bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motor Speech Phenotypes in Children With Epilepsy: Preliminary Findings
Authors: Allison Kristen , Stoeckel Ruth , Olsen Emily , Tallman Sarah , Iuzzini-Seigel Jenya
Published: February 2023

Purpose:

This exploratory study aimed to characterize motor speech impairments in a small sample of children with epilepsy, both with and without a known seizure etiology. A secondary aim was to evaluate the validity of the Profile for Childhood Apraxia of speech and Dysarthria (ProCAD), a newly developed tool for differential diagnosis of childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria.

Method:

Thirteen children with seizure disorders completed a comprehensive speech and language assessment. Three expert speech-language pathologists rated the presence of auditory-perceptual features of motor speech impairment using the ProCAD. Motor speech features, diagnoses, and standardized test scores were compared between children with a known seizure etiology and children with idiopathic epilepsy.

Results:

Nine of the 13 children exhibited motor speech impairment; dysarthria was the most common diagnosis. Most children (11/13) exhibited language impairment. Group comparisons showed that children with a known seizure etiology had more atypical motor speech features and lower language scores than children with idiopathic seizures.

Conclusion:

These preliminary findings suggest a high rate of motor speech impairment among children with epilepsy.
Interarticulator Speech Coordination: Timing Is of the Essence
Authors: Masapollo Matthew , Nittrouer Susan
Published: February 2023

Purpose:

In skilled speech production, sets of articulators, such as the jaw, tongue, and lips, work cooperatively to achieve task-specific movement goals, despite rampant contextual variation. Efforts to understand these functional units, termed
coordinative structures,
have focused on identifying the essential control parameters responsible for allowing articulators to achieve these goals, with some research focusing on temporal parameters (relative timing of movements) and other research focusing on spatiotemporal parameters (phase angle of movement onset for one articulator, relative to another). Here, both types of parameters were investigated and compared in detail.

Method:

Ten talkers recorded nonsense, disyllabic /tV#Cat/ utterances using electromagnetic articulography, with alternative V (/ɑ/−/ɛ/) and C (/t/−/d/), across variation in rate (fast–slow) and stress (first syllable stressed–unstressed). Two measures were obtained: (a) the timing of tongue-tip raising onset for medial C, relative to jaw opening–closing cycles and (b) the angle of tongue-tip raising onset, relative to the jaw phase plane.

Results:

Results showed that any manipulation that shortened the jaw opening-closing cycle reduced both the relative timing and phase angle of the tongue-tip movement onset, but relative timing of tongue-tip movement onset scaled more consistently with jaw opening-closing across rate and stress variation.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest the existence of an intrinsic timing mechanism (or “central clock”) that is the primary control parameter for coordinative structures, with online compensation then allowing these structures to achieve their goals spatially.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22144259
Cosmic gas highways in C-EAGLE simulations
Authors: Vurm I. , Nevalainen J. , Hong S. E. , Bahé Y. M. , Dalla Vecchia C. , Heinämäki P.
Published: February 2023

Context. A substantial fraction of cosmic baryons is expected to hide in the form of diffuse warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) at X-ray temperatures (T = 105 − 107 K). Due to the expected low density of WHIM, it has been very difficult to detect so far. A statistically significant sample of credible detections of the WHIM phase might help solve the problem of the missing cosmic baryons. While the majority of cosmic gas is approximately at rest inside the filaments of the Cosmic Web, the fraction of gas located close to galaxy clusters is falling towards them with substantial velocities. The infalling gas is influenced by the increasing density in the cluster vicinity and eventually undergoes a termination shock, which may boost its X-ray signal. Thus, the cluster outskirts are potential locations for improved detectability of the missing baryons.

Aims. The primary goal of this work is to identify optimal locations of the enhanced X-ray emission and absorption, arising from the interaction of infalling filamentary gas with cluster material. Our further goal is to improve our understanding of the various physical processes affecting WHIM as it falls towards clusters of galaxies along the cosmic filaments. We aim to utilise this information for planning future X-ray observations of WHIM in cluster outskirts.

Methods. We applied the DisPerSE filament finder to the galaxy distribution in the surroundings of a single Coma-like (M200 ∼ 1015.4 M⊙) simulated C-EAGLE cluster of galaxies. We characterised the distribution of the thermodynamic properties of the gas in such filaments and provided a physical interpretation for the results. This analysis serves as a proof of method to be applied to the full C-EAGLE sample in a future work.

Results. We captured a large fraction (∼50%) of the hot (T >  105.5 K) gas falling towards the cluster in the detected filaments in the cluster outskirts. The gas in the filaments is in approximate free fall all the way down to the radial distance of ∼2 r200 from the cluster. At smaller radii, the filament gas begins to slow down due to the increasing pressure of the ambient gas; approximately half of the filament gas nevertheless penetrates into the cluster before being decelerated. The deceleration is accompanied by the conversion of gas bulk kinetic energy into heat. As a result, the density and temperature of the gas in the filaments increase from the general Cosmic Web level of ρ ∼ 10ρav (where ρav is the cosmic mean baryon density) and T = 105 − 106 K at r ∼ 4 r200 towards ρ ∼ 100ρav and T = 107 − 108 K at the virial boundary of the very massive cluster studied in this paper.

