bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A rodent obstacle course procedure controls delivery of enrichment and enhances complex cognitive functions
Authors: Gattas Sandra , Collett Heather A. , Huff Andrew E. , Creighton Samantha D. , Weber Siobhon E. , Buckhalter Shoshana S. , Manning Silas A. , Ryait Hardeep S. , McNaughton Bruce L. , Winters Boyer D.
Published: September 2022

Enrichment in rodents affects brain structure, improves behavioral performance, and is neuroprotective. Similarly, in humans, according to the cognitive reserve concept, enriched experience is functionally protective against neuropathology. Despite this parallel, the ability to translate rodent studies to human clinical situations is limited. This limitation is likely due to the simple cognitive processes probed in rodent studies and the inability to control, with existing methods, the degree of rodent engagement with enrichment material. We overcome these two difficulties with behavioral tasks that probe, in a fine-grained manner, aspects of higher-order cognition associated with deterioration with aging and dementia, and a new enrichment protocol, the ‘Obstacle Course’ (OC), which enables controlled enrichment delivery, respectively. Together, these two advancements will enable better specification (and comparisons) of the nature of impairments in animal models of complex mental disorders and the potential for remediation from various types of intervention (e.g., enrichment, drugs). We found that two months of OC enrichment produced substantial and sustained enhancements in categorization memory, perceptual object invariance, and cross-modal sensory integration in mice. We also tested mice on behavioral tasks previously shown to benefit from traditional enrichment: spontaneous object recognition, object location memory, and pairwise visual discrimination. OC enrichment improved performance relative to standard housing on all six tasks and was in most cases superior to conventional home-cage enrichment and exercise track groups.
An open source delineation and hierarchical classification of UK retail agglomerations
Authors: Macdonald Jacob L. , Dolega Les , Singleton Alex
Published: September 2022

Town centres and high streets typically form the social and commercial cores of UK cities and towns, yet, there is no uniform definition of what a town centre or high street is. In this study the spatial delineations of retail agglomerations are generated using open-source data for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The extent and boundaries of these physical retail areas are identified based on the density and connectivity patterns of individual retail units over space. A high resolution hexagonal grid is superimposed over spatial clusters of retail points and a network-based algorithm used to identify mutually exclusive tracts. Agglomerations are then pruned and fine-tuned according to a series of heuristic rules. Our retail agglomerations represent local commerce areas with shopping amenities and are assigned to a hierarchical classification ranking from the largest Regional Centres, Major Town Centres and Town Centres, down to Small Local Centres and Retail Parks. The classification into one of eleven hierarchies is based on a combination of relative rank in the local area and absolute size of retail units within the area. These retail agglomeration boundaries, hierarchical classification and lookups form an open-source spatial data product available for wide use and research implementation.
Preparation and DFT studies of chiral Cu (I)-complexes of biphenyl bisoxazolines and their application in enantioselective Kharasch–Sosnovsky reaction
Authors: Samadi Saadi , Arvinnezhad Hamid , Mansoori Sirwan , Parsa Hadi
Published: September 2022

Effect of a range of t-butyl perbenzoates bearing electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substitutions on the phenyl ring and HZSM-5 as a porous additive at 0 °C in enantioselective allylic C–H bond oxidation of cyclic and acyclic olefins in the presence of Cu (I)-(S,aS,S) complexes of biphenyl bisoxazoline ligands, produced easily through the chelation-induced process, were investigated. The enantioenriched allylic esters were obtained in reasonable times with excellent enantioselectivities and yields using electron-withdrawing substituted peresters in the presence of Cu (I)-(S,aS,S)-1a complex, containing phenyl groups at the stereogenic centers of the oxazoline moieties. To reach a better insight on geometry, chemical activity, enantioselectivity, and thermodynamic stability of the Cu (I)-BOX complexes, DFT calculations with B3LYP-D3/6-31G (d, p) level of theory were applied to them. Moreover, NBO analysis was used to illustrate interactions between orbitals.
Holocene centennial variability in sea surface temperature and linkage with solar irradiance
Authors: Bae Si Woong , Lee Kyung Eun , Ko Tae Wook , Kim Ryoung Ah , Park Young-Gyu
Published: September 2022

