bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Life‐Cycle Assessment of Two Cogeneration Plants
Authors: Siddiqui Osamah , Dincer Ibrahim
Published: June 2019

Herein, a comparative energetic and life‐cycle assessment (LCA) study is performed on coal and natural gas‐based combined heat and power cogeneration plants. Different types of power plants, including gas turbine, steam turbine, and combined‐cycle plants, are considered. Three types of LCA methodologies, including CML 2001, TRACI, and ReCiPe, are used to analyze the life‐cycle environmental impacts of each plant. The coal‐based cogeneration plant is found to entail the comparatively lowest life‐cycle energy efficiency of 43.6%, and the natural gas‐based combined‐cycle cogeneration plant is found to have the highest efficiency of 59.6%. Furthermore, the coal‐based life cycle is also found to entail the highest life‐cycle environmental impacts comparatively. According to CML 2001, it entails a global‐warming potential of 0.229 kg CO2eq MJ−1 and an acidification potential of 7.03E‐4 kg SO2eq MJ−1. The natural gas‐fired boiler‐type cogeneration plant is observed to have a comparatively higher toxicity and eutrophication potential of 2.72E‐4 kg DCBeq MJ−1 and 2.78E‐5 kg PO4eq MJ−1, respectively. The lowest overall life‐cycle environmental impacts comparatively are found to be associated with the natural gas‐based combined‐cycle cogeneration plant.
Performance and Properties of Suspension Plasma Sprayed Metal‐Supported Cu‐Co‐Ni‐SDC SOFC Anodes in Methane
Authors: Cuglietta M. , Arevalo‐Quintero O. , Kesler O.
Published: June 2019

In this study, metal‐supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anodes containing Cu and samaria doped ceria (SDC) with additions of Ni and Co were evaluated in CH4. It was found that metal support oxidation and Fe diffusion from the metal support to the anode were the main factors affecting the cell behavior observed. Thus, strategies to prevent diffusion of Fe into the anode were also evaluated. It was found that the best performing method to prevent diffusion of Fe and Cr into the anode in this study consisted of a combination of all three evaluated strategies (i.e., pre‐oxidation of metal support prior to cell fabrication, application of a protective LaCrO3 coating to the metal supports prior to anode fabrication, and addition of an SDC interlayer between the metal support and anode coating). It was found that the most effective stand‐alone method to diminish the diffusion of Fe into the anode was the addition of a SDC interlayer between the anode and the metal support.
New Materials and Flow Field Design for Middle‐Temperature Direct Methanol Fuel Cell with Low Cathode Pressure
Authors: Gogel V. , Sakthivel M. , Bender J. , Salzmann B. , Kerres J. , Scholta J. , Drillet J.‐F.
Published: June 2019

A partially fluorinated polyether ionomer (SFS) has been prepared and blended with partially fluorinated polybenzimidazole (F6‐PBI), yielding acid‐base blend membranes with different weight ratios of the blend components. Best membranes in terms of conductivity and mechanical stability were characterized towards their solubility in methanol at high pressure and temperature as well as their ex situ and in situ conductivity. Optimized acid‐base SFS‐PBI blend membrane and carbon‐supported Pt3Pd cathode catalyst were then tested in several DMFC cell designs. The results from preliminary membrane electrode assembly (MEA) tests turned out to be completely scalable from 25 cm2 up to 100 cm2 active area in a single‐cell configuration set‐up. During ultimate test in a 100 cm2 4‐cell DMFC stack at 130 °C, a maximal power of about 60 W was yielded with methanol feed of 2.8 bar and air feed close to ambient pressure. This was possible due to repeated reduction of channel cross‐section geometry combined with forced convection effects that led to enhanced oxygen transport at rib/GDE interface and higher catalyst utilization in starve zones.
Surgical treatment of Milroy disease
Authors: Bolletta A , Di Taranto G , Chen SH , Elia R , Amorosi V , Chan J CY , Chen HC
Published: June 2019

Background and Objectives

Milroy disease is a form of congenital primary lymphedema affecting the lower limbs. When conservative management is ineffective, surgical treatment becomes necessary. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) associated with extensive therapeutic lipectomy in the treatment of these patients.

Methods

In China Medical University Hospital, four patients have been diagnosed with Milroy disease and treated over an 8 year‐period time. All patients presented with hereditary bilateral legs swelling since birth. All patients were treated with VLNT from the gastroepiploic region bilaterally associated with extensive therapeutic lipectomy.

Results

All procedures have been executed bilaterally and have been successful, without complications. The average follow‐up of the patients was 20.2 ± 2.8 months. The limbs treated presented an average circumference reduction of a 4.0 ± 2.1 cm and patients did not experience cellulitis during follow‐up. Patients expressed satisfaction with the procedure.

Conclusions

VLNT together with therapeutic lipectomy proved to be a reliable technique in moderate cases of Milroy disease, providing an alternative path for lymph drainage, and reducing the lymph load and the excess of subcutaneous adipose tissues, thus improving patients' quality of life.
Healing Process of Gastrocnemius Muscle Injury on Ultrasonography Using B‐Mode Imaging, Power Doppler Imaging, and Shear Wave Elastography
Authors: Yoshida Keiichi , Itoigawa Yoshiaki , Maruyama Yuichiro , Kaneko Kazuo
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Muscle injury often occurs in sports activity. To avoid reinjury, it is important to determine the appropriate period until return to play after injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate characteristics of the healing process for gastrocnemius muscle injury by B‐mode imaging, power Doppler (PD) imaging, and shear wave elastography (SWE).

