bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung in der stationären Altenpflege im Projekt POLKA
Authors: Weiß Klaus , Gassert Janina , Huber Gerhard
Published: October 2021

Mit dem Präventionsgesetz wurde dem Betrieb als herausgehobenes Setting der Gesundheitsförderung für erwachsene Menschen Rechnung getragen. Leider werden diese legislativen Steilvorlagen nur ungenügend umgesetzt. Dabei besteht gerade in der Pflege ein hoher Bedarf. Der demografische Wandel verschärft die bereits angespannte Situation in der stationären Pflege. Im Betrieblichen Gesundheitsmanagement werden bisher in den Einrichtungen der stationären Altenpflege nur punktuelle Maßnahmen mit einer geringen Wirkungskraft angeboten. Darüber hinaus sind bisherige Standards in der Betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung unter Berücksichtigung der arbeitsorganisatorischen Strukturen (wie z. B. Schichtarbeit, viele Teilzeitbeschäftigte) unwirksam. Unter Berücksichtigung der entwickelten Qualitätsstandards im Betrieblichen Gesundheitsmanagement werden im Projekt POLKA Lösungsansätze initiiert und wissenschaftlich begleitet. Ziel hierbei ist es, die Beschäftigten in der stationären Pflege optimal zu unterstützen. Für die Lösungsansätze wurde ein Lotsen- und Experten-System entwickelt, dass in der Umsetzung bedarfsorientierter Interventionen eine optimale Unterstützung bietet. Die Projektinitiatoren verfolgen dabei das langfristige Ziel, das System nachhaltig fortführen zu können und weitere stabile Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten zu erschließen.
POLKA – Gesundheitsförderung für und mit den Beschäftigten
Authors: Lenz Hanna , Gassert Janina
Published: October 2021

Im folgenden Beitrag soll die Sicht aus den Einrichtungen auf das Projekt POLKA abgebildet werden. Beispielhaft wurden vier Führungskräfte von Hanna Lenz (Heidelberger Institut für Gesundheitsmanagement GmbH) zum Modellvorhaben interviewt.
Instability of Tear Film after Novel Coronavirus Disease: A Noninvasive and No Contact Method by a Scheimpflug-Placido Disc Topographer
Authors: Acet Yakup , Çil Baris , Kabak Mehmet , Vural Esra
Published: October 2021

Purpose To compare the topographical tear film break-up time (T-BUT) between individuals recovering from COVID-19 and control subjects using a noninvasive and noncontact technique with a Scheimpflug-Placido disc topographer.

Methods One-hundred and twenty-two eyes from 61 post-COVID-19 patients and 124 eyes from 62 control subjects were included in this prospective study. All participants underwent detailed ophthalmological examination including best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure measurements, slit lamp examination, and fundoscopy as well as qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the noninvasive first tear film break-up time (NIF-BUT) and noninvasive average tear film break-up time (NIAvg-BUT) with T-BUT measured with a Sirius (CSO – Costruzione Strumenti Oftalmici S. r. l., Italy) corneal topography device.

Results The mean NIF-BUT in post-COVID-19 and control patients was 5.2 ± 3.4 vs. 6.5 ± 3.2 sec, respectively. The mean NIAvg-BUT in the corresponding groups was 7.5 ± 3.5 vs. 8.8 ± 3.0 sec, respectively. Both NIF-BUT and NIAvg-BUT were significantly lower in the post-COVID-19 group than in controls (p = 0.004 vs. 0.020). Topographical tear film break-up at any time during the test (17 sec) was observed qualitatively in 79 eyes (64.8%) in the post-COVID-19 group and 57 eyes (46%) in the control group (p = 0.003). Moreover, temporal quadrant involvement occurred significantly more frequently in the post-COVID-19 group (p = 0.028).

Conclusion Tear film stability assessment based on T-BUT showed shorter NIF-BUT and NIAvg-BUT in post-COVID-19 patients as compared to the control group. Our results suggest that post-COVID-19 patients have impaired stability of tear film, and therefore require closer monitoring regarding dry eye. In addition, tear film instability in post-COVID-19 patients can be reliably detected using a noninvasive and noncontact technique that is more comfortable for both patients and physicians.
Effect of aging-treatment on dynamic compression behaviour and microstructure of ZK60 alloy
Authors: Wang Zhi , Huang Shouben , Wang Feng , Zhou Le , Tie Di , Mao Pingli , Liu Zheng
Published: October 2021

Herein, the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique is used to investigate the effect of aging-treatment on mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of extruded ZK60 (Mg-5.8Zn-0.72Zr) alloy under dynamic compression at a strain rate of 1000 s−1. The experimental results reveal that the amount of precipitated MgZn and MgZn2 phases gradually increased with increasing aging time, which led to an increase of 60.4% in the peak flow stress under the peak aging condition due to precipitation strengthening. EBSD and TEM results demonstrate that {10[Formula: see text] 2} extension twinning plays a critical role in determining the deformation mechanism. Furthermore, the extension twinning boundaries and precipitated phases during the aging process hindered the dislocations slip during deformation and significantly influenced the dislocation strengthening.
Hot pack rolling of spark-plasma-sintered pre-alloyed powders to fabricate Ti2AlNb sheets
Authors: Sui Xiaochong , Wang Guofeng , Liu Qing , Luo Shuyi
Published: October 2021

