bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statins in Children, an Update
Authors: Fiorentino Riccardo , Chiarelli Francesco
Published: January 2023

Since lipid abnormalities tend to progress from childhood to adulthood, it is necessary to early identify and treat children and adolescents with dyslipidemia. This is important in order to reduce the cardiovascular risk, delay the development of fatty streaks, slow the progression of atherosclerosis and reverse atherosclerotic plaques. Together with therapeutic lifestyle changes, statins are the most common lipid-lowering drugs. By inhibiting the endogenous cholesterol synthesis in the liver, statins increase the catabolism of LDL-C, reduce VLDL-C, IDL-C and TG and modestly increase HDL-C. Regardless of their lipid-lowering effect, statins have also pleiotropic effects. Statins have increasingly been prescribed in children and adolescents and mounting evidence suggests their beneficial role. As with adults, in children, several studies have demonstrated that statin therapy is efficient at lowering lipid levels and reducing CIMT progression and cumulative estimated atherosclerotic burden in children. Statins are generally very well-tolerated in both adults and children and adverse events are quite uncommon. When evaluating the need and the timing for statin treatment, the presence of several factors (secondary causes, familial history, additional risk factors) should also be considered. Before initiating statins, it is imperative for clinical practitioners to consult patients and families and, as with any new medication therapy, to monitor patients taking statins. Despite being safe and effective, many children with lipid disorders are not on statin therapy and are not receiving the full potential benefit of adequate lipid-lowering therapies. It is therefore important that clinicians become familiar with statins.
Trichosanthin Promotes Anti-Tumor Immunity through Mediating Chemokines and Granzyme B Secretion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Kaifang , Wang Xiaona , Zhang Minghuan , Ying Zhenguang , Zhu Zeyao , Tam Kin Yip , Li Chunman , Zhou Guowei , Gao Feng , Zeng Meiqi , Sze Stephen Cho Wing , Wang Xia , Sha Ou
Published: January 2023

Trichosanthin (TCS) is a type I ribosome-inactivating protein extracted from the tuberous root of the plant Trichosanthes. TCS shows promising potential in clinical drug abortion, anti-tumor and immunological regulation. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anti-tumor and immune regulation properties are still not well discovered. In the present study, we investigated the anti-tumor activity of TCS in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both in vitro and in vivo. Both HCC cell lines and xenograft tumor tissues showed considerable growth inhibition after they were treated with TCS. TCS provoked caspase-mediated apoptosis in HCC cells and xenograft tumor tissues. The recruitment of CD8+ T cells to HCC tissues and the expression of chemokines, CCL2 and CCL22, were promoted upon TCS treatment. In addition, TCS induced an upregulation of Granzyme B (GrzB), TNF-α and IFN-γ in HCC tissues, which are the major cytotoxic mediators produced by T cells. Furthermore, TCS also resulted in an increase of mannose-6-phosphate receptor (M6PR), the major receptor of GrzB, in HCC tissues. In summary, these results suggest that TCS perhaps increases T-cell immunity via promoting the secretion of chemokines and accelerating the entry of GrzB to HCC cells, which highlights the potential role of TCS in anti-tumor immunotherapy.
S-Series Coelenterazine-Driven Combinatorial Bioluminescence Imaging Systems for Mammalian Cells
Authors: Kamiya Genta , Kitada Nobuo , Furuta Tadaomi , Hirano Takashi , Maki Shojiro A. , Kim Sung-Bae
Published: January 2023

A unique combinatorial bioluminescence (BL) imaging system was developed for determining molecular events in mammalian cells with various colors and BL intensity patterns. This imaging system consists of one or multiple reporter luciferases and a series of novel coelenterazine (CTZ) analogues named “S-series”. For this study, ten kinds of novel S-series CTZ analogues were synthesized and characterized concerning the BL intensities, spectra, colors, and specificity of various marine luciferases. The characterization revealed that the S-series CTZ analogues luminesce with blue-to-orange-colored BL spectra with marine luciferases, where the most red-shifted BL spectrum peaked at 583 nm. The colors completed a visible light color palette with those of our precedent C-series CTZ analogues. The synthesized substrates S1, S5, S6, and S7 were found to have a unique specificity with marine luciferases, such as R86SG, NanoLuc (shortly, NLuc), and ALuc16. They collectively showed unique BL intensity patterns to identify the marine luciferases together with colors. The marine luciferases, R86SG, NLuc, and ALuc16, were multiplexed into multi-reporter systems, the signals of which were quantitatively unmixed with the specific substrates. When the utility was applied to a single-chain molecular strain probe, the imaging system simultaneously reported three different optical indexes for a ligand, i.e., unique BL intensity and color patterns for identifying the reporters, together with the ligand-specific fold intensities in mammalian cells. This study directs a new combinatorial BL imaging system to specific image molecular events in mammalian cells with multiple optical indexes.
Carnitine-acylcarnitine Translocase Deficiency with c.199-10T>G Mutation in Two Filipino Neonates Detected through Parental Carrier Testing
Authors: Carmona Suzanne Marie G. , Abacan Mary Ann R. , Alcausin Maria Melanie Liberty B.
Published: January 2023

Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency (CACTD), a fatty acid oxidation defect (FAOD), can present in the neonatal period with non-specific findings and hypoglycemia. A high index of suspicion is needed to recognize the disorder. The case is of a 24-year-old G2P2(2000) mother who sought consultation for recurrent neonatal deaths. The neonates, born two years apart, were apparently well at birth but had a fair cry and no spontaneous eye opening within the first 24 h of life and died before the 72nd hour of life. Newborn screening of both babies revealed elevated long chain acylcarnitines and hypocarnitinemia suggestive of a FAOD. However, due to their early demise, no confirmatory tests were done. Parental carrier testing was performed, revealing both parents to be heterozygous carriers of a pathogenic variant, c.199 10T>G (intronic), in the SLC25A20 gene associated with autosomal recessive CACTD. This is the first reported case of CACTD in the Filipino population.
Organization of Control of the Generalized Power Quality Parameter Using Wald’s Sequential Analysis Procedure
Authors: Kulikov Aleksandr , Ilyushin Pavel , Suslov Konstantin , Filippov Sergey
Published: January 2023

This paper analyzes the key defining features of modern electric power distribution networks of industrial enterprises. It is shown that the requirements set by industrial enterprises with respect to power quality parameters (PQPs) at the points of their connection to external distribution networks of utilities have been becoming increasingly strict in recent years. This is justified by the high sensitivity of critical electrical loads and distributed generation facilities to distortions of currents and voltages from a pure sine wave. Significant deviations of PQPs lead to significant damage at the consumer end due to the shutdown of electrical equipment by electrical and process protections as a result of overheating and increased wear and tear of individual elements of process lines. This necessitates the implementation of continuous monitoring systems at industrial enterprises, or sampling-based monitoring of PQPs at the boundary bus with an external distribution network. When arranging sampling-based monitoring of PQPs at certain time intervals, only those parameters that are critical for specific electrical loads should be calculated. We provide a rationale for the transition from the monitoring of a set of individual PQPs to a generalized PQP with the arrangement of simultaneous monitoring of several parameters. The joint use of the results of simulation and data from PQP monitoring systems for PQP analysis using the sampling-based procedure produces the desired effect. We present an example of a sequential decision-making process in the analysis of a generalized PQP based on Wald’s sequential analysis procedure. This technique makes it possible to adapt the PQP monitoring procedure to the features of a specific power distribution network of an industrial enterprise. We present the structural diagram of the device developed by the authors, which implements the sampling-based monitoring procedure of the generalized PQP. We put forward an approach for determining the average number of sampling data points required to make a decision about the power quality in the implementation of the sequential analysis procedure.
Mechanical Homogenization of Transversely Isotropic CNT/GNP Reinforced Biocomposite for Wind Turbine Blades: Numerical and Analytical Study
Authors: El Bahi Amine , Rouway Marwane , Tarfaoui Mostapha , Moumen Ahmed El , Chakhchaoui Nabil , Cherkaoui Omar , Omari Lhaj El Hachemi
Published: January 2023

One of the biggest problems facing the use of carbon nanotubes in reinforced composites is agglomeration within the matrix phase. This phenomenon—caused by Van der Waals forces—leads to dispersion problems and weakens the properties of the composites. This research presents a multi-stage homogenization approach used to investigate the influence of the aspect ratio, volume fraction, and agglomeration of the nanofillers on the effective mechanical properties of a polymer biocomposite containing randomly dispersed carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets. The first stage consisted in evaluating the properties of the reinforced polymers by the CNT/GNP. The second step consisted in combining the reinforced polymers with different natural and synthetic unidirectionally oriented fibers. It was found that agglomeration has a huge influence on the mechanical properties of the composite. The novelty of this work consisted of the consideration of the parameters influencing the elastic properties using different micromechanics approaches and numerical techniques.
Acid-Triggered Release of Eugenol and Fluoride by Desensitizing Macro- and Nanoparticles
Authors: Sereda Grigoriy , Ahammadullah Abu , Wijewantha Nisitha , Solano Yulia Almiron
Published: January 2023

The modern dentifrice industry needs non-toxic materials able to adhere to dentin, occlude dentinal tubules, hold pharmacons at the surface of dentin, and release them on demand to the location the tooth needs them most. Novel dental materials loaded with eugenol or fluoride-ions examined for the release of the pharmacon in an aqueous suspension efficiently adhere to the surface of human dentin and occlude dentinal tubules as evidenced by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy and a fluoride-selective electrode quantified the release of pharmacons. The surface modification with casein stabilizes micro- and nanoparticles of calcium carbonate in aqueous suspensions, enabling their application in dentifrices. The ability of particles to hold and release eugenol depends on their morphology and composition, with the casein-coated calcium carbonate microspheres being the most acid-sensitive and most promising for dentifrice applications. The novel material releases fluoride under physiologically low pH, regardless of the presence of other ingredients of the artificial saliva, which sustains the bulk fluoride concentration comparable with most fluorinated toothpastes. Low pH-triggered release mechanisms selectively supply the drug to the areas that need it most, reducing the overall dose and ushering in a new type of targeted dentifrices.
Longshore Current Profiles and Instabilities on Plane Beaches with Mild Slopes
Authors: Yan Sheng , Zou Zhili , Wang Dong , You Zaijin
Published: January 2023

