bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Did FinTech Lenders Facilitate PPP Fraud?
Authors: GRIFFIN JOHN M. , KRUGER SAMUEL , MAHAJAN PRATEEK
Published: February 2023

In the $793 billion Paycheck Protection Program, we examine metrics related to potential misreporting including nonregistered businesses, multiple businesses at residential addresses, abnormally high implied compensation per employee, and large inconsistencies with jobs reported in another government program. These measures consistently concentrate in certain FinTech lenders and are cross‐verified by seven additional measures. FinTech market share increased significantly over time, and suspicious lending by FinTechs in 2021 is four times the level at the start of the program. Suspicious loans are being overwhelmingly forgiven at rates similar to other loans.
Comparing Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians’ Religious and Political Beliefs Across Latin America and Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Sperber Elizabeth , Hern Erin
Published: February 2023

This article compares the political correlates of Renewalist Christianity in Latin America and sub‐Saharan Africa (N= 44,832). Renewalists include Pentecostals and Charismatic members of Mainline Protestant and Catholic churches. Though rarely studied comparatively, Latin America and Sub‐Saharan Africa boast the largest Renewalist populations worldwide. Scholars have noted that the religious and political beliefs of Renewalists differ from other Christians, but existing studies either treat Renewalists as a single category or focus on Pentecostals while pooling Charismatic and non‐Charismatic Catholics and Protestants as denominational blocks. Using multilevel mixed‐effects models, this article first confirms that Renewalists’ religious and political beliefs differ from those of non‐Renewalist Christians. Importantly, this cautions against the ubiquitous aggregation of Charismatic and non‐Charismatic Catholics (and Protestants) in statistical analyses. Additionally, we theorize and evaluate differencesbetweenRenewalists and the role of regional context. Religious differences between Pentecostals and Charismatics, we show, are much larger in Latin America than in Sub‐Saharan Africa.
Escherichia coli‐derived outer‐membrane vesicles induce immune activation and progression of cirrhosis in mice and humans
Authors: Natsui Kazuki , Tsuchiya Atsunori , Imamiya Risa , Osada‐Oka Mayuko , Ishii Yui , Koseki Yohei , Takeda Nobutaka , Tomiyoshi Kei , Yamazaki Fusako , Yoshida Yuki , Ohashi Riuko , Ling Yiwei , Ueda Koji , Moritoki Nobuko , Sato Kazuhiro , Nakajima Takahiro , Hasegawa Yoshinori , Okuda Shujiro , Shibata Shinsuke , Terai Shuji
Published: February 2023

Background and Aims

Decompensated cirrhosis with fibrosis progression causes portal hypertension followed by an oedematous intestinal tract. These conditions weaken the barrier function against bacteria in the intestinal tract, a condition called leaky gut, resulting in invasion by bacteria and bacterial components. Here, we investigated the role of outer‐membrane vesicles (OMVs) of Escherichia coli, which is the representative pathogenic gut‐derived bacteria in patients with cirrhosis in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis.

Methods

We investigated the involvement of OMVs in humans using human serum and ascites samples and also investigated the involvement of OMVs from E. coli in mice using mouse liver‐derived cells and a mouse cirrhosis model.

Results

In vitro, OMVs induced inflammatory responses to macrophages and neutrophils, including the upregulation of C‐type lectin domain family 4 member E (Clec4e), and induced the suppression of albumin production in hepatocytes but had a relatively little direct effect on hepatic stellate cells. In a mouse cirrhosis model, administration of OMVs led to increased liver inflammation, especially affecting the activation of macrophages, worsening fibrosis and decreasing albumin production. Albumin administration weakened these inflammatory changes. In addition, multiple antibodies against bacterial components were increased with a progressing Child‐Pugh grade, and OMVs were detected in ascites of patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Conclusions

In conclusion, OMVs induce inflammation, fibrosis and suppression of albumin production, affecting the pathogenesis of cirrhosis. We believe that our study paves the way for the future prevention and treatment of cirrhosis.
The International Congress–Festival‐CIRIR 2022 (ICF‐CIRIR 2022), Rochechouart, France
Authors: Lambert Philippe
Published: February 2023

Combining science, education, outreach, art, culture, and sustainable development, the International Congress–Festival‐CIRIR 2022 (ICF‐CIRIR 2022) was held from June 28 to July 2, 2022, in the Rochechouart impact structure. A total of 59 persons registered for the Congress–Festival, with 48 of these participating in person, from 18 countries on four continents, and with 46 abstract submissions. A field trip and a drill core sample screening party followed the event from July 4 to 6. Owing to the success of the event, it will be renewed every 3–4 years to help developing the interest of young scientists and the public at large, in impact processes and their role in the evolution of planets and life.
High consumption of unhealthy commercial foods and beverages tracks across the complementary feeding period in rural/peri‐urban Cambodia
Authors: Hinnouho Guy‐Marino , Ferguson Elaine L. , MacDougall Amy , Kroeun Hou , Sophonneary Prak , Chea Mary , Pries Alissa M.
Published: February 2023

