bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Broker Organizations to Facilitate Cross‐Sector Collaboration: At the Crossroad of Strengthening and Weakening Effects
Authors: Stadtler Lea , Karakulak Özgü
Published: March 2020

Cross‐sector collaboration has emerged as an important way for public management to address complex social issues. Given the manifold challenges of governing and implementing such collaborations, scholars emphasize the benefits of using broker organizations to facilitate and strengthen cross‐sector collaboration. However, this comparative longitudinal case study of broker organizations that support global health partnerships shows a less straightforward pattern: despite their good intentions, two of the four broker organizations analyzed subtly weakened the collaboration by gradually replacing the partners’ cross‐sector tasks and decision‐making with unilateral, broker‐based ones. By juxtaposing this pattern with the other two broker organizations’ trajectories, this study reveals the processes underlying brokers’ role drift and unintended collaborative weakening and those allowing them to maintain their facilitation role. On this basis, the study exposes overlooked collaboration dynamics to reveal the boundaries of using broker organizations as a mechanism to facilitate cross‐sector collaboration.
Policy Coordination and Integration: A Research Agenda
Authors: Trein Philipp , Biesbroek Robbert , Bolognesi Thomas , Cejudo Guillermo M. , Duffy Robert , Hustedt Thurid , Meyer Iris
Published: March 2020

Coordinating and integrating different policies and public sector organizations is a major challenge for practitioners and a continuing topic of interest for researchers. This Viewpoint essay argues that research on this topic needs reorientation to provide better insights for practice and theory of policy making, as well as policy implementation. The authors offer four suggestions on how future research could advance: (1) combining existing conceptual and epistemological approaches more systematically; (2) complementing case studies and surveys with large‐N analyses and novel research tools and methods; (3) more systematic analysis of the causal mechanisms in policy coordination and integration; and (4) more thorough study of the real‐world impact of policy coordination and integration.
Should SMEs get out of the building? Examining the role of customer co‐creation on radical organizational creativity*
Authors: Balau Georgiana , van der Bij Hans , Faems Dries
Published: March 2020

Facing the liability of smallness, SMEs face substantial challenges in internally developing solutions to spur the generation of new ideas that challenge existing practices. In this study, we point to co‐creation with customers as an external solution to boost radical organizational creativity. Relying on a sample of SMEs in the Northern Netherlands, we examine the impact of co‐creation on radical organizational creativity. Following insights from organizational learning theory, we also test the moderating effect of the nature of the organizational structure and the level of organizational creativity support. We find that customer co‐creation has a positive impact on SME’s radical creativity. Surprisingly, we find that organizational creativity support negatively moderates this relationship. Together these findings enrich our theoretical understanding of the drivers of radical organizational creativity. Moreover, they provide SME managers specific guidelines on how to generate radically new ideas.
Roles for Event Representations in Sensorimotor Experience, Memory Formation, and Language Processing
Authors: Knott Alistair , Takac Martin
Published: March 2020

The unifying theme for the papers in this volume is that event‐predictive representations play an important role in cognitive processes, and they are a particularly fruitful object of study for cognitive scientists. In this paper, we present our own model of event representations that draws together several disparate strands of research into event representations, relating to event perception, event encodings in working memory and their role in prediction, and events as they are reported in language. Our main claim is that the notion of deictic routines originally developed by Ballard et al. (1997) is of great use in explaining how these different types of event representation interface with one another.
Analysis of the Human Middle Ear Dynamics Through Multibody Modeling
Authors: Calero Diego , Lobato Lucas , Paul Stephan , Cordioli Júlio A.
Published: March 2020

The dynamics of the human middle ear (ME) has been studied in the past using several computational and experimental approaches in order to observe the effect on hearing of different conditions, such as conductive disease, corrective surgery, or implantation of a middle ear prosthesis. Multibody (MB) models combine the analysis of flexible structures with rigid body dynamics, involving fewer degrees-of-freedom (DOF) than finite element (FE) models, but a more detailed description than traditional 1D lumped parameter (LP) models. This study describes the reduction of a reference FE model of the human middle ear to a MB model and compares the results obtained considering different levels of model simplification. All models are compared by means of the frequency response of the stapes velocity versus sound pressure at the tympanic membrane (TM), as well as the system natural frequencies and mode shapes. It can be seen that the flexibility of the ossicles has a limited impact on the system frequency response function (FRF) and modes, and the stiffness of the tendons and ligaments only plays a role when above certain levels. On the other hand, the restriction of the stapes footplate movement to a piston-like behavior can considerably affect the vibrational modes, while constraints to the incudomalleolar joint (IMJ) and incudostapedial joint (ISJ) can have a strong impact on the system FRF.
Is Modern Cosmology in Crisis?
Authors: Lincoln Don
Published: March 2020

