bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High efficiency and adaptability of mini-hydrocyclones for oil–water separation
Authors: Lu Mengmei , Zhao Lixin , Liu Lin , Zhang Shuang , Guo Zhaoyang , Wang Hao
Published: January 2025

The use of mini-hydrocyclones for downhole oil–water separation has been proposed due to their small size, convenient arrangement, simple structure, and high separation efficiency, all of which contribute to an improved economic recovery rate in oil fields. Currently, mini-hydrocyclones are primarily used for solid–liquid separation, and the flow field characteristics and mechanisms for improving the separation efficiency of mini-hydrocyclones in liquid–liquid separation are not fully understood. This paper elucidates the mechanism of high efficiency in oil–water separation mini-cyclones from a flow field perspective by combining numerical simulations with high-speed photography. The focus is on investigating the flow field characteristics of mini-cyclones with different diameters, including velocity fields, pressure fields, and oil nuclei morphology. The results show that under an oil volume fraction of 2%, the Euler numbers of mini-hydrocyclones with diameters of 30, 24, and 18 mm are 0.23, 0.25, and 0.34 times those of the 12 mm mini-hydrocyclone, respectively, while the Reynolds numbers are 4.20, 3.60, and 2.29 times those of the 12 mm mini-hydrocyclone. This suggests that a smaller mini-hydrocyclone diameter leads to higher energy consumption, weaker turbulence, and better separation efficiency. Under identical operating conditions, a smaller mini-hydrocyclone diameter results in lower tangential and axial velocities, which increases the residence time of fine oil droplets within the device, thereby improving the separation effect. Additionally, an adaptability study of mini-hydrocyclones with different diameters under the same separation ratios and inlet flow conditions was conducted using both numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. The findings reveal that, under the same operating conditions, the smaller the diameter of the mini-hydrocyclones, the higher their efficiency. Under the optimal operating conditions within the scope of the study, the separation efficiencies of the 12 and 24 mm mini-hydrocyclones were 99.8% and 98.5%, respectively. Additionally, the experimental and simulated data for separation efficiency and underflow oil concentration demonstrate a second-order fitting result greater than 0.92, indicating a high degree of consistency.
Study on four degree of freedom operation characteristics of the water-lubricated bearing for energy recovery turbocharger
Authors: Ning Yanqiang , Zhang Desheng , Li Yan , Pan Qiang , Shi Lei , Shen Xi , Zhang Erfeng
Published: January 2025

This paper studies the four degree of freedom (FDF) motion characteristics of water-lubricated bearings in energy recovery turbochargers. In response to the load imbalance at both ends of the water-lubricated bearing-rotor system, a numerical theoretical model is proposed that combines the Reynolds-averaged equation and kinetic equation to solve the FDF characteristics. The model is solved to examine the effects of load phase difference, radial clearance, and length–diameter ratio on the FDF motion of the water-lubricated bearing-rotor system, including locus, hydrodynamic force, and tilting torque. The results indicate that a greater load phase difference between the two ends of the shaft correlates with an increase in both the inclination angle of the shaft and the trajectory amplitude at its ends. With the radial clearance increasing, the hydrodynamic force and tilting moment generated by the water film will reduce, while the working area and trajectory amplitude will expand, but the eccentricity is relatively small. Increasing the length–diameter ratio will enhance the load-bearing capacity and tilt moment and increase the tilt angle and trajectory amplitude of the shaft.
Invasive wild pig carcass availability does not affect coyote abundance in South Carolina, USA
Authors: Gaya Heather E. , D’Angelo Gino J. , Vukovich Mark , Youngmann Jordan L. , Lance Stacey L. , Kilgo John C.
Published: January 2025

Context Control of invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is a growing management concern throughout their invaded range. In the United States, control programs often leave wild pig carcasses on the landscape where they are freely available for consumption by scavengers such as coyotes (Canis latrans). Coyotes consume wild pigs, but no studies have investigated the importance of pig carcasses for maintaining coyote abundance. Aims We tested the hypothesis that coyote populations may be bolstered by wild pig carcasses created by control programs. Methods From July 2014 to July 2017, we surveyed road transects for scat to monitor coyote abundance in response to changing levels of pig carcass availability. From June 2015 to July 2017, wild pigs were removed from the eastern half of the study area and placed at one of four carcass dump sites on the western side. We analysed the scat data using an open population spatially-explicit capture–mark recapture model to estimate seasonal abundance and movement of coyotes in response to the carcass treatment. Results Coyote density across the entire study area declined from 95 coyotes/100 km2 in July 2014 to 65 coyotes/100 km2 by July 2016, but declines were unrelated to the carcass availability treatment. Additional analysis on non-genotyped scat data showed no apparent effect of carcass availability on coyote density. Coyote activity centers moved fewer than 100 m towards the nearest carcass dump site in response to the carcass treatment. Conclusions Wild pig carcass availability is not likely to be a primary driver of coyote abundance or territory selection at the study location. Implications We conclude that the availability of wild pig carcasses has little effect on coyote abundance and thus wild pig carcass removal will not be an effective coyote management strategy.
Establishing researcher identity as an emerging scholar
Authors: Nouri Melika
Published: January 2025