Consumption of unhealthy commercial foods and beverages (UCFB) is common among infants and young children living in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Such foods can displace other nutritious foods, however, there is limited evidence on how this consumption tracks across time. This study assessed and tracked UCFB consumption of children living in rural/peri‐urban Cambodia during the complementary feeding period, identified UCFB consumption patterns of these children, and explored the association between UCFB consumption and growth. A 6‐month longitudinal cohort study was implemented among 567 caregivers of children aged 10–14 months at recruitment. UCFB consumption was estimated each month via a telephone‐administered 7‐day food frequency questionnaire, and UCFB consumption patterns were identified based on changes in this frequency of consumption over time. The majority of children either maintained (45.7%, n = 246) or developed (43.5%, n = 234) an unhealthy consumption pattern and only 10.8% (n = 58) of children maintained/transitioned into a healthy consumption pattern. High consumers of UCFB at 10–14 months had a 4.7 (CI: 4.7 [3.1–7.2]) times odds of being high consumers of UCFB at 15–19 months (p < 0.001). There was a trend of lower length‐for‐age z‐scores (LAZ) among children maintaining or developing an unhealthy consumption pattern (~−0. SD LAZ) compared to children maintaining/transitioning into a healthy consumption pattern, however, this association was not statistically significant. Findings indicate that high UCFB consumption begins during infancy and tracks into early childhood. National policies and programmes centred on early interventions addressing the use of UCFB for infant and young child feeding are needed.
Correlated evolution in an ectomycorrhizal host–symbiont system
Authors: van Galen Laura G. , Orlovich David A. , Lord Janice M. , Nilsen Andy R. , Dutoit Ludovic , Larcombe Matthew J.
Published: February 2023

Mechanisms of diversification in fungi are relatively poorly known. Many ectomycorrhizal symbionts show preference for particular host genera or families, so host–symbiont selection may be an important driver of fungal diversification in ectomycorrhizal systems. However, whether ectomycorrhizal hosts and symbionts show correlated evolutionary patterns remains untested, and it is unknown whether fungal specialisation also occurs in systems dominated by hosts from the same genus.

We use metabarcoding of ectomycorrhizal fungi collected with hyphal ingrowth bags from Nothofagus forests across southern New Zealand to investigate host–symbiont specialisation and correlated evolution. We examine how ectomycorrhizal communities differ between host species and look for patterns of host–symbiont cophylogeny.

We found substantial differences in ectomycorrhizal communities associated with different host taxa, particularly between hosts from different subgenera (Lophozonia and Fuscospora), but also between more closely related hosts. Twenty‐four per cent of fungal taxa tested showed affiliations to particular hosts, and tests for cophylogeny revealed significant correlations between host relatedness and the fungal phylogeny that extended to substantial evolutionary depth.

These results provide new evidence of correlated evolution in ectomycorrhizal systems, indicating that preferences among closely related host species may represent an important evolutionary driver for local lineage diversification in ectomycorrhizal fungi.
Lefebvre's production of space: Implications for nursing
Authors: Strus Jacqueline A. , Holmes Dave , O'Byrne Patrick , Hammond Chad
Published: February 2023

In this paper, we argue that nurses need to be aware of how the production of space in specific contexts – including health care systems and research institutions – perpetuates marginalized populations' state of social otherness. Lefebvre's idea regarding spatial triad is mobilized in this paper, as it pertains to two‐spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer populations (2SLGBTQ*). We believe that nurses can create counter‐spaces within health care systems and research institutions that challenge normative discourses. Lefebvre's work provides us the necessary tools to understand how various places or environments produce identities. In understanding Lefebvre's principles, we believe that nurses can play an essential role in creating counter‐spaces, thereby instigating counter‐institutional practices, for those who experience otherness.
Improving population‐level refractive error monitoring via mixture distributions
Authors: Fricke Timothy R. , Keay Lisa , Resnikoff Serge , Tahhan Nina , Koumbo Ornella , Paudel Prakash , Ayton Lauren N. , Britten‐Jones Alexis Ceecee , Kweon Suhyun , Li Josephine C. H. , Lee Ling , Wagner Peter , Weng Rebecca , Beranger Boris , Olivier Jake
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Sampling and describing the distribution of refractive error in populations is critical to understanding eye care needs, refractive differences between groups and factors affecting refractive development. We investigated the ability of mixture models to describe refractive error distributions.

Methods

We used key informants to identify raw refractive error datasets and a systematic search strategy to identify published binned datasets of community‐representative refractive error. Mixture models combine various component distributions via weighting to describe an observed distribution. We modelled raw refractive error data with a single‐Gaussian (normal) distribution, mixtures of two to six Gaussian distributions and an additive model of an exponential and Gaussian (ex‐Gaussian) distribution. We tested the relative fitting accuracy of each method via Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and then compared the ability of selected models to predict the observed prevalence of refractive error across a range of cut‐points for both the raw and binned refractive data.

