cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
title: The Experiences and Perceptions of LASALLE Academics on External Quality Assurance A Case Study of LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore
Creators: name: Nadeson, Malar
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2024

description: This research explores the experiences and perceptions of academics at LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE), Singapore, as they undergo external quality assurance (EQA) facilitated by Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. The study reveals the strategies adopted by academics to effectively navigate the multifaceted landscape of EQA requirements. The study seeks to discern whether the process of EQA at LASALLE serves to empower or impede the teaching efforts of its academics.
This study employed stakeholder theory approach to examine the perspectives and practices of LASALLE academics, shedding light on stakeholder engagement in EQA. The research operated within the philosophical paradigms of ontology and epistemology that underpinned the inquiry. Using a single qualitative exploratory case study as the methodology and interpretivist approach, data collection involved document analysis and semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Thematic analysis identified six themes: accountability, benchmarking, bureaucracy, evidence-based approach, quality culture, and quality framework. These themes adeptly capture the intricate nuances inherent in studying academic experiences, perceptions, and EQA strategies at LASALLE.
The findings align with assertions in stakeholder theory approach literature, underscoring that relationships crucially depend on values such as information sharing, reciprocal trust, decision-making involvement, and alignment of stakeholders' interests in EQA. These elements not only enhance value for academics and the Higher Education Institution (HEI) but also offer valuable insights to the institution itself. The study's impact extends beyond the confines of the institution, contributing to the broader understanding of EQA in Higher Education (HE) and enriching the comprehension of the impact of EQA from the perspective of academics at a Singapore HEI. In doing so, it enhances collective understanding and facilitates the implementation of effective EQA.
Upscaling from single- to multi-filament dielectric barrier discharges in pulsed operation
Creators: name: Höft, H.
name: Becker, M.M.
name: Kettlitz, M.
name: Brandenburg, R.
Publisher: name: Bristol : IOP Publ.
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: dielectric barrier discharges
subject: electrical and optical diagnostics
subject: multi filament
subject: single filament
subject: upscaling
subject: 530

description: A study on the scalability of discharge characteristics of a single-filament dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to a spatially one-dimensional multi-filament arrangement driven by the same high-voltage (HV) pulses was performed for a gas mixture of 0.1 vol% O2 in N2 at 1 bar. Both arrangements feature a 1 mm gap with dielectric-covered electrodes featuring two hemispherical alumina caps for the single-filament and two parallel alumina-tubes for the multi-filament arrangement. The DBDs were characterised by electrical measurements (for peak current, energy, and power) accompanied by iCCD and streak imaging to determine the filament number and the discharge development in the gas gap and on the surfaces. It was found that the electrical quantities scale with a constant factor between the single- and multi-filament arrangement, which is expected to be related to the filament number. In the multi-filament arrangement, the pulsed operation leads to filament formation in the entire gap in lateral direction within less than 2 ns. Furthermore, particular breakdown or discharge inception regimes were identified for the multi-filament DBDs. These regimes could be generated at the falling slope of asymmetrical HV pulses featuring e.g. a double-streamer propagation, which was previously reported for single-filament DBDs. Consequently, it was proven that the discharge manipulation by varying the HV pulse widths obtained for single-filament DBDs can also be applied in a one-dimensional multi-filament arrangement, i.e. an upscaling based on the knowledge for single-filament DBDs seems to be generally possible.
BACTERIAL BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBLITY PATTERN AMONG HIV/AIDS PATIENTS AT FELEGE HIWOT REFERRAL HOSPITAL, BAHIR DAR, AMAHARA REGIONAL STATE, NORTH WEST ETHIOPIA.
Creators: name: MOHABAW JEMAL (BSc. IN MLT)
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017

description: Background: Bacterial bloodstream infections are important opportunistic infections which cause high morbidity and mortality among HIV infected individuals. Bacterial bloodstream infections among HIV/AIDS Patients in Ethiopia is poorly known. Therefore, determining the etiological agents of bacterial bloodstream infections and there in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among HIV infected patients in Ethiopia is one of the highest priorities.