Conclusions. The detection of the cosmic filaments of galaxies around clusters may provide a practical observational avenue for locating the densest and hottest phase of the missing baryons.
Überblick über die ambulanten interdisziplinären Schulungsprogramme für Kinder und Jugendliche mit Adipositas in Deutschland
Authors: Böttcher Marleen , Sergeyev Elena , Stoltze Anette , Gesing Julia , Kaspar Anika , Stein Robert , Göpel Erik , Kiess Wieland
Published: February 2023

Adipositas bei Kindern und Jugendlichen ist ein weltweites Problem und Herausforderung für die öffentliche Gesundheit. Die Covid-19-Pandemie bringt massive Auswirkungen auf die Gesundheit und führt durch soziale Distanzierung und Isolation und Verringerung der körperlichen Aktivität zu Veränderungen des Lebensstils. Die Behandlung der Adipositas im Zeitalter der Covid-19-Pandemie ist aktueller denn je. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die ambulanten interdisziplinären Therapieangebote für Kinder und Jugendliche in Deutschland.
Pubertätsentwicklung und Adipositas
Authors: Stein Robert , Sergeyev Elena , Göpel Eric , Stoltze Anette , Gesing Julia , Pfäffle Roland , Körner Antje , Kiess Wieland
Published: February 2023

Die Beurteilung der Pubertätsentwicklung sowie Übergewicht und Adipositas sind tagtäglicher Bestandteil der pädiatrischen Praxis. Dabei beeinflussen sich Pubertätsentwicklung und Adipositas wechselseitig. Während Mädchen mit Adipositas häufig eine Pubertätsakzeleration aufweisen, sind die Daten bei Jungen weniger eindeutig. Möglicherweise verursacht Übergewicht hier eine Pubertätsbeschleunigung und Adipositas eine Pubertätsverzögerung. Leicht erhöhte Androgenspiegel bei Mädchen sowie leicht erhöhte Östrogenspiegel bei Jungen und eine präpubertäre Wachstumsakzeleration bei beiden Geschlechtern sind häufige Phänomene bei Kindern mit Adipositas. Die Ursachen sind multifaktoriell. Hierbei spielt das Fettgewebe eine entscheidende Rolle, sowohl durch die zentrale Aktivierung der Hypothalamus-Hypophysen-Gonadenachse über Leptin und Kisspeptin als auch durch periphere Effekte, wie beispielweise die Umwandlung von Androgenen zu Östrogen. Syndrome, welche sowohl Störungen der Pubertätsentwicklung als auch Adipositas umfassen, dürfen bei der klinischen Einschätzung nicht übersehen werden. Zur Einschätzung der altersgerechten Pubertätsentwicklung bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Adipositas kann in Kenntnis der typischen Veränderungen und Warnzeichen in den meisten Fällen jedoch auf weitere Diagnostik verzichtet und der Verlauf vorerst beobachtet werden.
Kleine Patienten – große Herausforderung
Authors: Mastorakis Avraam , Herrmann Katharina
Published: February 2023

Müssen Kinder operiert werden, ist dies für die kleinen Patienten, ihre Eltern und das Personal meistens eine große Herausforderung. Um eine angenehme und sichere Atmosphäre zu schaffen und einen reibungslosen Ablauf im OP zu garantieren, sollten Unsicherheiten und Ängste bei allen Beteiligten minimiert werden. Wie dies mithilfe von altersgerechter Kommunikation und standardisierten Abläufen gelingt, erfahren Sie im CNE Schwerpunkt.
Laparoskopische Cholezystektomie
Authors: Mehmedovic Sahbaz H.
Published: February 2023

Während der Narkoseeinleitung muss das anästhesiologische Personal die Patienten gut vorbereiten, mögliche Komplikationen rechtzeitig erkennen und schnell darauf reagieren. Wie die Anästhesie-Pflege und ATA in komplexen Pflegesituationen professionell handeln, erfahren Sie in unserem Fallbeispiel zur laparoskopischen Cholezystektomie.
Angeborene und erworbene Hypothyreose: Wie interpretiere ich Schilddrüsenwerte richtig?
Authors: Gesing Julia , Stoltze Anette , Göpel Eric , Pfäffle Roland , Kiess Wieland
Published: February 2023

Der Mangel von Schilddrüsenhormonen hat starke Auswirkungen auf die Entwicklung von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Wachstumsretardierung, Gewichtszunahme, aber auch Depressionen gehören zu den typischen Symptomen. Die frühe Entwicklung des zentralen Nervensystems ist im Besonderen auf Schilddrüsenhormone angewiesen. Fehlen diese, kommt es zu einer schweren mentalen Retardierung, Kleinwuchs und Innenohrschwerhörigkeit, dem Bild eines Kretinismus. Je nach Manifestationsalter unterscheiden wir die angeborene von der erworbenen Hypothyreose. In Abhängigkeit der Ursachen können primäre und sekundäre Formen vorliegen. Beim Neugeborenen wird eine primäre Hypothyreose durch ein auffälliges Neugeborenenscreening erfasst. Eine zentrale angeborene Hypothyreose muss jedoch klinisch diagnostiziert werden. Eine erworbene Hypothyreose kann sich in jedem Lebensalter manifestieren, wobei die klinischen Zeichen häufig unspezifisch sind. Diese Übersicht soll helfen, betroffene Kinder durch Anamnese und Klinik besser identifizieren zu können und die Schilddrüsenparameter richtig zu interpretieren.
Procedural Sedation in Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Al-Jureidini Saadeh , Al-Jureidini Shadi , Patel Reema , Peterson Renuka , Czajka Michael , Fiore Andrew
Published: February 2023