Results

We obtained large raw refractive error datasets from the United States and Korea. The ability of our models to fit the data improved significantly from a single‐Gaussian to a two‐Gaussian‐component additive model and then remained stable with ≥3‐Gaussian‐component mixture models. Means and standard deviations for BIC relative to 1 for the single‐Gaussian model, where lower is better, were 0.89 ± 0.05, 0.88 ± 0.06, 0.89 ± 0.06, 0.89 ± 0.06 and 0.90 ± 0.06 for two‐, three‐, four‐, five‐ and six‐Gaussian‐component models, respectively, tested across US and Korean raw data grouped by age decade. Means and standard deviations for the difference between observed and model‐based estimates of refractive error prevalence across a range of cut‐points for the raw data were −3.0% ± 6.3, 0.5% ± 1.9, 0.6% ± 1.5 and −1.8% ± 4.0 for one‐, two‐ and three‐Gaussian‐component and ex‐Gaussian models, respectively.

Conclusions

Mixture models appear able to describe the population distribution of refractive error accurately, offering significant advantages over commonly quoted simple summary statistics such as mean, standard deviation and prevalence.
Effect of Anterior Cervical Decompression Fusion and Partial Resection of Uncinate Vertebra Joint on Cervical Sagittal Sequence in Patients with Non‐Single‐Segment Radiculopathy and its Correlation with Curative Effect: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Zhu Jieyang , Feng Dapeng , Song Dehui , Dai Zhong , Chen Yaoning , Yan Xiaobing , Li Zhengwei
Published: February 2023

Objective

Analyze the effect of preservation or resection of the partial uncinate joint on the sagittal sequence of the cervical vertebrae in patients with non‐single‐segment radiculopathy and the correlation between the sagittal sequence of the cervical vertebrae and the long‐term effect after surgery, we explored whether it is necessary to perform partial resection of the uncinate joint in patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy undergoing anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF).

Methods

The study retrospectively analyzed 96 patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy with more than two segments from August 2016 to January 2021, who underwent ACDF (ACDF group, 45 patients) or ACDF combined with partial uncinate joint resection (ACDF + UT group, 51 patients). Partial resection of the uncinate joint indicated removal of part of the uncinate joint and osteophyte based on the compression of the nerve root during surgery, whereas the uncinate joints in the ACDF group were retained completely. The imaging data and functional scores of the two groups were recorded before surgery, 1 month after surgery, and at the last follow‐up. A paired t‐test or rank sum test was applied to analyze the data. In addition, the correlation between the imaging parameters and functional scores was validated using the Pearson's test.

Results

All 96 patients successfully completed the surgery and were followed up for at least 12 months, with an average follow‐up time of 14 months. At the last follow‐up, the pain visual analog scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), and neck pain and disability scale (NPAD) scores of the two groups were significantly lower than those before surgery, and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score was significantly higher than that before surgery. At the last follow‐up, compared with the ACDF+UT group, the NDI and NPAD scores in the ACDF group decreased more significantly (p < 0.05), and C2‐7SVA, △C2‐7SVA (the difference between C2‐7 SVA at last follow‐up and before operation), and T1S values decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The C2‐7 Cobb angle was positively correlated with the JOA score and T1S (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the VAS, NDI, and NPAD scores and CGH‐C7SVA (p < 0.05). C2‐7SVA was positively correlated with CGH‐C7SVA and T1S (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Patients with non‐single‐segmental cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and ACDF with or without uncinate joint resection can have effective improvement in the clinical effect and sagittal balance; however, partial uncinate joint resection has a certain negative impact on the long‐term reconstruction of sagittal balance and long‐term effects in patients after surgery.
Expected impact of immunomodulatory agents during pregnancy: A newborn's perspective
Authors: Luo Yiyi , Acevedo Daniel , Baños Núria , Pluma Andrea , Castellanos‐Moreira Raúl , Moreno Estefania , Rodríguez‐García Sebastian , Deyà‐Martínez Angela , García‐García Ana , Quesada‐Masachs Estefania , Torres Mireia , Casellas Manel , Grados Dolors , Martí‐Castellote Celia , Antón Jordi , Vlagea Alexandru , Juan Manel , Esteve‐Solé Ana , Alsina Laia
Published: February 2023

