bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trajectory Reconstruction of Subsurface Pipes for salt discharge in Saline-Alkali Soils Based on an Improved EKF and Adaptive Gradient Optimization
Authors: Deng Zhaopeng , Wen Hao , Jiang Liuyang , Wang Mengmeng , Fan Rui
Published: February 2025

The laying trajectory of saline-alkali land subsurface pipes for salt discharge plays a crucial role in assessing the efficiency of saline-alkali land reclamation. Due to the complex soil conditions of saline-alkali land and the physical properties of the subsurface pipes, directly reconstructing the trajectory using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) often fails to achieve sufficient accuracy. To address this issue, this paper proposes a trajectory reconstruction method for saline-alkali land subsurface pipes based on an improved extended Kalman filter (EKF) and adaptive gradient optimization. This method integrates accelerometer and gyroscope data using the proposed dynamic weighted threshold extended Kalman filter (DWTEKF). The dynamic weighted threshold control module adjusts the noise covariance matrix to reduce the impact of inaccurate initial state information on subsequent attitude estimation. Meanwhile, this paper proposes an adaptive gradient descent algorithm with suppression factors and dynamic step sizes (AGDSD). This algorithm adaptively adjusts the step size to optimize the gradient direction estimate and incorporates a suppression factor through discriminant testing to reduce the influence of pipe oscillations, thus improving the robustness of attitude estimation and trajectory reconstruction. Experimental results show that the DWTEKF algorithm exhibits excellent performance in noise suppression and signal fidelity. Compared to traditional adaptive gradient descent algorithm (AGDA) and standard gradient descent algorithm (GDA), the AGDSD algorithm improves the average attitude error by 44.02% and 57.31%, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed trajectory reconstructionmethod significantly enhances trajectory fitting accuracy, successfully validating the effectiveness of the method.
Integrated deep learning models to predict future vibrations on the discharge ring of a river-type hydroelectric power plant
Authors: Canbay Yavuz , Akay Orhan Erdal
Published: February 2025

Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPPs) are critical for sustainable energy generation, but their maintenance and operational stability are often compromised by structural vibrations, particularly in key components like the discharge ring units. Predicting these vibrations in advance is essential to prevent damage, enhance operational efficiency, and extend the lifespan of HPP components. This paper presents two advanced deep learning models designed to predict future vibrations in the discharge ring of river-type hydroelectric power plants. By combining multiple deep learning architectures, the proposed models process complex sensor data to accurately predict vibration patterns. The models employ the hybrid compositions of deep learning models specifically optimized for time-series prediction of mechanical stresses. In this study, vibration patterns of five distinct HPP turbine units are modeled with a hybrid approach and comprehensive analyses are provided for each turbine unit. Validation of the developed models with real-world operating data from HPPs reveals the proposed models’ accuracy, resilience, and potential for predicting future vibration signals. The proposed models achieve significant improvement in predictive accuracy over traditional methods, providing a reliable tool for early detection of vibration-induced risks in hydroelectric power infrastructure. The proposed models achieved minimum error rates with MAE of 0.025, MSE of 0.006, R2 of 0.999 and RMSE of 0.080 for CNN+BiLSTM and MAE of 0.038, MSE of 0.008, R2 of 0.994 and RMSE of 0.089 for CNN+GRU. This study contributes to advancing predictive maintenance in HPPs and offers a scalable solution for enhancing the safety and resilience of renewable energy facilities.
Inferring forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) from mobile ECG signals collected during quiet breathing
Authors: Nyamukuru Maria T , Ashare Alix , Odame Kofi M
Published: February 2025

Objective: Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is an important metric for patients to track at home for their self-management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Unfortunately, the state-of-the art for measuring FEV1 at home either depends on the patient’s physical effort and motivation, or relies on bulky wearable devices that are impractical for long-term monitoring. This paper explores the feasibility of using a machine learning model to infer FEV1 from 270 seconds of a single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) signal measured on the fingers with a mobile device. Methods: We evaluated the model’s inferred FEV1 values against the ground truth of hospital-grade spirometry tests, which were performed by twenty-five patients with obstructive respiratory disease. Results: The model-inferred FEV1 compared to the spirometry-measured FEV1 with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.73, a mean absolute percentage error of 23% and a bias of −0.08. Conclusions: These results suggest that the ECG signal contains useful information about FEV1, although a larger, richer dataset might be necessary to train a machine learning model that can extract this information with better accuracy. Significance: The benefit of a mobile ECG-based solution for measuring FEV1 is that it wouldrequire minimal effort, thus encouraging patient adherence and promoting successful self-management of asthma and COPD.
An updated set of electron-impact cross sections for CO2: untangling dissociation and application to CO2 with Ar and N2 admixtures
Authors: liu yang , Silva Tiago , Dias Tiago C. , Viegas Pedro , Zhao Xiangen , Du Yaping , He Junjia , Guerra Vasco
Published: February 2025

