bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of Ship Route-Planning Algorithm Based on Rapidly-Exploring Random Tree (RRT*) Using Designated Space
Authors: Jang Da-un , Kim Joo-sung
Published: November 2022

Ship route planning is a crucial activity that must consider not only the safety of the ship but also the safe passage of nearby ships in the same space and time. This study aims to provide general route-planning guidance to shipping traffic by improving conventional sampling-based route-planning algorithms in accordance with the maritime environment from a ship operator’s perspective. The obstacle safety margin in a marine environment can be reflected in a binary image map space based on an electronic navigational chart. Consequently, an initial route was created using the probabilistic road map (PRM) algorithm in the configured map space to increase the speed of the conventional sampling-based route-planning algorithm. Based on the initial route created, a designated space—that is, a multi-elliptical area—was created to limit the route-search range. After searching the final route in the designated space based on the rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT*) algorithm, optimal route planning could be achieved by generating a collision-free space graph to remove unnecessary nodes from the searched final route. The simulation results showed that the route was shortened by approximately 33.7 km compared with the conventional RRT* algorithm, and the calculation time was shortened by approximately 2.5 times.
Study on the Design and Experimental Research on a Bionic Crab Robot with Amphibious Multi-Modal Movement
Authors: Chen Xi , Li Jiawei , Hu Shihao , Han Songjie , Liu Kaixin , Pan Biye , Wang Jixin , Wang Gang , Ma Xinmeng
Published: November 2022

Bionic amphibious robots are the intersection of biology and robotics; they have the advantages of environmental adaptability and maneuverability. An amphibious robot that combines walking and swimming move modes inspired by a crab (Portunus) is presented in this article. The outstanding characteristic of the robot is that its environmental adaptability relies on the bionic multi-modal movement, which is based on two modular bionic swimming legs and six modular walking legs. We designed the biomimetic crab robot based on the biological observation results. The design, analysis, and simulation of its structure and motion parameters are introduced in this paper. The swimming propulsion capability and the walking performance are verified through indoor, pool, and seaside experiments. In conclusion, the designed bionic crab robot provides a platform with practical application capabilities in amphibious environment detection, concealed reconnaissance, and aquaculture.
Employing DEA for Assessment of Cruise Market: A Case Study in Malaga—Spanish Port
Authors: Parra Santiago José Ignacio , Camarero Orive Alberto , Díaz Gutiérrez David , De Manuel López Francisco de Asís
Published: November 2022

In recent decades, the Spanish port system has been investing in the development of infrastructures aimed at attracting the cruise market. For this reason, this paper analyses, using a methodology based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), the efficiency of the Spanish port system for the cruise market. Most of the port authorities want to attract and maintain this traffic in their ports, due to the economic impact it has on them. Based on the data provided by Puertos del Estado and the port authorities in their annual reports, such as the number of cruise passengers per port or port authority, the number of stopovers or ships that visit our ports each year, and the infrastructures that have been developed for this market, an efficiency analysis was carried out to draw conclusions at the level of the port system and each port authority in terms of operational efficiency. Focusing the research on Malaga, the current situation was analyzed, as well as the forecasts that resulted from the research for the future development of the port in terms of cruise ships.
Investigating Psychological Impact after Receiving Genetic Risk Results—A Survey of Participants in a Population Genomic Screening Program
Authors: McCormick Cara Zayac , Yu Kristen Dilzell , Johns Alicia , Campbell-Salome Gemme , Hallquist Miranda L. G. , Sturm Amy C. , Buchanan Adam H.
Published: November 2022

Genomic screening programs have potential to benefit individuals who may not be clinically ascertained, but little is known about the psychological impact of receiving genetic results in this setting. The current study sought to further the understanding of individuals’ psychological response to receiving an actionable genetic test result from genomic screening. Telephone surveys were conducted with patient-participants at 6 weeks and 6 months post genetic result disclosure between September 2019 and May 2021 and assessed emotional response to receiving results via the FACToR, PANAS, and decision regret scales. Overall, 354 (29.4%) study participants completed both surveys. Participants reported moderate positive emotions and low levels of negative emotions, uncertainty, privacy concern, and decision regret over time. There were significant decreases in negative emotions (p = 0.0004) and uncertainty (p = 0.0126) between time points on the FACToR scale. “Interested” was the highest scoring discrete emotion (T1 3.6, T2 3.3, scale 0–5) but was significantly lower at 6 months (<0.0001). Coupled with other benefits of genomic screening, these results of modest psychological impact waning over time adds support to clinical utility of population genomic screening programs. However, questions remain regarding how to elicit an emotional response that motivates behavior change without causing psychological harm.
Attitudes among Parents towards Return of Disease-Related Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) for Their Children
Authors: Terek Shannon , Del Rosario Maya C. , Hain Heather S. , Connolly John J. , Behr Meckenzie A. , Harr Margaret , Hakonarson Hakon , Holm Ingrid A.
Published: November 2022