Methods

Twenty patients with acute calf musculotendinous injury were enrolled. Scar thickness on B‐mode imaging, new vessels according to PD grades, and SWE values in the muscle, musculotendinous junction, and tendon of the medial head of gastrocnemius were measured at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after injury.

Results

Scar thickness was significantly larger at 8 and 12 weeks compared with 4 weeks (P < .01 for both). Power Doppler grades at 4 and 8 weeks were significantly higher compared with 12 weeks (P < .01 for both). Shear wave elastographic values in the muscle on the injury side were significantly higher at 8 and 12 weeks compared with 4 weeks (P < .01 for both), whereas those in the musculotendinous junction on the injury side were significantly higher at 12 weeks compared with 4 and 8 weeks (P < .01; P = .01, respectively).

Conclusions

B‐mode imaging, PD imaging, and SWE can measure the healing process after musculotendinous injury of the gastrocnemius medial head.
A 16‐modified antipodal Vivaldi antenna array for microwave‐based breast tumor imaging applications
Authors: Samsuzzaman Md , Islam Mohammad T. , Islam Md T. , Shovon Abdullah A. S. , Faruque Rashed I. , Misran Norbahiah
Published: June 2019

In this article, an improved method is introduced for enhancing the gain and directivity of a modified antipodal Vivaldi antenna, which is suitable for detecting malignant cells in the breast through microwave imaging. By slotting on the fins of the antenna with the addition of parasitic elliptical patch makes the antenna radiation more directive with more gain at the lower band range. The operating fractional bandwidth of this proposed Vivaldi antenna is 120% (2.50‐11 GHz) with compact dimension and directive radiation pattern with 7.20 dBi highest gain. The antenna time‐domain performance and the near‐field directivity (NFD) are also observed. Effective microwave breast phantom imaging system with an array of 16 antipodal antennas is designed where one antenna works as a transmitter and rest of the antenna works as a receiver in turn. The imaging performance is investigated with tumor inside the breast phantom using the Microwave Radar‐Based Imaging Toolbox open source software. Detection of tumor tissue inside breast phantom has been identified by analyzing the modified antipodal Vivaldi antennas' backscattered signal.
SANTIS: Sampling‐Augmented Neural neTwork with Incoherent Structure for MR image reconstruction
Authors: Liu Fang , Samsonov Alexey , Chen Lihua , Kijowski Richard , Feng Li
Published: June 2019

Purpose

To develop and evaluate a novel deep learning–based reconstruction framework called SANTIS (Sampling‐Augmented Neural neTwork with Incoherent Structure) for efficient MR image reconstruction with improved robustness against sampling pattern discrepancy.

Methods

With a combination of data cycle–consistent adversarial network, end‐to‐end convolutional neural network mapping, and data fidelity enforcement for reconstructing undersampled MR data, SANTIS additionally utilizes a sampling‐augmented training strategy by extensively varying undersampling patterns during training, so that the network is capable of learning various aliasing structures and thereby removing undersampling artifacts more effectively and robustly. The performance of SANTIS was demonstrated for accelerated knee imaging and liver imaging using a Cartesian trajectory and a golden‐angle radial trajectory, respectively. Quantitative metrics were used to assess its performance against different references. The feasibility of SANTIS in reconstructing dynamic contrast‐enhanced images was also demonstrated using transfer learning.

Results

Compared to conventional reconstruction that exploits image sparsity, SANTIS achieved consistently improved reconstruction performance (lower errors and greater image sharpness). Compared to standard learning‐based methods without sampling augmentation (e.g., training with a fixed undersampling pattern), SANTIS provides comparable reconstruction performance, but significantly improved robustness, against sampling pattern discrepancy. SANTIS also achieved encouraging results for reconstructing liver images acquired at different contrast phases.

Conclusion

By extensively varying undersampling patterns, the sampling‐augmented training strategy in SANTIS can remove undersampling artifacts more robustly. The novel concept behind SANTIS can particularly be useful for improving the robustness of deep learning–based image reconstruction against discrepancy between training and inference, an important, but currently less explored, topic.
The ‘desert experience’: Evaluating the cultural ecosystem services of drylands through walking and focusing
Authors: Teff‐Seker Yael , Orenstein Daniel E.
Published: June 2019

Assessment of cultural ecosystem services (CES), the non‐material benefits provided to humans by nature, is a particularly challenging activity within the complex field of ecosystem service (ES) evaluation. Assessing CES of drylands presents an even greater challenge for at least two reasons. First, assessments of dryland ES are few and limited, particularly regarding CES. Second, CES evaluation methods, even qualitative ones, generally fail to provide a deep and holistic understanding of the dynamic relationship between nature experiences, culture and identity.

