bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Superposition Attacks on Pseudorandom Schemes Based on Two or Less Permutations
Authors: Zhang Shaoxuan , Guo Chun , Wang Qingju
Published: September 2024

We study quantum superposition attacks against permutation‐based pseudorandom cryptographic schemes. We first extend Kuwakado and Morii’s attack against the Even–Mansour cipher and exhibit key recovery attacks against a large class of pseudorandom schemes based on a single call to an n‐bit permutation, with polynomial O(n) (or O(n2), if the concrete cost of Hadamard transform is also taken in) quantum steps. We then consider schemes, namely, two permutation‐based pseudorandom cryptographic schemes. Using the improved Grover‐meet‐Simon method, we show that the keys of a wide class of schemes can be recovered with O(n) superposition queries (the complexity of the original is O(n2n/2)) and O(n2n/2) quantum steps. We also exhibit subclasses of “degenerated” schemes that lack certain internal operations and exhibit more efficient key recovery attacks using either the Simon’s algorithm or collision searching algorithm. Further, using the all‐subkeys‐recovery idea of Isobe and Shibutani, our results give rise to key recovery attacks against several recently proposed permutation‐based PRFs, as well as the two‐round Even–Mansour ciphers with generic key schedule functions and their tweakable variants. From a constructive perspective, our results establish new quantum Q2 security upper bounds for two permutation‐based pseudorandom schemes as well as sound design choices.
On conditions influencing widespread deployment and commercialisation of space division multiplexing optical fibres in submarine cable systems
Authors: Downie John D. , Makovejs Sergejs , Tandon Pushkar , Bennett Kevin , Tuggle Matthew , Butler Douglas , DePedro Hector , Jung Yongmin
Published: September 2024

The authors examine the state of submarine cable systems and conditions affecting potential widespread deployment of new spatial division multiplexing technologies, such as multicore optical fibre. The authors address areas such as cable capacity requirements, techno‐economic constraints, multicore fibre characteristics, and performance and other necessary technology advances.
Perioperative Management for Port Catheter Procedures in Pediatric Patients with Severe Hemophilia and Inhibitors
Authors: Woestemeier Anna , Horneff Silvia , Lüder Vincent Marlon , Nadal Jennifer , Koscielny Arne , Kalff Jörg C. , Oldenburg Johannes , Goldmann Georg , Lingohr Philipp
Published: September 2024

Background The objective of this systematic study was to assess the perioperative management and outcome of surgery in pediatric patients with hemophilia A/B and inhibitors compared to nonhemophilic pediatric patients.

Methods The surgical outcome of 69 port catheter operations in patients with hemophilia who developed inhibitory antibodies against the administered factor was compared to 51 procedures in the control group. In the patients with hemophilia and inhibitors, a standardized protocol for recombinant activated factor VII was used to prevent perioperative bleeding.

Results Hemophilic pediatric patients with inhibitors showed no significant differences in perioperative management (blood transfusion: p = 0.067, duration of surgery: p = 0.69; p = 0.824) in comparison to patients without hemophilia. The length of hospital stay was significantly longer in pediatric patients with hemophilia and inhibitors (20 days vs. 4 days for insertion; 12 days vs. 1 day for explantation). Moreover, no statistically significant difference was found for secondary bleeding (three patients with hemophilia vs. none in the control group; p = 0.11) or surgical complications (five hemophilia patients vs. none with grade I complication; one hemophilia patient vs. none with grade II complications; p = 0.067).

Conclusion This study has demonstrated that port catheter insertion and removal is safe in these patients. Moreover, it shows the importance of a coordinated approach with a multidisciplinary team.
Homöopathische Behandlungen im stationären Alltag der
psychosomatischen Abteilung der Klinik Lahnhöhe
Authors: Eick Christine
Published: September 2024

Die psychosomatische Abteilung der Klinik Lahnhöhe hält ein umfassendes
komplementärmedizinisches Behandlungskonzept vor, das Ernährung, Psychotherapie
und insbesondere eine homöopathische Behandlung umfasst. Die homöopathische
Arbeitsweise im stationären Alltag wird dargestellt und an mehreren
Fallbeispielen illustriert.
Lymphovascular invasion is a dominant risk factor for lymph node metastasis in T2 rectal cancer
Authors: Medic Selma , Nilsson Emelie , Rönnow Carl-Fredrik , Thorlacius Henrik
Published: September 2024

Background and study aims Surgical resection is standard treatment of T2 rectal cancer due to risk of concomitant lymph node metastases (LNM). Local resection could potentially be an alternative to surgical treatment in a subgroup of patients with low risk of LNM. The aim of this study was to identify clinical and histopathological risk factors of LNM in T2 rectal cancer.

