bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Give full play to the role of M station and promote the new normal of vehicle emission pollution control
Authors: Yang Anke
Published: June 2021

With the rapid growth of car ownership in use, vehicle emissions have become one of the main sources of urban air pollution. In view of the problems existing in the maintenance and treatment of vehicle emission pollution, this paper puts forward the enthusiasm and necessity of speeding up the establishment of compulsory maintenance station (M station), adheres to the road of realizing practice, and combines with the practical experience of vehicle emission control in Jiaozuo City, puts forward the practical path of the new normalization management of vehicle emission compulsory maintenance, creatively promotes the treatment of vehicle emission Career development. It is of great significance to solve the more and more outstanding vehicle exhaust pollution.
Study on the influence of alumina nanomethanol fluid on the performance, combustion and emission of DMDF diesel engine
Authors: Yin Zenghui , Hao Jing , Wei Jiangjun
Published: June 2021

With the increasingly strict domestic emission regulations, how to reduce diesel emission without affecting its output power has become a hot and important research topic. Due to their unique physical and chemical properties, the combined use of methanol and Al2O3nanoparticles plays a unique role in promoting combustion and reducing emissions. In this study, Al2O3methanol nanofluid fuel was injected into the inlet and diesel fuel was injected into the cylinder to explore the influence of Al2O3nanoparticles on the performance, combustion and emissions of diesel methanol dual fuel (DMDF) entered. The experienced results showed that with the addition of Al2O3nanoparticles in methanol, the peak pressure and heat release rate in the cylinder of the diesel engine were improved, the combustion delay period and the combustion duration were shortened, the fuel consumption rate was reduced by up to 10.8%, and the braking thermal efficiency was increased by 12.11% at most. With the addition of Al2O3nanoparticles, NOx, CO, HC and soot ratio emissions of the engine were reduced, among which the NOx reduction ratio was small, and the maximum reduction ratio of the last three was 28.82%, 83.33% and 29.27% respectively.
Research on PHEV comprehensive fuel consumption based on fuel-electricity conversion
Authors: Zhang Luowei , Ma Zhicheng , Niu Zhihai
Published: June 2021

In order to show the fuel-saving effect of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) [1]more intuitively, three conversion methods of fuel and electricity were introduced considering different aspects, namely conversion method of simple calorific value, comprehensive calorific value and carbon dioxide emission. Firstly, the energy consumption of two mainstream PHEVs according to the current domestic (China) energy consumption test regulation were tested [2], then the tested values were converted by the three conversion methods to get the equivalent fuel consumption. What’s more, by the introduction of pure electricity Utilization Factor (UF) [3], the fuel consumption of PHEV at two stages (pure electric driving and pure fuel driving) were weighted to obtain the comprehensive fuel consumption. The effects of different conversion methods on fuel consumption were analyzed, and the results were compared horizontally with that of traditional fuel vehicles. The result shows that the comprehensive fuel consumption of PHEV converted by the method of carbon dioxide emission is the highest. Secondly, from the perspective of comprehensive calorific value, PHEV has obvious fuel-saving effect and a better development prospect comparing with traditional fuel vehicle. Last but not the least, PHEV has a significant fuel-saving advantage over traditional fuel vehicle in areas where the proportion of thermal power generation is relatively low, and with the continuous decrease of the overall proportion of thermal power generation, the fuel-saving effect of PHEV will become more and more obvious.
Research on subjective evaluation method of automatic emergency braking (AEB) for passenger car
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Lei Bin , Chen Shuai , Sha Lei
Published: June 2021

With the continuous development of automotive active safety technology, automatic emergency braking technology has been widely used, playing an important role in avoiding rear-end collisions or collisions with pedestrians and other traffic participants. This article analyzes the technical characteristics of the automatic emergency braking system, put forward subjective evaluation index, select vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle -to-pedestrian and other typical scenes for automatic emergency braking subjective evaluation and actual vehicle verification, and constructed a subjective evaluation system for automatic emergency braking of passenger car.
Influence and strategy optimization of fuel injection timing on PN and fuel consumption
Authors: Qian Liyun , Wang Yimin , Deng Zhikun , Wang Lihui , Zou Xionghui
Published: June 2021

During the development of a CN Ⅵ light vehicle equipped with a GDI gasoline engine, the phenomenon of high PN appeared. In response to the operating conditions of the engine running in the WLTC cycle, a corresponding SOI sweep was performed on the dyno bench. The PN emissions of the engine has reduced by optimizing of SOI. The results show that when the SOI is sufficiently advanced, the oil film formed by the collision of the spray and the piston causes the PN emissions to increase significantly. In order to avoid the deterioration of the PN emissions, the SOI should be appropriately postponed. In the low load conditions, it is more appropriate to calibrate the SOI at 295°CA and 290°CA. In the medium speed area, it is more suitable to set it at 300°CA or later. The SOI in the higher speed area can be slightly advanced if necessary. And the impact of SOI on fuel consumption is more obvious at low speeds, but it is not obvious at the conditions of medium to high loads and speeds.
Research on exhaust emission characteristics and technical route under CLTC cycle
Authors: Geng Peilin , Wang Yimin , Zhao Wei , Zou Xionghui
Published: June 2021

