bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spread-out Bragg peak measurements using a compact quality assurance range calorimeter at the Clatterbridge cancer centre
Authors: Shaikh Saad , Escribano-Rodriguez Sonia , Radogna Raffaella , Kelleter Laurent , Godden Connor , Warren Matthew , Attree Derek , Saakyan Ruben , Mortimer Linda , Corlett Peter , Warry Alison , Gosling Andrew , Baker Colin , Poynter Andrew , Kacperek Andrzej , Jolly Simon
Published: April 2024

Objective. The superior dose conformity provided by proton therapy relative to conventional x-ray radiotherapy necessitates more rigorous quality assurance (QA) procedures to ensure optimal patient safety. Practically however, time-constraints prevent comprehensive measurements to be made of the proton range in water: a key parameter in ensuring accurate treatment delivery. Approach. A novel scintillator-based device for fast, accurate water-equivalent proton range QA measurements for ocular proton therapy is presented. Experiments were conducted using a compact detector prototype, the quality assurance range calorimeter (QuARC), at the Clatterbridge cancer centre (CCC) in Wirral, UK for the measurement of pristine and spread-out Bragg peaks (SOBPs). The QuARC uses a series of 14 optically-isolated 100 × 100 × 2.85 mm polystyrene scintillator sheets, read out by a series of photodiodes. The detector system is housed in a custom 3D-printed enclosure mounted directly to the nozzle and a numerical model was used to fit measured depth-light curves and correct for scintillator light quenching. Main results. Measurements of the pristine 60 MeV proton Bragg curve found the QuARC able to measure proton ranges accurate to 0.2 mm and reduced QA measurement times from several minutes down to a few seconds. A new framework of the quenching model was deployed to successfully fit depth-light curves of SOBPs with similar range accuracy. Significance. The speed, range accuracy and simplicity of the QuARC make the device a promising candidate for ocular proton range QA. Further work to investigate the performance of SOBP fitting at higher energies/greater depths is warranted.
Deep-learning model for background parenchymal enhancement classification in contrast-enhanced mammography
Authors: Ripaud E , Jailin C , Quintana G I , Milioni de Carvalho P , Sanchez de la Rosa R , Vancamberg L
Published: April 2024

Background. Breast background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) is correlated with the risk of breast cancer. BPE level is currently assessed by radiologists in contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) using 4 classes: minimal, mild, moderate and marked, as described in breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS). However, BPE classification remains subject to intra- and inter-reader variability. Fully automated methods to assess BPE level have already been developed in breast contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) and have been shown to provide accurate and repeatable BPE level classification. However, to our knowledge, no BPE level classification tool is available in the literature for CEM. Materials and methods. A BPE level classification tool based on deep learning has been trained and optimized on 7012 CEM image pairs (low-energy and recombined images) and evaluated on a dataset of 1013 image pairs. The impact of image resolution, backbone architecture and loss function were analyzed, as well as the influence of lesion presence and type on BPE assessment. The evaluation of the model performance was conducted using different metrics including 4-class balanced accuracy and mean absolute error. The results of the optimized model for a binary classification: minimal/mild versus moderate/marked, were also investigated. Results. The optimized model achieved a 4-class balanced accuracy of 71.5% (95% CI: 71.2–71.9) with 98.8% of classification errors between adjacent classes. For binary classification, the accuracy reached 93.0%. A slight decrease in model accuracy is observed in the presence of lesions, but it is not statistically significant, suggesting that our model is robust to the presence of lesions in the image for a classification task. Visual assessment also confirms that the model is more affected by non-mass enhancements than by mass-like enhancements. Conclusion. The proposed BPE classification tool for CEM achieves similar results than what is published in the literature for CE-MRI.
Prompt gamma timing for proton range verification with TlBr and TlCl as pure Cherenkov emitters
Authors: Ellin Justin , Rebolo Leonor , Backfish Michael , Prebys Eric , Ariño-Estrada Gerard
Published: April 2024

Objective. Prompt gamma timing (PGT) uses the detection time of prompt gammas emitted along the range of protons in proton radiotherapy to verify the position of the Bragg peak (BP). Cherenkov detectors offer the possibility of enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to the inherent physics of Cherenkov emission which enhances detection of high energy prompt gamma rays relative to other induced uncorrelated signals. In this work, the PGT technique was applied to 3 semiconductor material slabs that emit only Cherenkov light for use in a full scale system: a 3 × 3 × 20 mm3 TlBr, a 12 × 12 × 12 mm3 TlBr, and a 5 × 5 × 5 mm3 TlCl. Approach. A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) target was exposed to a 67.5 MeV, 0.5 nA proton beam and shifted in 3 mm increments at the Crocker nuclear laboratory (CNL) in Davis, CA, USA. A fast plastic scintillator coupled to a photomultiplier tube (PMT) provided the start reference for the proton time of flight. Time of flight (TOF) distributions were generated using this reference and the gamma-ray timestamp in the Cherenkov detector. Main results. The SNR of the proton correlated peaks relative to the background was 20, 29, and 30 for each of the three samples, respectively. The upper limit of the position resolutions with the TlCl sample were 2 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm for 30k, 10k, and 5k detected events, respectively. The time distribution of events with respect to the reference reproduced with clarity the periodicity of the beam, implying a very high SNR of the Cherenkov crystals to detect prompt gammas. Background presence from the neutron-induced continuum, prompt gammas from deuterium, or positron activation were not observed. Material choice and crystal dimensions did not seem to affect significantly the outcome of the results. Significance. These results show the high SNR of the pure Cherenkov emitters TlBr and TlCl for the detection of prompt gammas in a proton beam with current of clinical significance and their potential for verifying the proton range. The accuracy in determining shifts of the BP was highly dependent on the number of events acquired, therefore, the performance of these detectors are expected to vary with different beam conditions such as current, pulse repetition, and proton bunch width.
Tutorial on laser locking techniques and the manufacturing of vapor cells for spectroscopy
Authors: Mäusezahl Max , Munkes Fabian , Löw Robert
Published: April 2024

