bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sleep of Wheelchair Rugby Athletes: Training, Rest and
Competition
Authors: Sanz-Milone Victor , Narciso Fernanda V. , da Silva Andressa , Misuta Milton , de Mello Marco Túlio , Esteves Andrea Maculano
Published: September 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sleep-wake cycle of wheelchair rugby
athletes during the pre-season compared to in-season. Wheelchair Rugby athletes
wore an actigraph monitor during two respective 10-day periods: 1) pre-season
and 2) in-season, each of which comprised three training days, three rest days,
and four competition days, respectively. In addition, the players completed
questionnaires regarding sleepiness, subjective quality of sleep, and
chronotype, as well as the use of the sleep diary along with the actigraph
measurements (20 days). The wheelchair rugby athletes had poor subjective sleep
quality in both stages observed by sleep efficiency below 85% (ES 0.31)
and high score in the Pittsburgh questionnaire (effect size-ES 0.55), the
actigraphy results presented an increase of sleep latency (ES 0.47), and wake
after sleep onset (ES 0.42). When comparing the athlete’s routine, the
competition days, demonstrated a reduction in the total time of sleep and the
sleep efficiency, in addition to an increase in wakefulness after sleep onset
when compared with the training and rest periods. As a result, the wheelchair
rugby players did not describe a pattern of sleep-wake cycle during different
training phases, as well as poor sleep quality.
Crohnʼs Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED) als Alternative zur exklusiven Ernährungstherapie bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Morbus Crohn? Stellungnahme der Arbeitsgemeinschaften CEDATA und Ernährung/Diätetik/Ernährungsmedizin der Gesellschaft für pädiatrische Gastroenterologie und Ernährung e. V.
Authors: de Laffolie Jan , Schwerd Tobias , Simon Annette , Pauli Maren , Broekaert Ilse , Classen Martin , Posovszky Carsten , Schmidt-Choudhury Anjona ,   im Namen und Auftrag der AGs CEDATA und AG Ernährung und Diätetik/Ernährungsmedizin der GPGE
Published: September 2020

Epidemiologische und klinische Beobachtungen sowie Tiermodelle weisen auf die Ernährung als Risikofaktor für die Entwicklung einer chronisch entzündlichen Darmerkrankung (CED) hin. Die exklusive enterale Ernährungstherapie (EET) ist das Musterbeispiel einer effektiven Entzündungskontrolle durch eine rein diätetische Intervention. Ausgehend davon haben Patienten, Familien und betreuende Fachkräfte des Gesundheitswesens ein großes Interesse, andere Ernährungsmodifikationen in der Behandlung von CED-Patienten einzusetzen, zum Beispiel eine partielle Ernährungstherapie (PET) mit spezifischer Diät wie die Crohnʼs Disease Exclusion Diet. Die folgende Stellungnahme fasst die aktuelle Datenlage zusammen und gibt Orientierung für Praxis und weitere Forschung.
Unexpected Inversion of Configuration During the Carbamoylation of 1-Azaflavaglines
Authors: Désaubry Laurent , Abou-Hamdan Hussein
Published: September 2020

The acylation of 8-demethoxy-1-azaflavaglines by dimethylcarbamoyl chloride was found to operate with an inversion of configuration, which is rationalized by the occurrence of styrylurea intermediate. The configuration-reversed products were not observed when the substrate was substituted by a methoxy in position 8, suggesting that an overstabilization of the carbocationic intermediate prevents this reaction to take place.
Expanding Uses of HIPEC for Locally Advanced Colorectal Cancer: A European Perspective
Authors: Cortes-Guiral Delia , Glehen Olivier
Published: September 2020

Locally advanced colorectal cancer is a challenge for surgeons and medical oncologist; 10 to 20% colorectal cancer debut as locally advanced disease, with tumors extending through the colon wall with perforation and/or invasion of adjacent organs or structures. Those locally advanced tumors have a worse prognostic at any stage due not only to systemic dissemination but also in a high percentage of patients, to locoregional recurrence, in fact, peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal origin is so predictable that we can assess the risk for each patient according to some histopathological and clinical features: small peritoneal nodules resected in the first surgery (70% probability), ovarian metastases (60%), perforated tumor onset or intraoperative tumor rupture (50%), positive cytology (40%), and pT4/mucinous pT3 up to 40%. Prophylactic or adjuvant hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy seems to be a promising strategy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer to prevent the development of peritoneal recurrence and improve prognosis of this group of patients.
Multivisceral Resection of Advanced Pelvic Tumors: From Planning to Implementation
Authors: Mirnezami R. , Mirnezami A.
Published: September 2020

Pelvic exenteration involves radical multivisceral resection for locally advanced and recurrent pelvic tumors. Advances in tumor staging, oncological therapies, preoperative patient optimization, surgical techniques, and critical care medicine have permitted the safe expansion of pelvic exenterative surgery at specialist units. It is now understood that in carefully selected patients, 5-year survival can exceed 60% following pelvic exenteration, and that very low mortality figures and an optimum postexenteration quality of life are possible. In the present review, we provide a contemporary summary of the current state of the art in pelvic exenterative surgery following all key phases of the treatment pipeline from patient staging and tumor assessment, to treatment planning and surgery.
Impact of Nonclinical Factors on Treatment Decisions: What Can and Cannot Be Done and Why?
Authors: Sweney Matthew T.
Published: September 2020