Two well-regarded measurements for the expansion rate of the universe disagree, leaving cosmologists very puzzled. It may be that something large has been overlooked in our theory of the Big Bang. This discrepancy is called the Hubble tension and it has led to a very interesting conversation within the cosmology community.
Collision of a Ball with a Stationary Oscillator
Authors: Ivchenko Vladimir
Published: March 2020

The point particle is an idealized object where rotational and vibrational motion is ignored. Nevertheless, in many cases such degrees of freedom play a significant role. For example, the rotation and vibration of a molecule is an important “reservoir” of its internal energy. The excitation of these types of motion can occur during the collision process. Taking into account this effect, the collisions can no longer be considered as perfectly elastic but actually are inelastic. Some models for inelastic collisions have already been discussed and compared to experimental results. Here we present a mechanical system wherein we describe the vibrations upon impact in perhaps the simplest way possible; also we provide a qualitative explanation of the collision of a mono-atomic molecule with a nonrigid diatomic molecule.
To Study or to Sleep: How Seeing the Effect of Sleep Deprivation Changed Students’ Choices
Authors: Coletta Vincent P.
Published: March 2020

Adequate sleep is essential for students to be able to solve challenging problems effectively. After many years of advising students to get enough sleep the night before their final exam, two studies were conducted with students in introductory physics classes to investigate their sleep habits. In the first previously published study, few students got adequate sleep and there was a significant positive correlation between hours of sleep and final exam score. In the second study the following semester, students were shown the results of the first study. Showing students the negative effect that sleep deprivation the night before a final exam had on exam scores in a prior class appears to have changed students’ sleep choices the night before their own final exam, based on students’ self-reports of sleep. Once students saw evidence that staying up all night studying for a final exam would likely hurt their score on the exam, class average hours of reported sleep significantly increased.
Seven formulations of the kinematics of special relativity
Authors: Mathews W. N.
Published: March 2020

We present a comprehensive discussion of the formulation of the kinematics of special relativity, i.e., the Lorentz transformation. We begin with a concise new proof that the principle of relativity implies that the transformation of event coordinates between inertial reference frames is linear. We then give a clear derivation of the pre-Lorentz transformation, which follows from the principle of relativity. We then show that the pre-Lorentz transformation and the inertial invariance of the speed of light together result in the Lorentz transformation. This, of course, is essentially the traditional formulation. We next present two additional formulations, one using Lorentz–Fitzgerald contraction and one using time dilation, instead of inertial invariance. This is reasonable since Lorentz–Fitzgerald contraction and time dilation are about as well established as and are arguably less abstract than inertial invariance, and thus may profitably be used instead of inertial invariance to complete the formulation. We then present a complete proof that the pre-Lorentz transformation and the requirement of closure upon composition together imply that the transformation is either a Galilean transformation or a generalized Lorentz transformation. This is noteworthy in that it gets ever so close to the Lorentz transformation without invoking light. In the course of this, we obtain a generalized velocity addition rule, which reduces to the velocity addition rule of special relativity. We next show that the generalized Lorentz transformation, together with inertial invariance, Lorentz–Fitzgerald contraction, and time dilation, used one at a time, yields three more formulations. We then show that the unspecified, nonzero, constant speed in the generalized Lorentz transformation can be determined without any reference to light, thereby obtaining a seventh formulation. Light plays no explicit role in the four formulations employing Lorentz–Fitzgerald contraction and time dilation and plays no role whatsoever in the seventh formulation. Thus, and this is a fact which should be strongly emphasized, the formulation of special relativity in no way depends upon the nature of electromagnetic radiation. We conclude by briefly discussing these seven formulations of the kinematics of special relativity and some associated implications.
The negative flow of probability
Authors: Villanueva Anthony Allan D.
Published: March 2020

We derive an inequality that the parameters of a 1D free-particle Gaussian wave packet with a positive group velocity, approaching a given region x > q, must satisfy such that a negative probability current J exists on q. Local probability conservation implies the counter-intuitive result that the particle detection probability in the region x > q is actually decreasing. The condition J < 0 requires the negative correlation of the position and momentum observables of the state, but the time scales for the negative current and anti-correlation regimes are not identical. Using a probability current operator, we obtain an integral representation of J in momentum space for any free particle wave packet. We use this integral representation to distinguish the separate contributions to J by the positive and negative momentum components, and we identify a third contribution to J composed of cross-terms of both momenta. For the specific case of a Gaussian wave packet with a negative correlation between its position and momentum, the positive momentum component can contribute a negative value to the probability current.
Joint towed array shape and direction of arrivals estimation using sparse Bayesian learning during maneuvering
Authors: Zheng Zheng , Yang T. C. , Gerstoft Peter , Pan Xiang
Published: March 2020

