bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A three-dimensional measurement method on MR arthrography of the hip to classify femoro-acetabular impingement
Authors: Nardi Cosimo , De Falco Luisa , Caracchini Giuseppe , Calistri Linda , Mercatelli Laura , Cristin Stefano , Lorini Chiara , Cavigli Edoardo , Landini Nicholas , Orlandi Martina , Carulli Christian , Miele Vittorio
Published: June 2021

Purpose

(1) To investigate correlations between different types of FAI and the ratio of acetabular volume (AV) to femoral head volume (FV) on MR arthrography. (2) To assess 2D/3D measurements in identifying different types of FAI by means of cut-off values of AV/FV ratio (AFR).

Materials and methods

Alpha angle, cranial acetabular version, acetabular depth, lateral center edge angle, AV, and FV of 52 hip MR arthrography were measured. ANOVA test correlated different types of FAI with AFR. ROC curves classified FAI by cut-off values of AFR. Accuracy of 2D/3D measurements was calculated.

Results

ANOVA test showed a significant difference of AFR (p value < 0.001) among the three types of FAI. The mean values of AFR were 0.64, 0.74, and 0.89 in cam, mixed, and pincer types, respectively. Cut-off values of AFR were 0.70 to distinguish cam types from mixed and pincer types, and 0.79 to distinguish pincer types from cam and mixed types. Cut-off values identified 100%, 73.9%, and 55.6% of pincer, cam, and mixed types. 2D and 3D classifications of FAI showed accuracy of 40.4% and 73.0%.

Conclusions

3D measurements were clearly more accurate than 2D measurements. Distinct cut-off values of AFR discriminated cam types from pincer types and identified pincer types in all cases. Cam and mixed types were not accurately recognized.
History and Current Status of Sugarcane Breeding in Egypt
Authors: Mehareb Eid. M. , El-Shafai A. M. A. , Fouz F. M. AboElenen
Published: June 2021

Sugarcane has been cultivated in Egypt since 641 AD and is a source of raw material to various agro-based industries. The development of new varieties of sugarcane from controlled crosses in Egypt has developed greatly during recent decades with the majority of the present commercial varieties originating from the local breeding program. Egyptian sugarcane breeding program objectives are high cane and sugar yield, early maturing, good ratooning ability, resistance and tolerance to pests as well as diseases. This program depends on artificial flowering at Giza Research Station (latitude of 30.01° N and longitude of 31.20° E) and natural flowering at Sabahia Research Station, Alexandria (latitude of 31° 12 N and longitude of 29.57° E). There are four stations for selection trials, extending from middle to southern Egypt, namely Mallawi (Minia governorate), Shandaweel (Sohag governorate), Mattana Station (Luxor governorate), and Kom Ombo (Aswan governorate), respectively. Current sugar production in Egypt is about 2.458 million tons with 62.2% from sugar beet and 37.8% from sugarcane.
Extension of the Process Window in Laser Chemical Machining by Temperature-Dependent Reduction of the Electrolyte Viscosity
Authors: Simons Marcel , Radel Tim , Vollertsen Frank
Published: June 2021

The laser chemical process is a material-removing machining process in the micro range. The process is based on a laser-assisted etching process between an electrolyte and a metallic workpiece. Local overheating causes a laser-induced electrolyte boiling process, which limits the laser chemical process window. In order to reduce the laser-induced electrolyte boiling process and thus expand the process window, the laser chemical process is carried out at different electrolyte start temperatures and thus different electrolyte viscosities and surface tensions. The experimental investigations were carried out on Titanium Grade 1 with the electrolytes phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid at different electrolyte temperatures and laser powers to determine the limits of the process window by evaluating the properties of the removal cavities. As a result, the process window is extended at lower electrolyte viscosities. Thereby, the electrolyte viscosities have no influence on the geometric shape of the removal. The extension of the process window is attributed to the fact that a reduction in electrolyte viscosity results in a less pronounced formation of the boiling process, the bubble diameters decrease, and the shielding effect of the bubbles is reduced.
Oxfordian brachiopods from the ammonitico rosso-type Fonyászó Limestone formation at Zengővárkony, Mecsek Mountains, Hungary and their palaeoecological, palaeobiogeographical and palaeopathological significance
Authors: Bujtor László , Albrecht Richárd
Published: June 2021

Recent discovery of a previously unknown outcrop in the vicinity of the Zengővárkony lime-kilns (Mecsek Mountains, Hungary) provided a few identifiable upper Oxfordian brachiopods that exhibit a truly Mediterranean (Tethyan) character. Dating of the outcrop is based on a rich ammonite fauna:Benetticeras benettii; Trimarginitesex gr.trimarginatus; Orthosphinctes (Orthosphinctes)ex gr.tizianiclearly indicate the Late Oxfordian. The brachiopod fauna indicates a deep-water marine environment and well-oxygenated sea floor.Nucleata boueiandPygope catulloiare recorded for the first time from the Mecsek Mountains. A pathologic specimen ofPygope catulloiis also recognized. Its ventral valve was injured in an early developmental stage that caused deformation of the left side, which was overgrown by the healthy right side and created an asymmetric adult shell shape. Cause of the injury is unclear but it provides further evidence for subsequent healing of brachiopods after being injured. This is the first description and illustration of Oxfordian brachiopods from the Mecsek Mountains, Hungary. The occurrence of Tethyan originating pygopid brachiopods in the Oxfordian strengthens earlier observations that from the Bathonian/Callovian Tethyan influence became overwhelming in the Mecsek Mountains fauna.Pygope catulloistrengthens records from Algeria that pygopid brachiopods may have occurred very early on the periphery of the Western Tethys.
Emotionally Informed Hate Speech Detection: A Multi-target Perspective
Authors: Chiril Patricia , Pamungkas Endang Wahyu , Benamara Farah , Moriceau Véronique , Patti Viviana
Published: June 2021

