bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Kinesio taping on lower limb biomechanical characteristics during unexpected jumping in patients with chronic ankle instability
Authors: Wang Ling , Chen Peng , Ding Yue , Fan Siyu , Wang Guanglan , Jia Shaohui , Guo Zhihao , Zheng Cheng
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The current biomechanical research on the application of Kinesio taping (KT) to patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) has focused on testing the expected movements. However, unexpected movements are more common in actual sports. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of KT on the biomechanical characteristics of the knee and ankle joints during unexpected jumping movements.

Methods

Twenty‐one patients with unilateral CAI were recruited to capture the biomechanical parameters during unexpected jumping movements under different interventions: no taping (NT), placebo taping (PT), and KT. A one‐way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the differences in knee and ankle biomechanical characteristics among patients with CAI between the three intervention conditions.

Results

At initial contact, the KT group demonstrated a significant decrease in ankle plantarflexion and knee flexion angles compared to the NT group (p < 0.05). At the early landing phase, the KT group had a significant increase in peak ankle dorsiflexion angle, peak ankle eversion angle, peak ankle dorsiflexion moment, and peak ankle eversion moment compared to the NT and PT groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the KT group had a significantly reduced peak knee flexion angle, peak knee eversion angle, and peak vertical ground reaction force (p < 0.05) compared to the NT and PT groups.

Conclusion

KT significantly improves the sprain‐prone touchdown posture of patients with CAI. And reducing the risk of ankle sprains during the early landing phase by promoting ankle dorsiflexion and eversion angles and moments.
A Novel Correlation for Considering the Effect of Neighboring Droplets on the Evaporation Rate of Solvent Droplets Used in Carbon Capture Applications
Authors: Parmar Gourav , Dhinasekaran Vignesh Kumar , Cejpek Ondrej , Jedelsky Jan , Avulapati Madan Mohan
Published: January 2024

The spraying of chemicals such as mono-ethanolamine (MEA) and aqueous ammonia is widely used in spray columns for CO2 removal from the combustion flue gasses. When droplets in the spray interact with flue gas, due to temperature difference, along with the absorption of CO2 from the flue gas, they also undergo evaporation. Also, the presence of other droplets in the vicinity of a given droplet can influence evaporation as well as gas absorption into it. Understanding the droplet evaporation and the influence of the surrounding droplets on the evaporation of droplets are one of the critical aspects to address for developing reliable models for CO2 capture from flue gasses. This work investigates the influence of neighboring droplets on evaporation of a droplet in question and comparison with evaporation of an isolated droplet. Various configurations of suspended droplets of water, aqueous ammonia, and MEA were examined within a temperature range spanning from 75 °C to 125 °C. The droplets, placed on a microfiber grid made up of 100 μm glass fiber, were introduced into a heating chamber, and temporal variation of the droplet size was recorded using backlit imaging. Images were processed using Matlab algorithms to obtain the droplet's evaporation rate. Variation in the evaporation rate is evaluated with respect to the temperature and available surface area for vapor diffusion. The results indicate that the presence of neighboring droplets influences the droplet evaporation, and the magnitude of influence depends both on the number of droplets as well as their proximity. Of the three liquids studied, influence of neighboring droplets found to be more significant in case of MEA. To consider the influence of neighboring droplets and their proximity, a novel independent parameter called surface area ratio (SAR) was introduced by combining both the parameters. The analysis involved investigating the variation in the normalized evaporation rate in relation to the SAR parameter. It was found that the normalized rate of evaporation under different conditions studied varies linearly with SAR. A correlation is developed between the normalized evaporation rate and SAR combining the data from all the cases studied which can be used to correct rate of evaporation in computational models.
Direct Numerical Simulation of Involute Channel Turbulence
Authors: Popov Emilian L. , Mecham Nicholas J. , Bolotnov Igor A.
Published: January 2024

A direct numerical simulation (DNS) study was performed on turbulent flow in the high flux isotope reactor involute channel geometry to develop a numerical database and determine the differences compared with a flat parallel channel. The varying channel curvature along the walls was studied for differences in mean profiles. Parameters of interest include streamwise velocity, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and turbulence dissipation rate, as well as Reynolds stresses and turbulence transport terms. Profile sampling was carried out at 10 locations along the span of the involute. Additional DNS studies were performed on smaller domains of comparable curvature to the involute domain: a high curvature channel (high circular), a low curvature channel (low circular), and a flat channel (flat). Each of these four cases was compared against each other and to other DNS studies performed on parallel flows. The results indicate that the bulk involute channel flow does not differ significantly from a flat parallel channel flow and that the curvature of the walls does not significantly alter the mean flow parameters. However, the regions of the involute channel near the side walls exhibit relatively low magnitude twin recirculation structures driven toward the side walls from the centerline of the channel, which warrants further study.
Simulation and Experimental on Thermal Behavior of Hydrostatic Thrust Bearing Based on Superhydrophobic/Oleophobic Surface
Authors: Guo Minghui , Zhang Guojun , Hu Haidong , Tian Zhuxin , Rong Youmin , Huang Yu , Wu Congyi
Published: January 2024

