bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamical analysis of a competition‐diffusion‐advection system with Dirichlet boundary conditions
Authors: Ge Qing
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we consider the dynamical behaviors of a Lotka–Volterra competition‐diffusion‐advection system with Dirichlet boundary conditions in a one‐dimensional homogeneous environment, where the two competing species have the same growth and advection rates but different random dispersal rates. Firstly, We determine the existence and uniqueness of positive steady states for the single species model by investigating the properties of the corresponding principal eigenvalues. Secondly, some conditions are provided to assert the globally asymptotical stability of semi‐steady states for the two species competitive model. The results suggest that: (a) the species will prevail whenever it exists if the diffusion rate of the other species is small or large enough; (b) the species with much faster diffusion rate will win in the long run if the diffusion rates of the two species fall into some particular ranges. Finally, we show that if the appropriate diffusion rates are selected, then the two species will coexist. Our results indicate that both “competition exclusion principle” and “co‐existence” may happen depending on the different dispersal strategies.
Relation between injection molding conditions, fiber length and mechanical properties for highly reinforced long fiber polypropylene
Authors: Badiola Jon Haitz , Pineda Diego , Lekube Blanca Maria
Published: January 2023

A complete study on the relation between the injection molding parameters and the resulting fiber length, orientation and mechanical properties is presented for highly reinforced long fiber thermoplastic (LFT) polypropylene (PP). It has been found that the longest fibers obtained are the ones processed with the lowest backpressure and the highest screw speed. The backpressure gains importance over screw speed when the amount of glass fiber reinforcement increases, contrary to what was found for less reinforced thermoplastics. The injection speed does not influence the fiber breakage phenomena, while it has great importance in fiber orientation and thus on the tensile strength, especially when the weight fiber average length is below 1000 μm. When this average is over 1000 μm, fibers begin to weave a mesh that thickens the core region and hinds its orientation, reducing the tensile strength but improving impact resistance.
Semimetallic Orbital Hybridization by Particular Surface Engineering in Ternary Cobalt Silicide to Accelerate Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Shan Yun , Sun Xuhao , Wang Ying , Zhu Yuan , Li Tinghui
Published: January 2023

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays an important role in efficient energy conversion, but needs excellent catalysts to overcome the sluggish reaction kinetics. The classic reaction kinetics implies that catalytic activity strongly depends on the electronic‐state occupation at surface active sites. Herein, a semimetallic orbital‐hybridization strategy is suggested to optimize the reaction activity of metal site at ternary cobalt silicide surface by particular interlayer electronic‐state coupling, which is completely different from the atomic configuration with double‐layered metal surface. The detailed analysis about electronic structure demonstrates that the semimetallic orbital hybridization is responsible for reducing OER activation barrier, due to a proper bonding strength. Instead, the stronger metallization cannot benefit a fast intermediate dissociation, which requires a higher activation barrier at OER. Herein, a new insight into accelerating OER by a particular surface engineering is provided.
Data‐driven fault‐tolerant control for SISO nonlinear system with unknown sensor fault
Authors: Fan Huijin , Han Jingtian , Wang Bo
Published: January 2023

This paper studies the adaptive fault‐tolerant control problem for a general nonlinear discrete‐time SISO system with unknown system model and sensor fault. First, utilizing the input‐output (I/O) data, an equivalent full‐form dynamic linearization (FFDL) data model is to be constructed by introducing a pseudo‐gradient vector. Then, to estimate the system's actual output from the sensor measurements corrupted by unknown faults, a nonlinear autoregressive with external input neural network (NARXNN) is employed and well‐trained, by which the compensation of the fault signal can hence be derived indirectly. Based on the optimality criterion, an adaptive fault‐tolerant control (FTC) strategy is therefore proposed, which promises the convergence of tracking error and the boundedness of system signals. The effectiveness of the proposed FTC algorithm is illustrated by simulation results.
ℋ2 reset controller design for linear systems using piecewise quadratic Lyapunov functions
Authors: Ban Jaepil , Seo Minseok , Kim Sang Woo , Kim Young‐Jin
Published: January 2023

This study presents reset controller design conditions for multiple‐input and multiple‐output (MIMO) linear systems in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The design conditions were developed using a piecewise quadratic Lyapunov function (PWQLF), leading to less conservative conditions than using a common Lyapunov function. Achieving LMI relaxation of the PWQLF‐based reset controller design conditions for MIMO linear systems is challenging because (1) dividing the flow set of the reset condition is highly complex, (2) equality constraints, which make the PWQLF continuous on the boundaries between adjacent flow sets, prevent the use of congruence transformation in matrix inequalities, and (3) indefiniteness of the matrices for regional constraints also makes it difficult to apply standard LMI relaxation techniques. To overcome these difficulties, this study introduces a two‐dimensional projection of the plant's output measurements and reset controller's states to construct a reset condition, allowing the PWQLF to be tractable in MIMO linear systems. Then, a new stability analysis condition is derived using the elimination lemma, overcoming the challenges in LMI relaxation of the controller design attributed to the equality constraints and indefinite matrices. An LMI‐based reset controller design condition is then proposed based on the proposed stability analysis. To account for transient behavior, tracking reset controller design problem is addressed. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Distributed extremum‐seeking based resource allocation algorithm with input dead‐zone
Authors: Cai Xin , Zhong Huiru , Li Yanbiao , Liao Junbo , Nan Xinyuan , Gao Binpeng
Published: January 2023