Becoming a researcher not only involves the acts of contributing to the body of knowledge in a field but also
constructing the image or identity of a researcher. Doctoral students who aim for positions within academia upon graduation see
doctoral education as a phase in which they develop their research and publication skills. An existing body of literature in the
field of writing has explored doctoral students’ experiences in research and publication focusing on the role of the external
factors, such as mentoring, resource accessibility, issue of authority, and so on. Other studies have explored how various
experiences facilitate or inhibit the development of research skills. However, less attention has been paid to the role of
internal motivators or intrinsic factors in doctoral writing and how these factors relate to research work and research
productivity. Using a narrative approach, this study explores the experiences of four doctoral students in developing a researcher
identity, focusing on the challenges that they face, and the role of the doctoral program in shaping their researcher identity.
This study offers insights into doctoral students’ training and advising by illustrating how research productivity can be enhanced
at the doctoral level.
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Authors: Lipińska Maria , Jemielniak Dariusz
Published: January 2025

The article focuses on anti-Ukrainian narratives spread on Twitter. We performed a Thick Big Data analysis of
words and hashtags connected with anti-Ukrainian narratives. We collected 16,700 tweets from 25 January 2023 to 22 February 2023,
focusing on the most popular and commented ones. Furthermore, we conducted multi-modal narrative and rhetorical analyses to
distinguish the typology of narrations. This article sheds light on how vital narration in disinformation campaigns and media
warfare on social media is. Most tweets contained narration highlighting the alleged appropriation of Polish culture by displaying
Ukrainian nationality. Such narration strongly influences a sense of insecurity and alienation in one’s own country. We discovered
that Ukrainian-related posts have negative sentiment and frequently spread disinformation.
A psycholinguistic analysis of clinical list-learning tests
Authors: Lansue Brette , Buchanan Lori
Published: January 2025

Neuropsychological assessments depend on language-based measures of cognitive functioning and the proper diagnosis
of certain disorders relies on patterns of impairment shown on these measures (Lezak et al., 2004). The current project was
motivated by the relative lack of literature integrating psycholinguistic experimental findings and clinical neuropsychological
research on tests of verbal memory, specifically list learning. It has been well documented that word-level characteristics impact
language processing and memory (see Yap & Balota, 2015 for a review). Therefore,
it is critical that neuropsychologists begin to understand how current measures can be confounded by the underlying lexical and
semantic characteristics of the stimuli and how, if used properly, those characteristics could aid in diagnostic specificity. The
current study examined the structure of popular list learning tests and analyzed the influence of several psycholinguistic
variables on the performance of healthy undergraduate participants. Results demonstrated that (1) age of acquisition, emotional
valence, semantic neighborhood density, and imageability predicted recall accuracy of items from neuropsychological tests and (2)
only one of the ten clinical test lists examined adequately controlled for these influential variables. Thus, clinicians could be
missing clinically relevant data by ignoring psycholinguistic contributions to patient performance.
Sisterhood construction through commenting by Chinese women
Authors: Wang Bin
Published: January 2025

This paper takes the form of a case study which examines to what extent a comment can be analyzed as a type of
speech action. This study analyzed 507 replies to a post on a popular Chinese social media application, Xiaohongshu, which
concerns feminist issues. A speech act analysis of these replies offers new insights on comments as a type of speech act by
showing their constructive functions across intra-utterance, inter-utterance, and extra-textual contexts. Comments can facilitate
the securing of hearer’s uptake of an illocutionary act, may modify the actual hearer’s uptake of another illocutionary act, and
may ultimately contribute to the construction of sisterhood within a redefined context. The performance of comments in this study
is grounded in a particular circumstance and is highly context-dependent. Nevertheless, this finding leaves open the possibility
that comments may display other effects in different contexts.
Cigarette smoke components modulate the MR1–MAIT axis
Authors: Awad Wael , Mayall Jemma R. , Xu Weijun , Johansen Matt D. , Patton Timothy , Lim Xin Yi , Galvao Izabela , Howson Lauren J. , Brown Alexandra C. , Haw Tatt Jhong , Donovan Chantal , Das Shatarupa , Albers Gesa J. , Pai Tsung-Yu , Hortle Elinor , Gillis Caitlin M. , Hansbro Nicole G. , Horvat Jay C. , Liu Ligong , Mak Jeffrey Y.W. , McCluskey James , Fairlie David P. , Corbett Alexandra J. , Hansbro Philip M. , Rossjohn Jamie
Published: January 2025