The electronic MEdical Records and GEnomics (eMERGE) consortium will return risk reports pertaining to specific diseases, a key component of which will be polygenic risk scores (PRS), to 25,000 participants, including 5000 children. Understanding comprehension and the perceived value of these PRS-based reports among parents will be critical for effective return of results in children. To address this issue, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 African American and Hispanic parents at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Boston Children’s Hospital. Each participant received a hypothetical risk report identifying their child as high risk for either type 2 diabetes or asthma. Participants were assessed on their comprehension of absolute versus relative risk framing, likelihood of following risk-reduction recommendations, perceived value of the information, psychosocial impact, education/support needed, and suggestions to improve the PRS-based report to make it more accessible. Results demonstrated high perceived value in receiving PRS-based reports but also draws attention to important shortfalls in comprehension due to factors including the health of the child, family history, and how the risk was framed. This study provides an insight into implementing the return of genomic risk scores in a pediatric setting.
Modern Forms and New Challenges in Medical Sensors and Body Area Networks
Authors: Zhang Yudong , Gorriz Juan Manuel , Wang Shuihua
Published: November 2022

Traditional medical sensors/monitors can measure pressure, airflow, force, oxygen, pulse, temperature, etc [...]
Comparative Habitat Divergence and Fragmentation Analysis of Two Sympatric Pheasants in the Qilian Mountains, China
Authors: Xie Wen-Dong , Jia Jia , Song Kai , Bu Chang-Li , Ma Li-Ming , Wang-Jie Ge-Sang , Li Quan-Liang , Yin Heng-Qing , Xu Feng-Yi , Ma Dui-Fang , Li Xin-Hai , Fang Yun , Sun Yue-Hua
Published: November 2022

Habitat fragmentation is considered a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. Two endangered species, the blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) and the blue eared pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), co-exist in a fragmented forest in the Qilian Mountains. However, how their habitats react to the fragmenting landscape remains unclear. Therefore, we carried out a field survey in the core habitat of the two species in Qilian Mountains National Park and used the MaxEnt Model to predict their potential distribution and to assess the protection efficiency. Then, we utilized a modified within-patch fragmentation categorizing model to identify how their functional fragmentations differentiated. The results showed that the habitat utilization of the two pheasant species was significantly different, with a potential distribution area of 18,281 km2 for the blood pheasant and 43,223 km2 for the blue eared pheasant. The habitat of the blue eared pheasant is highly fragmented with 27.7% categorized as ‘Interior’ and 49.3% as ‘Edge’, while the habitat of the blood pheasant is more severe with 2.1% categorized as ‘Interior’ and 50.4% as ‘Edge’. Analysis shows that large areas of habitat for the two pheasants remain unprotected by the Qilian Mountains National Park. The intense grazing and human infrastructure may have a large effect on the currently highly fragmented landscape. Future measurements are needed to alleviate this conflict.
Are Wildfires in the Wildland-Urban Interface Increasing Temperatures? A Land Surface Temperature Assessment in a Semi-Arid Mexican City
Authors: Ayala-Carrillo Mariana , Farfán Michelle , Cárdenas-Nielsen Anahí , Lemoine-Rodríguez Richard
Published: November 2022

High rates of land conversion due to urbanization are causing fragmented and dispersed spatial patterns in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) worldwide. The occurrence of anthropogenic fires in the WUI represents an important environmental and social issue, threatening not only vegetated areas but also periurban inhabitants, as is the case in many Latin American cities. However, research has not focused on the dynamics of the local climate in the WUI. This study analyzes whether wildfires contribute to the increase in land surface temperature (LST) in the WUI of the metropolitan area of the city of Guanajuato (MACG), a semi-arid Mexican city. We estimated the pre- and post-fire LST for 2018–2021. Spatial clusters of high LST were detected using hot spot analysis and examined using ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc statistical tests to assess whether LST is related to the spatial distribution of wildfires during our study period. Our results indicate that the areas where the wildfires occurred, and their surroundings, show higher LST. This has negative implications for the local ecosystem and human population, which lacks adequate infrastructure and services to cope with the effects of rising temperatures. This is the first study assessing the increase in LST caused by wildfires in a WUI zone in Mexico.
Review of Research on Non-Conforming Urban Expansion: Measurement, Interpretation, and Governance
Authors: Shen Xiaoqiang , Wang Jinping , Zhang Xiaobin , Bei Hanlu
Published: November 2022

Spatial plans are widely used as a basic tool for regulating urban expansion. However, land development beyond zones planned for urban development is prevalent worldwide, posing a serious challenge to the implementation of spatial plans and their effectiveness in regulating urban expansion. This paper presents a review of research progress relating to the measurement, interpretation, and governance of non-conforming urban expansion. Spatial conformance between actual land use and plans is the basic criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of plans in containing urban expansion. Accordingly, scholars have developed multiple indicators and methods for directly and indirectly measuring non-conforming urban expansion. Previous studies have elucidated external and internal factors influencing non-conforming urban expansion, revealing the external conditions of non-conforming urban land expansion and the factors driving decisions on site selection for non-conforming land development. To address the existing issue of non-conforming urban land and to prevent and control future non-conforming urban development, scholars have proposed multiple governance strategies. Drawing on existing research progress, we offer suggestions for future academic research in this field.
Pegasus Project: Re-Questioning the Legality of the Cyber-Surveillance Mechanism
Authors: Alexander Atul , Krishna Tushar
Published: November 2022

