bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of down‐regulated carbonic anhydrase 8 on cell survival and glucose metabolism in human colorectal cancer cell lines
Authors: Wu Cheng‐Yen , Yu Jia‐Yo , Chen Yi‐Shan , Chang Hui‐Ping , Hsieh Benjamin Y. , Lin Yu‐Hsin , Ma Chung‐Yung , Tsai Shang‐Feng , Hsieh Mingli
Published: April 2024

Carbonic anhydrase 8 (CA8) is a member of the α‐carbonic anhydrase family but does not catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. In the present study, we examined the effects of CA8 on two human colon cancer cell lines, SW480 and SW620, by suppressing CA8 expression through shRNA knockdown. Our results showed that knockdown of CA8 decreased cell growth and cell mobility in SW620 cells, but not in SW480 cells. In addition, downregulated CA8 resulted in a significant decrease of glucose uptake in both SW480 and SW620 cells. Interestingly, stable downregulation of CA8 decreased phosphofructokinase‐1 expression but increased glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) levels in SW620 cells. However, transient downregulation of CA8 fails to up‐regulate GLUT3 expression, indicating that the increased GLUT3 observed in SW620‐shCA8 cells is a compensatory effect. In addition, the interaction between CA8 and GLUT3 was evidenced by pull‐down and IP assays. On the other hand, we showed that metformin, a first‐line drug for type II diabetes patients, significantly inhibited cell migration of SW620 cells, depending on the expressions of CA8 and focal adhesion kinase. Taken together, our data demonstrate that when compared to primary colon cancer SW480 cells, metastatic colon cancer SW620 cells respond differently to downregulated CA8, indicating that CA8 in more aggressive cancer cells may play a more important role in controlling cell survival and metformin response. CA8 may affect glucose metabolism‐ and cell invasion‐related molecules in colon cancer, suggesting that CA8 may be a potential target in future cancer therapy.
In Silico Study of the Early Stages of Aggregation of β‐Sheet Forming Antimicrobial Peptide GL13K
Authors: Hamidabad Mohammadreza Niknam , Watson Natalya A. , Wright Lindsay N. , Mansbach R. A.
Published: April 2024

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are of growing interest as potential candidates that may offer more resilience against antimicrobial resistance than traditional antibiotic agents. In this article, we perform the first in silico study of the synthetic ß sheet‐forming AMP GL13K. Through atomistic simulations of single and multi‐peptide systems under different conditions, we are able to shine a light on the short timescales of early aggregation. We find that isolated peptide conformations are primarily dictated by sequence rather than charge, whereas changing charge has a significant impact on the conformational free energy landscape of multi‐peptide systems. We demonstrate that the loss of charge‐charge repulsion is a sufficient minimal model for experimentally observed aggregation. Overall, our work explores the molecular biophysical underpinnings of the first stages of aggregation of a unique AMP, laying necessary groundwork for its further development as an antibiotic candidate.
A rare case of Gardner syndrome in an African adult male: A case report
Authors: Olaopa Olusegun I. , Dada Adedamola A. , Soneye Oluwafunmilayo Y. , Iyapo Oluwadamilare , Akinniyi Taofeek A. , Adisa Akinyele O. , Kanmodi Kehinde K. , Olaopa Adedolapo O. , Emeka Christian I. , Ehanire Imudia D. , Coker Modupe O.
Published: April 2024

Key Clinical Message

Gardner's syndrome with the complete manifestation of colonic and extracolonic features is uncommon. Therefore, every clinician should view extracolonic features with a high index of suspicion. This may be key to early diagnosis, definitive management in these patients and importantly, helps prevent malignant transformation of existing colonic polyps.
Performance of Photovoltaic Thermal and Biomass Gasification for Efficient Renewable Energy Generation: A Review
Authors: Kamaruzaman Nursyuhada’ , Mohd Shadzalli Zahrul Faizi , Abdul Manaf Norhuda , Allouzi Mintallah Mousa A. , Thangalazhy‐Gopakumar Suchithra
Published: April 2024

This review presents the technical and operational performances of solar and biomass energy technologies viz photovoltaic thermal (PVT) and biomass gasification systems. This work aims to offer a reference and guidelines to the renewable energy‐related players, especially for those at the operational level and investors. This paper highlights the technical advantage of hybrid PVT with phase change material in terms of electrical and thermal efficiencies. While the operational performance of biomass gasification is thoroughly discussed via sensitivity analysis, the potential integration between solar and biomass gasification technologies is explored to complement and bolster the capabilities of both renewable systems within the power energy mix portfolio. Finally, few directions and significant takeaways considering the technical criteria are addressed for identifying efficient renewable energy generation.
Decoding Voltammograms at the Molecular Frontier: Integration of Voltammetry and Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Koovakattil Surendran Adarsh , Roithová Jana
Published: April 2024

