bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-Chamber, Real-Time DNA Analysis in the Field Using Microfabricated Silicon Chambers
Authors: Belgrader P. , Benett W. , Frattaroli R. , Hadley D. , Langlois R. , Lehew S. , Mariella R. , Milanovich F. , Nasarabadi S. , Northrup M. A. , Richards J. , Stratton P. , Venkateswaran K. S. , Long G. , Nelson W.
Published: February 2022

During 1997, we designed and built a 10-chamber thermal cycling system which was capable of performing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using TaqMan® probes. Each chamber includes a thin-film resistive heater which was deposited directly on the microfabricated silicon chamber, for efficient heating, and the design of the silicon chambers permitted efficient, forced-convective cooling with air. Each silicon chamber contained etched holes for directly exciting the TaqMan® probes and monitoring their fluorescence emission. Our software, which controlled the thermal cycling, monitored the TaqMan® emission from each chamber on every thermal cycle, and performed automatic calling of positives for each chamber. We used this system at Dugway Proving Grounds in January, 1998, during the detector/identifier portion of the Joint Field Trials IV. With this system, we were able to detect and identify all three organisms that were used as simulants during JFT IV; this required the analysis of 32 unknowns per day for 10 days.
Micromachine Wedge Stepping Motor
Authors: Allen James J. , Schriner Heather K.
Published: February 2022

A wedge stepping motor, which will index a mechanism, has been designed and fabricated in the surface micromachine SUMMiT (Sandia Ultra-planar Multi-level MEMS Technology) [1] process. This device has demonstrated the ability to index one gear tooth at a time with speeds up to 205 teeth/sec. The wedge stepper motor has the following features, which will be useful in a number of applications.

• The ability to precisely position mechanical components.

• Simple pulse signals can be used for operation.

• Only 2 drive signals are required for operation.

• Torque and precision capabilities increase with device size.

• The device to be indexed is restrained at all times by the wedge shaped tooth that is used for actuation.

This paper will discuss the theory of operation and design of the wedge stepping motor. The fabrication and testing of the device will also be presented.
Numerical Simulation and Design of the Four-Terminal Piezoresistive Pressure Transducer
Authors: Ghaddar Chahid K. , da Silva Mark G. , Gilbert John R. , Bart Stephen F.
Published: February 2022

The four-terminal piezoresistive transducer (the Xducer), originally developed by Motorola SPS Inc., has been widely used in place of the more conventional Wheatstone bridge arrangement in diaphragm pressure sensors. A salient feature of the Xducer is that its one-resistor design eliminates the difficult requirement of closely matching the characteristics of the four resistors in the bridge. In this article, we present numerical investigations using the coupled piezoresistive-mechanical module of the MEMCAD4.0 system to aid in optimizing the design and performance of the Xducer. Results indicate that the optimal position for maximum sensitivity is achieved when the resistor center is not at the point of maximum stress, which occurs outside the sensor diaphragm edge, but rather on the sensor diaphragm near the edge. Moreover, as the resistor dimensions are enlarged, the optimal position shifts away from the edge. Furthermore, the misalignment of the resistor from the 45° line, has rather interesting effects. It results in a non-symmetric drop in output voltage despite symmetric deviations around the 45° line.
Design, Fabrication and Uncertainty Evaluation of a Surface-Micromachined Capacitive Microaccelerometer
Authors: Han Ki-Ho , Kim Jong-Pal , Cho Young-Ho
Published: February 2022

We investigate a surface-micromachined capacitive accelerometer with the grid-type electrodes surrounded by a perforated proof-mass frame. An electromechanical analysis of the microaccelerometer has been performed to develop analytical formulae for the natural frequency and output sensitivity response. A set of prototype devices has been designed and fabricated based on a 4-mask surface-micromachining process. The resonant frequency of 5.8±0.17kHz and the detection sensitivity of 0.28±0.03mV/g have been measured from the fabricated devices. The parasitic capacitance of the detection circuit with a charge amplifier has been measured as 3.34±1.16pF. From the uncertainty analysis, we find that the major source of the uncertainty in the natural frequency of the accelerometer comes from the uncertainty in the beam width patterning process. The primary variables in the sensitivity uncertainty include the parasitic capacitance, inter electrode gap and resonant frequency, contributing to the overall sensitivity uncertainty in the portions of 75%, 14% and 11%, respectively.
Blister-Like Local Buckling of Polysilicon Microbeams During Wet-Release
Authors: Zhang Xin , Zohar Yitshak , Zhang Tong-Yi
Published: February 2022

A blister-like local buckling of polysilicon microbeams is observed at the end of the fabrication process. This buckling mode is a result of the capillary forces, developed during the drying stage, and the compressive residual stress in the polysilicon beams. A variety of microbeams were fabricated to study this phenomenon. The major parameters controlling the blister-like buckling have been identified experimentally. Furthermore, a model equation is derived to predict the blister properties as a function of the initial conditions. The agreement between the predictions and the measurements is found to be satisfactory.
Electrostatic Mechanical Testing of Polysilicon
Authors: Sharpe William N. , Turner Kevin , Edwards Richard L.
Published: February 2022

