bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Knowing His Highness’ Impulses… I Will Post a Sentry and Put the Grand Duke in the Tsar Rooms of the Railway Station Building’. The M?salliance of the Grandson of Emperor Nicolas I and a Daughter of Orenburg Polizeimeister A. G. Dreyer
Authors:   Orenburg Institute (branch) of the O. E. Kutafin University, Orenburg, Russian Federation, Blinova Vera. V. , Rubin Vladimir A. ,   Committee for Archives of the Orenburg Region, Orenburg, Russian Federation, Sudorgina Tatyana V. ,   Committee for Archives of the Orenburg Region, Orenburg, Russian Federation
Published: June 2018

The article presents documents from archival fonds of the State Archive of the Orenburg Region that narrate little-known facts of the biography of Alexander Gustavovich Dreyer, head of the Orenburg police and public figure, whose life was closely intertwined with the fate of Imperial family offspring Nikolai Konstantinovich Romanov. The significance of the matter lies in the opportunity to make known to contemporaries the outstanding personality of the Orenburg Polizeimeister through a variety of situations - not only in the service, but in the everyday life as well. Alexander Dreyer made a significant contribution to the development of Orenburg and the Orenburg region. A competent, energetic, and non-partisan man, he was actively involved in the creation of the city branch of the Red Cross, the St. Olga orphanage, in the improvement of the boulevard on the bank of the Ural and in many other beneficial activities. In 1877 Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich, the grandson of Nicholas I, was placed under the secret surveillance of the Orenburg police. He fell in love with Alexander Dreyer’s daughter Nadezhda and wed her secretly. In their article the authors attempt to cover the main periods in the life of A.G. Dreyer. Particular attention is paid to the period of 1878-1881, which was a hard time for the family. The documents of the Orenburg gubernia administration, the Orenburg city board (uprava), the Orenburg gendarmerie administration, the office of the Bishop of Orenburg and Ural, and the Orenburg assembly of the nobility from the State Archive of the Orenburg Region, that are presented in the article, have not previously been published. To recreate Dreyer’s biography, two formulary lists (for 1872 and 1878) were used, as well as documents on entering retired Major-General A.G. Dreyer into the genealogical book of the Orenburg gubernia noblity for 1888. In addition to the documents, Orenburg periodicals were studied. Obituaries published after the death of A.G. Dreier, indicate that the inhabitants of the steppe region were sincerely grieved and tried to honor his memory with kind words. In this case, the obituary, being a historical source, provides the researchers with valuable information. A.G. Dreyer's autographs were also discovered; they are dated 1875. Unfortunately, it was impossible to find photographs of A.G. Dreyer.
‘I’m Writing Entirely from Memory…’: A New Collection of Memoirs on the Beginning of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945
Authors:   Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation, Kilichenkov Aleksei A.
Published: June 2018

The review of the collection of documents ‘I’m writing entirely from memory ...’ assesses the research potential of this new corps of the Great Patriotic War participants’ memoirs. The novelty of the sources introduced into scientific use is determined by the nature and the composition of the materials, as well as by high standard of archaeographic preparation of the publication. The two-volume collection contains materials of the questionnaire survey of the Red Army formation and unit commanders of the western military districts who had to face the war on June 22, 1941. The survey was conducted by the Military History Department of the General Staff of the Soviet Army in 1949-1956. The document collection compiler publishes not just the answers and the memoirs of the commanders, but also the questions asked by the General Staff, and these he provides with a detailed historical reference. The author of the review analyzes the content and the structure of the questions addressed to commanders and considers them a professional historical reflection of military historians of the late 1940s - early 1950s. An analysis of the contingent of respondents, the circumstances and the time of writing offer a means to see respondents as a collective author. This approach is supported by a detailed biographical data included in the collection. It allows to paint a kind of ‘intellectual portrait’ of the Red Army commanders in the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The review also attempts to connect volume and contents of the materials with time of their creation and also with posts held by the authors of memoirs and their war-time career. The author underscores the fact that most memoirs and responses were written after 1953, and their size increased considerably over the volume of 1949-1953 materials. Moreover, another correlation has been detected: between the volume of memoirs and answers and the respondents’ promotion in the war-time. The review concludes that the new collection of memoirs has a high research potential for studying the eve and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
Numerical Investigation for the Design of a Central Recuperator with Hybrid Air Preheating*
Authors: Scheck F. , Schwotzer C. , Pfeifer H. , Bender W.
Published: June 2018

