bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A modular computational framework for medical digital twins
Authors: Masison J. , Beezley J. , Mei Y. , Ribeiro HAL , Knapp A. C. , Sordo Vieira L. , Adhikari B. , Scindia Y. , Grauer M. , Helba B. , Schroeder W. , Mehrad B. , Laubenbacher R.
Published: May 2021

Significance

The digital twin paradigm holds great promise for medicine, even though many technical and scientific challenges remain to be overcome, most importantly the efficient integration of many heterogeneous component models. This is an unsolved problem even in industry. It has long been understood that such models need to be built in a modular fashion, connecting together component models of individual biological processes. In conventional implementations, however, the dependency structure of the modules reflects the dependencies among these processes, making it all but impossible to modify or expand the digital twin without breaking it. This paper presents a fundamental reorganization of the internal digital twin architecture into a hub-and-spokes design that completely circumvents this dependency problem.
Structural basis of the protochromic green/red photocycle of the chromatic acclimation sensor RcaE
Authors: Nagae Takayuki , Unno Masashi , Koizumi Taiki , Miyanoiri Yohei , Fujisawa Tomotsumi , Masui Kento , Kamo Takanari , Wada Kei , Eki Toshihiko , Ito Yutaka , Hirose Yuu , Mishima Masaki
Published: May 2021

Significance

Green/red CBCRs are one of the most important CBCR subfamilies owing to their physiological roles in cyanobacteria phylum and optogenetic applications. They are known to utilize a change in the bilin protonation state to cause the marked change in green/red absorption, but the structural bases of the protochromic photocycle are not well understood. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of the chromatic acclimation sensor RcaE of this subfamily in the Pr photoproduct state, identifying a unique conformation of the bilin and its interacting residues. In addition, we provide direct evidence of the protonation state of the bilin via NMR analysis. These findings bring insight to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the spectral diversity of CBCRs.
Alcohol narrows physical distance between strangers
Authors: Gurrieri Laura , Fairbairn Catharine E. , Sayette Michael A. , Bosch Nigel
Published: May 2021

Pandemic management is likely to represent a global reality for years to come, but the roadmap for how to approach pandemic restrictions is as yet unclear. Of the restrictions enacted during COVID-19, among the more controversial surround alcohol. Like many infectious diseases, the principal mode of transmission for COVID-19 is direct respiration of droplets emitted during close social contact, and health officials warn that alcohol consumption may lead to decreased adherence to physical distancing guidelines. Governing bodies have acted to close bars before restaurants and have also specifically restricted alcohol sales, while at the same time those in the nightlife industry have labeled such actions unfounded and discriminatory. Complicating such debates is the lack of evidence on alcohol’s effects on physical distance. In the current study we employed a randomized alcohol-administration design paired with computer-vision measures, analyzing over 20,000 proximity readings derived from video to examine the effect of alcohol consumption on physical distance during social interaction. Results indicated that alcohol caused individuals to draw significantly closer to an unfamiliar interaction partner during social exchange, reducing physical proximity at a rate with potentially important implications for public health. In contrast, alcohol had no effect on physical distance with a familiar interaction partner. Findings suggest that alcohol might act to overcome a natural caution people feel towards strangers and thus promote virus transmission between previously unconnected social groups.
Low-temperature sintering to fabricate MgB2 by using Mg(BH4)2 as precursor
Authors: Huang Zigeng , Cai Xinwei , Xi Dan , Luo Wenhao , Guo Chen , Feng Qingrong , Nie Ruijuan , Wang Furen , Gan Zizhao
Published: May 2021

Low-temperature sintering to fabricate MgB2 is considered a promising method because it reduces the formation of MgO and reduces the grain size, thereby increasing the critical current density. Chemical doping, ball milling of precursor and modifying the Mg source in precursor for low-temperature sintering have all been carefully investigated. However, the threshold of sintering temperature have been kept near 500 °C. A new in-situ method to low-temperature sintering using Mg(BH4)2 as a precursor is presented in this paper. Mg(BH4)2 decomposes into highly reactive nanoscale Mg and B in a molar ratio of 1:2 without impurities. In this method, only 2 h of sintering at 400 °C is required to completely react Mg with B to produce MgB2, and after 54 h sintering, the sample has comparable J
C to the normal MgB2 from solid-state reaction method sintered at 800 °C. The sample sintered at 500 °C give better J
C than normal MgB2 under both high and low magnetic field.
In-situ TEM observation of the evolution of helium bubbles in Mo during He+ irradiation and post-irradiation annealing*
Authors: Li Yi-Peng , Ran Guang , Liu Xin-Yi , Qiu Xi , Han Qing , Li Wen-Jie , Guo Yi-Jia
Published: May 2021

