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Ecosystems research has theorized that overcoming economic and coopetitive challenges is crucial for ecosystem development, yet, they largely overlook the effects of sociopolitical challenges and interplays between economic, coopetitive, and sociopolitical challenges to the emergence and viability of ecosystems. By repositioning the sociopolitical challenges in the ecosystem development model, this study investigates how new focal ventures can develop ecosystem-specific strategies to recognize and overcome a combination of economic, coopetitive, and socio-political co-evolution challenges so as to ensure a viable ecosystem. Qualitative results from a multiple-case study of two surviving and two failed emerging bike-sharing ecosystems in China reveal three strategizing forms: (1) niche experimentation, which enables new focal ventures to obtain a more holistic understanding of the co-evolution challenges in economic and sociopolitical ecosystem environments; (2) strategic versatility, whereby ecosystem-specific strategies positively and simultaneously reinforce each other and collectively overcome the multiple co-evolution challenges in two ecosystem environments; and (3) strategic suboptimality, whereby new focal ventures sacrifice the short-term efficacy of specific strategies to reinforce the long-term effectiveness of related strategies to maintain ecosystem-level competitiveness. These findings indicate the nonlinear structural and intertemporal ecosystem dynamics that need to be considered in ecosystem development literature as well as by ecosystem practitioners.

Introduction: \ud The Diabetes REmission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) has shown that sustained remission of type 2 diabetes in primary care is achievable through weight loss using total diet replacement (TDR) with continued behavioural support. Understanding participants’ experiences can help optimise the intervention, support implementation into healthcare, and understand the process of behaviour change.\ud \ud Methods: \ud Thirty-four DiRECT participants were recruited into this embedded qualitative evaluation study. In-person and telephone interviews were conducted before the TDR; at week 6–8 of the TDR; 2 weeks into food reintroduction (FR); and at 1 year, to learn about participant experiences with the programme. Transcribed narratives were analysed thematically, and we used interpretation to develop overarching themes.\ud \ud Results: \ud Initiation of the TDR and transition to FR were challenging and required increased behavioural support. In general, adhering to TDR proved easier than the participants had anticipated. Some participants chose the optional extension of TDR. Rapid weight loss and changes in diabetes markers provided ongoing motivation. Further weight loss, behavioural support and occasional use of TDR facilitated weight loss maintenance (WLM). A process of behaviour adaptation to change following regime disruption was identified in three stages: (1) expectations of the new, (2) overcoming difficulties with adherence, and (3) acceptance of continuous effort and establishment of routines.\ud \ud Conclusions: \ud The DiRECT intervention was acceptable and regularity, continuity, and tailoring of behavioural support was instrumental in its implementation in primary care. The adaptation process accounts for some of the individual variability of experiences with the intervention and highlights the need for programme flexibility.

Objective: Prior research on median arcuate ligament syndrome has been limited to institutional case series, making the optimal approach to median arcuate ligament release (MALR) and resulting outcomes unclear. In the present study, we compared the outcomes of different approaches to MALR and determined the predictors of long-term treatment failure. Methods: The Vascular Low Frequency Disease Consortium is an international, multi-institutional research consortium. Data on open, laparoscopic, and robotic MALR performed from 2000 to 2020 were gathered. The primary outcome was treatment failure, defined as no improvement in median arcuate ligament syndrome symptoms after MALR or symptom recurrence between MALR and the last clinical follow-up. Results: For 516 patients treated at 24 institutions, open, laparoscopic, and robotic MALR had been performed in 227 (44.0%), 235 (45.5%), and 54 (10.5%) patients, respectively. Perioperative complications (ileus, cardiac, and wound complications; readmissions; unplanned procedures) occurred in 19.2% (open, 30.0%; laparoscopic, 8.9%; robotic, 18.5%; P < .001). The median follow-up was 1.59 years (interquartile range, 0.38-4.35 years). For the 488 patients with follow-up data available, 287 (58.8%) had had full relief, 119 (24.4%) had had partial relief, and 82 (16.8%) had derived no benefit from MALR. The 1- and 3-year freedom from treatment failure for the overall cohort was 63.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 59.0%-68.3%) and 51.9% (95% CI, 46.1%-57.3%), respectively. The factors associated with an increased hazard of treatment failure on multivariable analysis included robotic MALR (hazard ratio [HR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.16-2.59; P = .007), a history of gastroparesis (HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.09-3.09; P = .023), abdominal cancer (HR, 10.3; 95% CI, 3.06-34.6; P < .001), dysphagia and/or odynophagia (HR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.27-4.69; P = .008), no relief from a celiac plexus block (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.00-4.72; P = .049), and an increasing number of preoperative pain locations (HR, 1.12 per location; 95% CI, 1.00-1.25; P = .042). The factors associated with a lower hazard included increasing age (HR, 0.99 per increasing year; 95% CI, 0.98-1.0; P = .012) and an increasing number of preoperative diagnostic gastrointestinal studies (HR, 0.84 per study; 95% CI, 0.74-0.96; P = .012) Open and laparoscopic MALR resulted in similar long-term freedom from treatment failure. No radiographic parameters were associated with differences in treatment failure. Conclusions: No difference was found in long-term failure after open vs laparoscopic MALR; however, open release was associated with higher perioperative morbidity. These results support the use of a preoperative celiac plexus block to aid in patient selection. Operative candidates for MALR should be counseled regarding the factors associated with treatment failure and the relatively high overall rate of treatment failure.

