bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laboratory Study on the Fatigue Resistance of Asphaltic Concrete Containing Titanium Dioxide
Authors: Buhari Rosnawati , Abdullah Mohd Ezree , Ahmad Mohd Khairul , Tajudin Saiful Azhar , Abu Bakar Siti Khatijah
Published: March 2018

This study aims to evaluate the fatigue performance of modified asphalt mixture using Indirect Tensile Fatigue Test. Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) powder in a form of rutile was used for producing asphalt concrete with lower mixing and compaction temperature compared to conventional hot mix asphalt without reducing its physical and mechanical also resistance to fatigue. The characteristic of the asphalt and modified asphalt was evaluated using penetration test, softening test and rotational viscosity test. Titanium dioxide of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% by weight of asphalt has been incorporated into unaged 80/100 asphalt mix in order to improvise its performance and to fulfill the objectives of this experimental study. As a result, TiO2 as an additive is potential to decrease the penetration and increasing the softening point of the asphalt. In terms of fatigue performance testing, addition TiO2 additive does help in improving the fatigue properties as it shows greater result than the control asphalt. In conclusion, TiO2 is great in improving fatigue properties.
Physical and rheological properties of Titanium Dioxide modified asphalt
Authors: Buhari Rosnawati , Abdullah Mohd Ezree , Ahmad Mohd Khairul , Chong Ai Ling , Haini Rosli , Abu Bakar Siti Khatijah
Published: March 2018

Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) has been known as a useful photocatalytic material that is attributed to the several characteristics includes high photocatalytic activity compared with other metal oxide photocatalysts, compatible with traditional construction materials without changing any original performance. This study investigates the physical and rheological properties of modified asphalt with TiO2. Five samples of asphalt with different concentration of TiO2 were studied, namely asphalt 2%, 4%, 6% 8% and 10% TiO2. The tests includes are penetration, softening point, ductility, rotational viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test. From the results of this study, it is noted that addition of TiO2 has significant effect on the physical properties of asphalt. The viscosity tests revealed that asphalt 10% TiO2 has good workability among with reducing approximately 15°C compared to base asphalt. Based on the results from DSR measurements, asphalt 10% TiO2 has reduced temperature susceptibility and increase stiffness and elastic behaviour in comparison to base asphalt. As a result, TiO2 can be considered to be an additive to modify the properties of asphalt.
Temporal Variation of Ambient PM10 Concentration within an Urban-Industrial Environment
Authors: Wong Yoon-Keaw , Mohamed Noor Norazian , Mohamad Hashim Nur Izzah
Published: March 2018

PM10 concentration in the ambient air has been reported to be the main pollutant affecting human health, particularly in the urban areas. This research is conducted to study the variation of PM10 concentration at the three urban-industrial areas in Malaysia, namely Shah Alam, Kuala Terengganu and Melaka. In addition, the association and correlation between PM10 concentration and other air pollutants will be distinguished. Five years interval dataset (2008-2012) consisting of PM10, SOX, NOX and O3 concentrations and other weather parameters such as wind speed, humidity and temperature were obtained from Department of Environment, Malaysia. Shah Alam shows the highest average of PM10 concentration with the value of 62.76 μg/m3 in June, whereas for Kuala Terengganu was 59.29 μg/m3 in February and 46.61 μg/m3 in August for Melaka. Two peaks were observed from the time series plot using the averaged monthly PM10 concentration. First peak occurs when PM10 concentration rises from January to February and the second peak is reached in June and remain high for the next two consecutive months for Shah Alam and Kuala Terengganu. Meanwhile the second peak for Melaka is only achieved in August as a result of the transboundary of smoke from forest fires in the Sumatra region during dry season from May to September. Both of the pollutants can be sourced from rapid industrial activities at Shah Alam. PM10 concentration is strongly correlated with carbon monoxide concentration in Kuala Terengganu and Melaka with value of r2 = 0.1725 and 0.2744 respectively. High carbon monoxide and PM10 concentration are associated with burning of fossil fuel from increased number of vehicles at these areas.
Improving the performance of streamflow forecasting model using data-preprocessing technique in Dungun River Basin
Authors: Tiu Ervin Shan Khai , Huang Yuk Feng , Ling Lloyd
Published: March 2018

An accurate streamflow forecasting model is important for the development of flood mitigation plan as to ensure sustainable development for a river basin. This study adopted Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) data-preprocessing technique to process and denoise the rainfall data before putting into the Support Vector Machine (SVM) streamflow forecasting model in order to improve the performance of the selected model. Rainfall data and river water level data for the period of 1996-2016 were used for this purpose. Homogeneity tests (Standard Normal Homogeneity Test, the Buishand Range Test, the Pettitt Test and the Von Neumann Ratio Test) and normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk Test, Anderson-Darling Test, Lilliefors Test and Jarque-Bera Test) had been carried out on the rainfall series. Homogenous and non-normally distributed data were found in all the stations, respectively. From the recorded rainfall data, it was observed that Dungun River Basin possessed higher monthly rainfall from November to February, which was during the Northeast Monsoon. Thus, the monthly and seasonal rainfall series of this monsoon would be the main focus for this research as floods usually happen during the Northeast Monsoon period. The predicted water levels from SVM model were assessed with the observed water level using non-parametric statistical tests (Biased Method, Kendall’s Tau B Test and Spearman’s Rho Test).
Traffic Noise Assessment at Residential Areas in Skudai, Johor
Authors: Sulaiman F.S. , Darus N. , Mashros N. , Haron Z. , Yahya K.
Published: March 2018

