bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic study on the regioselective Ni-catalyzed dicarboxylation of 1,3-dienes with CO2
Authors: Nie Wan , Shao Yifan , Ahlquist Mårten S. G. , Yu Haizhu , Fu Yao
Published: November 2020

DFT calculations revealed a new CO2 insertion mode different from conventional mechanisms in the Ni-catalyzed dicarboxylation of 1,3-dienes.
Stimuli-responsive gelators from carbamoyl sugar derivatives and their responses to metal ions and tetrabutylammonium salts
Authors: Wang Dan , Chen Anji , Morris Joedian , Wang Guijun
Published: November 2020

Sugar based gelators for both metal ions and tetrabutylammonium salts.
Enhancing the mechanical and tribological properties of epoxy composites via incorporation of reactive bio-based epoxy functionalized graphene oxide
Authors: Wu Hao , Liu Chengbao , Cheng Li , Yu Yue , Zhao Haichao , Wang Liping
Published: November 2020

Superior mechanical and tribological properties of epoxy nanocomposites were obtained by introducing novel reactive bio-based epoxy-modified graphene oxide nanomaterials.
Dinuclear thiolato-bridged arene ruthenium complexes: from reaction conditions and mechanism to synthesis of new complexes
Authors: Primasová Hedvika , Ninova Silviya , de Capitani Mario , Daepp Jana , Aschauer Ulrich , Furrer Julien
Published: November 2020

We used DFT calculations to understand the reaction mechanisms leading to the formation of dinuclear thiophenolato-bridged arene ruthenium complexes. DFT prompted us to modify the usual synthetic route, which enabled the synthesis of new complexes.
Unravelling the theoretical window to fabricate high performance inorganic perovskite solar cells
Authors: Raoui Yassine , Ez-Zahraouy Hamid , Ahmad Shahzada , Kazim Samrana
Published: November 2020

A theoretical roadmap for designing highly efficient inorganic lead and lead free based perovskite solar cells.
Recent advances in solar-driven evaporation systems
Authors: Xu Zhourui , Li Zida , Jiang Yihang , Xu Gaixia , Zhu Mingwei , Law Wing-Cheung , Yong Ken-Tye , Wang Yanshuai , Yang Chengbin , Dong Biqin , Xing Feng
Published: November 2020

Solar-driven evaporation as a promising and sustainable approach to convert solar energy into freshwater resource is attracting huge interest in the research community. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in system designs of solar-driven evaporation devices.
Manipulating the phase transformation temperature to achieve cubic Cu5FeS4−xSex and enhanced thermoelectric performance
Authors: Guo Lijie , Zhang Bin , Zhu Huaxing , Wu Hong , Yan Yanci , Gong Xiangnan , Lu Xu , Han Guang , Wang Guoyu , Zhou Xiaoyuan
Published: November 2020

The phase transformation temperature of Cu5FeS4 can be significantly reduced by replacing S by Se, leading to significantly enhanced average power factor and zT.
Recent advances and prospects of D1:D2:A non-fullerene ternary polymer solar cells
Authors: Zhang Xingyu , Wang Qiao , Shen Wenfei , Han Chenyu , Shao Yuying , Belfiore Laurence A. , Tang Jianguo
Published: November 2020

Ternary polymer solar cells (PSCs) exhibit broader absorption bands, greater potential in micro-morphology regulation, energy level tuning, and other advantages compared with binary PSCs, and is a facile and efficient approach for further enhancing photovoltaic performances.
Biodegradable inkjet-printed electrochromic display for sustainable short-lifecycle electronics
Authors: Pietsch Manuel , Schlisske Stefan , Held Martin , Strobel Noah , Wieczorek Alexander , Hernandez-Sosa Gerardo
Published: November 2020

We report on inkjet-printed, wearable electrochromic displays with certified biodegradability according to the international standard 14855 for short-lifecycle applications.
Universal host materials for red, green and blue high-efficiency single-layer phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Lucas Fabien , Quinton Cassandre , Fall Sadiara , Heiser Thomas , Tondelier Denis , Geffroy Bernard , Leclerc Nicolas , Rault-Berthelot Joëlle , Poriel Cyril
Published: November 2020

As simplifying the device structure is a key step for the future of organic electronic, we report herein high efficiency universal host materials for red, green and blue Single-Layer Phosphorescent OLEDs.
The different associations between platelet distribution width and hypertension subtypes in males and females
Authors: Li Tingwei , Jin Jiahui , Meng Zhaowei , Zhang Wenjuan , Li Yongle , Yu Xuefang , Du Xin , Liu Ming , Zhang Qing , Gao Ying , Song Kun , Wang Xing , Fan Yaguang , Wang Yan
Published: November 2020

The prevalence of hypertension has increased rapidly in recent years. Currently, increasing attention has been paid to the relationship between hypertension and platelet abnormalities. As a simple and available platelet parameter, platelet distribution width (PDW) can reflect platelet abnormalities and further reflect the risk of thrombotic diseases. However, the views on PDW and hypertension are controversial at present studies. Hence, we aimed to find the associations between PDW and hypertension subtypes in the present study. A total of 73,469 participants (44,665 males and 28,804 females) were enrolled. We found that PDW was a risk factor for isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), and the risk of ISH increased with PDW quartiles among women. In men, high PDW might be a risk factor for isolated diastolic hypertension and systolic–diastolic hypertension.
Skeletal muscle redox signaling in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Steinz Maarten M. , Santos-Alves Estela , Lanner Johanna T.
Published: November 2020

