bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of implant material and patient age on the long-term outcome of secondary cranioplasty following decompressive craniectomy for severe traumatic brain injury
Authors: Hamböck Martina , Hosmann Arthur , Seemann Rudolf , Wolf Harald , Schachinger Florian , Hajdu Stefan , Widhalm Harald
Published: February 2020

Background

Secondary cranioplasty (CP) is considered to support the neurological recovery of patients after decompressive craniectomy (DC), but the treatment success might be limited by complications associated to confounders, which are not yet fully characterized. The aim of this study was to identify the most relevant factors based on the necessity to perform revision surgeries.

Methods

Data from 156 patients who received secondary CP following DC for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) between 1984 and 2015 have been retrospectively analyzed and arranged into cohorts according to the occurrence of complications requiring surgical intervention.

Results

Cox regression analysis revealed a lower revision rate in patients with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) implants than in patients with autologous calvarial bone (ACB) implants (HR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 1.0, p = 0.04). A similar effect could be observed in the population of patients aged between 18 and 65 years, who had a lower risk to suffer complications requiring surgical treatment than individuals aged under 18 or over 65 years (HR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.9, p = 0.02). Revision rates were not influenced by the gender (p = 0.88), timing of the CP (p = 0.53), the severity of the TBI (p = 0.86), or the size of the cranial defect (p = 0.16).

Conclusions

In this study, the implant material and patient age were identified as the most relevant parameters independently predicting the long-term outcome of secondary CP. The use of PMMA was associated with lower revision rates than ACB and might provide a therapeutic benefit for selected patients with traumatic cranial defects.
The effect of sub-facet scale surface structure on wall brightness temperatures at multiple scales
Authors: Hilland Rainer V. J. , Voogt James A.
Published: February 2020

Wall surface temperatures are important components of urban climates but are under-sampled by satellite and airborne remote sensing and at the microscale are under-sampled in observational studies. In urban canopy models, they are represented with simplistic geometries. This study examines the effect of microscale (sub-facet) surface structure geometries on wall surface brightness temperature distributions at micro- to neighbourhood scales using mobile sampling traverses of two suburban neighbourhoods with different sub-facet geometries. Visible and thermal imagery were recorded simultaneously and combined and classified to create a database of temperatures with associated geographic and thermal attributes. This study investigates (1) if sub-facet scale geometries affect temperature distributions, (2) if these cause canyon scale biases, and (3) if there are therefore inter-neighbourhood biases. It is shown that sub-facet geometries modify wall surface temperatures predominantly by cooling due to self-shading. Surface-sun geometry thus leads to intra- and inter-neighbourhood temperature differences of several degrees Celsius. The observed effects have important implications for modelling of urban surface temperatures, where simplified geometries may overestimate wall surface temperatures.
Prion protein PrP nucleic acid binding and mobilization implicates retroelements as the replicative component of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
Authors: Lathe Richard , Darlix Jean-Luc
Published: February 2020

The existence of more than 30 strains of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) and the paucity of infectivity of purified PrPSc, as well as considerations of PrP structure, are inconsistent with the protein-only (prion) theory of TSE. Nucleic acid is a strong contender as a second component. We juxtapose two key findings: (i) PrP is a nucleic-acid-binding antimicrobial protein that is similar to retroviral Gag proteins in its ability to trigger reverse transcription. (ii) Retroelement mobilization is widely seen in TSE disease. Given further evidence that PrP also mediates nucleic acid transport into and out of the cell, a strong case is to be made that a second element – retroelement nucleic acid – bound to PrP constitutes the second component necessary to explain the multiple strains of TSE.
Investigating the association between family connectedness and self-control in adolescence in a genetically sensitive design
Authors: Willems Yayouk E. , Laceulle Odilia M. , Bartels Meike , Finkenauer Catrin
Published: February 2020

Family connectedness is key for the development of self-control in early and middle childhood. But is family connectedness still important during the transitional phase of adolescence, when adolescents demand more independence from their parents and rely more on their peers? The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between family connectedness and self-control, and whether it still holds in adolescence using a genetically sensitive design. Data were used from a large sample of twins aged 14 (N = 11,260) and aged 16 (N = 8175), all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. We applied bivariate twin models and monozygotic twin difference models to investigate the association between family connectedness and self-control and to unravel to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain this association. The results showed that more family connectedness is significantly related to better self-control in adolescence, albeit with a small effect size. Twin analyses revealed that this association was mainly explained by common genetic factors and that the effects of environmental factors were small. The current findings confirm the role of family connectedness in adolescent self-control. Importantly, however, the results demonstrate that phenomena we see within families seem the product of parent and children sharing the same genes rather than being exclusively attributable to environmental processes.
Major Effects of Alkalinity on the Relationship Between Metabolism and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Dynamics in Lakes
Authors: Khan Hares , Laas Alo , Marcé Rafael , Obrador Biel
Published: February 2020

