bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel energy management model among interdependent sections in the smart grids
Authors: Maroufi Ali , Mobtahej Mohammadamin , Karimi Mazaher , Baziar Aliasghar
Published: November 2022

Technically, residential energy management systems are fundamental sectors in the smart grids for implementing demand response programs in the layer of households for managing energy consumption and reducing energy bills. The paper proposes a novel energy management scheme that takes production and usage into account based on a heuristic searching operation. In addition to modelling the grid, renewable energy sources, batteries, and electric vehicles, various kinds of electrical and thermal devices have been examined, including air conditioners, water heaters, vacuum cleaners etc. A method is developed for solving the objective constraint issue in a smart home in order to reduce energy consumption and determine feasible operation states among the various loads. Moreover, this paper proposes a grey wolf optimization method for solving the issue over a longer simulation period. Various cases were examined to evaluate the effectiveness of this suggested robust optimization algorithm. The outcomes show that the suggested model could not only reduce energy costs significantly but has also shown good performance for energy management purposes.
Revealing phase transitions and instabilities in pseudospark discharges
Authors: Yan Jiaqi , Shen Saikang , Sun Guoxiang , Ding Weidong , Wang Weizong
Published: November 2022

Pseudospark discharge is a low‐pressure high‐voltage pulsed discharge with hollow electrodes, and the overall discharge experiences several distinctive sub‐phases. The instability phenomena, characterised by the sudden oscillations or distortions of discharge voltage and current, restrict the applications of pseudospark discharge. This study presents an investigation into phase transitions and instabilities in pseudospark discharge by combining the evidences from multiple discharge waveforms, time‐resolved images, electron beam current profiles, 2D kinetic simulation results, and the spectral line emission of cathode material. The process of a normal pseudospark discharge is firstly discussed, and the threshold conditions of the transition from the superdense glow discharge (SGD) phase to the high current phase with arc cathode spots are addressed. According to temporal profiles and voltage‐current characteristics, two types and four occurrences of instabilities are distinguished: type I—in the pre‐breakdown phase; type II‐1—in the SGD phase; type II‐2—in the transition of cathode spots propagating from cathode hole edge to cathode plane; type II‐3—in the re‐initiation of spots near current reversal. It is found that the instability of type I is caused by the stepwise penetration of virtual anode plasma, and type II is closely related to the cyclic nature and finite lifetime of cathode spots. It is induced by the fact that the decay of cathode spots is faster than the formation under certain conditions, and the existing spots are not able to provide the current required by the external circuit. Important features and the suppression methods of the instabilities are discussed based on the proposed mechanisms.
Power quality enhancement in asymmetrical cascaded multilevel inverter using modified carrier level shifted pulse width modulation approach
Authors: Vijayakumar Arun , Stonier Albert Alexander , Peter Geno , Loganathan Ashok Kumar , Ganji Vivekananda
Published: November 2022

New modified carrier‐based level shifted pulse width modulation approaches for single‐phase trinary dc source fed cascaded H‐bridge inverters are proposed in this article. In order to suppress the lower order harmonics, the carrier frequency is often tuned higher. However, switching and electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems have a significant influence on the functioning and controlling of the inverter at higher carrier frequency ranges. A new carrier is designed to address the aforementioned issues. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed carrier, this paper provides comparison results of conventional triangular carrier and a new developed carrier. Furthermore, utilizing the most popular phase disposition (PD) level shifted pulse width modulation approach with a new carrier with the similar modulation indices and switching frequency, to improve the fundamental voltage magnitude and shift the dominant harmonics into three times that of the existing traditional carrier‐based level shifted pulse width modulation approaches. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed new modified carrier‐based level shifted pulse width modulation approach have been proven by using MATLAB simulation and prototype results.
Forecast‐aided power and flexibility trading of prosumers in peer to peer markets
Authors: Yazdani Hassan , Doostizadeh Meysam , Aminifar Farrokh
Published: November 2022

The ever‐evolving electricity distribution network calls for new effective, transparent and fair market procedures to be implemented. This paper offers a systematic framework for real‐time trading in prosumer communities. A data‐driven robust optimization model that deals with uncertainty is proposed using the flexibility requirement envelope concept. Using machine learning techniques, high quality point and quantile forecasts are prepared to form the envelope. Next, this data is fed into the optimization problem to match the peers and the distribution grid, trading power, and flexibility in a short‐term look‐ahead horizon. To increase the quality of forecasts, a clustering approach accompanied by a pattern recognition machine is proposed to determine the cluster to which the recently observed net‐load data belongs. To provide forecasts, a forecasting machine is developed using a hybrid of tree‐based ensemble learning models, which provides intuitive, robust, and accurate results. Finally, the peer matching is done in a decentralized fashion using the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), while each agent calculates its battery storage aging cost. Case studies demonstrate the hybrid model's capability in providing high quality power and flexibility forecasts compared to single models and ARIMA models and its positive impact on reducing the overall cost of the system.
Improving seismic performance of reinforced concrete structures by using ferrous based shape memory alloys
Authors: El Mtili Chayma , Hessissen Loubna , Attajkani Sabri
Published: November 2022