The neonatal immune ontogeny begins during pregnancy to ensure that the neonate is well‐suited for perinatal life. It prioritizes Th2/M2 and regulatory responses over Th/M1 activity to avoid excessive inflammatory responses and to ensure immune tolerance and homeostasis. Newborns also present increased Th17/Th22 responses providing effective anti‐fungal immunity and mucosal protection. Intrauterine exposure to immune modulatory drugs with the placental transfer may influence the natural course of the fetal immune development. The vertical transfer of both biological therapy and small molecules begins during the first trimester through neonatal Fc receptor or placental diffusion, respectively, reaching its maximum transfer potential during the third trimester of pregnancy. Most of the biological therapy have a prolonged half‐life in newborn's blood, being detectable in infants up to 12 months after birth (usually 6–9 months). The use of immunomodulators during pregnancy is gaining global interest. Current evidence mainly reports birth‐related outcomes without exhaustive analysis of the on‐target side effect on the perinatal immune system ontogeny, the infection risk, or the immune dysregulation. The present review will focus on: (1) the main characteristics of the perinatal immune system to understand its specific features and vulnerabilities to immune modulation; (2) the mechanisms of placental transfer of immunomodulators; and (3) the immune changes reported to date in newborns exposed to immunomodulators with emphasis on the current concerns and gaps in knowledge.
A hybrid procedure of living donor liver transplantation for a pediatric patient with citrin deficiency
Authors: Kosaka Taiichiro , Soyama Akihiko , Fujita Takuro , Hara Takanobu , Matsushima Hajime , Imamura Hajime , Adachi Tomohiko , Hidaka Masaaki , Eguchi Susumu
Published: February 2023

Background

The application of laparoscopic procedures in the liver surgery has been growing. We herein present the first case of a pediatric patient who underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) using a hybrid procedure with hand‐assisted laparoscopic mobilization of the liver, subsequent explantation of the diseased liver, and implantation of the graft under direct vision.

Methods

A 12‐year‐old girl with citrin deficiency was scheduled for LDLT with a left lobe graft. After making an 8‐cm upper midline incision, a 5‐mm trocar was placed at the umbilicus and the right upper abdomen. Mobilization of the right liver lobe was performed using a hand‐assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) procedure. After the extension of the midline incision, short hepatic vein dissection, encircling the right hepatic vein and hepatic hilum dissection was performed. Explantation of the liver and subsequent implantation of the liver graft were conducted under direct vision.

Results

Since the operation, her normal activities of daily life have been maintained with a normal liver function. Subsequently, her secondary sexual characteristics have recovered without any wound‐related complications.

Conclusions

A hybrid LDLT procedure was feasible for a pediatric patient. This procedure's benefits are considered meaningful for pediatric patients as it does not disrupt the rectus muscles or nerves and achieves cosmesis.
Feit on the normative importance of harm
Authors: Folland Anna
Published: February 2023

An important objection to the Counterfactual Comparative Account (CCA) of harm is that the account fails to cohere with standard views about the normative significance of harm. In response, some proponents of CCA suggest that the concept of harm should play a more limited role in normative theorising than philosophers might usually think. This paper addresses the most elaborate defence of CCA of this sort, namely that by Neil Feit (2019) Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 22, 809–823, and argues that it is unsuccessful.
Reasonable Disagreement and Metalinguistic Negotiation
Authors: Sudarshan Saranga
Published: February 2023

This paper defends a particular view of explaining reasonable disagreement: the Conceptual View. The Conceptual View is the idea that reasonable disagreements are caused by differences in the way reasonable people use concepts in a cognitive process to make moral and political judgements. But, that type of explanation is caught between either an explanatory weakness or an unparsimonious and potentially self‐undermining theory of concepts. When faced with deep disagreements, theories on the Conceptual View either do not have the resources to explain them, or can only explain them by committing to a completely new theory of concepts where all moral and political concepts are a unique type of concept. This paper shows how the Conceptual View can avoid this dilemma by adopting what I dub the ‘Metalinguistic Strategy’ for explaining reasonable disagreement. The Metalinguistic Strategy uses recent innovations in the philosophy of language on metalinguistic negotiation to explain reasonable disagreements whether they be ordinary or deep disagreements as genuine disagreements whilst maintaining our ordinary ideas about concepts.
Absence of detectable monkeypox virus DNA in 11,000 English blood donations during the 2022 outbreak
Authors: Knight Chanice , Andreani Julien , Garrett Neil , Winter Mark , Golubchik Tanya , Breuer Judy , Reynolds Claire , Brailsford Susan R. , Harvala Heli , Simmonds Peter
Published: February 2023

Background

A large, worldwide outbreak of mpox (formerly referred to as monkeypox) involving mainly men who have sex with men commenced in May 2022. We evaluated the frequency of positivity for the causative agent, monkeypox virus (MPXV), in blood donations collected in August 2022, during the outbreak period in Southern England.

Methods/Materials

The sensitivity and specificity of an MPXV‐specific PCR and a generic non‐variola orthopoxvirus (NVO) PCR were evaluated using samples from mpox cases and synthetic DNA standards. Residual minipools from nucleic acid testing were obtained from 10,896 blood donors in Southern England, with 21% from London.

Results

MPXV and NVO PCRs were both capable of detection of single copies of target sequence with calculated limits of detection (LOD)90 s of 2.3 and 2.1 DNA copies and analytical sample sensitivities of 46 and 42 MPXV DNA copies/ml, respectively. 454 minipools produced from 10,896 unique donors were assayed for MPXV DNA by both methods. No positive minipools were detected by either PCR.

