bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Versatile stochastic dot product circuits based on nonvolatile memories for high performance neurocomputing and neurooptimization
Authors: Mahmoodi M. R. , Prezioso M. , Strukov D. B.
Published: November 2019

The key operation in stochastic neural networks, which have become the state-of-the-art approach for solving problems in machine learning, information theory, and statistics, is a stochastic dot-product. While there have been many demonstrations of dot-product circuits and, separately, of stochastic neurons, the efficient hardware implementation combining both functionalities is still missing. Here we report compact, fast, energy-efficient, and scalable stochastic dot-product circuits based on either passively integrated metal-oxide memristors or embedded floating-gate memories. The circuit’s high performance is due to mixed-signal implementation, while the efficient stochastic operation is achieved by utilizing circuit’s noise, intrinsic and/or extrinsic to the memory cell array. The dynamic scaling of weights, enabled by analog memory devices, allows for efficient realization of different annealing approaches to improve functionality. The proposed approach is experimentally verified for two representative applications, namely by implementing neural network for solving a four-node graph-partitioning problem, and a Boltzmann machine with 10-input and 8-hidden neurons.
Author Correction: The future of Blue Carbon science
Authors: Macreadie Peter I. , Anton Andrea , Raven John A. , Beaumont Nicola , Connolly Rod M. , Friess Daniel A. , Kelleway Jeffrey J. , Kennedy Hilary , Kuwae Tomohiro , Lavery Paul S. , Lovelock Catherine E. , Smale Dan A. , Apostolaki Eugenia T. , Atwood Trisha B. , Baldock Jeff , Bianchi Thomas S. , Chmura Gail L. , Eyre Bradley D. , Fourqurean James W. , Hall-Spencer Jason M. , Huxham Mark , Hendriks Iris E. , Krause-Jensen Dorte , Laffoley Dan , Luisetti Tiziana , Marbà Núria , Masque Pere , McGlathery Karen J. , Megonigal J. Patrick , Murdiyarso Daniel , Russell Bayden D. , Santos Rui , Serrano Oscar , Silliman Brian R. , Watanabe Kenta , Duarte Carlos M.
Published: November 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: Engaging with research impact assessment for an environmental science case study
Authors: Fryirs Kirstie A. , Brierley Gary J. , Dixon Thom
Published: November 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Natural biomass derived hard carbon and activated carbons as electrochemical supercapacitor electrodes
Authors: Ghosh Sourav , Santhosh Ravichandran , Jeniffer Sofia , Raghavan Vimala , Jacob George , Nanaji Katchala , Kollu Pratap , Jeong Soon Kwan , Grace Andrews Nirmala
Published: November 2019

With every moving day, the aspect that is going to be the most important for modern science and technology is the means to supply sufficient energy for all the scientific applications. As the resource of fossil fuel is draining out fast, an alternative is always required to satisfy the needs of the future world. Limited resources also force to innovate something that can utilise the resource more efficiently. This work is based on a simple synthesis route of biomass derived hard carbon and to exploring the possibility of using it as electrochemical supercapacitors. A cheap, eco-friendly and easily synthesized carbon material is utilized as electrode for electrochemical energy-storage. Four different hard carbons were synthesized from KOH activated banana stem (KHC), phosphoric acid treated banana stem derived carbons (PHC), corn-cob derived hard carbon (CHC) and potato starch derived hard carbons (SHC) and tested as supercapacitor electrodes. KOH-activated hard carbon has provided 479.23 F/g specific capacitance as calculated from its cycle voltammograms. A detailed analysis is done to correlate the results obtained with the material property. Overall, this work provides an in depth analysis of the science behind the components of an electrochemical energy-storage system as well as why the different characterization techniques are required to assess the quality and reliability of the material for electrochemical supercapacitor applications.
Realistic microstructure evolution of complex Ta-Nb-Hf-Zr high-entropy alloys by simulation techniques
Authors: Mishra Shashank , Maiti Soumyadipta , Dwadasi Balarama Sridhar , Rai Beena
Published: November 2019

Over last 15 years high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) have gained much appreciation for their numerous superior properties. In this paper we have shown a novel simulation methodology to realistically predict the nanometer level local structural features of complex Ta0.25Nb0.25Hf0.25Zr0.25 HEA. This involves prediction of the morphology of the short-range clustering (SRCs), their quantitative atomic composition at the nano level and the thermodynamic aspects. An alloy structure model containing 11664 atoms was created and this was subjected to structure evolution at 1800 °C. The structure evolution technique is based on a combined hybrid Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics (MC/MD) approach. The simulated results from this work are further validated against experiments and material characterizations reported in literature and done by high-resolution transmission electron micrograph (HRTEM) for the nano-level microstructure, atom probe tomography (APT) for the local chemical compositions and X-ray diffraction at synchrotron sources for the local lattice relaxation effects. This work qualitatively and quantitatively reproduces the materials characterization results reasonably well from the developed simulation methodologies. The structure evolution methods as described in this work are based on independent computer simulations and does not involve any manual intervention for input based on experiments on evolving SRCs. This work shows the potential of utilizing MC/MD based computational methods to reduce the number of costly experimental characterizations and accelerate the pace for materials development.
A subacute model of glaucoma based on limbal plexus cautery in pigmented rats
Authors: Lani Rafael , Dias Mariana S. , Abreu Carla Andreia , Araújo Victor G. , Gonçalo Thais , Nascimento-dos-Santos Gabriel , Dantas Adalmir Morterá , Allodi Silvana , Fiorani Mario , Petrs-Silva Hilda , Linden Rafael
Published: November 2019

