bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of Transition From Thin Shell to Thick Shell Theory for Torispherical Heads With Head Dish Radius to Thickness Ratios Under 20
Authors: Millet Barry , Ebrahimi Kaveh
Published: October 2020

This paper will clarify the point of transition where the behavior of the dish of a torispherical head goes from thin wall theory (collapse failure and membrane) to thick wall (burst failure) as the head dish radius to thickness ratios (L/t) gets smaller. There are several stated ratio limits for this transition. Three separate Welding Research Bulletins WRC 364 New Design Curves for Torispherical Heads[1], WRC 444 Buckling Criteria for Torispherical Heads Under Internal Pressure [3] and, WRC 501 Design of Torispherical and Ellipsoidal Heads Subjected to Internal Pressure[4] each provide a different definition of the transition point, that being 16.67, 15 and 20 respectively. This paper will review the actual test performed for L/t ratios from 20 down to 15 (which is the lowest ratio test run) and provide the results of a numerical desktop study in lieu of actual testing. Linear elastic, elastic perfectly plastic limit load and elastic plastic limit load finite element analysis will be parametrically run across many L/t ratios and the knuckle radius will be varied across the runs. The results will be reviewed to check through wall behavior to find the transition point of thin to thick wall behavior. These will also be compared against the existing ASME BVP Section VIII Division 2 [5] formulas.
Investigation Into Residual Stresses in a Small Bore Pipe Weld With Stacked Stop/Start Locations
Authors: Pellereau Ben , Walter Simon , Pembury Paul
Published: October 2020

Small bore austenitic stainless steel pipework is used in a number of nuclear plant systems. Many of these locations are subjected to large thermal shocks and therefore have high fatigue usage factors. Their justification therefore often includes a fatigue crack growth and fracture assessment, for which a key input is the residual stress associated with the welding process, in UK assessments these are typically taken from the R6 compendium.

A common process used for these welds is manual tungsten inert gas welding, due to access difficulties each pass is usually completed in two halves. The stop-start locations for each weld run are sometimes stacked, especially in horizontal pipe runs where each weld operation starts at the bottom of the pipe and progresses upwards. The stack up of stop-start locations is likely to lead to considerable circumferential variation in weld residual stress, potentially resulting in stresses that locally exceed the R6 profiles.

This paper presents results from a series of FE models for a single small bore pipe weld. The simulated weld is a 3-pass manual TIG weld with an EB insert in a 2 inch (50 mm) nominal diameter pipe. Both 2D and 3D models were run. The results of the modelling are then compared with measurements of weld mock-ups of the same weld (both with and without the stop-start stack-up).

The results show that, local to the assumed stop location the predicted stresses do exceed even the R6 level 1 profile (a membrane stress equal to the 1% proof stress of the material). However, the locally enhanced stresses drop off quickly away from the peak location, so for defects of a size that may be a concern for a defect tolerance assessment, the R6 Level 1 and 2 profiles remains appropriate or bounding.
Application of Artificial Neural Network to Multi-Variables Regression for Estimations of J-Integral for Surface Cracked Pipes
Authors: Jang Youn-Young , Huh Nam-Su , Kim Ik-Joong , Kim Cheol-Man , Kim Young-Pyo
Published: October 2020

Crack assessment for pipe components of a nuclear power plant or oil/gas pipeline is one of the essential procedures to ensure safe operation services. To assess cracked pipes, J-integral has been considered as a theoretically robust and useful elastic-plastic fracture parameter, so that the estimations of J-integral for various pipe geometries, material properties and loading conditions are highly needed. For this reason, many engineering predictive solutions for J-estimations based on finite element (FE) analyses have been developed. Generally, many engineering predictive solutions have been suggested as a tabular-form or closed-form. Among them, the closed-form solution is more preferred than a tabular-form solution for its convenience when many lots of interpolation are required to use it. However, the accuracy of the closed-form solution tends to be significantly reduced as the number of design parameters increases. Moreover, since there is no strict rule to define the form of functions as well, the accuracy of the closed-form solution is inevitably dependent on the rule of thumb. Therefore, it is highly required to suggest a new approach for J-estimation of cracked pipes with various geometries, material properties and loading conditions.

In this paper, we propose an efficient approach based on a machine learning technique to estimate J-integral for surface cracked pipes with various geometric sizes and material properties under axial displacement loading condition. Firstly, parametric FE analysis studies were systematically performed to produce the coefficients representing the engineering J-estimation for the corresponding cracked pipe. Secondly, artificial neural network (ANN) models based on deep multilayer perceptron technique were trained based on FE results. The five input neurons (pipe geometries and material properties) and the two output neurons (the coefficients representing the engineering J-estimation) were considered. Lastly, the accuracy of the trained ANN model was studied by comparing to that of the closed-form solution from multi-variable regressions.
Benchmark Study of CFD-Based Prediction Accuracy of the Models Evaluating Particle and Droplet Induced Erosion for Engineering Applications
Authors: Qian Shaoxiang , Kanamaru Shinichiro
Published: October 2020

