bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved FMEA based on IVF and fuzzy VIKOR method: A case study of workpiece box system of CNC gear milling machine
Authors: Yang Haiji , Li Guofa , He Jialong , Wang Liding , Zhou Xinda
Published: March 2021

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a tool used to define, identify, and prevent known or unknown potential risks. An improved FMEA based on interval triangular fuzzy numbers (IVF) and fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method is proposed in this study to solve problems of expression and processing of uncertain information, weights of risk factors, and ranking of failure modes in traditional FMEA. Linguistic variables are used to evaluate failure modes level and relative importance of risk factors and are expressed via interval‐valued triangular fuzzy number. Determining the subjective weights of risk factors using fuzzy AHP, calculating the objective weights of risk factors using the extended VIKOR method, and obtaining the comprehensive weights of risk factors via ICWGT are proposed for solving the weight problem of risk factors. Finally, the fuzzy VIKOR method is used to rank risk priority of failure modes. The proposed method is used to evaluate workpiece box system of CNC gear milling machine and the results are compared with the findings of other methods to verify effectiveness and rationality of the proposed method.
Detection of urinary arimistane metabolites in humans using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry: Complementary results to gas chromatography mass spectrometric data and its application to antidoping analyses
Authors: Martinez Brito Dayamin , Leogrande Patrizia , Botrè Francesco , de la Torre Xavier
Published: March 2021

Rationale

The metabolism of arimistane (Arim) was first described in 2015, and androst‐3,5‐diene‐7β‐ol‐17‐one was proposed as the main metabolite excreted in urine. Recently, a more detailed study describing the findings in urine after the administration of Arim has been published. This study corroborated the previously described metabolite but also described several phase I and II metabolites, analyzing trimethylsilylated urinary extracts using accurate mass spectrometry coupled to gas chromatography (GC/qTOF). The present communication is an extension of this late investigation aiming to implement the results of Arim metabolism using either accurate mass spectrometry and/or triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry, both coupled to liquid chromatography (LC/qTOF and LC/QqQ).

Methods

The samples used in this study were the same as previously studied using GC/qTOF. One single oral dose of Arim was administered to three volunteers, and samples collected before and up to 10 h after the Arim administration were analyzed. The unconjugated fraction of urine was removed, and the hydrolysis was performed with β‐glucuronidase from Escherichia coli. The extracts were reconstituted in water:acetonitrile before the LC/qTOF and LC/QqQ analysis.

Results

The presence of the proposed metabolites studied using GC was verified by accurate mass measurements. Twelve metabolites not found in the blank urine samples were identified by the accurate mass spectra with acceptable errors between −7.5 and 8.1 ppm: 4 reduced metabolites, 4 monohydroxylated metabolites, and 4 with an additional hydroxylation (bis‐hydroxylated metabolites). Unlike in the study carried out using GC/qTOF, Arim itself was found in the samples of the three volunteers.

Conclusions

Twelve metabolites were identified, and specific transitions were proposed. Despite the good results, some limitations remain. As for GC/qTOF, the α‐ or β configuration of hydroxy groups, as well as the exact position for some unsaturation, cannot be assigned with certainty. Because certified reference materials of these metabolites are not yet available, the molecular structures were hypothesized considering the previous study using GC.
Indication of intravaginal insemination for infertility treatment in couples with sexual dysfunction
Authors: Kaseki Hiroshi , Kaseki Satoshi , Shimizu Makiko , Hayashi Ayako , Suganuma Nobuhiko
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To analyze the usefulness of intravaginal insemination (IVI) for the infertility treatment in couples with sexual dysfunction before applying assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Methods

Among 208 couples who presented sexual dysfunction, 144 couples underwent IVI procedures. The profiles of pregnant and non‐pregnant patients were compared.

Results

Of 144 patients, 58 women conceived successfully (40.3% pregnancy rate). Between the pregnant and non‐pregnant cases, the husband's age and infertility period were significantly higher (P = .0104) and longer (P = .0027) in the unsuccessful cases than the successful ones. The husbands who could not impregnate had a significantly higher ratio of sperm abnormalities (P = .0048). Among the 57 successful cases who underwent IVI treatment, 38 (66.7%) patients became pregnant within 3 times of the procedure, while 48 (84.2%) patients conceived within 6 times.

Conclusion

The authors can propose the following inclusion IVI criteria for couples with sexual dysfunction: (a) younger husband (36 years old or less) which may be most important, (b) infertility duration of 3 years or less, (c) normal sperm condition, and (d) IVI trial for 3 times (maximum of 6 times). Since IVI appears to be a simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive way for couples with sexual dysfunction, it can be attempted before ART application.
Estimating the impact of public health strategies on the spread of SARS‐CoV‐2: Epidemiological modelling for Toulouse, France
Authors: Dimeglio Chloé , Miedougé Marcel , Loubes Jean‐Michel , Mansuy Jean‐Michel , Izopet Jacques
Published: March 2021

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) and the resulting disease COVID‐19 has killed over 2 million people as of 22 January 2021. We have used a modified susceptible, infected, recovered epidemiological model to predict how the spread of the virus in France will vary depending on the public health strategies adopted, including anti‐COVID‐19 vaccination. Our prediction model indicates that the French authorities' adoption of a gradual release from lockdown could lead in March 2021 to a virus prevalence similar to that before lockdown. However, a massive vaccination campaign initiated in January 2021 and the continuation of public health measures over several months could curb the spread of virus and thus relieve the load on hospitals.
Queer Compositions in a U.S. Secondary Classroom: Genre, Citationality, and Linguistic Racism
Authors: Schey Ryan
Published: March 2021