This work proposes an updated set of electron-impact cross sections for carbon dioxide (CO2) by quantitatively identifying CO2 dissociation within the two electronic excitation channels proposed by Phelps. In particular, the cross section with energy threshold at 7 eV is considered with a 15% dissociation branching ratio and is associated with dissociation into O(1D)+CO(X), while the one with threshold at 10.5 eV is used entirely for dissociation into O(3P)+CO(a3Πr). Experimental data on CO2 dissociation rate coefficients at moderate reduced electric field (E/N), CO2 conversion efficiencies at high E/N, and electron transport coefficients for E/N∈[10-2,103] Td are used to validate the updated set and demonstrate its completeness and consistency over a wide range of E/N. Notably, the updated cross section set enables the full coupling between the electron and chemical kinetics, a feature lacking in most existing cross section sets. The updated set is applied to study electron kinetics in CO2-Ar and CO2-N2 mixtures, revealing significant modifications in the electron energy distribution function and CO2 dissociation rate coefficient due to mixture composition. The updated cross section set is made available at the IST-Lisbon database within LXCat.
Distributed fiber-optic sensing in a subscale high-temperature superconducting dipole magnet
Authors: Luo Linqing , Turqueti Marcos , Ferracin Paolo , Higley Hugh , Marchevsky Maxim , Prestemon Soren , Rudeiros Fernández José Luis , Teyber Reed , Vallone Giorgio , Wang Xiaorong , Wu Yuxin
Published: February 2025

High-temperature superconductors, such as REBa2Cu3O7-x (REBCO, RE = rare earth), are becoming pivotal for high-field magnet technology for future circular colliders and compact fusion reactors. The U.S. Magnet Development Program, in collaboration with industry, is developing REBCO magnet technology using round conductors consisting of multiple REBCO tapes. For these multi-tape cables, traditional instrumentation, such as voltage taps and resistive strain gauges, become insufficient to help measure and understand the performance-limiting factors in these model magnets. Distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS) is a potential solution to address this challenge. Although DFOS is well established for various applications, measuring temperature and strain in high-temperature superconducting magnets is in its infancy. Here we report the detailed implementation and test results of DFOS based on Rayleigh scattering in a subscale canted cosθ (CCT) dipole magnet using high-temperature superconducting CORC® wires. We co-wound optical fibers in each layer of the CCT magnet and compared different types of commercial fibers and mold-release agents to reduce the power attenuation in the fibers. The DFOS allowed us to measure mechanical deformation and temperature along the conductor during tests at 77 and 4.2 K. The measured strain agreed quantitively with a finite-element mechanical model of the subscale magnet. Our results indicate that DFOS can effectively identify locations of strain and temperature changes, offering unique insight into magnet performance that can advance our understanding and development of the REBCO magnet technology for high-energy physics and fusion applications.
Activation characteristics of metal-to-insulator transition behaviour in vanadium trioxide insulator for REBCO conductor under turn-to-turn transport current
Authors: Chae Yoon Seok , Jung Hoon , Kim Ho-min , Quach Huu Luong , Lee Sung Hoon , Kim Ji Hyung
Published: February 2025

Vanadium trioxide (V2O3) is an ideal candidate for electrical insulation materials in rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) magnet applications owing to its metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) behaviour that is facilitated by its adjustable resistance, which shifts from high (at temperatures below 77 K) to low (above the transition temperature of ~160 K). Optimising the turn-to-turn contact resistance (Rct) in both normal and quenched states provides the benefits of both insulated and non-insulated (NI) winding methods. To implement V2O3 as a turn-to-turn insulator in REBCO magnets, ensuring responsive MIT activation between the turns is crucial. This study experimentally investigated the electrical behaviour of V2O3 insulation, which undergoes an electrical phase transition thermally triggered by transport current flow between the turns. Current–voltage (I−V) tests were performed on sandwiched REBCO tape samples with and without V2O3 insulation to analyse the electrical and thermal reactions. The I−V tests included stepped and pulsed current ramping to examine the repetitive behaviours under varying conditions. Furthermore, we verified the effect of mixing metal powder with V2O3 on the I−V characteristics. The results suggest that V2O3 insulation produces nonlinear I−V characteristics due to its negative temperature dependence, while the NI samples display linear I−V properties. The MIT characteristics of V2O3 insulation were reproducible across different current transport patterns and repeatable over thousands of cycles. Moreover, I−V measurements revealed thatincreasing the metal powder concentration reduced the Rct values in the V2O3-insulated layer. Thus, maintaining high Rct values (~107−~104 μΩ·cm2) in the normal operating range of below 77 K in REBCO magnets can effectively mitigate leakage current issues in the no-insulation winding technique. Conversely, transitioning to low Rct values (~103 μΩ·cm2) in the transient operating range above 160 K is expected to minimise stability degradation caused by quenching or extended thermal runaway in the insulation winding technique. These findings provide valuable insights in designing V2O3-insulated REBCO magnets for diverse applications, such as rotating machines, accelerator and superconducting magnetic energy storage.
Reduction of the threshold current of deep-ultraviolet laser diodes with embedded quantum dots in quantum wells
Authors: Xing Zhongqiu , Zhou Yongjie , Zhang Aoxiang , Muhammad Nawaz Sharif , Ajmal khan Muhammad , Hirayama Hideki , Wang Fang , Liou Juin J , Liu Yuhuai
Published: February 2025

