bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reference-point centering and range-adaptation enhance human reinforcement learning at the cost of irrational preferences
Authors: Bavard Sophie , Lebreton Maël , Khamassi Mehdi , Coricelli Giorgio , Palminteri Stefano
Published: October 2018

In economics and perceptual decision-making contextual effects are well documented, where decision weights are adjusted as a function of the distribution of stimuli. Yet, in reinforcement learning literature whether and how contextual information pertaining to decision states is integrated in learning algorithms has received comparably little attention. Here, we investigate reinforcement learning behavior and its computational substrates in a task where we orthogonally manipulate outcome valence and magnitude, resulting in systematic variations in state-values. Model comparison indicates that subjects’ behavior is best accounted for by an algorithm which includes both reference point-dependence and range-adaptation—two crucial features of state-dependent valuation. In addition, we find that state-dependent outcome valuation progressively emerges, is favored by increasing outcome information and correlated with explicit understanding of the task structure. Finally, our data clearly show that, while being locally adaptive (for instance in negative valence and small magnitude contexts), state-dependent valuation comes at the cost of seemingly irrational choices, when options are extrapolated out from their original contexts.
Cell specific delivery of modified mRNA expressing therapeutic proteins to leukocytes
Authors: Veiga Nuphar , Goldsmith Meir , Granot Yasmin , Rosenblum Daniel , Dammes Niels , Kedmi Ranit , Ramishetti Srinivas , Peer Dan
Published: October 2018

Therapeutic alteration of gene expression in vivo can be achieved by delivering nucleic acids (e.g., mRNA, siRNA) using nanoparticles. Recent progress in modified messenger RNA (mmRNA) synthesis facilitated the development of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) loaded with mmRNA as a promising tool for in vivo protein expression. Although progress have been made with mmRNA-LNPs based protein expression in hepatocytes, cell specificity is still a major challenge. Moreover, selective protein expression is essential for an improved therapeutic effect, due to the heterogeneous nature of diseases. Here, we present a precision protein expression strategy in Ly6c+ inflammatory leukocytes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) induced mice. We demonstrate a therapeutic effect in an IBD model by targeted expression of the interleukin 10 in Ly6c+ inflammatory leukocytes. A selective mmRNA expression strategy has tremendous therapeutic potential in IBD and can ultimately become a novel therapeutic modality in many other diseases.
Transforming food waste: how immobilized enzymes can valorize waste streams into revenue streams
Authors: Andler Stephanie M. , Goddard Julie M.
Published: October 2018

Food processing generates byproduct and waste streams rich in lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, which contribute to its negative environmental impact. However, these compounds hold significant economic potential if transformed into revenue streams such as biofuels and ingredients. Indeed, the high protein, sugar, and fat content of many food waste streams makes them ideal feedstocks for enzymatic valorization. Compared to synthetic catalysts, enzymes have higher specificity, lower energy requirement, and improved environmental sustainability in performing chemical transformations, yet their poor stability and recovery limits their performance in their native state. This review article surveys the current state-of-the-art in enzyme stabilization & immobilization technologies, summarizes opportunities in enzyme-catalyzed valorization of waste streams with emphasis on streams rich in mono- and disaccharides, polysaccharides, lipids, and proteins, and highlights challenges and opportunities in designing commercially translatable immobilized enzyme systems towards the ultimate goals of sustainable food production and reduced food waste.
Killer immunoglobulin-like receptor genotype did not correlate with response to anti-PD-1 antibody treatment in a Japanese cohort
Authors: Ishida Yoshihiro , Nakashima Chisa , Kojima Hiroto , Tanaka Hidenori , Fujimura Taku , Matsushita Shigeto , Yamamoto Yuki , Yoshino Koji , Fujisawa Yasuhiro , Otsuka Atsushi , Kabashima Kenji
Published: October 2018

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) induces a remarkable response in patients with certain cancers. However, the response rate is not yet satisfactory. Biomarkers that help physicians identify patients who would benefit from ICB need to be developed. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are a class of receptors that are mainly expressed by natural killer cells. KIR genotypes have been shown to influence the outcomes of patients with neuroblastoma and hematopoietic malignancies. KIRs may thus influence the clinical outcomes of melanoma patients receiving nivolumab. We aimed to identify the KIR genotype, or KIR/KIR-ligand combinations, which influence the outcomes of melanoma patients receiving nivolumab. We genotyped 112 melanoma patients who were treated with nivolumab for KIR and human leukocyte antigen. The clinical records of the patients were analyzed to determine if they showed a response to nivolumab, and whether or not they experienced adverse events. Our analysis showed that no KIR gene was associated with a response to nivolumab. The KIR/KIR-ligand combination did not correlate with a response to nivolumab. KIR genes were not predictive of experiencing adverse events of grade 2 or greater. We conclude that the KIR genotype or KIR/KIR-ligand genotype do not show predictive value in melanoma patients receiving nivolumab.
Author Correction: Uncovering pharmacological mechanisms of Wu-tou decoction acting on rheumatoid arthritis through systems approaches: drug-target prediction, network analysis and experimental validation
Authors: Zhang Yanqiong , Bai Ming , Zhang Bo , Liu Chunfang , Guo Qiuyan , Sun Yanqun , Wang Danhua , Wang Chao , Jiang Yini , Lin Na , Li Shao
Published: October 2018