Large aperture towed arrays are widely used underwater to detect weak targets. During maneuvering, the beamformer performance degrades significantly if a wrong array configuration is assumed. Currently, engineering sensors and/or (augmented) acoustic sources are used to estimate the array element positions. The results are often inadequate depending on the number of measurements available. In this paper, an adaptive bow (AB) sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) algorithm is proposed, called ABSBL. Assuming the towed array follows a parabola shape during slow turns and treating the array bow as a hyperparameter in SBL, the bow and directions of arrival (DOAs) of the signals can be jointly estimated from the received acoustic data. Simulations show that ABSBL yields accurate estimates of the bow and target DOAs if the turning direction is known. ABSBL is applied to the MAPEX2000 data. The estimated array bow and DOA agrees with that estimated from relative time delays measured from acoustic pings and SBL, better than that estimated from the GPS data using the water-pulley model. The method can potentially be applied without engineering sensors.
Providing Mental Health Care to an Elite Athlete: The Perspective of the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport Team
Authors: Van Slingerland Krista , Durand-Bush Natalie , DesClouds Poppy , Kenttä Göran
Published: March 2020

There are few specialized mental health clinics to address the unique needs of high-performance athletes struggling with mental illness. The Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport (CCMHS) was recently created to fill this gap. It is the first center in Canada to offer collaborative sport-focused mental health care services designed to help athletes and coaches achieve their performance goals while prioritizing their mental health. This case study examines the process of providing mental health care to a female elite athlete through the CCMHS, including the referral, screening, and treatment process, as well as the outcomes of this care. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on exposure-response prevention was predominantly used to help the athlete improve and manage anxiety and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both opportunities and challenges associated with providing collaborative care to the athlete via a telehealth platform were observed.
Countries test tactics in ‘war’ against COVID-19
Authors: Cohen Jon , Kupferschmidt Kai
Published: March 2020

Lockdowns and closings proliferate, but virus testing and contact tracing are lagging.
Giant right atrial myxoma presenting as right heart failure: a rare manifestation
Authors: Agstam Sourabh , Kumar Basant , Dahiya Neelam , Guleria Vivek Singh
Published: March 2020

A 37-year-old man was presented in outpatient clinic of cardiology department with symptoms of easy fatigability and progressive increasing generalised anasarca since 5 months. Echocardiogram showed large mass of 9.8×7.8 cm in size in right atrium, attached to interatrial septum. Urgent opinion of thoracic surgeon was taken and surgical excision of mass under cardiopulmonary bypass was done. The tumour was large, fragile and histology confirmed it as myxoma. The patient made a good recovery and his symptoms resolved completely on follow-up.
Unexpected pathogen presenting with purulent meningitis
Authors: Bering Jamie , Hartmann Carlos , Asbury Kara , Vikram Holenarasipur R
Published: March 2020

Herein we report a case of a 67-year-old man with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who developed acute onset of fever and altered mental status while receiving ibrutinib therapy. He was eventually found to haveCapnocytophaga canimorsusmeningitis. Timely diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy was associated with a favourable outcome. We describe challenges associated with appropriate identification of, and briefly review infections caused byCapnocytophagasp. To our knowledge, this is the first case of invasiveC. canimorsusinfection in the setting of ibrutinib therapy, and adds to the growing list of serious infections that have been associated with this agent.
Treatment failure after multiple courses of triclabendazole in a Portuguese patient with fascioliasis
Authors: Branco Elsa Alves , Ruas Rogerio , Nuak João , Sarmento António
Published: March 2020

Fascioliasis is a trematode flatworm infection caused byFasciola hepatica. Humans are incidental hosts, and the infection is most often acquired by eating watercress grown in contaminated water in livestock-rearing areas. Triclabendazole is the only highly effective treatment, with a reported cure rate of >90%. Treatment failure may be due to several factors, though resistance is rare in humans and scarcely reported, most probably a reflection of the widespread use of anthelmintics in livestock. There are three papers describing cases of treatment failure, possibly due to resistance, in the Netherlands, Chile and Peru. We document for the first time one case of failure after multiple treatment courses with triclabendazole in Portugal, probably due to resistance to the anthelmintic. Our aim is to alert for the emergence of resistance across continents, with consequent predictable difficulties in the management of the disease and encourage more investigation in the field.
Pectoralis major tear in a 23-year-old woman while performing high-intensity interval training: a rare presentation
Authors: Sephien Andrew , Orr Jeffrey , Remaley D Trey
Published: March 2020

Pectoralis major (PM) tears are a rare injury, that commonly occurs at the sternocostal head and has a greater incidence in men, with only two previously reported cases in young and middle-aged women. The authors report a complete PM tear that occurred in a 23-year-old woman, that presented after performing a ‘muscle-up’. MRI revealed PM rupture at the humeral insertion. Surgical management was performed, and patient returned to high-intensity interval training at 11 months postoperatively and reported great satisfaction. This is the first case in literature that reports a complete tear of the PM in a young woman through an atraumatic mechanism of injury with no previous alteration to the PM. With a cultural increase in wellness, atraumatic PM tear in young women should be expected and remain on the differential for any athlete that participates in high-intensity interval training.
Individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic inequalities in cognitive impairment: cross-sectional findings from the French CONSTANCES cohort
Authors: Letellier Noémie , Carrière Isabelle , Cadot Emmanuelle , Berkman Lisa , Goldberg Marcel , Zins Marie , Berr Claudine
Published: March 2020