In this work, spark-plasma-sintered Ti-20.3Al-24.7Nb (at.-%) compact was pack rolled in different phase fields to fabricate Ti2AlNb sheets with high strength and ductility without post-heat treatment. The nano O phases in the B2 matrix contributed to the high tensile strength and ductility in a single B2 phase field. In the O + B2 phase field, the O phases remarkably increased in size and resulted in high tensile strength of 1407.1 MPa. Maintaining the O phases to nano sizes and cooperation with micro-sized α2 phases resulted in extremely high elongation of 13.91% in the α2+O + B2 phase field. The [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] strengthening effects of the α2 and O phases under different conditions were analysed in detail.

Highlights Spark-plasma-sintered pre-alloyed powders are used as the raw compact before hot pack rolled Ti2AlNb sheet. Ti2AlNb sheets with good mechanical properties are obtained without any post-heat treatment. This ‘SPS pre-alloyed powder + hot pack rolling’ method has great potential in breaking the limit in sheet properties. The strengthening effects of different factors are analysed.
Powder metallurgy processed TiB2-reinforced steel matrix composites: a review
Authors: Sahoo Silani , Jha Bharat Bhushan , Mandal Animesh
Published: October 2021

The present review focuses on the recent development of steel matrix composites and their advancement. Stainless steel has broad application but its critical drawbacks, such as poor hardness and wear resistance, confine its extensive application. Nowadays, steel matrix composites with ceramic particles reinforcement are finding increased interest to researchers owing to the combined effect of hard reinforcement and ductile metal matrix. TiB2 ceramic particles have exceptional properties which makes it more suitable reinforcement for steel matrix. This review summarises the different powder metallurgy assisted methods for the fabrication of steel matrix composites and their mechanical properties, strengthening mechanisms, wear performance. With the help of this review article, researchers and industrial engineers can adopt the appropriate method to meet the demands of industrial applications.
Laser shock peening Fe-based coatings for enhancing wear and corrosion resistance
Authors: Yang Yu-ling , Zhou Lu-lu , Chen Hui-bin , Wang Jun , Qiao Hong-chao , Lu Ying , Qin Gao-wu
Published: October 2021

Laser Shock Peening (LSP) was introduced to reduce the residual stress and improve the wear and corrosion resistance of Fe-based 43X coating on worn U71Mn steel by laser cladding technology. The tensile stress decreased with increasing of laser power density and impact times, finally, transferred to compressive stress. The microstructure of the coatings was refined due to LSP treatment. The refined microstructure and existence of retained Austenite phase resulted in significant improvement in microhardness and anti-wear performances. The coatings after LSP process presented better corrosion resistance. However, impact three times with a higher power density has negative effect on improving the corrosion resistance.
Combined high‐intensity interval training as an obesity‐management strategy for adolescents
Authors: Videira‐Silva António , Hetherington‐Rauth Megan , Sardinha Luís B. , Fonseca Helena
Published: October 2021

Effective and safe exercise protocols for obesity management in adolescents are imperative. This study aimed to analyse compliance, efficacy, and safety of combined high‐intensity interval training circuit (HIIT) in the management of obesity (including overweight) in adolescents, compared to traditional training (TT). Data from 55 adolescents (47.3% girls) (TT n = 31; HIIT n = 24), aged 12–18 (mean age of 14.3 ± 1.7), with overweight and obesity (median BMI z‐score of 2.95), were assessed at baseline and month 6 (Clinicaltrials.gov/NCT02941770). During the 6‐month intervention, participants in both exercise groups attended two exercise sessions/week (60 min/session) along with a set of appointments with a paediatrician, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist. Forty‐six participants completed the intervention (TT n = 23; HIIT n = 23). Exercise session attendance (≥80%) was significantly higher among HIIT participants (73.9 vs. 13.0%, p < .001). HIIT, but not TT, showed a significant decrease in BMI z‐score (d = 0.40, p < .001), body fat mass (BFM, %) (d = 0.41, p = .001), and trunk fat mass (d = 0.56, p < .001), as well as a significant increase in muscle mass (MM, %) (d = 0.28, p = .001) between baseline and 6 months. According to generalized estimating equations, time‐by‐attendance interactions (instead of time‐by group) were found in BMI z‐score (β = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.17, 0.33), BFM (β = 2.29, 95%CI: 1.02, 3.56), trunk fat mass (β = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.70, 4.18), and MM (β = −1.16, 95%CI: −1.87, −0.45). No adverse events were reported during HIIT sessions. Although compliance may mediate the impact of an exercise protocol on health‐related outcomes, HIIT showed to be safe, with higher compliance compared to TT, which may result in improved outcomes overtime.
Dielectric nanocavity-coupled surface lattice resonances for high-efficiency plasmonic sensing
Authors: Hu Jinyong , Tan Chuxuan , Bai Wangdi , Li Yiming , Lin Qi , Wang Lingling
Published: October 2021

