bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pt/C catalysts containing CeO2 with different morphologies for the hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Qi Pengran , You Jia , Wang Yi , Tian Liangliang , Qi Tao
Published: August 2023

Pt/C catalysts containing four different morphologies of CeO2 as co-catalysts were synthesized in this work, and their electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was investigated. As compared with the Pt/C catalyst, these four catalysts containing CeO2 all exhibited improved catalytic activity. Among them, the Pt/C catalyst containing spherical CeO2 with a diameter of 30 ~ 60 nm (Pt/C-CeO2(s2)) possesses the best catalytic activity, displaying an over-potential of 258 mV at 10 mA cm− 2 and a Tafel slope of 42 mV dec− 1. According to the characterization results of structure, morphology and elemental valence state, the enhancement of catalytic activity is ascribed to the small particle size and good dispersion degree of Pt, as well as the strong interaction between the exposed (111) crystal plane of small spherical CeO2 and Pt, which leads to a significant increase in metallic Pt content. Moreover, the Pt/C-CeO2(s2) catalyst also demonstrates outstanding long-term stability besides exceptional catalytic activity. The results clearly illustrate that CeO2 with diverse shapes and sizes can remarkably influence the catalytic performance of loaded Pt particles in the HER process.
LicochalconeB Inhibits cGAS-STING Signaling Pathway and Prevents Autoimmunity Diseases
Authors: luo wei , Xu Guang , Wang Hongbo , zheng Song , Chen Yuanyuan , Mu Wenqing , Wen Jincai , Zhang Ping , Xiao Xiaohe , Bai Zhaofang
Published: August 2023

Cytosolic DNA activates the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) signaling pathway to trigger interferon and inflammatory responses that protect against microbial infections and cancer. However, Aicardi–Goutières syndrome (AGS) persistently activates the STING signaling pathway, which can lead to severe autoimmune diseases. We demonstrate herein that Licochalcone B (LicoB), the main component of traditional licorice, is an inhibitor of the STING signaling pathway. We observed that LicoB inhibited the activation of the STING signaling pathway in macrophages. Mechanically, LicoB affected the STING-TBK1-IRF3 signal axis and inhibited the activation of the STING downstream signaling pathway. Furthermore, LicoB inhibited the increase in type I interferon levels in mice induced by the STING agonist CMA. LicoB significantly reduced systemic inflammation in Trex1−/− mice. Our results show that LicoB, a STING signaling pathway inhibitor, is a promising candidate for the treatment of diseases related to STING signaling pathway activation.
The Relationship between Leadership, Organizational and Market Characteristics and Services Provided among IHS Urban Indian Health Programs
Authors: Tribble Grant , Borkowski Nancy , Corso Phaedra , Hall Allyson , Hearld Kristine R.
Published: August 2023

The Urban Indian Health Program (UIHP) was created by the Indian Health Service to establish a culturally appropriate health care delivery model for Native Americans who relocate into urban areas. For each of the 31 UIHP facilities, the geography, socioeconomic characteristics, and culture of the patient mix is varied, and the leaders of each facility affect the strategic direction and planning of the health care services offered and the adaptation of the health care services offerings to each of its populations. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if, within the UIHP, there is a relationship among the characteristics of the leaders and the leader’s strategic decisions relating to services provided. We found that the planning and execution of the UIHP’s strategy depends upon a variety of factors including the leaders’ individual characteristics, the organizational characteristics of each program, and the market factors of each service area.
Secure AI Model Sharing: A Cryptographic Approach for Encrypted Model Exchange
Authors: Neyigapula Bheema Shanker
Published: August 2023

The secure exchange of cryptographic keys is crucial for ensuring the confiden- tiality and integrity of AI models during sharing and collaboration. This research paper focuses on proposing a secure key exchange approach specifically tailored for encrypted model sharing. By addressing the key distribution problem inherent in AI model sharing, this approach establishes a secure and robust mechanism for exchanging cryptographic keys. The paper provides an overview of secure key exchange techniques, including public key cryptography, Diffie-Hellman key exchange, and elliptic curve cryptography, and discusses their application in the context of AI model sharing. The implementation details and evaluation results demonstrate the effectiveness and security of the proposed secure key exchange approach, offering a reliable solution for ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of shared AI models.
Experiences from a 10-week weight-neutral treatment program for patients with clinical binge eating disorder and higher weight
Authors: Berg Kjersti Hognes , Eik-Nes Trine Tetlie , Natvik Eli
Published: August 2023

