bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fitting strategies of accretion column models and application to the broadband spectrum of Cen X-3
Authors: Thalhammer Philipp , Bissinger Matthias , Ballhausen Ralf , Pottschmidt Katja , Wolff Michael T. , Stierhof Jakob , Sokolova-Lapa Ekaterina , Fürst Felix , Malacaria Christian , Gottlieb Amy , Marcu-Cheatham Diana M. , Becker Peter A. , Wilms Jörn
Published: September 2021

Due to the complexity of modeling the radiative transfer inside the accretion columns of neutron star binaries, their X-ray spectra are still commonly described with phenomenological models, for example, a cutoff power law. While the behavior of these models is well understood and they allow for a comparison of different sources and studying source behavior, the extent to which the underlying physics can be derived from the model parameters is very limited. During recent years, several physically motivated spectral models have been developed to overcome these limitations. Their application, however, is generally computationally much more expensive and they require a high number of parameters which are difficult to constrain. Previous works have presented an analytical solution to the radiative transfer equation inside the accretion column assuming a velocity profile that is linear in the optical depth. An implementation of this solution that is both fast and accurate enough to be fitted to observed spectra is available as a model in XSPEC. The main difficulty of this implementation is that some solutions violate energy conservation and therefore have to be rejected by the user. We propose a novel fitting strategy that ensures energy conservation during the χ2-minimization which simplifies the application of the model considerably. We demonstrate this approach as well as a study of possible parameter degeneracies with a comprehensive Markov-chain Monte Carlo analysis of the complete parameter space for a combined NuSTAR and Swift/XRT dataset of Cen X-3. The derived accretion-flow structure features a small column radius of ∼63 m and a spectrum dominated by bulk-Comptonization of bremsstrahlung seed photons, in agreement with previous studies.
First studies of the diffuse X-ray emission in the Large Magellanic Cloud with eROSITA
Authors: Sasaki Manami , Knies Jonathan , Haberl Frank , Maitra Chandreyee , Kerp Jürgen , Bykov Andrei M. , Dennerl Konrad , Filipović Miroslav D. , Freyberg Michael , Koribalski Bärbel S. , Points Sean , Staveley-Smith Lister
Published: September 2021

Context. In the first months after its launch in July 2019, the extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) on board Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma performed long-exposure observations in the regions around supernova (SN) 1987A and super-nova remnant (SNR) N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).

Aims. We analysed the distribution and the spectrum of the diffuse X-ray emission in the observed fields to determine the physical properties of the hot phase of the interstellar medium (ISM).

Methods. Spectral extraction regions were defined using the Voronoi tessellation method. The spectra were fit with a combination of thermal and non-thermal emission models. The eROSITA data are complemented by newly derived column density maps for the Milky Way and the LMC, 888 MHz radio continuum map from the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder, and optical images of the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey.

Results. We detect significant emission from thermal plasma with kT = 0.2 keV in all the regions. There is also an additional higher- temperature emission component from a plasma with kT ≈ 0.7 keV. The surface brightness of this component is one order of magnitude lower than that of the lower-temperature component. In addition, non-thermal X-ray emission is significantly detected in the superbubble 30 Dor C. The absorbing column density NH in the LMC derived from the analysis of the X-ray spectra taken with eROSITA is consistent with the NH obtained from the emission of the cold medium over the entire area. Neon abundance is enhanced in the regions in and around 30 Dor and SN 1987A, indicating that the ISM has been chemically enriched by the young stellar population. In the centre of 30 Dor, there are two bright extended X-ray sources, which coincide with the stellar cluster RMC 136 and the Wolf-Rayet stars RMC 139 and RMC 140. For both regions the emission is best modelled with a high-temperature (kT > 1 keV) non-equilibrium ionisation plasma emission and a non-thermal component with a photon index of Γ = 1.3. In addition, we detect an extended X-ray source at the position of the optical SNR candidate J0529-7004 with thermal emission, and thus confirm its classification as an SNR.

Conclusions. Using data from the early observations of the regions around SN 1987A and SNR N132D with eROSITA we confirm that there is thermal interstellar plasma in the entire observed field. eROSITA with its large field of view and high sensitivity at lower X-ray energies allows us for the first time to carry out a detailed study of the ISM at high energies consistently over a large region in the LMC. We thus measure the properties of the interstellar plasma and the distribution of non-thermal particles and derive the column density of the cold matter on the line of sight.
Automatische EEG Erkennung
Authors: Dieterich Marianne
Published: September 2021

Das Elektroenzephalogram (EEG) ist eine der wichtigsten neurophysiologischen Methoden. Es hat seine Stärken bei der Diagnostik von Epilepsien, Enzephalopathien und in der Bewertung des Schlafs. Vor allem bei der Epilepsie ist das EEG die zentrale, hoch-spezifische diagnostische Methode.
Flutkatastrophe in Nordrhein-Westfalen und Rheinland-Pfalz: Klinik unter
Authors: Kohrs Jens
Published: September 2021

