bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recycling of thermoset waste/high‐density polyethylene composites: Examining the thermal properties
Authors: Periasamy Diwahar , Manoharan Bharathi , Niranjana K. , Aravind D. , Krishnasamy Senthilkumar , Natarajan Varagunapandiyan
Published: November 2023

In this work, an attempt was made to use recycled thermosetting polymer waste (RTPW) to reduce the environmental impacts. The RTPW and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) were used to fabricate the composites using melt mixing, a twin‐screw extruder, and an injection molding machine. The weight ratios varied between the HDPE/RTPW: 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, and 85:15 and subjected to different thermal property studies. The thermal properties were evaluated by melt flow index (MFI), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), heat deflection temperature (HDT), and VICAT softening temperature (VST). Results showed a noticeable MFI increase from 9.3 to 14.6 g/10 min in HDPE + RTPW (95:5) composite samples. It was ascribed to the presence of RTPW, resulting in reduced viscosity. DSC reported a minor change in the melting temperature of HDPE due to adding 5% RTPW and 6% polyethylene‐grafted maleic anhydride. These results suggested that the HDPE's crystallinity was minimally changed. Similarly, the onset and end‐set temperatures were increased by incorporating RTPW in TGA, highlighting the influence of thermosetting polymers. Then, the HDT and VSTs were improved by adding RTPW. These observations collectively demonstrate that using RTPW enhances the thermal behavior of HDPE composites while promoting environmental sustainability.

Highlights

Composites made using RTPW and HDPE.

Addition of thermoset waste improved the thermal behavior of samples.

Different weight ratios were followed: 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, and 85:15.

MFI increased to 14.6 g/10 min for HDPE + RTPW (95:5).

HDPE exhibited a minor change in melting temperature in DSC analysis.
Spontaneously self‐healing silicone polyurea coating for metal corrosion protection
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Xiao Zhenggang
Published: November 2023

Organic anticorrosion coatings (OACs) are the most effective, economical, and environmentally friendly protection strategy for metals. However, the traditional OACs usually inevitably suffer mechanical cracks during their service life. If not repaired in time, the resultant cracks in OACs will result in irreparable corrosion of the metal substrate. More detrimentally, these microcracks are not easily detectable at the initial stage. If OACs can autonomously heal their damage at the initial stage, the microcracks will be repaired in time and the metal substrate will be protected well. Thus, giving OACs the self‐healing capability is a promising strategy for metal protection. Herein, an autonomously self‐healing TiO2‐reinforced silicone polyurea (SPU‐g‐TiO2) elastomer was successfully designed as anticorrosion coating for Q235 carbon steel (QCS) protection. The SPU‐g‐TiO2 elastomer matrix exhibited excellent stretchability with a maximum strain of 3826.72% and fast self‐healing ability with an outstanding self‐healing efficiency of 98.69% for 6 h without any external stimulus at room temperature. The QCS coated with SPU‐g‐TiO2 showed excellent damage resistance and good anticorrosive ability, and it can self‐heal the microcracks generated in its coating in time to prevent corrosive media corroding the internal mental substrate. This work has a positive guiding significance for the development of functional OACs to improve their protection for metallic materials.

Highlights

A bionic smart self‐healing SPU‐g‐TiO2 coating was successfully synthesized.

The mechanical and self‐healing properties are balanced using nanoparticles.

The coating features excellent self‐healing capability and stretchability.

Q235 steel coated with SPU‐g‐TiO2 shows good anticorrosive ability.
A systematic review of academic resilience in East Asia: Evidence from the large‐scale assessment research
Authors: Zheng Jia‐qi , Cheung Kwok‐cheung , Sit Pou‐seong
Published: November 2023

Although academic resilience is of great concern to contemporary educational practitioners, there is no consensus on its measurement. Furthermore, protective factors characterized by East Asian societal contexts remain ambiguous. This systematic review aims to offer an overview of the operational definitions, statistical methodology, and protective factors of academic resilience identified in East Asian countries/economies. With a focus on large‐scale assessment (LSA) research, three databases (i.e., Web of Science, CNKI, and AiritiLibary) were searched and returned 31 peer‐reviewed studies over the last decade. Results indicated that the definition‐driven method was commonly adopted in international LSA studies (e.g., Programme for the International Student Assessment) to measure academic resilience, and the research conducted in national/regional LSA (e.g., China Education Panel Survey) tended to use the process‐driven approach. Logistic regression was the most frequently data analysis technique utilized in the definition‐driven approach, while structural equation modeling and mediation/moderation analyses accounted for the largest proportion of the process‐driven methods. Our study shed light on the methodological issues of academic resilience in LSA. Additionally, it highlights the aspiration of educational researchers to identify Asian‐specific protective factors from the social‐ecological perspective to propose appropriate interventions fostering academic resilience.
The significance of multidisciplinary team meetings in diagnosing and managing childhood interstitial lung disease within the RespiRare network
Authors: Cassibba Julie , Epaud Ralph , Berteloot Laureline , Aberbache Sabrina , Bitton Lauren , Fletcher Camille , Fleury Manon , Delestrain Céline , Corvol Harriet , de Becdelièvre Alix , Borie Raphaël , Legendre Marie , Coulomb l'Herminé Aurore , Louvrier Camille , Lustremant Céline , Sari Hassoun Meryem , Sileo Chiara , Hadchouel Alice , Nathan Nadia
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Childhood Interstitial Lung Disease (chILD) represents a rare and severe group of diseases for which the etiologic workup, classification, and management remain a challenge for most pediatric pulmonologists. In France in 2018, the RespiRare network established the first multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTm) dedicated to chILD. This study aims to investigate the impact of MDTm in chILD diagnosis and management as well as user satisfaction.