Surface lattice resonances (SLRs) arising in metal nanostructure arrays have shown tremendous application prospects in the field of plasmonic biosensing. However, these SLRs still suffer from poor optical properties, such as broad linewidth or weak resonance intensity that is especially excited under normal incidence and asymmetric environments, which hinder further practical applications. Herein, we theoretically propose an effective strategy to tailor the SLRs performance of metal nanostructure arrays by introducing a dielectric nanocavity. Originating from the strong interference between the in-plane lattice resonance mode and plasmonic gap cavity modes, the dielectric nanocavity-mediated gold nanostructure arrays exhibit both narrow spectral features with a linewidth of ∼8.2 nm and strong resonance intensity with absorbance amplitude exceeding 95%, even though under normal incidence and asymmetric environment excitation. The simulation results then show that the sensitivity and the figure of merit can reach up to 527.5 nm RIU−1 and 64.3, respectively, as for plasmonic refractive index sensing. This work not only paves the way toward the achievement of effective control of in-plane SLRs, but also provides a potentially attractive candidate for the development of high-efficiency plasmonic sensors.
Active spoof plasmonics: from design to applications
Authors: Ren Yi , Zhang Jingjing , Gao Xinxin , Zheng Xin , Liu Xinyu , Cui Tie Jun
Published: October 2021

Spoof plasmonic metamaterials enable the transmission of electromagnetic energies with strong field confinement, opening new pathways to the miniaturization of devices for modern communications. The design of active, reconfigurable, and nonlinear devices for the efficient generation and guidance, dynamic modulation, and accurate detection of spoof surface plasmonic signals has become one of the major research directions in the field of spoof plasmonic metamaterials. In this article, we review recent progress in the studies on spoof surface plasmons with a special focus on the active spoof surface plasmonic devices and systems. Different design schemes are introduced, and the related applications including reconfigurable filters, high-resolution sensors for chemical and biological sensing, graphene-based attenuators, programmable and multi-functional devices, nonlinear devices, splitters, leaky-wave antennas and multi-scheme digital modulators are discussed. The presence of active SSPPs based on different design schemes makes it possible to dynamically control electromagnetic waves in real time. The promising future of active spoof plasmonic metamaterials in the communication systems is also speculated.
Microstructure property classification of nickel-based superalloys using deep learning
Authors: Nwachukwu Uchechukwu , Obaied Abdulmonem , Horst Oliver Martin , Ali Muhammad Adil , Steinbach Ingo , Roslyakova Irina
Published: October 2021

Nickel-based superalloys have a wide range of applications in high temperature and stress domains due to their unique mechanical properties. Under mechanical loading at high temperatures, rafting occurs, which reduces the service life of these materials. Rafting is heavily affected by the loading conditions associated with plastic strain; therefore, understanding plastic strain evolution can help understand these material’s service life. This research classifies nickel-based superalloys with respect to creep strain with deep learning techniques, a technique that eliminates the need for manual feature extraction of complex microstructures. Phase-field simulation data that displayed similar results to experiments were used to build a model with pre-trained neural networks with several convolutional neural network architectures and hyper-parameters. The optimized hyper-parameters were transferred to scanning electron microscopy images of nickel-based superalloys to build a new model. This fine-tuning process helped mitigate the effect of a small experimental dataset. The built models achieved a classification accuracy of 97.74% on phase-field data and 100% accuracy on experimental data after fine-tuning.
Strain tailored thermodynamic stability, electronic transitions, and optoelectronic properties of III (In, Ga and Al)-nitride monolayers
Authors: Kumar Nilesh , Chaurasiya Rajneesh , Dixit Ambesh
Published: October 2021

The thermodynamic stability of III-nitride monolayers is calculated using the phonon band structure. Electronic properties are computed using the generalized gradient approximation-Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof exchange-correlation potentials, which show the semiconducting behavior with bandgap 0.59 eV, 2.034 eV, and 2.906 eV for InN, GaN, and AlN monolayers, respectively. The biaxial tensile and compressive strains are used as external stimuli to understand their impact on the optoelectronic properties of these monolayers. The thermodynamic stability of strained monolayers is investigated to explore the maximum possible strains, i.e. flexibility limit, these monolayers can sustain. These monolayers are more sensitive to compressive strains, showing thermodynamic instability even at 1% compressive strain for all the considered monolayers. Further, the III-nitride monolayers are more robust with the tensile strain. InN, GaN, and AlN monolayers can sustain up to 4%, 16%, and 18% tensile strain, respectively. More interestingly, the electronic transitions, such as direct to indirect and semiconducting to metallic, are noticed with strain in the considered monolayers. The optical properties also exhibit strong strain dependency at the different transition points.
The calculation for quantized valence subband structure of zinc-blende GaN heterojunction quantum well based on k·p method
Authors: Liu Yaqun , Li Xiyue , Zhang Gary , Wang Everett X , Wang Jing
Published: October 2021