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive functional impairment and degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons, and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Current management of glaucoma is based on reduction of high intraocular pressure (IOP), one of its most consistent risk factors, but the disease proceeds in almost half of the patients despite such treatments. Several experimental models of glaucoma have been developed in rodents, most of which present shortcomings such as high surgical invasiveness, slow learning curves, damage to the transparency of the optic media which prevents adequate functional assessment, and variable results. Here we describe a novel and simple method to induce ocular hypertension in pigmented rats, based on low-temperature cauterization of the whole circumference of the limbal vascular plexus, a major component of aqueous humor drainage and easily accessible for surgical procedures. This simple, low-cost and efficient method produced a reproducible subacute ocular hypertension with full clinical recovery, followed by a steady loss of retinal ganglion cells and optic axons, accompanied by functional changes detected both by electrophysiological and behavioral methods.
Enhancing the Seebeck effect in Ge/Si through the combination of interfacial design features
Authors: Nadtochiy Andriy , Kuryliuk Vasyl , Strelchuk Viktor , Korotchenkov Oleg , Li Pei-Wen , Lee Sheng-Wei
Published: November 2019

Due to their inherent physical properties, thin-film Si/SiGe heterostructures have specific thermal management applications in advanced integrated circuits and this in turn is essential not only to prevent a high local temperature and overheat inside the circuit, but also generate electricity through the Seebeck effect. Here, we were able to enhance the Seebeck effect in the germanium composite quantum dots (CQDs) embedded in silicon by increasing the number of thin silicon layers inside the dot (multi-fold CQD material). The Seebeck effect in the CQD structures and multi-layer boron atomic layer-doped SiGe epitaxial films was studied experimentally at temperatures in the range from 50 to 300 K and detailed calculations for the Seebeck coefficient employing different scattering mechanisms were made. Our results show that the Seebeck coefficient is enhanced up to ≈40% in a 3-fold CQD material with respect to 2-fold Ge/Si CQDs. This enhancement was precisely modeled by taking into account the scattering of phonons by inner boundaries and the carrier filtering by the CQD inclusions. Our model is also able to reproduce the observed temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient in the B atomic layer-doped SiGe fairly well. We expect that the phonon scattering techniques developed here could significantly improve the thermoelectric performance of Ge/Si materials through further optimization of the layer stacks inside the quantum dot and of the dopant concentrations.
Converse Magnetoelectric Composite Resonator for Sensing Small Magnetic Fields
Authors: Hayes P. , Jovičević Klug M. , Toxværd S. , Durdaut P. , Schell V. , Teplyuk A. , Burdin D. , Winkler A. , Weser R. , Fetisov Y. , Höft M. , Knöchel R. , McCord J. , Quandt E.
Published: November 2019

Magnetoelectric (ME) thin film composites consisting of sputtered piezoelectric (PE) and magnetostrictive (MS) layers enable for measurements of magnetic fields passively, i.e. an AC magnetic field directly generates an ME voltage by mechanical coupling of the MS deformation to the PE phase. In order to achieve high field sensitivities a magnetic bias field is necessary to operate at the maximum piezomagnetic coefficient of the MS phase, harnessing mechanical resonances further enhances this direct ME effect size. Despite being able to detect very small AC field amplitudes, exploiting mechanical resonances directly, implies a limitation to available signal bandwidth along with the inherent inability to detect DC or very low frequency magnetic fields. The presented work demonstrates converse ME modulation of thin film Si cantilever composites of mesoscopic dimensions (25 mm × 2.45 mm × 0.35 mm), employing piezoelectric AlN and magnetostrictive FeCoSiB films of 2 µm thickness each. A high frequency mechanical resonance at about 515 kHz leads to strong induced voltages in a surrounding pickup coil with matched self-resonance, leading to field sensitivities up to 64 kV/T. A DC limit of detection of 210 pT/Hz1/2 as well as about 70 pT/Hz1/2 at 10 Hz, without the need for a magnetic bias field, pave the way towards biomagnetic applications.
Community assembly mechanisms and succession processes significantly differ among treatments during the restoration of Stipa grandis – Leymus chinensis communities
Authors: Dong Ke , Hao Guang , Yang Nan , Zhang Jian-li , Ding Xin-feng , Ren Hui-qin , Shen Jun-fang , Wang Jin-long , Jiang Lin , Zhao Nian-xi , Gao Yu-bao
Published: November 2019