Objective: The aimed of this study was to determine the extent of bacterial bloodstream infections and there in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among HIV/AIDS patients attending ARTclinic from July 15, 2016, to December 15, 2016, G.C at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Amhara National Regional State Northwest Ethiopia.
A connection between extremely strong Damped Lyman-alpha Systems and Lyman-alpha Emitting Galaxies at small impact parameters
Creators: name: Noterdaeme, P.
name: Petitjean, P.
name: Paris, I.
name: Cai, Z.
name: Finley, H.
name: Ge, J.
name: Pieri, M. M.
name: York, D. G.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a study of ~100 high redshift (z~2-4) extremely strong damped Lyman-alpha systems (ESDLA, with N(HI)>0.5x10^22 cm^-2) detected in quasar spectra from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey SDSS-III DR11. We study the neutral hydrogen, metal, and dust content of this elusive population of absorbers and confirm our previous finding that the high column density end of the N(HI) frequency distribution has a relatively shallow slope with power-law index -3.6, similar to what is seen from 21-cm maps in nearby galaxies. The stacked absorption spectrum indicates a typical metallicity ~1/20th solar, similar to the mean metallicity of the overall DLA population. The relatively small velocity extent of the low-ionisation lines suggests that ESDLAs do not arise from large-scale flows of neutral gas. The high column densities involved are in turn more similar to what is seen in DLAs associated with gamma-ray burst afterglows (GRB-DLAs), which are known to occur close to star forming regions. This indicates that ESDLAs arise from lines of sight passing at very small impact parameters from the host galaxy, as observed in nearby galaxies. This is also supported by simple theoretical considerations and recent high-z hydrodynamical simulations. We strongly substantiate this picture by the first statistical detection of Lya emission with ~(0.6+/-0.2)x10^42 erg/s in the core of ESDLAs (corresponding to about 0.1 L* at z~2-3), obtained through stacking the fibre spectra (of radius 1" corresponding to ~8 kpc at z~2.5). [truncated]
description: 20 pages, 21 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A
Giant $g$-factors of Natural Impurities in Synthetic Quartz
Creators: name: Goryachev, Maxim
name: Farr, Warrick G.
name: Tobar, Michael E.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2013
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We report the observation of $g$-factors of natural paramagnetic impurities in a pure synthetic quartz crystal at milli-Kelvin temperatures. Measurements are made by performing spectroscopy using multiple high-$Q$ Whispering Gallery Modes sustained in the crystal. Extreme sensitivity of the method at low temperatures allows the determination of natural residual impurities introduced during the crystal growth. We observe $g$-factors that significantly differ from integer multiples of the electron $g$-factor in vacuum, and with values of up to $7.6$, which reveals much stronger coupling between impurities and the crystal lattice than in previous studies. Both substitutional and interstitial ions are proposed as candidates for the observed interactions.
How Efficiently are the Ethiopian MFIs Extending Financial Services to the Poor? A Comparison with the Commercial Banks
Creators: name: Hundanol Atnafu
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010

description: This study investigates how efficiently the MFIs are extending the frontier of financial intermediation by comparing their cost efficiency with that of the commercial banks using an unbalanced panel data of 21 firms (14 MFIs and 7 commercial banks) in Ethiopia over the period 2001-2008. The study used both non-structural and structural approaches to efficiency measurement. The non-structural approach is based on the interest rate margin analysis, while the structural approach utilizes the stochastic frontier technique to estimate the cost efficiency of the MFIs and commercial banks.

Both approaches resulted in same finding that the intermediation efficiency of the Ethiopian MFIs is by far less than that of the conventional commercial banks. Especially, the result from the stochastic frontier estimation (in which the heterogeneities in the working environments have been controlled for) indicates that the Ethiopian MFIs are, on average, 29.8 percent less cost efficient than the commercial banks. Hence, the efficiency gap is not attributed to differences in the working environments between the two groups. However, the study indicates that some of the MFIs such as ACSI, SFPI and DECSI have cost efficiency scores comparable to the commercial banks. Despite this wide gap, the study notes that there is a more or less fast tendency for convergence between the cost efficiency of the two groups.
Modelling and experimental evidence of the cathode erosion in a plasma spray torch
Creators: name: Baeva, M.
name: Benilov, M.S.
name: Zhu, T.
name: Testrich, H.
name: Kewitz, T.
name: Foest, R.
Publisher: name: Bristol : IOP Publ.
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: convection
subject: erosion
subject: evaporation
subject: field reversal
subject: ionization layer
subject: plasma spray torch
subject: tungsten cathode
subject: 530

description: The lifetime of tungsten cathodes used in plasma spray torches is limited by processes leading to a loss of cathode material. It was reported in the literature that the mechanism of their erosion is the evaporation. A model of the ionization layer of a cathode is developed to study the diffusive transport of evaporated tungsten atoms and tungsten ions produced due to ionization by electron impact in a background argon plasma. It is shown that the Stefan-Maxwell equations do not reduce to Fick law as one could expect for the transport of diluted species, which is due to significant diffusion velocities of argon ions. The ionization of tungsten atoms occurs in a distance of a few micrometers from the cathode surface and leads to a strong sink, which increases the net flux of tungsten atoms far beyond that obtained in absence of tungsten ions. This shows that the tungsten ions are driven by the electric field towards the cathode resulting in no net diffusive flux and no removal of tungsten species from the ionization layer even if convection is accounted for. A possible mechanism of removal is found by extending the model to comprise an anode. The extended model resolves the inter-electrode region and provides the plasma parameters for a current density corresponding to the value at the center of the cathode under typical arc currents of 600 A and 800 A. The presence of the anode causes a reversal of the electric field on the anode side, which pulls the ions away from the ionization layer of the cathode. The net flux of tungsten ions can be further fortified by convection. This model allows one to evaluate the loss of cathode material under realistic operating conditions in a quantitative agreement with measured values.
Webinars sobre Buenas Prácticas en los Procesos Editoriales de Revistas Científicas para LILACS (2019) - Sesión - VIII - Publicación de artículos: importancia y relevancia de la normalización en el flujo editorial
Creators: name: BIREME/OPS/OMS
name: Reis, Juliana Gonçalves
name: Suga, Sueli Mitiko Yano
name: Suga, Sueli Mitiko Yano
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Buenas prácticas
Ciência aberta
LILACS
Editores LILACS
Revistas LILACS
Buenas Prácticas Editoriales

