bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients with Unsuspected Tuberculosis of the Joint: A Report of Four Cases and a Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Wang Du , Sun Xiao‐tang , Zhang Chao‐fan , Fang Xin‐yu , Huang Zi‐da , Zheng Qing‐cong , Zhang Wen‐ming
Published: November 2020

Objectives

To provide a case series and systematic review that explores the clinical manifestations, treatments, and methods for defining tuberculosis diagnoses in patients who have undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods

Four patients (three women, one man; average age, 59.5 ± 8.89 years; range, 48–69 years) underwent TKA and were subsequently treated for previously unsuspected knee tuberculosis between January 2013 and December 2019. We also reviewed published cases of tuberculous periprosthetic joint infections (TBPJIs) following TKA through databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. We reviewed studies that were published between January 1980 and December 2019.

Results

In our four cases, the preoperative diagnoses were osteoarthritis (n = 2), rheumatoid arthritis (one case), and Charcot's arthropathy (one case). The main clinical manifestations were knee swelling and pain, without fever, weakness, or weight loss. Comorbidities included multiple joints with rheumatoid arthritis or Charcot's arthropathy, diabetes mellitus, and uremia. One patient had a history of lumbar tuberculosis treated with debridement and intervertebral fusion. Preoperative elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESRs) were detected in all cases, and elevated C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels were observed in three cases. The tuberculosis diagnoses were confirmed via histopathologic analysis (three cases) and second‐generation sequencing (one case). Three patients received antituberculosis therapy for 1 year, without surgical intervention. Two‐stage exchange arthroplasty was performed in one patient because of prosthesis loosening. Within an average follow‐up period of 24.75 months, tuberculosis reactivation was not observed and overall functional improvement was demonstrated. Forty‐four TBPJI cases were reported in the literature between January 1980 and December 2019. Most (59.09%) occurred within the first year after the index arthroplasty, and the diagnoses were confirmed by culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 88.64% of cases. Favorable outcomes were achieved in 90.91% of the patients who did not undergo surgery, 71.43% of those treated with debridement, 93.33% undergoing revision arthroplasty, and in 90.91% of those undergoing resection and arthrodesis.

Conclusions

Clinical manifestations of knee tuberculosis and TBPJI are atypical. Thus, attention should be paid to finding the causes of increased ESRs and CRP levels, particularly in patients with weakened immune functioning, before performing TKA. Pathological examination is an effective method for diagnosing tuberculosis, although sending multiple specimens for pathological examination is necessary.
Improving Health Risk Assessment as a Basis for Public Health Decisions in the 21st Century
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth L. , Omenn Gilbert S. , Turnham Paul
Published: November 2020

One‐fifth of the way through the 21st century, a commonality of factors with those of the last 50 years may offer the opportunity to address unfinished business and current challenges. The recommendations include: (1) Resisting the tendency to oversimplify scientific assessments by reliance on single disciplines in lieu of clear weight‐of‐evidence expressions, and on single quantitative point estimates of health protective values for policy decisions; (2) Improving the separation of science and judgment in risk assessment through the use of clear expressions of the range of judgments that bracket protective quantitative levels for public health protection; (3) Use of comparative risk to achieve the greatest gains in health and the environment; and (4) Where applicable, reversal of the risk assessment and risk management steps to facilitate timely and substantive improvements in public health and the environment. Lessons learned and improvements in the risk assessment process are applied to the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century such as, pandemics and climate change. The beneficial application of the risk assessment and risk management paradigm to ensure timely research with consistency and transparency of assessments is presented. Institutions with mandated stability and leadership roles at the national and international levels are essential to ensure timely interdisciplinary scientific assessment at the interface with public policy as a basis for organized policy decisions, to meet time sensitive goals, and to inform the public.
Bias approximations for likelihood‐based estimators
Authors: Weng Ruby Chiu‐Hsing , Coad D. Stephen
Published: November 2020

Bias approximation has played an important rôle in statistical inference, and numerous bias calculation techniques have been proposed under different contexts. We provide a unified approach to approximating the bias of the maximum likelihood estimator and the l2 penalized likelihood estimator for both linear and nonlinear models, where the design variables are allowed to be random and the sample size can be a stopping time. The proposed method is based on the Woodroofe–Stein identity and is justified by very weak approximations. The accuracy of the derived bias formulas is assessed by simulation for several examples. The bias of the ridge estimator in high‐dimensional settings is also discussed.
Editors' Review and Introduction: Models of Rational Proof in Criminal Law
Authors: Prakken Henry , Bex Floris , Mackor Anne Ruth
Published: November 2020