Electrochemical reactions are better understood by gaining insight into the molecular transformations at the electrodes. This paper introduces a straightforward experimental arrangement in which the voltammetry experiment in a standard electrochemical cell integrates with online electrospray‐ionization mass‐spectrometry. The procedure allows for monitoring of the ions produced at the working electrode. The ionic species sampling is facilitated by a silica capillary embedded in the working electrode and connected directly to the electrospray ionization source. This integration configures real‐time monitoring of the ions produced at the working electrode, enhancing our knowledge of the electrochemical process. The methodology is thoroughly described and exemplified by monitoring the reactive intermediates and products that arise during the electrochemical oxidation of carbazole. This design provides an opportunity to study intermediates in electrochemical reactions with advanced mass spectrometry methods such as ion mobility separation or ion spectroscopy.
Impacts of immune microenvironment on musculoskeletal health
Authors: Xu Ren
Published: April 2024

Understanding the interplay between immune cells and the bone marrow microenvironment is crucial for elucidating age‐related musculoskeletal changes. In this commentary manuscript, we summarized that studies have shown that proinflammatory immune cells in the bone marrow, such as macrophages and neutrophils, can inhibit bone formation by secreting grancalcin. Research on skeletal stem cells (SSCs) in aged mice reveals a shift towards pro‐inflammatory gene expression, affecting their osteogenic potential, while another study maps age‐related changes in cranial SSC niches, emphasizing the role of the CXCL12–CXCR4 axis in stem cell‐immune cell communication, Additionally, the immune system influences hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); Niche ageing and accumulation of mutations with age lead to HSC exhaustion and a bias towards myeloid differentiation, with toll‐like receptors playing a key role in maintaining hematopoiesis and bone metabolism balance.
Treatment effects of empagliflozin in hospitalized heart failure patients across the range of left ventricular ejection fraction – Results from the EMPULSE trial
Authors: Tromp Jasper , Kosiborod Mikhail N. , Angermann Christiane E. , Collins Sean P. , Teerlink John R. , Ponikowski Piotr , Biegus Jan , Ferreira João Pedro , Nassif Michael E. , Psotka Mitchell A. , Brueckmann Martina , Blatchford Jonathan P , Steubl Dominik , Voors Adriaan A.
Published: April 2024

Aim

The EMPULSE (EMPagliflozin in patients hospitalised with acUte heart faiLure who have been StabilizEd) trial showed that, compared to placebo, the sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin (10 mg/day) improved clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (HF). We investigated whether efficacy and safety of empagliflozin were consistent across the spectrum of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods and results

A total of 530 patients hospitalized for acute de novo or decompensated HF were included irrespective of LVEF. For the present analysis, patients were classified as HF with reduced (HFrEF, LVEF ≤40%), mildly reduced (HFmrEF, LVEF 41–49%) or preserved (HFpEF, LVEF ≥50%) ejection fraction at baseline. The primary endpoint was a hierarchical outcome of death, worsening HF events (HFE) and quality of life over 90 days, assessed by the win ratio. Secondary endpoints included individual components of the primary endpoint and safety. Out of 523 patients with baseline data, 354 (67.7%) had HFrEF, 54 (10.3%) had HFmrEF and 115 (22.0%) had HFpEF. The clinical benefit (hierarchical composite of all‐cause death, HFE and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire total symptom score) of empagliflozin at 90 days compared to placebo was consistent across LVEF categories (≤40%: win ratio 1.35 [95% confidence interval 1.04, 1.75]; 41–49%: win ratio 1.25 [0.66, 2.37)] and ≥50%: win ratio 1.40 [0.87, 2.23], pinteraction = 0.96) with a favourable safety profile. Results were consistent across individual components of the hierarchical primary endpoint.

Conclusion

The clinical benefit of empagliflozin proved consistent across LVEF categories in the EMPULSE trial. These results support early in‐hospital initiation of empagliflozin regardless of LVEF.
Congestion patterns in severe tricuspid regurgitation and transcatheter treatment: Insights from a multicentre registry
Authors: Rommel Karl‐Philipp , Bonnet Guillaume , Fortmeier Vera , Stolz Lukas , Schöber Anne R. , von Stein Jennifer , Kassar Mohammad , Gerçek Muhammed , Rosch Sebastian , Stocker Thomas J. , Körber Maria I. , Kresoja Karl‐Patrik , Rudolph Tanja K. , Pfister Roman , Baldus Stephan , Windecker Stephan , Thiele Holger , Praz Fabien , Hausleiter Jörg , Rudolph Volker , Burkhoff Daniel , Lurz Philipp
Published: April 2024

Aims

While invasively determined congestion holds mechanistic and prognostic significance in acute heart failure (HF), its role in patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR)‐related right‐ heart failure (HF) undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI) is less well established. A comprehensive understanding of congestion patterns might aid in procedural planning, risk stratification, and the identification of patients who may benefit from adjunctive therapies before undergoing TTVI. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of congestion patterns in patients with severe TR and its implications for TTVI.

