bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Animal models of Parkinson’s disease: a guide to selecting the optimal model for your research
Authors: Lama Joana , Buhidma Yazead , Fletcher Edward J.R. , Duty Susan
Published: November 2021

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex, multisystem disorder characterised by α-synuclein (SNCA) pathology, degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, multifactorial pathogenetic mechanisms and expression of a plethora of motor and non-motor symptoms. Animal models of PD have already been instructive in helping us unravel some of these aspects. However, much remains to be discovered, requiring continued interrogation by the research community. In contrast with the situation for many neurological disorders, PD benefits from of a wide range of available animal models (pharmacological, toxin, genetic and α-synuclein) but this makes selection of the optimal one for a given study difficult. This is especially so when a study demands a model that displays a specific combination of features. While many excellent reviews of animal models already exist, this review takes a different approach with the intention of more readily informing this decision-making process. We have considered each feature of PD in turn – aetiology, pathology, pathogenesis, motor dysfunctions and non-motor symptoms (NMS) – highlighting those animal models that replicate each. By compiling easily accessible tables and a summary figure, we aim to provide the reader with a simple, go-to resource for selecting the optimal animal model of PD to suit their research needs.
A transformer generative adversarial network for multi‐track music generation
Authors: Jin Cong , Wang Tao , Li Xiaobing , Tie Chu Jie Jiessie , Tie Yun , Liu Shan , Yan Ming , Li Yongzhi , Wang Junxian , Huang Shenze
Published: November 2021

This study proposes a new generation network based on transformers and guided by the music theory to produce high‐quality music work. In this study, the decoding block of the transformer is used to learn the internal information of single‐track music, and cross‐track transformers are used to learn the information amongst the tracks of different musical instruments. A reward network based on the music theory is proposed, which optimizes the global and local loss objective functions while training and discriminating the network so that the reward network can provide a reliable adjustment method for the generation of the network. The method of combining the reward network and cross entropy loss is used to guide the training of the generator and produce high‐quality music work. Compared with other multi‐track music generation models, the experimental results verify the validity of the model.
Review of research in photovoltaic panels cooling for domestic and industrial applications
Authors: Ali Yildirim Mehmet , Cebula Artur
Published: November 2021

This paper presents a review of recent photovoltaic cooling technologies and techniques used to reduce the negative impact of increased temperature to enhance the production of electricity by photovoltaic (PV) modules. Various cooling methods are reviewed; namely, Thermoelectric cooling, PV cooling with phase change materials (PCM) and nanofluids, PV systems cooled by forced water circulation, water immersion cooling technique, PV systems cooled by heat sinks, and solar PV systems cooled by water spraying. Several research papers are reviewed, and their focus is explained to provide an understanding of each cooling method to decrease the surface temperature of PV modules. In the conclusion section, the advantages and disadvantages of the above-mentioned cooling methods are expressed. This work can be used by engineers working on the design and theory of cooled photovoltaic systems.
The latest mathematical and empirical models to calculate the thermal conductivity of the soils
Authors: Drzyzga Agnieszka
Published: November 2021

The paper presents the latest models for calculating the thermal conductivity of soil. Precise determination of this parameter is necessary for the correct and safe location of geoengineering objects, underground infrastructure such as cables or ground heat exchangers. A universal model that is easy to apply and gives the most accurate results has not yet been developed. New models are constantly being developed. The aim of this work is to present the latest models for calculating thermal conductivity, so that knowing the properties of the soil, it is possible to select an appropriate model to calculate its conductivity.
Analysis of the impact of the labyrinth seal geometric parameters on the leakage
Authors: Joachimiak Damian , Krzyślak Piotr
Published: November 2021

This paper includes results of experimental research and CFD calculations concerning gas flow in segments of straight through labyrinth seals of fixed length and varying number of teeth. Relation between the number of teeth and the leakage is analyzed in this paper. Authors determined the range of teeth number for which the minimum leakage was achieved. They focused particularly on the analysis of geometry with maximum number of teeth which fell within the range of the minimum leakage. For this geometry they examined the relation between the thickness of the teeth and the distribution of gas pressure and velocity along the seal and the leakage size. Data presented in this paper indicate that the teeth thickness has a significant impact on the flow parameters.
Finite element analysis of heat flow through longitudinal finned tubes in the LNG ambient air vaporizer for a total frost case
Authors: Lisowski Filip , Lisowski Edward
Published: November 2021

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is transported and stored in liquid state at temperature of -163C. In order to use natural gas directly in its gaseous form, LNG must be vaporized, which requires the input of heat. Ambient air vaporizers (AAVs) are commonly used for that purpose in LNG regasification stations. These heat exchangers consist of longitudinally finned tubes with a large heat transfer surface area, provide high efficiency and are virtually cost-free since the heat is taken from the ambient air. This paper presents the results finite element thermal analysis of heat transfer through the finned tubes of ambient air vaporizers under the conditions of total frosting.
Cooling intake air of marine engine with water-fuel emulsion combustion by ejector chiller
Authors: Radchenko Roman , Kornienko Victoria , Radchenko Mykola , Mikielewicz Dariusz , Andreev Artem , Kalinichenko Ivan
Published: November 2021

