bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Fabrication of Automatic UPS Battery Maintenance System
Authors: Nithyaprakash R. , Shankar S. , Naveen Kumar R. , Abinesh P. , Abishek R. , Harish Senthur B.
Published: December 2023

The Automatic UPS Battery Maintenance System is an innovative and technologically advanced solution developed to optimize the upkeep of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) battery cells. Utilizing precision sensors and real-time data analysis, the system intelligently assesses the electrolyte levels and triggers automated distilled water replenishment when necessary. By eliminating the need for manual water level checks and refilling, the system minimizes the risk of under filled batteries, which can lead to decreased battery lifespan and compromised performance. User-friendliness is a cornerstone of the system’s design. It features an intuitive interface that provides users with a comprehensive view of battery health, water levels, and system status. In the event of anomalies, the system promptly issues notifications and alerts, ensuring timely response and minimizing potential disruptions during power outages. Key advantages of the Automatic UPS Battery Maintenance System include prolonged battery lifespan through reduced plate corrosion and sulfation, consistent and uninterrupted power supply, reduced labor and time overhead, datadriven insights for informed decision-making, and environmentally responsible water usage.In conclusion, this project introduces an intelligent and efficient solution to enhance UPS battery maintenance practices. By automating the critical process of water level management, the Automatic UPS Battery Maintenance System contributes to the overall reliability and longevity of UPS batteries, making it a valuable asset for businesses and individuals reliant on continuous and dependable power supply.
History of Extracorporeal Circulation: The Invention and Modification of Blood Pumps
Authors: Boettcher Wolfgang , Merkle Frank , Weitkemper Heinz-Hermann
Published: December 2023

The first roller pump was patented in 1855 by Porter and Bradley and was hand operated. A modification first named “surgical pump”, designed and manufactured by E. E. Allen in 1887, was intended for direct blood transfusion. Truax, who also distributed and promoted the Allen pump with one roller, developed the first double roller pump in 1899. In the following decades, several researchers, including Beck, Van Allen, Bayliss and Müller as well as Henry and Jouvelet, refined the apparatus and recommended the use of roller pumps for blood transfusion and other applications. After further modifications made by De- Bakey in 1934, and application of this pump in one of the first heart–lung machines constructed by Gibbon, DeBakey’s name became inseparably attached to this type of pump. For perfusion experiments, an electrically powered roller pump was first used by Fleisch in 1935. Today, the roller pump is the most frequently used blood pump for cardiopulmonary bypass worldwide, having prevailed against the early pulsatile tube compression pumps and ventricular pumps. In recent years, centrifugal pumps have increasingly competed with roller pumps as systemic blood pumps for cardiopulmonary bypass and have become the preferred arterial pump in a variety of centers. Application of mechanical cardiac assistance has evolved from nonpulsatile roller pump support, followed by an era of pulsatile ventricular pumps to the rediscovery of the nonpulsatile flow mode with modern axial flow pumps.
Metabolic Syndrome Components in Patients with Pituitary
Adenoma
Authors: Gonzalez-Almazan Jorge A. , Cortes-Contreras Ana Paula , Flores-Rabasa Regina , Mendez-Garcia Lucia A. , Escobedo Galileo , Navarro Olvera José L. , Carrillo-Ruiz José D.
Published: December 2023

Pituitary adenomas are benign tumors of the anterior portion of the pituitary
gland (adenohypophysis), representing the 25% of all the tumor
alterations. Pituitary adenomas are classified by the type of hormone secreted,
cellularity, size, and structural alterations by the hormonal segregation. The
diagnosis consists on the histopathological identification of cell types and the
image-guided by magnetic resonance or tomography; the treatment can be both
pharmacological and surgical. Metabolic Syndrome is the set of clinical
conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases with an estimated
prevalence of 25% worldwide. The alterations of metabolic syndrome are
obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus
type II. Pituitary adenomas and metabolic syndrome have an important
relationship, hormone-secreting by pituitary adenomas affects a myriad of
signaling pathways, which allows a favorable environment for the appearance of
the metabolic syndrome. Moreover, patients with pituitary adenomas are shown to
have an improvement in metabolic parameters after the medical/surgical
treatment. The objective of this review is to explore the possible mechanisms
through which PAs contributes to MetSx.
Convenient Synthesis of the Branched Hexasaccharide Repeating Unit of the Cell Wall O-Antigen of Escherichia coli O80 Strain
Authors: Misra Anup Kumar , Sahaji Samim
Published: December 2023