Objectives

Despite the recent awareness of the environment impact on brain ageing, the influence of the neighbourhood socioeconomic status on cognitive impairment remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of individual and neighbourhood deprivation on cognitive impairment in middle-aged and young-old people.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Settings

21 Health Screening Centres in the entire French metropolitan territory.

Participants

A total of 44 648 participants (age range: 45 to 69 years) from the French CONSTANCES cohort were included in the analyses.

Main outcomes

Associations between the overall cognitive score (based on a standardised battery of cognitive tests administered by neuropsychologists) and individual deprivation (Evaluation of Deprivation and Inequalities in Health Screening Centres; EPICES score) and geographical deprivation (French Deprivation Index; FDep index).

Results

Based on the EPICES score (validated cut-off ≥30.17), 12% of participants were considered to be deprived. After mutual adjustment, individual and geographical deprivation were associated with higher cognitive impairment in a multilevel logistic regression analysis that was also adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and health factors. Specifically, individual deprivation was associated with an odds increase of 55% (OR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.45 to 1.66). The risk of global cognitive impairment progressively increased with the neighbourhood deprivation level, evaluated by the FDep index (reference Q1; Q2: OR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.20; Q3: OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.27; Q4: OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.28; Q5: OR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.39).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation level is associated with cognitive impairment, independently of the individual deprivation level. A better understanding of this association could help to define new prevention strategies to target high-risk residents and high-risk geographical areas in order to reduce social health inequalities.
Influence of combined vitamin D3supplementation and resistance exercise training on musculoskeletal health in older men and women (EXVITD): protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Welford Anneka Elizabeth , Lanham-New Susan , Lord Janet , Doyle Alison , Robinson Julie , Nightingale Peter , Gittoes Neil , Greig Carolyn A
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Sarcopenia is a progressive loss in muscle mass, strength and function, the adverse consequences of which are severe, affecting quality of life and placing an increasing burden on social and healthcare systems. Vitamin D status is known to be associated with markers of sarcopenia, namely muscle mass, strength and function. Also, resistance exercise training (RET) is currently the only proven intervention to treat sarcopenia. However, very little data exist on the influence of combining the two interventions of vitamin D supplementation and resistance exercise training, although a recent systematic review provides tentative support for the current study’s hypothesis that the combined intervention may further improve musculoskeletal function above exercise training alone. The aim of the present study is to determine whether vitamin D3supplementation is any more effective in improving musculoskeletal function when combined with RET compared with exercise training alone in older adults.

Methods and analysis

This double-blinded randomised placebo-controlled trial will recruit a target of 127 eligible men and women aged ≥65 years living independently or in sheltered housing within the Birmingham area to two groups: (1) 6 months RET and placebo or (2) 6 months RET and 800 IU/d vitamin D3. Measures of muscle power (Nottingham Power Rig), body composition (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), muscle function (short physical performance battery, timed up and go), falls and fractures as events will be assessed. Assessments will take place at baseline and postintervention, with intermittent monitoring of bone turnover, calcium and vitamin D. The primary outcome will be lower limb extensor power output. Analyses of within-group changes and between-group differences in outcome measures are planned.

Ethics and dissemination

The EXVITD study has ethical approval granted by the Black Country National Health Service Research Ethics Committee (14/WM/1220). Results of this trial will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences. The study is being conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Trial registration number

NCT02467153; Post-results.
Calculations of Gamow–Teller Transition Strengths in fp-Shell Nuclei Using Shell Model
Authors: Majeed Fouad A. , Obaid Sarah M.
Published: March 2020

The Gamow–Teller (GT) strength transitions in nuclear structures and astrophysical processes proved to be very important to understand the mechanisms of formation of neutron stars and black holes, therefore the GT transitions in the 46Ti→46V, 47Ti→47V, 48Ti→48V, and 50Cr→50Mn charge-exchange reactions have been studied. The shell model calculations have been carried out in the fp-model space without any restrictions using the GXFP1A, KB3G, and FPD6 effective interactions. The calculation of the GT distribution is compared with recent available experimental data. The theoretical calculations are in reasonably good agreement with the experimental GT distributions and with the summed transition strengths B(GT). For the individual transformations we have reached a qualitative agreement, while the measured cumulative transformation strengths are closely matched by the observed ones.
B-decay discrepancies after Moriond 2019
Authors: Aebischer Jason , Altmannshofer Wolfgang , Guadagnoli Diego , Reboud Méril , Stangl Peter , Straub David M.
Published: March 2020