A correction has been published and is appended to both the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
Topological assessment of metabolic networks reveals evolutionary information
Authors: Machicao Jeaneth , Filho Humberto A. , Lahr Daniel J. G. , Buckeridge Marcos , Bruno Odemir M.
Published: October 2018

Evolutionary information was inferred from the topology of metabolic networks corresponding to 17 plant species belonging to major plant lineages Chlorophytes, Bryophytes, Lycophytes and Angiosperms. The plant metabolic networks were built using the substrate-product network modeling based on the metabolic reactions available on the PlantCyc database (version 9.5), from which their local topological properties such as degree, in-degree, out-degree, clustering coefficient, hub-score, authority-score, local efficiency, betweenness and eigencentrality were measured. The topological measurements corresponding to each metabolite within the networks were considered as a set of metabolic characters to compound a feature vector representing each plant. Our results revealed that some local topological characters are able to discern among plant kinships, since similar phylogenies were found when comparing dendrograms obtained by topological metrics to the one obtained by DNA sequences of chloroplast genes. Furthermore, we also found that even a smaller number of metabolic characters is able to separate among major clades with high bootstrap support (BS > 95), while for some suborders a bigger content has been required.
Selection and validation of suitable reference genes for qPCR gene expression analysis in goats and sheep under Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), lineage IV infection
Authors: Sahu Amit Ranjan , Wani Sajad Ahmad , Saxena Shikha , Rajak Kaushal Kishor , Chaudhary Dheeraj , Sahoo Aditya Prasad , Khanduri Alok , Pandey Aruna , Mondal Piyali , Malla Waseem Akram , Khan Raja Ishaq Nabi , Tiwari Ashok Kumar , Mishra Bina , Muthuchelvan D. , Mishra Bishnu Prasad , Singh Raj Kumar , Gandham Ravi Kumar
Published: October 2018

Identification of suitable candidate reference genes is an important prerequisite for validating the gene expression data obtained from downstream analysis of RNA sequencing using quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Though existence of a universal reference gene is myth, commonly used reference genes can be assessed for expression stability to confer their suitability to be used as candidate reference genes in gene expression studies. In this study, we evaluated the expression stability of ten most commonly used reference genes (GAPDH, ACTB, HSP90, HMBS, 18S rRNA, B2M, POLR2A, HPRT1, ACAC, YWHAZ) in fourteen different Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infected tissues of goats and sheep. RefFinder and RankAggreg software were used to deduce comprehensive ranking of reference genes. Our results suggested HMBS and B2M in goats and HMBS and HPRT1 in sheep can be used as suitable endogenous controls in gene expression studies of PPRV infection irrespective of tissues and condition as a whole, thus eliminating the use of tissue specific/ condition specific endogenous controls. We report for the first time suitable reference genes for gene expression studies in PPRV infected tissues. The reference genes determined here can be useful for future studies on gene expression in sheep and goat infected with PPRV, thus saving extra efforts and time of repeating the reference gene determination and validation.
Signals of stream fish homogenization revealed by AI-based clusters
Authors: Cheng Su-Ting , Tsai Wen-Ping , Yu Tzu-Chun , Herricks Edwin E. , Chang Fi-John
Published: October 2018

Risks of stream fish homogenization are attributable to multiple variables operating at various spatial and temporal scales. However, understanding the mechanisms of homogenization requires not only watershed-scale, but also exhaustive fish community structure shifts representing detailed local functional relationships essential to homogenization potentials. Here, we demonstrate the idea of applying AI-based clusters to reveal nonlinear responses of homogenization risks among heterogeneous hydro-chemo-bio variables in space and time. Results found that species introduction, dam isolation, and the potential of climate-mediated disruptions in hydrologic cycles producing degradation in water quality triggered shifts of community assembly and resulting structures producing detrimental conditions for endemic fishes. The AI-based clustering approach suggests that endemic species conservation should focus on alleviation of low flows, control of species introduction, limiting generalist expansion, and enhancing the hydrological connectivity fragmented by dams. Likewise, it can be applied in other geographical and environmental settings for finding homogenization mitigation strategies.
The Beta-adrenergic agonist, Ractopamine, increases skeletal muscle expression of Asparagine Synthetase as part of an integrated stress response gene program
Authors: Brown David , Ryan Kevin , Daniel Zoe , Mareko Molebeledi , Talbot Richard , Moreton Joanna , Giles Tom C. B. , Emes Richard , Hodgman Charlie , Parr Tim , Brameld John M.
Published: October 2018

