bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experience and Preparedness of Medical Emergency among Dentists of Private Dental Teaching Hospitals of Lahore
Authors: Tariq Khaloud , Wajahat Mehrin , Hassan Muhammad , Arif Aqsa
Published: February 2022

Objective Handling medical emergency in a dental clinic requires skill and specialized equipment, without which a patient's life can be in jeopardy. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of medical emergencies in dental teaching hospitals and assess the preparedness of dental professionals with regard to the handling of emergency and the equipment available for that.

Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional study employing nonprobability sampling. Data were collected from dental surgeons working in clinical specialties of five dental teaching hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A validated questionnaire was adopted from another study evaluating emergency prevalence and preparedness. Chi square test was used to assess significant associations among categorical variables while independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare mean values among different groups.

Results Prevalence of medical emergencies encountered was 7.9%. About 45% of emergency events occurred during treatment. Hypoglycemia was reported to be the most encountered medical emergency, 83 (37%). Equipment that were available in most departments were stethoscope (81.8%), sphygmomanometer (79.7%), and oxygen cylinder (74.0%). Medications that were readily present were epinephrine (88.1%), glucose (83.2%), and aspirin (76.2%). Seventy-six (53.1%) respondents were not very well prepared to manage a presenting emergency. Twenty-two (85.3%) respondents suggested hands-on courses to improve their skills. About 56 (39.2%) respondents revealed that their departments were not well equipped to handle medical emergencies.

Conclusion Most dentists will get to experience an emergency event during their practice for which they may be underprepared and lack appropriate skill and certainty in management. It also portrays serious lack of preparedness in the supporting staff as well as clinics being deficient in important emergency medication and equipment.
Gynecologic Oncology: On the Shoulders of Giants
Authors: Kulkarni Rohini , Gupta Sudeep , Maheshwari Amita
Published: February 2022

Gynecologic oncology is considered a new field, but its roots are buried deep in the past. As with other tumors, the earliest progress in modern times started with anesthesia and surgery. This was followed by landmark achievements in pathology, cytology, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, tumor virology, generation of high-quality evidence, and, more recently, genetics and genomics. Some of the most notable progresses in gynecologic cancers have been made by integrating the expertise of various specialties in multimodality management approaches. In this article we review the most important milestones in the history of gynecologic oncology and acknowledge the contributions of pioneers who made these possible.
The applications of two-dimensional materials and the derivative quantum dots in photodynamic therapy
Authors: Hao Canhua , Wang Xiaojing , Jia Xianhui , Liu Teng , Sun Jie , Yan Zhong
Published: February 2022

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a slightly innovative therapy, is very popular in the treatment of some diseases, especially tumors. Its basic principle is to expose the lesion site of the body to light at a specific wavelength to activate the photosensitizers that selectively gather at the lesion site, trigger a photochemical reaction, and produce phototoxicity. As photocytotoxicity only occurs in pathological tissues, selective destruction can be made to achieve the targeted therapeutic effect. Therefore, in the course of treatment, the choice of photosensitizer is very important. In recent years, nanotechnology has ushered in rapid development. It has been found that nanomaterials have good biocompatibility and can eliminate some side effects of photosensitizers. Therefore, combining photosensitizers with nanomaterials can effectively improve the efficiency of PDT. In this paper, the most commonly used two-dimensional nanosheets and their derived quantum dots in recent years have been reviewed in terms of their applications in PDT, and the challenges and prospects in the future are also reviewed.
Information geometry theory of bifurcations? A covariant formulation
Authors: da Silva V. B. , Vieira J. P. , Leonel Edson D.
Published: February 2022

The conventional local bifurcation theory (CBT) fails to present a complete characterization of the stability and general aspects of complex phenomena. After all, the CBT only explores the behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems in the neighborhood of their fixed points. Thus, this limitation imposes the necessity of non-trivial global techniques and lengthy numerical solutions. In this article, we present an attempt to overcome these problems by including the Fisher information theory in the study of bifurcations. Here, we investigate a Riemannian metrical structure of local and global bifurcations described in the context of dynamical systems. The introduced metric is based on the concept of information distance. We examine five contrasting models in detail: saddle-node, transcritical, supercritical pitchfork, subcritical pitchfork, and homoclinic bifurcations. We found that the metric imposes a curvature scalar R on the parameter space. Also, we discovered that R diverges to infinity while approaching bifurcation points. We demonstrate that the local stability conditions are recovered from the interpretations of the curvature R, while global stability is inferred from the character of the Fisher metric. The results are a clear improvement over those of the conventional theory.
Spectral analysis and long-time asymptotics of complex mKdV equation
Authors: Zhang Hong-Yi , Zhang Yu-Feng
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we obtain the long-time asymptotics of the complex mKdV equation via the Defit–Zhou method (nonlinear steepest descent method). The Cauchy problem of the complex mKdV equation is transformed into the corresponding Riemann–Hilbert problem on the basis of the Lax pair and the scattering matrix. After that, Riemann–Hilbert problems are converted through a decomposition of the matrix-valued spectral function and factorizations of the jump matrix for Riemann–Hilbert problem. Finally, by solving the last model problem, the long-time asymptotics of complex mKdV equation are derived.
A spectral element-based phase field method for incompressible two-phase flows
Authors: Xiao Yao , Zeng Zhong , Zhang Liangqi , Wang Jingzhu , Wang Yiwei , Liu Hao , Huang Chenguang
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we propose a spectral element-based phase field method by solving the Navier–Stokes/Cahn–Hilliard equations for incompressible two-phase flows. The high-order differential nonlinear term of the Cahn–Hilliard equation poses a great challenge for obtaining numerical solutions, so the Newton–Raphson method is adopted to tackle this conundrum. Furthermore, we employ the time-stepping scheme to decouple the Navier–Stokes equations to favor the computations with large density and viscosity contrast, in terms of both stability and convergence efficiency. In addition, the continuum surface tension model is used to account for the tangential component of the interfacial force, and thus our numerical method has the ability to simulate thermocapillary flows. We present four examples to demonstrate the interface capture accuracy of the proposed method. The shape of the rotating Zalesak's disk is accurately preserved by the present method even for two periods, which implies less dissipation and higher accuracy at long time numerical simulation. It is also noted that the present method with fourth-order element can achieve similar accuracy with the consistent scheme by evaluating the convective fluxes with the fifth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory scheme. Moreover, the proposed method appears to comply well with mass conservation. And the results of thermocapillary flow test show good agreement with theoretical prediction. Finally, the rising bubble and Rayleigh–Taylor instability are considered to verify the proposed method for complex changes in interfacial topology, as well as its performance under large density and viscosity contrasts and high Reynolds number conditions.
Si surface orientation dependence of SiC-dot formation in bulk-Si using hot-C+-ion implantation technique
Authors: Mizuno Tomohisa , Aoki Takashi , Sameshima Toshiyuki
Published: February 2022

