bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and testing of implanted carbon electrodes for electromagnetic field mapping during neuromodulation
Authors: Ashok Kumar Neeta , Chauhan Munish , Kandala Sri Kirthi , Sohn Sung‐Min , Sadleir Rosalind J.
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Deep brain stimulation electrodes composed of carbon fibers were tested as a means of administering and imaging magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) currents. Artifacts and heating properties of custom carbon‐fiber deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes were compared with those produced with standard DBS electrodes.

Methods

Electrodes were constructed from multiple strands of 7‐μm carbon‐fiber stock. The insulated carbon electrodes were matched to DBS electrode diameter and contact areas. Images of DBS and carbon electrodes were collected with and without current flow and were compared in terms of artifact and thermal effects in phantoms or tissue samples in 7T imaging conditions. Effects on magnetic flux density and current density distributions were also assessed.

Results

Carbon electrodes produced magnitude artifacts with smaller FWHM values compared to the magnitude artifacts around DBS electrodes in spin echo and gradient echo imaging protocols. DBS electrodes appeared 269% larger than actual size in gradient echo images, in sharp contrast to the negligible artifact observed in diameter‐matched carbon electrodes. As expected, larger temperature changes were observed near DBS electrodes during extended RF excitations compared with carbon electrodes in the same phantom. Magnitudes and distribution of magnetic flux density and current density reconstructions were comparable for carbon and DBS electrodes.

Conclusion

Carbon electrodes may offer a safer, MR‐compatible method for administering neuromodulation currents. Use of carbon‐fiber electrodes should allow imaging of structures close to electrodes, potentially allowing better targeting, electrode position revision, and the facilitation of functional imaging near electrodes during neuromodulation.
Lumbosacral ventral root avulsion alters reflex activation of bladder, urethra, and perineal muscles during micturition in female rabbits
Authors: Corona‐Quintanilla Dora Luz , Acosta‐Ortega Cesar , Flores‐Lozada Zamantha , López‐Juárez Rhode , Zempoalteca René , Castelán Francisco , Martínez‐Gómez Margarita
Published: April 2020

Aim

To determine the effect of the lumbosacral ventral root avulsion (VRA) on the reflex activation of bladder, urethra, and activation of perineal muscles during micturition in female rabbits.

Methods

We allocated 14 virgin female rabbits to evaluate, first, the gross anatomy of lumbosacral spinal cord root (n = 5) and, second, to determine the effect of VRA on perineal muscles during micturition (n = 9). We recorded cystometrograms, urethral pressure, and electromyograms of the bulbospongiosus (Bsm) and ischiocavernosus (Ism) muscles before and after the L6‐S2 VRA. Standard variables were measured from each recording and analyzed to identify significant differences (P < .05).

Results

We found that the L6‐S2 VRA affected directly the bladder and urethral function and reduced the duration and the frequency of the bursting of Ism and Bsm muscles during voiding. The Ism and Bsm showed a phasic activation, of different frequencies, during the voiding phase and the L6‐S2 VRA inhibited the co‐contraction of the Ism and Bsm‐bladder‐urethra.

Conclusions

The Ism and Bsm are activated at different frequencies to trigger the voiding phase. The L6‐S2 VRA affected the activity pattern of both perineal muscles. These modifications affected the bladder and urethra function. It is possible that the restoration of the activation frequency of perineal muscles contributed for an efficient bladder contraction.
Normal range of values for contractility and relaxation parameters of inspiratory muscles in healthy children: An exploratory study
Authors: Lira Maria , Fregonezi Guilherme , Marcelino Ana A. , Sarmento Antonio , Resqueti Vanessa R.
Published: April 2020

Objectives

To estimate normal range of values for the contractility and relaxation parameters of inspiratory muscles and compare them by sex, age, nutritional status and level of physical activity in healthy children.

Working Hypothesis

We hypothesized that healthy children present similar range of values for the contractility and relaxation parameters of inspiratory muscles.

Study Design

Exploratory study conducted between 2017 and 2018.

Patient‐Subject Selection

Healthy children aged 6 to 11 years without history of respiratory, cardiac, cerebrovascular or neuromuscular disease as well as no nasal congestion, influenza or known septum deviation were included.

Methodology

Anthropometric, spirometry and respiratory muscle strength data were assessed. Maximum rate of pressure development (MRPD), maximum relaxation rate (MRR), time constant of decay curve (τ), contraction time (CT) and half‐relaxation time (½ RT) were calculated from the nasal inspiratory pressure curve.

Results

The sample was composed of 110 children (55 boys) with 1.045 as mean z‐BMI‐score. MRPD range of values was 8.09% to 10.86% rise/10 ms, MRR range of values was 8.09% to 10.86% fall/10 ms, τ range of values was 36.41 to 49.88 ms, CT range of values was 200 to 276 ms, ½ RT range of values was 117.5 to 148 ms and MRPD/MRR range of values was 0.71 to 1.04. The contractility and relaxation parameters did not present significant differences among children when compared by sex, age, nutritional status, or level of physical activity groups (P > .05).