Understanding community assembly mechanisms is helpful to predict community dynamics. To explore which community assembly mechanism(s) drive(s) the grassland restoration in semi-arid region, we investigated the relationships between plant trait and species relative abundance (SRA), and estimated community functional diversity indices for each community under different treatments (enclosure, grazing and mowing treatment) in a restoration region of Stipa grandis – Leymus chinensis communities in the northern China from 2010 to 2012. There was a high fraction of significant relationships between trait value and SRA, suggesting that niche theory structured the grassland restoration in this region. The functional richness was higher and the functional divergence was lower in the enclosure community than that in the grazing or mowing community, and significantly positive plant height - SRA relationship was found in the enclosure community. These findings demonstrated that limiting similarity based on niche theory was more important in structuring the enclosure community and that environmental filtering based on niche theory played a more important role in driving the grazing or mowing community. Only the factor of year significantly affected the functional evenness (FEve), and the lowest FEve in 2011 implied that the relatively lower precipitation could enhance the effect of limiting similarity on community assembly in the semi-arid grassland.
Rotigotine suppresses sleep-related muscle activity augmented by injection of dialysis patients’ sera in a mouse model of restless legs syndrome
Authors: Muramatsu Kazuhiro , Chikahisa Sachiko , Shimizu Noriyuki , Séi Hiroyoshi , Inoue Yuichi
Published: November 2019

Idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS) has a genetic basis wherein BTBD9 is associated with a higher risk of RLS. Hemodialysis patients also exhibit higher rates of RLS compared with the healthy population. However, little is known about the relationship of BTBD9 and end-stage renal disease to RLS pathophysiology. Here we evaluated sleep and leg muscle activity of Btbd9 mutant (MT) mice after administration of serum from patients with either idiopathic or RLS due to end-stage renal disease (renal RLS) and investigated the efficacy of treatment with the dopamine agonist rotigotine. At baseline, the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was decreased and leg muscle activity during non-REM (NREM) sleep was increased in MT mice compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Wake-promoting effects of rotigotine were attenuated by injection of serum from RLS patients in both WT and MT mice. Leg muscle activity during NREM sleep was increased only in MT mice injected with serum from RLS patients of ideiopatic and renal RLS. Subsequent treatment with rotigotine ameliorated this altered leg muscle activity. Together these results support previous reports showing a relationship between the Btbd9/dopamine system and RLS, and elucidate in part the pathophysiology of RLS.
Comorbidity of asthma and hypertension may be mediated by shared genetic dysregulation and drug side effects
Authors: Zolotareva Olga , Saik Olga V. , Königs Cassandra , Bragina Elena Yu. , Goncharova Irina A. , Freidin Maxim B. , Dosenko Victor E. , Ivanisenko Vladimir A. , Hofestädt Ralf
Published: November 2019

Asthma and hypertension are complex diseases coinciding more frequently than expected by chance. Unraveling the mechanisms of comorbidity of asthma and hypertension is necessary for choosing the most appropriate treatment plan for patients with this comorbidity. Since both diseases have a strong genetic component in this article we aimed to find and study genes simultaneously associated with asthma and hypertension. We identified 330 shared genes and found that they form six modules on the interaction network. A strong overlap between genes associated with asthma and hypertension was found on the level of eQTL regulated genes and between targets of drugs relevant for asthma and hypertension. This suggests that the phenomenon of comorbidity of asthma and hypertension may be explained by altered genetic regulation or result from drug side effects. In this work we also demonstrate that not only drug indications but also contraindications provide an important source of molecular evidence helpful to uncover disease mechanisms. These findings give a clue to the possible mechanisms of comorbidity and highlight the direction for future research.
A host dTMP-bound structure of T4 phage dCMP hydroxymethylase mutant using an X-ray free electron laser
Authors: Park Si Hoon , Park Jaehyun , Lee Sang Jae , Yang Woo Seok , Park Sehan , Kim Kyungdo , Park Zee-Yong , Song Hyun Kyu
Published: November 2019

The hydroxymethylation of cytosine bases plays a vital role in the phage DNA protection system inside the host Escherichia coli. This modification is known to be catalyzed by the dCMP hydroxymethylase from bacteriophage T4 (T4dCH); structural information on the complexes with the substrate, dCMP and the co-factor, tetrahydrofolate is currently available. However, the detailed mechanism has not been understood clearly owing to a lack of structure in the complex with a reaction intermediate. We have applied the X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) technique to determine a high-resolution structure of a T4dCH D179N active site mutant. The XFEL structure was determined at room temperature and exhibited several unique features in comparison with previously determined structures. Unexpectedly, we observed a bulky electron density at the active site of the mutant that originated from the physiological host (i.e., E. coli). Mass-spectrometric analysis and a cautious interpretation of an electron density map indicated that it was a dTMP molecule. The bound dTMP mimicked the methylene intermediate from dCMP to 5′-hydroxymethy-dCMP, and a critical water molecule for the final hydroxylation was convincingly identified. Therefore, this study provides information that contributes to the understanding of hydroxymethylation.
Variation of the clavicle’s muscle insertion footprints – a cadaveric study
Authors: Herteleer M. , Vancleef S. , Herijgers P. , Duflou J. , Jonkers I. , Vander Sloten J. , Nijs S.
Published: November 2019