Decisions concerning proof of facts in criminal law must be rational because of what is at stake, but the decision‐making process must also be cognitively feasible because of cognitive limitations, and it must obey the relevant legal–procedural constraints. In this topic three approaches to rational reasoning about evidence in criminal law are compared in light of these demands: arguments, probabilities, and scenarios. This is done in six case studies in which different authors analyze a manslaughter case from different theoretical perspectives, plus four commentaries on these case studies. The aim of this topic is to obtain more insight into how the different approaches can be applied in a legal context. This will advance the discussion on rational reasoning about evidence in law and will contribute more widely to cognitive science on a number of topics, including the value of probabilistic accounts of cognition and the problem of dealing with cognitive biases in reasoning under uncertainty in practical contexts.
Signaling mechanisms in abscisic acid‐mediated stomatal closure
Authors: Hsu Po‐Kai , Dubeaux Guillaume , Takahashi Yohei , Schroeder Julian I.
Published: November 2020

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a central role in the regulation of stomatal movements under water‐deficit conditions. The identification of ABA receptors and the ABA signaling core consisting of PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors, PP2C protein phosphatases and SnRK2 protein kinases has led to studies that have greatly advanced our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms mediating ABA‐induced stomatal closure in the past decade. This review focuses on recent progress in illuminating the regulatory mechanisms of ABA signal transduction, and the physiological importance of basal ABA signaling in stomatal regulation by CO2 and, as hypothesized here, vapor‐pressure deficit. Furthermore, advances in understanding the interactions of ABA and other stomatal signaling pathways are reviewed here. We also review recent studies investigating the use of ABA signaling mechanisms for the manipulation of stomatal conductance and the enhancement of drought tolerance and water‐use efficiency of plants.
Transfusion support in COVID‐19 patients: Impact on hospital blood component supply during the outbreak
Authors: Velázquez‐Kennedy Kyra , Luna Alejandro , Sánchez‐Tornero Adrián , Jiménez‐Chillón Carlos , Jiménez‐Martín Ana , Vallés Carboneras Ana , Tenorio María , García García Irene , López‐Jiménez Francisco Javier , Moreno‐Jiménez Gemma
Published: November 2020

Background

During the COVID‐19 outbreak, most hospitals deferred elective surgical procedures to allow space for the overwhelming number of COVID‐19 patient admissions, expecting a decrease in routine blood component requirements. However, because transfusion support needs of COVID‐19 patients are not well known, its impact on hospital blood supply is uncertain. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on transfusion demand.

Study Design and Methods

Transfusion records during the peak of the COVID‐19 pandemic (March 1‐April 30, 2020) were reviewed in our center to assess changes in blood requirements.

Results

During this period 636 patients received a total of 2934 blood components, which reflects a 17.6% reduction in transfusion requirements with regard to the same period of 2019, and blood donations in Madrid dropped by 45%. The surgical blood demand decreased significantly during the outbreak (50.2%). Blood usage in the hematology and oncology departments remained unchanged, while the day ward demand halved, and intensive care unit transfusion needs increased by 116%. A total of 6.2% of all COVID inpatients required transfusion support. COVID‐19 inpatients consumed 19% of all blood components, which counterbalanced the savings owed to the reduction in elective procedures.

Conclusion

Although only a minority of COVID‐19 inpatients required transfusion, the expected reduction in transfusion needs caused by the lack of elective surgical procedures is partially offset by the large number of admitted patients during the peak of the pandemic. This fact must be taken into account when planning hospital blood supply.
Study of Compact Heat Exchangers Operating in Self-Sustained Oscillatory Flows
Authors: Fullerton T. L. , Anand N. K.
Published: November 2020

Computer codes were developed to study the performance of compact heat exchangers (CHEs) operating in self-sustained oscillatory flow (SSOF) regimes. The methods were based on a control volume-based finite element (CVFEM) method for geometric discretization and the explicit first stage, single diagonal coefficient, diagonally implicit, Runge–Kutta (ESDIRK) method for temporal discretization. The developed codes were validated for both steady and unsteady cases. A study of nine geometrically related domains of flat tubes in staggered configurations was performed. Grid independence was established subject to double cyclic conditions—periodically fully developed flow and heat transfer in the stream-wise direction and cyclic or repeating flow and heat transfer in the cross-stream direction. The maximum Reynolds number was established at approximately 2000 for the cases studied to avoid the turbulent flow regime. Parameters of interest like Nusselt number, friction factor, and pumping power were calculated for steady and SSOF regimes. An approach was proposed to determine critical Reynolds number (Recrit) for the SSOFs such that for Reynolds number below Recrit the flow remains steady, and above Recrit, the flow exhibits the characteristics of SSOFs before finally transitioning to fully turbulent conditions. The results indicated a sensitivity of performance parameters to transverse spacing but not to longitudinal spacing.
Generating Structure-Borne Traveling Waves Favorable for Applications
Authors: Musgrave Patrick F. , Phoenix Austin A. , Albakri Mohammad I. , Tarazaga Pablo A.
Published: November 2020

