bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
eIDAS Interoperability and Cross-Border Compliance Issues
Authors: Hölbl Marko , Kežmah Boštjan , Kompara Marko
Published: January 2023

The eIDAS Regulation provides a common foundation for secure electronic interaction between citizens, businesses, and public authorities. We investigated and identified interoperability and cross-border compliance issues in this paper. We have identified the following weaknesses: Organizational independence, remote access to banking services, remote video identification, use of electronic signatures in public administration, commercial access to the eIDAS network, biometric authentication mechanisms, and, finally, some technical issues with the mechanisms used to provide security and authentication in eIDAS nodes.
A Graph Pointer Network-Based Multi-Objective Deep Reinforcement Learning Algorithm for Solving the Traveling Salesman Problem
Authors: Perera Jeewaka , Liu Shih-Hsi , Mernik Marjan , Črepinšek Matej , Ravber Miha
Published: January 2023

Traveling Salesman Problems (TSPs) have been a long-lasting interesting challenge to researchers in different areas. The difficulty of such problems scales up further when multiple objectives are considered concurrently. Plenty of work in evolutionary algorithms has been introduced to solve multi-objective TSPs with promising results, and the work in deep learning and reinforcement learning has been surging. This paper introduces a multi-objective deep graph pointer network-based reinforcement learning (MODGRL) algorithm for multi-objective TSPs. The MODGRL improves an earlier multi-objective deep reinforcement learning algorithm, called DRL-MOA, by utilizing a graph pointer network to learn the graphical structures of TSPs. Such improvements allow MODGRL to be trained on a small-scale TSP, but can find optimal solutions for large scale TSPs. NSGA-II, MOEA/D and SPEA2 are selected to compare with MODGRL and DRL-MOA. Hypervolume, spread and coverage over Pareto front (CPF) quality indicators were selected to assess the algorithms’ performance. In terms of the hypervolume indicator that represents the convergence and diversity of Pareto-frontiers, MODGRL outperformed all the competitors on the three well-known benchmark problems. Such findings proved that MODGRL, with the improved graph pointer network, indeed performed better, measured by the hypervolume indicator, than DRL-MOA and the three other evolutionary algorithms. MODGRL and DRL-MOA were comparable in the leading group, measured by the spread indicator. Although MODGRL performed better than DRL-MOA, both of them were just average regarding the evenness and diversity measured by the CPF indicator. Such findings remind that different performance indicators measure Pareto-frontiers from different perspectives. Choosing a well-accepted and suitable performance indicator to one’s experimental design is very critical, and may affect the conclusions. Three evolutionary algorithms were also experimented on with extra iterations, to validate whether extra iterations affected the performance. The results show that NSGA-II and SPEA2 were greatly improved measured by the Spread and CPF indicators. Such findings raise fairness concerns on algorithm comparisons using different fixed stopping criteria for different algorithms, which appeared in the DRL-MOA work and many others. Through these lessons, we concluded that MODGRL indeed performed better than DRL-MOA in terms of hypervolumne, and we also urge researchers on fair experimental designs and comparisons, in order to derive scientifically sound conclusions.
Backpropagated Neural Network Modeling for the Non-Fourier Thermal Analysis of a Moving Plate
Authors: Varun Kumar R. S. , Alsulami M. D. , Sarris I. E. , Prasannakumara B. C. , Rana Saurabh
Published: January 2023

The present article mainly focuses on the transient thermal dispersal within a moving plate using the non-Fourier heat flux model. Furthermore, the innovative, sophisticated artificial neural network strategy with the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagated scheme (ANNS-LMBS) is proposed for determining the transient temperature in the convective-radiative plate. Using dimensionless terms, the energy model for transient heat exchange is simplified into a non-dimensional form. The arising partial differential equation (PDE) is then numerically tackled using the finite difference method (FDM). A data set for the various scenarios of the thermal parameters influencing the thermal variation through the plate has been generated using the FDM. In addition, the effect of the dimensionless physical variables on the thermal profile of a moving plate has been examined and discussed in detail. Increments in the convection-conduction and radiation-conduction parameters are figured to yield a reduction in the transient thermal dispersion. An upsurge in the Peclet number caused the improvement of thermal dispersal in the plate.
Optimal Designs for Proportional Interference Models with Different Guarding Strategies
Authors: Zhang Futao , Kong Xiangshun
Published: January 2023

Interference models are commonly used in agriculture, industry, and other related fields. Optimal designs for these models are important topics in block designs. In this work, we consider both direct and total effects under both guarded and unguarded proportional interference models. Some general equivalence theorems are established to characterize such efficient designs. For guarded models, we generate optimal noncircular designs for estimating both direct and total effects, respectively. Particularly, we remove the traditional circular assumption for guarded models and introduce noncircular designs which have less restriction and, more importantly, perform higher efficiency than existing circular designs. For unguarded models, we also give the construction of some optimal designs under the proportional interference model.
Modeling Income Data via New Parametric Quantile Regressions: Formulation, Computational Statistics, and Application
Authors: Saulo Helton , Vila Roberto , Borges Giovanna V. , Bourguignon Marcelo , Leiva Víctor , Marchant Carolina
Published: January 2023

