bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stochasticity in the synchronization of strongly coupled spiking oscillators
Authors: Qiu Erbin , Salev Pavel , Fratino Lorenzo , Rocco Rodolfo , Navarro Henry , Adda Coline , Li Junjie , Lee Min-Han , Kalcheim Yoav , Rozenberg Marcelo , Schuller Ivan K.
Published: March 2023

Synchronization of electrical oscillators is a crucial step toward practical implementation of oscillator-based and bio-inspired computing. Here, we report the emergence of an unusual stochastic pattern in coupled spiking Mott nanodevices. Although a moderate capacitive coupling results in a deterministic alternating spiking, increasing the coupling strength leads counterintuitively to stochastic disruptions of the alternating spiking sequence. The disruptions of the deterministic spiking sequence are a direct consequence of the small intrinsic stochasticity in electrical triggering of the insulator–metal transition. Although the stochasticity is subtle in individual nanodevices, it becomes dramatically enhanced just in a single pair of coupled oscillators and, thus, dominates the synchronization. This is different from the stochasticity and multimodal coupling, appearing due to collective effects in large oscillator networks. The stochastic spiking pattern in Mott nanodevices results in a discrete inter-spike interval distribution resembling those in biological neurons. Our results advance the understanding of the emergent synchronization properties in spiking oscillators and provide a platform for hardware-level implementation of probabilistic computing and biologically plausible electronic devices.
Tuning electrical properties in Ga2O3 polymorphs induced with ion beams
Authors: Polyakov A. Y. , Kochkova А. I. , Azarov A. , Venkatachalapathy V. , Miakonkikh A. V. , Vasilev A. A. , Chernykh A. V. , Shchemerov I. V. , Romanov A. A. , Kuznetsov A. , Pearton S. J.
Published: March 2023

Ion beam fabrication of metastable polymorphs of Ga2O3, assisted by the controllable accumulation of the disorder in the lattice, is an interesting alternative to conventional deposition techniques. However, the adjustability of the electrical properties in such films is unexplored. In this work, we investigated two strategies for tuning the electron concentration in the ion beam created metastable κ-polymorph: adding silicon donors by ion implantation and adding hydrogen via plasma treatments. Importantly, all heat treatments were limited to ≤600 °C, set by the thermal stability of the ion beam fabricated polymorph. Under these conditions, silicon doping did not change the high resistive state caused by the iron acceptors in the initial wafer and residual defects accumulated upon the implants. Conversely, treating samples in a hydrogen plasma converted the ion beam fabricated κ-polymorph to n-type, with a net donor density in the low 1012 cm−3 range and dominating deep traps near 0.6 eV below the conduction band. The mechanism explaining this n-type conductivity change may be due to hydrogen forming shallow donor complexes with gallium vacancies and/or possibly passivating a fraction of the iron acceptors responsible for the high resistivity in the initial wafers.
Electromagnetic enhanced ignition of octogen explosive at subnormal temperatures: A numerical study
Authors: Lystrom Levi , Higginbotham Duque Amanda L. , Perry W. Lee
Published: March 2023

The thermal decomposition and ignition of high-performance high explosives occur via a mechanism where the solid phase sublimes and the parent molecules decompose rapidly in the gas phase to form unstable and charged intermediates. These intermediates continue to react and form the final products to release energy and do work. We have observed that the presence of electromagnetic energy significantly reduces the ignition temperature of a common high explosive, and data suggest that this occurs via electromagnetic interactions with the charged gas-phase intermediates. Here, we modified the thermal decomposition kinetic expressions for octogen (High Melt eXplosive, HMX) to couple the effects of an incident microwave (MW) field. This modified kinetic model is used to investigate our previous experimental work which showed that the surface temperature at ignition of HMX powder is reduced by the MW field. The Fridman–Macheret α-model is a common approach in plasma chemistry and was incorporated into the Henson/Smilowitz HMX kinetics; this effectively reduces the activation energy (Ea) by vibronically excited charged reactive intermediates. A modified kinetic model was implemented into the COMSOL Multiphysics Software. The thermal time to ignition was validated; as a result, plasma formation reduced the surface temperature by ∼23 °C compared to thermal ignition. With a validated kinetic model that can simulate both pure thermal ignition and mixed thermal/plasma ignition, we are able to simulate our previous experimental work showing that plasma ignition reduces the surface temperature at ignition compared to thermal initiation.
Polysulfide cluster formation, surface reaction, and role of fluorinated additive on solid electrolyte interphase formation at sodium-metal anode for sodium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Singsen Sirisak , Hirunsit Pussana , Suthirakun Suwit , Balbuena Perla B.
Published: March 2023