Structure-Borne Traveling Waves (SBTWs) have significant promise as a means of underwater propulsion, drag reduction, and solid-state motion. However, there is poor understanding of how to tailor SBTWs favorable for these applications. This study establishes guidelines and a straight-forward method for generating favorable SBTWs on two-dimensional (2D) surfaces. SBTWs are a novel traveling wave generation method that take advantage of a surface’s inherent structural properties (i.e. mode shapes and natural frequencies). Due to this novel mechanism, SBTWs have significant advantages over other traveling wave methods. This includes active variability (propagation direction, frequency, wavelength), no reliance on complex control mechanisms, and a minimal actuation footprint (small size and weight). SBTWs utilize the two-mode excitation method, whereby a surface is harmonically excited at two locations with a phase offset between them. Due to the phase offset, participating mode shapes superimpose to yield steady-state traveling waves that do not reflect at the boundaries. A SBTW at a given frequency has an optimal phase offset that maximizes the quality; however, high quality does not ensure favorability for a specific application. For propulsion and solid-state motion applications, favorable SBTWs are those that have a uniform propagation direction and consistent amplitude. Using a previously validated electro-mechanical model of a 2D plate, this study demonstrates the generation of SBTWs favorable for such applications. It is shown that the frequency bandwidth can be divided into regions, and each region is classified as generating favorable or unfavorable SBTWs. The favorability of each region is defined by which mode shapes participate. Two guidelines are established that define which combinations of mode shapes yield favorable SBTWs. These guidelines are fundamental in nature, implying that they can be extended to generate favorable SBTWs on any thin-walled surface. This signifies that geometries with tailored SBTWs can be designed to target specific applications (e.g. underwater propulsion, drag reduction, and solid-state motion).
Simulation and Validation of Fully 3D Printed Soft Actuators
Authors: Torres Steffi , San Martin Julio , Newell Brittany , Garcia Jose
Published: November 2020

Flexible actuators are a growing class of devices implemented in soft robotic applications, medical devices and processes involving food and pharmaceutical products. Such actuators have traditionally been manufactured using casting processes or other conventional methods requiring more than one fabrication step. The arrival of flexible 3D printing materials and 3D printing techniques has facilitated the creation of these flexible actuators via additive manufacturing. The work presented in this article displays the analytical characterization and experimental validation of two materials and two actuator designs. The first case presents a finite element analysis (FEA) simulated model of a bellows actuator using a photocurable flexible resin (TangoPlus FLX930) and studies the effect of printing orientation on the simulation. The simulation used a 5 parameter Mooney-Rivlin model to predict the strain behavior of the actuator under hydrostatic pressure. A second case is presented where a Thermoplastic Polyurethane actuator was 3D printed and simulated using the same FEA model and a second calibration of the Mooney-Rivlin 5 parameter model. In both cases experimental data was used to calibrate and validate the simulation. The resulting simulated strain was consistent when the printing orientation of actuators was parallel (0 degrees) to the strain direction of the actuators. Results were less consistent when a print orientation of 45 degrees was applied.
Process Optimization of Local Annealing of SMA Wires for Plagiarism Detection
Authors: Langhoff Moritz , Roj Robin , Theiß Ralf , Dültgen Peter
Published: November 2020

The economic significance and damage caused by counterfeit products has been evident in industry and society for a long time. In addition to the loss in sales and image damage for the original manufacturers, plagiarism in security-relevant components can also have disastrous consequences for the customer. Manufacturers use technical features to identify their products. The aim of these features is to make them most difficult to copy or to find. None of these features are completely safe from being copied.

SMA-components can be treated to be used as a new kind of identification elements for products. In this paper a new method for coding information based on annealing of SMA-wires is presented. The focus is the development of a heat treatment that provides different annealing temperatures in small adjacent areas along the wire. As the annealing temperature has effects on the thermal resistance behavior of the SMA, a combined behavior of different annealing temperatures leads from a curved to a stepped resistance behavior when heated from martensite to austenite.
Adaptive Material Handling System Based on Shape Memory Alloy Actuators
Authors: Zimmer Lukas , Welsch Felix , Kirsch Susanne-Marie , Rizzello Gianluca , Seelecke Stefan , Motzki Paul
Published: November 2020

In this paper, a shape memory alloy (SMA) based handling system is presented. The gripping system consists of two different actuator systems based on SMA wires. The first one is a reconfigurable end-effector with four independent gripping arms. The second SMA actuator system is a bi-stable SMA actuated vacuum suction cup, of which one is mounted on each of the four arms of the end-effector. While the four independently adjustable gripping arms of the end-effector allow for an adaption to different workpiece geometries like a flat shaped workpiece or a round shaped, spherical workpiece, integrated SMA driven brake mechanisms enable an energy free position holding of the end-effector components. This means that an electric current is only required when the end-effector arms need to be rearranged. This results in a versatile, adaptive and energy-efficient handling system that can replace mostly pneumatically driven state-of-the-art systems in production and assembly industry. No manual adjustment of the gripping system or even exchanging is needed, if an assembly line switches between products with different work piece geometries as a result. The gripping unit is controlled using an external microcontroller and can be mounted on a robot for diverse handling purposes.
Interfacial Bond Strength of Various Rigid/Soft Multi-Materials Printed via Fused Filament Fabrication Process
Authors: Kalia Karun , Ameli Amir
Published: November 2020