Background
Weight based stigma might drive the development of both higher weight and binge eating disorder (BED). To improve treatment and outcomes, a deeper understanding of how stigma and shame are related in health-care practices is needed. The current study was designed to gain insight into how participating in a 10-week weight neutral treatment program for patients with binge eating disorder and higher weight was experienced.
Methods
Semi structured interviews were conducted with 10 patients who had completed the BED-treatment. The intervention was group based, emphasizing stigma and shame, using models of attachment and affect regulation in the presentation of BED. Interviews were analyzed guided by van Manen’s hermeneutic-phenomenological approach.
Results
A profound feeling of inferiority due to higher weight appeared to have kept the participants stuck in a behavioral cycle of dieting, weight loss, bingeing and weight regain. In addition, participants, and health care professional’s mutual acknowledgement of driving elements of binge eating in treatment, and less focus on behavioral change related to weight and eating, appeared to stimulate a feeling of equality. Feeling equal was described by participants as facilitating increased awareness and tolerance of bodily sensations and emotions, and a deeper understanding and self-caring attitude towards themselves. Feeling less shame was described as important for self-disclosure in family relationships, leading to increased understanding and support from others. Simultaneously, our findings indicate that uncertainty related to coping with food, eating and weight in unchanged, stigmatizing surroundings was profound after end of treatment.
Conclusions
The results indicate that relational dynamics of inferiority and equality may maintain and reverse BED-symptoms respectively. Health-care professionals engaging in a more equal distribution of power trough recognition, compassionate acceptance, and mutual investigation of subjective experience might contribute to reducing stigma and shame and the burdensome notion of inferiority among people with higher weight suffering from binge eating disorder.
Trial registration
The study was approved and registered by the Data Access Committee at Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust August 8th, 2019, registration number 2019_2335.
“Someone to Talk to”: A Qualitative Study of Oncology Trainees' Experience of Mentorship around Moral Distress
Authors: Preti Beatrice , Wood Sarah
Published: August 2023

Purpose
Moral distress is an intrinsic part of healthcare, particularly prevalent in oncology practitioners. Previous studies have suggested mentorship may play a role in combatting moral distress; however, there is a lack of good evidence aimed at understanding trainees’ experience with either mentorship or moral distress, including the intersection between the two.
Materials and Methods
We conducted a single-centre study in the hermeneutic phenomenological approach at a Canadian academic cancer centre. Six semi-structured interviews with senior oncology trainees were conducted and analysed according to the interpretive profiles hermeneutic phenomenological approach.
Results
Key findings include the idea that trainees do find mentorship valuable and helpful in navigating moral distress, which is described as common and inevitable, with a number of triggers and factors identified. However, a mentorship relationship must involve mutual respect, understanding, and honesty in order to be valuable. Additionally, engaging in open, honest discussions with mentors, particularly more senior individuals, is seen as a risk-benefit balance by trainees; vertical mentors bring more wisdom and experience, but may also have a greater impact on a trainee’s future.
Conclusions
This thought-provoking study highlights mentorship as a potential method to combat the troubling phenomenon of moral distress in oncology trainees.
Predatory efficacy of three predatory mites against Megalurothrips usitatus
Authors: Li Haolong , Zhu Bifeng , Ali Shaukat , Wu JianHui
Published: August 2023

Megalurothrips usitatus is a major insect pest of leguminous crops in southern China which causes great economic losses every year. Predatory mites are well known insect natural enemies which have been applied to control different insect pests including thrips species. The functional response and intraspecific interference of one native predatory mite species (Lasioseius youcefi) and two exotic species (Neoseiulus californicus, and Amblyseius cucumeris Oudemans) feeding on first instar nymph of M. usitatus were examined under laboratory conditions to identify the control potential of above-mentioned mite species. The results showed that the functional responses of the three predatory mites against M. usitatus fitted to Holling-Ⅱ equation. The extent of predation gradually stabilized with increasing prey densities. L. youcefi was the strongest predator with highest searching efficiency whereas A. cucumeris was the weakest. At fixed M. usitatus density, the average predation of all mite species decreased gradually with the increase of their density showing an intraspecific interference. The findings of our study confirmed that native species of L. youcefi has certain advantages and higher control potential over other predatory mites for M. usitatus management.
RPRsHN: Research Paper Recommendations based on the Heterogeneous Networks using Personalized Weight of meta-paths and Impact Factors
Authors: R Mahesh T , V Vinoth Kumar , M Karthik Raghunath K , V Vivek
Published: August 2023

Millions of research papers are available to users from various digital libraries. Finding relevant research that fits a researcher's tastes is therefore a difficult process. As a result, various paper recommendation models have been put out to deal with this problem. The previous studies have concentrated on only the historical preferences of the users. The diversified user preferences as well as interests of the users were not given enough priorities. We recommend a technique for making tailored paper recommendations that includes various preferences and users’ interests. In order to understand user preferences, we look into meta-paths in the network. We use random walks over meta-paths to calculate the recommendation scores of potential papers for the intended users. Then we use Bayesian Personalised Ranking and a personalised weight learning technique to identify a user's personalised weights on various meta-paths. Combining the scores of recommendation from several meta-paths with customized weights yields a global recommendation score. The proposed model performs better than existing state-of-art models.
A novel in vivo model of ureteral fibrosis induced by calcium oxalate beads in C57BL/6J mice
Authors: Watanabe Masaki , Ando Ryo , Sugisawa Ryoichi , Sasaki Nobuya , Iwai Satomi
Published: August 2023