The evolution of helium bubbles in purity Mo was investigated by in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) during 30 keV He+ irradiation (at 673 K and 1173 K) and post-irradiation annealing (after 30 keV He+ irradiation with the fluence of 5.74 × 1016 He+/cm2 at 673 K). Both He+ irradiation and subsequently annealing induced the initiation, aggregation, and growth of helium bubbles. Temperature had a significant effect on the initiation and evolution of helium bubbles. The higher the irradiation temperature was, the larger the bubble size at the same irradiation fluence would be. At 1173 K irradiation, helium bubbles nucleated and grew preferentially at grain boundaries and showed super large size, which would induce the formation of microcracks. At the same time, the geometry of helium bubbles changed from sphericity to polyhedron. The polyhedral bubbles preferred to grow in the shape bounded by {100} planes. After statistical analysis of the characteristic parameters of helium bubbles, the functions between the average size, number density of helium bubbles, swelling rate and irradiation damage were obtained. Meanwhile, an empirical formula for calculating the size of helium bubbles during the annealing was also provided.
Slow Control System for PandaX-III experiment
Authors: Yan X. , Chen X. , Chen Y. , Dai B. , Lin H. , Li T. , Han K. , Ni K. , Wang F. , Wang S. , Zheng Q. , Zeng X.
Published: May 2021

The PandaX-III experiment uses high pressure gaseous time projection chamber to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 136Xe. A modular slow control system (SCS) has been designed to monitor all the critical parameters of the experiment.
It ensures the proper operation of the experiment and provides necessary information for data corrections. The main subsystems of the experiment will be constantly monitored by the data collection module of the SCS,
which collects data from sensors and sends them to the centralized database.
When an alarm message is generated by the anomaly detection module,
it will be sent to an alert website and related on-call experts immediately.
A demonstrator of the SCS has been built for the PandaX-III prototype detector.
The long-term test of it provided valuable experience for the final design of the SCS for PandaX-III.
Mitigating a century of European renewable variability with transmission and informed siting
Authors: Wohland Jan , Brayshaw David , Pfenninger Stefan
Published: May 2021

To reach its goal of net greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050, the European Union seeks to massively expand wind and solar power. Relying on weather-dependent power generation, however, poses substantial risks if climate variability is not adequately understood and accounted for in energy system design. Here we quantify European wind and solar generation variability over the last century, finding that both vary on a multidecadal scale, but wind more strongly. We identify hotspots and study dominant patterns of (co-)variability, finding that solar generation varies mostly uniformly across Europe while the leading wind variability modes reveal cross-border balancing potential. Combined wind and solar power generation in the current European system exhibits multidecadal variability of around 5% and can be further reduced through European cooperation or locally optimized wind shares, albeit the latter comes at the expense of significantly enhancing seasonal to interannual variability. Improved spatial planning therefore offers multiple options to mitigate long-term renewable generation variability but requires careful assessments of the trade-offs between climate-induced variations on different timescales.
Multiparameter universality and conformal field theory for anisotropic confined systems: test by Monte Carlo simulations
Authors: Dohm Volker , Wessel Stefan , Kalthoff Benedikt , Selke Walter
Published: May 2021

Analytic predictions have been derived recently by Dohm and Wessel (2021 Phys. Rev. Lett.
126 060601) from anisotropic φ
4 theory and conformal field theory for the amplitude

F

c

of the critical free energy of finite anisotropic systems in the two-dimensional Ising universality class. These predictions employ the hypothesis of multiparameter universality. We test these predictions by means of high-precision Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for

F

c

of the Ising model on a square lattice with isotropic ferromagnetic couplings between nearest neighbors and with an anisotropic coupling between next-nearest neighbors along one diagonal. We find remarkable agreement between the MC data and the analytical prediction. This agreement supports the validity of multiparameter universality and invalidates two-scale-factor universality as

F

c

is found to exhibit a nonuniversal dependence on the microscopic couplings of the scalar φ
4 model and the Ising model. Our results are compared with the exact result for

F

c

in the three-dimensional φ
4 model with a planar anisotropy in the spherical limit. The critical Casimir amplitude is briefly discussed.
Preliminary evaluation of intra-crosses MPOB-Cameroon and their inter-crosses with MPOB-Zaire breeding population (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)
Authors: Abu-Bakar N A , Amiruddin M D , Nookiah R
Published: May 2021

Broadening the genetic base of oil palm was as a key action for the improvement of the crop. In this study, fourteen tenera progenies from MPOB-CMR x MPOB-CMR and MPOB-CMR x MPOB-ZRE (T x T), crossed according to bi-parental mating design (BIP) were assessed in their fresh fruit bunch (FFB), bunch number (BNO) and average bunch weight (ABWT). The progenies were planted following a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in two replicates. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the variability among progenies, for FFB, BNO and ABWT, were highly significant. The contribution of the environmental effects is relatively high for BNO, and this is shown by the low heritability estimated on this character. On the other hand, ABW character showed a high heritability (h2
B > 50%) at 67.31%. Progenies deriving from MPOB-CMR x MPOB-ZRE crosses have shown a significantly higher performance compared to those from MPOB-CMR x MPOB-CMR x MPOB-CMR for FFB. Progeny PK1943 (MPOB-CMR x MPOB-ZRE) is the best performer with an average bunch yield of 175.29 kg palm−1 yr−1.
Integrating walking and cycling facilities towards green mobility in Bandar Penggaram Batu Pahat
Authors: Ahadi A I , Fahmy-Abdullah M , Rasi R Z R M , Masrom M A N
Published: May 2021

