bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Silica Powder from Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash and Its Application as Adsorbent in Adsorptive-distillation of Ethanol-water Solution
Authors: Megawati  , Fardhyanti Dewi Selvia , Artanti Putri Radenrara Dewi , Fianti Oki , Simalango Agustin Fitrianingsi , Akhir Afiati Estrina
Published: November 2018

In this study, sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) as waste from sugarcane factory was extracted into silica powder. This powder was then used as adsorbent for ethanol purification. Prior to used, the SCBA was washed using HCl solution. The silica extraction was conducted using various NaOH concentrations (0.5; 1; 1.5 and 2 mol/L) as well as extraction times (30, 60 and 90 minutes). After that the mixture was precipitated using HCl solution. The solution was filtrated through a paper filter and its solid particle was dried until its weight was constant. The particle was grounded and sieved using 18 mesh sieves. The silica powder obtained was analysed using FTIR and its result showed that the powder has silica functional groups. The silica yield increases with increasing of concentration of NaOH solution as well as extraction time. The highest silica yield (45.5% w/w) was achieved at 2 mol/L NaOH solution at 90 min. The surface area, pore diameter, and pore volume of silica powder were measured to be 407 m2/g, 3.81Å, and 2.76 dm3/g, respectively. From application of silica powder as adsorbent in adsorptive-distillation, ethanol concentration can reach 99.3% w/w which indicates azeotropic point can be passed.
Numerical Investigation on Physical Foaming and Decay Process Using Multicomponent Thermal Lattice Boltzmann Model
Authors: Liu Fu-Min , Wang An-Lin
Published: November 2018

Foam materials produced by physical process are common in the field of material engineering such as foamed asphalt. Considering heat and phase transfer, the complicated nonlinear phenomenon of foaming and decay process is difficult to be described numerically. In this paper, a multicomponent thermal lattice Boltzmann model for simulation of physical foaming and decay process is proposed. The model combines a thermal single-component phase change model with a multicomponent model, and the two models are verified separately. The physical foaming and decay process is solved numerically based on the proposed model. Simulation results show the influence of the distribution and content of the phase-change component on the expansion rate and decay time during physical foaming and decay process.
The Effects of Laser Surface Modification on the Microstructure of 1.4550 Stainless Steel
Authors: Przestacki Damian , Bartkowska Aneta , Kukliński Mateusz , Kieruj Piotr
Published: November 2018

In this study a stainless austenitic steel 1.4550 was laser heat treated with diode laser. The influence a gouache coating on remelted steel substrate was carry out. The cooling system during laser melted was analysis as well. Melted layers were manufactured with different laser beam power between 0.6 kW and 1.4 kW, constant scanning laser beam speedvl= 5.76 m/min and laser beam diameter equaldl= 1.2 mm. The surface was treated at room temperature and under CO2cooling conditions and the results were compered. With the increase of the laser beam power, the dimensions of the laser tracks increase. The depth of laser tracks varies significantly than their width. The deepest melted layer was observed for a material that wasn’t coated by any of absorbent paste and when there wasn’t cooling system.
Influence of Process Parameters of Printing on Mechanical Properties of Plastic Parts Produced by FDM 3D Printing Technology
Authors: Vosynek Petr , Navrat Tomas , Krejbychova Adela , Palousek David
Published: November 2018

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is a fast-growing 3D printing technology. This technology expands rapidly even in households. Most users set print parameters only according to their own experience, regardless of the final mechanical properties. In order to predict the mechanical behaviour of the FDM-printed components, it is important to understand not only the properties of the printing material but also the effect of the printing process parameters on the mechanical properties. Components manufactured by FDM technology have an anisotropic structure, therefore the filling angle, fill shape, air gap, print orientation, and print temperature affect the resulting mechanical properties. This work deals with the change of mechanical properties depending on the setting of the filling angle, the shape of the filling, the orientation of the parts during printing, the influence of the material and pigment manufacturer.
Assessment on Structural Integrity of In-service Machine Using De-noised Vibrational Modal Data and Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Ong Zhi Chao , Yap Ee Teng , Ismail Zubaidah , Khoo Shin Yee
Published: November 2018

The recent oil price drop creates a demand for swift action within oil and gas industry to shift focus from increasing daily production rates, to optimizing existing assets in achieving growth. Industrial machinery, one of the industry’s key asset many times failed due to high amplitude vibration that contributes to accelerated wear and tear and subsequently results in high cycle fatigue failure. As such there is a need to develop a structural integrity assessment for in–service machinery for continuous and safe operation. Vibration–based method such as Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA) is widely used for damage detection on civil and piping system under stationary environment. However, in industrial applications, system shutdown is very costly. EMA is also undesirable in this case due to the dominant ambient and system disturbances on the in–service system. An alternative method called Impact-Synchronous Modal Analysis (ISMA) is developed to perform modal analysis under noisy environment. Applying the ISMA technique in de-noising the non–synchronous disturbances at upstream could generate a cleaner and static–like modal data downstream for analysis. Artificial Neuron Networks (ANN) is then applied extensively in structural damage identification purposes based on changes in modal data due to its excellent pattern recognition ability. By leveraging on the latest technologies, i.e. ISMA and ANN as proposed, it allows real–time monitoring of assets, in this case, the machines, as well as the ability to transform continuous streams of data into useful information to predict damages.
Optimal Design of Multi-section Proportional Directional Valve Throttle Grooves with Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Zhang Xiaolu , Wang Anlin , Tang Jiangwei
Published: November 2018

