bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Significant ground-level ozone attributed to lightning-induced nitrogen oxides during summertime over the Mountain West States
Authors: Kang Daiwen , Mathur Rohit , Pouliot George A. , Gilliam Robert C. , Wong David C.
Published: January 2020

Using lightning flash data from the National Lightning Detection Network with an updated lightning nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission estimation algorithm in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, we estimate the hourly variations in lightning NOxemissions for the summer of 2011 and simulate its impact on distributions of tropospheric ozone (O3) across the continental United States. We find that typical summer-time lightning activity across the U.S. Mountain West States (MWS) injects NOxemissions comparable to those from anthropogenic sources into the troposphere over the region. Comparison of two model simulation cases with and without lightning NOxemissions show that significant amount of ground-level O3in the MWS during the summer can be attributed to the lightning NOXemissions. The simulated surface-level O3from a model configuration incorporating lightning NOxemissions showed better agreement with the observed values than the model configuration without lightning NOxemissions. The time periods of significant reduction in bias in simulated O3between these two cases strongly correlate with the time periods when lightning activity occurred in the region. The inclusion of lightning NOxincreased daily maximum 8 h O3by up to 17 ppb and improved model performance relative to measured surface O3mixing ratios in the MWS region. Analysis of model results in conjunction with lidar measurements at Boulder, Colorado during July 2014 corroborated similar impacts of lightning NOxemissions on O3air quality. The magnitude of lightning NOxemissions estimated for other summers is comparable to the 2011 estimates suggesting that summertime surface-level O3levels in the MWS region could be significantly influenced by lightning NOx.
Atlantic Ocean influence on Middle East summer surface air temperature
Authors: Ehsan Muhammad Azhar , Nicolì Dario , Kucharski Fred , Almazroui Mansour , Tippett Michael K. , Bellucci Alessio , Ruggieri Paolo , Kang In-Sik
Published: January 2020

Middle East surface air temperature (ME-SAT), during boreal summer (June to August: JJA), shows robust multidecadal variations for the period 1948−2016. Here, using observational and reanalysis datasets, as well as coupled atmosphere–ocean model simulations, we linked the observed summer ME-SAT variability to the multidecadal variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean (AMV). This Atlantic−ME connection during summer involves ocean–atmosphere interactions through multiple ocean basins, with an influence from the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. The downstream response to Atlantic SST is a weakening of the subtropical westerly jet stream that impacts summer ME-SAT variability through a wave-like pattern in the upper tropospheric levels. The Atlantic SST response is further characterized by positive geopotential height anomalies in the upper levels over the Eurasian region and a dipole-like pressure distribution over the ME in lower levels. For positive Atlantic SST anomalies this pressure gradient initiates anomalous low-level southerly flow, which transports moisture from the neighboring water bodies toward the extremely hot and dry ME landmass. The increase in atmospheric moisture reduces the longwave radiation damping of the SAT anomaly, increasing further ME-SAT. A suite of Atlantic Pacemaker experiments skillfully reproduces the North Atlantic–ME teleconnection. Our findings reveal that in observations and models the Atlantic Ocean acts as a critical pacemaker for summer ME-SAT multidecadal variability and that a positive AMV can lead to enhanced summer warming over the Middle East.
Light-activated semiconducting polymer dots as mimic oxidases with remarkable catalytic efficiency: characteristics, mechanisms, and applications
Authors: Chen Xueli , Sun Junyong , Zhang Qiang , Jiang Xuekai , Gao Feng
Published: January 2020

Herein we demonstrate the characteristics, mechanisms, and applications of light-activated semiconducting polymer dots as mimic oxidases with remarkable catalytic efficiency.
Nucleus-targeting ultrasmall ruthenium(iv) oxide nanoparticles for photoacoustic imaging and low-temperature photothermal therapy in the NIR-II window
Authors: Liu Zhou , Qiu Kangqiang , Liao Xinxing , Rees Thomas W. , Chen Yu , Zhao Zizhuo , Ji Liangnian , Chao Hui
Published: January 2020

In the present study novel ultrasmall CS-RuO2NPs with intrinsic nuclear-targeting properties were developed for photoacoustic imaging and low-temperature photothermal therapy of cancer in the NIR-II window.
Site-selective exposure of iron nanoparticles to achieve rapid interface enrichment for heavy metals
Authors: Su Li , Ma Jiaxin , Wang Jiancheng , Jiang Wan , Zhang Wei-xian , Yang Jianping
Published: January 2020

A series of Janus and core–shell nanostructured Fe@PMO are well designed with controllable site-exposure of iron nanoparticles for compared investigation the recovery behavior of heavy metals.
Flexible silver nanowire/carbon fiber felt metacomposites with weakly negative permittivity behavior
Authors: Sun Kai , Wang Linying , Wang Zongxiang , Wu Xinfeng , Fan Guohua , Wang Zhongyang , Cheng Chuanbing , Fan Runhua , Dong Mengyao , Guo Zhanhu
Published: January 2020

The weakly negative permittivity behavior and its generation mechanism in flexible silver nanowires/carbon fiber felt metacomposites.
Trans-to-cis photoisomerization of cyclocurcumin in different environments rationalized by computational photochemistry
Authors: Marazzi Marco , Francés-Monerris Antonio , Mourer Maxime , Pasc Andreea , Monari Antonio
Published: January 2020