Walking and cycling facilities have huge potential in contributing to green mobility in the cities. It is important to reduce transportation emissions, such as enhancing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure networks and encouraging users to use public transportation. The main problem in Bandar Penggaram, Batu Pahat is high carbon emissions that came from motorised transportations. The objective of this research is to identify the existing condition of walking and cycling facilities and to propose ways to improve the existing condition of walking and cycling facilities towards green mobility in Bandar Penggaram, Batu Pahat. The analysis of this research involved areas around Dataran Penggaram, Batu Pahat which focuses on the main roads that tend to produce high carbon emissions. The method that is used in this research is the mixed methods which consist of quantitative and qualitative method. The first finding of the observation shows that the focused site or development integrates pedestrian and cycling networks with other road activities. There are also bicycle parking facilities, separate bike paths parallel to major roads and dedicated lanes for walking and cycling. Secondly, the weather and distance are the limitations of residents who walk and cycle. Next, the best criteria to overcome the limitations when integrating pedestrian and cycling networks with other road activities are planting shaded trees and build roofs over dedicated lanes for walking and cycling. So, the facilities need to be maintained at this level and improve or implemented to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road. Hence, less carbon emission from motorised transportations is achieved when more private vehicles are off the road.
Spray Drying Microencapsulation of Kantan Extract (Etlingera Elatior) with Various Wall Materials
Authors: Anuar N H S , Kormin F , Isa N L M , Iwansyah A C , Abu Bakar M F , Mohamad Fuzi S F Z , Sabran F
Published: May 2021

The aim of this research was to study the effect of spray drying condition on quality of kantan (Etlingera elatior) powder and their characteristics. Effects of Hanjeli Flour and Modified Cassava Flour (MOCAF) concentration at 5 % (wt/v) and Maltodextrin concentrations at 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and 2 5% (w/v), on physical properties and antioxidant properties of spray dried kantan powder were investigated. Agridon mini spray dryer, model AG-1-06, was used in this research which an inlet and outlet air temperature, feed flow rate and air spray pressure control range was standardize at 180°C, 80°C, 3.0 Lh−1 and 0.7-1.4 kgcm−2, respectively. The result of this study resulted 5 % MOCAF were showed the higher in physical and antioxidant properties such as process yield (31.82 %), flowability (30°) and ABTS (50.50%) of spray-dried kantan powder compared to 5 % Hanjeli flour and 5 % maltodextrin. Next, increased maltodextrin concentrations resulted in increased process yield (31.04 %-36.03 %), bulk density (0.33 g/ml-0.48 g/ml) and flowability (37°-57°), while the solubility (50.50-133.30 sec), wettability (14.90-45.20 sec), moisture content (5.24 %-5.83 %) and absorbance (2.44-0.99) decreased. However, there were no significant changes in the water activity (0.22-0.37) and soluble solid (15.16 %-16.80 %) of the kantan powder at all maltodextrin concentrations. The degradation percentage of antioxidant contents ranged in 36 %-66 % in DPPH, ABTS, TPC and TFC after spray drying process at higher temperature. The results from this study can be used to develop instant beverages, cube production as a ready-cook product and several food formulations such as ice-cream, desserts, bakery products.
The effect of light stress and water stress on growth rate in Mentha arvensis
Authors: Fazil N F , Pa’ee F , Manan N A
Published: May 2021

The effect of environmental stresses on growth rate was tested for Mentha arvensis (Mint). The plant was planted under different light intensity and watered either within 2 days interval, 4 days interval or 6 days interval. The stresses were monitored to see the significant effect on its physiological parameters and to test the adaptability of Mentha arvensis toward those stresses. The aim of this study is to measure the growth rate of Mentha arvensis affected by the combination of light and water stress. The findings of this study showed that plant that received less amount of nutrient and sources will try to develop self-mechanism, such plant tends to elongate its roots searching for water access. Through self-mechanism development, plant was able to absorb more nutrient effectively as both light and water act as a main source in providing morphological adaptive strategy for environmental stresses.
Physicochemical properties and characterization of fermented cassava flour by lactic acid bacteria
Authors: Isa N L M , Kormin F , Iwansyah A C , Desnilasari D , Hesan A
Published: May 2021

Cassava tuber was used to produce fermented cassava flour with aid of lactic acid bacteria which is Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Pediococcus pentosaceus. This study aimed to determine effect different starter culture on physicochemical properties and characterization of cassava flour by lactic acid bacteria. Various type of cassava flour (L. plantarum, L. bulgaricus, P. pentosaceus and mixed starter culture) were made as the variable in determining their effect on physicochemical properties and characterization of the fermented cassava flour. The physicochemical properties that conducted on fermented cassava flour was protein content, moisture content and water activity analysis, pH and total titratable acidity analysis. Highest protein content with value (45.49%) was found in fermented cassava flour with L. bulgaricus. It was found that fermentation cassava with microbial starter culture shown the increasing amount of the protein content of the flour. This is due to the action of enzymes produced by the microbial starter culture. The fermented cassava flour also been characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In conclusion, this study shows that protein content of cassava flour increases due to the fermentation by microbial starter culture.
Effects of nitrogen rate and harvesting age on herbage and essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus
Authors: Ismail A A , Pa’ee F , Abd Rani MNF , Mohd Noh A A
Published: May 2021

