bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and characterization of a 3D‐printed axon‐mimetic phantom for diffusion MRI
Authors: Mushtaha Farah N. , Kuehn Tristan K. , El‐Deeb Omar , Rohani Seyed A. , Helpard Luke W. , Moore John , Ladak Hanif , Moehring Amanda , Baron Corey A. , Khan Ali R.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

To introduce and characterize inexpensive and easily produced 3D‐printed axon‐mimetic diffusion MRI phantoms in terms of pore geometry and diffusion kurtosis imaging metrics.

Methods

Phantoms were 3D‐printed with a composite printing material that, after the dissolution of the polyvinyl alcohol, exhibits microscopic fibrous pores. Confocal microscopy and synchrotron phase‐contrast micro‐CT imaging were performed to visualize and assess the pore sizes. Diffusion MRI scans of four identical phantoms and phantoms with varying print parameters in water were performed at 9.4 T. Diffusion kurtosis imaging was fit to both data sets and used to assess the reproducibility between phantoms and effects of print parameters on diffusion kurtosis imaging metrics. Identical scans were performed 25 and 76 days later, to test their stability.

Results

Segmentation of pores in three microscopy images yielded a mean, median, and SD of equivalent pore diameters of 7.57 μm, 3.51 μm, and 12.13 μm, respectively. Phantoms had T1/T2 = 2 seconds/180 ms, and those with identical parameters showed a low coefficient of variation (~10%) in mean diffusivity (1.38 × 10−3 mm2/s) and kurtosis (0.52) metrics and radial diffusivity (1.01 × 10−3 mm2/s) and kurtosis (1.13) metrics.

Printing temperature and speed had a small effect on diffusion kurtosis imaging metrics (< 16%), whereas infill density had a larger and more variable effect (> 16%). The stability analysis showed small changes over 2.5 months (< 7%).

Conclusion

Three‐dimension‐printed axon‐mimetic phantoms can mimic the fibrous structure of axon bundles on a microscopic scale, serving as complex, anisotropic diffusion MRI phantoms.
Selbst messen und Versuche digital auswerten
Authors: Gräb Patrick , Kahre Maurice , Woßmann Peter , Geidel Ekkehard
Published: July 2021

An den Minicomputer Raspberry Pi lassen sich Geräte wie ein dispersives Vis‐Spektrometer oder eine Wärmebildkamera anschließen. Damit sind in Schulunterricht und Hochschulpraktikum physikochemische Experimente ohne teure Ausstattung machbar.
Mikroplastik: Auf der Suche nach der unsichtbaren Gefahr
Authors: Gerhardt Tobias
Published: July 2021

Analytische Methoden helfen, kleinste Kunststoffteilchen in der Umwelt zu finden, damit diese sich nicht weiter verteilen. Wie Berliner Forscher Mikroplastik aufspüren und analysieren.
Branchenbilanzen: Kunst‐, Wirk‐ und Düngestoffe
Authors: Bulmahn Maren
Published: July 2021

Im Jahr 2020 haben Branchen wie Biotech, Pharma und Waschmittel im Durchschnitt mehr umgesetzt als im Jahr zuvor. Viele Chemiefirmen haben dagegen Verluste gemacht. In allen Bilanzen einzelner Unternehmen nehmen Nachhaltigkeitsziele großen Raum ein.
Die neue mRNA‐Medizin
Authors: Groß Michael
Published: July 2021

Der Erfolg der mRNA‐Impfstoffe gegen Covid‐19 dürfte auch die Einführung anderer Therapien beschleunigen, die auf Boten‐RNA basieren. Unternehmen wie Curevac, Biontech und Moderna arbeiteten bereits Jahre vor der Pandemie an solchen Therapien. Diese eignen sich prinzipiell für zahllose medizinische Anwendungen, doch Krebs, Lebererkrankungen und multiple Sklerose zählen zu den vorrangigen Zielen.
Ein Weg zur Lösung des kosmischen Antimaterie‐Rätsels?
Authors: Bison Georg , Ries Dieter , Schmidt‐Wellenburg Philipp
Published: July 2021

Warum blieb nach dem Urknall nur Materie übrig? Dies ist eine der großen ungelösten Fragen der Physik. Eine mutmaßliche Ursache könnte eine starke Verletzung der sogenannten CP‐Symmetrie gewesen sein. Nach allgemeinen Prinzipien der Teilchenphysik müsste diese allerdings zu einem messbaren elektrischen Dipolmoment (EDM) von Elementarteilchen führen. Neutronen sind für die Suche nach EDMs besonders gut geeignet. Neue präzisere Daten lieferte jetzt das nEDM‐Experiment am Paul Scherrer Institut. Es senkte den Grenzwert für ein EDM von Neutronen erheblich. Der neue Messwert verschärft somit die Bedingungen für neue Theorien, die das Standardmodell erweitern. Der im Aufbau befindliche Nachfolger n2EDM soll 2022 in Betrieb gehen und als Ziel das Neutronen‐EDM zehnfach genauer bestimmen.
Phasen eines Bose‐Einstein‐Kondensats aus Licht
Authors: Öztürk Fahri , Schmitt Julian , Kroha Johann , Weitz Martin
Published: July 2021