The particles (including solid particles and liquid droplets) existing in multi-phase flow in process plants can cause erosion due to flow turbulence, and thus, result in pipe wall thinning. Hence, it is important to evaluate erosion rate for determining design margin and finding counter-measures. Many models have been proposed for predicting particles induced erosion rate, but there is significant disparity in their prediction accuracy. The present study aims to verify prediction accuracy of some major erosion models utilizing the published experimental data, for applications to engineering. CFD benchmark study was conducted for three different piping geometries to investigate prediction accuracy of solid particle induced erosion rates for five major erosion models. CFD results show that the erosion rates predicted by Grant & Tabakoff model are closest to the experimental results with acceptable prediction accuracy for applications to engineering. Also, CFD benchmark study was also performed to verify the prediction accuracy of droplet induced erosion rates for three erosion models, utilizing the published experimental data. CFD results show that the erosion rates predicted by Haugen model for all the water impingement velocities are closest to the experimental results with acceptable prediction accuracy for applications to engineering.
Application of SA-533 Class 2 Vessels in Floating LNG Plants
Authors: Sakata Mikihiro , Sasaki Shunsuke , Mantovani Pietro , Ngomo Valéry
Published: October 2020

ASME SA-533 Class 2 steel provides 30% higher tensile strength and 90% higher yield strength compared to ASME SA-516 Grade 70 steel, which is commonly used for onshore pressure vessels. Owing to the higher allowable stress, the use of the SA-533 Class 2 steel leads to significant reduction of the vessel weight by permitting thinner vessel walls, which in turn, leads to lighter supporting steel structures. This is quite beneficial for offshore applications, since the space and weight capacity are limited on an offshore platform or the structure modules on a ship. Further, when vessels are intended for use in gas processing plants, depending on the process design, not only higher tensile strength but also greater impact toughness at low temperatures [e.g., minus 29°C (minus 20°F) or lower] are required. This consequently imposes special considerations on the vessel fabrication. Especially, careful attention is needed in establishing welding and heat treatment procedures to achieve both properties in the weldment. This paper presents the use of ASME SA-533 Type C Class 2 steel for a pressure vessel intended for use in the gas inlet facility of a floating LNG plant.
Alloy 800H: Material and Fabrication Challenges Associated With the Mitigation of Stress Relaxation Cracking
Authors: Colwell Richard , Shargay Cathleen
Published: October 2020

Heat resistant Iron-Nickel-Chrome alloys, such as Alloy 800H, are designed to be used at elevated temperatures. At temperatures ranging from 550 to 750°C (1022 to 1380°F) these alloys can be susceptible to stress relaxation cracking (SRC). For these and other high temperature alloys, API Technical Report 942-B provides recommended ranges for material composition, as well as fabrication and heat treatment measures to mitigate Stress Relaxation Cracking. However, it has been shown to be difficult to obtain material that satisfies the API recommended prescriptions. Recommended alloy composition, welding and fabrication steps can become complex for special situations found on projects (i.e. thicker wall piping, dissimilar metal welds, etc.). This paper discusses example applications, and the reasons for selecting Alloy 800H. It also describes the SRC mechanism, the technical justifications for the API 942-B recommendations, and the challenges that have been experienced trying to meet these recommendations.
Robust Design Approach to 2 Inch and 3 Inch Thermal Tees on 14 Inch Pipework for Hot and Cold Fluid Turbulent Mixing at the Branch-Run Interface
Authors: Wallace Phil
Published: October 2020

This paper presents a concept design methodology to establish robust designs against thermal fatigue of 2″ and 3″ thermal tee branch sizes on 14″ pipework, which are subjected to relatively hot and cold fluid turbulent mixing, for use in Pressurised Water Reactor Plant.

Thermal tees can be subjected to extremely demanding thermal fatigue conditions, e.g. high temperature fluctuations causing high stress ranges where hot and cold fluid mix at the tee position from different branches of the system, these conditions ultimately limiting design life.

Prior to conducting a full design justification to the ASME Section III code [1], which for these components Rolls-Royce has justified by a section NB3200 approach using finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics, analysis/iteration time can be saved, and the likelihood of a robust design being found increased, by understanding the effect and significance of geometric features of the tees. Fundamentally, establishing which features have a greater influence on the thermal fatigue performance of the tee and setting maximum and minimum values for these features. This paper presents an approach that can be used in the concept design phase to understand the influence of variables such as: branch throat internal diameter, run versus branch reinforcement, inclusion of integral orifices and branch fluid flow rate, and also of how they interact with each other in relation to providing a code compliant design. The approach is also used to size such features so that they are away from ‘cliff edges’ in performance, i.e. away from values that are likely to produce high stress levels and reduce design life.