The accurate determination of cross-shore longshore current profiles in the surf zone is essentially important in understanding of coastal physical processes and modelling of longshore sediment transport. In this study, a comprehensive laboratory study was undertaken to directly measure longshore current profiles over plane beaches with two mild slopes, 1:40 and 1:100, in a wave basin 55 m long, 34 m wide, and 0.7 m deep. Different wave conditions with an incidence angle of 30° were generated by piston-type wave makers consisting of 70 individual paddles, and two arrays of 29 Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADVs) were used to measure longshore currents in the surf zone. Based on the experimental data collected in this study, three types of cross-shore longshore current profiles were found on the two plane beaches under different testing wave conditions, namely quasi-Rayleigh, quasi-Gaussian, and M-shape profiles. The quasi-Rayleigh profile was found on the beach slope of 1:40, and the other two types were found on the beach slope of 1:100. Analytical formulae were proposed to describe these profiles and agreed well with the laboratory data. The fluctuations of longshore currents observed in this study were attributed to their shear instabilities based on linear instability analysis. The results of the linear instability analysis and the spectra of measured velocities also showed that the three types of velocity profiles led to different instability characteristics.
Dynamic Co-Simulation Analysis and Control of an IEA 15 MW Offshore Floating Semi-Submersible Wind Turbine under Taiwan Offshore-Wind-Farm Conditions of Wind and Wave
Authors: Chueh Cherng-Jer , Chien Chun-Hung , Lin Ching , Lin Ting-Yan , Chiang Mao-Hsiung
Published: January 2023

This study aims to develop dynamic co-simulation and control for analyzing the IEA 15 MW semi-submersible floating wind turbine under Taiwan offshore-wind-farm conditions of wind and wave. The IEA 15 MW wind turbine is mounted on a UMaine VolturnUS-S reference platform with a mooring system designed for a water depth of 70 m, in this study. The dynamic co-simulation combines software of SIMPACK, MATLAB/SIMULINK, AeroDyn, HydroDyn, WAMIT, and MAP++ to achieve the complex dynamic simulation of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, mechanism dynamics and control system dynamics. In addition, this study proposes a novel power-control strategy combining fuzzy sliding-mode control with additional pitching-rate feedback. Since the motion of the floating platform, especially the pitching motion, contributes to power oscillation, the proposed novel power-control strategy with additional pitching-rate feedback can reduce the influence of the floating-platform oscillation motion, and is verified under different conditions.
Effects of Mud Supply and Hydrodynamic Conditions on the Sedimentary Distribution of Estuaries: Insights from Sediment Dynamic Numerical Simulation
Authors: Zhang Qian , Tang Mingming , Lu Shuangfang , Liu Xueping , Xiong Sichen
Published: January 2023

Estuaries are important sediment facies in the fluvial-to-marine transition zone, are strongly controlled by dynamic interactions of tides, waves, and fluvial flows, and show various changes in depositional processes and sediment distribution. Deep investigations on the sediment dynamic processes of the sand component of estuaries have been conducted; however, the understanding of how mud supply affects estuaries’ sedimentary characteristics and morphology is still in vague. Herein, the effects of mud concentration, mud transport properties, fluvial discharge, and tidal amplitude on the sedimentary characteristics of an estuary were systematically analyzed using sedimentary dynamic numerical simulation. The results show that the mud concentration has significant effects on the morphology of tidal channels in estuaries, which become more braided with a lower mud concentration, and straighter, with reduced channel migration, with a higher mud concentration. The mud transport properties, namely, setting velocity, critical bed shear stress for sedimentation, and erosion, mostly affect the ratio between the length and width (RLW) of the sand bar; a sheet-like sand bar with a lower RLW value develops in the lower settling velocity, while there are obvious strip shaped bars with a high RLW value in the higher settling velocity case. Moreover, the effects of hydrodynamic conditions on sedimentary distribution were analyzed by changing the tidal amplitudes and fluvial discharges. The results show that a higher tidal amplitude is often accompanied by a stronger tidal energy, which induces a more obvious seaward progradation, while a higher fluvial discharge usually yields a higher deposition rate and yields a greater deposition thickness. From the above numerical simulations, the statistical characteristics of tidal bars and mud interlayers were further obtained, which show good agreement with modern sedimentary characteristics. This study suggests that sedimentary dynamic numerical simulation can provide insights into an efficient quantitative method for analyzing the effects of mud components on the sediment processes of estuaries.
Comparison of Pedicled Adductor Longus and Pedicled Sartorius Flap in Inguinal Reconstruction, a Fresh Cadaver Study
Authors: Zhang Hong , Li Zhenfeng , Li Jianmin , Zhu Binghong , Xu Qingjia
Published: January 2023