This tutorial provides a hands-on entry point about laser locking for atomic vapor research and related research such as laser cooling. We furthermore introduce common materials and methods for the fabrication of vapor cells as a tool for this research. Its aim is not to be exhaustive, but rather to provide an overview about the possible techniques that are actively employed in labs today. Some critical parameters of locked laser system for use with thermal atomic vapors are introduced and discussed. To exemplify this, we describe a versatile locking system that caters for many of the needs we found during our research with thermal atomic vapors. We also emphasize the compromises we took during our decision-making process.
Collisional-radiative modeling for the EUV spectrum of W40+-W42+ions
Authors: Lei Lirong , Ding Xiaobin , Wu Cunqiang , Zhang Denghong , Zhang Ling , Zhang Fengling , Yao Ke , Yang Yang , Fu Yunqing , Dong Chenzhong
Published: April 2024

The wavelengths and transition rates of W40+-W42+ ions within the range of 40–140 Å, have been calculated using the Flexible Atomic Code of the Dirac-Fock-Slater method with a central potential. We investigated the charge state distribution of W38+-W45+ ions at different temperatures by constructing an appropriate rate equation and demonstrate the importance of the dielectronic recombination process. Additionally, we simulated the emission spectra of W40+-W42+ ions in a Tokamak plasma environment using collisional-radiative modeling. Our findings demonstrate strong agreement with experimental results and other related theoretical investigations. Finally, we propose certain pairs of transition lines as diagnostic tools for plasma temperature and density, leveraging the correlation between line intensity ratio and electron temperature and density.
Hydrodynamic density functional theory of simple dissipative fluids
Authors: Tóth Gyula I
Published: April 2024

In this paper, a statistical physical derivation of thermodynamically consistent fluid mechanical equations is presented for non-isothermal viscous molecular fluids. The coarse-graining process is based on (i) the adiabatic expansion of the one-particle probability density function around local thermodynamic equilibrium, (ii) the assumption of decoupled particle positions and momenta, and (iii) the variational principle. It is shown that there exists a class of free energy functionals for which the conventional thermodynamic formalism can be naturally adopted for non-equilibrium scenarios, and describes entropy monotonic fluid flow in isolated systems. Furthermore, the analysis of the general continuum equations revealed the possibility of a non-local transport mode of energy in highly compressible dense fluids.
Solutions of the Schrödinger equation with velocity-dependent potentials:a study on Kratzer, Mie and Hulthen potentials
Authors: Ateş Y B , Olğar E
Published: April 2024

The effect of isotropic velocity-dependent potentials on the bound state energy eigenvalues of the Kratzer, Mie and Hulthen potentials is obtained for any quantum states in the presence of constant form factor

ε

r

=
γ

ρ

0

.

The corresponding energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are determined and tabulated for a set of finite quantum numbers n and l in the framework of the well-known Nikiforov-Uvarov method.
Asymmetric bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation via a seven-qubit Werner-like mixed state
Authors: Taufiqi Muhammad , Purwanto Agus , Yuwana Lila , Muniandy Sithi Vinayakam , Al-Amin Muhammad Amru , Prabowo Ananto Ari , Subagyo Bintoro Anang
Published: April 2024

An asymmetric bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation via a seven-qubit Werner-like mixed state is proposed. In the process of teleportation preparation, it is hypothesized that three imperfections could appear, namely (i) imperfection of the entangler device that may result in a non-maximal entanglement of the channel, (ii) local noises are introduced during the channel preparation process, and (iii) global noises occur during the channel state distribution to the corresponding parties. The local and global noises are selected as depolarizing noise with certain probability of transforming any entangled state into a maximally mixed state, resulting in a seven-qubit Werner-like mixed state. The teleportation fidelity with the presence of the imperfections is evaluated. It is shown that the teleportation is more robust under the presence of global noise compared to local noise.
Advancing electromagnetic field modeling in axially anisotropic media with conformal method in 3D cylindrical coordinate systems
Authors: Tang Zehua , Li Yongdong , Chen Zaigao , Wang Yue , Jiang Ming
Published: April 2024