In recent decades, there has been an increase in literacy education research attending to curriculum inclusive of sexual and gender diversity in secondary classrooms. Although valuable, most of this research has focused on the ideational and representational qualities of curriculum and thus has overlooked the significance of composition and genre. Seeking to add this scholarship, I focused on youth choosing to write about queer topics for compositional assignments in a secondary humanities course that combined English language arts and social studies (U.S. studies). Drawing from a broader literacy ethnography conducted at a high school in a Midwestern U.S. city, I argue that youth in the humanities course drew on curricular ideas and genres in their literacy performances in ways that resisted and reified oppressive values. Genres that encouraged extended dialogue resulted in interrogations of cisheteronormativity that were sustained and intersectional. However, youth’s use of genres cited and reproduced racist and cisheteronormative Eurocentric, anti‐Black, and assimilationist ideologies. Hence, there is a need for approaches to queer‐inclusive curricula that explore intersections of queerness and race and attend to aspects of literacy and language practices beyond ideational and representational content.
First‐Year Teachers’ Informational Reading Instruction: Prevalence, Quality, and Characteristics
Authors: Quinn Alexa M. , Paulick Judy H.
Published: March 2021

Informational reading instruction plays an important role in early literacy but has traditionally received less emphasis than literary text in elementary classrooms. This mixed‐methods study illuminates trends from observed reading instruction of 77 first‐year elementary teachers, drawing on data from 761 lesson segments scored with the Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observations, a validated observation protocol. In descriptive analyses, we report on the prevalence of informational lessons across grade levels. Then, we integrate quantitative and qualitative data to describe the quality of informational reading instruction among first‐year teachers. Findings suggest a higher percentage of informational reading lesson segments in early elementary than has been shared in previous studies: 27% of observed reading instruction in grade 1 and 41% of observed reading instruction in grade 2. Quality of informational reading lesson segments varied within and among elements of instruction, with the majority of segments rated as low scoring for strategy use. We use qualitative case sampling to illustrate the characteristics of informational reading instruction across a range of score points. Analysis of lesson segments reveals a range of practices in text‐based instruction, strategy instruction, and representations of content, with the highest quality instruction showing a combination of all three. This study contributes to our understanding of the current landscape of informational reading instruction among first‐year teachers, identifies specific instructional practices that could be the focus of improvement efforts, and weighs in on the debate about strategy instruction versus content instruction.
Bayesian survival analysis with BUGS
Authors: Alvares Danilo , Lázaro Elena , Gómez‐Rubio Virgilio , Armero Carmen
Published: March 2021

Survival analysis is one of the most important fields of statistics in medicine and biological sciences. In addition, the computational advances in the last decades have favored the use of Bayesian methods in this context, providing a flexible and powerful alternative to the traditional frequentist approach. The objective of this article is to summarize some of the most popular Bayesian survival models, such as accelerated failure time, proportional hazards, mixture cure, competing risks, multi‐state, frailty, and joint models of longitudinal and survival data. Moreover, an implementation of each presented model is provided using a BUGS syntax that can be run with JAGS from the R programming language. Reference to other Bayesian R‐packages is also discussed.
Dopant‐Free Bifacial Silicon Solar Cells
Authors: Lin Wenjie , Dréon Julie , Zhong Sihua , Paratte Vincent , Antognini Luca , Cattin Jean , Liu Zongtao , Liang Zongcun , Gao Pingqi , Shen Hui , Ballif Christophe , Boccard Mathieu
Published: March 2021

Herein, challenges in the fabrication of full dopant‐free bifacial silicon solar cells are discussed and efficient devices utilizing a MoO3/ indium tin oxide (ITO)/Ag hole‐selective contact and ZnO/LiFx/Al electron‐selective contacts with up to 79% short‐circuit current bifaciality are demonstrated. The ZnO/LiFx/Al rear electron contact features a full‐area ZnO antireflective coating and a LiFx/Al finger contact, allowing sunlight absorption from the back side, thus producing more overall power. The ZnO/LiFx/Al electron contacts with a thinner ZnO layer and a larger contact fraction display a better selectivity and a lower resistance loss. When considering rear‐side irradiance of 0.15 sun, the dopant‐free bifacial solar cell with 60 nm ZnO and 50% LiFx/Al metal contact fraction achieves a 3% estimated output power density improvement compared with its monofacial counterpart (21.0 mW cm−2 compared to 20.3 mW cm−2) using the full‐area back contact. Both the efficiency and bifaciality factor of this dopant‐free device are still significantly lower than those of state‐of‐the‐art devices relying on doped‐silicon‐based layers. The required improvement for this technology to become industry‐relevant is discussed.
A Large‐Bandgap Guest Material Enabling Improved Efficiency and Reduced Energy Loss for Ternary Polymer Solar Cells
Authors: Yang Hang , Dong Yingying , Fan Hongyu , Wu Yue , Cui Chaohua , Li Yongfang
Published: March 2021