We experimentally investigated the Si surface orientation dependence of SiC-dot formation and photoluminescence (PL) properties in three (100)-, (110)-, and (111)-bulk-Si substrates (C+–Si) with different surface densities of Si atoms (NS), where SiC-dots were fabricated by a hot-C+ ion implantation into bulk-Si and post-N2 annealing processes. Transmission electron microscopy observation and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the formation of SiC-dots in the (110)- and (111)-C+–Si, in addition to (100)-C+–Si. The diameter (Φ) and surface density (ND) of the SiC-dots depended on the Si surface orientation, and the average Φ of the SiC-dots in three surface-oriented C+–Si decreased from approximately 5–3 nm with increasing NS because the trapping value of C-ions at SiO2/Si interface increased with increasing NS, which leads to the reduction of C-ions to convert SiC-dots in the SiC-dot formation area under higher NS condition. However, the UV-Raman intensity of the TO mode of Si−C vibration was nearly independent of NS. We experimentally confirmed the PL emissions from the (110)- and (111)-C+–Si in addition to the (100)-C+–Si. As a result, the PL spectrum and PL emission coefficient (η) of the SiC-dots strongly depended on the Si surface orientation. The PL intensity IPL of the SiC-dots strongly depended on the NS because the η of the SiC-dots significantly increased with decreasing Φ, although SiC-dots in Si substrate are not quantum dots. Consequently, IPL of SiC-dots can be improved in a Si substrate with higher NS.
Interacting quantum and classical waves: Resonant and non-resonant energy transfer to electrons immersed in an intense electromagnetic wave
Authors: Mahajan Swadesh M. , Asenjo Felipe A.
Published: February 2022

Dynamics of electrons subjected to a constant amplitude classical electromagnetic (EM) wave is investigated as a fundamental, representative problem in the physics of interacting quantum and classical waves. In the nonrelativistic regime (electrons as Schrödinger waves), the electron energy acquires a constant and a time dependent part. Driven by EM waves, both parts scale strongly with the amplitude, but we expect no resonant enhancement since the parallel electron “speed” of nonrelativistic electrons could never match the wave phase velocity. In the relativistic regime (electron as a Klein–Gordon wave), however, a class of electron waves (with parallel speed matching the EM phase speed) are resonantly excited to extremely high energies. Such a direct resonant energy transfer from intense electromagnetic waves constitutes a mechanism that could, in principle, power the most energetic of cosmic rays (this mechanism will work on protons just as well). Some predictions of the theory will, hopefully, be tested in laboratory laser experiments. The nonrelativistic calculations will also be examined in the context of recent experiments using photon-induced near-field electron microscopy in detail.
Broadband achromatic mid-infrared metalens with polarization-insensitivity
Authors: Sha Chenchen , Xiong Wenhui , Zhang Baifu , Ding Jianping
Published: February 2022

Metasurfaces have shown excellent ability in manipulating light fields. However, the intrinsic chromatic aberration impairs the quality of their broadband operation, which is a serious problem restricting the application of metadevices, especially metalenses. In this paper, a polarization-independent broadband achromatic metalens composed of engineered structures that have spatially varying gradient sizes is devised to focus the light over the mid-infrared region from 3 to 5 µm. The proposed dielectric metalens is constructed by an array of meta-units with a hollowed square pillar. By tuning its structural parameters, the optical response of the meta-unit turns out to be broadband achromatic, insensitive to the polarization state, and of high efficiency. Numerical simulation results show that the designed metalens can significantly suppress chromatic aberrations over a broad mid-infrared and hold a focusing efficiency of nearly 75%. Our work is beneficial to improving the mid-infrared broadband imaging quality and detection efficiency.
One-sided composite cavity on an optical nanofiber for cavity QED
Authors: Yalla Ramachandrarao , Muhammed Shafi K. , Nayak Kali P. , Hakuta Kohzo
Published: February 2022

