bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cochlear Implantation in Pediatric Patients With Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct: A Systematic Review
Authors: Benchetrit Liliya , Jabbour Nicolette , Appachi Swathi , Liu Yi‐Chun , Cohen Michael S. , Anne Samantha
Published: July 2021

Objective(s)

To describe cochlear implantation (CI) outcomes, with speech perception, auditory, language, and parent‐reported auditory and speech behaviors, in children with an enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) and incomplete partition type 2 (IP‐II) and compare to control children without inner ear malformations (IEMs) and to determine cerebrospinal fluid gusher rates and effect on outcomes.

Study Design

Systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Methods

MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases were searched from inception to February 2020. Studies reporting relevant outcomes in children with EVA or EVA + IP‐II and controls without IEMs undergoing CI were included. Mean differences in speech perception, auditory, and language scores between cases and controls were meta‐analyzed. Gusher rates were determined by proportion meta‐analyses.

Results

Of 214 identified articles, 42 met inclusion criteria, evaluating 775 cases and 2,191 controls. Of –cases, 578 (74.6%) had EVA and 197 (25.4%) had EVA + IP‐II. Cases showed a significant improvement in speech perception, auditory and language performance, comparable to controls. Parent‐reported auditory and speech production behaviors outcomes were positive among cases and comparable to controls. Pooled gusher proportions in EVA and EVA + IP‐II cases were 27.7% (95% CI: 17.6–39.1) and 48.6% (95% CI: 28.6–69.0), respectively, with a proportion difference of 20.9% (95% CI: 11.0–30.1). Gusher occurrence did not impact speech perception or language outcomes.

Conclusion

Outcomes in children with EVA or EVA + IP‐II undergoing CI are favorable and largely comparable to outcomes in children with hearing loss undergoing CI without IEMs. Intraoperative gusher is more prevalent among children with EVA + IP‐II as compared to iEVA. Gusher does not influence speech perception and language development outcomes.

Level of Evidence

NA Laryngoscope, 132:1459–1472, 2022
Technological, physico‐chemical and sensory changes during cowpea processing into shô basi, a couscous‐like product from Sahelian Africa
Authors: Timitey Aboubacar , Adinsi Laurent , Madodé Yann Eméric , Cissé Fatimata , Akissoé Noël , Hounhouigan Djidjoho Joseph
Published: July 2021

Shô basi is a traditional Sahelian couscous‐like product obtained essentially by dehulling and milling white cowpeas, granulating the moistened resulting flour, steaming, and sun‐drying the obtained granules. To comply with market demand and ensure continuous production year‐round, processors are simplifying and shortening the dehulling step. From full wet dehulling, they moved to partial dry elimination of cowpea hulls. Such a practice could have an impact on the comprehensive quality of shô basi. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of the unit operations on physico‐chemical and sensory traits of cowpea during shô basi production. Six productions of couscous including full dehulling (FD) or partial dehulling (PD) methods were carried out. Production yield, color, proximate composition, phenolic compounds, degree of disintegration, and swelling were determined. Thereafter, the sensory traits of both shô basi were assessed. Although FD induced a higher dry matter loss than partial dehulling, the overall yield of shô basi production was not affected (p < 0.05) by the method of dehulling implemented. The intermediate and end products from FD showed brighter cream color than those from PD. Irrespective of processing method, cowpea processing into shô basi affected significantly (p < 0.05) protein, fiber, and polyphenol contents. In comparison with PD method, shô basi from FD variant had the lowest fat, mineral, and fiber contents. However, sensory traits of high quality of shô basi were preferentially associated to shô basi from FD method. Thus, this dehulling method should be promoted among consumers and thereby led to increased profitability of shô basi production and trading.
Diatom frustules with different silica contents affect copepod grazing due to differences in the nanoscale mechanical properties
Authors: Xu Huo , Shi Zhiyuan , Zhang Xiaodong , Pang Mengwen , Pan Ke , Liu Hongbin
Published: July 2021

The silica frustules of diatom are regarded as an important physical defense against predation. While the biogenic silica content of diatoms is a major factor controlling the ingestion rate of copepods, how it affects the three‐dimensional structure and the mechanical properties of the frustules, and consequently copepod grazing, has not been studied. In this study, the diatoms Thalassiosira weissflogii and Amphora coffeaeformis were grown under different light intensities to manipulate their cellular biogenic silica contents. This manipulation generated diatom cells with distinct nano‐structures and mechanical strengths. The diatoms were then fed to the copepod Paracalanus pravus to test the effect of biogenic silica contents on copepod feeding. We demonstrated that the copepods preferred the low‐silica cells of T. weissflogii, but showed a preference for the high‐silica cells of A. coffeaeformis. Atomic force microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed that the chemical composition and mechanical properties of diatom frustules varied with silica contents. High silica containing T. weissflogii had higher frustule elasticity and hardness. In contrast, A. coffeaeformis containing more biogenic silica had lower frustule elasticity but silica level had little effect on the hardness of the frustule. Our results indicate that the nano‐structure and chemical properties of the frustules determine the mechanical strength of the diatom frustules. This nanoscale study improves our understanding of the relationship between diatom biogenic silica content and copepod grazing in marine planktonic food webs.
Quantitative assessment of the long‐term efficacy and safety of a 1064‐nm picosecond laser with fractionated microlens array in the treatment of enlarged pores in Asians: A case‐control study
Authors: Palawisuth Siriwan , Manuskiatti Woraphong , Apinuntham Chalermkwan , Wanitphakdeedecha Rungsima , Cembrano Kathryn Anne G.
Published: July 2021

Background

Enlarged facial pores are one of the common skin signs of photoaging that patients seek treatment for. However, objective data and long‐term assessment on the efficacy and safety of therapeutic procedures for this condition are limited.

