bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Friendly Takeover, or: the Power of the ‘First Word’. The German Constitutional Court Embraces the Charter of Fundamental Rights as a Standard of Domestic Judicial Review
Authors: Thym Daniel
Published: July 2020

Five decades of interaction between the Bundesverfassungsgericht and the Court of Justice – Reversal of the Solange decisions – Jurisdictional upgrade of the Charter under domestic constitutional law – Continuity of the ultra vires and constitutional identity caveats – Differences between the First and Second Senate in the approach towards EU law – Preliminary references as a new normality – Projection of the experience and doctrinal rigour of the German fundamental rights case law on the European level – ‘Primary’ application of the Grundgesetz as pragmatic guidance – Gradual evolution of overarching standards – Ordinary courts as an institutional counterbalance to the Bundesverfassungsgericht – Insistence on leeway for relative national autonomy in the interpretation and application of the Charter.
There and Back Again: The Selectivity of Recidivism in Belgian Prisons
Authors: Depauw Ewout
Published: July 2020

The “panoptic” powers characteristic of nineteenth-century criminal justice systems created prison sources that are increasingly used to study past populations. Each step of the criminal process has its own selection logic, leading to a predominance of unskilled and low-skilled men and women in prison samples. There are also crucial differences between the profiles of single and repeat offenders. This article employs a sample of more than 27,000 individual admissions to Belgian prisons in the nineteenth century to explore these trends in greater depth. Recidivists form a specific subset of the prison population. Detailed comparisons of recidivists and nonrecidivists are therefore useful as they help to understand the selection mechanisms inherent in prison data. Male recidivists were predominately low-waged workers incarcerated for minor acts of violence or misconduct classified as disturbances of the peace. Female recidivists were disproportionately low-skilled workers arrested for beggary and sex work. Recidivists also differed in their stature. Male recidivists in Belgian prisons were shorter than the average prisoner. By contrast, female recidivists were taller than one-time offenders. These height differences have important implications for our understanding of well-being in the past.
Der Transfer von formativem Assessment in den Leseunterricht der Grundschule
Authors: Hebbecker Karin , Meudt Sarah-Ines , Schütze Birgit , Souvignier Elmar
Published: July 2020

Zusammenfassung. Diese längsschnittliche Studie untersucht die Effekte dreier Transferkonzepte auf die Nutzung formativen Assessments im Leseunterricht der Grundschule. Hierbei wird die vermittelnde Rolle der Akzeptanz und der wahrgenommenen Machbarkeit (gegenüber den bereitgestellten Feedback- und Diagnostikmaterialien) sowie der Kooperation im Kollegium analysiert. Während in der Kontrollgruppe (KG; n = 14) den Lehrkräften ein umfassendes Materialpaket zur Verfügung gestellt wurde, fanden in der ersten Experimentalgruppe (EG I; n = 29) zusätzlich drei begleitende Fortbildungen statt. In der zweiten Experimentalgruppe (EG II; n = 30) wurden darüber hinaus schulinterne Maßnahmen über einen Multiplikatoren-Ansatz umgesetzt. Die pfadanalytische Auswertung der Befragungsdaten zeigt, dass sich im Vergleich zur KG die zusätzliche Teilnahme an den Fortbildungen (EG I) förderlich auf die Materialnutzung auswirken kann (β = .75, p < .05; f² = .059), während sich kein positiver Effekt für die ergänzende Umsetzung schulinterner Maßnahmen (EG II) findet. Die wahrgenommene Machbarkeit (β = .30, p < .05, = .019) bezüglich der Materialien, insbesondere aber die Kooperation im Kollegium (β = .31 – .37, p < .05, Ũ = .020 – .028) haben eine zentrale vermittelnde Funktion für den Transfererfolg.
First Approach to Abused Children by Health and Educational	Professionals
Authors: Moreira Diana Sá , Fávero Marisalva , Oliveira Susana , Ribeiro Filipe Nunes , Sousa-Gomes Valéria , Moreira Diana , Magalhães Teresa
Published: July 2020

Abstract. The present review aims to address child abuse, a phenomenon to which society has become more aware and directed more efforts, and the role that health and education professionals can play in its prevention and intervention. Based on the premise that professionals with a primary role of working with children, who may have the first contact with them after a situation of abuse, are mostly in the fields of health and education, it is important to reflect on their practices in these cases, which have particular relevance in order to avoid potential situations of secondary victimization, contamination of speech, or even withdrawal of revelation. This review examines the preparation of these professionals to address the allegedly abused child and to report abuse if they feel fit to take appropriate action, focuses mainly on the context of Portugal. What the literature shows is that there are still difficulties in making decisions and taking action in situations where abuse is suspected, based on physical or behavioral evidence from the child, or before his/her disclosure. Further studies are needed on the knowledge of the actions to be taken, and on the actions taken before there is a referral to the competent entities by these professionals. Moreover, there is a discussion on the need to develop training as well as brief and structured protocols for action, in this first line of intervention, when facing potential situations of child abuse.
Enhanced Predictability of Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Activity Using the ENSO Longitude Index
Authors: Balaguru Karthik , Patricola Christina M. , Hagos Samson M. , Leung L. Ruby , Dong Lu
Published: July 2020