A conformal methodology for solving electromagnetic fields in axially anisotropic media in 3D cylindrical coordinate systems is proposed for the investigation of high-power microwave devices filled with such media. This method leverages the material properties of axially anisotropic media and employs the finite integral technique for solution. A simplified conformal algorithm is utilized for the boundaries of the computational region, extending the traditional conformal method for axially anisotropic media in 3D cylindrical coordinates. The proposed methodology is validated through simulations of TM01 and TE01 mode propagation in a circular waveguide filled with the medium. Subsequently, the method is integrated into particle-in-cell simulations, and an X-band relativistic backward wave oscillator filled with an axially anisotropic medium exhibiting azimuthal conductivity is numerically modeled. The results demonstrate that the medium with azimuthal conductivity effectively mitigates asymmetric modes in the relativistic backward wave oscillator, aligning with published literature. This study offers technical insights for research on high-power microwave devices incorporating axially anisotropic media, potentially facilitating the development of innovative microwave devices with enhanced performance characteristics.
Strain modulated optical properties of MoSi2P4 monolayer – insights from DFT
Authors: Kumavat Trilokchand L , Somaiya Radha N , Sonvane Yogesh
Published: April 2024

Strain plays a very important role in tuning the properties of the materials for the desired applications. In the present work, we have investigated the variation of strain on the electronic and optical properties of a recently synthesized class of compound MoSi2P4 monolayer using the first principle methods. The MoSi2P4 monolayer is found to be dynamically and thermally stable at room temperature. The electronic structure of studied monolayer indicates a direct bandgap (at K-point) of 0.685 eV and 1.177 eV using the PBE and HSE06 hybrid functionals, respectively. To tune the electronic bandgap and optical properties, mechanical strain was applied (up to ±10%). A high optical absorption coefficient of the order of 105 cm−1 is observed. The absorption starts in the infrared and visible region covering a large part in the ultraviolet region. The absorption coefficient is found to decrease (increase) under tensile (compressive) strain. Our study indicates the potential application of MoSi2P4 monolayer in flexible optoelectronic devices for absorption and detection in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet region.
Polarization-insensitive quasi-bound states in the continuum supported by terahertz all-metallic complementary periodic cross-shaped resonators
Authors: Liu Dejun , Zhang Yaqian , Yu Xi , Wu Feng , Chen Lin , Du Weijie , Liu Feng
Published: April 2024

A strategy to design polarization-insensitive quasi-bound states in the continuum (BICs) metasurfaces based on symmetry-broken metamolecules is introduced. Such metasurfaces consist of four complementary periodic cross-shaped resonators (CPCRs), forming a novel C4 structure through rotating arrangements, whose resonant qualities can be improved by optimizing the slit length. Unlike single CPCRs sensitive to polarization changes, experimental results demonstrate that the constructed metasurface exhibits the same spectral response when the polarization angle alters, despite a 2.4 GHz frequency variation found in these simulated resonances. This polarization-insensitive quasi-BIC show a frequency shift of 67.1 GHz when a 20 μm-thick polyimide membrane is attached. Modification of the structural parameters also has an impact on its sensing performance. The study provides a way to achieve high-quality resonances with polarization-insensitive properties that can be easily applied to high-sensitivity sensor design for THz sensing.
Studies of the nonlinear optical properties of a synthesized Schiff base ligand using visible cw laser beams
Authors: Fadhil Zahraa Salman , Hassan Qusay M A , Hussein Kawkab Ali , Sultan H A , Al Shawi Jasim M S , Emshary C A
Published: April 2024

The synthesized Schiff base ligand (compound Z1) is analyzed by IR, mass, 1HNMR, and 13CNMR spectroscopies. Computational chemical modeling is performed to examine the geometry optimization and molecular structure of compound Z1 by using the DFT/ WB97XD/6-31+G(d,p) method. The parameters HOMO–LUMO energies with nonlinear optical (NLO) properties are computed. The results indicate good agreement between experimental and theoretical data, so that compound Z1 to have good NLO properties. The NLO properties of the compound Z1 are examined under excitation with a 473 nm, cw, low power laser beam via two techniques, viz., diffraction patterns (DPs) and the standard Z-scan techniques. As high as 3.03 × 10−11 m2 W−1 of the compound Z1 of the nonlinear refractive index (NLRI), n2, is obtained via the DPs. Both static and dynamic all –optical switching (SAOS and DAOS) are tested using 473 nm and 532 nm cw low power laser beams.
Size, shape, and dimension effects on the melting temperature of metallic nanocrystals
Authors: Sheng Hongchao , Xiao Beibei , Jiang Xiaobao
Published: April 2024

Melting is the most common phenomenon in nature and one of the most important properties of metallic materials. Exploring the size D, shape α, and dimension d effects on the melting temperature T
m of nanocrystals is of great significance for the design, fabrication, and application of quantum devices. In this work, by redefining the critical diameter D
0 and introducing shape factor α, a unified model without any adjustable parameters has been developed to describe the T
m(D, α, d) function. The model is compared with the available experimental and simulation data of Cu, Pd, In, Pb, Au, Ag, and Ni nanocrystals and other theoretical works, and a consistent agreement is obtained, which verifies the accuracy of the prediction. This model is also compared with other theoretical works, and we find that it agrees well with Lu’s model, while the BOLS method underestimates the melting point. This work not only gives a new perspective on the relationship between size, shape, dimension, and melting temperature but also provides theoretical guidance for the design and optimization of low-dimensional quantum devices.
Generation of entanglement and quantum steering via Josephson parametric amplifier in a dual cavity-magnon system
Authors: Hidki Abdelkader , Lakhfif Abderrahim , Nassik Mostafa , Ahmed Rizwan , Sohail Amjad
Published: April 2024