Objective

To objectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of a 1064‐nm picosecond laser with microlens array (MLA) for pore tightening.

Methods

Twenty‐five patients with enlarged pores received three treatments with a 1064‐nm picosecond laser coupled with MLA at 4‐week intervals. Patients were evaluated using objective (measurement of pore volume using three‐dimensional photography) and subjective (clinical evaluation by two blinded dermatologists) assessments at baseline and at the 1‐, 3‐, and 6‐month follow‐ups. Adverse effects were also recorded during each visit.

Results

After three treatments, there was a significant reduction of pore size from baseline (p < 0.001). The improvement in pore size appearance significantly continued from the 1‐month to the 6‐month follow‐up visits (p = 0.013). The total average pore size was 1.15652 ± 0.614322 and 0.8087 ± 0.50515 at baseline and at 6 months after the final treatment, respectively, resulting in an average of 30% reduction in pore size. No cases of dyspigmentation, textural alteration, or scarring were documented.

Conclusion

Fractional 1064‐nm picosecond laser appears to be effective and safe for reducing pore size in Asians with minimal transient side effects.
A laser platform incorporating a novel 524 nm laser pumped by a commercial hair removal laser effectively treats facial redness and lower‐extremity spider veins
Authors: Bernstein Eric F. , Bhawalkar Jayant D. , Shang Xiaoming , Qiu Jinze , Basilavecchio Lisa D. , Plugis Jessica M. , Wang Jennifer Y. , Hsia James C.
Published: July 2021

Background and Objectives

Treatment of vascular lesions is one of the main applications of cutaneous laser technology, while the other is laser hair removal. We present here a vascular laser pumped by a commercial hair removal laser.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

A novel 524 nm vascular laser was designed using a 755 nm hair removal laser as a pumping source. This 524 nm vascular laser was used to treat facial redness and leg telangiectasias in 24 subjects. Four treatments were administered to the face at 4–6‐week intervals and final photographs were taken 8 weeks following the final treatment, while two treatments were administered to lower‐extremity spider veins at 2‐month intervals with follow‐up photographs 3 months following the final treatment. Blinded analysis of digital images was performed by two physicians not involved in the study.

Results

Blinded evaluation of digital photographs revealed an average improvement score of 3.3 ± 1.7 (mean ± SEM) on a 0–10 scale for removing facial redness (p < 0.001), representing a 33% improvement. Leg veins improved an average of 51% corresponding to a score of 5.1 ± 2.0 (p < 0.001). Side effects were mild and limited to erythema, purpura, edema, and one instance of mild hyperpigmentation.

Conclusions

This novel 524 nm laser is safe and effective for treating vascularity on the face and legs, and proves the ability to create a laser platform incorporating a hair removal laser which then can be used as a pumping source for the attached vascular laser module.
Findings of the AAPM Ad Hoc committee on magnetic resonance imaging in radiation therapy: Unmet needs, opportunities, and recommendations
Authors: McGee Kiaran P. , Tyagi Neelam , Bayouth John E. , Cao Minsong , Fallone B. Gino , Glide‐Hurst Carri K. , Goerner Frank L. , Green Olga L. , Kim Taeho , Paulson Eric S. , Yanasak Nathan E. , Jackson Edward F. , Goodwin James H. , Dieterich Sonja , Jordan David W. , Hugo Geoffrey D. , Bernstein Matt A. , Balter James M. , Kanal Kalpana M. , Hazle John D. , Pelc Norbert J.
Published: July 2021

The past decade has seen the increasing integration of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging into radiation therapy (RT). This growth can be contributed to multiple factors, including hardware and software advances that have allowed the acquisition of high‐resolution volumetric data of RT patients in their treatment position (also known as MR simulation) and the development of methods to image and quantify tissue function and response to therapy. More recently, the advent of MR‐guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) ‐ achieved through the integration of MR imaging systems and linear accelerators ‐ has further accelerated this trend. As MR imaging in RT techniques and technologies, such as MRgRT, gain regulatory approval worldwide, these systems will begin to propagate beyond tertiary care academic medical centers and into more community‐based health systems and hospitals, creating new opportunities to provide advanced treatment options to a broader patient population. Accompanying these opportunities are unique challenges related to their adaptation, adoption, and use including modification of hardware and software to meet the unique and distinct demands of MR imaging in RT, the need for standardization of imaging techniques and protocols, education of the broader RT community (particularly in regards to MR safety) as well as the need to continue and support research, and development in this space. In response to this, an ad hoc committee of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) was formed to identify the unmet needs, roadblocks, and opportunities within this space. The purpose of this document is to report on the major findings and recommendations identified. Importantly, the provided recommendations represent the consensus opinions of the committee’s membership, which were submitted in the committee's report to the AAPM Board of Directors. In addition, AAPM ad hoc committee reports differ from AAPM task group reports in that ad hoc committee reports are neither reviewed nor ultimately approved by the committee’s parent groups, including at the council and executive committee level. Thus, the recommendations given in this summary should not be construed as being endorsed by or official recommendations from the AAPM.
Selecting disease‐modifying medications in 5q spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Cartwright Michael S. , Upadhya Suraj
Published: July 2021

