bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A qualitative study exploring the process of postmortem brain tissue donation after suicide
Authors: Padoan Carolina Stopinski , Garcia Lucas França , Crespo Kleber Cardoso , Longaray Vanessa Kenne , Martini Murilo , Contessa Júlia Camargo , Kapczinski Flávio , de Oliveira Francine Hehn , Goldim José Roberto , VS Magalhães Pedro
Published: March 2022

Access to postmortem brain tissue can be valuable in refining knowledge on the pathophysiology and genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders. Obtaining postmortem consent for the donation after death by suicide can be difficult, as families may be overwhelmed by a violent and unexpected death. Examining the process of brain donation can inform on how the request can best be conducted. This is a qualitative study with in-depth interviews with forty-one people that were asked to consider brain donation—32 who had consented to donation and 9 who refused it. Data collection and analyses were carried out according to grounded theory. Five key themes emerged from data analysis: the context of the families, the invitation to talk to the research team, the experience with the request protocol, the participants’ assessment of the experience, and their participation in the study as an opportunity to heal. The participants indicated that a brain donation request that is respectful and tactful can be made without adding to the family distress brought on by suicide and pondering brain donation was seen as an opportunity to transform the meaning of the death and invest it with a modicum of solace for being able to contribute to research.
Serum markers of cardiac complications in a systemic sclerosis cohort
Authors: Tennøe Anders H. , Murbræch Klaus , Didriksen Henriette , Ueland Thor , Palchevskiy Vyacheslav , Weigt Stephen S. , Fretheim Håvard , Midtvedt Øyvind , Garen Torhild , Brunborg Cathrine , Aukrust Pål , Molberg Øyvind , Belperio John A. , Hoffmann-Vold Anna-Maria
Published: March 2022

Primary cardiac involvement is one of the leading causes of mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but little is known regarding circulating biomarkers for cardiac SSc. Here, we aimed to investigate potential associations between cardiac SSc and candidate serum markers. Serum samples from patients of the Oslo University SSc cohort and 100 healthy controls were screened against two custom-made candidate marker panels containing molecules deemed relevant for cardiopulmonary and/or fibrotic diseases. Left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction was assessed by protocol echocardiography, performed within three years from serum sampling. Patients suspected of pulmonary hypertension underwent right heart catheterization. Vital status at study end was available for all patients. Descriptive analyses, logistic and Cox regressions were conducted to assess associations between cardiac SSc and candidate serum markers. The 371 patients presented an average age of 57.2 (± 13.9) years. Female sex (84%) and limited cutaneous SSc (73%) were predominant. Association between LV diastolic dysfunction and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.21–0.78, p = 0.007) was identified. LV systolic dysfunction defined by global longitudinal strain was associated with angiopoietin 2 (ANGPT2) (OR 3.42, 95% CI 1.52–7.71, p = 0.003) and osteopontin (OPN) (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.08–3.52, p = 0.026). RV systolic dysfunction, measured by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, was associated to markers of LV dysfunction (ANGPT2, OPN, and TRAIL) (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.11–2.50, p = 0.014, OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.25–2.77, p = 0.002, OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.15–0.66, p = 0.002, respectively) and endostatin (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.22–2.84, p = 0.004). In conclusion, ANGPT2, OPN and TRAIL seem to be circulating biomarkers associated with both LV and RV dysfunction in SSc.
Record low sea ice extent in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica in April/May 2019 driven by intense and explosive polar cyclones
Authors: Jena B. , Bajish C. C. , Turner J. , Ravichandran M. , Anilkumar N. , Kshitija S.
Published: March 2022

Sea ice extent (SIE) in the Weddell Sea attained exceptionally low levels in April (1.97 million km2) and May (3.06 million km2) 2019, with the values being ~22% below the long-term mean. Using in-situ, satellite and atmospheric reanalysis data, we show the large negative SIE anomalies were driven by the passage of a series of intense and explosive polar cyclones (with record low pressure), also known as atmospheric ‘bombs’, which had atmospheric rivers on their eastern flanks. These storms led to the poleward propagation of record-high swell and wind waves (~9.6 m), resulting in southward ice advection (~50 km). Thermodynamic processes also played a part, including record anomalous atmospheric heat (>138 W m−2) and moisture (>300 kg m−1s−1) fluxes from midlatitudes, along with ocean mixed-layer warming (>2 °C). The atmospheric circulation anomalies were associated with an amplified wave number three pattern leading to enhanced meridional flow between midlatitudes and the Antarctic.
Surfactant-free starch-graphene composite films as simultaneous oxygen and water vapour barriers
Authors: Zhao Wei , Sugunan Abhilash , Gillgren Thomas , Larsson Johan A. , Zhang Zhi-Bin , Zhang Shi-Li , Sommertune Jens , Dobryden Illia , Ahniyaz Anwar
Published: March 2022

