bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implication of Non-Uniform Anode Particle Morphology on Lithium-Ion Cell Performance
Authors: Kanchan Brajesh Kumar , Randive Pitambar R.
Published: May 2021

The present works deals with the implications of non-uniform anode particle morphology on charging and discharging characteristics of Lithium-ion cell, especially for ultra-fast charging applications. The one-dimensional isothermal model is employed to analyze the effect of C-rate, porosity, tortuosity, and particle geometry for a range of non-uniform anode particle size distribution numerically. Our study reports that the value of capacity and specific power of the cell is found to be maximum when the particle size decreases along the electrode length. In contrast, capacity and specific power are minimum when anode particle size increase along the anode length. Moreover, a significant improvement in the performance of the Lithium-ion battery is found at ultra-fast charging when non-uniform particle distribution is employed. Additionally, a strong interplay of particle distribution and microstructural attributes viz. porosity and tortuosity on cell performance are revealed for the charging-discharging cycle. Further, the capacity of the cell is found to be maximum when the particle geometry is spherical. We anticipate that the results can inspire further improvement in ionic transport for ultrafast charging with non-uniform microstructure in the Li-ion cell.
First Electrochemical Studies on “CAP—PAIR” Effect for BI(III) Ion Electroreduction in the Presence of 2-Thiocytosine on Novel Cyclically Renewable Liquid Silver Amalgam Film Electrode (R-AgLAFE)
Authors: Nosal-Wiercińska Agnieszka , Martyna Marlena , Grochowski Mariusz , Baś Bogusław
Published: May 2021

A novel cyclically renewable liquid silver amalgam film electrode (R-AgLAFE) has been used for the first time in studies of electrode processes under “cap-pair” conditions. It has been presented detailed production process of prototype sensor R-AgLAFE with liquid amalgam film silver based electrode refreshed cyclically before each measurement, along with complete specifications of its metrologic and utility parameters. It has been shown that 2-thiocytosine is catalyzing the Bi(III) ions electroreduction. Studies clearly indicate the multi-phase mechanism of the electrode process, in which active complexes Bi—(RS—Hg) in the adsorption layer mediate in the transfer of electrons. Obtained results of measurements on mechanism and kinetics of “cap—pair” effect using novel R-AgLAFE sensor confirmed assumptions that it is an attractive alternative to HMDEs.
Review-Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensor for Lactate Detection in Human Biofluids
Authors: Md Shakhih Muhammad Faiz , Rosslan Anis Suzziani , Noor Anas Mohd , Ramanathan Santheraleka , Lazim Azwan Mat , Wahab Asnida Abdul
Published: May 2021

Lactate is one of the potential biomarkers for assessing the human condition in clinical medicine or sports application. Lactate measurement could help in alerting various emergency conditions, such as bleeding, hypoxia, respiratory failure, and sepsis. Lactate monitoring could also benefit athletes in monitoring their muscle activity to prevent injury due to excessive muscle use or fatigue. In light of this, biosensor technology has been widely explored, especially on the use of electrochemical sensors to analyze the content of biological samples through direct biological activities conversion to electronic signals. This has become imperative for the detection of lactate which offers easy, quick, and reliable measurement. Despite enzymatic sensors being the focus of many studies, the non-enzymatic sensor has started to gain attention in recent years to overcome the stability issue of enzymes. This review presents an overview of the concepts, applications, and recent advancements of different electrochemical lactate sensors. A comparison of recent studies for both enzymatic and non-enzymatic lactate sensors based on electrode modification, enzymes, enzymes immobilizer, and several performance factors, including sensitivity, linearity, detection limit, and storage stability, all of which have been performed. Towards the end, this review also highlights some recommendations for future development of lactate sensors.
Poor Coding Leads to DoS Attack and Security Issues in Web Applications for Sensors
Authors: Jalbani Khuda Bux , Yousaf Muhammad , Sarfraz Muhammad Shahzad , Jamili Oskouei Rozita , Hussain Akhtar , Memon Zojan
Published: May 2021

As the SQL injection attack is still at the top of the list at Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) for more than one decade, this type of attack created too many types of issues for a web application, sensors, or any similar type of applications, such as leakage of user private data and organization intellectual property, or may cause Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. This paper focused on the poor coding or invalidated input field which is a big cause of services unavailability for web applications. Secondly, it focused on the selection of program created issues for the WebSocket connections between sensors and the webserver. The number of users is growing to use web applications and mobile apps. These web applications or mobile apps are used for different purposes such as tracking vehicles, banking services, online stores for shopping, taxi booking, logistics, education, monitoring user activities, collecting data, or sending any instructions to sensors, and social websites. Web applications are easy to develop with less time and at a low cost. Due to that, business community or individual service provider’s first choice is to have a website and mobile app. So everyone is trying to provide 24/7 services to its users without any downtime. But there are some critical issues of web application design and development. These problems are leading to too many security loopholes for web servers, web applications, and its user’s privacy. Because of poor coding and validation of input fields, these web applications are vulnerable to SQL Injection and other security problems. Instead of using the latest third-party frameworks, language for website development, and version database server, another factor to disturb the services of a web server may be the socket programming for sensors at the production level. These sensors are installed in vehicles to track or use them for booking mobile apps.
Over-the-Air Evaluation of User Body Loss for Popular In-Ear Bluetooth Earbuds
Authors: Zhekov Stanislav Stefanov , Mikkelsen Jan Hvolgaard , Pedersen Gert Frølund
Published: May 2021

