bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Application of Two-Dimensional Scanning Digital Kymography in Discrimination of Diplophonia
Authors: Bae In-Ho , Wang Soo-Geun , Kwon Soon-Bok , Kim Seong-Tae , Sung Eui-Suk , Lee Jin-Choon
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of diplophonia using an auditory perception and multimodal simultaneous examination, which included sound waveform analysis, electroglottography (EGG), digital kymography (DKG), and 2-dimensional scanning digital kymography (2D DKG). Additionally, we compared the diagnostic accuracy of each method using a binary classifier in confusion matrix and convenience of discrimination, based on the time required for interpretation.

Method

One normophonic male, 12 patients with diplophonia, and 12 dysphonia patients without diplophonia were enrolled. A multimodal simultaneous evaluation was used to analyze the vibration pattern of diplophonia. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, area under the curve, and interpretation time were used to compare the various diagnostic methods. Discrimination was determined by 3 raters.

Results

There are 3 types of asymmetric vibratory patterns in diplophonia. The types are based on the oscillators vibrating at different frequencies: asymmetry of the left and right cords (6 subjects with unilateral palsy and 1 subject with vocal polyps), asymmetry of anterior and posterior cords (2 subjects with vocal polyps), and asymmetry of true and false cords (3 subjects with muscle tension dysphonia). All evaluation methods were useful as diagnostic tools, with all areas under the curve > .70. The diagnostic accuracy was highest with DKG (95.83%), followed by 2D DKG (83.33%), EGG (81.94%), auditory-perceptual evaluation (80.56%), and sound waveform (77.78%). The interpretation time was the shortest for auditory-perceptual evaluation (6.07 ± 1.34 s), followed by 2D DKG (10.04 ± 3.00 s), EGG (12.49 ± 2.76 s), and DKG (13.53 ± 2.60 s).

Conclusions

Auditory-perceptual judgment was the easiest and fastest method for experienced raters, but its diagnostic accuracy was lower than that of DKG or 2D DKG. The diagnostic accuracy of DKG was the highest, but 2D DKG allowed rapid interpretation and showed relatively high diagnostic accuracy, except in cases with space-occupying lesions.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9911786
Benefits of Remote Microphone Technology in Health Care Management for the World War II Generation
Authors: Thibodeau Linda M.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this article was to provide a review for hearing care providers of the need for improving the auditory signal for older adults who are often faced with hearing challenges in medical settings. Personal devices worn at the ear level may not reduce communication challenges that result from noise, reverberation, and distance. The use of a remote microphone may greatly enhance the audibility of the health care provider's voice and reduce the stress caused by miscommunication. Suggestions for optimal use of remote microphone technology in medical settings are provided in 3 settings: office appointment, hospital stays, and living with caregivers/nurses.

Conclusions

Use of remote microphone technology in conjunction with personal ear-level technology may significantly facilitate communication in the health care setting. In addition to providing a higher quality signal when worn by a speaker, the microphone may serve as a reminder to the health care provider to speak more slowly and clearly, as well as to ask for confirmation that the correct information was received.
Ergotherapie für Pferde
Authors: Katzenberger Yvonne , Katzenberger-Schmelcher Ruth
Published: October 2019

Vielen Menschen wird die Ergotherapie als Begriff geläufig sein, weil sie schon selbst in ergotherapeutischer Behandlung waren. Jedoch ist den wenigsten bewusst, was Ergotherapie genau heißt und vor allem, warum es sinnvoll ist, Ergotherapie als Therapieform auch beim Pferd einzusetzen. Im Folgenden ein kurzer Einblick.
4 Fachleute – 4 Strategien: Kreuzbandriss beim Hund
Authors: Rytz Ulrich , Hohmann Mima , Martin Olga , Petermann Uwe
Published: October 2019

Der Kreuzbandriss zählt zu den häufigsten orthopädischen Erkrankungen beim Hund. Eine interdisziplinäre Behandlung ist anzustreben. Was ist dabei jeweils zu beachten?
Tanztheater als Unterstützungsangebot für krebsüberlebende Frauen: Eine explorative Studie
Authors: Weis Joachim , Golombek Kristin
Published: October 2019

Ziel der Studie Es gibt zahlreiche Belege dafür, dass körperliche Bewegung und Tanztherapie eine positive Wirkung auf Krebspatienten in der Rehabilitation von Krebspatienten haben. Bisher wenig erprobt sind innovative Angebote wie Tanztheater. Es war das Ziel der vorliegenden Pilotstudie zu untersuchen, inwieweit ein Tanztheaterprojekt für Frauen nach einer Krebserkrankung sowie indirekt von Krebs betroffene Frauen die Verarbeitung der Krankheitserfahrung, die Lebensqualität sowie verschiedene Prozessmerkmale positiv beeinflussen kann.

Methodik Die Pilotstudie zur Evaluation eines Tanztheaterprojektes basiert auf einem Mixed-Methods-Ansatz unter Einbeziehung von Interviews und Fragebogenerhebungen. Im qualitativen Teil wurden mit den Teilnehmerinnen Interviews zu verschiedenen psychosozialen Aspekten ihrer Erfahrung mit dem Tanztheater durchgeführt. Im quantitativen Teil der Studie wurden die Teilnehmer zu 2 Meßzeitpunkten zu Beginn des Projektes sowie am Ende des Projektes nach ca. 9 Monaten mit standardisierten und nicht standardisierten Fragebögen befragt.

