bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gaussian Process Surrogate Modeling Under Control Uncertainties for Yield Prediction of Carbon Nanotube Production Processes
Authors: Park Chiwoo , Rao Rahul , Nikolaev Pavel , Maruyama Benji
Published: July 2021

A large-scale production of carbon nanotubes has been of great interest due to their practical needs, which is limited by the difficulty of producing them with controlled structures and properties. We seek for a surrogate modeling to predict the process yield for a given process configuration under control uncertainties. The predictive power can be used to optimize the process configuration in a closed-loop production system. A challenge in the surrogate modeling is that some process conditions are controlled by other manipulating factors, and the control precision is not high. Therefore, the process conditions vary significantly even under the same setting of the manipulating factors. Due to this variation, the surrogate modeling that directly relates the manipulating factors to the process outcome does not provide a great predictive power on the outcome. At the same time, the model relating the process conditions to the outcome is not appropriate for the prediction purpose because the process conditions cannot be accurately set as planned due to the control uncertainties for a future process run. Motivated by the example, we propose a two-tiered Gaussian process (GP) model, where the bottom tier relates the manipulating factors to the process conditions with control variation, and the top tier relates the process conditions to the outcome. It explicitly models the propagation of the control uncertainty to the outcome through the two modeling tiers. The benefits of the approach over the standard GP approach are illustrated with multiple simulated scenarios and carbon nanotube production processes.
Development of a Porcine Model to Assess the Effect of In Situ Knee Joint Loading on Site-Specific Cartilage Gene Expression
Authors: Otoo Baaba S. , Li LePing , Hart David A. , Herzog Walter
Published: July 2021

Cyclic mechanical loading of cartilage induces stresses and fluid flow, which are thought to modulate chondrocyte metabolism. The uneven surface, plus the heterogeneity of cartilage within a joint, makes stress and fluid pressure distribution in the tissue nonuniform, and gene expression may vary at different sites as a function of load magnitude, frequency, and time. In previous studies, cartilage explants were used for loading tests to investigate biological responses of the cartilage to mechanical loading. In contrast, we used loading tests on intact knee joints, to better reflect the loading conditions in a joint, and thus provide a more physiologically relevant mechanical environment. Gene expression levels in loaded samples for a selection of relevant genes were compared with those of the corresponding unloaded control samples to characterize potential differences. Furthermore, the effects of load magnitude and duration on gene expression levels were investigated. We observed differences in gene expression levels between samples from different sites in the same joint and between corresponding samples from the same site in loaded and unloaded joints. Consistent with previous findings, our results indicate that there is a critical upper and lower threshold of loading for triggering the expression of certain genes. Variations in gene expression levels may reflect the effect of local loading, topography, and structure of the cartilage in an intact joint on the metabolic activity of the associated cells.
A Hybrid Reactive Multiphasic Mixture With a Compressible Fluid Solvent
Authors: Shim Jay J. , Ateshian Gerard A.
Published: July 2021

Mixture theory is a general framework that has been used to model mixtures of solid, fluid, and solute constituents, leading to significant advances in modeling the mechanics of biological tissues and cells. Though versatile and applicable to a wide range of problems in biomechanics and biophysics, standard multiphasic mixture frameworks incorporate neither dynamics of viscous fluids nor fluid compressibility, both of which facilitate the finite element implementation of computational fluid dynamics solvers. This study formulates governing equations for reactive multiphasic mixtures where the interstitial fluid has a solvent which is viscous and compressible. This hybrid reactive multiphasic framework uses state variables that include the deformation gradient of the porous solid matrix, the volumetric strain and rate of deformation of the solvent, the solute concentrations, and the relative velocities between the various constituents. Unlike standard formulations which employ a Lagrange multiplier to model fluid pressure, this framework requires the formulation of a function of state for the pressure, which depends on solvent volumetric strain and solute concentrations. Under isothermal conditions the formulation shows that the solvent volumetric strain remains continuous across interfaces between hybrid multiphasic domains. Apart from the Lagrange multiplier-state function distinction for the fluid pressure, and the ability to accommodate viscous fluid dynamics, this hybrid multiphasic framework remains fully consistent with standard multiphasic formulations previously employed in biomechanics. With these additional features, the hybrid multiphasic mixture theory makes it possible to address a wider range of problems that are important in biomechanics and mechanobiology.
Fluttering Amplitude Amplification by Utilizing Flapping Moment in Flutter-Driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator
Authors: Zhang Yi , Chan Ka Chung , Fu Sau Chung , Chao Christopher Yu Hang
Published: July 2021