Hate Speech and harassment are widespread in online communication, due to users' freedom and anonymity and the lack of regulation provided by social media platforms. Hate speech is topically focused (misogyny, sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc.), and each specific manifestation of hate speech targets different vulnerable groups based on characteristics such as gender (misogyny, sexism), ethnicity, race, religion (xenophobia, racism, Islamophobia), sexual orientation (homophobia), and so on. Most automatic hate speech detection approaches cast the problem into a binary classification task without addressing either thetopical focusor thetarget-orientednature of hate speech. In this paper, we propose to tackle, for the first time, hate speech detection from a multi-target perspective. We leverage manually annotated datasets, to investigate the problem of transferring knowledge from different datasets with different topical focuses and targets. Our contribution is threefold: (1) we explore the ability of hate speech detection models to capture common properties from topic-generic datasets and transfer this knowledge to recognize specific manifestations of hate speech; (2) we experiment with the development of models to detect both topics (racism, xenophobia, sexism, misogyny) and hate speech targets, going beyond standard binary classification, to investigatehow to detect hate speech at a finer level of granularityandhow to transfer knowledge across different topics and targets; and (3) we study the impact of affective knowledge encoded in sentic computing resources (SenticNet, EmoSenticNet) and in semantically structured hate lexicons (HurtLex) in determining specific manifestations of hate speech. We experimented with different neural models including multitask approaches. Our study shows that: (1) training a model on a combination of several (training sets from several) topic-specific datasets is more effective than training a model on a topic-generic dataset; (2) the multi-task approach outperforms a single-task model when detecting both the hatefulness of a tweet and its topical focus in the context of a multi-label classification approach; and (3) the models incorporating EmoSenticNet emotions, the first level emotions of SenticNet, a blend of SenticNet and EmoSenticNet emotions or affective features based on Hurtlex, obtained the best results. Our results demonstrate that multi-target hate speech detection from existing datasets is feasible, which is a first step towards hate speech detection for a specific topic/target when dedicated annotated data are missing. Moreover, we prove that domain-independent affective knowledge, injected into our models, helps finer-grained hate speech detection.
Pedagogical content knowledge in students majoring in physical education vs. sport science. The same but different?
Authors: Meier Stefan
Published: June 2021

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a special feature providing the teacher with knowledge to transform the content in ways that make it understandable to learners. This is of special importance in physical education (PE), since it is significantly different to other school subjects in many ways i.e., it is the only subject whereby physical activity (PA) is a primary means of accomplishing educational objectives. Given the importance of PCK, it is of special interest to explore the specificity of PCK in in the field of sport science. As research on PCK in German speaking countries is still at the beginning, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 622 students to explore potential differences in relation to education programmes (PE Teacher Educationn = 431, sport sciencen = 191). Measurement invariance (MI) between the groups was carried out using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis models to ensure latent mean scores can be compared meaningfully. The progressive evaluation of MI confirms that it is possible to measure the PCK (scalar) equivalently across PETE and sport science students, along with additional variables relevant to PCK. PETE students outperformed sport science students in terms of the “instruction” subdimension (also in different stages of study), whereas not in the “student” subdimension. Prior experience in the field of PA is an advantage for high scores only in the “instruction” subdimension. Finally, the study provides first insights into the specificity of PCK in the field of sport science.
Constructing a biomimetic robust bi-layered hydrophilic lubrication coating on surface of silicone elastomer
Authors: Gao Luyao , Zhao Xiaoduo , Ma Shuanhong , Ma Zhengfeng , Cai Meirong , Liang Yong-Min , Zhou Feng
Published: June 2021

Silicone elastomers-based materials have been extensively involved in the field of biomedical devices, while their use is extremely restricted due to the poor surface lubricity and inherent hydrophobicity. This paper describes a novel strategy for generating a robust layered soft matter lubrication coating on the surface of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone elastomer, by entangling thick polyzwitterionic polyelectrolyte brush of poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) into the sub-surface of the initiator-embedded stiff hydrogel coating layer of P(AAm-co-AA-co-HEMA-Br)/Fe, to achieve a unified low friction and high load-bearing properties. Meanwhile, the stiff hydrogel layer with controllable thickness is covalently anchored on the surface of PDMS by adding iron powder to provide catalytic sites through surface catalytically initiated radical polymerization (SCIRP) method and provides high load-bearing capacity, while the topmost brush/hydrogel composite layer is highly effective for aqueous lubrication. Their synergy effects are capable of attaining low friction coefficient (COFs) under wide range of loaded condition in water environment with steel ball as sliding pair. Furthermore, the influence of mechanical modulus of the stiff hydrogel layer on the lubrication performance of layered coating is investigated, for which the COF is the lowest only when the modulus of the stiff hydrogel layer well matches the PDMS substrate. Surprisingly, the COF of the modified PDMS could remain low friction (COF < 0.05) stably after encountering 50,000 sliding cycles under 10 N load. Finally, the surface wear characterizations prove the robustness of the layered lubricating coating. This work provides a new route for engineering lubricious silicon elastomer with low friction, high load-bearing capacity, and considerable durability.
A Review of Circular Economy Prospects for Stainless Steelmaking Slags
Authors: Holappa Lauri , Kekkonen Marko , Jokilaakso Ari , Koskinen Juha
Published: June 2021

