bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Material Routing to the Car-Assembly Line
Authors: Churgay L. A.
Published: January 2024

In this paper the author tells how the particular problem of delivering parts to the car-assembly line, that can not be handled efficiently by conveyors, is taken care of in the Chrysler plant. The quantities of materials to be handled are obtained from the daily-production schedule. Loads were standardized, and moved at regular intervals by jitneys. Requisition sheets for material are made up according to specified loads to meet transportation requirements, and are issued to the stock man at pick-up points. A copy of the requisition serves as a transportation order for the jitney operators.
Diamonds as Metal-Cutting Tools
Authors: Bausch C. L.
Published: January 2024

In this paper the author recites the history of the use of diamond tools in the plant of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., which he believes to be quite representative of the use of diamonds in general. Diamonds were first used in the turning of materials which were too hard for steel tools. Their next use was in obtaining high finishes on non-ferrous metals, and this was followed by their use on work requiring extreme accuracy. In all cases, high speed was obtainable, although heavy cuts have never been possible with diamond tools. Data are given regarding the proper selection and setting of diamonds in relation to the cleavage plane of the material, as well as on cutting speeds and feeds, life of diamond tools, limitations due to vibration, etc.
Combustion in High-Speed Oil Engines
Authors: Joachim William F.
Published: January 2024

The paper discusses some of the more important physical and chemical aspects of the combustion problems of the high-speed Diesel engine of today from the oil-spray and oil-mixture standpoints. Of considerable importance also are other aspects of the general combustion problem from the standpoints of detail fuel-injection methods, rates of injection, processes of atomization, spray-particle mass distribution, and cylinder design and combustion-air movement. While a near approach to the high thermal efficiencies indicated by theory may not be at once completely reached in high-speed oil engines, rapid advances in the art of combustion control are being made.
Research Problems in Lithographic Printing—The Lithographic Technical Foundation
Authors: Hawkins L. S.
Published: January 2024

The great brother industry of lithography has pioneered the way in research by endowing the Lithographic Technical Foundation. It aims to solve the major problems of the industry as a whole, rather then the individual problems of isolated plants. The history of the five-year operation, although that time is a brief period in the field of research, indicates that the Foundation was begun on the proper basis.
Conservation of Lumber in Woodworking Plants
Authors: Bigelow Carle M.
Published: January 2024

This paper gives particulars regarding a method for the installation of a differential group wage-payment plan for the cutting departments of woodworking plants. The group is paid in terms of the differential result between reduction in per cent wastage of lumber intake and board feet per man-hour production. The necessary details for accumulation of data for the installation of the method are given, the general method is completely described, and a summary of results of several typical installations given. The results are tabulated of this combined production-yield group bonus in the several major industries, as derived from actual installations extending from six months to six years.
Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Bridge Cofferdam Under Multidirectional Focused Waves
Authors: Wang X. , Qu K.
Published: January 2024

In the process of coastal bridge construction, cofferdams become necessary facilities to ensure the construction environment is dry and safe. However, during the construction period of coastal bridges, extreme surges and waves caused by typhoons can impose huge hydrodynamic loads on the cofferdam and a potential threat to the safety and integrity of the cofferdam. Therefore, it becomes valuable to assess the hydrodynamic loads of bridge cofferdam under extreme waves. Meanwhile, in the harsh marine environment, waves tend to propagate in multiple directions. However, previous studies mainly focused on the hydrodynamic characteristics of cofferdam by waves that propagate in one direction. Few studies were carried out on the hydrodynamic characteristics of cofferdam under the action of extreme waves in multiple directions. To fill in the gaps in previous research, this study numerically studied the complex wave hydrodynamics of cofferdam under multidirectional extreme waves. Effects of several major factors, i.e., significant wave height, peak wave period, water depth, spreading angle, incident wave angle, and submergence depth were systematically analyzed. It is desired that present research could enhance our understanding of the complex wave hydrodynamics of bridge cofferdam under multidirectional focused waves.
Friction Behavior of Fingers on Micro-Textured Flexible Surfaces
Authors: Wang Chunge , Ma Bangbang , Zhang Keke , Wang Qianqian , Zhang Ning , Li Rongzhi , Zhang Sheng
Published: January 2024

Compared to rigid materials, people have a distinct tactile perception when touching flexible materials. Moreover, adding micro-patterns to the surface enhances the tactile experience even further. This sensation arises from the physical stimulation of frictional behavior between the skin and flexible materials. Therefore, this study focuses on human fingers as the research subjects and employs flexible materials with micro-textured surfaces as frictional objects. A friction test setup is designed to conduct a series of finger friction experiments, and theoretical explanations are provided to elucidate the reasons for performance variations. Research findings show that as the normal load increases, the frictional force gradually increases while the friction coefficient decreases. The former is attributed to the expanding contact area, while the latter is due to the inconsistent rate of frictional force increment with the normal load. The impact of friction velocity is mainly caused by changes in the viscous forces generated at the liquid film in the contact interface and the energy loss in elastic hysteresis. On the other hand, the effect of surface micro-topography is primarily a result of the transition between partial contact and full contact modes under the influence of normal load, leading to alterations in the contact area. Overall, during the finger friction process on a flexible micro-textured surface, changes in contact area play a vital role in modifying frictional performance, with adhesive friction exerting a more significant influence than deformation friction. This study summarizes the variations in frictional performance parameters based on experiments and analyzes the effects of contact area changes and deformation friction mechanisms from a theoretical perspective, providing a theoretical foundation for exploring the genesis of delicate tactile sensations during friction.
A Fast Calculation Approach for Elastohydrodynamic Finite Line Contacts Applicable to Online Calculations of Rolling Bearing Models
Authors: Yang Di , Wang Xi , Hou Yu
Published: January 2024