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited lower motor neuron disease. SMA occurs secondary to alterations in the survival motor neuron 1 gene (SMN1), which is the main driver of SMN protein production. The severity of the disease is determined by the number of copies of theSMN2gene, which is a homolog toSMN1but not as efficient in protein production. Three medications have recently been approved for the treatment of SMA. Nusinersen is an intrathecal antisense oligonucleotide that altersSMN2pre‐mRNA, onasemnogene abeparvovec‐xioi is an intravenousSMN1gene replacement therapy, and risdiplam is an oral small molecule splicing modifier ofSMN2. No head‐to‐head studies have been conducted comparing these medications, so selection of one of these medications for an individual with SMA can be challenging. In this article we outline the efficacy, safety, and other pertinent factors to consider when selecting a therapy for an individual with SMA. The age of the individual and comorbidities, such as liver or kidney disease, help guide treatment choices. All three of these medications are efficacious, and early initiation is critical for obtaining the best outcomes.
The effect on precision and T1 bias comparing two flip angles when estimating muscle fat infiltration using fat‐referenced chemical shift‐encoded imaging
Authors: Karlsson Anette , Peolsson Anneli , Romu Thobias , Dahlqvist Leinhard Olof , Spetz Holm Anna‐Clara , Thorell Sofia , West Janne , Borga Magnus
Published: July 2021

Investigation of the effect on accuracy and precision of different parameter settings is important for quantitative MRI. The purpose of this study was to investigate T1 bias and precision for muscle fat infiltration (MFI) measurements using fat‐referenced chemical shift MFI measurements at flip angles of 5° and 10°. The fat‐referenced measurements were compared with fat fractions, which is a more commonly used measure of MFI. This retrospective study was performed on data from a clinical intervention study including 40 postmenopausal women. Test and retest images were acquired with a 3‐T scanner using four‐point 3D spoiled gradient multiecho acquisition. Postprocessing included T2* correction and fat‐referenced calibration, where the fat signal was calibrated using adipose tissue as reference. The mean MFI was calculated in six different muscle regions using both the fat‐referenced fat signal and the fat fraction, defined as the fat signal divided by the sum of the fat and water signals. Both methods used the same fat and water images as input. The variance of the difference between mean MFI from test and retest was used as the measure of precision. The signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) characteristics were analyzed by measuring the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the fat signal distribution. There was no difference in the mean MFI at different flip angles for the fat‐referenced technique (p = 0.66), while the measured fat fractions were 3.3 percentage points larger for 10° compared with 5° (p < 0.001). No significant difference in the precision was found in any of the muscles analyzed. However, the FWHM of the fat signal distribution was significantly (p = 0.01) lower at 10°. This strenghtens the hypothesis that fat‐referenced MFI is insensitive to flip angle‐induced T1 bias in CSE‐MRI, enabling usage of a higher and more SNR‐effective flip angle. The lower FWHM in fat‐referenced MFI at 10° indicates that high flip angle acquisition is advantageous even although no significant differences in precision were observed comparing 5° and 10°.
Comparative study of the microstructure of solid rubber from Ficus carica and Hevea brasiliensis
Authors: Yokota‐Imai Saki , Chida Shinsuke , Suzuki Takehiro , Dohmae Naoshi , Gotoh Takeshi
Published: July 2021

Natural rubber from Hevea brasiliensis (Hb) is known to have a characteristic network structure, with branch points formed by minor nonrubber components such as proteins and phospholipids that connect the major rubber component, cis‐1,4‐polyisoprene chains. However, the structure of solid rubber from Ficus carica (Fc) is not well known. In this study, we examined the microstructure and protein composition of solid rubber from Fc. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of Fc solid rubber revealed that the nonrubber components formed a nonuniform framework in the rubber matrix, and that many rubber particles were fused together. We determined that ficin, a cysteine endoproteolytic protease, was a major protein in the Fc rubber. It appears that ficin degrades the proteins associated with rubber particles rather than acting as a protein connecting the cis‐1,4‐polyisoprene chains in Fc rubber. We also found that a macrogel fraction, which separated after the dissolution of Hb solid rubber in toluene, was absent in the Fc solid rubber. These results suggest that there are no proteinous branch points in Fc rubber. Furthermore, size exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering (SEC‐MALS) analysis of the transesterified rubber demonstrated that no branch points composed of phospholipids were involved in Fc rubber. On the basis of our results, we propose a microstructure for the rubber particles in Fc solid rubber and discuss the relationship between the microstructure and the structure of the rubber chains within it.
Extended application of deep learning combined with 2DCOS: Study on origin identification in the medicinal plant of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis
Authors: Yue Jia Qi , Huang Heng Yu , Wang Yuan Zhong
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Medicinal plants are very important to human health, and ensuring their quality and rapid evaluation are the current research concerns. Deep learning has a strong ability in recognition. This study extended it to the identification of medicinal plants from the perspective of spectrum.

