Identification of Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant Berries: Differences Among Cultivars

Berries of blackcurrant are known to produce a strong flavor. Some previous studies have reported that a given cultivar of blackcurrant can produce berries with a specific profile of volatile compounds. For the Burgundy region in France, the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar is especially important because it is the main ingredient of a liquor with a designation of origin. The aim of the present study was to characterize the volatile fractions of berries from 15 cultivars in order to explore the possibility of using different cultivars for liquor production. The plants were cultivated under the same conditions and harvested in the same year. The volatile fractions of the harvested berries were analyzed using HS-SPME-GC-MS. Thorough univariate statistical analysis and multivariate analysis were applied to the dataset, which made it possible to identify groups within cultivars. The Rosenthal cultivar exhibited a quite flat profile; the Lositkia, Ben Tiran, and Barchatnaia cultivars shared common features; the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar showed the highest amounts of molecules such as 3-carene, limonene, β-phellandrene, ocimene, α-terpinolene, and bicyclogermacrene. None of the studied varieties were close to the Noir de Bourgogne on the basis of VOC analysis.

Variation Tendency of Coastline under Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbance around the Abandoned Yellow River Delta in 1984–2019

The coast around the Abandoned Yellow River Delta underwent significant changes under anthropogenic disturbance. This study aims to reveal the variation of the coastline, tidal flat area, and intertidal zone slope before, during, and after extensive reclamation during the period of 1984–2019 using satellite remote sensing images. In order to eliminate the influence of the varying water level, a new coastline correction algorithm had been proposed under the condition of insufficient accurate slope and water level data. The influence of seawalls on slope estimation were considered in it. The spatiotemporal evolution of coast had been analyzed and confirmed to be reasonable by comparing with the observed data. The results show that the coast can be roughly divided into a north erosion part and a south deposition part. Affected by reclamation, their tidal flat area in 2019 is reduced to only 43 and 27% of original area in 1984, respectively, which results in a continuous decrease in the tidal flat width. The adjustment of the tidal flat profile makes the slopes steeper in the erosion part, while the slopes in the deposition part remain stable. The reclamation has stimulated a cumulative effect as the disappearance of the intertidal zone, which may lead to the destruction of biological habitats.

High-Efficiency Polarizer Reflectarray Antennas for Data Transmission Links from a CubeSat

This paper presents two designs of high-efficiency polarizer reflectarray antennas able to generate a collimated beam in dual-circular polarization using a linearly polarized feed, with application to high-gain antennas for data transmission links from a Cubesat. First, an 18 cm × 18 cm polarizer reflectarray operating in the 17.2–22.7 GHz band has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The measurements of the prototype show an aperture efficiency of 52.7% for right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) and 57.3% for left-handed circular polarization (LHCP), both values higher than those previously reported in related works. Then, a dual-band polarizer reflectarray is presented for the first time, which operates in dual-CP in the frequency bands of 20 GHz and 30 GHz. The proposed antenna technology enables a reduction of the complexity and cost of the feed chain to operate in dual-CP, as a linear-to-circular polarizer is no longer required. This property, combined with the lightweight, flat profile and low fabrication cost of printed reflectarrays, makes the proposed antennas good candidates for Cubesat applications.

Dependence of Surface Profile on Diamond Impregnation Characteristics

The paper presents the results of studies of the profile of the impregnated diamond surface depending on the grain size and initial roughness of the matrix. The experiments were carried out by impregnating powders of different grit size into a matrix made of low-carbon low-alloy steel with HB180 hardness using a ball indenter. The roughness parameters were measured using a contact profilometer. The height and step parameters of roughness and the curve of the profile bearing length were evaluated. In studying the effect of grain size on the surface profile, it was found that the optimal grain size should be 0.5...0.8 of the initial surface mean spacing profile irregularities. The shape of the Abbott-Firestone curve in this case corresponds to a flat profile. Experiments carried out with varying the initial roughness of the samples confirmed the dependence of the optimum grain size on the mean spacing of the profile irregularities. The developed research procedure can be used to design technological processes of hardening parts, tools and accessories by diamond impregnation.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of 3D Micro-Corrugated Wing in Gliding Flight

