bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial dynamics of synergistic coinfection in rock-paper-scissors models
Authors: Menezes J. , Rangel E.
Published: September 2023

We investigate the spatial dynamics of two-disease epidemics reaching a three-species cyclic model. Regardless of their species, all individuals are susceptible to being infected with two different pathogens, which spread through person-to-person contact. We consider that the simultaneous presence of multiple infections leads to a synergistic amplification in the probability of host mortality due to complications arising from any of the co-occurring diseases. Employing stochastic simulations, we explore the ramifications of this synergistic coinfection on spatial configurations that emerge from stochastic initial conditions. Under conditions of pronounced synergistic coinfection, we identify the emergence of zones inhabited solely by hosts affected by a singular pathogen. At the boundaries of spatial domains dominated by a single disease, interfaces of coinfected hosts appear. The dynamics of these interfaces are shaped by curvature-driven processes and display a scaling behavior reflective of the topological attributes of the underlying two-dimensional space. As the lethality linked to coinfection diminishes, the evolution of the interface network’s spatial dynamics is influenced by fluctuations stemming from waves of coinfection that infiltrate territories predominantly occupied by a single disease. Our analysis extends to quantifying the implications of synergistic coinfection at both the individual and population levels Our outcomes show that organisms’ infection risk is maximized if the coinfection increases the death due to disease by 30% and minimized as the network dynamics reach the scaling regime, with species populations being maximum. Our conclusions may help ecologists understand the dynamics of epidemics and their impact on the stability of ecosystems.
Structural design and experimental evaluation of a coarse–fine parallel dual-actuation XY flexure micropositioner with low interference behavior
Authors: Chen Yunzhuang , Lai Leijie , Zhu Limin
Published: September 2023

This paper proposes a novel two degree of freedom large range coarse–fine parallel dual-actuation flexure micropositioner (CFPDFM) with low interference behavior. First, the structure and working principle of the CFPDFM are introduced. Then, based on the stiffness matrix method, the analytical models of the motion range, input stiffness, and amplification ratio of the mechanism are established. Subsequently, the accuracy of the analytical model is verified by finite element analysis and experiments. Moreover, the dual-servo cooperative drive control strategy is designed to improve the closed-loop positioning ability of the CFPDFM. Finally, the CFPDFM experimental system is built to verify the plane trajectory tracking performance. The results reveal that the micropositioner can achieve a total range of 3.02 × 3.11 mm2, a resolution of ≤40 nm, low interference performance of coarse and fine actuators, good cross-axis decoupling, and planar complex trajectory tracking performance, while possessing a compact structure. It can be used in many plane positioning situations requiring large range and high precision.
Detection of chirality imbalance in photonic Weyl metamaterials with mirror symmetry-breaking
Authors: Zhou Xiaoxi , Li Shanshan , Hu Chuandeng , Wang Gang , Hou Bo
Published: September 2023

In condensed systems, Weyl quasiparticles have a massless nature and exhibit various relativistic chiral phenomena such as Klein tunneling, chiral anomaly, and Fermi arc surface states. However, in photonic systems, Weyl points (WPs) are protected by the D2d symmetry, often leading to multiple chiral WPs at the same energy level, which makes generating chirality-related effects challenging. To overcome this hinderance, a perturbation that breaks mirror symmetry in the metallic saddle structure was introduced. This perturbation effectively separates the energies of distinct chiral WPs, enabling the experimental measurement of the spectral intensity for each Weyl band and the assessment of chirality imbalance among the WPs. By maintaining time-reversal symmetry, the present study offers an approach for investigating the imbalance in the chirality of pseudo-fermionic fields in photonic materials.
Wang–Landau sampling of lattice multiblock copolymers
Authors: Bull Robert F. , Farris Alfred C. K. , Landau David P.
Published: September 2023

Synthetic multiblock copolymers are an interesting class of polymeric chains and have emerged as promising materials to mimic the function of complex biomolecules. In this work, we use Wang–Landau sampling to study sequences of multiblock (AnBn)m copolymers on the simple cubic lattice, where n represents the block length and m represents the number of blocks. We first compare to the thermodynamic and structural properties of four sequences previously studied in the continuum [W. Wang et al., J. Chem. Phys. 141, 244907 (2014)] to observe the differences that arise during the collapse process. We then focus on the structural transitions that occur at temperatures below the coil-to-globule transition in the lattice. Moreover, by studying additional sequences, we detail the relationship between the block length, number of blocks, and, thus, overall polymer length with respect to said structural transitions. Finally, we observe how the formation and shape of a ground state core of the more strongly interacting monomer type affect the procession of structural changes that occurs as temperature increases.
Shear viscosity of OPC and OPC3 water models
Authors: Ando Tadashi
Published: September 2023