Vehicles passing by on roadways in residential areas may produce unpleasant traffic noise that affects the residents. This paper presents the traffic noise assessment of three selected residential areas located in Skudai, Johor. The objectives of this study are to evaluate traffic characteristics at selected residential areas, determine related noise indices, and assess impact of traffic noise. Traffic characteristics such as daily traffic volume and vehicle speed were evaluated using automatic traffic counter (ATC). Meanwhile, noise indices like equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq), noise level exceeded 10% (L10) and 90% (L90) of measurement time were determined using sound level meter (SLM). Besides that, traffic noise index (TNI) and noise pollution level (LNP) were calculated based on the measured noise indices. The results showed an increase in noise level of 60 to 70 dBA maximum due to increase in traffic volume. There was also a significant change in noise level of more than 70 dBA even though average vehicle speed did not vary significantly. Nevertheless, LAeq, TNI, and LNPvalues for all sites during daytime were lower than the maximum recommended levels. Thus, residents in the three studied areas were not affected in terms of quality of life and health.
Study on Molasses Concentration from Sugarcanne Bagasse for Biohydrogen Production using Enriched Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Immobilised Cells by Repeated Batch Cultivation
Authors: Idris Norfatiha , Lutpi Nabilah Aminah , Che Ridzuan Che Mohd Ruhaizul , Shian Wong Yee , Tengku Izhar Tengku Nuraiti
Published: March 2018

Repeated batch cultivation is known as most attractive method in improving hydrogen productivity, due to the facts that this approach could minimize the reuse of the cell and the inoculum preparation. In addition, with the combination of attach growth system during the fermentation processes to produce biohydrogen, the density of cells will be increased and the cell washout could be avoided. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of repeated batch cultivation for enrichment of anaerobic mixed culture onto granular activated carbon (GAC) and investigate the effect of molasses concentration during immobilization of mixed culture onto the GAC. The molasses concentration using 50 %, 40 %, 30 %, 20 % and 10 % of diluted molasses were used as feedstock in the fermentation process. The maximum hydrogen production of 60 ml was obtained at 30 % of molasses concentration with 831 ppm of hydrogen concentration. Thus, the kinetic parameter obtained from the batch profiling based on modified Gompertz equation are, Hm= 58 ml for the maximum hydrogen production and Rm= 2.02 ml/h representing the hydrogen production rate.
Role of UASBs in River Water Quality Conservation in India
Authors: Gali Veeresh , Thakur Manisha , Kumar Gupta Ashok , Ganguly Rajiv
Published: March 2018

Appropriate low-cost treatment technologies are a prerequisite for sound management of natural water resources against pollution in developing countries. Among the existing technologies available, UASB is found to be economically viable for India when considering all factors including operation and maintenance cost and treatment efficiency. However, this technology suffers setbacks in meeting the effluent guidelines prescribed by the government of India. Post treatment is supplemental to this process to meet the effluent standards in terms of removal of organic matter, suspended solids, pathogens and nutrients. Recent stringent effluent guidelines notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India has further reduced the limits of BOD by 3 times, COD and TSS by 5 times, NH4-N and total Nitrogen by 10 times as compared to the previous guidelines. Fecal Coliforms has been specified as <100MPN/100mL. In this paper, the present scenario of UASB based STPs and their role in river conservation is reviewed against the backdrop of stringent effluent guidelines. The minimum removal rates of BOD, COD and TSS in these plants are around 42 – 44% and the average removal rates are reported to be 66%, 61% and 65% respectively. The enhanced removal of BOD (97%), COD (98%) and TSS has been reported in STPs in conjunction with post treatment facilities such as facultative aerated lagoons, aeration tanks and polishing ponds.
Mathematical model of a fluxgate magnetometer
Authors: Baranov Pavel F. , Baranova Vitalia E. , Nesterenko Tamara G.
Published: March 2018

In paper analytical equations for calculate the electromotive force in the measuring coil of the fluxgate magnetometer independent of the drive signal frequency content are presented. Also, the equations for es-timation of the fluxgate sensitivity at any harmonic and for study fluxgates operation with a glance to the waveform and the polynomial approximation of the mean magnetization curve of the core are provided.
Betatron radiography and tomography of steel castings with large thickness
Authors: Kayralapov Daniyar , Zhong Yang , Batranin Andrei , Chakhlov Sergei
Published: March 2018

Steel castings with large thickness are widely used in different areas of industry and the control of steel castings with large thickness is becoming more and more important in order to detect defects and ensure the reliability. In this paper, we carry out betatron radiography and tomography to control the steel castings with large thickness and check the potential ability of Inspection and Examination System (IES) for a high-energy betatron tomography. The results of betatron radiography and tomography of steel castings with large thickness are presented and compared with precedent work, which shows that the IES is considered a promising high-energy tomography system.
Improved system for identifying biological tissue temperature using electrical impedance tomography
Authors: Korolyuk Evgeniy , Brazovskii Konstantin
Published: March 2018