A quantized valence subband model is proposed to study the energy dispersion of zinc-blende GaN P-channel heterojunction quantum well under arbitrary stress. Anisotropic band structures of bulk GaN and GaN in quantum well under field confinement effect are computed using a six-band stress-dependent k·p Hamiltonian and self-consistently Poisson–Schrödinger equation. A comprehensive study of microscopic relationship between stress and hole effective mass in GaN quantum well has been performed according to the stress effects on quantized valence subband. Simulation results show that uniaxial compression can be considered as the most effective stress in the hole effective mass reduction of zinc-blende GaN heterojunction.
OxRAM + OTS optimization for binarized neural network hardware implementation
Authors: Minguet Lopez J , Hirtzlin T , Dampfhoffer M , Grenouillet L , Reganaz L , Navarro G , Carabasse C , Vianello E , Magis T , Deleruyelle D , Bocquet M , Portal J M , Andrieu F , Molas G
Published: October 2021

Low-power memristive devices embedded on graphics or central processing units logic core are a very promising non-von-Neumann approach to improve significantly the speed and power consumption of deep learning accelerators, enhancing their deployment on embedded systems. Among various non-ideal emerging neuromorphic memory devices, synaptic weight hardware implementation using resistive random-access memories (RRAMs) within 1T1R architectures promises high performance on low precision binarized neural networks (BNN). Taking advantage of the RRAM capabilities and allowing to substantially improve the density thanks to the ovonic threshold selector (OTS) selector, this work proposes to replace the standard 1T1R architecture with a denser 1S1R crossbar system, where an HfO2-based resistive oxide memory (OxRAM) is co-integrated with a Ge-Se-Sb-N-based OTS. In this context, an extensive experimental study is performed to optimize the 1S1R stack and programming conditions for extended read window margin and endurance characteristics. Focusing on the standard machine learning MNIST image recognition task, we perform offline training simulations in order to define the constraints on the devices during the training process. A very promising bit error rate of ∼10−3 is demonstrated together with 1S1R 104 error-free programming endurance characteristics, fulfilling the requirements for the application of interest. Based on this simulation and experimental study, BNN figures of merit (system footprint, number of weight updates, accuracy, inference speed, electrical consumption per image classification and tolerance to errors) are optimized by engineering the number of learnable parameters of the system. Altogether, an inherent BNN resilience to 1S1R parasitic bit errors is demonstrated.
Thermodynamics of wetting, prewetting and surface phase transitions with surface binding
Authors: Zhao Xueping , Bartolucci Giacomo , Honigmann Alf , Jülicher Frank , Weber Christoph A
Published: October 2021

In living cells, protein-rich condensates can wet the cell membrane and surfaces of membrane-bound organelles. Interestingly, many phase-separating proteins also bind to membranes leading to a molecular layer of bound molecules. Here we investigate how binding to membranes affects wetting, prewetting and surface phase transitions. We derive a thermodynamic theory for a three-dimensional bulk in the presence of a two-dimensional, flat membrane. At phase coexistence, we find that membrane binding facilitates complete wetting and thus lowers the wetting angle. Moreover, below the saturation concentration, binding facilitates the formation of a thick layer at the membrane and thereby shifts the prewetting phase transition far below the saturation concentration. The distinction between bound and unbound molecules near the surface leads to a large variety of surface states and complex surface phase diagrams with a rich topology of phase transitions. Our work suggests that surface phase transitions combined with molecular binding represent a versatile mechanism to control the formation of protein-rich domains at intra-cellular surfaces.
Statistical approach to quantum phase estimation
Authors: Moore Alexandria J , Wang Yuchen , Hu Zixuan , Kais Sabre , Weiner Andrew M
Published: October 2021

We introduce a new statistical and variational approach to the phase estimation algorithm (PEA). Unlike the traditional and iterative PEAs which return only an eigenphase estimate, the proposed method can determine any unknown eigenstate–eigenphase pair from a given unitary matrix utilizing a simplified version of the hardware intended for the iterative PEA (IPEA). This is achieved by treating the probabilistic output of an IPEA-like circuit as an eigenstate–eigenphase proximity metric, using this metric to estimate the proximity of the input state and input phase to the nearest eigenstate–eigenphase pair and approaching this pair via a variational process on the input state and phase. This method may search over the entire computational space, or can efficiently search for eigenphases (eigenstates) within some specified range (directions), allowing those with some prior knowledge of their system to search for particular solutions. We show the simulation results of the method with the Qiskit package on the IBM Q platform and on a local computer.
Improving stimulated Brillouin scattering mitigation in weakly-damped plasmas: from spectral dispersion to spectral distribution
Authors: Fusaro A. , Loiseau P. , Penninckx D. , Riazuelo G. , Collin R.
Published: October 2021

