bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Experimental Study of Porous Coated Hybrid Elliptical Heating Tubes in Phase Change Heat Transfer
Authors: Mohanty Rajiva Lochan , Das Mihir Kumar
Published: June 2024

Porous coating over hybrid elliptical heating tubes (HETs) is presented as the state-of-the-art in heat transmission during phase change maintaining its wide-ranging applicability. The saturated nucleate boiling heat transfer performance of porous coated hybrid elliptical heating tubes (CHETs) exposed to varying orientation angles is compared to that of conventional circular tubes in an accompanying experimental study conducted at atmospheric pressure. Four different copper porous coating thicknesses are varied from 34 μm to 128 μm with a heat flux range of 14.87–94.82 kW/m2. A greater coefficient of heat transfer is claimed for the CHET compared to the uncoated circular tube, regardless of the orientation angle or coating thickness. The uncoated and porous CHET provided a greater coefficient of heat transmission at 0 deg than at 90 deg. At 0 deg orientation angle, the coating with a thickness of 66 μm improves heat transmission by 1.27–1.5 times than that of uncoated surface, while minimum enhancement about 1.16–1.24 times is found in 34 μm. Furthermore, a dimensionless semi-empirical correlation is established to predict own heat transmission coefficient findings within ±12%, independent of coating thicknesses and orientation angles.
Optimization of 3D Printing While Traveling En Route to Extend Range of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Multilocation Mission Scenarios
Authors: Dickerson Tevin J. , Salmon John L. , Mattson Christopher A.
Published: June 2024

The nexus of two relatively recent technologies, additive manufacturing and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), has enabled new and unique capabilities that have only started to be realized in integrated systems. This article explores and quantifies the impact of 3D printing parts for UAS, or entire UAS systems, on an agent platform, while this agent travels to multiple locations as part of a mission objective. The fully printed or enhanced UAS can then be released at launch points farther away from the goal locations. This, in turn, can accelerate mission completion times and reduce travel costs depending upon the ratio between vehicle speed and 3D printing rate. Thousands of scenarios are optimized across the design space to minimize the travel path length for the agent platform as a result of 3D printing en route to the locations of interest. Results indicate that based on the print capability and agent travel speed, an exponential decay in the amount of travel distance of the agent platform occurs. For unity ratios of print speed and agent speed in the considered design space, a decrease of 55% in the total required distance of our agent is observed. This reduction in total travel distance can reduce time, fuel, cost, and other aspects including other environmental and social impacts. A generalized optimization formulation is also presented at the end to enable similar analyses with other en route range-extending technology such as battery charging.
A Superposition Technique for Predicting Overall Effectiveness With Multiple Sources of Individually Characterized Internal and External Coolant Flows
Authors: Fuqua Matthew N. , Rutledge James L.
Published: June 2024

High-performance gas turbine engines rely on intricate cooling schemes to protect turbine components from the high-temperature freestream gas. Determining the optimal placement of film cooling holes in optimal locations while remaining mindful of the consumption of precious coolant air is therefore an interesting design challenge. For several decades, a method of superposition has been in use that provides a reasonable prediction of the adiabatic effectiveness in a region influenced by multiple rows of film cooling holes acting together if the adiabatic effectiveness distributions resulting from individual rows are already known. This classical superposition technique has been used with success to at least provide a first cut at determining where coolant holes might be placed on turbine components. One of the shortcomings of the method is that it strictly applies only to the prediction of adiabatic effectiveness which is indicative of the adiabatic wall temperature, not the actual surface temperature of the turbine component. Indeed, the overall effectiveness, which is indicative of the actual surface temperature, is somewhat more complicated as it is influenced not only by external cooling but also by internal cooling. In the present work, a method of superposition of overall effectiveness data is proposed, thereby allowing prediction of the actual surface temperature distribution on a component. Experimental results show that it is possible to use knowledge of the overall effectiveness distributions resulting from individual internal cooling and associated film cooling holes acting alone to determine how they are likely going to act when combined. This technique shows promise for a turbine designer to use superposition for actual surface temperature prediction, not just adiabatic wall temperature prediction, and therefore higher quality initial cooling designs.
Enhanced surface performance of insulating ceramic by plasma polymerization with nanosecond-pulse dielectric barrier discharge: Insight into the effect of the repetition frequency
Authors: Cui Xinglei , Li Long , Xu Zhenbo , Zhu Xi , Akram Shakeel , Fang Zhi
Published: June 2024