description: (08|09) PUBLICACIÓN DE ARTÍCULOS - Buenas Prácticas Proceso Editorial LILACS 2019 Sesión 08 | 16 de octubre de 2019 • Tema: "Publicación de artículos: importancia y relevancia de la normalización en el flujo editorial" • Ponente: Angélica de Souza Alves de Paula
OH+ in astrophysical media: state-to-state formation rates, Einstein coefficients and inelastic collision rates with He
Creators: name: Gomez-Carrasco, S.
name: Godard, B.
name: Lique, F.
name: Bulut, N.
name: Klos, J.
name: Roncero, O.
name: Aguado, A.
name: Aoiz, F. J.
name: Castillo, J. F.
name: Goicoechea, J. R.
name: Etxaluze, M.
name: Cernicharo, J.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The rate constants required to model the OH$^+$ observations in different regions of the interstellar medium have been determined using state of the art quantum methods. First, state-to-state rate constants for the H$_2(v=0,J=0,1)$+ O$^+$($^4S$) $\rightarrow$ H + OH$^+(X ^3Σ^-, v', N)$ reaction have been obtained using a quantum wave packet method. The calculations have been compared with time-independent results to asses the accuracy of reaction probabilities at collision energies of about 1 meV. The good agreement between the simulations and the existing experimental cross sections in the $0.01-$1 eV energy range shows the quality of the results. The calculated state-to-state rate constants have been fitted to an analytical form. Second, the Einstein coefficients of OH$^+$ have been obtained for all astronomically significant ro-vibrational bands involving the $X^3Σ^-$ and/or $A^3Π$ electronic states. For this purpose the potential energy curves and electric dipole transition moments for seven electronic states of OH$^+$ are calculated with {\it ab initio} methods at the highest level and including spin-orbit terms, and the rovibrational levels have been calculated including the empirical spin-rotation and spin-spin terms. Third, the state-to-state rate constants for inelastic collisions between He and OH$^+(X ^3Σ^-)$ have been calculated using a time-independent close coupling method on a new potential energy surface. All these rates have been implemented in detailed chemical and radiative transfer models. Applications of these models to various astronomical sources show that inelastic collisions dominate the excitation of the rotational levels of OH$^+$. In the models considered the excitation resulting from the chemical formation of OH$^+$ increases the line fluxes by about 10 % or less depending on the density of the gas.
Gas plasma–oxidized sodium chloride acts via hydrogen peroxide in a model of peritoneal carcinomatosis
Creators: name: Miebach, Lea
name: Freund, Eric
name: Clemen, Ramona
name: Kersting, Stephan
name: Partecke, Lars-Ivo
name: Bekeschus, Sander
Publisher: name: Washington, DC : National Acad. of Sciences
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: calreticulin
subject: ICD
subject: immunogenicity
subject: plasma medicine
subject: ROS
subject: 000
subject: 500

description: Gas plasma technology generates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), inducing lethal oxidative damage in tumor cells. The transfer of gas plasma–derived ROS/RNS into liquids has been proposed as an innovative anti-cancer strategy targeting peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). However, the mechanism of action is under debate. To this end, we compared gas plasma–oxidized medical-grade sodium chloride (oxNaCl) with a concentration-matched control (cmc) of NaCl enriched with equivalent concentrations of H2O2 and NO32 in several cell lines and models of PC. Strikingly, oxNaCl and cmc performed equally well in oxidation and cytotoxic activity in tumor cells in two-dimensional cultures, three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids, vascularized 3D tumors grown on chicken-embryo chorioallantoic membranes, and a syngeneic PC mouse model in vivo. Given the importance of immunotherapies in oncology today, we focused on immunological consequences of the treatment. Again, to a similar extent, oxNaCl and cmc increased tumor cell immunogenicity and enhanced uptake by and maturation of peripheral blood monocyte–derived dendritic cells together with an inflammatory secretion profile. Furthermore, NanoString gene expression profiling revealed immune system processes and unfolded protein response-related pathways as being linked to the observed anti-tumor effects for both oxNaCl and cmc. In conclusion, gas plasma–generated oxNaCl and cmc showed equal therapeutic efficacy in our PC-related models. In light of the many promising anti-cancer studies of gas plasma–oxidized liquids and the convenient production of corresponding cmcs in large quantities as needed in clinics, our findings may spur research lines based on low-dose oxidants in peritoneal cancer therapy.
Low-Dose Oxidant Toxicity and Oxidative Stress in Human Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells K1
Creators: name: Lens, Hannah Hamada Mendonça
name: Lopes, Natália Medeiros Dias
name: Pasqual-Melo, Gabriella
name: Marinello, Poliana Camila
name: Miebach, Lea
name: Cecchini, Rubens
name: Bekeschus, Sander
name: Cecchini, Alessandra Lourenço
Publisher: name: Basel : MDPI
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: BRAF
subject: gas plasma technology
subject: plasma medicine
subject: ROS
subject: 600