Layered multi-materials of dissimilar polymers and their nanocomposites offer new opportunities as smart materials and structures. A critical aspect of such structures is the quality of interlayer adhesion between dissimilar polymer matrices. This work reports the development of asymmetric double cantilever beam (ADCB) specimens of dissimilar polymers and its use in the analysis and understanding of their interlayer adhesion in 3D-printed rigid/soft interfaces. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA) were chosen as the rigid polymers and combined with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as the soft component. 3D-printed ADCB specimens were loaded under opening mode, until fracture, to obtain the load-displacement data and the fracture surfaces were analyzed using optical microscopy. ABS/TPU/ABS and PC/TPU/PC material combinations resulted in a more stable crack growth with a high peak load indicating a relatively good interfacial adhesion. The high nozzle temperatures of ABS and PC and their amorphous nature contributed to a good layer-to-layer fusion during 3D printing. However, PLA/TPU/PLA specimens exhibited an unstable crack growth behavior with a pure adhesive failure mode and a significantly lower peak load. This poor interfacial bond strength was correlated to the relatively low nozzle temperature of PLA and its semi-crystalline structure. The maximum loads in ABS/TPU/ABS and PC/TPU/PC specimens were found to be ∼2.5 times greater than that of PLA/TPU/PLA ones. The method provides a valuable tool in quantifying interlayer adhesion quality in printed dissimilar polymers and their functional nanocomposites.
Mechanical Characterization of a Novel Concept of Adaptive Electrostatic Friction Damper
Authors: Testoni Oleg , Bodkhe Sampada , Ermanni Paolo , Bergamini Andrea
Published: November 2020

In this work, we present a novel concept of adaptive friction damper based on electrostatic adhesion and we characterize its performance under quasi-static conditions. The concept is based on a stack of circular electrodes structurally coupled to different ends of the damper, separated by a thin dielectric film and hinged around a common axle. When an electric potential is applied, the electrodes experience an attractive force, which is used to control the transfer of shear stress between electrodes and thus the resistive torque of the assembly and the amount of energy dissipated. However, imperfections on the contact surfaces and air gaps have a strong detrimental effect on the resistive torque.

A prototype of the damper was manufactured and the resistive torque was measured as a function of applied voltage. Theoretical and experimental results were compared to estimate the average thickness of the air gap. The surface roughness of the electrodes and of the dielectric was measured before and after the mechanical test. Moreover, the surface of an entire electrode was scanned to measure its planarity. Then, the results were compared with the value of the air gap previously estimated.

The maximum resistive torque measured was constant over five actuation cycles for constant values of the voltage applied and, as expected, increased quadratically with the voltage. The estimated value of the air gap amounted to 38 μm. Both the electrodes and the dielectric showed an increase in average surface roughness after the mechanical test; however, the surface roughness was lower than 1 μm in both cases and could not justify the estimated air gap. On the other hand, we observed a large inhomogeneity in the planarity of the electrode, which was comparable with the thickness of the air gap previously estimated.

The results obtained demonstrated the possibility to adapt the resistive torque of the damper using an electrical input and proved the feasibility of the concept. Further work has to focus on the design of the electrodes and on the operating life of the damper. We envisage that the concept could replace traditional, semi-active dampers in automotive or in aerospace applications.
Rapid and Real-Time Measurement of Membrane Potential Through Intramembrane Field Compensation
Authors: El-Beyrouthy Joyce , Freeman Eric C.
Published: November 2020

Synthetic lipid membranes are self-assembled biomolecular double layers designed to approximate the properties of living cell membranes. These membranes are employed as model systems for studying the interactions of cellular envelopes with the surrounding environment in a controlled platform. They are constructed by dispersing amphiphilic lipids into a combination of immiscible fluids enabling the biomolecules to self-assemble into ordered sheets, or monolayers at the oil-water interface. The adhesion of two opposing monolayer sheets forms the membrane, or the double layer. The mechanical properties of these synthetic membranes often differ from biological ones mainly due to the presence of residual solvent in between the leaflets. In fact, the double layer compresses in response to externally applied electrical field with an intensity that varies depending on the solvent present. While typically viewed as a drawback associated with their assembly, in this work the elasticity of the double layer is utilized to further quantify complex biophysical phenomena. The adsorption of charged molecules on the surface of a lipid bilayer is a key property to decipher biomolecule interactions at the interface of the cell membrane, as well as to develop effective antimicrobial peptides and similar membrane-active molecules. This adsorption generates a difference in the boundary potentials on either side of the membrane which may be tracked through electrophysiology. The soft synthetic membranes produced in the laboratory compress when exposed to an electric field. Tracking the minimum membrane capacitance allows for quantifying when the intrinsic electric field produced by the asymmetry is properly compensated by the supplied transmembrane voltage. The technique adopted in this work is the intramembrane field compensation (IFC). This technique focuses on the current generated by the bilayer in response to a sinusoidal voltage with a DC component, VDC. Briefly, the output sinusoidal current is divided into its harmonics and the second harmonic equals zero when VDC compensates the internal electric field. In this work, we apply the IFC technique to droplet interface bilayers (DIB) enabling the development of a biological sensor. A certain membrane elasticity is needed for accurate measurements and is tuned through the solvent selection. The asymmetric DIBs are formed, and an automated PID-controlled IFC design is implemented to rapidly track and compensate the membrane asymmetry. The closed loop system continuously reads the current and generates the corresponding voltage until the second harmonic is abated. This research describes the development and optimization of a biological sensor and examines how varying the structure of the synthetic membrane influences its capabilities for detecting membrane-environment interactions. This platform may be applied towards studying the interactions of membrane-active molecules and developing models for the associated phenomena to enhance their design.
True Presence Detection via Passive Infrared Sensor Network Using Liquid Crystal Infrared Shutters
Authors: Wu Libo , Wang Ya
Published: November 2020