Conclusions

The contractility and relaxation parameters present similar values among children and they are not influenced by age, sex, nutritional status or physical activity level.
The Effect of the Co‐Solvent on the Aerogel Formation Directly in Supercritical CO2 Medium
Authors: Temnikov Maxim N. , Kononevich Yuriy N. , Popov Alexander Yu. , Vasil'ev Viktor G. , Muzafarov Aziz M.
Published: April 2020

A series of flexible hydrophobic siloxane aerogels were obtained by the hydrothiolation reaction in supercritical CO2 medium in the presence of a co‐solvent. The effect of the co‐solvent nature on the aerogel morphology and physico‐mechanical properties were studied. n‐Pentane, a propane/n‐butane mixture, CH2Cl2, dimethyl ether (DME) and 1,1,2‐trichloro‐1,2,2‐trifluoro‐ethane were used as the co‐solvents. The morphology of aerogel particles was studied by SEM. In the case of n‐pentane, propane/n‐butane mixture, CH2Cl2, or DME as the co‐solvents, aerogels with a density of 0.18–0.21 g/cm3 and an average particle size of 0.15‐5.35 μm were obtained. Depending on the morphology, the mechanical properties of aerogels change in the range of 0.2–0.75 MPa (Young's modulus), 38–68 % (compressibility) and 0.11–0.42 MPa (stress rupture). In the case of 1,1,2‐trichloro‐1,2,2‐trifluoro‐ethane as the co‐solvent, the aerogel with an inhomogeneous structure was obtained. All the aerogels studied have a large water contact angle in the range of 142°‐151°.
A Facile One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,2,3,4‐Tetrahydroisoquinoline‐1‐carbonitriles via the Electrogenerated Cyanide Anions from Acetonitrile
Authors: Sbei Najoua , Titov Alexander A. , Markova Ekaterina B. , Elinson Michail N. , Voskressensky Leonid G.
Published: April 2020

The electrosynthesis of 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐1‐carbonitriles by acetonitrile reduction is a green and safe strategy to replace the traditional cyanation. Herein, we have obtained the 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐1‐carbonitrile in good yields by a simple reaction between dihydroisoquinolin‐2‐ium iodide and the electrogenerated acetonitrile formed under low temperature conditions, when a solution of dry acetonitrile is electrolyzed at a Carbon rod as cathode and a magnesium plate as anode in undivided cell.
Additive‐Assisted Hot‐Casting Free Fabrication of Dion–Jacobson 2D Perovskite Solar Cell with Efficiency Beyond 16%
Authors: Wu Haotian , Lian Xiaomei , Tian Shuoxun , Zhang Yingzhu , Qin Minchao , Zhang Yanyan , Wang Fuyi , Lu Xinhui , Wu Gang , Chen Hongzheng
Published: April 2020

2D Dion–Jacobson (DJ) perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) with a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) are currently predominately fabricated via a hot‐casting process. The reason lies in the difficulty in preparing high‐quality perovskite films under mild conditions when the application of divalent ammonium removes the weak interaction from the spacer cation layer. Herein, the morphology of the 2D DJ perovskite film with a rigid piperidinium ring is tuned through a room‐temperature spin‐coating method, with the aid of a methylammonium thiocyanate (MASCN) additive. With the optimized amount of MASCN addition, the perovskite films deposited on the poly[bis(4‐phenyl)(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA)/poly[(9,9‐bis(30‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)propyl)‐2,7‐uorene)‐alt‐2,7‐(9,9‐dioctylfuorene)] (PFN) substrate exhibit fine crystallinity, preferred orientation, decreased defects, and better energy‐level alignment with the hole transport layer. The device with the inverted planar structure presents a JSC of 17.91 mA cm−2, VOC of 1.19 V, fill factor of 0.76, with a maximum PCE of 16.25%, which is the highest PCE for 2D DJ PVSCs free of hot casting. The unsealed device maintains around 80% of its initial efficiency after 35 days of exposure to air (Hr = 45 ± 5%). A potential route toward high‐performance 2D DJ PVSCs is provided.
Organic Photodetectors: Materials, Structures, and Challenges
Authors: Liu Junshi , Wang Yaxi , Wen Han , Bao Qinye , Shen Liang , Ding Liming
Published: April 2020

Owing to its advantages of solution processing, lightweight, low cost, and mechanical flexibility, organic photodetectors (OPDs) have attracted great interest and become a new member of the photodetector (PD) family. Currently, OPDs have made considerable progress and can be compared with traditional PDs in some aspects. They present potential applications in portable and wearable devices. However, there are still some issues that need to be overcome, and there is much room for new development. Herein, the significant advances of OPDs are summarized and discussed, and the future for OPDs is prospected from the aspects of materials, structures, and applications. This essay can inspire new ideas for developing innovative high‐performance OPDs and exploring their practical applications.
Web buckling of high‐strength steel plate girders induced by bending curvature
Authors: de Deus Nascimento Sérgio Marcelo , Pedro José J. Oliveira , da Graça André Filipe Biscaya Semedo Pereira
Published: April 2020

Professor Eduardo de Arantes e Oliveira Award at XII Conference on Steel and Composite Construction in Coimbra 2019

The simplified formula for the web slenderness limit given in EN 1993‐1‐5 to prevent flange‐induced buckling does not usually govern the web design other than for very slender class 4 plate girder webs in steel grades S235 to S355. However, the same formula applied to plate girders designed in S690 high‐strength steel (HSS) gives lower slenderness limits likely to govern web design and restrains the possibilities for reducing their thickness in order to profit from the high steel resistance. This paper reviews the background to the simplified formula currently used and compares the web slenderness limits obtained with numerical results from a full non‐linear analysis of slender high‐strength steel girders.
Hybrid functionals with system‐dependent parameters: Conceptual foundations and methodological developments
Authors: Zhang Min‐Ye , Cui Zhi‐Hao , Wang Yue‐Chao , Jiang Hong
Published: April 2020