Insulating ceramics are widely used in power systems, but their high polarity makes them prone to wet and pollution flashover. In this paper, an Ar/polydimethylsiloxane dielectric barrier discharge excited by a parametric nanosecond-pulse power source is utilized for plasma polymerization to enhance ceramic surface insulating performance. Diagnosis of the discharge characteristics and surface physiochemical properties is conducted at different repetition frequencies to investigate the mechanism associated with the relationship between repetition frequency and the plasma polymerization process. The results indicate that a superhydrophobic surface can be achieved at repetition frequencies above 2 kHz. This transformation brings about multiple effects, including a decrease in surface polarity, an increase in charge dissipation, and an improvement in surface dry and wet flashover voltages. It is discovered that the discharge mode shifts from homogeneous to filamentary due to the memory effect of high repetition frequencies. Additionally, several filaments are generated simultaneously during a single pulse, facilitating the polymerization reactions. For high repetition frequencies, a low-polarity silicon-containing film with micro-nanometer structures is deposited on the ceramic surface, while scattered polymer fragments are generated on the surface without a cross-linked film for repetition frequencies below 2 kHz, despite longer treatment durations.
Carbonized polyvinylidene difluoride films irradiated by variable-energy Ar+: Tunable morphology and resistive sensing
Authors: Nuriahmetov Islam F. , Zavidovskiy Ilya A. , Khaidarov Abdusame A. , Savchenko Natalya F. , Tatarintsev Andrey A. , Dremov Viacheslav V. , Streletskiy Oleg A.
Published: June 2024

In this work, resistive gas sensors based on dehydrohalogenated polyvinylidene difluoride irradiated by variable-energy (500–900 eV) Ar+ ions were investigated. The resulting ion-irradiated polyene-based films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The polyene-based structure was analyzed, and the variation in the films’ morphology, ordering, and graphitization degree with ion energy change was assessed. The resistive sensing response of the obtained composites to ammonia and ethanol was analyzed, revealing the energy- and analyte-dependent shift between positive and negative sensing responses. That allowed us to confirm that the sensing mechanism of the investigated structures is governed by electron or hole transfer induced by the interaction of vapor and the material, which results in various types of responses for the structures with n- and p-type conductivity.
Broad-range amplification and sequencing of the
rpoB
gene: a novel assay for bacterial identification in clinical microbiology
Authors: Bivand Joanna Małgorzata , Dyrhovden Ruben , Sivertsen Audun , Tellevik Marit Gjerde , Patel Robin , Kommedal Øyvind
Published: June 2024

The
rpoB
gene has been proposed as a promising phylogenetic marker for bacterial identification, providing theoretically improved species-level resolution compared to the 16S rRNA gene for a range of clinically important taxa. However, its utility in diagnostic microbiology has been limited by the lack of broad-range primers allowing for its amplification from most species with a single PCR assay. Here, we present an assay for broad-range partial amplification and Sanger sequencing of the
rpoB
gene. To reduce cross-reactivity and allow for
rpoB
amplification directly from patient samples, primers were based on the dual priming oligonucleotide principle. The resulting amplicon is ~550 base pairs in length and appropriate for species-level identification. Systematic
in silico
evaluation of a wide selection of taxa demonstrated improved resolution within multiple important genera, including
Enterococcus, Fusobacterium
,
Mycobacterium
,
Streptococcus
, and
Staphylococcus
species and several genera within the
Enterobacteriaceae
family. Broad-range
rpoB
amplification and Sanger sequencing of 115 bacterial isolates provided unambiguous species-level identification for 97 (84%) isolates, as compared to 57 (50%) using a clinical 16S rRNA gene assay. Several unresolved taxonomic matters disguised by the low resolution of the 16S rRNA gene were revealed using the
rpoB
gene. Using a collection of 33 clinical specimens harboring bacteria and assumed to contain high concentrations of human DNA, the
rpoB
assay identified the pathogen in 29 specimens (88%). Broad-range
rpoB
amplification and sequencing provides a promising tool for bacterial identification, improving discrimination between closely related species and making it amenable for use in culture-based and culture-independent diagnostic approaches.
Bile acid-sensitive human norovirus strains are susceptible to sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 inhibition
Authors: Tenge Victoria , Ayyar B. Vijayalakshmi , Ettayebi Khalil , Crawford Sue E. , Hayes Nicole M. , Shen Yi-Ting , Neill Frederick H. , Atmar Robert L. , Estes Mary K.
Published: June 2024

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are a diverse group of RNA viruses that cause endemic and pandemic acute viral gastroenteritis. Previously, we reported that many HuNoV strains require bile or bile acid (BA) to infect human jejunal intestinal enteroid cultures. BA was not essential for the replication of a pandemic-causing GII.4 HuNoV strain. We found the hydrophobic BA glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA) promotes the replication of the BA-dependent strain GII.3 in jejunal enteroids. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of the G-protein-coupled BA receptor, sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2), by JTE-013, reduced GII.3 infection dose-dependently and inhibited GII.3 cellular uptake in enteroids. Herein, we sought to determine whether S1PR2 is required for other BA-dependent HuNoV strains, the BA-independent GII.4, and whether S1PR2 is required for BA-dependent HuNoV infection in HIEs from other small intestinal segments. We found a second S1PR2 inhibitor, GLPG2938, reduces GII.3 infection dose-dependently, and an S1PR2 agonist (CYM-5520) enhances GII.3 replication in the absence of GCDCA. GII.3 replication also is abrogated in the presence of JTE-013 and CYM-5520. JTE-013 inhibition of S1PR2 in jejunal HIEs reduces GI.1, GII.3, and GII.17 (BA-dependent) but not GII.4 Sydney (BA-independent) infection, providing additional evidence of strain-specific differences in HuNoV infection. Finally, GII.3 infection of duodenal, jejunal, and ileal lines derived from the same individual is reduced with S1PR2 inhibition, indicating a common mechanism of BA-dependent infection among multiple segments of the small intestine. Our results support a model where BA-dependent HuNoVs exploit BA effects on S1PR2 to infect the entire small intestine.

