bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced finite element formulation incorporating stress jumps and interface behavior in structures with embedded linear inclusions
Authors: Riccardi Francesco , Giry Cédric , Gatuingt Fabrice
Published: September 2020

When linear inclusions are embedded into a matrix, a perturbation is introduced in the boundary value problem written at the macroscale. Such inhomogeneity can provoke sharp gradients in the solution and a correct evaluation of the interface stress state reveals necessary when localized material degradations can lead to global failure mechanisms. In order to account for such refined description in large‐scale structural problems, a novel enhanced implicit finite element formulation is presented. The standard displacement approximation is improved by means of a kinematic enrichment aimed at reproducing the local interaction between the matrix and the inclusion. The microscale interface behavior can then be directly evaluated from the stress jump arising in the bulk. From a computational point of view, this translates in solving an additional local equilibrium equation. The static boundary conditions at the inclusion ends are thus exactly verified and a good precision is achieved with minimal meshing effort and code modifications. The proposed model is applied to elementary and structural examples involving singularities and it is compared to other modeling strategies with focus both on global and local quantities as well on the convergence properties and corresponding CPU times of the approximated solution.
Geostationary debris mitigation using minimum time solar sail trajectories with eclipse constraints
Authors: Kelly Patrick , Bevilacqua Riccardo
Published: September 2020

Minimum time solar sailing trajectories are introduced using a combination of indirect and direct optimal control techniques. Here, large‐scale, multiphase optimal control problems are solved using a pseudospectral collocation technique applied to an orbital debris mitigation concept. These solutions are obtained for realistic sail dimensions, producing multirevolution, Earth‐centered trajectories while accounting for uncontrolled spacecraft dynamics in the eclipse regions. Specifically, minimum time solutions for orbit transfer and phasing maneuvers are obtained using only solar radiation pressure for propulsion and control. First, an optimal primer vector steering history is obtained through numerical approximation. Locally optimal, closed‐form solutions are then implemented based on the primer vector direction, resulting in minimum time satisfaction of desired terminal orbital conditions. In addition, a novel solution strategy is presented for multiphase optimal control problems characterized by uncontrollable dynamics with flexible phase boundaries. The maneuvers presented will be shown to enable efficient orbital debris mitigation for large‐scale debris in geostationary orbits.
Influence of conditioning on the high strain rate compression response of Kevlar thermoplastic composites
Authors: Chouhan Hemant , Asija Bhalla Neelanchali , Bandaru Aswani Kumar , Bhatnagar Naresh
Published: September 2020

Kevlar reinforced composite material systems are widely used for personal body armors. Due to aging or minor damage while in service, body armor may get exposed to external weather conditions, including moisture. The present study investigates the effect of moisture on the high strain rate behavior of Kevlar/Polypropylene (K‐PP) composite. Flat K‐PP composite laminate was manufactured using a vacuum‐assisted compression molding followed by laser machining. Dynamic compressive loading tests were performed using split Hopkinson pressure bar setup. The phenomenological modeling approach was adopted to characterize the rate‐dependent behavior of dry and wet composites. For identical dynamic compressive loading, different strain rates, strains, and stresses were attained by the dry and wet composite specimens. Macroscopic and microscopic imaging was done to expose the variation in damage behavior as a function of moisture absorption. Significant property reduction as a function of moisture absorption emphasizes the need for moisture proofing and protecting the armor products from minor damages leading to sites for moisture ingress.
Revised annotation and extended characterizations of components of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii SUMOylation system
Authors: Lin Yen‐Ling , Chung Chin‐Lin , Huang Pin‐jui , Chen Chun‐Han , Fang Su‐Chiung
Published: September 2020

Small ubiquitin‐like modifier (SUMO) conjugation, or SUMOylation, is a reversible post‐translational modification that is important for regulation of many cellular processes including cell division cycle in the eukaryotic kingdom. However, only a portion of the components of the Chlamydomonas SUMOylation system are known and their functions and regulation investigated. The present studies are aimed at extending discovery and characterization of new components and improving the annotation and nomenclature of all known proteins and genes involved in the system. Even though only one copy of the heterodimerized SUMO‐activating enzyme, SAE1 and SAE2, was identified, the number of SUMO‐conjugating enzymes (SCEs) and SUMO proteases/isopeptidase was expanded in Chlamydomonas. Using the reconstituted SUMOylation system, we showed that SCE1, SCE2, and SCE3 have SUMO‐conjugating activity. In addition to SUMOylation, components required for other post‐translational modifications such as NEDDylation, URMylation, and UFMylation, were confirmed to be present in Chlamydomonas. Our data also showed that besides isopeptidase activity, the SUMO protease domain of SUPPRESSOR OF MAT3 7/SENTRIN‐SPECIFIC PROTEASE 1 (SMT7/SENP1) has endopeptidase activity that is capable of processing SUMO precursors. Moreover, the key cell cycle regulators of Chlamydomonas E2F1, DP1, CDKG1, CYCD2, and CYCD3 were SUMOylated in vitro, suggesting SUMOylation may be part of regulatory pathway modulating cell cycle regulators.
Donor‐acceptor copolymers from cyclopentannulation polymerizations with dicyclopenta[cd,jk]pyrene and dicyclopenta[cd,lm] perylene acceptors
Authors: Uddin Ain , Plunkett Kyle N.
Published: September 2020

