bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prison Population Reductions and COVID-19: A Latent Profile Analysis Synthesizing Recent Evidence From the Texas State Prison System
Authors: Vest Noel , Johnson Oshea , Nowotny Kathryn , Brinkley-Rubinstein Lauren
Published: December 2020

People in prison are particularly vulnerable to infectious disease due to close living conditions and the lack of protective equipment. As a result, public health professionals and prison administrators seek information to guide best practices and policy recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using latent profile analysis, we sought to characterize Texas prisons on levels of COVID-19 cases and deaths among incarcerated residents, and COVID-19 cases among prison staff. This observational study was a secondary data analysis of publicly available data from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TBDJ) collected from March 1, 2020, until July 24, 2020. This project was completed in collaboration with the COVID Prison Project. We identified relevant profiles from the data: a low-outbreak profile, a high-outbreak profile, and a high-death profile. Additionally, current prison population and level of employee staffing predicted membership in the high-outbreak and high-death profiles when compared with the low-outbreak profile. Housing persons at 85% of prison capacity was associated with lower risk of COVID-19 infection and death. Implementing this 85% standard as an absolute minimum should be prioritized at prisons across the USA.
International Top Managers on Corporate Boards: Dissimilarity and Tenure
Authors: Schmid Stefan , Mitterreiter Simon
Published: December 2020

The number of top managers with foreign nationality and of top managers with international work experience on corporate boards has increased over the last decades. In business and management literature, the common understanding is that board diversity and international work experience for board members go hand in hand with numerous positive consequences for MNCs. But how does dissimilarity in nationality and in international work experience affect a top manager and his or her tenure on the board? Drawing on interpersonal attraction research and analyzing 149 management board members from German DAX-30 firms, we find empirical evidence that dissimilarity in nationality and in international work experience have a negative association with tenure. Based on social capital theory, we also suggest that the nexus between a top manager with an international background and his or her tenure is moderated by ‘firm insidership’. Our data confirm that having work experience in a firm before being appointed to its board is indeed linked to longer tenure but does not alleviate the disadvantages of being international. In sum, the resulting implication of our research is that, contrary to widely accepted scholarly opinions, a top manager’s international background may also have detrimental effects—in our case negative effects on tenure.
Calcium signaling: breast cancer’s approach to manipulation of cellular circuitry
Authors: Pratt Stephen JP , Hernández-Ochoa Erick , Martin Stuart S
Published: December 2020

Calcium is a versatile element that participates in cell signaling for a wide range of cell processes such as death, cell cycle, division, migration, invasion, metabolism, differentiation, autophagy, transcription, and others. Specificity of calcium in each of these processes is achieved through modulation of intracellular calcium concentrations by changing the characteristics (amplitude/frequency modulation) or location (spatial modulation) of the signal. Breast cancer utilizes calcium signaling as an advantage for survival and progression. This review integrates evidence showing that increases in expression of calcium channels, GPCRs, pumps, effectors, and enzymes, as well as resulting intracellular calcium signals, lead to high calcium and/or an elevated calcium- mobilizing capacity necessary for malignant functions such as migratory, invasive, proliferative, tumorigenic, or metastatic capacities.
Evaluation of Optical Remote Sensing Data in Burned Areas Mapping of Thasos Island, Greece
Authors: Elhag Mohamed , Yimaz Nese , Bahrawi Jarbou , Boteva Silvena
Published: December 2020

Forest fires are a common feature in the Mediterranean forests through the years, as a wide tract of forest fortune is lost because of the incendiary fires in the forests. The enormous damages caused by forest fires enhanced the efforts of scientists towards the attenuation of the negative effects of forest fire and consequently the minimization of biodiversity losses by searching more for the adequate distribution of attempts on forest fire prevention and, suppression. The multi-temporal Principal Components Analysis is applied to a pair of images of consecutive years obtained from Landsat-8 satellite to unconventional map and assess the spatial extent of the burned areas on the island of Thasos, Greece. First, the PCA was applied on the before fire image, and then a multi-temporal image is created from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th band of before and after images including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to enhance the results. The results from the different steps of this analysis robustly mapped the burned areas by 82.28 ha confirmed by almost 85%. Are compared with data provided by the local forest service in order to assess their accuracy. The multi-temporal PCA outputs including NDVI (PC 4, PC %, and PC 6) give better accuracy due to its ability to distinguish the burned areas of older years and to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index that gives better variance to the image.
Centering the Margins
Authors: Quave Kylie E. , Fie Shannon M. , Greiff AmySue Qing Qing , Agnew Drew Alis
Published: December 2020

Teaching introductory archaeology courses in U.S. higher education typically falls short in two important ways: the courses do not represent the full picture of who contributes to reconstructing the past, and they do not portray the contemporary and future relevance of the archaeological past. In this article, we use anti-colonial and decolonial theories to explain the urgency of revising the introductory archaeology curriculum for promoting equity in the discipline and beyond. We detail the pedagogical theories we employed in revising an introductory archaeology course at a small liberal arts college in the United States and the specific changes we made to course structure, content, and teaching strategies. To examine the impacts on enrolled students and on who chose to enroll in the revised archaeology curriculum, we analyze student reflection essays and enrollment demographics. We found that students developed more complex understandings of the benefits and harms of archaeological knowledge production and could articulate how to address archaeology's inequities. We also found that enrollment in archaeology courses at the college shifted to include greater proportions of students of color. These results support the notion that introductory archaeology courses should be substantially and continually revised.
Gust load alleviation for flexible aircraft using discrete-time preview control
Authors: Khalil A. , Fezans N.
Published: December 2020