The paper covers: the variables chosen to be investigated, the methodology including the associated stress models to understand the effect of variable change and positioning in the ‘design landscape’, and identifies which geometric features should be maximised or minimised in size to maximise thermal fatigue life.
A Case Study Aiming to Mitigate Pipe Vibrations Using CFD and Dynamic Stress Analysis Approach
Authors: Phatak Amar , Bhende Gaurav , Mane Nilesh
Published: October 2020

Piping vibrations in process plants are rarely analyzed or anticipated correctly during the ‘design Stage’. Most of the times ‘in -depth’ analysis is not carried out during ‘design stage’ except following few good engineering practices. As a result, few pipes can show excessive vibrations during operations that fall under the ‘danger’ zone. The vibrating pipe transfers the vibrations to the steel structure and these vibrations are experienced by operating personnel causing a ‘safety hazard’. The real risk is loss of containment due to unacceptable vibrations and eventual fatigue failure of pipe and or structure. The reason resulting in vibrations can be connection of pipe with rotating equipment, the vibration of structure on which the pipe is supported, flow inside the pipe, noise level or slug / water hammer.

Here, the authors present a case study of a vibrating pipe beyond the accepted limit and how the pipe vibrations which are being transferred to supporting platform are minimized. The analytical results obtained by software simulations are benchmarked against actual readings measured at the site. The paper also provides the mathematics and its application to solve a practical vibration problem. It provides a systematic approach starting from generic calculations until a detailed flow simulation. In the end, it provides guidelines to select rubber and viscous dampers. The innovative part of the case study is the usage of specially designed rubber mounds which have yet not been used for pipe vibrations.
Mass spectral database for TOF-SIMS of stable isotopes of Sr and Zr
Authors: Zhao Yue , Yoshida Takeru , Ohmori Yuzuka , Miyashita Yuta , Morita Masato , Sakamoto Tetsuo , Kato Kotaro , Terabayashi Ryohei , Sonnenschein Volker , Tomita Hideki , Kawai Toshihide , Okumura Takeo , Satou Yukihiko , Wakaida Ikuo , Miyabe Masabumi
Published: October 2020

Nuclear accidents (e.g., at the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants) release considerable amounts of radioactive pollutants into the environment. Radioactive particles in dust and soil can range from a few micrometers to several micrometers in size. Detection of these micrometer-sized particles requires a fast and effective analytical method. Because time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) exhibits high spatial resolution and parallel detection capability, it is suitable for analyzing micrometer-sized radioactive particles. However, due to isobaric interferences, TOF-SIMS cannot effectively distinguish between isobaric elements such as 90Sr and 90Zr. Resonant ionization sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (R-SNMS) eliminates isobaric interferences and enables the measurement of isotope ratios of isotopes approaching the detection limit. However, R-SNMS cannot be performed independently because its results are based on the TOF-SIMS spectra. This study provides a database of reference spectra for Sr and Zr stable isotopes, which can act as important reference for further analysis of radioactive particles in environmental samples.
Detoxification, Active Uptake, and Intracellular Accumulation of Chromium Species by a Methane-Oxidizing Bacterium
Authors: Enbaia Salaheldeen , Eswayah Abdurrahman , Hondow Nicole , Gardiner Philip H. E. , Smith Thomas J.
Published: October 2020

M. capsulatus
Bath is a well-characterized aerobic methane-oxidizing bacterium that has become a model system for biotechnological development of methanotrophs to perform useful reactions for environmental cleanup and for making valuable chemicals and biological products using methane gas. Interest in such technology has increased recently owing to increasing availability of low-cost methane from fossil and biological sources. Here, it is demonstrated that this versatile methanotroph can reduce the toxic contaminating heavy metal chromium(VI) to the less toxic form chromium(III) while accumulating the chromium(III) within the cells. This is expected to diminish the bioavailability of the chromium and make it less likely to be reoxidized to chromium(VI). Thus,
M. capsulatus
has the capacity to perform methane-driven remediation of chromium-contaminated water and other materials and to accumulate the chromium in the low-toxicity chromium(III) form within the cells.
Syn-exhumation magmatism in an active continental margin above a continental subduction zone: Evidence from Late Triassic mafic igneous rocks in the southeastern North China Block
Authors: Fang Wei , Dai Li-Qun , Zheng Yong-Fei , Zhao Zi-Fu , Chen Qi , Zhou Yao
Published: October 2020

Syn-subduction arc magmatism is absent above continental subduction zones, providing important constraints on the nature of petrogenetic processes during continental collision. Nevertheless, we have identified syn-exhumation mafic igneous rocks in an active continental margin above a continental subduction zone, where the South China Block (SCB) was deeply subducted beneath the North China Block (NCB) for collisional orogeny in the Triassic. These mafic igneous rocks occur in the southeastern margin of the NCB, showing consistent Late Triassic zircon U-Pb ages of ca. 219–218 Ma, coeval with exhumation of the deeply subducted continental crust. These rocks are categorized into two series of sub-alkaline and alkaline, all exhibiting arc-like trace element distribution patterns, highly enriched radiogenic Sr-Nd-Hf and high zircon O isotope compositions. In particular, they exhibit two-stage whole-rock Nd and Hf model ages and zircon Hf model ages of Paleoproterozoic, which are comparable to those of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks with the SCB affinity in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. Such geochemical features indicate that these mafic igneous rocks were derived from partial melting of ultramafic metasomatites generated by reaction of felsic melts from the subducted SCB with the mantle wedge peridotite beneath the NCB. The geochemical differences in element and isotope compositions between the two series igneous rocks can be mainly ascribed to different proportions of the crustal component in the metasomatites, which is verified by quantitative modellings of the geochemical transfer in the continental subduction zone. The systematic variations in some geochemical variables such as Fe/Mn, Zn/Fe, and Nb/Ta ratios indicate pyroxenite-rich and hornblendite-rich lithologies, respectively, for the sub-alkaline and alkaline series igneous rocks. With the tectonic extension for exhumation of the deeply subducted continental crust in the Late Triassic, the fertile and enriched metasomatites in the mantle wedge underwent partial melting for the syn-exhumation mafic magmatism in the southeastern NCB. Therefore, the mafic igneous rocks in the active continental margin not only record the crust-mantle interaction in the continental subduction zone, but also witness the generation of syn-exhumation magmatism in the late stage of continental collision.
Prerequisites to support high-quality clinical trials in children and young people
Authors: Hirschfeld Steven , Lagler Florian B , Kindblom Jenny M
Published: October 2020