In the two microwave (MW) cross-shaped cavity magnon system, we describe a method to produce multipartite entanglement and quantum steering. To achieve squeezed states of the magnons, a Josephson parametric amplifier (JPA) creates a squeezed vacuum field that drives the two cavities. We theoretically demonstrate that the cavity-cavity entanglement can be generated at the resonance point, however, increasing the cavity and magnon decay rates generate the cavity-magnon entanglement. By changing the squeezing parameter and increasing the decay rates, we can transfer the cavity-cavity entanglement to cavity-magnon entanglement. Furthermore, the cavity-cavity entanglement (survive up to 2.8 K) was not only found to be much stronger but also more robust as compared to cavity-magnon entanglement (survive up to 0.4 K). More importantly, the genuine photon-magnon-photon tripartite entanglement could be achieved, which is robust against thermal fluctuations and depends strongly on the squeezing parameter. Furthermore, for the current dual cavity-magnon system, two-way quantum steering is found when the optomagnonical couplings are equal. The current study offers a straightforward and practical method for achieving multipartite quantum correlations.
Power transfer efficiency in an air-breathing radio frequency ion thruster
Authors: Huang 黄 Gao-Huang 高煌 , Li 李 Hong 宏 , Gao 高 Fei 飞 , Wang 王 You-Nian 友年
Published: April 2024

Due to a series of challenges such as low-orbit maintenance of satellites, the air-breathing electric propulsion has got widespread attention. Commonly, the radio frequency ion thruster is favored by low-orbit missions due to its high specific impulse and efficiency. In this paper, the power transfer efficiency of the radio frequency ion thruster with different gas compositions is studied experimentally, which is obtained by measuring the radio frequency power and current of the antenna coil with and without discharge operation. The results show that increasing the turns of antenna coils can effectively improve the radio frequency power transfer efficiency, which is due to the improvement of Q factor. In pure N2 discharge, with the increase of radio frequency power, the radio frequency power transfer efficiency first rises rapidly and then exhibits a less steep increasing trend. The radio frequency power transfer efficiency increases with the increase of gas pressure at relatively high power, while declines rapidly at relatively low power. In N2/O2 discharge, increasing the N2 content at high power can improve the radio frequency power transfer efficiency, but the opposite was observed at low power. In order to give a better understanding of these trends, an analytic solution in limit cases is utilized, and a Langmuir probe was employed to measure the electron density. It is found that the evolution of radio frequency power transfer efficiency can be well explained by the variation of plasma resistance, which is related to the electron density and the effective electron collision frequency.
Fuelling of deuterium–tritium plasma by peripheral pellets in JET experiments
Authors: Valovič M. , Aleiferis S. , Blatchford P. , Boboc A. , Brix M. , Carvalho P. , Carvalho I. , Fontdecaba Climent M. , Dunai D. , Frassinetti L. , Garzotti L. , Köchl F. , Lowry J.C. , de la Luna E. , Maggi C.F. , Morales R.B. , Nowak S. , Olde C. , Réfy D. , Rimini F. , Silburn S. , Štancar Ž. , Tvalashvili G. , Vecsei M. ,   the JET Contributors
Published: April 2024

A baseline scenario of deuterium–tritium (D–T) plasma with peripheral high-field-side fuelling pellets has been produced in JET in order to mimic the situation in ITER. The isotope mix ratio is controlled in order to target the value of 50%–50% by a combination of tritium gas puffing and deuterium pellet injection. Multiple factors controlling the fuelling efficiency of individual pellets are analysed, with the following findings: (1) prompt particle losses due to pellet-triggered edge-localised modes (ELMs) are detected, (2) the plasmoid drift velocity might be smaller than that predicted by simulation, (3) post-pellet particle loss is controlled by transient phases with ELMs.The overall pellet particle flux normalised to the heat flux is similar to that in previous pellet fuelling experiments in AUG and JET.
Second Wilson number from third-order perturbation theory for the symmetric single-impurity Kondo model at low temperatures
Authors: Bauerbach Kevin , Gebhard Florian
Published: April 2024

We determine the impurity-induced free energy and the impurity-induced zero-field susceptibility of the symmetric single-impurity Kondo model from weak-coupling perturbation theory up to third order in the Kondo coupling at low temperatures and small magnetic fields. We reproduce the analytical structure of the zero-field magnetic susceptibility as obtained from Wilson’s renormalization group method. This permits us to obtain analytically the first two Wilson numbers.
RD50-MPW: a series of monolithic High Voltage CMOS pixel chips with high granularity and towards high radiation tolerance
Authors: Zhang C. , Pilsl B. , Powell S. , Vilella E. , Zhang S. , Bergauer T. , Casanova R. , Irmler C. , Kraemer U. , Marco-Hernandez R. , Mazorra de Cos J. , Sieberer P. , Sonneveld J. , Steininger H. ,   the CERN-RD50 collaboration
Published: April 2024