The relationship between electron state density and energy in deep ultraviolet laser diodes (LDs) with quantum well (QW) structures exhibits a step-like shape, which enhances differential gain and light confinement of the LD. However, the active layer in QW structures typically has limited ability to collect equilibrium carriers, leading to an increased threshold current. Quantum dot (QD) structures address this limitation by imposing quantum confinement on charge carriers in three dimensions, thereby reducing optical losses and improving carrier confinement. Despite these advantages, the presence of numerous QDs often introduces synthetic imperfections (e.g. size and shape variations) and surface/interface defects, which cause light to split into multiple wavelengths. This study investigated the embedding of QDs into AlGaN QWs and evaluated the impact of QD size on device performance. This configuration addresses the weak carrier collection in QW structures and leverages QDs to quantum-constrain carrier movement, while avoiding the problem of high threshold current densities due to the large number of QDs that are not uniform in size and indicative of defects. For a QW thickness of 4 nm, an optimal QD thickness of 1 nm was determined, enabling effective utilization of both QDs and QWs. This configuration led to a substantial increase in LD output power and a decrease in threshold current. Specifically, the output power of the LD with a 1 nm thick QD increased by 13.6 times, while the threshold current decreased by 63.6% compared to the QW structure alone. Besides, the findings also revealed that QD thickness significantly affects the photoelectric properties of the LD. Excessively thick QDs can form depressions in the middle of QWs, which lowers the restriction on charge carriers. Conversely, QDs that are too thin cannot effectively take advantage of the three-dimensional carrier constraints of QDs, thereby reducing the light confinement capability.
Complexity analysis of output and recycling rate decisions of cross-border supply chain system under four recycling modes
Authors: Xie Feng-Jie , Wen Luying , Wang Si-Yi , Tan Ling-Ling
Published: February 2025

To investigate the impact of recycling modes on the stability of cross-border supply chain (SC) systems, this paper decomposes a cross-border SC system, consisting of two countries with different recycling capabilities for electronic products, such as Singapore and Vietnam, into three product-market chains (PMCs). Discrete dynamical models for output and recycling rate decisions of the system are developed based on four recycling modes. The Nash equilibrium solutions and stability conditions of the models are obtained via nonlinear dynamics principles; the stable regions and chaotic phenomena of the system, and the impact of tariff on the system stability are investigated through numerical simulation. Our findings suggest that to ensure the system stability, PMCs should adjust output and recycling rates, respectively, at low speeds. Retailer recycling mode shows the largest stable region of system decisions. When the adjustment speeds of output and recycling rate increase, the stable regions of the system in the four recycling modes are compacted. In addition, an increase in tariff levels can adversely affect the system stability. Finally, increasing recycling prices and marginal recycling transaction costs can expand the stable regions of the system, mitigate the adverse impact of tariffs, and enhance the profit stability of the closed-loop PMC.
Study on the strengthening mechanism of graphene and crystalline Cu3Fe on amorphous Fe3Cu
Authors: Liang Yong-Chao , Zhou Shao-cong , Yang Chao , Zhou Li-li , Chen Qian
Published: February 2025

Metallic glasses are very strong and elastic because of their unique atomic structure. However, they often break suddenly and lack ductility. The study aims to investigate the reinforcement mechanism of amorphous Fe3Cu by molecular dynamics simulations. To achieve this, different lengths and orientations of graphene are introduced to explore their effects on amorphous Fe3Cu. Additionally, different thicknesses of crystalline Cu3Fe are incorporated on the basis of graphene embedding to examine their influence on the strength and ductility of amorphous Fe3Cu. It is shown that complete embedding of graphene with a zigzag pattern along the Z-direction considerably enhances the composite's strength. Furthermore, with increasing crystal layer thickness, the composite's yield stress gradually increases due to graphene inhibiting shear transformation zones in the amorphous layer and hindering dislocation movement in the crystal layer. Moreover, the occurrence of numerous dislocation reactions leads to a significant increase in the ductility of the composite when the crystalline Cu3Fe layer is thicker. The results elucidate the plastic deformation behavior of crystalline/graphene/amorphous composites at the nanoscale and offer theoretical guidance for designing amorphous-matrix composites with high strength and excellent ductility.
Polyethylene glycol hexadecyl ether modified heparin for paclitaxel nano-delivery system
Authors: Nguyen Van Toan , Dang Thi Le Hang , Thanh Vu Minh , Le Thi Phuong , Nguyen Thi Loan , Huong Nguyen Thi , Tran Ngoc Quyen
Published: February 2025