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by synovitis and the presence of serum autoantibodies. In addition, skeletal muscle weakness is a common comorbidity that contributes to inability to work and reduced quality of life. Loss in muscle mass cannot alone account for the muscle weakness induced by RA, but instead intramuscular dysfunction appears as a critical factor underlying the decreased force generating capacity for patients afflicted by arthritis. Oxidative stress and associated oxidative post-translational modifications have been shown to contribute to RA-induced muscle weakness in animal models of arthritis and patients with RA. However, it is still unclear how and which sources of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) that are involved in the oxidative stress that drives the progression toward decreased muscle function in RA. Nevertheless, mitochondria, NADPH oxidases (NOX), nitric oxide synthases (NOS) and phospholipases (PLA) have all been associated with increased ROS/RNS production in RA-induced muscle weakness. In this review, we aim to cover potential ROS sources and underlying mechanisms of oxidative stress and loss of force production in RA. We also addressed the use of antioxidants and exercise as potential tools to counteract oxidative stress and skeletal muscle weakness.
58 GHz CMOS VCO with 16% efficiency
Authors: Tibenszky Z. , Carta C. , Ellinger F.
Published: November 2020

This Letter presents a millimetre‐wave CMOS oscillator, which achieves 4.9 dBm output power with 16% peak power efficiency. A phase noise of at 1 MHz offset frequency and 26.7% tuning range around 57.5 GHz centre frequency were verified experimentally. To the best knowledge of the authors, the output power, efficiency, and phase noise performance are the best among fundamental CMOS oscillators in the frequency range of interest, while the tuning range is the third highest result reported to date. The circuit occupies a silicon area of without the matching inductors on a 22 nm fully depleted silicon on insulator (FD‐SOI) CMOS technology.
Optimization of surface passivation for suppressing leakage current in GaSb PIN devices
Authors: Ji Y. , Azizur‐Rahman K. M. , Chang T. , Juang B.‐C. , Prout D. L. , Liang B. , Huffaker D. L. , Chatziioannou A. F.
Published: November 2020

The suppression of leakage current via surface passivation plays a critical role for GaSb‐based optoelectronic devices. In this Letter the authors carefully optimise the sulfur passivation parameters for improving the performance of GaSb p–i–n devices. Two competing processes are evaluated during the sulfur passivation process: the hydrolysis of HS– ions that aide surface passivation and the re‐oxidation, respectively. Upon the optimisation of sulfur passivation parameters and subsequent encapsulation with atomic layer deposition Al2 O3, the surface resistivity significantly increased from 4.3 kΩ.cm to 28.6 kΩ.cm, leading to a 19.1 times drop in dark current at room temperature for the GaSb p–i–n structure. This Letter provides a repeatable and stable passivation approach for improving the optoelectronic performance of GaSb‐based devices.
Miniaturised multi‐channel millimetre wave filter bank
Authors: Wang Yifan , Jiang Zhengbo
Published: November 2020

This Letter presents a miniaturised multi‐channel millimetre‐wave filter bank implemented by stripline and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW). Since the orthogonal transverse electric mode and transverse electromagnetic mode can coexist in the same hybrid structure cavity and be transmitted almost without mutual interference, embedding stripline into SIW to miniaturise the size of the filter bank is achievable. A prototype composed of four bandpass filter units working at X‐band is designed, fabricated and tested. Measurement results show that the proposed device has four independent channels with a good quality of bandpass filtering and the isolation among ports of different filter units are relatively high. The proposed prototype has 39.5% volume reduction than traditional stacking structure as well as good scalability, which has broad prospects in the application of next‐generation wireless communication system.
Sliding beamforming for target detection in the presence of a strong jamming
Authors: Li Linna , He Jin
Published: November 2020

In this Letter, a new beamforming technique called sliding beamforming is proposed for target detection when a strong jamming signal is present. The basic philosophy of the sliding beamforming is to repeat an antenna‐pair beamformer in a sliding manner across the array to completely eliminate the jamming signal while preserving the gain of the array. For uniform linear antenna arrays, only a single beamformer weight is required so that the sliding beamforming has very low implementation complexity. Moreover, the sliding beamforming is also effective to handle the case that the jamming is in the array mainlobe. Output signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio of the sliding beamformer is studied. A radar target detection example using the sliding beamforming is presented as well.
Characteristic matching of stochastic scenarios and flexible resource capacity optimisation for isolated microgrids
Authors: Cen Bowei , Cai Zexiang , Liu Ping , Chen Yuanju , Sun Yuyan , Hu Kaiqiang , Zeng Xing
Published: November 2020