Conclusions

Although blood donors are unrepresentative of the UK population in terms of MPXV infection risk, the uniformly negative MPXV DNA testing results provide reassurance that MPXV viraemia and potential transmission risk were rare or absent in donors during the outbreak period. Minipools from blood donors allow rapid implementation of large‐scale population‐based screening for emerging pathogens and represent an important resource for pandemic preparedness.
Different‐sized extracellular vesicles derived from stored red blood cells package diverse cargoes and cause distinct cellular effects
Authors: Oh Joo‐Yeun , Marques Marisa B. , Xu Xin , Li Jindong , Genschmer Kristopher R. , Phillips Edward , Chimento Melissa F. , Mobley James , Gaggar Amit , Patel Rakesh P.
Published: February 2023

Background

The formation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) occurs during cold storage of RBCs. Transfusion of EVs may contribute to adverse responses in recipients receiving RBCs. However, EVs are poorly characterized with limited data on whether distinct vesicles are formed, their composition, and potential biological effects.

Study Design and Methods

Stored RBC‐derived EVs were purified using protocols that separate larger microvesicle‐like EVs (LEVs) from smaller exosome‐like vesicles (SEVs). Vesicles were analyzed by electron microscopy, content of hemoglobin, heme, and proteins (by mass spectrometry), and the potential to mediate lipid peroxidation and endothelial cell permeability in vitro.

Results

SEVs were characterized by having an electron‐dense double membrane whereas LEVs had more uniform electron density across the particles. No differences in hemoglobin nor heme levels per particle were observed, however, due to smaller volumes, SEVs had higher concentrations of oxyHb and heme. Both particles contained antioxidant proteins peroxiredoxin‐2 and copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, these were present in higher molecular weight fractions in SEVs suggesting either oxidized proteins are preferentially packaged into smaller vesicles and/or that the environment associated with SEVs is more pro‐oxidative. Furthermore, total glutathione (GSH + GSSG) levels were lower in SEVs. Both EVs mediated oxidation of liposomes that were prevented by hemopexin, identifying heme as the pro‐oxidant effector. Addition of SEVs, but not LEVs, induced endothelial permeability in a process also prevented by hemopexin.

Conclusion

These data show that distinct EVs are formed during cold storage of RBCs with smaller particles being more likely to mediate pro‐oxidant and inflammatory effects associated with heme.
Role of NaV1.9 in inflammatory mediator‐induced activation of mouse airway vagal C‐fibres
Authors: Kim Joyce S. , Sun Hui , Meeker Sonya , Undem Bradley J.
Published: February 2023

The influence of NaV1.9 on inflammatory mediator‐induced activation of airway vagal nodose C‐fibres was evaluated by comparing responses in wild‐type versus NaV1.9‐/‐ mice. A single‐cell RT‐PCR analysis indicated that virtually all nodose C‐fibre neurons expressed NaV1.9 (SCN11A) mRNA. Using extracellular electrophysiological recordings in an isolated vagally innervated mouse trachea–lung preparation, it was noted that mediators acting via G protein‐coupled receptors (PAR2), or ionotropic receptors (P2×3) were 70–85% less effective in evoking action potential discharge in the absence of NaV1.9. However, there was no difference in action potential discharge between wild‐type and NaV1.9‐/‐ when the stimulus was a rapid punctate mechanical stimulus. An analysis of the passive and active properties of isolated nodose neurons revealed no difference between neurons from wild‐type and NaV1.9‐/‐ mice, with the exception of a modest difference in the duration of the afterhyperpolarization. There was also no difference in the amount of current required to evoke action potentials (rheobase) or the action potential voltage threshold. The inward current evoked by the chemical mediator by a P2×3 agonist was the same in wild‐type versus NaV1.9‐/‐ neurons. However, the current was sufficient to evoke action potential only in the wild‐type neurons. The data support the speculation that NaV1.9 could be an attractive therapeutic target for inflammatory airway disease by selectively inhibiting inflammatory mediator‐associated vagal C‐fibre activation.

image

Key points

Inflammatory mediators were much less effective in activating the terminals of vagal airway C‐fibres in mice lacking NaV1.9.

The active and passive properties of nodose neurons were the same between wild‐type neurons and NaV1.9‐/‐ neurons.

Nerves lacking NaV1.9 responded, normally, with action potential discharge to rapid punctate mechanical stimulation of the terminals or the rapid stimulation of the cell bodies with inward current injections.