Several findings suggest that CO2 emissions in lakes are not always directly linked to changes in metabolism but can be associated with interactions with the dissolved inorganic carbon equilibrium. Alkalinity has been described as a determining factor in regulating the relative contributions of biological and inorganic processes to carbon dynamics in lakes. Here we analyzed the relationship between metabolic changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) at different timescales in eight lakes covering a wide range in alkalinity. We used high-frequency data from automatic monitoring stations to explore the sensitivity of DIC to metabolic changes inferred from oxygen. To overcome the problem of noisy data, commonly found in high-frequency measurements datasets, we used Singular Spectrum Analysis to enhance the diel signal-to-noise ratio. Our results suggest that in most of the studied lakes, a large part of the measured variability in DO and DIC reflects non-metabolic processes. Furthermore, at low alkalinity, DIC dynamics appear to be mostly driven by aquatic metabolism, but this relationship weakens with increasing alkalinity. The observed deviations from the metabolic 1:1 stoichiometry between DO and DIC were strongly correlated with the deviations expected to occur from calcite precipitation, with a stronger correlation when accounting also for the benthic contribution of calcite precipitation. This highlights the role of calcite precipitation as an important driver of CO2 supersaturation in lakes with alkalinity above 1 meq L−1, which represents 57% of the global area of lakes and reservoirs around the world.
Optimization techniques for tree-structured nonlinear problems
Authors: Hübner Jens , Schmidt Martin , Steinbach Marc C.
Published: February 2020

Robust model predictive control approaches and other applications lead to nonlinear optimization problems defined on (scenario) trees. We present structure-preserving Quasi-Newton update formulas as well as structured inertia correction techniques that allow to solve these problems by interior-point methods with specialized KKT solvers for tree-structured optimization problems. The same type of KKT solvers could be used in active-set based SQP methods. The viability of our approach is demonstrated by two robust control problems.
Narrative Ethics in Robert Westall’s The Machine Gunners
Authors: Veldhuizen Vera Nelleke
Published: February 2020

One of the particularly challenging aspects of children’s literature lies in its ethics. The intended audience of children’s literature is often perceived to be morally malleable, and particularly vulnerable to narrative strategies. This why it is of high importance to consider the moral contents which children’s narratives attempt to communicate to the implied child reader and what narrative strategies are used to communicate them. In this paper I employ a classic narratological approach to analyse the many different ways through which children’s literature both constructs and communicates ethics to its young readership, both on the separate story/discourse levels and in an underlying, philosophical sense. Robert Westall’sThe Machine Gunnersserves as the example text analysis for this purpose, as the heightened stakes and emotions of war stories such as this one also increase the importance placed on moral reasoning, judgements, and consequences. In my analysis I show how certain ethical messages are communicated through different narrative strategies, and how these can either strengthen or contradict one another. This contradiction is potentially particularly confusing for young readers, and the resulting dissociation may undermine the moral framework of the work at large. This is why, at the end of the article, I call for a holistic narratological framework in the analysis of ethics.
The shielding effect extends the lifetimes of two-dimensional sessile droplets
Authors: Schofield Feargus G. H. , Wray Alexander W. , Pritchard David , Wilson Stephen K.
Published: February 2020

We consider the diffusion-limited evaporation of thin two-dimensional sessile droplets either singly or in a pair. A conformal-mapping technique is used to calculate the vapour concentrations in the surrounding atmosphere, and thus to obtain closed-form solutions for the evolution and the lifetimes of the droplets in various modes of evaporation. These solutions demonstrate that, in contrast to in three dimensions, in large domains the lifetimes of the droplets depend logarithmically on the size of the domain, and more weakly on the mode of evaporation and the separation between the droplets. In particular, they allow us to quantify the shielding effect that the droplets have on each other, and how it extends the lifetimes of the droplets.
Nondestructive Post-fire Damage Assessment of Structural Steel Members Using Leeb Harness Method
Authors: Liu Dianzhong , Liu Xinyi , Fu Feng , Wang Wugang
Published: February 2020

Assessment of steel damage is one of the key methods in retrofitting and reconstruction of the steel structures after fire. The traditional assessment method is to cut the samples from the steel members and check the levels of damage. This method will damage the structural members and the process is time consuming. In this paper, a quick, simple and efficient nondestructive detection method to measure the strength of steel after fire is developed using so called Leeb hardness method by means of establishment the relationship between the residual strength of steel members after fire and the Leeb hardness, the post-fire steel strength can be fast determined without damage to the structural members. In this paper, in total 120 Chinese H-shaped steel sections were selected for testing the Leeb hardness after fire. The influence of the parameters such as the duration of the fire exposure, cooling mode, steel grade, stress state and location of the Leeb hardness test on the test results was investigated. The relationship between the steel Leeb hardness and the parameters were developed. In addition, regression functions between the residual strength of steel members after fire and the Leeb hardness was established based on these test results which can accurate predict the residual strength of the steel members after fire, providing the engineers a new fast assessment method for the residual strength of the steel after fire.
Organising the metals and nonmetals
Authors: Vernon René E.
Published: February 2020