Methods

The MDTm took place on a monthly basis through video conferences. The participants consisted of a quorum and included pediatric pulmonologists, radiologists, geneticists, and pulmonologists, with an average of 10.5 participants per meeting. Patients provided consent to participate in MDTm and for data collection. Data were retrospectively extracted from MDTm reports. To evaluate the usefulness of the MDTm and the satisfaction of the participants, a survey was sent by email at least 3 months after the MDTm to the participants.

Results

A total of 216 chILD cases were discussed during 56 MDTm sessions. The median age of onset was 0.5 years (interquartile range 0–7). The MDTm sessions resulted in the correction of chILD etiology in 25% of cases (neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy 17%, surfactant metabolism disorder 8%, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis 4%, hemosiderosis 3%, sarcoidosis 3%, and others 34%), and chILD was ruled out in 7% of cases. A change in therapy was proposed for 46% of cases. User satisfaction was significant, particularly regarding their confidence in managing these rare diseases.

Discussion and Conclusion

Dedicated MDTm sessions offer a unique opportunity to enhance chILD etiologic diagnosis and management, leading to increased physician knowledge and confidence in managing these patients.
Benchmarking the accuracy of structure‐based binding affinity predictors on Spike–ACE2 deep mutational interaction set
Authors: Ozden Burcu , Şamiloğlu Eda , Özsan Atakan , Erguven Mehmet , Yükrük Can , Koşaca Mehdi , Oktayoğlu Melis , Menteş Muratcan , Arslan Nazmiye , Karakülah Gökhan , Barlas Ayşe Berçin , Savaş Büşra , Karaca Ezgi
Published: November 2023

Since the start of COVID‐19 pandemic, a huge effort has been devoted to understanding the Spike (SARS‐CoV‐2)–ACE2 recognition mechanism. To this end, two deep mutational scanning studies traced the impact of all possible mutations across receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike and catalytic domain of human ACE2. By concentrating on the interface mutations of these experimental data, we benchmarked six commonly used structure‐based binding affinity predictors (FoldX, EvoEF1, MutaBind2, SSIPe, HADDOCK, and UEP). These predictors were selected based on their user‐friendliness, accessibility, and speed. As a result of our benchmarking efforts, we observed that none of the methods could generate a meaningful correlation with the experimental binding data. The best correlation is achieved by FoldX (R = −0.51). When we simplified the prediction problem to a binary classification, that is, whether a mutation is enriching or depleting the binding, we showed that the highest accuracy is achieved by FoldX with a 64% success rate. Surprisingly, on this set, simple energetic scoring functions performed significantly better than the ones using extra evolutionary‐based terms, as in Mutabind and SSIPe. Furthermore, we demonstrated that recent AI approaches, mmCSM‐PPI and TopNetTree, yielded comparable performances to the force field‐based techniques. These observations suggest plenty of room to improve the binding affinity predictors in guessing the variant‐induced binding profile changes of a host–pathogen system, such as Spike–ACE2. To aid such improvements we provide our benchmarking data at https://github.com/CSB-KaracaLab/RBD-ACE2-MutBench with the option to visualize our mutant models at https://rbd-ace2-mutbench.github.io/.
The evolution of lunar communication—From the beginning to the present
Authors: Farkasvölgyi Andrea , Csurgai‐Horváth László , Boháček Petr
Published: November 2023

The Moon is the closest celestial body to the Earth. The examination and discovery of this planet have always played an important role in the history of humanity. Since the beginning of the space age, the Moon has been the target of many missions from the 1950s to the present day. Radio communication plays a fundamental role in space vehicle projects because this is the most obvious way to communicate with the ground station and transmit control commands and scientific data. From the early missions to the present day, Earth–Moon communication had many stages of development. In our article, we review this progress and then present the state‐of‐the‐art ideas related to the present missions through the missions currently underway and those planned for the near future. Our primary objective is to describe the radio communication relay services planned for orbit around the Moon. Furthermore, we present the European Space Agency (ESA)‐supported lunar missions, highlighting the Lunar Geology Orbiter (LUGO) mission. Finally, as a future perspective, we present the possibilities of optical communication in the Earth–Moon path, which can result a significant increase in capacity.
The different areas of chronic stress and food addiction: Results from the LIFE‐Adult‐Study
Authors: Hussenoeder Felix S. , Conrad Ines , Löbner Margrit , Engel Christoph , Reyes Nigar , Yahiaoui‐Doktor Maryam , Glaesmer Heide , Hinz Andreas , Witte Veronica , Schroeter Matthias L. , Medawar Evelyn , Wichmann Gunnar , Kirsten Toralf , Löffler Markus , Villringer Arno , Riedel‐Heller Steffi G.
Published: November 2023

