bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Online Biomass Monitoring Enables Characterization of the Growth Pattern of Aspergillus fumigatus in Liquid Shake Conditions
Authors: Bauer Ingo , Abt Beate , Yap Annie , Leuchtle Bernd , Haas Hubertus
Published: September 2022

Numerous filamentous fungal species are extensively studied due to their role as model organisms, workhorses in biotechnology, or as pathogens for plants, animals, and humans. Growth studies are mainly carried out on solid media. However, studies concerning gene expression, biochemistry, or metabolism are carried out usually in liquid shake conditions, which do not correspond to the growth pattern on solid media. The reason for this practice is the problem of on-line growth monitoring of filamentous fungal species, which usually form pellets in liquid shake cultures. Here, we compared the time-consuming and tedious process of dry-weight determination of the mold Aspergillus fumigatus with online monitoring of biomass in liquid shake culture by the parallelizable CGQ (“cell growth quantifier”), which implements dynamic biomass determination by backscattered light measurement. The results revealed a strong correlation of CGQ-mediated growth monitoring and classical biomass measurement of A. fumigatus grown over a time course. Moreover, CGQ-mediated growth monitoring displayed the difference in growth of A. fumigatus in response to the limitation of iron or nitrogen as well as the growth defects of previously reported mutant strains (ΔhapX, ΔsrbA). Furthermore, the frequently used wild-type strain Af293 showed largely decreased and delayed growth in liquid shake cultures compared to other strains (AfS77, A1160p+, AfS35). Taken together, the CGQ allows for robust, automated biomass monitoring of A. fumigatus during liquid shake conditions, which largely facilitates the characterization of the growth pattern of filamentous fungal species.
A Molecular Systematics and Taxonomy Research on Trechispora (Hydnodontaceae, Trechisporales): Concentrating on Three New Trechispora Species from East Asia
Authors: Luo Kaiyue , Zhao Changlin
Published: September 2022

Trechispora are an important genus of wood-inhabiting fungi that have the ability to decompose rotten wood in the forest ecosystem. In this study, we reported three new species of Trechispora: T. murina, T. odontioidea, T. olivacea from a subtropical region of Yunnan Province, China. Species descriptions were based on a combination of morphological features and phylogenetic analyses of the ITS and LSU region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Trechispora murina is characterized by the resupinate basidiomata, grandinioid hymenial surface with a greyish tint, monomitic hyphal system and ellipsoid, thick-walled, ornamented basidiospores; T. odontioidea has an odontioid hymenial surface with cylindrical to conical, blunt aculei and subglobose to globose, colorless, slightly thick-walled, ornamented basidiospores; T. olivacea has a farinaceous hymenial surface with olivaceous tint, basidia clavate and thick-walled, ornamented, broadly ellipsoid to globose basidiospores. Sequences of the ITS and nLSU rDNA markers of the studied samples were generated, and phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods. After a series of phylogenetic analyses, the 5.8S+nLSU dataset was constructed to test the phylogenetic relationship of Trechispora with other genera of Hydnodontaceae. The ITS dataset was used to evaluate the phylogenetic relationship of the three new species with other species of Trechispora. Using ITS phylogeny, the new species T. murina was retrieved as a sister to T. bambusicola with moderate supports; T. odontioidea formed a single lineage and then grouped with T. fimbriata and T. nivea; while T. olivacea formed a monophyletic lineage with T. farinacea, T. hondurensis, and T. mollis.
COVID-19’s Impact on Fintech Adoption: Behavioral Intention to Use the Financial Portal
Authors: Shahzad Arfan , Zahrullail Nurhana , Akbar Ahsan , Mohelska Hana , Hussain Arsalan
Published: September 2022

As Fintech has grown exponentially in recent years, several researchers have examined how information technology is applied in the financial services sector, with a focus on the extended practice of its application. However, fewer studies have investigated the factors influencing the acceptance of Fintech services. In order to examine how consumers adopt Fintech services, this research presents an enhanced technology acceptance model (TAM) that integrates perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, user innovativeness, and trust as factors of attitude towards using Fintech platforms and behavioral intention to use Fintech platforms. The questionnaires were sent to 867 of Portal MyAzZahra’s customers, and 273 complete questionnaires were received. The data were then analyzed to comprehend whether the proposed hypotheses were accepted or rejected. The findings depict that consumers’ trust, perceived ease of use, and customer innovation in Fintech services substantially impact the attitude towards adoption and behavioral intention to use the Fintech online platform. However, perceived usefulness does not significantly influence the attitude towards adoption and the behavioral intention to use the online loan aggregator. By integrating these factors into Fintech services with TAM, this study adds to the literature on adopting Fintech services by offering a more holistic perspective of the factors affecting consumers’ attitudes.
Assessment of Sustainable Development of Rural Settlements in Mountainous Areas: A Case Study of the Miaoling Mountains in Southwestern China
Authors: Qin Ying , Luo Guangjie , Li Yangbing , Tan Qiu , Zheng Chao , Yu Meng , Liao Jingjing , Li Min
Published: September 2022