Finite line contacts in rolling element bearings are usually under the regime of elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL). To obtain deeper insights into bearing performance, it is necessary to directly couple EHL contact models into bearing models. However, the existing EHL contact models are either too time consuming to be employed in the bearing model or too simplified to consider tilting contact behaviors and actual roller profiles. A fast calculation approach for EHL finite line contacts is proposed by combining the empirical film thickness formulas that have been developed for decades and an improved slicing technique that considers the coupling behaviors between slices. The proposed approach can not only predict the contact stiffness (normal contact stiffness and tilting contact stiffness) and contact states (contact pressure and film thickness) accurately but also is universal for different profiled contacts and material properties. The proposed approach costs only a few milliseconds for a single load case, which enables it to be directly employed in bearing models. Besides, the proposed approach is more of a framework, the use of which can be extended by involving different film thickness formulas and correction factors to consider complicated EHL behaviors such as thermal effects, shear thinning effects, surface roughness, lubricant starvation, and so on.
Tribological Behavior and Surface Analysis of Ni–P/BP Coatings
Authors: Wu Hao , Luo Zhiheng , Dong Yinghui , Yao Lulu , Xu Yufu
Published: January 2024

Nickel–phosphorus/black phosphorus (Ni–P/BP) coatings were deposited on ordinary carbon structural steel (Q235 steel) by electroless plating. The tribological behavior of the Ni–P/BP coatings and traditional nickel–phosphorus (Ni–P) coating was studied comparatively on a reciprocating tribometer. The Ni–P/BP coatings exhibited good tribological performances in the water environment. Compared with traditional Ni–P coating, the friction coefficient of Ni–P/BP20 coating in deionized water and Ni–P/BP30 coating in 3.5 wt% sodium chloride decreased by 31% and 30% at 4 N, respectively. The major wear mechanism of Ni–P/BP coatings was ascribed to slight abrasive wear. This was mainly due to the combination of the higher hardness of coatings, the interlayer slip of adsorbed black phosphorus nanosheets, and the development of oxide tribofilm at the sliding interfaces.
Performance Analysis and Reliability Optimization of Internal Feedback Hydrostatic Rotary Table Support
Authors: Xie Jinfeng , Yang Congbin , Ma Honglie , Li Ying , Liu Zhifeng , Yan Jun
Published: January 2024

The internal feedback hydrostatic rotary table is a precision support device, and its performance relies heavily on the oil pad. However, uncertainties in the manufacturing process are often overlooked during the stiffness optimization, affecting the reliability of the optimized results. Accordingly, this paper aims to analyze the influence of structural parameters on the stiffness performance of the internal feedback hydrostatic rotary table and to perform reliability optimization considering the uncertainties. Initially, a theoretical computational model of internal feedback hydrostatic rotary table, accounting for the oil leakage effect, is proposed. The model's accuracy is validated through comparative simulation calculations, and based on this model, the load-bearing performance of the table is further analyzed. Subsequently, focusing on the structural characteristics of the oil pad, a reliability optimization model that considers manufacturing uncertainties is proposed. To improve the optimization efficiency, a Levenberg–Marquardt Backpropagation (LM-BP) neural network is introduced as a surrogate model for theoretical calculations. The oil pad is optimized through a particle swarm optimization algorithm. Ultimately, the optimal structural size parameters of the oil pad are obtained, achieving maximal stiffness under a high level of reliability. Both the stiffness performance and the reliability level of the rotary table are substantially enhanced. The results indicate that the proposed method can significantly improve performance and reliability in practical applications.
REVIEWS OF ACOUSTICAL PATENTS
Authors: Fulop Sean A.
Published: January 2024

The purpose of these acoustical patent reviews is to provide enough information for a Journal reader to decide whether to seek more information from the patent itself. Any opinions expressed here are those of the reviewers as individuals and are not legal opinions. Patents are available via the internet at the USPTO website.
Aqueous Laponite® dispersions are attractive gels, not repulsive Wigner glasses: A critical commentary
Authors: Joshi Yogesh M. , Patel Shrajesh , Suman Khushboo
Published: January 2024