Tobacco smoking is prevalent across the world and causes numerous diseases. Cigarette smoke (CS) compromises immunity, yet little is known of the components of CS that impact T cell function. MR1 is a ubiquitous molecule that presents bacterial metabolites to MAIT cells, which are highly abundant in the lungs. Using in silico, cellular, and biochemical approaches, we identified components of CS that bind MR1 and impact MR1 cell surface expression. Compounds, including nicotinaldehyde, phenylpropanoid, and benzaldehyde-related scaffolds, bound within the A′ pocket of MR1. CS inhibited MAIT cell activation, ex vivo, via TCR-dependent and TCR-independent mechanisms. Chronic CS exposure altered MAIT cell phenotype and function and attenuated MAIT cell responses to influenza A virus infection in vivo. MR1-deficient mice were partially protected from the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) features that were associated with CS exposure. Thus, CS can impair MAIT cell function by diverse mechanisms, and potentially contribute to infection susceptibility and disease exacerbations.
Intravenous BCG-mediated protection against tuberculosis requires CD4+ T cells and CD8α+ lymphocytes
Authors: Simonson Andrew W. , Zeppa Joseph J. , Bucsan Allison N. , Chao Michael C. , Pokkali Supriya , Hopkins Forrest , Chase Michael R. , Vickers Andrew J. , Sutton Matthew S. , Winchell Caylin G. , Myers Amy J. , Ameel Cassaundra L. , Kelly Ryan J. , Krouse Ben , Hood Luke E. , Li Jiaxiang , Lehman Chelsea C. , Kamath Megha , Tomko Jaime , Rodgers Mark A. , Donlan Rachel , Chishti Harris , Borish H. Jacob , Klein Edwin , Scanga Charles A. , Fortune Sarah M. , Lin Philana Ling , Maiello Pauline , Roederer Mario , Darrah Patricia A. , Seder Robert A. , Flynn JoAnne L.
Published: January 2025

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health burden worldwide despite widespread intradermal (ID) BCG vaccination in newborns. We previously demonstrated that changing the BCG route and dose from 5 × 105 CFUs ID to 5 × 107 CFUs i.v. resulted in prevention of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and TB disease in highly susceptible nonhuman primates. Identifying immune mechanisms protection following i.v. BCG will facilitate development of more effective vaccines against TB. Here, we depleted lymphocyte subsets prior to and during Mtb challenge in i.v. BCG–vaccinated macaques to identify those necessary for protection. Depletion of adaptive CD4 T cells, but not adaptive CD8αβ T cells, resulted in loss of protection with increased Mtb burdens and dissemination, indicating that CD4 T cells are critical to i.v. BCG–mediated protection. Depletion of unconventional CD8α-expressing lymphocytes (NK cells, innate T cells, and CD4+CD8α+ double-positive T cells) abrogated protection in most i.v. BCG–immunized macaques, supporting further investigation into which of these cell subsets contribute to protection after vaccination.
pDCs, type 1 IFN, and the female predileXion of SSc
Authors: Jiwrajka Nikhil , Anguera Montserrat C.
Published: January 2025

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a debilitating autoimmune disease that preferentially afflicts women. The molecular origins of this female bias are unclear. A new study of plasmacytoid dendritic cells from SSc patients by Du et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20231809) suggests the X chromosome may play a key role.
A robust auto-contouring and data augmentation pipeline for adaptive MRI-guided radiotherapy of pancreatic cancer with a limited dataset
Authors: Shojaei Mehdi , Eiben Björn , McClelland Jamie R , Nill Simeon , Dunlop Alex , Hunt Arabella , Ng-Cheng-Hin Brian , Oelfke Uwe
Published: January 2025

Objective. This study aims to develop and evaluate a fast and robust deep learning-based auto-segmentation approach for organs at risk in MRI-guided radiotherapy of pancreatic cancer to overcome the problems of time-intensive manual contouring in online adaptive workflows. The research focuses on implementing novel data augmentation techniques to address the challenges posed by limited datasets. Approach. This study was conducted in two phases. In phase I, we selected and customized the best-performing segmentation model among ResU-Net, SegResNet, and nnU-Net, using 43 balanced 3DVane images from 10 patients with 5-fold cross-validation. Phase II focused on optimizing the chosen model through two advanced data augmentation approaches to improve performance and generalizability by increasing the effective input dataset: (1) a novel structure-guided deformation-based augmentation approach (sgDefAug) and (2) a generative adversarial network-based method using a cycleGAN (GANAug). These were compared with comprehensive conventional augmentations (ConvAug). The approaches were evaluated using geometric (Dice score, average surface distance (ASD)) and dosimetric (D2% and D50% from dose-volume histograms) criteria. Main results. The nnU-Net framework demonstrated superior performance (mean Dice: 0.78 ± 0.10, mean ASD: 3.92 ± 1.94 mm) compared to other models. The sgDefAug and GANAug approaches significantly improved model performance over ConvAug, with sgDefAug demonstrating slightly superior results (mean Dice: 0.84 ± 0.09, mean ASD: 3.14 ± 1.79 mm). The proposed methodology produced auto-contours in under 30 s, with 75% of organs showing less than 1% difference in D2% and D50% dose criteria compared to ground truth. Significance. The integration of the nnU-Net framework with our proposed novel augmentation technique effectively addresses the challenges of limited datasets and stringent time constraints in online adaptive radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Our approach offers a promising solution for streamlining online adaptive workflows and represents a substantial step forward in the practical application of auto-segmentation techniques in clinical radiotherapy settings.
Crystal-level timing calibration using cascaded photons of 60Co point source for long axial animal PET system
Authors: Wei Qing , Li Daowu , Huang Xianchao , Wei Long , Zhang Zhiming , Xiaorou Han , Wang Yingjie
Published: January 2025

