bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Micro-structuration effects on local magneto-transport in [Co/Pd]IrMn thin films
Authors: Walker C. , Parkes M. , Olsson C. , Keavney D. , Fullerton E. E. , Chesnel K.
Published: March 2022

We measured the local magneto-transport (MT) signal with an out-of-plane magnetic field, including magneto-resistance (MR) and Extraordinary Hall effect (EHE), in exchange-biased [Co/Pd]IrMn thin multilayers that are micro-structured with a 100 μm window. We found that when measured locally around the window, the MT signal deviate from the expected behavior. We studied possible causes, including film micro-structuration, electrical contact geometry as well as magnetic field angular tilt. We found that tilting the magnetic field direction with respect to the normal direction does not significantly affect the MT signal, whereas the positioning and geometry of the contacts seem to highly affect the MT signal. For comparison purposes, we carried these MT measurements using the Van-der-Pauw method on a set of four microscopic contacts directly surrounding the window, and on another set of micro-contacts located outside the window, as well as a set of four contacts positioned several millimeters away of each other at the corners of the wafer. If the contacts are sufficiently far apart, the EHE and MR signals have the expected shape and are not significantly affected by the presence of the window. If, on the other hand, the contacts are micro-positioned, the shape of the EHE signal is drastically deformed, and may be modeled as a mix of the standard EHE and MR signals measured on the outer contacts. Furthermore, if the micro-contacts are located directly around the window, the deformation is amplified, and the weight of the MR signal in the mix is further increased by about 40 %. This suggests that the electron path in the Hall geometry is disturbed by both the proximity of the electrodes and by the presence of the window, which both contribute to the deformation for about two-third and one third, respectively.
Improvement of grain yield under moisture and heat stress conditions through marker-assisted pedigree breeding in rice (
Authors: Withanawasam Darsha Manjula , Kommana Madhavilatha , Pulindala Syamala , Eragam Aparna , Moode Vinodkumar N. , Kolimigundla Amarnath , Puram Ramanarao V. , Palagiri Sudhakar , Balam Ravindrareddy , Vemireddy Lakshminarayana R.
Published: March 2022

Enhancement of rice (Oryza sativa L.) productivity under rainfed ecosystems is important to food security. Efforts to increase yield have had little success, mainly due to the complexity of inheritance of abiotic stress tolerance traits and the technical challenges of phenotyping these traits. The study was conducted to pyramid quantitative trait loci (QTLs) governing tolerance to moisture and heat stress from cv. Nagina22 and QTLs for high yield traits from variety IR64, with the aid of marker-assisted pedigree breeding. From the IR64/N22 cross, we identified 14 pyramided lines with various combinations of targeted QTLs (5–11 QTLs). The three best lines that performed well under moisture stress conditions were PL76 with two water-use efficiency (WUE) QTLs (Mr19a, SLA 9.1), three drought-tolerant yield (DTY) QTLs (qDTY1.2, qDTY3.2, qDTY6.1), one heat-tolerance (HT) QTL (qSSPF10) and four yield QTLs (qFLW4.1, qFLL9, LP1, GW5); PL476 with two WUE QTLs (%N11.1, qWue7a), two DTY QTLs (qDTY6.1, qDTY12.1), two HT QTLs (qSSPF10, qHT6) and three yield QTLs (qFLW4.1, qFLL9, LP1); and PL130 with two WUE QTLs (Mr19a, qWue7a), four DTY QTLs (qDTY1.2, qDTY3.2, qDTY4.1, qDTY12.1), two HT QTLs (qSSPF10, qHT6) and two yield QTLs (qFLW4.1, LP1). These three lines shown a yield advantage of 51.93%, 55.93% and 60.30%, respectively, over high-yielding IR64. Under heat stress, PL457 and PL130 with HT QTLs qSSPF10 and qHT6 showed 85.02% and 61.55% yield advantage, respectively, over IR64. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the systematic combination of important QTLs from two contrasting parents through marker-assisted pedigree breeding is an outstanding approach to supplement conventional phenotype-based pedigree breeding, especially to improve complex traits such as yield and tolerance to moisture stress and heat.
Responses of grazing households to different levels of payments for ecosystem services
Authors: Shen Weiwei , Zhou Ting , Chang Hong , Qiu Xiao , Liu Yahong , Sun Hailian , Zhai Xiu , Yang Hongbo , Liu Guihuan , Yang Wu
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs have been implemented globally to protect ecosystems while securing the well-being of affected people. Reasonable payment standards are key to successful PES programs. Although some approaches are available for determining payment standards, few studies have applied them for grassland conservation with location indicators and socioeconomic contexts properly considered.

Methods

Using China’s first pilot Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP) as an example, we analyzed the effects of payment levels, other natural and socioeconomic factors on herders’ willingness to participate in the GECP in Damao County in Inner Mongolia where grassland degradation is happening at an alarming rate due to overgrazing and cropland expansion.

Outcomes

Our results show that households with lower herding income, older age, higher education, larger grassland areas, and worse social relationships are more inclined to participate in the GECP. Conservation payment level, as well as natural and socioeconomic contextual factors, significantly affect the response of herdsmen, and a reasonable grassland payment standard with a 95% policy compliance rate should be 8.8 yuan mu
−1
.