Approximate density‐functional theory (DFT) has become the major workhorse of modern computational chemistry and materials science, but the most widely used DFT approaches, local‐density approximation (LDA) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA), suffer from some fundamental deficiencies, including, in particular, the band gap problem. As a relatively cheap way to overcome the difficulty confronted by LDA/GGA, hybrid functional methods have attracted tremendous interest, first in molecular quantum chemistry, and more recently also in computational materials science. While early hybrid functionals use fixed parameters that are determined either by fitting some standard experimental database or based on theoretical arguments, recent studies have clearly indicated that the hybridization parameters carry on the physical significance and therefore should be system‐dependent. Developing theoretical methods to evaluate those parameters in a first‐principles manner has become one of the most active frontiers in theoretical chemistry community, and various schemes have been proposed. In this article, we aim at giving a systematic overview on the main theoretical concepts underlying various strategies and review major methodological developments in the recent years.

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science

Electronic Structure Theory > Ab Initio Electronic Structure Methods

Electronic Structure Theory > Density Functional Theory
Ammonothermal Synthesis and Crystal Growth of the Chain‐type Oxonitridosilicate Ca1+xY1–xSiN3–xOx (x > 0)
Authors: Mallmann Mathias , Maak Christian , Schnick Wolfgang
Published: April 2020

The oxonitridosilicate Ca1+xY1–xSiN3–xOx (x > 0) was synthesized in custom‐built high‐temperature autoclaves starting from CaH2, intermetallic YSi and NaN3 using supercritical ammonia as solvent at a maximum pressure of 140 MPa and temperature of 1070 K. In situ formed NaNH2 acts as ammonobasic mineralizer and increases the solubility of the other starting materials. Air and moisture sensitive rod‐shaped single crystals of the title compound with length of up to 200 μm were obtained. The crystal structure was solved and refined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The results are supported by powder X‐ray diffraction, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and lattice energy (MAPLE) calculations. Ca1+xY1–xSiN3–xOx (x > 0) is isostructural to Ca2PN3 and Eu2SiN3 and crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmce (no. 64) with a = 5.331(2), b = 10.341(4), c = 11.248(4) Å and Z = 8 (R1 = 0.0257, wR2 = 0.0447) and contains infinite zweier single chains running along [100] which are built up from corner sharing Si(N,O)4 tetrahedra.
Fully automated dried blood spot sample preparation enables the detection of lower molecular mass peptide and non-peptide doping agents by means of LC-HRMS
Authors: Lange Tobias , Thomas Andreas , Walpurgis Katja , Thevis Mario
Published: April 2020

The added value of dried blood spot (DBS) samples complementing the information obtained from commonly routine doping control matrices is continuously increasing in sports drug testing. In this project, a robotic-assisted non-destructive hematocrit measurement from dried blood spots by near-infrared spectroscopy followed by a fully automated sample preparation including strong cation exchange solid-phase extraction and evaporation enabled the detection of 46 lower molecular mass (< 2 kDa) peptide and non-peptide drugs and drug candidates by means of LC-HRMS. The target analytes included, amongst others, agonists of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, the ghrelin receptor, the human growth hormone receptor, and the antidiuretic hormone receptor. Furthermore, several glycine derivatives of growth hormone–releasing peptides (GHRPs), arguably designed to undermine current anti-doping testing approaches, were implemented to the presented detection method. The initial testing assay was validated according to the World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines with estimated LODs between 0.5 and 20 ng/mL. As a proof of concept, authentic post-administration specimens containing GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 were successfully analyzed. Furthermore, DBS obtained from a sampling device operating with microneedles for blood collection from the upper arm were analyzed and the matrix was cross-validated for selected parameters. The introduction of the hematocrit measurement method can be of great value for doping analysis as it allows for quantitative DBS applications by managing the well-recognized “hematocrit effect.”
Insights into trunks of Pinus cembra L.: analyses of hydraulics via electrical resistivity tomography
Authors: Losso Adriano , Sailer Julia , Bär Andreas , Ganthaler Andrea , Mayr Stefan
Published: April 2020

Key message

The lack of elevational changes in electrical resistivity in Pinus cembra trunks indicated consistent growth and hydraulics across elevations. Though, electrical resistivity tomograms exhibited pronounced temperature-driven seasonal changes.

Alpine conifers growing at high elevation are exposed to low temperatures, which may limit xylogenesis and cause pronounced seasonal changes in tree hydraulics. Electrical resistivity (ER) tomography enables minimal invasive monitoring of stems in situ. We used this technique to analyze Pinus cembra trunks along a 400 m elevational gradient up to the timberline and over seasons. Furthermore, ER data of earlywood across tree rings were compared with the respective specific hydraulic conductivity (KS), measured on extracted wood cores. ER tomograms revealed pronounced changes over the year and a strong correlation between average ER (ERmean) and air and xylem temperatures. Surprisingly, no elevational changes in ERmean, earlywood ER or KS were observed. ER data corresponded to variation in earlywood KS, which decreased from the youngest (ca. 4–5 cm2s−1 MPa−1) to the oldest tree rings (0.63 ± 0.22 cm2s−1 MPa−1). The lack of changes in ER data and earlywood KS along the study transect indicated consistent growth patterns and no major changes in structural and functional hydraulic traits across elevation. The constant decrease in earlywood KS with tree ring age throughout all elevations highlights the hydraulic relevance of the outermost tree rings in P. cembra. Seasonal measurements demonstrated pronounced temperature effects on ER, and we thus recommend a detailed monitoring of trunk temperatures for ER tomography.
Ein bronzenes Griffzungenmesser aus dem Burgenland
Authors: Haubner Roland , Strobl Susanne , Thurner Manuela , Herdits Hannes
Published: April 2020

Im Zuge der Untersuchung einer Bergbauhalde wurde in Redlschlag (Bezirk Oberwart) ein spätbronzezeitliches Griffzungenmesser gefunden.