This clinical scenario describes a situation where drug-resistant focal epilepsy could have been treated with specific surgery, but a mixture of nonclinical factors led to a different management. The epilepsy started at the age of 6 years and the assessment for other treatment options by this team was done at the age of 12 years. Financial factors were important in the decisions that had to be made and effectively perhaps decisive.
Diagnosis is in the Eye of the Beholder: Barriers to Early Diagnosis of Mucopolysaccharidosis in Children in India
Authors: Grewal Meenu , Muranjan Mamta
Published: September 2020

The present study examined referral pattern and diagnostic practices for mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) in India in 40 patients with a confirmed diagnosis. Time lag between age of onset of symptoms and consultation with primary physician ranged from 0 to 84 months, between consultation with primary physician and visit to genetic clinic of 0 to 128 months, from visit to genetic clinic and diagnosis of 1 to 111 months, and that between onset of symptoms and diagnosis 1 to 154 months. Major causes for delayed diagnosis were symptoms overlooked by physician (54%), late consultation by care giver (48.6%), late onset of symptoms (43.2%), and resource crunch (32.4%). Diagnosis at referral other than MPS was noted in 45%. Thus, diagnostic delay for MPS is common due to health seeking practices of parents, as well as physicians' clinical practices. Overcoming these barriers would necessitate strengthening awareness and educational activities for physicians and lay public.
Comparison of Hirschsprung Disease Characteristics between Those with a History of Postoperative Enterocolitis and Those without: Results from the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium
Authors: Taylor Mark A. , Bucher Brian T. , Reeder Ron W. , Avansino Jeffrey R. , Durham Megan , Calkins Casey M. , Wood Richard J. , Levitt Marc A. , Drake Kaylea , Rollins Michael D.
Published: September 2020

Introduction The current understanding of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is based mainly on single-center, retrospective studies. The aims of this study are to determine risk factors for postoperative HAEC using the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC) database.

Materials and Methods We performed a multicenter, retrospective, case–control study of children with Hirschsprung disease (HD) who had undergone a pull-through procedure and were evaluated at a PCPLC member site between February 2017 and March 2020. The cohort with a history of postoperative HAEC was compared with that without postoperative episodes of HAEC to determine relevant associations with postoperative HAEC.

Results One-hundred forty of 299 (46.8%) patients enrolled had a history of postoperative HAEC. Patients with a rectosigmoid transition zone had a lower association with postoperative HAEC as compared with those with a more proximal transition zone (odds ratio [OR]: 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26, 0.84, p < 0.01). Private insurance was protective against postoperative HAEC on univariate analysis (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.99, p = 0.047), but not on multivariate analysis (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.37, 1.04, p = 0.07). Preoperative HAEC was not associated with the development of postoperative HAEC.

Conclusion Patients with a rectosigmoid transition zone have less postoperative HAEC compared with patients with a more proximal transition zone. Multi-institutional collection of clinical information in patients with HD may allow for the identification of additional risk factors for HAEC and afford the opportunity to improve care.
Number of nonzero states in prefractal sets generated by cellular automata
Authors: Kawaharada Akane , Namiki Takao
Published: September 2020

We count the number of nonzero states in the spatio-temporal or spatial patterns of cellular automata. By observing self-similar structures, we determine the number of nonzero states in the pattern. For Rule 90 and Rule 150 of one-dimensional elementary cellular automata, we provide an overview of previous studies on the number of nonzero states in spatio-temporal patterns until the finite time step 2n − 1. In this study, we calculate the numbers in spatial patterns for each time step t∈Z≥0 that allow us to compute future activities more efficiently than that by simulating the entire spatio-temporal pattern. We obtain results regarding the numbers for Rule 90, Rule 150, a generalization of Rule 90 to a two-dimensional case, and a modified Ulam’s model, which is a two-dimensional crystal growth model. In addition, we examine the relationship between spatio-temporal patterns generated by cellular automata and a singular function. Representing the number of nonzero states by specific numeric values, we show that they are described by a difference form of the singular function.
Strain-induced structural transition of rutile type ReO2 epitaxial thin films
Authors: Shibata Shunsuke , Hirose Yasushi , Chikamatsu Akira , Ikenaga Eiji , Hasegawa Tetsuya
Published: September 2020

Rutile-related (tetragonal rutile and monoclinic distorted rutile) ReO2 epitaxial thin films were grown on rutile TiO2 single crystalline substrates by reactive pulsed laser deposition of the Re metal target under a N2O atmosphere. The ReO2 film underwent structural phase transition from the monoclinic to tetragonal phase with the decreasing film thickness, driven by compressive lattice strain from the substrate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrical transport measurements revealed that both phases had metallic properties above 25 K. The distinct difference in valence band spectra between the two phases might be due to reconstruction of the band structure dominated by Re 5d t2g.
Peak thermoelectric power factor of holey silicon films
Authors: Ma Jun , Gelda Dhruv , Valavala Krishna V. , Sinha Sanjiv
Published: September 2020