The periodic table can be simply demarcated into four classes of metal and four classes of nonmetal. Such a treatment has been obstructed by the traditional view of metalloids as in-between elements; understandable but needless boundary squabbles; and a group-by-group view of the reactive nonmetals. Setting aside these limiting notions reveals some interesting patterns and facilitates teaching and learning the periodic table.
Ways to Greater Happiness: A Delphi Study
Authors: Buettner Dan , Nelson Toben , Veenhoven Ruut
Published: February 2020

In the first round of this Delphi study 14 experts suggested strategies for improving life-satisfaction. In a second round, experts rated these strategies for (a) effectiveness, (b) feasibility and (c) cost-effectiveness. They considered 56 strategies policy makers can use to raise average happiness in a nation and 68 ways in which individuals can raise their own happiness. Experts were informed about the average ratings made by the panel and about the arguments advanced. Then, in a third round, experts made their final judgments. Summed ratings for average effectiveness and feasibility of the strategies ranged between 8.4 and 4.9 on scale 2–10, which means that most of the recommendations were deemed suitable. Agreement was slightly higher on policy strategies than on individual ways to greater happiness. Policy strategies deemed the most effective and feasible are: (1) investing in happiness research, (2) support of vulnerable people and (3) improving the social climate, in particular by promoting voluntary work and supporting non-profits. Individual strategies deemed most effective are: (a) investing in social networks, (b) doing meaningful things and (c) caring for one’s health.
Politicians, the Representativeness Heuristic and Decision-Making Biases
Authors: Stolwijk Sjoerd , Vis Barbara
Published: February 2020

Do politicians use the representativeness heuristic when making judgements, that is, when they appraise the likelihood or frequency of an outcome that is unknown or unknowable? Heuristics are cognitive shortcuts that facilitate judgements and decision making. Oftentimes, heuristics are useful, but they may also lead to systematic biases that can be detrimental for decision making in a representative democracy. Thus far, we lack experimental evidence on whether politicians use the representativeness heuristic. To contribute to and extend the existing literature, we develop and conduct a survey experiment with as main participants Dutch elected local politicians from the larger municipalities (n = 211). This survey experiment examines whether politician participants display two decision-making biases related to the representativeness heuristic: the conjunction error and scope neglect. We also run the experiment with a student sample (n = 260), mainly to validate the experimental design. Our findings show that politician participants neglect scope in one scenario and that they display the conjunction error in two of three scenarios. These results suggest that politician participants use the representativeness heuristic. Conversely, our third conjunction error scenario does not find evidence for politician participants displaying this bias. As we discuss in the article, the latter may be an artifact of our experimental design. Overall, our findings contribute fundamentally to our understanding of how politicians process information and how this influences their judgements and decision making.
“For a Younger Crowd”: Place, Belonging, and Exclusion among Older Adults Facing Neighborhood Change
Authors: Torres Stacy
Published: February 2020

Cities are gentrifying, yet we know little about the experience of older adults aging in gentrifying areas. Most research has focused on a shortage of affordable housing and threat of eviction for low-income residents but has paid less attention to age. This trend neglects a fuller understanding of place’s heightened significance for older people and how commercial gentrification threatens their possibilities to connect in non-institutional, intergenerational spaces. Drawing on five years of ethnographic fieldwork among older adults in a gentrified New York City neighborhood, this paper examines the significance of “third places” for longtime residents. I find that features of establishments such as proximity (distance from study participants’ residences), cost, physical design and layout, and surveillance shaped how different neighborhood places facilitated face-to-face interaction and a sense of ownership that supported participants’ independence as they aged in place. This paper contributes to limited scholarly knowledge about older people’s experiences of gentrification and neighborhood change, an understudied area of growing concern as population aging converges with the increasing desirability and cost of living in urban areas.
Biochar physicochemical properties: pyrolysis temperature and feedstock kind effects
Authors: Tomczyk Agnieszka , Sokołowska Zofia , Boguta Patrycja
Published: February 2020

Biochar is a pyrogenous, organic material synthesized through pyrolysis of different biomass (plant or animal waste). The potential biochar applications include: (1) pollution remediation due to high CEC and specific surface area; (2) soil fertility improvement on the way of liming effect, enrichment in volatile matter and increase of pore volume, (3) carbon sequestration due to carbon and ash content, etc. Biochar properties are affected by several technological parameters, mainly pyrolysis temperature and feedstock kind, which differentiation can lead to products with a wide range of values of pH, specific surface area, pore volume, CEC, volatile matter, ash and carbon content. High pyrolysis temperature promotes the production of biochar with a strongly developed specific surface area, high porosity, pH as well as content of ash and carbon, but with low values of CEC and content of volatile matter. This is most likely due to significant degree of organic matter decomposition. Biochars produced from animal litter and solid waste feedstocks exhibit lower surface areas, carbon content, volatile matter and high CEC compared to biochars produced from crop residue and wood biomass, even at higher pyrolysis temperatures. The reason for this difference is considerable variation in lignin and cellulose content as well as in moisture content of biomass. The physicochemical properties of biochar determine application of this biomaterial as an additive to improve soil quality. This review succinctly presents the impact of pyrolysis temperature and the type of biomass on the physicochemical characteristics of biochar and its impact on soil fertility.
Cancer-Related Fatigue: Causes and Current Treatment Options
Authors: Thong Melissa S.Y. , van Noorden Cornelis J. F. , Steindorf Karen , Arndt Volker
Published: February 2020

