bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Iron-based metallic glass for improved resolution, maskless phase-change photolithography
Authors: He Chao , Yang Zhe , Chen Chao , Tong Hao , Miao Xiangshui
Published: May 2020

Phase-change lithography (PCL) is expected to become the next generation of mainstream lithography for its high efficiency, non-toxic nature, and maskless technique. However, the low resolution of current PCL limits its practical application. We propose to use FeMoCrCBY metallic glass film as a high-resolution photoresistor in PCL, which can greatly improve the resolution more than other metallic glasses because of its high heat capacity and crystallization temperature. Thermal distribution in FeMoCrCBY indicates that the feature size of the phase transition region can controllably be made smaller. For example, the size of micro-patterns observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) is around 1.3 µm. The resolution can be further improved by reducing the laser spot size. Our results show that metallic glass film FeMoCrCBY is a promising photoresistor for high-resolution PCL.
Probing the reciprocal lattice associated with a triangular slit to determine the orbital angular momentum for a photon
Authors: Soares W. C. , Moura A. L. , Canabarro Askery , de Lima E. , Lopes J. H. , Fonseca E. J. S. , Felisberto M. L. , de Lima Bernardo B. , Hickmann J. M. , Chávez-Cerda S.
Published: May 2020

The orbital angular momentum conservation of light reveals different diffraction patterns univocally dependent on the topological charge of the incident light beam when passing through a triangular aperture. It is demonstrated that these patterns, which are accessed by observing the far-field measurement of the diffracted light, can also be obtained using few photon sources. In order to explain the observed patterns, we introduce an analogy of this optical phenomenon with the study of diffraction for the characterization of the crystal structure of solids. We demonstrate that the finite pattern can be associated with the reciprocal lattice obtained from the direct lattice generated by the primitive vectors composing any two of the sides of the equilateral triangular slit responsible for the diffraction. Using the relation that exists between the direct and reciprocal lattices, we provide a conclusive explanation as to why the diffraction pattern of the main maxima is finite. This can shed a new light on the investigation of crystallographic systems.
Progress of ITU-T higher speed passive optical network (50G-PON) standardization
Authors: Zhang Dezhi , Liu Dekun , Wu Xuming , Nesset Derek
Published: May 2020

This paper reviews the key factors in the discussion and selection
process before the launch of the higher speed passive optical network
(PON) standards project in the Full Service Access Network and ITU-T
SG15/Q2. It reviews the requirements for such a system and the
progress of the related ITU-T standards documents. The key
technologies necessary for the physical and protocol layers of the
50G-PON are also discussed.
Spectral singularities and tunable slab lasers with 2D material coating
Authors: Ghaemi-Dizicheh Hamed , Mostafazadeh Ali , Sarısaman Mustafa
Published: May 2020

We investigate linear and nonlinear spectral singularities in the transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes of a slab laser consisting of an active planar slab sandwiched between a pair of graphene or Weyl semimetal thin sheets. The requirement of the presence of linear spectral singularities gives the laser threshold condition while the existence of nonlinear spectral singularities due to an induced weak Kerr nonlinearity allows for computing the laser output intensity in the vicinity of the threshold. The presence of the graphene and Weyl semimetal sheets introduces additional physical parameters that we can use to tune the output intensity of the laser. We provide a comprehensive study of this phenomenon and report peculiarities of lasing in the transverse magnetic (TM) modes of the slab with Weyl semimetal coatings. In particular, we reveal the existence of a critical angle such that no lasing seems possible for TM modes of the slab with the smaller emission angle. Our results suggest that for TM modes with an emission angle slightly exceeding the critical angle, the laser output intensity becomes highly sensitive to the physical parameters of the coating.
Broadened band near-perfect absorber based on amorphous silicon metasurface
Authors: Si Jiangnan , Yu Xuanyi , Zhang Jialin , Yang Weiji , Liu Shuang , Deng Xiaoxu
Published: May 2020

A dielectric broadened band near-perfect absorber based on an amorphous silicon(a-Si) T-shaped nanostructure metasurface is investigated numerically and experimentally. The simultaneous suppressed transmission and reflection of the a-Si nanostructure metasurface are achieved by investigating the interference of the periodically adjustable electric dipole(ED) and magnetic dipole(MD) Mie resonances. The absorption of the a-Si nanostructure metasurface approaches the maximum of 95% in simulation and 80% in experiment with a top-hat shape in the spectral range from 580 nm to 620 nm by employing the T-shaped nanostructure. The proposed near-perfect absorber provides a new approach for expanding absorption bandwidth by integrating different nanostructures in metasurface, which is potentially applicable in nanophotonic fields of optical isolation, optical trapping and energy harvesting
Raman dissipative solitons generator near 1.3 mkm: limiting factors and further perspectives
Authors: Bednyakova A. E. , Kharenko D. S. , Zhdanov I. , Podivilov E. V. , Fedoruk M. P. , Babin S. A.
Published: May 2020

Raman dissipative solitons (RDS) have been investigated numerically. It was found that the area of stable generation is bounded in terms of pump spectral bandwidth and pulse energy. Existing optimum is strongly affected by the net cavity dispersion. The spectral bandwidth of the generated RDS linearly depends on its energy and reaches more than 50 nm in the 5-meters long cavity. Developed numerical model reproduces all the effects observed experimentally. It predicts ability to generate high-quality pulses with energy up to 6 nJ compressible down to ∼100 fs duration. The work shows that RDS generation technique can produce high-energy ultrashort pulses at wavelengths not covered by typical active mediums.
Adaptive shape control of wavefront-preserving X-ray mirrors with active cooling and heating
Authors: Cocco Daniele , Hardin Corey , Morton Daniel , Lee Lance , Ng May Ling , Zhang Lin , Assoufid Lahsen , Grizolli Walan , Shi Xianbo , Walko Donald A. , Cutler Grant , Goldberg Kenneth A. , Wojdyla Antoine , Idir Mourad , Huang Lei , Dovillaire Guillaume
Published: May 2020

