bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of hydrothermal carbonization on the surface functionalities of wet waste materials for water treatment applications
Authors: Niinipuu Mirva , Latham Kenneth G. , Boily Jean-François , Bergknut Magnus , Jansson Stina 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an energy-efficient thermochemical process for converting wet waste products into value added materials for water treatment. Understanding how HTC influences the physicochemical properties of the resultant materials is critical in optimizing the process for water treatment, where surface functionality and surface area play a major role. In this study, we have examined the HTC of four wet waste streams, sewage sludge, biosludge, fiber sludge, and horse manure at three different temperatures (180 °C, 220 °C, and 260 °C). The physicochemical properties of these materials were examined via FTIR, SEM and BET with their adsorption capacity were assessed using methylene blue. The yield of solid material after hydrothermal carbonization (hydrochar) decreased with increasing temperature for all samples, with the largest impact on horse manure and fiber sludge. These materials also lost the highest degree of oxygen, while HTC had minimal impact on biosludge and sewage sludge. The differences here were due to the varying compositions of each waste material, FTIR identified resonances related to cellulose in horse manure and fiber sludge, which were not detected in biosludge and sewage sludge. Adsorption capacities varied between 9.0 and 68 mg g−1 with biosludge HTC at 220 °C adsorbing the highest amount. Adsorption also dropped drastically at the highest temperature (260 °C), indicating a correlation between adsorption capacity and HTC conditions. This was attributed to the loss of oxygen functional groups, which can contribute to adsorption. These results suggest that adsorption properties can be tailored both by selection of HTC temperature and feedstock.
Structural and functional brain network alterations in prenatal alcohol exposed neonates
Authors: Roos Annerine , Fouche Jean-Paul , Ipser Jonathan C. , Narr Katherine L. , Woods Roger P. , Zar Heather J. , Stein Dan J. , Donald Kirsten A. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPrenatal alcohol exposure leads to alterations in cognition, behavior and underlying brain architecture. However, prior studies have not integrated structural and functional imaging data in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. The aim of this study was to characterize disruptions in both structural and functional brain network organization after prenatal alcohol exposure in very early life. A group of 11 neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure and 14 unexposed controls were investigated using diffusion weighted structural and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Covariance networks were created using graph theoretical analyses for each data set, controlling for age and sex. Group differences in global hub arrangement and regional connectivity were determined using nonparametric permutation tests. Neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure and controls exhibited similar global structural network organization. However, global functional networks of neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure comprised of temporal and limbic hubs, while hubs were more distributed in controls representing an early default mode network. On a regional level, controls showed prominent structural and functional connectivity in parietal and occipital regions. Neonates with prenatal alcohol exposure showed regionally, predominant structural and functional connectivity in several subcortical regions and occipital regions. The findings suggest early functional disruption on a global and regional level after prenatal alcohol exposure and indicate suboptimal organization of functional networks. These differences likely underlie sensory dysregulation and behavioral difficulties in prenatal alcohol exposure.
4-uniform permutations with null nonlinearity
Authors: Beierle Christof , Leander Gregor 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWe consider n-bit permutations with differential uniformity of 4 and null nonlinearity. We first show that the inverses of Gold functions have the interesting property that one component can be replaced by a linear function such that it still remains a permutation. This directly yields a construction of 4-uniform permutations with trivial nonlinearity in odd dimension. We further show their existence for all n = 3 and n ≥ 5 based on a construction in Alsalami (Cryptogr. Commun. 10(4): 611–628, 2018). In this context, we also show that 4-uniform 2-1 functions obtained from admissible sequences, as defined by Idrisova in (Cryptogr. Commun. 11(1): 21–39, 2019), exist in every dimension n = 3 and n ≥ 5. Such functions fulfill some necessary properties for being subfunctions of APN permutations. Finally, we use the 4-uniform permutations with null nonlinearity to construct some 4-uniform 2-1 functions from $\mathbb {F}_{2}^{n}$