NaV1.9 channels could be an attractive target to selectively inhibit vagal nociceptive C‐fibre activation evoked by inflammatory mediators without blocking the nerves’ responses to the potentially hazardous stimuli associated with aspiration.
Algorithmic Spatial Form-Finding of Four-Fold Origami Structures Based on Mountain-Valley Assignments
Authors: Lu Chenhao , Chen Yao , Yan Jiayi , Feng Jian , Sareh Pooya
Published: February 2023

Origami has attracted tremendous attention in recent years owing to its capability of inspiring and enabling the design and development of reconfigurable structures and mechanisms for applications in various fields such as robotics and biomedical engineering. The vast majority of origami structures are folded starting from an initial two-dimensional crease pattern. However, in general, the planar configuration of such a crease pattern is in a singular state when the origami starts to fold. Such a singular state results in different motion possibilities of rigid or non-rigid folding. Thus, planar origami patterns cannot act as reliable initial configurations for further kinematic or structural analyses. To avoid the singularities of planar states and achieve reliable structural configurations during folding, we introduce a nonlinear prediction–correction method and present a spatial form-finding algorithm for four-fold origami. In this approach, first, initial nodal displacements are predicted based on the mountain-valley assignments of the given origami pattern, which are applied to vertices to form an initial spatial and defective origami model. Subsequently, corrections of nodal displacements are iteratively performed on the defective model until a satisfactory nonplanar configuration is obtained. Numerical experiments demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm in the form-finding of both trivial and non-trivial four-fold origami tessellations. The obtained configurations can be effectively utilized for further kinematic and structural analyses. Additionally, it has been verified that corrected and nonplanar configurations are superior to initial configurations in terms of matrix distribution and structural stiffness.
Deep Multi-Modal U-Net Fusion Methodology of Thermal and Ultrasonic Images for Porosity Detection in Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Zamiela Christian , Jiang Zhipeng , Stokes Ryan , Tian Zhenhua , Netchaev Anton , Dickerson Charles , Tian Wenmeng , Bian Linkan
Published: February 2023

We developed a deep fusion methodology of nondestructive in-situ thermal and ex-situ ultrasonic images for porosity detection in laser-based additive manufacturing (LBAM). A core challenge with the LBAM is the lack of fusion between successive layers of printed metal. Ultrasonic imaging can capture structural abnormalities by passing waves through successive layers. Alternatively, in-situ thermal images track the thermal history during fabrication. The proposed sensor fusion U-Net methodology fills the gap in fusing in-situ images with ex-situ images by employing a two-branch convolutional neural network (CNN) for feature extraction and segmentation to produce a 2D image of porosity. We modify the U-Net framework with the inception and long short term memory (LSTM) blocks. We validate the models by comparing our single modality models and fusion models with ground truth X-ray computed tomography (XCT) images. The inception U-Net fusion model achieved the highest mean intersection over union score of 0.93.
Experimental Assessment of Thermohydraulic Performance of a Rectangular Solar Air Heater Duct Using Twisted V-Shaped Staggered Ribs
Authors: Kumar Dheeraj , Layek Apurba
Published: February 2023

The present experimental effort aims to determine the thermohydraulic performance of a rectangular solar air heater duct with V-shaped ribs staggered over the absorber plate. The performance test is conducted with variable roughness constraints, including relative roughness pitch (P/e) values between 7 and 11, relative staggered distance (d/e) values between 2 and 6, and relative arm length of twisted V-rib (S/e) values between 4.39 and 10.26, and flow Reynolds number values between 3000 and 21,000. The method of liquid crystal thermography is used to observe the dispersion of the Nusselt number over the roughened absorber surface. The maximum Nusselt number and friction factor enhancement ratio for roughened surfaces is determined to be 3.43 and 2.57 times that of a smooth plate, respectively. The parameters of rib configurations are adjusted based on the achieving greatest thermohydraulic performance (THP) index, which corresponds to P/e of 9, d/e of 4, and S/e of 6.15, yielding an optimum thermohydraulic performance measure of 2.69.
Modeling and Optimal Design of a Desalination System Integrated Between a Glass-Covered Solar Collection Water Chamber and a Heat Dissipating Chimney
Authors: Hu Qichao , Li Peiwen
Published: February 2023

Solar thermal energy is trapped in a glass-covered water chamber/basin to provide the heat for evaporation of brackish water in a novel desalination system. To harvest clean water, a chimney is integrated with the water basin, which draws air into the chamber to be humidified by the vapor and then being ventilated via buoyance force. Uniquely, thermal conductive metal sheet is recommended to make the chimney, which allows the vapor in the humid air condenses easily when flowing up. The condensate at the inner wall of the chimney flows down to be collected as clean water. Mathematical modeling and numerical computation have been carried out to delineate the coupling of the buoyance-force-driven flow with the heat and mass transfer of air and water in the solar collection chamber and the condensation of vapor in the heat-dissipating chimney. The objective of the simulation and optimization of the system is to find the best match of the dimensions of the water chamber with a chimney to maximize the production of clean water and energy efficiency. The model has been used to simulation several cases (of water from 40 °C to 50 °C) with available experimental data from the authors’ previous work, and the agreement was satisfactory. The optimization studies found that there is a maximum air flowrate corresponding to a critical chimney height due to the requirement that the chimney is designated to dissipate heat as much as possible to condense water vapor. With the chimney height greater than the critical height, the airflow rate will have a slight decrease. Nevertheless, higher than a critical height is still needed for a chimney to condense more moisture. Optimized chamber diameters at different chimney heights are provided for reference of optimal system designs.
Industry-Based Thermodynamics Case Study on Refrigeration Cycle
Authors: Foust Emine Celik
Published: February 2023