In addition to attracting to fish, the flow field characteristics around Artificial Reefs (ARs) are key factors to prevent beach erosion. In the present study, research on hydrodynamics of artificial reefs primarily focusing on numerical simulation is conducted. The tube artificial reefs with parallel formation is analyzed based on comprehensive three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) approach by Renormalization Group (RNG) k-e turbulent model with respect to the length of slow flow region. The arrangement of artificial reefs is applied varying the spacing between the AR units both in transversal and longitudinal direction. The numerical results indicate that a greater artificial reef effect dealing with the slow flow region is obtained when the distance between the AR units of artificial reef is relatively close. According to the results, the largest slow flow region is achieved when the three rows of AR units is used. This result can be considered as a guide to reduce the beach erosion.

Door de verschijning van FvD op het politieke toneel wordt binnen christelijke partijen een nieuwe scheidslijn zichtbaar tussen traditioneel-nationalistisch en mondiaal-democratisch. Met behulp van Latour laat Jan Hoogland zien dat deze tegenstelling vruchteloos is. Er is een derde weg nodig, of in termen van Latour, een derde attractor.

Optimization of size, loading and chemical composition of catalytic nanoparticles is a crucial step to achieve cost‐effective and efficient (electro) catalysts. This report elaborates optimization of palladium (Pd) nanoparticle size and loading on the electrospun based N‐doped carbon nanofibers (nCNF) towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for the energy devices like fuel cell, metal air batteries. Electrospinning was utilized to produce one‐dimensional (1D) polyacrylonitrile nanofibers followed by a two‐step carbonization process obtaining well‐defined conductive nCNF having diameters in the range of 200–350 nm. As‐synthesized nCNF was decorated with discrete Pd nanoparticles ranging from 2.6±0.4 nm to 4.7±0.5 nm via thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. We found that nCNF deposited Pd nanoparticles having 3.9±0.6 nm size (Pd20/nCNF) showed the best ORR activity with the smallest Tafel slope of 58 mV dec−1 along with four electrons involved in the ORR. In addition, high value at half wave potential (E1/2=806 mV vs. RHE) and exchange current densities (i0=6.998 mA cm−2) at Pd20/nCNF makes it efficient catalyst among other Pd decorated nCNF. Moreover, we found that electrocatalyst with lower loading/density of Pd nanoparticles showed enhanced ORR activity.

The Selenge basin contributes approximately 50% of the total inflow into Lake Baikal and is thus of high significance for the regional hydrological regime. Our study was conducted in the upper reaches of the basin, where the Selenge river and its tributaries flow through the Mongolian forest-steppe. Monthly and maximum runoff, precipitation, and air temperature data from 12 gauging stations collected between 1978 and 2015 were analyzed to characterize the hydrological regime response to climate change. Concomitant with rising temperatures and increased potential evaporation, river runoff in the Mongolian part of the Selenge basin has decreased from the first interval (1978–1995) of our study period compared with the consecutive interval from 1996 to 2015. The decrease in runoff throughout the study area was most likely caused by an increase in potential evapotranspiration (and not reduced precipitation or land use changes) for both summer rainfall- and snowmelt-dominated rivers. Annual maximum runoff has also strongly decreased suggesting that reduced flooding is a contemporary threat for Mongolia’s riverine ecosystems, probably causing the replacement of wetland and mesic habitats.

In this work we present a multi-frequency scanning impedance microscopy technique suitable for 3D printed structures. In this technique, a ball-head pogo pin is used to measure the voltage distribution in 3D printed samples by rolling it over the sample. It is shown that this technique can be used to measure the complex electric field distribution at varying frequencies in a single layer 3D printed conductor

The study was performed to analyze the impact of seed pretreatment by static magnetic field (SMF) of 200 mT for 1 h on photosynthetic performance of soybean (Glycine max) seedlings under ambient (aUV-B) and supplemental ultraviolet-B (a+sUV-B) stress. Ambient and supplemental UV-B were found to decrease the plant growth, chlorophyll concentration, PSII efficiency, selected JIP-test parameters such as Fv/Fm, φEo, ΔV(I–P), PIABS, PItotal, and rate of photosynthesis in the leaves of soybean seedlings emerged from untreated (UT) seeds. aUV-B and a+sUV-B were observed to increase the synthesis of UV-B-absorbing substances (UAS), reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide radical (O2·−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), antioxidants like ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol and decrease the nitrate reductase (NR) activity; subsequently, it results in a decreased rate of photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, and yield. However, our results provided evidence that SMF pretreatment increased the tolerance of soybean seedlings to UV-B radiation by increased NO content and NR activity; higher efficiency of PSII, higher values of φEo, ΔV(I–P), PIABS, and PItotal, decreased intercellular CO2 concentration, lower amount of UAS, ROS, and antioxidants that consequently improve the yield of soybean plants under aUV-B as well as a+sUV-B stress. Thus, our results suggested that SMF pretreatment mitigates the adverse effects of UV-B stress by the enhancement in photosynthetic performance along with higher NO content which may be able to protect the plants from the deleterious effects of oxidative stress caused by UV-B irradiation.

It has been over 15 years since the world's centers of research excellence in the management of technology and innovation (MOT) have been acknowledged. We have updated this area of interest through a new study on the current centers of excellence, furthering our investigation in the sub-field of technology entrepreneurship (TE). We based our study on the boundary conditions utilized in previous research, adding new metrics while retaining several of the old. We limited our data sample to peer-reviewed journal articles in recognized base journals. The centers’ research nature and quality were assessed via a series of 37 metrics. We found 809 schools with publications in MOT-recognized base journals and identified 77 non-U.S. centers in Asia, Australia, Europe, South and North America and 21 U.S. centers that meet our criteria for research excellence. Further, a detailed analysis was conducted for the 21 U.S.-based schools, considering metrics such as the number of publications by researchers during the study period, the MOT publication history, editorships of the professors of the centers in the base journals, and number of articles. Similarly, we identified 17 International centers of TE excellence out of the 348 schools that published in TE. We provide tiered results of the top schools excelling in selected areas.

