bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Na-doping enables both dislocations and holes in EuMg2Sb2 for thermoelectric enhancements
Authors: Sun Cheng , Li Wen , Shi Xuemin , Bu Zhonglin , Nan Pengfei , Li YunYun , Ge Binghui , Pei Yanzhong
Published: April 2020

Na-doping enables the synergistic effects of multi-band transport and dense dislocations for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of EuMg2Sb2.
Correction: High-performance optoelectronic memory based on bilayer MoS2 grown by Au catalyst
Authors: Yang Fengyou , Chen Shengyao , Feng Huimin , Wang Cong , Wang Xiaofeng , Wang Shu , Zhou Zhican , Li Bo , Ma Lijun , Yang Haiguang , Xie Yong , Liu Qian
Published: April 2020

Correction for ‘High-performance optoelectronic memory based on bilayer MoS2 grown by Au catalyst’ by Fengyou Yang et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020, 8, 2664–2668.
STYX/FBXW7 axis participates in the development of endometrial cancer cell via Notch–mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Liu Liheng , Jiang Haili , Wang Xiaoxin , Wang Xin , Zou Liying
Published: April 2020

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in world. It has been reported that the mutation rate of FBXW7 is frequent in EC, but the specific functions of FBXW7 remain unknown in EC. In the present study, we revealed the role and mechanism of FBXW7 in EC cells. Compared with adjacent nontumor tissues, the FBXW7 expression level was lower in EC tissues. However, the level of STYX was in contrast with the expression of FBXW7 in EC tissues. And STYX interacted with FBXW7 and then down-regulated its expression level in EC. Over-expression of FBXW7 inhibited cell proliferation and facilitated apoptosis in EC cells, whereas silencing FBXW7 acted an opposite effect on EC cells. And the process of FBXW7 participated the proliferation and apoptosis in EC was regulated by STYX. FBXW7 suppressed the expression of Notch pathway related protein, and further inhibited the phosphorylation of mTOR. In addition, we also found that mTOR activitor (MHY1485) and Notch activator (Jagged-1) reversed the effect of over-expressing FBXW7 on cell proliferation and cell apoptosis. And Notch inhibitor (DAPT) counteracted the impact of over-expressing STYX on cell proliferation and cell apoptosis. Collectively, the present study verified that STYX inhibited the expression level of FBXW7 in EC, and then promoted cell proliferation but suppressed apoptosis through Notch–mTOR signaling pathway, which promoted carcinogenesis and progression of EC.
Maternal high-fat diet induces long-term obesity with sex-dependent metabolic programming of adipocyte differentiation, hypertrophy and dysfunction in the offspring
Authors: Litzenburger Thorsten , Huber Eva-Kristina , Dinger Katharina , Wilke Rebecca , Vohlen Christina , Selle Jaco , Kadah Mazlum , Persigehl Thorsten , Heneweer Carola , Dötsch Jörg , Alejandre Alcazar Miguel A.
Published: April 2020

Maternal obesity determines obesity and metabolic diseases in the offspring. The white adipose tissue (WAT) orchestrates metabolic pathways, and its dysfunction contributes to metabolic disorders in a sex-dependent manner. Here, we tested if sex differences influence the molecular mechanisms of metabolic programming of WAT in offspring of obese dams. To this end, maternal obesity was induced with high-fat diet (HFD) and the offspring were studied at an early phase [postnatal day 21 (P21)], a late phase (P70) and finally P120. In the early phase we found a sex-independent increase in WAT in offspring of obese dams using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which was more pronounced in females than males. While the adipocyte size increased in both sexes, the distribution of WAT differed in males and females. As mechanistic hints, we identified an inflammatory response in females and a senescence-associated reduction in the preadipocyte factor DLK in males. In the late phase, the obese body composition persisted in both sexes, with a partial reversal in females. Moreover, female offspring recovered completely from both the adipocyte hypertrophy and the inflammatory response. These findings were linked to a dysregulation of lipolytic, adipogenic and stemness-related markers as well as AMPKα and Akt signaling. Finally, the sex-dependent metabolic programming persisted with sex-specific differences in adipocyte size until P120. In conclusion, we do not only provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of sex-dependent metabolic programming of WAT dysfunction, but also highlight the sex-dependent development of low- and high-grade pathogenic obesity.
Ageing and reliability of electrical insulation: the risk of hybrid AC/DC grids
Authors: Carlo Montanari Gian , Morshuis Peter , Seri Paolo , Ghosh Riddhi
Published: April 2020

With an impetuous growth of DC links and future grids that will be often hybrid, providing AC and DC supply to nearby or the same customer, an important element is often neglected, that is, electrical insulation. There are no doubts that overhead lines will step back compared to insulated cables, for known reasons of environmental impact, right of way and reliability, especially in an urban or harsh environment. On the other hand, while AC insulation systems have been investigated and used for decades, there is no analogue experience for DC polymeric insulation, nor for insulation systems subjected to power electronics supply. This study aims at enhancing the attention on this topic, focusing on insulation ageing mechanisms and models of relevance for hybrid AC/DC assets and grids. Ageing and life models for AC, DC and power electronics supply are discussed and compared to experimental data, focusing on partial discharge and space charge. It is shown how these two phenomena affect lifetime for different AC, DC and transient operating conditions. The main drivers for insulation design and material selection are discussed, showing that insulation reliability can be achieved only if operating stresses, ageing mechanisms and life models are known and accounted for properly by insulation designers.
Non‐fragile control for a class of fractional‐order uncertain linear systems with time‐delay
Authors: Chen Liping , Li Tingting , Wu Ranchao , Chen YangQuan , Liu Zhaodong
Published: April 2020