Polysilicon, which is vapor deposited, is by nature only a few microns thick. In typical MEMS applications, the structural features may also be only a few microns wide. Establishing the elastic and strength properties using specimens that are similar in size is quite a challenge. This paper describes a tensile test system that grips a large ‘paddle’ on the end of a tensile specimen with electrostatic force; this enables the testing of polysilicon specimens that have cross-sections as small as 1.5 × 2 microns. Polysilicon is a linear, brittle material and it is not difficult to measure its tensile strength, which is measured here to be on the order of 1.3 GPa. It is considerably more difficult to measure Young’s modulus, and two approaches are used here. In the first, strain is extracted from the force-displacement plot of the tensile test. The second uses two gold lines for laser interferometry to measure strain directly on the tensile specimen. Both approaches yield similar results, but the measured values are lower than the 169 GPa measured earlier on wider polysilicon specimens. Specimens 3.5 microns thick had a modulus of 142 ± 25 GPa, and those 1.5 microns thick showed 136 ± 14 Gpa. The techniques and procedures along with preliminary results are presented here.
Packaging and Instrumentation of a Commercial Pressure Sensor for a High-G Impact and the Martian Environment
Authors: Reynolds J. Kurth , Catling David C. , Blue Randy C. , Maluf Nadim , Kenny Thomas W.
Published: February 2022

To stimulate new technologies NASA has initiated a series of missions under the New Millennium Program including Deep Space 2 (DS-2), a novel low cost microprobe for Mars. Due to DS2’s entry scenario the instruments on board are expected to experience ∼1000,000g decelerations. A pressure sensor is needed which will not suffer offset or sensitivity errors due to the violent nature of the deployment, and will fit in a 5cm × 2cm × 0.5cm -50 gram budget. The small daily changes in Martian atmospheric pressure (∼1mB) must also be measured in the presence of large daily temperature fluctuations (∼50K). Space-rated pressure sensors meeting these requirements are not available, and off the shelf piezoresistive pressure sensors are not accurate enough for such applications. This work shows that many of the performance limitations of piezoresistive sensors are not fundamental, but instead are associated with package-induced stress or poor temperature compensation. Further, modest effort in packaging and calibration can bring the performance of inexpensive piezoresistive sensors into the range of more expensive absolute pressure sensors.
Design and Fabrication of a LIGA-Fabricated Microvalve for Drug Delivery Applications
Authors: Tsuei Timothy W.
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we will describe the design and development of a normally closed, low power microvalve for drug delivery applications. This microvalve is fabricated using a modified LIGA technique. Multiple, precision, off-axis X-ray exposures of PMMA resist are used to define a tapered valve seat and plunger. The final valve assembly consists of hybrid components of a bulk micromachined Si membrane, conventionally machined channels and LIGA-defined valve seats and plungers. An external micro electromagnet was used to control plunger displacement, thereby providing flow control. Total size of the entire valve, including the actuator, is 8 × 8 × 10 mm. This represents a very conservative attempt at miniaturization. The next-generation design will be scaled down by at least one half with minimal modifications to the current process.
Convection-Based Accelerometer and Tilt Sensor Implemented in Standard CMOS
Authors: Milanović Veljko , Bowen Edwin , Tea Nim , Suehle John , Payne Beverly , Zaghloul Mona , Gaitan Michael
Published: February 2022

This paper describes a CMOS implementation of novel accelerometers that operate based on heat convection, requiring no solid proof mass. The devices consist of microheaters and thermocouple or thermistor temperature sensors separated by a gap and placed in differential or bridge configurations. Temperature sensors measure the temperature difference between the two sides of the microheater caused by the effect of acceleration on free convection in the surrounding gas. The devices show a small linearity error of < 0.5% under tilt conditions from −90 to 90 degrees, and < 2% under acceleration from 0 g to 7 g. Sensitivity of the devices is also a nearly linear function of heater power (temperature). Sensitivity of up to 115 μV/g was measured for thermopile configuration, and up to 185 μV/g for thermistor configuration. Both types of devices are operable up to frequencies of several hundred hertz.
A Particle Method for Analysis of Microelectromechanical Switches
Authors: Aluru N. R.
Published: February 2022

Many existing computer-aided design systems for MEMS require the generation of a three-dimensional mesh for computational analysis of the microdevice. Mesh generation requirements for microdevices are very complicated because of the presence of mixed-energy domains and the different numerical techniques implemented for each energy domain. For example, volume meshes are employed for finite-element analysis of structural deformation and surface meshes are employed for boundary-element analysis of electrostatic forces on the structure. This paper describes a meshless technique, using which the analysis of a complicated microdevice can be performed by sprinkling points instead of generating a mesh.
Electrothermal and Fabrication Modeling of Polysilicon Thermal Actuators
Authors: Butler Jeffrey T. , Bright Victor M.
Published: February 2022

