bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis Differences in Patients with Unilateral or Bilateral Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: A Multi-Center Analysis
Authors: Yang Zheyu , Heng Yu , Qiu Weihua , Tao Lei , Cai Wei
Published: August 2022

Purposes: To quantitatively predict the risk of neck lymph node metastasis for unilateral and bilateral papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC) that may guide individual treatment strategies for the neck region. Methods: A total of 717 PTMC patients from three medical centers were enrolled for analysis. Results: Bilateral PTMCs were demonstrated to be more aggressive with a much higher cervical lymph node metastasis rate including for both central (CLNM) and lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) when being compared to unilateral PTMCs. In unilateral PTMC, five (age < 55 years old, male, maximum tumor diameter (MTD) ≥ 0.5 cm, and the presence of thyroid capsular invasion (TCI) and multifocality) and three (maximum diameter of positive CLN (MDCLN) > 0.5 cm, the presence of multifocality and nodular goiter, iNG) factors were identified as independent risk factors for CLNM and LLNM, respectively. In bilateral PTMC, three (age < 55 and presence of TCI and multifocality in at least one side of thyroid lobe) and two (MDCLN > 0.5 cm and presence of nodular goiter (iNG)) factors were identified as independent factors for CLNM and LLNM, respectively. Predictive models of CLNM and LLNM for patients with unilateral disease and of CLNM for patients with the bilateral disease were established based on the described risk factors. Bilateral patients with positive CLNM were also stratified into different subgroups according to the presence and absence of independent risk factors. Conclusion: An evaluation system based on independent factors of CLNM and LLNM for PTMC patients with bilateral and unilateral disease was established. Our newly established evaluation system can efficaciously quantify risks of CLNM and LLNM for PTMC patients with bilateral and unilateral disease and may guide individual treatment strategy including both surgical and postoperative adjuvant treatment of the neck region for these patients.
The Effects of a Therapeutic Strategy Guided by Lung Ultrasound on 6-Month Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure: Results from the EPICC Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Torres-Macho Juan , Cerqueiro-González Jose Manuel , Arévalo-Lorido Jose Carlos , Llácer-Iborra Pau , Cepeda-Rodrigo Jose María , Cubo-Romano Pilar , Casas-Rojo Jose Manuel , Ruiz-Ortega Raúl , Manzano-Espinosa Luis , Lorenzo-Villalba Noel , Méndez-Bailón Manuel
Published: August 2022

Background: Pulmonary congestion (PC) is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death in patients with heart failure (HF). Lung ultrasound is highly sensitive for detecting PC. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether lung ultrasound-guided therapy improves 6-month outcomes in patients with HF. Methods: A randomized, multicenter, single-blind clinical trial in patients discharged after hospitalization for decompensated HF. Participants were assigned 1:1 to receive treatment guided according to the presence of lung ultrasound signs of congestion (semi-quantitative evaluation of B lines and the presence of pleural effusion) versus standard of care (SOC). The primary endpoint was the combination of cardiovascular death, readmission, or emergency department or day hospital visit due to worsening HF at 6 months. In September 2020, after an interim analysis, patient recruitment was stopped. Results: A total of 79 patients were randomized (mean age 81.2 +/− 9 years) and 41 patients (51.8%) showed a left ventricular ejection fraction >50%. The primary endpoint occurred in 11 patients (29.7%) in the SOC group and in 11 patients (26.1%) in the LUS group (log-rank = 0.83). Regarding nonserious adverse events, no significant differences were found. Conclusions: LUS-guided diuretic therapy after hospital discharge due to ADHF did not show any benefit in survival or a need for intravenous diuretics compared with SOC.
Pathophysiology of Coagulation and Emerging Roles for Extracellular Vesicles in Coagulation Cascades and Disorders
Authors: Al-Koussa Houssam , AlZaim Ibrahim , El-Sabban Marwan E.
Published: August 2022

The notion of blood coagulation dates back to the ancient Greek civilization. However, the emergence of innovative scientific discoveries that started in the seventeenth century formulated the fundamentals of blood coagulation. Our understanding of key coagulation processes continues to evolve, as novel homeostatic and pathophysiological aspects of hemostasis are revealed. Hemostasis is a dynamic physiological process, which stops bleeding at the site of injury while maintaining normal blood flow within the body. Intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways culminate in the homeostatic cessation of blood loss, through the sequential activation of the coagulation factors. Recently, the cell-based theory, which combines these two pathways, along with newly discovered mechanisms, emerged to holistically describe intricate in vivo coagulation mechanisms. The complexity of these mechanisms becomes evident in coagulation diseases such as hemophilia, Von Willebrand disease, thrombophilia, and vitamin K deficiency, in which excessive bleeding, thrombosis, or unnecessary clotting, drive the development and progression of diseases. Accumulating evidence implicates cell-derived and platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), which comprise microvesicles (MVs), exosomes, and apoptotic bodies, in the modulation of the coagulation cascade in hemostasis and thrombosis. As these EVs are associated with intercellular communication, molecular recycling, and metastatic niche creation, emerging evidence explores EVs as valuable diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in thrombotic and prothrombotic diseases.
Editorial on the Paper “The Epidemiology and Genetics of Hyperuricemia and Gout across Major Racial Groups: A Literature Review and Population Genetics Secondary Database Analysis” by Butler, Alghoubayshi and Roman
Authors: Zahir Farah R.
Published: August 2022