Flutter-driven triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) is one of the most promising methods to harvest small-scale wind energy. Wind causes self-fluttering motion of a flag in the FTENG to generate electricity by contact electrification. A lot of studies have been conducted to enhance the energy output by increasing the surface charge density of the flag, but only a few researches tried to increase the converting efficiency by enlarging the flapping motion. In this study, we show that by simply replacing the rigid flagpole in the FTENG with a flexible flagpole, the energy conversion efficiency is augmented and the energy output is enhanced. It is found that when the flag flutters, the flagpole also undergoes aerodynamic force. The lift force generated from the fluttering flag applies a periodic rotational moment on the flagpole, and causes the flagpole to vibrate. The vibration of the flagpole, in turn amplifies the flutter of the flag. Both the fluttering dynamics of the flags with rigid and flexible flagpoles have been recorded by a high-speed camera. When the flag was held by a flexible flagpole, the fluttering amplitude and the contact area between the flag and electrode plates were increased. The energy enhancement increased as the flow velocity increased and the enhancement can be 113 times when the wind velocity is 10 m/s. The thickness of the flagpole was investigated. An optimal output of open-circuit voltage reaching 1128 V (peak-to-peak value) or 312.40 V (RMS value), and short-circuit current reaching 127.67 μA (peak-to-peak value) or 31.99 μA (RMS value) at 12.21 m/s flow velocity was achieved. This research presents a simple design to enhance the output performance of an FTENG by amplifying the fluttering amplitude. Based on the performance obtained in this study, the improved FTENG has the potential to apply in a smart city for driving electronic devices as a power source for IoT applications.
Rubik’s Cube Topology Based Particle Swarm Algorithm for Bilevel Building Energy Transaction
Authors: Feng Xiaochun , Chen Yang , Zhang Jian , Cho Heejin , Shi Xin
Published: July 2021

Following the rapid growth of distributed energy resources (e.g. renewables, battery), localized peer-to-peer energy transactions are receiving more attention for multiple benefits, such as, reducing power loss, stabilizing the main power grid, etc. To promote distributed renewables locally, the local trading price is usually set to be within the external energy purchasing and selling price range. Consequently, building prosumers are motivated to trade energy through a local transaction center. This local energy transaction is modeled in bilevel optimization game. A selfish upper level agent is assumed with the privilege to set the internal energy transaction price with an objective of maximizing its arbitrage profit. Meanwhile, the building prosumers at the lower level will response to this transaction price and make decisions on electricity transaction amount. Therefore, this non-cooperative leader-follower trading game is seeking for equilibrium solutions on the energy transaction amount and prices. In addition, a uniform local transaction price structure (purchase price equals selling price) is considered here. Aiming at reducing the computational burden from classical Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) transformation and protecting the private information of each stakeholder (e.g., building), swarm intelligence based solution approach is employed for upper level agent to generate trading price and coordinate the transactive operations. On one hand, to decrease the chance of premature convergence in global-best topology, Rubiks Cube topology is proposed in this study based on further improvement of a two-dimensional square lattice model (i.e., one local-best topology-Von Neumann topology). Rotating operation of the cube is introduced to dynamically changing the neighborhood and enhancing information flow at the later searching state. Several groups of experiments are designed to evaluate the performance of proposed Rubiks Cube topology based particle swarm algorithm. The results have validated the effectiveness of proposed topology and operators comparing with global-best version PSO and Von Neumann topology based PSO and its scalability on larger scale applications.
Effect of Intermittent Personalized Ventilation on Coughed Particles Dispersion in an Office Space and Resulting Cross Contamination
Authors: Katramiz Elvire , Ghaddar Nesreen , Ghali Kamel
Published: July 2021

The transmission of infectious respiratory diseases has been a topic of broad interest for decades. It is largely influenced by the ventilation in the space, especially localized ventilation near the infection source. One energy-friendly ventilation technique that has been extensively investigated in contaminants transmission is Personalized Ventilation (PV), which delivers cool clean air directly towards the breathing zone of the user, procuring acceptable levels of thermal comfort and breathable air quality. However, when used by an infected person, it might amplify the dispersion of the expiratory droplets, increasing the risk of airborne cross-infection. Some PV applications varied the supplied cool clean air intermittently in order to enhance occupants’ thermal comfort and improve energy performance. Such system operation is referred to as Intermitted PV (I-PV). Nonetheless, the effect of such oscillatory jet on airborne diseases dispersion has not been assessed in literature to the authors’ knowledge.

In this work, the impact of integrating I-PV with mixed ventilation on cross-contamination is investigated for the case where an infected user is coughing. The I-PV is considered to operate at an average flowrate of 10 l/s, with a minimum of 4 l/s at a typical frequency of 0.94 Hz. The infected person is considered seated in a tandem (i.e. back-to-face) position with respect to a healthy person, located at a distance of 1.5 m and not using PV. This reflects the worst-case scenario where the healthy person is not protected by PV. A validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is used to assess the cross-contamination between the occupants. A comparison between I-PV and steady PV (S-PV) of constant flowrate of 10 l/s is conducted to highlight the influence of I-PV on contaminants dispersion in the space and the resulting exposure level of a healthy occupant. Results showed that the use of I-PV reduced the exposure levels of the healthy occupant in comparison to S-PV.
The Effect of Fillet Profile on Heat Transfer Characteristics of Heat Sink
Authors: Egab Karim , Oudah Saad K. , Salman Azzam S.
Published: July 2021

