bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microwave assisted aqueous ammonia pretreatment of oil palm empty fruit bunch: effect on lignin removal and morphological structure
Authors: Perdana Harahap Andre Fahriz , Aditya Rahman Azhar , Gozan Misri
Published: September 2019

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) is an abundant solid waste produced by oil palm industries to which the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content has potential for conversion into high value biochemical products. However, pretreatment must be applied to remove lignin thus making cellulose and hemicellulose available for further conversion. In this study, effect of three parameters of microwave assisted aqueous ammonia pretreatment such as microwave power (280; 560; 840 Watt), NH3 concentration (7.5; 10; 12.5 % w/v), and reaction time (3; 6; 9 minutes) on lignin removal (%) were evaluated by using response surface methodology with Box-Behnken design. OPEFB at different size ranging from 30 – 40 mesh was used as the raw material. Moreover, to evaluate the morphological structure, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was employed both on untreated and pretreated OPEFB. The quadratic model showed that microwave power of 837.8 Watt, NH3 concentration of 12.2% (w/v), and reaction time of 8.9 minutes resulted the highest lignin removal of 81.60%. SEM images showed that pretreated OPEFB encountered a heavy structural destruction. These results show that microwave assisted aqueous ammonia pretreatment can be a promising method to be applied to disrupt the compact lignocellulose structure of OPEFB and to remove its lignin content efficiently under very short period of time.
Model of damage accumulation in heat networks
Authors: Gorshkov Alexander , Rymkevich Pavel , Vasilyev Gregory , Popov Mikhail , Kolesova Marina
Published: September 2019

The energy efficiency of heat networks is determined not only by heat losses, but also by the actual service life, since energy is also expended on the production of new pipes and the replacement of worn-out ones. The article describes the main characteristics of the state of the centralized heat supply system, which ensures the quality and safety of heat supply. Based on the analysis of existing models of physical wear of pipelines and equipment of heating networks, as well as the probability of their trouble-free operation, a mathematical model of damage accumulation has been proposed. The model presented in the article makes it possible to qualitatively describe the process of damage accumulation in heat networks as they are used.
Development of the measuring complex with reduced regulator
Authors: Yang Guolai , Chen Danhe , Selezneva M.S. , Neusypin K.A.
Published: September 2019

In this paper the measuring complex of a prospective aircraft is investigated. The accuracy of navigation definitions is improved by compensating for errors in the inertial navigation system structure. In this paper based on a reduced nonlinear regulator performed the correction of navigation information, and the state dependent coefficient (SDC) representation of the nonlinear model of inertial navigation system errors is used to obtain the regulator.
Design of magnetic navigation automatic guided vehicle system
Authors: Chen Ruwen , Hao Fei , Fei Zifan
Published: September 2019

Automatic Guided Vehicle is an automatic transportation robot with high universality and diversity which can drive and transport goods automatically in the established path, so it is widely used in mass production and logistics industry. In this paper, an AGV system with independent guidance and integrated network control is designed and developed. Firstly, based on the project requirements of some company and the practical problems, the basic parameters of AGV are determined, and the movement analysis of AGV is carried out to obtain its motion characteristic equation for movement control. Then the hardware of the mechanical and electronic parts of the AGV is designed. Keil uVision 5 is used for software programming. Based on the core PID algorithms, the related algorithms design of AGV paths recognition and the movement control are presented. Finally, a small AGV capable of carrying a maximum weight of 8KG is trial-produced and tested. The test data show that the position deviation can be controlled within 15mm and the maximum speed can reach 1m/s. It can communicate with the host computer in various ways. Its expansibility, stability, accuracy and real-time performance all meet the requirements of the project.
A high linearity high speed time-interleaved track and hold circuit
Authors: Huo Miao , Wang Zongmin , Zhang Tieliang , Yang Song
Published: September 2019

This paper presents a high linearity 4GS/s 4-way time-interleaved track and hold circuit in 65nm CMOS process. A high linearity track and hold amplifier is designed for each single channel, which utilizes open-loop structure instead of traditional closed-loop structure used in low speed applications. In the presented design, we introduced clock-boosting switches and buffers applying source degeneration technique to enable the high linearity. Meanwhile signal feedthrough is cancelled by dummy switches. The proposed design finally achieves over 52 dB signal to noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) for a 400 mV input Vpp at 4GS/s sampling rate.
An impact of harmonic currents, load levels and ambient temperatures on transformer loss of life
Authors: Chegsakul Tirada , Tayjasanant Thavatchai
Published: September 2019

This paper presents an analysis of thermal effect to transformer. The hottest-spot temperature of winding in transformer indicates the damage of thermal effect. The basic measured data, transformer parameters and ambient temperatures are used for estimating the hottest-spot temperature and transformer life when transformer supplies linear loads and nonlinear loads. The 50 MVA oil-immersed power transformer was investigated with field measurement data at Navanakorn4 substation in Pathum Thani. The results showed load level, harmonic current and ambient temperature are the factors which have impacts on transformer by increasing the hottest-spot temperature. The transformer life when increases the level of these factors is analyzed. When transformer supplies only linear loads, its life does not reduce from specification although load level and ambient temperature are increased. For the case of transformer supplies nonlinear load, harmonic current increases load level and transformer losses. Therefore, transformer life can be reduced when increasing the level of load, harmonic current and the ambient temperature.
Design of a low-power 12.5Gb/s 1:10 demultiplexer in 0.18μm CMOS*
Authors: Min Pan , Li Li Pang , Jia Ye Xie , Qi Qing Xu
Published: September 2019