Solvent effects determine the fate of cyclocurcumin photochemistry: in non-polar environments fluorescence is preferred, while in polar solvents the photoisomerization path is opened, paving the way to applications as chemosensors and for theranostic purposes.
Electromechanics of the liquid water vapour interface
Authors: Zhang Chao , Sprik Michiel
Published: January 2020

The response of the anisotropic stress at the liquid water vapor interface to a finite electric suggests that the surface potential of water can be seen as an electro-capillary effect coupled to the Maxwell stress tensor.
The versatile biomedical applications of bismuth-based nanoparticles and composites: therapeutic, diagnostic, biosensing, and regenerative properties
Authors: Shahbazi Mohammad-Ali , Faghfouri Leila , Ferreira Mónica P. A. , Figueiredo Patrícia , Maleki Hajar , Sefat Farshid , Hirvonen Jouni , Santos Hélder A.
Published: January 2020

Bismuth-containing nanomaterials offer a new opportunity to move beyond current achievements in the fields of drug delivery, diagnosis, cancer therapy, biosensing, and tissue engineering. This review describes emerging applications and perspective of these nanoparticles.
Transition-metal-catalyzed reactions involving reductive elimination between dative ligands and covalent ligands
Authors: Jiang Tianxiao , Zhang Haocheng , Ding Yongzheng , Zou Suchen , Chang Rui , Huang Hanmin
Published: January 2020

This review summarizes transition-metal catalyzed reactions with reductive elimination between covalent ligands and dative ligands as the key elementary step.
Stable abnormal N-heterocyclic carbenes and their applications
Authors: Sau Samaresh Chandra , Hota Pradip Kumar , Mandal Swadhin K. , Soleilhavoup Michele , Bertrand Guy
Published: January 2020

The first isolated stable aNHCs have been used for designing a range of organometallic and organo catalysts.
Visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution using a polyoxometalate-based copper molecular catalyst
Authors: Ding Yuan-Sheng , Wang Hui-Ying , Ding Yong
Published: January 2020

[Cu5(OH)4(H2O)2(A-α-SiW9O33)2]10− (1) was tested as a molecular catalyst for visible-light-driven H2 evolution and exhibited a high TON of 718.9. Many stability studies showed that 1 could maintain its structure intact during the catalytic process.
Electropolymerizable N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of Rh and Ir with enantiotropic polymorphic phases
Authors: Wang Weiran , Lynch Vincent M. , Guo Hongyu , Datta Anwesha , Jones Richard A.
Published: January 2020

New Rh and Ir complexes of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) with featuring a terthiophene backbone were synthesized with enantiotropic polymorphic phases, along with their new electrochromic conducting metallopolymers were also synthesized.
Strategies for structuring diverse emulsion systems by using wood lignocellulose-derived stabilizers
Authors: Mikkonen Kirsi S.
Published: January 2020

Wood cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses are abundant bioresources that can be valorized as sustainable emulsion stabilizers. The lignocellulose-derived stabilizers may act as surface-active compounds, Pickering particles, or viscosity enhancers.
An integrated microfluidic system for rapid, automatic and high-throughput staining of clinical tissue samples for diagnosis of ovarian cancer
Authors: Huang Sheng-Po , Chuang Yuan-Jhe , Lee Wen-Bin , Tsai Yi-Cheng , Lin Chang-Ni , Hsu Keng-Fu , Lee Gwo-Bin
Published: January 2020

An integrated microfluidic platform capable of labeling ovarian cancer biomarkers within formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissues via aptamer probes was developed.
Synthesis of 3-sulfonylquinolines by visible-light promoted metal-free cascade cycloaddition involvingN-propargylanilines and sodium sulfinates
Authors: Yuan Jing-Mei , Li Jinnan , Zhou Heyang , Xu Jiali , Zhu Fengting , Liang Qiuli , Liu Zhiping , Huang Guobao , Huang Jun
Published: January 2020

A visible-light promoted radical cascade reaction ofN-propargylanilines with sodium sulfinates as sulfonyl radical precursors was developed under metal-free conditions.
Emission enhancement of cationic tetraphenylethylene derivatives by encapsulation in a cucurbit[10]uril host in water
Authors: Liu Chang , Wu Yong , Han Xie , Liu Simin
Published: January 2020

Encapsulation of cationic tetraphenylethylene guests in a cucurbit[10]uril host in water results in strong emission enhancement of these guests since the host–guest interaction caused restriction of intramolecular rotation.
Solvent assisted catalytic conversion of beech wood and organosolv lignin over NiMo/γ-Al2O3
Authors: Parto Soheila Ghafarnejad , Jørgensen Emma Kathrine , Christensen Jakob Munkholt , Pedersen Lars Saaby , Larsen Daniel Bo , Duus Jens Øllgaard , Jensen Anker Degn
Published: January 2020

Lignin in biomass is degraded to a handful of chemicals in the presence of a NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst and ethanol medium.
Electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer between luminol and black phosphorus nanosheets for the detection of trypsin via the “off–on–off” switch mode
Authors: Liu Hui , Yin Hao , Dong YongPing , Ding HouCheng , Chu XiangFeng
Published: January 2020

