bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Otitis Media Affect Later Language Ability? A Prospective Birth Cohort Study
Authors: Brennan-Jones Christopher G. , Whitehouse Andrew J. O. , Calder Samuel D. , Costa Cheryl Da , Eikelboom Robert H. , Swanepoel De Wet , Jamieson Sarra E.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

The aim of the study was to examine whether otitis media (OM) in early childhood has an impact on language development in later childhood.

Methods

We analyzed data from 1,344 second-generation (Generation 2) participants in the Raine Study, a longitudinal pregnancy cohort established in Perth, Western Australia, between 1989 and 1991. OM was assessed clinically at 6 years of age. Language development was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Revised (PPVT-R) at 6 and 10 years of age and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Third Edition at 10 years of age. Logistic regression analysis accounted for a wide range of social and environmental covariates.

Results

There was no significant relationship between bilateral OM and language ability at 6 years of age (β = −0.56 [−3.78, 2.66],p =.732). However, while scores were within the normal range for the outcome measures at both time points, there was a significant reduction in the rate of receptive vocabulary growth at 10 years of age (PPVT-R) for children with bilateral OM at 6 years of age (β = −3.17 [−6.04, −0.31],p =.030), but not for the combined unilateral or bilateral OM group (β = −1.83 [−4.04, 0.39],p =.106).

Conclusions

Children with OM detected at 6 years of age in this cohort had average language development scores within the normal range at 6 and 10 years of age. However, there was a small but statistically significant reduction in the rate of receptive vocabulary growth at 10 years of age (on the PPVT-R measure only) in children who had bilateral OM at 6 years of age after adjusting for a range of sociodemographic factors.
Evolution of binary black holes in AGN accretion discs: Disc-binary interaction and gravitational wave emission
Authors: Ishibashi W. , Gröbner M.
Published: June 2020

Binary black hole (BBH) mergers are the primary sources of gravitational wave (GW) events detected by LIGO/Virgo. Binary black holes embedded in the accretion discs of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are possible candidates for such GW events. We have developed an idealised analytic model for the orbital evolution of BBHs in AGN accretion discs by combining the evolution equations of disc-binary interaction and GW inspiral. We investigated the coupled “disc+GW”-driven evolution of BBHs transitioning from the disc-driven regime at large orbital separations into the GW-driven regime at small separations. In this evolution channel, BBH mergers are accelerated by a combination of orbital decay and orbital eccentricity growth in the disc-dominated regime. We provide a quantification of the resulting merger timescale τmerger, and analyse its dependence on both the accretion disc and binary orbital parameters. By computing the evolution of the orbital eccentricity as a function of the GW frequency, we predict that most binaries in AGN discs should have significant residual eccentricities (e ∼ 0.01 − 0.1), potentially detectable by LISA. We further discuss the potentials and caveats of this particular BBH-in-AGN channel in the framework of binary evolutionary paths.
Effective factors on thermal conductivity of stochastic structures open cell metal foams
Authors: Saljooghi Milad , Raisi Abbas , Farahbakhsh Amir
Published: June 2020

Effective thermal conductivity (ETC) is a considerable thermo-physical property in design, manufacturing, and usage of multifunctional equipment that benefit cellular structures such as open-cell metal foams. An accurate understanding of key parameters effecting on ETC is classified by: Analytical, Numerical and Experimental approaches. In this study, a comprehensive investigation based on mentioned approaches is presented and a comparison between various factors affecting ETC including porosity, pore size, temperature, pressure and shape factor is made. Porosity and pore size, as main morphological features of open-cell metal foams, indicate structural characterization of them. Increase of porosity and pore size resulted decrease of ETC. The temperature effects on ETC in case of temperatures lower than 250 °C is ignorable although for temperature higher than 500 °C with change of heat transfer mechanism temperature plays a primary role in determining ETC. Few studies have been made on pressure parameter that illustrated its effect on ETC is insignificant. Multiple manufacturing methods produce different topological structures so; the influence of shape factor on ETC requires more efforts to reach a better understanding. Finally, applicable techniques for measuring ETC are briefly discussed.
Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen und Geschlechtsdysphorie bei Kindern und Jugendlichen: Systematisches Review zur gemeinsamen Prävalenz
Authors: Herrmann Lena , Bindt Carola , Schweizer Katinka , Micheel Jan , Nieder Timo Ole , Haaß Judith , Schöttle Daniel , Becker-Hebly Inga
Published: June 2020

Ziel Die Literatur zum gemeinsamen Auftreten von Geschlechtsdysphorie/Gendervarianz und Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen wird für das Kindes- und Jugendalter systematisch aufbereitet.

Methodik Für den Zeitraum 1946 bis Dezember 2018 wurde eine systematische Literaturrecherche durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse Von insgesamt 144 identifizierten Publikationen erfüllten 22 die Einschlusskriterien. In den inkludierten Studien wiesen 4,7–13,3 % der untersuchten Kinder und Jugendlichen mit primär diagnostizierter Geschlechtsdysphorie/Gendervarianz gleichzeitig auch eine Autismus-Diagnose auf. In den Stichproben von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit primär diagnostiziertem Autismus war Gendervarianz mit 4–6,5 % im Vergleich zu nicht klinischen Stichproben überrepräsentiert.