This study addresses the non‐fragile controller design of a class of fractional‐order (FO) linear delayed systems assumed to have structured uncertainties in both the plant and the controller. By using the linear matrix inequality method, singular value decomposition and FO Razumikhin theorem, the delay‐dependent and order‐dependent robust non‐fragile state feedback controller and non‐fragile observer‐based robust state feedback controller are synthesised, respectively, based on whether the states are available or not. Three examples are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Locally lateral manifolds of normalised Gabor features for face recognition
Authors: Kamaru Zaman Fadhlan Hafizhelmi
Published: April 2020

Due to inherent characteristics of multiscale and orientation, normalised Gabor features have been successfully used in face recognition. Various previous works have showcased the strength and feasibility of this approach, especially on its robustness against local variations. However, the projected features are numerous and substantial in dimension, which is largely due to the convolution of multiscale and orientation of wavelets. Such features, when used in practical face recognition, would require relatively lengthy classification process, particularly when it involves computationally extensive local classifier or experts, such as ensembles of local cosine similarity (ELCS) classifier. The authors address this issue by simultaneously reducing the size of Gabor features laterally and locally using a manifold learning method called locally linear embedding (LLE). This method is thus denoted as locally lateral normalised local Gabor feature vector with LLE (LGFV/LN/LLE). Results on several publicly available face datasets reveal the superiority of the authors’ approach in terms of improvements in feature compression of LGFV features by up to a reduction of 95% of total dimensionality while increasing the average classification accuracy by 26%. Altogether, the authors show that their LGFV/LN/LLE augmented by ELCS classifiers delivers equivalent result when compared against the state‐of‐the‐art.
Predictive current control in electrical drives: an illustrated review with case examples using a five‐phase induction motor drive with distributed windings
Authors: Bermúdez Mario , Martín Cristina , González‐Prieto Ignacio , Durán Mario J. , Arahal Manuel R. , Barrero Federico
Published: April 2020

The industrial application of electric machines in variable‐speed drives has recently grown thanks to the development of microprocessors and power converters. Although three‐phase machines constitute the most common case, the interest of the research community is also focused on multiphase machines with more than three phases. The principal reason lies in the exploitation of their advantages such as reliability, better current distribution among phases or lower current harmonic in the converter, to name a few. Nevertheless, multiphase drive applications require the development of complex controllers to regulate the torque (or speed) and flux of the machine. In this regard, predictive current controllers have appeared as a viable alternative due to an easy formulation and high flexibility to incorporate different control objectives. It is found, however, that these controllers face some peculiarities and limitations in their use that require attention. This work attempts to tackle the predictive current control technique as a viable alternative for the regulation of multiphase drives, paying special attention to the development of the control technique and the discussion of the benefits and limitations. Case examples with experimental results using a symmetrical five‐phase induction machine with distributed windings are included to this end.
Vulnerability assessment approach for real‐time and regional monitoring of backup protections: minimising number of GPS‐based distance relays
Authors: Ghanizadeh Bolandi Tohid , Yazdaninejadi Amin
Published: April 2020

Presenting an accurate and cost‐effective solution to tackle static load encroachment issues in backup protection of transmission networks stand as a challenging task. Therefore, this study aims at devising a new backup protection scheme via GPS‐based distance relays (GBDRs) against this issue. In this scheme, each GBDR calculates the vulnerability index locally, which helps to find out the vulnerable situation. When these indices exceeded their threshold, the protection centre is allowed for real‐time monitoring in the corresponding area. In this regard, after calculating superimposed components, they are sent to the protection centre for discriminating faults from stressed conditions. Deployment of GPS‐based relay in each bus brings higher costs and entails sharing large amounts of data. Therefore, a new techno‐economic approach helps for the optimal deployment of these relays. To this end, zone‐3 in some buses are eliminated, and the rest are equipped with GBDRs while each line at least is protected by two existing zones‐3. By doing so, the network is divided into different areas that are protected with the minimum number of these relays. Whereby, coupled with the vulnerability indices, minimising the number of GBDRs alleviates the exchanged data.
Feature encoding with hybrid heterogeneous structure model for image classification
Authors: Ji Zhihang , Yang Yan , Wang Fan , Xu Lijuan , Hu Xiaopeng
Published: April 2020

