bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FAST-ED scale for prehospital triage of large vessel occlusion: results in the field
Authors: Carbonera Leonardo Augusto , Souza Ana Claudia de , Rodrigues Márcio da Silveira , Mottin Marcos Darrigo , Nogueira Raul Gomes , Martins Sheila Cristina Ouriques
Published: October 2022

Background Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is an extremely time-sensitive condition. The field triage of stroke patients should consider a careful balance between the best destination for the timely delivery of intravenous and/or endovascular reperfusion therapies. The Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination (FAST-ED) scale has been shown to have an accuracy comparable to that of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). However, it has not been tested in the field.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of the FAST-ED scale in the detection of AIS due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the prehospital setting.

Methods A cross-sectional study of consecutive prospective data collected from February 2017 to May 2019 in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, correlating the prehospital FAST-ED scale scores with the hospital diagnosis of LVO. Area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.

Results In total, 74 patients were included in the analysis. As compared with the diagnosis of LVO upon hospital discharge, the prehospital FAST-ED scale applied by paramedics had a sensitivity of 80%, a specificity of 47.7%, a PPV of 51.1%, an NPV of 77.8%, and an AUC of 0.68 (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.55–0.80). Among the patients with a final diagnosis of AIS, the accuracy was higher, with an AUC of 0.75 (95%CI: 0.60–0.89), a sensitivity of 80%, a specificity of 60%, a PPV of 80%, and an NPV of 60%.

Conclusions In the present study, the FAST-ED scale, which was applied by paramedics in the field, demonstrated moderate accuracy but high sensitivity and NPV, which are essential attributes for a triage scale. While larger studies are still needed, these findings further support the use of the FAST-ED in stroke triage.
Innovative alkaline solution could lead to better cancer treatments
Authors: Lim Alane
Published: October 2022

Researchers extend shelf life and potency of promising but short-lived cancer treatment.
Measurement of complex permittivity of liquids in the frequency range 100–1000 MHz by using a re-entrant cavity
Authors: Cheng Jin , Peng Yitong , Li En , Yu Chengyong , Zhang Yunpeng , Gao Yong , Gao Chong , Long Jiawei , Tu Yihang , Qin Lin
Published: October 2022

For many liquid materials and biological media, their complex permittivity varies with frequency in the P-band (100–1000 MHz). In this paper, a re-entrant coaxial cavity resonance test system with intensive multi-frequency points testing capability is designed for the P-band to realize the test of the complex permittivity of P-band materials. For this system, a test algorithm has been written, and on the basis of this system, a perturbation block has been designed, using stepper motors to control the up and down movement of the perturbation block to achieve frequency tunability of the cavity, enabling more P-band frequency test data to be obtained. The experimental results show that the system is suitable for testing the electrical parameters of P-band biological media and liquid materials and for testing solid materials in aerospace, electromagnetic shielding, and other fields where there is a great demand for P-band testing.
Online charge measurement for petawatt laser-driven ion acceleration
Authors: Geulig Laura D. , Obst-Huebl Lieselotte , Nakamura Kei , Bin Jianhui , Ji Qing , Steinke Sven , Snijders Antoine M. , Mao Jian-Hua , Blakely Eleanor A. , Gonsalves Anthony J. , Bulanov Stepan , van Tilborg Jeroen , Schroeder Carl B. , Geddes Cameron G. R. , Esarey Eric , Roth Markus , Schenkel Thomas
Published: October 2022

Laser-driven ion beams have gained considerable attention for their potential use in multidisciplinary research and technology. Preclinical studies into their radiobiological effectiveness have established the prospect of using laser-driven ion beams for radiotherapy. In particular, research into the beneficial effects of ultrahigh instantaneous dose rates is enabled by the high ion bunch charge and uniquely short bunch lengths present for laser-driven ion beams. Such studies require reliable, online dosimetry methods to monitor the bunch charge for every laser shot to ensure that the prescribed dose is accurately applied to the biological sample. In this paper, we present the first successful use of an Integrating Current Transformer (ICT) for laser-driven ion accelerators. This is a noninvasive diagnostic to measure the charge of the accelerated ion bunch. It enables online estimates of the applied dose in radiobiological experiments and facilitates ion beam tuning, in particular, optimization of the laser ion source, and alignment of the proton transport beamline. We present the ICT implementation and the correlation with other diagnostics, such as radiochromic films, a Thomson parabola spectrometer, and a scintillator.
Robust identification of multiple-input single-output system response for efficient pickup noise removal from tokamak diagnostics
Authors: Odstrcil T. , Laggner F. M. , Rosenthal A. M. , Bortolon A. , Hughes J. W. , Spendlove J. C. , Wilks T. M.
Published: October 2022