Industrial furnaces, especially in steel industry but also in non-ferrous, ceramic or chemical industry, are often fired with fossil fuels like natural gas, oil or coke. Considering the transition to green energy, it is necessary to enable the use of renewable energies like wind and solar energy in fossil-fueled furnaces. Resulting from this motivation, a hybrid recuperator for combustion air preheating with off-gas heat and electric energy is being developed in a public research and development project. The hybrid recuperator consists of a conventional tube bundle module and an electric heating module. The design of the prototype is based on numerical investigations to determine pressure loss, increase in temperature and heat transfer. This article introduces the concept of the new hybrid recuperator and initial results of numerical investigations for a small-scale hybrid recuperator geometry.
Refuse disposal efficiency increase at open pit mining by using container technology
Authors:   “Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation” JSC, Sit’ko Ye.A. , Sukurov B.M. ,   “Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation” JSC, Ruzakhunova G.S. ,   “Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation” JSC; Satbayev University, Omirzakov B.A. ,   “Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation” JSC, Bajduisenova A.E. ,   “Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation” JSC
Published: June 2018

At the present time actually all plants changed over to autogenous melting of copper-containing concentrates use the flotation of converter slags (CS) dropping in tails about 0.55-0.90 % Cu; it is higher than copper content in commercial ore. The most part of iron, zinc, lead, and silicate component of CS is also dropping with flotation tails. The concentrate resulted from converter slag (CCS) contains magnetite and this fact affects negatively on running of smelt-furnace; moreover at magnetic separation of resulted concentrate a certain part of copper is dropping too. Goal of this work is to develop pyrometallurgical technique of CS processing with its complete utilization. The methodology of studies is to implement the crucible melting to select best parameters of reduction melting of burden material based on CCS. The technological solution of two-stage process has been shown: during the first stage at temperatures 1250-1300 оC copper is separated to metallized middling product and slag composition is corrected; the latter at the second stage – at temperatures 1450-1500 оC, it is used for iron reduction with subsequent iron conversion into pig iron. The technique permits utilize completely all slag components. So 95 % of copper moves to metallized alloy, the slag of second stage of reduction contains only 0.02 % Cu, 2-5 % Fe, and 0.2 % of sulfur. Copper-containing alloys go to conversion; lead and zinc pass to fumes. Resulted demetallized slag can use in construction products. Moreover, the hot slag after second stage of degrading can use as excellent flux for conversion; it is particularly true in reprocessing of rich mattes to produce blister copper since this process runs with heavy heat balance.
Postoperative re-irradiation using stereotactic body radiotherapy for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression
Authors: Ito Kei , Nihei Keiji , Shimizuguchi Takuya , Ogawa Hiroaki , Furuya Tomohisa , Sugita Shurei , Hozumi Takahiro , Keisuke Sasai  , Karasawa Katsuyuki
Published: June 2018

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to clarify the outcomes of postoperative re-irradiation using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) in the authors’ institution and to identify factors correlated with local control.

METHODS

Cases in which patients with previously irradiated MESCC underwent decompression surgery followed by spine SBRT as re-irradiation between April 2013 and May 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical procedures were mainly performed by the posterior approach and included decompression and fixation. The prescribed dose for spine SBRT was 24 Gy in 2 fractions. The primary outcome was local control, which was defined as elimination, shrinkage, or no change of the tumor on CT or MRI obtained approximately every 3 months after SBRT. In addition, various patient-, treatment-, and tumor-specific factors were evaluated to determine their predictive value for local control.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight cases were identified in the authors’ institutional databases as meeting the inclusion criteria. The histology of the primary disease was thyroid cancer in 7 cases, lung cancer in 6, renal cancer in 3, colorectal cancer in 3, and other cancers in 9. The most common previous radiation dose was 30 Gy in 10 fractions (15 cases). The mean interval since the most recent irradiation was 16 months (range 5–132 months). The median duration of follow-up after SBRT was 13 months (range 4–38 months). The 1-year local control rate was 70%. In the analysis of factors related to local control, Bilsky grade, number of vertebral levels in the treatment target, the interval between the latest radiotherapy and SBRT, recursive partitioning analysis (RPA), the prognostic index for spinal metastases (PRISM), and the revised Tokuhashi score were not significantly correlated with local control. The favorable group classified by the Rades prognostic score achieved a significantly higher 1-year local control rate than the unfavorable group (1-year local control rate: 100% vs 33%; p < 0.01). Radiation-induced myelopathy and vertebral compression fracture were observed in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. No other grade 3 or greater toxicities were encountered.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that spine SBRT as postoperative re-irradiation was effective, and it was especially useful for patients classified as having a good survival prognosis according to the Rades score.
Comparative assessment of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) and pulsed radio frequency energy (PRFE) on an in vitro wound healing model
Authors: Karaman Ozan , Gümüşay Mehmet , Demirci Emine Afra , Kaya Adnan
Published: June 2018

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) and pulsed radio frequency energy (PRFE) have been shown to accelerate wound healing process due to its ability to stimulate cellular proliferation. However, comparative efficacy of PEMF and PRFE on an in vitro wound healing study has yet to be studied. The present study examined the effect of PEMF and PRFE on an in vitro wound healing model developed by using 3T3 mouse fibroblasts. Cells were exposed to PEMF (75 Hz frequency, square waveform, and 1-mT magnetic field) and PRFE (27.12 MHz, Phase-shift keying (PSK), and 13-dBm amplitude signal) for 5 hours. The migration rates of 3T3 fibroblasts were determined by capturing images at time points of 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. Cell proliferation was also quantified. The results of the migration and proliferation assays showed that PEMF and PRFE applied groups had significantly greater cell proliferation and migration compared to control group. In addition, PRFE application showed significantly faster wound area closure compared to PEMF application.
Modeling and multi-field simulation analysis of a multi-cylindrical magneto-rheological brake
Authors: Wang Si-Yuan , Song Wan-Li , Li Hong-Liang , Wang Na
Published: June 2018