In the standard bag‐of‐visual‐words model, the relationship between visual words and geometric structure information embedding in Voronoi cells is important for expressing the topology of the feature space. However, this information is usually ignored by recent works. To overcome it, the authors proposed a hybrid heterogeneous structure model (HHSM), where local hyperspheres and local structure subspaces are applied to simulate the intrinsic structure of the feature space. Firstly, the local hypersphere is formed by choosing some links between parts of visual words, with the use of a proposed decision strategy derived from k‐dense neighbour algorithm. In order to capture the geometric structure information around the visual word, they then construct the local structure subspace with the transformed PCA principal vectors of the visual features within a Voronoi cell. Finally, this study introduces a novel feature encoding method based on the HHSM. Experiments are conducted on 15‐Scenes, Pascal VOC2007, Caltech101, Caltech256 and MIT Indoor 67 datasets, which include 4485, 9963, 9146, 30607 and 15620 images, respectively. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in improving the accuracy of the classification. In addition, the proposed method achieves comparable performance when combined with CNN local features.
Automatic tracing and extraction of text‐line and word segments directly in JPEG compressed document images
Authors: Rajesh Bulla , Javed Mohammed , Nagabhushan P.
Published: April 2020

JPEG is one of the popular and efficient compression algorithms supported in the consumer electronics world. Excessive usage of mobile phones and e‐governance applications have all resulted in a huge collection of JPEG compressed document images. The major challenge with these images is that its processing becomes expensive as it requires repeated decompression and recompression operations. Recently, it has been proved that developing algorithms to operate directly on the compressed data is one of the solutions in overcoming the above issue. This research study investigates a novel algorithm for segmentation of text‐lines and words directly from JPEG compressed handwritten document images. Segmenting a handwritten document is challenging due to the presence of uneven spacing, variable font sizes, overlapping and touching components, and it becomes much more challenging if it is to be done directly in the compressed image. The proposed technique virtually fixes a vertical stripe at the beginning of the document to detect starting points of text‐lines. Then a moving window‐based space penetration algorithm is used for tracing the exact line boundary between two text‐lines, resolving the issues of space and font variations, touching and overlapping components. Subsequently, a word boundary tracing algorithm is used to segment words.
Analysis of space charge and charge trap characteristics of gamma irradiated silicone rubber nanocomposites
Authors: Thangabalan Baskar , Sarathi Ramanujam , Harid Noureddine , Griffiths Huw
Published: April 2020

Silicone rubber is widely used for electrical insulation and may be exposed to a harsh environment. The present study envisaged to improve insulation properties of silicone rubber by adding an optimised quantity of nanofillers. The fundamental space charge and charge trap characteristics were studied by adopting the pulsed electroacoustic analysis technique and through surface potential measurement. The dielectric properties of the materials were analysed through measurement of permittivity and loss factor of the material at different frequencies and temperatures. The influence of gamma irradiation on variations in fundamental properties of the material was characterised. The results of the study indicate that 5 wt.% alumina added nanocomposites had better space charge performance under gamma irradiation compared with virgin silicone rubber.
Piecewise Fryze power theory analysis applied to PWM DC–DC converters
Authors: dos Santos Niwton Gabriel Feliciani , Hey Hélio Leães , Zientarski Jonatan Rafael Rakoski , Martins Mário Lúcio da Silva
Published: April 2020

This study proposes an extension to the well‐known Fryze power theory, which allows the development of a mathematical procedure that defines a global factor for the active and non‐active power processing in pulse‐width modulated (PWM) dc–dc converters. This global factor is the dc power factor. The proposed extension is a vector representation of periodic currents and voltages mapped into a k‐dimensional Euclidean space, which permits that all non‐active power of all converter elements to be collected into a single figure of merit. To validate the approaches, a 220 W prototype of an isolated dc–dc Ćuk converter architecture was implemented and evaluated. Experimental results have confirmed that both total non‐active power, the proposed dc power factor, and system efficiency are correlated. In the worst case of step‐down mode, the converter prototype presented the lowest total non‐active power of ∼25 var for the turns ratio of 0.567, resulting in the highest dc power factor of 0.135 and prototype efficiency of 80.6%. In step‐up mode, it was obtained the lowest total non‐active power of ∼1.14 kvar for the turns ratio of 1.764, resulting in the highest efficiency of 88.3% and dc power factor of 0.145.
Ultra‐high step‐down ZVS synchronous buck converter with low switch voltage stress
Authors: Asghari Amin
Published: April 2020

In this study, a new zero voltage switching (ZVS) synchronous buck converter with ultra‐high step‐down conversion ratio is introduced. By combining coupled inductors and energy‐transferring capacitors, operating duty cycle is significantly extended while the voltage stress across the switches is reduced. Thereby, extremely low voltage gain can be achieved and the conduction loss is reduced owing to using switches with lower voltage rating. Also, by applying the interleaved method and complementary pulses for switches, the current stress and the output current ripple are reduced. In the proposed converter, soft switching condition is achieved for all switches without any auxiliary circuit. As a result, the overall efficiency of the introduced converter is improved. The converter operation and its design considerations are discussed. Experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical analysis.
Single‐phase boost DC‐link integrated cascaded multilevel inverter for PV applications
Authors: Madhu Babu Sambhani , Narasimharaju Beeramangalla Lakshminarasaiah
Published: April 2020