A single coating formulation for multifunctional composites, such as a gas barrier against both oxygen and water vapour, is the holy grail for the packaging industry. Since the last decade, graphene has been touted as the ideal barrier material in composites due to its morphology and impermeability to all gases. However, this prospect is limited by either poor dispersion of graphene or excess surfactants to aid the dispersion, both leading to shortcuts that allow gas permeation through the composite. Here, we demonstrate a combined gas barrier with starch-graphene composite films made from a single formulation of surfactant-free starch nanoparticle-stabilized graphene dispersion (2.97 mg mL−1). Hence, the incorporated graphene reduces the permeability of both the oxygen and the water vapour by over 70% under all the relative humidity conditions tested. Moreover, these films are foldable and electrically conductive (9.5 S m−1). Our surfactant-free approach of incorporating graphene into an industrially important biopolymer is highly relevant to the packaging industry, thus offering cost-effective and water-based solution depositions of multifunctional composite films for wide-ranging applications, such as gas barriers in food packaging.
Functional polymeric passivation-led improvement of bias stress with long-term durability of edge-rich nanoporous MoS2 thin-film transistors
Authors: Park Heekyeong , Choi Junhwan , Shim Junoh , Lee Seung Min , On Sungmin , Yun Hyung Joong , Kim Sunkook , Im Sung Gap , Yoo Hocheon
Published: March 2022

Nanoporous patterning of two-dimensional materials using block copolymer lithography has drawn much attention. Lateral edge exposures made by the nanoporous patterning provide electrical and optical characteristics that are different from the original materials. However, nanopatterning processes inevitably generate edge exposure and surface defects that may result in poor reliability and reproducibility of the devices. In this study, we propose a reliable method to passivate nanoporous molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) thin-film transistors (TFTs) using polymer thin films, synthesized by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) to improve the electrical stability of nanoporous MoS2 TFTs. To this end, functional polymer films of electron-donating poly(1-vinylimidzole) (pVI) and inert poly(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl methacrylate) (pPFDMA) were utilized as passivation layers on nanoporous MoS2 TFTs. An n-type doping effect was observed in the pVI-deposited nanoporous MoS2 film due to the electron-donating imidazole ring, whereas the inert pPFDMA efficiently stabilized the electrical characteristics of the nanoporous MoS2 TFTs. Moreover, the hydrophobic fluoroalkyl chain of the pPFDMA film efficiently prevented oxygen and moisture adsorption on the nanoporous MoS2. The superior passivation effect of the pPFDMA layer was confirmed using gate-bias stress tests and long-term storage tests under ambient conditions.
Health app policy: international comparison of nine countries’ approaches
Authors: Essén Anna , Stern Ariel D. , Haase Christoffer Bjerre , Car Josip , Greaves Felix , Paparova Dragana , Vandeput Steven , Wehrens Rik , Bates David W.
Published: March 2022

An abundant and growing supply of digital health applications (apps) exists in the commercial tech-sector, which can be bewildering for clinicians, patients, and payers. A growing challenge for the health care system is therefore to facilitate the identification of safe and effective apps for health care practitioners and patients to generate the most health benefit as well as guide payer coverage decisions. Nearly all developed countries are attempting to define policy frameworks to improve decision-making, patient care, and health outcomes in this context. This study compares the national policy approaches currently in development/use for health apps in nine countries. We used secondary data, combined with a detailed review of policy and regulatory documents, and interviews with key individuals and experts in the field of digital health policy to collect data about implemented and planned policies and initiatives. We found that most approaches aim for centralized pipelines for health app approvals, although some countries are adding decentralized elements. While the countries studied are taking diverse paths, there is nevertheless broad, international convergence in terms of requirements in the areas of transparency, health content, interoperability, and privacy and security. The sheer number of apps on the market in most countries represents a challenge for clinicians and patients. Our analyses of the relevant policies identified challenges in areas such as reimbursement, safety, and privacy and suggest that more regulatory work is needed in the areas of operationalization, implementation and international transferability of approvals. Cross-national efforts are needed around regulation and for countries to realize the benefits of these technologies.
Motivational signals disrupt metacognitive signals in the human ventromedial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Hoven Monja , Brunner Gina , de Boer Nina S. , Goudriaan Anna E. , Denys Damiaan , van Holst Ruth J. , Luigjes Judy , Lebreton Maël
Published: March 2022

A growing body of evidence suggests that, during decision-making, BOLD signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) correlates both with motivational variables – such as incentives and expected values – and metacognitive variables – such as confidence judgments – which reflect the subjective probability of being correct. At the behavioral level, we recently demonstrated that the value of monetary stakes bias confidence judgments, with gain (respectively loss) prospects increasing (respectively decreasing) confidence judgments, even for similar levels of difficulty and performance. If and how this value-confidence interaction is reflected in the VMPFC remains unknown. Here, we used an incentivized perceptual decision-making fMRI task that dissociates key decision-making variables, thereby allowing to test several hypotheses about the role of the VMPFC in the value-confidence interaction. While our initial analyses seemingly indicate that the VMPFC combines incentives and confidence to form an expected value signal, we falsified this conclusion with a meticulous dissection of qualitative activation patterns. Rather, our results show that strong VMPFC confidence signals observed in trials with gain prospects are disrupted in trials with no – or negative (loss) – monetary prospects. Deciphering how decision variables are represented and interact at finer scales seems necessary to better understand biased (meta)cognition.
Computational screening methodology identifies effective solvents for CO2 capture
Authors: Orlov Alexey A. , Valtz Alain , Coquelet Christophe , Rozanska Xavier , Wimmer Erich , Marcou Gilles , Horvath Dragos , Poulain Bénédicte , Varnek Alexandre , de Meyer Frédérick
Published: March 2022

