bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theoretical Background and Automation Approach for a Novel Measurement Method for Determining Dynamic Solubility Limits of Supercritical Fluids in Injection Foam Molding
Authors: Kastner Clemens , Steinbichler Georg
Published: November 2019

In terms of sustainability, injection foam molding gains in importance. Yet still many questions throughout the whole process remain unanswered. Especially, the conditions inside the cylinder during gas injection are fraught with uncertainty. Our development of a new methodology for the determination of dynamic solubility in injection foam molding helps to answer the most basic question regarding gas loading: Using the bulk modulus of the polymer–gas mixture, the dynamic solubility limit can be detected. In a first series of tests, the methodology was verified with simultaneous ultrasonic measurements—an excellent agreement was observed. In this work, a second, more thorough test series is presented. Using the bulk modulus methodology on different polypropylene grades, dynamic solubility limits between 0.62 and 2.56 wt% nitrogen at pressures between 80 and 200 bar and a temperature of 230°C were determined directly on an injection molding machine. The detailed theoretical background for this technique, as well as a mathematical automation approach, is provided. This innovative yet simple method yields novel insights on process limits and provides the possibility of an a priori machine setup or a fully automatic self‐adjustment of the machine. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60: 330–340, 2019. © 2019 The Authors. Polymer Engineering & Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Plastics Engineers.
A rapid insect species identification system using mini‐barcode pyrosequencing
Authors: Hsieh Chia‐Hung , Huang Chin‐Gi , Wu Wen‐Jer , Wang Hurng‐Yi
Published: November 2019

BACKGROUND

Rapid and accurate species identification is not only important for biodiversity studies and pest quarantine and management, but in some cases may also influence the results of international trade negotiations. In this study, we developed a rapid species identification system for insects.

RESULTS

A universal DNA mini‐barcode primer pair was designed to target ∼ 120 bp of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene. This primer set can amplify the targeted region from all 300 species of 26 insect orders tested as well as other classes of Arthropoda. Although we found no within‐species variation in this region, it provided enough information to separate closely related species or species complexes, in particular Thrips spp. and Bemisia spp. By combining a quick DNA extraction method with pyrosequencing, we were able to generate DNA sequences and complete species identification within 5 h.

CONCLUSION

Mini‐barcode pyrosequencing of 16S rDNA coupled with the GenBank database provides a rapid, accurate, and efficient species identification system. This system is therefore useful for biodiversity discovery, forensic identification, and quarantine control and management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Stability of Rossby–Haurwitz waves
Authors: Bénard P.
Published: November 2019

Exploiting a factorized form of the linear perturbation equation valid around Rossby–Haurwitz waves in the nonlinear barotropic vorticity equation system on the sphere, an elementary discrete numerical method for analysing the stability of these waves is proposed. In contrast with former approaches based on wave‐interaction theory and its cumbersome triad‐interaction coefficients, the discrete analysis proposed here is inspired by the spectral‐transform technique, where nonlinearities are treated in physical space. This approach, based only on standard linear algebra techniques, is simpler than former ones and allows a large number of degrees of freedom to be retained in perturbation space. The merits and possible limitations of the method are discussed; some validations and results are presented.
Seasonal predictability of primary East Asian summer circulation patterns by three operational climate prediction models
Authors: Zhou Fang , Ren Hong‐Li , Hu Zeng‐Zhen , Liu Ming‐Hong , Wu Jie , Liu Chang‐Zheng
Published: November 2019

Seasonal predictability of the Primary East‐Asian Summer Circulation Patterns (PEASCPs), including the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), South Asian High (SAH), anomalous Philippine Sea AntiCyclone (PSAC) and East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM), are investigated by using the hindcasts from the three operational climate prediction models, including BCC_CSM1.1(m), NCEP CFSv2 and ECMWF System 4. We show that prediction skills of the indices for representing these PEASCPs are sensitive to the initial calendar month of model prediction, and the ensemble mean of the three models provides relatively higher and more stable skills than forecasts from an individual model. In general, the indices of intensity and area have high prediction skills while the position indices have relatively low skills. Specifically, the skills of the WPSH intensity, area, SAH centre intensity, PSAC and EASM are higher, while the skills of the WPSH western boundary and SAH centre latitude are lower, and the skills of WPSH ridge line and SAH centre longitude are the lowest. Further analysis shows that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has a large contribution to these prediction skills, and these patterns of atmospheric circulation anomalies in response to ENSO can be well captured by models, which is the major predictability source of the skills.
Controllability of heterogeneous multiagent systems
Authors: Zhao Bin , Chen Michael Z.Q. , Guan Yongqiang , Wang Long
Published: November 2019