In this work, the electrochemiluminescence behavior of a luminol–H2O2 system was studied on a black phosphorus nanosheet modified electrode.
Acetylbritannilactone attenuates contrast-induced acute kidney injury through its anti-pyroptosis effects
Authors: Chen Fei , Lu Jingchao , Yang Xiuchun , Xiao Bing , Chen Huiqiang , Pei Weina , Jin Yaqiong , Wang Mengxiao , Li Yue , Zhang Jie , Liu Fan , Gu Guoqiang , Cui Wei
Published: January 2020

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a severe complication caused by intravascular applied radial contrast media (CM). Pyroptosis is a lytic type of cell death inherently associated with inflammation response and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines following caspase-1 activation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effects of acetylbritannilactone (ABL) on iopromide (IOP)-induced acute renal failure and reveal the underlying mechanism. In vivo and in vitro, IOP treatment caused renal damage and elevated the caspase-1 (+) propidium iodide (PI) (+) cell count, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 levels, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and the relative expression of nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), and gasdermin D (GSDMD), suggesting that IOP induces AKI via the activation of pyroptosis. Furthermore, the pretreatment of ABL partly mitigated the CI-AKI, development of pyroptosis, and subsequent kidney inflammation. These data revealed that ABL partially prevents renal dysfunction and reduces pyroptosis in CI-AKI, which may provide a therapeutic target for the treatment of CM-induced AKI.
Robust multi‐agent system for efficient online energy management and security enforcement in a grid‐connected microgrid with hybrid resources
Authors: Elgamal Mohamed , Korovkin Nikolay , Elmitwally Akram , Chen Zhe
Published: January 2020

This study proposes a new multi‐agent control system (MACS) for energy management in a microgrid (MG). The latter includes photovoltaic arrays and wind turbine generators as renewable energy resources. It also has microturbines, fuel cell units, and an energy storage system (ESS). The MACS determines the optimal active and reactive powers of the dispatchable energy resources. It also identifies the ESS charging/discharging times. The MACS supervises energy management among local distributed generators (DGs), main grid, and loads to maximise profit while satisfying all operational constraints. The MG collaborates in the electricity market. It purchases/sells active and reactive powers from/to the main grid. Furthermore, MACS dynamically corrects the possible voltage violations and eliminates line congestion using the coordination of reactive power control. Agents at dispatchable DGs and ESS buses tackle the optimal economical operation. Other agents regulate the nodes voltages and remove line congestions. A parallel computing‐based full dynamic simulation model of the MACS and the MG power system is implemented. Moreover, the performance comparisons between the proposed MACS and recent approaches are presented to evaluate the performance of MACS.
Analysis of training techniques of ANN for classification of insulators in electrical power systems
Authors: Frizzo Stefenon Stéfano , Waldrigues Branco Nathielle , Nied Ademir , Wildgrube Bertol Douglas , Cristian Finardi Erlon , Sartori Andreza , Henrique Meyer Luiz , Bartnik Grebogi Rafael
Published: January 2020

Identifying defects in electrical power systems during field inspections is a difficult task, since faults are generally not visible and may be intermittent. To find possible adverse conditions, specific inspection equipment is used. The ultrasound detector is the equipment normally used to inspect outdoor insulating systems; however, using it demands operator experience. To improve the defect condition classification, artificial intelligence techniques are applied to assist the operator in the decision task and thereby facilitate the identification of faulty insulating devices in the grid. The training of artificial neural network (ANN) models is an important step in solving the classification problem. This study aims to evaluate the training capacity in terms of the performance of different optimisation methods for the calculation of the mean square error after convergence. Traditional methods such as Gradient Descent and its variations will be presented, as well as methods that employ high computational effort such as quasi‐Newton and Levenberg–Marquardt. In order to base these concepts, a review will be presented on the use of these algorithms and on the problem of classification of insulators in distribution networks. The results show that there is a considerable performance difference between the calculation methods.
Fingerprint liveness detection based on guided filtering and hybrid image analysis
Authors: Tan Guanghua , Zhang Qiong , Hu Haiyang , Zhu Xianyi , Wu Xiangqiong
Published: January 2020

Fingerprints are widely used for biometric recognition. However, many spoofing attacks based on an artificially made fingerprint occur. In this study, the authors propose an approach to detect fingerprint liveness which uses the guided filtering and hybrid image analysis. This study deals with the problem of ignoring the contribution that is brought by the sharp features when analysing the denoised image. The method described utilises both the enhanced sharp features and denoised features from the hybrid images to get better results. The input fingerprint is pre‐processed by region of interest extraction and then is filtered by a guidance image for obtaining the denoised image. Then, histogram equalisation is introduced to eliminate the impact of illumination condition. The authors extract the co‐occurrence of adjacent local binary pattern features from both the cropped images and the denoised images. Whilst concatenating both the features together to form a long feature, t‐Distributed Stochastic Neighbour Embedding is applied to reduce the data dimension. The authors consider the fingerprint liveness detection as a two‐class classification problem and use support vector machine with radial basis function kernel to solve this problem. The authors evaluate the experiments on three benchmark data sets. Experimental results demonstrate that the accuracy of the proposed method can outperform most of the state‐of‐art methods.
Pulmonary nodule risk classification in adenocarcinoma from CT images using deep CNN with scale transfer module
Authors: Zheng Jie , Yang Dawei , Zhu Yu , Gu Wanghuan , Zheng Bingbing , Bai Chunxue , Zhao Lin , Shi Hongcheng , Hu Jie , Lu Shaohua , Shi Weibin , Wang Ningfang
Published: January 2020