Methods and results

Within a multicentre, international TTVI registry, 813 patients underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) prior to TTVI and were followed up to 24 months. The median age was 80 (interquartile range 76–83) years and 54% were women. Both mean right atrial pressure (RAP) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) were associated with 2‐year mortality on Cox regression analyses with Youden index‐derived cut‐offs of 17 mmHg and 19 mmHg, respectively (p < 0.01 for all). However, RAP emerged as an independent predictor of outcomes following multivariable adjustments. Pre‐interventionally, 42% of patients were classified as euvolaemic (RAP <17 mmHg, PCWP <19 mmHg), 23% as having left‐sided congestion (RAP <17 mmHg, PCWP ≥19 mmHg), 8% as right‐sided congestion (RAP ≥17 mmHg, PCWP <19 mmHg), and 27% as bilateral congestion (RAP ≥17 mmHg, PCWP ≥19 mmHg). Patients with right‐sided or bilateral congestion had the lowest procedural success rates and shortest survival times. Congestion patterns allowed for discerning specific patient's physiology and specifying prognostic implications of right ventricular to pulmonary artery coupling surrogates.

Conclusion

In this large cohort of invasively characterized patients undergoing TTVI, congestion patterns involving right‐sided congestion were associated with low procedural success and higher mortality rates after TTVI. Whether pre‐interventional reduction of right‐sided congestion can improve outcomes after TTVI should be established in dedicated studies.
Chiroptical Properties of a Cryptophane Soluble at Neutral pH
Authors: Brotin Thierry , Daugey Nicolas , Jean Marion , Vanthuyne Nicolas , Buffeteau Thierry
Published: April 2024

This article reports the synthesis of the two enantiomers of a water‐soluble cryptophane 3 enabling cesium and thallium complexation at neutral or basic pH. The two enantiomers of 3 were obtained in a two steps synthesis from cryptophane 4, a molecule decorated with three phenol groups and three other phenol groups protected by benzyl units. The two enantiomers of 4 were isolated from liquid chromatography using chiral stationary phase. The absolute configuration of the two enantiomers of 3 was determined by vibrational circular dichroism combined with theoretical calculations. Contrary to cryptophane 1 that present large spectroscopic changes upon cesium and thallium complexation, the electronic circular dichroism spectra of compound 3 exhibit moderate spectral changes suggesting that this compound cannot change the conformation of its linkers as easily as cryptophane 1.
Forecasting carbon emissions using asymmetric grouping
Authors: Nibbering Didier , Paap Richard
Published: April 2024

This paper proposes an asymmetric grouping estimator for forecasting per capita carbon emissions for a country panel. The estimator relies on the observation that a bias‐variance pooling trade‐off in potentially heterogeneous panel data may be different across countries. For a specific country, cross validation is used to determine the optimal country‐specific grouping. A simulated annealing algorithm deals with the combinatorial problem of group selection in large cross sections. A Monte Carlo study shows that in case of heterogenous parameters, the asymmetric grouping estimators outperforms symmetric grouping approaches and forecasting based on individual estimates. Only in the case where the signal is very weak, pooling all countries leads to better forecasting performance. Similar results are found when forecasting carbon emission. The asymmetric grouping estimator leads to more pooling than a symmetric approach. Being on the same continent increases the probability of pooling, and African countries seem to benefit most from using asymmetric grouping and European countries least.
Effectiveness of visual nudges for encouraging healthier beverage choices from vending machines
Authors: Kay Enola , Kemps Eva , Prichard Ivanka , Tiggemann Marika
Published: April 2024

Issues Addressed

Research suggests visual nudging techniques can subtly encourage healthier consumption. Two experiments explored the effect of four visual primes for nudging drink choices from a vending machine display.

Methods

Participants (17–25 years) were randomly assigned to view vending machine advertising posters containing pictorial nudges of water, soft drink, general health (runner), or a text‐only control, for nudging vending machine choices. Participants then selected an item from a vending machine display containing drinks only (Experiment 1; n = 164), or both drinks and snack foods (Experiment 2, n = 684).

Results

In both experiments, nudging condition predicted beverage choice. Specifically, the water image nudged healthier beverage choices in both experiments. However, there was no effect on food choice in Experiment 2. Furthermore, in both experiments, liking and habitual consumption of chosen items were also significant predictors of choice, but condition predicted beverage choice over and above these.

Conclusion

A water prime may be an effective means of encouraging healthier beverage choices in a vending machine environment.

So What?

Findings have the potential to inform strategies for encouraging healthier beverage choices from vending machine environments.
Towards a Unified Architecture Methodology for Product Service Systems
Authors: Cederbladh Johan , Suryadevara Jagadish
Published: April 2024

There is ongoing digital transformation in many industrial contexts including non‐digital hardware‐intensive domains such as heavy construction equipment machinery. This transformation is augmented by the latest technologies, increasing sustainability regulations, as well as integrated customer needs. This paradigm shift is causing transformation of current product‐centric business models towards complex business models enabled by so‐called Product Service Systems (PSS) offering advanced “capabilities” and “services”. However, the development of PSSs requires a holistic approach to unify underlying solution domains such as mechatronic systems, embedded software control as well as information systems. In this paper, we describe a holistic “unified” architecture description methodology towards aligning the underlying domain‐specific design and development contexts. The framework, developed in construction domain, consists of two main parts: a minimalistic reference model as the “common language” for cross‐functional stakeholder communication; a modeling methodology based on existing standard modeling frameworks. We illustrate the methodology using examples from the construction equipment domain.
Architecture‐Centric Model‐Based Systems Engineering at Continental
Authors: Seidel Enrico , Forlingieri Marco
Published: April 2024