Income modeling is crucial in determining workers’ earnings and is an important research topic in labor economics. Traditional regressions based on normal distributions are statistical models widely applied. However, income data have an asymmetric behavior and are best modeled by non-normal distributions. The objective of this work is to propose parametric quantile regressions based on two asymmetric income distributions: Dagum and Singh–Maddala. The proposed quantile regression models are based on reparameterizations of the original distributions by inserting a quantile parameter. We present the reparameterizations, properties of the distributions, and the quantile regression models with their inferential aspects. We proceed with Monte Carlo simulation studies, considering the performance evaluation of the maximum likelihood estimation and an analysis of the empirical distribution of two types of residuals. The Monte Carlo results show that both models meet the expected outcomes. We apply the proposed quantile regression models to a household income data set provided by the National Institute of Statistics of Chile. We show that both proposed models have good performance in model fitting. Thus, we conclude that the obtained results favor the Singh–Maddala and Dagum quantile regression models for positive asymmetrically distributed data related to incomes. The economic implications of our investigation are discussed in the final section. Hence, our proposal can be a valuable addition to the tool-kit of applied statisticians and econometricians.
Intelligence in Finance and Economics for Predicting High-Frequency Data
Authors: Madera Martin , Marcek Dusan
Published: January 2023

Forecasting exchange rates is a complex problem that has benefitted from recent advances and research in machine learning. The main goal of this study is to design and implement a method to improve the learning performance of artificial neural networks with large volumes of data using population-based metaheuristics. The micro-genetic training algorithm is thoroughly analyzed using profiling tools to find bottlenecks. We compare the use of a micro-genetic algorithm to predict changes in currency exchange rates on a data set containing more than 500,000 values. To find the best parameters of neural networks, we propose an improved micro-genetic training algorithm by dividing the training data into mini batches. In this case, the improved micro-genetic algorithm proved to be much faster compared to the standard genetic algorithm, while achieving the same prediction accuracy. This allows for the use of this algorithm for just-in-time predictions of high frequency data. Here, neural network models are first created and validated on an existing data set. Then, the new data values can be added to neural network models and retrained in a short time.
Almost Repdigit k-Fibonacci Numbers with an Application of k-Generalized Fibonacci Sequences
Authors: Altassan Alaa , Alan Murat
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we define the notion of almost repdigit as a positive integer whose digits are all equal except for at most one digit, and we search all terms of the k-generalized Fibonacci sequence which are almost repdigits. In particular, we find all k-generalized Fibonacci numbers which are powers of 10 as a special case of almost repdigits. In the second part of the paper, by using the roots of the characteristic polynomial of the k-generalized Fibonacci sequence, we introduce k-generalized tiny golden angles and show the feasibility of this new type of angles in application to magnetic resonance imaging.
Deep Forest and Pruned Syntax Tree-Based Classification Method for Java Code Vulnerability
Authors: Ding Jiaman , Fu Weikang , Jia Lianyin
Published: January 2023

The rapid development of J2EE (Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition) has brought unprecedented severe challenges to vulnerability mining. The current abstract syntax tree-based source code vulnerability classification method does not eliminate irrelevant nodes when processing the abstract syntax tree, resulting in a long training time and overfitting problems. Another problem is that different code structures will be translated to the same sequence of tree nodes when processing abstract syntax trees using depth-first traversal, so in this process, the depth-first algorithm will lead to the loss of semantic structure information which will reduce the accuracy of the model. Aiming at these two problems, we propose a deep forest and pruned syntax tree-based classification method (PSTDF) for Java code vulnerability. First, the breadth-first traversal of the abstract syntax tree obtains the sequence of statement trees, next, pruning statement trees removes irrelevant nodes, then we use a depth-first based encoder to obtain the vector, and finally, we use deep forest as the classifier to get classification results. Experiments on publicly accessible vulnerability datasets show that PSTDF can reduce the loss of semantic structure information and effectively remove the impact of redundant information.
What Is the Best Way to Optimally Parameterize the MPC Cost Function for Vehicle Guidance?
Authors: Stenger David , Ritschel Robert , Krabbes Felix , Voßwinkel Rick , Richter Hendrik
Published: January 2023