An aqueous dispersion of Laponite® has been studied in the literature for over the past three decades. Typically, the aqueous dispersion of Laponite® undergoes incessant evolution of its microstructure, wherein its elastic modulus and the mean relaxation time show a continuous increase as a function of time. A considerable amount of discussion has revolved around the nature of this dispersion, specifically whether it can be classified as a repulsive Wigner glass state, characterized by disconnected Laponite® particles stabilized by electrostatic repulsions, or an attractive gel state, in which the particles form a percolated space-spanning network. The proponents of the Wigner glass state also conjecture that this system experiences a glass–glass transition after a period of 2 days has elapsed since its preparation. In this Commentary, we explore this topic from a rheological point of view, analyzing the published literature and performing new experiments. Aided by additional evidence from the literature, we propose that rheological behavior overwhelmingly suggests that an aqueous dispersion of Laponite® undergoes a sol–attractive gel transition and remains in the attractive gel state over at least up to 7 days without undergoing any additional transition. Importantly, rheology, despite being a macroscopic tool governed by principles of mechanics, offers profound insight into the microstructure of this particular system. The corresponding analysis conclusively determines the state of an aqueous dispersion of Laponite® to be an attractive gel.
Effects of 4 Different Velocity-Based Resistance-Training Programming Models on Physical Performance
Authors: Riscart-López Javier , Sánchez-Valdepeñas Juan , Mora-Vela Raúl , Caro-Ávalos Javier , Sánchez-González Lidia , Sánchez-Moreno Miguel , León-Prados Juan Antonio , Pareja-Blanco Fernando
Published: January 2024

Purpose: To examine the effects of 4 programming models (linear [LP], undulating [UP], reverse [RP], and constant [CP]) on physical performance. Methods: Forty-eight moderately strength-trained men were randomly assigned to LP, UP, RP, and CP groups according to their 1-repetition maximum (1RM) in the full-squat exercise (SQ) and followed an 8-week training intervention using the SQ and monitoring movement velocity for every repetition. All groups trained with similar mean relative intensity (65% 1RM), number of repetitions (240), sets (3), and interset recovery (4 min) throughout the training program. Pretraining and posttraining measurements included, in the SQ, 1RM load, the average velocity attained for all absolute loads common to pretests and posttests (AV), and the average velocity for loads that were moved faster (AV > 1) and slower (AV < 1) than 1 m·s−1 at pretraining tests. Moreover, countermovement jump height and 20-m running sprint time were measured. Results: A significant time effect was found for all variables analyzed (P < .05), except for 20-m running sprint time. Significant group × time interactions were observed for 1RM, AV > 1, and AV (P < .05). After training, all groups attained significant strength gains on 1RM, AV, AV > 1, and AV < 1 (P < .001–.01). LP and RP groups improved their countermovement jump height (P < .01), but no significant changes were observed for UP and CP. No significant improvements were achieved in 20-m running sprint time for any groups. Conclusions: These different programming models are all suitable for improving physical performance. LP and RP induce similar or greater gains in physical performance than UP and CP.
Team Efficacy Profiles: Congruence Predicts Objective Performance of Athlete Pairs
Authors: Habeeb Christine M. , Stephen Sarah A. , Eklund Robert C.
Published: January 2024

Efficacy beliefs targeting personal (self-efficacy), teammates’ (other-efficacy), and conjoint (collective efficacy) abilities are each associated with performance of athlete pairs. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) congruence/incongruence of efficacy beliefs between athletes in a pair as a predictor of quality of individual and team performance and (b) quality of performance relative to efficacy congruence at high, moderate, and low levels of efficacy. Eighty-two cheerleading pairs, composed of one base and one flyer, completed questionnaires assessing self-, other, and collective efficacy prior to a national collegiate competition. Individual and team performances were assessed using objective criteria. Polynomial regression analyses indicated that team performance was predicted by congruence of (a) both athletes’ collective efficacy beliefs and (b) base self-efficacy and flyer other efficacy. Findings supported that congruence at moderate to high levels of efficacy was associated with better performance relative to incongruent efficacy beliefs across the two athletes.
Effects of a Conventional Treatment Plus Scapular Exercises Program in Patients With Chronic Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy: A Pre−Post Single-Group Study
Authors: Gutiérrez-Espinoza Héctor , Estrella-Flores Evelin , Cuyul-Vásquez Iván , Jorquera-Aguilera Rene , Francisco López-Gil José , Araya-Quintanilla Felipe
Published: January 2024

Background: Weakness of the shoulder girdle muscles has been reported in patients with chronic lateral elbow tendinopathy. The aim of this study was to assess the short- and long-term effects of a conventional treatment plus scapular exercises program in patients with chronic lateral elbow tendinopathy. Methods: A single-group prestudy and poststudy were conducted. The primary outcome was the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation questionnaire score. Secondary outcomes were grip strength; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire score; Visual Analogue Scale score at rest and at grip, and presence of scapular dyskinesis. Results: A total of 65 patients (72.3% females), with a mean age of 41.8 years, were analyzed. At the end of 6 weeks, the results showed clinically and statistically significant differences (P < .05). At 1-year follow-up, the differences were: Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation −31 points (P < .001); grip strength +33.6% (P < .001); Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand −34.2 points (P < .001); Visual Analogue Scale at rest −2.5 cm (P < .001); and Visual Analogue Scale at grip −2.3 cm (P < .001). Conclusion: At the end of 6 weeks and at 1-year follow-up, conventional treatment plus scapular exercises program showed statistically and clinically significant differences in all functional outcomes assessed in patients with lateral elbow tendinopathy.
Incorporating life history diversity in an integrated population model to inform viability analysis
Authors: Sorel Mark H. , Jorgensen Jeffrey C. , Zabel Richard W. , Scheuerell Mark D. , Murdoch Andrew R. , Kamphaus Cory M. , Converse Sarah J.
Published: January 2024