description: Medical gas plasmas are of emerging interest in pre-clinical oncological research. Similar to an array of first-line chemotherapeutics and physics-based therapies already approved for clinical application, plasmas target the tumor redox state by generating a variety of highly reactive species eligible for local tumor treatments. Considering internal tumors with limited accessibility, medical gas plasmas help to enrich liquids with stable, low-dose oxidants ideal for intratumoral injection and lavage. Pre-clinical investigation of such liquids in numerous tumor entities and models in vitro and in vivo provided evidence of their clinical relevance, broadening the range of patients that could benefit from medical gas plasma therapy in the future. Likewise, the application of such liquids might be promising for recurrent BRAF(V600E) papillary thyroid carcinomas, resistant to adjuvant administration of radioiodine. From a redox biology point of view, studying redox-based approaches in thyroid carcinomas is particularly interesting, as they evolve in a highly oxidative environment requiring the capability to cope with large amounts of ROS/RNS. Knowledge on their behavior under different redox conditions is scarce. The present study aimed to clarify resistance, proliferative activity, and the oxidative stress response of human papillary thyroid cancer cells K1 after exposure to plasma-oxidized DMEM (oxDMEM). Cellular responses were also evaluated when treated with different dosages of hydrogen peroxide and the RNS donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Our findings outline plasma-oxidized liquids as a promising approach targeting BRAF(V600E) papillary thyroid carcinomas and extend current knowledge on the susceptibility of cells to undergo ROS/RNS-induced cell death.
N-body simulations of the Carina dSph in MOND
Creators: name: Angus, Garry W.
name: Gentile, Gianfranco
name: Diaferio, Antonaldo
name: Famaey, Benoit
name: van der Heyden, Kurt J.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The classical dwarf spheroidals (dSphs) provide a critical test for Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) because they are observable satellite galactic systems with low internal accelerations and low, but periodically varying, external acceleration. This varying external gravitational field is not commonly found acting on systems with low internal acceleration. Using Jeans modelling, Carina in particular has been demonstrated to require a V-band mass-to-light ratio greater than 5, which is the nominal upper limit for an ancient stellar population. We run MOND N-body simulations of a Carina-like dSph orbiting the Milky Way to test if dSphs in MOND are stable to tidal forces over the Hubble time and if those same tidal forces artificially inflate their velocity dispersions and therefore their apparent mass-to-light ratio. We run many simulations with various initial total masses for Carina, and Galactocentric orbits (consistent with proper motions), and compare the simulation line of sight velocity dispersions (losVDs) with the observed losVDs of Walker et al. (2007). We find that the dSphs are stable, but that the tidal forces are not conducive to artificially inflating the losVDs. Furthermore, the range of mass-to-light ratios that best reproduces the observed line of sight velocity dispersions of Carina is 5.3 to 5.7 and circular orbits are preferred to plunging orbits. Therefore, some tension still exists between the required mass-to-light ratio for the Carina dSph in MOND and those expected from stellar population synthesis models. It remains to be seen whether a careful treatment of the binary population or triaxiality might reduce this tension.
description: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS
Conductive Gas Plasma Treatment Augments Tumor Toxicity of Ringer’s Lactate Solutions in a Model of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis
Creators: name: Miebach, Lea
name: Freund, Eric
name: Cecchini, Alessandra Lourenço
name: Bekeschus, Sander
Publisher: name: Basel : MDPI
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: colorectal cancer
subject: cytokines
subject: immunogenicity
subject: plasma medicine
subject: reactive oxygen species
subject: ROS
subject: 540
subject: 610