While El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences eastern North Pacific (ENP) tropical cyclones (TCs) through a variety of atmospheric processes when examined concurrently, ocean pathways dominate at longer lead times. The eastward displacement of the warm pool during an El Niño, which carries warm water into the ENP basin, is the primary oceanic mechanism. Despite this, the question of whether an accurate knowledge of preseason ENSO conditions enhances predictability of ENP TCs has not been addressed specifically. In this study, we show that relative to traditional indices of ENSO, the ENSO Longitude Index (ELI) captures changes in the location of deep convection and associated thermocline processes more accurately. Consequently, the ELI explains more variability in the upper‐ocean heat content, and thus TC activity, at lead times of several months in the ENP basin. These results motivate the need to further explore the predictability of ENP TCs associated with ENSO.
Exploring and modelling colon cancer inter-tumour heterogeneity: opportunities and challenges
Authors: Buikhuisen Joyce Y. , Torang Arezo , Medema Jan Paul
Published: July 2020

Colon cancer inter-tumour heterogeneity is installed on multiple levels, ranging from (epi)genetic driver events to signalling pathway rewiring reflected by differential gene expression patterns. Although the existence of heterogeneity in colon cancer has been recognised for a longer period of time, it is sparingly incorporated as a determining factor in current clinical practice. Here we describe how unsupervised gene expression-based classification efforts, amongst which the consensus molecular subtypes (CMS), can stratify patients in biological subgroups associated with distinct disease outcome and responses to therapy. We will discuss what is needed to extend these subtyping efforts to the clinic and we will argue that preclinical models recapitulate CMS subtypes and can be of vital use to increase our understanding of treatment response and resistance and to discover novel targets for therapy.
BEaTS-α an open access 3D printed device for in vitro electromechanical stimulation of human induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Cortes David , McTiernan Christopher D. , Ruel Marc , Franco Walfre , Chu Cencen , Liang Wenbin , Suuronen Erik J. , Alarcon Emilio I.
Published: July 2020

3D printing was used to develop an open access device capable of simultaneous electrical and mechanical stimulation of human induced pluripotent stem cells in 6-well plates. The device was designed using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printed with autoclavable, FDA-approved materials. The compact design of the device and materials selection allows for its use inside cell incubators working at high humidity without the risk of overheating or corrosion. Mechanical stimulation of cells was carried out through the cyclic deflection of flexible, translucent silicone membranes by means of a vacuum-controlled, open-access device. A rhythmic stimulation cycle was programmed to create a more physiologically relevant in vitro model. This mechanical stimulation was coupled and synchronized with in situ electrical stimuli. We assessed the capabilities of our device to support cardiac myocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, confirming that cells cultured under electromechanical stimulation presented a defined/mature cardiomyocyte phenotype. This 3D printed device provides a unique high-throughput in vitro system that combines both mechanical and electrical stimulation, and as such, we foresee it finding applications in the study of any electrically responsive tissue such as muscles and nerves.
Object detection based on an adaptive attention mechanism
Authors: Li Wei , Liu Kai , Zhang Lizhe , Cheng Fei
Published: July 2020

Object detection is an important component of computer vision. Most of the recent successful object detection methods are based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). To improve the performance of these networks, researchers have designed many different architectures. They found that the CNN performance benefits from carefully increasing the depth and width of their structures with respect to the spatial dimension. Some researchers have exploited the cardinality dimension. Others have found that skip and dense connections were also of benefit to performance. Recently, attention mechanisms on the channel dimension have gained popularity with researchers. Global average pooling is used in SENet to generate the input feature vector of the channel-wise attention unit. In this work, we argue that channel-wise attention can benefit from both global average pooling and global max pooling. We designed three novel attention units, namely, an adaptive channel-wise attention unit, an adaptive spatial-wise attention unit and an adaptive domain attention unit, to improve the performance of a CNN. Instead of concatenating the output of the two attention vectors generated by the two channel-wise attention sub-units, we weight the two attention vectors based on the output data of the two channel-wise attention sub-units. We integrated the proposed mechanism with the YOLOv3 and MobileNetv2 framework and tested the proposed network on the KITTI and Pascal VOC datasets. The experimental results show that YOLOv3 with the proposed attention mechanism outperforms the original YOLOv3 by mAP values of 2.9 and 1.2% on the KITTI and Pascal VOC datasets, respectively. MobileNetv2 with the proposed attention mechanism outperforms the original MobileNetv2 by a mAP value of 1.7% on the Pascal VOC dataset.
Open software platform for automated analysis of paper-based microfluidic devices
Authors: Parker Rayleigh W. , Wilson Daniel J. , Mace Charles R.
Published: July 2020