Turbulence and gusts cause variations in the aerodynamic forces and moments applied to the structure of aircraft, resulting in passenger discomfort and dynamic loads on the structure that it must be designed to support. By designing Gust Load Alleviation (GLA) systems, two objectives can be achieved: first, realizing higher passenger comfort; and second, reducing the dynamic structural loads, which allows the design of lighter structures. In this paper, a methodology for designing combined feedback/feedforward GLA systems is proposed. The methodology relies on the availability of a wind profile ahead of the aircraft measured by a Doppler LIDAR sensor, and is based on $H_{\infty}$-optimal control techniques and a discrete-time preview-control problem formulation. Moreover, to allow design trade-offs between those two objectives (to achieve design flexibility) as well as to allow specification of robustness criteria, a variant of the problem using multi-channel $H_{\infty}$-optimal control techniques is introduced. The methodology developed in this paper is intended to be applied to large aircraft, e.g. transport aircraft or business jets. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed design methodology in accounting for the measured wind profile to achieve the two mentioned objectives, while ensuring both design flexibility and controller robustness and optimality.
Agricultural education and Italian primary school teachers: the Romagna in the late nineteenth century
Authors: Mazzotti Omar , Fornasari Massimo
Published: December 2020

This article examines the dissemination of agricultural education in primary schools in the Romagna, an important rural area in post-unification Italy. The topic is explored within a wider perspective, analysing the impact of institutional changes – at both the national and local levels – on the transmission of agricultural knowledge in primary education during the final quarter of the nineteenth century. Two particular elements of the process are examined: students, as the intended beneficiaries of the educational process; and teachers, who as well as having a key role in reducing the extent of illiteracy were sometimes also involved in disseminating agricultural knowledge. The transfer of that knowledge appears to have been a very challenging task, not least because of the scant interest that Italy's ruling class showed towards this issue. However, increasing importance seems to have been given to agricultural education in primary schools during the economic crisis of the 1880s, when the expansion of this provision was thought to be among the factors that might help to prepare the ground for the hoped-for ‘agricultural revolution’.
Kapsulotaenia tidswelli– an unusual cestode from the Australian goannasVaranus gouldii gouldiiandV. giganteus
Authors: Thompson R.C.A. , Keatley S. , Elliot A. , Clode P.L.
Published: December 2020

Kapsulotaenia tidswelliis a proteocephalidean cestode that utilizes varanid lizards as definitive hosts. Fresh specimens of this cestode were observed with endogenous red pigmentation in the neck region that disappeared rapidly if specimens were not preserved in glutaraldehyde. The ultrastructural characteristics of the red pigment, which are described, suggest it is a carotenoid. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a close relationship betweenK. tidswelliand other species ofKapsulotaeniafor which sequence information is available. There is thus no reason to consider that the red pigmentation is becauseK. tidswelliis atypical, and it is proposed the carotenoids are likely to be associated with the diet of its varanid host.
The prevalence and practice of soil balancing among organic corn farmers
Authors: Brock Caroline , Jackson-Smith Douglas , Kumarappan Subbu , Culman Steve , Doohan Douglas , Herms Cathy
Published: December 2020

The scientific community and most mainstream agriculturalists typically design fertilizer recommendations to provide a ‘sufficient level of available nutrients’ to meet the annual N, P and K requirements of common field crops. Soil balancing is another approach to managing soil fertility that focuses on the levels of Ca, Mg and K to achieve a desired base cation saturation ratio (BCSR). Soil balancing is believed to be practiced frequently by organic and other alternative farmers but is viewed skeptically by conventional agricultural scientists due to a lack of support for the idea in the published scientific literature. This study represents a pioneering effort to collect systematic data on the extent of soil balancing, how it is practiced and the types of outcomes reported by organic farmers. Our survey of over 850 farmers who grow certified organic corn in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania found that over half report using a soil-balancing approach based on BCSR. Their practice of soil balancing frequently includes more than management of base cations, but also uses a wide range of soil amendment products (such as purchased organic NPK fertilizers, micronutrients, microbial stimulants and soil inoculants) other than those applied specifically for cation balance. Farms that rely on vegetable and dairy production for most of their income, and Amish farmers who rely on horses for fieldwork, were more likely to report using a soil-balancing program. Self-described soil balancers perceived positive agronomic outcomes from the use of a BCSR program, including improvements in soil physical and biological properties and improved crop health and quality. Although farmers in our study report extensive use and positive perceived outcomes from soil-balancing methods, the scientific research literature has been unable to reproduce evidence that manipulating soil base cation levels has any systematic effect on crop yield. Future research could consider the interacting effects of BCSR with other field management practices to more closely approximate the actual practices of farmers.
On the Origin of Donut‐Shaped Electron Distributions Within Magnetic Cavities
Authors: Li Jing‐Huan , Zhou Xu‐Zhi , Zong Qiu‐Gang , Yang Fan , Fu Suiyan , Yao Shutao , Liu Ji , Shi Quanqi
Published: December 2020

