bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fibroma da bainha do tendão patelar: Um novo paradigma
Authors: Boavida João , Grandão Rui Sousa , Monjardino Maria Pia , Quintas Catarina , Oliveira João Pedro
Published: April 2021

Os autores apresentam um caso de um fibroma da bainha de tendão com localização intra-articular no joelho e origem na gordura infrapatelar. Esta localização específica é extremamente rara, sendo este o quarto caso descrito de uma entidade que raramente afeta grandes articulações. Para o seu diagnóstico aspetos clínicos, epidemiológicos e sobretudo achados imagiológicos da ressonância magnética são fundamentais. Neste caso o diagnóstico definitvo foi apenas estabelecido após estudo histológico da massa excisada por mini-artrotomia.
Fratura por avulsão da tuberosidade da tíbia em adolescente: Relato de caso
Authors: Pacífico Júnior Giovani Manhabusqui , Sauma Marcel Lobato , Costa Lauro Augusto Veloso , Taniguchi Luiz Fabiano Presente , Blumetti Francesco Camara
Published: April 2021

O presente estudo tem como objetivo relatar um caso raro de fratura por avulsão da tuberosidade da tíbia em adolescente. Um paciente de 14 anos, do sexo masculino, sofreu entorse de joelho esquerdo durante partida de futebol. No primeiro atendimento em pronto-socorro, ele apresentava dor no joelho esquerdo, edema 2 +/4 + , incapacidade de deambulação e de flexo-extensão do joelho acometido, sem alterações neurovasculares ou sinais de síndrome compartimental. Nas radiografias, identificou-se fratura fisária na tíbia proximal esquerda, classificada por Ogden, Tross e Murphy, com modificação por Ryu e Debenham, como tipo IV, e complementada por Aerts et al. como tipo IV-B. Foi realizada imobilização com tala gessada inguino-maleolar e analgesia, e o paciente submetido a cirurgia no dia seguinte, com redução aberta e fixação interna utilizando parafusos canulados 4,5 mm. O paciente recebeu alta no dia seguinte à cirurgia, sendo mantida a imobilização com tala gessada e a restrição de carga por quatro semanas, e apresentou consolidação óssea confirmada por radiografia com três meses do pós-operatório. O paciente evoluiu sem discrepância de comprimento dos membros inferiores, arco de movimento igual ao do membro contralateral, e sem queixas no seguimento de um ano.
Biology of the Heparanase–Heparan Sulfate Axis and Its Role in Disease Pathogenesis
Authors: Vlodavsky Israel , Barash Uri , Nguyen Hien M. , Yang Shi-Ming , Ilan Neta
Published: April 2021

Cell surface proteoglycans are important constituents of the glycocalyx and participate in cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, enzyme activation and inhibition, and multiple signaling routes, thereby regulating cell proliferation, survival, adhesion, migration, and differentiation. Heparanase, the sole mammalian heparan sulfate degrading endoglycosidase, acts as an “activator” of HS proteoglycans, thus regulating tissue hemostasis. Heparanase is a multifaceted enzyme that together with heparan sulfate, primarily syndecan-1, drives signal transduction, immune cell activation, exosome formation, autophagy, and gene transcription via enzymatic and nonenzymatic activities. An important feature is the ability of heparanase to stimulate syndecan-1 shedding, thereby impacting cell behavior both locally and distally from its cell of origin. Heparanase releases a myriad of HS-bound growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines that are sequestered by heparan sulfate in the glycocalyx and ECM. Collectively, the heparan sulfate–heparanase axis plays pivotal roles in creating a permissive environment for cell proliferation, differentiation, and function, often resulting in the pathogenesis of diseases such as cancer, inflammation, endotheliitis, kidney dysfunction, tissue fibrosis, and viral infection.
Exploring Intramolecular Methyl–Methyl Coupling on a Metal Surface for Edge-Extended Graphene Nanoribbons
Authors: Qiu Zijie , Sun Qiang , Wang Shiyong , Barin Gabriela Borin , Dumslaff Bastian , Ruffieux Pascal , Müllen Klaus , Narita Akimitsu , Fasel Roman
Published: April 2021

Intramolecular methyl–methyl coupling on Au (111) is explored as a new on-surface protocol for edge extension in graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Characterized by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy, noncontact atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, the methyl–methyl coupling is proven to indeed proceed at the armchair edges of the GNRs, forming six-membered rings with sp3- or sp2-hybridized carbons.
Homeopathy and Self-Injury
Authors: Brandimarti Patricia , Madsen Ruy
Published: April 2021

Self-injury (self-cutting or cutting) is a highly prevalent condition among adolescents and young adults and it is an important risk factor for suicide. Conventional therapeutic proposals have little evidence of effectiveness. This work presents three cases of adolescents with severe cutting that improved after individualised homeopathic treatment.
Free Tissue Transfer after Open Transmetatarsal Amputation in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Lumley Eleanor S. , Kwon Jin Geun , Kushida-Conteras Beatriz Hatsue , Brown Erin , Viste Julian , Aulia Indri , Pak Changsik John , Suh Hyunsuk Peter , Hong Joon Pio
Published: April 2021

Background Transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) preserves functional gait while avoiding the need for prosthesis. However, when primary closure is not possible after amputation, higher level amputation is recommended. We hypothesize that reconstruction of the amputation stump using free tissue transfer when closure is not possible can achieve similar benefits as primarily closed TMAs.