We demonstrate a one-sided cavity on an optical nanofiber (ONF) using a composite method. The one-sided composite cavity is created by mounting an asymmetric defect mode grating on an ONF. We design the one-sided composite cavity on an ONF to enhance channeling efficiency into one side of ONF while operating from under- to critical- and over-coupling regimes using numerical simulations. Experimentally, we demonstrate coupling characteristics of the one-sided composite cavity, showing good correspondence with simulation results.
On extensive dynamics of a Cournot heterogeneous model with optimal response
Authors: Lampart Marek , Lampartová Alžběta , Orlando Giuseppe
Published: February 2022

The objective of this paper is the study of the dynamical properties analysis of an original specification of the classical Cournot heterogeneous model with optimal response; specifically, a new approach that considers ordinal utility instead of cardinal monetary amounts is proposed where the classical decision of quantity is disentangled from the decision on imitation. The analysis is performed by means of bifurcation diagrams, the 0–1 test for chaos, power spectral density, histograms, and trajectory analysis. For this purpose, a new perturbation parameter ε of the initial condition is introduced, and together with the intensity of choice parameter β determining the share of responders vs imitators, the system is researched. Depending on ε and β, extreme reach dynamics, and coexisting attractors, periodic and chaotic trajectories are investigated through massive simulations. Those dynamics represent alternation between stability, cycles and chaos in the market. As the dynamics are completely endogenous, it means that swings in economy are intrinsic to the system and that they may persist unless controlled.
Field-cycling 31P and 1H NMR relaxometry studying the reorientational dynamics of glass forming organophosphates
Authors: Becher M. , Flämig M. , Rössler E. A.
Published: February 2022

We apply field-cycling (FC) 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to access the reorientational susceptibility of two glass formers, m-tricresyl phosphate (m-TCP) and tri-butyl phosphate (TBP). Although FC 31P studies are still instrumentally demanding, together with FC 1H data, they provide site-resolved information. A crossover from dipolar relaxation at low frequencies to relaxation determined by chemical shift anisotropy at high frequencies and probed by conventional NMR is identified. A comparison is made between dielectric (DS) and depolarized light scattering (DLS) relaxation spectra demonstrating similar behavior close to Tg, including an excess wing contribution for m-TCP. The time constants of 31P NMR and DLS, probing the molecular core, agree. The 1H data monitoring the dynamics of the phenyl groups yield slightly shorter correlation times. At high temperatures, the DS relaxation spectra show a bimodal character: a fast component in agreement with 1H data, and a slow component much slower than 31P NMR and DLS suggest. We discuss the possible origins of the slow component. All time constants tend to merge toward Tg. Hence, we propose that site-specific dynamics disappear and a common α-relaxation establishes near Tg. In addition, we compare the diffusion coefficient D(T) determined by FC and static field gradient 1H NMR. Concerning TBP, we present FC 31P data of both α- and β-processes. Regarding the latter, we compare the DS and NMR susceptibility on absolute scale, yielding a significantly stronger β-relaxation in the 31P NMR spectra.
Alkalosis-induced hypoventilation in cystic fibrosis: The importance of efficient renal adaptation
Authors: Berg Peder , Andersen Jesper Frank , Sørensen Mads Vaarby , Wang Tobias , Malte Hans , Leipziger Jens
Published: February 2022

Significance

In conditions when our blood experiences alkalosis, a pronounced kidney response is initiated causing a marked increase of urine base excretion. We recently discovered the cellular physiology of this, which employs fast activation of the base-secreting β-intercalated cells of the collecting duct. This function is fully dependent on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the anion channel defective in CF. Hence, CF patients and mice cannot efficiently excrete an acute base load. Here, we find that the inability of fast urinary base removal in the CF mouse model causes a marked inhibition of ventilation. This study provides physiological insights into acid–base regulation and may have important implications for CF patients who are already burdened with reduced lung function.
Intragenic suppressors unravel the role of the SCREAM ACT-like domain for bHLH partner selectivity in stomatal development
Authors: Seo Hyemin , Sepuru Krishna Mohan , Putarjunan Aarthi , Aguirre Lyndsey , Burrows Benjamin A. , Torii Keiko U.
Published: February 2022

Significance

Whether animal neurons or plant cellular valves (called stomata), specialized cell-type differentiation is directed by the lineage-specific basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors that typically form heterodimers with ubiquitous bHLH proteins. How does a broadly expressed bHLH protein switch its lineage-specific heterodimeric partners? Here we identify a structural module, called the ACT-like domain, in the plant bHLH protein SCREAM. This domain plays a role in partner bHLH selectivity and is critical for the proliferation-to-differentiation switch within the cell lineages to make stomata, plant cellular valves for gas exchange and water control. Our work provides mechanistic insight into how plant transcription factors control cell-fate specification through an unanticipated heterodimeric partner selectivity interface.
Pluripotency exit is guided by the Peln1-mediated disruption of intrachromosomal architecture
Authors: Wang Yichen , Jia Lin , Wang Cong , Du Zhonghua , Zhang Shilin , Zhou Lei , Wen Xue , Li Hui , Chen Huiling , Nie Yuanyuan , Li Dan , Liu Shanshan , Figueroa Daniela Salgado , Ay Ferhat , Xu Wei , Zhang Songling , Li Wei , Cui Jiuwei , Hoffman Andrew R. , Guo Hui , Hu Ji-Fan
Published: February 2022