Following the updated measurement of the lepton flavour universality (LFU) ratio $$R_K$$RK in $$B\rightarrow K\ell \ell $$B→Kℓℓ decays by LHCb, as well as a number of further measurements, e.g. $$R_{K^*}$$RK∗ by Belle and $$B_s \rightarrow \mu \mu $$Bs→μμ by ATLAS, we analyse the global status of new physics in $$b\rightarrow s$$b→s transitions in the weak effective theory at the b-quark scale, in the Standard Model effective theory above the electroweak scale, and in simplified models of new physics. We find that the data continues to strongly prefer a solution with new physics in semi-leptonic Wilson coefficients. A purely muonic contribution to the combination $$C_9 = -C_{10}$$C9=-C10, well suited to UV-complete interpretations, is now favoured with respect to a muonic contribution to $$C_9$$C9 only. An even better fit is obtained by allowing an additional LFU shift in $$C_9$$C9. Such a shift can be renormalization-group induced from four-fermion operators above the electroweak scale, in particular from semi-tauonic operators, able to account for the potential discrepancies in $$b \rightarrow c$$b→c transitions. This scenario is naturally realized in the simplified $$U_1$$U1 leptoquark model. We also analyse simplified models where a LFU effect in $$b\rightarrow s\ell \ell $$b→sℓℓ is induced radiatively from four-quark operators and show that such a setup is on the brink of exclusion by LHC di-jet resonance searches.
GAUSSIAN MIXTURE NOISED RANDOM FRACTALS WITH ADVERSARIAL LEARNING FOR AUTOMATED CREATION OF VISUAL OBJECTS
Authors: XIANG ZHIYANG , ZHOU KAI-QING , GUO YIBO
Published: March 2020

Because of the self-similarity properties of nature, fractals are widely adopted as generators of natural object multimedia contents. Unfortunately, fractals are difficult to control due to their iterated function systems, and traditional researches on fractal generating visual objects focus on mathematical manipulations. In Generative Adversarial Nets (GANs), visual object generators can be automatically guided by a single image. In this work, we explore the problem of guiding fractal generators with GAN. We assume that the same category of fractal patterns is produced by a group of parameters of initial patterns, affine transformations and random noises. Connections between these fractal parameters and visual objects are modeled by a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). Generator trainings are performed as gradients on GMM instead of fractals, so that evaluation numbers of iterated function systems are minimized. The proposed model requires no mathematical expertise from the user because parameters are trained by automatic procedures of GMM and GAN. Experiments include one 2D demonstration and three 3D real-world applications, where high-resolution visual objects are generated, and a user study shows the effectiveness of artificial intelligence guidances on fractals.
VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE FOR A GENERALIZED KdV EQUATION IN A FRACTAL SPACE
Authors: SHEN YUE , HE JI-HUAN
Published: March 2020

A generalized KdV equation with fractal derivatives is suggested, and a special function is introduced to establish a fractal variational principle. A detailed derivation is elucidated step by step by the semi-inverse method, and some special cases are discussed.
THE AVERAGE WEIGHTED PATH LENGTH FOR A CLASS OF HIERARCHICAL NETWORKS
Authors: NIU MIN , LI RUIXIA
Published: March 2020

In this paper, in order to calculate the average path length for unweighted and weighted hierarchical networks, we define the sum of the distances from each node to the vertex and the bottom nodes. For the unweighted network, we show that the average path length grows with the size of [Formula: see text] as [Formula: see text]. For the weighted network, we prove its weighted path length approaches a constant related to the weighting factor [Formula: see text] and parameter [Formula: see text]. In particular, for [Formula: see text], the average weighted path length of the network tends to a specific value [Formula: see text].
WEIGHTED AVERAGE GEODESIC DISTANCE OF PENTADENDRITE NETWORKS
Authors: LI YUANYUAN , REN XIAOMIN , JIANG KAN
Published: March 2020

The average geodesic distance is an important index in the study of complex networks. In this paper, we investigate the weighted average distance of Pentadendrite fractal and Pentadendrite networks. To provide the formula, we use the integral of geodesic distance in terms of self-similar measure with respect to the weighted vector.
EXTREME EVENTS ANALYSIS OF NON-STATIONARY TIME SERIES BY USING HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY GRAPH
Authors: ZHAO XIAOJUN , SUN JIE , ZHANG NA , SHANG PENGJIAN
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we analyze the extreme events of non-stationary time series in the framework of horizontal visibility graph (HVG). We give a new definition of extreme events, which incorporates the temporal structure of the series and the degree of the nodes in the HVG. An advantage of the new concept is that it does not require ad hoc treatment even when the non-stationarity arises in time series. We also use the information-theoretic methods to analyze the degree of nodes in the HVG. In the numerical analysis, we study the statistical characterizations of the extreme events of synthetic time series, including the random noises, periodic time series, random walk processes, and the long-range auto-correlated time series. Then, we study 9 time series in stock markets to identify the extreme events evolving in these non-stationary systems. Interestingly, we find that the daily closing price series perform rather close to the random walk processes, while the daily trading volume series behave quite similar to the random noises.
The Critical Role of Carbon in the Chemical Delithiation Kinetics of LiFePO4
Authors: Galceran Montserrat , Guerfi Abdelbast , Armand Michel , Zaghib Karim , Casas-Cabanas Montse
Published: March 2020