This research is about herbage and essential oil yield (EOY) of Cymbopogon citratus subjected to multiple harvesting period and nitrogen rate. This study was carried out in Ladang 1, MARDI Kluang between June 2018 to February 2019. The experimental design used for this study was Randomized Complete Block Design with Factorial under 3 replications. The aims of this study are to evaluate effect of nitrogen rate, harvesting age and the interaction between nitrogen rate and harvesting age on C. citratus herbage yield and EOY. Some of the parameters evaluated in this study include herbage yield, EOY, height and girth. The study discovered that, girth and height show a significant positive linear response towards harvesting age while EOY shows significant negative linear response. Herbage yield was significantly affected by both nitrogen rate and harvesting age but with no significant interaction between the two. Present finding may give rise to improvement on C.citratus production SOP.
Development of herbal bag for herbal bath during postnatal care from Temuan traditional knowledge
Authors: Jahiman N A , Pa’ee F , Manan N A , Md Salleh N A
Published: May 2021

This study is about the development of the herbal bath bag during postpartum care. Herbal bathing important for mother because it can fresh mother’s body and gave a therapy during that period. Lack of knowledge about the herbal bathing is the main factor on why this study was conducted. The objectives for this study are to formulate the plant remedies to be used in the 2 in1 mini pocket herbal bath bag production, to investigate the phytochemical that presence in the formulation and determine the presence of anti-bacterial properties in the plant extract based on the formulation and to develop 2 in 1 mini pocket herbal bath bag for traditional herbal bath based on traditional knowledge from the Temuan community in Taman Negara Gunung Ledang. This study focused on two different plant which are Annona muricata (durian belanda) and Psidium guajava (jambu batu). Both plants were used during postpartum care for herbal bathing by indigenous people. Moreover, the plant part used was the leaves. There are five formulation of the plant that a based on the Design Expert software. Basically, this study consists of two tests which are phytochemical screening and antibacterial testing. Phytochemical screening included terpenoids, steroid, flavonoid, quinone and alkaloids test. The result showed that formulation 3 has higher numbers of phytochemical presence which are flavonoid, terpenoid and quinone. In addition, formulation 3 also have higher number of means ± std for result anti-bacterial activity. As a conclusion, the three objectives were successful achieved and formulation 3 was chosen to develop the herbal bath bag.
Effect of Malaysian durian rind varieties on the yield and degree of esterification of the pectin extracted
Authors: Jong S H , Abdullah N , Muhammad N
Published: May 2021

Durian rind which composed more than half of the total weight of durian had produced massive waste to the environment, especially during the peak season. Durian rind was found to be a potential source of pectin. The yield and characteristic of pectin present at different varieties of durian rinds could differ. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the yield and degree of esterification (DE) of pectin extracted from Musang King (D197), D24, Hajjah Hasmah (D168) and mixed varieties of durian rinds. The pectin was extracted from different varieties of durian rinds in pH 2 citric acid solution (solid to liquid 1:30) at 90°C for 2 hours. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine the chemical structure and DE of the pectin. The results showed that the pectin extracted from D168 has the least amount (5.6%) while the pectin yield of other varieties does not differ distinctly (7.1 – 7.73%). All the pectin isolated with DE range 60.79 – 76.71% is high methoxyl pectin with DE > 50%. This study shows that different varieties of durian rinds produce pectin with varying yield, gelling and structural properties which could provide a new alternative of pectin for various industries such as the pharmaceutical and food industries.
Comparison of Damselfly (Odanata: Zygoptera) diversity in wet dune slack habitat with canopied and non-canopied areas of Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Nicolla A C , Irsyad A N , Firdasia W , Sarifah Z , Nilamsari E I , Umah N , Daradwinta R , Sukirno S
Published: May 2021

Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo is one of the unique eolian ecosystem in Yogyakarta. This place which mostly formed by dune which in the rainy season is flooded by water, thus forming a pool called wet dune slack. Damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) are closely related to the occurrence of water. The aim of this research is to compare the diversity of damselflies in canopied and non-canopied areas on Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The method which used in this research was the descriptive method with active exploration techniques around the wet dune slack to the vegetation formation. The result showed that there are 4 species of damselflies in canopied area and 5 species of damselflies in non-canopied area. The diversity index (H’) is 1.18 in canopied area and 1.01 in non-canopied area. The highest relative abundance of the species in canopied area is Ischnura senegalensis (45,65%) whereas in non-canopied area is Agriocnemis pygmaea (62,34%). The non-canopied areas has conditions more suitable for damselflies’s life.
Parasitic load and self-medication of Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus ssp. wurmbii) in Sebangau National Park Central Kalimantan Indonesia
Authors: Panda A , Djohan T S , Artama W T , Priyowidodo D
Published: May 2021