This article describes the development and testing of a novel, water-cooled, active optic mirror system (called “REAL: Resistive Element Adjustable Length”) that combines cooling with applied auxiliary heating, tailored to the spatial distribution of the thermal load generated by the incident beam. This technique is theoretically capable of sub-nanometer surface figure error control even at high power density. Tests conducted in an optical metrology laboratory and at synchrotron X-ray beamlines showed the ability to maintain the mirror profile to the level needed for the next generation storage rings and FEL mirrors.
LiDAR-camera system extrinsic calibration by establishing virtual point correspondences from pseudo calibration objects
Authors: An Pei , Gao Yingshuo , Ma Tao , Yu Kun , Fang Bin , Zhang Jun , Ma Jie
Published: May 2020

Extrinsic calibration on LiDAR-camera system without specific calibration objects is a challenging task, for it is difficult to find point correspondences from RGB image and sparse LiDAR point cloud. In a natural scene, some objects if satisfying three conditions can be regarded as pseudo calibration objects. In this paper, we propose the virtual point correspondence at the first time. It is established from the 2D box of one pseudo calibration object in RGB image and its corresponding 3D frustum box in point cloud. Based on virtual point correspondence, we present a novel LiDAR-camera extrinsic calibration method without specific calibration objects. It requires two calibration conditions that easily satisfied in the practical application. A normal guided foreground detection method is proposed to automatically extract 3D frustum box. After that, a geometrical optimization scheme is presented to estimate the extrinsic parameters with the virtual point correspondences. Simulations and real data experiments demonstrate that our method is accurate, robust, and outperforms state-of-the-art calibration object based method.
Cloaking object on an optofluidic chip: its theory and demonstration
Authors: Yan Ruopeng , Yang Jinwu , Yang Yunran , Tu Xin , Huang Tianye , Ge Ming-Feng , Liu Yangjié , Song Chaolong
Published: May 2020

Recently, the design of metamaterial guided by transformation optics (TO) has emerged as an effective method to hide objects from optical detection, based on arranging a bended light beam to detour. However, this TO-based solution involves fabrication of material with complicated distribution of permittivity and permeability, and the device falls short of tunability after fabrication. In this work, we propose an optofluidic model employing the method of streamline tracing-based transformation optofluidics (STTOF) to hydrodynamically reconfigure light propagation in a given flow field for object-cloaking purposes. The proof-of-concept is demonstrated and tested on an optofluidic chip to validate our proposed theory. Experimental results show that our proposed STTOF method can be used to successfully detour the light path from the object under cloaking in a mathematically pre-defined manner.
Extremely low light scattering in nanostructured glasses formed by simultaneous nucleation and diffusion-limited growth of particles: modeling
Authors: Shepilov Michael P.
Published: May 2020

A structural model proposed earlier is used to simulate light scattering in nanostructured glass formed by diffusional growth of simultaneously nucleated particles with small volume fraction. Computer simulation of the structure allows one to calculate partial structure factors for polydisperse particles and to estimate light scattering intensity in the interference approximation. Interference effects lead to a significant decrease in scattered intensity compared with independent scattering in a range of long wavelengths. In some spectral range, the dependence of scattered intensity on the inverse wavelength is described by power function with the exponent

p

=

7.1

which is appreciably greater than the Rayleigh value 4.
Ultracompact optical fiber acoustic sensors based on a fiber-top spirally-suspended optomechanical microresonator
Authors: Yao Mian , Zhang Yangxi , Ouyang Xia , Ping Zhang A. , Tam Hwa-Yaw , Wai P. K. A.
Published: May 2020

Acoustic wave sensors with a high sensitivity and small size are highly desired for a wide variety of important and emerging applications such as photoacoustic gas sensing and bio-imaging. Here we present an ultracompact optical fiber acoustic sensor based on an optomechanical resonator that is directly in situ printed on the end face of a standard single-mode optical fiber by using an optical 3D μ-printing technology. The fiber-top optomechanical microresonator is composed of a microscale suspended polymer micro-disk that forms a Fabry–Perot interferometric cavity, together with the optical fiber end face, and acts as the acoustic wave-sensitive micromechanical resonator simultaneously. The microbeams for suspending the micro-disk are devised with a spiral structure to overcome the small-size imposed low deflection amplitude so as to improve its sensitivity to acoustic waves. The sensor with a high sensitivity of 118.3 mV/Pa and low noise equivalent acoustic signal level of

0.328

µ

P
a

/

H
z

1

/

2

at audio frequency is experimentally demonstrated. Moreover, with a resonance amplification mechanism, the sensitivity can be enhanced by 40.1 times when the frequency of the acoustic wave matches with the natural resonance frequency of the optomechanical resonator. Such an ultrasmall fiber-tip acoustic sensor has not only a miniaturization-induced broad bandwidth, but also a structure-enhanced ultrahigh sensitivity and thus is very promising in various acoustic wave-based sensing, imaging, and testing applications.
Sub-megahertz linewidth 780.24  nm distributed feedback laser for87Rb applications
Authors: Di Gaetano E. , Watson S. , McBrearty E. , Sorel M. , Paul D. J.
Published: May 2020

