bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of decontamination methods of oral biofilms formed on screw-shaped, rough and machined surface implants: an ex vivo study
Authors: Otsuki Motohiro , Wada Masahiro , Yamaguchi Masaya , Kawabata Shigetada , Maeda Yoshinobu , Ikebe Kazunori
Published: April 2020

Background

To evaluate the effect of several representative decontamination methods of oral biofilms on different implant surfaces.

Material and methods

Eleven participants wore a hard resin splint carrying 6 rough (GC Aadva®implant; 3.3-mm diameter, 8-mm length) or machined (not commercially available) surface implants for 4 days to accumulate dental plaque naturally on the titanium surfaces of the implants. Apart from surface roughness, the morphology of all implants was identical. After detaching the implants from the splints, the ability of the following decontamination methods—gauze soaked in saline (G), ultrasonic scaler (US), air abrasive (Air), rotary stainless steel instrument (Rot), and Er:YAG laser (Las)—to cleanse the contaminated implant surface for 1 min extra-orally was tested. The control (Cont) group did not receive any decontamination. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) investigation of one participant’s samples was employed to examine the post-instrumented implant surface for qualitative analysis, and bacterial culture of the remaining 10 participants’ samples was performed to count the number of colony-forming units (CFU) for quantitative analysis. The experimental sequence was initially performed for the rough surface implants and then similarly repeated for the machined surface implants. Bacterial CFU counts among the six groups were analyzed using the Steel-Dwass test, and differences between rough and machined surface implants were determined using the Mann-WhitneyUtest.

Results

G and Rot eliminated most biofilms on machined surface implants according to SEM analysis. G, Air, and Rot removed significantly more of the biofilms on rough and machined surface implants compared with US according to CFU counts. Moreover, G significantly reduced more biofilms than Las on machined surface implants. The analysis between rough and machined surface implants showed that Cont, G, and US were better able to cleanse biofilms on machined surface implants compared with rough surface implants.

Conclusions

Gauze soaked in saline and rotary stainless steel instruments may be advantageous for cleansing contaminated implant surfaces based on the qualitative and quantitative analyses. In contrast, air abrasives were not shown to be preferable in the qualitative analyses. Additionally, apart from the Er:YAG laser, the reduction of biofilms assessed in both qualitative and quantitative analyses demonstrated that all decontamination methods were better at cleansing machined surface implants compared with rough surface implants.
CDK12-Mutated Prostate Cancer: Clinical Outcomes With Standard Therapies and Immune Checkpoint Blockade
Authors: Schweizer Michael T. , Ha Gavin , Gulati Roman , Brown Landon C. , McKay Rana R. , Dorff Tanya , Hoge Anna C.H. , Reichel Jonathan , Vats Pankaj , Kilari Deepak , Patel Vaibhav , Oh William K. , Chinnaiyan Arul , Pritchard Colin C. , Armstrong Andrew J. , Montgomery R. Bruce , Alva Ajjai
Published: April 2020

PURPOSE

Translational studies have shown that CDK12 mutations may delineate an immunoresponsive subgroup of prostate cancer, characterized by high neo-antigen burden. Given that these mutations may define a clinically distinct subgroup, we sought to describe outcomes to standard drugs and checkpoint inhibitors (CPI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Clinical data from consecutive patients with CDK12 mutations were retrospectively collected from 7 centers. Several clinical-grade sequencing assays were used to assess CDK12 status. Descriptive statistics included PSA50 response rate (≥ 50% decline in prostate-specific antigen from baseline) and clinical/radiographic progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

Of 52 patients with CDK12-mutated prostate cancer, 27 (52%) had detected biallelic CDK12 alterations. At diagnosis, 44 (88%) had Gleason grade group 4-5, 52% had T3-T4, and 14 (27%) had M1 disease. Median follow-up was 8.2 years (95% CI, 5.6 to 11.1 years), and 49 (94%) developed metastatic disease. Median overall survival from metastasis was 3.9 years (95% CI, 3.2 to 8.1 years). Unconfirmed PSA50 response rates to abiraterone and enzalutamide in the first-line castration-resistant prostate cancer setting were 11 of 17 (65%) and 9 of 12 (75%), respectively. Median PFS on first-line abiraterone and enzalutamide was short, at 8.2 months (95% CI, 6.6 to 12.6 months) and 10.6 months (95% CI, 10.2 months to not reached), respectively. Nineteen patients received CPI therapy. PSA50 responses to CPI were noted in 11%, and PFS was short; however, the estimated 9-month PFS was 23%. PFS was higher in chemotherapy-naïve versus chemotherapy-pretreated patients (median PFS: not reached v 2.1 months, P = .004).