The fuel efficiency of cooling air at the inlet of marine low speed diesel engine with water-fuel emulsion combustion by ejector chiller utilizing the heat of exhaust gas along the route line Mariupol– Amsterdam–Mariupol was estimated. The values of available refrigeration capacity of ejector chiller, engine intake air temperature drop and corresponding decrease in specific fuel consumption of the main diesel engine at varying climatic conditions along the route line were evaluated. Their values for water-fuel emulsion were compared with conventional fuel oil combustion.
In-silico research of the influence of gas injection into the subsea crude oil pipeline on the paraffin solid phase deposition
Authors: Wójcikowski Artur , Nagy Stanisław
Published: November 2021

The aim of the article is presenting of the preliminary results of simulations showing behaviour of paraffin deposits in submarine pipelines. The described parameters for changing the deposition of the solid paraffin phase with the flow of crude oil through the submarine pipeline inside the subsea system: subsea wellhead – platform processing system. The research includes considerations of the behaviour of paraffins in the presence of the injected gas phase. Author recommends using of phenomenon as an alternative way of securing submarine pipelines operating on the Baltic Sea. This analyse informs that the paraffin’ deposit is possible to adjust of it’s thickness buy using agents other than purely chemical paraffin point temperature depressants. It is supposed here that main impact on paraffin deposition behaviour get decreasing of sediments thickness on the walls of the submarine pipeline in the analysed sections. The reservoir fluid composition used in the simulation was taken from B3 fluid PVT analysis owned by LOTOS Petrobaltic S.A. General composition was used in Leda Flow 2.5 computer analysis in courtesy of Kongsberg Company.
Risk Patterns of Distant Metastases in Follicular, Papillary and
Medullary Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Machens Andreas , Lorenz Kerstin , Weber Frank , Dralle Henning
Published: November 2021

This study of 542 patients with follicular thyroid cancer, 366 patients with the
follicular variant and 1452 patients with the classical variant of papillary
thyroid cancer, and 819 patients with sporadic medullary thyroid cancer operated
at a tertiary referral center aimed to determine risk patterns of distant
metastasis for each tumor entity, which are ill-defined. On multivariable
logistic regression analyses, lymph node metastasis consistently emerged as an
independent risk factor of distant metastasis, yielding odds ratios (ORs) of 2.4
and 2.8 for follicular thyroid cancer and the follicular variant of papillary
thyroid cancer, and ORs of 5.9 and 6.4 for the classical variant of papillary
thyroid cancer and sporadic medullary thyroid cancer. Another independent risk
factor consistently associated with distant metastasis, most strongly in
follicular thyroid cancer and the follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer
(OR 3.5 and 4.0), was patient age >60 years. Altogether, 2 distinct risk
patterns of distant metastasis were identified, which were modulated by other
cancer type-dependent risk factors: one with lymph node metastasis as leading
component (classical variant of papillary thyroid cancer and sporadic medullary
thyroid cancer), and another one with age as leading component (follicular
thyroid cancer and the follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer). Distant
metastasis was exceptional in node-negative patients with sporadic medullary
thyroid cancer (1.7%) and the classical variant of papillary thyroid
cancer (1.4%), and infrequent in node-negative patients with the
follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer (4.4%). These findings
delineate windows of opportunity for early surgical intervention before distant
metastasis has occurred.
An Important Potential Anti-Epileptic/Anticonvulsant Active
Group: A Review of 1,2,4-Triazole Groups and Their Action
Authors: Wang Ying , Liu Dachuan
Published: November 2021

Epilepsy is one of the most common encountered neurological disorders. Many
individuals continue to have seizures despite medical and surgical treatments,
suggesting new antiepileptic/anticonvulsant drugs are required. Triazole
compounds are widely used in pharmaceuticals and have gained significant
importance in medicinal chemistry. This article is an attempt to systematically
review the research of triazole derivatives in the design and development of
anticonvulsant agents during the past two decades through extensive literature
research. The results show that triazole occupy a distinct niche in heterocyclic
chemistry and represent a key motif in medicinal chemistry because of their
capability to exhibit an array of properties and bioactivities, Therefore,
1,2,4-triazole seems to be an important pharmacophore, especially in the field
of antiepileptic, which is of great explored potentiality and utilized value.
Through in-depth research on this type of structure, it is believed that more
1,2,4-triazole compounds will be developed as anti-epileptic drugs for clinical
use.
Single Ophthalmology Program Trends in Resident Surgical and Research Productivity by Gender, Underrepresented Minority Status, and Welcoming a Child
Authors: Kong Alan W. , Schallhorn Julie M. , Ou Yvonne
Published: November 2021

Objective The aim of the study is to identify differences for cataract surgery, total procedural volume, and publication rates between residents by gender, underrepresented minority (URM) status, and welcoming a child during ophthalmology residency.