Eine Messung der Photonenstatistik eines Bose‐Einstein‐Kondensats von Photonen zeigt einen Phasenübergang zwischen zwei Zuständen des Lichts. Ermöglicht wird dies durch kleine Photonenverluste. Diese führen dazu, dass das in einem mit Farbstofflösung gefüllten Resonator erzeugte optische Photonengas ein offenes Quantensystem darstellt.
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg: Gnädigstes Sendschreiben der Erde an den Mond
Authors: Heydenreich Aura
Published: July 2021

Lichtenberg bietet eine kurze kulturhistorische Genealogie menschlicher Vorstellungen über den Mond und zeigt, wie ein Himmelskörper zum Kompendium kultureller Projektionen wird.
Copper Complexes with Carbon‐Related Radiation Defects in Silicon
Authors: Yarykin Nikolai , Weber Jörg , Lastovskii Stanislau , Gusakov Vasilii
Published: July 2021

Experimental and theoretical study of the interaction of mobile interstitial copper with the dominant carbon‐related radiation defects in Si is presented. The deep‐level transient spectroscopy measurements detect a passivation of the and centers due to the formation of complexes with at room temperature. Both the Cu–C and Cu–CO complexes have equal dissociation energy of 1.070.02 eV and close preexponential factors. Equilibrium structures, formation energies, and dissociation barriers for the Cu–C and Cu–CO complexes are determined by ab initio calculations performed within the framework of the density functional approach. Theory predicts that the and defects basically retain their structures upon capture of a copper atom that is located near the carbon atoms in both cases. The calculated dissociation barriers are in good agreement with the experiment.
Carrier Lifetime in 60Co Gamma and 1 MeV Electron‐Irradiated Tin‐Doped n‐Type Czochralski Silicon: Conditions for Improving Radiation Hardness
Authors: Kras'ko Mykola , Kolosiuk Andrii , Voitovych Vasyl , Povarchuk Vasyl
Published: July 2021

Herein, the results that determine some conditions for increasing the radiation hardness of 60Co gamma or 1 MeV electron‐irradiated tin‐doped n‐type Czochralski silicon (Cz n‐Si:Sn) are presented. These conditions are determined from the analysis of the formation kinetics of dominant radiation defects (namely, VO and SnV complexes) and the recombination of charge carriers through the electronic levels of these defects in samples with different concentrations of phosphorus and tin. It is shown that low‐resistivity Cz n‐Si with P doping levels >5 × 1014 cm−3 containing in addition [Sn] ≈1017–1019 cm−3 has a radiation hardening potential. In this material, the radiation degradation of carrier lifetime is several times smaller compared with Sn‐free n‐Si, whereas the conductivity compensation is negligible for both materials. The reduction of the lifetime degradation rate is due to a reduction of VO concentration in low‐resistivity Cz n‐Si:Sn.
Operating Temperature of Nonfullerene Acceptor‐Based Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Ram Kiran Sreedhar , Setsoafia Daniel Dodzi Yao , Mehdizadeh-Rad Hooman , Ompong David , Elumalai Naveen Kumar , Singh Jai
Published: July 2021

A comprehensive study of the operating temperature () of three nonfullerene (NF) acceptor‐based bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ OSCs), two conventional (OSC1 and OSC3) and one inverted (OSC2) structure, is presented. A quantitative analysis of the thermal power generated by photon absorption in transport layers and electrodes, thermalization of photoexcited charge carriers, tail‐state recombination, and resistive heating is conducted. For all three OSCs, the dependence of operating temperature on the voltage is simulated and it is found that OSC1 and OSC2 operate at about 320 K and OSC3 at 319 K. It is also found that the thermal power generated due to thermalization (PT) and absorption in other than the active layer () in OSC3 are smaller than those in both OSC1 and OSC2 but the thermal power generated due to the resistive heating (PR) is larger in OSC3 than in OSC1 and OSC2, leading to the net power absorbed in the active layer of OSC3 being higher than that in OSC1 and OSC2. Thus, although the operating temperature of all three cells remains in the range from 320 to 321 K, OSC3 shows a better photovoltaic performance.
Producing Plant Virus Patterns with Defined 2D Structure
Authors: Müller-Renno Christine , Remmel Diana , Braun Mario , Boonrod Kajohn , Krczal Gabi , Ziegler Christiane
Published: July 2021