States have recently indulged in purchasing surveillance spyware such as Pegasus from big corporations such as the NSO Group to track the activities of its people to curb dissidents. Unfortunately, such incidences are not new in the international domain. Thus, it is imperative to analyze the legality of such spyware used by the states with the assistance of foreign corporates under the international framework. In view of the same, the paper while majorly focusing on the significance of right to privacy, traces the standing limitations in the legal mechanism and tries to propose a shared responsibility regime for states and surveillance companies indulging in human rights violations by drawing parallels with the ICoCA mechanism.
Temporal Hierarchy and Context-Dependence of Quorum Sensing Signal in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Katzarov Stoyko , Behrends Volker
Published: November 2022

The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause infections in a broad range of hosts including plants, invertebrates and mammals and is an important source of nosocomial infections in humans. We were interested in how differences in the bacteria’s nutritional environment impact bacterial communication and virulence factor production. We grew P. aeruginosa in 96 different conditions in BIOLOG Gen III plates and assayed quorum sensing (QS) signaling over the course of growth. We also quantified pyocyanin and biofilm production and the impact of sub-inhibitory exposure to tobramycin. We found that while 3-oxo-C12 homoserine lactone remained the dominant QS signal to be produced, timing of PQS production differed between media types. Further, whether cells grew predominantly as biofilms or planktonic cells was highly context dependent. Our data suggest that understanding the impact of the nutritional environment on the bacterium can lead to valuable insights into the link between bacterial physiology and pathology.
Immunomodulatory Effect of Lactobacillus reuteri (Limosilactobacillus reuteri) and Its Exopolysaccharides Investigated on Epithelial Cell Line IPEC-J2 Challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium
Authors: Kiššová Zuzana , Tkáčiková Ľudmila , Mudroňová Dagmar , Bhide Mangesh R.
Published: November 2022

The gastrointestinal tract is the largest and most complex component of the immune system. Each component influences the production and regulation of cytokines secreted by intestinal epithelial cells. The aim of this study was to see how the probiotic strain Limosilactobacillus reuteri L26 and its exopolysaccharide (EPS) affect porcine intestinal-epithelial cells IPEC-J2 infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. The results revealed that Salmonella infection up-regulated all studied pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6 and TLR4, TLR5 signaling pathways, while decreasing the expression of TGF-β. An immunosuppressive activity was found in EPS-treated wells, since the transcriptional levels of the studied pro-inflammatory cytokines were not increased, and the pretreatment with EPS was even able to attenuate up-regulated pro-inflammatory genes induced by Salmonella infection. However, there was a significant increase in the expression of mRNA levels of IL-8 and TNF-α in L26-treated cells, although this up-regulation was suppressed in the case of pretreatment. The immunoregulatory function of L. reuteri was also confirmed by the increased level of mRNA expression for TGF-β, a known immunosuppressive mediator. The most relevant finding of this ex vivo study was a case of immunity modulation, where the probiotic strain L. reuteri stimulated the innate immune-cell response which displayed both anti- and pro-inflammatory activities, and modulated the expression of TLRs in the IPEC-J2 cell line. Our findings also revealed that the pretreatment of cells with either EPS or live lactobacilli prior to infection has a suppressive effect on the inflammatory response induced by Salmonella Typhimurium.
The Impact of Cardiac Comorbidity Sequence at Baseline and Mortality Risk in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Lee Sharen , Huang Helen , Lee Teddy Tai Loy , Chung Cheuk To , Chou Oscar Hou In , Leung Keith Sai Kit , Wai Abraham Ka Chung , Wong Wing Tak , Liu Tong , Chang Carlin , Tse Gary
Published: November 2022

Introduction: The presence of multiple comorbidities increases the risk of all-cause mortality, but the effects of the comorbidity sequence before the baseline date on mortality remain unexplored. This study investigated the relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD), atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) through their sequence of development and the effect on all-cause mortality risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This study included patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus prescribed antidiabetic/cardiovascular medications in public hospitals of Hong Kong between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009, with follow-up until death or 31 December 2019. The Cox regression was used to identify comorbidity sequences predicting all-cause mortality in patients with different medication subgroups. Results: A total of 249,291 patients (age: 66.0 ± 12.4 years, 47.4% male) were included. At baseline, 7564, 10,900 and 25,589 patients had AF, HF and CHD, respectively. Over follow-up (3524 ± 1218 days), 85,870 patients died (mortality rate: 35.7 per 1000 person-years). Sulphonylurea users with CHD developing later and insulin users with CHD developing earlier in the disease course had lower mortality risks. Amongst insulin users with two of the three comorbidities, those with CHD with preceding AF (hazard ratio (HR): 3.06, 95% CI: [2.60–3.61], p < 0.001) or HF (HR: 3.84 [3.47–4.24], p < 0.001) had a higher mortality. In users of lipid-lowering agents with all three comorbidities, those with preceding AF had a higher risk of mortality (AF-CHD-HF: HR: 3.22, [2.24–4.61], p < 0.001; AF-HF-CHD: HR: 3.71, [2.66–5.16], p < 0.001). Conclusions: The sequence of comorbidity development affects the risk of all-cause mortality to varying degrees in diabetic patients on different antidiabetic/cardiovascular medications.
From Biodiversity to Musketry: Detection of Plant Diversity in Pre-Industrial Peloponnese during the Flora Graeca Expedition
Authors: Chimona Chrysanthi , Papadopoulou Sophia , Kolyva Foteini , Mina Maria , Rhizopoulou Sophia
Published: November 2022