This paper proposes a cheap and compact medical system that determines the temperature of an object using broadband impedance tomography. This system can be used in medicine to visualize ice structure in tissue during cryosurgical operations, as well as for fault diagnosis and location in studied industrial objects. These effects are achieved by measuring electrical impedance between electrode pairs in the measuring chamber. The assembled prototype is compact, consumes little power, and allows to non-invasively determine the impedance of a target object in real time. The research included experimental studies to determine the dependence of the impedance spectrum of saline water and muscle tissue on temperature in broad band spectrum, which allowed to obtain the dependence of total electrical impedance of target objects on temperature.
Analyse de la dégradation thermique du Poly(éther imide)
Authors: Courvoisier Emilie , Bicaba Yoann , Colin Xavier
Published: March 2018

La dégradation thermique du PEI a été étudiée dans de larges intervalles de température (entre 180 et 250 °C) et de pression partielle d’oxygène (entre 0,21 et 50 bars). Tout d’abord, les mécanismes de vieillissement thermique ont été analysés et élucidés par spectroscopie IRTF et par calorimétrie différentielle (DSC) sur des films de PEI suffisamment minces (entre 10 et 60 μm d’épaisseur) pour s’affranchir totalement des effets de la diffusion d’oxygène. Comme attendu, et par analogie avec d’autres polymères aromatiques de structure chimique similaire, l’oxydation se produit préférentiellement sur les groupes méthyle de l’unité isopropylidène du motif bisphenol A, causant la disparition de leur bande d’absorption IR caractéristique à 2970 cm−1et la croissance d’une nouvelle bande d’absorption IR centrée à 3350 cm−1et attribuée aux groupes alcool. De plus, l’oxydation conduit successivement à une prédominance relative des coupures de chaîne (diminution de Tg) et de la réticulation (augmentation de Tg). Enfin, les conséquences de l’oxydation sur les propriétés élastiques ont été analysées et élucidées par micro-indentation sur des sections droites préalablement polies de plaquettes de PEI de 3 mm d’épaisseur. Cependant, l’augmentation du module d’Young dans la couche superficielle oxydée est principalement due à un vieillissement physique.
Les bactéries anaérobies, ces inconnues du microbiote pulmonaire
Authors: Guilloux Charles-Antoine , Lamoureux Claudie , Héry-Arnaud Geneviève
Published: March 2018

La médecine a longtemps considéré le poumon comme un organe stérile. Il est désormais évident qu’il est colonisé par des microorganismes, y compris chez les sujets sains. Parmi les bactéries présentes dans le microbiote pulmonaire, une part importante est anaérobie (strictes ou facultatives). Si l’intérêt et l’impact du microbiote, en général, et pulmonaire en particulier, vont grandissant, peu d’études s’intéressent à ces inconnues que représentent ces bactéries anaérobies résidentes des poumons. Cette synthèse bibliographique décrit la biodiversité des anaérobies en situation physiologique et dans différentes maladies respiratoires chroniques (mucoviscidose, BPCO, asthme), abordant tour à tour leurs rôles dans l’effet de flore barrière, dans l’inflammation, ou encore comme potentiel biomarqueur de certaines maladies pulmonaires.
Mindestmengen unterschreiten, Ausnahmetatbestände und ihre Konsequenzen ab 2018. Komplexe Eingriffe am Ösophagus und Pankreas in deutschen Krankenhäusern im Zeitverlauf von 2006 bis 2014
Authors: de Cruppé Werner , Geraedts Max
Published: March 2018

Ziel der Studie Die seit dem Jahr 2004 geltenden Mindestmengenregelungen für Krankenhäuser in Deutschland sehen 4 Ausnahmetatbestände vor, bei deren Vorliegen Krankenhäuser Eingriffe auch unterhalb der Mindestmengenvorgabe durchführen können. Die Studie untersucht Umfang und Bedeutung dieser Ausnahmegründe für komplexe Eingriffe am Ösophagus und Pankreas im Hinblick auf alle die Mindestmenge nicht einhaltenden Krankenhäuser und in Bezug auf die vom Gemeinsamen Bundesausschuss überarbeiteten Mindestmengenregelungen, gültig ab Anfang des Jahres 2018.

Methodik Längsschnittliche, deskriptive Auswertung der Daten zu Mindestmengen und Ausnahmetatbeständen der Krankenhäuser bei Ösophagus- und Pankreaseingriffen aus den Qualitätsberichten der Krankenhäuser aus den Berichtsjahren von 2006 bis 2014.

Ergebnisse Jährlich unterschreiten bei beiden Eingriffsarten etwa 120 Krankenhäuser die Mindestmengenvorgabe, die im Jahr rund 500 Fälle operieren. Davon gibt ein Drittel keine Ausnahmetatbestände an (mit 180 operierten Patienten), ein Drittel Notfälle (110) und ein Drittel krankenhausinterne Veränderungsprozesse (210). Die Sicherstellung der flächendeckenden Versorgung ist kein relevanter Ausnahmetatbestand. Nach der 3-jährigen Karenzzeit beim Ausnahmetatbestand „Aufbau neuer Leistungsbereich“ erfüllen 20 – 30% die Mindestmengenvorgaben, beim Ausnahmetatbestand „personelle Neuausrichtung“ mit 2-jähriger Karenzzeit sind es 40 – 50%.