The existing results on controllability of multiagent systems (MASs) are mostly based on homogeneous nodes. This paper focuses on controllability of heterogeneous MASs, where the agents are modeled as two types. One type is that the agents have the same high‐order dynamics, and the interconnection topologies of the information flow in different orders are supposed to be different; the other type is that the agents have generic linear dynamics, and the dynamics are supposed to be heterogeneous. For the first type, the necessary and sufficient condition for controllability of heterogeneous‐topology system is derived via combination of Laplacian matrices. For the second type, the contribution also has two parts. The first part supposes that the agents have the same dimensional states and proves that controllability of this kind of MASs is equivalent to the controllability of each node and the whole interconnection topology, while the last parameter of the state feedback vector must not be 0. The second part supposes that the agents may have different dimensional states. For this kind of systems, the concept of β‐controllability is proposed. The necessary and sufficient condition for β‐controllability of heterogeneous‐dynamic systems is also derived and it is also proved that the feedback gain vectors have the effect to improve controllability. Different illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results in this paper.
Aktuelle Messtechnik zur Bestandsaufnahme von Kranbahnen
Authors: Suding Ansgar
Published: November 2019

Bei Projekten für den Neubau von Kranbahnanlagen ist die Vermessung der Schienengeometrie im Rahmen der Abnahme in der Regel vertraglich vereinbart mit dem Ziel, die Einhaltung der vertraglich geschuldeten Parameter durch das bauausführende Unternehmen zu überprüfen. Bei der Sanierung von Kranbahnanlagen oder Neuanschaffung von Kranbrücken wird zur Planung ein genaues Aufmaß der Anlage benötigt. Auch können Setzungen und Deformationen von Hallenschiffen über eine Kranbahnvermessung angezeigt werden. Vollflächige Erfassungen von ganzen Lagerhallen und Produktionsstätten werden heute mit Laserscannern durchgeführt und die Punktwolken dienen als Grundlage von Sanierungsplanungen oder Erweiterungen. Erläutert werden die Kranschienenmessung per Tachymeter und Messwagen, die Kranradmessung mit Industriemesstechnik und das aktuelle Laserscanning sowie deren Auswertung.
Montagetoleranzen von Kranbahnen
Authors: Hardt Andreas
Published: November 2019

Krananlagen, bestehend aus Laufkran und Kranbahn, gelten als häufig eingesetzte Fördermittel in Industrie, (Stahl‐)Handel und Handwerk. Unter verschiedenen Umgebungsbedingungen ist das sichere Aufnehmen, Befördern und Positionieren der Last sicherzustellen. Dabei sind die Positioniergenauigkeit, die Laufqualität des Krans, der Verschleiß, die Vermeidung von Schäden und die Lebensdauer der Krananlage stark abhängig von den Montagetoleranzen der Kranbahn. Die verschiedenen Toleranzkriterien wirken sich unterschiedlich auf die Betriebseigenschaften einer Krananlage aus. In diesem Beitrag werden die in verschiedenen Normen definierten Kriterien und deren Auswirkungen unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener Kranführungssysteme und anderer Randbedingungen qualitativ bewertet.
The impact of engineering curriculum design principles on elementary students’ engineering and science learning
Authors: Cunningham Christine M. , Lachapelle Cathy P. , Brennan Robert T. , Kelly Gregory J. , Tunis Chris San Antonio , Gentry Christine A.
Published: November 2019

The Framework for K‐12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards propose that students learn core ideas and practices related to engineering as well as science. To do so, students will need high‐quality curricular materials designed to meet these goals. We report an efficacy study of an elementary engineering curriculum, Engineering is Elementary (EiE) that includes a set of hypothesized critical components designed to encourage student engagement in practices, connect engineering and science learning, and reach diverse students. To measure the impact of the curriculum, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in 604 classrooms in 152 schools in three states. Schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment curriculum or to a comparison curriculum that addressed the same learning goals but did not include several critical components. Results show that students who used the treatment curriculum (EiE) regardless of demographic characteristics outperformed students in the comparison group on outcome measures of both engineering and science content learning. The results show that curriculum design affects student‐learning outcomes.
Design and analysis of a two‐stage transmission magnetic‐geared machine
Authors: Zhang Jin , Zhang Qiuju
Published: November 2019

The purpose of this paper is to realize a two‐stage transmission magnetic‐geared (2‐STMG) machine with high gear ratio. The proposed machine contains a concentric magnetic gear (CMG) and a Vernier machine (VM). Both the components meet the magnetic gearing effect and share a common high‐speed rotor (HSR). The VM is the first stage, and the CMG is the second stage. The designed gear ratio of the proposed 2‐STMG is 34. The magnetic flux is partially coupled to the HSR yoke. The cogging torque on the HSR is slightly higher than that on the low‐speed rotor (LSR). A method is presented to detect the gear ratio of magnetic geared machines with the back‐electromotive force (back‐EMF). And the evaluated gear ratio of the prototype is found to be close to the design value. The amplitude of the fundamental back‐EMF is nearly linear with the LSR speed, and the slope of the fitting curve is ∼0.16 V/rpm. The peak static torques on both rotors are positively correlated with the DC currents applied to windings but limited by saturation when current is larger than 4A. The 2‐STMG machine is controllable, and the speed ratio of HSR to LSR is close to the gear ratio of the outer CMG. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Optimization of electrodes in a disposable paper‐based microbial fuel cell
Authors: Nguyen Dang‐Trang , Taguchi Kozo
Published: November 2019