As the interest in natural, sustainable ecosystems arises in many fields, wild plant diversity is reconsidered. The present study is based on extant literature evidence from the journey of John Sibthorp (Professor of Botany, Oxford University) to Peloponnese (Greece) in pre-industrial time. In the year 1795, Peloponnese was a botanically unknown region, very dangerous for travellers and under civil unrest, in conjuncture with a pre-rebellion period. Our study reveals approximately 200 wild plant taxa that were collected from Peloponnese localities in 1795, transported to Oxford University (UK), and quoted in the magnificent edition Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana of the 19th century. Moreover, these plants currently constitute a living collection in Peloponnese, confirmed according to updated data on the vascular Flora of Greece. The presented lists constitute a source of information for plant biologists, linking the past to the present, shedding light on the study of adaptive traits of wild Mediterranean plants and revealing the temporal dimension of natural history. Nowadays, increasing and thorough understanding of the considered plants’ functionality to abiotic and biotic environmental stimuli provides a new framework of sustainability and management options.
The Effect of Co-Doping on the Structural and Magnetic Properties of Single-Domain Crystalline Copper Ferrite Nanoparticles
Authors: Alzoubi Gassem M.
Published: November 2022

Nanoparticles of Co-doped copper ferrite, Cu0.75Co0.25Fe2O4, were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method. The preparation conditions were optimized to produce small nanoparticles with crystallite size of 20 nm that fall into the single-domain regime. The influence of Co-doping on the structure and magnetic properties of pure copper ferrite, CuFe2O4, was investigated. The prepared ferrite nanoparticles were found to be in a single structural phase with a spinel-type structure, according to the XRD and FT-IR measurements. When compared to pure Cu ferrite, the addition of Co increased the lattice constant and decreased the density. The TEM results confirmed the spherical morphology of the prepared ferrite nanoparticles. For the entire temperature range of the ferrite nanoparticles, the magnetization measurements showed a single ferrimagnetic phase. It was observed that the coercivity and remanent magnetization increased with decreasing temperature. Magnetic anisotropy was found to increase with Co-doping in comparison to pure Cu ferrite. The ZFC–FC magnetization curves showed that the blocking temperature (TB) of the prepared nanoparticles is above room temperature, demonstrating that they are ferrimagnetic at room temperature and below. Additionally, it was found that decreasing the magnetic field lowers TB. The FC curves below TB were observed to be nearly flat, indicating spin-glass behavior that might be attributed to nanoparticle interactions and/or surface effects such as spin canting and spin disorder.
An Exploration of Architectural Design Factors with a Consideration of Natural Aspects Based on Web Crawling and Text Mining
Authors: Zhao Dongmiao , Liu Yufeng , Pei Boyi , Wang Xingtian , Miao Sheng , Gao Weijun
Published: November 2022

Architectural construction is responsible for the consumption of large amounts of resources, so the optimization of architectural design and evaluation is significant for sustainable global development. Most architectural assessments focus on energy conservation, novel materials and eco-friendly strategies, but without agreed indicators and criteria. Since the consideration of natural aspects is somewhat fuzzy and vague, this study utilized data mining technology to explore the major factors related to relationships between buildings and nature. By employing the popular technique of web crawling, this study collected 38,320 architectural descriptions from the “Archdaily”, including descriptions of 11 types of buildings, four of which were taken as typical research representatives. The 100 most frequent words were used to create a word cloud. Using Python script, all of the text was refined and processed with the word2vec model, thereby allowing to conduct Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC). The frequency of words related to natural aspects were analyzed within 15 architectural design elements. Different building types in different areas have obvious similarities in terms of design elements, so it is feasible to adopt the same evaluation factors for the building evaluation systems of different regions. This paper mainly focuses on improving the accuracy and validity of assessment by providing basic evaluation indicators that could enhance connections between design and evaluation progress, stimulating the improvement of building environmental performance.
Comparison of Helical Blade Systems for Osteoporotic Intertrochanteric Fractures Using Biomechanical Analysis and Clinical Assessments
Authors: Lee Hyeonjoon , Lee Sang Hong , Lim Wonbong , Jo Seongmin , Jo Suenghwan
Published: November 2022