Development of paper-based microfluidic devices that perform colorimetric measurements requires quantitative image analysis. Because the design geometries of paper-based microfluidic devices are not standardized, conventional methods for performing batch measurements of regularly spaced areas of signal intensity, such as those for well plates, cannot be used to quantify signal from most of these devices. To streamline the device development process, we have developed an open-source program called ColorScan that can automatically recognize and measure signal-containing zones from images of devices, regardless of output zone geometry or spatial arrangement. This program, which measures color intensity with the same accuracy as standard manual approaches, can rapidly process scanned device images, simultaneously measure identified output zones, and effectively manage measurement results to eliminate requirements for time-consuming and user-dependent image processing procedures.
Molecular and cellular correlates in Kv channel clustering: entropy-based regulation of cluster ion channel density
Authors: Lewin Limor , Nsasra Esraa , Golbary Ella , Hadad Uzi , Orr Irit , Yifrach Ofer
Published: July 2020

Scaffold protein-mediated ion channel clustering at unique membrane sites is important for electrical signaling. Yet, the mechanism(s) by which scaffold protein-ion channel interactions lead to channel clustering or how cluster ion channel density is regulated is mostly not known. The voltage-activated potassium channel (Kv) represents an excellent model to address these questions as the mechanism underlying its interaction with the post-synaptic density 95 (PSD-95) scaffold protein is known to be controlled by the length of the extended ‘ball and chain’ sequence comprising the C-terminal channel region. Here, using sub-diffraction high-resolution imaging microscopy, we show that Kv channel ‘chain’ length regulates Kv channel density with a ‘bell’-shaped dependence, reflecting a balance between thermodynamic considerations controlling ‘chain’ recruitment by PSD-95 and steric hindrance due to the spatial proximity of multiple channel molecules. Our results thus reveal an entropy-based mode of channel cluster density regulation that mirrors the entropy-based regulation of the Kv channel-PSD-95 interaction. The implications of these findings for electrical signaling are discussed.
Adult pancreatoblastoma: clinical features and Imaging findings
Authors: Zhang Xi , Ni Shu-juan , Wang Xiao-hong , Huang Dan , Tang Wei
Published: July 2020

The objective of this study was to illustrate the clinical, CT, MRI, and18F-FDG PET/CT features of adult pancreatoblastoma, an extremely rare disease. In this study, the clinical and imaging features of seven adult patients with pathologically confirmed pancreatoblastoma were retrospectively analyzed. The following parameters were evaluated: size, location, shape, margination, solid-cystic ratio, CT attenuation values or signal intensity and contrast enhancement pattern. We also analyzed whether abnormal FDG uptake occurred during18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. All seven patients were male (mean age 45 years; range 22–65 years). Six tumors were irregular in shape, exogenous, and grew outward from the pancreatic parenchyma, similar to branches growing from a tree trunk (85.7%). The tumor margins were clear in five patients (71.4%), and three tumors (42.9%) were encapsulated. Six tumors (71.4%) were solid, with homogeneous enhancement observed on contrast-enhanced CT and MRI. Dynamic-enhanced CT and MRI showed progressive enhancement for all tumors. On18F-FDG PET/CT, one tumor exhibited abnormal FDG uptake, and two tumors exhibited no abnormal uptake (66.7%). In conclusion, adult pancreatoblastoma most commonly occurs in male patients, and it usually appears as an exophytic, irregular, and hypovascular mass with well-defined margins and progressive enhancement on CT and MRI. This type of tumor always grows out of the parenchyma of the pancreas, similar to branches growing outward from a tree trunk.
Aggregation tendency of guest Fe in NaCo1−xFexO2 (x < 0.1) as investigated by systematic EXAFS analysis
Authors: Moriya Toshiaki , Niwa Hideharu , Nitani Hiroaki , Moritomo Yutaka
Published: July 2020

In transition metal (M) compounds, the partial substitution of the host transition metal (Mh) to guest one (Mg) is effective to improve the functionality. To microscopically comprehend the substitution effect, degree of distribution of Mg is crucial. Here, we propose that a systematic EXAFS analysis against the Mg concentration can reveal the spatial distribution of Mg. We chose NaCo1−xFexO2 as a prototypical M compound and investigated the local intermetal distance around the guest Fe [dFe–M(x)] against Fe concentration (x). dFe–M(x) steeply increased with x, reflecting the larger ionic radius of high-spin Fe3+. The x-dependence of dFe–M(x) was analyzed by an empirical equation, $${d}_{\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}-M}(x)=sxd_{\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}-\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}}+(1-sx)d_{\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}-\mathrm{C}\mathrm{o}}$$dFe-M(x)=sxdFe-Fe+(1-sx)dFe-Co, where dFe–Fe and dFe–Co are the Fe–Fe and Co–Fe distances, respectively. The parameter s represents degree of distribution of Fe; s = 1, > 1, < 1 are for random, attractive, and repulsive distribution, respectively. The obtained s value (= 4.8) indicates aggregation tendency of guest Fe.
Soil labile organic carbon fractions and soil enzyme activities after 10 years of continuous fertilization and wheat residue incorporation
Authors: Zhang Ligan , Chen Xi , Xu Yujun , Jin Mengcan , Ye Xinxin , Gao Hongjian , Chu Wenying , Mao Jingdong , Thompson Michael L.
Published: July 2020

Labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions and related enzyme activities in soils are considered to be early and sensitive indicators of soil quality changes. We investigated the influences of fertilization and residue incorporation on LOC fractions, enzyme activities, and the carbon pool management index (CPMI) in a 10-year field experiment. The experiment was composed of three treatments: (1) no fertilization (control), (2) chemical fertilizer application alone (F), and (3) chemical fertilizer application combined with incorporation of wheat straw residues (F + R). Generally, the F + R treatment led to the highest concentrations of the LOC fractions. Compared to the control treatment, the F + R treatment markedly enhanced potential activities of cellulase (CL), β-glucosidase (BG), lignin peroxidase (LiP), and manganese peroxidase (MnP), but decreased laccase (LA) potential activity. Partial least squares regression analysis suggested that BG and MnP activities had a positive impact on the light-fraction organic carbon (LFOC), permanganate-oxidizable carbon (POXC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fractions, whereas laccase activity had a negative correlation with those fractions. In addition, the F + R treatment significantly increased the CPMI compared to the F and control treatments. These results indicated that combining fertilization with crop residues stimulates production of LOC and could be a useful approach for maintaining sustainable production capacity in lime concretion black soils along the Huai River region of China.
Polymerized human hemoglobin facilitated modulation of tumor oxygenation is dependent on tumor oxygenation status and oxygen affinity of the hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier
Authors: Belcher Donald A. , Lucas Alfredo , Cabrales Pedro , Palmer Andre F.
Published: July 2020

Administration of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) into the systemic circulation is a potential strategy to relieve solid tumor hypoxia in order to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapeutics. Previous computational analysis indicated that the oxygen (O2) status of the tumor and HBOC O2 affinity may play a role in increased O2 delivery to the tumor. However, no study has experimentally investigated how low- and high-affinity HBOCs would perform in normoxic and hypoxic tumors. In this study, we examined how the HBOC, polymerized human hemoglobin (PolyhHb), in the relaxed (R) or tense (T) quaternary state modulates O2 delivery to hypoxic (FME) and normoxic (LOX) human melanoma xenografts in a murine window chamber model. We examined microcirculatory fluid flow via video shearing optical microscopy, and O2 distributions via phosphorescence quenching microscopy. Additionally, we examined how weekly infusion of a 20% top-load dose of PolyhHb influences growth rate, vascularization, and regional blood flow in the FME and LOX tumor xenografts. Infusion of low-affinity T-state PolyhHb led to increased tissue oxygenation, decreased blood flow, decreased tumor growth, and decreased vascularization in hypoxic tumors. However, infusion of both T-state and R-state PolyhHbs led to worse outcomes in normoxic tumors. Of particular concern was the high-affinity R-state PolyhHb, which led to no improvement in hypoxic tumors and significantly worsened outcomes in normoxic tumors. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that the tumor O2 status is a primary determinant of the potency and outcomes of infused PolyhHb.
Fossils reshape the Sternorrhyncha evolutionary tree (Insecta, Hemiptera)
Authors: Drohojowska Jowita , Szwedo Jacek , Żyła Dagmara , Huang Di-Ying , Müller Patrick
Published: July 2020

The Sternorrhyncha, which comprise about 18,700 described recent species, is a suborder of the Hemiptera, one of big five most diverse insect orders. In the modern fauna, these tiny phytophages comprise insects of great ecological and economic importance, like aphids (Aphidomorpha), scale insects (Coccidomorpha), whiteflies (Aleyrodomorpha) and psyllids (Psylloidea). Their evolutionary history can be traced back to the Late Carboniferous, but the early stages of their evolution and diversification is poorly understood, with two known extinct groups—Pincombeomorpha and Naibiomorpha variously placed in classifications and relationships hypotheses. Most of the recent Sternorrhyncha groups radiated rapidly during the Cretaceous. Here we report the new finding of very specialised sternorrhynchans found as inclusions in mid-Cretaceous amber from Kachin state (northern Myanmar), which represent another extinct lineage within this hemipteran suborder. These fossils, proposed to be placed in a new infraorder, are revealed to be related to whiteflies and psyllids. We present, also for the first time, the results of phylogenetic analyses covering extinct and extant lineages of the Sternorrhyncha.
How the individual human mobility spatio-temporally shapes the disease transmission dynamics
Authors: Changruenngam Suttikiat , Bicout Dominique J. , Modchang Charin
Published: July 2020

Human mobility plays a crucial role in the temporal and spatial spreading of infectious diseases. During the past few decades, researchers have been extensively investigating how human mobility affects the propagation of diseases. However, the mechanism of human mobility shaping the spread of epidemics is still elusive. Here we examined the impact of human mobility on the infectious disease spread by developing the individual-based SEIR model that incorporates a model of human mobility. We considered the spread of human influenza in two contrasting countries, namely, Belgium and Martinique, as case studies, to assess the specific roles of human mobility on infection propagation. We found that our model can provide a geo-temporal spreading pattern of the epidemics that cannot be captured by a traditional homogenous epidemic model. The disease has a tendency to jump to high populated urban areas before spreading to more rural areas and then subsequently spread to all neighboring locations. This heterogeneous spread of the infection can be captured by the time of the first arrival of the infection $$(T_{fi} )$$(Tfi), which relates to the landscape of the human mobility characterized by the relative attractiveness. These findings can provide insights to better understand and forecast the disease spreading.
Comparison of allelopathic effects of two typical invasive plants: Mikania micrantha and Ipomoea cairica in Hainan island
Authors: Ma Huiyan , Chen Yu , Chen Jinhui , Zhang Yunqiu , Zhang Tian , He He
Published: July 2020