The muscle footprint anatomy of the clavicle is described in various anatomical textbooks but research on the footprint variation is rare. Our goal was to assess the variation and to create a probabilistic atlas of the muscle footprint anatomy. 14 right and left clavicles of anatomical specimens were dissected until only muscle fibers remained. 3D models with muscle footprints were made through CT scanning, laser scanning and photogrammetry. Then, for each side, the mean clavicle was calculated and non-rigidly registered to all other cadaveric bones. Muscle footprints were indicated on the mean left and right clavicle through the 1-to-1 mesh correspondence which is achieved by non-rigid registration. Lastly, 2 probabilistic atlases from the clavicle muscle footprints were generated. There was no statistical significant difference between the surface area (absolute and relative), of the originally dissected muscle footprints, of male and female, and left and right anatomical specimens. Visualization of all muscle footprints on the mean clavicle resulted in 72% (right) and 82% (left) coverage of the surface. The Muscle Insertion Footprint of each specimen covered on average 36.9% of the average right and 37.0% of the average left clavicle. The difference between surface coverage by all MIF and the mean surface coverage, shows that the MIF location varies strongly. From the probabilistic atlas we can conclude that no universal clavicle exists. Therefore, patient-specific clavicle fracture fixation plates should be considered to minimally interfere with the MIF. Therefore, patient-specific clavicle fracture fixation plates which minimally interfere with the footprints should be considered.
Expression of microRNA in follicular fluid in women with and without PCOS
Authors: Butler Alexandra E. , Ramachandran Vimal , Hayat Shahina , Dargham Soha R. , Cunningham Thomas Keith , Benurwar Manasi , Sathyapalan Thozhukat , Najafi-Shoushtari S. Hani , Atkin Stephen L.
Published: November 2019

Several studies have shown the expression of small non-coding microRNA (miRNA) changes in PCOS and their expression in follicular fluid has been described, though the number of studies remains small. In this prospective cohort study, miRNA were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 29 weight and aged matched anovulatory women with PCOS and 30 women without from follicular fluid taken at the time of oocyte retrieval who were undergoingin vitrofertilization(IVF); miRNA levels were determined from a miRNA data set. 176 miRNA were detected, of which 29 differed significantly between normal women and PCOS women. Of these, the top 7 (p < 0.015) were miR-381-3p, miR-199b-5p, miR-93-3p, miR-361-3p, miR-127-3p, miR-382-5p, miR-425-3p. In PCOS, miR-382-5p correlated with age and free androgen index (FAI), miR-199b-5p correlated with anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and miR-93-3p correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP). In normal controls, miR-127-3p, miR-382-5p and miR-425-3p correlated with the fertilisation rate; miR-127-3p correlated with insulin resistance and miR-381-3p correlated with FAI. Ingenuity pathway assessment revealed that 12 of the significantly altered miRNA related to reproductive pathways, 12 miRNA related to the inflammatory disease pathway and 6 were implicated in benign pelvic disease. MiRNAs differed in the follicular fluid between PCOS and normal control women, correlating with age, FAI, inflammation and AMH in PCOS, and with BMI, fertilization rate (3 miRNA), insulin resistance, FAI and inflammation in control women, according to Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.
Gut microbiome of treatment-naïve MS patients of different ethnicities early in disease course
Authors: Ventura R. E. , Iizumi T. , Battaglia T. , Liu Menghan , Perez-Perez G. I. , Herbert J. , Blaser M. J.
Published: November 2019

Although the intestinal microbiome has been increasingly implicated in autoimmune diseases, much is unknown about its roles in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to compare the microbiome between treatment-naïve MS subjects early in their disease course and controls, and between Caucasian (CA), Hispanic (HA), and African American (AA) MS subjects. From fecal samples, we performed 16S rRNA V4 sequencing and analysis from 45 MS subjects (15 CA, 16 HA, 14 AA) and 44 matched healthy controls, and whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing from 24 MS subjects (all newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve, and steroid-free) and 24 controls. In all three ethnic groups, there was an increased relative abundance of the same single genus, Clostridium, compared to ethnicity-matched controls. Analysis of microbiota networks showed significant changes in the network characteristics between combined MS cohorts and controls, suggesting global differences not restricted to individual taxa. Metagenomic analysis revealed significant enrichment of individual species within Clostridia as well as particular functional pathways in the MS subjects. The increased relative abundance of Clostridia in all three early MS cohorts compared to controls provides candidate taxa for further study as biomarkers or as etiologic agents in MS.
Publisher Correction: Soluble LRP1 is an independent biomarker of epicardial fat volume in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: de Gonzalo-Calvo David , Colom Cristina , Vilades David , Rivas-Urbina Andrea , Moustafa Abdel-Hakim , Pérez-Cuellar Montserrat , Sánchez-Quesada Jose Luis , Pérez Antonio , LLorente-Cortes Vicenta
Published: November 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Transgenic PDGF-BB/sericin hydrogel supports for cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation
Authors: Wang Feng , Hou Kai , Chen Wenjing , Wang Yuancheng , Wang Riyuan , Tian Chi , Xu Sheng , Ji Yanting , Yang Qianqian , Zhao Ping , Yu Ling , Lu Zhisong , Zhang Huijie , Li Fushu , Wang Han , He Baicheng , Kaplan David L. , Xia Qingyou
Published: November 2019

The present study demonstrates fabrication of PDGF-BB functionalized sericin hydrogel to explore biomaterials-related utility in bone tissue engineering.
Combined experimental and theoretical investigations of Ba3GaS4I: interesting structural transformation originated from halogen substitution
Authors: Li Meng-Yue , Zhang Yu-Xiao , Lin Hua , Ma Zuju , Wu Xin-Tao , Zhu Qi-Long
Published: November 2019