Children have the right to treatment based on the same quality of information that guides treatment in adults. Without the proper evaluation of medicinal products and devices in paediatric clinical trials that are designed to meet the rigorous standards of the competent authorities, children are discriminated from advances in medicine. There are regulatory, scientific and ethical incentives to address the knowledge gap regarding efficacy and safety of medicines in the paediatric population. High-quality clinical trials involving children of all ages can generate data that will ultimately close the knowledge gaps and support decision making.

For clinical trials that enrol children, the needs are specialised and often resource intensive. Prerequisites for successful paediatric clinical trials are personnel with training in both paediatrics and neonatology and expertise in clinical trials in these populations. Moreover, national and international networks for efficient collaboration, dissemination of information, and sharing of resources and expertise are also needed, together with competent, efficient and high-quality local infrastructure with effective processes. Monitoring and oversight bodies with the relevant competence, including expertise in paediatrics, is also an important prerequisite for paediatric clinical trials. Compromise in any of these components will compromise the downstream results.

This paper discusses the structures and competences needed in order to perform effective, high-quality paediatric clinical trials with the ultimate goal of better medicines and treatments for children. We propose a model of examining the process as a series of components that each has to be optimised, then all the components are actively optimised to function together as an ecosystem, and the resulting ecosystem functions well with the general research system and the healthcare delivery system.
Developing new models of care at speed: learning from healthcare redesign for children with COVID-related multisystem inflammation
Authors: Cheung C Ronny , Finnemore Anna , Handforth Jennifer , Bohmer Richard , Christiansen Nanna , Miller Owen
Published: October 2020

This article describes the rapid, system-wide reconfiguration of local and network services in response to the newly described paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) (also known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children). Developing the model of care for this novel disease, whose natural history, characteristics and treatment options were still unclear, presented distinct challenges.

We analyse this redesign through the lens of healthcare management science, and outline transferable principles which may be of specific and urgent relevance for paediatricians yet to experience the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and more generally, for those developing a new clinical service or healthcare operating model to manage the sudden emergence of any unanticipated clinical entity. Health service leaders in areas where COVID-19 is, or will soon be, in the ascendancy, and who are anticipating the imminent influx of PIMS-TS, should use these principles and recommendations to plan an agile, responsive and system-wide model of care for these children.
Prenatal features in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and indications for prenatal testing
Authors: Carli Diana , Bertola Chiara , Cardaropoli Simona , Ciuffreda Valentina Pia , Pieretto Marta , Ferrero Giovanni Battista , Mussa Alessandro
Published: October 2020

Background

Most cases of Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum (BWSp) are diagnosed after birth and few studies evaluated the prenatal phenotype; here, we investigate these aspects in a large series of patients with BWSp.

Methods

Eighty-nine patients with BWSp recruited through the BWSp Internal Registry of the Pediatric Genetics Unit of the Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital of Torino and through the Italian Association of Patients with BWSp. Data collection was conducted through administration of a personalised questionnaire, interview to patients’ parents, review of the clinical records, including prenatal ultrasound (US) and biochemical screening tests, physical examination and review of clinical and molecular data of the patients.

Results

Seventeen patients (19.1%) were conceived through assisted reproductive techniques (ART). Twinning occurred in nine pregnancies (three from ART). Pregnancy biochemical screening tests showed increased alpha-fetoprotein (1.52±0.79 multiples of median (MoM), p=0.001), uEstriol (1.37±0.38 MoM, p<0.001) and total human chorionic gonadotrophin (2.14±2.12 MoM, p=0.008) at 15–18 weeks (n=28). Morphology US scan revealed abdominal and head circumferences higher than normal (1.42±1.10 SD scores, p<0.001 and 0.54±0.88, p<0.001, respectively) with normal femur lengths. Sixty-four cases (71.9%%) had a various combination of US findings, including macrosomia (n=32), omphalocele (n=15), enlargement of abdominal organs (n=6), macroglossia (n=11), adrenal cysts/masses (n=2), nephroureteral anomalies (n=11), polyhydramnios (n=28), placental enlargement (n=2) or mesenchymal dysplasia (n=4).