Considering a large number of stochastic scenarios when optimising the flexible resource capacity for isolated microgrids not only improves the accuracy and credibility of the results but also enables the use of probabilistic statistical methods to obtain a scheme that balances robustness and costs. However, the consideration of massive scenarios can drastically lower the computational efficiency, and there is a lack of research on configuration methods that can result in a compromise. In this study, a characteristic‐matching method is proposed to enhance the computational efficiency of optimisation, and a statistics‐based prism filtering method is designed to obtain the compromise scheme for use by decision‐makers. Specifically, the massive scenario set is divided into four subsets. The characteristic‐matching method is proposed to obtain a near‐optimal solution, which is used as the initial iteration value to accelerate the computational speed. Then, a characteristic‐matching‐based bi‐level optimisation method is proposed to solve massive scenarios with high computational efficiency. Moreover, a prism filtering method is designed to select a compromise scheme with high economic benefits using scenario coverage, load curtailment, power curtailment and economy indicators. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed models and methods.
Delay‐aware and cost‐efficient probabilistic transmission for opportunistic networks
Authors: Li Jun , He Xing‐Yu , Zhao Dan , Yang Gui‐Song , He Dao‐Jing , Chan Sammy
Published: November 2020

The opportunistic network has become an appealing paradigm since it can reduce the energy consumption and cost on cellular network connections and relieve the communication burden of cellular networks. The probabilistic transmission scheme has been proposed as one of the typical opportunistic transmission schemes. However, most existing probabilistic transmission schemes neglect that, opportunistic transmission tasks in some applications have transmission time and cost budgets, and to set proper delay and hop count thresholds on encountering probabilities between relay nodes and their destination nodes can help to filter redundant long‐delay and high‐cost opportunistic paths for packets. In this study, the authors proposed a delay‐aware and cost‐efficient probabilistic transmission method for opportunistic networks. In this method, direct and indirect encountering probabilities related to delay and hop count are defined, and accordingly, a relay node selection algorithm is provided with preset encountering delay and hop count thresholds to compare probabilities of nodes to encounter the destination node within the preset thresholds as their transmission quality metrics. The simulation results verify that the proposed method can reduce transmission delay and cost efficiently.
Wer wird Physiotherapeut? Eine Analyse der Persönlichkeits- und Motivstruktur von Auszubildenden der Physiotherapie im Vergleich zur Allgemeinbevölkerung
Authors: Kemper Christoph J. , Eggers N.
Published: November 2020

Hintergrund Für den Beruf des Physiotherapeuten sind fachliche Kompetenzen nötig, z. B. Fakten- und Handlungswissen. In Deutschland werden diese in einer Berufsausbildung, einem berufsbegleitenden, dualen oder primärqualifizierenden Studium vermittelt. Ebenfalls als erfolgskritisch gelten außerfachliche Kompetenzen, z. B. Freude an der Arbeit mit Menschen. Forschungsbefunde aus der Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie zeigen, dass eine gute Passung von Berufstätigen zu ihrer Arbeitsstelle (Person-Job-Fit) mit positiven Effekten für die Berufstätigen sowie für Bildungsträger und Arbeitgeber einhergehen kann.

Ziel Es wurde der Frage nachgegangen, ob sich (angehende) Physiotherapeuten in ihrer Persönlichkeitsstruktur, d. h. in außerfachlichen Kompetenzen, von der Allgemeinbevölkerung unterscheiden. Es wurde erwartet, dass ein Selbstselektionseffekt auftritt, d. h., dass den Bewerbern Stellenanforderungen bekannt sind und sie sich für eine Bewerbung entscheiden, wenn diese ihren Bedürfnissen und Interessen entsprechen.

Methode Erhebung von Daten aus fünf Physiotherapieschulen in privater Trägerschaft. Die Auszubildenden (N = 256) wurden anschließend anhand zweier Persönlichkeitsfragebögen, die zentrale Persönlichkeitsdispositionen und Motive erfassen, mit einer repräsentativen Stichprobe der Allgemeinbevölkerung verglichen.

Ergebnisse Es wurden signifikante Unterschiede zwischen beiden Stichproben gefunden, die mit den im Berufsbild beschriebenen Anforderungen korrespondieren. Die Auszubildenden zeigten im Vergleich zur Allgemeinbevölkerung höhere Ausprägungen bei den Motiven „Sozialkontakte“, „Extraversion“, „Verträglichkeit“, „Soziales Engagement“ und „Bewegung“ sowie niedrigere Ausprägungen beim Motiv „Revanche“.

Schlussfolgerung Auf der Grundlage der Ergebnisse empfehlen wir, dass außerfachliche Kompetenzen in Personalauswahlprozessen berücksichtig werden sollten.
Letter to the Editor - Reply
Authors: Aleissa Sami
Published: November 2020

Reply to the Letter to the Editor concerning “Cross-Cultural
Adaptation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the Intermittent and Constant
Osteoarthritis Pain Questionnaire” Sports Med Int Open 2020; 4(01):
E8–E12; DOI: 10.1055/a-1031-0947
Colon diverticulosis is not a risk factor for the detection of adenomatous polyps – results of a prospective study
Authors: Poszler Alexander , Walter Benjamin , Aulehner-Forlenza Christina , Haller Bernhard , Abdelhafez Mohamed , Brown Hayley , von Delius Stefan , Born Peter , Schmid Roland M. , Bajbouj Monther , Klare Peter
Published: November 2020

Background and aims Colon diverticula (CD) and adenomatous polyps are frequently found during colonoscopy. Data from the literature contains inconsistent information about whether patients with CD have a higher risk for colon adenomas. A positive correlation might influence the current guidelines for screening colonoscopies. The aim of this study was to examine whether presence of CD is associated with endoscopic adenoma detection.