Mikania micrantha and Ipomoea cairica are two invasive plants widely distribute and seriously damage in Hainan island. In this study, the leaves extracts of two weeds were collected and determined for their allelopathic potentials on Chrysanthemum coronarium. The phytotoxicity bioassay showed that when the extract concentration was 50 and 100 mg/ml, the inhibited effects of M. micrantha on growth of C. coronarium were greater than by I. cairica. However, when the extract concertation at 400 mg/ml, the opposite inhibited effects were observed. We speculated this phenomenon was caused by different allelopathic compounds. Therefore, using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, 19 and 23 compounds were identified respectively, benzoic acid and cinnamic acid were the main components in the two leaves extracts, which were selected to carry out the further bioassays. Subsequent bioassay results showed the effects of two allelochemicals on morphological index and chlorophyll content and POD activity were all negative to C. coronarium, whereas the content of MDA and activity of SOD, CAT represented adverse changes. Moreover, the inhibitions by cinnamic acid were generally greater than those by benzoic acid. Thus, the phenolic acids played the most crucial roles in the allelopathic effccts of M. micrantha and I. cairica leaves extracts.
Compact and efficient O-band bismuth-doped phosphosilicate fiber amplifier for fiber-optic communications
Authors: Firstov Sergei V. , Khegai Aleksandr M. , Kharakhordin Alexander V. , Alyshev Sergey V. , Firstova Elena G. , Ososkov Yan J. , Melkumov Mikhail A. , Iskhakova Lyudmila D. , Evlampieva Elena B. , Lobanov Alexey S. , Yashkov Mikhail V. , Guryanov Alexey N.
Published: July 2020

During last decades there has been considerable interest in developing a fiber amplifier for the 1.3-$$\upmu $$μm spectral region that is comparable in performance to the Er-doped fiber amplifier operating near 1.55 $$\upmu $$μm. It is due to the fact that most of the existing fiber-optic communication systems that dominate terrestrial networks could be used for the data transmission in O-band (1260–1360 nm), where dispersion compensation is not required, providing a low-cost increase of the capacity. In this regard, significant efforts of the research laboratories were initially directed towards the study of the praseodymium-doped fluoride fiber amplifier having high gain and output powers at the desired wavelengths. However, despite the fact that this type of amplifiers had rapidly appeared as a commercial amplifier prototype it did not receive widespread demand in the telecom industry because of its low efficiency. It stimulated the search of novel optical materials for this purpose. About 10 years ago, a new type of bismuth-doped active fibers was developed, which turned out to be a promising medium for amplification at 1.3 $$\upmu $$μm. Here, we report on the development of a compact and efficient 20-dB (achieved for signal powers between $$-40$$-40 and $$-10$$-10 dBm) bismuth-doped fiber amplifier for a wavelength region of 1300–1350 nm in the forward, backward and bi-directional configurations, which can be pumped by a commercially available laser diode at 1230 nm with an output power of 250 mW. The compactness of the tested amplifier was provided by using a depressed cladding active fiber with low bending loss, which was coiled on a reel with a radius of 1.5 cm. We studied the gain and noise figure characteristics at different pump and signal powers. A record gain coefficient of 0.18 dB/mW (at the pump-to-signal power conversion efficiency of above 27$$\%$$%) has been achieved.
Comparison of the incidence of slow flow after rotational atherectomy with IVUS-crossable versus IVUS-uncrossable calcified lesions
Authors: Sakakura Kenichi , Taniguchi Yousuke , Yamamoto Kei , Tsukui Takunori , Seguchi Masaru , Wada Hiroshi , Momomura Shin-ichi , Fujita Hideo
Published: July 2020

Although the usefulness of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in rotational atherectomy (RA) has been widely recognized, an IVUS catheter may not cross the target lesion because of severe calcification. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of slow flow following RA between IVUS-crossable versus IVUS-uncrossable calcified lesions. We included 284 RA lesions, and divided into an IVUS-crossable group (n = 150) and an IVUS-uncrossable group (n = 134). The primary endpoint was slow flow just after RA. The incidence of slow flow (TIMI flow grade ≤ 2) was significantly greater in the IVUS-uncrossable group than in the IVUS-crossable group (26.1% vs. 10.7%, p = 0.001). The incidence of severe slow flow (TIMI grade ≤ 1) was also greater in the IVUS-uncrossable group than in the IVUS-crossable group (9.7% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.022). The multivariate logistic regression model showed a significant association between slow flow and pre-IVUS uncrossed lesions (vs. crossed lesions: odds ratio 2.103, 95% confidence interval 1.047–4.225, p = 0.037). In conclusion, the incidence of slow flow/severe slow flow just after RA was significantly greater in the IVUS-uncrossable lesions than in the IVUS-crossable lesions. Our study suggests the possibility that the IVUS-crossability can be used as a risk stratification of severe calcified lesions.
Thermal display glove for interacting with virtual reality
Authors: Kim Seung-Won , Kim Sung Hee , Kim Choong Sun , Yi Kyoungsoo , Kim Jun-Sik , Cho Byung Jin , Cha Youngsu
Published: July 2020