This report by Butler et al [...]
Efficacy of Intravenous Elosulfase Alfa for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IVA: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lee Chung-Lin , Chuang Chih-Kuang , Syu Yu-Min , Chiu Huei-Ching , Tu Yuan-Rong , Lo Yun-Ting , Chang Ya-Hui , Lin Hsiang-Yu , Lin Shuan-Pei
Published: August 2022

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA (MPS IVA or Morquio A), a lysosomal storage disease with an autosomal recessive inherited pattern, is induced by GALNS gene mutations causing deficiency in N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase activity (GALNS; EC 3.1.6.4). Currently, intravenous (IV) enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with elosulfase alfa is employed for treating MPS IVA patients. A systematic literature review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IV elosulfase alfa for MPS IVA by searching the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (PubMed), Excerpta Medica dataBASE, and Cochrane Library databases, limited to clinical trials. Four cohort studies and two randomized controlled trials, with a total of 550 participants (327 on ERT treatment versus 223 on placebo treatment), satisfied the inclusion criteria. Pooled analysis of proportions and confidence intervals were also utilized to systematically review clinical cohort studies and trials. Per the pooled proportions analysis, the difference in means of urinary keratan sulfate (uKS), 6-min walk test, 3-min stair climb test, self-care MPS-Health Assessment Questionnaire, caregiver assistance and mobility, forced vital capacity, the first second of forced expiration, and maximal voluntary ventilation between the ERT and placebo treatment groups were −0.260, −0.102, −0.182, −0.360, −0.408, −0.587, −0.293, −0.311, and −0.213, respectively. Based on the currently available data, our meta-analysis showed that there is uKS, physical performance, quality of life, and respiratory function improvements with ERT in MPS IVA patients. It is optimal to start ERT after diagnosis.
Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Old and Frail Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: The Advantages of an Anticoagulation Service
Authors: Vedovati Maria Cristina , Agnelli Giancarlo
Published: August 2022

Despite the recent advancements, oral anticoagulation is still challenging in some patients and this is the case for old and frail patients. The large majority of frail patients with atrial fibrillation should receive anticoagulation since the associated benefits outweigh the risk of bleeding. A multidisciplinary consensus document on the use and prescription of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in older and frail patients with atrial fibrillation has been recently published. In this manuscript we provide a comment on this document and add insights into the management of these patients. The new DOAC age had imposed a paradigm shift in the management of patients with the need for clinically-oriented services rather than laboratory-oriented services. In this paper we provide tools for a structured patient-oriented DOACs treatment service supported by a multidisciplinary approach.
The Anesthetic Strategy for Patients with Mucopolysaccharidoses: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Lao Hsuan-Chih , Lin Ying-Chun , Liang Muh-Lii , Yang Ying-Wei , Huang Ya-Hsien , Chan Ying-Lun , Hsu Yung-Wei , Lin Shuan-Pei , Chuang Chih-Kuang , Cheng Jen-Kun , Lin Hsiang-Yu
Published: August 2022

Anesthesia for patients with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) is quite challenging due to vital systemic dysfunction following progressive accumulation of lysosomal glycosaminoglycans. Previous studies focused on perioperative difficult airway management under general anesthesia but rarely depicted the concern of choosing the size of the endotracheal tube (ETT) as well as neuraxial anesthesia. This study aimed to analyze the overall anesthetic management and related complications for a thorough anesthetic strategy. Within the study period from 2002 to 2021, each record of the anesthetic and perioperative quality assurance/improvement system for patients with a diagnosis of MPS at MacKay Memorial Hospital was retrospectively reviewed. A total of 51 individuals with 151 anesthesia for 163 interventions were cohort studied, and there were 136 general anesthesia and 15 neuraxial anesthesia. We found that the most common interventions for MPS patients were otolaryngological surgeries (49.6%). Additionally, a secured airway played a marked preference for the most general anesthesia (87.1%). The incidence of difficult intubation was 12.5%. In view of ETT size, a smaller than estimated size was used in MPS type II, III, IV, and VI patients and also in patients who received intubation with multiple attempts. However, a larger than estimated size of ETT was adopted whilst choosing cuffed ones. For neuraxial anesthesia, two failed spinal anesthesia procedures were converted to general anesthesia and 73 percent of the patients received perioperative sedation. In conclusion, through the individualized anesthetic strategy and build-up of an experienced team for airway management, high-quality anesthesia can be ensured in each patient.
Industrial Park Role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries
Authors: Falahatdoost Soniya , Wang Xingping
Published: August 2022