Conclusion

We propose a clinical scoring system for prenatal molecular investigations defining major, minor and supportive criteria among the several features often observed prenatally in BWSp.
Cognitive effects and acceptability of non-invasive brain stimulation on Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment: a component network meta-analysis
Authors: Chu Che-Sheng , Li Cheng-Ta , Brunoni Andre R. , Yang Fu-Chi , Tseng Ping-Tao , Tu Yu-Kang , Stubbs Brendon , Carvalho André F. , Thompson Trevor , Rajji Tarek k. , Yeh Ta-Chuan , Tsai Chia-Kuang , Chen Tien-Yu , Li Dian-Jeng , Hsu Chih-Wei , Wu Yi-Cheng , Yu Chia-Ling , Liang Chih-Sung
Published: October 2020

Objectives

To compare cognitive effects and acceptability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to determine whether cognitive training (CT) during rTMS or tDCS provides additional benefits.

Methods

Electronic search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and PsycINFO up to 5 March 2020. We enrolled double-blind, randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcomes were acceptability and pre–post treatment changes in general cognition measured by Mini-Mental State Examination, and the secondary outcomes were memory function, verbal fluency, working memory and executive function. Durability of cognitive benefits (1, 2 and ≥3 months) after brain stimulation was examined.

Results

We included 27 RCTs (n=1070), and the treatment components included high-frequency rTMS (HFrTMS) and low-frequency rTMS, anodal tDCS (atDCS) and cathodal tDCS (ctDCS), CT, sham CT and sham brain stimulation. Risk of bias of evidence in each domain was low (range: 0%–11.1%). HFrTMS (1.08, 9, 0.35–1.80) and atDCS (0.56, 0.03–1.09) had short-term positive effects on general cognition. CT might be associated with negative effects on general cognition (−0.79, –2.06 to 0.48) during rTMS or tDCS. At 1-month follow-up, HFrTMS (1.65, 0.77–2.54) and ctDCS (2.57, 0.20–4.95) exhibited larger therapeutic responses. Separate analysis of populations with pure AD and MCI revealed positive effects only in individuals with AD. rTMS and tDCS were well tolerated.

Conclusions

HFrTMS is more effective than atDCS for improving global cognition, and patients with AD may have better responses to rTMS and tDCS than MCI.
Ten tips for organising a Bleep Roulette for final year medical students and new foundation trainees
Authors: Udeaja Yagazie Zina , Nitiahpapand Rynda
Published: October 2020

The initial period adjusting to the roles and responsibilities of a new foundation doctor can be a challenging and anxious time for graduating medical students and new trainees. Over recent years, many educational initiatives such as shadowing placements, assistantships and compulsory induction programmes have been implemented to improve medical student preparedness for clinical practice. Despite this, many graduates still report a lack of confidence and preparedness when starting their clinical placements, specifically within the context of on-call shifts. Bleep Roulette simulation sessions are progressively being used to further bridge the gap from student to trainee and ensure trainees develop prioritisation, organisational and clinical reasoning skills, improving trainee efficiency during an on-call shift. In this article, we provide 10 tips for medical educators, detailing how to design an efficacious Bleep Roulette session for final year medical students and new foundation trainees.
Pragmatic approach to neuraxial anesthesia in obstetric patients with disorders of the vertebral column, spinal cord and neuromuscular system
Authors: Walsh Elisa , Zhang Yi , Madden Hannah , Lehrich James , Leffert Lisa
Published: October 2020

Neuraxial anesthesia provides optimal labor analgesia and cesarean delivery anesthesia. Obstetric patients with disorders of the vertebral column, spinal cord and neuromuscular system present unique challenges to the anesthesiologist. Potential concerns include mechanical interference, patient injury and the need for imaging. Unfortunately, the existing literature regarding neuraxial anesthesia in these patients is largely limited to case series and rare retrospective studies. The lack of practice guidance may lead to unwarranted fear of patient harm and subsequent avoidance of neuraxial anesthesia for cesarean delivery or neuraxial analgesia for labor, with additional risks of exposure to general anesthesia. In this narrative review, we use available evidence to recommend a framework when considering neuraxial anesthesia for an obstetrical patient with neuraxial pathology.
Shiraishi functor and non-Kerov deformation of Macdonald polynomials
Authors: Awata Hidetoshi , Kanno Hiroaki , Mironov Andrei , Morozov Alexei
Published: October 2020

We suggest a further generalization of the hypergeometric-like series due to M. Noumi and J. Shiraishi by substituting the Pochhammer symbol with a nearly arbitrary function. Moreover, this generalization is valid for the entire Shiraishi series, not only for its Noumi–Shiraishi part. The theta function needed in the recently suggested description of the double-elliptic systems [Awata et al. JHEP 2020:150, arXiv:2005.10563, (2020)], 6d N = 2* SYM instanton calculus and the doubly-compactified network models, is a very particular member of this huge family. The series depends on two kinds of variables,$$\vec {x}$$x→and$$\vec {y}$$y→, and on a set of parameters, which becomes infinitely large now. Still, one of the parameters,pis distinguished by its role in the series grading. When$$\vec {y}$$y→are restricted to a discrete subset labeled by Young diagrams, the series multiplied by a monomial factor reduces to a polynomial at any given order inp. All this makes the map from functions to the hypergeometric-like series very promising, and we call itShiraishi functordespite it remains to be seen, what are exactly the morphisms that it preserves. Generalized Noumi–Shiraishi (GNS) symmetric polynomials inspired by the Shiraishi functor in the leading order inpcan be obtained by a triangular transform from the Schur polynomials and possess an interesting grading. They provide a family of deformations of Macdonald polynomials, as rich as the family of Kerov functions, still very different from them, and, in fact, much closer to the Macdonald polynomials. In particular, unlike the Kerov case, these polynomials do not depend on the ordering of Young diagrams in the triangular expansion.
Diagnosis inspired by the thermodynamic geometry for different thermodynamic schemes of the charged BTZ black hole
Authors: Xu Zhen-Ming , Wu Bin , Yang Wen-Li
Published: October 2020