Schlussfolgerung Die Ergebnisse sprechen für ein erhöhtes gemeinsames Auftreten der beiden Phänomene bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Methodische Überlegungen sowie klinische Implikationen werden diskutiert.
Gesunder Hormoncocktail – Kommunikation als betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung
Authors: Holtmeier Lisa
Published: June 2020

Gesunde Menschen sind motivierter, leistungsfähiger und konzentrierter. Daher können Arbeitgeber die Wirkung von gesunder Kommunikation gezielt einsetzen, denn sie führt unter anderem zur Ausschüttung von Endorphin – und damit zu zufriedenen Mitarbeitern.
Streitpunkt Hausbesuche – Rechtliche Lage und Erfahrungen
Authors: Hügler Stephanie
Published: June 2020

Was spricht für einen Hausbesuch, was dagegen? Wann lohnt er sich finanziell und wann dürfen Physiotherapeuten ihn ablehnen? physiopraxis sprach mit einem Rechtsanwalt und drei Praxisinhabern über die juristische Seite und das persönliche Für und Wider.
In vier Stufen zur Stabilität – Handtherapie bei SL-Band-Ruptur
Authors: Dopfer Barbara
Published: June 2020

Es liegt zwischen Kahn- und Mondbein und spielt für die Stabilität des Handgelenks eine große Rolle: das skapholunäre Band (SL-Band). Reißt es, soll ein neues konservatives Trainingsprogramm dem Patienten helfen, die Hand wieder schmerzfrei und im gewohnten Ausmaß zu bewegen.
Management of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Experience of a North African Center
Authors: Assoumane Ibrahim , Touati Mahdia , Adamou Harissou , Lagha Nadia , Baaré Ibrahim , Sanoussi Samuila , Sidi Said Abderahmanne , Morsli Abdelhalim
Published: June 2020

Background The idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is characterized by elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP) in the absence of intracerebral space occupation or venous sinus thrombosis. It usually occurs in obese young women but is very rare in childhood.

Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective study in the neurosurgical department of Bab El Oued teaching hospital of Algiers over a period of 8 years from January 2008 to December 2015. We analyzed clinical data of 10 patients with IIH diagnosis, and the surgical technique consisted of an insertion of a lumbo-peritoneal shunt.

Results In our study, 80% were women with sex ratio M/F of 0.25; the mean age was 32 years and 60% of our patients were obese. For most of our patients, the postoperative outcome was marked by the disappearance of the headache immediately, disappearance of strabismus and diplopia in the following week, followed by improvement of visual function.

Conclusion The IIH is predominantly a disease of women in the childbearing age; surgical treatment is a good option for patients who resisted medication or did not tolerate it as well as for ICH fulminous in emergency cases.
Concurrent Ventral Hernia Repair Is Effective in Patients Undergoing Abdominally Based Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction
Authors: Kraft Casey T. , Chao Albert H.
Published: June 2020

Background The abdomen remains the most preferable donor site for autologous breast reconstruction. Many patients in this population will have had prior abdominal surgery, which is the chief risk factor for having a ventral hernia. While prior studies have examined the impact of prior abdominal surgery on breast reconstruction, limited data exist on the management of patients with a preexisting ventral hernia. The objective of this study was to investigate outcomes of performing ventral hernia repair concurrent with abdominally based microsurgical breast reconstruction.

Methods A 5-year retrospective review of patients undergoing abdominally based microsurgical breast reconstruction was performed. The experimental group consisted of patients with a preexisting ventral hernia that was repaired at the time of breast reconstruction, and was compared with a historical cohort of patients without preexisting hernias.

Results There were a total of 18 and 225 patients in the experimental and control groups, respectively. There was a higher incidence of prior abdominal surgery in the experimental group (p = 0.0008), but no other differences. Mean follow-up was 20.5 ± 5.2 months. There were no instances of recurrent hernia or flap loss in the experimental group. No significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in the incidence of donor-site complications (27.8 vs. 20.9%, respectively; p = 0.55), recipient site complications (27.8 vs. 24.0%, respectively; p = 0.78), operative time (623 ± 114 vs. 598 ± 100 minutes, respectively; p = 0.80), or length of stay (3.4 ± 0.5 vs. 3.1 ± 0.4 days, respectively; p = 0.98).

Conclusion Concurrent ventral hernia repair at the time of abdominally based microsurgical breast reconstruction appears to be safe and effective. Larger studies are needed to further define this relationship.
Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound to Assess and Manage Portal Hypertension
Authors: Singh Sidhant , Mukewar Saurabh
Published: June 2020

Portal hypertension leads to the development of varices along the gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of varices. Endosonography (EUS) enables visualization and permits access to varices and veins outside the gastrointestinal tract. EUS has emerged as an important tool, with the ability to identify vascular changes, treat gastric and ectopic varices, perform portal pressure measurements, portal venography, and intrahepatic shunt placement. This review discusses the role of endoscopy and the emerging role of EUS in evaluation and management of portal hypertension.
COVID-19 ECMO Myths Busted
Authors: Sharma Amita , Sharan Sandeep , Kapoor Poonam Malhotra , Chowdhury Ujjwal Kumar
Published: June 2020