Since the last decade, the automotive industry has undergone a significant transformation, moving from traditional document‐based systems engineering to a more architecture‐focused and model‐based systems engineering (MBSE) approach. This shift is driven by the rapidly increasing complexity and the difficulties in managing system descriptions using conventional document‐based methods. The paper investigates how MBSE can support this transformation using an architecture framework developed at Continental. As a response, the authors propose an architecture‐centric Systems Engineering approach based on viewpoints. The focus on architecture‐centricity and using models enables a more efficient and effective way of analyzing, developing, and designing complex systems. The authors use an automotive example to demonstrate how this approach can be practically implemented within a development workflow. The article highlights the architecture‐centric model‐based systems engineering application through an in‐house architecture framework used at Continental.
Lung computed tomography image enhancement using U‐Net segmentation
Authors: Sheer Alaa H. , Kareem Hana H. , Daway Hazim G.
Published: April 2024

The goal of image enhancement methods is to improve image's quality. The efficacy of U‐net is evident through its extensive utilization across various significant image modalities, involving computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging, X‐rays, and microscopy. In this study, we provided a novel and efficient strategy to improve lung CT images based on segmentation using U‐Net architecture. Subsequently, contrast enhancement was performed using adaptive histogram equalization and dark channel prior methods. Finally, the lightness of the lung CT image was enhanced using nonlinear mapping. The contrast enhancement performance of the suggested method is quantified by various measures like the average gradient, mean of the local standard deviation, contrast enhancement measure, and structural similarity index. The performance of the suggested method is compared against other methods, and the results indicate that the suggested method achieves better quality measures of 23.4907, 55.20341, 0.961674, and 0.4143 for the four performance metrics.
Groundwater pollution vulnerability assessment using a modified DRASTIC model in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Au Hai , Tat Vy Minh Hong
Published: April 2024

The Pleistocene aquifer serves as a vital water source for various activities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, including concentrated and individual exploitation. In the present study, the DRASTIC (D, depth of water; R, net recharge; A, aquifer media; S, soil media; T, topography; I, impact of vadose zone; C, hydraulic conductivity) model was used to evaluate the groundwater sensitivity of the study area. To analyse Ho Chi Minh City's Upper‐Middle Pleistocene aquifer vulnerability, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to optimize the DRASTIC score and include land use (LU) characteristics. Four distinct weights were used: DRASTIC, modified DRASTIC‐LU, AHP‐DRASTIC and modified AHP‐DRASTIC‐LU. This study identified low, moderate and high vulnerability for 12%, 55% and 33% of the DRASTIC‐LU index values, respectively. The AHP‐DRASTIC index classifies 61%, 26% and 13% of sites as low, moderate and highly vulnerable, respectively. The study reveals that 52%, 30% and 18% of the area are vulnerable to the modified AHP‐DRASTIC‐LU index classes. The most sensitive factors are shallow aquifer roofs, recharge and LU. The real‐world accuracy of the DRASTIC models was tested using 106 groundwater nitrate concentrations. The modified AHP‐DRASTIC‐LU is the most accurate and appropriate model for the current research region.
Placental ontogeny in the Yucca Night Lizard, Xantusia vigilis
Authors: Stewart James R. , Presch William
Published: April 2024

Squamate placentas support physiological exchange between mothers and embryos. Uterine and embryonic epithelial cells provide sites for transporting mechanisms and extraembryonic membranes provide the scaffolding for embryonic epithelial cells and vascular systems. Diversity in placental structure involves variation in extraembryonic membrane development as well as epithelial cell specializations. Variation in placental ontogeny is known to occur and, although lineage specific patterns have been described, phylogenetic distribution of specific patterns is poorly understood. Xantusia vigilis is a viviparous lizard in a monophyletic clade, Xantusiidae, of predominantly viviparous species. Xantusiidae is one of two viviparous lineages within the clade Scincoidea that provides an important outgroup comparison for Scincidae, which includes the largest number of independent origins of viviparity among Squamata. Previous reports contain brief descriptions of placental structure of X vigilis but the developmental pattern is unknown including relevant details for comparison with skinks. We studied placental ontogeny in X. vigilis to address two hypotheses: (1) the pattern of development of placental architecture is similar to species of Scincidae and, (2) placental epithelial cell specializations are similar to species of Scincidae. The terminal placental stage of X. vigilis is similar to skinks in that it includes a chorioallantoic placenta and an omphaloplacenta. The chorioallantoic placenta is richly vascularized with thin, squamous epithelial cells separating the two vascular systems. This morphology differs from the elaborate epithelial cell specializations as occur in some skink species, but is similar to many species. Epithelial cells of the omphaloplacenta are enlarged, as they are in scincids, yet development of the omphaloplacenta includes a vascular pattern known to occur only in gerrhonotine lizards. Histochemical staining properties of the epithelium of the omphalopleure of the omphaloplacenta indicate the potential for protein transport, a function not previously reported for lizards.
Effect of quinoa protein concentration and oil volume fraction on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of alginate‐based emulsion gels
Authors: Lingiardi Nadia , Galante Micaela , Spelzini Darío
Published: April 2024

Background

This work studies emulsion gel (EG) formulation with quinoa proteins (QP), high‐oleic sunflower oil and alginate, and the effect of QP concentration (0.5–1–2%) and the oil volume fraction (10–30–50%) on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of EG systems. EGs were tested for their microstructural and textural attributes, color, and water holding capacity as well as for their thermal, physical, and oxidative stability.