The molecular circuitry that causes stem cells to exit from pluripotency remains largely uncharacterized. Using chromatin RNA in situ reverse transcription sequencing, we identified Peln1 as a novel chromatin RNA component in the promoter complex of Oct4, a stem cell master transcription factor gene. Peln1 was negatively associated with pluripotent status during somatic reprogramming. Peln1 overexpression caused E14 cells to exit from pluripotency, while Peln1 downregulation induced robust reprogramming. Mechanistically, we discovered that Peln1 interacted with the Oct4 promoter and recruited the DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A. By de novo altering the epigenotype in the Oct4 promoter, Peln1 dismantled the intrachromosomal loop that is required for the maintenance of pluripotency. Using RNA reverse transcription-associated trap sequencing, we showed that Peln1 targets multiple pathway genes that are associated with stem cell self-renewal. These findings demonstrate that Peln1 can act as a new epigenetic player and use a trans mechanism to induce an exit from the pluripotent state in stem cells.
Commercially available chromophores as low-cost efficient electron injection layers for organic light emitting diodes
Authors: Verykios Apostolis , Soultati Anastasia , Tourlouki Konstantina , Katsogridakis Charalampos , Alexandropoulos Dimitris , Vidali Veroniki P , Panagiotakis Stylianos , Yannakopoulou Konstantina , Dimotikali Dimitra , Fakis Mihalis , Palilis Leonidas C , Stathopoulos Nikolaos , Pistolis George , Skandamis Panagiotis N , Argitis Panagiotis , Vasilopoulou Maria
Published: February 2022

Further advancements in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) using commercially available, low-cost materials is of high significance. Here, we report the application of commercially available chromophores as room temperature processed electron injection layers (EILs) in the conventional OLED architecture. The facile solution-processing of these chromophores, namely, 4‐dimethylamino‐4′‐nitrostilbene (DANS) and 1‐(4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl)‐6‐phenyl‐1,3,5‐hexatriene, along with the presence of nitrogen atom in their structure, which is expected to induce the formation of a negative interfacial dipole at the cathode interface, have motivated their use as EILs. Improved performance of the OLEDs using these chromophores was obtained. Especially, the OLED using DANS exhibited the highest luminous efficiency, power efficiency and external quantum efficiency values of 8.7 cd A−1, 6.75 lm W−1and 2.9%, respectively, which represented a significant improvement compared to the reference device without the EIL (1.2 cd A−1, 0.7 lm W−1and 0.4%, respectively). A variety of experimental and simulated results demonstrated that this enhancement is attributed to increased electron injection leading to balanced electron and hole currents, especially in the DANS embedding device. Additionally, we calculated significant broadening of the emission zone profile across the entire organic emitter in the devices using the chromophores, thus increasing the probability of radiative recombination and photon emission.
Simulation research on PPP-RTK performance based on BDS GEO satellite
Authors: He Chengpeng , Gu Shengfeng , Liu Cheng , Gao Weiguang , Zheng Fu , Gong Xiaopeng , Li Wenwen
Published: February 2022

Precise point positioning (PPP) is one of the seven planning public services of the new generation global Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), i.e. BDS-3. Up to now, the PPP service signal has already been broadcast through I channel of PPP-B2b to support decimeter level positioning within 30 min for users over China and the surrounding areas for free. Concerning the potential application of PPP real-time kinematic (PPP-RTK) in the BDS positioning service development, this paper carried out analysis and experiment of the design and evaluation of PPP-RTK through Q channel based on the existing PPP-B2b I channel signal. First, we presented the algorithm of PPP-RTK based on the undifferenced and uncombined model. Then, the format and broadcast strategy of phase delay and atmospheric delay products were discussed in detail. Finally, based on the simulation data, we analyzed the performance of PPP-RTK with different broadcast bandwidths. The results suggested that the positioning accuracy of GPS + BDS + Galileo PPP-RTK under 95% quantile were 2.3 cm and 3.3 cm in horizontal and vertical, respectively. In order to evaluate the BDS PPP-RTK service, we set the convergence thresholds as 6 cm in horizontal and 12 cm in vertical, which is given by Centimeter Level Augmentation Service of Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, and the time to converge to such thresholds were 0.5 min and 1.0 min in horizontal and vertical, respectively. Finally, the experiment considering ‘correction latency’ suggested that there was only a litter effect on the convergence speed, the positioning accuracy after convergence is roughly the same.
Analysis of Schottky barrier heights and reduced Fermi-level pinning in monolayer CVD-grown MoS2 field-effect-transistors
Authors: Xie Jing , Patoary Naim Md , Zhou Guantong , Sayyad Mohammed Yasir , Tongay Sefaattin , Esqueda Ivan Sanchez
Published: February 2022