Magnetic cavities, also known as magnetic holes, are ubiquitous in space plasmas characterized by depressed magnetic strength and enhanced plasma pressure. Most of the observed cavities are associated with anisotropic particle distributions with higher fluxes in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. Recent observations of kinetic‐scale magnetic cavities have identified another type of electron distributions in the pitch angle spectrum, the so‐called donut‐shaped distributions, although their formation mechanism remains unclear. Here, we present a simplistic model of cavity shrinkage and deepening, in which electrons are traced backward in time to the initial, equilibrium‐state cavity. The resulting electron distributions, determined from Liouville's theorem, agree with the observations in the presence of donut‐shaped pitch angle structures. The model also enables a quantitative evaluation on the roles of betatron cooling, radial transport, and pitch angle variations in the formation of donut‐shaped electron distributions within evolving magnetic cavities.
Deep Structure of the Grenada Basin From Wide‐Angle Seismic, Bathymetric and Gravity Data
Authors: Padron Crelia , Klingelhoefer Frauke , Marcaillou Boris , Lebrun Jean‐Frédéric , Lallemand Serge , Garrocq Clément , Laigle Mireille , Roest Walter R , Beslier Marie‐Odile , Schenini Laure , Graindorge David , Gay Aurelien , Audemard Franck , Münch Philippe ,   the GARANTI Cruise Team
Published: December 2020

The Grenada back‐arc basin is located between the Aves Ridge, which hosted the remnant Early Paleogene “Great Caribbean Arc,” and the Eocene to Present Lesser Antilles Arc. Several earlier studies have proposed different modes of back‐arc opening for this basin, including N‐S and E‐W directions. The main aim of this study is to constrain the circumstances leading to the opening of the basin. Three combined wide‐angle and reflection seismic profiles were acquired in the Grenada basin. The final velocity models from forward travel time and gravity modeling image variations in thickness and velocity structure of the sedimentary and crustal layers.

The sedimentary cover has a variable thickness between 1 km on top of the ridges to ∼10 km in the basin. North of Guadeloupe Island, the crust is ∼20 km thick without significant changes between Aves Ridge, the Grenada basin, and the Eocene and present Lesser Antilles arc. South of Guadeloupe Island the Grenada basin is underlain by a oceanic crust of mainly magmatic origin over a width of ∼80 km. Here, the western flank of the Lesser Antilles Arc, the crust is 17.5‐km thick. The velocity structure of the Lesser Antilles Arc is typical of volcanic arcs or oceanic plateaus. West of the basin, the crust thickens to 25 km at Aves Ridge in an 80–100 km wide arc‐ocean transition zone. The narrowness of this transition zone suggests that opening might have proceeded in a direction oblique to the main convergence. Opening probably was accompanied by moderate volcanism.
Electrically and magnetically switchable nonlinear photocurrent in РТ-symmetric magnetic topological quantum materials
Authors: Wang Hua , Qian Xiaofeng
Published: December 2020

Nonlinear photocurrent in time-reversal invariant noncentrosymmetric systems such as ferroelectric semimetals sparked tremendous interest of utilizing nonlinear optics to characterize condensed matter with exotic phases. Here we provide a microscopic theory of two types of second-order nonlinear direct photocurrents, magnetic shift photocurrent (MSC) and magnetic injection photocurrent (MIC), as the counterparts of normal shift current (NSC) and normal injection current (NIC) in time-reversal symmetry and inversion symmetry broken systems. We show that MSC is mainly governed by shift vector and interband Berry curvature, and MIC is dominated by absorption strength and asymmetry of the group velocity difference at time-reversed ±k points. Taking $${\cal{P}}{\cal{T}}$$

P
T

-symmetric magnetic topological quantum material bilayer antiferromagnetic (AFM) MnBi2Te4 as an example, we predict the presence of large MIC in the terahertz (THz) frequency regime which can be switched between two AFM states with time-reversed spin orderings upon magnetic transition. In addition, external electric field breaks $${\cal{P}}{\cal{T}}$$

P
T

symmetry and enables large NSC response in bilayer AFM MnBi2Te4, which can be switched by external electric field. Remarkably, both MIC and NSC are highly tunable under varying electric field due to the field-induced large Rashba and Zeeman splitting, resulting in large nonlinear photocurrent response down to a few THz regime, suggesting bilayer AFM-z MnBi2Te4 as a tunable platform with rich THz and magneto-optoelectronic applications. Our results reveal that nonlinear photocurrent responses governed by NSC, NIC, MSC, and MIC provide a powerful tool for deciphering magnetic structures and interactions which could be particularly fruitful for probing and understanding magnetic topological quantum materials.
Optimization and validation of diffusion MRI-based fiber tracking with neural tracer data as a reference
Authors: Gutierrez Carlos Enrique , Skibbe Henrik , Nakae Ken , Tsukada Hiromichi , Lienard Jean , Watakabe Akiya , Hata Junichi , Reisert Marco , Woodward Alexander , Yamaguchi Yoko , Yamamori Tetsuo , Okano Hideyuki , Ishii Shin , Doya Kenji
Published: December 2020