This paper studies distributed resource allocation problem for agents with input dead‐zone, which is not considered in the existing work. At first, the primal problem is transformed to an auxiliary problem by using the exact penalty method to deal with local inequality constraints. It is assumed that the explicit expressions of cost functions and local inequality constraints are unknown to agents but the values of the cost and constraint functions can be obtained. Under such a setup, the extremum seeking control is used to estimate the gradient information. Thus, to obtain the optimal allocation, a novel distributed algorithm is designed by the virtue of the extremum seeking control and a dynamic compensating mechanism which is used to handle the effects of the input dead‐zone. Due to a two time‐scale structure of the designed distributed algorithm, the semi‐globally practically asymptotical convergence of all agents' decisions to the optimal allocation is obtained by the singular perturbation technique. Finally, numerical examples of economic dispatch in smart grids are given to verify the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Surface atomic structures of nickel plating films reacted with methane at high temperature
Authors: Miyazawa Kun'ichi , Asahara Makoto , Miyasaka Takeshi , Nagai Takuro , Kimoto Koji , Tanaka Yumi
Published: January 2023

The surface structure of Ni plating films that were reacted with methane at 800°C was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The surface of the Ni plating film was eroded by the reaction with methane, resulting in a nano‐roughened surface with a hexagonal close‐packed structure with a thickness of ~ 3 nm. The carbon layer deposited on the Ni plating film was evaluated by electron energy loss spectroscopy. An increase in the π + σ bonding energy and full width at half maximum of the π* peak was observed on moving toward the Ni plating film surface, indicating an increase in the hydrogenated or oxidized carbon atoms on the surface of the Ni plating film.
Fabrication of Carbon‐Based Quantum Dots via a “Bottom‐Up” Approach: Topology, Chirality, and Free Radical Processes in “Building Blocks”
Authors: Yang Siwei , Li Yongqiang , Chen Liangfeng , Wang Hang , Shang Liuyang , He Peng , Dong Hui , Wang Gang , Ding Guqiao
Published: January 2023

The discovery of carbon‐based quantum dots (CQDs) has allowed opportunities for fluorescence bioimaging, tumor diagnosis and treatment, and photo‐/electro‐catalysis. Nevertheless, in the existing reviews related to the “bottom‐up” approaches, attention is mainly paid to the applications of CQDs but not the formation mechanism of CQDs, which mainly derived from the high complexities during the synthesis of CQDs. Among the various synthetic methods, using small molecules as “building blocks”, the development of a “bottom‐up” approach has promoted the structural design, modulation of the photoluminescence properties, and control of the interfacial properties of CQDs. On the other hand, many works have demonstrated the “building blocks”‐dependent properties of CQDs. In this review, from one of the most important variables, the relationships among intrinsic properties of “building blocks” and photoluminescence properties of CQDs are summarized. The topology, chirality, and free radical process are selected as descriptors for the intrinsic properties of “building blocks”. This review focuses on the induction and summary of recent research results from the “bottom‐up” process. Moreover, several empirical rules pertaining thereto are also proposed.
Approaching Elaborate Control of the Nano‐Products of Carbothermal Reduction Reaction Through In Situ Identification
Authors: Zhang Jialin , Ji Yuan , Liu Huating , Cheng Ningyan , Guo Siqi , Yang Ming , Ren Long , Ge Binghui
Published: January 2023

Atomic understanding of a chemical reaction can realize the programmable design and synthesis of desired products with specific compositions and structures. Through directly monitoring the phase transition and tracking the dynamic evolution of atoms in a chemical reaction, in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques offer the feasibility of revealing the reaction kinetics at the atomic level. Nevertheless, such investigation is quite challenging, especially for reactions involving multi‐phase and complex interfaces, such as the widely adopted carbothermal reduction (CTR) reactions. Herein, in‐situ TEM is applied to monitor the CTR of Co3O4 nanocubes on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets. Together with the first‐principle calculation, the migration route of Co atoms during the phase transition of the CTR reaction is revealed. Meanwhile, the interfacial edge‐dislocations/stress‐gradient is identified as a result of the atomistic diffusion, which in turn can affect the morphology variation of the reactants. Accordingly, controllable synthesis of Co‐based nanostructure with a desirable phase and structure has been achieved. This work not only provides atomic kinetic insight into CTR reactions but also offers a novel strategy for the design and synthesis of functional nanostructures for emerging energy technologies.
Fundamental Understanding of Nonaqueous and Hybrid Na–CO2 Batteries: Challenges and Perspectives
Authors: Xu Changfan , Dong Yulian , Shen Yonglong , Zhao Huaping , Li Liqiang , Shao Guosheng , Lei Yong
Published: January 2023