The thermoelectric properties of nanostructured silicon are not fully understood despite their initial promise. While the anomalously low thermal conductivity has attracted much work, the impact of nanostructuring on the power factor has mostly escaped attention. While initial reports did not find any significant changes to the power factor compared to the bulk, subsequent detailed measurements on p-type silicon nanowires showed a stark reduction in the Seebeck coefficient when compared to similarly doped bulk. The reduction is consistent with the disappearance of the phonon drag contribution, due to phonon boundary scattering. Here, we report measurements on a different nanostructure, holey silicon films, to test if similar loss of phonon drag can be observed. By devising experiments where all properties are measured on the same sample, we show that though these films possess electrical conductivity close to that in the bulk at comparable doping, they exhibit considerably smaller thermopower. The data are consistent with loss of phonon drag. At neck distances between 120 and 230 nm, the power factor at optimal doping is ∼50% that of the bulk. These insights are useful in the practical design of future thermoelectric devices based on nanostructured silicon.
Settling characteristics of bidisperse dilute suspension in the vortex shedding regime
Authors: Zaidi Ali Abbas
Published: September 2020

In a fully periodic domain, monodisperse particles form clusters while settling in stagnant fluids at high Reynolds numbers (Re > 250) and dilute suspensions (solid volume fraction less than 1%). This is due to the entrapment of particles in the wakes developed by upstream particles. In this paper, this phenomenon is investigated for suspensions containing particles of different sizes that shed vortices during settling. To model the particle–fluid and particle–particle interactions, the immersed boundary method and discrete element method are used, respectively. Initially, the particles are randomly distributed in the computational domain and allowed to settle under the action of gravity. The gravitational force acting on the particles is adjusted to obtain the desired Reynolds number. The total solid volume fraction used in the simulations is about 0.1%, and the settling Reynolds number, which is based on the Sauter mean diameter, ranges from 250 to 450. Two particle diameter ratios (i.e., diameter of larger particles to smaller particles) of 2:1 and 3:1 are studied. For each particle diameter ratio, the mass fraction for each particle size varies from 0.2 to 0.8. For comparison, simulations of monodisperse particles settling under similar conditions are also conducted, and the average settling velocity, particle velocity fluctuations, and particle microstructures are studied. The simulation results show that, in the case of bidisperse particles, the settling characteristics are dominated by the larger-sized particles. Finally, the physics behind the studied anomalies is discussed in detail.
Entangled photon assisted multidimensional nonlinear optics of exciton–polaritons
Authors: Debnath Arunangshu , Rubio Angel
Published: September 2020

We present a theoretical formulation of the frequency domain multidimensional pump-probe analog spectroscopy, which utilizes the spectral–temporal entanglement features of the biphoton sources. It has been shown, via a compact multi-time, convolutional Green’s function expression and the accompanying numerical simulations, that utilizing the correlation properties of non-classical sources offers a viable scheme for the exploration of dissipative kinetics of the cavity confined quantum aggregates. The cooperative and competitive modifications brought in by the photonic cavity mode and the auxiliary vibrational modes into the scattering and dephasing properties of the exciton–polaritons have been explored via their signatures in the multidimensional correlation maps. The study offers a new parameter window for the investigation of the dynamical polariton characteristics and warrants the usage of multi-mode entanglement properties of the external photonic sources in future studies.
Effects of deposition conditions on the ferroelectric properties of (Al1−xScx)N thin films
Authors: Yasuoka Shinnosuke , Shimizu Takao , Tateyama Akinori , Uehara Masato , Yamada Hiroshi , Akiyama Morito , Hiranaga Yoshiomi , Cho Yasuo , Funakubo Hiroshi
Published: September 2020

The ferroelectricity of (Al1−xScx)N (x = 0–0.34) thin films with various thicknesses was investigated. (Al1−xScx)N films were prepared at 400 °C on (111)Pt/TiOx/SiO2/(001)Si substrates by the radio frequency dual-source reactive magnetron sputtering method using Al and Sc targets under pure N2 gas or a mixture of N2 and Ar gases. The film deposited under N2 gas showed larger remanent polarization than those under N2 + Ar mixture. Ferroelectricity was observed for films with x = 0.10–0.34 for about 140-nm-thick films deposited under N2 gas. The x = 0.22 films showed ferroelectricity down to 48 nm in thickness from the polarization–electric field curves and the positive-up-negative-down measurement. The ferroelectricity of the 9 nm-thick film also was ascertained from scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy measurement. These results reveal that ferroelectric polarization can switch for films with much broader compositions and thicknesses than those in the previous study.
Formation of NaCl through radiative association: Computations accounting for non-adiabatic dynamics
Authors: Gustafsson Magnus
Published: September 2020