IMPORTANCE

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are important viral human pathogens that cause both outbreaks and sporadic gastroenteritis. These viruses are diverse, and many strains are capable of infecting humans. Our previous studies have identified strain-specific requirements for hydrophobic bile acids (BAs) to infect intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, we identified a BA receptor, sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2), required for infection by a BA-dependent strain. To better understand how various HuNoV strains enter and infect the small intestine and the role of S1PR2 in HuNoV infection, we evaluated infection by additional HuNoV strains using an expanded repertoire of intestinal enteroid cell lines. We found that multiple BA-dependent strains, but not a BA-independent strain, all require S1PR2 for infection. In addition, BA-dependent infection requires S1PR2 in multiple segments of the small intestine. Together, these results indicate that S1PR2 has value as a potential therapeutic target for BA-dependent HuNoV infection.
The distribution and generation of carbonatites
Authors: Gibson Sally , McKenzie Dan , Lebedev Sergei
Published: June 2024

The physio-chemical framework that generates carbonatites and, ultimately, the associated rare earth element deposits remains contentious. This primarily reflects the diverse tectonic settings in which carbonatites occur: large igneous provinces, continental rifts and major extensional terranes, syn- to post-collisional settings, or ocean islands. There is, however, a broad consensus that carbonatites (or their parental melts) originate in the mantle. These exotic melts have small volumes that make them ideal probes of conditions in their underlying source regions. We combine the carbonatite locations with global maps of lithospheric thickness, derived from seismic tomography, and show that post-Neoproterozoic carbonatites occur preferentially above the margins of thick cratonic lithosphere (e.g., adjacent to the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans or in North America, Greenland, and Asia) and where once thick lithosphere has undergone stretching (e.g., eastern Asia). Our thermal modeling reveals that lateral and vertical heat conduction on rifted craton margins, or rapid stretching of cratonic lithosphere, can mobilize carbonated peridotite at the temperatures (950–1250 °C) and pressures (2–3 GPa) required to form primary carbonatites or their parental alkali silicate melts. Importantly, our models show that heat conduction from upwelling mantle plumes or ambient mantle on rifted cratonic margins may sufficiently modify the temperature of the lithospheric mantle to cause melting of carbonated peridotite, settling the long-standing debate on the role of rifting and heating in the generation of carbonatites.
Shallow ocean deoxygenation drove trilobite turnover during the late Cambrian SPICE event
Authors: Yang Aihua , Chen Bo , Sun Zhixin , Tostevin Rosalie , He Tianchen , Chen Xi , Chen Jitao , Lu Miao , Hu Chunlin , Du Shengxian , Chen Jun , Jiao Wenjun , Zhu Maoyan
Published: June 2024

The spread of marine anoxia is believed to have played a key role in the development of the SPICE (Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion) event and the end-Marjuman extinction in the late Cambrian (~497.5 m.y. ago), but their cause-and-effect relationship is poorly constrained. Here we present an integrated analysis of carbonate δ13C, cerium anomalies (Ce/Ce*), and genus-level diversity data of trilobites from the North China Platform. Our results show tightly coupled changes between the SPICE, an increase in Ce/Ce*, and a trilobite turnover event, which we interpret as indicating enhanced productivity and organic remineralization, leading to the development of low-oxygen conditions in shallow-water settings. This study therefore establishes a direct link between local ecological stress and trilobite turnover during the global SPICE event. Furthermore, the presence of low-oxygen rather than fully anoxic conditions during the peak of the SPICE event could explain the nature of the end-Marjuman crisis, which was characterized by the replacement of shallow-water fauna by deeper-water counterparts that were potentially more tolerant of hypoxia.
Lateral episiotomy or no episiotomy in vacuum assisted delivery in nulliparous women (EVA): multicentre, open label, randomised controlled trial
Authors: Bergendahl Sandra , Jonsson Maria , Hesselman Susanne , Ankarcrona Victoria , Leijonhufvud Åsa , Wihlbäck Anna-Carin , Wallström Tove , Rydström Emmie , Friberg Hanna , Kopp Kallner Helena , Brismar Wendel Sophia
Published: June 2024

Objective

To assess the effect of lateral episiotomy, compared with no episiotomy, on obstetric anal sphincter injury in nulliparous women requiring vacuum extraction.

Design

A multicentre, open label, randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Eight hospitals in Sweden, 2017-23.

Participants

717 nulliparous women with a single live fetus of 34 gestational weeks or more, requiring vacuum extraction were randomly assigned (1:1) to lateral episiotomy or no episiotomy using sealed opaque envelopes. Randomisation was stratified by study site.