Electromagnetic pickup noise in the tokamak environment imposes an imminent challenge for measuring weak diagnostic photocurrents in the nA range. The diagnostic signal can be contaminated by an unknown mixture of crosstalk signals from coils powered by currents in the kA range. To address this issue, an algorithm for robust identification of linear multi-input single-output (MISO) systems has been developed. The MISO model describes the dynamic relationship between measured signals from power sources and observed signals in the diagnostic and allows for a precise subtraction of the noise component. The proposed method was tested on experimental diagnostic data from the DIII-D tokamak, and it has reduced noise by up to 20 dB in the 1–20 kHz range.
Multistate electronic quenching: Nonadiabatic pathways in NO A 2Σ+ + O2X 3Σg− scattering
Authors: Soulié Clément , Paterson Martin J.
Published: October 2022

The quenching of NO A 2Σ+ with O2 as a collisional partner is important for combustion and atmospheric processes. There is still a lack of theoretical understanding of this event, especially concerning the nature of the different quenching pathways. In this work, we provide potential energy surfaces (PESs) of 20 electronic states of this system. We computed the spin-doublet and spin-quartet PESs using SA-CASSCF and XMS-CASPT2. We find two potential quenching pathways. The first one (Q1) is a two-step orientation-specific process. The system first undergoes an electron transfer (NO+ X 1Σ+ + O2−X 2Πg) at short distances, before crossing to lower neutral states, such as NO X 2Π + O2a 1Δg, O2b 1Σg+, O2X 3Σg−, or even 2 O(3P). The second quenching pathway (Q2) is less orientation-dependent and should be sudden without requiring the proximity conditioning Q1. The Q2 cross section will be enhanced with increasing initial vibrational level in both O2 and NO. It is responsible for the production of NO X 2Π with higher O2 excited states, such as O2c 1Σu−, A′3Δu, or A 3Σu+. Overall, this work provides a first detailed theoretical investigation of the quenching of NO A 2Σ+ by O2X 3Σg− as well as introduces a weighting scheme generally applicable to multireference, open-shell bimolecular systems. The effect of spin-multiplicity on the different quenching pathways is also discussed.
Mechanically tunable metasurface with large gamut of color: Lateral hybrid system
Authors: Fang Rui , Ghasemi Amir , Zeze Dagou A. , Keshavarz Hedayati Mehdi
Published: October 2022

Hybrid metasurfaces are made of metals and dielectrics in which dielectrics (metals) are sandwiched between metals (dielectrics) to control the reflection and transmission of light. The existing designs have low sensitivity, little color coverage, and a lack of flexibility. Here, a new structural color design is proposed in which metals and dielectric resonators are arranged spatially in 2D to form a lateral hybrid system, instead of being placed as layers. Such a design exhibits a high level of sensitivity to mechanical forces because it works via 2D optical coupling and light confinement between adjacent resonators. Our study shows that in-planar coupling of two dissimilar resonators can enhance sensitivity by an order of magnitude in comparison to stacking them. Metasurfaces with our design would have unprecedented mechanical tunability without compromising either the materials choice or processing. Using the proposed hybrid system, we demonstrate large tunability across the full range of colors with only a 10% change in the size of the lattice, which further proves its superiority over existing designs. This concept could find application in wearable devices that require high sensitivity to small mechanical fluctuations.
How good are recent density functionals for ground and excited states of one-electron systems?
Authors: Schwalbe Sebastian , Trepte Kai , Lehtola Susi
Published: October 2022

Sun et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 144, 191101 (2016)] suggested that common density-functional approximations (DFAs) should exhibit large energy errors for excited states as a necessary consequence of orbital nodality. Motivated by self-interaction corrected density-functional calculations on many-electron systems, we continue their study with the exactly solvable 1s, 2p, and 3d states of 36 hydrogenic one-electron ions (H–Kr35+) and demonstrate with self-consistent calculations that state-of-the-art DFAs indeed exhibit large errors for the 2p and 3d excited states. We consider 56 functionals at the local density approximation (LDA), generalized gradient approximation (GGA) as well as meta-GGA levels, and several hybrid functionals such as the recently proposed machine-learned DM21 local hybrid functional. The best non-hybrid functional for the 1s ground state is revTPSS. As predicted by Sun et al., the 2p and 3d excited states are more difficult for DFAs, and LDA functionals turn out to yield the most systematic accuracy for these states among non-hybrid functionals. The best performance for the three states overall is observed with the BHandH global hybrid GGA functional, which contains 50% Hartree–Fock exchange and 50% LDA exchange. The performance of DM21 is found to be inconsistent, yielding good accuracy for some states and systems and poor accuracy for others. Based on these results, we recommend including a variety of one-electron cations in future training of machine-learned density functionals.
Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. The Eyeballer and the Analyzer
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

