bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis: One Disease, Variable Outcomes—A Case Series
Authors: Chandrasekar Shyam , John Joseph , Satapathy Amit Kumar
Published: March 2022

Longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) is a rare form of widespread inflammation of the spinal cord causing T2 hyperintensity in spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) extending across three or more vertebral segments. It is an acute onset of sensory, motor, and autonomic dysfunction of variable etiology with a likely poor outcome. We present a case series of three cases wherein children between the ages of 4 and 13 years had diverse symptoms from gradual painless loss of vision in both eyes with headache, vomiting and seizure, and a normal central nervous system examination except involvement of the optic nerve to another child with abdominal pain, urinary retention and constipation for 3 days with exaggerated DTR, and patchy sensory loss without any definite sensory level, and to the third child with fever and weakness of lower limbs, hypotonia and grade 1–2/5 power in lower limbs and normal upper limb power. Contrast-enhanced MRI spine of all children showed long segment T2 hyperintensity with variable involvement of the brain. The first two children were treated with pulsed dose methylprednisolone, and the last child received intravenous immunoglobulin followed by methylprednisolone. All were followed with oral prednisolone. LETM has a varied presentation with different etiologies. Antineuromyelitis optica immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody (Aquaporin-4 IgG) and antimyelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody are strongly recommended though they may not be locally available or not affordable. Early and aggressive immunomodulatory therapy may help faster recovery, as did with two of our three children.
Design and Evaluation of a Postpartum Depression Ontology
Authors: Morse Rebecca B. , Bretzin Abigail C. , Canelón Silvia P. , D'Alonzo Bernadette A. , Schneider Andrea L. C. , Boland Mary R.
Published: March 2022

Objective Postpartum depression (PPD) remains an understudied research area despite its high prevalence. The goal of this study is to develop an ontology to aid in the identification of patients with PPD and to enable future analyses with electronic health record (EHR) data.

Methods We used Protégé-OWL to construct a postpartum depression ontology (PDO) of relevant comorbidities, symptoms, treatments, and other items pertinent to the study and treatment of PPD.

Results The PDO identifies and visualizes the risk factor status of variables for PPD, including comorbidities, confounders, symptoms, and treatments. The PDO includes 734 classes, 13 object properties, and 4,844 individuals. We also linked known and potential risk factors to their respective codes in the International Classification of Diseases versions 9 and 10 that would be useful in structured EHR data analyses. The representation and usefulness of the PDO was assessed using a task-based patient case study approach, involving 10 PPD case studies. Final evaluation of the ontology yielded 86.4% coverage of PPD symptoms, treatments, and risk factors. This demonstrates strong coverage of the PDO for the PPD domain.

Conclusion The PDO will enable future researchers to study PPD using EHR data as it contains important information with regard to structured (e.g., billing codes) and unstructured data (e.g., synonyms of symptoms not coded in EHRs). The PDO is publicly available through the National Center for Biomedical Ontology (NCBO) BioPortal (
https://bioportal.bioontology.org/ontologies/PARTUMDO
) which will enable other informaticists to utilize the PDO to study PPD in other populations.
Fratura isolada de Tillaux em adulto – Revisão da literatura com base em um relato de caso raro
Authors: da Silva Nuno Vieira , Esteves Ana , Ribeiro Pedro , Miradouro José , Pereira Joana , Marinheiro Julio
Published: March 2022

A fratura isolada de Tillaux representa uma rara e frequentemente mal diagnosticada fratura de tíbia distal anterolateral em adultos. Normalmente ocorre em adolescentes que se aproximam da maturidade esquelética por avulsão do ligamento tibiofibular anteroinferior. Este estudo de revisão de literatura baseada em caso tem como objetivo lembrar a existência dessa identidade em adultos, resumir seu mecanismo de lesão, diagnóstico e procedimentos de tratamento. De acordo com a literatura, este é apenas o oitavo caso descrito: uma mulher de 46 anos sofreu uma fratura isolada de Tillaux com 4 mm de deslocamento e realizaram-se redução e fixação aberta com parafuso canulado duplo. Após a reabilitação adequada, alcançou-se um excelente desfecho funcional e radiológico. É importante reconhecer e tratar adequadamente essas lesões distintas para evitar maiores instabilidades, alterações degenerativas e limitação da função articular do tornozelo. Um diagnóstico precoce e a osteossíntese apropriada desempenham um papel significativo em um prognóstico de recuperação bem-sucedido.
Minipterional Approach for Middle Fossa Skull Base Lesions: Technical Note
Authors: Mura Jorge M. , Rabelo Nícollas N. , Telles Joao P. M. , Poblete Tomás , Hernández-Álvarez Víctor , Muñoz Sebastián , Figueiredo Eberval G.
Published: March 2022