Wireless earbuds have become the preferred electronic device for listening to music and for hands-free talking. The combined radio performance of the earbud and the handset determines the quality of the established communication link and hence the quality of the user experience. This paper presents an extensive comparative study of five common Bluetooth earbuds, where the transmit performance, in terms of total radiated power (TRP), is investigated. The measurements are conducted for the right-side earbud and for the low and high ends of the Bluetooth frequency spectrum. Moreover, two scenarios are considered: (1) the earbud is placed in free space and (2) the earbud is placed in a person’s ear. For the latter case, a total of 12 volunteers are involved in the measurement campaign. Measurements show that the mean performance deterioration, due to the placement of the earbud in the person’s ear, ranges from 3 to 6 dB across the tested earbuds.
Bearing Damage Detection of a Bridge under the Uncertain Conditions Based on the Bayesian Framework and Matrix Perturbation Method
Authors: Li Baojun , Lei Yongzhi , Zhou Dongming , Deng Zhiheng , Yang Yuhou , Huang Minshui
Published: May 2021

The bearing of a bridge, as a critical component, is important in the force transformation of the superstructure; however, due to the service condition and repeated impact load, the bearing is prone to be damaged but difficult to detect the damage; the present research has few studies that focused on the damage detection of the structural bearing. Meanwhile, practical engineering is always surrounded by variational environmental conditions, and sometimes, the element and bearing damage both exist in the structure. Thus, these uncertain conditions all cause inaccurate damage identification results using the vibration‐based damage detection method. In order to detect the damage of the structural bearing and improve the precision, firstly, the structural dynamic characteristic equation considering uncertain conditions has been deduced; then, a damage detection framework constructed by the Bayesian theory and perturbation method has been developed in this article; a numerical example of an 8‐span concrete continuous beam and a practical example of I‐40 steel‐concrete composite bridge are utilized to validate the feasibility of the proposed method, and single type and two types of damage cases are studied. The outcomes demonstrate that the damage of structural elements and bearings can be detected with high accuracy. The proposed method is of great applicability and good potential.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Dependence of Chinese Stock Market
Authors: Wu Xianbo , Hui Xiaofeng
Published: May 2021

By calculating the mutual information of stock indexes of 10 primary industry sectors in China, this paper analyzes the dependence relationship among Chinese stock sectors during the COVID-19 and the dynamic evolution of the relationship by using the sliding window method. According to the actual situation of the development of COVID-19 in China, the samples were divided into three stages, namely, calm period, pandemic period, and post-pandemic period. The results show that the dependence relationship among Chinese stock sectors is significantly enhanced in the pandemic period, but it decreases in the post-pandemic period and the dependence structure is similar to that in the calm period. The industrials sector is most closely connected with other sectors in the pandemic period. The information technology sector and telecommunication services sector maintain strong dependence in the three periods and share little contact with other sectors. In the pandemic period, the dependence between the consumer staples sector and other sectors is significantly enhanced, and consumer staples sector and health care sector maintain a strong dependence. From the results of the sliding window, the Chinese stock market is sensitive to the impact of COVID-19, but the duration of the impact on the dependence among the stock sectors is not long.
EZH2 Mediates miR-146a-5p/HIF-1α to Alleviate Inflammation and Glycolysis after Acute Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Ni Shuangfei , Yang Bo , Xia Lei , Zhang Huafeng
Published: May 2021

Acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) is a severe traumatic disease of the central nervous system, the underlying mechanism of which is unclear. This study was intended to study the role of EZH2 and miR-146a-5p/HIF-1α in inflammation and glycolysis after ASCI, providing reference and basis for the clinical treatment and prognosis of ASCI injury. We used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation of microglia, and we constructed the ASCI animal model. qRT-PCR detected the relative expression levels of EZH2, HIF-1α, miR-146a-5p, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, PKM2, GLUT1, and HK2 in cells and tissues. Western blot was performed to detect the expression levels of EZH2, HIF-1α, H3K27me3, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, PKM2, GLUT1, and HK2. ChIP verified the enrichment of H3K27me3 in the miR-146a-5p promoter region. Bioinformatics predicted the binding sites of HIF-1α and miR-146a-5p, and dual-luciferase reporter assay verified the binding of HIF-1α and miR-146a-5p. ELISA detects the levels of inflammatory factors IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17 in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats. The GC-TOFMS was used to detect the changes of glycolytic metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats. EZH2 could mediate inflammation and glycolysis of microglia. EZH2 regulates inflammation and glycolysis through HIF-1α. EZH2 indirectly regulated the HIF-1α expression by mediating miR-146a-5p. EZH2 mediates miR-146a-5p/HIF-1α to alleviate inflammation and glycolysis in ASCI rats. In the present study, our results demonstrated that EZH2 could mediate miR-146a-5p/HIF-1α to alleviate the inflammation and glycolysis after ASCI. Therefore, EZH2/miR-146a-5p/HIF-1α might be a novel potential target for treating ASCI.
A New RH-Regular Matrix Derived by Jordan’s Function and Its Domains on Some Double Sequence Spaces
Authors: Erdem Sezer , Demiriz Serkan
Published: May 2021

In the present study, we introduce a new RH-regular 4D (4-dimensional) matrix derived by Jordan’s function and define double sequence spaces by using domains of 4D Jordan totient matrixJton some classical double sequence spaces. Also, theα-,βϑ-, andγ-duals of these spaces are determined. Finally, some classes of 4D matrices on these spaces are characterized.
Cutaneous Manifestations of “Lupus”: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Beyond
Authors: Cooper Elizabeth E. , Pisano Catherine E. , Shapiro Samantha C.
Published: May 2021

Lupus, Latin for “wolf,” is a term used to describe many dermatologic conditions, some of which are related to underlying systemic lupus erythematosus, while others are distinct disease processes. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus includes a wide array of visible skin manifestations and can progress to systemic lupus erythematosus in some cases. Cutaneous lupus can be subdivided into three main categories: acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Physical exam, laboratory studies, and histopathology enable differentiation of cutaneous lupus subtypes. This differentiation is paramount as the subtype of cutaneous lupus informs upon treatment, disease monitoring, and prognostication. This review outlines the different cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus and provides an update on both topical and systemic treatment options for these patients. Other conditions that utilize the term “lupus” but are not cutaneous lupus erythematosus are also discussed.
Antioxidant and Anti‐Inflammatory Profiles of Spent Coffee Ground Extracts for the Treatment of Neurodegeneration
Authors: Angeloni Simone , Freschi Michela , Marrazzo Pasquale , Hrelia Silvana , Beghelli Daniela , Juan-García Ana , Juan Cristina , Caprioli Giovanni , Sagratini Gianni , Angeloni Cristina
Published: May 2021

Spent coffee grounds (SCGs), waste products of coffee beverage production, are rich in organic compounds such as phenols. Different studies have demonstrated phenol beneficial effects in counteracting neurodegenerative diseases. These diseases are associated with oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, which initiates the degeneration of neurons by overactivating microglia. Unfortunately, to date, there are no pharmacological therapies to treat these pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phenolic content of 4 different SCG extracts and their ability to counteract oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Caffeine and 5‐O‐caffeoylquinic acid were the most abundant compounds in all extracts, followed by 3‐O‐caffeoylquinic acid and 3,5‐O‐dicaffeoylquinic acid. The four extracts demonstrated a different ability to counteract oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in vitro. In particular, the methanol extract was the most effective in protecting neuron‐like SH‐SY5Y cells against H2O2‐induced oxidative stress by upregulating endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as thioredoxin reductase, heme oxygenase 1, NADPH quinone oxidoreductase, and glutathione reductase. The water extract was the most effective in counteracting lipopolysaccharide‐induced neuroinflammation in microglial BV‐2 cells by strongly reducing the expression of proinflammatory mediators through the modulation of the TLR4/NF‐κB pathway. On these bases, SCG extracts could represent valuable nutraceutical sources for the treatment of neurodegeneration.
Real-World Outcomes in Patients with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion- (BRVO-) Related Macular Edema Treated with Anti-VEGF Injections Alone versus Anti-VEGF Injections Combined with Focal Laser
Authors: Thomley Meredith E. , Gross Cole N. , Preda-Naumescu Ana , Chen Kelly S. , Swain Thomas , Mason III John O. , Crosson Jason N.
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this study was to assess outcomes in a real-world nonclinical trial setting of antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections alone vs. focal laser combined with anti-VEGF injections in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion- (BRVO-) related macular edema (ME). This study included 88 BRVO with ME patients who were treated over three years at both a tertiary referral center in the Birmingham metropolitan area and satellites in rural Alabama. One group received only anti-VEGF injections (n = 56); the other group received both anti-VEGF injections and focal laser (n = 32). The following outcome measures were evaluated: initial and final visual acuities (VA), initial central subfield thickness (CST) on OCT, number of injections, number of lasers, percentage of patients with a gain of 3 lines of VA, percentage of patients with VA better than or equal to 20/40, and percentage of patients with VA worse than or equal to 20/200. We found that there was no difference in initial VA (