Carbon capture and storage technologies are projected to increasingly contribute to cleaner energy transitions by significantly reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel-driven power and industrial plants. The industry standard technology for CO2 capture is chemical absorption with aqueous alkanolamines, which are often being mixed with an activator, piperazine, to increase the overall CO2 absorption rate. Inefficiency of the process due to the parasitic energy required for thermal regeneration of the solvent drives the search for new tertiary amines with better kinetics. Improving the efficiency of experimental screening using computational tools is challenging due to the complex nature of chemical absorption. We have developed a novel computational approach that combines kinetic experiments, molecular simulations and machine learning for the in silico screening of hundreds of prospective candidates and identify a class of tertiary amines that absorbs CO2 faster than a typical commercial solvent when mixed with piperazine, which was confirmed experimentally.
Quantification and classification of engineered, incidental, and natural cerium-containing particles by spICP-TOFMS
Authors: Szakas Sarah E. , Lancaster Richard , Kaegi Ralf , Gundlach-Graham Alexander
Published: March 2022

Multi-elemental spICP-TOFMS is used to simultaneously classify mixtures of engineered, incidental, and natural Ce-containing nanoparticles based on conserved Ce : La and Ce : Nd ratios in natural Ce particles.
Review of chloramine decay models in drinking water system
Authors: Hossain Sharif , Chow Christopher W. K. , Cook David , Sawade Emma , Hewa Guna A.
Published: March 2022

Major pathways of monochloramine disinfectant decay, kinetics involved, various influencing factors and the existing models to determine the chloramine decay in drinking water distribution systems are reviewed.
Direct observation of protein structural transitions through entire amyloid aggregation processes in water using 2D-IR spectroscopy
Authors: Chun So Yeon , Son Myung Kook , Park Chae Ri , Lim Chaiho , Kim Hugh I. , Kwak Kyungwon , Cho Minhaeng
Published: March 2022

This study aims to understand the structural transition dynamics of INS during amyloid aggregation in H2O using 2D-IR spectroscopy. The results show that distinct fibrillations in D2O and H2O originated from different quaternary structures of INS.
Cavity enhanced lab-on-fiber optrode for ultra-sensitive pH monitoring
Authors: Gambino Federica , Cicatiello Paola , Giaquinto Martino , Micco Alberto , Aliberti Anna , Cusano Angela Maria , Ricciardi Armando , Cusano Andrea
Published: March 2022

pH-Responsive microgels placed between two gold films form a Fabry–Perot cavity above an optical fiber tip. The pH variations modulate the cavity length causing a huge wavelength shift of the reflection interference fringes in a wide pH range.
Design of above-room-temperature ferroelectric two-dimensional layered halide perovskites
Authors: Siwach Puneet , Sikarwar Poonam , Halpati Jigar Shaileshkumar , Chandiran Aravind Kumar
Published: March 2022

This review provides design strategies for developing above-room temperature 2D halide perovskite ferroelectrics. The role of polarization in optoelectronics has been reviewed, and a roadmap for developing high-efficiency devices has been proposed.
Functional pH-responsive polymers containing dynamic enaminone linkages for the release of active organic amines
Authors: Efstathiou Spyridon , Ma Congkai , Coursari Despina , Patias Georgios , Al-Shok Lucas , Eissa Ahmed M. , Haddleton David M.
Published: March 2022

Dynamic covalent bonds have attracted considerable attention for the development of pH-responsive polymers, however, studies using acid-cleavable enaminone linkages as a means of controlled amine release in water are limited.
A copper-based metal–organic framework with a suitable pore environment for effective ethylene purification
Authors: Zhang Xiaolai , Fu Mingyue , Liu Hongyan , Wang Yutong , Zou Yecheng , Wang Li , Li Chenhao , Lu Yong , Zhou Liangliang , Cui Xiangyu
Published: March 2022

Complex 1 based on Cu-MOF with a suitable pore environment and high stability can effectively purify ethylene from any proportion of an ethylene/acetylene mixture.
Modulating electronic and optical properties of monolayered MoS2 by covalent mono- and bisfunctionalization
Authors: Wang Kangli , Kapitzke Marco , Green Lauren , Paulus Beate
Published: March 2022

Using state-of-the-art ab initio computational methods, the structural, electronic and optical properties of 2H- and 1T′-MoS2 are investigated upon covalent mono- and bisfunctionalization.
Inhibition of RIP3 increased ADSC viability under OGD and modified the competency of adipogenesis, angiogenesis, and inflammation regulation
Authors: Yang Zhenyu , Qi Zuoliang , Yang Xiaonan , Gao Qiuni , Hu Yuling , Yuan Xihang
Published: March 2022