The climate periodically fluctuates on various time scales, however, there remains a lack of consensus on the centennial-scale variabilities and associated driving force. A continuous high-resolution sea surface temperature (SST) record allows for the detection of centennial-scale fluctuations. This study presents a high-resolution SST record covering the last 10,000 years based on the analysis of the alkenone unsaturation index in marine sediment cores off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula. Alkenone SST's spectral and wavelet analysis revealed significant periodicities of 414, 190, 135, 102, and 89 years at a > 90% confidence level. These cycles exhibit extreme proximity to the solar activity cycles of 353, 206 (Suess/de Vries cycles), 130, and 104–87 years (Gleissberg cycles), suggesting that the multidecadal to centennial variations in SST are linked to solar forcing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first high-resolution Holocene SST record that all solar activity cycles on centennial scale match, suggesting centennial-scale variability in the climate system and illustrating the role of solar activity on SST change in the mid-latitude region of the Northern Hemisphere.
Pd on cyclotriphosphazen-hexa imine decorated boehmite as an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation of nitro arenes under mild reaction condition
Authors: Sadjadi Samahe , Abedian-Dehaghani Neda , Heravi Majid M.
Published: September 2022

Cyclotriphosphazen-hexa imine ligand was prepared through successive reactions of phosphonitrilchloride trimer with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and (3-aminopropyl) triethoxy silane. The as-prepared ligand was then covalently grafted on boehmite to furnish an efficient support for the immobilization of Pd nanoparticles and synthesis of a novel heterogeneous catalyst for hydrogenation of nitro arenes. The catalytic tests revealed that the catalyst had excellent catalytic activity for hydrogenation of various nitro arenes with different steric and electronic features under mild reaction condition in aqueous media. Noteworthy, the catalyst was highly selective and in the substrates with ketone or aldehyde functionalities, reduction of nitro group was only observed. The catalyst was also recyclable and only slight loss of activity was detected after each recycling run. Hot filtration test also approved true heterogeneous nature of catalysis.
Theoretical studies on donor–acceptor based macrocycles for organic solar cell applications
Authors: Haseena Sheik , Ravva Mahesh Kumar
Published: September 2022

We have designed a series of new conjugated donor–acceptor-based macrocyclic molecules using state-of-the-art computational methods. An alternating array of donors and acceptor moieties in these macrocycle molecules are considered to tune the electronic and optical properties. The geometrical, electronic, and optical properties of newly designed macrocyclic molecules are fully explored using various DFT methods. Five conjugated macrocycles of different sizes are designed considering various donor and acceptor units. The selected donor and acceptors, viz., thiophene (PT), benzodithiophene (BDT), dithienobenzodithiophene (DTBDT), diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP), and benzothiazole (BT), are frequently found in high performing conjugated polymer for different organic electronic applications. To fully assess the potential of these designed macrocyclic derivatives, analyses of frontier molecular orbital energies, excited state energies, energy difference between singlet–triplet states, exciton binding energies, rate constants related to charge transfer at the donor–acceptor interfaces, and electron mobilities have been carried out. We found significant structural and electronic properties changes between cyclic compounds and their linear counterparts. Overall, the cyclic conjugated D–A macrocycles’ promising electronic and optical properties suggest that these molecules can be used to replace linear polymer molecules with cyclic conjugated oligomers.
Shear strength deterioration effect of rock mass joint surface under cyclic shear load
Authors: Zhang Heng , Dong Shan , Lu Zhichun , Peng Yulin , Hou Weihua
Published: September 2022

Understanding the shear strength degradation mechanism of a rock mass joint surface under cyclic shear load and determining a corresponding analytical model is an important foundation for accurately evaluating the safety of rock mass engineering under seismic loads. It is worth noting that, to date, there has been a dearth of studies on the strength characteristics of joint surfaces that consider the number of loading cycles, normal load, and initial undulant angle of the structural plane. In this study, focused on the behaviour of sandstone, the particle flow code (PFC) modelling framework was used to simulate a joint surface cyclic shear test considering first- and second-order undulations. Based on the experimental results, the comprehensive effects of the number of cyclic shear cycles, the normal stress, first- and second-order undulation and the dilatancy angle on shear stress during cyclic shear were analysed. Formulas for the joint surface shear basic friction angle and dilatancy angle under cyclic shear were proposed, and a method for calculating the joint surface peak shear strength under cyclic shear considering the deterioration of the dilatancy angle and basic friction angle was established. The peak shear strength of a sample after five cycles of shearing was calculated using the proposed formula and compared with the results of numerical simulations, the Barton method, and the Homand method. The results showed that the calculated values have good consistency with the results of the numerical simulations, demonstrating the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed formula. However, under a low normal stress, there could be errors in estimating the cyclic shear strength of the joint surface.
Clinical significance of gastroesophageal reflux disease with minimal change: a multicenter prospective observational study
Authors: Manabe Noriaki , Joh Takashi , Higuchi Kazuhide , Iwakiri Katsuhiko , Kamiya Takeshi , Haruma Ken , Nakada Koji
Published: September 2022