A distributed feedback GaAs-based semiconductor laser with a laterally coupled grating is demonstrated at a wavelength of 780.24 nm with up to 60 mW power. A mode expander and aluminum-free active layers have been used to reduce the linewidth to 612 kHz while maintaining high output power. The laser demonstrates over 40 dB side-mode suppression ratio with>0.3nmof tuning suitable for atom cooling experiments with the D287Rbatomic transition. This laser has substantial potential to be integrated into miniaturized cold atom systems.
All-fiber third-order orbital angular momentum mode generation employing an asymmetric long-period fiber grating
Authors: He Xiaodong , Tu Jiajing , Wu Xiaowen , Gao Shecheng , Shen Lei , Hao Chenglong , Feng Yuanhua , Liu Weiping , Li Zhaohui
Published: May 2020

The third-order orbital angular momentum (

O
A
M

±
3

) guided mode generation is demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, by employing an asymmetric long-period fiber grating (AS-LPFG). The proposed AS-LPFG is modeled by coupled local-mode theory, which is extended to the coupling of core modes and is fabricated by multicycle scanning ablation with increasing power in a six-mode fiber. The experiments demonstrate that one fabricated AS-LPFG can convert the

L
P

01

mode to the third-azimuthal-order (3AO,

L
P

31

or

O
A
M

±
3

) guided mode with efficiency of

∼

99.8

%

. The model and the method presented, in principle, can be used to generate any other high-order modes.
Adaptive optics approach to surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Authors: Shutova Mariia , Sinyukov Alexander M. , Birmingham Blake , Zhang Zhenrong , Sokolov Alexei V.
Published: May 2020

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy is a popular technique for detecting chemicals in small quantities. Rough metallic surfaces with nanofeatures are some of the most widespread and commercially successful substrates for efficient SERS measurements. A rough metallic surface creates a high-density random distribution of so-called “hot spots” with local optical field enhancement causing Raman signal to increase. In this Letter, we revisit the classic SERS experiment [Surf. Sci. 158, 229 (1985)SUSCAS0039-602810.1016/0039-6028(85)90297-3] with rough metallic surfaces covered by a thin layer of copper phthalocyanine molecules. As a modification to the classic configuration, we apply an adaptive wavefront correction of a laser beam profile. As a result, we demonstrate an increase in brightness of local SERS hot spots and redistribution of Raman signal over the substrate area. We hypothesize that the improvement is due to optimal coupling of the shaped laser beam to the random plasmonic nanoantenna configurations. We show that the proposed adaptive-SERS modification is independent of the exact structure of the surface roughness and topography, works with many rough surfaces, and gives brighter Raman hot spots in comparison with conventional SERS measurements. We prove that the adaptive SERS is a powerful instrument for improving SERS sensitivity.
How good is your metalens? Experimental verification of metalens performance criterion
Authors: Engelberg Jacob , Wildes Talia , Zhou Chen , Mazurski Noa , Bar-David Jonathan , Kristensen Anders , Levy Uriel
Published: May 2020

A metric for evaluation of overall metalens performance is presented. It is applied to determination of optimal operating spectral range of a metalens, both theoretically and experimentally. This metric is quite general and can be applied to the design and evaluation of future metalenses, particularly achromatic metalenses.
Multi-foci metalens for terahertz polarization detection
Authors: Wang Ruoxing , Han Jin , Liu Jianlong , Tian Hao , Sun Weimin , Li Li , Chen Xianzhong
Published: May 2020

We propose a reflective terahertz (THz) metalens with four focal points for polarization detection of THz beams. The metalens is composed of

Z

-shaped resonators with spatially variant orientations, a reflective gold layer, and a dielectric spacer between them. The polarization states of the focal points include left circular polarization, right circular polarization, an incident polarization state, and a polarization state whose major axis is rotated

π

/

4

in comparison with that of the incident polarization. The handedness, ellipticity, and major axis of the polarization state can be determined based on the light intensities of the focal points. The uniqueness of the designed device renders this technique very attractive for applications in compact THz polarization detection and information processing.
Localized vortex beams in anisotropic Lieb lattices
Authors: Mejía-Cortés Cristian , Castillo-Barake Jorge , Molina Mario I.
Published: May 2020

We address the issue of nonlinear modes in a two-dimensional waveguide array, spatially distributed in the Lieb lattice geometry, and modeled by a saturable nonlinear Schrödinger equation. In particular, we analyze the existence and stability of vortex-type solutions finding localized patterns with symmetric and asymmetric profiles, ranging from topological charge

S
=
1

to

S
=
3

. By taking into account the presence of anisotropy, which is inherent to experimental realization of waveguide arrays, we identify different stability behaviors according to their topological charge. Our findings might give insight into experimental feasibility to observe these kinds of vortex states.
Repeated Occurrences of Basal Cell Cancer in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treated With Immunosuppressive Medications
Authors: Khan Nabeel , Patel Dhruvan , Trivedi Chinmay , Kavani Himanshu , Medvedeva Elina , Pernes Tyler , Xie Dawei , Lewis James , Yang Yu-Xiao
Published: May 2020

INTRODUCTION:

There are limited data on repeated basal cell cancer (BCC) occurrences among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially the impact of continuing immunosuppressive medications.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 54,919 patients with IBD followed in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. We identified patients who had an incident BCC after their IBD diagnosis. We defined patients' exposure based on their IBD medications use as follows: (i) only aminosalicylate (5-ASA) use, (ii) only active thiopurine (TP) use, (iii) past TP use (discontinued >6 months ago) and no antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) use, (iv) anti-TNF use after previous TP use, (v) only anti-TNF use, and (vi) active anti-TNF and TP use. The outcome of interest was the repeated occurrence of BCC. Adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to estimate the risk of repeated BCC occurrence.