Design This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Participants A total of 89 residents graduating from 2002 to 2020 at a single program were included.

Methods A multiple linear regression model was created to determine factors predictive of the number of cataract surgeries performed as the primary surgeon, total procedural volume, number of publications, or first author publications. Independent variables included resident gender, URM status, PhD degree, welcoming a child during residency, and graduation year.

Results Of the 89 graduating residents included in this study, identifying as female (45 women, 50.6%) and as URM (eight identifying as URM, 9.0%) was not associated with a difference in surgical or research volume. Female residents performed a mean (SD) of 240.1 (55.1) cataract surgeries while male residents performed 210.6 (46.1) cataract surgeries. Residents identifying as URM completed 228.1 (41.9), while non-URM residents completed 234.8 (51.9) cataract surgeries. Since 2008, eight female residents (22.2%) and two male residents (6.9%) added children to their families. Welcoming a child to the family was also not associated with decreased surgical or publication volume. Number of cataract surgeries, total procedures, and number of publications did increase over time (p <0.001), as each graduation year was associated with 5.4 (95% CI: 3.9, 7.1) more cataract surgeries and 30.5 (95% CI: 25.7, 36.9) more procedures. Each year was also associated with 0.24 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.38) more publications and 0.18 (95% CI: 0.08, 0.28) more first author publications.

Conclusion Surgical and research productivity has increased, and female residents and residents who identify as URM did not have fewer cataract surgeries or procedures. Welcoming a child also did not correlate with differences in surgical or procedural volume. Programs should continue to promote equitable surgery and procedural distributions as well as identify more targeted strategies to encourage and recruit underrepresented medical students into ophthalmology.
Secondary Dentin as an Aid in Gender Predilection: A Forensic Study
Authors: Singh Himanshu , Patel Vedant , Razdan Rahul A. , Jha Deepak , Nayak Prachi , Nayak Sushruth
Published: November 2021

Background Forensic odontology deals with age, sex, and race determination of the deceased at crime scenes, disasters, or natural calamities. Studies regarding the role of secondary dentin in age estimation have been documented on a several occasions in the literature but use of secondary dentin in gender predilection has not yet been documented. So, the present study was aimed at using the secondary dentin as a diagnostic tool in gender predilection.

Materials and Methods The study included a total of 20 samples (10 males and 10 females). Extracted teeth were collected and placed in 10% neutral buffered formalin solution. The sections were ground on Arkansas stone until the appropriate thickness of the ground sections was achieved. The freshly prepared ground section was mounted on a slide using DPX mounting media. Ground sections were visualized under a microscope and the thickness of secondary dentine was measured using the image analysis software.

Results The data were collected and subjected to group statistics. The secondary dentin thickness of all the samples, males and females, was measured. It was observed in our study that the mean thickness of secondary dentin was more in male samples (0.2970) with the standard deviation of 0.01494, as compared with that of females where the mean thickness was found to be 0.1970 with the standard deviation of 0.02058.

Conclusion This study has shown that variation in secondary dentin thickness does exist between male and female groups. This criterion can be considered as an aid for gender determination in the future.
Medical Schools in National Capital Territory–A Historical and Functional Perspective
Authors: Dwivedi Shridhar , Aggarwal Amitesh
Published: November 2021

Establishment of a medical school is predominantly a political decision. Its basic aim is to further the cause of medical education. Inbuilt within this objective is looking after sick people, bringing improvement in their health, and indirectly improving their understanding of health. Delhi, being the capital city of the country, is governed by the state as well central authorities, thereby enjoying dual benefits. Currently, it has some 10 medical schools/institutes with the objectives of providing quality medical education, research and health to its people. Notably, each one has its own historical legacy and distinctive character, as evident in their respective names, logo, motto and mission statement. This article briefly discusses the historical, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and distinctive characters of each of these institutions.
Correlates of Insulin Selection as a First-Line Pharmacological Treatment for Gestational Diabetes
Authors: Palatnik Anna , Harrison Rachel K. , Thakkar Madhuli Y. , Walker Rebekah J. , Egede Leonard E.
Published: November 2021

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate prenatal factors associated with insulin prescription as a first-line pharmacotherapy for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM; compared with oral antidiabetic medication) after failed medical nutrition therapy.

Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of 437 women with a singleton pregnancy and diagnosis of A2GDM (GDM requiring pharmacotherapy), delivering in a university hospital between 2015 and 2019. Maternal sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as GDM-related factors, including provider type that manages GDM, were compared between women who received insulin versus oral antidiabetic medication (metformin or glyburide) as the first-line pharmacotherapy using univariable and multivariable analyses.