This paper presents a method for design multi-section proportional directional valve Throttle grooves with ANN method, which aims at getting a better flow stability. There exists a coupling matter during the opening and closing process between the throttling notches, so that it’s difficult to parameterize the complex flow field characteristics Cd and the structure boundary of the spool grooves. However, in this paper, an ANN was built with data from CFD results, while the typical structural parameters (U type, the O-type and C-type), operating parameters was input vectors, the discharge coefficient as output vectors. Meanwhile, all of the needed data is taken from the three-dimensional CFD analysis, which are organized properly and verified by a bench scale test on a rig. Then, with throttling stiffness as optimization objective to evaluate flow stability, an optimal design process is carried out to optimize to optimize the structure of coupling grooves with ANN models and genetic algorithm. Ultimately, the optimized structure is verified better by the physical test on test rig, therefore, the significance of design method is proved.
The Design of Large Arc-shape High-precision Walking Device in TV (thermal-vacuum) Conditions
Authors: Lian Xue , Hua Nan , Jiaqi Liu , Xin Liu , Gang Meng
Published: November 2018

The large-sized space environmental simulation test facility is mainly used for providing thermal radiation environment in high-vacuum, cold and dark space for satellites, spacecraft, lunar spacecraft to carry out whole satellite thermal vacuum test and for large equipment like antenna to carry out tests in TV conditions. Monitoring the spacecraft’s surface optical image or temperature is a main task in space environment simulation test. In previous tests, optical image test mainly took place in a fixed position, so the measuring location and angle are limited. This paper focuses on large spherical space environmental simulation test facility, and designs a large arc-shape high-precision walking device in a space environment simulation test device. It introduces key technology in detail like structure design, thermal design, processes and manufacturing, etc. The test results show that this device can work steadily and reliably under simulation space environments, and the precision exceeds 0.5°.
Anti-acid Corrosion Property of Concrete Improved by Microstructure Optimizing
Authors: Yu L , Zhang S X , Chen L
Published: November 2018

To enhance the performance of anti-acid erosion, silica fume, silicon nitride, organic silicone emulsion agent and fly ash ceramsite are all mixed into concrete as admixture. The acid corrosion environment is simulated by laboratory test. Compressive strength of concrete with different curing ages are tested. Compressive strength and pore distribution of concrete dipping in sulphate and in hydrochloride for 90d are tested. The result shows that concrete with additional materials has better anti-acid corrode performance than the common one. The compressive strength of concrete with additional materials is higher than the common concrete. The pore distribution curve of the concrete with additional materials can keep steady no matter in sulphate or in hydrochloride. This kind of concrete with high anti-acid corrosion durability has been used in the piles construction of the bridges which is surrounded by acid soil and play an important role in enhancing the durability of the bridge.
Preparation and Property of Wireless Charging Magnetic Coupling Component Used Core-Shell Magnetic Nanoparticle
Authors: Qian Kunming , Zhang Yansong , Huang Jinghui , Hao Jie , Ji Song
Published: November 2018

In order to improve the performance of magnetically coupled material, this paper illustrates the synthesis of Core-shell magnetic nanoparticle exploiting microwave plasma. Result shows that the core w is comprised of pure Fe and shell is comprised of ferric oxide .The radius and thickness of core is about 8nm and 2nm respectively. Obtained nanoparticle shows great dispersity. The result of mathematical model calculation which obtained from Core-shell magnetic particle is consistent with the experiment result
Preparation and Properties of Polylactic Acid/Modified Starch/POE Degradation Materials
Authors: Zhang Xiaobo
Published: November 2018

Polylactic acid (PLA) / polyolefin elastomer (POE) / modified starch composites were prepared by melt blending. The composites were characterized by softening point, polarizing microscope, melt flow rate, tensile strength and degradation properties. The results showed that with the increase of modified starch and POE content, phase separation occurred between modified starch and PLA, and the tensile strength decreased compared with pure PLA. Modified starch could increase the crystallinity of PLA to increase the softening point and improve the thermal stability of PLA. When the modified starch and POE content were 15 and 20 parts respectively; the composite material has the best performance. At this time, the softening point was 75°C and the tensile strength could reach 47.7 MPa. The composite materials in different media showed the quality decreased with the prolongation of degradation time, especially in acidic and alkaline conditions, because the degradation rate of hydrolysis was accelerated.
Redescription of the Siamese shield leechPlacobdelloides siamensiswith new host species and geographic range
Authors: Chiangkul Krittiya , Trivalairat Poramad , Purivirojkul Watchariya
Published: November 2018