Room-temperature sodium–sulfur batteries are promising next-generation energy storage alternatives for electric vehicles and large-scale applications. However, they still suffer from critical issues such as polysulfide shuttling, which inhibit them from commercialization. In this work, using first-principles methods, we investigated the cluster formation of soluble Na2S8 molecules, the reductive decomposition of ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC), and the role of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive in the solid electrolyte interphase formation on the Na anode. The clustering of Na2S8 in an EC solvent is found to be more favorable than in a PC solvent. In the presence of an electron-rich Na (001) surface, EC decomposition undergoes a two-electron transfer reaction with a barrier of 0.19 eV for a ring-opening process, whereas PC decomposition is difficult on the same surface. Although the reaction kinetics of an FEC ring opening in the EC and PC solvents are quite similar, the reaction mechanisms of the open FEC are found to be different in each solvent, although both lead to the production of NaF on the surface. The thick NaF layers reduce the extent of charge transfer to Na2S8 at the anode/electrolyte interface, thus decelerating the Na2S8 decomposition reaction. Our results provide an atomistic insight into the interfacial phenomena between the Na-metal anode surface and electrolyte media.
Numerical study of the mechanisms of the longitudinal pulsed detonation in two-dimensional rotating detonation combustors
Authors: He Xiao-Jian , Liu Xiang-Yang , Wang Jian-Ping
Published: March 2023

A numerical study of the longitudinal pulsed detonation (LPD) is conducted in the present paper. The occurrence mechanism of the LPD, called shock wave amplification by coherent energy release, is verified preliminarily in this study. To be specific, upstream propagating shock waves, which originate from the outlet, induce a specific gradient of reactant distribution, and then detonation waves are ignited and evolve along the gradient in close succession. It is worth noting that the occurrence of LPD does not mean that the LPD will necessarily be sustained. The low injection pressure ratio PR (i.e., the ratio of inlet pressure to outlet pressure) = 1.3 is found to be conducive to the sustenance of the LPD instability in the baseline model. A lower PR (PR ≤ 1.2) or a slightly higher PR (1.4 ≤ PR ≤ 1.8) shall lead to an unstable detonation or quenching of detonations, while a much higher PR (PR > 1.8) contributes to the formation of stable canonical rotating detonation waves. In addition, the combustion regimes of five combustors of different heights at different PR are explored. As the combustion chamber height increases, the PR of the sustainable LPD is nearly linearly increasing, and its operating frequency decreases gradually. The calculation formula between the sustainable LPD propagating frequency and the natural acoustic resonance frequency of the combustor is employed and discussed, but in consideration of its imperfection, further investigation is required.
Experimental study and kinetic modeling of methanol conversion to propylene with co-feeding of C4 and C5/C6 hydrocarbon cuts over a ZSM-5 catalyst
Authors: Alaei S. Hadi , Khorasheh Farhad , Jafari Nasr M. Reza , Arjmand Mehdi
Published: March 2023

Extensive experimental data were used to develop a comprehensive kinetic model for the methanol to propylene (MTP) process over a ZSM-5 catalyst. Preliminary experiments were performed to determine the reaction conditions that would ensure the absence of external (film) and internal mass transfer resistances. The kinetic experiments were subsequently carried out at 420–500 °C under conditions where mass transfer limitations were absent. A detailed reaction network was proposed for the MTP process based on the experimental product distribution and various reported kinetic models in the literature. According to the first series of experiments (without C4 and C5/C6 recycle streams) conducted at various temperatures, the best yield for propylene production was achieved at 480 °C with a water to methanol ratio of 0.7. Subsequently, kinetic experiments were performed at 480 °C and a water to methanol ratio of 0.7 using feeds with different amounts of C4 and C5/C6 hydrocarbons as recycle streams. Species material balances for the integral tubular reactor along with power-law rate functions and the Arrhenius equation for rate constants were employed in an optimization algorithm to obtain the kinetic parameters. The predictive ability of the model was checked against experimental data, and the kinetic parameters were validated by additional experiments.
How to validate machine-learned interatomic potentials
Authors: Morrow Joe D. , Gardner John L. A. , Deringer Volker L.
Published: March 2023

Machine learning (ML) approaches enable large-scale atomistic simulations with near-quantum-mechanical accuracy. With the growing availability of these methods, there arises a need for careful validation, particularly for physically agnostic models—that is, for potentials that extract the nature of atomic interactions from reference data. Here, we review the basic principles behind ML potentials and their validation for atomic-scale material modeling. We discuss the best practice in defining error metrics based on numerical performance, as well as physically guided validation. We give specific recommendations that we hope will be useful for the wider community, including those researchers who intend to use ML potentials for materials “off the shelf.”
Dissimilar cavitation dynamics and damage patterns produced by parallel fiber alignment to the stone surface in holmium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser lithotripsy
Authors: Xiang Gaoming , Li Daiwei , Chen Junqin , Mishra Arpit , Sankin Georgy , Zhao Xuning , Tang Yuqi , Wang Kevin , Yao Junjie , Zhong Pei
Published: March 2023