The influence of an improved design of one and two fillet profile on the heat transfer rates in heat sink subject to parallel flow is investigated. The investigation of heat sink with fillet profiles has been compared with the heat sink without fillet profile. In this study, water was used as the coolant, and the flow was in the single-phase regime under laminar flow condition at Reynolds numbers ranging from 200 to 1300. The heat sink is made from copper where a constant heat flux was applied at the lower surface of the heat sink. The comparison of hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of all cases and cooling fluids has been made under the same value of Reynolds number and constant heat flux. The results show that the one fillet profile has a slight effect on pressure drop calculations and the heat transfer rate especially at high Reynold number. However, using two fillet profile has a significant influence on heat transfer characteristics and pressure drop at all rates of Reynold number. The two-fillet profile increases the Nusselt number by 15% compared to smooth microchannel and 25% decrease in pressure drop. Therefore, the heat sink with two fillet profile design has a potential to be used to enhance the thermal performance of cooling system with low pressure drop.
Sustainable Poultry House Ventilation Using Dew Point Indirect Evaporative Cooler Aided With Radiative Cooling
Authors: Al-Assaad Douaa , Ghaddar Nesreen , Ghali Kamel , Ouahrani Djamel
Published: July 2021

Maintaining good production quality in layer poultry houses is directly correlated to the thermal environment of the laying hens as well as their breathable air quality. This work compares the performance of two passive cooling systems in meeting the thermal and indoor air quality requirements (CO2, water vapor and NH3) in a layer house in Doha, Qatar characterized by a semi-arid climate. The first system is a standalone cross flow dew point evaporative cooler (DPIEC) supplying air through a localized air distribution system. The second system is a DPIEC aided by a radiative cooling (RC) panel that pre-cools the supply fresh air, in an effort to reduce the system sizing, air and water consumption even further. To achieve these objectives, a modular analysis was adopted, where mathematical models were developed for the DPIEC and RC systems and the poultry house module conditioned by the localized system. A 3D CFD model was developed for the compartment conditioned by the localized system. The DPIEC was sized and the hourly variation in needed supply fresh air and water was determined for the critical month of May, June July of the summer season.
Numerical Analysis of a Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Collector With PCM Embedded in Highly Conductive Porous Material
Authors: Pawar Vivek R. , Siddiki Mahbube K. , Sobhansarbandi Sarvenaz
Published: July 2021

Solar photovoltaic (PV) system harness the energy from the sunlight and convert into clean electricity to power homes and businesses. During an operation the solar panels get hot, the electrons inside the solar cells pick up that extra heat energy which puts them in a more excited state and when they are already excited, they have less room to absorb the energy from sunlight. As a result, electrical performance of a PV system reduces with increase in solar cell temperature. Efficiency of PV panels can be retained by establishing a hybrid PV-Thermal (PV-T) system. In this study, container filled with phase change material (PCM) embedded in porous metal is attached to back surface of the PV cell. As well as, to extract the excess heat from the PV cell, water is used as a heat transfer fluid (HTF) with constant mass flow rate of 30 kg/hr. During the simulation melting rate of PCM, amount of latent heat energy stored, thermal, electrical and overall efficiencies of the PV panel is studied and compared with the conventional PV-T system. The results show the enhanced melting fraction of PCM by 6% and 8% for the PV-T/PCM/Cu and PV-T/PCM/Al system, respectively compared with PV-T/PCM system. Moreover, in comparison with the conventional PV-T system, the overall efficiency of the PV-T/PCM/Cu and PV-T/PCM/Al is increased by 10.62% and 8.80%, respectively.
Characterizing Heat Transfer Enhancement in Ferrofluid 2-D Channel Flows Using Mixing Numbers
Authors: Anand Nadish , Gould Richard
Published: July 2021

Ferrofluid channel flows have been used for many non-invasive flow manipulation applications, including drug-delivery, heat transfer enhancement, mixing enhancement, etc. Heat transfer enhancement is one of the most coveted outcomes from novel cooling systems employed for electronic cooling. While using Ferrofluids for heat transfer enhancement, the external magnetic field usually induces Kelvin Body Force, which causes the ferrofluid to swirl or ‘mix’. This mixing process causes extra convection over what is induced through fluid inertia and is responsible for heat transfer enhancement. In order to understand the phenomenon of heat transfer enhancement, it would be logical to view it from the perspective of mixing enhancement. Moreover, channel flows are most common in liquid cooling of electronics equipment, and hence such a fundamental understanding of synergies between mixing and heat transfer enhancement can help pose design rules for advanced cooling configuration for electronics cooling. In this work, a Ferrofluid channel flow is analyzed in the presence of an external magnetic field. A 2-D 90° bend channel ferrofluid flow is considered, with a significant length scale of 0.01 m, where two external current-carrying wires provide an external magnetic field. An external inward heat flux of 1000 W/m2 is applied on the walls of the channel. The channel flow is studied numerically by varying different parameters relating to the external magnetic field and flow conditions. The ferrofluid used is considered magnetite based on water as the carrier fluid, and the properties of which are modeled using appropriate mixture models for nanofluids. The mixing induced in the flow is characterized by using two different mixing numbers based on the flow velocity. This type of characterization is analogous to characterizing flow turbulence. The heat transfer enhancement is characterized using Nusselt numbers. These non-dimensional numbers (mixing) are studied in congruence with the Nusselt number to understand the relationship between the mixing and heat transfer and draw comparative inferences with flow conditions without heat transfer enhancement. Finally, conclusions are drawn between the mixing & heat transfer intensification at local and global levels and choosing the apposite mixing numbers to characterize heat transfer enhancement.
Dynamic Behavior of a Streamwise Oscillating Heated Cylinder
Authors: Ali Ussama , Islam MD , Janajreh Isam
Published: July 2021