As a model based on the harmonious development of society, economy, population, and resources, sustainable development is an essential driving force for a country’s social and economic development. The countryside is an important part of the country, and its sustainable development has been given attention, but existing research lacks a focus on the sustainable development of rural settlements in mountainous areas. In this paper, the rural settlements in the Miaoling Mountains of China are taken as the research object, a geographic detector is used to determine the weight of rural settlement sustainable development factors, a rural settlement sustainable development model is constructed, and a local spatial autocorrelation method is used to quantitatively analyse the level of sustainable development of the rural settlements and the influencing factors related to both the natural environment and socio-economic levels. The results show that (1) 78% of rural settlements in the Miaoling Mountains have a medium to low level of sustainable development and are weak in overall sustainability. (2) The spatial differentiation of the sustainable development levels of rural settlements in the Miaoling Mountains are apparent, and the high sustainable development level settlements are mainly distributed around the urban areas. In contrast, the low sustainable development level settlements are scattered. (3) The level of sustainable development is positively correlated spatially with gross domestic product (GDP), arable land, elevation, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), water systems, and roads, and negatively correlated spatially with slope. Of these, GDP, arable land, and elevation have a more substantial influence on the level of sustainability of rural settlements. According to the local autocorrelation analysis, the positively correlated settlement types are mainly clustered in distribution, while the negatively correlated settlement types are sporadic.
Gender Marking and Clitic Pronoun Resolution in Simultaneous Bilingual Children
Authors: Koukoulioti Vasiliki , Stavrakaki Stavroula , Vomva Maria , Adani Flavia
Published: September 2022

The acquisition of clitics still remains a highly controversial issue in Greek acquisition literature despite the bulk of studies performed. Object clitics have been shown to be early acquired by monolingual children in terms of production rates, whereas only highly proficient bilingual children achieve target-like performance. Crucially, errors in gender marking are persistent for monolingual and bilingual children even when adult-like production rates are achieved. This study aims to readdress the acquisition of clitics in an innovative way, by entering the variable of gender in an experimental design targeting to assess production and processing by bilingual and monolingual children. Moreover, we examined the role of language proficiency (in terms of general verbal intelligence and syntactic production abilities). The groups had comparable performance in both tasks (in terms of correct responses and error distribution in production and reaction times in comprehension). However, verbal intelligence had an effect on the performance of the monolingual but not of the bilingual group in the production task, and bilingual children were overall slower in the comprehension task. Syntactic production abilities did not have any effect. We argue that gender marking affects clitic processing, and we discuss the implications of our findings for bilingual acquisition.
Learning on the Field: L2 Turkish Vowel Production by L1 American English-Speaking NGOs in Turkey
Authors: de Jonge Keryn , Maxwell Olga , Zhao Helen
Published: September 2022

This study adopts the Speech Learning Model to investigate the first language (L1) influence as well as the effects of the length of residence and second language (L2) exposure on American English-speaking learners of Turkish in their productions of Turkish unrounded–rounded vowel pairs, with a particular focus on the vowel categories “new” to American English speakers (/y/, /œ/, and /ɯ/). L1 (English) and L2 (Turkish) speech samples were collected from 18 non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers. L2 experience was defined by whether the worker lived in an urban or regional environment in Turkey. Participants’ audio productions of the word list in L1 and L2 were segmented and annotated for succeeding acoustic analyses. The results show an interesting front–back variability in the realisations of the three vowels, including further back variants of the front vowels (/y/, /œ/) and more forward variants of the /ɯ/ vowel, with a substantial degree of interspeaker variability. While the analysis revealed no significant results for the length of residence, language experience was found to have a significant effect on the production of /y/ (F2) and /ɯ/ (F1/F2). This study forms a first step into the research of adult L2 acquisition in Turkish with a focus on L2 in the naturalistic workplace environment, rather than instructed settings. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of teaching materials for NGO workers learning Turkish as their L2.
A New Cell Topology for 4H-SiC Planar Power MOSFETs for High-Frequency Switching
Authors: Zhu Shengnan , Liu Tianshi , Fan Junchong , Salemi Arash , White Marvin H. , Sheridan David , Agarwal Anant K.
Published: September 2022

A new cell topology named the dodecagonal (a polygon with twelve sides, short for Dod) cell is proposed to optimize the gate-to-drain capacitance (Cgd) and reduce the specific ON-resistance (Ron,sp) of 4H-SiC planar power MOSFETs. The Dod and the octagonal (Oct) cells are used in the layout design of the 650 V SiC MOSFETs in this work. The experimental results confirm that the Dod-cell MOSFET achieves a 2.2× lower Ron,sp, 2.1× smaller high-frequency figure of merit (HF-FOM), higher turn on/off dv/dt, and 29% less switching loss than the fabricated Oct-cell MOSFET. The results demonstrate that the Dod cell is an attractive candidate for high-frequency power applications.
Ultrahigh Piezoelectric Strains in PbZr1−xTixO3 Single Crystals with Controlled Ti Content Close to the Tricritical Point
Authors: Lazar Iwona , Whatmore Roger William , Majchrowski Andrzej , Glazer Anthony Mike , Kajewski Dariusz , Koperski Janusz , Soszyński Andrzej , Piecha Julita , Loska Barbara , Roleder Krystian
Published: September 2022