Materials and methods This was a prospective study at 2 centers in Germany. Patients with an indication for colonoscopy were included. The number and localization of diverticula were recorded. Detected polyps were resected, and histopathological results were captured. Logistic regression models were fitted to the data to evaluate the association between CD and adenoma detection.

Results A total of 938 colonoscopies was included. CD occurred in 49.1 % of the colonoscopies. The polyp and adenoma detection rates (PDR, ADR) were 50.3 % and 32.3 %. In 37.5 % of the patients with diverticula, at least 1 adenoma was detected, whereas this was the case in 27.3 % in the absence of diverticula. The presence of diverticula was positively correlated with the detection of adenomas in univariate analysis (p = 0.001), but no significant association could be found in multivariable analysis (p = 0.775). Increasing age (p < 0.001), male sex (p = 0.005), and longer withdrawal time (p < 0.001) were significant predictors for adenoma detection in the multivariable analysis. Similar results were also observed for both the distal and the proximal colon.

Discussion Diverticula and adenomas are frequently found during colonoscopies. However, diverticula disease was not significantly associated with adenoma detection after adjustment for relevant prognostic factors. Older age, male sex, and duration of withdrawal time are predictors for the detection of adenomatous polyps.
Tumor heterogeneity for differentiation between liver tumors and normal liver tissue in 18F-FDG PET/CT
Authors: Hartmann Lynn , Bundschuh Lena , Zsótér Norbert , Essler Markus , Bundschuh Ralph Alexander
Published: November 2020

Aim Malignancies show higher spatial heterogeneity than normal tissue. We investigated, if textural parameters from FDG PET describing the heterogeneity function as tool to differentiate between tumor and normal liver tissue.

Methods FDG PET/CT scans of 80 patients with liver metastases and 80 patients with results negative upper abdominal organs were analyzed. Metastases and normal liver tissue were analyzed drawing up to three VOIs with a diameter of 25 mm in healthy liver tissue of the tumoral affected and results negative liver, whilst up to 3 metastases per patient were delineated. Within these VOIs 30 different textural parameters were calculated as well as SUV. The parameters were compared in terms of intra-patient and inter-patient variability (2-sided t test). ROC analysis was performed to analyze predictive power and cut-off values.

Results 28 textural parameters differentiated healthy and pathological tissue (p < 0.05) with high sensitivity and specificity. SUV showed ability to differentiate but with a lower significance. 15 textural parameters as well as SUV showed a significant variation between healthy tissues out of tumour infested and negative livers. Mean intra- and inter-patient variability of metastases were found comparable or lower for 6 of the textural features than the ones of SUV. They also showed good values of mean intra- and inter-patient variability of VOIs drawn in liver tissue of patients with metastases and of results negative ones.

Conclusion Heterogeneity parameters assessed in FDG PET are promising to classify tissue and differentiate malignant lesions usable for more personalized treatment planning, therapy response evaluation and precise delineation of tumors for target volume determination as part of radiation therapy planning.
A Concise Enantiodivergent Synthesis of Equol
Authors: Tanimori Shinji , Uemura Takahito , Saito Yusuke , Sonoda Motohiro
Published: November 2020

Equol, a nonsteroidal estrogen produced from the metabolism of the isoflavonoid phytoestrogen daidzein, has been synthesized as both enantioenriched forms based on MacMillan’s α-arylation of carbonyl compound mediated by amino acid derived indazolidinones and copper precatalysts. The natural form of (S)-equol and its enantiomer (R)-equol have been synthesized in 8 steps from 2,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde with good enantiomeric purity (90% ee and 90% ee, respectively).
Decagram Synthesis of Dimethyl 1,4-Cubanedicarboxylate Using Continuous-Flow Photochemistry
Authors: Linclau Bruno , Collin Diego E. , Jackman Edward H. , Jouandon Nicolas , Sun Wei , Light Mark E. , Harrowven David C.
Published: November 2020

The highly strained cubane system is of great interest as a scaffold and rigid linker in both pharmaceutical and materials chemistry. A straightforward approach is reported for the scale-up of a [2+2] photocycloaddition step using convenient home-made flow photoreactors to access dimethyl 1,4-cubanedicarboxylate on decagram-scale in 33–40% yield over 8 steps. The process is demonstrated on 3.4 g·h–1 input with 30 minutes residence time, enabling to reduce the process time and to avoid the use of batch photoreactors. Completion of the characterisation of the photocycloadduct and its hydrates is reported.
Shape Profile of Corpus Callosum As a Signature to Phenotype Different Dementia
Authors: Mangalore Sandhya , Mukku Shiva Shanker Reddy , Vankayalapati Sriharish , Sivakumar Palanimuthu Thangaraju , Varghese Mathew
Published: November 2020

Background Phenotyping dementia is always a complex task for a clinician. There is a need for more practical biomarkers to aid clinicians.

Objective The aim of the study is to investigate the shape profile of corpus callosum (CC) in different phenotypes of dementia.