A paclitaxel (PTX) nano-delivery system using modified heparin and polyethylene glycol hexadecyl ether (Brij 58) was developed in this study. Brij 58 was conjugated to the heparin backbone via the cystamine bridge and donated as Hep-Brij 58 to facilitate the self-assembly into stable nanoparticles in aqueous. The self-assembled formation of Hep-Brij nanoparticles was demonstrated through DLS and TEM, whereas the iodine method identified the critical concentration for the self-assembled process. PTX was incorporated into Hep-Brij nanoparticles through the physical entrapment. The PTX-loaded Hep-Brij nanoparticles were then characterized according to particle size and size distribution, drug-loading content, and efficiency. Compared to Brij 58, Hep-Brij 58 was outperformed in term of the amount PTX loaded. Hep-Brij 58/PTX was stable during 2 weeks of storage in distilled water. In vitro release of PTX from Hep-Brij 58 exhibited a control drug release effect following the diffusion kinetic. Furthermore, Hep-Brij 58 was non-toxic to primary healthy cells and cancer cells. The in vitro anticancer with Hela cell indicated remarkable anticancer activity of PTX-loaded Hep-Brij 58 nanoparticles compared to free PTX. Altogether, Hep-Brij 58 nanoparticles holds considerable potential for delivery system for managing PTX therapy
PLGA nanoparticles encapsulating TSHR-A and rapamycin enhance the induction of dendritic cell-specific immune tolerance in mice with Graves' disease
Authors: Chen Kun , Yang Yu , Wu Yang , Cao Wen , Zhao Yijing , Wang Su , Wang Kun
Published: February 2025

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells with multifaceted functions in controlling immune activation and tolerance. Graves' disease, particularly Graves' ophthalmopathy, is recognized as a refractory autoimmune thyroid disease. Therefore, DC-targeted therapies aimed at inducing specific immune tolerance are important for the treatment of Graves' disease. Therefore, we utilized polylactic acid glycolic acid polymer (PLGA) polymer nanoparticles encapsulating Graves' disease auto-antigen thyrotropin receptor A (TSHR-A) peptide and the immune tolerance inducer rapamycin (Rapa) to synthesize drug-loaded nanoparticles (NP(TSHR-A+Rapa)). We first characterized the synthesized nanodrugs using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques and tested the uptake capacity of DCs for nanoparticles after co-culturing the nanoparticles with DCs. And the safe concentration of nanoparticles to DCs was detected using Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Subsequently, we tested the targeting and safety of the nanoparticles in mice. And the effects of nanoparticles on the proportion and proliferation of DCs and regulatory T (Treg) cells were examined in vivo and in vitro using flow cytometry (FCM) and 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU) method, respectively. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assays were used to detect the effect of nanoparticles on cytokine release from DCs. Finally, we tested the preventive and therapeutic effects of the synthesized nanoparticles on disease models. Our results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles were well taken up by DCs in vitro, while in vivo they were mainly targeted to the spleen of mice. The nanoparticles were able to relatively inhibit the maturation of DCs in vivo and in vitro, while affecting the release of relevant cellular functional factors from DCs, and the nanoparticles also promoted the proportion and proliferation of Treg cells in vivo and in vitro. In addition, the synthesized nanoparticles were able to prevent and improve the mouse disease model well without toxic side effects on mouse organs and other physiological indicators. Therefore, the synthesis of NP (TSHR-A+Rapa) nanoparticles using PLGA encapsulated TSHR-A and rapamycin could be used as targeting DCs to alter immune tolerance and as a new potential approach for the treatment of Graves' disease
Flows hot and cold: Long-term evidence of rapid river water temperature fluctuations across the conterminous United States
Authors: White James , Ficklin Darren , Adelsperger Seth , Hannah David M.
Published: February 2025

River water temperature (Tw) regimes are fundamental to freshwater ecosystem health and socioeconomic activities. Most Tw research has focussed on magnitudes and averages, but rates of thermal change have been drastically understudied. Rapid Tw increases (‘surges’) or decreases (‘plummets’) have been observed across individual catchments and short-term periods, but remain poorly characterized across broader space-time domains. To address this, we collated and cleaned high-resolution Tw data spanning the conterminous United States (US) between 2008-2023. We demonstrated the national-scale prevalence of surges (n = 6507) and plummets (n = 4787) that were recorded at 88 of the 102 monitoring stations. Both event types spanned freezing (snowmelt-fed systems) to extremely hot (>40 °C - geothermal influences) conditions. Most surges and plummets exhibited constrained durations (<1-hour), amplitudes (≈1 °C) and rates of change (≈∆1 °C / 15-minutes), but some reached 24-hours, 18.8 °C, and ∆11.3 °C / 15-minutes, respectively. Successive transitions between rapid Tw warming and cooling occurred predominantly in regulated systems, indicating dam-induced Tw volatility. Surge and plummet characteristics differed between US climate regions. Such events were less widespread and persistent in the Northwest and West, with surges here most often occurring during regional droughts and heatwaves. Plummets recurred most consistently in the Southwest during summer, and were also most common during notable hot and dry periods. Conversely, surges were most prevalent in space and time across the Southeast during summer. Surge and plummet counts were less variable year-to-year in the Northeast US, but significantly decreased across the study period. This research provides a critical step in characterizing rapid Tw changes across broad spatial and temporal scales, thus opening prospects for future research exploring how varying catchment properties and hydroclimatic gradients govern surge and plummet dynamics. Such insights are critical for informing evidence-based management solutions targeting extreme Tw variations and volatility.
The Proximity Eﬀect and Critical Field Behavior of Re/Al Bilayers
Authors: Womack Frank , Ortega Á. M. , Karna S. K. , Graf David Earl , Adams Philip
Published: February 2025