Intensive investigations of PbZr1-xTixO3 (PZT) materials with the ABO3 perovskite structure are connected with their extraordinary piezoelectric properties. Especially well known are PZT ceramics at the Morphotropic Phase Boundary (MPB), with x~0.48, whose applications are the most numerous among ferroelectrics. These piezoelectric properties are often obtained by doping with various ions at the B sites. Interestingly, we have found similar properties for undoped PZT single crystals with low Ti content, for which we have confirmed the existence of the tricritical point near x~0.06. For a PbZr0.95 ± 0.01Ti0.05∓ 0.01O3 crystal, we describe the ultrahigh strain, dielectric, optical and piezoelectric properties. We interpret the ultrahigh strain observed in the region of the antiferroelectric–ferroelectric transition as an inverse piezoelectric effect generated by the coexistence of domains of different symmetries. The complex domain coexistence was confirmed by determining optical indicatrix orientations in domains. The piezoelectric coefficient in this region reached an extremely high value of 5000 pm/V. We also verified that the properties of the PZT single crystals from the region near the tricritical point are incredibly susceptible to a slight deviation in the Ti content.
Analysis on Damage and Mechanical Properties of Ballastless Track in a Tunnel after a Fire
Authors: Ma Hujun , Chen Wei , Li Xiang , Xu Qingyuan , Lou Ping , Tong Chencai
Published: September 2022

In order to explore the damage and mechanical properties of ballastless track after a fire, the uniaxial compressive strength, shear strength, peak strain, and elastic modulus changes due to temperature were obtained through uniaxial compressive and shear tests of concrete after exposure to high temperatures. The test results showed that with increases in temperature, the uniaxial compressive strength, shear strength, and elastic modulus of concrete all presented a decreasing trend, while the peak strain had an increasing trend. Then, based on the classical damage theory model and the strength probability distribution function of concrete micro-units, the high-temperature damage constitutive equation for concrete was established, and the compressive stress–strain curve of concrete after exposure to high temperature was reproduced. Finally, using the CFD numerical simulation software, the temperature field of a ballastless track structure in a tunnel during a fire was obtained, and the temperatures at different positions of ballastless track bed were acquired. Combined with the high-temperature damage constitutive equation for concrete deduced from tests and theoretical analysis, the strength and damage values of the ballastless track bed at different positions after a tunnel fire were obtained.
Investigation of Transient Characteristics of a Vertical Axial-Flow Pump with Non-Uniform Suction Flow
Authors: Meng Fan , Qin Zhongjian , Li Yanjun , Chen Jia
Published: September 2022

The aim of this paper is to study the influence of non-uniform suction flow on the transient characteristics of a vertical axial-flow pump device. The unsteady calculation is employed to forecast the unstable flow structure with three inlet deflection angles α, and the calculation accuracy under uniform inlet flow is verified by the external characteristic test. The results depict that a promotion in the α will increase the head and shaft power and thus improve the stress and fatigue failure risk of the impeller. At the impeller inlet, the pressure pulsation intensity (PPI) with α = 40° is lower than that with α = 0° caused by a decline in the axial velocity. The dominant frequency of the unsteady pressure signal is the blade-passing frequency (BPF), and the dominant frequency amplitude rises with the increase in α due to the improvement of the pre-rotation impact intensity. At the guide vanes inlet, the dominant frequency of the unsteady pressure signal at the guide vane inlet is also the blade-passing frequency. An improvement in α magnifies the angle between the trailing edge jet of the impeller and the leading edge of the guide vanes under 0.8Qdes and 1.0Qdes, while it diminishes the angle under 1.2Qdes. Thus, the PPI and dominant frequency amplitude with α = 40° are higher than that with α = 0° under 0.8Qdes and 1.0Qdes, but these are lower than that with α = 0° under 1.2Qdes.
Consistent Experience Replay in High-Dimensional Continuous Control with Decayed Hindsights
Authors: Feng Xiaoyun
Published: September 2022

The manipulation of complex robotics, which is in general high-dimensional continuous control without an accurate dynamic model, summons studies and applications of reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. Typically, RL learns with the objective of maximizing the accumulated rewards from interactions with the environment. In reality, external rewards are not trivial, which depend on either expert knowledge or domain priors. Recent advances on hindsight experience replay (HER) instead enable a robot to learn from the automatically generated sparse and binary rewards, indicating whether it reaches the desired goals or pseudo goals. However, HER inevitably introduces hindsight bias that skews the optimal control since the replays against the achieved pseudo goals may often differ from the exploration of the desired goals. To tackle the problem, we analyze the skewed objective and induce the decayed hindsight (DH), which enables consistent multi-goal experience replay via countering the bias between exploration and hindsight replay. We implement DH for goal-conditioned RL both in online and offline settings. Experiments on online robotic control tasks demonstrate that DH achieves the best average performance and is competitive with state-of-the-art replay strategies. Experiments on offline robotic control tasks show that DH substantially improves the ability to extract near-optimal policies from offline datasets.
Secure Blockchain Middleware for Decentralized IIoT towards Industry 5.0: A Review of Architecture, Enablers, Challenges, and Directions
Authors: Leng Jiewu , Chen Ziying , Huang Zhiqiang , Zhu Xiaofeng , Su Hongye , Lin Zisheng , Zhang Ding
Published: September 2022