The Siamese shield leechPlacobdelloides siamensis(Oka, 1917) Sawyer, 1986 (Euhirudinea: Glossiphoniidae) was collected from five new host species, Southeastern Asian Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis), Yellow-headed Temple Turtle (Heosemys annandalii), Malayan Snail-eating Turtle (Malayemys macrocephala), Mekong Snail-eating Turtle (M. subtrijuga), and Khorat Snail-eating Turtle (M. khoratensis) and was found for the first time in Udon Thani, Thailand. Examination of live leeches provided, for the first time, data on coloration and the combination of parental care behavior, both carrying cocoons and attaching cocoons to the substrate. This species was separated from its congeners based on the following characters: one pair of eyes; spines at proboscis subterminal; mouth terminal on oral sucker; absent plaque in neck region; gonopores located in furrow and separated by two annuli; distinctly triannulated mid-body segments; crop with seven pairs and branched caeca; caudal sucker slightly over half of maximum body width; and strongly dorsal papillae. Phylogenetic relationships based on the COI and ND1 genes were clarified and demonstrated that the species is distinct from others. The original description was amended and the taxonomic history is discussed.
Molecular characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi samples derived from Triatoma vitticeps and Panstrongylus geniculatus of the Atlantic rainforest, southeast Brazil
Authors: Dario Maria Augusta , Andrade Tassiane Emanuelle Servare , dos Santos Claudiney Biral , Fux Blima , Brandão Adeilton Alves , Falqueto Aloísio
Published: November 2018

Background: In rural areas of Espírito Santo state, southeast Brazil, triatomine species attracted by light frequently invade residences. The aim of this study was to investigate the Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units (DTUs) harbored by these triatomines. Methods: Triatomine’s intestinal contents were examined, inoculated in mice, and the positive samples were cultivated. Flagellates obtained from infected mice hemoculture were submitted to DNA extraction using a salting-out method and to TcSC5D gene amplification. The amplified samples were sequenced, and polymorphism was analyzed for DTU identification. Results: Three hundred and ninety-four triatomines were identified: Triatoma vitticeps (90.03%), Panstrongylus geniculatus (8.89%), Panstrongylus megistus (0.54%), Panstrongylus diasi (0.27%), and Triatoma tibiamaculata (0.27%). Among the specimens, 251/394 (67.65%) presented flagellated forms similar to T. cruzi. After triatomine intestinal content inoculation into mice, 134 mice presented T. cruzi-like trypomastigotes from Tr. vitticeps and P. geniculatus and 89 samples were positive in hemoculture. Sixty-two samples were analyzed for the TcSC5D gene and TcI, TcII, TcIII, and TcIV DTUs were identified. Conclusions: We observed T. cruzi DTU diversity in Tr. vitticeps and P. geniculatus, which showed the predominance of TcII and occurrence of TcI, TcIII and TcIV. Triatomines presented high T. cruzi infection rates. Since little is known regarding the possible mammalian hosts that maintain the T. cruzi cycle, further studies are necessary to obtain a better understanding of the parasite transmission cycle in this region.
A bi-level multi-objective data envelopment analysis model for estimating profit and operational efficiency of bank branches
Authors: Omrani Hashem , Mohammadi Setareh , Emrouznejad Ali
Published: November 2018

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a powerful method for analyzing the performance of decision making units (DMUs). Traditionally, DEA is applied for estimating the performance of a set of DMUs through measuring a single perspective of efficiency. However, in recent years, due to increasing competition in various industries, modern enterprises focus on enhancing their performance by measuring efficiencies in different aspects, separately or simultaneously. This paper proposes a bi-level multi-objective DEA (BLMO DEA) model which is able to assess the performance of DMUs in two different hierarchical dimensions, simultaneously. In the proposed model, we define two level efficiency scores for each DMU. The aim is to maximize these two efficiencies, simultaneously, for each DMU. Since the objective functions at both levels are fractional, a fuzzy fractional goal programming (FGP) methodology is used to solve the proposed BLMO DEA model. The capability of the proposed model is illustrated by a numerical example. Finally, to practically validate the proposed model, a real case study from 45 bank’s branches is applied. The results show that the proposed model can provide a more comprehensive measure for efficiency of each bank’s branch based on simultaneous measuring of two different efficiencies, profit and operational efficiencies, and by considering the level of their importance.
Advertising and Pricing Policies in a Two-Echelon Supply Chain with a Capital-Constrained Retailer
Authors: Yang Honglin , Chu Lingling , Wan Hong
Published: November 2018