The current study uses a novel methodology to evaluate CES in a dryland ecosystem: walking‐focusing interviews. In these interviews, participants are encouraged to focus on various aspects of their physical, mental and cognitive experiences as they walked in a natural desert landscape. The interview protocol enabled us to capture a wealth of knowledge regarding people’s desert experiences.

Findings indicate that geological phenomena and other abiotic elements of desert landscapes rank high among participants’ reported dryland CES, which inspire complex and multi‐level experiences. Other prominent themes that emerged included imagination, relaxation, wind and quiet. As deserts are low in primary productivity and therefore display less conspicuous biological elements, the protocol was found to be particularly effective for addressing both their living and non‐living CES.

The methodology of walking‐focusing interviews is shown to be able to extract information pertaining to people’s holistic experience of nature, which suggests that it is a powerful methodology for CES assessments of landscapes in general.
Role and exploitation of underground chemical signaling in plants
Authors: Guerrieri Alessandra , Dong Lemeng , Bouwmeester Harro J
Published: June 2019

The soil ecosystem is composed of a mixture of living organisms and non‐living matter as well as the complex interactions between them. In the past 100 years or so, agricultural soil ecosystems have been strongly affected by agricultural practices such as tillage and the use of pesticides and fertilizers, which strongly affect soil nutrient composition, pH and biodiversity. In modern pest management, however, the focus is gradually shifting from crop production through agricultural practices to soil ecosystem protection. In this review we discuss how the underground chemical signals secreted by plant roots play a role in keeping the soil ecosystem in balance and how they affect plant fitness by shaping the root biome, increasing nutrient availability, promoting symbiosis, and attracting beneficial organisms and repelling harmful ones, including other plants. We review a number of fascinating cases, such as signaling molecules with dual, positive and negative, functions and bacterial quorum sensing mimicking molecules. Finally, examples of how these compounds can be exploited in modern pest management are reviewed, and the prospects for future developments discussed. © 2019 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
High Power Laser‐Driven Ce3+‐Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Phosphor Incorporated Sapphire Disc for Outstanding White Light Conversion Efficiency
Authors: Kedawat Kanika Garima , Kundu Pratima , Srivastava Ritu , Jain Jagjeevan K. , Kandpal Hem C. , Gupta Bipin Kumar
Published: June 2019

A facile synthesis method for the development of Y3 − xAl5O12:xCe3+ (x = 0.03–0.24) yellow phosphor via an auto‐combustion method and fabrication of phosphor‐incorporated sapphire disc (PISD) of various dimensions is reported. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity for the optimized concentration of Ce3+‐doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) phosphor is recorded at 550 nm wavelength under the excitation wavelength of 445 nm from a high power blue laser diode. The developed PISD exhibits high stability and luminescence. The blue laser diode is a promising candidate to revolutionize the luminous intensity of the white light by several orders of magnitude as compared with the existing blue light‐emitting diodes. This emerging technology has an extremely bright future with endless uses of tunable power of the laser that controls the intensity of the emitted white light. Hence, this new approach provides a paradigm shift to produce highly efficient white light based on PISD integrated with blue laser diode as compared with the conventional technology. Moreover, such configurations allow more styling and packaging flexibility that reduces the overall size of the fabricated unit and makes it favorable for various lighting applications.
Annealing of Pt‐H Defects in High‐Voltage Si p+/n− Diodes
Authors: Rasinger Fabian , Prohinig Jennifer , Schulze Holger , Schulze Hans-Joachim , Pobegen Gregor
Published: June 2019

A sophisticated way to adjust the minority carrier lifetime and, therefore, the reverse recovery charge in silicon (Si) power diodes is doping with platinum (Pt), as deep levels within the silicon bandgap are created. However, additional deep levels are introduced by hydrogen‐incorporating processes during the fabrication of these diodes, which are caused by platinum–hydrogen (Pt–H) defects. Herein, the focus is on how Pt–H defects influence the p+/n− diode characteristics at reverse biasing and verify that annealing at temperatures higher than 300 K decreases the concentration of these defects to a minimum. The dissociation energy of this annealing process is obtained by assuming a first‐order reaction. Furthermore, depth profiles of the Pt–H defect are calculated via current–voltage (IV) characteristics. Not only the impact of the Pt–H defect on the device performance is in a reverse direction but also its controllability via thermal annealing in a conventional furnace is presented.
Impurity Gettering by Boron‐ and Phosphorus‐Doped Polysilicon Passivating Contacts for High‐Efficiency Multicrystalline Silicon Solar Cells
Authors: Hayes Maxim , Martel Benoit , Alam Giri Wahyu , Lignier Hélène , Dubois Sébastien , Pihan Etienne , Palais Olivier
Published: June 2019