A low-power 12.5Gb/s 1:10 Demultiplexer (DEMUX) without inductors is designed in 0.18μm CMOS (Complementary metal oxide semiconductor) process. The 1:10 DEMUX includes a high-speed 1:2 DEMUX, two serial low-speed 1:5 DEMUX, a 5 frequency divider and so on. The latch of the high-speed 1:2 DEMUX adopts the CML (Current Mode Logic) structure. The rest of the triggers all use E-TSPC(Extended True Single Phase Clock)structure. In the design of the 5 frequency divider, the logic gate circuit is embedded in flip-flop to improve the work frequency. The post simulated result shows that when the data rate of the input pseudorandom is 12.5Gb/s and the clock frequency is 6.25GHz at a supply voltage of 1.8V, this1:10 DEMUX can work well and the eye diagram of output data is clear. The output swing is 400mV on an external 50 Ohm load and the total power dissipation is 200mW. The die size is 0.64×0.57mm2.
A new neutrinoless double beta decay experiment: R2D2
Authors: Meregaglia Anselmo
Published: September 2019

The search for neutrinoless double beta decay could cast light on one critical piece missing in our knowledge i.e. the nature of the neutrino mass. Its observation is indeed the most sensitive experimental way to prove that neutrino is a Majorana particle. The observation of such a potentially rare process demands a detector with an excellent energy resolution, an extremely low radioactivity and a large mass of emitter isotope. Nowadays many techniques are pursued but none of them meets all the requirements at the same time. The goal of R2D2 is to prove that a spherical high pressure TPC could meet all the requirements and provide an ideal detector for the 0νββ decay search. In the presented talk the R2D2 goal and roadmap are discussed as well as the ongoing R&D and the future developments.
Status of ProtoDUNE Dual Phase
Authors: Dawson Jaime
Published: September 2019

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will use a large liquid argon (LAr) detector consisting of four modules each with a fiducial mass of 10 ktons of LAr. One of the technology options for the far detector modules is a liquid-argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) working in Dual Phase mode. A large demonstrator, called ProtoDUNE Dual-Phase, with a 6×6×6 m3(300t) active volume, is currently under-construction at the CERN neutrino platform. As well as being the engineering prototype of a Far Detector module, it will also demonstrate the concept of a very large Dual-Phase LAr TPC. The design of the TPC including the fabrication, testing, installation and commissioning of the various detector components is outlined.
The MicroBooNE continuous readout stream for detection of supernova neutrinos
Authors: Crespo-Anadón J I
Published: September 2019

Since the original detection of core-collapse supernova neutrinos in 1987, all large neutrino experiments seek to detect the neutrinos from the next nearby supernova. Among them, liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) offer a unique sensitivity to the electron neutrino flux of a supernova. However, the low energy of these events (scale of MeVs), and the fact that all large (multi-tonne) LArTPCs operating at the moment are located near the Earth’s surface, and are therefore subject to an intense cosmic ray flux, makes triggering on the supernova neutrinos very challenging. Instead, MicroBooNE has pioneered a novel approach for detecting supernova neutrinos based on a continuous readout stream and a delayed trigger generated by other neutrino detectors (the Supernova Early Warning System, or SNEWS). MicroBooNE’s data is stored temporarily for a few days, awaiting a SNEWS alert to prompt the permanent recording of the data. In order to cope with the large data rates produced by the continuous readout of the TPC and the PMT systems of MicroBooNE, FPGA-based zero-suppression algorithms have been developed.
Low energy muon neutrino reconstruction in MicroBooNE
Authors: Hourlier Adrien
Published: September 2019

MicroBooNE is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) neutrino experiment on the Booster Neutrino Beamline at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, with an 85-tonne active mass. One of MicroBooNE’s primary physics goals is to investigate the excess of electron neutrino events seen by MiniBooNE in the [200-600] MeV range. MicroBooNE will constrain the intrinsic electron neutrino component of the beam by measuring the muon neutrino spectrum. Several low-energy excess analyses are taking place in parallel, using independent reconstructions and selection schemes. This paper will focus on a low-energy excess analysis that makes use of deep learning algorithms applied to the high-resolution images provided by the MicroBooNE LArTPC. We present a novel 3D event reconstruction based on computer vision tools and a stochastic search algorithm, yielding a 2.2% energy resolution for 1μ1p muon neutrino interactions in the [200-1500] MeV range.
Status of low mass WIMP detector TREX-DM
Authors: Castel J. , Cebrián S. , Dafni T. , Galán J. , Irastorza I.G. , Luzón G. , Mirallas H. , Ortiz de Solórzano A. , Peiró A. , Ruiz-Chóliz E.
Published: September 2019