Model predictive control (MPC) is a promising approach to the lateral and longitudinal control of autonomous vehicles. However, the parameterization of the MPC with respect to high-level requirements such as passenger comfort, as well as lateral and longitudinal tracking, is challenging. Numerous tuning parameters and conflicting requirements need to be considered. In this paper, we formulate the MPC tuning task as a multi-objective optimization problem. Its solution is demanding for two reasons: First, MPC-parameterizations are evaluated in a computationally expensive simulation environment. As a result, the optimization algorithm needs to be as sample-efficient as possible. Second, for some poor parameterizations, the simulation cannot be completed; therefore, useful objective function values are not available (for instance, learning with crash constraints). In this work, we compare the sample efficiency of multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), a genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), and multiple versions of Bayesian optimization (BO). We extend BO by introducing an adaptive batch size to limit the computational overhead. In addition, we devise a method to deal with crash constraints. The results show that BO works best for a small budget, NSGA-II is best for medium budgets, and none of the evaluated optimizers are superior to random search for large budgets. Both proposed BO extensions are, therefore, shown to be beneficial.
From the Steam Engine to STEAM Education: An Experience with Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers
Authors: Herrero Angel C. , Recio Tomás , Tolmos Piedad , Vélez M. Pilar
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we describe an educational experience in the context of the Master’s degree that is compulsory in Spain to become a secondary education mathematics teacher. Master’s students from two universities in Madrid (Spain) attended lectures that addressed—emphasizing the concourse of a dynamic geometry software package—some historical, didactic and mathematical issues related to linkage mechanisms, such as those arising in the 18th and 19th centuries during the development of the steam engine. Afterwards, participants were asked to provide three different kinds of feedback: (i) working on an assigned group task, (ii) individually answering a questionnaire, and (iii) proposing some classroom activity, imagining it would be addressed to their prospective pupils. All three issues focused on the specific topic of the attended lectures. In the framework of Mason’s reflective discourse analysis, the information supplied by the participants has been analyzed. The objective was to explore what they have learned from the experience and what their perception is of the potential interest in linkages as a methodological instrument for their future professional activity as teachers. This analysis is then the basis upon which to reflect on the opportunities (and problems) that this particular bar-joint linkages methodological approach could bring towards providing future mathematics teachers with attractive tools that would contribute to enhancing a STEAM-oriented education. Finally, the students’ answers allow us to conclude that the experience was beneficial for these pre-service teachers, both in improving their knowledge on linkages history, mathematics, industrial, technological and artistic applications, and in enhancing the use in the classroom of this very suitable STEAM context.
A Comprehensive Method to Evaluate Ride Comfort of Autonomous Vehicles under Typical Braking Scenarios: Testing, Simulation and Analysis
Authors: Zheng Binshuang , Hong Zhengqiang , Tang Junyao , Han Meiling , Chen Jiaying , Huang Xiaoming
Published: January 2023

To highlight the advantages of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in modern traffic, it is necessary to investigate the sensing requirement parameters of the road environment during the vehicle braking process. Based on the texture information obtained using a field measurement, the braking model of an AV was built in Simulink and the ride comfort under typical braking scenarios was analyzed using CarSim/Simulink co-simulation. The results showed that the proposed brake system for the AV displayed a better performance than the traditional ABS when considering pavement adhesion characteristics. The braking pressure should be controlled to within the range of 4 MPa~6 MPa on a dry road, while in wet road conditions, the pressure should be within 3 MPa~4 MPa. When steering braking in dry road conditions, the duration of the “curve balance state” increased by about 57.14% compared with wet road conditions and the recommended curve radius was about 100 m. The slope gradient had a significant effect on the initial braking speed and comfort level. Overall, the ride comfort evaluation method was proposed to provide theoretical guidance for AV braking strategies, which can help to complement existing practices for road condition assessment.
Controllability Criteria for Nonlinear Impulsive Fractional Differential Systems with Distributed Delays in Controls
Authors: Debbouche Amar , Vadivoo Bhaskar Sundara , Fedorov Vladimir E. , Antonov Valery
Published: January 2023

We establish a class of nonlinear fractional differential systems with distributed time delays in the controls and impulse effects. We discuss the controllability criteria for both linear and nonlinear systems. The main results required a suitable Gramian matrix defined by the Mittag–Leffler function, using the standard Laplace transform and Schauder fixed-point techniques. Further, we provide an illustrative example supported by graphical representations to show the validity of the obtained abstract results.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Level in Synovial Fluid—Association with Joint Destruction in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Stojanovic Sonja K. , Stamenkovic Bojana N. , Cvetkovic Jovana M. , Zivkovic Valentina G. , Apostolovic Marija R. Andjelkovic
Published: January 2023

Background and objective: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the key enzymes in the pathogenesis of cartilage and joint damage and potentially a new biomarker of the early erosive form of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Firstly, the study aimed to compare the level of MMP-9 in plasma (PL) and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA). Secondly, the goal was to examine the association of MMP-9 level in PL and SF with early erosive changes in RA, and finally, to determine the association of MMP-9 level with serological parameters of the disease (rheumatoid factor-RF and anti-citrulline protein antibodies-ACPA). Materials and Methods: A total of 156 subjects were involved in this study (84 patients with RA and 72 patients with OA, who were involved as a control group). MMP-9 level was measured in PL and SF of all subjects by the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Standard radiographs of the hands and feet were used to detect joint damage and classification into erosive or non-erosive RA. The Larsen score (LS) was used for the quantitative assessment of joint damage, and its annual change (∆ LS) was used to assess the radiographic progression of the disease. Results: MMP-9 level in PL and SF was significantly higher in RA compared to controls (PL: 19.26 ± 7.54 vs. 14.57 ± 3.11 ng/mL, p< 0.01; SF: 16.17 ± 12.25 vs. 0.75 ± 0.53 ng/mL, p < 0.001) as well as in SF of patients with erosive compared to non-erosive RA (18.43 ± 12.87 vs. 9.36 ± 7.72; p < 0.05). Faster radiographic progression was recorded in erosive compared to non-erosive early RA (11.14 ± 4.75 vs. 6.13 ± 2.72; p < 0.01). MMP-9 level in SF, but not in PL, significantly correlates with the radiographic progression in both erosive and non-erosive RA (ρ = 0.38 and ρ = 0.27). We did not find a significant association between RF and MMP-9 level in early RA, but the ACPA level significantly correlates with MMP-9 level in SF (r = 0.48). Conclusion: The level of MMP-9 in plasma and synovial fluid of patients with RA is significantly higher compared to patients with osteoarthritis. The level of MMP-9 in synovial fluid is significantly higher in erosive than non-erosive early RA. It is significantly associated with the radiographic progression of the disease and the level of anti-citrulline protein antibodies.
Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Insertion Torque and Implant Stability of Two Different Implant Macrogeometries in the Initial Periods of Osseointegration
Authors: Gehrke Sergio Alexandre , Cortellari Guillermo Castro , de Oliveira Fernandes Gustavo Vicentis , Scarano Antonio , Martins Rafael Garcia , Cançado Renata Moreira , Mesquita Alfredo Mikail Melo
Published: January 2023