In nanobiotechnology, viral nanoparticles have come into focus as interesting nano building blocks. In this context, the formation of 2D and 3D structures is of particular interest. Herein, the creation of defined 2D patterns of an icosahedral plant virus, the tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), by means of different techniques is reported on: the top‐down lithography ebeam and focused ion beam (FIB) as well as the bottom‐up fluidic force microscope (FluidFM) approach. The obtained layer structures are imaged by scanning force and scanning electron microscopy. The data show that a defined 2D structure can successfully be created either top down by FIB or bottom up by FluidFM. Electron beam lithography is not able to remove viruses from the substrate under the chosen conditions. FIB has an advantage if larger areas covered with viruses combined with smaller areas without being desired. FluidFM is advantageous if only small areas with viruses are required. A further benefit is that the uncovered areas are not affected. The pattern formation in FluidFM is influenced not only by the spotting parameters, but in particular by the drying process. Deegan and Marangoni effects are shown to play a role if the spotted droplets are not very small.
Vaccine‐induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia after vaccination against Covid‐19: A clinical dilemma for clinicians and patients
Authors: Mohseni Afshar Zeinab , Babazadeh Arefeh , Janbakhsh Alireza , Afsharian Mandana , Saleki Kiarash , Barary Mohammad , Ebrahimpour Soheil
Published: July 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) pandemic has had devastating effects on public health worldwide, but the deployment of vaccines for Covid‐19 protection has helped control the spread of SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection where they are available. The common side effects reported following Covid‐19 vaccination were mostly self‐restricted local reactions that resolved quickly. Nevertheless, rare vaccine‐induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) cases have been reported in some people being vaccinated against Covid‐19. This review summarizes the thromboembolic events after Covid‐19 vaccination and discusses its molecular mechanism, incidence rate, clinical manifestations and differential diagnosis. Then, a step‐by‐step algorithm for diagnosing such events, along with a management plan, are presented. In conclusion, considering the likeliness of acquiring severe SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and its subsequent morbidity and mortality, the benefits of vaccination outweigh its risks. Hence, if not already initiated, all governments should begin an effective and fast public vaccination plan to overcome this pandemic.
Dynamic learning control design for interval type‐2 fuzzy singularly perturbed systems: A component‐based event‐triggering protocol
Authors: Yang Yekai , Niu Yugang , Reza Karimi Hamid
Published: July 2021

In this work, the sliding mode control (SMC) problem is addressed for the discrete‐time interval type‐2 fuzzy singularly perturbed systems. A component‐based dynamic event‐triggering scheme is first proposed to determine the transmission of each measurement component according to the prespecified triggering condition, under which each sensor node will transmit independently its signal to the controller. Meanwhile, the SMC approach is used to design an effective interval‐type‐2 fuzzy controller by only utilizing the transmitted component signals, and the ‐independent conditions are developed to attain the stability of the closed‐loop system and the reachability of the sliding domain. In addition, a framework of the optimization control design is established, where the learning‐based iterative optimization algorithm is proposed via reducing the convergence domain around the sliding surface. Finally, the proposed SMC scheme is verified via the simulation results.
Summary concordance index for meta‐analysis of prognosis studies with a survival outcome
Authors: Hattori Satoshi , Zhou Xiao‐Hua
Published: July 2021

In prognosis studies to evaluate association between a continuous biomarker and a survival outcome, investigators often classify subjects into two subclasses of the high‐ and low‐expression groups and apply simple survival analysis techniques of the Kaplan‐Meier method and the logrank test. The high‐ and low‐expressions are defined according to whether or not the observation of the biomarker is higher than the cut‐off value, which is heterogeneous across studies. The heterogeneous definitions of the cut‐off value make it difficult to apply the standard meta‐analysis techniques. We propose a method to estimate the concordance index for a survival outcome synthesizing published prognosis studies, in which the Kaplan‐Meier estimates for the high‐ and low‐expression groups are reported. We illustrate our proposed method with a real dataset for meta‐analysis of prognosis studies evaluating Ki‐67 in early breast cancer and evaluate its performance with a simulation study.
Phosphorus Ester Containing Mesoporous Silica as Novel High‐Effective Flame Retardant in Polyurethane and Polyester Coatings
Authors: Aytan Emre , Aytan Tuğçe Akbal , Kahraman Memet Vezir
Published: July 2021

In this study mesoporous silica spheres (MPSs) and polyphosphoric acid based organophosphate ester flame retardant (FR material) material were synthesized and flame retardancy performance in acrylate‐based polyurethanes (PUR) and polyester (PET) resins investigated. For this, both MPSs and FR material were synthesized according to literature and FR material was loaded into MPSs which takes the role of carrier. Loaded MPSs were put into UV curable PUR and PET resins and polymerized under UV radiation. Their characteristics were investigated by FT‐IR, TGA, LOI, SEM and TEM. The results showed that FR material had excellent flame‐retardant abilities for both PUR and PET series. The TGA curves suggested that synthesized FR material shows lower thermal stability at low temperatures than original materials however it showed good ability of char formation at higher temperatures, therefore improving the flame retardant property of samples. Moreover the LOI analysis showed that flame retardancy properties were improved significantly. The additive increased the LOI value from 20,5 and 21 to 26,5 and 27.
Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly of Strong Thin Films with High Lithium Ion Conductance for Batteries and Beyond
Authors: Wang Zhen , Ouyang Liangqi , Li Hailong , Wågberg Lars , Hamedi Mahiar Max
Published: July 2021

Polyethylene oxide (PEO) is one of the most widely used polymeric ion conductors which has the potential for a wide range of applications in energy storage. The enhancement of ionic conductivity of PEO‐based electrolytes is generally achieved by sacrificing the mechanical properties. Using layer‐by‐layer (LbL) self‐assembly with a nanoscale precision, mechanically strong and self‐healable PEO/polyacrylic acid composite thin films with a high Li+ conductivity of 2.3 ± 0.8 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 30 °C, and a strength of 3.7 MPa is prepared. These values make the LbL composite among the best recorded multifunctional solid electrolytes. The electrolyte thin film withstands at least 1000 cycles of striping/plating of Li at 0.05 mA cm−2. It is further shown that the LbL thin films can be used as separators for Li‐ion batteries to deliver a capacity of 116 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C in an all‐LbL‐assembled lithium iron phosphate/lithium titanate battery. Finally, it is demonstrated that the thin films can be used as ion‐conducting substrates for flexible electrochemical devices, including micro supercapacitors and electrochemical transistors.
Construction of Dual‐Site Atomically Dispersed Electrocatalysts with Ru‐C5 Single Atoms and Ru‐O4 Nanoclusters for Accelerated Alkali Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Cao Dong , Wang Jiayi , Xu Haoxiang , Cheng Daojian
Published: July 2021