Around 27.5% of human parasites have been found in primates. It is proposed that this parasitic load prevalence is not reflected in the specificity of the host or hosts capable of battling parasite infection. Since the dynamic of the field contributes to a broader understanding of host-parasite relationships, it is critical to proving what hosts capable of, in the first place. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to present adequate evidence of the Orangutan’s capacity to medicate itself. In September – October 2017, a swift assessment was carried out in the Punggualas area, Sebangau National Park (SNP). As per behavior procedure, a total of 72 hours follows on habitual Orangutan, on which focal behaviors, including their social behavior, have been reported every 2 minutes. All data is evaluated descriptively. Three focal orangutans, consisting of two dominant males, namely Eboy and Sander, and one independent female with an infant. The results showed that two male individuals revealed no signs of self-medication activity in their natural diets, only feeding activity. In the meanwhile, the female shows the actions. While we did not specifically find out the symptom they may have, the research outcome gained ample evidence that self-medication is performed by the Orangutan.
A Survey on Edible Aroids Consumed by Locals in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Zulhazman H , Asraf Fizree M , Muhamad Azahar A , Mohd Fadzelly A B , Nazahatul Anis A
Published: May 2021

A total of seven variations of edible Araceae species were identically consumed by locals in the Districts of Kota Bharu and Machang, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. These species are Keladi Pinang, Keladi Batang Putih, Keladi Tapak Badak, Keladi Birah, Keladi Batang Hitam, Keladi Candek and Keladi Tetawi. However, through a taxonomic identification were recognised only four species, these are Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don, Alocasia longiloba Miq. and Xantosoma sagitifolia (L.) Schott. The results revealed that Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don. have three and two variations of species, respectively. The study also shows that Araceae is not only as sources of medicinal and ornamental but also commonly used by locals as foods which can be potentially explored and commercialized as a new bio-economy product.
Design of a Low-Cost Lower Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeleton System
Authors: U Ullas , Rajendrakumar P K
Published: May 2021

Human locomotion is probably the single most crucial thing to carry out daily activities in a person’s life. It is hence a necessity than an option to help people walk, when they lose that essential ability, for any reason. Rehabilitation is a methodical process, usually carried out by trained professionals in this regard. With the current lifestyle, the increase in factors leading to disabilities is on the rise, and there is a pressing need to rehabilitate the needy. With a lack of specialized medical facilities and personnel to meet the rising demands, especially in many rural parts of India, a low cost rehabilitation device is necessary. The devices that exist for this purpose remain inaccessible to the masses mainly due to their cost, availability, and ability to adapt to different patients. In many of the works from literature, it is seen that actuators play a significant role in driving the costs high. Also, the designs need considerable customization for every individual patient, which makes mass production difficult. In this work, an affordable lower limb exoskeleton system is designed. This device is adaptable to the varying anthropometry of the Indian population while being affordable by the masses. Electric linear actuators are used to keep the costs low, with a simple control system. Adjustability and modularity are maintained throughout the design as an essential criterion.
Numerical Investigation on Laminar Cross-flow Around a Top Surface Heated Square Cylinder
Authors: Deepak K , Anandhavishnu V , Stephen Sujith , Ajith Kumar S.
Published: May 2021

This numerical study attempts to discuss about the effects in vortex shedding and aerodynamic parameters due to heating the top surface of a square cylinder for various Ri values (0 < Ri < 1) at Pr = 0.71 and Re = 100. Numerical calculations are carried out using a finite volume method based on the PISO (Pressure-Implicit with Splitting of Operators) algorithm. We have used ANSYS Fluent for the numerical simulation. The results in this study are promising and we found that the surface heating would rather changes or modifies the flow field and the vortex shedding phenomenon behind the square cylinder. Also it is observed that heating plays a critical role in the integral quantities such as aerodynamic coefficients, Strouhal number etc.
Experimenting to optimize topology parameters of a reinforced metal matrix composite using Taguchi technique of design of experiments
Authors: maruthur Praveen
Published: May 2021

This experimental study is carried out to optimize topological parameters like wear rate and frictional force of an aluminium alloy AA2618 which is a metal matrix of composition Al-93.7%, Si-0.18%, Cu-2.30%, Mg-1.60%, Fe-1.1%, Ni-1.0%, Ti-0.07%. The aluminium alloy is reinforced with titanium di-oxide of 5% by weight. Taguchi design of experiment is used to carry out optimization study, taguchi method is he most reliable common and successful experiment technique for process performance improvement and raise quality of product. As per taguchi technique parameters chosen are sliding distance, speed and load with each property for 3 levels, so the test consists of 27 numbers according to L27 orthogonal array. Optimal parametric condition of minimum wear and frictional force are obtained through signal to noise analysis. For verification of results confirmation experiments is also conducted.
Development and fabrication of fused deposition modelling 3D printer
Authors: Wilson Samson , Thomas Rahul , Mary Nimmi , Bosco Eric Tom , Gopinath Ajith
Published: May 2021