Life history diversity can significantly affect population dynamics and effects of management actions. For instance, variation in individual responses to environmental variability can reduce extirpation risk to populations, as the portfolio effect dampens temporal variability in abundance. Moreover, differences in habitat use may cause individuals to respond differently to habitat management and climate variability. To explore the role of life history diversity in population trajectories, population models need to incorporate within-population variation. Integrated population modeling (IPM) is a population modeling approach that offers several advantages for sharing information and propagating uncertainty across datasets. In this study, we developed an IPM for an endangered population of Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Wenatchee River, Washington, USA, that accounts for diversity in juvenile life histories, spawning location, and return age. Our analysis revealed that diversity in the age of juvenile emigration from natal streams had a portfolio effect, resulting in a 20% reduction in year-to-year variability in adult abundance in population projections. Our population viability analysis suggests that management interventions may be necessary to meet recovery goals, and our model should be useful for simulating the outcomes of proposed actions.
Soft-controlled quantum gate with enhanced robustness and undegraded dynamics in Rydberg atoms
Authors: Wu Qiaolin , Xing Jun , Yin Hongda
Published: January 2024

Rydberg atoms have exhibited excellent potentials to become a competent platform of implementing quantum computation, which demands to execute various quantum gates fast and faithfully. We propose a dynamic mechanism of two interacting Rydberg atoms for implementing a high-fidelity SWAP gate on ground-state manifolds, where the amplitude modulation and soft quantum control of lasers driving ground-Rydberg state transitions are elaborately matched with the interaction strength between atoms so as to engineer the desired transformation of atomic states. Compared with the recent Rydberg-atom SWAP gate scheme, the present one possesses the undegraded first-order dynamics and shows an interference-induced suppression of the doubly-excited Rydberg state, so it costs shorter gate time and exhibits greater robustness against atomic decay and deviations in the interatomic separation (interaction strengths). The present mechanism of implementing a SWAP gate on interacting Rydberg atoms could facilitate high-fidelity demonstrations of atomic ground state transformation and further exploitation of peculiar dynamics.
Outlier Detection Using a GPU-Based Parallel Algorithm: Quantum Clustering
Authors: Liu Ding , Wang Zhe , Li Hui
Published: January 2024

We introduce a novel hypothesis in the field of outlier detection, suggesting that normal data tend to be distributed in regions where the density changes smoothly or is less pronounced, whereas abnormal data often exhibit distribution in areas characterized by abrupt changes in data density. Relying on this hypothesis, we develop a novel density-based unsupervised outlier detection method, referred to as Quantum Clustering (QC). This approach addresses the processing of unlabeled data and employs a potential function to identify the centroids of clusters and outliers effectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the potential function can accurately detect hidden outliers within data points. Furthermore, by adjusting the parameter [Formula: see text], QC enables the identification of more subtle outliers. Additionally, our method is evaluated on several benchmarks from diverse research areas, affirming its broad applicability.
A Survey of Schematic of Vacuum Quantum Structure: General Equation for EBSF (III)
Authors: Yang Xiaodong , Yang Yuchen , Luo Zhen , Bi Yuanbo
Published: January 2024

Researchers have studied the tiny effects on fundamental particles with quantum vacuum about electroweak baryogenesis mechanism, and so we can further confirm the existence of the energy basic state field of the universe (EBSF). In this paper, we propose that since EBSF is the basic energy field of the universe, the quantum superfluid state must be the next level of fundamental particle (quantum state). Then, the evolution-developed equation of quantum superfluid state should be nonlinear, which can be expressed by the fraction fractal KdV equation temporarily. This paper reviews the experimental observation of superfluid in the existing physics and puts forward the possible quantized form of KdV equation. One possible form of quantization for vortex line of quantum superfluid is the string theory, so the basic physical scenario and foundation of physics in string theory can be revealed. At the same time, through the analysis of the KdV equation and general solution, the quantum superfluid state as the lowest level physical state in physics can only be described by the topological invariant in topological theory, and its image is not uniform; there are common phenomena such as energy gap, non-closure and wrinkle (folding) in Euclidean space. Based on the physical view of the formation of the universe system, the idea of nonlinear evolution development, and the idea of level emergence theory in condensed matter physics, the authors preliminarily put forward the framework of the hierarchy theory of physics. The paper also analyzes the broad physical prospect of quantum superfluid physics (or new physics). The essence of some physics concepts is further clear, some present physics puzzles that are expected to be solved, but their mathematical physical processing has considerable complexity, and some rigorous proofs need further breakthroughs.
Causal Inference in Recommender Systems: A Survey and Future Directions
Authors: Gao Chen , Zheng Yu , Wang Wenjie , Feng Fuli , He Xiangnan , Li Yong
Published: January 2024