Water is a unique and abundant substance in biological and chemical systems. Considering its importance and ubiquity, numerous water models have been developed to reproduce various properties of bulk water in molecular simulations. Therefore, selecting an appropriate water model suitable for the properties of interest is crucial for computational studies of water systems. The four-point Optimal Point Charge (OPC) and three-point OPC (OPC3) water models were developed in 2014 and 2016, respectively. These models reproduce numerous properties of bulk water with high accuracy, such as density, dielectric constant, heat of vaporization, self-diffusion coefficient, and surface tension. In this study, we evaluated the shear viscosities of the OPC and OPC3 water models at various temperatures ranging from 273 to 373 K using the Green–Kubo formalism to assess their performance. The evaluated viscosities of both models were very close to each other at all the examined temperatures. At temperatures above 310 K, the calculated shear viscosities were in excellent agreement with the experimental results. However, at lower temperatures, the water models systematically underestimated the shear viscosity, with the calculated values at 273 and 298 K being 20% and 10% lower than the experimental values, respectively. Despite this limitation, the OPC and OPC3 water models outperformed other widely used water models.
A novel low-temperature evaporation wastewater treatment apparatus based on hydrate adsorption
Authors: Sun Huilian , Wang Shuai , Sun Lingjie , Ling Zheng , Zhang Lunxiang
Published: September 2023

Heavy metal pollution is an urgent challenge worldwide due to the acceleration of industrialization. While adsorption desalination is regarded as an innovative method for wastewater treatment, the current technologies have been impeded by high costs and intensive energy consumption. In this work, a novel low-temperature evaporation wastewater treatment apparatus based on hydrate adsorption was proposed. The water vapor from wastewater evaporation reacted with CO2 to form hydrate under the pressure of 3.3 MPa, constantly promoting wastewater evaporation due to the consumption of water vapor. The effect of feeding concentration on treatment effect was analyzed in terms of removal efficiency, water yield, and enrichment factor. Remarkably, a maximum removal efficiency of 97.4% can be achieved by treating an artificial solution with a Cu2+ concentration of 500 mg/L. Furthermore, compared with the control group that only depended on evaporation and condensation without forming hydrate, the maximum water yield of purified water in the experimental group increased to 310%. This innovative design concept for a low-temperature wastewater treatment apparatus based on hydrate adsorption presents a promising solution for the green and energy-efficient treatment of heavy metal wastewater.
Hydrodynamics during an immiscible compound droplet impact on a liquid pool
Authors: Yu Wei , Zhang Yuxuan , Liu Xiangdong
Published: September 2023

A numerical model based on the volume of fluid method is adopted to numerically study the hydrodynamics of an immiscible compound droplet impacting on a liquid pool. This numerical simulation achieves good agreement with the experimental results for both the evolutions of interface and cavity depth after droplet impact. By conducting the numerical simulation, three impact regimes are identified, namely, engulfment, bursting, and splashing, and a regime map with splashing threshold is plotted to quantitatively represent them. Under both bursting and splashing regimes, the inner and outer droplets have similar deformation behaviors during impact. The changes in impact velocity and inner droplet size have a greater effect on the hydrodynamic behaviors of the compound droplet under the bursting regime than that under the splashing regime. Larger inner droplet sizes can significantly reduce the deformation of the droplet and cavity. Moreover, to provide valuable guidance for controlling the compound droplet impacting on the liquid pool in the related real applications, a scaling correlation with a modified Weber number is proposed to predict the maximal spreading of the droplet.
Experimental study of turbulent thermal diffusion of particles in an inhomogeneous forced convective turbulence
Authors: Elmakies E. , Shildkrot O. , Kleeorin N. , Levy A. , Rogachevskii I.
Published: September 2023

We investigate experimentally the phenomenon of turbulent thermal diffusion of micrometer-size solid particles in an inhomogeneous convective turbulence forced by one vertically oriented oscillating grid in an air flow. This effect causes the formation of large-scale inhomogeneities in particle spatial distributions in a temperature-stratified turbulence. We perform detailed comparisons of the experimental results with those obtained in our previous experiments with an inhomogeneous and anisotropic stably stratified turbulence produced by a one oscillating grid in the air flow. Since the buoyancy increases the turbulent kinetic energy for convective turbulence and decreases it for stably stratified turbulence, the measured turbulent velocities for convective turbulence are larger than those for stably stratified turbulence. This tendency is also seen in the measured vertical integral turbulent length scales. Measurements of temperature and particle number density spatial distributions show that particles are accumulated in the vicinity of the minimum of the mean temperature due to the phenomenon of turbulent thermal diffusion. This effect is observed in both convective and stably stratified turbulence, where we find the effective turbulent thermal diffusion coefficient for micrometer-size particles. The obtained experimental results are in agreement with theoretical predictions.
Bismuth sulfide based resistive switching device as the key to advanced logic gate fabrication
Authors: Perla Venkata K. , Ghosh Sarit K. , Kumari Pooja , Saha Chandan , Mallick Kaushik
Published: September 2023