An electrothermal model of polysilicon thermal actuators has been developed. The electrothermal model requires knowledge of key material parameters, such as polysilicon resistivity, which vary based on the fabrication process. Empirical measurements and a TSUPREM model of the Multi-Users MEMS Processes (MUMPs) were used to analyze the polysilicon resistance characteristics. The electrothermal model was implemented in SPICE. The use of an electrical circuit simulator allowed simultaneous analysis of integrated MEMS and microelectronic systems. The SPICE model was successfully applied to a lateral thermal actuator and a thermal piston micromirror fabricated in MUMPs. The model results show excellent agreement with measured data.
Condition Monitoring for Pumps
Authors: Justice Wavel , Ruggiero Thomas
Published: February 2022

The OM Code contains a check valve condition monitoring (Reference Code Appendix II) that has been utilized by Owners at numerous nuclear power plants to improve testing of check valves. Use of this similar approach for pumps is expected to also improve testing of pumps.

Comprehensive Pump Testing was originally intended to address not just the pump, but the use of the pump drivers and associate pump electrical system components to monitor pump health as is currently done for motor actuated valves. The draft comprehensive test requirements included taking motor current pump electrical components, as well as an oil sample, but those requirements were not allowed to go into the final Code language, e.g., motor current signature requirements. The reason was that this was considered including the motor in IST and was not in the OM scope. However, the motor, in that case, was used to verify acceptable pump operation only. Also, enhanced vibration techniques, such as spectral analysis were also considered.

This paper will present the use of Pump Condition monitoring as a method to enhance IST and, in some cases replace traditional pump IST intervals, similar to what is done for check valve condition monitoring. The proposed Pump condition monitoring program will rely on the revised OM-14.
Overview of NRC NUREG-1482, Revision 3, Guidelines for Inservice Testing at Nuclear Power Plants – Inservice Testing of Pumps and Valves, and Inservice Examination and Testing of Dynamic Restrains (Snubbers) at Nuclear Power Plants
Authors: Bedi Gurjendra S.
Published: February 2022

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff issued Revision 3 to NUREG-1482, “Guidelines for Inservice Testing at Nuclear Power Plants,” to assist nuclear power plant licensees in establishing a basic understanding of the regulatory basis for pump and valve inservice testing (IST) programs and dynamic restraints (snubbers) inservice examination and testing programs. Since the issuance of Revision 2 to NUREG-1482, certain tests and measurements required by earlier editions and addenda of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants, Division 1, OM Code: Section IST (OM Code) have been clarified, updated, or revised. The revision to NUREG-1482 and its Appendix A incorporates and addresses those changes, and includes the IST programs guidelines related to new reactors. This revision includes a new Appendix B related to guidance for treatment of pumps, valves, and dynamic restraints (snubbers) during implementation of 10 CFR 50.69, “Risk-Informed Categorization and Treatment of Structures, Systems, and Components for Nuclear Power Plants.” The revised guidance incorporates lessons learned and experience gained since the previous revision to NUREG-1482. This paper provides an overview of the contents of NUREG-1482 and those changes, and discusses how they affect NRC guidance on implementing pump and valve IST programs, and dynamic restraint (snubber) inservice examination, testing and service life monitoring programs. This paper highlights important changes to NUREG-1482, but is not intended to provide a complete record of all changes to the document. The NRC intends to continue to develop and improve its guidance on IST and inservice inspection (ISI) methods through active participation in the ASME OM Code consensus process; interactions with various technical organization and user groups; and periodic updates of NRC-published guidance and issuance of generic communications as the need arises.
High wet-etch resistance SiO2 films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition with 1,1,1-tris(dimethylamino)disilane
Authors: Hwang Su Min , Kim Harrison Sejoon , Le Dan N. , Sahota Akshay , Lee Jaebeom , Jung Yong Chan , Kim Sang Woo , Kim Si Joon , Choi Rino , Ahn Jinho , Hwang Byung Keun , Zhou Xiaobing , Kim Jiyoung
Published: February 2022

A novel precursor, 1,1,1-tris(dimethylamino)disilane {TADS, [(H3C)2N]3Si2H3}, is used to deposit silicon dioxide (SiO2) films in a temperature range of 115–480 °C by thermal atomic layer deposition (tALD) and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) techniques. Compared to tris(dimethylamino)silane (TDMAS), the additional Si-Si bond in TADS is expected to enhance the reactivity of the molecule due to the polarization of the bond. In the tALD process, TADS gives a growth rate of 0.06 nm/cycle, which is approximately 20% higher than that of TDMAS, and an excellent conformality (>95% step coverage) in high aspect ratio nanotrenches (6:1). In the case of the PEALD process, TADS leads to not only a higher or at least comparable growth rates (0.11 nm/cycle), but also a higher bulk film density (∼2.38 g/cm3). As a result, the PEALD SiO2 films of TADS show a wet-etch rate down to 1.6 nm/min in 200:1 HF, which is comparable to that of the thermal oxide. Analyzed with Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR), the SiO2 films contain predominant Si−O bonds and a low level of Si−H and O−H bonds, consistent with the observed high wet-etch resistance. Furthermore, the PEALD SiO2 films deposited at 310 °C have at least 75% step coverage in high aspect ratio nanotrenches, suggesting that TADS is applicable for forming high-quality SiO2 films on both planar and patterned surfaces.
Evidence for quasar fast outflows being accelerated at the scale of tens of parsecs
Authors: He Zhicheng , Liu Guilin , Wang Tinggui , Mou Guobin , Green Richard , Bian Weihao , Wang Huiyuan , Ho Luis C. , Sun Mouyuan , Shen Lu , Arav Nahum , Chen Chen , Wu Qingwen , Guo Hengxiao , Lin Zesen , Li Junyao , Yi Weimin
Published: February 2022