We report the perpendicular critical ﬁeld Hc2 properties of disordered Re-Al bilayers via magnetotransport measurements. The bilayers consisted of a dRe = 3 nm bottom layer of Re and an upper Al layer with thickness varying between dAl= 0-3 nm. We ﬁnd that in this range of Al thicknesses, the bilayer transition temperature Tc increases with increasing Al thickness, although their monolayer counterparts have TRe
c> TAl
c . Furthermore, Hc2 of the bilayers has a local maximum at an Al coverage of 1.5 nm with a critical ﬁeld that is 50% larger than that of the standalone 3 nm Re ﬁlm. At higher Al thicknesses Hc2 drops rapidly but remains more than an order of magnitude greater that that of comparable thickness standalone Al ﬁlm. Our data show that a thin, disordered Re under-layer can dramatically increase the magnetic ﬁeld tolerance of the Al over-layer. This would allow one to retain the desirable chemical and metallurgical properties of Al without sacriﬁcing high ﬁeld compatibility in quantum circuits, such as topological qubit devices.
Preliminary characterization of an iodine-compatible LaB6 hollow cathode
Authors: Li Xin , Meng Tianhang , Zhu Jianhao , Liu Hui , Ning Zhongxi , Yu Daren
Published: February 2025

Currently, iodine-compatible cathodes for iodine propulsion systems that can provide ampere-level electron currents with a reasonable power consumption are lacking. In this study, a conventional LaB6 hollow cathode made with iodine-resistant materials was designed and tested in an iodine-compatible vacuum facility. The ignition characteristics, the V-I curve, and long steady-state discharge sequence of the iodine hollow cathode were analyzed and compared with those using a krypton propellant. After the experiment, the composition of the cathode emitter was studied by scanning electron microscope & energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that ignition takes > 10 s to reach a steady state, and the discharge voltage of the iodine was 25–95 V higher than that of krypton. According to the EDS results, this was mainly caused by emitter contamination with iron from the stainless-steel components of the cathode and oxygen from the iodine feed system. The iodine hollow cathode achieved a cumulative 12.5 h stable discharge, with the longest single discharge of 5 h and a 3% change in the inner diameter of the emitter.
Technology for direct assembly of SMD components in stretchable textile electronics realized by printing
Authors: Janda Martin , Pretl Silvan , Reboun Jan
Published: February 2025

In this article, a novelty direct assembly method for stretchable e-textile electronics based on printed technologies is presented. Presented technology utilizes the assembly of components directly into the wet base layout paste, without any interfacing contact material (such as conductive adhesive). Such assembly reduces the number of technological steps and exhibits more reliable behavior, as the number of interfaces is reduced and the conductive material is highly stretchable. Components are encapsulated using flexible encapsulation and the whole electrical system is realized on a foil, which is then thermo-transferred to the textile substrate. Samples are subjected to the bend test and cyclic stretch tests. Direct assembly is proven to be robust enough, as its increase of resistance during cyclic stretch testing is much lower (17 % after 500 cycles) than assembly with ICA (Isotopically Conductive Adhesive). Direct assembly also exhibits rapid regeneration of resistance after the end of mechanical load. In addition, a low and sufficient contact resistance of around 100 mΩ is achieved.
Application of batch learning for boosting high-throughput ab initio success rates and reducing computational effort required using data-driven processes
Authors: Hilgers Robin , Wortmann Daniel , Blügel Stefan
Published: February 2025

The increased availability of computing time, in recent years, allows for systematic high-throughput studies of material classes with the purpose of both screening for materials with remarkable properties and understanding how structural configuration and material composition affect macroscopic attributes manifestation. However, when conducting systematic high-throughput studies, the individual ab initio calculations’ success depends on the quality of the chosen input quantities. On a large scale, improving input parameters by trial and error is neither eﬀicient nor systematic. We present a systematic, high- throughput compatible, and machine learning-based approach to improve the input parameters optimized during a DFT computation or workflow. This approach of integrating machine learning into a typical high-throughput workflow demonstrates the advantages and necessary considerations for a systematic study of magnetic multilayers of 3d transition metal layers on FCC noble metal substrates. For 6660 film systems, we were able to improve the overall success rate of our high-throughput FLAPW-based structural relaxations from 64.8% to 94.3 % while at the same time requiring 17 % less computational time for each successful relaxation.
Investigation of the Mechanical Behavior and Microstructure of Aluminum-Copper Bimetallic Tubes Connected by the Rotary Swaging Method
Authors: Akbari H. R. , Sedighi M.
Published: February 2025