Recent studies indicate that cavitation may play a vital role in laser lithotripsy. However, the underlying bubble dynamics and associated damage mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we use ultra-high-speed shadowgraph imaging, hydrophone measurements, three-dimensional passive cavitation mapping (3D-PCM), and phantom test to investigate the transient dynamics of vapor bubbles induced by a holmium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser and their correlation with solid damage. We vary the standoff distance (SD) between the fiber tip and solid boundary under parallel fiber alignment and observe several distinctive features in bubble dynamics. First, long pulsed laser irradiation and solid boundary interaction create an elongated “pear-shaped” bubble that collapses asymmetrically and forms multiple jets in sequence. Second, unlike nanosecond laser-induced cavitation bubbles, jet impact on solid boundary generates negligible pressure transients and causes no direct damage. A non-circular toroidal bubble forms, particularly following the primary and secondary bubble collapses at SD = 1.0 and 3.0 mm, respectively. We observe three intensified bubble collapses with strong shock wave emissions: the intensified bubble collapse by shock wave, the ensuing reflected shock wave from the solid boundary, and self-intensified collapse of an inverted “triangle-shaped” or “horseshoe-shaped” bubble. Third, high-speed shadowgraph imaging and 3D-PCM confirm that the shock origins from the distinctive bubble collapse form either two discrete spots or a “smiling-face” shape. The spatial collapse pattern is consistent with the similar BegoStone surface damage, suggesting that the shockwave emissions during the intensified asymmetric collapse of the pear-shaped bubble are decisive for the solid damage.
An entropy viscosity method for large eddy simulation of turbulent thermal flow in a rotor–stator cavity
Authors: Du Qiang , Xie Yaguang , Wang Zhicheng , Jiang Xiaomo , Xie Lei
Published: March 2023

Turbulent flow and heat transfer in a rotor–stator cavity have fundamental importance in both academia of turbulence research and the industry of rotating turbomachinery. The main characteristic of the flow is that there is the centrifugal Ekman layer on the rotor and the centripetal Bödewadt layer on the stator, which are separated by a central rotating core. In this paper, an entropy viscosity subgrid model based on the large eddy simulation (LES) method is proposed to solve the complex flow with heat transfer in a rotating frame at high Reynolds numbers. The method is fully validated by the simulation of turbulent thermal flow in a closed stator–rotor cavity up to Re=106. By performing 12 simulations, the sensitivity of the simulation results to mesh resolution and the free parameters of entropy viscosity are systematically studied, and the proper range for the parameters is determined. In particular, it is found that the prediction on the mean flow and fluctuation from the simple turbulent diffusivity model, which scales linearly with the eddy viscosity, is as accurate as that from the alternative model that is a more computationally complex model. Despite the comparable accuracy, the entropy viscosity-based LES uses the mesh resolution two-order lower than that of direct numerical simulation; therefore, it is feasible to apply the LES to the flow at the practical Reynolds number in an aircraft engine, that is, Re≥107.
A silicon metasurface for full-Stokes polarimetry of infrared light
Authors: Ren Yongze , Wang Junmin , Huo Pengcheng , Zhang Song , Xia Chunsheng , Xu Ting
Published: March 2023

Polarimetry, refers to the measurement of polarization states, has triggered vital applications in polarization imaging, biological sensing, and quantum optics. Traditional polarimetry has been well established to characterize polarization states but with bulk optical elements. With the development of micro- and nano-optics, a polarimetry device with ultracompact architecture is highly on-demand. Herein, a silicon metasurface-based full-Stokes polarimetry device for long-wavelength infrared light is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The metasurface is composed of silicon micropillar array, each of which can be regarded as a micro-scale birefringent wave-plate. Through a polarization-dependent phase profile design, the metasurface has the ability to split and focus different polarization states and, thus, is capable of achieving full-Stokes polarimetry. The demonstrated strategy holds the potential applications for infrared polarization detection and imaging in compact systems.
Thermodynamic properties study of polyoxometalate Na7[H2PV14O42]
Authors: Song Kun , Jin Xin , Lv Xiaodong , Xin Yuntao , Lv Xuewei
Published: March 2023

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in electronic applications because of their high voltage, high specific energy, long lifespan, and other characteristics. Electrode materials have garnered interest as an indispensable component of LIBs. Na7[H2PV14O42] is used as an electrode material because of its excellent properties. In this study, Na7[H2PV14O42] was synthesized by the water bath method using NaVO3 as the raw material, experimentally characterized, and its thermodynamic data were measured using the Neumann–Kopp rule from 298.15 to 843 K, a Physical Property Measurement System from 15 to 309 K, and the MHTC 96 line from 473 to 773 K. The data were fitted to the Debye–Einstein heat capacity equation at low temperatures and a polynomial function at higher temperatures. The heat capacity equation of Na7[H2PV14O42] was obtained from the fitted curves. The corresponding enthalpy (▵298.15THm), entropy (▵298.15TSm), and Gibbs energy (▵298.15TGm) (from 298.15 to 800 K) were calculated according to the heat capacity equation. The obtained heat capacity of Na7[H2PV14O42], as a function of temperature, was modeled as Cp = 1502.30 + 0.27T − 2.44E7T−2 J mol−1 K−1 (473–773 K). This study can compensate for the thermodynamic deficiency of Na7[H2PV14O42].
Ultralow-current density spin-torque diodes with high sensitivity
Authors: Zhang Like , Tu Huayao , Luo Yanxiang , Zeng Kexin , Tao Xu , Zhao Dong , Fang Bin , Zeng Zhongming
Published: March 2023

