bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resonance-state selective photodissociation dynamics of OCS + hv → CS(X1Σ+) + O(3Pj=2,1,0) via the 21Σ+ state
Authors: Liu Qian , Li Zheng , Liu Peng , Yang Xueming , Yu Shengrui
Published: May 2023

Understanding vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation dynamics of Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is of considerable importance in the study of atmospheric chemistry. Yet, photodissociation dynamics of the CS(X1Σ+) + O(3Pj=2,1,0) channels following excitation to the 21Σ+(ν1′,1,0) state has not been clearly understood so far. Here, we investigate the O(3Pj=2,1,0) elimination dissociation processes in the resonance-state selective photodissociation of OCS between 147.24 and 156.48 nm by using the time-sliced velocity-mapped ion imaging technique. The total kinetic energy release spectra are found to exhibit highly structured profiles, indicative of the formation of a broad range of vibrational states of CS(1Σ+). The fitted CS(1Σ+) vibrational state distributions differ for the three 3Pj spin–orbit states, but a general trend of the inverted characteristics is observed. Additionally, the wavelength-dependent behaviors are also observed in the vibrational populations for CS(1Σ+, v). The CS(X1Σ+, v = 0) has a significantly strong population at several shorter wavelengths, and the most populated CS(X1Σ+, v) is gradually transferred to a higher vibrational state with the decrease in the photolysis wavelength. The measured overall β-values for the three 3Pj spin–orbit channels slightly increase and then abruptly decrease as the photolysis wavelength increases, while the vibrational dependences of β-values show an irregularly decreasing trend with increasing CS(1Σ+) vibrational excitation at all studied photolysis wavelengths. The comparison of the experimental observations for this titled channel and the S(3Pj) channel reveals that two different intersystem crossing mechanisms may be involved in the formation of the CS(X1Σ+) + O(3Pj=2,1,0) photoproducts via the 21Σ+ state.
Induction of regulatory mechanisms by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in crops facing drought stress
Authors: Tanveer Sundas , Ilyas Noshin , Akhtar Nosheen , Sayyed R. Z. , Almalki Waleed Hassan
Published: May 2023

Climate change and global warming are leading to severe drought stress, causing damage to crops in different regions of the world. Drought stress is an abiotic stress that interferes with major metabolic pathways, influencing mainly morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters of plants, ultimately resulting in decreased growth and yield of crops. Plants should be able to utilise available moisture efficiently, and there is a need to focus on organic and eco-friendly methods for improving crops facing drought stress. A practical approach for enhancing growth and development under stressful conditions is the application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), soil microbes that help plants to cope with extreme ecological conditions. This review aims to highlight the function of various PGPR metabolites that help to mitigate water-deficit conditions. These microbes exist naturally in the rhizosphere of plants, and they enhance plant growth by several direct mechanisms such as aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase and osmolyte production, secretion of exopolysaccharides and phytohormones, triggering of antioxidant defence mechanisms against reactive oxygen species and production of volatile organic compounds, as well as by indirect mechanisms including enhancing induced systemic resistance and pathogen suppression. This review recommends the use of PGPR for improving growth and development of crops under drought stress and supports their role as effective and sustainable bioinoculants for enhancing the growth and production of crops.
Betulonic acid regulates oviduct epithelial cell inflammation through the TLR4, MAPK, and JAK/STAT signalling pathways
Authors: Shao Liang , Yan Yan , Wang Nansu , Tan Qiongfang , Huang Yuying , Lei Lei , Yang Dongmei , Liu Ling
Published: May 2023

Context Infertility is a common disease among women of childbearing age and seriously endangers the reproductive health of human beings. Aims We aimed to study the active effect and mechanism of betulonic acid (BTA) on tubal inflammatory infertility. Methods An inflammatory model was established in isolated rat oviduct epithelial cells. Immunofluorescence of cytokeratin 18 was performed in cells. The therapeutic effect of BTA on cells was observed. Subsequently, we added JAK/STAT inhibitor AG490 and MAPK inhibitor U0126 and measured the levels of inflammatory factors via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and qRT-PCR. CCK-8 assay was applied to test cell proliferation, whereas flow cytometry was used to measure apoptosis. The levels of TLR4, IκBα, JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, Tyk2, STAT3, p38, ERK and the phosphorylation of p65 were determined by Western blotting. Key results Betulonic acid inhibited the activation of TLR4 and NF-κB signalling pathways, and significantly downregulated IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, with high doses being the most effective. Furthermore, high-dose BTA promoted the proliferation of oviduct epithelial cells and inhibited apoptosis. In addition, BTA inhibited the activation of JAK/STAT signalling pathway to perform effectively in oviduct epithelial cells inflammation. The addition of AG490 led to the inhibition of the JAK/STAT signalling pathway. BTA also inhibited the activation of MAPK signalling pathway in oviduct epithelial cells inflammation. Under U0126 treatment, the inhibition of proteins in MAPK pathway by BTA was weakened. Conclusions Therefore, BTA inhibited the TLR, JAK/STAT and MAPK signalling pathways. Implications Our study provided a new therapeutic strategy for infertility caused by oviduct inflammation.
Vapor etching to avoid micro-masking by gas-bubbles in wet release of MEMS
Authors: Plaza Alejandro , Maspero Federico , Cuccurullo Simone , Pavese Giulia , Avila Miguel Angel Badillo , Bertacco Riccardo
Published: May 2023