Results In univariable analysis, maternal age, race and ethnicity, insurance, chronic hypertension, gestational age at GDM diagnosis, glucose level after 50-g glucose loading test, and provider type were associated with insulin prescription. In multivariable analysis, after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical maternal factors, GDM characteristics and provider type, Hispanic ethnicity (0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.73), and lack of insurance (0.34, 95% CI: 0.13–0.89) remained associated with lower odds of insulin prescription, whereas endocrinology management of GDM (compared with obstetrics and gynecology [OBGYN]) (8.07, 95% CI: 3.27–19.90) remained associated with higher odds of insulin prescription.

Conclusion Women of Hispanic ethnicity and women with no insurance were less likely to receive insulin and more likely to receive oral antidiabetic medication for GDM pharmacotherapy, while management by endocrinology was associated with higher odds of insulin prescription.

This finding deserves more investigation to understand if differences are due to patient choice or a health disparity in the choice of pharmacologic agent for A2GDM.

Key Points
Design of pulsed power supply for repetitive pulsed high magnetic field for water electrolysis
Authors: Jiang Shan , Hu Heng , Wang Shuang , Li Liang , Peng Tao
Published: November 2021

A system based on a novel scheme for generating the repetitive pulsed high magnetic field (RPHMF) is developed and applied to enhance the performance of the NdFeB electrocatalyst in alkaline water electrolysis for the first time. In this system, the scheme for generating continuously high-frequency pulses depends on the cooperation of multiple power modules with a new structure. Multiple power modules are connected in parallel to energize the pulsed magnet, and each module is composed of two capacitor banks and a pulse transformer, which is used to realize the conversion of the energy between the two capacitor banks. As the residual energy in one capacitor is transferred to another, the energy required to be replenished for the next pulse reduces substantially. Then, the high repetition rate of the RPHMF can be achieved by discharging the capacitor banks of each module in sequence. The scheme has been validated by the experiment of a 2.4 T/12 Hz prototype with only one power module. Simulation shows that the frequency of the RPHMF can be improved to 12*N Hz with N power modules, and a higher repetition rate of the RPHMF may bring new opportunities to the water electrolysis.
The magnetic and levitation characteristics of single-grain YBaCuO and GdBaCuO-Ag bulk superconductors in high magnetic fields
Authors: Liu Zhen , Zheng Jun , Chen Jianzhen , Hu Zhunxiang , Deng Zigang , Shi Yunhua , Cardwell David A.
Published: November 2021

In principle, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) flux-pinning maglev has the advantage of self-stable levitation and is therefore a good development prospect as a new rail transit technology. The magnetic field intensity is one of the key factors affecting the levitation performance of single-grain bulk superconductors in the HTS maglev system. To date, however, most researchers have focused on the levitation performance of HTS bulk superconductors in magnetic fields within a permanent magnet guideway (PMG) configuration. The magnitude of the external working magnetic field provided by a PMG is limited to about 0.5 T at 77 K, given that the superconductor usually levitates at a typical working height of 10 mm above the PMG. Therefore, the weak magnetic fields generated by the PMG significantly limits the levitation performance of HTS maglev systems to that of the permanent magnet (PM). In this article, a superconducting magnet test bench was utilized to provide a 0–3 T external magnetic field (B) environment for the study of the levitation force in HTS single grains. The difference in levitation performance between YBaCuO (YBCO) and GdBaCuO-Ag (GdBCO-Ag) bulk superconductors under large, changing magnetic fields was studied systematically. The relationships between levitation force and magnetic field characteristics, including vertical magnetic field component (Bz), transverse magnetic field component (Br), and vertical magnetic field variation (ΔBz) were investigated. The result of variation curves about YBCO and GdBCO bulks' levitation forces under different ΔBz shows that the levitation force of the bulk, single-grain superconductors will reach saturation under a varying ΔBz environment (0.72 and 1.5 T). The values of ΔBz corresponding to the saturation positions are found to be independent of the sizes of the HTS samples. At the same time, GdBCO-Ag exhibits a levitation force that is 112.8% greater than YBCO in B = 3 T magnetic environment. As a result, it is demonstrated that the levitation potential of single-grain HTS bulks can be better exploited by optimizing the distribution of the magnetic field.
Role of metal-nanostructure features on tip-enhanced photoluminescence of single molecules
Authors: Romanelli Marco , Dall’Osto Giulia , Corni Stefano
Published: November 2021

Tip-enhanced photoluminescence (TEPL) experiments have recently reached the ability to investigate single molecules exploiting resolution at the submolecular level. Localized surface plasmon resonances of metallic nanostructures have the capability of enhancing an impinging electromagnetic radiation in the proximity of their surface, with evident consequences both on absorption and emission of molecules placed in the same region. We propose a theoretical analysis of these phenomena in order to interpret TEPL experiments on single molecules, including a quantum mechanical description of the target molecule equilibrated with the presence of two nanostructures representative of the nanocavity usually employed in STMs. The approach has been applied to the zinc phthalocyanine molecule, previously considered in recent TEPL experiments [Yang et al., Nat. Photonics 14, 693–699 (2020)]. This work has the aim of providing a comprehensive theoretical understanding of the experimental results, particularly focusing on the investigation of the tip features that majorly influence the excitation and fluorescence processes of the molecule, such as the geometry, the dielectric function, and the tip–molecule distance.
Quasiparticle electronic structure of phthalocyanine:TMD interfaces from first-principles GW
Authors: Adeniran Olugbenga , Liu Zhen-Fei
Published: November 2021