The global incidence of ureteroliths in humans is increasing, particularly posing a problem in developed countries. The most common stone type is calcium oxalate, which is associated with a high recurrence rate. In veterinary medicine, stones are the most common cause of ureteral obstruction in cats, accounting for 72–87% of cases. In cats, stones cause irreversible ureteral damage, necessitating stone treatment as well as ureteral therapy. However, the mechanisms underlying the ureteral damage caused by stones remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to create a mouse model suitable for studying the ureteral fibrosis caused by oxalate stones by artificially embedding calcium oxalate in the ureter. Pathological tissue analysis was used to compare normal ureters without ligation and ureters with sham or oxalate bead implantation. The ureters of the sham and oxalate bead groups showed granulation tissue formation, transitional epithelium exfoliation, and densely packed connective tissue in the proprietary and muscle layer regions. Particularly in the oxalate bead group, infiltration of degenerated neutrophils, presence of foreign body giant cells, and hyperplasia of the transitional epithelium were observed. The proportion of fibrosis was higher in the oxalate group than in the sham group. Overall, this mouse model created using oxalate bead implantation has the potential to efficiently induce ureteral obstruction. This mouse model is expected to be used for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of ureteral fibrosis and evaluating therapeutic drugs in future.
Antigenic diversity and dengue disease risk
Authors: Wang Lin , Huang Angkana , Katzelnick Leah , Lefrancq Noémie , Escoto Ana Coello , Duret Loréna , Chowdhury Nayeem , Jarman Richard , Conte Matthew , Berry Irina , Fernandez Stefan , Klungthong Chonticha , Thaisomboonsuk Butsaya , Suntarattiwong Piyarat , Vandepitte Warunee , Whitehead Stephen , Cauchemez Simon , Cummings Derek , Salje Henrik
Published: August 2023

Many pathogens continuously change their protein structure in response to immune-driven selection, resulting in weakened protection. In addition, for some pathogens such as dengue virus, poorly targeted immunity is associated with increased risk of severe disease, through a mechanism known as antibody-dependent enhancement. However, it remains a mystery whether the antigenic distance between an individual’s first infection and subsequent exposures dictate disease risk, explaining the observed large-scale differences in dengue hospitalisations across years. Here we develop an inferential framework that combines detailed antigenic and genetic characterisation of viruses, and hospitalised cases from 21 years of surveillance in Bangkok, Thailand to identify the role of the antigenic profile of circulating viruses in determining disease risk. We find that the risk of hospitalisation depends on both the specific order of infecting serotypes and the antigenic distance between an individual’s primary and secondary infections, with risk maximised at intermediate antigenic distances. These findings suggest immune imprinting helps determine dengue disease risk, and provides a pathway to monitor the changing risk profile of populations and to quantifying risk profiles of candidate vaccines.
Estimation of the Burr-XII Distribution Parameters using the Runge-Kutta Method based on Interval-Censored Data
Authors: Maswadah M.
Published: August 2023

In parameter estimation techniques, the Bayes’ method is the most usable technique for estimating distribution parameters, despite being subjective to prior information. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to present an optimal technique using the Runge-Kutta method to find the point estimators for Burr -XII model parameters, based on interval-censored data, and compare them with the Bayesian estimates based on the informative and kernel priors, via Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results indicated that the Runge-Kutta method is highly favorable, which provides better estimates and outperforms the Bayesian estimates using different loss functions. Finally, real data analyses are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methods.
Prevalence of Tuberculosis in children using Gene Xpert on Gastric lavage samples
Authors: Chisompola David , Chanda Priscah , Moono Roy , Chakopo Moses , Chipengwe Patrick
Published: August 2023

Background
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), affects the lungs, kidneys, spine, and brain, has a significant global health challenge affecting 10–20% of children. Zambia is ranked in thirty countries with heavy burden. Early detection and intervention are crucial for managing the disease and preventing its progression to severe forms.
Objective
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of tuberculosis among children aged 0 to 10 years at the Arthur Davison Children's Hospital in Ndola, Zambia. The study specifically focused on children with coughs, and the preferred gastric lavage technique was used for sampling.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional study was conducted, we enrolled 138 children who were assessed using a structured questionnaire. To diagnosis TB, we employed x-rays and GeneXpert analysis of gastric lavage samples collected from January 2022 to February 2022.
Results
The results revealed that out of the 138 participants, 119 (86.2%) tested negative for mycobacterium tuberculosis, while 19 (13.8%) tested positive. GeneXpert detected 2 out of the 19 positives (1.4%), whereas chest x-ray identified all 19 positive cases (100%). Males showed a higher prevalence of MTB (52.6%) compared to females (47.4%), and the 0–4 age group had a higher MTB prevalence of 13 cases (68.4%) compared to 6 cases (31.6%) in the 5–10 age group.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the study showed a low prevalence of MTB (1.4%) in children under 10 years when using GeneXpert with gastric lavage samples. However, chest x-ray outperformed GeneXpert in detecting positive cases. The potential issues with the cumbersome process and the influence of gastric lavage sample acidity raise concerns about GeneXpert's effectiveness as the preferred choice for TB diagnosis in this population.
A Recommendation Model Based on Deep Feature Representation and Multi-Head Self-Attention Mechanism
Authors: Wilson Matilda , Wellington Bernd , Merrick Atticus , Huxley Imogen
Published: August 2023