We consider a two-echelon supply chain consisting of one supplier and one capital-constrained retailer. The supplier can offer the retailer trade credit to fund his orders. To boost sales, the retailer invests part or all of initial capital exclusively in advertising at the beginning of the sales season. Demand is sensitive to both retail price and advertising expenses of the retailer. With a wholesale price contract, we analytically derive the Stackelberg equilibrium with respect to pricing by both parties and advertising by the retailer. Our results show that the retailer with less initial capital prefers to invest full initial capital in advertising irrespective of the advertising elasticity or the interest rate charged by the supplier. The retailer with more initial capital only invests part of initial capital in advertising. The retailer’s advertising policy under different initial capital levels always benefits the supply chain and the supplier. We further identify the effects of the advertising elasticity and the interest rate on the pricing policies. Numerical simulations and sensitivity analysis are given to elaborate our theoretical results.
Green urban economy – normative modelling approach for planning and implementation
Authors: Bąk Monika , Makolska-Tenold Maria
Published: November 2018

The objective of this paper is to present the concept of a normative model for planning and implementation of the green urban economy to supplement the city governments in the methodologies required for practical application of sustainable development. The theoretical approach is accompanied by functional verification of the model assumptions based on surveys and interviews in selected cities. Empirical studies were aimed to prepare the preliminary version of the model on the base of mind mapping approach, the review of literature and in-depth observations and analysis, and then to conduct a research testbed through the questionnaire survey (including multidimensional approach) in 18 cities in Europe and America and extended interviews with selected city representatives. It can be stated that the implementation of sustainable development demands clear and unequivocal priorities followed by the future strategies. The comprehensive model requires consideration of city governance in the context of planning and implementation process. The research validates all of the dimensions of the normative model and also provides the opportunity for experiential learning from the quoted examples from Scandinavian and Central European and countries in comparison to the USA cities.
Youth entrepreneurial projects for the sustainable development of global community: evidence from Enactus program
Authors: Dalibozhko Anastasiia , Krakovetskaya Inna
Published: November 2018

Achievement of sustainable development that meets the needs of the present day without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, increasingly becoming a global agenda in addressing economic, environmental and social problems. This study raises the question of the possibility to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on the basis of involving young people into entrepreneurial projects. The object of the study is an international Enactus program, which originated in the US and now brings together students and business leaders in 36 countries (including Poland and Russia). The research methodology is based on the Triple Bottom Line Conception (a way of accounting factors in economic, environmental, and social impacts) and includes analysis of literature, comparison, generalization, content analysis, and the processing of empirical data obtained during interviewing Enactus students. The main findings of the study include the analysis of Enactus projects in terms of their relevance to the concept of sustainable development and the UN goals. The contribution of projects to the sustainable development of the world community has been assessed. On the basis of successful Tomsk State University experience substantiates the need to form joint international economic, ecological and social projects to solve current global problems more effectively.
The cohesion fund’s role in financing local-government investments in road infrastructure
Authors: Gwizdała Jerzy P.
Published: November 2018

The growing needs of local communities, deficiencies in road infrastructure, and under-investment in the public sector has led to the search for alternative sources of project financing. Poland’s accession to European Union structures has opened the possibility of obtaining co-financing from EU funds for various types of projects. Aid can be obtained from several types of funds, mainly intended for investments in economic development. Investments in the field of transport carried out by local-government units have been supported by funds from the European Union budget over two six-year financial perspectives: 2007-2013 and 2014-2020. During this time, funds were allocated to local governments to compensate for differences, expand the road network, and to improve the quality of transport. The authorities of individual territorial local-government units received support from structural funds and cohesion policy funds. In return, they were able to count on benefits such as financing for services and road infrastructure facilities that meet the needs of the community, and access to new technologies.
The role of intellectual capital in building a competitive advantage for companies from the Baltic Sea Region in the transport, shipping and logistic industry (TSL)
Authors: Igielski Michał
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this article is to define the role of intellectual capital in companies with TSL branch in building a competitive advantage in a changing economy. In addition, the author made an attempt to assess the facts of intellectual capital management in Polish enterprises and identify conditions that accompany this process. Founded research objectives will be achieved on the basis of an analysis of theoretical materials and conducted by the author, in 2017 (100 companies from the BSR from the TSL sector), empirical research. Their main objectives were: to determine the degree of the concept of human capital management in the surveyed entities, identify the main determinants of and barriers to the development of this concept, to determine the effect of application of this concept in practice while building a competitive advantage. The study was designed as a standard general questionnaire describing the audited entity, as well as individual interviews with business owners (100 persons) and managers at various levels (300 persons). Made analysis showed the role of intellectual capital in building a competitive advantage in the surveyed enterprises - mainly in areas related to raising and maintaining the quality of services and the optimization of the employed staff.
Polish sea ports and the Green Port concept
Authors: Oniszczuk-Jastrząbek Aneta , Pawłowska Barbara , Czermański Ernest
Published: November 2018