Pulmonary nodules risk classification in adenocarcinoma is essential for early detection of lung cancer and clinical treatment decision. Improving the level of early diagnosis and the identification of small lung adenocarcinoma has been always an important topic for imaging studies. In this study, the authors propose a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) with scale‐transfer module (STM) and incorporate multi‐feature fusion operation, named STM‐Net. This network can amplify small targets and adapt to different resolution images. The evaluation data were obtained from the computed tomography (CT) database provided by Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University (ZSDB). All data have a pathological label and their lung adenocarcinomas risk are classified into four categories: atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, adenocarcinoma in situ, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, and invasive adenocarcinoma. The authors’ deep learning network STM‐Net was trained and tested for the risk stage prediction. The accuracy and the average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve achieved by their method are 95.455% and 0.987 for the ZSDB dataset. The experimental results show that STM‐Net largely boosts classification accuracy on the pulmonary nodules classification compared with state‐of‐the‐art approaches. The proposed method will be an effective auxiliary to help physicians diagnosis pulmonary nodules risk classification in adenocarcinoma in early‐stage.
Sidelobe level reduction using Teflon for a microwave and millimetre‐wave antipodal Vivaldi antenna
Authors: Moosazadeh Mahdi
Published: January 2020

A new technique for lowering the sidelobe level (SLL) of the microwave and millimetre‐wave antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) has been presented in this study. The technique is based on introducing tapered‐shape Teflon surrounding AVA to couple energy propagated from the antenna and produce stronger radiation in the end‐fire direction and as a result, it offers wideband low SLL. Some features of the presented antenna with the utilised new technique are summarised as follows: high gain in wide bandwidth corrected tilt of beam on E‐plane in wide bandwidth and low cross‐polarisation level. The presented antenna is fabricated and the magnitude of the reflection coefficient of the fabricated antenna is tested, which is from 3.2–40 GHz with S11 < −10 dB. It exhibits an average of SLL < −10 dB in E‐plane and SLL < −18 dB in H‐plane at a wideband of 3.2–40 GHz. Moreover, the lowest E‐plane's SLL of −20 dB is achieved over the frequency band of 7–7.5 GHz. The proposed antenna has a small size of 43 (width) × 108 (length) mm2. The proposed antenna with the mentioned features becomes an attractive candidate for imaging applications.
Research on a new self‐decoupled model of bipolar receiver in IPT
Authors: Xiaohong Wang , Qisheng Sun , Fang Cheng
Published: January 2020

In the bipolar (multiple) receiver inductive power transfer (IPT) system, the delivered power sharply drops with detuning due to the coupling between the two receiver coils. As a remedy to this problem, a new self‐decoupled model of bipolar receiver by adding decoupling coils (sub‐coils) to the receiver coils is proposed. First, the IPT system topology with a bipolar receiver has been analysed. Then, the self‐decoupled model of bipolar receiver has been built. Furthermore, a quantitative calculation model of decoupling coils has been given. Finally, a series of IPT system comparison experiments for a single receiver, a bipolar receiver, and the decoupled bipolar receivers by using overlap, and the presented method are carried out separately. The results show that the presented self‐decoupled model of bipolar receiver can effectively overcome the electromagnetic coupling between the dual receiver coils on the system resonance. The results further verified that the presented model is also suitable for the case with core plates.
Design of wireless power transfer system with inputfilter
Authors: Hu Jianghao , Zhao Jiankang
Published: January 2020

For power electronic systems, adding filters to eliminate harmonic interferenceis a general and effective method, but the position and parameters of filters inwireless power transmission (WPT) system will greatly affect the systemcharacteristics of WPT. The main reason for the harmonic interference in WPT isthat the harmonics in the output square wave are loaded on the resonant coil ofthe transmitter, so in this study, a method of harmonic elimination by adding asecond‐order LCR filter to the resonant part (LCR‐WPT) is studied. However, theWPT resonant part is precisely matched and designed; if a filter is added at theresonant part, it inevitably affects the resonance state, system output powerand efficiency of the WPT. To ensure that the LCR‐WPT has good systemcharacteristics, this study analyses the mathematical model of the LCR‐WPT anddeduces a design method for the filter and an efficiency optimisation formula.This study also introduces LCR‐WPT applications in two different controlschemes. The experimental results show that the harmonic interference of thesystem is significantly attenuated after the filter is added; additionally, theefficiency of the system decreases by <10%, and the system still maintainssufficient output power.
Stellar evolution and the Standard Solar Model
Authors: Degl’Innocenti Scilla
Published: January 2020