Procedural sedation in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is vital for the practitioner to fully understand the complexity of lesions, their hemodynamics, and the impact of medications commonly used for procedural sedation on the stability of systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary flow. According to the literature, we explain the interaction of the systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary flow in such lesions and divide them into five categories outlined in this article: (1) CHDs with left-to-right shunt with normal pulmonary arterial pressure and resistance, (2) CHD with left-to-right shunt and moderate to severe elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure with near-normal pulmonary vascular resistance, (3) CHD with pulmonary flow dependent on systemic vascular resistance, (4) patients with congenital coronary stenosis and coronary anomalies, and 5) aortic obstructive lesions.
Decomposition of productivity growth among the cooperative banks in Jammu and Kashmir (India)
Authors: Zaman Aadil Ummar , Khan Nisar Ahmad
Published: February 2023

This paper uses the non-parametric Malmquist productivity index to investigate the total productivity change among the cooperative banks in Jammu and Kashmir from 2004 to 2019. Analysing the peculiarities of cooperative banks’ productivity is essential because if productivity has increased, it should be reflected in their performance, lower client pricing, and enhanced quality services. To examine productivity changes when choices of inputs and outputs are varied, we used two distinct approaches, the intermediation approach and the income approach. Our findings show that average TFP estimates varied widely between the cooperative banks over the years. Compared to the intermediation approach, TFP growth was significantly higher than the income approach. Further, the productivity gains were driven mainly by efficiency change rather than the technological change component. Our findings have important policy implications that can serve important use to the policymakers and regulators, allowing them to devise effective methods for the cooperative banks so that they can remain competitive and sustainable.
The mobile-assisted showroomer’s dilemma: where to buy? Actions to prevent sales leakage
Authors: Alesanco-Llorente María , Reinares-Lara Eva , Pelegrín-Borondo Jorge , Olarte-Pascual Cristina
Published: February 2023

Intensive in-store use of smartphones has driven ethically questionable behaviors with significant economic repercussions for the survival of brick-and-mortar retailers. The mobile-assisted showroomer’s dilemma refers to the dilemma such shoppers experience at the moment of decision in a brick-and-mortar store, when they are holding an item in their hands, check their phone, and hesitate between buying it (a) at the physical store (loyal behavior, LB) or (b) through a cheaper online retailer (competitive behavior, CB). Using the theoretical framework of the Composite MES, this research proves that the dilemma exists: in a sample of 648 mobile-assisted showroomers, 44.91% would engage in CB vs. 55.09% in LB. Furthermore, 50.6% of the CB is explained by two dimensions of ethical judgment: relativism and egoism. To prevent sales leakage at brick-and-mortar stores, ethical judgment must be considered. The greater the weight of the relativism dimension, the less predisposed customers are toward CB. The egoism dimension is positively associated with engaging in CB. LB is a major opportunity for independent brick-and-mortar retailers.
Algorithms optimize circle packing in regular polygons
Authors: Shapiro Maura
Published: February 2023

The complex geometrical problem of packing has applications in charge distribution and granular matter.
New technology offers quick and superior optical characterizations of micron-scale systems
Authors: Green Leigh Ann
Published: February 2023

A simple, compact, and low-cost instrument turns an ordinary microscope into a fast, accurate thin-film analyzer.
Anisotropic electron heating in an electron cyclotron resonance thruster with magnetic nozzle
Authors: Porto J. , Elias P. Q. , Ciardi A.
Published: February 2023

In a grid-less electron cyclotron resonance plasma thruster with a diverging magnetic nozzle, the magnitude of the ambipolar field accelerating the positive ions depends on the perpendicular energy gained by the electrons. This work investigates the heating of the electrons by electromagnetic waves, taking their bouncing motion into account in a confining well formed by the magnetic mirror force and the electrostatic potential of the thruster. An electromagnetic particle-in-cell code is used to simulate the plasma in a magnetic field tube. The code's Maxwell solver is based on a semi-Lagrangian scheme known as the constrained interpolation profile which enables larger time steps. The results show that anisotropic plasma heating takes place exclusively inside the coaxial chamber, along a Doppler-broadened zone. It is also shown that a trapped population of electrons with a larger perpendicular energy exists in the plume.
Acoustic graphyne: A second-order real Chern topological insulator
Authors: Li Bo-Wen , Sun Xiao-Chen , He Cheng , Chen Yan-Feng
Published: February 2023