Rods, tubes, and similar components undergo the rotary swaging process to reduce cross-sectional area and enhance mechanical properties. This process offers significant advantages, including increased tensile strength, material strength improvement, reduced surface roughness, and reduced scraps. However, its use in producing double-wall tubes has been less common. This work investigated the rotary swaging process for producing aluminum-copper bimetallic double-wall tubes with an aluminum coating. The research specifically examines the impact of the presence or absence of a mandrel during the rotary swaging process on the mechanical properties of these double-wall tubes. The results indicate that using a mandrel not only enhances adhesion and sample strength but also leads to increased hardness in both axial and radial directions. Additionally, microscopic analyses, including optical microscopes (OM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and mechanical tests such as compression, peeling, and hardness measurements confirm that mandrel-assisted samples exhibit more desirable mechanical properties. Without the use of a mandrel, the layers are not effectively bonded together, resulting in gaps in certain areas, the average of which is about 11.95 µm. Additionally, the yield stress for double-layer tubes without a mandrel is equal to 153 MPa, whereas the yield stress for double-layer tubes with a mandrel is equal to 170 MPa, indicating that the samples produced with a mandrel are stronger than those without.
An efficient lightweight detection model for steel surface defects with dynamic deformable head
Authors: Li Chengfei , Wen Zhikai , Huang Haijian , Mo Huamin , Zhou Shiqin , Zhu Zhenhao
Published: February 2025

The accurate detection of steel surface defects remains challenging because of their irregular shapes and complex backgrounds, which often result in missed detections and false positives. Moreover, existing models are unsuitable for edge devices due to large parameters and high computational demands. To address these issues, this paper presents DCDF-YOLO, a lightweight steel surface defect detection model based on YOLOv8n. First, a novel CSPDC feature extraction module replaces the standard C2f module by incorporating dual convolution. Group convolution techniques arrange filters efficiently to optimize information flow and enhance extraction efficiency and representation capacity. Second, a lightweight cross scale feature fusion module named CCFM is introduced during fusion to reduce parameters and computational cost while improving adaptability to scale variations. Third, a Dynamic Deformable Head (DDH) is proposed to improve detection of small defects and integrate feature diversity across scales. This detection head addresses limitations in handling long range dependencies and spatially adaptive aggregation, capturing local details and structural features effectively. Finally, a novel bounding box loss function Focaler-SIoU is introduced. It focuses on regression samples of varying difficulty and incorporates an angular penalty mechanism to enhance precision, inference capability, and robustness in defect recognition. The experimental results demonstrate that the improved model achieves mAP@0.5 gains of 4.5% and 2.7% on the public steel datasets GC10-DET and NEU-DET, respectively, compared to the baseline YOLOv8n. Additionally, the model’s parameter is reduced by 28.6% to 2.15M. Compared with other mainstream object detection models, the DCDF-YOLO model achieves an optimal balance between detection accuracy and lightweight design, meeting the requirements of edge devices operating under limited computational resources.
Combining SNNs with filtering for efficient neural decoding in implantable brain-machine interfaces
Authors: Zhou Biyan , Sun Pao-Sheng Vincent , Basu Arindam
Published: February 2025

While it is important to make implantable brain-machine interfaces (iBMI) wireless to increase patient comfort and safety, the trend of increased channel count in recent neural probes poses a challenge due to the concomitant increase in the data rate. Extracting information from raw data at the source by using edge computing is a promising solution to this problem, with integrated intentiondecoders providing the best compression ratio. Recent benchmarking efforts have shown recurrent neural networks to be the best solution. Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) emerge as a promising solution for resource efficient neural decoding while Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) networks achieve the best accuracy. In this work, we show that combining traditional signal processing techniques, namely signal filtering, with SNNs improve their decoding performance significantly for regression tasks, closing the gap with LSTMs, at little added cost. Results with different filters are shown with Bessel filters providing best performance. Two block-bidirectional Bessel filters have been used–one for low latency and another for high accuracy. Adding the high accuracy variant of the Bessel filters to the output of ANN, SNN and variants provided statistically significant benefits with maximum gains of ≈ 5% and 8% in R2 for two SNN topologies (SNN Streaming and SNN 3D). Our work presents state of the art results for this dataset and paves the way for decoder-integrated-implants of the future.
Can agglomerated tall buildings reduce carbon emissions compared to a low-rise urban sprawl?
Authors: Bin Thaneya Ahmad , Chang Shuo Yu , Herbreteau Eleonore , Jeria Caroline , Jiang Zaiqin , Horvath Arpad
Published: February 2025

The building sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. A city’s urban form and building typology can influence and even determine what strategies are implemented for GHG reductions. An important consideration for new construction is whether agglomerated mixed-use high-rises have the potential to reduce overall carbon emissions relative to a sprawl of low-rise dwellings. This study aims to contribute to that discussion by carrying out a comparative environmental assessment of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, and Al Hudaiba, a nearby low-rise neighborhood in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The aim of this exercise is to identify takeaways that can inform sustainable building construction and housing typologies. A life-cycle framework is used to analyze the annual per capita CO2e emissions of both systems, where material production, construction, building use, and end-of-life (EoL) phases are considered. A baseline scenario is established in which certain benefits an agglomerated system of tall buildings would provide are realized, including having buildings with longer service lives and reducing transportation demand. Baseline results show that the Burj Khalifa has 11% – 37% lower annual per capita life-cycle emissions, depending on the assumed electricity grid mix. Despite the higher operation emissions, reductions are achieved due to the Burj Khalifa’s relatively lower embodied carbon and transportation emissions. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) is used to assess some of the uncertainties associated with baseline assumptions in each building phase. The MCS reveals that the Burj Khalifa leads to 5% – 66% less annual GHG emissions per capita across all emission distribution percentiles, depending on the grid mix. Meanwhile, a sensitivity analysis shows that life-cycle emissions are mostly dependent on the energy use intensities of both systems. Had the Burj Khalifa been built as a low-energy use building, it would have been more CO2e efficient than 95% of Al Hudaiba’s MSC realizations, with a mean difference of 4.3 tonnes CO2e/person/year. Overall, our findings demonstrate that agglomerated tall building systems can reduce building life-cycle emissions when they are intentionally designed to do so, especially if paired with a cleaner grid mix.
Metaphysics as Conceptual Engineering
Authors: Thomasson Amie L
Published: February 2025