Spin-torque diodes (STDs) offer the possibility of using spin torque to generate rectification voltage with promising applications in microwave detecting, energy harvesting, and neuromorphic computing. Here, we demonstrate a highly sensitive STD with ultralow current density based on a magnetic tunnel junction with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. At zero magnetic field, a high sensitivity exceeding 3785 V/W is obtained with a low current of −20 μA, corresponding to a current density of ∼105 A/cm2, which is one order lower than the previously reported. When a weak external magnetic field is applied, the sensitivity can be further increased by five times to 20 000 V/W. Furthermore, we construct an artificial neural network with STD neurons to perform recognition of handwritten digits in the Mixed National Institute of Standards and Technology database, where a produced accuracy of up to 94.92% is obtained. Our work provides a route to develop low-power consumption high-sensitivity STDs for Internet of Things applications and neuromorphic computing.
A new setup for optical measurements under controlled environment
Authors: Moldarev Dmitrii , Komander Kristina , Holeňák Radek , Wolff Max , Primetzhofer Daniel
Published: March 2023

We present a new analytical instrument for studying the optical properties of materials in different gaseous environments at room and controlled elevated temperatures. The system consists of a vacuum chamber, which is equipped with temperature and pressure controllers, a heating band, and a residual gas analyzer and is connected to a gas feeding line via a leak valve. Two transparent view ports located around a sample holder allow for optical transmission and pump-probe spectroscopy using an external optical setup. The capabilities of the setup are demonstrated by conducting two experiments. In the first experiment, we study the photodarkening and bleaching kinetics of photochromic oxygen-containing yttrium hydride thin films illuminated in ultra high-vacuum and correlate it with changes in partial pressures inside the vacuum chamber. In the second study, we investigate changes in the optical properties of a 50 nm V film upon hydrogen absorption.
Aerodynamic evaluation of cascade flow with actual geometric uncertainties using an adaptive sparse arbitrary polynomial chaos expansion
Authors: Guo Zhengtao , Chu Wuli , Zhang Haoguang , Liang Caiyun , Meng Dejun
Published: March 2023

In this paper, an adaptive sparse arbitrary polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) is first proposed to quantify the performance impact of realistic multi-dimensional manufacturing uncertainties. The Stieltjes algorithm is employed to generate the PCE basis functions concerning geometric variations with arbitrary distributions. The basis-adaptive Bayesian compressive sensing algorithm is introduced to retain a small number of significant PCE basis functions, requiring fewer model training samples while preserving fitting accuracy. Second, several benchmark tests are used to verify the computational efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. Eventually, the coexistence effects of six typical machining deviations on the aerodynamic performance and flow fields of a controlled diffusion compressor cascade are investigated. The probability distributions of the machining deviations are approximated by limited measurement data using kernel density estimation. By uncertainty quantification, it can be learned that the mean performance seriously deteriorates with increasing incidences, while the performance at negative incidences is more dispersed. By global sensitivity analysis, the leading-edge profile error should be given high priority when working at negative incidences, and the inlet metal angle error would be carefully inspected first when the cascade works at high positive incidences. Furthermore, controlling the manufacturing accuracy of the suction surface profile error can play a certain role in improving the robustness of aerodynamic performance in off-design conditions. Through flow field analysis, it further proves that actual leading-edge errors are the most important ones to aerodynamics and reveals how the effects of leading-edge errors propagate in the cascade passage, thus affecting the aerodynamic loss.
Effect of applied stresses on magnetic properties of Co and Fe-rich glass-coated microwires
Authors: García-Gómez A. , Corte-León P. , Ipatov M. , Zhukova V. , Gonzalez J. , Fert A. , Alonso A. , Gomez E. , Zhukov A.
Published: March 2023

In this article we evaluate the possibility of using glass coated magnetic microwires as an alternative to optical fiber devices in structural health monitoring in the railway industry. The effect of applied stress on hysteresis loops of Fe71.80B13.27Si11.02Nb2.99Ni0.92 and Co65.34Si12.00B10.20Cr8.48Fe3.90Mo0.08 microwires has been studied and analyzed. An interpolation function has been obtained relating the coercitivity Hc with the applied stress.
Corrigendum to: Production and performance of commercial beef breeding females in northern Australia. 4. Factors influencing the occurrence of lactating cows becoming pregnant within 4 months of calving
Authors: McCosker K. D. , Perkins N. R. , Fordyce G. , O’Rourke P. K. , McGowan M. R.
Published: March 2023

 Context Sound reproductive efficiency is a key determinant for the overall productivity of a beef breeding business. For beef breeding herds to obtain high levels of reproductive productivity, breeding females need to efficiently become pregnant while lactating.