RESULTS:

A total of 518 patients developed BCC after their IBD diagnosis. The numbers of repeated BCC occurrences per 100 person-years were 12.8 (5-ASA use only), 34.5 (active TP use), 19.3 (past TP use and no anti-TNF use), 25.4 (anti-TNF use after previous TP use), 17.8 (only anti-TNF use), and 22.4 (active anti-TNF and TP use). Compared with 5-ASA use alone, only active TP use was associated with an increased risk for repeated BCC occurrence (adjusted hazard ratio 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.24–2.19; P = 0.0005). However, the increased risk was no longer present for other exposure categories.

DISCUSSION:

Among IBD patients who developed an incident BCC while taking a TP and continued it, there was an increased risk of repeated BCC occurrences.
COVID-19 and the Digestive System
Authors: Ma Chunxiang , Cong Yingzi , Zhang Hu
Published: May 2020

The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia in 2019 (Coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) is now threatening global public health. Although COVID-19 is principally defined by its respiratory symptoms, it is now clear that the virus can also affect the digestive system. In this review, we elaborate on the close relationship between COVID-19 and the digestive system, focusing on both the clinical findings and potential underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 gastrointestinal pathogenesis.
The Impact of International Trade on Environmental Quality: Implications for Law
Authors: Pham Ngoc-Tham , Pham Trung-Kien , Cao Viet Hieu , Tran Ha Giang , Vo Xuan Vinh
Published: May 2020

Our study illuminates the impact of international trade on environmental quality in lower-middle-income countries by using CO2 emission as the proxy for environmental degradation. Using the Pooled Mean Group estimation along with validity tests, the results show that in the long run, CO2 emission is affected by merchandise export, merchandise import, FDI, GDP per capita, and renewable energy consumption. The impact of trade on CO2 emission is mixed because our findings show that merchandise export and import have opposite effects. In addition, our results reveal that Environmental Kuznets Curve exists in the long run with N-sharped. The increase in GDP per capita leads to the raise of CO2 emission at first, but later comes the decrease and then increase. The paper has relevant implications for law makers.
Positivity and monotonicity results for triple sequential fractional differences via convolution
Authors: Goodrich Christopher S. , Lyons Benjamin
Published: May 2020

We investigate the relationship between the discrete fractional difference

(\Delta^{\gamma}\circ\Delta^{\beta}\circ\Delta^{\alpha}f)(t)

and the positivity or monotonicity of the functionf. Our approach relies on interpreting the fractional difference as an appropriate convolution operator. The results we provide demonstrate that when compared to the double sequential case, i.e.,{(\Delta^{\beta}\circ\Delta^{\alpha}f)(t)}, there is relatively more complexity observed.
Positive Solutions for Systems of Quasilinear Equations with Non-homogeneous Operators and Weights
Authors: García-Huidobro Marta , Manasevich Raúl , Tanaka Satoshi
Published: May 2020

In this paper we deal with positive radially symmetric solutions for a boundary value problem containing a strongly nonlinear operator. The proof of existence of positive solutions that we give uses the blow-up method as a main ingredient for the search of a-priori bounds of solutions. The blow-up argument is one by contradiction and uses a sort of scaling, reminiscent to the one used in the theory of minimal surfaces, see [B. Gidas and J. Spruck, A priori bounds for positive solutions of nonlinear elliptic equations, Comm. Partial Differential Equations 6 1981, 883–901], and therefore the homogeneity of the operators, Laplacian or p-Laplacian, and second members powers or power like functions play a fundamental role in the method. Thus, when the differential operators are no longer homogeneous, and similarly for the second members, applying the blow-up method to obtain a-priori bounds of solutions seems an almost impossible task. In spite of this fact, in [M. García-Huidobro, I. Guerra and R. Manásevich, Existence of positive radial solutions for a weakly coupled system via blow up, Abstr. Appl. Anal. 3 1998, 1–2, 105–131], we were able to overcome this difficulty and obtain a-priori bounds for a certain (simpler) type of problems. We show in this paper that the asymptotically homogeneous functions provide, in the same sense, a nonlinear rescaling, that allows us to generalize the blow-up method to our present situation. After the a-priori bounds are obtained, the existence of a solution follows from Leray–Schauder topological degree theory.
Regular Versus Singular Solutions in a Quasilinear Indefinite Problem with an Asymptotically Linear Potential
Authors: López-Gómez Julián , Omari Pierpaolo
Published: May 2020

The aim of this paper is analyzing the positive solutions of the quasilinear problem

