bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interface Static Friction Enabled Ultra‐Durable and High Output Sliding Mode Triboelectric Nanogenerator
Authors: Tang Qian , Wang Zhao , Chang Wenxuan , Sun Jianfeng , He Wencong , Zeng Qixuan , Guo Hengyu , Hu Chenguo
Published: March 2022

Utilizing the static friction of the rolling rod/ball is an effective strategy to address the mechanical durability in sliding mode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), but its line/point contact seriously reduces the output performance. Herein, a high output and ultra‐durable TENG is achieved by a rolling belt method. Compared with the previous rolling rod mode TENG (R‐TENG), the electric output performance of the rolling belt mode TENG (RB‐TENG) increases nearly 3.8 times. The maximum output power density of RB‐TENG reaches ≈280 W m‐2 with self‐charge excitation and power management, and its charge density is the highest among all sliding mode TENGs without sliding friction including rolling rod/ball mode and noncontact freestanding mode. Furthermore, the RB‐TENG remains nearly 98.5% of its output performance after more than 4 100 000 cycles, which is the highest stability measured in such a long time by now, with material abrasion quality 6.42 µg·g‐1 (<1% of traditional sliding TENG) every 10 000 cycles. This work provides an effective strategy for solving the bottleneck issues of mechanical abrasion in sliding mode TENGs.
Bionic Soft Multimodal Actuators for Fast, Large Deformation under Ultralow Magnetic Conditions
Authors: Dai Keren , Zhu Zhisen , Jin He , Ma Xiang , Duan Weiwang , Wang Jiong , Zhang Wenling
Published: March 2022

Very recently, magnetically driven soft actuators have prompted increasing interest due to their programmable deformation, swift response, and remote actuation. However, it is still challenging to trigger strong and fast actuating performances with an extremely weak magnetic field due to the difficult task of in situ programming of magnetic domains and the limited mechanical structures. Here, first a bionic sandwich structure is proposed for designing soft magnetic actuators with a specific threshold value. The crab‐like jointed structure of PDMS‐embedded NdFeB upper/lower layers is essential for generating the desirable threshold effect, while a flytrap‐inspired soft interlayer is further implemented to decrease the driving magnetic field. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are implemented to optimize the actuating performances of soft actuators (deformation rate, deformation angle) by modulating the structural parameters. Experimental results show that the biomimetic features yield a promptly switchable bistable state, a superior strong deformation rate of 1.93, and a maximum deformation angle of 25.5° under an ultralow magnetic field of 1 mT. Two demonstrative applications of soft actuators are investigated, including threshold switching and soft grippers, suggesting their broad applications in engineering fields. Remarkably, the magnetic soft grippers associated with the gecko‐inspired adhesion surface exhibit an improved and stable grasping ability. This work focuses on designing highly deformable actuators and functions in emerging areas of soft robotics.
Windmill‐Like Nanogenerator for Harvesting Low‐Speed Wind Energy and Wind Speed Measuring
Authors: Zhu Xiaoyu , Cao Xia , Wang Zhong Lin
Published: March 2022

Wind energy, one of the most promising and renewable energy sources, is extensively exploited around the world. However, in traditional triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for wind energy harvesting, due to the limitations of device structures with high friction force, the collection of wind energy at low speeds is always faced with enormous challenges. To overcome this difficulty, an ultralow friction and highly effective windmill‐like nanogenerator (WNG) is proposed. Herein, the WNG is based on a freestanding mode TENG and adopts a rotational triboelectric layer with contact–separation mode. This special design successfully achieves a smaller friction resistance, allowing wind energy to be captured at low speeds. Under the minimum wind speed, the optimized WNG has a maximum load power of 0.753 µW, which can illuminate nine LEDs simultaneously. The WNG can convert wind energy into enough electricity to power a hygrometer or a digital clock under the maximum wind speed. Moreover, a wind speed detection system based on WNG is developed and proves the superiority of real‐time wind speed detection by appropriate computation parameters. This work not only shows the development potential of the WNG in low‐speed wind energy collection but also expends the application potential of TENG‐based self‐powered environmental monitoring.
A Conceptual Study on Photodynamic Control‐Mediated Holographic Composites
Authors: Lee Yewon , Kim Hyeong Seok , Kang Yi Young , Kang Hye Ju , Lee Jieun , Kim Jawon , Lee Jae-Won , Lee Su-Won , Min Seungah , Koh Won-Gun , Kang Youngjong , Kim Hak-Rin , Ka Jae-Won
Published: March 2022