Recommender systems have become crucial in information filtering nowadays. Existing recommender systems extract user preferences based on the correlation in data, such as behavioral correlation in collaborative filtering, feature-feature, or feature-behavior correlation in click-through rate prediction. However, unfortunately, the real world is driven by
causality
, not just correlation, and correlation does not imply causation. For instance, recommender systems might recommend a battery charger to a user after buying a phone, where the latter can serve as the cause of the former; such a causal relation cannot be reversed. Recently, to address this, researchers in recommender systems have begun utilizing causal inference to extract causality, thereby enhancing the recommender system. In this survey, we offer a comprehensive review of the literature on causal inference-based recommendation. Initially, we introduce the fundamental concepts of both recommender system and causal inference as the foundation for subsequent content. We then highlight the typical issues faced by non-causality recommender system. Following that, we thoroughly review the existing work on causal inference-based recommender systems, based on a taxonomy of three-aspect challenges that causal inference can address. Finally, we discuss the open problems in this critical research area and suggest important potential future works.
Fairness-Driven Private Collaborative Machine Learning
Authors: Pessach Dana , Tassa Tamir , Shmueli Erez
Published: January 2024

The performance of machine learning algorithms can be considerably improved when trained over larger datasets. In many domains, such as medicine and finance, larger datasets can be obtained if several parties, each having access to limited amounts of data, collaborate and share their data. However, such data sharing introduces significant privacy challenges. While multiple recent studies have investigated methods for private collaborative machine learning, the fairness of such collaborative algorithms has been overlooked. In this work, we suggest a feasible privacy-preserving pre-process mechanism for enhancing fairness of collaborative machine learning algorithms. An extensive evaluation of the proposed method shows that it is able to enhance fairness considerably with only a minor compromise in accuracy.
Multi-sensor Data-driven Route Prediction in Instant Delivery with a 3-Conversion Network
Authors: Zhou Zhiyuan , Zhou Xiaolei , Guo Baoshen , Wang Shuai , He Tian
Published: January 2024

Route prediction in instant delivery is still challenging due to the unique characteristics compared with conventional delivery services, such as strict deadlines, overlapped delivery time of multiple orders, and diverse individual preferences on delivery routes. Recently, development in the mobile Internet of Things (IoT) offers the opportunity to collect multi-sensor data with rich real-time information. Therefore, this study proposes a route prediction model called Roupid, which leverages multi-sensor data to improve the accuracy of route prediction in instant delivery. Specifically, we design a 3-Conversion Network-based route prediction framework to take full advantage of various information provided by multi-sensor data, including the encounter data sensed by Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons, active site data reported by smart handheld devices, and trajectory data detected by GPS. The 3-Conversion Network we propose is based on a deep neural network framework, which integrates an improved relational graph attention network with edge features (RGATE) to encode global information that couriers typically consider when planning routes. We evaluate our Roupid with real-world data collected from one of the largest instant delivery companies in the world, i.e., Eleme. Experimental results show that our Roupid outperforms other state-of-the-art baselines and offers up to 85.51% of the route prediction precision.
An Overview of Microrobotic Systems for Microforce Sensing
Authors: Adam Georges , Boudaoud Mokrane , Reynaud Valentin , Agnus Joel , Cappelleri David J. , Clévy Cédric
Published: January 2024

Considering microbotics, microforce sensing, their working environment, and their control architecture together, microrobotic force-sensing systems provide the potential to outperform traditional stand-alone approaches. Microrobotics is a unique way for humans to control interactions between a robot and micrometer-size samples by enabling the control of speeds, dynamics, approach angles, and localization of the contact in a highly versatile manner. Many highly integrated microforce sensors attempt to measure forces occurring during these interactions, which are highly difficult to predict because the forces strongly depend on many environmental and system parameters. This article discusses state-of-the-art microrobotic systems for microforce sensing, considering all of these factors. It starts by presenting the basic principles of microrobotic microforce sensing, robotics, and control. It then discusses the importance of microforce sensor calibration and active microforce-sensing techniques. Finally, it provides an overview of microrobotic microforce-sensing systems and applications, including both tethered and untethered microrobotic approaches.
Machine Learning in Robotic Ultrasound Imaging: Challenges and Perspectives
Authors: Bi Yuan , Jiang Zhongliang , Duelmer Felix , Huang Dianye , Navab Nassir
Published: January 2024