Intervention

A standardised lateral episiotomy was performed during the vacuum extraction, at crowning of the fetal head, starting 1-3 cm from the posterior fourchette, at a 60° (45-80°) angle from the midline, and 4 cm (3-5 cm) long. The comparison was no episiotomy unless considered indispensable.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome of the episiotomy in vacuum assisted delivery (EVA) trial was obstetric anal sphincter injury, clinically diagnosed by combined visual inspection and digital rectal and vaginal examination. The primary analysis used a modified intention-to-treat population that included all consenting women with attempted or successful vacuum extraction. As a result of an interim analysis at significance level P<0.01, the primary endpoint was tested at 4% significance level with accompanying 96% confidence interval (CI).

Results

From 1 July 2017 to 15 February 2023, 717 women were randomly assigned: 354 (49%) to lateral episiotomy and 363 (51%) to no episiotomy. Before vacuum extraction attempt, one woman withdrew consent and 14 had a spontaneous birth, leaving 702 for the primary analysis. In the intervention group, 21 (6%) of 344 women sustained obstetric anal sphincter injury, compared with 47 (13%) of 358 women in the comparison group (P=0.002). The risk difference was −7.0% (96% CI −11.7% to −2.5%). The risk ratio adjusted for site was 0.47 (96% CI 0.23 to 0.97) and unadjusted risk ratio was 0.46 (0.28 to 0.78). No significant differences were noted between groups in postpartum pain, blood loss, neonatal outcomes, or total adverse events, but the intervention group had more wound infections and dehiscence.

Conclusions

Lateral episiotomy can be recommended for nulliparous women requiring vacuum extraction to significantly reduce the risk of obstetric anal sphincter injury.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT02643108
.
How do patients perceive the retirement of their general practitioner? A qualitative interview study in France
Authors: Kerebel Yann , Duguet Théo , Kapassi Amar , Figoni Hugo , Colas-Charlap Anne-Laure , Pariente Laura , Perroteau Florent , Moussaoui Sohela , Bonello Kim , Chastang Julie
Published: June 2024

Objectives

The perspective of general practitioners’ (GPs) on retirement and the factors influencing their attitude towards retirement have been previously investigated. However, while the number of GPs has been declining for many years in France, leading to the emergence of medical deserts, the impact on their patients remains to be explored. The aim of this study was to understand patients’ perceptions of their GP’s retirement.

Design

A semistructured interview-based qualitative study was conducted, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Setting

Interviews were conducted in two general practices located in Essonne, Ile-de-France, France, between January and April 2014.

Participants

Thirteen women and five men, aged 21–94 years, were included in this study. Exclusion criteria were the non-declaration of the physician as the declared doctor and being under 18 years of age.

Results

The GP–patient relationship is a link that is built up over time, over the course of several consultations. Patients choose their GP based on qualities or skills they value. In this way, the physician chosen is unique for their patients; this choice reflects a certain loyalty to their physician. The interaction with the family sphere reinforces this relationship through the multiple links created during care. When a GP retires, this link is broken. Patients’ reactions can range from indifference to real grief.

Conclusion

This study confirms the importance of the link between the GPs and their patients and highlights the need to prepare patients for their GP’s retirement.
Examining the role of resilience in the relationship between social support and fear of recurrence among patients with gastric cancer on chemotherapy: a cross-sectional study in Jiangsu, China
Authors: Yang Lihua , Li Yi , Wang Xiaoqing , Xia Chao , Yang Liping , Li Xun , Zou Yanling , Wang Qiong , Hou Qingmei , Duan Peibei , Zhang Ziyan
Published: June 2024

Objectives

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationships between fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), social support and resilience, and further determine whether resilience mediates social support and FCR among Chinese patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Design

Multicentre cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Four hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China, with grade-A tertiary hospital settings.

Participants

755 patients with gastric cancer on chemotherapy across four hospitals in China were included from March 2021 to September 2022.

Outcome measures

The Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used to test the model’s constructs. Statistical analyses were conducted by using IBM SPSS V.26.0 software. PROCESS V.3.4 macro was used to analyse the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between social support and FCR.

Results

The mean scores for SSRS, CD-RISC and FoP-Q-SF in patients with gastric cancer receiving chemotherapy were 41.55±7.79, 54.83±18.46 and 30.91±10.11, respectively. 43.3% (n=327) had psychological dysfunction, 56.8% (n=429) had low to medium resilience and 99.1% (n=748) had medium to robust social support. Significant differences exist among three variables, resilience positively correlated with social support, while FCR negatively correlated with resilience and social support (p<0.001). Resilience fully mediated the relationship between social support and FCR (a*b-path=−0.126, 95% CI −0.169 to –0.086).