Resilient manufacturing is a vision in the Industry 5.0 blueprint for satisfying sustainable development goals under pandemics or the rising individualized product needs. A resilient manufacturing strategy based on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks plays an essential role in facilitating production and supply chain recovery. IIoT contains confidential data and private information, and many security issues arise through vulnerabilities in the infrastructure. The traditional centralized IIoT framework is not only of high cost for system configuration but also vulnerable to cyber-attacks and single-point failure, which is not suitable for achieving the resilient manufacturing vision in Industry 5.0. Recently, researchers are seeking a secure solution of middleware based on blockchain technology integration for decentralized IIoT, which can effectively protect the consistency, integrity, and availability of IIoT data by utilizing the auditing and tamper-proof features of the blockchain. This paper presented a review of secure blockchain middleware for decentralized IIoT towards Industry 5.0. Firstly, the security issues of conventional IIoT solutions and the advantages of blockchain middleware are analyzed. Secondly, an architecture of secure blockchain middleware for decentralized IIoT is proposed. Finally, enabling technologies, challenges, and future directions are reviewed. The innovation of this paper is to study and discuss the distributed blockchain middleware, investigating its ability to eliminate the risk of a single point of failure via a distributed feature in the context of resilient manufacturing in Industry 5.0 and to solve the security issues from traditional centralized IIoT. Also, the four-layer architecture of blockchain middleware presented based on the IIoT application framework is a novel aspect of this review. It is expected that the paper lays a solid foundation for making IIoT blockchain middleware a new venue for Industry 5.0 research.
A Conceptual Design Specification Based on User Aesthetic Information Analysis and Product Functional Reasoning
Authors: Hu Huicong , Liu Ying , Guo Xin , Fu Chuan
Published: September 2022

User satisfaction with a product plays a direct role in the purchasing decisions. With the enrichment of material life and the growth of individual requirements, this satisfaction is derived from the requirement for functionality to aesthetics. Conventional product design methods normally focus on achieving the required functions where its design specifications are mainly related to certain functional or usability requirements. In recent years, researchers have made efforts to develop methods for supporting aesthetic design activities during the product conceptual design phase. However, most of these methods hardly consider product aesthetics or the consumers’ emotional needs. Therefore, this study proposed a user-driven conceptual design specification integrating functional reasoning with aesthetic information analysis. The method consisted of two tasks, the construction of a mapping model and the implementation of the mapping model. Firstly, the mapping model was constructed for capturing the relationships between initial design specifications and user experience (UX). Secondly, the proposed design specifications were selected, refined, and optimized based on the mapping model. A case study on digital camera design was carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results showed that, compared with the initial design specification candidates, the UX was enhanced by applying the improved design specifications.
Improved Nonfragile Sampled-Data Event-Triggered Control for the Exponential Synchronization of Delayed Complex Dynamical Networks
Authors: Zhao Can , Cao Jinde , Shi Kaibo , Tang Yiqian , Zhong Shouming , Alsaadi Fawaz E.
Published: September 2022

The exponential synchronization of complex dynamical networks (CDNs) under improved nonfragile sampled-data event-triggered control (INFSDETC) is investigated in this study. A meaningful yet challenging issue is solved, namely, it can adjust the triggering mode and the triggering frequency to adapt to more situations in the event-triggered scheme in which it is able to adjust the triggering condition exponentially and linearly, and dynamically adjust the triggering according to the time and state. By using control theory and Lyapunov analysis theory, an improved event-triggered controller was constructed for more intelligent control and to ensure exponential synchronization for CDNs. Lastly, significant numerical simulation examples are developed to show the usefulness and the performance of the proposed methods.
Analyzing the Passenger Flow of Urban Rail Transit Stations by Using Entropy Weight-Grey Correlation Model: A Case Study of Shanghai in China
Authors: Yin Pei , Cheng Jing , Peng Miaojuan
Published: September 2022

In this paper, the factors influencing the passenger flow of rail transit stations in Shanghai of China are studied by using the entropy weight-grey correlation model. The model assumptions and the corresponding variables are proposed, including traffic accessibility, built environment, regional characteristics of the district to which the rail transit station belongs, conditions of the station and spatial location, which affect the passenger flow of rail transit stations. Based on the assumptions and the variables, the entropy weight-grey correlation model for analyzing the passenger flow of urban rail transit stations is presented. By collecting the data of passenger flow of rail transit stations and corresponding influencing factors in Shanghai, the results of the entropy weight-grey correlation model are obtained. It is shown that the influencing factors, such as the distances from the rail transit station to the adjacent third-class hospital and the adjacent large commercial plazas, district committees, parking areas and the transaction price of important plots, and the gross output value of the tertiary industry, have significant impacts on the passenger flow of a subway station. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for the local governments to formulate improved policies for rail transit development. The conclusions can provide a reference for the development of rail transit in other large cities and countries.
Almost Sure Stability for Multi-Dimensional Uncertain Differential Equations
Authors: Gao Rong
Published: September 2022