F

2

n

to $\mathbb {F}_{2}^{n-1}$

F

2

n
−
1

which are not obtained from admissible sequences. This disproves a conjecture raised by Idrisova.
Articulating guilt? The influence of guilt presumption on interviewer and interviewee behaviour
Authors: Adams-Quackenbush Nicole M. , Vrij Aldert , Horselenberg Robert , Satchell Liam P. , van Koppen Peter 
Published: April 2020

AbstractResearch has repeatedly shown that accusatory questions posed during an investigative interview are indicative of biased beliefs about suspect guilt. Linguistic research has shown that the verbs used in utterances can be indicative of biased beliefs about another person. In the present study we examined question type and the verbs used in question formulation using non-police participants to explore the influence of guilt presumption on interview questions. In Study1 we used the Linguistic Category Model (LCM; Semin and Fiedler European Review of Social Psychology, 2, 1–30, 1991) and in Study 2, the Question-Answer Paradigm (QAP; Semin et al. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 834–841, 1995) to analyse verb abstraction and positive/ negative valence of the formulated interview questions. We also explored whether interviewers’ guilt presumptions changed over the course of the interview as well as their motivations for creating the questions they chose to ask (Study 2). We found that participants who presumed guilt were more likely to formulate accusatory questions and use a higher verb abstraction with negative valence (Study 1 and 2). Interviewers asked more questions to gather additional information overall; however, the number of questions was negligible for trying to find support for alternative scenarios or to falsify existing guilt beliefs (Study 2). Interviewers who presumed guilt were also less likely to change their views during the interview and were more likely to report using behavioural cues to solidify their guilt presumptions (Study 2). The overall findings are in line with previous research in both guilt presumptive interviewing and linguistically biased language; however, we expanded on previous research by allowing participants to come to their own conclusions regarding guilt, as well as formulating their own questions for the suspect. Finally, we conclude that there are extensive limitations for using the LCM in applied interview settings and these are discussed.
Real-time RT-PCR detection of Citrus bark cracking viroid (CBCVd) in hops including an mRNA-based internal positive control
Authors: Seigner Luitgardis , Liebrecht Marion , Keckel Linda , Einberger Katharina , Absmeier Carolin 
Published: April 2020

AbstractCitrus bark cracking viroid (CBCVd), formerly known as pathogen in the genus Citrus and first detected in Slovenian hops in 2014, threatens hop production as it leads to important economic losses. Reduction in yield and quality and even death of the infected plants within a few years are typical observations due to CBCVd infections of hops. The viroid is easily transmitted and spreads rapidly. As it cannot be controlled by plant protection measures, avoiding its introduction into hop gardens and eradicating first centres of infection are of utmost importance. An indispensable prerequisite is a reliable detection method suitable for large-scale routine testing. In this study, the development of primers and probe for real-time RT-PCR for sensitive CBCVd detection is described. To exclude “false negative” results, a nad5 mRNA-based internal positive control was included. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a duplex real-time RT-PCR detection method for CBCVd at least in hops is described. In addition, first method validation data are presented.
Where Spatial Visualization Meets Landscape Research and “Pinballology”: Examples of Landscape Construction in Pinball Games
Authors: Edler Dennis 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMaps and map-like visualizations in digital games have been repeatedly addressed in research of cartography and related disciplines. For example, visualization techniques and tools used in video and computer games, including navigation and locomotion tools in VR gaming, have been analyzed and adopted to VR-based 3D cartographic modeling in recent time. A successful and diversified game which has only hardly been considered in the literature so far is pinball. Modern pinball machines are equipped with sophisticated map-like playfields (and other related components) that allow pinball players to immerse into a rapidly changing spatial story which is directed by the pinball movement. The (endless) game of skill is cognitively challenging and it sometimes even ‘plays with’ overloading the cognitive capacity of players by activating a multitude of multisensory (spatial) events. An overloaded communication of spatial information is apparently part of the success story of the game. The successful story of pinball also includes several characteristic themes that seem to fascinate the worldwide community of players (and retro fans). These themes, including their map-like visualizations, invite players to be involved into the rapid spatial story, and they include many ‘triggers’ for the individual and social construction of landscapes. These landscapes can fulfill desires for escapism. This article presents characteristic examples of successful and established modern pinball themes and discusses their potentials for landscape construction, from a social constructivist perspective.
Percutaneous endoscopic biliary exploration in complex biliary stone disease: Case series study
Authors: Alotaibi Khalid M. , Alghamdi Hanan M. 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Background and aim:
Patients with complex biliary stone disease are challenging to treat. We present our experience using urological interventions to treat challenging biliary stones.