A series of donor‐acceptor copolymers with dicyclopenta[cd,jk]pyrene and dicyclopenta[cd,lm]perylene acceptor units was prepared via palladium catalyzed cyclopenta‐annulation reactions. The acceptor units were paired with diethynyl containing donor groups based on benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b’]dithiophene, thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene, and 4‐octyl‐4H‐dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]pyrrole to create six polymer variants. The cyclopentannulation polymerization resulted in copolymers with molecular weights (Mn) of 6–14 kDa and broad light absorption in the visible region with band gaps of 1.38–1.85 eV. The synthetic methodology, as well as optoelectronic properties, including thin‐film absorption and cyclic voltammetry, of the donor‐acceptor copolymers are presented.
The economic impact of Drosophila suzukii: perceived costs and revenue losses of Swiss cherry, plum and grape growers
Authors: Knapp Ladina , Mazzi Dominique , Finger Robert
Published: September 2020

BACKGROUND

Drosophila suzukii can lead to substantial damages in horticultural production. In this article we analyze revenue losses and cost increases due to D. suzukii as perceived of Swiss cherry, plum and grape growers. Moreover, we investigate associations between farm and grower characteristics and revenue losses and perceived costs increases. We surveyed Swiss growers of cherries, plums and grapes repeatedly in the period 2016–2018 (N = 1572).

RESULTS

We find that 76% of cherry, plum and grape growers faced additional costs due to D. suzukii. In contrast, yield losses due to D. suzukii infestation were small on average, but nevertheless high for some growers. We find substantial heterogeneity in perceived costs and revenue losses across crops, years and farms. Larger farms are found to face lower perceived additional costs, suggesting scale effects in prevention and control of D. suzukii. Growers with a higher inter‐varietal diversity perceived additional costs to be higher. Furthermore, organic farming was negatively associated with expected additional costs.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the economic impact of invasive species such as D. suzukii goes far beyond reductions in yield quantity and quality, but rather stems from higher costs due to the need to establish preventive and control measures. Heterogeneity in costs and revenue losses suggests that policy measures to support growers need to be tailored to crops and farm types. Policies supporting improvements of measures against D. suzukii and other newly occurring alien pests and reduce additional costs such as more efficient preventive and control measures merit further encouragement.
Recent Progress of Deep Ultraviolet Photodetectors using Amorphous Gallium Oxide Thin Films
Authors: Liang Huili , Han Zuyin , Mei Zengxia
Published: September 2020

Deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have wide applications both in civil and military fields. Many materials have been explored to realize deep UV photodetection. Amorphous gallium oxide (a‐GaOx), as a member of transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors (TAOSs), has attracted a great deal of attention due to its ultrawide bandgap and scalable synthesis at room temperature. Plenty of researches have been focused on this topic in recent years. Herein, the latest progresses in the preparation methods of a‐GaOx using radio‐frequency sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, atomic layer deposition, and other deposition techniques are summarized. Dependence of the stoichiometry, crystallinity, optical, electrical, and morphological properties on different preparation parameters and doping/alloying elements is tentatively discussed, as well as those deep UV photodetectors based on a‐GaOx and related thin films. Finally, a short summary with further possible investigations is provided for a better understanding and development of a‐GaOx materials and photodetectors.
Enhancement of Thermoelectric Figure of Merit of p‐Type Nb0.9Ti0.1FeSb Half‐Heusler Compound by Nanostructuring
Authors: Silpawilawan Wanthana , Tanuslip Sora-at , Ohishi Yuji , Muta Hiroaki , Kurosaki Ken
Published: September 2020

Half‐Heusler compounds with 18 valence electron count show a large thermoelectric power factor. However, the thermal conductivity is high, so if the thermal conductivity can be reduced, the thermoelectric figure of merit zT can be enhanced. The key point to reduce the thermal conductivity is effective phonon scattering. Nanostructuring is a well‐known method of introducing phonon scattering centers by creating high‐density grain boundaries in nanoscale. Herein, NbFeSb, which is one of the best p‐type half‐Heusler compounds in thermoelectrics, is focused on. Nanostructured bulk Nb0.9Ti0.1FeSb is synthesized by melt spinning followed by spark plasma sintering. The cooling speed during melt spinning is changed to obtain nanostructures with different sizes. This study reveals that the zT at high temperatures is enhanced by nanostructuring. The nanostructured Nb0.9Ti0.1FeSb shows an ≈20% higher zT value at 1073 K than the non‐nanostructured one, mainly due to the effective reduction of the thermal conductivity.
Gain‐phase information based robust control theory
Authors: Pak Ji Min , Hong So Hon
Published: September 2020