Preserving articular cartilage extends the life span and functional capabilities of a joint, and prevents early joint arthroplasty. Mesenchymal signaling cells (MSCs) induce chondrocytes and stimulate the innate capacity to regenerate and restore damaged cartilage. Preserving the pericellular matrix of chondrocytes boosts the ability of MSC to stimulate chondrocytes. The ability to augment joint homeostasis and induce cartilage regeneration with the use of allogenic MSCs unlocks the possibility of a single stage cell based surgical therapy for medium to large cartilage defects. The results of cell therapy with recycled autologous chondrons mixed with allogeneic (bone-marrow or adipose derived) mesenchymal signaling cells (IMPACT/RECLAIM) after 7 years have supported the safety and clinical efficacy of this treatment. Patients have shown clinically relevant and statistically significant improvement in multiple validated patient reported outcome measures for knee pain and quality of life. Once fully industrialized the single stage approach, compared to conventional 2 stage procedures, should also provide a more economical and logistically friendly treatment option. Low failure rates and similar results compared to the current golden standard reinforce the longevity of this proof of concept. The phase III randomized controlled trial comparing results of the treatment after a non-surgical approach will conclude in 2024. As for now, research supports this unique first in man one stage cartilage repair to be safe, feasible, and have good clinical outcomes when combining recycled cartilage with allogeneic MSCs.

Omdat lokale politieke partijen per definitie alleen actief zijn in één gemeente, zouden zij ten opzichte van landelijke partijen minder effectief zijn omdat zij geen vertegenwoordiging hebben op andere bestuursniveaus en in andere gemeenten. De verwachting is dan dat wethouders van lokale partijen meer moeite hebben de belangen van hun gemeente te bepleiten in de regio of bij de provincie, het Rijk of de Europese Unie. Interviews met wethouders van lokale partijen en een enquête onder wethouders laten zien dat dit beeld wat moet worden genuanceerd. Wethouders van lokale partijen zeggen het gemis aan partijpolitieke contacten goed te kunnen compenseren door te investeren in persoonlijke relaties. Opvallend is dat de niet-partijgebonden rol van deze wethouders hun ook voordelen oplevert: omdat ze geen rekening hoeven te houden met partijpolitieke belangen kunnen ze het belang van hun gemeente krachtiger uitdragen als dat op gespannen voet staat met provinciaal of landelijk beleid. Ook krijgen ze in de regio vanwege hun partijpolitiek neutrale rol sneller sleutelposities. Het enige nadeel dat wethouders van lokale partijen wél ondervinden, is het gebrek aan ondersteuning in de vorm van professionalisering en kennisuitwisseling. Ze zien dat wethouders van landelijke partijen, die meestal wel ondersteuning krijgen van hun landelijke partijbureau, op dit punt soms in het voordeel zijn. Hiermee wordt een nieuw – nog betrekkelijk weinig genoemd – licht geworpen op het belang van partijpolitieke contacten.

The existing methods of building change detection (CD) using remote sensing (RS) images are still deficient in handling scale variation and class imbalance problems, indicating a decrease in the robustness of small-object detection and pseudo-change information. Thus, a novel building CD framework called the multiscale context aggregation network (MSCANet) is proposed. The high-resolution network is integrated into the feature extracting stage to maintain high-resolution representations throughout the whole process. Then, multiscale context information is aggregated using a scale-aware feature pyramid module (FPM). Recognition performance can be improved from discriminant feature representation learning by using a channel–spatial attention module. Furthermore, a class-balanced loss is proposed to reduce the impact of class imbalance in long-tail datasets. Experimental results from using the LEVIR-CD and SZTAKI AirChange benchmark datasets prove the superiority of the MSCANet over the other baseline methods, with improved maximum F1 scores of 5.28 and 8.47, respectively.

Currently, the therapeutic performance of traditional mono-chemotherapy on cancers remains unsatisfactory because of the tumor heterogeneity and multidrug resistance. In light of intricate tumor structures and distinct tumor microenvironments (TMEs), combinational therapeutic strategies with multiple anticancer drugs from different mechanisms can synergistically optimize the outcomes and concomitantly minimize the adverse effects during the therapy process. Extensive research on polymeric micelles (PMs) for biomedical applications has revealed the growing importance of nanomedicines for cancer therapy in the recent decade. Starting from traditional simple delivery systems, PMs have been extended to multi-faceted therapeutic strategies. Here we review and summarize the most recent advances in combinational therapy based on multifunctional PMs including a combination of multiple anticancer drugs, chemo-gene therapy, chemo-phototherapy and chemo-immunotherapy. The design approaches, action mechanisms and therapeutic applications of these nanodrugs are summarized. In addition, we highlight the opportunities and potential challenges associated with this promising field, which will provide new guidelines for advanced combinational cancer chemotherapy.

We present multicolor coherent Raman imaging (CRI) with enhanced sensitivity by a novel fiber optical parametric oscillator (FOPO). The FOPO combines a rapid and wide tunability for accessing Raman bands between 700 and 3500 cm-1 within only 5 ms with a frequency modulation (FM) at 20 MHz for enhancing CRI sensitivity by at least two orders of magnitude.