CONCLUSION

CDK12 mutations define an aggressive prostate cancer subgroup, with a high rate of metastases and short overall survival. CPI may be effective in a minority of these patients, and exploratory analysis supports using anti–programmed cell death protein 1 drugs early. Prospective studies testing CPI in this subset of patients with prostate cancer are warranted.
CDK12-Altered Prostate Cancer: Clinical Features and Therapeutic Outcomes to Standard Systemic Therapies, Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors, and PD-1 Inhibitors
Authors: Antonarakis Emmanuel S. , Isaacsson Velho Pedro , Fu Wei , Wang Hao , Agarwal Neeraj , Santos Victor Sacristan , Maughan Benjamin L. , Pili Roberto , Adra Nabil , Sternberg Cora N. , Vlachostergios Panagiotis J. , Tagawa Scott T. , Bryce Alan H. , McNatty Andrea L. , Reichert Zachery R. , Dreicer Robert , Sartor Oliver , Lotan Tamara L. , Hussain Maha
Published: April 2020

PURPOSE

In prostate cancer, inactivating CDK12 mutations lead to gene fusion–induced neoantigens and possibly sensitivity to immunotherapy. We aimed to clinically, pathologically, and molecularly characterize CDK12-aberrant prostate cancers.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective multicenter study to identify patients with advanced prostate cancer who harbored somatic loss-of-function CDK12 mutations. We used descriptive statistics to characterize their clinical features and therapeutic outcomes (prostate-specific antigen [PSA] responses, progression-free survival [PFS]) to various systemic therapies, including sensitivity to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and PD-1 inhibitors.

RESULTS

Sixty men with at least monoallelic (51.7% biallelic) CDK12 alterations were identified across nine centers. Median age at diagnosis was 60.5 years; 71.7% and 28.3% were white and nonwhite, respectively; 93.3% had Gleason grade group 4-5; 15.4% had ductal/intraductal histology; 53.3% had metastases at diagnosis; and median PSA was 24.0 ng/mL. Of those who underwent primary androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic hormone-sensitive disease (n = 59), 79.7% had a PSA response, and median PFS was 12.3 months. Of those who received first-line abiraterone and enzalutamide for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC; n = 34), 41.2% had a PSA response, and median PFS was 5.3 months. Of those who received a first taxane chemotherapy for mCRPC (n = 22), 31.8% had a PSA response, and median PFS was 3.8 months. Eleven men received a PARP inhibitor (olaparib [n = 10], rucaparib [n = 1]), and none had a PSA response (median PFS, 3.6 months). Nine men received a PD-1 inhibitor as fourth- to sixth-line systemic therapy (pembrolizumab [n = 5], nivolumab [n = 4]); 33.3% had a PSA response, and median PFS was 5.4 months.

CONCLUSION

CDK12-altered prostate cancer is an aggressive subtype with poor outcomes to hormonal and taxane therapies as well as to PARP inhibitors. A proportion of these patients may respond favorably to PD-1 inhibitors, which implicates CDK12 deficiency in immunotherapy sensitivity.
Familial florid cemento-osseous dysplasia: a report of three cases and review of the literature
Authors: Nel Chané , Yakoob Zarah , Schouwstra Ciska-Mari , van Heerden Willie FP
Published: April 2020

Familial cases of benign fibro-osseous lesions of the jaws are rare and have been described under numerous terms including familial gigantiform cementoma, multiple cemento-ossifying fibromas, sclerotic cemental masses and familial florid cemento-osseous dysplasia. The synonymous and interchangeable use of these terms to describe distinct entities with overlapping features has resulted in confusion and inaccurate categorisation of these lesions. This study highlights three family members with diffuse fibro-osseous jaw lesions with areas of significant expansion. In the pursuit of finding the best clinicopathological categorisation for the reported cases, familial florid cemento-osseous dysplasia and familial gigantiform cementoma were investigated. The final consensus of these three cases was that of familial florid cemento-osseous dysplasia, and one patient presented with a concurrent “ossifying fibromatoid lesion”. A literature review on the above entities was performed in an attempt to provide clarification and delineate distinguishing features of the individual diseases.
Recent advances in understanding and preventing oesophageal cancer
Authors: Franklin James , Jankowski Janusz
Published: April 2020

Oesophageal cancer is a common cancer that continues to have a poor survival. This is largely in part due to its late diagnosis and early metastatic spread. Currently, screening is limited to patients with multiple risk factors via a relatively invasive technique. However, there is a large proportion of patients diagnosed with oesophageal cancer who have not been screened. This has warranted the development of new screening techniques that could be implemented more widely and lead to earlier identification and subsequently improvements in survival rates. This article also explores progress in the surveillance of Barrett’s oesophagus, a pre-malignant condition for the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. In recent years, advances in early endoscopic intervention have meant that more patients are considered at an earlier stage for potentially curative treatment.
Productive Activity of Enterprises in the Context of New Industrial Revolutions
Authors: Babanov V.
Published: April 2020

Productive activity is the main element of the economic system. Important questions are: what level of development should the management system achieve in order to fulfill its mission; what is the scope of this development; what is the essence of managing the development and condition of such systems. The capacity of consumption of goods by a person is limited by his physical capabilities and the time factor. Primary resources of the economy as a management system are limited, despite their huge natural volumes. Both model and actual designs of productive processes are changing. The result of economic activity, as the material element, this represents the final product in the conversion of the starting material, a new property — utility vehicle that is the product, and the winner becomes the owner of the product, and as a money element of the generated profit, which is the product, and the recipient — the seller. The productive activity of enterprises is entering the era of new industrial revolutions.
The EU Contribution to the Strengthening of Economic Cooperation Between Countries of the Maghreb and the Agadir Agreement at the Present Stage
Authors: Kibrasli Feras , Alheder Haled
Published: April 2020