The temperature rises of the oil film in hydrostatic bearings at high speed lead to a reduction in load capacity, accuracy, and stability. In this paper, a superhydrophobic/oleophobic surface with a micro-bulge structure is proposed. The surface is prepared by laser cross-scanning and chemical modification. The contact angle (CA) of the surface is 138 deg and the boundary condition of the surface is modified from non-slip to slip condition. The relationship between the slip length and the height of the micro-bulge structure is established by rheological experiments. By the simple partial simulations, the validity of the temperature rise reduction on the superhydrophobic/oleophobic surface is verified. Then a bearing test rig was set up to measure the temperature and load capacity of bearings at multiple points, and the performance of smooth primary surface/structured oleophobic surface thrust bearings was compared. Results show that the structured bearing has a lower oil film temperature and higher load capacity than the smooth bearing. The prepared oleophobic surface can effectively suppress the temperature rise at high-speed conditions and significantly increase the bearing load capacity.
Optimization of Controlling Factors for TC4 Alloy With Al2O3–Graphene Hybrid Nanofluid
Authors: Israr Asif , Khan Muhammad Zubair , Ikram Ruqia , Qureshi Yumna , Wattoo Kashif Riaz
Published: January 2024

Nowadays, mixing nanoparticles into cutting fluids is much more common to improve lubrication and cooling properties. Many studies have been carried out in the past to assess the machining performance using nanofluids. However, limited studies are based on hybrid nanoparticles. This work estimates TC4 alloy machining performance using a hybrid nanofluid. The minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) cooling technique is employed here to investigate machinability. The machining performance of TC4 alloy is estimated by taking surface roughness and cutting temperature as response parameters. Hybrid nanofluid is formed by adding nanoparticles of graphene into alumina (Al2O3) based nanofluid in a fixed volumetric proportion (20:80) and as base fluid, soybean oil is used. In addition, machining performance is investigated in terms of thermophysical properties by taking weight percent of concentrations of nanoparticles as 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00, respectively. Significant improvements are observed in thermophysical properties with the hybridization of Al2O3 and graphene (Al2O3–GnP). Experimentation and parametric optimization are carried out using Taguchi's method. Controlling factors of hybrid nanofluid of alumina–graphene and monotype nanofluid of alumina are compared. The obtained results show that these parameters significantly reduce using hybrid nanofluid.
Predicting Diesel Engine Cetane Number and Similarity for Newer Commercial Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Authors: Cowart Jim , Dickerson Terrence , Luning Prak Dianne
Published: January 2024

A database of physical and chemical properties from one-hundred different jet fuels was used to create supervised Machine Learning (ML) models that predict Derived Cetane Number (DCN) as well as an unsupervised Self Organizing Map (SOM) of these conventional fuels. The best supervised ML models predict jet fuel DCN with just over one CN average error. The two dominant physical properties in the determination of DCN are fuel density and T50. The various models agree with increases in n-alkanes leading to higher DCN values, while increases in cyclo-aromatic content leading to decreases in DCN.

The prediction of eleven newer Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) DCNs showed at best errors of 3 to 5 DCN which corresponds to a 5 to 10 percent prediction error. There were two SAF anomalies with much greater DCN prediction errors (over-prediction), as these two fuels are heavily branched iso-alkanes with very low DCNs.

An unsupervised ML approach was also used to characterize fuel similarity. The unsupervised SOM created and trained with the conventional jet fuels was then used to evaluate the SAF fuels. Two of the SAFs which had DCNs similar to the baseline database fuel mean had Quantization Errors (QEs) double the average QE of the database fuels. The two low DCN iso-alkane branched SAF fuels had very high QEs and thus were correctly determined by the SOM ML based approach as most dissimilar to the conventional jet fuels. This unsupervised ML approach shows promise for detecting new fuel differences early in the fuel evaluation process.
The Use of PD Patterns to Evaluate the Wear-Resistance and Manufacturing Quality to Estimate Expected Lifetime of Ignition Coils
Authors: Tidholm Johan , Gordon Martin , Hammarström Thomas
Published: January 2024

Partial discharges (PDs) are localized flashovers that occur within electrical insulation, when the electric field exceeds its dielectric strength. The electrical insulation, which covers the distance between conductive parts is also referred to as the dielectricum. In ignition coils, typically two different insulation materials are used: epoxy and transformer oil. Epoxy has the advantage of making the construction independent of positioning but its dielectric strength is sensitive to the potting process. Using oil as electrical insulation is less process sensitive than epoxy but the construction becomes more challenging as it must encapsulate its insulation material. An additional disadvantage is that an oil-insulated ignition coil can generally only be operated in certain positions, but it gains the advantage of being self-healing after dielectric breakdowns within the oil. Epoxy-insulated ignition coils lack this property as electrical trees are created within the insulation. These trees are gas-filled cavities that grow in size with the number of occurred PDs. In high performance ignition coil design, the maximum field strength should not exceed the dielectric strength of the insulation material. However, impurities locally decrease the dielectric strength and increase the electric field level. Thus, PDs are initiated at these impurities or defects and with time, the electric trees will continue to grow until the ignition coil breaks due to insulation breakdown. In epoxy-insulated ignition coils, a defect can be introduced as a crack due to internal forces caused by differences in thermal expansion co-efficients of the insulation system materials, even at normal operational temperatures. Therefore, measuring how homogeneous, free from impurities like gas bubbles, cracks and charred compounds, the epoxy is after the potting process could be a vital tool for monitoring manufacturing quality. An important aspect for an ignition coils performance is how temperature-wear-resistant, the resistance to cracking induced by a set of temperature cycles, it is. By measuring PDs, there is a possibility to quantify these quantities at a great resolution.