In this study, computational fluid dynamics analysis was performed on a three-dimensional model of a Libellulidae wing to determine aerodynamic performance in gliding flight. The wing is comprised of various corrugated features alongside the spanwise and chordwise directions, as well as twist. The detailed features of real 3D dragonfly wing models, including all the corrugations through both span and chord, have not been considered in the past for a detailed aerodynamic analysis. The simulations were conducted by solving the Navier-Stokes equations to demonstrate gliding performance over a range of angles of attack at low Reynolds numbers. The numerical model was validated against experimental data obtained from a fabricated corrugated wing model using particle image velocimetry. The numerical results demonstrate that bio-inspired wings with corrugations compared to flat profile wings generate more lift with lower drag, trapping the vortices in the valleys of wing corrugation leading to delayed flow separation and delayed stall. The experimental and numerical results demonstrate that the methodology presented in this study can be used to measure bio-inspired 3D wing flow characteristics, including the influence of complex corrugations on aerodynamic performance. These findings contribute to the advancement of knowledge required for designing an optimized bioinspired micro air vehicle.

Career Goal Profiles of Early Career Scientists: A Person-Centered Approach

Obtaining a doctorate offers various career options. This study takes a person-centered approach to identify interest profiles. Career goals (professorate, entrepreneur, etc.) were assessed at two time points (1-year interval) in a sample of doctoral students and doctorate holders from the STEM fields in German-speaking areas ( NT 1 = 2,077). Latent profile analysis revealed that a four-profile solution provided the best data fit: At T1, 33.0% of the participants aimed for a management position in industry, 16.9% pursued an academic career, 30.1% were interested in activities without leadership responsibilities, and 20.1% had a relatively flat career-goal profile. Latent transition analysis indicated that most changes occurred for those classified into the flat profile, while strong interest in a management career was very stable over time. Additionally, the attainment of the doctorate seemed to be a good predictor for profile membership: Doctorate holders were more likely to be clearly dedicated to an academic career.

Basal Insulin Fc (BIF), A Novel Insulin Suited For Once Weekly Dosing For The Treatment of Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

An optimally designed once-weekly basal insulin with reduced day-to-day pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) fluctuations compared to daily basal insulins should have a low peak-to-trough ratio at steady state. An insulin with this flat profile could improve glycemic efficacy while reducing hypoglycemia. Basal insulin Fc (BIF; LY3209590) is an insulin IgG Fc-fusion protein developed for once weekly dosing. The results of the first in-human studies of BIF assessing the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD following single and once-weekly doses of BIF are presented below. The single ascending dose (SAD) study assessed 6 dose levels of BIF, administered to healthy subjects or patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In the multiple ascending dose (MAD) study, patients with T2DM previously treated with basal insulin received a one-time loading dose at Week 1 followed by a once-weekly maintenance dose for 5 additional weeks. Four fixed-dose maintenance dose levels were evaluated. The loading dose was implemented to rapidly achieve steady-state BIF concentration at each dose level. Patients with T2DM in the control group received insulin glargine at the same dose as their previous daily insulin dose. Key objectives were safety and tolerability, PK endpoints with a focus on half-life and peak-to-trough ratio at steady state, and finally PD measures. The SAD study included 57 patients with T2DM and 16 healthy subjects. The mean age of patients with T2DM was 58.4 years and the mean BMI was 29.5±3.2 kg/m2. The mean age of healthy subjects was 35.8±9.3 years and the mean BMI was 26.1±3.1 kg/m2. In the SAD study, BIF demonstrated linear PK with dose-proportional concentration profiles in healthy subjects and patients with T2DM. The maximum BIF concentration was reached on Day 4. BIF had a mean half-life of approximately 17 days in patients with T2DM. Following a single dose of BIF, a decrease in FBG was observed on Day 1 and was sustained until at least 5 days post-dose. In the MAD study in 33 subjects with T2DM aged between 40 and 69 years, BIF demonstrated a nearly peak-less PK profile over a one-week dosing interval with a peak-to-trough ratio of ~1.1 at steady state. This flat profile is in contrast to insulin glargine. Following once-daily dosing, insulin glargine has a daily peak-to-trough ratio of ~2. Over the 6-week duration, the 7-point glucose profiles remained constant over time and were similar to insulin glargine profiles. BIF was well tolerated and had a safety profile similar to insulin glargine-treated subjects. In particular, hypoglycemia rates were also similar to insulin glargine and there was no occurrence of hypoglycemic events with cognitive dysfunction. These data support continued development of BIF as a once-weekly insulin treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Deformation Texture Evolution in Flat Profile AlMgSi Extrusions: Experiments, FEM, and Crystal Plasticity Modeling