Due to the asymptotic structure of the black hole solution, there are two different thermodynamic schemes for the charged Banados–Teitelboim–Zanelli (BTZ) black hole. In one scheme, the charged BTZ black hole is super-entropic, while in the other, it is not (the reverse isoperimetric inequality is saturated). In this paper, we investigate the thermodynamic curvature of the charged BTZ black hole in different coordinate spaces. We find that in both schemes, the thermodynamic curvature is always positive, which may be related to the information of repulsive interaction between black hole molecules for the charged BTZ black hole if we accept an empirical relationship between the thermodynamic curvature and interaction of a system. More importantly, we provide a diagnosis for the discrimination of the two schemes from the point of view of the thermodynamics geometry. For the charged BTZ black hole, when the reverse isoperimetric inequality is saturated, the thermodynamic curvature of an extreme black hole tends to be infinity, while when the reverse isoperimetric inequality is violated, the thermodynamic curvature of the extreme black hole goes to a finite value.
Classification of six-dimensional monotone symplectic manifolds admitting semifree circle actions II
Authors: Cho Yunhyung
Published: October 2020

This is the second of the series of papers on the classification of six-dimensional closed monotone symplectic manifold admitting a semifree Hamiltonian [Formula: see text]-action. In [Y. Cho, Classification of six-dimensional monotone symplectic manifolds admitting semifree circle actions I, Int. J. Math. 6 1950032], we dealt with the case where at least one of the extremal fixed point is isolated and proved that every such manifold is Kähler Fano. In this paper, we show that if the maximal and the minimal fixed components are both two-dimensional, then the manifold is [Formula: see text]-equivariantly symplectomorphic to some Kähler Fano manifold with a certain holomorphic Hamiltonian [Formula: see text]-action. We also give a complete list of such Fano manifolds together with an explicit description of the [Formula: see text]-actions.
Insight into evacuation from single-exit room in stress: Mice experiment
Authors: Wang Qiao , Song Weiguo , Xiao Hanyi , Zhang Jun , Xia Long , Ma Jian , Cao Shuchao
Published: October 2020

The evacuation efficiency is influenced by different stressors like fire, earthquake, shooting and even evacuation drills. In this work, the single and collective evacuation experiments of empirical rodent were conducted under three stress levels (no stress, medium stress and high stress) from water. In individual experiments, the results indicate that high stress caused high-strung, whereas the evacuation time is longest under no stress condition. Compared with these two stress conditions, medium stress can generate stimulus but not high-strung for mice, which facilitates mice to evacuate more efficiently. In collective experiments, the mice interacted with each other during searching for the exit. Additionally, the higher stress makes mice more impatient, which can be observed from the frequent change of their movement directions when encountering others, and the medium stress conduces to the evacuation as well. The comparison of individual and collective behavior of mice can provide insight into interaction among pedestrians in a collective evacuation, and the findings are helpful for rapid and effective evacuation in emergencies.
Infrastructure-enhanced Multi-target Tracking Using a Multiple-model PHD Filter
Authors: Tian Zhen , Cen Ming , Li Yinguo
Published: October 2020

Environment perception is crucial for the development of autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. The cooperative perception using the infrastructure sensors can significantly expand the field of view of on-board sensors and improve the accuracy of target tracking. In this paper, we propose a hybrid vehicular perception system that incorporates both received feature-level information from infrastructure sensors and track-level data from the multi-access edge computing server (MEC-Server). An infrastructure-enhanced multiple-model probability hypothesis density is proposed to handle the feature-level data from heterogeneous infrastructure sensors. The problem of kinematic state estimation is improved with the prior information of the road environment. Furthermore, a generic communication interface between the infrastructure sensor and MEC-Server is designed, which allows the object data to have the same notion of locality through the use of a generic object state model. Simulation results show that the presented algorithm provides higher accuracy and reliability after considering the prior information of the road environment.
Design of a Bit-Interleaved Low Power 10T SRAM Cell with Enhanced Stability
Authors: Manoj Kumar R. , Sridevi P. V.
Published: October 2020