In this letter, a disposable micropower source was developed by integrating a microbial fuel cell (MFC) in filter paper. The paper‐based MFC could harvest electrical energy generated by Escherichia coli during the metabolic process. The air‐dried biofilm anode was activated by water for on‐demand electricity generation. This study aimed to optimize the anodic and cathodic materials for maximization of the MFC performance. The concentration of activated carbon powder in the anode and potassium ferricyanide in the cathode were optimized. The paper‐based MFC with the optimum anode and cathode generated a maximum power density of 8.4 µW/cm2. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Total flavonoids of Epimedium ameliorates testicular damage in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress
Authors: Cheng Yin , Yang Zhangliang , Shi Jie , Yang Junjie , Zhao Jinguo , He Yinghao , Qi Minyou
Published: November 2019

Testicular damage is the anomaly that will often accompany diabetes mellitus. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role that total flavonoids of Epimedium (TFE) played against streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic testicular dysfunction and to elucidate the mechanism of action. The diabetic rat model was induced by vein injection of STZ in healthy rats. Thirty male healthy Spraque‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into following groups: the control group, the diabetic group, and the diabetic + TFE group. Gastrointestinal administration begins at fifth week of TFE for 6 weeks. After TFE administration, all animals were euthanized. Testicular tissue samples and blood samples of rats were collected for histopathological examination and for determination of levels of various biomarkers including blood glucose, testosterone, testicular enzymes, and oxidative stress indicators. All testes were weighted to calculate the testicular organ index. Hematoxylin‐eosin staining was used for observing the testis and epididymis pathological changes. Protein expression (monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, transforming growth factor‐beta‐1, interleukin‐6, and 3‐beta‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase) was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot techniques. There was a significant difference in the changes between the diabetes group and the control group. As a result of treat with TFE, the blood glucose decreased but there was no significant difference, and other indicators showed significant improvement. TFE may protect against STZ‐induced testicular injury by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress.
Monetary‐based availability: A novel approach to assess the performance of wind turbines
Authors: Lutz Marc‐Alexander , Görg Philip , Faulstich Stefan , Cernusko Robert , Pfaffel Sebastian
Published: November 2019

With the background of numerous wind turbines phasing out of fixed feed‐in tariffs in the following years and an increasing share of negative electricity market prices on the spot market, the availability definitions of “time‐based” and “production‐based” availability are possibly no longer suitable for assessing the overall performance of a wind turbine. This paper introduces a novel definition: the “monetary‐based” availability. The differences between the established definitions and the “monetary‐based” availability are highlighted by comparing the measures on an empirical data set. Furthermore, results on the impact of scheduling planned downtimes towards a monetary‐based optimum show that revenues can be increased. By shifting only a small share of the annual downtime to an optimum to maximize the revenue from electricity, a strong increase in additional earnings and thereby an increasment of the monetary‐based availability can be achieved.
Fabrication of Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite for removal of direct blue 80 from water
Authors: Li Mingyan , Gao Dasheng , Cui Shuang , Shi Yan , Liu Ningning
Published: November 2019

Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite was successfully fabricated by a facile method and used as adsorbent to remove direct blue 80 (DB80, azo dye) from water. Characterizations of Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and magnetic property analysis. As an adsorbent, the factors (such as adsorbent dose, pH, initial concentration, contact time, and temperature) affecting the adsorption performance of adsorbent were investigated. The optimal adsorption condition is 5 mg of Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite in 8 ml of DB80 solution (70 mg/L) for 60 min at 318 K, and the pH value has little effect on the adsorption performance. The adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics of DB80 adsorbed on the Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite were also studied. The experimental results revealed that the experimental data followed the Langmuir model and the adsorption behavior could be well explained by pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process. Furthermore, the mechanism of DB80 adsorbed on the Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite was proposed. The occurrence of adsorption might be caused by the π‐π stacking interaction between Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite and DB80.

Practitioner points

Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite was successfully fabricated via a facile method.

Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite was used to the adsorptive removal of direct blue 80 (azo dye).

The kinetic characteristics and thermodynamic parameters were analyzed.