Sie heißen Kyll, Dhünn oder Inde – und bei der Hochwasserkatastrophe in Nordrhein-Westfalen und Rheinland-Pfalz am 14. Juli haben die Flüsse auch in Krankenhäusern für bis dahin unvorstellbare Schäden gesorgt. An einen Klinikbetrieb war vielfach nicht mehr zu denken – teilweise bis heute nicht.
Umgang mit impfunwilligen Mitarbeitern: Kein Pardon in Ludwigshafen
Authors: Kohrs Jens
Published: September 2021

Während in Deutschland zunehmend intensiver über eine Impfpflicht diskutiert wird, hat das Klinikum Ludwigshafen seine eigene rigorose Linie gegen impfunwillige Beschäftigte gewählt. Eine Teilzeit-Mitarbeiterin in Probezeit, die als Pflegehelferin im Pool beschäftigt ist, erhielt bereits ihre Kündigung.
Einwurf: Auf ein „Du“?
Authors: Stockhaus Ulf
Published: September 2021

Die Pandemie hat den Gemeinsinn und den Zusammenhalt in den Krankenhäusern gestärkt. Die Frage ist: Was bleibt davon?
Pflegeschule digital: Digitale Kompetenzen auch in der Pflegeausbildung
Authors: Heeser Alexandra
Published: September 2021

Deutsche Schulen sollen digitaler werden, die Länder erhalten aus dem DigitalPakt Schule für die Digitalisierung der Schulen insgesamt rund fünf Milliarden Euro. Doch was viele scheinbar nicht wissen oder was anfangs nicht überall klar war: Antragsberechtigt sind auch die Träger von Pflegeschulen und Schulen der Gesundheitsfachberufe. Das Bildungszentrum für Pflege und Gesundheit (BZPG) in Würselen in NRW macht es vor.
Thermophysical properties of water using reactive force fields
Authors: Gittus Oliver R. , Bresme Fernando
Published: September 2021

The widescale importance and rich phenomenology of water continue to motivate the development of computational models. ReaxFF force fields incorporate many characteristics desirable for modeling aqueous systems: molecular flexibility, polarization, and chemical reactivity (bond formation and breaking). However, their ability to model the general properties of water has not been evaluated in detail. We present comprehensive benchmarks of the thermophysical properties of water for two ReaxFF models, the water-2017 and CHON-2017_weak force fields. These include structural, electrostatic, vibrational, thermodynamic, coexistence, and transport properties at ambient conditions (300 K and 0.997 g cm−3) and along the standard pressure (1 bar) isobar. Overall, CHON-2017_weak predicts more accurate thermophysical properties than the water-2017 force field. Based on our results, we recommend potential avenues for improvement: the dipole moment to quadrupole moment ratio, the self-diffusion coefficient, especially for water-2017, and the gas phase vibrational frequencies with the aim to improve the vibrational properties of liquid water.
Interaction of charged particles with a graphene monolayer modeled as a set of electronic oscillators
Authors: Segui Silvina , Gervasoni Juana L. , Mišković Zoran L. , Arista Néstor R.
Published: September 2021

We assess the applicability of the oscillator model to evaluate the energy loss of a fast charged particle incident on graphene. We study the cases of a parallel and perpendicular trajectory of the particle. We focus on two frequency regimes for graphene’s electron response: the optical regime, which is dominated by two types of oscillators with non-dispersing frequencies in the ultraviolet regime, and the terahertz (THz) regime, which is dominated by a strongly dispersing sheet plasmon mode in doped graphene. In the latter regime, we invoke the kinematic resonance condition for a parallel trajectory, and we propose a method for averaging the energy loss for a perpendicular trajectory. We show that the oscillator model provides analytical expressions, which give results in generally good agreement with a dielectric-response approach to the same problem, even in the THz regime.
Langmuir oscillations breaking in inhomogeneous plasma
Authors: Frolov A. A. , Chizhonkov E. V.
Published: September 2021

The influence of density inhomogeneity on the Langmuir oscillations breaking in plasma in the plane one-dimensional geometry is investigated analytically and numerically. It is shown that the breaking of the Langmuir oscillations in an inhomogeneous plasma occurs as the result of the formation, rapid growth, and approaching to infinity of the maximum of electron density located outside the plane, with respect to which the electrons oscillate. The dependence of the Langmuir oscillations breaking time on the size of the plasma inhomogeneity is investigated, and it is shown that the sharper the density gradient and the greater strength of the initial electric field, the breaking is faster.
A frequency response function-based optimization for metamaterial beams considering both location and mass distributions of local resonators
Authors: Fan Lei , He Ye , Chen Xiao-an , Zhao Xue
Published: September 2021