description: Reactive species generated by medical gas plasma technology can be enriched in liquids for use in oncology targeting disseminated malignancies, such as metastatic colorectal cancer. Notwithstanding, reactive species quantities depend on the treatment mode, and we recently showed gas plasma exposure in conductive modes to be superior for cancer tissue treatment. However, evidence is lacking that such a conductive mode also equips gas plasma-treated liquids to confer augmented intraperitoneal anticancer activity. To this end, employing atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet kINPen-treated Ringer’s lactate (oxRilac) in a CT26-model of colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis, we tested repeated intraabdominal injection of such remotely or conductively oxidized liquid for antitumor control and immunomodulation. Enhanced reactive species formation in conductive mode correlated with reduced tumor burden in vivo, emphasizing the advantage of conduction over the free mode for plasma-conditioned liquids. Interestingly, the infiltration of lymphocytes into the tumors was equally enhanced by both treatments. However, significantly lower levels of interleukin (IL)4 and IL13 and increased levels of IL2 argue for a shift in intratumoral T-helper cell subpopulations correlating with disease control. In conclusion, our data argue for using conductively over remotely prepared plasma-treated liquids for anticancer treatment.
Long non-coding RNAs as a source of new peptides
Creators: name: Ruiz-Orera, Jorge
name: Messeguer, Xavier
name: Subirana, Juan A.
name: Albà, M. Mar
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Genomics (q-bio.GN)
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: Deep transcriptome sequencing has revealed the existence of many transcripts that lack long or conserved open reading frames and which have been termed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Despite the existence of several well-characterized lncRNAs that play roles in the regulation of gene expression, the vast majority of them do not yet have a known function. Motivated by the existence of ribosome profiling data for several species, we have tested the hypothesis that they may act as a repository for the synthesis of new peptides using data from human, mouse, zebrafish, fruit fly, Arabidopsis and yeast. The ribosome protection patterns are consistent with the presence of translated open reading frames (ORFs) in a very large number of lncRNAs. Most of the ribosome-protected ORFs are shorter than 100 amino acids and usually cover less than half the transcript. Ribosome density in these ORFs is high and contrasts sharply with the 3UTR region, in which very often there is no detectable ribosome binding, similar to bona fide protein-coding genes. The coding potential of ribosome-protected ORFs, measured using hexamer frequencies, is significantly higher than that of randomly selected intronic ORFs and similar to that of evolutionary young coding sequences. Selective constraints in ribosome-protected ORFs from lncRNAs are lower than in typical protein-coding genes but again similar to young proteins. These results strongly suggest that lncRNAs play an important role in de novo protein evolution.
description: 40 pages, 3 tables, 6 figures
Electric field determination in transient plasmas: in situ & non-invasive methods
Creators: name: Goldberg, Benjamin M.
name: Hoder, Tomáš
name: Brandenburg, Ronny
Publisher: name: Bristol : IOP Publ.
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: coherent Raman scattering
subject: EFISH
subject: electric field strength
subject: gas discharge
subject: nonthermal plasma
subject: optical emission spectroscopy
subject: Stark polarization
subject: 530

description: One of the primary basic plasma parameters within transient nonequilibrium plasmas is the reduced electric field strength, roughly understood as the ratio of the electrical energy given to the charged species between two collisions. While physical probes have historically been used for electric field measurements, recent advances in high intensity lasers and sensitive detection methods have allowed for non-invasive optical electric field determination in nearly any discharge configuration with time-resolution up to the sub-nanosecond range and sub-millimeter spatial resolution. This topical review serves to highlight several non-invasive methods for in situ electric field strength determination in transient plasmas ranging from high vacuum environments to atmospheric pressure and above. We will discuss the advantages and proper implementation of (i) laser induced fluorescence dip spectroscopy for measurements in low pressure RF discharges, (ii) optical emission spectroscopy based methods for nitrogen, helium or hydrogen containing discharges, (iii) electric field induced coherent Raman scattering, and (iv) electric field induced second harmonic generation. The physical mechanism for each method will be described as well as basic implementation and highlighting recent results.
Biological Risk Assessment of Three Dental Composite Materials following Gas Plasma Exposure
Creators: name: Bekeschus, Sander
name: Miebach, Lea
name: Pommerening, Jonas
name: Clemen, Ramona
name: Witzke, Katharina
Publisher: name: Basel : MDPI
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet
subject: plasma medicine
subject: reactive oxygen species
subject: resin
subject: 540