There is an empirical association between stress and symptoms of food addiction (FA), but it is still not clear which domains of stress are the most relevant when it comes to FA, limiting the ability of researchers and practitioners to address problematic eating‐related health outcomes. In order to address this gap in the literature, we analysed how different domains of chronic stress are related to FA. We used data from a subsample of the LIFE‐Adult‐Study (N = 1172), a German cohort study. We conducted a linear regression analysis with stress domains (Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress, TICS) as predictors of FA (Yale Food Addiction Scale, YFAS). In the second regression analysis we included sociodemographic variables, personality, and smoking as control variables. There was a significant and positive association between Social Overload, Work Discontent, Excessive Demands from Work, and Chronic Worrying and FA. After adding control variables, only Social Overload, Excessive Demands from Work, and Chronic Worrying remained significant predictors. Connections between stress domains and FA can serve as starting points for the development of meaningful interventions that support individuals self‐care strategies (Social Overload), complexity management (Excessive Demands from Work), and coping with negative emotions (Chronic Worrying).
Self‐Assembly Pathways of Triblock Janus Particles into 3D Open Lattices
Authors: Eslami Hossein , Müller‐Plathe Florian
Published: November 2023

The self‐assembly of triblock Janus particles is simulated from a fluid to 3D open lattices: pyrochlore, perovskite, and diamond. The coarse‐grained model explicitly takes into account the chemical details of the Janus particles (attractive patches at the poles and repulsion around the equator) and it contains explicit solvent particles. Hydrodynamic interactions are accounted for by dissipative particle dynamics. The relative stability of the crystals depends on the patch width. Narrow, intermediate, and wide patches stabilize the pyrochlore‐, the perovskite‐, and the diamond‐lattice, respectively. The nucleation of all three lattices follows a two‐step mechanism: the particles first agglomerate into a compact and disordered liquid cluster, which does not crystallize until it has grown to a threshold size. Second, the particles reorient inside this cluster to form crystalline nuclei. The free‐energy barriers for the nucleation of pyrochlore and perovskite are ≈10 kBT, which are close to the nucleation barriers of previously studied 2D kagome lattices. The barrier height for the nucleation of diamond, however, is much larger (>20 kBT), as the symmetry of the triblock Janus particles is not perfect for a diamond structure. The large barrier is associated with the reorientation of particles, i.e., the second step of the nucleation mechanism.
Recycling the Spent LiNi1−x−yMnxCoyO2 Cathodes for High‐Performance Electrocatalysts toward Both the Oxygen Catalytic and Methanol Oxidation Reactions
Authors: Chen Genman , Yuan Bingen , Dang Jiaxin , Xia Lan , Zhang Chunfei , Wang Qin , Miao He , Yuan Jinliang
Published: November 2023

The traditional recycling methods of the spent lithium ion batteries (LIBs) involve the intricate and cumbersome steps. This work proposes a facile method of acid leaching followed by the sulfurization treatment to achieve the high Li leaching efficiency, and obtain high‐performance multi‐function electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction (ORR), oxygen evolution (OER), and methanol oxidation reactions (MOR) from the spent LIB ternary cathodes. By this method, the Li leaching efficiency from the spent LIB ternary cathode can reach 98.3%, and the transition metal sulfide heterostructures (LNMCO‐H‐450S) consisting MnS, NiS2, and NiCo2S4 phases can be obtained. LNMCO‐H‐450S shows the superior bifunctional oxygen catalytic activities with ORR half‐wave potential of 0.763 V and OER potential at 10 mA cm−2 of 1.561 V, surpassing most of the state‐of‐the‐art electrocatalysts. LNMCO‐H‐450S also demonstrates the superior MOR catalytic activity with the potential at 100 mA cm−2 being 1.37 V. Using LNMCO‐H‐450S as the oxygen catalyst, this work can construct the aqueous and solid‐state zinc‐air batteries with high power density of 309 and 257 mW cm−2, respectively. This work provides a promising strategy for the efficient recovery of Li, and reutilization of Ni, Co, and Mn from the spent LIB ternary cathodes.
Chiral Phosphorescent Carbonized Polymer Dots Relayed Light‐Harvesting System for Color‐Tunable Circularly Polarized Room Temperature Phosphorescence
Authors: Wang Feixiang , Zhou Shengju , Zhang Youxin , Wang Yijie , Guo Rui , Xiao Haibin , Sun Xiaofeng
Published: November 2023

Carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) with a circularly polarized fluorescence property have received increasing attention in recent years. However, it is still a great challenge to construct circularly polarized room‐temperature phosphorescence (CPRTP) CPDs. Herein, a simple approach to the synthesis of intrinsically CPRTP CPDs for the first time by utilizing sodium alginate and l‐/d‐arginine as precursors under relatively mild reaction conditions is presented. Notably, the CPDs exhibit both chirality and green RTP in solid states. Furthermore, color‐tunable CPRTP is successfully achieved by engineering chiral light‐harvesting systems based on circularly polarized phosphorescence resonance energy transfer (C‐PRET) where the CPDs with green RTP function as an initiator of chirality and light absorbance, and commercially available fluorescent dyes with different emission colors ranging from yellow to red serve as the terminal acceptors. Through one‐step or sequential C‐PRET, the light‐harvesting systems can simultaneously furnish energy transfer and chirality transmission/amplification. Given the multicolor long afterglow, lifetime‐tunable, and CPRTP properties, their potential applications in multiple information encryption are demonstrated.
Ferronematic Co(II) Complex: An Active Filler for Magnetically Actuated Soft Materials
Authors: Damoc Madalin , Tiron Vasile , Tugui Codrin , Varganici Cristian‐Dragos , Stoica Alexandru‐Constantin , Novitchi Ghenadie , Dascalu Mihaela , Cazacu Maria
Published: November 2023