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) showed decreased cell viability and increased cell death under oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Meanwhile, vital necroptotic proteins, including receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIP) 3 (RIP3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like pseudokinase (MLKL), were expressed in the early stage. The present study aims to explore the effect of necroptosis inhibition on ADSCs. ADSCs were obtained from normal human subcutaneous fat and verified by multidirectional differentiation and flow cytometry. By applying cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), calcein/propidium iodide (PI) staining and immunostaining, we determined the OGD treatment time of 4 h, a timepoint when the cells showed a significant decrease in viability and increased protein expression of RIP3, phosphorylated RIP3 (pRIP3) and phosphorylated MLKL (pMLKL). After pretreatment with the inhibitor of RIP3, necroptotic protein expression decreased under OGD conditions, and cell necrosis decreased. Transwell assays proved that cell migration ability was retained. Furthermore, the expression of the adipogenic transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and quantitative analysis of Oil Red O staining increased in the inhibitor group. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and the migration test suggest that OGD increases the secretion of vascular factors, promotes the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and forms unstable neovascularization. ELISA revealed that inhibition of RIP3 increased the secretion of the anti-inflammatory factor, interleukin (IL)-10 (IL-10) and reduced the expression of the proinflammatory factor IL-1β. Inhibition of RIP3 can reduce the death of ADSCs, retain their migration ability and adipogenic differentiation potential, reduce unstable neovascularization and inhibit the inflammatory response.
Toward Automated Articulation Rate Analysis via Connected Speech in Dysarthrias
Authors: Illner Vojtěch , Tykalová Tereza , Novotný Michal , Klempíř Jiří , Dušek Petr , Rusz Jan
Published: March 2022

Purpose:

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of different approaches for estimating the articulation rates in connected speech of Parkinsonian patients with different stages of neurodegeneration compared to healthy controls.

Method:

Monologues and reading passages were obtained from 25 patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), 25 de novo patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 20 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 20 healthy controls. The recordings were subsequently evaluated using eight syllable localization algorithms, and their performances were compared to a manual transcript used as a reference.

Results:

The Google & Pyphen method, based on automatic speech recognition followed by hyphenation, outperformed the other approaches (automated vs. hand transcription:r> .87 for monologues andr> .91 for reading passages,p< .001) in precise feature estimates and resilience to dysarthric speech. The Praat script algorithm achieved sufficient robustness (automated vs. hand transcription:r> .65 for monologues andr> .78 for reading passages,p< .001). Compared to the control group, we detected a slow rate in patients with MSA and a tendency toward a slower rate in patients with iRBD, whereas the articulation rate was unchanged in patients with early untreated PD.

Conclusions:

The state-of-the-art speech recognition tool provided the most precise articulation rate estimates. If speech recognizer is not accessible, the freely available Praat script based on simple intensity thresholding might still provide robust properties even in severe dysarthria. Automated articulation rate assessment may serve as a natural, inexpensive biomarker for monitoring disease severity and a differential diagnosis of Parkinsonism.
Using the Experience Sampling Method to Examine the Details of Dosage in School-Based Speech Sound Therapy
Authors: Farquharson Kelly , McIlraith Autumn , Tambyraja Sherine , Constantino Christopher
Published: March 2022

Purpose:

The purpose of this project was to collect practice-based evidence regarding dosage in speech sound therapy sessions in school-based settings. Dosage is the number of trials within a therapy session for any one particular child. School-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face a variety of obstacles to service delivery, often making the implementation of evidence-based practices difficult. To that end, we were interested in exploring how therapy parameters, such as group size and session frequency were associated with dosage.

Method:

Using the experience sampling method, we queried school-based SLPs (n= 90) across the United States. SLPs participated via a phone application, which randomly alerted them to participate 3 times per day for 5 days. SLPs also completed a demographic questionnaire that included information regarding caseload size and job satisfaction.

Results:

We report results from 670 therapy sessions. Results revealed that the therapy parameter of group size was negatively related to dosage. The SLP parameter of caseload size was positively related to dosage, but this was a small association. The child parameter of comorbidity was negatively related to dosage.

Conclusions:

Our results support that as group size increases, children receive smaller doses of speech sound practice. Similarly, children who have a reported comorbidity received smaller doses compared to children who have an isolated speech sound disorder. We discuss implications for school-based practitioners and researchers.
Cultural Adaptations to Parent-Mediated Autism Spectrum Disorder Interventions for Latin American Families: A Scoping Review
Authors: DuBay Michaela
Published: March 2022

Purpose:

This scoping review maps research in parent-mediated autism spectrum disorder interventions culturally adapted for Latin American populations, to provide an overview of the available evidence across perspectives and disciplines and to identify gaps in the research knowledge base.

Method:

A systematic search for relevant articles was conducted using six databases and archival and forward hand searches of articles that met inclusion criteria. Titles and abstracts were reviewed by three authors, followed by full-text reviews of remaining articles. Twenty-one articles met inclusion criteria and were retained for data extraction. The ecological validity framework was used to frame data analysis and results.

Results:

In total, 19 studies described unique implementations of 16 different interventions, which spanned 21 articles, representing a range of study designs and implementing a variety of adaptations. Most adaptations consisted of surface-structure changes, spanning the dimensions of language, concepts, methods, context, and persons. Few articles were identified that described international studies or studies examining direct parent-mediated strategies with large sample sizes and strong methodological designs.