Graphyne has recently attracted much attention since it is an important derivative of graphene with unique topological properties. Although graphyne is not a conventional topological insulator because of its weak spin–orbit coupling, it is a real Chern topological insulator with the higher-order topology. However, it lacks a realistic model. Here, we propose a schedule to realize acoustic graphyne. By introducing negative coupling to simulate the carbon–carbon triple bond, we realize the transition from trivial to higher-order topological phases, characterized by real Chern numbers. These topologically protected corner states are achieved in a finite-size sample, and the condition for their existence is discussed. Our research extends the concept of real Chern insulators and provides a platform for studying the topological properties of graphene-like structural compounds.
High Ion/Ioff ratio 4H-SiC MISFETs with stable operation at 500 °C using SiO2/SiNx/Al2O3 gate stacks
Authors: Kang Junzhe , Xu Kai , Lee Hanwool , Bhattacharya Souvik , Zhao Zijing , Wang Zhiyu , Mohan Sankaran R. , Zhu Wenjuan
Published: February 2023

In this work, 4H-SiC lateral metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs) were demonstrated to operate up to 500 °C with a high on/off current ratio (over 109). A low off-state current of 3.6 × 10−9 mA/mm at 500 °C was obtained in SiC MISFET with a ring structure. The MISFETs with SiO2/SiNx/Al2O3 gate dielectric stack showed minimum subthreshold swings of 155 and 240 mV/dec at room temperature and 500 °C, respectively, indicating good thermal stability of this gate dielectric stack on SiC. An interface trap density of 1.3 × 1011 cm−2 eV−1 at E − EV = 0.2 eV was extracted from the Capacitance–Voltage (CV) measurements at room temperature, which confirms excellent dielectric interface. The electron mobility increases with increasing temperature and reaches 39.4 cm2/V s at 500 °C. These results indicate that SiC MISFETs with triple layer dielectrics and ring structure have a high potential in extreme-temperature electronics.
Spoke formation in low temperature E×B plasmas: Transition from gradient-drift instability to ionization wave
Authors: Boeuf J. P.
Published: February 2023

Long wavelength plasma non-uniformities rotating in the azimuthal direction (“rotating spokes”) have been observed in a number of experiments on Hall thrusters or magnetron discharges. We use a two-dimensional (2D), axial-azimuthal particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collisions model to study the formation of instabilities in a direct current magnetron discharge under conditions close to recent experiments. Despite the simplified 2D geometry of the model, the simulations can reproduce the main features of the experimental results. At a given position above the cathode, corresponding to the spoke location, the simulations show large amplitude oscillations of the plasma density and a very sharp increase in the plasma potential and electron temperature at the leading edge of the spoke, as in time resolved probe measurements. Moreover, the simulations show that the instability evolves in time from a gradient-drift type of instability in the linear phase, to an ionization wave in the non-linear phase, with rotation in the +E×B direction in the first phase and in the −E×B direction in the second phase. The number of spokes is found to increase with pressure, as in experiments. The mechanisms of electron heating and the role of the B×∇B drift in electron heating and in the coherence and direction of spoke rotation are discussed.
Asymmetric discharges of dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric air
Authors: Yao Jianxiong , Miao Jinsong , Li Jiaxin , Lian Xiuyun , Ouyang Jiting
Published: February 2023

We report in this Letter a kind of asymmetric discharge mode in positive and negative half-cycles of dielectric barrier discharge in ambient air. This phenomenon is characterized by homogeneous and filamentary discharges occurring alternately in the two half-cycles, using two different materials of alumina ceramic and quartz as the dielectric barrier at each side. The discharge current waveforms, discharge images, optical emission spectra, and the averaged electron energy are significantly different for the asymmetric discharges. It is suggested that the seed electrons and secondary electron emission from the different dielectric materials acting as the temporary cathode are responsible for the different discharge modes.
Recent advances in applying deep reinforcement learning for flow control: Perspectives and future directions
Authors: Vignon C. , Rabault J. , Vinuesa R.
Published: February 2023

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has been applied to a variety of problems during the past decade and has provided effective control strategies in high-dimensional and non-linear situations that are challenging to traditional methods. Flourishing applications now spread out into the field of fluid dynamics and specifically active flow control (AFC). In the community of AFC, the encouraging results obtained in two-dimensional and chaotic conditions have raised the interest to study increasingly complex flows. In this review, we first provide a general overview of the reinforcement-learning and DRL frameworks, as well as their recent advances. We then focus on the application of DRL to AFC, highlighting the current limitations of the DRL algorithms in this field, and suggesting some of the potential upcoming milestones to reach, as well as open questions that are likely to attract the attention of the fluid mechanics community.
LGI3/2–ADAM23 interactions cluster Kv1 channels in myelinated axons to regulate refractory period
Authors: Kozar-Gillan Nina , Velichkova Atanaska , Kanatouris George , Eshed-Eisenbach Yael , Steel Gavin , Jaegle Martine , Aunin Eerik , Peles Elior , Torsney Carole , Meijer Dies N.
Published: February 2023