This article reviews recent advances in intelligent robotic ultrasound imaging systems. We begin by presenting the commonly employed robotic mechanisms and control techniques in robotic ultrasound imaging, along with their clinical applications. Subsequently, we focus on the deployment of machine learning techniques in the development of robotic sonographers, emphasizing crucial developments aimed at enhancing the intelligence of these systems. The methods for achieving autonomous action reasoning are categorized into two sets of approaches: those relying on implicit environmental data interpretation and those using explicit interpretation. Throughout this exploration, we also discuss practical challenges, including those related to the scarcity of medical data, the need for a deeper understanding of the physical aspects involved, and effective data representation approaches. We conclude by highlighting the open problems in the field and analyzing different possible perspectives on how the community could move forward in this research area.
Origin and Early Evolution of Echinoderms
Authors: Rahman Imran A. , Zamora Samuel
Published: January 2024

Echinoderms are a major group (phylum) of invertebrate animals with a rich fossil record stretching back to the Cambrian period, approximately 518 million years ago. While all modern species are characterized by pentaradial (i.e., fivefold) symmetry, Cambrian echinoderms also include taxa with different types of symmetry (e.g., bilateral symmetry). These distinct forms were present from very early in the phylum's history, demonstrating that the initial diversification of echinoderm body plans was extremely rapid. The phylogenetic relationships of Cambrian echinoderms have long been debated, hindering efforts to reconstruct the evolution of the phylum, but recent analyses have consistently recovered bilaterally symmetrical forms as the earliest-diverging echinoderms. This reveals the sequence of character acquisition in echinoderm evolution, indicating that radial symmetry is a derived character of the group, which evolved after the acquisition of a mineralized skeleton. Cambrian echinoderms were adapted to diverse modes of life, with ecology an important factor shaping their early evolution. However, the reasons why echinoderms evolved their unique pentaradial body plan remain unclear.
▪The Cambrian fossil record provides valuable insights into the origin and early evolution of echinoderms over half a billion years ago.▪Cambrian echinoderms were morphologically diverse, with several extinct groups exhibiting character combinations that distinguish them from living species.▪Phylogenetic analyses of bilateral, asymmetrical, triradial, and pentaradial fossils have allowed us to decipher the assembly of the modern echinoderm body plan.▪Echinoderms became ecologically diverse early in their history, with varied modes of feeding, locomotion, and attachment.
Lunar Evolution in Light of the Chang'e-5 Returned Samples
Authors: Wu Fu-Yuan , Li Qiu-Li , Chen Yi , Hu Sen , Yue Zong-Yu , Zhou Qin , Wang Hao , Yang Wei , Tian Heng-Ci , Zhang Chi , Li Jin-Hua , Li Lin-Xi , Hui He-Jiu , Li Chun-Lai , Lin Yang-Ting , Li Xian-Hua , Delano John W.
Published: January 2024

The Chinese spacecraft Chang'e-5 (CE-5) landed on the northern Ocean Procellarum and returned 1,731 grams of regolith. The CE-5 regolith is composed mostly of fragments of basalt, impact glass, agglutinates, and mineral fragments. The basalts could be classified as of a low-Ti and highly fractionated type based on their TiO2 content of ∼5.3 wt% and Mg# of ∼28. Independent of petrographic texture, the CE-5 basalts have a uniform eruption age of 2,030 ± 4 Ma, demonstrating that the Moon remained volcanically active until at least ∼2.0 Ga. Although the CE-5 landing site lies within the so-called Procellarum KREEP [potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE), and phosphorus (P)] Terrane, neither the CE-5 basalts nor the mantle source regions of those basalts were enriched in KREEP components, such as incompatible elements, water, sulfur, or chlorine. Therefore, it would be a new and stimulating task in the future to look for the triggering mechanism of the young volcanism on the Moon.
▪The CE-5 spacecraft returned 1,731 grams of lunar regolith in December 2020. It was the first new lunar sample since the last collection in August 1976.▪CE-5 regolith is basaltic in chemical composition, with only ∼1% highland materials of anorthosite, Mg suite, alkali suite, and KREEP.▪The CE-5 basalt is low Ti and highly differentiated. It was extruded at ∼2.0 Ga, being the youngest lunar basalt identified so far from the Moon.▪The triggering mechanism of the ∼2.0 Ga lunar volcanism is not clearly understood because its mantle source was dry and contained low abundances of KREEP elements.
Recent Advances in Lipid Crystallization in the Food Industry
Authors: da Silva Thais Lomonaco Teodoro , Martini Silvana
Published: January 2024

This review discusses fundamental concepts of fat crystallization and how various processing conditions such as crystallization temperature, cooling rate, and shear or agitation affect this process. Traditional methods used to process fats, such as the use of scraped surface heat exchangers, fractionation, and interesterification, are described. Parameters that affect fat crystallization in these systems, such as shear, crystallization temperature, type of fat, and type of process, are discussed. In addition, the use of minor components to induce or delay fat crystallization based on their chemical composition is presented. The use of novel technologies, such as high-intensity ultrasound, oleogelation, and high-pressure crystallization is also reviewed. In these cases, acoustic and high-pressure process parameters, the various types of oleogels, and the use of oleogelators of differing chemical compositions are discussed. The combination of all these techniques and future trends is also presented.
T Cell Exhaustion
Authors: Baessler Andrew , Vignali Dario A.A.
Published: January 2024