Highly doped polysilicon (poly‐Si) on ultra‐thin oxide layers are highlighted as they allow both carrier collection efficiency with a low contact resistivity and an excellent surface passivation. Their integration at the rear surface of a high‐quality single‐crystalline silicon solar cell allows to achieve a record conversion efficiency of 25.7% for a double‐side contacted device. However, so far, only a very few studies investigate the interactions between poly‐Si passivating contacts and low‐quality cheaper silicon wafers. Thus, this study focuses on the external gettering response of both boron (B) and phosphorus (P) in situ doped poly‐Si passivating contacts on high‐performance multicrystalline silicon. Wafers are extracted from five ingot heights and experience P‐ and B‐doped poly‐Si passivating contact fabrication processes. Subsequently, the bulk carrier lifetime and interstitial iron (Fei) concentration are characterized and compared with conventional POCl3 and BCl3 thermal diffusion steps, and as‐cut references. The P‐doped poly‐Si contact fabrication process results in gettering more than 99% of the Fei, which leads to an increase in the bulk carrier lifetime. Interestingly, the B‐doped poly‐Si contact also develops a substantial external gettering action, and allows removing 96% of the Fei from the bulk.
Monodispersed Silica@Nickel Silicate Hydroxide Core–Shell Spheres for Supercapacitor Electrodes
Authors: Yang Tao , Lu Qingshan , Zhao Shifeng
Published: June 2019

Monodispersed silica@nickel silicate hydroxide core–shell microspheres are prepared using a hydrothermal method. The core–shell microsphere with an average diameter of 525 nm displays a hierarchical structure. The shell with an average thickness of about 40 nm consists of Ni3Si2O5(OH)4 nanosheets yielding porous surface. Surface‐dependent electrochemical property exhibits a specific capacitance of 356.7 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and a good rate performance, which is attributed to the special core–shell hierarchical structures not only providing abundant electroactive sites for redox reaction but also shortening ion/electron transportation path. The current study provides a simple and efficient way to design low‐cost electrodes for supercapacitors.
Extensive investigations for metastable‐bound and resonance 3Fe states of He atom
Authors: Dutta Sayantan , Sil Amar N. , Saha Jayanta K. , Mukherjee Tapan K.
Published: June 2019

Evaluation of energy eigenvalues of first 19 metastable bound doubly excited states (DESs) arising from even parity F states of He atom are done within the framework of the Ritz variational principle. The wavefunction of the given state is constructed from different combinations of pf and dd configurations. The radial parts of the wavefunctions for both the configurations are expanded in Hylleraas type basis set. The nonlinear parameters of the Slater‐type orbitals representing both the electrons are taken in geometrical sequence that span the radial space properly. The present calculated energies for the metastable bound states are lowest yet obtained. The resonance parameters that is, energy position and width of a large number of resonance states lying above He+(2p) threshold are evaluated by using stabilization method. The resonance parameters calculated in this work are in good agreement with the available theoretical results for the resonance states lying below He+(3p) threshold. The parameters for a large number of resonance states lying between He+(3p) and He+(7p) thresholds are being reported for the first time. The effective quantum numbers of all the states considered in the present work are estimated by using quantum defect theory. Different structural properties for example, the one‐ and two‐particle moments, virial factors, expectation values of interelectronic angles, two‐particle radial probability densities, and so forth are estimated for both metastable‐bound as well as resonance states. The present results can be used as a benchmark for future references.

PACS

31.15.ac, 31.15.V‐, 31.15.xt, 32.80.Zb, 32.80.Ee
Placing their bets: The influence of strategic investment on CEO pay‐for‐performance
Authors: Shi Wei , Connelly Brian L. , Mackey Jeremy D. , Gupta Abhinav
Published: June 2019

Research Summary

A number of studies examine the extent to which boards compensate CEOs for their firm's performance (i.e., pay‐for‐performance), but these studies typically do not incorporate what CEOs actually do to bring about those performance outcomes. We suggest that directors will make stronger internal attributions about firm performance when the CEO engages in high levels of corporate strategic investment. CEOs that invest in firm growth essentially “place their bets,” so the pay‐for‐performance relationship is stronger for them than it is for CEOs who do not invest as much in firm growth. We also theorize and find that directors make internal attributions about firm performance more for prestigious, but not less prestigious, CEOs and more when the directors collectively exhibit conservative, but not liberal, political ideologies.

Managerial Summary

Shareholders and other stakeholders often demand that CEOs should be paid for performance. In other words, CEOs should be paid well when the company is performing well and paid less when the company is not performing well. We add an additional dimension: boards might also consider what CEOs actually do to bring about performance outcomes. Our findings suggest that when CEOs make heavy corporate investments, they essentially “place their bets.” In this scenario, boards attribute performance to the CEO so that CEO compensation rises and falls with company performance. When CEOs make fewer corporate investments, their compensation is not as strongly associated with company performance. This primary relationship is particularly true when CEOs have high social recognition or when the directors are collectively conservative.
A Critical Review on Enhancement of Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production by Molybdenum Disulfide: From Growth to Interfacial Activities
Authors: Wu Cuo , Zhang Jing , Tong Xin , Yu Peng , Xu Jing‐Yin , Wu Jiang , Wang Zhiming M. , Lou Jun , Chueh Yu‐Lun
Published: June 2019