Materials and Methods Our study included patients who underwent neuroimaging in our facility as a part of clinical evaluation for dementia referred from Geriatric Clinic (2017–2018). We have analyzed the shape of CC and interpreted the finding using a seven-segment division.

Results The sample included MPRAGE images of Alzheimer’ dementia (AD) (n = 24), posterior cortical atrophy- Alzheimer’ dementia (PCA-AD) (n = 7), behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (Bv-FTD) (n = 17), semantic variant frontotemporal dementia (Sv-FTD) (n = 11), progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) (n = 4), Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) (n = 5), diffuse Lewy body dementia (n = 7), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (n = 3), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) (n = 3). We found in posterior dementias such as AD and PCA-AD that there was predominant atrophy of splenium of CC. In Bv-FTD, the genu and anterior half of the body of CC was atrophied, whereas in PNFA, PSP, PDD, and CBD there was atrophy of the body of CC giving a dumbbell like profile.

Conclusion Our study findings were in agreement with the anatomical cortical regions involved in different phenotypes of dementia. Our preliminary study highlighted potential usefulness of CC in the clinical setting for phenotyping dementia in addition to clinical history and robust biomarkers.
Foot Self-Care Behavior in Patients with Diabetes
Authors: Turan Elif , Önalan Ramazan , İşçımen Necla Çay , Ozan Zeynep Tuğba , Yıldırım Tekin , Aral Yalçın
Published: November 2020

Objective Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are complications of diabetes that can progress with high mortality and morbidity. It is a preventable problem with the determination of risk factors and patient education. Our aim is to examine the knowledge and behavior of diabetic patients in our region about foot care.

Materials and Methods Diabetic individuals who applied to the Endocrine and Internal Medicine Clinic were included in this cross-sectional study. Demographic variables, physical examination, and laboratory findings were recorded. “Diabetic foot information form for diabetic foot care” was used to evaluate the patient’s level of knowledge about diabetic foot and care. The questionnaire consists of 16 questions with two options, right or wrong, according to the suggestions of the guides. A total of 16 points scoring system has been established, 1 point for each correct answer and 0 points for the wrong answer.

Results “Total acknowledgment scores” (TAS) were significantly higher in patients with DFU, amputation, and DFU history (p < 0.001). TAS were significantly lower in patients receiving oral antidiabetic therapy than those receiving insulin therapy (p = 0.005). Total scores were significantly lower in untrained patients compared with primary school graduates (p = 0.005), and in high school graduates compared with university graduates (p < 0.001).

Conclusion In this study, a serious lack of information or insufficiency was found in patients with diabetes. More comprehensive training programs are needed to reduce diabetic foot development and complications.
Assessment of Functions of the Autonomic Nervous System in the Elderly with Different Comorbid Factors
Authors: S. Sushma , Rao Medha Y. , Aslam Shaikh Mohammed
Published: November 2020

Background Studies in healthy elderly patients have shown the prevalence of autonomic dysfunction (AD) in the range of 20 to 30%. However, there is paucity in data pertaining to AD in the elderly in the Indian context.

Objective To assess the prevalence of AD in the elderly irrespective of their comorbidity status.

Methods A total of 141 elderly patients with or without comorbidities/symptoms of AD were included. Demographic and clinical details of the patients were recorded. Autonomic function tests (AFTs) such as deep breathing test, Valsalva ratio, orthostatic heart rate (OHR), isometric handgrip test, and orthostatic blood pressure were performed based on Ewing’s battery of tests. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and the accuracy of AFTs were evaluated.

Results Most patients (n = 85) were aged between 60 and 69 years, with a male predominance (58.87%). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most common comorbidities. Postural hypotension was the most common symptom of AD. With advancing age, symptoms of AD manifested significantly more. Overall, 73.8% of patients had AD, of whom 45.4% had early AD. Number of AD symptoms, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, and comorbid factors (diabetes and hypertension) were significantly associated with the results of AFTs (p < 0.05). AFTs were highly significant with respect to the results obtained (p < 0.001). Deep breathing test, abnormal in majority of study patients, has a sensitivity of 93.3% and OHR has a specificity of 81.1% to determine AD.

Conclusion The study concludes that age itself is an independent predictor of AD, which increases in severity if associated with comorbidities.
Volar Radiocarpal Ligament Repair with Suture Anchors for Radiocarpal Fracture Dislocations: Case Series
Authors: Bohm Kyle C. , Geissler Jacqueline , Ward Christina M.
Published: November 2020

Background Radiocarpal fracture dislocations cause significant intraarticular disruption and instability difficult to treat with traditional plating methods.

Description of Technique Suture anchor fixation of the volar radiocarpal ligaments through an extended carpal tunnel approach, supplemented with radial styloid fixation, restores stability to the radiocarpal joint.

Patients and Methods We performed a retrospective review of 14 consecutive radiocarpal fracture-dislocations (RCFDs) treated at two-level one trauma center from 2011 to 2015. In all cases, the volar radiocarpal ligaments were repaired to the distal radius with suture anchors.

Results We reviewed 14 Dumontier Group 2 RCFDs in 14 patients (10 males, four females) with an average age of 39 years (range 22–53 years). Final follow-up averaged 288 days (range 7–1,364 days). Surgeons performed volar ligament repair with suture anchors in all cases, radial styloid fixation in 79% (11/14), and dorsal plate fixation in 29% (4/14). Eight of 14 patients (57%) had a “flipped” volar lip fragment of the distal radius. Three patients had forearm compartment syndrome and two patients had acute carpal tunnel syndrome. No patients experienced radiocarpal subluxation after volar ligament repair.