The rational design of guest photovoltaic materials (the third components) for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ternary polymer solar cells (PSCs) is a challenge. In this work, a large‐bandgap material ((5Z,5′Z)‐5,5′‐(((4,4,9,9‐tetrakis(4‐hexylphenyl)‐4,9‐dihydro‐s‐indaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b′]dithiophene‐2,7‐diyl)bis(2,5‐difluoro‐4,1‐phenylene))bis(methanylylidene))bis(3‐ethyl‐2‐thioxothiazolidin‐4‐one, IBR‐F) is designed, synthesized, and used as the guest material for ternary PSCs to improve the PCE and reduce the energy loss. IBR‐F possesses a larger energy bandgap of 2.04 eV and a deeper highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level compared to PM6, as well as exhibiting good miscibility with PM6. Thus, the HOMO level is effectively downshifted when blending PM6 with IBR‐F, which is in favor of obtaining a higher open‐circuit voltage (Voc). Meanwhile, the incorporation of IBR‐F into the PM6:Y6 blend can maintain the well‐developed bulk‐heterojunction morphological properties of the host blend without extra thermal annealing and improve the charge dissociation and collection efficiencies. As a result, the ternary PSC based on PM6:IBR‐F:Y6 (1:0.2:1.2 w/w) demonstrates a higher Voc of 0.887 V and a reduced energy loss of 0.55 eV compared to the binary device based on PM6:Y6 (1:1.2 w/w) with a Voc of 0.840 V and energy loss of 0.59 eV, delivering an improved PCE of 17.15%.
Synergistic Interaction of Ternary Ni−Co−Cu Chalcogenides Confined in Nanosheets Array to Advance Supercapacitors and Solar Steam Generation
Authors: Zhu Ting , He Zhiliang , Ren Yuanfu , Zeng Wei , Mao Jian , Zhu Liangliang
Published: March 2021

Copper foam (CF)‐supported 3D nanosheets array composed of ternary Ni−Co−Cu chalcogenides are prepared by a simple in situ formation process. Specifically, a highly electroactive Ni−Co binary sulfide in nanosheets is synthesized against the CF backbone, whereas the copper species migrate from the CF to the Ni−Co nanosheets, leading to the in situ formation of the ternary metallic sulfide (Ni−Co−Cu−S, NCCS). Due to the synergistic interaction of Ni, Co, and Cu sulfides confined in nanosheets, this NCCS material demonstrates good mechanical robustness, a large surface area, and enhanced electric conductivity. As a result, the NCCS exhibits a high specific capacitance (750 mF cm−2 at 100 mA cm−2) with good cycling performance (97.14% after 10 000 cycles) when used as supercapacitor electrodes. In addition, the 3D porous hierarchical nanostructure of NCCS provides nanoconfined water molecule channels to achieve high‐yield solar steam generation, delivering an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.48 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun irradiation.
Construction of Hierarchical BiOI/MoS2/CdS Heterostructured Microspheres for Boosting Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction Under Visible Light
Authors: Li Ying , Luo Huihua , Bao Yunfeng , Guo Siyao , Lei Dongyi , Chen Yan
Published: March 2021

Efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction into clean chemical fuels using visible light remains an enormous challenge. Construction of hierarchical heterostructured photocatalysts has gained tremendous popularity due to their distinctive structural characteristics and synergetic effect that they can boost the visible‐light photoactivities. Based on this, a three‐step solvothermal method is proposed to construct hierarchical BiOI/MoS2/CdS heterostructured microspheres. The addition of MoS2 and CdS not only plays a significant role in the improvement of visible‐light absorption, but also works as a carrier electron mediator, inhibiting the recombination of electrons–holes effectively. High CH4 yield (46.22 μmol h−1 g−1) and CO yield (36.98 μmol h−1 g−1) are achieved for BiOI/MoS2/CdS‐0.03 heterostructured microspheres under simulated sunlight irradiation because of the wide solar light‐driven response, abundant active sites and high charge separation ability. Therefore, this study provides an efficient strategy for constructing heterostructured catalysts with remarkable visible‐light response photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity.
A ball mill‐assisted vortex‐enhanced matrix solid‐phase dispersion method for the extraction and determination of five phenolic compounds from Rubi Fructus by high‐performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Yan Chaozhuo , Zhang Yaqian , Du Kunze , Guo Jiading , He Jun , Li Jin , Chang Yan‐xu
Published: March 2021

Rubi Fructus, a common traditional Chinese medicine, is abundant in phenolic components with pharmacodynamical effect. An efficient and rapid ball mill‐assisted vortex‐enhanced matrix solid‐phase dispersion method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of five phenols (ellagic acid, kaempferol‐3‐O‐rutinoside, astragalin, tiliroside, and kaempferol) in Rubi Fructus by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The introduction of the ball mill instrument realized the automation of the first step of matrix solid‐phase dispersion. Several extraction parameters were evaluated, and the best extraction conditions were optimized by response surface methodology. The method exhibited a good linearity for the five compounds (r2 > 0.999). The recoveries of the five target analytes in Rubi Fructus ranged from 98.7% to 102% (RSD≤3.92%) under the optimized conditions: Al‐SBA‐15 as a dispersant, sample/dispersant ratio of 1:3, ball milling time as 2 min, vibration frequency of the ball mill as 1300 rpm, 1.4 mL methanol as eluent and vortex time as 3 min. Consequently, the established ball mill‐assisted vortex‐enhanced matrix solid‐phase dispersion combined with HPLC could be applied to extract and analyze the target phenolic compounds in Rubi Fructus samples.
Preclinical pharmacokinetics of trigonelline using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and pharmacological studies targeting type 2 diabetes
Authors: Wadhwa Geetika , Krishna Kowthavarapu Venkata , Taliyan Rajeev , Tandon Neeraj , Yadav Satyapal Singh , Banerjee Dipankar , Narwaria Avinash , Katiyar Chandra Kant , Dubey Sunil Kumar
Published: March 2021