Alkali metal–CO2 batteries, which combine CO2 recycling with energy conversion and storage, are a promising way to address the energy crisis and global warming. Unfortunately, the limited cycle life, poor reversibility, and low energy efficiency of these batteries have hindered their commercialization. Li–CO2 battery systems have been intensively researched in these aspects over the past few years, however, the exploration of Na–CO2 batteries is still in its infancy. To improve the development of Na–CO2 batteries, one must have a full picture of the chemistry and electrochemistry controlling the operation of Na–CO2 batteries and a full understanding of the correlation between cell configurations and functionality therein. Here, recent advances in CO2 chemical and electrochemical mechanisms on nonaqueous Na–CO2 batteries and hybrid Na–CO2 batteries (including O2‐involved Na–O2/CO2 batteries) are reviewed in‐depth and comprehensively. Following this, the primary issues and challenges in various battery components are identified, and the design strategies for the interfacial structure of Na anodes, electrolyte properties, and cathode materials are explored, along with the correlations between cell configurations, functional materials, and comprehensive performances are established. Finally, the prospects and directions for rationally constructing Na–CO2 battery materials are foreseen.
Scalable Synthesis of Holey Deficient 2D Co/NiO Single‐Crystal Nanomeshes via Topological Transformation for Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction
Authors: Zhang Tingshi , Zheng Yanting , Zhao Xin , Lin Mingxiong , Yang Bixia , Yan Jiawei , Zhuang Zanyong , Yu Yan
Published: January 2023

Preparation of holey, single‐crystal, 2D nanomaterials containing in‐plane nanosized pores is very appealing for the environment and energy‐related applications. Herein, an in situ topological transformation is showcased of 2D layered double hydroxides (LDHs) allows scalable synthesis of holey, single‐crystal 2D transition metal oxides (TMOs) nanomesh of ultrathin thickness. As‐synthesized 2D Co/NiO‐2 nanomesh delivers superior photocatalytic CO2‐syngas conversion efficiency (i.e., VCO of 32460 µmol h−1 g−1 CO and of 17840 µmol h−1 g−1 H2), with VCO about 7.08 and 2.53 times that of NiO and 2D Co/NiO‐1 nanomesh containing larger pore size, respectively. As revealed in high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF‐STEM), the high performance of Co/NiO‐2 nanomesh primarily originates from the edge sites of nanopores, which carry more defect structures (e.g., atomic steps or vacancies) than basal plane for CO2 adsorption, and from its single‐crystal structure adept at charge transport. Theoretical calculation shows the topological transformation from 2D hydroxide to holey 2D oxide can be achieved, probably since the trace Co dopant induces a lattice distortion and thus a sharp decrease of the dehydration energy of hydroxide precursor. The findings can advance the design of intriguing holey 2D materials with well‐defined geometric and electronic properties.
Biodegradable Cationic and Ionizable Cationic Lipids: A Roadmap for Safer Pharmaceutical Excipients
Authors: Jörgensen Arne Matteo , Wibel Richard , Bernkop‐Schnürch Andreas
Published: January 2023

Cationic and ionizable cationic lipids are broadly applied as auxiliary agents, but their use is associated with adverse effects. If these excipients are rapidly degraded to endogenously occurring metabolites such as amino acids and fatty acids, their toxic potential can be minimized. So far, synthesized and evaluated biodegradable cationic and ionizable cationic lipids already showed promising results in terms of functionality and safety. Within this review, an overview about the different types of such biodegradable lipids, the available building blocks, their synthesis and cleavage by endogenous enzymes is provided. Moreover, the relationship between the structure of the lipids and their toxicity is described. Their application in drug delivery systems is critically discussed and placed in context with the lead compounds used in mRNA vaccines. Moreover, their use as preservatives is reviewed, guidance for their design is provided, and an outlook on future developments is given.
Adsorbed p‐Aminothiophenol Molecules on Platinum Nanoparticles Improve Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Wang Jin , Yu Jinhong , Wang Junjie , Wang Kaili , Yu Liuyingzi , Zhu Chengcheng , Gao Kun , Gong Zhongyan , Li Zhuoyao , Devasenathipathy Rajkumar , Cai Dongyu , Xie Haijiao , Lu Gang
Published: January 2023