Recommender systems analyze user attributes and historical behaviors to understand user needs and filter and select the content they want. Recommender systems have been proposed since the 1990s and have been studied to adapt to various domains. Nowadays Recommendations are now essential for the growing e-commerce, as well as for everyday entertainment such as music, movies, socializing, and networking. In recent years, deep learning technology has become a hot trend, which effectively solves the difficulty of combining features manually in traditional machine learning by automatically learning high-level feature representations. It also brings new challenges and opportunities for the development of recommendation systems. From traditional recommendation models to deep recommendation models, from manual feature engineering to automatic feature engineering, and from low-order features to high-order feature learning, recommender systems have been continuously developed and innovated. In addition, nowadays recommender systems are constantly personalized and scene-oriented, and recommender systems under various scenarios have appeared one after another, for example, social network-based recommendation, scenario-aware recommendation, geographic location-based recommendation, etc., and recommender systems are moving towards diversified and personalized development. In this paper, we explore the feature representation in current recommendation algorithms in the application scenario of video recommendation. Efficient feature representations can mine the user's hidden information and thus improve the accuracy of recommendations. An attention mechanism is introduced to propose a deep collaborative filtering recommendation model based on attention. Extensive experiments on real datasets validate the effectiveness of the model recommendations.
Emergent constraint on the projected central tropical Pacific warming and northwestern Pacific monsoon trough change
Authors: Tang Tao , Qi Li , Tozuka Tomoki , Luo Jing-Jia , He Jinhai
Published: August 2023

The northwestern Pacific monsoon trough (NWPMT) deeply impacts socio-economic development and human security over East Asia by supplying moisture to the summer monsoon rainfall and modulating tropical cyclone activities. However, considerable inter-model spreads in the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 6 models make the future projection of the NWPMT less reliable. Here, we find that the inter-model spread of the NWPMT change is significantly correlated with the central equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature change, and mainly determined by the equatorial thermocline sharpness in the historical simulations. According to the emergent constraint method, the central equatorial Pacific SST would warm up about 8% slower than the multi-model mean with 56% uncertainty reduced. Correspondingly, the NWPMT would slacken westward with 36% uncertainty reduced. Results here emphasize the importance of examining and reducing systematic model biases in simulating subsurface fields that have been overlooked in past literatures, before achieving more reliable future projections.
Reseña: Lázaro-Ibarrola, Amparo (2023). Child L2 writers. A room of their own. John Benjamins Publishing.
Authors: Obanos-Gil Maria Puy
Published: August 2023

Las tareas y los procesos de escritura realizados en segundas lenguas ofrecen a los estudiantes oportunidades no solo para mejorar sus habilidades de escritura y comprender contenidos, sino también posibilidades reales de desarrollo y aprendizaje de la segunda lengua. Partiendo de esta premisa, Lázaro-Ibarrola revisa los fundamentos teóricos que avalan estos beneficios de la escritura y analiza los resultados de los estudios que han investigado las tareas de escritura en segundas lenguas entre participantes de la etapa escolar de primaria. Esta monografía además propone nuevas líneas de investigación y ofrece una serie de pautas pedagógicas para implementar las tareas de escritura en las aulas.
Mathematical model of full-bridge voltage converter
Authors:   Research and Production Center «Polyus», Beykov Maxim V. , Bukreev Viktor G. ,   National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University
Published: August 2023

The article presents the equivalent circuits and operation modes of a full-bridge static converter. A presented mathematical model of a voltage converter describes the operation of its elements and provides a study of power transformer magnetization. The results of mathematical and simulation modeling obtained in Matlab/Simulink and OrCAD are compared.
Computer symbolic analysis and study of the signal characteristics of a microwave integrated transimpedance amplifier based on CMOS-transistors
Authors:   Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR), Koryakovcev Artyom S. , Babak Leonid I. ,   Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR), Kokolov Andrej A. ,   Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR)
Published: August 2023

A technique is proposed for investigating and designing microwave transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) based on the joint use of computer symbolic analysis and CMOS-transistors' linear equivalent circuits (ECs). The technique makes it possible to analyze the influence of various schematic parameters on TIA performances using automatically generated analytical expressions as well as to obtain recommendations for amplifier design. The investigation of the influence of devices' EC elements helps to choose CMOS-transistors' constructions and sizes when designing integrated TIAs. The approach proposed is applied to the input stage of microwave common source-common drain TIA with parallel feedback. The analysis of dependences of the main TIA characteristics (transimpedance, group delay, and input/output impedances) on circuit elements and transistor parameters is performed. Also, the amplifier stability is investigated. It is shown that, in contrast to the commonly used TIA analysis based on idealized models of active elements, the proposed approach provides sufficient accuracy in calculating amplifier performances up to the frequency of 30 GHz.
Implementasi Dashboard Untuk Visualisasi Data Penerimaan Mahasiswa Baru Studi Kasus : Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana
Authors: Priskilla Vanesha Glorya , Oslan Yetli , Ernawati Lussy
Published: August 2023