We have reported experimental and theoretical investigations of Ba3GaS4I and discussed the influences of halogen substitution on structural transformation and optical response changes.
Comment on “Isocyanic acid (HNCO) and its fate in the atmosphere: a review” by M. D. Leslie, M. Ridoli, J. G. Murphy and N. Borduas-Dedekind,Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2019,21, 793
Authors: Plehiers Patrick M.
Published: November 2019

Considering bodily elimination mechanisms allows for a refined assessment of the impact of environmental HNCO exposure.
Underwater superoleophobic PVA–GO nanofibrous membranes for emulsified oily water purification
Authors: Ghaffar Abdul , Chen Cheng , Zhu Xiaoying , Chen Baoliang
Published: November 2019

An efficient PVA–GO NFM was prepared by a facile electrospinning technique with superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity for emulsified oily water separation with high performance.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study to assess bacterial anti-adhesive activity in human urine following consumption of a cranberry supplement
Authors: Liu Haiyan , Howell Amy B. , Zhang Derek J. , Khoo Christina
Published: November 2019

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the common bacterial infections treated with antibiotics.
Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus F17 and Leuconostoc lactis H52 supernatants delay the decay of strawberry fruits: a microbiome perspective
Authors: Fang Xiang , Li Yanlin , Guo Wei , Ke Wencan , Bi Sisi , Guo Xusheng , Zhang Ying
Published: November 2019

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus F17 and Leuconostoc lactis H52 as the potential biopreservative, which delayed the decay and changed the structure of microbial community of the ‘Benihoppe’ strawberry fruits.
Nanomaterials for molecular signal amplification in electrochemical nucleic acid biosensing: recent advances and future prospects for point-of-care diagnostics
Authors: Bezinge Léonard , Suea-Ngam Akkapol , deMello Andrew J. , Shih Chih-Jen
Published: November 2019

This account reviews the major amplification strategies utilizing nanomaterials in electrochemical biosensing for robust and sensitive molecular diagnostics.
Anisotropic self-assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles: experimental evidence of low-field deviation from the linear response theory and empirical model
Authors: Andreu Irene , Urtizberea Ainhoa , Natividad Eva
Published: November 2019

Anisotropic assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles with a collective-interactive behavior that can be tuned by an alternating magnetic field amplitude display a cascade of unexpected physical effects and allow reformulation of Néel relaxation times.
Adenine-(methoxy)-ethoxy-Pα,α-dithio-triphosphate inhibits pathologic calcium pyrophosphate deposition in osteoarthritic human chondrocytes
Authors: Nassir Molhm , Mirza Salahuddin , Arad Uri , Lee Sangyong , Rafehi Muhammad , Yaw Attah Isaac , Renn Christian , Zimmermann Herbert , Pelletier Julie , Sévigny Jean , Müller Christa E. , Fischer Bilha
Published: November 2019

Nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase-1 (NPP1) inhibitors have been suggested as a potential treatment for calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) deposition disease.
Geometry and kinetics determine the microstructure in arrested coalescence of Pickering emulsion droplets
Authors: Xie Zhaoyu , Burke Christopher J. , Mbanga Badel , Spicer Patrick T. , Atherton Timothy J.
Published: November 2019

We disentangle the influence of shape and kinetics in the structure of arrested Pickering emulsion droplets after coalescence.
NASICON vs. Na metal: a new counter electrode to evaluate electrodes for Na secondary batteries
Authors: Hwang Jinkwang , Takeuchi Koki , Matsumoto Kazuhiko , Hagiwara Rika
Published: November 2019

NaV2(PO4)3 is prepared by chemical desodiation of Na3V2(PO4)3 using Cl2 gas, and the mixture of Na3V2(PO4)3 and NaV2(PO4)3 is used as a novel and reliable NASICON-type counter electrode for Na secondary battery tests.
Chemical-enzymatic fractionation to unlock the potential of biomass-derived carbon materials for sodium ion batteries
Authors: Feng Yiming , Tao Lei , He Yanhong , Jin Qing , Kuai Chunguang , Zheng Yunwu , Li Mengqiao , Hou Qingping , Zheng Zhifeng , Lin Feng , Huang Haibo
Published: November 2019

Plant biomass, the most abundant and sustainable carbon source, offers a rich chemical space to design hard carbons for sodium ion batteries.
Aromatic porous polymer network membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration under extreme conditions
Authors: Wang Chenxu , Li Chenxuan , Rutledge Evan R. C. , Che Sai , Lee Jongbok , Kalin Alexander J. , Zhang Caili , Zhou Hong-Cai , Guo Zi-Hao , Fang Lei
Published: November 2019

Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes composed of aromatic porous polymer networks are fabricated by in situ cross-linking. They exhibit excellent chemical/structural stability, molecular-sieving selectivity, and high permeability for OSN.
TDOA/FDOA estimation algorithm of frequency‐hopping signals based on CAF coherent integration
Authors: Ouyang Xinxin , He Qing , Yang Yuxiang , Wan Qun
Published: November 2019