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) allows non-invasive investigation of whole-brain connectivity, which can reveal the brain’s global network architecture and also abnormalities involved in neurological and mental disorders. However, the reliability of connection inferences from dMRI-based fiber tracking is still debated, due to low sensitivity, dominance of false positives, and inaccurate and incomplete reconstruction of long-range connections. Furthermore, parameters of tracking algorithms are typically tuned in a heuristic way, which leaves room for manipulation of an intended result. Here we propose a general data-driven framework to optimize and validate parameters of dMRI-based fiber tracking algorithms using neural tracer data as a reference. Japan’s Brain/MINDS Project provides invaluable datasets containing both dMRI and neural tracer data from the same primates. A fundamental difference when comparing dMRI-based tractography and neural tracer data is that the former cannot specify the direction of connectivity; therefore, evaluating the fitting of dMRI-based tractography becomes challenging. The framework implements multi-objective optimization based on the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II. Its performance is examined in two experiments using data from ten subjects for optimization and six for testing generalization. The first uses a seed-based tracking algorithm, iFOD2, and objectives for sensitivity and specificity of region-level connectivity. The second uses a global tracking algorithm and a more refined set of objectives: distance-weighted coverage, true/false positive ratio, projection coincidence, and commissural passage. In both experiments, with optimized parameters compared to default parameters, fiber tracking performance was significantly improved in coverage and fiber length. Improvements were more prominent using global tracking with refined objectives, achieving an average fiber length from 10 to 17 mm, voxel-wise coverage of axonal tracts from 0.9 to 15%, and the correlation of target areas from 40 to 68%, while minimizing false positives and impossible cross-hemisphere connections. Optimized parameters showed good generalization capability for test brain samples in both experiments, demonstrating the flexible applicability of our framework to different tracking algorithms and objectives. These results indicate the importance of data-driven adjustment of fiber tracking algorithms and support the validity of dMRI-based tractography, if appropriate adjustments are employed.
Novel use of a chemically modified siRNA for robust and sustainable in vivo gene silencing in the retina
Authors: Taniguchi Takazumi , Endo Ken-ichi , Tanioka Hidetoshi , Sasaoka Masaaki , Tashiro Kei , Kinoshita Shigeru , Kageyama Masaaki
Published: December 2020

Despite efficient and specific in vitro knockdown, more reliable and convenient methods for in vivo knockdown of target genes remain to be developed particularly for retinal research. Using commercially available and chemically modified siRNA so-called Accell siRNA, we established a novel in vivo gene silencing approach in the rat retina. siRNA designed for knockdown of the house keeping gene Gapdh or four retinal cell type-specific genes (Nefl, Pvalb, Rho and Opn1sw) was injected into the vitreous body, and their retinal mRNA levels were quantified using real-time PCR. Intravitreal injection of siRNA for Gapdh resulted in approximately 40–70% reduction in its retinal mRNA levels, which lasted throughout a 9-day study period. Furthermore, all the selected retinal specific genes were efficiently down-regulated by 60–90% following intravitreal injection, suggesting injected siRNA penetrated into major retinal cell types. These findings were consistent with uniform distribution of a fluorescence-labeled siRNA injected into the vitreous body. Interestingly, gene silencing of Grin1, a core subunit of NMDA receptor, was accompanied by significant prevention from NMDA-induced retinal ganglion cell death. Thus, we provide single intravitreal injection of Accell siRNA as a versatile technique for robust and sustainable in vivo retinal gene silencing to characterize their biological functions under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Compact fibril-like structure of amyloid β-peptide (1–42) monomers
Authors: Barz Bogdan , Buell Alexander K. , Nath Soumav
Published: December 2020

Amyloid β (Aβ) monomers sample a random-coil type of conformation in water with a tendency to adopt compact structures with fibril-like features.
Tethered CAAC–CAAC dimers: oxidation to persistent radical cations and bridging-unit dependent reactivity/stability of the dications
Authors: Nayak Mithilesh Kumar , Suhr Simon , Chrysochos Nicolas , Rawat Hemant , Schulzke Carola , Chandrasekhar Vadapalli , Sarkar Biprajit , Jana Anukul
Published: December 2020

CAAC–CAAC dimers with alkylene spacers are presented. These compounds are electron-rich and undergo one- and two-electron oxidation.
Quantum electronic control on chemical activation of methane by collision with spin–orbit state selected vanadium cation
Authors: Ng Cheuk-Yiu , Xu Yuntao , Chang Yih-Chung , Wannenmacher Anna , Parziale Matthew , Armentrout P. B.
Published: December 2020

A detailed investigation of absolute integral cross sections (σ's) for the reactions, V+[a5DJ (J = 0, 2), a5FJ (J = 1, 2), and a3FJ (J = 2, 3)] + CH4, can be interpreted using a weak spin crossing mechanism.
Theoretical insights into non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation over Fe3C
Authors: Wang Peng , Senftle Thomas P.
Published: December 2020

Identifying catalysts for non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation (PDH) has become increasingly important. We show with DFT that Fe3C is selective for PDH because surface carbon atoms disrupt iron ensembles that promote competing cracking reactions.
First-principles investigation of the hydrogen evolution reaction of transition metal phosphides CrP, MnP, FeP, CoP, and NiP
Authors: Wang Ta-Wei , Wang Tan-Ling , Chou Wan-Jou , Wu Li-Fan , Lin Shi-Hsin
Published: December 2020

We comprehensively investigated the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of a series of transition metal phosphides MP (M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) using first-principles calculations.
A reliable and efficient resonance theory based on analysis of DFT wave functions
Authors: Wang Yang
Published: December 2020

An efficient quantitative resonance theory is devised on the basis of wave function expansion. Applications of the method provide valuable insights into diverse chemical problems such as hydrogen bonding, chemical selectivity and reaction mechanism.
Fundamentals and applications of photo-thermal catalysis
Authors: Mateo Diego , Cerrillo Jose Luis , Durini Sara , Gascon Jorge
Published: December 2020