Nighttime light imageries are widely used for mapping the gross domestic product (GDP) over large areas. However, nighttime light imagery is inappropriate to disaggregate agricultural GDP and inadequate to differentiate the GDP from the secondary and tertiary sectors. Points-of-interest, a kind of geospatial big data with geographic locations and textual descriptions of the category, can effectively distinguish industrial and commercial areas, and therefore have the potential to improve the precise GDP mapping from secondary and tertiary sectors. In this study, a machine learning method, random forest, was used to disaggregate the 2010 county-level census GDP data of mainland China to 1 km × 1 km grids. Six Random Forest models were constructed for different economic sectors to explore the non-linear relationships between various geographic predictors and GDP from different sectors. By fusing points-of-interest of varying categories, the spatial distribution of economic activities from the secondary and tertiary sectors was effectively distinguished. Compared to previous studies, the strategy of developing specific Random Forest models for different sectors generated a more reasonable distribution of GDP. Our results highlight the feasibility of using point-of-interest data in disaggregating non-agricultural GDP by exploiting the complementary features of the different data sources.

Here we study the kinetics of liquefaction and solidification of thin bismuth films grown on the insulating substrate by the pulsed laser deposited (PLD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and investigated by in situ electron and X-ray diffraction. By PLD, we can grow films similar to those obtained using MBE, studied by ex-situ AFM, KPFM, XRR, and XRD. The liquefaction-solidification transition is monitored in real-time by RHEED and synchrotron XRD, resulting in a dewetting phenomenon and the formation of spherical droplets which size depends on the initial film thickness. Studying this phase transition in more detail, we find instantaneous liquefaction and solidification, resulting in formation of the nanodots oriented with a (110) crystallographic plane parallel to the substrate. Furthermore, we propose a two-step growth mechanism by analyzing the recorded specular diffraction rods. Overall, we show that the PLD and MBE can be used as a method for the highly controlled growth of Bi nanostructures, including their crystallographic orientation on the substrate., Comment: 39 pages, 20 figures

The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method is a class of finite element methods using completely discontinuous piecewise smooth functions (typically polynomials) as basis and test functions. Since its inception in 1973 [10], it has seen a sustained development, both in the computational mathematics community and in many scientific and engineering application communities. The DG methods have several advantages, such as its extreme flexibility in dealing with complex geometry and adaptive computation (both h- and p-adaptivities are easy to implement), extremely high parallel efficiency, good stability properties (energy and entropy stability has been established for DG methods in many situations), nice convergence and superconvergence properties, and capability to solve hyperbolic and convection- dominated problems effectively.

The auto-inflammatory rheumatic disorder gout is a worldwide problem [1]. It causes pain and loss of function when inadequately treated, leading to high costs and loss of productivity, income, and quality of life [1]. Gout is characterized by hyperuricemia and arousal of the NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat-containing proteins) inflammasome resulting in inflammatory arthritis and soft tissue rheumatism due to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in joints and soft tissues around [2]. The clinical presentation of gout can be misleading, and other diseases can present in similar ways. In the elderly, gout is often not diagnosed as it frequently presents in the hands of elderly slim women and men [3]. The article focuses the gout management with particular attention to the uricosuric agents. Discussing anti-inflammatory medications details is our study limitation.

Self-powered devices and systems that operate by harnessing environmental mechanical energies including raindrops and body motions have been extensively explored owing to their promising applications. In practical applications, these devices are often exposed to humid conditions or directly contact aqueous solutions. Here, we report the development of chemically inert and superhydrophobic electrode based on fluoropolymer (FP)/carbon-nanotube (CNT) that circumvents undesired metal electrode corrosion, deformation, and damage in harsh environments. The electrode surface can be patterned on flexible surfaces via direct ink writing (DIW), and no damage or corrosion is detected even being bent 10,000 times or immersed into salt/acid/alkaline solutions for 20 h. The integration of such robust electrodes with hydrophobic tribo-materials enables the construction of droplet-based electricity generators (DEGs) that exhibit an instantaneous current and power outputs of 2 mA and 0.12 W, respectively, and that light up 50 LEDs by one water droplet. Self-powered touch sensing function is also demonstrated on FP/CNT-based electronic skin, offering the broad applicability of the proposed electrode preparation strategy for self-powered devices.

Background older people remain underrepresented in clinical trials, and evidence generated in younger populations cannot always be generalized to older patients. Objective to identify key barriers and to discuss solutions to specific issues affecting recruitment and retention of older participants in clinical trials based on experience gained from six current European randomised controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on older people. Methods a multidisciplinary group of experts including representatives of the six RCTs held two networking conferences and compiled lists of potential barriers and solutions. Every item was subsequently allocated points by each study team according to how important it was perceived to be for their RCTs. Results the six RCTs enrolled 7,612 older patients. Key barriers to recruitment were impaired health status, comorbidities and diverse health beliefs including priorities within different cultural systems. All trials had to increase the number of recruitment sites. Other measures felt to be effective included the provision of extra time, communication training for the study staff and a re-design of patient information. Key barriers for retention included the presence of severe comorbidities and the occurrence of adverse events. Long study duration, frequent study visits and difficulties accessing the study site were also mentioned. Solutions felt to be effective included spending more time maintaining close contact with the participants, appropriate measures to show appreciation and reimbursement of travel arrangements. Conclusion recruitment and retention of older patients in trials requires special recognition and a targeted approach. Our results provide scientifically-based practical recommendations for optimizing future studies in this population.

A waterjet cutting system (1) comprising a source of water (2), a cylinder piston pump (3), and a water delivery tube (4) with a jet nozzle (5) which can be directed to an ob- ject which is to be cut, wherein the piston (6) of the cylin- 5 der piston pump (3) is connected to a spring (7), and that the pump (3) is embodied as a one-stroke pump, wherein the piston (6) has a first position wherein the spring (7) is loaded and a second position wherein the spring (7) is relaxed, and that relaxing the spring (7) when the spring (7) is loaded drives 10 the piston (6) from the first position to the second position.