Trigonelline is a quaternary base alkaloid and zwitterionic complex that acts by affecting β‐cell regeneration and insulin secretion. Tr inhibits enzymatic activities, lowering the blood glucose and lipid levels due to which it is used in the treatment of co‐morbid diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, etc. Herein, it was aimed to develop a bioanalytical method for estimation of Tr using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and explore the pharmacokinetic profile. The anti‐diabetic, antilipidemic efficacy studies of Tr in the high‐fat diet‐induced streptozotocin‐diabetic rat model was also explored. The separation of analyte was achieved with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid (20:80) with a flow of 0.4 mL/min. The ionization of the analyte was achieved in positive electrospray ionization mode with the precursor to product ion transitions of Tr (138.14 > 94), and Trigonelline D3 (143.19 > 97.13). The validated assay was effectively applied for the estimation of compartmental pharmacokinetic by using Phoenix WinNolin8.0 (Certera™, USA) and it was observed that the Tr follow two compartmental pharmacokinetic model. The experimental results also suggest that Tr distributed through the central compartment to the peripheral compartment and redistributed to the central compartment. In addition, Tr exhibited significant anti‐hyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic efficacy against high‐fat diet‐induced streptozotocin‐induced type 2 diabetic rats.
Recent Advancements of Porphyrin‐Like Single‐Atom Catalysts: Synthesis and Applications
Authors: Yang Hongzhou , Shi Run , Shang Lu , Zhang Tierui
Published: March 2021

Porphyrin, an active center in many biological enzymes, is an important environment‐friendly biomimetic catalyst, which shows high catalytic efficiency and selectivity. However, porphyrin has the disadvantages of decomposition, self‐polymerization and deactivation in catalysis, and unrecyclability in homogeneous catalysis, which limit its wide application in catalysis. With the development of single‐atom catalysis, it is found that porphyrin‐like single‐atom catalysts (SACs) mimic the porphyrin molecules and biological enzymes in many catalytic systems due to their high similarity to porphyrin. In contrast, porphyrin‐like single‐atom heterogeneous catalysts possess good recyclability compared with small‐molecule porphyrin homogeneous catalysts. Therefore, as an important family member of SACs, porphyrin‐like SACs are widely studied in various reactions. Herein, the synthesis methods for porphyrin‐like SACs and their applications in many important reactions, including electrochemical reactions and organic synthesis reactions, are summarized. Finally, the challenges and prospects of porphyrin‐like SACs in the further applications are provided.
Structure of Cardamine hupingshanensis No. 2 Polysaccharide (CHP‐2) and Its Effect on Streptozotocin‐induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Li Meidong , Huang Xiufang , Zhang Qin , Zhou Yifeng , Luo Kai
Published: March 2021

Four new types of water‐soluble polysaccharides are isolated from Cardamine hupingshanensis. Herein, this study examines C. hupingshanensis polysaccharide no. 2 (CHP‐2) with a molecular weight of 21.75 kDa. Analysis revealed that CHP‐2 is composed of d‐glucuronic acid, d‐galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and L‐arabinose. It is speculated that the main connecting bond is →4)‐α‐D‐Glc(p)‐(1→), →t)‐α‐D‐Glcp‐(1→). Through perfusion experiments using streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats, oral CHP‐2 solution is found to significantly reduce food intake, water intake, and fasting blood glucose levels, while increasing the weights of rats. In addition, CHP‐2 significantly reduces the serum and liver malondialdehyde contents and increases the activity of the corresponding antioxidant enzymes. Moreover, the effect elicited by the CHP‐2 solution is similar to that of phenformin hydrochloride solution. Hence, the results of this study suggest that CHP‐2 exhibits blood sugar‐lowering and anti‐oxidation effects.
A macrolide from Streptomyces sp. modulates apoptosis and autophagy through Mcl‐1 downregulation in human breast cancer cells
Authors: Chiu Chang‐Fang , Chiu Shih‐Jiuan , Bai Li‐Yuan , Feng Chia‐Hsien , Hu Jing‐Lan , Lin Wei‐Yu , Huang Hao‐Yu , Weng Jing‐Ru
Published: March 2021