Interfaces formed between monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides and (metallo)phthalocyanine molecules are promising in energy applications and provide a platform for studying mixed-dimensional molecule-semiconductor heterostructures in general. An accurate characterization of the frontier energy level alignment at these interfaces is key in the fundamental understanding of the charge transfer dynamics between the two photon absorbers. Here, we employ the first-principles substrate screening GW approach to quantitatively characterize the quasiparticle electronic structure of a series of interfaces: metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) adsorbed on monolayer MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) adsorbed on MoX2 (X = S, Se). Furthermore, we reveal the dielectric screening effect of the commonly used α-quartz (SiO2) substrate on the H2Pc:MoS2 interface using the dielectric embedding GW approach. Our calculations furnish a systematic set of GW results for these interfaces, providing the structure–property relationship across a series of similar systems and benchmarks for future experimental and theoretical studies.
Translating official documents from French to English in Uganda
Authors: Sebuyungo Enoch
Published: November 2021

Although underexplored in Africa, the translation of official documents presents a revelatory context for examining translation practice and theory. Through a sociolinguistic and pragmatic lens, this study explores how translating official documents by focusing on linguistic equivalences without taking into account national institutional systems can be misleading. The argument is made that sociolinguistic variables and Grice’s pragmatic maxims are essential in enhancing translation effectiveness. A sample of 151 pairs of source and target documents dating from 2011–2017 was purposively selected. This corpus from nineteen Francophone countries covers three broad categories: Education, Legal, and General Administrative Correspondence. Nineteen translators and fourteen end-users were also interviewed regarding the translation effectiveness of corpus examples. Data is analyzed using sociolinguistic and pragmatic criteria. Finally, the analysis is positioned within the broader scholarship on translation studies to demonstrate how this approach expands our knowledge regarding effective translation.
The role of linguistic structure in the perceptions of vernacular speech
Authors: Davydova Julia , Hazen Kirk
Published: November 2021

This study explores the role of linguistic structure in speakers’ perceptions of vernacular English, i.e. speech used in informal interactions. In so doing, it tests the assumptions of the Interface Principle (Labov 1993) and its major claim that semantic and discourse-pragmatic features will elicit a greater degree of social awareness than morphosyntactic variants (Levon and Buchstaller 2015). Relying on data obtained from 372 respondents, we explore the social perceptions of two discourse-pragmatic and two morphosyntactic variables. We show that the morphosyntactic features investigated here are generally available to the sociolinguistic monitor of L1 speakers as well as highly advanced learners of English as a Foreign Language. However, these morphosyntactic features are less salient than the semantic/discourse pragmatic variants, and their social indexation is, for this reason, more pliable. We argue for the weaker version of the Interface Principle and propose that the differences in the recognisability of vernacular features is gradient. We additionally propose that juxtaposing different types of speaker data is instrumental in discerning those differences.
The ideological debate on Naijá and its use in education
Authors: Mazzoli Maria
Published: November 2021

Naijá (also known as Nigerian Pidgin) is an extended pidgin with millions of speakers in Nigeria, and it is also a creole since some communities use it as a first language (Faraclas 2013; Mazzoli 2017). It is a common lingua franca in former English colonies in West Africa and has potential for transnational use. Notwithstanding its importance at multiple levels, Naijá is not mentioned in language-related policies in Nigeria, and its use in education is limited and stigmatized. This is due to aggressive ideologies that identify Naijá as an inferior language, especially with respect to English in Nigeria. In this paper, based on fieldwork data collected in southern Nigeria, I outline positive and negative ideologies related to Naijá, and argue that innovative ideologies have emerged among Naijá native speakers, which constitute a base for elaborating endoglossic policies and introducing Naijá into the classroom.
Data-driven learning, theories of learning and second language acquisition
Authors: O’Keeffe Anne
Published: November 2021

This chapter focuses on the need to address both theories of learning and theories of language acquisition in data-driven learning (DDL) research. While it recognises that there has been so much worthwhile research work on DDL which has shed so much light on the value of DDL, it is still not a mainstream methodology. The chapter argues that by understanding better the variations in pedagogical underpinnings and ontologies, DDL research can better pinpoint what works within specified variables. Additionally, the paper argues strongly for engagement with ongoing research in second language acquisition (SLA), especially from a usage-based perspective because there are so many resonances for DDL in terms of the centrality of the role of frequently experienced syntactic regularities in learning.
Physical determinants, intercorrelations, and relevance of movement speed components in elite junior tennis players
Authors: Vuong Jo‐Lâm , Fett Janina , Ulbricht Alexander , Ferrauti Alexander
Published: November 2021