The development of the industrial park has been one of the priorities of the plans of different countries and has created a magnitude challenge concerning regional disparities. Globally, the Middle Eastern countries have demonstrated a more remarkable dedication to industrial park development, given its general importance since the 1970s. Due to this importance, this paper is divided into three sections due to the critical role of industrial park development in the case of Middle Eastern countries. First, this study highlighted the relevant literature using Scinotometric analysis. In the second step, following the investigation of the relationship between selected critical variables and the development of industrial parks towards regional development in the Middle Eastern countries from 2000 to 2018. In this regard, panel data were used to determine the association between the selected variables and industrial park performance. According to the findings, the author suggests policy implementation for industrial park development in three categories: economic growth, environmental issues, and reduction in regional disparities. Finally, this study can serve as a foundation for future research, such as comparing the first batch of industrial parks with their upgraded counterparts in the Middle East and studying the competitive advantages issues.
Evaluation of the Spatial Effect of Network Resilience in the Yangtze River Delta: An Integrated Framework for Regional Collaboration and Governance under Disruption
Authors: Che Lei , Xu Jiangang , Chen Hong , Sun Dongqi , Wang Bao , Zheng Yunuo , Yang Xuedi , Peng Zhongren
Published: August 2022

Public health emergencies are characterized by significant uncertainty and robust transmission, both of which will be exacerbated by population mobility, threatening urban security. Enhancing regional resilience in view of these risks is critical to the preservation of human lives and the stability of socio-economic development. Network resilience (NR) is widely accepted as a strategy for reducing the risk of vulnerability and maintaining regional sustainability. However, past assessments of it have not sufficiently focused on its spatial effect and have overlooked both its internal evolution characteristics and external threats which may affect its function and effectiveness. Therefore, we used the Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR) as a case study and conceptualized an integrated framework to evaluate the spatial pattern and mechanisms of NR under the superposition of the COVID-19 pandemiv and major holidays. The results indicated that the topology of a population mobility network has a significant effect on its resilience. Accordingly, the network topology indexes differed from period to period, which resulted in a decrease of 17.7% in NR. For network structure, the Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou development axes were dependent, and the network was redundant. In the scenario where 20% of the cities were disrupted, the NR was the largest. Furthermore, the failure of dominant nodes and the emergence of vulnerable nodes were key factors that undermined the network’s resilience. For network processes, NR has spatial effects when it is evolute and there is mutual inhibition between neighboring cities. The main factors driving changes in resilience were found to be GDP, urbanization rate, labor, and transportation infrastructure. Therefore, we propose a trans-scale collaborative spatial governance system covering “region-metropolitan-city” which can evaluate the uncertain disturbances caused by the network cascade effect and provide insights into the sustainable development of cities and regions.
Analysis of the Difference in Changes to Farmers’ Livelihood Capital under Different Land Transfer Modes—A Case Study of Manas County, Xinjiang, China
Authors: Liu Difan , Wang Yuejian , Chen Yuejiao , Yang Guang , Xu Hailiang , Ma Yuxiang
Published: August 2022

Farmers’ livelihoods alter as a direct result of land transfer. This study examined the impacts of land transfer on several indicators of farmers’ livelihood capital, as well as variations in the effects of different land transfer methods on farmers’ capital, in an effort more effectively to enhance farmers’ livelihoods. To compare the changes in farmers’ livelihood capital under four different modes—the farmers’ spontaneous model, centralized and continuous, joint-stock cooperative, and leaseback and re-contracting—this study calculated farmers’ livelihood capital index based on 600 questionnaires in accordance with the sustainable livelihood capital framework. The study’s findings indicate the following outcomes: (1) Farmers’ livelihood capital is significantly impacted favorably by land transfers. (2) Different types of farmers experienced different changes in their livelihood capital after land transfer: purely agricultural farmers’ livelihood capital value increased by 0.138, primarily due to an increase in physical capital; agricultural part-time farmers’ livelihood capital value increased by 0.105; non-agricultural part-time farmers’ livelihood capital value increased by 0.081; and non-agricultural farmers’ livelihood capital value increased by 0.081. (3) The most efficient strategy to increase livelihood capital was to use the leaseback and recontracting model with “village collective + planting leadership company” as the primary business organization. The results provide practical guidance for land transfer in Manas County, and valuable suggestions for improving farmers’ livelihoods in arid areas.
Physical Model Test on the Interface of Loess Fill Slope
Authors: Tan Weijia , Huang Qiangbing , Chen Xing
Published: August 2022

The interface between the filling slope and the original slope is inevitable in the process of building a city in the loess area, which will affect the deformation and stability of the filling slope. In this paper, the loess fill slope of mountain excavation and city construction project in Yan’an City, China, is taken as the research object, and, based on field investigation and sampling, the effect of Loess Fill Slope Interface (LFSI) under rainfall is revealed by physical model test. The test samples were taken from a Loess Fill in Qilipu community, Yan’an, and three layers of sensors were arranged at the left and right interfaces of the original slope and the filled slope to monitor the water content, pore water pressure and deformation and failure characteristics during the experiment. The results show that ILFS is a rainfall dominant seepage channel, and the infiltration of rainfall along the interface lags behind. In addition, the variation laws of water content and pore water pressure at the interface between fill slope and original slope under rainfall are obtained. Finally, the failure process of loess fill slope under rainfall is summarized: local mud flow failure at the toe of the slope → erosion in the middle of the slope → crack initiation on the shoulder of the slope → local slip on the slope → crack propagation on the shoulder of the slope → shallow slip on the shoulder of the slope, and the instability mechanism of loess fill slope under rainfall is further revealed. The research results can provide theoretical and experimental reference for the protection of fill slopes in loess areas.
A Settlement Density Based Allocation Method for Historical Cropland Cover: A Case Study of Jilin Province, China
Authors: Wu Zhilei , Fang Xiuqi , Ye Yu
Published: August 2022