Methods:
Fifteen patients with biliary calculi underwent 21 interventions using either extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopy, percutaneous transcystic choledochoscopy, or a combination of these.

Results:
Most patients were elderly (median age, 60 years). The male-to-female ratio was higher than the norm for biliary stones (1:1.4). The most common reasons for failure of conventional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were high American Society of Anesthesia (ASA) score (8 patients 53%), technical failure of ERCP (4 patients, 27%), previous Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (two patients, 13%), and post-common bile duct (CBD) injury with T-tube insertion (one patient, 7%). The stone sites were the CBD, gallbladder, and intrahepatic bile duct in nine (60%), three (20%), and three (20%) patients, respectively. All patients underwent minimally invasive interventions. This included ESWL in seven cases and endoscopic laser lithotripsy and stone manipulation through an access tube in eight patients (transhepatic in four patients, transcholecystic in three patients, and using a T-tube in one patient). Complete stone clearance was achieved in 12 patients (80%), whereas four patients required a second session and one patient required a third. The remaining three patients, two had residual asymptomatic debris and one failed procedure.

Conclusions:
Complicated and high-risk patients with biliary stones could be managed with minimally invasive intervention without subjecting them to a major risky procedure.

Highlights:
The post-operative impact of oversewing stapled anastomoses in colorectal cancer surgery: A retrospective Australian cohort study
Authors: Baqar Ali Riaz , Wilkins Simon , Staples Margaret , Oliva Karen , McMurrick Paul 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Background:
To assess the effect of oversewing double stapled anastomoses (DSA) on clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer surgery, including the rates of anastomotic leak and bleeding.

Materials and methods:
A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from two Victorian hospitals was performed on patients having had a colorectal cancer resection between January 2010 and July 2017. Patients with oversewn anastomoses were compared with those patients where no oversewing was performed. Complications (surgical and medical) were investigated using logistic regression. Further subgroup analyses on colonic resections were performed.

Results:
Analysis of the eligible 2001 patients demonstrated that patients with an oversewn DSA were less likely to have an anastomotic leak (p = 0.03), or return to theatre (p = 0.014). An oversewn DSA did not influence in-patient mortality, 30-day mortality or other surgical complications. Univariate analysis showed anastomotic leaks were less likely for oversewn patients and females but more likely with rectal cancers, open surgery or laparoscopic converted to open surgery, and increasing BMI. Subgroup analysis of the 884 colonic resections demonstrated oversewn patients were less likely to return to theatre (OR 0.250, 95%CI 0.070–0.893), have medical complications (OR 0.298, 95%CI 0.106–0.842) or a small bowel obstruction (OR 0.087, 95%CI 0.009–0.820). Univariate analysis showed hybrid or laparoscopic surgery, left side tumours, and a history of arrhythmia increased risk of anastomotic leak for colonic resections. Multivariate analysis showed all these factors had independent associations with anastomotic leak.

Conclusion:
Oversewing a double-stapled anastomoses in colorectal cancer surgery is a protective factor against anastomotic leaks and reduces reoperative surgery rates.