The estimation accuracy of time difference of arrival (TDOA) and frequency difference of arrival (FDOA)is determined by the frequency and time distribution, signal energy and noise. TDOA estimation is mainly decided by frequency distribution, while FDOA estimation generally relies on time distribution. Frequency‐hopping (FH) signals have broad distribution in frequency and time domains, the problem of low estimation accuracy for TDOA and FDOA of single‐hop signal can be overcome through multi‐hop coherent integration to improve the use of efficient bandwidth and duration. Focus on the TDOA/FDOA estimation problem of FH signals; this study proposes a high accuracy TDOA/FDOA estimation algorithm, which will conduce high precision of localisation. The cross‐ambiguity function (CAF) of single‐hop baseband signal is first analysed, then the CAF of each hop signal is deduced, and the phase relationship of each CAF is revealed through TDOA and FDOA dimensions. Coherent integration is realised by FDOA normalised compensation and phase compensation. The theory performances of TDOA/FDOA estimation for FH signals are derived, and the influence of the signal parameters on TDOA/FDOA estimate accuracy is indicated. Monte Carlo simulations validate that the performance of proposed coherent integration TDOA/FDOA estimation algorithm for FH signals gets greater improvements than that of single‐hop signal, and the performance improvements accord with the theory analysis well.
Comparison of the 1D and 2D calculation models used for determination of the heat transfer coefficient during flow boiling heat transfer in a minichannel
Authors: Strak Kinga , Piasecka Magdalena , Maciejewska Beata
Published: November 2019

The paper discusses the results of the flow boiling heat transfer in a vertical minichannel with rectangular cross-section. The heating element for FC-72 flowing in the minichannel is a thin plate. Infrared thermography is used to determine changes in the temperature on its outer side. The aim of thecalculation is to determine the heat transfer coefficient using 1D and 2D calculation models. Local values of heat transfer coefficient on the surface between the heated plate and boiling fluid are calculated from the Newton`s and Fourier`s laws. In 2D model the plate temperature distribution is obtained by solving the inverse heat conduction problem. The governing equation is solved by means of two methods: the non-continuous Trefftz method and the Beck method. The results are presented as plate temperature and heat transfer coefficient calculated using 1D and 2D models as a function of the distance fromthe minichannel inlet. The analysis of the results revealed that the values and distributions of the heat transfer coefficient calculated by means of both models were similar. This suggests that all mentioned methods are interchangeable.
Investigation into mechanisms of deflagration-to-detonation using Direct Numerical Simulations
Authors: Adoghe Joseph , Liu Weiming , Francis Jonathan , Adeniyi Akinola
Published: November 2019

Detonation, a combustion phenomenon is a supersonic combustion wave which plays critical role in the theory and application of combustion. This work presents numerical investigation into indirect initiation of detonation using direct numerical simulations (DNS). The Adaptive Mesh Refinement in object–oriented C++ (AMROC) tool for parallel computations is applied in DNS. The combustion reactions take place in a shock tube and an enclosure with a tube respectively and are controlled by detailed chemical kinetics. The database produced by DNS accurately simulates the process of transition of deflagration to detonation (DDT), and investigates the influence of overpressure and kinetics on flame propagations during combustion processes. The numerical simulations showed the influence of pressure and kinetics to the transition of slow and fast flames and DDT during flame propagations. When the reaction rate is fast, DDT is achieved, but when slow, DDT will not occur and therefore, there will be no detonation and consequently no strong explosion. Exploring the influence of free radical H on flame propagation showed that the concentration of the reacting species decreased with flame speed increase for each propagation. Hence, the heat generated was very fast with a greater chance of DDT beingtriggered because flame speed increased.
Numerical investigation of advanced gas turbine combined cycle coupled with high-temperature nuclear reactor and cogeneration unit
Authors: Jaszczur Marek , Dudek Michal , Kolenda Zygmunt
Published: November 2019

In the European Union by 2050, more than 80% of electricity should be generated using nongreenhousegases energy technology. Nuclear power systems share at present about 15% of the power market and thistechnology can be the backbone of a carbon-free European power system. Energy market transitions are similar to global pathways were analysed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. From a practical point of view currently, the most advanced and most effective technology for electricity generation is based on a gas turbine combined cycle. This technology in a normal way uses natural gas, synthesis gas from the coal gasification or crude oil processing products as the energy carriers but at the same time, such system emits sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and CO2 to the environment. In thepresent paper, a thermodynamic analysis of environmentally friendly power plant with a high–temperature gas nuclear reactor and advanced configuration of gas turbine combined cycle technology is investigated. The presented analysis shows that it is possible to obtain for proposed thermalcycles an efficiency higher than 50% which is not only more than could be offered by traditional coal power plant but much more than can be proposed by any other nuclear technology.
An experimental and numerical investigation of the thermal and non–thermal efficiency for counterflow heat exchanger
Authors: Borowski Marek , Karch Michał , Kleszcz Sławosz , Sala Paweł , Waryan Grzegorz
Published: November 2019