Multi-dimensional uncertain differential equation is a tool to model an uncertain multi-dimensional dynamic system. Furthermore, stability has a significant role in the field of differential equations because it can be describe the effect of the initial value on the solution of the differential equation. Hence, the concept of almost sure stability is presented concerning multi-dimensional uncertain differential equation in this paper. Moreover, a stability theorem, that is a condition, is derived to judge whether a multi-dimensional uncertain differential equation is almost surely stable or not. Additionally, the paper takes a counterexample to show that the given condition is not necessary for a multi-dimensional uncertain differential equation being almost surely stable.
Surfing the Modeling of pos Taggers in Low-Resource Scenarios
Authors: Vilares Ferro Manuel , Darriba Bilbao Víctor M. , Ribadas Pena Francisco J. , Graña Gil Jorge
Published: September 2022

The recent trend toward the application of deep structured techniques has revealed the limits of huge models in natural language processing. This has reawakened the interest in traditional machine learning algorithms, which have proved still to be competitive in certain contexts, particularly in low-resource settings. In parallel, model selection has become an essential task to boost performance at reasonable cost, even more so when we talk about processes involving domains where the training and/or computational resources are scarce. Against this backdrop, we evaluate the early estimation of learning curves as a practical mechanism for selecting the most appropriate model in scenarios characterized by the use of non-deep learners in resource-lean settings. On the basis of a formal approximation model previously evaluated under conditions of wide availability of training and validation resources, we study the reliability of such an approach in a different and much more demanding operational environment. Using as a case study the generation of pos taggers for Galician, a language belonging to the Western Ibero-Romance group, the experimental results are consistent with our expectations.
Bacterial Infections among Patients with Chronic Diseases at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Bazaid Abdulrahman S. , Punjabi Ahmed A. , Aldarhami Abdu , Qanash Husam , Alsaif Ghaida , Gattan Hattan , Barnawi Heba , Alharbi Bandar , Alrashidi Abdulaziz , Alqadi Abdulaziz
Published: September 2022

Infections caused by multi-drug-resistant bacteria in patients with chronic diseases have been associated with high mortality and morbidity. While few reports have evaluated bacterial infections in multiple chronic disease patients, the focus of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of bacterial infections and the susceptibility profiles of causative strains among various groups of patients suffering from chronic diseases. Microbiological reports of patients suffering from cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and skin burns were retrospectively collected from a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Approximately 54.2% of recruited patients were males, and positive urine was the most prevalent specimen associated with kidney disease patients (25%). Escherichia coli isolates were predominant among cardiovascular, kidney, and cancer patients. Staphylococcus aureus was commonly detected in diabetics and those with burns. Although resistance patterns varied based on the type of specimens and underlying diseases, Escherichia coli showed limited resistance to colistin, carbapenems, and tigecycline, while S. aureus demonstrated susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and rifampin. These observations are crucial for clinicians and policymakers to ensure effective treatment plans and improve outcomes in these patients with comorbidity.
Artificial Intelligence Models for Zoonotic Pathogens: A Survey
Authors: Pillai Nisha , Ramkumar Mahalingam , Nanduri Bindu
Published: September 2022

Zoonotic diseases or zoonoses are infections due to the natural transmission of pathogens between species (animals and humans). More than 70% of emerging infectious diseases are attributed to animal origin. Artificial Intelligence (AI) models have been used for studying zoonotic pathogens and the factors that contribute to their spread. The aim of this literature survey is to synthesize and analyze machine learning, and deep learning approaches applied to study zoonotic diseases to understand predictive models to help researchers identify the risk factors, and develop mitigation strategies. Based on our survey findings, machine learning and deep learning are commonly used for the prediction of both foodborne and zoonotic pathogens as well as the factors associated with the presence of the pathogens.
Gre Factors Are Required for Biofilm Formation in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium by Targeting Transcription of the csgD Gene
Authors: Gaviria-Cantin Tania , Vargas Andrés Felipe , Mouali Youssef El , Jiménez Carlos Jonay , Cimdins-Ahne Annika , Madrid Cristina , Römling Ute , Balsalobre Carlos
Published: September 2022

Rdar biofilm formation of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli is a common ancient multicellular behavior relevant in cell–cell and inter-organism interactions equally, as in interaction with biotic and abiotic surfaces. With the expression of the characteristic extracellular matrix components amyloid curli fimbriae and the exopolysaccharide cellulose, the central hub for the delicate regulation of rdar morphotype expression is the orphan transcriptional regulator CsgD. Gre factors are ubiquitously interacting with RNA polymerase to selectively overcome transcriptional pausing. In this work, we found that GreA/GreB are required for expression of the csgD operon and consequently the rdar morphotype. The ability of the Gre factors to suppress transcriptional pausing and the 147 bp 5′-UTR of csgD are required for the stimulatory effect of the Gre factors on csgD expression. These novel mechanism(s) of regulation for the csgD operon might be relevant under specific stress conditions.
Green Synthesis of Carbon Dots and Their Integration into Nylon-11 Nanofibers for Enhanced Mechanical Strength and Biocompatibility
Authors: Chen Xu , Qin Ying , Song Xinru , Li He , Yang Yue , Guo Jiazhuang , Cui Tingting , Yu Jiafei , Wang Cai-Feng , Chen Su
Published: September 2022