Thermal perception is essential for the survival and daily activities of people. Thus, it is desirable to realize thermal feedback stimulation for improving the sense of realism in virtual reality (VR) for users. For thermal stimulus, conventional systems utilize liquid circulation with bulky external sources or thermoelectric devices (TEDs) on rigid structures. However, these systems are difficult to apply to compact wearable gear used for complex hand motions to interact with VR. Furthermore, generating a rapid temperature difference, especially cooling, in response to a thermal stimulus in real-time is challenging for the conventional systems. To overcome this challenge and enhance wearability, we developed an untethered real-time thermal display glove. This glove comprised piezoelectric sensors enabling hand motion sensing and flexible TEDs for bidirectional thermal stimulus on skin. The customized flexible TEDs can decrease the temperature by 10 °C at room temperature in less than 0.5 s. Moreover, they have sufficiently high durability to withstand over 5,000 bends and high flexibility under a bending radius of 20 mm. In a user test with 20 subjects, the correlation between thermal perception and the displayed object’s color was verified, and a survey result showed that the thermal display glove provided realistic and immersive experiences to users when interacting with VR.
Sex-specific features of spine densities in the hippocampus
Authors: Brandt Nicola , Löffler Tobias , Fester Lars , Rune Gabriele M.
Published: July 2020

Previously, we found that in dissociated hippocampal cultures the proportion of large spines (head diameter ≥ 0.6 μm) was larger in cultures from female than from male animals. In order to rule out that this result is an in vitro phenomenon, we analyzed the density of large spines in fixed hippocampal vibratome sections of Thy1-GFP mice, in which GFP is expressed only in subpopulations of neurons. We compared spine numbers of the four estrus cycle stages in females with those of male mice. Remarkably, total spine numbers did not vary during the estrus cycle, while estrus cyclicity was evident regarding the number of large spines and was highest during diestrus, when estradiol levels start to rise. The average total spine number in females was identical with the spine number in male animals. The density of large spines, however, was significantly lower in male than in female animals in each stage of the estrus cycle. Interestingly, the number of spine apparatuses, a typical feature of large spines, did not differ between the sexes. Accordingly, NMDA-R1 and NMDA-R2A/B expression were lower in the hippocampus and in postsynaptic density fractions of adult male animals than in those of female animals. This difference could already be observed at birth for NMDA-R1, but not for NMDA-R2A/B expression. In dissociated embryonic hippocampal cultures, no difference was seen after 21 days in culture, while the difference was evident in postnatal cultures. Our data indicate that hippocampal neurons are differentiated in a sex-dependent manner, this differentiation being likely to develop during the perinatal period.
In vivo characterization of target cells for acute elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infection in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
Authors: Guntawang Thunyamas , Sittisak Tidaratt , Srivorakul Saralee , Kochagul Varankpicha , Photichai Kornravee , Thitaram Chatchote , Sthitmatee Nattawooti , Hsu Wei-Li , Pringproa Kidsadagon
Published: July 2020

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus-hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) is a dangerous viral infectious disease in young Asian elephants. Despite hypotheses underlying pathogenesis of the disease, it is unclear which cell types the virus targets during acute or persistent infections. This study investigated the tissues and target cells permissive for EEHV infection and replication in vivo. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies against the non-structural proteins of EEHV, DNA polymerase (EEHV DNAPol), were generated and validated. These were used to examine EEHV infection and replication in various tissues of acute EEHV-HD cases and compared to an EEHV-negative control. The results indicated that viral antigens were distributed throughout the epithelia of the alimentary tract and salivary glands, endothelia and smooth muscle cells, and monocytic lineage cells of the EEHV-infected elephants. Moreover, EEHV DNAPol proteins were also found in the bone marrow cells of the EEHV1A-HD and EEHV1A/4-HD cases. This study demonstrated for the first time the target cells that favor in vivo EEHV replication during acute infection, providing a promising foundation for investigating EEHV propagation in vitro.
Hyperspectral imaging for dynamic thin film interferometry
Authors: Chandran Suja V. , Sentmanat J. , Hofmann G. , Scales C. , Fuller G. G.
Published: July 2020

Dynamic thin film interferometry is a technique used to non-invasively characterize the thickness of thin liquid films that are evolving in both space and time. Recovering the underlying thickness from the captured interferograms, unconditionally and automatically is still an open problem. Here we report a compact setup employing a snapshot hyperspectral camera and the related algorithms for the automated determination of thickness profiles of dynamic thin liquid films. The proposed technique is shown to recover film thickness profiles to within 100 nm of accuracy as compared to those profiles reconstructed through the manual color matching process. Subsequently, we discuss the characteristics and advantages of hyperspectral interferometry including the increased robustness against imaging noise as well as the ability to perform thickness reconstruction without considering the absolute light intensity information.
Development of quantitative 13C NMR characterization and simulation of C, H, and O content for pyrolysis oils based on 13C NMR analysis
Authors: Wang Rui , Luo Ying , Jia Hang , Ferrell Jack R. , Ben Haoxi
Published: July 2020