The radiative association (RA) rate constant is computed for the formation of the diatomic sodium chloride (NaCl) molecule in the temperature interval 1 K–30 K. At these temperatures, RA of NaCl through non-adiabatic dynamics is important. A scattering program has been implemented to carry out calculations of RA cross sections, accounting for coupled dynamics on the lowest ionic and the lowest neutral diabatic 1Σ+ states. The study shows that the non-adiabatic treatment gives a cross section that exceeds that of conventional adiabatic dynamics by one to four orders of magnitude. The contribution to the RA rate constant from Na and Cl approaching each other in the A1Π state has also been computed using an established quantum mechanical method. Ab initio data from the literature have been used for the potential energy curves, the diabatic coupling, and the electric dipole moments of NaCl.
Free energy barriers from biased molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Bal Kristof M. , Fukuhara Satoru , Shibuta Yasushi , Neyts Erik C.
Published: September 2020

Atomistic simulation methods for the quantification of free energies are in wide use. These methods operate by sampling the probability density of a system along a small set of suitable collective variables (CVs), which is, in turn, expressed in the form of a free energy surface (FES). This definition of the FES can capture the relative stability of metastable states but not that of the transition state because the barrier height is not invariant to the choice of CVs. Free energy barriers therefore cannot be consistently computed from the FES. Here, we present a simple approach to calculate the gauge correction necessary to eliminate this inconsistency. Using our procedure, the standard FES as well as its gauge-corrected counterpart can be obtained by reweighing the same simulated trajectory at little additional cost. We apply the method to a number of systems—a particle solvated in a Lennard-Jones fluid, a Diels–Alder reaction, and crystallization of liquid sodium—to demonstrate its ability to produce consistent free energy barriers that correctly capture the kinetics of chemical or physical transformations, and discuss the additional demands it puts on the chosen CVs. Because the FES can be converged at relatively short (sub-ns) time scales, a free energy-based description of reaction kinetics is a particularly attractive option to study chemical processes at more expensive quantum mechanical levels of theory.
Bifractal nature of turbulent reaction waves at high Damköhler and Karlovitz numbers
Authors: Sabelnikov V. A. , Lipatnikov A. N.
Published: September 2020

Governing physical mechanisms of the influence of Kolmogorov turbulence on a reaction wave (e.g., a premixed flame) are often discussed by adopting (combustion) regime diagrams. While two limiting regimes associated with (i) a high Damköhler number Da, but a low Karlovitz number Ka, or (ii) a low Da, but a high Ka drew significant amount of attention, the third limiting regime associated with (iii) Da ≫ 1 and Ka ≫ 1 has yet been beyond the mainstream discussions in the literature. The present work aims at filling this knowledge gap by adapting the contemporary understanding of the fundamentals of the regimes (i) and (ii) in order to describe the basic features of the influence of intense turbulence on a reaction wave in the regime (iii). More specifically, in that regime, the entire turbulence spectrum is divided in two subranges: small-scale and large-scale eddies whose influence on the reaction wave is modeled similarly to the regimes (ii) and (i), respectively. Accordingly, the surface of the reaction wave is hypothesized to be a bifractal with two different fractal dimensions of Df = 8/3 and 7/3 at small and large scales, respectively. The boundary between the two ranges is found by equating the local eddy turn-over time to the laminar-wave time scale. Finally, a simple scaling of UT ∝ u′ is obtained for the turbulent consumption velocity at Da ≫ 1 and Ka ≫ 1. Here, u′ is the rms turbulent velocity.
Photothermal and spectroscopic characterization of Tb3+-doped tungsten–zirconium–tellurite glasses
Authors: dos Santos J. F. M. , Zanuto V. S. , Kesavulu C. R. , Venkataiah G. , Jayasankar C. K. , Nunes L. A. O. , Catunda T.
Published: September 2020

Among the glassy materials, tellurite glasses exhibit low phonon energy (∼780 cm−1), good mechanical stability, chemical durability, and high linear and nonlinear refractive indices, with a wide transmission window (typically 0.4–6.0 μm), which make them promising materials for photonic applications. In this work, tungsten–zirconium–tellurite glasses doped with several Tb3+ concentrations (0.1–4.0 mol. % Tb2O3) were prepared and characterized through absorption, emission, excitation spectra and fluorescence decay rate measurements. Only the green/yellow emission due to the 5D4 level was observed since the 5D3 was not observed in either the absorption or emission spectra due to cutoff absorption of the host matrix at ∼470 nm. A concentration quenching effect was observed in the 545 nm green emission (5D4 → 7F5) with a critical Tb3+ concentration of 6.2×1020 cm3 (1.7 mol. %). Thermal lens (TL) was performed in order to determine the thermo-optical properties of the glass such as thermal diffusivity (D ∼ 3.3×10−3 cm2/s) and optical path temperature coefficient (ds/dT ∼ 2.5 × 10−5 K−1). The energy transfer efficiency from the host matrix to the Tb3+ was estimated from excitation spectra as ∼3%, in agreement with TL measurements which indicate that nearly all absorbed energy is converted into heat for 488 nm excitation (7F6 → 5D4). Z-scan measurements in the cw regime indicate a dominant thermal nonlinearity in agreement with TL data. However, the fluorescence measurements in the Z-scan indicate a strong saturation of the green fluorescence attributed to the effect of excited state absorption.
Dual functionalized Janus structural PVDF nanocomposite with surface-modified dielectric and magnetic nanoparticles
Authors: Tong Huan , Liu Xue-Jie , Zheng Ming-Sheng , Dang Zhi-Min , Zha Jun-Wei
Published: September 2020