Chemical synthesis of a branched hexasaccharide corresponding to the cell wall O-antigen of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O80 strain has been achieved in very good yield with satisfactory stereochemical outcome around the glycosidic linkages by applying a regio- and stereoselective [4+2] block glycosylation strategy. The tetrasaccharide diol derivative was synthesized from suitably functionalized monosaccharide intermediates using sequential stereoselective glycosylations and the disaccharide thioglycoside donor was obtained applying a regio- and stereoselective orthogonal armed-disarmed glycosylation strategy using protected thioglycoside derivatives. A late-stage TEMPO and bis(acetoxy)iodobenzene (BAIB) mediated regioselective oxidation of the primary hydroxyl group of the protected hexasaccharide derivative to the carboxylic acid was achieved leaving secondary hydroxyl groups unaffected.
Electron scattering on finite-temperature quantum screened potential
Authors: Chen C. , Zhao G. P. , Chen Z. B. , Qi Y. Y. , Liu L. , Wu Y. , Wang J. G.
Published: December 2023

Elastic scattering of electrons on a finite-temperature quantum screened potential is studied by using the partial wave decomposition of scattering wavefunction. The influence of plasma temperature on the total and l = 0, 1, and 2 partial wave cross sections is systematically analyzed in the present work. It is found that when the plasma density is fixed, the screened strength does not change monotonically with temperature, which leads to different conditions for forming shape resonance in the scattering cross sections for the different temperature domains. The scattering cross sections under the environments of low temperature limit are compared with those for zero-temperature quantum plasmas.
Modeling the role of renewable energy to mitigate the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide along with sustainable development
Authors: Misra A. K. , Jha Anjali
Published: December 2023

In the past few decades, the use of fossil fuels has increased dramatically due to industrialization in developing nations. The elevation of carbon dioxide (CO2) has become a serious concern for the entire world. Therefore, most countries want to reduce the use of fossil fuels by transitioning to renewable energy sources. In this research work, we formulate a nonlinear mathematical model to study the interplay between atmospheric CO2, human population, and energy production through traditional energy sources (coal, oil, and gas) and renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and hydro). For the model formulation, we consider that the atmospheric level of CO2 increases due to human activities and energy production through traditional energy sources. Additionally, we consider that the dependency of the human population shifts from traditional to renewable sources of energy as the atmospheric level of CO2 increases. Through the model analysis, we have obtained a condition that implies a change in the equilibrium level of CO2 by increasing the deployment rate of renewable energy sources. This condition demonstrates that the atmospheric level of CO2 can be reversed from its current level through sufficient deployment of renewable energy sources. Moreover, for a certain critical value of the growth rate parameter of renewable energy, three interior equilibria may exist. This situation indicates the presence of hysteresis, which implies that the system may undergo discontinuous jumps between different stable steady states. Furthermore, we discuss an optimal control problem to minimize atmospheric CO2, simultaneously minimizing the cost of the considered strategy.
Quasi-BIC high-index resonators for liquid characterization and analysis
Authors: Yusupov Ildar , Dobrykh Dmitry , Terekhina Polina , Filonov Dmitry , Ginzburg Pavel , Rybin Mikhail V. , Slobozhanyuk Alexey
Published: December 2023

Capabilities to monitor the purity and mixture composition of liquids with the aid of low-cost portable devices can grant essential advantages in maintaining personal health safety. The overwhelming majority of consumer wireless devices operate at relatively small operational bandwidth, thus not allowing for retrieving material composition via dispersion characteristics. To mitigate the bandwidth limitations, resonant methods, granting precision in a small frequency window, might be of use. Here, we demonstrate a liquid sensor able to provide 90.5 kHz/RIU sensitivities owing to a resonator, supporting high-quality factor quasi-bound states in the continuum. The sensor's architecture encompasses a high-permittivity ceramic resonator and a capillary wrapped around it. The volumetric design increases the overlap between the electromagnetic mode and the liquid under test while maintaining resonant conditions within a relatively narrow frequency band. To demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed method, the UHF RFID band was considered, and temperature dependence of the distilled water permittivity was retrieved. Interfacing standalone low-cost electromagnetic sensors with widely available consumer-level wireless devices offers promising opportunities that contribute to the paradigm shift toward IoT.
High-power quantum-limited 35 MHz photodiode and classical laser noise suppression
Authors: Dumont Vincent , Ma Jiaxing , Egan Eamon , Sankey Jack C.
Published: December 2023

To benefit high-power interferometry and the creation of low-noise light sources, we develop a simple lead-compensated photodetector enabling quantum-limited readout from 0.3 to 10 mW and 10 kΩ gain from 85 Hz to 35 MHz, with a noise equivalent power of 9 pW/Hz. Feeding the detector output back to an intensity modulator, we suppress the classical amplitude noise of a commercial 1550 nm fiber laser to the shot noise limit over a bandwidth of 700 Hz–200 kHz, observing no degradation to its (nominally ∼100 Hz) linewidth.
Full-field vapor concentration and temperature field measurement of an evaporating ethanol–water binary sessile drop by tomographic laser absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Xiaoliang , Zhu Ning , Wakata Yuki , Wang Weitian , Song Zihao , Chao Xing
Published: December 2023

