bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Least energy sign-changing solutions for a class of fractional Kirchhoff–Poisson system
Authors: Meng Yuxi , Zhang Xingrui , He Xiaoming
Published: September 2021

Using the constraint variational method and a quantitative deformation lemma, we establish the existence of the least energy sign-changing solutions for the fractional Kirchhoff–Poisson system, a+b∫R3|(−Δ)s2u|2dx(−Δ)su+V(x)u+ϕ(x)u=f(x,u),(−Δ)tϕ=u2,x∈R3, where a > 0 is a constant, b∈R+ is a parameter, s, t ∈ (0, 1) and 4s + 2t > 3, (−Δ)s stands for the fractional Laplacian, V is a continuous, positive function, and f is nonlinear function satisfying suitable growth assumptions. Moreover, for any b > 0, we prove that the energy of the least energy sign-changing solution is strictly larger than twice the ground state energy. Furthermore, we show a convergence property of the least energy sign-changing solutions as the parameter b goes to zero. Our results complement an in-depth study of Wang, Radulescu, and Zhang [J. Math. Phys. 60, 011506 (2019)] in the sense that we are concerned with the nodal characteristics of the ground states.
Low barrier height in a ZnO nanorods/NbSe2 heterostructure prepared by van der Waals epitaxy
Authors: Kim Yeonhoo , Tutchton Roxanne , Liu Ren , Krylyuk Sergiy , Zhu Jian-Xin , Davydov Albert V. , Hong Young Joon , Yoo Jinkyoung
Published: September 2021

Two-dimensional (2D) materials as contacts for semiconductor devices have attracted much attention due to minimizing Fermi level pinning. Schottky–Mott physics has been widely employed to design 2D material-based electrodes and to elucidate their contact behavior. In this study, we revealed that charge transfer across a 2D/semiconductor heterointerface and materials characteristics besides work function should be accounted for in fabrication of electrodes based on 2D materials. Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations predicted that charge transfer between ZnO and NbSe2 lowers the barrier height at the heterojunction and that conductive surface states of ZnO provide an additional conduction channel in the ZnO/NbSe2 heterostructures. Crystalline ZnO/NbSe2 heterostructures were prepared by the hydrothermal method. Electrical characterizations of the ZnO/NbSe2 heterostructures showed Ohmic-like behavior as predicted by the DFT calculations, opposed to the prediction based on the Schottky–Mott model.
Transfer matrix modeling on a longitudinal-bending coupled piezoelectric transducer with single-phase excitation: Analysis and verification
Authors: Wang Liang , Wang Xin , Jin Jiamei , Yu Pengpeng , Luo Gang
Published: September 2021

Surface-bonded type piezoelectric transducers have the advantages of simple structure, easy miniaturization, and flexible design and have been widely employed as the stator of ultrasonic motors. In order to simplify the control system, a surface-bonded type single-phase excited piezoelectric transducer operating in the longitudinal-bending coupling vibration is proposed, modeled, and validated in this study. Using the asymmetrical excitation effect, the longitudinal-bending coupled vibration is generated in the proposed piezoelectric transducer only applied with a single-phase electrical signal, leading to the production of the elliptical motion at its driving tip. The proposed transducer holds the advantages of compact structure, simple control system, and low manufacturing costs. The transfer matrix method, which is an efficient and fast semi-analytic computation solution, is employed to develop a dynamic model for the proposed transducer in this study in order to provide a general modeling method for surface-bonded type piezoelectric transducers operating with the longitudinal-bending coupled vibration. A novel longitudinal-bending coupled vibration transfer matrix is created first for surface-bonded type piezoelectric composite element. Then, a general semi-analytical electromechanical coupling model is developed to analyze dynamic behaviors of the proposed piezoelectric transducer. Finally, experimental validation is carried out on the prototype of the proposed piezoelectric transducer and compared with the calculation results using the developed transfer matrix model. Experimental results matched well with the calculation results, which confirmed the correctness of the transducer design and verified the feasibility of the developed transfer matrix model. The proposed piezoelectric transducer presents the potential application for linear ultrasonic motors.
Reconstructing magnetic deflections from sets of proton images using differential evolution
Authors: Levesque Joseph M. , Beesley Lauren J.
Published: September 2021