Methods Twenty-eight TMAs with free flap reconstruction were retrospectively reviewed in 27 diabetic patients with a median age of 61.5 years from 2004 to 2018. The primary outcome was limb salvage rate, with additional evaluation of flap survival, ambulatory status, time until ambulation, and further amputation rate. In addition, subgroup analysis was performed based on the microanastomosis type.

Results Flap survival was 93% (26 of 28 flaps) and limb salvage rate of 93% (25 of 27 limbs) was achieved. One patient underwent a second free flap reconstruction. In the two failed cases, higher level amputation was required. Thirteen flaps had partial loss or other complications which were salvaged with secondary intension or skin grafts. Median time until ambulation was 14 days following reconstruction (range: 9–20 days). Patients were followed-up for a median of 344 days (range: 142–594 days). Also, 88% of patients reported good ambulatory function, with a median ambulation score of 4 out of 5 at follow-up. There was no significant difference between the subgroups based on the microanastomosis type.

Conclusion TMA with free flap reconstruction is an effective method for diabetic limb salvage, yielding good functional outcomes and healing results.
Supramolecular Systems Containing B–N Frustrated Lewis Pairs of Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane and Triphenylamine Derivatives
Authors: Chidchob P. , Jansen S. A. H. , Meskers S. C. J. , Weyandt E. , van Leest N. P. , de Bruin B. , Palmans A. R. A. , Vantomme G. , Meijer E. W.
Published: April 2021

The introduction of a chemical additive to supramolecular polymers holds high potential in the development of new structures and functions. In this regard, various donor- and acceptor-based molecules have been applied in the design of these noncovalent polymers. However, the incorporation of boron–nitrogen frustrated Lewis pairs in such architectures is still rare despite their many intriguing properties in catalysis and materials science. The limited choices of suitable boron derivatives represent one of the main limitations for the advancement in this direction. Here, we examine the use of the commercially available tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane with various triphenylamine derivatives to create supramolecular B–N charge transfer systems. Our results highlight the importance of a proper balance between the donor/acceptor strength and the driving force for supramolecular polymerization to achieve stable, long-range ordered B–N systems. Detailed analyses using electron paramagnetic resonance and optical spectroscopy suggest that tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane displays complex behavior with the amide-based triphenylamine supramolecular polymers and may interact in dimers or larger chiral aggregates, depending on the specific structure of the triphenylamines.
Performance of microchannel plate based detectors for <25 keV x rays: Monte Carlo simulations and comparisons with experimental results
Authors: Kruschwitz Craig A. , Wu Ming , Moy Ken
Published: April 2021

We present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the microchannel plate (MCP) response to x rays in the 250 eV to 25 keV energy range as a function of both x-ray energy and impact angle and their comparisons with the experimental results from the X8A beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Incoming x rays interact with the lead glass of the microchannel plate, producing photoelectrons. Transport of the photoelectrons is neglected in this model, and it is assumed that photoelectrons deposit all their energy at the point they are created. This deposition leads to the generation of many secondary electrons, some fraction of which diffuse to the MCP pore surface where they can initiate secondary electron cascades in the pore under an external voltage bias. X-ray penetration through multiple MCP pore walls is increasingly important above 5 keV, and the effect of this penetration on MCP performance is studied. In agreement with past measurements, we find that the dependence of MCP sensitivity with angle relative to the pore bias changes from a cotangent dependence to angular independence and then proceeds to a secant dependence as the x-ray energy increases. We also find that with the increasing x-ray energy, the MCP gain sensitivity as a function of bias voltage decreases. The simulations also demonstrate that for x rays incident normal to the MCP surface, spatial resolution shows little dependence on the x-ray energy but degrades with the increasing x-ray energy as the angle of incidence relative to the surface normal increases. This agrees with experimental measurements. Simulation studies have also been completed for MCPs gated with a subnanosecond voltage pulse. We find that the optical gate profile width increases as the x-ray energy is increased above 5 keV, a consequence of increased x-ray penetration at energies >5 keV. Simulations of the pulsed dynamic range show that the dynamic range varies between ∼100 and 1000 depending on x-ray energy and peak voltage.
Comparison study of natural convection between rectangular and triangular enclosures
Authors: Wang Qiugang , Li Junfeng , E Reaihan , Ren Yucheng , Li Jing , Li Jie , Ma Mingguo
Published: April 2021