Ultrathin 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which is the flagship of 2D transition‐metal dichalcogenide nanomaterials, has drawn much attention in the last few years. 2D MoS2 has been banked as an alternative to platinum for highly active hydrogen evolution reaction because of its low cost, high surface‐to‐volume ratio, and abundant active sites. However, when MoS2 is used directly as a photocatalyst, contrary to public expectation, it still performs poorly due to lateral size, high recombination ratio of excitons, and low optical cross section. Besides, simply compositing MoS2 as a cocatalyst with other semiconductors cannot satisfy the practical application, which stimulates the pursual of a comprehensive insight into recent advances in synthesis, properties, and enhanced hydrogen production of MoS2. Therefore, in this Review, emphasis is given to synthetic methods, phase transitions, tunable optical properties, and interfacial engineering of 2D MoS2. Abundant ways of band edge tuning, structural modification, and phase transition are addressed, which can generate the neoteric photocatalytic systems. Finally, the main challenges and opportunities with respect to MoS2 being a cocatalyst and coherent light–matter interaction of MoS2 in photocatalytic systems are proposed.
Efficient Bio‐Photoelectrochemical Reaction at a TiO2 Nanowire Array‐Based Triphase Interface
Authors: Wang Dandan , Chen Liping , Ding Zhenyao , Feng Xinjian
Published: June 2019

Herein, a high‐performance photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioassay system based on the PEC and oxidase‐catalytic coupled reactions at an air–liquid–solid triphase joint interface is reported. The triphase joint interface is constructed by immobilizing oxidases on the top of hydrophobic TiO2 nanowire arrays grown on transparent fluorine‐doped tin oxide substrates. Such triphase reaction systems allow sufficient oxygen to constantly and rapidly transport to the reaction zone from the air phase directly, which greatly enhances and stabilizes the oxidase‐catalytic reaction, leading to a ≈100‐fold wider linear detection range and a higher detection accuracy compared with conventional liquid–solid diphase systems. Moreover, the single crystal nanowire arrays, possessing rapid photogenerated charge transport abilities, give the triphase PEC bioassay system a 32 times lower detection limit and a 12.8 times higher sensitivity compared with that of a randomly packed nanoparticle‐based system. The design principle proposed here can be generalized to develop high‐performance PEC bioassay systems for accurate analyte determination, given the availability, for a variety of oxidases.
Screening for trisomies by cfDNA testing of maternal blood in twin pregnancy: update of The Fetal Medicine Foundation results and meta‐analysis
Authors: Gil M. M. , Galeva S. , Jani J. , Konstantinidou L. , Akolekar R. , Plana M. N. , Nicolaides K. H.
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To report on the routine clinical implementation of cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) analysis of maternal blood for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in twin pregnancy and to define the performance of the test by combining our results with those identified in a systematic review of the literature.

Methods

The data for the prospective study were derived from screening for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in twin pregnancies at 10 + 0 to 14 + 1 weeks' gestation. Two populations were included; first, self‐referred women to the Fetal Medicine Centre in London or Brugmann University Hospital in Brussels and, second, women selected for the cfDNA test after routine first‐trimester combined testing at one of two National Health Service hospitals in England. This dataset was used to determine the performance of screening for the three trisomies. Search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library),
ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) was carried out to identify all peer‐reviewed publications on clinical validation or implementation of maternal cfDNA testing for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in twin pregnancy. A meta‐analysis was then performed using our data and those in the studies identified by the literature search.

Results

In our dataset of 997 twin pregnancies with a cfDNA result and known outcome, the test classified correctly 16 (94.1%) of the 17 cases of trisomy 21, nine (90.0%) of the 10 cases of trisomy 18, one (50.0%) of the two cases of trisomy 13 and 962 (99.4%) of the 968 cases without any of the three trisomies. The literature search identified seven relevant studies, excluding our previous papers because their data are included in the current study. In the combined populations of our study and the seven studies identified by the literature search, there were 56 trisomy‐21 and 3718 non‐trisomy‐21 twin pregnancies; the pooled weighted detection rate (DR) and false‐positive rate (FPR) were 98.2% (95% CI, 83.2–99.8%) and 0.05% (95% CI, 0.01–0.26%), respectively. In the combined total of 18 cases of trisomy 18 and 3143 non‐trisomy‐18 pregnancies, the pooled weighted DR and FPR were 88.9% (95% CI, 64.8–97.2%) and 0.03% (95% CI, 0.00–0.33%), respectively. For trisomy 13, there were only three affected cases and two (66.7%) of these were detected by the cfDNA test at a FPR of 0.19% (5/2569).

Conclusions

The performance of cfDNA testing for trisomy 21 in twin pregnancy is similar to that reported in singleton pregnancy and is superior to that of the first‐trimester combined test or second‐trimester biochemical testing. The number of cases of trisomies 18 and 13 is too small for accurate assessment of the predictive performance of the cfDNA test. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Effect on sludge disintegration by EDTA‐enhanced thermal‐alkaline treatment
Authors: Liu Bowen , Jin Ruofei , Liu Guangfei , Gu Chen , Dong Bin , Zhou Jiti , Xing Defeng
Published: June 2019

Sludge disintegration is an effective pretreatment to enhance the biodegradability of sludge. At present, the thermal‐alkaline is one of the most commonly used methods, but it has a massive consumption of energy and chemical reagents. EDTA‐enhanced thermal‐alkaline treatment was used to strengthen the dewatered sludge disintegration at mid‐low temperature in this study. Results showed that the dissolving‐out quantity of soluble chemical oxygen demand and the volatile solid (VS) in residual sludge in the EDTA‐added group were 14.7% higher and 7% lower than those in control system without EDTA, respectively, indicating that EDTA addition improved the performance of sludge disintegration. The addition of EDTA loosened the floc structure and enhanced the hydrolyzability of dissolved organic matters (DOM) with a narrower distribution of the relative molecular weight. The membrane damage of microbial cells in EDTA‐added group reached 73.3% after 120 min, which was much higher than that in the control group (31.9%). EDTA contains a large number of hydrogen bond acceptors and could form hydrogen bonds with alcohols and phenols in solubilization products and DOM. It was speculated that the mechanism of EDTA‐enhanced sludge disintegration was related to the formation of hydrogen bonds between EDTA and organic matter inside and outside the cell.