Highlights:
Analysis of Free‐Air Anomalies on the Seaway of the Gulf of Gdańsk: A Case Study
Authors: Pyrchla Krzysztof , Pajak Małgorzata , Pyrchla Jerzy , Idczak Jakub 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we present an attempt to determine the accuracy of shipborne gravimetry for the needs of geoid determination. The shipborne gravity campaign, described in this article, is the beginning of a series of gravimetry measurements in the Polish Exclusive Economy Zone. The campaign was conducted in the area where the accuracy of geoid determination is crucial for the safety of navigation on numerous intersecting ships' routes. The vicinity of the seashore, various depths, and short‐lasting campaign enabled determination of the level of measurement accuracy that can be obtained depending on the conditions. Internal data consistency was estimated as well as an attempt to compute external accuracy. The data were compared with satellite data available for the region. We identified which of the differences are related to the influence of external factors.
MAVEN ROSE Observations of the Response of the Martian Ionosphere to Dust Storms
Authors: Felici M. , Withers P. , Smith M. D. , González‐Galindo F. , Oudrhiri K. , Kahan D. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDuring a Martian dust storm, the lower atmosphere is heated locally. Due to dynamical effects, the upper atmosphere and ionosphere can be lifted upward on a global scale by approximately 10 km. The connections between lower atmospheric dust events and associated ionospheric responses are poorly understood due to limited observations. Here, we present MAVEN Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE) observations of ionospheric peak altitude during dust events in 2018 and 2016. In June 2018, a planet‐encircling dust event arose from the Acidalia storm track in the northern hemisphere. Ionospheric peak altitudes at around 20°S were normal in ROSE egress observations on 19 June and 22 June and then 10–15 km higher on 26 June and thereafter. Ionospheric peak altitudes at around 50°N were also elevated in ROSE ingress observations, which began on 17 June. This suggests that the ionospheric peak altitude was affected by the dust event in the northern hemisphere before the southern hemisphere. We also observe evidence that smaller dust storms can trigger ionospheric responses: In July–October 2016, ionospheric peak altitudes at solar zenith angles of 54–70° and latitudes of 50–80°S were 20 km higher than expected. These observations were acquired during a modest “A storm” during a year without a global dust storm.
Selected and refined local attention module for object detection
Authors: Luo Xiaofan , Hu Haifeng 
Published: April 2020

Lacking enough feature expression on the shallow part of the network always hinders the object detection results by missing the position of small instances. To address this, the authors propose a selected and refined local attention module (SRLAM) for object detection. SRLAM tries to improve the feature expression of local areas by establishing a relationship graph between different channels. Inspired by the classical non‐local neural networks for video classification, they present the local attention module (LAM) to more effectively use remote information. The LAM can suppress the influence of irrelevant areas for improving detection accuracy. Moreover, for further information utilisation, the weight map generated by LAM is integrated together with the original feature map and the information from the higher layer by a feature fused module. Experiments on the PASCAL VOC2007 show that the authors’ model has good detection performance, the proposed model can achieve 81.6 mAP when the size of the input image is 300 × 300, that outperforms many other mainstream detectors.
Compact wide‐stopband SIW dual‐band filter with closely spaced passbands
Authors: Xie Hao‐Wei , Zhou Kang , Zhou Chun‐Xia , Wu Wen 
Published: April 2020

Compact substrate‐integrated waveguide (SIW) dual‐band bandpass filter with closely spaced passbands and wide‐stopband characteristics is proposed for the first time based on inline‐coupled perturbed SIW triple‐mode cavities. The first three resonant modes in the triple‐mode cavities can be flexibly controlled so that two closely spaced passbands can be realised based on the first two resonant modes, and wide‐stopband can be achieved by staggering the third and other higher‐order resonant modes without resorting to extra structures. The external and internal couplings of the dual passbands can be specified and designed flexibly benefitting from the offset feeding ports and coupling windows. A prototype centred at 13 and 14 GHz is synthesised, designed, fabricated, and tested as a demonstration, extending the stopband to 1.97f1 with rejection level better than 25 dB.
Three‐phase quasi‐Z source inverters with regulated multiple AC outputs for microgrid applications and three‐phase residential load
Authors: Sonkar Shri Prakash , Lal Vivek Nandan , Singh Rajeev Kumar 
Published: April 2020

