bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environment problems and solutions
Authors: Cheeseman I. C.
Published: March 2023

The helicopter has the ability to operate from small spaces. Its ability to hover and fly slowly efficiently allows it to perform tasks such as surveillance and rescue even in an urban environment. It is however its ability to provide a form of transport into urban communities where surface transport is restricted by the number of routes and/or congestion, as well as to smaller but less readily reached locations that attracts much attention. The development of cost effective helicopters, as well as commercial helicopters with a larger payload indicate that the world is entering another phase in VTOL travel. It is therefore natural that one should consider the environmental factors in such operations.
Bending of a polar orthotropic circular plate having mixed boundary conditions
Authors: Bhattacharya A. P.
Published: March 2023

The present note is concerned with the bending of a thin polar orthotropic circular plate having mixed boundary conditions. Problems of this type have been rather sparingly treated in the literature and all of these deal with isotropic plates having idealised classical boundary conditions. In practice, plate elements of structures do not have ideal edge supports, but are in general, restrained elastically from rotation and translation at the boundaries. Also, the plate might have non-uniform support conditions. The case of polar orthotropic plates with realistic boundary supports appears not to have been investigated so far. Only a few cases involving the bending of plates of this type have been reported in the literature and these too are for ideal boundary conditions.
The role of the research establishments in the developing world of aerospace
Authors: Kerr T. H.
Published: March 2023

Governments support research and development (R&D) largely because there is a national need to support certain fields and types of research and there is a need for government to have their own sources of technical information and advice. In the UK, the fulfilment of these needs is met by several establishments. The First World War taught the Defence Services that if they were to keep ahead, or even abreast, of the fighting forces of other countries, they must maintain in peace time special organisations of a scientific or technical nature. As a result, each of the three Services set up experimental establishments staffed largely by professional scientists and engineers on full time permanent appointments. These establishments worked under severe disadvantages during the 1920s and 1930s because of economic crises (and therefore threat of severe reductions) and anti-defence opinion in academic circles.
Integrated aircraft avionics and powerplant control and management systems
Authors: Mcnamara J. , Seabridge A. G.
Published: March 2023

The study of powerplant control systems is often carried out in isolation from the requirements of the aircraft. In this collaborative study a Systems approach has been adopted to ensure that the results obtained for an integrated control system are truly applicable to the combined system: airframe, avionics and powerplant with particular regard to the next generation of aircraft employing high technology in methods of data transmission, system integration and crew-system interfaces.
The design of a ‘Jet Catcher’
Authors: Winter K. G. , East L. F.
Published: March 2023

The RAE Boundary Layer Tunnel is an open return facility driven by a 100 hp ventilating fan. It is provided with interchangeable working sections of cross-section either 1·2m × 0·3 m or 0·6 m × 0·6 m. There is no diffuser downstream of the working section which exhausts directly into the test room. The tunnel was arranged in this way to avoid restrictions on the design of the working sections and also in order to enable control of the pressure in the working section by means of a screen over the exit. This control made it possible to bleed flow from the working section, to avoid unwanted separations, for example, or to provide some special flow characteristic.
Aerodynamics
Authors: Squire L. C.
Published: March 2023

Ever since the birth of the aircraft industry the universities have been making a continual contribution to research and development in aerodynamics. For example between the wars the work of Professor Melvill Jones and his school had a direct impact on the design of aircraft as illustrated by the classical paper (see Fig. 1) ‘The Streamline Aeroplane’ which was presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society by Melvill Jones in January 1929. In the immediate post-war years the work of Professors Lighthill, Ward and others laid the foundation of calculation methods for supersonic aerodynamics which eventually led to the design of practical supersonic aircraft. In addition staff in the universities have produced a continuous stream of theoretical and experimental results which have been useful, both in design, and in the overall research programme of the aircraft industry. In particular this work has resulted in a large number of new test techniques including the design and development of wind tunnels for special purposes. It is this aspect of current work which will be discussed first.
Vortices and turbulence
Authors: Lilley Geoffrey M.
Published: March 2023

Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we pay homage to Frederick William Lanchester, Doctor of Laws, Fellow of the Royal Society who, having become interested in mechanical flight at the age of 21, while studying at South Kensington in 1889, entered the field of aeronautics in 1892 and continued to aid its development until his death in 1946. His great contributions to aeronautics were the discovery of the theory of the vortex motion of the lifting wing and that the key to successful flight lay in reducing the skin friction, which was far from being the negligible quantity that others such as Langley, whose name is forever remembered through NASA Langley Field, had stated earlier. All this was in 1893 to 1894 some ten years before the first flight of the Wright brothers. When asked later how he had successfully derived his great and momentous theory Lanchester simply stated; ‘it was a matter of logical deduction helped by experiment’. He vigorously defended his work as not being empirical but was soundly based on hydrodynamic theory.
Shaping the technology of aircraft propulsion
Authors: Newton Alan G.
Published: March 2023

The following papers describe developments which are projected in the various areas of the aero-engine scene. I do not wish to pre-empt or overlap these papers but instead propose to attempt to paint a general strategic picture.

