bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural killer cells suppress human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cancer cell survival and tumor growth
Authors: Adhikary Gautam , Heipertz Erica L. , Preradovic Maja , Chen Xi , Xu Wen , Newland John J. , Kaur Navjot , Vemuri Mohan C. , Eckert Richard L.
Published: March 2023

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), which develops in response to ultraviolet irradiation exposure, is among the most common cancers. CSCC lesions can be removed by surgical excision, but 4.5% of these cancers reappear as aggressive and therapy‐resistant tumors. CSCC tumors display a high mutation burden, and tumor frequency is dramatically increased in immune‐suppressed patients, indicating a vital role for the immune system in controlling cancer development. Natural killer cells (NK cells) play a key role in cancer immune surveillance, and recent studies suggest that NK cells from healthy donors can be expanded from peripheral blood for use in therapy. In the present study, we test the ability of ex vivo expanded human NK cells to suppress the CSCC cell cancer phenotype and reduce tumor growth. We expanded human NK cells from multiple healthy donors, in the presence of IL‐2, and tested their ability to suppress the CSCC cell cancer phenotype. NK cell treatment produced a dose‐dependent reduction in SCC‐13 and HaCaT cell spheroid growth and matrigel invasion and induced SCC‐13 and HaCaT cell apoptosis as evidenced by increased procaspase 9, procaspase 3, and PARP cleavage. Moreover, two important CSCC cell pro‐cancer signaling pathways, YAP1/TAZ/TEAD and MEK1/2‐ERK1/2, were markedly reduced. Furthermore, tail‐vein injection of NK cells markedly suppressed the growth of SCC‐13 xenograft tumors in NSG mice, which was also associated with a reduction in YAP1 and MEK1/2‐P levels and enhanced apoptosis. These findings show that NK cell treatment suppresses CSCC cell spheroid formation, invasion, viability, and tumor growth, suggesting NK cell treatment may be a candidate therapy for CSCC.
Interactive Effects of Climate Change-Induced Range Shifts and Wind Energy Development on Future Economic Conditions of the Atlantic Surfclam Fishery
Authors: Stromp Stephanie , Scheld Andrew M. , Klinck John M. , Munroe Daphne M. , Powell Eric N. , Mann Roger , Borsetti Sarah , Hofmann Eileen E.
Published: March 2023

Rising water temperatures along the northeastern U.S. continental shelf have resulted in an offshore range shift of the Atlantic surfclam Spisula solidissima to waters still occupied by ocean quahogs Arctica islandica. Fishers presently are prohibited from landing both Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs in the same catch, thus limiting fishing to locations where the target species can be sorted on deck. Wind energy development on and around the fishing grounds will further restrict the fishery. A spatially explicit model of the Atlantic surfclam fishery (Spatially Explicit Fishery Economics Simulator) has the ability to simulate the consequences of fishery displacement due to wind energy development in combination with fishery and stock dynamics related to the species' overlap with ocean quahogs. Five sets of simulations were run to determine the effect of varying degrees of species overlap due to Atlantic surfclam range shifts in conjunction with fishing constraints due to wind farm development. Simulations tracked changes in relative stock status, fishery performance, and the economic consequences for the fishery. Compared to a business-as-usual scenario, all scenarios with less-restrictive fishing penalties due to species overlap exhibited higher raw catch numbers but also greater reductions in revenue and increases in cost after the implementation of wind farms. This analysis serves to demonstrate the response of the Atlantic surfclam fishery to combined pressures from competing ocean uses and climate change and emphasizes the potential for economic disruption of fisheries as climate change interacts with the evolution of ocean management on the continental shelf.
0.5kWatt 2.45 GHz GaN‐based microwave heating system design with active phase control
Authors: Ahn Seong‐Hyeop , Jeong Chang‐Hyun , Lee Wang‐Sang
Published: March 2023

In this article, to improve the temperature uniformity of the microwave (MW) heating system, a 0.5‐kW 2.45 GHz GaN (gallium nitride)‐based MW heating system with active phase control is presented. The proposed system consists of two 2.45 GHz signal generators, two electrically controlled phase shifters, two 250 W GaN amplifiers, two metal patch antennas, and the MW applicator with a heating material. The controlled signal is radiated into the MW applicator through the antenna, and the radiation direction can be steered according to the input phase difference of the antenna. The electric field distribution and temperature uniformity at the different input phases were analyzed. Using four operating modes with a 90° phase difference between adjacent operating modes, the proposed heating system achieves a uniform temperature distribution. In comparison to the conventional heating system, the temperature uniformity was improved up to approximately 70.7%, and the system efficiency was approximately 56.7%.
Mitigation of motion‐induced artifacts in cone beam computed tomography using deep convolutional neural networks
Authors: Amirian Mohammadreza , Montoya‐Zegarra Javier A. , Herzig Ivo , Eggenberger Hotz Peter , Lichtensteiger Lukas , Morf Marco , Züst Alexander , Paysan Pascal , Peterlik Igor , Scheib Stefan , Füchslin Rudolf Marcel , Stadelmann Thilo , Schilling Frank‐Peter
Published: March 2023

Background

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is often employed on radiation therapy treatment devices (linear accelerators) used in image‐guided radiation therapy (IGRT). For each treatment session, it is necessary to obtain the image of the day in order to accurately position the patient and to enable adaptive treatment capabilities including auto‐segmentation and dose calculation. Reconstructed CBCT images often suffer from artifacts, in particular those induced by patient motion. Deep‐learning based approaches promise ways to mitigate such artifacts.