Schlussfolgerung Die Ausnahmetatbestände erklären nicht vollumfänglich die operierten Fälle in Krankenhäusern unterhalb der Mindestmengenvorgabe. Die in den überarbeiteten Mindestmengenregelungen erfolgte Neugliederung der Ausnahmetatbestände auf Notfälle und „erstmalige oder erneute Erbringung einer Leistung“ mit 24 Monaten Karenzzeit passt zu den hier vorgelegten empirischen Ergebnissen.
Studies towards the Synthesis of the Antibiotic Tetrodecamycin
Authors: Lee Victor , He Jing , Baldwin Jack
Published: March 2018

A study towards the natural product tetrodecamycin is reported. A modified Schlosser–Wittig reaction was utilized to prepare the precursor for the subsequent intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction, which delivered the trans-decalin ring of the natural product. The tetronic­ acid moiety of the molecule was prepared by a Dieckmann cyclization­. The cyclization of the tetronic acid to the trans-decalin double­ bond to form a seven-membered ring was examined.
Peripheral Facial Palsy and Communicating Hydrocephalus as a Clinical Presentation of Hemorrhagic Vestibular Schwannoma: Case Report
Authors: Silva João , Gomes Mário , Carvalho Ernesto
Published: March 2018

The vestibular schwannoma is the most common extra-axial tumor of the posterior fossa. Hemorrhage associated with vestibular schwannomas has been described in less than 1% of the cases. The etiology remains unknown; however, some risk factors have been suggested, such as tumor size and tumor growth rate, the vascularity and histopathology of the tumor or even previous treatment with radiosurgery. The present case is of a 74-year-old female patient, who presented to our clinic in December of 2015 after a mild traumatic brain injury. In that context, she did a brain computed tomography (CT) scan and was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma— an incidentaloma. It was decided at that time to treat the patient conservatively because of her comorbidities and the presentation of the disease. In March of 2017, the patient presented again to our clinic with a right peripheral facial paralysis (House-Brackmann [HB] grade IV-VI) and confusion. The CT scan revealed that bleeding around the vestibular schwannoma had caused the clinical presentation. We decided to treat the hydrocephalus with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. At the time of her last follow-up visit, the confusion symptoms had resolved, and her right-sided facial function had improved to a HB grade II-VI.
Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma: Case Report
Authors: Pignatari Renato , Teixeira Manoel , Figueiredo Eberval
Published: March 2018

The pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) is a rare glioma recently described as a separate entity, which is generally located on the hypothalamic area. The PMA was previously described as pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) due to similarities shared between them. Recent studies provided a deeper understanding of PMA, setting it as a separate entity, though PMA is still considered by many authors a variant of PA. The PMA is considered to be more aggressive than PA; however, further studies are necessary for a better comprehension of its behavior and, hence, for neurosurgeons and neurologists to get to a consensus about its management.

This study presents a 16-year-old female patient who looked for medical assistance complaining of headaches of over 6 months and vomiting for 2 weeks prior to the visit to the doctor. She presented no other symptoms. The physical examination displayed only bilateral papilledema. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed an intraventricular and thalamic lesion composed of solid and cystic material associated with peritumoral edema. The patient underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt and subtotal resection of the lesion. The histological and immunohistochemical studies showed typical features of PMA. The patient started adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy and radiosurgery. She has been asymptomatic for 9 months and has shown no signs of progression of the disease on the follow-up scans.
Maternal–Fetal Medicine Workforce Survey: Are We Ready for Regionalized Levels of Maternal Care?
Authors: D'Alton Mary , O'Keefe Daniel , Wenstrom Katharine
Published: March 2018

Objective To conduct a survey of the members of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) to determine the practice patterns of maternal–fetal medicine (MFM) subspecialists in the United States and to estimate the likelihood that our work force is sufficient to support the proposed MFM staffing requirements for level III and IV maternity centers.

Study Design All regular SMFM members in the United States were invited to answer a 26 question survey by email. The survey queried demographic characteristics, practice type, night call arrangements, and whether the respondent's hospital was currently equipped with the services and personnel described in the requirements for level III or IV centers.

Results Of the MFM specialists working full time in what would be considered a level III or IV maternity center, only 47.5% took in-house call. Of those taking only call from home or back-up call, the majority reported that during call hours, MFM antepartum and laboring patients are cared for by generalist obstetrician gynecologists; only 6.4% work with MFM hospitalists. Respondents from level III or IV centers also reported that many of their centers did not meet the criteria for nursing support, anesthesia support, or intensive care services.

Conclusion These data, if confirmed, indicate that work needs to be done to upgrade services and achieve appropriate staffing to meet the proposed level III and IV criteria for maternity care.
Gliomas in Children
Authors: Sturm Dominik , Filbin Mariella
Published: March 2018

Gliomas are the most common primary central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms in children and adolescents and are thought to arise from their glial progenitors or stem cells. Although the exact cells of origin for most pediatric gliomas remain to be identified, our current understanding is that specific cell populations during CNS development are susceptible to particular oncogenic events during certain time windows and thus give rise to pediatric gliomas with distinct histological, molecular, and clinical features. These may be roughly segregated into low-grade gliomas (WHO grades I or II; including most mixed glial–neuronal tumors) and high-grade gliomas (WHO grades III or IV) according to their clinical course when untreated, even though this is not yet entirely clear for some of the recently emerging groups. The genetic and epigenetic characterization of pediatric gliomas across ages and histologies has facilitated the delineation of biologically relevant subgroups and have revealed potentially targetable alterations in some of them. This review outlines diagnostic features and molecular alterations in pediatric low- and high-grade gliomas and how the latter might be exploited with future targeted therapeutic strategies.
Grading of Diffuse Astrocytic Gliomas: A Review of Studies Before and After the Advent of IDH Testing
Authors: Ono Takahiro , Shirahata Mitsuaki , Louis David , von Deimling Andreas
Published: March 2018