The adsorption behavior might be ascribed to the π‐π stacking interaction between Fe3O4/ZIF‐67 composite and DB80.
Agency, Time and Morality: An Argument from Social and Economic Anthropology
Authors: Clough Paul
Published: November 2019

This paper reflects on the ways in which the concepts of agency, time, and morality can be linked together. It does so by considering how the kind of thinking which goes on in social anthropology and economic anthropology can contribute to our understanding of ‘agency’. It then relates the discussion of agency to the concepts of time and morality. The mode of reasoning in social anthropology can be described as cyclical: social theory generates general questions that can be asked of a human society in particular times and places. Those questions stimulate empirical investigation, which results in a descriptive analysis of human social reality – known in social anthropology as ethnography. In turn, ethnography often challenges existing paradigms in social theory, because it throws up puzzles about human social interaction that can only be resolved by revising existing theory. Thus, there is a cycle in which theory stimulates ethnography, which throws up puzzles that can only be resolved by revising or changing theory. The same cycle can be discerned in economic anthropology, that sub-branch of social anthropology which understands ‘economy’ as a holistic social process interweaving production, exchange, and consumption (Narotzky 1997). The ethnography of micro-economic reality has provided rich evidence about human decision-making that can be used to address general theoretical questions. From its origin in studies of gift exchange (eg., Malinowski 1922) to contemporary studies of money and debt (eg., Graeber 2011), economic anthropology, like its parent discipline, has been preoccupied with theoretical questions like the tension between ‘agency’ and ‘structure’, ‘individual’ and ‘society’.
The Morphogenetic Approach; Critical Realism’s Explanatory Framework Approach
Authors: Archer Margaret Scotford
Published: November 2019

Critical Realism, the philosophy of the social sciences used here is equally applicable to all such disciplines and accords no special place to economics. In fact there has been disappointingly little take-up of it by heterodox economists (notable exceptions in Britain being Tony Lawson and Jamie Morgan). The generality with which Roy Bhaskar advanced CR means that necessarily theorists in each discipline must develop their own explanations, although these will share the same philosophical ‘under-labouring’ as Bhaskar characterized his own contribution. Specifically, this involves common endorsement of the following:-

A rejection of Humean ‘constant conjunctions’ as a deficient, because empiricist basis for conceptualizing social reality and causality.

A stratified ontology of the social order, endorsing emergence and the causal consequences of the second or third-order interplay between emergent properties and powers. In turn this spells acceptance of upwards and downwards causality between strata.

A refusal to assign automatic priority to structure (or culture) versus agency when accounting for causation in the social domain.

A reliance upon CR’s ‘three pillars’ for explanatory adequacy:-

Ontological realism

Epistemic relativism

Judgemental rationality

I will attempt to show how my own ‘Morphogenetic/Morphostatic’ explanatory programme usefully supplements the above with an interdisciplinary approach to accounting for change and stability in all social forms and institutions. This framework is obedient both to the four above principles but also provides a toolkit for those seeking to theorize about the development of particular social processes, practices and policies (and resistance to them) at any given S1 T1, wherever this is situated historically and geographically. In itself, the M/M approach is not a theory. Should some prefer to assign it to ‘methodology’, I would not object.
Neurodiversity.Com: A Decade of Advocacy
Authors: Seidel Kathleen
Published: November 2019

Kathleen Seidel created the website Neurodiversity.com (2004–2013) after her child received a diagnosis of autism and she became aware of the harmful language used to describe autistic people. The following chapter describes the development of the site as an autism research and advocacy portal and how it contributed significantly to public discourse by working to debunk misinformation about autism. She invited guest posts and wrote reports on her campaigns to counter false notions such as an autism-vaccine link and harmful, unsubstantiated treatments, influencing legal actions against individuals and products. Neurodiversity.com’s library of information remains available, to help increase effective support for autistic people.
A worldsheet supersymmetric Newton-Cartan string
Authors: Blair Chris D.A.
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We construct a (locally) supersymmetric worldsheet action for a string in a non-relativistic Newton-Cartan background. We do this using a doubled string action, which describes the target space geometry in an O(D, D) covariant manner using a doubled metric and doubled vielbeins. By adopting different parametrisations of these doubled background fields, we can describe both relativistic and non-relativistic geometries. We focus on the torsional Newton-Cartan geometry which can be obtained by null duality/reduction (such null duality is particularly simple for us to implement). The doubled action we use gives the Hamiltonian form of the supersymmetric Newton-Cartan string action automatically, from which we then obtain the equivalent Lagrangian. We extract geometric quantities of interest from the worldsheet couplings and write down the supersymmetry transformations. Our general results should apply to other non-relativistic backgrounds. We comment on the usefulness of the doubled approach as a tool for studying non-relativistic string theory.
Phases of flavor broken QCD3
Authors: Baumgartner Andrew
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We map out the phase diagram of QCD3 with a product flavor group of the form U(f ) × U(F ). We find interesting structures emerge when f + F > k depending on the relative sizes of f, F and k. In particular, there exists phase transitions in which a Grassmannian phase will disappear and reappear in a different part of the phase diagram.
L∞-algebras and the perturbiner expansion
Authors: Lopez-Arcos Cristhiam , Vélez Alexander Quintero
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Certain classical field theories admit a formal multi-particle solution, known as the perturbiner expansion, that serves as a generating function for all the tree-level scattering amplitudes and the Berends-Giele recursion relations they satisfy. In this paper it is argued that the minimal model for the L∞-algebra that governs a classical field theory contains enough information to determine the perturbiner expansion associated to such theory. This gives a prescription for computing the tree-level scattering amplitudes by inserting the perturbiner solution into the homotopy Maurer-Cartan action for the L∞-algebra. We confirm the method in the non-trivial examples of bi-adjoint scalar and Yang-Mills theories.
Stringy black hole interiors
Authors: Giveon Amit , Itzhaki Nissan
Published: November 2019