We report on the formation of gas bubbles during the release of MEMS devices using buffered oxide etch. Several approaches to mitigate the problem are proposed and tested together with a qualitative study of the phenomenon. The chemical reaction behind such phenomenon and the influence of defects and topography is discussed. Finally, a comparison with the HF-vapor release technique is shown.
Quantifying and correcting tilt-related positioning errors in microcantilever-based microelectromechanical systems probes
Authors: Arscott Steve
Published: May 2023

The impact of tilt-related errors on the positioning of microcantilever-based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) on-wafer electrical probes, having multiple contact pads, is quantified and investigated here. A tilt error associated with probe roll results in the probe contact pads not being parallel to the approaching surface as a downward overtravel is imposed—this leads to one probe pad making contact with the surface before the others. In a MEMS-based probe, the analysis of the impact of roll error angle must consider both the bending and the torsion of the flexible cantilever as the overtravel is increased—something which eventually results in all pads being in contact with the surface, but not with the same contact force. An original mathematical description of the problem is presented. By making some assumptions, the analytical modeling enables the derivation of elegant equations relating the roll error angle and the cantilever deflection to achieve planarity of the cantilever apex with the underlying surface. The modeling predicts probe tip planarity for rectangular and trapezoidal shaped probes. The predictions of the modeling are tested by using macroscopic cantilevers—excellent agreement between modeling and experiment is demonstrated. The macroscopic experimental setup reveals interesting behavior concerning a bending/twisting, tilted cantilever in contact with—and skating across—an underlying surface. The experimental findings also indicate the pertinence of the modeling for the potential use with understanding the behavior of microscopic cantilevers—such as MEMS-based probes—similarly in contact with a surface. A flexible microcantilever enables a torsional compensation of the roll error angle. It also enables a protocol where the roll error angle can be corrected. The design geometry of the probe tip will determine which approach is best suited. In principle, the modeling is scalable to MEMS probes composed of silicon-based cantilevers.
Spectroscopic analysis improvement using convolutional neural networks
Authors: Saura N , Garrido D , Benkadda S , Ibano K , Ueda Y , Hamaguchi S
Published: May 2023

Removing noisy components of signals coming from edge tokamak plasmas, astrochemical organic matter or astronomical objects is one of the promising path to improve the underlying elements identification. Methods such as the penalized semi-supervised non negative matrix factorization (PSNMF) used to extract such prominent elements perform well on complex signals. However, it is results’ confidence decreases as the noise increases. In this context, we have tried to address this limitation by removing part of the undesired noise in atomic spectra using artificial intelligence (AI) method based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). More specifically, we have tested different architectures of CNN classically used in denoising task: residual CNNs and auto-encoders, to benchmark their respective denoising capacity. The dataset used is made of high resolution atom and ion spectra extracted from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database. In the case of ions, we have considered several degrees of ionization. The synthetic added noise is generated from a typical experimental noise profile randomly modified for each signal. Performance of each AI-based noise remover is measured by analyzing the increase of the element identification precision obtained by the PSNMF. Auto-encoders and residual CNN are both suitable to remove the undesired noise and increase the PSNMF efficiency even for noise-prevailing signals. In this particular case, the auto-encoder architecture seems to be globally more accurate and should be selected when considering noisy multi-element atomic spectra.
Periodic solutions of the non-chiral intermediate Heisenberg ferromagnet equation described by elliptic spin Calogero-Moser dynamics
Authors: Berntson Bjorn K , Klabbers Rob
Published: May 2023

We present a class of periodic solutions of the non-chiral intermediate Heisenberg ferromagnet equation, which was recently introduced by the authors together with Langmann as a classical, continuum limit of an Inozemtsev-type spin chain. These exact analytic solutions are constructed via a spin-pole ansatz written in terms of certain elliptic functions. The dynamical parameters in our solutions solve an elliptic spin Calogero-Moser (CM) system subject to certain constraints. In the course of our construction, we establish a novel Bäcklund transformation for this constrained elliptic spin CM system.
DMCT-Net: dual modules convolution transformer network for head and neck tumor segmentation in PET/CT
Authors: Wang Jiao , Peng Yanjun , Guo Yanfei
Published: May 2023