Quantitative measurement of full-field, spatially resolved temperature and concentration field of pure water and ethanol–water binary evaporating drop is realized, in which the gas-phase and interfacial temperature and concentration are accurately captured. By studying the vapor field of evaporating drop under different heating temperatures, it is demonstrated that the method can achieve a spatial resolution below 100 μm and a time resolution of <10 s. Simultaneous gas-phase temperature and concentration field measurements reveal the occurrence of buoyancy convection in the gas phase. Through the analysis of interfacial temperature and concentration distribution, it is observed that in the process of pure water drop evaporation, both buoyancy-driven convection and thermal Marangoni convection exist, while in the ethanol–water binary drop evaporation, the solutal Marangoni flow convection and thermal Marangoni convection are coupled, and the buoyancy convection is suppressed. The interfacial temperature and gas-phase water vapor concentration can be obtained from the water vapor measurement, and combined with the activity coefficient models. The liquid-phase mole fraction of water at the interface and its distribution are also obtained, such that the liquid-phase mole fraction distribution of ethanol at the interface can be obtained, and finally, the concentration of ethanol vapor near the interface is obtained. The full-field, high-resolution measurement of evaporated drops is of substantial significance for in-depth understanding of the evaporation process. The measurement of ethanol–water binary drop evaporation provides a new research perception and method exploiting the spectral dimension, providing both quantitative and qualitative observations for the study of multi-component drop evaporation.
Control of chaotic systems through reservoir computing
Authors: Lin Zi-Fei , Liang Yan-Ming , Zhao Jia-Li , Feng Jing , Kapitaniak Tomasz
Published: December 2023

Chaos is an important dynamic feature, which generally occurs in deterministic and stochastic nonlinear systems and is an inherent characteristic that is ubiquitous. Many difficulties have been solved and new research perspectives have been provided in many fields. The control of chaos is another problem that has been studied. In recent years, a recurrent neural network has emerged, which is widely used to solve many problems in nonlinear dynamics and has fast and accurate computational speed. In this paper, we employ reservoir computing to control chaos in dynamic systems. The results show that the reservoir calculation algorithm with a control term can control the chaotic phenomenon in a dynamic system. Meanwhile, the method is applicable to dynamic systems with random noise. In addition, we investigate the problem of different values for neurons and leakage rates in the algorithm. The findings indicate that the performance of machine learning techniques can be improved by appropriately constructing neural networks.
Modeling the distribution characteristics of vapor bubbles in cavitating flows
Authors: Wang Qiuyi , Wang Benlong , Wan Churui , Zhang Hao , Liu Yunqiao
Published: December 2023

Dispersed vapor bubbles are the dominant rheology in cloud cavitation, and their size distribution is directly associated with cavitation noise and erosion. However, the numerical resolution of large numbers of dispersed bubbles remains a challenge. In this work, we establish a new cavitation model based on the population balance equation (PBE) that can predict the size distribution and spatiotemporal evolution of bubbles within cloud cavitation under different cavitation numbers. An expression for the phase transition source term without empirical parameters is derived based on the bubble size distribution (BSD) function, enabling the coupling of mass transfer in the governing equations with the PBE cavitation model. The cavitation model is solved alongside the Eulerian homogeneous mixture flow. The mass transfer between water and vapor, and the bubble coalescence and breakup under turbulent flows, are modeled to determine the BSD. The numerical model is carefully validated through comparisons with experimental results for cavitation flows on a wedge-shaped flat plate, and good agreement is achieved with respect to the pressure distribution, void fraction, and BSD. This confirms that our proposed cavitation model can accurately predict the void fraction and BSD within the cloud cavitation region.
Influence of doping and solvent interactions on the electronic and capacitive properties of metal-supported graphene: A combined DFT and AIMD study
Authors: Elshazly Mohamed K. , Huzayyin Ahmed , Dawson Francis
Published: December 2023

Theoretical prediction of interfacial capacitance in graphene-based supercapacitors is crucial to accelerating materials’ design and development cycles. However, there is currently a significant gap between ab initio predictions and experimental reports, particularly in the case of nitrogen-doped graphene. Analyses based on changes to the density of states of freestanding graphene upon doping do not account for the electronic interactions between the electrode, dopants, and substrates. The result is an overestimation of the doping-induced capacitance increase by up to two orders of magnitude. Moreover, it is unclear whether electrolyte and solvent interactions can further complicate matters by inducing changes to the band structure and, therefore, the capacitive properties of the electrode. A third complication lies in the fixed-band approximation, where materials are simulated without accounting for the influence of an external electrical field. In this work, we present an interfacial modeling and characterization procedure that leverages the combined strengths of ab-initio molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and microscopic polarization theory to produce reliable predictions of interfacial capacitance. The procedure is applied to two case studies of interest in supercapacitor design: (1) nitrogen-doped graphene on a Cu(111) substrate and (2) an interface between bulk water and Cu(111)-supported graphene at room temperature. Results show that water alters graphene’s band structure from a semi-metallic to an n-doped-semiconducting character and that metallic substrates dominate the band structure of the electrode interface even in the presence of dopants. The water interface also shows an asymmetric capacitive response relative to the polarity of the applied field.
Magneto-optical tunability of impedance through electronic structure modification in ZnO–rGO/LSMO/ITO spintronic devices
Authors: Deb Debajit , Dey P.
Published: December 2023