Synthetic beta-adrenergic agonists (BA) have broad biomedical and agricultural application for increasing lean body mass, yet a poor understanding of the biology underpinning these agents is limiting further drug discovery potential. Growing female pigs (77 ± 7 kg) were administered the BA, Ractopamine (20 ppm in feed), or the recombinant growth hormone (GH), Reporcin (10 mg/48 hrs injected) for 1, 3, 7, 13 (n = 10 per treatment, per time point) or 27 days (n = 15 per treatment). Using RNA-sequencing and inferred pathway analysis, we examined temporal changes to the Longissimus Dorsi skeletal muscle transcriptome (n = 3 per treatment, per time point) relative to a feed-only control cohort. Gene expression changes were affirmed by quantitative-PCR on all samples (n = 164). RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that BA treatment had greater effects than GH, and that asparagine synthetase (Asns) was the 5th most significantly increased gene by BA at day 3. ASNS protein expression was dramatically increased by BA treatment at day 7 (p < 0.05). The most significantly increased gene at day 3 was activating transcription factor 5 (Atf5), a transcription factor known to regulate ASNS gene expression. Gene and protein expression of Atf4, another known regulator of Asns expression, was not changed by BA treatment. Expression of more than 20 known Atf4 target genes were increased by BA treatment, suggesting that BA treatment induces an integrated stress response (ISR) in skeletal muscle of pigs. In support of this, mRNA expression of sestrin-2 (Sesn2) and cyclin-dependant kinase 1 alpha (Cdkn1a), two key stress-responsive genes and negative regulators of cellular growth, were also strongly increased from day 3 of BA treatment. Finally, tRNA charging was the most significantly enriched pathway induced by BA treatment, suggesting alterations to the translational capacity/efficiency of the muscle. BA-mediated changes to the skeletal muscle transcriptome are highly indicative of an integrated stress response (ISR), particularly genes relating to amino acid biosynthesis and protein translational capacity.
Integrative taxonomy reveals hidden species within a common fungal parasite of ladybirds
Authors: Haelewaters Danny , De Kesel André , Pfister Donald H.
Published: October 2018

Our understanding of fungal diversity is far from complete. Species descriptions generally focus on morphological features, but this approach may underestimate true diversity. Using the morphological species concept,Hesperomyces virescens(Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) is a single species with global distribution and wide host range. Since its description 120 years ago, this fungal parasite has been reported from 30 species of ladybird hosts on all continents except Antarctica. These host usage patterns suggest thatH. virescenscould be made up of many different species, each adapted to individual host species. Using sequence data from three gene regions, we found evidence for distinct clades withinHesperomyces virescens, each clade corresponding to isolates from a single host species. We propose that these lineages represent separate species, driven by adaptation to different ladybird hosts. Our combined morphometric, molecular phylogenetic and ecological data provide support for a unified species concept and an integrative taxonomy approach.
Comparative cochlear transcriptomics of echolocating bats provides new insights into different nervous activities of CF bat species
Authors: Wang Hui , Zhao Hanbo , Huang Xiaobin , Sun Keping , Feng Jiang
Published: October 2018

The molecular mechanisms used by echolocating bats to deal with different ultrasonic signals remain to be revealed. Here, we utilised RNA-Seq data to conduct comparative cochlear transcriptomics to assess the variation of gene expression among bats with three types of echolocation: constant-frequency (CF) bats, frequency-modulated (FM) bats and click bats. Our results suggest larger differences in gene expression between CF and click bats than between CF and FM bats and small differences between FM and click bats. We identified 426 and 1,504 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by the different methods as functionally important for CF bats, in that they showed consistent upregulation in the cochlea of two CF bats, relative to the levels in click and FM bats. Subsequently, downstream GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that both the 426 and 1,504 gene sets were associated with changes in nervous activities in the cochleae of CF bats. In addition, another set of 1,764 DEGs were identified to have crucial hearing related physiological functions for laryngeally echolocating bats. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of the genetic basis of differences among echolocating bats, revealing different nervous system activities during auditory perception in the cochlea particularly in CF bats.
Autologous cell lines from circulating colon cancer cells captured from sequential liquid biopsies as model to study therapy-driven tumor changes
Authors: Soler Alexandra , Cayrefourcq Laure , Mazard Thibault , Babayan Anna , Lamy Pierre-Jean , Assou Said , Assenat Eric , Pantel Klaus , Alix-Panabières Catherine
Published: October 2018

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are important clinical indicators for prognosis and treatment efficacy. However, CTC investigation is hampered by their low number, making the establishment of permanent CTC lines very challenging. We derived and characterized nine CTC lines using blood samples from a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer collected before and after chemotherapy and targeted therapy, and during cancer progression. These cell lines displayed an intermediate epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype, stem-cell like characteristics, angiogenesis potential, an osteomimetic signature and the capacity to escape from the immune system. Moreover, they showed changes in mRNA and protein expression (e.g., DEFA6, ABCB1 and GAL), whereas analysis of chromosomal copy number aberrations revealed no significant variation over time. These data indicate that although CTC lines derived from sequential blood samples during therapy have common traits, treatment-resistant CTC clones with distinct phenotypic characteristics are selected over time.
Heat-induced Bone Diagenesis Probed by Vibrational Spectroscopy
Authors: Marques M. P. M. , Mamede A. P. , Vassalo A. R. , Makhoul C. , Cunha E. , Gonçalves D. , Parker S. F. , Batista de Carvalho L. A. E.
Published: October 2018

Complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques – infrared, Raman and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) – were applied to the study of human bone burned under controlled conditions (400 to 1000 °C). This is an innovative way of tackling bone diagenesis upon burning, aiming at a quantitative evaluation of heat-induced dimensional changes allowing a reliable estimation of pre-burning skeletal dimensions. INS results allowed the concomitant observation of the hydroxyl libration (OHlibration), hydroxyl stretching (ν(OH)) and (OHlibration + ν(OH)) combination modes, leading to an unambiguous assignment of these INS features to bioapatite and confirming hydroxylation of bone’s inorganic matrix. The OHlib, ν(OH) and ν4(PO43−) bands were identified as spectral biomarkers, which displayed clear quantitative relationships with temperature revealing heat-induced changes in bone’s H-bonding pattern during the burning process. These results will enable the routine use of FTIR-ATR (Fourier Transform Infrared-Attenuated Total Reflectance) for the analysis of burned skeletal remains, which will be of the utmost significance in forensic, bioanthropological and archaeological contexts.
Novel Angiographic Scores for evaluation of Large Vessel Vasculitis
Authors: Tombetti Enrico , Godi Claudia , Ambrosi Alessandro , Doyle Frances , Jacobs Alana , Kiprianos Allan P. , Youngstein Taryn , Bechman Katie , Manfredi Angelo A. , Ariff Ben , Mason Justin C.
Published: October 2018

Arterial involvement is the cardinal feature of large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) and prevention of disease progression is the principal therapeutic goal. However, development of tools for its evaluation represents a major unmet need. To address this, a widely-applicable imaging tool for LVV, analysing arterial involvement in 17 arterial territories, has been developed and validated. Individual stenosis and dilation scores were generated and combined in a composite score. The methodology was validated cross-sectionally and longitudinally in 131 patients, 96 Takayasu arteritis (TA), 35 large-vessel giant-cell arteritis (LV-GCA). In total, 4420 arterial segments from 260 imaging studies were evaluated. The new scores allowed quantitative grading of LVV arterial involvement with high consistency, revealing inter-patient differences. TA had higher stenosis and composite scores and lower dilation scores than LV-GCA. Baseline stenotic and composite scores reflected arterial damage rather than disease-activity. Longitudinal changes in all three scores correlated with disease activity and mirrored arterial disease evolution, reflecting both progressive injury and lesion improvement. Increases ≥1 in any score were specific for arterial disease progression. The scores objectively quantify arterial involvement in LVV, providing precise definition of disease phenotype and evolution. We propose that they represent novel vascular outcome measures essential for future clinical trials.
Nonvolatile and ultra-low-loss reconfigurable mode (De)multiplexer/switch using triple-waveguide coupler with Ge2Sb2Se4Te1 phase change material
Authors: Jiang Weifeng
Published: October 2018

Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) is a promising approach to dramatically enhance the transmission capacity. A reconfigurable mode (De)multiplexer/switch (RMDS) is a key component for the flexible mode routing in the MDM network. A nonvolatile and ultra-low-loss RMDS is proposed via a triple-silicon-waveguide directional coupler with the Ge2Sb2Se4Te1 (GSST) phase change material (PCM). The nonvolatile property of GSST makes it attractive to reduce the switching power-consumption. Benefiting from the low loss of the GSST-PCM at both amorphous and crystalline states, an RMDS with an ultra-low loss and a high extinction-ratio can be realized. The proposed RMDS is optimally designed by using the full-vectorial finite element method and 3D full-vectorial finite difference time domain method. The numerically simulated results show that a compact RMDS is with the extinction ratios of 18.98 dB and 22.18 dB, ultra-low insertion losses of 0.10 dB and 0.68 dB for the “OFF” and “ON” states, respectively at the operating wavelength of 1550 nm. An ultra-wide bandwidth of 100 nm is achieved for both the “OFF” and “ON” states.
X-ray studies: CO2 pulsed laser annealing effects on the crystallographic properties, microstructures and crystal defects of vacuum-deposited nanocrystalline ZnSe thin films
Authors: Hassanien Ahmed Saeed , Akl Alaa A.
Published: October 2018

The influence of CO2 pulsed laser annealing on microstructural properties and crystal defects of nanocrystalline ZnSe thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction was utilized to study these issues. Laser annealing led to enhance the film quality and decrease the crystal defects.
α-Ferrous oxalate dihydrate: an Fe-based one-dimensional metal organic framework with extraordinary photocatalytic and Fenton activities
Authors: Li Kai , Liang Yujun , Yang Jian , Yang Gui , Xu Rui , Xie Xianjun
Published: October 2018

An Fe(ii)-based metal organic framework, α-ferrous oxalate dihydrate (α-FOD), with remarkable n-type semiconductor characteristics has been successfully prepared for use as a bifunctional catalyst in both photocatalysis and Fenton oxidation.
Site-selective C–H bond carbonylation with CO2 and cobalt-catalysis
Authors: Barsu Nagaraju , Kalsi Deepti , Sundararaju Basker
Published: October 2018

Utilization of anthropogenic greenhouse gas CO2 for catalytic C–C bond formation via conversion to essentially valuable C1 synthons like CO is very challenging.
Behavior of NDMA precursors at 21 full-scale water treatment facilities
Authors: Krasner Stuart W. , Westerhoff Paul , Mitch William A. , Hanigan David , McCurry Daniel L. , von Gunten Urs
Published: October 2018