The case study learning methodology has been used for more than 20 years in teaching science and engineering. This methodology is known to be highly effective in promoting students’ understanding of the concepts and improving their ability to make connections between the concepts. In 2020 and 2021, the limited access to laboratory equipment and facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged instructors to implement alternative methods. One of the alternatives considered in the current institution is the use of case studies to enhance students’ understanding of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics topics during the online and hybrid implementations of those courses.

In this study, an industry-based air-conditioning (AC) unit is facilitated to prepare a case study to teach refrigeration cycles in the laboratory part of thermodynamics. All four components of the AC unit, which include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, are assembled on a single platform. In an actual application, the compressor and condenser are part of the outside unit while an evaporator and expansion valve would be located indoors. In the first phase of the case study, students analyze temperature and pressure data for the normal operation of the unit to understand the function of each component in the cycle. In addition, by using thermodynamics property tables, they determine enthalpy and entropy values at different stages of the process, generate a temperature versus entropy (T-s) diagram, and calculate the efficiency of the AC unit. In the second phase of the study, they are provided with temperature and pressure data collected for the cases corresponding to when there is a problem with the AC unit. They perform analysis of those cases. The examples of issues introduced include part of the condenser or evaporator coils being disabled or using a partially blocked air filter. The equipment used in the case study is modified by the manufacturer to simulate those issues. During data analysis, student teams are tasked with identifying the issue introduced by looking at the changes in temperature, pressure, and T-s diagram. This paper provides detailed information about the case study, data collection, and analysis.
Characterization of Additively Manufactured Beta Materials
Authors: Dana Efrem Dawit , Kumpaty Subha , Weston Jordan
Published: February 2023

Additive manufacturing (AM) is transforming industrial production. AM can produce parts with complex geometries and functionality. However, one of the biggest challenges in the AM world is limited material options. The purpose of this research is to develop new material mixtures and determine their mechanical properties for use at the MSOE Rapid Prototyping Center and provide valuable insight into beta materials for use in AM industry. Elastomeric polyurethane (EPU 40) and Rigid polyurethane (RPU 70), resins developed by Carbon3D, are employed for this research. Initially, EPU 40 (100%) and RPU 70 (100%) were used to print tensile and hardness test specimens so that their mechanical properties could be compared to the standard values presented by Carbon3D and used as benchmarks for newly developed material. Mixtures of the two materials, EPU 40 and RPU 70, in multiple ratios were then created and used to print tensile and hardness test specimens. Data collected from tensile and hardness tests show that EPU 40 and RPU 70 can be combined in various ratios to obtain material properties that lie between the two individual components. In addition to developing these new materials, the effect of printing orientation on mechanical properties was also studied in this paper.
Experimental Assessing of the Energy Transformation in Turns
Authors: Otremba Frank , Romero Navarrete José A.
Published: February 2023

Turning maneuvers of rail vehicles involve demanding situations for the infrastructure because of the steering forces generated and the resultant lateral load transfers. Such forcing situation involves increased tangential forces that consume kinetic energy from the vehicle. While much attention has been paid in the literature to the damage in such infrastructure segments, the energy that is dissipated in these maneuvers, has not been explicitly addressed. In this paper, a specialized scale-down infrastructure is used to characterize the effect of the initial speed of the vehicle and its mass, on the magnitude of both the rail forces developed and the amount of dissipated energy during turning maneuvers. The outputs of the experiments suggest that most of the original kinetic energy is dissipated at the first portion of the turn. Also, that the magnitude of the wheel forces and the amount of dissipated energy, correlate. That is, a greater rail damage would correspond to greater energy dissipation.
Design and Implement an Additive Manufacturing Injection Mold
Authors: Alsayyed Basel , Foland Nicholas
Published: February 2023

In this project, we would like to explore the viability of using 3D printed injection molds to cost-effectively produce low-volume production runs. These 3D printed molds are much more cost-effective than traditional methods, however, the 3D printed molds often only withstand 50–100 cycles. Research is needed to determine how to improve the durability of the molds. This can be accomplished by measuring and documenting how injection molds made from various plastics, and various 3D printing technologies, react under the stresses of an injection molding machine. We can develop a case study using 4 different types of plastics that can be used to create the 3D printed mold. The 3 plastics would be Formlabs Ridged 10k Resin, Formlabs Clear v4, and Formlabs Tough 2000 Resin. These materials will be printed using various 3D printing technologies. This paper will focus on a literature review of the positives and negatives of 3D printing additively manufactured injection molding tooling and propose potential solutions for many of the negatives of 3D printed molds. The case study portion will be based on how we are planning to perform the case study, but it has not yet been completed.
Making a Case for Innovative Assessment Frameworks for Large Cohorts of Undergraduate Engineering Students on Management Units
Authors: Yunusa-Kaltungo Akilu , Jungudo Rukaiyatu Mohammed
Published: February 2023