description: Gas plasma is an approved technology that generates a plethora of reactive oxygen species, which are actively applied for chronic wound healing. Its particular antimicrobial action has spurred interest in other medical fields, such as periodontitis in dentistry. Recent work has indicated the possibility of performing gas plasma-mediated biofilm removal on teeth. Teeth frequently contain restoration materials for filling cavities, e.g., resin-based composites. However, it is unknown if such materials are altered upon gas plasma exposure. To this end, we generated a new in-house workflow for three commonly used resin-based composites following gas plasma treatment and incubated the material with human HaCaT keratinocytes in vitro. Cytotoxicity was investigated by metabolic activity analysis, flow cytometry, and quantitative high-content fluorescence imaging. The inflammatory consequences were assessed using quantitative analysis of 13 different chemokines and cytokines in the culture supernatants. Hydrogen peroxide served as the control condition. A modest but significant cytotoxic effect was observed in the metabolic activity and viability after plasma treatment for all three composites. This was only partially treatment time-dependent and the composites alone affected the cells to some extent, as evident by differential secretion profiles of VEGF, for example. Gas plasma composite modification markedly elevated the secretion of IL6, IL8, IL18, and CCL2, with the latter showing the highest correlation with treatment time (Pearson’s r > 0.95). Cell culture media incubated with gas plasma-treated composite chips and added to cells thereafter could not replicate the effects, pointing to the potential that surface modifications elicited the findings. In conclusion, our data suggest that gas plasma treatment modifies composite material surfaces to a certain extent, leading to measurable but overall modest biological effects.
Coronal Electron Confinement by Double Layers
Creators: name: Li, T. C.
name: Drake, J. F.
name: Swisdak, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: Space Physics (physics.space-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: In observations of flare-heated electrons in the solar corona, a longstanding problem is the unexplained prolonged lifetime of the electrons compared to their transit time across the source. This suggests confinement. Recent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, which explored the transport of pre-accelerated hot electrons through ambient cold plasma, showed that the formation of a highly localized electrostatic potential drop, in the form of a double layer (DL), significantly inhibited the transport of hot electrons (T.C. Li, J.F. Drake, and M. Swisdak, 2012, ApJ, 757, 20). The effectiveness of confinement by a DL is linked to the strength of the DL as defined by its potential drop. In this work, we investigate the scaling of the DL strength with the hot electron temperature by PIC simulations, and find a linear scaling. We demonstrate that the strength is limited by the formation of parallel shocks. Based on this, we analytically determine the maximum DL strength, and find also a linear scaling with the hot electron temperature. The DL strength obtained from the analytic calculation is comparable to that from the simulations. At the maximum strength, the DL is capable of confining a significant fraction of hot electrons in the source.
Multiple-choice SQL Misconceptions Instrument (MSMI1)
Creators: name: Miedema, Daphne
name: Liut, Michael
name: Fletcher, George
name: Aivaloglou, Efthimia
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 390303
subject: Higher education
classificationCode: 390113
subject: Science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy
classificationCode: 460505
subject: Database systems

description: After recent research has identified student misconceptions for SQL, the authors of this document have worked on developing questions to identify whether students hold these misconceptions. Through a five-step process, we created a set of 20 questions (10 pairs), which can be used to identify 10 different SQL misconceptions.In this document, we present each of the ten misconceptions through a small introduction. Then, we share the pair of questions. The document also includes a question ordering that we suggest, if you want to use this instrument in your classroom.For each question, there is an indication of which answer(s) are correct, which represent misconceptions, and which are other (distracting) erroneous answers. Please note that all answers can be shuffled, they are presented in random order.
Plasmons and screening in monolayer and multilayer black phosphorus
Creators: name: Low, Tony
name: Roldán, Rafael
name: Wang, Han
name: Xia, Fengnian
name: Avouris, Phaedon
name: Moreno, Luis Martín
name: Guinea, Francisco
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Black phosphorus exhibits a high degree of band anisotropy. However, we found that its in-plane static screening remains relatively isotropic for momenta relevant to elastic long-range scattering processes. On the other hand, the collective electronic excitations in the system exhibit a strong anisotropy. Band non-parabolicity leads to a plasmon frequency which scales as $n^β$, where $n$ is the carrier concentration, and $β
Urban Neighborhoods through the Lens of Social Media: A Text Analytic Exploration
Creators: name: Boy, John D.
name: Lee, Ju-Sung (Jay)
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022