Discussion and Conclusion

Our findings can inform governments to develop effective PES programs to balance the need of human well-being improvement and grassland conservation in China and beyond.
Self-force effects in post-Minkowskian scattering
Authors: Gralla Samuel E , Lobo Kunal
Published: March 2022

We revisit the old problem of the self-force on a particle moving in a weak-field spacetime in the context of renewed interest in two-body gravitational scattering. We analytically calculate the scalar, electromagnetic, and gravitational self-force on a particle moving on a straight-line trajectory at a large distance from a Newtonian star, and use these results to find the associated correction to its motion. In the gravitational case we must also include the matter-mediated force, which acts at the same perturbative order as the gravitational self-force. We further augment the gravitational results with geodesic calculations at second order in the central body mass to determine the full, explicit solution to the two-body gravitational scattering problem at second post-Minkowskian order (2PM). We calculate the momentum transfer (which reproduces Westpfahl’s old result), the change in mechanical angular momentum (which matches the radiative flux recently computed by Damour), and the change in mechanical mass moment (the time-space components of the angular momentum tensor), which has not previously appeared. Besides the new 2PM results of explicit trajectories and all conserved quantities, this work clarifies the role of gravitational self-force in PM scattering theory and provides a foundation for higher-order calculations.
The effect of the Doppler mismatch in microwave electrometry using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting
Authors: Zhou Fei , Jia Feng-Dong , Mei Jiong , Liu Xiu-Bin , Zhang Huai-Yu , Yu Yong-Hong , Liang Wei-Chen , Qin Jian-Wei , Zhang Jian , Xie Feng , Zhong Zhi-Ping
Published: March 2022

We have systematically investigated the influence of the gas temperature (T), the Rabi frequencies of the probe laser (Ωp), the coupling laser (Ωc) and the radio-frequency (RF) (ΩRF) on the Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler–Townes (AT) splitting (Δf) by defining a general Doppler mismatch factor D
g = ΩRF/Δf in the Rydberg atom-based microwave electrometry. The effect of T on D
g is studied in detail from 0 to 1000 K, the results show that D
g is insensitive to T when T < 10 μK or T > 10 K, while D
g changes significantly with 10 K

>

T
>
10

μ
K

. Then the effects of Ωp, Ωc and ΩRF on factor D
g at T = 300 K (typical room temperature) and T = 10 μK (typical temperature of cold atom by laser cooling) are studied in detail, respectively. The results show that the linewidth of Rydberg EIT (ΓEIT) can be used as a key parameter to characterize the dependence of D
g on Ωp and Ωc in both cases. D
g is insensitive to T, Ωp and Ωc when ΩRF > 3ΓEIT which means that ΓEIT determines the lower limit of the linear region of the RF electric field strength measured by EIT–AT splitting. More interesting, the range where D
g is insensitive to Ωp and Ωc can be greatly expanded by lowering the gas temperature to 10 μK. The ranges of parameters where D
g is insensitive to T, Ωp, Ωc and ΩRF are given, and such relationship can be easily scaled to other atomic systems. The results can help the selection of various parameters in the experiments and specific applications to ensure the accuracy of measuring the RF electric field.
Numerical investigation on performance of ultra-thin GaAs solar cells enabled with frontal surface pyramid array
Authors: Peng Y S , Yao M H , Liu Z M , Tu J L , Cao Q J , Gong S F , Hu Y T , Zhou S L
Published: March 2022

In this paper, the optical and electrical characteristics of ultra-thin GaAs solar cell with front-surface pyramid array are investigated systematically. The results show that the cell with pyramid array could significantly improve the photon absorption efficiency due to synergistic effects of antireflection and diffraction compared with reference solar cells with single and double anti-reflective coating (ARC), and the maximal integrated quantum efficiency of 0.88 is obtained for pyramid cells, much higher than that of 0.75 and 0.71 for double and single ARC solar cells, respectively. Electric simulation demonstrates the total recombination rate of solar cell with pyramid array is higher than that of reference solar cells due to higher carrier concentration. The radiative recombination dominated in the base and emitter region, while the Shockely-Read-Hall recombination becomes the primary recombination mechanism in the space charge region, both which are much higher than Auger recombination. Surface recombination has little impact on the photovoltaic performance due to the presence of wide bandgap window layer. For pyramid cell, the

J

s
c

,

V

o
c

,
η

of 22.65 mA cm−2, 1.120 V and 21.84% are obtained when considering photon recycling effect, respectively, are higher than those of 19.52 mA cm−2, 1.106 V and 18.72% for double ARC solar cell, and those of 18.32 mA cm−2, 1.106 V and 17.60% for single ARC solar cell.
An indentation method for determining the film thickness, Young’s modulus, and hardness of bilayer materials
Authors: Zhao Siwei , Zhang Jianwei , Li Yuanxin , Liu Haitao , Wang Bingbing , Zhao Minghao
Published: March 2022