The world of stainless steel production was 52 Mt in 2019, and the annual amount of slags including electric furnace, AOD converter, ladle, and casting tundish, was estimated at 15–17 Mt. Nowadays, only a minor fraction of slags from stainless steel production is utilized and a major part goes to landfilling. These slags contain high-value elements (Cr, Ni, Mo, Ti, V…) as oxides or in metallic form, some of them being environmentally problematic if dumped. Thus, any approach toward circular economy solutions for stainless steel slags would have great economic and environmental impacts. This contribution examines the slags from different process stages, and the available and new potential means to increase internal recycling and to modify slags composition and structure by optimizing their properties for reclaiming in high-value applications. Eventual methods are, e.g., fast controlled cooling and modifying additives. Means to recover valuable metals are discussed as well as potential product applications to utilize various slags with different chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. By integrating the treatments and steering of slags′ properties to the total process optimization system, the principles of circular economy could be achieved.

Graphical Abstract
Sorting and Recycling of Lightweight Packaging in Germany — Climate Impacts and Options for Increasing Circularity Using Tracer-Based-Sorting
Authors: Kusch Anina , Gasde Johannes , Deregowski Carolin , Woidasky Jörg , Lang-Koetz Claus , Viere Tobias
Published: June 2021

This paper elaborates an energy and material flow model for conventional lightweight packaging sorting and recycling in Germany based on literature analysis and information provided by industry experts. The model is used to determine specific energy and material demands of particular lightweight packaging fractions and their respective climate impacts. Fluorescent-based identification techniques, tracer-based-sorting in particular, are assessed as an option to increase material circularity due to improved sorting and recycling accuracy. In comparison to primary production of lightweight packaging, conventional sorting and recycling saves 565 kg CO2-eq./Mg of input sorting. A total of four implementation scenarios are considered, reflecting the percentage of mixed plastics and residuals that can be mechanically processed through improved sorting (10%, 50%, 90% and 100%). Using tracer-based-sorting, these savings increase from 578 up to 1227 kg CO2-eq/Mg depending on implementation scenario. This paper concludes that tracer-based-sorting can contribute to an environmentally benign circular economy by yielding high-quality regranulates, which are capable of substituting more carbon-intensive primary production of lightweight packaging.
The Albanoi in Michael Attaleiates’ History: revisiting the Vranoussi-Ducellier debate
Authors: Quanrud John
Published: June 2021

Half a century ago, the Greek academic Era Vranoussi presented Balkan and Byzantine studies with a new theory. She argued that the people named Albanoi in Michael Attaleiates’ History were not Balkan Albanians, but rather Normans in southern Italy. A debate ensued with French Byzantinist Alain Ducellier that was never resolved. More recently, some notable scholars have begun to incorporate Vranoussi's hypothesis into their work. This article re-examines Vranoussi's arguments and concludes that the evidence favours the traditional reading of Albanoi as Balkan Albanians over the interpretation of this ethnonym as an obscure reference to Norman mercenaries in territories south of Rome.
Influence of Avoidant Coping on Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Job Burnout Among Firefighters: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support
Authors: Chen Yaru , Li Xiaohui , Chen Chen , An Yuanyuan , Shi Junyi , Huang Jiali , Zhao Yuqing
Published: June 2021

Objective:

The study aims to explore the effects of avoidant coping on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and job burnout among firefighters, and to examine the mediating role of perceived social support on the relationship between avoidant coping and PTSS and job burnout.

Method:

Assessments including the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey (MBI-GS), Coping Style Inventory (CSI), and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were conducted among 431 firefighters studying in a school specializing in training firemen in Nanjing, China.

Result:

The results show that: (1) Avoidant coping was positively related to PTSS and job burnout among firefighters; and (2) avoidant coping was positively related to PTSS and job burnout through the mediating effect of perceived social support.

Conclusion:

These findings not only provide guiding information for relevant departments to prevent mental health issues of firefighters in the future, but also enlighten the psychological intervention for firefighters, that is, to encourage firefighters to actively face and solve problems and adopt positive coping styles, as well as offer them more care and support whenever possible.
Qualitative assessment of YouTube videos as a source of patient information for cochlear implant surgery
Authors: Thomas C , Westwood J , Butt G F
Published: June 2021

Background

YouTube is increasingly used as a source of healthcare information. This study evaluated the quality of videos on YouTube about cochlear implants.

Methods

YouTube was searched using the phrase ‘cochlear implant’. The first 60 results were screened by two independent reviewers. A modified Discern tool was used to evaluate the quality of each video.

Results

Forty-seven videos were analysed. The mean overall Discern score was 2.0 out of 5.0. Videos scored higher for describing positive elements such as the benefits of a cochlear implant (mean score of 3.4) and scored lower for negative elements such as the risks of cochlear implant surgery (mean score of 1.3).