In this paper, we have investigated red light (∼660 nm) and magnetic field dependence of impedance across (100−x)% ZnO(zinc oxide)–x% rGO(reduced graphene oxide)/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3(LSMO)/ITO (x=0,0.6,0.8,100) heterostructure devices. Field-induced scattering due to the spin filter effect and spin polarized tunneling (SPT) have been extracted from the zinc oxide–reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite/LSMO space charge region (ZnO–rGO/LSMO SCR) and the LSMO active region of the devices, respectively. Higher SPT leads to higher LSMO SCR scattering across the devices. Devices with higher rGO contents could not be fitted with two RC circuits as resistance values because the two phenomena are incomparable with each other. Light-induced scattering has been observed at the ZnO–rGO nanocomposite active region and ZnO–rGO/LSMO SCR of the devices. For composite devices with x=0.8 and 0.6, higher photocarrier generation at ZnO–rGO nanocomposite active layer leads to enhanced scattering at LSMO SCR with light illumination. Light-dependent scattering at both regions, however, follows almost same decreasing trend for bare devices with x=0, 100. The decreasing trend of light-dependent scattering for ZnO/LSMO/ITO and rGO/LSMO/ITO bare devices suddenly gets reversed and, eventually, follows an increasing trend at magnetic field ambiance of 0.5 and 1 kOe, respectively. The LSMO SCRs of the bare devices got enhanced with the field, leading to a light-dependent response similar to composite devices at the higher field.
Thermal conductivity of group IV elemental semiconductors
Authors: Inyushkin A. V.
Published: December 2023

The thermal conductivity of group IV elements—germanium, silicon, and diamond—is described in order to demonstrate various important and interesting aspects of the mechanism of phonon heat transfer in single-crystalline semiconductors and dielectrics. The measured temperature dependence of thermal conductivity κ(T) for these materials reveals different phonon scattering processes that determine thermal conductivity. In addition to the intrinsic processes of phonon–phonon scattering, scattering by isotopes, dopants, free electrons, sample surfaces, the effects of phonon focusing, irradiation with high-energy particles, and phonon hydrodynamics are discussed.
TurboGenius: Python suite for high-throughput calculations of ab initio quantum Monte Carlo methods
Authors: Nakano Kousuke , Kohulák Oto , Raghav Abhishek , Casula Michele , Sorella Sandro
Published: December 2023

TurboGenius is an open-source Python package designed to fully control ab initio quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) jobs using a Python script, which allows one to perform high-throughput calculations combined with TurboRVB [Nakano et al. J. Phys. Chem. 152, 204121 (2020)]. This paper provides an overview of the TurboGenius package and showcases several results obtained in a high-throughput mode. For the purpose of performing high-throughput calculations with TurboGenius, we implemented another open-source Python package, TurboWorkflows, that enables one to construct simple workflows using TurboGenius. We demonstrate its effectiveness by performing (1) validations of density functional theory (DFT) and QMC drivers as implemented in the TurboRVB package and (2) benchmarks of Diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) calculations for several datasets. For (1), we checked inter-package consistencies between TurboRVB and other established quantum chemistry packages. By doing so, we confirmed that DFT energies obtained by PySCF are consistent with those obtained by TurboRVB within the local density approximation (LDA) and that Hartree–Fock (HF) energies obtained by PySCF and Quantum Package are consistent with variational Monte Carlo energies obtained by TurboRVB with the HF wavefunctions. These validation tests constitute a further reliability check of the TurboRVB package. For (2), we benchmarked the atomization energies of the Gaussian-2 set, the binding energies of the S22, A24, and SCAI sets, and the equilibrium lattice parameters of 12 cubic crystals using DMC calculations. We found that, for all compounds analyzed here, the DMC calculations with the LDA nodal surface give satisfactory results, i.e., consistent either with high-level computational or with experimental reference values.
Synchronization of dissipatively coupled oscillators
Authors: Lu Chenyang , Kim Mun , Yang Ying , Gui Y. S. , Hu C.-M.
Published: December 2023

Synchronization is common in both nature and human physiology, often used to illustrate nonlinear dynamics. Interestingly, one can initiate their comprehension of this phenomenon from pure linear systems. In this Tutorial, we begin with a theoretical exploration of coupled oscillators’ dynamic behavior, enabling us to discern and contrast the unique attributes of dissipative coupling as opposed to commonly observed coherent coupling. We then examine synchronization in two dissipative coupled linear systems: one with two pendulums mutually linked via the Lenz effect and the other with two RLC oscillators coupled via a resistor. This Tutorial is designed to serve as a concise starting point for researchers interested in exploring synchronization phenomena using a simplified model driven solely by dissipative coupling.
Temperature oscillations provide access to high-order physical aging harmonics of a glass forming melt
Authors: Moch Kevin , Böhmer Roland , Gainaru Catalin
Published: December 2023