Reconstruction surgeries in the inguinal area are challenging for vascular surgeons, oncologists, orthopedists, and others. The pedicled sartorius flap is the most commonly used flap for reconstruction. The pedicled adductor longus is reported as a new method to reconstruct the inguinal region. The related anatomic study is rare. This work aims to make a comparison of pedicled adductor longus and pedicled sartorius on cadavers for better use. Out of the 12 thighs in the 6 cadavers analyzed, the author compares two surgical methods in terms of surgical details, exposure of vascular and nerve pedicle, flap harvesting, flap transposition and flap volume, etc. Through the course of this study, it is showed that the adductor longus flap had a sizable advantage over the sartorius flap in terms of exposure, harvesting, and flap volume.
The Objectivization of the Living Green Walls Concept as a Tool for Urban Greening (Case Study: LIKO-S a.s., Slavkov u Brna, Czech Republic)
Authors: Brázdová Adéla , Kupka Jiří
Published: January 2023

The improvement of human well-being and the urban environment in cities and towns around the world will always be at the forefront of our interests. After all, the resilience of the urban environment to climate change is very important now. For example, the residents’ well-being can be improved in terms of environmental aspects. The opportunities for improving the urban environment are, of course, closely interconnected with other aspects, i.e., economic, technical and social. One of the ways to increase the resilience of cities is by progressive urban greening with small urban greenery elements. Exterior green walls are attractive, often used in urban areas, and are also the key issue of our paper. They represent at first sight (concerning their usual size) only a small instrument, but they can have a significant environmental, techno-economic and socio-cultural impact. Potential stakeholders may not be aware of this consequence. Our research focuses not only on a model exterior green wall (LIKO-S a.s., Czech Republic), where selected environmental aspects were measured for one year to confirm or deny the cooling effect of the exterior green wall on the surrounding environment, but also to objectify the issue of green walls. We also present proposals for tools that consider other aspects (technical-economic and socio-economic aspects): objectivization-decision scheme and guided interview for stakeholders’ motivation. These tools can serve future stakeholders in the pre-implementation phase of the intended exterior green wall. Objectivization of exterior green walls is the main goal of the present paper.
Friction Reduction by Dimple Type Textured Cylinder Liners—An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Söderfjäll Markus , Gachot Carsten
Published: January 2023

Applying texture to a surface in a tribological interface will influence frictional performance, which has been investigated in several previous studies. However, since varying operating conditions heavily affect the frictional performance and optimum texture dimensions, more work in this field is required. There are few experimental studies concerning the influence of texture on friction especially under sliding lubricated conditions and even fewer at high sliding speeds. In this work, the effect of texture on frictional losses between the piston ring and cylinder liner is studied experimentally. The texture is of the dimple type, with a diameter and depth of 300 µm and 3 µm, respectively, applied to the cylinder liner surface. Experiments are performed with sliding speeds close to real piston sliding speeds. A clear reduction in frictional losses is observed with the textured cylinder liner. Moreover, qualitatively comparing the experimental results to a numerical model shows a good correlation.
Microplastics Derived from Food Packaging Waste—Their Origin and Health Risks
Authors: Kadac-Czapska Kornelia , Knez Eliza , Gierszewska Magdalena , Olewnik-Kruszkowska Ewa , Grembecka Małgorzata
Published: January 2023

Plastics are commonly used for packaging in the food industry. The most popular thermoplastic materials that have found such applications are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and polystyrene (PS). Unfortunately, most plastic packaging is disposable. As a consequence, significant amounts of waste are generated, entering the environment, and undergoing degradation processes. They can occur under the influence of mechanical forces, temperature, light, chemical, and biological factors. These factors can present synergistic or antagonistic effects. As a result of their action, microplastics are formed, which can undergo further fragmentation and decomposition into small-molecule compounds. During the degradation process, various additives used at the plastics’ processing stage can also be released. Both microplastics and additives can negatively affect human and animal health. Determination of the negative consequences of microplastics on the environment and health is not possible without knowing the course of degradation processes of packaging waste and their products. In this article, we present the sources of microplastics, the causes and places of their formation, the transport of such particles, the degradation of plastics most often used in the production of packaging for food storage, the factors affecting the said process, and its effects.
Modification of Inclusions by Rare Earth Elements in a High-Strength Oil Casing Steel for Improved Sulfur Resistance
Authors: Jiang Xueyuan , Li Gen , Tang Haiyan , Liu Jinwen , Cai Sen , Zhang Jiaquan
Published: January 2023