Recently, smart home applications are increasing fast, including but not limited to occupancy-dependent control of lighting, heating and cooling. Passive infrared (PIR) sensors play an important role in these applications to perceive the presence and/or the motion of human. However, PIR sensors are not able to detect stationary occupants while stationary presence takes up most time of the day. And thus, the resulted false negative detection leads to uncomfortable light/temperature swings, shortened equipment’s lifespan, and/or energy waste, etc. To address this issue, our group has developed Synchronized Low-Energy Electronically-chopped PIR (SLEEPIR) sensors that integrate an electronic liquid crystal (LC) infrared shutter with an off-the-shelf PIR sensor. In this work, the infrared shutter made of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) sandwiched by two germanium windows is proposed to periodically chop the long-wave infrared signal received by the PIR sensor so that stationary human presence can still be detected due to the electronical shuttering. A sensor module is fabricated, consisting of a wireless microcontroller, a SLEEPIR sensor and a traditional PIR sensor, with a field of view of 103° × 103°. Then, a sensor network consists of two sensor modules is developed. Three types of experiments are conducted in this paper: individual action-based, continuous activity-based, and daily routine-based. The detection logic is made by using the threshold value classification method, where the threshold values are determined from the action-based dataset and applied to the other two datasets. The results show that for activity-based dataset, the average accuracy reached 98.96%. For daily routine-based dataset, the average accuracy is 99.57%.
Prediction of the Behavior of Dynamically Actuated DE Roll-Actuators Using Equivalent Circuits
Authors: Bakardjiev Petko , Marschner Uwe , Franke Markus , Richter Andreas , Altinsoy Ercan M.
Published: November 2020

Dielectric elastomer actuators show suitable properties to be utilized for dynamic applications, e.g. speakers, shakers and pumps, with possible benefits to existing conventional systems. In this work a method to predict the performance of dynamically actuated dielectric-elastomer roll-actuators (DERA) depending on both, material and design parameters is presented. It incorporates in combination analytical computation, FEM, as well as electromechanical networks and considers a large variety of material configurations with a multitude of constructional degrees of freedom. DERA in push-configuration exhibit a distinct modal behavior in axial direction depending on the boundary conditions and loading at the actuators end terminals, which is described sufficiently by a one-dimensional longitudinal waveguide model. Several DERA were designed, manufactured and tested. The experimental studies were in good agreement with the made predictions. They allowed for further refinement regarding interface circuits and model updating, such as the estimation of inaccessible parameters (e. g. damping coefficients). The presented model allows for extensive parameter studies and the development of tailor-made actuators for given application in a very time efficient manner.
Enhanced Sound Energy Harvesting by Leveraging Gradient-Index Phononic Crystals
Authors: Allam Ahmed , Sabra Karim , Erturk Alper
Published: November 2020

We explore the harvesting of acoustic waves by leveraging a 3D-printed gradient-index phononic crystal (GRIN-PC) lens design. The concept is demonstrated numerically and experimentally for audio frequency range acoustic waves in air. Unit cell design procedure to achieve the required refractive index profile and numerical simulations of the band structure are executed using a high-fidelity finite-element model, followed by 3D simulations of the acoustic wave field for validation of the lens performance. Performance enhancement by focusing acoustic waves is quantified along with the level of anisotropy in the resulting 3D lens design. Additionally, a fully coupled multiphysics framework is developed to cover acoustic-structure interaction, piezoelectric coupling, as well as electrical load impedance. Finite-element simulations include the GRIN-PC lens and the harvester components along with basic electrical load to quantify the electrical power. In the full numerical simulations, design parameters such as the unit cell design, aperture of the lens, directional effects and anisotropy are explored in detail. Specifically, efforts are summarized on the unit cell design to minimize the directional sensitivity, toward making the lens close to omnidirectional.
Selective ALD of SiN using SiI4 and NH3: The effect of temperature, plasma treatment, and oxide underlayer
Authors: Wang Han , Hendrix Bryan C. , Baum Thomas H.
Published: November 2020