The specifics of economic cooperation of the EU countries, the Union of the Arab Maghreb and the Agadir Agreement are considered. The factors that impede the deepening of integration of the states of the region are identified. The internal causes of the vulnerability of the associations in question are the uniformity of economies, the similarity of the profile of specialization, and the lack of organizational, regulatory and financial and economic structures. The role of external causes of the low efficiency of this association is revealed: the military-political crisis, economic competition in the Middle East region, as well as the influence of external regional and world actors. The analysis of the current state and prospects of economic cooperation between the EU countries, the Arab Maghreb Union and the Agadir Agreement, the volume of foreign trade cooperation and investment with individual states of the region is given. It is substantiated that in order to strengthen collective bargaining agreements and achieve political stability in the Middle East, it is advisable to focus EU efforts on deepening horizontal integration.
The influence of the seasons of the year on the autonomous nervous system balance and the functional health of men of different age groups
Authors: Yermishev O. V.
Published: April 2020

Introduction. It was found that the body's response to various stressful effects is largely determined by the ratio of the tone of the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system. It was revealed that in those days when a predominance of the parasympathetic nervous system tone was noted stressful effects caused more significant and negative changes in the body. The autonomic nervous system is also influenced by climatic factors. Materials and methods. 5305 males of different age were examined with the help of functional vegetative diagnostics according to the method of V. Makats. The bioelectric activity of 12 symmetric pairs of functionally active zones of the skin (24 FAZ), 12 on the hands and 12 on the feet, which reflect the functional activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems were studied. Results. In the study of systemic age dependence in all male observation groups the change of seasons of the year has been found to lead to changes in functional activity and homeostasis of the organism. The seasonal indicators of the activity of functional systems (FS) are clearly observed to duplicate the norm line, differing in amplitude and having the same orientation. Moreover, the presence of significant changes in the studied parameters of activity indicators of FS with the norm line indicates that all seasons of the year were characterized by differences. Conclusions. It has been established that the season change on the body leads to significant changes in functional activity and homeostasis of men of different age groups. The dependence of these indicators indicates a species evolutionary adaptation of a human to seasonal changes in climatic conditions.
Еndothelial dysfunction due to sodium nitrite
Authors: Savitsky I. V. , Kryukovа G. V. , Myastkivska I. V. , Gerasymenko T. V. , Moiseieva G. , Yermuraki P.
Published: April 2020

In the report of the World Health Organization from 1990 to 2016 to this day, Ukraine continues to occupy first place in the European region in morbidity and mortality from diseases of the cardiovascular system. One of the predictors and key links in the development of CVD is endothelial dysfunction. In this work, it was shown that chronic loading with sodium nitrite provokes the development of oxidative stress (an increase in 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid), inflammation (an increase in the level of interleukin-1-beta, which, in turn, causes a sharp increase in iNOS activity), the development of endothelial dysfunction (increase in von Willebrand factor). L-arginine alone, and in conjunction with the drug “Vin-Vita” cause a decrease in the negative effect of sodium nitrite.
Balance as a postural key component (core) for establishing physical state in school program reports
Authors: Zerf Mohammed , Kherfane Mohamed Hadjar
Published: April 2020

Admit balance control tends to test muscle imbalances, mobility restrictions and postural-control stability problems. Specifically include in Euro fit Fitness Testing Battery and absent in FitnessGram. This cross section-study examined the importance of balancing test as a missing component (core) for establishing a physical state in school program reports. Build on Flamingo Balance test as a messing protocol requested in the FitnessGram battery test. To test this hypothesis, 400 male middle school students, age 13.03 ± 0.56-year, sector education Mostaganem for academic years 2017–2018 participate voluntaries in the present study. Classified into two groups based on their levels falls up or down to 5 in Flamingo Balance. Build on studying design, protocol and statistics applied. Our results claim balance as a key component functional fitness related to both lumbar and trunk muscular fitness strength endurance and flexibility. Recommend by this study as key assessing test motor fitness. Need to be integrated into FitnessGram to evaluate deficits in improvements postural-control related to muscular fatigue, which ultimately affects balance performance during ordinary tasks or complex dynamic activities.
Reconstruction of Medial Malleolar Defect Using Posterior Tibial Artery Perforator Based Deep Fascial Flap after Malignant Melanoma Ablation
Authors: Heo Jae Won , Kim Yong Hun , Chung Yoon Kyu
Published: April 2020

The soft tissue structure near the medial malleolus is an area where the bone is covered only with thin skin and subcutaneous tissue without structures like ligaments or tendons. In addition to the above anatomical features, wearing normal footwear should be considered when reconstructing the soft tissues in these areas. Therefore, it may be desirable to restore the original thickness of the soft tissue when performing a reconstruction. The authors reconstructed defects on the medial malleolus of a 50-year-old woman, after wide excision of a malignant melanoma, using only a deep fascial flap based on the posterior tibial artery-based perforator. This technique is thought to be a good option for reconstructing soft tissue defects in this area.
Blunt major trauma: now two different diseases?
Authors: Coats Timothy
Published: April 2020