Die werkstoffkundliche Untersuchung ergab, dass das Messer aus einer Zinnbronze mit einem Sn Gehalt von etwa 10,5 Gew.% besteht. Das metallische Gefüge zeigt eine gleichmäßige dendritische Erstarrungsstruktur, wobei die Phasen Cu2S und Cu41Sn11 in den interdendritischen Bereichen vorliegen.

Da keine auffälligen Verformungen festgestellt wurden, kann angenommen werden, dass keine mechanische Nachbearbeitung des Messers erfolgte. Die Oberfläche ist mit einer gleichmäßigen Patina überzogen, in der Sn angereichert wurde.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment sequences containing tofacitinib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Spain
Authors: Navarro F. , Martinez-Sesmero J. M. , Balsa A. , Peral C. , Montoro M. , Valderrama M. , Gómez S. , de Andrés-Nogales F. , Casado M. A. , Oyagüez Itziar
Published: April 2020

Objective

To assess the cost-effectiveness of tofacitinib-containing treatment sequences versus sequences containing only standard biological therapies in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after the failure of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARD-IR population) and in patients previously treated with methotrexate (MTX) who show an inadequate response to second-line therapy with any tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi-IR population).

Methods

A patient-level microsimulation model estimated, from the perspective of the Spanish Public NHS, lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) for treatment sequences starting with tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily) followed by biological therapies versus sequences of biological treatments only. Concomitant treatment with MTX was considered. Model’s parameters comprised demographic and clinical inputs (initial Health Assessment Questionnaire [HAQ] score and clinical response to short- and long-term treatment). Efficacy was measured by means of HAQ score changes using mixed treatment comparisons and data from long-term extension (LTE) trials. Serious adverse events (SAEs) data were derived from the literature. Total cost estimation (€, 2018) included drug acquisition, parenteral administration, disease progression and SAE management.

Results

In the csDMARD-IR population, sequences starting with tofacitinib proved dominant options (more QALYs and lower costs) versus the corresponding sequences without tofacitinib. In the TNFi-IR population, first-line treatment with tofacitinib+MTX followed by scAbatacept+MTX➔rituximab+MTX➔certolizumab+MTX proved dominant versus scTocilizumab+MTX➔scAbatacept+MTX➔rituximab+MTX➔certolizumab+MTX; and tofacitinib+MTX➔scTocilizumab+MTX➔scAbatacept+MTX➔rituximab+MTX versus scTocilizumab+MTX➔scAbatacept+MTX➔rituximab+MTX➔certolizumab+MTX was less effective but remained a cost-saving option.

Conclusions

Inclusion of tofacitinib seems a dominant strategy in moderate-to-severe RA patients after csDMARDs failure. Tofacitinib, as initial third-line therapy, proved a cost-saving strategy (€− 337,489/QALY foregone) in moderate-to-severe TNFi-IR RA patients.

Key points• Therapeutical approach in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) consisted in sequences of several therapies during patient lifetime.• Treatment sequences initiating with tofacitinib followed by biological drugs provided higher health effects in csDMARDs-IR population, compared with sequences containing only biological drugs.• In both csDMARD-IR and TNFi-IR RA populations, initiating treatment with tofacitinib was associated to lower treatment costs for the Spanish National Health System.
Prospects of insects as food and feed
Authors: van Huis Arnold
Published: April 2020

In the last 10 years, the interest to use insects as food and feed has increased exponentially. In tropical zones, insects are a common food item as they are more readily available as food in nature than in other climate zones. However, if we want to promote insects as food and feed, harvesting from nature is not an option and the farming of these animals is required. This can be done in environmentally controlled facilities. Insects are not only nutritionally excellent food; they may also have health benefits. When using organic side streams as substrate, chemical and biological contaminants need to be considered. People in western countries are not used to eating insects, and therefore, strategies to “convince” consumers of their hygienic safety, environmental sustainability, and tastiness are necessary. The insect sector is maturing fast, but still faces many challenges, which can only be met when all stakeholders cooperate closely.
Microbial and metabolomic analysis of gingival crevicular fluid in general chronic periodontitis patients: lessons for a predictive, preventive, and personalized medical approach
Authors: Pei Jun , Li Fei , Xie Youhua , Liu Jing , Yu Tian , Feng Xiping
Published: April 2020

Objectives

General chronic periodontitis (GCP) is a bacterial inflammatory disease with complex pathology. Despite extensive studies published on the variation in the oral microbiota and metabolic profiles of GCP patients, information is lacking regarding the correlation between host-bacterial interactions and biochemical metabolism. This study aimed to analyze the oral microbiome, the oral metabolome, and the link between them and to identify potential molecules as useful biomarkers for predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM) in GCP.