Optical smoothing techniques are widely used in large high-power laser facilities designed for inertial confinement fusion research, such as the Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) in France. Those techniques are of primordial interest because they reduce laser–plasma instabilities as, for example, the stimulated backward Brillouin scattering (SBS). The latter takes place in the hot plasmas produced inside a hohlraum by the ablation of high-Z or gold material where ion acoustic waves are weakly damped, easing SBS. However, despite the current optical smoothing implementation, like smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD), SBS is not sufficiently mitigated and may also damage the laser optics by following back the laser path. Moreover, SSD limits the available energy and may produce unwanted amplitude modulations in the laser chain, resulting in an additional damage. Using spectral distribution with two colors (Duluc et al 2019 Phys. Rev. Appl.
12 054055) has proven to limit the latter damage, keeping the same efficiency for limiting SBS. In this study, we go a step forward and generalize this approach by exploring multi-color spectral distribution schemes and the role of dispersion by means of three-dimensional simulations. This study paves the road to new laser concepts that could tackle more efficiently the laser–plasma interaction issues leading to a better laser energy coupling.
On a simple verification test of codes for modelling of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
Authors: Kulikov Igor , Chernykh Igor , Boronina Marina
Published: October 2021

In the paper results for modelling a characteristic pattern of the solar wind flow and its turbulent structure are presented. We use a gravitational magnetic hydrodynamic model, and for the model we have created an effective numerical method based on Godunov’s method and piecewise parabolic reconstruction of the solution. We consider the evolution of the MHD turbulence of the supersonic gas flow, where random strong transversal velocity disturbances are set, the problem is considered in the vertical magnetic field. For the formation of a reference test of the supersonic MHD turbulence evolution a detailed analysis of the flow is carried out.
Biomass estimation in mangrove forests: a comparison of allometric models incorporating species and structural information
Authors: Rahman Md Saidur , Donoghue Daniel N M , Bracken Louise J , Mahmood Hossain
Published: October 2021

Improved estimates of aboveground biomass (AGB) are required to improve our understanding of the productivity of mangrove forests to support the long-term conservation of these fragile ecosystems which are under threat from many natural and anthropogenic pressures. To understand how individual species affects biomass estimates in mangrove forests, five species-specific and four genus-specific allometric models were developed. Independent tree inventory data were collected from 140 sample plots to compare the AGB among the species-specific models and seven frequently used pan-tropical and Sundarbans-specific generic models. The effect of individual tree species was also evaluated using model parameters for wood densities (from individual trees to the whole Sundarbans) and tree heights (individual, plot average and plot top height). All nine developed models explained a high percentage of the variance in tree AGB (R
2 = 0.97–0.99) with the diameter at breast height and total height (H). At the individual tree level, the generic allometric models overestimated AGB from 22% to 167% compared to the species-specific models. At the plot level, mean AGB varied from 111.36 Mg ha−1 to 299.48 Mg ha−1, where AGB significantly differed in all generic models compared to the species-specific models (p  < 0.05). Using measured species wood density (WD) in the allometric model showed 4.5%–9.7% less biomass than WD from published databases and other sources. When using plot top height and plot average height rather than measured individual tree height, the AGB was overestimated by 19.5% and underestimated by 8.3% (p  < 0.05). The study demonstrates that species-specific allometric models and individual tree measurements benefit biomass estimation in mangrove forests. Tree level measurement from the inventory plots, if available, should be included in allometric models to improve the accuracy of forest biomass estimates, particularly when upscaling individual trees up to the ecosystem level.
Groundwater phosphorus concentrations: global trends and links with agricultural and oil and gas activities
Authors: Warrack Jessica , Kang Mary , von Sperber Christian
Published: October 2021

Although observations show that anthropogenic phosphorus (P) can reach groundwater supplies, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of P in groundwater at the global scale and P contamination from sources such as agriculture and oil and gas activities are poorly understood. We compile and analyze 161 321 groundwater P measurements in 12 different countries to determine the extent of P contamination at the global scale. We find that all 12 countries report groundwater samples with concentrations >0.1 mg P l−1, a concentration at which the risk for eutrophication of surface waters is high. In Canada and the United States (US), we perform an analysis of 1529 dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations to determine the degree of association between DO and groundwater P measurements. For P concentrations <0.1 mg P l−1, we find a strong inverse relationship between DO and P. However, for P concentrations >0.1 mg P l−1, we find a weak inverse correlation, which suggests anthropogenic sources are responsible for elevated P concentrations in groundwater. To identify anthropogenic sources of P, we conduct an analysis on land use data and the 24 146 P concentrations in Canada and the US. Although we find that 12% (2899) of all P concentrations are >0.1 mg P l−1, 33% of P concentrations from P monitoring sites located on pastureland (managed grassland) report concentrations >0.1 mg P l−1. In Alberta and Ontario, we analyze P measurements with respect to their proximity to oil and gas wells and find the relationship to be inconclusive. Overall, we find a positive correlation with agriculture and elevated groundwater P concentrations, but additional data are needed to identify a relationship between oil and gas wells and elevated groundwater P concentrations. Characterizing the role of agriculture and oil and gas wells on groundwater P contamination can help regulators develop effective strategies to protect water quality and ecosystem health.
I, N Co-doped hierarchical micro/mesoporous carbon modified separator for enhanced electrochemical performances of lithium-sulfur batteries
Authors: Yang Feng , Huang Kai
Published: October 2021