Abstract

It is well known that non-perturbative α′ corrections to the SL(2, ℝ)/U(1) cigar geometry are described via a condensation of a Sine-Liouville operator that schematically can be written as W+ + W−, where W± describe a string with winding number ±1. This condensation leads to interesting effects in the cigar geometry that take place already at the classical level in string theory. Condensation of the analytically continued Sine-Liouville operator in the Lorentzian SL(2, ℝ)/U(1) black hole is problematic. Here, we propose that in the black hole case, the non-perturbative α′ corrections are described in terms of an operator that can be viewed as the analytic continuation of the fusion of W+ and W−. We show that this operator does not suffer from the same problem as the analytically continued Sine-Liouville operator and argue that it describes folded strings that fill the entire black hole and, in a sense, replace the black hole interior. We estimate the folded strings radiation, and show that they radiate at the Hawking temperature.
SUSY breaking in monopole quivers
Authors: Amariti Antonio
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We study 3d monopole quivers, theories with product gauge groups interacting through monopole superpotentials and we observe that they are a natural setup for the study of the spontaneous breaking of 3d $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 supersymmetry. We give evidence of this statement by studying various examples of increasing complexity, considering quivers that are mirror dual to Wess-Zumino models. These Wess-Zumino models, in opportune regimes of parameters, break supersymmetry in perturbatively controllable (meta)stable vacua.
Stochastic eternal inflation is in the swampland
Authors: Brahma Suddhasattwa , Shandera Sarah
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We demonstrate that there is no controlled description of stochastic eternal inflation consistent with the refined swampland de Sitter conjecture.
Pico- to nanosecond pulsed laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) of silver nanoparticle inks: a comparative study
Authors: Mikšys J. , Arutinov G. , Römer G. R. B. E.
Published: November 2019

Silver nanoparticle inks are among the key functional materials used in printed electronics. Depositing it by laser-induced forward transfer remains a challenging task because the non-linear rheological nature of these inks narrows the range of the laser processing parameters. Understanding, therefore, the influence of the laser parameters on the ejection dynamics and deposition quality is of critical importance. The influence of the laser pulse duration from pico- to nanosecond-laser-induced jet dynamics was investigated using time-resolved shadowgraphy imaging. Jet speed and surface area analyses showed that in the lower laser fluence level range, picosecond pulses induce higher surface area ejections which propagate at higher velocities. As the laser fluence levels were increased, the difference in jet velocity and surface area evolutions narrows. Deposition analysis showed a similar behavior with lower transfer thresholds and larger depositions at lower fluence range when picosecond-laser pulses were used.
The effects of crossbow impacts onto a common automotive vehicle side window—a preliminary study
Authors: Critchley R. , Standbridge K. , Peare A.
Published: November 2019

In recent times, the number of criminal incidents involving crossbows in the UK has increased with many incidents resulting in either injuries or fatalities. Whilst the effects of crossbow bolts on the body are well understood, there is a limited understanding on how these projectiles interact with the wider environment. One area of particular interest is the interaction between common vehicle side windows and bolts. In this study, the penetrability of two distinct bolts using an off-the-shelve crossbow against a common automotive side window was explored, where velocity loss up to 25 m/s post impact was recorded. All windows failed through radial glass fracture at a rate up to 1600 m/s, whilst bolt damage varied from tip holder decoupling, shaft damage, and traumatic fletching removal. No distinct relationship between bolt type, velocity, and window damage was identified.
Do pain, anxiety and depression influence quality of life for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease? A national study reconciling previous conflicting literature
Authors:   the TONiC study group, Edge Rhiannon , Mills Roger , Tennant Alan , Diggle Peter J. , Young Carolyn A.
Published: November 2019

Introduction

The importance of elucidating the relationships between pain, mood and quality of life (QoL) amongst people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease is evident to clinicians, yet the literature is limited and inconsistent. We explored the relationships between pain, depression, anxiety and QoL to reconcile the previous contrasting findings and inform future research and clinical practice.

Methods

Patient-reported outcomes were obtained as part of the Trajectories of Outcomes in Neurological Conditions study. Mood and QoL scales underwent Rasch analysis. Correlation coefficients examined the strength of association between variables of interest. A bivariate regression model was developed to examine the effects of pain, depression and anxiety on joint psychological and physical QoL domains.

Results

Of 636 people with ALS, 69% reported pain, of these most had mild pain. Seven percent (7%) of participants exceeded published cutoffs for probable depression and 14% had probable anxiety. Pain, depression and anxiety all influence quality of life; depression has a significant effect on both physical and psychological domains of QoL, whereas pain affects physical QoL and anxiety psychological QoL.