Estimating the malignancy level of tumors is key to management, and has been part of oncology practice for the past ∼100 years. A central aspect of assessing malignancy level is based on histological “grading”—a process in which a pathologist evaluates microscopic features of a tumor and interprets those findings in light of large prognostic studies. For the diffuse astrocytic gliomas, there have been many such studies over the past century and these have proven useful in estimating prognosis for patients. With the advent of molecular genetics, molecular diagnostic testing has been added to histological evaluation in the armamentarium of the pathologist, and the recent World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System encourages testing for isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene status in the classification of diffuse astrocytic gliomas. The present review catalogues a large series of diffuse astrocytic glioma grading studies over the past few decades, and compares the prognostic value of such grading schema before and after the emergence of IDH testing. The review concludes that novel approaches to diffuse astrocytic tumor grading are required in the era of IDH testing.
Das chirurgische Tertial im praktischen Jahr – Status quo 2017
Authors: Oppermann Nadine , Weitz Jürgen , Reißfelder Christoph , Mees Sören
Published: March 2018

Das praktische Jahr (PJ) ist der 3. und letzte Studienabschnitt des Medizinstudiums. Es ermöglicht den Studenten, erste praktische Tätigkeiten selbstständig durchzuführen und es ist der erste dauerhafte Kontakt mit einer Klinik und einem Ärzteteam. Dieser Abschnitt ist nicht selten ausschlaggebend für die spätere Bewerbungsphase. Neben der beruflichen Orientierung dienen diese letzten Monate zudem der intensiven Vorbereitung auf das Staatsexamen. Eine fundierte, strukturierte und breite Grundausbildung sollte somit eines der Hauptziele sein. Doch bei 36 verschiedenen Fakultäten mit eigenen PJ-Ordnungen und mehreren angegliederten Lehrkrankenhäusern ist diese Ausbildungsphase in Deutschland heterogen. Als eines der größeren Pflichtfächer mit zahlreichen Unterteilungen ist die chirurgische Ausbildung ein Kernpunkt des PJ. Wir führten eine nationale Umfrage unter allen medizinischen Fakultäten durch, um die aktuelle Strukturierung des chirurgischen Tertials in Deutschland zu evaluieren. Die Umfrage zeigte eine deutliche Heterogenität der Struktur und Organisation des chirurgischen Tertials. Die Wahlmöglichkeiten zwischen den verschiedenen chirurgischen Subfächern und die begrenzte Zeit resultieren oftmals in einer zeitlich limitierten oder gar fehlenden chirurgischen Ausbildung im Bereich der Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Gefäßchirurgie. Krankheitsbilder aus diesen chirurgischen Fächern treten in relevantem Ausmaß auf, sodass jedem praktizierenden Arzt eine Mindestkenntnis im Studium und PJ vermittelt werden sollte. Zur Sicherung einer soliden Grundausbildung erscheint eine bundesweite Regelung mit einer definierten chirurgischen Ausbildung im PJ sinnvoll.
Musiktherapie in der
Schlaganfallrehabilitation
Authors: Altenmüller Eckart , Scholz Daniel S. , Rollnik Jens D.
Published: March 2018

Die motivierende Wirkung der Musik kann überaus fruchtbar in der
Neurorehabilitation von gestörten Hand- und Armfunktionen genutzt werden. Wir
stellen zwei Ansätze vor, nämlich das „Klaviertraining“ und das
„Sonifikations“-Training, in denen diese neurologische Musiktherapie pragmatisch
umgesetzt wird. Ein Ausblick auf zukünftige Projekte und Forschungsfragen
schließt den Übersichtsartikel ab.
Es gibt keine falschen Töne, es gibt nur eigene
Töne
Authors: Bentele Heike
Published: March 2018

Interview von Heike BenteleDie Patientin, Frau Christine Schlee, erlitt einen
Verschluss und eine Stenose der A. basilaris. Sie befand sich im Herbst 2017 für
fünf Wochen in neurorehabilitativer Behandlung.
Jonglieren bei Ataxie – Ein verwegener Plan
Authors: Brötz Doris
Published: March 2018

Jonglieren bei Koordinationsstörungen – ist das nicht gewagt? Physiotherapeutin Doris Brötz ist anderer Meinung. Ihre Erfahrungen zeigen, dass es nicht nur Spaß macht, sondern dass sich dadurch die Koordination verbessert und Patienten nach dem Jonglieren besser sprechen, gehen und essen können.
Was kann Gesundheitsjournalismus leisten? Eine kriteriengeleitete Bewertung der Berichterstattung zur HPV-Impfung 2006 bis 2009 in Deutschland
Authors: Niewald Ann-Kristin , Oedingen Carina , Razum Oliver
Published: March 2018

Ziel der Analyse Im Jahr 2006 wurde der erste Impfstoff gegen Humane Papillomviren (HPV) in Europa zugelassen und 2007 in den Leistungskatalog der Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung in Deutschland aufgenommen. Schon im Vorfeld und auch nach der Zulassung wurde der Impfstoff kontrovers in Öffentlichkeit und (Print-)Medien diskutiert. Wir untersuchten die gesundheitsjournalistische Qualität der Berichterstattung zur HPV-Impfung während der Kontroverse.