Ergebnisse Die Stichprobe (N=27) bestand aus Frauen, die direkt (n=21; 78%) oder indirekt über nahestehende Personen (n=6; 22%) von einer Krebserkrankung betroffen waren. Die quantitative Auswertung zeigte, dass es sich um eine durch die Krankheitserfahrung und Therapiefolgen belas-tete Stichprobe handelte. Die Werte der psychosozialen Belastung, Ängstlichkeit, Depressivität und Lebensqualität änderten sich im Follow-up Zeitraum des Tanzprojektes nur unwesentlich. Die qualitative Auswertung zeigte, dass das Projekt von den Teilnehmerinnen im Hinblick auf die psychische Bewältigung der psychosozialen und körperlichen Folgen der Erkrankung sehr positiv bewertet wurde. Die Erwartungen der Teilnehmerinnen an das Projekt konnten zum überwiegenden Teil erfüllt werden.

Schlussfolgerung Die Pilotstudie gibt erste Hinweise darauf, dass das Tanztheaterprojekt ein hilfreiches Unterstützungsangebot für Krebsüberlebende und Angehörige darstellen kann. Aufgrund der hohen Anforderungen stellt das Tanztheater jedoch zugleich Anforderungen an die Teilnehmerinnen und scheint daher nur für ausgewählte Patientengruppen geeignet zu sein. Die aufgrund des Pilotcharakters als vorläufig zu betrachtenden Ergebnisse sollten in weiteren Studien validiert werden.
Copper-Catalyzed Amination of Vinyl Azides to α-Ketoamides
Authors: Wang Yu , Zhang Dongling , Zhang Kaining , Liu Zhenhua , Lin Jing , Cao Wei , Fang Zhongxue
Published: October 2019

An efficient approach for the amination of vinyl azides with N,N-dialkylacylamides has been developed. By using this protocol, structurally important α-ketoamides can be easily synthesized. The key to success is not only the introduction of a Cu(I)/oxygen catalytic system but also the utilization of t-BuOCl and benzoic acid as additives. The reaction is operationally simple, scalable, and displays broad scope and functional group tolerance. A possible mechanism involving copper-catalyzed oxidative generation of peroxide radicals is proposed.
Top-Ten Tips for Imaging the ACL
Authors: Griffith James F. , Ng Alex W.H.
Published: October 2019

Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are common and represent a serious injury. Although diagnosis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is usually straightforward, diagnostic difficulty can occasionally arise. This review provides tips for imaging the ACL in those scenarios where a confident diagnosis is not possible on standard MRI of the knee. Potential pitfalls while imaging the ACL are also discussed.
Hand and Wrist: A Kaleidoscopic View of Accessory Ossicles, Variants, Coalitions, and Others
Authors: Mespreuve Marc , Bosmans Frederik , Waked Karl , Vanhoenacker Filip M.
Published: October 2019

Accessory bones, variants, and coalitions are not uncommon at the hand-wrist region. They are often overlooked because they are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally on imaging. However, they may sometimes present as a (painful) swelling or mimic a (sequel of a) fracture. Other symptoms may be attributed to impingement and exercise-related pain. Thorough knowledge of the anatomy, systematic imaging analysis, and the awareness of their existence are the clues to a correct identification. Plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) play a pivotal role in the correct diagnosis. In general, signal intensity on MRI is similar to the normal bony structures. However, concomitant bone marrow edema may indicate the presence of impingement. Therefore, MRI sequences with fat suppression should be included in case of symptomatic findings. This article provides a kaleidoscopic overview of some of the prevalent bony anomalies of the hand-wrist region and their potential pathogenic nature.
How the Ends of Bones Evolve and What They Do: The Anatomical and Biomechanical Perspective
Authors: Putz Reinhard , Boszczyk Bronek , Milz Stefan
Published: October 2019

Skeletal ossification occurs either directly within mesenchymal tissues or indirectly through a template of hyaline cartilage. Between the epiphyses and diaphyses of long bones, hyaline cartilaginous growth plates remain and constitute the progenitor cell reservoir from which the tissue develops toward the diaphysis and determines longitudinal bone size. Growth plates exhibit a characteristic architecture with columnar cell organization and different zonal morphology. The cells increase their volume toward the diaphysis, and eventually the longitudinally arranged septa of extracellular matrix mineralize. Finally, the mineralized cartilage matrix is replaced by lamellar bone. The extracellular matrix is rich in glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, and collagen II; at the edges of the growth plates, collagen I, III, and collagen X, especially at the mineralization front, are also present.