A high-resolution, temperature oscillation-based probe of physical aging in complex systems is introduced. The Fourier analysis of the measured responses allows one to extract high-order, aging-related nonlinearities that are not accessible via traditional temperature-jump and temperature-ramp procedures. To demonstrate the potential of this oscillatory approach, we analyze the periodic time evolution of glycerol’s structural relaxation using shear rheology as a vehicle. Thereby, we access up to the sixth harmonic and detect aging fingerprints within a resolution range of three orders of magnitude for temperature amplitudes of up to 4 K. The even harmonics are present since aging is not symmetrical with respect to the direction of temperature change. The high-order aging coefficients obtained for glycerol are described reasonably well within the Tool–Narayanaswamy–Moynihan formalism.
Active motion of tangentially driven polymers in periodic array of obstacles
Authors: Fazelzadeh Mohammad , Di Qingyi , Irani Ehsan , Mokhtari Zahra , Jabbari-Farouji Sara
Published: December 2023

One key question about transport of active polymers within crowded environments is how spatial order of obstacles influences their conformation and dynamics when compared to disordered media. To this end, we computationally investigate the active transport of tangentially driven polymers with varying degrees of flexibility and activity in two-dimensional square lattices of obstacles. Tight periodic confinement induces notable conformational changes and distinct modes of transport for flexible and stiff active filaments. It leads to caging of low activity flexible polymers inside the inter-obstacle pores while promoting more elongated conformations and enhanced diffusion for stiff polymers at low to moderate activity levels. The migration of flexible active polymers occurs via hopping events, where they unfold to move from one cage to another, similar to their transport in disordered media. However, in ordered media, polymers are more compact and their long-time dynamics is significantly slower. In contrast, stiff chains travel mainly in straight paths within periodic inter-obstacle channels while occasionally changing their direction of motion. This mode of transport is unique to periodic environment and leads to more extended conformation and substantially enhanced long-time dynamics of stiff filaments with low to moderate activity levels compared to disordered media. At high active forces, polymers overcome confinement effects and move through inter-obstacle pores just as swiftly as in open spaces, regardless of the spatial arrangement of obstacles. We explain the center of mass dynamics of semiflexible polymers in terms of active force and obstacle packing fraction by developing an approximate analytical theory.
An ultralow crosstalk and broadband subwavelength grating-assisted chiral mode converter by encircling exceptional points
Authors: Wang Siwei , Li Kang , Zeng Jinwei , Wang Jian
Published: December 2023

Exceptional points (EPs) are degeneracies of two or more eigenstates and eigenvalues in non-Hermitian systems, promising applications in optoelectronics. In particular, chiral state conversion can be achieved by dynamic encircling an EP to enable backward-scattering light isolation and asymmetric mode switching. However, critical bottlenecks have plagued most mainstream EP-based chiral mode converters, since they mainly use the traditional dual-coupled waveguide systems for parametric tuning as the essential part of the chiral mode converter, which induce mode mismatch, and bandwidth-limited EP encircling path and, therefore, cause deficiencies in crosstalk and bandwidth. To overcome this challenge, we propose a chiral mode converter adding customized subwavelength gratings (SWGs) in dual-coupled waveguide systems to enhance parametric tuning. Indeed, the SWG structure decreases crosstalk and enhances bandwidth by using its refractive index control characteristics to mitigate mode mismatch and weaken the wavelength correlation of the EP encircling path. The designed device has expanded the available working band, demonstrating favorable performance in both the optical communication band (1.26–1.675 μm) and 2 μm (1.85–2.05 μm) band. At the same time, the crosstalk reduces to below −20 and −13 dB, respectively, superior to most of the previously reported devices. Furthermore, the transmission efficiency remains above 90% in the full operating bands, which is at the advanced level as the reported optimal performance of chiral mode converters. This study paves the way for developing efficient chiral transmission devices (such as optical switches, isolators, and logic gates), inspiring fascinating opportunities in future optical communication and topological quantum computing technologies.
High-amplitude effect on Richtmyer–Meshkov instability at a single-mode heavy–light interface
Authors: Wang He , Wang Hui , Zhai Zhigang , Luo Xisheng
Published: December 2023

An experimental study is conducted to explore the high-amplitude effect on Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) at a single-mode heavy–light interface. A wide range of scaled initial amplitude (ka0, where k and a0 are perturbation wavenumber and initial amplitude, respectively) is considered. Qualitatively, nonstandard (standard) indirect phase inversion occurs in experiments with high (low and moderate) ka0. The nonstandard indirect phase inversion exhibits a complex process, and the interface mixing width does not reduce to near zero. Quantitatively, the linear model poorly (accurately) predicts the post-phase-inversion linear amplitude growth rate when ka0 is high (low and moderate). Additionally, a representative theoretical reduction factor fortuitously evaluates the high-amplitude effect on the post-phase-inversion linear amplitude growth rate well. The high-amplitude effect significantly alters the nonlinear evolution law, which differs from the case of RMI at a light–heavy interface. None of the considered nonlinear models can accurately predict the amplitude evolution under all ka0 conditions, regardless of whether their expressions are related to ka0 or not. Based on the current experimental results, an empirical nonlinear model is proposed to describe RMI at a single-mode heavy–light interface across a wide range of ka0 conditions.
Association of cumulative loneliness with all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adults in the United States, 1996 to 2019
Authors: Yu Xuexin , Cho Tsai-Chin , Westrick Ashly C. , Chen Chen , Langa Kenneth M. , Kobayashi Lindsay C.
Published: December 2023