Along myelinated axons, Shaker-type potassium channels (Kv1) accumulate at high density in the juxtaparanodal region, directly adjacent to the paranodal axon–glia junctions that flank the nodes of Ranvier. However, the mechanisms that control the clustering of Kv1 channels, as well as their function at this site, are still poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that axonal ADAM23 is essential for both the accumulation and stability of juxtaparanodal Kv1 complexes. The function of ADAM23 is critically dependent on its interaction with its extracellular ligands LGI2 and LGI3. Furthermore, we demonstrate that juxtaparanodal Kv1 complexes affect the refractory period, thus enabling high-frequency burst firing of action potentials. Our findings not only reveal a previously unknown molecular pathway that regulates Kv1 channel clustering, but they also demonstrate that the juxtaparanodal Kv1 channels that are concealed below the myelin sheath, play a significant role in modifying axonal physiology.
Remaining useful life prediction for bearing of an air turbine starter using a novel end-to-end network
Authors: Guo Runxia , Ji Yubin
Published: February 2023

An air turbine starter (ATS) is used to start an aircraft’s engine before the aircraft takes off, as part of which the rolling bearings are an essential but easily damaged component. Predicting the remaining useful life (RUL) of an ATS bearing is a key part of efficient engine maintenance. To improve the prediction accuracy of rolling bearings’ working in complex environments, this paper proposes a novel end-to-end network for RUL prediction based on parallel convolution and a bidirectional long and short-term memory (BiLSTM) network. The architecture is an integration of two parts: feature extraction and RUL prediction. For the feature extraction, a more tailored one-dimensional convolution neural network architecture has been adapted for multi-rate sensors in a parallel manner, and a multiscale feature stacking and mixing mechanism is further designed following the convolution operation to extract the most representative degradation feature. In the prediction part, environmental factors are added to the BiLSTM network together with the previously extracted degradation feature. Both parts of the end-to-end network can focus on valuable information without any prior knowledge due to utilization of an attention mechanism. A real data set is built to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, and the RUL predictive error percentage decreases by 1.02% compared with the existing algorithm.
Hybrid nodal-chain semimetal with emergent flat band in MgCaN2
Authors: Wu Hongbo , Ma Da-Shuai , Fu Botao
Published: February 2023

The distinct over-tiltings of band crossings in topological semimetals generate the type-I and type-II classification of Dirac/Weyl and nodal-line fermions, accompanied by exotic electronic and magnetic transport properties. In this work, we propose a concept of hybrid nodal-chain semimetal (NCSM), which is identified by linked type-I and type-II nodal rings (NRs) and hosts inevitable flat band. Using first-principles calculations and structure search technique, a new ternary nitride MgCaN2 is proposed as the first candidate to realize a novel 3D hybrid NCSM state. Remarkably, flat band is emergent along specific direction as a characteristic signature of such a hybrid nodal-chain, thus offering a platform to explore the interplay between topological states and flat bands. By analyzing the mirror Z2 topological invariant and developing a low-energy effective

k

⋅

p

model, we unveil the physical origin of the hybrid nodal-chain structure with multiple-mirror protected mechanism. Moreover, when the linked NRs are projected onto the (010) and (001) surfaces, considerable drumhead-like topological surface states can be illustrated with unique connection patterns. These results expand our understanding of NCSMs from significant band tilting effects and provide a new candidate on realizing hybrid nodal-chain fermion for further theoretical and experimental investigations.
Fractional Approach to the Study of Some Partial Differential and Integro-Differential Equations
Authors: Olivar-Romero F
Published: February 2023

The Cauchy problem of a time-space fractional partial differential equation which has as particular cases the Klein-Gordon equation, a generalized expression of the heat equation and two apparently unexplored partial integro-differential equations in the context of physics, is proposed and solved for delta initial condition. Series of H-Fox functions are obtained as solution.
Enquiring Electronic Structure Using Quantum Computers: Hands on Qiskit
Authors: Anaya-Morales A , Delgado F
Published: February 2023

Solving the electronic structure for multi-electronic systems is a hard problem. Even for small atoms and molecules, approximations have to be made in order to solve numerically the Schrödinger equation. Although different methods have been developed to take into account electron correlations, their computational cost reduces their feasibility. Quantum simulation provides an alternative to traditional computational methods for enquiring the electronic structure of molecules. Specifically, the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithm provides a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for the implementation on current near term quantum devices. In this work, we explore the implementation of VQE on Qiskit for calculating the ground-state energy of diatomic Hydrogen molecule.
Production and Characterization of Helical Beams by means of Diffraction Gratings
Authors: Gress-Mendoza Z , Cruz S Cruz y , Velázquez V
Published: February 2023

A description of the intensity distribution patterns of helical beams experimentally generated by forked diffraction gratings is presented. The characterization of the diffraction orders so obtained, using double diffraction gratings as well as the reconstruction of the 2D intensity profiles, is also discussed.
In vitro cellular biocompatibility and in vivo degradation behavior of calcium phosphate-coated ZK60 magnesium alloy
Authors: Trang Le Thi , Le Hai Van , Hiromoto Sachiko , Minho O , Kobayashi Equo , Nguyen Nam Viet , Cao Nguyen Quang
Published: February 2023