Steel casing pipes used in the construction of deep oil wells usually require both high strength and corrosion-resistant behavior. Due to the exploration of deep H2S-bearing oil reservoirs, sulfide stress cracking (SSC) is becoming an increasingly serious concern for casing steel. The nonmetallic inclusions in the steel are among the key reasons for its service failure. The rare earth element Ce can be used to modify the inclusions in casing steel and improve its SSC resistance. Here, taking C110 grade casing steel (the highest class currently in service) as the investigated object, the modification behavior of Ce inclusions in the steel and the effect of the addition of Ce in varying amounts (0.01, 0.024, and 0.042 wt.%) on the modified products were studied through high-temperature tube furnace experiments and thermodynamic calculations. The results showed that Ce had an obvious modification effect on the CaO·Al2O3 inclusions in casing steel, and the diffusion of dissolved Ce in the steel was the limiting step of the modification reaction. With the extension of reaction time, the sequence describing the modification of inclusions in the steel was determined as follows: CaO·Al2O3 → CeAlO3 → Ce2O3/Ce2O2S. The final stable product after modification depended on the amount of Ce added. With 0.01 wt.% Ce, the stable phase in molten steel was Ce2O3; on the other hand, upon adding ≥0.024 wt.% Ce, the stable phase became Ce2O2S. In addition, the thermodynamic stability of Ce2O3 decreased, and it was transformed into CeAlO3, Ce2O2S, Ce2S3, and CeS during solidification. On the basis of our results and the considerations for smooth casting, the addition of a proper amount of a rare earth element is suggested for industrial trials, following the achievement of a significant and surprising improvement in the qualified rate of SSC resistance for the final steel products. The relevant mechanism is also analyzed.
Experimental and Theoretical Tests on the Corrosion Protection of Mild Steel in Hydrochloric Acid Environment by the Use of Pyrazole Derivative
Authors: Boudalia Maria , Fernández-Domene R. M. , Guo L. , Echihi S. , Belghiti M. E. , Zarrouk A. , Bellaouchou A. , Guenbour A. , García-Antón J.
Published: January 2023

In this study, 1,5-diallyl-1H-pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidin-4 (5H)-one (PPD) was evaluated as an anticorrosion agent for mild steel (MS) in 1 M HCl. The analysis was performed by weight loss (WL), potentiodynamic polarization measurement, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The Tafel polarization showed that PPD is a mixed-type inhibitor and reaches 94% of the protective efficiency at 10−3 M. EIS results indicated that the resistance to charge transfer increases with increasing inhibitor concentration and the corrosion of MS is controlled by a charge transfer process. The inhibitor adsorption on the MS surface obeyed the Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated to elaborate the corrosion inhibition mechanism. The micrographic analysis revealed the existence of a barrier layer on the electrode surface with the presence of PPD. Theoretical examinations performed by electronic/atomic computer simulations confirmed that the obtained results were found to be consistent with experimental findings.
Improvements in Temperature Uniformity in Carbon Fiber Composites during Microwave-Curing Processes via a Recently Developed Microwave Equipped with a Three-Dimensional Motion System
Authors: Chen Kaihua , Zhao Guozhen , Chen Jing , Zhu Xiaobao , Guo Shenghui
Published: January 2023

Curing processes for carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites via microwave heating are promising alternatives to conventional thermal curing because this technology results in nonhomogeneous temperature distributions, which hinder its further development in industries. This paper proposes a novel method for improving heating homogeneities by employing three-dimensional motion with respect to the prepreg laminate used in the microwave field by using a recently developed microwave system. The maximum temperature deviation on the surface of the laminate can be controlled within 8.7 °C during the entire curing process, and it produces an average heating rate of 1.42 °C/min. The FT−IR analyses indicate that microwave heating would slightly influence hydroxyl and methylene contents in the cured laminate. The DMA measurements demonstrate that the glass transition temperatures can be improved by applying proper microwave-curing processes. Optical microscopy and mechanical tests reveal that curing the prepreg laminate by using a multistep curing process that initially cures the laminate at the resin’s lowest viscosity for 10 min followed by curing the laminate at a high temperature for a short period of time would be favorable for yielding a sample with low void contents and the desired mechanical properties. All these analyses are supposed to prove the feasibility of controlling the temperature difference during microwave-curing processes within a reasonable range and provide a cured laminate with improved properties compared with conventional thermally cured products.
Network-Structured BST/MBO Composites Made from Core-Shell-Structured Granulates
Authors: Häuser Kevin , Zhou Zhiren , Agrawal Prannoy , Jakoby Rolf , Maune Holger , Binder Joachim R.
Published: January 2023

A finite element method (FEM)-based simulation approach to predict the tunability in composite materials was developed and tested with analytical data. These tests showed good prediction capabilities of the simulation for the test data. The simulation model was then used to predict the tunability of a network-structured composite, where the dielectric phase formed clusters in a paraelectric network. This was achieved by simulating a reciprocal core-shell unit cell of said network. The simulation showed a high tunability for this network model, exceeding the tunability of the analytically evaluated layered, columnar, and particulate model. The simulation results were experimentally verified with a Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3/Mg3B2O6 (BST/MBO) composite, where core-shell granulates were made with a two-step granulation process. These structured samples showed higher tunability and dielectric loss than the unstructured samples made for comparison. Overall, the structured samples showed higher tunability to loss ratios, indicating their potential for use in tunable radio frequency applications, since they may combine high performance with little energy loss.
Carbon in Commercially Pure Titanium
Authors: Szkliniarz Agnieszka , Szkliniarz Wojciech
Published: January 2023