Improving design of new buildings and retrofitting existing build, to resist the action of earthquakes, constitute an issue of primary importance. Among the emerging techniques that can be used for this purpose, reinforcing with ferrous based shape memory alloys has given promising results. These materials are cost-effective; they have excellent recentering capabilities, high damping properties and elevated resistance to corrosion. The potential of using these reinforcements when placed at the extremities of structural members of the building was investigated in this work. A comparative study was performed between this variant and the reference case where conventional steel rebars are employed. This was conducted in the case of a simple reinforced concrete frame having a symmetric configuration. The comparison has targeted moderate and strong seismic excitation. The studied structure was modeled by using SeismoStruct software to perform both pushover analysis and full nonlinear time history analysis. The obtained results have indicated that the use of shape memory alloys yields lesser demand in terms of base shear and support moment, while reducing residual deformations thanks to the recentering property of these materials.
L’hérédité étendue en biomédecine
Authors: Pontarotti Gaëlle
Published: November 2022

L’extension du concept d’hérédité au-delà du tout génétique a fait l’objet de nombreux débats en biologie de l’évolution, mais elle a été relativement ignorée dans le champ de la biomédecine. L’objectif de cet article prospectif est de souligner les conséquences potentielles d’une vision renouvelée de l’hérédité sur la théorie médicale, notamment sur le concept de maladie héréditaire, ainsi que de mettre en évidence certains enjeux pratiques et sociaux connexes.
Association of Swede Score and 2011 IFCPC Nomenclature in Women with Abnormal Cytology
Authors: Campos Priscila Loyola , Guimarães Isabel Cristina Chulvis do Val , Fialho Susana Cristina Aidé Viviani , Martins Caroline Alves Oliveira , Rodrigues Fabiana Resende , Velarde Luiz Guilhermo Coca , Monteiro Daniela da Silva Alves
Published: November 2022

Objective To assess the association between two colposcopic indices, the Swede score and the 2011 International Federation of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (IFCPC) Nomenclature as well as to determine the efficacy of the Swede score with cutoffs of 7 and 8.

Methods In the present cross-sectional pilot study, 34 women who had at least 1 colposcopy-directed biopsy due to abnormal cytology were enrolled. The colposcopic findings were scored by both the Swede score and the 2011 IFCPC Nomenclature and were compared with each other. The Kappa coefficient and the McNemar test were used. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (NPV and PPV, respectively) were calculated, as well as the effectiveness with cutoffs of 7 and 8 in identifying cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN) 2+ when using the Swede score.

Results The correlation between the 2 colposcopic indices was 79.41%. The Kappa coefficient and the McNemar p-value were 0.55 and 0.37, respectively. The IFCPC Nomenclature had sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of 85.71, 55.00, 67.64, 57.14, and 84.61%, respectively. The Swede score had sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of 100, 63.15, 79.41, 68.18, and 100%, respectively. A Swede score cutoff of 7 for CIN 2+ detection had a specificity of 94.73%, while with a cutoff of 8 it increased to 100%. The sensitivity for both values was 60%. The PPV and NPV for cutoffs of 7 and 8 were 90 and 75 and 100 and 76%, respectively.

Conclusion Although both colposcopic indices have good reproducibility, the Swede score showed greater accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in identifying CIN 2 + , especially when using a cutoff of 8.
The Effectiveness of Herbal Medicines on Cyclic Mastalgia: A Systematic Review on Meta-analysis
Authors: Mirzaee Firoozeh , Fakari Farzaneh Rashidi , Babakhanian Masoudeh , Roozbeh Nasibeh , Ghazanfarpour Masumeh
Published: November 2022

Objective Different drugs are used to treat mastalgia, such as danazol and bromocriptine, and both are associated with side effects, due to which most of women and healthcare providers are interested in herbal medicines. Therefore we aim to study the effectiveness of phytoestrogens on the severity of cyclic mastalgia.

Methods To carry out the present study, English electronic resources such as the Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were used systematically and with no time limitation up to February 10, 2020.

Results In total, 20 studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that herbal medicines versus the control group (standard mean difference [SMD] = - 0.585; 95% confidence interval [CI]: - 0.728–- 0.44; heterogeneity; p = 0.02; I2 = 42%), herbal medicines versus the B group (SMD = - 0.59; 95%CI: - 0.75–- 0.44; heterogeneity; p = 0.03; I2 = 42%), and its subgroups, such as phytoestrogen (SMD = - 0.691; 95%CI: - 0.82–- 0.55; heterogeneity; p = 0.669; I2 = 0%), Vitex-agnus-castus (SMD = - 0.642; 95%CI: - 0.84–- 0.44; p < 0.001; p = 203; I2 = 32%), flaxseed (SMD = - 0.63; 95%CI: - 0.901–- 0.367; p = 0.871; I2 = 0%), and evening primrose (SMD= - 0.485; 95%CI:- 0.84–- 0.12; p = 0.008; heterogeneity; p = 0.06; I2 = 56%] may have effective and helpful effects on improving cyclic breast mastalgia. Also, chamomile, isoflavone, cinnamon, and nigella sativa significantly reduced mastalgia symptoms.