Results

The microstructure of EG showed that with increasing QP concentrations, the gel structure tended to be much denser, with oil droplets entrapped within the network. A significant decrease in droplet diameter with increasing QP concentration (p = 0.015) and oil volume fraction (p < 0.000) was observed. Hardness mean value was 2.8 N ± 0.5, reaching the highest value with 1 and 2% QP and 30% oil (p < 0.000). Cohesiveness shows a similar trend to that observed for hardness, while springiness showed the opposite behavior. As for adhesiveness, there were no significant differences between samples. EG have high lightness with slight yellow and green contributions. The mean water holding capacity was 88 ± 4%, and after heat treatment all samples exhibited a good fluid retention, significantly lower for the lower oil volume fraction (p = 0.001). EG, also proved to be highly stable against creaming and oxidative damage.

Conclusion

Results suggest that EG could be useful to create a new generation of healthier and innovative products that could substitute animal fat and deliver nutrients and biological compounds, thus improving food quality.
Migration and remediation of typical contaminants in soil and groundwater: A state of art review
Authors: Zhao Ying , Song Jian , Cheng Kui , Liu Zhuqing , Yang Fan
Published: April 2024

Soil and groundwater contamination has always been a global concern. Contaminants are migrated and transformed in the soil and groundwater environments, which in turn pose potential environmental risks to humans. This paper describes four typical contaminants, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, microplastics, and perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Based on a systematic summary of the sources, hazards, and migration behaviors of these four contaminants, various existing remediation methods are analyzed, and the advantages and disadvantages of different methods are discussed. Finally, the future research prospects of soil and groundwater remediation are described, and the significance of the study of contaminant migration and remediation in the subsurface environment is emphasized. This research can help to provide theoretical and technical support for the study of contaminant migration and removal in soil and groundwater environments, and further improve the removal rate in actual contaminant sites.
Mode reconfigurable OAM helical array antenna for higher mode generation
Authors: Zhang Yunqi , Yang Rui , Li Xuping , Chen Jiateng , Hu Peng , Zhang Xuanming , Wang Shanzhe
Published: April 2024

In this paper, an orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode reconfigurable antenna based on a uniform circular array (UCA) is presented. The phase superposition method is presented to overcome the limitation of the number of array units on the mode order in the conventional four‐element UCA antenna, which is limited to generating first‐order OAM beams. The unit phase is introduced by a bifilar helical antenna in this method, and the unit phase is superimposed with the feed phase of the UCA to enable the generation of 3rd‐order OAM beams from the four‐element UCA. At the same time, the DC signal‐controlled feed network assigns three distinct feed phases to the UCA, which realizes the reconfigurability of the three OAM beams. To achieve mode reconfigurability, 20 p‐i‐n diodes were integrated as switches in the feed network for controlling the ON/OFF status of p‐i‐n diodes in the feed network using DC signals. Finally, simulated and measured results show that three OAM beams (lz = −1, −2, and −3) have been generated in the frequency band from 10.6 to 11.8 GHz.
Research on calculation model for ultimate bearing capacity of tensile type anchor cables and the shape of internal fracture surface in anchorage segment
Authors: Ren Qingyang , Meng Xin , Chen Bin , Xiao Songqiang , Jin Honghua , Mou Shan , Li Zhongyao
Published: April 2024

The generalized model and parameter equation for the internal fracture surface of tensile type anchor cable anchorage section are constructed, and the calculation model of ultimate bearing capacity is derived based on the principle of limit equilibrium. The shape of the internal fracture surface in the anchorage section and the expression of its parameter equation are experimentally studied, and the variation law of the parameter equation and fracture range with the diameter of the anchor cable and confining pressure is analyzed. The parameter equation is substituted into the calculation model to realize the calculation and verification of the model. Through theoretical derivation, a calculation model of ultimate bearing capacity of anchor cable is obtained, which comprehensively considers the average shear strength of anchorage section, the shape of fracture surface, fracture range and confining pressure. The tests show that according to the magnitude of the confining pressure on the anchorage section, the internal fracture surface takes on two shapes: cylindrical and trumpet‐shaped, the parameter equation of trumpet‐shaped fracture surface obeys logarithmic distribution approximately. The coefficient a decreases with the increase of confining pressure but increases with the increase of anchor cable diameter, the constant b increases with the increase of confining pressure but decreases with the increase of anchor cable diameter. The ranges of horizontal and vertical fracture decrease with the increase of confining pressure, and increase with the increase of anchor cable diameter. The deviations between the theoretical calculation and the experimental results are less than 6.5%.
Enhanced mechanical properties of polyphenylene sulfide and liquid crystal polymer composites by interfacial bonding capacity of graft‐modified graphene oxide and glass fibers
Authors: Xu Ke , Guan Shengxin , Xu Jianguang , Xia Lin , Huang Zhaoge
Published: April 2024