Surgical access to the middle fossa can be technically challenging. As neurosurgery evolves to minimally invasive approaches, the objective of this study is to demonstrate the extension of the Minipterional approach to access the middle fossa. We present a new surgical approach to the middle fossa for the treatment of secondary trigeminal neuralgia. Three cases are reported to illustrate the following techniques: a patient with petrotentorial meningioma and trigeminal neuralgia, a patient with an arachnoid cyst compressing the fifth nerve, and a patient with a middle cerebral artery aneurysm and a long history of TN (trigeminal neuralgia) refractory to medical and surgical treatments. All three experienced full symptom controls with no permanent neurological deficits. Therefore, the Minipterional technique might represent a feasible, effective, and safe option to treat refractory secondary TN. It also allows approaching these lesions when the posterior fossa approach is compromised by anatomical distortion and enables the simultaneous treatment of secondary trigeminal neuralgia and other lesions, such as aneurysms and meningiomas.
Neurological Predictors of Functional Outcome in Cortical Venous Sinus Thrombosis
Authors: Aarju Gagneja , Birinder Singh Paul , Vipin Kumar , Alisha Saxena , Gunchan Paul
Published: March 2022

Objectives Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has a wide clinical spectrum. Despite favorable prognosis, identifying CVST patients with a possible poor functional outcome can be challenging. This study aims to establish the neurological predictors of outcome in CVST.

Materials and Methods We analyzed 70 patients of CVST and categorized them into three groups: Group I with isolated intracranial hypertension; Group II—focal syndrome of neurological deficit; Group III—subacute encephalopathy. Demographic, disease characteristics, and radiological parameters were also analyzed for prediction of hospital course. Functional outcome was assessed by modified Rankin scale (mRS) dichotomized as good (mRS: 0–2) or poor outcome (mRS ≥ 3).

Statistical Analysis Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to find out the independent effects of prognostic factors to be used for outcome prediction.

Results The mean age was 36.71 ± 14.9 years with 40 (68.8%) males. Most common presenting complaints were headache 35 (50%), hemiparesis 14 (20%), and seizures 12 (17.4%). Group I included 44 (62.9%), group II 17 (24.3%) and group III 12 (12.9%) patients. During hospitalization 28 (40%) patients needed intensive care unit (ICU) care, among them 7 (10%) required ventilation. There were eight times more chances of ICU care (odds ratio [OR]: 7.4; 2.5–24.4) and 23 times more need for ventilation (OR: 23; 2.5–88.9) whenever patients were in group II or III. Good outcome (mRS < 2) was noted in 52 (74.2%) patients. Headache was associated with good functional outcome, whereas hemiparesis with poor outcome. Neurological grouping was the independent predictor of functional outcome; patients with focal neurological deficit (group II) were 20 times more likely to have dependent life at the time of discharge (p < 0.05) with the mortality rate of 2.9%.

Conclusions Neurological grouping is a practical tool for prediction of function outcomes. Early anticipation of prognosis helps in decision-making in the clinical practice.
A New Generation of Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System for the Treatment of Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Femoral Condyle: Clinical Experience in 18 Dogs
Authors: Cinti Filippo , Vezzoni Luca , Vezzoni Aldo
Published: March 2022

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the clinical application and outcome of osteochondral autograft transfer using the COR system (COR; DePuy Synthes, Warsaw, Indiana, United States) for the treatment of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the femoral condyle in dogs.

Methods Medical records of dogs that were treated for OCD of the femoral condyle using the COR system between February 2013 and March 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The results of pre- and postoperative clinical and radiographic examinations were evaluated.

Results Twenty stifles (18 dogs; 15 lateral and 5 medial femoral condyles) met the inclusion criteria. A single graft transfer was done in six stifle joints and mosaicplasty in 14 (2 grafts in 9/14 stifles; 3 grafts in 5/14 stifles). Proper anatomic reconstruction was confirmed intraoperatively and radiographically in all dogs. There were no major and three minor postoperative complications. At 3 months, 15 of 20 stifles (14 of 18 dogs) had no lameness or radiographic signs of inflammation. At 6 months, 12 of 13 dogs had no lameness or discomfort, and four of 13 stifles had radiographic evidence of moderate osteoarthritis.

Clinical Significance Treatment of OCD of the femoral condyle using the COR system is feasible in dogs, with low complications and provides a satisfactory short-term outcome.
Tc-99m-PSMA-SPECT/CT Is Superior to Tc-99m-MDP-SPECT/CT in the Staging of Prostatic Cancer with Osseous Metastases after External Beam Radiotherapy
Authors: Liepe Knut , Baehr Marcel
Published: March 2022

In the reported patient with advanced prostate cancer, a bone scan showed a false positive finding in thoracic vertebrae bone metastasis after external beam radiotherapy 2 months ago. An additional Tc-99m-prostate-specific membrane antigen scan showed a negative finding, although nonirradiated iliac bone metastasis was concordantly positive in both scans. The decrease in prostate-specific antigen-level from 156.6 ng/mL to 2.3 ng/mL indicates a strong effect of treatment, hence supporting false positivity in bone scan by flare phenomenon.
A reassessment of the association between political interest and electoral participation: adding vote overreporting to the equation
Authors: Goldberg Andreas C. , Sciarini Pascal
Published: March 2022