Conclusion Herbal medicines and their subgroups may have effective and helpful effects on improving cyclic breast mastalgia. The findings of our meta-analysis must be done cautiously because low methodological quality in some evaluated studies of this systematic review.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Pregnancy: Is It a Marker for Adverse Outcomes?
Authors: Costa Rita Vicente , Simões Carolina , Correia Luís , Pinto Luísa
Published: November 2022

Objective To assess obstetric/puerperal/neonatal outcomes in an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population and to analyze disease characteristics that may be associated to adverse outcomes.

Methods Retrospective descriptive analysis including 47 pregnant women with IBD (28 with Crohn's disease – CD and 19 with ulcerative colitis – UC) who delivered between March 2012 and July 2018 in a tertiary hospital. We reviewed clinical records to extract demographic information, previous medical history, disease subtype, activity, severity, treatment, and obstetric, puerperal, and neonatal outcome measures.

Results Obstetric and neonatal complications (composite outcomes) occurred in 55.3% and 14.6% of the IBD population, respectively, and were more frequent in UC patients. Preterm birth (PTB), preeclampsia, anemia, low birth weight (LBW), and neonatal death were also more frequent in UC patients. The rate of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) was 14.9%, and it was higher in CD patients. Women with active IBD had more obstetric/neonatal adverse outcomes (fetal growth restriction and LBW in particular) and cesarean sections. Patients with medicated IBD had less obstetric/neonatal complications (PTB and LBW in specific) and cesarean sections but more PPH.

Conclusion Women with IBD may have an increased risk of obstetric/puerperal/neonatal adverse outcomes. Ulcerative colitis patients had more obstetric and neonatal complications, whereas PPH was more frequent if CD patients. Other disease characteristics were considered, which allowed a better understanding of their possible influence. Although more research is needed, this work reinforces the importance of adequate surveillance to allow prompt recognition and treatment of complications.
Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Lee Grace C. , Bhama Anuradha R.
Published: November 2022

Significant advancements have been made over the last 30 years in the use of minimally invasive techniques for curative and restorative operations in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Numerous studies have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic and robotic approaches to subtotal colectomy (including in the urgent setting), total proctocolectomy, completion proctectomy, and pelvic pouch creation. Data show equivalent or improved short-term postoperative outcomes with minimally invasive techniques compared to open surgery, and equivalent or improved long-term bowel function, sexual function, and fertility. Overall, while minimally invasive techniques are safe and feasible for properly selected UC patients, surgeons must remember to abide by the principles of high-quality proctectomy and pouch creation and convert to open if necessary.
Advances in magneto-optical birefringence effect of 2D materials with
extremely large aspect ratio
Authors: Huang Ziyang , Xu Youan , Hao Yugan , Liu Jiarong , Zhang Zehao , Ding Baofu , Cai Wei , Liu Bilu
Published: November 2022

Achieving giant magneto-optical birefringence is a long-standing goal in view of its intriguing physics and potential applications in transmitted light modulation. Due to the unique geometric features of two-dimensional materials with extremely large shape anisotropy, the resultant couplings among magnetic, electric, and optical properties enable giant magneto-optical birefringence effects, as represented by a record-breaking magneto-optical Cotton–Mouton coefficient in two-dimensional material systems. In this Perspective, we introduce the discovery of the giant magneto-optical birefringence effect in two-dimensional metal oxide dispersion in 2020, followed by analyses of the underlying mechanisms. We then discuss how the interplay of anisotropy and colloidal behavior affects the Cotton–Mouton effect. Finally, we proceed to potential applications and give our ideas about future developments in this emerging field.
A noise-robust data assimilation method for crystal structure determination using powder diffraction intensity
Authors: Yoshikawa Seiji , Sato Ryuhei , Akashi Ryosuke , Todo Synge , Tsuneyuki Shinji
Published: November 2022

Crystal structure prediction for a given chemical composition has long been a challenge in condensed-matter science. We have recently shown that experimental powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) data are helpful in a crystal structure search using simulated annealing, even when they are insufficient for structure determination by themselves [Tsujimoto et al., Phys. Rev. Mater. 2, 053801 (2018)]. In the method, the XRD data are assimilated into the simulation by adding a penalty function to the physical potential energy, where a crystallinity-type penalty function, defined by the difference between experimental and simulated diffraction angles was used. To improve the success rate and noise robustness, we introduce a correlation-coefficient-type penalty function adaptable to XRD data with significant experimental noise. We apply the new penalty function to SiO2 coesite and ɛ-Zn(OH)2 to determine its effectiveness in the data assimilation method.
Emergency clinician perceptions of patients who present frequently to the emergency department: a snapshot of current practice
Authors: Korczak Viola , Liu Hueiming , Bein Kendall , Lung Thomas , Jan Stephen , Dinh Michael
Published: November 2022