Quasar outflows may play a crucial role in regulating the host galaxy, although the spatial scale of quasar outflows remain a major enigma, with their acceleration mechanism poorly understood. The kinematic information of outflow is the key to understanding its origin and acceleration mechanism. Here, we report the galactocentric distances of different outflow components for both a sample and an individual quasar. We find that the outflow distance increases with velocity, with a typical value from several parsecs to more than one hundred parsecs, providing direct evidence for an acceleration happening at a scale of the order of 10 parsecs. These outflows carry ∼1% of the total quasar energy, while their kinematics are consistent with a dust-driven model with a launching radius comparable to the scale of a dusty torus, indicating that the coupling between dust and quasar radiation may produce powerful feedback that is crucial to galaxy evolution.
Protein kinase R is an innate immune sensor of proteotoxic stress via accumulation of cytoplasmic IL-24
Authors: Davidson Sophia , Yu Chien-Hsiung , Steiner Annemarie , Ebstein Frédéric , Baker Paul J. , Jarur-Chamy Valentina , Hrovat Schaale Katja , Laohamonthonkul Pawat , Kong Klara , Calleja Dale J. , Harapas Cassandra R. , Balka Katherine R. , Mitchell Jacob , Jackson Jacob T. , Geoghegan Niall D. , Moghaddas Fiona , Rogers Kelly L. , Mayer-Barber Katrin D. , De Jesus Adriana A. , De Nardo Dominic , Kile Benjamin T. , Sadler Anthony J. , Poli M. Cecilia , Krüger Elke , Goldbach Mansky Raphaela , Masters Seth L.
Published: February 2022

Proteasome dysfunction can lead to autoinflammatory disease associated with elevated type I interferon (IFN-αβ) and NF-κB signaling; however, the innate immune pathway driving this is currently unknown. Here, we identified protein kinase R (PKR) as an innate immune sensor for proteotoxic stress. PKR activation was observed in cellular models of decreased proteasome function and in multiple cell types from patients with proteasome-associated autoinflammatory disease (PRAAS). Furthermore, genetic deletion or small-molecule inhibition of PKR in vitro ameliorated inflammation driven by proteasome deficiency. In vivo, proteasome inhibitor–induced inflammatory gene transcription was blunted in PKR-deficient mice compared with littermate controls. PKR also acted as a rheostat for proteotoxic stress by triggering phosphorylation of eIF2α, which can prevent the translation of new proteins to restore homeostasis. Although traditionally known as a sensor of RNA, under conditions of proteasome dysfunction, PKR sensed the cytoplasmic accumulation of a known interactor, interleukin-24 (IL-24). When misfolded IL-24 egress into the cytosol was blocked by inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation pathway, PKR activation and subsequent inflammatory signaling were blunted. Cytokines such as IL-24 are normally secreted from cells; therefore, cytoplasmic accumulation of IL-24 represents an internal danger-associated molecular pattern. Thus, we have identified a mechanism by which proteotoxic stress is detected, causing inflammation observed in the disease PRAAS.
Anthropogenic impact on sediment transfer in the upper Missouri River catchment detected by detrital zircon analysis
Authors: Thomson Kelly D. , Stockli Daniel F. , Fildani Andrea
Published: February 2022

Downstream sediment transport in river systems is impacted by anthropogenic modifications, such as dams or levees. This study used detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and sediment mixture modeling to investigate the effects of dams on provenance signatures and sediment transport along the upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. The Yellowstone River is the longest dam-free river in North America, while the upper Missouri River has several major reservoir-forming dams. We present 4777 new individual detrital zircon U-Pb ages from 32 sand samples collected from sand bars of the Missouri and Yellow-stone Rivers and their major tributaries. These new data along the Missouri River track downstream modification of detrital zircon U-Pb age signatures due to sediment sequestration in reservoirs, bank erosion, and mixing at stream confluences. In contrast, detrital zircon U-Pb age data evolve more progressively downstream along the Yellowstone River, which displays less anthropogenic influence and muted tributary mixing and dilution. U-Pb age component proportions along the extensively dammed Missouri River vary up to 27% downstream, with amplified changes occurring at river confluences downstream from dams. These dramatic changes are attributed to storage of sediment and preferential capture of heavy minerals (including zircon) in reservoirs, resulting in a reduced sediment load in the river downstream from dams. Consequently, detrital zircon mixture models show a disproportionate provenance contribution from tributaries compared to the trunk river downstream from the dams. Dams not only reduce the sediment flux from a river but also change the locations where sediment is generated by initiating erosion in a river downstream from a dam.
Comparative morphometric analysis suggests ice-cored pingo-shaped landforms on the dwarf planet Ceres
Authors: Hughson Kynan H.G. , Schmidt Britney E. , Udell Lopez Kathrine T. , Sizemore Hanna G. , Schenk Paul M. , Scully Jennifer E.C. , Raymond Carol A. , Russell Christopher T.
Published: February 2022