Objective. Accurate segmentation of head and neck (H&N) tumors is critical in radiotherapy. However, the existing methods lack effective strategies to integrate local and global information, strong semantic information and context information, and spatial and channel features, which are effective clues to improve the accuracy of tumor segmentation. In this paper, we propose a novel method called dual modules convolution transformer network (DMCT-Net) for H&N tumor segmentation in the fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) images. Approach. The DMCT-Net consists of the convolution transformer block (CTB), the squeeze and excitation (SE) pool module, and the multi-attention fusion (MAF) module. First, the CTB is designed to capture the remote dependency and local multi-scale receptive field information by using the standard convolution, the dilated convolution, and the transformer operation. Second, to extract feature information from different angles, we construct the SE pool module, which not only extracts strong semantic features and context features simultaneously but also uses the SE normalization to adaptively fuse features and adjust feature distribution. Third, the MAF module is proposed to combine the global context information, channel information, and voxel-wise local spatial information. Besides, we adopt the up-sampling auxiliary paths to supplement the multi-scale information. Main results. The experimental results show that the method has better or more competitive segmentation performance than several advanced methods on three datasets. The best segmentation metric scores are as follows: DSC of 0.781, HD95 of 3.044, precision of 0.798, and sensitivity of 0.857. Comparative experiments based on bimodal and single modal indicate that bimodal input provides more sufficient and effective information for improving tumor segmentation performance. Ablation experiments verify the effectiveness and significance of each module. Significance. We propose a new network for 3D H&N tumor segmentation in FDG-PET/CT images, which achieves high accuracy.
A novel bonded-type 3-degree-of-freedom ultrasonic motor: design, simulation, and experimental investigation
Authors: Pan Zhiyong , Wang Liang , Yang Ying , Jin Jiamei , Qiu Jianmin
Published: May 2023

Most of 3-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) ultrasonic motors generally have the problems of low positioning accuracy, difficulty to apply preload, and excessive longitudinal dimension, leading to the limitation in industrial application. To address these issues, a novel bonded-type 3-DOF ultrasonic motor, consists of a convex cylindrical stator, a pre-tightening force structure, and a hemispherical rotor, is proposed in this study. A quadratically polarized toroidal piezoelectric ceramic is bonded to the upper surface of the stator. Three vibration modes of the stator are excited by applying different excitation signals on the piezoelectric ceramic. By coupling any two of the three vibration modes, the elliptical motion of the driving feet of the convex cylindrical stator around the x, y, and z axes are excited, respectively. A novel pre-tightening force application method is proposed to adjust the contact between the stator and rotor. Under the action of friction, the elliptical motion of the driving feet in three directions drives the rotor to rotate around three axes, respectively. The vibration modes of the stator are first simulated by using the finite element method. In addition, the optimal structural dimensions of the stator and the elliptical motion trajectories of the driving feet are calculated. Finally, a prototype of the proposed 3-DOF ultrasonic motor is fabricated and experimentally investigated. The experimental results show that the no-load rotary velocities of the motor prototype in the three rotation directions are 25 r min−1, 22 r min−1, and 380 r min−1, respectively, its start/stop response time are 4.1 ms/3.9 ms, 6.3 ms/7.5 ms, and 6.1 ms/7.9 ms, respectively, and its angular displacement resolutions are 4.3 μrad, 5.1 μrad, and 10.2 μrad, respectively, when the excitation voltage is 250 VPP. The proposed motor holds the advantages of compact structure, adjustable preload, and high positioning accuracy, and presents a broad application prospect in the fields of robot joint technology, optical tracking system, and laser communication.
Investigation of a magnetorheological elastomer metamaterial sandwich beam with tunable graded stiffness for broadband vibration attenuation
Authors: Wang Yuhuai , Yang Jian , Chen Zexin , Lin Yu , Gong Liping , Zhang Shiwu , Li Weihua , Sun Shuaishuai
Published: May 2023

Metamaterials with local resonance show promising application prospects in low-frequency vibration attenuation. However, with the drawback of narrow band gap, such potential is greatly limited. In order to broaden the local resonant band gap, a semi-active graded magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) metamaterial sandwich beam (GMREMSB) with real-time tunable graded stiffness was proposed and investigated in this study. For theoretical calculation, a mass-spring model was established for the GMREMSB. Then the calculated band gap and transmissibility using Timoshenko beam theory and spectral element method were compared. An experimental test was also conducted for verification. The results show that the bandwidth of the proposed GMREMSB can be widened by the graded stiffness arranged in ascending order. The experimental band gap of the GMREMSB under the graded current of 0.0–0.5–1.0 A is 6.4 Hz wider than the band gap of the periodic structure with the single current of 0.0 A and is 5.0 Hz wider than that of 1.0 A. The growth rate reaches 15.06% and 11.39%, respectively.
Synergistic effects of adaptive reward and reinforcement learning rules on cooperation
Authors: Wang Lu , Fan Litong , Zhang Long , Zou Rongcheng , Wang Zhen
Published: May 2023