Proton imaging is a powerful technique for imaging electromagnetic fields within an experimental volume, in which spatial variations in proton fluence are a result of deflections to proton trajectories due to interaction with the fields. When deflections are large, proton trajectories can overlap, and this nonlinearity creates regions of greatly increased proton fluence on the image, known as caustics. The formation of caustics has been a persistent barrier to reconstructing the underlying fields from proton images. We have developed a new method for reconstructing the path-integrated magnetic fields, which begins to address the problem posed by caustics. Our method uses multiple proton images of the same object, each image at a different energy, to fill in the information gaps and provide some uniqueness when reconstructing caustic features. We use a differential evolution algorithm to iteratively estimate the underlying deflection function, which accurately reproduces the observed proton fluence at multiple proton energies simultaneously. We test this reconstruction method using synthetic proton images generated for three different, cylindrically symmetric field geometries at various field amplitudes and levels of proton statistics and present reconstruction results from a set of experimental images. The method we propose requires no assumption of deflection linearity and can reliably solve for fields underlying linear, nonlinear, and caustic proton image features for the selected geometries and is shown to be fairly robust to noise in the input proton intensity.
Efficient and reconfigurable reservoir computing to realize alphabet pronunciation recognition based on processing-in-memory
Authors: Liu Shuang , Wu Yuancong , Xiong Canlong , Liu Yihe , Yang Jing , Yu Q. , Hu S. G. , Chen T. P. , Liu Y.
Published: September 2021

With its high energy efficiency and ultra-high speed, processing-in-memory (PIM) technology is promising to enable high performance in Reservoir Computing (RC) systems. In this work, we demonstrate an RC system based on an as-fabricated PIM chip platform. The RC system extracts input into a high-dimensional space through the nonlinear characteristic and randomly connected reservoir states inside the PIM-based RC. To examine the system, nonlinear dynamic system predictions, including nonlinear auto-regressive moving average equation of order 10 driven time series, isolated spoken digit recognition task, and recognition of alphabet pronunciation, are carried out. The system saves about 50% energy and requires much fewer operations as compared with the RC system implemented with digital logic. This paves a pathway for the RC algorithm application in PIM with lower power consumption and less hardware resource required.
A liquid surface height controller for surface spectroscopy
Authors: Pickering James D. , Chatterley Adam S. , Bregnhøj Mikkel , Weidner Tobias
Published: September 2021

We present a simple and inexpensive liquid surface height controller that can monitor and maintain the height of a liquid surface in a surface-sensitive experiment. The system is based on a commercial laser pointer, universal serial bus webcam, syringe pump, and homemade control software. The system can sense changes in the height of the surface of ±1 µm, and the maximum range of the device without readjustment is around 2.5 mm. The intended use of the device is to maintain the height of a sample at the air–water interface in a sum-frequency generation spectroscopy measurement, which constantly changes due to water evaporation. A demonstration of the system maintaining the height of a water surface to a tolerance of ±5 µm over a period of 8 h is shown to illustrate the stability of a system controlled by this device.
Dual-color charge-sensitive infrared phototransistors with dynamic optical gate
Authors: Xu Hongtao , Wang Hengliang , Zhang Lijian , Zhu Liping , Chen Pingping , Lu Wei , An Zhenghua
Published: September 2021

Infrared multispectral photodetectors with high performance show great potential in a broad range of applications. Here, sensitive and controllable dual-color photodetection at 10.6 and 15.7 μm is demonstrated by using a charge sensitive infrared phototransistor (CSIP) with dynamical optical gate. The CSIP device is fabricated in a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum well (QW) crystal with both upper and lower QWs (7 and 11 nm thick, respectively) being photosensitive via intersubband absorption and, hence, each QW corresponding to one target wavelength (10.6 and 15.7 μm, respectively). Moreover, the upper QW serves as a photosensitive floating gate (FG), while the lower QW functions as the conducting channel of the phototransistor. By periodically lifting-up (lowering-down) the electrostatic potential of FG, the photoresponse at 10.6 (15.7 μm) associated with photoexcitation in upper (lower) QW can be achieved. This electrically controllable photoresponse together with intrinsically high photoconductive gain (∼102) provides a scheme to realize sensitive dual-color photodetection for infrared optoelectronic applications.
Depth profiles of electron traps generated during reactive ion etching in n-type 4H-SiC characterized by using isothermal capacitance transient spectroscopy
Authors: Kanegae Kazutaka , Okuda Takafumi , Horita Masahiro , Suda Jun , Kimoto Tsunenobu
Published: September 2021

Electron traps generated during the reactive ion etching (RIE) process in n-type 4H-SiC are investigated using the deep-level transient spectroscopy technique and isothermal capacitance transient spectroscopy (ICTS) technique. Two electron traps of the Z1/2 center (EC−0.64eV) and the EH3 center (EC−0.74eV) are detected in the RIE-etched sample by ICTS measurement at 300 K. A method is proposed to determine the depth profiles of the electron traps that are localized near the etched surface, whereby a depth profile is extracted from the dependence of averaged trap density on the depletion layer width. An exponential distribution is assumed as the depth profile of the electron traps generated during the RIE process. The extracted depth profile was confirmed to be consistent with that determined by the double-correlation method. An appropriate function for the depth profile of carrier traps is assumed and the dependence of the averaged trap density on the depletion layer width is analyzed, which enables the extraction of a depth profile that has both higher depth resolution and higher resolution in the carrier trap density with the proposed method than that with the double-correlation method.
Electric-field modulated photovoltaic effect of ferroelectric double-perovskite Bi2FeMnO6 films
Authors: Lin Jianjun , Shen Peng , Liu Yuan , Yue Fangyu , Chen Ye , Zhou Zhiyong , Yang Pingxiong , Chu Junhao , Duan Chun-Gang , Sun Lin
Published: September 2021