Photo-thermal catalysis has recently emerged as an alternative route to drive chemical reactions using light as an energy source.
Rational design of bimetallic photocatalysts based on plasmonically-derived hot carriers
Authors: Salmón-Gamboa Jorge U. , Romero-Gómez Mayela , Roth Diane J. , Krasavin Alexey V. , Wang Pan , Dickson Wayne , Zayats Anatoly V.
Published: December 2020

Boosting hot-electron extraction for photochemistry: triple role of surface morphology of SiO2–Au–Pt plasmonic hetero-nanostructures.
Possible competitive modes of decarboxylation in the annulation reactions of ortho-substituted anilines and arylglyoxylates
Authors: Laha Joydev K. , Panday Surabhi , Tomar Monika , Patel Ketul V.
Published: December 2020

Annulation reactions of ortho-substituted anilines and arylglyoxylates to the tandem synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles in the presence of K2S2O8 have been investigated, which occur via decarboxylation before or after the reaction with anilines.
Visible-light promoted oxidative cyclization of cinnamic acid derivatives using xanthone as the photocatalyst
Authors: Zhao Bin , Xu Bo
Published: December 2020

We have developed an efficient photocatalytic synthesis of coumarin derivatives via a tandem double bond isomerization/oxidative cyclization of cinnamic acids.
Interface engineering of mesoporous triphasic cobalt–copper phosphides as active electrocatalysts for overall water splitting
Authors: Saad Ali , Cheng Zhixing , Shen Hangjia , Guo Haichuan , Attfield John Paul , Thomas Tiju , Yang Minghui
Published: December 2020

3-D mesoporous triphasic cobalt–copper phosphides is used as highly efficient bifunctional, stable electrocatalyst for water-alkali electrolyzers. This offers a lower cell voltage when compared to noble-metal-based Pt/C–IrO2/C.
The nonequilibrium behaviors of covalent adaptable network polymers during the topology transition
Authors: Shi Xiaojuan , Ge Qi , Lu Haibao , Yu Kai
Published: December 2020

This study reveals the nonequilibrium behaviors of covalent adaptable networks during their topology transition and how the nonequilibrium behaviors will affect the network stress relaxation.
The crosstalk between the gut microbiota and lipids
Authors: Gérard Philippe
Published: December 2020

The human intestine harbours a complex and diverse bacterial community called the gut microbiota. This microbiota, stable during the lifetime, is specific of each individual despite the existence of a phylogenetic core shared by the majority of adults. The influence of the gut microbiota on host’s physiology has been largely studied using germfree animals and studies using these animal models have revealed that the effects of lipids on host physiology are microbiota-dependent. Studies in mice have also shown that a high-fat diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the gut microbiome. In humans, dietary fat interventions did not lead to strong and consistent modifications of the microbiota composition. Nevertheless, an association between total fat intake and the reduction of the microbiota richness has been repeatedly found. Interestingly, different types of fat exert different or even opposite effects on the microbiota. Concurrently, the gut microbiota is able to convert the lipids entering the colon, including fatty acids or cholesterol, leading to the production of metabolites with potential health effects.
A common weights model for investigating efficiency-based leadership in the russian banking industry
Authors: Kazemi Sajad , Tavana Madjid , Toloo Mehdi , Zenkevich Nikolay A.
Published: December 2020

In this race for productivity, the most successful leaders in the banking industry are those with high-efficiency and a competitive edge. Data envelopment analysis is one of the most widely used methods for measuring efficiency in organizations. In this study, we use the ideal point concept and propose a common weights model with fuzzy data and non-discretionary inputs. The proposed model considers environmental criteria with uncertain data to produce a full ranking of homogenous decision-making units. We use the proposed model to investigate the efficiency-based leaders in the Russian banking industry. The results show that the unidimensional and unilateral assessment of leading organizations solely according to corporate size is insufficient to characterize industry leaders effectively. In response, we recommend a multilevel, multicomponent, and multidisciplinary evaluation framework for a more reliable and realistic investigation of leadership at the network level of analysis.
Zeitarbeit im OP
Authors: Meyenburg-Altwarg Iris
Published: December 2020

Der Einsatz von Zeitarbeitern im OP hat Vor- und Nachteile für alle Beteiligten – je nachdem, auf welcher Seite man steht. Unsere Autorin stellt die organisatorischen Herausforderungen, Bedingungen und Risiken der Zeitarbeit aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven vor.
Fakten und Zahlen 2020
Authors: Biggar Patrick
Published: December 2020