This article presents new approaches for analyzing and designing the robust control system by using both the gain and phase information. These approaches aim to relax the stability condition and further improve the system performance than the H∞‐robust control theory. The contributions of this article are: (i) to propose a new gain‐phase (GP‐) robust stability theorem which can further relax the stability condition than the small‐gain theorem by using both the gain and phase information of uncertainty, (ii) to propose a new GP‐mixed sensitivity problem which can further improve the system performance than the mixed sensitivity method by using the GP‐robust stability theorem instead of the small‐gain one, (iii) to develop the WΩ‐K iteration algorithm to solve the GP‐mixed sensitivity problem and to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method through the design example of automotive fuel control system, and (iv) to formulate a new Ψ‐control problem with phase optimality criterion and an H∞/Ψ‐mixed control problem with both the gain and phase optimality criteria, to derive their solution for SISO output feedback systems and to show their effectiveness through two design examples.
Crystallization Control of Methylammonium‐Free Perovskite in Two‐Step Deposited Printable Triple‐Mesoscopic Solar Cells
Authors: Du Jiankang , Liu Shuang , Wu Jiawen , Zhang Weihua , Zhang Wenhao , Mei Anyi , Rong Yaoguang , Hu Yue , Han Hongwei
Published: September 2020

The evolution from the original methylammonium (MA)‐ to formamidinium (FA)‐dominated perovskite makes a crucial contribution to improve the photoelectric performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in a decade. However, to obtain α‐FAPbI3, annealing temperature above 100 °C is essential. In addition, it is still challenging to deposit a uniform and high‐quality FA‐based perovskite absorber in printable triple‐mesoscopic PSC due to the complicated mesoscopic structure. Herein, a low‐temperature, two‐step sequential deposition method is used for pure FAPbI3 perovskite in printable triple‐mesoscopic PSC. By using different lead sources, the crystallization and morphology of lead iodide (PbI2) are finely controlled, which modulates the crystallization and pore filling of perovskite in mesoscopic structure. The improved interface contact promotes the transfer of charge carrier from perovskite to TiO2. With the further introduction of cesium bromide (CsBr) into lead precursor, a power conversion efficiency of 16.24% is achieved. This study provides a deeper understanding of the pore filling and crystallization for both PbI2 and perovskite, and helps explore and optimize the deposition process of perovskite in mesoscopic structure.
Research on uniaxial compressive behavior of high‐strength spiral stirrups confined circular ultra‐high performance concrete columns
Authors: Li Jiayue , Deng Zongcai , Yao Junsuo
Published: September 2020

To study the uniaxial compressive behavior and constitutive relationship of high‐strength spiral stirrups confined circular ultra‐high performance concrete (UHPC) columns, an experimental investigation was presented. In this research, 14 confined UHPC columns and seven unconfined UHPC columns were tested to investigate the effects of the stirrup spacing, stirrup yield strength, and steel fibers volume content on the compressive behavior of the UHPC columns. The test results indicated that transverse reinforcement can effectively improve the deformation capacity of the UHPC columns, and all the confined UHPC columns showed ductile failure. The results also demonstrated that the high‐strength stirrup was more effective than normal‐strength stirrup for improving the post‐peak behavior of the confined UHPC. Compared with the stirrup strength, the volumetric ratio of transverse reinforcement had a more significant effect on the post‐peak ductility and toughness of the confined UHPC columns. Transverse reinforcement and steel fibers had a combined effect on improving the post‐peak behavior. Reducing the stirrup spacing or increasing the steel fibers volume content can better improve the axial compressive behavior of columns. A new constitutive model for confined UHPC was proposed. Compared with four existing models, this new model was in good agreement with the experimental curves.
Shape dependence of renormalized holographic entanglement entropy
Authors: Anastasiou Giorgos , Moreno Javier , Olea Rodrigo , Rivera-Betancour David
Published: September 2020

Abstract

We study the holographic entanglement entropy of deformed entangling regions in three-dimensional CFTs dual to Einstein-AdS gravity, using a renormalization scheme based on the addition of extrinsic counterterms. In this prescription, when even- dimensional manifolds are considered, the universal contribution to the entanglement entropy is identified as the renormalized volume of the Ryu-Takayanagi hypersurface, which is written as the sum of a topological and a curvature term. It is shown that the change in the renormalized entanglement entropy due to the deformation of the entangling surface is encoded purely in the curvature contribution. In turn, as the topological part is given by the Euler characteristic of the Ryu-Takayanagi surface, it remains shape independent. Exploiting the covariant character of the extrinsic counterterms, we apply the renormalization scheme for the case of deformed entangling regions in AdS4/CFT3, recovering the results found in the literature. Finally, we provide a derivation of the relation between renormalized entanglement entropy and Willmore energy. The presence of a lower bound of the latter makes manifest the relation between the AdS curvature of the Ryu-Takayanagi surface and the strong subadditivity property.
Asymptotic symmetries and celestial CFT
Authors: Donnay Laura , Pasterski Sabrina , Puhm Andrea
Published: September 2020

Abstract

We provide a unified treatment of conformally soft Goldstone modes which arise when spin-one or spin-two conformal primary wavefunctions become pure gauge for certain integer values of the conformal dimension ∆. This effort lands us at the crossroads of two ongoing debates about what the appropriate conformal basis for celestial CFT is and what the asymptotic symmetry group of Einstein gravity at null infinity should be. Finite energy wavefunctions are captured by the principal continuous series ∆ ∈ 1 + iℝ and form a complete basis. We show that conformal primaries with analytically continued conformal dimension can be understood as certain contour integrals on the principal series. This clarifies how conformally soft Goldstone modes fit in but do not augment this basis. Conformally soft gravitons of dimension two and zero which are related by a shadow transform are shown to generate superrotations and non-meromorphic diffeomorphisms of the celestial sphere which we refer to as shadow superrotations. This dovetails the Virasoro and Diff(S2) asymptotic symmetry proposals and puts on equal footing the discussion of their associated soft charges, which correspond to the stress tensor and its shadow in the two-dimensional celestial CFT.
Functional equations and separation of variables for exact g-function
Authors: Caetano João , Komatsu Shota
Published: September 2020