To date, phononic crystals/metamaterials normally adopt classical periodic configurations, and optimization strategies for them are based primarily on dispersion relations from a repeated unit cell. In this study, a frequency response function (FRF) based optimization scheme is presented for a locally resonant metamaterial beam that considers both the resonant frequencies and distribution locations of the resonators. Three optimization objectives involving (1) broadband, (2) multi-band, and (3) high-attenuation characteristics are exploited as study cases, and a single-objective genetic algorithm is used to determine the optimal solutions for the prescribed bandgap targets. The spectral element method is used as an analytic formulation to determine the metamaterial FRFs, and the finite element method is used to validate the effectiveness of the optimization strategy. The results reveal that these objective bandgap characteristics can be enabled without increasing the resonator mass following the proposed optimization procedure. This shows the potential of adjusting the locations and resonance frequencies of resonators in metamaterial beams beyond the widely accepted periodic structures. The most important finding of this study is that promising bandgap properties can be easily realized with only single-degree-of-freedom resonators instead of designing more complex ones or multi-resonators. This FRF-based optimization method can be considered as a simple but instructive strategy for optimal or inverse designs in metamaterials.
A projection-based reduced-order method for electron transport problems with long-range interactions
Authors: Chu Weiqi , Li Xiantao
Published: September 2021

Long-range interactions play a central role in electron transport. At the same time, they present a challenge for direct computer simulations since sufficiently large portions of the bath have to be included in the computation to accurately compute the Coulomb potential. This article presents a reduced-order approach by deriving an open quantum model for the reduced density matrix. To treat the transient dynamics, the problem is placed in a reduced-order framework. The dynamics described by the Liouville–von Neumann equation is projected to subspaces using a Petrov–Galerkin projection. In order to recover the global electron density profile as a vehicle to compute the Coulomb potential, we propose a domain decomposition approach, where the computational domain also includes segments of the bath that are selected using logarithmic grids. This approach leads to a multi-component self-energy that enters the effective Hamiltonian. We demonstrate the accuracy of the reduced model using a molecular junction built from lithium chains.
Sequential double ionization of molecules by strong laser fields simulated with time-dependent configuration interaction
Authors: Hoerner Paul , Li Wen , Schlegel H. Bernhard
Published: September 2021

A new time-dependent configuration interaction method has been developed for simulating strong field sequential double ionization of molecular systems. Ionization of the neutral is simulated by time-dependent configuration interaction with single excitations (TD-CIS) and an absorbing boundary. At each time step, the ionized part of the wavefunction from the TD-CIS calculation is transferred to a second time-dependent configuration interaction simulation for ionization of the cation to the dication. The second simulation uses a CISD-IP wavefunction that consists of singly ionized configurations and singly excited, singly ionized configurations (TD-CISD-IP). The transfer between the TD-CIS and TD-CISD-IP simulations is accomplished by partitioning the first ionization rate into contributions from individual orbitals or by singular value decomposition of the absorbed wavefunction. Sequential double ionization simulations have been carried out for HBr in five cycle 800 nm linearly polarized pulses and HI (with spin–orbit coupling) in four cycle 800 nm circularly polarized pulses, with intensities chosen so that the population of the neutral was depleted by the mid-pulse. The singular value decomposition of the cation produced by the first ionization is dominated by a single component for the two orientations considered. The population of the cation rises and then falls as it is ionized to the dication. Depending on the pulse shape and field strength, the ionization of the cation to the dication can continue for several half cycles. For HI with circularly polarized light, the rates for both the first and second ionization peak when the electric field is aligned with the pπ orbital.
Surface chemistry models for GaAs epitaxial growth and hydride cracking using reacting flow simulations
Authors: Hassanaly Malik , Sitaraman Hariswaran , Schulte Kevin L. , Ptak Aaron J. , Simon John , Udwary Kevin , Leach Jacob H. , Splawn Heather
Published: September 2021

Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) is a promising technology that can aid in the cost reduction of III-V materials and devices manufacturing, particularly high-efficiency solar cells for space and terrestrial applications. However, recent demonstrations of ultrafast growth rates (∼500 μm/h) via uncracked hydrides are not well described by present models for the growth. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the kinetics of the growth process and its coupling with transport phenomena, so as to enable fast and uniform epitaxial growth. In this work, we derive a kinetic model using experimental data and integrate it into a computational fluid dynamics simulation of an HVPE growth reactor. We also modify an existing hydride cracking model that we validate against numerical simulations and experimental data. We show that the developed growth model and the improved cracking model are able to reproduce experimental growth measurements of GaAs in an existing HVPE system.
Alternatives to aluminum gates for silicon quantum devices: Defects and strain
Authors: Stein Ryan M. , Barcikowski Z. S. , Pookpanratana S. J. , Pomeroy J. M. , Stewart M. D.
Published: September 2021