Herein, photodynamic control‐mediated holographic composites are proposed, which are composed of photosensitizers, singlet oxygen receptors, and a polymeric matrix. Rose bengal (RB) and methylene blue (MB) are used as photosensitizers, and 1,3‐diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) as a singlet oxygen receptor. First, the photodynamic effects of the photosensitizers in DPBF‐dissolved solutions are evaluated by analyzing the optical properties of DPBF under laser irradiation. The results confirm that RB and MB are selectively photoexcited by a green and red laser, respectively, and DPBF only reacts to the photosensitized singlet oxygen. Similarly, an outstanding photodynamic effect is observed in the DPBF‐coated photodynamic films upon 660 nm laser irradiation. To evaluate the holographic performances of the films, the diffraction efficiency of the films is measured under the beams. The diffraction efficiency of the films is 2.03%. The results suggest that the conformational changes of the receptor are accompanied with absorptive gradients on the films. Therefore, it is strongly believed that the new strategy with photodynamic control can provide appealing solutions in the near future for holographic applications.
The potentialities of ultrasound as an alternative to chemical etching for proton beam writing micropatterning
Authors: de Vila Bauer Deiverti , Debastiani Rafaela , Telles de Souza Claudia , Amaral Livio , Ferraz Dias Johnny
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we explore the potentialities of using ultrasound waves as a post‐irradiation treatment after proton beam writing (PBW) patterning of PTFE. To that end, 2‐mm‐thick foils of PTFE were irradiated with 2.2 MeV protons with an average current of 50 pA. Straight line structures were patterned on the polymer with a 3.5 × 3.5 μm2 focused proton beam. Post‐irradiation polymers were placed in a heat bath at 60 °C and immersed either in distilled water or in a 6 M solution of NaOH under the action of 40 kHz ultrasound waves for developing the patterned structures. The results indicate that distilled water submitted to ultrasound waves is very efficient for removing rough structures created by the proton irradiation and thus providing a good aspect ratio to the PBW microstructures. On the other hand, the use of 6 M NaOH instead of water did not improve the quality of the structures patterned with the proton beam. The results are discussed in terms of the parameters that characterize the interaction of ultrasound waves with the liquid media and the polymer.
Nutrient limitation in Atlantic salmon rivers and streams: Causes, consequences, and management strategies
Authors: Bernthal Fionn R. , Armstrong John D. , Nislow Keith H. , Metcalfe Neil B.
Published: March 2022

Freshwater catchments can experience nutrient deficits that result in reduced primary and secondary productivity. The most commonly limiting nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus, either separately or together. This review considers the impact of increasing nutrient limitation in temperate basin stream and river systems, focusing on upland areas that currently or previously supported wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations.

Anthropogenic changes to land use and increases in river barriers have altered upland nutrient dynamics, with particular impacts on salmon and other migratory fish species which may be net importers of nutrients to upland streams. Declining salmon populations may further reduce nutrient sources, reducing ecosystem and fisheries productivity below desired levels.

Experimental manipulations of nutrient levels have examined the impacts of this cultural oligotrophication. There is evidence that growth and biomass of juvenile salmon can be increased via appropriate additions of nutrients, offering potential as a conservation tool. However, further research is required to understand the long‐term effects of these additions on salmon populations and stream ecosystems, and to assess the vulnerability of downstream habitats to eutrophication as a result.

Although purposeful nutrient addition with the aim of enhancing and conserving salmonid populations may be justified in some cases, it should be undertaken in an adaptive management framework. In addition, nutrient addition should be linked to nutrient retention and processing, and integrated into large‐scale habitat restoration and recovery efforts.

Both the scientific and the management community should recognize that the ecological costs and benefits associated with adding nutrients to salmon streams may change in a non‐stationary world.
Facile one‐pot three‐component route to an assembly of 2‐amino‐4H‐chromenes and spirochromenes promoted via ceria nanoparticles in a benign manner
Authors: Khorshidi Naimeh , Heydari Reza , Maghsoodlou Malek Taher , Fatahpour Maryam
Published: March 2022

In this study, a series of 2‐amino‐4H‐chromenes and spirochromenes were elaborated and synthesized via a new sustainable one‐pot three‐component strategy from easily available materials including phloroglucinol, malononitrile, and aldehydes/isatins. Ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) were successfully applied as an effective catalyst that recycled and reused with a marginal decrement in its catalytic performance. The Lewis acid–base nature of the described nanocatalyst afforded the high yields of target products. The reaction is run in ethanol as a green solvent to create an environment‐friendly process. The other salient merits of this methodology are a broad substrate scope, a simple operation, shorter reaction times, and no need for column chromatographic purification.
Improvement of chiral separation efficiency through temperature control during one time high performance liquid chromatography analysis
Authors: Eun Dan Bi , Jeong Young Han , Ryoo Jae Jeong
Published: March 2022

This study examined how manual temperature control affects the separation of two enantiomers of five racemic mixtures using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in terms of separation factor (α), resolution (Rs), and the number of theoretical plates (N). The results showed that heating/cooling during one time HPLC analysis improved the separation factor and resolution.
First‐Principles Studies on the Atomistic Properties of Metallic Magnesium as Anode Material in Magnesium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Fiesinger Florian , Gaissmaier Daniel , van den Borg Matthias , Jacob Timo
Published: March 2022