Practitioner points

The addition of EDTA facilitated the thermal‐alkali cracking of dewatered sludge.

EDTA increased the particle size of sludge and enhanced the hydrolysis of DOM.

The strengthening effect mainly occurred at the beginning of TB‐EPS dissolving slowly.

Hydrogen bond played important roles in the enhanced disintegration of sludge by EDTA.
Barriers to genome editing with CRISPR in bacteria
Authors: Vento Justin M , Crook Nathan , Beisel Chase L
Published: June 2019

Genome editing is essential for probing genotype–phenotype relationships and for enhancing chemical production and phenotypic robustness in industrial bacteria. Currently, the most popular tools for genome editing couple recombineering with DNA cleavage by the CRISPR nuclease Cas9 from Streptococcus pyogenes. Although successful in some model strains, CRISPR-based genome editing has been slow to extend to the multitude of industrially relevant bacteria. In this review, we analyze existing barriers to implementing CRISPR-based editing across diverse bacterial species. We first compare the efficacy of current CRISPR-based editing strategies. Next, we discuss alternatives when the S. pyogenes Cas9 does not yield colonies. Finally, we describe different ways bacteria can evade editing and how elucidating these failure modes can improve CRISPR-based genome editing across strains. Together, this review highlights existing obstacles to CRISPR-based editing in bacteria and offers guidelines to help achieve and enhance editing in a wider range of bacterial species, including non-model strains.
Production of semi-biosynthetic nepetalactone in yeast
Authors: Billingsley John M , Anguiano Jose L , Tang Yi
Published: June 2019

Microbial-based production of natural products provides a promising alternative to synthetic production and isolation from the native producer. The recently discovered NEPS1 cyclase/oxidase completes the biosynthetic pathway to nepetalactone, a biologically relevant iridoid known as both an insect repellent and cat attractant. In this work, we employ yeast-based whole-cell biocatalysis to produce semi-biosynthetic nepetalactone from a low-cost precursor via a four-step enzymatic process. The dependence of product yield on bioprocess parameters ranging from induction of gene expression to substrate loading was investigated. Subsequent factorial design and response surface methodology optimization approach enabled a 5.8-fold increase in nepetalactone titer to 153 mg/L. Our study provides insights into strategies for operating plasmid-based bioconversion of a fed substrate and sets the stage for scalable, microbial synthesis of nepetalactone.
Skin conductance responses in anticipation of gains and losses
Authors: Ring Patrick , Schmidt Ulrich
Published: June 2019

It has been observed that, in a variety of tasks, losses have a larger impact on behavior than do gains of equal size. This phenomenon is referred to as loss aversion. It is thought that the negativity bias in behavior is reflected in and potentially causally related to a negativity bias in emotional arousal. We examine skin conductance responses—a psychophysiological marker for emotional arousal—during the anticipation of gains and losses. In contrast to most previous research, gains and losses were separated from each other and symmetric in magnitude. We found that skin conductance responses during the anticipation phase increased with the magnitude of both gains and losses. Contrary to the predictions of the loss aversion hypothesis, the anticipation of a loss did not elicit stronger reactions than the anticipation of a gain of equal size.
Amarinth develops scalable pump seal support system ATUs that are ideally suited to short lead-time contracts
Authors: Atkinson Simon
Published: June 2019

UK-based Amarinth Ltd, which specialises in the design, application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and associated equipment for use in the oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, industrial and power-generating markets, has developed a scalable, configurable range of pump seal support system automatic top up units (ATUs). Here we briefly look at these systems which are designed and manufactured in house and can be completed to meet short lead-time contracts.
C.06 A nation-wide prospective multi-centre study of external ventricular drainage accuracy, safety and related complications
Authors: Dakson A , Kameda-Smith M , Staudt MD , Lavergne P , Eagles M , Elliott C , Iorio-Morin C , Makarenko S , Althagafi A , Touchette CJ , Tso MK , Christie S
Published: June 2019