The influence of oscillation and heat transfer on the lift and drag coefficients over a circular cylinder is numerically studied in this work. Temperature difference of 300, 600 and 900 K is used between the cylinder wall and the incoming fluid flow for Reynolds number of 100. Air is used as the fluid and the temperature dependent properties of air are used for the analysis as a significant change in the properties of air incurred. Numerical simulation is done on Ansys/fluent with O-type mesh and the vibration in the circular cylinder is induced using user defined function. The vibration of the cylinder in streamwise direction is induced at a frequency ratio of 0.5, 1, and 2, with the natural frequency of the cylinder being 2.5 Hz marking its Strouhal number. It is observed that for all the induced frequencies, the forcing function interacts with the natural frequency of the system, and the beating phenomenon spectrum is observed, where two distinct frequencies appear which correspond to the sum and difference between the natural and the forcing frequency. At the frequency ratio of 0.5 (1.25 Hz), the spectrum of lift coefficient is characterized with three peaks centered at 2.5 Hz (natural frequency), 3.75 Hz (sum) and 1.25 Hz (difference). Oscillating the isothermal cylinder at a frequency ratio of 0.5 caused a negligible increase in the rms value of the lift coefficient by 2.13%, drag coefficient by 0.17%, and had no effect on the natural frequency of the system, however at a frequency ratio of 2, a drastic increase in the rms value of lift coefficient by 137.4% and drag coefficient by 13.9% occurred, indicating the lock-on regime. As compared to the stationary isothermal cylinder, heating the cylinder 300K above the incoming flow, decreased the rms value of the lift coefficient by 62.7% and the natural frequency by 16%, while increased the drag coefficient by 7.3%. The results show that heating of cylinder in cross-flow is equivalent to running the flow at a reduced Reynolds number and in the laminar region, this is associated with lower Strouhal number and lower amplitude of lift but a higher drag.
CFD Analysis of Transient Heat Conduction in the Electronic Control Circuitry of Steering Wheel Column Adjustment System
Authors: Tiwari Ankit , Davey Trevor , Willis Matthew
Published: July 2021

Automotive grade 3 electronic components are expected to meet their functional, performance and thermal safety requirements within the ambient temperature range from −40-degree C to +85-degree C. In this study, CFD and thermal analysis of electronic control circuitry of a power steering wheel column adjustment system is performed. It consists of 6 MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor Field Effect Transistor) packaged in 3 Dual package MOSFET casings (Q6, Q7 and Q8) that are arranged in two H-bridge configurations for dependent control of the two motors. Two of these MOSFETs cause thermal power dissipation during the normal operation of the system. There are also other thermally significant devices such as a reverse polarity protection MOSFET (Q1), two inductors used in a low pass filter and one current sense resistor. Because of cost and packaging limitations, there are no external heat sinks to enhance heat transfer. The components will rely on the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and plated-through-holes/thermal vias for heat transfer to maintain operation within the thermal safety limits. The inherent transient nature of operation of the power steering wheel column adjustment system causes the circuit to draw high current for a short duration of time. This necessitates temperature dependent heat source formulation. In this study, an initial CFD study was performed to assess the thermal safety of all the electronic components in the control circuitry. It was found that the electronic components such as MOSFETs and inductors were below the maximum operating junction temperature under the hot limit condition (+85degree C) for the entire duration of operation. However, under the cold limit condition (−40-degree C), both the MOSFETs and the inductors were significantly hotter than the maximum junction temperature. Based on CFD results, the sizing and placement of thermal vias may be optimized. Further, a comparative analysis was performed to assess the different levels of fidelity offered by lumped PCB model, multi-layer PCB model and explicit modeling of thermal vias in PCB.
Retrofiting Existing Optical Fiber Infrastructure to Mitigate Geohazard Risk: The TGP Case
Authors: Ravet Fabien , Melo Alberto , Oliveros Francisco , Rochat Etienne
Published: July 2021

Optical fiber cables (OFC) are well known for their use in communications. They offer long distance and fast transmission rate capabilities. OFC are the perfect companion of hydrocarbon and water transport system as part of the physical layer of the communication services and SCADA of the operating companies. As an example, the TGP system has more than 1400 km of cables laid in its Right-of-Way (ROW) which are in use since the beginning of its operation in 2004.