A memristor is a two-terminal electrical component with the scope of future computing applications and analog electronics. In this report, bismuth sulfide decorated one-dimensional carbon nitride nanotube was synthesized and characterized with various analytical techniques. The electrical property of the synthesized material was measured using a two-terminal metal–insulator–metal type of device that exhibited the resistive switching characteristics with the ON to OFF ratio of 2 × 103. The electron transport mechanism of the device was followed by Schottky emission and Poole–Frenkel emission for a low conductance state and Ohmic conduction behavior at the high conductance state. A decrease in the trap depth was identified in the simulation study with increasing applied potential and that supported the proposed mechanism. Read endurance and retention behavior of the device are stable in nature, supported by the statistical analysis. Furthermore, a hybrid logic gate was designed using two identical memristors, one CMOS inverter, one resistor, one voltage divider, and a buffer gate. The designed logic gate exhibited stable nand and nor gate operation based on the control signal.
Fe and Co containing N-doped graphene sulfur cathode for high performance Li–S batteries and in situ Raman investigation
Authors: Li Shanlin , Mei Houshan , Song Yixin , Zhang Jun , Liu Xianghong
Published: September 2023

Transition metal modified carbon materials hold great potential in Li–S batteries. Optimizing the electronic interaction between metal and carbon support is the key to improve the electrochemical performance of materials. Herein, unique graphene/N-doped carbon (G/FeCo@N-C) materials doped with CoFe2O4/Co3Fe7 nanoparticles were prepared by thermal decomposition of graphene-coated bimetallic metal organic frameworks. The double G/N-carbon layer not only provides abundant sulfur loading space and adsorption site but also improves the electrical conductivity of the material. CoFe2O4/Co3Fe7 nanoparticles were used as catalysts to accelerate the conversion of polysulfide. Importantly, in situ Raman spectroscopy is used to explain the mechanism of capacity attenuation of the G/FeCo@N-C-S material during charge and discharge. The electrochemical test shows that G/FeCo@N-C-S delivers a high specific capacity of 440.3 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles with very low capacity decay of 0.042% per cycle as well as excellent rate performance. This work provides a useful approach for the rational design of bimetal-containing carbon materials to promote the electrochemical applications.
The 103Rh NMR spectroscopy and relaxometry of the rhodium formate paddlewheel complex
Authors: Harbor-Collins Harry , Sabba Mohamed , Moustafa Gamal , Legrady Bonifac , Soundararajan Murari , Leutzsch Markus , Levitt Malcolm H.
Published: September 2023

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of spin-1/2 nuclei with low gyromagnetic ratio is challenging due to the low NMR signal strength. Methodology for the rapid acquisition of 103Rh NMR parameters is demonstrated for the case of the rhodium formate “paddlewheel” complex Rh2(HCO2)4. A scheme is described for enhancing the 103Rh signal strength by polarization transfer from 1H nuclei, which also greatly reduces the interference from ringing artifacts, a common hurdle for the direct observation of low-γ nuclei. The 103Rh relaxation time constants T1 and T2 are measured within 20 min by using 1H-detected experiments. The field dependence of the 103Rh T1 is measured. The high-field relaxation is dominated by the chemical shift anisotropy mechanism. The 103Rh shielding anisotropy is found to be very large: |Δσ| = 9900 ± 540 ppm. This estimate is compared with density functional theory calculations.
Experimental investigations and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics modeling of sediment transport in tanks influenced by cavities
Authors: Liu Yi , Garambois P.-A. , Terfous Abdelali , Ghenaim Abdellah
Published: September 2023

Sediment transport is a very complex process in urban water systems, and sediment movement mechanisms are poorly understood. However, it is necessary to comprehend sediment transport to optimize stormwater and sewer tank designs for better performance in trapping particulate pollutants. This work focuses on the numerical simulation and experimental investigation of tank sediment transport. In the numerical simulation, a discrete phase model is applied to calculate particle trajectories, and the particle tracking calculation is coupled with the steady-state flow calculation. A user-defined function is developed in the Fluent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code to implement the settling condition and improve the particle motion predictions. In the experimental work, a back-scattered ultrasonic method is used to measure the velocity field, and the accumulation of particles at the bottom is reproduced by transforming the raw experimental data. The sediment deposition is also recorded photographically, and the trap efficiency is calculated. The CFD and experimental results are compared to estimate the accuracy of the modified settling boundary condition, showing an improvement in the trap efficiency and deposition zone predictions. High water level in the tank corresponds to higher sediment trap efficiency, and sediment deposition type is strongly affected by the water level. Tank length and the presence of cavity alter the sediment deposition zone, and the presence of cavity increases the trap efficiency of tank.
Relaxation phase during droplet impact on superhydrophobic surfaces with high contact angle hysteresis
Authors: Zhang W. , Dorao C. A. , Fernandino M.
Published: September 2023