Major trauma in the UK has changed and can now be thought of as two different diseases: the traditional type of high energy transfer major trauma occurring in younger patients, and low energy transfer major trauma (usually an older person falling on one level). The current NHS trauma system is not well set up to treat low energy transfer major trauma – adapting to the changing disease is the next big challenge.
Comparison of Plastome SNPs/INDELs among different Wheat (Triticumsp.) Cultivars
Authors: A. Hassoubah Shahira , M. Farsi Reem , S. Alrahimi Jehan , M. Nass Nada , Bahieldin Ahmed
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT: Wheat is the most important cereal crop in the world as compared to other grain crops in terms of acreage and productivity. Based on next-generation sequencing data, we sequenced and assembled chloroplastid (cp) genomes of nine Egyptian wheat cultivars in which eight of them are hexaploid (Triticum sp, 2n=6x) and one is tetraploid (T. turgidum subsp. durum, 2n=4x). Sequencing reads were first filtered in which all sequencing reads that mapped to mitochondrial (mt) genome were removed. Preliminary results indicated no intra-cultivar heteroplasmy for the different cultivars. Size of the resulted chloroplast wheat genome across different cultivars is 133,812 bp, which is less than the cp genome of “Chinese Spring” cultivar partially due to the presence of three large sequences in the later genome belonging to rice cp genome. Three new non-coding tRNA gene sequences were also found and function of one conserved ORF namely ycf5 is shown. The protein-coding genes represent 67.26% of the total plastid genes. In the non-coding regions, a number of 5 tandem and 31 long repeats were found. Codon usage in the wheat cp genome has the same trend as that published for wheat mitochondrial genome. Assembled cp genomes after filtering out the gaps (≥ 5 bp) generated in the nine cultivars were also used for SNPs and INDELs analyses. Across different cultivars, 564 SNPs and 160 INDELs were identified, of which 230 and 4 were in the protein-coding regions, respectively. Five and nine cultivar-specific SNPs and INDELs were found, respectively. One SNP, while none for INDELs, was found in the genic regions unique to one of the two inverted repeats (IRa) in the coding sequence of ndhB gene. Two SNPs were non-synonymous substitutions in the two protein-coding genes rpoA and rpl16, while one was synonymous substitution in the protein coding gene rpl23. Three INDELs exist in rpl2 gene. The first is 12-nucleotide that starts at nucleotide 4 of the gene and encodes for four amino acids. Two other INDELs starts from nucleotide 160 of the gene and are 19-nt apart. These two INDELs resulted in a frameshift of six amino acids, with a glycine amino acid in the middle that remained unchanged, then the default frame was restored. Results of dendrogram aligned with known relationships among cultivars. In conclusion, SNPs and INDELs analyses of wheat plastome were successfully used for detecting polymorphism among wheat cultivars.
Endophytic Bacteria from Cissus quadrangularis, A Promising Source of Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Zeenath Anwar Parvin , Gowrie Sezhian Uma , Narasingam Arunagirinathan
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT: The medicinal plant Cissus quadrangularis has been extensively explored with respect to the presence of phytochemicals and their bioactivities. The available research data on endophytic bacteria of this plant is very limited. The main objective of this study is to isolate endophytic bacteria from the stem of Cissus quadrangularis and to determine the presence of bioactive compounds, antioxidant and antiosteosarcoma potential of the extracellular ethyl acetate crude extracts of endophytic bacteria. One of the isolates CqB14 was identified to be similar to Pseudomonas sp. as analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Qualitative phytochemical screening and HPTLC analysis of the extracellular ethyl acetate crude extract of CqB14 showed the presence of alkaloids in addition to other secondary metabolites. GCMS analysis predicted the presence of antimicrobial and anticancerous compounds. This study also reveals the antioxidant and antiosteosarcoma potential of endophytic bacteria from Cissus quadrangularis.
Influence of femoral morphology and canal fill ratio on early radiological and clinical outcomes of uncemented total hip arthroplasty using a fully coated stem
Authors: D’Ambrosio Adrien , Peduzzi Lisa , Roche Olivier , Bothorel Hugo , Saffarini Mo , Bonnomet François
Published: April 2020

Aims

The diversity of femoral morphology renders femoral component sizing in total hip arthroplasty (THA) challenging. We aimed to determine whether femoral morphology and femoral component filling influence early clinical and radiological outcomes following THA using fully hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated femoral components.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed records of 183 primary uncemented THAs. Femoral morphology, including Dorr classification, canal bone ratio (CBR), canal flare index (CFI), and canal-calcar ratio (CCR), were calculated on preoperative radiographs. The canal fill ratio (CFR) was calculated at different levels relative to the lesser trochanter (LT) using immediate postoperative radiographs: P1, 2 cm above LT; P2, at LT; P3, 2 cm below LT; and D1, 7 cm below LT. At two years, radiological femoral component osseointegration was evaluated using the Engh score, and hip function using the Postel Merle d’Aubigné (PMA) and Oxford Hip Score (OHS).

Results

CFR was moderately correlated with CCR at P1 (r = 0.44; p < 0.001), P2 (r = 0.53; p < 0.001), and CFI at P1 (r = − 0.56; p < 0.001). Absence of spot welds (n = 3, 2%) was associated with lower CCR (p = 0.049), greater CFI (p = 0.017), and lower CFR at P3 (p = 0.015). Migration (n = 9, 7%) was associated with lower CFR at P2 (p = 0.028) and P3 (p = 0.007). Varus malalignment (n = 7, 5%), predominantly in Dorr A femurs (p = 0.028), was associated with lower CFR at all levels (p < 0.05). Absence of spot welds was associated with lower PMA gait (p = 0.012) and migration with worse OHS (p = 0.032).