Conclusion

The quality of information regarding cochlear implant surgery on YouTube is highly variable. These results demonstrated a bias towards the positive attributes of cochlear implants, with little mention of the risks or uncertainty involved. Although videos may be useful as supplementary information, critical elements required to make an informed decision are lacking. This is of particular importance when patients are considering surgery.
TIMBRE-BASED COMPOSITION, MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND AMBIGUITY IN REBECCA SAUNDERS’ COMPOSITIONAL STYLE
Authors: Abram Omri
Published: June 2021

This article takes up Rebecca Saunders’ comments on the significance of timbre in her work to develop a timbre-centred analytical technique for two of her compositions, Ire (2012), for cello and ensemble, and Still (2011), for violin and orchestra. Two overarching principles are identified: the organisation of the pieces’ sounds into clearly differentiated categories, which can also overlap in different ways, and the use of a phrase-based logic in the pieces’ formal construction. Alongside the timbral construction, stable pitches acquire formal significance by virtue of their rarity and conspicuousness. I also elaborate on the ways in which perceptual ambiguity is fruitfully exploited in these works.
Review of Sertoli cell dysfunction caused by COVID-19 that could affect male fertility
Authors: Niazi Tabar Amirreza , Sojoudi Kiana , Henduei Hannaneh , Azizi Hossein
Published: June 2021

Spermatogenesis is a complex and elaborate differentiation process and is vital for male fertility. Sertoli cells play a major role in fertility and induce spermatogenesis by protecting, nourishing, and supporting germ cells. It has been speculated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could directly affect the male reproductive system, and therefore heredity and fertility. The similarity of SARS-CoV-2 to SARS-CoV could confirm this hypothesis because both viruses use angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2) as the receptor to enter human cells. ACE2 is expressed by Sertoli cells and other testicular cells, therefore COVID-19 has the potential to impair fertility by destroying Sertoli cells. This hypothesis should be evaluated and confirmed by monitoring fertility in patients with COVID-19.
Breeding performance and embryogenic development of three strains of Heterobranchus longifilis in Nigeria
Authors: Alih R.A. , Solomon S.G. , Olufeagba S.O. , Cheikyula J.O. , Abol-Munafi A.B. , Okomoda V.T.
Published: June 2021

The study sought to investigate the chronology of events and timing of embryogenesis, as well as breeding performances of three strains of Heterobranchus longifilis from Nigeria. Fish samples were collected from Benue River in Makurdi, Niger River in Onitsha, and Rima River in Sokoto for this study. Induced spawning of the strains was carried out so that egg development could be tracked from fertilization to hatching using a simple microscope. The microphotographs obtained showed that the embryogenesis of the strains followed a similar pattern to those of other members of the family Clariidae, however with changes occurring in the specific timing of the sequences of events (i.e. interstrain and interspecies differences). When the different strains were compared, the study noted similarities (P > 0.05) in the overall breeding performance (except for fertilization rate), survival at different stages of development, timing of embryogenesis, and larvae characteristics. The outcomes of this study, therefore, provide baseline information on what genetic improvement of the species through strain crossing can be attempted in future studies.
Novel pathogenic variant of MYBPC3 responsible for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Yang Xiaofei , Li Zhenghao , Wang Qingfa , Zhang Yongfa , Zhao Cuifen
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

This study aims to investigate the pathogenic gene variant in a family with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using whole-exome sequencing and to explore the relationship between the gene variant and clinical phenotype.

Methods:

Peripheral blood was collected from a family with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted. The possible pathogenic genes were detected by whole-exome sequencing, and the variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. Functional change in the variant was predicted by bioinformatics software. Clinical data of the family members are analysed simultaneously.

Results:

The proband carries a novel heterozygous nonsense variant of MYBPC3:c.2731G > T (p.E911X). The analysis of amino acid conservation suggests that the variation is highly conserved. The three-dimensional protein structure shows that the variant in MYBPC3 results in the incompleteness of the fibronectintype-III2 (p872–967) domain and deletion of Ig-like C2-type 6 (p971–1065) and fibronectin type-III 3 and Ig-like C2-type 7 (p1181–1274) domains, in which p1253–1268 is predicted to have a transmembrane helix structure. Clinical data indicate that the phenotypes of variant carriers with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are diverse, suggesting the functional damages to the protein of MYBPC3.

Conclusion:

The phenotypes of variant carriers with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy caused by the novel variant in MYBPC3: c.2731G > T (p.E911X) exhibit variable severity and clinical manifestations. Whole-exome sequencing can be used to comprehensive screen hypertrophic cardiomyopathy genes and provide a strong basis for early screening and accurate diagnosis and treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in children.
Iatrogenic perforation of atrial appendage and successful closure with Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder, in a 1-year-old patient
Authors: Temel Münevver T. , Selçuk Arif , Başpınar Osman
Published: June 2021

We present the successful transcatheter closure of the perforation of the cardiac wall from atrial appendage in a 1-year-old girl. Although open-heart surgical repair has been the primary option, percutaneous device closure should always be considered before surgery.
The Effects of Unsubstantiated Claims of Voter Fraud on Confidence in Elections
Authors: Berlinski Nicolas , Doyle Margaret , Guess Andrew M. , Levy Gabrielle , Lyons Benjamin , Montgomery Jacob M. , Nyhan Brendan , Reifler Jason
Published: June 2021