Electoral participation research points to political interest as a strong and consistent predictor of voting, but overlooks the propensity of interested people to overreport in surveys. Vote validation studies demonstrate that vote overreporting exaggerates the association between political interest and turnout, but fails to highlight the pathways through which this bias occurs. To fill this gap and link these two strands of literature, we take a closer look at the relationships between political interest, likelihood of voting (as defined by one's actual voting record), and participation in given vote, while taking care of overreporting. Applying causal mediation models to a unique set of validated vote data, we show that themodus operandiof overreporting is both direct and indirect: A portion of politically interested people overreport their vote regardless of whether they usually vote or not. Yet, the indirect path also matters: Another portion of interested people do vote frequently, which prompts them to overreport if they for once abstain. This is consequential for the commonly found association between political interest and turnout.
Sparsity and stability for minimum-variance portfolios
Authors: Husmann Sven , Shivarova Antoniya , Steinert Rick
Published: March 2022

The popularity of modern portfolio theory has decreased among practitioners because of its unfavorable out-of-sample performance. Estimation risk tends to affect the optimal weight calculation noticeably, especially when a large number of assets are considered. To overcome these issues, many methods have been proposed in recent years, but only a few address practically relevant questions related to portfolio allocation. This study therefore uses different covariance estimation techniques, combines them with sparse model approaches, and includes a turnover constraint that induces stability. We use two datasets of the S&P 500 to create a realistic data foundation for our empirical study. We discover that it is possible to maintain the low-risk profile of efficient estimation methods while automatically selecting only a subset of assets and further inducing low portfolio turnover. Moreover, we find that simply using LASSO is insufficient to lower turnover when the model’s tuning parameter can change over time.
A practical and effective method for reducing differential reflectance spectroscopy noise
Authors: Qi Hui , Fu Xing
Published: March 2022

Differential reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a powerful tool to study processes during thin-film growth, especially that of transition metal dichalcogenides and organic thin films. To satisfy the requirements for in situ and real-time monitoring of film growth, including spectral resolution and sensitivity at the level of monolayers and even sub-monolayers, the most challenging technical task in DRS is to reduce noise to an extremely low level so that the best possible signal-to-noise ratio can be achieved. In this paper, we present a simplified and cost-effective DRS apparatus, with which we show that the measurement noise is mainly composed of thermal drift noise and explore the temperature-dependence of the DRS signal. Based on the results obtained, we propose an easily realized and effective scheme aiming to reduce the noise. Experimental results demonstrate that this scheme is effective in stabilizing reliable signals for a long period of several hours. Significant noise reduction is achieved, with the typical average noise of the DRS system being decreased to 0.05% over several hours. The improved DRS system is applied to study the growth of an organic semiconductor layer for an organic field-effect transistor device. The results indicate that the apparatus proposed in this paper has potential applications in fabrication of devices on the nanoscale and even the sub-nanoscale.
Abundance ratio of multiple velocity distribution components in a single negative ion beamlet produced by a cesium-seeded negative ion source
Authors: Haba Yasuaki , Aramaki Mitsutoshi , Tsumori Katsuyoshi , Osakabe Masaki , Ikeda Katsunori , Nakano Haruhisa , Nagaoka Kenichi
Published: March 2022

Well focused negative ion beams are required for neutral beam injection systems for heating and current drive in magnetically confined fusion plasma experiments. The control of a single negative ion beamlet divergence is a significant challenge with the use of a cesium-seeded negative ion source, where negative ions are mainly produced by conversion of hydrogen or deuterium atoms on a cesiated surface of a plasma grid. The single negative ion beamlet was found to be made by three-Gaussian components in our previous work. The origins of such multiple components are considered to be related to dynamics in the ion source and extraction processes of negative ions. This work has demonstrated a measurement of the abundance ratio of the three components (41%, 40%, and 19%) based on a full picture of their transverse velocity distributions, which is a powerful technique to investigate the origins of individual components and will contribute to improve the divergence of negative ion beamlet.
Fe-Si and its nanocrystallization as soft magnetic phase in SmCo-based nanocomposites
Authors: Zhang Yu , Li Yuqing , Liu Weiqiang , Yue Ming , Zhang Dongtao , Zhang Hongguo
Published: March 2022