The initial growth of silicon nitride (SiN) thin films was studied during thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) using silicon tetraiodide (SiI4) and ammonia (NH3) onto various oxide underlayers (native SiO2, sapphire, ALD Al2O3, and ALD ZrO2) at two deposition temperatures (200 and 350 °C). We found that the SiI4/NH3 process shows earlier nucleation on high-k oxide underlayers (sapphire, ALD Al2O3, and ALD ZrO2) compared with SiO2 at 200 °C. Interestingly, an NH3-plasma treatment reverses the selectivity between high-k oxides and SiO2: SiN growth has no nucleation delay on NH3-plasma-treated SiO2 but is severely delayed on NH3-plasma-treated high-k oxides at both temperatures (an incubation period of at least 300 cycles at 200 °C and 50 cycles at 350 °C).
Data Reduction Approaches to Athlete Monitoring in Professional Australian Football
Authors: Ryan Samuel , Kempton Thomas , Coutts Aaron J.
Published: November 2020

Purpose: To apply data reduction methods to athlete-monitoring measures to address the issue of data overload for practitioners of professional Australian football teams. Methods: Data were collected from 45 professional Australian footballers from 1 club during the 2018 Australian Football League season. External load was measured in training and matches by 10-Hz OptimEye S5 and ClearSky T6 GPS units. Internal load was measured via the session rate of perceived exertion method. Perceptual wellness was measured via questionnaires completed before training sessions with players providing a rating (1–5 Likert scale) of muscle soreness, sleep quality, fatigue, stress, and motivation. Percentage of maximum speed was calculated relative to individual maximum velocity recorded during preseason testing. Derivative external training load measures (total daily, weekly, and monthly) were calculated. Principal-component analyses (PCAs) were conducted for Daily and Chronic measures, and components were identified via scree plot inspection (eigenvalue > 1). Components underwent orthogonal rotation with a factor loading redundancy threshold of 0.70. Results: The Daily PCA identified components representing external load, perceived wellness, and internal load. The Chronic PCA identified components representing 28-d speed exposure, 28-d external load, 7-d external load, and 28-d internal load. Perceived soreness did not meet the redundancy threshold. Conclusions: Monitoring player exposure to maximum speed is more appropriate over chronic than short time frames to capture variations in between-matches training-cycle duration. Perceived soreness represents a distinct element of a player’s perception of wellness. Summed-variable and single-variable approaches are novel methods of data reduction following PCA of athlete monitoring data.
Acute Impact of the Use of a Standing Desk on Appetite Sensations and Energy Intake
Authors: Josaphat Kapria-Jad , Labonté-Lemoyne Élise , Sénécal Sylvain , Léger Pierre-Majorique , Mathieu Marie-Eve
Published: November 2020

Background: Sedentariness has been shown to increase energy intake and is associated with increased obesity prevalence. Active workstations are used to implement physical activity interventions in workplaces, but it is unclear if they can lead to reductions in body weight. This study aims to observe the acute impact of a standing desk on energy intake and appetite sensations.Methods: Participants came to the laboratory, where they were randomly assigned to a seated or a standing desk. They completed a work session (∼75 min) during which they performed cognitive tasks and reported their levels of stress. Following this, they had a 15-minute break during which buffet-type snacks were served. Subjects were asked to rate their appetite sensations on visual analog scales.Results: Thirty-six normal-weight men and women aged 24.3 (4.3) years participated in this study. Energy intake from snacks was similar (P = .472) between participants who sat (427.8 [286.9] kcal) and the ones who stood (461.2 [272.8] kcal) during the work session. There was no difference in satiety quotients around the snack and no significant interaction time × condition for appetite sensations.Conclusion: The use of a standing desk for 75 minutes did not increase food consumption following a meal.
Seeing the Bigger Picture: Susceptibility to, and Detection of, Deception
Authors: Warren-West Laurence S. , Jackson Robin C.
Published: November 2020

An extended time window was used to examine susceptibility to, and detection of, deception in rugby union. High- and low-skilled rugby players judged the final running direction of an opponent “cutting” left or right, with or without a deceptive sidestep. Each trial was occluded at one of eight time points relative to the footfall after the initial (genuine or fake) reorientation. Based on response accuracy, the results were separated into deception susceptibility and deception detection windows. Signal-detection analysis was used to calculate the discriminability of genuine and deceptive actions (d') and the response bias (c). High-skilled players were less susceptible to deception and better able to detect when they had been deceived, accompanied by a reduced bias toward perceiving all actions as genuine. By establishing the time window in which players become deceived, it will now be possible to identify the kinematic sources that drive deception.
Examining Coaches’ Approaches to Teaching Life Skills and Their Transfer in Youth Sport
Authors: Martin Laura , Camiré Martin
Published: November 2020