Political elites sometimes seek to delegitimize election results using unsubstantiated claims of fraud. Most recently, Donald Trump sought to overturn his loss in the 2020 US presidential election by falsely alleging widespread fraud. Our study provides new evidence demonstrating the corrosive effect of fraud claims like these on trust in the election system. Using a nationwide survey experiment conducted after the 2018 midterm elections – a time when many prominent Republicans also made unsubstantiated fraud claims – we show that exposure to claims of voter fraud reduces confidence in electoral integrity, though not support for democracy itself. The effects are concentrated among Republicans and Trump approvers. Worryingly, corrective messages from mainstream sources do not measurably reduce the damage these accusations inflict. These results suggest that unsubstantiated voter-fraud claims undermine confidence in elections, particularly when the claims are politically congenial, and that their effects cannot easily be mitigated by fact-checking.
The COVID‐19 Pandemic Not Only Poses Challenges, but Also Opens Opportunities for Sustainable Transformation
Authors: Pradhan Prajal , Subedi Daya Raj , Khatiwada Dilip , Joshi Kirti Kusum , Kafle Sagar , Chhetri Raju Pandit , Dhakal Shobhakar , Gautam Ambika Prasad , Khatiwada Padma Prasad , Mainaly Jony , Onta Sharad , Pandey Vishnu Prasad , Parajuly Keshav , Pokharel Sijal , Satyal Poshendra , Singh Devendra Raj , Talchabhadel Rocky , Tha Rupesh , Thapa Bhesh Raj , Adhikari Kamal , Adhikari Shankar , Chandra Bastakoti Ram , Bhandari Pitambar , Bharati Saraswoti , Bhusal Yub Raj , Bahadur BK Man , Bogati Ramji , Kafle Simrin , Khadka Manohara , Khatiwada Nawa Raj , Lal Ajay Chandra , Neupane Dinesh , Neupane Kaustuv Raj , Ojha Rajit , Regmi Narayan Prasad , Rupakheti Maheswar , Sapkota Alka , Sapkota Rupak , Sharma Mahashram , Shrestha Gitta , Shrestha Indira , Shrestha Khadga Bahadur , Tandukar Sarmila , Upadhyaya Shyam , Kropp Jürgen P. , Bhuju Dinesh Raj
Published: June 2021

The COVID‐19 pandemic has impacted social, economic, and environmental systems worldwide, slowing down and reversing the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs belong to the 2030 Agenda to transform our world by tackling humankind's challenges to ensure well‐being, economic prosperity, and environmental protection. We explore the potential impacts of the pandemic on SDGs for Nepal. We followed a knowledge co‐creation process with experts from various professional backgrounds, involving five steps: online survey, online workshop, assessment of expert's opinions, review and validation, and revision and synthesis. The pandemic has negatively impacted most SDGs in the short term. Particularly, the targets of SDG 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13 have and will continue to have weakly to moderately restricting impacts. However, a few targets of SDG 2, 3, 6, and 11 could also have weakly promoting impacts. The negative impacts have resulted from impeding factors linked to the pandemic. Many of the negative impacts may subside in the medium and long terms. The key five impeding factors are lockdowns, underemployment and unemployment, closure of institutions and facilities, diluted focus and funds for non‐COVID‐19‐related issues, and anticipated reduction in support from development partners. The pandemic has also opened a window of opportunity for sustainable transformation, which is short‐lived and narrow. These opportunities are lessons learned for planning and action, socio‐economic recovery plan, use of information and communication technologies and the digital economy, reverse migration and “brain gain,” and local governments' exercising authorities.
Quantitative Thermal Emission Spectroscopy at High Temperatures: A Laboratory Approach for Measurement and Calibration
Authors: Thompson James O. , Williams Daniel B. , Lee Rachel J. , Ramsey Michael S.
Published: June 2021

Acquiring accurate high temperature laboratory‐based infrared emission spectra of geologic samples is important to constrain their radiative and spectral properties. This is important in calculations of lava flow cooling, crust formation, and ultimately lava flow propagation modeling. However, measuring accurate emission at high temperatures remains a challenge. A new micro‐furnace design was created to integrate with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, replacing the previous furnace and improving the performance and error metrics. Importantly, this approach accounts for all significant error sources and uses only one spectrometer to acquire sample and calibration emission data over greater temperature (473–1,573 K) and spectral (4,000–500 cm−1, 2.5–20 μm) ranges. Emissivity spectra of forsterite and quartz samples were acquired to test the calibration procedure. Forsterite, with no expected phase transitions over the temperature range, showed spectral change above ∼1140 K, potentially due to amorphization–a process not well described in past studies. The quartz results revealed the expected polymorph transformations at ∼846 and ∼1323 K. A Hawaiian basalt sample served as a representative rock test and showed an increase in emissivity (∼25%) with decreasing temperature. The greatest emissivity increase (∼60%) occurred in the middle infrared region (3,333–2,000 cm−1, 3–5 μm). This is significant for thermal/mass flux calculations using satellite data in this spectral region, which rely on emissivity to derive accurate temperatures. All results are consistent with our previous investigations, but with improved mean accuracy (<2%), uncertainty (<4%), and spectral contrast (<20%). The improved metrics were achieved by constraining the sample measurement geometry, sample temperature stability, and environmental contamination within the experiment.
The Deployable Low‐Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment
Authors: Helmboldt J. F. , Markowski B. B. , Bonanno D. J. , Clarke T. E. , Dowell J. , Hicks B. C. , Kassim N. E. , Taylor G. B.
Published: June 2021