T cell responses must be balanced to ensure adequate protection against malignant transformation and an array of pathogens while also limiting damage to healthy cells and preventing autoimmunity. T cell exhaustion serves as a regulatory mechanism to limit the activity and effector function of T cells undergoing chronic antigen stimulation. Exhausted T cells exhibit poor proliferative potential; high inhibitory receptor expression; altered transcriptome, epigenome, and metabolism; and, most importantly, reduced effector function. While exhaustion helps to restrain damage caused by aberrant T cells in settings of autoimmune disease, it also limits the ability of cells to respond against persistent infection and cancer, leading to disease progression. Here we review the process of T cell exhaustion, detailing the key characteristics and drivers as well as highlighting our current understanding of the underlying transcriptional and epigenetic programming. We also discuss how exhaustion can be targeted to enhance T cell functionality in cancer.
Leveraging Implementation Science to Advance Environmental Justice Research and Achieve Health Equity through Neighborhood and Policy Interventions
Authors: Ashcraft Laura Ellen , Cabrera Keven I. , Lane-Fall Meghan B. , South Eugenia C.
Published: January 2024

Environmental justice research is increasingly focused on community-engaged, participatory investigations that test interventions to improve health. Such research is primed for the use of implementation science–informed approaches to optimize the uptake and use of interventions proven to be effective. This review identifies synergies between implementation science and environmental justice with the goal of advancing both disciplines. Specifically, the article synthesizes the literature on neighborhood-, community-, and policy-level interventions in environmental health that address underlying structural determinants (e.g., structural racism) and social determinants of health. Opportunities to facilitate and scale the equitable implementation of evidence-based environmental health interventions are highlighted, using urban greening as an illustrative example. An environmental justice–focused version of the implementation science subway is provided, which highlights these principles: Remember and Reflect, Restore and Reclaim, and Reinvest. The review concludes with existing gaps and future directions to advance the science of implementation to promote environmental justice.
Evidence for Policies and Practices to Address Global Food Insecurity
Authors: Iannotti Lora , Kleban Eliza , Fracassi Patrizia , Oenema Stineke , Lutter Chessa
Published: January 2024

Food insecurity affects an estimated 691–783 million people globally and is disproportionately high in Africa and Asia. It arises from poverty, armed conflict, and climate change, among other demographic and globalization forces. This review summarizes evidence for policies and practices across five elements of the agrifood system framework and identifies gaps that inform an agenda for future research. Under availability, imbalanced agriculture policies protect primarily staple food producers, and there is limited evidence on food security impacts for smallholder and women food producers. Evidence supports the use of cash transfers and food aid for affordability and school feeding for multiple benefits. Food-based dietary guidelines can improve the nutritional quality of dietary patterns, yet they may not reflect the latest evidence or food supplies. Evidence from the newer food environment elements, promotion and sustainability, while relatively minimal, provides insight into achieving long-term impacts. To eliminate hunger, our global community should embrace integrated approaches and bring evidence-based policies and practices to scale.
Editors' Choice—Improving Quality of EDMed Micro-Holes on Titanium via In Situ Electrochemical Post-processing: A Transient Simulation and Experimental Study
Authors: Singh Ramver , Rakurty C. S. , Dvivedi Akshay , Kumar Pradeep
Published: January 2024

Electrical discharge micromachining (EDM) poses challenges to the fatigue-life performance of machined surfaces due to thermal damage, including recast layers, heat-affected zones, residual stress, micro-cracks, and pores. Existing literature proposes various ex situ post-processing techniques to mitigate these effects, albeit requiring separate facilities, leading to increased time and costs. This research involves an in situ sequential electrochemical post-processing (ECPP) technique to enhance the quality of EDMed micro-holes on titanium. The study develops an understanding of the evolution of overcutting during ECPP, conducting unique experiments that involve adjusting the initial radial interelectrode gap (utilizing in situ wire-electrical discharge grinding) and applied voltage. Additionally, an experimentally validated transient finite element method (FEM) model is developed, incorporating the passive film formation phenomenon for improved accuracy. Compared to EDM alone, the sequential EDM-ECPP approach produced micro-holes with superior surface integrity and form accuracy, completely eliminating thermal damage. Notably, surface roughness (Sa) was reduced by 80% after the ECPP. Increasing the voltage from 8 to 16 V or decreasing the gap from 60 to 20 μm rendered a larger overcut. This research’s novelty lies in using a two-phase dielectric (water-air), effectively addressing dielectric and electrolyte cross-contamination issues, rendering it suitable for commercial applications.
Binder-Free Flexible Chickpea Pod Derived Activated Carbon-Carbon Nanofiber Composite for Supercapacitor Application
Authors: Malothu Usha Rani , Donthula Kiran , Kakunuri Manohar , Rao G. V. S. Nageswara
Published: January 2024