Conclusions

These results show the importance of expressing quality of life in a conceptually appropriate way, as failing to take account of the multidimensional nature of QoL can result in important nuances being overlooked. Clinicians must be aware that pain, depression and anxiety all worsen QoL across their ranges, and not just when pain is severe or when anxiety or depression reach case level.
More pesticides—less children?
Authors: Moshammer Hanns , Poteser Michael , Hutter Hans-Peter
Published: November 2019

A previously presented study investigated the impact of recent pesticide exposure on cytological signs of genotoxicity and on symptoms of intoxication in 71 male coffee workers in the Dominican Republic. An unexpected finding of this study was that conventional farming workers, among other symptoms, reported fewer children than controls working in organic farms without pesticide use. This study set out to investigate possible reasons for the latter difference. One statistical problem of this analysis is that the age of the workers is a strong predictor for the number of children and available data on the exposure determinants “duration of pesticide exposure” as well as “age at first pesticide exposure” are correlated with age. To correctly control statistics for these confounding parameters, different approaches to best control for age were explored. After careful elimination of the age-related confounding factors, a reduced number of children was still observed in exposed workers. The clearest effect is seen in those workers that reported first exposure before the age of 20 years. Socioeconomic factors could still confound that finding, but a direct effect of early life pesticide exposure is the most likely explanation of the observation.
Regularity of the free boundary in the biharmonic obstacle problem
Authors: Aleksanyan Gohar
Published: November 2019

In this article we use a flatness improvement argument to study the regularity of the free boundary for the biharmonic obstacle problem with zero obstacle. Assuming that the solution is almost one-dimensional, and that the non-coincidence set is an non-tangentially accessible domain, we derive the $$C^{1,\alpha }$$C1,α-regularity of the free boundary in a small ball centred at the origin. From the $$C^{1,\alpha }$$C1,α-regularity of the free boundary we conclude that the solution to the biharmonic obstacle problem is locally $$ C^{3,\alpha }$$C3,α up to the free boundary, and therefore $$C^{2,1}$$C2,1. In the end we study an example, showing that in general $$ C^{2,\frac{1}{2}}$$C2,12 is the best regularity that a solution may achieve in dimension $$n \ge 2$$n≥2.
Homogeneity tests and non-parametric analyses of tendencies in precipitation time series in Keszthely, Western Hungary
Authors: Kocsis Tímea , Kovács-Székely Ilona , Anda Angéla
Published: November 2019

This study aims to investigate the precipitation trends in Keszthely (Western Hungary, Central Europe) through an examination of historical climate data covering the past almost one and a half centuries. Pettitt’s test for homogeneity was employed to detect change points in the time series of monthly, seasonal and annual precipitation records. Change points and monotonic trends were analysed separately in annual, seasonal and monthly time series of precipitation. While no break points could be detected in the annual precipitation series, a significant decreasing trend of 0.2–0.7 mm/year was highlighted statistically using the autocorrelated Mann-Kendall trend test. Significant change points were found in those time series in which significant tendencies had been detected in previous studies. These points fell in spring and winter for the seasonal series, and October for the monthly series. The question therefore arises of whether these trends are the result of a shift in the mean. The downward and upward shift in the mean in the case of spring and winter seasonal amounts, respectively, leads to a suspicion that changes in precipitation are also in progress in these seasons. The study concludes that homogeneity tests are of great importance in such analyses, because they may help to avoid false trend detections.
Ambiguous Representations of Semilattices, Imperfect Information, and Predicate Transformers
Authors: Nykyforchyn Oleh , Mykytsey Oksana
Published: November 2019

Crisp and lattice-valued ambiguous representations of one continuous semilattice in another one are introduced and operation of taking pseudo-inverse of the above relations is defined. It is shown that continuous semilattices and their ambiguous representations, for which taking pseudo-inverse is involutive, form categories. Self-dualities and contravariant equivalences for these categories are obtained. Possible interpretations and applications to processing of imperfect information are discussed.
Towards New Comet Missions
Authors: Thomas N. , Ulamec S. , Kührt E. , Ciarletti V. , Gundlach B. , Yoldi Z. , Schwehm G. , Snodgrass C. , Green S. F.
Published: November 2019

The Rosetta observations have greatly advanced our knowledge of the cometary nucleus and its immediate environment. However, constraints on the mission (both planned and unplanned), the only partially successful Philae lander, and other instrumental issues have inevitably resulted in open questions. Surprising results from the many successful Rosetta observations have also opened new questions, unimagined when Rosetta was first planned. We discuss these and introduce several mission concepts that might address these issues. It is apparent that a sample return mission as originally conceived in the 1980s during the genesis of Rosetta would provide many answers but it is arguable whether it is technically feasible even with today’s technology and knowledge. Less ambitious mission concepts are described to address the suggested main outstanding scientific goals.
Hair testing for 3-fluorofentanyl, furanylfentanyl, methoxyacetylfentanyl, carfentanil, acetylfentanyl and fentanyl by LC–MS/MS after unintentional overdose
Authors: Larabi Islam Amine , Martin Marie , Fabresse Nicolas , Etting Isabelle , Edel Yve , Pfau Gregory , Alvarez Jean Claude
Published: November 2019

Purpose

To demonstrate the usefulness of hair testing to determine exposure pattern to fentanyls.