Literature has proven that COVID-19 patients develop pneumonia. Prognosis of this is poor in case of COVID-19 patients developing the following: low lymphocyte count (< 16%) which gets lower with active COVID-19 infection, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus with no exercise. A lot of dilemmas and myths in this nascent COVID-19 pandemic period exist regarding the use of ECMO. Perplexities such as do we treat the COVID-19 patients on ECMO, as a pulmonary ARDS pneumonia, and/or do we need high PEEP or moderate PEEP, during ECMO for this ARDS; are some common COVID-19 ECMO myths which this short review aims to cover in a question-answer format.
Role of Reticulocyte Parameters in Anemia of First Trimester Pregnancy: A Single Center Observational Study
Authors: Kumar Utpal , Chandra Harish , Gupta Arvind Kumar , Singh Neha , Chaturvedi Jaya
Published: June 2020

Introduction The diagnosis of anemia in pregnancy should be early to prevent complications to mother and baby. It should be simple and safe, and therefore feasibility of reticulocyte parameters may prove beneficial in this regard. Newer reticulocyte parameters have not been studied extensively especially in pregnancy. The present study was conducted to evaluate reticulocyte hemoglobin content (Ret-He), immature reticulocyte fraction, and reticulocyte count and to compare them with serum ferritin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in assessment anemia in pregnancy.

Material and Methods Prospective study included first trimester pregnant females where hemoglobin, MCV, and MCH were categorized and statistically analyzed with serum ferritin and reticulocyte parameters.

Results The study included 155 first trimester pregnant females showing statistical difference in Ret-He between all categories of hemoglobin and MCV (p < 0.05). ROC curve analysis using MCV < 83 fl and MCH <27 pg showed that area under curve for Ret-He at cutoff of 27.8 ng/mL was 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.90–0.98, sensitivity 93%, specificity 83%). The cutoff of 27.2 ng/mL Ret-He for the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia has specificity of 86%, sensitivity 71%, positive predictive value 0.39, and likelihood ratio of 5.1.

Conclusion Ret-He is a feasible and easily available parameter which may be helpful in differentiating between microcytic hypochromic and normocytic normochromic anemia along with frank and borderline anemia in first trimester pregnant females. This in turn is essential to initiate an early therapy so as to prevent the maternal and fetal complications.
Free-standing silicon shadow masks for transmon qubit fabrication
Authors: Tsioutsios I. , Serniak K. , Diamond S. , Sivak V. V. , Wang Z. , Shankar S. , Frunzio L. , Schoelkopf R. J. , Devoret M. H.
Published: June 2020

Nanofabrication techniques for superconducting qubits rely on resist-based masks patterned by electron-beam or optical lithography. We have developed an alternative nanofabrication technique based on free-standing silicon shadow masks fabricated from silicon-on-insulator wafers. These silicon shadow masks not only eliminate organic residues associated with resist-based lithography, but also provide a pathway to better understand and control surface-dielectric losses in superconducting qubits by decoupling mask fabrication from substrate preparation. We have successfully fabricated aluminum 3D transmon superconducting qubits with these shadow masks and found coherence quality factors comparable to those fabricated with standard techniques.
AlN grown by CBE for power device applications
Authors: Gommé Guillaume , Cutivet Adrien , Bouzazi Boussairi , Boucherif Abderrahim Rahim , MacElwee Tom , Rodriguez Christophe , Bouchilaoun Meriem , Pelletier Hubert , Provost Philippe-Olivier , Maher Hassan , Ares Richard
Published: June 2020

Thermal and electrical properties of aluminum nitride (AlN) epilayers grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) were investigated. A high growth rate of 5.9 ± 0.4 µm/h was achieved using trimethyl aluminum and ammonia as group III and V precursors, respectively, at a growth temperature below 600 °C. The thermal conductivity and breakdown field of 10 µm thick AlN epilayers were measured to be 57 W/(m.K) and 1.04 106 V/cm, respectively. These results demonstrate the potential of CBE as an alternative growth method for the development of thick AlN layers in high power device applications.
Photoinjection of fluorescent nanoparticles into intact plant cells using femtosecond laser amplifier
Authors: Rukmana Taufiq Indra , Moran Gabriela , Méallet-Renault Rachel , Clavier Gilles , Kunieda Tadashi , Ohtani Misato , Demura Taku , Yasukuni Ryohei , Hosokawa Yoichiroh
Published: June 2020

The introduction of nanoparticles to intact plant cells is promising as a transporting technique of a wide range of functional molecules. Among various molecular delivery methods, femtosecond laser photoinjection possesses target selectivity at a single cell level and is potentially applicable for many types of materials. However, for plant cells, the vacuoles’ turgor pressure and the thick cell wall limit the application of photoinjection to only small objects. In this work, we overcome these limitations by employing a single pulse irradiation from a femtosecond laser amplifier. After laser irradiation on intact tobacco BY-2 cells, 80 nm fluorescent nanoparticles dispersed in a cell culture medium were successfully injected into their cytoplasm. This breakthrough would lead to a vast utilization of nanoparticles containing functional molecules for single cell manipulation in plant physiological study and genetic engineering. Such an injection was observed even when the laser pulse was focused neither on the cell wall nor on the cell membrane, but beside the cells. With these results, we suggest pore formation on the cell membrane by instantaneous deformation induced by an intense femtosecond laser pulse as an injection mechanism of nanoparticles. Reported photomechanical effects of the amplified femtosecond laser on the permeability of the biological membrane would offer new perspectives in biophotonics.
Dynamics of inclined magnetic field effects on micropolar Casson fluid with Lobatto IIIA numerical solver
Authors: Chun Ouyang , Raja Muhammad Asif Zahoor , Naz Shafaq , Ahmad Iftikhar , Akhtar Rizwan , Ali Yasam , Shoaib Muhammad
Published: June 2020