Conclusion No recurrent subluxation or dislocation occurred after primary repair of the volar radiocarpal ligaments using suture anchors in this series of radiocarpal fracture dislocations. Volar radiocarpal ligament repair also addressed the “flipped” volar rim fragment that could not be addressed through a dorsal approach alone.

Level of Evidence: This is a Level IV, case series therapeutic study.
Satisfaction of scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown
Authors: Raabe Isabel J. , Ehlert Alexander , Johann David , Rauhut Heiko
Published: November 2020

The discussion of the social, political and economic consequences of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic mainly revolves around negative effects. This study exploits a unique opportunity and analyses data from a survey (N = 13,316) that happened to be in the field in the months of the development and eventual manifestation of the COVID-19 pandemic. It documents slightly higher levels of average general life satisfaction as well as of satisfaction with various specific aspects of life (health, work, work-life balance and leisure) during the lockdown among scientists in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It is argued that the lockdown can be regarded as a large-scale social experiment of a very sudden and abrupt change of work and social life, which is unique in history. Daily survey data elicited before and after the lockdown allows the construction of a quasi-experimental design for analysing how this abrupt change of social reality has affected satisfaction. For scientists, the lockdown mainly entailed the transition to work from home, leading to a reduced speed of life and allowing for more flexibility in incorporating family and leisure into the work day. It is discussed how some of these mechanisms might apply to the general population.
How ethics combine with big data: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Kuc-Czarnecka Marta , Olczyk Magdalena
Published: November 2020

The term Big Data is becoming increasingly widespread throughout the world, and its use is no longer limited to the IT industry, quantitative scientific research, and entrepreneurship, but entered as well everyday media and conversations. The prevalence of Big Data is simply a result of its usefulness in searching, downloading, collecting and processing massive datasets. It is therefore not surprising that the number of scientific articles devoted to this issue is increasing. However, the vast majority of research papers deal with purely technical matters. Yet, large datasets coupled with complex analytical algorithms pose the risk of non-transparency, unfairness, e.g., racial or class bias, cherry-picking of data, or even intentional misleading of public opinion, including policymakers, for example by tampering with the electoral process in the context of ‘cyberwars’. Thus, this work implements a bibliometric analysis to investigate the development of ethical concerns in the field of Big Data. The investigation covers articles obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection Database (WoS) published between 1900 and July 2020. A sample size of 892 research papers was evaluated using HistCite and VOSviewer software. The results of this investigation shed light on the evolution of the junction of two concepts: ethics and Big Data. In particular, the study revealed the following array of findings: the topic is relatively poorly represented in the scientific literature with the relatively slow growth of interest. In addition, ethical issues in Big Data are discussed mainly in the field of health and technology.
Toledo invariant of lattices in SU(2,1) via symmetric square
Authors: Kim Inkang , Zhang Genkai
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we address the issue of the quaternionic Toledo invariant to study the character variety of two-dimensional complex hyperbolic uniform lattices into SU(n, 2), n ≥ 4. We construct four distinct representations to prove that the character variety contains at least seven distinct components. We also show the existence of holomorphic horizontal lift to various period domains of SU(n, 2).
Nanostructural evolution in vapor deposited phase-separating binary alloy films of non-equimolar compositions: Insights from a 3D phase-field approach
Authors: Raghavan Rahul , Mukherjee Arnab , Ankit Kumar
Published: November 2020

A rich variety of self-organized nanoscale patterns evolve during physical vapor deposition of phase-separating alloy films. However, our limited understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of morphological evolution during the vapor deposition of multi-component metallic films is a major hurdle in optimizing their mechanical and functional properties. Diffuse interface approaches, such as the phase-field method, can enable the prediction of nanostructured morphologies in a broad class of immiscible binary alloys by achieving a fundamental understanding of self-assembly mechanisms down to the nanometer scale. Here, we adopt a three-dimensional phase-field approach to numerically investigate the role of alloy compositions, deposition rates, and temperature on the morphological self-assembly of nanostructures in vapor deposited alloy films. We explain the influence of alloy composition and deposition parameters on the evolution of novel film morphologies such as perforated layered and aligned rods. Following an extensive parametric study, we construct morphology maps that help expand our knowledge of the different combinations of processing conditions that generate distinct nanoscaled morphologies. Finally, we expand and elucidate a theory based on the minimization of interfacial energy that underpins the mechanisms of morphological transitions in vapor deposition of immiscible alloy films for an entire composition range.
A repetitive high current pulse generator for high flux electrothermal plasma jets
Authors: Chen Li , Li Xingwen , Zhang Boya , Yang Weihong , Jiang Shi , Gu Kunquan
Published: November 2020