Carbon dots (CDs) have been extensively explored to show good optical features, low toxicity, and good biocompatibility. Herein, we report the new synthesis of forsythia-derived CDs (F-CDs) and their incorporation into Nylon-11 nanofibers for improved mechanical properties and biocompatibility. F-CDs are prepared from a Chinese herb forsythia via a magnetic hyperthermia method in 90 s without the use of any organic solvents. The as-prepared F-CDs with rich surface functional groups can be well embedded into Nylon-11 nanofibers via electrospinning, providing Nylon-11/F-CD nanofiber mats with remarkably enhanced mechanical properties. With the incorporation of F-CDs at 10 wt% into the Nylon-11 nanofiber mats, the tensile strength increases from 7.5 to 16.6 MPa, and the elongation ratio at break increases from 39% to 125%. Moreover, the Nylon-11/F-CD nanofiber mats exhibit excellent cytocompatibility towards L929 fibroblast cells with cell viability of 96%. These findings may guide the development of various CD-embedded nanofiber mats with good mechanical properties and biocompatibility potentially useful for biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering scaffolds or wound dressing.
Indirect Band Gap in Scrolled MoS2 Monolayers
Authors: Na Jeonghyeon , Park Changyeon , Lee Chang Hoi , Choi Won Ryeol , Choi Sooho , Lee Jae-Ung , Yang Woochul , Cheong Hyeonsik , Campbell Eleanor E. B. , Jhang Sung Ho
Published: September 2022

MoS2 nanoscrolls that have inner core radii of ∼250 nm are generated from MoS2 monolayers, and the optical and transport band gaps of the nanoscrolls are investigated. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that a MoS2 monolayer, originally a direct gap semiconductor (∼1.85 eV (optical)), changes into an indirect gap semiconductor (∼1.6 eV) upon scrolling. The size of the indirect gap for the MoS2 nanoscroll is larger than that of a MoS2 bilayer (∼1.54 eV), implying a weaker interlayer interaction between concentric layers of the MoS2 nanoscroll compared to Bernal-stacked MoS2 few-layers. Transport measurements on MoS2 nanoscrolls incorporated into ambipolar ionic-liquid-gated transistors yielded a band gap of ∼1.9 eV. The difference between the transport and optical gaps indicates an exciton binding energy of 0.3 eV for the MoS2 nanoscrolls. The rolling up of 2D atomic layers into nanoscrolls introduces a new type of quasi-1D nanostructure and provides another way to modify the band gap of 2D materials.
Gallium-Telluride-Based Composite as Promising Lithium Storage Material
Authors: Hoang Huy Vo Pham , Kim Il Tae , Hur Jaehyun
Published: September 2022

Various applications of gallium telluride have been investigated, such as in optoelectronic devices, radiation detectors, solar cells, and semiconductors, owing to its unique electronic, mechanical, and structural properties. Among the various forms of gallium telluride (e.g., GaTe, Ga3Te4, Ga2Te3, and Ga2Te5), we propose a gallium (III) telluride (Ga2Te3)-based composite (Ga2Te3-TiO2-C) as a prospective anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs). The lithiation/delithiation phase change mechanism of Ga2Te3 was examined. The existence of the TiO2-C hybrid buffering matrix improved the electrical conductivity as well as mechanical integrity of the composite anode for LIBs. Furthermore, the impact of the C concentration on the performance of Ga2Te3-TiO2-C was comprehensively studied through cyclic voltammetry, differential capacity analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Ga2Te3-TiO2-C electrode showed high rate capability (capacity retention of 96% at 10 A g−1 relative to 0.1 A g−1) as well as high reversible specific capacity (769 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at 100 mA g−1). The capacity of Ga2Te3-TiO2-C was enhanced by the synergistic interaction of TiO2 and amorphous C. It thereby outperformed the majority of the most recent Ga-based LIB electrodes. Thus, Ga2Te3-TiO2-C can be thought of as a prospective anode for LIBs in the future.
Mathematical Modeling of Drain Current Estimation in a CSDG MOSFET, Based on La2O3 Oxide Layer with Fabrication—A Nanomaterial Approach
Authors: Gowthaman Naveenbalaji , Srivastava Viranjay M.
Published: September 2022