Objective

In order to realise the rapid identification and provide a reference for the selection of high‐quality resources of medicinal plants, a combination of deep learning and two‐dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) was proposed.

Methods

For the first time, Fourier transform mid‐infrared (FT‐MIR) and near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy 2DCOS images combined with residual neural network (ResNet) was used for the origin identification of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis. In total 1593 samples were collected and 12821 2DCOS images were drawn. The climate of different origins was briefly analysed.

Results

The xishuangbanna, puer, lincang, honghe and wenshan are the five regions with more ecological advantages. The synchronous 2DCOS models of FT‐MIR and NIR could realise origin identification with the accuracy of 100%. The synchronous images were suitable for the identification of medicinal plants with complex systems. The full band, feature band and different contour models had no big difference in distinguishing ability, so they were not the key factors affecting the discrimination results.

Conclusion

The ResNet models established were stable, reliable, and robust, which not only solved the problem of origin identification, expanded the application field of deep learning, but also provided practical reference for the related research of other medicinal plants.
Simulation of a Parallel Dual‐Metal‐Gate Structure for AlGaN/GaN High‐Electron‐Mobility Transistor High‐Linearity Applications
Authors: Jia Yeting , Wang Quan , Chen Changxi , Feng Chun , Li Wei , Jiang Lijuan , Xiao Hongling , Wang Qian , Xu Xiangang , Wang Xiaoliang
Published: July 2021

This article proposes a parallel dual‐metal‐gate structure (PDM) of AlGaN/GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistors (HEMTs) for high‐linearity applications. Cancellation of the third‐order derivative of the curve (is achieved by splitting the device into two subcells in parallel with different gate metals. The two subcells have different threshold voltages. When the same bias voltage is applied, the operating states of the two subcells are independently controlled by the gate bias voltages. The maximum transconductance () of the conventional single‐metal‐gate (SMG) HEMT, double‐metal‐gate (DMG) HEMT, and PDM‐HEMT is all comparable, whereas of the proposed structure is 75% lower than that of the SMG HEMT and 47.8% lower than that of the DMG HEMT. The effects of the differences and width ratios of the work function on are studied and compared, and a suitably designed PDM‐HEMT that can considerably improve linearity without degrading other performance aspects is obtained. This research has significant implications for high‐linearity applications.
Silver‐ and Silver–Hydrogen‐Related Defects in Silicon
Authors: Gwozdz Katarzyna , Kolkovsky Vladimir
Published: July 2021

Herein, the electrical and structural properties of Ag‐ and AgH‐related defects in n‐ and p‐type Si are reinvestigated using conventional deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and high‐resolution Laplace DLTS. It is evidenced that a peak corresponding to substitutional Ag does not always appear in as‐grown Si and additional heat treatments are necessary to observe this defect. Several AgH‐related peaks, which were not previously reported in the literature, are observed in hydrogenated n‐ and p‐type Si. The electrical properties of these defects are determined and their origin is discussed. By using high‐resolution Laplace DLTS, the depth profiles of AgH‐related defects previously assigned to AgSH and AgSH2 are analyzed, and their assignments are questioned.
High‐Performance Room‐Temperature Extended‐Wavelength InAs‐Based Middle‐Wavelength Infrared Photodetector
Authors: Lin Hongyu , Zhou Ziji , Xie Hao , Sun Yan , Chen Xin , Hao Jiaming , Hu Shuhong , Dai Ning
Published: July 2021

Herein, a high‐performance room‐temperature extended‐wavelength InAs‐based barrier‐type photodetector that operates in the 1.5–3.5 μm wavelength range is presented. The experimental results show that the uncooled photodetector exhibits a peak responsivity of 1.47 A W−1 at 3 μm and a peak detectivity as high as 1.6 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1 at zero bias, which is 3–10 times higher than that of available commercial InAs photodetectors. The external quantum efficiency at the peak responsivity is ≈63%. The nature of the detector's extended spectral response is investigated using numerical computation analyses, which indicate that such improvement is primarily contributed by the InAsSbP window layer.
Nanostructured CdS Buffer Layer Fabricated with a Simple Spin‐Coating Method for Sb2S3 Solar Cells
Authors: Liu Xingyun , Feng Zitong , Sun Yuxia , Su Mingzhu , Liu Ying , Liu Haiqiang , Wen Jian , Liu Hongri
Published: July 2021