In der Einleitung ihres Reviews gehen die Autoren darauf ein, dass sich bei der Anwendung der WHO-Kriterien für Anämie, nämlich ein Hämoglobinwert von unter 13,0 g/dl bei Männern und von unter 12,0 g/dl bei Frauen, eine der häufigsten Assoziationen mit sowohl akuter als auch chronischer Herzinsuffizienz sowie auch mit Mortalität ergibt. Der Anämie wiederum liegt u. a. häufig ein Eisenmangel zugrunde, wobei dieser z. B. in Indien vorwiegend alimentär sowie durch Würmer bedingt ist, auch wenn andere Ursachen für eine Herzinsuffizienz ausgeschlossen werden müssen. Ferner zeigt sich ein physiologischer Eisenmangel beim Kleinkind, während der Schwangerschaft, beim Stillen und im Rahmen der Menstruation sowie im Alter. Darüber hinaus müssen andere Ursachen für einen Eisenmangel ausgeschlossen werden, wie z. B. gastrointestinale Malignome, die bei 10 % der Patienten vorliegen können, die sich einer endoskopischen Untersuchung unterziehen. Andere Ätiologien wie chronische Nierenerkrankung, chronisch-inflammatorische Erkrankungen und Krebs wurden identifiziert, die jede für sich einer korrektiven Therapie bedürfen. Zudem können schlechte Ernährung und Ödeme mit einer verminderten enteralen Resorption zu einer Herzinsuffizienz beitragen, schließlich mit Entwicklung einer kardialen Kachexie und Hypalbuminämie, welche als prognostisch ungünstiger Prädiktor gilt. Es bestand in einer kanadischen Studie bei immerhin jedem Fünften der Teilnehmer mit Anämie ein Eisenmangel.
Perioperatives Wärmemanagement – nur mit Konzept effektiv!
Authors: Sitzmann Franz
Published: December 2020

Bereits vor 175 Jahren – mit der Erfindung der Äthernarkose – wurde erstmals ein intraoperativer Wärmeverlust beobachtet. Bis heute zählt diese Komplikation zu den häufigsten in der Anästhesie. Grund genug, um sich mit den aktuellen Richtlinien und Konzepten vertraut zu machen. Im Schwerpunkt haben wir die wichtigsten Aspekte zusammengefasst, damit perioperative Hypothermien bald der Vergangenheit angehören.
24. Pflegesymposium des AKTX-Pflege e. V.
Authors: Reddig Iris , Marks Lara
Published: December 2020

Das 24. Symposium des AKTX-Pflege e. V. hat auch dieses Jahr im Rahmen der Jahrestagung der DTG (Deutsche Transplantationsgesellschaft e. V.) am 15. und 16. Oktober in Köln stattgefunden (Abb. 1). Es waren dieses Jahr durch die Situation rund um COVID-19 besondere Umstände, die viel Planung, Information, ein Hygienekonzept und dessen ständige Aktualisierung bzw. der Auflagen erforderten. Nur so konnte letztendlich die 29. DTG-Jahrestagung und das dazu fest angebundene Pflegesymposium des AKTX-Pflege e. V. ausgerichtet werden.
Febrile Urinary Tract Infections in Children with Primary Non-Refluxing Megaureter: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Rohner Katharina , Mazzi Sara , Buder Kathrin , Weitz Marcus
Published: December 2020

Background Knowledge of the baseline risk of febrile urinary tract infections in patients with primary non-refluxing megaureter can help clinicians to make informed decisions for offering continuous antibiotic prophylaxis.

Objective The primary objective of this systematic review was to determine the pooled prevalence of febrile urinary tract infections in patients with primary non-refluxing megaureter selected for primary non-surgical management independent of associated attributed risk factors at initial presentation in order to assess the value of continuous antibiotic prophylaxis.

Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register electronic databases were searched for eligible studies without language and time restriction. The systematic review was carried out following the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. (PROSPERO registration number CRD42018104752).

Results Of 25 871 records, 16 studies (n=749 patients) were eligible for inclusion. The overall pooled prevalence of febrile urinary tract infections in patients with primary non-refluxing megaureter was 14.35% (95% confidence interval: 8.8–22.6). The calculated number needed to treat for patients on continuous antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent one single febrile urinary tract infection over the course of 1–2 years would be 4.3.

Conclusion Based on the current available evidence the use of continuous antibiotic prophylaxis for children with PM selected for primary non-surgical treatment should be taken into consideration, at least in patients with urinary outflow impairment, higher grade of ureteral dilatation, and for children in the first months of life.
Neue therapeutische Entwicklungen bei urogenitalen Tumoren
Authors: Arnheim Katharina
Published: December 2020

Zielgerichtete und Immuntherapien haben bei zahlreichen Tumoren, darunter auch für Patienten mit urogenitalen Malignomen, erhebliche Fortschritte gebracht. Bei der virtuellen Tagung der European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) wurden zahlreiche neue Studien vorgestellt.
Catalytic Reactions by Heterobimetallic Carbonyl Complexes with Polar Metal–Metal Interactions
Authors: Mankad Neal P. , Yu Hsien-Cheng
Published: December 2020

Heterobinuclear catalysts capable of bimetallic cooperative bond activation provide an alternative pathway to approach the discovery of novel and unique reactivity and selectivity in catalytic transformations, complementing more traditional mononuclear precious metal catalysts. This review summarizes recent advances in homogenous catalysis using heterobimetallic carbonyl catalysts with polar metal–metal interactions.

