bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design research experiment for convertibility architecture based on seasonal sport tournament
Authors: Andini C G , Widyanugraheni R A , Samodra F X T B , Kim D
Published: May 2024

Sport is a part of the entertainment industry that is entirely in demand by the public. The relationship between fans as spectators and athletes in a sports match can’t be separated from the spatial role of architecture as space for interaction. The presence of architecture is not only as a supporting functional aspect in the form of sports arena buildings, but architecture also has a role to provide memorable experiences to users through interactions in sporting events or tournaments. In this research, the factors and principles that influence the quality of the sportscape consisting of functional and user aspects will be implemented into an architectural design. In the process to create a sportscape, the framework used is based on Concept-Based Framework with adaptable architecture as the design approach. The method applied are versatile and convertible which are two detailed parts of adaptable architecture that discuss the spatial changes of use and space. So, the result of the design can be presented in the form of sport facility with the application of spatial convertibility to accommodate several types of indoor sports that can be converted into several spatial form to provide a different atmosphere and experience in the same spatial space.
Customization experiment of hybrid music festival with movable architecture approach
Authors: Widyanugraheni R A , Andini C G , Samodra F X T B , Kim D
Published: May 2024

One important aspect of enjoying a music concert is the interaction pattern between the audience and musicians. Music concerts have the psychological effect of increasing interaction and appreciation between fans and musicians. The high public interest in music concerts caused the emergence of a new music concert concept. One of them is a concert that has a multistage concert concept. This concert concept often raises the problem of visitors’ limitations and unawareness about their movement space. They also often ignore the relationship between the environment and the music concert location. Therefore, with this design proposal, efforts to use experimental customization technology aim to overcome this problem by considering the architectural characteristics that can be brought and the concept of an adaptable hybrid festival. In this effort, the architectural objects presented will combine movable architecture methods to respond to adaptation processes in various locations. Thus, the design aims to create a new experience of watching a live music concert. It is hoped that it will provide a comfortable space experience for the people inside and an excellent response to the existing site.
Retrofits of multi-storey office building facade
Authors: Oktavia Tantri , Purwanto L M F , Arif K A
Published: May 2024

The city of Jakarta is the 7th big city in the world that has the most high-rise buildings. High-rise buildings in Jakarta were built from 1971 until now and in the 90s it was the peak of the construction of high-rise buildings such as offices and apartment. Tall Buildings with glass facade, concentrating plans are the most typology of office high-rise buildings in Jakarta. Buildings with the dominance of glass facade that reflect heat cause an increase in temperature in the microclimate and a decrease in building performance resulting in the amount of energy used by buildings, especially air conditioners. Building facade play an important role in reducing the improvement of the microclimate and energy use in buildings. Therefore, an analysis was carried out on the BRI II building on Jalan Sudirman Jakarta as a case study that represents the typology of the most office buildings in Jakarta. It turns out that this building has a high OTTV (Overall Thermal Transfer Value) value, so the largest AC cooling load comes from the building casing. Therefore, facade retrofit is one of the alternatives that can be done to reduce energy use, especially air conditioning. After that, a simulation of the casing retrofit to obtain a significant retrofit action can reduce the AC energy used through ottv value reduction analysis.
Fluidity in space: defining threshold in dwelling and temporal market for resilient kampung settlement.
Authors: Hayati A , Cahyadini S , Sakinah P N , Sulistiastuti M , Aisyah K S
Published: May 2024

In general, urban infrastructure development triggers typological changes, influencing the growth of the urban environment, including buildings, settlements, markets, roads, and zoning in urban areas. This paper explores the spatial and territorial boundaries of alleys as links and places in the kampung residential area. The alley is examined as a dynamic setting that undergoes changes and serves various purposes and activities over time. This phenomenon prompts the question of how spatial boundaries between economic and domestic settings coexist. The research aims to identify the relationship between the alley as a link and a place in a case of kampung’s alley in Surabaya that has functioned as a temporary market since 1990 within the residential setting. Data is collected through observations of the alley in different times and activities, followed by qualitative descriptive analysis. The results reveal that spatial territory defines an individual or group’s control over their space. This control is integral to the mechanisms governing the activities within a setting. Ultimately, the study investigates the interplay between the activity system and the regulatory system in the temporal market economic activities that occur alongside.
Investigation of colonial architecture’s influence on the resilience and sustainability of the limasan house in Ndalem Ngabean
Authors: Ariana K M , Tiarawati R A , Hamsjah F A , Radhiyya R N , Novianto D , Nuffida N E , Sumanti A E
Published: May 2024