Patients and methods This was a retrospective registry-based population study on prospectively collected data on all patients with T2 rectal cancer undergoing surgical resection in Sweden between 2009 and 2021. Potential risk factors of LNM, including age, gender, resection margin, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), histologic grade, mucinous cancer, and perineural invasion (PNI) were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Results Of 1607 patients, 343 (21%) with T2 rectal cancer had LNM. LVI (odds ratio [OR] = 4.21, P < 0.001) and age < 60 years (OR = 1.80, P < 0.001) were significant and independent risk factors. However, PNI (OR = 1.50, P = 0.15), mucinous cancer (OR = 1.14, P = 0.60), histologic grade (OR = 1.47, P = 0.07) and non-radical resection margin (OR = 1.64, P = 0.38) were not significant risk factors for LNM in multivariate analyses. The incidence of LNM was 15% in the absence of any risk factor.

Conclusions This was a large study on LNM in T2 rectal cancer which showed that LVI is the dominant risk factor. Moreover, low age constituted an independent risk factor, whereas gender, resection margin, PNI, histologic grade, and mucinous cancer were not independent risk factors of LNM. Thus, these findings may provide a useful basis for management of patients after local resection of early rectal cancer.
Pediatric Scapular Cavernous Hemangioma Presenting with Kasabach–Merritt Syndrome and Controlled by Preoperative Angioembolization: A Case Report
Authors: Pande Pooja , Bhame Suraj , Bansal Harshit , Ranjan Raghwesh , Saha Soumitra
Published: September 2024

Intraosseous hemangioma is a common and benign vascular tumor with a propensity to occur in any bone of the body. Although the most common skeletal sites are the craniofacial bones and the spine, hemangioma of the scapula is a rare occurrence, which is rarer in the pediatric population. Kasabach–Merritt syndrome (KMS) is characterized by the combination of a rapidly growing vascular tumor, thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and consumptive coagulopathy. This condition can cause massive bleeding even after minor trauma and immediate operative management is usually contraindicated.

We report a rare case of KMS in an 8-year-old girl with cavernous hemangioma of the scapula presenting with progressively increasing shoulder mass, thrombocytopenia, and serially falling hemoglobin levels. She was treated with preoperative angioembolization to manage the consumptive coagulopathy followed by surgery poststabilization. Intraosseous hemangiomas, while benign, can show aggressive features on imaging and angioembolization can be a life-saving tool in the management of vascular tumors presenting with consumptive coagulopathy. Intraosseous hemangiomas, while benign, can show aggressive features on imaging and angioembolization can be a life-saving tool in the management of vascular tumors presenting with consumptive coagulopathy.
Promoting sustainable behavior: addressing user clusters through targeted incentives
Authors: Höpfl Laura , Grimlitza Maximilian , Lang Isabella , Wirzberger Maria
Published: September 2024

Given the urgency of climate change action and the significant climate impact of household emissions, understanding the drivers of individuals’ sustainable behavior patterns is more important than ever. Consequently, we investigate whether different clusters of individual users can be distinguished regarding sustainability-related values, attitudes, and intentions. If these diverse clusters exist, we can explore tailored approaches to promote sustainable behavior patterns among them based on their unique needs and targets. For this purpose, we employ a mixed-method approach combining qualitative interviews with a quantitative survey. The obtained insights help us identify core factors that drive sustainable behavior, develop representations of different user groups, and suggest individualized interventions for supporting sustainable behavior patterns. The qualitative part comprised interviews with ten participants, resulting in the development of qualitative personas. Emerging differences could subsequently be used to select validated psychological scales for the quantitative part to confirm the differences. Applying data-driven clustering, we identify five intention-based clusters that vary regarding factors such as belief in climate change, collaboration, or skepticism concerning sustainability. Building on both qualitative and quantitative insights, five validated personas are created for research and practical use. These personas include Socially Sustainable, Responsible Savers, Unconcerned Spenders, Comfort-Oriented, and Skeptical Consumers. Individuals corresponding to the selected persona may, for example, respond positively to sustainability benefits, while others may be more receptive to hedonistic benefits. Addressing related varying motivational factors raises the demand for individualized interventions. These could be achieved by incorporating the personas’ needs with more individualized products and services to promote sustainable behavior.
Fabulous Frogs
Authors: Germein Katrina , Houghton Suzanne
Published: September 2024

Australian frogs are fabulous frogs! Did you know that there are frogs who change colour? Or that there are frogs who would rather walk than jump, or can use their eyes to swallow food? And that some tadpoles can control when they turn into a frog?

Fabulous Frogs is a celebration of Australian native frogs, and their fascinating features and behaviours.

Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 5 to 9.
Mapping pasture dieback impact and recovery using an aerial imagery time series: a central Queensland case study
Authors: McKenna Phillip B. , Ufer Natasha , Glenn Vanessa , Dale Neil , Carins Tayla , Nguyen Trung h. , Thomson Melody B. , Young Anthony J. , Buck Stuart , Jones Paul , Erskine Peter D.
Published: September 2024

Context Pasture dieback has emerged as a significant threat to the health and productivity of sown pastures in eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. Aims We aimed to address knowledge gaps on spatial spread patterns, recovery trajectories and floristic changes using remote sensing and ground surveys. Methods We used a time series of high-resolution (12–25 cm) aerial imagery to quantify and compare pasture dieback spread over 7 years in three land-use areas: ungrazed pasture, grazed pasture and rehabilitation following mining. The green leaf index was applied using supervised random forest algorithms to classify areas affected between 2015 and 2021. Flora surveys were conducted to compare impacted and unimpacted areas for the three land uses and validate classifications. Key results The first emergence of pasture dieback was in ungrazed pasture, and these areas recorded the highest rate of dieback spread at 1.88 ha month−1, compared with 0.54 and 0.19 ha month−1 in rehabilitated and grazed pastures respectively. Field validation showed that dieback-impacted pastures shifted from buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.), to forb-dominated communities with significantly different species mix, biomass and cover conditions. An analysis of local climate data showed that winter night-time temperatures and rainfall were notably higher than long-term means in the year preceding the first detection of pasture dieback. Conclusions High resolution aerial imagery and ground surveys can be used to monitor pasture health by employing vegetation indices and random forest classifiers. Implications Ungrazed pastures and roadside areas should be managed to protect the region from further outbreaks.
Adopting the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education in North America
Authors: Zhang Jie , Tian Ye
Published: September 2024

This special issue delves into the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (hereinafter referred to as “Grading Standards”), the first comprehensive framework for assessing the Chinese language proficiency of international learners. It presents five empirical studies that examine the applicability and challenges of adopting these standards in North America. The first paper offers a comparative analysis of global language standards, while the subsequent papers explore various aspects of the Grading Standards’ localization in the North American context, including character teaching, vocabulary, grammar instruction, and oral proficiency. The findings and recommendations provide valuable insights for course design, curriculum development, and textbook compilation in Chinese language programs across North American universities.
Standards-based character recognition test
Authors: Hou Xiaoming
Published: September 2024

The present study developed and implemented a character recognition test based on the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education. Using a stratified systematic sampling approach, we selected 15 characters from each level, ranging from levels 1 to 6, and 45 characters from the advanced level. This test was administered to 32 L2 Chinese learners from two universities. The results, on one hand, present an estimation of learners’ character size and revealed variations at multiple levels, including school, course, and individual levels. On the other hand, they serve as a valuable link between the Standards and teaching/learning practice, enabling a necessary reflection on the efficacy of the Standards, particularly in terms of the character component.
Light predicate raising in the Mandarin post-VP adverbial nominal constructions
Authors: Zhang Ning
Published: September 2024

In Mandarin, a nominal may follow a string that is composed of a monomorphemic verb and its monomorphemic object. The nominal exhibits the same constraints as a preverbal PP. Also, unlike a canonical or non-canonical object, such a nominal cannot be deleted. It is argued that such a nominal is the object of a preposition; the PP is base-generated as a left adverbial of a shortest transitive VP; and after the leftward raising of the light VP and deletion of the preposition, the nominal surfaces to the right of the VP. Based on this study, the paper reports a form economy in syntactic operations.
Nadie Me Ve Como Latinx
Authors: Mendez Luis , Satterfield Teresa
Published: September 2024

Studies on how observers’ perceptions affect youth Ethnic-Racial Identity (ERI) formation focus on adolescents,
and typically fail to consider non-English language use as a salient ERI marker. The current research examines two novel
dimensions by examining employing Spanish-language mixed methods to study Midwestern heritage Spanish-speaking Latinx children,
ages 7–13. Study outcomes correlate skin tone to ERI such that children identified by observers as ‘phenotypically’ Latinx
reported higher levels of ethnic exploration compared to peers identified as ‘phenotypically’ non-Latinx. Children’s phenotypic
self-identification and ERI exploration correlated highly with level of understanding of their ethnic group, and in turn with
reported higher linguistic discrimination. Qualitative results further highlight that “white-presenting” Latinx children more
strongly affirm their Latinx identity through high Spanish language competence. Findings suggest that healthy ERI development in
Latinx children may be uniquely aided by bilingualism and biliteracy.
French writing tasks for undergraduate learners
Authors: Tigchelaar Magda , Forget Gabrielle
Published: September 2024

This study triangulated multiple data sources and methods to identify the real-world needs of undergraduate
students in a French as a second language program. Graduates (N = 130) and current students
(N = 67) rated the importance of a series of written production, interaction, and mediation tasks detailed in the
CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020). A subset of alumni
(N = 5) participated in focus group interviews. Results indicated that all participants placed primary importance
on writing for personal communication (i.e., correspondence, forms, creative writing, relaying information, online interaction).
Similarly, interviewees discussed the importance of non-academic writing in their work and daily lives, and highlighted challenges
associated with correspondence, writing teaching materials, and academic writing. Findings suggest a need for writing instruction
in diverse real-world genres for both personal interaction and academic writing.
Focus on form in the uptake, stability and transfer of relative clause use across tasks
Authors: Chen Liping , Lambert Craig
Published: September 2024