Abstract

The g-function is a measure of degrees of freedom associated to a boundary of two-dimensional quantum field theories. In integrable theories, it can be computed exactly in a form of the Fredholm determinant, but it is often hard to evaluate numerically. In this paper, we derive functional equations — or equivalently integral equations of the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (TBA) type — which directly compute the g-function in the simplest integrable theory; the sinh-Gordon theory at the self-dual point. The derivation is based on the classic result by Tracy and Widom on the relation between Fredholm determinants and TBA, which was used also in the context of topological string. We demonstrate the efficiency of our formulation through the numerical computation and compare the results in the UV limit with the Liouville CFT. As a side result, we present multiple integrals of Q-functions which we conjecture to describe a universal part of the g-function, and discuss its implication to integrable spin chains.
Immuntherapien zur Behandlung der chronischen Hepatitis-B-Virusinfektion – eine Übersicht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von CAR-T-Zellen
Authors: Ivics Zoltan , Amberger Maximilian , Zahn Tobias , Hildt Eberhard
Published: September 2020

Derzeit leiden weltweit mehr als 250 Mio. Menschen an einer chronischen Infektion mit Hepatitis-B-Virus (CHB). Eine chronische Infektion geht mit einem erhöhten Risiko der Entwicklung einer Leberfibrose/-zirrhose und der Entwicklung eines hepatozellulären Karzinoms einher. Derzeit versterben jährlich ca. 0,8–1 Mio. Menschen an den Folgen einer chronischen Infektion. Eine Schwierigkeit bei der Therapie der CHB besteht darin, dass das virale Genom in Form eines Minichroms sehr lange Zeit persistieren kann bzw. dass virale Sequenzen in das Wirtsgenom inserieren können. Chronische Infektionen sind häufig durch funktionale Defekte der zellulären Immunantwort, insbesondere der T‑Zell-Antwort charakterisiert, was einer Eliminierung HBV-infizierter Zellen entgegensteht.

Immuntherapien zur Heilung der CHB zielen daher darauf ab, die antivirale Funktion der zellulären Immunantwort wiederherzustellen. Im Rahmen dieser Übersicht sollen verschiedene aktuelle Ansätze zur Immuntherapie der CHB beschrieben werden, insbesondere gentechnisch veränderte autologe T‑Zellen als mögliches Werkzeug zur Therapie der CHB. Weiterhin werden die Modulation von Checkpointinhibitoren der Immunantwort, metabolische T‑Zelltherapien und die therapeutische Impfung zur Stimulation der T‑Zellantwort als immuntherapeutische Strategien zur Therapie der chronischen HBV-Infektion zusammenfassend dargestellt.
Correction to: Motion analysis for better understanding of psychomotor skills in laparoscopy: objective assessment-based simulation training using animal organs
Authors: Ebina Koki , Abe Takashige , Higuchi Madoka , Furumido Jun , Iwahara Naoya , Kon Masafumi , Hotta Kiyohiko , Komizunai Shunsuke , Kurashima Yo , Kikuchi Hiroshi , Matsumoto Ryuji , Osawa Takahiro , Murai Sachiyo , Tsujita Teppei , Sase Kazuya , Chen Xiaoshuai , Konno Atsushi , Shinohara Nobuo
Published: September 2020

This article was updated to correct the labeling of Fig. 6.
Trinkwasserbefunde – Auswertung langjähriger Daten der Trinkwassertemperatur und mikrobiologischer Parameter mit Indikatorfunktion
Authors: Schönher Christoph , Kerschbaumer David , Proksch Philipp , Perfler Reinhard
Published: September 2020

Die Bereitstellung von mikrobiologisch sicherem Trinkwasser ist eine der Hauptaufgaben der Trinkwasserversorgungsinfrastruktur. Regelmäßige Trinkwasseruntersuchungen sind ein wesentlicher Garant zur Einhaltung hygienischer Anforderungen und können in der Zusammenschau Hinweise auf längerfristige Entwicklungen und generelle Zusammenhänge liefern. Im Rahmen eines Projekts zur Ermittlung des Temperatureinflusses in der Trinkwasserversorgung wurde vom Land Niederösterreich ein anonymisierter Auszug der Befunddatenbank zur Auswertung übermittelt. Der wesentliche Fokus liegt dementsprechend auf der Analyse der Temperaturmessungen im Zusammenhang mit den mikrobiologischen Parameter KBE bei 22 °C, 37 °C und den coliformen Bakterien. Zudem wurden die meisten Auswertungen für den Bereich der Trinkwasserverteilung vorgenommen.