 Aims This study aimed to determine and quantify the major factors associated with lactating cows becoming pregnant within 4months of calving (P4M) in commercial beef breeding herds of northern Australia.

 Methods A prospective epidemiological study was conducted using 78 commercial northern Australian beef breeding herds and involved 78 000 cattle that were monitored for 3–4years. A multivariable model-building process was employed to scrutinise the resulting dataset to identify what herd-management practices, and nutritional, environmental and individual cow factors were major determinants of lactating cows becoming pregnant within 4months of calving (P4M) and to estimate their magnitudes of effect.

 Key results Overall, 41.6% of cows per production year were successful for P4M. Country type was strongly associated with 65.4%, 57.5%, 61.8% and 16.4% P4M for the Southern Forest, Central Forest, Northern Downs, and Northern Forest respectively. Between-year variability ranged between 3.3 and 11.7 percentage points. Cows calving in December–January (61%) had a substantially higher occurrence of P4M than did cows calving between July and September (15%). The difference in P4M when comparing availability of wet-season pasture protein and phosphorus was 12.7 and 20.3 percentage points respectively. Modelling of the impact of group seroprevalence and management group prevalence of recent infection with several infectious diseases was estimated, with a large negative association between group bovine viral diarrhoea seroprevalence and P4M suggested.

 Conclusions This study further demonstrated the substantial impact that environment, herd management practices, nutrition and disease factors can have on the reproductive performance of females.

 Implications To optimise the performance of females (through increasing the occurrence of cows contributing calves in consecutive years) under commercial conditions in northern Australia, herd managers should focus on maximising the proportion of cows within a herd calving at the desired time of the year, ensuring that any nutritional deficiencies and herd health issues are managed, and that cows are managed such that they are of good body condition score at the time of calving.
Neuron-specific transcriptomic signatures indicate neuroinflammation and altered neuronal activity in ASD temporal cortex
Authors: Zhang Pan , Omanska Alicja , Ander Bradley P. , Gandal Michael J. , Stamova Boryana , Schumann Cynthia M.
Published: March 2023

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous disorder, yet transcriptomic profiling of bulk brain tissue has identified substantial convergence among dysregulated genes and pathways in ASD. However, this approach lacks cell-specific resolution. We performed comprehensive transcriptomic analyses on bulk tissue and laser-capture microdissected (LCM) neurons from 59 postmortem human brains (27 ASD and 32 controls) in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) of individuals ranging from 2 to 73 years of age. In bulk tissue, synaptic signaling, heat shock protein-related pathways, and RNA splicing were significantly altered in ASD. There was age-dependent dysregulation of genes involved in gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) (GAD1andGAD2) and glutamate (SLC38A1) signaling pathways. In LCM neurons, AP-1-mediated neuroinflammation and insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathways were upregulated in ASD, while mitochondrial function, ribosome, and spliceosome components were downregulated. GABA synthesizing enzymesGAD1andGAD2were both downregulated in ASD neurons. Mechanistic modeling suggested a direct link between inflammation and ASD in neurons, and prioritized inflammation-associated genes for future study. Alterations in small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) associated with splicing events suggested interplay between snoRNA dysregulation and splicing disruption in neurons of individuals with ASD. Our findings supported the fundamental hypothesis of altered neuronal communication in ASD, demonstrated that inflammation was elevated at least in part in ASD neurons, and may reveal windows of opportunity for biotherapeutics to target the trajectory of gene expression and clinical manifestation of ASD throughout the human lifespan.
Competing constraints shape the nonequilibrium limits of cellular decision-making
Authors: Lammers Nicholas C. , Flamholz Avi I. , Garcia Hernan G.
Published: March 2023

Gene regulation is central to cellular function. Yet, despite decades of work, we lack quantitative models that can predict how transcriptional control emerges from molecular interactions at the gene locus. Thermodynamic models of transcription, which assume that gene circuits operate at equilibrium, have previously been employed with considerable success in the context of bacterial systems. However, the presence of ATP-dependent processes within the eukaryotic transcriptional cycle suggests that equilibrium models may be insufficient to capture how eukaryotic gene circuits sense and respond to input transcription factor concentrations. Here, we employ simple kinetic models of transcription to investigate how energy dissipation within the transcriptional cycle impacts the rate at which genes transmit information and drive cellular decisions. We find that biologically plausible levels of energy input can lead to significant gains in how rapidly gene loci transmit information but discover that the regulatory mechanisms underlying these gains change depending on the level of interference from noncognate activator binding. When interference is low, information is maximized by harnessing energy to push the sensitivity of the transcriptional response to input transcription factors beyond its equilibrium limits. Conversely, when interference is high, conditions favor genes that harness energy to increase transcriptional specificity by proofreading activator identity. Our analysis further reveals that equilibrium gene regulatory mechanisms break down as transcriptional interference increases, suggesting that energy dissipation may be indispensable in systems where noncognate factor interference is sufficiently large.
Genome editing in rice: New paths for an old crop
Authors: Oliveira Nizolli Valeria , de Oliveira Victoria Freitas , da Maia Luciano Carlos , Pegoraro Camila , de Oliveira Antonio Costa
Published: March 2023