This contribution is meant as a very brief introduction to the principal concepts of stellar physics. First the main physical processes active in stellar structures will be shortly described, then the most important features during the stellar life-cycle up to the central H exhaustion will be summarized with partic-ular attention to the description of solar models.
The Interaction of Neutrons with 7Be at BBN Temperatures: Lack of Standard Nuclear Solution to the “Primordial 7Li Problem”
Authors: Gai M. , Kading E.E. , Hass M. , Nollett K.M. , Stern S.R. , Stora Th. , Weiss A.
Published: January 2020

We report the first measurement of alpha-particles from the interaction of neutrons with 7Be at “temperatures” of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). We measured the Maxwellian averaged cross sections (MACS), with neutron beams produced by the LiLiT at the SARAF in Israel (with kT = 49.5 keV hence 0.57 GK). In addition, we measured the cross section of the 7Be(n,p) reaction, which is in excellent agreement with the recent measurement of the n_TOF collaboration, further substantiating our method as a demonstration of “proof of principle”. The cross section for the 7Be(n,ga) and the 7Be(n,a) reaction measured in the “BBN window” is considerably smaller than compiled by Wagoner in 1969 and used today in Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). We also rule out a hitherto unknown resonance in 8Be at the BBN window, that was conjectured as a possible standard nuclear physics solution to the “Primordial 7Li Problem”. Together with previous results, we deduce a new Wagoner-like Rate for the destruction of 7Be by neutrons which is based on all current measured data. We conclude the lack of a standard nuclear solution to the “Primordial 7Li Problem”. Our upper limit on the cross sections for the high energy alpha-particles is in agreement with recent measurement of the n_TOF collaboration, but it is considerably smaller than the p-wave extrapolation of the Kyoto collaboration. We measured the alpha-particles from the 7Be(n,gi)8Be*(3.03 MeV) reaction, which is considerably larger than a previous s-wave estimate. Hence, in contrast, we conclude s-wave dominance at BBN energies, as would be expected due to the broad (122 keV) low lying 2” state at En = 10 keV.
Electron Screening in Nuclear Astrophysics
Authors: Lipoglavsek Matej , Cvetinović Aleksandra
Published: January 2020

Electron screening in an important effect that cannot be neglected in nuclear astrophysics, since it influences nuclear reaction cross sections at low energies. We are trying to understand why most measurements in inverse kinematics on solid targets give electron screening potentials more than an order of magnitude above predictions. Below we report our latest results on electron screening in nuclear reactions 1H(14N,γ)15O and 2H(19F,ρ)2°F in both inverse and normal kinematics. The analysis is in progress.
Transfer reactions as an Indirect Method in Nuclear Astrophysics
Authors: Spiridon Alexandra
Published: January 2020

In my presentation, I will discuss the use of transfer reactions as an indirect method of determining information important for nuclear astrophysics. Specifically, I will focus on peripheral reactions and their analysis with the Asymptotic Normalization Coefficients (ANC) method. I will present results from related experiments that have been conducted at the Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University with focus on the 0ptical Model Parameters obtained and the need for reliable calculations. Additionally, I will describe the im- provements in the measured data that we obtained after upgrading the detection system used.
Facile Synthesis of Novel Benzoylthiophene C-Nucleoside Analogues via Coupling of Sugar Alkynes, Aroyl Chlorides, and 1,4-Dithiane-2,5-diol
Authors: Liu Hong , Zhang Fuyi , Luo Yang , Gao Fei , Zhao Yufen
Published: January 2020

Concise synthesis of novel benzoylthiophene C-nucleoside analogues has been achieved by the reaction of various terminal sugar alkynes with substituted benzoyl chlorides and 1,4-dithiane-2,5-diol, and subsequent dilute HCl-promoted dehydration in one pot. The sugar alkynes include pyranosides, furanosides, and acyclic sugar. The benzoyl chloride has various substituents. Twenty-eight examples are given. The desired products are obtained in 70–89% yields, and the mechanism has been clarified by isolation of the intermediate.
Effect of Duration and Onset of Clinical Signs on Short-Term Outcome of Dogs with Hansen Type I Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion
Authors: Upchurch David A. , Renberg Walter C. , Turner Hannah S. , McLellan Jiena G.
Published: January 2020

Objective The aim of this study was to determine if either the rate of onset of clinical signs or duration from initial clinical signs to surgical decompression affected the overall quality or duration of recovery in dogs with intervertebral disc extrusion.

Study Design This was a retrospective case series of 131 client owned dogs. Medical records of dogs surgically treated with hemilaminectomy for intervertebral disc extrusion between January 2016 and December 2017 were reviewed for signalment, neurological grade at presentation, rate of onset and duration of clinical signs and surgical variables. These variables were analysed to determine their effect on return of pain sensation, urinary continence and ambulation.

Results Duration of clinical signs prior to surgery and rate of onset of signs did not correlate with return of pain sensation, urinary continence or ambulation. Preoperative neurological grade was the main variable that was found to be associated with outcome.