The steady laminar natural convective heat transfer for air has been compared numerically between cavities with rectangular and triangular structures. The equations of momentum, heat, and mass transfer were solved using the finite difference method, and central difference approximations that have second-order accuracy were used; furthermore, a good convergence was guaranteed by using the successive under-relaxation method. The Prandtl number is fixed at 0.71, while the Rayleigh number and the aspect ratio of the enclosures were changed in the range of 103–106 and varied over 1, 0.5, 0.2, and 0.1, respectively. The cavity was heated from one vertical wall and cooled from one side, while the horizontal walls were insulated. The influence of the Rayleigh number and the aspect ratio of the both kinds of cavities on the rate of heat transfer was investigated. Results were presented using flow patterns and isotherms plots; additionally, local and mean Nusselt numbers are also obtained for all cases. The obtained results convey that at a certain aspect ratio, an increment in Rayleigh numbers significantly augments the heat transfer, the intensity of natural convection, and average Nusselt number. Another important finding is that conduction is the dominated mechanism when the aspect ratio is small originally, and then, as the aspect ratio increases, the role of the convection boosts, and finally, the convection is overwhelmed by the convection. It can be concluded that for a given aspect ratio, only when the Rayleigh number is large enough can it induce a significant convection.
Harnessing adipose stem cell diversity in regenerative medicine
Authors: Gui Chang , Parson Jacob , Meyer Gretchen A.
Published: April 2021

Since the first isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from lipoaspirate in the early 2000s, adipose tissue has been a darling of regenerative medicine. It is abundant, easy to access, and contains high concentrations of stem cells (ADSCs) exhibiting multipotency, proregenerative paracrine signaling, and immunomodulation—a winning combination for stem cell-based therapeutics. While basic science, preclinical and clinical findings back up the translational potential of ADSCs, the vast majority of these used cells from a single location—subcutaneous abdominal fat. New data highlight incredible diversity in the adipose morphology and function in different anatomical locations or depots. Even in isolation, ADSCs retain a memory of this diversity, suggesting that the optimal adipose source material for ADSC isolation may be application specific. This review discusses our current understanding of the heterogeneity in the adipose organ, how that heterogeneity translates into depot-specific ADSC characteristics, and how atypical ADSC populations might be harnessed for regenerative medicine applications. While our understanding of the breadth of ADSC heterogeneity is still in its infancy, clear trends are emerging for application-specific sourcing to improve regenerative outcomes.
A critical analysis of least-squares tensor hypercontraction applied to MP3
Authors: Matthews Devin A.
Published: April 2021

The least-squares tensor hypercontraction (LS-THC) approach is a promising method of reducing the high polynomial scaling of wavefunction methods, for example, those based on many-body perturbation theory or coupled cluster. Here, we focus on LS-THC-MP3 and identify four variants with differing errors and efficiency characteristics. The performance of LS-THC-MP3 is analyzed for regular test systems with up to 40 first-row atoms. We also analyze the size-extensivity/size-consistency and grid- and basis set dependence of LS-THC-MP3. Overall, the errors observed are favorably small in comparison with standard density fitting, and a more streamlined method of generating grids via pruning is suggested. A practical crossover (the point at which LS-THC-MP3 is cheaper than the canonical method) is achieved around 240 correlated electrons. Despite several drawbacks of LS-THC that have been identified: an initial non-linearity of error when increasing system size, poor description of angular correlation, and a potentially large increase in error with the basis set size, the results show that LS-THC has significant potential for practical application to MP3 and other wavefunction methods.
Temperature dependence of the effective Gilbert damping constant of FeRh thin films
Authors: Usami T. , Itoh M. , Taniyama T.
Published: April 2021

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials have attracted attention for device applications due to the absence of the stray field and high-frequency response. To integrate AFM materials into magnetic devices, the understanding of the interfacial effect between AFM and ferromagnetic (FM) materials is required. In particular, magnetization dynamics and magnetic damping are critical phenomena to be elucidated since they govern magnetization switching, spin-wave propagation, etc. Although a conventional method for studying the interfacial effects is stacking materials, the approach may cause unfavorable factors. To get insight into the dynamic properties at the AFM and FM interfaces, we have focused on B2-ordered FeRh, showing the first-order phase transition from the AFM to FM states, since the coexistence of AFM and FM domains occurs during transitions, which is an ideal platform for studying interfacial effects. For this study, we have studied ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) of FeRh thin films during the AFM–FM phase transition as a function of temperature. From the FMR measurements, we characterize the temperature dependence of the effective Gilbert damping constant αeff. We find that αeff decreases with increasing temperature, indicating that the temperature variation of the effective Gilbert damping constant originates from the exchange interaction between the AFM and FM domains in the film and/or AFM domains as a spin sink.
Bayesian unsupervised learning reveals hidden structure in concentrated electrolytes
Authors: Jones Penelope , Coupette Fabian , Härtel Andreas , Lee Alpha A.
Published: April 2021

Electrolytes play an important role in a plethora of applications ranging from energy storage to biomaterials. Notwithstanding this, the structure of concentrated electrolytes remains enigmatic. Many theoretical approaches attempt to model the concentrated electrolyte by introducing the idea of ion pairs, with ions either being tightly “paired” with a counter-ion or “free” to screen charge. In this study, we reframe the problem into the language of computational statistics and test the null hypothesis that all ions share the same local environment. Applying the framework to molecular dynamics simulations, we find that this null hypothesis is not supported by data. Our statistical technique suggests the presence of two distinct local ionic environments at intermediate concentrations, whose differences surprisingly originate in like charge correlations rather than unlike charge attraction. Through considering the effect of these “aggregated” and “non-aggregated” states on bulk properties including effective ion concentration and dielectric constant, we identify a scaling relation between the effective screening length and theoretical Debye length, which applies across different dielectric constants and ion concentrations.
Correlation polarimeter-interferometer in the DIII-D tokamak
Authors: Chen Jie , Brower David , Ding Weixing , Yoneda Ryota , Finkenthal Daniel
Published: April 2021