This work develops an effective way to characterize bio-oil by quantitative 13C NMR despite the complexity of bio-oil and proposes a simulation of C, H, and O content for pyrolysis oils based on 13C NMR analysis.
Visible-light promoted three-component tandem reaction to synthesize difluoromethylated oxazolidin-2-imine
Authors: Bao Kun , Wei Jun , Yan Huihui , Sheng Rong
Published: July 2020

Visible-light promoted three-component tandem reaction.
Mathematical model of centrifugal compressor vaneless diffuser based on CFD calculations
Authors: Solovyeva Olga , Drozdov Aleksandr
Published: July 2020

The approximate engineering techniques based on mathematical modelling are used in centrifugal compressor design. One of such methods is the well-proven Universal Modelling Method, developed in the scientific and research laboratory “Gas dynamics of turbo machines”, SPbPU. In the modern version of the compressor model, vaneless diffusers mathematical model was applied based on a generalization of the CFD calculations. The mathematical model can be used for vaneless diffusers with a relative width in the range of 1.4 – 10.0%, with a radial length up to 2.0, in the range of inlet flow angles 10 to 90 degrees, the inlet velocity coefficient in the range of 0.39 – 0.82, Reynolds number varying from 87 500 to 1 030 000. The model was also used for calculating low-flow-rate model stages with narrow diffusers with diffusers’ relative width in the range of 0.5 – 2.0%. The mathematical model showed lesser accuracy. To widen the model applicability, new series of CFD-calculations were executed. A series of vaneless diffusers was designed with relative width in the range of 0.6 – 1.2%, The gas-dynamic characteristics of loss coefficients and outlet flow angle versus inlet flow angle of diffuser were calculated. Regression analysis was used to process the calculated data. System of algebraic equations linking geometric, gas-dynamic parameters and similarity criteria was developed. The obtained equations are included in a new mathematical model of the Universal Modelling Method.
Vibration Diagnostics of Power Equipment Before Commissioning
Authors: Hruntovich Mikolay , Moroz Deniz , Panfilov Alexey , Zhuk Yegor , Mikhailova Ekaterina
Published: July 2020

The article describes how to use vibration diagnostics to detect defects in the installation of new equipment and to determine the quality of repairs based on vibroacoustic characteristics. Especially relevant is the vibration diagnostics of rolling bearings before installation on the mechanism. If there are errors in the calculations of the magnetic system of synchronous generators, vibration occurs, which is not eliminated during operation. Design errors, poor assembly of pumping units, asynchronous motors, power transformers cause increased vibration, which leads to damage to the specified equipment. The main reasons causing the vibration of the transformer tank are considered and the frequency range from 50 to 6000 Hz is determined on which these defects can occur. Full-scale experiments of the vibration of the transformer tank have shown that certain defects can occur in a narrow frequency band. The practical application vibration diagnostics of the pump unit describes in this article. Technical diagnosis of pumping units of the sewer station was carried out for various included composition. The results obtained made it possible to exclude reverse hydraulic impacts as a possible cause of the failure of the pump unit.
Identification of corner separation modelling in axial compressor stage
Authors: Serkov Sergey A. , Sedunin Viacheslav A. , Blinov Vitalii L. , Komarov Oleg V. , Brodov Yurii M.
Published: July 2020

The paper presents a study of corner separations in hub to blade region at various operation conditions towards compressor stall. It is known that for compressor flows with low or none separations computation fluid dynamics with RANS methods work quite well, however, for highly separated flows they are no longer entirely valid. Therefore, several criteria were applied for prediction and quantification of possible corner separation, and the main interest of this work is in predicting the separation just before it will actually happen by certain flow metrics, so these metrics can be further used as a ‘pre-stall’ criteria whilst the RANS CFD operating point still behave within its appropriate limits. Also the effect of shear lean is discussed in the presented context.
Development of software for calculating the parameters of coal-water slurry fuel
Authors: Sinitsyn Anton , Akhmetova Irina , Filippova Ekaterina
Published: July 2020

The paper presents the developed software tool for calculating the combustion process. Computational studies were performed for coal-water slurry fuel. Using the developed program the calorimetric efficiency and environmental performance of CWS combustion in experimental and industrial installations can be calculated in automatic mode.
Restoring normal network operation mode by automatically disabling network ATS
Authors: Vinogradova A.V. , Psarev A.I. , Vinogradov A.V. , Bolshev V.E. , Jasinski M. , Gibadullin R.R.
Published: July 2020

Automatic sectionalizing and redundancy of power transmission lines is one of the conditions for network intellectualization and can significantly reduce the power supply interruption time for rural consumers. However, both sectionalizing and redundancy of power transmission lines in 0.4 kV electric networks are used extremely limitedly since there are no sufficiently effective methods and technical means for their implementation. This article presents a method to automatically deactivate the automatic load transfer switch when restoring the normal network operation mode. The paper considers the implementation of the method on the example of damage occurring in the network where power is supplied to consumers from two power sources using an automatic load transfer switch and two sectionalizing units. A device is developed which allows implementing the developed method of automatic load transfer switch deactivation. The device consists of sectionalizing unit, automatic load transfer switch, voltage presence sensor, power direction sensor, memory element, repeater element, element AND and 3 elements NOT. The work of the device is described. The proposed method for automatically disconnecting the automatic load transfer switch in order to return the consumers’ power supply circuit to its initial state solves the problem of eliminating unreasonable power supply interruptions for consumers.
Determination of the required power for bus hybrid engine
Authors: Rakov Vyacheslav , Akhmetov Timur , Capustin Alexander , Vostrov Anatoly
Published: July 2020