Nanostructured CdS thin films are fabricated by a simple spin‐coating method at various annealing temperatures from 200 to 350 °C. CdS films of 80 nm thick, which are composed of nanoparticles or flakes with size ≈20–200 nm, are obtained. The nanostructured morphology is identified by scanning electron microscopy measurement. Sb2S3 films with large‐sized grains are deposited on the CdS thin films with hydrothermal method, in which CdS is adopted as electron transport layer (ETL) for Sb2S3 solar cells. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) is 4.88% for the best solar cell based on nanostructured CdS ETLs. Herein, a very facile and effective route to fabricate nanostructured CdS buffer layer for Sb2S3 solar cells is offered.
Time‐varying FMEA method based on interval‐valued spherical fuzzy theory
Authors: Zhou Xinda , Chen Chuanhai , Tian Hailong , Wang Liding , Yang Zhaojun , Yang Haiji
Published: July 2021

This paper proposes a time‐varying failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) method based on interval‐valued spherical fuzzy theory, which not only improves the limitations in evaluating, weighting, and ranking but also considers the effect of time change. The process of distinguishing time changes enables the FMEA to have dynamic recognition capability, enabling it to identify critical failure modes more accurately. The interval‐valued spherical fuzzy theory is used to deal with the uncertainty of intuitionistic linguistic evaluations. The advantages of two traditional approaches are combined to improve the weight determined method. Risk factors are divided into subjective and objective types. In the subjective risk factors, which are severity (S) and detection (D), the consistency of judgment is used as the acceptance standard. In the objective risk factors, which are occurrence (O), the time‐varying characteristics are considered. The occurrence in a certain period is expressed as the integral of failure intensity in the time period. Interval‐valued spherical fuzzy exponential risk priority number is proposed as the criterion for measuring the priority of failure modes. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified using an example of spindle.
Comment on: Uncommonly accurate energies for the general quartic oscillator
Authors: Turbiner Alexander V. , del Valle Juan Carlos
Published: July 2021

This article comments on the article by Okun et al.

See related Reply by Okun et al.
“Quite ironic that even I became a natural scientist”: Students' imagined identity trajectories in the Figured World of Higher Education Biology
Authors: Günter Katerina P. , Gullberg Annica , Ahnesjö Ingrid
Published: July 2021

Studying biology entails negotiating knowledges, identities, and what paths, more or less well‐trodden, to follow. Knowledges, identities, and paths within the very practices of science are fundamentally gendered and it is, therefore, critical to recognize when exploring students' learning and participation in natural sciences. Even though students' numbers in undergraduate Higher Education Biology are female‐biased, it does not mean that gendered processes are absent. In this study, we focus on early undergraduate biology students' identity work at a Swedish university, analyzing 55 study motivation texts discursively. Embedded in a Figured Worlds framework, we explore how students imagined and authored themselves in(to) the Figured World of Higher Education Biology along two imagined identity trajectories, the Straight Biology Path and the Backpacking Biology Path. While the first and numerically dominant imagined trajectory entails typical stories of a scientific child striving toward a research career, the latter recognizes broad interests and biology competences to be collected in a backpack for transdisciplinary use. Students imagining the Backpacking Biology Path authored themselves in relation to and explicitly not as having a linear trajectory, which positions the Straight Biology Path as dominant and culturally recognized. Our findings reveal gendered myths about science practices present in Higher Education Biology, yet also contested through alternative imaginaries. We, thereby, show that it is crucial for Higher Biology and Science Education to be aware of how students imagine their trajectories and how they negotiate masculine norms of science to create spaces for diverse and alternative identity trajectories.
Surface Defect Passivation of Pb–Sn‐Alloyed Perovskite Film by 1,3‐Propanediammonium Iodide toward High‐Performance Photovoltaic Devices
Authors: Zhang Lei , Kang Qiao , Shi Hongxi , Hong Jianhe , Song Yanping , Chi Dan , Huang Shihua , He Gang
Published: July 2021

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of narrow‐bandgap Pb–Sn‐alloyed perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) is seriously impeded by the large open‐circuit voltage () deficit. Finding an effective approach to passivate defects in the perovskite film is critical to reduce the deficit. Herein, a linear organic cation 1,3‐propanediammonium iodide (PDAI2) is used to passivate the surface defects of perovskite film, thus restraining the nonradiative recombination. After treating with PDAI2, the defect density of perovskite film is decreased to half and the carrier lifetime is prolonged more than 1.5 times. As a result, the champion Pb–Sn‐alloyed PVSC based on PDAI2 treatment exhibits a small deficit of 0.39 V, and a high PCE of 20.2%.
PDMA: Probabilistic service migration approach for delay‐aware and mobility‐aware mobile edge computing
Authors: Xu Minxian , Zhou Qiheng , Wu Huaming , Lin Weiwei , Ye Kejiang , Xu Chengzhong
Published: July 2021