The remarkable observations of Tycho Brahe preceded the invention of the telescope by a decade, the quality of telescopic measurements by a century. Brahe's measurements of cometary motion disproved the claim that comets were inside the Moon's orbit, as well as the idea that the celestial bodies moved on invisible spheres. Brahe's measurements of planetary positions provided the data for Johannes Kepler's three laws: planetary orbits are elliptical, equal orbital areas are swept out in equal times, the square of the planet's annual period is proportional to the cube of the semimajor axis (“radius” of the long dimension) of the orbit. The three laws were empirical, based entirely on Kepler's use of Brahe's data. They were not explained until Newton discovered the law of gravity.
Caroline Herschel. Telescopes, Comets, and Catalogs
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Caroline Herschel was born in Hannover, Germany, the sister of William Herschel, who became an important astronomer, as did she. (She was also an able musician, as was he. Between them, they played seven instruments. She also sang.) During the 1770s, they began making telescopes and taking data. Caroline began as William's assistant. He made the observations and dictated the results to her, but she soon took over mathematical computations. Her own career took off with comet-hunting. She discovered eight. In addition, she described many hitherto unknown galactic objects. The first of these, NGC2360, is a cluster of stars, often called Caroline's Cluster. Unhappy with the format (and the errors) in older star catalogs, Caroline made her own, surpassing the others. She was the first woman to be awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. She was also appointed an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society and of the Royal Irish Academy. On her 96th birthday, she received a Gold Medal for Science from the Prussian King. A lunar crater and an asteroid are named after her.
Emmy Noether. Mathematical Genius, Wrong Gender
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Emmy Noether developed theories that expanded the rules of common mathematics. Noether's theorem was a seminal contribution to physics, relating symmetry to conservation laws. For example, Kepler's first and second laws (elliptical orbits, equal areas swept out in equal times) were empirical and apparently unconnected. Newton's gravitational force law connected them. Noether's theorem dispensed with force altogether. She showed that any elliptical orbit (symmetry) must produce the sweeping out of equal areas in equal times: “conservation of angular momentum.” Noether was not permitted to take university math classes. She was prohibited from becoming a professor and had to make do with “mathematical assistant.” Nevertheless, her fame grew. Albert Einstein said about her, “Fräulein Noether was the most significant mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began.”
Louis de Broglie. Wavicles
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Louis de Broglie received the Nobel Prize for his Ph.D. It is an extreme statement but not as extreme as one might think. In his 1924 doctoral dissertation, he asserted that all matter had both wave and particle properties. His thesis stemmed from Einstein's recognition that light had particle properties. Until then it was assumed, and every experiment had shown, that light was strictly a wave. With the photoelectric effect explained by Einstein, light became an example of “wave-particle duality.” Before de Broglie, it was the only example. De Broglie proposed that all matter had both wave and particle properties. De Broglie found the relationship between the two: the particle momentum was inversely proportional to the wavelength. Experimental evidence subsequently confirmed his theory, hence the Prize.
Werner Heisenberg. Uncertainty
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Of Werner Heisenberg's many contributions, two stand out. The first was matrix mechanics. It was the first form of what is called “the new quantum mechanics,” as compared to the “old quantum mechanics” of Bohr. Bohr's old quantum theory talked of electron orbits; these were themselves unmeasurable. Heisenberg found a way of putting what was measurable into a sort of table, called a matrix. He also recognized that measurement of the same properties, such as electron spin, could give different results. This led to his second great achievement, his uncertainty principle. Certain pairs of measurements, such as position and momentum, could not be simultaneously measured to any desired degree of accuracy. The more accurately measured the one, the less can be known about the other. This is not an experimental error. It is fundamental.

Heisenberg is associated with another uncertainty: his role in attempting to build a German atomic bomb. What he actually did or did not do is still a matter of controversy.
Paul A. M. Dirac. Matchmaker: Relativity and Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Paul Dirac made contributions to theoretical physics that spanned quantum mechanics, relativity, gravity, and magnetism. Among these, the most important was arguably his connecting relativity and quantum mechanics. The Schrödinger equation is only correct for speeds much less than the speed of light. An equation correct for all speeds must include the energy associated with mass: E = mc2. The Dirac equation did just that. It also turned out to naturally include spin, which was an ad hoc addition to the wave functions obtained by the Schrödinger equation. He and Schrödinger shared the 1933 Nobel Prize.
Lev D. Landau. The Smartest One in Almost Any Room
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Lev Davidovic Landau was by any standard a genius. He learned calculus by age 13 and graduated from gymnasium the same year. At 14, he entered university, earning his Bachelor's degree at age 19. His doctorate came when he was 26, but by then he had already worked with Bohr, Dirac, and Pauli. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize for his theory of superfluidity, the phenomenon in which the viscosity of a liquid is zero. A superfluid liquid can actually climb up the sides of its container.

Landau knew he was a genius and had little patience for the less gifted. Above himself, he ranked only Newton, Einstein, the founders of quantum mechanics, and a few others. He once compared Communism to Nazism, earning himself a stay in the notorious Lubyanka Prison. His mug shot is included in the chapter.
John Archibald Wheeler. Brilliant Mind, Generous Spirit
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

John Wheeler's scientific accomplishments are almost too long to list. Hehelped explain the principles behind nuclear fission;worked on nuclear fission and fusion as applied, respectively, to atomic and hydrogen bombs;studied quantum information theory in its infancy;coined the terms “black hole” and “wormhole”;advanced and popularized Einstein's general theory of relativity;authored or co-authored nine books, from the advanced to the popular; andco-authored the ground-breaking text Gravitation.