The geometry of the growth plates is regulated by the local mechanical environment. In general, all plates orient themselves perpendicular to the resulting compressive force vector; grooves, ridges, and lateral angulations are adaptations to withstand shear forces acting on the growth plates. The final shape of the fully grown bone is determined not only by the epiphyseal growth plates but also by their apophyseal counterpart. Both structures respond in a comparable fashion to the local mechanical environment.
Nanoceria and Its Biomedical Relevance
Authors: Kailashiya Jyotsna , Dash Debabrata
Published: October 2019

Nanoceria is a nanosized particle preparation of cerium oxide. It shows mixture of cerium in the 3+ and 4+ states on the nanoparticle surface, giving it interesting redox properties. Nanoceria shows effective biological antioxidant properties, which makes it a great candidate for biomedical applications. Many studies have shown promising results on therapeutic potential of nanoceria in diseases like cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. Meanwhile, other studies explored biodistribution and toxicity of nanoceria. This review article describes nanoceria, its relevant biomedical applications, and adverse effects, based on previously reported studies.
Top-Ten Tips for Imaging Groin Injury in Athletes
Authors: Madani Hardi , Robinson Philip
Published: October 2019

Athletic groin injury remains a challenging prospect for sports clinicians and radiologists because of the closely related anatomical structures and overlapping clinical presentations. Recent consensus work designated four causative clinical entities, with the adductor/rectus aponeurosis and pubic symphysis capsule emphasized as key areas. This article highlights these key aspects of athletic groin injury with tips on anatomy, potential abnormalities, acronyms, and imaging appearances in this complex but common and potentially incapacitating entity. Many clinical and radiologic terms are in use such as cleft, enthesitis, plate injury, or defect that can cause confusion, and thus anatomical descriptions are preferable.

Detailed clinical assessment is necessary but remains challenging because of the nonspecific presentations. Imaging, and in particular magnetic resonance imaging, plays an essential role in the evaluation process. But only when the two are used in combination can an accurate diagnosis be reached because several studies in asymptomatic athletes show that reactive changes are common.
Liouville type results for a class of quasilinear parabolic problems
Authors: Belhaj Rhouma N. , Seddik M.
Published: October 2019

The aim of this paper is to study the properties of positive solutions to the nonlinear diffusion equation with a nonlinear bistable source. We show that there exists a universal, a priori upper bound for all positive solutions. Moreover, under some assumptions, we prove the convergence of these solutions to a constant if t → +∞.
Wind turbine wake intermittency dependence on turbulence intensity and pitch motion
Authors: Kadum Hawwa , Rockel Stanislav , Hölling Michael , Peinke Joachim , Cal Raúl Bayoán
Published: October 2019

Turbulence intermittency characteristics of the flow behind pitching and fixed wind turbines are assessed via hot-wire anemometry in a wind tunnel experiment. The pitching wind turbine model is free to oscillate in the streamwise direction to simulate pitch motion. Two inflow conditions are considered: 15% and 1.8% turbulent intensities. Empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert Huang transform are employed and validated by comparing the Hilbert energy spectrum with the Fourier energy spectrum. The extended self-similarity model indicates that pitching effects are more pronounced at locations where the flow is less turbulent due to its effect of being overshadowed by intermittency caused by tip vortex shedding. This agrees with arbitrary order Hilbert spectrum analysis (HSA) results. HSA is proven to be more accurate for scaling exponent estimation than structure functions as the latter results are significantly affected by the energetic scales. Premultiplied energy spectra show that pitch motion affects preferably large scales 0.1D−0.5D and the same amount of energy is contained on smaller scales compared to the fixed turbine, suggesting potential of higher power production. This work considers offshore wind turbine wakes by examining the pitch motion effects on the flow. Hence, results have direct implications on power production and quantification of fatigue loads due to pitch cyclic motion.
Algebraic properties of Einstein solutions in ghost-free bimetric theory
Authors: Kocic Mikica , Högås Marcus , Torsello Francesco , Mörtsell Edvard
Published: October 2019

A fact is that an Einstein solution in one sector in ghost-free bimetric theory implies an Einstein solution in the other sector. Earlier studies have also shown that some classes of bimetric models necessitate proportional solutions between the sectors. Here, we consider a general setup of the parameters in the theory as well as the general algebraic form of the potential. We show that, if one sector has an Einstein solution, the solutions are either proportional or block proportional with at most two different eigenvalues in the square root governing metric interactions.
Terahertz biosensing based on bi-layer metamaterial absorbers toward ultra-high sensitivity and simple fabrication
Authors: Zhou Hong , Yang Cheng , Hu Donglin , Li Dongxiao , Hui Xindan , Zhang Feng , Chen Ming , Mu Xiaojing
Published: October 2019

Metamaterial absorbers have proven their ability to sense in the terahertz domain. However, the sensitivity is always limited by the poor spatial overlap between the analyte and the localized enhanced electromagnetic field. Here, we try to tackle this challenge by utilizing an absorber with a bilayer cross-shaped plate-hole structure to ingeniously excite hot-spots covering the analyte. As a result, the sensitivity is significantly improved, theoretically about 7 and 18 times higher than that of the conventional cross-shaped absorber and its complementary cross-shaped absorber, respectively. We then experimentally demonstrate its ability to quantitatively detect biotin with a sensitivity of 153 GHz/μM, higher than that of previously reported biotin sensors. Additionally, the polarization-independent nanostructure decreases the design and fabrication complexity and maintains high reflection at a wide range of incident angles over ±50°. These findings open up opportunities for metamaterial absorbers to realize ultrasensitive biosensing in the fingerprint region of the terahertz regime.
Achieving low noise in scanning tunneling spectroscopy
Authors: Ge Jian-Feng , Ovadia Maoz , Hoffman Jennifer E.
Published: October 2019

