bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discoloration of surface sealants by plaque disclosing solution
Authors: Şen Sinan , Erber Ralf , Şen Gözde , Deurer Nadine , Zingler Sebastian , Lux Christopher J.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Surface sealants are widely used as a prevention strategy and are indicated for young patients with insufficient oral hygiene who also need plaque removal by professional tooth cleaning. The aim of this study was to evaluate discoloration of surface sealants by plaque disclosing solutions and to test to what extent this discoloration can be reduced again by professional tooth cleaning.

Methods

In all, 96 extracted lesion-free human teeth were randomly assigned to treatment with either Pro Seal® (PS; Opal Orthodontics, South Jordan, UT, USA) or Opal®Seal™ (OS; Reliance Orthodontic Products, Itasca, IL, USA). Color evaluations after application of the plaque disclosing solution Mira-2-Ton® (Hager & Werken, Duisburg, Germany) were performed using a clinical spectrophotometer. Staining and polishing were repeated once. Color differences (∆E) above 3.77 were regarded as clinically relevant.

Results

All sealants showed high, clinically relevant ∆E values after the first staining. Polishing led to significantly decreased ∆E values on PS-treated teeth; however, the median ∆E value remained above the clinically relevant threshold. Polishing on OS-treated teeth only slightly reduced ∆E values. After professional tooth cleaning both PS and OS showed clinically relevant ∆E values.

Conclusion

Surface sealants show clinically relevant discoloration after exposure to plaque disclosing solution under in vitro conditions. Such discolorations could not be removed by professional tooth cleaning. Thus, in clinical practice, plaque disclosing solutions might cause esthetic deficits in surface sealant-treated teeth. The impact of plaque disclosing solutions under clinical conditions (e.g., in the presence of saliva and by various aspects of a person’s nutrition) should be investigated in clinical studies.
Protected risk stratification with the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator: results from the WEARIT-II-EUROPE registry
Authors: Veltmann Christian , Winter Stefan , Duncker David , Jungbauer Carsten G. , Wäßnig Nadine K. , Geller J. Christoph , Erath Julia W. , Goeing Olaf , Perings Christian , Ulbrich Michael , Roser Mattias , Husser Daniela , Gansera Laura S. , Soezener Korkut , Malur Frank Michael , Block Michael , Fetsch Thomas , Kutyifa Valentina , Klein Helmut U.
Published: May 2020

Background

The prospective WEARIT-II-EUROPE registry aimed to assess the value of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) prior to potential ICD implantation in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction considered at risk of sudden arrhythmic death.

Methods and results

781 patients (77% men; mean age 59.3 ± 13.4 years) with heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were consecutively enrolled. All patients received a WCD. Follow-up time for all patients was 12 months. Mean baseline LVEF was 26.9%. Mean WCD wearing time was 75 ± 47.7 days, mean daily WCD use 20.3 ± 4.6 h. WCD shocks terminated 13 VT/VF events in ten patients (1.3%). Two patients died during WCD prescription of non-arrhythmic cause. Mean LVEF increased from 26.9 to 36.3% at the end of WCD prescription (p < 0.01). After WCD use, ICDs were implanted in only 289 patients (37%). Forty patients (5.1%) died during follow-up. Five patients (1.7%) died with ICDs implanted, 33 patients (7%) had no ICD (no information on ICD in two patients). The majority of patients (75%) with the follow-up of 12 months after WCD prescription died from heart failure (15 patients) and non-cardiac death (15 patients). Only three patients (7%) died suddenly. In seven patients, the cause of death remained unknown.

Conclusions

Mortality after WCD prescription was mainly driven by heart failure and non-cardiovascular death. In patients with HFrEF and a potential risk of sudden arrhythmic death, WCD protected observation of LVEF progression and appraisal of competing risks of potential non-arrhythmic death may enable improved selection for beneficial ICD implantation.

Graphic abstract
Congenital nephrotic syndrome: is early aggressive treatment needed? Yes
Authors: Hölttä Tuula , Jalanko Hannu
Published: May 2020

Congenital nephrotic syndrome (CNS) was primarily considered one disease entity. Hence, one treatment protocol was proposed in the beginning to all CNS patients. Today, with the help of gene diagnostics, we know that CNS is a heterogeneous group of disorders and therefore, different treatment protocols are needed. The most important gene defects causing CNS areNPHS1,NPHS2,WT1,LAMB2, andPLCE1. Before active treatment, all infants with CNS died. It was stated already in the mid-1980s that intensive medical therapy followed by kidney transplantation (KTx) should be the choice of treatment for infants with severe CNS. In Finland, early aggressive treatment protocol was adopted from the USA and further developed for treatment of children with the Finnish type of CNS. The aim of this review is to state reasons for “early aggressive treatment” including daily albumin infusions, intensified nutrition, and timely bilateral nephrectomy followed by KTx at the age of 1–2 years.
Wie erreicht man das „gute ökologische Potenzial“? Fallbeispiel Innstauraum Egglfing-Obernberg
Authors: Zauner Gerald , Lauber Wolfgang , Jung Michael , Ratschan Clemens , Schöfbenker Michael , Schmalfuß Roland
Published: May 2020