Rice is one of the most consumed cereals worldwide and feeds about 3 billion people. However, the occurrence of climate changes has influenced abiotic and biotic stresses and consequently affected the production and quality of rice grains. The development of new, higher yielding cultivars is necessary to ensure global food security. Although great progress has already been achieved by conventional breeding, biotechnological tools, such as transgenics and genome editing, can aid in meeting future demands. Gene editing is characterized by cutting and modifying target genes. Among the genome editing techniques, CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas), has been proposed because of its ease of manipulation. Variants such as multiple Cas proteins, base editing and prime editing, which aim to increase editing efficiency have also been proposed. Edited plants are more accepted because they are transgene-free. Thus, the objective of this review is to describe the different gene editing techniques and their respective applications in rice breeding. It was observed that the CRISPR/Cas tool was efficient in gene editing in studies related to yield, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and rice grain quality. However, the impact of this approach in breeding programs depends on the cultivation of edited plants on a large scale in the field. Based on the progress made so far, it is believed that rice breeders can bet on CRISPR/Cas and its variants to help face the current and future challenges of climate change and high food demand.
What research is important today in human development, learning and education? JSED Editors’ reflections and research calls (¿Qué investigación es importante hoy día en desarrollo humano, aprendizaje y educación? Reflexiones y llamamientos de investigación de los Editores de JSED)
Authors: Bautista Alfredo , Cerdán Raquel , García-Carrión Rocío , Salsa Analía M. , Aldoney Daniela , Cabedo-Mas Alberto , Campos Ruth , Clarà Marc , Gámez-Guadix Manuel , Ilari Beatriz , Kammerer Yvonne , Macedo-Rouet Mônica , Mendive Susana , Múñez David , Saux Gastón I. , Sun He , Sun Jin , Ventura Ana Clara , Yang Weipeng , Khalfaoui Andrea , Noguera Ivana R. , Máñez Ignacio , Yeung Jerry
Published: March 2023

‘In your opinion, what are some important research questions, problems or challenges that scholars in your field of specialization should address in the coming years? What types of studies should be conducted to move your field further? Please justify’. This prompt was posed by the incoming Editor of JSED to the new team of Deputy and Associate Editors in the journal’s three thematic areas (human development, learning and education), who were invited to co-author this Editorial. We briefly describe the history of JSED, present the composition of its new Editorial Board, highlight modifications recently introduced in our aims and scope and inform readers about our vision, goals and strategies for the upcoming years. The next section presents the Editors’ individual responses to the above-mentioned prompt, in the spirit of sharing perspectives with our scientific community. Finally, we identify common topics that emerged within the three thematic areas and encourage authors to send us high-quality manuscripts that fill the identified research gaps. JSED aims to foster a paradigm of ‘glocalization’ in development, learning and education research.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiC nanoparticles reinforced 7075 aluminium alloy fabricated by oscillating laser-arc hybrid additive manufacturing
Authors: Li Bingchen , Chen Xi , Jiang Meng , Ma Shengchong , Wang Zhiyuan , Lei Zhenglong , Chen Yanbin
Published: March 2023

In this work, TiC nanoparticles (TiCps) reinforced 7075 aluminium alloy was fabricated via an oscillating laser-arc hybrid additive manufacturing process. To show the beneficial effect of TiCps addition on microstructure and mechanical properties, a conventional 7075 aluminium alloy was also manufactured for comparison. Upon the addition of TiCps, remarkable grain refinement was achieved with a decrease in average grain size from 111.8 to 12.5 µm, and grain boundary segregation was alleviated. It was also found that many secondary phases precipitated at the grain interior in the deposit with TiCps. Owing to the refined microstructure and favourable precipitation, as-deposited 7075 aluminium alloy with TiCps showed enhanced tensile properties of ultimate tensile strengths of 346 and 355 MPa along scanning and build directions.
Late-time post-merger modeling of a compact binary: effects of relativity, r-process heating, and treatment of transport
Authors: Haddadi Milad , Duez Matthew D , Foucart Francois , Ramirez Teresita , Fernández Rodrigo , Knight Alexander L , Jesse Jerred , Hébert Francois , Kidder Lawrence E , Pfeiffer Harald P , Scheel Mark A
Published: March 2023