The chemical delithiation of LiFePO4 has been carefully studied using two different types of LiFePO4: (1) carbon coated LiFePO4 and (2) non-carbon coated LiFePO4. We have observed that only carbon coated LiFePO4 can be successfully delithiated at room temperature using Na2S2O8 as oxidizing agent. In order to unravel the role of carbon in the chemical delithiation process of non-carbon coated LiFePO4 we have performed a systematic study using different carbon sources as well as different amount of extraneous carbon in the solution. The results obtained demonstrate that the addition of carbon is fundamental for the effective removal of lithium at room temperature, and only a very small amount of carbon of any nature is enough to achieve the successful chemical delithiation of non-carbon coated LiFePO4.
Fiber type-specific hypertrophy and increased capillarization in skeletal muscle following testosterone administration in young women
Authors: Horwath Oscar , Apró William , Moberg Marcus , Godhe Manne , Helge Torbjörn , Ekblom Maria , Hirschberg Angelica Lindén , Ekblom Björn
Published: March 2020

We have recently demonstrated performance-enhancing effects of moderately elevated testosterone concentrations in young women. Here we present novel evidence that testosterone alters muscle morphology in these women, resulting in type II fiber hypertrophy and improved capillarization. Our findings suggest that low doses of testosterone potently impact skeletal muscle after only 10 wk. These data provide unique insights into muscle adaptation and support the performance-enhancing role of testosterone in women on the muscle fiber level.
Analytical Model and Back-Analysis for Pile-Soil System Behavior under Axial Loading
Authors: Xu Hong-Fa , Zhang Ji-Xiang , Liu Xin , Geng Han-Sheng , Li Ke-Liang , Yang Yin-Hao
Published: March 2020

The interaction mechanism between piles and soils is very complicated. The load transfer function is generally nonlinear and is affected by factors such as pile side roughness, soil characteristics, section depth, and displacement. Therefore, it is difficult to solve the pile-soil system based on load transfer function. This paper presents a new method to study the soil-pile interaction problem with respect to axial loads. First, the shapes of the axial force-displacement curves at different depths and the displacement distribution curves along pile axis at different pile-top displacements were analyzed. A simple exponential function was taken as relationship model to express the relationship curves between two distribution functions of axial force and displacement along pile shaft obtained by using the geometric drawing method. Second, a new analytical model of the pile-soil system was established based on the basic differential equations for pile-soil load transfer theory and the relationship model and was used to derive the mathematical expressions on the distribution functions of the axial force, the lateral friction, and the displacement along pile shaft and the load transfer function of pile-side. We wrote the MATLAB program for the analytical model to analyze the influence laws of the parametersuandmon the pile-soil system characteristics. Third, the back-analysis method and steps of the pile-soil system characteristics were proposed according to the analytical model. The back-analysis results were in good agreement with the experimental results for the examples. The analysis model provides an effective way for the accurate design of piles under axial loading.
Research on Recovery Mechanism and Process of Waste Thermosetting Phenolic Resins Based on Mechanochemical Method
Authors: Hu Jian , Dong Huifang , Song Shouxu
Published: March 2020

The present study analyzed the recovery mechanism of the thermosetting phenolic resin waste, optimizing the recovery process parameters, based on the mechanochemical recovery method. The physical and chemical structure of the ultrapulverized phenolic resin powder was characterized by the low‐field NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), IR (infrared spectroscopy), and SEM (scanning electron microscopy). The recovery process parameters were designed by using the response surface analysis method, and the multiple quadratic regression model was established and the multiobjective process parameter was optimized. The results show that the body network structure of the material is destroyed during the crushing process. The intensity of the internal cross‐linking signal is reduced and tends to be stable at about 60%, when the particle size exceeds 120 mesh. The cross‐linking bonds methylene (‐CH2‐) in the main chain of the molecular chain and the C‐O bond in the methylol group on the branch are broken. The tensile strength of the recycled sheet made of the phenolic resin powder is 8.27 MPa, and the bending strength is 17.76 Mpa through the mechanical properties test. The influences on the change rate of the cross‐linking signal intensity and the yield of the recycled powder are in the following order: rotation speed, feed size, time, and feed volume. The best recovery parameters are as follows: rotation speed of 2820 r/min, time of 80 min, feed particle diameter of 0.43 mm, and feed volume of 60 g.
Asymptotic Behavior of a Stochastic Delayed Model for Chronic Hepatitis B Infection
Authors: Wu Bo , Jia Jianwen
Published: March 2020