In the present study, a novel carbon-carbon composite electrode was prepared by embedding activated carbon derived from chickpea pods and evaluated its potential as an electrode for supercapacitors. A simple, single-step electrospinning technique was used for the synthesis of activated carbon-carbon nanofiber composite. The synthesized activated carbon-carbon nanofiber composite electrode is flexible and binder-free with high specific surface area, micro and mesopores, interconnected fiber-to-flake morphology and possess high graphitization. Additionally, rapid electrolyte diffusion has resulted in a low charge transfer resistance due to interconnected morphology. In 6 M KOH electrolyte, composite binder-free electrode shows a specific capacitance of 147 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 compared to activated carbon (AC) electrodes that showed a specific capacitance of 120 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1. It exhibits an energy density of 13 Wh k g−1 at 0.366 W k g−1 power density. It also showed impressive cyclic stability by retaining 93.5% of initial capacitance till 1200 cycles at 1 A g−1. Overall, the study presents an easy-to-use, low-cost, eco-friendly, and flexible electrode for supercapacitors that is free of binder.
Based Fault‐Tolerance Consensus of Second‐Order Heterogeneous System under Input Saturation with Dynamics and Static Leader
Authors: Wu Jie , Li Zijing , Zhan Xisheng
Published: January 2024

We focus on fault‐tolerant consensus for heterogeneous dynamics systems with static and dynamic leaders under input saturation in this article. We apply theory of finite‐time stability to multiagent system cooperative control. Also, we use integral sliding mode to overcome disturbance. The primary goal is a set of second‐order linear and second‐order nonlinear agents moving along the leader’s trajectory. We use topology graph to describe communication between multiple agents. By using integral sliding mode control way, corresponding controller is introduced to make system stable. Finally, correctness of experiment was confirmed by MATLAB numerical simulation.
Synergistic Effects of SDS and H2O2 Combinations on Tracheal Scaffold Development: An In Vitro Study Using Goat Trachea
Authors: Jiwangga Dhihintia , Mahyudin Ferdiansyah , Mastutik Gondo , Meitavany Estya Nadya , Juliana  , Wiratama Priangga Adi
Published: January 2024

Currently, a tissue-engineered trachea has been popularly used as a biological graft for tracheal replacement in severe respiratory diseases. In the development of tissue-engineered tracheal scaffolds, in vitro studies play a crucial role in allowing researchers to evaluate the efficacy and safety of scaffold designs and fabrication techniques before progressing to in vivo or clinical trials. This research involved the decellularization of goat trachea using SDS, H2O2, and their combinations. Various quantitative and qualitative assessments were performed, including histological analysis, immunohistochemistry, and biomechanical testing. Hematoxylin and eosin staining evaluated the cellular content, while safranin O-fast green and Masson’s trichrome staining assessed glycosaminoglycan content and collagen distribution, respectively. The immunohistochemical analysis focused on detecting MHC-1 antigen presence. Tensile strength measurements were conducted to evaluate the biomechanical properties of the decellularized scaffolds. The results demonstrated that the combination of SDS and H2O2 for goat tracheal decellularization yielded scaffolds with minimal cellular remnants, low toxicity, preserved ECM, and high tensile strength and elasticity. This method holds promise for developing functional tracheal scaffolds to address severe respiratory diseases effectively.
Safety and Feasibility Using a Fluid-Filled Wire to Avoid Hydrostatic Errors in Physiological Intracoronary Measurements
Authors: Råmunddal Truls , Dworeck Christian , Torild Petronella , Andréen Sofie , Gan Li-Ming , Hirlekar Geir , Ioanes Dan , Myredal Anna , Odenstedt Jacob , Petursson Petur , Pylova Tetiana , Töpel Fanny , Völz Sebastian , Hilmersson Mats , Redfors Björn , Angerås Oskar
Published: January 2024

Background. Using a fluid-filled wire with a pressure sensor outside the patient compared to a conventional pressure wire may avoid the systematic error introduced by the hydrostatic pressure within the coronary circulation. Aims. To assess the safety and effectiveness of the novel fluid-filled wire, Wirecath (Cavis Technologies, Uppsala, Sweden), as well as its ability to avoid the hydrostatic pressure error. Methods and Results. The Wirecath pressure wire was used in 45 eligible patients who underwent invasive coronary angiography and had a clinical indication for invasive coronary pressure measurement at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. In 29 patients, a simultaneous measurement was performed with a conventional coronary pressure wire (PressureWire X, Abbott Medical, Plymouth, MN, USA), and in 19 patients, the vertical height difference between the tip of the guide catheter and the wire measure point was measured in a 90-degree lateral angiographic projection. No adverse events caused by the pressure wires were reported. The mean Pd/Pa and mean FFR using the fluid-filled wire and the sensor-tipped wire differed significantly; however, after correcting for the hydrostatic effect, the sensor-tipped wire pressure correlated well with the fluid-filled wire pressure (R = 0.74 vs. R = 0.89 at rest and R = 0.89 vs. R = 0.98 at hyperemia). Conclusion. Hydrostatic errors in physiologic measurements can be avoided by using the fluid-filled Wirecath wire, which was safe to use in the present study. This trial is registered with NCT04776577 and NCT04802681.