-(u′/1+(u′)2)′=λ⁢a⁢(x)⁢f⁢(u) in ⁢(0,1),u′⁢(0)=0,u′⁢(1)=0,-\bigl{(}u^{\prime}/\sqrt{1+(u^{\prime})^{2}}\big{)}^{\prime}=\lambda a(x)f(u)% \quad\text{in }(0,1),\qquad u^{\prime}(0)=0,\quad u^{\prime}(1)=0,

whereλ∈ℝ{\lambda\in\mathbb{R}}is a parameter,a∈L∞⁢(0,1){a\in L^{\infty}(0,1)}changes sign once in(0,1){(0,1)}and satisfies∫01a⁢(x)⁢𝑑x<0{\int_{0}^{1}a(x)\,dx<0}, andf∈𝒞1⁢(ℝ){f\in\mathcal{C}^{1}(\mathbb{R})}is positive and increasing in(0,+∞){(0,+\infty)}with a potential,F⁢(s)=∫0sf⁢(t)⁢𝑑t{F(s)=\int_{0}^{s}f(t)\,dt}, quadratic at zero and linear at+∞{+\infty}. The main result of this paper establishes that this problem possesses a component of positive bounded variation solutions,𝒞λ0+{\mathscr{C}_{\lambda_{0}}^{+}}, bifurcating from(λ,0){(\lambda,0)}at someλ0>0{\lambda_{0}>0}and from(λ,∞){(\lambda,\infty)}at someλ∞>0{\lambda_{\infty}>0}. It also establishes that𝒞λ0+{\mathscr{C}_{\lambda_{0}}^{+}}consists of regular solutions if and only if

∫0z(∫xza(t)dt)-1/2dx=+∞ or ∫z1(∫xza(t)dt)-1/2dx=+∞.\int_{0}^{z}\Biggr{(}\int_{x}^{z}a(t)\,dt\Bigg{)}^{-{1/2}}dx=+\infty\quad\text% {or}\quad\int_{z}^{1}\Biggr{(}\int_{x}^{z}a(t)\,dt\Bigg{)}^{-{1/2}}dx=+\infty.

Equivalently, the small positive regular solutions of𝒞λ0+{\mathscr{C}_{\lambda_{0}}^{+}}become singular as they are sufficiently large if and only if

(∫xza(t)dt)-1/2∈L1(0,z) and (∫xza(t)dt)-1/2∈L1(z,1).\Biggr{(}\int_{x}^{z}a(t)\,dt\Bigg{)}^{-{1/2}}\in L^{1}(0,z)\quad\text{and}% \quad\Biggr{(}\int_{x}^{z}a(t)\,dt\Bigg{)}^{-{1/2}}\in L^{1}(z,1).

This is achieved by providing a very sharp description of the asymptotic profile, asλ→λ∞{\lambda\to\lambda_{\infty}}, of the solutions. According to the mutual positions ofλ0{\lambda_{0}}andλ∞{\lambda_{\infty}}, as well as the bifurcation direction, the occurrence of multiple solutions can also be detected.
Zwischen Ausweisung und Duldung. Die Situation der Breslauer Juden in der 1. Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts
Authors: Herzig Arno
Published: May 2020

The situation of the Jews in Breslau in the first half of the 18th century was determined by various interested parties, from the Habsburg emperor as city lord to the council of the city and the monasteries in the suburbs. While the city council had not tolerated Jews in its area since the pogrom of 1453, the monasteries in the suburbs used the economic power of the Jews living there. The Emperor as King of Bohemia was interested in trading with Poland, allowing Polish Jewish merchants to settle in the city. While the emperor allowed Jewish citizens to trade within the city by passing a tax law in 1713, the city council tried to keep the Jews as much as possible away from the market. The situation remained undecided until 1742, when the annexation of Silesia created a new situation in Prussia. A law of 1744 guaranteed the establishment of the Jews in the city and the formation of a community, but the number of Jewish residents permitted in the city was kept very low.
Das antijüdische Ritualmordrelief von 1727 an der Wernerkapelle von Oberwesel und seine widerwillige Entfernung 1970
Authors: Karbach Walter
Published: May 2020

This article describes a relief that was sculpted in 1727. The relief depicts a Good Friday scene in 1287, when Jews allegedly tortured and killed Werner of Oberwesel, who came to be venerated as a Christian saint. Attached to the Oberwesel Werner Chapel, the relief was near the vault of the chapel, where the ritualized murder of Werner supposedly took place. After his burial in neighbouring Bacharach, hundreds of Jews were attacked and murdered in Oberwesel, Boppard, as well as along the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. This story contributed to the defamation of Jews for centuries. It was, in fact, not until 1963 that the Diocese of Trier expunged Werner’s memorial day from its liturgical calendar. This article also demonstrates how the Nazis incorporated this relief into their anti-Semitic propaganda campaigns and shows how the relief was part of traditional worship in the area until it was reluctantly removed in 1970.
Enlightenment in the Name of Chinggis Khan: The Founding of the Eastern Mongolian Publishing House in Mukden 1926/27
Authors: Heuschert-Laage Dorothea
Published: May 2020

This paper is devoted to one of the first commercial Mongolian publishing houses in Republican China, which was founded in Mukden in 1926/27 and existed until the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. With its broad spectrum of publications, which included a textbook for primary education, translations and advices for self-improvement, its educational approach differed from earlier Mongolian publishing activities. Its founders saw themselves on a mission for education and aimed to spread knowledge relevant for Mongols in a globally connected world by making Mongolian language print material easier accessible to a wider public.