The technology is shrinking in recent days which leads to growing concerns related to various design metrics. Leakage power tends to grow with the array size as most of the Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cells operate in standby mode. The data to be written into the SRAM become difficult as the supply voltage decreases. So, stability in write mode requires enhancement. As SRAM is used for the on-chip computations, the faster write operation is required. The half-select issue in SRAM design needs to be eliminated so that bit interleaving architecture can be employed for the SRAM array enabling the protection from soft errors. A new Proposed 10 Transistor Bit-Interleaved SRAM cell has been designed addressing the above concerns. Employment of high-threshold voltage devices in read path and absence of NMOS device in one of the inverters reduces leakage power. Cut-off switch enables faster write operation and enhanced write stability. Cross point selection in write mode eliminates the half-select issue observed by carrying 1000 Monte-Carlo simulations. It has lower leakage power while holding 0 compared to 8 Transistor, Fully Differential 8 Transistor and Write Assist Low Power 11 Transistor SRAM cells at the worst fast-fast process corner for 0.9 V supply voltage. Write 1 Power Delay Product is lower than 8 Transistor, Fully Differential 8 Transistor and Write Assist Low Power 11 Transistor SRAM cells at slow-slow corner at 0.9V supply voltage. All the design metrics have been evaluated by performing post-layout simulation in Cadence Virtuoso in 45-nm technology.
Incubation Scheme in Among Incubators: A Comparative Study
Authors: Ririh Kirana Rukmayuninda , Wicaksono Adityo , Laili Nur , Tsurayya Silmi
Published: October 2020

In the recent decade, governments have utilized business incubators to generate new ventures, facilitate new products and services development, and support the regional economic development. The current trend of business incubator proliferation brings out the needs to comprehend the effective way of incubating new ventures. However, previous research has overlooked on understanding how the best way to manage the incubator at certain levels. Thus, this research aims to address the hiatus by identifying best-practices of business incubation among incubators from several countries in Europe and Asia. A comparative approach of content analysis and a single case study is applied to unpack incubation practices patterns. Incubation best-practices included initiating awareness of new entrepreneurial opportunities, enhancing product development and providing resource, venturing competence evolvement, creating collaborative partnership, settling norms and role models, and building company reputation and product legitimacy. Furthermore, this research also found level differences of incubation practices regarding their comprehensiveness.
Designing of 5,10-Dihydroindolo [3,2-b] Indole (DINI) Based Donor Materials for Small Molecule Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Fatima Arooj , Farhat Afifa , Saleem Rabia , Khera Rasheed Ahmad , Iqbal Saleem , Iqbal Javed
Published: October 2020

In this paper, four small molecules B1, B2, B3 and B4 based on donor–acceptor–donor–acceptor–donor (D-A-D-A-D) combination were designed by making structural modifications in R. The designed molecules contain 5,10-dihydro-indolo [3,2-b] indole central donor core and different benzo-thiadiazole and fluorine substituted benzothiadiazole (FBT) acceptor units. These molecules have different subunits introduced on 5,10-dihydroindolo [3,2-b] indole central core like benzo [1,2,5] thiadiazole in (B1), 5-Fluoro-benzo [1,2,5] thiadiazole in (B2), 5-Methyl-benzo [1,2,5] thiadiazole in (B3), 2-Fluoro-2-methyl-2-H-benzotriazole unit in (B4), flanked with [2,2’,5’,2”] terthiophene as spacer (S) and triphenyl amine as a common end-capped donor in all the molecules (B1– B4). The optoelectronic properties of these molecules were studied by performing density functional theory (DFT) at CAM-B3LYP. Among all the designed structures, B2 showed maximum absorption (457[Formula: see text]nm) due to its strong electron withdrawing 5-Fluoro-benzo [1,2,5] thiadiazole acceptor unit. Other opto-electronic properties were analyzed through reorganization energies, density of electronic states and transition density matrix (TDM) to estimate the photovoltaic potential of these newly designed molecules. Low exciton binding energies and comparable values of open circuit voltage than R indicate the worth of these candidates to be used in future solar energy driven devices.
DeepPeep
Authors: Jha Nandan Kumar , Mittal Sparsh , Kumar Binod , Mattela Govardhan
Published: October 2020

The remarkable predictive performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) has led to their adoption in service domains of unprecedented scale and scope. However, the widespread adoption and growing commercialization of DNNs have underscored the importance of intellectual property (IP) protection. Devising techniques to ensure IP protection has become necessary due to the increasing trend of outsourcing the DNN computations on the untrusted accelerators in cloud-based services. The design methodologies and hyper-parameters of DNNs are crucial information, and leaking them may cause massive economic loss to the organization. Furthermore, the knowledge of DNN’s architecture can increase the success probability of an adversarial attack where an adversary perturbs the inputs and alters the prediction.