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown monolayer (ML) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising material for next-generation integrated electronic systems due to its capability of high-throughput synthesis and compatibility with wafer-scale fabrication. Several studies have described the importance of Schottky barriers in analyzing the transport properties and electrical characteristics of MoS2 field-effect-transistors (FETs) with metal contacts. However, the analysis is typically limited to single devices constructed from exfoliated flakes and should be verified for large-area fabrication methods. In this paper, CVD-grown ML MoS2 was utilized to fabricate large-area (1 cm × 1 cm) FET arrays. Two different types of metal contacts (i.e. Cr/Au and Ti/Au) were used to analyze the temperature-dependent electrical characteristics of ML MoS2 FETs and their corresponding Schottky barrier characteristics. Statistical analysis provides new insight about the properties of metal contacts on CVD-grown MoS2 compared to exfoliated samples. Reduced Schottky barrier heights (SBH) are obtained compared to exfoliated flakes, attributed to a defect-induced enhancement in metallization of CVD-grown samples. Moreover, the dependence of SBH on metal work function indicates a reduction in Fermi level pinning compared to exfoliated flakes, moving towards the Schottky–Mott limit. Optical characterization reveals higher defect concentrations in CVD-grown samples supporting a defect-induced metallization enhancement effect consistent with the electrical SBH experiments.
Precise real-time quantification for photocatalytic reaction: integration of the sensitive in-situ SERS sensor and high-efficiency photocatalyst
Authors: Wei Yisheng , Wang Chenxi , Lei Fengcai , Liu Chundong , Li Jia , Li Zhen , Zhang Chao , Gao Yuanmei , Yu Jing
Published: February 2022

Recently, in-situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is gradually becoming an important method for monitoring photocatalytic reaction processes, in which the quantification potential is a vital factor in determining whether this technology can be truly applied in the future. In order to improve the quantification performance of in-situ SERS and explore a precise operando Raman detection for photocatalytic reactions, an architecture of heterostructural Cu2O/ZnO/Ag nano round brush has been designed and discussed in this work. This structure is an integration of sensitive in-situ SERS sensor and high-efficiency photocatalyst, realizing real-time monitoring of photocatalytic reaction in a wide concentration range from 20 to 3 mg l−1. The coefficient of determination between different detection methods is beyond 0.86 in this range, implying the high-precise quantification of this platform. Comprehensive analysis on structure effect, SERS performance, photocatalytic property, electric filed characteristic, etc were all systematically made and discussed in detail for this platform. This work presents a precise preliminar real-time photocatalytic monitoring using in-situ SERS detection, which is a new attempt and also meaningful reference for other in-situ analytical technology.
NEMA NU 4-2008 performance evaluation and MR compatibility tests of an APD-based small animal PET-insert for simultaneous PET/MR imaging
Authors: Disselhorst Jonathan A , Newport Danny F , Schmid Andreas M , Schmidt Fabian P , Parl Christoph , Liu Chih-Chieh , Pichler Bernd J , Mannheim Julia G
Published: February 2022

An avalanche photodiode (APD)-based small animal positron emission tomography (PET)-insert was fully evaluated for its PET performance, as well as potential influences on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performance. This PET-insert has an extended axial field of view (FOV) compared with the previous design to increase system sensitivity, as well as an updated cooling and temperature regulation to enable stable and reproducible PET acquisitions. The PET performance was evaluated according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU4-2008 protocol. The energy and timing resolution’s full width at half maximum were 16.1% and 4.7 ns, respectively. The reconstructed radial spatial resolution of the PET-insert was 1.8 mm full width at half maximum at the center FOV using filtered back projection for reconstruction and sensitivity was 3.68%. The peak noise equivalent count rates were 70 kcps for a rat-like and 350 kcps for a mouse-like phantom, respectively. Image quality phantom values and contrast recovery were comparable to state-of-the art PET-inserts and standalone systems. Regarding MR compatibility, changes in the mean signal-to-noise ratio for turbo spin echo and echo-planar imaging sequences were below 8.6%, for gradient echo sequences below 1%. Degradation of the mean homogeneity was below 2.3% for all tested sequences. The influence of the PET-insert on the B
0 maps was negligible and no influence on functional MRI sequences was detected. A mouse and rat imaging study demonstrated the feasibility of in vivo simultaneous PET/MRI.
Impact of Ageing and Moisture Damage on the Fracture Properties of Plastic Waste Modified Asphalt
Authors: Radeef H R , Hassan N A , Abidin A R Z , Mahmud M Z H , Ismail C R , Abbas H F , Al-Saffar Z H , Redha S
Published: February 2022

The utilisation of plastic waste as a modifier in asphalt mixtures has inflicted significant impacts on the cracking resistance of the produced mixtures. Whilst many studies have evaluated the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures incorporating plastic waste using wet method, limited studies have used the dry method are available. The current study aims to evaluate the effect of plastic waste incorporation on the fracture properties of conventional asphalt mixture. In addition, the impact of ageing and moisture damage on the fracture properties of modified asphalt was also investigated. Indirect tensile strength test was carried out to assess the CT-index, tensile strength, and fracture energy of the asphalt mixtures before and after exposure to ageing and moisture conditioning. The finding revealed that the asphalt mixture incorporating plastic waste demonstrated superior resistance to thermal and fatigue cracking compared to the control mixture, thus proving the capability of plastic waste in increasing the resistance of asphalt against ageing and moisture damage.
Effect of Processing Parameters on Properties of Bitumen Emulsions
Authors: Ghafar S A , Warid M N M , Hassan N A , Anowr Firas
Published: February 2022