Methods

In this study, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were collected from patients with GCP (n = 30) and healthy controls (n = 28). The abundance of oral microbiota constituents was obtained by Illumina sequencing, and the relative level of metabolites was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Full-mouth probing depth, clinical attachment loss, and bleeding on probing were recorded as indices of periodontal disease.

Results

The relative abundances of 7 phyla and 82 genera differed significantly between the GCP and healthy groups. Seventeen differential metabolites involved in different metabolism pathways were selected based on variable influence on projection values (VIP > 1) and P values (P < 0.05). Through Spearman’s correlation analysis, microorganisms, metabolites in GCF, and clinical data together showed a clear trend, and clinical data regarding periodontitis can be reflected in the shift of the oral microbial community and the change in metabolites in GCF. A combination of citramalic acid and N-carbamylglutamate yielded satisfactory accuracy (AUC = 0.876) for the predictive diagnosis of GCP.

Conclusions

Dysbiosis in the polymicrobial community structure and changes in metabolism could be mechanisms underlying periodontitis. The differential microorganisms and metabolites in GCF between periodontitis patients and healthy individuals are possibly biomarkers, pointing to a potential strategy for the prediction, diagnosis, prognosis, and management of personalized periodontal therapy.
The design of a unit sweeping gas membrane distillation: experimental study on a membrane and operating parameters
Authors: Boukhriss Mokhless , Ben Hmida Med Bechir , Maatoug Med Ali , Zarzoum Kamel , Marzouki Riadh , Ben Bacha Habib
Published: April 2020

The paper presents the focuses of application in membrane processes for the desalination of brackish water or salt water using the sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD); at first, it is the least used configuration of MD, and the design of this system is arduous and very expensive, and it is used to treat solutions containing non-volatile compounds, such us salts which is totally rejected, and high purity of water was recuperated. Vapor transfer is an important thermally induced phenomenon in the membrane-by-membrane (MD) evaporation and condensation. Our SGMD distillation system was simulated using MATLAB programmers on heat and mass transfer aspects. In our research, we found that heat and mass transfer in the SGMD is determined by the evaporation temperature of the gas and the sweep rate. The operational parameter (fluid velocity) is influenced across the layer on both sides of the membrane, because it is the source of the transfer of heat and mass in many membrane processes.
Investigation of solid oxide fuel cell operation with synthetic biomass gasification product gases as a basis for enhancing its performance
Authors: Pongratz G. , Subotić V. , Schroettner H. , Stoeckl B. , Hochenauer C. , Anca-Couce A. , Scharler R.
Published: April 2020

Solid oxide fuel cells represent a promising technology to increase the electrical efficiency of biomass-based combined-heat-power systems in comparison to state-of-the-art gas engines, additionally providing high temperature heat. To identify favorable fuel gas compositions for an efficient coupling with gasifiers at low degradation risk is of major importance to ensure stability, reliability, and durability of the systems used, thus increasing attractiveness of electricity production from biomass. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive analysis on the influence of main gas components from biomass gasification on the performance and efficiency of a cell relevant for real application. An industrial-size electrolyte supported single cell with nickel/gadolinium-doped ceria anode was selected showing high potential for gasifier-solid oxide fuel cell systems. Beneficial gas component ratios enhancing the power output and electric efficiency are proposed based on the experimental study performed. Furthermore, the degradation stability of a SOFC fueled with a synthetic product gas representing steam gasification of woody biomass was investigated. After 500 h of operation under load at a steam-to-carbon ratio of 2.25 in the fuel gas, no performance or anode degradation could be detected.
Professionswissen angehender Lehrkräfte zum Konstrukt Nature of Science (NOS): Entwicklung und Validierung eines Vignettentests (EKoL-NOS)
Authors: Billion-Kramer Tim , Lohse-Bossenz Hendrik , Dörfler Tobias , Rehm Markus
Published: April 2020

Unter der BezeichnungNature of Science(NOS) werden in der Naturwissenschaftsdidaktik Grundlagen der Erkenntnisgewinnung sowie Eigenschaften naturwissenschaftlichen Wissens diskutiert. Zentrales fachdidaktisches Anliegen ist, Lernende mit Erkenntnisprozessen naturwissenschaftlicher Disziplinen vertraut zu machen, diese aber auch kritisch zu hinterfragen. Im Fokus des Beitrags stehen die Ausprägungen des Professionswissen von Lehrkräften zum Bereich NOS und dessen situierte Erfassung. Bisher fehlen quantitativ messende Instrumente, die Professionswissen von Lehrkräften zuNature of Sciencein Unterrichtskontexten und somit in einem möglichst realitätsnahen Bezugsrahmen erheben. Der Vignettentest EKoL-NOS soll einen Beitrag zur Bearbeitung dieser Lücke leisten. Im Test werden den Lehrkräften kurze authentische Beschreibungen von Unterrichtssituationen mit verschiedenen Handlungsalternativen präsentiert. Die Lehrkräfte bewerten die situationsspezifische Angemessenheit der Handlungsalternativen. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt die theoriegestützte Entwicklung, die Dimensionalitätsprüfung auf Basis dreier zentraler Nature of Science-Facetten in Form von Strukturgleichungsmodellen sowie eine empirische Validierung anhand demographischer Daten, diskriminanter und konvergierender Konstrukte. Mit einer Stichprobe vonN = 289 angehenden Lehrkräften im Vorbereitungsdienst weist sowohl ein dreidimensionales Modell (jeNature of Science-Facette ein Faktor), als auch ein eindimensionales Modell eine sehr gute Anpassungsgüte auf. Ein Vergleich zwischen beiden Modellen zeigt keinen signifikanten Unterschied. Demographische Variablen (z. B. die kognitive Leistungsfähigkeit) lassen sich weitgehend erwartungskonform in Strukturgleichungsmodellen spezifizieren. Mit einer zweiten Stichprobe vonN = 137 wird ein Strukturgleichungsmodell mit einem diskriminanten und konvergierenden Konstrukt spezifiziert.
Comparative Analysis of Gait Speed Estimation Using Wideband and Narrowband Radars, Thermal Camera, and Motion Tracking Suit Technologies
Authors: Morita P. P. , Rocha A. S. , Shaker G. , Lee D. , Wei J. , Fong B. , Thatte A. , Karimi A. , Xu L. , Ma A. , Wong A. , Boger J.
Published: April 2020