In investigating magnetorheological (MR) brakes, it is well known that the braking torque is the important factor in the structure’s design and the temperature of MR fluid in the brake is required to be within the operating range. In addition, the stress condition of the component changes obviously in the combined effects of force and thermal load which may result in structural damage. This study aims to propose a multi-cylindrical MR brake with a high-torque and investigate it more comprehensively in multi-field simulation. To achieve this goal, the mathematical model of the braking torque and the computing platforms of Maxwell and Ansys workbench are adopted to explore the influence of the exciting current and the number of braking cylinders on the braking performance, as well as the temperature and structural stress distribution of the braking cylinder during braking. The magnetic analysis shows that the proposed magnetic circuit is reasonable. The relationship between braking torque and exciting excitation current is nonlinear. The thermal simulation analysis shows that the temperature of MR brake remains within operating range of MR fluid after braking. The structural stress analysis shows that the contact position of braking cylinder and magnetism-insulator is the easiest place to break.
Principle and realization of an electromagnetic pulse welding system with a dual-stage coil
Authors: Deng Fangxiong , Cao Quanliang , Han Xiaotao , Chen Qi , Li Liang
Published: June 2018

Electromagnetic pulse welding (EPW) is an effective way to realize the connection of two different kinds of metal materials via pulsed electromagnetic forces. To improve the welding performance, a new EPW process with a dual-stage coil system is proposed for joining aluminum sheets in this paper, in which one coil is used to generate a pulsed magnetic field with a short pulse width for inducing an eddy current in the aluminum sheet, while the other one is applied to generate a background magnetic field with a relatively long pulse width for increasing electromagnetic force acting on the aluminum sheet. The EPW system has been designed and implemented based on the simulation results using the finite element method, with considering the effects of coil shape, the number of coil turns and the discharge parameters. Finally, experiments are carried out to validate the feasibility of the EPW system.
Optimisation of Microwave Pretreatment for Biogas Enhancement through Anaerobic Digestion of Microalgal Biomass
Authors: Feng RuiZhe , Zaidi Asad A. , Zhang Kun , Shi Yue
Published: June 2018

In this study, optimization of microwave (MW) pretreatment conditions for anaerobic digestion of green microalgae (Enteromorpha) is carried out by using response surface methodology (RSM). MW power, pretreatment time and liquid-solid ratio were selected as independent variables for optimization. The optimum conditions were achieved at MW power, pretreatment time and liquid-solid ratio of 656.92 W, 5.10 min and 33.63:1, respectively. From these optimum conditions, it was found that MW pretreatment power of about 600 W had better effect. An anaerobic digestion was carried out batch-wise with working volume, operating temperature and mixing rate as 250 ml, 37 °C and 150 rpm, respectively. Optimum conditions provide highest amount of COD and reducing sugar increase of 10,420 mg/L and 0.77-0.79 g/L respectively. The increase in COD and reducing sugar showed that the pretreatment has improved anaerobic digestion of microalgae. The peak biogas production amount of MW pretreated 20:1, 6 min group reached 244 mL whereas the control group only reached 188 mL in total.
Future Prospects for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Treatment
Authors: Suay-García Beatriz , Pérez-Gracia María Teresa
Published: June 2018

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease with a high morbidity burden. Incidence of this disease is rising due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has shown an extraordinary ability to develop resistance to all antimicrobials introduced for its treatment. In fact, it was recently classified as a “Priority 2” microorganism in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Priority List of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria to Guide Research, Discovery and Development of New Antibiotics. Seeing as there is no gonococcal vaccine, control of the disease relies entirely on prevention, diagnosis, and, especially, antibiotic treatment. Different health organizations worldwide have established treatment guidelines against gonorrhea, mostly consisting of dual therapy with a single oral or intramuscular dose. However, gonococci continue to develop resistances to all antibiotics introduced for treatment. In fact, the first strain of super-resistant N.gonorrhoeae was recently detected in the United Kingdom, which was resistant to ceftriaxone and azithromycin. The increase in the detection of resistant gonococci may lead to a situation where gonorrhea becomes untreatable. Seeing as drug resistance appears to be unstoppable, new treatment options are necessary in order to control the disease. Three approaches are currently being followed for the development of new therapies against drug-resistant gonococci: (1) novel combinations of already existing antibiotics; (2) development of new antibiotics; and (3) development of alternative therapies which might slow down the appearance of resistances. N. gonorrhoeae is a public health threat due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains. Current treatment guidelines are already being challenged by this superbug. This has led the scientific community to develop new antibiotics and alternative therapies in order to control this disease.
The Extract of D. dasycarpus Ameliorates Oxazolone-Induced Skin Damage in Mice by Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Mechanisms
Authors: Chang Tsong-Min , Yang Ting-Ya , Niu Yu-Lin , Huang Huey-Chun
Published: June 2018