Calcium phosphate (Ca-P) surface coating is a simple but effective way to enhance both corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of ZK60 magnesium alloy. However, cell compatibility on different Ca-P layers coated on ZK60 alloy has seldom been investigated. In this study, the effects of type, morphology and corrosion protection of several Ca-P coatings formed at pH 6.5, 7.8 and 10.2 on cell behavior were examined by using an osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Furthermore, in vivo behavior in rabbits of the alloy coated with the optimum Ca-P layer was also studied. It was found that the surface factors governed the cell morphology and density. The coating morphology plays a dominant role in these surface factors. The sample coated at pH 7.8 showed the best cellular biocompatibility, suggesting that the hydroxyapatite (HAp) layer formed at pH 7.8 was the optimum coating. In rabbits, this optimum coating enhanced remarkably the corrosion resistance of the alloy. During implantation, the outermost crystals of the HAp coating were shortened and thinned due to the dissolution of HAp caused by the body fluid of the rabbits. It is indicated that ZK60 alloy coated at pH 7.8 can be applied as a biodegradable implant.
Two-dimensional sandwich-like MXene–conductive polymer nanocomposite with in-plane cylindrical mesopores for long cycling lithium-sulfur batteries
Authors: Xu Haishan , Zhang Han , Wang Yifan , Tang Chen , Xiao Tianyu , Xu Zhi , Li Hong , Xu Fugui , Mai Yiyong
Published: February 2023

Li-S batteries have received much attention due to their high energy density, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the poor conductivity of sulfur and the ‘shuttle effect’ of polysulfides still impede their practical applications. In this study, thin layered MXene nanosheets sandwiched by conductive poly(m-phenylenediamine) with in-plane cylindrical mesochannels (mPmPD/MXene) are constructed as sulfur hosts for the cathode materials of Li–S batteries. The polar active sites on MXene and mesoporous conductive PmPD polymers synergistically alleviate the polysulfide shuttling through chemisorption and physical confinement; the high metallic conductivity of MXene and conductive PmPD ensure the transport of electrons and promote the redox kinetics; the in-plane cylindrical mesochannels on mPmPD/MXene provide hosting space for high sulfur loading (∼71 wt%) and facilitate smooth electrolyte transport in the internal space of the cathode. Profiting from these advantages, the Li–S battery based on the mPmPD/MXene cathode exhibits a capacity decay of 0.0593% after 800 cycles at 1 C (53% capacity retention). The optimized battery shows stable cycling performance even at high sulfur loading (6.8 mg cm−2) with 5.6 mAh cm−2 capacity remained after 60 cycles at 0.1 C. This study provides insights for the rational design of 2D heterostructures with in-plane mesochannels for high-performance Li-S batteries.
Preparation and photocatalysis of ZnO/bentonite based on adsorption and photocatalytic activity
Authors: Jida Sena Megersa , Zerefa Enyew Amare
Published: February 2023

This article focus on the adsorption and photocataltytic study of methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solution with sodium carbonate-activated bentonite adsorbent and ZnO/Bentonite photocatalyst. The activated bentonite adsorbent and ZnO/bentonite nanocomposites photocatalysts were prepared and characterized using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM and AAS. The adsorption experiment was conducted using 5% sodium carbonate activated bentonite (AB5) to establish the effect of different parameters. The adsorption isotherm was performed using Langiumer, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models. The result showed the Langiumer adsorption isotherm best fit the adsorption study for the experimental data with R2 = 1. The kinetic adsorption of MB dye by activated bentonite was conducted using pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order models. The result revealed that the pseudo-second-order fit experimental data well and the process was chemisorption. The endothermic and spontaneous nature of the adsorption process of MB dye AB5 were carried by studying the thermodynamic parameters of the system. Desorption of MB dye from the spent adsorbent and recyclability of adsorbent was studied by thermo-chemical methods. The desorption capacity of MB dye in the selected solvents were small. The adsorbent developed for this study was recycled and its adsorption capacity decreased with recycling time. But, the photo-degradation studies conducted using the synthesized ZnO/Bentonite@550(1:1) photocatalyst with average particle size of 30.06 nm resulted with 99.54% degradation efficiency of MB.
A new electromagnetic probe array diagnostic for analyzing electrostatic and magnetic fluctuations in EAST plasmas
Authors: LAN Heng , SHI Tonghui , YAN Ning , LI Xueqin , LI Shi , CHEN Ran , DUAN Moyi , HU Guanghai , LIU Lunan , ZHANG Wei , CHEN Ming , ZHENG Yuanyang , YUAN Zhong , WANG Yong , XU Zhanghou , XU Liqing , ZI Pengfei , CHEN Liang , LIU Shaocheng , WU Donggui , DING Genfan , MENG Lingyi , WANG Zhengchu , ZANG Qing , WU Muquan , ZHU Xiang , HAO Baolong , LIN Xiaodong , GAO Xiang , WANG Liang , XU Guosheng
Published: February 2023

A novel electromagnetic probe array (EMPA) diagnostic, which consists of a magnetic probe array and an electrostatic probe array, has recently been developed on EAST. The EMPA is fixed near the first wall at horizontal port P. The magnetic probe array of the EMPA consists of 24 identical magnetic probes, each of them capable of measuring toroidal, poloidal and radial magnetic fluctuations simultaneously, providing additional toroidal magnetic fluctuation measurements compared with the regular magnetic probes on EAST. With a higher sampling rate and self-resonant frequency, the EMPA magnetic probes can provide higher frequency magnetic fluctuation measurements. The magnetic probe array of the EMPA is composed of two parallel layers of magnetic probes with a radial distance of 63 mm, and each layer of magnetic probes is arranged in four poloidal rows and three toroidal columns. The compact arrangement of the EMPA magnetic probe array largely improves the toroidal mode number measurement ability from