Cooperative behavior in multi-agent systems has been a focal point of research, particularly in the context of pairwise interaction games. While previous studies have successfully used reinforcement learning rules to explain and predict the behavior of agents in two-agent interactions, multi-agent interactions are more complex, and the impact of reward mechanisms on agent behavior is often overlooked. To address this gap, we propose a framework that combines the public goods game (PGG) with reinforcement learning and adaptive reward mechanisms to better capture decision-making behavior in multi-agent interactions. In that, PGG is adopted to reflect the decision-making behavior of multi-agent interactions, self-regarding Q-learning emphasizes an experience-based strategy update, and adaptive reward focuses on the adaptability. We are mainly concentrating on the synergistic effects of them. The simulations demonstrate that while self-regarding Q-learning fails to prevent the collapse of cooperation in the traditional PGG, the fraction of cooperation increases significantly when the adaptive reward strategy is included. Meanwhile, the theoretical analyses aligned with our simulation results, which revealed that there is a specific reward cost required to maximize the fraction of cooperation. Overall, this study provides a novel perspective on establishing cooperative reward mechanisms in social dilemmas and highlights the importance of considering adaptive reward mechanisms in multi-agent interactions.
Demonstration of a photonic router via quantum walks
Authors: Gao Huixia , Wang Kunkun , Qu Dengke , Lin Quan , Xue Peng
Published: May 2023

Motivated by the need for quantum computers to communicate between multiple, well separated qubits, we introduce the task of routing the quantum state from one input mode to a superposition of several output modes coherently. We report an experimental demonstration of a deterministic photonic routing protocol applied to an entangled state. We show in a quantum walk architecture, quantum networks perfectly route entangled states from an initial input mode to an arbitrary output mode coherently and deterministically. Our results demonstrate the key principle of a perfect router, opening a route toward data routing and transferring for quantum computing systems. The routing algorithm in our work can be applied to a wide range of physical systems, which provides a way for effective design of efficient routing protocols on practical quantum networks.
A real-time dynamic simulation platform for 6R manipulators based on an explicit modeling method
Authors: Liu Xiaohan , Ju Hehua , Chen Feifei
Published: May 2023

Dynamic simulation is critical for robotic design and control. In this study, a modular simulation platform is developed using a novel explicit dynamic modeling method. Combined with a PD controller and a globally linearized compensator, the dynamic modeling method presents an explicit and canonical form for tree-chain and closed-chain multi-body systems. Paired with the new approach, the platform makes it convenient for modeling, and it performs well in real-time with a high update frequency. The platform also offers a thorough parameter setting and simulation scene presentation interface through the construction of several modules. A simulation experiment using a 6-DOF manipulator demonstrates the platform’s capacity for real-time, stable, and practical simulations, which is also applicable for high-DOF multi-body systems of future uses.
Study on IMC Growth Law of Solder Joints in Aerospace Electronic Products and Its Influence on Reliability
Authors: Li Zhan , Yang Yiqing , Huang Wei , Gong Yubing , Pan Kailin
Published: May 2023

In order to better understand the influence degree of temperature curve parameters on the growth characteristics of intermetallic compounds (IMC) in solder joints during reflux welding, the influence of different temperature curve parameters on the thickness of IMC in Sn63Pb37 solder joints was explored based on the orthogonal test method. A multiple regression model was established for each parameter and the thickness of IMC. In addition, the results show that: (1) The influence degree of temperature curve parameters on IMC thickness in descending order is the highest temperature, liquidus time, cooling time and cooling rate. (2) The coefficient of the established multiple regression model is R2=0.70391. In this model, the IMC thickness increases with the increase of the maximum reflow temperature and liquidus time and decreases with the increase of the cooling time. (3) When the thickness of IMC is 1 μm- 4 μm, the thermal shock reliability of solder joints decreases with the increase of IMC thickness.
Numerical simulation of the temperature field of T2 copper/304 steel dissimilar metal electron beam welding
Authors: Yuan Shengbo , Liu Hailang , Yuan Shengbo , Ji Chuanshang , Wen Zhuochao
Published: May 2023

ANSYS workbench finite element analysis software was adopted to simulate and study the thermal process of electron beam welding of T2 copper and 304 steel heterogeneous materials in this paper. A solid model was established according to the size of the specimens, and a double ellipsoidal moving heat source model of the temperature field of the specimens of the three-dimensional dynamic simulation was imposed. Copper and steel welding transient temperature field distribution pattern and molten pool morphology were studied, and the temperature field welding thermal cycle curve was analyzed. The results show that the peak temperature of the steel side is higher than the copper side, the morphology of the welding pool is basically biased toward the steel side, and the highest temperature during the welding process appears in the center of the weld on the steel side about 0.5 mm.
Navigational water resistance analysis and optimization of the gondola of unmanned boat retractable device
Authors: Zhang Ke , Zhao Yapeng , Tai Jinghua
Published: May 2023