Over 20 years ago, Information Retrieval (IR) researchers began their quest for sound IR systems for children. The path was not straightforward. Challenges posed by interface design, relevance determination, diverse contexts, ethics, and many more, were taken up and explored from different perspectives. Large projects such as Puppy-IR and the International Children's Digital Library gave this field a certain boost; still, there is neither a sound solution for children in the search area in 2021 nor a roadmap to get there. What is the reason for this? Does the field cry out for specific IR solutions developed on a small scale for very small sub-fields and specific target groups? Are there some significant unforeseen barriers that hinder researchers? What about obstacles natural to areas of study such as this one that require a multidisciplinary approach or involve protected populations? With this workshop, we want to bring together as many key experts as possible from research and industry who focus on IR for children to understand why, unlike other IR areas, this one has not flourished and look for the biggest challenges for the next 10 years. We are not only thinking of traditional researchers and designers but also of those who develop and use IR systems for fields, such as in music, film, and education, as a way to push past this immobility and look at the problem from new, and perhaps more stimulating, perspectives.

Plastic deformation in crystalline materials occurs through dislocation slip and strengthening is achieved with obstacles that hinder the motion of dislocations. At relatively low temperatures, dislocations bypass the particles by Orowan looping, particle shearing, cross-slip or a combination of these mechanisms. At elevated temperatures, atomic diffusivity becomes appreciable, so that dislocations can bypass the particles by climb processes. Climb plays a crucial role in the long-term durability or creep resistance of many structural materials, particularly under extreme conditions of load, temperature and radiation. Here we systematically examine dislocation-particle interaction mechanisms. The analysis is based on three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics simulations incorporating impenetrable particles, elastic interactions, dislocation self-climb, cross-slip and glide. The core diffusion dominated dislocation self-climb process is modelled based on a variational principle for the evolution of microstructures, and is coupled with dislocation glide and cross-slip by an adaptive time-stepping scheme to bridge the time scale separation. The stress field caused by particles is implemented based on the particle–matrix mismatch. This model is helpful for understanding the fundamental particle bypass mechanisms and clarifying the effects of dislocation glide, climb and cross-slip on creep deformation.

ObjectiveTo assess feasibility of transcutaneous electromyography of the diaphragm (dEMG) as a monitoring tool for vital signs and diaphragm activity in the delivery room (DR).DesignProspective observational study.SettingDelivery room.PatientsNewborn infants requiring respiratory stabilisation after birth.InterventionsIn addition to pulse oximetry (PO) and ECG, dEMG was measured with skin electrodes for 30 min after birth.Outcome measuresWe assessed signal quality of dEMG and ECG recording, agreement between heart rate (HR) measured by dEMG and ECG or PO, time between sensor application and first HR read-out and agreement between respiratory rate (RR) measured with dEMG and ECG, compared with airway flow. Furthermore, we analysed peak, tonic and amplitude diaphragmatic activity from the dEMG-based respiratory waveform.ResultsThirty-three infants (gestational age: 31.7±2.8 weeks, birth weight: 1525±661 g) were included.18%±14% and 22%±21% of dEMG and ECG data showed poor quality, respectively. Monitoring HR with dEMG was fast (median 10 (IQR 10–11) s) and accurate (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.92 and 0.82 compared with ECG and PO, respectively). RR monitoring with dEMG showed moderate (ICC 0.49) and ECG low (ICC 0.25) agreement with airway flow. Diaphragm activity started high with a decreasing trend in the first 15 min and subsequent stabilisation.ConclusionMonitoring vital signs with dEMG in the DR is feasible and fast. Diaphragm activity can be detected and described with dEMG, making dEMG promising for future DR studies.

Purpose Little is known about actual price savings generated by cooperative purchasing and nonmonetary advantages, disadvantages and impediments for the cooperative purchasing of complex or high-risk purchases. This paper aims to explore these topics by studying joint purchasing of pacemakers in The Netherlands. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate the magnitude of price savings, data on individual and collective prices for 18 hospitals was analyzed. In addition, 16 interviews were carried out with representatives of hospitals that participated and did not participate in the joint purchase. Findings Based on quantitative and qualitative data, the authors found large differences in price savings which can be attributed to scale, but mostly to knowledge of the group and renewing a contract in a technology-driven and developing market. Limited product choice – because of an organization joining a cooperative – constrained the attractiveness of cooperative purchasing, as end users may have specific product preferences. The consideration of preferences of end users is important toward successful joint purchasing of complex items. Social implications The authors argue that price savings because of scale are about 7% for smaller organizations and 4% for larger organizations. For smaller organizations with low specific knowledge and capacity for buying complex products, economies of process and knowledge are more important reasons for joining a purchasing group than scale. For large organizations with high specific knowledge and capacity, scale is the most important reason. Originality/value This study combined qualitative and quantitative perspectives, using actual spend data, to investigate cooperative purchasing of high-risk or complex purchases. On the one hand, more insight into the magnitude and reasons for price savings is provided than in earlier literature. On the other hand, more insight is given in qualitative reasons for joining a group and challenges for cooperative purchasing of complex items.

Shade is the main growth and yield limiting factor for soybean seedlings in maize-soybean relay strip intercropping. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of titanium (Ti) foliar application on soybean under a maize-soybean relay strip intercropping system. In this study, the soybean plants were sprayed with Ti treatments (T0S = 0, T1S = 125, T2S = 250, T3S = 500 and T4S = 1000 mg L−1) under maize-soybean relay strip intercropping. The results have indicated that under intercropping environment, Ti application significantly affected the growth of the plants. The soybean plants supplied with Ti treatment (T1S) significantly improved soybean diameter and stem strength at both V5 and R5 stages. Ti application resulted in a significant increase in SPAD values in T1S (i.e. 31.69 % and 21.21 %) and T2S (i.e. 21.55 % and 22.19 %) in comparison to control at both V5 and R5 stage, respectively. Furthermore, foliar application of Ti (T1S) significantly increased photosynthetic rate by 33.15 % and 22.80 % at both V5 and R5 stages. The stomatal conductance (Gs) increased significantly in T1S (44.39 %) and T2S (31.30 %) at the V5 stage and in T1S (29.85 %) at the R5 stage, respectively in comparison to control leading to increase root and shoot biomass in both V5 and R5 stages except for treatment T4S. Analysis of stem anatomical structure, stem strength (lodging resistance), and phosphorus content revealed that foliar application of Ti not only improved the shade tolerance but also increased yield (16–17 %) of soybean under maize-soybean relay strip intercropping. Conclusively, foliar application of Ti could be helpful in mitigating the shade stress and increasing soybean yield under the strip intercropping system.