The NASA Dawn mission revealed that the floor of Occator crater on the dwarf planet Ceres (in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) is populated with small quasi-conical hills. Many of these features exhibit morphometric properties that are like those of ice-cored periglacial hills called pingos. Alternatively, some of these Cerean hills have also been hypothesized to be cryovolcanic in origin. If these hills are analogous to pingos, they represent ice-rich environments that are attractive targets for future exploration. We report new constraints on the morphologies of the Occator hills that aid in determining their origin. We also directly test how morphologically similar the hills in Occator are to pingos and volcanic cones on Earth using comparative statistical analyses. Using a novel application of kernel density estimation and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods we show that the morphologies of terrestrial pingos and volcanic cones are quantifiably distinct, and that the Cerean hills share significant morphometric similarities with pingos on Earth. Our findings indicate that a statistical treatment of morphometry alone can be a powerful tool for classifying and comparing planetary surface features, and that the majority of the resolved Cerean hills are morphometrically more similar to pingos than to small terrestrial volcanic cones.
Linking exhumation, paleo-relief, and rift formation to magmatic processes in the western Snake River Plain, Idaho, using apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology
Authors: Wetzel Kelsey F. , Stanley Jessica R.
Published: February 2022

The western Snake River Plain (WSRP) in southwest Idaho has been characterized as an intracontinental rift basin but differs markedly in topography and style from other Cordilleran extensional structures and structurally from the down-warped lava plain of the eastern Snake River Plain. To investigate mechanisms driving extension and topographic evolution, we sampled granitoid bedrock from Cretaceous and Eocene-aged plutons from the mountainous flanks of the WSRP to detail their exhumation history with apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) thermochronometry. AHe cooling dates from seventeen samples range from 7.9 ± 1.4 Ma to 55 ± 10 Ma. Most cooling dates from Cretaceous plutons adjacent to the WSRP are Eocene, while Eocene intrusions from within the Middle Fork Boise River canyon ~35 km NE of the WSRP yield Miocene cooling dates. The AHe dates provide evidence of exhumation of the Idaho batholith during the Eocene, supporting a high relief landscape at that time, followed by decreasing relief. The Miocene AHe dates show rapid cooling along the Middle Fork Boise River that we take to indicate focused river incision due to base level fall in the WSRP. Eocene AHe dates limit magnitudes of exhumation and extension on the flanks of the WSRP during Miocene rift formation. This suggests extension was accommodated by magmatic intrusions and intrabasin faults rather than basin-bounding faults. We favor a model where WSRP extension was related to Columbia River Flood Basalt eruption and enhanced by later eruption of the Bruneau-Jarbidge and Twin Falls volcanic fields, explaining the apparent difference with other Cordilleran extensional structures.
Prevalence and severity of abnormal lung function among US former coal miners with and without radiographic coal workers’ pneumoconiosis
Authors: Go Leonard H T , Almberg Kirsten S , Rose Cecile S , Zell-Baran Lauren M , Harris Drew A , Tomann Margaret , Friedman Lee S , Weems Dolores J , Vonhof Wendy , Mastel Krista M , Cohen Robert A
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Examination of lung function abnormalities among coal miners has historically focused on actively working miners. This likely underestimates the true burden of chronic respiratory disease. The objective of this study was to characterise patterns and severity of lung function impairment among a population of former coal miners.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from 2568 former coal miners evaluated at eight US Black Lung clinics in a 12-month period were retrospectively analysed for patterns of prebronchodilator spirometric abnormality and severity of lung function impairment. Spirometry data from a subset of former miners with chest radiographs were analysed based on the presence and severity of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP).

Results

Abnormal spirometry was identified in 56.6% of subjects. The age-standardised prevalence of airflow obstruction among miners aged ≥45 years was 18.9% overall and 12.2% among never smokers. Among 1624 subjects who underwent chest radiography, the prevalence and severity of abnormal spirometry increased with worsening radiographic category for pneumoconiosis. Of never-smoking former miners without radiographic CWP, 39.0% had abnormal spirometry; 25.1% had abnormally low forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and 17.1% had moderate to severe FEV1impairment.

