A versatile electrolyte system for electrodeposition of p-block elements from single ohase supercritical CH2F2

For the first time, a versatile electrolyte bath is described that can be used to electrodeposit a wide range of p-block elements from supercritical difluoromethane (scCH2F2). The bath comprises the tetrabutylammonium chlorometallate complex of the element in an electrolyte of 50×10−3 mol dm−3 tetrabutylammonium chloride at 17.2 MPa and 358 K. Through the use of anionic ([GaCl4]−, [InCl4]−, [GeCl3]−, [SnCl3]−, [SbCl4]−, and [BiCl4]−) and dianionic ([SeCl6]2− and [TeCl6]2−) chlorometallate salts, the deposition of elemental Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Sb, Bi, Se, and Te is demonstrated. In all cases, with the exception of gallium, which is a liquid under the deposition conditions, the resulting deposits are characterised by SEM, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. An advantage of this electrolyte system is that the reagents are all crystalline solids, reasonably easy to handle and not highly water or oxygen sensitive. The results presented herein significantly broaden the range of materials accessible by electrodeposition from supercritical fluid and open up the future possibility of utilising the full scope of these unique fluids to electrodeposit functional binary or ternary alloys and compounds of these elements

Electrodeposition from supercritical fluids

Recent studies have shown that it is possible to electrodeposit a range of materials, such as Cu, Ag and Ge, from various supercritical fluids, including hydrofluorocarbons and mixtures of CO2 with suitable co-solvents. In this perspective we discuss the relatively new field of electrodeposition from supercritical fluids. The perspective focuses on some of the underlying physical chemistry and covers both practical and scientific aspects of electrodeposition from supercritical fluids. We also discuss possible applications for supercritical fluid electrodeposition and suggest some key developments that are required to take the field to the next stage