Background: Insertion of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is performed to treat elevated intracranial pressure. EVD catheters are associated with complications such as EVD catheter infection (ECI), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and suboptimal catheter placement. As part of the Canadian Neurosurgery Research Collaborative, we sought to investigate the national rate of such complications and their risk factors. Methods: Prospective study of 273 patients from eight academic Canadian neurosurgery centres Results: Infection rate was 6% and predicted by smaller incisions and not peri-procedure antibiotics, tunneling distance, type of antiseptic used or catheter flushing (p>0.05). The mean duration of EVD was 17.7±3.7 in ECI and ventriculitis group which was significantly higher than in patients without ECI (9.4±8.1) (p=0.045). Although the risk of developing ICH was 9.3%, symptomatic ICH was rare. Pre-procedure pharmacological DVT prophylaxis predicted EVD-related ICH(OR 4.73). The rate of suboptimal catheter location was 31% and predicted by the number of passes (p=0.02), but not image guidance, level of training or catheter placement in an operating room setting (p>0.05). Conclusions: This study reports EVD complication rates and their associated risk factors observed within an academic, multicentre Canadian cohort. This information will help to identify strategies to increase the safety of this common neurosurgical procedure.
P.001 Rate of cognitive decline in dementias in patients from rural and remote Saskatchewan
Authors: Shahab IU , Kirk A , Karunanayake C , O’Connell M , Morgan D
Published: June 2019

Background: To determine whether there is a difference in the average annual rate of decline in Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores between those with Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 225 consecutive patients with dementia who attended the Rural and Remote Memory Clinic in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The data collected included MMSE scores and demographic information. Statistical analysis with ANOVA compared the average the annual rate of decline in MMSE score between patients with different types of dementia. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of MMSE score decline between these groups. Patients with frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia were referred to the clinic at younger ages than those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Conclusions: The rate of decline in MMSE did not differ between these four types of dementia. Patients with frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia often experience cognitive decline earlier in life than those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.
P.011 OnabotulinumtoxinA, quality of life, health resource utilization, and work productivity in chronic migraine: interim results from PREDICT
Authors: Boudreau G , Becker WJ , Graboski C , Ong-Lam M , Finkelstein I , Christie S , Bhogal M , Davidovic G
Published: June 2019

Background: We assessed long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functioning in adults receiving onabotulinumtoxinA for CM. Methods: Interim analysis of multicentre, prospective, observational study in adults naïve to botulinum toxin (NCT02502123). Mean change from baseline in Migraine-Specific Quality of Life (MSQ) score (primary); healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and work productivity (secondary) assessed in patients receiving 4 of 7 onabotulinumtoxinA treatments (Tx4; ~10 months). Results: Across treatments (baseline, n=196, post-Tx2, n=173, post-Tx4, n=137), the mean (SD) between-session interval and onabotulinumtoxinA dose was 13.1 weeks and 170.4 (17.2) U, respectively. MSQ scores increased significantly (P<0.0001) (baseline to post-Tx4; all role function domains). Patient percentages declined from baseline to post-Tx2 and post-Tx4 for emergency room visits (17.3%; 9.3%; 6.6%), hospital admissions (3.6%; 2.9%; 1.5%), and headache-related diagnostic testing (35.9%; 15.9%; 8.1%). The percentages of patients employed at baseline (73.5%) and post-Tx4 (72.3%) were similar. Hours worked increased slightly from baseline to post-Tx4 (28.0 [SD=15.4]; 29.4 [SD=16.0]). Headache-related missed work hours decreased (5.9 [SD=9.5]; 2.5 [SD=5.9]). Patients reported less headache-related impact on work productivity from baseline to post-Tx4 (5.4 [SD=2.1] vs 3.9 [SD=2.6]) and ability to perform daily activities (6.1 [SD=2.1] vs 4.2 [SD=2.8]). Conclusions: OnabotulinumtoxinA for CM improved HRQoL and work productivity and reduced HRU.
P.012 Bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation in a patient with chorea-acanthocytosis
Authors: Richard A , Alterman R , Simon D
Published: June 2019

Background: Chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease due to mutation of the VPS13A gene encoding the protein chorein. ChAc is a slowly progressive disorder that typically presents in early adulthood, and whose clinical features include chorea and dystonia with involuntary lip, cheek and tongue biting. Some patients also have seizures. Treatment for ChAc is symptomatic. A small number of ChAc patients have been treated with bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus interna (GPi), and we now present an additional case. Methods: Patient chart, functional measures, and laboratory findings were reviewed from the time of ChAc diagnosis until 6 months after deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Results: Here we present a case of ChAc in a 31 year old male positive for VPS13A gene muations who presented with chorea, tongue biting, dysarthria, weight loss, and mild cognitive dysfunction. GPi-DBS using monopolar stimulation was associated with significant improvement in chorea and dysarthria. Conclusions: This case adds to the current state of knowledge regarding the efficacy and safety of bilateral GPi-DBS for symptomatic control of drug-resistant hyperkinetic movements seen in ChAc. Controlled trials are needed to better assess the impact of DBS in ChAc.
P.014 OnabotulinumtoxinA-treated cervical dystonia patients report improvements in health-related quality of life in a prospective, observational study: POSTURe
Authors: Petitclerc M , Cloutier M , Bhogal M , Davidovic G
Published: June 2019