Die Wasserkörper der bayerisch-oberösterreichischen Grenzstrecke des Unteren Inns zwischen dem Kraftwerk Passau-Ingling und der Salzachmündung wurden als „erheblich veränderte Wasserkörper“ entsprechend der EU-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie eingestuft. Hier gilt nicht der „gute ökologische Zustand“, sondern das „gute ökologische Potenzial“ als zu erreichender Zielzustand. Für die Erreichung dieses Ziels ist ein gemäß „Leitfaden zur Bewertung erheblich veränderter Gewässer“ definierter Teil des „höchsten ökologischen Potenzials“ umzusetzen, worunter das maximale Maßnahmenpotenzial ohne signifikante Einschränkungen der für die Einstufung als „erheblich veränderter Wasserkörper“ verantwortlichen Nutzungen zu verstehen ist. Für den Innstauraum Egglfing-Obernberg wurden die dazu erforderlichen Maßnahmen definiert und im Rahmen des von 2017 bis 2019 laufenden Projekts „Durchgängigkeit und Lebensraum“ zum Großteil bereits umgesetzt. Projektinhalte waren die Herstellung eines Insel-Nebenarmsystems einschließlich eines unterstromig angebundenen Stillgewässers in der Stauwurzel, die Dynamisierung und Entlandung von bestehenden Altarmen sowie die Errichtung eines naturnahen Umgehungsgewässers als Fischaufstiegshilfe und hochwertiger Fließgewässerlebensraum. Fischökologische Erhebungen vor Maßnahmenumsetzung bestätigten die hydromorphologischen Defizite des Innstauraums Egglfing-Obernberg, insbesondere das Fehlen hochwertiger Laich- und Juvenilhabitate rheophiler Flussfischarten und die stark eingeschränkte laterale Konnektivität, was sich in quantitativ geringen Fischbeständen und einem Defizit an Arten und Altersstadien äußerte. Allerdings konnte im Zuge dieser Erhebungen mit dem Steingreßling eine im gesamten Salzach-Innsystem ausgestorben geglaubte Fischart wiederentdeckt werden. Erste Untersuchungsergebnisse der herbstlichen Fischmigration im Umgehungsgewässer zeigten ungewöhnlich hohe Aufstiegszahlen verschiedener Cyprinidenarten. Im Rahmen des über die nächsten Jahre laufenden Monitorings soll die Wirkung der Maßnahmen in Hinblick auf die Zielerreichung nach Wasserrahmenrichtlinie untersucht werden, wobei in Analogie zu den Ergebnissen bestehender fischökologischer Studien eine deutliche Stärkung der Fischpopulationen zu erwarten ist.
Identification and characterization of a protein Bro1 essential for sophorolipids synthesis inStarmerella bombicola
Authors: Liu Jun , Li Jiashan , Gao Na , Zhang Xinyu , Zhao Guoqin , Song Xin
Published: May 2020

Sophorolipids (SLs) are surface-active molecules produced by the non-pathogenic yeast Starmerella bombicola CGMCC 1576. Several genes involved in the synthesis of SLs have been identified. However, the regulation mechanism of the synthesis pathway for SLs has not been investigated. We recently discovered a protein in S. bombicola, which is structurally related to Yarrowia lipolytica YlBro1. To identify the function of the protein SbBro1 in S. bombicola, the deletion, overexpression, and complementary mutant strains were constructed. We found that the deletion mutant no longer produced SLs. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the expression levels of the key enzyme genes of SLs biosynthetic pathway were significantly down-regulated in the Δbro1, especially the expression level of cyp52m1 encoding the first rate-limiting enzyme in SL synthesis pathway was down-regulated 13-folds and the expression of fatty acid β-oxidation-related enzymes was also down-regulated. This study can give insight into the regulation of SL synthesis.
Gas separation in a Knudsen pump inspired by a Crookes radiometer
Authors: Baier Tobias , Hardt Steffen
Published: May 2020

In a Knudsen pump, gas flow is induced by thermal gradients along a channel when the mean free path of the gas molecules is comparable to the geometric feature size. By periodically varying both the channel dimension and the reflection properties of gas molecules at the channel walls, a gas flow along the channel can be induced by application of a constant temperature difference between the channel walls. Inspired by the Crookes-Radiometer, one such arrangement consists of placing an array of plates with different reflection properties on their opposite sides along a channel. We investigate the transport of binary gas mixtures along such channels by direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC), focusing on the discrimination in transport of individual species due to gradients in temperature, composition and pressure. An exemplary separation column is investigated where a counterflow involving a combination of thermally induced, pressure driven and diffusion flows is established, resulting in an enrichment of the individual species at opposite ends of the column.
Phase I study of DFP-11207, a novel oral fluoropyrimidine with reasonable AUC and low Cmax and improved tolerability, in patients with solid tumors
Authors: Ajani Jaffer A. , Javle Milind , Eng Cathy , Fogelman David , Smith Jackie , Anderson Barry , Zhang Chun , Iizuka Kenzo
Published: May 2020