Wheeler mentored many doctoral students who went on to achieve great prominence, including future Nobel Laureates Richard Feynman and Kip Thorne. Those of us who had the privilege and pleasure of seeing Wheeler at conferences came away with the conviction that he was unfailingly kind and encouraging to all, especially to younger physicists. The testimonies of his many students and colleagues confirm our conviction.
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin. The Sky's the Limit
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Cecilia Payne earned her Ph.D. in 1925, analyzing spectra of stars and relating them to element abundances. At that time, it was believed that the proportions should approximately match those of the Earth's. Payne showed that this was not the case. While some elements were present in the Sun with the same relative abundances, hydrogen was present by a factor of more than 1 000 000, and helium by a factor of more than 100 000. In fact, the composition of the Sun (and other stars) is almost entirely hydrogen and helium. Payne later studied “variable stars,” whose brightness oscillates. With her assistants, she carried out more than three million observations. Cecilia Payne became Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin when she married fellow astronomer Sergei Gaposchkin in 1934. After decades of low-paying positions, in 1956 she became the first woman at Harvard University to be appointed to a full professorship. Later, she was also the first woman at Harvard to be head of a department.
Fred Hoyle. Actuary To the Stars
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

By the mid-20th century, quantum mechanics and relativity had made it possible to investigate both the life cycle of stars and that of the universe. Fred Hoyle played a pivotal role in both. He is the F in B2FH, the acronym for Burbidge, Burbidge, Fowler, and Hoyle. Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, William Fowler, and Fred Hoyle solved the mystery of stellar production of the elements. A star is mostly hydrogen, whose fusion into helium, and helium's subsequent fusion, produces the heavier elements. The very complicated details were worked out by B2FH.

As for the evolution of universe, there were two possibilities: either a Big Bang or a Steady State. Hoyle was a proponent of the latter. In fact, the word Big Bang was coined by him in derision. Hoyle's universe had no beginning, but new matter—supposedly hydrogen atoms—was created in the void between the receding galaxies. Is that any weirder than the whole universe being created in one instant? Observations later proved Hoyle wrong. But his arguments forced a close look at the assumptions of both models.
Stephen Hawking. Do Black Holes have Hair?
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Stephen Hawking was primus inter pares in a group of brilliant physicists who started a new wave of development of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Their first breakthrough was the formulation of the so-called four laws of black hole dynamics. They were formulated in close analogy with the laws of ordinary thermodynamics. Hawking proved that it was more than an analogy.

Hawking was the first to use quantum mechanics in conjunction with general relativity in astrophysics. He showed that a black hole is not quite black: it emits radiation, now called Hawking radiation. For the rest of his life, Hawking regularly produced exciting papers, many of which had daring conjectures and controversial postulates. He also published a number of popular books on cosmology. For most of his career, he was bound to a wheelchair because of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Eventually, his only way of communication was through a computer commanded by a muscle in his chin. In 1979, Hawking was named Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a position formerly held by Isaac Newton.
Kip Thorne. The Gravity of the Situation
Authors: Kastrup Helge , Mallow Jeffry V.
Published: October 2022

Kip Thorne is a world expert on Einstein's general theory of relativity. He co-authored with John A. Wheeler and Charles W. Misner the text Gravitation, a work once characterized as “the book with the most physics per dollar,” since it was one of the heaviest books on most physicists' shelves (rightly so for a book on gravitation). According to general relativity theory, the collision of two giant black holes should send out waves of gravitational energy. However, the signals are very weak and therefore very difficult to measure. In 1984, Thorne was co-founder of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). LIGO is actually two observatories: one in Louisiana, one in Washington state. When both measure the tiny signals simultaneously, that means that a burst of waves is passing the Earth. Thorne produced an important part of the mathematical analysis of how the bursts were supposed to look and how they could be measured. Over the last few years, LIGO has measured many such events. Thorne was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017.
Stem and pseudostem growth play a key role in biomass accumulation of guineagrass in long regrowth cycles
Authors: Brunetti Henrique Bauab , Oliveira Ricardo Ferraz de , Pezzopane José Ricardo Macedo , Pedreira Bruno Carneiro , Carvalho Rogério Falleiros , Pedreira Carlos Guilherme Silveira , Santos Patrícia Menezes
Published: October 2022