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) is a powerful experimental tool to understand the electronic structure of materials at the atomic scale, with energy resolution down to the microelectronvolt range. Such resolution requires a low-vibration laboratory, low-noise electronics, and a cryogenic environment. Here, we present a thorough enumeration and analysis of various noise sources and their contributions to the noise floor of STM/S measurements. We provide a comprehensive recipe and an interactive python notebook to input and evaluate noise data, and to formulate a custom step-by-step approach for optimizing the signal-to-noise ratio in STM/S measurements.
Photonic crystal spatial filtering in broad aperture diode laser
Authors: Gawali S. , Gailevičius D. , Garre-Werner G. , Purlys V. , Cojocaru C. , Trull J. , Montiel-Ponsoda J. , Staliunas K.
Published: October 2019

Broad aperture semiconductor lasers usually suffer from low spatial quality of the emitted beams. Due to the highly compact character of such lasers, the use of conventional intracavity spatial filters is problematic. We demonstrate that extremely compact photonic crystal spatial filters, incorporated into a laser resonator, can improve the beam spatial quality and, correspondingly, increase the brightness of the emitted radiation. We report the decrease in the M2 value from 47 down to 28 due to photonic crystal spatial intracavity filtering and the increase in the brightness by a factor of 1.5, giving a proof of principle of intracavity photonic crystal spatial filtering in broad area semiconductor lasers.
Heat transfer across a fractal surface
Authors: Frank Michael , Papanikolaou Michail , Drikakis Dimitris , Salonitis Konstantinos
Published: October 2019

The effects of surface irregularities and imperfections on the thermal resistance at a solid-liquid interface have been investigated using molecular dynamics. The molecular model comprises liquid argon confined between silver walls. The surface roughness was designed using fractal theory, introducing stochastic patterns of multiple scales that resemble realistic surface geometries. In agreement with most previous studies, we find that increasing the strength of the solid-liquid interactions monotonically reduces the thermal resistance across smooth interfaces. Yet, the behavior of the thermal resistance across rough surfaces is more complex. Following the initially anticipated decrease, the thermal resistance starts to increase once the strength of solid-liquid interaction increases past a threshold. We attribute the above behavior to two competing phenomena, namely, the area of the solid-liquid interface and the introduction of vibrational anharmonicities and localization of phonons resulting from the surface roughness. Finally, we demonstrate that, for the same fractal dimension and depth of surface roughness, different surfaces practically have the same thermal resistance, solid-liquid radial distribution function, and liquid density profiles. We conclude that the above fractal parameters are useful in deriving reduced models for properties related to the surface geometry.
Hybrid silicon on silicon carbide integrated photonics platform
Authors: Wang Chuting , Miyazono Evan , Craiciu Ioana , Faraon Andrei
Published: October 2019

We demonstrate a hybrid on-chip photonics platform based on crystalline silicon resonators and waveguides patterned on top of silicon carbide. The devices were fabricated with membrane transfer followed by standard electron beam patterning procedures. The platform allows the integration of high quality silicon photonics with color centers in silicon carbide operating in the near infrared for spin-photon interfaces used in quantum information processing applications. We measure waveguide-coupled ring resonators with loaded quality factors up to 23 000 at cryogenic temperatures.
Beyond the Langevin horn: Transducer arrays for the acoustic levitation of liquid drops
Authors: Morris Robert H. , Dye Elizabeth R. , Docker Peter , Newton Michael I.
Published: October 2019

The acoustic levitation of liquid drops has been a key phenomenon for more than 40 years, driven partly by the ability to mimic a microgravity environment. It has seen more than 700 research articles published in this time and has seen a recent resurgence in the past 5 years, thanks to low cost developments. As well as investigating the basic physics of levitated drops, acoustic levitation has been touted for container free delivery of samples to a variety of measurements systems, most notably in various spectroscopy techniques including Raman and Fourier transform infrared in addition to numerous X-ray techniques. For 30 years, the workhorse of the acoustic levitation apparatus was a stack comprising a piezoelectric transducer coupled to a horn shaped radiative element often referred to as the Langevin horn. Decades of effort have been dedicated to such devices, paired with a matching and opposing device or a reflector, but they have a significant dependence on temperature and require precision alignment. The last decade has seen a significant shift away from these in favor of arrays of digitally driven, inexpensive transducers, giving a new dynamic to the topic which we review herein.
A fluid simulation-based evidence of the soliton-type behavior of supersolitary waves in plasma
Authors: Lotekar Ajay , Kakad Amar , Kakad Bharati
Published: October 2019

We performed a fluid simulation of the head-on collision of supersolitary waves (SSWs) with regular solitary waves (RSWs) in a plasma consisting of cold fluid ions and two-temperature electrons having kappa distributions. We have set up the fluid simulation to evolve both ion acoustic (IA) SSW and IA RSW self-consistently. Our simulation shows that the generated SSW and RSW maintain their shapes while propagating at a constant speed. Furthermore, the simulation demonstrates that the head-on collision of SSW with RSW does not affect their original characteristics, revealing their soliton-type behavior. This is the first simulation to confirm the soliton-type behavior of the SSWs in plasma.
Biased diffusion in periodic potentials: Three types of force dependence of effective diffusivity and generalized Lifson-Jackson formula
Authors: Berezhkovskii Alexander M. , Dagdug Leonardo
Published: October 2019