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and 5-FU derivatives, such as capecitabine, UFT, and S-1, are the mainstay of chemotherapy treatment for gastrointestinal cancers, and other solid tumors. Compared with other cytotoxic chemotherapies, these drugs generally have a favorable safety profile, but hematologic and gastrointestinal toxicities remain common. DFP-11207 is a novel oral cytotoxic agent that combines a 5-FU pro-drug with a reversible DPD inhibitor and a potent inhibitor of OPRT, resulting in enhanced pharmacological activity of 5-FU with decreased gastrointestinal and myelosuppressive toxicities. In this Phase I study (NCT02171221), DFP-11207 was administered orally daily, in doses escalating from 40 mg/m2/day to 400 mg/m2/day in patients with esophageal, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic or gallbladder cancer (n = 23). It was determined that DFP-11207 at the dose of 330 mg/m2/day administered every 12 hours was well-tolerated with mild myelosuppressive and gastrointestinal toxicities. The pharmacokinetic analysis determined that the 5-FU levels were in the therapeutic range at this dose. In addition, fasted or fed states had no influence on the 5-FU levels (patients serving as their own controls). Among 21 efficacy evaluable patients, 7 patients had stable disease (33.3%), of which two had prolonged stable disease of >6 months duration. DFP-11207 can be explored as monotherapy or easily substitute 5-FU, capecitabine, or S-1 in combination regimens.
Sticky care and conference travel: unpacking care as an explanatory factor for gendered academic immobility
Authors: Henderson Emily F.
Published: May 2020

While there is increasing awareness of the contributing effect of the academic mobility imperative on gendered inequalities in the academic profession at large, there is a missing link in current research on this topic. Namely, while ‘care’ is often named as the explanatory factor for why women, and to an extent professionals of any gender at peak childrearing age, are less mobile, this article argues that care is insufficient as an explanatory factor for immobility. Care and other terms such as ‘family responsibilities’ and ‘domestic obligations’ come to serve as a shorthand or explanatory factor for gendered immobility, but these terms elide the complexity of the relationship between care and mobility. This article argues that, without a fuller understanding of how care and mobility intersect, inclusivity drives run the risk of misunderstanding or even reproducing the problem. The specific mobility addressed here is international conference travel as a form of short-term academic mobility which contributes to academic career success and the perpetuation of a mobile academic ideal. The article elaborates a novel conceptual construct, ‘sticky care’, which is applied to empirical data from a diary-interview study of the impact of caring responsibilities on academics’ conference participation. Two dominant mobility-related strategies are elaborated: ‘night/s away’ and ‘get back’. The overarching ambition of this article is at a conceptual level: to bring more complexity and nuance to the concept of care when it is mobilized as an explanatory factor for (gendered) immobility and indeed for inequalities in the academic profession at large.
Fast liquid chromatographic determination of radiochemical and chemical purity of [11C]methionine by UPLC technique
Authors: Rezes Renáta , Csoma Szilvia L. , Németh Enikő , Jószai István
Published: May 2020

Ultra-performance liquid chromatographic technique was applied for the first time for determination of radiochemical and chemical purity of [11C]methionine with measurement time less than 2 min. The pH and eluent strength of mobile phase were optimized to achieve a gradient elution for separation of non-radioactive impurities as well as radioactive ingredients. The developed method was validated according to the following parameters: linearity, repeatability, recovery, limit of quantitation. The novel chromatographic procedure with reduced measurement time could be uniquely applied for the quality control of [11C]methionine to considerably shorten the release time and avoid radioactivity loss of radiopharmaceutical.
L-Type amino acid transporter 1 as a target for drug delivery
Authors: Puris Elena , Gynther Mikko , Auriola Seppo , Huttunen Kristiina M.
Published: May 2020

Our growing understanding of membrane transporters and their substrate specificity has opened a new avenue in the field of targeted drug delivery. The L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) has been one of the most extensively investigated transporters for delivering drugs across biological barriers. The transporter is predominantly expressed in cerebral cortex, blood-brain barrier, blood-retina barrier, testis, placenta, bone marrow and several types of cancer. Its physiological function is to mediate Na+ and pH independent exchange of essential amino acids: leucine, phenylalanine, etc. Several drugs and prodrugs designed as LAT1 substrates have been developed to improve targeted delivery into the brain and cancer cells. Thus, the anti-parkinsonian drug, L-Dopa, the anti-cancer drug, melphalan and the anti-epileptic drug gabapentin, all used in clinical practice, utilize LAT1 to reach their target site. These examples provide supporting evidence for the utility of the LAT1-mediated targeted delivery of the (pro)drug. This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances in LAT1-mediated targeted drug delivery. In addition, the use of LAT1 is critically evaluated and limitations of the approach are discussed.
Multi-temporal yield pattern analysis method for deriving yield zones in crop production systems
Authors: Blasch Gerald , Li Zhenhai , Taylor James A.
Published: May 2020