The main theme of the present communication is to analyze the flow of micropolar Casson fluid with the influence of dissipation effects and inclined magnetic field upon a stretching surface by incorporating the Lobatto IIIA based numerical solver. In the presented study, the Navier–Stokes theory is exploited to model the governing fluidic system and similarity variables are used to reduce the system of governing partial differential equations into the equivalent ordinary differential equation-based model. A graphical and tabular illustration of the result of the system using the Lobatto IIIA method for the study of influential effects of various sundry parameters against the velocity profile, temperature, and microrotation are presented with brief interpretations. Results show that the increment of the inclination angle diminishes the velocity and upsurges the temperature, while, the Eckert number reduces the rate of heat transfer and shear stress, however, on the other hand, enhances the temperature and velocity profiles.
Mechanical properties test of pavement base or subbase made of solid waste stabilized by acetylene sludge and fly ash
Authors: Cai Yingchun , Liu Xingchen
Published: June 2020

As a sustainable development requirement, rational utilization of solid waste has been paid more and more attention, such as acetylene sludge (AS), fly ash (FA), coal gangue, and construction waste used in civil engineering. The comprehensive utilization of the solid waste has already been developed for road engineering recently. This study focuses on the properties of base or subbase that are made of coal gangue and construction waste stabilized by AS and FA. The base or subbase material with various volumetric ratios of AS:FA:stacked coal gangue (SCG), AS:FA:air-washed coal gangue (ACG), AS:FA:recycled brick, and concrete debris (RBCD) were designed. In addition, their properties were tested, including unconfined compressive strength (UCS), indirect tensile strength (ITS), and compressive resilient modulus. The results showed that the UCS and ITS of the SCG stabilized by AS–FA are higher than that of the ACG stabilized by AS–FA. However, there was no significant correlation between UCS, ITS, compressive resilient modulus, and binder content of the AS/FA-stabilized RBCD. Even though the properties of the solid waste mixture were not stable enough, it could be potentially used in the base or subbase of the pavements.
Toward understanding and optimizing Au-hyperdoped Si infrared photodetectors
Authors: Lim S. Q. , Lew C. T.-K. , Chow P. K. , Warrender J. M. , Williams J. S. , Johnson B. C.
Published: June 2020

Au-hyperdoped Si absorbs near-infrared (NIR) light and recent efforts have successfully produced Si-based NIR photodetectors based on this property but with low detection efficiencies. Here, we investigate the differences between the optical and photocurrent properties of Au-hyperdoped Si. Although defects introduced during fabrication of these materials may not exhibit significant optical absorption, we show that they can produce a measurable photocurrent under NIR illumination. Our results indicate that the optimal efficiency of impurity-hyperdoped Si materials is yet to be achieved and we discuss these opportunities in light of our results. This work thus represents a step forward in demonstrating the viability of using impurity-hyperdoped Si materials for NIR photodetection.
Comparison of the sensing mechanisms and capabilities of three functional materials surface-modified TFBG sensors
Authors: Wen Hsin-Yi , Huang Wen-Yao , Huang Tzu-Sheng , Hsu Ya-Chun , Chiang Chia-Chin
Published: June 2020

Three functional materials were coated on tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) sensors, and through the analysis of the characteristics of TBFG sensors’ amplitudes in the core and cladding modes, their abilities to sense humidity were compared. The mechanisms by which physical moisture absorption sensing was achieved through the three materials were investigated. The degree of sensitivity in terms of resonance wavelength in the cladding mode for the three coating materials was PAHP4 > PEDOT:PSS > GO. The sensitivity in the cladding modes of the tested sensor showed that the best resonance wavelength was as high as 0.0112 nm/% RH and was achieved for the TFBG coated with PAHP4 due to the hydrophilic groups around the material, which are good at forming hydrogen bond interactions with H2O.
Effect of grazing different forage systems prior to and during mating on the liveweight, condition score, conception and reproductive rate of maternal-composite ewe lambs
Authors: Raeside M. C. , Byron J. , Cameron F. , MacDonald C. , Rochfort S. , Partington D. L. , Kearney G. A. , Behrendt R.
Published: June 2020

Context Economic modelling identified that mating of ewe lambs for lambing at 1 year of age has the potential to increase the profitability of sheep-production systems in south-western Victoria. In order to optimise reproductive rates, ewe lambs should weigh at least 35–40 kg, have a condition score (CS) of 3.0 at mating, and be gaining weight (100–150 g/day) during mating. However, typical perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) pastures in south-west Victoria do not support the attainment of these targets without additional supplementation. Aim Our research aimed to determine how grazing summer-active pastures or brassica (Brassica napus L.) forages affects the liveweight, CS, conception and reproductive rate of ewe lambs when offered before and during mating compared with a system using perennial ryegrass plus supplement. Methods A field experiment was conducted at Hamilton, Victoria, Australia, in 2014 and 2016 testing seven forage treatments replicated four times in a complete block design. The treatments were: canola (B. napus, two treatments of different cultivars), forage brassica, lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and perennial ryegrass. Key results Ewe lambs grazing canola or forage brassica had higher (P < 0.05) liveweight gains during the pre-mating and mating periods than those grazing the perennial ryegrass treatment (148 vs 75 g/day in 2014, s.e.m. 17; 139 vs 54 g/day in 2016, s.e.m. 17). In 2014, spring-sown dual-purpose canola, lucerne and chicory resulted in higher (P < 0.05) reproductive rates (144–151%) than the perennial ryegrass treatment (103%); forage brassica and plantain gave intermediate results (128% and 129%). Conclusion Brassica forages (including spring-sown canola), lucerne and chicory can support the attainment of key liveweight and CS targets for successful mating of ewe lambs in autumn. Implications Spring-sown canola is therefore a viable alternative forage for use by livestock producers in southern Australia and presents an opportunity to incorporate an alternative income stream in mixed-farming systems.
The heterobranch sea slugs of Lord Howe Island, NSW, Australia (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
Authors: Nimbs Matt J. , Hutton Ian , Davis Tom R. , Larkin Meryl F. , Smith Stephen D.A.
Published: June 2020