Conclusions:

Several intervention adaptations that have potential for clinical utility are presented. Clinicians working with Latin American families are encouraged to discuss potential adaptations openly with families before choosing and implementing specific strategies.
What Can Altered Auditory Feedback Paradigms Tell Us About Vocal Motor Control in Individuals With Voice Disorders?
Authors: Weerathunge Hasini R. , Tomassi Nicole E. , Stepp Cara E.
Published: March 2022

Purpose:

The goal of this review article is to provide a summary of the progression of altered auditory feedback (AAF) as a method to understand the pathophysiology of voice disorders. This review article focuses on populations with voice disorders that have thus far been studied using AAF, including individuals with Parkinson's disease, cerebellar degeneration, hyperfunctional voice disorders, vocal fold paralysis, and laryngeal dystonia. Studies using AAF have found that individuals with Parkinson's disease, cerebellar degeneration, and laryngeal dystonia have hyperactive auditory feedback responses due to differing underlying causes. In persons with PD, the hyperactivity may be a compensatory mechanism for atypically weak feedforward motor control. In individuals with cerebellar degeneration and laryngeal dystonia, the reasons for hyperactivity remain unknown. Individuals with hyperfunctional voice disorders may have auditory–motor integration deficits, suggesting atypical updating of feedforward motor control.

Conclusions:

These findings have the potential to provide critical insights to clinicians in selecting the most effective therapy techniques for individuals with voice disorders. Future collaboration between clinicians and researchers with the shared objective of improving AAF as an ecologically feasible and valid tool for clinical assessment may provide more personalized therapy targets for individuals with voice disorders.
Predicting cumulative effect of lifestyle risk factors for complex disease
Authors: Effiok Emmanuel , Liu Enjie , Hitchcock Jon
Published: March 2022

In medical domain, risk factors are often used to model disease predictions. In order to make the most use of the predictive models, linking the model with real patient data generates personalized disease progression and predictions. However, the risk factors are fragmented all over medical literature, certain risks can be accumulated for a disease and the aggregated probability may increase or decrease the occurrence of a disease. In this paper, a risk predictive framework which forms a base for a complete risk prediction model that can be used for various health applications is proposed.
Gesture recognition based on modified Yolov5s
Authors: Hu Dunli , Zhu Jun , Liu Jiayu , Wang Jiaju , Zhang Xiaoping
Published: March 2022

With the development of artificial intelligence technology, human–computer interaction technology through gestures, images and voices has gradually become a hot topic for discussion. A modified Yolov5s gesture recognition method is proposed in the field of human–computer cooperation by optimizing the network structure of Yolov5s backbone, CNN is replaced by Ghostbottleneck module to increase the target occlusion recognition rate. Secondly, tensor stitching is added to the output of Ghostbottleneck module for up sampling to strengthen the reuse of image features. Finally, the detection ability of the improved model in the face of complex environment is verified on the self‐made data set. Experimental results show that, the mAP@0.5 (mean average precision) of the modified Yolov5s is 94.49%, the AP (average precision) is 94.2%. By comparing the Yolov5s algorithm, Yolov4 algorithm,Yolov3 algorithm and SSD algorithm, the detection accuracy of the modified method has been significantly improved, which can fully meet the application requirements of real‐time detection of gesture‐controlled robots.
Microwave‐assisted torrefaction and pyrolysis of rice straw pellets for bioenergy
Authors: Prashanth Peter Francis , Gurrala Lakshmiprasad , Mohan Ravula Vishnu , Sarvanakumar Krishnasamy , Vinu Ravikrishnan
Published: March 2022

The highlights of this study involve the use of microwave heating for torrefaction and pyrolysis of pelletized rice straw for the generation of high‐quality bio‐char pellets, and thorough energy assessment of the process. The effects of microwave power and final temperature on the product yields and their quality were thoroughly assessed. At 600 W power, the bio‐char yield followed the trend: 33.7 wt.% (800°C) < 35.5 wt.% (600°C) < 55.6 wt.% (300°C). Bio‐char yield was unaffected by microwave power at the final temperature of 300°C. High yield of moisture (23.5 wt.%) with a minimal amount of bio‐oil (10.5 wt.%) and gases (10.7 wt.%) were obtained at 600 W and 300°C. The major functional groups in the bio‐oil were phenols (∼40%), cyclic oxygenates (∼16%), furan derivatives (∼20%) and aliphatic oxygenates (16%). Bio‐char obtained from torrefaction at 600 W and 300°C possessed a calorific value of 17.2 MJ/kg with limiting oxygen index of 36.7%, and power generation potential of 4.8 kWh/kg. Overall, microwave‐assisted torrefaction is shown to be a promising process intensification strategy to derive high‐quality bio‐char in a short time of 5–10 min with high process efficiency (51–56%) and comparable biomass conversion efficiency (∼83%) with respect to conventional pyrolysis.
Retour d’expérience sur l’évolution des méthodes géophysiques pour construire un modèle de sol en mer, utilisable pour des projets géotechniques
Authors: Vergniault Christophe , Pouliquen Sylvain
Published: March 2022