Conclusion

This study revealed that femurs with insufficient proximal filling tend to have less favourable radiological outcomes following uncemented THA using a fully HA-coated double-tapered femoral component. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res. 2020;9(4):182–191.
Convergence and divergence focusing phenomena at the focal plane of ultrashort pulses
Authors: Cai Xunming , Zheng Yali , Zhu Yifu
Published: April 2020

Using the Richards–Wolf diffraction integral theory and the tightly focused ultrashort pulse vector model, the focusing phenomena at the focal plane of subcycle and few-cycle radially polarized ultrashort pulses are studied. The dynamic focusing is revealed at the focal plane. First, the subcycle or few-cycle ultrashort pulses shrink towards the focus. Then the ultrashort pulses diverge from the focus. So, the convergence and divergence moving halo at the focal plane can be observed. When approaching the focus, the amplitude of the pulse becomes larger. The phenomena can be understood from the Huygens–Fresnel principle and are important for applications of the focused ultrashort pulses.
Ultrafast quasiparticle dynamics and coherent phonon in nodal line topological material LaBi
Authors: Yu B. H. , Tian Z. Y. , Sun F. , Peets D. C. , Bai X. D. , Feng D. L. , Zhao Jimin
Published: April 2020

We use an ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy to study quasiparticle (QP) dynamics in a topological insulator LaBi. Temperature-dependent optical measurements have been carried out, by which we observed nearly constant fast component (with a lifetime of 0.15 ps) and slow component (with a lifetime of 1.5 ps) for the whole range from 10 K to 295 K. The laser fluence dependence result shows that there is no saturation for the QP dynamics up to 3.3 mJ /cm2. Moreover, an E
g
mode transverse optical (TO) coherent phonon has also been observed, with a frequency of 2.8 THz. Our results provide for the first time the ultrafast dynamics information of both the QPs and coherent phonons in a nodal line topological material.
Determination of the remote-sensing reflectance from above-water measurements with the “3C model”: a further assessment
Authors: Pitarch Jaime , Talone Marco , Zibordi Giuseppe , Groetsch Philipp
Published: April 2020

The Three-Component Reflectance Model (3C) was primarily developed to improve the determination of the remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) from above-water radiometric hyperspectral measurements performed during sub-optimal conditions (i.e., cloudy sky, variable viewing geometry, high glint perturbations, low illumination conditions). In view of further validating the model and showing its broad range of uses, this work presents the application of 3C to above-water radiometry data collected in oceanic and coastal waters with a variety of measurement conditions. Rrs derived from measurements performed during optimal and slightly sub-optimal conditions exhibit equivalence with Rrs obtained with an established above-water method that is commonly used to support ocean color validation activities. Additionally, the study shows that 3C can still provide relevant Rrs retrievals from field data characterized by low-light illumination, high glint perturbations and variable measurement geometries, for which the established method cannot be confidently applied. Finally, it is shown that the optimization residual returned by the 3C full-spectrum inversion procedure can be a potential relative indicator to assess the quality of derived Rrs.
Research for propagation properties of LG beam through Cassegrain antenna system in a turbulent atmosphere
Authors: Qin Yan , Yang Huajun , Jiang Ping , Caiyang Weinan , Zhou Miaofang , Mao Shengqian , Cao Biao
Published: April 2020

In this paper, the propagation properties of the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beam passing through Cassegrain antenna system in a turbulent atmosphere have been researched. The accurate analytical function for the diffraction field of LG beam passing through Cassegrain antenna, the average intensity, and the cross-talk among different orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of LG beam passing through Cassegrain antenna in Kolmogorov turbulent have been derived. The simulation results show that LG beam with ring-like distribution is selected to enhance the emission efficiency of Cassegrain antenna. The cross-talk among different OAM modes can remarkably reduce through using Cassegrain antenna. The analysis process can also apply to accurately analyzing the propagation properties of other kinds of beams through different optical systems in turbulent atmosphere.
Epitaxial single-crystal rare-earth oxide in horizontal slot waveguide for silicon-based integrated active photonic devices
Authors: Xu Xuejun , Fili Viviana , Szuba Wojciech , Hiraishi Masaya , Inaba Tomohiro , Tawara Takehiko , Omi Hiroo , Gotoh Hideki
Published: April 2020

We have epitaxially grown high-quality single-crystal rare-earth oxide thin films, including Gd2O3 and erbium-incorporated (ErGd)2O3, on silicon-on-insulator substrate, and investigated their optical properties when embedded in horizontal slot waveguides. (ErGd)2O3 with an erbium concentration in the mid-1021 cm−3 range shows well-resolved Stark-split photoluminescence emission peaks in the telecommunications band and a photoluminescence lifetime-concentration product as large as 2.67×1018 s·cm−3 at room-temperature. Using these materials, horizontal slot waveguides with strong optical confinement in low-refractive-index rare-earth oxide layers, have been fabricated for silicon-based integrated active photonic devices. Thanks to the strong light-matter interaction, a large waveguide modal absorption of 88 dB/cm related to erbium ions is achieved, leading to a large potential optical gain. Intense emissions from the waveguides are also observed, with a radiation efficiency on the order of 10−4. These results indicate that a combination of epitaxial rare-earth oxide thin films and horizontal slot waveguides provides a promising platform for light amplification and generation on silicon.
Angle enhanced circular dichroism in bilayer 90°-twisted metamaterial
Authors: Lai Pengtao , Dong Guohua , Wang Wei , Chen Tao , Lv Tingting , Lv Bo , Zhu Zheng , Li Yuxiang , Guan Chunying , Shi Jinhui
Published: April 2020