Dictamni dasycarpus is a type of Chinese medicine made from the root bark of D. dasycarpus. It has been reported to show a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological effects, for example, it has been used widely for the treatment of rheumatism, nettle rash, itching, jaundice, chronic hepatitis and skin diseases. In the current study, D. dasycarpus extract was investigated for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as its capability to alleviate oxazolone-induced skin damage in mice. The possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of D. dasycarpus extract against oxidative challenge was elucidated by measuring the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, interleukin-6, Tumor necrosis factor-α, NLRP3 (NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NALP3)) inflammasome and interleukin-1β in HaCaT cells. D. dasycarpus extract did not affect cell viability in basal conditions. The extract significantly reduced oxazolone-induced epidermal swelling compared to untreated animal in the hairless albino mice (ICR mice) model. At the molecular level, Western blot assays indicated that the D. dasycarpus extract attenuated oxazolone-induced activation of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD (ASC), procaspase-1, NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) such as c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) and p38. This study demonstrates that D. dasycarpus extract could protect skin cells against oxidative and inflammatory insult by modulating the intracellular levels of ROS, TNF-α, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome generation, antioxidant enzyme activity and cell signaling pathways. D. dasycarpus extract also attenuated the expression of NF-κB in HaCaT keratinocytes and thereby effectively downregulated inflammatory responses in the skin. Furthermore, D. dasycarpus extract alleviated oxazolone-induced damage in mice. Our results suggest the potential application of D. dasycarpus extract in preventing inflammatory processes in dermatitis.
New Procedure for Compacting Prismatic Specimens of Cement-Treated Base Materials
Authors: Linares-Unamunzaga Alaitz , Gonzalo-Orden Hernán , Minguela Jesús Díaz , Pérez-Acebo Heriberto
Published: June 2018

Understanding the long-term behaviour of cement-treated base materials is a key factor to improve its design and obtain environmentally friendly pavement base materials. Their characterization requires manufacturing prismatic specimens. However, various authors highlight the absence of standardized test methods for fabricating beams in the field and laboratory, which is not an easy task because it depends on the qualification and experience of the testing team. The aim of this paper is to present a new device and procedure for compacting prismatic specimens of cement-treated base materials. In this research, it was used for compacting soil-cement to simulate its performance as a road base material. This device employs elements that are generally available in a concrete laboratory test, such as a vibrating table or prismatic moulds. Once the procedure was established, and in order to verify its suitability, flexural and compressive strength tests were carried out. Results showed that the values obtained were consistent with this material and, despite the heterogeneity of the material, specimens from the same batch provided similar results and, hence, validated the compaction process. This new compacting procedure can improve understanding of the long-term performance of cement-treated materials from flexural and fatigue tests.
Editorial: Sub- and Unconscious Information Processing in the Human Brain
Authors: Walla Peter
Published: June 2018

This Special Issue about sub- and unconscious information processing in the human brain finally became a collection of 6 accepted contributions, 2 articles, 2 reviews, 1 opinion and 1 concept paper. Even though more papers were submitted this rather small number of accepted contributions mirrors the still existing lack of focus on non-conscious human brain processes that surely influence human behavior to a much larger extent than one would ever imagine. Our brains contain evolutionary old neural structures that much more primitive organisms have in their brains too and crucially those old structures have more or the less the same functional properties regardless of what brain they belong to. Consciousness as an individual experience is a rather young evolutionary product, which means that those older structures that are strongly involved in the generation of human behavior work largely without being associated with conscious experience. This explains why people not always do what they say. In other words, the brain knows more than it admits to consciousness and since we have more and more access to that knowledge we should be interested in gaining it. The evidence grows that demonstrates how non-conscious processing occurs and influences our decision making.
Active Color Control in a Metasurface by Polarization Rotation
Authors: Kim Minkyung , Kim Inki , Jang Jaehyuck , Lee Dasol , Nam Ki Tae , Rho Junsuk
Published: June 2018

Generating colors by employing metallic nanostructures has attracted intensive scientific attention recently, because one can easily realize higher spatial resolution and highly robust colors compared to conventional pigment. However, since the scattering spectra and thereby the resultant colors are determined by the nanostructure geometries, only one fixed color can be produced by one design and a whole new sample is required to generate a different color. In this paper, we demonstrate active metasurface, which shows a range of colors dependent on incident polarization by selectively exciting three different plasmonic nanorods. The metasurface, which does not include any tunable materials or external stimuli, will be beneficial in real-life applications especially in the display applications.
A Modified Polynomial Expansion Algorithm for Solving the Steady-State Allen-Cahn Equation for Heat Transfer in Thin Films
Authors: Chang Chih-Wen , Liu Chein-Hung , Wang Cheng-Chi
Published: June 2018