Context Tall bunch-type tropical forage grasses are known for their rapid (true) stem elongation late in the regrowth cycle, even during the vegetative phase. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the stem and pseudostem growth pattern of ‘Mombaça’ guineagrass [Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) BK Simon & SWL Jacobs] grown in field conditions and how this relates to its high biomass accumulation during long regrowth cycles. Methods A guineagrass field was managed from December 2017 to January 2019, in three regrowth cycles of 10, 14 and 12 weeks duration. Individual tillers were assessed weekly to measure stem, pseudostem and leaf elongation, leaf appearance; and angle of insertion of the leaves. Aboveground biomass samples were taken weekly for biomass accumulation and leaf area index assessment. Key results At the beginning of each regrowth cycle, the pseudostem elongated while the stem length remained constant. Subsequently, the pseudostem length reached a plateau, while the stem length increased at a constant rate. Because of a positive relationship between pseudostem and leaf laminae lengths, the long pseudostem ensured the formation of long leaves in tall tillers and positive net leaf elongation in long regrowth cycles. Conclusions The high biomass accumulation reflected the continuous positive net leaf elongation by the tillers and was underpinned by the younger leaves being more erect than the older ones, allowing for lower self-shading of the older leaves and greater leaf tissue retention. Implications The high production of tropical forage grasses in late regrowth should be utilised with caution, as it is underpinned by stem elongation and meristem elevation.
Maternal metabolic health and fertility: we should not only care about but also for the oocyte!
Authors: Leroy J. L. M. R. , Meulders B. , Moorkens K. , Xhonneux I. , Slootmans J. , De Keersmaeker L. , Smits A. , Bogado Pascottini O. , Marei W. F. A.
Published: October 2022

Metabolic disorders due to obesity and unhealthy lifestyle directly alter the oocyte’s microenvironment and impact oocyte quality. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play key roles in the pathogenesis. Acute effects on the fully grown oocytes are evident, but early follicular stages are also sensitive to metabolic stress leading to a long-term impact on follicular cells and oocytes. Improving the preconception health is therefore of capital importance but research in animal models has demonstrated that oocyte quality is not fully recovered. In the in vitro fertilisation clinic, maternal metabolic disorders are linked with disappointing assisted reproductive technology results. Embryos derived from metabolically compromised oocytes exhibit persistently high intracellular stress levels due to weak cellular homeostatic mechanisms. The assisted reproductive technology procedures themselves form an extra burden for these defective embryos. Minimising cellular stress during culture using mitochondrial-targeted therapy could rescue compromised embryos in a bovine model. However, translating such applications to human in vitro fertilisation clinics is not simple. It is crucial to consider the sensitive epigenetic programming during early development. Research in humans and relevant animal models should result in preconception care interventions and in vitro strategies not only aiming at improving fertility but also safeguarding offspring health.
Snow track counts for density estimation of mammalian predators in the boreal forest
Authors: O’Donoghue Mark , Slough Brian G. , Poole Kim , Boutin Stan , Hofer Elizabeth J. , Mowat Garth , Murray Dennis , Krebs Charles J.
Published: October 2022

Context Methods for estimating density of meso-carnivores in northern ecosystems are labour intensive and expensive to implement if mark–recapture and radio collaring are used. One alternative is to count tracks in the snow along transects as an index of density, but this method has been criticised as imprecise and lacking validation. Aims We aimed to examine the utility of track counts along snowmobile trails in the snow for measuring changes in populations of Canada lynx and coyotes in the boreal forest of north-western Canada. Methods We compared winter track counts of Canada lynx at three study sites and of coyotes at one site with concurrent estimates of density based on locations of radio-collared animals and estimates of numbers of uncollared animals from three 7–9-year studies in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, during a period of cyclical population fluctuations. Key results Snow track counts were positively correlated (r2 = 0.83) with density of Canada lynx, estimated by live trapping and radio collaring in the three survey areas. Coyotes also showed a clear relationship (r2 = 0.80) between known density and snow track counts, but track counts were strongly affected by season, with much higher counts in the early winter when snow was shallower. This indicates the need to control for season or snow depth when using track counts as indices of coyote abundance. We recommend sample sizes of at least 10 track counts per winter along a 25-km transect to maximise precision. Conclusions Snow track counts are a relatively simple, inexpensive method of concurrently tracking abundance of multiple species of meso-carnivores. These data indicate that track counts may be reliably used to monitor trends in numbers, but we suggest site-specific validation of the regressions reported here between tracks and animal abundance are required to translate these indices into estimates of density. Implications Track counts have the potential to be an affordable alternative to more intensive methods of monitoring trends in abundance of medium-sized mammals, for purposes such as management of harvest or to measure the success of programs to increase or reduce population abundance.
“Have nou godenai day”
Authors: Jamison Carol Parrish
Published: October 2022

“Have a good day” and its variant “have a nice day” are among our most common forms of modern leave-taking. Although these expressions may seem modern, they can be traced back to a twelfth century English romance, entitledKing Horn, and can also be found in a number of other mediaeval works. Linguists typically treat the expression as token politeness that does not warrant detailed analysis. However, an examination of the mediaeval works containing the expression shows that, from its earliest recording, it appears in unexpected contexts and can carry deeper meaning. Rather than being merely a phatic phrase, the expression has long been used as a meaningful rhetorical device. This diachronic study explores the expression “have a good day” from its earliest occurrence to modern times and shows its potential to move beyond phatic use.
Words and topics in ELT textbooks for young EFL learners
Authors: Álvarez María Isabel Guerra , Catalán Rosa M. Jiménez
Published: October 2022