A key focus in research on changes in historical land cover has been to improve existing gridded cropland allocation methods based on land suitability for cultivation to generate credible historical cropland cover data. This study developed a settlement-density-based method for gridded cropland allocation using the locations of settlements to identify the cropland grid and the settlement density as the weight for allocating the cropland area to the grid. This method was applied to allocate the provincial cropland areas in Jilin Province, China, to a 5′ × 5′ cropland cover at six time points during the last 300 years. The credibility of the reconstruction was assessed using three methods. The following conclusions emerged. First, the settlement density method is funded on the fact of coexistence between rural settlements and cropland. Cropland is only distributed in the grid where the settlements exist, and the cropland area of a grid equals to the cropland area per settlement multiplying by the number of settlements within the grid, without considering differences of settlement size. Second, all three quantitative or qualitative assessments of Jilin Province confirmed the credibility and feasibility of the settlement density method. Therefore, the use of this method to reproduce the temporal and spatial changes in cropland cover in new reclamation regions, such as Jilin Province, is valid. This study provides valuable inputs for enhancing the credibility of historical global land cover data by incorporating human factors into the cropland allocation method.
Did Usage of Mental Health Apps Change during COVID-19? A Comparative Study Based on an Objective Recording of Usage Data and Demographics
Authors: Aziz Maryam , Erbad Aiman , Almourad Mohamed Basel , Altuwairiqi Majid , McAlaney John , Ali Raian
Published: August 2022

This paper aims to objectively compare the use of mental health apps between the pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 periods and to study differences amongst the users of these apps based on age and gender. The study utilizes a dataset collected through a smartphone app that objectively records the users’ sessions. The dataset was analyzed to identify users of mental health apps (38 users of mental health apps pre-COVID-19 and 81 users during COVID-19) and to calculate the following usage metrics; the daily average use time, the average session time, the average number of launches, and the number of usage days. The mental health apps were classified into two categories: guidance-based and tracking-based apps. The results include the increased number of users of mental health apps during the COVID-19 period as compared to pre-COVID-19. Adults (aged 24 and above), compared to emerging adults (aged 15–24 years), were found to have a higher usage of overall mental health apps and guidance-based mental health apps. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, males were found to be more likely to launch overall mental health apps and guidance-based mental health apps compared to females. The findings from this paper suggest that despite the increased usage of mental health apps amongst males and adults, user engagement with mental health apps remained minimal. This suggests the need for these apps to work towards improved user engagement and retention.
Research on Simulation Method for Wear for Dynamic Seal in Axial Flux Hub Motor
Authors: Li Xin , Wang Fengtao
Published: August 2022

A simulation method for the wear of a dynamic seal in an axial flux hub motor is proposed in this work. A quasi-3D magnetic model without deflection between the axes of a stator and a rotor is built. An analytical model for unbalanced magnetic force considering the cogging effect and axial deflection is presented based on the quasi-3D magnetic model. Boundary conditions of the dynamic seal are obtained through solving the FE model of a hub motor. Both the structural and thermal FE model of a dynamic seal are built and the thermal–structural coupling method is given. A dynamic wear simulation method is displayed based on the mesh reconstruction method proposed previously. It is proved through the contrast with the experimental results that the presented method is feasible.
The Possibility of Using Pine Bark Particles in the Chipboard Manufacturing Process
Authors: Mirski Radosław , Derkowski Adam , Kawalerczyk Jakub , Dziurka Dorota , Walkiewicz Joanna
Published: August 2022

This research evaluated the possibility of using sawmill by-products from the roundwood-processing line in the production of wood-based panels. Due to its number of favorable properties, interesting chemical composition and large reserves resulting from the lack of industrial applications, the research focused particularly on the use of bark. Manufactured variants of boards differed in the proportions of wood chips to bark (70:30, 60:40, 50:50). Moreover, the boards containing only wood chips and a mixture of chips and sawdust were used as references. Urea-formaldehyde adhesive mixed with ammonium nitrate as a hardener was applied as a binding agent for the boards. Based on the mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, internal bonding), physical properties (density, thickness swelling, water absorption) and content and emission of formaldehyde, it was found that it is possible to produce boards characterized by good properties from sawmill by-products without advanced processing. Moreover, the use of bark instead of sawdust in order to increase the homogeneity of the cross-section allows one to obtain panels with significantly lower formaldehyde emission and water uptake.
Regularities of Microstructure Evolution in a Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy during Severe Plastic Deformation
Authors: Bodyakova Anna , Tkachev Maksim , Raab Georgy I. , Kaibyshev Rustam , Belyakov Andrey N.
Published: August 2022