Simultaneously determining the film thickness, Young’s modulus, and hardness of film and substrate is a significant challenge due to the substrate effect. A method to solve the inverse problem of characterizing the mechanical properties of bilayer materials for instrumented indentation testing is proposed. This is done in combination with a weight function which could be obtained via finite element simulation. Using the proposed method, the film thickness and Young’s modulus of film-substrate materials, and the hardness values of the film and substrate could be determined. The proposed method is applicable to Vickers, Berkovich, and 70.3° conical indenters. Within the study range, numerical and theoretical results show that this method is both feasible and accurate in determining the above parameters, compared with existing experimental results. The method flow chart to determine the above parameters is also shown. This method separates the coupling effect between the film and the substrate in the bilayer material, giving it practical prospects in the field of indentation testing technology.
In-situ electrochemical synthesis of a high-performance S/VO
x
composite for aqueous zinc ion batteries
Authors: Deng Lei , Yu Dongxu , Sun Ge , Zhang Xinyuan , Wang Chunzhong , Tian Ruiyuan , Du Fei
Published: March 2022

V-based materials have attracted wide attention as high-capacity cathode materials for aqueous batteries owing to their unique structures. However, much effort should be made to increase the rate performance and solve the issue of fast capacity fading to meet the ever-growing need for low-cost and safe energy-storage devices. Herein, a novel S/VO
x
composite is synthesized via a very simple in-situ electrochemical-induced phase transition from VS4. The as-prepared composite electrode can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 376 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.05 A g−1, much higher than that of VS4 (150 mAh g−1). Moreover, it shows a good discharge capacity of 260 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1 with a retention of ∼100% over 2000 cycles, indicating an impressive electrochemical stability. The outstanding Zn2+ storage performance could be attributed to the characteristics of the composite’s unique structure, highly reversible electrochemical reactions, and fast Zn2+ transport.
Theory of sound attenuation in amorphous solids from nonaffine motions
Authors: Baggioli M , Zaccone A
Published: March 2022

We present a theoretical derivation of acoustic phonon damping in amorphous solids based on the nonaffine response formalism for the viscoelasticity of amorphous solids. The analytical theory takes into account the nonaffine displacements in transverse waves and is able to predict both the ubiquitous low-energy diffusive damping ∼k
2, as well as a novel contribution to the Rayleigh damping ∼k
4 at higher wavevectors and the crossover between the two regimes observed experimentally. The coefficient of the diffusive term is proportional to the microscopic viscous (Langevin-type) damping in particle motion (which arises from anharmonicity), and to the nonaffine correction to the static shear modulus, whereas the Rayleigh damping emerges in the limit of low anharmonicity, consistent with previous observations and macroscopic models. Importantly, the k
4 Rayleigh contribution derived here does not arise from harmonic disorder or elastic heterogeneity effects and it is the dominant mechanism for sound attenuation in amorphous solids as recently suggested by molecular simulations.
Fast nonlinear Hoyergram for bearings fault diagnosis under random impact interference
Authors: Yang Zujie , Zhang Zongzhen , Wang Jinrui , Han Baokun , Bao Huaiqian , Liu Zongling , Li Shunming
Published: March 2022

Random impact interference has always been an important subject in fault diagnosis. In the fast kurtogram (FK), kurtosis is a sparsity index used to locate optimal resonance frequency bands. However, the shortcomings of the kurtosis measure are a tendency to select the random impact with a large amplitude and a relatively weak sparse measure ability, which reduces the accuracy and anti-interference of the FK method. To overcome the effects of random impact interference, this paper proposes a novel bearing fault diagnosis method named the fast nonlinear Hoyergram (FNH), in which the nonlinear Hoyer index is employed to replace kurtosis to improve the fault representation capability under random impulse interference. Firstly, Z-score normalization and a generalized nonlinear sigmoid activation function are used for signal preprocessing, and the scale distribution of the signal is changed to weaken the impact of random impact interference. Secondly, the Hoyer index, which can be viewed as the normalized form of the

l
2

/

l
1

norm, is used to replace kurtosis to improve the sparsity measure capability. Thirdly, in the Hoyergram, the frequency band with the largest Hoyer value can be chosen as the best resonance frequency band for the squared envelope analysis. Finally, the proposed FNH is compared with the FK method through simulation and experimental signals, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified.
Analytic electrostatic model of amorphous-crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 heterojunction
Authors: Nagendra Arun , Trombley Jeremy , Chan Erwin H W
Published: March 2022

Motivated by its potential properties and applications, the energy band alignment of the amorphous-crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 heterojunction in thermal equilibrium is explored. An approximate analytic model based on the exact solution to Poisson’s equation is constructed to describe the electrostatics of the heterojunction between the amorphous phase and the face-centred cubic crystalline phase of Ge2Sb2Te5. The model captures the physics of accumulation in the crystalline layer, as well as that of depletion and inversion due to the deep defect distribution in the amorphous layer. Without introducing fitting parameters, the model approximates the influence of the density of states parameters of each phase on the electric potential distribution across the heterojunction. It is then validated against the exact solution obtained numerically using solar cell capacitance simulations. Apart from the small inaccuracy in modelling the electric potential distribution in the depletion region, simulation results reveal that the approximations are successful in modelling the electrostatics of the heterojunction.
Determination of polarization angles in CMB experiments and application to CMB component separation analyses
Authors: de la Hoz E. , Diego-Palazuelos P. , Martínez-González E. , Vielva P. , Barreiro R.B. , Bilbao-Ahedo J.D.
Published: March 2022