Research has shown that cognitive and physical functioning of older adults can be reflected in indicators such as walking speed. While changes in cognition, mobility, or health cause changes in gait speed, often gradual variations in walking speed go undetected until severe problems arise. Discrete clinical assessments during clinical consultations often fail to detect changes in day-to-day walking speeds and do not reflect walking speeds in everyday environments, where most of the mobility issues happen. In this paper, we compare four walking speed measurement technologies to a GAITRite mat (gold standard): (1) an ultra wideband radar (covering the band from 3.3 GHz to 10 GHz), (2) a narrow band 24-GHz radar (with a bandwidth of 250 MHz), (3) a perception Neuron Motion Tracking suit, and (4) a thermal camera. Data were collected in parallel using all sensors at the same time for 10 healthy adults for normal and slow walking paces. A comparison of the sensors indicates better performance at lower gait speeds, with offsets (when compared to GAITRite) between 0.1 and 20% for the ultra wideband radar, 1.9 and 17% for the narrowband radar, 0.1 and 38% for the thermal camera, and 1.7 and 38% for the suit. This paper supports the potential of unobtrusive radar-based sensors and thermal camera technologies for ambient autonomous gait speed monitoring for contextual, privacy-preserving monitoring of participants in the community.
Mukeshimana-Ngulinzira and Others v. Belgium and Others
Authors: Ruys Tom
Published: April 2020

On April 11, 1994, approximately two thousand men, women, and children were brutally murdered by armed Hutu extremists after a group of Belgian UN peacekeepers abandoned the school facility where they had sought refuge upon the outbreak of the Rwandan genocide. Almost a quarter of a century later, the Brussels Court of Appeal (Court) on June 8, 2018 concluded the civil proceedings lodged by a number of Rwandan survivors and relatives against the Belgian commanding officers and the Belgian state. Overturning an earlier judgment of the Brussels Court of First Instance, the Court held that the decision to retreat from the facility was imputable only to the United Nations, to the exclusion of the Belgian authorities. Accordingly, the claims against the Belgian state were unfounded. The events—which inspired the movie Shooting Dogs (2005)—bear obvious similarities to the role of the United Nations Protection Force's (UNPROFOR) Dutch battalion (Dutchbat) in the evacuation of the Potoçari camp and the ensuing genocide of seven thousand Bosnian men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica in 1995. Like the Dutch judgments in the (more well-known) Mothers of Srebrenica proceedings, the Mukeshimana appellate judgment provides a rare national court precedent that considers the imputability of the conduct of peacekeepers to troop-contributing countries. The Mukeshimana judgment, however, raises a high bar for finding such imputability.
Shelter Hospital: Glimmers of Hope in Treating Coronavirus 2019
Authors: Zhou Feng , Gao Xuan , Li Mengwei , Zhang Ying
Published: April 2020

Since the first report of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the outbreak of the disease has been continuously evolving. Until March 17, 2020, 185, 178 cases had been confirmed, including 81,134 cases in China and 104,044 cases outside of China. In this comment, we report the unexpected beneficial effect of a deployable rapid-assembly shelter hospital on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We describe the shelter hospital maintenance, treatment mode and primary treatment methods, which will provide a valuable experience in dealing with public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, for other countries and areas.
Clinical usefulness of catheter-drawn blood samples and catheter-tip cultures for the diagnosis of catheter-related bloodstream infections in neonates
Authors: Ferreira Janita , Camargos Paulo Augusto Moreira , Rosado Viviane , Anchieta Leni Márcia , Romanelli Roberta Maia de Castro
Published: April 2020

Catheter-drawn blood sampling is an efficient method of diagnosing catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) in neonates; it has greater sensitivity and accuracy than methods using catheter-tip cultures. No association was detected between catheter-drawn blood sampling and the occurrence of adverse events with central venous catheters.
Late Ordovician brachiopods from east-central Alaska, northwestern margin of Laurentia
Authors: Jin Jisuo , Blodgett Robert B.
Published: April 2020