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution is an important approach to produce clean energy, and many electrocatalysts (e.g., platinum) are developed for hydrogen production. However, the electrocatalytic efficiency of commonly used metal catalysts needs to be improved to compensate their high cost. Herein, the electrocatalytic efficiency of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) in hydrogen evolution is largely improved via simple surface adsorption of sub‐monolayer p‐aminothiophenol (PATP) molecules. The overpotential goes down to 86.1 mV, which is 50.2 mV lower than that on naked PtNPs. This catalytic activity is even better than that of 20 wt.% Pt/C, despite the much smaller active surface area of PATP‐adsorbed PtNPs than Pt/C. It is theoretically and experimentally confirmed that the improved electrocatalytic activity in hydrogen evolution can be attributed to the change in electronic structure of PtNPs induced by surface adsorption of PATP molecules. More importantly, this strategy can also be used to improve the electrocatalytic activity of palladium, gold, and silver nanoparticles. Therefore, this work provides a simple, convenient, and versatile method for improving the electrocatalytic activity of metal nanocatalysts. This surface adsorption strategy may also be used for improving the efficiency of many other nanocatalysts in many reactions.
Cancer Immunotherapy Elicited by Immunogenic Cell Death Based on Smart Nanomaterials
Authors: Yang Mengyao , Zhang Cheng , Wang Rui , Wu Xiaofeng , Li Haidong , Yoon Juyoung
Published: January 2023

Cancer immunotherapy has been a revolutionary cancer treatment modality because it can not only eliminate primary tumors but also prevent metastases and recurrent tumors. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) induced by various treatment modalities, including chemotherapy, phototherapy, and radiotherapy, converts dead cancer cells into therapeutic vaccines, eliciting a systemic antigen‐specific antitumor. However, the outcome effect of cancer immunotherapy induced by ICD has been limited due to the low accumulation efficiency of ICD inducers in the tumor site and concomitant damage to normal tissues. The boom in smart nanomaterials is conducive to overcoming these hurdles owing to their virtues of good stability, targeted lesion site, high bioavailability, on‐demand release, and good biocompatibility. Herein, the design of targeted nanomaterials, various ICD inducers, and the applications of nanomaterials responsive to different stimuli, including pH, enzymes, reactive oxygen species, or dual responses are summarized. Furthermore, the prospect and challenges are briefly outlined to provide reference and inspiration for designing novel smart nanomaterials for immunotherapy induced by ICD.
Causal discovery and inference for evaluating fire resistance of structural members through causal learning and domain knowledge
Authors: Naser M. Z. , Çiftçioğlu Aybike Özyüksel
Published: January 2023

Experiments remain the gold standard to establish an understanding of fire‐related phenomena. A primary goal in designing tests is to uncover the data generating process (i.e., the how and why the observations we see come to be); or simply what causes such observations. Uncovering such a process not only advances our knowledge but also provides us with the capability to be able to predict phenomena accurately. This paper presents an approach that leverages causal discovery and causal inference to evaluate the fire resistance of structural members. In this approach, causal discovery algorithms are adopted to uncover the causal structure between key variables pertaining to the fire resistance of reinforced concrete columns. Then, companion inference algorithms are applied to infer (estimate) the influence of each variable on the fire resistance given a specific intervention. Finally, this study ends by contrasting the algorithmic causal discovery with that obtained from domain knowledge and traditional machine learning. Our findings clearly show the potential and merit of adopting causality into our domain.
Molecular characterization and expression of TGFβRI and TGFβRII and its association with litter size in Tibetan sheep
Authors: Zhang Junxia , Li Mingming , Sun Ruizhe , He Na , Wen Xiaocheng , Han Xueping , Luo Zenghai
Published: January 2023

Backgrounds

Transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) type I receptor (TGFβRI) and type II receptor (TGFβRII) are the members of the TGFβ superfamily, which are potent regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation in many organ systems, and they play key roles in multiple aspects of follicle development.

Objectives

We aimed to explore the characterization, expression analysis of TGFβRI and TGFβRII genes, and the association with litter size in Tibetan sheep.

Methods

In this study, we cloned the complete coding sequences of TGFβRI and TGFβRII genes in Tibetan sheep and analyzed their genomic structures.

Results

The results showed that percentages of sequences homology of the two proteins in Tibetan sheep were the most similar to Ovis aries (100%), followed by Bos mutus (99%). The RT‐qPCR showed that two genes were expressed widely in the different tissues of Tibetan sheep. The TGFβRI expression was the highest in the lung (p < 0.05), followed by the spleen and ovary (p < 0.05). The TGFβRII expression was significantly higher in uterus than that in lung and ovary (p < 0.05). In addition, the χ2 test indicated that all ewes in the population were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and the population was in medium or low polymorphic information content status. We also found four Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs), g.9414A > G, g.28881A > G, g.28809T > C, g.10429G > A in sheep TGFβRI gene and g.63940C > T, g.63976C > T, g.64538C > T, g.64504T > A in TGFβRII gene. Three genotypes, except for g.64504T > A, and three haplotypes were identified in each gene. linkage disequilibrium analysis indicated that there was strong linkage disequilibrium in each gene. The association analysis showed that the four SNPs of TGFβRI were associated with litter size (p < 0.05), and g.63940C > T of TGFβRII was confirmed to be associated with litter size (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Based on these preliminary results, we can assume that TGFβ receptors (TGFβRI and TGFβRII) may play an important role in sheep reproduction.
Legal culture and climate change adaptation: An agenda for research
Authors: Hoddy Eric , Halliday Simon , Ensor Jonathan , Wamsler Christine , Boyd Emily
Published: January 2023