The usage of 3d printing has been a widely applicable in various branches such as aerospace, medical, food industry and recently even in construction of houses. As we can see 3d printing has become a revolutionary invention and is becoming very common in manufacturing of various machining parts. So as we know there are various forms of 3d printing technologies and each of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. One of the main disadvantage is the quality of finishing on the 3d printed parts. Apart from this the cost of 3d printing has also been one of the major disadvantage. The purpose of this projects is to design and fabricate a 3d printer which would increase the quality of the parts manufactured and also make it cost efficient. This quality product can be achieved by decreasing the layer thickness. The other ways to increase quality of the product is fabricate the 3d printer in such a way that the temperature of the nozzle is within the given range all through the process. This project is expected to result in the fabrication of the 3d printer considering all the above features.
Heat Transfer Effect of Louvered Baffle in Jet Impingement Heat Transfer with Cross-flow
Authors: Kurian Sabu , Tide P S , Biju N
Published: May 2021

The objective of this research is to numerically investigate heat transfer characteristic of a louvered baffle assisted multi-jet impingement of air on a heated plate subjected to constant heat flux and cross flow. Two h/d configurations were considered for the present study. An array of jets with 3 x 3 configurations discharging from round orifices of diameter d=5 mm and with jet-to-target plate distance ranging from 2d to 3 d were studied. SST k-ω turbulence model was used for numerical simulation to examine the effect of blow ratio, louver angle and baffle clearance on heat transfer. Blow ratios of 0.25, 0.5, 075 and 1.0 and louver angle 30°, 45° and 60° were considered for CFD simulations. In all the cases, heat transfer increases with blow ratio and blow ratio with 1 has the maximum heat transfer. It is also noticed that heat transfer rate increases with decrease in louver angle h/d ratio.
Process parameter optimization of wire EDM on weldment of Monel 400 and AISI 316 grade steel
Authors: Hema P , Aparna K
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this paper is to explore the optimal set of input parameters such as pulse on time, pulse off time and wire tension in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) on weldment of dissimilar metals of Monel 400 and AISI 316 grade steel using brass wire. This experiment describes the difference in values in material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness and kerf width with change in three process parameters. A rectangle shaped cut is made using ZNC WEDM. Each combination of parameters is considered according to the L9 Orthogonal array. Taguchi method based grey relational analysis is used and analyzed results indicated that pulse on time has a significant effect on three output parameters. 9th experiment, i.e., pulse on time at 150μs, pulse off time at 40μs, wire tension of 14 kg-f are found to be optimal process parameters.
Kinematic Modelling and Structural Analysis of a Spherical Robot: BALL-E
Authors: Tholapu Satwik , Sudheer A P , Joy M L
Published: May 2021

This paper presents a spherical mobile robot which is capable of executing rolling and walking motions. The proposed robot can also transform into a quadruped based on the terrain conditions. The advantage of combining these motions in the robot is that it improves the collision recovery and manoeuvrability over multiple terrains. Various conceptual designs are developed, and concept scoring is carried out to find the best design. The kinematic analysis is presented for the chosen design using the Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) method. The inverse kinematics is solved using MATLAB and the corresponding robot configurations are plotted. The structural analysis of the robot is also completed using ANSYS Workbench.
Chemical and Enzymatic transesterification of rubber seed oil – A comparative study
Authors: Joy Eldhose K , Sebastian Jilse , Eldose K K , Jithesh S R
Published: May 2021

Biodiesel produced from a wide variety of vegetable oils is expected to replace diesel fuel. Conventional diesel engines are the major sources of expelling the particulate matter, soot, smoke and oxides of nitrogen to the environment which are harmful. Biodiesel is an attractive alternative fuel to replace petroleum derived diesel because it is environment friendly and can be produced from edible or non-edible vegetable oils. The conflict between food and fuel led to the identification of more than fifty non-edible oil sources for biodiesel production. Utilization of locally available non-edible oil sources for production of biodiesel reduces the cost of fuel and increases production interest. Rubber seed oil is a non-edible type vegetable oil, identified as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. This paper comprises the synthesis of biodiesel from high free fatty acid rubber seed oil through transesterification by chemical and enzymatic methods. The transesterification of rubber seed oil with chemical catalyst and enzyme catalyst were investigated in the work. The variables affecting the reaction such as molar ratio, catalyst concentration, time and temperature were analysed. Kinetic study was carried out to find the reaction constants and activation energy of both chemical and enzymatic transesterification reactions. The properties of fuel such as kinematic viscosity, calorific value and specific gravity were found out and compared with the properties of diesel. Base catalyst concentration was varied from 0.5wt% to 2wt% for alkaline transesterification process and the result revealed that maximum yield of 90% was obtained with a base catalyst concentration of 1.5wt% with 1:9 molar ratio at 55± 3°C. The best condition arise in enzymatic reaction was 10wt% enzyme and 1:4 methanol ratio with 5wt% addition of water as the solvent.
Design and analysis of a solar drier with a parabolic shaped dish type collector for drying peanut
Authors: Varghese Jobin , Rupesh S , Augustine Jithu , Nair Adithya , Prajith
Published: May 2021