Conclusions

Mediation analysis shows resilience mediates social support and FCR in patients with gastric cancer as the negative effect of social support on FCR was fully mediated by resilience. Interventions targeting these variables may reduce FCR in patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
Association between extremely high prognostic nutritional index and all-cause mortality in patients with coronary artery disease: secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study in China
Authors: Wu Ting-Ting , Pan Ying , Zhi Xiao-Yu , Deng Chang-Jiang , Wang Shun , Guo Xiao-Xia , Hou Xian-Geng , Yang Yi , Zheng Ying-Ying , Xie Xiang
Published: June 2024

Objectives

Decreased prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was associated with adverse outcomes in many clinical diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between baseline PNI value and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Design

The Personalized Antiplatelet Therapy According to CYP2C19 Genotype in Coronary Artery Disease (PRACTICE) study, a prospective cohort study of 15 250 patients with CAD, was performed from December 2016 to October 2021. The longest follow-up period was 5 years. This study was a secondary analysis of the PRACTICE study.

Setting

The study setting was Xinjiang Medical University Affiliated First Hospital in China.

Participants

Using the 50th and 90th percentiles of the PNI in the total cohort as two cut-off limits, we divided all participants into three groups: Q1 (PNI <51.35, n = 7515), Q2 (51.35 ≤ PNI < 59.80, n = 5958) and Q3 (PNI ≥ 59.80, n = 1510). The PNI value was calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (per mm3).

Primary outcome

The primary outcome measure was mortality, including all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiac mortality (CM).

Results

In 14 983 participants followed for a median of 24 months, a total of 448 ACM, 333 CM, 1162 major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and 1276 major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were recorded. The incidence of adverse outcomes was significantly different among the three groups (p <0.001). There were 338 (4.5%), 77 (1.3%) and 33 (2.2%) ACM events in the three groups, respectively. A restricted cubic spline displayed a J-shaped relationship between the PNI and worse 5-year outcomes, including ACM, CM, MACE and MACCE. After adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, we found that only patients with extremely high PNI values in the Q3 subgroup or low PNI values in the Q1 subgroup had a greater risk of ACM (Q3 vs Q2, HR: 1.617, 95% CI 1.012 to 2.585, p=0.045; Q1 vs Q2, HR=1.995, 95% CI 1.532 to 2.598, p <0.001).

Conclusion

This study revealed a J-shaped relationship between the baseline PNI and ACM in patients with CAD, with a greater risk of ACM at extremely high PNI values.

Trial registration number

NCT05174143.
Support for banning sale of smoked tobacco products among adults who smoke: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys (2018–2022)
Authors: Le Grande Michael , Borland Ron , Gravely Shannon , Cummings Michael , McNeill Ann , Yong Hua H , Gartner Coral E
Published: June 2024

Background

Many people continue to smoke despite strong policies to deter use, thus stronger regulatory measures may be required. In four high-income countries, we examined whether people who smoke would support a total ban on smoked tobacco products under two differing policy scenarios.

Methods

Data were from 14 363 adults (≥18) who smoked cigarettes (≥monthly) and participated in at least one of the 2018, 2020 or 2022 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys in Australia, Canada, England and the USA. In 2018, respondents were asked whether they would support a law that totally bans smoked tobacco if the government provides smoking cessation assistance (Cessation Assistance scenario). In 2020 and 2022, respondents were asked a slightly different question as to whether they would support a law that totally bans smoked tobacco if the government encourages people who smoke to use alternative nicotine products like vaping products and nicotine replacement products instead (substitution scenario). Responses (support vs oppose/don’t know) were estimated on weighted data.

Results

Support was greater for the cessation assistance scenario (2018, 36.6%) than the nicotine substitution scenario (2020, 26.9%; 2022, 26.3%, both p<0.0001). In the longitudinal analysis, there was a significant scenario by country interaction effect with lower support in Canada, the USA and Australia under the substitution scenario than in the cessation scenario, but equivalent levels in England under both scenarios. The strongest correlates of support under both scenarios were planning to quit smoking within 6 months, wanting to quit smoking ‘a lot’ and recent use of nicotine replacement therapy.

Conclusions

Opposition to banning smoked tobacco predominates among people who smoke, but less with a cessation assistance scenario than one encouraging nicotine substitution. Wanting to quit a lot was the strongest indicator of support.
Early detection and management of herbicide-resistant weeds
Authors: Simard Marie-Josée , Laforest Martin
Published: June 2024

Small weed patches may be noticed in fields after herbicide application, but they typically do not have a significant impact on the season’s crop yield. As a result, they are usually not treated as a threat to future yields. However, if these patches harbour weed biotypes resistant to one or multiple herbicides, resistance alleles can spread both spatially (via various dispersal pathways, including seed transport by machinery and commodity contamination) and temporally (through seed persistence). This poses a significant threat to herbicide-based weed management. Once these populations spread and cover a large enough area, eradication becomes improbable despite all the resistance management efforts. Therefore, a proactive and collaborative endeavour is needed to detect and manage small and patchy resistant weed populations. In this paper, we review the current potential of weed resistance detection using imagery and molecular markers as well as possible weed management approaches. Finally, we advocate for the use of a combination of these techniques to manage herbicide-resistant weeds when populations are small. This multifaceted approach is presently not applicable to all resistance mechanisms, and all weed species located in any crop, but could initially focus on biotypes and species that are easy to detect and represent the greatest threat.
A Delayed Spiking Neural Membrane System for Adaptive Nearest Neighbor-Based Density Peak Clustering
Authors: Ren Qianqian , Zhang Lianlian , Liu Shaoyi , Liu Jin-Xing , Shang Junliang , Liu Xiyu
Published: June 2024