description: Operationalizing a framework initially developed through mixed-methods research centered on an economically-deprived neighborhood in The Hague, we employ computational methods to study digital representations of four urban neighborhoods in The Hague circulating on Twitter and Airbnb: Binckhorst, Moerwijk, Schilderswijk, and Statenkwartier. In The Hague as in cities around the world, uneven capital investment and power imbalances culminate in status differentiation. Some neighborhoods are able to “upgrade” symbolically, while others remain stigmatized and marginalized. Digitization impacts how such symbolic trajectories are shaped, and in particular, neighborhoods today rise and decline with the symbolic investments made in them through digital channels such as social media. What room for maneuver do resident initiatives seeking to shape the image of their neighborhood using digital platforms have? By analyzing and visualizing symbolic trajectories over time, we seek to gain insight into opportunities for resident initiatives—as well as pitfalls of a mode of placemaking dependent on a platform ecology that is often hostile to anyone and anything that is not aligned with status aspiration and dominant aesthetics. Taking a longitudinal and comparative perspective, we gauge the degree to which different kinds of representations (including injurious and promotional ones) are produced, circulated and amplified on social media. Through text analytic methods (including topic modeling and semantic networks), we map who is producing what kinds of representations and whose representations get the most traction. We also relate these various kinds of representations to each other by comparing trajectories of different neighborhoods, as well as to material conditions in the neighborhoods. We visualize and analyze these trajectories in a multidimensional space, showing for instance that, while the representations of some neighborhoods are gradually remade, the case of Schilderswijk shows a durable pattern of stigmatization, suggesting that injurious racialized representations of this disenfranchised neighborhood are further reinforced.
description: Presented at ODISSEI Conference for Social Science in the Netherlands 2022
Shaking-induced crystallization of dense sphere packings
Creators: name: Shinde, D. P.
name: Mehta, Anita
name: Barker, G. C.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
subject: Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We use a hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate the shaking of spheres at different vibrational amplitudes, and find that spontaneous crystallisation occurs in specific dynamical regimes. Several crystallising transitions are typically observed, leading to end states which can be fully or partially ordered, depending on the shaking amplitude, which we investigate using metrics of global and local order. At the lowest amplitudes, crystallisation is incomplete, at least for our times of observation. For amplitude ranges where crystallisation is complete, there is typically a competition between hexagonal close packed (hcp) or face-centered cubic (fcc) ordering. It is seen that fcc ordering typically predominates; in fact for an optimal range of amplitudes, spontaneous crystallisation into a pure fcc state is observed. An interesting feature is the breakdown of global order when there is juxtaposition of fully developed hcp and fcc order locally: we suggest that this is due to the interfaces between the different domains of order, which play the same role as dislocations.
description: 7 pages, 11 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. E
Insight into the Impact of Oxidative Stress on the Barrier Properties of Lipid Bilayer Models
Creators: name: Nasri, Zahra
name: Ahmadi, Mohsen
name: Striesow, Johanna
name: Ravandeh, Mehdi
name: Von Woedtke, Thomas
name: Wende, Kristian
Publisher: name: Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: cell membrane
subject: cold physical plasma
subject: electrochemistry
subject: Langmuir-Blodgett and Schaefer techniques
subject: mass spectrometry
subject: reactive oxygen and nitrogen species
subject: supported lipid bilayers
subject: 570
subject: 540

description: As a new field of oxidative stress-based therapy, cold physical plasma is a promising tool for several biomedical applications due to its potential to create a broad diversity of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Although proposed, the impact of plasma-derived RONS on the cell membrane lipids and properties is not fully understood. For this purpose, the changes in the lipid bilayer functionality under oxidative stress generated by an argon plasma jet (kINPen) were investigated by electrochemical techniques. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the plasma-induced modifications on the model lipids. Various asymmetric bilayers mimicking the structure and properties of the erythrocyte cell membrane were transferred onto a gold electrode surface by Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer deposition techniques. A strong impact of cholesterol on membrane permeabilization by plasma-derived species was revealed. Moreover, the maintenance of the barrier properties is influenced by the chemical composition of the head group. Mainly the head group size and its hydrogen bonding capacities are relevant, and phosphatidylcholines are significantly more susceptible than phosphatidylserines and other lipid classes, underlining the high relevance of this lipid class in membrane dynamics and cell physiology.
General and Scalable Versus Disease-Specific and Targeted: To What Extent Do Generic Outcomes Represent Well-Being?
Creators: name: Long, Preston
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022

description: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) constitute an integral part of health outcome measurement and are an essential component in the implementation of value-based care. However, no widely agreed consensus exists on patient-reported outcomes that could be measured across diseases, thus allowing for better comparability of outcome states between diseases and across the life course of individuals. Generic outcomes could also be applicable throughout the life cycle of medical interventions and reduce a potential overburdening of multi-morbid patients with too many questionnaires.
Foundations of plasmas for medical applications
Creators: name: Von Woedtke, T.
name: Laroussi, M.
name: Gherardi, M.
Publisher: name: Bristol : IOP Publ.
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: cancer
subject: cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP)
subject: low temperature plasma
subject: plasma medicine
subject: reactive species
subject: redox biology
subject: wound healing
subject: 530

description: Plasma medicine refers to the application of nonequilibrium plasmas at approximately body temperature, for therapeutic purposes. Nonequilibrium plasmas are weakly ionized gases which contain charged and neutral species and electric fields, and emit radiation, particularly in the visible and ultraviolet range. Medically-relevant cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) sources and devices are usually dielectric barrier discharges and nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets. Plasma diagnostic methods and modelling approaches are used to characterize the densities and fluxes of active plasma species and their interaction with surrounding matter. In addition to the direct application of plasma onto living tissue, the treatment of liquids like water or physiological saline by a CAP source is performed in order to study specific biological activities. A basic understanding of the interaction between plasma and liquids and bio-interfaces is essential to follow biological plasma effects. Charged species, metastable species, and other atomic and molecular reactive species first produced in the main plasma ignition are transported to the discharge afterglow to finally be exposed to the biological targets. Contact with these liquid-dominated bio-interfaces generates other secondary reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS, RNS). Both ROS and RNS possess strong oxidative properties and can trigger redox-related signalling pathways in cells and tissue, leading to various impacts of therapeutic relevance. Dependent on the intensity of plasma exposure, redox balance in cells can be influenced in a way that oxidative eustress leads to stimulation of cellular processes or oxidative distress leads to cell death. Currently, clinical CAP application is realized mainly in wound healing. The use of plasma in cancer treatment (i.e. plasma oncology) is a currently emerging field of research. Future perspectives and challenges in plasma medicine are mainly directed towards the control and optimization of CAP devices, to broaden and establish its medical applications, and to open up new plasma-based therapies in medicine.
Medical Gas Plasma—A Potent ROS-Generating Technology for Managing Intraoperative Bleeding Complications
Creators: name: Miebach, Lea
name: Poschkamp, Broder
name: Van Der Linde, Julia
name: Bekeschus, Sander
Publisher: name: Basel : MDPI
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: hemostasis
subject: kINPen
subject: plasma medicine
subject: reactive oxygen species
subject: ROS
subject: 600