Conclusions

Abnormal spirometry is common among former coal miners. While ever-smoking former miners had higher rates of airflow obstruction, never-smoking former miners also demonstrated clinically significant airflow obstruction, including those without radiographic pneumoconiosis. These findings demonstrate the importance of recognising physiological as well as imaging manifestations of coal mine dust lung diseases in former miners.
Incidence, treatment and survival of malignant pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma: a population-based study
Authors: van Kooten Job P , Belderbos Robert A , von der Thüsen Jan H , Aarts Mieke J , Verhoef Cornelis , Burgers Jacobus A , Baas Paul , Aalbers Arend G J , Maat Alexander P W M , Aerts Joachim G J V , Cornelissen Robin , Madsen Eva V E
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive cancer that primarily arises from the pleura (MPM) or peritoneum (MPeM), mostly due to asbestos exposure. This study reviewed the Dutch population-based incidence, treatment and survival since the national ban on asbestos in 1993.

Materials and methods

Patients with MPM or MPeM diagnosed from 1993 to 2018 were selected from the Dutch cancer registry. Annual percentage change (APC) was calculated for (age-specific and sex-specific) revised European standardised incidence rates (RESR). Treatment pattern and Kaplan-Meier overall survival analyses were performed.

Results

In total, 12 168 patients were included in the study. For male patients younger than 80 years, the MM incidence significantly decreased in the last decade (APC ranging between −9.4% and −1.8%, p<0.01). Among both male and female patients aged over 80 years, the incidence significantly increased during the entire study period (APC 3.3% and 4.6%, respectively, p<0.01). From 2003 onwards, the use of systemic chemotherapy increased especially for MPM (from 9.3% to 39.4%). Overall, 62.2% of patients received no antitumour treatment. The most common reasons for not undergoing antitumour treatment were patient preference (42%) and performance status (25.6%). The median overall survival improved from 7.3 (1993–2003) to 8.9 (2004–2011) and 9.3 months from 2012 to 2018 (p<0.001).

Conclusion

The peak of MM incidence was reached around 2010 in the Netherlands, and currently the incidence is declining in most age groups. The use of systemic chemotherapy increased from 2003, which likely resulted in improved overall survival over time. The majority of patients do not receive treatment though and prognosis is still poor.
Advancing whole-of-government approaches to tobacco control: Article 5.3 and the challenge of policy coordination in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Uganda
Authors: Barry Rachel Ann , Abdullah S M , Chugh Aastha , Hirpa Selamawit , Kumar Praveen , Male Denis , Ralston Rob , Wagner-Rizvi Tracey , Collin Jeff
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Despite an extensive evidence base on the diverse economic, environmental and social benefits of tobacco control, difficulties in establishing coordinated national approaches remain a defining challenge for Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) implementation. Minimising tobacco industry interference is seen as key to effective coordination, and this paper analyses implementation of Article 5.3 guidelines, exploring implications for whole-of-government approaches to tobacco control in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Uganda.

Methods

Based on 131 semistructured interviews with government officials and other key stakeholders, we explore barriers and facilitators for promoting: (1)horizontal coordinationacross health and other policy spheres, and (2)vertical coordinationacross national and subnational governments on Article 5.3 implementation.

Results

Our analysis identifies common barriers to coordination across diverse geographical contexts and varying approaches to implementation. They highlight broadly shared experiences of limited understanding and engagement beyond health agencies; restricted responsibility and uncertainty amid conflicting mandates; tensions with wider governance practices and norms; limited capacity and authority of coordination mechanisms; and obstacles to vertical coordination across local, state and national governments. Interview data also indicate important opportunities to advance coordination across sectors and government levels, with Article 5.3 measures capable of informing changes in practices, building support in other sectors, allowing for ‘bottom-up’ innovation and being shaped by engagement with civil society.

Conclusion

Supporting effective implementation of Article 5.3 is key to advancing multisectoral approaches to FCTC implementation and tobacco control’s contributions to global health and sustainable development.
Stabilization of muskeg soils using two additives: sand and urease active bioslurry
Authors: ElMouchi Ahmed , Siddiqua Sumi , Salifu Emmanuel , Wijewickreme Dharma
Published: February 2022

Muskeg soils are considered problematic. They are distinguished by their high initial void ratio and water content. Therefore, they exhibit high compressibility and low shear strength when they are subjected to external loads. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a promising soil stabilization technique because it is considered environmentally friendly. In this study, the MICP technique using the urease active bioslurry approach was coupled with sand collected from a local source to stabilize muskeg soils. The effect of changing the sand percentage on the compressibility properties of muskeg soil was studied. The results showed that the addition of 10% sand and injection of two-pore volumes of cementation solutions significantly improved the compressibility properties such that the initial void ratio decreased by 70%.
Low Delay Transmission Model of Internet of Things Based on Data Spectrum
Authors: Liu Xufei , Liu Jinting , Gong Youlong
Published: February 2022

The traditional low delay transmission model of Internet of things has the problem of high packet loss rate, so a low delay transmission model of Internet of things based on data spectrum is designed. Firstly, the data preprocessing of the Internet of things mainly includes data fusion, data compression and data filtering, then the trust model is established, and finally the task transmission link model of the Internet of things is constructed to realize the low delay transmission of the Internet of things. The experimental results show that the low delay transmission model of IOT based on data spectrum has lower packet loss rate, higher network throughput and higher network resource utilization than the traditional model.
Automatic Recognition and Feature Extraction of Rock Blocks Based on 3D Point Cloud Data Analytics
Authors: An Qing , Gong Zhen , Yuan Jupu
Published: February 2022