Objective. Timing calibration is essential for positron emission tomography (PET) system as it enhances timing resolution to improve image quality. Traditionally, positron sources are employed for timing calibration. However, the photons emitted by these sources travel in opposite directions, necessitating that positrons annihilate at multiple locations to collect coincidence data across a greater number of lines of response (LORs). To overcome this limitation, this study proposes a timing calibration method utilising a 60Co point source. Approach. The 60Co source emits cascaded photons without angular correlation, allowing the collection of coincidence events throughout the field of view (FOV) with a single 60Co point source positioned at the centre of the FOV to determine the timing offsets of the pixels. Leveraging the properties of 60Co, we propose a calibration method and implement it on a long axial animal PET system. Initially, we calibrated the timing offsets of the pixels within two blocks to establish reference detectors, and subsequently employed a 60Co point source to determine the timing offsets of all the pixels in the system relative to these reference detectors. In addition, we evaluated the system's timing resolution before and after the calibration to validate the efficacy of the proposed method. Main results. We measured the timing offsets of the pixels across the entire system, ranging from -5.0 to 2.0 ns. After implementing the timing offset lookup table, the system timing resolution was improved from 6.30 ns before calibration to 1.04 ns. Significance. In this study, the 60Co source is employed for timing calibration, offering the advantages of operational simplicity, broad applicability, and potential application in time-of-flight (TOF) PET.
Interatomic Coulombic decay in lithium-doped large helium nanodroplets induced by photoelectron impact excitation
Authors: Ben Ltaief L , Sishodia K , Asmussen J D , Abid A R , Krishnan S R , Pedersen H B , Sisourat N , Mudrich M
Published: January 2025

Irradiation of condensed matter with ionizing radiation generally causes direct photoionization as well as secondary processes that often dominate the ionization dynamics. Here, large helium (He) nanodroplets with radius

≳
40

nm doped with lithium (Li) atoms are irradiated with extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photons of energy

h
ν
⩾
44.4

 eV and indirect ionization of the Li dopants is observed in addition to direct photoionization of the He droplets. Specifically, Li ions are efficiently produced by an interatomic Coulombic decay (ICD) process involving metastable He

∗

atoms and He

2
∗

excimers which are populated by elastic and inelastic scattering of photoelectrons in the nanodroplets as well as by electron-ion recombination. This type of indirect ICD, observed in large He nanodroplets in nearly the entire XUV range, turns out to be more efficient than Li dopant ionization by ICD following direct resonant photoexcitation at

h
ν
=
21.6

eV and by charge-transfer ionization. Indirect ICD processes induced by scattering of photoelectrons likely play an important role in other condensed phase systems exposed to ionizing radiation as well, including biological matter.
FBS-YOLO: an improved lightweight bearing defect detection algorithm based on YOLOv8
Authors: Li Junjie , Cheng Mingxia
Published: January 2025

Aiming at the existing bearing defect detection algorithms with low accuracy, large number of parameters and computation, this paper proposes an efficient and lightweight bearing surface defect detection algorithm FBS-YOLO based on YOLOv8. Firstly, FasterNet replaces the original feature extraction network of YOLOv8, and uses Partial Convolution (PConv) to reduce redundant computation and memory access. Secondly, the fusion of weighted Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN) in Neck network, which removes less efficient feature transmission nodes in the process of multi-scale feature fusion to achieve a higher level of fusion, improves the fusion efficiency of features at different scales. Finally, the advantages of Switchable Atrous Convolution (SAConv) are introduced to innovate the CSP Bottleneck with the two convolutions (C2f) module in the original model Neck network, and SAConv is combined with C2f (C2f_SAConv) to from a more flexible module adapted to the features of different scales is proposed to enhance the feature extraction and processing capability of the model. The experimental results show that the algorithm FBS-YOLO proposed in this paper achieves a mAP of 91.4% in the bearing defect detection task, which is 2.8% higher than that of the original YOLO8 model, and the number of parameters and computation volume are reduced by 39.8% and 41.9%, respectively, and the model inference speed can be up to 161 fps. The algorithm meets the light-weight requirements of industrial detection deployment while maintaining high accuracy, effectively achieving a balance between model lightweight and performance, and providing new ideas for end-to-end industrial deployment.
Lightweight noise robust spoofing attack detection using Cochleagram and ResNet amalgamated features
Authors: Chakravarty Nidhi , Dua Mohit
Published: January 2025