As a key technology in the 5G era, mobile edge computing (MEC) has developed rapidly in recent years. MEC aims to reduce the service delay of mobile users, while alleviating the processing pressure on the core network. MEC can be regarded as an extension of cloud computing on the user side, which can deploy edge servers and bring computing resources closer to mobile users, and provide more efficient interactions. However, due to the user's dynamic mobility, the distance between the user and the edge server will change dynamically, which may cause fluctuations in Quality of Service. Therefore, when a mobile user moves in the MEC environment, certain approaches are needed to schedule services deployed on the edge server to ensure the user experience. In this article, we model service scheduling in MEC scenarios and propose a delay‐aware and mobility‐aware service management approach based on concise probabilistic methods. This approach has low computational complexity and can effectively reduce service delay and migration costs. Furthermore, we conduct experiments by utilizing multiple realistic datasets and use iFogSim to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. The results show that our proposed approach can optimize the performance on service delay, with 8%–20% improvement and reduce the migration cost by more than 75% compared with baselines during the rush hours.
In Situ Confining Pt Clusters in Ultrathin MnO2 Nanosheets for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Wei Jin-Xin , Cao Mei-Zhi , Xiao Kang , Guo Xing-Peng , Ye Si-Yu , Liu Zhao-Qing
Published: July 2021

Rational synthesis of highly dispersed electrocatalyst with excellent electrocatalytic performance is critical for energy and environment applications. However, metal cluster with high surface free energy remains a challenge for the synthesis of stable and highly active catalysts. Herein, a highly dispersed platinum cluster anchored on the Mn vacancy of MnO2 nanosheets (PtAC‐MnO2) via in situ electrochemical methods is reported. The strongly binding energy between Pt clusters and supports can effectively suppress the migration of active Pt atoms and optimize their electronic structure for excellent electrocatalytic properties. Impressively, the PtAC‐MnO2 demonstrates a considerably low overpotential (η100) of 47 mV at 100 mA cm−2 and can be catalyzed continuously at 10 mA cm−2 for 80 h, showing better catalytic stability than the state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pt/C catalysts. A cationic vacancy defect strategy for the design and preparation of metal cluster catalysts is provided.
Bonding and Activation of N2 in Molybdenum(0) Complexes Supported by Tripod Ligands with Phospholane End Groups
Authors: Pfeil Mareike , Engesser Tobias A. , Krahmer Jan , Näther Christian , Tuczek Felix
Published: July 2021

Tripod ligands with a neopentyl backbone and one (trpd‐1 pln), two (trpd‐2 pln) or three (trpd‐3 pln) phospholane end groups are synthesized and used for the synthesis of MoX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) complexes supported by these ligands. NaxHg reduction of [MoBr3(trpd‐3 pln)], in the presence of N2 and the bidentate coligand dppm leads to the molybdenum(0) mono(dinitrogen) complex [Mo(N2)(trpd‐3 pln)(dppm)] with a moderately activated N2 ligand. An attempt to further increase the activation by using dmpm as coligand leads to a mixture containing desired [Mo(N2)(trpd‐3 pln)(dmpm)], but also the bis(dinitrogen) complex [Mo(N2)2(κ2‐trpd‐3 pln)2] and the homoleptic complex [Mo(trpd‐3 pln)2]. Protonation of [Mo(N2)(trpd‐3 pln)(dppm)] with [H(OEt2)2][Al{OC(CF3)3}4] generates the hydrazido(2‐) complex [Mo(NNH2)(trpd‐3 pln)(dppm)][Al{OC(CF3)3}4]2.
Shared Physical Custody and Child Maintenance Arrangements: A Comparative Analysis of 13 Countries Using a Model Family Approach
Authors: Hakovirta Mia , Skinner Christine
Published: July 2021

This book chapter provides new insights to the question of how child maintenance policies have responded to changing post separation family arrangements and most specifically shared physical custody (SPC). We analyse how SPC is implemented and how it operates in child maintenance policies in 13 countries: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the U.S. The comparative analysis is based on vignette questionnaire collected in 2017. There are differences in how countries have acknowledged and recognized shared physical custody in their child maintenance policies. It varies from complete annulment of obligations, to some countries making finer grained adjustments to reduce child maintenance obligations and yet others’ making no changes as a result of shared physical custody, with the paying parent still having to provide the full amount of child maintenance. It seems there is no standard practice and nor do the different arrangements map easily onto child maintenance scheme typology. The latter is surprising, as it might have been expected that similarly structured child maintenance schemes would treat shared physical custody in similar ways. This variability demonstrates a lack of coherence across child maintenance policies on how to deal with this phenomenon of greater gender equality in post-separation parenting arrangements.
A European Model for Harmonizing the Law on Parental Responsibilities: The Family Law Persepctive
Authors: Boele-Woelki Katharina
Published: July 2021

Since 2001 the academic Commission on European Family Law (CEFL) has drafted Principles of European Family Law that are thought to be most suitable for the harmonization of family law within Europe. The CEFL Principles are non-binding rules. They can be considered to be a model law which national legislators can take into account.