Gate-defined quantum dots benefit from the use of small grain size metals for gate materials because they aid in shrinking the device dimensions. However, it is not clear what differences arise with respect to process-induced defect densities and inhomogeneous strain. Here, we present measurements of fixed charge, Qf; interface trap density, Dit; the intrinsic film stress, σ; and the coefficient of thermal expansion, α, as a function of forming gas anneal temperature for Al, Ti/Pd, and Ti/Pt gates. We show that Dit is minimized at an anneal temperature of 350 °C for all materials, but Ti/Pd and Ti/Pt have higher Qf and Dit compared to Al. In addition, σ and α increase with anneal temperature for all three metals with α larger than the bulk value. These results indicate that there is a trade-off between minimizing defects and minimizing the impact of strain in quantum device fabrication.
Mie resonant scattering-based refractive index sensor using a quantum dots-doped polylactic acid nanowire
Authors: He Weiqi , Zhang Weina , Zhang Jiantian , Yu Peng , Liu Pu , Yang Guowei , Lei Hongxiang
Published: September 2021

An optical refractive index (RI) nanosensor with a high sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM), good stability, and biocompatibility is of great significance for biological detection and sensing in narrow spaces. However, the current optical RI nanosensors are mainly fabricated using metals, semiconductors, and quartz, which are not biocompatible and are even biotoxic, and often face a trade-off between a high sensitivity and a high FOM. Moreover, the sensors are mainly based on surface plasmon resonance, photonic crystals, fiber grating, etc., and, thus, most of them usually require a laser source with a specific optical wavelength or harsh excitation conditions, which are likely to cause photodamage and are unfavorable for biological applications. Hence, polylactic acid (PLA), a flexible dielectric material with good biocompatibility, is functioned by doping high refractive index quantum dots (QDs) and fabricated as a nanowire RI sensor. Doping the QDs into a PLA nanowire can improve the light confinement ability and then enhance Mie resonant scattering of the PLA nanowire, which is very beneficial to obtain a higher quality factor and then a higher-performance nanowire sensor. Under irradiation of a white light source, a high sensitivity with 833.78 nm/RIU (per refractive index unit) and the highest FOM of 9.64 RIU−1 are obtained. The good reliability and reproducibility of the sensors are further demonstrated. By choosing a proper diameter, the scattering peak of the nanosensor can be tuned into a biofriendly spectral range (600–900 nm), which predicts that the PLA nanowire RI sensors have a great potential in biological microenvironment monitoring, biosensing, and biomedical treatment.
Flow transitions on a cambered airfoil at moderate Reynolds number
Authors: Tank J. D. , Klose B. F. , Jacobs G. B. , Spedding G. R.
Published: September 2021

A combined experimental and numerical study is performed to investigate the flow field and associated aerodynamic forces on a cambered airfoil. The Reynolds number is low enough to ensure importance of viscous dynamics, and high enough so that instability and transition to turbulence can occur. The flow fields are complex and their correct description is essential in understanding the nonlinear curves describing the variation of lift and drag coefficients with angle of attack, α. As α is increased from 0, the flow states go through a number of qualitatively distinct phases. At low to moderate α, the laminar boundary layer separates before the trailing edge, and as the separation point moves forward, instabilities of the detached shear layer form coherent vortices over the upper (suction) surface. At a critical angle, αcrit, instabilities in the shear layer grow fast enough to transition to turbulence, which then leads to reattachment before the trailing edge. In this flow state, lift is increased and drag decreases. Hence, in order to understand the aerodynamics at this scale, we need to understand the viscous dynamics of the boundary layer, as elegantly described and analyzed by Frank White.
A novel two-dimensional boron–carbon–nitride (BCN) monolayer: A first-principles insight
Authors: Bafekry A. , Naseri M. , Fadlallah M. M. , Abdolhosseini Sarsari I. , Faraji M. , Bagheri Khatibani A. , Ghergherehchi M. , Gogova D.
Published: September 2021

The optical, electronic, and structural properties of a theoretically predicted new boron–carbon–nitride (BCN) two-dimensional monolayer have been explored using density functional theory calculations. The phonon dispersion, molecular dynamics simulation, the cohesive energy, and the Born criteria of elastic constant calculations of the BCN monolayer confirm its stability. The phonon spectrum illustrates an out-of-plane flexure mode with quadratic dispersion in the long-wavelength limit. The BCN monolayer is a semiconductor with a direct bandgap of 0.9 (1.63) eV determined via the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof) functional. The same electron and hole effective masses and mobility values indicate the high recombination rate of electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the BCN monolayer can absorb ultraviolet radiation more effectively than visible light. Due to its interesting physical properties, the novel BCN monolayer could be a rather good candidate material for electro-optical applications.
Research on optimized structure of a 220-GHz extended interaction oscillator
Authors: Li Jielong , Wu Zhenhua , Hu Min , Zhong Renbin , Zhang Kaichun , Zhou Jun , Liu Diwei , Liu Shenggang
Published: September 2021