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to compare the biomechanical properties and outcomes of osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures treated with two different helical blade systems, the trochanteric fixation nail-advanced (TFNA) and proximal femoral nail antirotation II (PFNA), to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the newly introduced TFNA system. Materials and Methods: A biomechanical comparison of the two helical blades was performed using uniaxial compression tests on polyurethane foam blocks of different densities. The peak resistance (PR) and accumulated resistance (AR) were measured during the 20 mm advancement through the test block. For clinical comparison, 63 osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures treated with TFNA were identified and compared with the same number of fractures treated with PFNA using propensity score matching. Ambulatory status, medial migration, lateral sliding, fixation failure, and patient-reported outcomes were compared between the two groups over a minimum of 1 year’s follow up. Results: The uniaxial compression test showed that a slightly, but significantly lower resistance was required to advance the TFNA through the test block compared with the PFNA (20 PCF, p = 0.017 and p = 0.026; 30 PCF, p = 0.007 and p = 0.001 for PR and AR, respectively). Clinically, the two groups showed no significant differences in post-operative ambulatory status and patient-reported outcomes. However, in TFNA groups, significantly more medial migration (TFNA, 0.75 mm; PFNA, 0.40 mm; p = 0.0028) and also, lateral sliding was noted (TFNA, 3.99 mm; PFNA, 1.80 mm; p = 0.004). Surgical failure occurred in four and two fractures treated with the TFNA and PFNA, respectively. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that the newly introduced TFNA provides clinical outcomes comparable with those of the PFNA. However, inferior resistance to medial migration in the TFNA raises concerns regarding potential fixation failures.
On-Site Application of Solar-Activated Membrane (Cr–Mn-Doped TiO2@Graphene Oxide) for the Rapid Degradation of Toxic Textile Effluents
Authors: Yousaf Maryam , Akram Mariam , Bhatti Ijaz Ahmad , Ahmad Muhammad , Usman Muhammad , Khan Muhammad Usman , Sarwar Abid , Sultan Muhammad , Sohoo Ihsanullah
Published: November 2022

Solar-activated water treatment has become an emerging research field due to its eco-friendly nature and the economic feasibility of green photocatalysis. Herein, we synthesized promising, cost-effective, and ultralong-semiconductor TiO2 nanowires (NW), with the aim to degrade toxic azo dyes. The band gap of TiO2 NW was tuned through transition metals, i.e., chromium (Cr) and manganese (Mn), and narrowed by conjugation with high surface area graphene oxide (GO) sheets. Cr–Mn-doped TiO2 NWs were chemically grafted onto GO nanosheets and polymerized with sodium alginate to form a mesh network with an excellent band gap (2.6 eV), making it most suitable to act as a solar photocatalytic membrane. Cr–Mn-doped TiO2 NW @GO aerogels possess high purity and crystallinity confirmed by Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction pattern. A Cr–Mn-doped TiO2 NW @GO aerogels membrane was tested for the photodegradation of Acid Black 1 (AB 1) dye. The synthesized photocatalytic membrane in the solar photocatalytic reactor at conditions optimized by response surface methodology (statistical model) and upon exposure to solar radiation (within 180 min) degraded 100% (1.44 kg/m3/day) AB 1dye into simpler hydrocarbons, confirmed by the disappearance of dye color and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. An 80% reduction in water quality parameters defines Cr–Mn-doped TiO2 NW @GO aerogels as a potential photocatalytic membrane to degrade highly toxic pollutants.
Mechanical Wave Propagation in Solidifying Al-Cu-Mn-Ti Alloy and Its Effect on Solidification Feeding
Authors: Chen Wei , Wu Shiping , Wang Rujia
Published: November 2022

The wave field in solidifying metals is the theoretical basis for analyzing the effects of mechanical vibration on solidification, but there is little research on this topic. This study investigated the wave field and its effect on the solidification feeding in the low-pressure sand casting (LPSC) of Al-Cu-Mn-Ti alloy through experimental and numerical investigation. The solidification temperature field was simulated by AnycastingTM, and the wave field was simulated by the self-developed wave propagation software. The shrinkage defect detection showed that applying vibration had a greater promotional effect on feeding than increasing the holding pressure. The predicted defects under vibration coincided with the detections. The displacement field showed that the casting vibrated harmonically with an inhomogeneous amplitude distribution under the continuous harmonic vibration excitation, and the vibration energy was mainly concentrated in the feeding channel. With solidification, the ux amplitude reduced rapidly after the overlapping of dendrites, finally reducing slowly to a certain level; the uy amplitude reduced dramatically after the occurrence of a quasi-solid phase, finally reducing slowly to near zero. Mechanical vibration produced a severe shear deformation in the quasi-liquid phase—especially in the lower feeding channel—reducing the grain size to promote mass feeding. The feeding pressure and feeding gap were changed periodically under vibration, causing the vibration-promoting interdendritic feeding rate to fluctuate and eventually stabilize at about 13.4%. The mechanical vibration can increase the feeding pressure difference and change the blockage structure simultaneously, increasing the formation probability of burst feeding.
Impact Resistance of Commercially Applied TiAl Alloys and Simple-Composition TiAl Alloys at Various Temperatures
Authors: Tetsui Toshimitsu
Published: November 2022

For currently used TiAl alloys, the impact resistance is a critically important property that determines their suitability for use, especially in settings when continuous use under harsh conditions is necessary. However, there are almost no examples of the investigation of the impact resistance of these alloys at realistic temperatures. Therefore, in this study, the impact resistance from room temperature to 1000 °C of various cast and forged TiAl alloys proposed to date or still in commercial use, as well as simple composition TiAl alloys and Inconel 713C—a commonly used material—were evaluated using the Charpy impact test, which is the simplest and most realistic way to evaluate industrial impact resistance. It was found that the TiAl alloys underwent brittle fracturing, even at high temperatures, and had significantly lower impact resistances than Inconel 713C. In addition, the impact resistances of all commercial TiAl alloys were inferior to those of the binary alloys, and those of the TiAl4822 and TNM alloy were not significantly different. Crucially, it was found that ternary alloys containing Cr or V had much better impact resistance than the commercial and binary TiAl alloys.
Enhancement of In Vitro Bioactivity of One-Step Spark Plasma Sintered Porous Titanium by Alkali-Treatment
Authors: Lou Nan , Zhu Bin , Luo Lilin , Zhang Yuqin , Meng Zengdong
Published: November 2022