A series of monolithic High Voltage CMOS (HV-CMOS) pixel sensor prototypes have been developed by the CERN-RD50 CMOS working group for potential use in future high luminosity experiments. The aim is to further improve the performance of HV-CMOS sensors, especially in terms of pixel granularity, timing resolution and radiation tolerance. The evaluation of one of this series, RD50-MPW3, is presented in this contribution, including laboratory and test beam measurements. The design of the latest prototype, RD50-MPW4, which resolves issues found in RD50-MPW3 and implements further improvements, is described.
Nano implant surface triggers autophagy through membrane curvature distortion to regulate the osteogenic differentiation
Authors: Li Guangwen , Chang Bei , Zhao Yuqi , Wang Haochen , Zhang Yan , Zhao Meiqi , Zhang Li , Song Wen , Zhang Yumei
Published: April 2024

Anodized titania nanotubes have been considered as an effective coating for bone implants due to their ability to induce osteogenesis, whereas the osteogenic mechanism is not fully understood. Our previous study has revealed the potential role of autophagy in osteogenic regulation of nanotubular surface, whereas how the autophagy is activated remains unknown. In this study, we focused on the cell membrane curvature-sensing protein Bif-1 and its effect on the regulation of autophagy. Both autophagosomes formation and autophagic flux were enhanced on the nanotubular surface, as indicated by LC3-II accumulation and p62 degradation. In the meanwhile, the Bif-1 was significantly upregulated, which contributed to autophagy activation and osteogenic differentiation through Beclin-1/PIK3C3 signaling pathway. In conclusion, these findings have bridged the gap between extracellular physical nanotopography and intracellular autophagy activation, which may provide a deeper insight into the signaling transition from mechanical to biological across the cell membrane.
Emission savings through the COP26 declaration of deforestation could come at the expense of non-forest land conversion
Authors: Mishra Abhijeet , Humpenöder Florian , Reyer Christopher P O , Beier Felicitas , Lotze-Campen Hermann , Popp Alexander
Published: April 2024

The majority of signatories to The United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2021 (COP26) made a declaration to end deforestation by 2030. Here, we quantify future changes in land use and associated CO2 emissions to examine the impact of ending deforestation by 2030 on global land dynamics and emissions using an open-source land-use model. We show that if the COP26 declaration to end deforestation is fully implemented globally, about 167 Mha of deforestation could be avoided until 2050, compared to a baseline scenario which does not have extended forest protection. However, avoided deforestation and associated emissions come at the cost of strongly increased conversion of unprotected non-forested land to agricultural land, while land-use intensification in most regions is similar compared to a baseline scenario. Global initiatives are needed to facilitate a common dialogue on addressing the possible carbon emissions and non-forest leakage effects due to the expedited loss of non-forested land under a policy aimed at halting deforestation by 2030.
An uncertain future change in aridity over the tropics
Authors: Monerie Paul-Arthur , Chadwick Robin , Wilcox Laura J , Turner Andrew G
Published: April 2024

An ensemble of climate models from phase six of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project shows that temperature and potential evapotranspiration (PET) are projected to increase globally towards the end of the 21st century. However, climate models show a spatially heterogeneous change in precipitation over the tropics. Consequently, future changes in aridity (a measure of water availability) are complex and location-dependent. We assess future changes in aridity using three climate models and several single-forcing experiments. Near-term (2021–2040) changes in aridity are small, and we focus instead on its long-term (2081–2100) changes. We show that the increase in greenhouse gases (GHG) primarily explains the spatial pattern, magnitude and ensemble spread of the long-term future changes in aridity. On this timescale, the effects of changes in emissions of anthropogenic aerosols are moderate compared to the effects of increases in atmospheric GHG concentrations. Model diversity in the responses to GHG concentration is large over northern Africa and North and South America. We suggest the large uncertainty is due to differences between models in simulating the effects of an increase in GHG concentrations on surface air temperature over the North Atlantic Ocean, on the interhemispheric temperature gradient, and on PET over North and South America.
The effect of shot peening on the contact fatigue performance of C40 steel gears after laser surface melting
Authors: Lv You , Cui Bo , Sun Zhaolong , Xiao Xinlei
Published: April 2024

In this paper, shot peening (SP) was employed as a post-processing technique for the laser surface melted (LSMed) gear. The aim was to improve the contact fatigue performance of laser surface melting+shot peened (LSMSPed) gears. The microstructure, surface roughness, residual stress, microhardness of C40 steel gears before and after SP treatment were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction stress analyzer, contour measuring instrument, and hardness tester. Fatigue test of gear was carried out with a Forschungsstelle für Zahnräder und Getriebebau (FZG) testing machine. Following the laser surface melting (LSM) treatment, a molten layer was observed on the gear teeth surface. The experimental results indicated that SP induced a hardened layer with a certain thickness and plastic deformation on the surface of LSMed gears. Importantly, as the SP parameters increased, there’s a corresponding reduction in both the average grain diameter and the maximum grain diameter. The reduction was most pronounced when the shot diameter reached its maximum value. It’s worth noting that once the optimal threshold for SP parameters is surpassed, the residual compressive stress and microhardness on the LSMSPed gear surface do not exhibit a continuous growth trend. Furthermore, the rise in SP parameters resulted in a gradual increase in the surface roughness of LSMSPed gears, albeit to varying degrees. In light of the combined effects of grain refinement, residual compressive stress, microhardness, and surface roughness, the contact fatigue performance of LSMSPed gears improved with increasing SP parameters. Notably, when comparing the contact fatigue life of LSMed gears with that of LSMSPed gears, we observed a substantial enhancement. However, it’s essential to highlight that when the shot diameter reaches its maximum value, the contact fatigue life of the LSMSPed gear, somewhat unexpectedly, decreased. It emphasized to a certain extent the influence of surface roughness on the contact fatigue performance of LSMSP gears.
Photoresponse in sequentially stacked antimony selenide thin films
Authors: Anandan Rohini , Malar Piraviperumal
Published: April 2024

Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3), a binary semiconducting compound has widespread research attention due to its excellent optoelectronic properties in the visible region and usefulness in applications such as solar cells, photosensors and photoelectrodes. The presented study explores the thickness dependent photoresponse in Sb2Se3 thin films, prepared by reactive selenization of antimony films having thickness values of ∼938 nm and ∼1879 nm when stacked second time. Growth orientation along [001] direction was achieved through carefully optimized selenization conditions to enable favourable charge transport in anisotropic Sb2Se3. Predominant Sb2Se3 formation was inferred from x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, secondary electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. High optical absorption coefficient values of about 1 × 105 cm−1 and 5.7 × 104 cm−1 were observed for ∼938 nm and ∼1879 nm thick Sb2Se3 thin films. Further, the optoelectronic properties were elucidated through current–voltage and transient photoresponse measurements under dark and illumination conditions. The measurements were done under zero and different bias voltages. Sb2Se3 films having∼ 938 nm thickness exhibited self-driven photoresponse with a responsivity of 4.3×10−8 A W−1 and detectivity of 3.5 × 106 jones respectively, under AM 1.5 G illumination conditions.
The influence of hygrothermal aging on the hoop tensile strength of glass fiber wound polymer composites fabricated via filament winding technique
Authors: Biradar Srikumar , Hiremath Shivashankar , H M Vishwanatha , Joladarashi Sharnappa , Kulkarni S M
Published: April 2024

The study investigates the impact of moisture environment treatment, on the hoop tensile strength (HTS) of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites, through hygrothermal aging. GFRP cylinders were fabricated with varied parameters—volume fraction, winding angle, and stacking sequences using a filament winding machine. The fabricated samples are subjected to hygrothermal aging using seawater and tap water with oil at 80 °C for 1080 h (45 days). The HTS tests were performed on unaged and aged samples. There was a reduction in HTS for aged samples which is attributed to heat, seawater contamination, and oil. The highest and lowest HTS values recorded are 402.9 MPa and 118.3 MPa for unaged and tap water with oil-aged samples respectively. HTS in aged samples is compared with unaged samples. The study opens up avenues in identifying the best-suitable combination for retaining HTS under various aging conditions.
Co-doping strategies for advanced solid state electrolytes with lithium salt: a study on the structural and electrochemical properties of LATP
Authors: Shahid Hassaan Bin , Nasir Khadija , Ahmad Haseeb , Ali Ghulam , Bashir Shahid , Quazi M M
Published: April 2024

The commercialization of lithium-ion batteries has revolutionized the field of energy storage, yet their usage of organic electrolytes has led to significant safety concerns. Solid-state electrolytes have emerged as a promising solution to these issues, enabling the development of high-performance solid-state lithium batteries. The NASICON-type solid electrolyte Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7P3O12 (LATP) has demonstrated excellent properties and significant potential. This study involves the solid-state synthesis of LATP electrolytes doped with Cobalt and Silicon. Furthermore, adding 8% LiBr into LATP-0.04 significantly enhanced ionic conductivity, reaching a value of 3.50 × 10−4 S cm−1. This can be linked to lithium salt filling vacant spaces between grains, resulting in a significant drop in grain boundary resistances. The electrochemical analysis through Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) indicates that the investigated material demonstrates the capability to sustain stability and functionality even under the influence of elevated voltages, notably up to 5.45 V. These findings imply that optimal cobalt doping and Lithium salt contribute to superior ionic conductivity compared to pristine LATP.
Quantum Fourier networks for solving parametric PDEs
Authors: Jain Nishant , Landman Jonas , Mathur Natansh , Kerenidis Iordanis
Published: April 2024

Many real-world problems, like modelling environment dynamics, physical processes, time series etc involve solving partial differential equations (PDEs) parameterised by problem-specific conditions. Recently, a deep learning architecture called Fourier neural operator (FNO) proved to be capable of learning solutions of given PDE families for any initial conditions as input. However, it results in a time complexity linear in the number of evaluations of the PDEs while testing. Given the advancements in quantum hardware and the recent results in quantum machine learning methods, we exploit the running efficiency offered by these and propose quantum algorithms inspired by the classical FNO, which result in time complexity logarithmic in the number of evaluations and are expected to be substantially faster than their classical counterpart. At their core, we use the unary encoding paradigm and orthogonal quantum layers and introduce a new quantum Fourier transform in the unary basis. We propose three different quantum circuits to perform a quantum FNO. The proposals differ in their depth and their similarity to the classical FNO. We also benchmark our proposed algorithms on three PDE families, namely Burgers’ equation, Darcy’s flow equation and the Navier–Stokes equation. The results show that our quantum methods are comparable in performance to the classical FNO. We also perform an analysis on small-scale image classification tasks where our proposed algorithms are at par with the performance of classical convolutional neural networks, proving their applicability to other domains as well.
Phytoremediation potential and vegetation assessment of plant species growing on multi-metals contaminated coal mining site
Authors: Shakeel Tufail , Shah Ghulam Mujtaba , Zeb Bibi Saima , Gul Iram , Bibi Sumera , Hussain Zahid , Irshad Muhammad
Published: April 2024