Methodik Die LexisNexis-Printmedien-Datenbank wurde anhand ausgewählter Suchbegriffe für 4 deutsche auflagenstarke überregionale Zeitungen sowie 4 auflagenstarke Zeitschriften und Magazine für den Zeitraum 2006–2009 durchsucht. HPV-bezogene Artikel wurden anhand etablierter Indikatoren untersucht und jeweils anhand eines dezimalen Punkte-Notenschlüssels zusammenfassend bewertet.

Ergebnisse Es wurden 58 Zeitungs- und Magazinartikel zur HPV-Impfung identifiziert und von 2 unabhängigen Personen bewertet. Die einzelnen Indikatoren gesundheitsjournalistischer Berichterstattung wurden durchschnittlich mit der Note 4,6 von 6 bewertet. Gerade die für LeserInnen relevantesten Qualitätskategorien, die ein hinreichendes Verständnis der HPV-Impfung ermöglichen, konnte ein Großteil der Artikel nicht erfüllen. Lediglich die Kategorien Einfachheit der Sprache und Gliederung/Ordnung wurden in fast allen Artikeln positiv umgesetzt.

Schlussfolgerungen Die Einhaltung der etablierten Qualitätsstandards gilt als eine wichtige Grundlage des Gesundheitsjournalismus, erweist sich aber bei einer komplexen Berichterstattung wie der HPV-Impfung als kaum vollständig umsetzbar. Aus Public-Health-Sicht lassen sich dennoch vermeidbare Defizite in der Berichterstattung identifizieren, insbesondere bezüglich der unvollständigen Evidenzlage zur Impfung zu diesem Zeitpunkt. Mithilfe eines Public-Health-basierten Media-Monitorings könnten Informationsdefizite oder häufige Fehlinformationen systematisch erkannt und durch entsprechende zusätzliche Aufklärungsmaßnahmen behoben werden.
Gendering Markets, Gendering Food: Women, Law and Markets in the New York City Food System, 1800–1840
Authors: Fisher Jeremy
Published: March 2018

The history of market regulations provides an important perspective on the gendering of systems of food within the evolution of urban economies. This article addresses an important and distinctive period in this process, when New York shifted away from colonial and English-derived institutions in the first four decades of the nineteenth century. The legal status of women was unsettled during this time, introducing uncertainty into women's economic activities. New York City's public marketplaces were carefully regulated through a network of ancient and sometimes arcane laws that inscribed particular activities within well-defined spaces while prohibiting them elsewhere. While these laws were derived from traditional English practices, enforcement was becoming increasingly legalistic rather than customary. While these market laws did not specifically invoke gender, they produced a system that was less navigable to women due to their problematic status as legal subjects. Because the system's navigability differed by commodity, these laws significantly shaped the gendered identity of foodstuffs, such as meat and fruit. Carefully delineating these legal constructions allows us to better understand how women navigated the real and conceptual spaces of the food system, and to see how the changing legal realities of New York impinged on women's employment.
A synchronous game for binary constraint systems
Authors: Kim Se-Jin , Paulsen Vern , Schafhauser Christopher
Published: March 2018

Recently, Slofstra proved that the set of quantum correlations is not closed. We prove that the set of synchronous quantum correlations is not closed, which implies his result, by giving an example of a synchronous game that has a perfect quantum approximate strategy but no perfect quantum strategy. We also exhibit a graph for which the quantum independence number and the quantum approximate independence number are different. We prove new characterisations of synchronous quantum approximate correlations and synchronous quantum spatial correlations. We solve the synchronous approximation problem of Dykema and the second author, which yields a new equivalence of Connes’ embedding problem in terms of synchronous correlations.
Variables separation and superintegrability of the nine-dimensional MICZ-Kepler problem
Authors: Phan Ngoc-Hung , Le Dai-Nam , Thoi Tuan-Quoc N. , Le Van-Hoang
Published: March 2018

The nine-dimensional MICZ-Kepler problem is of recent interest. This is a system describing a charged particle moving in the Coulomb field plus the field of a SO(8) monopole in a nine-dimensional space. Interestingly, this problem is equivalent to a 16-dimensional harmonic oscillator via the Hurwitz transformation. In the present paper, we report on the multiseparability, a common property of superintegrable systems, and the superintegrability of the problem. First, we show the solvability of the Schrödinger equation of the problem by the variables separation method in different coordinates. Second, based on the SO(10) symmetry algebra of the system, we construct explicitly a set of seventeen invariant operators, which are all in the second order of the momentum components, satisfying the condition of superintegrability. The found number 17 coincides with the prediction of (2n − 1) law of maximal superintegrability order in the case n = 9. Until now, this law is accepted to apply only to scalar Hamiltonian eigenvalue equations in n-dimensional space; therefore, our results can be treated as evidence that this definition of superintegrability may also apply to some vector equations such as the Schrödinger equation for the nine-dimensional MICZ-Kepler problem.
Combining first-principles and data modeling for the accurate prediction of the refractive index of organic polymers
Authors: Afzal Mohammad Atif Faiz , Cheng Chong , Hachmann Johannes
Published: March 2018