This chapter develops the idea that metaphysics can be rethought as a form of conceptual engineering. Conceptual engineering is understood broadly here to include both reverse-engineering work that aims to understand how our terms and concepts work, and constructive engineering that aims to modify our conceptual scheme. It shows that such a reconception of metaphysics can avoid the problems that the traditional view of metaphysics encounters: problems of rivalry with science, epistemological mystery, and skepticism. The chapter also includes a brief history of the idea of philosophy as conceptual engineering and explains why it is useful to work from questions about engineering language rather than concepts.
IBC Oxford University Oral Abstract 3 - Audit of outcome of SADIS- results from a single bariatric centre
Authors: Haider I , Kaur M , Baruah V , Javed S , Stewart D , Darrien J , Almerie Q , Kerrigan D
Published: February 2025

Introduction

Obesity is a growing concern globally. Surgical treatment of obesity includes Sleeve gastrectomy and Gastric bypass. These procedures can suffer inadequate weight loss and weight re-gain. SADIS- Single anastomosis Duodeno-ileal switch is a variant of Duodenal switch procedure that it gives good weight loss, weight maintenance and resolutions of obesity related morbidity. There has been concern about the nutritional deficiencies associated with SADIS and it is a technically challenging procedure, so it has limited the uptake.

Methods

It is a retrospective study with prospective data collection. We analyzed our results of all patients who underwent SADIS procedure from January 2016–December 2022.

Primary aim-Weight loss and morbidity resolution at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and 6–10 yearsNutritional deficiencies.

Results

17 patients underwent SADIS procedure from January 2016–December 2022. Of these patients, majority are women. Age range between 27–62. Average BMI 55 kg/m2, BMI range 35 kg/m2–96.2 Kg/m2. Average weight loss was 32% (15%–53%) at 6 months, 69.6% (34%–90%) at 1 year and 86.2%. (Range 43%–109%) at 2 years, 6–10 years follow up is available for 16 out of 17 patients (One patient was lost to follow up). Average weight loss was 76% (62%–96%). None of the patients had protein energy malnutrition. 4 patients had Zinc and 3 had Calcium deficiency, all managed with oral replacement.

Conclusions

SADIS gives good outcomes in terms of weight loss and resolution of co-morbidities. Long term weight maintenance is better than bypass. Risk of nutritional deficiencies is acceptable and similar to bypass
IBC Oxford University Oral Abstract 11 - Video abstract: major vascular injury during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
Authors: Alkhedr T , Aljewied A , Alhaddad M , Hassan I
Published: February 2025

Introduction

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) had been recognized as the most performed bariatric procedure worldwide. Major vascular injury during the procedure is a rare life-threatening complication that needs an immediate integrated response to avoid possible mortality and serious morbidities.

Case Presentation

A 26-year-old lady with a BMI of 35.5 kg/m2 had presented to surgical clinic for bariatric surgery. After proper counselling and routine preoperative work up showed normal blood results and abdominal sonography showed fatty liver and cholelithiasis. Patient had been counselled for LSG and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. After induction of anaesthesia, pneumoperitoneum had been achieved using a Verres needle in left upper abdominal quadrant then a 10 mm camera port (bladed trocar) had been inserted two fingers above and to the left of umbilicus. Once camera inside some fresh blood had been noticed in central abdomen, A quick second 10 mm trocar had been inserted at the left abdominal side to explore the source of bleeding that was mostly from a major vessel due to rapid expansion. Anaesthesia team was informed immediately to resuscitate and prepare adequate blood and blood products and to keep enough IV lines ready. Senior surgical team had joined the table and quick midline Laparotomy performed to explore source of bleeding. Sharp linear cut was identified in the Inferior vena cava (lateral wall), Right Common iliac artery (front and right wall). Compression control done while Anaesthesia team was resuscitating the patient successfully, Vascular team had been called from a nearby hospital and joined the table within 30 minutes. successful repair of injured vessels had been achieved within 45 minutes. Formal abdominal inspection had been done to rule out any missed injury followed by closure with drains. Patient shifted to surgical ICU ventilated with stable vital signs, adequate urine output and Hb of 12 g following 4 packed blood transfusion. Follow up Hb was stationery and patient extubated successfully after 12 hours. Patient had smooth recovery and discharged home after 3 days.