Textbooks are the main pedagogical resource used by teachers of English as a foreign language in many countries.
Quantitative and qualitative differences in the lexicon and topics covered by ELT textbooks may generate inequalities in an
objective diagnostic evaluation. This study examines the content words and topics included in four ELT textbooks in order to
determine whether there are convergences or divergences in the learners’ input exposure and whether the topics adhere to the
educational policies of primary education in Spain. The results showed differences in the amount of vocabulary input and
significant variation in textbooks’ most frequently-used content words. Likewise, the representation of the topics differed from
one textbook to another, and the common topics often differed in focus and, consequently, in the content words used to introduce
the theme. The findings have implications for education and research since, depending on the textbook used, learners are exposed
not only to a different amount of input but also to a diversity of ideas, facts, and ‘worlds’ projected by the different content
words found in textbooks of the same course level.
Marcadores de implicación en los discursos de campaña para las elecciones generales de 2016 en España
Authors: Albalat-Mascarell Ana , Carrió-Pastor María Luisa
Published: October 2022

Abstracta

Este trabajo estudia la frecuencia y las funciones de los marcadores de implicación que utilizaron los candidatos
de las principales fuerzas políticas españolas en sus discursos de campaña para las elecciones generales de 2016 en España.
Nuestro objetivo es analizar la manera en que los líderes de los principales partidos políticos españoles se relacionaron con sus
votantes a través del uso de marcadores de implicación en sus discursos. Para poder alcanzar este objetivo, recopilamos las
transcripciones de los mítines de los candidatos presidenciables españoles y de un debate celebrado entre dichos candidatos
durante la campaña electoral de 2016 y aplicamos una metodología de análisis de corpus. Los resultados permiten observar que los
dirigentes políticos españoles utilizaron los marcadores de implicación de manera distinta según se tratase de un mitin de campaña
o de un debate televisado. En las conclusiones señalamos qué marcadores de implicación parecen utilizarse más en la comunicación
político-electoral española en la actualidad y las implicaciones que esto conlleva.
Conformally Schwarzschild cosmological black holes
Authors: Sato Takuma , Maeda Hideki , Harada Tomohiro
Published: October 2022

We thoroughly investigate conformally Schwarzschild spacetimes in different coordinate systems to seek for physically reasonable models of a cosmological black hole. We assume that a conformal factor depends only on the time coordinate and that the spacetime is asymptotically flat Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker Universe filled by a perfect fluid obeying a linear equation state p = wρ with w > −1/3. In this class of spacetimes, the McClure–Dyer spacetime, constructed in terms of the isotropic coordinates, and the Thakurta spacetime, constructed in terms of the standard Schwarzschild coordinates, are identical and do not describe a cosmological black hole. In contrast, the Sultana–Dyer and Culetu classes of spacetimes, constructed in terms of the Kerr–Schild and Painlevé–Gullstrand coordinates, respectively, describe a cosmological black hole. In the Sultana–Dyer case, the corresponding matter field in general relativity can be interpreted as a combination of a homogeneous perfect fluid and an inhomogeneous null fluid, which is valid everywhere in the spacetime unlike Sultana and Dyer’s interpretation. In the Culetu case, the matter field can be interpreted as a combination of a homogeneous perfect fluid and an inhomogeneous anisotropic fluid. However, in both cases, the total energy–momentum tensor violates all the standard energy conditions at a finite value of the radial coordinate in late times. As a consequence, the Sultana–Dyer and Culetu black holes for −1/3 < w ⩽ 1 cannot describe the evolution of a primordial black hole after its horizon entry.
Frequency dynamics of a chain of magnetized rotors: dumbbell model vs Landau–Lifshitz equation
Authors: Urbina F , Franco A F , Concha A
Published: October 2022

During the past decades magnetic materials and structures that span several length scales have been of interest mainly due to their application in data storage and processing, flexible electronics, medicine, between others. From a microscopic point of view, these systems are typically studied using the Landau–Lifshitz equation (LLE), while approaches such as the dumbbell model are used to study macroscopic magnetic structures. In this work we use both the LLE and the dumbbell model to study spin chains of various lengths under the effect of a time dependent-magnetic field, allowing us to compare qualitatively the results obtained by both approaches. This has allowed us to identify and describe in detail several frequency modes that appear, with additional modes arising as the chain length increases. Moreover, we find that high frequency modes tend to be absorbed by lower frequency ones as the amplitude of the field increases. The results obtained in this work are of interest not only to better understand the behavior of the macroscopic spins chains, but also expands the available tools for qualitative studies of both macroscopic and microscopic versions of the studied system, or more complex structures such as junctions or lattices. This would allow to study the qualitative behavior of microscopic systems (e.g. nanoparticles) using macroscopic arrays of magnets, and vice versa.
Fabrication of novel BiVO4/Bi2O3 heterostructure with superior visible light induced photocatalytic properties
Authors: Liaqat Maira , Riaz Khalid Nadeem , Iqbal Tahir , Nabi Ghulam , Rizwan Muhammad , Shakil M
Published: October 2022