Bioactivity and stress shielding are the most important problems of medical implanted porous titanium. In this study, porous titanium with 40% porosity was prepared by one-step spark plasma sintered (SPS) technology, and the surface of porous titanium was modified by a simplified alkali treatment method. The effects of a high concentration on pore properties, mechanical properties, and biological activities of porous titanium were investigated. The results show that the surface of porous titanium treated with a high concentration of alkali forms an interconnected network layer, which provides nucleation points for the formation of apatite. Porous titanium can still meet the requirements of hard tissue replacement after treatment with high-concentration alkali solution (yield strength (130 MPa) and elastic modulus (6.0 GPa)). A layer of apatite is formed on the surface of porous titanium after alkali treatment. The ability of inducing apatite formation increases with the increase of lye concentration. In addition, the results of proliferation and live dead cell staining of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) showed that alkali treatment had no toxic effect on the cells. With the increase of concentration, the cell activity was significantly enhanced. Therefore, the bioactive porous titanium modified with simplified alkali has a good medical prospect as artificial bone material.
Integrated Analysis of Metabolome and Transcriptome Reveals the Difference in Flavonoid Biosynthesis between the Red- and White-Sarcocarp Pomelo Fruits
Authors: Zhao Chenxu , Wang Jiajia , Li Yuxia , Zhang Lei , Nawaz Ghazala , Wu Shaoyuan , Xu Tao
Published: November 2022

Flavonoids are bioactive secondary metabolites that play multiple roles in plants. However, studies on the flavonoid accumulation of the pomelo fruit are rare. In this study, we conducted a widely targeted metabolome analysis by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry and identified 550 metabolites in the sarcocarp from red (C. maxima Merr. var. Tubtim Siam) and white pomelos (C. maxima (Burm.) Osbeck). A total of 263 significantly changed metabolites were detected from the 550 metabolites. Content analysis of the significantly changed metabolites (SCMs) showed that 138 SCMs were highly accumulated, whereas 125 SCMs were observed with lower content in red-sarcocarp pomelo. Importantly, 103 of the 263 SCMs were flavonoids, including 34 flavonoids, 29 flavonols, 18 flavonoid carbonosides, 9 dihydroflavones, 6 isoflavones, 5 anthocyanins, 1 dihydroflavonol, and 1 chalcone. Gene ontology analysis indicated that upregulated genes in red-sarcocarp pomelo were significantly enriched in GO terms related to flavonoids including flavonoid biosynthetic processes. Several important differentially expressed genes were detected in the correlation network, especially Cg2g009540 which is an orthologous gene of AtCHS, also detected in flavonoid biosynthesis networks, and which could be related to the high level of total flavonoids in the red-sarcocarp pomelo. Our study demonstrated the fluctuation of flavonoid biosynthesis in the two pomelo cultivars and laid a theoretical foundation for pomelo breeding to generate fruits with a high flavonoid content.
Image Segmentation Method on Quartz Particle-Size Detection by Deep Learning Networks
Authors: Nie Xinlei , Zhang Changsheng , Cao Qinbo
Published: November 2022

In the beneficiation of quartz sand, hydraulic classification is a primary way to obtain quartz production in various size fractions. It is essential for plants to measure the particle size of quartz sand during the classification, in time to evaluate the classification efficiency. However, the traditional manual-screening method consumes labor and time, while the particle-size analyzer is expensive. Thus, a size-detection method of quartz-sand particle is proposed in this paper, which is based on a deep learning semantic-segmentation network Fully Convolutional Networks (FCN)-ResNet50. The FCN-ResNet50 network sand segments images, and the average particle size of quartz sand is obtained after converting the pixel-particle size to physical-particle size. Using deep learning, the quartz sand with particle sizes of −40 + 70 (0.212–0.38 mm), −70 + 100 (0.15–0.212 mm), −100 + 140 (0.109–0.15 mm), and −140 + 400 (0.038–0.109 mm) meshes, can be measured directly. The results showed that the validation accuracy of the FCN-ResNet50 was over 97%, and the loss value was approximately 0.2. Compared with the UNet-Mobile and Deeplab-Xception, the average error of particle-size detection was approximately 0.01 mm, which was close to the manual calibration-software results. This method has the advantages of quick sampling and low equipment costs, increasing the hydraulic-classification efficiency of quartz sand and promoting automation in the concentrator.
Comprehensive Utilization of Tailings in Quartz Vein-Hosted Gold Deposits
Authors: Chen Liuhui , Li Qian , Jiang Tao
Published: November 2022