The extended interaction oscillator has high power and efficiency advantages for terahertz vacuum electronic devices. The ladder line is a crucial high-frequency structure with strong coupling ability and can interact with the sheet beam to significantly improve the beam-wave interaction efficiency and is widely studied and implemented. This paper presents an optimized structure, expanding the cavities on both sides based on the original ladder line structure. The TM11 mode is effectively suppressed in the optimized structure so that the sheet beam can interact with the TM31 mode, and the cavity characteristic impedance R/Q and output power are significantly improved. Based on the theoretical derivation of the original structure and the approximated analysis of the optimized structure, the change in dispersion with structure is discussed in this paper. The field distribution in the optimized structure based on the 0.22-THz frequency band is further studied and compared with the original structure by numerical calculation and particle simulation. Furthermore, the optimal operating voltage and output window parameters are analyzed using Particle-in-Cell software, and the surface loss simulation results are given. Finally, the cavity characteristic impedance R/Q is increased by 66.7%, the bandwidth is slightly increased compared with the original structure, and the output power is increased by 163.8%. The results of the preliminary processing and cold test are presented.
Comment on “Electronic, vibrational and torsional couplings in N-methylpyrrole: Ground, first excited and cation states” [J. Chem. Phys. 154, 224305 (2021)]
Authors: Davies Alexander R. , Kemp David J. , Wright Timothy G.
Published: September 2021

Two-color (1 + 1′) zero-electron-kinetic-energy (ZEKE) and photoionization efficiency (PIE) spectra are reported via different levels in the S1 ← S0 (Ã1A2←X̃1A1) one-photon transition of jet-cooled N-methylpyrrole. The laser radiation is produced using two dye lasers, one with an 1800 l/mm grating and one with 2400 l/mm. We report spectra where the excitation and ionization radiation are produced with both combinations of the dye lasers; these spectra differ markedly. This is attributed to Wood’s anomalies with the 2400 l/mm grating: one aspect is a loss in light intensity over a range of wavelengths, attributed to a resonance anomaly. Another is the appearance of a “shadow” ZEKE spectrum and PIE curve at apparently higher ionization wavenumbers; under some conditions, a third ZEKE spectrum was observed—these latter observations arise from higher-order dispersion effects, likely caused by a Rayleigh anomaly. We comment on these observations and report more representative ZEKE and PIE spectra than those presented in a recent paper by our group [A. R. Davies, D. J. Kemp, and T. G. Wright, J. Chem. Phys. 154, 224305 (2021)] for four intermediate S1 levels.
Indigenous microbial surrogates in wastewater used to understand public health risk expressed in the Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) metric
Authors: Owens Christopher EL , Cox Peter T , Byleveld Paul M , Osborne Nicholas J , Rahman Md Bayzidur
Published: September 2021

In any wastewater recycling scheme, the protection of public health is of primary importance. In Australia, the public health requirements applying to the treatment of recycled water are stringent. They use the Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) metric to set a level of negligible public health risk. The target maximum risk of 10–6 DALY per person per year has been adopted in Australian water recycling guidelines since 2006. A key benefit of the DALY approach is its ability to standardise the understanding of risk across disparate areas of public health. To address the key challenge of translating the results of monitoring of microorganisms in the recycled water into this quantitative public health metric, we have developed a novel method. This paper summarises an approach where microbial surrogate organisms indigenous to wastewater are used to measure the efficiency of water recycling treatment processes and estimate public health risk. An example of recent implementation in the Greater Sydney region of Australia is provided.
Patterns of real-world opioid prescribing in Australian general practice (2013–18)
Authors: Busingye Doreen , Daniels Benjamin , Brett Jonathan , Pollack Allan , Belcher Josephine , Chidwick Kendal , Blogg Suzanne
Published: September 2021

Little is known about private-market opioid prescribing and how Australian opioid policies impact prescribing across public and private markets in Australia. We aimed to investigate publicly subsidised and private-market opioid prescribing from 2013 to 2018. We used prescribing records from MedicineInsight, an Australian primary care database, to examine trends in prescriptions for non-injectable opioid formulations from October 2013 to September 2018. We examined annual opioid prescribing trends overall, by opioid agent, and by market (public and private). We further examined patterns of fentanyl patch prescribing focusing on co-prescribed medicines and use in opioid-naïve patients. Opioids accounted for 8% of all prescriptions over the study period and 468 893 patients were prescribed at least one opioid of interest. Prescribing rates for oxycodone/naloxone and tapentadol increased, whereas those for fentanyl patches, morphine and single-agent oxycodone decreased over the study period. Private-market prescribing rates of codeine (schedule 4) increased notably following its up-scheduling to prescription-only status. Among patients prescribed fentanyl patches, 29% were potentially opioid-naïve and 49% were prescribed another opioid on the same day. The private-medicines market is a small but growing component of opioid use in Australia and one way in which prescribers and patients can avoid access restrictions in the public market for these medicines. Although fentanyl patch prescribing declined, there is room for improvement in prescribing fentanyl patches among opioid-naïve patients, and co-prescribing of fentanyl patches with other sedatives.
Comparing unmanned aerial systems with conventional methodology for surveying a wild white-tailed deer population
Authors: McMahon Michael C. , Ditmer Mark A. , Forester James D.
Published: September 2021