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are responsible for a significant part of total energy consumption in operated buildings. To decrease energy consumption in the near future, all buildings will have mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. In such system heat exchanger is the essential part of the system responsible for effective energy recovery from exhaust air. However, the main disadvantage of this type of unit is heat exchanger freezing during winter. To solve this issue in the present research a special air distribution system in the heat exchanger was developed. The periodic-flow unit under investigation consists of a standard counter flow heat exchanger and a set of opposing air dampers used to appropriately cyclically modify the direction of air flow through the heat exchanger. Proposed in the studies modification eliminate the negative aspect of unit freezing during the winter season as well as ensure proper air humidity. It has been found that the thermal efficiency for theheat exchanger is 83.5%. However, some internal leakage in manufactured unit occurs which artificiallyraised this parameter. The estimated value from the energy balance of was lower about 80.3%. The value of the heat exchanger efficiency falls within the range 80.3-82.8%.
Study on Characteristics of Heat Transfer and Flow Resistance in Random Porous Foam Metal
Authors: Chen Aiqiang , Gu Sizhong , Georges El Achkar , Bennacer Rachid , Liu Bin
Published: November 2019

Porous foam metal has great application prospects in the field of compact heat exchangers. The characteristics of heat transfer and resistance for foam metal with random structure and different porosities (30%, 50%, 70% and 90%) were studied by finite element method in this study. The generated foam structures can be considered as homogeneous model and has better heat exchange capacity at higher inlet flow rate, and the boundary layer can develop well along the flow direction. The open–cell foammetal structure has a uniform heat transfer perpendicular to the flow direction. The bottom plate temperature of the low–porosity structure is more uniform at low flow rates. The intermediate porosities (50% and 70%) at high flow rates has a higher uniformity. As the porosity decreases, the internal pressure increases significantly and the pressure loss also becomes significantly larger. The corresponding optimal porosity is 57%, 66% and 76% at inlet flow rates of 0.001 m/s, 0.01 m/s and 0.1 m/s, respectively.
Prediction of flow and dispersion in cross–ventilated buildings
Authors: Benim Ali Cemal , Diederich Michael , Nahavandi Ali
Published: November 2019

The present paper presents a detailed computational analysis of flow and dispersion in a generic isolated single–zone buildings. First, a grid generation strategy is discussed, that is inspired by a previous computational analysis and a grid independence study. Different turbulence models are appliedincluding two-equation turbulence models, the differential Reynolds Stress Model, Detached Eddy Simulation and Zonal Large Eddy Simulation. The mean velocity and concentration fields are calculated and compared with the measurements. A satisfactory agreement with the experiments is not observed by any of the modelling approaches, indicating the highly demanding flow and turbulence structure of the problem.
Experimental measurement and Numerical Simulation of Particle Deposition on super–hydrophobic surface
Authors: Pan Anjian , Zhang Lizhi , Lu Hao
Published: November 2019

Airborne dust deposition on a large number of energy devices would cause serious efficiency and lifetime reduction, such as solar photovoltaic panels, heat exchanger surfaces and fan blades. Mechanicalor manual cleaning using water is still the main method of mitigating dust deposition damage on theserelated energy equipment, which is commonly expensive and frequent. As a kind of self-cleaningmaterial,super–hydrophobic coating may become a new effective way to mitigating the dust deposition issue. Super–hydrophobic coatings with low surface energy and unique micro-nano secondary structure can significantly reduce dust deposition rate. However, mechanism of dust deposition on super-hydrophobic surfaces remains unclear. Thus it is difficult to develop high performance self-cleaning coating. This paper aims to investigate dust deposition behaviors and mechanisms on super-hydrophobic surface by experimental measurement and numerical simulation. Lattice Boltzmann Method-Discrete Particle Method (LBM–DPM) will be developed to predict dust particle deposition process including settling, collision adhesion and rebound behaviors. The mechanisms and interactions between coating surface energy, particle characteristics, particle incident velocity and particle adhesion or rebound behavior will be studied carefully. The findings and results may be useful to guide the development of high performance self-cleaning super– hydrophobic coating.
Numerical investigation of the effect of the shape of the nozzle on the flash boiling phenomenon
Authors: Łapka Piotr , Seredyński Miroslaw , Grzebielec Andrzej , Szelagowski Adam , Śmiechowicz Mateusz , Gromadzki Emil
Published: November 2019

In this paper analysis of influence of the nozzle shape on the flash boiling phenomena is presented. The mixture model was applied to account for two-phase flow through the nozzle. The ZwartGerber-B lamri model was used to describe the dynamics of the water-vapor phase change process, with the relationship linking the saturation pressure and temperature of the fluid. The effect of the shape of the nozzle on the mass flow rate of the two-phase mixture was numerically investigated by considering thestepwise and conical geometry of its divergent part. At first analysis of the influence of grid size as well as the ways of turbulence and near wall region modelling on the mass flow rate of two-phase mixture were studied for the diameter of nozzle neck of 0.42 mm. Predictions were found independent onthese factors. Then simulations were carried out for three nozzle neck diameters (i.e., 0.62, 0.72 and 0.82 mm) and for several pressures (i.e., from 5 to 7 bar) and undercoolings (i.e., from 1 to 50 K)of water at the inlet. The shape of divergent part of the nozzle was found to not have effect on the mass flow rate of flashing water flowing through nozzle.
Moisture transfer modelling in polystyrene mortar with consideration of sorption hysteresis
Authors: Maaroufi Maroua , Abahri Kamilia , Bennai Fares , Belarbi Rafik
Published: November 2019