Rationally integrating multi‐active sites into one ideal catalyst is an effective approach to accelerate multistep reactions by synergic catalysis. Herein, a universal and facile room temperature impregnation strategy is developed to construct Ru atomically dispersed catalyst (Ru ADC) with Ru‐C5 single atoms and Ru oxide nanoclusters (≈1.5 nm), which can also be extended to prepare Ir, Rh, Pt, Au, and Mo atomically dispersed catalysts (ADCs). It is found that the obtained Ru ADC largely boosts alkali hydrogen evolution by concerted catalysis between single atoms and sub‐nanoclusters, which only needs an overpotential of 18 mV at 10 mA cm−2. Further mechanistic studies reveal that Ru‐C5 single atoms and Ru oxide nanoclusters with Ru‐O4 configuration in one catalyst can synergically boost water molecule capture, water dissociation, and hydrogen release. This study opens up a simple method to synthesize dual‐site metal ADCs for synergic catalysis of typical multistep reactions.
Regularization paths of L1‐penalized ROC Curve‐Optimizing Support Vector Machines
Authors: Kim Hyungwoo , Sohn Insuk , Shin Seung Jun
Published: July 2021

The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve is one of the most popular tools to evaluate the performance of binary classifiers in a variety of applications. Rakotomamonjy (2004) proposed the ROC‐SVM that directly optimizes the area under the ROC curve instead of the prediction accuracy. In this article, we study the L1‐penalized ROC‐SVM that directly optimizes the ROC curve. We first show that the L1‐penalized ROC‐SVM has piecewise linear regularization paths and then develop an efficient algorithm to compute the entire paths, which greatly facilitates its tuning procedure.
Where Does Information Come From?: Visibility in Author’s Notes for Emergent Information Literacy
Authors: Mertens Gillian E. , Adams Brittany
Published: July 2021

Information literacy is a critical 21st‐century skill, yet young readers rarely have opportunities to consider where information comes from. In this Teaching Tip, the authors use author’s notes in nonfiction storybooks to promote student awareness of authorship. The author’s visibility in author’s notes varies along a continuum from invisible (authors discussing the subject of the text using third‐person pronouns) to visible (authors describing a personal relationship to the text). Using information literacy tenets to focus on how narrative nonfiction is created, this article highlights two specific examples of author’s notes, as well as pragmatic questions related to various levels of author visibility for teachers to ask as they support their students’ developing information literacy.
Extended genetic testing in fetuses with sonographic skeletal system abnormalities
Authors: Kucińska‐Chahwan A. , Roszkowski T. , Nowakowska B. , Geremek M. , Paczkowska M. , Bijok J. , Massalska D.
Published: July 2021

Objectives

To analyze genetic causes of skeletal system abnormalities diagnosed by prenatal sonography and to establish a diagnostic protocol with regard to extended genetic testing in this group of patients.

Methods

This prospective observational cohort study included all singleton pregnancies with a sonographic abnormality of the skeletal system evaluated in a single ultrasound department during a 1‐year period (2019). Fetuses underwent routine genetic testing by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) supplemented with polyploidy testing, and those with either a normal result or an abnormal result not consistent with the observed phenotype underwent exome sequencing (ES). Interpretation of variants was discussed by a panel of specialists to identify pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants.

Results

The study group comprised 55 fetuses. A chromosomal abnormality consistent with the observed phenotype was detected in 24 (43.6%) cases. After exclusions, 26 (47.3%) cases underwent further molecular testing by ES, of which 18 (69.2%) were classified as having abnormal ES results, thus increasing the diagnostic yield by a further 18 (32.7%) cases and giving an abnormal genetic test result in 42/55 (76.4%) fetuses overall. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic sequence variants in 14 different genes were detected across 18 fetuses. Seven genes are already listed in the International Skeletal Dysplasia Society Nosology and seven are not typically found to be causal for skeletal dysplasias and are not listed in the Nosology.

Conclusions

In fetuses with skeletal system anomalies, chromosomal abnormality was the most common genetic diagnosis. Exome sequencing increased the diagnostic yield over that of CMA and polyploidy testing. Fetuses with skeletal abnormalities should undergo extended genetic testing following routine testing, as many genetic anomalies responsible for skeletal defects may otherwise be missed. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Fate of selected organic micropollutants during anaerobic sludge digestion
Authors: Hammer Lisann , Palmowski Laurence
Published: July 2021

Organic micropollutants are incompletely removed from wastewater in Water Resource Recovery Facilities using conventional methods and can therefore enter the anaerobic sludge treatment together with primary and secondary sludge. This review compiles literature data on the fate of selected micropollutants (Carbamazepine [CBZ], Diclofenac [DCF], Ibuprofen [IBP], Sulfamethoxazole [SMX], and Triclosan [TCS]) during anaerobic sludge treatment and how the fate is affected by chemical properties, phase distribution and operating conditions.