Purpose

We propose a novel deep‐learning based approach with the goal to reduce motion induced artifacts in CBCT images and improve image quality. It is based on supervised learning and includes neural network architectures employed as pre‐ and/or post‐processing steps during CBCT reconstruction.

Methods

Our approach is based on deep convolutional neural networks which complement the standard CBCT reconstruction, which is performed either with the analytical Feldkamp‐Davis‐Kress (FDK) method, or with an iterative algebraic reconstruction technique (SART‐TV). The neural networks, which are based on refined U‐net architectures, are trained end‐to‐end in a supervised learning setup. Labeled training data are obtained by means of a motion simulation, which uses the two extreme phases of 4D CT scans, their deformation vector fields, as well as time‐dependent amplitude signals as input. The trained networks are validated against ground truth using quantitative metrics, as well as by using real patient CBCT scans for a qualitative evaluation by clinical experts.

Results

The presented novel approach is able to generalize to unseen data and yields significant reductions in motion induced artifacts as well as improvements in image quality compared with existing state‐of‐the‐art CBCT reconstruction algorithms (up to +6.3 dB and +0.19 improvements in peak signal‐to‐noise ratio, PSNR, and structural similarity index measure, SSIM, respectively), as evidenced by validation with an unseen test dataset, and confirmed by a clinical evaluation on real patient scans (up to 74% preference for motion artifact reduction over standard reconstruction).

Conclusions

For the first time, it is demonstrated, also by means of clinical evaluation, that inserting deep neural networks as pre‐ and post‐processing plugins in the existing 3D CBCT reconstruction and trained end‐to‐end yield significant improvements in image quality and reduction of motion artifacts.
Conforming finite element method for the time‐fractional nonlinear stochastic fourth‐order reaction diffusion equation
Authors: Liu Xinfei , Yang Xiaoyuan
Published: March 2023

The time‐fractional nonlinear stochastic fourth‐order reaction diffusion equation perturbed by the noise is paid close attention by the conforming finite element method in this paper. The semi‐ and fully discrete schemes are obtained. Further, the convergence orders of the semi‐ and fully discrete schemes in norm are given detailed proof. The numerical tests are gotten to verify the theoretical result.
Perceptions of Respect Among Patients With Hearing Loss in the United States
Authors: Youn Gun Min , Shah Jay P. , Wei Eric X. , Alyono Jennifer C.
Published: March 2023

Hearing loss is a common condition that can lead to disability and significantly impact the quality of life. However, as the literature investigating the relationship between hearing loss and patients' perception of respect within the clinical setting is lacking, we performed a retrospective, cross‐sectional analysis of the 2017 National Health Interview Survey to elucidate this interaction. After weights were applied, 16,295,495 patients (mean age: 63.79, standard error: 0.28) with hearing loss were identified. Multivariable logistic regression analyses found that those with self‐reported hearing loss were less likely to report being treated with respect by their healthcare providers (odds ratio [OR], 0.766; [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.691‐0.848]) and less likely to be asked about their beliefs/opinions about the care that they received (OR, 0.842; [95% CI: 0.774‐0.916]), indicating a possible disparity in care. Further investigation is needed to examine how this patient population is treated and how providers can create a more inclusive environment.
Improvement of a method for the correction of wall slip effects within the rheological measurements of filled rubber compounds
Authors: Kleinschmidt Dennis , Schöppner Volker
Published: March 2023

Rubber compounds have an increased tendency to flow anomalies depending on the compound ingredients and the processing parameters. Due to wall slip effects, rheological material measurements and the material parameters derived from them are affected by errors, since the fundamental analytical and numerical calculation approaches assume wall adhesion. In the literature, various approaches for the description of wall slip effects exist, which partially lead to negative slip velocities as well as slip volume flows that exceed the total volume flow in the capillary. The purpose of this article is the improvement of an analytical model for the determination of slip velocities for both laboratory and near‐process rheological investigations. A comparison shows the limitations of the established wall slip correction methods and the possibilities of the improved correction method.
Synthesis of star polymers using ultrasound‐induced RAFT polymerization
Authors: Padmakumar Amrish Kumar , Jafari Vianna F. , Singha Nikhil K. , Ashokkumar Muthupandian , Qiao Greg G.
Published: March 2023

An alternative method to efficiently synthesize Core‐Crosslinked Star polymers (arm‐first approach) is described in this work. The star polymers are produced utilizing a two‐step, one‐pot Sono‐RAFT process. N,N′‐dimethylacrylamide (DMA) is used to prepare the arms, whereas N,N′‐methylenebis(acrylamide) (MAA) is employed as the crosslinking agent. The reactions were conducted in an aqueous medium at room temperature. Using the sono‐RAFT approach, polymerization under different applied powers, crosslinker to arm ratios, and degrees of polymerization were investigated to determine the optimal reaction conditions for synthesizing star polymers. By altering the applied power, the reaction time can be decreased by half. Using a triblock arm, a CCS polymer was produced, and the resulting polymer demonstrated a very high arm‐to‐star conversion.
CircSMARCA5functions as a potential biomarker for clinicopathology and therapy in solid tumors: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Pan Chaomin , Ding Zhuoyu , Dai Jingping , Yang Li , Wei Yiyi , Wang Xinke
Published: March 2023