In this work, we devise a two-stage attack methodology “DeepPeep,” which exploits the distinctive characteristics of design methodologies to reverse-engineer the architecture of building blocks in compact DNNs. We show the efficacy of “DeepPeep” on P100 and P4000 GPUs. Additionally, we propose intelligent design maneuvering strategies for thwarting IP theft through the DeepPeep attack and proposed “Secure MobileNet-V1.”
Interestingly
, compared to vanilla MobileNet-V1, secure MobileNet-V1 provides a significant reduction in inference latency (≈60%) and improvement in predictive performance (≈2%) with very low memory and computation overheads.
Bench-Scale Demonstration and Thermodynamic Simulations of Electrochemical Nutrient Reduction in Wastewater via Recovery as Struvite
Authors: Belarbi Zineb , Daramola Damilola A. , Trembly Jason P.
Published: October 2020

Land application of manure can be a sustainable supply chain practice that improves soil quality by recycling important nutrients contained in animal waste. Yet, runoff of phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients contained in the animal waste has contributed to significant watershed eutrophication. Recovery of the dissolved nutrient species as a condensed solid fertilizer product would increase sustainability of the agricultural supply chain, while reducing watershed pollution. This study was conducted to evaluate the recovery of phosphorus (primarily) as struvite using an electrochemical process while varying temperature, applied cathodic potential, turbulence and Ca2+ concentration. High phosphorus recovery with high current efficiency and low specific energy consumption was possible at 20 °C, −1.1 V vs Ag/AgCl at the cathode, and a Reynolds number of 9150 in the absence of Ca2+ when the Mg:N:P ratio was 1.37:1:1. Further, a thermodynamic model of the waste solution indicated an increase in Ca2+ concentration, which impedes struvite recovery, can be negated by increasing dissolved Mg2+ concentration and operating at a pH below NH3 volatilization.
Whole brain mapping of somatosensory responses in awake marmosets investigated with ultra-high-field fMRI
Authors: Cléry Justine C. , Hori Yuki , Schaeffer David J. , Gati Joseph S. , Pruszynski J. Andrew , Everling Stefan
Published: October 2020

We used somatosensory stimulation combined with functional MRI (fMRI) in awake marmosets to reveal the topographic body representation in areas S1, S2, thalamus, and putamen. We showed the existence of a body representation organization within the thalamus and the cingulate cortex by computing functional connectivity maps from seeds defined in S1/S2 using resting-state fMRI data. This noninvasive approach will be essential for chronic studies by guiding invasive recording and manipulation techniques.
Multiobjective Optimization Design of Toll Plaza
Authors: Wang Kai , Wang Peng , Chen Xin , Zhao Lu-Ting
Published: October 2020

This paper mainly studies the optimization design of toll plaza, including the determination of the number of tollbooths and the design of the shape and size of the toll plaza. The optimization objectives are the construction cost of toll plaza, the throughput, and the accident rate. Through the analysis on the structure of toll plaza and the traffic flow, we determine the impact factors for optimization targets and select the number of tollbooths, the length of entrance and exit queue area, and the ingress and egress angles as decision variables and then build the function relationship between construction cost, accident rate, throughput, and decision variables. Then based on those functions to build the mathematical programming model, so as to get the optimal design plan.
Evaluation of Serum Interleukin 6, Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha, and Interferon-Gamma Levels in Relation to Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure in HIV Seropositive Pregnant Women Coinfected with Malaria
Authors: Chukwuagwu Ikechukwu Uzoma , Ukibe Nkiruka Rose , Ogbu Innocent Ikechi , Ikimi Charles German , Agu Victoria Ogechi , Kalu Ofia Anya , Ukibe Solomon Nwabueze , Awalu Joseph Chimezie
Published: October 2020

Malaria and HIV are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Both diseases are highly endemic and have a wide geographic overlap with severe impact on pregnancy. This was a case-control study designed to evaluate the levels of interleukin -6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and their relationship with some anthropometric indices such as body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in HIV-malaria coinfected women attending antenatal clinic at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Nigeria. 122 pregnant women and 30 nonpregnant women (control) aged between 18 and 42 years were recruited for the study. Screening of HIV antibodies was done using a national algorithm. Peripheral malaria was determined using rapid detection and the Giemsa stain technique. Cytokines were assayed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. HIV-malaria coinfected pregnant women showed significantly higher levels of IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and blood pressure with reduced BMI value compared with HIV seronegative pregnant and nonpregnant control participants (p≤0.001, respectively). The findings indicated significant cytokine imbalance which suggests an active inflammatory process and reduced cellular immunity. The increased BMI and blood pressure level observed indicate overweight and possible hypertension which could subsequently lead to preeclampsia and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Experimental Study of a Hybrid Genetic Algorithm for the Multiple Travelling Salesman Problem
Authors: Al-Furhud Maha Ata , Ahmed Zakir Hussain
Published: October 2020

The multiple travelling salesman problem (MTSP), an extension of the well-known travelling salesman problem (TSP), is studied here. In MTSP, starting from a depot, multiple salesmen require to visit all cities so that each city is required to be visited only once by one salesman only. It is NP-hard and is more complex than the usual TSP. So, exact optimal solutions can be obtained for smaller sized problem instances only. For large-sized problem instances, it is essential to apply heuristic algorithms, and amongst them, genetic algorithm is identified to be successfully deal with such complex optimization problems. So, we propose a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) that uses sequential constructive crossover, a local search approach along with an immigration technique to find high-quality solution to the MTSP. Then our proposed HGA is compared against some state-of-the-art algorithms by solving some TSPLIB symmetric instances of several sizes with various number of salesmen. Our experimental investigation demonstrates that the HGA is one of the best algorithms.