The droplet impact process on a solid surface is divided into a spreading phase where the droplet reaches the maximum deformation followed by a retracting phase. However, in the case of surfaces with high contact angle hysteresis, these two phases are connected by a relaxation phase where the contact angle changes from the advancing to the receding contact angle almost without motion of the contact line. Although the relaxation time can represent a significant part of the total droplet contact time, this relaxation regime has been less explored, especially for superhydrophobic surfaces due to the challenge of designing such surfaces with controlled wetting properties. Here, we show that for superhydrophobic surfaces with large contact angle hysteresis, the relaxation time can be comparable to the spreading and retracting time. Our results indicate that both the contact angle hysteresis and the capillary forces play a major role in defining the relaxation time and that relaxation time scales with the inertial–capillary time when using the droplet relative deformation as the characteristic length scale for this relaxation regime.
High-precision wave height detection of triboelectric nanogenerator by using voltage waveforms and artificial neural network
Authors: Lai Yuming , Ma Jiahua , Wen Honggui , Yao Huilu , Wei Wenjuan , Wan Lingyu , Yang Xiaodong
Published: September 2023

As we known waves contain important information, however, to realizing high-precision quantification for ocean exploitation and utilization is challenging. In this paper, we proposed a neural network for wave height detection by training the voltage waveform of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). First, we analyzed the voltage signal obtained using a TENG. Second, we proposed a lightweight artificial neural network model that achieves a minimal monitoring error of 0.049% at low amplitudes and yields better monitoring results than the linear model. The findings presented in this paper enable the measurement of water surface waves and eliminate the influence of external factors on sensor performance. Wave parameters can be obtained using neural networks, and this work provides a new strategy for computational and intelligent applications by using wave data.
Unveiling the structure and electronic characteristics of amorphous GeS for high performance threshold switching
Authors: Qiao Chong , Wang Shengzhao , Chen Lanli , Liu Bin , Bai Shouyan , Gu Rongchuan , Wang Songyou , Wang Cai-Zhuang , Ho Kai-Ming , Miao Xiangshui , Xu Ming
Published: September 2023

Ovonic threshold switching selectors are widely studied owing to the essential application in high density phase-change memory. Amorphous GeS is proposed as a potential candidate for the excellent performance. However, the knowledge of amorphous GeS is still insufficient up to date. Here, we have studied the structure and electronic characteristics of GeS in the amorphization process, by using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The results indicate that the amorphous GeS is mainly made up of Ge–S bonds. The Ge- and S-centered clusters are dominantly in the form of octahedral structures in liquid GeS. During the amorphization process, most of Ge-centered clusters become highly coordinated octahedrons while a small number of Ge-centered clusters change to tetrahedrons, and the S-centered clusters deviate from the octahedral structure gradually. In addition, the large bandgap and the relatively small mid-gap states in amorphous GeS lead to a high switching voltage.
Investigation of electric transport in mixed conducting Na2O modified zinc borate glasses for electrode material using broadband dielectric spectroscopy
Authors: Ahlawat Jyoti , Pawaria Suman , Redhu Preeti , Dahiya Sajjan , Ohlan Anil , Punia Rajesh , Maan A. S.
Published: September 2023

The electrical conductivity of Na2O substituted zinc borate glasses has been studied in the frequency range of 10 mHz to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from 313 to 573 K. The conduction mechanism has been ascertained using the values of the frequency exponent (s) extracted from the fitting of experimental data of the real part of electric conductivity in light of the Almond–West equation. Depending on the glass composition, the ac conduction in the glasses happened via correlated barrier hopping and non-overlapping small polaron tunneling conduction models. The electric modulus studies support the assertion of composition dependent conduction mechanisms. Furthermore, electronic conduction and ionic conduction have been studied from impedance investigations. Equivalent circuit models were used to fit the Nyquist and Bode plots of each sample at the temperatures under consideration. It has been found that the activation energy values calculated from conductivity, electric modulus, and impedance measurements are more or less the same.
Global analysis of energy landscapes for materials modeling: A test case for C60
Authors: Csányi Gábor , Morgan John W. R. , Wales David J.
Published: September 2023

In this contribution, we employ computational tools from the energy landscape approach to test Gaussian Approximation Potentials (GAPs) for C60. In particular, we apply basin-hopping global optimization and explore the landscape starting from the low-lying minima using discrete path sampling. We exploit existing databases of minima and transition states harvested from previous work using tight-binding potentials. We explore the energy landscape for the full range of structures and pathways spanning from the buckminsterfullerene global minimum up to buckybowls. In the initial GAP model, the fullerene part of the landscape is reproduced quite well. However, there are extensive families of C1@C59 and C2@C58 structures that lie lower in energy. We succeeded in refining the potential to remove these artifacts by simply including two minima from the C2@C58 families found by global landscape exploration. We suggest that the energy landscape approach could be used systematically to test and improve machine learning interatomic potentials.
Allergen exposure functionally alters influenza-specific CD4+ Th1 memory cells in the lung
Authors: Rüterbusch Mikel J. , Hondowicz Brian D. , Takehara Kennidy K. , Pruner Kurt B. , Griffith Thomas S. , Pepper Marion
Published: September 2023

