Influence of Ar gas pressure on ion energy and charge state distributions in pulsed cathodic arc plasmas from Nb-Al cathodes studied with high time resolution

For cathodic arcs, the cathode material is one of the most important determinants of plasma properties. Consequently, the cathode material - plasma relationship is of special interest in related fundamental research as well as in applications like the synthesis of thin films and coatings. In the latter, the use of multi-element cathodes in inert as well as reactive gas atmospheres is common practice. To further improve the physical understanding of cathodic arcs in such settings, we analyze ions in pulsed cathodic arc plasmas from Nb, Al and two composite Nb-Al cathodes with high time-resolution using a mass-energy-analyzer. The experiments were conducted in Ar atmosphere at total pressures of 0.04, 0.20 and 0.40 Pa, and are compared to earlier results in high vacuum at 10-4. In addition to examining the influence of Ar on ion properties and their cathode material dependence, the results are used to discuss physical concepts in cathodic arcs, like the gas-dynamic expansion of the cathode spot plasma, or the influence of charge exchange collisions of ions with neutrals. While such inelastic collisions e.g. with Ar atoms cause a reduction of charge states to mainly Al+ and Nb2+ at the highest pressure, Ar atoms also seem to take part in near-cathode processes. Ar ions in different time and energy regimes up to 150 eV were observed and compared to Nb and Al ions, showing overlapping velocity distributions for Nb, Al and Ar+ ions, but also Ar2+ ions faster than other ion species. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd

Regionale Selbstverständnisse und gegenseitige Wahrnehmung von Deutschen und Tschechen

"Zu den Zeiten des Ost-West-Konfliktes beherrschte der so genannte Eiserne Vorhang zwischen Deutschland und der Tschechoslowakei die Wahrnehmung der grenzregionalen bayerischen und tschechischen Bevölkerung und markierte das Ende der eigenen Lebenswelt. Seit dem Ende der Ost-West-Konfrontation vor mehr als einem Jahrzehnt ist indes der Nachbar jenseits der Grenze zu einem wichtigen Faktor regionaler Politik und regionalen Selbstverständnisses geworden. Jedoch zeigt sich, dass alleine die Möglichkeit, ein grenzüberschreitendes Miteinander vor der eigenen Haustüre pflegen zu können, bislang nur bedingt nachhaltige Beziehungsverflechtungen mit sich brachte. Die im Grenzgebiet ansässige Bevölkerung beider Länder, welche einen deutsch-tschechischen Dialog mit vergleichsweise geringem Aufwand führen kann, lebt tatsächlich noch mehr nebeneinander als miteinander. Zumindest die euphorischen Erwartungen und damit verbundenen Hoffnungen nach dem Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs haben sich bis dato nicht erfüllt. Auch wenn teilweise ein engagierter interkultureller Austausch stattfindet und dieser intensiv gefördert wird, dominiert im gesamten bayerisch-tschechischen Grenzraum doch aktuell das Desinteresse der Bevölkerung gegenüber dem jeweiligen Nachbar. Allerdings sind auch regionale Unterschiede auszumachen: Der Bayerische Wald und weite Teile der Oberpfalz verharren in der Sicherheit ihres historisch fundierten Selbstverständnisses und sehen entsprechend kaum Bedarf, sich nach Osten zu orientieren. Demgegenüber ist ein solcher regionaler Bezugsrahmen der Bevölkerung im Fichtelgebirge und im tschechischen Grenzraum geringer ausgeprägt, weshalb der potenzielle Nutzen grenzüberschreitender Beziehungen verstärkt wahrgenommen und diskutiert sowie dem Nachbar vermehrt Aufmerksamkeit zuteil wird. Die stärkere Wahrnehmung des Anderen führt aber nicht nur zu einer bemerkenswerten Aufgeschlossenheit, sondern auch zu vergleichsweise negativ ausgeprägten Einstellungen gegenüber dem Nachbar. Um auf solche Befunde reagieren und Strategien für die Stärkung der regionalen Identität wie auch die bayerisch-böhmische Nachbarschaft entwickeln zu können, müssen lokale und regionale Eigenheiten und somit das Selbstverständnis der Bevölkerung ernst genommen werden. Gutnachbarschaftlichen Beziehungen, welche im Grenzraum unmittelbare Relevanz besitzen und hier einer Bewährungsprobe unterzogen werden, erscheinen unter dieser Voraussetzung durchaus realisierbar." (Autorenreferat

The effect of calcium hydroxide on the storage behaviour of poplar wood chips in open-air piles

Biomass degradation by microorganisms may cause major losses during the storage of wood chips for energy production. Poplar wood chips from short rotation coppices are especially prone to degradation with dry matter losses (DML) of up to 25% within a storage period, emphasizing the need for countermeasures. Therefore, we investigated the potential of the addition of alkaline Ca(OH)2 to the wet biomass of poplar wood chips and hypothesised that the establishment of an alkaline environment would reduce the activity of fungi, the primary wood degraders. Three industrial-scale piles (250 m³) with 0, 1.5 and 3% Ca(OH)2 were installed in Güssing, Austria and for four months (April–August 2019) the pile temperature, pH, moisture content, gas evolution (O2, CO2, H2, H2S, CH4) as well as DML were monitored. Ca(OH)2 altered the physicochemical properties of the wood chips but did not prevent biomass losses. However, as compared to literature, the DML were, compared to earlier investigations, also low in the control. In addition, cultivation methods were performed to evaluate the diversity of thermophilic microbes throughout the storage. Numerous filamentous fungi belonging to the phyla Ascomycota and Mucoromycota were isolated, being Rhizomucor pusillus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Thermomyces lanuginosa and Thermoascus aurantiacus the dominant species. Only minor differences in the fungal composition were detected as a result of Ca(OH)2 addition. Instead, clear shifts in colony forming units (CFUs) were detected as a function of progressing storage time, with a decrease of the number of propagules after four months