More recently OFC started to be used as sensors. In such applications, a communication cable (CC) can be turned into a continuous temperature sensor allowing for leak and erosion detection. A strain monitoring cable (SMC) can also be spliced to the CC for landslide and subsidence detection in selected areas. In the case of very large soil displacement, it is common to observe the strain induced on the CC. From what precedes, existing OFC infrastructures can be taken advantage of to retrofit pipelines with monitoring instrumentation.

The current work describes how an existing CC is retrofitted to provide information about the TGP transport system’s integrity. When accurate monitoring of a landslide is required, a dedicated sensing cable is installed locally and connected to the CC. Elsewhere the CC is being measured to detect and locate events as erosion or landslide in position where the geohazard risk present lower probability. Such approach not only improves geohazard risk management, but it also indicates early sign of stress on the cable that can lead to its rupture, mitigating service interruption probability.
Challenges Related to Pipeline Free Spans in Watercourse Crossings
Authors: Caruso Mario , Ferris Gerry , Heggen Hans Olav , Delanty Burke
Published: July 2021

Free span assessment in watercourse crossings for the on-shore pipeline industry has become a more and more important part of pipeline integrity practice. One reason is that it has become increasingly well known that the dominant cause of pipeline failures in watercourse crossings is fatigue failure due to vortex induced vibrations at pipeline free spans. Recognition of this is now being identified in industry recommended practices and owners are incorporating this type of assessment into their pipeline integrity management practice.

On shore pipelines are not designed with an allowable free span as is the practice with off-shore pipelines, but are buried. Design codes specify minimum depths of cover when constructed and indicate that pipelines should be maintained so that no excessive loads occur. In the past the no excessive loads requirement has been interpreted that the pipeline must remained buried. As experience from the off-shore environment and increasingly from experience on-shore has shown that most exposed and/or free spans do not fail.

Due to various river erosion mechanisms; scour, bank erosion or avulsion, previously buried pipelines do develop free spans. Some of the free spans fail and release products directly into the watercourse. Failures, particularly for liquid products, are very expensive due to the economic loss, repair costs and environment clean-up of the watercourse and its banks. Similarly, costs associated with pipeline replacement for free spanning pipelines or repair of pipelines that might develop free spans are relatively high. It is important to develop an understanding of the probability of the pipeline failing due to a free span, or put another way, determine which free span is a threat to integrity.

This paper discusses some of the challenges with assessing free spans in watercourse crossings as part of integrity programs and highlights experiences in assessing this threat to integrity. The objective of this paper is to discuss some of the key uncertainties related to the management of the threat due to free spans. These uncertainties are due to the reliability of information about the free span, water velocity and condition of the pipelines.
Ultrafast electron cycloids driven by the transverse spin of a surface acoustic wave
Authors: Sonner Maximilian M. , Khosravi Farhad , Janker Lisa , Rudolph Daniel , Koblmüller Gregor , Jacob Zubin , Krenner Hubert J.
Published: July 2021

Electron cycloids reveal the spin of a surface acoustic wave predicted by Lord Rayleigh in 1885.
Molecular mechanism for kinesin-1 direct membrane recognition
Authors: Antón Zuriñe , Weijman Johannes F. , Williams Christopher , Moody Edmund R. R. , Mantell Judith , Yip Yan Y. , Cross Jessica A. , Williams Tom A. , Steiner Roberto A. , Crump Matthew P. , Woolfson Derek N. , Dodding Mark P.
Published: July 2021

Kinesin-1 uses a membrane-induced curvature-sensitive amphipathic helix to bind directly to cargo membranes.
Regulation of telomere homeostasis and genomic stability in cancer by
N
6
-adenosine methylation (m
6
A)
Authors: Lee Ji Hoon , Hong Juyeong , Zhang Zhao , de la Peña Avalos Bárbara , Proietti Cecilia J. , Deamicis Agustina Roldán , Guzmán G. Pablo , Lam Hung-Ming , Garcia Jose , Roudier Martine P. , Sisk Anthony E. , De La Rosa Richard , Vu Kevin , Yang Mei , Liao Yiji , Scheirer Jessica , Pechacek Douglas , Yadav Pooja , Rao Manjeet K. , Zheng Siyuan , Johnson-Pais Teresa L. , Leach Robin J. , Elizalde Patricia V. , Dray Eloïse , Xu Kexin
Published: July 2021

Down-regulation of
HMBOX1
via METTL3-catalyzed m
6
A causes genomic instability driven by telomere dysfunction in cancer.
A single–cell type transcriptomics map of human tissues
Authors: Karlsson Max , Zhang Cheng , Méar Loren , Zhong Wen , Digre Andreas , Katona Borbala , Sjöstedt Evelina , Butler Lynn , Odeberg Jacob , Dusart Philip , Edfors Fredrik , Oksvold Per , von Feilitzen Kalle , Zwahlen Martin , Arif Muhammad , Altay Ozlem , Li Xiangyu , Ozcan Mehmet , Mardinoglu Adil , Fagerberg Linn , Mulder Jan , Luo Yonglun , Ponten Fredrik , Uhlén Mathias , Lindskog Cecilia
Published: July 2021