Generally, an increase in the number of temperature cycles is observed to cause an enlarged PD activity within the insulation system, which is believed to be related to possible detrimental temperature differences within a single temperature cycle. This, in turn, is related to a reduction in insulation lifetime. The goals of this study are to fit the measured data to an inverse power law model for estimating lifetime and investigate whether we can detect which failure mode caused an ignition coil to break.
High-Performance Alloys for Conventional ICE and Hydrogen ICE Applications
Authors: Frehn Andreas , Krus David , Mack Steffen
Published: January 2024

Currently, there are various development trends in conventional internal combustion engines (ICE) towards alternative concepts to save CO2 and improve the green footprint. One of these new solutions is the hydrogen internal combustion engine (HICE), which uses a concept with a similar engine design to burn hydrogen with oxygen to produce H20 and thus generate energy. Such engines are currently being tested on various test rigs to determine their long-term behavior, generally using materials that have already been used for conventional ICEs. This raises the question of whether these materials can withstand the changed conditions inside and outside the combustion chamber. This is because the element hydrogen, due to its small size, can penetrate almost any material and significantly reduce the ductility. This behavior is denoted by hydrogen embrittlement and can cause dramatic fracture during material and/or component production as well as in the subsequent operation phase. The purpose of this paper is to present various high-performance alloys that have yielded technical advantages in conventional ICEs in previous research and are already used in various components in those vehicles. Based on these existing material concepts, investigations were carried out to test these materials for their suitability in hydrogen-rich atmospheres in order to have alternatives for the existing materials used in HICEs.
Quantitative Validation of a Computational Fluid Dynamics Methodology for Gasoline Sprays Under Cold Start Conditions
Authors: Assanis Dimitris , Hwang Joonsik , Guleria Gaurav , Lopez-Pintor Dario , Wagnon Scott W. , Whitesides Russel
Published: January 2024

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have a great potential to guide the optimization of fuel stratification strategies for internal combustion engines, but well-validated spray models are required. In this study, we aim to understand the current capability of CFD simulations, under conditions representative of partially stratified advanced compression ignition engines, to predict gasoline sprays through quantitative comparisons based on liquid measurements. A series of backlit extinction imaging is carried out in a constant volume vessel under simulated engine-like cold start conditions. As a test fuel, regular E10 gasoline is injected using a commercial gasoline direct-injection (GDI) injector at two different injection pressures of 50 bar and 100 bar. High-speed imaging datasets were used to obtain quantitative measurements of the liquid penetration, and local liquid volume fraction from line-of-sight integration and computed tomographic reconstruction. Additionally, geometric information by x-ray computed tomography is provided to set initial and boundary conditions for the CFD simulations. Multidimensional large-eddy simulations (LES) of the gasoline fuel spray in a constant volume chamber are presented and compared to the experimentally obtained fundamental validation data. A well-validated surrogate fuel for regular E10 gasoline, called PACE-20, was used in the simulations. Detailed comparison between experiments and simulations shows faster spray development and evaporation of LES studies, leading to slightly longer liquid penetration lengths. Further, the numerical simulations were able to capture the strong plume collapsing of the tested injector under these conditions and to properly reproduce the experimental trends and the effects of injection pressure on the liquid spray.
Computational Investigation on the Effects of Pre-Chamber Volume in an Active Narrow-Throat Pre-Chamber Engine
Authors: Silva Mickael , Liu Xinlei , Hlaing Ponnya , Cenker Emre , Al-Ramadan Abdullah , Turner James W. G. , Im Hong G.
Published: January 2024

To understand key physical aspects of volume in narrow-throat pre-chambers, computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed using CONVERGE™. A major advantage of a narrow-throat feature is to allow for drop-in replacement of a diesel injector, hence facilitating technology deployment. Despite broad literature on conventional pre-chambers, the narrow-throat has been shown to induce a different behavior, hence a thorough computational characterization is needed. The considered simulations were at lean conditions with methane, except the pre-chamber, which was additionally fueled thus providing an active mode of operation. The modeling work was validated with experiments and provided additional insights into key remaining questions on the small and large pre-chambers effects. The G-Equation combustion model was adopted; Peters’ turbulent flame speed correlation was used, while a skeletal methane mechanism was used for tabulating the laminar flame speed. The simulation data reveals that reducing the volume leads to significant stratification and low turbulence inside the pre-chamber. This combined with lower surface area led to lower heat transfer losses when compared to larger pre-chambers. Furthermore, the shorter jet issuing duration of small pre-chambers caters to longer combustion duration, as the turbulence and convection from the jets quickly dissipate. The Borghi-Peters diagram was further utilized to correlate the results with fundamental quantities and expected turbulent regimes encountered for the different pre-chambers.
Ignition Systems for SI-ICE Fueled by Alternative and Renewable Fuels
Authors: Ängeby Jakob , Tidholm Johan , Gustafsson Bert , Johnsson Anders
Published: January 2024