SELD-TCN: Sound Event Localization & Detection via Temporal Convolutional Networks

The understanding of the surrounding environment plays a critical role in autonomous robotic systems, such as self-driving cars. Extensive research has been carried out concerning visual perception. Yet, to obtain a more complete perception of the environment, autonomous systems of the future should also take acoustic information into account. Recent sound event localization and detection (SELD) frameworks utilize convolutional recurrent neural networks (CRNNs). However, considering the recurrent nature of CRNNs, it becomes challenging to implement them efficiently on embedded hardware. Not only are their computations strenuous to parallelize, but they also require high memory bandwidth and large memory buffers. In this work, we develop a more robust and hardware-friendly novel architecture based on a temporal convolutional network(TCN). The proposed framework (SELD-TCN) outperforms the state-of-the-art SELDnet performance on four different datasets. Moreover, SELD-TCN achieves 4x faster training time per epoch and 40x faster inference time on an ordinary graphics processing unit (GPU).Comment: 5 pages, 3 tables, 2 figures. Submitted to EUSIPCO 202

Ureterocystoplasty in Boys with Valve Bladder Syndrome—Is This Method Still up to Date?

Boys with valve bladder syndrome (PUV) require adequate treatment of the lower urinary tract to preserve renal function and improve long-term outcomes. In some patients, further surgery may be necessary to improve bladder capacity and function. Ureterocytoplasty (UCP) is usually carried out with a small segment of intestine or, alternatively, with a dilated ureter. Our aim was to evaluate the long-term outcomes after UCP in boys with PUV. UCP had been performed in 10 boys with PUV at our hospital (2004–2019). Pre- and postoperative data were evaluated in relation to kidney and bladder function, the SWRD score, additional surgery, complications, and long-term follow-up. The mean time between primary valve ablation and UCP was 3.5 years (SD ± 2.0). The median follow-up time was 64.5 months (IQR 36.0–97.25). The mean increase in age-adjusted bladder capacity was 25% (from 77% (SD ± 0.28) to 102% (SD ± 0.46)). Eight boys micturated spontaneously. Ultrasounds showed no severe hydronephrosis (grade 3–4). The SWRD score showed a median decrease from 4.5 (range 2–7) to 3.0 (range 1–5). No conversion of augmentation was required. UCP is a safe and effective approach to improve bladder capacity in boys with PUV. In addition, the possibility of micturating naturally is still maintained

Simultaneous Mass Spectrometry-Based Apolipoprotein Profiling and Apolipoprotein E Phenotyping in Patients with ASCVD and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) occurs on the majority of plasma lipoproteins and plays a major role in the lipid metabolism in the periphery and in the central nervous system. ApoE is a polymorphic protein with three common isoforms, apoE2, apoE3 and apoE4, derived from respective alleles '2, '3 and '4. The aim of this study was to develop a sample pretreatment protocol combined with rapid mass spectrometry (MS)-based assay for simultaneous apolipoprotein profiling and apoE phenotype identification. This assay was validated in 481 samples from patients with stable atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and applied to study association with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the LIFE Adult study, including overall 690 study subjects. Simultaneous quantification of 8–12 major apolipoproteins including apoA-I, apoB-100 and apoE could be performed within 6.5 min. Phenotyping determined with the developed MS assay had good agreement with the genotyping by real-time fluorescence PCR (97.5%). ApoE2 isoform was associated with the highest total apoE concentration compared to apoE3 and apoE4 (p < 0.001). In the subgroup of diabetic atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) patients, apoE2 isoform was related to higher apoC-I levels (apoE2 vs. apoE3, p < 0.05), while in the subgroup of ASCVD patients under statin therapy apoE2 was related to lower apoB-100 levels (apoE2 vs. apoE3/apoE4, p < 0.05). A significant difference in apoE concentration observed between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects and controls was confirmed for each apoE phenotype. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for the successful implementation of an MS-based apoE phenotyping assay, which can be used to assess phenotype effects on plasma lipid and apolipoprotein levels

A parametric study on supercritical water gasification of Laminaria hyperborea: a carbohydrate-rich macroalga.

The potential of supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of macroalgae for hydrogen and methane production has been investigated in view of the growing interest in a future macroalgae biorefinery concept. The compositions of syngas from the catalytic SCWG of Laminaria hyperborea under varying parameters including catalyst loading, feed concentration, hold time and temperature have been investigated. Their effects on gas yields, gasification efficiency and energy recovery are presented. Results show that the carbon gasification efficiencies increased with reaction temperature, reaction hold time and catalyst loading but decreased with increasing feed concentrations. In addition, the selectivity towards hydrogen and/or methane production from the SCWG tests could be controlled by the combination of catalysts and varying reaction conditions. For instance, Ru/Al2O3 gave highest carbon conversion and highest methane yield of up to 11 mol/kg, whilst NaOH produced highest hydrogen yield of nearly 30 mol/kg under certain gasification conditions