In a way so far unmatched in any single study, this paper presents the complex characteristics of commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) containing 0.2 wt.% carbon, which is significantly above the carbon level in commonly used titanium alloys, while at the same time being the maximum permitted content in light of the recommendations in force. It has been demonstrated that the addition of carbon in CP-Ti can have many positive impacts. The investigated Ti-0.2C alloy was produced in a cold-copper crucible induction vacuum furnace and processed into a 12 mm diameter bar by hot rolling. The structure and properties of the Ti-0.2C alloy were compared to those of an CP-Ti Grade 1 produced and processed under the same technical conditions. The addition of 0.2 wt.% carbon to CP-Ti has been found to change the course of the crystallization process, the course and temperatures of phase transformations, and the values of lattice parameters; reduce susceptibility to grain growth; and create the possibility for additional hardening during solution treatment and aging. At the same time, it results in an assumed improvement in properties by increasing the tensile strength and yield strength, hardness, creep and oxidation resistance, and abrasive wear. It has a negative effect but is still within the acceptable range on impact strength and susceptibility to hot and cold deformation.
ShuffleNet v2.3-StackedBiLSTM-Based Tool Wear Recognition Model for Turbine Disc Fir-Tree Slot Broaching
Authors: Ying Shenshun , Sun Yicheng , Zhou Fuhua , Lin Lvgao
Published: January 2023

At present, deep learning technology shows great market potential in broaching tool wear state recognition based on vibration signals. However, traditional single neural network structure is difficult to extract a variety of different features simultaneously and has low robustness, so the accuracy of wear status recognition is not high. In view of the above problems, a broaching tool wear recognition model based on ShuffleNet v2.3-StackedBiLSTM is proposed in this paper. The model integrates ShuffleNet v2.3, which has been channel shuffling, and StackedBiLSTM, a long and short-term memory network, to effectively extract spatial and temporal features for tool wear state recognition. Based on the innovative recognition model, the turbine disc fir-tree slot broaching experiment is designed, and the performance index system based on confusion matrix is adopted. The experimental research and results show that the model has outstanding accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 value, and the accuracy rate reaches 99.37%, which is significantly better than ShuffleNet v2.3 and StackedBiLSTM models. The recognition speed of a single sample was improved to 8.67 ms, which is 90.32% less than that of the StackedBiLSTM model.
Modeling and Analyzing Homogeneous Tumor Growth under Virotherapy
Authors: Yang Chayu , Wang Jin
Published: January 2023

We present a mathematical model based on ordinary differential equations to investigate the spatially homogeneous state of tumor growth under virotherapy. The model emphasizes the interaction among the tumor cells, the oncolytic viruses, and the host immune system that generates both innate and adaptive immune responses. We conduct a rigorous equilibrium analysis and derive threshold conditions that determine the growth or decay of the tumor under various scenarios. Numerical simulation results verify our analytical predictions and provide additional insight into the tumor growth dynamics.
Improving the Performance of RODNet for MMW Radar Target Detection in Dense Pedestrian Scene
Authors: Li Yang , Li Zhuang , Wang Yanping , Xie Guangda , Lin Yun , Shen Wenjie , Jiang Wen
Published: January 2023

In the field of autonomous driving, millimeter-wave (MMW) radar is often used as a supplement sensor of other types of sensors, such as optics, in severe weather conditions to provide target-detection services for autonomous driving. RODNet (A Real-Time Radar Object-Detection Network) is one of the most widely used MMW radar range–azimuth (RA) image sequence target-detection algorithms based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). However, RODNet adopts an object-location similarity (OLS) detection method that is independent of the number of targets to obtain the final target detections from the predicted confidence map. Therefore, it gives a poor performance on missed detection ratio in dense pedestrian scenes. Based on the analysis of the predicted confidence map distribution characteristics, we propose a new generative model-based target-location detection algorithm to improve the performance of RODNet in dense pedestrian scenes. The confidence value and space distribution predicted by RODNet are analyzed in this paper. It shows that the space distribution is more robust than the value distribution for clustering. This is useful in selecting a clustering method to estimate the clustering centers of multiple targets in close range under the effects of distributed target and radar measurement variance and multipath scattering. Another key idea of this algorithm is the derivation of a Gaussian Mixture Model with target number (GMM-TN) for generating the likelihood probability distributions of different target number assumptions. Furthermore, a minimum Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence target number estimation scheme is proposed combined with K-means clustering and a GMM-TN model. Through the CRUW dataset, the target-detection experiment on a dense pedestrian scene is carried out, and the confidence distribution under typical hidden variable conditions is analyzed. The effectiveness of the improved algorithm is verified: the Average Precision (AP) is improved by 29% and the Average Recall (AR) is improved by 36%.
Some Characterizations of Complete Hausdorff KM-Fuzzy Quasi-Metric Spaces
Authors: Romaguera Salvador
Published: January 2023

Gregori and Romaguera introduced, in 2004, the notion of a KM-fuzzy quasi-metric space as a natural asymmetric generalization of the concept of fuzzy metric space in the sense of Kramosil and Michalek. Ever since, various authors have discussed several aspects of such spaces, including their topological and (quasi-)metric properties as well as their connections with domain theory and their relationship with other fuzzy structures. In particular, the development of the fixed point theory for these spaces and other related ones, such as fuzzy partial metric spaces, has received remarkable attention in the last 15 years. Continuing this line of research, we here establish general fixed point theorems for left and right complete Hausdorff KM-fuzzy quasi-metric spaces, which are applied to deduce characterizations of these distinguished kinds of fuzzy quasi-metric completeness. Our approach, which mixes conditions of Suzuki-type with contractions of α−ϕ-type in the well-known proposal of Samet et al., allows us to extend and improve some recent theorems on complete fuzzy metric spaces. The obtained results are accompanied by illustrative and clarifying examples.
A Cluster of Paragonimiasis with Delayed Diagnosis Due to Difficulty Distinguishing Symptoms from Post-COVID-19 Respiratory Symptoms: A Report of Five Cases
Authors: Sasaki Jun , Matsuoka Masanobu , Kinoshita Takashi , Horii Takayuki , Tsuneyoshi Shingo , Murata Daiki , Takaki Reiko , Tominaga Masaki , Tanaka Mio , Maruyama Haruhiko , Kawayama Tomotaka , Hoshino Tomoaki
Published: January 2023