CD4+ lung-resident memory T cells (TRM) generated in response to influenza infection confer effective protection against subsequent viral exposures. Whether these cells can be altered by environmental antigens and cytokines released during heterologous, antigen-independent immune responses is currently unclear. We therefore investigated how influenza-specific CD4+ Th1 TRM in the lung are impacted by a subsequent Th2-inducing respiratory house dust mite (HDM) exposure. Although naïve influenza-specific CD4+ T cells in the lymph nodes do not respond to HDM, influenza-specific CD4+ TRM in the lungs do respond to a subsequent allergen exposure by decreasing expression of the transcription factor T-bet. This functional alteration is associated with decreased IFN-γ production upon restimulation and improved disease outcomes following heterosubtypic influenza challenge. Further investigation revealed that ST2 signaling in CD4+ T cells during allergic challenge is necessary to induce these changes in lung-resident influenza-specific CD4+ TRM. Thus, heterologous antigen exposure or ST2-signaling can drive persistent changes in CD4+ Th1 TRM populations and impact protection upon reinfection.
NK cell expansion requires HuR and mediates control of solid tumors and long-term virus infection
Authors: Piersma Sytse J. , Bangru Sushant , Yoon Jeesang , Liu Tom W. , Yang Liping , Hsieh Chyi-Song , Plougastel-Douglas Beatrice , Kalsotra Auinash , Yokoyama Wayne M.
Published: September 2023

Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes capable of controlling tumors and virus infections through direct lysis and cytokine production. While both T and NK cells expand and accumulate in affected tissues, the role of NK cell expansion in tumor and viral control is not well understood. Here, we show that posttranscriptional regulation by the RNA-binding protein HuR is essential for NK cell expansion without negatively affecting effector functions. HuR-deficient NK cells displayed defects in the metaphase of the cell cycle, including decreased expression and alternative splicing of Ska2, a component of the spindle and kinetochore complex. HuR-dependent NK cell expansion contributed to long-term cytomegalovirus control and facilitated control of subcutaneous tumors but not tumor metastases in two independent tumor models. These results show that posttranscriptional regulation by HuR specifically affects NK cell expansion, which is required for the control of long-term virus infection and solid tumors, but not acute infection or tumor metastases, highlighting fundamental differences with antigen-specific T cell control.
Machine learning molecular dynamics simulation of CO-driven formation of Cu clusters on the Cu(111) surface
Authors: Halim Harry H , Ueda Ryo , Morikawa Yoshitada
Published: September 2023

The behavior of adsorbate-induced surface transformation can be clearly understood given the mechanical aspects of such phenomenon are well described at the atomic level. In this study, we provide the atomic-level description on the formation of Cu clusters on the Cu(111) surface by performing set of molecular dynamics simulations driven by machine-learning force-field. The simulations at 450 K–550 K show clusters are formed within a hundred of ns when the Cu surface is exposed with CO. On the other hand, no cluster is formed within the same time interval on the clean Cu surface even at 550 K, which signifies the importance of CO exposure to the surface transformation. The effect of temperature to the formation of clusters is also investigated. The CO-decorated Cu clusters ranging from dimer to hexamer are detected within a hundred of ns at 450 K. Lowering the temperature to 350 K does not result in the formation of clusters within a hundred ns due to the scarce detachments of adatom, while raising the temperature to 550 K results in the formation of more clusters, ranging from dimer to heptamer, but with shorter lifetimes. The clusters can be formed directly through instantaneous detachment of a group of step-atoms, or indirectly by aggregation of wandering Cu monomers and smaller clusters on the surface terrace. The preference to the indirect mechanism is indicated by the higher frequency of its occurrence. Set of nudged elastic band calculations has been performed to confirm the promotion of CO adsorptions to the detachment of Cu step-atoms by lowering the detachment barrier.
A deep neural network with electronic nose for water stress prediction in Khasi Mandarin Orange plants
Authors: Sharma Chayanika , Barkataki Nairit , Sarma Utpal
Published: September 2023