Easy-to-use tools using modern data analysis techniques are needed to handle spatio-temporal agri-data. This research proposes a novel pattern recognition-based method, Multi-temporal Yield Pattern Analysis (MYPA), to reveal long-term (> 10 years) spatio-temporal variations in multi-temporal yield data. The specific objectives are: i) synthesis of information within multiple yield maps into a single understandable and interpretable layer that is indicative of the variability and stability in yield over a 10 + years period, and ii) evaluation of the hypothesis that the MYPA enhances multi-temporal yield interpretation compared to commonly-used statistical approaches. The MYPA method automatically identifies potential erroneous yield maps; detects yield patterns using principal component analysis; evaluates temporal yield pattern stability using a per-pixel analysis; and generates productivity-stability units based on k-means clustering and zonal statistics. The MYPA method was applied to two commercial cereal fields in Australian dryland systems and two commercial fields in a UK cool-climate system. To evaluate the MYPA, its output was compared to results from a classic, statistical yield analysis on the same data sets. The MYPA explained more of the variance in the yield data and generated larger and more coherent yield zones that are more amenable to site-specific management. Detected yield patterns were associated with varying production conditions, such as soil properties, precipitation patterns and management decisions. The MYPA was demonstrated as a robust approach that can be encoded into an easy-to-use tool to produce information layers from a time-series of yield data to support management.
“Interdisciplinarity” and “Synergy” in the Œuvre of Judit Bar-Ilan
Authors: Leydesdorff Loet , Bornmann Lutz
Published: May 2020

Both “interdisciplinarity” and “synergy” are desirable features from a policy perspective: can surplus be found in the interactions among (disciplinary) bodies of knowledge? We have recently developed measures for “interdisciplinarity” and distinguished these measurements from those of “synergy.” In this study, we analyze three review papers by Judit Bar-Ilan (Scientometrics 50(1):7–32, 2001, Ann Rev Inf Sci Technol (ARIST) 38:231–288, 2004, J Informetr 2(1):1–52, 2008a) in terms of whether they rank high on interdisciplinarity and synergy values among the 130 papers of her œuvre. Review papers can be expected to fulfill a synergetic and perhaps also interdisciplinary function in scientific literature more than research articles, since the literature is considered from a broader perspective. Both the interdisciplinarity and synergy indicators point to Bar-Ilan (2004). The three reviews have high synergy scores. Whereas Bar-Ilan (2008a) contributed to the redefinition and shaping of the discipline of “information science,” Bar-Ilan (2004) added the broader perspective of the theoretical and practical relevance of the discipline. Bar-Ilan (2001) reviews various methods for data collection at the Internet. An article of Bar-Ilan and Peritz (2002) in Library Trends scores also high on synergy.
Move Analysis of Legal Justifications in Constitutional Tribunal Judgments in Poland: What They Share and What They Do Not
Authors: Gozdz-Roszkowski Stanislaw
Published: May 2020

It appears that we know surprisingly little about how judges frame linguistically the rationale behind their decisions and how such texts are structured. Using the concept of rhetorical moves (Swales in Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990; Bhatia in Analyzing genre-language use in professional settings, Longman, London, 1993, Worlds of written discourse. A genre-based view, Continuum, London, 2004), this paper adopts a genre-based approach to examine the rhetorical structure of legal justifications provided in the decisions of the Polish Constitutional Court (Trybunał Konstytucyjny). The goal of the study is to verify the claim that the way justifications are drafted is becoming more and more uniform and conventional. The results show that there is a common core of rhetorical structure realized by means of recurrent functional segments of text. This paper proposes a prototypical move structure of a Constitutional Tribunal justification and it argues that that the way justifications are drafted are subject to very concrete, even if not explicitly stated constraints.
The Mechanism for Improved Polymer Gel Blocking During Low-Salinity Waterfloods, Investigated Using Positron Emission Tomography Imaging
Authors: Brattekås Bergit , Seright Randy
Published: May 2020

Polymer gels can be placed in fractures within subsurface reservoirs to improve sweep efficiency during subsequent floods, and its success is largely determined by the gel’s ability to completely occupy the fracture volume. Gel volumetric properties may be influenced by mechanical and chemical conditions. In this work, gel volume sensitivity to salinity contrast is investigated. Previous bulk gel studies showed that water-based gel swelled in contact with lower-salinity water and shrunk in contact with higher-salinity water. Recent core-scale experiments demonstrated that gel blocking efficiency after rupture was also impacted by the salinity of the injected water phase. Gel treatments (after gel rupture) become less efficient in controlling fracture flow with time and water throughput during water injection without salinity contrasts. However, by reducing the salinity of the injected water phase with respect to the gel, blocking efficiency may be maintained, or even improved, over time. The coupling between gel deformation during swelling/shrinking and dynamic fluid flow is complex and can initiate changes in mechanical or transport properties, included formation of fluid flow paths through the gel that are not easily distinguished during conventional core floods. In-situ imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) was utilized to gain access to local flow patterns in this work, and combined with pressure measurements to characterize complex flow phenomena in a fractured, gel-filled system. Gel rupture was quantified several consecutive times during low-salinity waterflooding. Increasing rupture pressures indicates continuous gel strengthening during low-salinity water injection. PET imaging revealed that gel swelling occurred during low-salinity waterfloods, to constrict water pathways through the fracture. Gel swelling was sufficient to restrict fracture flow completely, and injected water was diverted into the rock matrix adjacent to the fracture. Injected water continued to pass through gel at elevated pressure gradients, but continuous flow paths did not form. This observation supports the notion of gel as a compressible, porous medium.
Assessing Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Neuron Progenitor Transplants Using Non-invasive Imaging Techniques
Authors: Mousavinejad M. , Skidmore S. , Barone F. G. , Tyers P. , Pisupati V. , Poptani H. , Plagge A. , Barker R. A. , Murray P. , Taylor A. , Hill C. J.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived dopaminergic neuron progenitor cells (DAPCs) are a potential therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, their intracranial administration raises safety concerns including uncontrolled proliferation, migration and inflammation. Here, we apply a bimodal imaging approach to investigate the fate of DAPC transplants in the rat striatum.