This study compares the effectiveness of two instructional interventions on the uptake and transfer of relative
clauses (RCs) during picture-based oral narrative tasks: (1) Focus on Form (FonF), which involves incidental focus on language
problems as they arise naturally in learners’ language during meaning-focused task-based communication, and (2) Focus on Forms
(FonFs), which involves explicit attention to specific forms felt by the teacher or materials planner to be natural, useful or
essential to the performance of a task (Long, 2015). A third treatment, focus on
meaning (FonM), which involved no form-focused instruction at all, provided a baseline to compare the relative effects of these
two instructional interventions. Thirty-six Chinese ESL learners participated in the study. The study employed a pre-test,
post-test, and delayed post-test design. Results revealed that FonM did not promote uptake or transfer of RCs, and that FonFs and
FonF had comparable effects on the uptake, stability, and transfer of RCs to novel versions of oral narrative tasks. The study
demonstrates that: (1) form-focused instruction was essential in promoting uptake and transfer of challenging task-relevant
language; and (2) FonF was at least as effective as FonFs for promoting Chinese ESL learners’ use and acquisition of task-relevant
structures. The results of the study provide support for the use of FonF in instruction as consistent with the principles of
task-based language teaching.
Free-falling motion of an elastic rigid rod towards a Schwarzschild black hole
Authors: Machado Luís , Natário José , Silva Jorge Drumond
Published: September 2024

We study the motion of an elastic rigid rod which is radially free-falling towards a Schwarzschild black hole. This is accomplished by reducing the corresponding free-boundary partial differential equation problem to a sequence of ODEs, which we integrate numerically. Starting with a rod at rest, we show that it is possible to choose its initial compression profile so that its midpoint falls substantially faster, or slower, than a free-falling particle with the same initial conditions. This seems to be a purely kinematic effect, since on average there is no net transfer of elastic energy to mechanical energy.
An exploration of temporal coherence of light through holography
Authors: Escarguel Alexandre , Martin Céline
Published: September 2024

The coherence time τ
c of light is an important physical parameter in fundamental and applied optics and therefore, it is crucial that students understand its meaning. In this work, this notion is addressed through holography by simple experiments for bachelor and master students at Aix-Marseilles University. The coherence time of light sources used to make holograms is one of the key parameters for the success of such experiments; it must be large enough so that an optical wave train divided in two parts (reference/objects beams) interferes with itself to record the 3D shape of the object on the photosensitive medium. That is why laser sources, with much longer τ
c than other light sources, are commonly used to make holograms. We have recently worked with students on this problem; is it possible not to use a laser to make holograms? Which coherence time do we need for which hologram? After a study of the coherence time of different light sources (HeNe laser, red Light-Emitting Diode (LED) with and without 1 nm wide interference filter and high pressure mercury lamp with green filter) by emission spectroscopy and by interferometry, an extremely simple experimental setup is used to realize holograms of a coin with them. The observation of these holograms, coupled to a scan of the coin shape with an optical microscope, enables the deduction of information on the coherence length of these light sources.
Optimized generalized monogamy relations and upper bounds for N-qubit systems
Authors: Shen Zhong-Xi , Xuan Dong-Ping , Zhou Wen , Wang Zhi-Xi , Fei Shao-Ming
Published: September 2024

We present optimized generalized monogamy relations and upper bounds derived from concurrence and concurrence of assistance. We first establish a tighter general upper bound of the αth (

0
⩽
α
⩽
2

) power of concurrence for N-qubit states. Then for N-qubit systems

A
B

C
1

…

C

N
−
2

, the optimized monogamy relations and upper bounds satisfied by the αth (

0
⩽
α
⩽
2

) power of concurrence of N-qubit pure states under the partition AB and

C
1

…

C

N
−
2

, as well as under the partition ABC
1 and

C
2

…

C

N
−
2

are established, which give rise to restrictions on the entanglement distribution and trade offs among the subsystems. Moreover, the utilization of the W-class states demonstrates that our results are tighter compared with the existing results. Similar results are also obtained for negativity.
Study of charmonium(-like) mesons under a diabatic approach*
Authors: Zhang 张 Zi-Zhao 子钊 , Li 李 Rong 荣 , Liu 刘 Bo-Chao 伯超
Published: September 2024

In this work, we study the charmonium(-like) spectrum below 4.1 GeV using the diabatic approach, which offers a unified description of conventional and unconventional heavy meson states. Compared to previous studies, we consider a more realistic

potential by including the spin-dependent interactions, which allows us to obtain more states and insights into the charmonium spectrum. Based on our calculation, we obtain the masses of the charmonium spectrum, which align well with experimental data. We also present the probabilities of finding various components, i.e.,

or meson-meson pairs, in these states. Our results support the arguments that

,

, and

have significant molecular components. In addition, our calculations show that

and

can be considered as candidates for the charmonium states

and

, respectively.
Cattle supply chain fidelity in the Brazilian Amazon: key considerations for deforestation monitoring
Authors: Skidmore Marin Elisabeth , Barrozo Marcos , Rausch Lisa , Gibbs Holly K
Published: September 2024