New Student Admissions activities at an University needs to be monitored to determine the performance of Admission and Promotion. Admission data can be processed and analyzed to determine the expo destination schools, promotion locations, and appropriate potential areas. In addition, the results of Admission data processing can be used to determine the fluctuation of enthusiasts in the Majors from previous periods or the comparison of the number of enthusiasts between Majors. For that reason we need a dashboard as a tool to help user for analyze, monitor and be taken into consideration in making strategic decisions related to Admission activities. The implemented dashboard consists of a collection of information that is visualized in graphs and numbers. The users of the dashboard are employees of the Admissions and Promotion Unit, Head of Majors for each department, and Administrators.
                  There are 6 dimensions displayed in the dashboard, namely time, region, test route, path transfer, prospective students, and school origin. The data of new student admissions is processed and stored into the data warehouse through the ETL process. Furthermore, the data warehouse is used as data storage for the implementation of a web-based dashboard application using the PHP programming language. The implemented dashboard consists of Admission information that is visualized into charts and numbers. the graphs that used in PMB data visualization include bar charts, doughnut charts, pie charts, column charts, line charts, and map charts.
Traveling discontinuity at the quantum butterfly front
Authors: Aron Camille , Brunet Éric , Mitra Aditi
Published: August 2023

We formulate a kinetic theory of quantum information scrambling in the context of a paradigmatic model of interacting electrons in the vicinity of a superconducting phase transition. We carefully derive a set of coupled partial differential equations that effectively govern the dynamics of information spreading in generic dimensions. Their solutions show that scrambling propagates at the maximal speed set by the Fermi velocity. At early times, we find exponential growth at a rate set by the inelastic scattering. At late times, we find that scrambling is governed by shock-wave dynamics with traveling waves exhibiting a discontinuity at the boundary of the light cone. Notably, we find perfectly causal dynamics where the solutions do not spill outside of the light cone.
Coupled Fredkin and Motzkin chains from quantum six- and nineteen-vertex models
Authors: Zhang Zhao , Klich Israel
Published: August 2023

We generalize the area-law violating models of Fredkin and Motzkin spin chains into two dimensions by building quantum six- and nineteen-vertex models with correlated interactions. The Hamiltonian is frustration free, and its projectors generate ergodic dynamics within the subspace of height configuration that are non negative. The ground state is a volume- and color-weighted superposition of classical bi-color vertex configurations with non-negative heights in the bulk and zero height on the boundary. The entanglement entropy between subsystems has a phase transition as the qq-deformation parameter is tuned, which is shown to be robust in the presence of an external field acting on the color degree of freedom. The ground state undergoes a quantum phase transition between area- and volume-law entanglement phases with a critical point where entanglement entropy scales as a function L\log LLlogL of the linear system size LL. Intermediate power law scalings between L\log LLlogL and L^2L2 can be achieved with an inhomogeneous deformation parameter that approaches 1 at different rates in the thermodynamic limit. For the q>1q>1 phase, we construct a variational wave function that establishes an upper bound on the spectral gap that scales as q^{-L^3/8}q−L3/8.
The Dual Function of Socratic Irony in Philosophical Interactions: Kierkegaard’s Concept of Irony versus Alcibiades’ Speech
Authors: Mualem Shlomy
Published: August 2023

This paper explores Socratic irony as reflected in the famous passages of Alcibiades’ speech in Plato’s Symposium, focusing on the relationship between ironic utterance and the philosophic guidance process. Reviewing the diverse meanings of the term eirôneia in Greek comedy and philosophy, it examines the way in which Plato employs irony in fashioning Socrates’ figure and depicting the ideal of philosophic guidance as the “art of midwifery.” It then analyzes Kierkegaard’s most positive perception of Socratic irony as a necessary methodical element in the Socratic maieutic process of “deceiving into the truth.” Contrasting Kierkegaard with Alcibiades’ scathing critique, it reads the latter in a combined dramatic-philosophical perspective, as presenting irony as an anti-philosophic phenomenon, leading to cognitive puzzlement and Dionysian irrationality. Alcibiades’ negative stance will be manifested via analyzing his use of four literary rhetorical devices: comparing Socrates with the Silenoi, drawing an analogy between ironic speech and Marysas’ satyric flute playing, symbolizing philosophy as snake venom, and presenting the scene of Socrates’ seduction as dramatic irony. The discussion shows, then, that there are two distinct manifestations of Socratic irony drawn from Plato’s writings, destructive and constructive, derived from the character of his philosophical pupils.
Aerodynamic characteristic analysis of wind turbine blades based on CSA-KJ airfoil optimization design
Authors: Xu Yiqing , Zhang Jianping , Liu Ming , Zhang Pengju , Wang Liquan
Published: August 2023