Ferroelectric perovskite oxide materials for photovoltaics (PV) have received considerable attention for their switchable PV responses and above-bandgap photovoltages as a type of new-generation PV device. Relatively large bandgap and low photocurrent remain major problems for their PV applications. Herein, we report the PV response of ferroelectric double-perovskite Bi2FeMnO6 (BFMO) thin films. It was found that the photocurrent density (Jsc) of a Sn:In2O3 (ITO)/BFMO/SrRuO3 (SRO) thin film device is two orders of magnitude higher than that of BiFeO3, and its power conversion efficiency is about 430 times larger than that of BiFeO3 under AM 1.5G illumination. The built-in electric field near the BFMO/SRO interface, which represents the Schottky contact, leads to the separation of photon-generated carriers. More importantly, the electric poling treatment on the BFMO device can manipulate significantly the magnitude of Jsc, which is independent of the polarization direction. This electric-field modulated PV effect in the poled BFMO device originates from the modulation of the Schottky barrier height at the BFMO/SRO interface. The redistribution of oxygen vacancies after electric poling treatment is mainly responsible for the modulation of the Schottky barrier height.
A new remote monitor and control system based on SigFox IoT network
Authors: Livi Lorenzo Francesco , Catani Jacopo
Published: September 2021

We describe a new, low-cost system designed to provide multi-sensor remote condition monitoring of modern scientific laboratories and to allow users to perform actions from remote locations in the case of detection of specified events. The system is battery operated and does not require the presence of a local area network or WiFi (which are typically not available in the case of, e.g., power losses), as it exploits the growing infrastructure of Internet of Things low-power wide area networks. In particular, our system exploits the new SigFox ultra-narrow-bandwidth infrastructure and provides a bidirectional link between the instrumentation and the remote user even in the case of power line outages, which are among the most critical situations that a scientific laboratory can withstand. The system can detect the occurrence of predefined events in very short times and autonomously react with a series of predefined actions, also allowing a remote user to timely perform additional actions on the system through a user-friendly smartphone application or via a browser interface. The system also embeds a novel power loss detection architecture, which detects power line failures in less than 2 ms. We provide a full characterization of the prototype, including reaction times, connection latencies, sensor sensitivity, and power consumption.
Lagrangian coherent track initialization
Authors: Khojasteh Ali Rahimi , Yang Yin , Heitz Dominique , Laizet Sylvain
Published: September 2021

Advances in time-resolved three-dimensional Particle Tracking Velocimetry (4D-PTV) techniques have consistently revealed more accurate Lagrangian particle motions. A novel track initialization technique as a complementary part of 4D-PTV, based on local temporal and spatial coherency of neighbor trajectories, is proposed. The proposed Lagrangian Coherent Track Initialization (LCTI) applies physics-based Finite Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) to build four frame coherent tracks. We locally determine Lagrangian coherent structures among neighbor trajectories by using the FTLE boundaries (i.e., ridges) to distinguish the clusters of coherent motions. To evaluate the proposed technique, we created an open-access synthetic Lagrangian and Eulerian dataset of the wake downstream of a smooth cylinder at a Reynolds number equal to 3900 obtained from three-dimensional direct numerical simulation. Performance of the proposed method based on three characteristic parameters, temporal scale, particle concentration (i.e., density), and noise ratio, showed robust behavior in finding true tracks compared to the recent initialization algorithms. Sensitivity of LCTI to the number of untracked and wrong tracks is also discussed. We address the capability of using the proposed method as a function of a 4D-PTV scheme in the Lagrangian particle tracking challenge. We showed that LCTI prevents 4D-PTV divergence in flows with high particle concentrations. Finally, the LCTI behavior was demonstrated in a jet impingement experiment. LCTI was found to be a reliable tracking tool in complex flow motions, with a strength revealed for flows with high velocity and acceleration gradients.
Variational coupled cluster for ground and excited states
Authors: Marie Antoine , Kossoski Fábris , Loos Pierre-François
Published: September 2021

In single-reference coupled-cluster (CC) methods, one has to solve a set of non-linear polynomial equations in order to determine the so-called amplitudes that are then used to compute the energy and other properties. Although it is of common practice to converge to the (lowest-energy) ground-state solution, it is also possible, thanks to tailored algorithms, to access higher-energy roots of these equations that may or may not correspond to genuine excited states. Here, we explore the structure of the energy landscape of variational CC and we compare it with its (projected) traditional version in the case where the excitation operator is restricted to paired double excitations (pCCD). By investigating two model systems (the symmetric stretching of the linear H4 molecule and the continuous deformation of the square H4 molecule into a rectangular arrangement) in the presence of weak and strong correlations, the performance of variational pCCD (VpCCD) and traditional pCCD is gauged against their configuration interaction (CI) equivalent, known as doubly occupied CI, for reference Slater determinants made of ground- or excited-state Hartree–Fock orbitals or state-specific orbitals optimized directly at the VpCCD level. The influence of spatial symmetry breaking is also investigated.
Electrically injected whispering-gallery mode InGaN/GaN microdisks
Authors: Li K. H. , Cheung Y. F. , Fu W. Y. , Choi H. W.
Published: September 2021