Supply chain governance (SCG) is an increasingly important approach to man- age environmental protection and human rights in agricultural systems across the tropics. SCG helps relay the preferences of international consumers to producers and fills environmental policy gaps. Brazil’s Zero-Deforestation Cattle Agreements (CA) are one of the longest-standing examples of SCG but shortcomings in implementation have reduced their conservation impacts. Chief among the reasons for their limited effect is that slaughterhouses monitor only the suppliers they buy from directly. This does not account for the complex supply network upstream of the direct sale, whose dynamics are also poorly understood. We provide the first comprehensive characterization of the strength and duration of cattle supply chain relationships based on animal transaction records from across the Brazilian Amazon. Whereas direct supply relationships (from ranchers to slaughterhouses) are relatively few and long-lasting, upstream relationships between ranchers are numerous and short-lived. Expanding monitoring to include these upstream sup- pliers increases the number of monitored transactions by an order of magnitude. However, 1% of the largest direct suppliers sell nearly half of cattle to CA slaughterhouses. More comprehensive upstream monitoring of only these prolific suppliers could greatly increase coverage at a fraction of the cost. While it may be challenging to monitor the entire supply network, significant advancements are within reach.
Changes and drivers of vegetation productivity in China’s drylands under climate change
Authors: Zhou Wenxin , Li Changjia , Fu Bojie , Wang Shuai , Ren Zhuobing , Stringer Lindsay C
Published: September 2024

Increasing aridity can sharply reduce vegetation productivity in drylands, but elevated CO2 and warming can enhance vegetation growth. However, the extent to which these positive effects counteract the negative effects of heightened aridity on vegetation productivity remains uncertain. Here, we used space-for-time substitution to assess the responses of 15 ecosystem variables to aridity in China’s drylands and predicted vegetation productivity under future aridity, temperature, precipitation, nitrogen deposition, and CO2. The results showed that vegetation productivity decreased abruptly as aridity (1-precipitation/potential evapotranspiration) increased to the threshold of 0.7, which corresponds to the vegetation decline stage in the dryland ecosystem’s response to increasing aridity. Future projections suggest that 12.8% of China’s drylands will cross aridity thresholds (0.7, 0.8, and 0.95) by 2100, in which vegetation productivity will significantly increase by 40.0%. Elevated CO2 will stimulate vegetation growth, but continuously rising temperature and CO2 by 2100 will have adverse effects, particularly in regions with limited nitrogen and water. This study suggests that effective adaptation and mitigation actions should be developed for regions crossing aridity thresholds, to ensure that drylands maintain the capacity to provide essential ecosystem services required to support the increasing population.
Rapid point-of-care breath test predicts breast cancer and abnormal mammograms in symptomatic women
Authors: Phillips Michael , Bevers Therese B , Larsen Linda Hovanessian , Pappas Nadine , Pathak Sonali
Published: September 2024

Previous studies have reported volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath as biomarkers of breast cancer. These biomarkers may be derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts, in which oxidative stress degrades polyunsaturated fatty acids to volatile alkanes and methylated alkane derivatives that are excreted in the breath. We evaluated a rapid point-of-care test for breath VOC biomarkers as predictors of breast cancer and abnormal mammograms. We studied 593 women aged

⩾

18 yr referred to three sites for mammography for a symptomatic breast-related concern (e.g. breast mass, nipple discharge). A rapid point-of-care breath testing system collected and concentrated alveolar breath VOCs on a sorbent trap and analyzed them with gas chromatography and surface acoustic wave detection in <6 min. Breath VOC chromatograms were randomly assigned to a training set or to a validation set. Monte Carlo analysis identified significant breath VOC biomarkers of breast cancer and abnormal mammograms in the training set, and these biomarkers were incorporated into a multivariate algorithm to predict disease in the validation set. Prediction of breast cancer: 50 women had biopsy-proven breast cancer (invasive cancer 41, ductal non-invasive cancer 9) Unsplit data set: breath VOCs identified breast cancer with 83% accuracy (area under curve of receiver operating characteristic), 82% sensitivity and 77.1% specificity. Split data sets: training set breath VOCs identified breast cancer with 80.3% accuracy, 84% sensitivity and 74.3% specificity. Corresponding values in the validation set were 68%% accuracy, 72.4% sensitivity and 61.5% specificity. Prediction of BIRADS 4 and 5 mammograms (versus BIRADS 1, 2 and 3): unsplit data set: breath VOCs identified abnormal mammograms with 76.2% accuracy. Split data sets: breath VOCs identified abnormal mammograms with 74.2% accuracy, 73.3% sensitivity and 60% specificity. Corresponding values in the validation set were 60.5% accuracy, 64.2% sensitivity and 51% specificity. A rapid point-of-care test for breath VOC biomarkers predicted risk of breast cancer and abnormal mammograms in women with breast-related symptoms.
ZnO nanolayer on polypropylene fabrics: a highly effective antimicrobial coating against pathogenic bioaerosols
Authors: Reyes-Carmona Lorena , Rodil Sandra E , Sepúlveda-Robles Omar A , Silva-Bérmudez Phaedra S , Ramos-Vilchis Carlos , Almaguer-Flores Argelia
Published: September 2024