A source-to-tap evaluation of the origin and fate of chloramination N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursors at 21 full-scale drinking water plants was conducted.
Correction: Thickness-dependent in-plane thermal conductivity of suspended MoS2 grown by chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Bae Jung Jun , Jeong Hye Yun , Han Gang Hee , Kim Jaesu , Kim Hyun , Kim Min Su , Moon Byoung Hee , Lim Seong Chu , Lee Young Hee
Published: October 2018

Correction for ‘Thickness-dependent in-plane thermal conductivity of suspended MoS2 grown by chemical vapor deposition’ by Jung Jun Bae et al., Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 2541–2547.
Organocatalysis for depolymerisation
Authors: Jehanno Coralie , Pérez-Madrigal Maria M. , Demarteau Jeremy , Sardon Haritz , Dove Andrew P.
Published: October 2018

Chemical recycling of plastics offers a green method to deal with plastic waste. In this review, we highlight the recent advances made by applying organocatalysts to chemically degrade polymers as a promising tool to reach a circular plastic economy.
Characterization of endogenous antioxidant attributes and its influence on thermal stability of canola oil
Authors: Shang Wenting , Dong Huijuan , Strappe Padraig , Zhou Zhongkai , Blanchard Chris
Published: October 2018

Difference in thermal stability of two commercially available canola oils prepared by either expeller-extraction (EE) or solvent-extraction (SE) method was investigated.
Inhibition of biofilm formation and quorum sensing mediated phenotypes by berberine in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium
Authors: Aswathanarayan Jamuna Bai , Vittal Ravishankar Rai
Published: October 2018

Quorum sensing regulates violacein pigment production in C. violaceum.
Friction-induced selective etching on silicon by TMAH solution
Authors: Zhou Chao , Li Jiaming , Wu Lei , Guo Guangran , Wang Hongbo , Chen Peng , Yu Bingjun , Qian Linmao
Published: October 2018

Friction-induced selective etching by TMAH solution was proposed for patterning a silicon surface with site control, high flexibility and low cost.
Solvent mediated morphology control of zinc MOFs as carbon templates for application in supercapacitors
Authors: Hwang Jongkook , Yan Runyu , Oschatz Martin , Schmidt Bernhard V. K. J.
Published: October 2018

A simple yet effective solvent mediated synthesis of nano-MOF with controlled polymorphism, size and morphology under ambient conditions is presented.
Durable, flexible self-standing hydrogel electrolytes enabling high-safety rechargeable solid-state zinc metal batteries
Authors: Han Qi , Chi Xiaowei , Zhang Shuming , Liu Yunzhao , Zhou Biao , Yang Jianhua , Liu Yu
Published: October 2018

The boom of flexible and wearable electronic devices boosts the development of flexible batteries with high safety and stability.
Facile preparation of a tetraphenylethylene-doped metal–organic framework for white light-emitting diodes
Authors: Zhao Si-Si , Zhang Hang , Wang Lei , Chen Li , Xie Zhigang
Published: October 2018

A highly emissive TPE-based fluorophore was facially introduced into bio-MOF-101 archetype structure via SALE for further using in WLED.
Experimental study on jet flow characteristics of fire water monitor
Authors: Liu Xiumei , Wang Jingjing , Li Beibei , Li Wei
Published: October 2018

Fire water monitor is an important part of a sprinkler system. In this study, the jet flow characteristics of the external jet of the fire water monitor are studied. The water jet system is used to launch the water jet experiment under six pressures. A high‐speed camera is used to obtain the water jet images. The feature extraction of water jet is obtained based on image processing technology, and it is used to study the jet diffusion angle and bundling of the fire water monitor under different pressures. The results of this study show that the jet pressure is an important parameter, which has a great influence on the cluster and surface characteristics of the jet. The fire water monitor has a limited range of pressure. When the pressure is constant, the jet distance determines the size of the air acting on water column, so the cluster and surface characteristics of the water column have changed obviously with the jet distance.
Study on hydrodynamic numerical simulation and radical offset characteristics of outflow cone valve
Authors: Wang Xiaojing , Shen Zhiqi , Man Guojia , Liu Hao , Wang Xin
Published: October 2018

Aiming at the complicated internal flow state of hydraulic cone valve and the effect of fluid force on the performance, radial offset was seldom considered in the research of cone valve, so the inner flow field model of cone valve was established by UG software, and the mesh model was divided by ICEM CFD software. Then, the simulation calculation was carried out by FLUENT. The distribution of steady‐state flow force, pressure field, and velocity field under the different opening of the cone valve was obtained. In order to verify the correctness of radial offset, the hydraulic simulation under the same working condition was carried out by AMESim software. Finally, the radial force on both sides of valve core was calculated on the basis of the pressure field on both sides of the valve core. The results show that the radial force difference on both sides of the spool is small when the valve port is small. With the increase of the valve port opening, the radial force difference between the two sides of the valve core changes larger, and finally fluctuating within a certain range. Then, the radial offset value can be calculated by the radial force formula. According to the obtained offset, the simulation and experimental study on the cavitation of the cone valve are carried out. The simulation results of radial offset are verified according to the distribution position of the cavitation, which lay the foundation for the design and performance research of the hydraulic poppet valve.
Numerical investigations on the sabots discard process of an APFSDS at different angles of attack
Authors: Huang Zhengui , Xia Chenchao , Cao Yuan , Chen Zhihua , Zhang Huanhao
Published: October 2018