Recently, the focus of action for port authorities has been to find a set of development and investment measures which would, on one hand, ensure the expected technical and organizational conditions for port operations in the future and, on the other hand, incorporate a variety of social and environmental aspects necessary to maintain or improve the quality delivered in these two areas. This set of measures that has been of particular importance to the port industry in the last years is termed the Green Port, as a way of distinguishing it from the previous measures, which were equally intensive but failed to consider the requirements of sustainable growth. The term is used to refer to a port which takes planned investment actions to ensure compliance in all the three areas: economy, society and environment. In Poland, the notion of ‘Green Ports’ is still in its infancy. The purpose of this paper is to present research into sustainable growth awareness and attitudes in Polish ports. The research was carried out with representatives of Polish sea port authorities to allow identifying the actions for the development of green ports and defining the directions to be adopted in the sea ports development strategies.
Business insurances as an element of sustainable development of small and medium enterprises in Poland
Authors: Pawlak Natalia , Czechowski Piotr Oskar , Czuba Tomasz , Oniszczuk-Jastrząbek Aneta , Badyda Artur
Published: November 2018

The SME sector in Poland constitutes over 90% of all business entities. It is a broad market for insurance products. The choice of the insurer by these entrepreneurs is conditioned by several factors, including a beneficial image of the insurer, security in terms of its solvency, an attractive amount of the insurance premium or a wide insurance offer. The data comes from the study "SME finance 2015 - Insurance services market". Two research hypotheses were made for the purposes of the analysis. The first one assumes that the analysed factors are important when choosing the insurer by the SMEs. The second one indicates the selection of an adequate level of protection up to the level of risk occurrence. The results of the research show that PZU SA is the main insurer in Poland. At the same time, it is the most willingly selected SME among enterprises. In addition, two groups of clients were identified. The first one is characterised by the use of adequate protection measures in relation to the degree of risk occurrence. The other group applied relatively high or low degree of protection against small or high risk.
Sustainable business models in the context of innovation
Authors: Pilarczyk Anna
Published: November 2018

This article concerns the relatively new issue of business model present in science for 20 years. A systematic literature review was carried out for the years 2012-2018. In so-doing through additional defining criteria: type of document - article and topic - business model innovation, apart from the main slogan - sustainable business model, 84 articles were identified, out of which 24 documents were selected for the analysis. The study has been divided into two parts, the first discusses the theoretical aspects related to the tools used for designing sustainable business models, as well as the relationship between value creation and innovation. In the second part of the study, the issue of sustainable development was analyzed within selected sectors of the food and energy industry. The article aims to present current knowledge on sustainable business models in the context of innovation in relation to selected industries.
Bewegungsförderung in Deutschland: Akteure, Strukturen und Netzwerkentwicklung
Authors: Wäsche Hagen , Peters Stefan , Appelles Luisa , Woll Alexander
Published: November 2018

Bewegung unterstützt in vielfältiger Weise die Gesundheit von Menschen jeden Lebensalters. Dennoch ist die Prävalenz körperlicher Inaktivität in Deutschland hoch und die meisten Menschen erreichen den von der Weltgesundheitsorganisation empfohlenen Bewegungsumfang nicht. Um gezielte Maßnahmen zur Bewegungsförderung zu unterstützen, ist die Kenntnis der relevanten Akteure, Berufsgruppen und Multiplikatoren sowie deren struktureller Zusammenhang notwendig. Im Rahmen einer explorativen Untersuchung wurden 2 Ziele verfolgt: (1) die Identifikation relevanter Akteure, Berufsgruppen und Multiplikatoren der Bewegungsförderung in Deutschland und (2) die Analyse der strukturellen Vernetzung dieser Akteure sowie die Formulierung von Empfehlungen zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung eines nationalen Netzwerks der Bewegungsförderung. Hierzu wurden qualitative Experteninterviews, eine anschließende Netzwerkvisualisierung und eine Analyse zur Netzwerkentwicklung durchgeführt. Es zeigte sich, dass das Feld der Akteure im Bereich der Bewegungsförderung ausgesprochen heterogen und umfangreich hinsichtlich verschiedener Akteursformen, Gesellschaftsbereiche und Bezugsräume ist. Insgesamt konnten 128 Akteure identifiziert werden. Davon werden 22 Akteure in Schlüsselpositionen gesehen. Bei den Multiplikatoren wurden 19 aktuelle und 17 weitere potenzielle identifiziert. Die strukturelle Vernetzung der Akteure ist nur schwach ausgeprägt. Für eine zukünftige Netzwerkentwicklung konnten verschiedene Voraussetzungen, Vorteile und Barrieren herausgearbeitet werden. Daran anschließend werden Empfehlungen formuliert, welche zur Bildung und effektiven Steuerung eines nationalen Netzwerks der Bewegungsförderung beitragen. Die Studie ermöglicht eine erste differenzierte Betrachtung der Akteursstrukturen der Bewegungsförderung in Deutschland.
Supportive Infusions in Integrative Breast and Gynecological Oncology – Report on Patientsʼ Satisfaction and Self-reported Effects and Side Effects
Authors: Hack Carolin , Antoniadis Sophia , Beckmann Matthias , Brandl Anna , Fasching Peter , Hackl Janina , Langemann Hanna , Katja Stock , Weber Natalie , Theuser Anna-Katharin
Published: November 2018

Background During cancer therapy, many patients suffer from malnutrition or vitamin deficiency. Treatment for nutrition-related deficiencies should therefore include nutritional therapy and possibly oral or intravenous substitution of micronutrients. Little information exists on multinutrient infusion therapies. The aim of this study was to develop standardized infusion protocols for integrative medicine infusions with micronutrients (IMed infusions) and to report on side effects of the treatment and patientsʼ satisfaction with it.