Coaches have been shown to play key roles in the life-skills development and transfer process. The purpose of the study was to examine coaches’ approaches to teaching life skills and their transfer in youth sport. A multiple case study design was employed. Each case was composed of one coach and at least two of their athletes involved in youth baseball, rugby, soccer, and sailing. The data collection involved pre- and postseason interviews and in-season journaling with coaches, as well as postseason interviews with athletes. The results indicated that the coaches predominantly used implicit approaches, with just over half identified as using some explicit approaches to teach life skills. The coaches discussed several factors that influenced their decisions to use or not use explicit life-skills teaching approaches. The results have implications for future research and applied efforts aimed at maximizing the developmental gains athletes can derive from their participation in sport.
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Coach Perceptions in the Practice Environment
Authors: Smith Steve M. , Cotterill Stewart T. , Brown Hazel
Published: November 2020

The psychological environment where sporting activity is undertaken has been suggested to influence performance. The coach orchestrates practice activities and their perception of the psychological environment has been regularly evaluated in competition research but not in practice. The aim of this study was to explore coach perceptions of the psychological influencing factors present in the practice environment. Participants were six U.K. academy basketball coaches (mean age = 35 years). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five superordinate themes were constructed from data analysis, which were player characteristics, team-first orientation, current performance perceptions, coach characteristics, and coaching structure. Results suggest that the coach has a unique insight into the psychological influencing factors of the practice environment. Combined with the practice environment framework offered by Smith, Cotterill, and Brown, a model is offered to aid practitioners in understanding the interrelatedness of psychological influencing factors in the practice environment.
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Profiling of Minocycline for Injection following a Single Infusion in Critically Ill Adults in a Phase IV Open-Label Multicenter Study (ACUMIN)
Authors: Lodise Thomas P. , Van Wart Scott , Sund Zoe M. , Bressler Adam M. , Khan Akram , Makley Amy T. , Hamad Yasir , Salata Robert A. , Silveira Fernanda P. , Sims Matthew D. , Kabchi Badih A. , Saad Mohamed A. , Brown Carrie , Oler Randolph E. , Fowler Vance , Wunderink Richard G.
Published: November 2020

Intravenous (i.v.) minocycline is increasingly used to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Acinetobacter baumannii
. Despite its being approved nearly 50 years ago, published information on its pharmacokinetic (PK) profile is limited. This multicenter study examined the PK and probability of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) target attainment profile of i.v. minocycline in critically ill patients, with suspected or documented infection with Gram-negative bacteria.
Comparing the Population Pharmacokinetics of and Acute Kidney Injury Due to Polymyxin B in Chinese Patients with or without Renal Insufficiency
Authors: Wang Peile , Zhang Qiwen , Zhu Zhenfeng , Pei Hui , Feng Min , Sun Tongwen , Yang Jing , Zhang Xiaojian
Published: November 2020

Despite excellent bactericidal effect, dosing adjustment of polymyxin B for patients with renal insufficiency and polymyxin B-related nephrotoxicity is still a major concern to clinicians. The aim of this study was to compare the population pharmacokinetics (PK) properties of polymyxin B in Chinese patients with different renal functions and to investigate the relationship between PK parameters and polymyxin B-related acute kidney injury (AKI). A total of 37 patients with normal renal function (creatinine clearance ≥ 80 ml/min) and 33 with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance < 80 ml/min) were included.
Continued Low Efficacy of Artemether-Lumefantrine in Angola in 2019
Authors: Dimbu Pedro Rafael , Horth Roberta , Cândido Ana Luísa M. , Ferreira Carolina Miguel , Caquece Felismina , Garcia Luzala Elisabeth Armando , André Kialanda , Pembele Garcia , Jandondo Domingos , Bondo Belmira José , Nieto Andrade Benjamin , Labuda Sarah , Ponce de León Gabriel , Kelley Julia , Patel Dhruviben , Svigel Samaly S. , Talundzic Eldin , Lucchi Naomi , Morais Joana F. M. , Fortes Filomeno , Martins José Franco , Pluciński Mateusz M.
Published: November 2020

Biennial therapeutic efficacy monitoring is a crucial activity for ensuring the efficacy of currently used artemisinin-based combination therapy in Angola. Children with acute uncomplicated
Plasmodium falciparum
infection in sentinel sites in the Benguela, Zaire, and Lunda Sul Provinces were treated with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) or artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and monitored for 28 days to assess clinical and parasitological responses. Molecular correction was performed using seven microsatellite markers.
Spray Application of Nonpathogenic Fusaria onto Rice Flowers Controls Bakanae Disease (Caused by Fusarium fujikuroi) in the Next Plant Generation
Authors: Saito Hiroki , Sasaki Mai , Nonaka Yoko , Tanaka Jun , Tokunaga Tomomi , Kato Akihiro , Thuy Tran Thi Thu , Vang Le Van , Tuong Le Minh , Kanematsu Seiji , Suzuki Tomotaka , Kurauchi Kenichi , Fujita Naoko , Teraoka Tohru , Komatsu Ken , Arie Tsutomu
Published: November 2020