In this paper, a stochastic delayed model is constructed to describe chronic hepatitis B infection with HBV DNA-containing capsids. At first, the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution are obtained. Secondly, the sufficient conditions are derived that the solution of the stochastic system fluctuates around the disease-free equilibriumE0and the endemic equilibriumE∗. In the end, some numerical simulations are implemented to support our analytical results.
Efficacy of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Yao Gaowen , Chen Jing , Duan Yanji , Chen Xiao
Published: March 2020

Background. Lateral epicondylitis (LE) is a common elbow problem. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) was widely used in the treatment of LE and has been shown to relieve the pain and functional impairment (loss of grip strength) caused by tennis elbow. However, the evidence with regard to whether ESWT has better clinical efficacy over other method is not clear. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of ESWT with other techniques in the treatment of LE. Methods. Literature searches of PubMed, OVID, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched up to 30th June, 2019. Only RCTs comparing ESWT with other methods for LE were included. Data collection and extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were performed according to the Cochrane standards. Results. A total of 13 articles with 1035 patients were included. Of which, 501 underwent ESWT and 534 underwent other methods. The result of meta‐analysis showed that pooled VAS (P = 0.0004) and grip strength (P < 0.00001) were better in the ESWT group. Conclusion. Based on the existing clinical evidence, extracorporeal shock wave therapy can effectively relieve the pain and functional impairment (loss of grip strength) caused by tennis elbow, with better overall safety than several other methods. However, owing to the limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high‐quality RCTs are needed to support the trend towards better functional outcomes with ESWT.
Study on Transient Dynamics and Aerodynamic Characteristics of a New Type of High-Damping Four-Winged Rotating Parachute Inflation Process
Authors: Li Yang , Jiang Chunlan , Mao Liang , Li Ming
Published: March 2020

To decrease the opening shock as well as improve the resistance coefficient and stability of the parachute of aviation weapon under subsonic conditions, a new kind of high-damping four-winged rotating (HFWR) parachute is investigated in this paper. The transient dynamic behavior and aerodynamic characteristics of the parachute during the inflation process are studied. Considering the permeability, the 3D folded finite element (FE) model of the HFWR parachute is established based on the direct folding modeling technique, and the inflation process of the parachute under subsonic flow is simulated using the multimaterial arbitrary Lagrange–Euler (ALE) method. A series of wind tunnel tests are conducted to verify the numerical results. Besides, the opening performances of the HFWR parachute and the round parachute, which includes the inflation process, the dynamic response of the swing angle, and the opening shock load varying with time, are compared under the same conditions. The results show that the opening performance of the HFWR parachute is superior to the round parachute under specific military background. The fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation results show good consistency with the wind tunnel tests, which indicates that the numerical modeling can effectively simulate and predict the opening performance and aerodynamic characteristics of the rotating parachute. The modeling method in this paper can help shorten the development cycle, improve the cost effectiveness, and optimize the design of the parachute.
The Process of High-Data-Rate Mud Pulse Signal in Logging While Drilling System
Authors: Liang Yao , Ju Xiaodong , Li Anzong , Li Chuanwei , Dai Zhiping , Ma Li
Published: March 2020

We applied a mud pulse signal to transmit the downhole measured parameters in a Logging While Drilling (LWD) system. The high-data-rate mud pulse signal was almost completely overwhelmed by noise and difficult to be identified because of the narrow pulse width, impacts of the pump noise, and the reflected wave. The wavelet transform’s multiresolution is suitable for signal denoising. In this paper, during the denoising process of the wavelet transform, we used a series of evaluation parameters to select the optimal parameter combination for denoising a mud pulse signal. We verified the feasibility of the wavelet transform denoising algorithm by analysing and processing an operational high-data-rate mud pulse signal. The decoding algorithm was available by applying self-correlation and bit synchronization. The application results through a field application showed that the processing algorithm was suitable for the high-data-rate mud pulse signal’s process.
A Wide-Band High-Resolution Transmitter for Optical Isolation Amplifier
Authors: Chen Chengying , Bai Lixia , Zhu Yunrong , Wu Tiancheng
Published: March 2020