Optimizing the combination of dielectric and magnetic properties has become an important issue for electrical and electronic devices. Compared to single-function materials, multifunctional materials have the advantages of increasing device response speed, reducing costs, and increasing stability while reducing the device size. In this work, Janus structure polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites filled with barium titanate (BT) and cobalt ferrite (CFO), respectively, were prepared by electrospinning and hot pressing techniques. The Janus structural composites (J-type) have higher magnetic and dielectric properties than the conventional blended fibrous composites (H-type). When the PVDF matrix was replaced by polystyrene, the effect of Janus structure on dielectric and magnetic properties was even more pronounced. An optimum dielectric constant up to 25.1 and a saturation magnetization of 7.12 emu/g were obtained, which can be attributed to the modification and Janus structure of m-BT/PVDF+m-CFO/PVDF multifunctional composite materials.
Effect of thermal convection on thermocapillary migration of a surfactant-laden droplet in a microchannel
Authors: Luo Xiao , Luo Zheng Yuan , Bai Bo Feng
Published: September 2020

Despite its significance in droplet-based microfluidic technologies with the use of thermal stimuli and surfactants, coupling effects of thermal- and surfactant-induced Marangoni stresses on the transport of droplets in microchannels are not fully uncovered yet. To facilitate studies in this area, we present a three-dimensional numerical study on the thermocapillary migration of an insoluble-surfactant-laden droplet under Poiseuille flow in a microchannel. This work is realized via our own front-tracking finite-difference method with further integration of the energy conservation equation and the surface surfactant transport equation. Our numerical results agree well with the previously reported analytical results for ambient conditions with negligible thermal convection. In this study, we mainly focus on the effects of the thermal convection at high thermal Peclet numbers and find that it induces a significant change in the thermal Marangoni stress. As a consequence, the migration of surfactant-laden droplets in the microchannel is significantly retarded by the thermal convection, which is observed for two different ambient conditions, i.e., the imposed temperature increasing or decreasing along the main flow direction. To understand the mechanism underlying the effects of the thermal convection, we analyze the distributions of the temperature, surfactant concentration, and the thermal- and surfactant-induced surface tension variations over the droplet surface. Notably, the surfactant-induced Marangoni stress always opposes the thermal-induced Marangoni stress for the entire range of thermal Peclet numbers considered in this study, but the competition between them is significantly alternated by the thermal convection in a quantitative manner.
Semidry release of nanomembranes for tubular origami
Authors: Guo Qinglei , Wei Zhihuan , Xue Zhongying , Jiang Chengming , Zhao Haonan , Zhang Yifei , Wang Gang , Chen Da , Di Zengfeng , Mei Yongfeng
Published: September 2020

Three-dimensional tubular origami, fabricated by the self-rolling of functional nanomembranes, is of great interest due to its numerous opportunities for applications in photochemical sensing, intelligent actuators, microrobots, electronics, and many others. A continuing opportunity of this area is in the development of strategies for fabricating tubular origami, in solvent-free and low-cost conditions. This paper proposed a semidry release approach, allowing for the sacrificial layer-free, vapor-assisted self-rolling, and recyclable use of substrates, to create microscale tubular origami. Interface engineering designs that involve hydrophilic and hydrophobic material stacks are introduced to realize the semidry release of nanomembranes, which finally self-roll into multifunctional tubular structures. Systematic experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate the controllability of their dimensions. Finally, a bioresorbable microtube with potential for transient implantable devices is demonstrated. Our present work adds to the portfolio of routes for the construction of tubular origami, which can be utilized as functional platforms for fundamental studies and practical applications.
The effect of finite sample thickness in scanning ion conductance microscopy stiffness measurements
Authors: Rheinlaender Johannes , Schäffer Tilman E.
Published: September 2020

Investigating the mechanical properties of soft biological samples on the single-cell level is of great interest as cell mechanics play a central role in many physiological processes in health and disease. Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is an emerging technique for measuring cell stiffness on the micro- and nanometer scale in a non-contact fashion. However, as SICM stiffness measurements are based on a localized deformation of the sample, they are affected by the thickness of the sample. We found experimentally and numerically that the apparent stiffness of a thin sample is overestimated. We present a straightforward correction method to account for this effect and derive a thickness-dependent, multiplicative correction factor, which we apply to SICM stiffness mapping of living cells. The correction method allows us to quantitatively measure the stiffness of thin samples with SICM and is, therefore, essential for the comprehensive application of SICM to nanomechanical measurements.
3D ultrasound directed self-assembly of high aspect ratio particles: On the relationship between the number of transducers and their spatial arrangement
Authors: Prisbrey M. , Guevara Vasquez F. , Raeymaekers B.
Published: September 2020