The new generation of CMB polarization experiments will reach limits of sensitivity never achieved before in order to detect the elusive primordialB-mode signal. However, all these efforts will be futile if we lack a tight control of systematics. Here, we focus on the systematic that arises from the uncertainty on the calibration of polarization angles. Miscalibrated polarization angles induce a mixing ofE- andB-modes that obscures the primordialB-mode signal. We introduce an iterative angular power spectra maximum likelihood-based method to calculate the polarization angles (α̂) from the multi-frequency signal. The basis behind this methodology grounds on nulling theCℓEBpower spectra. In order to simplify the likelihood, we assume that the rotation angles are small (≲ 6°) and, the maximum likelihood solution for the rotation angles α̂ is obtained by applying an iterative process where the covariance matrix does not depend on α̂ per iteration, i.e., the rotation angles are fixed to the estimated α̂ in the previous iteration. With these assumptions, we obtain an analytical linear system which leads to a very fast computational implementation. We show that with this methodology we are able to determine the rotation angle for each frequency with sufficiently good accuracy. To prove the latter point we perform component separation analyses using the parametric component separation method B-SeCRET with two different approaches. In the first approach we apply the B-SeCRET pipeline to the signal de-rotated with the estimation of α̂, while in the second, the rotation angles are treated as model parameters using the estimation of α̂ as a prior information. We obtain that the rotation angles estimations improve after applying the second approach, and show that the systematic residuals due to the non-null calibration polarization angles are mitigated to the order of a 1% at the power spectrum level.
Primordial black holes ensued from exponential potential and coupling parameter in nonminimal derivative inflation model
Authors: Heydari Soma , Karami Kayoomars
Published: March 2022

Here, Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) creation from exponential potential has been inquired, through gravitationally raised friction emanated from the nonminimal coupling between gravity and field derivative setup. Setting a two-parted exponential function of inflaton field as coupling parameter, and fine-tuning of four parameter Cases of our model, we could sufficiently slow down the inflaton owing to high friction during an ultra slow-roll phase. This empowers us to achieve enough enhancement in the amplitude of curvature perturbations power spectra, via numerical solving of Mukhanov-Sasaki equation. Thereafter, we illustrate the generation of four PBHs with disparate masses in RD era, corresponding to our four parameter Cases. Two specimens of these PBHs with stellar 𝒪(10)M
⊙ and earth 𝒪(10-6)M
⊙ masses can be appropriate to explicate the LIGO-VIRGO events, and the ultrashort-timescale microlensing events in OGLE data, respectively. Another two Cases of PBHs have asteroid masses around 𝒪(10-13)M
⊙ and 𝒪(10-15)M
⊙ with abundance of 96% and 95% of the Dark Matter (DM) content of the universe. Furthermore, we scrutinize the induced Gravitational Waves (GWs) ensued from PBHs production in our model. Subsequently, we elucidate that their contemporary density parameter spectra (ΩGW0
) for all predicted Cases have acmes which lie in the sensitivity scopes of the GWs detectors, thereupon the verity of our conclusions can be verified in view of deduced data from these detectors. At length, our numerical outcomes exhibit a power-law behavior for the spectra of ΩGW0
with respect to frequency as ΩGW0
(f) ∼ (f/fc
)
n
in the proximity of acmes position. As well, in the infrared regime f ≪ fc
, the log-reliant form of power index as n = 3 - 2/ln(fc
/f) is attained.
Seniority and

configurations in neutron-rich Nickel isotopes *
Authors: Sidorov S. , Zhulyaeva D. , Tretyakova T.
Published: March 2022

Excited states in low-energy spectra of

Ni are considered. Accordingly, pairing forces in the form of surface delta interaction are employed to account for the formation of the ground state multiplet with seniority

states. The multiplet splitting is described with mass relationships of masses of neighboring nuclei. Subsequently, the seniority model is adopted to reproduce or predict the states

in odd-even isotopes and

in even-even isotopes. The correct account of the

state should allow for the description of the reversed order of

states with

and

observed in experiments. The results obtained are compared with the structure of similar multiplets in

isotones.
Derivation of a constitutive model for the rheology of jammed soft suspensions from particle dynamics
Authors: Cuny Nicolas , Mari Romain , Bertin Eric
Published: March 2022