Bitumen emulsions are special type of paving binder materials used in road construction industry due to its environmentally friendly approach, cost efficiency and less energy consumption compared to other conventional bitumen binders. Despite so many benefits, the use of bitumen emulsions is still limited in many regions due to difficulties faced in its emulsification process. Controlling several process parameters are needed during formulation while achieving the sufficient storage stability and viscosity. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of different processing parameters on the properties of bitumen emulsions in terms of storage stability and viscosity. The 80/100 grade bitumen was emulsified through colloid mill, considering different pH values and emulsifier concentrations as processing parameters during emulsification process. The results indicate that the storage stability has improved significantly with increased concentration of emulsifier whereas high acidic system in terms of pH level has also substantially enhanced storage stability at lower level of emulsifier concentration. In addition, the viscosity of bitumen emulsions has also been affected by the emulsifier concentration and higher amount of emulsifier resulted in higher values of viscosity at lower pH level. The data achieved through this investigation can be further used to study the effect of other formulation parameters on properties of bitumen emulsions.
Performance of Bus Services in Urban Area: A Case Study in Penang, Malaysia
Authors: Norhisham S , Bakar M F Abu , Zamree S F , Azlan N N I M , Mohamad A M , Katman H Y
Published: February 2022

Since the escalated industrialisation and urbanisation process began traffic congestion has been a serious problem in many Malaysian cities. One of the solutions for the traffic congestion is by promoting public transport. Public transport is needed to manage the transport in cities. In 2007, a corporate body owned by the Malaysian Government named Prasarana Malaysia, introduced the Rapid bus service in Penang. Currently, Rapid bus is the main public transport operator in Penang. However, the bus service had some setbacks and passengers had publicly voiced their dissatisfaction. Therefore, to encourage more people in using the public transport, a better public transport system should be provided and improved occasionally. Previous comprehensive studies were inadequate, and thus a detailed analysis of the bus service performance in Penang is needed. The Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) was chosen for guidelines. Based on reviews from journals and papers three (3) objectives which focused on service frequency, on time performance and passenger load factor were chosen for the study. The study was conducted to evaluate the bus service performance in Penang. The study results obtained the quality of service (QOS) of D for the Rapid bus service performance in Penang, which was regarded as satisfactory. This showed that buses in Penang needed to be greatly improved to change the passenger’s perceptions.
Physiochemical characterization of lateritic bauxite mining soil
Authors: Ismail N I N , Awang H , Mohd Yunus N Z , Saleh S
Published: February 2022

Physiochemical characteristics play a significant role in evaluating the engineering behaviour of soil material and its suitability for foundation. Investigation upon the physical and chemical characteristics of lateritic bauxite soils were done on samples collected from three exmining bauxite sites (Bukit Goh, Semambu and Indera Mahkota) in Kuantan District, Pahang, Malaysia. The presence of chemical element was evaluated based on the elemental mineral composition content identified through X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The results revealed that Semambu lateritic bauxite soil has the highest content of alumina (Al2O3), 25.54%. The alumina content enrichment is one of the effects from the laterization of bauxite process. In addition, the physical testing included are moisture content, specific gravity and Atterberg Limit. Further investigation on the physical properties of the soil has found that Semambu has the highest MC, 33.27%, but at the same time PI is less than 12%. This is as a key indicator that lateritic bauxite is prone to surface erosion and unsuitable for construction purposes in its natural condition. The risk of the surface erosion and settlement of the ground causes it requires stabilizer that can rapid the curing time. Additionally, the high moisture content is likely to have higher chance to experience liquefaction and causes foundation problem to future infrastructures that may be built in the studied area.
Seismic Damage-Level Prediction Model of Cable-Stayed Bridge Using Nonlinear Time History Analysis for Intelligent Structural Health Monitoring under Earthquake Events
Authors: Aizon N H , Adnan  , Arjuna N
Published: February 2022

The current condition of a bridge should be given the highest priority to ensure its safety and its serviceability to the bridge users. Therefore, this paper explained the development of an intelligent decision-support tool in Bridge Health Monitoring system using a Neural Network model as a prediction of seismic damage-level for cable-stayed bridge. A total of eight earthquake loads scaled to various Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) values. The input and output data which were fed into Feed Forward Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for damage level prediction model were developed based on acceleration responses from the Non-Linear Time History (NLTH) analysis of the cable-stayed bridge. A total of 16620 data were used as the input data. The damage-level categorization is based on FEMA 356. Data used for the ANN training are 70% for training, 15% for validation, and 15% for testing. The damage level prediction can greatly help bridge authority in order to maintain their bridge structure integrity by identifying and predicting the probability of damage occurring under earthquake loads.
Effect of Mesophase particles on the Electrographite carbon brush tribology behavior under no-load condition
Authors: K Muthupandi , D Thenmuhil
Published: February 2022

Electrographite (EG) has partial electrical conductivity and is used as a current collector in direct current motors. EG is prepared from a suitable carbon source through a multi-step process to convert it to conductive carbon. In this work, EG was prepared with coal tar pitch (CTP) having different mesophase (MP) content (4, 8, 19, and 33%) and their characteristics were compared. The microstructural analysis of CTP indicated that increase in MP leads to increase in mesophase particle size. MP was found to have a significant impact on the physical and binding properties of CTP. X-ray diffraction studies showed EG to be a partially graphitized material with a degree of graphitization (DOG) ranging from 30% to 60%. Since coke-based materials graphitize more easily than lamp black, the DOG, crystal size, and d-spacing of coke-based material were higher. Graphitization in tube furnaces was better than induction and Acheson furnaces because of its concentrated heat in small size susceptor. The Design of Experiments (DOE) method with Face Centre Factorials was used to generate 14 different combinations of load (20 N,60 N, and 100 N) and velocity (1 m s−1, 3 m s−1, and 5 m s−1) for wear and COF analysis which were done on pin on disc apparatus. Response surface method (RSM) was used to investigate the relationship between wear, COF, and MP content. The CTP binder properties had a significant impact on wear. The COF decreased as the number of Brooks and Taylor structure MP particles increased. On the EG wear characteristics, adhesive wear was a more dominant factor than abrasive wear.
Homological characterization of regularity in logarithmic algebraic geometry
Authors: Conde-Lago Jesús , Majadas Javier
Published: February 2022