Cet article détaille l’évolution des méthodes de caractérisation géophysique du sous-sol marin en s’appuyant sur une série d’exemples d’acquisition de données EDF. En environnement structural complexe, là où les méthodes géophysiques classiques (Réfraction, MASW, …) ne suffisent pas, EDF utilise de plus en plus l’imagerie par sismique réflexion afin d’accéder au modèle géométrique du sous-sol. Dans un premier temps, les choix d’EDF se sont tournés vers la combinaison de l’imagerie d’un sondeur de sédiments et d’un dispositif sismique plus pénétrant mais également monotrace. Rapidement le constat a été fait que ces dispositifs ne permettaient pas d’obtenir un rapport signal sur bruit suffisant. EDF s’est alors orienté vers des acquisitions sismiques 2D multi-trace et enfin, depuis peu EDF s’intéresse à la réalisation de mini-bloc 3D de très haute résolution. L’apport de ce type de données est sans comparaison en offrant la possibilité de cartographier en 3D les potentiels aléas géologiques impactant les travaux souterrains en mer.
InSAR assets in ground movements survey on abandoned coalfields
Authors: Morel Jacques , Raucoules Daniel , Foumelis Michael , Lemal Sandrine
Published: March 2022

Rising groundwater in abandoned mines may result in ground movements at the surface overlying underground works. Feedbacks on several abandoned coalfields show that ground uplift is generally observed, reaching in some cases several centimetres or more. Although such ground movements, slow and associated with slight slopes, are not expected to generate surface damages, the survey of potential ground movements on abandoned coalfield is necessary, especially to confirm the end of mininginduced subsidence. The most common used method for this mission is levelling. A retro-analysis of ground movements, based on Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique, covering more than 20 years after mine activity ceasing, has been realised on the French abandoned coalfield of Nord-Pas de Calais. This analysis aimed to extend ground movements detection capabilities in areas not covered by levelling as well as compare InSAR analysis to levelling data for evaluating the robustness of satellite-based displacement measurements. InSAR analysis was able to highlight ground movements of a few millimetres per year, with the same order of precision than classical levelling methods. The observed ground displacement patterns expand well beyond the coalfield, indicating the influence of non-mining-induced phenomena, such as local geology and surface morphology. Our findings underline the operational capability of space-borne InSAR for monitoring abandoned coalfields.
3D electrical resistivity tomography geophysical monitoring of the effectiveness of an environmental remediation system by pure oxygen injection
Authors: Seive Benjamin , Bettega Chloé , Rey Etienne
Published: March 2022

A polluted site with hydrocarbons is being actively treated by an innovative approach consisting of improving the effect of aerobic bacteria to depollute the soil. To do so, pure oxygen is added into the ground by an injection borehole. In order to complement soil, water and gas sampling made directly from adjacent monitoring boreholes, a 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT3D) geophysical imaging analysis has been conducted on a monthly basis. The setup consists of 286 electrodes positioned on a 75m x 75m grid centered on the injection borehole. The acquisition is made with more than 45000 apparent resistivity points collected over 4 different array types: Dipole-Dipole, Pole-Dipole, Wenner and Wenner Schlumberger. Over the 5 months survey we have observed that changes in resistivity are mainly located around the injection borehole, especially in the northern and eastern part of the site. The geophysical survey allows a better understanding of the localization, shape and evolution over time of the main pollutants with respect to the injection of O2. This survey demonstrate that 3D electrical resistivity imaging is an efficient tool to quickly map a polluted site and to allow for a better definition of corrective remediation measures.
The Mansurov effect: Statistical significance and the role of autocorrelation
Authors: Edvartsen Jone , Maliniemi Ville , Nesse Tyssøy Hilde , Asikainen Timo , Hatch Spencer
Published: March 2022

The Mansurov effect is related to the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and its ability to modulate the global electric circuit, which is further hypothesized to impact the polar troposphere through cloud generation processes. We investigate the connection between IMFBy-component and polar surface pressure by using daily ERA5 reanalysis for geopotential height since 1980. Previous studies produce a 27-day cyclic response during solar cycle 23 which appears to be significant according to conventional statistical tests. However, we show here that when statistical tests appropriate for strongly autocorrelated variables are applied, there is a fairly high probability of obtaining the cyclic response and associated correlation merely by chance. Our results also show that data from three other solar cycles produce similar cyclic responses as during solar cycle 23, but with seemingly random offset in respect to the timing of the signal. By generating random normally distributed noise with different levels of temporal autocorrelation and using the real IMFBy-time series as forcing, we show that the methods applied to support the Mansurov hypothesis up to now are highly susceptible to random chance as cyclic patterns always arise as artifacts of the methods. The potential non-stationary behavior of the Mansurov effect makes it difficult to achieve solid statistical significance on decadal time scales. We suggest more research on, e.g., seasonal dependence of the Mansurov effect to understand better potential IMF effects in the atmosphere.
Film thickness dependence of ferroelectric properties in polar-axis-oriented epitaxial tetragonal (Bi,K)TiO3 films prepared by hydrothermal method
Authors: Kubota Rurika , Tateyama Akinori , Shiraishi Takahisa , Ito Yoshiharu , Kurosawa Minoru , Funakubo Hiroshi
Published: March 2022