Secondary metabolites in marine organisms exhibit various pharmacological activities against diseases, such as cancer. In this study, the anti‐proliferative effect of JBIR‐100, a macrolide isolated from Streptomyces sp., was investigated in breast cancer cells. Cell growth was inhibited in response to JBIR‐100 treatment concentration‐ and time‐dependently in both MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells. JBIR‐100 caused apoptosis, as verified by caspase activation and the cleavage of PARP. Western blotting revealed that JBIR‐100 modulated the expression of Akt/NF‐κB signaling components and Bcl‐2 family members. Overexpression of Mcl‐1 partially rescued MCF‐7 cells from JBIR‐100‐induced cytotoxicity. In addition, transmission electron microscopy analyses, confocal analysis, and western blot assay indicated that JBIR‐100 inhibited autophagy in MCF‐7 cells. Exposure to the autophagy inhibitor did not synergize JBIR‐100‐induced apoptosis. In summary, our results suggested that JBIR‐100 may be potentially used for breast cancer therapy.
Safety and efficacy of a nonmyeloablative pretransplant conditioning regimen using total lymphoid irradiation with volumetric modulated arc therapy in healthy dogs: A pilot study
Authors: Kim Sangho , Hosoya Kenji , Fukayama Natsuki , Deguchi Tatsuya , Okumura Masahiro
Published: March 2021

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has been an effective treatment for human patients with haematological malignancies (Baron & Storb, 2006; Bair et al., 2020; Copelan et al., 2019). However, the optimal pretransplant conditioning treatment is unclear in canine allogeneic HCT. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for a nonmyeloablative HCT conditioning. Six healthy dogs were treated with 8 or 12 Gy TLI using VMAT. Haematological and physical changes were recorded over 8 weeks. To assess the effect of peripheral lymphocyte condition, lymphocyte subset and proliferative ability were examined. At the end of the experiment, necropsy was performed. All dogs showed mild‐to‐moderate neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, and these haematological changes resolved spontaneously. One dog treated with 8 Gy TLI developed transient cutaneous infection. No major complication was seen in the other seven dogs. Myelocytes and erythroblast cytopenia of bone marrow were detected in two dogs treated with 12 Gy TLI. This study is the first report of TLI using VMAT in dogs, and results suggest that this regimen is a feasible nonmyeloablative treatment.
Transthoracic echocardiography and its limitations in the diagnosis of congenital supernumerary aortic valve in a Thoroughbred
Authors: Vitale Valentina , Laurberg Malene , van Galen Gaby
Published: March 2021

Aortic valve malformation is a common congenital abnormality reported in human medicine. The malformation is characterised by an increased or decreased number of cusps. Anatomical variations of the aortic valve that have been documented in humans include unicuspid, bicuspid, quadricuspid and quinticuspid valves. Two reports described a quadricuspid aortic valve in horses associated with either a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or tetralogy of Fallot. In this case report we describe the clinical and echocardiographic findings of a horse with a quadricuspid aortic valve as single congenital abnormality, referred with history of exercise intolerance and an episode of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Limitations and risks of misdiagnosis that can be encountered with transthoracic echocardiography are also discussed. The reported case highlights the importance of echocardiographic screening in asymptomatic patients as congenital heart disease can be present without obvious cardiac signs. As advanced imaging on the equine thorax is still far from future possibilities for adult horses, this report may help to reach an accurate diagnosis with similar cases.
Relationship between the coefficient of friction of additive in the bulk and chain graft surface density through a diffusion process: Erucamide–stearyl erucamide mixtures in polypropylene films
Authors: Catarino‐Centeno Rafael , Waldo‐Mendoza Miguel A. , García‐Hernández Erwin , Pérez‐López José Elías
Published: March 2021

A relationship between chain graft density calculated by coarse‐grained simulation and the one obtained from experimental results is compared in the present work. Two slip additives for polypropylene films were studied, erucamide and stearyl erucamide. The diffusion equation (Fick's second law) was used to relate real‐time experimental results with coarse‐grained simulations and rendered slip additive surface density as a function of the coefficient of friction. The normalized surface density values obtained from the simulation showed a qualitative trend consistent with the experimentally observed results.
Improving waste activated sludge dewaterability with sodium periodate pre‐oxidation on extracellular polymeric substances
Authors: Lan Bingbing , Jin Ruofei , Liu Guangfei , Dong Bin , Zhou Jiti , Xing Defeng
Published: March 2021

The efficiency of sludge dewatering is affected by the structure and composition of hydrated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Degrading EPS can improve the sludge dewatering performance. As an oxidizing agent, sodium periodate (NaIO4) has ability to oxidize organics, which is expected to decompose the protein and polysaccharide in EPS and improve the efficiency of sludge dewaterability. This study adopted NaIO4, for the first time, as an advanced oxidation agent to regulate EPS of waste activated sludge and was combined with anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) as a flocculant to subsequently enhance sludge dewatering. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimal conditions of pH, NaIO4, and APAM. The results showed that the composite conditioner's specific resistance of filtration (SRF) and the water content of the vacuum‐filtered cake (Wc) were highly enhanced compared with those of the raw sludge (RS) under pH 6.5, a NaIO4 concentration of 50 mg/g dry solids (DS), and an APAM concentration of 5 mg/g DS. Owing to the pre‐oxidation achieved by NaIO4 under a mildly acid environment, sludge flocs were broken. Subsequently, chemical coagulation (APAM) agglomerated the smaller particles into larger flocs of sludge by adsorption and bridging, thus improving sludge dewaterability.

Practitioner points

A novel conditioner, pH/NaIO4/APAM, was explored for sludge dewatering.

IO3• and HO• oxidized extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Degradation of the protein content of EPS released bound water.