In this paper, the light duty that meets the China 6 emission standard is selected to study the emission characteristics of different emission control technology routes under China light-duty vehicle test cycle (CLTC). The results show that the cold start stage of CLTC cycle is still the stage with the most pollutant emissions. The THC, CO and NOx emissions of vehicles on the supercharged direct injection technology are higher than those on the naturally aspirated port fuel injection technology. In terms of reducing the exhaust emission, PHEV technology route is the best, followed by naturally aspirated PFI technology route, and then turbocharged direct injection with GPF route.
Design of virtual digital oscilloscope based on LabVIEW
Authors: Wu Feiqing , Yang Fengyuan , Ma Dongdong , Wu Chengyu
Published: June 2021

Electrical and electronic experiment teaching is an indispensable and important part of engineering teaching. Oscilloscope is an indispensable experimental instrument in the teaching of these experiments, which is used to measure the electrical signals in the experimental process for analysis and processing. In this paper, a dual-channel virtual oscilloscope was designed based on the PC 16-bit sound card, which could correctly collect electronic signals within ±1V. Through LabVIEW graphical programming and multi-threading technology, these functions such as waveform display, channel selection control, parameter measurement and display, waveform storage and playback were realized. The innovation of this design is that it could automatically generate experimental report, simplifying the tedious operations such as drawing waveforms and filling parameters, finally quickly getting illustrated experimental report. From the test results, it can meet the requirements of daily experimental teaching, and it is of great significance to improve the quality of electrical and electronic experimental teaching.
Research on experimental method of carbon nanotubes space environment effect
Authors: Li Man , Liu Yuming , Cui Naiyuan , Yu Qiang , Li Yu , Zhang Yongtai
Published: June 2021

Due to its unique structure and superior performance, carbon nanotubes are proposed to have great potential applications in many fields. Recently, more and more concerns have been focused on the application of carbon nanotubes in space technology. It is believed that carbon nanotubes can have a broad impact on space missions in future with benefits principally in space technology, such as lightweight structure materials, environment protection materials, energy gerneration and storage and nanoelcetronics. However, carbon nanotubes would suffer chemical and physical damage from the space environment when it was used in spacecraft, just like all the other space materials. The environment where spacecrafts operate is extremely intricate, primarily represented by electromagnetic irradiation, charged particle irradiation, high vacuum, cold and hot alternation, atomic oxygen erosion, clash from space debris, and other factors. The mostly effect in space environment is atomic oxygen and debris for grapheme. This paper is about the research on the experimental methods of carbon nanotubes space environment effect with atomic oxygen and space debris as examples, in a bid to propose the experimental scheme of carbon nanotubes space environment effect. It will be great helpful to promote the applications of carbon nanotubes in space technology.
Graphene-based Terahertz closed-stopband composite right/left-handed leaky-wave antennas
Authors: Gao Muzhi , Zhu Gaoyang , Kong Fanmin , Li Kang
Published: June 2021

A simple scheme for the realization of the terahertz (THz) fundamental-mode closed-stopband composite right/left-handed leaky-wave antennas (CRLH LWAs) is presented. The proposed CRLH LWAs are reconstructed by graphene-based coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line supercells. Their shunt inductances achieved by narrow graphene strips of two unit cell structures are halved. The CRLH LWAs are designed and confirmed by numerical simulations. They also exhibit frequency-scannable behaviors at THz with narrower bandwidth than that of the conventional graphene-based fundamental-mode CPW unit cell CRLH LWAs at THz without stopbands. Therefore, the proposed supercell CRLH LWAs could further improve the performance of the beam-steering antennas at THz.
CONRAD – a code for nuclear data modeling and evaluation
Authors: De Saint Jean Cyrille , Tamagno Pierre , Archier Pascal , Noguere Gilles
Published: June 2021

The CONRAD code is an object-oriented software tool developed at CEA since 2005. It aims at providing nuclear reaction model calculations, data assimilation procedures based on Bayesian inference and a proper framework to treat all uncertainties involved in the nuclear data evaluation process: experimental uncertainties (statistical and systematic) as well as model parameter uncertainties. This paper will present the status of CONRAD-V1 developments concerning the theoretical and evaluation aspects. Each development is illustrated with examples and calculations were validated by comparison with existing codes (SAMMY, REFIT, ECIS, TALYS) or by comparison with experiment. At the end of this paper, a general perspective for CONRAD (concerning the evaluation and theoretical modules) and actual developments will be presented.
Generation of an Instrument Base for Analysis of Economic Processes for the Purpose of Building a Model of Spatial Development of Regions in the Context of Global Challenges
Authors: Kolesnikova Tatiana , Smolennikova Liudmila , Strelnikova Natalia , Sultanova Sofia
Published: June 2021

The article considers the issues of generation of an instrument base for analysis of the economic processes at the meso-level. Based on the official statistic reporting (big data) we establish a set of indicative figures that describe the results of socioeconomic development and help to determine a production profile of a region and priorities for investments in purpose of ensuring a spatial development of the territories based on the princi ples of economic stability.
International Relations and the Resource Base of Economic Growth Drivers
Authors: Popova Svetlana , Rybkin Sergey
Published: June 2021