The requirements and challenges when designing a spark ignition system for hydrogen SI-ICE applications is presented. The ignition system needs to provide higher than usual voltages to provide robust ignition and sparks with low energy to minimize the sparkplug electrode wear, which are contradictory requirements when using a basic inductive ignition system. A general overview of spark ignition system design is presented. The features and capabilities of a system using a capacitive spark energy storage and an ignition control module that enables control of the available spark voltage, the duration and the current is presented. Results from extensive measurements heavy duty SI-ICE show that robust ignition is achieved at medium and high load using the shortest possible spark duration (∼40 μs) and a total spark energy of 2–5 mJ. A basic inductive ignition system typically delivers spark durations of 1500 μs and an energy of ∼90 mJ under the same condition. Control of spark characteristics can reduce the electrode wear significantly and reduce the electrode temperature, reducing the risk for preignition. The results apply also to other renewable and alternative fuels, such as biogas and hythane.
Cellular Instabilities in Spherically Expanding Hydrogen-Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide Flames
Authors: Nawaz Behlol , Nasim Md Nayer , Das Shubhra Kanti , Mack J. Hunter
Published: January 2024

Hydrogen (H2) has several properties that make it a promising alternative fuel. It is carbon-free, has a high gravimetric energy density, and can be compatible with some existing conversion technologies. However, there are several challenges in its large-scale use, such as a high flammability envelope and fundamentally different combustion properties compared with existing fuels such as natural gas. The use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a working fluid in place of nitrogen (N2) can help mitigate some of these issues such as the laminar burning velocity (LBV). It can help mitigate the challenges to the use of H2 in an internal combustion engine (ICE), such as the flame backfiring into the intake manifold, pre-ignition from hotspots and rapid pressure rise. It is important to understand how this working fluid substitution affects other properties. One important intrinsic property of a mixture is the propensity to form wrinkles and cellular structures on the surface of spherically expanding flames, which are indicative of intrinsic instabilities. In this study, images from experiments of spherically expanding H2-O2-CO2 flames were obtained experimentally in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC); the schlieren images are processed to detect wrinkles on the flame surface and determine their length. The composition of the mixture is varied in terms of the fraction of CO2 in the mixture, as well as the oxy-combustion equivalence ratio. The experiments were conducted at an initial mixture pressure of 1 bar. It is generally observed that while all flames display wrinkles relatively quickly and further develop into cellular structures, the behavior is more pronounced at lower equivalence ratios. Furthermore, the results also indicate that mixtures with higher fractions of CO2 are more prone to instabilities.
The Development and Application of Advanced Sensor Solutions for Gaining New Insights Into Large Engines
Authors: Higgs Ansel , Rossegger Bernhard , Tilz Anton , Vareka Martin , Engelmayer Michael , Wimmer Andreas
Published: January 2024

Large engines play an important role in today’s increasingly climate focused energy and transportation sectors. New research and measurement technologies are being developed to move forward to alternative, carbon-free fuels and further increases in service life.

A selection of new technologies with potential for advancing combustion engine development will be presented in this publication. Included are a variety of telemetry systems, capable of delivering online measurement data from within the engine, including piston temperatures and (inter-ring-) pressures, connecting rod upper and lower bearing temperatures, cylinder head and liner temperatures, and spark plug electrode temperatures. Descriptions of solutions for the various sensing positions, as well as boundary conditions, mechanical considerations, and design phase iterations, will be outlined.

Finally, results of measurements on large single-cylinder engines will be used to show how these systems can provide new insights into engine processes and thus contribute to the optimization of these engines. During the course of these measurements, experiments involving alternative fuels and combustions processes were performed. The novel component stress caused by these tests was also characterized with these telemetry systems and will briefly be discussed.
To be a bee
Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees
Thor Hanson
Basic Books, 2018, 304 pp.
Authors: Winfree Rachael
Published: January 2024

A charming account celebrates the insects' idiosyncrasies and the people passionate about protecting them
Spain's good news
Authors: Moro-Martín Amaya
Published: January 2024

Last month finally brought good news for science in Spain. Newly elected prime minister Pedro Sánchez named Spanish astronaut and aeronautical engineer Pedro Duque as head of a new Ministry for Science, Innovation, and Universities. This will hopefully put Spanish research and development (R&D) back on the country's political agenda after two legislatures in which science languished under the Ministry of Economy. Given the minority position of the ruling party in both chambers of Congress, Duque will face extraordinary challenges to increase the budget. But the creation of this new ministry is an encouraging first step.
Balancing act of small GTPases downstream of plexin-A4 signaling motifs promotes dendrite elaboration in mammalian cortical neurons
Authors: Abushalbaq Oday , Baek Jiyeon , Yaron Avraham , Tran Tracy S.
Published: January 2024