Objectives: The present study compared two implants with different macrogeometries placed in healed alveolar sites, evaluating the insertion torque (ITV) and implant stability quotient (ISQ) values at three different periods. Methods: Seventy patients with a total of 100 dental implants were allocated into two groups (n = 50 per group): DuoCone implants (DC group) that included 28 implants in the maxilla and 22 in the mandible, and Maestro implants (MAE group) that included 26 in the maxilla and 24 in the mandible. The ITV was measured during the implant placement, and the ISQ values were measured immediately at implant placement (baseline) and after 30 and 45 days. Results: The mean and standard deviations of the ITV were statistically significant (p < 0.0001), 56.4 ± 6.41 Ncm for the DC group and 29.3 ± 9.65 Ncm for the MAE group. In the DC group, the ISQs ranged between 61.1 ± 3.78 and 69.8 ± 3.86, while the MAE group presented similar values compared with the other group, ranging between 61.9 ± 3.92 and 72.1 ± 2.37. Conclusions: The value of implant insertion torque did not influence the ISQ values measured immediately after implant placement. However, the ITV influenced the ISQ values measured in the two initial periods of osseointegration, with implants installed with lower torques presenting higher ISQ values.
The Risk of Endoscopy-Related Bleeding in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Park Su Bee , Jeon Jung Won , Shin Hyun Phil
Published: January 2023

Background and Objectives: The risk of bleeding after endoscopic procedures in patients with liver cirrhosis remains unclear because of secondary blood coagulation disorders. In this study, we used various indices to evaluate the risk of bleeding in patients with cirrhosis. Materials and Methods: Patients with liver cirrhosis aged ≥18 years who underwent endoscopic interventions at Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong between February 2007 and September 2021 were included. Clinical information, including demographic data, laboratory results, the presence of cirrhosis complications, and the degree of fibrosis, was checked and evaluated based on medical records. Results: A total of 101 patients with cirrhosis were analyzed. A total of 16 of the 101 patients (15.8%) experienced bleeding after the endoscopic procedure. One patient (0.99%) presented with spurting, while the others presented with mild oozing. All patients underwent hemostatic procedures using hemoclips. The presence of a varix significantly increased post-endoscopic bleeding (p = 0.03). Patients with FIB > 3.25 showed a statistically significant bleeding tendency (p = 0.00). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in bleeding risk according to the platelet count, prothrombin time, Child–Pugh score, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD). Considering the degree of liver fibrosis and the invasiveness of the planned procedure, most endoscopic procedures can be performed safely but should be further evaluated in a cohort with a larger sample size.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Composite Anion Exchange Membrane for Water Electrolyzers (AEMWE)
Authors: Rakhshani Somayyeh , Araneo Rodolfo , Pucci Andrea , Rinaldi Antonio , Giuliani Chiara , Pozio Alfonso
Published: January 2023

Anion exchange membranes (AEM) have gained attention recently as a promising candidate for low-cost water electrolysis systems to produce hydrogen, linked with renewable energy resources as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. The development of potential materials for producing and analyzing AEM is an imperative step towards commercialization and plays a competitive role in the hydrogen production industry. In this article, we developed a composite anion exchange membrane prepared by activating a commercial support structure (Celgard® 3401) with a commercially available functional group (Fumion® FAA-3) through a phase-inversion process. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated the phase-inversion procedure as an effective methodology. Furthermore, the cell performance test result (with Celgard/Fumion) was very promising and even better in comparison with a commercial membrane commonly applied in alkaline electrolysis (Fumasep). We also developed a testing procedure for membrane performance evaluation during electrolysis which is very critical considering the effect of CO2 absorption on membrane conductivity.
Fabrication of Mechanically Enhanced, Suturable, Fibrous Hydrogel Membranes
Authors: Voniatis Constantinos , Závoti Olivér , Manikion Kenigen , Budavári Bálint , Hajdu Angela Jedlovszky
Published: January 2023