Mathematical Modelling of Swimming Soft Microrobots presents a theoretical framework for modelling of soft microrobotic systems based on resistive-force theory. Microorganisms are highly efficient at swimming regardless of the rheological and physical properties of the background fluids. This efficiency has inspired researchers and Engineers to develop microrobots that resemble the morphology and swimming strategies of microorganisms. The ultimate goal of this book is threefold: first, to relate resistive-force theory to externally and internally actuated microrobotic systems; second, to enable the readers to develop numerical models of a wide range of microrobotic systems; third, to enable the reader to optimize the design of the microrobot to enhance its swimming efficiency.

Mathematical Modelling of Swimming Soft Microrobots presents a theoretical framework for modelling of soft microrobotic systems based on resistive-force theory. Microorganisms are highly efficient at swimming regardless of the rheological and physical properties of the background fluids. This efficiency has inspired researchers and Engineers to develop microrobots that resemble the morphology and swimming strategies of microorganisms. The ultimate goal of this book is threefold: first, to relate resistive-force theory to externally and internally actuated microrobotic systems; second, to enable the readers to develop numerical models of a wide range of microrobotic systems; third, to enable the reader to optimize the design of the microrobot to enhance its swimming efficiency.

We report on the exploration we conducted to understand better children’s needs for the design of Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) that can help them notice relevant resources when performing online inquiry tasks in a classroom context. We analyse children’s interactions with traditional and emoji-enriched SERP and look for trends linking children’s engagement with SERP and search success (based on experts’ assessments). We also identify areas remaining to be interpreted and considered in future studies. On this mixed ground, we discuss the complexity of this design space and the need to bypass the one-size-fits-all approach in favor of adaptive SERP to cater to children’s different and ever-evolving skills in searching and recognising useful results if we aim to support learning.

Low-temperature NOx storage materials for lean NOx traps based on nanocomposites containing perovskite-type oxides of La0.5Sr0.5Fe1-xMxO3-δ (M = Ti, Nb or Zr; x = 0.25 or 0.5) are prepared in a highly porous alumina with different loadings of 15−25 wt. %. The resulting storage materials are characterised by X-ray diffraction, BET and transmission electron microscopy with coupled ASTAR system for crystallite phase mapping. For all nanocomposites high surface areas around 100 m²/g are found. With perovskite loadings of 20 wt. % the platinised composites reveal NOx storage capacities between 120–164 μmol/g below 300 °C with a performance ranking of Zr > Ti > Nb. After hydrothermal ageing at 750 °C only for the Nb and Zr containing composites a decrease of the NSC up to 20 % can be observed. The NSC of the LSFT system can be improved by decreasing the perovskite loading to 15 wt. %.

Currently, the artificial hip joint is the best option for total hip arthroplasty, and the demand for this procedure is increasing annually. However, a major deficiency of artificial hip joints is the performance limitation in a wide range of movements, such as those in Muslim prayer (salat), a major religious practice that consists of seven positions representing extreme movements. In this work, a numerical examination is conducted to investigate the performance of artificial hip joints with three texture configurations and with two different ball materials subjected to seven loading conditions of Muslim prayer (salat). Transient non-Newtonian elastohydrodynamic lubrication analyses are solved using the two-way Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) method. It is found that the femoral head and the inner liner with a pattern applied to the whole of their contacted surface show a substantial increase in load support when compared with the smooth one; the improvement is approximately 11% and 13%, respectively, for the movement of sitting between two prostrations for left leg, and the bowing position. Furthermore, slight increase in fluid pressure and load support is highlighted compared with the models in which only the liner or head are textured. In addition, the simulation solution shows that for other loading positions, the textured model reveals a reduction in performance. The amount of load support in prostration, sitting between two prostrations (right leg), and sitting (right leg) positions is insufficient, which may lead to direct contact. The simulation results also indicate that the alumina femoral head gives better result compared to the stainless steel one.

This work presents BACGRAPH, a tool that extracts relationships among configuration parameters of Building Automation and Control Systems (BACSs) implemented using the BACnet protocol (ISO 16484-5). BACnet models these configuration parameters as object data structures comprised of multiple properties, some of which contain references to other objects. Given the regular exchange of objects among devices, we leverage these explicit references to build a graph of BACnet objects exclusively from network traffic. We tested BACGRAPH using traffic collected from a real building located at the University of Twente. After analyzing 66.8 hours of traffic, the resulting graph is comprised of 13,733 nodes and 3,169 edges. Such a graph improves the system visibility that BACS administrators have over their infrastructure, which is crucial for troubleshooting and security.