Both commercial and military aviation have been transformed by the emergence of the jet engine in the early 1940s. On the civil side, aircraft have become larger, more economical, faster, more comfortable, more reliable and safer. On the military side, the jet engine has made supersonic operation possible and has enabled aircraft size to be reduced even with enhanced mission capability. Also, the small turboshaft engine has enabled the helicopter to be developed to be an integral part of any defence system.

Until the mid-1960s, the civil engines were determined by a need to progressively improve SFC, reduce noise, increase reliability and, at the same time, increase thrust (Fig. 1). We saw only minor changes in cycle and configuration up to the low bypass ratios of JT3D, JT8, Conway and Spey. In more recent times, the large fan engines, JT9, CF6 and RB 211, led to a step-change in both SFC and noise level and the subsequent 10-15 years has yielded progressive refinements of these engines.
Hypersonic large-deflection similitude for quasi-wedges and quasi-cones
Authors: Ghosh Kunal
Published: March 2023

Ghosh's large-deflection hypersonic similitude and piston theory for plane flows have been extended to axisymmetric flows: a new piston motion in conico-annular space as an extension to Sedov's axisymmetric piston has been proposed and a set of ordinary differential equation for 1-D unsteady motion obtained. Wedge and cone flow solutions are obtained without the constant-density assumption of the earlier theory; the pressure ratio is expressed as a closed form function of the similarity parameter whereas the previous constant density theory gave an iterative procedure. The present theory unifies small disturbance theory and constant density theory.
The flow from notched nozzles in the presence of a free stream
Authors: Smith D. J. , Hughes T.
Published: March 2023

Experimental results obtained in jets from notched nozzles in a co-flowing free stream are presented. It is confirmed that even at low jet speeds the notches produce trailing vortices and it is found that the effect on the free stream on the vortices is surprisingly small.
On the calculation of some two-dimensional inviscid jets
Authors: Sheu M. J. , Hancock G. J.
Published: March 2023

Vorticity panel methods are applied to solve the interacting flow between an outer stream and a two-dimensional jet exhausting into that stream; both are assumed to be at low speed. The cases include a jet emerging from a thick afterbody and an inclined jet. The work is intended as a prelude to obtaining initial values for calculating the mixing of a jet with an outer stream.
The buckling of honeycomb sandwich circular rings
Authors: El-Senussi A. K. , Webber J. P. H.
Published: March 2023

A theoretical solution is given for the overall buckling and wrinkling of sandwich circular rings when subjected to a uniform radial pressure loading. The core is in the form of a honeycomb material, and the faces can be made from laminated fibre reinforced plastics, which exhibit coupling between bending and stretching. The elasticity equations for both the orthotropic core and faces are satisfied, and it is found that the problem is governed by four simultaneous differential equations for the displacements of the faces. A solution is obtained by assuming simple sine and cosine functions for these displacements. Minimum critical pressures are found numerically and results are given which show the dependence on face thickness, core thickness and mean radius. A procedure is suggested for finding approximate solutions for sandwich rings subjected to more general loading conditions.
High frequency properties in the unsteady linearised potential flow of a compressible fluid
Authors: Salmond D. J. , Smith F.T.
Published: March 2023

The unsteady planar flow of inviscid compressible fluid past an oscillating aerofoil is considered. Many recent computational studies have experienced difficulties in obtaining accurate, or any, results at medium or higher frequencies of oscillation. This may well be due to the emergence of multi-scaling and multi-regions according to the present analytical study which concentrates on the large frequency properties of the linearised flowfield. Multi-scaled dependence in the solution is found to occur in both the streamwise and transverse directions. Comparisons are made with computational results.
Hypersonic large-deflection similitude for oscillating delta wings
Authors: Ghosh Kunal
Published: March 2023

A similitude has been obtained for delta wings with attached leading edge shock at large incidence in hypersonic flow. A strip theory in which flow at a spanwise location is two-dimensional has been developed. This combines with the similitude to lead to a piston theory which gives closed form solutions for unsteady derivatives in pitch and roll. The derivatives in pitch are independent of and the roll damping derivative varies linearly with the aspect ratio. Substantially the same results as the theory of Liu and Hui are obtained with remarkable computational ease.
Stabilised surveillance payloads
Authors: Schaschke E. G.
Published: March 2023

It has long been recognised that in moving vehicles, if an observer wishes to study a distant object with any accuracy, the sightline along which he is looking must be stabilised against the vehicle motion. There are various ways by which a sightline may be stabilised, and for several years now the Aircraft Equipment Department of Ferranti Instrumentation Limited have been producing stabilised sighting systems for helicopters and tanks using a directly coupled gyro/mirror technique. At present we are developing systems for use in RPVs, one of which will be flown for evaluation in a fixed wing RPV research vehicle, the other under a tethered parachute.
A new approach to the solution of the boundary layer equations of an ideal compressible flow over a flat plate
Authors: Yakhot A. , Ben-Dor G. , Rakib Z. , Igra O.
Published: March 2023

The problem of finding the temperature and velocity distribution inside the boundary layer of a compressible flow over a flat plate is a well-known problem which has been discussed by many distinguished investigators in the past five decades.