In order to enable the offshore wind farm to produce electric energy efficiently, stably and economically, the optimization method of CSA-KJ airfoil is proposed, and the optimized CSA-KJ4412 airfoil is obtained, and the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil are compared and analyzed. Combined with Wilson method, the high-power CSAKJ4412-08 wind turbine blade is designed, the flow field characteristics of the blade under different working conditions are simulated and analyzed, and its power is verified. The results show that compared with the NACA4412 airfoil, the average lift-drag ratio coefficient and the maximum value of the CSA-KJ4412 airfoil increase. Meanwhile, the pressure distribution rises, and the aerodynamic characteristic is better. The fluid around CSAKJ4412-08 blade at different attack angles is attached to the blade surface tightly for adhesive flow, and no stall phenomenon is identified. The pressure on the suction and pressure surfaces for the optimized CSAKJ4412-08 blade shows an opposite trend as the wingspan in-creases, leading to an increase in the pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces, thereby improving the lift of the blade. In the range of –30° to 30° attack angle, the power of CSAKJ4412-08 blade increases first and then decreases as the attack angle rises, and the ratio of the maximum power to the rated value reaches 71.38 %, indicating that the optimized CSAKJ4412-08 blade exhibits better aerodynamic characteristics. The relevant results can provide technical reference for the optimal design of wind turbine blades.
Integration of TADOX® technology to improve water reuse efficiency of constructed wetland-treated water
Authors: Bahadur Nupur , Bhargava Nipun , Sarkar Shyamal Kumar , Dhawan Vibha
Published: August 2023

Constructed wetland (CW) is an effective and economical decentralized wastewater treatment (DWWT) method implemented in various developing nations. Such CW-treated water may be good for meeting discharge norms but when it comes to high-end reuse, it requires polishing and integration with advanced oxidation process (AOP)-based treatment. In this pursuit, TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) Advanced Oxidation Technology (TADOX®) may be able to polish such streams and make the CW-treated water reusable. TADOX utilizes UV-TiO2 Photocatalysis (PC) as a secondary treatment followed by nanomaterial recovery. This study aims at evaluating TADOX treatment to polish treated water from a root zone treatment (RZT) plant. Performance evaluation of the treatments is evaluated based on key parameters for treated sewage water such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids, color, pathogens (total and thermotolerant coliforms), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as caffeine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and diclofenac.
Visible light treatment of azo dye-contaminated water by Ni- and Co-doped-ZnO nanoparticles supported on carbon-covered alumina
Authors: Folawewo Abayomi D. , Bala Muhammad Dabai
Published: August 2023

Metal-ion (Co and Ni)-doped-zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocatalysts were successfully embedded onto carbon-covered alumina (CCA) supports via a simple, green sol–gel technique. The nanocatalysts were characterised by various analytical, microscopic, and spectroscopic techniques. The CCA-embedded nanocatalysts were crystalline with high surface areas and pore volume compared to the free metal-ion–doped-ZnO nanocatalysts while retaining the wurtzite phase of the core ZnO. The influences of the dopant content and the CCA on the optical and dye removal activities of the ZnO were investigated. The materials were photo-catalytically active under visible light irradiation. Congo red and methyl orange dyes were used as model pollutants, and the reactivity followed a pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. The reaction rate of the CCA-supported nanocatalysts showed doping with Co > Ni. The CCA/metal-ion-doped-ZnO was found to have photocatalytic activities better than the CCA-supported ZnO.
DISTRIBUCIÓN ESPACIAL Y ABUNDANCIA DE Balliviaspongia wirrmanni (SPONGILLIDAE) EN LA RESERVA NACIONAL DEL TITICACA
Authors: Quenta Choque Faustina Eliana , Benavente Farfán Sandra Lisbet , Carpio Vásquez Buenaventura Optaciano , Pauro Roque Juan José , Aguilar Quenta Xiomara Daneysa , Llahuilla Quispe Jesús Michael , Esteban Anquise Gimena Idme , Gutiérrez Álvarez Gloria Lisbeth
Published: August 2023