p
=
0.913

) or CST (

p
=
0.961

) between the two groups. The injection only group required a median of 7 injections, while the combination group required a median of 4 injections, but this was not a statistically significant difference (

p
=
0.117

). There was no difference in final VA (

p
=
0.414

) or any of the other visual outcomes between the two groups. In conclusion, focal laser did not decrease the number of injections required or improve the VA in BRVO-related ME. Although visual outcomes were similar in both groups, focal laser does not appear to be of additional benefit in BRVO-related ME in the anti-VEGF era.
Large-Scale Storage/Retrieval Requests Sorting Algorithm for Multi-I/O Depots Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems
Authors: Song Yu Bo , Mu Hai Bo
Published: May 2021

This paper addresses the sequence sorting problem of large-scale storage/retrieval (S/R) requests in multiple Input/Output (multi-I/O) depots automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/RS), in which the cargoes can enter/leave the system through multi-I/O depots, the stacker can load only one cargo, and the load travel time of stacker is fixed. The problem is to find an optimal sequence for a certain S/R requests sequence, and it is a special kind of traveling salesman problem. In this paper, a heuristic algorithm based on assignment is proposed. In order to eliminate the subloops emerged in the sorting process, the equivalent merging and minimum cost merging methods of subloops are considered, and the proposed algorithm is modified. Experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Is SARS-CoV-2 an Etiologic Agent or Predisposing Factor for Oral Lesions in COVID-19 Patients? A Concise Review of Reported Cases in the Literature
Authors: Etemad-Moghadam Shahroo , Alaeddini Mojgan
Published: May 2021

The pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection is unclear, and its symptoms vary in different patients. Initial reports of COVID-19 concentrated on pulmonary issues, but with time, additional features such as hyposmia/anosmia, dysgeusia, and skin lesions were added to the list of COVID-19 symptoms. There have been an increasing number of reports on oral cavity lesions in individuals with COVID-19, which might be relevant considering that this location is one of the first sites coming into contact with the virus and that it contains the SARS-CoV-2 receptor. We hereby aim to familiarize practicing head and neck clinicians with the range of oral lesions reported in COVID-19 patients and to critically appraise the most recent data on the role of SARS-CoV-2 in these lesions. We also discuss the ongoing debate on the direct/indirect association of oral symptoms with the disease. COVID-19 cases with simultaneous oral symptoms were extracted from the literature, and articles discussing the role of SARS-CoV-2 in oral lesions were compiled and methodically analyzed. We found approximately 95 COVID-19 patients with a wide range of oral lesions. Based on current evidence, the exact role of SARS-CoV-2 in the development of oral lesions remains unclear. Oral examination of patients is needed to provide adequate cases for analysis to clarify unknown problems related to COVID-19. There is evidence to support both the direct and indirect roles of SARS-CoV-2 in the development of oral lesions. Awareness of the possibility of oral manifestations in COVID-19 is important to clarify the range of disease signs and symptoms.
A Flexible Reinforced Bin Packing Framework with Automatic Slack Selection
Authors: Yang Ting , Luo Fei , Fuentes Joel , Ding Weichao , Gu Chunhua
Published: May 2021

The slack-based algorithms are popular bin-focus heuristics for the bin packing problem (BPP). The selection of slacks in existing methods only consider predetermined policies, ignoring the dynamic exploration of the global data structure, which leads to nonfully utilization of the information in the data space. In this paper, we propose a novel slack-based flexible bin packing framework called reinforced bin packing framework (RBF) for the one-dimensional BPP. RBF considers the RL-system, the instance-eigenvalue mapping process, and the reinforced-MBS strategy simultaneously. In our work, the slack is generated with a reinforcement learning strategy, in which the performance-driven rewards are used to capture the intuition of learning the current state of the container space, the action is the choice of the packing container, and the state is the remaining capacity after packing. During the construction of the slack, an instance-eigenvalue mapping process is designed and utilized to generate the representative and classified validate set. Furthermore, the provision of the slack coefficient is integrated into MBS-based packing process. Experimental results show that, in comparison with fit algorithms, MBS and MBS’, RBF achieves state-of-the-art performance on BINDATA and SCH_WAE datasets. In particular, it outperforms its baseline MBS and MBS’, averaging the number increase of optimal solutions of 189.05% and 27.41%, respectively.
A New Approach for Determining the Control Volumes of Production Wells considering Irregular Well Distribution and Heterogeneous Reservoir Properties
Authors: Lu Cheng , Chen Ling , Wang Xiaodong , Luo Wanjing , Peng Yue , Cui Yudong , Wang Lin , Teng Bailu
Published: May 2021