Nanocomposite magnets have attracted much attention because of their ultra-high theoretical magnetic energy product and saving rare earth resources. In this study, the Fe93.5Si6.5 with higher hardness than the most common soft magnetic phase (α-Fe) was used to synthesize SmCo5/Fe-Si nanocomposite magnets, and its nanosized process was studied. The results showed that Fe-Si can be well dispersed into SmCo5 matrix through 12 hours of ball milling, and appeared in fine and evenly distributed grains in the SmCo5/Fe-Si nanocomposites, indicating it is suitable for soft magnetic phase. The nanosized process of Fe-Si phase can be summarized as from the irregular shape of agglomeration, to long chain, and finally too uniformly dispersed Fe-Si particles with increased milling time. As a result, the SmCo5/Fe-Si nanocomposite magnet with the optimal maximum magnetic energy product was 14.3 MGOe, accompanied by remanence of 9.5 kG and coercivity of 8.2 kOe. Our results show that by using Fe-Si with high hardness as the soft magnetic phase, the prepared nanocomposite magnet not only has good properties, but also can be expected that the two phases with closer mechanical properties can be deformed harmoniously.
Motion synchronicity of a micro-magnetic-particle chain in a rotating field
Authors: Cheng Jia-Hong , Li Cheng-Rung , Chen Ching-Yao
Published: March 2022

A magnetic chain consisted of micro-sized beads in a rotating magnetic field is experimented to observe its motion synchronicity with the external field. If the field frequency is sufficiently high, reverse motion occurs to slow down the average angular speed, so that the chain rotates much slower than the external field. A square field configuration, in which the instantaneous strength and angular speed vary with time within every rotating period, is proposed to improve the chaining stability and the motion synchronicity while a same overall frequency with the conventionally used circular field configuration is preserved.
Magnetic properties of PDMS embedded with strontium ferrite particles cured under different magnetic field configurations
Authors: de Oliveira Barros Amanda , Hasan Kashem Md Nayeem , Luna Daniel , Geerts Wilhelmus J. , Li Wei , Yang James
Published: March 2022

Flexible materials embedded with hard magnetic particles have recently gained widespread recognition as small-scale actuators due to their capacity to be a rapid and precise shape-shifting material. Strontium ferrite (SrFe12O19) particles have been shown as a great candidate for such applications, since it is an inert hard magnetic material that, in contrast to barium ferrite and neodymium, is also biocompatible. The preparation of such material is done by mixing the magnetic particles into the uncured elastomer (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)), in liquid form, and then pouring the mixture in a mold for curing. If the samples are subjected to a magnetic field during the curing process, chains of particles are formed in the direction of the applied field, thus creating an easy axis in this same direction. The magnetic properties of such composite cannot yet be found in literature. In this study, we analyzed three concentrations of strontium ferrite particles in PDMS under three field configurations, resulting in 9 different samples. The concentrations used were 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1 ratios of PDMS to strontium ferrite per weight. All three types of samples were cured either in a zero magnetic field, or over the north pole of a neodymium permanent magnet, or over the side of said magnet. A biaxial vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to measure hysteresis curves parallel and perpendicular to the curing field. The samples cured in a field show a squareness ratio of up to 0.94 while the samples cured in zero field, only close to 0.5. The samples cured in a field show a magnetic anisotropy with an easy axis parallel to the curing field. Harvesting these modified properties, a mobile robot manufacturing method is proposed that bypasses the need of applying a high intensity magnetic field.
Magnetocrystalline anisotropy in V– and Cu–doped Fe16N2
Authors: Stoeckl Peter , Swatek Przemyslaw Wojciech , Wang Jian-Ping
Published: March 2022

While giant saturation magnetization has been observed in α″–Fe16N2, its magnetic anisotropy and structural stability leave room for improvement. Several recent studies have investigated the effect of substitution to improve its magnetic properties and/or its stability; among these, substitution of Fe with V or Cu has shown promise. We thus compare the magnetic properties of such alloys in some more detail using first-principles electronic-structure calculations: The magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) energies of ordered Fe16–nVnN2 and Fe16–nCunN2 alloys (n=1, 2), as well as the co-substituted alloy Fe14VCuN2, are obtained within the plane-wave density-functional theory (DFT) code Quantum ESPRESSO.
First principles of Fe/Co/Ni doping and the coexistence of O vacancy in the magnetic and optical properties of rutile TiO2(110) surface
Authors: Zhang Zhenduo , Hou Qingyu , Qi Mude , Sha Shulin
Published: March 2022