A correlation polarimeter-interferometer system has been developed for the DIII-D tokamak to detect small amplitude magnetic and density fluctuations. Two collinear, frequency-offset (5–15 MHz), orthogonally polarized (right- and left-handed, circularly polarized) electromagnetic waves at 650 GHz probing the plasma are used to detect the Faraday effect. A third, linearly polarized, electromagnetic wave serves as the local-oscillator to provide a measure of the line-averaged density. Correlation polarimetric measurement is accomplished by correlating the Faraday effect measured along the same line of sight using two independent detectors, whereas simultaneous correlation interferometric measurement is realized by correlating the line-averaged density measured at two different intermediate frequencies. The noise floor of the correlation polarimeter-interferometer has been demonstrated to be more than one order of magnitude lower than that of a standard polarimeter-interferometer measurement. Line-averaged correlation polarimetric-interferometric measurements in DIII-D H-mode plasmas show broadband (up to 750 kHz) magnetic and density fluctuations with amplitudes as low as 0.03Gauss/kHz and 4×1013m−3/kHz, respectively.
Automated segmentation of left ventricular myocardium using cascading convolutional neural networks based on echocardiography
Authors: Ren Shenghan , Wang Yongbing , Hu Rui , Zuo Lei , Liu Liwen , Zhao Heng
Published: April 2021

Quickly and accurately segmenting the left ventricular (LV) myocardium from ultrasound images and measuring the thickness of the interventricular septum and LV wall play an important role in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, the segmentation of the LV myocardium is a challenging task due to image blurring and individual differences. We attempted to perform LV segmentation in ultrasound images using the encoder–decoder architecture of U-Net and other networks and found it to be not accurate enough. Therefore, we propose a novel multi-task cascaded convolutional neural network (called MTC-Net) to segment the LV myocardium from echocardiography. MTC-Net contains two parts: One is pre-trained Resnet-34 followed by two decoder branches for mask and boundary detection, and the other module is pre-trained with many improved novel encoder–decoder architectures for extracting more detailed features. Both parts of the network use the atrous spatial pyramid pooling module to capture high-level text information. A hybrid loss function is engaged for mask and contour prediction. The network is trained and evaluated with echocardiographic images, which are labeled manually by doctors. The comparison study with other networks shows that MTC-Net has better accuracy and performance. MTC-Net achieves state-of-the-art performance on the test set. The mean value of the dice coefficient is 0.9442 and the mean value of intersection over union is 0.8951.
The effects of the lipid type on the spatial arrangement and dynamics of cholesterol in binary component lipid membranes
Authors: Oh Younghoon , Song Eun Sub , Sung Bong June
Published: April 2021

Intermolecular interactions between cholesterol and lipids in cell membranes, which play critical roles in cellular processes such as the formation of nano-domains, depend on the molecular structure of the lipids. The diffusion and the spatial arrangement of cholesterol within the lipid membranes also change with the type of lipids. For example, the flip-flop, an important transport mechanism for cholesterol in the membranes, can be facilitated significantly by the presence of unsaturated lipids. However, how the structure of lipids affects the spatial arrangement and the dynamics of cholesterol remains elusive at a molecular level. In this study, we investigate the effects of lipid–cholesterol interactions on the spatial arrangement and the dynamics of cholesterol. We perform molecular dynamics simulations for the binary component membranes of lipids and cholesterol. We employ seven different kinds of lipids by changing either the degree of a saturation level or the length of lipid tails. We find from our simulations that the rate of cholesterol flip-flop is enhanced as the lipids are either less saturated or shorter, which is consistent with previous studies. Interestingly, when the lipid tails are fully saturated and sufficiently long, the center in between two leaflets becomes metastable for cholesterol to stay at. Because the cholesterol at the membrane center diffuses faster than that within leaflets, regardless of the lipid type, such an emergence of the metastable state (in terms of the cholesterol position) complicates the cholesterol diffusion significantly.
Calibration of a versatile multi-energy soft x-ray diagnostic for WEST long pulse plasmas
Authors: Chellai O. , Delgado-Aparicio L. F. , VanMeter P. , Barbui T. , Wallace J. , Hill K. W. , Pablant N. , Stratton B. , Disch C. , Luethi B. , Pilet N.
Published: April 2021