The distribution of heterobranch sea slugs is generally poorly documented at a regional scale. Thus, it is currently difficult to quantify biodiversity, identify endemic and invasive species, and track range shifts at scales relevant to conservation management. For Lord Howe Island, which lies ~600 km east of the New South Wales (NSW) mid-north coast, data from a range of taxa indicate high biodiversity and endemism, but this has not been examined for heterobranch sea slugs. To address this deficit, we collated occurrence data on sea slugs from both private and public sources, including museum records, scientific literature, field guides and citizen science activities. A total of 186 nominal (formally described) species in 82 genera and 31 families were identified from intertidal and subtidal habitats. Of these, two species are endemic to Lord Howe Island, two have not been recorded elsewhere in Australia, and 28 have not been recorded on the mainland coast of NSW. These results support studies of other taxa suggesting that the relative isolation of the island has facilitated the development of diverse and unique assemblages. However, this isolation is moderated by larval transport from surrounding regions, resulting in considerable overlap of the species pool with the mainland coast of NSW and tropical areas to the north.
Habitat selection in a peri-urban area by a large mammal indicates a low potential for human–wildlife conflict
Authors: Balland Jeff , Herbert Catherine A. , Welbergen Justin A. , Martin John M.
Published: June 2020

Abstract ContextIn Australia, various species of macropods (family Macropodidae) are known to occur within peri-urban areas, where they can be a source of human–wildlife conflict. Some species, such as the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), have received considerable research attention over the past few years following demands from land managers for evidence-based management guidelines; however, the ecology of other macropod species found in peri-urban areas, such as the eastern wallaroo (Osphranter robustus robustus), remains poorly understood. AimsThe aims were to determine the home range of male and female eastern wallaroos and assess habitat selection in order to define whether wallaroos in a peri-urban environment should be viewed as thriving (‘matrix-occupying’), persisting (‘matrix-sensitive’) or struggling (‘urban-sensitive’). MethodsHome range and habitat use of six adult male, five adult female and one subadult male eastern wallaroo were investigated using GPS telemetry between October 2017 and May 2018 in the south-west of Sydney. Key resultsHome ranges (mean±s.e.) of males (63.1±10.2ha) were significantly larger than those of females (31.1±3.3ha). Every adult wallaroo had highly overlapping monthly home ranges, indicating strong site fidelity in all individuals. Eastern wallaroos selected habitats based on vegetation composition during the night and canopy cover during the day. Grassland and open native woodlands were preferred during foraging activities at night. By contrast, human-modified habitats, including hard surfaces and lawns, were avoided at all times by all individuals. ConclusionThe results indicate that eastern wallaroos avoid human-modified features in the landscape, so they could be viewed as persisting (‘matrix-sensitive’) in peri-urban areas. ImplicationsCompared with matrix-occupying macropods, such as the eastern grey kangaroo, the eastern wallaroo is less likely to cause human–wildlife conflicts – a result of its avoidance of human-modified habitat. Land-use planning, involving green corridors linking remnant vegetation, should be implemented as part of urban planning to enable the persistence of diverse mammal populations in urban areas, particularly matrix-sensitive species.
Criteria for subjecthood and non-canonical subjects in Classical
Greek
Authors: Benedetti Marina , Gianollo Chiara
Published: June 2020

The dative-marked argument of the verb
dokéō ‘seem’ in Classical Greek displays
syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties that qualify it as a
non-canonical subject. To substantiate this claim, three phenomena
are analyzed, all involving coreference resolution across clause
boundaries: long-distance reflexivization, interclausal coreference,
and case mismatch in participial constructions. For the latter
phenomenon, the observed mismatch between case marking and
referential properties is captured by positing the same coreference
mechanism for finite clauses and for a class of participial
constructions that qualify as a full clausal domain.
Ablaut pattern extension as partial regularization strategy in
German and Luxembourgish
Authors: Nowak Jessica
Published: June 2020

The present contribution considers the nature of
ablaut pattern extension and the determinants contributing to it.
Following Morphological Economy Theory (e.g., Werner, 1987), it argues that analogical
pattern extensions are highly functional, i.e., they constitute
frequency-driven partial regularization strategies within verbal
systems. This assumption is supported by diachronic and empirical
data from two case studies: In German, low-frequency strong verbs
reduced stem allomorphy by adopting the Class II pattern
[o

pret
=o

pp
],
a partial leveling that may precede the weakening of strong forms
(e.g., bellen – ball – gebollen → boll –
gebollen → bellte – gebellt ‘to
bark’). In Luxembourgish, a uniform preterite marker
ou emerged as a consequence of drastic
preterite loss.
Expletives in Icelandic
Authors: Booth Hannah
Published: June 2020