The research on the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 by doping transition metals (Fe/Co/Ni) has achieved certain progress. However, the effects of Fe/Co/Ni doping and the coexistence of O vacancies on the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 have been rarely reported. Oxygen vacancies are the most common point defects in TiO2 materials, and the precise control of O vacancies in experiments presents difficulty. To solve this problem, this study used first principles under the framework of density functional theory to investigate the effects of Fe/Co/Ni doping and the coexistence of O vacancies on the magnetic and optical properties of rutile TiO2(110) surface. The findings indicated that the formation energy of the (110) surface of rutile TiO2 doped with transition metals Fe, Co, and Ni and coexisting with O vacancies was smaller under Ti-rich conditions than under O-rich conditions. Under Ti-rich conditions, the doping system easily formed and exhibited a high stability. The findings on magnetic properties indicated that the Fe/VO-TiO2, Co/VO-TiO2, and Ni/VO-TiO2 systems all exhibited magnetism on the (110) surface. The Fe/VO-TiO2(110) surface had the largest magnetic moment and the best magnetic properties. The study of optical properties showed that the Fe/VO-TiO2(110) surface had the longest carrier lifetime, strongest surface activity, and most evident red shift in the absorption spectrum. The oxidation capability of the Fe/VO-TiO2(110) surface was relatively the best. Fe doping and the coexistence of O vacancies are the most beneficial to the photocatalysts for the production of O2 by dissociation of water on the surface of rutile TiO2(110).
Effectiveness analysis of Maikuben brown coal combustion in the heating boiler “Kamkor-300”
Authors: Atyaksheva A V , Atyaksheva A D , Ryvkina N V , Yermekov M T , Rozhkova O V , Smagulov A S
Published: March 2022

This research presents the results of studying the efficiency of Maikuben brown coal combustion in low-power heating boilers using the case of the Kamkor-300 boiler. Improving the combustion efficiency of low-grade fuels is directly related to fuel economy and the decrease of toxic emissions into the atmosphere. The research results show the possibility of adjusting the boiler according to the “fuel-air” ratio in the furnace volume, without violation of its general heat exchange structure and changing the heat-transfer operation in the device. In the research the adjustment of the operation of a long-burning boiler with an upper air supply in order to increase the time of combustion gases dwell in the boiler furnace volume drum is proposed. It is also possible to reduce the excess air coefficient to 0.55 and to operate the boiler under conditions of oxygen deficiency. Under such conditions, in the presented boiler, additional synthesis gases are released during the combustion of low-grade coals, in particular of coal rank “B”, to obtain an additional thermal effect. The resulting thermal effect leads to an increase of the boiler efficiency and its operational and economic indicators.
Numerical analysis of the supply and exhaust ventilation effect on the local working area thermal conditions under radiant heating
Authors: Borisov B V , Maksimov V I , Nagornova T A , Vyatkin A V
Published: March 2022

The analysis of ventilation systems effect on the main parameters of thermal conditions (temperature and velocity of air mass movement) of the working area in the premises heated by a gas infrared heater (GIH) was made by numerical simulation. The specific zones of the working area are considered in detail. The main regularities of temperature field changes in the total volume of the premises and local zones of working area in the case of relatively small air exchange made by ventilation system have been established.
Developing simulation approaches: a simple case of emulation for logic validation using tecnomatix plant simulation
Authors: Delgado Sobrino D R , Ružarovský R , Václav Š , Cagáňová D , Rychtárik V
Published: March 2022

Over the years, simulation and simulation tools have provided industry and many other sectors with an incredible number of options for the improvement of their processes. Together with the development of new technologies and industrial practices, simulation has also evolved leading to the new solution approaches, which are used in the context of the current industrial era or Industry 4.0. The present paper presents a take on the evolution of simulation leading up until Simulation 4.0 and some of its defining elements. Special emphasis is made in some of the approaches in this context as it is the case of the Emulation models or Digital Twins and the Virtual Commissioning ones. The paper also includes a simple application example that presents a developing simulation approach as it is the case of the emulation for logic validation. This is done from the optics of Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, which is a promising fast evolving tool offering not only great 3D capabilities but also sound analytics of the simulated instances.
Setting up new standards in aviation industry with the help of artificial intelligent – machine learning application
Authors: Andrei A G , Balasa R , Semenescu A
Published: March 2022

In these times, dominated by innovation, technology is an important asset in optimizing maintenance, aircraft operations and even the investigation process of aviation accidents, with unprecedented results so far. All the information related to an aircraft, generated over time, can be included in a database, in order to be analyzed for better technical insights. The same approach can be applied in analyzing evidence and reports generated after an aircraft accident occurred. Aircraft investigation involves tones of hard-working hours and evidence analysis. This research aims to identify a new tool to improve the investigation process of aircraft incidents caused by human factors errors. Using artificial intelligence to process the resulted evidence during the aircraft accidents investigation, will shed light on the root cause of the incident much faster. Accelerating an investigation means huge benefits for all parties involved. In this sense, a proof-of-concept software has been developed to emphasize the power of artificial intelligent in the aircraft accidents investigation. Using machine learning algorithms, a program was trained with data, to develop an application capable of automatically determining the root cause of an accident based on witness statements. All data was derived from the Aviation Safety Reporting System database from the U.S, which was queried for incidents, occurred between 2000 and 2020. This application is not only about automating a stage in an aircraft accident investigation, is rather about setting up new standards in aviation industry with the help of artificial intelligence.
Analysis of dynamic effect on the structure of selected construction elements of mobile stage
Authors: Kałaczyński T
Published: March 2022