Automatic Speaker Verification (ASV) technology is increasingly being used in end-user applications to secure access to personal data, smart services, and physical infrastructure. Speaker verification, like other biometric technologies, is vulnerable to spoofing attacks. An attacker impersonates a specific target speaker using impersonation, replay, Text-to-Speech (TTS), or Voice conversion (VC) techniques to gain unauthorized access to the system. The work in this paper, proposes a solution that uses an amalgamation of Cochleagram and Residual Network (ResNet) to implement the front-end feature extraction phase of an Audio Spoof Detection (ASD) system. Cochleagram generation, feature extraction-dimensionality reduction and classification are the three main phases of the proposed ASD system. In the first phase, the recorded audios have been converted into Cochleagrams by using Equivalent Rectangular Bandwidth (ERB) based gammatone filters. In the next phase, three variants of Residual Networks (ResNet), ResNet50, ResNet41 and ResNet27, one by one, have been used for extracting dynamic features. These models yield 2048, 1024 and 256 features, respectively, for a single audio. The feature extracted from ResNet50 and ResNet41 are input to LDA technique for dimensionality reduction. At last, in the classification phase, the LDA reduced features have been used for training four different machine learning classifiers Random Forest, Naïve Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), individually. The proposed work in this paper concentrates on synthetic, replay, and deepfake attacks. The state-of-the-art ASVspoof 2019 Logical Access (LA), Physical Access (PA), Voice Spoofing Detection Corpus (VSDC) and DEepfake CROss-lingual (DECRO) datasets are utilised for training and testing the proposed ASD system. Additionally, we have assessed the performance of our proposed system under the influence of additive noise. Airplane noise at different SNR rate (0, dB 5 dB, 10 dB and −5 dB) has been added to training and testing audios for the same. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that combination of Cochleagram and ResNet50 with XGBoost classifier outperforms all other implemented systems for detecting fake audios under noisy environment. We also tested the proposed models in an unseen scenario, where they demonstrated reasonable performance.
Dunkl-Schrödinger equation in higher dimensions
Authors: Hamil B , Lütfüoğlu B C , Merad M
Published: January 2025

This paper presents analytical solutions for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Schrödinger equation in higher dimensions, incorporating the Dunkl operator. Two fundamental quantum mechanical problems are examined in their exact forms: the d-dimensional harmonic oscillator and the Coulomb potential. In order to obtain analytical solutions to these problems, both Cartesian and polar coordinate systems were employed. Firstly, the Dunkl-Schrödinger equation is derived in d-dimensional Cartesian coordinates, and then for the isotropic harmonic potential interaction, its solutions are given. Subsequently, using polar coordinates the angular and radial parts of the Dunkl-Schrödinger equation are obtained. It is demonstrated that the system permits the separation of variables in both coordinate systems, with the resulting separated solutions expressed through Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials. Then, the radial Dunkl-Schrödinger equation is solved using the isotropic harmonic, pseudoharmonic, and Coulomb potentials. The eigenstates and eigenvalues are obtained for each case and the behavior of the energy eigenvalue functions are illustrated graphically with the reduced probability densities.
Mechanical and microstructural behavior of ZE41 magnesium alloy reinforced with inconel for high-performance applications
Authors: R Radhakrishnan , M S Starvin , R Pandiyarajan
Published: January 2025

Magnesium alloys are known for their lightweight and desirable properties, as they hold significant potential for innovative engineering applications. The present study investigated the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of a magnesium alloy (ZE41) reinforced with Inconel ceramic particulates. The Magnesium Metal Matrix Composites (MMMC) were fabricated using the stir casting method, with varying weight percentages (wt%) of Inconel (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 wt%). The microstructural examinations of the MMMC specimens were performed using SEM, SEM+EDS analyses, and Optical Microscopy (OM), which revealed a strong interfacial bond well-defined between the Magnesium matrix and the Inconel particulates. This uniform distribution of reinforcement particulates significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the composite materials. The tensile tests showed that the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) improved progressively with up to 8% Inconel reinforcement, achieving a maximum UTS of 202.56 MPa, a 24.47% improvement compared to the base Magnesium alloy. However, the UTS decreased beyond 8% Inconel due to increased brittleness. Hardness tests indicated that the highest hardness value of 76.1 HV was achieved for the composite containing 12 wt% Inconel, marking an 18.85% increase over the base alloy. Additionally, the wear rate decreased with increasing Inconel reinforcement, demonstrating improved wear resistance. Specifically, the wear rate dropped from 2.58 × 10−7 g mm−1 at 0% Inconel to 0.84 × 10−7 g mm−1 at 12% Inconel, showing a 67.44% reduction in wear rate compared to the pure AA6082 matrix. The findings from the present work, indicate the potential of Inconel-reinforced ZE41 composites towards achieving optimized strength and hardness levels for applications requiring high-performance materials. The present research is a contribution to the body of knowledge on the development of magnesium composites and highlights the importance of reinforcement compositions for enhancing their mechanical and microstructural characteristics.
High harmonic generation in organic molecules: a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) approach
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Forouq , Darvishzadeh Vahid , Batebi Saeed
Published: January 2025

We explore the fascinating process of high harmonic generation (HHG) in organic molecules, using time-dependent density functional theory to delve into the behaviors of methane, acetylene, benzene, and octane under varying laser conditions. Benzene, with its lower ionization potential and delocalized π-electrons, exhibited the most efficient harmonic generation, driven by the dominance of long electron trajectories that align well with the attosecond pulses produced. By carefully combining harmonics from the plateau region, we were able to generate an eighty attosecond pulse. Our study offers fresh insights into how organic molecules respond to intense laser fields, highlighting benzene’s potential as a prime candidate for creating ultrafast attosecond pulses. Our findings contribute to the broader understanding of HHG in organic systems, which has implications for attosecond science and ultrafast spectroscopy.
Research on the method for discrimination the corona onset field strength of conductors based on corona cage tests
Authors: Fan Yutong , Wan Baoquan , Xu Jilai , Lu Yao , Teng Zihan , Li Haiqiong
Published: January 2025