We characterize K. Kato’s log regularity in terms of vanishing of (co)homology of the logarithmic cotangent complex.
Finite elements for divdiv conforming symmetric tensors in three dimensions
Authors: Chen Long , Huang Xuehai
Published: February 2022

Finite element spaces on a tetrahedron are constructed for

div
⁡
div

\operatorname {div}\operatorname {div}

-conforming symmetric tensors in three dimensions. The key tools of the construction are the decomposition of polynomial tensor spaces and the characterization of the trace operators. First, the

div
⁡
div

\operatorname {div}\operatorname {div}

Hilbert complex and its corresponding polynomial complexes are presented. Several decompositions of polynomial vector and tensor spaces are derived from the polynomial complexes. Second, traces for the

div
⁡
div

\operatorname {div}\operatorname {div}

operator are characterized through a Green’s identity. Besides the normal-normal component, another trace involving combination of first order derivatives of the tensor is continuous across the face. Due to the smoothness of polynomials, the symmetric tensor element is also continuous at vertices, and on the plane orthogonal to each edge. Besides, a finite element for

s
y
m
c
u
r
l

symcurl

-conforming trace-free tensors is constructed following the same approach. Putting all together, a finite element

div
⁡
div

\operatorname {div}\operatorname {div}

complex, as well as the bubble functions complex, in three dimensions is established.
Counting basis extensions in a lattice
Authors: Forst Maxwell , Fukshansky Lenny
Published: February 2022

Given a primitive collection of vectors in the integer lattice, we count the number of ways it can be extended to a basis by vectors with sup-norm bounded by

T
T

, producing an asymptotic estimate as

T
→
∞

T \to \infty

. This problem can be interpreted in terms of unimodular matrices, as well as a representation problem for a class of multilinear forms. In the

2
2

-dimensional case, this problem is also connected to the distribution of Farey fractions. As an auxiliary lemma we prove a counting estimate for the number of integer lattice points of bounded sup-norm in a hyperplane in 

R

n

\mathbb R^n

. Our main result on counting basis extensions also generalizes to arbitrary lattices in 

R

n

\mathbb R^n

. Finally, we establish some basic properties of sparse representations of integers by multilinear forms.
A short note on relative entropy for a pair of intermediate subfactors
Authors: Bakshi Keshab
Published: February 2022

Given a quadruple of finite index subfactors we explicitly compute the Pimsner-Popa probabilistic constant for the pair of intermediate subfactors and relate it with the corresponding Connes-Størmer relative entropy between them. This generalizes an old result of Pimsner and Popa [Ann. Sci. École Norm. Sup. (4) 19 (1986), pp. 57–106].
Imaginary power operators on Hardy spaces
Authors: Bui The Anh , Bui The , Hong Qing , Hu Guorong
Published: February 2022

Let

(
X
,
d
,
μ
)

(X,d, \mu )

be an Ahlfors

n
n

-regular metric measure space. Let

L

\mathcal {L}

be a non-negative self-adjoint operator on

L
2

(
X
)

L^2(X)

with heat kernel satisfying Gaussian estimate. Assume that the kernels of the spectral multiplier operators

F
(

L

)

F(\mathcal {L})

satisfy an appropriate weighted

L
2

L^2

estimate. By the spectral theory, we can define the imaginary power operator

L

i
s

,
s
∈

R

\mathcal {L}^{is}, s\in \mathbb R

, which is bounded on

L
2

(
X
)

L^2(X)

. The main aim of this paper is to prove that for any

p
∈
(
0
,
∞
)

p \in (0,\infty )

,
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="double-vertical-bar script upper L Superscript i s Baseline f double-vertical-bar Subscript upper H Sub Subscript script upper L Sub Superscript p Subscript left-parenthesis upper X right-parenthesis Baseline less-than-or-equal-to upper C left-parenthesis 1 plus StartAbsoluteValue s EndAbsoluteValue right-parenthesis Superscript n StartAbsoluteValue 1 slash p minus 1 slash 2 EndAbsoluteValue Baseline double-vertical-bar f double-vertical-bar Subscript upper H Sub Subscript script upper L Sub Superscript p Subscript left-parenthesis upper X right-parenthesis Baseline comma s element-of double-struck upper R comma">

‖

L

i
s

f

‖

H

L

p

(
X
)

≤
C
(
1
+

|

s

|

)

n

|

1

/

p
−
1

/

2

|

‖
f

‖

H

L

p

(
X
)

,

s
∈

R

,

\begin{equation*} \big \|\mathcal {L}^{is} f\big \|_{H^p_{\mathcal {L}}(X)} \leq C (1+|s|)^{n|1/p-1/2|} \|f\|_{H^p_{\mathcal {L}}(X)}, \quad s \in \mathbb {R}, \end{equation*}

where

H

L

p

(
X
)