Conclusions Delay from initial clinical signs of intervertebral disc extrusion to surgery is unlikely to affect the ultimate outcome or the length of time for a dog to regain pain sensation, urinary continence or ambulation. The rate of onset of signs likewise does not influence these outcomes.
Application of Three-Dimensional Printed Vascular Modeling as a Perioperative Guide to Perforator Mapping and Pedicle Dissection during Abdominal Flap Harvest for Breast Reconstruction
Authors: DeFazio Michael V. , Arribas Elsa M. , Ahmad Faisal I. , Le-Petross Huong T. , Liu Jun , Chu Carrie K. , Santiago Lumarie , Clemens Mark W.
Published: January 2020

Background Advancements in three-dimensional (3D) printing have enabled production of patient-specific guides to aid perforator mapping and pedicle dissection during abdominal flap harvest. We present our early experience using this tool to navigate deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA) topography and evaluate its impact on operative efficiency and clinical outcomes.

Patients and Methods Between January 2013 and December 2018, a total of 50 women underwent computed tomographic angiography (CTA)-guided perforator mapping prior to abdominal flap breast reconstruction, with (n = 9) and without (n = 41) 3D-printed vascular modeling (3DVM). Models were assessed for their accuracy in identifying perforator location and source-vessel anatomy, as determined by operative findings from 18 hemi-abdomens. The margin of error (MOE) for perforator localization using 3DVM was calculated and compared with CTA-derived measurements for the same patients. Flap harvest times, outcomes, and complications for patients who were preoperatively mapped using 3DVM versus CTA alone were analyzed.

Results Overall, complete concordance was observed between 3DVM and operative findings with regards to perforator number, source-vessel origin, and DIEA branching pattern. By comparison, CTA interpretation of these parameters inaccurately identified branching pattern and perforator source-vessel origin in 28 and 33% of hemi-abdomens, respectively (p = 0.045 and p = 0.02). Compared with operative measurements, the average MOE for perforator localization using 3DVM was significantly lower than that obtained from CTA alone (0.81 vs. 8.71 mm, p < 0.0001). Reference of 3D-printed models, intraoperatively, was associated with a mean reduction in flap harvest time by 21 minutes (60.7 vs. 81.7 minutes, p < 0.001). Although not statistically significant, rates of perforator-level injury, microvascular insufficiency, and fat necrosis were lower among patients mapped using 3DVM.

Conclusion The results of this study support the accuracy of 3DVM for identifying DIEA topography and perforator location. Application of this technology may translate to enhanced operative efficiency and fewer perfusion-related complications for patients undergoing abdominal free flap breast reconstruction.
Routine Postoperative Antithrombotic Therapy in Pediatric Liver Transplantation: Impact on Bleeding and Thrombotic Complications
Authors: Werner Maureen J. M. , de Kleine Ruben H. J. , de Boer Marieke T. , de Meijer Vincent E. , Scheenstra René , Verkade Henkjan J. , Bodewes Frank A. J. A. , Bontemps Sander T. H. , Reyntjens Koen M. E. M. , Dikkers Riksta , Lisman Ton , Porte Robert J.
Published: January 2020

Background Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT) are serious causes of morbidity and mortality after pediatric liver transplantation. To reduce thrombotic complications, routine antithrombotic therapy consisting of 1 week heparin followed by 3 months acetylsalicylic acid, was implemented in our pediatric liver transplant program in 2003. This study aimed to evaluate incidences of bleeding and thrombotic complications since the implementation of routine antithrombotic therapy and to identify risk factors for these complications.

Methods This retrospective cohort study includes 200 consecutive pediatric primary liver transplantations performed between 2003 and 2016. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis, Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox regression analysis were used to evaluate recipient outcome.

Results HAT occurred in 15 (7.5%), PVT in 4 (2.0%), and venous outflow tract thrombosis in 2 (1.0%) recipients. Intraoperative vascular interventions (odds ratio [OR] 14.45 [95% confidence interval [CI] 3.75–55.67]), low recipient age (OR 0.81 [0.69–0.95]), and donor age (OR 0.96 [0.93–0.99]) were associated with posttransplant thrombosis. Clinically relevant bleeding occurred in 37%. Risk factors were high recipient age (OR 1.08 [1.02–1.15]), high Child–Pugh scores (OR 1.14 [1.02–1.28]), and intraoperative blood loss in mL/kg (OR 1.003 [1.001–1.006]). Both posttransplant thrombotic (hazard ratio [HR] 3.38 [1.36–8.45]; p = 0.009) and bleeding complications (HR 2.50 [1.19–5.24]; p = 0.015) significantly increased mortality.

Conclusion In 200 consecutive pediatric liver transplant recipients receiving routine postoperative antithrombotic therapy, we report low incidences of posttransplant vascular complications. Posttransplant antithrombotic therapy seems to be a valuable strategy in pediatric liver transplantation. Identified risk factors for bleeding and thrombotic complications might facilitate a more personalized approach in antithrombotic therapy.
Pneumocystis jiroveci
Authors: Fishman Jay A.
Published: January 2020