Intrinsic and extrinsic chiral responses have been widely investigated in metamaterials, however the relationship between them has been seldom discussed. We numerically and experimentally demonstrate angle enhanced chiral dichroism and study the separation between intrinsic and extrinsic chiral responses in metamaterial with asymmetrically split aperture dimers. The metamaterial exhibits triple-band resonant circular dichroism at normal incidence. The oblique incidence leads to giant enhancement of circular dichroism at two low-frequency resonances while yields an obvious resonance split of the circular dichroism in the vicinity of the high-frequency resonance. The whole circular dichroism response results from the balance between intrinsic and extrinsic chirality and the circular dichroism spectra at positive and negative angles of incidence exhibit an asymmetry due to the existence of intrinsic chirality. Importantly, the intrinsic chirality in the metamaterial may be individually investigated since extrinsic chiral response may be removed from the total circular dichroism by superimposing two circular dichroism spectra at positive and negative incident angles. The metamaterial will be promising to achieve enhanced chiral response and also separately utilize intrinsic and extrinsic chirality for manipulating the polarization state of light.
Real-time visible light positioning supporting fast moving speed
Authors: Lin Puxi , Hu Xubin , Ruan Yukui , Li Huaping , Fang Junjian , Zhong Yongchun , Zheng Huadan , Fang Junbin , Jiang Zoe Lin , Chen Zhe
Published: April 2020

Real-time capability is a key factor which affects the practicality of an indoor positioning system significantly. While visible light positioning (VLP) is widely studied since it can provide indoor positioning functionality with LED illumination, the existing VLP systems still suffer from the high positioning latency and are not practical for mobile units with high moving speed. In this paper, a real-time VLP system with low positioning latency and high positioning accuracy is proposed. With the lightweight image processing algorithm, the proposed system can be implemented on low-cost embedded system and support real-time accurate indoor positioning for mobile units with a fast moving speed. Experimental results show that the proposed system implemented on a Raspberry Pi can achieve a positioning accuracy of 3.93 cm and support the moving speed up to 38.5 km/h.
Temporal fine structure of all-normal dispersion fiber supercontinuum pulses caused by non-ideal pump pulse shapes
Authors: Rampur Anupamaa , Spangenberg Dirk-Mathys , Stępniewski Grzegorz , Dobrakowski Dominik , Tarnowski Karol , Stefańska Karolina , Paździor Adam , Mergo Paweł , Martynkien Tadeusz , Feurer Thomas , Klimczak Mariusz , Heidt Alexander M.
Published: April 2020

We experimentally investigate the spectro-temporal characteristics of coherent supercontinuum (SC) pulses generated in several implementations of silica and soft-glass all-normal dispersion (ANDi) photonic crystal fibers optimized for pumping with Erbium (Er):fiber femtosecond laser technology. We characterize the resulting SC using time-domain ptychography, which is especially suitable for the measurement of complex, spectrally broadband ultrashort pulses. The measurements of the ANDi SC pulses reveal intricate pulse shapes, considerable temporal fine structure, and oscillations on time scales of < 25 femtoseconds, which differ from the smoothness and simplicity of temporal profiles obtained in numerical simulations and observed in previous experiments. We link the measured complex features to temporal sub-structures of the pump pulse, such as pre- and post-pulses and low-level pedestals, which are common in high pulse energy ultrafast Er:fiber systems. We also observe spectro-temporal structures consistent with incoherent noise amplification in weakly birefringent fiber samples. Our results highlight the importance of the pump source and polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers for high-quality SC generation and have practical relevance for many ultrafast photonics applications employing ANDi fiber-based SC sources.
Optical receiver module design that improves link gain of 28 GHz RF signal over a multi-mode fiber
Authors: Yasuda Hiroki , Aiba Takamitsu , Kanno Atsushi , Yamamoto Naokatsu , Wakabayashi Tomohiro , Kawanishi Tetsuya
Published: April 2020

We investigate the impact of photodetector (PD) aperture size and wire bond length on the performance of analog radio over multi-mode fiber (A-RoMMF) systems using high-frequency bands up to 28GHz. It is realized that transmission characteristics of A-RoMMF is affected by the change of frequency response due to the PD aperture size and the bonding wire length. We also demonstrate A-RoMMF transmission using an optical receiver mounted PD and a low noise amplifier (LNA) on one printed circuit board (PCB) to improve size, link gain, and transmission characteristics.
Research progress in large-area perovskite solar cells
Authors: Zhao Yang , Ma Fei , Gao Feng , Yin Zhigang , Zhang Xingwang , You Jingbi
Published: April 2020