Rechargeable magnesium‐ion batteries (MIBs) are a promising alternative to commercial lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). They are safer to handle, environmentally more friendly, and provide a five‐time higher volumetric capacity (3832 mAh cm−3) than commercialized LIBs. However, the formation of a passivation layer on metallic Mg electrodes is still a major challenge towards their commercialization. Using density functional theory (DFT), the atomistic properties of metallic magnesium, mainly well‐selected self‐diffusion processes on perfect and imperfect Mg surfaces were investigated to better understand the initial surface growth phenomena. Subsequently, rate constants and activation temperatures of crucial diffusion processes on Mg(0001) and Mg(10
1) were determined, providing preliminary insights into the surface kinetics of metallic Mg electrodes. The obtained DFT results provide a data set for parametrizing a force field for metallic Mg or performing kinetic Monte‐Carlo simulations.
Ameliorated effects of a lipopeptide surfactin on insulin resistance in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Chen Xiaoyu , Zhao Hongyuan , Meng Fanqiang , Zhou Libang , Pang Xinyi , Lu Zhaoxin , Lu Yingjian
Published: March 2022

Surfactin, produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50, was used to treat insulin‐resistant (IR) hepatocyte. It was found that surfactin increased glucose consumption in insulin‐resistant HepG2 (IR‐HepG2) cells and ameliorated IR by increasing glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein expression and AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) mRNA expression, promoting GLUT4 translocation and activating phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) in IR‐HepG2 cells. Meanwhile, surfactin downregulated protein expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy kinase (PEPCK) and glucose‐6‐phosphatase (G6Pase), further inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis. In addition, surfactin played important roles in eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS), improving mitochondrial dysfunction, and inhibiting proinflammatory mediators. We observed that surfactin promoted glucose consumption, meanwhile increased translocation and protein expression of GLUT4 in Caco‐2 cells. These results confirmed the conclusion in hepatic cells. Furthermore, surfactin supplement decreased body weight, food intake, and fasting blood glucose of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice induced by streptozotocin (STZ)/high‐fat diet (HFD). Our data indicated that surfactin ameliorated insulin resistance and lowered blood glucose in intro and in vivo.
Cyanidin‐3‐galactoside from Aronia melanocarpa ameliorates silica‐induced pulmonary fibrosis by modulating the TGF‐β/mTOR and NRF2/HO‐1 pathways
Authors: Cui Yanmin , Zhao Jin , Chen Jing , Kong Yanwen , Wang Mingyue , Ma Yan , Meng Xianjun
Published: March 2022

Cyanidin‐3‐galactoside (C3G), the most abundant anthocyanin in Aronia melanocarpa, has many beneficial health effects, such as antioxidation. C3G was extracted from A. melanocarpa and applied (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight) to 50‐μl silica particles (SP) solution‐exposed mice to research its antifibrotic properties using histological analysis, hydroxyproline assay, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis. The results showed that C3G treatment significantly ameliorated pulmonary fibrosis and cell infiltration into the lungs of mice. It also relieved SP‐induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), 400 mg/kg C3G treatment increasing epithelial‐cadherin mRNA expression and decreasing α‐smooth muscle actin mRNA expression to the level of that in the control group. Western blot analysis showed that exposure to SP increased the production of transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by 4.71‐ and 4.15‐fold, respectively, in the lungs of mice, which were significantly inhibited by C3G treatment. Moreover, 400 mg/kg C3G treatment up‐regulated two important antioxidant mediators, nuclear factor erythroid‐2‐related factor 2 (NRF2; 4.91‐fold) and heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1; 4.81‐fold). The mechanism study indicated that C3G might inhibit the TGF‐β/mTOR signaling via the NRF2/HO‐1 pathway and that SP‐induced pulmonary EMT was ameliorated by inhibiting the TGF‐β/mTOR signaling pathway. Our findings could provide new avenues for C3G as a functional food for preventing or mediating the progression of SP‐induced pulmonary fibrosis.
Information‐Centric Networking based content collection and caching mechanism for network public opinion
Authors: Qi Zhimin , Chen Jiubing
Published: March 2022

With the global influence of the COVID epidemic, network public opinion control is particularly important especially for the purpose of stabilizing the panic at home and abroad. Effective public opinion collection and caching mechanism has a positive significance for the rapid spread of network public opinion. Therefore, by analyzing the accurate and rapid requirements of public opinion communication, this paper introduces the concept of Information‐Centric Networking (ICN) to build a public opinion communication system. At the same time, the corresponding public opinion collection and caching mechanism is designed to optimize the dissemination process of the public opinion. The natural distributed structure of ICN makes the process of public opinion collection and caching distributed. Specifically, a suitable cache server is added between different public opinion collection servers via the distributed search engines. The experimental results show that the proposed distributed public opinion collection and caching mechanism can effectively deal with the spread of public opinion under the environment of the global COVID epidemic, including improving the accuracy of the public opinion transmission in time.
Myelin Water Imaging of Nerve Recovery in Rehabilitating Stroke Patients
Authors: Park Muyul , Cho Yejin , Kim Dae Hyun , Choi Hyun Seok , Kim Dong‐Hyun , Kim Deog Young
Published: March 2022

Background

Myelin water imaging (MWI) using MRI has been introduced as a method to quantify the integrity of myelin in vivo. However, the investigation of its potential to probe myelin changes has been limited.