Various claims have been made concerning
expletives in historical Icelandic (Eythórsson & Sigurðardóttir, 2016;
Hróarsdóttir, 1998;
Rögnvaldsson, 2002).
However, previous studies are limited to certain centuries and/or
text types. This paper assesses the status of expletives throughout
all stages of attested Icelandic (1150–2008) using the Icelandic
Parsed Historical Corpus (IcePaHC). The IcePaHC data indicates that
the expletive is already attested in impersonal constructions in Old
Icelandic, contra previous accounts. I also claim that
þar ‘there’ was historically available as an
expletive in presentational constructions and argue against a recent
claim that the emergence of expletive það is a
contact phenomenon. Strikingly, postfinite expletives are attested
historically, which challenges the standard cross-Germanic account
for the diachrony of expletives.
Contact and change in Neo-Aramaic dialects
Authors: Khan Geoffrey
Published: June 2020

Aramaic, a Semitic language, has survived down
to modern times as a spoken language in a large diversity of
Neo-Aramaic dialects. This paper examines various aspects of
contact-induced linguistic change in the subgroup of dialects known
as North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA). These dialects have for many
centuries been in contact with various other languages, including
Semitic (Arabic) and non-Semitic (Kurdish, Persian, Armenian, Turkic
languages). Various motivating factors can be identified for
contact-induced change in the NENA dialects. These are
sociolinguistic and internal systemic. When change occurs it often
involves only partial convergence. Change sometimes results in
imitations of the morphology of the contact language using internal
morphological elements. Sociolinguistic and internal systemic
factors can also inhibit change in a contact situation.
Characterization of methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) for amino acids in plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium Pseudomonas protegens CHA0 and enhancement of amino acid chemotaxis by MCP genes overexpression
Authors: Hida Akiko , Oku Shota , Miura Manami , Matsuda Hiroki , Tajima Takahisa , Kato Junichi
Published: June 2020

Pseudomonas protegens CHA0, known as plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium, showed positive chemotactic responses toward proteinaceous L-amino acids. Genomic analysis revealed that P. protegens CHA0 possesses four putative chemoreceptors for amino acids (designated CtaA, CtaB, CtaC, and CtaD, respectively). Pseudomonas aeruginosa PCT2, a mutant defective in chemotaxis to amino acids, harboring a plasmid containing each of ctaA, ctaB, ctaC, and ctaD showed chemotactic responses to 20, 4, 4, and 11 types of amino acids, respectively. To enhance chemotaxis toward amino acids, we introduced the plasmids containing ctaA, ctaB, ctaC, or ctaD into P. protegens CHA0. By overexpression of the genes, we succeeded in enhancing chemotaxis toward more than half of the tested ligands. However, unexpectedly, the P. protegens CHA0 transformants showed unchanged or decreased responses to some amino acids when compared to wild-type CHA0. We speculate that alternation of expression of a chemoreceptor may affect the abundance of other chemoreceptors.

Abbreviations

cDNA: complementary DNA; LBD: ligand-binding domain; MCP: methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein; PDC: PhoQ/DcuS/CitA; PGPR: plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria; qRT-PCR: quantitative reverse transcription PCR
Heart rate and stroke rate misrepresent supramaximal sprint kayak training as quantified by power
Authors: Hogan Cruz , Binnie Martyn J. , Doyle Matthew , Lester Leanne , Peeling Peter
Published: June 2020

This study examined the utility of novel measures of power output (PO) compared to traditional measures of heart rate (HR) and stroke rate (SR) for quantifying high‐intensity sprint kayak training. Twelve well‐trained, male and female sprint kayakers (21.3 ± 6.8 y) completed an on‐water graded exercise test (GXT) and a 200‐, 500‐ and 1000‐m time‐trial for the delineation of individualised training zones (T) for HR (5‐zone model, T1‐T5), SR and PO (8‐zone model, T1‐T8). Subsequently, athletes completed two repeat trials of a high‐intensity interval (HIIT) and a sprint interval (SIT) training session, where intensity was prescribed using individualised PO‐zones. Time‐in‐zone (minutes) using PO, SR and HR was then compared for both HIIT and SIT. Compared to PO, time‐in‐zone using HR was higher for T1 in HIIT and SIT (P < 0.001, d ≥ 0.90) and lower for T5 in HIIT (P < 0.001, d = 1.76). Average and peak HR were not different between HIIT (160 ± 9 and 173 ± 11 bpm, respectively) and SIT (157 ± 13 and 174 ± 10 bpm, respectively) (P ≥ 0.274). In HIIT, time‐in‐zone using SR was higher for T4 (P < 0.001, d = 0.85) and was lower for T5 (P = 0.005, d = 0.43) and T6 (P < 0.001, d = 0.94) compared to PO. In SIT, time‐in‐zone using SR was lower for T7 (P = 0.001, d = 0.66) and was higher for T8 (P = 0.004, d = 0.70), compared to PO. Heart rate measures were unable to differentiate training demands across different high‐intensity sessions, and could therefore misrepresent the training load in such instances. Furthermore, SR may not provide a sensitive measure for detecting changes in intensity due to fatigue, whereas PO may be more suitable.
Modelling and optical response of a compressive-strained AlGaN/GaN quantum well laser diode
Authors: Menani A. , Dehimi L. , Dehimi S. , Pezzimenti F.
Published: June 2020