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and also improves the high poloidal wave number measurement ability of magnetic fluctuations compared with the regular high frequency magnetic probes on EAST. The electrostatic probe array of the EMPA consists of two sets of four-tip probes and a single-tip probe array with three poloidal rows and four toroidal columns. It complements the electrostatic parameter measurements behind the main limiter and near the first wall in EAST. The engineering details of the EMPA diagnostic, including the mechanical system, the electrical system, the acquisition and control system, and the effective area calibration, are presented. The preliminary applications of the EMPA in L-mode and H-mode discharges on EAST have demonstrated that the EMPA works well for providing information on the magnetic and electrostatic fluctuations and can contribute to deeper physical analysis in future EAST experiments.
Diminishing marginal effect in estimating the dissolved organic carbon export from a watershed
Authors: Wei Xinyuan , Hayes Daniel J , Ku Peijia , Yang Xiaojuan , Ricciuto Daniel M
Published: February 2023

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can be initially moved from soils to inland waters with surface runoff, and then mineralized, buried, or eventually delivered to the coastal ocean. This land-to-ocean phase of the DOC flux must be accounted for to comprehensively understand the global carbon cycle. To estimate the terrestrial-aquatic DOC leaching, calculating the product of the riverine DOC concentration and the corresponding river discharge measured at the watershed outlet is a common method. However, it is challenging to frequently and exactly record riverine DOC concentrations, thus the relationship between DOC concentrations and discharges (C-Q relationship) are established and used to interpolate the time-series of DOC concentrations. We found that the widely used time-dependent and time-independent C-Q regression models are weak in representing their altered relationship when the discharge is extremely high, which was named as diminishing marginal effect. In this study, we evaluated the performance of two C-Q regression models and discussed possible reasons for the diminishing marginal effect. We suggest that repeated and long-term measurements of the DOC concentration are required to adequately analyze their relationships, especially during the early spring and seasons with heavy precipitations.
Results from a survey of life cycle assessment-aligned socioenvironmental priorities in US and Australian communities hosting oil, natural gas, coal, and solar thermal energy production
Authors: Grubert Emily
Published: February 2023

Large energy infrastructure is often socially and environmentally disruptive, even as it provides services that people have come to depend on. Residents of areas affected by energy development often note both negative and positive impacts. This reflects the multicategory nature of socioenvironmental outcomes and emphasizes the importance of careful, community-oriented decision making about major infrastructural transitions for processes like decarbonization. Quantitative tools like life cycle assessment (LCA) seek to collect and report comprehensive impact data, but even when successful, their value for decision support is limited by a lack of mechanisms to systematically engage with values-driven tradeoffs across noncommensurable categories. Sensitivity analyses designed to help decision makers and interested parties make sense of data are common in LCA and similar tools, but values are rarely explicitly addressed. This lack of attention to values—arguably the most meaningful set of decision inputs in such tools—can lead to overreliance on single issue (e.g. climate change impact) or proxy (e.g. monetized cost) outputs that reduce the value of holistic evaluations. This research presents results from preregistered hypotheses for a survey of residents of energy-producing communities in the United States (US) and Australia, with the goal of with the goal of uncovering energy transition-relevant priorities by collecting empirical, quantitative data on people’s priorities for outcomes aligned with LCA. The survey was designed to identify diverse value systems, with the goal of making it easier for users to identify and consider value conflicts, potentially highlighting needs for further data collection, system redesign, or additional engagement. Notably, results reveal remarkably consistent priority patterns across communities and subgroups, suggesting that the common LCA practice of equal prioritization might be masking decision-relevant information. Although this effort was designed specifically to support research on energy transitions, future work could easily be extended more broadly.
MetaProFi: an ultrafast chunked Bloom filter for storing and querying protein and nucleotide sequence data for accurate identification of functionally relevant genetic variants
Authors: Srikakulam Sanjay K , Keller Sebastian , Dabbaghie Fawaz , Bals Robert , Kalinina Olga V
Published: February 2023

Motivation

Bloom filters are a popular data structure that allows rapid searches in large sequence datasets. So far, all tools work with nucleotide sequences; however, protein sequences are conserved over longer evolutionary distances, and only mutations on the protein level may have any functional significance.

Results

We present MetaProFi, a Bloom filter-based tool that, for the first time, offers the functionality to build indexes of amino acid sequences and query them with both amino acid and nucleotide sequences, thus bringing sequence comparison to the biologically relevant protein level. MetaProFi implements additional efficient engineering solutions, such as a shared memory system, chunked data storage and efficient compression. In addition to its conceptual novelty, MetaProFi demonstrates state-of-the-art performance and excellent memory consumption-to-speed ratio when applied to various large datasets.