Purpose

To determine the myelin change using MWI in the corticospinal tract (CST) during the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

Study Type

Longitudinal.

Population

A total of 24 stroke patients within 6 months from the onset (64.3 ± 16.1 years, 14 women, 10 men) and 10 healthy volunteers (27.0 ± 2.2 years, 2 women, 8 men).

Field Strength/Sequence

Three‐dimensional multiecho gradient echo sequence and diffusion‐weighted echoplanar imaging sequence at 3 T.

Assessment

The changes of myelin water fraction (MWF) and fractional anisotropy (FA) during rehabilitation were analyzed in the CST and other regions using tractography software and region of interest drawings by the radiologist.

Statistical Tests

A paired t‐test was performed to investigate the change of MRI metrics during rehabilitation. In addition, an independent two‐sample t‐test was performed to investigate the effects of different rehabilitation protocols. A P‐value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results

In the CST, MWF significantly changed from 5.83 ± 0.91% to 6.23 ± 0.97% after rehabilitation while changes of FA (0.442 ± 0.038 to 0.443 ± 0.035) were not significant (P = 0.656). The rate of change in MWF and FA, which were 6.69% and 0.439% respectively, were significantly different. Other regions did not show significant changes (range of MWF change: −3.44% to −1.61%, range of FA change: −1.39% to 0.79%, and range of P‐value: 0.144–0.761). Further analysis showed that those with additional robot‐assisted rehabilitation had a significantly larger MWF change than those with conventional rehabilitation only (rate of change: 11.2% vs. 3.2%).

Data Conclusion

The feasibility of using MWI to monitor myelin content was demonstrated by showing the MWF changes during rehabilitation.

Level of Evidence

2

Technical Efficacy Stage

2
Analytic hierarchy process and sensitivity analysis implementation for social vulnerability assessment: A case study from Brazil
Authors: Grave Ileana , Bojórquez‐Tapia Luis A. , Estrada‐Barón Alejandra , Nelson Donald R. , Eakin Hallie
Published: March 2022

One major challenge of social impact assessment concerns the implementation of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) to ascertain the vulnerability of households to environmental change. While MCDA has been widely used to combine vulnerability indicators into an aggregated vulnerability score, the sensitivity of vulnerability indices to uncertain appraisals and judgements of the magnitudes and weights of indicators has been largely ignored so far. In this work, based on vulnerability indicators previously selected and ranked using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique, for household Brazil surveys carried out in 1998 and 2012, a sensitivity analysis (SA) was implemented to account for the variation of vulnerability indicators over time and space. In particular, two techniques were applied: the indicator removal and the threshold value tests. The indicator removal test involved setting to zero a particular indicator weight and rescaling the remaining indicator weights linearly. The threshold value test aimed to identify which indicators had the most relative influence on both indices. Finally, the critical threshold value showed the most important vulnerability indicators and allowed to summarise and contrast the standardized scores differences of the indicators between the two surveys. The results showed which indicators were the most important in increasing or decreasing the vulnerability and improved the understanding of how the overall vulnerability of rainfed farming households changed through time as a function of changes in sensitivity and adaptive capacity.
Co‐designing the environmental land management scheme in England: The why, who and how of engaging ‘harder to reach’ stakeholders
Authors: Hurley Paul , Lyon Jessica , Hall Jilly , Little Ruth , Tsouvalis Judith , White Veronica , Rose David Christian
Published: March 2022

Agriculture around the world needs to become more environmentally sustainable to limit further environmental degradation and impacts of climate change.

Many governments try to achieve this through enrolling farmers in agri‐environment schemes (AES) that encourage them to undertake conservation activities.

Studies show that AES can suffer from low uptake, meaning their environmental objectives remain unattained. To succeed for people and nature, policy‐makers are increasingly adopting multi‐actor approaches in the ‘co‐design’ of AES to make them more attractive and inclusive of a full range of stakeholders, including ‘harder to reach’ farmers.

To address why some land managers (principally farmers) may be harder to reach in the context of co‐designing England's new Environmental Land Management (ELM) approach, we undertook a quick scoping review of the literature, conducted 23 first‐round and 24 s‐round interviews with key informants, and held a workshop with 11 practitioners.

We outline why farming stakeholders may be harder to reach and how policy‐makers can adjust the engagement process to make co‐design more inclusive.