TREX-DM (TPC Rare Event eXperiment for Dark Matter) is a high-pressure Micromegas-based TPC designed to host a few hundreds of grams of light nuclei (argon or neon) with energy thresholds potentially at the level of 0.4 keVee or below. Preliminary background studies suggest that the levels expected are of the order of 1–10 counts keV−1 kg−1 d−1, making TREX-DM competitive in the search for low mass WIMPs (<10 GeV). The experiment has been approved by the LSC (Laboratorio Subterrneo de Canfranc) and the last months have been devoted to its installation underground. Here we will report on the first commissioning phase.
Dark atom solution for puzzles of direct dark matter searches
Authors: Khlopov Maxim
Published: September 2019

The puzzles of direct dark matter searches can find solution in the model of dark atoms, called O-helium, containing stable -2 charged lepton-like heavy particle O
−− bound by ordinary Coulomb interaction with primordial helium 4 nuclei. Specific properties of this nuclear interacting dark matter can explain positive results of DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments and negative results in cryogenic and heavy nuclei (like xenon) detectors. Astrophysical and collider probes for dark atom models as well as open questions of O-helium nuclear interaction with matter are discussed.
Calibration of measuring instruments of low absolute pressures
Authors: Antsukova A I , Gorobei V N , Liubomirov A B , Pimenova A A , Chernyshenko A A
Published: September 2019

The article presents some sections of the method of calibration of measuring instruments of low absolute pressures (vacuum), used in the research department of state standards in the field of pressure measurement of D. I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology (VNIIM), the design and composition of the reference SI used in installations of the 1st and 2nd categories are described, the procedure for determining the basic metrological characteristics and evaluation of calibration results is shown.
Mass-spectrometric leak testing of big objects via test substance leakage monitoring
Authors: Barishnikov V I , Rozanov L N , Sokolov A N , Soloviev V N
Published: September 2019

Mass spectrometer leak monitoring of big objects by means of the test substance leakage test is carried out on the special leak detection plants which include a test object, a leak detector or a partial pressure analyzer, check valves, vacuum meters, pumping equipment and calibrated leaks. The comparison of the flow of the test substance from the test object with the flow from calibrated leaks by means of a comparator allows detecting the leak rate and its measurement error. The article considers the characteristics of these plants and the ways how they can be determined. An example of such a plant intended for the leak detection of electronic equipment is considered.
Investigation of the influence of the parameters of a pulsed power source on the properties of a magnetron’s high-power gas discharge
Authors: Borzykin T S , Karzin V V , Ivanov D A , Lullin Z G , Reznikov R I
Published: September 2019

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the emission spectra of a gas discharge during high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. The influence of the repetition frequency and duration of current pulses on the intensity of the spectral lines of various particles is shown. The parameters of the gas-discharge plasma during HiPIMS and at a direct current were also compared.
Current state and prospects of development of the reference base in the field of measurements of low absolute pressures and vacuum
Authors: Chernyshenko A A
Published: September 2019

The article provides information on the composition and operation principles of the complex of state primary standards in the field of absolute pressures and vacuum of D. I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology (VNIIM). Measures for further improvement of the complex of primary standards of the Russian Federation in the field of absolute pressures and vacuum are proposed.
Physics of hydrogen isotopes generation at friction in vacuum
Authors: Deulin E A , Tyutyukin E R
Published: September 2019

The authors considered the physical basis of X-rays and hydrogen isotopes generation processes at dry friction. The main results of experiments shows tritium appearing in a ruby-steel friction pair.
Antimicrobial antiadhesive properties of nanostructured fluorocarbon films obtained under transient conditions using two-component gas mixtures
Authors: Elinson V M , Shchur P A , Deshevaya E A , Kravets L I
Published: September 2019

The main factors that determine the possibility of obtaining nanostructured fluorocarbon films with antimicrobial antiadhesive properties when forming them under the conditions of transient processes when using two-component gas mixtures are considered. An experimental test of the formed coatings for resistance to biodegradation was carried out.
Effect of working gas on the deposition rate of CaP coatings formed by radio frequency magnetron sputtering of a hydroxyapatite target
Authors: Fedotkin A Y , Kozelskaya A I , Tverdokhlebov S I
Published: September 2019

This study is dedicated to the influence of the inert working gas on the deposition rate of CaP coatings formed by radio frequency magnetron sputtering of a hydroxyapatite target in Ar, Kr and Xe. The optical emission spectra of plasma, the elemental and phase composition of the formed coatings are investigated. The deposition rates of the CaP coatings formed in Ar and Kr are approximately comparable and higher than ones formed in Xe.
Multi-cycle alloying of silumin surface layer with titanium: structure, properties
Authors: Ivanov Yu F , Lopatin I V , Petrikova E A , Rygina M E , Tolkachov O S
Published: September 2019

It is suggested a combined method of silumin surface treatment, including deposition of a metal film and the subsequent irradiation by an intensive pulsed electron beam in the mode of surface layer melting. The formation of the multilayered multiphase surface volume having submicro- and nanocrystalline structure is revealed. It is shown that the sizes of crystallites of the modified layer rise at increase of the distance from the treated surface.
The preliminary results of the regional key comparison COOMET.M.P-K15 in the pressure range from 0.3 mPa to 0.9 Pa
Authors: Kangi R , Elkatmis A , Gorobei V N , Chernyshenko A A
Published: September 2019