Methods For the IMed consultancy service, four special formulas for intravenous use were developed in cooperation with the pharmacy at Erlangen University Hospital. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2015 and January 2018 in which 45 patients with gynecological or breast cancer (BC) and IMed infusion therapy were included. Follow-up data were obtained from 20 patients using a standardized questionnaire on IMed infusions.

Results A total of 280 IMed infusions were administered in the study period. The majority of the patients received an IMed regeneration infusion (78%). The majority of the patients had BC and were receiving chemotherapy. Most patients reported a high or very high level of satisfaction with the organization (60%), general treatment (65%) and counseling (85%). Subjective improvement in their disease-related and therapy-induced symptoms, such as fatigue, polyneuropathy and physical efficiency, was reported by 70% of the patients, while 75% reported a subjective increase in quality of life. Side effects were rare and minor.

Conclusions Therapy with IMed infusions in women with BC or gynecological cancer requires the same standards set for drug therapy. Although vitamins represent dietary supplements, appropriate assessment of the patientʼs medical history is needed and patients must receive appropriate information. For this purpose, standardized processes, as in the context of an IMed consultancy service, are helpful.
A Review of Plants Used in South African Traditional Medicine for the Management and Treatment of Hypertension
Authors: Balogun Fatai , Ashafa Anofi
Published: November 2018

South Africa contains 9% of the worldʼs higher plants, and despite its rich biodiversity, it has one of the highest prevalence of hypertension in Africa. This review provides information on medicinal plants embraced in South Africa for hypertension management, with the aim of reporting pharmacological information on the indigenous use of these plants as antihypertensives. This review not only focuses on the activity of antihypertensive medicinal plants but also reports some of its phytochemical constituents and other ethnopharmacological and therapeutic properties. Information obtained from scientific and or unpublished databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, SciFinder, JSTOR, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and various books revealed 117 documented antihypertensive plant species from 50 families. Interestingly, Asteraceae topped the list with 16 species, followed by Fabaceae with 8 species; however, only 25% of all plant species have demonstrated antihypertensive effects originating from both in vitro and in vivo studies, lending credence to their folkloric use. Only 11 plant species reportedly possess antihypertensive properties in animal models, with very few species subjected to analytical processes to reveal the identity of their bioactive antihypertensive compounds. In this review, we hope to encourage researchers and global research institutions (universities, agricultural research councils, and medical research councils), particularly those showing an interest in natural products, for the need for concerted efforts to undertake more studies aimed at revealing the untapped potential of these plants. These studies are very important for the development of new pharmaceuticals of natural origin useful for the management of hypertension.
Alkylpotassium-Catalyzed Benzylic C–H Alkylation of Alkylarenes with Alkenes
Authors: Sato Io , Yamashita Yasuhiro , Kobayashi Shū
Published: November 2018

Catalytic benzylic C–H alkylation reactions of alkylarenes with alkenes such as β-substituted styrenes and vinylsilanes have been achieved by utilizing alkylpotassium as a catalyst. Various substituted toluene derivatives can be alkylated under mild reaction conditions to afford the desired functionalized hydrocarbons in moderate to high yields.
Does Time of Wound Complication after Cesarean Delivery Differ by Type of Skin Closure?
Authors: Cooper Shontreal M. , Blanchard Christina T. , Szychowski Jeffery M. , Tita Alan T. N.
Published: November 2018

Objective A high proportion of postcesarean wound complications occur after patients have been discharged from the hospital, increasing personal and health care costs. We undertook this study to evaluate the association between skin closure methods (suture vs. staple) following a cesarean delivery and the frequency of wound complications occurring after hospital discharge.

Study Design This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial in which women undergoing cesarean delivery at ≥24 weeks' gestation were randomized to receive metallic staples or subcuticular suture for skin closure after surgery. Staples were removed at the time of hospital discharge on postoperative days 3 to 4 for Pfannenstiel incisions or days 7 to 10 for vertical. The primary outcome for this analysis was any wound complication occurring after hospital discharge. Wound complications were infections or any wound disruption without infection (including seromas and hematomas). Associations were examined using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, as appropriate, and multivariable logistic regression.