The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive technology for the utilization of tailings from quartz vein-hosted gold deposits. We investigated the recovery potential and separation process for gold, feldspar, and quartz from tailings samples collected from the Jinqu gold mine in Henan province, China. The sequence of the principal flowsheet of the comprehensive utilization of gold, feldspar, and quartz from the tailings samples was determined according to the process mineralogy and corresponding experiments. The residual gold in the tailings was extracted, and both feldspar and quartz concentrates were recovered according to the flowsheet of selective desliming, flotation of gold-bearing sulfide ore, removal of iron-containing impurities, flotation separation of feldspar, and purification of quartz. The quartz concentrate met China’s industrial standard for raw-material quartz sand for producing high-grade glass, such as cover glass for touch electronics and TFT LCD liquid crystal substrate glass. The feldspar concentrate also met China’s ceramic industry standards. The established process provides an efficient way for recovering the main valuable minerals in tailings from quartz vein-hosted gold deposits. Moreover, this study demonstrates the synthetic recovery of the same type of gold tailings.
HAp/β-TCP Biphasic Ceramics Obtained by the Pechini Method: An Antibacterial Approach
Authors: Carvalho Geysivana K. , Farias José R. S. , Lima Idglan S. , Nascimento Ariane M. , Neves Gelmires A. , Menezes Romualdo , Osajima Josy A. , Braga Aluska , Silva-Filho Edson C.
Published: November 2022

Calcium phosphates (CaPs) have broad applications in biomedicine, with the most used phases being hydroxyapatite (HAp) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) due to their similarity with natural bone. There are several methods for obtaining CaPs. However, the Pechini method attracts much attention due to its advantages: homogeneous molecular mixing, obtaining nanocrystalline particles, low processing temperature, generating nanometric particles, and simplicity. However, this method is little discussed for the synthesis of CaPs. This work aimed to synthesize CaPs using the Pechini method, analyzing the antibacterial properties. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The XRD confirmed obtaining the biphasic ceramic of HAp, with no other phase as an impurity, where the ratio between citric acid and ethylene glycol (AC/EG) influenced the percentage of HAp phases and β-TCP formed. Thermogravimetric analysis showed a mass loss of approximately 7%. SEM observed the formation of post-agglomerates and irregular shapes. The bacteriological test was satisfactory. The samples showed above 25% inhibition for the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria.
Silica-Resin-Bentonite Nanocomposite and Its Application in Catalysis
Authors: Perez Federico M. , Santori Gerardo F. , Pompeo Francisco , Nichio Nora N.
Published: November 2022

Bentonites are natural clays found in abundance in deposits all over the planet and possess certain properties that make them interesting for various industrial applications. Through their activation or acid treatment, they can be used as catalysts in several reactions of interest. However, these materials form colloidal suspensions in water or in aqueous solutions, which makes their separation and recovery difficult and prevents their implementation on an industrial scale. To overcome these limitations, in the present work, a silica-resin-bentonite composite material was synthesized and activated with HNO3. The activated solids were characterized and evaluated in the catalytic reaction of solketal synthesis from glycerol and acetone. The best results were obtained for a composite containing 47 wt.% acidified bentonite at 90 °C, with a HNO3 concentration of 0.5 mol L−1, which was attributed to both its acid site density—3.9 mmol per gram of bentonite—and the acidic strength of these sites.
Pore Structure Characteristics and Permeability Stress Sensitivity of Jurassic Continental Shale of Dongyuemiao Member of Ziliujing Formation, Fuxing Area, Eastern Sichuan Basin
Authors: Yang Rongyan , Wang Furong , Yun Nianhan , Zeng Hongbin , Han Yuanjia , Hu Xing , Diao Ninglin
Published: November 2022

A shale condensate gas reservoir with a high clay content and a high formation pressure was found in the Jurassic shale of the Dongyuemiao Member in the Fuxing area of the eastern Sichuan Basin. Reservoir characteristics and formation pressure have a significant influence on optimal development. The present study investigated the continental shale of the Dongyuemiao Member in Well F. The petrological properties, physical properties, and pore structure of the Dongyuemiao Member were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), N2 adsorption, and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The permeability stress sensitivity characteristics of the shale reservoirs are discussed based on the change in shale porosity and permeability under overburden pressure. The tested shale samples yielded total organic carbon (TOC) and S1 + S2 values ranging mainly from 1.0 wt.% to 1.5 wt.% and from 0.39 to 2.28 mg/g, respectively, which was in the high maturity stage of the thermal evolution of organic matter (OM). The shales of the Dongyuemiao Member were found to contain high average clay mineral contents (more than 50%) of calcite and quartz, as well as albite, pyrite, dolomite, and halite. The main developments were identified as silica-rich argillaceous shale lithofacies, argillaceous shale lithofacies, and mixed argillaceous shale lithofacies. The pores were found to mainly be plate-like and flake-like interlayer pores of clay minerals and OM pores with various shapes. The pore size was mainly concentrated below 110 nm, and the pore volume increment increased in flakes with pore diameter. The average porosity and permeability of shale were found to be 4.827% and 0.243 mD, respectively. Clay minerals and quartz are beneficial for improving the porosity and permeability of reservoirs, while carbonate minerals have the opposite effect. The permeability of the shale showed a negative exponential change with increasing effective stress under overburden pressure. When the effective confining pressure was greater than 20 MPa, the decline rate of the shale permeability decreased with increases in the effective stress. The higher the clay mineral and TOC content, the stronger the stress sensitivity of shale permeability. The higher the carbonate mineral content, the weaker the stress sensitivity of shale permeability. The porosity sensitivity exponent indicates that matrix pores and micro-fractures are both developed in the Dongyuemiao Member, and the development of internal fractures is the main factor in the strong stress sensitivity of the shale permeability in the study area.
How Water Interacts with the NOH Group: The Rotational Spectrum of the 1:1 N,N-diethylhydroxylamine·Water Complex
Authors: Salvitti Giovanna , Baroncelli Filippo , Nicotri Chiara , Evangelisti Luca , Melandri Sonia , Maris Assimo
Published: November 2022