Hinsichtlich langfristiger Trends zeigen die Daten eine jährliche Zunahme der gemessenen Temperatur bei Netzprobenahmen von etwa 0,064 °C. Perioden mit sehr hohen Werten (>20 °C) der Wassertemperatur wurden im August 2015 und 2018 verzeichnet (jede dritte Netzprobe). Überwiegend abnehmende Trends wurden für die mikrobiologischen Parameter ermittelt. Für die KBE bei 22 °C beträgt der Rückgang etwa 0,5 KBE/ml pro Jahr. Trotz dieser gegenläufigen Tendenzen ist nicht davon auszugehen, dass die Zunahme der Temperaturen keine (negativen) Auswirkungen auf die mikrobiologische Situation haben kann. Im Rahmen einer Regressionsanalyse wurde der Einfluss der Temperatur für die KBE bei 37 °C als signifikant ermittelt. So erhöht eine Zunahme der Temperatur von 15 °C auf 20 °C die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Werten >20 KBE/ml von 0,077 auf 0,109. Dieser Befund ist aus mikrobiologischer Hinsicht als plausibel zu bezeichnen, wenngleich die Temperatur hier auch lediglich längere Netzaufenthaltszeiten anzeigen könnte. Der Einfluss weiterer Faktoren, etwa des Organik-Gehalts im Wasser, kann aufgrund der Datenlage weniger gut abgebildet werden, ist aber sicher als ebenso wichtig zu bezeichnen.
What Do Business Executives Think About Distributive Justice?
Authors: Burri Susanne , Lup Daniela , Pepper Alexander
Published: September 2020

While there exist extensive literatures on both distributive justice and senior executive pay, and a number of authors (notably the French economist Thomas Piketty) have addressed the implications of high pay for distributive justice, the existing literature fails to address what senior executives themselves think about distributive justice and whether they consider high income inequalities to be morally acceptable. We address this gap by analysing a unique dataset comprising the views of over 1000 senior executives from across the world, which was constructed using a survey instrument designed by the authors based on a thought experiment resembling John Rawls’s original position. We report four main findings. First, executives conceptualise distributive justice in a pluralistic manner, endorsing different and sometimes apparently conflicting philosophical principles: to explain how this plurality can be accounted for we propose a novel field-theory framework for conceptualising beliefs about distributive justice. Second, executives support similar philosophical approaches at both society and company levels of analysis, thus countering the idea that companies should leave matters of distributive justice exclusively for governments to deal with via the tax system. Third, executives believe that they live in societies and work for companies that fall short of desirable distributive justice outcomes. Fourth, the distributive justice views of the executives in our sample fall into four distinct clusters that are correlated with certain socio-demographic markers. Finally, we note the distinction between distributive justice beliefs and behaviours, from which we derive a number of managerial and public policy implications.
The Failure of the Court to Protect Consumers: A Review of Consumer Dispute Resolution in Indonesia
Authors: Syamsudin M.
Published: September 2020

Indonesia needs strong measures to protect its consumers, which leads to the creation of the Consumer Dispute Settlement Agency (BPSK) as an arbiter to settle disputes between consumers and businesses efficiently. The Indonesian Supreme Court (MARI) has set aside an alarming number of BPSK arbitral awards, putting the entire system in jeopardy. The aims of this study are to examine the empirical data on MARI’s decisions in setting aside arbitral awards and analyse their decision-making process. This research shows how MARI has been interpreting the statue promulgating the BPSK very narrowly. The result of MARI’s interpretation of the law has deep implications for consumer protection in Indonesia, namely that the public trust in the enforcement of Consumer Protection Law by BPSK has been severely diminishing, leaving consumers without meaningful access to justice or protection of their rights.
Multiscale effects of habitat and surrounding matrices on waterbird diversity in the Yangtze River Floodplain
Authors: Gao Boyu , Gong Peng , Zhang Wenyuan , Yang Jun , Si Yali
Published: September 2020

Context

With the expansion in urbanization, understanding how biodiversity responds to the altered landscape becomes a major concern. Most studies focus on habitat effects on biodiversity, yet much less attention has been paid to surrounding landscape matrices and their joint effects.

Objective

We investigated how habitat and landscape matrices affect waterbird diversity across scales in the Yangtze River Floodplain, a typical area with high biodiversity and severe human-wildlife conflict.

Methods

The compositional and structural features of the landscape were calculated at fine and coarse scales. The ordinary least squares regression model was adopted, following a test showing no significant spatial autocorrelation in the spatial lag and spatial error models, to estimate the relationship between landscape metrics and waterbird diversity.

Results

Well-connected grassland and shrub surrounded by isolated and regular-shaped developed area maintained higher waterbird diversity at fine scales. Regular-shaped developed area and cropland, irregular-shaped forest, and aggregated distribution of wetland and shrub positively affected waterbird diversity at coarse scales.

Conclusions

Habitat and landscape matrices jointly affected waterbird diversity. Regular-shaped developed area facilitated higher waterbird diversity and showed the most pronounced effect at coarse scales. The conservation efforts should not only focus on habitat quality and capacity, but also habitat connectivity and complexity when formulating development plans. We suggest planners minimize the expansion of the developed area into critical habitats and leave buffers to maintain habitat connectivity and shape complexity to reduce the disturbance to birds. Our findings provide important insights and practical measures to protect biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes.
Safety metric profiling in surgery for temporal glioblastoma: lobectomy as a supra-total resection regime preserves perioperative standard quality rates
Authors: Schneider Matthias , Ilic Inja , Potthoff Anna-Laura , Hamed Motaz , Schäfer Niklas , Velten Markus , Güresir Erdem , Herrlinger Ulrich , Borger Valeri , Vatter Hartmut , Schuss Patrick
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Supra-total resection in terms of anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) has gained growing attention with regard to superior long-term disease control for temporal-located glioblastoma. However, aggressive onco-surgical approaches—geared beyond conventional gross total resections (GTR)—may be associated with peri- and postoperative unfavorable events which significantly worsen initial favorable postoperative outcome. In the current study we analyzed our institutional database with regard to patient safety indicators (PSIs), hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and specific cranial surgery-related complications (CSC) as high standard quality metric profiles in patients that had undergone surgery for temporal glioblastoma.