Antimicrobial coatings offer a promising solution for enhancing the efficacy of materials used to fabricate protective equipment for healthcare personnel. Given the rapid spread of respiratory diseases caused by pathogenic bioaerosols, our study delves into probing the antimicrobial properties of a sputtered ZnO nanolayer deposited onto polypropylene fabrics earmarked for the production of respiratory protective gear such as facemasks. A comprehensive methodology was developed to assess the immediate antimicrobial effect of the zinc oxide nanolayer against bioaerosols laden with four DNA or RNA viral surrogates and eight aerobic and anaerobic bacterial species. Additionally, its antimicrobial efficacy was measured over time across contact durations ranging from 0.5 to 24 h. The ZnO nanolayer exhibited an immediate reduction in infectivity of approximately 40% for RNA viruses, whereas only an 11% reduction was noted for the DNA virus. Remarkably, the infectivity of RNA viruses was totally eradicated after 12 h of contact with the ZnO nanolayer. In the case of anaerobic bacteria-laden bioaerosols, inhibition ratios ranged from 58% to 97% across various anaerobic strains, while aerobic bacteria aerosols demonstrated inhibition ranging from 26% to 74%. Notably, after 24 h of direct contact between bacteria and ZnO nanolayer, a substantial viability inhibition of most strains (80%–90%) was achieved. These findings underscore the potential of ZnO nanolayer for diverse biomedical purposes, encompassing personal protective equipment and other applications such as air purification systems.
Development of a three-dimensional variational data assimilation system for 137Cs based on WRF-Chem model and applied to the Fukushima nuclear accident
Authors: Hu Yiwen , Li Yi , Zang Zengliang , Wang Yijie , Fang Sheng , Zhuang Shuhan , Liu Lang , Liu Ning
Published: September 2024

Nuclear explosions and accidents release large amounts of radionuclides that harm human health and the environment. Accurate forecasting of nuclide pollutants and assessment of the ramifications of nuclear incidents are necessary for the emergency response and disaster assessment of nuclide pollution. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional variational (3Dvar) system to assimilate 137Cs based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. The distribution of 137Cs after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan on 15 March 2011 was analysed. The 137Cs background field at 06:00 UTC was assimilated using a 3Dvar system and surface observational data to optimise the 137Cs analysis field. Compared with the background field, the root mean square error (RMSE) and mean bias in the 137Cs analysis field decreased by 98% and 94%, respectively. The average fraction of predictions within factors of 2 (FAC2), 5 (FAC5), and 10 (FAC10) increased from 0.67, 0.72, and 0.72 to 0.90, 1.00, and 1.00, respectively. This substantial enhancement indicated the effectiveness of the 3DVar system in mitigating the uncertainty associated with the background field. Two 12 h forecast experiments were conducted to gauge the advancement in 137Cs forecasting facilitated by data assimilation (DA). The control experiment was conducted without DA, whereas the assimilation experiment was conducted with DA. Compared with the control experiment, the average FAC2, FAC5, and FAC10 in the assimilation experiment increased by 28%, 30%, and 29%, respectively. The average RMSE decreased by 33%. The mean bias and correlation coefficient increased by 41% and 36%, respectively. These results indicated that the 3Dvar method improves the forecast accuracy of 137Cs concentration.
Additively manufactured carbon fiber reinforced-polyamide component: a study based on statistical modeling and regression analysis
Authors: Veeman Dhinakaran , Dutta Hrishikesh , Vellaisamy Murugan
Published: September 2024

This paper presents the experimental assessment of the hardness characteristic of additively manufactured polyamide (PA 6) composite reinforced with carbon micro-fibers. The carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide (CFPA) components were manufactured using the additive manufacturing technique—fused deposition modeling (FDM). The experiments were conducted for testing the hardness of the samples using a Shore-D hardness tester. The novel contributions of the work towards the manufacturing fraternity include selecting a scantly researched material like CFPA, and the elaborative investigation of hardness variation with the alteration of the prime parameters pertaining to FDM. The effect of the print-related parameters, namely, layer height (LH), infill density (ID), and raster orientation (RO) on the hardness of the CFPA component was studied, and the results were analyzed using statistical analysis tool ‘analysis of variance (ANOVA)’. Moreover, a regression model was developed to predict the output response, i.e. hardness for different combinations of the input parameters. Considering an ID of 100% and an RO of 0°, the hardness value of 93.89 at 0.1 mm LH reduced to 88.44 at 0.3 mm LH, depicting a reduction of 5.81%. An increasing trend was observed for hardness with the increase in ID for all the levels of LH and RO. The highest value of hardness (93.89) was achieved at an ID of 100%, with the LH and RO values kept at 0.1 mm and 0°, respectively. The ANOVA suggested that the effect of all three parameters is significant in the study, ID being the most affecting parameter with an effect contribution of 37.88%. The fitness of the adopted model was well justified by the high R-sq value of 0.9618 and significantly low error values in the range of 0.002–0.08.
Physical model and Bayesian theory based hydraulic component fault diagnosis method
Authors: Qiu Zhiwei , Li Wanli , Wang Daozhi
Published: September 2024