The combination of high-quality factors and small mode volumes in whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators promotes significantly enhanced light-matter interactions, making them excellent cavities for achieving compact semiconductor lasers with low threshold and narrow linewidth. However, success in developing GaN-based WGM lasers has been extremely limited due to the complicated design and fabrication of both high-finesse optical cavities and effective efficient injection schemes. Here, we report on WGM emission from vertical-injection blue-light emitting InGaN/GaN thin-film microdisks achieved by wafer bonding and laser liftoff removal of the sapphire substrate. The observed WGMs, identified as a combination of first order and higher order modes with the aid of finite-difference time-domain simulations, have Q-factors as high as 3700. This work presents a viable approach toward the practical implementation of compact InGaN/GaN microdisk lasers through a simple and scalable process.
Phase separation and toxicity of C9orf72 poly(PR) depends on alternate distribution of arginine
Authors: Chen Chen , Yamanaka Yoshiaki , Ueda Koji , Li Peiying , Miyagi Tamami , Harada Yuichiro , Tezuka Sayaka , Narumi Satoshi , Sugimoto Masahiro , Kuroda Masahiko , Hayamizu Yuhei , Kanekura Kohsuke
Published: September 2021

Arg (R)-rich dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs; poly(PR): Pro-Arg and poly(GR): Gly-Arg), encoded by a hexanucleotide expansion in the C9ORF72 gene, induce neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although R-rich DPRs undergo liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), which affects multiple biological processes, mechanisms underlying LLPS of DPRs remain elusive. Here, using in silico, in vitro, and in cellulo methods, we determined that the distribution of charged Arg residues regulates the complex coacervation with anionic peptides and nucleic acids. Proteomic analyses revealed that alternate Arg distribution in poly(PR) facilitates entrapment of proteins with acidic motifs via LLPS. Transcription, translation, and diffusion of nucleolar nucleophosmin (NPM1) were impaired by poly(PR) with an alternate charge distribution but not by poly(PR) variants with a consecutive charge distribution. We propose that the pathogenicity of R-rich DPRs is mediated by disturbance of proteins through entrapment in the phase-separated droplets via sequence-controlled multivalent protein–protein interactions.
Selection of Plants for Constructed Wetlands Based on Climate and Area in the Interest of Processing Pollutant Parameters on Leachate: A Review
Authors: Arliyani I , Tangahu B V , Mangkoedihardjo S
Published: September 2021

The process of waste decomposition in landfills is a process that converts waste into organic fertilizer due to percolating rainwater from biochemical waste processes and wastewater content. range of pollutants may affect public health and the ecosystem around the landfill loca This process also dissolves heavy metals in the form of a leachate byproduct. The high tion. Therefore, it is crucial to treat leachate before discharge to water bodies. Landfill leachate processing can be carried out through 3 processes, consisted of physicochemical, biological, and the combination of physicochemical and biological. Currently, constructed wetlands as natural treatment are considered environmentally friendly to deal with water pollution. This writing aimed to determine the differences in the leachate landfill characteristics, drainage system, and plant species used in the constructed wetland. This writing is based on a literature review of experimental research on water treatment carried out with the same parameters as leachate and leachate treatment. The literature review results show that leachate landfill processing depends on leachate characteristics and is influenced by age, type of waste, region, and climate.
Separation of Cathode Material from Aluminum Plate by Ultrasonic Action using Fenton’s Reagent
Authors: Huang Hongjun , Liu Fangfang , Zhang Qunying
Published: September 2021

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has been used as a binder in lithium-ion batteries due to its high viscosity, which makes it difficult to separate the cathode material from the aluminum plate when recycling waste lithium-ion batteries. In this study, the peeling effect and mechanism of Fenton’s reagent on the cathode material and aluminum plate of spent lithium-ion batteries under the action of ultrasound has been researched. The results showed that when the ratio of Fe2+/H2O2 was 1:40, temperature was 45 °C, time was 35 min, and liquid-solid ratio was 50:1, the removal rate of cathode material was 98.52%. The combined action of Fenton’s reagent and ultrasonic cavitation oxidized or promoted PVDF to combine with lithium cobalt oxide to form COF3, thereby separating the cathode material from the aluminum foil without changing the structure of lithium cobalt oxide cathode material. Nevertheless, this study may provide a processing method to separate the cathode material from the aluminum plate effectively.
Research on Energy Consumption Test Methods of Light-Duty Pure Electric Vehicles Based on China Automobile Test Driving Cycle
Authors: Xing Jieqin , Liu Dongwei , Jiang Shan , Yu Hanzhengnan , Liu Yu
Published: September 2021