Methods

Between 2012 and 2018, 61 patients with temporal glioblastoma underwent GTR or temporal lobectomy at the authors’ institution. Both groups of differing resection modalities were analyzed with regard to the incidence of PSIs, HACs and CSCs.

Results

Overall, we found 6 PSI and 2 HAC events. Postoperative hemorrhage (3 out of 61 patients; 5%) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (2 out 61 patients; 3%) were identified as the most frequent PSIs and HACs. PSIs were present in 1 out of 41 patients (5%) for the temporal GTR and 2 out of 20 patients for the lobectomy group (p = 1.0). Respective rates for PSIs were 5 of 41 (12%) and 1 of 20 (5%) (p = 0.7). Further, CSCs did not yield significant differences between these two resection modalities (p = 1.0).

Conclusion

With regard to ATL and GTR as differing onco-surgical approaches these data suggest ATL in terms of an aggressive supra-total resection strategy to preserve perioperative standard safety metric profiles.
Postoperative diabetes insipidus: how to define and grade this complication?
Authors: de Vries Friso , Lobatto Daniel J. , Verstegen Marco J. T. , van Furth Wouter R. , Pereira Alberto M. , Biermasz Nienke R.
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Although transient diabetes insipidus (DI) is the most common complication of pituitary surgery, there is no consensus on its definition. Polyuria is the most overt symptoms of DI, but can also reflect several physiological adaptive mechanisms in the postoperative phase. These may be difficult to distinguish from and might coincide with DI. The difficulty to distinguish DI from other causes of postoperative polyuria might explain the high variation in incidence rates. This limits interpretation of outcomes, in particular complication rates between centers, and may lead to unnecessary treatment. Aim of this review is to determine a pathophysiologically sound and practical definition of DI for uniform outcome evaluations and treatment recommendations.

Methods

This study incorporates actual data and the experience of our center and combines this with a review of literature on pathophysiological mechanisms and definitions used in clinical studies reporting of postoperative DI.

Results

The occurrence of excessive thirst and/or hyperosmolality or hypernatremia are the best indicators to discriminate between pathophysiological symptoms and signs of DI and other causes. Urine osmolality distinguishes DI from osmotic diuresis.

Conclusions

To improve reliability and comparability we propose the following definition for postoperative DI: polyuria (urine production > 300 ml/hour for 3 h) accompanied by a urine specific gravity (USG) < 1.005, and at least one of the following symptoms: excessive thirst, serum osmolality > 300 mosmol/kg, or serum sodium > 145 mmol/L. To prevent unnecessary treatment with desmopressin, we present an algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of postoperative DI.
From Indigenous Customary Law to Diasporic Cultural Heritage: Reappropriations of Adat Throughout the History of Moluccan Postcolonial Migration
Authors: van Engelenhoven Gerlov
Published: September 2020

Adat is originally an Arabic term meaning “custom” or “habit”, and was introduced by Islamic merchants in Maluku and throughout the Indonesian archipelago from the 1200s onward. The term was used as a way to refer to indigenous customs that could not be incorporated into Islamic law. Therefore, rather than referring to a particular system of customs or laws, adat denoted Islamic law’s indeterminate opposite: i.e. the wide variety of indigenous practices which, other than this generalizing label of “custom”, remained undefined. Throughout the chapter, I will trace the development of this term from its original usage to its current-day reinterpretation as a form of diasporic cultural heritage by the Moluccan postcolonial migrant community in the Netherlands. As will become clear, the contemporary Moluccan application can be understood as a strategic reappropriation of the term for the construction of their collective identity, which leaves intact the term’s original capacity of having no fixed definition. By placing the Moluccan application of adat within the historical context of their separatist ideology vis-à-vis Indonesia, and their migration to the Netherlands in the early 1950s, I will argue that their reappropriation of adat as a deliberately indefinable form of Moluccan cultural heritage can be understood as a way for them to protect their collective identity as a separatist people from becoming a matter of wider contestation.
Structural and functional comparison of Saccharomonospora azurea strains in terms of primycin producing ability
Authors: Kovács Márk , Seffer Dénes , Pénzes-Hűvös Ágota , Juhász Ákos , Kerepesi Ildikó , Csepregi Kitti , Kovács-Valasek Andrea , Fekete Csaba
Published: September 2020