Conclusion

Major vascular injury might happen during bariatric surgery that needs immediate multidisciplinary response to achieve an integrated decision making and proper management, otherwise mortality or major morbidities might occur even in higher centers.
IBC Oxford University Oral Abstract 32 - Predictors of hypoglycaemia after bariatric surgery: a systematic review
Authors: Teixeira Pinto A C , Alves A , Pinto R , Silva I , Venâncio M , Costa-Pinho A , Preto J , Carneiro S , da-Costa E Lima , Sousa-Pinto B , Santos-Sousa H
Published: February 2025

Background

Bariatric surgery is a well-established treatment for obesity, offering substantial benefits in weight loss and metabolic improvements. However, post-bariatric hypoglycaemia (PBH) has emerged as a concerning complication, affecting a significant proportion of patients. Understanding its incidence, predictors, and implications is crucial for optimizing patient care.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Studies were screened from the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, with data extraction and quality assessment performed independently by reviewers. Eligible studies assessed patients who underwent bariatric surgery and documented hypoglycaemia. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypoglycaemia.

Results

Eleven studies were included, encompassing 5340 patients across various countries and surgical techniques, namely Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG), and Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB). Post-bariatric-surgery incidence of hypoglycaemia ranged from 7.9% to 61.7%. Younger age, lower pre-surgery BMI, and greater weight loss emerged as predictors of PBH. Preoperative symptoms of hypoglycaemia correlated with postoperative occurrences.

Conclusion

PBH poses significant clinical challenges, emphasizing the need for comprehensive preoperative evaluation and vigilant postoperative monitoring. Further research with longer follow- up durations and comparative analyses between surgical techniques is warranted to enhance understanding and management of PBH.
IBC Oxford University Oral Abstract 35 - Long-term effects of one anastomosis gastric bypass on liver histopathology in NAFLD cases: a prospective study
Authors: Salman M A , Salman A A , Omar H S E , Abdelsalam A , Mostafa M S , Tourky M , Sultan A Abd El Aal , Elshafey M H , Abdelaty W R , Salem A , Khaliel O O , Elshafey H E , Atallah M , Shaaban H El Din , Yousef M , Nafea M A
Published: February 2025

Background

Weight reduction can effectively improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a constant companion of severe obesity. This study aimed to determine the effect of one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) on pathological liver changes in severely obese cases with NAFLD.

Methods

The present prospective research comprised 67 subjects with morbid obesity scheduled for OAGB during the period from February 2015 to August 2018. Clinical, biological, and histologic data were evaluated pre- and 15 months postoperatively.

Results

Fifteen months after surgery, a considerable reduction was noted in the grades of fat deposition, liver cell ballooning, and lobular inflammatory changes, in addition to the total NAS score. Fifteen months after surgery, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) disappeared in 42% of the patients. A significant regression of fibrosis stage occurred after surgery in 79.1% of patients (P < 0.001). After surgery, patients had substantial reductions in aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyltransferase, HbA1c, total cholesterol, and Low-density lipoprotein (P < 0.001, for all comparisons). Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia resolved in 54%, 59%, and 69% of the patients, respectively.

Conclusion

OAGB resolved NASH in nearly 42% of patients and reduced the histological features of NAFLD 15 months after surgery. Bariatric procedures might be adopted as a therapeutic modality in severely obese cases with NAFLD after the failure of lifestyle modifications.
IBC Oxford University Oral Abstract 37 - One anastomosis gastric bypass versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for obesity: an updated meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Ahmed Y , Ataya K , Almubarak I , Almubarak A , Ali M , Yusuf W , Aljaafreh A , Simeonovski S , Yang W
Published: February 2025

Introduction

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is currently regarded as the predominant method for bariatric surgery. However, one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) emerged after RYGB as a more straightforward and readily reversible operation. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, our aim is to compare both procedures and update the currently existing evidence.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared OAGB with RYGB as primary operations in terms of weight loss, comorbidities resolution, and post-operative complications in bariatric patients. Revisional surgeries were excluded from the analysis.

Results

Twelve studies were included in this meta-analysis, with a total of 904 patients. 445 patients were assigned to OAGB group (0.49%). The follow-up periods ranged from 6 months to 60 months. Total weight loss percentage (TWL%) was statistically higher in OAGB group at 6 months (95% c.i.:0.80 to 2.94; P = 0.006) with no differences at 12, 24, 36 months when compared to RYGB. On the other hand, OAGB exhibited a significantly higher excess weight loss percentage (EWL%) in comparison to RYGB at 12 months (95% c.i.: 3.08 to 9.73; P = 0.0002). EWL% was comparable in both procedures at 6, 24, 60 months of follow-up, which suggests that OAGB yields similar weight loss outcomes when compared to RYGB. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of resolution of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea and musculoskeletal pain. De Novo gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) (RR 2.58; 95% c.i. 1.55 to 4.3; P = 0.0003) and marginal ulcers (RR 2.7; c.i. 95% 1.07 to 6.84; P = 0.04) were significantly higher in patients who underwent OAGB in comparison to RYGB. In contrast, diarrhea and dumping syndrome had a similar incidence in both procedures.

Conclusion

In conclusion, OAGB is not inferior to RYGB in terms of weight loss parameters and comorbidities resolution. However, OAGB can lead to a higher risk of development of marginal ulcers and de Novo GERD.