El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la distribución espacial y abundancia de la única especie de esponja dulceacuícola del lago Titicaca, Balliviaspongia wirrmanni, en la Reserva Nacional del Titicaca (RNT). Las evaluaciones se realizaron en el ecosistema acuático del lago Titicaca, mediante la aplicación aleatoria de cuadrantes de un m2. En cada individuo de totora (Schoenoplectus tatora) presente en cada cuadrante se evaluó la presencia de esponjas para realizar el recuento. Los resultados fueron contrastados según periodos de tiempo y zonas de estudio. Los recuentos promedios de esponjas fueron mayores en la zona de la RNT, con 485 esponjas, y menores en la zona de Puno – Capachica, con 47 esponjas (P < 0.001), con índices de dispersión de Morisita uniforme y contagiosa, respectivamente. La abundancia fue mayor en el área de la RNT con el 43.35%, en los meses de julio y agosto. Los datos obtenidos sugieren que las esponjas prevalecen en zonas alejadas y libres de acción antrópica y disminuyen en las proximidades de los pueblos y ciudades, en razón de que diferentes actividades antrópicas estarían afectando su crecimiento y desarrollo en el ecosistema acuático del lago Titicaca.
Response of GFRP bars at different temperatures
Authors: Abed F.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. Owing to their numerous advantages, industries have been adopting fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars as reinforcement in concrete members due to their superior mechanical properties and high durability. More specifically, glass FRP (GFRP) bars have been increasingly adopted for use in harsh environmental conditions due to their excellent corrosion resistance. However, the compressive response of the GFRP bars at high temperatures has yet to be studied. This paper presents the results of an experimental study that aims to investigate the mechanical behavior of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) bars subjected to compressive loads at various elevated temperatures and deformation rates. Four different temperatures, ranging between ambient and 150°C, and two deformation rates were considered. The compressive strength and the modulus of elasticity for each bar sample are measured and the failure modes are demonstrated. It was observed that the compressive strength of GFRP bars is similar under both loading rates for all temperature conditions. However, the elastic modulus of the bars showed a slight discrepancy between the different load rates, especially at an elevated temperature of 150°C. The test results indicate a linear degradation in the mechanical properties as the temperature is raised. In addition, the observed failure mode for the tested samples is splitting of the bars.
Assessment of recent methods for determination of soil final settlement using field data
Authors: Dali M.A.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. The problem of soil consolidation was first studied by Terzaghi who formulated the well-known one-dimensional consolidation theory. However, this widely used method was found to provide poorly accurate estimations, since Terzaghi considered the assumption of constant permeability and consolidation coefficient. The poor accuracy is also due to the low resemblance between laboratory results and field actual measurements. In order to overcome this issue, many researchers proposed new approaches to estimate and predict soil settlement more accurately. Among these approaches, field-based methods are particularly promising. For instance, the Asaoka method (1978), Sridharan (1987) method, Tan (1995) method, Chunlin’s method (2014), and recent methods of Guo et al. (2017, 2018b) and Guo et al. 2018(a,). This paper aims to assess and discuss the results of some recent methods using a field consolidation monitoring data set.
The flexoelectric effect for interface cracks between two dissimilar materials
Authors: Profant T.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. It is developed the procedure of the assessment of the amplitude factors in the asymptotic solution for the interface crack between two flexoelectric materials. The stress exponents with the appropriate eigenvectors of the regular and auxiliary solutions are evaluated from the eigenvalue problem assembled from the boundary conditions prevailing at the tip of the crack. The amplitude factors of the asymptotic solution are computed from the two-state integrals in which the regular, auxiliary, and finite element solution represent the independent equilibrium states. The obtained results show the capability of the two-state integrals to extract the dominant terms of the asymptotic solution from the weak solution of the fracture problem represented by the finite element method. The amplitude factors representing the most singular terms of the asymptotic solution at the crack tip are quantities playing an important role in the problems of crack stability criterions.
Static response of FGM shell using refined higher-order shear and normal deformation theory
Authors: Kolapkar S.S.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. In the present study, a static response of functionally graded plate and spherical shells is investigated using higher-order trigonometric shear and normal deformation theory. A need of the shear correction factor is obviated and the effect of actual cross-sectional warping has been considered to get the realistic behaviour of transverse shear stresses across the thickness of the shell. The Navier solution technique has been used to analyse the simply-supported boundary conditions of the shell. To verify the theory, the numerical results obtained using the present theory are compared with other higher-order shear deformation theories available in the literature. The numerical results are obtained with and without considering the effects of transverse normal strain (εz).
Constitutive modeling of dynamic strain aging in niobium
Authors: Hassan A.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. As the temperature rises, metals should lose strength. However, under some combinations of strain rate and temperature, they show a dramatic increase in strength due to the interaction of impurity/solute atoms with the dislocations, a phenomenon known as dynamic strain aging (DSA). Thermomechanical stress-strain curves have been modeled using a variety of numerical approaches, but accurately modeling DSA activation remains a challenge. The activation free energy for dislocation movement rises during DSA, as there are more solute atoms concentrated at the local barriers. As a result, we see an increase in strength. This work modifies the physical parameters-based VA model for commercially pure bcc Niobium, which is known to display DSA at low strain rates and elevated temperatures, in order to create a constitutive model that can accurately capture DSA.
AI-based prediction of strength and tensile properties of expansive soil stabilized with recycled ash and natural fibers