Paragonimiasis caused by trematodes belonging to the genus Paragonimus is often accompanied by chronic respiratory symptoms such as cough, the accumulation of sputum, hemoptysis, and chest pain. Prolonged symptoms, including respiratory symptoms, after coronavirus disease 2019 infection (COVID-19) are collectively called post-COVID-19 conditions. Paragonimiasis and COVID-19 may cause similar respiratory symptoms. We encountered five cases of paragonimiasis in patients in Japan for whom diagnoses were delayed due to the initial characterization of the respiratory symptoms as a post-COVID-19 condition. The patients had consumed homemade drunken freshwater crabs together. One to three weeks after consuming the crabs, four of the five patients were diagnosed with probable COVID-19. The major symptoms reported included cough, dyspnea, and chest pain. The major imaging findings were pleural effusion, pneumothorax, and nodular lesions of the lung. All the patients were diagnosed with paragonimiasis based on a serum antibody test and peripheral blood eosinophilia (560–15,610 cells/μL) and were treated successfully with 75 mg/kg/day praziquantel for 3 days. Before diagnosing a post-COVID-19 condition, it is necessary to consider whether other diseases, including paragonimiasis, may explain the symptoms. Further, chest radiographic or blood tests should be performed in patients with persistent respiratory symptoms after being infected with COVID-19 to avoid overlooking the possibility of infection.
Using Quantitative Hormonal Fertility Monitors to Evaluate the Luteal Phase: Proof of Concept Case Study
Authors: Bouchard Thomas P.
Published: January 2023

Several new quantitative fertility monitors are now available for at-home use that measure estrogen, luteinizing hormone (LH), and progesterone (PDG) in urine. This case report compares the Mira and Inito quantitative fertility monitors with the well-established qualitative ClearBlue fertility monitor. Three clinical scenarios were evaluated: a normal cycle, a prolonged luteinization cycle, and an anovulatory cycle. The identification of the luteal phase (or lack thereof in the case of anovulation) and the transition through the three processes of luteinization, progestation, and luteolysis were clearly demarcated with the help of quantitative LH and PDG. Quantitative fertility monitors have the potential to identify details of the luteal phase to help women with regular cycles and abnormal luteal phases to help target interventions for optimizing fertility.
A 3D Printed Membrane Reactor System for Electrochemical CO2 Conversion
Authors: Navarro Andreu Bonet , Nogalska Adrianna , Garcia-Valls Ricard
Published: January 2023

Nowadays, CO2 electroreduction is gaining special interest as achieving net zero CO2 emissions is not going to be enough to avoid or mitigate the negative effects of climate change. However, the cost of CO2 electroreduction is still very high because of the low efficiency of conversion (around 20%). Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the reaction conditions. Thus, a miniaturized novel membrane reactor was designed and manufactured in this study, with a shorter distance between the electrodes and a reduced volume, compared with CNC-manufactured reactors, using novel stereolithography-based 3D printing. The reduced distance between the two electrodes reduced the electrical resistance and therefore lowered the overpotential necessary to trigger the reaction from −1.6 V to −1.2 V, increasing the efficiency. In addition, the reduction in the volume of the reactor increased the catalyst area/volume ratio, which also boosted the concentration of the products (from FE 18% to FE 21%), allowing their better identification. Furthermore, the smaller volume and reduced complexity of the reactor also improved the testing capacity and decreased the cost of experimentation. The novel miniaturized reactor can help researchers to perform more experiments in a cost/time-effective way, facilitating the optimization of the reaction conditions.
Mechanism of Selective Chlorination of Fe from Fe2SiO4 and FeV2O4 Based on Density Functional Theory
Authors: Du Junyan , Xiao Yiyu , Liu Shiyuan , Wang Lijun , Chou Kuo-Chih
Published: January 2023