The aim of this study is to broaden the potential applications of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) by incorporating graphene oxide (GO)‐grafted glass fiber (GF) to enhance the mechanical properties of liquid crystal polymer (LCP)/PPS composites. The surface of GF was modified using γ‐Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH550), allowing for the grafting of GO. Subsequently, GO‐GF/LCP/PPS composites were prepared through extrusion injection molding. The properties of the composites were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The findings indicate that the interfacial adhesion between GF and composites is significantly improved with the addition of GO, The mass fractions of GO used were 0.1%, 0.5%, and 0.7%. The incorporation of GO‐grafted GF proves to be an effective approach in enhancing the tensile and flexural strengths of LCP/PPS composites. Additionally, a reduction in wear volume and tribological coefficient is observed compared to composites without GO‐treated GF. Notably, when the GO content is 0.5 wt%, the mechanical properties of the composites show significant improvement, with a 50% increase in impact strength compared to the composite without GO, and a decrease in friction coefficient from 0.28 to 0.22.
A rare‐earth‐based nano‐flame retardant with 2D MXene for improving fire safety and mechanical property of thermoplastic polyurethane composites
Authors: He Ruofan , Yin Zhenting , Yu Xiaoli , Jia Pengfei , Zhou Xiaodong , Lu Tingting , Guo Liying , Song Lei , Ma Chao , Wang Bibo , Hu Yuan
Published: April 2024

A kind of rare earth flame retardant, two‐dimensional lamellar compounds (MXene) loading with cerium phosphate nanorod, MXene@CePO4 (CMX) was prepared by hydrothermal and electrostatic adsorption methods. It was then applied in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). With the 3 wt% addition of CMX improving the mass rate of residual char from 4.42 wt% to 11.33 wt% compared to pristine TPU, there were reductions of 53.8%, 12.3%, and 24.7% in peak heat release rate (pHRR), total heat release (THR), and smoke density maximum (Ds max), respectively. Moreover, the TPU/CMX composites were shown to have superior mechanical properties compared with pristine TPU. For TPU/CMX‐3.0, there was a visible improvement in tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EB) of 12.5% and 54.1% respectively, compared to pure TPU. The analysis of the flame retardancy mechanism of TPU/CMX shows that CMX plays an effective role in quenching free radicals in the gas phase and promotes char formation of TPU in the condense phase. Therefore, this paper offers a new solution for designing multifunctional rare earth flame retardants that are applied in TPU, thereby extending its application in industries and daily life.
Polyurethane‐based nanocomposite for catalytic reduction of toxic dyes
Authors: Naseem Khalida , Abrar Eman , Haider Sajjad , Alam Kamran
Published: April 2024

In this work, we prepared AuNPs loaded polyurethane‐sodium alginate (Au‐PU‐ALg) composite polymers by casting and in‐situ reduction method. Successful fabrication of AuNPs was confirmed by UV–visible, Fourior transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning elcetron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) analysis along with the change in color of the suspension from yellow to dark purple. Thermo‐gravimetric analysis (TGA) also confirmed the loading of 7.44 % AuNPs of total nanocomposite contents. The catalytic activity of Au‐PU‐ALg nanocomposites was checked by reducing Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model reaction. It was seen that reduction of RhB was successfully done in the presence of NaBH4 and Au‐PU‐ALg nanocomposite in just 8 min with value of kapp found as 0.648 min−1. While the value of kapp for RhB reduction was found as 0.0008, 0.00221, and 0.0008 min−1 in the presence of catalyst, NaBH4 and polymer gel particles, respectively. Thus results show that the value of kapp for the reduction of RhB in the presence of NaBH4 and catalyst was found high as compared to the controlled reactions. Complex mixture of dyes such as RhB, crystal violet (CV), Congo red (CR), and dyes polluted industrial wastewater was become colorless in 10 and 3 min, respectively on mixing with catalyst and reducing agent. It was also observed that reduction of RhB followed pseudo first order kinetic model and Langmuir Hinshelwood mechanism.
Robust fault‐tolerant cooperative control for a class of interconnected systems with actuator faults based on dynamic event‐triggered
Authors: Wang Ke , Sun Chao , Huang Shengjuan , Wu Libing , Yi Suhuan
Published: April 2024

In this paper, the problem of fault estimation (FE) and fault‐tolerant control (FTC) for a class of systems with dynamic event‐triggered mechanism (ETM) and time delay in a network environment is studied. To shorten the time between events and minimize the amount of data transmitted, this paper introduces dynamic variables within the ETM. In order to ensure the interval between the system state and its estimation, a fault/state estimation observer considering time delay is designed, which improves the reliability and security of the system. On this basis, a fault‐tolerant controller considering time delay is constructed to compensate the impact of faults on the system. The observer, controller, and ETM are co‐designed to maintain system performance. By making full use of the information between subsystems, a continuous time interconnection systems is constructed and the cooperative control mechanism is redesigned on the basis of the above system. Through theoretical analysis, it has been demonstrated that Zeno phenomenon does not exist in the ETM in this paper. Finally, the main results are verified by numerical simulation, and the validity of the conclusions is demonstrated.
Liquid homeownership: Navigating future horizons to turn homeownership into assets in Bucharest, Romania
Authors: Ciocanel Alexandra
Published: April 2024