Ferronematics that are generally based on nematic liquid crystals (LCs) doped with magnetic nanoparticles, synergistically taking advantage of the anisotropic and flow characteristics of the nematic host and the magnetic susceptibility of the dopant, have powerful applications as magnetically actuated soft materials. In this work, a Co(II) complex, which alone presents both characteristics, is built with a salen‐type ligand 3,5‐dichlorosubstituted at the aromatic nuclei and has a tetramethyldisiloxane spacer, which makes it one of the few metallomesogens containing this structural motif. Paramagnetic crystals, through heat treatment above 110 °C, change into magnetic nematic LCs. Applying a perpendicular magnetic field of 50 mT, the nematic droplets align two by two through dipole–dipole interactions. By incorporating it into a silicone matrix consisting mainly of polydimethylsiloxane, a 3D printable ink is formulated and crosslinked under various shapes. In this environment, the cobalt complex is stabilized in an LC state at room temperature and, due to its anisotropy, facilitates the mechanical response to magnetic stimuli. The resulting objects can be easily manipulated on fluid or rough surfaces using external magnetic fields, behave like magnets by themselves, and show reversible locomotion.
Tailoring the *CO and *H Coverage for Selective CO2 Electroreduction to CH4 or C2H4
Authors: Chen Yangshen , Lyu Naixin , Zhang Junbo , Yan Shuai , Peng Chen , Yang Chao , Lv Ximeng , Hu Cejun , Kuang Min , Zheng Gengfeng
Published: November 2023

In the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), the coverages of *CO and *H intermediates on a catalyst surface are critical for the selective generation of C1 or C2 products. In this work, we have synthesized several CuxZnyMnz ternary alloy electrocatalysts, including Cu8ZnMn, Cu8Zn6Mn, and Cu8ZnMn2, by varying the doping compositions of Zn and Mn, which are efficient in binding *CO and *H adsorbates in the CO2 electroreduction process, respectively. The increase of *H coverage allows to promotion of the CH4 and H2 formation, while the increase of the *CO coverage facilitates the production of C2H4 and CO. As a result, the Cu8ZnMn catalyst presented a high CO2‐to‐CH4 partial current density (−418 ± 22 mA cm−2) with a Faradaic efficiency of 55 ± 2.8%, while the Cu8Zn6Mn catalyst exhibited a CO2‐to‐C2H4 partial current density (−440 ± 41 mA cm−2) with a Faradaic efficiency of 58 ± 4.5%. The study suggests a useful strategy for rational design and fabrication of Cu electrocatalysts with different doping for tailoring the reduction products.
Principled and practical static analysis for Python: Weakest precondition inference of hyperparameter constraints
Authors: Rak‐amnouykit Ingkarat , Milanova Ana , Baudart Guillaume , Hirzel Martin , Dolby Julian
Published: November 2023

Application programming interfaces often have correctness constraints that cut across multiple arguments. Violating these constraints causes the underlying code to raise runtime exceptions, but at the interface level, these are usually documented at most informally. This article presents novel principled static analysis and the first interprocedural weakest‐precondition analysis for Python to extract inter‐argument constraints. The analysis is mostly static, but to make it tractable for typical Python idioms, it selectively switches to the concrete domain for some cases. This article focuses on the important case where the interfaces are machine‐learning operators and their arguments are hyperparameters, rife with constraints. We extracted hyperparameter constraints for 429 functions and operators from 11 libraries and found real bugs. We used a methodology to obtain ground truth for 181 operators from 8 machine‐learning libraries; the analysis achieved high precision and recall for them. Our technique advances static analysis for Python and is a step towards safer and more robust machine learning.
Multicomponent Reading Intervention: A Practitioner's Guide
Authors: Daniel Johny , Barth Amy , Ankrum Ethan
Published: November 2023

Reading comprehension is contingent upon the integration of various reading skills, including word reading, reading fluency, and comprehension strategies. Students who encounter challenges in both word reading and reading comprehension present an opportunity for growth across multiple reading‐related domains. Recent intervention data, as demonstrated by Vaughn et al. (2022), underscores the effectiveness of employing multicomponent reading interventions that target diverse reading skills, yielding positive outcomes for elementary students. This article aims to furnish educators with essential insights and resources to design and implement tailored multicomponent interventions for students with reading difficulties or learning disabilities. By incorporating these targeted interventions, teachers can provide personalized support, thus facilitating growth in the students' reading‐related skills. Moreover, the article offers practical methodologies for progress monitoring, allowing teachers to accurately track students' reading‐related growth and make data‐driven adjustments to optimize their learning experiences. Empowering teachers with such evidence‐based approaches can have a profound impact on students' reading comprehension and overall academic success.
Study of two-body doubly charmful baryonic B decays with SU(3) flavor symmetry
Authors: Hsiao Yu-Kuo
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Within the framework of SU(3) flavor symmetry, we investigate two-body doubly charmful baryonic $$ B\to {\textbf{B}}_c{\overline{\textbf{B}}}_c^{\prime } $$
B
→

B
c

B
¯

c
′

decays, where $$ {\textbf{B}}_c{\overline{\textbf{B}}}_c^{\prime } $$

B
c

B
¯

c
′

represents the anti-triplet charmed dibaryon. We determine the SU(3)f amplitudes and calculate $$ \mathcal{B}\left({B}^{-}\to {\Xi}_c^0{\overline{\Xi}}_c^{-}\right)=\left({3.4}_{-0.9}^{+1.0}\right)\times {10}^{-5} $$
B

B
−

→

Ξ
c
0

Ξ
¯

c
−

=

3.4

−
0.9

+
1.0

×

10

−
5

and $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\overline{B}}_s^0\to {\Lambda}_c^{+}{\overline{\Xi}}_c^{-}\right)=\left({3.9}_{-1.0}^{+1.2}\right)\times {10}^{-5} $$
B