The walls of buildings experience heat, air and moisture transfers. These transfers have a significant influence on indoor climate, since they affect the value of temperature and relative humidity inhouses. High levels of humidity lead to pathologies in the buildings, and influence the air quality and the hygrothermal comfort of the occupants. In this work, a numerical analysis of the behaviour of polystyrene mortar under hydric solicitations was led. The simulations were held using ComsolMultiphysics and MATLAB. There were two different moisture transfer models used in this work: the first one took into account sorption hysteresis phenomenon, and the other one did not. The computed results showed that considering sorption hysteresis in modelling the hydric behaviour of the material allows obtaining more accurate results comparing to a model that does not consider hysteresis.
Protection by noise in quarrying activities: test methods comparison of the hearing protection devices efficiency
Authors: Alfaro Degan Guido , Coltrinari Gianluca , Lippiello Dario , Nataletti Pietro , Annesi Diego
Published: November 2019

The work operations in the quarry activities are the source of many physical agents such as dust and vibrations but especially noise. This last can have relevant negative effects they cause serious problems for the worker’s health. In order to prevent the hearing loss, the employer must provide to the workers the HPD (Hearing Protection Devices). They are inserted inside the ear following a specific procedure to ensure the maximum protection by the noise. For this reason, the use training represents an essential aspect. Also the material, which the device is made of, can influence strongly the actual noise attenuation. The study is based on tests with different HPD, some made of polyurethane and others by silicone. Two experimental campaigns were carried out under different conditions with the same measurement methodology. The results highlight the importance of the methodology used in the test and the relevant role of the use training.
Numerical simulation of vortex induced vibrations of a circular cylinder: isothermal and heat transfer cases
Authors: Sonawane C R , More Y B , Pandey Anand
Published: November 2019

In this paper, the Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) problem - vortex induced vibration of a circular cylinder are studied using a numerical method. An accurate Harten Lax and van Leer with contact for artificial compressibility (HLLC-AC) Riemann solver have been used for flow computation. The Riemann solver is modified to incorporate arbitrarily Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation in order to take care of mesh movement in the computation, where radial basis function is used for dynamically moving the mesh. Higher order accuracy over unstructured meshes is achieved using quadratic solution reconstruction based on solution dependent weighted least squares (SDWLS). Two flow scenario of 1 Degree of Freedom (DOF) oscillation cases: isothermal and with heat transfer are presented here. The results obtained by the present method are compared with the literature.
Geodynamic monitoring and its maintenance using modeling by numerical and similar materials methods
Authors: Morozov Konstantin , Shabarov Arkady , Kuranov Anton , Belyakov Nikita , Zuyev Boris , Vlasenko Dmitriy , Demekhin Dmitriy , Bakhtin Eugene
Published: November 2019

The paper describes the fundamental issues of deformation monitoring systems and instrumental methods for measuring the stress-strain state of the rock massif based on the use of three-component strain sensors developed by specialists from the University of Mines and Avangard OJSC.

One of the main tasks of the developed systems is the prediction and prevention of possible dynamic manifestations of rock pressure in rockburst-hazardous deposits.
“Complexity–entropy” diagrams and their application to the study of coal tectonic disturbance
Authors: Malinnikova Olga , Uchaev Dmitry , Uchaev Denis , Malinnikov Vasiliy , Ulyanova Catherine
Published: November 2019

It is investigated the possibility of using so–called "complexity–entropy" diagrams for the quantitative description of the degree of coal disturbance using coal images obtained by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM). These diagrams plot structural complexity measure (vertical axis) versus entropy measure (horizontal axis) for distribution of probability given in some way on the image. In this paper, the values of both measures were calculated on the basis of the shearlet transform, and the Jensen divergence was used as the basic divergence for calculating the complexity measure. All calculations were performed for more than 140 images of coal specimens with various degrees of disturbance, obtained from the quiet zone of the seam and the outburst zone. As a result of research, it was found that two-dimensional distributions for measures of complexity and entropy in most cases are informative data sets for differentiating coals by degree of complexity. Moreover, such characteristics of these distributions as mathematical expectation and, to a less degree, mode can be used as simple quantitative descriptors of coals with various degrees of disturbance. These characteristics can be used to show the closeness of the spatial structure for the analyzed coal specimens to strictly periodic or absolutely chaotic ones. On the basis of the obtained results, conclusions about the possibility to separate coals according to the degree of their outburst hazard were done.
Data processing method for experimental studies of deformation in a rock sample under uniaxial compression
Authors: Golosov Andrei , Lubimova Olga , Zhevora Mikhail , Markevich Vladislava , Siskov Vladimir
Published: November 2019

As a result of experimental and theoretical studies, the patterns of behavior of rocks in a condition close to destructive are the focal nature of the preparation of macrocracking, which allowed us to include the mesocrack structure of the material, which is the main element in the preparation of macrocracking. Differences in this new approach to mathematical modeling will let adequately describe dissipative mesocrack structures of various hierarchical levels of geodesy, predict dynamic changes, structures and mechanical properties of both rock samples and massif, which also lead to resource-intensive experimental studies. In this paper, with usage of the methods of cluster, factor, and statistical analysis, we set the task of processing the data of experimental studies of the laws of deformation and preparing macro-fracture of rock samples by various methods, including acoustic and deformation observations.