Procedures

DAPCs co-expressing luciferase and ZsGreen or labelled with micron-sized particles of iron oxide (MPIOs) were transplanted in the striatum of RNU rats (n = 6 per group). DAPCs were tracked in vivo using bioluminescence and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging modalities.

Results

Transgene silencing in differentiating DAPCs accompanied with signal attenuation due to animal growth rendered the bioluminescence undetectable by week 2 post intrastriatal transplantation. However, MR imaging of MPIO-labelled DAPCs showed that transplanted cells remained at the site of injection for over 120 days. Post-mortem histological analysis of DAPC transplants demonstrated that labelling with either luciferase/ZsGreen or MPIOs did not affect the ability of cells to differentiate into mature dopaminergic neurons. Importantly, labelled cells did not elicit increased glial reactivity compared to non-labelled cells.

Conclusions

In summary, our findings support the transplantation of hPSC-derived DAPCs as a safe treatment for PD.
Likely controls on dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations in baseflow of an agricultural stream
Authors: McDowell Richard W. , Depree Craig , Stenger Roland
Published: May 2020

Purpose

High baseflow phosphorus (P) concentrations increase the likelihood of periphyton blooms. Several physical and chemical factors can control baseflow P concentrations such as hydraulic exchange with groundwater, particle size-sorting, redox chemistry and different sediment sources. We hypothesized that of these sources, anoxic sediments would allow P-rich groundwater to influence baseflow P concentrations the most and that the measurement of the equilibrium P concentration (EPC0) of sediments under oxic conditions would not predict P release in anaerobic sediment or baseflow P concentrations.

Materials and methods

At four locations along an agricultural stream, we measured dissolved reactive P (DRP), pH, iron, manganese, sulphate, nitrate and dissolved oxygen in streamflow and hyporheic water at 0–200, 200–400 and 400–800 mm depths and P fractions and EPC0 in sediment samples from the 0–200, 200–400 and 400–800 mm depths.

Results and discussion

Concentrations of DRP in streamflow and shallow hyporheic zone water increased downstream and were mirrored by concentrations in shallow sediment, EPC0 measurements of oxic sediments and deeper hyporheic waters. Groundwater samples and the EPC0 in deeper sediments did not show a pattern or residence time consistent with the supply of P to baseflow despite deeper sediment being anoxic and less likely to sorb upwelling P. There was also no change in pH or particle size downstream ruling out the degassing of groundwater or sediment size-sorting as an influence. However, the composition of sediment and underlying lithology of the catchment pointed to sediment downstream that was different to upstream sediment in that it could store and release more P.

Conclusions

Given the strong influence of sediment source on baseflow P concentrations, efforts to decrease the likelihood of periphyton blooms under baseflow should focus on reducing the erosion of P-rich sediment. Furthermore, the presence of oxic conditions in surface sediment meant that there was a relationship between EPC0 and hyporheic water P concentrations. However, mixed oxic/anoxic conditions in deeper layer may require EPC0, or release rates, to be measured under reducing conditions.
The morph as a minimal linguistic form
Authors: Haspelmath Martin
Published: May 2020

This paper makes a terminological proposal: that the old termmorphcan be used for a minimal linguistic form. Many linguists (not only morphologists) need such a term, because we often refer to minimal linguistic forms, but the various terms used by linguists in roughly this meaning are either unclear or do not refer to forms. The term “morpheme” has three rather different meanings, and other terms such as “vocabulary item” are too abstract. The term “morph” can be used as the basis for defining other widely used terms such as “root”, “prefix”, and “suffix”, which are currently often defined as kinds of “morphemes”. It can also serve as the basis for a clearer definition of suppletion (involving suppletive morph sets) and morph variants, thus avoiding the confusions surrounding the term “allomorph(y)”.
Strategies of engineering 2D nanomaterial-based electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Chen Yaping , Zhao Guoqiang , Sun Wenping
Published: May 2020