This article is focused on the problem of the dynamics of economic growth in the conditions of political instability. The paper analyzes the main drivers of economic growth and the dependence of their resource base, also in the frame of the coronavirus pandemic, on the dynamics of international relations, as well as cross-country interaction. The authors conclude that the quality and adequacy of management, at the level of state or at the international level, depends on the speed of decision making in the interests of bringing the world economy and international relations to an equilibrium state.
Theoretical approaches to determining the economic sustainability of enterprises
Authors: Zhdanov Vasilii , Vinnichek Lubov , Vizirskaya Maria , Zhdanov Ivan
Published: June 2021

The article discusses various interpretations of the concept of economic sustainability of an enterprise by various Russian and foreign scientists. Features of the content of the concept of sustainability for economic and technical systems.
Issues of building a model of a single executive vertical based on cooperative federalism in the aspect of municipal administration
Authors: Belousova Svetlana
Published: June 2021

Despite the fact that the theory of endogenous growth states that economic growth is mainly the result of endogenous rather than external forces, however, the theory assigns the greatest role in this growth to investment in human capital, innovation, knowledge, etc. Because of this, the greatest attention in the aspect of economic development of territories is given to the nature of the implementation of national projects as locomotives of growth. However, their implementation at the regional and local level is hindered by the extreme lack of preparation of local and regional management in the field of their own project and organizational activities, as well as clear interaction among themselves. The solution to this problem is associated with a new stage of local self-government reform aimed at building a model of a single executive vertical based on cooperative federalism. In the article, the author analyses two main trends in the development of this model: management centralization and cooperation. It is established that centralization has affected all aspects and directions of the implementation of power, while the problem of cooperation and coordination of actions of individual branches, spheres and levels of government remains. The task is set, and certain steps are identified to implement a complementary combination of centralization and cooperation or coordination of actions at different levels of management.
Overdraft Lending in Russia: Problems and Ways to Improve
Authors: Barakhoeva Madina S. , Nalgiev Khalid T.
Published: June 2021

The article discusses one of the types of short-term lending-overdraft. The problems and prospects for the development of this type of lending are studied, and the procedure for repayment of overdraft lending and market changes is considered. The statistics of overdraft lending of Russian banks is presented.
Educational Motivation Development by Means of Digital Information and Communication Technologies
Authors: Mikhaylova Alla , Golovko Olga , Nizhneva Natalya
Published: June 2021

The article determines the main aspects of educational motivation development by means of digital information and communication technologies. The methodological basis is self-determination theory. It is noted that self-determination theory plays a main role in motivation forming. The levels of formation of educational motivation were determined by means of test questionnaire “Research of volitional self-regulation”. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that motivation for learning is a rather difficult and ambiguous process of changing the person’s attitude, both to a particular subject of study and an entire educational process.
Perspectives of JIT system application at machine building enterprises
Authors: Samogorodskaya Marina , Beinar Irina , Narolina Tatiana , Smotrova Tatiana
Published: June 2021

Тhe article describes the features of the Japanese system of management and organization of production JIT, shows its structural elements, analyzes the key conditions of use, identifies the main advantages of the JIT system. The features of the system of cost accounting and calculation within the framework of JIT are established, the factors hindering the use of the JIT system at Russian enterprises are determined.
Controlling as a Growth Point in the Effectiveness of an Organization’s Management System
Authors: Semina Larisa A. , Glubokova Liudmila G. , Semikolenova Marina N. , Glubokov Ivan O.
Published: June 2021

The article discusses an approach to defining a controlling system in an organization. Various tools of the controlling system are considered. The results of studies by domestic scientists are presented, demonstrating the high efficiency of introducing the controlling system into the management structure of organizations. The concept of a balanced scorecard is considered and options for improving the traditional system are proposed.
Making Decisions in Planning and Risk Management System of Enterprise in Project Management
Authors: Zhigir Anatolii
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this article is to scientifically and methodically substantiate and improve the mechanism for making effective management decisions in the implementation of investment projects of an enterprise within the time period set by the investor, taking into account risk and uncertainty. The article deals with the theoretical foundations of the construction of a model for the implementation of investment projects, taking into account risk and uncertainty as well as the methodology for the management of investment projects, taking into account the technology and organization of work. The work focuses on the improvement of the mechanism for the effective use of investment resources at the enterprise through the introduction of project management methods and the development of the best option for determining an effective solution for the implementation of the project within the established deadline, taking into account risk factors and uncertainty. The conducted analysis made it possible to conclude that the use of network modeling methods to the fullest extent possible corresponds to the task of project management, performance of work in interconnection and dynamics in the investment sphere. An improved system for the management of investment projects leads to the creation of an optimal mechanism for using investments at an enterprise, allows solving the problem of completing a project at a set date, as well as increasing the validity of decisions made in the management of investment projects of enterprises.
Pneumologische Frührehabilitation nach Langzeitbeatmung
Authors: Dellweg D. , Siemon K. , Höhn E. , Barchfeld T. , Köhler D.
Published: June 2021

Einleitung Unter Frührehabilitation versteht man eine frühzeitig bei- oder nach akuter Erkrankung einsetzende, rehabilitationsmedizinische Behandlung die im § 39SGB V verankert ist. Ziel dieser Untersuchung ist es, die Ergebnisqualität der pneumologischen Frührehabilitation zu untersuchen und darzustellen.