The precise development of neuronal morphologies is crucial to the establishment of synaptic circuits and, ultimately, proper brain function. Signaling by the axon guidance cue semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and its receptor complex of neuropilin-1 and plexin-A4 has multifunctional outcomes in neuronal morphogenesis. Downstream activation of the RhoGEF FARP2 through interaction with the lysine-arginine-lysine motif of plexin-A4 and consequent activation of the small GTPase Rac1 promotes dendrite arborization, but this pathway is dispensable for axon repulsion. Here, we investigated the interplay of small GTPase signaling mechanisms underlying Sema3A-mediated dendritic elaboration in mouse layer V cortical neurons in vitro and in vivo. Sema3A promoted the binding of the small GTPase Rnd1 to the amino acid motif leucine-valine-serine (LVS) in the cytoplasmic domain of plexin-A4. Rnd1 inhibited the activity of the small GTPase RhoA and the kinase ROCK, thus supporting the activity of the GTPase Rac1, which permitted the growth and branching of dendrites. Overexpression of a dominant-negative RhoA, a constitutively active Rac1, or the pharmacological inhibition of ROCK activity rescued defects in dendritic elaboration in neurons expressing a plexin-A4 mutant lacking the LVS motif. Our findings provide insights into the previously unappreciated balancing act between Rho and Rac signaling downstream of specific motifs in plexin-A4 to mediate Sema3A-dependent dendritic elaboration in mammalian cortical neuron development.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
vaccines: a contemporary overview
Authors: Williams Eloise , Seib Kate L. , Fairley Christopher K. , Pollock Georgina L. , Hocking Jane S. , McCarthy James S. , Williamson Deborah A.
Published: January 2024

Neisseria gonorrhoeae
infection is an important public health issue, with an annual global incidence of 87 million.
N. gonorrhoeae
infection causes significant morbidity and can have serious long-term impacts on reproductive and neonatal health and may rarely cause life-threatening disease. Global rates of
N. gonorrhoeae
infection have increased over the past 20 years. Importantly, rates of antimicrobial resistance to key antimicrobials also continue to increase, with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifying drug-resistant
N. gonorrhoeae
as an urgent threat to public health. This review summarizes the current evidence for
N. gonorrhoeae
vaccines, including historical clinical trials, key
N. gonorrhoeae
vaccine preclinical studies, and studies of the impact of
Neisseria meningitidis
vaccines on
N. gonorrhoeae
infection. A comprehensive survey of potential vaccine antigens, including those identified through traditional vaccine immunogenicity approaches, as well as those identified using more contemporary reverse vaccinology approaches, are also described. Finally, the potential epidemiological impacts of a
N. gonorrhoeae
vaccine and research priorities for further vaccine development are described.
Magmatic and rare Eocene to Precambrian xenocrystic zircons in Dominica reveal discrete crystallization episodes and multiple sediment sources
Authors: Frey Holli M. , Manon Matthew R.F. , Kittross Sarah , Pope Mollie D. , Brehm Sarah K.
Published: January 2024

The effects of sediment contribution to the Lesser Antilles island arc have been well explored with whole-rock trace-element chemistry and isotopic studies. To better understand the source of these sediments, we analyzed >400 zircons for U-Pb ages and trace-element chemistry in eight andesitic-dacitic ignimbrites and lavas younger than 100 ka from the island of Dominica in the central Lesser Antilles arc. The overwhelming majority of the zircons analyzed were magmatic in origin, with U-Pb ages younger than 10 Ma, but predominantly younger than 300 ka. Zircon trace-element chemistry is consistent with derivation from an oceanic-island arc, and positive εHf(t) values (+5 to +15) support a juvenile depleted mantle source.

Rare Precambrian to Eocene xenocrystic zircons (36) were also found in the Dominican volcanics and record sediment dispersal from several different terranes as the Caribbean plate migrated eastward along the northern margin of South America. Although some previous detrital zircon studies in the region suggested zircons younger than 100 Ma were derived from the Great Arc of the Caribbean, the younger Dominican zircon xenocrysts (300–50 Ma) have elevated Th/Yb and U/Yb, as well as variable positive/negative εHf(t) values, inconsistent with an oceanic arc origin. These zircons in Dominica were most likely derived from the Eastern and Central Cordillera of the Andes, which experienced a flare-up in magmatism ca. 65–45 Ma. As the Great Arc of the Caribbean traversed along the South American margin, terrigenous sediments transported via river systems and turbidites accumulated in the forearc basin. Older zircons (1800–300 Ma) have a slightly different chemistry and equivocal source(s), including the Andes, northern Venezuelan coastal ranges, and/or the Guyana Shield.
In situ U-Pb dating of Jurassic dinosaur bones from Sichuan Basin, South China
Authors: Qi Liang , Hou Mingcai , Mulder Jacob A. , Cawood Peter A. , Guo Yao , Wu Shitou , Jiao Liangxuan , Zhang Xiaolin , Ouyang Hui
Published: January 2024