B
¯

s
0

→

Λ
c
+

Ξ
¯

c
−

=

3.9

−
1.0

+
1.2

×

10

−
5

induced by the single W-emission configuration. We find that the W-exchange amplitude, previously neglected in studies, needs to be taken into account. It can cause a destructive interfering effect with the W-emission amplitude, alleviating the significant discrepancy between the theoretical estimation and experimental data for $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\overline{B}}^0\to {\Lambda}_c^{+}{\overline{\Lambda}}_c^{-}\right) $$
B

B
¯

0

→

Λ
c
+

Λ
¯

c
−

. To test other interfering decay channels, we calculate $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\overline{B}}_s^0\to {\Xi}_c^{0\left(+\right)}{\overline{\Xi}}_c^{0\left(+\right)}\right)=\left({3.0}_{-1.1}^{+1.4}\right)\times {10}^{-4} $$
B

B
¯

s
0

→

Ξ
c

0

+

Ξ
¯

c

0

+

=

3.0

−
1.1

+
1.4

×

10

−
4

and $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\overline{B}}^0\to {\Xi}_c^0{\overline{\Xi}}_c^0\right)=\left({1.5}_{-0.6}^{+0.7}\right)\times {10}^{-5} $$
B

B
¯

0

→

Ξ
c
0

Ξ
¯

c
0

=

1.5

−
0.6

+
0.7

×

10

−
5

. We estimate non-zero branching fractions for the pure W-exchange decay channels, specifically $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\overline{B}}_s^0\to {\Lambda}_c^{+}{\overline{\Lambda}}_c^{-}\right)=\left({8.1}_{-1.5}^{+1.7}\right)\times {10}^{-5} $$
B

B
¯

s
0

→

Λ
c
+

Λ
¯

c
−

=

8.1

−
1.5

+
1.7

×

10

−
5

and $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\overline{B}}^0\to {\Xi}_c^{+}{\overline{\Xi}}_c^{-}\right)=\left(3.0\pm 0.6\right)\times {10}^{-6} $$
B

B
¯

0

→

Ξ
c
+

Ξ
¯

c
−

=

3.0
±
0.6

×

10

−
6

. Additionally, we predict $$ \mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to {\Xi}_c^{+}{\overline{\Xi}}_c^0\right)=\left({2.8}_{-0.7}^{+0.9}\right)\times {10}^{-4} $$
B

B
c
+

→

Ξ
c
+

Ξ
¯

c
0

=

2.8

−
0.7

+
0.9

×

10

−
4

and $$ \mathcal{B}\left({B}_c^{+}\to {\Lambda}_c^{+}{\overline{\Xi}}_c^0\right)=\left({1.6}_{-0.4}^{+0.5}\right)\times {10}^{-5} $$
B

B
c
+

→

Λ
c
+

Ξ
¯

c
0

=

1.6

−
0.4

+
0.5

×

10

−
5

, which are accessible to experimental facilities such as LHCb.
Axionic domain walls at Pulsar Timing Arrays: QCD bias and particle friction
Authors: Blasi Simone , Mariotti Alberto , Rase Aäron , Sevrin Alexander
Published: November 2023

Abstract

The recent results from the Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) collaborations show the first evidence for the detection of a stochastic background of gravitational waves at the nHz frequencies. This discovery has profound implications for the physics of both the late and the early Universe. In fact, together with the interpretation in terms of supermassive black hole binaries, many sources in the early Universe can provide viable explanations as well. In this paper, we study the gravitational wave background sourced by a network of axion-like-particle (ALP) domain walls at temperatures around the QCD crossover, where the QCD-induced potential provides the necessary bias to annihilate the network. Remarkably, this implies a peak amplitude at frequencies around the sensitivity range of PTAs. We extend previous analysis by taking into account the unavoidable friction on the network stemming from the topological coupling of the ALP to QCD in terms of gluon and pion reflection off the domain walls at high and low temperatures, respectively. We identify the regions of parameter space where the network annihilates in the scaling regime ensuring compatibility with the PTA results, as well as those where friction can be important and a more detailed study around the QCD crossover is required.
A unified observability result for non-autonomous observation problems
Authors: Gabel Fabian , Seelmann Albrecht
Published: November 2023

A final-state observability result in the Banach space setting for non-autonomous observation problems is obtained that covers and extends all previously known results in this context, while providing a streamlined proof that follows the established Lebeau-Robbiano strategy.
Iliac vein variation in the sacral promontory on three-dimensional computed tomography angiography: a prospective observational study before laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy
Authors: Sato Hirotaka , Kurita Miki , Kato Takehiro , Abe Hirokazu , Otsuka Shota , Tsukada Sachiyuki
Published: November 2023

Introduction and Hypothesis

Venous injury may occur during exposure of the anterior longitudinal ligament at the anterior sacral promontory (SP). We aimed to quantitatively measure the extent of the vascular window (VW) in front of the SP in patients with internal iliac vein (IIV) variations using preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3DCTA). We hypothesized that patients with IIV variations would have a narrow VW.

Methods

This prospective observational study included patients scheduled for laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LSC) between July 2022 and April 2023 who underwent preoperative 3DCTA. The primary endpoint was the VW measurement in the standard and variant IIV groups using 3DCTA before LSC. The secondary endpoint was the difference between the two IIV groups adjusted for age, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model. Multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the effect of factors on the distance from the SP to great vascular bifurcations.