Highly enhanced sludge dewaterability was achieved under optimal conditions.
Tracing the Jahn‐Teller Distortion of C60n− in Isostructural Fullerides [M(NH3)7]C60 ⋅ NH3, M=Ba, Sr, K
Authors: Daniels Jörg , Weigend Florian , Jansen Martin
Published: March 2021

Single crystals of new [Sr(NH3)7]C60 ⋅ NH3 (compound 1) and [K(NH3)7]C60 ⋅ NH3 (compound 2) were prepared by extracting mixtures of potassium and C60 with liquid ammonia, where for the synthesis of 1 solid strontium chloride was added to the extraction mixture. The procedure applied relies on self‐contained continuous evaporation and condensation of ammonia at subcritical conditions in a special, sealed glass vessel, at room temperature (RT). According to single crystal structure analyses on data collected at 123 K, both, 1 and 2, are isostructural with [Ba(NH3)7]C60 ⋅ NH3 (compound 3). The structure determinations suffer either from systematic twinning (3), or positional disorder for 1 and 2. Crystals of 3, grown and handled throughout at low temperature (123 K), developed large enough twin domains such that an inversion twin type refinement in space group R3m converged properly. For 1 and 2, the crystals of which were grown at RT and subsequently cooled for data collection, refinements of the same structure model were only possible in R‐3m while applying split atom positions. For 1 and 3 the accuracy achieved was sufficient to extract a particular bonding distortion pattern for (C60)2−, which is lifting the degeneracy of the HOMO according to the Jahn‐Teller theorem. Independent quantum chemical calculations are lending convincing support to the experimental findings.
A dynamical mechanism for the Page curve from quantum chaos
Authors: Liu Hong , Vardhan Shreya
Published: March 2021

Abstract

If the evaporation of a black hole formed from a pure state is unitary, the entanglement entropy of the Hawking radiation should follow the Page curve, increasing from zero until near the halfway point of the evaporation, and then decreasing back to zero. The general argument for the Page curve is based on the assumption that the quantum state of the black hole plus radiation during the evaporation process is typical. In this paper, we show that the Page curve can result from a simple dynamical input in the evolution of the black hole, based on a recently proposed signature of quantum chaos, without resorting to typicality. Our argument is based on what we refer to as the “operator gas” approach, which allows one to understand the evolution of the microstate of the black hole from generic features of the Heisenberg evolution of operators. One key feature which leads to the Page curve is the possibility of dynamical processes where operators in the “gas” can “jump” outside the black hole, which we refer to as void formation processes. Such processes are initially exponentially suppressed, but dominate after a certain time scale, which can be used as a dynamical definition of the Page time. In the Hayden-Preskill protocol for young and old black holes, we show that void formation is also responsible for the transfer of information from the black hole to the radiation. We conjecture that void formation may provide a microscopic explanation for the recent semi-classical prescription of including islands in the calculation of the entanglement entropy of the radiation.
Minimal Froggatt-Nielsen textures
Authors: Fedele Marco , Mastroddi Alessio , Valli Mauro
Published: March 2021

Abstract

The flavour problem of the Standard Model can be addressed through the Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism. In this work, we develop an approach to the study of FN textures building a direct link between FN-charge assignments and the measured masses and mixing angles via unitary transformations in flavour space. We specifically focus on the quark sector to identify the most economic FN models able to provide a dynamical and natural understanding of the flavour puzzle. Remarkably, we find viable FN textures, involving charges under the horizontal symmetry that do not exceed one in absolute value (in units of the flavon charge). Within our approach, we also explore the degree of tuning of FN models in solving the flavour problem via a measure analogous to the Barbieri-Giudice one. We find that most of the solutions do not involve peculiar cancellations in flavour space.
Breeding progress of disease resistance and impact of disease severity under natural infections in winter wheat variety trials
Authors: Laidig F. , Feike T. , Hadasch S. , Rentel D. , Klocke B. , Miedaner T. , Piepho H. P.
Published: March 2021

Key message

Breeding progress of resistance to fungal wheat diseases and impact of disease severity on yield reduction in long-term variety trials under natural infection were estimated by mixed linear regression models.

This study aimed at quantifying breeding progress achieved in resistance breeding towards varieties with higher yield and lower susceptibility for 6 major diseases, as well as estimating decreasing yields and increasing disease susceptibility of varieties due to ageing effects during the period 1983–2019. A further aim was the prediction of disease-related yield reductions during 2005–2019 by mixed linear regression models using disease severity scores as covariates. For yield and all diseases, overall progress of the fully treated intensity (I2) was considerably higher than for the intensity without fungicides and growth regulators (I1). The disease severity level was considerably reduced during the study period for mildew (MLD), tan spot (DTR) and Septoria nodorum blotch (ear) (SNB) and to a lesser extent for brown (leaf) rust (BNR) and Septoria tritici blotch (STB), however, not for yellow/stripe rust (YLR). Ageing effects increased susceptibility of varieties strongly for BNR and MLD, but were comparatively weak for SNB and DTR. Considerable yield reductions under high disease severity were predicted for STB (−6.6%), BNR (−6.5%) and yellow rust (YLR, −5.8%), but lower reductions for the other diseases. The reduction for resistant vs. highly susceptible varieties under high severity conditions was about halved for BNR and YLR, providing evidence of resistance breeding progress. The empirical evidence on the functional relations between disease severity, variety susceptibility and yield reductions based on a large-scale multiple-disease field trial data set in German winter wheat is an important contribution to the ongoing discussion on fungicide use and its environmental impact.
Climate change will influence disease resistance breeding in wheat in Northwestern Europe
Authors: Miedaner Thomas , Juroszek Peter
Published: March 2021