CBZ was found to be persistent to anaerobic degradation in most studies, with some exceptions reporting a degradation efficiency of 60%. Removal efficiencies for DCF, IBP, and TCS varied widely (from no to [very] high removal). For SMX, most studies reported a removal above 80%. A correlation was found between the fate during anaerobic digestion and physicochemical properties (hydrophobicity and molecular structure). Sorption to sludge, affected in some cases by pH changes during digestion, is suggested to reduce bioavailability. IBP and TCS were mainly present in the liquid phase or solid phase, respectively, CBZ and DCF were present in similar proportions in both phases, while statements were contradictory for SMX. Parameters such as temperature and sludge age did not significantly influence the fate of investigated micropollutants during anaerobic digestion.

Practitioner points

Most studies report no significant removal of CBZ during anaerobic sludge digestion.

Removal efficiencies of DCF, IBP, and TCS vary from study to study between no removal and high or very high removal. Considering such heterogeneous removal efficiencies, it is recommended to conduct digestion trials to find out in which range the values will be for a specific sludge.

SMX is very highly removed during anaerobic digestion in most studies.

Parameters such as temperature and SRT do not significantly influence the fate of the five investigated micropollutants.

Hydrophobicity, which has some effect on the liquid/solid phase distribution of micropollutants, and molecular structure influence the removal efficiencies.
Drivers for and Barriers to the Cross-border Implementation of the Once-Only Principle
Authors: Leosk Nele , Põder Irma , Schmidt Carsten , Kalvet Tarmo , Krimmer Robert
Published: July 2021

The once-only principle (OOP) aims to reduce interactions between citizens and governments, but many factors challenge its cross-border implementation. Building on the results of the “The Once-Only Principle Project” (TOOP, 2017–2021), an analysis was undertaken of the factors that either support or hinder implementation of the cross-border OOP. Five domains of factors were examined - technological, organizational, institutional aspects, actors and miscellaneous. This research highlights the importance of awareness of the OOP, and its inherent benefits, as a key driver. Also, the activities of supranational entities are of key significance, as it is establishing a critical legal framework. Co-ordination between different levels of government and different countries remains an important barrier. One specific issue discovered and addressed during the project but uncovered here, relates to identity matching, and this requires EU level intervention to reach an effective and efficient solution.
Once-Only Principle Good Practices in Europe
Authors: Wimmer Maria A.
Published: July 2021

Digital transformation has become a recent keyword in the evolution of public sector modernization through the once-only principle (OOP). The once-only principle is among the seven driving principles in the eGovernment Action Plan 2016–2020 of the European Commission (EC). It requires that citizens and businesses need not to provide the same data to governments if that data is already in their hands. The ultimate goal of the principle is to reduce administrative burden and to simplify public service provisioning therewith also reducing costs and improving public service. To boost developments towards administrative burden reduction and simplification in public service provisioning, the SCOOP4C project has investigated good practice solutions across Europe. In this contribution, we provide an overview of good practice OOP cases and OOP enablers studied in the project, followed by a synthesis of the benefits and key enablers to boost the OOP implementation across Europe.
Exact 1/N expansion of Wilson loop correlators in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory
Authors: Mück Wolfgang
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Supersymmetric circular Wilson loops in$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory are discussed starting from their Gaussian matrix model representations. Previous results on the generating functions of Wilson loops are reviewed and extended to the more general case of two different loop contours, which is needed to discuss coincident loops with opposite orientations. A combinatorial formula representing the connected correlators of multiply wound Wilson loops in terms of the matrix model solution is derived. Two new results are obtained on the expectation value of the circular Wilson loop, the expansion of which into a series in 1/Nand to all orders in the ’t Hooft couplingλwas derived by Drukker and Gross about twenty years ago. The connected correlators of two multiply wound Wilson loops with arbitrary winding numbers are calculated as a series in 1/N. The coefficient functions are derived not only as power series inλ, but also to all orders inλby expressing them in terms of the coefficients of the Drukker and Gross series. This provides an efficient way to calculate the 1/Nseries, which can probably be generalized to higher-point correlators.
Cyclotron production of 225Ac from an electroplated 226Ra target
Authors: Nagatsu Kotaro , Suzuki Hisashi , Fukada Masami , Ito Taku , Ichinose Jun , Honda Yoshio , Minegishi Katsuyuki , Higashi Tatsuya , Zhang Ming-Rong
Published: July 2021

Purpose

We demonstrate cyclotron production of high-quality 225Ac using an electroplated 226Ra target.

Methods

226Ra was extracted from legacy Ra sources using a chelating resin. Subsequent ion-exchange purification gave pure 226Ra with a certain amount of carrier Ba. The radium target was prepared by electroplating. We successfully deposited about 37 MBq of 226Ra on a target box. Maximum activation was achieved using 15.6 MeV protons on the target at 20 µA for 5 h. Two functional resins with various concentrations of nitric acid purified 225Ac and recovered 226Ra. Cooling the intermediate 225Ac for 2–3 weeks decayed the major byproduct of 226Ac and increased the radionuclidic purity of 225Ac. Repeating the same separation protocol provided high-quality 225Ac.