Vanadium slag is an important resource containing valuable elements such as Fe, V, Ti, and so on. A novel selective chlorination method for extracting these valuable elements from vanadium slag has been proposed recently. The proposed methods could recover valuable elements with a high recovery ratio and less of an environmental burden, while the study on the chlorination mechanism at the atom level was still insufficient. Fe2SiO4 and FeV2O4 are the two main phases of vanadium slag, and the iron element can be selectively extracted via the chlorination of NH4Cl. The NH4Cl decomposes into NH3 gas and HCl gas, which was the true chlorination agent. As a result, the chlorination reactions of Fe2SiO4 and FeV2O4 with HCl were firstly calculated using FactSage 8.0. Then, this paper studied the characteristics of HCl adsorption on the Fe2SiO4(010) surface and the FeV2O4(001) Fe-terminated surface mechanism of the selective chlorination of Fe from Fe2SiO4 and FeV2O4 via DFT calculations. The processes of chlorination of Fe2SiO4 and FeV2O4 involved the processes of removing O atoms from them with HCl gas. The iron in Fe2SiO4 was selectively chlorinated because HCl could adsorb on the iron site but could not adsorb on the silicon site. The iron in FeV2O4 was selectively chlorinated because the electronegativity gap between V and O was more significant than that between the Fe and O elements.
Influence of Material and Process Parameters on Reduction-Swelling Characteristics of Sintered Iron Pellets
Authors: Rane Kedarnath , Date Prashant , Srivatsan T. S.
Published: January 2023

This paper investigates the use of shop-floor ferrous scrap that contains iron ore as a raw material for the purpose of making steel products through an in situ carbothermic reduction. The technique of powder metallurgy (PM) was used for the purpose of studying reduction followed by densification during sintering. Two sources of iron oxide—ferrous grinding-sludge powder and iron ore—and three sources of the carbonaceous material—graphite, charcoal, and carbon black—were considered. The carbonaceous material was added to the iron oxide after calculating the stoichiometric carbon requirement for facilitating both direct reduction and direct–indirect reduction. This involves a simultaneous change in weight and volume. During sintering, an in situ reduction of the iron oxide takes place that often results in severe volumetric changes. The test results revealed the degree of reduction (DOR) and degree of densification (DOD) of the grinding sludge (GS) to be 15% and 45% higher, respectively, than that of iron ore (IO). This is essentially due to the presence of distinct iron-oxide phases coupled with a greater amenability to the occurrence of carbothermic reduction. Indirect reduction also took place and contributed to improving the degree of reduction (DOR) and degree of densification (DOD) of the final products. Overall, the shape stability of the sintered grinding-sludge (GS) powder was found to be optimized when parameter settings of graphite (from 25% in excess to 50% in excess) were added, a compaction pressure of 1050 MPa was applied, and a sintering temperature of 1200 °C was employed. Hence, ferrous scrap can be chosen as direct reduced iron for the manufacture of steel and can also be used for cost-efficient and eco-friendly structural components with a marginal compromise on both the purity and strength of the ferrous products.
Stress-Invariants-Based Anisotropic Yield Functions and Its Application to Sheet Metal Plasticity
Authors: Kim Jinjae , Nguyen Phu Van , Hong Jung Goo , Kim Young Suk
Published: January 2023

The yield criterion, or so-called yield function, plays an important role in the study of the plastic working of a sheet because it governs the plastic deformation properties of the sheet during the plastic-forming process. In this paper, we propose a novel anisotropic yield function useful for describing the plastic behavior of various anisotropic sheets. The proposed yield function includes the anisotropic version of the second stress invariant J2 and the third stress invariant J3. The proposed yield function can explain the anisotropic plastic behavior of various sheets by introducing the parameters α and β and also exhibits both symmetrical and asymmetrical yield surfaces. The parameters included in the proposed model were determined with an optimization algorithm from uniaxial and biaxial experimental data under a proportional loading path. In this study, the validity of the proposed anisotropic yield function was verified by comparing the yield surface shape, normalized uniaxial yield stress value, and Lankford anisotropic coefficient R-value derived from the experimental results. Applications of the proposed anisotropic yield functions to an aluminum sheet showed symmetrical yielding behavior and, to pure titanium sheets, showed asymmetric yielding behavior; thus, it was shown that the yield curve and yield behavior of various types of sheet materials can be predicted reasonably by using the proposed new yield anisotropic function.
The Corrosion Behavior of WEDM Machined Stainless Steels in a Pyrolysis Environment
Authors: Benes Libor , Mouralova Katerina , Midula Pavol , Snow Jan , Lysonkova Irena , Pilnaj Dominik , Burdova Hana , Prokes Tomas , Zahradnicek Radim , Fries Jiri , Kuráň Pavel , Kubenka Martin
Published: January 2023

Pyrolysis represents one of the most convenient technologies for the chemical transformation of waste. The exposure to corrosion products and high temperatures does, however, require chemically resistant construction materials. This study was carried out to analyze the corrosion behavior of 1.4571 (AISI 316Ti) and 1.4305 (AISI 303) stainless steels machined with wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) in a pyrolysis environment. Different machining parameters were used for both materials tested to examine the influence of WEDM machining. The total testing time in the pyrolysis environment was 28 days, with the testing chamber being refilled 12 times. The surface topography was analyzed following the WEDM, cleaning, and corrosion test. The surface morphology and cross-section analyses were carried out using electron microscopy at all three stages of the process. An analysis of the chemical composition of the surfaces was carried out as well as of the pyrolysis environment to which the samples were exposed. It was established that the organic acids found in the pyrolysis chamber did not degrade the tested stainless steels to a meaningful degree. Minor fissures, that is, fine precipitated carbides, were observed on the surface of both the steel types and in their subsurface layer, as well as a significant presence of carbon. This presence was directly connected to the impurities found on the surface after the removal from the test furnace that were probably of a protective or passivation nature.