Water stress is a significant environmental factor that hampers plant productivity and leads to various physiological and biological changes in plants. These include modifications in stomatal conductance and distribution, alteration of leaf water potential & turgor loss, altered chlorophyll content, and reduced cell expansion and growth. Additionally, water stress induces changes in the emission of volatile organic compounds across different parts of the plants. This study presents the development of an electronic nose (E-nose) system integrated with a deep neural network (DNN) to detect the presence and levels of water stress induced in Khasi Mandarin Orange plants. The proposed approach offers an alternative to conventional analytical methods that demand expensive and complex laboratory facilities. The investigation employs the leaf relative water content (RWC) estimation, a conventional technique, to evaluate water stress induction in the leaves of 20 plants collected over a span of 9 days after stopping irrigation. Supervised pattern recognition algorithms are trained using the results of RWC measurement, categorising leaves into non-stressed or one of four stress levels based on their water content. The dataset used for training and optimising the DNN model consists of 27 940 samples. The performance of the DNN model is compared to traditional machine learning methods, including linear and radial basis function support vector machines, k-nearest neighbours, decision tree, and random forest. From the results, it is seen that the optimised DNN model achieves the highest accuracy of 97.59% in comparison to other methods. Furthermore, the model is validated on an unseen dataset, exhibiting an accuracy of 97.32%. The proposed model holds the potential to enhance agricultural practices by enabling the detection and classification of water stress in crops, thereby aiding in water management improvements and increased productivity.
Generation of high-dimensional vibration signal and its application in fault diagnosis
Authors: Ren Zhijun , Gao Dawei , Zhu Yongsheng , Yan Ke , Hong Jun , Feng Ke
Published: September 2023

Imperfect data, such as data scarcity and imbalance, have a negative impact on intelligent fault diagnosis. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have proven to be a potential method for augmenting data. However, the overall quality of data generated by GANs still requires improvement. In this study, a multiscale feature-fusion GAN was proposed for generating high-dimensional signals. A strategy that generates signals with dimensionality higher than the desired dimensionality was proposed. The generated signals were resampled to improve the phase diversity of the generated signals. To enhance the feature extraction capability of the GAN for high-dimensional signals, a multiscale feature extraction structure was designed. The integration of multiscale feature extraction and fusion was achieved without a significant increase in the computational burden. To enhance the amplitude diversity of the generated signals, a reconstruction network was designed that directly constrained the spatial distribution of the generated signals. Experimental results show that the model has advantages in terms of the similarity and diversity of the generated signals. The effectiveness of the model in fault diagnosis was verified using two motor datasets, where the fault diagnosis model using the sample set augmented by the proposed model obtained a 36.32% improvement in accuracy compared with using the original sample set. In addition, in comparison experiments, the model achieved a higher diagnostic accuracy improvement of 28.87% compared to four other published models.
Evaluation of polycaprolactone nanofibers’ spinnability using green solvent systems by solution blow spinning (SBS)
Authors: Teixeira Bruna N , Anaya-Mancipe Javier M , Thiré Rossana Mara S M
Published: September 2023

Solution blow spinning (SBS) is a promising alternative to produce fibrous matrices for a wide range of applications, such as packaging and biomedical devices. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester commonly used for spinning. The usual choices for producing PCL solutions include chlorinated solvents (CS), such as chloroform. However, the high toxicity of CS makes it difficult for biological and green applications. This work evaluates the influence of two less toxic solvents, acetic acid (AA) and acetone (Acet), and their mixtures (AA/Acet) on the properties of PCL fibers produced by SBS. The results showed that Acet does not cause degradation of the PCL chains, in opposition to AA. Furthermore, adding acetone to the acetic acid tended to preserve the size of PCL chains. It was not possible to produce fibers using PCL in 100% acetone. However, the AA/Acet mixture allowed the efficient production of PCL fibers. The proportion of Acet and AA in the mixture modulated the fiber morphology and orientation, making it possible to use this green solvent system according to the desired application.
How to overcome the demagnetization of superconducting Halbach arrays?
Authors: Houbart M , Fagnard J-F , Dular J , Dennis A R , Namburi D K , Durrell J H , Geuzaine C , Vanderheyden B , Vanderbemden P
Published: September 2023

Assembling trapped-field superconducting magnets with mutually orthogonal magnetizations directions in a Halbach array configuration offers the prospect of generating both high fields and large field gradients. A major issue when assembling bulk superconductors in a Halbach array, however, consists in the alteration of the initial current density distribution during the assembly process. This reorganization of supercurrent loops limits the field generated by the system. We investigate two methods for reducing this demagnetization effect. The first method consists of using stacked tapes instead of bulk superconductors. For the second method, we propose a procedure leading to a re-magnetizing the superconductors of the array after the assembly. The procedure consists in putting two superconductors on top of one another, magnetizing them along the vertical direction, and then keeping the pair in place while two other superconductors, magnetized in an horizontal direction, are approached from left and right. The top central sample is then removed from the array, thereby providing the desired re-magnetization of the bottom one. The benefits of this procedure was investigated by finite element modelling and experiments carried out at 77 K both with bulk YBa2Cu3O

7
−
x

superconductors (

∼

14
×
14
×
14

 mm3) and with stacks of second generation YBa2Cu3O

7
−
x

tapes from Superpower (

∼

12
×
12
×
12

mm3). The flux density measured above the array is compared to analytical results and finite element simulations. The results show that a re-magnetization of the central sample occurs, which allows the maximum field generated with Halbach arrays made of three bulk superconductors or three stacked tapes to be increased by 5% and 11% respectively. Numerical modelling shows that using a taller top sample with this method allows to recover almost the full potential of the array.
Stationary and moving bright solitons in Bose–Einstein condensates with spin–orbit coupling in a Zeeman field
Authors: He Juntao , Lin Ji
Published: September 2023

