian population, WWTP workers are about twice as likely (aOR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.22–4.50) and nearby residents about three times as likely (aOR = 3.17, 95% CI: 1.80–5.59) to be ESBL-EC carriers, when compared with distant residents. In stratified analyses by country, we found an increased risk for carriage of ESBL-EC in Romanian workers and nearby residents. This effect was higher for nearby residents than for workers, which suggests that, for nearby residents, factors other than the local WWTP could contribute to the increased carriage.
A tractable multi-leader multi-follower peak-load-pricing model with strategic interaction
Authors: Grimm Veronika , Nowak Daniel , Schewe Lars , Schmidt Martin , Schwartz Alexandra , Zöttl Gregor
Published: December 2021

While single-level Nash equilibrium problems are quite well understood nowadays, less is known about multi-leader multi-follower games. However, these have important applications, e.g., in the analysis of electricity and gas markets, where often a limited number of firms interacts on various subsequent markets. In this paper, we consider a special class of two-level multi-leader multi-follower games that can be applied, e.g., to model strategic booking decisions in the European entry-exit gas market. For this nontrivial class of games, we develop a solution algorithm that is able to compute the complete set of Nash equilibria instead of just individual solutions or a bigger set of stationary points. Additionally, we prove that for this class of games, the solution set is finite and provide examples for instances without any Nash equilibria in pure strategies. We apply the algorithm to a case study in which we compute strategic booking and nomination decisions in a model of the European entry-exit gas market system. Finally, we use our algorithm to provide a publicly available test library for the considered class of multi-leader multi-follower games. This library contains problem instances with different economic and mathematical properties so that other researchers in the field can test and benchmark newly developed methods for this challenging class of problems.
Disentangling the effect of climatic and hydrological predictor variables on benthic macroinvertebrate distributions from predictive models
Authors: Irving Katie , Jähnig Sonja C. , Kuemmerlen Mathias
Published: December 2021

Lotic freshwater macroinvertebrate species distribution models (SDMs) have been shown to improve when hydrological variables are included. However, most studies to date only include data describing climate or stream flow-related surrogates. We assessed the relative influence of climatic and hydrological predictor variables on the modelled distribution of macroinvertebrates, expecting model performance to improve when hydrological variables are included. We calibrated five SDMs using combinations of bioclimatic (bC), hydrological (H) and hydroclimatic (hC) predictor datasets and compared model performance as well as variance partition of all combinations. We investigated the difference in trait composition of communities that responded better to either bC or H configurations. The dataset bC had the most influence in terms of proportional variance, however model performance was increased with the addition of hC or H. Trait composition demonstrated distinct patterns between associated model configurations, where species that prefer intermediate to slow-flowing current conditions in regions further downstream performed better with bC–H. Including hydrological variables in SDMs contributes to improved performance, it is however, species-specific and future studies would benefit from hydrology-related variables to link environmental conditions and diverse communities. Consequently, SDMs that include climatic and hydrological variables could more accurately guide sustainable river ecosystem management.
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-reinforced ceramic nanocomposites for aerospace applications: a review
Authors: Ramachandran Karthikeyan , Boopalan Vignesh , Bear Joseph C. , Subramani Ram
Published: December 2021

Advances in the nanotechnology have been actively applied to the field of aerospace engineering where there is a constant necessity of high durable material with low density and better thermo-mechanical properties. Over the past decade, carbon nanotubes-based composites are widely utilised owing to its fascinating properties resulting in series of multidisciplinary industrial applications. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are rolled up sheets of carbon in nanoscale which offers excellent thermal and mechanical properties at lower density which makes them suitable reinforcement for composites in aerospace applications. Owing to its high Young’s modulus and chemically inert behaviour, CNTs are forefront of material research with applications varying from water purification to aerospace applications where applicational sector remains a mystery. Although there has been numerous research on the CNTs-based materials, there are only limited studies focusing on its utilisation for the field of aerospace engineering. As a result, in this review, we intend to cover the processing and synthesis techniques, thermal and mechanical properties as well as few industrial applications of CNTs-reinforced ceramic composites. Further, any potential development in additive manufacturing-based technique for fabricating CNT/ceramics and its applications in aerospace industries have been highlighted.
Barriers to implementing adaptable housing: architects’ perceptions in Finland and Denmark
Authors: Tarpio Jyrki , Huuhka Satu , Vestergaard Inge
Published: December 2021

Adaptability is one key aspect in making housing more sustainable. One major approach to adaptability is internal transformability of buildings, i.e. the possibility to make modifications to the spaces and their equipment within the existing building envelope. This aspect is often taken into consideration in the design and implementation of office buildings. However, in housing the situation is different, and internal transformability is very seldom implemented in apartment buildings. There is a lack of studies for the reasons for this. In this article we take a look at the barriers to internal transformability of apartment buildings in two Nordic countries, Finland and Denmark. We compare the situations in both countries, and highlight their similarities and differences. The research is based on interviews of Finnish and Danish architects who have been involved in designing such buildings within the last 20 years. The interviews show that the disinterest of housing developers has been the main barrier to implementing internal transformability. Another important barrier is the developers’ cost-optimization. Secondary barriers were related to lack of solutions in building services that would support internal transformability. Additionally, secondary barriers were related to common construction techniques, regulations, and building conventions. Major barriers were similar in both countries. However, some differences in the secondary and other barriers between the two countries also exist.
Nietzsche on the passions and self-cultivation: contra the Stoics and Spinoza
Authors: Ansell-Pearson Keith
Published: December 2021