This study presents a new boost DC‐link integrated multilevel inverter (BDIMLI) topology for single‐phase stand‐alone photovoltaic applications. The BDIMLI is realised by the integration of two two‐level boost DC‐link converters (TBDCs) with a hybrid H‐bridge inverter using symmetrical voltage sources. Conventional cascaded multilevel inverters require a large number of isolated DC source and circuit components. On the other side, switched capacitor multilevel inverter topologies require less number of sources and components, but need bulky capacitors. The proposed TBDC units charge the capacitors to the desired voltage with the high switching frequency, hence require less capacitance and component count. The proposed topology with proper selection of capacitor voltage levels can produce 9‐, 11‐ and 13‐level outputs without altering any circuit components. Besides, the proposed topology produces low‐frequency common‐mode voltage. The comprehensive analysis of BDIMLI in comparison with recent multilevel inverter topologies is presented. An experimental prototype of BDIMLI is built and its dynamic behaviour with different load conditions is presented for both 9‐ and 13‐level operations.
Reliability Constrained Socio‐Economic Analysis of Renewable Generation Based Standalone Hybrid Power System with Storage for off‐grid Communities
Authors: Rathore Arun , Patidar N.P.
Published: April 2020

Hybrid renewable energy systems (RESs) with storage are gaining significant attention for off‐grid communities. Planning of reliability constrained social‐economic analysis is a combinatory optimisation problem. This work focuses on the reliability constrained optimisation of the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of RES with the storage considering the cost of emission. Hybrid energy systems consist of photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT) and diesel generator (DG) with storage. In this work, a systematic approach for determination of reliability constrained optimal combination of generating and storage technologies based on techno‐socio‐economic criteria has been developed. To evaluate the reliability and the expected generation from the individual unit, probabilistic production costing simulation has been performed using an analytical technique. The optimal sizing of RES with storage has been evaluated using particle swarm optimisation technique and tested on ten different cases. The combination of generation/storage technologies that fetch minimum LCOE while satisfying the reliability standards is chosen as the optimal configuration. Results show that a combination of PV, WT and pumped storage hydro is the best option to meet the energy requirements, with the least LCOE of 0.268 $/kW while satisfying reliability criteria. Further, an optimum generation expansion plan has also been determined for the aforementioned optimal configuration.
Design, analysis and experimental verification of a high voltage gain and high‐efficiency DC–DC converter for photovoltaic applications
Authors: Hassan Waqas , Lu Yuezhu , Farhangi Majid , Lu Dylan Dah‐Chuan , Xiao Weidong
Published: April 2020

With the rapid development of photovoltaic systems, high step‐up dc–dc converters draw significant attention, which shows the design challenges for simple topology, high efficiency, reduce voltage stress, and long lifespan. This study proposes a new high voltage gain converter that utilises the primary boost conversion cell and integrates with both switched‐capacitor and coupled‐inductor techniques. The proposed topology is modular and extendable for ultra‐high step‐up voltage gain. The leakage energy is recycled by a clamp circuit to minimise the switch voltage stress and power loss. One distinctive feature is that the voltage stress on the diodes and switch becomes low as well as constant against the variation of the duty cycle. Furthermore, the coupled inductor alleviates the diodes reverse recovery losses. The steady‐state analyses, operation principles, and design guidelines are presented comprehensively. A prototype circuit is constructed to test the maximum power point tracking operation with voltage conversion from 30 to 380 V at 300 W. Experimental results substantiate the theoretical analysis and claimed advantages. The proposed converter demonstrates maximum power point tracking capability and high conversion efficiency over a wide range of power. The prototype shows the weighted efficiency of 96.3% according to the EU standard.
Application of neutrosophic minimum spanning tree in electrical power distribution network
Authors: Liao Xiao Qun , Su Tong , Ma Li
Published: April 2020

The problem of finding the minimum spanning tree (MST) is one of the most studied and important combinatorial optimisation problems in graph theory. Several types of uncertainties exist in real‐life problems, which make it very hard to find the exact length of the arc. The neutrosophic set is an efficient tool to model and deal with the uncertainties in information due to inconsistent and indeterminate. In this study, the authors use triangular neutrosophic numbers to represent the edge weights of a neutrosophic graph for the MST problem in the neutrosophic environment. They call this problem a neutrosophic MST (NMST) problem. They formulate the NMST problem in terms of the linear programming model. Here, they introduce an algorithmic method based on a genetic algorithm for solving the NMST problem. They present the utility of triangular neutrosophic numbers as edge weights and their application in the electrical distribution network.
A new set of atmosphere and evolution models for cool T–Y brown dwarfs and giant exoplanets
Authors: Phillips M. W. , Tremblin P. , Baraffe I. , Chabrier G. , Allard N. F. , Spiegelman F. , Goyal J. M. , Drummond B. , Hébrard E.
Published: April 2020