Although the density peak clustering (DPC) algorithm can effectively distribute samples and quickly identify noise points, it lacks adaptability and cannot consider the local data structure. In addition, clustering algorithms generally suffer from high time complexity. Prior research suggests that clustering algorithms grounded in P systems can mitigate time complexity concerns. Within the realm of membrane systems (P systems), spiking neural P systems (SN P systems), inspired by biological nervous systems, are third-generation neural networks that possess intricate structures and offer substantial parallelism advantages. Thus, this study first improved the DPC by introducing the maximum nearest neighbor distance and K-nearest neighbors (KNN). Moreover, a method based on delayed spiking neural P systems (DSN P systems) was proposed to improve the performance of the algorithm. Subsequently, the DSNP-ANDPC algorithm was proposed. The effectiveness of DSNP–ANDPC was evaluated through comprehensive evaluations across four synthetic datasets and 10 real-world datasets. The proposed method outperformed the other comparison methods in most cases.
Configuration space partitioning in tilings of a bounded region of the plane
Authors: Aguilar Eduardo J. , Barbosa Valmir C. , Donangelo Raul , Souza Sergio R.
Published: June 2024

Given a finite collection of two-dimensional tile types, we study the tiling of a rectangular region of the plane when the available tile types are all rectangular. Unlike the case of tiling the whole, unbounded plane, the additional complications imposed by the boundary conditions tend to constrain progress to mostly indirect results, such as recurrence relations. The tile types we use are squares, dominoes and straight tetraminoes, in which case not even recurrence relations are available. We seek to characterize this complex system through some fundamental physical quantities and follow two parallel tracks: One fully analytical for what seems to be the most complex special case still amenable to such approach, the other based on the Wang–Landau method for state-density estimation. Given a simple energy function based solely on tile contacts, we have found either approach to lead to illuminating depictions of entropy, temperature, and above all partitions of the configuration space. A configuration, in this context, refers to how many tiles of each type are used. We have found that certain partitions help bind together different aspects of the system in question and conjecture that future applications will benefit from the possibilities they afford.
Semantic Analysis and Image Processing-Jointly Driven Multimodal Deep Learning Framework for Smart Warning of Enterprise Financial Risk
Authors: Zhang Wenxia , Peng Lida
Published: June 2024

Financial risk warning is a crucial technical issue for enterprises. Traditionally, it relied on modeling analysis of a single data type, which does not fully capture the diverse characteristics of financial risk activities. To address this, this paper introduces a multimodal deep learning framework driven by semantic analysis and image processing for intelligent warning of enterprise financial risks. Initially, natural language processing algorithms analyze textual data such as financial statements, news reports, and social media comments within the industry. Concurrently, two convolutional neural network models, M-CNN and M-RNN, extract features from images and chart data. These textual and visual feature representations are then fused to create a multimodal deep neural network framework. Extensive experimental evaluation and comparative analysis of the proposed framework were conducted. The results indicate that the financial risk rate of consumer fraud graph analysis varies significantly, displaying a fluctuating state with values ranging from 2.1% to 16.8%. Compared to other methods, the proposed approach demonstrates superior performance in financial risk warning tasks, with the risk rate increasing from 1.2% to 26.5% as it iterates from 1 to 6.
Research on Dynamics Characteristics of Grounded Damping Nonlinear Energy Sink
Authors: Yang Zijian , Wang Jun , Zhang Jianchao , Shen Yongjun
Published: June 2024

The nonlinear energy sink (NES) system mainly dissipates energy through damping elements, and changing the position of the damping element will also change the performance of the NES. In this paper, a grounded damping NES is proposed by grounding the damping element of the traditional cubic stiffness NES. The complex dynamics of this two-degree-of-freedom system are investigated. The slow-varying equations of the system under 1:1 internal resonance are derived by using the complexification-averaging (C×A) method, based on which the influence of the primary structure’s damping on a bifurcation is analyzed. The conditions for the existence of strongly modulated response (SMR) are studied, and the accuracy of the results is verified using the slow invariant manifold (SIM), Poincare mapping, and time-history diagrams. This provides a means of verifying the analytical findings. The vibration suppression effects of the grounded damping NES, as compared to the cubic stiffness NES, are thoroughly studied under both pulse and harmonic excitations. The results indicate that the main structure damping affects the stability of the system and the occurrence of the SMR. Most previous studies of the NESs have overlooked the effect of main structure damping, which may influence the selection of structural parameters. Moreover, under relatively large pulse or harmonic excitations, the vibration suppression effectiveness of the grounded damping NES surpasses that of traditional cubic stiffness NES. This finding has important practical significance for improving the vibration suppression effect and robustness of the NES, and provides a reference for the structural design of the NES.
A note on the G-Itô Formula and a comment on “Averaging Principle for SDEs of Neutral Type Driven by G-Brownian Motion”
Authors: Liu Puchen , Zhu Yunlong , Liu Haitao
Published: June 2024