The paper argues that the founders of the publishing house were fueled by ideas of social Darwinism and saw competition not only on a global scale but also within the Chinese Republic. For this reason, their publishing project was meant to strengthen Mongols as a distinct, unitary group within the multinational Chinese Republic. At the same time, they raised their own profile as cultural translators and presented themselves as a scholarly elite. The Mukden publishers tried to set themselves apart from the institutions, which had dominated the field of Mongolian book production so far, but made reference to familiar concepts of sponsoring in order to strengthen their arguments for commercial publishing.
Magicalized Socialism: An Anthropological Study on the Magical Practices of a Secularized Reincarnated Lama in Socialist Mongolia
Authors: Shimamura Ippei
Published: May 2020

Socialist regimes lead by the Soviet Union were one of the great experiments for human life “without religions”. In Mongolia, as in other socialist countries, modernity was constructed by expelling religious practices from the sphere of everyday life in the name of atheism. However, modernity has never completely succeeded in fully establishing secularization anywhere in the world, and the phenomena of magico-religious practices continue and even are rampant, not least behind the facades in post-socialist countries. In other words, it can be said that the affiliation between secularization, de-sacralization, and modernity, which many scholars imagined, was just fantasy. Following the way in which Talal Asad examines the “novel” form of secularism present in Euro-American societies, it becomes quite easy to understand that socialist modernity was formulated as the “novel secular” by the Soviet Union. While examining Soviet-style atheism or Soviet-formed secularization, we need to rethink the practices that are “in between” the religious and the secular. Mongols have been practicing religion secularly. We see this in how selecting reincarnated lamas has been a political act, and in the way they have been practicing secular politics so religiously – for example, the importance of fortune telling and shamanism in political decision-making. Further, we need to note that the socialist expulsion of institutional aspects of religions such as churches, clergies, and religious scriptures resulted in the spread of magical/occult practices. In this paper we explore Mongol practices that are in between the religious and the secular by examining Buddhist practices in Zavkhan Province, where people maintained strong worship for reincarnated lamas secretly and in disguise during the socialist era.
New evidence of the Suess/de Vries cycle existing in historical naked-eye observations of sunspots
Authors: Ma Lihua , Vaquero José M.
Published: May 2020

Solar activity affects geophysical and heliophysical processes. Long-term changes in solar activity are closely related to climate change. Solar physicists and earth science researchers need longer observations of solar activity. Current continuous observations of solar activity are only about 400 years. Some scholars have compiled naked-eye observations of sunspots from 200 BC to 1918 AD from historical documents. In this present work, the authors use the weighted wavelet transform to study the observations series. The results show the Suess - de Vries cycle with a period from 195- to 235-year existing in the discontinuous sunspot series. Meanwhile, the cycle signal changes with time. Especially, the Suess/de Vries cycle is relatively obvious from 200 BC to 400 AD, 800 AD to 1340 AD, 1610 AD to 1918 AD, with a period of about 211-year, about 195-year, and about 235-year, respectively.
Sensor-based ore sorting in 2020
Authors: Wotruba Hermann , Robben Christopher
Published: May 2020

Sensor-based ore sorting is not a new technology. It has been around since more than 70 years, mainly for diamond concentration, where it was applied to eliminate the security risk of diamonds being stolen from the previously applied grease-tables [13]. Despite a few installations in uranium ore processing, it had no further widespread acceptance in the minerals industry, mainly due to low design capacity. Besides that, sensor-based colour sorters were used in the food industry for small particle sizes (e. g., rice cleaning). It is fact that the first machine designs appropriate for coarse bulk materials were not developed for the minerals industry, but for the upcoming recycling industry for plastics, glass, paper, metals in the late 1980s. In this sector, besides some magnetic separators, all the work was done by manual hand-picking, and it needed automation. After some years of optimization, these machines showed reliable performance under harsh conditions in scrap yards and recycling plants. Then, finally, the minerals industry, which at first was not convinced that this rather complicated machines were suited to be used with minerals, began with the first applications. These first installations of sensor-based ore sorters around the late 1990, all of them equipped with line-scan optical cameras, were mainly in industrial minerals, such as calcite, magnesite, quartz or rock salt. Since then, the technology has seen an enormous development in terms of available sensors, design capacity and availability, and the number of installations for minerals is growing – steadily but slower than expected, considering the many advantages it brings.
Characterizing material flow in sensor-based sorting systems using an instrumented particle
Authors: Maier Georg , Pfaff Florian , Bittner Andrea , Gruna Robin , Noack Benjamin , Kruggel-Emden Harald , Hanebeck Uwe D. , Längle Thomas , Beyerer Jürgen
Published: May 2020

Sensor-based sorting is a well-established single particle separation technology. It has found wide application as a quality assurance and control approach in food processing, mining, and recycling. In order to assure high sorting quality, a high degree of control of the motion of individual particles contained in the material stream is required. Several system designs, which are tailored to a sorting task at hand, exist. However, the suitability of a design for a sorting task is assessed by empirical observation. The required thorough experimentation is very time consuming and labor intensive. In this paper, we propose an instrumented bulk material particle for the characterization of motion behavior of the material stream in sensor-based sorting systems. We present a hardware setup including a 9-axis absolute orientation sensor that is used for data acquisition on an experimental sorting system. The presented results show that further processing of this data yields meaningful features of the motion behavior. As an example, we acquire and process data from an experimental sorting system consisting of several submodules such as vibrating conveyor channels and a chute. It is shown that the data can be used to train a model which enables predicting the submodule of a sorting system from which an unknown data sample originates. To our best knowledge, this is the first time that this IIoT-based approach has been applied for the characterization of material flow properties in sensor-based sorting.
The new V-Model of VDI 2206 and its validation
Authors: Graessler Iris , Hentze Julian
Published: May 2020