The corona onset field strength is a critical factor for corona discharge in transmission lines, and accurately discriminating it is crucial for studying the corona effect and electromagnetic environment characteristics. In this paper, corona cage tests were conducted to determine the corona onset field strength of conductors. The relationship between radio interference (RI), audible noise (AN), and applied voltage was analyzed, and a method for discriminating the corona onset field strength based on RI voltage and AN sound pressure was proposed. For smooth fine copper wires tested in the laboratory, the regression coefficients R2 between RI voltage, sound pressure, and applied voltage exceeded 0.98. The maximum relative error between the calculated corona onset field strength and the Peek formula was 6.04%, validating the effectiveness of the method. The results indicate that this method is more accurate than traditional methods and can be effectively applied to determine the corona onset field strength of AC conductors.
A low-carbon economic scheduling of power systems considering marginal carbon emission factor
Authors: Su Weiqi , Chen Feixiong , Shao Zhenguo , Huang Tianhao , Wu Hongbin
Published: January 2025

The energy sector contributes significantly to carbon dioxide emissions, and speeding up the shift to a low-carbon power system is essential for tackling global warming. This paper introduces a method for low-carbon economic scheduling that considers the marginal carbon emission factor to improve carbon reduction. First, the marginal carbon emission factor encourages users to adjust their energy plans. A demand response model for pre-scheduling and rescheduling within the grid is developed using price-based strategies. Second, a two-stage model is created to optimize low-carbon scheduling and minimize overall system costs. The method’s effectiveness is demonstrated using the IEEE39-node grid.
Design of a time to digital converter for LGAD detector at HIAF complex
Authors: Cao B. , Gao R. , Hou Y. , Zou C. , Niu X. , Han W. , Zhao C.
Published: January 2025

The High-Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) is a leading platform for heavy-ion scientific research in China with advanced beam current indicators. In these experiments, Low-Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) have become the detector of choice, and the readout circuit of LGAD requires time-to-digital converters (TDC) to convert the time measurement results into digital signals. Since a smaller pixel area is conducive to improving positional resolution and spatial resolution, a TDC using calibration modules instead of delay-locked loops (DLLs) is proposed to achieve lower power consumption and area. The proposed TDC is a 3-stage architecture, reaching an extensive dynamic range and a high resolution. In addition, calibration modules are used to measure the relationship between two adjacent stages of resolution. Thus, the resolution of the TDC could be confirmed under the influence of process, voltage, temperture (PVT) variation. Compared with the TDCs using DLLs, the proposed TDC reduces the power consumption and area. The resolution of the proposed TDC is about 5.13 ps, and the dynamic range is 25.2 ns. The integral nonlinearity (INL) and the differential nonlinearity (DNL) are both less than 0.3 least significant bit (LSB). Including two TDCs, which measure the time of arrival (TOA) and the time of threshold (TOT), respectively, the layout area is 931 μm × 447 μm
TID damage assessment on LVDS links for the ATLAS muon barrel spectrometer readout system
Authors: Casolaro P. , Izzo V. , Vari R. , D'Angelantonio M. , Vanzanella A. , Principe C. , Aloisio A.
Published: January 2025

This work reports on Total Ionizing Dose (TID) assessment on off-the-shelf LVDS links that will be used for the new trigger and readout system of the ATLAS muon barrel spectrometer within the HL-LHC program. We developed an experimental setup that allows to investigate TID effects on the currents drawn by the devices under test and on their signal integrity, including variations in amplitude, rise/fall time, and bit error rate. No significant variations of these quantities has been observed after integrating the ATLAS target dose of 84.6 Gy. In order to investigate high-dose effects, the irradiation has been extended up to 15.4 kGy. No post-annealing effects were observed. These results complement existing literature, proving the robustness of off-the-shelf LVDS links for the ATLAS environment.
Neuromorphic compliant control facilitates human-prosthetic performance for hand grasp functions
Authors: Xie Anran , Zhang Zhuozhi , Zhang Jie , Chen Weidong , Patton James , Lan Ning
Published: January 2025

Current bionic hands lack the ability of fine force manipulation for grasping fragile objects due to missing human neuromuscular compliance in control. This incompatibility between prosthetic devices and the sensorimotor system has resulted in a high abandonment rate of hand prostheses. To tackle this challenge, we employed a neuromorphic modeling approach, biorealistic control, to regain human-like grasping ability. The biorealistic control restored muscle force regulation and stiffness adaptation using neuromorphic modeling of the neuromuscular reflex units, which was capable of real-time computing of model outputs. We evaluated the dexterity of the biorealistic control with a set of delicate grasp tasks that simulated varying challenging scenarios of grasping fragile objects in daily activities of life, including the box and block task, the glass box task, and the potato chip task. The performance of the biorealistic control was compared with that of proportional control. Results indicated that the biorealistic control with the compliance of the neuromuscular reflex units significantly outperformed the proportional control with more efficient grip forces, higher success rates, fewer break and drop rates. Post-task survey questionnaires revealed that the biorealistic control reduced subjective burdens of task difficulty and improved subjective confidence in control performance significantly. The outcome of the evaluation confirmed that the biorealistic control could achieve superior abilities in fine, accurate, and efficient grasp control for prosthetic users.
Predicting the reduction in heatstroke and heart disease-related mortality under urban modification scenarios using machine learning
Authors: Ohashi Yukitaka , Nakajima Ko , Takane Yuya , Kikegawa Yukihiro , Ihara Tomohiko , Oka Kazutaka
Published: January 2025