We explore the existence and stability domains of stationary and moving bright solitons in spin–orbit-coupled spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensates in an external Zeeman field. Two families of bell-shape bright solitons (plane-wave (PW) phases) and two families of stripe-shape bright solitons (standing-wave (SW) phases) are obtained. We find a relation between the existence of these bright solitons and the single-particle energy spectrum, as well as the requirements of their existence for atomic interactions. The stability of four families of bright solitons is systematically analyzed using the linear stability analysis method. For two families of PW bright solitons, they are unstable only when the strength of the Zeeman field is above a critical value. The critical value is affected by the spin–orbit coupling and hardly affected by atomic interactions. When the velocities of solitons are zero (nonzero), the critical values of these two families are equal (unequal). For two families of SW bright solitons, their stability domains are identical in the absence of the Zeeman field, and they are unstable when the ferromagnetic interaction is strong. In the presence of the Zeeman field, their stability domains are complementary and complex, and one family of SW bright solitons can exist stably in the area with stronger ferromagnetic interaction. Furthermore, we find the collisions of stable bright solitons with different velocities can generate intriguing dynamics.
Energy gains at daily periodic changes of the azimuths of PV modules in north-east Bulgaria
Authors: Penkova N Y , Krumov K S , Hristov P V
Published: September 2023

The higher efficiency of tracking photovoltaic systems is an indisputable fact and computational methods of the respective energy gains are well known. However the investments in the tracking systems are higher in comparison to the fixed ones due to the needs of additional equipment and automation systems. An options of periodical change of the azimuth of PV modules at single axis solar trackers and the correspondent incident solar energy are studied in this paper. An approach for numerical determination of the daily periods of cyclic rotations of the trackers and the subsequent electricity production is developed. It was applied to estimate the energy gains at such cyclic changes of a PV system in ceramic factory in Bulgaria.
Sustainable management and comprehensive administrative control of asphalt pavements case study, Perú
Authors: Almeida Mercedes Evangelina Lopez , Aparco Rosa Huaraca , Lipa Rocío Cahuana , Mamani Julio César Machaca , Villafuerte Mario Moises Cuaquera , Valenzuela Jubenal Mendoza , Ascue Esther Reyna Merino , Ccorisapra Yovana Flores , Ramos Martha Teresa Ecos , Otero Calixto Cañari , Chipana Salvador Quispe , Pacheco Niki Franklin Flores
Published: September 2023

The management of asphalt pavements is of great importance for the development of road, motorway and airport runway infrastructures. For the company to achieve its goals, the use of administrative control instruments or tools such as evaluations and follow-ups of employees. Such control begins with the design by the company of an organizational structure where activities are planned and their effectiveness with their subsequent evaluations. The study aimed to analyze the management of asphalt maintenance and its administration process in a pavement and construction company in the Lima region, Peru. The methodology used was the hypothetical deductivo. Thedesign was non-experimental and cross-sectional deliberating the variables in a single time of study in a descriptive way, the sample population was the administrative workers and workers to perform the research technique, the type of instrument used was the survey with anonymous questions and closed questions, or at least all those questions that best respond to the situation we want to know. An analysis of frequencies and weighting of percentages was made from which it obtained, the values that allowed us to know the problems of the company with respect to the variables under study such as administrative control and maintenance, the validity of the instrument had a degree of reliability of Cronbach’s alpha of 0.879 for the variable Administrative control and maintenance of 0.849. In the research regarding the dimensions of asphalt pavement have a relationship with the administrative management of the company, having a positive significance.
ActivePPI: quantifying protein–protein interaction network activity with Markov random fields
Authors: Wang Chuanyuan , Xu Shiyu , Sun Duanchen , Liu Zhi-Ping
Published: September 2023

Motivation

Protein–protein interactions (PPI) are crucial components of the biomolecular networks that enable cells to function. Biological experiments have identified a large number of PPI, and these interactions are stored in knowledge bases. However, these interactions are often restricted to specific cellular environments and conditions. Network activity can be characterized as the extent of agreement between a PPI network (PPIN) and a distinct cellular environment measured by protein mass spectrometry, and it can also be quantified as a statistical significance score. Without knowing the activity of these PPI in the cellular environments or specific phenotypes, it is impossible to reveal how these PPI perform and affect cellular functioning.

Results

To calculate the activity of PPIN in different cellular conditions, we proposed a PPIN activity evaluation framework named ActivePPI to measure the consistency between network architecture and protein measurement data. ActivePPI estimates the probability density of protein mass spectrometry abundance and models PPIN using a Markov-random-field-based method. Furthermore, empirical P-value is derived based on a nonparametric permutation test to quantify the likelihood significance of the match between PPIN structure and protein abundance data. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate the superior performance of ActivePPI and result in network activity evaluation, pathway activity assessment, and optimal network architecture tuning tasks. To summarize it succinctly, ActivePPI is a versatile tool for evaluating PPI network that can uncover the functional significance of protein interactions in crucial cellular biological processes and offer further insights into physiological phenomena.