Diffusive transport of particles in a biased periodic potential is characterized by the effective drift velocity and diffusivity, which are functions of the biasing force. We derive a simple exact expression for the effective diffusivity and use it to show that the force dependence of this quantity may be a nonmonotonic function with a maximum [as shown in the work of Reimann et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 010602 (2001) for periodic sinusoidal potential] or with a minimum, or a monotonic function. The shape of the dependence is determined by the shape of the periodic potential.
Unsteady behavior of wall-detached flow inside a steam turbine control valve
Authors: Wang Peng , Xu Sihua , He Li , Liu Yingzheng
Published: October 2019

Wall-detached flow inside an ultra-supercritical steam turbine control valve was comprehensively investigated with detached-eddy simulation, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), and flow reconstruction. The dependency of the wall-detached flow on the control valve’s opening ratio and pressure ratio was established first. Scattered wall-detached-flow, merged wall-detached-flow, and intersected wall-detached-flow were then identified by distinguishing the detachment scale of the wall-detached jet. Subsequently, flow analysis was conducted in terms of the statistical flow quantities, i.e., velocity fluctuation, turbulent kinetic energy, pressure loss, and pressure fluctuation. The statistical results demonstrated that the merged wall-detached-flow facilitated the most intensive velocity and pressure fluctuations inside the steam turbine control valve. The intersected wall-detached-flow encountered significant shock-wave reflections along the downstream pipe. By conducting POD analysis and flow reconstruction on the instantaneous flow snapshots, the dominant vortex structures and energetic pressure fluctuation modes were extracted to illustrate the wall-detached flow’s unsteady behavior. The results showed that the instabilities of the scattered wall-detached-flow were primarily represented by the horizontal flapping motion of the wall-detached jet. However, for the merged wall-detached-flow, both the vertical out-phase oscillation and the horizontal flapping motion of the wall-detached jet intensified, yielding essential axial pressure fluctuation modes. As for the intersected wall-detached-flow, due to the complex wave reflections and propagations, essential regions with velocity discontinuities and diagonal crosslines with intensive pressure fluctuations formed inside the valve pipe. These findings are of great practical significance for the operation and optimization of steam turbine control valves in thermal power plants.
Crop rotational diversity impacts soil physical and hydrological properties under long-term no- and conventional-till soils
Authors: Alhameid Abdullah , Singh Jasdeep , Sekaran Udayakumar , Ozlu Ekrem , Kumar Sandeep , Singh Shardendu
Published: October 2019

Diversification of crop species and minimum mechanical soil disturbance are the interlinked principles of conservation agriculture that are beneficial in improving soil physical and hydrological properties, and hence crop productivity. The present study was conducted to assess the long-term impacts of crop rotational diversity and tillage on soil water infiltration (qs), soil water retention (SWR), pore size distribution (PSD), bulk density (ρb) and soil penetration resistance (SPR). The study was established in 1991 at Beresford, South Dakota, and included three crop rotation systems (2-year, maize (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max L.); 3-year, maize–soybean–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.); and 4-year, maize–soybean–wheat–oat (Avena sativa L.)) and two tillage systems (NT, no-tillage; and CT, conventional tillage). Soil samples were collected only under maize and soybean phases of the crop rotations. Our results showed that NT with 4-year rotation had the lowest ρb under maize and soybean phases (1.21 and 1.19 g cm–3 respectively) compared with the CT system. Similarly, NT with 4-year rotation decreased SPR by 20% compared to CT with 4-year rotation in the soybean phase. Soils managed under NT with 4-year rotation in the soybean phase retained 27, 28, 28, 32, 33, 31 and 26% more water compared with CT and 4-year system at 0–7.5 cm depth at 0, –0.4, –1.0, –2.5, –5.0, –10 and –30 kPa matric potentials respectively. A similar trend was observed for qs under the same treatments, in which it was 31% higher under NT than under CT, both with 4-year rotation. Data from this study showed that diversified crop rotation under NT enhanced soil physical and hydrological properties compared with CT with less diverse systems (e.g. maize–soybean).
Potential microbial remediation of pyrene polluted soil: the role of biochar
Authors: Piscitelli Lea , Malerba Anna Daniela , Mezzapesa Giuseppe Natale , Dumontet Stefano , Mondelli Donato , Miano Teodoro , Bruno Giovanni Luigi
Published: October 2019