We present a new set of solar metallicity atmosphere and evolutionary models for very cool brown dwarfs and self-luminous giant exoplanets, which we term ATMO 2020. Atmosphere models are generated with our state-of-the-art 1D radiative-convective equilibrium code ATMO, and are used as surface boundary conditions to calculate the interior structure and evolution of 0.001–0.075 M⊙ objects. Our models include several key improvements to the input physics used in previous models available in the literature. Most notably, the use of a new H–He equation of state including ab initio quantum molecular dynamics calculations has raised the mass by ~1−2% at the stellar–substellar boundary and has altered the cooling tracks around the hydrogen and deuterium burning minimum masses. A second key improvement concerns updated molecular opacities in our atmosphere model ATMO, which now contains significantly more line transitions required to accurately capture the opacity in these hot atmospheres. This leads to warmer atmospheric temperature structures, further changing the cooling curves and predicted emission spectra of substellar objects. We present significant improvement for the treatment of the collisionally broadened potassium resonance doublet, and highlight the importance of these lines in shaping the red-optical and near-infrared spectrum of brown dwarfs. We generate three different grids of model simulations, one using equilibrium chemistry and two using non-equilibrium chemistry due to vertical mixing, all three computed self-consistently with the pressure-temperature structure of the atmosphere. We show the impact of vertical mixing on emission spectra and in colour-magnitude diagrams, highlighting how the 3.5−5.5 μm flux window can be used to calibrate vertical mixing in cool T–Y spectral type objects.
Hard X-ray properties of radio-selected blazars
Authors: Langejahn M. , Kadler M. , Wilms J. , Litzinger E. , Kreter M. , Gehrels N. , Baumgartner W. H. , Markwardt C. B. , Tueller J.
Published: April 2020

Context. Hard X-ray properties of beamed active galactic nuclei have been published in the 105-month Swift/BAT catalog, but there have not been any studies carried out so far on a well-defined, radio-selected sample of low-peaked blazars in the hard X-ray band.

Aims. Using the statistically complete MOJAVE-1 sample, we aim to determine the hard X-ray properties of radio-selected blazars, including the enigmatic group of gamma-ray-faint blazars. Additionally, we aim to determine the contribution of radio-selected low-peaked blazars to the diffuse cosmic X-ray background (CXB).

Methods. We determined photon indices, fluxes, and luminosities in the range of 20 keV–100 keV of the X-ray spectra of blazars and other extragalactic jets from the MOJAVE-1 sample, derived from the 105-month Swift/BAT survey. We calculated log N–log S distributions and determined the luminosity functions.

Results. The majority of the MOJAVE-1 blazars are found to be hard X-ray emitters albeit many at low count rates. The log N–log S distribution for the hard X-ray emission of radio-selected blazars is clearly non-Euclidean, in contrast to the radio flux density distribution. Approximately 0.2% of the CXB in the 20 keV–100 keV band can be resolved into MOJAVE-1 blazars.

Conclusions. The peculiar log N–log S distribution disparity might be attributed to different evolutionary paths in the X-ray and radio bands, as tested by luminosity-function modeling. X-ray variability can be ruled out as the dominant contributor. Low-peaked blazars constitute an intrinsically different source population in terms of CXB contribution compared to similar studies of X-ray-selected blazars. The hard X-ray flux and spectral index can serve as a good proxy for the gamma-ray detection probability of individual sources. Future observations combining deep X-ray survey, for example, with eROSITA, and targeted gamma-ray observations with CTA can benefit strongly from the tight connection between these high-energy bands for the different blazar sub-classes.
The chemical evolution of galaxy clusters: Dissecting the iron mass budget of the intracluster medium
Authors: Liu Ang , Tozzi Paolo , Ettori Stefano , De Grandi Sabrina , Gastaldello Fabio , Rosati Piero , Norman Colin
Published: April 2020

Aims. We study the chemical evolution of galaxy clusters by measuring the iron mass in the ICM after dissecting the abundance profiles into different components.

Methods. We used Chandra archival observations of 186 morphologically regular clusters in the redshift range of [0.04, 1.07]. For each cluster, we computed the azimuthally averaged iron abundance and gas density profiles. In particular, our aim is to identify a central peak in the iron distribution, which is associated with the central galaxy, and an approximately constant plateau reaching the largest observed radii, which is possibly associated with early enrichment that occurred before or shortly after achieving virialization within the cluster. We were able to firmly identify two components in the iron distribution in a significant fraction of the sample simply by relying on the fit of the iron abundance profile. From the abundance and ICM density profiles, we computed the iron mass included in the iron peak and iron plateau, and the gas mass-weighted iron abundance of the ICM out to an extraction radius of 0.4r500 and to r500 by extending the abundance profile as a constant.

Results. We find that the iron plateau shows no evolution with redshift. On the other hand, we find a marginal (< 2σ c.l.) decrease with redshift in the iron mass included in the iron peak rescaled by the gas mass. We measure that the fraction of iron peak mass is typically a few percent (∼1%) of the total iron mass within r500. Therefore, since the total iron mass budget is dominated by the plateau, we find consistently that the global gas mass-weighted iron abundance does not evolve significantly across our sample. We were also able to reproduce past claims of evolution in the global iron abundance, which turn out to be due to the use of cluster samples with different selection methods combined with the use of emission-weighted, instead of gas mass-weighted, abundance values. Finally, while the intrinsic scatter in the iron plateau mass is consistent with zero, the iron peak mass exhibits a large scatter, in line with the fact that the peak is produced after the virialization of the halo and depends on the formation history of the hosting cool core and the strength of the associated feedback processes.