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in cancer proliferation, migration, and invasion. Among various circRNAs, circSMARAC5 attracted our great attention. The research aimed at broadening the knowledge on circSMARCA5 and exploring its function in clinicopathology and therapy in solid tumors. The incorporated research was explored via Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, consisting of 1048 patients. This study was calculated using STATA 12.0 and Review Manager 5.3 software. Clinicopathological characteristics and therapeutic targets were analyzed using pooled odd ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). And the ceRNA network of circSMARCA5 was constructed via Cytoscape 3.9.0. Eventually, there were eight studies included in conducting clinicopathological characteristics and four literature used in exploring therapeutic targets. Patients with low expression of circSMARCA5 were closely associated with gender (OR = 1.367, 95% CI = 1.003–1.862,p = .048) and pathological differentiation (OR = 1.627, 95% CI = 1.130–2.343,p = .009). Among these modulating axes, the most commonly microRNA was miR‐432. In the near future, circSMARCA5 may be a promising diagnostic biomarker and a new therapeutic target.
iASMP: An interpretable in‐silico predictive tool focusing on species‐specific antimicrobial peptides
Authors: Wang Yuqiang , Xie Yihao , Luo Yang , Jia Pengfei , Wei Jiaqi , Zhang Jie , Yan Wenjin , Huang Jinqi
Published: March 2023

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a crucial part of the innate immune system, have been exploited as promising candidates for antibacterial agents. Many researchers have been devoting their efforts to develop novel AMPs in recent decades. In this term, many computational approaches have been developed to identify potential AMPs accurately. However, finding peptides specific to a particular bacterial species is challenging. Streptococcus mutans is a pathogen with an apparent cariogenic effect, and it is of great significance to study AMP that inhibit S. mutans for the prevention and treatment of caries. In this study, we proposed a sequence‐based machine learning model, namely iASMP, to exactly identify potential anti‐S. mutans peptides (ASMPs). After collecting ASMPs, the performances of models were compared by utilizing multiple feature descriptors and different classification algorithms. Among the baseline predictors, the model integrating the extra trees (ET) algorithm and the hybrid features exhibited optimal results. The feature selection method was utilized to remove redundant feature information to improve the model performance further. Finally, the proposed model achieved the maximum accuracy (ACC) of 0.962 on the training dataset and performed on the testing dataset with an ACC of 0.750. The results demonstrated that iASMP had an excellent predictive performance and was suitable for identifying potential ASMP. Furthermore, we also visualized the selected features and rationally explained the impact of individual features on the model output.
Reducing Interfacial Thermal Resistance Between Epoxy and Alumina via Interfacial Engineering
Authors: Yang Wei , Zhang Mengtao , Wang Kun , Qiao Jian , Chen Yun , Sun Fangyuan , Zheng Kun , Zhao Yushun , Feng Daili
Published: March 2023

Epoxy composites are increasingly employed in the information industry fields, where the interfacial thermal resistance of polymer/nanofiller is considered to be one of the most important factors affecting the thermal conductivity of polymer composites. Herein, the interfacial thermal resistance with different functionalized aluminas and epoxy is first investigated by molecular dynamics. The functional groups considered in aluminas are –OH, butyltrimethoxysilane terminating with –CH3, and aminopropyltriethoxysilane terminating with –NH2. The results indicate that aminopropyltriethoxysilane terminating with –NH2 has the best effect on reducing the interfacial thermal resistance up to 66.67%. The mechanism of interfacial thermal resistance reduction is analyzed through vibrational density of state and overlapping energy, and then the effect of functionalization on interfacial heat transfer is intuitively demonstrated through local thermal analysis. The most effective reduction of the thermal resistance is attributable to the functional groups containing the same group end group as epoxy and the moderate chain length, which can reduce the vibrational mismatch and form more effective heat conduction channels to enhance the thermal transport efficiency in the nanocomposite. This work can shed some light on designing and fabricating thermally conductive inorganic/polymer composite.
Electrical Behavior of Vertical Pt/Au Schottky Diodes on GaN Homoepitaxy
Authors: Dagher Maroun , Sonneville Camille , Brémond Georges , Planson Dominique , Frayssinet Eric , Cordier Yvon , Haas Helge , Iretki Mohammed Reda , Buckley Julien , Maurya Vishwajeet , Charles Matthew , Bluet Jean-Marie
Published: March 2023