Methoden Prospektive Erhebung von funktionellen Parametern, Beatmungsstatus und Entlass-Disposition in einer spezialisierten Abteilung für pneumologische Frührehabilitation über den Zeitraum von einem Jahr.

Ergebnisse Von den 190 Patienten waren 179 (94,2 %) zuvor invasiv beatmet. Während einer Behandlungsdauer von 39 ± 17 Tagen stieg der FAM-Index von 84,4 ± 19,8 auf 118,5 ± 23,3 (Ci 30,9 – 37,3, Cohen’s d 1,58; p < 0,001), der Barthel-Index von 30,5 ± 13,8 auf 58,3 ± 16,2 (Ci 25,4 – 33,8, Cohen’s d 1,4; p < 0,001) und die Wegstrecke von 12,9 ± 40,1 m auf 131,4 ± 85,2 m (Ci 105,6 – 131,4 m, Cohen’s d 1,78; p < 0,001). Die Patienten wurden weniger häufig in eine weitere Anschlussheilbehandlung verlegt, wenn sie beatmet waren.

Diskussion Patienten in der pneumologischen Frührehabilitation sind bei Aufnahme schwer kompromittiert, es lässt sich aber eine sehr gute Ergebnisqualität erzielen, die unabhängig davon zu sein scheint, ob der Patient eigenständig atmet oder mittels nicht-invasiver oder invasiver Beatmung versorgt wird. Die weitere Disposition dieser Patienten ist vor allem dann schwierig, wenn eine Beatmung vorliegt.
Der ältere Patient in der Neurorehabilitation
Authors: Lotze Martin
Published: June 2021

Insgesamt dient die Rehabilitation von älteren Menschen dem Erhalt der selbstbestimmten Teilhabe und trägt nachweislich zur Minderung der Pflegebedürftigkeit bei. In einigen Bereichen wurden vergleichbare Therapiefortschritte durch die Rehabilitation wie bei jüngeren Patienten nachgewiesen. Die Komplikationsrate ist allerdings erhöht, und das Team sollte hierfür sensibilisiert werden, um Komplikationen früh zu erkennen, sie zu vermeiden (Sturzprophylaxe) und keine unrealistischen Erwartungen an den Therapieverlauf zu haben, denn das kann zu Frustration bei Patient und Therapeut führen.
Alter und Abbau der grauen Substanz des Gehirns
Authors: Lotze Martin
Published: June 2021

Zunehmendes Alter, Stress und Immobilisation führen zu einem Abbau der grauen Substanz. Kann Bewegungstraining diesen Prozess aufhalten oder verzögern?
Demenz und Digitalisierung
Authors: Bujan Rivera Janina , Dietzel Nikolas , Meuer Sebastian , Reichold Michael , Prokosch Hans-Ulrich , Gräßel Elmar , Kolominsky-Rabas Peter L.
Published: June 2021

Um die Demenzversorgung, besonders in der Häuslichkeit, zu optimieren, bedarf es innovativer Lösungsansätze. Eine Möglichkeit bietet die Digitalisierung. Digitale Technologien haben den wesentlichen Vorteil, dass sie allzeit verfügbar sind, unabhängig vom Zeitbudget und der Anzahl der Dienstleister*innen. So können sie gerade in strukturschwachen ländlichen Regionen die medizinischen und pflegerischen Angebote ergänzen und erweitern. Das Versorgungsforschungsprojekt digiDEM Bayern ist beispielhaft für einen digitalen Forschungs- und Versorgungsansatz bei Demenz.
Denosumab-Induced Proximal Myopathy in a Child
Authors: PV Sripadma , Jain Rajendra S. , Agarwal Jitesh
Published: June 2021

Denosumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody, has been used for the treatment of osteoporosis, in complications resulting from bone metastatic disease and in giant cell tumor in both adults and skeletally mature adolescents. Denosumab is an inhibitor of the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand and belongs to a new class of antiresorptive medications. We report a unique case of myopathy in a 13-year-old boy prescribed denosumab for enchondromatosis. The boy presented with hypovitaminosis D, elevated parathyroid hormone, suppressed alkaline phosphatase, hypocalcemia, and hypophosphatemia after a single dose of denosumab. Our case points to altered calcium–vitamin D homeostasis induced by denosumab. Myopathy associated with denosumab has not been described previously in children. Early recognition of myopathy and adequate supplementation with calcium–vitamin D may ensure a more favorable clinical outcome.
Vitamin Dietary Supplement: Changes and Challenges with the New ANVISA Regulations
Authors: Abe-Matsumoto Lucile Tiemi , Iglesia Viviane de Paula Acosta , Minazzi-Rodrigues Regina Sorrentino
Published: June 2021