Within the COOMET region a regional key comparison (COOMET.M.P-K15) was carried out in order to compare national vacuum standards in the pressure range from 0.3 mPa to 0.9 Pa. The participants were D.I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology VNIIM (Russia) and TÜBİTAK Ulusal Metroloji Enstitüsü UME (Turkey) as pilot laboratory. The measurements were carried out from May 2017 to November 2018. Two spinning rotor gauges were used as transfer standards. The effective accommodation coefficients of the rotors had to be determined at eight target points between 0.3 mPa and 0.9 Pa. The uncertainty of the generated pressure in the calibration standard was reported as part of the calibration report by each laboratory. All additional uncertainties that were related to the transfer standard were evaluated by the pilot laboratory in order to have a uniform uncertainty analysis for both participants and in order to emphasize the importance of the reported uncertainty of the generated pressure. Preliminary results have been presented in this paper.
The X-ray method of structure and phase composition characterization of nanocomposite coatings: Hard carbon-based coatings alloyed with metals
Authors: Khrushchov M M , Avdyukhina V M , Levin I S
Published: September 2019

Theory and methodical peculiarities of studying the atomic structure of multiphase nanostructured coatings of arbitrary thickness deposited onto thick substrates with the method of X-ray powder diffractometry, and specific examples of phase composition and nanocomposite structure analyses of transition metal-alloyed hard carbon coatings deposited by reactive and non-reactive magnetron sputtering have been discussed.
Active vibration isolation of high-vacuum nanotechnology equipment
Authors: Mikhailov V P , Bazinenkov A M , Kazakov A V , Rotar’ A P , Ivanova D A
Published: September 2019

The results of experimental studies of the transients’ parameters during the operation of a high-precision drive with a closed-loop control, which at the same time is an active damper, are presented. The amplitude-frequency characteristics of the damper and the vibration-isolating platform in semi-active mode based on four dampers and four elastic suspension assemblies are also shown.
Modern trends of student training on vacuum technic and technology
Authors: Panfilov Y V , Nesterov S B , Kolesnik L L , Sidorova S V , Tsvetkov Y B
Published: September 2019

Creation and location of education content at a size of electronic education resource – online courses trends are analysed. Vacuum technique and technology online course structure, which consists of vacuum technique history and application fields from electronics and machinery and space technique to medicine and biology and food industry is represented. Theoretical and practice parts of the online course are described. Remote access to laboratory vacuum equipment system example of using is represented.
Forms and concentration of adsorbed oxygen on the modified surface of SnO2
Authors: Pronin I A , Yakushova N D , Karmanov A A , Averin I A , Moshnikov V A
Published: September 2019

Temperature dependence of oxygen concentration and forms on the undoped and doped semiconductor tin dioxide has been analyzed. It has been found that the main forms of oxygen at operation temperatures of most gas sensors are O – and 02–. When the parent oxide is doped with ions of greater Lewis force, the concentrations of all forms of surface oxygen increase. However, in all cases, defectiveness of semiconductor materials is the main contributor to gas sensitivity.
Development of a vacuum system for a compact soft X-ray source
Authors: Sergushichev K A , Smirnov A A , Samokhvalov A A , Belskiy D B , Bolshakov E P , Burtsev V A
Published: September 2019

The results of the development and experimental investigation of vacuum system with micromembrane element for a compact soft X-ray source and their implementation are presented.
I-V characteristics of magnetron with hot target sputtered in three-component gas mixture
Authors: Shapovalov V I , Shabalin A E
Published: September 2019

The discharge current-voltage characteristics of a dc magnetron with a single cold titanium target and a single hot titanium target in Ar + N2 + O2 environment were studied. Two series of experiments, in which the flow rates of nitrogen Q
N
2 and oxygen Q
o
2 played different roles, were performed. In the first series, O2 was introduced into a mixture of Ar + N2 (Q
N
2 = const and Q
o
2 = var). In the second one, N2 was introduced into a mixture of Ar + O2 (Q
N
2 = const and Q
o
2 = var). It was found that the I-V characteristics of the studied sputtering instruments measured in the current density range of 10–200 mA/cm2 differ significantly. The I-V characteristics of a magnetron with a cold target can have one maximum or jump. The I-V characteristics of a magnetron with a hot target have two maxima and one minimum in one case, and in the other case, there is only one maximum.
Thin film vacuum technologies for a production of highly-capacitive electrolytic capacitors
Authors: Sleptsov V V , Kozhitov L V , Muratov D G , Popkova A V , Savkin A V , Diteleva A O , Kozlov A P
Published: September 2019