H^p_\mathcal {L}(X)

is the Hardy space associated to

L

\mathcal {L}

, and

C
C

is a constant independent of

s
s

. Our result applies to sub-Laplaicans on stratified Lie groups and Hermite operators on

R

n

\mathbb {R}^n

with

n
≥
2

n\ge 2

.
A Łojasiewicz inequality in hypocomplex structures of ℝ²
Authors: Meziani Abdelhamid
Published: February 2022

For a real analytic complex vector field

L
L

, in an open set of

R

2

\mathbb {R}^2

, with local first integrals that are open maps, we attach a number

μ
≥
1

\mu \ge 1

(obtained through Łojasiewicz inequalities) and show that the equation

L
u
=
f

Lu=f

has bounded solution when

f
∈

L
p

f\in L^p

with

p
>
1
+
μ

p>1+\mu

. We also establish a similarity principle between the bounded solutions of the equation

L
u
=
A
u
+
B

u
¯

Lu=Au+B\overline {u}

(with

A
,
B
∈

L
p

A,B\in L^p

) and holomorphic functions.
Irreducibility criteria for the generalized principal series of unitary groups
Authors: Matić Ivan
Published: February 2022

We present an algebraic proof of the irreducibility criteria for the generalized principal series of unitary groups over a non-archimedean local field.
Gap theorems for ends of smooth metric measure spaces
Authors: Hua Bobo , Wu Jia-Yong
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we establish two gap theorems for ends of smooth metric measure space

(

M
n

,
g
,

e

−
f

d
v
)

(M^n, g,e^{-f}dv)

with the Bakry-Émery Ricci tensor

Ric

f

≥
−
(
n
−
1
)

\operatorname {Ric}_{f}\!\ge -(n-1)

in a geodesic ball

B

o

(
R
)

B_{o}(R)

with radius

R
R

and center

o
∈

M
n

o\in M^n

. When

Ric

f

≥
0

\operatorname {Ric}_{f}\ge 0

and

f
f

has some degeneration outside

B

o

(
R
)

B_{o}(R)

, we show that there exists an

ϵ
=
ϵ
(
n
,

sup

B

o

(
1
)

|

f

|

)

\epsilon =\epsilon (n,\sup _{B_{o}(1)}|f|)

such that such a space has at most two ends if

R
≤
ϵ

R\le \epsilon

. When

Ric

f

≥

1
2

\operatorname {Ric}_{f}\ge \frac 12

and

f
(
x
)
≤

1
4

d
2

(
x
,

B

o

(
R
)
)
+
c

f(x)\le \frac 14d^2(x,B_{o}(R))+c

for some constant

c
>
0

c>0

outside

B

o

(
R
)

B_{o}(R)

, we can also get the same gap conclusion.
𝐹-thresholds and test ideals of Thom-Sebastiani type polynomials
Authors: González Villa Manuel , Jaramillo-Velez Delio , Núñez-Betancourt Luis
Published: February 2022

We provide a formula for

F
F

-thresholds of a Thom-Sebastiani type polynomial over a perfect field of prime characteristic. We also compute the first test ideal of Thom-Sebastiani type polynomials. Finally, we apply our results to find hypersurfaces where the log canonical thresholds equal the

F
F

-pure thresholds for infinitely many prime numbers.
Distality in valued fields and related structures
Authors: Aschenbrenner Matthias , Chernikov Artem , Gehret Allen , Ziegler Martin
Published: February 2022

We investigate distality and existence of distal expansions in valued fields and related structures. In particular, we characterize distality in a large class of ordered abelian groups, provide an Ax-Kochen-Eršov-style characterization for henselian valued fields, and demonstrate that certain expansions of fields, e.g., the differential field of logarithmic-exponential transseries, are distal. As a new tool for analyzing valued fields we employ a relative quantifier elimination for pure short exact sequences of abelian groups.
Finiteness theorems for universal sums of squares of almost primes
Authors: Banerjee Soumyarup , Kane Ben
Published: February 2022

In this paper we study diagonal quadratic forms which are universal when restricted to almost prime inputs, establishing finiteness theorems akin to the Conway–Schneeberger 15 theorem.
Localising social work practice for migrant workers’ children in China: An action research learning from other countries
Authors: Huang Xiwei , Jiang Chenxi , Zhu Xiaoxu
Published: February 2022

While literature abounds in studying the phenomenon of migrant workers in China and offering policy suggestions from a macro perspective, this article proposes an inspiration for clinical social workers by developing a comprehensive case management model which aims at improving the well-being of migrant workers’ children. It is argued that lessons could be learned from theories, methods and strategies to address immigration-related issues in the USA, Canada and some European countries, because migration patterns of China’s migrant workers and international immigrants are similar. An action research approach is adopted. Unstructured interviews are conducted with clinical social workers, heads of social work organisations and schoolteachers. Based on the findings, a draft version of the case management model is constructed by borrowing immigrant social work methods selectively. As licensed social workers, the authors offer case management services to migrant workers’ children and families under a social work agency’s supervision in two urban–suburban-integrated schools. In the service process, the model is finished by modifications and localisation. The revised version of the model is elaborated in four steps. In each step, specific methods for migrant workers’ children and families are presented with related case examples attached.