Considering the rheology of two-dimensional soft suspensions above the jamming density, we derive a tensorial constitutive model from the microscopic particle dynamics. Starting from the equation governing the N-particle distribution, we derive an evolution equation for the stress tensor. This evolution equation is not closed, as it involves the pair and three-particle correlation functions. To close this equation, we first employ the standard Kirkwood closure relation to express the three-particle correlation function in terms of the pair correlation function. Then we use a simple and physically motivated parametrization of the pair correlation function to obtain a closed evolution equation for the stress tensor. The latter is naturally expressed as separate evolution equations for the pressure and for the deviatoric part of the stress tensor. These evolution equations provide us with a non-linear tensorial constitutive model describing the rheological response of a jammed soft suspension to an arbitrary uniform deformation. One of the advantages of this microscopically-rooted description is that the coefficients appearing in the constitutive model are known in terms of packing fraction and microscopic parameters.
A numerical method to calculate multiple epidemic waves in COVID-19 with a realistic total number of people involved
Authors: Namiki Masao , Yano Ryosuke
Published: March 2022

We use the total number of individuals involved in the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), namely, N, inside a specific region as a parameter in the susceptible-infected-quarantined-recovery (SIQR) model of Odagaki. Public data on the number of newly detected individuals are fitted by the numerical results of the SIQR model with optimized parameters. As a result of the optimization, we can determine the total number of individuals involved in COVID-19 inside a specific region and call such an SIQR model with a realistic total number of people involved the SIQR-N model. We then propose two methods to simulate multiple epidemic waves (MEWs), which appear in the time evolution of the number of the newly detected individuals. One is a decomposition of MEWs into independent epidemic waves that can be approximated by multiple time-derivative logistic functions (MTLF). Once the decomposition of the MEWs is completed, we fit the solution of the SIQR-N model to each MTLF using optimized parameters. Finally, we superpose the solutions obtained by multiple SIQR-N (MSIQR-N) models with the optimized parameters to fit the MEWs. The other is a set of N in the SIQR-N model as a function of time, namely, N(t), now called the SIQR-N

t
model. Numerical results indicate that a logistic functional approximation of N(t) fits MEWs with good accuracy. Finally, we confirm the availability of the MSIQR-N model with effects of vaccination using the recent data in Israel.
Coupled multiphysics analysis of a 4-vane RFQ accelerator under high power operation
Authors: Zhu X. , Marchand C. , Piquet O. , Desmons M.
Published: March 2022

The radiofrequency resonant four-quadrant mechanical structure of a 4-Vane Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) has a high quality factor and narrow bandwidth, resulting in high sensitivity to frequency detuning caused by thermal expansion under high power operation, so minimization of frequency errors and affording dynamic tuning are very important design issues. Here we describe an optimization approach to figure out a suitable cooling design for a 4-vane RFQ in steady state. Besides, we investigate how the accelerator responds in transient thermal analysis that could help to guide commissioning and reduce frequency detuning. Multiphysics analysis utilized with CST and ANSYS for a recently developed 176 MHz 4-vane RFQ is taken as an example. This RFQ will dissipate 211 kW when reaching an inter-vane voltage of 80 kV, which is required for an acceleration of an 80-mA proton from 65 keV to 2.5 MeV in 5.3 meters.
Forward Beam Monitor for the KATRIN experiment
Authors: Beglarian A. , Ellinger E. , Haußmann N. , Helbing K. , Hickford S. , Naumann U. , Ortjohann H.-W. , Steidl M. , Wolf J. , Wüstling S.
Published: March 2022

The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment
aims to measure the neutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV
(90 % CL). This will be achieved by a precision measurement of the
endpoint region of the β-electron spectrum of tritium
decay. The β-electrons are produced in the Windowless
Gaseous Tritium Source (WGTS) and guided magnetically through the
beamline. In order to accurately extract the neutrino mass the
source activity is required to be stable and known to a high
precision. The WGTS therefore undergoes constant extensive
monitoring from several measurement systems. The Forward Beam
Monitor (FBM) is one such monitoring system.

The FBM system comprises a complex mechanical setup capable of
inserting a detector board into the KATRIN beamline with a
positioning precision of better than 0.3 mm. The electron flux
density at that position is on the order of
106 s-1 mm-2. The detector board contains two silicon
detector chips of p-i-n diode type which can measure the
β-electron flux from the source with a precision of 0.1 %
within 60 s with an energy resolution of FWHM = 2 keV.

The unique challenge in developing the FBM arises from its
designated operating environment inside the Cryogenic Pumping
Section which is a potentially tritium contaminated ultra-high
vacuum chamber at cryogenic temperatures in the presence of a 1 T
strong magnetic field. Each of these parameters do strongly limit
the choice of possible materials which e.g. caused difficulties in
detector noise reduction, heat dissipation and lubrication. In order
to completely remove the FBM from the beam tube a 2 m long
traveling distance into the beamline is needed demanding a robust as
well as highly precise moving mechanism.
“Constructed Wetland Park as Happy Public Space to Achieve Quality of life: Case Study of 10 Ramadan City”
Authors: Barmelgy M EL , Elsaman S M , Refaat D T , Haron A , El Maalt A E
Published: March 2022