Combining the characteristics of the existing transfer slideway and double-point hanging type two retractable devices, this paper proposes a multiple-point hoisting, fast transfer, and retractable device. According to the viscous flow theory, one-way fluid-structure interaction simulation is used for the gondola structure of the unmanned boat retractable device. Considering the influencing factors of the width of the gondola, the void ratio, the shape and distribution of the void, and the deployment angle of the guardrail, the navigation water resistance of each model is compared and analyzed, and the optimal design of the gondola device is discussed. The results show that the increase of the top width and the decrease of the front-end void ratio will lead to an increase in the water resistance of the gondola; under the same porosity, the rectangular shape performs better than the circular shape, and the smaller interval between the rectangles is more conducive to reducing the water resistance of the gondola; the increase in the angle of the side door guardrail of the gondola will lead to an increase in the navigation water resistance; the final optimized design of the gondola device meets the strength requirements under extreme conditions of high sailing speed.
Study on optimizing transition layer thickness to reduce tire sidewall delamination
Authors: Zhang Shuang , Han Shanling , Zhang Kai , Chen Long , Li Yong
Published: May 2023

This paper begins with a common disease of tires. The analysis of the disease of the sidewall area reveals that the thickness of the transition layer is closely related to the tire side delamination. This paper combines the phenomenon of sidewall thinning with the actual working process. The shape optimization method is used to optimize the design of the tire side transition layer while maintaining the thickness of the tire’s inner liner layer. Finally, finite element analysis was used for simulation verification. The findings demonstrated that the optimum thickness of the transition layer structure enhanced the inner von Mises stress of the tire carcass chord by 8.04% and the shear stress by 8.79%-15.08%, hence boosting the sidewall resistance to thickness decrease by 12.98%-22.48%.
Optimal voltage compensation method for focal plane avalanche detector based on improved random forest
Authors: Chen Mengqiang , Yang Jiazhi , Yu Guangwang , Shen Jie
Published: May 2023

Working distance and background radiation greatly affect the signal-to-noise ratio of avalanche photodiode (APD) in the lidar detection system. The traditional method cannot adapt to a complex environment by offline compensation or pre-compensation according to the influence factors of the external environment. In this paper, an avalanche photodiode voltage compensation method based on the improved random forest is designed. Firstly, the distance image data is de-noised. Then the weight of each decision tree in the random forest was changed to improve the classification performance. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to search for the optimal combination of parameters affecting classification accuracy and performance. Finally, the improved random forest algorithm is used to judge the current working state of APD at different distances, compensate for the bias voltage, and make APD work in the optimal state. The proposed method is compared with the k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and other commonly used classification algorithms, and the results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
An improved method of parameter and tolerance concurrent design considering the mass loss
Authors: Wu Jianjun , Zhou Min , Zhang Shilei
Published: May 2023

Quality and cost are the core problems in the manufacturing industry. Given the problems of many tests and high manufacturing costs caused by parameter design before tolerance design in the traditional Taguchi product optimization design, based on the idea of robust design and concurrent design, this paper establishes an improved method of parameter and tolerance concurrent design considering quality loss, which effectively saves the manufacturing cost while ensuring the product quality. Firstly, the central composite bounded experimental design (CCI) is carried out, and then the response surface model is established from the data; Then the total cost model composed of the quality loss model and tolerance cost model is established. Finally, the improved genetic algorithm (NSGA - II) is used to find the optimal parameter combination and tolerance at the same time. Through the example analysis of a compliant precision positioning platform, the results show that the parameter combination and tolerance obtained by concurrent design considering the parameters and tolerance of mass loss not only improve the robustness of products but also reduce the manufacturing cost.
Topology Transformation Analysis on Serial Flexible Variable Topology Mechanism
Authors: Geng Ruihai , Huang Jiazhao , Liu Peng , Bian Yushu
Published: May 2023

The flexible variable topology mechanism (FVTM) has become a research focus in the field of the mechanism because of its reconfigurable characteristics, which exhibit excellent adaptability in complicated working environments. In the process of topology transformation, the FVTM often generates impact, which leads to vibration and instability of the flexible elements. It seriously affects the accuracy and reliability of the operation. In view of this, this paper takes the serial-FVTM as an example to analyse its impact characteristics during topology transformation. The impact dynamics model is established by the theorem of impulse. Based on this, the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is used to solve the dynamics differential equations. Using the control variable method, the influence of different parameters on the impact characteristics of the FVTM is obtained through numerical simulation analysis. Finally, the methods to improve the stability of the FVTM during topology transformation are analysed to expand new ideas for the subsequent research.
Intelligent control chamber for plasma-enhanced combustion
Authors: Ding Shibin , Wang Qingzhi , Hua Weizhuo
Published: May 2023

At present, there are some problems with aero-engine, such as insufficient high-altitude point/flameout boundary, smoke in large conditions, and easy flameout in slow trains with poor oil, which seriously threaten flight safety. Aiming at the problem of insufficient high altitude stable combustion range, an intelligent control combustor of plasma-enhanced combustion is proposed in this paper. The sliding arc exciter is perfectly combined with the combustor head and the pre-burning sliding arc jet igniter is used as the technical basis of the enhanced combustion. Based on the working environment and service state of the engine, a set of the control system is designed for active control. The influence of the installation of the exciter on the combustion flow field is explored, and the feasibility of the exciter for widening the point flameout boundary and improving the combustion efficiency is verified. A set of the control scheme is proposed. The research shows that: the exciter can realize the integration of ignition and combustion support in the combustion chamber. After the exciter is started, the ignition boundary is widened by about 17.6% on average, and the flameout boundary is widened by about 45.3% on average. The combustion efficiency can be increased by 9.28%, which indicates the feasibility of the combustion chamber.
Dipo: a miniaturized hopping robot via lightweight and compact actuator design for power amplification
Authors: Kim Chan , Lee Dong-Jun , Jung Sun-Pill , Jung Gwang-Pil
Published: May 2023