Results A total of 350 patients with follow-up through 4 to 6 weeks postpartum were included in the analysis: n = 171 received suture closure and n = 179 received staples. In the primary trial, wound complications occurred in 14.5% (n = 26) of individuals with staples and 5.9% (n = 10) with sutures (p = 0.008). Twenty-one (58.3%) of the 36 wound complications occurred after hospital discharge. The incidence of wound complications occurring after hospital discharge was 6.7% (n = 12) of patients receiving staples and 5.3% (n = 9) of those receiving sutures; p = 0.57; relative risk [95% confidence interval]: 1.27 [0.55–2.95]). After multivariable adjustment, type of skin closure method was not associated with wound complication after discharge from the hospital (odds ratio: 1.29; 0.52–3.17).

Conclusion Although suture closure compared with staples was associated with fewer wound complications after cesarean delivery, we found no significant differences between closure types in the frequency of wound complications occurring after hospital discharge.
Association between the Degree of Twin Birthweight Discordance and Perinatal Outcomes
Authors: Kim Lena H. , Caughey Aaron B. , Yee Lynn M. , Cheng Yvonne W.
Published: November 2018

Background Twin birthweight discordance is associated with adverse outcomes.

Objective To determine what degree of twin birthweight discordance is associated with adverse outcomes.

Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of twins with vertex twin A delivered vaginally at 36 to 40 weeks (U.S. Vital Statistics Natality birth certificate registry data 2012–2014). The primary outcome was a composite of neonatal morbidity: 5-minute Apgar < 7, neonatal intensive care unit admission, neonatal mechanical ventilation > 6 hours, neonatal seizure, and/or neonatal transport to a higher level of care. Effect estimates were expressed as incidence rate and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) controlling for confounding using multivariate clustered analysis for between-pair effects, and multilevel random effect generalized estimating equation regressions to account for within-pair effects. We adjusted for sex discordance, breech delivery of the second twin, maternal race/ethnicity, nulliparity, age, marital status, obesity, and socioeconomic status.

Results In comparison to birthweight discordance of ≤20%, aORs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by weight discordance of the primary outcome among 27,276 twin deliveries were as follows: 20.01 to 25% (aOR: 1.46 [95% CI: 1.29–1.65]); 25.01 to 30% (aOR: 1.96 [95% CI: 1.68–2.29]); and 30.01 to 60% (aOR: 2.97 [95% CI: 2.52–3.50]).

Conclusion Twin birthweight discordance >20% was associated with increased odds of adverse neonatal outcome.
Horseshoes in 4-dimensional piecewise affine systems with bifocal heteroclinic cycles
Authors: Wu Tiantian , Yang Xiao-Song
Published: November 2018

By studying the Poincaré map in a neighborhood of the bifocal heteroclinic cycle (the corresponding subsystems only have conjugate complex eigenvalues), this paper provides a result on the existence of chaotic invariant sets for the two-zone 4-dimensional piecewise affine systems with bifocal heteroclinic cycles that cross the switching manifold transversally at two points. Different from Shil’nikov type theorems, the existence of chaotic invariant sets near the heteroclinic cycles depends not only on the eigenvalue conditions but also on the way of intersections of the stable manifolds and unstable manifolds of the subsystems.
Improving the rectifying performance of the pyrene-benzene system by optimizing its hydrocarbon bridge: A first-principles investigation
Authors: Liu X. Y. , Shao Jian , Zhang X. Y. , Zheng Yue
Published: November 2018

We report a computational study on enhancing the rectification ratio (RR) of the pyrene-benzene junction by modifying the structure of its acyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon bridge. The RR values for a series of pyrene-benzene systems with different types of bridges are determined. Notably, the maximum RR of the pyrene-(CH)3-(CH2)3-(CH)3-benzene system is 93.8, and the same hydrocarbon bridge increases the RR of the organic photovoltaic materials pyrene-DMA (N,N-dimethylaniline) and pyrene-DCNB (p-dicyanobenzene) by 10 times and limits reverse current during photo-induced electron transfer. These findings are particularly important for the design of molecular devices where both a high RR and conductivity are desirable. Moreover, they provide new insight into phenomena that indirectly affects the photoelectric conversion efficiency viz. enhancing the RR of the materials.
Flame blowout: Transition to an absorbing phase
Authors: Unni Vishnu R. , Chaudhuri Swetaprovo , Sujith R. I.
Published: November 2018

The turbulent flame inside a gas turbine engine is susceptible to local extinction leading to global extinguishment or blowout at fuel lean conditions. Flame blowout is traditionally viewed as a loss of static stability of the combustor. However, flames often exhibit rich dynamics as blowout is approached suggesting that a more comprehensive description of the dynamics of flame blowout, which could lead to reduced order models, is necessary. A turbulent flame can be considered as a collection of a large number of flamelets. The population dynamics of these flamelets could be used to model the overall flame behavior as a contact process. In this context, flame blowout can be viewed as the population of flamelets approaching zero, in other words, extinction of flamelets. In this paper, we employ a cellular automata based model to study the emergent dynamics of the population of such flamelets. We show that the model is able to qualitatively capture interesting dynamics that a turbulent flame inside a combustor exhibits close to flame blowout. Furthermore, we show that flame blowout is similar to a threshold-like transition to an absorbing phase.
Nanoscale oxygen ion dynamics in SrFeO2.5+δ epitaxial thin films
Authors: Heo Yooun , Kan Daisuke , Shimakawa Yuichi
Published: November 2018