Excellent reviews of the work done on this classical hydrodynamic problem are available, for example, in the monographs of Schlichting, Loitsyanskii and Stewartson.
Symposium on Airship Technology —Components and Installations
Authors: Payne K. G.
Published: March 2023

Materials science is continually advancing and the aim of this paper is to consider briefly the current state of the art on flexible and rigid materials and methods of selection to assist in the optimisation of material usage in airship construction. Generally the selection of materials for airship construction involves a compromise between the ultimately desirable and the economically attainable. However recent advances in composite material technology have broadened the range and versatility of materials available so that selections can be made which offer the prospect of safe airships with useful payloads at economic costs. It is necessary to consider flexible and rigid materials separately as their function and selection criteria differ substantially.
Stress concentration in rectangular cut-outs under pure shear
Authors: Bandyopadhyay B. , Karmakar R.
Published: March 2023

The presence of cut-outs in shell structures causes perturbations in the original stress system, so that in the region of the cut-out the local stress level in the sheet may be increased many times. These stress concentrations can be considerably reduced, and in some cases entirely eliminated by the use of a suitably chosen shape of cut-out, and by the use of a suitable reinforcing member around the edge.

The factors which influence the magnitude of these stress concentrations are the shape of the cut-out and the dimensions of the reinforcement. The geometry of the shell itself is generally of only secondary importance, provided that the size of the cut-out is small compared with the radius of curvature of the shell.
Civil aircraft design for fuel reduction
Authors: Tye Walter
Published: March 2023

With drastic increases in oil prices fresh in our memories, with a world recession in full swing, and with two Middle-East countries at war, this is not an auspicious time to speak about the future of civil aviation. But I am following an excellent precedent. In 1940, in circumstances of unrelieved gloom, Dr. Roxbee Cox, now Lord Kings Norton, addressed this Society on ‘Looking Forward’. His lecture was a message of confidence in the long term future of civil aviation, fully justified by later events. Though the energy threat is barely comparable with the state of affairs in 1940, its potential is very serious.

I am wholly confident that aviation can once again rise to the occasion. But this by itself is a small part of a big picture. We need to be satisfied that the world will cope sufficiently well with the energy situation that our future way of life will not be so impoverished that flying becomes an unjustifiable luxury.
What does it really cost?
Authors: Harvey R. A.
Published: March 2023

First, it is necessary to define productivity and the way it is measured. Productivity is a ratio of an output to an input; it is, therefore, somewhat analogous to the engineering concept of efficiency but unfortunately without the accompanying rigour of definition of input and output in energy terms. In productivity measurement, the output can be in value terms, in weight or volume or number, while the input can be numbers of men, man hours, wages or capital or some combination of these. These points are illustrated in Fig. 1, but in this paper I will be concentrating mainly on value outputs and manpower and labour cost inputs. A fuller account of the subject is contained in Ref. 1.
Cost control requirements: estimating impact
Authors: Jacobs G. P.
Published: March 2023

A successful project outcome requires that the ‘right’ product, (from an overall ‘performance’ viewpoint), should be available when the market place needs it, for a price it is prepared to pay.

To satisfy ‘performance’ requirements, (in the widest sense), the task is broken down into manageable elements, and requirements/specifications are formulated. As the design/development proceeds, progress towards achievement is monitored, with eventual verification through ground and flight testing. On ‘timescale’, we develop inter-locking ‘line of balance’ programmes covering all manufacture inputs, such that the effects on total programme achievement of local gains or shortfalls can be seen.
A large executive jet design project
Authors: Fielding J. P.
Published: March 2023

The College of Aeronautics performs an annual group project as a major part of its Aircraft Design MSc programme. Projects are chosen to be representative of current areas of interest and the programme carried out in a manner which is as close as possible to that of aircraft manufacturers.

The chosen projects alternate annually between civil and military types to give breadth to the course. It was decided that an executive jet would be a suitable subject for examination and a market study was performed. The small capacity end of the market was served by such aircraft as Learjets and medium capacity by BAe 125s and Citations. The top end of the market was of more interest because suitable aircraft could also perform other roles. The main reason for this was that market pressure for unrestricted headroom pointed towards larger diameter fuselages which could also be used for commuter aircraft.
High pressure fuel pumps—their design and evolution
Authors: Bottoms H. S.
Published: March 2023

I would in the first place express my appreciation of the honour conferred upon me by the invitation to deliver the J. D. North memorial lecture, on a subject with which I have been engaged for the past 37 years.