Sabot asymmetric discard after the projectile being launched from the muzzle at various angles of attack and 4Ma is investigated. This is implemented by the coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and six degrees‐of‐freedom exterior ballistic code through the unstructured dynamic mesh and user defined function. The flow field characteristics during sabot discard process and the trajectory parameters of all three sabots have been obtained. In addition, the aerodynamic coefficients of the projectile are also obtained. The numerical results show that the asymmetric discard of sabot is more obvious along with the increasing angle of attack. Moreover, the aerodynamic forces of projectile have a larger change and the pressure distribution of its surface is more asymmetric and complex. This means the aerodynamic interference at a non‐zero angle of attack contributes more significantly to shooting dispersion and flight stability than that at zero angle of attack and the influence increases as the angle of attack increases.
Analysis of the electromechanical coupling mechanism and torsional vibration characteristics of a high‐speed train drive system
Authors: Yang Chaoyue , Jia Jie , Zhao Jingbo
Published: October 2018

The high‐speed train transmission system is a complex electromechanical coupling system, which consists of a motor, a universal shaft, a gearbox, and a wheel set. In order to solve dynamic problems such as torsion vibration caused by a high‐speed train transmission system, the simplified model and equivalent mechanics model of the system were established, the natural vibration frequency was solved, and the simulation results of the system under a fixed torque input were analysed. The results showed that the natural vibration frequency of the universal shaft was 4.19 Hz, the natural vibration frequency of the pinion was 7.54 Hz, the natural vibration frequency of the big gear was 35.6 Hz, and the natural vibration frequency of the wheel set was 107.45 Hz. The natural vibration frequency of each part of the system increased gradually during the transmission from the motor to the wheel set. A fixed torque was added to the input end of the simulation model. The simulation results showed that the change amplitude of the torsion angle displacement of the big gear and the wheel set decreases. It is known that the angular displacement caused by the torsional vibration is weakened by the larger torsion stiffness of the axle.
Fabrication of hybrids of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks supported zero‐valent copper nanoparticles as a non‐noble catalyst with high efficiency
Authors: Yang Meiling , Mao Mi , He Yu , Zhou Jiangang , Ge Yili , Song Gongwu
Published: October 2018

This work integrated zero‐valent copper (ZVC) onto the surface of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) to form hybrids of ZVC/ZIF‐8 as a non‐noble catalyst for catalytic reduction of PNP as a reliable model reaction. The ZVC/ZIF‐8 exhibited superior catalytic properties and good recyclability after the fabrication. 6%ZVC/ZIF‐8 hybrids complete the reduction process in 2 min with a rate constant estimated to be 2.39 min−1. The study’s findings explored a simple and powerful way to incorporate metal ions into the backbones of open framework materials without losing their properties.
Macrosegregation behavior of solute Cu in the solidifying Al-Cu alloys in super-gravity field
Authors: Yang Yuhou , Song Bo , Yang Zhanbing , Cheng Jin , Song Gaoyang , Li Longfei
Published: October 2018

In this research, super gravity field was introduced to investigate the macrosegregation behavior of solute Cu in Al-Cu alloys in super gravity field systematically. And the macrosegregation mechanism was also explored by well-designed experiments. When Al-Cu alloys were solidified in super gravity field, the macrosegregation of solute Cu was generated and the solute Cu increases along the direction of super gravity field. The macrosegregation becomes severer with the increasing gravity coefficient and the solute content. When the Al-4.5wt%Cu alloy was solidified in super gravity field of G = 800, the copper content at the bottom position increases up to 8.48 wt% and that at the up position decreases to only 2.58 wt%, resulting in the positive segregation at the bottom and the negative segregation at the top of the sample. The segregation mechanisms are that solute-rich regions, which have a larger density than the main liquid, sediment toward the bottom of the sample under the effect of super gravity, and at the final solidification stage, super gravity can drive the residual solute-rich liquid to flow toward the bottom of the sample along the dendrite space (channel), which formed the super gravity channel segregation.
Oily formulations challenge: how to evaluate their beneficial effects in hydrophilic cell-based models?
Authors: Olivier Elodie , L’Hermitte Annabelle , Rat Patrice , Dutot Melody
Published: October 2018

In the European Union, Israel and India, testing cosmetic products or their ingredients on animals is prohibited. In this context, in vitro cell models play a pivotal role in the evaluation of both safety and beneficial effects of cosmetics. Oily formulations, widely used in cosmetics, are complex to study on cell models due to their lipophilic nature that doesn’t match with hydrophilic culture medium. Organic solvents are then required to solubilize oily formulations, but they can interfere with the cellular response. To avoid the use of organic solvents, we developed a method based on cells to evaluate potential beneficial effects of oily formulations. Our method, suitable for high throughput screening, consists in: (1) incubating cells with oily formulations for a short time followed by a recovery period in culture medium and (2) studying cell parameters using robust techniques such as cytofluorometry and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Depending on the studied cell parameter, various beneficial effects can be revealed like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and skin regeneration. The field of cell parameters is open and can be extended to new perspectives in the development of oily formulations.
Comprendre. Les lasers à cascade quantique : vers la démocratisation !
Authors: Carras Mathieu
Published: October 2018