Ultrasound directed self-assembly (DSA) enables noninvasively aligning high aspect ratio particles in three-dimensional (3D) user-specified orientations, which finds application in a myriad of engineering applications, including manufacturing engineered materials. However, the number of ultrasound transducers and their spatial arrangement limit the accuracy of the particle alignment with any 3D user-specified orientation. We define a set of 3D user-specified orientations and use numerical simulations to quantitatively evaluate the effect of the number of ultrasound transducers, their spatial arrangement including a sphere, cube, and two parallel plates, and the size of the spatial arrangement on the orientation error of a high aspect ratio particle in a standing ultrasound wave field. We demonstrate that a spatial arrangement of ultrasound transducers with more than two unique wave propagating directions is required to orient a high aspect ratio particle in 3D, and we determine that the orientation error decreases with the increasing number of unique wave propagation directions. Furthermore, we show that in a spherical arrangement of ultrasound transducers, the orientation error is independent of the size of the arrangement of transducers. This knowledge facilitates using ultrasound DSA as a fabrication method for engineered composite materials that derive their function from the location and orientation of particle inclusions.
Computational generation of an annotated gigalibrary of synthesizable, composite peptidic macrocycles
Authors: Saha Ishika , Dang Eric K. , Svatunek Dennis , Houk Kendall N. , Harran Patrick G.
Published: September 2020

Significance

We describe computations to anticipate products of multistep reaction sequences. The work is based on experimental methods developed earlier to amalgamate synthetic scaffolding reagents with small linear peptides. Hybrid products retain molecular recognition elements in the peptide, but display that functionality as part of amphipathic macrocycles having defined conformations and improved pharmacological properties. The hypothetical scope of the chemistry is large and far outpaces the experimental format. To explore the structure space more extensively, we devised algorithms to predict outcomes of more than 2 billion processing sequences. Software was also developed to generate accurate three-dimensional structures for each product. The resultant virtual library is a resource that can be deployed broadly in search of novel ligands for protein receptors.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a cat owned by a COVID-19−affected patient in Spain
Authors: Segalés Joaquim , Puig Mariona , Rodon Jordi , Avila-Nieto Carlos , Carrillo Jorge , Cantero Guillermo , Terrón Maria Teresa , Cruz Sílvia , Parera Mariona , Noguera-Julián Marc , Izquierdo-Useros Nuria , Guallar Víctor , Vidal Enric , Valencia Alfonso , Blanco Ignacio , Blanco Julià , Clotet Bonaventura , Vergara-Alert Júlia
Published: September 2020

Significance

COVID-19 is the most devastating pandemic in recent history. As with many emerging infectious diseases, it is of zoonotic origin, meaning that animals played a major role in the initial transmission events. Despite SARS-CoV-2 being highly adapted to jump from human to human, several animal species are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, including pets such as cats. In the present report, a cat from a family with several relatives affected by COVID-19 developed severe respiratory clinical signs, leading to humanitarian euthanasia. Due to the suspicion of a potential COVID-19 infection in the cat, different antemortem and postmortem tests were assayed. The clinical condition was finally attributed to a feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but the animal was also infected by SARS-CoV-2.
Some reflections on semantic–pragmatic cycles
Authors: Pons Bordería Salvador , Llopis Cardona Ana Belén
Published: September 2020

This paper explores novel ways to consider semantic–pragmatic cycles using a dual strategy: an inwards strategy, whereby the distinctive traits of a pragmatic cycle are established, and an outwards strategy, whereby the categories that delimit semantic–pragmatic cycles are described. The result of this exploration is the distinction between “pragmatic cycle”, “replication”, “concomitance” and “paradigmatic increase” as four different yet related processes. In addition, this study integrates Construction Grammar into the description of each process and shows that the study of semantic–pragmatic cycles can benefit from a constructional approach, adoptingTraugott and Trousdale’s (2013)andTraugott’s (2018)models, and including concepts from European structuralism, particularly the notions of “paradigm”, “diasystem” and “functional language” (“lengua funcional”).
A note on causality conditions on covering spacetimes
Authors: Costa e Silva Ivan P , Minguzzi Ettore
Published: September 2020

A number of techniques in Lorentzian geometry, such as those used in the proofs of singularity theorems, depend on certain smooth coverings retaining interesting global geometric properties, including causal ones. In this note we give explicit examples showing that, unlike some of the more commonly adopted rungs of the causal ladder such as strong causality or global hyperbolicity, less-utilized conditions such as causal continuity or causal simplicity do not in general pass to coverings, as already speculated by one of the authors (EM). As a consequence, any result which relies on these causality conditions transferring to coverings must be revised accordingly. In particular, some amendments in the statement and proof of a version of the Gannon–Lee singularity theorem previously given by one of us (IPCS) are also presented here that address a gap in its original proof, simultaneously expanding its scope to spacetimes with lower causality.
Schrödinger’s original quantum–mechanical solution for hydrogen
Authors: Galler Anna , Canfield Jeremy , Freericks James K
Published: September 2020