In July 2018, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, ANVISA, in Portuguese) published new regulations for food supplements, leading to changes both in the sales denomination and labeling statements, and in the composition of these products. Among dietary supplements, those containing vitamins are the most consumed by the population. The objective of the present work is to discuss the changes in the parameters established for the products containing vitamins, mainly in relation to the required and allowed concentrations of micronutrients, and to verify the impact of these changes for the population since the publication of the new standards. Until July 2018, vitamin-based products containing between 15% and 100% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of these micronutrients were classified as vitamin supplements; above this dosage, they were considered medicines. The new legislation changed the minimum and maximum limits allowed for vitamin food supplements. Taking into account the maximum vitamin limits established for adults, the most relevant differences were the increase in these limits in a proportion of 100, 76 and 43 times in regarding vitamins E, B6 and C respectively, when compared to those previously established. For the required minimum limits, the major difference was observed for vitamin D, with a four-fold increase in its concentration. In conclusion, changes in legislation can influence the health of the population, so the ideal amounts of vitamin in supplements and the recommendation to consume these products require extensive discussion and reflection.
Simulation of air pollution dispersion in Dhaka city street canyon
Authors: Akhter Most. Nasrin , Ali Md. Eabad , Rahman Mohammad Matiur , Hossain Md. Nur , Molla Md. Mamun
Published: June 2021

Pollutant dispersion in urban areas has been a key concern in densely populated cities because pollutants can negatively impact human health and the environment. Topography and urban obstructions, such as buildings, greatly affect the atmospheric fluid flow, leading to the dispersion process. Street canyons are usually formed in highly populous cities due to the close proximity of buildings to streets to serve commercial purposes. It can also be termed as pollutant traps that exact adverse effects on urban life. Street canyons cause changes in pollutant dispersion, particularly in the case of vehicle exhaust air pollutants, which cannot be transported by the wind owing to the presence of buildings acting as impediments regardless of the wind flow. Hence, it is imperative to completely understand the behavior of pollutants within the confined urban surroundings for further improving the urban air quality. This study explores the effects of street canyons on the busiest street of Dhaka city in Bangladesh. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes based dispersion model is used to investigate the air quality phenomenon. Building height, width, building distance, and road width have been taken into consideration in the simulation. It is expected that the findings of the current study would be helpful for urban planners and designers of Dhaka city.
Advances in engineering perovskite oxides for photochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting
Authors: Wang Zheyan , Huang Hao , Li Gang , Yan Xiaohui , Yu Zhichao , Wang Kaiying , Wu Yucheng
Published: June 2021

Solar-driven water splitting is an efficient process for converting solar energy into chemical energy. In this process, semiconductor materials are excited by solar energy to generate free electrons to participate in the water-splitting reaction. Among these semiconductor materials, inorganic perovskite oxides have a spatial structure that is easy to control and thereby lead to different energy band structures and photocatalytic properties. More importantly, perovskite oxides can be compounded with other organic/inorganic materials to promote charge separation and improve apparent quantum yield. However, the low solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency has not yet reached the requirements of practical applications. In this review, the fundamental principles of solar-driven water splitting based on perovskite materials are introduced according to the most recently published results. In addition, the innovative modification techniques for water splitting based on perovskite oxides have been summarized, focusing on the following methods: element doping, homo/heterojunction formation, Z-scheme, plasmon effect, dye sensitization, carbon enhancement, and surface modifications. Note that the applications in the visible light wavelength range have been described, with emphasis among all these modification materials. Furthermore, the recent water-splitting reaction systems for practical applications are briefly discussed. As a summary, we outline the challenges and potential utilization associated with visible light–driven water splitting based on perovskite oxides for future commercial applications. This review describes various modification methods to improve photochemical performance of perovskite oxides as well as illustrates the potential to employ perovskite oxides as a key material for the practical application of water splitting.
Molecular simulation of the effect of surface-modified nano-POSS on the properties of double cross-linked DGEBA/OSC composites
Authors: Xie Jun , Zhang Sigang , Zhang Lei , Xie Qing , Lü Fangcheng , Li Yan , Cheng Li
Published: June 2021

In order to analyze the effect of surface modification of nano-POSS on the properties of epoxy resin from a microscopic point of view, a composite model of modified POSS/epoxy resin was established by the molecular dynamics method. The effects of POSS surface functional groups on the structure and thermodynamic properties of epoxy composites were studied. Results show that surface-modified nano-POSS had certain effects on the thermal and mechanical properties of the epoxy composite system. Specifically, nano-P-phenyl-POSS and nano-A-phenyl-POSS can improve the glass transition temperature (Tg) and mechanical properties of the epoxy composite system while reducing the coefficient of thermal expansion of the system. The thermal and mechanical properties of the EP/F-phenyl-POSS system hardly improved. Among these composite systems, the EP/P-phenyl-POSS system exhibits the best modification effect. Tg was increased by 7.1 K. Young’s modulus, shear modulus, and bulk modulus were increased by 6.28%, 6.90%, and 3.77%, respectively. The reason is that surface-modified nano-POSS can change the microstructure of the epoxy composite system to different degrees and improve its compatibility with epoxy base materials.
Impact of oxygen on gallium doped germanium
Authors: Kuganathan N. , Bracht H. , Davazoglou K. , Kipke F. , Chroneos A.
Published: June 2021