1 Introduction

2 Hydrogenation and Hydrofunctionalization

3 Carbonylation and Carboxylation

4 Oxidative Transformations

5 Conclusion and Outlook
Debatte um Pr-Kampagne „Ehrenpflegas“: Eine besondere Darstellung der Pflege
Authors: Napp Barbara
Published: December 2020

Erinnern Sie sich noch an das Frühjahr? Abends erklang von den Balkonen Applaus für die Pflegekräfte. Ich weiß noch, dass ich zu Hause vor dem Fernseher saß und mich über die plötzlichen ungewohnten Geräusche wunderte. Das Klatschen schaffte Zusammenhalt: Vordergründig wurden die Pflegekräfte honoriert, aber es wurde auch Beifall dafür bekundet, dass die Menschen zu Hause blieben, dass wir alle durchhielten. Es schaffte eine Art Gemeinschaftsgefühl, verdeutlichte den gemeinsamen Auftrag.
kma Entscheider-Blog: Neue Heros nach Corona: Generation Z als Game Changer
Authors: Heiß Tanja
Published: December 2020

Harte Zeiten bringen starke Menschen hervor. Die Generation, die aktuell noch beweisen muss, aus welchem Holz sie geschnitzt ist, wird möglicherweise die Antwort auf die Fragen von morgen haben. Im Gesundheitswesen wurden sie bisher zumeist als unführbar und identitätslos abgetan. Doch in ihnen stecken echte Leistungsträger, die sich bereits auf dem Vormarsch befinden.
Apps Auf Rezept: Zwitter im Gesundheitswesen
Authors: Kucera Martin
Published: December 2020

Seit Jahresmitte können Apps in das Verzeichnis des Bundesamtes für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte aufgenommen werden. Die ersten Vorreiter haben den Prüfprozess bereits erfolgreich durchlaufen. In welcher Höhe sie von den Kassen erstattet werden, bleibt abzuwarten.
Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz: Die große Digitalisierungsoffensive
Authors: Riedel Wolfgang , Riedel Hendrik
Published: December 2020

Mit dem Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz stellen Bund und Länder zusätzliche Mittel für die Investition in Notfallkapazitäten und IT-Infrastruktur zur Verfügung. Um an die Fördergelder zu kommen, müssen die Krankenhäuser einiges beachten.
Water balloon physics: A proxy for simplifying the study of water drops
Authors: Bandari Anashe
Published: December 2020

Though their surface is much tougher, water balloons exhibit pressure-volume curves and resonance behaviors similar to water drops.
Extended source of indistinguishable polarization-entangled photons over wide angles of emission
Authors: Hegazy Salem F. , Obayya Salah S. A.
Published: December 2020

The generation of high-fidelity polarization-entangled photon pairs, to date, has been demonstrated on specific spatial modes or over relatively narrow apertures. We put forward and demonstrate an experimental scheme to extend the temporal and spatial indistinguishability of polarization-entangled photons over wide emission angles, which can be applied to cover the whole spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) cone. Over such a wide angular extent, while the time-delay map is almost flat which renders the conventional compensation via a birefringent element an appropriate approach, the relative-phase map—verified as a quadratic function—necessitates a tunable compensation paradigm. Here, to do so, we employ a phase-only two-dimensional spatial light modulator (2D SLM) loaded by the complementary of the relative phase map to equalize the phase variations for one third of the noncollinear SPDC emission. After eliminating the temporal and spatial distinguishability over the 2D SLM area, a 97% polarization visibility is verified for the entangled photon pairs scattered widely across the SPDC cone.
Nanoscale mechanics of thermally crystallized GST thin film by in situ x-ray diffraction
Authors: Fillot Frederic , Sabbione Chiara
Published: December 2020

The thermal crystallization of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) thin film is investigated by in situ x-ray diffraction (XRD). The combination of several x-ray diffraction techniques (a) in-plane XRD, (b) out of plane XRD, (c) high resolution XRD on the substrate, and (d) 2D high energy XRD allows the characterization of the mechanical behavior of GST upon thermal crystallization. A new method is proposed for the evaluation of experimental stress vs strain dependence in thermally crystallized GST. Nanoscale strain, macroscale stress, and nucleation/crystallization are fully described by the correlation of these techniques. Upon crystallization, a progressive tensile stress build-up is observed. Concomitant stress build-up is also observed both in the in-plane and out of plane directions of the film. The 2D high energy XRD demonstrates a homogeneous nucleation process and a progressive crystallization of the GST composed partially of amorphous and crystalline parts in the film. The GST nanomechanics is then characterized at the nanoscale (crystallites scale) and at the macroscale (film scale). By plotting the stress vs strain and assuming a Poisson ratio of 0.28, the mixture of phase results in a Young modulus between 9 GPa and 37 GPa for amorphous and crystalline matrices, respectively. Intermediate states with a partial amorphous/crystalline ratio results in intermediate values of the Young modulus. Finally, cross correlation between all XRD techniques gives EGST ≈ 34 GPa and υGST ≈ 0.34 for fcc crystalline GST.
Shielded radiography with gamma rays from laser-accelerated electrons in a self-trapping regime
Authors: Lobok M. G. , Brantov A. V. , Bychenkov V. Yu.
Published: December 2020

Very efficient generation of a high-charge electron beam by a laser pulse propagating in a self-trapping mode in near-critical density plasma makes it possible to produce a high yield of gamma rays for radiography of samples located deep in a dense medium. The three-dimensional particle-in-cell and Monte Carlo simulations performed with end-to-end modeling from laser–plasma interaction to the final gamma-imaging of deeply shielded objects located at distances up to several meters clearly demonstrate the promise of laser pulses of several hundred TW for single-shot radiography by using a high-performance scheme of electron acceleration in the laser pulse self-trapping regime. This is illustrated by two examples with the same laser–target design used for a bremsstrahlung gamma source and an all-optical nonlinear inverse Compton source.
Approaching the full configuration interaction ground state from an arbitrary wavefunction with gradient descent and quasi-Newton algorithms
Authors: Jiménez-Hoyos Carlos A.
Published: December 2020