The subject is very wide, covering many types of pumps, and to do it full justice would require far more space and time than can be covered in a single paper. I have therefore attempted to bring out the reasons why we followed certain paths and the problems which caused significant design changes. If I appear to have given undue prominence to the work of the Lucas team, and made insufficient mention of the work of others, I would ask their forgiveness. The pumps used for reheat have been omitted as they are in a field of their own. The future may see a drawing together of the engine and reheat pump practices, although it is too soon to make a meaningful presentation, an indication of the most likely path is shown.
Achievement of aerial flight: an engineering assessment
Authors: Gibbings J. C.
Published: March 2023

The main runway on the aerodrome at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough, Hampshire, occupies land that at the turn of the century was always known as Laffan's Plain.

From this plain in 1908, S. F. Cody had made the first aeroplane flight in the British Isles. Four years later two subalterns of the Royal Flying Corps, a Corps that had been fathered by the Corps of Royal Engineers, were walking across this same land. As they walked, the officers discussed the choice of a motto for the Royal Flying Corps, for its Commanding Officer had sent out a general call for proposals. One of the subalterns, J. S. Yule, proposed a Latin tag that had been used by Sir Rider Haggard in his book People of the Mist. That proposal was, ‘Per Ardua ad Astra’, the motto of the Royal Flying Corps and later of the Royal Air Force. It has a supreme advantage among mottoes that all Latinists seem to agree that it cannot be translated! But at least most interpret it as ‘Through struggles to the stars’; and that is the theme of this paper.
The application of improved aluminium alloys and steels in aircraft structures
Authors: Peel C. J. , McDarmaid D. S.
Published: March 2023

This paper deals, in the main, with aluminium alloys and steels that are currently available on a commercial basis or are likely to become available in the near future. It highlights the more significant improvements made during the past two decades.

Aircraft structures have been built predominantly of aluminium alloys since the Second World War and, although certain improvements have been made over this period, the alloy systems used have changed little essentially because the alloys available have been limited by the solid solubilities of the selected solute elements at safe solution temperatures. The slow but certain development of novel production routes including fibre and whisker reinforcement of metals, powder production and rapid solidification techniques will circumvent this limitation by the turn of the century.
Co-operation in engineering between universities and industry
Authors: Caldecote Lord
Published: March 2023

I greatly appreciate the invitation to give the Handley Page Memorial Lecture. It has not been easy to select a reasonably suitable subject not already covered by some distinguished lecturer and I hope you will not think the subject I have chosen is too far removed from HP's interests.

I do not think it is: for he was a great practical engineer and a keen supporter of Cranfield in its early days. I doubt whether he had much time for academics except at Cranfield and maybe not for graduates even of engineering, for he had learnt his trade in a hard school and was justly proud of it. But times have changed, and just as the aircraft he designed changed to meet new markets and take advantage of advancing technology, so I think he would have approved of the new Cranfield Institute of Technology which has developed out of the old Cranfield College of Aeronautics, and particularly the Institute's very practical approach to teaching and research, and its close ties with industry from which it draws over 60% of its income.
Fluid and air-borne structures: some comparisons and contrasts
Authors: Caldwell J. B.
Published: March 2023

It is surprising that, in a country with long and strong traditions in aeronautical engineering and naval architecture, the interactions between these two professions have only been sporadic and largely informal. There have been some notable exceptions, of course, such as the airship story of the 1920s (and its revival of interest in very recent times); hovercraft development; and on the educational front events such as the creation of a Ship Science group within the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Southampton University in 1968. But unlike France, with its Association Technique Maritime et Aéronautique, and USA, with its regular joint meetings of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, collaboration between our two ‘Royal’ institutions has been negligible.
Increasing the lift:drag ratio of a flat delta wing
Authors: Mattick A. A. , Stollery J. L.
Published: March 2023

Lift and drag measurements were made to determine the effects of vertical flaps when positioned along a ray on the upper surface of a sharp-edged, flat, 60° delta wing. Six flap heights were tested at each of four semi-span positions.

Results showed that all configurations gave improved lift-drag ratios. The maximum improvement was 33% using a flap of height 6·1% of the local semi-span placed at the 84% semi-span station. The flaps did not affect the lift but reduced the drag by generating a thrust force on the vertical flap surfaces.

Flaps at the 84% position were modified to investigate the possibility of obtaining further increases in lift-drag ratio. In practice these modifications, inward inclination of the flaps, and fairing the inboard side of the vertical flaps, slightly reduced the flap effectiveness and were hot pursued further. Part chord flaps were also tried and showed that the reduction in benefit was roughly proportional to the length of flap removed.
A review of UK developments in aircraft fuel management systems
Authors: Beeny M.A.
Published: March 2023