Schottky barrier diodes on GaN on GaN substrates are fabricated for the purpose of material and technology characterization. The epitaxial layers are grown by MOCVD. I–V measurements as a function of the temperature in the range 80–480 K show ideality factor (n) and barrier height (ϕB) variations not following a thermionic (TE) model. Consequently, barrier height fluctuations are considered. In the temperature range 280–480 K, an average barrier height of 1.31 eV with a relatively large standard deviation (σ) of 0.15 eV is extracted using this model. The n(T) variation is also analyzed in order to extract the field sensibility of 1) the mean barrier height variation (ρ2 = −0.1) and 2) the barrier height standard deviation (ρ3 = −15 mV). The corrected Richardson plot using ϕB and σ values is linear and gives a Richardson constant of 31.5 A cm−2 K−2 close to the theoretical value of 26.4 A cm−2 K−2. For a deeper understanding of ϕB fluctuation origins, micro‐Raman mapping of the epitaxial layers and deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) are used. μ‐RS mappings show compressive strain for diodes having suffered electrical breakdown. DLTS analysis shows the presence of nine levels whose signatures are extracted and nature discussed.
Recent Progress of E‐mode Gallium Nitride Metal–Insulator–Semiconductor ‐High Electron Mobility Transistors with Hybrid Ferroelectric Charge Trap Gate (FEG‐HEMT) for Power Switching Applications
Authors: Wu Jui-Sheng , Weng You-Chen , Yang Tsung-Ying , Wu Chia-Hsun , Lee Chih-Chieh , Iwai Hiroshi , Chang Edward Yi
Published: March 2023

Aluminum gallium nitride/gallium nitride (AlGaN/GaN) heterostructure devices have proven to be highly effective for high‐frequency power amplifiers and power switching applications with improved performance compared to those made with traditional silicon technology and other advanced semiconductor technologies. The development of enhancement‐mode (E‐mode) AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and metal–insulator–semiconductor HEMTs (MIS‐HEMTs) has been a focus in recent years due to their potential applications. Arising from the concept of a flash‐memory‐like hybrid ferroelectric charge storage structure, the high‐performance hybrid ferroelectric charge storage gate (FEG) GaN HEMT has gradually gained a great deal of attention due to the concept being a useful and versatile tool to realize E‐mode operations. This article attempts to review the latest progresses in this technology, including alternative improvements and device characteristics. Future challenges for the E‐mode FEG‐HEMT are also discussed.
Review on accelerated life testing plan to develop predictive reliability models for electronic components based on design‐of‐experiments
Authors: Indmeskine Fatima‐Ezahra , Saintis Laurent , Kobi Abdessamad
Published: March 2023

Accelerated testing has been commonly used for the assessment of reliability of products or systems. In particular, it has been used to produce models for predicting the reliability of electronic components as a function of design and environmental parameters, or to qualify reliability. Extensive literature exists on different aspects ranging from defining type of stresses and type of censoring data, to optimizing test plans for efficient and relevant testing. On the other hand, design of experiments methodology is commonly used for studying the robustness of systems and for quality applications. This being said, combining both approaches, taking into account the system's physics of failure, is scarcely put into practice in a context of reliability prediction. Yet, this could significantly improve reliability prediction, especially in the case of electronic components which constantly go through technological progress with new parameters or properties to consider. After first presenting existing predictive reliability guides, models and parameters related to accelerated life testing, the purpose of this article is to provide a review of what has been done concerning the combination of such approaches.
On the time‐varying relationship between coskewness and returns of banks
Authors: Bressan Silvia , Weissensteiner Alex
Published: March 2023

For a sample of US commercial banks, we find that during the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2009 and the COVID‐19 pandemic of February–December 2020, bank returns were positively related to their coskewness with the market return, while the relationship was negative during stable periods. The literature on non‐financial firms and global equity indices has shown that the relationship between coskewness and stock returns is time‐variant. The findings of this study extend that evidence to banks. The interpretation is that in normal times, investors show a preference for “lotteryness,” and therefore they are willing to pay a premium for bank stocks with a high coskewness (i.e., low expected return). In contrast, during crises, stocks with a high coskewness are more likely to suffer deep losses, and investors are reluctant to demand these risky high returns. These findings deliver important insights into how to interpret bank capital costs throughout the business cycle, as we suggest that during crises the issuance of equity capital becomes more costly for banks because investors demand higher coskewness risk premiums.
Understanding student use of epistemic criteria in engineering design contexts
Authors: Baze Christina , González‐Howard María , Sampson Vic , Fenech Mic , Crawford Rich , Hutner Todd , Chu Lawrence , Hamilton Xiaofen
Published: March 2023

Recent trends have shifted the focus of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education onto practice‐based learning, to encourage opportunities for students to engage in science and engineering practices (SEPs) with the goal of more meaningful participation and engagement in authentic STEM experiences for all students. However, we do not fully understand how K–12 engineering students use the SEP of argumentation to design solutions or make problem‐solving decisions. In this study, we examine middle school students’ discourse to understand the epistemic criteria students use when making design decisions and how they meaningfully take up epistemic practices for engineering, specifically when engaging in engineering design. We find that students use five epistemic criteria (nature, creativity and innovation, justification, collaboration, and the user) in ways meaningful to design‐oriented goals, even at the beginning of the school year, and that consideration of these criteria varies according to the implicit goals in each stage of the design process. These findings suggest that (i) students took up epistemic goals for sensemaking and designing solutions, and (ii) students already possessed the skills and abilities to meaningfully engage in design work, suggesting an asset view of student epistemic practices should be adopted.
Facile “Synergistic Inner–Outer Activation” Strategy for Nano‐Engineering of Nature‐Skin–Derived Wearable Daytime Radiation Cooling Materials
Authors: Xie Long , Wang Xuechuan , Bai Zhongxue , Wei Chao , Zheng Manhui , Yue Ouyang , Zou Xiaoliang , Liang Shuang , Huang Mengchen , Hou Zhenqiang , Liu Xinhua
Published: March 2023