Objective This study aimed to assess emergency clinician perceptions of adult patients who present frequently to the emergency department (ED) in an Australian context and understand current practices. Methods ED clinicians including general practitioners, career medical officers and nurse unit managers working at New South Wales Australia level 3–6 hospitals were surveyed. Responses to open-ended questions were independently coded by two reviewers and the main themes were analysed. Results Almost all the 210 participants (99%) could identify a population of frequent ED presenters at their hospital. Participants suggested that 9–12 presentations per year was a useful benchmark to use to characterise frequent ED presentations. They also indicated the need to consider as criteria recurrent presentations, their complexity, disease category and timeframe. Participants believed that the cause for presentation, from a restricted list of clinical alternatives, was multifactorial but the single most common cause for presentation was thought to be mental health followed by drug and alcohol. A total of 73% of participants reported that their hospitals had interventions to address frequent ED presentations, most commonly case management, multidisciplinary meetings and staff specialist involvement. Lack of co-ordination between services and a lack of resources in ED were cited as barriers to improving outcomes for patients who frequently present. Conclusions ED clinicians surveyed offered suggestions on how to characterise frequent ED presentations beyond the number of visits to better identify this higher risk population. Additional services, as well as better coordination between patients, families, hospitals and outpatient services, appear needed in order to improve outcomes for this cohort of patients. Interventions should focus on increasing health outcomes, rather than a decrease in the number of presentations alone.
Fission properties of neutron-rich nuclei around the end point of $r$-process
Authors: Chen Jiawei , Pei Junchen , Qiang Yu , Chi Jihuai
Published: November 2022

We studied the fission properties of neutron-rich nuclei $^{278, 286}$Cf around the end point of $r$-process by microscopic self-consistent approaches. The fission barriers and potential energy surfaces are obtained by constrained static Skyrme Hartree-Fock-BCS calculations. Fission fragments are studied by dynamical time-dependent Hartree-Fock+BCS calculations. Results show that $^{286}$Cf has an octupole deformation at ground state, which can increase the fission barrier height by 1.1 MeV and enhance significantly the spontaneous fission half-life. To search possible fission channels, dynamical calculations with a broad coverage of initial deformations result in two slightly asymmetric peaks around $A$=128 and 150 for $^{278}$Cf, and $A$=133 and 153 for $^{286}$Cf. The very asymmetric fission channel as given by semi-empirical models are not found in our results.
High harmonic generation near a bow-tie nanostructure: sensitivity to carrier envelope phase and plasmonic inhomogeneity
Authors: Mandal Ankur , Singh Kamal P
Published: November 2022

High harmonic generation (HHG) from atoms near a plasmonic nanostructure interacting with a relatively low intensity driving laser field is a promising candidate for table top attosecond pulse source. The effect of carrier envelope phase (CEP) of the few cycle driving pulse on inhomogeneous high harmonics generation is well studied in literature, for example, the harmonic cut-off can be efficiently controlled by tuning the CEP. Here, we show selective enhancements of harmonic spectra due to half-cycle cutoff (HCO) which is highly sensitive to the CEP, in both spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous driving laser fields. Essentially the selective enhancement of spectral structures results from contributions of both short and long trajectories in certain HCO regions. Compared to the homogeneous HHG in the presence of inhomogeneity, these enhanced groups eventually merge to the background with the increase of the strength of inhomogeneity. This limits the maximum possible tunability of selective enhancement. Further, near cut-off harmonics can be a good candidate to produce isolated attosecond pulses, with substantial control via CEP of the driving laser pulse along with the strength of inhomogeneity.
Ground fault location research based on multidimensional scaling and density clustering algorithm
Authors: He Feng , Hu Xuran , Zhang Decai
Published: November 2022

When a single line-to-ground fault occurs in a current distribution network containing distributed power sources, fault location is primarily performed by current-based directional protection. This implies using the switching information at the nodes; however, this does not sufficiently maximize the fault information. To address these issues, a single-phase grounding fault location methodology is planned for distribution networks supported by a combination of three-dimensional scaling (MDS) and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). First, the network description matrix is made to support the network topology. Second, the zero-sequence and negative-sequence currents collected at the terminals square measure pre-processed to obtain two-dimensional fault data feature vectors. Third, the fault feature vectors square measure is subjected to DBSCAN bunch analysis to obtain the fault zones of the distribution network, thus compensating for the disadvantage that DBSCAN cannot efficiently replicate high-dimensional knowledge. The simulation results reveal that the planned methodology is not tormented by fault location, fault resistance, fault angle, or line sort; therefore, the fault location results in a correct square measure and might effectively utilize the fault data.
Synthesis and Electrochemical Performance of Layered Double Perovskite Anode for Direct Carbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Authors: Ai Chengyi , Qiao Jinshuo
Published: November 2022