Availability and implementation

Source code in Python is available at https://github.com/kalininalab/metaprofi.
SMITH: spatially constrained stochastic model for simulation of intra-tumour heterogeneity
Authors: Streck Adam , Kaufmann Tom L , Schwarz Roland F
Published: February 2023

Motivation

Simulations of cancer evolution are highly useful to study the effects of selection and mutation rates on cellular fitness. However, most methods are either lattice-based and cannot simulate realistically sized tumours, or they omit spatial constraints and lack the clonal dynamics of real-world tumours.

Results

Stochastic model of intra-tumour heterogeneity (SMITH) is an efficient and explainable model of cancer evolution that combines a branching process with a new confinement mechanism limiting clonal growth based on the size of the individual clones as well as the overall tumour population. We demonstrate how confinement is sufficient to induce the rich clonal dynamics observed in spatial models and cancer samples across tumour types, while allowing for a clear geometric interpretation and simulation of 1 billion cells within a few minutes on a desktop PC.

Availability and implementation

SMITH is implemented in C# and freely available at https://bitbucket.org/schwarzlab/smith. For visualizations, we provide the accompanying Python package PyFish at https://bitbucket.org/schwarzlab/pyfish.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Behavioural subphenotypes and their anatomic correlates in neurodegenerative disease
Authors: Roy Ashlin R K , Datta Samir , Hardy Emily , Sturm Virginia E , Kramer Joel H , Seeley William W , Rankin Katherine P , Rosen Howard J , Miller Bruce L , Perry David C
Published: February 2023

Patients with neurodegenerative disorders experience a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The neural correlates have been explored for many individual symptoms, such as apathy and disinhibition. Atrophy patterns have also been associated with broadly recognized syndromes that bring together multiple symptoms, such as the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia. There is substantial heterogeneity of symptoms, with partial overlap of behaviour and affected neuroanatomy across and within dementia subtypes. It is not well established if there are anatomically distinct behavioural subphenotypes in neurodegenerative disease. The objective of this study was to identify shared behavioural profiles in frontotemporal dementia-spectrum and Alzheimer’s disease-related syndromes. Additionally, we sought to determine the underlying neural correlates of these symptom clusters. Two hundred and eighty-one patients diagnosed with one of seven different dementia syndromes, in addition to healthy controls and individuals with mild cognitive impairment, completed a 109-item assessment capturing the severity of a range of clinical behaviours. A principal component analysis captured distinct clusters of related behaviours. Voxel-based morphometry analyses were used to identify regions of volume loss associated with each component. Seven components were identified and interpreted as capturing the following behaviours: Component 1—emotional bluntness, 2—emotional lability and disinhibition, 3—neuroticism, 4—rigidity and impatience, 5—indiscriminate consumption, 6—psychosis and 7—Geschwind syndrome-related behaviours. Correlations with structural brain volume revealed distinct neuroanatomical patterns associated with each component, including after controlling for diagnosis, suggesting that localized neurodegeneration can lead to the development of behavioural symptom clusters across various dementia syndromes.
The Higher Law and the Principle of Non-Recognition
Authors: Vitale Agnese
Published: February 2023

The principle of non-recognition represented, and still represents, one of the most relevant legality-checking instruments that the legal order has set. The principle is always triggered by the existence of a conflict involving a higher norm, a conflict which can be normative or material. Its general function is preventing the consolidation of legal consequences deriving from acts or situations that are contrary to higher rules. Just as higher rules cut across the boundaries between the law of treaties and the law of international responsibility, the presence and the effects of the principle of non-recognition are to be found in the three main functions: creation of the law, ascertainment of a wrongful act and enforcement of the law.
The Thinkery and the Academy: Examining the Legal Parameters and Interactions of Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression Under English Law
Authors: Murray James
Published: February 2023

This paper examines how the right to free expression and academic freedom interact under English and international law, discusses how those two rights have traditionally been thought to interact, and considers how they can be brought together with the concept of academic free expression. In doing so, the article examines the legal parameters and key characteristics of academic free expression, namely: what is the protection afforded to it; what are its ‘qualifying criteria’; what are its limits and how might the protection afforded to it be lost; and, where might such protection not be lost as compared to the general right to free expression. To end, the article discusses why this all matters with reference to recent high-profile disputes over academic freedom, and examines how these issues interact with other UK laws, in particular, the upcoming Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.
Bullying Victimization in High School: Perceptions and Responses of Black Parents
Authors: Threlfall Jennifer , Auslander Wendy
Published: February 2023

Youth who are bullied are more likely to experience negative social and educational outcomes; these problems may be exacerbated for Black youth who also experience racial bullying or discrimination as part of their victimization. This study investigated the ways in which Black parents understand and respond to their adolescent children’s bullying victimization in school. Twenty-four parents of high school–aged children participated in qualitative interviews. Following a thematic analysis, results indicated three major ways in which parents responded to their children’s victimization. Parents listened to their children and offered advice about how to respond to bullies. They engaged with their children’s schools, identifying issues that perpetuated victimization. Last, they sought to draw lessons for their children about coping with victimization in the future. Findings highlighted how parents understand bullying to be influenced by institutional and societal factors, including racism and discrimination, and adapt their parenting strategies in response to the environment they expect their children to encounter.