Germanium (Ge) has advantageous materials properties and is considered as a mainstream material for nanoelectronic applications. Understanding dopant–defect interactions is important to form well-defined doped regions for devices. Gallium (Ga) is a key p-type dopant in Ge. In the present density functional theory study, we concentrate on the structures and electronic structures of Ga doped Ge in the presence of Ge vacancies and oxygen. We provide information on the defect structures and charge transfer between the doped Ga atom and the nearest neighbor Ge atom. The calculations show that the presence of Ga on the Ge site facilitates the formation of nearest neighbor Ge vacancies at 0.75 eV. The formation of interstitial oxygen is endoergic with the formation of −2 charge in both bulk Ge and Ga substituted Ge although the substitution of Ga has slightly less impact on the oxygen interstitial formation.
Effects of channel geometry and physicochemical properties of solutions on stable double emulsion production in planar microfluidic devices having triangular orifices
Authors: Hidema Ruri , Ohashi Ryotaro , Muller Susan J. , Suzuki Hiroshi
Published: June 2021

The planar microfluidic devices for producing double emulsions are beneficial in terms of accuracy and facility in fabrication. However, factors such as the flow rates, interfacial tensions, viscosities, channel geometry, and wettability of the devices affect the stability of the double emulsion production. In this study, we have focused on double emulsion production in a planar flow focusing device with triangle-shaped orifices. The local velocity in the channel can be controlled by modifying the channel design. Here, we have used two types of microfluidic devices with orifices and junctions of different shapes, denoted as mc-A and mc-B. By controlling the orifice angles and the width of the junctions, the stable flow regimes characterized in a capillary number space were expanded, and the production efficiency was increased. The effects of interfacial tensions of the sample solutions on the stability of double emulsion production were also examined. The double emulsions produced under stable conditions were highly uniform, and the diameter of the produced emulsions was well defined by the capillary numbers. However, the diameter of the double emulsions was mainly affected by the size of the orifice.
Screening and functional identification of antioxidant microRNA-size sRNAs from
Authors: Chen Dechao , Chen Shuya , Zhao Chenxi , Yan Jin , Ma Zelong , Zhao Xiaokai , Wang Zhenfeng , Wang Xuedong , Wang Huili
Published: June 2021

MiRNA-size small RNAs, abbreviated as sRNAs, are increasingly being discovered as research progresses and omics technologies development in prokaryotes. However, there is a paucity of data concerning whether or not sRNAs exist in cyanobacteria and regulate the resistance to oxidative stress. In this investigation, small RNA libraries were constructed from the control, 50-nM and 100-nM H2O2 treatments of Spirulina platensis. By high-throughput sequencing, 23 candidate sRNAs showed significantly differential expression under oxidative stress, among which eight sRNAs were identified with the similar expression patterns as the sequencing results by real-time qPCR. By nucleic acid hybridisation, the corresponding expression changes also demonstrated that sequencing results of sRNAs were feasible and credible. By bioinformatics prediction and structure identification, 43 target genes were predicted for 8 sRNAs in plant miRNA database, among which 29 were annotated into the genome and related metabolic pathways of S. platensis. By COG functional classification and KEGG pathway analysis, 31 target genes were predicted to be directly or indirectly involved in the defence mechanism of H2O2 stress. Thirteen target genes displayed reversely changing patterns compared with those of their sRNAs under H2O2 treatment. These findings provide compelling evidence that these sRNAs in S. platensis play a crucial role in oxidative stress responses, and thus provide a theoretical reference for improving the stress-triggering physiological regulation.
Selection of transcripts related to low-temperature tolerance using RNA sequencing from F
Authors: Fukuda Akari , Hirose Tatsuro , Hashida Yoichi , Aoki Naohiro , Nagano Atsushi J.
Published: June 2021

At low temperatures (18°C), seedlings of an indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Kasalath showed symptoms of chlorosis, although the leaves of a japonica cultivar Arroz da Terra remained green. In this study, transcripts related to the chlorophyll content of rice seedlings grown at 18°C were investigated using RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) data for F2 crosses between cultivars Arroz da Terra and Kasalath, as well as their parental cultivars. Differential expression analysis revealed that gene ontology terms related to ‘photosynthesis’ were significantly enriched in lowly expressed genes at 18°C than at 25°C in Kasalath. However, the gene ontology terms related to ‘response to stress’ were significantly enriched in highly expressed genes at 18°C than at 25°C in Kasalath. When the F2 plants were grown at 18°C, their chlorophyll contents varied. Transcripts with expression levels related to chlorophyll content were statistically selected using RNA-Seq data from 21 F2 plants. In regression models, frequently selected genes included four photosynthetic and two stress-responsive genes. The expression values of four photosynthetic and two stress-responsive genes in high-frequency selected genes were significantly correlated with chlorophyll content not only in plants analysed using RNA-Seq but also in 95 F2 plants.
Spectral Aphasia, Psychical Ghost Stories, and Spirit Post Offices: Three Modern Ghost Stories about Communication Infrastructures
Authors: Manning Paul
Published: June 2021