Meshfree algorithms offer a convenient way of solving nonlinear steady-state problems in arbitrary plane areas surrounded by complicated boundary shapes. The simplest of these is the polynomial expansion approach. However, it is rarely utilized as a primary tool for this purpose because of its rather ill-conditioned behavior. A well behaved polynomial expansion algorithm is presented in this paper which can be more effectively used to solve the steady-state Allen-Cahn (AC) equation for heat transfer in thin films. In this method, modified polynomial expansion was used to cope with each iteration of the steady-state Allen-Cahn equation to produce nonlinear algebraic equations where multiple scales are automatically determined by the collocation points. These scales can largely decrease the condition number of the coefficient matrix in each nonlinear system, so that the iteration process converges very quickly. The numerical solutions were found to be accurate and stable against moderate noise to better than 7.5%. Computational results verified the method and showed the steady-state Allen-Cahn equation for heat transfer in thin films could easily be resolved for several arbitrary plane domains.
Anamorphic and Local Characterization of a Holographic Data Storage System with a Liquid-Crystal on Silicon Microdisplay as Data Pager
Authors: Martínez-Guardiola Fco. Javier , Márquez Andrés , Calzado Eva M. , Bleda Sergio , Gallego Sergi , Pascual Inmaculada , Beléndez Augusto
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we present a method to characterize a complete optical Holographic Data Storage System (HDSS), where we identify the elements that limit the capacity to register and restore the information introduced by means of a Liquid Cristal on Silicon (LCoS) microdisplay as the data pager. In the literature, it has been shown that LCoS exhibits an anamorphic and frequency dependent effect when periodic optical elements are addressed to LCoS microdisplays in diffractive optics applications. We tested whether this effect is still relevant in the application to HDSS, where non-periodic binary elements are applied, as it is the case in binary data pages codified by Binary Intensity Modulation (BIM). To test the limits in storage data density and in spatial bandwidth of the HDSS, we used anamorphic patterns with different resolutions. We analyzed the performance of the microdisplay in situ using figures of merit adapted to HDSS. A local characterization across the aperture of the system was also demonstrated with our proposed methodology, which results in an estimation of the illumination uniformity and the contrast generated by the LCoS. We show the extent of the increase in the Bit Error Rate (BER) when introducing a photopolymer as the recording material, thus all the important elements in a HDSS are considered in the characterization methodology demonstrated in this paper.
Mode Transition of Filaments in Packed-Bed Dielectric Barrier Discharges
Authors: Gao Mingxiang , Zhang Ya , Wang Hongyu , Guo Bin , Zhang Quanzhi , Bogaerts Annemie
Published: June 2018

We investigated the mode transition from volume to surface discharge in a packed bed dielectric barrier discharge reactor by a two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision method. The calculations are performed at atmospheric pressure for various driving voltages and for gas mixtures with different N2 and O2 compositions. Our results reveal that both a change of the driving voltage and gas mixture can induce mode transition. Upon increasing voltage, a mode transition from hybrid (volume+surface) discharge to pure surface discharge occurs, because the charged species can escape much more easily to the beads and charge the bead surface due to the strong electric field at high driving voltage. This significant surface charging will further enhance the tangential component of the electric field along the dielectric bead surface, yielding surface ionization waves (SIWs). The SIWs will give rise to a high concentration of reactive species on the surface, and thus possibly enhance the surface activity of the beads, which might be of interest for plasma catalysis. Indeed, electron impact excitation and ionization mainly take place near the bead surface. In addition, the propagation speed of SIWs becomes faster with increasing N2 content in the gas mixture, and slower with increasing O2 content, due to the loss of electrons by attachment to O2 molecules. Indeed, the negative O2− ion density produced by electron impact attachment is much higher than the electron and positive O2+ ion density. The different ionization rates between N2 and O2 gases will create different amounts of electrons and ions on the dielectric bead surface, which might also have effects in plasma catalysis.
Parent Attributions of Ambiguous Symptoms in Their Children: A Preliminary Measure Validation in Parents of Children with Chronic Pain
Authors: Heathcote Lauren C. , Williams Sara E. , Smith Allison M. , Sieberg Christine B. , Simons Laura E.
Published: June 2018

How parents attribute cause to their child’s physical symptoms is likely important in understanding how the parent responds to the child, as well as the child’s health outcomes, especially within the context of chronic illness. Here, we adapt the Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire for parent report (SIQ-PR) and provide preliminary validation in a sample of parents of children with chronic pain (N = 311). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the SIQ-PR structure is consistent with the original measure, with three distinct attribution types: psychological (emotional/affective), somatic (illness/disease), and environmental (situational/transient) causes. All three subscales demonstrated satisfactory to good internal consistency, and temporal stability. Parents typically endorsed more than one attribution for each symptom, indicating that parents of children with chronic pain have a multidimensional interpretation of physical symptoms in their children. Further, parent psychological and somatic attributions, but not environmental attributions, were significantly associated with (i) parent protective responses towards their child, and (ii) the child’s self-reported somatic and psychological symptoms, indicating convergent and divergent validity. The SIQ-PR may be a useful measure for future studies investigating intergenerational and interpersonal models of pediatric chronic pain, and more broadly, to examine parent attributions of children’s ambiguous symptoms within the context of childhood chronic illness.
Hydrolase-Like Activity Provided by Zinc(II) and Oleoyl-Histidine at Liposome Membrane Surface
Authors: Tauchi Atsushi , Suga Keishi , Umakoshi Hiroshi
Published: June 2018