Natural skin–derived products, as traditional wearable materials are widely used in people's daily life due to the products’ excellent origins. Herein, a versatile daytime‐radiation cooling wearable natural skin (RC‐skin) consisting of the collagen micro‐nano fibers with the on‐demand double‐layer radiation cooling structure is nano‐engineered through the proposed facile “synergistic inner–outer activation” strategy. The bottom layer (inner strategy) of the RC‐skin is fabricated by filling the skin with the Mg11(HPO3)8(OH)6 nanoparticles by soaking. The superstratum (outer strategy) is constituted by a composite coating with an irregular microporous structure. The RC‐skin harvests the inherent advantages of natural building blocks including sufficient hydrophobicity, excellent mechanical properties, and friction resistance. Owing to the subtle double‐layer structure design, the solar reflectance and the average emissivity in the mid‐infrared band of RC‐skin are ≈92.7% and ≈95%, respectively. Therefore, the RC‐skin's temperature in the sub‐ambient is reduced by ≈7.5 °C. Various outdoor practical application experiments further substantiate that RC‐skin has superior radiation cooling performances. Collectively, RC‐skin has broad‐application prospects for intelligent wearing, low‐carbon travel, building materials, and intelligent thermoelectric power generation, and this study also provides novel strategies for developing natural‐skin–derived functional materials.
Multi‐graph learning‐based software defect location
Authors: Yin Ying , Shi Yucen , Zhao Yuhai , Wahab Fazal
Published: March 2023

Software quality is key to the success of software systems. Modern software systems are growing in their worth based on industry needs and becoming more complex, which inevitably increases the possibility of more defects in software systems. Software repairing is time‐consuming, especially locating the source files related to specific software defect reports. To locate defective source files more quickly and accurately, automated software defect location technology is generated and has a huge application value. The existing deep learning‐based software defect location method focuses on extracting the semantic correlation between the source file and the corresponding defect reports. However, the extensive code structure information contained in the source files is ignored. To this end, we propose a software defect location method, namely, multi‐graph learning‐based software defect location (MGSDL). By extracting the program dependency graphs for functions, each source file is converted into a graph bag containing multiple graphs (i.e., multi‐graph). Further, a multi‐graph learning method is proposed, which learns code structure information from multi‐graph to establish the semantic association between source files and software defect reports. Experiments' results on four publicly available datasets, AspectJ, Tomcat, Eclipse UI, and SWT, show that MGSDL improves on average 3.88%, 5.66%, 13.23%, 9.47%, and 3.26% over the competitive methods in five evaluation metrics, rank@10, rank@5, MRR, MAP, and AUC, respectively.
Polar Electrocatalysts for Preventing Polysulfide Migration and Accelerating Redox Kinetics in Room‐Temperature Sodium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Wang Peiyuan , Sun Shumin , Rui Xianhong , Zhang Yonghui , Wang Shiwen , Xiao Yuanhua , Fang Shaoming , Yu Yan
Published: March 2023

Due to the high theoretical energy density, low cost, and rich abundance of sodium and sulfur, room‐temperature sodium–sulfur (RT Na–S) batteries are investigated as the promising energy storage system. However, the inherent insulation of the S8, the dissolution and shuttle of the intermediate sodium polysulfides (NaPSs), and especially the sluggish conversion kinetics, restrict the commercial application of the RT Na–S batteries. To address these issues, various catalysts are developed to immobilize the soluble NaPSs and accelerate the conversion kinetics. Among them, the polar catalysts display impressive performance. Polar catalysts not only can significantly accelerate (or alter) the redox process, but also can adsorb polar NaPSs through polar–polar interaction because of their intrinsic polarity, thus inhibiting the notorious shuttle effect. Herein, the recent advances in the electrocatalytic effect of polar catalysts on the manipulation of S speciation pathways in RT Na–S batteries are reviewed. Furthermore, challenges and research directions to realize rapid and reversible sulfur conversion are put forward to promote the practical application of RT Na–S batteries.
Layer‐by‐Layer‐Processed Ternary All‐Polymer Organic Solar Cells with 17.74% Efficiency Enabled by Introducing a Designed Narrow‐Bandgap Guest Polymer Acceptor
Authors: Wu Xiaohei , Yang Xinrong , Shao Yimin , Gao Yuan , Wan Ji , Ponomarenko Sergey , Luponosov Yuriy , Sun Rui , Min Jie
Published: March 2023