Nineteenth-century Spiritualism was a watershed moment in which many of the keywords of our communication vocabulary—“medium,” “channel,” and “communication” itself—were first given fleshly and ghostly form in the spiritualist séance, which early on was likened to a “spiritual telegraph.” Throughout this period, newfangled ghosts and communication infrastructures (including the telegraph, but also the equally novel postal service) developed in tandem. This article explores three such boundary genres of communication between the living and the dead: how the séance converted the “spectral aphasia” of haunted houses into the domestic séance; how ghosts of loved ones dying far away across the “phantasmal empire” turned the ghost from an actor to a message, working in tandem with telegrams and letters in the “psychical ghost story”; and lastly, how the American spiritualist press created “spirit post offices” to publish communications from the dead alongside ordinary postal “correspondence” from the living.
Cutting without Cutting Connection: The Semiotics of Power Patrols in Urban Tanzania
Authors: Degani Michael
Published: June 2021

Before the total cutoff of a household for unpaid electrical bills, and in anticipation of the violence it might precipitate, national power utility inspectors in Dar es Salaam have recourse to a gradient of ‘soft’ disconnections designed to signal good faith and encourage repayment. Drawing on a mixture of semiotics and exchange theory, this article argues that such soft disconnections may be understood as moments when the shared grounds of the household-utility relation—both the physical power network and social commitments it embodies—become figured, modified, and ultimately preserved in the face of urban postcolonial strain. Whereas semiosis is often thought of as a kind of infrastructural bridge that links sign to interpretant (or object to sign), the inspectors’ reflexively phatic signaling of common grounds highlights the thoroughly semiotic nature of infrastructure itself. More generally, the very presumption and preservation of shared grounds is a salutary alternative to the anti-relational violence and extinction that characterizes much of the contemporary world.
Qualia of Stress and Bodily Enregisterment in Ice Swimming
Authors: Lindfors Antti
Published: June 2021

Combining an ethnographic account of the Finnish national pastime of ice swimming and its remediation through the Wim Hof Method with an analysis of media representations, this article expands linguistic and semiotic anthropological scholarship on the enregisterment of bodily and affective qualia by looking at how practitioners of this therapeutic technology elaborate on their corporeal and semiotic selves and the transformations of those selves after indulging in full-body contact with freezing cold water. Laying particular emphasis on stress as a discursive hub and an intensely circulating qualisign within vernacular and institutionalized health discourses, the article discusses how pedagogical ice swimming exegesis is contributing to the enregisterment of emergent forms of personhood through metasemiotic regimentations of the body that draw from natural and holistic as well as scientific and technical registers.
Nonlinear dynamics analysis of cluster-shaped conservative flows generated from a generalized thermostatted system
Authors: Li Yue , Chen Zengqiang , Wang Zenghui , Cang Shijian
Published: June 2021

The thermostatted system is a conservative system different from Hamiltonian systems, and has attracted much attention because of its rich and different nonlinear dynamics. We report and analyze the multiple equilibria and curve axes of the cluster-shaped conservative flows generated from a generalized thermostatted system. It is found that the cluster-shaped structure is reflected in the geometry of the Hamiltonian, such as isosurfaces and local centers, and the shapes of cluster-shaped chaotic flows and invariant tori rely on the isosurfaces determined by initial conditions, while the numbers of clusters are subject to the local centers solved by the Hessian matrix of the Hamiltonian. Moreover, the study shows that the cluster-shaped chaotic flows and invariant tori are chained together by curve axes, which are the segments of equilibrium curves of the generalized thermostatted system. Furthermore, the interesting results are vividly demonstrated by the numerical simulations.
First-principles study of two new boron nitride structures: C12-BN and O16-BN
Authors: Wang Hao , Yin Yaru , Yang Xiong , Guo Yanrui , Zhang Ying , Yan Huiyu , Wang Ying , Huai Ping
Published: June 2021

Based on the first-principles method, we predict two new stable BN allotropes: C12-BN and O16-BN, which belong to cubic and orthorhombic crystal systems, respectively. It is confirmed that both the phases are thermally and dynamically stable. The results of molecular dynamics simulations suggest that both the BN phases are highly stable even at high temperatures of 1000 K. In the case of mechanical properties, C12-BN has a bulk modulus of 359 GPa and a hardness of 43.4 GPa, making it a novel superhard material with potential technological and industrial applications. Electronic band calculations reveal that both C12-BN and O16-BN are insulators with direct band gaps of 3.02 eV and 3.54 eV, respectively. The XRD spectra of C12-BN and O16-BN are also simulated to provide more information for possible experimental observation. Our findings enrich the BN allotrope family and are expected to stimulate further experimental interest.
Evolution of melt convection in a liquid metal driven by a pulsed electric current*
Authors: Xu Yanyi , Zhang Yunhu , Zheng Tianqing , Gong Yongyong , Song Changjiang , Zheng Hongxing , Zhai Qijie
Published: June 2021