Electrochemical water splitting driven by renewable energy-derived electricity is considered as the most promising pathway for delivering clean and sustainable hydrogen production. The key to achieving an efficient water splitting process is developing highly active electrocatalysts. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials hold great promise in the electrocatalysis field due to their unique physicochemical properties. Some of them are not active enough because of the poor intrinsic activity, low density of active sites or low electrical conductivity. Some are inert for electrocatalytic reactions, but are able to work as the functional substrates for hybrid electrocatalysts. Thus, tremendous strategies have been developed to modulate the physicochemical and electronic properties of 2D nanomaterial-based electrocatalysts, and to make full use of the functionalities of functional 2D nanomaterial substrates to achieve fast catalytic reaction kinetics. In this review, the recent progress on the well-established design strategies for the 2D nanomaterials-based electrocatalysts is highlighted. The perspectives on the current challenges and future development of 2D electrocatalysts are addressed.
Thermal Annealing and Laser Treatment of Sol-gel Derived Zirconia Thin Films
Authors: Jahn Rainer , Steenhusen Sönke , Löbmann Peer
Published: May 2020

Soluble precursor powders were prepared from zirconium propoxide and acetylacetone by evaporation of volatile products directly after the hydrolysis step. Dissolution of the solid residue resulted in solutions that were further processed by dip coating on glass substrates. One set of asdried films was thermally annealed in an oven at temperatures between 300 and 600°C. In parallel, samples were irradiated by a CO2 laser, in doing so laser power density and beam feed rate were varied. The thermally cured and laser treated film series were characterized with respect to film thickness, refractive index, phase content, crystallite size and film microstructure.
Preliminary design of an innovative, simple, and easy-to-build portable ventilator for COVID-19 patients
Authors: El Majid Badre , El Hammoumi Aboubakr , Motahhir Saad , Lebbadi Ambar , El Ghzizal Abdelaziz
Published: May 2020

This technical note describes the preliminary design of a simple, easy-to-use, and easy-to-build ventilator with an unique design that can be used for COVID-19 patients in emergencies and to prevent massive loss of life in resource-poor environments. It can be assembled by a nonexpert as a homemade solution, without the need for specific equipment or technology. The proposed system is novel, inexpensive, has a reduced reliance on external power, and is very easy to maintain.
Ungewisse Zeitrechnung
Authors: Zumbusch Cornelia
Published: May 2020

Die fragmentierte und scheinbar kontingente Struktur von Goethes Roman Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre folgt, so soll hier gezeigt werden, nicht zuletzt auch einem besonderen Zeitregime. Der Roman erprobt vor allem in seiner um Wilhelm und Lenardo gruppierten Handlung Formen des analeptischen Erzählens, das die Ereignisse nicht chronologisch-linear, sondern in wiederholten Rückgriffen und Zeitschleifen entwickelt. Dieses Erzählen von und in Vorgeschichten folgt einem Schema, das Goethe in den homerischen Epen vorgeprägt sieht, das aber auch mit Zeitreflexionen aus seinen geologischen Studien korrespondiert.
Valuation Techniques Under Construction—About the Dissemination of the CAPM in German Judicial Valuation
Authors: Quill Tobias
Published: May 2020

Valuation techniques, such as discounted cash flow and multiples, are applied in transactions and are also relevant for accounting, tax, and litigation issues. Within these and other valuation purposes, the techniques are crucial for “social interactions” like market processes and legal affairs. We examine this “social dimension” of business valuation and look especially at the advancement of valuation knowledge and techniques. For this purpose, we employ an approach based on “actor-network-theory” (ANT). In order to study specific margins of business valuation, the focus lies on the dissemination of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) in German judicial valuation. We conclude, inter alia, that “the” CAPM has developed into a growing actor-network over the time, a well-established infra-structure which allows other actors to link to it. The CAPM-network deploys specific actors which enable to conduct or implement advantageous actions. In this context we discuss concepts like co-authorities, (vague) labelling, vague referencing and responsibility at a distance. Moreover, we identify specific arguments which are used by courts regarding the application of the CAPM. We suggest that these arguments are particular important to solidify and perpetuate the application of the model in judicial practice. The present study intends to shed light on the process of the construction of valuation techniques, the actors which are involved in this process, and the interactions of these actors. In doing so, we intend to facilitate and objectify the dialogue between actors in business valuation and thus to improve further ambitions to construct valuation techniques.
An Innovative Approach for Gob-Side Entry Retaining by Roof Cutting in Steeply Pitching Seam Longwall Mining with Hard Roof: a Case Study
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhao Jing , Zang Chuanwei , Wang Shuanlin
Published: May 2020

The application of gob-side entry retaining (GER) in steeply pitching seam longwall mining with a hard roof has always been a difficult problem. Based on the simplified roof beam mechanical model, the traditional gob-side entry retaining by packing (GERP) roof structure evolution process and its problems with use in steeply pitching seams are analyzed. Therefore, based on the unique characteristics of the gangue rolling and accumulating in the steeply pitching seam, this contribution proposes an innovative method of gob-side entry retaining by roof cutting (GERRC) in steeply pitching seam and details its technical process. The roof structures of the GERRC and the GERP are compared. Taking the Chang Gouyu Coal Mine as a case study, field experiments were carried out. This research finds that the GERRC can both overcome the impact of rolling gangue on roadside support and make the rolling and stacking gangue become a roadside support. The roof structure of the GERRC is in a one-time statically indeterminate state, which is conducive to the stability of the roadway. In the field test, the total displacement of the roadway roof and floor is 97 mm, the supporting pressure of the serried single props is less than 28 MPa, and the props have no obvious bending phenomenon.
A value-theoretic approach to economic dynamics and evolution—synthesizing different Marxian modules in a simulation model
Authors: Beckenbach Frank
Published: May 2020