Based on the results, we make recommendations that could help policy‐makers to design better, more inclusive AES that would attract greater uptake and increase their chances of success.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Application of low‐cost, eco‐friendly adsorbents for the removal of dye contaminants from wastewater: Current developments and adsorption technology
Authors: Laskar Nirban , Kumar Upendra
Published: March 2022

The review study focuses on dye contamination of wastewater and adsorption approaches to achieve the lowest dye waste in wastewater discharge. The dyes require extensive use in several applications suited for commercial consumption, but the dyes are serious pollutants when dumped directly into water bodies without sufficient treatment. The review study briefly discusses the current methodologies carried out for the adsorption mechanism, the relevance of adsorption, and adsorption factors for the examined system. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and a pseudosecond order kinetic model were found to properly represent dye uptake. To fully appreciate the molecular interactions between the adsorbent and adsorbate, additional study into theoretical dye adsorption modeling is necessary. As a low‐cost adsorbent for dye treatment and the manufacturing of activated carbon, agricultural waste material in both its natural and modified forms is explored in this review article for its dye adsorption capabilities. The adsorption behavior and mechanism may be better understood by employing operational parameters, kinetics, and isotherm models, as described in this article. The initial concentration, pH, and temperature all play a function in the adsorption process and are discussed in depth.
Provision of Information as Relational Task
Authors: Barachini Franz , Stary Christian
Published: March 2022

In this chapter, we discuss a complex adaptive system modeling approach of ecosystems targeting the pragmatic aspect when grasping a certain situation through semantic role modeling. The approach supports System-of-Systems thinking and is exemplified by a concrete case from institutional education. An essential aspect is the communication behavior of the represented system components, linking role- and task-specific encapsulated behaviors.
How to Create Digital Selves
Authors: Barachini Franz , Stary Christian
Published: March 2022

The construction of digital behavior models by means of behavior modeling embedding emotional aspects is generalized for further developments. We show a top-down approach to creating behavior-oriented digital selves representations. We recapture respective development principles, with the focus on functional, socio-emotional, and communication behavior sequences. Socio-emotional intelligence can be embodied into behavior representations depending on algorithmic processing and designed interventions for artificial, human, or transhuman actors.
The Imperfect Geometries of the Basilica S. Peter and Paul in Casalvecchio, Messina
Authors: Arena Marinella
Published: March 2022

The theme of this article is twofold: an instrumental survey, which increases the documentation of the Basilica Saints Peter and Paul in Casalvecchio, is accompanied by a reflection on the underlying geometries. The latter allowed some analysis on the distance between its theoretical form and realization, but also on the way of designing, tracing and constructing the church itself. The study, therefore, outlines a protocol for the morphological analysis of the Arab-Norman architecture built in north-eastern Sicily, and identifies the Basilica Saints Peter and Paul as a case study. The results of this research increase the available documentation of the building and support future enhancement and conservation actions. The protocol provides for: brief historical contextualization; instrumental survey; geometric and morphological analysis aimed at identifying: geometric patterns, units of measurement and proportional modules.
Dementia is a surrogate for frailty in hip fracture mortality prediction
Authors: Forssten Maximilian Peter , Ioannidis Ioannis , Mohammad Ismail Ahmad , Bass Gary Alan , Borg Tomas , Cao Yang , Mohseni Shahin
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Among hip fracture patients both dementia and frailty are particularly prevalent. The aim of the current study was to determine if dementia functions as a surrogate for frailty, or if it confers additional information as a comorbidity when predicting postoperative mortality after a hip fracture.

Methods

All adult patients who suffered a traumatic hip fracture in Sweden between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2017 were considered for inclusion. Pathological fractures, non-operatively treated fractures, reoperations, and patients missing data were excluded. Logistic regression (LR) models were fitted, one including and one excluding measurements of frailty, with postoperative mortality as the response variable. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day postoperative mortality. The relative importance for all variables was determined using the permutation importance. New LR models were constructed using the top ten most important variables. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the predictive ability of these models.

Results

121,305 patients were included in the study. Initially, dementia was among the top ten most important variables for predicting 30-day mortality. When measurements of frailty were included, dementia was replaced in relative importance by the ability to walk alone outdoors and institutionalization. There was no significant difference in the predictive ability of the models fitted using the top ten most important variables when comparing those that included [AUC for 30-day mortality (95% CI): 0.82 (0.81–0.82)] and excluded [AUC for 30-day mortality (95% CI): 0.81 (0.80–0.81)] measurements of frailty.

Conclusion

Dementia functions as a surrogate for frailty when predicting mortality up to one year after hip fracture surgery. The presence of dementia in a patient without frailty does not appreciably contribute to the prediction of postoperative mortality.
Particle creation and Big Rip cosmological model in Lyra geometry
Authors: Bakry M. A.
Published: March 2022

The current paper is concerned with the universe evolution behavior within the framework of Lyra’s geometry. The modified Einstein’s field equations based on this geometry are solved under a specific creation function and a linearly varying deceleration parameter. The energy conditions are also discussed.
Water vapour sorption and moisture transport in and across fibre direction of wood
Authors: Murr Alexander
Published: March 2022