This paper presents the comparison of experimental analysis results conducted on modal truss, which is corresponding to essential elements of typical mobile stage using in entertainment industry. The analysis of research object’s dynamic properties aims to determine the structure susceptibility to dynamic effect, which in the case of mobile stages mainly occurs during movement. Therefore, determining the dynamic properties will facilitate the assessment of the suitability of a selected modal method in terms of its applicability to predicting the behavior of the entire construction during its normal exploitation.
Investigation of functional characteristics of composites used for brake pads
Authors: Pinca-Bretotean C , Sharma Arun Kumar , Josan A
Published: March 2022

The friction material used for the brake pads should have a low wear rate, outstanding thermal stability to hold the braking properties of the vehicle and coefficient of friction should constant under different operating conditions which include loads which applied, temperature, dry or wet braking environment and speed. Due to this reason, every newly developed friction material’s fabrication should undergo a series of experimental tests to evaluate the friction as well as wear properties. In this article a study of frictional and wear behavior of friction material for ecological brake pads of road vehicles discussed. In the formulation of the friction material shells as a filler, a small amount of metal, silicon carbide, graphite, resin and hexametiltetramine were used. The main objective of the paper refers to the investigation of the impact of the working regime on friction material’s tribological characteristics. In this sense, were studied the evolution of the coefficient of friction and the thermal field at the contact surface between the friction couplings, the influence of load on the friction coefficient at different speeds and the influence of load on wear rate at a constant speed. The knowledge of the functional properties of the newly developed friction material produced in the laboratory provides the possibility of pertinent assessments regarding the durability of the brake pads during operations, as well as on the quantity of wear products released into the atmosphere. The results concluded that as a filler material this species of shells may be used in the fabrication of brake pads for road vehicles.
Developments of discontinuously reinforced aluminium matrix composites: Solving the needs for the matrix
Authors: Bulei C , Stojanovic B , Utu D
Published: March 2022

Metal matrix composites become interesting for use as constructional and functional materials. The development of metal matrix composites was primarily directed to the continuous-fibre reinforced metal matrix composites - such as boron fibre/aluminium-based matrix, continuous alumina fibres /aluminium-based matrix, graphite fibre/aluminium-based matrix or graphite fibre/magnesium-based matrix composites. Despite the successful production of these metal matrix composites, they manufacturing was limited by the concerns related to the technological processes and cost, their availability remaining a significant barrier to their manufacturing. The benefits of metal matrix composites as compared to the unreinforced (monolithic) metals or alloys include superior mechanical and physical properties that deliver improved structural performance. This concept also further implies re-using materials or using recycled materials. Therefore, discontinuously reinforced metal matrix composites are suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. This study aims to investigate the developments in area of solving the needs for the matrix material necessary for the discontinuously reinforced aluminium matrix composites. Aluminium can be recycled directly back into itself over and over again in a true closed loop.
Composite solutions with recycled textile wastes
Authors: Todor M P , Rackov M , Kiss I , Cioata V G
Published: March 2022

Textile waste amounts represent a remarkable issue whether they are produced during production and processing of textile materials, such as production waste and excesses (industrial or pre-consumption), or at the end-of-life of products, once it had been sold and used (post-consumer materials). Whereas pre-consumer textiles can be easier recycled because we know their general composition and sources, post-consumer textiles often consist of different materials that need to be taken apart to be regenerated. Valuable resources held within the waste are also lost. Having in view that 50% of collected clothing is re-wearable, and the rest could be recycled, a particular attention have to be given to recycling processes for both products and waste, aiming at reintroducing them in a new industrial process, through new manufacturing ways, and so, starting a new life-cycle. The textile reuse and recycling, in general, reduce environmental impact compared to incineration and landfilling. There are different approaches to be used and different ways to identify suitable technologies that could lead product manufacturing towards a remarkable reduction of production costs, while considering recyclable materials as a real and efficient alternative. Among them, there are technologies for waste recovery, which transforms textile waste into secondary raw materials, creating circularity and reducing environmental impact. Studies have shown that different textile waste can be used in composite solutions. This type of reinforcements has become a major research subject in recent years. This study aims to investigate the composite solutions with recycled textile waste.
Radioactive source localization using a data driven MVA method
Authors: Kyriakis A. , Karafasoulis K. , Zampetaki O.
Published: March 2022

We present a small form factor (0.5 cm3) static CdZnTe (CZT) sensor network consisted of a number of Non Directional Detectors (NDD) capable to localize a stationary radiation source in 3D. The localization is performed with fusion algorithms based on AI techniques. The algorithms are based on Multilayer Perseptron Neural Network (MLP) and Gradient Boosted Decision Trees (BDTG). A data driven method based on experimental data was used to produce the events for both training and testing of the algorithms. The localization efficiency of the algorithms was verified with a different set of experimental data taken in our laboratory using a 137Cs source of 180 μCi. A localization resolution of a bare radioactive source of the order of 10 cm to 20 cm has been archived in 3D after at least of 40 sec exposure time within a monitored volume of 5 m × 2.8 m × 2 m. The localization of slightly shielded sources in 3D can be also achieved but with a hardly worse resolution.
MiniPIX Timepix3 — a miniaturized radiation camera with onboard data processing for online characterization of wide-intensity mixed-radiation fields
Authors: Granja C. , Jakubek J. , Soukup P. , Jakubek M. , Turecek D. , Marek L. , Oancea C. , Gohl S. , Bergmann B. , Pospisil S. , Malich M. , Vuolo M. , Owens A. , Zach V. , Stursa J. , Chvatil D. , Olsansky V. , Rucinski A. , Gajewski J. , Stasica P. , Vykydal Z. , Solc J.
Published: March 2022