Poly(vinyl-alcohol) hydrogels have already been successfully utilised as drug carrier systems and tissue engineering scaffolds. However, lacking mechanical strength and suturability hinders any prospects for clinical and surgical applications. The objective of this work was to fabricate mechanically robust PVA membranes, which could also withstand surgical manipulation and suturing. Electrospun membranes and control hydrogels were produced with 61 kDa PVA. Using a high-speed rotating cylindrical collector, we achieved fibre alignment (fibre diameter: 300 ± 50 nm). Subsequently, we created multilayered samples with different orientations to achieve multidirectional reinforcement. Finally, utilising glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker, we created insoluble fibrous-hydrogel membranes. Mechanical studies were performed, confirming a fourfold increase in the specific loading capacities (from 0.21 to 0.84 Nm2/g) in the case of the monolayer samples. The multilayered membranes exhibited increased resistance from both horizontal and vertical directions, which varies according to the specific arrangement. Finally, the cross-linked fibrous hydrogel samples not only exhibited specific loading capacities significantly higher than their counterpart bulk hydrogels but successfully withstood suturing. Although cross-linking optimisation and animal experiments are required, these membranes have great prospects as alternatives to current surgical meshes, while the methodology could also be applied in other systems as well.
Effect of Copper on Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of Hot Rolled 301 Stainless Steel
Authors: Li Na , Yan Hangxin , Wang Xuyuan , Xia Lei , Zhu Yuchuan , Li Yan , Jiang Zhengyi
Published: January 2023

The effect of copper (Cu) on hot-rolled 301 austenitic stainless steel (ASS) was studied by observing the microstructures and testing the electrochemical corrosion resistance properties. The results showed that, with the increase in Cu content, the size of shear zones in 301 ASS decreased, and the number increased, which increased the uniformity of the microstructure macroscopically. The presence of Cu decreased the stacking fault energy of 301 ASS at elevated temperatures. Meanwhile, the amount of chromium (Cr) carbides decreased gradually with the increase in Cu content, which implies that the solid solution of Cu in hot-rolled 301 stainless steel promotes the solid solution of Cr and C in the steel, which is conducive to the formation of Cr-rich passivation films. As a result, the corrosion resistance of hot rolled Cu-bearing 301 stainless steel is improved, with both lower corrosion current density (Icorr) and passivation current (Ipass), and more positive corrosion potentials (Ecorr) and passivation potential (Ep), even though it does not show a higher pitting resistance. As Cu content in the steel was increased from 0.4% to 1.1%, the corrosion resistance was not further improved.
WC-Based Cemented Carbides with High Entropy Alloyed Binders: A Review
Authors: Straumal Boris , Konyashin Igor
Published: January 2023

Cemented carbides have belonged to the most important engineering materials since their invention in the 1920s. Commonly, they consist of hard WC grains embedded in a cobalt-based ductile binder. Recently, attempts have been made to substitute the cobalt using multicomponent alloys without a principal component (also known as high entropy alloys—HEAs). HEAs usually contain at least five components in more or less equal amounts. The substitution of a cobalt binder with HEAs can lead to the refinement of WC grains; it increases the hardness, fracture toughness, corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of cemented carbides. For example, a hardness of 2358 HV, fracture toughness of 12.1 MPa.m1/2 and compression strength of 5420 MPa were reached for a WC-based cemented carbide with 20 wt.% of the equimolar AlFeCoNiCrTi HEA with a bcc lattice. The cemented carbide with 10 wt.% of the Co27.4Cr13.8Fe27.4Ni27.4Mo4 HEA with an fcc lattice had a hardness of 2141 HV and fracture toughness of 10.5 MPa.m1/2. These values are higher than those for the typical WC–10 wt.% Co composite. The substitution of Co with HEAs also influences the phase transitions in the binder (between the fcc, bcc and hcp phases). These phase transformations can be successfully used for the purposeful modifications of the properties of the WC-HEA cemented carbides. The shape of the WC/binder interfaces (e.g., their faceting–roughening) can influence the mechanical properties of cemented carbides. The most possible reason for such a behavior is the modification of conditions for dislocation glide as well as the development and growth of cracks at the last stages of deformation. Thus, the substitution of a cobalt binder with HEAs is very promising for the further development of cemented carbides.
The Effect of Bio-Coal Agglomeration and High-Fluidity Coking Coal on Bio-Coke Quality
Authors: El-Tawil Asmaa A. , Björkman Bo , Lundgren Maria , Ökvist Lena Sundqvist
Published: January 2023