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of compounds composed of two or more aromatic rings. They are extremely toxic pollutants largely produced by anthropogenic activities and characterised by high persistence in the environment. Soils contaminated by PAHs could be depolluted by bioremediation techniques, an effective in-situ procedure which provides the addition of exogenous substrates able to sustain and enhance the autochthonous soil microflora and the allochthon microbial inoculum. Our research aims to study the effects of biochar, produced by slow pyrolysis of olive pomace, as a bio-stimulant of soil microflora or support for the colonisation of the allochthon Trichoderma harzianum, on degradation of pyrene used here as model molecule for the PAH family. Biochar is considered an excellent soil conditioner because of its positive effect on soil physical and chemical properties and its positive interaction with soil microorganisms. Autochthonous microbial growth, T. harzianum growth and microbial pyrene-degradation activity were surveyed in soil samples spiked with 50 ppm of pyrene and incubated for up to 28 days. Pyrene concentration was reduced by ~70% in 28 days in both bioaugmentation and biostimulation tests. Olive mill pomace biochar did not interfere with pyrene bioavailability and did not affect microbial pyrene-degrading activity. The T. harzianum did not display a distinctive ability in degrading pyrene and partially inhibited the endogenous soil microflora.
Capsid expansion of bacteriophage T5 revealed by high resolution cryoelectron microscopy
Authors: Huet Alexis , Duda Robert L. , Boulanger Pascale , Conway James F.
Published: October 2019

The large (90-nm) icosahedral capsid of bacteriophage T5 is composed of 775 copies of the major capsid protein (mcp) together with portal, protease, and decoration proteins. Its assembly is a regulated process that involves several intermediates, including a thick-walled round precursor prohead that expands as the viral DNA is packaged to yield a thin-walled and angular mature capsid. We investigated capsid maturation by comparing cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the prohead, the empty expanded capsid both with and without decoration protein, and the virion capsid at a resolution of 3.8 Å for the latter. We detail the molecular structure of the mcp, its complex pattern of interactions, and their evolution during maturation. The bacteriophage T5 mcp is a variant of the canonical HK97-fold with a high level of plasticity that allows for the precise assembly of a giant macromolecule and the adaptability needed to interact with other proteins and the packaged DNA.
Translating discourse markers in theater
Authors: Tarantini Angela Tiziana , Benatti Ruben
Published: October 2019

This article examines the translation of discourse markers in drama dialogue. Discourse markers are an important feature of spoken language, and unsurprisingly, they abound in drama dialogue. Yet very few studies have addressed the issue of discourse markers in theater translation. While some scholars suggest that discourse markers do not add anything to the propositional content of the sentence (Bazzanella 1994), our study reveals that it is very difficult to omit them in translation. In this article we suggest that an approach based on pragmatics could inform the practice of translating discourse markers in a playtext without overriding the importance of the rhythm of a spoken utterance, which is vital for rendering a play in translation (Bartlett 1996).
A PINCH-1–Smurf1 signaling axis mediates mechano-regulation of BMPR2 and stem cell differentiation
Authors: Guo Ling , Wang Rong , Zhang Kuo , Yuan Jifan , Wang Jiaxin , Wang Xiaoxia , Ma Jianfei , Wu Chuanyue
Published: October 2019

Mechano-environment plays multiple critical roles in the control of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) fate decision, but the underlying signaling mechanisms remain undefined. We report here a signaling axis consisting of PINCH-1, SMAD specific E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (Smurf1), and bone morphogenetic protein type 2 receptor (BMPR2) that links mechano-environment to MSC fate decision. PINCH-1 interacts with Smurf1, which inhibits the latter from interacting with BMPR2 and consequently suppresses BMPR2 degradation, resulting in augmented BMP signaling and MSC osteogenic differentiation (OD). Extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening increases PINCH-1 level and consequently activates this signaling axis. Depletion of PINCH-1 blocks stiff ECM-induced BMP signaling and OD, whereas overexpression of PINCH-1 overrides signals from soft ECM and promotes OD. Finally, perturbation of either Smurf1 or BMPR2 expression is sufficient to block the effects of PINCH-1 on BMP signaling and MSC fate decision. Our findings delineate a key signaling mechanism through which mechano-environment controls BMPR2 level and MSC fate decision.
Development of a new primary humidity measurement standard
Authors: FitzGerald Conor , Mac Lochlainn Dubhaltach , Strnad Radek , Hodžić Nedžadeta
Published: October 2019

A new primary humidity generator was developed at the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). The principles of operation and overall design of the generator are discussed. The flow regime within the saturators was analysed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to determine if sufficient mixing takes place within the final saturator. This was later investigated by experiment and it was found that sufficient mixing takes place for flow rates up to 3 l min−1 at standard flow conditions of 101 325 Pa and 293.15 K. The uncertainty due to non-ideal saturation at 90 °C dp is discussed. This uncertainty was analysed with respect to the effect that the flow speed and latent heating in the saturators has on the saturation efficiency, separately. The uncertainty associated with saturation efficiency at 90 °C dew point was estimated from the temperature gradients along the saturation path arising due to latent heating effects. The standard uncertainty due to non-ideal saturation was found to be  ±3 mK dp.
The characterization of laser-induced thermal damage mechanism of mid-infrared optical coatings with surface contaminants
Authors: Lou Zhaokai , Han Kai , Zhang Chaofan , Chen Minsun , Yan Baozhu , Yang Yi , Liu Hao , Chen Jian , Li Xiao
Published: October 2019