We demonstrated that a spray treatment of rice flowers with the spores of nonpathogenic fusaria mimicked the disease cycle of the seed-borne bakanae pathogen
Fusarium fujikuroi
and effectively suppressed the disease. Spray treatment of nonpathogenic fusaria reduced the degree of pathogen invasion of rice flowers and vertical transmission of the pathogen to the next plant generation via seeds, thereby controlling the bakanae disease. The most promising isolate,
F. commune
W5, colonized seeds and seedlings via treated flowers and successfully inhibited pathogen invasion, suggesting that competition with the pathogen was the mode of action. Seed-borne diseases are often controlled by seed treatment with chemical fungicides. Establishing an alternative method is a pressing issue from the perspectives of limiting fungicide resistance and increasing food security. This work provides a potential solution to these issues using a novel application technique to treat rice flowers with biocontrol agents.
Key Enzymes for Anaerobic Lactate Metabolism in Geobacter sulfurreducens
Authors: Ueki Toshiyuki
Published: November 2020

Lactate is a microbial fermentation product as well as a source of carbon and electrons for microorganisms in the environment. Furthermore, lactate is a common amendment for stimulation of microbial growth in environmental biotechnology applications. However, anaerobic metabolism of lactate has been poorly studied for environmentally relevant microorganisms.
Geobacter
species are found in various environments and environmental biotechnology applications. By employing genomic and genetic approaches, succinyl-CoA synthetase and lactate dehydrogenase were identified as key enzymes in anaerobic metabolism of lactate in
Geobacter sulfurreducens
, a representative
Geobacter
species. Differential gene expression during growth on lactate and acetate was observed, demonstrating that
G. sulfurreducens
could metabolically switch to adapt to available substrates in the environment. The findings provide new insights into basic physiology in lactate metabolism as well as cellular responses to growth conditions in the environment and can be informative for the application of lactate in environmental biotechnology.
Ice-Binding Proteins Associated with an Antarctic Cyanobacterium,
Nostoc
sp. HG1
Authors: Raymond James A. , Janech Michael G. , Mangiagalli Marco
Published: November 2020

The horizontal transfer of genes encoding ice-binding proteins (IBPs), proteins that confer freeze-thaw tolerance, has allowed many microorganisms to expand their ranges into polar regions. One group of microorganisms for which nothing is known about its IBPs is cyanobacteria. In this study, we identified a cyanobacterial IBP and showed that it was likely acquired from another bacterium, probably a planctomycete. We also showed that a consortium of IBP-producing bacteria living with the
Nostoc
contribute to its IBP activity.
Complete Genome Sequence of Serratia marcescens FY, Isolated from Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Liu Wei , Kang Ruxue , Lim Kah Leong , Tan Eng King
Published: November 2020

In nature, the fruit fly frequently encounters various pathogens that cause a decrease in host fitness. Here, we present the genome sequence of
Serratia marcescens
strain FY that was isolated from the intestines of a
Drosophila
sp. specimen. The complete genome sequence comprises one chromosome of 5,074,453 bp and two plasmids of 100,934 bp and 87,789 bp. A total of 4,891 coding sequences are predicted from this assembly.
Draft Genome Sequences of Nine Japanese Strains of the Kiwifruit Bacterial Canker Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Biovar 3
Authors: Fujikawa Takashi , Sawada Hiroyuki
Published: November 2020

Pseudomonas syringae
pv. actinidiae is the pathogen that causes kiwifruit bacterial canker and is categorized into several groups (biovars). In Japan, biovar 3, known as the pandemic group, was first discovered in 2014. Here, we sequenced the genomes of nine Japanese biovar 3 strains.
Draft Genome Sequence of Escherichia coli Strain UMD142
Authors: Hazen Tracy H. , Poonawala Husain , Saharia Kapil K. , Donnenberg Michael S. , Rasko David A.
Published: November 2020

Escherichia coli
can be a harmless commensal organism or cause a range of diseases in humans, including diarrhea, urinary tract infections, meningitis, sepsis, and skin and soft tissue infections. Here, we describe the genome of an isolate that was associated with necrotizing fasciitis and the decompensation of previously undiagnosed cirrhosis.
Complete Genome Sequences of Two Vibrio natriegens Bacteriophages
Authors: Harris Meghan T. , Ho Tereasa Ching , Fruchtman Harry , Garin Mira E. , Kubatin Victor , Lu Tiger , Xue Lingyan , Marr Michael T.
Published: November 2020

Vibrio natriegens
, a fast-growing Gram-negative bacterium, is gaining interest as a platform for rapid biotechnology applications and metabolic engineering. Only a few bacteriophages that infect this bacterium have been identified. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of two
V. natriegens
bacteriophages isolated from Hatches Creek, Wellfleet, Massachusetts.