There is a history of criticism from aircraft operators, both civil and military, regarding the poor reliability of fuel associated systems, especially gauging, and the high pilot workloads that can result when a malfunction occurs during flight of light strike aircraft. In response the Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) sponsored work, initially at Smiths Industries and later at British Aerospace to investigate improved gauging and fuel management using digital concepts. It is concluded from flight trials that digital gauging will provide increased accuracy over a range of aircraft attitudes and with greater reliability than current analogue systems. Further, in a military aircraft, there are many advantages in a microprocessor based fuel management system which integrates fuel measurement, transfer and warning functions. These include reduced pilot workload, higher system integrity, fault detection, and system reconfiguration following battle damage. The evolutionary process leads naturally towards consideration of the inclusion of the fuel system functions in the centralised management of all the utility systems, based on Def Stan 00-18 data bus. Practical investigations of microcomputer based fuel and other utility systems are required to ensure that their full potential is realised within the limits imposed by the need for cost effective solutions.
Associations between maternal and infant selenium status and child growth in a birth cohort from Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Mehta Rukshan , Krupa Christine , Ahmed Tahmeed , Hamer Davidson H. , Al Mahmud Abdullah
Published: March 2023

Deficiency of essential trace element, Se, has been implicated in adverse birth outcomes and in child linear growth because of its important role in redox biology and associated antioxidant effects. We used data from a randomised controlled trial conducted among a cohort of pregnant and lactating women in Dhaka, Bangladesh to examine associations between Se biomarkers in whole blood (WBSe), serum and selenoprotein P (SEPP1) in maternal delivery and venous cord (VC) blood. Associations between Se biomarkers, birth weight and infant growth outcomes (age-adjusted length, weight, head circumference and weight-for-length z-scores) at birth, 1 and 2 years of age were examined using regression analyses. WB and serum Se were negatively associated with birth weight (adjusted β, 95 % CI, WBSe delivery: −26·6 (–44·3, −8·9); WBSe VC: −19·6 (–33·0, −6·1)); however, delivery SEPP1 levels (adjusted β: −37·5 (–73·0, −2·0)) and VC blood (adjusted β: 82·3 (30·0, 134·7)) showed inconsistent and opposite associations with birth weight. Positive associations for SEPP1 VC suggest preferential transfer from mother to fetus. We found small associations between infant growth and WBSe VC (length-for-age z-score β, 95 % CI, at birth: −0·05 (–0·1, −0·01)); 12 months (β: −0·05 (–0·08, −0·007)). Weight-for-age z-score also showed weak negative associations with delivery WBSe (at birth: −0·07 (–0·1, −0·02); 12 -months: −0·05 (–0·1, −0·005)) and in WBSe VC (at birth: −0·05 (–0·08, −0·02); 12 months: −0·05 (–0·09, −0·004)). Given the fine balance between essential nutritional and toxic properties of Se, it is possible that WB and serum Se may negatively impact growth outcomes, both in utero and postpartum.
Research on foreign language learning, teaching, and assessment in Sweden 2012–2021
Authors: Bardel Camilla , Gyllstad Henrik , Tholin Jörgen
Published: March 2023

This review provides an account of salient research topics in current Swedish research in the field of foreign language (FL) education, with the aim of making locally published work available outside Sweden. A corpus of work on English and other FLs published between 2012 and 2021 has been scrutinized. Focus has been placed on research conducted and disseminated in Sweden, in some cases adding international publications, in order to portray the work in a wider context. Research on FL learning, teaching, and assessment is reviewed in light of recent policy changes as well as a changing linguistic situation characterized by a plethora of languages spoken in society, among which Swedish as majority language and English as lingua franca share indisputable sovereignty, but where a newly-born interest in the role of other background languages than Swedish can be discerned. The study ends with a discussion of trends observed in the reviewed material and considerations in view of future research.
Terrorist Attacks against Health Care Targets that Provide Abortion Services
Authors: Wirken Bart , Barten Dennis G. , De Cauwer Harald , Mortelmans Luc , Tin Derrick , Ciottone Gregory
Published: March 2023

Introduction:

Terrorist attacks against hospitals and health care providers have disproportionally increased during the last decades. A significant proportion of these attacks targeted abortion clinics and abortion providers. In the light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, an increase of anti-abortion terrorist attacks is anticipated. Therefore, it becomes imperative to gain further insight into the risk and characteristics of past terrorist attacks. This study aimed to review terrorist attacks against health care targets providing abortion services from 1970 through 2020.

Methods:

Data collection was performed using a retrospective database search through the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). The GTD was searched using the internal database functions for all terrorist attacks against abortion health care providers from January 1, 1970 - December 31, 2020. Temporal factors, location, attack and weapon type, and number of casualties or hostages were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results:

In total, 262 terrorist attacks were identified in five different countries. The majority (96.6%) occurred in the United States, with the highest counts during the last 20 years of the 20th century. Facility and infrastructure attacks were the most common attack types, followed by bombings and explosions. The attacks resulted in 34 injuries and nine fatalities. Kidnapping took place in three incidents. Of all successful attacks, 96.9% resulted in property damage.