This article presents a methodology for determining the required engine power of hybrid city buses. The vehicle’s driving cycle and its main technical characteristics were used as the initial data. The calculated change in power on the driving wheels is an intermediate result and is used to analyze the chains of energy transfer from gasoline engine to driving wheels. In this approach, a sequential type of circuit in a hybrid drive is used. A bus weighing 4 tons was considered as an example, and the calculations showed that the maximum power of the internal combustion engine should be 15.2 kW.
Numerical study of the effects of natural convection in a thermoacoustic configuration
Authors: Hireche Omar , Weisman Catherine , Baltean-Carlès Diana , Daru Virginie , Fraigneau Yann
Published: July 2020

This study focuses on natural convection flows within a cylindrical guide containing a porous medium. This configuration is applicable to standing-wave thermoacoustic engines, usually composed of an acoustic resonator where a (short) stack (or porous medium) is inserted, with a heat exchanger placed at one of its ends. The resulting horizontal temperature gradient, when high enough, triggers the onset of an acoustic wave. Natural convection effects are usually neglected in thermoacoustics so that axisymmetry is often assumed. Here a 3D numerical study of natural convection flow is performed using a finite volume code for solving mixed Navier-Stokes and Darcy-Brinkman equations under Boussinesq approximation. The influence of the porous medium’s physical characteristics (permeability, thermal conductivity, anisotropy) on the flow and temperature fields is investigated. It is shown that such flows are fully three-dimensional and therefore can modify significantly starting as well as steady operating conditions of the thermoacoustic engine.
A Systematic Approach to Orbital CT Scans: Integrating the BALPINE Method into Ophthalmology Curriculum
Authors: Nelson Frederick D. , Reed Donovan S. , Justin Grant A. , Hindi Hakeem F. , Blegen IV Halward M. J. , Zanganeh Tatiana S. , Betts Aaron M. , Davies Brett W.
Published: July 2020

Objective While multiple approaches to the evaluation of orbital computed tomography (CT) imaging have been proposed in both ophthalmology and radiology literature, there remains a paucity of standardized approaches to orbital CT interpretation education for the ophthalmologist in training. To address this, the bones, anterior chamber, lens, posterior globe, intraconal orbit, neurovascular structures, and extraocular muscles (BALPINE) method was selected and its utilization tested as an education tool to improve resident competency in the proper assessment of orbital CT imaging.

Methods The BALPINE method is an established systematic approach to reading orbital CT scans. This approach was selected as a standardized education tool after a systematic review of orbital CT evaluation methods in the ophthalmology and radiology literature. A 15-item test, comprised of frequently diagnosed orbital pathologies developed in conjunction with a radiologist, was designed to test a group of ophthalmologists in training across multiple residency programs. The in-training ophthalmologists were first given this test prior to being taught the BALPINE standardized method to assess orbital CT imaging. The study participants were then administered a lecture describing the BALPINE method approach to orbital CT imaging. The same study participants were then administered the same test to assess improvement. The lecture was developed and administered by a board-certified Oculoplastic surgeon. The lecturer was blinded to the images included in the examination during lecture development. The radiologist was blinded to the lecture and the BALPINE method; thus, the images selected were not specific to the method being taught.

Results Overall, 27 residents, interns, and medical students completed the prelecture test, BALPINE method curriculum lecture, and postlecture test. There was an average of a 2.3-point (15%) significant improvement per test score (p < 0.0001). Each level of training demonstrated improvement pre- and posttest and overall scores improved with each additional year of training, indicating the test was an appropriate measurement of ability and understanding.

Conclusion Teaching a systematic approach to the evaluation of orbital CT scans improves an ophthalmologist in training's ability to diagnose orbital pathology efficiently and effectively. Widespread residency curriculum adoption of the BALPINE method would enhance the training ophthalmologist's diagnostic capability.
The copular subschema[become/devenir+ past participle]in English and French
Authors: Van Wettere Niek
Published: July 2020

This article presents a contrastive analysis of the English copular subschema [become+ past participle] and the equivalent copular subschema [devenir+ past participle] in French, based on web data. It is shown that both patterns are almost equally productive at the subject complement level. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis demonstrates that, in the segment of participles with a high adjectival potential,deveniraccumulates more participle tokens thanbecome. Conversely, the reverse holds true for participles with a high verbal potential, in which casebecomeis characterized by more participle tokens thandevenir. This high amount of combinations betweenbecomeand eventive participles also suggests a higher degree of passivity forbecome. However, in the segment of participles with an intermediate verbal potential,deveniris slightly more type frequent thanbecome, which hints at an emerging productivity in this area fordeveniras well.