Results

We obtained 225Ac at a yield of about 2.4 MBq at the end of bombardment (EOB), and the subsequent initial purification gave 1.7 MBq of 225Ac with 226Ac/225Ac ratio of < 3% at 4 days from EOB. Additional cooling time coupled with the separation procedure (secondary purification) effectively increased the 225Ac (4n + 1 series) radionuclidic purity up to 99 + %. The recovered 225Ac had a similar identification to commercially available 225Ac originating from a 229Th/225Ac generator.

Conclusion

This procedure, which involves the 226Ra(p,2n)225Ac reaction and the appropriate purification, has the potential to be a major alternative pathway for 225Ac production because it can be performed in any facility with a compact cyclotron to address the increasing demand for 225Ac.
Channeling: A Non-pathological Possession and Dissociative Identity Experience or Something Else?
Authors: Pederzoli Luciano , Tressoldi Patrizio , Wahbeh Helané
Published: July 2021

Channeling experiences are often compared with Dissociative Trance/Possession Disorders and Dissociative Identity Disorders and more recent diagnostic criteria presented in the DSM 5 and ICD-11. From this comparison, it emerges quite clearly that, for most cases, channeling can either be considered an exceptional non-ordinary mental experience or a non-pathological Dissociative Trance/Possession experience. If this characterization is valid, the next step is to understand the origin of channeling experiences. Are they an expression of channeler’s unconscious or voluntary mental mechanisms, or real connections with “other discarnate entities”? Given their peculiar characteristics, channeling experiences offer a unique opportunity for a scientific investigation and in particular, the origin of the information received by the channelers.
A Generalization of Strassen’s Theorem on Preordered Semirings
Authors: Vrana Péter
Published: July 2021

Given a commutative semiring with a compatible preorder satisfying a version of the Archimedean property, the asymptotic spectrum, as introduced by Strassen (J. reine angew. Math. 1988), is an essentially unique compact Hausdorff space together with a map from the semiring to the ring of continuous functions. Strassen’s theorem characterizes an asymptotic relaxation of the preorder that asymptotically compares large powers of the elements up to a subexponential factor as the pointwise partial order of the corresponding functions, realizing the asymptotic spectrum as the space of monotone semiring homomorphisms to the nonnegative real numbers. Such preordered semirings have found applications in complexity theory and information theory. We prove a generalization of this theorem to preordered semirings that satisfy a weaker polynomial growth condition. This weaker hypothesis does not ensure in itself that nonnegative real-valued monotone homomorphisms characterize the (appropriate modification of the) asymptotic preorder. We find a sufficient condition as well as an equivalent condition for this to hold. Under these conditions the asymptotic spectrum is a locally compact Hausdorff space satisfying a similar universal property as in Strassen’s work.
The “Economic Battle” Now and Then: (E)valuation Patterns of Distributive Justice in Cuban State-Socialism
Authors: Jany Nina
Published: July 2021

This article disentangles and explores some commonly made assumptions about egalitarian state-socialist ideologies. Based on the conceptual framework of the multiprinciple approach of justice, it presents the results of an in-depth analysis of (e)valuation patterns of distributive justice in Cuban state-socialism. The analysis mainly focuses on ideational conceptions of distributive justice (just rewards), but it also accounts for distribution outcomes and resulting (in)equalities (actual rewards). The results of the comparative case study of the Cuban framework of institutions and political leaders’ views in two periods of time, the early 1960s and the 2010s, point to (e)valuation patterns that are generally labelled as egalitarian, such as the allocation rules of outcome equality and (non-functional) needs. However, contrary to common assumptions about egalitarian state-socialist ideologies, the results also point to several other patterns, including equity rules as well as functional and productivist allocation rules. I argue that many of these (e)valuation patterns, in their connection to the discursive storyline of the Cuban economic battle, are indeed compatible with egalitarian state-socialist ideology.
Correction to: A kinetic study for the Fenton and photo-Fenton paracetamol degradation in an annular photoreactor
Authors: Audino Francesca , Conte Leandro Oscar , Schenone Agustina Violeta , Pérez-Moya Montserrat , Graells Moisès , Alfano Orlando Mario
Published: July 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: 10.1007/s11356-021-15050-7
Optimizing bus line platform assignment across bus stations in Utrecht
Authors: ten Bosch Wouter , Hoogeveen J. A. , van Kooten Niekerk Marcel E.
Published: July 2021

Due to its increased popularity, public transport has grown considerably, which has resulted in more lines that are operated with higher frequencies. As a result, the current bus stations that are located in strategic places like city centers to serve as a hub are becoming too small. If there is no space to enlarge the station, then usually the best option is to create a second bus station close-by. This raises the problem of distributing the bus lines over the bus stations, such that good connections are offered to transfer passengers. We have considered this problem in the city of Utrecht, which is a middle-sized city in the center of the Netherlands. The central transit hub, which is located next to the central railway station, consists of several separate bus stations. The goal of the research is to minimize the total travel time for all passengers who want to transfer at the hub. Here we are not allowed to adjust the current timetable, and we have to take the capacity and vehicle limitations into account. To find out which journeys are made daily and by how many people we use data from a digital fare system. This results in passenger groups, and for each group we compute the relevant travel options given the current timetable. Thereto, the routes are split into an inbound itinerary, a transfer within the same bus station, and an outbound itinerary; the validity of a travel option depends on the assignment of the bus lines to the bus stations. We decompose the problem into first finding a distribution of the lines over the stations and then assigning them to a platform at the station of choice. In the first subproblem, we find the best set of transfers using Integer Linear Programming (ILP), resulting in a station assignment. In the second subproblem, for each station, we distribute the bus lines over the platforms. In this subproblem, there can be multiple lines assigned to a single platform, as long as there are never more vehicles at the platform simultaneously than physically fit. The goal is to maximize the comfort of the transfer passengers by assigning tight transfers to adjacent platforms; this problem is solved using ILP as well.
Missing value or behaviour: how to increase the signal of social media data
Authors: Mariani Paolo , Marletta Andrea
Published: July 2021