A Late Ordovician brachiopod fauna from the Black River quadrangle (D-1 1:63,360 scale) of east-central Alaska comprises taxa typical of the Late Ordovician brachiopod fauna in the pericratonic epeiric seas of Laurentia, includingHesperorthis pyramidalis(Twenhofel, 1928),Plaesiomys occidentalis(Okulitch, 1943),Eoplectodontasp.,Holtehdalinasp.,Leptaenasp.,Brevilamnulella minutan. sp.,Tcherskidium tenuicostatumn. sp.,Rhynchotrema iowenseWang, 1949, andWhitfieldellasp. The presence ofPlaesiomys occidentalisandTcherskidium tenuicostatan. sp. indicates a latest Katian age by correlation with similar species in the Mackenzie Mountains, southern Manitoba, Anticosti Island, the American midcontinent, Kolyma, and Siberia. Cluster analysis based on 20 well-studied late Katian brachiopod faunas from various regions within Laurentia and elsewhere in other tectonic plates suggests that the small brachiopod faunule from Alaska has the strongest paleobiogeographic affinity with Laurentia, confirming that the Black River quadrangle of Alaska was part of Laurentia during the Late Ordovician.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/6b387856-61d5-4685-a592-faf5287c1e0f
Who Wishes to Return? Ties to Home Country among the Romanian Migrants
Authors: Gherghina Sergiu , Plopeanu Aurelian
Published: April 2020

The research focusing on return migration from the perspective of migrants’ relationship with the country of origin has emphasized the emotional and economic ties. Quite often, these ties have been examined separately and there is little indication of what counts more. This article addresses this gap in the literature and analyzes the extent to which the sense of belonging, media consumption, networks of friends, and regular visits in the country of origin could affect the intention to return. It controls for remittances, voting in the elections of their home country, and age. The empirical analysis uses an original dataset including individual level data. This was collected through an online survey in January 2018 on a sample of 1,839 first generation migrants from Romania.
Political psychophysiology
Authors: Settle Jaime E. , Hibbing Matthew V. , Anspach Nicolas M. , Carlson Taylor N. , Coe Chelsea M. , Hernandez Edward , Peterson John , Stuart John , Arceneaux Kevin
Published: April 2020

The past decade has seen a rapid increase in the number of studies employing psychophysiological methods to explain variation in political attitudes and behavior. However, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of physiological data present novel challenges for political scientists unfamiliar with the underlying biological concepts and technical skills necessary for utilizing this approach. Our objective in this article is to maximize the effectiveness of future work utilizing psychophysiological measurement by providing guidance on how the techniques can be employed most fruitfully as a complement to, not a replacement for, existing methods. We develop clear, step-by-step instructions for how physiological research should be conducted and provide a discussion of the issues commonly faced by scholars working with these measures. Our hope is that this article will be a useful resource for both neophytes and experienced scholars in lowering the start-up costs to doing this work and assessing it as part of the peer review process. More broadly, in the spirit of the open science framework, we aim to foster increased communication, collaboration, and replication of findings across political science labs utilizing psychophysiological methods.
Minimum limiting deglacial ages for the out-of-phase Saginaw Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon methods
Authors: Fisher Timothy G. , Dziekan Mitchell R. , McDonald Jennifer , Lepper Kenneth , Loope Henry M. , McCarthy Francine M.G. , Curry B. Brandon
Published: April 2020

Twenty-four new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon ages from sediment cores in nine lakes associated with the Shipshewana and Sturgis moraines in northern Indiana and southern Michigan estimate when recession of the Saginaw Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet was underway in the southern Great Lakes region, USA. Average OSL ages of 23.4 ± 2.2 ka for the Shipshewana Moraine and 19.7 ± 2.2 ka for the Sturgis Moraine are considered minimum limiting deglacial ages for these recessional moraines. The much younger radiocarbon ages are consistent with other regional radiocarbon ages from lakes, and record climate amelioration around ~16.5 cal ka BP. Early recession of the interlobate Saginaw Lobe was well underway by 23.4 ± 2.2 ka, when the adjacent Lake Michigan and Huron-Erie lobes were a few hundred kilometers farther south and near their maximum southerly limits. The results provide the first time constraints when sediment from the Lake Michigan and Huron-Erie lobes began filling the accommodation space left by the Saginaw Lobe. The difference between the oldest radiocarbon and OSL age is 7400 yr for the Shipshewana Moraine and 3400 yr for the Sturgis Moraine.
SWIFTS AND HIRUNDINES IN ARISTOTLE'S HISTORIA ANIMALIVM
Authors: Thein Karel
Published: April 2020

Aristotle's brief accounts of some swifts and hirundines in Hist. an. 1.1 (487b24–31) and 9.30 (618a31–b2) list several species whose identification has always been taken for difficult, and continues to vary from translation to translation. This note clarifies this small issue on the basis of Aristotle's text alone. I therefore assume that both passages, each introduced by a slightly different use of the term ἄποδες, offer sufficient information for recognizing the species in question. I will first translate and briefly comment upon the passage from Book 1, then do the same with the text from Book 9.
ARS ADEO LATET ARTE SVA: WHAT IS ART'S ART?
Authors: Korenjak Martin
Published: April 2020

Textual difficulties as well as problems of content are sometimes prone to being overlooked in famous passages, because their very familiarity tends to stifle reflection on their actual meaning. orandum est, ut sit mens sana in corpore sano (Juv. 10.356) escaped detection as an interpolation until 1970. In di, coeptis (nam uos mutastis et illa) | aspirate meis (Ov. Met. 1.2–3), the reading illas has held its place against the correct illa until 1976.
Morphological description of six species of Suberitida (Porifera: Demospongiae) from the unexplored north-eastern coast of Brazil, with emphasis on two new species
Authors: Fortunato Humberto F. M. , Pérez Thierry , Lôbo-Hajdu Gisele
Published: April 2020