Opinion statement

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a problem for a significant proportion of cancer survivors during and after active cancer treatment. However, CRF is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Interventions are available for CRF although there is no gold standard. Based on current level of evidence, exercise seems to be most effective in preventing or ameliorating CRF during the active- and posttreatment phases.
Revolution of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Therapy: the Chemo-Free Treatment Paradigm
Authors: Scheffold Annika , Stilgenbauer Stephan
Published: February 2020

Purpose of Review

Over the last years, targeted anticancer therapy with small molecule inhibitors and antibodies has much replaced chemoimmunotherapy, which has been the gold standard of care for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here we give an overview of novel targeted agents used in therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as well as efforts to overcome resistance development, focusing on approved drugs since they gained high relevance in clinical practice.

Recent Findings

Novel agents moved to the forefront as a treatment strategy of CLL due to their outstanding efficacy, almost irrespectively of the underlying genetic features. Inhibition of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), a key molecule in the B cell receptor pathway, achieved dramatic efficacy even in poor-risk and chemo-refractory patients. Further success was accomplished with venetoclax, which specifically inhibits anti-apoptotic BCL2 and induces apoptosis of CLL cells.

Inhibition of BTK or BCL2 is very effective and induces prolongation of progression-free and overall survival. Approved combination treatments such as venetoclax or ibrutinib with obinutuzumab show high responses rates and long remission durations. However, evolution and selection of subclones with continuous treatment leads to resistance towards these novel drugs and disease relapse. Hence, comparison of sequential treatment with combinations and discontinuation of therapy are important aspects which need to be investigated.
Services for Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systems Perspective
Authors: Shattuck Paul T. , Garfield Tamara , Roux Anne M. , Rast Jessica E. , Anderson Kristy , Hassrick Elizabeth McGhee , Kuo Alice
Published: February 2020

Purpose of Review

We review original research about services for adults on the autism spectrum published from January 2013 through December 2018. The main aim is to characterize the topical and methodological aspects of research about services. We review research on services related to employment, living in the community, and social participation. We compare our results with those from a similar review published in 2012 to assess progress and identify where new directions in research about services for adults with autism are needed.

Recent Findings

We found the evidence base about services for adults on the autism spectrum remains very small and highly variable in aims and methods. There is wide variability in methods used to define sampling frames and recruit participants. Most studies focus on employment. Almost no studies examine the overall ecosystem of services serving autistic adults. Few studies use a conceptual framework for understanding access to, or improvement of, services.

The small size of the extant research coupled with inconsistent quality prevents the accumulation of new knowledge in ways that would significantly inform the improvement of systems of care for the growing population of adults on the autism spectrum.
2D MXene-Based Materials for Electrocatalysis
Authors: Liu Jiapeng , Peng Wenchao , Li Yang , Zhang Fengbao , Fan Xiaobin
Published: February 2020

MXenes, as an emerging 2D material, are expected to exert a great influence on future energy storage and conversion technologies. In this review, we systematically summarize recent advances in MXene-based materials in electrocatalysis, particularly in the hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, oxygen reduction, nitrogen reduction, and CO2reduction reactions. Crucial factors influencing the properties of these materials, such as functional groups, conductivity, and interface, are discussed, and challenges to the future development of MXene-based electrocatalysts are presented.
All of me? Users’ preferences for privacy-preserving data markets and the importance of anonymity
Authors: Schomakers Eva-Maria , Lidynia Chantal , Ziefle Martina
Published: February 2020

Privacy-preserving data markets are one approach to restore users’ online privacy and informational self-determination and to build reliable data markets for companies and research. We empirically analyze internet users’ preferences for privacy in data sharing, combining qualitative and quantitative empirical methods. Study I aimed at uncovering users’ mental models of privacy and preferences for data sharing. Study II quantified and confirmed motives, barriers, and conditions for privacy in data markets. Finally, in a conjoint study, trade-offs between decisive attributes that shape the decision to share data are analyzed. Additionally, differences between user groups with high and with low privacy concerns are observed. The results show that the anonymization level has the greatest impact on the willingness to share data, followed by the type of data. Users with higher privacy concerns are less willing to share data in data markets and want more privacy protection. The results contribute to an understanding of how privacy-preserving data markets could be designed to suit users’ preferences.
Utility and constraints of PocketQubes
Authors: Bouwmeester J. , Radu S. , Uludag M. S. , Chronas N. , Speretta S. , Menicucci A. , Gill E. K. A.
Published: February 2020