This contribution explains methodological aspects of the drafting process of the Principles on Parental Responsibilities. It informs about the huge amount of international and European instruments. Although each of these instruments only addresses some specific aspects of the law regarding parental responsibilities, they collectively built the general framework which to a considerable extent has also determined the national systems in Europe. Before focussing on the concept of parental responsibilities, as well as on those Principles which specifically address the situation upon divorce and separation of the parents (joint and sole exercise, (dis-)agreement on exercise, residence of the child, relocation, maintenance of personal relationships, hearing of the child, representing the child), information about the structure of the Principles is provided. Finally, more than 10 years after the publication of the Parental Responsibilities Principles it makes sense to take stock and explore how they have been perceived.
Children’s Living Arrangements After Divorce and the Quality of the Father-Child Relationship; Father Involvement as an Important Underlying Mechanism
Authors: Vrolijk Paula , Keizer Renske
Published: July 2021

Using data from the multi-actor Divorce in Flanders survey, this study aimed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of linkages between children’s living arrangements after divorce and father-child relationship quality. First, we tested whether father involvement and co-parental relationship quality explained linkages between living arrangements and father-child relationship quality. Second, we examined whether child’s loyalty conflicts and child’s sex moderated associations between living arrangements and father-child relationship quality. Finally, we explored whether results differed when fathers or children reported on their relationship. Results show that father-child relationship quality (irrespectively of the reporter) was significantly higher for children living in JPC but only compared to children who live solely with their mother. Furthermore, father involvement explained the association between living arrangements and father-child relationship quality (again irrespectively of the reporter). The co-parental relationship also explained part of this association, but only when children reported on father-child relationship quality. The association between children’s living arrangement and father-child relationship quality was stronger for sons than daughters. This association did not differ by loyalty conflicts. These findings highlight the importance of enabling fathers to remain involved after divorce and having a positive co-parental relationship for maintaining high quality relationships between fathers and children.
The Socioeconomic Gradient of Shared Physical Custody in Two Welfare States: Comparison Between Spain and Sweden
Authors: Garriga Anna , Turunen Jani , Bernardi Laura
Published: July 2021

This study contributes to the emerging literature on the diffusion of SPC across social strata, by comparing two national contexts, Sweden and Spain, with different prevalence rates of SPC and with diverging social and gender policies in the early XXI century. We draw on the 2006 and 2014 comparative cross-sectional data from the Spanish and Swedish Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC), to test two competitive hypotheses (diffusion and diverging destinies hypotheses) on the association of parental socioeconomic status, children’s living arrangements in separated families and their relative prevalence in a populaiton. We also examine whether such association is modified by the great increase in SPC in both countries between 2006 and 2014. We present empirical evidence that, independently from the context, SPC arrangements are more frequent among parents with higher socioeconomic status and sole-custody arrangements among other parents; however, social inequality in post-separation arrangements differ in the two countries over time. In Spain, we find evidence in favour of the diffusion hypothesis with increases in the prevalence of SPC going hand in hand with the diffusion of SPC across social strata. By contrast, the Swedish data support the diverging destinies hypothesis with increases in SPC producing no variation in its social stratification over time.
Correction to: Everyone Counts: Building a Culture of Respect
Authors: Leape Lucian L.
Published: July 2021

Chapter 21 in: L. L. Leape, Making Healthcare Safe
Subformula Linking for Intuitionistic Logic with Application to Type Theory
Authors: Chaudhuri Kaustuv
Published: July 2021

Subformula linking is an interactive theorem proving technique that was initially proposed for (classical) linear logic. It is based on truth and context preserving rewrites of a conjecture that are triggered by a user indicatinglinksbetween subformulas, which can be done by direct manipulation, without the need of tactics or proof languages. The system guarantees that a true conjecture can always be rewritten to a known, usually trivial, theorem. In this work, we extend subformula linking to intuitionistic first-order logic with simply typed lambda-terms as the term language of this logic. We then use a well known embedding of intuitionistic type theory into this logic to demonstrate one way to extend linking to type theory.
Proof Search and Certificates for Evidential Transactions
Authors: Nigam Vivek , Reis Giselle , Rahmouni Samar , Ruess Harald
Published: July 2021

Attestation logics have been used for specifying systems with policies involving different principals. Cyberlogic is an attestation logic used for the specification of Evidential Transactions (ETs). In such transactions, evidence has to be provided supporting its validity with respect to given policies. For example, visa applicants may be required to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to visit a foreign country. Such evidence can be expressed as a Cyberlogic proof, possibly combined with non-logical data (e.g., a digitally signed document). A key issue is how to construct and communicate such evidence/proofs. It turns out that attestation modalities are challenging to use established proof-theoretic methods such as focusing. Our first contribution is the refinement of Cyberlogic proof theory with knowledge operators which can be used to represent knowledge bases local to one or more principals. Our second contribution is the identification of an executable fragment of Cyberlogic, called Cyberlogic programs, enabling the specification of ETs. Our third contribution is a sound and complete proof system for Cyberlogic programs enabling proof search similar to search in logic programming. Our final contribution is a proof certificate format for Cyberlogic programs inspired by Foundational Proof Certificates as a means to communicate evidence and check its validity.
Multi-Dimensional Interpretations for Termination of Term Rewriting
Authors: Yamada Akihisa
Published: July 2021

Interpretation methods constitute a foundation of termination analysis for term rewriting. From time to time remarkable instances of interpretation methods appeared, such as polynomial interpretations, matrix interpretations, arctic interpretations, and their variants. In this paper we introduce a general framework, the multi-dimensional interpretation method, that subsumes these variants as well as many previously unknown interpretation methods as instances. Employing the notion of derivers, we prove the soundness of the proposed method in an elegant way. We implement the proposed method in the termination prover and verify its significance through experiments.
Computing Optimal Repairs of Quantified ABoxes w.r.t. Static $$\mathcal {EL}$$ TBoxes
Authors: Baader Franz , Koopmann Patrick , Kriegel Francesco , Nuradiansyah Adrian
Published: July 2021