Abstract Context Ungulate populations are subject to fluctuations caused by extrinsic factors and require efficient and frequent surveying to monitor population sizes and demographics. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have become increasingly popular for ungulate research; however, little is understood about how this novel technology compares with conventional methodologies for surveying wild populations. Aims We examined the feasibility of using a fixed-wing UAS equipped with a thermal infrared sensor for estimating the population density of wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR), Minnesota, USA. We compared UAS density estimates with those derived from faecal pellet-group counts. Methods We conducted UAS thermal survey flights from March to April of 2018 and January to March of 2019. Faecal pellet-group counts were conducted from April to May in 2018 and 2019. We modelled deer counts and detection probabilities and used these results to calculate point estimates and bootstrapped prediction intervals for deer density from UAS and pellet-group count data. We compared results of each survey approach to evaluate the relative efficacy of these two methodologies. Key results Our best-fitting model of certain deer detections derived from our UAS-collected thermal imagery produced deer density estimates (WR20204_IE1.gif, 95% prediction interval = 4.32–17.84 deer km−2) that overlapped with the pellet-group count model when using our mean pellet deposition rate assumption (WR20204_IE2.gif, 95% prediction interval = 4.14–11.29 deer km−2). Estimates from our top UAS model using both certain and potential deer detections resulted in a mean density of 13.77 deer km−2 (95% prediction interval = 6.64–24.35 deer km−2), which was similar to our pellet-group count model that used a lower rate of pellet deposition (WR20204_IE3.gif, 95% prediction interval = 6.46–17.65 deer km−2). The mean point estimates from our top UAS model predicted a range of 136.68–273.81 deer, and abundance point estimates using our pellet-group data ranged from 112.79 to 239.67 deer throughout the CCESR. Conclusions Overall, UAS yielded results similar to pellet-group counts for estimating population densities of wild ungulates; however, UAS surveys were more efficient and could be conducted at multiple times throughout the winter. Implications We demonstrated how UAS could be applied for regularly monitoring changes in population density. We encourage researchers and managers to consider the merits of UAS and how they could be used to enhance the efficiency of wildlife surveys.
Scaling of joint mass and metabolism fluctuations in in silico cell-laden spheroids
Authors: Botte Ermes , Biagini Francesco , Magliaro Chiara , Rinaldo Andrea , Maritan Amos , Ahluwalia Arti
Published: September 2021

Significance

Allometric scaling has many applications, from the prediction of pharmacokinetics in animals and humans to the probing of ecosystem dynamics. Most studies have neglected to account for variations and fluctuations, although they are intrinsic features of all biological systems. To understand how metabolic scaling emerges in the presence of variations, we developed computer-generated models of cell-laden spheroids to define the experimental size range of cell cultures with quantifiable similitudes in terms of fluctuations and metabolic scaling with living organisms. We show that the estimates of scaling exponents may change with increasing variability in both mass and metabolic rate. The computational pipeline described underpins the sound design of statistically meaningful cell-based models, with impacts in both biomedical science and ecology.
TRIM28 is a transcriptional activator of the mutant TERT promoter in human bladder cancer
Authors: Agarwal Neeraj , Rinaldetti Sebastien , Cheikh Bassem B. , Zhou Qiong , Hass Evan P. , Jones Robert T. , Joshi Molishree , LaBarbera Daniel V. , Knott Simon R. V. , Cech Thomas R. , Theodorescu Dan
Published: September 2021

Significance

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is involved in immortalization and survival of cancer cells. Recurring mutations in its promoter often lead to its reexpression in cancer. Therapies targeting hTERT activity have been challenging to develop, and none are in routine use. Using targeted functional genomics knockout screening in a human bladder cancer model, we found that transcription factor TRIM28 activates hTERT expression preferentially from the mutant promoter allele. We also revealed a therapeutically targetable mechanism whereby mTORC1-mediated phosphorylation of TRIM28 is required to activate hTERT transcription. This study describes an approach to functional screening of endogenous promoters and insights into TERT regulation, and it may aid clinicians in making informed decisions for precision therapy of cancer patients harboring hTERT promoter mutations.
Connecting the dots between pronunciation research and practice
Authors: Levis John M.
Published: September 2021

The (non)interaction of research and practice is a common issue in language teaching circles. The
disconnect is perhaps nowhere more evident than in teaching and researching L2 pronunciation, where teachers lack an
understanding of key concerns that drive pronunciation research and are often inadequately trained to teach
pronunciation. This chapter explores influential pronunciation research that is explicitly focused toward pedagogy and
encourages non-researching teachers to understand what they can expect from research studies. It will also encourage
them to consider how some of the important questions in pronunciation research are intensely practical. Likewise, the
chapter suggests what researchers can do to make pedagogical connections of their studies clearer and provides reasons
why researchers should pay closer attention to pedagogy.
When a psycholinguist enters the multilingual classroom
Authors: Angelovska Tanja
Published: September 2021

There is a general agreement that teachers
experience challenges when it comes to dealing with learners who
already use two languages daily (Angelovska, 2019). Several learner
individual differences could influence the outcomes in pronunciation
learning and teaching, e.g., the three (or more) sound systems, the
potential sources for transfer, or the transfer type and direction
to name but a few.