As an energy conversion device, Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFC) can efficiently convert the chemical energy contained in carbonaceous fuels into electricity. It may be an efficient and clean way to utilize carbon fuels. In this paper, (PrBa)0.95Fe1.7Ti0.2Co0.1O6-δ (PBFTC), a perovskite oxide with A-site ordered layered structure, is successfully prepared via a sol-gel method and it has been studied as the DC-SOFC anode material. Doping of Ti and the ordered layered structure make PBFTC achieve good structural stability. The phase structure of PBFTC remained unchanged after being treated in both H2 and carbon reducing atmosphere so that it can be applied in DC-SOFC anode. Using PBFTC as the anode material, a peak power density as high as 386 mW·cm−2 is achieved at 800 °C when using pure activated carbon as fuel.
Research on the Optimal Scheduling Strategy of Energy Storage Plants for Peak-shaving and Valley-filling
Authors: Han Hanxian , Luo Jinman , Zhao Shanlong , Wang Lina
Published: November 2022

With the trend of large-scale development of distributed photovoltaics, the problems of frequent start-up and shutdown of units and wind abandonment caused by grid-connected distributed photovoltaics are becoming more and more obvious. In this paper, a method for optimal dispatching of power system was proposed based on the energy storage power station as an independent source. The method takes the minimum net load variance of the power system and the system operating cost as the objective function to optimize the charging and discharging power and dispatching of the energy storage power station, and the effectiveness of the method was verified by experiments. The results show that the energy storage power station can effectively reduce the peak-to-valley difference of the load in the power system. The number of times of air abandonment and switching of charging and discharging and the number of start and stop of the unit is reduced, which effectively prolongs the service life of the unit. When the photovoltaic penetration rate in the power system is greater than or equal to 50%, the peak regulation effect of the energy storage power station is better and has better economic benefits.
Dynamic response of wind turbine blade surface material under water droplet high velocity impact
Authors: Zhou Wen-ping , Yang Mao-li
Published: November 2022

When a wind turbine blade exposure to some degree of rainfall, water droplets in the atmosphere impact the blade at high velocity will causes erosion damages of the leading edge. The damages have significant influence to the aerodynamic performance of the blade, and also the cost of power generation. In this paper, a high velocity impact dynamics model of water droplet impact on wind turbine blade is develops based on SPH-FEM coupling method, where SPH model is used to model the large deformation region of the fluid domain, and FEM method is used to model the small deformation region of the structure domain. Together with properties of gelcoat material on the blade surface, effects of varying impact velocities and angles on the impact response of the gelcoat material are analysed through numerical simulation. The results show that during a high velocity impact event of water droplet, the contact force history appears two peaks. Also contact forces and strains on the blade material decreases with decreasing droplet impact velocity and impact angle, the total contact duration of the droplet during the impact decreases with increasing droplet impact velocity and angle. The present study is expected to provide theoretical guidance for enhancing the erosive capacity of wind turbine blade gelcoat material.
Cherenkov-light imaging of induced positron distribution in liquid water after proton beam irradiation
Authors: Yamamoto Seiichi , Yamashita Tomohiro , Kobashi Yusuke , Hirano Yoshiyuki , Akagi Takashi , Yokokawa Hiromu , Kataoka Jun
Published: November 2022

Imaging of positrons induced by nuclear reactions with a proton beam is a possible method for observing the beam shape from outside the subject. However, such imaging of induced positrons has so far been conducted for solid materials. The induced positron distribution in liquid water has not been measured or reported. To clarify the distribution of induced positrons in liquid water, we conducted Cherenkov-light imaging after irradiation by protons to a water phantom. After irradiation by a 117-MeV proton beam to a phantom containing liquid water, Cherenkov-light imaging of the induced positrons was conducted using a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera following the decay of the positrons. We also imaged the luminescence of water during irradiation by the proton beam to compare the distributions. We could measure the distribution of Cherenkov-light from the induced positrons in liquid water. Positron distributions kept their beam shapes in water but were different from that of the luminescence image; positron distribution was wider in the deep area of the beams in the lateral as well as depth direction. The distributions' shapes were only slightly changed with time. We conclude that Cherenkov-light imaging from the induced positrons after irradiation by a proton beam in water was possible, and we found that the induced positrons kept their beam shape in water with different shape from that of dose. These findings may provide new insights for imaging in particle therapy.
The impact of abiotic and biotic factors on growth, mortality and net tree C stock in mountain forest ecosystems in southwest China
Authors: Li Ting , Liu Yang , Wang Qi , Lai Changhong , Qiu Yuming , Tissue David T , Xiao Jiangtao , Li Xuhua , Peng Li
Published: November 2022