Vernacular architecture is one of the symbols that represent a certain area through various aspects that fits to the condition of the built environment. One of the vernacular architecture in Indonesia is the Limasan house which originated from Yogyakarta with a pyramid-shaped roof as its hallmark. The purpose of this research is to identify the sustainability and resilience of the design of Yogyakarta’s Limasan house in Ndalem Ngabean in accordance with colonial architecture. The methods used in this paper are literature study, building observation on Limasan’s architectural features, and field study conducted in Yogyakarta. The result shows that there are visible features of colonial architecture in the physical appearance of the Limasan house. This indicates that the sustainability and resilience of Limasan House is influenced by colonial architecture.
Adaptive restoration of Kali Mas Surabaya: strategy to recall and sustain historical area
Authors: Garudea  , Pakiding H A P , Widyawati A A A P , Rojabia I N , Soemardiono B , Setijanti P
Published: May 2024

Appropriate and targeted strategies are needed to preserve places and buildings of historical value. Historical objects are objects that are susceptible to damage and may be unmatched elsewhere. So, damage to or loss of an heirloom is very fatal. Implementing conservation strategies in an area is necessary because a place or site has complex and varied constituent elements. In this case, an area that is neglected but still has historical features requires a special strategy and perhaps several strategies. This is also because the existing strategy does not yet provide criteria and considerations regarding this matter. Kali Mas Surabaya is a historical case study that was the initial downtown port in Surabaya before it was finally decommissioned and is now rarely maintained. By carrying out a comprehensive analysis of history, documentary evidence, and actual physical evidence, it will become the basis for policy analysis and implementation. Therefore, this research will focus on how to carry out conservation strategies for recalling and sustaining abandoned historical areas so that these strategies can be generalized and applied to other historical locations.
From Traditional to Contemporary: Evaluating Environment Condition and Living Behaviour in Joglo House
Authors: Xian G E , Sumanti A E , Hidayat R T , Novianto D
Published: May 2024

The transition of Indonesian vernacular architecture through generations without written documentation. The focus of this paper is on a specific type of Indonesian vernacular architecture known as the Joglo house, which was constructed 200 years ago and remains standing today. The house is in Juwana, Pati, Central Java, Indonesia, and has undergone changes over time in both its physical environment and its occupants. The objective of this research is to examine the transformations that have taken place in the Joglo house since its construction and investigate the impact of the indoor atmosphere. The method of this study examines the Joglo house through measurement of the temperature and humidity as evidence of the modernization to the present context. This research resulted in calculation to investigate the occupant’s lifestyle and the concept of sustainability in vernacular architecture that is used by modern families.
Editorial
Authors: Bonora N. , Galietti U. , Arcidiacono G. , Avalle M. , Monti M. , Libonati F. , Livieri P.
Published: May 2024

The Italian Association for Stress Analysis (AIAS) was founded in 1971 by researchers from academia, research centers and industry. AIAS was intended as a community where to discuss, to share and to develop scientific knowledge related to all technical aspects of stress analysis. In the years, from an initial focus on experimental techniques, AIAS contributed considerably to the development of modern numerical methods and computational techniques for the mechanical engineering design. In 2015, AIAS turned in the Italian Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering Design.

Today, AIAS is an institutional partner that supports the instances from academia in subject area of the mechanical engineering design. Every year, AIAS organizes a technical conference offering the possibility to present research updates, share new ideas and foster collaborations. The AIAS conference has become a fundamental event for all those interested in current developments in mechanical engineering design and stress analysis, where to meet researchers, testing equipment and software developers.

The 52nd AIAS Conference edition was held in Genoa, Italy. The response of researchers and students has been outstanding: over 200 oral contributions have been presented during the three days of the conference, with four parallel sessions. In addition to the thematic sessions on AIAS traditional subjects, special sessions on additive manufacturing, energy methods for structural analysis, circular design in mechanical engineering, mechanical behavior under extreme conditions, have been successfully organized with the contribution of the AIAS technical committees.

Among all contributions presented at the conference, 44 have been selected to be published after peer review, in this volume. This was made possible thanks to the active participation of all AIAS members, to the work of the AIAS Scientific Committee panel (Profs Umberto Galietti, AIAS Scientific Coordinator, Gabriele Arcidiacono AIAS Scientific coordinator for external relationships, Enrico Armentani, Davide Castagnetti, Virgilio Fontanari and Aurelio Somá) and Conference Papers Reviewers. Their outstanding contribution is gratefully acknowledged.