The record power conversion efficiency of small-area perovskite solar cells has impressively exceeded 25%. For commercial application, a large-area device is the necessary next step. Recently, significant progress has been achieved in fabricating efficient large-area perovskite solar cells. In this review, we will summarize recent achievements in large-area perovskite solar cells including the deposition methods as well as growth control of the large-area, high-quality perovskite layer and also the charge transport layer. Finally, we will give our insight into large-area perovskite solar cells.
Расщепление уравнений Навье-Стокса для одного
класса осесимметричных течений
Authors: Сизых Григорий Борисович , Sizykh Grigory Borisovich
Published: April 2020

В рамках уравнений Навье-Стокса рассмотрены нестационарные осесимметричные течения однородной вязкой несжимаемой жидкости, в которых осевая и окружная скорости зависят только от радиуса и от времени, а радиальная скорость равна нулю. Показано, что скорость таких течений представляет собой сумму скоростей двух течений вязкой несжимаемой жидкости: осевого течения (радиальная и окружная скорости равны нулю) и окружного течения (радиальная и осевая скорости равны нулю). Осевое и окружное движения происходят независимо, не оказывая никакого взаимного влияния. Это позволяет расщеплять краевые задачи для рассматриваемого типа течений, содержащие три неизвестные функции (давление, окружная и осевая скорости), на две задачи, каждая из которых содержит две неизвестные функции (давление и одна из компонент скорости). При этом сумма давлений осевого и окружного течений будет давлением исходного течения. Обнаруженная возможность расщепления позволяет с использованием известных решений пополнить «запасы» осевых и окружных точных решений. Эти решения, в свою очередь, можно суммировать в различных комбинациях и в результате получать скорости и давления новых точных решений уравнений Навье-Стокса.
Tourlex: ein deutsch-italienisches Fachwörterbuch zur Tourismussprache für italienische DaF-Lerner
Authors: Flinz Carolina
Published: April 2020

Tourlex is a specialized bilingual online dictionary under construction hosted at the University of Mannheim with a particular focus on collocations and multi-word units. The languages included are German and Italian, but because of the need for online dictionaries of tourism language (Flinz 2015: 56) the framework is open to the inclusion of other languages. Tourlex is a corpus-based dictionary, i.e. the primary sources will be corpora, in particular a proper bilingual comparable corpus analysed with the tools Sketch Engine and Lexpan, and the freely accessible corpusDeReKo. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the main actions (already done but also in planning), according to the phases of the lexicographical process of a dictionary under construction. The description of each phase will be enriched by examples taken from the project, showing also how the decisions taken to satisfy the needs of the user, the Italian learner of German as a foreign language, had influenced the microstructure of the entries. We conclude with a final reflection on the data, facts, and ongoing problems.
Wikipedaktik: Kollaborative Sachlexikografie als Lehr- und Lerngegenstand im Deutschunterricht
Authors: Gredel Eva
Published: April 2020

This paper introduces the research field of Wikipedactics with a focus on the relevance of Wikipedia’s lexicographic aspects for German lessons in higher education: The central issue is to describe one of the most successful digital platforms of the Social Web as a worthwhile teaching and learning subject. It explains Wikipedia’s hypertextual nature, its micro- and macro-structure and details scenarios of use in the classroom and the lecture hall. The paper demonstrates how pupils and students can develop digital skills and information competences when using Wikipedia. Furthermore, the didactic potential of digital tools such as Wikibu and WikiWatchdog enabling the reflected access of Wikipedia users to the online-encyclopaedic content is evaluated.
A lexicon of Albanian for natural language processing
Authors: Kabashi Besim
Published: April 2020

For many applications in the field of natural language processing, a lexicon is needed. For the Albanian language a lexicon that can be used for these purposes is presented below. The lexicon contains around 75,000 entries, including proper names such as personal, geographical and other names. Each entry includes grammatical information such as parts of speech and other specific information, e.g. inflection classes for nouns, adjectives and verbs. The lexicon is part of a morphological tool, but can also be used as an independent resource for other tasks and applications or can be adapted for them. Sources for the creation and the extension of the presented lexicon include both information from traditional dictionaries, e.g. spelling dictionaries, and a balanced linguistic corpus using corpus-driven methods and tools. The lexicon is still work in progress, but aims to cover basic information for most frequent tasks of natural language processing.
Kumulative Auswirkungen der Bankenregulierung auf die Geschäftsmodelle von Genossenschaftsbanken
Authors: Lange Marc , Paul Stephan
Published: April 2020

Wir untersuchen die Auswirkungen regulatorischer Anforderungen auf die Geschäftsmodelle von kleinen und mittelständischen deutschen Genossenschaftsbanken. Die Analyse zeigt, dass sich die Geschäftsmodelle von Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken infolge der Regulatorik verändern. Die Bedeutung der Ertragsquellen verschiebt sich und eine Neupriorisierung der Kunden ist notwendig. Ferner ist das Produkt- und Dienstleistungsangebot anzupassen, preispolitische Maßnahmen sind zu vollziehen und das Asset-Liability-Management zu adjustieren.
„(Lifetime) Expected Credit Losses“ im Rahmen der IFRS-Rechnungslegung
Authors: Filusch Tobias , Mölls Sascha H.
Published: April 2020