Numerical solutions of random mean square Fisher-KPP models with advection

[EN] This paper deals with the construction of numerical stable solutions of random mean square Fisher-Kolmogorov-Petrosky-Piskunov (Fisher-KPP) models with advection. The construction of the numerical scheme is performed in two stages. Firstly, a semidiscretization technique transforms the original continuous problem into a nonlinear inhomogeneous system of random differential equations. Then, by extending to the random framework, the ideas of the exponential time differencing method, a full vector discretization of the problem addresses to a random vector difference scheme. A sample approach of the random vector difference scheme, the use of properties of Metzler matrices and the logarithmic norm allow the proof of stability of the numerical solutions in the mean square sense. In spite of the computational complexity, the results are illustrated by comparing the results with a test problem where the exact solution is known.Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Grant/Award Number: MTM2017-89664-PCasabán Bartual, MC.; Company Rossi, R.; Jódar Sánchez, LA. (2020). Numerical solutions of random mean square Fisher-KPP models with advection. Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences. 43(14):8015-8031. https://doi.org/10.1002/mma.5942S801580314314FISHER, R. A. (1937). THE WAVE OF ADVANCE OF ADVANTAGEOUS GENES. Annals of Eugenics, 7(4), 355-369. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1809.1937.tb02153.xBengfort, M., Malchow, H., & Hilker, F. M. (2016). The Fokker–Planck law of diffusion and pattern formation in heterogeneous environments. Journal of Mathematical Biology, 73(3), 683-704. doi:10.1007/s00285-016-0966-8Okubo, A., & Levin, S. A. (2001). Diffusion and Ecological Problems: Modern Perspectives. Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics. doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-4978-6SKELLAM, J. G. (1951). RANDOM DISPERSAL IN THEORETICAL POPULATIONS. Biometrika, 38(1-2), 196-218. doi:10.1093/biomet/38.1-2.196Aronson, D. G., & Weinberger, H. F. (1975). Nonlinear diffusion in population genetics, combustion, and nerve pulse propagation. Partial Differential Equations and Related Topics, 5-49. doi:10.1007/bfb0070595Aronson, D. ., & Weinberger, H. . (1978). Multidimensional nonlinear diffusion arising in population genetics. Advances in Mathematics, 30(1), 33-76. doi:10.1016/0001-8708(78)90130-5Weinberger, H. F. (2002). On spreading speeds and traveling waves for growth and migration models in a periodic habitat. Journal of Mathematical Biology, 45(6), 511-548. doi:10.1007/s00285-002-0169-3Weinberger, H. F., Lewis, M. A., & Li, B. (2007). Anomalous spreading speeds of cooperative recursion systems. Journal of Mathematical Biology, 55(2), 207-222. doi:10.1007/s00285-007-0078-6Liang, X., & Zhao, X.-Q. (2006). Asymptotic speeds of spread and traveling waves for monotone semiflows with applications. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, 60(1), 1-40. doi:10.1002/cpa.20154E. Fitzgibbon, W., Parrott, M. E., & Webb, G. (1995). Diffusive epidemic models with spatial and age dependent heterogeneity. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - A, 1(1), 35-57. doi:10.3934/dcds.1995.1.35Kinezaki, N., Kawasaki, K., & Shigesada, N. (2006). Spatial dynamics of invasion in sinusoidally varying environments. Population Ecology, 48(4), 263-270. doi:10.1007/s10144-006-0263-2Jin, Y., Hilker, F. M., Steffler, P. M., & Lewis, M. A. (2014). Seasonal Invasion Dynamics in a Spatially Heterogeneous River with Fluctuating Flows. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 76(7), 1522-1565. doi:10.1007/s11538-014-9957-3Faou, E. (2009). Analysis of splitting methods for reaction-diffusion problems using stochastic calculus. Mathematics of Computation, 78(267), 1467-1483. doi:10.1090/s0025-5718-08-02185-6Doering, C. R., Mueller, C., & Smereka, P. (2003). Interacting particles, the stochastic Fisher–Kolmogorov–Petrovsky–Piscounov equation, and duality. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 325(1-2), 243-259. doi:10.1016/s0378-4371(03)00203-6Siekmann, I., Bengfort, M., & Malchow, H. (2017). Coexistence of competitors mediated by nonlinear noise. The European Physical Journal Special Topics, 226(9), 2157-2170. doi:10.1140/epjst/e2017-70038-6McKean, H. P. (1975). Application of brownian motion to the equation of kolmogorov-petrovskii-piskunov. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, 28(3), 323-331. doi:10.1002/cpa.3160280302Berestycki, H., & Nadin, G. (2012). Spreading speeds for one-dimensional monostable reaction-diffusion equations. Journal of Mathematical Physics, 53(11), 115619. doi:10.1063/1.4764932Cortés, J. C., Jódar, L., Villafuerte, L., & Villanueva, R. J. (2007). Computing mean square approximations of random diffusion models with source term. Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 76(1-3), 44-48. doi:10.1016/j.matcom.2007.01.020Villafuerte, L., Braumann, C. A., Cortés, J.-C., & Jódar, L. (2010). Random differential operational calculus: Theory and applications. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 59(1), 115-125. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2009.08.061Casabán, M.-C., Cortés, J.-C., & Jódar, L. (2016). Solving linear and quadratic random matrix differential equations: A mean square approach. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 40(21-22), 9362-9377. doi:10.1016/j.apm.2016.06.017Sarmin, E. N., & Chudov, L. A. (1963). On the stability of the numerical integration of systems of ordinary differential equations arising in the use of the straight line method. USSR Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Physics, 3(6), 1537-1543. doi:10.1016/0041-5553(63)90256-8Sanz-Serna, J. M., & Verwer, J. G. (1989). Convergence analysis of one-step schemes in the method of lines. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 31, 183-196. doi:10.1016/0096-3003(89)90118-5Calvo, M. P., de Frutos, J., & Novo, J. (2001). Linearly implicit Runge–Kutta methods for advection–reaction–diffusion equations. Applied Numerical Mathematics, 37(4), 535-549. doi:10.1016/s0168-9274(00)00061-1Cox, S. M., & Matthews, P. C. (2002). Exponential Time Differencing for Stiff Systems. Journal of Computational Physics, 176(2), 430-455. doi:10.1006/jcph.2002.6995De la Hoz, F., & Vadillo, F. (2016). Numerical simulations of time-dependent partial differential equations. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 295, 175-184. doi:10.1016/j.cam.2014.10.006Company, R., Egorova, V. N., & Jódar, L. (2018). Conditional full stability of positivity-preserving finite difference scheme for diffusion–advection-reaction models. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 341, 157-168. doi:10.1016/j.cam.2018.02.031Kaczorek, T. (2002). Positive 1D and 2D Systems. Communications and Control Engineering. doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-0221-2Pazy, A. (1983). Semigroups of Linear Operators and Applications to Partial Differential Equations. Applied Mathematical Sciences. doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-5561-