The effect of severe plastic deformation by the conforming process of equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE-Conform) followed by cold rolling on the microstructures developed in a Cu-0.1Cr-0.1Zr alloy was investigated. Following the ECAE-Conform of 1 to 8 passes (corresponding strains were 0.8 to 6.4) cold rolling to a total strain of 4 was accompanied by substantial grain refinement and strengthening. An average grain size tended to approach 160 nm with an increase in the rolling reduction. An increase in the ECAE-Conform strain promoted the grain refinement during subsequent cold rolling. The fraction of the ultrafine grains with a size of 160 nm after cold rolling to a strain of 4 increased from 0.12 to 0.52 as the number of ECAE-Conform passes increased from 1 to 8. Correspondingly, the yield strength increased above 550 MPa. The strengthening could be expressed by a Hall–Petch type relationship with a grain size strengthening factor of 0.11 MPa m0.5.
Problems of HLAW Hybrid Welding of S1300QL Steel
Authors: Kupiec Bogdan , Urbańczyk Michał , Radoń Magdalena , Mróz Marek
Published: August 2022

This paper presents the results of tests on the fabrication of welded joints in S1300QL steel according to the requirements of ISO 15614-14 and ISO 12932. The butt-welded joint without bevel was made from 350 × 150 × 8 mm sheets. The welding process was carried out at the hybrid welding (laser–MAG) station. MAG means metal active gas. The test welded joints were subjected to non-destructive and destructive testing. Visual and radiographic examinations were carried out. The distribution of HV10 hardness was determined in the weld, the heat-affected zone, and the base material. The microstructure of these areas was also analysed for the presence of hard and brittle hardening products and non-metallic inclusions. Tensile strength and yield strength, as well as bending strength, were assessed in the mechanical property tests. The impact test was performed in accordance with ISO 9016.
Effect and Mechanism of Metakaolin Powder (MP) on Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Cementitious Suspension
Authors: Liu Hengrui , Wang Zezhu , Tian Zhenghong , Bu Jingwu , Qiu Jianchun
Published: August 2022

The effects of metakaolin powder (MP) on the microscopic rheological properties and macroscopic flow parameters of cementitious suspension under various water–cement ratios were investigated. By analyzing the changes in the bonding strength coefficient and water film thickness (WFT), the mechanism of MP on flow and rheological parameters can be explored. Further, the effect of MP on mechanical properties was explained from the perspective of water absorption kinetics and hydration activity contribution rate. The incorporation of MP can reduce the flow rate and flow spread and increase the compressive strength, plastic viscosity, yield stress and thixotropy, and the effects of MP were distinctive under various W/CM ratios. The bonding strength coefficient and WFT increased and decreased with increasing MP replacement content, respectively. The regression analysis results revealed that the bonding strength coefficient and WFT were the most important factors influencing the macroscopic flow parameters and rheological parameters, which indicated that MP influenced the rheology and flowability of cementitious suspension by affecting the flocculent structure and particle distance. Compared with WFT, the bonding strength coefficient had a stronger effect on these parameters. The MP improved the compressive strength by reducing the average pore size and porosity and increasing the pore uniformity and hydration activity contribution rate of hardened paste, and this improvement was enhanced by increasing curing age.
Influence of Fineness Levels and Dosages of Light-Burned Dolomite on Portland Cement Performance
Authors: Jiao Wenxiu , Sha Aimin , Liu Zhuangzhuang , Li Shuo
Published: August 2022

The paper aims to understand the effect of light-burned dolomite powders (LBD) on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and evaluate the influence of LBD dosages and fineness levels on the mechanical properties and hydration properties of OPC. The LBD/OPC pastes were prepared by OPC blended with LBD at various replacement dosages and fineness levels. The mechanical properties were studied by flexural and compressive strength tests, while the hydration properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and reaction degree of LBD. Experiment results indicated that the flexural and compressive strength of LBD/OPC samples were higher than reference sample at all ages. The fineness levels of LBD was C (C-LBD) with 0.5–1.5 wt% dosages, and the fineness levels of LBD was B (B-LBD) with 1.5–2.5 wt% dosages can significantly improve the strength of cement-based materials. The main mineral components of LBD are MgO and CaCO3, of which MgO could react with water to form Mg(OH)2 quickly, and CaCO3 could hydrate with C3A to from hydrated calcium carboaluminate (C3A·CaCO3·11H2O), which prevents the conversion of AFt to AFm.
Numerical Analyses and a Nonlinear Composite Controller for a Real-Time Ground Aerodynamic Heating Simulation of a Hypersonic Flying Object
Authors: Lv Xiaodong , Zhang Guangming , Wang Gang , Zhu Mingxiang , Shi Zhihan , Bai Zhiqing , Alexandrov Igor V.
Published: August 2022