While climate change adaptation research has increasingly focused on aspects of culture, a systematic treatment of the role of legal culture in how communities respond to climate risk has yet to be produced. This is despite the fact that law and legal authority are implicated in most, if not all, of the ways in which actors seek to reduce the risks posed to communities by climate change. Using a scoping review methodology, this article examines the intersection of climate change adaptation and legal culture in existing research. Overall, we find that the significance of legal culture for adaptation actions has been under‐explored. Yet, it is also clear that a focus on legal culture holds significant promise for our understanding of climate change adaptation. We set out a research agenda for the field, highlighting the ways in which a focus on legal culture may enrich existing key themes within climate change adaptation research.

This article is categorized under:

Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions

Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for Adaptation
Bisphenol A removal in treated wastewater matrix at neutral pH using magnetic graphite intercalation compounds as persulfate activators
Authors: Ranjbar Ehsan , Ghiassi Reza , Baghdadi Majid , Ruhl Aki Sebastian
Published: January 2023

Effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are major sources for releasing contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) into the aquatic environment, which can result in negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and, as a consequence, on humans. Herein, the graphite intercalation concept was used to synthesize heterogeneous catalysts to degrade bisphenol A (BPA) as a model CEC in municipal WWTP effluents at neutral pH. The catalyst was synthesized using the simple molten salt method and showed several benefits, such as iron leaching prevention and stability in environmental matrices. Different methods were applied to describe the catalyst's structural characteristics. The proposed system removed 99.3% of BPA in 75 min using 2 g/L of the synthesized catalyst and 1.19 g/L (5 mM) persulfate at neutral pH. Quenching experiments showed that catalytic activities and BPA removals were significantly aided by both radical and non‐radical pathways through the generation of free radicals and singlet oxygen (1O2). Furthermore, the reuse of recycled synthesized catalyst was investigated on treated urban wastewater, and the results showed that the catalyst could degrade BPA from the wastewater in consecutive cycles, demonstrating its applicability under real conditions.

Practitioner Points

BPA was effectively removed from the effluents of municipal WWTPs at neutral pH.

A new catalyst (magnetic GIC) was fabricated for heterogeneous catalytic systems.

The catalyst activates persulfate to generate free radicals and 1O2, indicating that radical and non‐radical pathways contribute to BPA degradation.

The catalyst showed the ability to remove BPA even in the sixth cycle of use, demonstrating its stability and reusability.
Heat and mass transfer through MHD Darcy Forchheimer Casson hybrid nanofluid flow across an exponential stretching sheet
Authors: Alqahtani Aisha M. , Bilal Muhammad , Usman Muhammad , Alsenani Theyab R. , Ali Aatif , Mahmuod Samy Refahy
Published: January 2023

Recent research has reported on the energy and mass transition caused by Casson hybrid nanofluid flow across an extended stretching sheet. Thermal and velocity slip conditions, heat absorption, viscous dissipation, thermal radiation, the Darcy effect, and thermophoresis diffusion have all been considered in the study of fluid flow. Fluid flow is subjected to an angled magnetic field to control the flow stream. Cu and Al2O3 NPs are dispensed into the Casson fluid to create a hybrid nanofluid (blood). The suggested model of flow dynamics is an evolving nonlinear system of PDEs, which is then reduced to a system of dimensionless ODEs using similarity proxies. The resulting set of ODEs is solved using the analytical program “HAM” for further processing. However, it has been found that the effects of the suction parameter and Darcy Forchhemier considerably reduced the energy transference rate of hybrid nanoliquids. It has been discovered that the effects of thermal radiation and heat absorption increase the energy transfer rate. Furthermore, the velocity and energy transmission rate are noticeably amplified by the dispersion of copper and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles in the base fluid.
Introduction, Context, and Motivations of a Circular Economy for Composite Materials
Authors: Colledani Marcello , Turri Stefano , Diani Marco , Mathes Volker
Published: January 2023

Circular Economy is an emerging production-consumption paradigm showing the potential to recover and re-use functions and materials from post-use, end-of-life, products. Even if several barriers still exist at different levels, from legislation to customer acceptance, the transition to this sustainable industrial model has been demonstrated to potentially bring economic, environmental, and social benefits, at large scale. Composite materials, which usage is constantly increasing, are composed by a fiber reinforcement in a resin matrix. Among them, the most widely adopted are Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics (GFRP) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP). Their applications range from wind blades to automotive, construction, sporting equipment and furniture. The post-use treatment of composite-made products is still an open challenge. Today, they are either sent to landfill, where not banned, or incinerated. The application of Circular Economy principles may lead to the creation of new circular value-chains aiming at re-using functions and materials from post-use composite-made products in high value-added applications, thus increasing the sustainability of the composite industry as a whole.
Material Library System for Circular Economy: Tangible-Intangible Interaction for Recycled Composite Materials
Authors: Romani Alessia , Prestini Fabio , Suriano Raffaella , Levi Marinella
Published: January 2023