Hydraulic components are integral parts of hydraulic systems, and their failures directly impact the normal operation of hydraulic systems. Due to the dynamic variation of working pressure in hydraulic components with load, it is challenging to diagnose faults of hydraulic components under dynamic pressure conditions using existing methods. This paper focuses on the research of internal leakage faults in hydraulic directional control valves and proposes a fault diagnosis method based on physical model and Bayesian theory for hydraulic components. Firstly, this method investigates the working fault mechanism of hydraulic directional control valves and constructs an internal leakage model. Then, correlation analysis is introduced to select fault feature signals, and principal component analysis is adopted to construct internal leakage features. Finally, based on Bayesian model, Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling, and internal leakage features, the parameters of the internal leakage model are estimated to achieve fault diagnosis of internal leakage in hydraulic directional control valves. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to several traditional fault diagnosis methods, the proposed method exhibits higher adaptability and accuracy under dynamic pressure conditions. This method, based on the internal leakage model and Bayesian theory, realizes fault diagnosis of hydraulic components under dynamic pressure conditions, avoiding the shortcomings of deep learning methods that rely on a large amount of fault data to train fault models.
LoGAN: local generative adversarial network for novel structure prediction
Authors: Kovács Péter , Heid Esther , Landsheere Jasper De , Madsen Georg K H
Published: September 2024

The efficient generation and filtering of candidate structures for new materials is becoming increasingly important as starting points for computational studies. In this work, we introduce an approach to Wasserstein generative adversarial networks for predicting unique crystal and molecular structures. Leveraging translation- and rotation-invariant atom-centered local descriptors addresses some of the major challenges faced by similar methods. Our models require only small sets of known structures as training data. Furthermore, the approach is able to generate both non-periodic and periodic structures based on local coordination. We showcase the data efficiency and versatility of the approach by recovering all stable C5H12O isomers using only 39 C4H10O and C6H14O training examples, as well as a few randomly selected known low-energy SiO2 crystal structures utilizing only 167 training examples of other SiO2 crystal structures. We also introduce a filtration technique to reduce the computational cost of subsequent characterization steps by selecting samples from unique basins on the potential energy surface, which allows to minimize the number of geometry relaxations needed after structure generation. The present method thus represents a new, versatile approach to generative modeling of crystal and molecular structures in the low-data regime, and is available as open-source.
WBC-KICNet: knowledge-infused convolutional neural network for white blood cell classification
Authors: P Jeneessha , Balasubramanian Vinoth Kumar , Murugappan M
Published: September 2024

White blood cells (WBCs) are useful for diagnosing infectious diseases and infections. Machine learning and deep learning have been used to classify WBCs from blood smear images. Despite advances in machine learning, there has been little research on applying medical domain knowledge to convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to improve WBC classification. The existing models are often inaccurate, rely on manual input, and fail to incorporate external medical knowledge into decision-making. This study used the blood cell count and detection dataset which contains images of monocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils for WBC classification. In this paper, we propose a CNN model for WBC classification called WBC-KICNet (knowledge-infused convolutional neural network). The present work uses two CNN models: the first model generates the knowledge vector from input images and the domain expert (hematologist); the second model extracts deep features from the input image. A feature fusion mechanism is then used to combine these two features to classify the WBCs. Several metrics have been used to evaluate the performance of the WBC-KICNet model. These measures yielded impressive results. Accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, and F1-score were rated 99.22%, 99.25%, 99%, 99.77%, and 99.25%, respectively. In each of the WBC classes, accuracy rates are: 98.7% for eosinophils, 99.83% for lymphocytes, 100% for monocytes, and 98.32% for neutrophils. As a result, the proposed WBC-KICNet classifies WBCs accurately and without much misclassification, and the results have been confirmed by a statistical hypothesis test (t-test).
Environmental savings from concrete reuse: examining the limitations and optimal practices for cutting thresholds of concrete building components for reuse
Authors: Xiong Shuyan , Frossard Mija , Lasvaux Sébastien , Zea Escamilla Edwin , Habert Guillaume
Published: September 2024