A compact multi-energy soft x-ray diagnostic is being installed on the W Environment in Steady-state Tokamak (WEST), which was designed and built to test ITER-like tungsten plasma facing components in a long pulse (∼1000 s) scenario. The diagnostic consists of a pinhole camera fielded with the PILATUS3 photon-counting Si-based detector (≲100 kpixel). The detector has sensitivity in the range 1.6–30 keV and enables energy discrimination, providing a higher energy resolution than conventional systems with metal foils and diodes with adequate space and time resolution (≲1 cm and 2 ms). The lower-absorption cut-off energy is set independently on each one of the ∼100 kpixels, providing a unique opportunity to measure simultaneously the plasma emissivity in multiple energy ranges and deduce a variety of plasma parameters (e.g., Te, nZ, and ΔZeff). The energy dependence of each pixel is calibrated here over the range 3–22 keV. The detector is exposed to a variety of monochromatic sources—fluorescence emission from metallic targets—and for each pixel, the lower energy threshold is scanned to calibrate the energy dependence. The data are fit to a responsivity curve (“S-curve”) that determines the mapping between the possible detector settings and the energy response for each pixel. Here, the calibration is performed for three energy ranges: low (2.3–6 keV), medium (4.5–13.5 keV), and high (5.4–21 keV). We determine the achievable energy resolutions for the low, medium, and high energy ranges as 330 eV, 640 eV, and 950 eV, respectively. The main limitation for the energy resolution is found to be the finite width of the S-curve.
On infinite homoclinic orbits induced by unstable periodic orbits in the Lorenz system
Authors: Guo Siyu , Luo Albert C. J.
Published: April 2021

In this paper, infinite homoclinic orbits existing in the Lorenz system are analytically presented. Such homoclinic orbits are induced by unstable periodic orbits on bifurcation trees through period-doubling cascades. Each unstable periodic orbit ends at its corresponding homoclinic orbit. Traditional computational methods cannot obtain homoclinic orbits from the corresponding unstable periodic orbits. This is because unstable periodic orbits in the Lorenz system cannot be achieved in numerical simulations. Herein, the stable and unstable periodic motions to chaos on the period-doubling cascaded bifurcation trees are determined through a discrete mapping method. The corresponding homoclinic orbits induced by the unstable periodic orbits are predicted analytically. A period-doubling bifurcation tree of period-1, period-2, and period-4 motions are generated as an example. The homoclinic orbits relative to unstable period-1, period-2, and period-4 motions are determined. Illustrations of homoclinic orbits and periodic orbits are given. This study presents how to determine infinite homoclinic orbits through unstable periodic orbits in three-dimensional or higher-dimensional nonlinear systems.
Scientometric analysis of the Chaos journal (1991–2019): From descriptive statistics to complex networks viewpoints
Authors: Depickère Stéphanie , Kurths Jürgen , Ramírez-Ávila Gonzalo Marcelo
Published: April 2021

We performed a scientometric analysis of Chaos papers from 1991 to 2019, applying a careful disambiguation process for identifying the authors correctly. First, we used standard scientometric tools based on descriptive statistics. This analysis enabled us to compute productivity and the degree of collaboration. The evolution in the number of authors, countries, and topics per article has an increasing trend. An analysis of the citations considering their temporal mean number exhibits a growing tendency in time. Second, we dealt with Lotka–Zipf’s law considering the rank distributions of 15 datasets. We found that the sum of Crossref citations by country was the only dataset for which the power-law was the only plausible distribution. Next, we examined the networks of authors, countries, and topics, going from the simplest case of undirected and unweighted networks to the general case of weighted and directed networks and assigning a weight to the individual nodes. Based on the networks’ topology and features, we introduced diversity, collaboration, influence, and productivity measures and found a significant increase in the diversity of all the considered networks (authors, countries, and topics) but manifesting a very different network structure. The computation of typical network quantities combined with the communities’ identification reveals the presence of several hubs and the existence of various communities that encompass nodes of all the continents in the case of countries. Finally, using the most general networks, it was possible to compute influence and productivity indexes to find the USA, China, and Germany’s leadership inside the network.
Highly efficient Co single-atom catalyst for epoxidation of plant oils
Authors: Qi Haifeng , Zhang Leilei , Yang Jingyi , Su Yang , Zeng Guang , Wang Aiqin , Zhang Tao
Published: April 2021

Epoxidation of bio-derived plant oils is a sustainable route to manufacturing plasticizers, additives in lubricants, and other chemicals. The traditional synthetic approaches suffer from the employment of corrosive mineral acid or expensive peroxides (e.g., H2O2). In this work, we report the epoxidation of plant oils using O2 as the terminal oxidant catalyzed by Co-N-C/SiO2 single-atom catalyst. The single-atom dispersion of cobalt is confirmed by high-angle annular dark field-STEM and x-ray absorption fine structure techniques. In the epoxidation of methyl oleate under mild reaction conditions (35 °C, 0.1 MPa O2), 99% selectivity to the desired product is achieved at full conversion. Even for crude oils, Co-N-C/SiO2 is also effective and good yields of the corresponding epoxides are obtained. In addition, the catalyst is easily recovered and can be reused five times without obvious decay in catalytic activity/selectivity. A superoxide radical involved reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of kinetic study and EPR experiment.
Dynamic and weak electric double layers in ultrathin nanopores
Authors: Heiranian Mohammad , Noh Yechan , Aluru Narayana R.
Published: April 2021