This paper contains two parts: numerical analyses and a control method. The numerical analyses of a hypersonic flying object’s aerodynamic heating environment are based on three different two-dimensional outflow fields via finite element calculations. Then, the reference temperature trajectories of a hypersonic flying object are obtained. The other one is an intelligent proportional-derivative (IPD) with a nonlinear global sliding mode control (NGSMC) based on a nonlinear extended state observer (NESO) for a real-time ground aerodynamic heating simulation of a hypersonic flying object, named a thermal-structural test with quartz lamp heaters. The composite controller is made of three sub-components: a model free frame that is independent of the system dynamic model along with an ultra-local model; a NESO for the lumped disturbances observation; and an integral sliding mode control with a nonlinear function for the observation errors compensation. The flight environment of the hypersonic flying object is from Mach number 0.6 to Mach number 5.0, with between flight altitude of 31,272 m and flight altitude of 13,577 m. The comparative results demonstrate some superiorities of the proposed composite controller in terms of tracking errors and robustness.
Complexity-Efficient Coherent Physical Cell Identity Detection Method for Cellular IoT Systems
Authors: You Young-Hwan , Jung Yong-An , Lee Sung-Hun , Hwang Intae
Published: August 2022

Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is one of the low-power wide-area network technologies that aim to support enormous connection, deep coverage, low power consumption, and low cost. Therefore, low cost of implementation and maintenance is one of the key challenges of NB-IoT terminals. This paper presents a low-complexity formulation for narrowband secondary synchronization signal (NSSS) detection in the NB-IoT system, supported by a coherent algorithm that requires a priori knowledge of the channel. By exploiting a symmetric conjugate feature of the NSSS sequence, a joint physical cell ID and radio frame number detection method with low complexity is proposed for coherent detection. The probability of erroneous detection of the presented NSSS detection method is computed, and the analytical model is verified by means of simulation. Numerical experiments will demonstrate that the proposed detection scheme remarkably reduces the computational complexity with almost the same detection ability compared to the existing detection scheme.
Analysis and Experimental Study on Water Vapor Partial Pressure in the Membrane Distillation Process
Authors: Wang Zanshe , Jia Zhaoying , Li Ran , Gao Qi , Gu Zhaolin
Published: August 2022

In membrane distillation, the vapor pressure difference is the driving force of mass transfer. The vapor pressure is generally assumed by the saturation pressure and calculated by the Antoine equation. However, in the actual operation process, the feed solutions usually flow in a non-equilibrium state, which does not meet the theoretical and measurement conditions of the vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) state. This study tested the actual water vapor pressure of the pure water, lithium bromide (LiBr) solution, lithium chloride (LiCl) solution, and calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution under different flow conditions. The results showed that the actual water vapor pressure was lower than the saturation pressure overall, and the difference increased with temperature but decreased with the mass concentration. Therefore, in vacuum membrane distillation (VMD), air gap membrane distillation (AGMD), and sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD), the membrane flux calculated by water vapor saturation pressure was higher than the actual membrane flux, and the relative difference decreased and was less than 10% after 60 °C. In direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), the water vapor pressure difference on both membrane sides was almost the same by using the saturation vapor pressure or the tested data since the pressure errors were partially offset in parallel flow or counter-flow modes.
Micromechanism Study of Molecular Compatibility of PVDF/PEI Blend Membrane
Authors: Gao Ming , Zhu Yuanlu , Yan Jiangyi , Wu Weixing , Wang Beifu
Published: August 2022

In this paper, the compatibility of polyetherimide (PEI) with different contents as a high-performance copolymer and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was studied, and 5%–20% PEI was prepared by the non-solvent-induced phase inversion method. The compatibility of PVDF and PEI was evaluated by analyzing the physical structure and properties of the blend membrane, the microstructure, the glass transition temperature Tg, the enthalpy, and the mechanism of the polymer blend enthalpy change. The results show that the blend membranes have -NH and C=O-N binding energies at X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which preliminarily proves that fluorine–amine bonds are formed between the polymers, and new spectra appeared by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks, which further proves that the two have the formation of fluorine–amine bonds, the Tg and enthalpy of the mixed membrane was increased, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) observed that the membrane pores changed from finger-like pores to sponge-like macropores. When the content of PEI is 15%, the performance of the blended membrane is the best, the water contact angle increases to 58.5°, the porosity increases to 17.33%, the maximum force increases to 8.04 N, and the elongation at break decreases to 24.26%, the pure water flux is 1870.292 L/m2·h, and the oil rejection is 87%. In addition, the enthalpy change of polymer blending further proves that PEI and PVDF are compatible systems and have a good performance improvement for PVDF.
Cake Layer Fouling Potential Characterization for Wastewater Reverse Osmosis via Gradient Filtration
Authors: Ouyang Rulu , Huang Bin , Wei Chun-Hai , Rong Hongwei , Yu Huarong , Qu Fangshu , Xiao Kang , Huang Xia
Published: August 2022