This article examines the financialization and assetization of housing in an Eastern European context by focusing on the specific temporally bounded financial strategies to maintain housing as an asset and vehicle for social reproduction. It proposes the concept of liquid homeownership to account for the varied associations of housing with liquidity and the expectations of future increased exchange value that play an essential role in shaping financial decisions in the present. Drawing on ethnographic research in Bucharest, the article argues that upper‐middle‐class mortgage borrowers strategize their leveraged housing investment by navigating between two future horizons. To ensure that housing is an asset in the long term, mortgage borrowers prefer to evacuate the long‐term of the mortgage contract through medium‐term financial strategies of early repayment. Given the importance attributed to future liquidity from homeownership for providing for old age or securing children's future, the article argues that liquid homeownership, at least for ordinary homebuyers, is a reflection less of short‐term financial interest and more of a long‐term social reproduction need, pointing to the complex intermix of financial calculations and domestic concerns in the context of financialization of housing.
2D Memory Selectors with Giant Nonlinearity Enabled by Van der Waals Heterostructures
Authors: Wang Xiaofan , Qiao Ruixi , Lu Huan , He Weiwei , Liu Ying , Zhou Tao , Wan Dongyang , Wang Qin , Liu Yanpeng , Guo Wanlin
Published: April 2024

The integration of one‐selector‐one‐resistor crossbar arrays requires the selectors featured with high nonlinearity and bipolarity to prevent leakage currents and any crosstalk among distinct cells. However, a selector with sufficient nonlinearity especially in the frame of device miniaturization remains scarce, restricting the advance of high‐density storage devices. Herein, a high‐performance memory selector is reported by constructing a graphene/hBN/WSe2heterostructure. Within the temperature range of 300–80 K, the nonlinearity of this selector varies from ≈103 – ≈104under forward bias, and increases from ≈300 – ≈105under reverse bias, the highest reported nonlinearity among 2D selectors. This improvement is ascribed to direct tunneling at low bias and Fowler–Nordheim tunneling at high bias. The tunneling current versus voltage curves exhibit excellent bipolarity behavior because of the comparable hole and electron tunneling barriers, and the charge transport polarity can be effectively tuned from N‐type or P‐type to bipolar by simply changing source‐drain bias. In addition, the conceptual memory selector exhibits no sign of deterioration after 70 000 switching cycles, paving the way for assembling 2D selectors into modern memory devices.
A Highly Robust and Conducting Ultramicroporous 3D Fe(II)‐Based Metal–Organic Framework for Efficient Energy Storage
Authors: Khan Soumen , Chand Santanu , Sivasakthi Pandiyan , Samanta Pralok K. , Chakraborty Chanchal
Published: April 2024

Exploitation of metal–organic framework (MOF) materials as active electrodes for energy storage or conversion is reasonably challenging owing to their poor robustness against various acidic/basic conditions and conventionally low electric conductivity. Keeping this in perspective, herein, a 3D ultramicroporous triazolate Fe‐MOF (abbreviated as Fe‐MET) is judiciously employed using cheap and commercially available starting materials. Fe‐MET possesses ultra‐stability against various chemical environments (pH‐1 to pH‐14 with varied organic solvents) and is highly electrically conductive (σ = 0.19 S m−1) in one fell swoop. By taking advantage of the properties mentioned above, Fe‐MET electrodes give prominence to electrochemical capacitor (EC) performance by delivering an astounding gravimetric (304 F g−1) and areal (181 mF cm−2) capacitance at 0.5 A g−1 current density with exceptionally high cycling stability. Implementation of Fe‐MET as an exclusive (by not using any conductive additives) EC electrode in solid‐state energy storage devices outperforms most of the reported MOF‐based EC materials and even surpasses certain porous carbon and graphene materials, showcasing superior capabilities and great promise compared to various other alternatives as energy storage materials.
A Comprehensive Specification and Verification of the L4 Microkernel API
Authors: Zhang Leping , Zhao Yongwang , Li Jianxin
Published: April 2024

The L4 API (Application Programming Interface) is a core component of the operating system, which serves as the interface between user-level processes and the microkernel, facilitating communication and interaction. It is crucial to ensure the correctness and reliability of the API. This paper proposes a comprehensive formal specification and verification for the L4 microkernel API. The specification is reusable for all implementations on architectures supported by the microkernel. To further improve reusability (e.g., for the L4 family), a parameterized model is abstracted, which mainly includes variables related to L4 components and safety properties built on them. The desired properties are composed of 350 functional correctness and 39 safety properties, where the safety properties cover existing invariants of the microkernel. Several rewriting rules and reasoning steps are proposed for verification to improve proof efficiency. The proofs of the specification w.r.t these properties are accomplished in the theorem prover Isabelle/HOL, and the results show that all definitions, lemmas, and proofs pass the prover’s check. During modeling and verification, 10 bugs in the source code are found, all of which are fixed in this paper.
Accurately Computing Expected Visiting Times and Stationary Distributions in Markov Chains
Authors: Mertens Hannah , Katoen Joost-Pieter , Quatmann Tim , Winkler Tobias
Published: April 2024