This study proposes a novel approach combining machine learning (ML) techniques with meteorological model simulations to evaluate the heat-related mortality reduction potential of a climate change adaptation measure, namely, the installation of energy-saving or temperature-decreasing modifications in an urban area (e.g. greening, high-albedo paints, and photovoltaics). These methods have been used separately to assess the future urban health. The Weather Research and Forecasting–Canopy-Building Energy Model (WRF–CMBEM) was used to simulate spatiotemporal urban meteorological conditions, and ML was applied to predict daily heat-related deaths in the 23 wards of Tokyo during the extremely hot summer of 2018. The urban energy-saving and heat island mitigation scenarios evaluated in this study were ground surface greening, no anthropogenic heat from buildings to the atmosphere, rooftop photovoltaics, and cool roofs. ML accurately predicted heatstroke- and ischemic heart disease (IHD)-related daily deaths using important meteorological factors. After meteorological changes from the control case to four urban modification scenarios were predicted using the WRF–CMBEM, potential reductions in heat-related deaths were estimated using previously successful ML-trained models. The results showed that in July–August 2018, the ground surface greening case effectively decreased the outdoor surface air temperature by 0.28 °C (50-percentile), 0.37 °C (90-percentile), and 0.56 °C (Max) in all grids resolved at 1 km. Temperature changes reduced heatstroke deaths by 43% and IHD deaths by 18% during the peak period of deaths in summer 2018. Cool roofs resulted in temperature decreases of 0.23 °C (50-percentile), 0.31 °C (90-percentile), and 0.36 °C (Max) and 14% and 13% reductions in heatstroke and IHD deaths, respectively. The results suggest that the implementation of urban modifications can effectively reduce heat-related deaths, especially during heatwaves and extremely hot summers.
Behavioural and psychological symptoms of people with dementia in acute hospital settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Anantapong Kanthee , Jiraphan Aimorn , Aunjitsakul Warut , Sathaporn Katti , Werachattawan Nisan , Teetharatkul Teerapat , Wiwattanaworaset Pakawat , Davies Nathan , Sampson Elizabeth L
Published: January 2025

Background

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) can complicate acute hospital care, but evidence on BPSD in this setting is heterogeneous.

Objective

To determine the prevalence of BPSD in acute hospitals and explore related risk factors, treatments, and outcomes (PROSPERO: CRD42023406294).

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO for studies on BPSD prevalence among older people with dementia during their acute hospital admissions (up to 5 March 2024). Independent double-review processes were used for study screening, selection, and data extraction. Data on 12 BPSD symptoms were extracted based on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI) and Behavioural Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease (BEHAVE-ad). Risk factors, treatments, and outcomes were summarised. Meta-analysis was used to synthesise results.

Results

Out of 15 101 records, 30 articles from 23 studies were included. Most studies were rated as moderate (n = 12) to poor (n = 17) quality. Meta-analysis revealed a pooled prevalence of overall BPSD (one or more BPSD symptoms) at 60% (95% CI = 43–78%) among older inpatients with dementia in acute hospitals (N = 11 studies). Subgroup analysis showed variations in the overall BPSD prevalence based on assessment tools (BEHAVE-ad = 85%, NPI = 74%, Others = 40%). Common BPSD symptoms included aggression/agitation (39%), sleep problems (38%), eating problems (36%), and irritability (32%). BPSD were linked to delirium, pain, increased use of uncomfortable interventions, psychotropic medication uses and higher caregiver distress. Poor patient-staff interactions and fragmented discharge plans often led to frequent emergency admissions and hospital readmissions.

Conclusion

Healthcare systems should implement tailored approaches for managing BPSD in acute hospitals, enhance staff training, improve caregiver communication, and develop integrated discharge plans.
A unique substrate specificity of PonAAS2, an aromatic aldehyde synthase, involved in phytohormone auxin biosynthesis in a gall-inducing sawfly Euura sp. “Pontania”
Authors: Suzuki Yoshihito , Ichikawa Hikaru , Kunioka Yuri , Miyata Umi , Nakamura Shugo , Fujimoto Zui
Published: January 2025