Although the literature on Nietzsche is now voluminous one area where there has surprisingly been very little research concerns Nietzsche on the passions. This essay aims to correct this neglect. My focus is on illuminating Nietzsche on the passions in relation to his primary teaching on self-cultivation. To illuminate his position, I focus attention on examining his relation to Stoic teaching on the passions. If for Nietzsche the Christian mind-set involves a disturbing pathological excess of feeling, the Stoic way of living results for him in a petrified of life devoid of movement and growth. After a consideration of his relation to Stoic teaching I then examine his relation to Spinoza on the emotions or affects. Whilst I acknowledge the affinities between the two thinkers and their criticisms of Stoic teaching, I maintain that it is an error to seek to construe Nietzsche and Spinoza as having an identical teaching on the passions. In the final section of the essay, I provide an appreciation of Nietzsche’s recommendation that instead of demonising the passions in the manner of the Christian psyche and its legacy, or extirpating our passions as recommended by the Stoics, we need to learn how to transform them into joys or delights.
Stretching and Rotation of Planar Quasiconformal Mappings on a Line
Authors: Hirviniemi Olli , Prause István , Saksman Eero
Published: December 2021

In this article, we examine stretching and rotation of planar quasiconformal mappings on a line. We show that for almost every point on the line, the set of complex stretching exponents (describing stretching and rotation jointly) is contained in the disk $ \overline {B}(1/(1-k^{4}),k^{2}/(1-k^{4}))$

B

¯

(
1
/
(
1
−

k

4

)
,

k

2

/
(
1
−

k

4

)
)
. This yields a quadratic improvement over the known optimal estimate for general sets of Hausdorff dimension 1. Our proof is based on holomorphic motions and estimates for dimensions of quasicircles. We also give a lower bound for the dimension of the image of a 1-dimensional subset of a line under a quasiconformal mapping.
Ambiguity aversion: bibliometric analysis and literature review of the last 60 years
Authors: Bühren Christoph , Meier Fabian , Pleßner Marco
Published: December 2021

We conduct a bibliometric analysis and review the literature of the last six decades on ambiguity aversion. Comparing trends in theoretical, experimental, and empirical contributions, our study presents the main aspects that are discussed in this literature. We show the increasing relevance of ambiguity aversion for decision-making research and discuss factors influencing attitudes on ambiguity. Our literature review reveals unsolved problems in the research on ambiguity and gives an outlook on new ventures for future research.
Hybrid manufacturing of topology optimized machine tool parts through a layer laminated manufacturing method
Authors: Helfesrieder Nico , Neubauer Michael , Lechler Armin , Verl Alexander
Published: December 2021

Load-oriented lightweight structures are commonly designed based on topology optimization. For machine tool parts, they enable the reduction of moving masses and therefore increase the resource and energy efficiency of production systems. However, this usually results in complex part structures that are difficult or impossible to produce using conventional manufacturing methods. In this paper, a hybrid layer laminated manufacturing (LLM) method is proposed enabling manufacturing of topology-optimized machine tool parts. The method is referred to as hybrid, as the subtractive structuring of metal sheets is combined with the additive joining of the sheets by adhesive bonding. This enables enclosed inner cavities without support structures, which are used to approximate the optimal density distribution from a topology optimization via manufacturing. The proposed LLM method is validated on the basis of a bearing block of a ball screw feed drive. A experimental study in the time and frequency domain on a test rig confirms the principle suitability of the LLM method for the production of industrial applicable lightweight components.
Surface reconstruction establishing Mott-Schottky heterojunction and built-in space-charging effect accelerating oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Kang Yao , Wang Shuo , Hui Kwan San , Wu Shuxing , Dinh Duc Anh , Fan Xi , Bin Feng , Chen Fuming , Geng Jianxin , Cheong Weng-Chon Max , Hui Kwun Nam
Published: December 2021

Structural reconstruction of nanomaterials offers a fantastic way to regulate the electronic structure of active sites and promote their catalytic activities. However, how to properly facilitate surface reconstruction to overcome large overpotential that stimulate the surface reconstruction has remained elusive. Herein, we adopt a facile approach to activate surface reconstruction on Ni(OH)2 by incorporating F anions to achieve electro-derived structural oxidation process and further boost its oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. Ex situ Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy studies indicate that F ions incorporation facilitated surface reconstruction and promotes the original Ni(OH)2 transformed into a mesoporous and amorphous F-NiOOH layer during the electrochemical process. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that this self-reconstructed NiOOH induces a space-charge effect on the p-n junction interface, which not only promotes the absorption of intermediates species (*OH, *O, and *OOH) and charge-transfer process during catalysis, but also leads to a strong interaction of the p-n junction interface to stabilize the materials. This work opens up a new possibility to regulate the electronic structure of active sites and promote their catalytic activities.