Detectable electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves from compact binary mergers can be produced by outflows from the black hole-accretion disk remnant during the first 10 s after the merger. Two-dimensional axisymmetric simulations with effective viscosity remain an efficient and informative way to model this late-time post-merger evolution. In addition to the inherent approximations of axisymmetry and modeling turbulent angular momentum transport by a viscosity, previous simulations often make other simplifications related to the treatment of the equation of state and turbulent transport effects. In this paper, we test the effect of these modeling choices. By evolving with the same viscosity the exact post-merger initial configuration previously evolved in Newtonian viscous hydrodynamics, we find that the Newtonian treatment provides a good estimate of the disk ejecta mass but underestimates the outflow velocity. We find that the inclusion of heavy nuclei causes a notable increase in ejecta mass. An approximate inclusion of r-process effects has a comparatively smaller effect, except for its designed effect on the composition. Diffusion of composition and entropy, modeling turbulent transport effects, has the overall effect of reducing ejecta mass and giving it a speed with lower average and more tightly-peaked distribution. Also, we find significant acceleration of outflow even at distances beyond 10 000 km, so that thermal wind velocities only asymptote beyond this radius and at higher values than often reported.
Weyl curvature evolution system for GR
Authors: Krasnov Kirill , Shaw Adam
Published: March 2023

Starting from the chiral first-order pure connection formulation of General Relativity, we put the field equations of GR in a strikingly simple evolution system form. The two dynamical fields are a complex symmetric tracefree

3
×
3

matrix

Ψ

i
j

, which encodes the self-dual part of the Weyl curvature tensor, as well as a spatial

S
O

(
3
,

C

)

connection

A
a
i

. The right-hand sides of the evolution equations also contain the triad for the spatial metric, and this is constructed non-linearly from the field

Ψ

i
j

and the curvature of the spatial connection

A
a
i

. The evolution equations for this pair are first order in both time and spatial derivatives, and so simple that they could have been guessed without a computation. They are the most natural spin two generalisations of Maxwell’s spin one equations. We also determine the modifications of the evolution system needed to enforce the ‘constraint sweeping’, so that any possible numerical violation of the constraints present becomes propagating and gets removed from the computational grid.
Experimental study of medical isotopes 62,64Cu and 68Ga production using intense picosecond laser pulse
Authors: Cao Zongwei , Qi Wei , Lan Haoyang , Cui Bo , Zhang Xiaohui , Deng Zhigang , Zhang Zhimeng , Wang Guanlin , Zhang Liangqi , Li Xiankai , Yuan Yun , Li Xinxiang , Zhao Zongqing , Luo Wen , Zhou Weimin
Published: March 2023

Radioisotopes are indispensable agents in medical diagnosis and treatment, among which copper-62, 64 (62,64Cu) and gallium-68 (68Ga) are medical isotopes widely used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Experiments that generate these radioisotopes via laser-induced photonuclear reactions were performed on the XingGuangIII laser facility of the Laser Fusion Research Center in Mianyang. High-charge (

Q

e

∼ 40 nC) MeV electron (e−
) beams were generated with 100 terawatts, picosecond laser pulses. The e−
beams were then impinged on a metal stack composed of Ta foil and activation plates (natural Cu and Ga2O3), producing high-energy bremsstrahlung x-rays and medical isotopes 62,64Cu and 68Ga, respectively. The characteristic emissions of the produced 62,64Cu and 68Ga were detected off-line , and the production yields of 62,64Cu and 68Ga were obtained to be of the order of 106 per laser shot. For electrons with energy higher than 8 MeV, the dependence of isotope production efficiency (per e−
) on electron temperature (

T

e

) is investigated through Geant4 simulations. It is found that the production efficiency increases with the

T

e

. At

T

e

∼ 10 MeV, the values are 10−4 for 62Cu and 2 × 10
−

5 for 68Ga, respectively. The prospect of producing the medical isotopes 62,64Cu and 68Ga are further evaluated using a table-top femtosecond laser system of high repetition. With a repetition rate of 100 Hz, their activity is expected to reach 0.2 GBq for 62Cu, 0.1 GBq for 64Cu and 0.05 GBq for 68Ga, respectively. Such activity would meet the required dose for clinical PET imaging, indicating the great potential to produce medical isotopes with an all-optical, high-repetition laser system.
Validation and verification of a quasi two-dimensional turbulence model and an eddy detection method for liquid metal magnetohydrodynamics flows
Authors: Suarez Daniel , Iraola Eduardo , Serrat Joaquim , de les Valls Elisabet Mas , Futatani Shimpei , Batet Lluis
Published: March 2023

The flow of liquid metals in straight rectangular channels with an externally applied transverse magnetic field is considered for breeding blankets in tokamak fusion reactors. Under the tokamak magnetic field, the liquid metal experiences the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect that enhances the laminarization of the flow. In geometric singularities, or under certain flow conditions, the combination of Lorentz forces, momentum, and buoyant forces may trigger the formation of vortical structures. The generated vortices will align with the direction of the magnetic field, and therefore the use of a quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) model is convenient to study them assuming that the walls are electrically insulating and the Hartmann number

Ha

=
B
L

σ

/

μ

is high enough. Using this model is computationally affordable, allowing extensive parametric analyses. To identify the presence of eddies in the two-dimensional domain, the application of the bi-dimensional fast Fourier transform (FFT2) is foreseen as an adequate detection method. This work presents a methodology to systematically calculate liquid metal MHD flows with a Q2D model and evaluate the formation of eddies in the flow domain. The work includes a description of the validation and verification of the Q2D MHD model and of the FFT2 method proposed to automatically identify eddies. The sensitivity of the detection method is analyzed to subsequently apply it in parametric analyses.
EHD flow auxiliary particle collection in HVDC electrostatic precipitator based on PIV flow visualization technology
Authors: Yan Dongjie , Zhang Xiaohai , Li Zhenqiang , Abbas Ghulam , Yu Ya , Zhang Ziang
Published: March 2023

The electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is modified with the aid of an EHD flow in high voltage direct current (HVDC) to trap submicron-sized and ultra-high resistivity particles. In this study, the modified method for micron spherical silica was developed and optimized by particle image velocimetry (PIV) and numerical simulation. Meanwhile, scattering images of particle movement were obtained by laser and CCD camera. These results showed that the fine particles were driven by EHD flow towards the cavity. The D50 and D90 of particles measured by using the SYNC-type particle size analyzer inside the auxiliary dust removal cavity were 0.635 μm and 1.178 μm, which were much smaller than those of the particles deposited on the rear side of the cavity. The particle morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), which indicated that multi-layer particles were agglomerating on the surface of the plate electrodes. However, particles were distributed in loose mono-layer in the cavity with no obvious agglomeration. The results showed that the modified method improved the efficiency.
Wire grid polarizer based in-line laser interferometer for macroscopic and microscopic phase estimation of transmissive and reflective phase samples
Authors: Sengupta Chandan , Bhattacharya Kallol
Published: March 2023

This work describes a full-field and near-common-path in-line laser interferometer and interferometric microscope utilizing a wire-grid polarizer (WGP) placed normally on the laser beam illuminating the sample. The WGP serves the dual purpose of a beam splitter and a polarization separator where the reference and sample beams reflected and transmitted from it respectively are orthogonally polarized so that, unlike other conventional interferometers, polarization phase shifting is inherent in its architecture. This arrangement presents experimental results showing quantitative phase analysis of transparent and reflecting phase samples.
Using double slit experiment based on Bohr complementarity principle to transmit information without media transmission from the information source to destination
Authors: Liu ChuangRui , Liu HanRui , Liu XinHua
Published: March 2023

This paper proposes information transmission without media transmission from the information source to destination based on Bohr complementarity principle. When a single photon passes through Young’s double-slit, its particle degree characteristics increase with the path distinguishability increasing. After single photon passes through double-slit, the photons propagation route is divided into two regions, the source region and the destination region. Keep the path distinguishability in the destination region unchanged. Distinguish or not distinguish the path information in the source region. The distribution of photons on each region will be different after single photons pass through double-slit. Use the laser trigger signal on the front optical path to confirm whether the photons detected at the destination region are valid photons, rather than photon information of the source region. Count the percentage of photons falling in the destination region in the photons passing through the double-slit, by pre-synchronizing to make particle degree characteristics of each photon similar in each period of time. This percentage can reveal the photon path distinguishability of the source region. The interference visibility of the fringe formed by valid photons detected at the destination region can achieve the target too.
Influence of dislocations on ionic conductivity and dendrite formation in solid electrolytes
Authors: Yasui Kyuichi , Hamamoto Koichi
Published: March 2023

In order to study the recently proposed strategy to tailor the electrical property of ceramics by the introduction of dislocations, numerical calculations are performed on the influence of parallel straight dislocations on ionic conductivity and dendrite formation in single-crystal solid electrolytes. If the diameter of a dislocation pipe is more than √2 times larger than the distance between neighboring dislocations, the ionic current density is nearly uniform on the electrode and the dendrite formation would be avoided. Furthermore, under the condition, the mean ionic conductivity is higher than that without dislocations by several orders of magnitude. It may be practically possible to increase the ionic conductivity by several orders of magnitude without dendrite formation by introducing appropriate dislocations because the required dislocation density in the order of 1017 m−2 has already been reported experimentally although the reports were not for metal oxides.
Merging black holes: assessing the performance of two analytic gravitational waves models
Authors: Buskirk Dillon , Babiuc Hamilton Maria C.
Published: March 2023

Merging black holes produce the loudest signal in the detectors.
However, this is the most difficult signal to accurately predict with analytical techniques.
Only computer simulations can account for the nonlinear physics during the collision, but they are inherently complex, costly, and affected by numerical errors.
In order to bypass this problem, two analytical models for the merger have been developed: the Implicit Rotating Source (IRS) and the newer Backwards one Body (BoB).
In this work, we assess the performance of the BoB model by comparing it with the older IRS model and with the numerical data, identifying its strengths and weaknesses.
Our main finding reveals discrepancies in amplitude, but overall excellent accord in frequency.
The BoB model is comparable with the IRS and NR simulations, having the added advantage that it depends only indirectly on numerical data, it accounts for spin, and it offers a seamless fit with the analytical formalisms for the inspiral.
By independently evaluating and testing those models, we bring evidence of their reproducibility, thus upholding high scientific standards, and make available our implementation, enabling readers to evaluate our results themselves.