The aromatic aldehyde synthase (AAS), PonAAS2, from the gall-inducing sawfly has been identified as a biosynthetic enzyme for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a key molecule of the plant hormone auxin, which is thought to play a role in gall induction. Unlike other insect AASs that convert Dopa, PonAAS2 uniquely converts l-tryptophan (Trp) into indole-3-acetaldehyde, a precursor of IAA. In this study, an examination of AAS enzymes from various insect species revealed that the ability to convert Trp has been acquired in only a very limited taxonomic group. Comparative analysis between PonAAS2 and DjAAS2 from a gall wasp showed that, despite having conserved substrate-recognizing amino acids, they exhibit different substrate specificities. This difference likely arises from variations in how these enzymes’ monomers interact during dimer formation, as demonstrated by amino acid substitution experiments and structural predictions.
Don’t Leave the Past Behind: Larval Experience Shapes Pupal Antipredator Response in Aedes aegypti
Authors: Rawat Kanika , Bhambore Akshaye Anand , Isvaran Kavita
Published: January 2025

Animals may use predation-risk experiences to improve their future antipredator behavior, thereby decreasing their risk of mortality through predation. Despite the fitness benefits, such behavioral carryovers of predation past may not be common in species with complex life cycles. In these species, each life stage is morphologically and functionally distinct, and might be expected to evolve only to respond to the current threat level. In addition, major physiological changes might hamper behavioral carryover between stages, especially in holometabolous insects, where extensive tissue remodeling occurs between stages. We therefore investigated behavioral carryover in the holometabolous mosquito, Aedes aegypti. In a 2 x 2 experiment, we tested if the predation risk experienced by larvae (present/absent) carries over to affect how pupae behave in the presence or absence of predation cues. We manipulated the risk of predation experienced by larvae and investigated its influence on pupal antipredator behaviors. Pupae responded to the current presence or absence of predation cues by changing several components of their diving behavior, but how they responded depended on their experience of predators. We, therefore, found context-specific behavioral carryover from the larval to the pupal stage. The carryover was detectable under normal resource-limited conditions but not when food was abundant. Our study underscores the role of predation in the evolution of complex life cycles, emphasizing the significance of early experiences in influencing behavioral traits in subsequent life stages.
eP3 Cecal Volvulus: A Case Report of Adult Intestinal Obstruction
Authors: Kaklamanis Georgios , Aggelakoudis Apostolos , Siozos Lampros , Delis Aggelos , Voulgaris Panagiotis , Prikimiris Vaios
Published: January 2025

Aims

Cecal volvulus (CV) is a rare cause of adult intestinal obstruction occurring approximately 1–1.5% of all, while 11% of all volvulus-related intestinal obstructions. Its rarity and the variety of clinical symptoms may lead to a delay in the diagnosis and appropriate intervention. Early diagnosis is essential in order to reduce mortality rate.

Methods

We present a 30-years old female patient who presented with a 4-day history of abdominal pain and vomiting; she presented with abdominal distension, failed to pass feces, and flatus and diarrheas. She underwent laboratory and radiographic tests with CT findings of cecal distension, cecal apex in left upper quadrant, mesenteric whirl, ileocecal twist. The patient underwent an emergency laparotomy, where there was a perforated volvulated cecum with colonic necrosis, and a right hemicolectomy was performed with ileotransverse anastomosis.

Discussion

: CV is the axial rotation of the cecum, ascending colon, and terminal ileum. This can result either in obstruction of the affected segment of the intestine with impending vascular compromise and gangrene, which mandates a timely diagnosis and intervention. Many factors have correlated to CV, such as incomplete intestinal rotation and previous abdominal operations. It predominantly affects female patients 40-60 years old. Laboratory investigations are unspecific, and CT is sensitive for diagnosing CV and detecting complications. Right hemicolectomy is the accepted treatment.

Conclusions

CV’ rarity makes early diagnosis challenging and results in a high incidence of complications and mortality, hence a high index of suspicion and urgent intervention is needed. Surgery is the mainstay of management.
eP14 Gastrointestinal complications and laparotomy after cardiac surgery: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: French Thomas , Damaskos Dimitrios , Clinch Darja , Koutsogiannidis Charilaos-Panagiotis
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Gastro-intestinal (GI) complications following cardiac surgery are infrequent, but associated with high rates of post-operative mortality.

The aim of our study was to identify risk factors predisposing patients to GI complications following cardiac surgery and describe the outcomes of patients suffering a GI complication.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of 6,693 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgeries (at least one of CABG, aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement, or surgery on thoracic aorta) at a single Scottish centre between 01/01/2015 and 27/09/2023.

Cohort demographics, intra-operative details and postoperative outcomes were compared between patients who did and who did not experience a GI complication.

Results

Patients who experienced a GI complication had greater rates of thirty-day mortality (14.4% vs 2.4%, p<0.001) and in-hospital mortality (6.8% vs 1.1%, p<0.001).

We identified previous PCI (OR 2.27 [1.24-4.17], p=0.007) and combined cardiac surgery (OR 1.67 [1.02-2.74], p=0.043) as two risk factors for developing a GI complication, in addition to several previously identified risk factors (post-operative atrial fibrillation, post-operative vascular complication, use of pre-operative inotropes and increased age).

Conclusions

GI complications frequently occur in elderly, co-morbid patients and in conjunction with other complications. Particularly lethal complications are mesenteric ischaemia, GI bleeding, and small bowel obstruction.

Extra caution should be observed in the patient group undergoing more than one cardiac procedure or those with a prior history of coronary artery disease.

Outcomes after emergency laparotomy are poor, and patients in this cohort are at high risk of futile laparotomy.