The rotational spectrum of the 1:1 N,N-diethylhydroxylamine-water complex has been investigated using pulsed jet Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in the 6.5–18.5 GHz frequency region. The most stable conformer has been detected as well as the 13C monosubstituted isotopologues in natural abundance and the 18O enriched water species, allowing to determine the nitrogen nuclear quadrupole coupling constants and the molecular structure in the vibrational ground state. The molecule has a Cs symmetry and the water lies in the bc symmetry plane forming two hydrogen bonds with the NOH frame with length: dHOH·NOH = 1.974 Å and dH2O·HON = 2.096 Å. From symmetry-adapted perturbation theory calculations coupled to atoms in molecule approach, the corresponding interaction energy values are estimated to be 24 and 13 kJ·mol−1, respectively. The great strength of the intermolecular interaction involving the nitrogen atom is in agreement with the high reactivity of hydroxylamine compounds at the nitrogen site.
Recent Progress in Nanotechnology-Based Approaches for Food Monitoring
Authors: Nam Nguyen Nhat , Do Hoang Dang Khoa , Trinh Kieu The Loan , Lee Nae Yoon
Published: November 2022

Throughout the food supply chain, including production, storage, and distribution, food can be contaminated by harmful chemicals and microorganisms, resulting in a severe threat to human health. In recent years, the rapid advancement and development of nanotechnology proposed revolutionary solutions to solve several problems in scientific and industrial areas, including food monitoring. Nanotechnology can be incorporated into chemical and biological sensors to improve analytical performance, such as response time, sensitivity, selectivity, reliability, and accuracy. Based on the characteristics of the contaminants and the detection methods, nanotechnology can be applied in different ways in order to improve conventional techniques. Nanomaterials such as nanoparticles, nanorods, nanosheets, nanocomposites, nanotubes, and nanowires provide various functions for the immobilization and labeling of contaminants in electrochemical and optical detection. This review summarizes the recent advances in nanotechnology for detecting chemical and biological contaminations in the food supply chain.
Large-Scale MoS2 Pixel Array for Imaging Sensor
Authors: Liu Kang , Wang Xinyu , Su Hesheng , Chen Xinyu , Wang Die , Guo Jing , Shao Lei , Bao Wenzhong , Chen Honglei
Published: November 2022

Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been extensively investigated in the field of optoelectronic devices. However, most reported MoS2 phototransistors are fabricated using the mechanical exfoliation method to obtain micro-scale MoS2 flakes, which is laboratory- feasible but not practical for the future industrial fabrication of large-scale pixel arrays. Recently, wafer-scale MoS2 growth has been rapidly developed, but few results of uniform large-scale photoelectric devices were reported. Here, we designed a 12 × 12 pixels pixel array image sensor fabricated on a 2 cm × 2 cm monolayer MoS2 film grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The photogating effect induced by the formation of trap states ensures a high photoresponsivity of 364 AW−1, which is considerably superior to traditional CMOS sensors (≈0.1 AW−1). Experimental results also show highly uniform photoelectric properties in this array. Finally, the concatenated image obtained by laser lighting stencil and photolithography mask demonstrates the promising potential of 2D MoS2 for future optoelectrical applications.
Dual Application: p-CuS/n-ZnS Nanocomposite Construction for High-Efficiency Colorimetric Determination and Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline in Water
Authors: Zhang Li , Ge Linhong , Deng Lamei , Tu Xinman
Published: November 2022

Herein, CuS was incorporated with ZnS to form a novel nanocomposite via cation exchange, and the product was then employed for dual application of the colorimetric determination and photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) in water. The formed p–n heterojunction provided an improved gap width and electron mobility, which could rapidly catalyze H2O2 to produce plenty of •OH, supporting a color conversion with TMB. Meanwhile, the addition of TC could lead to the further enhancement in colorimetric signal, and the distinction level was sensitive to the target amount. Additionally, under light conditions, the p-CuS/n-ZnS could produce •O2−, •OH, and h+ through photocatalysis, and these ions could degrade the TC via oxidation. In the colorimetric determination of TC, the signal responses were obtained within 10 min, and the detection limit was 20.94 nM. The recovery rates were 99% and 106% for the water samples from Ganjiang river. In the photocatalytic degradation, the TC was degraded by 91% within 120 min, which was threefold that of ZnS. Meanwhile, the morphology feature of the p-CuS/n-ZnS remained after multiple uses, suggesting a favorable material stability. This strategy provides application prospects for the monitoring and control of antibiotics in water.