Heterostructure BiVO4/Bi2O3 nanocomposites with enhanced visible light activity are effectively synthesized through an easiest and single step hydrothermal route, using bismuth subnitrate and ammonium meta-vanadate as main raw materials in existence of citric acid. The phase and surface structure, topography and optical properties of synthesized composites are characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, UV–Visible and PL spectroscopy. It was found that 5%BiVO4/Bi2O3 (BOBV-5) nanocomposite exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance for rhodamine B dye degradation and tetracyclic under irradiation of visible light as compared to single component i.e. BiVO4. The increased photocatalytic activity should be ascribed for making p–n heterojunction among p-type Bi2O3 and n-type BiVO4. This p–n heterojunction successfully reduce the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Furthermore, the BOBV-5 novel photocatalyst shows good stability in constructive five cycles and photocatalytic activity is best for conquering photo corrosion of a photocatalysts. To explain charge migration route, whole photocatalytic mechanism was described in terms of energy band structures. Furthermore, the present work is helpful effort for design of new visible light photocatalytic materials with heterojunction structures.
Adsorption of rhodamine 6G and choline on gold electrodes: a molecular dynamics study
Authors: Wang Xin , Ham Seokgyun , Zhou Wei , Qiao Rui
Published: October 2022

The adsorption of analyte molecules on nano-optoelectrodes (e.g. a combined nanoantenna and nanoelectrode device) significantly affects the signal characteristics in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements. Understanding how different molecules adsorb on electrodes and their electrical potential modulation helps interpret SERS measurements better. We use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorption of prototypical analyte molecules (rhodamine 6G and choline) on gold electrodes with negative, neutral, and positive surface charges. We show that both molecules can readily adsorb on gold surfaces at all surface charge densities studied. Nevertheless, the configurations of the adsorbed molecules can differ for different surface charge densities, and adsorption can also change a molecule’s conformation. Rhodamine 6G molecules adsorb more strongly than choline molecules, and the adsorption of both molecules is affected by electrode charge in 0.25 M NaCl solutions. The mechanisms of these observations are elucidated, and their implications for voltage-modulated SERS measurements are discussed.
Different ionization mechanisms in pulsed micro-DBD’s in argon at different pressures
Authors: Wang Yaogong , Ma Xiaoqin , Bouwman Dennis , Liu Zhuoran , Ebert Ute , Zhang Xiaoning
Published: October 2022

In this research we analyse different plasma wave propagation mechanism of microcavity discharge in pure argon at two different pressures. Experimental results of a pulsed micro-DBD with 2 and 50 kPa argon, 180 μm gap, at room temperature, show that two distinct pressure-dependent propagation modes exist. In the low pressure regime, the discharge propagates perpendicular to the applied electric field forming distinct channels, but many vertically-oriented filaments distributed throughout the domain at high pressure discharge. And the discharge duration time in high pressure is around 5 times shorter than that in low pressure. A 2D particle-in-cell (PIC-MCC) model with chemical reactions, photoemission, and secondary electron generation, is established to investigate the formation mechanism of the two propagation modes. Models of the initial ionization processes show that there are two different breakdown mechanisms for these two pressures, where secondary emission of electrons from the dielectric is dominated either by ion impact or by photon impact. The investigation is of great significance for further reveal of the principle of microplasmas discharge.
Piezoelectric performance improvement via macromolecular rearrangement
Authors: Meng Qingyu , Jin Wenjing , Zhang Zhuo , Zhang Minghao , Shen Xiaoping , Zhou Zhu , Sun Qingfeng
Published: October 2022

Because of their good flexibility and capacity to capture the dynamic mechanical energy by converting it into electrical signals, polymeric piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) have broad application prospects in mechanical vibration detection and acquisition as sensors and self-powered systems. Here, a flexible PENG film based on hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) as the matrix, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as an auxiliary electrospinning reagent and BaTiO3 nanoparticles (NPs) as a piezoelectric nanofiller is constructed by electrospinning and post-treatments for macromolecule rearrangement and thus piezoelectricity enhancement. This PENG demonstrates a superior sensitivity (23.33 mV kPa−1) which is over 3.9 times those of the commercial PVDF and polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene films. This performance enhancement is ascribed to the HPC dissolution and regeneration during post-treatments, resulting in the formation of outer wrappers around fibrils and thus an interconnected fibrous network with junction nodes between adjacent fibers for stress transfer efficiency. The partial crystal phase transformation of PVDF during film densification may also play a role in the increase of piezoelectricity. A series of practical application scenarios are established to demonstrate the highly promising potential of this fibril-based composite membrane for multifunctional force sensing and energy collection.
Implementation of printability for magneto-active soft materials based on programmed 3D printing technique
Authors: Han Wenheng , Gao Wei , Wang Xingzhe
Published: October 2022