Although the performance of new product development (PD) is dependent on the structure and formation of design teams, effective configuration of the PD teams remains largely unexplored. According to social network research, teams are often organized in either closely connected or sparse structure. We conceptualize PD projects as collective problem-solving endeavors and develop a computational model of these projects where a number of designers conduct search over an NK(C) performance landscape. We group the designers in teams with closely connected or sparse structure. We also consider various organizational integration capabilities (i.e., coordinated operations, and common principles) as well as interaction networks among the teams (i.e., acyclical, cyclical, and modular). We use simulation and compare the design performance of teams with different configurations. Our results indicate that the extent by which organizations can effectively integrate design solutions determines the team structure and is likely to result in higher development performance. In addition, the design performance of strategies that employ both closely connected and sparse teams is contrasted with the strategies that use either of these structures. Regardless of the integration capabilities of the PD projects, strategies that simultaneously utilize both closely connected and sparse teams are likely to achieve higher development performance than strategies that only use teams with one particular structure.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are globally the number one cause of death reported by the World Health Organization. A relevant CVD is coronary artery disease (CAD) in which a layer of plaque is formed on the interior of the coronary arteries which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood through the body and specifically to the heart. A well-known but invasive surgical technique to manage CAD is bypass surgery. A minimally invasive technique is the implantation of stents. Nowadays, the aim is to use biodegradable plastics as a stent material instead of metals. These plastic stents are to disappear after the blood vessel has healed. The biggest challenge is to match the mechanical requirements while still being deliverable and suitable to be inside human blood vessels for the total healing period. This challenge has encouraged a lot of scientists and engineers to find processing methods of the polymers to improve radial strength, while the polymer can still elongate, deform, and stretch under tensile stress during deployment without breaking the material. This review presents the current developments in plastic stent technology. It will finalize the current shortcomings and potential research areas. These areas include material and design objectives as well as on-demand manufacturing methods and long-term vessel and stent monitoring.

Secondary circulation in river confluences results in a spatial and temporal variation of fluid motion and a relatively high level of morphodynamic change. Acoustic Doppler current profiler (aDcp) vessel-mounted flow measurements are now commonly used to quantify such circulation in shallow water fluvial environments. It is well established that such quantification using vessel-mounted aDcps requires repeated survey of the same cross-section. However, less attention has been given to how to process these data. Most aDcp data processing techniques make the assumption of homogeneity between the measured radial components of velocity. As acoustic beams diverge with distance from the aDcp probe, the volume of the flow that must be assumed to be homogeneous between the beams increases. In the presence of secondary circulation cells, and where there are strong rates of shear in the flow, the homogeneity assumption may not apply, especially deeper in the water column and close to the bed. To reduce dependence on this assumption, we apply a newly-established method to aDcp data obtained for two medium-sized (~60–80 m wide) gravel-bed river confluences and compare the results with those from more conventional data processing approaches. The comparison confirms that in the presence of strong shear our method produces different results to more conventional approaches. In the absence of a third set of fully independent data, we cannot demonstrate conclusively which method is best, but our method involves less averaging and so in the presence of strong shear is likely to be more reliable. We conclude that it is wise to apply both our method and more conventional methods to identify where data analysis might be impacted upon by strong shear and where inferences of secondary circulation may need to be made more cautiously.

The compositional homogeneity of a technically relevant hydrogen separation membrane, La5.4W0.8Mo0.2O12-δ (LWO-Mo20), was studied using comprehensive transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The membrane is predominantly composed of dense LWO-Mo20 grains with a defect fluorite structure. In addition to the primary phase, the observed secondary phase (SP) grains were identified as La2/3(Mg1/2W1/2)O3, with the W sites partially occupied by Mo, Fe and Al. Part of the SP grains were incorporated into single LWO-Mo20 grains through smart orientations, in which massive structural defects at the interface of the LWO-Mo20 and SP grains are efficiently avoided. Slight elemental disorder is limited within a few atomic layers. In contrast, the LWO-Mo20 grains share barely common features with neighboring SP grains, and are unstable under electron beam irradiation. The formation of the SP was tracked back to the traces of impurities in the precursors. Excluding such impurities is technically challenging and unacceptable in terms of cost. Hence, our results here show an opportunity to remedy these impurities through engineering the SP into individual primary grains, in which even a significant cost reduction could thus be realized.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is commonly associated with abdominal obesity, predominantly with high visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and is accompanied by premature atherosclerosis. However, the association between VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) with premature atherosclerosis and (i.e. arterial) inflammation is not completely understood. To provide more insight into this association, we investigated the association between arterial 18F-fluordeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) uptake, as a measure of arterial inflammation, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) markers in early T2DM patients.METHODS: Forty-four patients with early T2DM, without glucose lowering medication, were studied (median age 63 [IQR 54-66] years, median BMI 30.4 [IQR 27.5-35.8]). Arterial inflammation was quantified using glucose corrected maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) FDG of the aorta, carotid, iliac, and femoral arteries, and corrected for background activity (blood pool) as target-to-background ratio (meanTBR). VAT and SAT volumes (cm3) were automatically segmented using computed tomography (CT) between levels L1-L5. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was assessed by liver function test and CT.RESULTS: VAT volume, but not SAT volume, correlated with meanTBR (r = 0.325, p = 0.031). Linear regression models showed a significant association, even after sequential adjustment for potentially influencing MetS components. Interaction term VAT volume * sex and additional components including HbA1c, insulin resistance, NAFLD, adiponectin, leptin, and C- reactive protein (CRP) did not change the independent association between VAT volume and meanTBR.CONCLUSIONS: CT-assessed VAT volume is positively associated with FDG-PET assessed arterial inflammation, independently of factors thought to potentially mediate these effects. These findings suggest that VAT in contrast to SAT is linked to early atherosclerotic changes in T2DM patients.