The article describes the study of vacuum thin-film technology for producing electrode materials for highly-capacitive electrolytic capacitors (EC) based on a roll carbon fabric called Busofit, with a highly developed surface (more than 1000 m2/g). Laboratory technology has been developed for a metal film coating of carbon fabric used as electrode material for a production of EC cells. The electrical properties of the manufactured cell prototypes, such as specific energy and capacitance and internal resistance, were investigated. The prospects of using thin-film technologies for creating highly-capacitive ECs is shown.
Stabilization of disperse metals by nitrogen-containing tensides with different-sized molecules
Authors: Syrkov A G , Taraban V V , Kabirov V R , Silivanov M O
Published: September 2019

The samples based on disperse aluminum and copper with similar hydrophobic films on the surface were analyzed and compared. It was established that sorption of water vapor by copper sample decreases by 1,5 times in 145 hours, as a result of sequential layering of ammonium compounds with different-sized hydrocarbon radicals on the nitrogen atom (C1-2 and C17). Sequential layering of ammonium compound with large C17 – radical and organohydride siloxane on copper leads to the decrease of water vapor adsorption by 3 times. The common pattern for Al and Cu samples modification is that the application of two-component layers of structurally similar components favors the formation of samples, stable to oxidizing effect of water.
Method of the coating thickness and transmittance control during the film deposition process
Authors: Uhov A A , Komlev A E , Gerasimov V A , Karzin V V , Kostrin D K , Selivanov L M , Simon V A
Published: September 2019

A method of the coating thickness and transmittance control during the film deposition is proposed. The photometric setup on the basis of vacuum resistive evaporation installation is presented. The stages of the spectral data processing algorithm are described. The substrate holder carousel is shown as part of the installation.
On the possibility of using detonation ceramic coatings as microwave energy absorbers
Authors: Vashin A S , Evseev S V , Zhabin G A , Korepin G F , Pashkov A N
Published: September 2019

The developed absorbing microwave energy coatings of TiO2 and Al2O3/TiO2 deposited by the detonation method were investigated in this work. Thermal cyclic tests of the obtained samples of different layer thickness on copper substrates were carried out, the phase composition of the obtained coatings was investigated, the effect of high-temperature heating in hydrogen on the phase composition of the coating and its stability was determined. The gas emission was studied on evacuated and degassed experimental model.
Features of using traditional diagnostic tools for recording supersonic jets of rarefied gases in flows with clusters
Authors: Zarvin A E , Dubrovin K A , Khudozhitkov V E , Chinenov S T , Kalyada V V , Yaskin A S
Published: September 2019

Features of the formation of supersonic underexpanded jets in condensation, as well as measurements in such jets by electron-beam and molecular-beam methods are considered. It is shown that the clusters in the flow can change both the geometry and the structure of the supersonic jets. It is determined that the readings of the mass analyzer used as a detector of a narrowly directed molecular beam depend to a large extent on the size of the clusters and the value of the detector’s solid angle. The examples which compare the traditional method of mass spectrometry with ionization and a new method ionization by high-voltage electron beam with the subsequent transport of ions to the mass spectrometer detector with its own turned-off ionization block illustrate changes in the detected clusters.
The sensitivity evaluation of the television sensor for the radiation-resistant transmitting television camera based on vacuum transfertube
Authors: Zaytseva E V
Published: September 2019

Television and computing systems on the base specialized television systems for visual measuring of control internal surfaces tracts technological channels, metalworking and working spaces uranium-graphite nuclear reactors reviewed, pattern obtained, allowing define sensitivity this television systems, taking into account range from lens before object in this work.
Slow energy deposition in an exploding wire and plasma evolution for longer times than the electrical discharge time
Authors: Prieto G. Rodríguez , Bilbao L.
Published: September 2019

Plasmas are created by means of explosive systems in laboratories to explore plasma densities and temperatures not attainable in a controlled manner with other systems. Usually, when such systems are modelled, a key characteristic is the delivery of all the explosion energy in a time much shorter than the after explosion dynamic time. Therefore, systems where the whole energy delivery has a characteristic time of the order of the dynamical motion of resultant elements had received less attention in the scientific literature. In order to study this kind of systems, using an exploding wire experiment, first measurements of the late dynamics of its final plasma products had been made with iron, platinum and tungsten wires of a fixed length of ≈7 cm. Wires were surrounded by air and maximum current was on the order of kiloamperes, with a period of 5 μs. One framing camera with arbitrary waiting time between the 16 frames and a minimum of 5 nanoseconds acquisition time for imaging the wire expansion directly has been used to observe the shock wave radial expansion dynamics. Using the images acquired at later times from the frame camera, plasma evolution at a time much larger than time of the energy deposition at the wire are here presented for the first time.
Air quality and health benefits of China’s emission control policies on coal-fired power plants during 2005–2020
Authors: Wu Ruili , Liu Fei , Tong Dan , Zheng Yixuan , Lei Yu , Hong Chaopeng , Li Meng , Liu Jun , Zheng Bo , Bo Yu , Chen Xiaoting , Li Xin , Zhang Qiang
Published: September 2019