Obtaining an admirably modified vertical phase separation of the active layer for all‐polymer solar cells (all‐PSCs) to facilitate charge generation, charge transfer and transport properties are a prerequisite for achieving high performance. Herein, the active layer of all‐PSCs is finely manipulated by combining a ternary blend strategy with a layer‐by‐layer (LbL) process. Based on the LbL‐processed PM6/PYT‐1S1Se host binary all‐PSCs, a chlorinated polymer acceptor PYT‐1S1Se‐4Cl is designed and introduced into the host system for rationally controlling blend morphology with ordered molecular stacking and suitable vertical distribution. The optimized bulk microstructure of the ternary system is not only beneficial to the charge generation and charge transport properties, but also can significantly reduce the nonradiative energy loss that occurs in the LbL‐type ternary blend. Thus, the LbL‐type PM6/(PYT‐1S1Se:PYT‐1S1Se‐4Cl) ternary all‐PSCs exhibit a promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.74%, which is higher than the corresponding binary systems (PCE = 16.86% for PM6/PYT‐1S1Se and PCE = 15.83% for PM6/PYT‐1S1Se‐4Cl), indicating the special merits of material design and processing technology. Overall, a promising combinatorial method for the morphological regulation of all‐polymer systems is demonstrated that contributes to enhanced efficiency.
Activation of the WS2 Inert Plane via W‐Site Regulation Promotes the H2 Evolution Reaction of the WS2/g–C3N4 Photocatalyst
Authors: Wang Xing , Luan Qingjie , Zhou Dongxue , Li Baozhen , Xue Xiangdong , Zhang Xuyuan , Kong Lingce , Dong Wenjun
Published: March 2023

WS2, as a potential cocatalyst to enhance the activation of H*, is usually used for H2 evolution. However, the activity of W atoms in the sandwich WS2 structure is blocked by the surface S atoms. An in situ F‐induced W‐exposure method is developed to boost the W‐site of WS2 (Wexp‐WS). Wexp‐WS is anchored on the surface of the porous g‐C3N4, and then the Wexp‐WS/g‐C3N4 photocatalyst with efficient H* activation is obtained. Particularly, the W‐exposed structure ensures the W coordination number decreases from 5.92 in WS2 to 5.15 in Wexp‐WS, which improves the H* activation ability of the W‐site and then results in an optimized W‐site ΔGH* (−0.08 kJ mol−1). Meanwhile, the II‐type heterojunction promotes the directional transfer of photogenerated electrons from g‐C3N4 to Wexp‐WS. Thus, the H2 production rate of the Wexp‐WS/g‐C3N4 photocatalyst exhibits 11.97 mmol h−1 g−1, which is 12 times higher than that of the porous g‐C3N4.
Quantitative Model of Hereditary Behavior for Carbon Segregation in Continuous Casting Billets Based on Grayscale Analysis
Authors: Guo Dongwei , Hou Zibing , Guo Kunhui , Peng Zhiqiang , Zhang Fuli
Published: March 2023

To obtain a reliable hereditary law of carbon segregation, the carbon element content in the entire area of the longitudinal sections of billet, wire rod and bolt samples is quantitatively calculated through the method of metal macrostructure grayscale analysis (MGA). Based on the calculation results, the hereditary behavior of carbon distribution characteristics at the “geometric similar” positions of the selected samples is quantitatively analyzed from three aspects: carbon element content, longitudinal carbon fluctuation and transverse carbon uniformity. The results show that the distribution characteristics of the carbon element content and carbon variation coefficient on the longitudinal sections of the selected samples are approximately the same, which can quantitatively reflect the hereditary behavior of the carbon segregation, and the corresponding hereditary equations during the rolling process are fitted. Then, the central segregation index, which can represent the transverse carbon uniformity, on the longitudinal sections of selected samples is calculated, and the corresponding hereditary equation is also obtained. According to the hereditary equation of central segregation index during the rolling process, to produce rolled products with more uniform quality and mechanical properties, the central segregation index of the corresponding billet should be controlled below 1.05.
Effects of Cold‐Rolling Reduction on Microstructure, Thickness, Surface Roughness of AS20/20 and on Bending Toughness of AS20/20‐Coated Press‐Hardened Steel
Authors: Feng Xue , Hu Xianlei , Liu Xianghua
Published: March 2023

The tailor‐rolling blanks based on Al–Si‐coated press‐hardened steel (PHS) have attracted much attention along with the development of lightweight vehicles. The properties of Al–Si‐coated PHS with single surface weight of 20 g m−2 change after cold‐rolling and then austenitization, which are little studied. Herein, the effects of cold‐rolling reduction ratio on the microstructure, thickness, and roughness of AS20/20 coatings, and on the bending toughness of AS20/20‐coated PHS, are explored. The overall continuity of the coatings is unchanged as the reduction ratio increases. When the reduction ratio is 30% or above, rapid diffusion channels are formed at the cracks of Al‐filled intermetallic compound layer. Meanwhile, the thickness and surface roughness of the coatings are stable and do not decrease. After austenitization, the coatings are structurally consistent with the increase of the reduction ratio. When the reduction ratio is 30% and above, the thickness and surface roughness of the coatings are stable and do not decrease. The rapid diffusion channels lead to an increment in the proportion of FeAl phase to above 96% after austenitization, which makes the bending angle further increase. The bending angle is enlarged by 44% when the reduction ratio is 50%.
Effects of Trace Additions of Magnesium on Microstructure and Properties of Fe–36Ni Invar Alloy
Authors: Wang Qi , Dong Yanwu , Jiang Zhouhua , Huang Jun
Published: March 2023