Understanding the laser-induced thermal damage mechanism is important to the development of high power continuous wave (CW) laser. In this paper, we monitor the evolution of damage via a self-build optical element testing platform and build a correspond theoretical model based on the temperature field and heat conduction theory. The waveband of optical coatings (ZnSe and YbF3) under test is dedicated for the mid-infrared. Using a 10 kW level mid-infrared CW laser, the thermal stress damage process of the optical coatings caused by surface contaminants is recorded. The Finite Element Method was employed to calculate the thermal damage mechanism of mid-infrared optical coatings. The calculated thermal damage mechanism agrees very well with our experiment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on thermal damage mechanism of mid-infrared coatings with surface contaminants induced by CW laser.
Design and development of dual axis sun tracking system for floating PV plant
Authors: Natarajan Sendhil Kumar , Kumar Aman , Mohamed Raqeeb , Rathna R , Mondal Swaraj , Suraparaju Subbarama Kousik
Published: October 2019

Increase in need of non-renewable energy sources has directed to the installation of PV plants in many areas. But considering the availability of land and the charges, the PV plant can be installed on water bodies like dams, reservoirs, lake, waste water treatment plants, canals etc. Floating type PV panels has a number of advantages compared to the land-based PV plant; its efficiency can be increased by effective cooling and tracking mechanism. The installation in water bodies offers additional advantages to the aquatic environment like reducing the evaporation rate of the water body, reduces unwanted plant growth in water body; improving the water quality. In this paper, detailed description of floating and the rotating structures in the plant. For higher efficiency the solar panel should be tracking in two axes, that is, tracking of azimuthal and altitude axis. Hence, dual axis tracking system is adopted and the mechanism is explained. Torque calculations are made for selection of correct stepper motor and hybrid linear actuator. Different materials for the platform are compared. A prototype made of wood was design and developed in NIT Puducherry.
Life cycle assessment on biofuel production from biomass gasification and syngas fermentation
Authors: Muthudineshkumar R. , Anand R.
Published: October 2019

Biomass is gaining popularity in research for the development of new renewable and eco-friendly energy sources. Since lignocellulosic biomass, resources are ample and renewable. One of the methods to convert biomass into usable gaseous fuel is gasification process. Gasification is a very simple process to convert solid fuels into gaseous fuels. It can be used to gasify even low-grade agricultural solid residues to combustible gases to meet the energy requirements in a decentralized manner. Since gasification results in fewer pollutant emissions, it is also an environmentally clean way of utilizing fuels. In this proposed study, comparative life cycle Assessment will be performed for power generation from biomass downdraft gasification and syngas fermentation for biofuel synthesis in two stages. The present investigation is to analyse the Prosopis Juliflora biomass waste intended for ultimate, calorific value and proximate analysis and to evaluate their characterization as feedstock for utilization in gasification process. In the first stage, the feedstock is first fed into downdraft gasifier from top to bottom, followed by a sequence of operation namely drying, pyrolysis, oxidation, and reduction for syngas generation. The synthesis gas derived from biomass downdraft gasification often contains additional components such as tar, acetylene, ethane and ethylene. The impurities available in the synthesis gas causes a potential scaling in the ways and by inhibiting microbial catalyst, which involves a cellular low growth and poor yield in product. Some recent studies reported that syngas has been converted into liquid fuel by using Fisher trophic synthesis, but it requires a catalyst. So, in the second stage the syngas fermenter with the capacity of 7-L would be designed and fabricated for the continuous production of 1 g/L biobutanol from purified syngas using the mixed culture mainly consists of C1 fixing homoacetogenic and C4-producing butyrate microorganisms or butyrogens. The produced syngas can also be used directly as a fuel for Solid Oxide fuel cell applications.
Thermal Performance of a Salt Gradient Non-Convective Solar Pond in Subtropical Region Climatic Conditions
Authors: Natarajan Sendhil Kumar , Sahu Susant Kumar , K Arjun Singh
Published: October 2019

Renewable energy is becoming a significant source of energy due to the intensification in crude oil prices and the upsurge in greenhouse effects due to burning of fossil fuels. With only finite source of fossil fuel and exponential increase in the demand of power because of increase in human population, power generation from renewable energy promises a sustainable future for the mankind. Solar energy can be harnessed to meet our energy needs for a sustainable future. After the remarkable hike in oil prices numerous countries began to do an extensive research and development to utilize solar energy. There are many methods to trap solar energy, but an effective one was by using solar pond. Solar pond is an unnaturally constructed pond in which large temperature can be maintained in the lower convective zone by the way of higher salt concentration and by preventing natural convection so these ponds are termed as salt gradient solar pond. In this current research a salt gradient solar pond is designed and developed. Further the Thermal Analysis and Performance of the same model has been done in Vizag Climatic Condition. The same model can be utilized for generating sensible and latent heat for room heating and industrial heating applications. Moreover, electrical power can be generated by using suitable heat exchanger and working medium of low boiling point values such as ammonia.
Development of Robotic Coordinated Control System for Bowl Food Packaging
Authors: Yequan Bao , Changsheng Ai , Dunyang Geng , Gangchang Ren , Hong Ju
Published: October 2019