It is of great importance to quantitatively characterize feed fouling potential for the effective and efficient prevention and control of reverse osmosis membrane fouling. A gradient filtration method with microfiltration (MF 0.45 μm) → ultrafiltration (UF 100 kDa) → nanofiltration (NF 300 Da) was proposed to extract the cake layer fouling index, I, of different feed foulants in this study. MF, UF, and NF showed high rejection of model suspended solids (kaolin), colloids (sodium alginate and bovine serum albumin), and dissolved organic matters (humic acid) during constant-pressure individual filtration tests, where the cake layer was the dominant fouling mechanism, with I showing a good linear positive correlation with the foulant concentration. MF → UF → NF gradient filtration tests of synthetic wastewater (i.e., model mixture) showed that combined models were more effective than single models to analyze membrane fouling mechanisms. For each membrane of gradient filtration, I showed a positive correlation with the targeted foulant concentration. Therefore, a quantitative assessment method based on MF → UF → NF gradient filtration, the correlation of combined fouling models, and the calculation of I would be useful for characterizing the fouling potentials of different foulants. This method was further successfully applied for characterizing the fouling potential of real wastewater (i.e., sludge supernatant from a membrane bioreactor treating dyeing and finishing wastewater).
A Larger Membrane Area Increases Cytokine Removal in Polymethyl Methacrylate Hemofilters
Authors: Nakamura Tomoyuki , Moriyama Kazuhiro , Kuriyama Naohide , Hara Yoshitaka , Komatsu Satoshi , Kawaji Takahiro , Kato Yu , Ishihara Takuma , Shintani Ayumi , Nishida Osamu
Published: August 2022

Blood purification is performed to control cytokines in critically ill patients. The relationship between the clearance (CL) and the membrane area during adsorption is not clear. We hypothesized that the CL increases with the hydrophobic area when hydrophobic binding contributes to cytokine adsorption. We investigated the relationship between the hemofilter membrane area and the CL of the high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). We performed experimental hemofiltration in vitro using polymethyl methacrylate membranes CH-1.8W (1.8 m2) and CH-1.0N (1.0 m2), as well as polysulfone membrane NV-18X (1.8 m2). After adding 100 mg of HMGB1 or 10 μg of IL-6 into the test solution, experimental hemofiltration was conducted for 360 min in a closed-loop circulation system, and the same amount of HMGB1 and IL-6 was added after 180 min. With CH-1.8W and CH-1.0N, both HMGB-1 and IL-6 showed a rapid concentration decrease of more than 70% at 180 min and 360 min after the re-addition. At 15 min, the CL of HMGB-1 was CH-1.8W: 28.4 and CH-1.0N: 19.8, and that of IL-6 was CH-1.8W: 41.1 and CH-1.0N: 25.4. CH-1.8W and CH-1.0N removed HMGB1 and IL-6 by adsorption and CH-1.8W was superior in CL, which increased with a greater membrane area.
Effect of Welding Polarity on Mechanical Properties of Submerged Arc Welded Railway Vehicle Wheels
Authors: Goo Byeong-Choon , Seo Jung-Won , Lee Young-Jin
Published: August 2022

When a railway vehicle moves on a curved rail, sliding contact between the rail head side and wheel flange causes wear on the wheel flange. Traditionally, a wheel with thinned flange is machined to get a minimum flange thickness specified for structural safety. This operation reduces the rim thickness and shortens the life of the wheel. In the present study, the thinned flanges were hard-faced by submerged arc welding. A welding wire, which has good weldability to the base material of the wheel and does not generate thermal cracking, was developed. The effects of welding polarity on the microstructure, hardness, friction coefficient, and wear characteristics of the welded wheel were studied. The hardness of the wheel welded with reverse polarity was similar to that of welded with straight polarity. The wear rates of the wheel disc welded with reverse polarity and its counterpart rail disc were 11% and 27% lower than those welded with straight polarity. Delamination wear due to subsurface crack propagation and oxidation wear were mixed. The hardness of the rail before the wear test was in the range of 250–300 HV. After the wear test, it soared to 500 HV.
Recent Advances in the Grain Refinement Effects of Zr on Mg Alloys: A Review
Authors: Sun Ming , Yang Depeng , Zhang Yu , Mao Lin , Li Xikuo , Pang Song
Published: August 2022

As the lightest structural materials, Mg alloys show great effectiveness at energy saving and emission reduction when applied in the automotive and aerospace fields. In particular, Zr-bearing Mg alloys (non-Al containing) exhibit high strengths and elevated-temperature usage values. Zr is the most powerful grain refiner, and it provides fine grain sizes, uniformities in microstructural and mechanical properties and processing formability for Mg alloys. Due to the importance of Zr alloying, this review paper systematically summarizes the latest research progress in the grain refinement effects of Zr on Mg alloys. The main points are reviewed, including the alloying process of Zr, the grain refinement mechanism of Zr, factors affecting the grain refinement effects of Zr, and methods improving grain refinement efficiency of Zr. This paper provides a comprehensive understating of grain refinement effects of Zr on Mg alloys for the researchers and engineers.
Microstructure Characterization and Mechanical Property of the GH4065A Superalloy Inertia Friction Welded Joints
Authors: Wang Zhaotian , Huang Shuo , Zhang Wenyun , Zhang Beijiang , Ning Yongquan
Published: August 2022