Tetragonal (00l)-oriented epitaxial (Bi,K)TiO3 films were grown at 240 °C on (100)cSrRuO3//(100)SrTiO3 substrates by the hydrothermal method. KOH aqueous solutions and Bi(NO3)3 · 5H2O and TiO2 powders were used as the starting materials. Film thickness was controlled from 33 to 1200 nm by changing the deposition time, and the Bi/(Bi+K) ratio in the A-site of perovskite ABO3 was almost constant for all film thicknesses. Polar-axis (00l)-oriented epitaxial (Bi,K)TiO3 films were obtained without a secondary phase and/or other orientation for all thickness ranges. Large ferroelectricity with the remanent polarization (Pr) of about 84 µC/cm2, comparable to previously reported lead-based ferroelectric films, was observed for (Bi,K)TiO3 films down to 33 nm in thickness. On the other hand, Ec increased with decreasing film thickness, but did not show strong film thickness dependence like other perovskite ferroelectric films. These data are very useful for understanding the degradation mechanism of ferroelectric thin films.
Effects of tensile loading during annealing of alnico melt spun ribbons
Authors: Rinko E. A. , Zhang X. , Tang W. , Lewis L. H. , Kramer M. J. , Anderson I. E.
Published: March 2022

Conventional magnetic annealing (MA) of the permanent magnet alloy alnico involves application of an external magnetic field at temperatures within the spinodal decomposition range. This field biases the growth of the Fe-Co rich, ferromagnetic α1-phase in an energetically favorable 〈001〉 direction in alignment with the applied field within an Al-Ni rich, paramagnetic α2-phase. Utilizing a magnetic field to bias the α1-phase may limit alnico from reaching theoretical coercivity due to (1) the field having maximum biasing ability at temperatures near the Curie temperature where large α1-phase nanorods form and (2) connectivity of the α1-phase occurs unavoidably during MA. Both decrease the effective shape anisotropy of the α1-phase, thereby reducing coercivity. Herein, we explore tensile-loading as a biasing mechanism to control and optimize the final alnico nanostructure beyond that achieved by MA. Two samples of melt-spun alnico were heat-treated at 860 °C for 5 minutes: one sample was subjected to 10 MPa tensile stress for comparison with a stress-free control sample. Structural and magnetic characterization revealed that the stress-annealed ribbon sample possessed expected phase assemblages, but was distinguished by a ∼2× larger grain diameter and an elongated anisotropic α1-phase within grains that were oriented to a shear stress along 〈001〉 directions at an angle of ∼45° relative to the loading direction. Both types of annealing produced a similar increase in the coercivity and remanence, but a decrease in saturation magnetization.
Digital health to support primary care provision during a global pandemic
Authors: Sturgiss Elizabeth , Desborough Jane , Hall Dykgraaf Sally , Matenge Sethunya , Dut Garang , Davis Stephanie , de Toca Lucas , Kelly Paul , Kidd Michael
Published: March 2022

The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia has seen the implementation of digital health technologies to support continuity of high-quality primary care provision. Digital health innovation has been used to operationalise the nation’s pandemic preparedness principles by reducing risk of infection to both healthcare workers and at-risk patients, sustaining care for chronic and acute health conditions, and supporting the mental health of the population. In this perspective piece, we document the Australian Federal government’s digital health response to ensure the ongoing delivery of high-quality primary care. This includes the implementation of telehealth, point-of-care testing, electronic records and e-prescriptions, national primary care data collection and analysis, and digital communication. Digital health has been a critical element of the pandemic response and paves the way for future primary care provision during disasters and emergencies. Further research is needed to capture the effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of these innovations for both patients and primary care practitioners.
Population genetics in microchannels
Authors: Koldaeva Anzhelika , Tsai Hsieh-Fu , Shen Amy Q. , Pigolotti Simone
Published: March 2022

Significance

Many microbial populations proliferate in small channels. In such environments, reproducing cells organize in parallel lanes. Reproducing cells shift these lanes, potentially expelling other cells from the channel. In this paper, we combine theory and experiments to understand how these dynamics affects the diversity of a microbial population. We theoretically predict that genetic diversity is quickly lost along lanes of cells. Our experiments confirm that a population of proliferating
Escherichia coli
in a microchannel organizes into lanes of genetically identical cells within a few generations. Our findings elucidate the effect of lane formation on populations evolution, with potential applications ranging from microbial ecology in soil to dynamics of epithelial tissues in higher organisms.
Produced and perceived authenticity in the Northern Irish TV showDerry Girls
Authors: Díaz-Sierra Sara
Published: March 2022