This is a comment on the paper Stoch. Dyn. 19(1) (2019) 1950004, http://doi.org/10.1142/S0219493719500047 ) titled “Averaging Principle for SDEs of Neutral Type Driven by G-Brownian Motion”, preceded by a note on the G-Itô formula. In the commented paper, the authors provided a wrong result and incorrect computations in their Theorem 4.1 and Appendix B, which probably result from the misapplication of the G-Itô Formula in the sublinear expectation theory. Hence, we provide a differential form of the G-Itô formula with a calculation table and the correct computation on the solution related to Theorem 4.1 of the commented paper.
Locally cohomologically complete intersection ideals and cofiniteness
Authors: Ahmadi Amoli Khadijeh , Eghbali Majid , Azimpour Mohamad Sadegh
Published: June 2024

Let [Formula: see text] be a unitary commutative local Noetherian ring and [Formula: see text] be an ideal. The aim of this paper is twofold: In the first part of this paper, we consider locally cohomologically complete intersection ideals of pure height [Formula: see text]. Next, we deal with cofinite modules. In particular, we investigate conditions for cofiniteness of [Formula: see text] and conditions under which, the modules [Formula: see text] are of finite length for all [Formula: see text] and all finitely generated [Formula: see text]-module [Formula: see text].
NDMNN: A novel deep residual network based MNN method to remove batch effects from scRNA-seq data
Authors: Ma Yupeng , Pei Yongzhen
Published: June 2024

The rapid development of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology has generated vast amounts of data. However, these data often exhibit batch effects due to various factors such as different time points, experimental personnel, and instruments used, which can obscure the biological differences in the data itself. Based on the characteristics of scRNA-seq data, we designed a dense deep residual network model, referred to as NDnetwork. Subsequently, we combined the NDnetwork model with the MNN method to correct batch effects in scRNA-seq data, and named it the NDMNN method. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate that the NDMNN method outperforms existing commonly used methods for correcting batch effects in scRNA-seq data. As the scale of single-cell sequencing continues to expand, we believe that NDMNN will be a valuable tool for researchers in the biological community for correcting batch effects in their studies. The source code and experimental results of the NDMNN method can be found at https://github.com/mustang-hub/NDMNN .
Synthesis Morphological and Antimicrobial Characterization of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Hossain Nayem , Chowdhury M. Shakil , Sarker M. Abdul Hannan , Huda M. Nazmul , Rajib Hamam M. , Islam Safiul , Mim Juhi Jannat , Chowdhury Mohammad Asaduzzaman
Published: June 2024

Nanoparticles (NPs) are promising candidates for different biomedical applications due to their excellent antimicrobial applications. However, the applications become limited due to the higher cost of NP synthesis. In his research work, Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles (HANPs) have been synthesized in a cost-effective method to apply in biomedical applications. The synthesized HANPs have been characterized by different morphological and antimicrobial characterization methods. Ultraviolet–Visible (UV) spectroscopy was performed and a peak was obtained at 271[Formula: see text]nm which confirmed the formation of NPs and opened a new door for further analysis. Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) has been performed and the presence of functional groups such as hydroxides carbonates and phosphates have been identified. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis reveals the circular and smaller shape of the synthesized HANPs. The chemical elements of HA have been identified by EDS analysis. Sharp peaks identified by the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis confirm the formation of crystals in the synthesized HANPs. An excellent antimicrobial performance which is 99.99% has been obtained from the gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains. The obtained results suggest the potentiality of the synthesized HANPs in biomedical applications.
Enhancing Water Repellency in Cement Concrete Through PDMS-Based Superhydrophobic Coatings
Authors: Dodia Sandhya , Jadav Gaurav , kher Pradhumansinh , Dhruv Dhananjay , Ashani Hitesh , Gohel Smeetraj , Kataria Bharat , Markna J. H.
Published: June 2024

Surface coatings such as hydrophobic and transparent coatings were applied to cement concrete surfaces using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coatings, which have nanometer-sized particles. The degree of contact between the liquid and the coated surface reveals the surface’s ability to repel water, commonly referred to as hydrophobicity. By depositing silicon coating on the surface, we successfully achieved superhydrophobicity on cement concrete, providing excellent resistance against water damage. We are striving to replicate the natural superhydrophobic properties found in nature to create artificial surfaces with similar characteristics. In this study, we experimented to develop and evaluate superhydrophobic coatings on cement concrete. The application of PDMS on the cement concrete yielded fascinating results, with the typical contact angle of the coated layer measuring 178 degrees. We utilized ImageJ software to analyze the results. This innovative approach holds great promise for enhancing water repellency in the field of construction.
Electrochemical Measurement and Simulation of Sulfuric Acid-Doping Polyaniline on Graphite Carbon Paper
Authors: Bao Wenyun , Yao Chen , Xie Yibing
Published: June 2024