The present work deals with the performance evaluation of an active indirect solar dryer integrated with a parabolic dish collector to dry peanuts. Peanut is a widely available edible seed in India, obtained from a legume crop (Arachis hypogaea) which is used either directly in food or for extracting cooking oil. The system mainly consists of a parabolic collector which is provided with an insulator made of plywood with air gaps and aluminium foil wrapping, and a drier consisting of four trays where the peanuts are dried. The flow of hot air through the tray is maintained using an exhaust fan positioned at the top of the drier. The fan exhausts the moisture extracted from the product to make the flow of air without any localization. From the analysis it is found that the parabolic dish collector generates a maximum temperature of 79 °C at 12.30 PM and dries 1.5 kilograms of peanut in 5 hours of a day. Thus, hot air from the parabolic dish concentrator reduces moisture content of peanut by 21% more than obtained from open solar drying.
Relevance of longitudinal fields of paraxial optical vortices
Authors: Forbes Kayn A , Green Dale , Jones Garth A
Published: May 2021

Longitudinal electromagnetic fields generally become comparable with the usually dominant transverse components in strongly focused, non-paraxial beams. For paraxial optical vortex modes it is highlighted here how their angular momentum properties produce longitudinal fields that in general must be accounted for. First-order longitudinal components of quantized Laguerre–Gaussian modes are derived and numerically studied with respect to the paraxial parameter, highlighting light-matter and spin-orbit interactions that stem from the longitudinal fields of paraxial beams in free space. New restrictions are cast on the validity of neglecting longitudinal fields for paraxial optical vortices interacting with atoms, molecules and other nanostructures.
Enrolment of older adults with cancer in early phase clinical trials—an observational study on the experience in the north west of England
Authors: Gomes Fabio , Descamps Tine , Lowe Jessica , Little Martin , Lauste Rosie , Krebs Matthew G , Graham Donna , Thistlethwaite Fiona , Carter Louise , Cook Natalie
Published: May 2021

Introduction

older patients represent the majority of cancer patients but are under-represented in trials, particularly early phase clinical trials (EPCTs).

Material and Methods

observational retrospective study of patients referred for EPCTs (January–December 2018) at a specialist cancer centre in the UK. The primary aim was to analyse the successful enrolment into EPCTs according to age (<65/65+). The secondary aims were to identify enrolment obstacles and the outcomes of enrolled patients. Patient data were analysed at: referral; in-clinic assessment and after successful enrolment. Among patients assessed in clinic, a sample was defined by randomly matching the older cohort with the younger cohort (1:1) by tumour type.

Results

555 patients were referred for EPCTs with a median age of 60 years, of whom 471 were assessed in new patient clinics (38% were 65+). From those assessed, a randomly tumour-matched sample of 318 patients (159 per age cohort) was selected. Older patients had a significantly higher comorbidity score measured by ACE-27 (P < 0.0001), lived closer to the hospital (P = 0.045) and were referred at a later point in their cancer management (P = 0.002). There was no difference in suitability for EPCTs according to age with overall 84% deemed suitable. For patients successfully enrolled into EPCTs, there was no difference between age cohorts (20.1 vs. 22.6% for younger and older, respectively; P = 0.675) and no significant differences in their safety and efficacy outcomes.

Discussion

older age did not affect the enrolment into EPCTs. However, the selected minority referred for EPCTs suggests a pre-selection upstream by primary oncologists.
REBET: a method to determine the number of cell clusters based on batch effect removal
Authors: Fang Zhao-Yu , Lin Cui-Xiang , Xu Yun-Pei , Li Hong-Dong , Xu Qing-Song
Published: May 2021

In single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data analysis, a fundamental problem is to determine the number of cell clusters based on the gene expression profiles. However, the performance of current methods is still far from satisfactory, presumably due to their limitations in capturing the expression variability among cell clusters. Batch effects represent the undesired variability between data measured in different batches. When data are obtained from different labs or protocols batch effects occur. Motivated by the practice of batch effect removal, we considered cell clusters as batches. We hypothesized that the number of cell clusters (i.e. batches) could be correctly determined if the variances among clusters (i.e. batch effects) were removed. We developed a new method, namely, removal of batch effect and testing (REBET), for determining the number of cell clusters. In this method, cells are first partitioned into k clusters. Second, the batch effects among these k clusters are then removed. Third, the quality of batch effect removal is evaluated with the average range of normalized mutual information (ARNMI), which measures how uniformly the cells with batch-effects-removal are mixed. By testing a range of k values, the k value that corresponds to the lowest ARNMI is determined to be the optimal number of clusters. We compared REBET with state-of-the-art methods on 32 simulated datasets and 14 published scRNA-seq datasets. The results show that REBET can accurately and robustly estimate the number of cell clusters and outperform existing methods. Contact: H.D.L. (hongdong@csu.edu.cn) or Q.S.X. (qsxu@csu.edu.cn)
Measuring and Evaluating the Visual Complexity Of Chinese Ink Paintings
Authors: Fan Zhen-Bao , Li Yi-Na , Zhang Kang , Yu Jinhui , Huang Mao Lin
Published: May 2021