In this study, two 3‐φ quasi‐Z source inverters (qZSIs) with multiple ac outputs are proposed. The proposed topologies are developed from qZSI to obtain parallel mode and series mode 3‐φ multi‐output inverters. In parallel mode, the topology yields n‐number of parallel ac outputs with different voltages and currents for different load conditions. For series mode, topology yields n‐number of series ac outputs with same voltages and same load currents. Unlike voltage source derived multi‐output inverters, the proposed inverters have all inherent properties of qZSI, like shoot‐through protection and both buck–boost operations. For generating switching signals in these inverters, sinusoidal pulse width modulation with constant frequency shoot‐through scheme is used. The proposed topologies fulfil more than one load demand at a time without any extra adaptor or regulator. The proposed inverters can be used for simultaneous multiple dc/ac power conversion for three‐phase microgrid applications and three‐phase residential loads. In this work, the proposed topologies with closed‐loop control have been implemented for two inverter units, which is capable of supplying two ac outputs simultaneously. The mathematical modelling of the proposed topologies is carried out for performance analysis. The experimental results of 240 W lab prototypes have been presented to validate the proposed three‐phase multi‐output qZSIs.
Combination of magnetic solid‐phase extraction with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by GC‐MS for trace analysis of synthetic cannabinoids in plasma samples
Authors: Shokoohi Rad Samad , Dalali Naser , Baheri Tahmineh 
Published: April 2020

In this work, an efficient extraction method based on a combination of magnetic solid‐phase extraction (MSPE) and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by GC‐MS was developed for the determination of 5F‐ADB‐PINACA (ADB) and AB‐FUBINACA (AB). Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with poly ortho‐aminophenol were synthesised and applied as the sorbent. Extraction parameters including pH in both the MSPE (pH 3.5) and DLLME (pH 11) steps, sorbent amount (20 mg), salt effect (10%, w/v), adsorption (20 min) and desorption time (5 min), type and volume of eluent (1.0 ml of acetone) and extraction solvent (25 µl of toluene), were optimised. Enrichment factors of 213 and 437 obtained for ADB and AB, respectively. The linear ranges of the method were obtained 0.2–50 and 0.2–50 ng ml−1 for ADB and AB, respectively. Regression coefficients above 0.998 and LODs of 0.01 and 0.005 ng ml−1 resulted. The intra‐ and inter‐day RSDs% (n = 3) were found to be 8.3 and 7.6%, respectively. Finally, MSPE‐DLLME‐GC/MS was applied for the determination of analytes in plasma samples. Recoveries were within the range of 87.6–102.6 and 89.4–104% for the ADB and AB, respectively, indicating the suitability of the proposed method for analysis of ADB and AB in complicated matrices.
Electrospun nanofibres with pH‐responsive operational factors for controlling of chemotherapeutic drugs release performance
Authors: Zhang Jing , Xu Chengshu , Ren Yan , Lu Shaofeng 
Published: April 2020

In the present study, the novel keratin‐based 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) releasing nanofibrous system was electrospun. The pH sensitivity releasing performances of the nanofibres were optimised by a full‐factorial matrix design of experiment (DoE) with two significant factors at two levels in different pH environments. This full‐factorial DoE methods was applied to identify the main effects of these composite bio‐functional nanofibres and investigate the interaction effects of multiple factors. The SEM images indicated that a more homogeneous microstructure of the composite nanofibres was observed at the low level of electrospun voltage, which was set at 15 kV. The FTIR test detected the characteristic peaks of keratin at 1630 and 1550 cm−1. The releasing performances were examined by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry. The results indicated that the ratio between keratin and poly‐L‐lactide is a major factor to control the sustained‐releasing performance. A significant pH sensitivity of the composite nanofibres was achieved after adjusting the operational factors by DoE optimisation. The drug‐loaded nanofibres with high content of keratin (50 wt%) released 48.5% of 5‐FU in pH 7.4 solution while released 83.7% of 5‐FU in pH 6.0 solution. The results indicated that these composite electrospun nanofibres can be used as a candidate of pH‐triggered biomaterials.