In the present work, the deformation textures during flat profile extrusion from round billets of an AA6063 and an AA6082 aluminium alloy have been numerically modeled by coupling FEM flow simulations and crystal plasticity simulations and compared to experimentally measured textures obtained by electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD). The AA6063 alloy was extruded at a relatively low temperature (350°C), while the AA6082 alloy, containing dispersoids that prevent recrystallization, was extruded at a higher temperature (500°C). Both alloys were water quenched at the exit of the die, to maintain the deformation texture after extrusion. In the center of the profiles, both alloys exhibit a conventional β-fiber texture and the Cube component, which was significantly stronger at the highest extrusion temperature. The classical full-constraint (FC)-Taylor and the Alamel grain cluster model were employed for the texture predictions. Both models were implemented using the regularized single crystal yield surface. This approach enables activation of any number and type of slip systems, as well as accounting for strain rate sensitivity, which are important at 350°C and 500°C. The strength of the nonoctahedral slips and the strain-rate sensitivity were varied by a global optimization algorithm. At 350°C, a good fit could be obtained both with the FC Taylor and the Alamel model, although the Alamel model clearly performs the best. However, even with rate sensitivity and nonoctahedral slip systems invoked, none of the models are capable of predicting the strong Cube component observed experimentally at 500°C.

Stickler syndrome in the Czech Republic: phenotypic variability and genetic heterogeneity

Stickler syndrome (STL) is a progressive multisystemic disorder of connective tissue with an incidence of 1:7,500 newborns, which is probably underestimated due to its considerable clinical and genetic heterogeneity. STL symptoms include cleft palate or the Pierre-Robin sequence, hearing and/ or vision impairment, namely early high myopia and spontaneous retinal detachment, skeletal dysplasia, and a characteristic facial appearance, including a flat profile, protruding eyes, and micrognathia. STL symptoms show high inter- and even intrafamilial phenotypical variability. Variants in seven different collagen genes can cause STL. Autosomal dominant (AD) type 1 caused by a defect in the COL2A1 gene is the most common form of STL (80–90%); AD type 2 (involving COL11A1 gene defects) is much less common (10–20%). The third AD type and all autosomal recessive types are extremely rare. A genetically confirmed dia­gnosis of STL facilitates early treatment, prevention, and an accurate genetic risk estimation of STL in the family.

Landscape-induced spatial oscillations in population dynamics

We study the effect that disturbances in the ecological landscape exert on the spatial distribution of a population that evolves according to the nonlocal FKPP equation. Using both numerical and analytical techniques, we characterize, as a function of the interaction kernel, the three types of stationary profiles that can develop near abrupt spatial variations in the environmental conditions vital for population growth: sustained oscillations, decaying oscillations and exponential relaxation towards a flat profile. Through the mapping between the features of the induced wrinkles and the shape of the interaction kernel, we discuss how heterogeneities can reveal information that would be hidden in a flat landscape.