The oil and gas fields are commonly developed with a group of production wells. Therefore, it can be essential for the industries to predict the performance of the production wells in order to optimize the development strategies. In practice, it frequently happens that we only hope to study the performance of a single production well. In such cases, it can be time consuming to run the reservoir simulation with the entire reservoir model to study the well performance. Hence, it can be preferred to determine the control volume (or drainage volume) of the target well from the entire reservoir and run the simulation with the small control volume to reduce the simulation cost. However, an irregular layout of the production wells and the heterogeneity of reservoir properties, which can be commonly observed in real field cases, can induce a stringent barrier for one to determine the control volumes. At present, we are still lacking a method to determine the control volumes of the production wells considering well distribution and reservoir heterogeneities. In order to overcome such a barrier, the authors proposed a new approach to divide the entire reservoir into small control volumes on the basis of the fast marching method (FMM). This approach is validated by comparing the simulation outputs of the target well calculated only with the determined control volume to those calculated with the entire reservoir model. The calculated results show that using the control volume that is determined with the proposed method to calculate the well performance can yield results that agree well with the results that are calculated with the entire reservoir model. This indicates that this proposed method is reliable to determine the control volume of the production wells. In addition, the calculated results in this work show that changing fracture length exerts a slight influence on the control volumes if the length of all fractures is increased, whereas, if only one of the fracture lengths is increased, the control volume of the corresponding well will be significantly increased. The number of the production wells and the distribution of the production well can noticeably influence the control volumes of the production wells. The findings of this study can help for optimizing the well spacing, estimating the ultimate recovery, and reducing the computational cost.
Fabrication of Hierarchical Nanocomposites through a Nature-Mimic Method: Depositing MoS2 Nanoparticles on Carbon Nitride Nanotubes by Polydopamine Coating
Authors: Wu Yansong , Ding Wei , Li Jian
Published: May 2021

The combination of 1D nanotubes with 0D nanoparticles to integrate a nanocomposite structure has attracted increasing research interest, while the interfacial interaction plays an important role in such composites. This paper presents a facile and universal approach for the fabrication of hierarchical NP-NT nanocomposites with improved photocatalytic performances by mussel chemistry. Polydopamine (PDA) serves as the biomimetic adhesive layer and then connects MoS2 nanoparticles with g-C3N4 nanotubes (CNNTs). The obtained nanocomposites were characterized by FT-IR spectra, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-vis DRS, and PL. Compared with unmodified CNNTs, the as-prepared MoS2-PDA-CNNT composites exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic properties for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. This research would provide a green and versatile method to construct hierarchical structured nanocomposites with high catalytic activity.
Field Test Research on Red Clay Slope under Atmospheric Action
Authors: Chen Kaisheng
Published: May 2021

By embedding water content sensors and pore water pressure sensors inside the red clay slope on‐site in Guiyang, Guizhou, shear tests were performed on soil samples at different depths of the slope under different weather. The changes of water content, pore water pressure, and shear strength index of the slope inside the slope under the influence of the atmosphere were tracked and tested, and the failure characteristics and evolution of the red clay slope were analyzed. It is believed that the depth of influence of the atmosphere on red clay slopes is about 0.7 m, rainfall is the most direct climatic factor leading to the instability of red clay slopes, and the evaporation effect is an important prerequisite for the catastrophe of red clay slopes. The cohesion and internal friction angle of the slope soil have a good binary quadratic function relationship with the water content and density. The water content and density can be used to calculate the cohesion and internal friction angle. Failure characteristics of red clay slopes: the overall instability failure is less, mainly surface failure represented by gullies and weathering and spalling, and then gradually evolved into shallow instability failure represented by collapse and slump. The damage evolution law is as follows: splash corrosion and surface corrosion stage⟶ fracture development stage⟶ gully formation stage⟶ gully development through stage⟶ local collapse stage⟶ slope foot collapse stage.
Effects of Soil‐Structure Interaction on Torsionally Coupled Base Isolated Machine Foundation under Earthquake Load
Authors: Rajkumar Karmegam , Ayothiraman Ramanathan , Matsagar Vasant A.
Published: May 2021

In this paper, the influence of soil‐structure interaction (SSI) on a torsionally coupled turbo‐generator (TG) machine foundation is studied under earthquake ground motions. The beneficial effects of base isolators in the TG foundation under earthquake ground motions are also studied duly, considering the effects of SSI. A typical TG foundation is analyzed using a three‐dimensional finite element (FE) model. Two superstructure eccentricity ratios are considered to represent the torsional coupling. Soft soil properties are considered to study the effects of SSI. This research concludes that the effects of torsional coupling alter the natural frequencies, if ignored, could lead to unsafe design. The deck accelerations and displacements are increased with an increase in superstructure eccentricity. On the other hand, the deck accelerations and displacements are greatly reduced with the help of base isolators, thus confirming the beneficial use of base isolators in machine foundations to protect the sensitive equipment from the strong earthquake ground motions. However, the effects of SSI reduce the natural frequencies of the TG foundation resting on soft soil conditions and activate the higher mode participation, resulting in amplifying the response.
Tribological Behavior of Ni-Based WC-Co Coatings Deposited via Spray and Fuse Technique Varying the Oxygen Flow
Authors: Jiménez H. , Olaya J. J. , Alfonso J. E.
Published: May 2021