Water vapour sorption experiments are frequently used to characterise the absorption and desorption of water in wood. To evaluate whether water vapour transport—compared to sorption and sorption related processes—can be neglected in small wood samples, this study investigates the sorption kinetics of Norway spruce (Picea abies) samples with different lengths of transport pathways in and across fibre direction. Water vapour sorption experiments were performed under identical climatic conditions at ambient air pressure and ambient standard temperature. Along the whole tested range of relative humidity sample thickness was shown to have an impact on the sorption kinetics. At low relative humidity, the initial uptake and release of water was considerably influenced by the diffusion of water vapour through the lumen-pit-ray system. Differences between the sorption kinetics for samples in and across fibre direction were thus considerable. With increasing moisture content, the initial uptake and release of water increased for samples across fibre direction, while it decreased for samples in fibre direction. Moisture transport across fibre direction thus seems to be increasing and cell wall processes seem to be more relevant. At high relative humidity, differences between the sorption kinetics for samples in and across fibre direction started to disappear while the impact of sample thickness was still considerable. Therefore, an additional or modified process, which depends on the number of sorption sites but not on the anatomical orientation must be considered at an increased moisture content of wood.
Evaluation of the ecological health and food chain on the shores of four River Nile Islands, Egypt
Authors: Abdelmageed Adel A. , Ellah Radwan G. Abd , Abdel-Satar Amaal M. , Gawad Soad S. Abdel , Khalifa Nehad , Zaher Shymaa S. , Othman Amal A. , Belal Dalia M. , El-Hady Howayda H. Abd , Salem Salem G. , Abdo Mohamed H. , Haroon Amany M. , El-Far Alaa , Hegab Mahmoud H. , Elhaddad Engy , El-Sherif Dina M. , Al-Afify Afify D. G.
Published: March 2022

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of human activities on the ecological health and food chain at the shores of four Nile Islands in Great Cairo including El-Qeratten, El-Waraq, El-Zamalek, and El-Manial. Water quality, bacteria, phytoplankton, benthic algae, zooplankton, macrobenthic invertebrates, and bony fishes were examined at each island shore over two seasons including the lowest and the highest flow (February and July 2020, respectively). The obtained results showed that the average values of most of the chemicals in Nile Island’s water were within the Egyptian water quality limits. Discriminant analysis of physicochemical factors revealed a similarity between El-Waraq and El-Qerateen and between El-Manial and El-Zamalek. El-Qeratten was the most polluted island. It has the highest total and fecal coliform bacteria count (3.155 and 3.050 Log MPN/100 mL, respectively). El-Zamalek shores have the highest phytoplankton (33,582 cells × 104 L−1) and zooplankton count (310,891 organisms × m−3) and phyto-biochemical values. Biochemical analysis of phytoplankton demonstrated the richness of the bulk by protein (> 85% of biomass), indicating that phytoplankton has a high nutritional value. Elevated zooplankton count was recorded at El-Zamalek, which coincided with the peak of phytoplankton abundance. Mollusca were the dominant macrobenthic invertebrates on most of the island’s shores. Bony fishes were represented by 27 species and two crustaceans. The levels of the metals in fish samples were compared with the food safety guideline endorsed by the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO) to evaluate the toxicity level.
From multiple aspect trajectories to predictive analysis: a case study on fishing vessels in the Northern Adriatic sea
Authors: Brandoli Bruno , Raffaetà Alessandra , Simeoni Marta , Adibi Pedram , Bappee Fateha Khanam , Pranovi Fabio , Rovinelli Giulia , Russo Elisabetta , Silvestri Claudio , Soares Amilcar , Matwin Stan
Published: March 2022

In this paper we model spatio-temporal data describing the fishing activities in the Northern Adriatic Sea over four years. We build, implement and analyze a database based on the fusion of two complementary data sources: trajectories from fishing vessels (obtained from terrestrial Automatic Identification System, or AIS, data feed) and fish catch reports (i.e., the quantity and type of fish caught) of the main fishing market of the area. We present all the phases of the database creation, starting from the raw data and proceeding through data exploration, data cleaning, trajectory reconstruction and semantic enrichment. We implement the database by using MobilityDB, an open source geospatial trajectory data management and analysis platform. Subsequently, we perform various analyses on the resulting spatio-temporal database, with the goal of mapping the fishing activities on some key species, highlighting all the interesting information and inferring new knowledge that will be useful for fishery management. Furthermore, we investigate the use of machine learning methods for predicting the Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE), an indicator of the fishing resources exploitation in order to drive specific policy design. A variety of prediction methods, taking as input the data in the database and environmental factors such as sea temperature, waves height and Clorophill-a, are put at work in order to assess their prediction ability in this field. To the best of our knowledge, our work represents the first attempt to integrate fishing ships trajectories derived from AIS data, environmental data and catch data for spatio-temporal prediction of CPUE – a challenging task.
Immunonutrients involved in the regulation of the inflammatory and oxidative processes: implication for gamete competence
Authors: Di Renzo Laura , De Lorenzo Antonino , Fontanari Marco , Gualtieri Paola , Monsignore Diego , Schifano Giulia , Alfano Valentina , Marchetti Marco ,   On behalf of SIERR
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this umbrella review is to bring together the most recent reviews concerning the role of immunonutrients for male and female infertility.