A variety of functional properties in transition metal oxides are often underpinned by oxygen vacancies. While the oxygen vacancy concentration and arrangements are well-known to have strong influence on the physical properties of oxides, the oxygen dynamics in oxides—including oxygen ion incorporation and movements during redox reactions—remain elusive. Performing conductive AFM studies of epitaxial thin films of oxygen-deficient SrFeO2.5 treated by air-annealing at various temperatures, we observe oxidation-induced enhancement of local electronic conduction on the higher terraces near the outer step edges at which oxygen ions are preferably incorporated and diffuse into the films. We also show that the local conduction can be reversibly controlled by electric-field-induced redox reactions at room temperature. These results highlight the importance of the nanoscale oxygen dynamics in redox reactions in SrFeO2.5 films.
High resolution transmission electron microscopy and electronic structure theory investigation of platinum nanoparticles on carbon black
Authors: Poidevin Corentin , Paciok Paul , Heggen Marc , Auer Alexander A.
Published: November 2018

High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR TEM) is used to identify the size, shape, and interface structure of platinum nanoparticles and carbon support of a fuel cell catalyst. Using these insights, models accessible to quantum chemical methods are designed in order to rationalize the observed features. Thus, basal plane and prism face models of the carbon black material are considered, interacting with Pt clusters of sizes up to 1 nm. Particular attention is paid to the electronic structure of the carbon support, namely, the radical character of graphene zig-zag edges. The results show that a stronger interaction is found when the nanoparticle is at the zig-zag edge of a basal plane due to the combination of dispersion interaction with the support structure and covalent interaction with carbon atoms at the edge. In this case, a distortion of both the Pt nanoparticle and the carbon support is observed, which corresponds to the observations from the HR TEM investigation. Furthermore, the analysis of the charge transfer upon interaction and the influence of the potential on the charge states and structure is carried out on our model systems. In all cases, a clear charge transfer is observed from the carbon support to the Pt nanoparticle. Finally, we show that changing the potential not only can change the charge state of the system but can also affect the nature of the interaction between Pt nanoparticles and carbon supports.
Exact and approximate adiabatic connection formulae for the correlation energy in multireference ground and excited states
Authors: Pernal Katarzyna
Published: November 2018

Recently it has been shown how to employ the adiabatic connection (AC) formalism to obtain correlation energy for multireference wavefunctions [K. Pernal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 013001 (2018)]. Approximations to the exact AC formulation have been based on assuming that a one-electron reduced density matrix is constant along the AC path and by employing the extended random phase approximation. In this paper, the importance of these approximations is examined by comparing approximate AC integrands with their exact counterparts obtained for the hydrogen molecule in its ground and excited states. Encouraging results obtained for H2 indicate that AC is a viable and promising approach to a correlation energy problem not only for ground but also for excited states of electronic systems.
Controllable generation of second-harmonic vortex beams through nonlinear supercell grating
Authors: Wang Huijun , Wei Dunzhao , Xu Xiaoyi , Wang Mengying , Cui Guoxin , Lu Yanqing , Zhang Yong , Xiao Min
Published: November 2018

Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) nonlinear photonic crystals have been widely used in nonlinear wave front modulation for the π-phase difference between the second-harmonic (SH) waves from positive and negative domains. Aided by optimizing algorithms, we can control the diffraction patterns of SH vortex beams by designing nonlinear fork gratings with supercell structures in LiNbO3 crystals. In experiment, we demonstrate that the diffraction energies can be equally distributed in each order or concentrated on certain orders, in agreement with theoretical designs. Potential applications include controllable vortex beam generation, nondestructive parallel vortex detection, and so on.
Cryogenic microwave filter cavity with a tunability greater than 5 GHz
Authors: Clark T. J. , Vadakkumbatt V. , Souris F. , Ramp H. , Davis J. P.
Published: November 2018

A wide variety of applications of microwave cavities, such as measurement and control of superconducting qubits, magnonic resonators, and phase noise filters, would be well served by having a highly tunable microwave resonance. Often this tunability is desired in situ at low temperatures, where one can take advantage of superconducting cavities. To date, such cryogenic tuning while maintaining a high quality factor has been limited to ∼500 MHz. Here we demonstrate a three-dimensional superconducting microwave cavity that shares one wall with a pressurized volume of helium. Upon pressurization of the helium chamber, the microwave cavity is deformed, which results in in situ tuning of its resonant frequency by more than 5 GHz, greater than 60% of the original 8 GHz resonant frequency. The quality factor of the cavity remains approximately constant at ≈7 × 103 over the entire range of tuning. As a demonstration of its usefulness, we implement a tunable cryogenic phase noise filter, which reduces the phase noise of our source by approximately 10 dB above 400 kHz.