The tribological behavior of Ni-based WC-Co coatings is analyzed. The coatings were deposited on gray cast iron substrates in a spray and fuse process using SuperJet Eutalloy deposition equipment, varying the oxygen flow conditions in the flame. The crystallographic structure of the coatings was characterized via the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The microhardness was measured on the surface and in cross sections of the coatings by means of a Knoop microhardness tester. The topography and the morphological characteristics of the coatings and the tribo-surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy, while the chemical composition was measured by means of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The tribological behavior of the coatings was examined via a cohesion-adhesion scratch test, using cross sections of the coatings. Furthermore, two wear tests were carried out, using the pin-on-disk method under ASTM G99 standard and an ASTM standard G65 sand/rubber wheel abrasion wear test. The wear of the coatings showed a close relationship to the porosity in the metal matrix; since then, in the abrasive wear test, a high porosity is related with lower hardness in the coatings; likewise, a low hardness is related with a high wear.
Successful Vaginal Delivery after External Cephalic Version in a Woman with a Large Partial Uterine Septum
Authors: Park Kristen E. , Vestal Nicole L. , Awadalla Michael S. , Winer Sharon A.
Published: May 2021

Septate uteri have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and malpresentation. It is unclear if uterine septa are associated with infertility. Although some studies have shown improved pregnancy outcomes after septum resection, indications for resection are not well established. We describe a case of a woman with a large partial uterine septum diagnosed during workup for infertility who conceived without septum resection. Both of her subsequent pregnancies were initially breech presentations for which the patient underwent external cephalic version followed by full-term vaginal deliveries. This case adds evidence that an unresected uterine septum should not be considered a contraindication to external cephalic version.
Intelligent Decision-Making System for Martial Arts Competition Using Deep Learning
Authors: Li Shisen , Huo Shenglu , Ke Wei
Published: May 2021

In the field of martial arts, athletes can win the initiative in the competition if they can correctly and timely acquire the field knowledge, evaluate the situation efficiently, and formulate a suitable strategy. In this paper, we use fuzzy mathematics, mathematical statistics, and artificial intelligence learning algorithms to carry out systematic and in-depth research on the selection of Wushu competition scene decision-making. The fuzzy mathematics theory is combined with the intelligent design theory for decision-making based on a multiagent, case-based reasoning selection, and adaptability evaluation analysis. The Wushu competition scene decision system is constructed based on artificial intelligence learning algorithms. Our approach outperforms the existing approaches in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and Matthew’s correlation coefficient (MCC). The results of our proposed model can be anticipated to have the potential for better flexibility and scalability in martial arts competition.
Short-Term Master-Slave Forecast Method for Distributed Photovoltaic Plants Based on the Spatial Correlation
Authors: Ning Jia , Lu Guanghao , Hao Sipeng , Zeng Aidong , Wang Hualei
Published: May 2021

With the large-scale integration of distributed photovoltaic (DPV) power plants, the uncertainty of photovoltaic generation is intensively influencing the secure operation of power systems. Improving the forecast capability of DPV plants has become an urgent problem to solve. However, most of the DPV plants are not able to make generation forecast on their own due to the constraints of the investment cost, data storage condition, and the influence of microscope environment. Therefore, this paper proposes a master-slave forecast method to predict the power of target plants without forecast ability based on the power of DPV plants with comprehensive forecast system and the spatial correlation between these two kinds of plants. First, a characteristics pattern library of DPV plants is established with K-means clustering algorithm considering the time difference. Next, the pattern most spatially correlated to the target plant is determined through online matching. The corresponding spatial correlation mapping relationship is obtained by numerical fitting using least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), and the short-term generation forecast for target plants is achieved with the forecast of reference plants and mapping relationship. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method could improve the overall forecast accuracy by more than 52% for univariate prediction and by more than 22% for multivariate prediction and obtain short-term generation forecast for DPV or newly built DPV plants with low investment.
An Optimized and Efficient Routing Protocol Application for IoV
Authors: Afzal Kiran , Tariq Rehan , Aadil Farhan , Iqbal Zeshan , Ali Nouman , Sajid Muhammad
Published: May 2021