Conclusion:

Abortion-related health care facilities and providers have repeatedly been the target of terrorists over the past decades. Nearly all of these attacks took place in the United States, with the highest counts during the last 20 years of the 20th century.
Local Candidate Roots and Electoral Advantages in US State Legislatures
Authors: Hunt Charles Russell , Rouse Stella
Published: March 2023

A growing literature has revealed a notable electoral advantage for congressional and gubernatorial candidates with deep local roots in their home districts or states. However, there is a dearth of research on the presence and impact of local roots in state legislative races. In this paper, we close that gap by demonstrating the consistent and significant electoral impacts that state legislators’ local roots have on their reelection efforts. We use data capturing a representative cross-section of state legislative incumbents (N = ~5,000) and calculate a novel index measuring the depth of their local roots modeled after Hunt’s (2022, Home Field Advantage: Roots, Reelection, and Representation in the Modern Congress) measure for the US House. We present evidence that state legislators with deep local roots in the districts they represent run unopposed in their general elections nearly twice as often as incumbents with no such roots. Of those who do attract challengers in their reelection efforts, deeply rooted incumbents enjoy an average of three extra percentage points of vote share. Our results have important implications for candidate emergence in state legislative elections during a time when so many are uncontested. They also demonstrate the limits of electoral nationalization for understanding state politics.
Menschenrechte in der schweizerischen Psychiatrie
Authors: Richter Dirk , Rühle Andersson Sabine , Burr Christian , Domonell Kristina , Hasler Melina , Hegedüs Anna , Wolfensberger Peter
Published: March 2023

Was ist zu diesem Thema bereits bekannt?

Menschenrechte sind ein derzeit viel diskutiertes Thema in der psychiatrischen Versorgung. Die Rechte von Menschen mit sogenannten psychosozialen Behinderungen werden in der UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention (UN-BRK) definiert.

Wie wird eine neue Perspektive eingebracht?

Es werden detaillierte Daten und Analysen für die Umsetzung der Menschenrechte in der psychiatrischen Versorgung der Schweiz präsentiert und die Forderungen der UN-BRK hinsichtlich Rechten, Zwang, Bildung, Gesundheit und Arbeit thematisiert.

Was sind die Auswirkungen für die Praxis?

In der psychiatrischen Pflege sowie im Gesundheitsund Sozialwesen muss die Menschenrechts-Thematik eine deutlich größere Aufmerksamkeit erfahren.
Computerized Process-Oriented Dynamic Testing of Children’s	Ability to Reason by Analogy Using Log Data
Authors: Veerbeek Jochanan , Vogelaar Bart
Published: March 2023

Abstract: The study investigated the value of process data obtained from a group-administered computerized dynamic test of analogical reasoning, consisting of a pretest-training-posttest design. We sought to evaluate the effects of training on processes and performance, and the relationships between process measures and performance on the dynamic test. Participants were N = 86 primary school children ( Mage = 8.11 years, SD = 0.63). The test consisted of constructed-response geometrical analogy items, requiring several actions to construct an answer. Process data enabled scoring of the total time, the time taken for initial planning of the task, the time taken for checking the answer that was provided, and variation in solving time. Training led to improved performance compared to repeated practice, but this improvement was not reflected in task-solving processes. Almost all process measures were related to performance, but the effects of training or repeated practice on this relationship differed widely between measures. In conclusion, the findings seemed to indicate that investigating process indicators within computerized dynamic testing of analogical reasoning ability provided information about children’s learning processes, but that not all processes were affected in the same way by training.
Climate Models Aren’t Dusty Enough
Authors: Kelvey Jon
Published: March 2023

Mineral dust aloft in the atmosphere has a cooling effect not accounted for in current climate models.
On-chip ultrasensitive and rapid hydrogen sensing based on plasmon-induced hot electron–molecule interaction
Authors: Wen Long , Sun Zhiwei , Zheng Qilin , Nan Xianghong , Lou Zaizhu , Liu Zhong , Cumming David R. S. , Li Baojun , Chen Qin
Published: March 2023

Hydrogen energy is a zero-carbon replacement for fossil fuels. However, hydrogen is highly flammable and explosive hence timely sensitive leak detection is crucial. Existing optical sensing techniques rely on complex instruments, while electrical sensing techniques usually operate at high temperatures and biasing condition. In this paper an on-chip plasmonic–catalytic hydrogen sensing concept with a concentration detection limit down to 1 ppm is presented that is based on a metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) nanojunction operating at room temperature and zero bias. The sensing signal of the device was enhanced by three orders of magnitude at a one-order of magnitude higher response speed compared to alternative non-plasmonic devices. The excellent performance is attributed to the hydrogen induced interfacial dipole charge layer and the associated plasmonic hot electron modulated photoelectric response. Excellent agreements were achieved between experiment and theoretical calculations based on a quantum tunneling model. Such an on-chip combination of plasmonic optics, photoelectric detection and photocatalysis offers promising strategies for next-generation optical gas sensors that require high sensitivity, low time delay, low cost, high portability and flexibility.
The Superfund Research Program Analytics Portal: linking environmental chemical exposure to biological phenotypes
Authors: Gosline Sara J. C. , Kim Doo Nam , Pande Paritosh , Thomas Dennis G. , Truong Lisa , Hoffman Peter , Barton Michael , Loftus Joseph , Moran Addy , Hampton Shawn , Dowson Scott , Franklin Lyndsey , Degnan David , Anderson Lindsey , Thessen Anne , Tanguay Robyn L. , Anderson Kim A. , Waters Katrina M.
Published: March 2023