Direct dating of vertebrate fossils is difficult due to complex postburial diagenetic processes and the often low and heterogeneous concentration of radioisotopes (e.g., U) in fossilized bone material. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to dating vertebrate fossils via laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry U-Pb dating of early diagenetic calcite cements precipitated within bone cavities of a Jurassic sauropod from the Sichuan Basin, South China. Early diagenetic calcite yielded a U-Pb age of 165.3 ± 3.6/5.6 Ma, in agreement with a maximum depositional age of 165.8 ± 1.0 Ma from detrital zircon ages of the surrounding rocks, suggesting that diagenesis occurred shortly after the death of the sauropod. This new age demonstrates that the best-known Jurassic large sauropod faunas in South China are much older than those in North America and Africa, suggesting the geographical isolation of South China. Authigenic apatite U-Pb dating on the fibrolamellar bones from the same sauropod gave a distinctly younger age, indicating more complex U-Pb system behavior, possibly due to U uptake by residual organic matter and recrystallization of apatite after early diagenesis. Our findings demonstrate that U-Pb dating of calcite cements within bone cavities has significant potential for constraining the burial age of vertebrate fossils, which could aid in constructing a more robust temporal framework for the radiation and evolution of vertebrates.
Erratum to: Magneto-Optical Spectroscopy of Nanocomposites (CoFeB)x(LiNbO3)100 – x with Concentrations up to the Percolation Threshold: From Superparamagnetism and Superferromagnetism to Ferromagnetism
Authors: Gan’shina E. A. , Pripechenkov I. M. , Perova N. N. , Kanazakova E. S. , Nikolaev S. N. , Sitnikov A. S. , Granovskii A. B. , Ryl’kov V. V.
Published: January 2024

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X2355001X
Erratum to: The Chiral Spin-Orbitronics of a Helimagnet–Normal Metal Heterojunction
Authors: Ustinov V. V. , Yasyulevich I. A. , Bebenin N. G.
Published: January 2024

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X23550021
Use of extracorporeal shockwave therapies for athletes and physically active individuals: a systematic review
Authors: Rhim Hye Chang , Shin Jaehyung , Kang Jane , Dyrek Paige , Crockett Zack , Galido Pearl , Wade Carrie , Hollander Karsten , Borg-Stein Joanne , Sampson Steven , Tenforde Adam S
Published: January 2024

Objective

To determine the efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and investigate outcomes following the use of ESWT for athletes and physically active individuals.

Design

Systematic review.

Data sources

We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and searched four databases: PubMed (NLM), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL Complete (EBSCO) and Web of Science (Clarivate).

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Included studies were randomised controlled trials, cohort and case–control studies, cases series and reports that evaluated outcomes following ESWT for athletes, physically active individuals and occupational groups requiring regular physical activity such as military cadets.

Results

56 studies with 1874 athletes or physically active individuals were included. Using the Oxford level of evidence rating, included studies were 18 level I (32.1%), 3 level II (5.4%), 10 level III (17.9%), 13 level IV (23.2%) and 12 level V (21.4%). Based on the level I studies, ESWT may be effective alone in plantar fasciitis, lateral epicondylitis and proximal hamstring tendinopathy and as an adjunct to exercise treatment in medial tibial stress syndrome and osteitis pubis in athletes or physically active individuals. In most studies, athletes were allowed to continue activities and training and tolerated ESWT with minimal side effects.

Conclusion

ESWT may offer an efficacious treatment alone or as an adjunct to concurrent exercise therapy in selected sports-related injuries and without major adverse events. Further high-level research is needed to better define the role and clinical outcomes of ESWT.
GRNmutation spectrum and genotype–phenotype correlation in Chinese dementia patients: data from PUMCH dementia cohort
Authors: Liu Caiyan , Dong Liling , Wang Jie , Li Jie , Huang Xinying , Lei Dan , Mao Chenhui , Chu Shanshan , Sha Longze , Xu Qi , Peng Bin , Cui Liying , Gao Jing
Published: January 2024

Background

Methods

TheGRNmutations, especially of the loss of function type, are causative of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, severalGRNvariants can be found in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease. So far, there have been over 300GRNmutations reported globally. However, the genetic spectrum and phenotypic characteristics have not been fully elucidated in Chinese population.

The participants were from the dementia cohort of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (n=1945). They received history inquiry, cognitive evaluation, brain imaging and exome sequencing. The dementia subjects carrying the rare variants of theGRNwere included in this study. Those with the pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants of other dementia-related genes were excluded.

Results

14 subjects carried the rare variants ofGRN. They were clinically diagnosed with behavioural variant of FTD (n=2), non-fluent/agrammatic variant primary progressive aphasia (PPA, n=3), semantic variant PPA (n=1), AD (n=6) and mixed dementia (n=2). 13 rare variants ofGRNwere found, including 6 novel variants (W49X, S226G, M152I, A91E, G79E and A303S). The most prevalent symptom was amnesia (85.7%, 12/14), followed by psychiatric and behavioural disorder (78.6%, 11/14). In terms of lobar atrophy, temporal atrophy/hypometabolism was the most common (85.7%, 12/14), followed by parietal atrophy/hypometabolism (78.6%, 11/14).