Although the high discharging capacity and coulombic efficiency can be obtained by impregnating sulfur into various conductive porous hosts in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, the low sulfur loading content and volumetric specific energy diminish their advantages. To solve this problem, a modified layer is prepared by coating I and N co-doped hierarchical micro/mesoporous kelp bio-carbon on surface of the polypropylene separator. Furthermore, the composite porous carbon is obtained by one-step thermal pyrolysis of edible dried kelp. The modified layer on separator can effectively prevent shuttle of polysulfides due to the synergistic effect from the micro/mesoporous carbon structures (physisorption effect) and I and N co-doped electrochemical active sites in carbon matrix (chemisorption effect), allowing high capacity and high coulombic efficiency. In this study, we developed Li-S batteries with 80% sulfur loading content and the area loading is higher than 2.0 mg cm−2, which are better than previous published ones. In addition, the cathode electrode could stabilize at 760 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.5 C and delivers a high retention specific capacity of 498 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles with a slight capacity attenuation of 0.07% per cycle.
Switching of quantum synchronization in coupled optomechanical oscillators
Authors: Kalita Sampreet , Chakraborty Subhadeep , Sarma Amarendra K
Published: October 2021

We explore the phenomenon of quantum phase synchronization in two optomechanical oscillators, coupled either bidirectionally or unidirectionally to each other. We first show that irrespective of the configuration of the optomechanical oscillators, synchronization can be achieved, with a finite degree of quantum correlation. However, while looking at the variation of the synchronization against the frequency detuning of the two oscillators, we observe a profound effect of the directionality of the optical coupling. For instance, we find that when the two optomechanical cavities exchange photons bidirectionally, synchronization traces the classic Arnold tongue. Whereas, for the unidirectional configuration, synchronization exhibits a novel blockade-like behavior where finite detuning favors synchronization. We also observe a strong connection between synchronization blockade and synchronization phase transition.
Quasi-split symmetric pairs of 𝑈(𝔰𝔩_{𝔫}) and Steinberg varieties of classical type
Authors: Li Yiqiang
Published: October 2021

We provide a Lagrangian construction for the fixed-point subalgebra, together with its idempotent form, in a quasi-split symmetric pair of type

A

n
−
1

A_{n-1}

. This is obtained inside the limit of a projective system of Borel-Moore homologies of the Steinberg varieties of

n
n

-step isotropic flag varieties. Arising from the construction are a basis of homological origin for the idempotent form and a geometric realization of rational modules.
Pathways of Microcirculatory Endothelial Dysfunction in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Comprehensive Ex Vivo Evaluation in Human Tissue
Authors: Gavrilin Mikhail A , Porter Kyle , Samouilov Alexandre , Khayat Rami N
Published: October 2021

Background

The mechanism and markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remain unknown. The microcirculation is the site of early changes in OSA patients who are free of CVD risk.

Methods

Patients with newly diagnosed moderate to severe OSA (n = 7) were studied before and 12 weeks after intensive treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), along with weight and age matched controls (n = 7). Microcirculatory vessels were isolated from gluteal biopsies and changes in critical functional genes were measured.

Results

The following genes changed after 12 weeks of intensive CPAP therapy in the microcirculatory vessels: angiotensin receptor type 1 (AGTR-1) (11.6 (3.4) to 6 (0.8); P = 0.019); NADPH oxidase (NOX4) (0.85 (0.02) to 0.79 (0.11); P = 0.016); and dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH 1) (1 (0.31) to 0.55 (0.1); P = 0.028). Despite decreased nitric oxide (NO) availability as measured indirectly through brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, endothelial NO synthase (NOS3) did not change with CPAP. Other disease markers of OSA that changed with treatment in the microcirculation were endothelin, hypoxia inducible factor 1a, nuclear factor kappa B, interleukin-8, and interleukin-6.

Conclusions

In this ex vivo evaluation of the microcirculation of patients with OSA and no CVD risk, several pathways of CVD were activated supporting that OSA independently induces microcirculatory endothelial dysfunction and serving as disease-specific markers for future pharmacological targeting of OSA-related CVD risk. The findings support the role of renin–angiotensin activation and endothelial oxidative stress in the decreased microcirculatory NO availability in OSA.
LocalNgsRelate: a software tool for inferring IBD sharing along the genome between pairs of individuals from low-depth NGS data
Authors: Severson Alissa L , Korneliussen Thorfinn Sand , Moltke Ida
Published: October 2021

Motivation

Inference of identity-by-descent (IBD) sharing along the genome between pairs of individuals has important uses. But all existing inference methods are based on genotypes, which is not ideal for low-depth Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data from which genotypes can only be called with high uncertainty.

Results

We present a new probabilistic software tool, LocalNgsRelate, for inferring IBD sharing along the genome between pairs of individuals from low-depth NGS data. Its inference is based on genotype likelihoods instead of genotypes, and thereby it takes the uncertainty of the genotype calling into account. Using real data from the 1000 Genomes project, we show that LocalNgsRelate provides more accurate IBD inference for low-depth NGS data than two state-of-the-art genotype-based methods, Albrechtsen et al. (2009) and hap-IBD. We also show that the method works well for NGS data down to a depth of 2×.