Disclaimer

AIAS2023 Conference was held in presence on Sept. 6-9, 2023. Presentations were arranged on four parallel sessions with a time slot of 15 min assigned to each presenter. Approximately 280 participants attended the conference during the three days event. All sessions have been continuously monitored by the organizers to provide technical support. The conference ran smoothly, and participants feedback was very positive.
An experimental approach for in-situ characterization of dynamic dissipative properties of road pavements
Authors: Loi G , Marongiu G , Rombi J , Coni M , Porcu M C , Aymerich F
Published: May 2024

The dissipative properties of road pavements may have beneficial effects to reduce vehicle vibrations, traffic noise, vehicles-structure dynamic interaction, and degradation of pavement materials. Assessing the dissipative capacity and the damping properties of road pavements is, therefore, of critical importance. Such assessment has been mainly conducted in recent years by laboratory-scale dynamic experiments, while little effort has been devoted to in-situ tests. The latter are, in fact, cumbersome for practical reasons and typically require a more advanced data analysis when highly coupled modes of vibration are involved. Due to the heterogeneity of the road structure, classical methods are not capable of accurately estimating the road damping properties. The present study proposes an alternative experimental approach based on recording signals from accelerometers embedded in the road, which is impacted by an instrumented hammer. The data are analyzed both in the frequency and in the time domains through the combined use of stabilization diagrams and energy decay tools. Multi-mode fitting algorithms are employed to construct stabilization diagrams for the identification of resonance frequencies, while energy decay curves allow for a robust evaluation of the damping values at the identified frequencies. The effectiveness of the approach was assessed on an asphalt road structure.
Innovative solutions to make travel more comfortable
Authors: Arcieri E V , Baragetti S , Monticelli L
Published: May 2024

Traveling in various vehicles and means of transport (ambulance, airplane, …) can be characterized by sudden accelerations, decelerations and vibrations/perturbations. All these loads are transferred to the passenger, making the journey uncomfortable. The study for the improvement of comfort in such situations was the subject of a collaboration between the authors of the present document. The designed solutions are reported in a patent application published with the number WO2023111937A1.
Static and dynamic tensile behaviour of polycarbonate connected to the deforming specimen shape
Authors: Mirone Giuseppe , Barbagallo Raffaele , Bua Giuseppe
Published: May 2024

Like other structural thermoplastic polymers, polycarbonate (PC) exhibits a typical two-stage plastic deformation mode, including a first phase of strain localization and a second phase of strain propagation. At the same time, the stress-strain curves at the local scale undergo two distinct loading phases connected by a softening-instability decreasing phase. This mechanical response is not yet fully recognized and the reproduction of the peculiar phenomena in numerical simulations is not yet commonly standardized. In this work, the relationship between the straining/loading macroscopic response and the material flow curve at the local scale is investigated in detail, aiming at the two-way relationships enabling to infer the latter curve from the former data. Experimental tests at static and dynamic rates are carried out to verify how the special features of the PC are affected by the strain rate and to estimate its rate sensitivity.
Modeling of composite combat helmet subjected to blunt impacts
Authors: Shehu Edison , Ferrari Loris , Jiménez Álvaro González , Giglio Marco , Manes Andrea
Published: May 2024

Combat helmets are a complex system that is crucial for users in different adverse scenarios. Historically, the primary focus in the development of these items has been on compliance with high-velocity impact requirements, such as bullets or blast loads. In recent years, the investigation of blunt impact scenarios has gained momentum. Consequently, standards have been updated; however, they still lack a consolidated methodology for assessing helmet safety. A virtual testing approach is designed to replicate experimental tests. The main advantage of this model is its ability to assess loading conditions of interest and evaluate existing engineering solutions against new standards requirements.
Analytical computation of stress intensity factor for multi-physics problems
Authors: Pistorio Francesca , Clerici Davide
Published: May 2024

This work presents a methodology for the analytical calculation of the stress intensity factor when the stress distribution on the crack surfaces is non-homogeneous. At first, a polynomial function is used to express the non-homogenous stress distribution. Subsequently, the principle of superposition of effects is applied, and the stress intensity factor is computed by multiplying each polynomial term by its respective geometric factor. Finite element fracture model is used to compute the geometric factor of the single polynomial grade. To explain the method, a spherical body is considered, with central and superficial cracks. Each geometric factor depends on a normalized geometrical parameter (the ratio between the crack length and sphere radius). The proposed methodology is applied to determine the stress intensity factor in the case of a crack driving force caused by diffusive fields, such as the concentration gradient in particles of electrodes active material in lithium-ion batteries. The methodology allows to speed up the fracture computation, then it is used to give electrode design guidelines to limit the fracture likeliness and mechanical degradation in lithium-ion batteries, as well as it is the basis for the development of algorithms assessing the capacity loss and the remaining useful life of lithium-ion batteries in real-time.
On the Development of an Open-Source Toolbox for the Structural Analysis of Composite Materials
Authors: Mancini E , Mussolin L , Ambrosi G , Cianetti F , Braccesi C
Published: May 2024