The OSU/PNNL Superfund Research Program (SRP) represents a longstanding collaboration to quantify Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) at various superfund sites in the Pacific Northwest and assess their potential impact on human health. To link the chemical measurements to biological activity, we describe the use of the zebrafish as a high-throughput developmental toxicity model that provides quantitative measurements of the exposure to chemicals. Toward this end, we have linked over 150 PAHs found at Superfund sites to the effect of these same chemicals in zebrafish, creating a rich dataset that links environmental exposure to biological response. To quantify this response, we have implemented a dose-response modelling pipeline to calculate benchmark dose parameters which enable potency comparison across over 500 chemicals and 12 of the phenotypes measured in zebrafish. We provide a rich dataset for download and analysis as well as a web portal that provides public access to this dataset via an interactive web site designed to support exploration and re-use of these data by the scientific community at http://srp.pnnl.gov.
Chlorin e6-associated photodynamic therapy enhances abscopal antitumor effects via inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint
Authors: Gurung Pallavi , Lim Junmo , Shrestha Rajeev , Kim Yong-Wan
Published: March 2023

We hypothesized that photodynamic therapy (PDT) with Chlorin e6 (Ce6) enhances antitumor abscopal effects via inhibition of the programmed cell death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoint. By using syngeneic melanoma and pancreatic tumor mouse models, we studied the Ce6-PDT-induced immune responses in local and distant tumor microenvironments. In addition, the Ce6-PDT's target in the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction was analyzed in MC38-hPD-L1 colon cancer and PD-1 expressing Jurkat T cell coculture. The tumors in the irradiated and non-irradiated sites in the abscopal effective (Abseff) group of both mouse models were regressed, proving the abscopal effect. The immunogenic effect in the Abseff group was associated with an expansion of T cell and other immune cells infiltration without changes in the CD39+ population in either the right or left tumors compared to control group. Furthermore, the abscopal ineffective (Absineff) group demonstrated lesser increase of T cells, decreased immune cell infiltration, and increased CD39-expressing Treg cells without suppression of tumor growth. In the coculture with PD-1-expressing Jurkat T cell, Ce6-PDT efficiently suppressed the PD-1/PD-L1 interactions by increasing the proliferation and cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells while decreasing CD39-expressing Treg cells in a dose-dependent manner. Likewise, the inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions was also correlated with the increased production of IL-2 and Granzyme B. Our findings imply that Ce6-PDT is a promising immunotherapy with the potential to improve the abscopal effect.
Characterization of serum and tissue oxytocinase and tissue oxytocin in the pregnant and non-pregnant mare
Authors: Diel de Amorim Mariana , Dong Lynn , Byron Michael , Foster Robert A. , Klein Claudia , Saleh Monique , Saleh Tarek , Card Claire
Published: March 2023

Oxytocin is a hormone with functions in: reproduction, maternal bonding, milk ejection, and feeding/social behavior, and is reported to be present in a variety of tissues. Our goal is to characterize oxytocin and leucyl and cystinyl aminopeptidase (LNPEP/oxytocinase), a key regulator of oxytocin in mares. We measured serum and tissue LNPEP by ELISA from ovulation (D0) until D21–22 in non-pregnant (n = 5) and pregnant mares (n = 6); and in periparturient and postpartum mares (n = 18). Placenta (n = 7) and homogenized tissue of diestrus mares (n = 6) were evaluated using protein determinations and LNPEP ELISAs. Identification of LNPEP and OXT protein in tissues was also performed via western blot, immunohistochemistry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Furthermore, in situ hybridization was performed for LNPEP and OXT on endometrium, myometrium, pituitary and corpus luteum (CL). Serum LNPEP concentration were similar. Placental LNPEP U/mg protein was highest in the body and pregnant horn. The highest to lowest LNPEP U/mg protein by tissue were: myometrium > follicle wall > endometrium > kidney > CL > liver. Oxytocin was identified in the equine pituitary, CL and placenta and is likely to act in autocrine or paracrine manner, while LNPEP may act systemically and locally to regulate the availability of OXT.
Utilization of optimized microwave sintering to produce safe and sustainable one-part alkali-activated materials
Authors: Refaat Moataz , Mohsen Alaa , Nasr El-Sayed A. R. , Kohail Mohamed
Published: March 2023