In this work, three-dimensional modeling of the surface potential along the cylindrical surrounding double-gate (CSDG) MOSFET is proposed. The derived surface potential is used to predict the values of electron mobility along the length of the device, thereby deriving the drain current equation at the end of the device. The expressions are used for modeling the symmetric doped and undoped channel CSDG MOSFET device. This model uses Pao-Sah’s double integral to derive the current equation for the concentric cylindrical structure of the CSDG MOSFET. The three-dimensional surface potential estimation is performed analytically for doped and undoped device parameters. The maximum oxidant concentration of the oxide layer is observed to be 4.37 × 1016 cm−3 of the thickness of 0.82 nm for (100) and 3.90 × 1016 cm−3 of the thickness of 0.96 nm for (111) for dry oxidation, and 2.56 × 1019 cm−3 of thickness 0.33 nm for (100) and 2.11 × 1019 cm−3 of thickness 0.49 nm for (111) for wet oxidation environment conditions. Being an extensive analytical approach, the drain current serves the purpose of electron concentration explicitly inside the concentric cylindrical structures. The behavior of the device is analyzed for various threshold conditions of the gate voltage and other parameters.
Cobalt–Graphene Catalyst for Selective Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cyclohexanol
Authors: Guo Qichang , Mao Jingbo , Li Shenmin , Yin Jingmei , Lv Yang , Zhou Jinxia
Published: September 2022

Herein, cobalt-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) catalyst was synthesized with a practical impregnation–calcination approach for the selective hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol to cyclohexanol. The synthesized Co/rGO was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM (HAADF-STEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) analysis. According to the comprehensive characterization results, the catalyst contains single Co atoms in the graphene matrix and Co oxide nanoparticles (CoOx) on the graphene surface. The isolated Co atoms embedded in the rGO matrix form stable metal carbides (CoCx), which constitute catalytically active sites for hydrogenation. The rGO material with proper amounts of N heteroatoms and lattice defects becomes a suitable graphene material for fabricating the catalyst. The Co/rGO catalyst without prereduction treatment leads to the complete conversion of guaiacol with 93.2% selectivity to cyclohexanol under mild conditions. The remarkable HDO capability of the Co/rGO catalyst is attributed to the unique metal–acid synergy between the CoCx sites and the acid sites of the CoOx nanoparticles. The CoCx sites provide H while the acid sites of CoOx nanoparticles bind the C-O group of reactants to the surface, allowing easier C-O scission. The reaction pathways were characterized based on the observed reaction–product distributions. The effects of the process parameters on catalyst preparation and the HDO reaction, as well as the reusability of the catalyst, were systematically investigated.
Large Piston Error Detection Method Based on the Multiwavelength Phase Shift Interference and Dynamic Adjustment Strategy
Authors: Qin Rongjie , Yin Zihao , Ke Youlong , Liu Yinnian
Published: September 2022

As the loading space in rockets and mirror fabrication technology is limited, optical systems in space cannot have large optical apertures. However, the successful launch and excellent performance of the James Webb Telescope indicate that segmented mirrors can help realize large-aperture optical systems in space, owing to the fold–unfold mechanism in the telescope. However, all segments in the segmented mirror should be co-phased so that it is equivalent to a monolithic mirror. The co-phasing problem is significant in optical systems in space because of their low error tolerance. Owing to some accident factors, the piston error can be more than 1 mm after the unfolding process. Here, we introduced a multiwavelength interference method and dynamic adjusting strategy, aiming to solve the two problems of co-phasing: large detection range (~2 mm) and high detection precision (<1/20λ). Numerical simulations were performed, and a 400 mm aperture-segmented spherical mirror system was used to verify this method. The original piston error was set to 1 mm, after the coarse co-phasing, and the residual piston error to less than half the wavelength of the monochromatic light; for fine co-phasing, the achieved detection precision was approximately 1.2 nm.
Ultralow Noise and Timing Jitter Semiconductor Quantum-Dot Passively Mode-Locked Laser for Terabit/s Optical Networks
Authors: Mao Youxin , Liu Guocheng , Zeb Khan , Lu Zhenguo , Liu Jiaren , Poole Philip J. , Song Chun-Ying , Barrios Pedro
Published: September 2022

Diode optical frequency comb lasers are promising compact solutions to generate high-speed optical pulses for applications in high spectral efficiency wavelength division multiplexing transmission with advanced modulation formats. In this paper, an InAs/InP quantum dot (QDot) C-band single-section passively mode-locked laser (MLL) based broadband optical frequency comb source with a free spectral range of 28.4 GHz is presented. The device exhibits less than 1.5 MHz optical linewidth (phase noise) over 56 channels and 2.1 fs pulse-to-pulse timing jitter with a central wavelength of 1550 nm. Using this comb, we demonstrate an aggregate data transmission capacity of 12.5 Terabit/s over 100 km of standard single mode fiber by employing dual-polarization with 16 QAM modulation format. This investigation shows the viability for semiconductor QDot MLLs to be used as low-cost optical source in Terabit/s or higher optical networks.
Analysis of Gas Flow Dynamics in Thermal Cut Kerf Using a Numerical and Experimental Approach for Nozzle Selection
Authors: Tuladhar Upendra , Ahn Sang-Hyun , Cho Dae-Won , Kim Dae-Hwan , Ahn Seokyoung , Kim Seonmin , Bae Seung-Hoon , Park Tae-Kook
Published: September 2022