Emerging and re-emerging microbial pathogens, together with their rapid evolution and adaptation against antibiotics, highlight the importance not only of screening for new antimicrobial agents, but also for deepening knowledge about existing antibiotics. Primycin is a large 36-membered non-polyene macrolide lactone exclusively produced by Saccharomonospora azurea. This study provides information about strain dependent primycin production ability in conjunction with the structural, functional and comparative genomic examinations. Comparison of high- and low-primycin producer strains, transcriptomic analysis identified a total of 686 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), classified into diverse Cluster of Orthologous Groups. Among them, genes related to fatty acid synthesis, self-resistance, regulation of secondary metabolism and agmatinase encoding gene responsible for catalyze conversion between guanidino/amino forms of primycin were discussed. Based on in silico data mining methods, we were able to identify DEGs whose altered expression provide a good starting point for the optimization of fermentation processes, in order to perform targeted strain improvement and rational drug design.
Polygonisation of railway wheels: a critical review
Authors: Tao Gongquan , Wen Zefeng , Jin Xuesong , Yang Xiaoxuan
Published: September 2020

Polygonisation is a common nonuniform wear phenomenon occurring in railway vehicle wheels and has a severe impact on the vehicle–track system, ride comfort, and lineside residents. This paper first summarizes periodic defects of the wheels, including wheel polygonisation and wheel corrugation, occurring in railways worldwide. Thereafter, the effects of wheel polygonisation on the wheel–rail interaction, noise and vibration, and fatigue failure of the vehicle and track components are reviewed. Based on the different causes, the formation mechanisms of periodic wheel defects are classified into three categories: (1) initial defects of wheels, (2) natural vibration of the vehicle–track system, and (3) thermoelastic instability. In addition, the simulation methods of wheel polygonisation evolution and countermeasures to mitigate wheel polygonisation are presented. Emphasis is given to the characteristics, effects, causes, and solutions of wheel polygonisation in metro vehicles, locomotives, and high-speed trains in China. Finally, the guidance is provided on further understanding the formation mechanisms, monitoring technology, and maintenance criterion of wheel polygonisation.
Integrating Interventions That Can Support a Career-Oriented Recovery for Young Adults: Building on the Supported Education Knowledge Base
Authors: Hillborg Helene , Lövgren Veronica , Bejerholm Ulrika , Rosenberg David
Published: September 2020

Young adults experiencing mental health problems are less educated than their peers, putting them in a more vulnerable position for employment and career possibilities. While Supported employment models have been widely implemented, educational supports may be necessary in order to contribute to longer term and sustainable employment. The aim of this study was to describe the state of current research regarding Supported education services for individuals with mental health problems, with a particular focus on studies that address both educational and vocational goals. A scoping review of articles published between 2000 and July 2020 was conducted. Eight databases were searched, titles/abstracts and full-text articles were reviewed for inclusion. The results, which built on 56 included articles, were analysed both descriptively and thematically. The results suggest that the focus in the literature has primarily been on adapting and implementing models for the needs of different populations and contexts. Many of these build on integrated models focusing on both vocational and educational needs. Despite addressing varied populations and working in varied contexts, it is possible to identify a number of essential components when delivering educational support. The review suggests a need to look at work and studies as equally important from a career development perspective. The knowledge base developed through studying supported education services and the educational components of newly emerging services, can contribute to the further development of integrated models for young adults.
Assessment of coal gasification in a pressurized fixed bed gasifier using an ASPEN plus and Euler–Euler model
Authors: Ismail Tamer M. , Shi Mingliang , Xu Jianliang , Chen Xueli , Wang Fuchen , El-Salam M. Abd
Published: September 2020

With the help of Aspen Plus, a two-dimensional unsteady CFD model is developed to simulate the coal gasification process in a fixed bed gasifier. A developed and validated two dimensional CFD model for coal gasification has been used to predict and assess the viability of the syngas generation from coal gasification employing the updraft fixed bed gasifier. The process rate model and the sub-model of gas generation are determined. The particle size variation and char burning during gasification are also taken into account. In order to verify the model and increase the understanding of gasification characteristics, a set of experiments and numerical comparisons have been carried out. The simulated results in the bed are used to predict the composition of syngas and the conversion of carbon. The model proposed in this paper is a promising tool for simulating the coal gasification process in a fixed bed gasifier.
Critical Care Medical Centers May Play an Important Role in Reducing the Risk of COVID-19 Death in Japan
Authors: Ishikawa Yohei , Hifumi Toru , Urashima Mitsuyoshi
Published: September 2020

Marked differences in COVID-19 mortalities have been observed among 47 prefectures in Japan. Here, we explored associations between COVID-19 mortalities and medical and public health capacities in individual prefectures. The following data by prefecture were abstracted from open resources provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan as of May 24, 2020: total number of COVID-19 deaths; polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive ratio (i.e., number of patients with PCR-positive results/number of patients aiming diagnosis of COVID-19 or individuals in close contacted with COVID-19 patients); number of call centers, outpatient centers, and hospital beds specifically for patients diagnosed with COVID-19; and others. The primary outcome was COVID-19 mortality per million population. Multiple and simple linear regression models were applied. Two variables were significantly associated with COVID-19 mortality: PCR-positive ratio (P < 0.001) and number of critical care medical centers per million population (P = 0.001). PCR-positive ratio was positively associated with COVID-19 mortality (aR-sqr = 0.522). Low PCR-positive ratio, especially ≤ 4%, was associated with low COVID-19 mortality. Critical care medical centers may also play an important role in reducing the risk of COVID-19 death.
Markov chains with exponential return times are finitary
Authors: ANGEL OMER , SPINKA YINON
Published: September 2020