PocketQubes are a form factor of highly miniaturized satellites with a body of one or more cubic units of 5 cm. In this paper, the characteristics of PocketQubes in terms of their constraints and their (potential) utility are treated. To avoid space debris and limit collision risk, the orbits of PocketQubes need to be constraint. An analysis of orbital decay characteristics has been carried out which, considering existing space regulations and a pro-active attitude, PocketQubes should preferably be launched in low Earth orbits below 400 km altitude. Due to technical constraints, such as form factor, power and attitude control, the domain of applications for single PocketQube missions is limited. Still, they can act as low-cost training and technology demonstration platforms. To make PocketQubes an attractive platform for other types of missions, not only the launch cost, but also the development, production and operations cost should be significantly lower than CubeSats. When the PocketQube platform matures and produced in high numbers, networks of PocketQubes can enable new applications. Applications considered feasible are in the field of (but not limited to) continuous surveillance using optical instruments, gravity field monitoring using precise orbit determination, in-situ measurements of the space environment, low data rate or bandwidth communication services and inexpensive probes around other celestial bodies.
Experimental study of moist air flow in the gap between the aircraft’s fuselage and its cabin wall
Authors: Westhoff Andreas , Wagner Claus
Published: February 2020

We carried out an experimental study on the moisture transfer and the heat transport in warm and humid air flows between the cabin lining and the fuselage skin. The measurements were performed in a rectangular gap channel, representing the space between fuselage and cabin wall. Long-term measurements were performed for three configurations: without insulation, with fibreglass blanket and with melamine resin foam blanket. To simulate realistic flight conditions in a laboratory setup, we applied a concept of scaling. This concept is intended to guarantee similitude between the real flight conditions and the laboratory experiment. The results reveal that without insulation, the moisture transfer rate is much higher compared to the configurations with insulation blankets. With insulation, most of the water evaporates during ground conditions and just a small amount is entrapped in the insulation. Without insulation, just a small part of the frozen water evaporates on the ground. When comparing the two insulation blankets, it is found that they both have a similar heat transmittance coefficient. However, the condensation rate of the water and the resulting accumulation of water are significant, higher for the fibreglass blanket.
Perspectives on Medical Education: three changes in our guidelines to make authors’ and reviewers’ lives easier
Authors: Maggio Lauren A. , Driessen Erik W.
Published: February 2020

None
On the two-dimensional hyperbolic stochastic sine-Gordon equation
Authors: Oh Tadahiro , Robert Tristan , Sosoe Philippe , Wang Yuzhao
Published: February 2020

We study the two-dimensional stochastic sine-Gordon equation (SSG) in the hyperbolic setting. In particular, by introducing a suitable time-dependent renormalization for the relevant imaginary Gaussian multiplicative chaos, we prove local well-posedness of SSG foranyvalue of a parameter$$\beta ^2 > 0$$β2>0in the nonlinearity. This exhibits sharp contrast with the parabolic case studied by Hairer and Shen (Commun Math Phys 341(3):933–989, 2016) and Chandra et al. (The dynamical sine-Gordon model in the full subcritical regime,arXiv:1808.02594[math.PR], 2018), where the parameter is restricted to the subcritical range:$$0< \beta ^2 < 8 \pi $$0<β2<8π. We also present a triviality result for the unrenormalized SSG.
Sol-gel derived porous ultra-high temperature ceramics
Authors: Li Fei , Huang Xiao , Liu Ji-Xuan , Zhang Guo-Jun
Published: February 2020

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are considered as a family of nonmetallic and inorganic materials that have melting point over 3000 °C. Chemically, nearly all UHTCs are borides, carbides, and nitrides of early transition metals (e.g., Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta). Within the last two decades, except for the great achievements in the densification, microstructure tailoring, and mechanical property improvements of UHTCs, many methods have been established for the preparation of porous UHTCs, aiming to develop high-temperature resistant, sintering resistant, and lightweight materials that will withstand temperatures as high as 2000 °C for long periods of time. Amongst the synthesis methods for porous UHTCs, sol-gel methods enable the preparation of porous UHTCs with pore sizes from 1 to 500 urn and porosity within the range of 60%-95% at relatively low temperature. In this article, we review the currently available sol-gel methods for the preparation of porous UHTCs. Templating, foaming, and solvent evaporation methods are described and compared in terms of processing-microstructure relations. The properties and high temperature resistance of sol-gel derived porous UHTCs are discussed. Finally, directions to future investigations on the processing and applications of porous UHTCs are proposed.
Nanowires-assembled WO3 nanomesh for fast detection of ppb-level NO2 at low temperature
Authors: Liu Di , Ren Xiaowei , Li Yesheng , Tang Zilong , Zhang Zhongtai
Published: February 2020