The value of hippocampal and temporal horn volumes and rates of change in predicting future conversion to AD.

Hippocampal pathology occurs early in Alzheimer disease (AD), and atrophy, measured by volumes and volume changes, may predict which subjects will develop AD. Measures of the temporal horn (TH), which is situated adjacent to the hippocampus, may also indicate early changes in AD. Previous studies suggest that these metrics can predict conversion from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD with conversion and volume change measured concurrently. However, the ability of these metrics to predict future conversion has not been investigated. We compared the abilities of hippocampal, TH, and global measures to predict future conversion from MCI to AD. TH, hippocampi, whole brain, and ventricles were measured using baseline and 12-month scans. Boundary shift integral was used to measure the rate of change. We investigated the prediction of conversion between 12 and 24 months in subjects classified as MCI from baseline to 12 months. All measures were predictive of future conversion. Local and global rates of change were similarly predictive of conversion. There was evidence that the TH expansion rate is more predictive than the hippocampal atrophy rate (P=0.023) and that the TH expansion rate is more predictive than the TH volume (P=0.036). Prodromal atrophy rates may be useful predictors of future conversion to sporadic AD from amnestic MCI

Компьютерное моделирование удара упругой сферы с упругим полупространством

В последнее время физика взаимодействия твердых частиц представляет интерес для большинства технологических процессов, связанных с динамикой сыпучих сред. Однако до сих пор не было разработано единой теории взаимодействия частиц при их соударении из-за сложности описания контакта взаимодействующих частиц. Аналитическое решение существует только для простейшего случая, когда при ударе наблюдается полное скольжение без трения

A prospective cohort study comparing the reactogenicity of trivalent influenza vaccine in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Background: Influenza vaccination during pregnancy can prevent serious illness in expectant mothers and provide protection to newborns; however, historically uptake has been limited due to a number of factors, including safety concerns. Symptomatic complaints are common during pregnancy and may be mistakenly associated with reactions to trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). To investigate this, we compared post-vaccination events self-reported by pregnant women to events reported by non-pregnant women receiving TIV. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1,086 pregnant women and 314 non-pregnant female healthcare workers (HCWs) who received TIV between March-May 2014 were followed-up seven days post-vaccination to assess local and systemic adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs). Women were surveyed by text message regarding perceived reactions to TIV. Those reporting an AEFI completed an interview by telephone or mobile phone to ascertain details. Logistic regression models adjusting for age and residence were used to compare reactions reported by pregnant women and non-pregnant HCWs. Results: Similar proportions of pregnant women and non-pregnant, female HCWs reported ≥1 reaction following vaccination with TIV (13.0% and 17.3%, respectively; OR = 1.2 [95% CI: 0.8-1.8]). Non-pregnant, female HCWs were more likely to report fever or headache compared to pregnant women (OR: 4.6 [95% CI 2.1-10.3] and OR: 2.2 [95% CI 1.0-4.6], respectively). No other significant differences in reported symptoms were observed. No serious vaccine-associated adverse events were reported, and less than 2% of each group sought medical advice for a reaction. Conclusions: We found no evidence suggesting pregnant women are more likely to report adverse events following influenza vaccination when compared to non-pregnant female HCWs of similar age, and in some cases, pregnant women reported significantly fewer adverse events. These results further support the safety of TIV administered in pregnant women