Movement speed is considered essential for success in elite tennis. The aim of the present study was to develop a model of movement speed components and quantify their age – and gender‐related relevance for tennis performance. Physical testing data obtained from 1,434 nationally ranked junior squad tennis players were divided according to the age at peak height velocity (YPHV) into two age groups (pre‐PHV: n=103 girls, 11.7 ± 0.6 yrs.; n=466 boys, 12.7 ± 1.0 yrs.; post‐PHV: n=524 girls, 14.2 ± 1.4 yrs.; n=344 boys, 15.3 ± 1.2 yrs.). After assessing anthropometrics and maturity status, all players passed a series of standardized physical tests on an indoor hard court. All data were z‐standardized, filtered and sorted by gender, maturity level, and ranking position. The structuring of the speed‐related performance parameters resulted in four factors (“Elementary Speed”, “Jumping Power”, “Linear Speed”, and “COD Speed”), which were then confirmed by factor analysis. The correlation of these factors to the national ranking position was mostly significant but rather low, with “Linear Speed” reaching the lowest (r=0.10–0.18) and “COD Speed” the highest correlation (r=0.22–0.34). Path analytic models revealed “COD Speed” as the most important factor, which is strongly influenced by “Jumping Power” and “Linear Speed,” with medium effect sizes, while “Elementary Speed” affects this factor only slightly. It can be concluded that the relationship between movement speed and junior players’ tennis ranking is lower than expected. The development of “COD Speed” should be prioritized during testing, training, and talent identification, independent of age group and gender.

Highlights

Performance parameters for 1,434 junior players with national rankings were analyzed and assigned to four superior factors.

The impact of the factors on the ranking position, as well as the internal causal relationships, were investigated via path analysis.

“COD Speed” was the most impactful factor for tennis performance and was strongly influenced by “Linear Speed” and “Jumping Power.”
Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan: Advocating for women's representation in science
Authors: Morgado-Palacin Lucia
Published: November 2021

Vaishnavi Ananthanarayanan investigates the regulation of motor proteins and cytoskeleton–organelle interactions using single-molecule microscopy.
Basic concepts of biological microparticles isolation by inertia spiral microchannels in simple terms: a review
Authors: Tabatabaei Seyed Ali , Zabetian Targhi Mohammad , Javaherchian Javane , Yaghoubi Marzieh
Published: November 2021

The microfluidics separation has absorbed wide-ranging attention in recent years due to its outstanding advantages in biological, medical, clinical, and diagnostical cell studies. While conventional separation methods failed to render the acceptable performance, microfluidics sorting methods offer many privileges such as high throughput, user-friendliness, minimizing sample volumes, cost-efficiency, non-invasive procedures, high precision, improved portability, quick processing, etc. Among the inertial microfluidics approaches such as the straight and curved microchannels, although the spiral microchannels, which are the sorts of passive separations, are complicated in concepts and geometries, they have demonstrated auspicious benefits for this purpose. Thus, numerous studies have strived to explain the principle of particle migrating and forces in these complex microchannels. However, a comprehensive understanding is still necessary. On the other side, it is manifest that the diagnosis and separation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood are significant for targeted treatments of this detrimental disease. Therefore, this study aims to review the previous investigations and developments for understanding the CTC separation using the spiral microchannels straightforwardly and profoundly. After elucidating the inertial microfluidics and their governing physics in simple terms, we provide insights about spiral microchannels’ mechanism and concepts, the secondary flow, the cross-section effects on the separation processes, the investigation about CTCs in the spiral microchannels specifically, and finally, the future applications and challenges of this kind of inertial microfluidics. The analyses reveal that new approaches should be conducted to use spiral microchannels with combined cross-sections. These kinds of microchannels with optimum size and shape of cross-sections can improve performance efficiently.
Efficient approach for optical and morphological characterization of hybrid perovskite films based on reflectance and transmittance measurements
Authors: Caram Jorge , Senno Maximiliano , Cencha Luisa , Tinte Silvia , Urteaga Raúl , Arce Roberto D
Published: November 2021

Organo-inorganic perovskites (OIPs) have been intensively studied due to their potential application in low-cost, high-efficiency energy conversion in solar cells. Despite the great improvement in the quality of OIP films, wide dispersion in the same batch of perovskite-based devices remains an obstacle to obtaining highly reproducible results. For that reason, new and efficient strategies for testing deposition results is essential. Here we present a simple and efficient procedure for characterizing optical and morphological properties based on simultaneous reflectance and transmittance measurements under normal incidence over a methylammonium lead iodide film. The proposed method provides qualitative and quantitative morphological information associated with the film roughness as well as information about the position of the optical gap and possible contributions to optical dispersion in the structure that can be used as a simple diagnostic tool to optimize film deposition. Results are compared and validated with electronic and atomic force microscopy, as well as first-principles calculations.
Practical health indicator construction methodology for bearing ensemble remaining useful life prediction with ISOMAP-DE and ELM-WPHM
Authors: Gu Yingkui , Bi Qingpeng , Qiu Guangqi
Published: November 2021