Organic materials with a high index of refraction (RI) are attracting considerable interest due to their potential application in optic and optoelectronic devices. However, most of these applications require an RI value of 1.7 or larger, while typical carbon-based polymers only exhibit values in the range of 1.3–1.5. This paper introduces an efficient computational protocol for the accurate prediction of RI values in polymers to facilitate in silico studies that can guide the discovery and design of next-generation high-RI materials. Our protocol is based on the Lorentz-Lorenz equation and is parametrized by the polarizability and number density values of a given candidate compound. In the proposed scheme, we compute the former using first-principles electronic structure theory and the latter using an approximation based on van der Waals volumes. The critical parameter in the number density approximation is the packing fraction of the bulk polymer, for which we have devised a machine learning model. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed RI protocol by testing its predictions against the experimentally known RI values of 112 optical polymers. Our approach to combine first-principles and data modeling emerges as both a successful and a highly economical path to determining the RI values for a wide range of organic polymers.
Application of equivalent medium parameters in finite element models of microwave metamaterials
Authors: Hewitt C. , Alves F. , Luscombe J. , Grbovic D.
Published: March 2018

Simulated or experimentally measured reflection and transmission are used to obtain effective permittivity (ε), permeability (μ), and conductivity (σ) for a planar microwave metamaterial. These parameters are then used in a finite element model of macro-scale metamaterial objects, where the metamaterial is taken to be a homogeneous layer with frequency-dependent ε, μ, and σ. We demonstrate good agreement between reflection and absorption of metamaterial structure and those obtained from modeling homogenized, macro-scale metamaterials. We further demonstrate use of the method for geometrically scaled, oddly shaped macroscopic objects. This method significantly reduces computation requirements and enables modeling of metamaterial-made, large area objects without modeling their actual intricate metamaterial structure.
New design for inertial piezoelectric motors
Authors: Liu Lige , Ge Weifeng , Meng Wenjie , Hou Yubin , Zhang Jing , Lu Qingyou
Published: March 2018

We have designed, implemented, and tested a novel inertial piezoelectric motor (IPM) that is the first IPM to have controllable total friction force, which means that it sticks with large total friction forces and slips with severely reduced total friction forces. This allows the IPM to work with greater robustness and produce a larger output force at a lower threshold voltage while also providing higher rigidity. This is a new IPM design that means that the total friction force can be dramatically reduced or even canceled where necessary by pushing the clamping points at the ends of a piezoelectric tube that contains the sliding shaft inside it in the opposite directions during piezoelectric deformation. Therefore, when the shaft is propelled forward by another exterior piezoelectric tube, the inner piezoelectric tube can deform to reduce the total friction force acting on the shaft instantly and cause more effective stepping movement of the shaft. While our new IPM requires the addition of another piezoelectric tube, which leads to an increase in volume of 120% when compared with traditional IPMs, the average step size has increased by more than 400% and the threshold voltage has decreased by more than 50 V. The improvement in performance is far more significant than the increase in volume. This enhanced performance will allow the proposed IPM to work under large load conditions where a simple and powerful piezoelectric motor is needed.
Thermal-induced structural transition and depolarization behavior in (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-BiAlO3 ceramics
Authors: Peng Ping , Nie Hengchang , Cheng Guofeng , Liu Zhen , Wang Genshui , Dong Xianlin
Published: March 2018

The depolarization temperature Td determines the upper temperature limit for the application of piezoelectric materials. However, the origin of depolarization behavior for Bi-based materials still remains controversial and the mechanism is intricate for different (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-based systems. In this work, the structure and depolarization behavior of (1-x)(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-xBiAlO3 (BNT-BA, x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.07) ceramics were investigated using a combination of X-ray diffraction and electrical measurements. It was found that as temperature increased, the induced long-range ferroelectric phase irreversibly transformed to the relaxor phase as evidenced by the temperature-dependent ferroelectric and dielectric properties, which corresponded to a gradual structural change from the rhombohedral to the pseudocubic phase. Therefore, the thermal depolarization behavior of BNT-BA ceramics was proposed to be directly related to the rhombohedral–pseudocubic transition. Furthermore, Td (obtained from thermally stimulated depolarization currents curves) was higher than the induced ferroelectric-relaxor phase transition temperature TFR (measured from dielectric curves). The phenomenon was quite different from other reported BNT-based systems, which may suggest the formation of polar nanoregions (PNRs) within macrodomains prior to the detexturation of short-range ferroelectric domains with PNRs or nanodomains.
Note: A new method for directly reducing the sampling jitter noise of the digital phasemeter
Authors: Liang Yu-Rong
Published: March 2018

The sampling jitter noise is one non-negligible noise source of the digital phasemeter used for space gravitational wave detection missions. This note provides a new method for directly reducing the sampling jitter noise of the digital phasemeter, by adding a dedicated signal of which the frequency, amplitude, and initial phase should be pre-set. In contrast to the phase correction using the pilot-tone in the work of Burnett, Gerberding et al., Liang et al., Ales et al., Gerberding et al., and Ware et al. [M.Sc. thesis, Luleå University of Technology, 2010; Classical Quantum Gravity 30, 235029 (2013); Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 016106 (2015); Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 084502 (2015); Rev. Sci. Instrum. 86, 074501 (2015); and Proceedings of the Earth Science Technology Conference (NASA, USA, 2006)], the new method is intrinsically additive noise suppression. The experiment results validate that the new method directly reduces the sampling jitter noise without data post-processing and provides the same phase measurement noise level (10−6 rad/Hz1/2 at 0.1 Hz) as the pilot-tone correction.
Asymmetrical interfacial reactions of Ni/SAC101(NiIn)/Ni solder joint induced by current stressing
Authors: Lin Chen-Yi , Chiu Tsung-Chieh , Lin Kwang-Lung
Published: March 2018