Results

There were 20 cases of IIV variation (20.2%). VW was 28.8 ± 12.4 mm in the variant group and 39.6 ± 12.6 mm in the standard group (p = 0.001). In the ANCOVA model, IIV variations affected VW (coefficient, –11.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], –18.4 to –5.08, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the aorta–SP distance decreased with age (coefficient, −0.44; 95% CI, −0.77 to −0.11, p = 0.009).

Conclusions

One in five women has a vascular variant at the SP that restricts the “safe” zone of fixation to < 3 cm.
The ideal buttock: some aesthetic and morphometric considerations
Authors: Raposio Edoardo , Baldelli Ilaria , Vappiani Monica , Gualdi Alessandro , Raposio Giorgio
Published: November 2023

Remodeling surgical procedures of the gluteal region are increasingly popular and in demand. In most cases, preoperative﻿ considerations and planning are largely based on the surgeon’s own experience. This article reviews the existing literature on the subject, adding and encoding some personal notes in order to standardize the ideally predictable results in cosmetic surgery of the gluteal region. Anatomical and morphological considerations are described as indications for an accurate preoperative planning, outlining morphological-geometric guidelines on the ideal beauty of the buttocks, with the aim to facilitate such process for the less experienced surgeon.
What can we learn about acid-base transporters in cancer from studying somatic mutations in their genes?
Authors: White Bobby , Swietach Pawel
Published: November 2023

Acidosis is a chemical signature of the tumour microenvironment that challenges intracellular pH homeostasis. The orchestrated activity of acid-base transporters of the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family is critical for removing the end-products of fermentative metabolism (lactate/H+) and maintaining a favourably alkaline cytoplasm. Given the critical role of pH homeostasis in enabling cellular activities, mutations in relevant SLC genes may impact the oncogenic process, emerging as negatively or positively selected, or as driver or passenger mutations. To address this, we performed a pan-cancer analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas simple nucleotide variation data for acid/base-transporting SLCs (ABT-SLCs). Somatic mutation patterns of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) were consistent with their proposed essentiality in facilitating lactate/H+ efflux. Among all cancers, tumours of uterine corpus endometrial cancer carried more ABT-SLC somatic mutations than expected from median tumour mutation burden. Among these, somatic mutations in SLC4A3 had features consistent with meaningful consequences on cellular fitness. Definitive evidence for ABT-SLCs as ‘cancer essential’ or ‘driver genes’ will have to consider microenvironmental context in genomic sequencing because bulk approaches are insensitive to pH heterogeneity within tumours. Moreover, genomic analyses must be validated with phenotypic outcomes (i.e. SLC-carried flux) to appreciate the opportunities for targeting acid-base transport in cancers.
Genomic alterations and diagnosis of renal cancer
Authors: Zhang Xingming , Bolck Hella A. , Rupp Niels J. , Moch Holger
Published: November 2023

The application of molecular profiling has made substantial impact on the classification of urogenital tumors. Therefore, the 2022 World Health Organization incorporated the concept of molecularly defined renal tumor entities into its classification, including succinate dehydrogenase–deficient renal cell carcinoma (RCC), FH-deficient RCC, TFE3-rearranged RCC, TFEB-altered RCC, ALK-rearranged RCC, ELOC-mutated RCC, and renal medullary RCC, which are characterized by SMARCB1-deficiency. This review aims to provide an overview of the most important molecular alterations in renal cancer, with a specific focus on the diagnostic value of characteristic genomic aberrations, their chromosomal localization, and associations with renal tumor subtypes. It may not yet be the time to completely shift to a molecular RCC classification, but undoubtedly, the application of molecular profiling will enhance the accuracy of renal cancer diagnosis, and ultimately guide personalized treatment strategies for patients.
Sensorgestützte VIS-Sortierung zur Charakterisierung und Glasentfernung von Müllverbrennungs-Bettaschen
Authors: Lederer J. , Feher F. , Skutan S.
Published: November 2023

Das Recycling von Verpackungsglas stellt eine wichtige Maßnahme dar, um im Sinne der Kreislaufwirtschaft Ressourcen und die Umwelt zu schonen. Jedoch werden nicht alle Verpackungsgläser der Altglassammlung übergeben. Ein Teil wird über den Restmüll entsorgt. Wird dieser Restmüll in einer Müllverbrennungsanlage mit Wirbelschichtfeuerung verbrannt, so besteht unter gewissen Umständen die Möglichkeit, Glas aus groben Bestandteilen sensorbasiert rückzugewinnen und dadurch gleichzeitig eine mineralische Restfraktion zu erzeugen, die als Baustoff im Straßenbau oder Beton eingesetzt werden kann. Der vorliegende Beitrag präsentiert die Ergebnisse eines sensorbasierten Sortierversuchs mit Bettaschen aus der Müllverbrennung. Dafür wurden Proben der Bettaschen genommen, geteilt, gesiebt, gewaschen charakterisiert und anschließend im Technikum der Firma Binder+CO AG in drei sensorbasierten Sortierdurchgängen von Glas befreit. Das Ergebnis zeigt einen besonders hohen Glasanteil in der Partikelgrößenfraktionen 4–8 und 8–16 mm. Bei diesen konnten auch beträchtliche Mengen an Glas im ersten sensorbasierten Sortierdurchgang entfernt werden. Die dabei entstandene Glasfraktion hatte einen Nicht-Glasanteil von 2–3 Massenprozent, was einem Wert vergleichbar mit jenem der Altglassammlung entspricht. Die mineralischen Restfraktionen wurden in einem zweiten und dritten Sortierdurchgang weiter von Glas befreit. Nach drei Durchgängen besaß die Partikelgrößenfraktion 8–16 mm etwa nur mehr 7 Massenprozent an Glas, von ursprünglich 75 Massenprozent in der äquivalenten Partikelgrößenfraktion der Bettasche. Der Versuch zeigte, dass durch sensorbasierte Glassortierung nicht nur Glas mit hoher Reinheit und eine mineralische Fraktion mit geringerem Glasanteil gewonnen werden konnte, sondern auch, dass mit der sensorbasierten Sortierung eine Charakterisierung durchgeführt werden kann, die zwar etwas ungenauer, aber bedeutend schneller als die Charakterisierung durch manuelle Sortierung ist.
Optimizing epileptic seizure recognition performance with feature scaling and dropout layers
Authors: Omar Ahmed , Abd El-Hafeez Tarek
Published: November 2023