The background for the present elaboration is twofold: firstly, the ongoing debate about whether the Marxian theory of value has been damaged (or even destroyed) by the alleged impossibility of solving the ‘transformation problem’ and secondly, the fact that almost all of the (later) economic manuscripts of Marx are now accessible due to the new publishing activities in the MEGA project. In regard to the former, it can be concluded that the rationale of the Marxian value concept is distorted by its Ricardian elements (including the labour theory of value). In regard to the latter, the later economic manuscripts as well as the few economic monographs published during Marx’s lifetime indicate that Marx was figuring out different modules for his value theory which are not really related to each other, let alone thoroughly synthesized with one another. Hence, in this elaboration, an attempt is made to reformulate this contested and fragmented value-theoretic torso by focussing on the non-Ricardian essentials of the value theory. This (de-)construction is then used as a basis for linking the different value-theoretic modules in terms of their ability to explain economic evolution. With this perspective, the dynamic nature of these modules is emphasized. Hence, in addition to a conceptual discussion of the value-theoretic modules, a simulation model is suggested for their integration. In this way, it can be shown that the value theory can be substantiated in a consistent stepwise fashion, and the conditions for generating the long-term results expected by Marx can be specified.
Epistemology and Methodology in Ethics
Authors: McPherson Tristram
Published: May 2020

This Element introduces several prominent themes in contemporary work on the epistemology and methodology of ethics. Topics addressed include skeptical challenges in ethics, epistemic arguments in metaethics, what (if anything) is epistemically distinctive of the ethical. Also considered are methodological questions in ethics, including questions about which ethical concepts we should investigate, and what our goals should be in ethical inquiry.
Enhanced Exhibitions? Discussing Museum Apps after a Decade of Development
Authors: Hanussek Benjamin
Published: May 2020

Overview

The introduction of the smartphone into the private and professional lives of humans has provided a channel to real-time and place-specific information that can enhance (and disturb) day-to-day living. Given such impact, many museums and archaeological exhibitions have chosen to develop digital applications to enhance the visitor experience via accompanying the visitor through the exhibitions. Yet after a decade, these applications still seem understudied and, in practice, very undeveloped. This review aims to shed some light on the possibilities and shortcomings of museum apps. I discuss and critically evaluate the technical efficiency, practical utility, and user experience of the British Museum Guide (Museums Guide Ltd.) and My Visit to the Louvre (Musée du Louvre) applications. These two mobile apps represent the contemporary standard for museum apps, thereby allowing me to generalize about this genre of digital media.
The Transformation of International Tax
Authors: Mason Ruth
Published: May 2020

The recession of 2008 precipitated a political crisis that motivated an unprecedented international project to curb corporate tax dodging. This Article argues, contrary to dominant scholarly views, that this effort transformed international tax—changing its participants, agenda, institutions, norms, and even its legal forms. Perhaps most important, efforts to close corporate tax loopholes widened a rift over revenues that threatens a hundred-year-old tax treaty framework. This Article identifies and critically evaluates these changes.
OPTIMAL INSURANCE STRATEGIES: A HYBRID DEEP LEARNING MARKOV CHAIN APPROXIMATION APPROACH
Authors: Cheng Xiang , Jin Zhuo , Yang Hailiang
Published: May 2020

This paper studies deep learning approaches to find optimal reinsurance and dividend strategies for insurance companies. Due to the randomness of the financial ruin time to terminate the control processes, a Markov chain approximation-based iterative deep learning algorithm is developed to study this type of infinite-horizon optimal control problems. The optimal controls are approximated as deep neural networks in both cases of regular and singular types of dividend strategies. The framework of Markov chain approximation plays a key role in building the iterative equations and initialization of the algorithm. We implement our method to classic dividend and reinsurance problems and compare the learning results with existing analytical solutions. The feasibility of our method for complicated problems has been demonstrated by applying to an optimal dividend, reinsurance and investment problem under a high-dimensional diffusive model with jumps and regime switching.
Body Count Politics: Quantification, Secrecy, and Capital Punishment in China
Authors: Smith Tobias
Published: May 2020

As quantification has become socially ubiquitous, the disclosure of numerical data emerges as a key feature of legal reform and global governance. Scholars document how seemingly value-neutral statistical indicators shape, and are shaped by, institutional interests. Although less attention has been paid to cases where states resist numerical disclosure, prohibitions on the disclosure of such indicators also produce social effects. This article extends scholarship on the governance effects of quantification to include secrecy by exploring the case of capital punishment data in China, which is reportedly the world’s leading executioner state. Amid a major death penalty reform effort, China steadfastly refuses international calls to publicly disclose relevant statistics. I analyze capital cases and draw on seventy-three interviews with legal insiders in China’s death penalty system to identify the impact of state efforts to conceal capital punishment indicators while undertaking reforms in three areas: transparency; legal representation; and criminal procedure. I show how tension between the disclosure and nondisclosure of death penalty numbers does not simply suppress data; it also shapes and becomes data, influencing both policy and action in the legal sphere in ways that are seemingly far removed from quantification.
A NOTE ON -PARTS OF BRAUER CHARACTER DEGREES
Authors: LI JINBAO , YANG YONG
Published: May 2020