Rock mass fraction is one of the main indexes to evaluate the blasting effect of mining. We take some rock blocks after blasting as the research objects and use 3D laser scanner to obtain the point cloud data of rock blocks. Then we use statistical filtering method to process the original point cloud data, and then calculate the point cloud data after pre-processing. We obtain the supervoxel clustering point cloud. On the supervoxel clustering algorithm, the concave convex criterion is used to fuse the clustering results. The regional growth algorithm is used to complete the segmentation of rock point cloud, so as to achieve the purpose of automatic recognition of blasting rock block contour. Based on the segmentation results of the rock block point cloud, the rock block point cloud with obvious characteristics is extracted, and the length of the long axis of the rock block is obtained according to the feature information of the rock block. The results show that the method can solve the defects of traditional measurement methods. The proposed recognition algorithm will meet the requirement of the intelligent of blasting fragmentation analysis. Additionally, it will satisfy the requirements of blasting quality analysis and evaluation.
Research on Zoning, Optimization, Stability, and Nonlinear Control of Wireless Network in Power Grid Communication
Authors: Yang Di , Ji Ming , Lv Yuntong , Zhao Fangchu , Geng Quanfeng , Bhola Jyoti
Published: February 2022

To explore the partition optimization and stability of telecommunication network under nonlinear control, a routing optimization algorithm for power control of distribution communication network is proposed, which is based on the Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing optimization algorithm, based on the energy consumption model of wireless sensor network, the optimal routing mechanism for power control is constructed, and the optimal routing mechanism is used to select the route with low energy consumption to solve the problem of energy limitation of wireless sensor nodes. This paper aims at the network routing selection problem in the terminal information collection of the distribution network and designs the routing optimization algorithm of the wireless sensor network. Experimental results show that the model accuracy of the optimized model is 99.8%, the average residual error of the model is about 5.5[Formula: see text]nm, the model accuracy meets the requirements, and the method is effective. According to the confidence interval prediction results of wireless communication link reliability, a node power control system structure of wireless sensor network is proposed, and an optimal control algorithm of communication link quality and reliability of microgrid wireless sensor network based on fuzzy control is studied.
A Hybrid Method for Modeling Broadband Seismic Wave Propagation in 3D Localized Regions to Incident P, SV, and SH Waves
Authors: Liang Jianwen , Wu Mengtao , Ba Zhenning , Liu Yue
Published: February 2022

Seismic wave propagation in localized regions plays an important role in the study of seismology and earthquake engineering. However, modeling 3D broadband wavefield of heterogeneous media is computationally expensive and thus has been always a key challenge. In this paper, a frequency wavenumber-spectral element (FK-SEM) hybrid method for modeling broadband seismic wavefield of 3D localized regions is proposed, which obeys the framework of domain reduction, i.e., a finite region is intercepted from a semi-infinite space as the computational domain. To this end, the FK method (based upon the exact stiffness matrix) is first used to calculate the equivalent input of truncated boundaries to incident P, SV, and SH waves with arbitrary angles, and then the SEM is employed to finely simulate the wave propagation process in 3D localized regions. Meanwhile, a viscoelastic artificial boundary is developed in the SEM to realize the absorption of diffracted wavefields generated by internal irregularities. The hybrid method allows the engineering-sensitive high-frequency bands (10–20[Formula: see text]Hz) to be tackled without extra calculations, thereby significant savings computational resources. The correctness and accuracy of the method is verified by four models: a 3D flat stratified site (compared with the FK method), and three typical local sites including 3D canyon, basin and hill topographies (compared with the boundary element method (BEM)). Finally, the method is applied to a realistic case at Zigong Mountain, southwestern China, which suffered extensive topography-induced damages in 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The results elucidate that the spectral ratio amplification factors predicted by the hybrid modeling are in good accordance with those obtained from strong earthquake data, which further validates the application potential of our method in assisting broadband ground motion research.
On Generalized Three-Phase-Lag Models in Photo-Thermoelasticity
Authors: Zenkour Ashraf M.
Published: February 2022

Different subjective developments of the multi-time-derivative (single/dual/triple)-phase-lag heat formulae have been examined in this paper. A unified theory of coupled photo-thermoelasticity is defined to investigate both delay phase-lag times of the temperature gradient and the heat flux as well as the third delay phase-lag time of the thermal displacement gradient. Some unique issues that contain a lot of formulae have been considered to manage all the thoughts about models in the literature. The straightforward and refined Tzou’s multi-time-derivative (single/dual/triple)-phase-lag, Lord–Shulman, Green–Lindsay, and classical theories are all investigated. Moreover, Green–Naghdi of type II, as well as type III models of generalized thermoelasticity with and without energy dissipation, have been attained in simple and modified formulations.
Nonlinear Thermo-Mechanical Response of Bi-Directional Functionally Graded Porous Beams with Initial Geometrical Imperfection
Authors: Zhang Qiao , Liu Hu
Published: February 2022