Loneliness is a growing public health concern worldwide. We characterized the association between cumulative loneliness and subsequent all-cause mortality, using data from 9,032 participants aged 50+ in the population-based US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 1996 to 2019. Loneliness status (yes; no) was measured biennially from 1996 to 2004, and we categorized the experience of cumulative loneliness over the 8-y period as never, one time point, two time points, and ≥three time points. A multivariable-adjusted age-stratified Cox proportional hazards regression model was fitted to examine the association between cumulative loneliness from 1996 to 2004 and all-cause mortality from 2004 to 2019. Excess deaths due to each category of cumulative loneliness were calculated. Compared to those who never reported loneliness from 1996 to 2004, participants experiencing loneliness at one time point, two time points, and ≥three time points respectively had 1.05 (95% CI: 0.96 to 1.15), 1.06 (95% CI: 0.95 to 1.19), and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.33) times higher hazards of mortality from 2004 to 2019 (
P
trend = 0.01). These results correspond to 106 (95% CI: 68 to 144), 202 (95% CI: 146 to 259), and 288 (95% CI: 233 to 343) excess deaths per 10,000 person-years, for those experiencing loneliness at each of one, two, or ≥three time points from 1996 to 2004. Cumulative loneliness in mid-to-later life may thus be a mortality risk factor with a notable impact on excess mortality. Loneliness may be an important target for interventions to improve life expectancy in the United States.
Navigating the new normal: Examining coattendance in a hybrid work environment
Authors: Charpignon Marie-Laure , Yuan Yuan , Zhang Dehao , Amini Fereshteh , Yang Longqi , Jaffe Sonia , Suri Siddharth
Published: December 2023

The recent rise of hybrid work poses novel challenges for synchronizing in-office work schedules. Using anonymized building access data, we quantified coattendance patterns among ~43k employees at a large global technology company. We used two-way fixed effects regression models to investigate the association between an employee’s presence in the office and that of their manager and teammates. Our analysis shows that employee in-person attendance was 29% higher when their manager was present. Moreover, a 1-SD increase in the share of teammates who were present yielded a 16% increase in the individual employee’s attendance. We also observed greater coattendance among employees who were recently hired, have a Corporate or Operations role, or work in shared office spaces. Thus, we find evidence of some voluntary alignment of work schedules. Companies could bolster such organic coordination by leveraging digital scheduling tools or providing guidance specifically aimed at increasing coattendance.
Typicality effects in Spanish as a Foreign Language of intermediate and advanced level Greek learners
Authors: Agustín-Llach María Pilar , Palapanidi Kiriaki
Published: December 2023

Categorization and identification of typical exemplars within semantic categories is a universal skill of human
cognition which is involved in language development. However, cultural, and experiential aspects might influence typicality
effects. This paper examines the role of native language and culture on that categorization process and on typicality effects.
Towards that objective, we had Spanish native speakers and Spanish FL learners whose mother tongue is Greek complete a category
generation word association task. Data were analyzed within a network and graph theory framework as the best fitting for this type
of data, bearing in mind previous descriptions of semantic memory. Results showed how, indeed, native speakers and learners of
varying proficiency levels differ in their availability and production of typical exemplars, especially in slot-filler categories
versus taxonomic categories. Lexical access during category generation might be determined by native language and culture.
Additionally, natives’ mental lexicon seems to feature denser connections responsible for more efficient access.
Ammonia synthesis using atmospheric pressure fluidized bed plasma
Authors: Zen Shungo , Takeuchi Nozomi , Teramoto Yoshiyuki
Published: December 2023

In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on ammonia synthesis using catalysts under mild conditions and by combining plasma with the catalysts. Increasing the contact area between the catalyst surface and atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is crucial for improving the ammonia synthesis efficiency. In this study, we present a fluidized bed dielectric barrier discharge (FB-DBD) method that can be used to form FB-DBD plasma through the electrohydrodynamics of DBD discharge without a feed gas. We performed ammonia synthesis experiments using our FB-DBD reactor. The results indicate that the FB-DBD plasma can achieve an energy yield of 5.9 g-NH3/kWh, which is about twice higher than that of conventional DBD plasma. Consequently, it can be implemented in various applications as a new reaction field between solids and gases where surface reactions are predominant.
Microstructural modification of metallic thin films via high-frequency alternating current treatment at room temperature
Authors: Gu Shaojie , Zhang Boran , Kimura Yasuhiro , Ju Yang , Toku Yuhki
Published: December 2023