Single-cell RNA analysis has been integrated with spatial protein profiling to create a single–cell type map of human tissues.
Predicting risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis using multimodality imaging and personalized heart modeling in a multivariable classifier
Authors: Shade Julie K. , Prakosa Adityo , Popescu Dan M. , Yu Rebecca , Okada David R. , Chrispin Jonathan , Trayanova Natalia A.
Published: July 2021

Combining mechanistic modeling and machine learning, a multivariable sudden cardiac death predictor outperforms clinical metrics.
When less is more: Robot swarms adapt better to changes with constrained communication
Authors: Talamali Mohamed S. , Saha Arindam , Marshall James A. R. , Reina Andreagiovanni
Published: July 2021

Swarms of minimalistic robots can better respond to environmental changes when communication among robots is reduced.
Secure and secret cooperation in robot swarms
Authors: Ferrer Eduardo Castelló , Hardjono Thomas , Pentland Alex , Dorigo Marco
Published: July 2021

Robot swarms exploiting Merkle trees achieve secret and secure cooperation in sequential missions.
Self-reconfigurable multilegged robot swarms collectively accomplish challenging terradynamic tasks
Authors: Ozkan-Aydin Yasemin , Goldman Daniel I.
Published: July 2021

Multilegged swarm robots with self-reconfigurability can perform diverse tasks in variable terrain.
Nutrient Deficiency and an Algicidal Bacterium Improved the Lipid Profiles of a Novel Promising Oleaginous Dinoflagellate,
Prorocentrum donghaiense,
for Biodiesel Production
Authors: Gui Jiali , Chen Shuangshuang , Luo Guiying , Wu Zixiang , Fan Yongxiang , Yao Luming , Xu Hong
Published: July 2021

This study demonstrates the high potential of
Prorocentrum donghaiense
, a dominant bloom-causing dinoflagellate, for lipid production. Compared with previously studied oleaginous microalgae,
P. donghaiense
exhibit greater potential for practical application due to its higher biomass and lipid contents.
SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Therapy
Authors: Tao Kaiming , Tzou Philip L. , Nouhin Janin , Bonilla Hector , Jagannathan Prasanna , Shafer Robert W.
Published: July 2021

The development of effective antiviral therapy for COVID-19 is critical for those awaiting vaccination, as well as for those who do not respond robustly to vaccination. This review summarizes 1 year of progress in the race to develop antiviral therapies for COVID-19, including research spanning preclinical and clinical drug development efforts, with an emphasis on antiviral compounds that are in clinical development or that are high priorities for clinical development.
Trichomonas vaginalis Detection in Urogenital Specimens from Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Men and Women by Use of the cobas TV/MG Test
Authors: Van Der Pol Barbara , Rao Arundhati , Nye Melinda B. , Chavoustie Steven , Ermel Aaron , Kaplan Clair , Eisenberg David , Chan Philip A. , Mena Leandro , Pacheco Sixto , Waites Ken B. , Xiao Li , Krishnamurthy Smitha , Mohan Ruchika , Bertuzis Rasa , McGowin Chris L. , Arcenas Rodney , Marlowe Elizabeth M. , Taylor Stephanie N.
Published: July 2021

Trichomonas vaginalis
is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI). Diagnosis has historically relied on either microscopic analysis or culture, the latter being the previous gold standard.
Longitudinal Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific Interferon Gamma Responses in Ethiopian HIV-Negative Women during Pregnancy and Postpartum
Authors: Tesfaye Fregenet , Walles John , Sturegård Erik , Winqvist Niclas , Balcha Taye Tolera , Kefeni Mestawet , Jansson Marianne , Björkman Per
Published: July 2021

Pregnancy may influence cellular immune responses to
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
. We investigated
M. tuberculosis
-specific interferon-γ responses in women followed longitudinally during pregnancy and postpartum.
Ebola Virus Requires Phosphatidylserine Scrambling Activity for Efficient Budding and Optimal Infectivity
Authors: Acciani Marissa D. , Lay Mendoza Maria F. , Havranek Katherine E. , Duncan Avery M. , Iyer Hersha , Linn Olivia L. , Brindley Melinda A.
Published: July 2021

Within the last decade, countries in western and central Africa have experienced the most widespread and deadly Ebola outbreaks since Ebola virus was identified in 1976. While outbreaks are primarily attributed to zoonotic transfer events, new evidence is emerging outbreaks may be caused by a combination of spillover events and viral latency or persistence in survivors.
Molecular Characteristics of IS
1216
Carrying Multidrug Resistance Gene Cluster in Serotype III/Sequence Type 19 Group B Streptococcus
Authors: Zhi Yong , Ji Hyun Jung , Jung Jong Hyun , Byun Eui Baek , Kim Woo Sik , Lin Shun Mei , Lim Sangyong , Jang A-Yeung , Choi Min Joo , Ahn Ki Bum , Lim Jae Hyang , Song Joon Young , Seo Ho Seong
Published: July 2021