The Deployable Low‐Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (DLITE) is a four‐element interferometric radio telescope made from mostly commercial off‐the‐shelf parts to minimize costs and maximize ease of deployment. It operates in the high frequency and very high frequency (VHF) regimes, nominally in a 30–40 MHz band, but with good sensitivity (sky‐noise dominated) in the 20–80 MHz range. Its configuration is optimized to probe ionospheric structure using the so‐called “A‐Team,” exceptionally bright sources of cosmic radio emission. Methods have been developed to track the apparent positions and intensities of A‐Team sources without the need for beam forming to enable measurements of VHF scintillations as well as total electron content gradients. Time difference of arrival and frequency difference of arrival methods have been adapted for all‐sky imaging to facilitate both statistical measurements of scintillation levels and time domain astronomy. This study provides a detailed description of the system design, the analysis algorithms, and the science that can be conducted using results from two prototype DLITE systems in Maryland and New Mexico.
Miniature planar telescopes for efficient, wide-angle, high-precision beam steering
Authors: He Ziqian , Yin Kun , Wu Shin-Tson
Published: June 2021

Non-mechanical beam steerers with lightweight, compact, high-efficiency, high-precision, and/or large-angle are pivotal for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) of autonomous vehicles, eye-tracking for near-eye displays, microscopy, optical tweezers, and high-precision three-dimensional (3D) printing. However, even the most matured optical phased array can only provide quasi-continuous, efficient beam steering within a small angle range. A telescope module with an angle magnification function can be coupled to enlarge the steering range or precision. But obtaining a compact, low-cost, lightweight, high-quality telescope module with conventional optics remains challenging. Patterned liquid crystal-based planar optical elements offer great design freedom for manipulating the phase profile of light in 2D space. Owing to the advantages of high efficiency, thinness, low cost, easy processing, flexibility, and response to environmental stimuli, a plethora of high-quality optical devices have been demonstrated. Here, a miniature planar telescope mediated by liquid crystal polymers is proposed to offer angle magnification independent of incident spatial location. It consists of two cascaded liquid crystal planar optical elements, each performing a predefined mathematical transformation. By this concept, planar optical elements are fabricated using a new exposure method and assembled into planar telescopes with different magnification factors. Within the incident field range, over 84.6% optical efficiency is achieved with small wavefront distortion. Such a miniature planar telescope shows the potential of cascaded liquid crystal planar optical elements for realizing functionalities that cannot be fulfilled by single optical elements, and enables lightweight, low loss, passive optical transmitters for widespread applications.
Semiconductor core fibres: materials science in a bottle
Authors: Gibson Ursula J. , Wei Lei , Ballato John
Published: June 2021

Novel core fibers have a wide range of applications in optics, as sources, detectors and nonlinear response media. Optoelectronic, and even electronic device applications are now possible, due to the introduction of methods for drawing fibres with a semiconductor core. This review examines progress in the development of glass-clad, crystalline core fibres, with an emphasis on semiconducting cores. The underlying materials science and the importance of post-processing techniques for recrystallization and purification are examined, with achievements and future prospects tied to the phase diagrams of the core materials.
Organization of the inputs and outputs of the mouse superior colliculus
Authors: Benavidez Nora L. , Bienkowski Michael S. , Zhu Muye , Garcia Luis H. , Fayzullina Marina , Gao Lei , Bowman Ian , Gou Lin , Khanjani Neda , Cotter Kaelan R. , Korobkova Laura , Becerra Marlene , Cao Chunru , Song Monica Y. , Zhang Bin , Yamashita Seita , Tugangui Amanda J. , Zingg Brian , Rose Kasey , Lo Darrick , Foster Nicholas N. , Boesen Tyler , Mun Hyun-Seung , Aquino Sarvia , Wickersham Ian R. , Ascoli Giorgio A. , Hintiryan Houri , Dong Hong-Wei
Published: June 2021

The superior colliculus (SC) receives diverse and robust cortical inputs to drive a range of cognitive and sensorimotor behaviors. However, it remains unclear how descending cortical input arising from higher-order associative areas coordinate with SC sensorimotor networks to influence its outputs. Here, we construct a comprehensive map of all cortico-tectal projections and identify four collicular zones with differential cortical inputs: medial (SC.m), centromedial (SC.cm), centrolateral (SC.cl) and lateral (SC.l). Further, we delineate the distinctive brain-wide input/output organization of each collicular zone, assemble multiple parallel cortico-tecto-thalamic subnetworks, and identify the somatotopic map in the SC that displays distinguishable spatial properties from the somatotopic maps in the neocortex and basal ganglia. Finally, we characterize interactions between those cortico-tecto-thalamic and cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic subnetworks. This study provides a structural basis for understanding how SC is involved in integrating different sensory modalities, translating sensory information to motor command, and coordinating different actions in goal-directed behaviors.
Manipulation of hot carrier cooling dynamics in two-dimensional Dion–Jacobson hybrid perovskites via Rashba band splitting
Authors: Yin Jun , Naphade Rounak , Maity Partha , Gutiérrez-Arzaluz Luis , Almalawi Dhaifallah , Roqan Iman S. , Brédas Jean-Luc , Bakr Osman M. , Mohammed Omar F.
Published: June 2021