Social media has become a widespread element of people’s everyday life, which is used to communicate and generate contents. Among the several ways to express a reaction to social media contents, the “Likes” are critical. Indeed, they convey preferences, which drive existing markets or allow the creation of new ones. Nevertheless, the appreciation indicators have some complex features, as for example the interpretation of the absence of “Likes”. In this case, the lack of approval may be considered as a specific behaviour. The present study aimed to define whether the absence of Likes may indicate the presence of a specific behaviour through the contextualization of the treatment of missing data applied to real cases. We provided a practical strategy for extracting more knowledge from social media data, whose synthesis raises several measurement problems. We proposed an approach based on the disambiguation of missing data in two modalities: “Dislike” and “Nothing”. Finally, a data pre-processing technique was suggested to increase the signal of social media data.
Temporal Synchrony in Autism: a Systematic Review
Authors: Murat Baldwin Mina , Xiao Zhuoni , Murray Aja
Published: July 2021

Temporal synchrony is the alignment of processes in time within or across individuals in social interaction and is observed and studied in various domains using wide-ranging paradigms. Evidence suggesting reduced temporal synchrony in autism (e.g. compared to neurotypicals) has hitherto not been reviewed. To systematically review the magnitude and generalisability of the difference across different tasks and contexts, EBSCO, OVID, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched. Thirty-two studies were identified that met our inclusion criteria in audio-visual, audio-motor, visuo-tactile, visuo-motor, social motor, and conversational synchrony domains. Additionally, two intervention studies were included. The findings suggest that autistic participants showed reduced synchrony tendencies in every category of temporal synchrony reviewed. Implications, methodological weaknesses, and evidence gaps are discussed.
Implantable and transcutaneous continuous glucose monitoring system: a randomized cross over trial comparing accuracy, efficacy and acceptance
Authors: Boscari F. , Vettoretti M. , Cavallin F. , Amato A. M. L. , Uliana A. , Vallone V. , Avogaro A. , Facchinetti A. , Bruttomesso D.
Published: July 2021

Aim

To compare accuracy, efficacy and acceptance of implantable and transcutaneous continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems.

Methods

In a randomized crossover trial we compared 12 weeks with Eversense implantable sensor (EVS) and 12 weeks with Dexcom G5 transcutaneous sensor (DG5) in terms of accuracy, evaluated as Mean Absolute Relative Difference (MARD) vs capillary glucose (SMBG), time of CGM use, adverse events, efficacy (as HbA1c, time in range, time above and below range) and psychological outcomes evaluated with Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ), Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Survey (GMSS), Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS2), Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS).

Results

16 subjects (13 males, 48.8 ± 10.1 years, HbA1c 55.8 ± 7.9 mmol/mol, mean ± SD) completed the study. DG5 was used more than EVS [percentage of use 95.7 ± 3.6% vs 93.5 ± 4.3% (p = 0.02)]. MARD was better with EVS (12.2 ± 11.5% vs. 13.1 ± 14.7%, p< 0.001). No differences were found in HbA1c. While using EVS time spent in range increased and time spent in hyperglycemia decreased, but these data were not confirmed by analysis of retrofitted data based on SMBG values. EVS reduced perceived distress, without significant changes in other psychological outcomes.

Conclusions

CGM features may affect glycemic control and device acceptance.
Clinical, biochemical and genetic findings in adult patients with chronic hypophosphatasemia
Authors: Guarnieri V. , Sileri F. , Indirli R. , Guabello G. , Longhi M. , Dito G. , Verdelli C. , Corbetta S.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The study aimed to define the clinical, biochemical and genetic features of adult patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis and/or bone fragility and low serum alkaline phosphatase (sALP).

Methods

Twenty-two patients with at least two sALP values below the reference range were retrospectively enrolled after exclusion of secondary causes. Data about clinical features, mineral and bone markers, serum pyridoxal-5’-phosphate (PLP), urine phosphoethanolamine (PEA), lumbar and femur bone densitometry, and column X-ray were collected. Peripheral blood DNA of each participant was analyzed to detect ALPL gene anomalies.

Results

Pathogenic ALPL variants (pALPL) occurred in 23% and benign variants in 36% of patients (bALPL), while nine patients harbored wild-type alleles (wtALPL). Fragility fractures and dental anomalies were more frequent in patients harboring pALPL and bALPL than in wtALPL patients. Of note, wtALPL patients comprised women treated with tamoxifen for hormone-sensitive breast cancer. Mineral and bone markers were similar in the three groups. Mean urine PEA levels were significantly higher in patients harboring pALPL than those detected in patients harboring bALPL and wtALPL; by contrast, serum PLP levels were similar in the three groups. A 6-points score, considering clinical and biochemical features, was predictive of pALPL detection [P = 0.060, OR 1.92 (95% CI 0.972, 3.794)], and more significantly of pALPL or bALPL [P = 0.025, OR 14.33 (95% CI 1.401, 14.605)].