Concrete, a widely used construction material, presents both opportunities and challenges for promoting environmentally responsible practices. This research focuses on the concept of concrete reuse as a sustainable strategy, examining the limitations of cutting dimensions. To investigate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with preparing concrete for reuse, a mathematical model was developed considering several factors, such as transportation emissions, energy used in cutting, and the effects of varying cutting performance and energy sources. By incorporating real-life data and connecting with industrial practices, this study establishes a screening standard to determine the minimum cutting size for concrete reuse. The results indicate that the ratio of transportation distances for the reuse case versus the new production of concrete case has an influence on the minimum cutting size for concrete reuse. Moreover, the cutting size itself significantly impacts the overall GHG emissions of the reuse strategy. We offer practical insights for industry stakeholders to optimize concrete reuse practices and effectively reduce GHG emissions. As further research explores cost-effectiveness and on-site case studies, the potential for large-scale implementation of concrete reuse has become increasingly promising. Thus, concrete reuse has emerged as a viable and effective approach to sustainable construction, provided that the minimum cutting dimensions are carefully considered.
Racial Differences in the Association Between Loneliness and Cognitive Impairment Among Older Black and White Men
Authors: Beech Bettina M , Bruce Marino A , Siddhanta Ankita , Marshall Gillian L , Whitfield Keith E , Thorpe Roland J
Published: September 2024

Background

Loneliness is a biopsychosocial stressor linked to poor health outcomes including dementia. Few studies have focused on this association among men and even fewer have examined racial disparities in loneliness and cognitive functioning among this group. The purpose of this study was to examine racial differences in the association between loneliness and cognitive functioning among men in the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included Black and White men who completed the core questionnaire and the Leave Behind Questionnaire (n = 2 227). Any cognitive impairment was the primary outcome and was measured by a dichotomous variable derived from a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Loneliness was the primary independent variable and was derived from the 3-item University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. Modified Poisson regression models with robust standard errors were estimated to generate prevalence ratios (PRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

Black men comprised 18.4% of the study sample; however, the proportion of this group with scores indicating cognitive impairment (35.9%) doubled the corresponding percentage of white men (17.6%). Findings from race-stratified modified Poisson regression models indicated that loneliness was associated with a higher prevalence of any cognitive impairment for White men (PR = 1.24, CI: 1.05–1.47), but not for Black men (PR = 0.92, CI: 0.73–1.16).

Conclusions

Our results underscore the complexity of race when investigating the association between loneliness and cognitive impairment among older men. Additional studies are needed to further examine how loneliness may have racially distinct implications for cognitive outcomes among the population.
Leapfrogging Sycamore: Harnessing 1432 GPUs for 7× faster quantum random circuit sampling
Authors: Zhao Xian-He , Zhong Han-Sen , Pan Feng , Chen Zi-Han , Fu Rong , Su Zhongling , Xie Xiaotong , Zhao Chaoxing , Zhang Pan , Ouyang Wanli , Lu Chao-Yang , Pan Jian-Wei , Chen Ming-Cheng
Published: September 2024

Random quantum circuit sampling serves as a benchmark to demonstrate quantum computational advantage. Recent progress in classical algorithms, especially those based on tensor network methods, has significantly reduced the classical simulation time and challenged the claim of the first-generation quantum advantage experiments. However, in terms of generating uncorrelated samples, time-to-solution, and energy consumption, previous classical simulation experiments still underperform the Sycamore processor. Here we report an energy-efficient classical simulation algorithm, using 1432 GPUs to simulate quantum random circuit sampling which generates uncorrelated samples with higher linear cross entropy score and is 7 times faster than the Sycamore 53 qubits experiment. We propose a post-processing algorithm to reduce the overall complexity, and integrate state-of-the-art high-performance general-purpose GPU to achieve two orders of lower energy consumption compared to previous works. Our work provides the first unambiguous experimental evidence to refute Sycamore’s claim of quantum advantage, and redefines the boundary of quantum computational advantage using random circuit sampling.
Regev HBX, a New Hybrid Fungicide for Pecan Scab Control
Authors: Tedford Eric C. , Brenneman Timothy B. , Jo Young-Ki , Goetze Paul K. , Cloud Gary
Published: September 2024

Pecan scab is one of the most yield-limiting foliar disease of pecans in the United States. Standard practices to control this disease include selection of resistant cultivars and reliance on fungicide spray programs. However, there are a limited number of fungicides registered for control of pecan scab, and repeated use of these fungicides has imposed selection pressure on the fungal pathogen Venturia effusa for resistance development. Regev HBX is a newly registered hybrid fungicide for pecan scab control that contains tea tree oil and the synthetic triazole fungicide difenoconazole. Tea tree oil provides a new and unique mode of activity against both fungal and bacterial plant pathogens, and it has a low risk for resistance development. Five independent field trials were conducted to evaluate Regev HBX for efficacy against pecan scab. Four trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in Georgia, and one trial was conducted in Texas in 2021. Across these trials, Regev HBX either alone or combined with other fungicides in spray programs provided effective control of pecan scab similar to or better than conventional fungicide programs. Tea tree oil alone (Timorex Act) provided significant scab control compared with the untreated controls, indicating that tea tree oil is contributing to pecan scab control provided by Regev HBX.