Currently the development of new circular materials has brought up the necessity to transfer their knowledge amongst the interested stakeholders for their real exploitation. This chapter aims to illustrate the design of a physical and virtual library system of the FiberEUse project. In particular, this library system wants to foster the development of new applications and value chains through the showcase of the new recycled composite materials and archetypal remanufactured products developed during the project. After the definition of the system concept, specific taxonomies were designed for the physical and virtual parts considering the technical properties and the expressive-sensorial qualities of the new recycled materials and products. A hierarchical organization was then designed to allow both tangible and intangible interactions with the samples, resulting in a coherent experience to explore these new recycled materials. Meanwhile, the physical exhibitors and the library website were developed to collect the physical and virtual samples. At the end, the whole system will be freely accessible through the library website and by booking a visit to the physical part. Thanks to its transdisciplinary nature, this system can stimulate the real exploitation of new value chains and applications.
Poisson Reductions of Master Integrable Systems on Doubles of Compact Lie Groups
Authors: Fehér L.
Published: January 2023

We consider three ‘classical doubles’ of any semisimple, connected and simply connected compact Lie group G: the cotangent bundle, the Heisenberg double and the internally fused quasi-Poisson double. On each double we identify a pair of ‘master integrable systems’ and investigate their Poisson reductions. In the simplest cotangent bundle case, the reduction is defined by taking quotient by the cotangent lift of the conjugation action of G on itself, and this naturally generalizes to the other two doubles. In each case, we derive explicit formulas for the reduced Poisson structure and equations of motion and find that they are associated with well known classical dynamical r-matrices. Our principal result is that we provide a unified treatment of a large family of reduced systems, which contains new models as well as examples of spin Sutherland and Ruijsenaars–Schneider models that were studied previously. We argue that on generic symplectic leaves of the Poisson quotients the reduced systems are integrable in the degenerate sense, although further work is required to prove this rigorously.
Influence of the velocity on quasi-static deflections of industrial articulated robots
Authors: Gonzalez Monica Katherine , Theissen Nikolas , Agirre Nora , Larrañaga Jon , Hacala Patxi , Archenti Andreas
Published: January 2023

This article presents the measurement and analysis of the influence of velocity on the quasi-static deflections of industrial manipulators of three different manufacturers. Quasi-static deflection refers to the deflection of the end effector position of articulated robots during movement at low velocity along a predefined trajectory. Based on earlier reported observations by the authors, there exists a difference in the static and quasi-static deflections considering the same points along a trajectory. This work investigates this difference to assess the applicability of robotic compliance calibration at low velocities. For this assessment, the deflections of three industrial articulated robots were measured at different speeds and loads. Considering the similarity among the robot models used in this investigation, this work also elaborates on the potential influence of the measurement procedure on the measured deflections and its implications for the compliance calibration of articulated robots. For all industrial articulated robots in this investigation, the quasi-static deflections are significantly larger than the static ones but similar in trend. Additionally, the magnitude of the quasi-static deflections presents a proportional relationship to the Cartesian velocity.
What do oysters smell? Electrophysiological evidence that the bivalve osphradium is a chemosensory organ in the oyster, Magallana gigas
Authors: Rato Ana , Joaquim Sandra , Matias Domitília , Hubbard Peter C.
Published: January 2023

The sensing of chemical cues is essential for several aspects of bivalve biology, such as the detection of food and pheromones. However, little is known about chemical communication systems in bivalves or the possible role of the osphradium as a chemosensory organ. To address this, we adapted an electrophysiological technique extensively used in vertebrates—the electro-olfactogram—to record from the osphradium in the Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas. This technique was validated using amino acids as stimulants. The osphradium proved to be sensitive to most proteinogenic l-amino acids tested, evoking tonic, negative, concentration-dependent ‘electro-osphradiogram’ (EOsG) voltage responses, with thresholds of detection in the range of 10− 6 to 10− 5 M. Conversely, it was insensitive to l-arginine and l-glutamic acid. The current study supports the hypothesis that the osphradium is, indeed, a chemosensory organ. The ‘electro-osphradiogram’ may prove to be a powerful tool in the isolation and characterization of pheromones and other important chemical cues in bivalve biology.
Relative biological effectiveness of low-energy X-rays (25 kV) in mutant p53 cancer cells
Authors: Habelt Bettina , Dörr Wolfgang
Published: January 2023