Power sources play an important role in the characteristics and the applications of the electrothermal (ET) plasma as an edge localized mode (ELM) heat flux simulator. A repetitive high current ET plasma source with the capability of working at a 10 Hz repetition rate and peak current 7.5 kA is presented in this paper. By controlling the sequence of discharge of ten pulse power modules, a repetitive high heat flux plasma jet can be generated. A two-stage capillary structure is presented, and its repetitive trigger driving circuit based on surface flashover ignition is designed to achieve reliable and repetitive discharge. The topology of the inductive and capacitive (LC) series resonant circuit is applied to the charging system of the pulsed power source. The charging current is limited to 500 A with a charging time of 3.5 ms, and the ratio of the charging voltage to the operating voltage is 1.85. A diode and a power resistor in series are used to suppress the negative overvoltage, which is helpful to increase the thyristors’ operating reliability. Using the designed repetitive ET plasma source, the characteristics of the ET plasma jet are investigated by measuring the voltages and currents and by obtaining images of the discharges. Experimental results show that the repetitive ET plasma generator can be used as an appropriate way to simulate the ELM-like heat flux plasma.
Ultraviolet Raman spectra: The reasonable method of evaluating coal pyrolysis graphitization
Authors: Wang Pengxiang , Liu Mingjun , Pei Tong , Zhang Lei , Qie Zhipeng , Li Xiaohui , Yu Yang , Han Minghong , Sun Fei , Zhou Wei , Gao Jihui , Zhao Guangbo
Published: November 2020

Raman spectrum is a common method of evaluating the graphitization degree of carbon materials. However, there is still some controversy over its evaluation for coal graphitization, i.e., whether large ID/IG means a high graphitization degree of coal. This work uses an ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectrum to find a better index of graphitization degree. The T peak (sp3 sites) of coal was first directly detected. The IT/IG and ID/IG decrease after pyrolysis in UV Raman spectra at 266 nm, which shows that the sp3 site relative content decreases and the sp2 site relative content increases. Moreover, the absolute value of the D band dispersion slopes as the excitation wavelength increases and the D peak width decreases, which shows that the coal gets more orderly after pyrolysis. The position difference (G–D) decreases and the G peak width increases after pyrolysis in UV–Vis Raman spectra, indicating the decomposition of vitrinite in coal. The 2D′ peak decreased after pyrolysis. These parameters in multi-wavelength Raman spectra can be used to evaluate the structure of coal.
Origin of leakage current in vertical GaN devices with nonplanar regrown p-GaN
Authors: Xiao Ming , Yan Xiaodong , Xie Jinqiao , Beam Edward , Cao Yu , Wang Han , Zhang Yuhao
Published: November 2020

This work demonstrates large-area vertical GaN-on-GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with different p-GaN terminations fabricated by the p-GaN regrowth on planar and nonplanar n-GaN structures and studies the leakage current in these regrown p-GaN terminations. The SBDs with planar p-GaN terminations demonstrate a higher breakdown voltage than the non-terminated SBDs. In contrast, the SBDs with nonplanar regrown terminations exhibit a significantly higher leakage current, which agrees with the tunneling behavior. The microscopic current mapping and local current–voltage (I–V) spectra are acquired using conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) in the nonplanar regrown junction region. The local leakage currents and conduction types are derived from the I–V characteristics of the Schottky barrier between the metalized C-AFM tip and GaN. The dominant leakage path is revealed to be the tunneling across the Schottky barrier to the regrowth sidewall assisted by high-concentration interfacial impurities, followed by current flow along the regrowth sidewall. An ∼0.7 μm-wide n-type compensation layer is found next to the non-polar regrowth sidewall, which does not directly induce a major leakage path but moves the p-GaN away from the regrowth interface, thus weakening the p-GaN depletion of the sidewall interfacial impurities as well as facilitating the formation of a crowded electric field and tunneling at the Schottky contact to the regrowth region.
Relative entropy based breakdown criteria for hybrid discrete velocity Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook and lattice Boltzmann method
Authors: Ilyin Oleg
Published: November 2020

In the present paper, novel breakdown criteria for the assessment of the validity of the continuum-fluid approximation are proposed. The approach is based on relative entropy (Kullback–Leibler divergence). The considered variants of the Kullback–Leibler divergence assess the contribution of non-hydrodynamic components of the gas velocity distribution function to the overall entropy. In addition, the chi-square statistic is introduced as a breakdown variable. As benchmark problems, the plane Couette and force driven Poiseuille flows are considered for various Knudsen and Mach numbers. The modeling is performed with the difference scheme for the kinetic Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook equation and the hybrid approach: the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook equation is applied in non-equilibrium regions, and the lattice Boltzmann method is applied as the continuum-fluid method. The simulation results show that the proposed criteria can efficiently separate equilibrium and non-equilibrium domains.
The role of tissue fluorescence in in vivo optical bioimaging
Authors: Lifante José , Shen Yingli , Ximendes Erving , Martín Rodríguez Emma , Ortgies Dirk H.
Published: November 2020