In this paper, the nonlinear vibration and buckling of bi-directional functionally graded (2D-FG) beam subjected to thermal loading are examined via the higher-order shear deformable beam theory incorporating the von Kármán geometric nonlinearity. Two types of initial defects including the internal porosity distribution and external geometrical imperfection shape are taken into consideration. The temperature-dependent material property varying along the length and thickness following the power-law function is employed, and the porosities inside the 2D-FG beam with even and uneven distributions are considered. The initial geometrical imperfection is described by the product of trigonometric and hyperbolic functions, which can capture both global and localized imperfection shapes. The discrete equations of motion for the 2D-FG beam are established by using the differential quadrature method (DQM), and the derived function is solved by an iterative procedure. The nonlinear thermo-mechanical vibration and buckling of 2D-FG beams under uniform, linear, and nonlinear temperature loads are systemically compared. Moreover, several key factors such as 2D-FG indexes, porosity distribution, geometrical imperfections, as well as boundary conditions are investigated in detail. The proposed model and obtained results can be used to guide the optimization design of multi-functional and multi-graded materials serviced under thermal environment.
Sticky Brownian Rounding and its Applications to Constraint Satisfaction Problems
Authors: Abbasi-Zadeh Sepehr , Bansal Nikhil , Guruganesh Guru , Nikolov Aleksandar , Schwartz Roy , Singh Mohit
Published: February 2022

Semidefinite programming is a powerful tool in the design and analysis of approximation algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems. In particular, the random hyperplane rounding method of Goemans and Williamson [
31
] has been extensively studied for more than two decades, resulting in various extensions to the original technique and beautiful algorithms for a wide range of applications. Despite the fact that this approach yields tight approximation guarantees for some problems, e.g.,
Max-Cut
, for many others, e.g.,
Max-SAT
and
Max-DiCut
, the tight approximation ratio is still unknown. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that very few techniques for rounding semi-definite relaxations are known.

In this work, we present a new general and simple method for rounding semi-definite programs, based on Brownian motion. Our approach is inspired by recent results in algorithmic discrepancy theory. We develop and present tools for analyzing our new rounding algorithms, utilizing mathematical machinery from the theory of Brownian motion, complex analysis, and partial differential equations. Focusing on constraint satisfaction problems, we apply our method to several classical problems, including
Max-Cut
,
Max-2SAT
, and
Max-DiCut
, and derive new algorithms that are competitive with the best known results. To illustrate the versatility and general applicability of our approach, we give new approximation algorithms for the
Max-Cut
problem with side constraints that crucially utilizes measure concentration results for the Sticky Brownian Motion, a feature missing from hyperplane rounding and its generalizations.
Kummer versus Montgomery Face-off over Prime Order Fields
Authors: Nath Kaushik , Sarkar Palash
Published: February 2022

This paper makes a comprehensive comparison of the efficiencies of vectorized implementations of Kummer lines and Montgomery curves at various security levels. For the comparison, nine Kummer lines are considered, out of which eight are new, and new assembly implementations of all nine Kummer lines have been made. Seven previously proposed Montgomery curves are considered and new vectorized assembly implementations have been made for three of them. Our comparisons show that for all security levels, Kummer lines are consistently faster than Montgomery curves, though the speed-up gap is not much.
AppAxO
: Designing

App

lication-specific

A

ppro

x

imate

O

perators for FPGA-based Embedded Systems
Authors: Ullah Salim , Sahoo Siva Satyendra , Ahmed Nemath , Chaudhury Debabrata , Kumar Akash
Published: February 2022

Approximate arithmetic operators, such as adders and multipliers, are increasingly used to satisfy the energy and performance requirements of resource-constrained embedded systems. However, most of the available approximate operators have an application-agnostic design methodology, and the efficacy of these operators can only be evaluated by employing them in the applications. Furthermore, the various available libraries of approximate operators do not share any standard approximation-induction policy to design new operators according to an application’s accuracy and performance constraints. These limitations also hinder the utilization of machine learning models to explore and determine approximate operators according to an application’s requirements. In this work, we present a generic design methodology for implementing FPGA-based application-specific approximate arithmetic operators. Our proposed technique utilizes lookup tables and carry-chains of FPGAs to implement approximate operators according to the input configurations. For instance, for an

\( \text{M}\times \text{N} \)

accurate multiplier utilizing
K
lookup tables, our methodology utilizes
K
-bit configurations to design

\( 2^K \)

approximate multipliers. We then utilize various machine learning models to evaluate and select configurations satisfying application accuracy and performance constraints. We have evaluated our proposed methodology for three benchmark applications, i.e., biomedical signal processing, image processing, and ANNs. We report more non-dominated approximate multipliers with better hypervolume contribution than state-of-the-art designs for these benchmark applications with the proposed design methodology.