Low-energy X-rays as used in radiation therapy and diagnostics such as mammography are associated with a certain risk of promoting tumour development, especially in patients with mutations in cancer-related genes like TP53. The present study therefore addressed the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of low-energy X-rays for two human adenocarcinoma cell lines of the breast (MDA-MB-468) and pancreas (BxPC-3) with a mutation in the TP53 gene. Clonogenic survival and cytogenetic changes in terms of micronuclei (MN) formation were determined following irradiation with 25 kV X-rays and 200 kV reference irradiation in the dose range of 1–8 Gy. Except the frequency of MN-containing binucleated cells (BNC) (BNC + MN/BNC) in breast cancer cells yielding an RBE between 0.6 and 0.8, both cell lines displayed dose-dependent variations of RBE values between 1 and 2 for all biological end points (cell survival, (BNC + MN/BNC), MN/BNC, MN/(BNC + MN)) with increased effectiveness of 25 kV irradiation in pancreatic compared to breast cancer cells. The results confirm previous findings indicating increased effectiveness of low-energy X-rays and underline the necessity of careful risk estimation for cancer screening programmes.
Upper heat kernel estimates for nonlocal operators via Aronson’s method
Authors: Kassmann Moritz , Weidner Marvin
Published: January 2023

In his celebrated article, Aronson established Gaussian bounds for the fundamental solution to the Cauchy problem governed by a second order divergence form operator with uniformly elliptic coefficients. We extend Aronson’s proof of upper heat kernel estimates to nonlocal operators whose jumping kernel satisfies a pointwise upper bound and whose energy form is coercive. A detailed proof is given in the Euclidean space and extensions to doubling metric measure spaces are discussed.
The use of wearables for the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Reichmann Heinz , Klingelhoefer Lisa , Bendig Jonas
Published: January 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, with increasing numbers of affected patients. Many patients lack adequate care due to insufficient specialist neurologists/geriatricians, and older patients experience difficulties traveling far distances to reach their treating physicians. A new option for these obstacles would be telemedicine and wearables. During the last decade, the development of wearable sensors has allowed for the continuous monitoring of bradykinesia and dyskinesia. Meanwhile, other systems can also detect tremors, freezing of gait, and gait problems. The most recently developed systems cover both sides of the body and include smartphone apps where the patients have to register their medication intake and well-being. In turn, the physicians receive advice on changing the patient’s medication and recommendations for additional supportive therapies such as physiotherapy. The use of smartphone apps may also be adapted to detect PD symptoms such as bradykinesia, tremor, voice abnormalities, or changes in facial expression. Such tools can be used for the general population to detect PD early or for known PD patients to detect deterioration. It is noteworthy that most PD patients can use these digital tools. In modern times, wearable sensors and telemedicine open a new window of opportunity for patients with PD that are easy to use and accessible to most of the population.
Complete genome sequence of a novel alternavirus infecting the fungus Ilyonectria crassa
Authors: Lutz Tobias , Langer Gitta , Heinze Cornelia
Published: January 2023

A novel dsRNA mycovirus named Ilyonectria crassa alternavirus 1 (IcAV1) was found in Ilyonectria crassa isolate NW-FVA 1829. The fungus was isolated from an ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) necrotic trunk disc infected with Hymenoscyphus fraxineus [(T. Kowalski) Baral, Queloz, Hosoya] causing ash dieback. The complete genome of IcAV1 is composed of three segments, each containing a single ORF on the positive-sense RNA. The extreme 5’ UTRs of dsRNA 1 (3604 bp), dsRNA 2 (2547 bp), and dsRNA 3 (2518 bp) share a conserved hexadecamer sequence (5’-GGCTGTGTGTTTAGTT-3’) and are capped. The 3’ UTRs are polyadenylated. In silico analysis showed that the viral RdRP is encoded on dsRNA 1 and the capsid-protein subunits are encoded on dsRNA 3. Maximum-likelihood analysis of the aa sequence of the viral RdRP showed that IcAV1 clusters with alternaviruses from Fusarium spp., while the type member of the proposed family "Alternaviridae", Alternaria alternata virus 1 (AaV1), formed a clade together with Stemphylium lycopersici mycovirus (SlV). The function of the protein encoded on segment 2 is unknown. Based on its genome organization and its phylogenetic position, IcAV1 is suggested to be a new member of the proposed family "Alternaviridae". This is the first report of a mycovirus infecting I. crassa.
Presence of porcine cytomegalovirus, a porcine roseolovirus, in wild boars in Italy and Germany
Authors: Hansen Sabrina , Menandro Maria Luisa , Franzo Giovanni , Krabben Ludwig , Marino Stephen F. , Kaufer Benedikt , Denner Joachim
Published: January 2023

Porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV), a porcine roseolovirus (PRV) that is closely related to human herpesviruses 6 and 7, is commonly found in commercial pigs. PCMV/PRV is important in xenotransplantation, because in preclinical trials in which pig organs were transplanted into non-human primates, transmission of PCMV/PRV was shown to be associated with significantly reduced survival of the xenotransplants. PCMV/PRV was also transmitted in the first transplantation of a pig heart into a human patient worldwide and apparently contributed to the death of the patient. The prevalence of PCMV/PRV in wild boars is largely unknown. In this study, we screened wild boars from several areas of northern Italy and Germany to test for the presence of PCMV/PRV using PCR-based and Western blot assays. By Western blot analysis, 54% and 82% of Italian and German wild boars, respectively, were found to be PCMV/PRV positive, while 36% and 60%, respectively, tested positive by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These data indicate that the virus is common in German and Italian wild boars and that the Western blot assay detected a PCMV/PRV infection more often than did real-time PCR. The data also indicate that pigs raised for xenotransplantation should be protected from contact with materials from wild boars and commercial pigs.
Bioinformatics and metabolic flux analysis highlight a new mechanism involved in lactate oxidation in Clostridium tyrobutyricum
Authors: Munier Edouard , Licandro Hélène , Beuvier Eric , Cachon Rémy
Published: January 2023

Climate change and environmental issues compel us to find alternatives to the production of molecules of interest from petrochemistry. This study aims at understanding the production of butyrate, hydrogen, and CO2 from the oxidation of lactate with acetate in Clostridium tyrobutyricum and thus proposes an alternative carbon source to glucose. This specie is known to produce more butyrate than the other butyrate-producing clostridia species due to a lack of solvent genesis phase. The recent discoveries on flavin-based electron bifurcation and confurcation mechanism as a mode of energy conservation led us to suggest a new metabolic scheme for the formation of butyrate from lactate-acetate co-metabolism. While searching for genes encoding for EtfAB complexes and neighboring genes in the genome of C. tyrobutyricum, we identified a cluster of genes involved in butyrate formation and another cluster involved in lactate oxidation homologous to Acetobacterium woodii. A phylogenetic approach encompassing other butyrate-producing and/or lactate-oxidizing species based on EtfAB complexes confirmed these results. A metabolic scheme on the production of butyrate, hydrogen, and CO2 from the lactate-acetate co-metabolism in C. tyrobutyricum was constructed and then confirmed with data of steady-state continuous culture. This in silico metabolic carbon flux analysis model showed the coherence of the scheme from the carbon recovery, the cofactor ratio, and the ATP yield. This study improves our understanding of the lactate oxidation metabolic pathways and the role of acetate and intracellular redox balance, and paves the way for the production of molecules of interest as butyrate and hydrogen with C. tyrobutyricum.
The unique case of marking behaviour in juvenile lynx
Authors: Mináriková T. , Belotti E. , Volfová J. , Bufka L. , Bednářová H. , Zápotočný Š. , Poledník L.
Published: January 2023

Active scent marking with urine has been described in a number of mammal species, including felids. In Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), scent marking plays a role in intra-sexual competition and territory defence as well as in attracting sexual partners during the mating season. Marking is most frequent during the mating season and least frequent during the period when females give birth and lactate. Males generally mark more frequently than females and resident animals mark more frequently than dispersers. Juveniles have never been recorded actively marking. Here, however, we present a well-documented case of an actively marking juvenile lynx. Lynx females Koka and Baronka were born in 2019 to mother Nela, who disappeared in December 2019. Nela’s territory stayed vacant, with her juvenile daughters being the only females recorded there. On the 30th March 2020, during the mating season, Koka was recorded on a camera trap video actively marking with urine, rubbing her face and again marking with urine on a rock. On the following day, she again marked with urine on the same marking site. After that, Koka left the area and the former territory of Nela was taken over by Baronka. In the BBA lynx population, juvenile lynx females were documented to successfully reproduce. This poses the question of whether their adult-like marking behaviour should be explained in the context of early reproduction, or if it has other reasons. Neither Koka nor Baronka successfully reproduced with the local male during their first year of life, but that does not mean they did not try to attract him by marking. Also, juveniles’ competition over the territory left vacant by their mother is a feasible explanation. We suggest that high population turnover may result in unusual social situations, with juveniles consequently performing unusual behaviour. This does not have to be related to early reproduction.
Commodity Asian option pricing and simulation in a 4-factor model with jump clusters
Authors: Brignone Riccardo , Gonzato Luca , Sgarra Carlo
Published: January 2023

Mean reversion, stochastic volatility, convenience yield and presence of jump clustering are well documented salient features of commodity markets, where Asian options are very popular. We propose a model which takes into account all these stylized features. We first state our model under the historical measure, then, after introducing a structure preserving change of measure, we provide a risk-neutral version of the same model and we show how to price geometric and arithmetic Asian options. To this end, we derive semi-closed formulas for the geometric Asian options price and develop a computationally efficient simulation scheme for the price process, allowing to price the arithmetic counterparts using control variate technique. Finally, we propose a simple econometric experiment to document presence of jump clusters in commodity prices and evaluate the performances of the proposed simulation scheme on some parameter sets calibrated on real data.