The success of the Northern Irish TV showDerry Girlsseems partly due to its authentic portrayal of the English spoken in Northern Ireland and, more particularly, in Derry. This paper examines how authentic the performance of the Northern Irish accent by Ma Mary, one of the characters in the comedy, is from the points of view of produced and perceived authenticity. In order to determine the degree of produced authenticity, I investigate whether the pronunciation features present in Ma Mary’s speech are characteristic of Northern Irish English (NIE). On the other hand, an experiment has been designed to test the perceived authenticity of Ma Mary’s performed accent. The experiment consists of asking Northern Irish people to rate a short recording in terms of how authentic its representation of the NIE accent is. The results from the experiment confirm that the accent performed by Ma Mary is authentically Northern Irish.
Colon + Hyphen + Right Paren: At the Origins of Face Semiotics from Smileys to Memes
Authors: Marino Gabriele
Published: March 2022

The article engages with the semiotics of “stylized faces” in online communication, focusing on “smileys.” It reconstructs the origins of both emoticons and emojis, outlining how they differ functionally (paralinguistic signs vs. narrative figures) and commenting on their pragmatics, with regard to the issue of literacy as related to generational fruition. A chronology is provided of the first tokens of smileys in written communication, both before and after the Internet. By relying upon the anthropology of the face dating back to prehistory, the issues of iconism and universality are discussed, supporting the view that there is a strong cultural, conventional component in face depiction, varying diachronically (emoticons versus emojis) and diatopically (emoticons versus kaomojis, i.e., Japanese emoticons). Emoticons and emojis are regarded as prominent examples of intermedia, working at the intersection of written word and image. Finally, stylized digital faces are set in the broader framework of Internet memes, thus discussing the dichotomy between structural memes (the focus is on the formula) and iconic memes (the focus is on the image and, thus, the face). Throughout the text, great care is devoted to the philology of sources, some of them being presented in this form for the first time.
Electronic scattering in half-Heusler thermoelectrics from resistivity data
Authors: Quinn Robert J , Stenning Gavin B G , Bos Jan-Willem G
Published: March 2022

A key part of optimising thermoelectric materials is understanding the electronic scattering mechanism. For half-Heusler (HH) thermoelectrics, the dominant mechanisms are acoustic phonon scattering in pure systems and alloy scattering in highly alloyed systems. In this report, the significance of the residual resistivity ρ
0 is highlighted. Large ρ
0 values can lead to misidentification of the dominant scattering mechanism when only high-temperature ρ(T) data is available. A straightforward approach to analyse ρ(T) is proposed and applied to a range of HH systems. This reveals large levels of structural disorder in XIVNiSn, whilst XVFeSb has the strongest coupling with acoustic phonons. The electronic scattering mechanism depends sensitively on composition, with acoustic (ρ sim T
1.5), metallic (simT
1) and alloy (simT
0.5) scattering observed within the main HH families. With the aid of velocity of sound, band mass and carrier concentration data, the deformation potential can be obtained, enabling quantification of the interaction between phonons and carriers, from fits to resistivity data. This work provides a route for the analysis of experimental ρ(T) data that can be applied to a range of thermoelectric materials.
Tool path generation and optimization for freeform surface diamond turning based on an independently controlled fast tool servo
Authors: Sato Yusuke , Yan Jiwang
Published: March 2022

Diamond turning based on a fast tool servo (FTS) is widely used in freeform optics fabrication due to its high accuracy and machining efficiency. As a new trend, recently developed high-frequency and long-stroke FTS units are independently driven by a separate control system from the machine tool controller. However, the tool path generation strategy for the independently controlled FTS is far from complete. This study aims to establish methods for optimizing tool path for the independent control FTS to reduce form errors in a single step of machining. Different from the conventional integrated FTS control system, where control points are distributed in a spiral pattern, in this study, the tool path for the independent FTS controller is generated by the ring method and the mesh method, respectively. The machined surface profile is predicted by simulation and the parameters for the control point generation are optimized by minimizing the deviation between the predicted and the designed surfaces. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed tool path generation strategies, cutting tests of a two-dimensional sinewave and a micro-lens array were conducted and the results were compared. As a result, after tool path optimization, the peak-to-valley form error of the machined surface was reduced from 429 nm to 56 nm for the two-dimensional sinewave by using the ring method, and from 191 nm to 103 nm for the micro-lens array by using the mesh method, respectively.
Affine highest weight categories and quantum affine Schur-Weyl duality of Dynkin quiver types
Authors: Fujita Ryo
Published: March 2022

For a Dynkin quiver

Q
Q

(of type

A
D
E

\mathrm {ADE}

), we consider a central completion of the convolution algebra of the equivariant

K
K

-group of a certain Steinberg type graded quiver variety. We observe that it is affine quasi-hereditary and prove that its category of finite-dimensional modules is identified with a block of Hernandez-Leclerc’s monoidal category

C

Q

\mathcal {C}_{Q}

of modules over the quantum loop algebra

U

q

(
L

g

)

U_{q}(L\mathfrak {g})

via Nakajima’s homomorphism. As an application, we show that Kang-Kashiwara-Kim’s generalized quantum affine Schur-Weyl duality functor gives an equivalence between the category of finite-dimensional modules over the quiver Hecke algebra associated with

Q
Q

and Hernandez-Leclerc’s category

C

Q

\mathcal {C}_{Q}

, assuming the simpleness of some poles of normalized

R
R

-matrices for type

E

\mathrm {E}

.