Methods

A 43-year-old male was found unconscious with respiratory depression 15 min after snorting 3 mg of a powder labeled as butyrylfentanyl. He was discharged from hospital within 2 days without blood or urine testing. Two locks of hair were sampled 1 month (M1 A: 0–2 cm (overdose time frame); B: 2–4 cm; C: 4–6 cm) and 1 year (Y1: A: 0–2 cm; B: 2–4 cm) later to monitor his exposure to drugs of abuse by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry after liquid-liquid extraction.

Results

Hair analysis at M1 showed a repetitive exposure to 3-fluorofentanyl (A/B/C: 150/80/60 pg/mg) with higher concentration in segment A reflecting the overdose period. The non-detection of butyrylfentanyl was consistent with the analysis of the recovered powder identified as 3-fluorofentanyl. Furanylfentanyl (40/20/15 pg/mg) and fentanyl (37/25/3 pg/mg) were also detected in hair. The second hair analysis at Y1 showed the use of three new fentanyls, with probably repetitive exposures to methoxyacetylfentanyl (A/B: 500/600 pg/mg), and single or few exposures to carfentanil (2.5/3 pg/mg) and acetyl fentanyl (1/1 pg/mg). A decreasing exposure to 3-fluorofentanyl (25/80 pg/mg), and increasing consumption of furanylfentanyl (310/500 pg/mg) and fentanyl (620/760 pg/mg) were also observed despite methadone treatment initiation. The patient claimed not consuming three out of the six detected fentanyls.

Conclusions

We report single or repetitive exposure to several fentanyls using hair testing. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of 3-fluorofentanyl and methoxyacetylfentanyl in hair samples collected from an authentic abuser.
Dielectric Properties of Shape-Distributed Ellipsoidal Particle Systems
Authors: Figueiredo N. M. , Cavaleiro A.
Published: November 2019

The effective dielectric function of composites consisting of particles dispersed in isotropic or anisotropic media is affected by the composition, size, shape, and orientation of the particles. Our first objective was to determine the effects of the particle’s shape and preferential orientation on the effective dielectric function of the medium. We have used the Maxwell Garnett effective medium approximation generalized for ellipsoidal particles in order to study the effective dielectric function of different Au nanoparticle systems, with both random and normal orientation of the ellipsoids in relation to the incident light, simulating the microstructure of many nanocomposite thin films grown by co-deposition or alternating deposition methods. Our second objective was to consider real particle systems by determining the effects of the particle shape distribution on the effective dielectric function. We have considered the Generalized Maxwell Garnett equations extended for systems of shape-distributed ellipsoids and have, for the first time, correlated the ellipsoid’s shape/aspect ratio with their geometrical factors in a single graphic. We have introduced and used 1D and 2D Gaussian shape probability distribution functions in order to calculate the effective dielectric function of a number of Au nanoparticle systems having different distributions of ellipsoidal shapes/aspect ratios. The multicomponent Generalized Maxwell Garnett approximation was also used in order to determine the effective dielectric function of Au nanoparticle systems containing mixtures of nanoparticles with different shapes and sizes.
Advances in Corrosion-Resistant Thermal Spray Coatings for Renewable Energy Power Plants. Part I: Effect of Composition and Microstructure
Authors: Sadeghi Esmaeil , Markocsan Nicolaie , Joshi Shrikant
Published: November 2019

Power generation from renewable resources has attracted increasing attention in recent years owing to the global implementation of clean energy policies. However, such power plants suffer from severe high-temperature corrosion of critical components such as water walls and superheater tubes. The corrosion is mainly triggered by aggressive gases like HCl, H2O, etc., often in combination with alkali and metal chlorides that are produced during fuel combustion. Employment of a dense defect-free adherent coating through thermal spray techniques is a promising approach to improving the performances of components as well as their lifetimes and, thus, significantly increasing the thermal/electrical efficiency of power plants. Notwithstanding the already widespread deployment of thermal spray coatings, a few intrinsic limitations, including the presence of pores and relatively weak intersplat bonding that lead to increased corrosion susceptibility, have restricted the benefits that can be derived from these coatings. Nonetheless, the field of thermal spraying has been continuously evolving, and concomitant advances have led to progressive improvements in coating quality; hence, a periodic critical assessment of our understanding of the efficacy of coatings in mitigating corrosion damage can be highly educative. The present paper seeks to comprehensively document the current state of the art, elaborating on the recent progress in thermal spray coatings for high-temperature corrosion applications, including the alloying effects, and the role of microstructural characteristics for understanding the behavior of corrosion-resistant coatings. In particular, this review comprises a substantive discussion on high-temperature corrosion mechanisms, novel coating compositions, and a succinct comparison of the corrosion-resistant coatings produced by diverse thermal spray techniques.
Small area estimation of proportions under area-level compositional mixed models
Authors: Esteban María Dolores , Lombardía María José , López-Vizcaíno Esther , Morales Domingo , Pérez Agustín
Published: November 2019