Conclusions. We conclude that only a spatially resolved approach can resolve the issue of iron abundance evolution in the ICM, reconciling the contradictory results obtained in the last ten years. Evolutionary effects below z ∼ 1 are marginally measurable with present-day data, while at z >  1 the constraints are severely limited by poor knowledge of the high-z cluster population. The path towards a full and comprehensive chemical history of the ICM requires the application of high angular resolution X-ray bolometers and a dramatic increase in the number of faint, extended X-ray sources.
Orbital inclination and mass of the exoplanet candidate Proxima c
Authors: Kervella Pierre , Arenou Frédéric , Schneider Jean
Published: April 2020

We analyze the orbital parameters of the recently discovered exoplanet candidate Proxima c using a combination of its spectroscopic orbital parameters and Gaia DR2 astrometric proper motion anomaly. We obtain an orbital inclination of i = 152 ± 14 deg, corresponding to a planet mass of mc = 12−5+12 M⊕, comparable to Uranus and Neptune. While the derived orbital parameters are too uncertain to accurately predict the position of the planet for a given epoch, we present a map of its probability of presence relative to its parent star in the coming years.
Fatigue and phase transition in an oscillating elastoplastic beam
Authors: Eleuteri Michela , Gavioli Chiara , Kopfová Jana
Published: April 2020

We study a model of fatigue accumulation in an oscillating elastoplastic beam under the hypothesis that the material can partially recover by the effect of melting. The model is based on the idea that the fatigue accumulation is proportional to the dissipated energy. We prove that the system consisting of the momentum and energy balance equations, an evolution equation for the fatigue rate, and a differential inclusion for the phase dynamics admits a unique strong solution.
Efficiency of hysteretic damper in oscillating systems
Authors: Semenov M.E. , Solovyov Andrey M. , Meleshenko Peter A. , Reshetova Olga O.
Published: April 2020

This paper is dedicated to comparative analysis of nonlinear damping in the oscillating systems. More specifically, we present the particular results for linear and nonlinear viscous dampers, fractional damper, as well as for the hysteretic damper in linear and nonlinear (Duffing-like) oscillating systems. We consider a constructive mathematical model of the damper with hysteretic properties on the basis of the Ishlinskii-Prandtl model. Numerical results for the observable characteristics, such as the force transmission function and the “force-displacement” transmission function are obtained and analyzed for both cases of the periodic affection, as well as for the impulse affection (in the form of δ-function). A comparison of an efficiency (in terms of the corresponding transmission functions) of the nonlinear viscous damper and the hysteretic damper is also presented and discussed.
Integrability of stochastic birth-death processesviadifferential Galois theory
Authors: Acosta-Humánez Primitivo B. , Capitán José A. , Morales-Ruiz Juan J.
Published: April 2020

Stochastic birth-death processes are described as continuous-time Markov processes in models of population dynamics. A system of infinite, coupled ordinary differential equations (the so-called master equation) describes the time-dependence of the probability of each system state. Using a generating function, the master equation can be transformed into a partial differential equation. In this contribution we analyze the integrability of two types of stochastic birth-death processes (with polynomial birth and death rates) using standard differential Galois theory. We discuss the integrability of the PDEviaa Laplace transform acting over the temporal variable. We show that the PDE is not integrable except for the case in which rates are linear functions of the number of individuals.
Coronavirus – Scientific insights and societal aspects
Authors: Volpert Vitaly , Banerjee Malay , d’Onofrio Alberto , Lipniacki Tomasz , Petrovskii Sergei , Tran Viet Chi
Published: April 2020

In December 2019, the first case of infection with a new virus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), named coronavirus, was reported in the city of Wuhan, China. At that time, almost nobody paid any attention to it. The new pathogen, however, fast proved to be extremely infectious and dangerous, resulting in about 3–5% mortality. Over the few months that followed, coronavirus has spread over entire world. At the end of March, the total number of infections is fast approaching the psychological threshold of one million, resulting so far in tens of thousands of deaths. Due to the high number of lives already lost and the virus high potential for further spread, and due to its huge overall impact on the economies and societies, it is widely admitted that coronavirus poses the biggest challenge to the humanity after the second World war. The COVID-19 epidemic is provoking numerous questions at all levels. It also shows that modern society is extremely vulnerable and unprepared to such events. A wide scientific and public discussion becomes urgent. Some possible directions of this discussion are suggested in this article.
ASCO-GI 2019: Kolonkarzinom
Authors: Schmale Ine
Published: April 2020

Patienten mit lokal fortgeschrittenem (Stadium T4) oder perforiertem Kolonkarzinom weisen ein hohes Risiko für die Entwicklung peritonealer Metastasen (PM) auf, für welche dann oft keine Therapieoptionen verbleiben. In der multizentrischen, randomisierten COLOPEC-Studie wurde untersucht, ob durch eine adjuvante hypertherme intraperitoneale Chemotherapie (HIPEC) die Entwicklung von PM verhindert werden kann.
ASCO-GI 2019: Pankreaskarzinom
Authors: Schmale Ine
Published: April 2020

FOLFIRINOX besitzt bei älteren Patienten mit fortgeschrittenem Pankreaskarzinom ein ähnlich gutes Wirksamkeits- und Sicherheitsprofil wie bei jüngeren Patienten. Dies zeigt eine Studie am MD Anderson Cancer Center, welche den Therapieerfolg und die Sicherheit mit FOLFIRINOX bei älteren Patienten (median 76 Jahre) untersuchte.
Interstitielle Lungenerkrankung bei rheumatischen Erkrankungen – neue Therapieansätze
Authors: Jakubczyc Anna , Neurohr Claus
Published: April 2020

Was ist neu?