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a hydrolase enzyme possessing an active center composed of three histidines (His), zinc(II) (Zn2+), and a hydration water. Here we report the hydrolase-like catalytic activity provided by the oleoyl-histidine (O-His) modified on liposome membranes. O-His was synthesized by the amide bond between oleic acid and His, and was incorporated into 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) liposomes. The hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylacetate was promoted by O-His modified DOPC liposomes in the presence of Zn2+. The formation of the active center was revealed by UV resonance Raman spectra. We conclude that the liposome membrane surface can be utilized as a platform for artificial hydrolysis reactions by modifying essential ligands inspired from natural enzymes.
Strong Secrecy on a Class of Degraded Broadcast Channels Using Polar Codes
Authors: Del Olmo Alos Jaume , Rodríguez Fonollosa Javier
Published: June 2018

Asymptotic secrecy-capacity achieving polar coding schemes are proposed for the memoryless degraded broadcast channel under different reliability and secrecy requirements: layered decoding or layered secrecy. In these settings, the transmitter wishes to send multiple messages to a set of legitimate receivers keeping them masked from a set of eavesdroppers. The layered decoding structure requires receivers with better channel quality to reliably decode more messages, while the layered secrecy structure requires eavesdroppers with worse channel quality to be kept ignorant of more messages. Practical constructions for the proposed polar coding schemes are discussed and their performance evaluated by means of simulations.
Boron Monochalcogenides; Stable and Strong Two-Dimensional Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors
Authors: Mortazavi Bohayra , Rabczuk Timon
Published: June 2018

In this short communication, we conducted first-principles calculations to explore the stability of boron monochalcogenides (BX, X = S, Se or Te), as a new class of two-dimensional (2D) materials. We predicted BX monolayers with two different atomic stacking sequences of ABBA and ABBC, referred in this work to 2H and 1T, respectively. Analysis of phonon dispersions confirm the dynamical stability of BX nanosheets with both 2H and 1T atomic lattices. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal the outstanding thermal stability of all predicted monolayers at high temperatures over 1500 K. BX structures were found to exhibit high elastic modulus and tensile strengths. It was found that BS and BTe nanosheets can show high stretchability, comparable to that of graphene. It was found that all predicted monolayers exhibit semiconducting electronic character, in which 2H structures present lower band gaps as compared with 1T lattices. The band-gap values were found to decrease from BS to BTe. According to the HSE06 results, 1T-BS and 2H-BTe show, respectively, the maximum (4.0 eV) and minimum (2.06 eV) electronic band gaps. This investigation introduces boron monochalcogenides as a class of 2D semiconductors with remarkable thermal, dynamical, and mechanical stability.
Industrial-Scale Experimental Study on the Thermal Oxidation of Ventilation Air Methane and the Heat Recovery in a Multibed Thermal Flow-Reversal Reactor
Authors: Lan Bo , Li You-Rong , Zhao Xu-Sheng , Kang Jian-Dong
Published: June 2018

In the present work, an industrial-scale experiment on ventilation air methane (VAM) utilization by a multibed thermal flow-reversal reactor (TFRR) is conducted in China. The influence of the inlet flow rate, feed methane concentration, and cycle time on the temperature distribution of the bed and heat recovery efficiency are investigated. The methane conversion in the studied cases exceeds 97%. The results show that the methane concentration during self-maintained operation of the TFRR without heat recovery should not be less than 0.22 vol % when the inlet flow rate is 103,000 Nm3/h and the cycle time is 300 s. As the inlet flow rate decreases, the lower concentration limit of automatic thermal maintenance increases. The peak temperature of the bed approaches the inlet side as the feed methane concentration increases and the cycle time decreases. The heat recovery efficiency increases linearly with increasing inlet flow rate, rises parabolically with an increasing feed methane concentration, and decreases weakly with increasing cycle time.
Combustion of Poplar and Pine Pellet Blends in a 50 kW Domestic Boiler: Emissions and Combustion Efficiency
Authors: Monedero Esperanza , Portero Henar , Lapuerta Magín
Published: June 2018