This chapter aims to bridge the gap between
research and practice by informing the practice of pronunciation
teaching. First, some of the psycholinguistic accounts of L3/Ln
pronunciation acquisition are described. Then, a discussion follows
about what research evidence we have and that which we lack for
L3/Ln pronunciation teaching. Finally, possible implications for
teaching in multilingual classrooms are proposed.
The intonation contour of non-finality revisited
Authors: Herment Sophie , Tortel Anne
Published: September 2021

It is well documented that in English falling
contours are associated with final statements and rising contours
with yes-no questions and continuation. Our analyses of the speech
of native speakers show that falls dominate in read speech and are
widely used non-finally. This has important pedagogical implications
for EFL teaching. To help French learners avoid pronouncing too many
rises, a visualisation technique is promoted to show the difference
between the French and English intonation systems. We also show how
relevant a map task can be for the practising and learning of
intonation contours. Hopefully this chapter will provide learners
with clues to gain greater competence as listeners and speakers, and
teachers with tools useful and adaptable in the language class.
Acquisition of English onset consonant clusters by L1 Chinese
speakers
Authors: Lavitskaya Yulia , Zagorodniuk Antonina
Published: September 2021

The present study investigates the syllable
modification processes used by L1 Chinese speakers in producing
English two-consonant onset clusters. The results show greater
pronunciation accuracy for combinations of fricative+liquid,
followed by voiceless stop+liquid and voiced stop+liquid clusters.
The findings suggest two sources contributing to production errors:
L1 influence and coarticulation effects. Transfer from Chinese is
manifested in the systematic devoicing of the initial voiced
consonant and vowel epenthesis. We argue that a hierarchy of
production difficulty is motivated phonetically. This chapter also
examines the pedagogical implications of our findings, helping EFL
teachers to better understand the source of cluster
mispronunciations. Finally, we present teaching techniques which
should lead Chinese learners of English to acquire consonant
clusters more effectively.
Vowel reduction in English grammatical words by Macedonian EFL
learners
Authors: Duckinoska Ivana
Published: September 2021

Research into L2 vowel reduction shows that
learners find this phenomenon challenging to acquire, most likely
due to their inability to differentiate between stressed and
unstressed syllables. Consequently, their L2 speech is characterised
by overuse of strong forms, which may be detrimental to
intelligibility. This study explores vowel reduction in grammatical
words by Macedonian learners of English (N = 121).
Participants at B1, B2 and C1 proficiency levels completed 25 tasks
which elicited target words in spontaneous speech. The results
reveal that learners predominantly use strong forms. Moreover, weak
form use is significantly associated with learners’ proficiency
level and formal pronunciation training, but not with word category.
It was also observed that words with certain strong vowels are more
frequently reduced.
Differential effects of lexical and non-lexical high-variability
phonetic training on the production of L2 vowels
Authors: Ortega Mireia , Mora Plaza Ingrid , Mora Joan Carles
Published: September 2021

This study investigated the effects of
phonetically-oriented and lexically-oriented high-variability
phonetic training. Forty-one L1-Catalan/Spanish EFL learners were
randomly assigned to three groups. Two were trained on the English
/æ/-/ʌ/ contrast either through nonwords (n=14) or
words (n=12), and an untrained group
(n=15) served as control. Training consisted of
discrimination, identification, and immediate repetition tasks.
Participants were tested on their vowel production through a delayed
word repetition task. Gains were assessed through normalised
Bark-converted spectral distance scores between trainees’ and native
speakers’ productions of the target sounds. The results revealed
that the nonword group’s vowel qualities were closer to those of
native speakers at post-test, suggesting that attention to phonetic
detail induced by nonword-based training was superior to
lexically-oriented training.
The diachrony of Galician certamente and
seguramente
Authors: Míguez Vítor
Published: September 2021

This paper addresses the evolution of two Galician
adverbs, certamente and seguramente. Data
from three different periods show that they had similar manner, modal and
discourse functions in the Middle Ages, as opposed to their distinct
functional profiles in more recent days. The theoretical analysis is based
on Traugott and Trousdale’s
(2013) framework, and shows that several instances of grammatical
constructionalization occurred since the emergence of
-mente adverbs out of a Latin instrumental construction
until the appearance of (inter)subjective markers. The current study also
reveals that certamente has become a strengthener and, to a
lesser extent, a certainty marker, whereas seguramente
expresses probability. The semantic evolution of the adverbs, from manner,
through strengthening, to epistemic modality, is in contradiction with the
unidirectionality of (inter)subjectification, whereas the loss of
intersubjective functions in seguramente is a case of
deintersubjectification. Previous research shows that this is a recurrent
pattern for epistemic and evidential expressions.
Unfolding constructions
Authors: Peltola Rea
Published: September 2021