Glukokortikosteroide und Immunsuppressiva In der Therapie der Lungengerüstveränderungen bei Patienten mit Kollagenose (connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease, CTD-ILD) werden Kortikosteroide, Immunsuppressiva und auch Biologika angewendet. Im Vergleich zur Scleroderma-Lung-Study (SLS) I und II, die die Effektivität der Immunsuppressiva Cyclophosphamid (CYC) und Mycophenolat-Mofetil (MMF) bei pulmonaler Beteiligung der Sklerodermie (SSc-ILD) belegen, ist die Datenlage bezüglich der Therapie der anderen CTD-ILD unbefriedigend.

Biologika In der Gruppe der Biologika nimmt Rituximab (RTX) an Bedeutung zu. Die aktuell erwarteten Studienergebnisse werden die Wirksamkeit von Immunsuppressiva (vor allem MMF und CYC) mit RTX bei verschiedenen CTD-ILD vergleichen. Zu den weiteren untersuchten Biologika gehören u. a. der monoklonale Anti-IL6-Rezeptor-Antikörper Tocilizumab bei SSc-ILD bzw. Abatacept (ein Fusionsprotein, das die T-Zell-Antworten inhibiert) bei pulmonaler Beteiligung bei rheumatoider Arthritis (RA-ILD).

Autologe Stammzelltransplantation Die autologe Stammzelltransplantation ist eine potente, aber nebenwirkungsbehaftete Therapie bei schwerer Sklerodermie.

Antifibrotische Therapie Für die Gruppe der Lungengerüstkrankheiten unterschiedlicher Genese inkl. CTD-ILD mit einem progredienten fibrosierenden Verlauf trotz adäquater Therapie (z. B. chronische exogen-allergische Alveolitis, RA, SSc) wurde der Begriff der fibrosierenden interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen mit progressivem Phänotyp (progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, PF-ILD) geprägt. In jüngster Zeit erschienen Arbeiten, die einen positiven Effekt der antifibrotischen Medikamente (Nintedanib, Pirfenidon) in einer solchen Situation nachweisen. Aktuell wird eine Reihe weiterer Ergebnisse bezüglich der Effektivität der Antifibrotika bei CTD-ILD erwartet. Die Studien auf diesem Gebiet haben das Potential der Erweiterung der Behandlungsmöglichkeiten bei CTD-ILD.
Advanced Nursing Practice im psychiatrisch-psychosozialen Kontext
Authors: Scheydt Stefan , Holzke Martin , Hegedüs Anna
Published: April 2020

Zielsetzung Informative und aufschlussreiche Übersicht über das Konzept der Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) und seiner spezifischen Facetten mit Fokus auf den psychiatrisch-psychosozialen Versorgungskontext.

Methodik Systematische Literaturrecherche in spezifischen elektronischen Datenbanken (PubMed, CINAHL, Google und GoogleScholar) und Synthese der identifizierten Quellen in Anlehnung an die strukturierende Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring.

Ergebnisse Im psychiatrisch-psychosozialen Kontext sind die Clinical Nurse Specialist und Nurse Practitioner die klassischen Rollen der Advanced Nursing Practice. Deren Ausbildung, Tätigkeiten und die Settings, in welchen sie arbeiten, weisen viele Ähnlichkeiten auf. Neben den Kernelementen der ANP-Rollen zeigen sich je nach Arbeitssetting und Patientenpopulation starke individuelle Ausprägungen.

Schlussfolgerungen Es ist wichtig, dass die internationalen Erfahrungen der Rollenentwicklung und Implementierung sowie der spezifischen Handlungsfelder in den deutschsprachigen Raum integriert werden, sodass eine spezialisierte, erweiterte und vertiefte psychiatrische Pflege auch hierzulande langfristig und effektiv etabliert werden kann.
Effects of Overspeed or Overload Plyometric Training on Jump Height and Lifting Velocity
Authors: Stien Nicolay , Strate Morten , Andersen Vidar , Saeterbakken Atle Hole
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of overspeed or overload plyometric training on jump height and lifting velocity in resistance trained females without plyometric training experience. Fifty-six participants (age: 21.2±1.7 years; body mass: 65.1±8.2 kg; height: 168.0±5.9 cm) were randomly allocated to either an overspeed (n=18), overload (n=18), or passive control (n=16) group. The two training groups completed 18.7±1.7 sessions consisting of three different plyometric exercises with overspeed or overload over eight weeks. Apart from the external loading, the two training modalities were identical. Following the training period, the changes in the recorded variables were not significantly different from those in the control group, nor did the training groups differ from each other. The training groups improved peak and average lifting velocity in the 40 and 60% of body mass loading conditions (9.50–33.37%, p=<0.001–0.038), whereas only the average lifting velocity improved in the 80% of body mass loading condition (OS: 14.47%, p<0.001 and OL: 23.13%, p<0.001). No significant changes occurred in the control group (9.18–13.55%, P=0.062–0.980). Overspeed and overload plyometric training may be viable methods for improving lifting velocity, but not squat jump height, in a population without plyometric training experience.
Sonderheft Methodische Aspekte der Sekundärdatenanalyse
(II)
Authors: Swart Enno , Gothe Holger , Ihle Peter , March Stefanie , Schubert Ingrid , Stallmann Christoph , Hoffmann Falk
Published: April 2020