Poplar pellets with and without Ca, Mg-lignosulphonate and three poplar and pine pellet blends (with three different percentages of pine—5, 45 and 95 wt.%) were burned in a 50 kW domestic boiler in order to evaluate their suitability as fuels. The boiler efficiency and emissions were analyzed and compared with those from tests with poplar pellet. It was found that the adequate adjustment of excess air and of flowrate of secondary air according to the fuel properties improve the combustion efficiency. The results show an improvement in CO and NOx emissions and combustion efficiency when either Ca, Mg-lignosulphonate or pine were blended with poplar. However, the use of Ca, Mg-lignosulphonate is discouraged due to the observed increase in SOx emissions. No operational problems related with unburned matter or ash were observed for any of the pellet blends tested.
Reducing Food Poverty and Vulnerability among the Rural Elderly with Chronic Diseases: The Role of the New Rural Pension Scheme in China
Authors: Zhang Zhaohua , Luo Yuxi , Robinson Derrick
Published: June 2018

Vulnerability to food poverty is the probability of an individual falling below the food poverty line in the near future, which provides a forward-looking welfare analysis. Applying a nationally representative survey dataset, this study investigates the role of the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) in reducing food poverty and vulnerability among the rural elderly with chronic diseases. By designing province-specific food poverty lines to account for variations in the elderly’s needs, as well as the prices across provinces using a least-cost linear programming approach, the food poverty incidences among the elderly with chronic diseases are calculated. Applying a three-stage feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) procedure, the vulnerability to food poverty is estimated. Our results show that food poverty incidence and vulnerability of the elderly with chronic diseases in rural China is 41.9% and 35% respectively, which is 8% and 6% higher, respectively, than the elderly that are in good health. To address the potential endogeneity of pension payment, a fuzzy regression discontinuity (RD) regression is employed to investigate the effects of pension income on food poverty and vulnerability for different population groups. We found that pension income decreases the probability of being food poor and the vulnerability to food poverty among the elderly with chronic diseases by 12.9% and 16.8% respectively, while it has no significant effect on the elderly in good health.
Prevalence and Consequences of Aggression and Violence towards Nursing and Care Staff in Germany—A Survey
Authors: Schablon Anja , Wendeler Dana , Kozak Agnessa , Nienhaus Albert , Steinke Susanne
Published: June 2018

Acts of aggression by patients or clients are a part of the average working day for many Health care employees. The objective of the survey was to study the frequency and nature of violence and the handling of aggressive behavior by facility management. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017, 81 different healthcare facilities and 1984 employees participated. The questionnaire encompassed socio-demographic details, the frequency of physical violence and verbal abuse, consequences of violence and the stress of employees. In the previous twelve months, 94.1% of the employees in the survey had experienced verbal abuse and 69.8% had experienced physical aggression. Acts of aggression were most commonly encountered in hospitals and residential facilities for the disabled. One third of the employees felt under high levels of stress as a result of the incidents. If the workplace prepares effectively, however, this reduces the perceived stress odds ratio (OR) 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.8). Violence and aggression are very common. Healthcare facilities are increasingly dealing with this topic. Awareness raising is likely to lead to higher incident reporting rates. Good preparation and an open approach to the topic in the facilities have a positive effect on the feeling of stress and work ability.
Ghost City Extraction and Rate Estimation in China Based on NPP-VIIRS Night-Time Light Data
Authors: Ge Wei , Yang Hong , Zhu Xiaobo , Ma Mingguo , Yang Yuli
Published: June 2018

The ghost city phenomenon is a serious problem resulting from the rapid urbanization process in China. Estimation of the ghost city rate (GCR) can provide information about vacant dwellings. This paper developed a methodology to quantitatively evaluate GCR values at the national scale using multi-resource remote sensing data. The Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership–Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (NPP-VIIRS) night-time light data and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land cover data were used in the evaluation of the GCR values in China. The average ghost city rate (AGCR) was 35.1% in China in 2013. Shanghai had the smallest AGCR of 21.7%, while Jilin has the largest AGCR of 47.27%. There is a significant negative correlation between both the provincial AGCR and the per capita disposable income of urban households (R = −0.659, p < 0.01) and the average selling prices of commercial buildings (R = −0.637, p < 0.01). In total, 31 ghost cities are mainly concentrated in the economically underdeveloped inland provinces. Ghost city areas are mainly located on the edge of urban built-up areas, and the spatial pattern of ghost city areas changed in different regions. This approach combines statistical data with the distribution of vacant urban areas, which is an effective method to capture ghost city information.
SeqSVM: A Sequence-Based Support Vector Machine Method for Identifying Antioxidant Proteins
Authors: Xu Lei , Liang Guangmin , Shi Shuhua , Liao Changrui
Published: June 2018

Antioxidant proteins can be beneficial in disease prevention. More attention has been paid to the functionality of antioxidant proteins. Therefore, identifying antioxidant proteins is important for the study. In our work, we propose a computational method, called SeqSVM, for predicting antioxidant proteins based on their primary sequence features. The features are removed to reduce the redundancy by max relevance max distance method. Finally, the antioxidant proteins are identified by support vector machine (SVM). The experimental results demonstrated that our method performs better than existing methods, with the overall accuracy of 89.46%. Although a proposed computational method can attain an encouraging classification result, the experimental results are verified based on the biochemical approaches, such as wet biochemistry and molecular biology techniques.
Novel Insights from Comparative In Silico Analysis of Green Microalgal Cellulases
Authors: Guerriero Gea , Sergeant Kjell , Legay Sylvain , Hausman Jean-Francois , Cauchie Henry-Michel , Ahmad Irshad , Siddiqui Khawar Sohail
Published: June 2018