Hierarchical WO3 nanomesh, assembled from single-crystalline WO3 nanowires, is prepared via a hydrothermal method using thiourea (Tu) as the morphology-controlling agent. Formation of the hierarchical architecture comprising of WO3 nanowires takes place via Ostwald ripening mechanism with the growth orientation. The sensor based on WO3 nanomesh has good electrical conductivity and is therefore suitable as NO2 sensing material. The WO3 nanomesh sensor exhibited high response, short response and recovery time, and excellent selectivity towards ppb-level NO2 at low temperature of 160 ℃. The superior gas performance of the sensor was attributed to the high-purity hexagonal WO3 with high specific surface area, which gives rise to enhanced surface adsorption sites for gas adsorption. The electron depletion theory was used for explaining the NO2-sensing mechanism by the gas adsorption/desorption and charge transfer happened on the surface of WO3 nanomesh.
NiWO4 powders prepared via polymeric precursor method for application as ceramic luminescent pigments
Authors: Lima Naiara A. , Alencar Lorena D. S. , Siu-Li Máximo , Feitosa Carlos A. C. , Mesquita Alexandre , M’peko Jean-Claude , Bernardi Maria I. B.
Published: February 2020

NiWO4 was prepared using the polymeric precursor method and studied in terms of physical and chemical properties to verify its stability for industrial applications as pigments. The characterization was accomplished using thermal analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and UV–Vis spectroscopies, colorimetric coordinates, and Raman spectra. Increasing the temperature, successive exothermic reactions were observed and they are related with thermal decomposition of the organic compound. The stability was reached at ~700 °C. The material is verified to become completely free of second phase at ~800 °C. The end NiWO4 powders showed an intense charge transfer (CT)-related tail centered in the ultraviolet region, resulting in a yellow product. In addition, the powders exhibited broad excitation band and broad deep blue–green emission band, which were enhanced with increasing powders’ crystallinity.
Photocatalytic degradation evaluation of N-Fe codoped aligned TiO2 nanorods based on the effect of annealing temperature
Authors: Sadeghzadeh-Attar Abbas
Published: February 2020

In this paper, a comparative study on the photocatalytic degradation of the Rhodamine B (RhB) dye as a model compound using N-Fe codoped TiO2 nanorods under UV and visible-light (λ ≥420 nm) irradiations has been performed. TiO2 photocatalysts were fabricated as aligned nanorod arrays by liquid-phase deposition process, annealed at different temperatures from 400 to 800 °C. The effects of annealing temperature on the phase structure, crystallinity, BET surface area, and resulting photocatalytic activity of N-Fe codoped TiO2 nanorods were also investigated. The degradation studies confirmed that the nanorods annealed at 600 °C composed of both anatase (79%) and rutile phases (21%) and offered the highest activity and stability among the series of nanorods, as it degraded 94.8% and 87.2% RhB in 120 min irradiation under UV and visible-light, respectively. Above 600 °C, the photocatalytic performance of nanorods decreased owning to a phase change, decreased surface area and bandgap, and growth of TiO2 crystallites induced by the annealing temperature. It is hoped that this work could provide precious information on the design of ID catalyst materials with more superior photodegradation properties especially under visible-light for the further industrial applications.
Machine Learning for Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine: A Narrative Review
Authors: Mlodzinski Eric , Stone David J. , Celi Leo A.
Published: February 2020

Machine learning (ML) is a discipline of computer science in which statistical methods are applied to data in order to classify, predict, or optimize, based on previously observed data. Pulmonary and critical care medicine have seen a surge in the application of this methodology, potentially delivering improvements in our ability to diagnose, treat, and better understand a multitude of disease states. Here we review the literature and provide a detailed overview of the recent advances in ML as applied to these areas of medicine. In addition, we discuss both the significant benefits of this work as well as the challenges in the implementation and acceptance of this non-traditional methodology for clinical purposes.
Considering Rationality of Realist International Relations Theories
Authors: Więcławski Jacek
Published: February 2020

The article refers to debates inside realism on rationality of international processes. It reveals that even a basic assumption of states calculating their interests and choosing optimal political strategies provoked contradictions among realist theories. Both prominent Cold War realists, Morgenthau and Waltz, differed in their views on the role of leaders, the impact of the international system and states’ rational response to systemic constraints. The hegemonic rivalry stream of realism took the “middle ground” in this debate. Yet, the complex international reality after the fall of the bipolar order makes the realist considerations even more difficult. It encourages a wider openness to domestic nuances of foreign policymaking but reduces a chance for more general and rational schemes of states’ international behavior. Post-Cold War realists declare a need of systemic and rational frames of their analysis but differ in their views on how much of the domestic context should be absorbed to comprehend contemporary international processes. The integration of miscalculations and misperceptions in leaders’ political decisions and the rational frames of a state’s foreign policy is a clear problem for realism.
„Nun sag, wie hast du’s mit den Geisteswissenschaften?“ Ein Review wissenschaftstheoretischer Grundlagen deutschsprachiger Lehrbücher der Allgemeinen Betriebswirtschaftslehre
Authors: Julmi Christian
Published: February 2020