Mit dem „(Lifetime) Expected Credit Loss“ hat der internationale Standardsetzer einen prospektiven Wertminderungsmaßstab für Finanzinstrumente entwickelt. Mit Blick auf die dadurch induzierte Stärkung des Gläubigerschutzes sowie eine mögliche Angleichung des deutschen HGB an die Vorgaben der IFRS sollten sich Banken und Versicherungen im genossenschaftlichen Umfeld ebenso wie Prüfungsverbände frühzeitig ein Bild von den anstehenden Änderungen machen.
Belegschaftsgenossenschaften als Antwort auf Energiewende, Fachkräftemangel und demografischen Wandel
Authors: Vogt Walter
Published: April 2020

In jüngerer Zeit zeigen sich zunehmend Belegschaftsgenossenschaften, welche energiegenossenschaftliche Förderaufträge auf den betrieblichen Kontext ausweiten. Beispiele zeigen: Es sind die Beschäftigten, die als Mitglieder „ihrer“ Genossenschaft die Energiewende weiter vorantreiben. Neue betriebliche Genossenschaftsmodelle tragen zur Attraktivität des Arbeitgebers bei und sind somit auch eine Option, einem drohenden Fachkräftemangel zu begegnen.
Reliability Evaluation of Piston Pump Based on Comprehensive Evaluation Index
Authors: Rui Guo , Zhiqian Zhao , Jinsheng Zhou , Jingyi Zhao , Zhe Yang , Dianrong Gao
Published: April 2020

After focusing on the randomness of the degradation process of the piston pump, the randomness lead to the proposal of a method based on the comprehensive evaluation index to select the characteristic parameters of different levels and characteristics. It was aimed to characterize the process of degradation. Initially the sensitive characteristics of the piston pump degradation were screened out, followed by the short-time test with a small sample for reliability assessment performed on the piston pump valve plate. The local characteristic-scale decomposition was employed to decompose the vibrational signal. Features characterizing the degradation of the valve plate were selected on the basis of the comprehensive evaluation index. Further application of the Principal Component Analysis algorithm was used to transform the degraded feature data to reduce dimension and extract the feature quantities. Then these feature quantities were substituted into the Weibull proportional reliability model. It aimed to calculate the reliability of the piston pump under different degradation states. The bizarre results showed that the combination of real-time effective features and reliability models not only fully reflect the operating state of the piston pump but also effectively evaluate the reliability of the piston pump.
Le pouvoir des Cercles d’Auteurs en orthopédagogie en palier 3 du modèle de réponse à l’intervention (RàI)
Authors: Tarte Louise
Published: April 2020

Dans cet article, une orthopédagogue témoigne de son expérience des cercles d’auteurs en orthopédagogie. Elle y expose deux cibles d’intervention qu’elle a exploré avec ses élèves. La première concerne différentes activités pour favoriser l’émergence des idées des élèves par des jeux d’écriture. La deuxième porte sur l’apport des aides technologiques afin d’enrichir le contenu des textes des élèves et d’en améliorer la cohérence.
Noradrenergic Responsiveness Supports Selective Attention across the Adult Lifespan
Authors: Dahl Martin J. , Mather Mara , Sander Myriam C. , Werkle-Bergner Markus
Published: April 2020

Selectively attending to relevant information while blocking out distractors is crucial for goal-directed behavior, yet with advancing age, deficits emerge in attentional selectivity. Decrements in attention have been associated with altered noradrenergic activity in animals. However, research linking noradrenergic functioning to attention in aging humans is scarce, likely reflecting long-standing methodological challenges in noninvasive assessments. We studied whether age-related differences in the noradrenergic system predict differences in attention. We measured pupil dilation, a noninvasive marker of arousal-related norepinephrine (NE) release, while concurrently recording the EEG of male younger (N= 39; 25.2 ± 3.2 years) and older adults (N= 38; 70.6 ± 2.7 years). Arousal was modulated on a trial-by-trial basis using fear-conditioned (CS+) stimuli. During conditioning, pupil and EEG markers related to heightened arousal were identified. Afterward, in a dichotic listening task, participants were cued to direct attention to either the left or right ear while highly similar syllable pairs were presented simultaneously to both ears. During the dichotic listening task, presentation of fear-conditioned stimuli reinstated the acquired arousal response, as reflected in pupil and EEG α-β band responses. Critically, pupil dilation to CS+was correlated with stronger EEG α-β desynchronization, suggesting a common dependence on NE release. On a behavioral level, stronger arousal reactions were associated with better attention. In particular, structural equation modeling revealed that the responsiveness of the NE system is associated with attention on a latent construct level, measured by several indicator tasks. Overall, our results suggest that the responsiveness of the NE system supports attention across the lifespan.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIn old age, the ability to selectively process relevant aspects of the environment fades. Animal research suggests that the neuromodulator norepinephrine helps to maintain selective attention. We tested younger and older adults across a variety of attention tasks. In addition, we used arousing stimuli to experimentally activate participants' noradrenergic system while recording pupillometry and EEG to infer its functional capacity. Older adults showed compromised attention and reduced noradrenergic responsiveness as indicated by interrelated pupil and EEG markers. Crucially, in both age groups, a more responsive noradrenergic system was strongly associated with attention. Our findings link animal and human studies on the neural underpinning of attention in aging and underscore the importance of the noradrenergic system in late-life cognition.