Commonly used in structural applications since the ’90s, composite materials represent a valid alternative to metallic solutions. An intense research activity accompanied the spread of this technology to the point that, nowadays, a large variety of modeling techniques and tools are at the designers’ disposal. Although the literature on this topic is vast, detailed, and thorough, the need for new, faster, and more efficient design tools and methodologies remains. In this context, this work covers the development of an Open-Source computational laminate analysis toolbox, its structure, and its validation. The objective of the research was the creation of a simple and accessible mean for the calculation of laminates’ stresses in complex structural components with a reduced computational cost. To this end, the authors implemented the basics of micro, meso, and micromechanics in a Python-based toolbox and then performed a validation campaign against the results of an FE analysis. The work resulted in an input-generation/output-analysis instrument to be used by designers alongside the FEA.
Analysing the mechanical behaviour of thermoformed dental clear aligners using acoustic emission technique
Authors: Barile C , Cianci C , Pappalettera G , Kannan V P , Pappalettere C , Casavola C , Ciavarella D
Published: May 2024

Clear aligners have been widely preferred in recent years for aesthetically pleasant orthodontic treatments. However, their efficacy in treating dental malposition and malocclusion is yet to be studied extensively. Clear aligners are mostly made from thermoplastic materials that guarantee sufficient elasticity while lowering the plastic deformations during their use. This is to guarantee a stable level of forces acting on teeth to be repositioned. This work aims to get insight into the mechanical behaviour of these devices during their period of use, by comparing aligners produced from two different thermoplastic materials: polyethylene terephthalate-glycol modified (PET-G) and polyurethane (PU) supplied by Dooris and Ghost Aligners, respectively. The aligners were subjected to cyclic compression loading, to simulate the swallowing act throughout 15 days of use. Tests were conducted by surrounding the aligners with artificial saliva to simulate the intraoral environment. The Acoustic Emission (AE) technique was used to analyse the damage progression in the aligners during the loading. Furthermore, the AE results were compared with the energy absorbed and the stiffness changes in the aligners. Finally, the damage evolution in the aligners post-loading was validated using optical microscopy. The AE results revealed a good correlation with mechanical and optical microscopy data, thus contributing to the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of the clear aligners.
Thermal design considerations for a L-PBF built metal component: effects of Inter-Layer Cooling Time, Preheating Temperature and Gas Flow
Authors: Baldi N , Giorgetti A , Palladino M , Arcidiacono G , Citti P
Published: May 2024

The paper aims to investigate some important thermal effects that could affect the Additive Manufacturing (AM) process of Laser Powder Bed Fusion. This analysis starts with investigating the variation of the material substrate temperature due to a variation of the Interlayer Cooling-Time (ILCT); then, the paper analyzes the effect of Preheating temperature on the material microstructure of the first building layers. Finally, we assess the effect of variation in gas flow speed as a function of part position on the building platform. In addition, in this work, the previously mentioned thermal aspects are evaluated in detail under particular geometrical and printing conditions considered the most critical for the L-PBF process. All cases studied are performed on IN718 superalloy specimens. In particular, for ILCT investigation, 60 microns layered specimens are printed for Preheating temperature analysis 40 and 60 layered specimens and for gas flow speed evaluation 40 microns one. All the results are evaluated through a porosity and melt pool analysis. The results obtained in this work highlight a critical range for low ILCT, 2-6 seconds, for part integrity that could be affected by overheating effects. To avoid this criticality, inserting ghost parts during the printing or reducing the laser power value is suggested. Concerning the preheating temperature effect, the first 1.2 mm of printed layers are found to be critical and affected by melt pool instability. In this case, a sacrificial substrate used in the first layers could save the quality of a few layers height part. The gas flow analysis highlights how some areas of the building platform are affected by particular thermal conditions negatively influencing material printability. To minimize this issue as much as possible, modify the job layout to avoid printing parts in the critical zones.
An injury risk-based comprehensive framework for testing and assessing ADAS functions in critical road scenarios
Authors: Gulino Michelangelo-Santo , Vichi Giulio , Lillo Luigi Di , Gianfelici Alessandro , Vangi Dario
Published: May 2024

Assisted driving is currently considered a key aspect for improving road safety, and automakers and OEMs are working to achieve higher levels of vehicle automation by introducing new technologies and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in the circulating fleet. This trend requires test protocols for vehicle safety assessment to be frequently reviewed and updated, considering the latest advances in the state of the art regarding ADAS functions and systems. As of today, performance assessment programs (such as NCAP) mainly evaluate how an ADAS behaves in terms of crash avoidance in specific critical scenarios, which represent the most frequent crash constellations among real-world impacts. However, enhanced safety can be also obtained in case the impact is not avoided if a decrease in Injury Risk (IR) for the involved road users is achieved by ADAS intervention, compared to the case of no intervention.