Authors: Baghbani A.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. This study investigated the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and split tensile strength of a mixture of soil and recycled ash and natural fibers using two different methods, partial least squares (PLS) and classification and regression random forest (CRRF). The study analyzed a dataset of 20 sets with five inputs and two outputs, and the importance of the input parameters was evaluated. The performance of the PLS and CRRF models was assessed, and it was found that the CRRF model outperformed the PLS model. The study also revealed the most and least important parameters in predicting the split tensile strength and UCS in both models. The findings of this study have implications for the use of soil and recycled ash mixtures with natural fibers in construction applications.
Preparation and characterization of nanoparticles for encapsulation and delivery vehicles
Authors: Eltayeb M.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. This research creates nanoparticles that are tunable, have a high active ingredient content, and are highly encapsulated and controlled. We use model materials to determine the ethylcellulose-vanillin ratios as well as the effective processing conditions required for nanoparticle formation using ethylcellulose and vanillin as active ingredients. Nanoparticles with a mean size of 45 to 64 nm were prepared at a rate of approximately 1.3 million nanoparticles per minute using a different polymer:vanillin ratio. The encapsulation efficiency and loading of vanillin at different concentrations in nanoparticles from solutions ranged from 75 to 94 percent and 66.90 to 86.54 percent, respectively, indicating that the loading and encapsulation efficiency of the nanoparticles decreased as the amount of vanillin increased.
Aeroponic tower garden solar powered vertical farm
Authors: Yahya O.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. This review paper is written in order to specifically examine, explore, and evaluate vertical farming (VF) with the application of solar power as the powering sources for the entire farm. Nevertheless, a huge number of 2 billion individual suffers from micronutrient deficiencies and other related major health problems led by it. Moreover, with vertical farming processes we can offer a massive key sustainable food resource along with many advantages compared with horizontal farming (HF) processes, such cutting the need of water up to 95% while providing an efficient use of almost any space and many much more positives that will be discussed. Some positives are eliminating risks of biotic, abiotic, and climate issues. On the other hand, VF known to consume a huge amount annually of power per square meter in farming field of 3500 kW h, which is considered as a major setback for this process. However, with efficient use of green renewable power resources alternatives such solar panels, we are able to cut-down the power consumption dramatically to offer a true sustainable food resource for us and for next generations. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to discuss vertical farming VF using solar power to create a sustainable food resource.
Estimation of failure load of adhesively bonded composite joints with embedded crack in adherends: bond EM
Authors: Polagangu J.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. The authors developed Bond Energy Method (Bond EM), a novel quasi-numerical-analytical failure estimation method based on the energy conservation principle. This method previously estimated the ultimate failure load of adhesively bonded composite (ABC) repaired joints of third-party experiments without crack. In this present study, authors used the same method to estimate the ultimate failure load of third-party ABC joint test specimens with an embedded crack in the adherends. The adhesive layer and adherends are modeled using one and two-dimensional finite elements in such a way that one plus two is three to capture three-dimensional stresses. The crack in adherend is modeled by adding a Teflon layer of 0.02 mm between its composite stacking sequence. Static stress analysis is carried out to obtain the precise force and stress values in the adhesive layer and adherends per unit load (1000 N). These values are appropriately substituted in mathematical equations of Bond EM and estimated the ultimate failure load of L. Tong’s test specimens. The difference in mathematical estimation is found in the range of (+4.29, +18.15)% for higher side estimation; (-4.80, -34.50)% for lower side estimation. The study compared the estimated failure load by Bond EM with that of other popular third-party methods, and Bond EM is found superior to all other methods considered in this study.
Experimental investigations on the thermo-mechanical properties of carbon-basalt-aramid/epoxy and glass-basalt-aramid/epoxy hybrid interply composites under different aging environments
Authors: ERDOGAN Z.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. In this study, Carbon-Basalt-Aramid (C-B-A) and Glass-Basalt-Aramid (G-B-A) samples were produced, and their thermal expansion coefficient (α), glass-transition temperature (Tg), and dimension change properties were investigated. In the study, thermo-mechanical properties of hybrid composites with and without 12 h and 48 h aging processes were determined. As a result, the properties obtained according to the results of TMA analysis of both hybrid composites with the aging process changed significantly.
Critical review on ethanol producing feedstock and methods
Authors: Garg J.
Published: August 2023

Abstract. Dwindling of fossil fuels and the change in global climate have led humankind to explore alternative energy resources. In the force to explore inexhaustible and sustainable resources, research in the domain of solar, wind, tidal, biomass and geothermal are delved into. The energy derived from these various domains proved to be the solution to the greater cause of climate change. Among all these various sources of energy, biomass have tremendous potential. Bioethanol produced from biomass is an attractive biofuel having great prospect for energy security and environmental safety over fossil fuels. The conversion process of biomass to ethanol have improved significantly over the years to make it a viable option in transportation sector thereby reducing dependency on petrol and diesel. The major steps in typical conversion process include pre-treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation of sugars, greatly influenced by microbial strains. Yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae and a bacterial species, zymomonas mobilis, are the two most widely used in ethanol fermentation technology. The final yield of ethanol is directly dependent on the various factors affecting the production process. This comprehensive review study gives an overview of second-generation bioethanol production in regard with the various factors affecting its overall production process.