An electric current can asymmetrically trigger either atomic migration or interfacial reactions between a cathode and an anode. The present study investigated the dissolution of metallization and formation of an interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) in the Cu/Ni/Sn1.0Ag0.1Cu0.02Ni0.05In/Ni/Cu solder joint at various current densities in the order of 103 A/cm2 at temperatures ranging from 100 °C to 150 °C. The polarization behavior of Ni dissolution and IMC formation under current stressing were systematically investigated. The asymmetrical interfacial reactions of the solder joint were found to be greatly influenced by ambient temperature. The dissolution of Ni and its effect on interfacial IMC formation were also discussed.
A note on supersonic flow control with nanosecond plasma actuator
Authors: Zheng J. G. , Cui Y. D. , Li J. , Khoo B. C.
Published: March 2018

A concept study on supersonic flow control using nanosecond pulsed plasma actuator is conducted by means of numerical simulation. The nanosecond plasma discharge is characterized by the generation of a micro-shock wave in ambient air and a residual heat in the discharge volume arising from the rapid heating of near-surface gas by the quick discharge. The residual heat has been found to be essential for the flow separation control over aerodynamic bodies like airfoil and backward-facing step. In this study, novel experiment is designed to utilize the other flow feature from discharge, i.e., instant shock wave, to control supersonic flow through shock-shock interaction. Both bow shock in front of a blunt body and attached shock anchored at the tip of supersonic projectile are manipulated via the discharged-induced shock wave in an appropriate manner. It is observed that drag on the blunt body is reduced appreciably. Meanwhile, a lateral force on sharp-edged projectile is produced, which can steer the body and give it an effective angle of attack. This opens a promising possibility for extending the applicability of this flow control technique in supersonic flow regime.
Electromagnetic field enhancement effects in group IV semiconductor nanowires. A Raman spectroscopy approach
Authors: Pura J. L. , Anaya J. , Souto J. , Prieto A. C. , Rodríguez A. , Rodríguez T. , Periwal P. , Baron T. , Jiménez J.
Published: March 2018

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are the building blocks of future nanoelectronic devices. Furthermore, their large refractive index and reduced dimension make them suitable for nanophotonics. The study of the interaction between nanowires and visible light reveals resonances that promise light absorption/scattering engineering for photonic applications. Micro-Raman spectroscopy has been used as a characterization tool for semiconductor nanowires. The light/nanowire interaction can be experimentally assessed through the micro-Raman spectra of individual nanowires. As compared to both metallic and dielectric nanowires, semiconductor nanowires add additional tools for photon engineering. In particular, one can grow heterostructured nanowires, both axial and radial, and also one could modulate the doping level and the surface condition among other factors than can affect the light/NW interaction. We present herein a study of the optical response of group IV semiconductor nanowires to visible photons. The study is experimentally carried out through micro-Raman spectroscopy of different group IV nanowires, both homogeneous and axially heterostructured (SiGe/Si). The results are analyzed in terms of the electromagnetic modelling of the light/nanowire interaction using finite element methods. The presence of axial heterostructures is shown to produce electromagnetic resonances promising new photon engineering capabilities of semiconductor nanowires.
Photoinduced transport in an H64Q neuroglobin antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning
Authors: Rydzewski J. , Nowak W.
Published: March 2018

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a leading cause of poisoning deaths worldwide, without available antidotal therapy. Recently, a potential treatment for CO poisoning was introduced, based on binding of CO by neuroglobin (Ngb) with a mutated distal histidine (H64Q). Here, we present an atomistic mechanism of CO trapping by H64Q Ngb revealed by nonadiabatic molecular dynamics. We focused on CO photodissociation and recombination of CO to wild type (WT) and H64Q Ngb. Our results demonstrate that the distribution of CO within the proteins differs substantially due to rearrangement of amino acids surrounding the distal heme pocket. This leads to the decrease of the distal pocket volume in H64Q Ngb in comparison to WT Ngb, trapping migrating CO molecules in the distal pocket. We show that the mutation implicates the shortening of the time scale of CO geminate recombination, making H64Q Ngb 2.7 times more frequent binder than WT Ngb.
Synergistic effect of non-covalent interaction in colloidal nematic liquid crystal doped with magnetic functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Dalir Nima , Javadian Soheila
Published: March 2018

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), CNT@Fe3O4, and Fe3O4 nanocomposites were doped to eutectic uniaxial nematic liquid crystal (NLC's) (E5CN7) to improve physiochemical properties such as phase transition temperature, activation energy (Ea), dielectric anisotropy, and electro-optical properties. The thermal study of nematic phase shows a decrease in the nematic to isotropic phase transition temperature as CNT is doped. However, higher doping concentration of CNTs leads to the further increase in transition temperature. The anchoring effect or π-π interaction plays a key role in N-I phase transition. The functionalization of SWCNTs with Fe3O4 diminishes the CNT aggregation while the magnetic susceptibility is increased. The functionalized CNT doping to NLC's decrease significantly the phase transition temperature compared to doping of non-functionalized CNTs. Attractive interaction between guest and host molecules by magnetic and geometry effect increased the enthalpy and entropy of phase transition in the SWCNT@Fe3O4 sample compared to non-functionalized CNT doped system. Also, the Ea values are decreased as SWCNT@Fe3O4 is doped to pure E5CN7. The difference of N-I phase transition temperature was observed in Fe3O4 and CNT@Fe3O4 compared to SWCNT doped systems. Finally, dielectric anisotropy was increased in the doped system compared to pure NLC.