The purpose of this work is to propose an overall framework to draft or update test protocols for ADAS performance assessment based on real car-to-car impact observations, representative of impact scenarios in terms of both occurrence frequency and IR. First, the in-depth accident database IGLAD is analyzed to identify the most relevant car-to-car accident scenarios based on a relevance indicator, i.e., the risk level being the multiplication of the occurrence frequency and IR for a specific scenario. For each relevant scenario, a risk level-based strategy to identify one significant closing speed between vehicles for the tests is defined; the test collision speed for the two vehicles is determined analogously, and the risk level for each combination of speeds in a scenario represents the maximum achievable score by the ADAS if the collision is averted. Considering the well-established Euro NCAP framework as a relevant starting point for the definition of test protocols, two examples are highlighted regarding the proposal of a new test protocol and an update of an already existing one. Finally, a method is proposed for ADAS performance assessment if the impact is not avoided, scaling the maximum achievable score based on the IR reduction consequent to the ADAS intervention.
Open ECU EPS System, preliminary design using a Hardware-in-the-loop approach
Authors: Veneroso L , Anticaglia A , Lelli L , Mosci A , Annicchiarico C , Capitani R
Published: May 2024

The introduction of mechatronic systems in vehicles opens the possibility to a wide range of vehicle functionality. These systems allow active control of vehicle enabling a new level of driving comfort and safety. The development of these complex technological systems, however, requires a long time to integrate mechanical, electrical and software components. Innovative development strategies and devices are hence crucial to accelerate the integration and deployment of these mechatronic systems.

In order to fulfil these needs, this paper presents the process to size a development electronic power steering which aims to support vehicle industry during testing and validation of innovative steering-based control strategies, including autonomous driving, steer-by-wire and all-wheel steering applications. Using an hardware-in-the-loop test bench for a wide range of vehicle maneuvers a stock power steering unit has been characterized taking into account both driver and assistance motor torque contributions.
Experimental investigation on the potential of passive prechambers for use in 2S engines
Authors: Risaliti Edoardo , Ferrara Giovanni , Romani Luca , Pero Francesco Del , Arcidiacono Gabriele
Published: May 2024

Design improvement of Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) is required by the continuous update of European exhaust emission standards and vehicle registration protocols. This has pushed research and industry efforts towards the development of Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) systems. Among various LTC technologies, the so called “jet ignition” is claimed to be well-suited for light engines, since it provides a more uniform and rapid combustion while ensuring the mixture ignition process. In this context, the adoption of prechambers was found well-suited for two-stroke engines, for which low-pressure direct injection technologies have been developed in the last decade to reduce the fuel short circuit phenomenon. The present paper experimentally investigates the use of different passive combustion prechambers in a Low-Pressure Direct Injection (LPDI) 2-stroke engine, with the main purpose to understand the relationship between prechamber geometrical parameters and engine performance. A 50-cc single cylinder LPDI motorcycle engine is chosen as the test case and it is re-arranged to run in jet ignition mode. The experimental analysis focuses on the evaluation of benefits provided by jet ignition combustion compared to the baseline LPDI propulsion unit at different engine operating points. Design criteria for prechambers development and the tuning process of engine combustion parameters (such as start of injection, ignition time and throttle valve opening) are described in detail. The results of experimental activity are finally shown and critically discussed, highlighting advantages and disadvantages of this application in terms of engine performance, efficiency and cycle-to-cycle variation.
Robotization of the IR-Thermographic technique – impact on the visualisation quality and considerations on the data workflow
Authors: Montinaro N , Mineo C , Pantano A , Cerniglia D
Published: May 2024

Quality control automation is becoming increasingly popular in industrial production lines. Active thermography techniques are well-regarded for their adaptability, providing fast, non-contact, and full-field non-destructive evaluation. Automating thermographic evaluation can increase assessment speed and repeatability without sacrificing inspection accuracy. By using a robot arm to manipulate the thermographic setup, it becomes possible to inspect large components and refine scans on suspicious zones, even in parts with complex geometries. In this study, the performance of a new thermographic inspection platform is compared with a conventional setup to showcase the potential improvements. A plastic curved-shaped sample with artificial flat bottom hole defects is used as a benchmark for the comparison. The advantages and disadvantages of robotizing the infrared non-destructive setup are analyzed, and the impact of the data workflow and future research activities are also discussed.
On the Compositional Step of the IC-GN Digital Image Correlation Algorithm
Authors: Baldi Antonio , Santucci Pietro Maria
Published: May 2024

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a well-known experimental optical technique for measuring the displacement field based on the assumption that pixel intensity does not change with motion.