Low‐thermal‐expansion alloys play a crucial role in high‐precision instruments and devices. Simultaneously improving mechanical performance and keeping or even decreasing low thermal expansion behavior are urgently required for their industrial application. Herein, a new attempt to treat Fe–36Ni Invar alloy by adding trace magnesium (Mg) in a concentration ranging from 0 wt% to 0.0030 wt% (similarly hereinafter) is conducted. The introduction of Mg results in grain refinement and an increase in the volume fraction of the annealing twins. Compared with the Mg‐free sample, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 0.0030% Mg alloy is significantly decreased by more than 20%, which is mainly related to lattice distortion and matrix purification. The yield strength of 0.0030% Mg alloy improves by 10% with respect to Mg‐free alloy, because of grain boundary strengthening and solid‐solution strengthening. The study may lay the basis for a better understanding of the application of Mg in low‐thermal‐expansion alloys.
Ultrasound‐Responsive Composited Conductive Silk Conduits for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration
Authors: Zhang Hui , Wang Huan , Wen Baojie , Lu Ling , Zhao Yuanjin , Chai Renjie
Published: March 2023

Peripheral nerve injuries are challenging to repair clinically due to their limited regenerative capacity. Herein, a novel poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4‐styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) composited conductive silk conduit with ultrasound (US)‐triggered active release for peripheral nerve regeneration is presented. The conduit is composed of silk fibroin inverse opal tubular scaffolds and the secondary hydrogel filler that contains thermosensitive material (poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM), PEDOT:PSS, and nerve growth factor (NGF). Benefiting from the integration of these functional materials and active factors, the silk fibroin conduits show excellent biocompatibility, flexibility, conductivity, and bioactivity. In particular, owing to the thermal effect of US and the temperature responsiveness of PNIPAM, the secondary filling hydrogel undergoes volume shrinkage upon US triggering, allowing the responsive NGF release. Besides, the electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS has been affirmed to promote neuron and axon outgrowth. Through in vivo experiments, the synergistic effect of PEDOT:PSS and US‐triggered delivery of NGF on accelerating injured nerve repair are demonstrated. These results reveal the practical value of the proposed intelligent conductive silk conduits with US responsiveness for nerve regeneration in preclinical studies.
Reassessment of generic boundaries in Neotropical Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae): Eleven reinstated genera and narrowed circumscriptions ofChrysophyllumandPouteria
Authors: Swenson Ulf , Lepschi Brendan , Lowry Porter P. , Terra‐Araujo Mário Henrique , Santos Karin , Nylinder Stephan , Alves‐Araújo Anderson
Published: March 2023

Classifications of the pantropical plant family Sapotaceae based solely on morphology have historically recognized between 125 and 53 genera. Phylogenetic analyses using molecular data have repeatedly demonstrated that broad concepts of two large genera belonging to subfamily Chrysophylloideae,ChrysophyllumandPouteria, are untenable and their narrowed delimitations have restricted them to the Neotropics. A recent phylogenetic study proposed further amendments by resurrecting the generaAchrouteria,Cornuella,Lucuma,Martiusella,Nemaluma,PrieurellaandRagala, and questioned the status of three generally accepted genera,Chromolucuma,PradosiaandSarcaulus. We test this suggested classification using expanded sampling that comprises 122 terminals, including material of 29 of the 34 name‐bringing species for generic names historically regarded as synonyms ofChrysophyllumandPouteria. We used sequence data from ribosomal nrDNA (ETS, ITS), the nuclear geneRPB2, two cpDNA spacers (petN‐psbM,trnH‐psbA), and indel information to estimate phylogenetic relationships in a Bayesian framework using BEAST. All sequences were newly realigned to test reproducibility, and 26 morphological characters were mapped on the resulting tree. Our analyses recovered three African genera embedded within a large Neotropical clade of Chrysophylloideae. We found strong support for the reinstatement of the seven genera listed above as well as for four other genera, viz.Chloroluma,Englerella,Labatia, andPeteniodendron. This subsequently leads to further amendments ofChrysophyllumandPouteria, which are now limited to include 25–30 and 7 species, respectively. However, one clade that includes many name‐bringing lineages largely corresponds toPouterias.l., a group that needs further phylogenetic research to unravel relationships and generic limits. The hypothesis thatChrysophyllum cuneifoliumhad an inter‐continental hybrid origin involving genomes from Africa and South America is rejected because it is shown to have been based on erroneous results obtained from a contaminated DNA aliquot. A total of 73 genera are currently recognised in Sapotaceae, 21 of which are Neotropical members of Chrysophylloideae. We update the nomenclature and synonymy of 75 species, make 36 new combinations, and designate lectotypes for 31 names.
Applied theatre with students with refugee backgrounds: Pedagogical considerations forTESOLsettings
Authors: Hill Jessica
Published: March 2023

This article presents select findings from a case study about applied theatre at a school for girls with refugee backgrounds in the United States. The data were collected through direct observations, semi‐structured interviews, and analysis of students' work. The study uses an intersectional analysis to explore relationships between gender, race, heritage cultures, and language use in arts‐based activities. The author describes one assignment in which students researched a woman from history and then wrote and performed a first‐person monologue from this person's point of view. The researcher discusses ways that the assignment's structure limited students' choices about whom to learn about and portray. In particular, the assignment centered gender over other aspects of students' identities related to heritage cultures, heritage languages, and race. Findings are also reported from interviews with students about how they navigated these parameters and their experiences as writers and performers. Finally, the author considers ways audiences may shape the narratives students are encouraged to tell. Findings highlight ways arts‐based practices directly and indirectly influenced the narratives students with refugee backgrounds created and performed in their resettlement community. The author concludes by discussing implications for arts‐based practices for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).
Reconciliation of wind power forecasts in spatial hierarchies
Authors: Hansen Mads E. , Peter Nystrup , Møller Jan K. , Henrik Madsen
Published: March 2023