Availability and implementation

LocalNgsRelate is freely available at https://github.com/idamoltke/LocalNgsRelate.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
DeepMP: a deep learning tool to detect DNA base modifications on Nanopore sequencing data
Authors: Bonet Jose , Chen Mandi , Dabad Marc , Heath Simon , Gonzalez-Perez Abel , Lopez-Bigas Nuria , Lagergren Jens
Published: October 2021

Motivation

DNA methylation plays a key role in a variety of biological processes. Recently, Nanopore long-read sequencing has enabled direct detection of these modifications. As a consequence, a range of computational methods have been developed to exploit Nanopore data for methylation detection. However, current approaches rely on a human-defined threshold to detect the methylation status of a genomic position and are not optimized to detect sites methylated at low frequency. Furthermore, most methods use either the Nanopore signals or the basecalling errors as the model input and do not take advantage of their combination.

Results

Here, we present DeepMP, a convolutional neural network-based model that takes information from Nanopore signals and basecalling errors to detect whether a given motif in a read is methylated or not. Besides, DeepMP introduces a threshold-free position modification calling model sensitive to sites methylated at low frequency across cells. We comprehensively benchmarked DeepMP against state-of-the-art methods on Escherichia coli, human and pUC19 datasets. DeepMP outperforms current approaches at read-based and position-based methylation detection across sites methylated at different frequencies in the three datasets.

Availability and implementation

DeepMP is implemented and freely available under MIT license at https://github.com/pepebonet/DeepMP.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Carbon footprinting of carbon capture and -utilization technologies: discussion of the analysis of Carbon XPRIZE competition team finalists
Authors: Sleep Sylvia , Munjal Raghav , Leitch Michael , Extavour Marcius , Gaona Adriana , Ahmad Shah , Nishikawa Emily , Pitre Vaidehi , Psarras Peter , Ramirez Andrea , MacLean Heather L , Bergerson Joule A
Published: October 2021

Life cycle assessments (LCAs) of early-stage technologies can provide valuable insights about key drivers of emissions and aid in prioritizing research into further emissions-reduction opportunities. Despite this potential value, further development of LCA methods is required to handle the increased uncertainty, data gaps, and confidentially of early-stage data. This study presents a discussion of the life cycle carbon footprinting of technologies competing in the final round of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition—a US$20 million competition for teams to demonstrate the conversion of CO2 into valuable products at the scale of a small industrial pilot using consistent deployment conditions, boundaries, and methodological assumptions. This competition allowed the exploration of how LCA can be used and further improved when assessing disparate and early-stage technologies. Carbon intensity estimates are presented for two conversion pathways: (i) CO2 mineralization and (ii) catalytic conversion (including thermochemical, electrochemical, photocatalytic and hybrid process) of CO2, aggregated across teams to highlight the range of emissions intensities demonstrated at the pilot for individual life cycle stages. A future scenario is also presented, demonstrating the incremental technology and deployment conditions that would enable a team to become carbon-avoiding relative to an incumbent process (i.e. reducing emissions relative to a reference pathway producing a comparable product). By considering the assessment process across a diverse set of teams, conversion pathways and products, the study presents generalized insights about opportunities and challenges facing carbon capture and -utilization technologies in their next phases of deployment from a life cycle perspective.
Reacting to the 2008 crisis: Competitiveness performances of Southern Italy and CEE regions
Authors: De Vivo Paola , Rinaldi Caterina
Published: October 2021

The 2008 Global Financial Crisis influenced geo-economic dynamics in the EU, triggering a repositioning of less developed regions. This analysis examines whether their competitiveness changed after 2008, and why some regions improved in performance. Using ERCI data, we compare EU lagging regions at NUTS2 level, finding that the Central and Eastern European (CEE) regions reacted to the crisis better than Southern Italian ones. We find that the divergence in their competitiveness pathways depends on the scale of their financial resources and on institutional endowments and legacy, which in turn directly affects the implementation of regional policies.
Deception as a Bridging Concept in the Study of Disinformation, Misinformation, and Misperceptions: Toward a Holistic Framework
Authors: Chadwick Andrew , Stanyer James
Published: October 2021

We propose deception as a bridging concept that will enhance the study of misinformation, disinformation, and misperceptions. As we set it out here, the concept integrates insights from multiple social science disciplines and uniquely connects actors’ intentions, information, and attitudinal or behavioral outcomes. A focus on deception will enrich research that describes the existence of false and misleading information but stops short of identifying their influence. Equally, through its focus on how actors’ deceptive strategies are important in attempts to exercise power, it can augment the study of the cognitive and attitudinal biases that render people susceptible to misperceptions. We identify the main themes in the study of deception: media-systemic distortions in information supply; the relational interactions that both produce and activate cognitive biases; and the attributes, strategies, and techniques of deceptive entities. We conclude with a summary typology of 10 principal variables and their 57 focal indicators.
Mortality risk in cardiogenic shock depending on aetiology in a Mediterranean cohort. Prognostic accuracy of CardShock vs IABP score: the Shock CAT study
Authors: Garcia-Garcia C , Andrea R , Sanz E , Sanchez-Salado J C , Aboal J , Pastor P , Buera I , Sionis A , Lopez T , Perez-Rodriguez M , Ariza A , Baneras J , Tomas C , Cediel G , Rueda F ,   Grup de Treball Cures Agudes Cardiològiques Societat Catalana Cardiologia
Published: October 2021

Background

Mortality in cardiogenic shock (CS) remains very high. Several risk scores have been purposed to early stratification, although the CS aetiology could influence in this prediction.