The assumption that cellulose degradation and assimilation can only be carried out by heterotrophic organisms was shattered in 2012 when it was discovered that the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr), can utilize cellulose for growth under CO2-limiting conditions. Publications of genomes/transcriptomes of the colonial microalgae, Gonium pectorale (Gp) and Volvox carteri (Vc), between 2010–2016 prompted us to look for cellulase genes in these algae and to compare them to cellulases from bacteria, fungi, lower/higher plants, and invertebrate metazoans. Interestingly, algal catalytic domains (CDs), belonging to the family GH9, clustered separately and showed the highest (33–42%) and lowest (17–36%) sequence identity with respect to cellulases from invertebrate metazoans and bacteria, respectively, whereas the identity with cellulases from plants was only 27–33%. Based on comparative multiple alignments and homology models, the domain arrangement and active-site architecture of algal cellulases are described in detail. It was found that all algal cellulases are modular, consisting of putative novel cysteine-rich carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) and proline/serine-(PS) rich linkers. Two genes were found to encode a protein with a putative Ig-like domain and a cellulase with an unknown domain, respectively. A feature observed in one cellulase homolog from Gp and shared by a spinach cellulase is the existence of two CDs separated by linkers and with a C-terminal CBM. Dockerin and Fn-3-like domains, typically found in bacterial cellulases, are absent in algal enzymes. The targeted gene expression analysis shows that two Gp cellulases consisting, respectively, of a single and two CDs were upregulated upon filter paper addition to the medium.
Properties and Structure of In Situ Transformed PAN-Based Carbon Fibers
Authors: Cao Jingjing , Zhao Wenwu , Gao Shuzhen
Published: June 2018

Carbon fibers in situ prepared during the hot-pressed sintering in a vacuum is termed in situ transformed polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) carbon fibers, and the fibrous precursors are the pre-oxidized PAN fibers. The properties and structure of in situ transformed PAN-based carbon fibers are investigated by Nano indenter, SEM, TEM, XRD, and Raman. The results showed that the microstructure of the fiber surface layer was compact, while the core was loose, with evenly-appearing microvoids. The elastic modulus and nanohardness of the fiber surface layer (303.87 GPa and 14.82 GPa) were much higher than that of the core (16.57 GPa and 1.54 GPa), and its interlayer spacing d002 and crystallinity were about 0.347 nm and 0.97 respectively. It was found that the preferred orientation of the surface carbon layers with ordered carbon atomic arrangement tended to be parallel to the fiber axis, whereas the fiber core in the amorphous region exhibited a random texture and the carbon atomic arrangement was in a disordered state. It indicates that the in situ transformed PAN-based carbon fibers possess significantly turbostratic structure and anisotropy.
Hierarchically Nanostructured CuO–Cu Current Collector Fabricated by Hybrid Methods for Developed Li-Ion Batteries
Authors: So Jin-Young , Lee Chan-Ho , Kim Ji-Eun , Kim Hyun-Jee , Jun Joonha , Bae Won-Gyu
Published: June 2018

We present a simple method of fabricating a hierarchically nanostructured CuO–Cu current collector by using laser ablation and metal mold imprinting to maximize the surface area. The laser ablation of the Cu current collector created the CuO nanostructure on the Cu-collector surface. The microstructure was transferred by subsequent imprinting of the microstructure metal mold on the Cu collector. Then, the laser-ablation nanostructure was formed. Consequently, a hierarchical structure is generated. The laser-ablated hierarchical CuO–Cu current collector exhibited an improved capacity while maintaining a cyclability that is similar to those of conventional graphite batteries.
Effects of Annealing on the Residual Stress in γ-TiAl Alloy by Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Feng Ruicheng , Song Wenyuan , Li Haiyan , Qi Yongnian , Qiao Haiyang , Li Longlong
Published: June 2018

In this paper, molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study the annealing process of γ-TiAl alloy with different parameters after introducing residual stress into prepressing. By mainly focusing on the dynamic evolution process of microdefects during annealing and the distribution of residual stress, the relationship between microstructure and residual stress is investigated. The results show that there is no phase transition during annealing, but atom distortion occurs with the change of temperature, and the average grain size slightly increases after annealing. There are some atom clusters in the grains, with a few point defects, and the point defect concentration increases with the rise in temperature, and vice versa; the higher the annealing temperature, the fewer the point defects in the grain after annealing. Due to the grain boundary volume shrinkage and and an increase in the plastic deformation of the grain boundaries during cooling, stress is released, and the average residual stress along Y and Z directions after annealing is less than the average residual stress after prepressing.