Referring to GB/T 18386-2017, the impact of NEDC, WLTC and CLTC on the energy consumption of pure electric vehicle is simulated and analysed. Combined with the characteristic parameters of the driving cycles, from the perspective of energy flow loss of each system of the vehicle, the influences of driving cycles on the energy consumption of each part of the vehicle and the working efficiency of the power components are analyzed in detail, and the internal mechanism of the influence rule of driving cycles on energy consumption is revealed. Based on the CLTC, the effects of load mass, ambient temperature and air conditioning on the energy consumption of the electric vehicle are explored. The research results show that the electric vehicle has the longest driving range and the lowest energy consumption under CLTC; as the loading quality increases, the driving range decreases, and the energy consumption per 100 kilometers increases; test temperature and the air conditioner have a great influence on the driving range, especially in the low temperature environment.
Axiomatic Design applied to CRUD matrix in Information Systems
Authors: Cavique Luís , Cavique Miguel
Published: September 2021

In Information Systems (IS), the search for a good design is still a relevant issue. In IS, two sub-systems coexist, applications and data. To articulate these sub-systems, some authors opt for the CRUD matrix. Similarly, Axiomatic Design (AD) theory studies how functional requirements are related to design parameters using a design matrix. In this paper, the application sub-system corresponds to the functional requirements, the data sub-system to the design parameters, and the CRUD matrix to the design matrix. The goal of the CRUD matrix is to maintain the independence of its items to minimize the information content of the design. Similarly, AD uses the design matrix to define a good design. This work aims to develop a theory to create object-oriented elements based on the CRUD matrix aligned with the business strategy.
Increasing the performance of a Salt Washing Machine through Axiomatic Design
Authors: Gabriel-Santos António , Fradinho João , Mourão António , Martinho Alberto , Cavique Miguel , Vieira Gonçalo , Gonçalves-Coelho António
Published: September 2021

Systems with fewer design parameters (DPs) than functional requirements (FRs) are coupled or cannot achieve all their FRs simultaneously, as per Axiomatic Design's theorem 1. In that case, production processes have lower productivity and production rate than uncoupled or decoupled designs. This paper reports the upgrading of a salt washing machine concerning its performance, not only on separation of salt from saltwater but also on washed salt production. The machine analysis showed it is a coupled design, with one more functional requirement than the design parameters. A viable enhancement was the addition of one design parameter, which made it possible to control separation and washing independently. This redesign enforced functional independence and allowed increasing the production rate between 20% and 30%. Furthermore, one could perceive increased productivity, quality of the final product, and reduced water and energy consumption.
Axiomatic Software Engineering
Authors: Foley J T , Kyas M
Published: September 2021

Axiomatic Design and Complexity Theory have primarily focused on refining the process of an abstracted need into a physical solution even under challenging conditions. The concepts have high applicability as guidelines for non-physical design, such as those found in programming and its applied field of software engineering. Software engineering came out of the software crisis of the 1960s: its goal is to deliver safe and secure software that meets its specifications on time and within its budget. The product of software engineering is a program. The program is written in a programming language that looked suitable for the problem at hand. For some time, object-oriented technology (OOT) looked popular, because it promised to address information hiding, composability, and extensibility of programs. In hindsight, OOT failed to deliver on its promises. We analyze how Axiomatic Design leads to solutions that are proposed by current programming technologies. The authors believe that different paradigms such as cohesion also need to be included.
Collaborative Engineering: A Review of Organisational Forms for Implementation and Operation
Authors: Putnik Goran D. , Putnik Zlata , Shah Vaibhav , Varela Leonilde , Ferreira Luis , Castro Helio , Catia Alves , Pinheiro Pedro
Published: September 2021

A review of organisational forms for implementation and operation of Collaborative Engineering following the Collaborative Engineering organizational and management models based on complexity and semiotics frameworks, is presented. These forms are mainly the forms of communities, which are intentionally created for the purpose of Collaborative engineering. The paper presents basic definitions of three types of communities: learning community, community of practice and open design as the organizational environments for Collaborative Engineering. These communities usually take forms of complex networks of independent designers, and usually uses advanced internet based environments and platforms for communication, sharing, dialog, learning and operation in general. In the second part, some examples of the internet based platforms for supporting the Collaborative engineering communities are presented.
Corrigendum: Microstructure and magnetic properties of textured barium W-type hexaferrite with Rare-earth La3+ substitution (2020 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater Sci Eng. 782 022038)
Authors: Liu Qian , Wu Chongsheng , Wang Yu , Liu Yingli , Zhang Huaiwu
Published: September 2021