In 1926, Erwin Schrödinger wrote a series of papers that invented wave mechanics and set the foundation for much of the single-particle quantum mechanics that we teach today. In his first paper, he solved the Schrödinger equation using the Laplace method, which is a technique that is quite powerful, but rarely taught. This is unfortunate, because it opens the door to examining quantum mechanics from a complex-analysis perspective. Gaining this experience with complex analysis is a useful notion to consider when teaching quantum mechanics, as these techniques can be widely used outside of quantum mechanics, unlike the standard Frobenius summation method, which is normally taught, but rarely used elsewhere. The Laplace method strategy is subtle and no one has carefully gone through the arguments that Schrödinger did in this first paper, instead it is often just stated that the solution was adopted from Schlesinger’s famous differential equation textbook. In this work, we show how the Laplace method can be used to solve for the quantum–mechanical energy eigenfunctions of the hydrogen atom, following Schrödinger’s original solution, with all the necessary details, and illustrate how it can be taught in advanced instruction; it does require familiarity with intermediate-level complex analysis, which we also briefly review.
Approximate bright-soliton solution of the higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation
Authors: Meng De-Xin , Hu Ming-Yu , Xu Tao
Published: September 2020

In this paper, approximate bright-soliton solutions of the higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation are constructed by treating the higher-order terms as small perturbations. The first-, second-, and third-order asymptotic solutions are obtained. The errors between the asymptotic solutions and the numerical/analytical solutions are discussed, which gives a high accuracy of the approximate solutions. It is pointed that the asymptotic solutions can be used as the initial value to improve the accuracy of the numerical solutions. This paper may be helpful for undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and physics to understand the approximate soliton solutions of the higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation.
Anomalous Hall transport in tilted multi-Weyl semimetals
Authors: Menon Anirudha , Basu Banasri
Published: September 2020

We study the effect of a perpendicular magnetic field B on a multinode Weyl semimetal (mWSM) of arbitrary integer monopole charge n, with the two Weyl multinodes separated in k-space. Besides type-I mWSMs, there exist type-II mWSMs which are characterized by the tilted minimal dispersion for low-energy excitations; the Weyl points in type-II mWSMs are still protected crossings but appear at the contact of the electron and hole pockets, after the Lifshitz transition. We find that the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field quantizes the occupation pockets due to the presence of Fermi tubes. In this theory, the Hilbert space is spanned by a set of n chiral degenerate ground states, and a countably infinite number of particle-hole symmetric Landau levels (LLs). We calculate the Hall conductivity for the tilt-symmetric case of type-I mWSM using the Kubo formula, in the zero-frequency (DC) limit, and recover the well-known vacuum contribution. We compute the Fermi surface corrections and show that the expression generalizes from the formula for elementary (n = 1) type-I WSMs. We derive an expression for the type-II mWSM Hall conductivity, which is bounded by a LL cutoff introduced on physical grounds. Interestingly, we find that the anomalous vacuum Hall conductivity is vanishing in the type-II phase at all temperatures. The corresponding thermal Hall and Nernst conductivities are evaluated and characterized for both phases. The qualitative and quantitative observations presented here may serve in the characterization of generic mWSMs of both types.
Origin traceability of rice based on an electronic nose coupled with a feature reduction strategy
Authors: Shi Yan , Jia Xiaofei , Yuan Hangcheng , Jia Shuyue , Liu Jingjing , Men Hong
Published: September 2020

Effective information processing technology is one of the keys to improving detection accuracy. In this study, a feature reduction strategy is proposed for reducing the dimension of electronic nose (e-nose) sensor features, in combination with multiclassifiers to identify the origin of rice. Firstly, the time domain and time-frequency domain features were extracted from the detection data. Secondly, the kernel principal component analysis and kernel entropy component analysis (KECA) were introduced to reduce the dimension of the fusion features to obtain the kernel principal components (KPCs) and kernel entropy components (KECs). Finally, global discriminant analysis (GDA) was proposed in order to reduce the dimension of the KPCs and KECs to obtain the final features, respectively. The results indicated that the KECA-GDA achieved the dimensionality reduction of fusion features, effectively, the good classification accuracy of 97% and 93.29%, F
1-scores of 0.9697 and 0.9410, and Kappa coefficients of 0.9648 and 0.9210 were obtained by means of the random forest (RF) method in uncooked and cooked rice, respectively. This study shows that KECA-GDA-RF can be used as an effective tool in tracing the origin of rice. Moreover, it can provide a useful processing technique to improve the measurement accuracy of an e-nose.
Homogenization of biomechanical models of plant tissues with randomly distributed cells
Authors: Piatnitski Andrey , Ptashnyk Mariya
Published: September 2020

In this paper homogenization of a mathematical model for biomechanics of a plant tissue with randomly distributed cells is considered. Mechanical properties of a plant tissue are modelled by a strongly coupled system of reaction-diffusion-convection equations for chemical processes in plant cells and cell walls, the equations of poroelasticity for elastic deformations of plant cell walls and middle lamella, and the Stokes equations for fluid flow inside the cells. The nonlinear coupling between the mechanics and chemistry is given by the dependence of elastic properties of plant tissue on densities of chemical substances as well as by the dependence of chemical reactions on mechanical stresses present in a tissue. Using techniques of stochastic homogenization we derive rigorously macroscopic model for plant tissue biomechanics with random distribution of cells. Strong stochastic two-scale convergence is shown to pass to the limit in the non-linear reaction terms. Appropriate meaning of the boundary terms is introduced to define the macroscopic equations with flux boundary conditions and transmission conditions on the microscopic scale.
Quality evaluation of signals collected by portable ECG devices using dimensionality reduction and flexible model integration
Authors: Zhu Zeyang , Li Jianhua , Zhang Shuang , Geng Ning , Xu Lisheng , Greenwald Stephen E
Published: September 2020