Pneumocystis jiroveci remains an important fungal pathogen in a broad range of immunocompromised hosts. The natural reservoir of infection remains unknown. Pneumocystis jiroveci Pneumonia (PJP) develops via airborne transmission or reactivation of inadequately treated infection. Nosocomial clusters of infection have been described among immunocompromised hosts. Subclinical infection or colonization may occur. Pneumocystis pneumonia occurs most often within 6 months of organ transplantation and with intensified or prolonged immunosuppression, notably with corticosteroids. Infection is also common during neutropenia and low-lymphocyte counts, with hypogammaglobulinemia, and following cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The clinical presentation generally includes fever, dyspnea with hypoxemia, and nonproductive cough. Chest radiographic patterns are best visualized by computed tomography (CT) scan with diffuse interstitial processes. Laboratory examination reveals hypoxemia, elevated serum lactic dehydrogenase levels, and elevated serum (1→3) β-D-glucan assays. Specific diagnosis is achieved using respiratory specimens with direct immunofluorescent staining; invasive procedures may be required and are important to avoid unnecessary therapies. Quantitative nucleic acid amplification is a useful adjunct to diagnosis but may be overly sensitive. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) remains the drug of choice for therapy; drug allergy should be documented before resorting to alternative therapies. Adjunctive corticosteroids may be useful early in the clinical course; aggressive reductions in immunosuppression may provoke immune reconstitution syndromes. Pneumocystis pneumonia (PJP) prophylaxis is recommended and effective for immunocompromised individuals in the most commonly affected risk groups.
Cryptococcosis
Authors: Zavala Sofia , Baddley John W.
Published: January 2020

Cryptococcosis has become an important infection in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. Although Cryptococcus is mainly recognized by its ability to cause meningoencephalitis, it can infect almost any organ of the human body, with pulmonary infection being the second most common disease manifestation. In cases of meningitis, symptom onset may be insidious, but headaches, fevers, or mental status changes should warrant diagnostic testing. Symptoms of pulmonary disease are nonspecific and may include fever, chills, cough, malaise, night sweats, dyspnea, weight loss, and hemoptysis. Due to protean manifestations of infection, diagnosis may be delayed or misdiagnosis may occur. Diagnosis typically is made by antigen testing of serum or cerebrospinal fluid or by culture or histopathology of infected tissues. A lumbar puncture with the measurement of opening pressure is recommended for patients with suspected or proven cryptococcosis. Treatment of cryptococcosis is based on the anatomical site of disease, severity of disease, and underlying immune status of the patient. Amphotericin B preparations plus 5-flucytosine is used as initial treatment of meningitis, disseminated infection, or moderate-to-severe pulmonary infection followed by fluconazole as a consolidation therapy. Fluconazole is effective for mild-to-moderate pulmonary infection. Important complications include elevated intracranial pressure and immune reconstitution syndrome, which may resemble active disease.
Information Extraction from Echocardiography Reports for a Clinical Follow-up Study—Comparison of Extracted Variables Intended for General Use in a Data Warehouse with Those Intended Specifically for the Study
Authors: Kaspar Mathias , Morbach Caroline , Fette Georg , Ertl Maximilian , Seidlmayer Lea K. , Krebs Jonathan , Dietrich Georg , Liman Leon , Puppe Frank , Störk Stefan
Published: January 2020

Background The interest in information extraction from clinical reports for secondary data use is increasing. But experience with the productive use of information extraction processes over time is scarce. A clinical data warehouse has been in use at our university hospital for several years, which also provides an information extraction of echocardiography reports developed for general use.

Objectives This study aims to illustrate the difficulties encountered, while using data from a preexisting information extraction process for a large clinical study. To compare the data from the preexisting process with the data obtained from a specially developed process designed to improve the quality and completeness of the study data.

Methods We extracted the echocardiography variables for 440 patients from the general-use information extraction of the data warehouse (678 reports). Then we developed an information extraction process for the same variables but specifically for this study, with the aim to extract as much information as possible from the text. The extracted data of both processes were compared with a newly created gold standard defined by a cardiologist with long-standing experience in heart failure.

Results Among 57 echocardiography variables considered relevant for the study, 50 were documented in the routine text reports and could be extracted. Twenty of the required variables were not provided by the general-use extraction process, some others were not provided correctly. The median macro F1-score (precision, recall) across the 30 variables for which values were extracted was 0.81 (0.94, 0.77). Across all 50 variables, as relevant for the study, median macro F1-score was only 0.49 (0.56, 0.46). Employing the study-specific approach considerably improved the quality and completeness of the variables, resulting in F1-scores of 0.97 (0.98, 0.96) across all variables.

Conclusion Data from information extractions can be used for large clinical studies. However, preexisting information extraction processes should be treated with caution, as the time and effort spent defining each variable in the information extraction process may not be clear.
Effect of Side-Chain Variation on Single-Crystalline Structures for Revealing the Structure–Property Relationships of Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Yang Chen , Yuan Liu , Zhou Ruimin , Wang Zhen , Zhang Jianqi , Zhang Yajie , Lu Kun , Wei Zhixiang
Published: January 2020

The molecular stacking assembly in the active layer plays a significant role in the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, we report two new small molecular donors with different side chains, FBT-O and FBT-H, and their corresponding fullerene-based OSCs. A slight change in the side chains led to a big difference in the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Although the molecular structures of the two donors are similar to each other, PCEs of the devices based on FBT-O were almost three times higher than those of the devices based on FBT-H, with manifold short-circuit current density, fill factor, as well as three orders of magnitude enhancement in the hole mobility. The difference in their single crystal structures was thoroughly investigated, whereby the FBT-O exhibited better planarity leading to appropriate phase separation and domain size. Furthermore, two-dimensional grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering results of the blend films revealed that the two donors retained a similar stacking structure as compared to the single-crystal structures, thus, establishing a clear relationship between the molecular stacking structure and the device performance.
Understanding the persistence of history-related issues in Sino–Japanese relations: from memory to forgetting
Authors: Gustafsson Karl
Published: January 2020