Magneto-active soft materials fabricated by new paradigms of 3D printing have received considerable interest for various applications owing to their remarkable complex deformation and extraordinary magneto-mechanical properties. The morphology and magneto-mechanical properties of materials prepared by direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing, on the other hand, are closely related to process and material parameters that are critical in this printing technique. In this study, the morphology of ink filaments printed under different parameters was investigated through theoretical analysis and experimental tests to achieve the implementation. The results demonstrated that the prepared magnetic inks are suitable for DIW, and the predictions based on a simplified hydrodynamic model are basically consistent with the measured data in the experiments. It also showed that the diameter of the extruded ink filaments increases with increasing extrusion pressure, and decreasing printing speed, layer height, and magnetic particle content. Similarly, the magnetic property varies with the nozzle diameter and material composition variations. Using the obtained optimal parameters, several magneto-active rods and plate-like structures with a specific arrangement of microscopic magnetic domains were successfully fabricated. Their magnetically driven behavior further was investigated experimentally and numerically, which revealed a programmed, non-contact remote control, reversible, and multimodal large deformation characteristics. The findings of this study allow a more in-depth understanding and analysis of processing-structure-property correlations of printed magneto-active soft materials, laying the groundwork for personalized customization and versatile development of magneto-mechanical performance.
An embedded printed flexible strain resistance sensor via micro-structure design on graphene-filled conductive silicon rubber
Authors: Luo Weichu , Xia Zhidong , Zhou Wei , Wei Xiaojie , Huang Pei
Published: October 2022

Flexible strain sensors have been improved in sensing performance with the assistance of materials design, novel manufacturing, and microstructure fabrication. In this study, graphene was efficiently dispersed in ethanol and then re-dispersed into silicon rubber (SR) matrix, functioning as a flexible strain resistance sensor (FSRS) with functional macrostructure and modified microstructure to further improve the sensitivity. A stable dispersion of graphene was obtained in an ultrasound-aided ball milling process, where absolute ethanol was selected as the solvent and sodium dodecyl sulfonate as the surfactant. Graphene-filled conductive SR was embedded in the polydimethylsiloxane matrix as a conductive sensing layer, and the high sensing performance (GF = 25 ± 2) was achieved using a spiral printed. Micropores with an optimized interspacing of 10 mm were further introduced into the spiral CSM, and the results presented a significant improved sensitivity (GF = 51 ± 4) of the fabricated FSRS under a working strain (20%–30%) and cyclic test (>104 cycles). The FRSR was sensitive enough to monitor various movements of single and multi-joints of human body and identify the rhythm of music sound, which exhibited its potential application as a wearable flexible sensor.
Constraints on ion velocity distributions from fusion product spectroscopy
Authors: Crilly A.J. , Appelbe B.D. , Mannion O.M. , Taitano W. , Hartouni E.P. , Moore A.S. , Gatu-Johnson M. , Chittenden J.P.
Published: October 2022

Recent inertial confinement fusion experiments have shown primary fusion spectral moments which are incompatible with a Maxwellian velocity distribution description. These results show that an ion kinetic description of the reacting ions is necessary. We develop a theoretical classification of non-Maxwellian ion velocity distributions using the spectral moments. At the mesoscopic level, a monoenergetic decomposition of the velocity distribution reveals there are constraints on the space of spectral moments accessible by isotropic distributions. General expressions for the directionally dependent spectral moments of anisotropic distributions are derived. At the macroscopic level, a distribution of fluid element velocities modifies the spectral moments in a constrained manner. Experimental observations can be compared to these constraints to identify the character and isotropy of the underlying reactant ion velocity distribution and determine if the plasma is hydrodynamic or kinetic.
SOLPS-ITER simulations of an X-point radiator in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak
Authors: Pan O. , Bernert M. , Lunt T. , Cavedon M. , Kurzan B. , Wiesen S. , Wischmeier M. , Stroth U. , Upgrade Team the ASDEX
Published: October 2022

The X-point radiator (XPR) is an attractive scenario that may contribute to solving the power exhaust problem in future fusion devices. The 2D transport code SOLPS-ITER was applied to reproduce the experimentally measured plasma condition with an XPR in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and to compare with a reduced model. Neutrals penetrating from the adjoining cold divertor region and the large connection length near the X-point play an important role in initiating an XPR. However, once such a radiator is created, it persists even if the fueling and impurity seeding rates were reduced. The redistribution of plasma density and radiation near the X-point caused by fluid drifts at the XPR was studied in the simulation.