Purpose

The aim is to investigate in-hospital prognosis and mortality risk in CS patients depending on the CS aetiology comparing the prognostic accuracy of CardShock and IABP scores in a Mediterranean cohort.

Method

Shock CAT study was a multicentre, prospective, observational study conducted between December 2018 and December 2019 in eight public University hospitals in Catalonia (Spain), including CS patients due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and other aetiologies. Data on clinical presentation, biomarkers, management, including mechanical assistance support were analyzed comparing ACS and non-ACS patients. Cardshock and IABP score have been compared to assess 90-days mortality risk in both groups.

Results

A total of 382 CS patients were included, mean age was 65.3 (SD 13.9) years and 75.1% were men. Patient were classified in ACS (n=232, 60.7%) and non-ACS (n=150, 39.3%). In ACS group, 77.6% were STEMI, reperfussion in 84.7% of cases, all with primary angioplasty, 9% developed mechanical complications and 19.4% primary ventricular fibrillation. Main non-ACS aetiologies were severe heart failure (36.2%), malignant arrhythmias (22.1%), valve disease (8.0%) and myocarditis (7.4%). ACS group had less prevalence of women (17.7% vs 36%, p=0.001) and previous myocardial infarction (13.9% vs 24.8%, p=0.007). Mechanical assistance device was implanted more in ACS patients (43.1% vs 16.7%, p<0.001, mainly intraaortic balloon pump (35.6% vs 9.8%, p<0.001) and ECMO (10.7% vs 3%, p=0.01). Both shock risk scores were higher in ACS patients, Cardshock (4.5 vs 4.0, p=0.006) and IABP (2.4 vs 1.9, p=0.005). In-hospital mortality was higher in ACS (37.1 vs 26.7%, p=0.035) although this difference loss the significance at 90-days (40.9 vs 31.8%, p=0.074) and 6-months (45.2 vs 35.8%, p=0.176). Receiver-operating characteristic curves demonstrated that IABP shock score had superior prognostic power for predicting 90-days mortality when compared with Cardshock score in ACS patients (area under the curve -AUC- 0.74 vs 0.66) respectively, p=0.047, although both scores were similar in non-ACS (AUC 0.64 vs 0.62, p=0.693), Figures 1–2.

Conclusions

Cardiogenic shock due to ACS had higher in-hospital mortality than non-ACS CS, although this difference decreased at 90 days and 6 months. IABP score provided better 90-days mortality risk prediction than CardShock score in ACS patients, but both scores are similar in non-ACS cardiogenic shock.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1Figure 2
Wellbeing, emotional response and stress among lay responders dispatched to suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests
Authors: Berglund E , Olsson E , Jonsson M , Svensson L , Hollenberg J , Claesson A , Nordberg P , Lundgren P , Hogstedt A , Ringh M ,   Centre for Resuscitation Science, KI
Published: October 2021

Introduction

The recent 2021 European Resuscitation Council guidelines strongly advocate systems for smartphone-aided dispatch of lay volunteers to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) to perform CPR and bring automated external defibrillators. Systems alike have been implemented in nearly half of all the European countries and are emerging in around the world. This study aimed to investigate the emotional responses, post-traumatic stress reactions and levels of wellbeing among smartphone-alerted lay responders dispatched to cases of suspected OHCAs.

Methods

Participants rated their emotional responses online, at 90 minutes and at 4–6 weeks after an incident. Level of emotional response was measured in two dimensions: “activation” – from deactivation to activation, and “valence” – from unpleasantness to pleasantness. At 4–6 weeks, WHO wellbeing index and level of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) were also rated. Lay responders were stratified by level of exposure: (Un-exp): unexposed, (Exp-1): tried to reach, and (Exp-2): reached the suspected OHCA.

Results

Altogether, 886 (26%) unexposed and 1389 (64%) exposed responders completed the survey. “Activation” was elevated in the exposed groups: Un-exp: 6.7, Exp-1: 7.4 and Exp-2: 7.5, (p<0.001) and “valence” was highest in the Un-exp group: 6.5, vs. Exp-1: 6.3, and Exp-2: 6.1, (p<0.001). Mean scores for PTSD was below clinical cutoff, Un-exp: 10.4, vs. Exp-1: 8.8 and Exp-2: 9.2 (p=0.007). Wellbeing index showed no differences, Un-exp: 77.7, Exp-1: 77.8 and Exp-2: 78.2 (p=0.963).

Conclusion

Laypersons responding to smartphone alerts to suspected OHCAs rated the experience as high-energy and mostly positive. No harm to lay responders was seen. The responding groups had low post-traumatic stress scores, and high-level general wellbeing at follow-up.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Region Stockholm