Interdisciplinary units such as operations management are integral components of undergraduate education and their assessment methodologies immensely influence the attitudes of students, especially for engineering programmes that are accredited by external professional institutions. Users of the different forms of dominant assessments (mainly essays and multiple choice questions) often present very compelling arguments for their preferences. For example, essays are sometimes described as having the capabilities to assess deep learning but have limited coverage, while multiple choice questions (MCQs) can provide immense coverage but more suitable for assessing superficial learning. In addition to the costs attributable to their management (especially grading, compilation and collation of scores), it is very challenging if not impossible to achieve a perfect grading consistency with traditional essay-type assessments, especially when dealing with large cohorts. This is perhaps why the current body of knowledge clearly indicates that no single form of assessment is all encompassing, thereby paving ways for hybridization of multiple forms, so that the strength(s) of one type can adequately compensate for the weakness(es) of others. Based on these premises, the current article shares experiences related to the development and deployment of a hybrid assessment framework for an operations management unit delivered to 3rd year mechanical, aerospace and civil engineering students at the university of Manchester, UK. The framework comprises of 4 main classes of assessments — short zero weight independent (SZWI), MOCK zero weight independent (MZWI), light weight collaborative (LWC) and heavy weight independent (HWI) assessments. The framework has now been implemented during the last 2 academic sessions (2020/2021 and 2021/2022) and a comparision of the statistical indicators of student attainment in the unit over 5 different cohorts (2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022) show very consistent trends. Additionally, responses from the unit evaluation questions (UEQs) completed by the students mostly depict very good levels of satisfaction.
Finite Element Analysis of Stress Propagation in Meso Structure of Low-Density Porous Material
Authors: Ogawa Ryotaro , Miyaki Hikaru , Sakuma Atsushi
Published: February 2023

Low-density porous materials such as polymer foam exhibit various mechanical properties owing to their mesoscopic structure, e.g., they are lightweight but have high shock absorption and excellent specific strength. These mechanical properties can be designed not only by the type of materials of cellar foam, but also by the geometrical specifications of their mesostructures. This study employs a numerical analysis and simulation to obtain details about dynamic deformation. It uses the homogenization method to develop a technique for evaluating and designing their mechanical characteristics. Numerical simulations are computed using the finite-element method (FEM), and the unit cells for the homogenization method imitating cellar foam structure are developed by the tetrakaidecahedron of the Kelvin cell. Here, in addition to the cell part of foam structures, their porous parts are virtually modeled using the elastic constitutive equation, so the entire material is composed of only two linear elastic bodies. Under these conditions, the mechanical response of the periodic deformation is analyzed, and its response shows non-linear variation even if the model structures adopts linear elastic characteristics. According to the detailed observation of this behavior in FEM, it is known that there is a velocity difference in the stress wave owing to the difference in elastic modulus and density generated between the foam cell and the air in the pores, and this difference causes macroscopic viscoelasticity. This result indicates that the design of the geometric structure of the mesoscopic cell is also important in addition to the mechanical properties of the foam cell material for the design of the deformation behavior of the foam material.
Performance Assessment of Tri-Reforming of Methane
Authors: Farooqui Azharuddin , Shamim Tariq
Published: February 2023

There is growing interest in hydrogen (H2) as an energy carrier and fuel. Since H2 is a secondary or intermediate energy carrier, it is mainly produced from primary fossil fuels. To overcome the challenges of traditional reforming methods (such as high energy demands and CO2 emissions), this study investigates an alternative method, called tri-reforming, which combines the steam reforming of methane (SRM) and dry reforming of methane (DRM) with partial oxidation of methane (POM) in the same reactor. The energy requirement for this method is low since POM is an exothermic process that supplies the thermal energy for the endothermic SRM and DRM processes. Furthermore, the method can also potentially produce the desired quality of syngas (high H2/CO ratio) with low susceptibility to coking and high catalyst stability. A process model of a methane tri-reforming reactor is developed in Aspen Plus by employing the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. In this study, we investigate the effect of the H2O/CO2/O2 feed ratio together with CH4 as fuel and find their optimum value to produce blue hydrogen (through an optimized H2/CO ratio) at different temperature conditions. The results present the specific O2/CH4 ratios at different temperatures (125–925°C), which would support the CO2/H2O conversion and achieve lower CO2 emissions (molCO2e/molCH4) with lower heat demand for producing hydrogen than the corresponding SRM and DRM processes.