The effects of the quantum well (QW) width, carrier density, and aluminium (Al) concentration in the barrier layers on the optical characteristics of a gallium nitride (GaN)-based QW laser diode are investigated by means of a careful modelling analysis in a wide range of temperatures. The device’s optical gain is calculated by using two different band energy models. The first is based on the simple band-to-band model that accounts for carrier transitions between the first levels of the conduction band and valence band, whereas the second assumes the perturbation theory (k.p model) for considering the valence intersubband transitions and the relative absorption losses in the QW. The results reveal that the optical gain increases with increasing the n-type doping density as well as the Al molar fraction of the Al
x
Ga1–x
N layers, which originate the GaN compressive-strained QW. In particular, a significant optical gain on the order of 5000 cm–1 is calculated for a QW width of 40 Å at room temperature. In addition, the laser threshold current density is of few tens of A/cm2 at low temperatures.
Strain-induced the dark current characteristics in InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice for mid-wave detector
Authors: Lee H. J. , Ko S. Y. , Kim Y. H. , Nah J.
Published: June 2020

Type-II superlattice (T2SL) materials are the key element for infrared (IR) detectors. However, it is well known that the characteristics of the detectors with the T2SL layer are greatly affected by the strain developed during the growth process, which determines the performance of IR detectors. Therefore, great efforts have been made to properly control the strain effect and develop relevant analysis methods to evaluate the strain-induced dark current characteristics. In this work, we report the strain-induced dark current characteristics in InAs/GaSb T2SL MWIR photodetector. The overall strain of InAs/GaSb T2SL layer was analyzed by both high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and the dark current measured from the absorber layer at the elevated temperatures (≥ 110 K), where the major leakage current component is originated from the reduced minority carrier lifetime in the absorber layer. Our findings indicate that minority carrier lifetime increases as the tensile strain on the InAs/GaSb T2SL is more compensated by the compressive strain through ‘InSb-like’ interface, which reduces the dark current density of the device. Specifically, tensile strain compensated devices exhibited the dark current density of less than 2 ×10–5 A/cm2 at 120 K, which is more than one order of magnitude lower value compared to that of the device without tensile strain relaxation.
1064 nm InGaAsP multi-junction laser power converters
Authors: Yin Jiajing , Sun Yurun , Yu Shuzhen , Zhao Yongming , Li Rongwei , Dong Jianrong
Published: June 2020

Laser photovoltaic devices converting 1064 nm light energy into electric energy present a promising prospect in wireless energy transmission due to the commercial availability of high power 1064 nm lasers with very small divergence. Besides their high conversion efficiency, a high output voltage is also expected in a laser energy transmission system. Meanwhile, 1064 nm InGaAsP multi-junction laser power converters have been developed using p+-InGaAs/n+-InGaAs tunnel junctions to connect sub-cells in series to obtain a high output voltage. The triple-junction laser power converter structures are grown on p-type InP substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and InGaAsP laser power converters are fabricated by conventional photovoltaic device processing. The room-temperature I–V measurements show that the 1 × 1 cm2 triple-junction InGaAsP laser power converters demonstrate a conversion efficiency of 32.6% at a power density of 1.1 W/cm2, with an open-circuit voltage of 2.16 V and a fill factor of 0.74. In this paper, the characteristics of the laser power converters are analyzed and ways to improve the conversion efficiency are discussed.
Using Lidar technology to assess regional air pollution and improve estimates of PM2.5 transport in the North China Plain
Authors: Xiang Yan , Lv Lihui , Chai Wenxuan , Zhang Tianshu , Liu Jianguo , Liu Wenqing
Published: June 2020

Air pollutants seriously impact climate change and human health. In this study, the gridpoint statistical interpolation (GSI) three-dimensional variational data assimilation system was extended from ground data to vertical profile data, which reduced the simulation error of the model in the vertical layer. The coupled GSI-Lidar-WRF-Chem system was used to improve the accuracy of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) simulation during a wintertime heavy pollution event in the North China Plain in late November 2017. In this experiment, two vehicle-mounted Lidar instruments were utilized to make synchronous observations around the 6th Ring Road of Beijing, and five ground-based Lidars were used for long-term network observations on the North China Plain. Data assimilation was then performed using the PM2.5 vertical profile retrieved from the seven Lidars. Compared with the model results, the correlation of assimilation increased from 0.74–0.86, and the root-mean-square error decreased by 36.6%. Meanwhile, the transport flux and transport flux intensity of the PM2.5 were analyzed, which revealed that the PM2.5 around the 6th Ring Road of Beijing was mainly concentrated below 1.8 km, and there were obvious double layers of particles. Particulates in the southwest were mainly input, while those in the northeast were mainly output. Both the input and output heights were around 1 km, although the input intensity was higher than the output intensity. The GSI-Lidar-WRF-Chem system has great potential for air quality simulation and forecasting.
Statistical analysis of mechanical properties of wood dust filled Jute fiber based hybrid composites under cryogenic atmosphere using Grey-Taguchi method
Authors: Velmurugan G , Babu K
Published: June 2020