This paper introduces area-level compositional mixed models by applying transformations to a multivariate Fay–Herriot model. Small area estimators of the proportions of the categories of a classification variable are derived from the new model, and the corresponding mean squared errors are estimated by parametric bootstrap. Several simulation experiments designed to analyse the behaviour of the introduced estimators are carried out. An application to real data from the Spanish Labour Force Survey of Galicia (north-west of Spain), in the first quarter of 2017, is given. The target is the estimation of domain proportions of people in the four categories of the variable labour status: under 16 years, employed, unemployed and inactive.
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy Discontinuation for Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia in Clinical Practice
Authors: Clark Richard E.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

In chronic myeloid leukaemia, tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment is traditionally given continuously for life. However, these drugs produce excellent responses for many patients, and this is accompanied by survival that is close to normal. This has prompted studies of whether it is possible to stop treatment, thus achieving a treatment-free remission (TFR).

Recent Findings

Most TFR studies have focussed on abrupt cessation in patients with long-standing deep remissions, but recent data suggest that more gradual treatment de-escalation may improve TFR success, and that it may be possible to extend TFR attempts to patients who are in stable major molecular response but not necessarily MR4.

Further data are badly needed on TFR for patients whose remission is less than stable MR4 and on the importance of prior interferon-alpha treatment. Funding TFR trials in a disease with such an excellent outlook is an increasing challenge.
Aluminum oxyhydroxide-doped PMMA hybrids powder prepared via facile one-pot method towards copper ion removal from aqueous solution
Authors: Ghamari Misagh , Imani Amin , Williams James F. , Ghasemifard Mahdi
Published: November 2019

A novel polymethyl methacrylate/boehmite nanocomposite with remarkably enhanced adsorption performance of Cu(II) was synthesized from $${\text{Al}}({\text{NO}}_{3} )_{3} \cdot 9{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}$$Al(NO3)3·9H2O using a facile sol–gel method. The effects of boehmite content, contact time and morphology of hybrid (pH of synthesis) as the main parameters on removal efficiency and removal capability of hybrid on copper ions have been explored. Composites contained between 0.7 and 5wt% boehmite content and those with dissimilar morphology prepared with different pH values showed different adsorption behavior. Batch adsorption experiments show that the adsorption performance of the hybrids was enhanced with increased boehmite and contact time. The highest removal efficiency and adsorption capability were achieved when the hybrid was prepared at pH 8 with associated increased catalytic activity.

Graphic abstract
The influence of suburban development and metropolitan fragmentation on language variation and change: Evidence from Greater St. Louis
Authors: Duncan Daniel
Published: November 2019

The distances between urban and suburban spaces, while small in Euclidean terms, have a rather large social reality. This paper calls attention to two reasons for this—suburban development and metropolitan fragmentation—and situates these phenomena within the context of sociological and historical thought about metropolitan areas. I test their role in linguistic variation through a case study of three Northern Cities Shift features (raised trap, fronted lot, and lowered thought) in English of the St. Louis metropolitan area. I show that these features diffused throughout the region in three different ways. Additionally, phonological conditioning of lot-fronting differs between urban and suburban speakers, and retreat from urban dialect features is led in the suburbs. These findings highlight the need to consider the geography of metropolitan areas more deeply in studies of language variation and change in metropolitan areas, as similarity across a metropolitan area should not be assumed a priori.
Personal networks and psychological attributes: Exploring individual differences in personality and sense of community and their relationship to the structure of personal networks
Authors: Maya-Jariego Isidro , Letina Srebrenka , González Tinoco Elena
Published: November 2019

The paper explores the relationship between personality characteristics, sense of community and the structure of personal networks. We collected personal network data from 100 adults, consisting of the information about their 45 alters and ties among them. In addition to the typically used bivariate correlations to analyze the relationship between individual psychological differences and network structure, we propose first the use of typologies of networks and personality and second modified versions of the triadic census in ego-networks. The results show that different personality types tend to occupy a different kind of networks and that newly introduced triadic measures show a relatively higher association with examined psychological attributes than global network measures. Overall, the Psychological Sense of Community showed higher associations with network measures than Big Five personality traits. The former was positively correlated with measures of closed triads among alters, but also with alters embedded in triads with weak ties. Regarding personality traits, Emotional Stability was positively correlated with strong closed triads and with the overall indicator of density. The elaboration of typologies and the census of triads are shown to be effective strategies for the description of personal networks, as well as for the analysis of individual psychological differences.