The unique properties of aqueous electrolytes in ultrathin nanopores have drawn a great deal of attention in a variety of applications, such as power generation, water desalination, and disease diagnosis. Inside the nanopore, at the interface, properties of ions differ from those predicted by the classical ionic layering models (e.g., Gouy–Chapman electric double layer) when the thickness of the nanopore approaches the size of a single atom (e.g., nanopores in a single-layer graphene membrane). Here, using extensive molecular dynamics simulations, the structure and dynamics of aqueous ions inside nanopores are studied for different thicknesses, diameters, and surface charge densities of carbon-based nanopores [ultrathin graphene and finite-thickness carbon nanotubes (CNTs)]. The ion concentration and diffusion coefficient in ultrathin nanopores show no indication of the formation of a Stern layer (an immobile counter-ionic layer) as the counter-ions and nanopore atoms are weakly correlated in time compared to the strong correlation observed in thick nanopores. The weak correlation observed in ultrathin nanopores is indicative of a weak adsorption of counter-ions onto the surface compared to that of thick pores. The vanishing counter-ion adsorption (ion–wall correlation) in ultrathin nanopores leads to several orders of magnitude shorter ionic residence times (picoseconds) compared to the residence times in thick CNTs (seconds). The results of this study will help better understand the structure and dynamics of aqueous ions in ultrathin nanopores.
Liquid metals at room temperature
Authors: Dickey Michael D.
Published: April 2021

Emerging applications and studies utilize gallium-based alloys for their unique properties.
Ideology selectively shapes attention to inequality
Authors: Waldfogel Hannah B. , Sheehy-Skeffington Jennifer , Hauser Oliver P. , Ho Arnold K. , Kteily Nour S.
Published: April 2021

Significance

Inequality between groups is all around us—but who tends to notice, and when? Whereas some individuals assert rampant inequality and demand corrective interventions, others exposed to the same contexts retort that their peers see certain inequalities where none exist and selectively overlook inconvenient others. Across five studies (totalN= 8,779), we consider how individuals’ ideological beliefs shape their proclivity to naturalistically attend to—and accurately detect—inequality, depending on which groups bear inequality’s brunt. Our results suggest that social egalitarians (versus anti-egalitarians) are more naturally vigilant for and accurate at detecting inequality when it affects societally disadvantaged groups (e.g., the poor, women, racial minorities) but not when it (equivalently) affects societally advantaged groups (e.g., the rich, men, Whites).
Clidemia hirta (Koster's curse).
Authors: Rojas-Sandoval Julissa , Acevedo-Rodríguez Pedro , Pasiecznik Nick
Published: April 2021

C. hirta is a small shrub producing vast amounts of seeds that produce a large seed bank. Although the plant can grow in relatively shaded conditions, sexual reproduction only occurs in more favourable light regimes such as tree fall gaps. Formerly, it was only considered as a pasture or crop weed but in recent decades it has become a major weed of natural forest communities. It may produce large quantities of seedlings with low mortality and is now viewed as a threat to native biodiversity in much of the tropics, but on the oceanic islands in particular.
Macrosiphum euphorbiae (potato aphid).
Authors: Whittaker Angela
Published: April 2021

Host-alternating populations of M. euphorbiae disperse through migratory flights in the spring and autumn. The spring migration takes aphids from the over-wintering host-plant (Rosa spp.) to a wide range of secondary host-plants, including potato, tomato, lettuce and other cultivated plants. Non-host alternating populations can survive year-round on secondary hosts, especially in greenhouse and other indoor environments. Aphids can be carried on foliage in trade. There is little evidence to suggest that the geographical range of this aphid is currently expanding.
Mimosa pudica (sensitive plant).
Authors: Parker Chris
Published: April 2021

M. pudica is an annual or biannual sub-woody plant native to South America. It was introduced outside of its native range as an ornamental species, and is still available for sale today. This species is typically present in disturbed areas in much of the tropics where it has naturalized. It can be readily and accidentally dispersed thanks to its propagules that stick to mammals' hairs and human clothing. M. pudica can become extremely weedy in disturbed sites, often forming monotypic ground cover, and is a major weed of many tropical crops. It is classified as invasive in a wide range of countries in Asia and the Pacific and is regarded as an undesirable import in to Florida, USA and Australia (ISSG, 2017). It is also reported as invasive in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.
Murdannia nudiflora (doveweed).
Authors: Rojas-Sandoval Julissa
Published: April 2021

M. nudiflora is classified as one of the world's worst weeds by Holm et al. (1977), infesting no less than 16 crops in 23 countries. It is a major weed species in rice and other crops (Moody, 1989), and is a moderately invasive weed species both in agricultural crops and non-agricultural areas in South and South-east Asia (Waterhouse, 1993). Its special ability to root easily at the nodes, propagating clonally through cut stems and dispersal during tillage and land preparation make this weed difficult to control. This trait coupled with its ability to adapt and survive a wide ecological window of soil types, pH, moisture availability and soil drainage makes M. nudiflora a weed to watch for potential spread into new areas in near future, and a species under the 'alert list' by the Invasive Species Specialist Group. Oliveira Pellegrini et al. (2016) recognize M. nudiflora as one of two Murdannia species invasive in the Neotropics.
Opogona sacchari (banana moth).
Authors: Maes Koen
Published: April 2021