Metallurgical coke with high strength and low reactivity is used in the ironmaking blast furnace. Replacement of some coking coal with bio-coal was shown to result in lower strength and higher reactivity of produced coke due to introduction of reactive bio-coal carbon and ash components catalyzing the Boudouard reaction, but also due to lowering of the coking coal blend fluidity, which influences coke strength and reactivity negatively. The current study aims to investigate the possibility to counteract negative impact from bio-coal addition on fluidity and coke reactivity by using high-fluidity coking coal and by agglomeration of bio-coal before addition. Original bio-coal and micro-agglomerate of bio-coal was added at 10%, 15% and 20% to the coking coal blend. The influence of bio-coals on the coke reactivity was measured by using CO2 in a thermogravimetric analyzer. Selected cokes and bio-cokes were produced in technical scale, and their reactivity and strength were measured in standard tests. The effect on dilatation of adding bio-coal or crushed agglomerates of bio-coal to the coking coal blends was measured in an optical dilatometer. The results show that by using a coking coal blend containing high-fluidity coal with agglomerated bio-coal, the max. contraction is increased, whereas the opposite occurs by using original bio-coal. The results show overlapping between contraction occurring before dilatation and during dilation, which affects max. dilatation. The bio-coke containing high-fluidity coal with agglomerated bio-coal has lower reactivity in comparison to bio-cokes with original bio-coal or bio-coke with agglomerated bio-coal produced from a coking coal blend without high-fluidity coal. The reactivity of coke produced in technical scale, as measured in CRI/CSR tests, shows a similar trend regarding reactivity, as measured by thermogravimetric analysis, on coke produced in laboratory scale.
Using Mini-CT Specimens for the Fracture Characterization of Ferritic Steels within the Ductile to Brittle Transition Range: A Review
Authors: Sánchez Marcos , Cicero Sergio , Kirk Mark , Altstadt Eberhard , Server William , Yamamoto Masato
Published: January 2023

The use of mini-CT specimens for the fracture characterization of structural steels is currently a topic of great interest from both scientific and technical points of view, mainly driven by the needs and requirements of the nuclear industry. In fact, the long-term operation of nuclear plants requires accurate characterization of the reactor pressure vessel materials and evaluation of the embrittlement caused by neutron irradiation without applying excessive conservatism. However, the amount of material placed inside the surveillance capsules used to characterize the resulting degradation is generally small. Consequently, in order to increase the reliability of fracture toughness measurements and reduce the volume of material needed for the tests, it is necessary to develop innovative characterization techniques, among which the use of mini-CT specimens stands out. In this context, this paper provides a review of the use of mini-CT specimens for the fracture characterization of ferritic steels, with particular emphasis on those used by the nuclear industry. The main results obtained so far, revealing the potential of this technique, together with the main scientific and technical issues will be thoroughly discussed. Recommendations for several key topics for future research are also provided.
Context-Specific Genome-Scale Metabolic Modelling and Its Application to the Analysis of COVID-19 Metabolic Signatures
Authors: Moškon Miha , Režen Tadeja
Published: January 2023

Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) have found numerous applications in different domains, ranging from biotechnology to systems medicine. Herein, we overview the most popular algorithms for the automated reconstruction of context-specific GEMs using high-throughput experimental data. Moreover, we describe different datasets applied in the process, and protocols that can be used to further automate the model reconstruction and validation. Finally, we describe recent COVID-19 applications of context-specific GEMs, focusing on the analysis of metabolic implications, identification of biomarkers and potential drug targets.
rox: A Statistical Model for Regression with Missing Values
Authors: Buyukozkan Mustafa , Benedetti Elisa , Krumsiek Jan
Published: January 2023

High-dimensional omics datasets frequently contain missing data points, which typically occur due to concentrations below the limit of detection (LOD) of the profiling platform. The presence of such missing values significantly limits downstream statistical analysis and result interpretation. Two common techniques to deal with this issue include the removal of samples with missing values and imputation approaches that substitute the missing measurements with reasonable estimates. Both approaches, however, suffer from various shortcomings and pitfalls. In this paper, we present “rox”, a novel statistical model for the analysis of omics data with missing values without the need for imputation. The model directly incorporates missing values as “low” concentrations into the calculation. We show the superiority of rox over common approaches on simulated data and on six metabolomics datasets. Fully leveraging the information contained in LOD-based missing values, rox provides a powerful tool for the statistical analysis of omics data.
Study of Extreme Cold Surges in Hong Kong
Authors: Chong Man-Lok , Yeung Hon-Yin , Hon Kai-Kwong
Published: January 2023

Temperatures over Hong Kong have shown a marked increasing trend since the 1970s due to global warming and urbanization, but outbreaks of intense winter monsoon can bring very low temperatures in Hong Kong at times. This study aims at establishing criteria of extreme cold surges that suit the climatological characteristics of Hong Kong. Surges in this study were selected through percentile ranking of three weather attributes of each cold event: the lowest temperature, the largest temperature drop and the maximum sustained wind speed. Out of 152 cold events in 1991–2020, only four significant cold events in 1991, 1993, 2010 and 2016 met the most extreme 10th percentile of the three attributes concurrently and could be classified operationally as “extreme cold surge”. Very cold temperatures (at or below 7.0 °C), a temperature drop of at least 8.0 °C in two days and gale force wind speed (at or above 17.5 m/s) were recorded in all four surges. The results of classification are illustrated by selected cases. As ensemble products of some numerical weather prediction models tend to have a stable indication of extremity of cold events, the potential applications of cross-referencing the forecast and actual extremity in operational forecasting are also discussed.
A Stand-Alone Microfluidic Chip for Long-Term Cell Culture
Authors: Feng Yibo , Zeng Yang , Fu Jiahao , Che Bingchen , Jing Guangyin , Liu Yonggang , Sun Dan , Zhang Ce
Published: January 2023