Objective: Portable devices for collecting electrocardiograms (ECGs) and telemedicine systems for diagnosis are available to residents in deprived areas, but ECGs collected by non-professionals are not necessarily reliable and may impair the accuracy of diagnosis. We propose an algorithm for accurate ECG quality assessment, which can help improve the reliability of ECGs collected by portable devices. Approach: Using challenge data from CinC (2019), signals were classified as ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ by annotators. The training set contained 998 12-lead ECGs and the test set contained 500. A 998 × 84 feature matrix, S, was formed by feature extraction and three basic models were obtained through training SVM, DT and NBC on S. The feature subsets S1, S2 and S3 were obtained by dimensionality reduction on S using SVM, DT and NBC, respectively. Three other basic models were obtained through training SVM on S1, DT on S2 and NBC on S3. By combining these six basic models, several integrated models were formed. An iterative method was proposed to select the integrated model with the highest accuracy on the training set. Having compared differences between the output labels and the original data labels, evaluation criteria were calculated. Main results: An accuracy of 98.70% and 98.60% was achieved on the training and test datasets, respectively. High F1 score and Kappa values were also obtained. Significance: The proposed algorithm has advantages over previously reported approaches during automatic assessment of ECG quality and can thus help to reduce reliance on highly trained professionals when assessing the quality of ECGs.
Controlling beam loading to produce large-charge high-quality electron beams by tuning the laser profile in laser wakefield acceleration
Authors: Deng Z G , Yang L , Zhang B , Zhang Z M , Teng J , Shan L Q , Wang W W , Tian C , Zhang F , Zhang T K , Yuan Z Q , He S K , Cui B , Qi W , Zhou W M , Gu Y Q
Published: September 2020

Controlling beam loading is essential to produce large-charge high-quality electron beams in laser wakefield acceleration. The bunch shape in the longitudinal direction is a key factor to optimize beam loading. However, how to generate an electron beam with an appropriate shape is always a difficult problem to solve. In the present paper, indirect manipulation on the bunch shape is realized by tuning the laser profile. This is because that the bunch shape relies on the initial transverse position of electrons, which can be controlled by the laser profile in the optical injection scheme. Based on this indirect manipulation method, we find that by reducing the focal spot size of the injection pulse and thus effectively inhibiting off-axis electron injection, the electron beam shape gradually changes from down-ramp to flat-top, which is more favorable for optimizing beam loading. Consequently, we use a cigar-like injection pulse to generate electron beams with large charge and low energy spread. In this manner, an electron beam with 0.1% energy spread,

214
 

p
C

total charge and

0.3
π
 

m
m
⋅
m
r
a
d

emittance can be produced.
The flood cooking book: ingredients and regional flavors of floods across Germany
Authors: Merz Ralf , Tarasova Larisa , Basso Stefano
Published: September 2020

River flooding is a major natural hazard worldwide, whose prediction is impaired by limited understanding of the interplay of processes triggering floods within large regions. In this study we use machine learning techniques such as decision trees and random forests to pinpoint spatio-temporal features of precipitation and catchment wetness states which led to floods among 177 267 rainfall-runoff events observed in 373 German river basins. In mountainous catchments with high annual precipitation rates and shallow soils, event rainfall characteristics primarily control flood occurrence, while wetness conditions and the spatial interplay between rainfall and catchment soil moisture drive flood occurrence even more than event rainfall volume in drier basins. The existence of a snow cover also enhances flood occurrence. The identified ingredients and regional flavors shed new light on the spatial dynamics of hydro-meteorological processes leading to floods and foster regional adaptation of flood management strategies and early warning systems.
Dynamics of an epidemic model with imperfect vaccinations on complex networks
Authors: Li Chin-Lung , Li Chun-Hsien
Published: September 2020

Vaccination is commonly used for reducing the spread of infectious diseases; however, we know that not all vaccinations are completely effective. Thus, it is important to study the impacts of vaccine failure on the spreading dynamics of infectious diseases. In this study, we investigate the dynamics of an epidemic model with three types of imperfect vaccinations on complex networks. More specifically, the present model follows a susceptible-infected-susceptible process with a vaccinated compartment that permit leaky, all-or-nothing, and waning vaccines. A threshold value

R

v

is first presented to ensure the disease-free equilibrium is asymptotically stable. Next, we derive a necessary and sufficient criterion that assures the presence of a backward (or subcritical) bifurcation when

R

v

=
1

. From this criterion, we can observe that the leaky vaccine plays an important role in leading to such a bifurcation, and interestingly, we also find that this condition is independent of the network structure. The disease is also demonstrated to persist whenever

R

v

>
1

. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate the theoretical results. Our results show that imperfect vaccination can cause a backward bifurcation, which usually has serious consequences for disease control. Thus, appropriate infection control policies need to be further developed.