Epilepsy is a widespread neurological disorder characterized by recurring seizures that have a significant impact on individuals' lives. Accurately recognizing epileptic seizures is crucial for proper diagnosis and treatment. Deep learning models have shown promise in improving seizure recognition accuracy. However, optimizing their performance for this task remains challenging. This study presents a new approach to optimize epileptic seizure recognition using deep learning models. The study employed a dataset of Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from multiple subjects and trained nine deep learning architectures with different preprocessing techniques. By combining a 1D convolutional neural network (Conv1D) with a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network, we developed the Conv1D + LSTM architecture. This architecture, augmented with dropout layers, achieved an effective test accuracy of 0.993. The LSTM architecture alone achieved a slightly lower accuracy of 0.986. Additionally, the Bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) architectures performed exceptionally well, with accuracies of 0.983 and 0.984, respectively. Notably, standard scaling proved to be advantageous, significantly improving the accuracy of both BiLSTM and GRU compared to MinMax scaling. These models consistently achieved high test accuracies across different percentages of Principal Component Analysis (PCA), with the best results obtained when retaining 50% and 90% of the features. Chi-square feature selection also enhanced the classification performance of BiLSTM and GRU models. The study reveals that different deep learning architectures respond differently to feature scaling, PCA, and feature selection methods. Understanding these nuances can lead to optimized models for epileptic seizure recognition, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life.
Association between polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the cervical mucosa and fertility in dairy cows
Authors: Oropeza Marco Antonio , de la Sota Rodolfo Luzbel , Bedolla Mario Adán , Juárez Noé , Aréchiga Carlos Fernando , Hernández-Cerón Joel
Published: November 2023

The relationship between cervicitis and fertility has been poorly studied in dairy cows. Endocervical inflammation, determined by an increase of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), is linked with lower hazard of pregnancy. The objective of the present study was to evaluate if an increase in PMN in the cervical mucosa is associated with decreased fertility in dairy cows. Endocervical samples were collected from dairy cows (n = 243) between 30 and 40 days postpartum. All cows had completed their uterine involution and did not show clinical uterine diseases. A cytological sample was taken by passing the first ring of the cervix using an endocervical brush. A smear was made and stained using the diff quick technique. One hundred cells were counted, and the proportion of PMN was obtained. The cut-off point for the percentage of PMN that corresponded to a decrease in fertility was obtained by analyzing the ROC curve. The cut-off point for the proportion of PMN influencing a decreased fertility was 6%. Thirty-five percent (86/243) of the cows had ≥ 6% PMN. The conception rate at first service was higher in cows with < 6% PMN (43%) than in cows with ≥ 6% PMN (31.4%) [odds ratio = 1.74, CI = 1.0–3.0 (P = 0.047)]. The cumulative proportion of pregnant cows at day 210 postpartum was higher in cows that had < 6% PMN (82%) than cows with ≥ 6% PMN (69%) [odds ratio = 2.2, CI = 1.1–3.9 (P = 0.017)]. Cows with < 6% PMN had a reduced interval from calving to conception than cows with ≥ 6% PMN [97 days (89–106 days) vs. 110 days (89–123 days); median (95% CI); P < 0.05]. In conclusion, a higher proportion of PMN in the cervical mucosa is associated with decreased fertility in dairy cows.
Effects of Creep on Shield Tunnelling Through Squeezing Ground
Authors: Leone Thomas , Nordas Alexandros N. , Anagnostou Georgios
Published: November 2023

The present work aims to improve the reliability of shield jamming and lining damage risk assessment in squeezing ground by analysing the effects of creep on the evolution of rock pressure over time. The study is based on numerical simulations of typical mechanised tunnelling processes, generally consisting of shield advance phases alternating with shorter or longer standstills for lining installation, maintenance, etc. A linear elastic—viscous plastic constitutive model based upon Perzyna’s overstress theory is employed, which considers the time-dependency of plastic deformations via a single viscosity parameter. The investigations demonstrate the following: (i) shield loading during advance increases with increasing viscosity under certain conditions, which contradicts the common perception in many existing works that creep is thoroughly favourable for shield jamming; (ii) creep is thoroughly unfavourable for shield loading during long standstills and long-term lining loading, due to the additional viscoplastic ground deformations manifested over time; (iii) the commonly adopted simplifying assumption of continuous excavation with the gross advance rate is adequate only where standstills are very short (e.g., for lining erection during the stop-and-go shield tunnelling process), but otherwise underestimates the shield loading, even in cases of regular inspection and maintenance standstills lasting only a few hours. Two application examples, the Fréjus safety gallery and the Gotthard Base tunnel, demonstrate the need to consider creep and the accuracy of modelling tunnel construction by a semi-discrete approach, where only the very short standstills for lining erection are considered via an average advance rate, but longer standstills are explicitly simulated.
Comparing 1.5 T and 3.0 T MR data for 3D visualization of neurovascular relationships in the posterior fossa
Authors: Hastreiter Peter , Maliachova Olga , Fahlbusch Rudolf , Doerfler Arnd , Buchfelder Michael , Naraghi Ramin
Published: November 2023