Most previously isolated group B
streptococcus
(GBS) strains express either the Srr1 or Srr2 glycoprotein, which plays an important role in bacterial colonization and invasion. These glycoproteins are potential protein vaccine candidates.
Tenascin C Has a Modest Protective Effect on Acute Lung Pathology during Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Pneumonia in Mice
Authors: Meijer Mariska T. , de Vos Alex F. , Peters Sengers Hessel , Scicluna Brendon P. , Roelofs Joris J. , Abou Fayçal Chérine , Uhel Fabrice , Orend Gertraud , van der Poll Tom
Published: July 2021

Recently, the immunomodulatory properties of TNC have drawn substantial interest. However, to date most studies made use of sterile models of inflammation.
Development of a Biocontained Toluene-Degrading Bacterium for Environmental Protection
Authors: Ishikawa Masahito , Kojima Takaaki , Hori Katsutoshi
Published: July 2021

GEMs are beneficial for various applications, including environmental protection. However, the risks of GEM release into the environment have been debated for a long time.
Serum Antibody Activity against Poly-N-Acetyl Glucosamine (PNAG), but Not PNAG Vaccination Status, Is Associated with Protecting Newborn Foals against Intrabronchial Infection with Rhodococcus equi
Authors: Cohen Noah D. , Kahn Susanne K. , Cywes-Bentley Colette , Ramirez-Cortez Sophia , Schuckert Amanda E. , Vinacur Mariana , Bordin Angela I. , Pier Gerald B.
Published: July 2021

Pneumonia caused byR. equiis an important cause of disease and death in foals worldwide for which a licensed vaccine is lacking. Foals are exposed toR. equiin their environment from birth, and they appear to be infected soon after parturition at an age when innate and adaptive immune responses are diminished.
Supplemental Material: Evolution of mafic lavas in Central Anatolia: Mantle source domains
Authors: Furman T. , al. et
Published: July 2021

Figure S1: The three endmember mixing model for
the Anatolian lavas in (a) εNd-εHf and (b) εNd-87Sr/86Sr
space. Table S1: Compositions of endmembers used in modeling.
Acute upper airway obstruction due to tonsillitis necessitating emergency cricothyroidotomy
Authors: Ravindran Binu , Korandiarkunnel Paul Feby , Vyakarnam Prasad
Published: July 2021

A 17-year-old man was admitted to Accident & Emergency out of hours with unilateral tonsillar enlargement covering more than 75% of his oropharyngeal inlet. He appeared calm and stable on initial presentation, but in a short span of time rapidly deteriorated, leading to near complete airway obstruction necessitating an emergency awake cricothyroidotomy. Tracheostomy and tonsillectomy were done after this, he was ventilated postoperatively in intensive therapy unit and discharged home in a week. This is a rare clinical scenario in a patient presenting with palatine tonsillitis. A few subtle points in the history and examination alerted the team and prevented a risky inter hospital transfer for ear, nose and throat review. This is the first reported case in UK of palatine tonsillitis not due to infectious mononucleosis presenting with acute upper airway obstruction in a patient with no airway anomalies. It may also have been a varied presentation of COVID-19.
Malignant teratoma of the thyroid
Authors: Bidaye Rohan , Mahmood Ashraf , Abdawn Zainab , Ahmad Ijaz
Published: July 2021

Malignant thyroid teratoma in adults is a rare tumour with less than 40 cases reported worldwide. Our case is of a 29-year-old man who presented with a thyroid lump and compressive symptoms. He underwent multiple investigations before being diagnosed with a malignant thyroid teratoma. There are no established guidelines in the management of this tumour yet. In this case report, we discuss the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the patient and reflect on the published literature on this tumour.
Malignant idiopathic intracranial hypertension revealed a hidden primary spinal leptomeningeal medulloblastoma
Authors: Kajtazi Naim Izet , Nahrir Shahpar , Al Shakweer Wafa , Al Ghamdi Juman , Al Fakeeh Ali , Al Hameed Majed
Published: July 2021

Frequently the cause of raised intracranial pressure remains unresolved and rarely is related to spinal tumours, moreover less to spinal medulloblastoma without primary brain focus. An 18-year-old woman had a 3-month history of headache and impaired vision. Neurological examination revealed bilateral sixth cranial nerve palsies with bilateral papilloedema of grade III. No focal brain or spine lesion was found on imaging. Consecutive lumbar punctures showed high opening pressure and subsequent increasing protein level. Meningeal biopsy was negative. At one point, she developed an increasing headache, vomiting and back pain. Spine MRI showed diffuse nodular leptomeningeal enhancement with the largest nodule at T6–T7. Malignant cells were detected in cerebrospinal fluid. She underwent laminectomy with excisional biopsy, and pathology showed medulloblastoma WHO grade IV. She was treated with chemotherapy and craniospinal irradiation and made a good recovery.
Apoplexy in a previously undiagnosed pituitary macroadenoma in the setting of recent COVID-19 infection
Authors: Liew Su-Yi , Seese Rachel , Shames Abdulrahman , Majumdar Kalpita
Published: July 2021