‘Urban polycentricity’ has become both a conceptual framework capturing emerging empirical realities and a spatial planning vision adopted in cities across Europe, USA, and, recently, also China. Despite the blossoming academic literature on polycentricity, only limited attempts have been made to explore whether and how polycentric urban development at different spatial scales affects the urban economy. In this paper, we empirically analyse whether and how urban polycentricity at different spatial scales in China is associated with urban economic performance. To this end, we extend the Cobb–Douglas production function and include measures of both inter-urban and intra-urban polycentricity to explain differences in labour productivity. The analysis links intra-urban monocentricity and inter-urban polycentricity with higher levels of labour productivity. In addition, the analysis points to an agglomeration spillover effect, as well as a potential weak positive interaction effect between intra- and inter-urban polycentricity. The paper concludes with policy implications for China’s spatial development.

Introduction In the 8th edition of the AJCC/UICC cancer staging system (AJCC8), the depth of invasion (DOI) of the oral cavity tumor is the discriminative factor in tumor staging over the previously used greatest dimension (GD). In order to obtain a complete representation of how accurate we stage oral cavity cancer clinically, we evaluated the accuracy of measurements of the tumor dimensions on ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging by comparing this with the histopathology as the “golden standard”. Secondly, we compared the pathological tumor staging of these tumors according to the AJCC7 and AJCC8, to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of the DOI in the AJCC8. Materials and methods In a retrospective analysis, including 85 oral cavity tumors, the GD and tumor thickness (TT) measured on US and MR, were compared to histopathology with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) and a Bland-Altman plot. The tumors were staged according to both the AJCC7 and AJCC8. Results TT was more reliably measured with US (R = 0.67, limits of agreement = 10.7 mm), whereas GD was more reliably measured with MR (R = 0.69, limits of agreement = 25.7 mm). The AJCC8 staging resulted into a higher tumor stage in 21% of the cases, compared to the AJCC7. Conclusion For preoperative tumor staging, the TT is best estimated by the use of US. The incorporation of DOI in the AJCC8 can result in a higher tumor stage in more than twenty percent of the patients, with an associated worse prognosis for the patient.

A key to understanding biological response due to cell exposure to chemical constituents in aerosols is to accurately be able to determine the delivered dose. Deposition efficiency and uniformity of deposition was measured experimentally in the Vitrocell® 24/48 air–liquid-interface (ALI) in vitro exposure system using monodisperse solid fluorescent particles with mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMAD) of 0.51, 1.1, 2.2 and 3.3 µm. Experimental results were compared with computational fluid dynamics (CFD; using both Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches) predicted deposition efficiency and uniformity for a single row (N = 6) of cell culture inserts in the Vitrocell® 24/48 system. Deposited fluorescent monodisperse particles were quantified using fluorescent microscopy and Image J software. Experiments were conducted using a suspension of two particle MMADs with each experiment being conducted a total of three times on different days. The average experimentally measured deposition efficiency ranged from a low of 0.013% for 0.51 µm MMAD particles to a maximum 0.86% for 3.3 µm MMAD particles. There was good agreement between the average experimentally measured and the CFD predicted particle deposition efficiency (regardless of approach) with agreement being slightly better at the smaller MMADs. Experimentally measured and CFD predicted average uniformity of deposition was >45% of the mean and within 15% of the mean for 0.51 µm and 2.2 MMAD µm particles, respectively. Experimentally measured average uniformity of deposition was between 15 and 45% of the mean while CFD predictions were within 15% of the mean for 1.1 and 3.3 µm MMAD particles. The deposition efficiency and uniformity across the cell culture inserts for solid particles should be considered when designing exposure regimens using the Vitrocell® 24/48 ALI in vitro exposure system. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research

Aboveground forest biomass and carbon estimation at landscape scale is crucial for implementation of REDD+ programmes. This study aims to upscale the forest carbon estimates using GeoEye-1 image and small footprint lidar data from small areas to a landscape level using RapidEye image. Species stratification was carried out based on the spectral separability curve of GeoEye-1 image, and comparison of mean intensity and mean plot height of the trees from lidar data. GeoEye-1 image and lidar data were segmented using region growing approach to delineate individual tree crowns; and the segmented crowns (CPA) of tree were further used to establish a relationship with field measured carbon and total trees’ height. Carbon stock measured from field, individual tree crown (ITC) segmentation approach and area-based approach (ABA) was compared at plot level using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey comparison test. ITC-based carbon estimates was used to establish a relationship with spectral reflectance of RapidEye image variables (NDVI, RedEdge NDVI, PC1, single band of RedEdge, and NIR) to upscale the carbon at landscape level. One-way ANOVA resulted in a highly significant difference (p-value

Objective This study aims to (1) determine and validate living cartilage allograft transplantation as a novel source for viable osteochondral allograft (OCA) tissues and (2) perform histologic and viability comparisons of living donor cartilage tissues to currently available clinical-grade standard processed grafts. Design Using healthy cartilage from well-preserved contralateral compartments in 27 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 10 clinical-grade OCA specimens obtained immediately following operative implantation, standard and living donor OCA quality was evaluated at the time of harvest and following up to 3 weeks of storage on the basis of macroscopic International Cartilage Repair Society grade, histology, and viability. Results Osteochondral samples demonstrated a consistent decrease in viability and histologic quality over the first 3 weeks of storage at 37°C, supporting the utility of an OCA paradigm shift toward early implantation, as was the clinical standard up until recent adoption of transplantation at 14 to 35 days following donor procurement. Samples from the 10 clinical-grade OCAs, implanted at an average of 23 days following graft harvest demonstrated a mean viable cell density of 45.6% at implantation, significantly lower ( P < 0.01) than the 93.6% viability observed in living donor allograft tissues. Conclusions Osteochondral tissue viability and histologic quality progressively decreases with ex vivo storage, even when kept at physiologic temperatures. Currently available clinical OCAs are stored for 2 to 5 weeks prior to implantation and demonstrate inferior viability to that of fresh osteochondral tissues that can be made available through the use of a living donor cartilage program.