Mountain forest ecosystems play an important role in global carbon sequestration and may respond differently to variations in climate. The timely and accurate assessment of the factors (abiotic and biotic) that affect forest types will improve our understanding of the ecological mechanisms underlying forest carbon stock and dynamics. Here, we used linear mixed effect models to assess the impact of abiotic and biotic factors on the rate of net tree C accumulation, growth, and mortality, over nearly four decades in 1248 permanent forest plots, in different forest types along an elevational gradient on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. We found that the annual rise in net tree C stock ranged from 0.13 to 0.23 Mg C ha−1 yr−1, as forest growth increased from 1979 to 2017. The highest rates of growth and mortality were in coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest (CBMF), followed by deciduous broad-leaved forests (BDF), evergreen, deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest (EDBMF), and coniferous forest (CF). Mortality increased in EDBMF and CF during the study period. The most important biotic factors were tree richness and tree density, especially in BDF and CBMF. The most important abiotic factors driving these biological responses were a significant rise in monthly mean temperature (MMT) and a decline in precipitation in the growing season. The decrease in precipitation was negatively correlated with net tree C in CBMF and CF. The increase of MMT was positively correlated with growth and mortality of each forest type, and generally more important than richness and density, and overall had a positive effect on net tree C in CBMF and CF. Overall, we suggest that tree carbon stocks will continue to increase in CBMF and CF in the coming decades due to the warming.
Micropyramid-patterned, oxygen-permeable bottomed dish for high density culture of pancreatic islets
Authors: Myrick Ryan J , Shang Kuang-Ming , Betts Jonathan F , Gonzalez Nelson , Rawson Jeffrey , Izumi Kenji , Koba Naoya , Tsuchiya Takanori , Kato Hiroyuki , Omori Keiko , Kandeel Fouad , Mullen Yoko , Tai Yu-Chong , Botvinick Elliot , Komatsu Hirotake
Published: November 2022

The need for maintaining cell-spheroid viability and function within high-density cultures is unmet for various clinical and experimental applications, including cell therapies. One immediate application is for transplantation of pancreatic islets, a clinically recognized treatment option to cure type 1 diabetes; islets are isolated from a donor for subsequent culture prior to transplantation. However, high seeding conditions cause unsolicited fusion of multiple spheroids, thereby limiting oxygen diffusion to induce hypoxic cell death. Here we introduce a culture dish incorporating a micropyramid-patterned surface to prevent the unsolicited fusion and oxygen-permeable bottom for optimal oxygen environment. A 400 µm-thick, oxygen-permeable polydimethylsiloxane sheet topped with micropyramid pattern of 400 µm-base and 200 µm-height was fabricated to apply to the 24-well plate format. The micropyramid pattern separated the individual pancreatic islets to prevent the fusion of multiple islets. This platform supported the high oxygen demand of islets at high seeding density at 260 islet equivalents cm−2, a 2–3-fold higher seeding density compared to the conventional islet culture used in a preparation for the clinical islet transplantations, demonstrating improved islet morphology, metabolism and function in a 4 d-culture. Transplantation of these islets into immunodeficient diabetic mice exhibited significantly improved engraftment to achieve euglycemia compared to islets cultured in the conventional culture wells. Collectively, this simple design modification allows for high-density cultures of three-dimensional cell spheroids to improve the viability and function for an array of investigational and clinical replacement tissues.
Design and preparation of high-performance polymer mortars based on performance prediction model
Authors: Qi Shuai , Wang Xingyao , Li Bo , Ran Qianping , Sun Dewen , Liu Chang , Zhang Xiao
Published: November 2022

This article had presented a systematic and adjustable method to forecast the performance of certain type of polymer mortars, most of all, using the performance prediction model to accurately control the dosages of water reducing agent (D

WR
), cellulose (D

C
), polypropylene fiber (D

F
), expansion agent (D

EA
), redispersible emulsion powder (D

REP
), and cement content (C

C
), according to the changes of properties of polymer mortars. The article had given a full verification supported by a series of orthogonal experiment results to demonstrate the effectiveness and the feedback loop between raw materials and properties of polymer mortars, which had revealed a big practical value and convenience for rapid construction in the job sites, especially for researchers and engineers in the field. Its effort to avoid, or at least control the damage of polymer powders to compressive strength of cement mortars. The mix proportion of high-performance polymer mortars (HPMs) was determined as follows, considering the working and mechanical properties: D

WR
was 0.85 g, D

C
was 1.05 g, D

F
was 1.15 g, C

C
was 42%, D

EA
was 10 g, and D

REP
was 20 g. Successfully created HPMs with pumping resistance of just 61.6N, compressive strength of 68.5MPa at 28d.
Flow direction algorithm and Biogeography-based optimization via fuzzy neural network approach for the prediction of high-performance concrete strength property
Authors: Lin Fang
Published: November 2022