IoV is the latest application of VANET and is the alliance of Internet and IoT. With the rapid progress in technology, people are searching for a traffic environment where they would have maximum collaboration with their surroundings which comprise other vehicles. It has become a necessity to find such a traffic environment where we have less traffic congestion, minimum chances of a vehicular collision, minimum communication delay, fewer communication errors, and a greater message delivery ratio. For this purpose, a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) was devised where vehicles were communicating with each other in an infrastructureless environment. In VANET, vehicles communicate in an ad hoc manner and communicate with each other to deliver messages, for infotainment purposes or for warning other vehicles about emergency scenarios. Unmanned aerial vehicle- (UAV-) assisted VANET is one of the emerging fields nowadays. For VANET’s routing efficiency, several routing protocols are being used like optimized link state routing (OLSR) protocol, ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocol, and destination-sequenced distance vector (DSDV) protocol. To meet the need of the upcoming era of artificial intelligence, researchers are working to improve the route optimization problems in VANETs by employing UAVs. The proposed system is based on a model of VANET involving interaction with aerial nodes (UAVs) for efficient data delivery and better performance. Comparisons of traditional routing protocols with UAV-based protocols have been made in the scenario of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. Later on, communication of vehicles via aerial nodes has been studied for the same purpose. The results have been generated through various simulations. After performing extensive simulations by varying different parameters over grid sizes of 300 × 1500 m to 300 × 6000 m, it is evident that although the traditional DSDV routing protocol performs 14% better than drone-assisted destination-sequenced distance vector (DA-DSDV) when we have number of sinks equal to 25, the performance of drone-assisted optimized link state routing (DA-OLSR) protocol is 0.5% better than that of traditional OLSR, whereas drone-assisted ad hoc on-demand distance vector (DA-AODV) performs 22% better than traditional AODV. Moreover, if we increase the number of sinks up to 50, it can be clearly seen that the DA-AODV outperforms the rest of the routing protocols by up to 60% (either traditional routing protocol or drone-assisted routing protocol). In addition, for parameters like MAC/PHY overhead and packet delivery ratio, the performance of our proposed drone-assisted variants of protocols is also better than that of the traditional routing protocols. These results show that our proposed strategy performs better than the traditional VANET protocols and plays important role in minimizing the MAC/PHY and enhancing the average throughput along with average packet delivery ratio.
Analysis of Damage Mechanism of Tunnel Lining Structure under the Coupling Action of Active Fault
Authors: Yang Guotao , Ma Sujian , Zhang Liang , Tan Xinrong , Tang Rui , Liu Yang
Published: May 2021

To reveal the failure mechanism of tunnel structure under active fault movement, based on the pseudostatic elastoplastic finite element method, the failure modes of the tunnel lining are studied under different movement ratios of strike‐slip faults and thrust faults with 45° dip angle by using numerical simulation. The results show that the range of significant lining failure section can be determined according to any direction of the coupling fault movement decomposition direction, and the damage effect is determined by the overall movement amount of the coupling fault. The significant damage area of the lining under the action of the coupling fault is the same as the area of deformation, which mainly manifests as tensile failure. Compressive failure occurs in the boundary area between the fracture zone and the hanging wall and foot wall. The plastic strain is the largest in the area where the arch waist and the arch bottom intersect. The development of tunnel lining plastic zone under coupling fault is from arch top and arch bottom to both sides of the arch waist. The development of the plastic zone under active fault is mainly determined by the form of fault with a large ratio. The research results can provide a reference for the design and safety evaluation of tunnel crossing active faults.
National Trends in the Burden of Atrial Fibrillation During Hospital Admissions for Heart Failure
Authors: Reinhardt Samuel W. , Chouairi Fouad , Miller P. Elliott , Clark Katherine A. A. , Kay Bradley , Fuery Michael , Guha Avirup , Freeman James V. , Ahmad Tariq , Desai Nihar R. , Friedman Daniel J.
Published: May 2021

Background

Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently coexist and may be associated with worse HF outcomes, but there is limited contemporary evidence describing their combined prevalence. We examined current trends in AF among hospitalizations for HF with preserved (HFpEF) ejection fraction or HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the United States, including outcomes and costs.

Methods and Results

Using the National Inpatient Sample, we identified 10 392 189 hospitalizations for HF between 2008 and 2017, including 4 250 698 with comorbid AF (40.9%). HF hospitalizations with AF involved patients who were older (average age, 76.9 versus 68.8 years) and more likely White individuals (77.8% versus 59.1%;
P
<0.001 for both). HF with preserved ejection fraction hospitalizations had more comorbid AF than HF with reduced ejection fraction (44.9% versus 40.8%). Over time, the proportion of comorbid AF increased from 35.4% in 2008 to 45.4% in 2017, and patients were younger, more commonly men, and Black or Hispanic individuals. Comorbid hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and vascular disease all increased over time. HF hospitalizations with AF had higher in‐hospital mortality than those without AF (3.6% versus 2.6%); mortality decreased over time for all HF (from 3.6% to 3.4%) but increased for HF with reduced ejection fraction (from 3.0% to 3.7%;
P
<0.001 for all). Median hospital charges were higher for HF admissions with AF and increased 40% over time (from $22 204 to $31 145;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