Kangaroo rats are well known as representative hoppers in small-scale animals. Especially kangaroo rats show rapid movement when a predator approaches. If this amazing motion can be applied to small-scale robots, they will be able to traverse lands at high speed while overcoming size limitations. To take advantage of hopping locomotion, in this paper, we present a lightweight and small-scale clutch-based hopping robot called Dipo. To make this possible, a compact power amplifying actuation system has been developed using a power spring and an active clutch. The power spring is possible to take out and use the accumulated energy little by little whenever the robot starts to hop. Moreover, the power spring needs low torque to charge the elastic energy, and a only tiny space is required to install. The active clutch controls the motion of hopping legs by adjusting the timing of energy release and storage. Thanks to these design strategies, the robot weighs 45.07 g, has the height of 5 cm in the stance phase, and achieves the maximum hopping height of 54.9 cm.
Density functional studies of antimony complexes derived from carboxamide ligands
Authors: Çatıkkaş Berna
Published: May 2023

The anti-leishmanial activity of antimony (III) complexes [1a-3a] bearing carboxamide ligands has been reported in the literature. In this study, a complete assignment of the vibrational spectra of these complexes was performed using the Scaled Quantum Mechanics Force Field (SQMFF) methodology in the solid phase at the DFT/ B3LYP/ LanL2DZ level. Quantum chemical descriptors (FMO, hardness, softness, etc) of these complexes were calculated to investigate the relationship between the calculated descriptors and their anti-leishmanial activities. As the softness of the complexes increased, the anti-leishmanial activity also increased. No correlation was found between the vibrational frequencies of the complexes and anti-leishmania activity.
Synthesis of Alq3 by a facile co-precipitation approach and study the impact of CNTs support on its microstructure and electronic characteristics for photodiode development
Authors: Siddiq Miad Ali
Published: May 2023

The global demand for renewable energy as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels has motivated the scientific community to develop highly efficient nanocomposite materials that can be used for enhancement to optoelectronic technology. In the present work, organometallics Alq3 and Alq3/CNTs were prepared by cost-effective chemical route. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to identify the structural and morphological features. The hybrid Alq3/CNTs exhibited polycrystalline structure with a large surface area. The optical band gap

(

E

g

)

of Alq3 film was evaluated within the visible spectrum in the range of 3.047 eV which reduced to 2.979 eV by CNTs integration. Ag/Alq3/p-Si/Al and Ag/Alq3/CNTs/p-Si/Al photodiodes were fabricated using thermal evaporating technique. Current-voltage

(
I
−
V
)

and capacitance/conductance-voltage

(
C
/
G
−
V
)

were measured to analyze the photodiode behavior. The main electronic parameters like

R

s

,

n
,

ϕ

b

and

I

o

were determined using different models indicating that the composite photodiode of high performance in which

R

s

was decreased whereas

N

a

was increased with doping. Besides, the photocurrent sensitivity was increased from

1.45
×

10

−
8

A

to

1.1
×

10

−
5

A

due to increase of free charge carriers.
Robust propagation of a steady optical beam through turbulence with extended depth of focus based on spatial light modulator
Authors: Yang Yiqian , Kang Xingwang , Cao Liangcai
Published: May 2023

Finding appropriate strategies to increase the robustness through turbulence with extended depth of focus (DOF) is a common requirement in developing high-resolution imaging through air or water media. However, conventional lenses with a specially designed structure require high manufacturing costs and are limited by a lack of dynamic modulation characteristics. Spatial light modulators (SLMs) are unique flat-panel optical devices which can overcome the distance limitation of beam propagation for the dynamic modulation property. In this work, we address the dynamic generation of a steady optical beam (STOB) based on the mechanism of transverse wave vector elimination. STOBs generated by the SLM have significant advantages over Gaussian beams for the characteristics of peak intensity, robust propagation, extended-DOF beam profile, and dynamic wavefront modulation over a long distance under strong turbulent media. Our versatile, extensible, and flexible method has promising application scenarios for the realization of turbulence-resistant circumstances.
ChatGPT Is Equivalent to First-Year Plastic Surgery Residents: Evaluation of ChatGPT on the Plastic Surgery In-Service Examination
Authors: Humar Pooja , Asaad Malke , Bengur Fuat Baris , Nguyen Vu
Published: May 2023

Background

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence language model developed and released by OpenAI (San Francisco, CA) in late 2022.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT on the Plastic Surgery In-Service Examination and to compare it to residents’ performance nationally.