We consider gradient descent and quasi-Newton algorithms to optimize the full configuration interaction (FCI) ground state wavefunction starting from an arbitrary reference state |0⟩. We show that the energies obtained along the optimization path can be evaluated in terms of expectation values of |0⟩, thus avoiding explicit storage of intermediate wavefunctions. This allows us to find the energies after the first few steps of the FCI algorithm for systems much larger than what standard deterministic FCI codes can handle at present. We show an application of the algorithm with reference wavefunctions constructed as linear combinations of non-orthogonal determinants.
Floquet engineering of molecular dynamics via infrared coupling
Authors: Reitz Michael , Genes Claudiu
Published: December 2020

We discuss Floquet engineering of dissipative molecular systems through periodic driving of an infrared-active vibrational transition, either directly or via a cavity mode. Following a polaron quantum Langevin equation approach, we derive correlation functions and stationary quantities showing strongly modified optical response of the infrared-dressed molecule. The coherent excitation of molecular vibrational modes in combination with the modulation of electronic degrees of freedom due to vibronic coupling can lead to both enhanced vibronic coherence and control over vibrational sideband amplitudes. The additional coupling to an infrared cavity allows for the controlled suppression of undesired sidebands, an effect stemming from the Purcell enhancement of vibrational relaxation rates.
Update of the BIPM comparison BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Co-60 of activity measurements of the radionuclide 60Co to include the 2017 result of the PTB (Germany) and the 2018 result of the TAEK (Turkey)
Authors: Michotte C , Courte S , Nonis M , Coulon R , Judge S , Kossert K , Marganiec-Gałązka J , Nähle O , Yeltepe E , Dirican A
Published: December 2020

Main text

Since 1976, 28 laboratories have submitted 72 samples of 60Co to the International Reference System (SIR) for activity comparison at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), with comparison identifier BIPM.RI(II)- K1.Co-60. Recently, the PTB (Germany) and the TAEK (Turkey) participated in the comparison and the key comparison reference value (KCRV) has been updated to include the PTB result. The degrees of equivalence between each equivalent activity measured in the SIR and the updated KCRV have been calculated and the results are given in the form of a table. A graphical presentation is also given.

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Key Comparison CCQM-K73.2018 Amount Content of H+ in Hydrochloric Acid (0.1 mol·kg−1)
Authors: Bastkowski F , Sander B , Lozano H , Puelles M , Snedden A , Deleebeeck L , Asakai T , Hwang E , Jo K , Ortiz-Aparicio J L , Montero-Ruiz J , Roziková M , Kozlowski W , Quezada H T , Morales L V , Ahumada D A , Borges P P , Neves R S , Sobral S P , Uysal E , Liv L , Prokunin S , Dobrovolskyi V , Stoica D , Wu B , Ma L , Máriássy M , Hanková Z , Sobina A , Shimolin A
Published: December 2020

Main text

The CCQM key comparison K73.2018 is a follow-up comparison of CCQM-K73. It was performed to demonstrate the capability of the participating institutes to measure the amount content of H+ in hydrochloric acid of 0.1 mol·kg−1 molality. 16 NMIs participated in this comparison. The comparison was coordinated by PTB. The sample showed a slight but significant instability by loss of water of around 0.11 μmol kg−1d−1 corresponding to 0.02 % over the measurement period. Therefore, the results were corrected for this instability. The results of this key comparison show good equivalence between the majority of participants. The equivalence is significantly better compared to the first comparison CCQM-K73.

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Constraining teleparallel gravity through Gaussian processes
Authors: Briffa Rebecca , Capozziello Salvatore , Said Jackson Levi , Mifsud Jurgen , Saridakis Emmanuel N
Published: December 2020

We apply Gaussian processes (GP) in order to impose constraints on teleparallel gravity and its f(T) extensions. We use available H(z) observations from (i) cosmic chronometers data (CC); (ii) Supernova type Ia (SN) data from the compressed pantheon release together with the CANDELS and CLASH multi-cycle treasury programs; and (iii) baryonic acoustic oscillation (BAO) datasets from the sloan digital sky survey. For the involved covariance functions, we consider four widely used choices, namely the square exponential, Cauchy, Matérn and rational quadratic kernels, which are consistent with one another within 1σ confidence levels. Specifically, we use the GP approach to reconstruct a model-independent determination of the Hubble constant H
0, for each of these kernels and dataset combinations. These analyses are complemented with three recently announced literature values of H
0, namely (i) Riess

H

0

R

=
74.22
±
1.82

k
m

s

−
1

M
p
c

−
1

; (ii) H0LiCOW collaboration

H

0

HW

=
73
.

3

−
1.8

+
1.7

k
m

s

−
1

M
p
c

−
1

; and (iii) Carnegie–Chicago Hubble programme

H

0

TRGB

=
69.8
±
1.9

k
m

s

−
1

M
p
c

−
1

. Additionally, we investigate the transition redshift between the decelerating and accelerating cosmological phases through the GP reconstructed deceleration parameter. Furthermore, we reconstruct the model-independent evolution of the dark energy equation of state, and finally reconstruct the allowed f(T) functions. As a result, the ΛCDM model lies inside the allowed region at 1σ in all the examined kernels and datasets, however a negative slope for f(T) versus T is slightly favoured.