Consider an ergodic Markov chain on a countable state space for which the return times have exponential tails. We show that the stationary version of any such chain is a finitary factor of an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) process. A key step is to show that any stationary renewal process whose jump distribution has exponential tails and is not supported on a proper subgroup of
${\mathbb {Z}}$
is a finitary factor of an i.i.d. process.
The Data on Gender Inequality in Philosophy: The Spanish Case
Authors: Torres González Obdulia
Published: September 2020

This article examines gender imbalance in philosophy using statistical analysis of philosophy professionals and students in Spain. It is the only study on an international scope that provides complete, real data of an entire national system. This analysis shows that among teaching and research personnel, women make up 25% of the total, among full professors they represent 12%, and the glass-ceiling index in the field is the same as that in engineering. For the study, I resorted to a normalization of indicators to allow for international comparisons, which I have done using the reports and analyses available in other countries. In the second part of the article, I use the Spanish data to test some recent hypotheses on gender imbalance in philosophy. The data does not confirm the theory of Neven Sesardic and Rafael de Clercq, which attributes the imbalance to differences in cognitive abilities (Sesardic and Clercq 2014). However, the data does partially confirm the study by Molly Paxton, Carrie Figdor, and Valerie Tiberius regarding the dissuasive effect of introductory courses in philosophy (Paxton, Figdor, and Tiberius 2012), as well as that by Sarah Leslie and her colleagues on the field-specific abilities belief hypothesis (Leslie et al. 2015).
Effects of oblique incidence and colliding pulses on laser-driven proton acceleration from relativistically transparent ultrathin targets
Authors: Ferri J. , Siminos E. , Gremillet L. , Fülöp T.
Published: September 2020

The use of ultrathin solid foils offers optimal conditions for accelerating protons to high energies from laser–matter interactions. When the target is thin enough that relativistic self-induced transparency sets in, all of the target electrons get heated to high energies by the laser, which maximizes the accelerating electric field and therefore the final ion energy. In this work, we first investigate how ion acceleration by ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses in transparent CH

$_2$

solid foils is modified when turning from normal to oblique (

$45^\circ$

) incidence. Due to stronger electron heating, we find that higher proton energies can be obtained at oblique incidence but in thinner optimum targets. We then show that proton acceleration can be further improved by splitting the laser pulse into two half-pulses focused at opposite incidence angles. An increase by

${\sim }30\,\%$

in the maximum proton energy and by a factor of

${\sim }4$

in the high-energy proton charge is reported compared to the reference case of a single normally incident pulse.
Fit for the future? Status of health-related quality of life research in South Africa
Authors: Marsh Sophia E. , Truter Ilse
Published: September 2020

Objective

To provide insights into the attributes of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) research within the context of economic evaluations for a potential national health technology assessment process in South Africa, and make evidence generation recommendations.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted in January 2019 using Medline, the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and the South African SciELO collection via the WoS Platform, and in the Cochrane Library. No time restrictions were applied. Duplicate records were removed before first- and second-pass screening by two reviewers working independently.

Results

The review identified 123 publications representing 104 studies since the first-published article appeared in 1996. Only eight studies were randomized controlled trials, most were cross-sectional (n = 54). The EQ-5D, SF-36, and WHOQOL-BREF were the most used HRQoL instruments (n = 35, n = 23, and n = 10, respectively). Instruments were frequently administered in multiple languages, reflecting the cultural groups in which the study was conducted, with the English version of instruments used most often. Studies were predominantly conducted within the public health sector (n = 67), in the Western Cape province (n = 46), in adults (n = 92) and people with HIV (n = 24).

Conclusion

South African specific HRQoL studies have been conducted in a range of settings and populations using mostly generic HRQoL instruments in multiple languages. These studies may provide generalizable, real-world data due to their observational nature. However, more comparative and longitudinal studies should be conducted as this is preferred for economic evaluations and patient, disease, and treatment characteristics should be reported in full.
Massive application of the SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test: simulation of its effect on the evolution of the epidemic in Spain
Authors: López-Abente Jacobo , Valor-Suarez Clara , López-Abente Gonzalo
Published: September 2020

In Spain, the epidemic curve caused by COVID-19 has reached its peak in the last days of March. The implementation of the blockade derived from the declaration of the state of alarm on 14th March has raised a discussion on how and when to deal with the unblocking. In this paper, we intend to add information that may help by using epidemic simulation techniques with stochastic individual contact models and several extensions.
Dealing with kinked and swirled pulmonary vessels: surgical treatment of arterial tortuosity syndrome: a case report
Authors: Ricciardi G. , Sojak V. , Hazekamp M. G.
Published: September 2020

We present the case of a child with arterial tortuosity syndrome, describing the operative findings and our surgical technique to address pulmonary arteries stenosis.
Gar�on and Stolper Receive 2019 Hisashi Kuno Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: September 2020

Marion Gar�on and Daniel A. Stolper received the 2019 Hisashi Kuno Award at AGU’s Fall Meeting 2019, held 9–13 December in San Francisco, Calif. This early-career award recognizes “outstanding contributions to the fields of volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology.”