Coal-fired power plants (CPPs) dominate China’s energy supply systems. Over the past two decades, the explosive growth of CPPs has led to negative air quality and health impacts in China, and a series of control policies have been implemented to alleviate those impacts. In this work, by combining a CPPs emission database over China (CPED), a regional chemical transport model (WRF-CMAQ), and the integrated exposure-response model, we summarized historical and ongoing emission control policies on CPPs over China, investigated the air quality and health impacts of China’s CPPs during 2005–2020, and quantified the benefits of each policy. We found that despite the 97.4% growth of coal-fired power generation during 2005–2015, PM2.5 exposures caused by emissions from China’s CPPs decreased from 9.0 μg m−3 in 2005 to 3.6 μg m−3 in 2015. The active emission control policies have decreased CPPs-induced PM2.5 exposures by 10.0 μg m−3 during 2005–2015. We estimated that upgrading end-of-pipe control facilities and early retirement of small and low-efficiency units could respectively reduce PM2.5 exposures by 7.9 and 2.1 μg m−3 during 2005–2015 and avoid 111 900 and 31 400 annual premature deaths. Since 2015, China’s government has further required all CPPs to comply with the so-called ‘ultra-low emission standards’ before 2020 as a major component of China’s clean air actions. If the policy is fully deployed, CPPs-induced PM2.5 exposures could further decrease by 2.5 μg m−3 and avoid 43 500 premature deaths annually. Our study confirms the effectiveness of tailored control policies for China’s CPPs and reveals that those policies have played important roles in air quality improvement in China.
Visualising quantum effective action calculations in zero dimensions
Authors: Millington Peter , Saffin Paul M
Published: September 2019

We present an explicit treatment of the two-particle-irreducible (2PI) effective action for a zero-dimensional quantum field theory. The advantage of this simple playground is that we are required to deal only with functions rather than functionals, making complete analytic approximations accessible and full numerical evaluation of the exact result possible. Moreover, it permits us to plot intuitive graphical representations of the behaviour of the effective action, as well as the objects out of which it is built. We illustrate the subtleties of the behaviour of the sources and their convex-conjugate variables, and their relation to the various saddle points of the path integral. With this understood, we describe the convexity of the 2PI effective action and provide a comprehensive explanation of how the Maxwell construction arises in the case of multiple, classically stable saddle points, finding results that are consistent with previous studies of the one-particle-irreducible (1PI) effective action.
Optimizing the Concrete Materials by Taguchi Optimization Method
Authors: Sabarish K.V , Akish Remo M , Paul Pratheeba
Published: September 2019

This manuscript presents the outcome of an experimental investigation conceded out to optimize the mix proportions of the concrete by the Taguchi method of parameter design. The concrete mix design is done by the L9 orthogonal array that is 34. When a new material is used in the concrete all the mix variables are taken into account so that it may cost so much, it means more need for money, material, personnel and time. In order to reduce the number of mix combination in concrete, the Taguchi method is used. In this project the cement sand and aggregate are partially replaced by cement as fly ash, river sand as M-sand and the compression values are taken and the value is compared with the conventional concrete special concrete compression value is compared with the conventional concrete and S/N value is taken from the compression value and the comparison of the values are done. In order to attain good strength and to avoid cracks, sisal fiber is added in the concrete with a percentage of (1, 1.5, and 2).
Synthesis of AgNPs Using Flowers Exhibiting Different Photoresponse
Authors: Udaya Prakash NK , Sripriya N , Aishwarya V , Preethy S , Benetta S , Bhuvaneswari S
Published: September 2019

Biological synthesis or green synthesis of nanoparticles has proven to be cost effective, rapid and safe. Flowers exhibit different colours due to wavelength selective absorption and light scattering. In this study, four differently coloured flowers, i.e. Bauhinia purpurea – Fabaceae, Couroupita guianensis – Lecithydaceae, Gerbera jamesonii – Asteraceae and Gomphrena globosa – Amaranthaceae were studied for their potency to synthesize silver nanoparticles. The UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis of the aqueous extracts of B. purpurea, C. guianensis, G. jamesonii and G. globosa flowers recorded their respective peaks at 562, 498, 524 and 548 nm in response to their pigments. The synthesized silver particles were characterized through UV-Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive electron spectroscopy, particle size analyzer and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The resonance peak in the UV-Vis spectrum was recorded at 430, 420, 445 and 435 nm respectively, for the AgNPs synthesized using B. purpurea, C. guianensis, G. jamesonii and G. globosa. SEM analysis revealed the size range of 107-498 nm for B. purpurea, 15-75 nm for C. guianensis, 17-51 nm for G. jamesonii and 20-91 nm for G. globosa. The presence of silver was confirmed by EDS. The silver particles synthesized using the extracts of B. purpurea, C. guianensis, G. jamesonii and G. globosa showed the average size as 431.3, 71.51, 30.11 and 33.93 nm as assessed through PSA. FTIR studies confirmed the involvement of O-H, N-H, C-C=C, N=O, -NO2 and C-O stretches. In the present study, the silver particles synthesized by C. guianensis, G. jamesonii and G. globosa were in the nanoscale, whereas those synthesized by B. purpurea were in microscale. The synthesis of AgNPs is attributed to the pigments or the metabolites present in the floral extracts. Further studies on the potential of flowers exhibiting different photoresponse in the synthesis of nanoparticles are recommended.
The effect of palm biodiesel fuel on the performance of automotive four stroke diesel engine
Authors: Sivakrishna T. , Madhu S. , Sivakumar K.
Published: September 2019