Since 2016, a new version of the VDI (German Association of Engineers) Guideline 2206 has been developed by the Technical Committee VDI GMA 4.10 “Interdisciplinary Product Creation”. This article presents the revision results of the VDI Guideline 2206:2004 “Design methodology for mechatronic systems”. The core content of the guideline is an updated and enhanced V-Model for Mechatronic and Cyber-Physical Systems. The inherent concern logic of the V-Model represents the logical sequence of tasks. Its key advantage lies in staying independent from the chosen form of project organization. This way, the V-Model can be applied in classically managed projects as well as in agile projects. In addition, the article describes how the revision was performed and which potentials were tapped. Based on the identified potentials, the new V-Model is derived, explained and illustrated. New contents such as the introduction of checkpoints and the integration of requirements engineering are explained in detail. Furthermore, the pursued scientific procedure and the results of the International Validation Workshop with 25 experts from science and industry are proposed.
Auf neuen Pfaden mit alten Spielen
Authors: Lorenz Andreas
Published: May 2020

Videospiele sind Kulturgut und sollten als solches bewahrt und präsentiert werden. Hierzu gehört die Beschäftigung mit antiquarischen Spielen, den Retrogames, bei deren Nutzung Bibliotheken nicht auf Originalhardware setzen sollten, da die Geräte aussterben. Werden nun alte Spiele auf moderner Hardware wiedergegeben, so gibt es viel Fehlerpotential, welches dem Nutzer einen falschen Eindruck vermitteln und das Angebot scheitern lassen kann.

Ziel des Artikels ist Bibliotheken praktikable Lösungen zur Präsentation alter Computersysteme und -spiele vorzustellen und einige, im Retrogaming wichtige, technische Grundkonzepte zu erläutern, unter deren Beachtung Bibliotheken funktionell möglichst authentische Nachbildungen realisieren können.
International Trade and Productivity after Apartheid
Authors: Rubini Loris
Published: May 2020

International trade fell in South Africa from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, and climbed fast thereafter, coinciding with the imposition and later removal of apartheid sanctions. Productivity followed suit. This paper explores the extent to which the increase in trade can account for the increase in productivity after apartheid. I use a model of international trade with innovation and calibrate it to match key macroeconomic variables. Non-tariff barriers, mostly related to apartheid sanctions, account for over half the changes in aggregate productivity. Tariffs play a very minor role, in line with existing studies.
Programme for Harmonization to the International Scale in Latin America for BCR-ABL1 quantification in CML patients: findings and recommendations
Authors: Ruiz María Sol , Sánchez María Belén , Vera Contreras Yuly Masiel , Agrielo Evangelina , Alonso Marta , Altuna María Eugenia , Anchordoqui María Sol , Asinari Mariana , Bonetto María Elisa , Camargo Mauricio , Giere Isabel , González Javier , Granda Alacote Ana Cecilia , Guerra Javier , Gutiérrez Marina , Maldonado Cecilia , Makiya Ricardo , Manrique Gonzalo , Monaco María Eugenia , Rozo Juan Carlos , Santamaría Carlos , Seravalle Analía , Zea Olga , Zubillaga María Noel , Mordoh José , Larripa Irene , Bianchini Michele
Published: May 2020

Objectives

The quantitation of BCR-ABL1 mRNA is mandatory for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients, and RT-qPCR is the most extensively used method in testing laboratories worldwide. Nevertheless, substantial variation in RT-qPCR results makes inter-laboratory comparability hard. To facilitate inter-laboratory comparative assessment, an international scale (IS) for BCR-ABL1 was proposed.

Methods

The laboratory-specific conversion factor (CF) to the IS can be derived from the World Health Organization (WHO) genetic reference panel; however, this material is limited to the manufacturers to produce and calibrate secondary reference reagents. Therefore, we developed secondary reference calibrators, as lyophilized cellular material, aligned to the IS. Our purpose was both to re-evaluate the CF in 18 previously harmonized laboratories and to propagate the IS to new laboratories.

Results

Our field trial including 30 laboratories across Latin America showed that, after correction of raw BCR-ABL1/ABL1 ratios using CF, the relative mean bias was significantly reduced. We also performed a follow-up of participating laboratories by annually revalidating the process; our results support the need for continuous revalidation of CFs. All participating laboratories also received a calibrator to determine the limit of quantification (LOQ); 90% of them could reproducibly detect BCR-ABL1, indicating that these laboratories can report a consistent deep molecular response. In addition, aiming to investigate the variability of BCR-ABL1 measurements across different RNA inputs, we calculated PCR efficiency for each individual assay by using different amounts of RNA.

Conclusions

In conclusion, for the first time in Latin America, we have successfully organized a harmonization platform for BCR-ABL1 measurement that could be of immediate clinical benefit for monitoring the molecular response of patients in low-resource regions.
Stabilization patterns and variability of hs-CRP, NT-proBNP and ST2 during 1 year after acute coronary syndrome admission: results of the BIOMArCS study
Authors: van den Berg Victor J. , Umans Victor A.W.M. , Brankovic Milos , Oemrawsingh Rohit M. , Asselbergs Folkert W. , van der Harst Pim , Hoefer Imo E. , Kietselaer Bas , Crijns Harry J.G.M. , Lenderink Timo , Oude Ophuis Anton J. , van Schaik Ron H. , Kardys Isabella , Boersma Eric , Akkerhuis K. Martijn
Published: May 2020

Objectives

Details of the biological variability of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and ST2 are currently lacking in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) but are crucial knowledge when aiming to use these biomarkers for personalized risk prediction. In the current study, we report post-ACS kinetics and the variability of the hs-CRP, NT-proBNP and ST2.