Background: The clinical benefit of onabotulinumtoxinA in cervical dystonia (CD) is proven, but its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is largely unknown. Methods: Multicentre, prospective, observational study (NCT01655862) of CD patients treated with onabotulinumtoxinA at physician discretion (maximum 9 treatments). Patient-reported HRQoL outcomes and work productivity were collected at baseline, 4- or 8-weeks post-treatment, and final visit (prior to 9th treatment). OnabotulinumtoxinA utilization was assessed. Results: 61 patients received ≥1 treatment; 74.1% completed all treatments. Average total dose/treatment was 186.9U. The splenius capitis was most frequently treated (100% patients). Average pain numeric rating scale score was significantly improved at final visit (2.1) versus baseline (4.6; p<0.001) as were CD impact profile questionnaire-58 scores across all subscales (head/neck symptoms, pain/discomfort, sleep, upper limb activities, walking, annoyance, mood, psychosocial functioning; all p<0.001). Fewer patients (16.0%) reported loss of work productivity at final visit versus baseline (48.4%). 121 AEs were reported by 67.2% patients. 62 AEs in 44.3% patients were treatment-related, the most common being neck pain (18%). One serious AE (not treatment-related) was reported by 1 patient. No new safety signals were identified. Conclusions: Long-term use of onabotulinumtoxinA is a safe, effective treatment for CD, improving HRQoL and work productivity.
P.028 A milder congenital myopathy in the french canadians caused by a novel TNNT1 homozygous missense mutation
Authors: Pellerin D , Aykanat A , Ellezam B , Karamchandani J , Mathieu J , Chardon J Warman , Konersman CG , Beggs AH , Brais B , Chrestian N
Published: June 2019

Background: Mutations of the slow skeletal muscle troponin-T1 (TNNT1) gene are a rare cause of nemaline myopathy. The phenotype is characterized by severe amyotrophy and contractures. Death from respiratory insufficiency occurs in infancy. We report on four French Canadians with a novel congenital TNNT1-related myopathy. Methods: Patients underwent MRI of leg muscles, quadriceps biopsy and genetic testing. Wild type or mutated human TNNT1 mRNAs were co-injected with morpholinos in a zebrafish knockdown model to assess their relative abilities to rescue the morphant phenotype. Results: Three adults and one child shared a novel missense homozygous pathogenic variant in the TNNT1 gene. They developed from childhood slowly progressive limb-girdle weakness with spinal rigidity and contractures. They suffered from restrictive lung disease and recurrent episodes of infection-triggered rhabdomyolysis, which were relieved by dantrolene in one patient. Older patients remained ambulatory into their sixties. MRI of leg muscles showed symmetrical atrophy and fatty infiltration in a proximal-to-distal gradient. Biopsies showed multi-minicores, while nemaline rods were seen in half the patients. Wild type TNNT1 mRNA rescued the zebrafish morphants but mutant transcripts failed to rescue the morphants. Conclusions: This study expands the spectrum of TNNT1-related myopathy to include a milder clinical phenotype caused by a functionally-confirmed novel missense mutation.
P.032 What do elective students learn about the specialty of Neurology (and what can that teach us)?
Authors: Moore F
Published: June 2019

Background: “Neurophobia” describes a fear of Neurology on the part of medical students. This contrasts with the “neurophilia” that exists in society with increasing awareness of disorders such as stroke and multiple sclerosis. Ideally, we should take advantage of “neurophilia” to promote our specialty’s strengths. One step would be to better understand what students learn from a Neurology elective. Methods: This was a qualitative study. Students completing an elective between September 2011 and March 2015 at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) in Montreal completed written pre- and post-elective questionnaires. Results: 36 students participated; 15 from McGill, 11 from other Canadian medical schools, and 10 from International medical schools. Many students changed their opinion about Neurology, with fewer citing lack of treatments or poor patient prognoses as negatives after completing their elective. They valued knowledge acquired about the neurological exam and problem-solving, while the range of cases and subspecialties surprised them. Many would diversify the setting of their elective to better experience this variety. Conclusions: More diversified elective experiences could showcase the strengths of our specialty and the scope of neurological practice. Presenting Neurology as a challenging, intellectually stimulating specialty that emphasizes problem solving could increase student interest.
P.034 Evaluation of modeling software for deployment of Pipeline stents in the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms
Authors: Teoderascu F , Rempel J , O’Kelly C
Published: June 2019

Background: Flow diversion is an established endovascular method for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) remains the only FDA-approved stent available in USA and Canada since 2011. Stent position plays an important role in determining long-term success. The Leonardo Workstation(Siemens) is used for planning the ideal stent size and post-deployment destination. This first-ever study evaluates the accuracy of modeling software in predicting PED location post-deployment. Methods: 48 PED-assisted cases were performed 2012-2018 at the University of Alberta Hospital. 20 fit our preliminary inclusion criteria (single stents, simple anatomy). The proximal and distal landing zones were used to model the ideal stent using Leonardo. Accuracy was measured by comparing the Leonardo-predicted stent length vs known length. Results modeling against the dimensions predicted by AngioSuite, an app-based interface designed for use in the planning stages. Results: Leonardo workstation is accurate within 5mm at predicting final length for stents oversized by ≥0.25 cm. The predicted difference by Leonardo workstation & AngioSuite did not demonstrate statistical significance (P=0.36, P=0.24 respectively). Conclusions: Current angiographic planning tools are accurate at predicting PED deployment within 5mm. Complex vascular anatomy and deployment of multiple stents make prediction challenging. Analysis of these complex cases is currently underway.