Let $G$ be a finite group and $p$ be an odd prime. We show that if $\mathbf{O}_{p}(G)=1$ and $p^{2}$ does not divide every irreducible $p$-Brauer character degree of $G$, then $|G|_{p}$ is bounded by $p^{3}$ when $p\geqslant 5$ or $p=3$ and $\mathsf{A}_{7}$ is not involved in $G$, and by $3^{4}$ if $p=3$ and $\mathsf{A}_{7}$ is involved in $G$.
“On the Border of Old Age”: An Entangled History of Eldercare in East Germany
Authors: Chappel James
Published: May 2020

Historical research has turned in the last years more intensively toward entangled and transnational histories of biopolitics, the family, and the welfare state, but without renewed interest in aging and pension policy, a sphere of human experience that is often interrogated in parochial terms, if at all. An analysis of the culture and policies of old age in East Germany in the 1950s and 1960s shows the importance of a transnational history of this subject. The GDR, the Communist state with the greatest proportion of elderly citizens, needed to create a socialist model of aging. Neither the Communist tradition in Weimar Germany, nor the experience of the other states in the Communist bloc provided substantial guidance. East Germans looked instead for inspiration to West Germany, which was itself engaged in a debate about aging and pension policy. By grappling with the Western experience, including its perceived and real limitations, the GDR in the Ulbricht developed a vision of what it meant to age as a socialist.
Characteristics of disease progress in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan, China
Authors: Ji Mengyao , Yuan Lei , Shen Wei , Lv Junwei , Li Yong , Li Ming , Lu Xuefang , Hu Lanhua , Dong Weiguo
Published: May 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients were classified into four clinical stages (uncomplicated illness, mild, severe and critical pneumonia) depending on disease severity. We aim to investigate the corresponding clinical, radiological and laboratory characteristics between different clinical stages. A retrospective, single-centre study of 101 confirmed patients with COVID-19 at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from 2 January to 28 January 2020 was enrolled; follow-up endpoint was on 8 February 2020. Clinical data were collected and compared during the course of illness. The median age of the 101 patients was 51.0 years and 33.6% were medical staff. Fever (68%), cough (50%) and fatigue (23%) are the most common symptoms. About 26% patients underwent the mechanical ventilation and 98% patients were treated with antibiotics. Thirty-seven per cent patients were cured and 11 died. On admission, the number of patients with uncomplicated illness, mild, severe and critical pneumonia were 2 [2%], 86 [85%], 11 [11%] and 2 [2%]. Forty-four of the 86 mild pneumonia progressed to severe illness within 4 days, with nine patients worsened due to critical pneumonia within 4 days. Two of the 11 severe patients improved to mild condition while three others deteriorated. Significant differences were observed among groups of different clinical stages in numbers of influenced pulmonary segments (6 vs. 12 vs. 17, P < 0.001). A significantly upward trend was witnessed in ground-glass opacities overlapped with striped shadows (33% vs. 42% vs. 55% vs. 80%, P < 0.001), while pure ground-glass opacities gradually decreased as disease progressed (45% vs. 35% vs. 24% vs. 13%, P < 0.001) within 12 days. Lymphocytes, prealbumin and albumin showed a downtrend as disease progressed from mild to severe or critical condition, an uptrend was found in white blood cells, C-reactive protein, neutrophils and lactate dehydrogenase. The proportions of serum amyloid A > 300 mg/l in mild, severe and critical conditions were 18%, 46% and 71%, respectively.
Kawasaki disease with tsutsugamushi disease: two case reports
Authors: Hwang Hye Su , Kim Ye Jin , Song Min Seob
Published: May 2020

A number of microorganisms were hypothesised as an aetiology of the Kawasaki disease. Unfortunately, no specific agent that provides reproducible evidence has yet been reported. We report two cases of extremely rare Kawasaki disease with tsutsugamushi disease. These case reports suggest that Kawasaki disease can rarely occur concurrently or immediately after a rickettsial illness such as tsutsugamushi disease.
New and Old Worlds: A Perspective from Social Anthropology
Authors: Strathern Marilyn
Published: May 2020

People build bridges in many ways, and not least over time, spanning the different epochs that define their lives. For social anthropologists, this process is far from self-evident. Diverse ways of thinking about transitions summon anthropology’s traditional mode of making bridges, cross-cultural comparison. This account thus interweaves materials from Europe and Melanesia. Stimulated by an ethnography of an East German town being precipitated into a new world, it focuses on abrupt transitions and their recurrence. What is happening when a radical break with one kind of past is also recalled as looking forward to a moment when another kind of past might finally come into its own? Pursuing such paradoxes, the article turns to today’s Papua New Guinea where many have seen colonialism – like socialism – come and go in a lifetime. People’s aspirations for the future, raising questions about the abruptness of breaks and the crisis that new times create, throw out challenges as to how to envisage worlds old and new.