Painters arrange white space in contrast with chromatic space composed of strokes. This research measures white space, color complexity and stroke density in Chinese ink paintings and examines how these attributes influence the paintings’ perceived complexity. Empirical evidence from 21 well-known modern Chinese artists’ ink paintings shows that white space decreases paintings’ complexity, while chromatic space and stroke density increase complexity. We also reveal that a large rate of white space guides the viewers’ attention on chromatic space and enhances the impacts of color complexity and stroke density on perceived complexity. An eye-tracker measures viewers’ elaboration duration on each painting, which provides consistent evidence to validate our conclusion based on subjective reported visual complexity. Our research provides insights into the rhetorical role of white space in sensory information processing.
On the g-Extra Connectivity of the Enhanced Hypercubes
Authors: Yin Shanshan , Xu Liqiong
Published: May 2021

Reliability evaluation of interconnection networks is of significant importance to the design and maintenance of interconnection networks. The extra connectivity is an important parameter for the reliability evaluation of interconnection networks and is a generalization of the traditional connectivity. Let $g\geq 0$ be an integer and $G$ be a connected graph; the $g$-extra connectivity of $G$ is the minimum cardinality of a set of vertices in $G$, if it exists, whose removal disconnects $G$ and leaves every component with more than $g$ vertices. Determining the $g$-extra connectivity is still an unsolved problem in many interconnection networks. Let $n$, $k$ be positive integers. Let $Q_{n,k}\, (1 \leq k \leq n-1)$ denote the $(n, k)$-enhanced hypercube. In this paper, we determine the $g$-extra connectivity of $Q_{n,k}$ is $(n+1)(g+1)-\frac{g(g+3)}{2}$ for $0\leq g\leq n-k-1$, $4\leq k\leq n-5\,(n\geq 9)$. Some previous results in [Zhang, M. and Zhou, J. (2015) On g-extra connectivity of folded hypercubes. Theor. Comput. Sci., 593, 146–153.] and [Sabir, E., Mamut, A. and Vumar, E. (2019) The extra connectivity of the enhanced hypercubes. Theor. Comput. Sci., 799, 22–31.] are extended.
Obesity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Is Associated with Early Readmissions Characterised by an Increased Systems and Patient-level Burden
Authors: Weissman Simcha , Patel Kirtenkumar , Kolli Sindhura , Lipcsey Megan , Qureshi Nabeel , Elias Sameh , Walfish Aaron , Swaminath Arun , Feuerstein Joseph D
Published: May 2021

Background and Aims

Rates of obesity are rising in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. We conducted a US population-based study to determine the effects of obesity on outcomes in hospitalised patients with IBD.

Methods

We searched the Nationwide Readmissions Database 2016-2017 to identify all adult patients hospitalised for IBD, using ICD-10 codes. We compared obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30) vs non-obese [BMI < 30] patients with IBD to evaluate the independent effects of obesity on readmission, mortality, and other hospital outcomes. Multivariate regression and propensity matching were performed.

Results

We identified 143 190 patients with IBD, of whom 9.1% were obese. Obesity was independently associated with higher all-cause readmission at 30 days {18% vs 13% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.16, p = 0.005)} and 90 days (29% vs 21% [aOR 1.27, p < 0.0001]), as compared with non-obese patients, with similar findings upon a propensity-matched sensitivity analysis. Obese and non-obese patients had similar risks of mortality on index admission [0.24% vs 0.31%, p = 0.18] and readmission [1.5% vs 1.8% p = 0.3]. Obese patients had longer [5.3 vs 4.9 days] and more expensive [USD12,195 vs USD11,154] hospitalisations on index admission. Obesity did not affect the risk of intestinal surgery or bowel obstruction. Compared with index admissions, readmissions were characterised by increased mortality [6-fold], health care use, and bowel obstruction [3-fold] [all p < 0.0001].

Conclusions

Obesity in IBD appears to be associated with increased early readmission, characterised by a higher burden, despite the introduction of weight-based therapeutics. Prevention of obesity should be a focus in the treatment of IBD to decrease readmission and health care burden.
Biomass estimates derived from sector subsampling of 360° spherical images
Authors: Dai Xiao , Ducey Mark J , Wang Haozhou , Yang Ting-Ru , Hsu Yung-Han , Ogilvie Jae , Kershaw John A
Published: May 2021

Efficient subsampling designs reduce forest inventory costs by focusing sampling efforts on more variable forest attributes. Sector subsampling is an efficient and accurate alternative to big basal area factor (big BAF) sampling to estimate the mean basal area to biomass ratio. In this study, we apply sector subsampling of spherical images to estimate aboveground biomass and compare our image-based estimates with field data collected from three early spacing trials on western Newfoundland Island in eastern Canada. The results show that sector subsampling of spherical images produced increased sampling errors of 0.3–3.4 per cent with only about 60 trees measured across 30 spherical images compared with about 4000 trees measured in the field. Photo-derived basal area was underestimated because of occluded trees; however, we implemented an additional level of subsampling, collecting field-based basal area counts, to correct for bias due to occluded trees. We applied Bruce’s formula for standard error estimation to our three-level hierarchical subsampling scheme and showed that Bruce’s formula is generalizable to any dimension of hierarchical subsampling. Spherical images are easily and quickly captured in the field using a consumer-grade 360° camera and sector subsampling, including all individual tree measurements, were obtained using a custom-developed python software package. The system is an efficient and accurate photo-based alternative to field-based big BAF subsampling.