Pituitary apoplexy is an endocrine emergency, which commonly presents as hypopituitarism. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can be both life and vision saving. There are a growing number of published case reports postulating a link between COVID-19 and pituitary apoplexy. We report the case of a 75-year-old man who presented with a headache and was later diagnosed with hypopituitarism secondary to pituitary apoplexy. This occurred 1 month following a mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection with no other risk factors commonly associated with pituitary apoplexy. This case, therefore, supplements an emerging evidence base supporting a link between COVID-19 and pituitary apoplexy.
Characteristics and effects of integrated nutrition and stimulation interventions to improve the nutritional status and development of children under 5 years of age: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Dulal Sophiya , Prost Audrey , Karki Surendra , Saville Naomi , Merom Dafna
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Around 250 million children in low-income and middle-income countries are at risk of not fulfilling their developmental potential. There is a need to update syntheses investigating the effects of combined nutrition and stimulation interventions on children’s growth and development and identify intervention characteristics associated with positive effects.

Methods

We did a systematic review to: (1) understand the effects of integrated nutrition and stimulation interventions versus (i) usual care and (ii) standalone nutrition or stimulation interventions, on the growth and development of children under five; (2) explore intervention characteristics (delivery strategies, behaviour change techniques, intensity and personnel) associated with positive effects. We searched eight databases for studies published from inception to 16 November 2020. Eligible studies were randomised and non-randomised controlled trials of integrated nutrition and stimulation interventions examining growth and developmental outcomes. We performed meta-analyses for length-for-age/height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-length/weight-for-height Z scores and cognitive, motor and language development scores, and subgroup analyses by intervention characteristics. We conducted random-effects metaregression to assess potential subgroup differences in outcomes by intervention characteristics.

Results

Twenty trials were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled effect sizes showed significant benefits of integrated interventions on developmental outcomes compared with usual care and standalone nutrition interventions (I2>75%) but not on growth outcomes. Moreover, integrated interventions have non-significant effects on developmental outcomes compared with standalone stimulation interventions. Integrated interventions showed greater effects on cognitive (p=0.039) and language (p=0.040) outcomes for undernourished children compared with adequately nourished children. The effects of integrated interventions on developmental outcomes did not differ by intervention characteristics.

Conclusion

Integrated interventions have greater benefits for children’s development than usual care or standalone nutrition interventions, especially in settings with high levels of undernutrition. Future studies should use standardised reporting of implementation processes to identify intervention characteristics linked to positive effects.
Specific cell differentiation in breast cancer: a basis for histological classification
Authors: Rakha Emad , Toss Michael , Quinn Cecily
Published: July 2021

Breast parenchyma progenitor cells show a high degree of phenotypic plasticity reflected in the wide range of morphology observed in benign and malignant breast tumours. Although there is evidence suggesting that all breast cancer (BC) arises from a common epithelial progenitor or stem cell located at the terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs), BC shows a broad spectrum of morphology with extensive variation in histological type and grade. This is related to the complexity of BC carcinogenesis including initial genetic changes in the cell of origin, subsequent genetic and epigenetic alterations and reprogramming that occur at various stages of BC development and the interplay with the surrounding microenvironment, factors which influence the process of differentiation. Differentiation in BC determines the morphology, which can be measured using histological grade and tumour type. Histological grade, which measures the similarity to the TDLUs, reflects the degree of differentiation whereas tumour type reflects the type of differentiation. Understanding BC phenotypic differentiation facilitates the accurate diagnosis and histological classification of BC with corresponding clinical implications in terms of disease behaviour, prognosis and management plans. In this review, we highlight the potential pathways that BC stem cells follow resulting in the development of different histological types of BC and how knowledge of these pathways impacts our ability to classify BC in diagnostic practice. We also discuss the role of cellular differentiation in producing metaplastic and neuroendocrine carcinomas of the breast and how the latter differ from their counterparts in other organs, with emphasis on clinical relevance.
Men with FMR1 premutation alleles of less than 71 CGG repeats have low risk of being affected with fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS)
Authors: Martin Ellenore M , Zhu Ying , Kraan Claudine M , Kumar Kishore R , Godler David E , Field Michael
Published: July 2021

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset condition characterised by cerebellar ataxia and intention tremor, usually found in individuals with FMR1 premutation alleles (PM—CGG expansion of 55–199 repeats). Population studies estimate that between 1 in 250 and 1 in 1600 men have a PM, with up to 45% of these men suggested to develop FXTAS by age 80. We used a Bayesian approach to compare the probability of finding a specific PM genotype in an ataxia population to a population control group and found an estimated penetrance of <1% (0.031%; CI 0.007% to 0.141%) for men with ≤70 CGGs. These findings suggest that men with a PM of ≤70 CGGs, who comprise the vast majority of those with a PM, have a much lower risk of being affected with FXTAS than previously suggested. This is an issue of growing importance for accurate genetic counselling, as those with a PM of ≤70 CGGs are increasingly detected through community carrier screening or neurodevelopmental assessment programmes.