Conclusion

The novelGRNvariants identified in this study contribute to enrich theGRNmutation repertoire. There is phenotypic similarity and diversity among Chinese patients with theGRNmutations.
Detecting Adversarial Examples Utilizing Pixel Value Diversity
Authors: Dong Jinxin , Zhou Pingqiang
Published: January 2024

In this article, we introduce two novel methods to detect adversarial examples utilizing pixel value diversity. First, we propose the concept of pixel value diversity (which reflects the spread of pixel values in an image) and two independent metrics (UPVR and RPVR) to assess the pixel value diversity separately. Then we propose two methods to detect adversarial examples based on the threshold method and Bayesian method respectively. Experimental results show that compared to an excellent prior method LID, our proposed methods achieve better performances in detecting adversarial examples. We also show the robustness of our proposed work against an adaptive attack method.
SDN-enabled Quantized LQR for Smart Traffic Light Controller to Optimize Congestion
Authors: Sachan Anuj , Kumar Neetesh
Published: January 2024

Existing intersection management systems, in urban cities, lack in meeting the current requirements of self-configuration, lightweight computing, and software-defined control, which are necessarily required for congested road-lane networks. To satisfy these requirements, this work proposes effective, scalable, multi-input and multi-output, and congestion prevention-enabled intersection management system utilizing a software-defined control interface that not only regularly monitors the traffic to prevent congestion for minimizing queue length and waiting time but also offers a computationally efficient solution in real-time. For effective intersection management, a modified linear-quadratic regulator, i.e., Quantized Linear Quadratic Regulator (QLQR), is designed along with Software-defined Networking (SDN)-enabled control interface to maximize throughput and vehicles speed and minimize queue length and waiting time at the intersection. Experimental results prove that the proposed SDN-QLQR improves the comparative performance in the interval of 24.94%–49.07%, 35.78%–68.86%, 36.67%–59.08%, and 29.94%–57.87% for various performance metrics, i.e., average queue length, average waiting time, throughput, and average speed, respectively.
A ganglionic intestinointestinal reflex activated by acute noxious challenge
Authors: Stebbing Martin J. , Shafton Anthony D. , Davey Catherine E. , Di Natale Madeleine R. , Furness John B. , McAllen Robin M.
Published: January 2024

An intraluminal noxious chemical stimulus applied to one segment of small intestine increased mesenteric efferent nerve activity to an adjacent segment. This was identified as a peripheral ganglionic reflex that did not require vagal or spinal connections. Hexamethonium blocked most, but not all, ongoing and reflex mesenteric efferent activity. The prevertebral sympathetic efferent neurons that are activated likely affect inflammatory and immune functions of other gut segments.
Whether Detection of Gene Mutations Could Identify Low- or High-Risk Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma? Data from 393 Cases Using the Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Jin Lei , Zhou Liang , Wang Jian-Biao , Tao Li , Lu Xiao-Xiao , Yan Na , Chen Qian-Ming , Cao Li-Ping , Xie Lei
Published: January 2024

Objective. The objective of this study is to explore the utilization of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in evaluating the likelihood of identifying individuals with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC ≤10 mm) who are at high or low risk. Design. NGS was used to analyze 393 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of PTC tumors, all of which were smaller than 15 mm. Results. The study found that bilateralism, multifocality, intrathyroidal spread, and extrathyroidal extension were present in 84 (21.4%), 153 (38.9%), 16 (4.1%), and 54 (13.7%) cases, respectively. Metastasis of cervical lymph nodes was identified in 226 (57.5%) cases and 96 (24.4%) cases with CLNM >5. Out of the total number of cases studied, 8 cases (2.3%) showed signs of tumor recurrence, all of which were localized and regional. Genetic alterations were detected in 342 cases (87.0%), with 336 cases revealing single mutations and 6 cases manifesting compound mutations. 332 cases (84.5%) had BRAFV600E mutation, 2 cases had KRASQ61K mutation, 2 cases had NRASQ61R mutation, 8 cases had RET/PTC1 rearrangement, 3 cases had RET/PTC3 rearrangement, and 1 case had TERT promoter mutation. Additionally, six individuals harbored concurrent mutations in two genes. These mutations were of various types and combinations: BRAFV600E and NRASQ61R (n = 2), BRAFV600E and RET/PTC3 (n = 2), BRAFV600E and RET/PTC1 (n = 1), and BRAFV600E and TERT promoter (n = 1). The subsequent analysis did not uncover a significant distinction in the incidence of gene mutation or fusion between the cN0 and cN1 patient cohorts. The presence of BRAFV600E mutation and CLNM incidence rates were found to be positively correlated with larger tumor size in PTMC. Our data showed that gene mutations did not appear to have much to do with high-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). However, when we looked at tumor size, we found that if the tumor was at least 5 millimeters in size, there was a higher chance of it being at high risk for PTM (P<0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 2.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57–4.14). Identification of BRAFV600E mutation was not demonstrated to be significantly correlated with advanced clinicopathological characteristics, although it was strongly associated with a bigger tumor diameter (OR = 4.92, 95% CI: 2.40–10.07, P<0.001). Conclusion. In clinical practice, BRAFV600E mutation does not consistently serve as an effective biomarker to distinguish high-risk PTMC or predict tumor progression. The size of the tumor has a significant correlation with its aggressive characteristics. PTMC with a diameter of ≤5 mm should be distinguished and targeted as a unique subset for specialized treatment.
Two-Year Outcomes of Novel Dual-Mobility Implant in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Schaffler Benjamin C. , Raymond Hayley E. , Black Collin S. , Habibi Akram A. , Ehlers Mallory , Duncan Stephen T. , Schwarzkopf Ran
Published: January 2024