The sulfuric acid-doping polyaniline (H-PANI-HSO4) are applied to conduct the electrochemical measurement and simulation calculation to investigate the capacitance, electronic structure and energy band properties. The H-PANI-HSO4 growing on graphite carbon paper (H-PANI-HSO4/GCP) is applied as an electroactive electrode to investigate electrochemical properties. The Faradaic capacitance of H-PANI-HSO4/GCP electrode is ascribed to the reversible redox reaction of bisulfate anion doping/dedoping protonated PANI (H-PANI). Cyclic voltammetry measurement at a scan rate of 5[Formula: see text]mV[Formula: see text]s[Formula: see text] determines an equivalent mean response current of 0.64[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] and a capacitance of 128.35[Formula: see text]F[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. Galvanostatic charge–discharge measurement determines specific capacitance from 129.06 to 116.88[Formula: see text]F[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] at current densities from 0.5 to 2.5[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. Cyclic voltammetry-based capacitance at equivalent current density of 0.64[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] is in accordance with galvanostatic charge–discharge-based capacitance at the current density of 0.57[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. Electrochemical impedance spectrum measurements indicate that H-PANI-HSO4/GCP exhibits lower charge-transfer resistance, much lower Warburg resistance, higher quasicapacitance than H-PANI-HSO4 to approaching ideal capacitor. Density functional theory calculations indicate that H-PANI-HSO4 has a higher density of states (10.6 electron/eV) and lower bandgap energy (0.481[Formula: see text]eV) than H-PANI (5.24 electron/eV, 1.449[Formula: see text]eV), indicating its enhanced electronic conductivity. The electronic bandgap energy is accordingly decreased from 0.263[Formula: see text]eV for H-PANI-HSO4/GCP to 0 for H-PANI-HSO4/GCP. Electrochemical measurement and simulation calculation investigation proves that H-PANI-HSO4/GCP electrode with anion-doped and protonated state exhibits higher electronic conductivity and capacitance performance to act as superior electroactive material.
Global dynamical behavior of a delayed cytokine-enhanced viral infection model with nonlinear incidence
Authors: Xu Jinhu , Huang Guokun , Zhang Suxia , Hao Mengli , Wang Aili
Published: June 2024

In this paper, a delayed cytokine-enhanced viral infection model incorporating nonlinear incidence and immune response is proposed and studied. The global stabilities of the equilibria of the model are characterized by constructing suitable Lyapunov functionals. The existence and properties of local Hopf bifurcation are discussed by regarding the immunity delay as the bifurcation parameter. Moreover, the global existence of Hopf bifurcation has been proved by regarding the immune delay as the bifurcation parameter. Numerical simulations are carried out to validate the obtained results. The results show that ignoring the cytokine-enhanced effect makes the infection risk underevaluated. The simulations show that increasing the immune delay destabilizes the model and generates a Hopf bifurcation and stability switches occurs. Moreover, it shows that immune delay may dominate the intracellular delays in such a viral infection model which means that the immune system of the host itself is complicated during virus infection.
Enhanced cryptography techniques using inherited process with cyclic crossover operation in big data
Authors: Joseph Alice , Mathew Preetha , Cherian Mathew
Published: June 2024

Big Data is a massive collection of data that require secure information transmission in the network. Hence, various existing Cryptography techniques have been used to improve information security in big data. However, the existing techniques cause data extrusion due to truncated transformation and diffusion properties in encryption and key generation processes that cause data leakage and loss. Hence, a novel Enhanced Encryption with Quantum-based Neuro Cryptography technique is introduced in which encryption is performed using logical shift and modulo operation based transformation that removes data extrusion and due to stream of photons in Quantum Cryptography Key has been generated and converted to the secret key via neuro cryptography. This process enhanced diffusion property and removed leakage and data loss. Moreover, malicious activities are happening due to inflexible encryption processes thus reducing confusion property that leads to delay and attack on nonresistance. Hence, a novel Inherited process with cyclic crossover operation has been developed in which one-point cyclic crossover and bit string mutation are achieved to combine ciphertext and key that increase confusion property and eliminate timing attack. The proposed system increases throughput and reduces encryption and decryption time with high diffusion and confusion properties.
Insurance design for the loss of epidemic outbreaks involving Cramér–Lundberg model
Authors: Molina Barreto Andres Mauricio , Ishimura Naoyuki , Takaoka Koichiro , Sun Chenwei
Published: June 2024

A simple model of the insurance coverage for the damage of COVID-19 is introduced. Concerning the estimation of the numbers of patients and/or deaths, we employ the Cramér–Lundberg model for the risk process, which is combined with the discrete SIR model. Under various premium principles, we are able to design suitable insurance. Numerical research with the data of Tokyo region is also performed.