Happy public park (HPS) spaces can be defined as a place that gives us a positive perception that motivates us to spend time and live an unforgettable experience in our memory. As important as the urban blue-green spaces, constructed wetland parks (CWPs) have a spread of environmental and social benefits. Constructed wetlands now are used as an environmental contrivance in many countries. It achieves many benefits like increasing biodiversity, habitats, water treatment, and decreasing pollution. In the last decade, this technology was used in Egypt as a tool for water treatment-funded projects like Manzla lakes and small-scale projects. The research aim is to identify and define the relation between a happy public space (HPS) and a constructed wetland park (CWP) and evaluate the indicators which can create a constructed wetland park (CWP) as a happy public space (HPS), The simulated data collected from an experts’ point of view. The method is to link the indicators that affect the public space especially in a Case study on the 10th of Ramadan “constructed wetland park” to be happy public space and analyzing (WTP) and (HPS) indicators through interviews, workshops, and questionnaires as were statistical analysis of the linkages between the indicators to measure the effective indicators and removing ineffective indicators, to reach a guideline which can create a happy public space in constructed wetland park.
Correlation analysis of roughness surface height distribution parameters and maximum mises stress
Authors: Duo Yang , Qibo Wang , Jinyuan Tang , Fujia Xia , Wei Zhou , Yuqin Wen
Published: March 2022

Roughness surfaces contact analysis is cutting-edge research in interface design. The 3D rough surface amplitude distribution characterized by height distribution parameters(
Sq
(root mean square),
Ssk
(skewness),
Sku
(kurtosis)) has a great influence on the extreme value and distribution of the interface contact stress. However, the relationship between height distribution parameters and surface maximum mises stress (
σ

max
) is still unclear and lacks of in-depth study. Through BP(Back Propagation) neural network, global sensitivity qualitative (Morris) and quantitative (Sobol) analysis methods, the relationship between
Sq
,
Ssk
,
Sku
and
σ

max
under different loads is studied. Based on complete polynomial and permutation combination method, the optimal correlation model between height distribution parameters and
σ

max
was established, and particle swarm algorithm was introduced to analyze
σ

max
extreme values under different
Sq
. The results show that: (1) Under different loads, the order about height distribution parameters influence on surface contact stress is:
Sq > 
Ssk > 
Sku
, and as the load increases, the influence of
Ssk
and
Sku
gradually decreases. (2) In different roughness surfaces, the influence of
Ssk
and
Sku
on the contact performance is significantly full of discrepancy. The research results provide reference and technical support for active design of rough surface microstructure to improved contact performance.
Review of possible very high-altitude platforms for stratospheric aerosol injection
Authors: Smith Wake , Bhattarai Umang , Bingaman Donald C , Mace James L , Rice Christian V
Published: March 2022

Economically efficient injection of aerosols into the stratosphere for the purpose of deflecting incoming sunlight and managing the Earth’s energy budget would require high-altitude deployment platforms. Studies suggest that high-altitude injection at 25 km would substantially enhance the forcing efficacy of the aerosols compared to injections at 20 km. While platforms capable of lofting and releasing aerosols up to an altitude of 20 km have been explored in other studies, similar studies assessing the feasibility of deployment platforms at an altitude of 25 km seem to be lacking. No existing aircraft is suitable for this purpose. In this paper, we review five possible concepts for deployment at 25 km and conclude that all of them would multiply costs, complexity, and operational risk substantially relative to deployment at 20 km.
Major point and nonpoint sources of nutrient pollution to surface water have declined throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Authors: Sabo Robert D , Sullivan Breck , Wu Cuiyin , Trentacoste Emily , Zhang Qian , Shenk Gary W , Bhatt Gopal , Linker Lewis C
Published: March 2022

Understanding drivers of water quality in local watersheds is the first step for implementing targeted restoration practices. Nutrient inventories can inform water quality management decisions by identifying shifts in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balances over space and time while also keeping track of the likely urban and agricultural point and nonpoint sources of pollution. The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) provides N and P balance data for counties throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and these data were leveraged to create a detailed nutrient inventory for all the counties in the watershed from 1985–2019. This study focuses on three primary watershed nutrient balance components—agricultural surplus, atmospheric deposition, and point source loads—which are thought to be the leading anthropogenic drivers of nutrient loading trends across the watershed. All inputs, outputs, and derived metrics (n=53) like agricultural surplus and nutrient use efficiency, were subjected to short- and long-term trend analyses to discern how sources of pollution to surface water have changed over time. Across the watershed from 1985–2019, downward trends in atmospheric deposition were ubiquitous. Though there are varying effects, long-term declines in agricultural surplus were observed, likely because nutrients are being managed more efficiently. Multiple counties’ point source loads declined, primarily associated with upgrades at major cities that discharge treated wastewater directly to tidal waters. Despite all of these positive developments, recent increases in agricultural surpluses from 2009–2019 highlight that water quality gains may soon be reversed in many agricultural areas of the basin. Besides tracking progress and jurisdictional influence on pollution sources, the nutrient inventory can be used for retrospective water quality analysis to highlight drivers of past improvement/degradation of water quality trends and for decision makers to develop and track their near- and long-term watershed restoration strategies.
Quantifying the electricity, CO2 emissions, and economic tradeoffs of precooling strategies for a single-family home in Southern California*
Authors: Mayes Stepp , Sanders Kelly
Published: March 2022