Wheat productivity is threatened by global climate change. In several parts of NW Europe it will get warmer and dryer during the main crop growing period. The resulting likely lower realized on-farm crop yields must be kept by breeding for resistance against already existing and emerging diseases among other measures. Multi-disease resistance will get especially crucial. In this review, we focus on disease resistance breeding approaches in wheat, especially related to rust diseases and Fusarium head blight, because simulation studies of potential future disease risk have shown that these diseases will be increasingly relevant in the future. The long-term changes in disease occurrence must inevitably lead to adjustments of future resistance breeding strategies, whereby stability and durability of disease resistance under heat and water stress will be important in the future. In general, it would be important to focus on non-temperature sensitive resistance genes/QTLs. To conclude, research on the effects of heat and drought stress on disease resistance reactions must be given special attention in the future.
Comparison of geometrical accuracy of active devices for 3D orthopaedic reconstructions
Authors: Redaelli Davide Felice , Barsanti Sara Gonizzi , Biffi Emilia , Storm Fabio Alexander , Colombo Giorgio
Published: March 2021

The use of 3D digitizing tools is becoming the base for subject-specific products, such as the orthopaedic production process of orthoses and prostheses. This paper aims at comparing the metrological behaviour of low-cost devices (Kinect 1 and 2 by Microsoft, Structure Sensor by Occipital) and high-resolution active sensors (O&P Scan by Rodin4D, NextEngine Ultra HD, Konica Minolta Vivid 9i, GOM ATOS II 400 and Artec Leo) for the survey of human body parts. A calibrated flat plane and a test-field composed of eight calibrated spheres of different radii and placed at different heights were used to evaluate the standard quality parameters (flatness, probing errors in form and size and the standard deviation) for each device as recommended by the VDI/VDE 2634 guidelines. Subsequently, three different parts of a mannequin were surveyed as samples of human body parts. The results demonstrated the higher accuracy of fixed devices with respect to handheld ones, among which Artec Leo and Structure Sensor provided a satisfying level of accuracy for the orthopaedic application. Moreover, the handheld devices enabled performing a fast reconstruction of the mannequin parts in about 20 s, which is acceptable for a person that has to remain as still as possible. For this reason, the Structure Sensor was further tested with five motion approaches which identified that smooth motion provides the lowest deviation and higher reliability. The work demonstrated the appropriateness of handheld devices for the orthopaedic application requirements in terms of speed, accuracy and costs.
Reduced-bias estimation of spatial autoregressive models with incompletely geocoded data
Authors: Santi Flavio , Dickson Maria Michela , Giuliani Diego , Arbia Giuseppe , Espa Giuseppe
Published: March 2021

The application of spatial Cliff–Ord models requires information about spatial coordinates of statistical units to be reliable, which is usually the case in the context of areal data. With micro-geographic point-level data, however, such information is inevitably affected by locational errors, that can be generated intentionally by the data producer for privacy protection or can be due to inaccuracy of the geocoding procedures. This unfortunate circumstance can potentially limit the use of the spatial autoregressive modelling framework for the analysis of micro data, as the presence of locational errors may have a non-negligible impact on the estimates of model parameters. This contribution aims at developing a strategy to reduce the bias and produce more reliable inference for spatial models with location errors. The proposed estimation strategy models both the spatial stochastic process and the coarsening mechanism by means of a marked point process. The model is fitted through the maximisation of a doubly-marginalised likelihood function of the marked point process, which cleans out the effects of coarsening. The validity of the proposed approach is assessed by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study under different real-case scenarios, whereas it is applied to real data on house prices.
The effect of enabling versus coercive performance measurement systems on procedural fairness and red tape
Authors: van Veen-Dirks Paula M. G. , Leliveld Marijke C. , Kaufmann Wesley
Published: March 2021

In this study, we investigate the effects of an enabling versus a coercive performance measurement system on how employees perceive the procedural quality of such systems. In particular, we examine the design characteristics and the development process of performance measurement systems. We hypothesize that an enabling design and an enabling development process, as compared to a coercive design and a coercive development process, lead to perceptions of greater procedural fairness and less red tape. To test our hypotheses, we conduct an experiment with two different samples (a student laboratory sample and an online sample). In general, our results indicate that an enabling performance measurement system design and an enabling system development process both independently increase procedural fairness and decrease red tape. These findings imply that organizations interested in improving the procedural quality of their performance measurement system should focus on designing and developing a system that is enabling rather than coercive.
Local flexibility market framework for grid support services to distribution networks
Authors: Bouloumpasis Ioannis , Mirzaei Alavijeh Nima , Steen David , Le Anh Tuan
Published: March 2021