DIC can be implemented using various alternative approaches. The most used in the Experimental Mechanics field are the Forward-Additive Gauss-Newton (FA-GN) and the Inverse-Compositional Gauss-Newton (IC-GN) formulations. The former corresponds to the original formulation proposed by Lucas and Kanade, while the latter was proposed by Baker and Matthews twenty years later. Although both formulations give the same results at the first order, their speed, convergency characteristic and noise robustness differ considerably. Nowadays, the IC-GN method is usually preferred because of its lower computational load and the significantly better noise sensitivity. However, the Inverse Compositional approach, as its name states, requires the inversion and composition of the displacement field, thus enforcing the use of invertible displacement fields. This can be a significant limitation because it may introduce an under-matching error in the solution.

This work shows that a simple modification of the viewpoint makes the compositional step simpler, thus giving a DIC formulation as fast as that of the IC-GN, with the same noise-bias characteristic and without requiring an invertible displacement field.
Material Characterization Augmented with Artificial Intelligence.
Authors: Vettori Matteo , Marchi Adriano , Bellocchio Enrico , Devo Alessandro , Belfiori Davide , Soncini Francesco , Musiari Francesco , Moroni Fabrizio , Pirondi Alessandro
Published: May 2024

The present paper investigates the application of artificial intelligence to improve the results from simple, non-instrumented, tensile tests, performed with a desktop-size MaCh3D smart universal testing machine. Non-instrumented tensile tests, performed on any testing machine, are affected by both deterministic and random factors that introduce errors in the test results. Specific features of the MaChh3D tester minimize random factors effects on test results while introducing a larger effect of deterministic factors. Artificial intelligence is identified as a novel approach to correct errors in non-instrumented tensile test, capable of simulating a direct strain measure onto the test, replacing traditional contact or non-contact instrumentations (like strain-gages, extensometer and optical measures) that introduce complexity into test procedure and require time for setup. The resulting AI model implementation is described and its performance evaluated in comparison with instrumented tests, also comparing different training strategies. The developed AI-extensometer (artificial intelligence virtual extensometer), is capable of a precise mechanical properties evaluation, with errors from 0 to 10% depending on the specific parameter.
Predictive sustainability analysis applied to an automotive design case study.
Authors: Antonacci A. , Del Pero F. , Innocenti E. , Giraldi A. , Pierini M. , Delogu M.
Published: May 2024

The paper deals with a predictive sustainability analysis applied to the design of automotive components in lightweight perspective. The analysis is conducted through the integration of the traditional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology with tailored forecasting algorithms able to provide a predictive evaluation of Climate Change (CC) by elaboration data contained in commercial environmental datasets. The comparison is referred to the entire Life Cycle (LC) of the system (including production, use and End-of-Life) according to a “from cradle to grave approach”.

A medium-class car rear crash management system is used as case study, assessing the potential benefits related to the substitution of conventional steel with 6000/7000 series aluminium alloys, along with other minor design changes. Particularly, the study compares the environmental profile of the two solutions based on the CC impact category in application to both an Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle (ICEV) and a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV).

The results show the potentiality of the proposed methodology, highlighting possible improvements/worsenings: new materials and manufacturing technologies adopted in the lightweight rear crash management system entail contrasting environmental effects depending on LC phases, that is, increased CO2eq in production (around 125% - mainly due to the strong energy intensity of aluminium supply chain) and reduced burdens in use and EoL (primarily provided by component mass reduction). That said, the influence of different boundary conditions on the predictive models is significant only for the electricity produced to energize the BEV configuration, leading to an overall variability of comparison results ranging within 3-30% for the BEV case study.
Determination and analysis of stress concentration factor in finite plate with different polygonal discontinuities under uniaxial compression using finite element analysis (FEA)
Authors: Patel Bhaveshkumar P , Patel Rashmiben H
Published: May 2024

Stress concentration is the accumulation of stress in a body due to a sudden change in its geometry. Stresses and stress concentrations are created at the nearer area of the structural discontinuities. Any structural discontinuity compromises the strength of the structure. Numerical approaches can be used to determine the maximum stress concentration for various complex geometries without regard to time or cost constraints. The current study gives a thorough finite element analysis of stress concentration in a structural steel plate with a polygonal cutout. In contrast to orientation and area, this study looks at an isotropic finite plate for the stress concentration factor (SCF) with central polygonal cutouts (triangular, square, pentagonal, and hexagonal). ANSYS, a finite element program, calculates the von Mises stresses, and based on the results, stress concentrations are calculated. The orientation of polygonal cutouts in a square plate and the constant area of polygonal cutouts in a square plate are two parameters considered in the calculation. These results are verified by literature for the orientation of the hole, which concludes that a square hole position parallels the loading direction showing a 50% reduction in stress concentration factor.
A novel noncanonical function for IRF6 in the recycling of E-cadherin
Authors: Antiguas Angelo , Dunnwald Martine
Published: May 2024

Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 (IRF6) is a transcription factor essential for keratinocyte cell–cell adhesions. Previously, we found that recycling of E-cadherin was defective in the absence of IRF6, yet total E-cadherin levels were not altered, suggesting a previously unknown, nontranscriptional function for IRF6. IRF6 protein contains a DNA binding domain (DBD) and a protein binding domain (PBD). The transcriptional function of IRF6 depends on its DBD and PBD, however, whether the PBD is necessary for the interaction with cytoplasmic proteins has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we show that an intact PBD is required for recruitment of cell–cell adhesion proteins at the plasma membrane, including the recycling of E-cadherin. Colocalizations and coimmunoprecipitations reveal that IRF6 forms a complex in recycling endosomes with Rab11, Myosin Vb, and E-cadherin, and that the PBD is required for this interaction. These data indicate that IRF6 is a novel effector of the endosomal recycling of E-cadherin and demonstrate a non-transcriptional function for IRF6 in regulating cell–cell adhesions.
Wives and Daughters
Authors: Brockliss Laurence , Smith Harry
Published: May 2024

Chapter 9 is the one specific chapter devoted to wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law. It examines similar themes to those explored in Chapters 2, 3, and 5. It looks at women’s education, their likelihood of ever being in paid employment, their role as philanthropists and political activists, and their wealth at probate. Most women had no income from employment at any time in their lives, and those who did gave up their occupation when they married. Hardly any, even among the granddaughters and granddaughters-in-law, ever practised a profession, though the number grows if nursing is included. A specific section explores the different ways in which widows in the more affluent families were protected from penury, and the extent to which legal mechanisms were used to limit a husband’s access to a wife’s inherited wealth. As a result, wives and daughters were frequently well-off when they died, and many spinsters would have enjoyed a very comfortable life.
Concluding Remarks
Authors: Brockliss Laurence , Smith Harry
Published: May 2024

The final chapter summarizes the conclusions reached at the end of each chapter and discusses whether the members of the mid-nineteenth century professions are better seen as a separate class or caste or as one of several components of the middle class. It concludes that the cohort and their families as a social group reveal few marks of a class or caste. That is not to say that there is no sign of social exclusivity or what might be called a ‘professional project’. A number of cohort families whose progenitors belonged to the traditional professions presented strong signs of marital endogamy and occupational reproduction, but this was not true of the large majority of cohort families. Nor is there any significant difference in this regard between the towns. While the cohort’s lives especially had a regional rather than a national focus, there is a striking consistency in the broad behaviour of the cohort families, wherever they were initially based.
Associations of Anxiety Symptoms With 6-Year Blood Pressure Changes and Incident Hypertension: Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos
Authors: Rosas Carlos E , Pirzada Amber , Durazo-Arvizu Ramon , Gallo Linda C , Talavera Gregory A , Elfassy Tali , Cai Jianwen , Llabre Maria M , Perreira Krista M , Wassertheil-Smoller Sylvia , Daviglus Martha L , Sanchez-Johnsen Lisa A P
Published: May 2024

Background

Despite the high burden of anxiety and hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults, little is known about their association in this population.

Purpose

To examine the associations of anxiety symptoms with 6-year changes in blood pressure (BP) and incident hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults.

Methods

We examined data from a probability sample of 10,881 Hispanic/Latino persons aged 18–74 who attended visits 1 (V1; 2008–2011) and 2 (V2; 2014–2017) of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a prospective cohort study. Anxiety symptoms were assessed at V1 using the 10-item Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale (M = 17.1; Range = 10–40) and dichotomized using a cut-point of 20, the highest quartile in this cohort. BP was measured at both visits using a standardized protocol.

Results

Adults with elevated anxiety symptoms had a 1.02 mm Hg greater increase in systolic (p = .02) and a 0.75 mm Hg greater increase in diastolic BP (p = .02) over 6.1 years than those with lower symptoms, after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. These associations differed by sex. Elevated anxiety was associated with a greater increase in systolic and diastolic BP in men only. Among persons without hypertension at V1 (N = 7,412), those with elevated anxiety symptoms at V1 had a 22% higher incidence of hypertension (p = .02) 6.1 years later.