Methods

The Plastic Surgery In-Service Examinations from 2018 to 2022 were used as a question source. For each question, the stem and all multiple-choice options were imported into ChatGPT. The 2022 examination was used to compare the performance of ChatGPT to plastic surgery residents nationally.

Results

In total, 1129 questions were included in the final analysis and ChatGPT answered 630 (55.8%) of these correctly. ChatGPT scored the highest on the 2021 exam (60.1%) and on the comprehensive section (58.7%). There were no significant differences regarding questions answered correctly among exam years or among the different exam sections. ChatGPT answered 57% of questions correctly on the 2022 exam. When compared to the performance of plastic surgery residents in 2022, ChatGPT would rank in the 49th percentile for first-year integrated plastic surgery residents, 13th percentile for second-year residents, 5th percentile for third- and fourth-year residents, and 0th percentile for fifth- and sixth-year residents.

Conclusions

ChatGPT performs at the level of a first-year resident on the Plastic Surgery In-Service Examination. However, it performed poorly when compared with residents in more advanced years of training. Although ChatGPT has many undeniable benefits and potential uses in the field of healthcare and medical education, it will require additional research to assess its efficacy.
Speech- and language-linked FOXP2 mutation targets protein motors in striatal neurons
Authors: Kuo Hsiao-Ying , Chen Shih-Yun , Huang Rui-Chi , Takahashi Hiroshi , Lee Yen-Hui , Pang Hao-Yu , Wu Cheng-Hsi , Graybiel Ann M , Liu Fu-Chin
Published: May 2023

Human speech and language are among the most complex motor and cognitive abilities. The discovery of a mutation in the transcription factor FOXP2 in KE family members with speech disturbances has been a landmark example of the genetic control of vocal communication in humans. Cellular mechanisms underlying this control have remained unclear. By leveraging FOXP2 mutation/deletion mouse models, we found that the KE family FOXP2R553H mutation directly disables intracellular dynein-dynactin ‘protein motors’ in the striatum by induction of a disruptive high level of dynactin1 that impairs TrkB endosome trafficking, microtubule dynamics, dendritic outgrowth and electrophysiological activity in striatal neurons alongside vocalization deficits. Dynactin1 knockdown in mice carrying FOXP2R553H mutations rescued these cellular abnormalities and improved vocalization. We suggest that FOXP2 controls vocal circuit formation by regulating protein motor homeostasis in striatal neurons, and that its disruption could contribute to the pathophysiology of FOXP2 mutation/deletion-associated speech disorders.
Targeting macrophage autophagy for inflammation resolution and tissue repair in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Wang Er-jin , Wu Ming-Yue , Ren Zheng-yu , Zheng Ying , Ye Richard D , TAN Chris Soon Heng , Wang Yitao , Lu Jia-Hong
Published: May 2023

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, non-specific, recurrent inflammatory disease, majorly affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Due to its unclear pathogenesis, the current therapeutic strategy for IBD is focused on symptoms alleviation. Autophagy is a lysosome-mediated catabolic process for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Genome-wide association studies and subsequent functional studies have highlighted the critical role of autophagy in IBD via a number of mechanisms, including modulating macrophage function. Macrophages are the gatekeepers of intestinal immune homeostasis, especially involved in regulating inflammation remission and tissue repair. Interestingly, many autophagic proteins and IBD-related genes have been revealed to regulate macrophage function, suggesting that macrophage autophagy is a potentially important process implicated in IBD regulation. Here, we have summarized current understanding of macrophage autophagy function in pathogen and apoptotic cell clearance, inflammation remission and tissue repair regulation in IBD, and discuss how this knowledge can be used as a strategy for IBD treatment.
Multi-level stakeholders' perspectives on implementation and scaling up community-based health promotion in Germany
Authors: Birkholz Leonie , Weber Philipp , Helsper Natalie , Kohler Simone , Dippon Lea , Rütten Alfred , Pfeifer Klaus , Semrau Jana
Published: May 2023

Community-based health promotion has the potential to address existing health inequities, although such approaches are scarcely scaled up. For a successful scale up, various stakeholders at different levels and sectors need to be involved. The article’s aims are to assess what kind of external support communities need for implementation and to identify facilitators and barriers for scaling up community-based health promotion. Two national digital workshops were conducted in Germany with stakeholders at the community level (n = 161) and with stakeholders at the federal and state levels (n = 84). Protocols were compiled and coded using qualitative content analysis. During the first workshop, we revealed 11 themes for external support needs (‘Strategic approach’, ‘Define & compare indicators’, ‘Internal human resource’, ‘Tools & Aids’, ‘External conduction of the assessment’, ‘Involvement of people in difficult life situations’, ‘Overview of actors’, ‘Moderation’, ‘Obtain funding’, ‘Quality assurance/evaluation’ and ‘External support’). Eleven facilitators and barriers were identified for scaling up (‘Assessment and evaluation’, ‘Intersectoral collaboration and partnerships’, ‘Communication’, ‘Characteristics of the program’, ‘Political and legal conditions’, ‘Political support’, ‘Local coordinator’, ‘Resources’, ‘Participation’, ‘Strategic planning/methods’ and ‘Intermediary organization’). The identified results provide practice-based evidence on support needed for scaling up, facilitators that promote scaling up and barriers that might hinder scaling up community-based health promotion in Germany. In a next step, this practice-based evidence needs to be systematically integrated with scientific-based evidence on key components for scaling up such approaches for the development of an effective scaling-up concept.
SAS and R code for probabilistic quantitative bias analysis for misclassified binary variables and binary unmeasured confounders
Authors: Fox Matthew P , MacLehose Richard F , Lash Timothy L
Published: May 2023