Methods

Regarding immunonutrients and fertility, the authors have analyzed reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published between 2011 and June 2021. All reviews on animal or in vitro studies were excluded. Relevant keywords to term micronutrients were analyzed alone or in association with other terms such as “gamete competence,” “male OR female fertility,” “male OR female infertility,” “fertile, “folliculogenesis,” “spermatogenesis,” “immunomodulation,” “immune system,” “oxidative stress.”

Results

The primary research has included 108 results, and after screening by title, abstract. and not topic-related, 41 studies have been included by full texts. The results show the molecular mechanisms and the immunonutrients related impact on gamete formation, development. and competence. In particular, this review focused on arginine, glutamine, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, omega-3, selenium, and zinc.

Conclusions

Inflammation and oxidative stress significantly impact human reproduction. For this reason, immunonutrients may play an important role in the treatment of infertile patients. However, due to the lack of consistent clinical trials, their application is limited. Therefore, the development of clinical trials is necessary to define the correct supplementation, in case of deficiency.
Enhanced critical current density of ex situ MgB2 via control of Mg assisted sintering
Authors: Hapipi Nurhidayah Mohd , Chen Soo Kien , Shaari Abdul Halim , Kechik Mohd Mustafa Awang , Lim Kean Pah , Tan Kar Ban , Lee Oon Jew , Arvapalli Sai Srikanth , Miryala Muralidhar
Published: March 2022

In this work, ex situ MgB2 was mixed with 0.5 mol of Mg and sintered. The sintering conditions were varied over a temperature range of 600–1000 °C for 1, 3, and 7 h, respectively. The addition of Mg during the sintering increased the partial pressure of Mg and thus suppressed the decomposition of MgB2. Onset of critical temperature, Tc, was retained at ∼ 38 K even after the addition of Mg. By increasing the sintering temperature, magnetic critical current density, Jc at self-field, and 20 K of the ex situ samples increased consistently. With the addition of Mg for 1 h sintering, self-field Jc (20 K) was enhanced more than 20 times to 104 A cm−2 as the sintering temperature was increased. Such significant enhancement in the Jc is mainly due to the improved grain coupling aided by Mg during the short sintering.
Statistical Causality for Multivariate Nonlinear Time Series via Gaussian Process Models
Authors: Zaremba Anna B. , Peters Gareth W.
Published: March 2022

The ability to test for statistical causality in linear and nonlinear contexts, in stationary or non-stationary settings, and to identify whether statistical causality influences trend of volatility forms a particularly important class of problems to explore in multi-modal and multivariate processes. In this paper, we develop novel testing frameworks for statistical causality in general classes of multivariate nonlinear time series models. Our framework accommodates flexible features where causality may be present in either: trend, volatility or both structural components of the general multivariate Markov processes under study. In addition, we accommodate the added possibilities of flexible structural features such as long memory and persistence in the multivariate processes when applying our semi-parametric approach to causality detection. We design a calibration procedure and formal testing procedure to detect these relationships through classes of Gaussian process models. We provide a generic framework which can be applied to a wide range of problems, including partially observed generalised diffusions or general multivariate linear or nonlinear time series models. We demonstrate several illustrative examples of features that are easily testable under our framework to study the properties of the inference procedure developed including the power of the test, sensitivity and robustness. We then illustrate our method on an interesting real data example from commodity modelling.
Advances in the modeling and dynamic simulation of reeving systems using the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian modal method
Authors: Escalona José L. , Mohammadi Narges
Published: March 2022

This paper presents new advances in the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian modal method (ALEM) recently developed for the systematic simulation of the dynamics of general reeving systems. These advances are related to a more convenient model of the sheaves dynamics and the use of axial deformation modes to account for non-constant axial forces within the finite elements. Regarding the sheaves dynamics, the original formulation uses kinematic constraints to account for the torque transmission at the sheaves by neglecting the rotary inertia. One of the advances described in this paper is the use of the rotation angles of the sheaves as generalized coordinates together with the rope-to-sheave no-slip assumption as linear constraint equations. This modeling option guarantees the exact torque balance at the sheave without including any nonlinear kinematic constraint. Numerical results show the influence in the system dynamics of the sheave rotary inertia. Regarding the axial forces within the finite elements, the original formulation uses a combination of absolute position coordinates and transverse local modal coordinates to account for the rope absolute position and deformation shape. The axial force, which only depends on the absolute position coordinates, is constant along the element because linear shape functions are assumed to describe the axial displacements. For reeving systems with very long rope spans, as the elevators of high buildings, the constant axial force is inaccurate because the weight of the ropes becomes important and the axial force varies approximately linearly within the rope free span. To account for space-varying axial forces, this paper also introduces modal coordinates in the axial direction. Numerical results show that a set of three modal coordinates in the axial direction is enough to simulate linearly varying axial forces.
Raman spectroscopic and advanced signal processing analyses for real time standoff detection and identification of explosives
Authors: Abdallah Adel , Mahmoud Alaaeldin , Mokhtar Mohamed , Mousa Aiman , Ayoub H. S. , Elbashar Y. H.
Published: March 2022