Conclusions

Our findings underscore the importance of screening for and treating elevated anxiety symptoms to help prevent hypertension. Further research on the role of sex and underlying mechanisms is warranted.
A case study of a bispecific antibody manufacturability assessment and optimization during discovery stage and its implications
Authors: Wang Shuang , Zhang Weijie , Yang Baotian , Zhang Xudong , Fang Jing , Rui Haopeng , Chen Zhijian , Gu Jijie , Chen Zhiqiang , Xu Jianqing
Published: May 2024

The manufacturability assessment and optimization of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) during the discovery stage are crucial for the success of the drug development process, impacting the speed and cost of advancing such therapeutics to the Investigational New Drug (IND) stage and ultimately to the market. The complexity of bsAbs creates challenges in employing effective evaluation methods to detect developability risks in early discovery stage, and poses difficulties in identifying the root causes and implementing subsequent engineering solutions. This study presents a case of engineering a bsAb that displayed a normal solution appearance during the discovery phase but underwent significant precipitation when subjected to agitation stress during 15 L Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC) production Leveraging analytical tools, structural analysis, in silico prediction, and wet-lab validations, the key molecular origins responsible for the observed precipitation were identified and addressed. Sequence engineering to reduce protein surface hydrophobicity and enhance conformational stability proved effective in resolving agitation-induced aggregation. The refined bsAb sequences enabled successful mass production in CMC department. The findings of this case study contribute to the understanding of the fundamental mechanism of agitation-induced aggregation and offer a potential protein engineering procedure for addressing similar issues in bsAb. Furthermore, this case study emphasizes the significance of a close partnership between Discovery and CMC teams. Integrating CMC’s rigorous evaluation methods with Discovery’s engineering capability can facilitate a streamlined development process for bsAb molecules.
Guiding seed movement: environmental heterogeneity drives genetic differentiation in Plathymenia reticulata, providing insights for restoration
Authors: Conceição Taise Almeida , Santos Alesandro Souza , Fernandes Ane Karoline Campos , Meireles Gabriela Nascimento , de Oliveira Fernanda Ancelmo , Barbosa Rafael Marani , Gaiotto Fernanda Amato
Published: May 2024

Forest and landscape restoration is one of the main strategies for overcoming the environmental crisis. This activity is particularly relevant for biodiversity-rich areas threatened by deforestation, such as tropical forests. Efficient long-term restoration requires understanding the composition and genetic structure of native populations, as well as the factors that influence these genetic components. This is because these populations serve as the seed sources and, therefore, the gene reservoirs for areas under restoration. In the present study, we investigated the influence of environmental, climatic and spatial distance factors on the genetic patterns of Plathymenia reticulata, aiming to support seed translocation strategies for restoration areas. We collected plant samples from nine populations of P. reticulata in the state of Bahia, Brazil, located in areas of Atlantic Forest and Savanna, across four climatic types, and genotyped them using nine nuclear and three chloroplast microsatellite markers. The populations of P. reticulata evaluated generally showed low to moderate genotypic variability and low haplotypic diversity. The populations within the Savanna phytophysiognomy showed values above average for six of the eight evaluated genetic diversity parameters. Using this classification based on phytophysiognomy demonstrated a high predictive power for genetic differentiation in P. reticulata. Furthermore, the interplay of climate, soil and geographic distance influenced the spread of alleles across the landscape. Based on our findings, we propose seed translocation, taking into account the biome, with restricted use of seed sources acquired or collected from the same environment as the areas to be restored (Savanna or Atlantic Forest).
Uncover spatially informed variations for single-cell spatial transcriptomics with STew
Authors: Guo Nanxi , Vargas Juan , Reynoso Samantha , Fritz Douglas , Krishna Revanth , Wang Chuangqi , Zhang Fan
Published: May 2024

Motivation

The recent spatial transcriptomics (ST) technologies have enabled characterization of gene expression patterns and spatial information, advancing our understanding of cell lineages within diseased tissues. Several analytical approaches have been proposed for ST data, but effectively utilizing spatial information to unveil the shared variation with gene expression remains a challenge.

Results

We introduce STew, a Spatial Transcriptomic multi-viEW representation learning method, to jointly analyze spatial information and gene expression in a scalable manner, followed by a data-driven statistical framework to measure the goodness of model fit. Through benchmarking using human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and mouse main olfactory bulb data with true manual annotations, STew achieved superior performance in both clustering accuracy and continuity of identified spatial domains compared with other methods. STew is also robust to generate consistent results insensitive to model parameters, including sparsity constraints. We next applied STew to various ST data acquired from 10× Visium, Slide-seqV2, and 10× Xenium, encompassing single-cell and multi-cellular resolution ST technologies, which revealed spatially informed cell type clusters and biologically meaningful axes. In particular, we identified a proinflammatory fibroblast spatial niche using ST data from psoriatic skins. Moreover, STew scales almost linearly with the number of spatial locations, guaranteeing its applicability to datasets with thousands of spatial locations to capture disease-relevant niches in complex tissues.

Availability and implementation

Source code and the R software tool STew are available from github.com/fanzhanglab/STew.