The Order Suberitida is defined as a group of marine sponges without an obvious cortex, a skeleton devoid of microscleres, and with a deletion of a small loop of 15 base pairs in the secondary structure of the 28S rDNA as a molecular synapomorphy. Suberitida comprises three families and 26 genera distributed worldwide, but mostly in temperate and polar waters. Twenty species were reported along the entire Brazilian coast, and although the north-eastern coast of Brazil seems to harbour a rich sponge fauna, our current knowledge is concentrated along the south-eastern Atlantic coast. A survey was implemented along the northern coast of Brazil, and the collection allowed the identification of six species belonging to the Order Suberitida. Two of them are considered new to science:Suberites purpurasp. nov.,Hymeniacidon upaonassusp. nov., and four,Halichondria(Halichondria)marianaeSantos, Nascimento & Pinheiro, 2018,Halichondria(H.)melanadociade Laubenfels, 1936,Suberites aurantiacus(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864), andTerpios fugaxDuchassaing & Michelotti, 1864, are re-described. Taxonomic comparisons are made for Tropical Western Atlantic species and type species of the four genera. Finally, an identification key for the Western AtlanticSuberitesspecies is provided.
BIVARIATE MARSHALL–OLKIN EXPONENTIAL SHOCK MODEL
Authors: Mohtashami-Borzadaran H.A. , Jabbari H. , Amini M.
Published: April 2020

The well-known Marshall–Olkin model is known for its extension of exponential distribution preserving lack of memory property. Based on shock models, a new generalization of the bivariate Marshall–Olkin exponential distribution is given. The proposed model allows wider range tail dependence which is appealing in modeling risky events. Moreover, a stochastic comparison according to this shock model and also some properties, such as association measures, tail dependence and Kendall distribution, are presented. The new shock model is analytically quite tractable, and it can be used quite effectively, to analyze discrete–continuous data. This has been shown on real data. Finally, we propose the multivariate extension of the Marshall–Olkin model that has some intersection with the well-known multivariate Archimax copulas.
Degeneration of Kummer surfaces
Authors: OVERKAMP OTTO
Published: April 2020

We prove that a Kummer surface defined over a complete strictly Henselian discretely valued field K of residue characteristic different from 2 admits a strict Kulikov model after finite base change. The Kulikov models we construct will be schemes, so our results imply that the semistable reduction conjecture is true for Kummer surfaces in this setup, even in the category of schemes. Our construction of Kulikov models is closely related to an earlier construction of Künnemann, which produces semistable models of Abelian varieties. It is well known that the special fibre of a strict Kulikov model belongs to one of three types, and we shall prove that the type of the special fibre of a strict Kulikov model of a Kummer surface and the toric rank of a corresponding Abelian surface are determined by each other. We also study the relationship between this invariant and the Galois representation on the second ℓ-adic cohomology of the Kummer surface. Finally, we apply our results, together with earlier work of Halle–Nicaise, to give a proof of the monodromy conjecture for Kummer surfaces in equal characteristic zero.
Chinese Philosemitism and Historical Statecraft: Incorporating Jews and Israel into Contemporary Chinese Civilizationism
Authors: Ainslie Mary J.
Published: April 2020

Philosemitism – the idealization of Jews and Israel – and Chinese-Jewish history function as a platform of soft power for growing China–Israel relations and as a means to bolster Chinese nationalism. Given the Chinese Communist Party's current positioning of China as a globally dominant power as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, this article re-examines the contemporary incarnation of philosemitism in China as part of a civilizationist narrative designed to position China as globally central and superior. This not only places heavy emphasis upon Jewish racial stereotypes and erases genuine historical Jewish voices but it also ignores evidence of anti-Semitic beliefs in China.
Perceptions of ‘normal’ climate in Queensland, Australia (1924–34)
Authors: Cook Margaret
Published: April 2020

The concept of ‘normal’ climatic conditions reflects the complexities of human understandings of the environment. Scholarship on settler societies has explored how culture, science and state imperatives combine to construct a notion of ‘normal’ climate. This study of the Callide Valley settlement (1924–34) in northern Australia, draws on government propaganda, farmers’ submissions to a 1934 government inquiry and meteorological data to reveal the discrepancy between rainfall reality and expectations. Promised fertile soil, plentiful water and an ideal climate by the government, new settlers flocked to the Callide Valley, many without farming experience or knowledge of the region’s subtropical climate. Drought and flood soon challenged the promises of a bountiful climate. These confused understandings of a normal climate continue today to shape agriculture in central Queensland.
An urban–rural continuum? A spatial comparison in mid-eighteenth-century northern Germany
Authors: März Olaf
Published: April 2020

The spatial growth of German cities in the years of upheaval in the nineteenth century has been, and remains, the subject of intense historical research. However, the origins of the socio-economic processes underlying these transformations actually predate the epochal transition into the modern era. This article deals critically with the popular conception of a ‘town–country dichotomy’ by comparing, on an empirical basis, urban, semi-urban and rural settlements in a sub-region of the north-west of Germany in the mid-eighteenth century. With the aid of a Geographical Information System (GIS), the cartographic and serial material of the ‘Brunswick Land Survey’ is evaluated in terms of its relevance to a socio-topographic comparison of the spatial micro-structures of the three respective settlement segments. The comparison focuses on the general morphology of the settlement segments, the conditions accompanying the growth of the settlements and the spatial structures of the agricultural activities pursued. In addition, it identifies the factors which led to the erosion of differences between town and country.