The usage of biodiesel is been increased due to the shortage and cost inincrease of normal fuel in the market. The present investigation aims to explore the performance assessment of four stroke diesel engine using palm biodiesel. The palm biodiesel cannot be directly used as an alternative fuel so that the diesel and biodiesel is mixed with a concentration of (B10,D90), (B20,D80), (B30,D70), (B40,D60), (B100) and experimental investigation is experimental carried out on four stroke, double cylinder, to study engine performance.
Reducing Hypertension in a Poststroke Black and Hispanic Home Care Population: Results of a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Feldman Penny H , McDonald Margaret V , Trachtenberg Melissa , Trifilio Marygrace , Onorato Nicole , Sridharan Sridevi , Silver Stephanie , Eimicke Joseph , Teresi Jeanne
Published: September 2019

BACKGROUND

Uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) is a leading modifiable stroke risk factor contributing to global stroke disparities. This study is unique in testing a transitional care model aimed at controlling HTN in black and Hispanic poststroke, home health patients, an understudied group.

METHODS

A 3-arm randomized controlled trial design compared (i) usual home care (UHC), with (ii) UHC plus a 30-day nurse practitioner transitional care program, or (iii) UHC plus nurse practitioner plus a 60-day health coach program. The trial enrolled 495 black and Hispanic, English- and Spanish- speaking adults with uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (SBP ≥ 140 mm Hg) who had experienced a first-time or recurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack. The primary outcome was change in SBP from baseline to 3 and 12 months.

RESULTS

Mean participant age was 67; 57.0% were female; 69.7% were black, non-Hispanic; and 30.3% were Hispanic. Three-month follow-up retention was 87%; 12-month retention was 81%. SBP declined 9–10 mm Hg from baseline to 12 months across all groups; the greatest decrease occurred between baseline and 3 months. The interventions demonstrated no relative advantage compared to UHC.

CONCLUSION

The significant across-the-board SBP decreases suggest that UHC nurse/patient/physician interactions were the central component of SBP reduction and that additional efforts to lower recurrent stroke risk should test incremental improvements in usual care, not resource-intensive transitional care interventions. They also suggest the potential value of pragmatic home care programs as part of a broader strategy to overcome HTN treatment barriers and improve secondary stroke prevention globally.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

Trial Number NCT01918891.
A Kantian ethics of paradise engineering
Authors: Paez Eze
Published: September 2019

Wild animals probably have net negative lives. Christine Korsgaard rejects the view that we might engineer paradise by redesigning nature and animals so that they have the best possible existences. She believes the genetic changes required would not be identity-preserving, thereby causing animals to cease to exist. I argue, first, that paradise engineering is permissible. Many harms are caused by non-sentient natural entities and processes. Moreover, sentient animals can survive modifications compatible with their psychological persistence over time. Second, we are required to re-engineer nature in order to satisfy animals' right to the resources necessary for a reasonable life.
Insights from invasion ecology: Can consideration of eco-evolutionary experience promote benefits from root mutualisms in plant production?
Authors: Ramoneda Josep , Le Roux Johannes , Frossard Emmanuel , Bester Cecilia , Oettlé Noel , Frey Beat , Gamper Hannes Andres
Published: September 2019

Mutualistic plant–microbial functioning relies on co-adapted symbiotic partners as well as conducive environmental conditions. Choosing particular plant genotypes for domestication and subsequent cultivar selection can narrow the gene pools of crop plants to a degree that they are no longer able to benefit from microbial mutualists. Elevated mineral nutrient levels in cultivated soils also reduce the dependence of crops on nutritional support by mutualists such as mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobia. Thus, current ways of crop production are predestined to compromise the propagation and function of microbial symbionts, limiting their long-term benefits for plant yield stability. The influence of mutualists on non-native plant establishment and spread, i.e. biological invasions, provides an unexplored analogue to contemporary crop production that accounts for mutualistic services from symbionts like rhizobia and mycorrhizae. The historical exposure of organisms to biotic interactions over evolutionary timescales, or so-called eco-evolutionary experience (EEE), has been used to explain the success of such invasions. In this paper, we stress that consideration of the EEE concept can shed light on how to overcome the loss of microbial mutualist functions following crop domestication and breeding. We propose specific experimental approaches to utilize the wild ancestors of crops to determine whether crop domestication compromised the benefits derived from root microbial symbioses or not. This can predict the potential for success of mutualistic symbiosis manipulation in modern crops and the maintenance of effective microbial mutualisms over the long term.
Attempts to obtain fully xenogeneic fetuses in rat ↔ mouse model†,‡
Authors: Szpila Marcin , Humięcka Monika , Bożyk Katarzyna , Paterczyk Bohdan , Suwińska Aneta , Maleszewski Marek , Tarkowski Andrzej K
Published: September 2019