The miniaturized radiation camera MiniPIX TPX3 is designed for detailed and wide-range measurements of mixed-radiation fields present in many applications such as radiotherapy and space radiation in outer orbit. The highly integrated instrumentation utilizes a single connector for control and readout for flexible measurements and quick deployment. The device features an option to process the registered data on the same device with limited resolution and basic particle-type resolving power. A novel readout and data processing technique exploits the detector high granularity and double per-pixel signal electronics to measure and characterize radiation fields of high intensity over a wide range with basic particle-type discrimination.
Developing an accurate and robust tool for pixel module characterization
Authors: Hohov D. , Lounis A. , Falou A. , Gkougkousis E.-L. , Bassalat A.
Published: March 2022

For operation at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider
(LHC), the ATLAS experiment is building a new all-silicon inner
tracker (ITk). The production and testing of thousands of silicon
pixel and strip modules is required to cover the estimated
180 m2 of the total surface area. A compact, affordable and
robust module characterization system is required for in-situ
testing prior any test beam campaign or installation. A test bench
setup based on an infrared laser was developed at IJCLab, allowing
also for the use of micro-metric precision scanning with a
radioactive source. A detailed schema of the setup, operating
principles and testing methods are described in this paper, together
with the first results obtained with a FE-I4 silicon pixel module.
Interpreting extreme climate impacts from large ensemble simulations—are they unseen or unrealistic?
Authors: Kelder T , Wanders N , van der Wiel K , Marjoribanks T I , Slater L J , Wilby R l , Prudhomme C
Published: March 2022

Large-ensemble climate model simulations can provide deeper understanding of the characteristics and causes of extreme events than historical observations, due to their larger sample size. However, adequate evaluation of simulated ‘unseen’ events that are more extreme than those seen in historical records is complicated by observational uncertainties and natural variability. Consequently, conventional evaluation and correction methods cannot determine whether simulations outside observed variability are correct for the right physical reasons. Here, we introduce a three-step procedure to assess the realism of simulated extreme events based on the model properties (step 1), statistical features (step 2), and physical credibility of the extreme events (step 3). We illustrate these steps for a 2000 year Amazon monthly flood ensemble simulated by the global climate model EC-Earth and global hydrological model PCR-GLOBWB. EC-Earth and PCR-GLOBWB are adequate for large-scale catchments like the Amazon, and have simulated ‘unseen’ monthly floods far outside observed variability. We find that the realism of these simulations cannot be statistically explained. For example, there could be legitimate discrepancies between simulations and observations resulting from infrequent temporal compounding of multiple flood peaks, rarely seen in observations. Physical credibility checks are crucial to assessing their realism and show that the unseen Amazon monthly floods were generated by an unrealistic bias correction of precipitation. We conclude that there is high sensitivity of simulations outside observed variability to the bias correction method, and that physical credibility checks are crucial to understanding what is driving the simulated extreme events. Understanding the driving mechanisms of unseen events may guide future research by uncovering key climate model deficiencies. They may also play a vital role in helping decision makers to anticipate unseen impacts by detecting plausible drivers.
Increasing the reliability of energy system scenarios with integrated modelling: a review
Authors: Niet Taco , Arianpoo Nastaran , Kuling Kamaria , Wright Andrew S
Published: March 2022

Systems models are an important tool for policy and energy planning decisions. These models generally fall into one of three modelling paradigms: energy economy, capacity expansion or power sector planning. Recent work seeks to combine these paradigms into an integrated framework to leverage the benefits of different model types. There is also interest and research in representing more system interactions to expand the modelling nexus. However, this increases model complexity and risks creating more black box models that are not well understood or trusted by users or policymakers. To understand the trade-offs and best practices of using combined models, we review current modelling practices, including an overview of the different modelling paradigms in the literature, how combined modelling has been applied to date and how the nexus has been represented in different modelling applications. Building on the literature review, we held a series of expert elicitation workshops to gain insight from energy modelling domain experts who use combined models. Finally, we encapsulate these findings and best practices into a modelling evaluation framework. We find that while there is interest and research being done in these areas, there are no set standards for how to build these types of models, resulting in a wide range of practices. Increasing model complexity to develop fully hard-linked coupled models that are also trustworthy and transparent generally requires more time and resources than is worthwhile. Instead, the focus should be on avoiding black box models by having a clear modelling purpose and developing best practices that allow for clarity and transparency. Expanding the nexus to include attributes such as biodiversity and cultural security presents a challenge and representing them as a cost is not congruent to equitable policy. These aspects could be better incorporated into analysis using stakeholder debate and citizens’ assemblies.
Deformation analysis of soft ground treated with PVDs – A Numerical study
Authors: Abhinay Kumar C , Shiva Bhushan J Y V
Published: March 2022