Please see Article PDF for corrigendum text.
Effect of final cooling temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength anti-seismic rebar
Authors: Zeng Zeyun , Li Changrong , Li Zhiying , Zhai Yongqiang , Wang Jie , Liu Zhanlin
Published: September 2021

Rebar is an important material in the major structural engineering, and its fine structure has a very important effect on the performance of the rebar. In this work, the Gleeble-3800 thermal simulator was used to simulate and control the final cooling temperature process to explore the effect of the precipitation behavior of the microalloying elements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the rebar. The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM), and universal tensile testing machine were used to characterize the microstructural transformation and mechanical properties of high-strength anti-seismic rebar. The results shows that under the conditions of different final cooling temperatures, the microstructure of the rebar were mainly composed of ferrite and pearlite. When the final cooling temperature decreased from 750 °C to 650 °C, the ferrite grain size decreased from 0.01237 mm to 0.00678 mm and the pearlite lamellar spacing decreased from 0.226 μm to 0.114 μm. The EBSD results found that the most of ferrite grains with larger misorientation angle (20° ∼ 60°) formed by the different austenite grains. The TEM results found that the main precipitates were (Nb, Ti, V) C, which precipitated on the ferrite matrix, and the shapes were oval, and the average particle sizes were about 20 ∼ 30 nm. When the final cooling temperature was 650 °C, the tensile strength and yield strength of the rebar reached 712.94 MPa and 562.97 MPa, respectively, and strength yield ratio was 1.27. With the decreases in the final cooling temperature, the tensile strength and yield strength of the rebar gradually increased.
Self-catalyzed nanoscale ammonium perchlorate for advanced composite solid rocket propellant
Authors: Abdelhafiz Mahmoud , Yehia Mohamed , Mostafa Hosam E , Wafy Tamer
Published: September 2021

Ammonium perchlorate (AP) is still one of the most important oxidizers used. Improving propellant output becomes an interesting source for many researchers. Due to its large surface area and high surface energy, nanomaterials have a wide range of applications in propellant formulations. High surface energy is responsible for the relatively low energy of activation and higher burning composition. This paper reports on a liquid-state method of synthesizing nanoscale AP. The resulting AP particles were characterized using electron scanning microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDX), x-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Kissinger and KAS techniques were used to measure the activation energy of nanoscale AP and microscale AP. The results showed that nanoscale AP possessed stronger catalytic activity than microscale AP where the temperature of decomposition fell from 452.8 °C to 388.1 °C and the heat released increased from 835.3 J g−1 to 3127 J g−1. The findings of the kinetics study showed that the nanoscale of the synthesized AP has a direct effect on the activation energy of AP, where the activation energy of AP decreased from 226.0. kJ.mol−1 to 52.0 kJ.mol−1.
Performance of a trigger tool for detecting drug-related hospital admissions in older people: analysis from the OPERAM trial
Authors: Zerah Lorène , Henrard Séverine , Thevelin Stefanie , Feller Martin , Meyer-Massetti Carla , Knol Wilma , Wilting Ingeborg , O’Mahony Denis , Crowley Erin , Dalleur Olivia , Spinewine Anne
Published: September 2021

Background

identifying drug-related hospital admissions (DRAs) in older people is difficult. A standardised chart review procedure has recently been developed. It includes an adjudication team (physician and pharmacist) screening using 26 triggers and then performing causality assessment to determine whether an adverse drug event (ADE) occurred (secondary to an adverse drug reaction, overuse, misuse or underuse) and whether the ADE contributed to hospital admission (DRA).

Objective

to assess the performance of those triggers in detecting DRA.

Design

retrospective study using data from the OPERAM (OPtimising thERapy to prevent Avoidable hospital admissions in Multimorbid older people) trial.

Settings

four European medical centres.

Subjects

multimorbid (≥ 3 chronic medical conditions) older (≥ 70 years) inpatients with polypharmacy (≥ 5 chronic medications) were enrolled in the OPERAM trial (N = 2,008) and followed for 12 months. We included patients with ≥1 adjudicated hospitalisation during the follow-up.

Methods

the positive predictive value (PPV; number of DRAs identified by trigger/number of triggers) was calculated for each trigger and for the tool as a whole.

Results

of 1,235 hospitalisations adjudicated for 832 patients, 716 (58%) had at least one trigger; an ADE was identified in 673 (54%) and 518 (42%) were adjudicated as DRAs. The overall PPV of the trigger tool for detecting DRAs was 0.66 [0.62–0.69].