Obwohl die Wissenschaftspraxis in der Betriebswirtschaftslehre heute von einer methodologischen Offenheit geprägt ist, die quantitative und qualitative Forschung gleichermaßen für legitim erachtet, scheint die Allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre immer noch einem einseitig-naturwissenschaftlichen Forschungsideal anzuhängen. Da die Allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre die einheitliche Fundierung ihrer Disziplin anstrebt, stünde eine solche wissenschaftstheoretische Verengung im Widerspruch zu ihrer wissenschaftspraktischen Offenheit. In Bezug auf eine flächendeckende Verengung der Allgemeinen Betriebswirtschaftslehre auf ein naturwissenschaftliches Forschungsideal liegen bislang allerdings keine systematischen Untersuchungen vor. Das Ziel des Beitrags besteht daher in einem Review der wissenschaftstheoretischen Grundlagen der Allgemeinen Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Gegenstand des Reviews sind alle aktuellen, seit 2005 erschienenen deutschsprachigen Lehrbücher der Allgemeinen Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich übereinstimmend, dass sich die Betriebswirtschaftslehre als anwendungsorientierte Geisteswissenschaft mit naturwissenschaftlichem Forschungsideal versteht und eine Verengung damit tatsächlich nachgewiesen werden kann. Im Anschluss an das Review stellt der Beitrag schließlich Überlegungen zu einer wissenschaftstheoretischen Revision der Allgemeinen Betriebswirtschaftslehre an, die dem praktizierten Methodenpluralismus entspricht und die praktische Relevanz verstehender Forschung würdigt.
Lipschitz regularity for viscous Hamilton-Jacobi equations with Lp terms
Authors: Cirant Marco , Goffi Alessandro
Published: February 2020

We provide Lipschitz regularity for solutions to viscous time-dependent Hamilton-Jacobi equations with right-hand side belonging to Lebesgue spaces. Our approach is based on a duality method, and relies on the analysis of the regularity of the gradient of solutions to a dual (Fokker-Planck) equation. Here, the regularizing effect is due to the non-degenerate diffusion and coercivity of the Hamiltonian in the gradient variable.
INDIA IN THE COMING ‘CLIMATE G2’?
Authors: Camuzeaux Jonathan , Sterner Thomas , Wagner Gernot
Published: February 2020

China and the United States are the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, making them pivotal players in global climate negotiations. Within the coming decade, however, India is set to become the most important counterpart to the United States, as it overtakes China as the country with the most at stake depending on the type of global burden-sharing agreements reached, thus becoming a member of the ‘Climate G2’. We create a hypothetical global carbon market based on modelling emissions reduction commitments across countries and regions relative to their marginal abatement costs. We then analyse net financial flows across a wide range of burden-sharing agreements, from pure ‘grandfathering’ based on current emissions to equal-per-capita allocation. Among the four largest players – the United States, the EU-27, China, and India – it is China that would currently be the largest net seller of emissions allowances in all but the grandfathered scenario. The United States would be the largest net buyer. However, India is poised to take China’s position by around 2030. That leaves the United States and India as the two major countries with most to gain and lose, depending on the type of climate deal reached.
THE CHANGING ROLE OF CARBON PRICING IN THE EU
Authors: Elkerbout Milan
Published: February 2020

Carbon pricing has been the most prominent climate change mitigation policy for the EU since the launch of its emissions trading system (ETS) in 2005. Since then, the context of international climate policy as well as of the socio-political and economical context of decarbonisation has changed considerably. The 2015 Paris Agreement engages virtually every country unlike its predecessor, while non-carbon pricing policies have led to rapid cost reductions in renewables, even if other sectors (particularly in energy-intensive industry) have not seen similar developments. This paper examines how the role of carbon pricing in the EU climate policy mix has evolved from its beginnings as a means to help achieve modest targets under the Kyoto Protocol, to a policy instrument increasingly augmented by a wider policy mix aimed at reaching no net emissions of greenhouse gases by mid-century.
IS THE UK PRODUCTIVITY SLOWDOWN UNPRECEDENTED?
Authors: Crafts Nicholas , Mills Terence C.
Published: February 2020

We estimate trend UK labour productivity growth using a Hodrick-Prescott filter method. We use the results to compare downturns where the economy fell below its pre-existing trend. We find that the current productivity slowdown has resulted in productivity being 19.7 per cent below the pre-2008 trend path in 2018. This is nearly double the previous worst productivity shortfall ten years after the start of a downturn. On this criterion the slowdown is unprecedented in the past 250 years. We conjecture that this reflects a combination of adverse circumstances, namely, a financial crisis, a weakening impact of ICT and impending Brexit.
Evaluation of Mycobacterium smegmatis as indicator of the efficacy of high hydrostatic pressure and ultra-high pressure homogenization treatments for pasteurization-like purposes in milk
Authors: Velázquez-Estrada Rita M. , López-Pedemonte Tomás J. , Hernández-Herrero María Manuela , Roig-Sagués Artur Xavier
Published: February 2020