Les lasers à cascade quantique ont fait, depuis leur première démonstration en 1994, des progrès considérables, notamment dans le moyen infrarouge (bande spectrale allant de 3 à 12 μm). Ils peuvent maintenant être considérés comme des composants matures pour les applications en défense, sécurité et métrologie industrielle et environnementale. Ainsi, ces lasers sont utilisés dans de nombreux systèmes commerciaux. Nous parcourons dans cet article les progrès récents des lasers à cascade quantique, et discutons des nouvelles perspectives.
L’adoption du BIM dans les agences d’architecture en France
Authors: Hochscheid Élodie , Halin Gilles
Published: October 2018

Les modèles d’adoption et d’acceptation des innovations permettent d’identifier des facteurs qui jouent un rôle dans le choix d’adopter une technologie innovante. Nous exploitons ces modèles ainsi que les observations que nous avons faites lors d’entretiens avec des architectes pour dresser un état de l’art non quantitatif de l’adoption du BIM dans les agences d’architecture en France.
Etude sur la déformabilité de la nappe
Authors: Pechenart Pierre-Philip , Gillet Margaux , Mimram Marc
Published: October 2018

Cet article vise à explorer la déformabilité d’une nappe plane découpée par un motif. Ce dernier lui donne la capacité de subir des déformations, d’acquérir de la souplesse tout en conservant un continu de matière, et d’évoluer d’une surface plane à une surface complexe –voire à double courbure. Les notions de surface, de surface développable, et de nappe architecturale forment les bases de l’étude du motif et de son fonctionnement. L’étude du fonctionnement d’une poutre entre deux appuis permet de simplifier notre approche, notamment dans l’analyse de ses déformations, de sa résistance au cisaillement, et de l’influence du matériau choisi pour composer cette nappe. Nous verrons dans cet article comment le motif que nous proposons d’étudier permet la double courbure, en quoi il est résistant et souple à la fois, en étudiant notamment les blocages internes de la nappe. La comparaison entre différents motifs nous permettra de mieux le comprendre et l’appréhender. Cette étude participe également au développement d’un pavillon architectural à échelle 1.
Morphogenèse et fabrication d’une forme structurellement informée : expériences pédagogiques sur les systèmes funiculaires
Authors: Zarcone Roberta , Hussein Ahmed , Mansouri Mohammad
Published: October 2018

Ce papier s’interroge sur la forme comme résultat d’un système qui interprète les enjeux contextuels, programmatiques et structuraux afin de concevoir et fabriquer des systèmes funiculaires à l’aide de méthodes à la fois physiques et numériques pour profiter de leurs potentialités structurales et géométriques. Les systèmes funiculaires sont des méthodes historiques de construction, mais les récentes méthodes numériques donnent de nouvelles possibilités architecturales et structurales à ce type de structures. Les expériences pédagogiques menées visent à trouver des formes (form finding) de haute qualité morphologique et de haute performance structurale. Ce papier présente la méthode pédagogique et, pour des cas concrets, l’algorithme de génération de la surface courbe pavée, en proposant différentes morphologies en réponses aux problématiques d’ordres géométriques et techniques, et la fabrication numérique à échelle un.
Effect of the Air Filtration System Replacement on Embryo Quality in the Assisted Reproduction Laboratory
Authors: Poletto Karine Queiroz , de Lima Yanna Andressa Ramos , Approbato Mário Silva
Published: October 2018

Improving infrastructural conditions of the in vitro fertilization laboratory, such as the air quality, has profound positive effects on embryo culture. Poor environmental conditions reduce the rate of embryo formation and, therefore, of pregnancy. This review article presents important publications regarding the impact of air quality in human reproduction laboratories on embryo quality, pregnancy success, and live births. The studies demonstrate that the replacing the air filtration system improves significantly the environmental air quality, and, consequently, improves laboratory parameters, such as the fertilization rate, the number of blastocysts, the embryo implantation rate, and the number of live births. On the other hand, improving air quality decreases the number of abortions. Therefore, environmental parameters that improve embryo quality and increase healthy child birth rates must be the main targets for the assisted reproduction laboratory quality control.
Kick the hive, get the bees: graffiti writers as assemblage and direct action political actors in their battle against H&M
Authors: Mitman Tyson
Published: October 2018