Gain refinement in metal alloy can be achieved by applying an electric current pulse (ECP) in solidification process. Forced flow inside the melt has been proved to be a key role in grain refinement. In this paper, the fluid flow inside Ga 20 wt%–In 12 wt%–Sn alloy induced by a damping sinusoidal ECP flowing through two parallel electrodes into the cylindrical melt was investigated by both experimental measurements and numerical simulations. Experimental results showed that a strong descending jet was induced beneath the bottom of electrodes under the application of ECP. Besides, it was found that flow intensity increases with the increase of amplitude, frequency, and pulse width, respectively. In order to unlock the formation mechanism of flow pattern and the relevance of flow intensity varied with electrical parameters, a three-dimensional numerical model under the application of ECP was established. Meanwhile, a comparative study was conducted by numerical simulations to reveal the distributions of electromagnetic fields and forced flow. Numerical results showed that the downward Lorentz force induced by ECP was concentrated beneath the bottom of electrodes. This downward Lorentz force induces a descending jet and provokes a global forced flow. According to numerical simulations, the evolution of flow intensity with electrical parameters under the application of ECP can be understood by the time averaged impulse of Lorentz force.
Support Vector Machine Tuning for Improving Four-Quadrant Emotion Prediction in Virtual Reality (VR) using Wearable Electrodermography (EDG)
Authors: Bulagang A F , Mountstephens J , Teo J
Published: June 2021

Electrodermography (EDG) / Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) indicates the psychophysiological of emotion, EDG is an emerging signal used in the field of emotion classification aside from Electroencephalography (EEG) and Electrocardiography (ECG). The Empatica E4 wearable device was used in collecting EDG signals and employed as the method in capturing the test subject’s physiological signal of their skin activity. This experiment had 10 participants that use a Virtual Reality (VR) headset for viewing video stimuli in 360 degrees while collecting the EDG signals. Python with Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used in processing the 10 subjects’ data. This paper aims to compare the accuracy of the SVM experiments with different parameters, different settings based on the data retrieved from the wearable. The emotions were classified into four distinct quadrants with inter-subject classifications yielding an accuracy of 54.3%, and intra-subject classification yielded an accuracy of 57.1% to 99.2%. The presented results show that it is possible to achieve results with higher accuracy when parameter tuning. Hence, promising results were demonstrated for emotion prediction in four quadrants using wearable EDG technology in virtual reality environments. This paper provides two contributions, the use of EDG signals in emotion prediction, and the parameter setting to increase the accuracy for SVM classification.
A study of muon-electron elastic scattering in a test beam
Authors: Abbiendi G. , Ballerini G. , Banerjee D. , Bernhard J. , Bonanomi M. , Brizzolari C. , Foggetta L.G. , Goncerz M. , Ignatov F.V. , Incagli M. , Kucharczyk M. , Marconi U. , Mascagna V. , Matteuzzi C. , Pilato R. , Pocanic D. , Prest M. , Principe A. , Ronchetti F. , Soldani M. , Tenchini R. , Vallazza E. , Venanzoni G. , Witek M. , Zdybal M.
Published: June 2021

In 2018, a test run with muons in the North Area at CERN was
performed, running parasitically downstream of the COMPASS
spectrometer. The aim of the test was to investigate the elastic
interactions of muons on atomic electrons, in an experimental
configuration similar to the one proposed by the project MUonE,
which plans to perform a very precise measurement of the
differential cross-section of the elastic interactions.

COMPASS was taking data with a 190 GeV π beam, stopped in a
tungsten beam dump: the muons from these π decays passed through
a setup including a graphite target followed by 10 planes of Si
tracker and a BGO crystal electromagnetic calorimeter placed at the
end of the tracker. The elastic scattering events were selected and
analysed, and compared to expectations from MonteCarlo
simulation. The agreement found was satisfactory and demonstrated
that measuring the angles of the outgoing particles, a clean sample
of elastic interaction could be identified.
Proximity-gated X-ray framing camera with gain uniformity
Authors: Fu W. , Long J. , Cai H. , Liu J.
Published: June 2021

A novel proximity gated microchannel plate (MCP) framing camera has been designed and tested. The camera system consists of two basic components with a traveling wave microstrip photocathode gated proximity focusing X-ray image tube framing and electrical control system. The voltage of the phosphor screen, the strobe pulse of the MCP and the bias voltage of the MCP are all provided by the electronic control unit. The photocathode of image-converted tube consists of Au.Four line cathodes with a width of 12 mm and an interval of 4 mm are deposited onto the illuminated side of MCP. The camera's temporal record length is ∼1.5 ns. When the cathode is applied by a pulse with full width at half maximum of 190 ps and amplitude of -2.5 kV with -100 V bias, the temporal resolution is measured to be ∼62 ps. The gain uniformity of the cathode was characterized using a short X-ray pulse produced by a laser beam focused on a copper target. The results show that the MCP gain decreases by about 28% along the pulse direction, while the gain change perpendicular to the strip direction is within 5%.