The objectives of this study were: to assess the efficiency of high hydrostatic pressure or ultra-high pressure homogenization against Mycobacterium smegmatis in milk and to discuss whether M. smegmatis can be considered a suitable surrogate for other Mycobacterium spp. in high pressure inactivation trials using milk. Three strains of this specie (CECT 3017, 3020 and 3032) were independently inoculated into both skimmed (0.2% fat) and whole milk (3.4% fat) at an approximate load of 6.5 Log CFU/ml and submitted to HHP treatments at 300, 400 or 500 MPa for 10 m at 6°C and 20°C. Evolution of the surviving cells of the inoculated strains was evaluated analysing milk immediately after the treatments and after 5 and 8 d of storage at 6°C. HHP treatments at 300 MPa were seldom efficient at inactivating M. smegmatis strains, but lethality increased with pressure applied in all cases. Generation of sub-lethal injured cells was observed only after 400 MPa treatments since inactivation at 500 MPa was shown to be complete. Significant differences were not observed due to either temperature of treatment or fat content of milk, except for strain CECT3032, which was shown to be the most sensitive to HHP treatments. Milk inoculated with strain CECT3017 was submitted to ultra-high pressure homogenization (UHPH) treatments at 200, 300 and 400 MPa. Maximum reductions were obtained after 300 and 400 MPa treatments, although less than 3.50 Log CFU/ml were inactivated. UHPH did not cause significant number of injured cells. The usefulness of this species as a marker for pressure-based processing seems limited since it showed greater sensitivity than some pathogenic species including other Mycobacteria reported in previous studies.
The Privatization Origins of Political Corporations: Evidence from the Pinochet Regime
Authors: González Felipe , Prem Mounu , Urzúa I Francisco
Published: February 2020

We show that the sale of state-owned firms in dictatorships can help political corporations to emerge and persist over time. Using new data, we characterize Pinochet’s privatizations in Chile and find that some firms were sold underpriced to politically connected buyers. These newly private firms benefited financially from the Pinochet regime. Once democracy arrived, they formed connections with the new government, financed political campaigns, and were more likely to appear in the Panama Papers. These findings reveal how dictatorships can influence young democracies using privatization reforms.
Nutritional prevention of colorectal cancer
Authors: Hull Mark A.
Published: February 2020

The preventability estimate for colorectal cancer (CRC) is approximately 50%, highlighting the huge potential for altering modifiable lifestyle factors (including diet and body fatness) in order to reduce risk of this common malignancy. There is strong evidence that dietary factors (including intake of wholegrains, fibre, red and processed meat and alcohol) affect CRC risk. The lack of positive intervention trials and limited mechanistic understanding likely explain limited public health impact of epidemiological observations, to date. An alternative strategy for nutritional prevention of CRC is use of supplements that provide higher individual nutrient exposure than obtained through the diet (chemoprevention). There are positive data for calcium and/or vitamin D and the n-3 fatty acid EPA from polyp prevention trials using colorectal adenoma as a CRC risk biomarker. Although CRC is an obesity-related malignancy, there remains a paucity of observational data supporting intentional weight loss for CRC risk reduction. Some types of obesity surgeries (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) might actually increase subsequent CRC risk due to alteration of local intestinal factors. There is intense interest in nutritional therapy of patients after diagnosis of CRC, in order to impact on recurrence and overall survival (now often termed cancer interception). In conclusion, nutritional prevention of CRC continues to hold much promise. Increased mechanistic understanding of the role of individual nutrients (linked to intestinal microbiota), as well as a precision medicine approach to CRC chemoprevention and interception based on both tumour and host factors, should enable translation of nutritional interventions into effective CRC risk reduction measures.
A 9-month retrospective evaluation of the aetiology and management of patients presenting with encephalitis/meningoencephalitis at a South London hospital
Authors: Bharucha Tehmina , Nashef Lina , Moran Nick , Watkins Sue , Brown David , Zuckerman Mark
Published: February 2020

Encephalitis causes high morbidity and mortality. An incidence of 4.3 cases of encephalitis/100 000 population has been reported in the UK. We performed a retrospective evaluation of the diagnosis and management of adults admitted to hospital with a clinical diagnosis of encephalitis/meningoencephalitis. Clinical, laboratory and radiological data were collated from electronic records. Thirty-six patients, median age 55 years and 24 (67%) male were included. The aetiology was confirmed over nine months in 25 (69%) of whom 16 were infections (six viral, seven bacterial, two parasitic and one viral and parasitic co-infection); 7 autoimmune; 1 metabolic and 1 neoplastic. Of 24 patients with fever, 15 (63%) had an infection. The median time to computed topography, magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography (EEG) was 1, 8 and 3 days respectively. Neuroimaging was abnormal in 25 (69%) and 17 (89%) had abnormal EEGs. Only 19 (53%) received aciclovir treatment. Six (17%) made good recoveries, 16 (44%) had moderate disability, 8 (22%) severe disability and 6 (17%) died. Outcomes were worse for those with an infectious cause. In summary, a diagnosis was made in 69.4% of patients admitted with encephalitis/meningoencephalitis. Autoimmune causes are important to consider at an early stage due to a successful response to treatment. Only 53% of patients received aciclovir on admission. Neuroimaging and EEG studies were delayed. The results of this work resulted in further developing the clinical algorithm for managing these patients.