At present, composites are being utilized on account of simplicity in manufacturing and their characteristics are low weight, non-abrasive, non-flammable and non-harmful. This article attempts to achieve good mechanical properties of the wood and woven jute based natural fiber-reinforced plastics. The required composite materials were fabricated by using a hand layup method. The fabricated laminates were immersed in liquid nitrogen at 77 K for cryogenic treatments. The following parameters are (i) wood density, (ii) wood weight ratio, (iii) woven jute type, (iv) number of jute layers, (v) cryogenic treatment durations and (vi) alkaline treatment durations, each at three different levels were picked for composite development by utilizing the Gray-Taguchi method. Mechanical testing of fabricated laminates was done as per ASTM standards to estimate compressive, double shear and hardness properties. Based on the L27 (36) orthogonal array of the Grey Taguchi technique, 27 investigational trials were conducted. According to the Gray relation analysis, 300 kg m−3 of wood density with a weight ratio of 12%, three layers of 350 gsm woven jute, 60 min of cryogenic treatment and 4 h of alkaline treatments resulted in good mechanical strength of the composites. Based on the Analysis of Variance, wood density was identified as the most influencing parameter that contribute up to 35.65% to the improvement of the mechanical strength of hybrid composites. The morphological expositions of NaOH treated hybrid composites and degree of fibers’ dispersion into the matrix were discussed based on Optical and SEM images.
Effect of textured DLC coatings on tribological properties of titanium alloy under grease lubrication
Authors: Peng Rui , Zhang Peiyun , Tian Zhixiang , Zhu Dongpo , Chen Cheng , Yin Bifeng , Hua Xijun
Published: June 2020

To improve the tribological properties of titanium alloy surface and promote the functional application of titanium alloy, the synergistic anti-friction and wear-resistant effect of laser micro-textures and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings on titanium alloy surface under grease lubrication were investigated in this paper. Micro-textures and DLC coatings were fabricated on the surface of titanium alloy by Nd:YAG laser and magnetron sputtering technology. Effects of different surface treatment methods and micro-textures parameters on tribological properties of titanium alloy samples was studied. The results showed that, compared with the smooth titanium alloy sample, the friction coefficient of micro-textured sample, DLC coated sample and textured DLC coated sample decreased by 43.7%, 75.8%, 80.6% respectively. The surface of textured coated titanium alloy had the best tribological properties with a friction coefficient of 0.0799. The wear on the surface of the titanium alloy sample treated by laser micro-textures and DLC coatings was obviously improved. Compared with the severe adhesive wear on the surface of the titanium alloy sample, the surface of the textured coated titanium alloy sample was slightly scratched, and the wear volume was decreased by 97.5%. Meanwhile, DLC coatings with 30% textures density and 20 μm textures depth showed the best anti-friction effect as well as the optimal hydrodynamic lubrication effect. Under the condition of grease lubrication, the surface of textured DLC coated titanium alloy substrate presented favorable anti-friction and wear-resistance effects, which revealed that reasonable micro-textures density and depth could more effectively exert the lubricating and anti-friction properties of textured DLC coatings.
Effect of a nickel-based alloy cladding layer on the strength and toughness of the high-strength steel laser-MAG hybrid welding joint
Authors: Fulong Zhang , Beibei Ma , Shuangyu Liu , Bo Cui , Fengde Liu , Guochang Liu , Wei Rui , Hong Zhang
Published: June 2020

In this article, a 6 mm thick high-strength steel (HSS) was butt laser-MAG welded using nickel alloy wires as the cladding layer. By preparing the cladding layer on the groove, the microstructure and properties of the weld were adjusted. OM, XRD, SEM, and tensile and impact experiments were used to study the structure and mechanical properties of the welded joints. The results show that the weld structure with the cladding layer corresponds to austenite, while the microstructure of the conventional laser arc hybrid welded joint is a combination of austenite and martensite. Additionally, the tensile specimens of the welded joint are fractured at the weld. The fracture strength of the nickel alloy layer is 809 MPa, and the fracture strength of the conventional laser arc hybrid welded joint is 1149 MPa. The low temperature toughness (−40 °C) of conventional laser arc hybrid welded joint is 6.2J. The low temperature toughness (−40 °C) of prefabricated welded joints with laser-filled cladding has increased to 40.8 J, and this proves to be an effective method to improve the low temperature toughness of the welded joint.
Bipolar effects in snapback mechanism in advanced n-FET transistors under high current stress conditions
Authors: Singh Pragati , Dhar Rudra Sankar , Baishya Srimanta , Chatterjee Amitabh
Published: June 2020

This work models high current snapback behavior in n-FET transistors with bottom body contact under high current stress at the drain for ZRAM (Zero capacitor RAM). We analyze 2D current flow in n-FET near the pinch-off region and relate the results to the S-shaped snapback characteristics under high injection avalanche generated carriers conditions. The role of surface bipolar effects on the first snapback phenomenon in the GG-NMOS (Gate-Grounded NMOS) is investigated. A novel physical insight of the bipolar activity is modeled through current flow and barrier lowering at the source-substrate junctions. Moreover, the coupling of electron and hole injection is described. Finally, a model for surface potential inside the substrate before and after snapback is derived and compared with TCAD simulation results. A very good agreement is observed between the model and the TCAD results.