Background

Neurovascular relationships in the posterior fossa are more frequently investigated due to the increasing availability of 3.0 Tesla MRI. For an assessment with 3D visualization, no systematic analyzes are available so far and the question arises as to whether 3.0 Tesla MRI should be given preference over 1.5 Tesla MRI.

Methods

In a prospective study, a series of 25 patients each underwent MRI investigations with 3D-CISS and 3D-TOF at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla. For both field strengths separately, blood vessel information from the TOF data was fused into the CISS data after segmentation and registration. Four visualizations were created for each field strength, with and without optimization before and after fusion, which were evaluated with a rating system and verified with the intraoperative situation.

Results

When only CISS data was used, nerves and vessels were better visualized at 1.5 Tesla. After fusion, flow and pulsation artifacts were reduced in both cases, missing vessel sections were supplemented at 3.0 Tesla and 3D visualization at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla led to anatomically comparable results. By subsequent manual correction, the remaining artifacts were further eliminated, with the 3D visualization being significantly better at 3.0 Tesla, since the higher field strength led to sharper contours of small vessel and nerve structures.

Conclusion

3D visualizations at 1.5 Tesla are sufficiently detailed for planning microvascular decompression and can be used without restriction. Fusion further improves the quality of 3D visualization at 3.0 Tesla and enables an even more accurate delineation of cranial nerves and vessels.
Insights from the Compilation and Critical Assessment of Breach and Runout Characteristics from Historical Tailings Dam Failures: Implications for Numerical Modelling
Authors: Adria Daniel A. M. , Ghahramani Negar , Rana Nahyan M. , Martin Violeta , McDougall Scott , Evans Stephen G. , Take W. Andy
Published: November 2023

Numerical models are used for detailed and site-specific tailings dam breach analyses (TDBAs) to estimate the downstream inundation and deposition resulting from a potential breach at a tailings dam. The results of TDBAs are key inputs into risk assessments, consequence classification, and emergency planning. This paper describes the research and development of a database of 12 tailings dam breach events with a specific focus on observations that are needed for numerical modelling, in conjunction with an assessment of existing dam breach conventions to improve consistency in reporting. The characteristics relevant to modelling include outflow volumes, breach processes, breach geometries, and runout observations local to the downstream area. This study and the new database shed light on the diversity of outflow materials, facility arrangements, breach processes, and downstream environments that affect the breach development and tailings runout. Familiarity with case studies is a crucial element of expert judgement for forward-analysis TDBAs, which this database supports. The database can also be used to define model inputs for back-analysis of additional tailings dam breach events, and simultaneously provides calibration or validation constraints with the runout observations. Continued review and critical assessments are needed to reduce uncertainties and to enhance case history data availability and quality in this database.
RGS$$^\oplus $$: RDF graph synchronization for collaborative robotics
Authors: Berger Cyrille , Doherty Patrick , Rudol Piotr , Wzorek Mariusz
Published: November 2023

In the context of collaborative robotics, distributed situation awareness is essential for supporting collective intelligence in teams of robots and human agents where it can be used for both individual and collective decision support. This is particularly important in applications pertaining to emergency rescue and crisis management. During operational missions, data and knowledge is gathered incrementally and in different ways by heterogeneous robots and humans. The purpose of this paper is to describe an RDF Graph Synchronization System called RGS$$^\oplus $$⊕. It is assumed that a dynamic set of agents provide or retrieve knowledge stored in their local RDF Graphs which are continuously synchronized between agents. The RGS$$^\oplus $$⊕System was designed to handle unreliable communication and does not rely on a static centralized infrastructure. It is capable of synchronizing knowledge as timely as possible and allows agents to access knowledge while it is incrementally acquired. A deeper empirical analysis of the RGS$$^\oplus $$⊕System is provided that shows both its efficiency and efficacy.
Comparing Machine Learning and Deep Learning Techniques for Text Analytics: Detecting the Severity of Hate Comments Online
Authors: Marshan Alaa , Nizar Farah Nasreen Mohamed , Ioannou Athina , Spanaki Konstantina
Published: November 2023

Social media platforms have become an increasingly popular tool for individuals to share their thoughts and opinions with other people. However, very often people tend to misuse social media posting abusive comments. Abusive and harassing behaviours can have adverse effects on people's lives. This study takes a novel approach to combat harassment in online platforms by detecting the severity of abusive comments, that has not been investigated before. The study compares the performance of machine learning models such as Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine, with deep learning models such as Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM). Moreover, in this work we investigate the effect of text pre-processing on the performance of the machine and deep learning models, the feature set for the abusive comments was made using unigrams and bigrams for the machine learning models and word embeddings for the deep learning models. The comparison of the models’ performances showed that the Random Forest with bigrams achieved the best overall performance with an accuracy of (0.94), a precision of (0.91), a recall of (0.94), and an F1 score of (0.92). The study develops an efficient model to detect severity of abusive language in online platforms, offering important implications both to theory and practice.