The technological advancements made in optics and semiconductors (e.g., cameras and laser diodes) working with infrared have brought interest in optical bioimaging back to the forefront of research investigating in vivo medical imaging techniques. The definition of the near-infrared transparency windows has turned optical imaging into more than just a method for topical imaging applications. Moreover, this has focused attention back to tissue fluorescence, emissions by tissues and organs that occur when excited by external illumination sources. Most endogenous fluorophores emit in the blue to green range of the electromagnetic spectrum and the resulting tissue fluorescence can be employed in studies from cells to tissue metabolism or avoided by shifting to the red if seen as unwanted autofluorescence. With the more recent move to infrared, it was discovered that autofluorescence is not limited to the visible but also strongly affects in vivo imaging in the infrared. In this Tutorial, we give an overview on tissue fluorescence and tissue interactions with excitation light as well as their effect on in vivo imaging. Furthermore, potential sources of tissue fluorescence in the near-infrared are identified and we describe approaches for successful biomedical imaging in the biological windows, taking into consideration infrared autofluorescence and summarizing techniques for avoiding it in in vivo imaging experiments.
Two-stage growth mode for lift-off mechanism in oblique shock-wave/jet interaction
Authors: Yu Bin , He Miaosheng , Zhang Bin , Liu Hong
Published: November 2020

The lift-off flow of the supersonic streamwise vortex in oblique shock-wave/jet interaction (OS/JI), extracted from a wall-mounted ramp injector in the scramjet, is studied through the large-eddy simulation method. The shocked helium jet deforms into a pair of the streamwise vortex with a co-rotating companion vortex. The trajectory of the streamwise vortex center is lifted by the shock interaction. Based on the objective coordinate system in the frame of oblique shock, it is found that the nature of the three-dimensional lift-off structure of the OS/JI is inherently and precisely controlled by the structure kinetics of a corresponding shock bubble interaction (SBI). The striking similarities of both qualitative and quantitative results between the OS/JI and the SBI support the proposition that the lift-off of the streamwise vortex is the result of an underlying two-dimensional vortical motion. By combining the first-stage linear growth mode of Richtmyer–Meshkov instability with the second-stage vortex formation mode, a two-stage vortex propagation model suitable for the SBI is proposed and validated. The lift-off growth of a shocked jet in the OS/JI concerned and in the wall-mounted ramp injector cases from the literature is well explained under the two-stage vortex propagation model of SBI. This model further predicts that increasing ramp compression shows little effect on elevating the streamwise vortex for higher free-stream Mach numbers (Ma > 5). In comparison, evident lift-off may occur for lower Mach numbers (Ma < 3.5), which offers the new way for the preliminary design of a streamwise vortex-based ramp injector in the scramjet.
Amorphous nitride and fluoride film-induced two-dimensional electron gas at SrTiO3-based heterojunction interfaces
Authors: Li Chengjian , Zhao Meng , Huang Zhen , Xu Liqiang , Wu Wenbin
Published: November 2020

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at oxide interfaces is of great interest in solid state research. Here, 2DEG was shown to form at amorphous-BN/SrTiO3 and amorphous-LaF3/SrTiO3 interfaces and have similar properties to 2DEG at traditional oxide interfaces. Because of film chemical properties, the growth atmosphere and air clearly influenced 2DEG at these interfaces. With x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements, anion diffusion between the film and the substrate existed, but they appeared not to be the reason for 2DEG formation. Furthermore, these findings suggested that amorphous film-induced interfacial conductivity might be a common phenomenon that should be considered in the study of heterojunctions.
Motion of a neutrally buoyant circular particle in a clockwise double-lid-driven square cavity
Authors: Hu Junjie
Published: November 2020

The motion of a neutrally buoyant circular particle in a clockwise double-lid-driven square cavity is studied with the lattice Boltzmann method. To understand, predict, and control the motion of the circular particle, the effect of the initial position, particle size, and Reynolds number is studied. The center of the square cavity is a fixed point, where the circular particle remains stationary all the time; otherwise, the circular particle is stabilized at the limit cycle, which is created by the inertia of the circular particle, confinement of the boundaries of the square cavity, and vortex behavior. The effect of the particle size on the motion of the circular particle is obvious, with the increase in the particle size, the confinement of the boundaries becomes stronger, and the limit cycle shrinks toward the center of the square cavity. With the increase in the Reynolds number, the fluid flow becomes stronger, two symmetric secondary vortices at the top left and bottom right corners develop, and the limit cycle is squashed along the leading diagonal of the square cavity.
Background field method in thermo field dynamics for wave propagation in unmagnetized spinor QED plasmas
Authors: Wu Shan , Zhang Ji-ying
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we propose a relativistic quantum many-body theory for the collective modes in spinor quantum electrodynamic plasma. Different from the usual quantization scheme, we use the self-consistency nontrivial background field method in the framework of thermo field dynamics, in which the resulting quanta are temperature-dependent particles instead of the observable ones such as electrons, positrons, and photons. The theory provides a general scheme for many-body physics, which overcomes the disadvantages of random phase, Hartree–Fock, or other equivalent mean-field approximations. The essential point for our theory is to exactly evaluate the background fields. In this paper, we propose a general and efficient method to determine them, which we name as the “classical limit method” for convenience. To demonstrate how to apply the theory, we discuss the collective modes in unmagnetized electron–positron plasma, in both the low-energy and high-energy limits. It yields the well-known dispersion relations of longitudinal and transverse modes for non-relativistic degenerate plasmas, at zero and nonzero temperature. Furthermore, it gives the additional relativistic and vacuum fluctuation corrections, including increasing mass, decreasing effective charge, finite light velocity influence on the dispersion relation, and virtual charge redistribution. The last effect is reported for the first time.