Concrete is one of the most useful materials in the construction industry. Conventional concrete comprises additives such as cement, water, and aggregates. This concrete cannot be used for very important and sensitive structures. For this reason, high-performance concrete (HPC) has been used to achieve the desired and more suitable compressive strength by employing some additives. The additional variable is cement, fly ash, blast furnace slag, superplasticizer, fine aggregate, and coarse aggregate. On the other hand, to obtain a mixture of these materials, laboratory work is not economical and saves time. Therefore, soft-based modeling is the order of the day to solve this problem. The adaptive network fuzzy inference system model is one of the ways to achieve compressive strength close to the laboratory model, which is a smart modeling move. This model has to be optimized to get better and more satisfying results, which is done by two optimizers, Biogeography-Based Optimization (BBO) and Flow Direction Algorithm (FDA), which have bright created and powerful for better performance. Furthermore, in the outputs of these two models, BBO-ANFIS and FDA-ANFIS, certain errors and desired percentages are used to select the most suitable and ideal model for the desired output, i.e., the compressibility of concrete in high-performance concrete. In the relevant modeling, the number of evaluators in the ANFISBBO combined model is R2 = 0.8926, RMSE = 5.0406, MAE = 3.7145, A20-index = 0.8382 and U95 = 13.881, and in ANFISFDA, R2 = 0.912, RMSE = 4.7294, MAE = 3.5367, A20-index = 0.8414, and U95 = 13.054 is obtained. According to the obtained numbers, it is clear that the ANFISFDA combined model has been able to get better results than the BBO-ANFIS model.
Robust and scalable uncertainty estimation with conformal prediction for machine-learned interatomic potentials
Authors: Hu Yuge , Musielewicz Joseph , Ulissi Zachary W , Medford Andrew J
Published: November 2022

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) is important to machine learning (ML) force fields to assess the level of confidence during prediction, as ML models are not inherently physical and can therefore yield catastrophically incorrect predictions. Established a-posteriori UQ methods, including ensemble methods, the dropout method, the delta method, and various heuristic distance metrics, have limitations such as being computationally challenging for large models due to model re-training. In addition, the uncertainty estimates are often not rigorously calibrated. In this work, we propose combining the distribution-free UQ method, known as conformal prediction (CP), with the distances in the neural network’s latent space to estimate the uncertainty of energies predicted by neural network force fields. We evaluate this method (CP+latent) along with other UQ methods on two essential aspects, calibration, and sharpness, and find this method to be both calibrated and sharp under the assumption of independent and identically-distributed (i.i.d.) data. We show that the method is relatively insensitive to hyperparameters selected, and test the limitations of the method when the i.i.d. assumption is violated. Finally, we demonstrate that this method can be readily applied to trained neural network force fields with traditional and graph neural network architectures to obtain estimates of uncertainty with low computational costs on a training dataset of 1 million images to showcase its scalability and portability. Incorporating the CP method with latent distances offers a calibrated, sharp and efficient strategy to estimate the uncertainty of neural network force fields. In addition, the CP approach can also function as a promising strategy for calibrating uncertainty estimated by other approaches.
The role of grain boundaries in solid-state Li-metal batteries
Authors: Milan Emily , Pasta Mauro
Published: November 2022

Despite the potential advantages promised by solid-state batteries, the success of solid-state electrolytes has not yet been fully realised. This is due in part to the lower ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes. In many solid superionic conductors, grain boundaries are found to be ionically resistive and hence contribute to this lower ionic conductivity. Additionally, in spite of the hope that solid electrolytes would inhibit lithium filaments, in most scenarios their growth is still observed, and in some polycrystalline systems this is suggested to occur along grain boundaries. It is apparent that grain boundaries affect the performance of solid-state electrolytes, however a deeper understanding is lacking. In this perspective, the current theories relating to grain boundaries in solid-state electrolytes are explored, as well as addressing some of the challenges which arise when trying to investigate their role. Glasses are presented as a possible solution to reduce the effect of grain boundaries in electrolytes. Future research directions are suggested which will aid in both understanding the role of grain boundaries, and diminishing their contribution in cases where they are detrimental.
Holomorphic isometries into homogeneous bounded domains
Authors: Loi Andrea , Mossa Roberto
Published: November 2022

We prove two rigidity theorems on holomorphic isometries into homogeneous bounded domains. The first shows that a Kähler-Ricci soliton induced by the homogeneous metric of a homogeneous bounded domain is trivial, i.e. Kähler-Einstein. In the second one we prove that a homogeneous bounded domain and the flat (definite or indefinite) complex Euclidean space are not relatives, i.e. they do not share a common Kähler submanifold (of positive dimension). Our theorems extend the results proved by us earlier [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 149 (2021), pp. 4931–4941] and by Xiaoliang Cheng and Yihong Hao [Ann. Global Anal. Geom. 60 (2021), pp. 167–180].
A model of invariant control system using mean curvature drift from Brownian motion under submersions
Authors: Ching-Peng Huang
Published: November 2022

Given a Riemannian submersion

ϕ
:
M
→
N

\phi : M \to N

, we construct a stochastic process

X
X

on

M
M

such that the image

Y
≔
ϕ
(
X
)

Y≔\phi (X)

is a (reversed, scaled) mean curvature flow of the fibers of the submersion. The model example is the mapping

π
:
G
L
(
n
)
→
G
L
(
n
)