Conclusion

In osteopenic/osteoporotic patients, single clinical or biochemical factors did not distinguish hypophosphatasemic patients harboring pALPL or bALPL from those harboring wtALPL. Occurrence of multiple clinical and biochemical features is predictive of ALPL anomalies, and, therefore, they should be carefully identified. Tamoxifen emerged as a hypophosphatasemic drug.
The Philosophy of Envy
Authors: Protasi Sara
Published: July 2021

Envy is almost universally condemned and feared. But is its bad reputation always warranted? In this book, Sara Protasi argues that envy is more multifaceted than it seems, and that some varieties of it can be productive and even virtuous. Protasi brings together empirical evidence and philosophical research to generate a novel view according to which there are four kinds of envy: emulative, inert, aggressive, and spiteful. For each kind, she individuates different situational antecedents, phenomenological expressions, motivational tendencies, and behavioral outputs. She then develops the normative implications of this taxonomy from a moral and prudential perspective, in the domain of personal loving relationships, and in the political sphere. A historical appendix completes the book. Through a careful and comprehensive investigation of envy's complexity, and its multifarious implications for human relations and human value, The Philosophy of Envy surprisingly reveals that envy plays a crucial role in safeguarding our happiness.
As If By Design
Authors: Wasserman Edward A.
Published: July 2021

The eureka moment is a myth. It is an altogether naïve and fanciful account of human progress. Innovations emerge from a much less mysterious combination of historical, circumstantial, and accidental influences. This book explores the origin and evolution of several important behavioral innovations including the high five, the Heimlich maneuver, the butterfly stroke, the moonwalk, and the Iowa caucus. Such creations' striking suitability to the situation and the moment appear ingeniously designed with foresight. However, more often than not, they actually arise 'as if by design.' Based on investigations into the histories of a wide range of innovations, Edward A. Wasserman reveals the nature of behavioral creativity. What surfaces is a fascinating web of causation involving three main factors: context, consequence, and coincidence. Focusing on the process rather than the product of innovation elevates behavior to the very center of the creative human endeavor.
Ruin problems for epidemic insurance
Authors: Lefèvre Claude , Simon Matthieu
Published: July 2021

The paper discusses the risk of ruin in insurance coverage of an epidemic in a closed population. The model studied is an extended susceptible–infective–removed (SIR) epidemic model built by Lefèvre and Simon (Methodology Comput. Appl. Prob.22, 2020) as a block-structured Markov process. A fluid component is then introduced to describe the premium amounts received and the care costs reimbursed by the insurance. Our interest is in the risk of collapse of the corresponding reserves of the company. The use of matrix-analytic methods allows us to determine the distribution of ruin time, the probability of ruin, and the final amount of reserves. The case where the reserves are subjected to a Brownian noise is also studied. Finally, some of the results obtained are illustrated for two particular standard SIR epidemic models.
Perceived beneficiaries and support for the globalization of higher education: a survey experiment on attitudes toward international students
Authors: Gift Thomas , Lastra-Anadón Carlos X.
Published: July 2021

Foreign students are one of the most significant immigrant categories in many North American and Western European countries. Yet, as their numbers have swelled, many governments have experienced increasing pressures to cap their entry. This is true despite the sizable benefits that foreign students bring to host countries, and despite standard political economy concerns about immigrants—that they take away jobs or abuse public entitlements—not applying to foreign students. We field a nationally-representative survey experiment in the UK, one of the top destinations for foreign students, to examine potential activators of public support for capping the number of foreign students. Results show that support for caps is most activated when citizens are primed to think about foreign students competing with domestic students for scarce admissions slots at universities.
“Religion's Engine”: Theorizing Religion and Modernity in Jon Butler's God in Gotham
Authors: Tweed Thomas A.
Published: July 2021

After reading Jon Butler's richly documented history of religion in Manhattan, I thought again of one of my favorite images: a 1939 watercolor by Ben Shahn called Self-Portrait among the Churchgoers, in which a photographer stands near a church on Sunday but points his camera toward the street and seems to ignore the gathering worshippers. Some U.S. historians might be relieved they do not need to learn more about those pious pedestrians, or what happens inside, but specialists in religious history might think the photographer has missed all the action. Has he? Well, in one sense, sure. Historians of religion must attend to churches and adherents, as Butler does, but, like Shahn's photographer, Butler also looks out to the wider cityscape. And that approach pays off as he asks how religion confronted “the challenge of modernity” in Manhattan, “the capital of American secularism.” More specifically, he hopes to explain why religion “didn't collapse in modernity's grasp,” as religion theorists like Max Weber and William James predicted.
Reflections on North African History: Abdallah Laroui and his History of the Maghrib
Authors: Schaar Stuart
Published: July 2021

When Joel Gordon, the editor of the International Journal of Middle East Studies, asked me to reexamine a notable classic book in my field of North African history, I immediately thought of one that I had reviewed favorably forty-one years ago, Abdallah Laroui's The History of the Maghrib. The book is a seminal work of historical synthesis, by one of the most eminent living Maghribi scholars. It remains relevant today.