Methods

BIOMArCS is a prospective, observational study with high frequency blood sampling during 1 year post-ACS. Using 1507 blood samples from 191 patients that remained free from adverse cardiac events, we investigated post-ACS kinetics of hs-CRP, NT-proBNP and ST2. Biological variability was studied using the samples collected between 6 and 12 months after the index ACS, when patients were considered to have stable coronary artery disease.

Results

On average, hs-CRP rose peaked at day 2 and rose well above the reference value. ST2 peaked immediately after the ACS but never rose above the reference value. NT-proBNP level rose on average during the first 2 days post-ACS and slowly declined afterwards. The within-subject variation and relative change value (RCV) of ST2 were relatively small (13.8%, RCV 39.7%), while hs-CRP (41.9%, lognormal RCV 206.1/-67.3%) and NT-proBNP (39.0%, lognormal RCV 185.2/-64.9%) showed a considerable variation.

Conclusions

Variability of hs-CRP and NT-proBNP within asymptomatic and clinically stable post-ACS patients is considerable. In contrast, within-patient variability of ST2 is low. Given the low within-subject variation, ST2 might be the most useful biomarker for personalizing risk prediction in stable post-ACS patients.
A hierarchical bivariate meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy to provide direct comparisons of immunoassays vs. indirect immunofluorescence for initial screening of connective tissue diseases
Authors: Orme Michelle Elaine , Andalucia Carmen , Sjölander Sigrid , Bossuyt Xavier
Published: May 2020

Objectives

To compare indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) against immunoassays (IAs) as an initial screening test for connective tissue diseases (CTDs).

Methods

A systematic literature review identified cross-sectional or case-control studies reporting test accuracy data for IIF and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA), chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) or multiplex immunoassay (MIA). The meta-analysis used hierarchical, bivariate, mixed-effect models with random-effects by test.

Results

Direct comparisons of IIF with ELISA showed that both tests had good sensitivity (five studies, 2321 patients: ELISA: 90.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 80.5%, 95.5%] vs. IIF at a cut-off of 1:80: 86.8% [95% CI: 81.8%, 90.6%]; p = 0.4) but low specificity, with considerable variance across assays (ELISA: 56.9% [95% CI: 40.9%, 71.5%] vs. IIF 1:80: 68.0% [95% CI: 39.5%, 87.4%]; p = 0.5). FEIA sensitivity was lower than IIF sensitivity (1:80: p = 0.005; 1:160: p = 0.051); however, FEIA specificity was higher (seven studies, n = 12,311, FEIA 93.6% [95% CI: 89.9%, 96.0%] vs. IIF 1:80 72.4% [95% CI: 62.2%, 80.7%]; p < 0.001; seven studies, n = 3251, FEIA 93.5% [95% CI: 91.1%, 95.3%] vs. IIF 1:160 81.1% [95% CI: 73.4%, 86.9%]; p < 0.0001). CLIA sensitivity was similar to IIF (1:80) with higher specificity (four studies, n = 1981: sensitivity 85.9% [95% CI: 64.7%, 95.3%]; p = 0.86; specificity 86.1% [95% CI: 78.3%, 91.4%]). More data are needed to make firm inferences for CLIA vs. IIF given the wide prediction region. There were too few studies for the meta-analysis of MIA vs. IIF (MIA sensitivity range 73.7%–86%; specificity 53%–91%).

Conclusions

FEIA and CLIA have good specificity compared to IIF. A positive FEIA or CLIA test is useful to support the diagnosis of a CTD. A negative IIF test is useful to exclude a CTD.
External quality assessment (EQA) and alternative assessment procedures (AAPs) in molecular diagnostics: findings of an international survey
Authors: Payne Deborah A. , Russomando Graciela , Linder Mark W. , Baluchova Katarina , Ashavaid Tester , Steimer Werner , Ahmad-Nejad Parviz
Published: May 2020

Objectives

Quality management for clinical laboratories requires the establishment of internal procedures including standard operating procedures (SOPs), internal quality control (QC), validation of test results and quality assessment. External quality assessment (EQA) and alternativeassessment procedures (AAPs) are part of the quality hierarchy required for diagnostic testing. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) document with requirements for conformance ISO 15189 and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document (CLSI) QMS24 require participation in EQA schemes and AAPs where applicable. The purpose of this study was to perform a global survey of EQA and AAPs for key procedures in molecular diagnostic laboratories.

Methods

The Committee for Molecular Diagnostics of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC C-MD) conducted a survey of international molecular laboratories that covered specific topics of molecular diagnostic services as well as methods for EQA and AAPs. The survey addressed the following aspects: (1) usage of laboratory-developed test (LDT), (2) participation in EQA schemes and (3) performance of AAPs.

Results

A total of 93 responses from laboratories located in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America were received. The majority of the participating laboratories (65.9%) use LDTs and 81.3% stated that it is mandatory for them to participate in EQA programs, while 22% of the laboratories reported not performing AAPs. Thirty-one percent of the laboratories use EQAs for fewer than 50.0% of their reported parameters/analytes.

Conclusions

While the majority of laboratories perform EQA and AAPs to improve their quality in molecular diagnostics, the amount of AAPs as quality procedures differs within the laboratories. Further surveys are necessary to clarify the existing needs in additional EQAs and standardized AAPs. The survey will also guide future efforts of the IFCC C-MD for identifying quality practices in need to improve harmonization and standardization within molecular diagnostics.