/

O
(
n
)

\pi : GL(n) \to GL(n)/O(n)

, whose image is equivalent to the space of

n
n

-by-

n
n

positive definite matrices,

S

+

(
n
,
n
)

\mathcal {S}_+(n,n)

, and the said flow has deterministic image. We are able to compute explicitly the mean curvature (and hence the drift term) of the fibers w.r.t. this map, (i) under diagonalization and (ii) in matrix entries, writing mean curvature as the gradient of log volume of orbits. As a consequence, we are able to write down Brownian motions explicitly on several common homogeneous spaces, such as Poincaré’s upper half plane and the Bures-Wasserstein geometry on

S

+

(
n
,
n
)

\mathcal {S}_+(n,n)

, on which we can see the eigenvalue processes of Brownian motion reminiscent of Dyson’s Brownian motion.

By choosing the background metric via natural

G
L
(
n
)

GL(n)

action, we arrive at an invariant control system on the

G
L
(
n
)

GL(n)

-homogenous space

G
L
(
n
)

/

O
(
n
)

GL(n)/O(n)

. We investigate the feasibility of developing stochastic algorithms using the mean curvature flow.
Singularities of the stress concentration in the presence of 𝐶^{1,𝛼}-inclusions with core-shell geometry
Authors: Hao Xia , Zhao Zhiwen
Published: November 2022

In high-contrast composites, if an inclusion is in close proximity to the matrix boundary, then the stress, which is represented by the gradient of a solution to the Lamé systems of linear elasticity, may exhibit the singularities with respect to the distance

ε
\varepsilon

between them. In this paper, we establish the asymptotic formulas of the stress concentration for core-shell geometry with

C

1
,
α

C^{1,\alpha }

boundaries in all dimensions by precisely capturing all the blow-up factor matrices, as the distance

ε
\varepsilon

between interfacial boundaries of a core and a surrounding shell goes to zero. Further, a direct application of these blow-up factor matrices gives the optimal gradient estimates.
Unpacking the NIH Toolbox Emotion Battery in Persons With Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Lopez Francesca V , Schade Rachel , Ratajska Adrianna , Kenney Lauren , Rodriguez Katie , Ray Alyssa , Santos Lauren , Scott Bonnie M , Trifilio Erin , Bowers Dawn
Published: November 2022

Objective

Examine the relationship between the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Emotion Battery (Emotion Toolbox) and traditional measures in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Method

Persons with PD (n = 30) and cognitively healthy older adults (OA; n = 40) completed the Emotion Toolbox consisting of Well-Being, Negative Affect, and Social Satisfaction scores along with traditional measures of depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II]), anxiety (State–Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]), and apathy (Apathy Scale [AS]); total raw scores).

Results

Separate bootstrapped analyses of covariance indicated that the PD group scored higher on BDI-II and STAI-State compared to OA (ps < .01); groups did not differ on Emotion Toolbox. In the PD group, bootstrapped partial correlations indicated that Negative Affect was positively related to BDI-II and STAI (ps ≤ .001). Social Satisfaction was negatively related to BDI-II and STAI-Trait (.05 < ps < .004). Psychological Well-Being was negatively related to BDI-II, AS, and STAI (p < .004). No relationships emerged in OA. In the PD group, separate binary logistic regressions showed that traditional measures (BDI-II, AS, and STAI-Trait) correctly classified 79.6% those with formal psychiatric diagnoses (presence vs. absence; p < .011), whereas Emotion Toolbox measures correctly classified 73.3% (p < .019).

Conclusions

The Emotion Toolbox showed moderate-strong correlations with traditional measures in persons with PD. Even so, it did not capture the group differences between PD and OA and had a somewhat lower classification accuracy rate for persons with PD who had a formal psychiatric diagnosis than traditional measures. Together, findings question the utility of the Emotion Toolbox as a stand-alone emotion screener in PD.
Pharokka: a fast scalable bacteriophage annotation tool
Authors: Bouras George , Nepal Roshan , Houtak Ghais , Psaltis Alkis James , Wormald Peter-John , Vreugde Sarah
Published: November 2022

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in bacteriophages, which has led to growing numbers of bacteriophage genomic sequences becoming available. Consequently, there is a need for a rapid and consistent genomic annotation tool dedicated for bacteriophages. Existing tools either are not designed specifically for bacteriophages or are web- and email-based and require significant manual curation, which makes their integration into bioinformatic pipelines challenging. Pharokka was created to provide a tool that annotates bacteriophage genomes easily, rapidly and consistently with standards compliant outputs. Moreover, Pharokka requires only two lines of code to install and use and takes under 5 min to run for an average 50-kb bacteriophage genome.

Availability and implementation

Pharokka is implemented in Python and is available as a bioconda package using ‘conda install -c bioconda pharokka’. The source code is available on GitHub (https://github.com/gbouras13/pharokka). Pharokka has been tested on Linux-64 and MacOSX machines and on Windows using a Linux Virtual Machine.