High fractions of variable renewable electricity generation have challenged grid management within the balancing authority overseen by the California’s Independent System Operator (CAISO). In the early evening, solar resources tend to diminish as the system approaches peak demand, putting pressure on fast-responding, emissions-intensive natural gas generators. While residential precooling, a strategy intended to shift the timing of air-conditioning usage from peak-demand periods to cheaper off-peak periods, has been touted in the literature as being effective for reducing peak electricity usage and costs, we explore its impact on CO2 emissions in regional grids like CAISO that have large disparities in their daytime versus nighttime emissions intensities. Here we use EnergyPlus to simulate precooling in a typical U.S. single-family home in California climate zone 9 to quantify the impact of precooling on peak electricity usage, CO2 emissions, and residential utility costs. We find that replacing a constant-setpoint cooling schedule with a precooling schedule can reduce peak period electricity consumption by 57% and residential electricity costs by nearly 13%, while also reducing CO2 emissions by 3.5%. These results suggest the traditional benefits of precooling can be achieved with an additional benefit of reducing CO2 emissions in grids with high daytime renewable energy penetrations.
Non-inferiority of intranasal ketamine compared to intravenous morphine for musculoskeletal pain relief among older adults in an emergency department: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Tongbua Suchada , Sri-on Jiraporn , Thong-on Kwannapa , Paksophis Thitiwan
Published: March 2022

Objectives

ketamine has potential advantages over morphine for musculoskeletal pain relief. The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy and safety of intranasal (IN) ketamine to intravenous (IV) morphine for older adults with musculoskeletal pain in the emergency department (ED).

Methods

this was a non-inferiority, double-blind, randomised controlled trial of ED patients aged of 65 and older presenting with acute moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain defined as a score ≥5 on an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS). Patients were randomly assigned to receive IN ketamine or IV morphine. The primary outcome was comparative reduction of NRS pain scores between ketamine and morphine groups at 30 min post-treatment. Secondary outcomes were incidence of adverse events and requirement for rescue therapy.

Results

seventy-four patients were eligible for analysis (37 in the IN ketamine and 37 in the IV morphine group). Mean pain score at 30 min did not differ significantly between IN ketamine and IV morphine groups (6.03 versus 5.81). Similarly, the difference in mean NRS change from baseline between IN ketamine and IV morphine groups [(−2.14, 95% CI: −2.79 to −1.48) and (−0.81, 95% CI: −2.36 to −1.26) = −0.32, 95% CI: −1.17 to −0.52] did not reach the non-inferiority margin of 1.3. Adverse events and incidence of rescue therapy also did not differ between groups.

Conclusions

intranasal ketamine can provide a non-inferior analgesic effect compared to intravenous morphine for acute musculoskeletal pain in older adults with mild adverse effects and low incidence of rescue analgesic treatment.
PANPROVA: pangenomic prokaryotic evolution of full assemblies
Authors: Bonnici Vincenzo , Giugno Rosalba
Published: March 2022

Motivation

Computational tools for pangenomic analysis have gained increasing interest over the past two decades in various applications such as evolutionary studies and vaccine development. Synthetic benchmarks are essential for the systematic evaluation of their performance. Currently, benchmarking tools represent a genome as a set of genetic sequences and fail to simulate the complete information of the genomes, which is essential for evaluating pangenomic detection between fragmented genomes.

Results

We present PANPROVA, a benchmark tool to simulate prokaryotic pangenomic evolution by evolving the complete genomic sequence of an ancestral isolate. In this way, the possibility of operating in the preassembly phase is enabled. Gene set variations, sequence variation and horizontal acquisition from a pool of external genomes are the evolutionary features of the tool.

Availability and implementation

PANPROVA is publicly available at https://github.com/InfOmics/PANPROVA. The manuscript explicitelly refers to the github repository.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
UHRF1 is indispensable for meiotic sex chromosome inactivation and interacts with the DNA damage response pathway in mice
Authors: Xiong Mengneng , Zhou Shumin , Feng Shenglei , Gui Yiqian , Li Jinmei , Wu Yanqing , Dong Juan , Yuan Shuiqiao
Published: March 2022

During male meiosis, the constitutively unsynapsed XY chromosomes undergo meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI), and the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway is critical for MSCI establishment. Our previous study showed that UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like, with PHD and ring finger domains 1) deletion led to meiotic arrest and male infertility; however, the underlying mechanisms of UHRF1 in the regulation of meiosis remain unclear. Here, we report that UHRF1 is required for MSCI and cooperates with the DDR pathway in male meiosis. UHRF1-deficient spermatocytes display aberrant pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes during the pachytene stage. In addition, UHRF1 deficiency leads to aberrant recruitment of ATR and FANCD2 on the sex chromosomes and disrupts the diffusion of ATR to the XY chromatin. Furthermore, we show that UHRF1 acts as a cofactor of BRCA1 to facilitate the recruitment of DDR factors onto sex chromosomes for MSCI establishment. Accordingly, deletion of UHRF1 leads to the failure of meiotic silencing on sex chromosomes, resulting in meiotic arrest. In addition to our previous findings, the present study reveals that UHRF1 participates in MSCI, ensuring the progression of male meiosis. This suggests a multifunctional role of UHRF1 in the male germline.
Connectomic analysis of unilateral dual-lead thalamic deep brain stimulation for treatment of multiple sclerosis tremor
Authors: Wong Joshua K. , Patel Bhavana , Middlebrooks Erik H. , Hilliard Justin D. , Foote Kelly D. , Okun Michael S. , Almeida Leonardo
Published: March 2022