O. sacchari was originally described from specimens from Mauritius. It is a tineid moth with typically Old World tropical distribution, thus populations could establish in the tropical belt and in areas with a mediterranean climate, also in glasshouses throughout the world. O. sacchari attacks a number of ornamental plants and can be transported on different plant parts. Although not listed on alert lists such as IUCN and ISSG, this species has the potential to be invasive outside its natural distribution area through the transport of ornamental plants and/or because of global warming.
Aleurocanthus woglumi (citrus blackfly).
Authors: Nguyen Ru
Published: April 2021

Feeding by A. woglumi damages new leaf growth, reducing nitrogen levels in infested leaves. Sooty mould growing on honeydew deposits blocks light and air from the leaves, reducing photosynthesis. This can reduce fruit set by up to 80% or more (Eberling, 1954). Crop losses of limes due to A. woglumi were recorded at 25% by Watts and Alam (1973). In Mexico, citrus blackfly is regarded as a threat to citrus crops and to other crops such as mangoes, pears or coffee grown adjacent to heavily infested citrus groves. A. woglumi is a constant menace to citrus and other crops in the USA and Venezuela. It has been recorded seriously affecting citrus in India (David and Subramaniam, 1976). Le Pelley (1968) mentions it as a severe pest of coffee in the New World.
Cupressus arizonica (Arizona cypress).
Authors: Kaufman Sylvan
Published: April 2021

At present, in the New World, C. arizonica and its varieties are of low economic importance, but they are sometimes cut for fenceposts, fuelwood and lumber, and recently they have become popular as Christmas trees. By contrast, the Arizona cypress (C. arizonica var. arizonica) and the smooth cypress (C. arizonica var. glabra) are widespread in Europe and are used for landscaping, erosion control, windbreaks, and to a minor extent for lumber.
Phyllostachys aurea (golden bamboo).
Authors: Rickel Caryn , Rojas-Sandoval Julissa
Published: April 2021

This datasheet was originally prepared by INBAR. Phyllostachys is a large genus with around 50 species, concentrated in China and Japan. P. aurea is not the largest of Phyllostachys species, especially in cooler climates, but the curiously shortened basal internodes and the yellow culms make it an attractive ornamental bamboo, which also has useful culms and edible shoots. It has been widely planted and is naturalized in Java. The distinctive culm bases find use as ornamental handles for walking sticks, umbrellas, and fans. The small stature and reduced tendency to spread make it a desirable ornamental bamboo, which is very hardy and suitable for a wide range of climatic conditions. Several cultivars with variously striped culms and variegated leaves are grown.
Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite).
Authors: Pasiecznik Nick
Published: April 2021

P. glandulosa is a small to medium-sized thorny evergreen tree, native to northern Mexico (P. glandulosa is one of the most common tree species in Mexico) and the southwestern USA, mainly from California to Texas. It has also been widely introduced, but is most common as an exotic in Australia and South Africa. In Mexico, P. glandulosa wood is used for rustic construction projects, railroad ties and posts, and as firewood. P. glandulosa is an excellent soil improver; P. glandulosa foliage deposit an important layer of organic material as it fixes atmospheric nitrogen and its roots control the movement of dunes. In Mexico it is also used as forage for domestic animals, it serves as habitat for wildlife, it is used for bee forage, and its fruit is edible. The main uses of this species where exotic are for fodder, fuelwood, as a roadside, hedging, ornamental or shade tree, for dune retention, and for timber for cheap furniture. P. glandulosa is very invasive, and is seen as a weed on Mexican livestock ranges, in the USA, and where introduced.
Coarse-grained molecular simulation of the effects of carbon nanotube dispersion on the mechanics of semicrystalline polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Wu Chao , Wu Ruidong , Tam Lik-ho
Published: April 2021

With the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CNT/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites are found to possess enhanced mechanical properties, but the reinforcing effect is reduced at large added CNT weight percentages due to CNT aggregation. Optimizing the properties of a nanocomposite requires a fundamental understanding of the effects of CNT dispersion on the nanocomposite. In this work, coarse-grained molecular models of CNT/PP nanocomposites are constructed, which consist of randomly dispersed or aggregated CNT bundles. Our simulation results reveal that with randomly dispersed CNT bundles, the nanocomposite shows properties that continuously improve with increasing CNT contents due to the effective CNT/PP interface and the reinforcing effect of CNTs. By comparison, the nanocomposite with aggregated CNT clusters exhibits a decline in yield strength at CNT contents over 3 wt%, which results from a reduced CNT load-carrying capacity due to the formation of structural voids in the interfacial region. This study achieves an in situ observation of the structural void evolution of loaded nanocomposites, provides valuable insights into the effects of CNT dispersion on the mechanics of CNT/PP nanocomposites, and paves the way for optimizing the design of nanocomposites with superior mechanical properties by designing the CNT dispersion in the structure.
Full set of relaxation constants for 174Yb level (6s6p) 3P1 in collisions with rare gases
Authors: Rubtsova N N , Khvorostov E B , Kochubei S A , Reshetov V A
Published: April 2021

For the first time, a complete set of decay parameters, due to collisions of 174Yb atoms with noble gas atoms and with ytterbium atoms, was experimentally found for the 174Yb (6s6p) 3P1 level. The method of stimulated photon echo with special angles between the polarization vectors of light pulses forming an echo at the 174Yb (6s2) 1S0—(6s6p) 3P1 transition (type