This study comprehensively investigates the effects of high-frequency alternating current (AC) on the adhesion strength between metallic thin films and substrates as well as on the resistivity of metallic films. Under AC treatment at the optimal frequencies of 26, 37, and 38 MHz, the adhesion strengths of the Al, Cu, and Pt films to a substrate increase by 44.9%, 42.0%, and 101.8%, respectively, whereas their resistivities decrease by 22.6%, 38.4%, and 8.1%, respectively, at optimal frequencies of 30, 40, and 20 MHz. Microstructural characterization results show that the metallic films exhibit nanometer-scale crystal grains with numerous defects (i.e., disordered atoms). However, the application of high-frequency AC significantly reduces these defects and improves the crystallinity, thereby promoting adhesion enhancement and resistivity reduction. The different optimal frequencies of the Al, Cu, and Pt films are attributable to the different atomic weights and resistivities of the materials. The high-frequency AC method proposed herein is a highly efficient and energy-conserving technique with a maximum temperature increase of less than 7.1 °C. This study provides a promising alternative to conventional heat treatment methods for enhancing the reliability and durability of wiring in semiconductor components.
A minimum entropy criterion for distribution selection for measurement uncertainty analysis
Authors: Huang Hening
Published: December 2023

This paper presents a minimum entropy criterion for selecting the best probability distribution among a set of candidate distributions based on available information for measurement uncertainty analysis. We consider two cases that are most commonly encountered in practice: A and B. In Case A, the available information is a series of observations. In Case B, the available information is the maximum permissible error according to manufacturer’s specification. Three candidate distributions are considered in Case A: the scaled and shifted z-distribution (i.e. normal distribution), the scaled and shifted t-distribution, and the Laplace distribution. Five candidate distributions are considered in Case B: rectangular, triangular, quadratic, raised cosine, and half-cosine. According to the proposed minimum entropy criterion, the scaled and shifted z-distribution is the best distribution in Case A, and the raised cosine distribution is the best distribution in Case B. A case study is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed minimum entropy criterion.
On-machine measurement method of hole parallelism error based on multi-sensor fusion
Authors: Zhou Honggen , Dong Baojiang , Li Guochao , Zhang Leyi , Fu Yanling , Hou Qiulin , Sun Li
Published: December 2023

The hole parallelism error (HPE) is one of the key quality parameters for mechanical parts. However, HPE can usually be out-of-tolerance due to the coupling effect of residual stress, cutting stress, and geometric structure during its machining process. Thus, on-machine measurement and timely adjustment are important guarantees for HPE. This paper proposes an on-machine measurement method of HPE based on multi-sensor fusion that is low-cost, efficient, and suitable for mass production of parts. First, the axis of the cylindrical surface is directly extracted using five points according to the spatial line position relation. Then, the mathematical model of the HPE of two holes’ axes was established through the theory of spatial analytic geometry. The HPE is characterized using two parameters: parallelism magnitude and parallelism direction. Finally, the feasibility of the measurement method in principle and practical application is verified by simulation and experiment. The simulation tests show that the maximum value of the relative error of parallelism magnitude and parallelism direction is −1.38‱. The actual experiments show that the relative error of the measurement results compared with the coordinate measuring machine is 6.23%. None of the standard deviations exceeds the order of magnitude of 0.01 mm. The difference in measurement uncertainty is 0.0003 mm.
Editorial: focus on waste-heat harvesting via thermoelectric conversion: materials, devices and systems for sustainable energy technologies
Authors: Artini C , Isotta E , Demontis V , Pennelli G , Castellero A , Ferrario A , Rossella F
Published: December 2023

The focus collection ‘Waste-heat harvesting via thermoelectric conversion: Materials, devices and systems for sustainable energy technologies’ collates several research articles and a Roadmap highlighting the most recent advances in the field of thermoelectricity from the viewpoint of both basic and applied research, with a special eye on the work of the Italian community.
Study of resistive switching behavior in HfO2 nanocrystals synthesized via a low temperature hydrothermal method
Authors: Chen Xiaozhang , Li Heng , Tian Zhaobo , Zhu Yuan , Su Longxing
Published: December 2023

The resistive switching property in HfO2 have attracted increasing interest in recent years. In this work, amorphous HfO2 nanocrystals are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. Then, the as-synthesized nanocrystals are rapid thermal annealed in different atmospheres for improving the crystal quality, and monoclinic phase is determined as the main crystal structure of the annealed HfO2. Subsequently, metal–insulator–metal structure devices based on HfO2 samples are fabricated. Electrical measurement indicates that 700 °C annealing processes in Air and Ar environments can slightly improve the bipolar resistive switching and retention behaviors. Higher annealed temperature (900 °C) will further improve the crystal quality of HfO2, while the resistive switching and retention behaviors of the devices continuously attenuate, which can be ascribed to the reduction of the conductive filaments induced by defects.
Inversion of magnetic diameter distribution of magnetic fluids under high and low temperatures
Authors: Xue Shuang , Yang Wenrong , Zhang Yumeng , Lu Xuehui , Zhang Heng
Published: December 2023