To improve the accuracy of our previous bearing ensemble remaining useful life (RUL) prediction model using the genetic algorithm (GA), support vector regression, and the Weibull proportional hazard model (WPHM) (see Qiu et al (2020 Measurement
150 107097)), we proposed a more practical health indicator (HI) construction methodology for bearing ensemble RUL prediction. A weighted coefficient determination method for four prognostic metrics-monotonicity, robustness, trendability, and consistency-was proposed to select sensitive health features accurately using the analytic hierarchy process. The selected sensitive health features were fused through isometric feature mapping (ISOMAP), and differential evolution (DE) was employed to replace GA for computing the optimal weight coefficients of each input fused feature. One-dimensional HI was constructed by multiplying each input fused feature with the corresponding optimal weight coefficient, and RUL prediction was implemented through an extreme learning machine (ELM) and WPHM. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method were validated by a bearing experiment. The results show that HI construction with ISOMAP-DE has achieved the best performance, and the proposed ELM-WPHM model is compared with BP-WPHM, SVM-WPHM, LSTM-WPHM, and DLSTM-WPHM in terms of RMSE criteria. The minimum error and training time appear in ELM-WPHM, indicating the superiority of the proposed bearing ensemble RUL prediction model.
A real time detection method for abnormal strapping of steel coil based on CCD active imaging
Authors: Ye Chuan , Zhao Liming , Wang Qiyan , Pan Bo , Xie Youchun , Wang Chao , Hu Yuanyao
Published: November 2021

In order to accurately detect the abnormal looseness of strapping in the process of steel coil hoisting, an accurate detection method of strapping abnormality based on CCD structured light active imaging is proposed. Firstly, a maximum entropy laser stripe automatic segmentation model integrating multi-scale saliency features is constructed. With the help of saliency detection model, the purpose is to reduce the interference of the environment to the laser stripe and highlight the distinguishability between the stripe and the background. Then, the maximum entropy is used to segment the fused saliency features and accurately extract the stripe contour. Finally, the stripe normal field is obtained by calculating the stripe gradient vector, the stripe center line is extracted based on the stripe distribution normal direction, and the abnormal strapping is recognized online according to the stripe center. Experiments show that the proposed method is effective in terms of detection accuracy and time efficiency, and has certain engineering application value.
Nanofibrous drug delivery systems for breast cancer: a review
Authors: Hussain Tanveer , Ramakrishna Seeram , Abid Sharjeel
Published: November 2021

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is one of the preferred approaches for treating non-invasive or early-stage breast cancers. However, local-regional recurrence (LRR) is one of the critical risk factors after BCS. As many as 10%–20% of BCS cases may show LRR within 5 years and almost 50% within 10 years after surgery. Radiation therapy is one of the preferred treatments used to prevent LRR after BCS. However, because of possible side-effects of radiation therapy, targeted drug delivery systems (DDS) based on nanofibers loaded with anti-cancer drugs have been explored in recent years to control LRR. This paper aims to review different polymers and anti-cancer drugs used for developing nanofibrous DDS against various breast cancer cell lines for their efficacy and advantages. It was observed that the utilization of nanofibers scaffolds after mastectomy could decrease the recurrence of breast cancer cells to a great extent as these nanofibrous scaffolds release drugs in a sustained manner for a prolonged time eliminating the need for radiations. Besides, the side effects of chemotherapy or other aggressive anticancer treatment on healthy cells could also be avoided.
How should we model and evaluate breathing interplay effects in IMPT?
Authors: Pastor-Serrano Oscar , Habraken Steven , Lathouwers Danny , Hoogeman Mischa , Schaart Dennis , Perkó Zoltán
Published: November 2021