In October of 2017 fast fashion retailers H&M produced an online ad that featured some of Jason ‘REVOK’ Williams’ graffiti in the background. Revok filed a cease and desist order to get H&M to stop using his work in their ad. H&M then sued him, claiming he had no right to copyright protections because the work was produced illegally. This lawsuit became public knowledge and infuriated the global graffiti community, who began a week long worldwide uncoordinated direct action campaign against H&M. Graffiti writers wrote graffiti on H&M storefronts and ideologically attacked H&M in social media spaces until the lawsuit was dropped. This article will examine why graffiti writers responded to the lawsuit against Revok this way, considering these graffiti writers had to undertake great personal risk to commit their acts of vandalism and, because none of them had any personal or financial stake in the outcome of the lawsuit. To understand why graffiti writers acted as they did graffiti as a protest act and as a spectacle will be discussed, as will the importance of subcultural capital. Further this article will explain the motivations of graffiti writers in their fight against H&M and the ways that they use physical and virtual spaces to build their reputations and interact and communicate with each other. Ultimately, this will explain how H&M filing the lawsuit against Revok provided a crucial moment of opportunity that allowed graffiti writers to engage in dramatic public acts of self-promotion. These acts marked writers as politically aware, anti-authoritarians willing to take risks and violate the authoritative aesthetics of the clean and controlled H&M storefronts in support of Revok, which in turn made their acts of graffiti forms of contentious political participation. Through sharing their acts on social media and associating it with the Revok vs. H&M conflict through hashtags, writers further promoted themselves, clearly associated themselves with famous graffiti writer Revok and increased their general presence and their subcultural capital within the graffiti community.
Givenness and existence: On the possibility of a phenomenological philosophy of religion
Authors: Deketelaere Nikolaas
Published: October 2018

The so-called theological turn in recent French phenomenology has been the subject of a heated debate in France and elsewhere. This article outlines a possible future for this movement by considering the possibility of a phenomenological philosophy of religion distinct from a phenomenological theology. It argues that Jean-Luc Marion’s phenomenology of givenness does not establish this possibility, as it aims at a theophanic experience and is therefore ultimately inscribed within a logic of faith. It is then with Jean-Luc Nancy’s phenomenology of existence that a more plausible, though undeveloped, possible future for phenomenological philosophy of religion comes into view: not aimed at theophany (fromfaith), but rather at, what the article calls, theexistential situationthat facilitates or inhibits religious experience (aboutfaith). This, the article argues, is the only way of limiting phenomenological philosophy to the possibility of revelation, leaving it to theology to consider the actuality of Revelation, as Marion deems necessary. It is thus also the only way for a phenomenological philosophy of religion to have a future as distinct from theology, that is to say, for it to be possible to speak phenomenologically about religious experiences regardless of whether this is done from a position of faith or not. In establishing this possibility, the article will emphasise the often neglected phenomenological and existential aspects of Nancy’s thought.
Reduction of orbits of finite Coxeter groups of non-crystallographic type
Authors: Grabowiecka Zofia , Patera Jiří , Szajewska Marzena
Published: October 2018

A reduction of orbits of finite reflection groups to their reflection subgroups is produced by means of projection matrices, which transform points of the orbit of any group into points of the orbits of its subgroup. Projection matrices and branching rules for orbits of finite Coxeter groups of non-crystallographic type are presented. The novelty in this paper is producing the branching rules that involve non-crystallographic Coxeter groups. Moreover, these branching rules are relevant to any application of non-crystallographic Coxeter groups including molecular crystallography and encryption.
Local shear dominance in equation of state of metallic glass under hydrostatic pressure
Authors: Feng Jianrui , Chen Pengwan , Li Mo
Published: October 2018

Amorphous solids are generally believed to best obey the equation of state derived for homogeneous and isotropic solids under hydrostatic pressure. However, departure from some of the widely accepted theories is observed recently in metallic glasses and no mechanistic explanation is given. Here, we reveal that the underlying cause is the presence of the local internal shear induced by hydrostatic pressure. This subtle phenomenon is difficult to acquire experimentally and is generally ignored in formulating the equation of state. We show that the applied hydrostatic pressure can indeed induce and simultaneously couple to the internal local shear stress that leads to local shear deformation. The internal shear deformation results in a topological transition characterized by a gradual change of the nearest coordination numbers manifested in the deviation in the equation of state. We argue that the reported pressure-shear interaction is a general feature for the class of disordered materials.
Artificial intelligence technique for estimating PV modules performance ratio under outdoor operating conditions
Authors: Tossa Alain K. , Soro Y. M. , Coulibaly Y. , Azoumah Y. , Migan-Dubois Anne , Thiaw L. , Lishou Claude
Published: October 2018

In this paper, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been used for the performance ratio modelling of four photovoltaic (PV) modules. The PV modules are selected from three different silicon technologies including one monocrystalline, two polycrystalline, and one micromorph (a-Si/μc-Si) modules. The adopted ANN architecture is a multilayer perceptron (MLP). The inputs of the ANN models are the solar irradiance on the PV module plane and air ambient temperature, while the output is the PV module performance ratio. It is shown that ANN models with three layers and five hidden neurons accurately model the performance ratio regardless of PV module technology. The results obtained from the ANN model are compared with those obtained from the five parameter model (L5P). The model comparison is done through two widely used forecasting errors: the root mean square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute percentage of error (MAPE). The values of both RMSE and MAPE are less than 0.02 for MLP based models and are about three to nine times lower than those obtained from the electrical model. It is also shown that the poor fit of the L5P model is due to the bad estimation of series and shunt resistances.