Systematic error from selection bias, uncontrolled confounding, and misclassification is ubiquitous in epidemiologic research but is rarely quantified using quantitative bias analysis (QBA). This gap may in part be due to the lack of readily modifiable software to implement these methods. Our objective is to provide computing code that can be tailored to an analyst’s dataset. We briefly describe the methods for implementing QBA for misclassification and uncontrolled confounding and present the reader with example code for how such bias analyses, using both summary-level data and individual record-level data, can be implemented in both SAS and R. Our examples show how adjustment for uncontrolled confounding and misclassification can be implemented. Resulting bias-adjusted point estimates can then be compared to conventional results to see the impact of this bias in terms of its direction and magnitude. Further, we show how 95% simulation intervals can be generated that can be compared to conventional 95% confidence intervals to see the impact of the bias on uncertainty. Having easy to implement code that users can apply to their own datasets will hopefully help spur more frequent use of these methods and prevent poor inferences drawn from studies that do not quantify the impact of systematic error on their results.
Technological Sovereignty as Ability, Not Autarky
Authors: March Christoph , Schieferdecker Ina
Published: May 2023

Aspirations toward technological sovereignty increasingly pervade the political debate. Yet, an ambiguous definition leaves the exact goal of those aspirations and the policies to fulfil them unclear. This opens the door for vested interests who benefit from misinterpreting the goal, e.g., as a strive for autarky, nationalism, and the rollback of globalization. To close this gap, we show how certain key technologies challenge state sovereignty as conventionally understood. By interpreting technological sovereignty in this light, we develop a competence-based definition, which puts innovation policy at the core of fulfilling sovereignty aspirations. Moreover, we establish the important role of international cooperation and trade to enhance technological sovereignty understood as ability. Hence, autarky would be detrimental rather than helpful to technological sovereignty. Two case studies illustrate how innovation policy helps to achieve technological sovereignty.
38 Effects of Dietary Supplementation with an Immuno-Modulator on Feed Intake and Reproductive Performance in Sows
Authors: Niblett Richard T , Williams Kimberly A , Cross Marguerite B , Clapp Alexis L , Estienne Mark J
Published: May 2023

OmniGen-AF (Phibro Animal Health, Teaneck, NJ; OG), an immuno-modulator consisting of a blend of vitamins, minerals, and microbial ingredients, has been employed in the dairy industry to mitigate the effects of heat stress and metabolic and immune system challenges on milk production. We previously reported that OG, fed to sows before and during lactation, decreased lactation BW loss, and increased litter birth and weaning weights (Lee et al., J. Anim. Sci. 99[Suppl. 3]:410-411, 2021). The objective of this study was to further these findings, by evaluating the effects of OG on feed intake and reproductive performance of crossbred sows. Berkshire x Duroc and Yorkshire x Landrace sows (n = 44; mean BW and parity, 276 kg and 4.6, respectively) from 10 farrowing groups and paired by parity and BW, were randomly assigned within pairs to one of two treatments: a fortified corn and soybean-meal based control diet (CON), or control diet top-dressed with 30 g of OG∙animal-1∙day-1. Sows consumed appropriate diets for approximately 35 d before expected farrowing date, throughout lactation, and the weaning to estrus interval. Sows were fed 2.7 kg∙animal-1∙day-1 during gestation, on an ad libitum basis during lactation, and 2.3 kg∙animal-1∙day-1 post-weaning. Total pigs born (12.3), pigs born alive (10.5), and pigs weaned (8.9) did not differ (P > 0.32) between treatments. Average birth weights, however, for both total pigs born (1.65 vs. 0.49 kg, SE = 0.11, P < 0.04) and pigs born alive (1.73 vs. 0.55 kg, SE = 0.11, P < 0.01) were greater for OG vs. CON sows. Pig BW at weaning were similar (P = 0.51) for OG (6.58 ± 0.25) and CON (6.34 ± 0.25). The ADFI during lactation tended to be greater (P = 0.09) for OG vs. CON sows (5.81 vs. 5.08 kg, SE = 0.29); however, total BW loss did not differ (P = 0.14) between treatments (10.0 and 5.2 kg, SE = 2.4 for OG and CON, respectively). The wean to estrus interval (5.1 d) was similar (P = 0.77) between groups. Under the conditions of this study, OG enhanced pig birth weights and sow feed consumption during lactation. The mechanisms responsible for these effects warrant further scrutiny.