Conclusions

this tool performs well for identifying DRAs in older people. Based on our results, a revised version of the tool was proposed but will require external validation before it can be incorporated into research and clinical practice.
High-dimensional semi-supervised learning: in search of optimal inference of the mean
Authors: Zhang Yuqian , Bradic Jelena
Published: September 2021

A fundamental challenge in semi-supervised learning lies in the observed data’s disproportional size when compared with the size of the data collected with missing outcomes. An implicit understanding is that the dataset with missing outcomes, being significantly larger, ought to improve estimation and inference. However, it is unclear to what extent this is correct. We illustrate one clear benefit: root-$n$ inference of the outcome’s mean is possible while only requiring a consistent estimation of the outcome, possibly at a rate slower than root $n$. This is achieved by a novel $k$-fold, cross-fitted, double robust estimator. We discuss both linear and nonlinear outcomes. Such an estimator is particularly suited for models that naturally do not admit root-$n$ consistency, such as high-dimensional, nonparametric or semiparametric models. We apply our methods to estimating heterogeneous treatment effects.
Impact of nutritional status and body composition on postoperative outcomes after pelvic exenteration for locally advanced and locally recurrent rectal cancer
Authors: van Rees Jan M , Visser Eva , van Vugt Jeroen L A , Rothbarth Joost , Verhoef Cornelis , van Verschuer Victorien M T
Published: September 2021

Background

Pelvic exenteration for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and locally recurrent (LRRC) rectal cancer provides radical resection and local control, but is associated with considerable morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors, including nutritional status and body composition, for postoperative morbidity and survival after pelvic exenteration in patients with LARC or LRRC.

Methods

Patients with LARC or LRRC who underwent total or posterior pelvic exenteration in a tertiary referral centre from 2003 to 2018 were analysed retrospectively. Nutritional status was assessed using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Body composition was estimated using standard-of-care preoperative CT of the abdomen. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for complications with a Clavien–Dindo grade of III or higher. Risk factors for impaired overall survival were calculated using Cox proportional hazards analysis.

Results

In total, 227 patients who underwent total (111) or posterior (116) pelvic exenteration were analysed. Major complications (Clavien–Dindo grade at least III) occurred in 82 patients (36.1 per cent). High risk of malnutrition (MUST score 2 or higher) was the only risk factor for major complications (odds ratio 3.99, 95 per cent c.i. 1.76 to 9.02) in multivariable analysis. Mean follow-up was 44.6 months. LRRC (hazard ratio (HR) 1.61, 95 per cent c.i. 1.04 to 2.48) and lymphovascular invasion (HR 2.20, 1.38 to 3.51) were independent risk factors for impaired overall survival.

Conclusion

A high risk of malnutrition according to the MUST is a strong risk factor for major complications in patients with LARC or LRRC undergoing exenteration surgery.
Genetic basis to structural grey matter associations with chronic pain
Authors: Farrell Scott F , Campos Adrián I , Kho Pik-Fang , de Zoete Rutger M J , Sterling Michele , Rentería Miguel E , Ngo Trung Thanh , Cuéllar-Partida Gabriel
Published: September 2021

Structural neuroimaging studies of individuals with chronic pain conditions have often observed decreased regional grey matter at a phenotypic level. However, it is not known if this association can be attributed to genetic factors.

Here we employed a novel integrative data-driven and hypothesis-testing approach to determine whether there is a genetic basis to grey matter morphology differences in chronic pain. Using publicly available genome-wide association study summary statistics for regional chronic pain conditions (n = 196 963) and structural neuroimaging measures (n = 19 629–34 000), we applied bivariate linkage disequilibrium-score regression and latent causal variable analyses to determine the genetic correlations (rG) and genetic causal proportion (GCP) between these complex traits, respectively. Five a priori brain regions (i.e. prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, insula, thalamus and superior temporal gyrus) were selected based on systematic reviews of grey matter morphology studies in chronic pain.

Across this evidence-based selection of five brain regions, 10 significant negative genetic correlations (out of 369) were found (false discovery rate < 5%), suggesting a shared genetic basis to both reduced regional grey matter morphology and the presence of chronic pain. Specifically, negative genetic correlations were observed between reduced insula grey matter morphology and chronic pain in the abdomen (mean insula cortical thickness), hips (left insula volume) and neck/shoulders (left and right insula volume). Similarly, a shared genetic basis was found for reduced posterior cingulate cortex volume in chronic pain of the hip (left and right posterior cingulate), neck/shoulder (left posterior cingulate) and chronic pain at any site (left posterior cingulate); and for reduced pars triangularis volume in chronic neck/shoulder (left pars triangularis) and widespread pain (right pars triangularis). Across these negative genetic correlations, a significant genetic causal proportion was only found between mean insula thickness and chronic abdominal pain [rG (standard error, SE) = −0.25 (0.08), P = 1.06 × 10−3; GCP (SE) = −0.69 (0.20), P = 4.96 × 10−4]. This finding suggests that the genes underlying reduced cortical thickness of the insula causally contribute to an increased risk of chronic abdominal pain.