Breathing interplay effects in Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) arise from the interaction between target motion and the scanning beam. Assessing the detrimental effect of interplay and the clinical robustness of several mitigation techniques requires statistical evaluation procedures that take into account the variability of breathing during dose delivery. In this study, we present such a statistical method to model intra-fraction respiratory motion based on breathing signals and assess clinical relevant aspects related to the practical evaluation of interplay in IMPT such as how to model irregular breathing, how small breathing changes affect the final dose distribution, and what is the statistical power (number of different scenarios) required for trustworthy quantification of interplay effects. First, two data-driven methodologies to generate artificial patient-specific breathing signals are compared: a simple sinusoidal model, and a precise probabilistic deep learning model generating very realistic samples of patient breathing. Second, we investigate the highly fluctuating relationship between interplay doses and breathing parameters, showing that small changes in breathing period result in large local variations in the dose. Our results indicate that using a limited number of samples to calculate interplay statistics introduces a bigger error than using simple sinusoidal models based on patient parameters or disregarding breathing hysteresis during the evaluation. We illustrate the power of the presented statistical method by analyzing interplay robustness of 4DCT and Internal Target Volume (ITV) treatment plans for a 8 lung cancer patients, showing that, unlike 4DCT plans, even 33 fraction ITV plans systematically fail to fulfill robustness requirements.
Design and modeling of a Laue lens for radiation therapy with hard x-ray photons
Authors: Girou David , Ford Eric , Wade Colin , van Aarle Casper , Uliyanov Alexei , Hanlon Lorraine , Tomsick John A , Zoglauer Andreas , Collon Maximilien J , Beijersbergen Marco W , Barrière Nicolas M
Published: November 2021

We have designed and modeled a novel optical system composed of a Laue lens coupled to an x-ray tube that produces a focused beam in an energy range near 100 keV (λ = 12.4 picometer). One application of this system is radiation therapy where it could enable treatment units that are considerably simpler and lower in cost than present technologies relying on linear accelerators. The Laue lens is made of Silicon Laue components which exploit the silicon pore optics technology. The lens concentrates photons to a small region thus allowing high dose rates at the focal area with very much lower dose rates at the skin and superficial regions. Monte Carlo simulations with Geant4 indicate a dose deposition rate of 0.2 Gy min−1 in a cylindrical volume of 0.7 mm diameter and 10 mm length, and a dose ratio of 72 at the surface (skin) compared to the focus placed 10 cm within a water phantom. Work is ongoing to newer generation crystal technologies to increase dose rate.
Convex optimization algorithms in medical image reconstruction—in the age of AI
Authors: Xu Jingyan , Noo Frédéric
Published: November 2021

The past decade has seen the rapid growth of model based image reconstruction (MBIR) algorithms, which are often applications or adaptations of convex optimization algorithms from the optimization community. We review some state-of-the-art algorithms that have enjoyed wide popularity in medical image reconstruction, emphasize known connections between different algorithms, and discuss practical issues such as computation and memory cost. More recently, deep learning (DL) has forayed into medical imaging, where the latest development tries to exploit the synergy between DL and MBIR to elevate the MBIR's performance. We present existing approaches and emerging trends in DL-enhanced MBIR methods, with particular attention to the underlying role of convexity and convex algorithms on network architecture. We also discuss how convexity can be employed to improve the generalizability and representation power of DL networks in general.
Microstructure analysis and crack nucleation in TWIP steel tube at expansive deformation
Authors: Liu ChunYuan , Song KaiHong , Wu Wei , Jiang Ping , Jiang YanFei , Xia XingChuan , Liao Bo
Published: November 2021

The expansion test of twinning induced plastic (TWIP) steel tube was carried out at room temperature. Cracks appeared inside the tube edge when TWIP steel tube expands by 15.6%. The microstructure evolution, deformation mechanism and crack generation of TWIP steel after expansion were investigated by XDR OM TEM and EBSD. The results show that TWIP steel tube still austenite phase after expansion at room temperature; a great deal of dislocations are gathered around the grain boundaries and twin boundaries, the integral number of twins is high, and the mechanism of expansion deformation is the joint action of dislocations slip and deformation twins; Twins produce a large number of finer secondary or even multiple twins, intersecting each other; After expansion, the silk texture with direction of 〈111〉∥X0 dominated by rotating brass texture {110} 〈111〉 is gradually produced through grain deformation and rotation; The proportion of small angle grain boundaries increased greatly; It is deduced that the criterion of crack nucleation is based on the difference between the dislocation pile-up energy (DPE) and the crack nucleation energy (CNE), and the expansion deformation process of TWIP steel satisfies the condition of crack nucleation.
Stochastic gradient descent for linear inverse problems in Hilbert spaces
Authors: Lu Shuai , Mathé Peter
Published: November 2021

We investigate stochastic gradient decent (SGD) for solving full infinite dimensional ill-posed problems in Hilbert spaces. We allow for batch-size versions of SGD where the randomly chosen batches incur noise fluctuations. Based on the corresponding bias-variance decomposition we provide bounds for the root mean squared error. These bounds take into account the discretization levels, the decay of the step-size, which is more flexible than in existing results, and the underlying smoothness in terms of general source conditions. This allows to apply SGD to severely ill-posed problems. The obtained error bounds exhibit three stages of the performance of SGD. In particular, the pre-asymptotic behavior can be well seen. Some numerical studies verify the theoretical predictions.
On a causal principle in an argument for a necessary being
Authors: Saenz Noël Blas
Published: November 2021

In Necessary Existence, Pruss and Rasmussen give an argument for a necessary being employing a modest causal principle. Here I note that, when applied to highly general and fundamental matters, the principle may well be false (or at least not so obvious).