description: Cold medical gas plasmas are under pre-clinical investigation concerning their hemostatic activity and could be applied for intra-operative bleeding control in the future. The technological leap innovation was their generation at body temperature, thereby causing no thermal harm to the tissue and ensuring tissue integrity. This directly contrasts with current techniques such as electrocautery, which induces hemostasis by carbonizing the tissue using a heated electrode. However, the necrotized tissue is prone to fall, raising the risk of post-operative complications such as secondary bleedings or infection. In recent years, various studies have reported on the ability of medical gas plasmas to induce blood coagulation, including several suggestions concerning their mode of action. As non-invasive and gentle hemostatic agents, medical gas plasmas could be particularly eligible for vulnerable tissues, e.g., colorectal surgery and neurosurgery. Further, their usage could be beneficial regarding the prevention of post-operative bleedings due to the absence or sloughing of eschar. However, no clinical trials or individual healing attempts for medical gas plasmas have been reported to pave the way for clinical approvement until now, despite promising results in experimental animal models. In this light, the present mini-review aims to emphasize the potential of medical gas plasmas to serve as a hemostatic agent in clinical procedures. Providing a detailed overview of the current state of knowledge, feasible application fields are discussed, and possible obstacles are addressed.
Characterization and Optimization of a Conical Corona Reactor for Seed Treatment of Rapeseed
Creators: name: Nishime, Thalita M. C.
name: Werner, Jasmin
name: Wannicke, Nicola
name: Mui, Taiana S. M.
name: Kostov, Konstantin G.
name: Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter
name: Brust, Henrike
Publisher: name: Basel : MDPI
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: corona discharge
subject: germination acceleration
subject: non-thermal plasma (NTP)
subject: plasma agriculture
subject: plasma source
subject: rape-seed
subject: seed
subject: 600

description: Plasma agriculture is a growing field that combines interdisciplinary areas with the aim of researching alternative solutions for increasing food production. In this field, plasma sources are used for the treatment of different agricultural goods in pre-and post-harvest. With the big variety of possible treatment targets, studied reactors must be carefully investigated and characterized for specific goals. Therefore, in the present study, a cone-shaped corona reactor working with argon was adapted for the treatment of small seeds, and its basic properties were investigated. The treatment of rapeseed using different voltage duty cycles led to an increase in surface wettability, possibly contributing to the accelerated germination (27% for 90% duty cycle). The discharge produced by the conical reactor was able to provide an environment abundant with reactive oxygen species that makes the process suitable for seeds treatment. However, operating in direct treatment configuration, large numbers of seeds placed in the reactor start impairing the discharge homogeneity.
Variability Type Determination and High Precision Ephemeris for NSVS 7606408
Creators: name: Furgoni, Riccardo
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A photometric campaign analysis of the star NSVS 7606408 has been conducted in order to determine the type of variability and high accuracy ephemeris. By combining the obtained data with other datasets available, it was tried to improve the determination of the period, highlighting, however, a possible minimal change of the period over the years.
description: 18 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables
Bayesian methods applied to the phylogenetic inference of morphological data: a study using solitary wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae)
Creators: name: Wellington Donizet Ferreira
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: 60301 Animal Systematics and Taxonomy
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: In the history of Systematics morphological characters are an important source of data for phylogenetic inference. However, the variety of morphological data available still not explored with recent approaches, such as Bayesian methods, are abundant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Bayesian inference upon matrices of morphological data already published for some genera of wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidade, Eumeninae). Bayesian inferences were conducted with equal rates of character evolution and with rates under the gamma distribution, using the Mk model in both conditions. Resulted trees were compared to trees obtained by parsimony for the same data sets. Trees with lower topological resolution were obtained using Bayesian methods, but many of the relationships of the original studies were recovered. Even with the non-congruence of the results, the use of Bayesian inference is interesting because it reveals patterns that can elucidate misleading interpretations in the parsimony traditional analyses.