This study aims to evaluate the plant species potential to accumulate, concentrate and translocate the heavy metals around the coal mining contaminated site with heavy metals at Harnoi, Abbottabad. The phytosociological surveys involve the systematic study of plant communities within the particular area to show their composition, structure and distribution showed that the contaminated coal mining-associated area was poor in vegetation. Among these, 11 plant species with higher important values (IV) are collected with associated soil and analyzed for the total concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb) and Nickel (Ni) using Atomic Spectrophotometer. The phytoremediation indices (BAF, BCF, TF and TI) were used to evaluate the multi-metals hyperaccumulator and stabilizer plant species. Dodonaea viscosa was evaluated as multi-metals (Cd, Cu and Ni) stabilizer. While the Ajuga bracteosa and Sonchus espera, Sisybrium officinale and Platango ovata stabilize Cd and Cr respectively. The other plant species that can stabilize as single heavy metal are Ajuga bracteosa and Sonchus espera (Cd), Sisybrium officinale and Platango ovata (Cr) and Amaranthus spinosus (Ni) respectively. While the multi-metals accumulator plant species are Bidens pilosa (Cu, Pb and Ni), Chenopodium ambrosioides (Cd, Cu and Ni), Amaranthus spinosus (Cd, Cu and Cr), Ajuga bracteosa (Pb and Ni) and Rumex hastatus (Cd and Ni). However, the single heavy metal accumulator plant species are Sonchus espera (Pb), Conyzea Canadensis (Ni), Platango ovata and Malvastrum coromandelianum (Cu) respectively. These plants could find valuable applications in practical phytoremediation for the remediation near mining tailings at Abbottabad. Moreover, the use of local plants is a promising approach not only for in situ accumulation and stabilization of heavy metals but also for tolerance and environmental adaptations in the contaminated area.
Performance enhancement of diesel engine using Karanja oil methyl ester as a fuel blend with diesel by variable injector nozzle hole
Authors: Singh Vishnu , Gupta Santosh Kumar
Published: April 2024

Diesel engines may run on biodiesel, a sustainable fuel that can be made from a variety of feedstocks using various alcohols and catalysts. The type of alcohol has a direct impact on the biodiesel’s fuel qualities. Variations in fuel qualities can lead to variations in diesel engine performance, combustion, and injection characteristics. Using blends of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% with Karanja oil and regular diesel fuel separately, experimental tests were conducted to assess the performance and emissions of a direct injection, water-cooled Kirloskar diesel engine at 1500 rpm with variable load. The 3-hole and 5-hole fuel injectors are the subjects of this investigation. Because Karanja methyl esters (KME) have a lower calorific value than diesel, their value increases with the proportion of KME in the mix. For a 20% blend, this means that brake-specific fuel consumption increases. As the amount of KME in the gasoline increases, the brake thermal efficiency falls. At a 20% mix, Brake thermal efficiency is almost identical to diesel fuel. For all blends, CO and HC emissions rise with load and fall with the fraction of KME in the mix. For every combination of KME, the density of smoke rises as the load increases. Smoke density falls as the fraction of mixes containing KME rises. It has been observed that when nozzle holes are increased from three to five, brake thermal efficiency rises with load. When comparing a 5-hole to a 3-hole with load, the Brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) will fall. Nozzles have an influence on emissions in that as nozzle holes grow, so do CO, HC, and smoke opacity. According to the findings, a 20% KME blend for a 5-hole fuel injector nozzle is a good substitute for diesel.
Annual research review of perovskite solar cells in 2023
Authors: Zhou Qisen , Liu Xiaoxuan , Liu Zonghao , Zhu Yanqing , Lu Jianfeng , Chen Ziming , Li Canjie , Wang Jing , Xue Qifan , He Feifei , Liang Jia , Li Hongyu , Wang Shenghao , Tai Qidong , Zhang Yiqiang , Liu Jiehua , Zuo Chuantian , Ding Liming , Xiong Zhenghong , Zheng Renhao , Zhang Huimin , Zhao Pengjun , Jin Xi , Wu Pengfei , Zhang Fei , Jiang Yan , Zhou Huanping , Hu Jinsong , Wang Yang , Song Yanlin , Mai Yaohua , Xu Baomin , Liu Shengzhong , Han Liyuan , Chen Wei
Published: April 2024

Perovskite (PVK) solar cells (PSCs) have garnered considerable research interest owing to their cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. A systematic annual review of the research on PSCs is essential for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the current research trends. Herein, systematic analysis of the research papers on PSCs reporting key findings in 2023 was conducted. Based on the results, the papers were categorized into six classifications, including regular n–i–p PSCs, inverted p–i–n PSCs, PVK-based tandem solar cells, PVK solar modules, device stability, and lead toxicity and green solvents. Subsequently, a detailed overview and summary of the annual research advancements within each classification were presented. Overall, this review serves as a valuable resource for guiding future research endeavors in the field of PSCs.
Cellular approximations to the diagonal map
Authors: Alzobydi Khaled , Ellis Graham
Published: April 2024