The increasing volume of distributed resources and user-dependent loads in local networks has increased the concern for congestion and voltage management in distribution networks. To mitigate these issues, the implementation of local flexibility markets has been proposed to assist distribution system operators (DSOs) to manage their networks efficiently. This paper presents the framework of a local flexibility market, including the market participants and their roles. This framework aims to empower DSOs with a market-based instrument for the alleviation of congestion incidents by exploiting the flexibility of local resources.
The proposed market aims to provide a tool for the holistic management of distribution networks by trading both reservation and activation of flexibility services, indifferent of the type and the timeline of the needed service. Three market modes are proposed, i.e., long-term, short-term and real-time market, and the interactions among those modes are shown. The operation of the market is explained in detail, including the identification of the needed services, the activation of the market as well as the proposed bidding, clearing and settlement mechanisms. The modelling of the long-term and real-time markets is also presented, along with some indicative simulation results for long-term and real-time services. Finally, the future developments as well as the major conclusions are discussed.
Development, validation, and application of a multi-method for the determination of mycotoxins, plant growth regulators, tropane alkaloids, and pesticides in cereals by two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Rausch Ann-Kristin , Brockmeyer Robert , Schwerdtle Tanja
Published: March 2021

Mycotoxins and pesticides regularly co-occur in agricultural products worldwide. Thus, humans can be exposed to both toxic contaminants and pesticides simultaneously, and multi-methods assessing the occurrence of various food contaminants and residues in a single method are necessary. A two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of 40 (modified) mycotoxins, two plant growth regulators, two tropane alkaloids, and 334 pesticides in cereals was developed. After an acetonitrile/water/formic acid (79:20:1, v/v/v) multi-analyte extraction procedure, extracts were injected into the two-dimensional setup, and an online clean-up was performed. The method was validated according to Commission Decision (EC) no. 657/2002 and document N° SANTE/12682/2019. Good linearity (R2 > 0.96), recovery data between 70-120%, repeatability and reproducibility values < 20%, and expanded measurement uncertainties < 50% were obtained for a wide range of analytes, including very polar substances like deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside and methamidophos. However, results for fumonisins, zearalenone-14,16-disulfate, acid-labile pesticides, and carbamates were unsatisfying. Limits of quantification meeting maximum (residue) limits were achieved for most analytes. Matrix effects varied highly (−85 to +1574%) and were mainly observed for analytes eluting in the first dimension and early-eluting analytes in the second dimension. The application of the method demonstrated the co-occurrence of different types of cereals with 28 toxins and pesticides. Overall, 86% of the samples showed positive findings with at least one mycotoxin, plant growth regulator, or pesticide.

Graphical abstract
Classification of Degenerate Verma Modules for E(5, 10)
Authors: Cantarini Nicoletta , Caselli Fabrizio , Kac Victor
Published: March 2021

Given a Lie superalgebra $${\mathfrak {g}}$$
g
with a subalgebra $${\mathfrak {g}}_{\ge 0}$$

g

≥
0

, and a finite-dimensional irreducible $${\mathfrak {g}}_{\ge 0}$$

g

≥
0

-module F, the induced $${\mathfrak {g}}$$
g
-module $$M(F)={\mathcal {U}}({\mathfrak {g}})\otimes _{{\mathcal {U}}({\mathfrak {g}}_{\ge 0})}F$$

M

(
F
)

=
U

(
g
)

⊗

U
(

g

≥
0

)

F

is called a finite Verma module. In the present paper we classify the non-irreducible finite Verma modules over the largest exceptional linearly compact Lie superalgebra $${\mathfrak {g}}=E(5,10)$$

g
=
E
(
5
,
10
)

with the subalgebra $${\mathfrak {g}}_{\ge 0}$$

g

≥
0

of minimal codimension. This is done via classification of all singular vectors in the modules M(F). Besides known singular vectors of degree 1,2,3,4 and 5, we discover two new singular vectors, of degrees 7 and 11. We show that the corresponding morphisms of finite Verma modules of degree 1,4,7, and 11 can be arranged in an infinite number of bilateral infinite complexes, which may be viewed as “exceptional” de Rham complexes for E(5, 10).
On the Expressive Power of Stateless Ordered Restart-Delete Automata
Authors: Otto Friedrich
Published: March 2021

Stateless ordered restart-delete automata (stl-ORD-automata) are studied. These are obtained from the stateless ordered restarting automata (stl-ORWW-automata) by introducing an additional restart-delete operation, which, based on the surrounding context, deletes a single letter. While the stl-ORWW-automata accept the regular languages, we show that the swift stl-ORD-automata yield a characterization for the class of context-free languages. Here a stl-ORD-automaton is called swift if it can move its window to any position after performing a restart. We also study the descriptional complexity of swift stl-ORD-automata and relate them to limited context restarting automata.
Hydroxyapatite deposition disease of the wrist with intraosseous migration to the lunate bone
Authors: Goller Sophia S. , Hesse Nina , Dürr Hans Roland , Ricke Jens , Schmitt Rainer
Published: March 2021

Hydroxyapatite deposition disease (HADD) is a mostly uniarticular, self-limiting condition caused by deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals in tendons or in the peritendinous soft tissues. Commonly, the glenohumeral joint is affected. More rarely, the HA depot can be cause of a carpal tunnel syndrome due to an acute inflammatory reaction and space-occupying soft tissue oedema. We report a case of acute HA depot located at the volar site of the right wrist with affection of the deep flexor tendons and intraosseous migration into the lunate bone in a 50-year-old female. There are two main goals of this case report: First, to remind the diagnosis of HADD as a cause of wrist pain and also of carpal tunnel syndrome, as this entity being often misdiagnosed clinically, and second, to report a rare case of intraosseous migration of HA crystals into the lunate bone.