Introduction. Dual-mobility (DM) implants for total hip arthroplasty (THA) have gained popularity due to their potential to reduce hip instability and dislocation events that may lead to revision surgery. These implants consist of a femoral head articulated within a polyethylene liner, which articulates within an outer acetabular shell, creating a dual-bearing surface. Our study aimed to report our observations on the survivorship of a novel DM implant for primary total hip arthroplasty at two years. Methods. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study to assess the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing a THA with a novel DM implant (OR3O acetabular system™, Smith & Nephew, Inc., Memphis, TN) from January 2020 to September 2021. Patient demographics, surgical information, and survivorship data were collected from medical records for patients with a minimum of two years of follow-up. Primary outcomes included overall implant survivorship at two years as well as aseptic survivorship, revision rates of the DM acetabular shell, and average time to revision. Patient-reported outcomes were collected in the form of HOOS JR. Results. A total of 250 hips in 245 patients had a minimum two-year follow-up. Primary osteoarthritis (80%) was the most common indication for index THA. The average aseptic survivorship of the DM acetabular components at two years for the cohort was 98.4% and survivorship of the acetabular implants overall was 97.6%. There were a total of four (1.6%) aseptic revisions of the DM acetabular component. Reasons for aseptic acetabular revision included one case of instability, one intraprosthetic dislocation, one periprosthetic acetabular fracture, and one malpositioned acetabular cup resulting in impingement. The mean time of follow-up was 893.9 days. Eighty-seven patients had preoperative and two-year HOOS JR available. HOOS JR improved by an average of 38.5 points. Conclusion. This novel DM acetabular implant demonstrates excellent survivorship at two years follow-up with low rates of instability and intraprosthetic dislocation and no episodes of metal-on-metal corrosion. Use of the DM implant demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in patient-reported outcomes at two years.
“I Can’t Believe I Phubbed Up Our Friendship!”: Examining Relationships between Loneliness, Problematic Smartphone Use, Friend Phubbing, and Life Satisfaction
Authors: Sun Juhyung , Wong Norman
Published: January 2024

As one of the dark sides of smartphone use, phubbing (i.e., snubbing others during face-to-face interactions by using their smartphones) has drawn increased attention in recent years. A growing literature on phubbing has widely examined psychological and social problems related to phubbing. However, very little is known about how certain psychological states and outcomes—mainly loneliness and life satisfaction—occur in relation to phubbing. This study examined the relationships between loneliness, problematic smartphone use, phubbing, and life satisfaction, particularly within friendships. For this study, college students (N=513; 188 men, 323 women, and two others) aged 18 to 29 (Mage=19.85 years) completed self-report measures online. Structural equation modeling was used to measure the model, and the relationships of this study were conducted via SPSS and AMOS. As expected, the model yielded a good fit, and the findings showed that loneliness positively and indirectly predicted the enactment of friend phubbing through its influence on problematic smartphone use, which negatively predicted life satisfaction.
Development of Rotor Balancing Algorithm for a High‐Precision Rotor System considering Dynamic Reliability through Automatic‐Adaptive DBSCAN
Authors: Jung Joon Ha , Kim Byungock , Na Woong Jae , Shin Yun-ho
Published: January 2024

Recently, the demand for high‐precision balancing of rotors has increased in the automobile industry, as more rotors are designed to rotate at ever‐higher speeds to maximize energy efficiency. The accumulation of measurement uncertainty in the balancing process decreases the accuracy of the unbalanced mass estimation, which is the ultimate goal of balancing. Here, the problem of uncertainty is shown through a Monte Carlo simulation of signals acquired from an actual production line. To reduce the effect of measurement uncertainty in the balancing procedures, a signal‐processing technique that increases the dynamic reliability of the signal is proposed. The suggested method is based on density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) with the use of the orthogonality‐based averaging method. Specifically, by adjusting radius values while clustering samples through the use of the DBSCAN method, the outliers that arise due to uncertainty are successfully removed. In this work, our proposed automatic‐adaptive DBSCAN (AA‐DBSCAN) method is validated by applying it to a balancing machine used for blower rotors in fuel cell electric vehicles. The results show that the deviation of the extracted influence coefficients is up to 0.0050, whereas the proposed method reduced it to less than 0.0037. In addition, the suggested procedure reduced the deviations of the unbalanced mass phase estimation by 35.2% as compared to the results found by the conventional method. Consequently, through the validation test, the suggested method was found to have the largest vibration decrease of any method considered in the study.