This paper explores the semantic motivation of postmodal
auxiliaries in complement constructions conveying mirativity in French and
Finnish. French pouvoir ‘can’ and Finnish
pitää ‘should’ both occur as postmodal markers in
complements of epistemic and axiological items. These constructions refer to
events that deviate from what is discursively projected as expected. As a
modal verb of possibility, pouvoir profiles the meaning
‘p and not ¬p’, which is based on an
opposition, while pitää, originally a necessity verb, gives
prominence to the paradigmatic meaning ’p instead of
q1, q2
…’. While the two verbs
function in a similar manner as indexes of an interclausal semantic link in
mirative constructions, the meaning of unexpectedness is not construed in
the same way, and the critical contexts in the evolution of postmodal
complement patterns with pouvoir and pitää
are of a different type.
Constructionalization of Japanese koto
imperatives
Authors: Yuasa Etsuyo
Published: September 2021

This paper examines koto imperatives
(e.g., tōku-o mite unten-suru koto! ‘drive looking far
ahead!’) in Japanese. With internal reconstruction, it is shown that
koto imperatives not only underwent a process of
pragmatic strengthening resulting in a new sense of modality, but also
inherited the syntactic schema of the prototypical modal
(raising-to-subject) construction. Given this new meaning associated with
new syntax, it is proposed that koto imperatives are an
instance of constructionalization. Given the similarities between
koto imperatives and suspended clauses (Ohori, 1995), the current analysis
also raises the possibility that constructionalization may take place or may
be taking place with other emerging modality expressions in Japanese.
Article Commentary: Physical Therapists Should Play a Greater Role in Managing Patients with Opioid use and Opioid Misuse
Authors: Magel John , Kietrys David , Kruger Eric S. , Fritz Julie M. , Gordon Adam J.
Published: September 2021

The U.S. opioid crisis necessitates that health care providers of all types work collaboratively to manage patients taking prescription opioid medications and manage those who may be misusing prescription opioids. Musculoskeletal conditions are the most common diagnoses associated with an opioid prescription. Physical therapists commonly manage patients with musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain. Some patients who attend physical therapy for pain management take prescription opioid medications for pain and some of these patients may be misusing prescription opioids. Physical therapists who manage patients with musculoskeletal conditions are well-positioned to help address the opioid crisis. Historically, physical therapists have not been adequately engaged in efforts to manage persons with co-occurring musculoskeletal pain and opioid misuse or OUD. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has emphasized physical therapy over the use of prescription opioids for the management of painful conditions. The APTA, however, does not highlight the important role that physical therapists could play in monitoring opioid use among patients receiving treatment for pain, nor the role that physical therapists should play in screening for opioid misuse. Such screening could facilitate referral of patients suspected misuse to an appropriate provider for formal assessment and treatment. This commentary presents simulated musculoskeletal patient presentations depicting 2 common opioid use states; chronic opioid use and opioid misuse. The cases highlight and interactions that physical therapists could have with these patients and actions that the physical therapist could take when working inter-disciplinarily. Recommendations are provided that aim to increase physical therapists’ knowledge and skills related to managing patients taking prescription opioid medications for pain.
Medical management of heavily exposed victims: an experience at the Tokaimura criticality accident
Authors: Akashi Makoto , Maekawa Kazuhiko
Published: September 2021

A criticality accident occurred at the uranium conversion plant in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on 30 September 1999. When uranyl nitrate was overloaded to a critical mass level, uncontrolled fission reaction occurred. A procedure was carried out according to the JCO manual, although not an officially approved manual. Three workers were heavily exposed to neutrons and γ-rays produced by nuclear fission, and they subsequently developed acute radiation syndrome (ARS). The average doses to the whole body of the three workers were approximately 25, 9, and 3 GyEq (biologically equivalent dose of γ-exposure), respectively; dose distribution analysis later revealed extreme heterogeneity of these doses in two workers. They were triaged according to the predicted clinical needs. Two of these workers developed severe bone marrow failure and received haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: one with peripheral stem cell transplantation from his Human Leukocyte Antigen compatible sister and the other with umbilical cord blood transplantation. The graft was initially successful in both workers; autologous haematopoietic recovery was observed after donor/recipient mixed chimerism in one of them. Despite of all medical efforts available including haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, investigational drugs, skin graft, two workers died of multiple organ involvement and failure 83 and 211 days after the accident, respectively. Clinically as well as pathologically, the direct cause of death was deemed to be intractable gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in one, and thoraco-abdominal compartment syndrome due to dermal fibrosis/sclerosis in the other. The third worker also developed bone marrow suppression but was treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. He recovered without major complications and is now under periodical medical follow-up. These experiences suggest that treatment of bone marrow is not a limiting factor for saving the life of ARS victims severely exposed. Successful treatment of other organs such as lungs, skin, and GI tract is also essential. Furthermore, the whole-body dose may not always reflect the prognosis of ARS victims because of the nature of accidental exposure, heterogenous exposure.