Structural characteristics and design requirements for the integration of the integral rotor and disc shaft of the engine, the welding quality, and mechanical properties of superalloy weldments have received more and more attention in recent years. Inertia friction welding (IFW) was carried out with the typical fiber structure of the solid solution GH4065A alloy as the research object, the microstructure evolution rules of the plastic deformation zone (PDMZ), the thermally affected zone (TMAZ), and the welding zone (WZ) were studied, and the formation mechanism of metallurgical joints was explored. The size difference of the γ′ phase at the grain boundary and in the fiber structure was revealed. The reason is that the γ′ phase located at the grain boundary has lower diffusion activation energy and higher diffusion rate. The microhardness and tensile properties of the IFW joints were explored, the study found that the microhardness of the TAMZ is the highest, followed by the PDMZ and the WZ. The tensile test results show that with the increase in temperature, the fracture position shifts from the BM to the WZ, the microstructure at the fracture changed significantly, and the yield strength decreased from 1372 to 1085 MPa.
An Open-Source Pipeline for Processing Direct Infusion Mass Spectrometry Data of the Human Plasma Metabolome
Authors: Kozlova Anna , Shkrigunov Timur , Gusev Semyon , Guseva Maria , Ponomarenko Elena , Lisitsa Andrey
Published: August 2022

Direct infusion mass spectrometry (DIMS) is growing in popularity as an effective method for the screening of biological samples in clinical metabolomics. Being quick to execute, DIMS generally requires special skills when interpreting the results of measurements. By inspecting the similarities between two-dimensional electrospray ionization with quadrupole time-of-flight (ESI-QTOF) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectra, the pipeline for processing QTOF mass spectra using open-source packages (MALDIquant, MSnbase and MetaboAnalystR) was tested. Previously, all algorithmic workflows have relied on the application of software either provided by a vendor or privately developed by enthusiasts. Here, we computationally examined two ways of interpreting the DIMS results of human blood metabolomic profiling. The studied spectra were acquired using ESI-QTOF maXis Impact II (Bruker Daltonics, Billerica, MA, USA), then pre-processed using COMPASS/DataAnalysis commercial software and mapped onto the metabolites using in-lab-developed MatLab scripts. Alternatively, in this work we used the open-source packages MALDIquant, for spectrum pre-processing, and MetaboAnalystR, for data interpretation, instead of the low-availability commercial and home-made tools. Using a set of 100 plasma samples (20 from volunteers with normal body mass index and 80 from patients at different stages of obesity), we observed a high degree of concordance in annotated metabolic pathways between the proprietary DataAnalysis/MatLab pipeline and our freely available solution.
Research on Integral Fabrication and Inner Surface Metallization of the High-Frequency Terahertz Hollow-Core Metal Rectangular Waveguide Cavity by a Combined Process Based on Wire Electrochemical Micromachining and Electrochemical Deposition
Authors: Bi Xiaolei , Meng Lingchao
Published: August 2022

With the development of fabrication technology for terahertz rectangular cavity devices, the fabrication process of integral terahertz waveguide cavities has received much attention because of its beneficial effect on improving the transmission of terahertz signals. However, smaller feature sizes, higher dimensional accuracy, and more stringent requirements for cavity surface roughness and edge radius make it difficult to manufacture terahertz waveguide cavities with a high operating frequency by using existing micro-manufacturing technology. At the same time, the smaller feature size also makes it more difficult to realize uniform metallization on the inner surface of a terahertz waveguide cavity. In this paper, a new and improved combined manufacturing process based on wire electrochemical micromachining and electrochemical deposition is proposed to realize the integral fabrication and uniform metallization of the inner surface of a high-frequency terahertz metal rectangular waveguide cavity. A detailed description and analysis of this combined process are carried out, together with corresponding experimental investigations. An integral 1.7 THz hollow-core metal rectangular waveguide cavity with an end-face size of 165.9 μm × 88.3 μm, an edge radius of less than 10 μm, an internal bottom surface roughness of less than 0.10 μm, and an internal side surface roughness of less than 0.40 μm was manufactured, and high-quality metallization of its inner surface was also achieved.
Integrated Amplitude and Phase Monitor for Micro-Actuators
Authors: Manosalvas-Kjono Sandra , Quan Ronald , Solgaard Olav
Published: August 2022

Micro-actuators driven on resonance maximize reach and speed; however, due to their sensitivity to environmental factors (e.g., temperature and air pressure), the amplitude and phase response must be monitored to achieve an accurate actuator position. We introduce an MEMS (microelectromechanical system) amplitude and phase monitor (MAPM) with a signal-to-noise ratio of 51 dB and 11.0 kHz bandwidth, capable of simultaneously driving and sensing the movement of 1D and 2D electrostatically driven micro-actuators without modifying the chip or its packaging. The operational principle is to electromechanically modulate the amplitude of a high-frequency signal with the changing capacitance of the micro-actuator. MAPM operation is characterized and verified by simultaneously measuring the amplitude and phase frequency response of commercial micromirrors. We demonstrate that the MAPM circuitry is insensitive to complex relationships between capacitance and position of the MEMS actuators, and it is capable of giving real-time read-out of the micromirror motion. Our measurements also reveal and quantify observations of phase drift and crosstalk in 2D resonant operation. Measurements of phase changes over time under normal operation also verify the need for phase monitoring. The open-loop, high-sensitivity position sensor enables detailed characterization of dynamic micro-actuator behavior, leading to new insights and new types of operation, including improved control of nonlinear motion.