AF is increasingly common among hospitalizations for HF and is associated with higher costs and in‐hospital mortality. Over time, patients with HF and AF were younger, less likely to be White individuals, and had more comorbidities; in‐hospital mortality decreased. Future research will need to address unique aspects of changing patient demographics and rising costs.
Do Persons with Disability Need Healing?
Authors: Sande Nomatter , Ringson John
Published: May 2021

Much has been written on disability care and support from human rights, cultural, and religious perspectives around the world. However, there is still a paucity of information on the experiences of Persons with Disability (pwd) in their divine healing and deliverance encounter with the African Pentecostal Churches (apc) in Zimbabwe. This qualitative phenomenological study seeks to establish the lived experiences of 28 pwd s within the selected four apc s operating in the Harare province of Zimbabwe. The central questions underpinning this study were whether pwd need divine healing, and are they getting healed? The study used the religious model of disability and the Pentecostal ‘hermeneutic of healing’ as theoretical frameworks. While healing is essential to physical life, the findings show that pwd need dignity, recognition, and compassion more than the uncertain promises of divine healing. In the premises of the preceding, the study concludes and recommends that pwd receive holistic material and psychosocial support and that they stop endlessly chasing after a physical healing.
From the Gesta Romanorum to Werner Bergengruen
Authors: Classen Albrecht
Published: May 2021

Horribile dictu, the twenty-first century is witnessing a steady decline of democracy and the rise of autocratic, self-aggrandizing rulers in many countries across the world. How long will they stay in power, however? Already since the high Middle Ages, numerous poets across Europe explored the topic of the ‘emperor in misery,’ in which an angel takes on the appearance of the emperor, which forces the latter to go through a long period of extreme suffering, being denied all respect, rejected, beaten, imprisoned, suffering from hunger and cold. Eventually, the poor emperor learns to accept his destiny, repents his previous hubris, confesses his sins, and suddenly realizes that his doppelgänger is actually an angel sent from God to teach him a lesson. Once this transformation in his soul has happened, the angel explains the entire situation, warns the emperor never to commit his sins again, and disappears. Of course, it is doubtful whether these narratives might have ever had a direct impact on the political situation, but the warning for evil rulers resonated throughout the centuries and found a remarkable continuation in one of the novellas of the Baltic-German author Werner Bergengruen (1946).
Tying up loose ends: The synonymization of Monopera with Angelonia (Plantaginaceae), including a new combination and typifications

Authors: SCATIGNA ANDRÉ VITO , SOUZA VINICIUS CASTRO
Published: May 2021

Angelonia Bonpl. in Humboldt & Bonpland (1809: 92) is the largest genus of the neotropical tribe Angelonieae of the Plantaginaceae, formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae, comprising ca. 30 species, and characterized by the strongly zygomorphic corolla with a saccate tube, internally covered with oil-producing trichomes (Souza & Giulietti 2009, Martins et al. 2014). Angelonia micrantha Bentham (1846: 252) and A. micrantha var. perennis Chodat & Hassler (1904: 285) were recognized in this genus until Barringer (1983) transferred them to the therein described Monopera Barringer (1983: 111), elevating the latter taxon to the specific level. Baringer (1983) argued that Monopera differed from Angelonia by the unisaccate corolla (vs. bisaccate), the absence of a tooth-like appendage in the corolla lower lip (vs. presence), and the reticulate-echinate seeds (vs. reticulate-scalariform).
Sensitivity of radiative flux simulations to ice cloud parameterization over the equatorial western Pacific Ocean region
Authors: REN TONG , LI DONGCHEN , MULLER JAKE , YANG PING
Published: May 2021

Previous studies suggest explanations of the observed cancellation of shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) cloud radiative effects (CREs) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) over tropical oceans where deep convection prevails, such as interactions among cloud microphysics, radiation, and dynamics. However, simulations based on general circulation models (GCMs) show disagreement in terms of the net (SW + LW) CREs over tropical deep convective ocean regions. One of the GCM uncertainty sources is the parameterization of ice cloud bulk optical properties. In this study, a combination of active and passive satellite daytime cloud retrievals is used to study the sensitivity of radiation flux calculations to ice cloud parameterization over the equatorial western Pacific Ocean region. Three ice cloud schemes are tested. The first is a widely used scheme that assumes hexagonal column ice particles. The second scheme treats ice particles as aggregates of surface-roughened hexagonal columns. The third scheme best matches the cloud ice mass-dimension relation in the cloud microphysics scheme by assuming a mixture of two ice particle habits. The results show that the hexagonal-column-based scheme has the weakest SW CRE but strongest LW CRE among the three. In addition, cloud optical thickness and effective radius are used to cluster cold-top single-layer ice clouds into three types, which resemble thin cirrus, detrained anvil clouds, and deep convective cores, respectively. In agreement with previous studies, cloud SW heating overwhelms LW cooling in the upper portion of anvil-like clouds.