The processing of the bowled food is relatively mechanical, repetitive and cumbersome, resulting in high work intensity, low efficiency, and high defect rate, and meets the working cycle:13.5s, positioning accuracy: 2mm.A PLC-based automatic feeding control system for food packaging line was designed. Including the conveyor line for bowl feeding, the numerical controlled manipulator and package process following control system for reclaiming and discharging functions, the system control scheme was proposed and 3D modeling construction was carried out. The design of hardware and software for feeding, reclaiming and discharging in the system is elaborated in detail. Finally, through the actual on-site commissioning and production operation, it is proved that the equipment has fully met the design requirements and greatly improved the production efficiency.
Numerical Analysis of Influence of Welding Sequence on Welding Deformation of Magnetic Separator Dielectric Box
Authors: Sun Xuan , Wang Zhiyong , Yingjun Li , Changsheng Ai
Published: October 2019

Aiming at the problem that the welding sequence has a great influence on the welding deformation of the dielectric box, this paper uses the nonlinear finite element method to numerically simulate the four welding sequences of the magnetic separator dielectric box, and analyzes the transverse deformation and longitudinal deformation. The welding sequence with the smallest amount of deformation was obtained, and the correctness of the simulation results was verified by experiments.
Invariant metrics on negatively pinched complete Kähler manifolds
Authors: Wu Damin , Yau Shing-Tung
Published: October 2019

We prove that a complete Kähler manifold with holomorphic curvature bounded between two negative constants admits a unique complete Kähler-Einstein metric. We also show this metric and the Kobayashi-Royden metric are both uniformly equivalent to the background Kähler metric. Furthermore, all three metrics are shown to be uniformly equivalent to the Berg- man metric, if the complete Kähler manifold is simply-connected, with the sectional curvature bounded between two negative constants. In particular, we confirm two conjectures of R. E. Greene and H. Wu posted in 1979.
Algebro-geometric aspectsof the Christoffel-Darboux kernelsfor classical orthogonal polynomials
Authors: Sawa Masanori , Uchida Yukihiro
Published: October 2019

In this paper we study algebro-geometric aspects of the Christoffel-Darboux kernels for classical orthogonal polynomials with rational coefficients. We find a novel connection between a projective curve defined by theChristoffel-Darboux kernel and a system of Diophantine equations, which was originally designed by Hausdorff (1909) for applications to Waring’s problem, and which is closely related to quadrature formulas in numerical analysis and Gaussian designs in algebraic combinatorics. We prove some nonsolvability results of such Hausdorff-type equations.
Relations in the maximal pro-𝑝 quotients of absolute Galois groups
Authors: Mináč Ján , Rogelstad Michael , Tân Nguyễn
Published: October 2019

We observe that some fundamental constructions in Galois theory can be used to obtain interesting restrictions on the structure of Galois groups of maximal

p
p

-extensions of fields containing a primitive

p
p

-th root of unity. This is an extension of some significant ideas of Demushkin, Labute, and Serre from local fields to all fields containing a primitive

p
p

-th root of unity. Our techniques use certain natural simple Galois extensions together with some considerations in Galois cohomology and Massey products.
Behaviors of individual microtubules and microtubule populations relative to critical concentrations: dynamic instability occurs when critical concentrations are driven apart by nucleotide hydrolysis
Authors: Jonasson Erin M. , Mauro Ava J. , Li Chunlei , Labuz Ellen C. , Mahserejian Shant M. , Scripture Jared P. , Gregoretti Ivan V. , Alber Mark , Goodson Holly V.
Published: October 2019

We show that polymers displaying dynamic instability (DI) have at least two experimentally distinguishable critical concentrations (CCs), typical DI occurs between these two CCs, and the separation between the CCs depends on the NTP hydrolysis rate. We demonstrate how these CCs relate to various existing experimental and theoretical definitions of CC.
Septin 2/6/7 complexes tune microtubule plus-end growth and EB1 binding in a concentration- and filament-dependent manner
Authors: Nakos Konstantinos , Radler Megan R. , Spiliotis Elias T.
Published: October 2019

Septins (SEPTs) are filamentous guanosine-5′-triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins, which affect microtubule (MT)-dependent functions including membrane trafficking and cell division, but their precise role in MT dynamics is poorly understood. Here, in vitro reconstitution of MT dynamics with SEPT2/6/7, the minimal subunits of septin heteromers, shows that SEPT2/6/7 has a biphasic concentration-dependent effect on MT growth. Lower concentrations of SEPT2/6/7 enhance MT plus-end growth and elongation, while higher and intermediate concentrations inhibit and pause plus-end growth, respectively. We show that SEPT2/6/7 has a modest preference for GTP- over guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound MT lattice and competes with end-binding protein 1 (EB1) for binding to guanosine 5′- O-[γ-thio]triphosphate (GTPγS)-stabilized MTs, which mimic the EB1-preferred GDP-Pi state of polymerized tubulin. Strikingly, SEPT2/6/7 triggers EB1 dissociation from plus-end tips in cis by binding to the MT lattice and in trans when MT plus ends collide with SEPT2/6/7 filaments. At these intersections, SEPT2/6/7 filaments were more potent barriers than actin filaments in pausing MT growth and dissociating EB1 in vitro and in live cells. These data demonstrate that SEPT2/6/7 complexes and filaments can directly impact MT plus-end growth and the tracking of plus end–binding proteins and thereby may facilitate the capture of MT plus ends at intracellular sites of septin enrichment.

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