Availability and implementation

All source code and data are freely available at https://github.com/zpliulab/ActivePPI.
Teaching modern pancreatic surgery: close relationship between centralization, innovation, and dissemination of care
Authors: Perri Giampaolo , van Hilst Jony , Li Shen , Besselink Marc G , Hogg Melissa E , Marchegiani Giovanni
Published: September 2023

Background

Pancreatic surgery is increasingly moving towards centralization in high-volume centres, supported by evidence on the volume–outcome relationship. At the same time, minimally invasive pancreatic surgery is becoming more and more established worldwide, and interest in new techniques, such as robotic pancreatoduodenectomy, is growing. Such recent innovations are reshaping modern pancreatic surgery, but they also represent new challenges for surgical training in its current form.

Methods

This narrative review presents a chosen selection of literature, giving a picture of the current state of training in pancreatic surgery, together with the authors’ own views, and in the context of centralization and innovation towards minimally invasive techniques.

Results

Centralization of pancreatic surgery at high-volume centres, volume–outcome relationships, innovation through minimally invasive technologies, learning curves in both traditional and minimally invasive surgery, and standardized training paths are the different, but deeply interconnected, topics of this article. Proper training is essential to ensure quality of care, but innovation and centralization may represent challenges to overcome with new training models.

Conclusion

Innovations in pancreatic surgery are introduced with the aim of increasing the quality of care. However, their successful implementation is deeply dependent on dissemination and standardization of surgical training, adapted to fit in the changing landscape of modern pancreatic surgery.
Extracellular vesicles long RNA profiling identifies abundant mRNA, circRNA and lncRNA in human bile as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis
Authors: Zong Huajie , Yu Wenqian , Lai Hongyan , Chen Bing , Zhang Hena , Zhao Jingjing , Huang Shenglin , Li Yan
Published: September 2023

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are bilayered membrane vesicles produced by living cells and secreted into the extracellular matrix. Bile is a special body fluid that is secreted by the liver cells, and extracellular vesicles long RNAs (exLRs) have not been explored in bile. In this study, exLR sequencing (exLR-seq) was performed on 19 bile samples from patients with malignant cancer or patients with biliary stones. A total of 8649 mRNAs, 13 823 circRNAs and 1105 lncRNAs were detected. The KEGG pathway analysis revealed that differentially expressed exLRs were enriched in mTOR and AMPK signaling pathway. We identified five mRNAs (EID2, LLPH, ATP6V0A2, RRP9 and MTRNR2L10), three lncRNAs (AC015922.2, AL135905.1 and LINC00921) and six circRNAs (circASH1L, circATP9A, circCLIP1, circRNF138, circTIMMDC1 and circANKRD12) were enriched in bile EV samples with cancer, and these exLRs may be potential markers used to distinguish malignant cancers from benign biliary diseases. Moreover, the tissue/cellular source components of EVs were analyzed using the EV-origin algorithm. The absolute abundance of CD4_naive and Th1 cell source in bile EVs from cancer patients were significantly increased. In summary, our study presented abundant exLRs in human bile EVs and provides some basis for the selection of tumor diagnostic markers.
Recurrent crops of tender subcutaneous nodules in a 44-year-old man
Authors: Mancha Dora , Cunha Maria , Marques Tiago , de Vasconcelos Pedro , Soares-de-Almeida Luís , Ferreira João , Filipe Paulo
Published: September 2023

Erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) is a type 2 leprosy reaction associated with multibacillary leprosy. We describe a case of ENL as the first manifestation of borderline lepromatous leprosy.
A national clinician survey on the British Society for Dermatological Surgery guidelines on antithrombotic agent use in skin surgery
Authors: Butt Eman , Hunt William , Defty Clare , Hussain Walayat , Bray Adam , Wernham Aaron
Published: September 2023

Antithrombotic medication is taken by 14–22% patients undergoing skin surgery, with more patients now taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The latest evidence suggests that the risk of stopping DOACs perioperatively is low in skin surgery, particularly for primary closures, but remains unclear for more complex procedures. The 2016 British Society for Dermatological Surgery (BSDS) guidelines suggest that clinicians could consider stopping DOACs in patients for 24–48 h, based on individual bleeding risk. We surveyed BSDS members to better understand clinical practice and guideline adherence with a view to updating the guidance. The results demonstrated that there is consistency among clinicians in the management of patients on more established antithrombotic agents, such as aspirin, clopidogrel and warfarin. However, there is a higher perceived risk of significant haematomas following higher-risk procedures such as larger flaps or grafts with DOACs vs. other antithrombotics postoperatively. Stopping DOACs perioperatively for 24–48 h for higher-risk procedures can be cautiously considered following an individual risk assessment and informed discussion with the patient.