Mit dem vorliegenden zweiten Sonderheft zu Datenlinkage und spezifischen Methoden der
Sekundärdatenanalyse ergänzen wir die neun Beiträge, die im
vorangegangenen Sonderheft methodische Herausforderungen bei der Aufbereitung und
Validierung verschiedener Sekundärdatenquellen thematisiert haben. Ein
besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf dem individuellen Datenlinkage verschiedener
Sekundärdatenquellen untereinander und/oder mit Primärdaten.
Dieser methodische Zugang hat nicht erst seit der Bestandsaufnahme zum Datenlinkage
in Deutschland 1 und der
Veröffentlichung der Guten Praxis Datenlinkage 2 zunehmende Relevanz in der Epidemiologie und Versorgungsforschung
erhalten. Daneben werden in diesem Heft aktuelle Ansätze zur
Datenvalidierung, zur Kontrollbildung und zur Aufbereitung und Nutzung von
Klartextangaben vorgestellt.
Effectiveness of Hydro-Galvanic Bath Therapy on Global Health Status, Quality of Life, Depression, and Pain in Individuals with Fibromyalgia – A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Alshahrani Mastour Saeed , Reddy Ravi Shankar Yerragonda , Tedla Jaya Shankar
Published: April 2020

Purpose Although a number of treatments are widely prescribed for fibromyalgia (FM), many are not fully effective. In clinical practice, the effectiveness of electrotherapy is limited in particular to hydro-galvanic bath therapy in the management of FM. This experiment aims to evaluate whether hydro-galvanic bath therapy can be beneficial in decreasing pain and increasing quality of life for individuals with FM.

Material and Methods This quasi-experimental study recruited 92 individuals diagnosed with FM who were then divided equally either into a galvanic group or control group. The galvanic group received both hydro-galvanic bath therapy and a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise program, whereas the control group only received the exercise program. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), SF-36 Health Survey, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Results and discussion Individuals in both groups showed excellent compliance with interventions by attending more than 85% of sessions. Both groups showed a significant change in all outcome measures evaluated (p<0.001), but the galvanic group showed greater improvements when compared with the control group (p<0.001). The galvanic group showed a 16.6% of FIQ score, 8.2% of SF-36 score, 25.0% of BDI score, and 53.2% of VAS score from baseline. In turn, the control group demonstrated a reduction of 6.8% of FIQ score, 11.8% of SF-36 score, 22.0% of BDI score, and 41.6% of VAS score.

Conclusion The galvanic group who received galvanic bath therapy along with aerobic exercise for 12 weeks evoked greater change in FIQ, BDI, and SF-36 Health Survey scores compared with results of aerobic exercise alone in control group.
Chemistry of Hetera-buckybowl Trichalcogenasumanenes
Authors: Shao Xiangfeng , Li Dongxu
Published: April 2020

Buckybowls attract significant attention in chemistry and materials science owing to their unique features related to both geometric and electronic aspects. Doping the π-skeleton of buckybowls with the main group elements results in hetera-buckybowls, and accordingly has a large influence on the chemical and physical properties. This account summarizes our research progress on hetera-buckybowl trichalcogenasumanenes (TCSs), including their synthesis, regioselective oxidations, transformation into various hetero polycycles (chiral π-systems, molecular spoons, etc.), and their application as optoelectronic materials.

1 Introduction

2 Synthesis of TCSs

3 Structural and Electronic Features of TCSs

4 Regioselective Oxidation of TCSs

4.1 Cleavage of the Edged Benzene Rings

4.2 Oxidation of the Thiophene Rings

4.3 Transformation of Butoxy Groups into an ortho-Quinone

4.4 Intermolecular Charge Transfer

4.5 Influence of Chalcogen Atoms on Oxidation Reactions

5 Synthesis of Hetero Polycycles from TCSs

6 Optoelectronic Properties of TCSs and Their Derivatives

7 Conclusion
Visible-Light-Driven Transformations of Phenols via Energy Transfer Catalysis
Authors: Coeffard Vincent , Fischer Jérôme , Nun Pierrick
Published: April 2020

In the past decade, the field of visible-light-mediated photocatalysis has been particularly thriving by offering innovative synthetic tools for the construction of functionalized architectures from simple and readily available substrates. One strategy that has been of interest is energy transfer catalysis, which is a powerful way of activating a substrate or an intermediate by using the combination of light and a relevant photosensitizer. This review deals with recent advances in energy transfer catalysis applied to phenols, which are ubiquitous in chemistry both as starting materials and as high-added-value products. Processes involving energy transfer from the excited photosensitizer to ground state oxygen and to phenol-containing substrates will be described.

1 Introduction

2 Intermolecular Processes

2.1 Reactions with Singlet Oxygen

2.2 [2+2] Cycloadditions

3 Intramolecular Transformations

4 Conclusions and Outlook