The full-term development of the xenogeneic embryo in the uterus of the mother of different species is very restricted and can occur only in certain groups of closely related mammals. In the case of mouse ↔ rat chimeras, the interspecific uterine barrier is less hostile to interspecific chimeric fetuses. In current work, we tested the development of mouse and rat fetuses in uteri of females of the opposite species. We created chimeric mouse ↔ rat blastocysts by injection of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into eight-cell rat embryos and rat ESCs into eight-cell mouse embryos. Chimeras were transferred to the foster mothers of the opposite species. Despite a huge number of transferred embryos (>1000 in total for both variants), only one live fetus derived solely from the mouse ESCs was isolated at E13.5 from the rat uterus. All other fetuses and newborns were chimeric or were built only from the cells of the recipient embryo. We examined the possible reason for such an outcome and found that the xenogeneic fetuses are eliminated at the perigastrulation stage of development. Thus, we conclude that in the rat ↔ mouse combination even when extraembryonic tissues of the chimeric embryo are composed solely of the cells of the same species as the female to which embryos are transferred, the full-term development of the pure xenogeneic fetus is very unlikely.
High-dimensional causal discovery under non-Gaussianity
Authors: Wang Y Samuel , Drton Mathias
Published: September 2019

We consider graphical models based on a recursive system of linear structural equations. This implies that there is an ordering, $\sigma$, of the variables such that each observed variable $Y_v$ is a linear function of a variable-specific error term and the other observed variables $Y_u$ with $\sigma(u) < \sigma (v)$. The causal relationships, i.e., which other variables the linear functions depend on, can be described using a directed graph. It has previously been shown that when the variable-specific error terms are non-Gaussian, the exact causal graph, as opposed to a Markov equivalence class, can be consistently estimated from observational data. We propose an algorithm that yields consistent estimates of the graph also in high-dimensional settings in which the number of variables may grow at a faster rate than the number of observations, but in which the underlying causal structure features suitable sparsity; specifically, the maximum in-degree of the graph is controlled. Our theoretical analysis is couched in the setting of log-concave error distributions.
Politics of Crime Control: How Campaign-Style Law Enforcement Sustains Authoritarian Rule in China
Authors: Wang Peng
Published: September 2019

How does campaign-style law enforcement sustain authoritarian rule? Drawing on fieldwork data and published materials, this article enhances the understanding of law and politics in authoritarian regimes by investigating the role of the ‘sweep away black' campaign—designed to combat organized and gang crime—in strengthening China's authoritarian regime. It argues that the campaign helps the party-state enhance its authoritarian rule by resolving the legitimacy crisis caused by economic slowdown, gangs' infiltration in grassroots political structures and problems of police corruption and shirking. But the campaign distorts the criminal justice system by demanding that criminal justice organs deliver severe and swift justice. It also harms China's private sector because local governments may expand the targets of repression to include private enterprises.
Traumatic microbleeds suggest vascular injury and predict disability in traumatic brain injury
Authors: Griffin Allison D , Turtzo L Christine , Parikh Gunjan Y , Tolpygo Alexander , Lodato Zachary , Moses Anita D , Nair Govind , Perl Daniel P , Edwards Nancy A , Dardzinski Bernard J , Armstrong Regina C , Ray-Chaudhury Abhik , Mitra Partha P , Latour Lawrence L
Published: September 2019

Traumatic microbleeds are small foci of hypointensity seen on T2*-weighted MRI in patients following head trauma that have previously been considered a marker of axonal injury. The linear appearance and location of some traumatic microbleeds suggests a vascular origin. The aims of this study were to: (i) identify and characterize traumatic microbleeds in patients with acute traumatic brain injury; (ii) determine whether appearance of traumatic microbleeds predict clinical outcome; and (iii) describe the pathology underlying traumatic microbleeds in an index patient. Patients presenting to the emergency department following acute head trauma who received a head CT were enrolled within 48 h of injury and received a research MRI. Disability was defined using Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended ≤6 at follow-up. All magnetic resonance images were interpreted prospectively and were used for subsequent analysis of traumatic microbleeds. Lesions on T2* MRI were stratified based on ‘linear’ streak-like or ‘punctate’ petechial-appearing traumatic microbleeds. The brain of an enrolled subject imaged acutely was procured following death for evaluation of traumatic microbleeds using MRI targeted pathology methods. Of the 439 patients enrolled over 78 months, 31% (134/439) had evidence of punctate and/or linear traumatic microbleeds on MRI. Severity of injury, mechanism of injury, and CT findings were associated with traumatic microbleeds on MRI. The presence of traumatic microbleeds was an independent predictor of disability (P < 0.05; odds ratio = 2.5). No differences were found between patients with punctate versus linear appearing microbleeds. Post-mortem imaging and histology revealed traumatic microbleed co-localization with iron-laden macrophages, predominately seen in perivascular space. Evidence of axonal injury was not observed in co-localized histopathological sections. Traumatic microbleeds were prevalent in the population studied and predictive of worse outcome. The source of traumatic microbleed signal on MRI appeared to be iron-laden macrophages in the perivascular space tracking a network of injured vessels. While axonal injury in association with traumatic microbleeds cannot be excluded, recognizing traumatic microbleeds as a form of traumatic vascular injury may aid in identifying patients who could benefit from new therapies targeting the injured vasculature and secondary injury to parenchyma.