Consistency in gas flow behavior under various operating conditions is expected for uniform cutting performance in the thermal cutting process. The slope of the cut front in the kerf slot of a sample cutting material varies with the operating condition which affects the gas flow pattern. Therefore, how the nozzle exit diameter and the slope of the cut front effects gas flow behavior has been studied using the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) based k–ω turbulence model. Convergent–straight-type nozzles with exit diameters φexit of 1.5 mm, 2 mm and 2.5 mm were used to study the flow patterns through the kerf slots of variable cut front slopes. The numerical simulation results were then compared with the results obtained from the Schlieren experiments. In addition, image processing was performed in the Schlieren images for clear visualization and precise comparison of the numerical and experimental data. The results confirm that a nozzle with an exit diameter of 2 mm shows a higher consistency in flow behavior in variable operating conditions.
Relationship of Photosynthetic Activity of Polygonum acuminatum and Ludwigia lagunae with Physicochemical Aspects of Greywater in a Zero-Liquid Discharge System
Authors: Takahashi Karen , Araújo Gabriela , Pott Vali , Yoshida Nídia , Lima Liana , Caires Anderson , Paulo Paula
Published: September 2022

Landscape harmony is a key factor in the application of nature-based solutions to provide green areas. The search for plants that meet this requirement is crucial in this context. We evaluated the adaptation, resistance, and performance of Polygonum acuminatum and Ludwigia lagunae, macrophytes from the Pantanal biome, in greywater-fed mesocosms simulating zero-liquid discharge systems. Four irrigation solutions were tested for 212 d. Neither species exhibited stress conditions in the adaptation phase, with photosynthetic activity (Fv/Fm) close to that obtained in Pantanal. However, over time, the mesocosms irrigated with greywater (GW) without nutrient supplementation exhibited stress according to correlation analyses of photosystem PSII and physicochemical parameters; L. lagunae for dissolved oxygen below 3 mg L−1 and P. acuminatum for water temperatures above 27 °C. Supplementation of GW with nutrients resulted in good growth and performance. Both species were able to receive high chemical oxygen demand (COD) loads, averaging 34 g m−2 day−1 for L. lagunae and 11 g m−2 day−1 for P. acuminatum, with an average removal of 85% by both. L. lagunae had better evapotranspiration capacity, with greater potential for use in cooling islands, whereas P. acuminatum showed a more resistant metabolism without nutrient supplementation.
Light-Emitting Artificial Synapses for Neuromorphic Computing
Authors: Zhu Chen , Huang Wen , Li Wei , Yu Xuegong , Li Xing’ao
Published: September 2022

As the key connecting points in the neuromorphic computing systems, synaptic devices have been investigated substantially in recent years. Developing optoelectronic synaptic devices with optical outputs is becoming attractive due to many benefits of optical signals in systems. Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are potential luminescent materials for information displays. Light-emitting diodes based on CQDs have become appealing candidates for optoelectronic synaptic devices. Moreover, light-emitting transistors exhibit great application potential in these synaptic devices. From this perspective, light-emitting artificial synapses were discussed on the basis of these structures in the devices. Their mechanisms, performance, and future development were analysed and prospected in detail.
СПЕЦИФІКА САМОРЕГУЛЯЦІЇ НАВЧАЛЬНО-ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ МАЙБУТНІХ ФАХІВЦІВ СОЦІОНОМІЧНОГО ПРОФІЛЮ
Authors: Бережний Володимир
Published: September 2022

Актуальність дослідження. У соціономічних професіях, де складно визначити критерії успішності та обчислити з певною точністю продуктивність та ефективність праці фахівця, проблема успішності у професії розкривається у категоріях задоволеності працею та інтересу до її предмету, саме тому виявлення внутрішньо орієнтованих детермінант саморегуляції процесом оволодіння майбутнім соціономічним фахом є нагальною проблемою сучасної психології.

Мета дослідження: виявити особливості саморегуляції навчально-професійної діяльності студентів соціономічних фахів з урахуванням успішності у цій діяльності.

Методи дослідження: методика дослідження стилю саморегялції студентів В. моросанової, методика дослідження академічної саморегуляції Десі-Райана, методика дослідження цілеспрямованості Снайдера. Вибірку досліджуваних склали 247 студентів соціономічних фахів.

Результати дослідження: у статті представлені результати порівняльного аналізу показників саморегуляції навчально-професійної діяльності майбутніх фахівців соціономічного профілю.

Висновки:Емпірично виявлено, що спеціальність соціономічного напряму професій, якою оволодіває студент, має значущість у рівні розвитку його стильових показників саморегуляції навчально-професійної діяльності та цілеспрямованості у навчанні, утім є несуттєвою у розвитку академічної саморегуляції у термінах теорії Е.Десі – Р.Райана. Цілеспрямованість у навчанні є найвищою у майбутніх психологів, а стильові особливості саморегуляції навчання студентів вище у майбутніх менеджерів.

Вища академічна успішність позитивно позначається на усіх показниках саморегуляції навчання у виші, крім самостійності та звоіншнього регулювання.

Найбільш суттєвий синергійний вплив академічної успішності та специфіки майбутньої професії виявлено для показників здатності до планування та зовнішньої регуляції навчально-професійної діяльності: в успішних у навчанні майбутніх журналістів вищими є показники зовнішнього регулювання у навчанні, а в успішних у навчанні студентів-психологів виявлено найвищі показники здатності до планування навчання.