We consider reconciliation of wind power forecasts in a spatial hierarchy with three aggregation levels. We produce base forecasts for the bottom level consisting of 407 substations (connection points for local groups of wind turbines). State‐of‐the‐art forecasts from a commercial forecast provider are available for the middle and top levels, which consist of 15 regions and the entire Western Denmark (DK1), respectively. We find that the accuracy of the total forecast can be improved through spatial reconciliation, even with a relatively simple model used at the lowest level of the hierarchy. Computing the base forecasts for the substations using wind speed as the only predictor, the RMSE of the DK1 forecast is reduced by 20.5%, while the RMSE of the regional forecasts is reduced by 4.7%, on average, through reconciliation. The increase in accuracy is partly due to reduced errors in the individual regional forecasts and partly due to reduced residual correlation between the reconciled regional forecasts. We test adaptive estimation of the covariance matrix of the base forecast errors and find that it has a limited impact on the accuracy, hinting toward a time‐stable covariance structure.
XRFitProc: A novel web‐based x‐ray fluorescence fitting system
Authors: Ippoliti Matteo , Guzzi Francesco , Gianoncelli Alessandra , Billè Fulvio , Kourousias George
Published: March 2023

X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy is a widely used technique in microscopy, spanning from biology to cultural heritage applications. Its purpose is to characterize qualitatively and quantitatively, the presence of elemental species in a sample. This is accomplished through fitting the acquired data to a Gaussian model, identifying which XRF lines and associated elements are present. As a result, 2D images of cumulative count‐rate maps associated with each element are produced. This procedure is not trivial to apply efficiently in a workflow, as it requires the user to be able to set a series of parameters (e.g., beam energy, background subtraction, etc.) on top of selecting XRF lines under investigation. Furthermore, users should easily and swiftly be able to change setup parameters and evaluate the effects on the results. In the present work, we introduce a web‐based application that allows users to load the XRF data, setup a fit and inspect the results interactively within a simple graphical user interface (GUI) that enables easily going back and forth from setup to result inspection. In particular, it is possible to quickly view the count‐rate maps and curve fitting simultaneously, on any single pixel spectra present in the images. The web‐application can be accessed locally by a web‐browser, but runs remotely on a cloud, freeing from the need of installing any software and will be made publicly available in the near future. At present, it has been designed to work on both conventional and sparse XRF data such as Compressive Sensing, in an embarrassingly parallel manner.
Introduction. Democracy and Judicial Governance in Europe
Authors: Castillo-Ortiz Pablo
Published: March 2023

This chapter introduces the topic of judicial governance, connecting it to democratic quality. It defines and explains the main models of judicial governance in Europe, and shows that countries based on the judicial council model exhibit on average democracies of less quality, at least when compared with countries based on the courts service model.
KI-basierte 3D-Objektidentifikation in Geodaten
Authors: Mencke Nicol , Pape Andreas , Pietz Tobias , Dhara Sravani , Sichert Falk , Winkelbauer Tino
Published: March 2023

Komplexe Informationen, Zusammenhänge und Prozesse werden mit einer visuellen Unterstützung einfacher verständlich und leichter kommunizierbar. Daher sind 3D-Modelle von realen Objekten integraler Bestandteil vieler IT-Systeme. Gerade in der Anwendung von Geo- und Umweltinformationssystemen profitieren nicht nur kommunikative und partizipative Aufgabenstellungen von den Vorteilen der Verständlichkeit und Anschaulichkeit, sondern insbesondere auch planerische Herausforderungen in allen Planungs- und Bauphasen von industriellen und infrastrukturellen Projekten. Die automatisierte Generierung von 3D-Modellen aus Geodaten stellt eine große Herausforderung dar. Verfahren der Künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) können hier signifikante Verbesserungen erreichen. Es wird ein auf den Anwendungsfall zugeschnittenes Prozessmodell vorgeschlagen und eine unterstützende Software präsentiert. Erste Ergebnisse in Bezug auf die generierten 3D-Objekte im urbanen Raum und für ein konkretes Projekt der Bahnhofsdigitalisierung zeigen die Anwendbarkeit der erarbeiteten Lösung auf.
The Value of Participatory Mapping, the Role of the Adat Community (Masyarakat Adat), and the Future of the Peatlands
Authors: Binawan Akhwan , Osawa Takamasa
Published: March 2023

Indonesian central and local governments have not made serious effort to recognize and protect the rights of the adat community (masyarakat adat; indigenous/traditional community) or adat law community (masytarakat hukum adat; customary law community), despite the Indonesian Constitution of 1945 and many national laws enacted to recognize such rights. In practice, government institutions facilitate conversation of traditional forest lands to other uses, often plantations. Rantau Baru is one adat community where customary territorial management has been eroded by outsider interests, including concession companies, leading to social conflict and environmental damages, including peatland fires. By presenting maps produced from the perspective of the Rantau Baru villagers, this chapter explores the difficulties that adat communities face regarding government mapping policies and suggests the significance of participatory mapping projects to re-establish sustainable adat community management of customary lands.