Live-cell microscopy is crucial for biomedical studies and clinical tests. The technique is, however, limited to few laboratories due to its high cost and bulky size of the necessary culture equipment. In this study, we propose a portable microfluidic-cell-culture system, which is merely 15 cm×11 cm×9 cm in dimension, powered by a conventional alkali battery and costs less than USD 20. For long-term cell culture, a fresh culture medium exposed to 5% CO2 is programmed to be delivered to the culture chamber at defined time intervals. The 37 °C culture temperature is maintained by timely electrifying the ITO glass slide underneath the culture chamber. Our results demonstrate that 3T3 fibroblasts, HepG2 cells, MB-231 cells and tumor spheroids can be well-maintained for more than 48 h on top of the microscope stage and show physical characters (e.g., morphology and mobility) and growth rate on par with the commercial stage-top incubator and the widely adopted CO2 incubator. The proposed portable cell culture device is, therefore, suitable for simple live-cell studies in the lab and cell experiments in the field when samples cannot be shipped.
Influence of Electrostatic Force Nonlinearity on the Sensitivity Performance of a Tapered Beam Micro-Gyroscope Based on Frequency Modulation
Authors: Zhang Kunpeng , Xie Jianwei , Hao Shuying , Zhang Qichang , Feng Jingjing
Published: January 2023

Electrostatic force nonlinearity is widely present in MEMS systems, which could impact the system sensitivity performance. The Frequency modulation (FM) method is proposed as an ideal solution to solve the problem of environmental fluctuation stability. The effect of electrostatic force nonlinearity on the sensitivity performance of a class of FM micro-gyroscope is investigated. The micro-gyroscope consists of a tapered cantilever beam with a tip mass attached to the end. Considering the case of unequal width and thickness, the motion equations of the system are derived by applying Hamilton’s principle. The differential quadrature method (DQM) was used to analyze the micro-gyroscope’s static deflection, pull-in voltage, and natural frequency characteristics. We observed that from the onset of rotation, the natural frequencies of the drive and sense modes gradually split into a pair of natural frequencies that were far from each other. The FM method directly measures the angular velocity by tracking the frequency of the drive and sense modes. Then, based on the linear system, the reduced-order model was used to analyze the influence of the shape factor and DC voltage on the sensitivity performance. Most importantly, the nonlinear frequency of system was obtained using the invariant manifold method (IMM). The influence of electrostatic force nonlinearity on the performance of the FM micro-gyroscope was investigated. The results show that the different shape factors of width and thickness, as well as the different DC voltages along the drive and sense directions, break the symmetry of the micro-gyroscope and reduce the sensitivity of the system. The sensitivity has a non-linear trend with the rotation speed. The DC voltage is proportional to the electrostatic force nonlinearity coefficient. As the DC voltage gradually increases, the nonlinearity is enhanced, resulting in a significant decrease in the sensitivity of the micro-gyroscope. It is found that the negative shape factor (width and thickness gradually increase along the beam) can effectively restrain the influence of electrostatic force nonlinearity, and a larger dynamic detection range can be obtained.
Less Is More: Oligomer Extraction and Hydrothermal Annealing Increase PDMS Adhesion Forces for Materials Studies and for Biology-Focused Microfluidic Applications
Authors: Millet Larry J. , Jain Anika , Gillette Martha U.
Published: January 2023

Cues in the micro-environment are key determinants in the emergence of complex cellular morphologies and functions. Primary among these is the presence of neighboring cells that form networks. For high-resolution analysis, it is crucial to develop micro-environments that permit exquisite control of network formation. This is especially true in cell science, tissue engineering, and clinical biology. We introduce a new approach for assembling polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic environments that enhances cell network formation and analyses. We report that the combined processes of PDMS solvent-extraction and hydrothermal annealing create unique conditions that produce high-strength bonds between solvent-extracted PDMS (E-PDMS) and glass—properties not associated with conventional PDMS. Extraction followed by hydrothermal annealing removes unbound oligomers, promotes polymer cross-linking, facilitates covalent bond formation with glass, and retains the highest biocompatibility. Herein, our extraction protocol accelerates oligomer removal from 5 to 2 days. Resulting microfluidic platforms are uniquely suited for cell-network studies owing to high adhesion forces, effectively corralling cellular extensions and eliminating harmful oligomers. We demonstrate the simple, simultaneous actuation of multiple microfluidic domains for invoking ATP- and glutamate-induced Ca2+ signaling in glial-cell networks. These E-PDMS modifications and flow manipulations further enable microfluidic technologies for cell-signaling and network studies as well as novel applications.
Thermal Analysis of Terfenol-D Rods with Different Structures
Authors: Liu Qiang , He Xiping
Published: January 2023