Disputes over collective memory are a common source of bilateral friction in international politics. For example, differences over war memory have negatively impacted Sino–Japanese relations for many decades, despite apologies and other attempts to deal with the problems. Why are history-related issues so persistent? Existing explanations suggest, for example, that efforts to improve relations have been insufficient, or that collective memory is used instrumentally for political expediency. This article contributes to this discussion by shifting the conceptual focus from memory to forgetting. It argues that dominant notions offorgettingasfading awayanddenialoften facilitate an understanding of collective memory in terms of security. It suggests that a conceptualization of forgetting that sees it asinherent to all rememberingcould ameliorate tension over collective memory by making those involved in international memory politics recognize that not only others forget, but that they themselves also do so as they remember.
Heavily n-doped Ge: Low-temperature magnetoresistance properties on the metallic side of the metal–nonmetal transition
Authors: Ferreira da Silva A. , Toloza Sandoval M. A. , Levine A. , Levinson E. , Boudinov H. , Sernelius B. E.
Published: January 2020

We report here an experimental and theoretical study on the magnetoresistance properties of heavily phosphorous doped germanium on the metallic side of the metal–nonmetal transition. An anomalous regime, formed by negative values of the magnetoresistance, was observed by performing low-temperature measurements and explained within the generalized Drude model, due to the many-body effects. It reveals a key mechanism behind the magnetoresistance properties at low temperatures and, therefore, constitutes a path to its manipulation in such materials of great interest in fundamental physics and technological applications.
Stability of the Malvinas Current
Authors: Beron-Vera F. J. , Bodnariuk N. , Saraceno M. , Olascoaga M. J. , Simionato C.
Published: January 2020

Deterministic and probabilistic tools from nonlinear dynamics are used to assess enduring near-surface Lagrangian aspects of the Malvinas Current. The deterministic tools are applied to a multiyear record of velocities derived from satellite altimetry data, revealing a resilient cross-stream transport barrier. This is composed of shearless-parabolic Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs), which, extracted over sliding time windows along the multiyear altimetry-derived velocity record, lie in near-coincidental position. The probabilistic tools are applied on a large collection of historical satellite-tracked drifter trajectories, revealing weakly communicating flow regions as basins of attraction for long-time asymptotic almost-invariant sets on either side of the altimetry-derived barrier. Shearless-parabolic LCSs are detected for the first time from altimetry data, and their significance is supported on satellite-derived ocean color data, which reveal shapes that quite closely resemble the peculiar V shapes, dubbed “chevrons,” that have recently confirmed the presence of similar LCSs in the atmosphere of Jupiter. Finally, using available in situ velocity and hydrographic data, sufficient and necessary conditions for nonlinear symmetric stability are found to be satisfied, suggesting a duality between Lagrangian and Eulerian stability for the Malvinas Current.
Screened range-separated hybrid by balancing the compact and slowly varying density regimes: Satisfaction of local density linear response
Authors: Jana Subrata , Patra Abhilash , Constantin Lucian A. , Samal Prasanjit
Published: January 2020

Due to their quantitative accuracy and ability to solve several difficulties, screened range-separated hybrid exchange-correlation functionals are now a standard approach for ab initio simulation of condensed matter systems. However, the screened range-separated hybrid functionals proposed so far are biased either toward compact or slowly varying densities. In this paper, we propose a screened range-separated hybrid functional, named HSEint, which can well describe these density regimes, achieving good accuracy for both molecular and solid-state systems. The semilocal part of the proposed functional is based on the PBEint generalized gradient approximation [E. Fabiano et al., Phys. Rev. B 82, 113104 (2010)], constructed for hybrid interfaces. To improve the functional performance, we employ exact or nearly exact constraints in the construction of range-separated hybrid functional, such as recovering of the local density linear response and semiclassical atom linear response.
Proposed design and optimization of a higher harmonic cavity for ALS-U
Authors: Feng H. , De Santis S. , Baptiste K. , Huang W. , Tang C. , Li D.
Published: January 2020

Higher harmonic cavities (HHCs), also known as Landau cavities, have been proposed to increase the beam lifetime and Landau damping by lengthening the bunch and increasing the synchrotron tune spread. Here, we present an optimized 1.5 GHz normal conducting HHC design for the Advanced Light Source Upgrade project at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab with a superconducting-like geometry for lower R/Q. The optimization goal is to reach the required shunt impedance while maintaining a relatively high Q value of the cavities. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA)-based optimization process is applied to optimize the radio frequency (RF) design. This study serves as an example of how a genetic algorithm can be used to optimize RF cavities. Detailed exploration and characterization of the MOGA-based RF cavity optimization have been demonstrated from the aspects of minimizing the coupled bunch instabilities and analyzing the higher-order modes and the corresponding impedance of the HHC.