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as an alkaline activator presents a vital limitation in the mass production of alkali-activated binders due to its severe effect on users’ safety. In this study, safe and sustainable one-part alkali-activated slag mixes (OP-AAS) were prepared through an efficient microwave sintering for a mixture of active amorphous ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and sodium hydroxide powder (NaOH). Different microwave-sintered powders were prepared using microwave energy of power 900 W for the mixture at different treatment periods (10, 20, and 30 min). Fresh and hardened properties of different OP-AAS mixes were studied. Moreover, the phase composition and microstructure were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cytotoxicity/viability testing was performed to evaluate the cell death induced by the developed materials to measure their safety for the user. According to compressive strength, cytotoxicity/viability analysis, environmental impact and cost calculation of developed OP-AAS, it is concluded that employing microwave sintering for a short duration is sufficient to produce safe binding materials with adequate mechanical properties suitable for commercial applications in the construction sector.
Hypothermia is an independent risk factor for prolonged ICU stay in coronary artery bypass surgery: an observational study
Authors: Wang Yi-Chia , Huang Hsing-Hao , Lin Pei-Ching , Wang Ming-Jiuh , Huang Chi-Hsiang
Published: March 2023

Maintenance of normothermia is a critical perioperative issue. The warming process after hypothermia tends to increase oxygen demand, which may lead to myocardial ischemia. This study explored whether hypothermia was an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in patients receiving CABG. We conducted a retrospective observational study of CABG surgeries performed from January 2018 to June 2019. The outcomes of interest were mortality, surgical site infection rate, ventilator dependent time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and hospitalization duration. Data from 206 patients were analysed. Hypothermic patients were taller (p = 0.012), had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.016), and had off-pump CABG more frequently (p = 0.04). Our analysis noted no incidence of mortality within 30 days. Hypothermia was not associated with higher surgical site infection rate or longer intubation time. After adjusting for sex, age, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, left ventricular ejection fraction, and EuroSCORE II, higher EuroSCORE II (p < 0.001; odds ratio 1.2) and hypothermia upon ICU admission (p = 0.04; odds ratio 3.8) were independent risk factors for prolonged ICU stay. In addition to EuroSCORE II, hypothermia upon ICU admission was an independent risk factor for prolonged ICU stay in patients receiving elective CABG.
High-force catch bonds between the Staphylococcus aureus surface protein SdrE and complement regulator factor H drive immune evasion
Authors: Paiva Telmo O. , Geoghegan Joan A. , Dufrêne Yves F.
Published: March 2023

The invasive bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus recruits the complement regulatory protein factor H (fH) to its surface to evade the human immune system. Here, we report the identification of an extremely high-force catch bond used by the S. aureus surface protein SdrE to efficiently capture fH under mechanical stress. We find that increasing the external force applied to the SdrE-fH complex prolongs the lifetime of the bond at an extraordinary high force, 1,400 pN, above which the bond lifetime decreases as an ordinary slip bond. This catch-bond behavior originates from a variation of the dock, lock and latch interaction, where the SdrE ligand binding domains undergo conformational changes under stress, enabling the formation of long-lived hydrogen bonds with fH. The binding mechanism dissected here represents a potential target for new therapeutics against multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains.
Gradient to sectioning CUBE workflow for the generation and imaging of organoids with localized differentiation
Authors: Koh Isabel , Hagiwara Masaya
Published: March 2023

Advancements in organoid culture have led to various in vitro mini-organs that mimic native tissues in many ways. Yet, the bottleneck remains to generate complex organoids with body axis patterning, as well as keeping the orientation of organoids during post-experiment analysis processes. Here, we present a workflow for culturing organoids with morphogen gradient using a CUBE culture device, followed by sectioning samples with the CUBE to retain information on gradient direction. We show that hiPSC spheroids cultured with two separated differentiation media on opposing ends of the CUBE resulted in localized expressions of the respective differentiation markers, in contrast to homogeneous distribution of markers in controls. We also describe the processes for cryo and paraffin sectioning of spheroids in CUBE to retain gradient orientation information. This workflow from gradient culture to sectioning with CUBE can provide researchers with a convenient tool to generate increasingly complex organoids and study their developmental processes in vitro.
Biomaterial-assisted targeted and controlled delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 for precise gene editing
Authors: Iqbal Zoya , Rehman Khurrum , Xia Jiang , Shabbir Maryam , Zaman Muhammad , Liang Yujie , Duan Li
Published: March 2023

Development of a novel biomaterial-based CRISPR-Cas9 system for the precise control of genome editing.
Rational design of 2D/2D CS/SiC van der Waals type-II heterojunctions: a visible-light-driven photocatalyst for hydrogen production
Authors: Opoku Francis , Akoto Osei , Kwaansa-Ansah Edward Ebow , Asare-Donkor Noah Kyame , Adimado Anthony Apeke
Published: March 2023

CS/g-SiC vdWHs are mechanically, dynamically and energetically stable, and show maximum visible light absorption reaching 105 cm−1.
Oxygen vacancy modulated amorphous tungsten oxide films for fast-switching and ultra-stable dual-band electrochromic energy storage smart windows
Authors: Chen Mingjun , Zhang Xiang , Yan Dukang , Deng Jianbo , Sun Wenhai , Li Zitong , Xiao Yingjun , Ding Zhenmin , Zhao Jiupeng , Li Yao
Published: March 2023

The oxygen vacancy modulated a-WO3−xenables independent control of VIS and NIR light and has great application potential in high-performance smart windows.