To reduce the heating of the Terfenol-D rod and evaluate its working efficiency, six kinds of Terfenol-D rods were designed, and the temperature field of the rods was simulated and calculated using the finite element method to obtain the temperature distribution. The results showed that the untreated rod had the highest temperature; the temperature was higher in the middle and lower at both ends; higher on the outer diameter surface; and lower on the inside. When compared to the untreated rod, the temperatures of sliced rods and slit rods decreased, and the temperature of sliced rods was lower than that of slit rods; the temperature of slit rods was higher in the middle and lower at both ends; the temperature distribution of sliced rods was more uniform relatively; the slice treatment rod had the lowest temperature and the best heat suppression effect. Three structural rods were chosen and manufactured from a total of six that were tested. It shows that the temperature of all rods was higher in the middle and lower at both ends after 30 min of operation. The actual temperature of untreated rod was 34 °C, the actual temperature of radially slit rod was 32 °C, and the actual temperature of sliced rod at both ends was 28 °C. The tested temperature distributions of three rods agreed with the calculated ones.
A New CPW-Fed Semicircular Inverted Triangular Shaped Antenna Based on Mixed-Alternate Approach for 5G Millimeter-Wave Wireless Applications
Authors: Soothar Permanand , Wang Hao , Dayo Zaheer Ahmed , Quan Yu
Published: January 2023

This paper presents the design and development of a new semicircular inverted triangular shaped antenna for 5G millimeter-wave wireless applications. An alternate-mixed approach based on cavity, slots and loaded stubs is employed in the designed antenna lattice. The suggested antenna structure is formed by a radiator, partial defected metal ground plane and a 50 Ω coplanar waveguide. The proposed antenna resonated at multiple frequencies by the setting up of the proper dimensions and locations of the rectangles, elliptical cut slots and cavity stubs. Furthermore, a parametric analysis is carried out to examine the antenna’s effectiveness and impedance-matching controls. The proposed structure is realized on the low-cost RT/Duroid Rogers RO3010™ laminate with an overall small size of 1.381λ0 × 1.08λ0 × 0.098λ0, where λ0 represents the wavelength corresponding to the minimum edge frequency of the 23 GHz at 10 dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna. The antenna’s key characteristics in terms of bandwidth, gain, radiation patterns and current distribution have been investigated. The antenna exhibits high performance, including an impedance bandwidth of 19 GHz ranging from 23 GHz to 42 GHz, results in 58.46% wider relative bandwidth calculated at 10 dB scaled return loss, a peak realized gain of 6.75 dBi, optimal radiation efficiency of 89%, stable omnidirectional-shaped radiation patterns and robust current distribution across the antenna structure at multiple resonances. The designed antenna has been fabricated and simulation experiments evaluated its performance. The results demonstrate that the antenna is appropriate and can be well integrated into 5G millimeter-wave wireless communication systems.
Effect of Milling Processing Parameters on the Surface Roughness and Tool Cutting Forces of T2 Pure Copper
Authors: Lai Fuqiang , Hu Anqiong , Mao Kun , Wu Zhangbin , Lin Youxi
Published: January 2023

In this paper, the responses of machined surface roughness and milling tool cutting forces under the different milling processing parameters (cutting speed v, feed rate f, and axial cutting depth ap) are experimentally investigated to meet the increasing requirements for the mechanical machining of T2 pure copper. The effects of different milling processing parameters on cutting force and tool displacement acceleration are studied based on orthogonal and single-factor milling experiments. The three-dimensional morphologies of the workpieces are observed, and a white-light topography instrument measures the surface roughness. The results show that the degree of influence on Sa (surface arithmetic mean deviation) and Sq (surface root mean square deviation) from high to low level is the v, the f, and the ap. When v = 600 m/min, ap = 0.5 mm, f = 0.1 mm/r, Sa and Sq are 1.80 μm and 2.25 μm, respectively. The cutting forces in the three directions negatively correlate with increased cutting speed; when v = 600 m/min, Fx reaches its lowest value. In contrast, an increase in the feed rate and the axial cutting depth significantly increases Fx. The tool displacement acceleration amplitudes demonstrate a positive relationship. Variation of the tool displacement acceleration states leads to the different microstructure of the machined surfaces. Therefore, selecting the appropriate milling processing parameters has a positive effect on reducing the tool displacement acceleration, improving the machined surface quality of T2 pure copper, and extending the tool’s life. The optimal milling processing parameters in this paper are the v = 600 m/min, ap = 0.5 mm, and f = 0.1 mm/r.
Wide-Viewing-Angle Integral Imaging System with Full-Effective-Pixels Elemental Image Array
Authors: Liu Zesheng , Li Dahai , Deng Huan
Published: January 2023

There exists a defect of the narrow viewing angle in the conventional integral imaging system. One reason for this is that only partial pixels of each elemental image contribute to the viewing angle and the others cause image flips. In this paper, a wide-viewing-angle integral imaging system with a full-effective-pixels elemental image array (FEP-EIA) was proposed. The correspondence between viewpoints and pixel coordinates within the elemental image array was built up, and effective pixel blocks and pixels leading to flipping images were deduced. Then, a pixel replacement method was proposed to generate the FEP-EIAs, which adapt to different viewing distances. As a result, the viewing angle of the proposed integral imaging system was effectively extended through the replacement of the pixels, which caused the image flips. Experiment results demonstrated that wide viewing angles are available for the proposed integral imaging system regardless of the viewing distances.