Altogether, these results provide independent corroborating evidence for observational reports of decreased grey matter of particular brain regions in chronic pain. Further, we show for the first time that this association is mediated (in part) by genetic factors. These novel findings warrant further investigation into the neurogenetic pathways that underlie the development and prolongation of chronic pain conditions.
Clinical management of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus: current treatment options and future approaches
Authors: Lipman Zoe M , Paramasivam Vijayakumar , Yosipovitch Gil , Germain Michael J
Published: September 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is an underdiagnosed yet severely distressing condition that impacts 60% of patients on dialysis and many nondialysis patients with Stages 3–5 CKD. However, despite its high prevalence, there are currently limited treatment options available for these patients and a lack of treatment guidelines for clinicians. In this manuscript, we reviewed the available literature in order to evaluate the current management and treatment options for CKD-aP, including dialysis management, topical treatments, gabapentinoids, opioids and alternative medicine. We also review the available data on CKD-aP treatments in development and propose new guidelines for managing patients with CKD-aP.
The Caenorhabditis elegans Patched domain protein PTR-4 is required for proper organization of the precuticular apical extracellular matrix
Authors: Cohen Jennifer D , Cadena del Castillo Carla E , Serra Nicholas D , Kaech Andres , Spang Anne , Sundaram Meera V
Published: September 2021

The Patched-related superfamily of transmembrane proteins can transport lipids or other hydrophobic molecules across cell membranes. While the Hedgehog receptor Patched has been intensively studied, much less is known about the biological roles of other Patched-related family members. Caenorhabditis elegans has a large number of Patched-related proteins, despite lacking a canonical Hedgehog pathway. Here, we show that PTR-4 promotes the assembly of the precuticle apical extracellular matrix, a transient and molecularly distinct matrix that precedes and patterns the later collagenous cuticle or exoskeleton. ptr-4 mutants share many phenotypes with precuticle mutants, including defects in eggshell dissolution, tube shaping, alae (cuticle ridge) structure, molting, and cuticle barrier function. PTR-4 localizes to the apical side of a subset of outward-facing epithelia, in a cyclical manner that peaks when precuticle matrix is present. Finally, PTR-4 is required to limit the accumulation of the lipocalin LPR-3 and to properly localize the Zona Pellucida domain protein LET-653 within the precuticle. We propose that PTR-4 transports lipids or other hydrophobic components that help to organize the precuticle and that the cuticle and molting defects seen in ptr-4 mutants result at least in part from earlier disorganization of the precuticle.
Effect of a social media-based counselling intervention in countering fake news on COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria
Authors: Talabi Felix Olajide , Ugbor Ikechukwu Peter , Talabi Moyinoluwa Joseph , Ugwuoke Joel C , Oloyede David , Aiyesimoju Ayodeji Boluwatife , Ikechukwu-Ilomuanya Amaka B
Published: September 2021

The aim of this study was to understand the impact of counselling in countering fake news-related COVID-19 vaccine. We conducted two separate experiments. In the first experiment, we exposed the treatment group to fake news on COVID-19 vaccine through a WhatsApp group chat while the control group was not. We then tested the effectiveness of such fake news on their perception. In our second experiment, we exposed the treatment group to a social media-based counselling intervention wherein we attempted to counter the earlier fake news on COVID-19 vaccine which they were exposed to. We found that respondents who were exposed to fake news reported greater negative perception about COVID-19 vaccine than their counterparts in the control group. We also we found that as a result of the counselling intervention, the respondents in the treatment group reported more positive perception regarding COVID-19 vaccine while their counterparts in the control group who were earlier exposed to fake news on COVID-19 did not significantly change their perception. This study has highlighted the importance of counselling in countering fake news within the context of health promotion. This approach is yet to receive significant attention in literature, especially from developing countries.
Urban Forest Health Intervention Program to promote physical activity, healthy eating, self-efficacy and life satisfaction: impact on Israeli at-risk youth
Authors: Tesler Riki , Endevelt Ronit , Plaut Pnina
Published: September 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate an urban forest intervention program effect on physical activity, healthy eating habits, self-efficacy and life satisfaction (LS) among Israeli at-risk youth. The quasi-experimental study ran from September 2016 to June 2017; participants were randomly selected. There were 76 total study participants: 53 in the intervention and 23 in the control group. Participants ranged in age from 15 to 18 years. Questionnaires were administered to intervention and control groups before and after the intervention. Univariate and multivariable analyses evaluated the intervention effect. Repeated measures analyses of covariance were calculated to assess change in group differences. An increase was found in measures of physical activity in the intervention group (p < 0.001), while no change was noted in the control group. Healthy eating increased in both groups (p = 0.007), with no significant difference between them (p = 0.165). Unhealthy eating decreased significantly in the intervention group (p = 0.002) and increased in the control group (p = 0.007). Self-efficacy increased in the intervention group (p < 0.001), while no change was noted in the control group (p = 0.353). Likewise, LS increased in the intervention group (p < 0.001), while no change was found in the control group (p = 0.657). Findings indicate that the intervention was efficacious in increasing physical activity, healthy eating habits, self-efficacy, and LS. The effectiveness of this intervention among larger samples is warranted in future prospective studies.