Soft ground deforms in both vertical and lateral directions when subjected to loads. These soils need to consolidate and gain strength to further use it for different engineering applications. Prefabricated vertical drains are very efficient for deep soil deposits employed with preloading for ground improvement. In this paper, a case study of a container yard in Chittagong port, Bangladesh is used to investigate the characteristics of the soil and its response when they are incorporated with PVDs. Final settlements of 258 mm are predicted using the Asaoka method for 1 m c/c PVD spacing. Numerical analysis is carried out by FEM software Plaxis to evaluate the performance of the PVDs during the consolidation. Different spacing of PVDs is also considered for the study. Settlements of 258 mm and 205 mm are obtained for 1 m and 1.5 m c/c PVDs spacing at the end of 52 days. The present study investigates the variations of both vertical deformations and lateral deformations of soft ground treated with PVDs. Lateral displacements at the end of surcharge loading and surface settlements are calculated.
Development of the HCN heterodyne collective scattering system on J-TEXT
Authors: TAO Qinlin , SHI Peng , GAO Li , WANG Lu , CHEN Zhongyong , JIANG Zhonghe , ZHOU Yinan , YANG Chengyu , WANG Yuhan , CHEN Zhipeng , WANG Nengchao , YANG Zhoujun , DING Yonghua , PAN Yuan
Published: March 2022

A heterodyne collective scattering system has been designed and developed to investigate the turbulent transport of core plasma on J-TEXT. A dual-HCN laser which consists of two separately pumped HCN gas lasers at 337 μm has been developed as the laser source of the scattering system. The intermediate frequency (IF) is ∼1 MHz when there is a 4 μm cavity length difference and capable to maintain stability more than 5 h without manual operation. Detection channels at three different angles (2 ≤ k
⊥ ≤ 12 cm−1) have been installed with Schottky barrier diode mixers of 893 GHz. The sampling frequency of the acquisition system is 6 MHz to observe low-frequency density fluctuations. Initial experimental results have been detected and more results can be expected in future experiments.
The Rabl chromosome configuration masks a kinetochore reassembly mechanism in yeast mitosis
Authors: Jiménez-Martín Alberto , Pineda-Santaella Alberto , Pinto-Cruz Jesús , León-Periñán Daniel , García-Sánchez Sabas , Delgado-Gestoso David , Marín-Toral Laura , Fernández-Álvarez Alfonso
Published: March 2022

We present evidence that the mechanism controlling the reassembly of the outer kinetochore program might be present in fission yeast mitosis but masked by the Rabl configuration.
A Novel Approach for Tuberous Breast Correction Using Power-Assisted Liposuction, Loops, and Lipofilling (PALLL)
Authors: Abboud Marwan H , Abboud Nicolas M , El Hajj Hiba
Published: March 2022

Background

Autologous fat grafting has recently gained popularity in breast and reconstructive procedures.

Objectives

The aim of this paper was to describe a tricomposite tuberous breast reconstruction that comprises matrix dissociation through extensive tunnelization, tissue recruitment with loops, and autologous fat transfer. This approach, called “matrix modeling,” was implemented by the power-assisted liposuction, loops, and lipofilling (PALLL) technique as a method to expand the lower pole, reshape the breast, and increase breast volume.

Methods

Between 2014 and 2020, a total of 47 patients underwent tuberous breast correction by combined lipofilling and the use of breast loops. The patient population included patients with unilateral or bilateral tuberous breasts of any stage. Patients who were active smokers, lean, or who desired large breasts were excluded from the study.

Results

Of the 47 patients (mean age, 26 years), 31 had bilateral malformations. The mean recruited flap volume was 212 mL. A single session (mean transfer volume, 163 mL) was required in 34 cases (72%). A second session (mean transfer volume, 182 mL) was necessary in the remaining 28% of cases. Patients were very satisfied in 93% of cases and satisfied in 7% of cases. One infection was observed. The mean operative time was 67 minutes. Imaging performed preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively did not reveal any anomalies other than oil cysts (4%).

Conclusions

Tricomposite breast reconstruction by PALLL is a novel, simple, safe, and alternative technique for tuberous breast correction by remodeling the matrix. The aesthetic outcome is natural, implant free, and long lasting.

Level of Evidence: 4
Streaking satellites: can we stop the photobombs?
Authors: Massey Robert
Published: March 2022

Robert Massey has a progress report on RAS activity to tackle the effects of satellite megaconstellations on the optical and radio skies