The magnetic diameter is a crucial factor affecting the magnetic properties of magnetic fluids. The magnetic diameter distribution can be estimated based on the magnetic properties. However, the magnetic dipole interaction of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and the variation of the magnetic diameter with temperature have received relatively little attention in previous research. Hence, this research proposes the AP-MMF1-L method to inverse the magnetic diameter which considers the magnetic dipole interaction and derives the magnetic diameter at different temperatures. Firstly, the AP-MMF1-L uses the least square method between the first-order modified mean-field Langevin function (MMF1-L) and the measured magnetization curve as the objective function. Meanwhile, the hybrid Artificial bee colony-particle swarm (AP) optimization algorithm is introduced to inverse the optimal magnetic diameter distribution. Secondly, the hydrodynamic diameter distribution experimental values are compared with the theoretical values, demonstrating the AP-MMF1-L method obtains accurate inversion results of the magnetic diameter distribution when compared to other models. Finally, the arithmetic mean of the magnetic diameter at different temperatures is investigated, revealing a decreasing trend as the temperature rises, approximately following a linear distribution. The AP-MMF1-L provides a novel and effective tool for accurately determining the magnetic diameter of the MNPs across various temperatures.
FLASH radiotherapy sparing effect on the circulating lymphocytes in pencil beam scanning proton therapy: impact of hypofractionation and dose rate
Authors: Galts Antje , Hammi Abdelkhalek
Published: December 2023

Purpose. The sparing effect of ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) radiotherapy has been reported, but its potential to mitigate depletion of circulating blood and lymphocytes (CL) has not been investigated in pencil-beam scanning-based (PBS) proton therapy, which could potentially reduce the risk of radiation-induced lymphopenia. Material and methods. A time-dependent framework was used to score the dose to the CL during the course of radiotherapy. For brain patients, cerebral vasculatures were semi-automatic segmented from 3T MR-angiography data. A dynamic beam delivery system was developed capable of simulating spatially varying instantaneous dose rates of PBS treatment plans, and which is based on realistic beam delivery parameters that are available clinically. We simulated single and different hypofractionated PBS intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) FLASH schemes using 600 nA beam current along with conventionally fractionated IMPT treatment plan at 2 nA beam current. The dosimetric impact of treatment schemes on CL was quantified, and we also evaluated the depletion in subsets of CL based on their radiosensitivity. Results. The proton FLASH sparing effect on CL was observed. In single-fraction PBS FLASH, just 1.5% of peripheral blood was irradiated, whereas hypofractionated FLASH irradiated 7.3% of peripheral blood. In contrast, conventional fractionated IMPT exposed 42.4% of peripheral blood to radiation. PBS FLASH reduced the depletion rate of CL by 69.2% when compared to conventional fractionated IMPT. Conclusion. Our dosimetric blood flow model provides quantitative measures of the PBS FLASH sparing effect on the CL in radiotherapy for brain cancer. FLASH Single treatment fraction offers superior CL sparing when compared to hypofractionated FLASH and conventional IMPT, supporting assumptions about reducing risks of lymphopenia compared to proton therapy at conventional dose rates. The results also indicate that faster conformal FLASH delivery, such as passive patient-specific energy modulation, may further enhance the sparing of the immune system.
Coupling the COST reference plasma jet to a microfluidic device: a computational study
Authors: Bissonnette-Dulude Julien , Heirman Pepijn , Coulombe Sylvain , Bogaerts Annemie , Gervais Thomas , Reuter Stephan
Published: December 2023

The use of microfluidic devices in the field of plasma-liquid interaction can unlock unique possibilities to investigate the effects of plasma-generated reactive species for environmental and biomedical applications. So far, very little simulation work has been performed on microfluidic devices in contact with a plasma source. We report on the modelling and computational simulation of physical and chemical processes taking place in a novel plasma-microfluidic platform. The main production and transport pathways of reactive species both in plasma and liquid are modelled by a novel modelling approach that combines 0D chemical kinetics and 2D transport mechanisms. This combined approach, applicable to systems where the transport of chemical species occurs in unidirectional flows at high Péclet numbers, decreases calculation times considerably compared to regular 2D simulations. It takes advantage of the low computational time of the 0D reaction models while providing spatial information through multiple plug-flow simulations to yield a quasi-2D model. The gas and liquid flow profiles are simulated entirely in 2D, together with the chemical reactions and transport of key chemical species. The model correctly predicts increased transport of hydrogen peroxide into the liquid when the microfluidic opening is placed inside the plasma effluent region, as opposed to inside the plasma region itself. Furthermore, the modelled hydrogen peroxide production and transport in the microfluidic liquid differs by less than 50% compared with experimental results. To explain this discrepancy, the limits of the 0D–2D combined approach are discussed.