A wide-band and high-resolution transmitter of optical isolation amplifier is proposed for switching power supply isolation and servo motor drive applications. The transmitter is based on the chopper-stabilized technique and sigma delta modulator. A built-in common-mode voltage circuit of switched capacitor is proposed to ensure the stability of input DC common mode. Meanwhile, the feedback capacitor is used to improve the driving ability, which helps to avoid a buffer with large input swing. The circuit is tapeout with GF CMOS 0.18 μm 1P6M process with 5 V power supply. The test results show that in 5 V supply voltage, the input swing of transmitter is 2 V and the effective signal bandwidth is 110 kHz. And the output resolution achieves 11 bit.
Efficacy Comparison of Different Acupuncture Treatments for Functional Dyspepsia: A Systematic Review with Network Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Zhang Jinhuan , Liu Yongfeng , Huang Xingxian , Chen Yirong , Hu Liyu , Lan Kai , Yu Haibo
Published: March 2020

Background. Acupuncture has been found to be an effective treatment for functional dyspepsia (FD). Currently, several types of acupuncture have been developed but it is not clear which type is suitable for FD. Currently, doctors often rely on experience to decide which form of acupuncture to apply. Herein, we employed network meta‐analysis (NMA) to compare the effectiveness of various methods of acupuncture in the treatment of functional dyspepsia. Methods. We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture treatments for functional dyspepsia in seven databases; PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Wanfang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, Chinese Science and Technique Journals (CQVIP), and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) from the date of database inception to October 10, 2019. Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to analyze the risk of bias of the included RCTs. Pairwise meta‐analyses were performed with RevMan 5.3 and the network meta‐analysis of the included RCTs was performed using the frequentist framework. Results. A total of 35 studies involving 3301 patients and 10 interventions were eligible for this study. NMA results showed that five types of acupuncture (manual acupuncture, acupoint application, moxibustion, acupoint catgut embedding, and warm acupuncture alone) all were superior to prokinetics (itopride, mosapride, and domperidone) and sham acupuncture in terms of improving the symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Specifically, manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture were more effective in improving the MOS 36 Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36) compared to itopride and sham acupuncture, and electroacupuncture was the best among the three acupuncture therapies (acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and acupoint catgut embedding). Moxibustion and manual acupuncture were more effective in improving Nepean Dyspepsia Life Quality Index (NDLQI) compared to itopride, domperidone, and sham acupuncture; moxibustion ranks first among the three acupuncture therapies (acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion). Conclusions. These results showed that manual acupuncture alone was the most effective therapy for FD. It should, therefore, be considered as an alternative treatment for FD patients who are unresponsive to prokinetics or intolerant to the adverse effects of prokinetics. We recommend further multiple centers and high‐quality RCT studies to confirm the present findings.
Preparation and Characterization of PEG4000 Palmitate/PEG8000 Palmitate-Solid Dispersion Containing the Poorly Water-Soluble Drug Andrographolide
Authors: Zeng Qingyun , Ou Liquan , Zhao Guowei , Cai Ping , Liao Zhenggen , Dong Wei , Liang Xinli
Published: March 2020

Solid dispersion (SD) is the effective approach to improve the dissolution rate and bioavailability of class II drugs with low water solubility and high tissue permeability in the Biopharmaceutics Classification System. This study investigated the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecular weight in carrier material PEG palmitate on the properties of andrographolide (AG)-SD. We prepared SDs containing the poorly water-soluble drug AG by the freeze-drying method. The SDs were manufactured from two different polymers, PEG4000 palmitate and PEG8000 palmitate. The physicochemical properties of the AG-SDs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, dissolution testing, and so on. We found that AG-PEG4000 palmitate-SD and AG-PEG8000 palmitate-SD were similar in the surface morphology, specific surface area, and pore volume. Compared with the AG-PEG4000 palmitate-SD, the intermolecular interaction between PEG8000 palmitate and AG was stronger, and the thermal stability of AG-PEG8000 palmitate-SD was better. In the meanwhile, the AG relative crystallinity was lower and the AG dissolution rate was faster in AG-PEG8000 palmitate-SD. The results demonstrate that the increasing PEG molecular weight in the PEG palmitate can improve the compatibility between the poorly water-soluble drug and carrier material, which is beneficial to improve the SD thermal stability and increases the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drug in the SD.
Surgery in a Patient with Haemophilia A and Lymphoma
Authors: Cruz M. S. , Santillan J. , Lesser J. , Ortiz J. , Forzani L. , Plaza P.
Published: March 2020

An increased incidence of haematologic malignancies and other cancer types among patients with haemophilia compared with matched controls has been reported in several longitudinal studies. Tumours initially misdiagnosed as haematomas and conversely haematomas mistaken for tumours have been reported. Here, we describe the case of a 43-year-old man with severe haemophilia A and a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, originally diagnosed as a haematoma, who underwent a splenectomy and several associated surgeries as part of his lymphoma treatment. Perioperative treatment with octanate® (human coagulation factor VIII) enabled the successful performance of all surgical interventions required in the context of lymphoma treatment. Nevertheless, differential diagnosis of posttraumatic haematoma in patients with haemophilia should include the consideration of malignancy.