Hot-carrier cooling processes of perovskite materials are typically described by a single parabolic band model that includes the effects of carrier-phonon scattering, hot phonon bottleneck, and Auger heating. However, little is known (if anything) about the cooling processes in which the spin-degenerate parabolic band splits into two spin-polarized bands, i.e., the Rashba band splitting effect. Here, we investigated the hot-carrier cooling processes for two slightly different compositions of two-dimensional Dion–Jacobson hybrid perovskites, namely, (3AMP)PbI4 and (4AMP)PbI4 (3AMP = 3-(aminomethyl)piperidinium; 4AMP = 4-(aminomethyl)piperidinium), using a combination of ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. In (4AMP)PbI4, upon Rashba band splitting, the spin-dependent scattering of hot electrons is responsible for accelerating hot-carrier cooling at longer delays. Importantly, the hot-carrier cooling of (4AMP)PbI4 can be extended by manipulating the spin state of the hot carriers. Our findings suggest a new approach for prolonging hot-carrier cooling in hybrid perovskites, which is conducive to further improving the performance of hot-carrier-based optoelectronic and spintronic devices.
Performant implementation of the atomic cluster expansion (PACE) and application to copper and silicon
Authors: Lysogorskiy Yury , Oord Cas van der , Bochkarev Anton , Menon Sarath , Rinaldi Matteo , Hammerschmidt Thomas , Mrovec Matous , Thompson Aidan , Csányi Gábor , Ortner Christoph , Drautz Ralf
Published: June 2021

The atomic cluster expansion is a general polynomial expansion of the atomic energy in multi-atom basis functions. Here we implement the atomic cluster expansion in the performant C++ code that is suitable for use in large-scale atomistic simulations. We briefly review the atomic cluster expansion and give detailed expressions for energies and forces as well as efficient algorithms for their evaluation. We demonstrate that the atomic cluster expansion as implemented in shifts a previously established Pareto front for machine learning interatomic potentials toward faster and more accurate calculations. Moreover, general purpose parameterizations are presented for copper and silicon and evaluated in detail. We show that the Cu and Si potentials significantly improve on the best available potentials for highly accurate large-scale atomistic simulations.
Operating room architecture is not a risk factor for surgical site infections
Authors: Jentzsch Thorsten , Kutschke Lucas , Zingg Patrick O. , Farshad Mazda
Published: June 2021

Surgical site infection (SSI) may cause a substantial burden for patients and healthcare systems. A potential risk of different architectures of the operating room for SSI is yet unknown and was subject of this study. This observational cohort study was performed in a university hospital and evaluated patients, who underwent a broad spectrum of orthopedic surgeries in 2016 (open-plan operating room architecture) versus (vs) 2017 (closed-plan operating room architecture). Patients, who underwent surgery in the transition time period from the open-plan to the closed-plan operating room architecture and those, who were treated e.g. for osteomyelitis as index procedure were excluded. The primary outcome was revision surgery for early SSI within 30 (superficial) or 90 (deep or organ/space) days of surgery. Age, gender, American society of anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, and the body mass index (BMI) were considered as potential interacting factors in a logistic regression analysis. The incidence of revisions for SSI was 0.6 percent (%) (n = 45) in the 7'740 included surgical cases (mean age of 52 (standard deviation (SD) 19) years; n = 3'835 (50%) females). There was no difference in incidences of revision for SSI in the open- vs closed-plan operating room architecture (0.5% vs 0.7%; adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.34 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72–2.49, P = 0.35)). Age and gender were not a risk factor for revision for SSI. However, ASA classification and BMI were identified as risk factors for the incidence of revision for SSI (OR = 1.92 (95% CI 1.16- 3.18, P = 0.01) and OR = 1.05 (95% CI 1.00–1.11, P = 0.05)). The overall incidence of revisions for early SSI after a broad spectrum of orthopedic surgeries was relatively low (0.6%) and independent from the operating room architecture. An increase in ASA classification and possibly BMI, however, were identified as independent risk factors for revision for SSI.
Effects of water absorption on the mechanical properties of hybrid natural fibre/phenol formaldehyde composites
Authors: Sanjeevi Sekar , Shanmugam Vigneshwaran , Kumar Suresh , Ganesan Velmurugan , Sas Gabriel , Johnson Deepak Joel , Shanmugam Manojkumar , Ayyanar Athijayamani , Naresh Kakur , Neisiany Rasoul Esmaeely , Das Oisik
Published: June 2021