Laser Raman spectroscopy is a powerful instrument commonly used for detection of bulk and trace amounts of explosives. The work carried out in this paper is divided into two phases; the first phase is to propose a real time standoff explosive detection and identification system based on Raman spectroscopy that can be deployed in static checkpoints. The measurement is performed for samples placed in contact and at distances up to 1 m in ambient light conditions. The second phase is to propose a novel sophisticated signal processing and pattern recognition techniques for accurate identification and classification of the investigated materials.
Effects of the Targeted Intervention for Five- to Six-Year-Old Children Affected by Attentional and Concentration Developmental Risks: Results of a Dynamic Prospective Cohort Study Conducted in Socially Deprived Regions in Germany
Authors: Franze Marco , Biermann Josefin , Kästner Anika , Ernst Vanessa Sophie , Hoffmann Wolfgang
Published: March 2022

Epidemiological data reveal that there is a need for prevention measures specifically targeted at children with low SES. In the German federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania preschools in socially deprived regions can apply for additional funds to support children with developmental risks. Mandatory criteria for obtaining these funds involve an annual assessment of all children using the “Dortmunder Developmental Screening for Preschools (DESK 3–6 R).” This instrument can detect and monitor developmental risks in the domains fine motor skills, gross motor skills, language, cognition, and social development. In this study, we examine the domain “Attention and concentration,” which is included for the 5 to 6-year-old age group, using data from two consecutive survey waves (sw). Research questions: (1) Does the prevalence rate ratio (PRR) improve over time? (2) Is the rate of improvements (developmental risk at sw1, no developmental risk at sw2) higher than the rate of deteriorations (no developmental risk at sw1, developmental risk at sw2)? Prospective cohort analysis (n = 940). The prevalence rate of a developmental risk in this DESK domain decreases over time (PRR = 0.78; p = 0.019). The ratio of the rate of improvements is 8.47 times higher than the rate of deteriorations. The results provide evidence of the effectiveness of targeted intervention measures in preschools focusing on skills that improve attention and concentration. This is significant considering the small-time interval and the categorization method of DESK scores. Nevertheless, over the same time period, the DESK results of some children deteriorated. Therefore, preschools also have to be aware that it is natural for some children to show modest declines in their skills over time. German Clinical Trials Register, ID: DRKS00015134, Registered on 29 October 2018, retrospectively registered.
Validation of scientific topic models using graph analysis and corpus metadata
Authors: Vázquez Manuel A. , Pereira-Delgado Jorge , Cid-Sueiro Jesús , Arenas-García Jerónimo
Published: March 2022

Probabilistic topic modeling algorithms like Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) have become powerful tools for the analysis of large collections of documents (such as papers, projects, or funding applications) in science, technology an innovation (STI) policy design and monitoring. However, selecting an appropriate and stable topic model for a specific application (by adjusting the hyperparameters of the algorithm) is not a trivial problem. Common validation metrics like coherence or perplexity, which are focused on the quality of topics, are not a good fit in applications where the quality of the document similarity relations inferred from the topic model is especially relevant. Relying on graph analysis techniques, the aim of our work is to state a new methodology for the selection of hyperparameters which is specifically oriented to optimize the similarity metrics emanating from the topic model. In order to do this, we propose two graph metrics: the first measures the variability of the similarity graphs that result from different runs of the algorithm for a fixed value of the hyperparameters, while the second metric measures the alignment between the graph derived from the LDA model and another obtained using metadata available for the corresponding corpus. Through experiments on various corpora related to STI, it is shown that the proposed metrics provide relevant indicators to select the number of topics and build persistent topic models that are consistent with the metadata. Their use, which can be extended to other topic models beyond LDA, could facilitate the systematic adoption of this kind of techniques in STI policy analysis and design.
A robust and parsimonious machine learning method to predict ICU admission of COVID-19 patients
Authors: Famiglini Lorenzo , Campagner Andrea , Carobene Anna , Cabitza Federico
Published: March 2022

In this article, we discuss the development of prognostic machine learning (ML) models for COVID-19 progression, by focusing on the task of predicting ICU admission within (any of) the next 5 days. On the basis of 6,625 complete blood count (CBC) tests from 1,004 patients, of which 18% were admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), we created four ML models, by adopting a robust development procedure which was designed to minimize risks of bias and over-fitting, according to reference guidelines. The best model, a support vector machine, had an AUC of .85, a Brier score of .14, and a standardized net benefit of .69: these scores indicate that the model performed well over a variety of prediction criteria. We also conducted an interpretability study to back up our findings, showing that the data on which the developed model is based is consistent with the current medical literature. This also demonstrates that CBC data and ML methods can be used to predict COVID-19 patients’ ICU admission at a relatively low cost: in particular, since CBC data can be quickly obtained by means of routine blood exams, our models could be used in resource-constrained settings and provide health practitioners with rapid and reliable indications.

Graphical abstract