Tremor is a common symptom in multiple sclerosis and can present as a severe postural and action tremor, leading to significant disability. Owing to the diffuse and progressive nature of the disease, it has been challenging to characterize the pathophysiology underlying multiple sclerosis tremor. Deep brain stimulation of the ventralis intermedius and the ventralis oralis posterior thalamic nuclei has been used to treat medically refractory multiple sclerosis tremors with variable results. The aim of this study was to characterize multiple sclerosis tremor at the network level by applying modern connectomic techniques to data from a previously completed single-centre, randomized, single-blind prospective trial of 12 subjects who were treated with unilateral dual-lead (ventralis intermedius + ventralis oralis posterior) thalamic deep brain stimulation. Preoperative T1-weighted MRI and postoperative head CTs were used, along with applied programming settings, to estimate the volume of tissue activated for each patient. The volumes of tissue activated were then used to make voxel-wise and structural connectivity correlations with clinically observed tremor suppression. The volume of the tissue-activated analyses identified the optimal region of stimulation at the ventralis oralis posterior ventralis intermedius border intersecting with the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract. A regression model showed strong connectivity to the supplemental motor area was positively associated with tremor suppression (r = 0.66) in this cohort, whereas connectivity to the primary motor cortex was negatively associated with tremor suppression (r = −0.69), a finding opposite to that seen in ventralis intermedius deep brain stimulation for essential tremor. Comparing the structural connectivity to that of an essential tremor cohort revealed a distinct network that lies anterior to the essential tremor network. Overall, the volumes of tissue activated and connectivity observations converge to suggest that optimal suppression of multiple sclerosis tremor will likely be achieved by directing stimulation more anteriorly toward the ventralis oralis posterior and that a wide field of stimulation synergistically modulating the ventralis oralis posterior and ventralis intermedius nuclei may be more effective than traditional ventralis intermedius deep brain stimulation at suppressing the severe tremors commonly seen in complex tremor syndromes such as multiple sclerosis tremor.
Determination of Urea in Swimming Pool Water Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Online Postcolumn Derivatization by Xanthydrol
Authors: Zhou Jinsen , Liu Cimin , Chen Yong , Luo Xiaoyan , Deng Dongsheng
Published: March 2022

A reversed-phase isocratic elution high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with fluorescence detection has been developed to determine urea concentration via online postcolumn derivatization. Swimming pool water samples were filtered through 0.20 μm syringe filters. When the temperature of reaction coil was 40°C, urea was derivatized well with xanthydrol methanol solution (0.1 g/L) containing 0.50% hydrochloric acid with a flow rate of 0.20 mL/min. Successful separation was achieved by using Shim-pack VP-ODS C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column, with a mobile phase containing phosphoric acid solution (0.01 mol/L) at a flow rate of 0.80 mL/min. Retention time and external standard method were used for qualitative and quantitative urea analysis, respectively. Under the established conditions, the limit of detection, linear range, correlation coefficient, recovery and relative standard deviation was 0.09 mg/L, 1.0–100.0 mg/L, 0.9998, 87.0–105.3% and 0.95–4.8%, respectively. Ammonia, thiourea and trichloroisocyanuric acid did not interfere with urea analysis. The method showed satisfactory results with high precision, accuracy, recovery, as well as sensitivity, for the determination of urea in swimming pool water.
Halophytes.tn: an innovative database for Tunisian halophyte plant identification, distribution and characterization
Authors: Merchaoui Henda , Ksouri Riadh , Abdelly Chedly , Hanana Mohsen
Published: March 2022

Halophytes.tn (http://halophytes.rnrt.tn/) is a web-based database of Tunisian halophyte species. Halophytes are salt-tolerant plants able to grow above 85 mM of salt, even up to 2 M as for Tecticornia spp. Tunisia, a North African country located on the Mediterranean border, covering ∼165 000 km2, harbors several types of saline habitats and biotopes where halophytes preferably vegetate. With ∼6000 worldwide and over 420 Tunisian species, halophytes represent a huge potential in several fields, including desalination, phytoremediation, agrofarming, medicinal use, industrial applications, pharmacology and even nanotechnology. We describe the practical and technical steps followed and bioinformatics tools used to conceive and design the first Tunisian halophytes database, enabling species identification and characterization. As a first version, information about botany, morphology, ecophysiology and biochemistry were provided for the identified species with their sites of growing in Tunisia, first step of biodiversity conservation, management and valorization. The database will be regularly maintained, updated and enriched to achieve the goal of whole Tunisian halophyte species and fit the needs of scientists and all category of users.Database URL: http://halophytes.rnrt.tn/