0
↔
1

) is used. For each buffer gas of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Yb, the decay rate constants of population, orientation and alignment for the collision destruction of the 3P1 level of 174Yb atoms are determined. All the decay rates demonstrated their linear increase with a buffer gas pressure, and the corresponding relaxation constants are determined. Each of the indicated relaxation constants, as well as the difference between the alignment and orientation relaxation constants, increases with the increasing buffer gas mass.
Edge deep learning for neural implants: a case study of seizure detection and prediction
Authors: Liu Xilin , Richardson Andrew G
Published: April 2021

Objective. Implanted devices providing real-time neural activity classification and control are increasingly used to treat neurological disorders, such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. Classification performance is critical to identifying brain states appropriate for the therapeutic action (e.g. neural stimulation). However, advanced algorithms that have shown promise in offline studies, in particular deep learning (DL) methods, have not been deployed on resource-restrained neural implants. Here, we designed and optimized three DL models or edge deployment and evaluated their inference performance in a case study of seizure detection. Approach. A deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network were designed and trained with TensorFlow to classify ictal, preictal, and interictal phases from the CHB-MIT scalp EEG database. A sliding window based weighted majority voting algorithm was developed to detect seizure events based on each DL model’s classification results. After iterative model compression and coefficient quantization, the algorithms were deployed on a general-purpose, off-the-shelf microcontroller for real-time testing. Inference sensitivity, false positive rate (FPR), execution time, memory size, and power consumption were quantified. Main results. For seizure event detection, the sensitivity and FPR for the DNN, CNN, and LSTM models were 87.36%/0.169 h−1, 96.70%/0.102 h−1, and 97.61%/0.071 h−1, respectively. Predicting seizures for early warnings was also feasible. The LSTM model achieved the best overall performance at the expense of the highest power. The DNN model achieved the shortest execution time. The CNN model showed advantages in balanced performance and power with minimum memory requirement. The implemented model compression and quantization achieved a significant saving of power and memory with an accuracy degradation of less than 0.5%. Significance. Inference with embedded DL models achieved performance comparable to many prior implementations that had no time or computational resource limitations. Generic microcontrollers can provide the required memory and computational resources, while model designs can be migrated to application-specific integrated circuits for further optimization and power saving. The results suggest that edge DL inference is a feasible option for future neural implants to improve classification performance and therapeutic outcomes.
Flexible passive LC resonator for wireless measurement during curing of thermosets
Authors: Rajawat Sapna , Hübner Martina , Kempen Ludger , Lang Walter
Published: April 2021

Monitoring of fibre composites is an important task to spread the application of fibre composites. Cure monitoring of the polymer matrix of fibre composites during the fabrication can be realized with interdigital sensors. The measured impedance can be directly related to the curing process. However wiring the sensor may disrupt the material, therefore sensing should be done wireless. As many fibre composites are processed under high temperature and high pressure conditions no electronics can be used inside the material. Here we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a wireless sensory system using a chipless strategy for online cure monitoring. For this purpose, different combinations of sensors and readers are designed, consisting of a planar inductor-capacitor (LC) resonator, where capacitance is an interdigital capacitor, and an inductor as antenna operating wirelessly through inductive coupling. The designs are realized onto flexible polyimide substrate using microfabrication technology. To characterize the coupling effect, the response of the reader antenna has been carried out when sensor is placed in its vicinity. Furthermore, the curing process of adhesive is demonstrated and results are discussed. It is shown that the curing process of a thermoset polymer can be monitored by a flexible chipless LC resonator wirelessly.
Graph-Analytical Method for Determining the Untreated and Treated with the Herbicide Area around the Stem with Over-lapping When the Working Body is Made in the Form of a Probe
Authors: Tsybulevskiy V V , Tarasenko B F , Oskin S V
Published: April 2021

In order to solve the problem of uniform surface treatment of bored areas of perennial plantations (treatment with herbicides) the graph-analytical method of examination of treatment quality (determination of untreated and treated area around the overlapped die) is proposed. To do this, you need to specify the diameter of the stamp of perennial planting, the overall size of the deflector in the form of a stylus, its position in the space relative to the diameter of the stamp of perennial planting, the size of the overlap zone when treating with herbicides in the gardens, the distance between the dies and the operating speed of the unit to determine the geometric and operating parameters of the sprayer. The whole stage of the working device (probe), when it is working in the nozzle zone is divided into 4 stages. Analysis of the graphical image of the stylus trajectory during movement around the stamp gives an idea of the surface treatment process with herbicides during spraying. In the first stage, part of the borehole zone is treated with overlap, while in the third stage, the untreated area around the die is left untreated. The dependencies of determining these areas depending on the geometric dimensions of the dies, their location in the gardens, the length and angle of the stylus and the operating speed of the unit are derived. According to the different trajectories of movement, in the process of influence of a stylus on a stamp there is a change of direction of an air-droplet stream, as a result of which the flow of a working liquid and accordingly the processed area changes. It is possible to determine the deviation of the actual rate of fluid flow from the specified rate at different points in the borehole area by calculating the areas treated with overlap and untreated. All obtained dependencies will serve for optimization of geometrical and mode parameters of the working device (feeler gauge) during its operation in the borehole zone.