We study the accurate and efficient computation of the expected number of times each state is visited in discrete- and continuous-time Markov chains. To obtain sound accuracy guarantees efficiently, we lift interval iteration and topological approaches known from the computation of reachability probabilities and expected rewards. We further study applications of expected visiting times, including the sound computation of the stationary distribution and expected rewards conditioned on reaching multiple goal states. The implementation of our methods in the probabilistic model checker scales to large systems with millions of states. Our experiments on the quantitative verification benchmark set show that the computation of stationary distributions via expected visiting times consistently outperforms existing approaches — sometimes by several orders of magnitude.
A Parallel and Distributed Quantum SAT Solver Based on Entanglement and Teleportation
Authors: Lin Shang-Wei , Wang Tzu-Fan , Chen Yean-Ru , Hou Zhe , Sanán David , Teo Yon Shin
Published: April 2024

Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving is a fundamental problem in computer science. Finding efficient algorithms for SAT solving has broad implications in many areas of computer science and beyond. Quantum SAT solvers have been proposed in the literature based on Grover’s algorithm. Although existing quantum SAT solvers can consider all possible inputs at once, they evaluate each clause in the formula one by one sequentially, making the time complexityO(m), linear to the number of clausesm,per Grover iteration. In this work, we develop aparallelquantum SAT solver, which reduces the time complexity in each iteration to constant timeO(1) by utilising extra entangled qubits. To further improve the scalability of our solution in case of extremely large problems, we develop a distributed version of the proposed parallel SAT solver based on quantum teleportation such that the total qubits required are shared and distributed among a set of quantum computers (nodes), and the quantum SAT solving is accomplished collaboratively by all the nodes. We prove the correctness of our approaches and evaluate them in simulations and real quantum computers.
Scalable Tree-based Register Automata Learning
Authors: Dierl Simon , Fiterau-Brostean Paul , Howar Falk , Jonsson Bengt , Sagonas Konstantinos , Tåquist Fredrik
Published: April 2024

Existing active automata learning (AAL) algorithms have demonstrated their potential in capturing the behavior of complex systems (e.g., in analyzing network protocol implementations). The most widely used AAL algorithms generate finite state machine models, such as Mealy machines. For many analysis tasks, however, it is crucial to generate richer classes of models that also show how relations between data parameters affect system behavior. Such models have shown potential to uncover critical bugs, but their learning algorithms do not scale beyond small and well curated experiments. In this paper, we present $${SL}^{\lambda }$$

SL

λ

, an effective and scalable register automata (RA) learning algorithm that significantly reduces the number of tests required for inferring models. It achieves this by combining a tree-based cost-efficient data structure with mechanisms for computing short and restricted tests. We have implemented $${SL}^{\lambda }$$

SL

λ

as a new algorithm in RALib. We evaluate its performance by comparing it against $${SL}^{*}$$

SL

∗

, the current state-of-the-art RA learning algorithm, in a series of experiments, and show superior performance and substantial asymptotic improvements in bigger systems.
Small Test Suites for Active Automata Learning
Authors: Kruger Loes , Junges Sebastian , Rot Jurriaan
Published: April 2024

A bottleneck in modern active automata learning is to test whether a hypothesized Mealy machine correctly describes the system under learning. The search space for possible counterexamples is given by so-called test suites, consisting of input sequences that have to be checked to decide whether a counterexample exists. This paper shows that significantly smaller test suites suffice under reasonable assumptions on the structure of the black box. These smaller test suites help to refute false hypotheses during active automata learning, even when the assumptions do not hold. We combine multiple test suites using a multi-armed bandit setup that adaptively selects a test suite. An extensive empirical evaluation shows the efficacy of our approach. For small to medium-sized models, the performance gain is limited. However, the approach allows learning models from large, industrial case studies that were beyond the reach of known methods.
Accelerated Bounded Model Checking Using Interpolation Based Summaries
Authors: Solanki Mayank , Chatterjee Prantik , Lal Akash , Roy Subhajit
Published: April 2024

We propose a novel lazy bounded model checking (BMC) algorithm, Trace Inlining, that identifies relevant behaviors of the program to compute partial proofs as procedural summaries. Whenever procedures are reused in other contexts, Trace Inlining attempts to construct safety proofs using these summaries. If the current summaries are sufficient to complete the proof, it gains both in solving times and smaller encodings. If the summaries are found to be insufficient, they are automatically refined for future use. The partial proofs are enabled by a sequence of alternating underapproximation and overapproximation rounds until the program verification condition is found to be unsatisfiable. We evaluate our Trace Inlining algorithm on real-world benchmarks consisting of Windows and Linux device drivers. Our results show that the proposed algorithm is able to solve 12% additional benchmarks that were unsolved by state-of-the-art lazy BMC solvers Corral and Legion. Further, Trace Inlining is 6$$\times $$
×
faster than Corral and 3$$\times $$
×
faster than Legion in terms of verification time. The virtual best of all three verifiers is 4$$\times $$
×
faster than the virtual best of Corral and Legion, implying that our technique significantly improves on what is possible today.