This investigation is carried out to understand the effects of water absorption on the mechanical properties of hybrid phenol formaldehyde (PF) composite fabricated with Areca Fine Fibres (AFFs) and Calotropis Gigantea Fibre (CGF). Hybrid CGF/AFF/PF composites were manufactured using the hand layup technique at varying weight percentages of fibre reinforcement (25, 35 and 45%). Hybrid composite having 35 wt.% showed better mechanical properties (tensile strength ca. 59 MPa, flexural strength ca. 73 MPa and impact strength 1.43 kJ/m2) under wet and dry conditions as compared to the other hybrid composites. In general, the inclusion of the fibres enhanced the mechanical properties of neat PF. Increase in the fibre content increased the water absorption, however, after 120 h of immersion, all the composites attained an equilibrium state.
Configuration models as an urn problem
Authors: Casiraghi Giona , Nanumyan Vahan
Published: June 2021

A fundamental issue of network data science is the ability to discern observed features that can be expected at random from those beyond such expectations. Configuration models play a crucial role there, allowing us to compare observations against degree-corrected null-models. Nonetheless, existing formulations have limited large-scale data analysis applications either because they require expensive Monte-Carlo simulations or lack the required flexibility to model real-world systems. With the generalized hypergeometric ensemble, we address both problems. To achieve this, we map the configuration model to an urn problem, where edges are represented as balls in an appropriately constructed urn. Doing so, we obtain the generalized hypergeometric ensemble of random graphs: a random graph model reproducing and extending the properties of standard configuration models, with the critical advantage of a closed-form probability distribution.
Experimental signatures of nodeless multiband superconductivity in a $$\hbox {2H-Pd}_{0.08} \hbox {TaSe}_2$$ single crystal
Authors: Kim Chanhee , Bhoi Dilip , Sur Yeahan , Jeon Byung-Gu , Wulferding Dirk , Min Byeong Hun , Kim Jeehoon , Kim Kee Hoon
Published: June 2021

In order to understand the superconducting gap nature of a $$\hbox {2H-Pd}_{0.08} \hbox {TaSe}_2$$

2H-Pd

0.08

TaSe
2

single crystal with $$T_{c} = 3.13 \text { K}$$

T
c

=
3.13

K

, in-plane thermal conductivity $$\kappa $$
κ
, in-plane London penetration depth $$\lambda _{\text {L}}$$

λ
L

, and the upper critical fields $$H_{c2}$$

H

c
2

have been investigated. At zero magnetic field, it is found that no residual linear term $$\kappa _{0}/T$$

κ
0

/
T

exists and $$\lambda _{\text {L}}$$

λ
L

follows a power-law $$T^n$$

T
n

(T: temperature) with n = 2.66 at $$T \le \frac{1}{3}T_c$$

T
≤

1
3

T
c

, supporting nodeless superconductivity. Moreover, the magnetic-field dependence of $$\kappa _{0}$$

κ
0

/T clearly shows a shoulder-like feature at a low field region. The temperature dependent $$H_{c2}$$

H

c
2

curves for both in-plane and out-of-plane field directions exhibit clear upward curvatures near $$T_c$$

T
c

, consistent with the shape predicted by the two-band theory and the anisotropy ratio between the $$H_{c2}$$

H

c
2

(T) curves exhibits strong temperature-dependence. All these results coherently suggest that $$\hbox {2H-Pd}_{0.08} \hbox {TaSe}_2$$

2H-Pd

0.08

TaSe
2

is a nodeless, multiband superconductor.
Weak ferroelectric charge transfer in layer-asymmetric bilayers of 2D semiconductors
Authors: Ferreira Fábio , Enaldiev Vladimir V. , Fal’ko Vladimir I. , Magorrian Samuel J.
Published: June 2021

In bilayers of two-dimensional semiconductors with stacking arrangements which lack inversion symmetry charge transfer between the layers due to layer-asymmetric interband hybridisation can generate a potential difference between the layers. We analyse bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)—in particular, $$\hbox {WSe}_2$$

WSe
2

—for which we find a substantial stacking-dependent charge transfer, and InSe, for which the charge transfer is found to be negligibly small. The information obtained about TMDs is then used to map potentials generated by the interlayer charge transfer across the moiré superlattice in twistronic bilayers.
Somatosensory perception–action binding in Tourette syndrome
Authors: Friedrich Julia , Spaleck Henriette , Schappert Ronja , Kleimaker Maximilian , Verrel Julius , Bäumer Tobias , Beste Christian , Münchau Alexander
Published: June 2021

It is a common phenomenon that somatosensory sensations can trigger actions to alleviate experienced tension. Such “urges” are particularly relevant in patients with Gilles de la Tourette (GTS) syndrome since they often precede tics, the cardinal feature of this common neurodevelopmental disorder. Altered sensorimotor integration processes in GTS as well as evidence for increased binding of stimulus- and response-related features (“hyper-binding”) in the visual domain suggest enhanced perception–action binding also in the somatosensory modality. In the current study, the Theory of Event Coding (TEC) was used as an overarching cognitive framework to examine somatosensory-motor binding. For this purpose, a somatosensory-motor version of a task measuring stimulus–response binding (S-R task) was tested using electro-tactile stimuli. Contrary to the main hypothesis, there were no group differences in binding effects between GTS patients and healthy controls in the somatosensory-motor paradigm. Behavioral data did not indicate differences in binding between examined groups. These data can be interpreted such that a compensatory “downregulation” of increased somatosensory stimulus saliency, e.g., due to the occurrence of somatosensory urges and hypersensitivity to external stimuli, results in reduced binding with associated motor output, which brings binding to a “normal” level. Therefore, “hyper-binding” in GTS seems to be modality-specific.