The application of automated reasoning approaches to Description Logic (DL) ontologies may produce certain consequences that either are deemed to be wrong or should be hidden for privacy reasons. The question is then how to repair the ontology such that the unwanted consequences can no longer be deduced. An optimal repair is one where the least amount of other consequences is removed. Most of the previous approaches to ontology repair are of a syntactic nature in that they remove or weaken the axioms explicitly present in the ontology, and thus cannot achieve semantic optimality. In previous work, we have addressed the problem of computing optimal repairs of (quantified) ABoxes, where the unwanted consequences are described by concept assertions of the lightweight DL $$\mathcal {EL}$$EL. In the present paper, we improve on the results achieved so far in two ways. First, we allow for the presence of terminological knowledge in the form of an$$\mathcal {EL}$$ELTBox. This TBox is assumed to be static in the sense that it cannot be changed in the repair process. Second, the construction of optimal repairs described in our previous work is best case exponential. We introduce an optimized construction that is exponential only in the worst case. First experimental results indicate that this reduces the size of the computed optimal repairs considerably.
A Unifying Splitting Framework
Authors: Ebner Gabriel , Blanchette Jasmin , Tourret Sophie
Published: July 2021

AVATAR is an elegant and effective way to split clauses in a saturation prover using a SAT solver. But is it refutationally complete? And how does it relate to other splitting architectures? To answer these questions, we present a unifying framework that extends a saturation calculus (e.g., superposition) with splitting and embeds the result in a prover guided by a SAT solver. The framework also allows us to study locking, a subsumption-like mechanism based on the current propositional model. Various architectures are instances of the framework, including AVATAR, labeled splitting, and SMT with quantifiers.
Making Higher-Order Superposition Work
Authors: Vukmirović Petar , Bentkamp Alexander , Blanchette Jasmin , Cruanes Simon , Nummelin Visa , Tourret Sophie
Published: July 2021

Superposition is among the most successful calculi for first-order logic. Its extension to higher-order logic introduces new challenges such as infinitely branching inference rules, new possibilities such as reasoning about formulas, and the need to curb the explosion of specific higher-order rules. We describe techniques that address these issues and extensively evaluate their implementation in the Zipperposition theorem prover. Largely thanks to their use, Zipperposition won the higher-order division of the CASC-J10 competition.
Dual Proof Generation for Quantified Boolean Formulas with a BDD-based Solver
Authors: Bryant Randal E. , Heule Marijn J. H.
Published: July 2021

Existing proof-generating quantified Boolean formula (QBF) solvers must construct a different type of proof depending on whether the formula is false (refutation) or true (satisfaction). We show that a QBF solver based on ordered binary decision diagrams (BDDs) can emit a single dual proof as it operates, supporting either outcome. This form consists of a sequence of equivalence-preserving clause addition and deletion steps in an extended resolution framework. For a false formula, the proof terminates with the empty clause, indicating conflict. For a true one, it terminates with all clauses deleted, indicating tautology. Both the length of the proof and the time required to check it are proportional to the total number of BDD operations performed. We evaluate our solver using a scalable benchmark based on a two-player tiling game.
Reliable Reconstruction of Fine-grained Proofs in a Proof Assistant
Authors: Schurr Hans-Jörg , Fleury Mathias , Desharnais Martin
Published: July 2021

We present a fast and reliable reconstruction of proofs generated by the SMT solver veriT in Isabelle. The fine-grained proof format makes the reconstruction simple and efficient. For typical proof steps, such as arithmetic reasoning and skolemization, our reconstruction can avoid expensive search. By skipping proof steps that are irrelevant for Isabelle, the performance of proof checking is improved. Our method increases the success rate of Sledgehammer by halving the failure rate and reduces the checking time by 13%. We provide a detailed evaluation of the reconstruction time for each rule. The runtime is influenced by both simple rules that appear very often and common complex rules.
Neural Precedence Recommender
Authors: Bártek Filip , Suda Martin
Published: July 2021

The state-of-the-art superposition-based theorem provers for first-order logic rely on simplification orderings on terms to constrain the applicability of inference rules, which in turn shapes the ensuing search space. The popular Knuth-Bendix simplification ordering is parameterized by symbol precedence—a permutation of the predicate and function symbols of the input problem’s signature. Thus, the choice of precedence has an indirect yet often substantial impact on the amount of work required to complete a proof search successfully.

This paper describes and evaluates a symbol precedence recommender, a machine learning system that estimates the best possible precedence based on observations of prover performance on a set of problems and random precedences. Using the graph convolutional neural network technology, the system does not presuppose the problems to be related or share a common signature. When coupled with the theorem prover Vampire and evaluated on the TPTP problem library, the recommender is found to outperform a state-of-the-art heuristic by more than 4 % on unseen problems.