Centre selection for clinical trials and the generalisability of results: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The rationale for centre selection in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is often unclear but may have important implications for the generalisability of trial results. The aims of this study were to evaluate the factors which currently influence centre selection in RCTs and consider how generalisability considerations inform current and optimal practice. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Mixed methods approach consisting of a systematic review and meta-summary of centre selection criteria reported in RCT protocols funded by the UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) initiated between January 2005-January 2012; and an online survey on the topic of current and optimal centre selection, distributed to professionals in the 48 UK Clinical Trials Units and 10 NIHR Research Design Services. The survey design was informed by the systematic review and by two focus groups conducted with trialists at the Birmingham Centre for Clinical Trials. 129 trial protocols were included in the systematic review, with a total target sample size in excess of 317,000 participants. The meta-summary identified 53 unique centre selection criteria. 78 protocols (60%) provided at least one criterion for centre selection, but only 31 (24%) protocols explicitly acknowledged generalisability. This is consistent with the survey findings (n = 70), where less than a third of participants reported generalisability as a key driver of centre selection in current practice. This contrasts with trialists' views on optimal practice, where generalisability in terms of clinical practice, population characteristics and economic results were prime considerations for 60% (n = 42), 57% (n = 40) and 46% (n = 32) of respondents, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Centres are rarely enrolled in RCTs with an explicit view to external validity, although trialists acknowledge that incorporating generalisability in centre selection should ideally be more prominent. There is a need to operationalize 'generalisability' and incorporate it at the design stage of RCTs so that results are readily transferable to 'real world' practice

The Belt and Road Initiative for an intercontinental ecosystem: Strategic implications for multinational enterprises around the world

[Extract] International trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), as well as other forms of cross-border economic activities, are essential to globalization, even in the emerging era of neoglobalization as a unique balance between globalization and deglobalization. Despite the hype, globalization is a relatively new phenomenon

Electrodeposition of Protocrystalline Germanium from Supercritical Difluoromethane

We report results for the electrochemistry of the germanium(II) tri-halide anions, [GeCl3]?, [GeBr3]? and [GeI3]?, in supercritical difluoromethane containing 60?mm [NnBu4][BF4] at 19.1?MPa and 358?K. The voltammetry shows mass-transport-limited currents for reduction to germanium at gold on the first scan. There is no evidence of a germanium stripping peak and, on subsequent scans, the electrode slowly passivates with the deposition of approximately 0.4??m of material. The redox potentials for the reduction of the three tri-halides are in the order [GeCl3]? <[GeBr3]? <[GeI3]?, with the iodide being the most easily reduced complex. Electrodeposition of germanium onto TiN electrodes from supercritical difluoromethane at 19.1?MPa and 358?K, using either 16?mm [EMIM][GeI3] with 60?mm [EMIM][BF4] or 16?mm [NnBu4][GeI3] with 60?mm [NnBu4][BF4], gave deposition rates of 2–3??m?h?1. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the resulting germanium films were protocrystalline, containing nanocrystals of germanium embedded in an amorphous germanium matri

What we talk about when we talk about "global mindset": managerial cognition in multinational corporations

Recent developments in the global economy and in multinational corporations have placed significant emphasis on the cognitive orientations of managers, giving rise to a number of concepts such as “global mindset” that are presumed to be associated with the effective management of multinational corporations (MNCs). This paper reviews the literature on global mindset and clarifies some of the conceptual confusion surrounding the construct. We identify common themes across writers, suggesting that the majority of studies fall into one of three research perspectives: cultural, strategic, and multidimensional. We also identify two constructs from the social sciences that underlie the perspectives found in the literature: cosmopolitanism and cognitive complexity and use these two constructs to develop an integrative theoretical framework of global mindset. We then provide a critical assessment of the field of global mindset and suggest directions for future theoretical and empirical research