We describe an elementary algorithm for recursively constructing diagonal approximations on those finite regular CW-complexes for which the closure of each cell can be explicitly collapsed to a point. The algorithm is based on the standard proof of the acyclic carrier theorem, made constructive through the use of explicit contracting homotopies. It can be used as a theoretical tool for constructing diagonal approximations on families of polytopes in situations where the diagonals are required to satisfy certain coherence conditions. We compare its output to existing diagonal approximations for the families of simplices, cubes, associahedra and permutahedra. The algorithm yields a new explanation of a magical formula for the associahedron derived by Markl and Shnider [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 358 (2006), pp. 2353–2372] and Masuda, Thomas, Tonks, and Vallette [J. Éc. polytech. Math. 8 (2021), pp. 121–146] and Theorem 4.1 provides a magical formula for other polytopes. We also describe a computer implementation of the algorithm and illustrate it on a range of practical examples including the computation of cohomology rings for some low-dimensional manifolds. To achieve some of these examples the paper includes two approaches to generating a regular CW-complex structure on closed compact

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-manifolds, one using an implementation of Dehn surgery on links and the other using an implementation of pairwise identifications of faces in a tessellated boundary of the

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-ball. The latter is illustrated in Proposition 8.1 with a topological classification of all closed orientable

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-manifolds arising from pairwise identifications of faces of the cube.
Cohomology rings of extended powers and of free infinite loop spaces
Authors: Guerra Lorenzo , Salvatore Paolo , Sinha Dev
Published: April 2024

We calculate mod-

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cohomology of extended powers, and their group completions which are free infinite loop spaces. We consider the cohomology of all extended powers of a space together and identify a Hopf ring structure with divided powers within which cup product structure is more readily computable than on its own. We build on our previous calculations of cohomology of symmetric groups, which are the cohomology of extended powers of a point, the well-known calculation of homology, and new results on cohomology of symmetric groups with coefficients in the sign representation. We then use this framework to understand cohomology rings of related spaces such as infinite extended powers and free infinite loop spaces.
DIMet: an open-source tool for differential analysis of targeted isotope-labeled metabolomics data
Authors: Galvis Johanna , Guyon Joris , Dartigues Benjamin , Hecht Helge , Grüning Björn , Specque Florian , Soueidan Hayssam , Karkar Slim , Daubon Thomas , Nikolski Macha
Published: April 2024

Motivation

Many diseases, such as cancer, are characterized by an alteration of cellular metabolism allowing cells to adapt to changes in the microenvironment. Stable isotope-resolved metabolomics (SIRM) and downstream data analyses are widely used techniques for unraveling cells’ metabolic activity to understand the altered functioning of metabolic pathways in the diseased state. While a number of bioinformatic solutions exist for the differential analysis of SIRM data, there is currently no available resource providing a comprehensive toolbox.

Results

In this work, we present DIMet, a one-stop comprehensive tool for differential analysis of targeted tracer data. DIMet accepts metabolite total abundances, isotopologue contributions, and isotopic mean enrichment, and supports differential comparison (pairwise and multi-group), time-series analyses, and labeling profile comparison. Moreover, it integrates transcriptomics and targeted metabolomics data through network-based metabolograms. We illustrate the use of DIMet in real SIRM datasets obtained from Glioblastoma P3 cell-line samples. DIMet is open-source, and is readily available for routine downstream analysis of isotope-labeled targeted metabolomics data, as it can be used both in the command line interface or as a complete toolkit in the public Galaxy Europe and Workfow4Metabolomics web platforms.

Availability and implementation

DIMet is freely available at https://github.com/cbib/DIMet, and through https://usegalaxy.eu and https://workflow4metabolomics.usegalaxy.fr. All the datasets are available at Zenodo https://zenodo.org/records/10925786.
MRI of cardiac involvement in COVID-19
Authors: Rafiee Moezedin Javad , Friedrich Matthias G
Published: April 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to a diverse pattern of myocardial injuries, including myocarditis, which is linked to adverse outcomes in patients. Research indicates that myocardial injury is associated with higher mortality in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients (75.8% vs 9.7%). Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) has emerged as a crucial tool in diagnosing both ischaemic and non-ischaemic myocardial injuries, providing detailed insights into the impact of COVID-19 on myocardial tissue and function. This review synthesizes existing studies on the histopathological findings and CMR imaging patterns of myocardial injuries in COVID-19 patients. CMR imaging has revealed a complex pattern of cardiac damage in these patients, including myocardial inflammation, oedema, fibrosis, and ischaemic injury, due to coronary microthrombi. This review also highlights the role of LLC criteria in diagnosis of COVID-related myocarditis and the importance of CMR in detecting cardiac complications of COVID-19 in specific groups, such as children, manifesting multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and athletes, as well as myocardial injuries post-COVID-19 infection or following COVID-19 vaccination. By summarizing existing studies on CMR in COVID-19 patients and highlighting ongoing research, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of the cardiac impacts of COVID-19. It emphasizes the effectiveness of CMR in assessing a broad spectrum of myocardial injuries, thereby enhancing the management and prognosis of patients with COVID-19 related cardiac complications.