Non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) is classified into grade N (no minimal change) and grade M (minimal change) based on the Los Angeles classification. However, few reports have described the clinical characteristics of grade M. This study was performed to clarify the clinical characteristics of grade M. Among 290 consecutive patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), 45 patients with grade M, 62 patients with grade N, and 94 patients with grade A were compared with respect to clinical differences. The degree of symptom improvement after 4 weeks of proton pump inhibitor administration was also prospectively compared among the three groups. Grades N and M showed no or little difference in the patients’ backgrounds (including sex and body mass index), GERD/functional dyspepsia symptom scores, life dissatisfaction (diet, sleep, work, and mood), Short Form-8 (mental component summary) scores, and symptom improvement. In contrast, significant differences were present between grades M and A as well as between grades N and A. The overall results of our study suggest that the distinction between grade M and grade N is of little clinical significance from the viewpoint of clinical characteristics.
In-depth photocarrier dynamics in a barrier variable iron-oxide and vertically aligned reduced-graphene oxide composite
Authors: Kohan Mojtaba Gilzad , Dobryden Illia , Forchheimer Daniel , Concina Isabella , Vomiero Alberto
Published: September 2022

A key requirement for semiconductors operating in light-harvesting devices, is to efficiently convert the absorbed photons to electronic excitations while accommodating low loss pathways for the photogenerated carrier’s transport. The quality of this process corresponds to different relaxation phenomena, yet primarily it corresponds to minimized thermalization of photoexcited carriers and maximum transfer of electron-hole pairs in the bulk of semiconductor. However, several semiconductors, while providing a suitable platform for light-harvesting applications, pose intrinsic low carrier diffusion length of photoexcited carriers. Here we report a system based on a vertical network of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) embedded in a thin-film structure of iron oxide semiconductor, intended to exploit fast electron transport in rGO to increase the photoexcited carrier transfer from the bulk of the semiconductor to rGO and then to the external circuit. Using intermodulation conductive force microscopy, we locally monitored the fluctuation of current output, which is the prime indication of successful charge transfer from photoexcited semiconductor to rGO and efficient charge collection from the bulk of the semiconductor. We reveal the fundamental properties of vertical rGO and semiconductor junction in light-harvesting systems that enable the design of new promising materials for broad-band optical applications.
Lessons learned from recruiting into a longitudinal remote measurement study in major depressive disorder
Authors: Oetzmann Carolin , White Katie M. , Ivan Alina , Julie Jessica , Leightley Daniel , Lavelle Grace , Lamers Femke , Siddi Sara , Annas Peter , Garcia Sara Arranz , Haro Josep Maria , Mohr David C. , Penninx Brenda W. J. H. , Simblett Sara K. , Wykes Til , Narayan Vaibhav A. , Hotopf Matthew , Matcham Faith ,   RADAR-CNS consortium
Published: September 2022

The use of remote measurement technologies (RMTs) across mobile health (mHealth) studies is becoming popular, given their potential for providing rich data on symptom change and indicators of future state in recurrent conditions such as major depressive disorder (MDD). Understanding recruitment into RMT research is fundamental for improving historically small sample sizes, reducing loss of statistical power, and ultimately producing results worthy of clinical implementation. There is a need for the standardisation of best practices for successful recruitment into RMT research. The current paper reviews lessons learned from recruitment into the Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse- Major Depressive Disorder (RADAR-MDD) study, a large-scale, multi-site prospective cohort study using RMT to explore the clinical course of people with depression across the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain. More specifically, the paper reflects on key experiences from the UK site and consolidates these into four key recruitment strategies, alongside a review of barriers to recruitment. Finally, the strategies and barriers outlined are combined into a model of lessons learned. This work provides a foundation for future RMT study design, recruitment and evaluation.
Low dose rate γ-irradiation protects fruit fly chromosomes from double strand breaks and telomere fusions by reducing the esi-RNA biogenesis factor Loquacious
Authors: Porrazzo A. , Cipressa F. , De Gregorio A. , De Pittà C. , Sales G. , Ciapponi L. , Morciano P. , Esposito G. , Tabocchini M. A. , Cenci G.
Published: September 2022

It is still continuously debated whether the low-dose/dose-rate (LDR) of ionizing radiation represents a hazard for humans. Model organisms, such as fruit flies, are considered valuable systems to reveal insights into this issue. We found that, in wild-type Drosophila melanogaster larval neuroblasts, the frequency of Chromosome Breaks (CBs), induced by acute γ-irradiation, is considerably reduced when flies are previously exposed to a protracted dose of 0.4 Gy delivered at a dose rate of 2.5 mGy/h. This indicates that this exposure, which is associated with an increased expression of DNA damage response proteins, induces a radioadaptive response (RAR) that protects Drosophila from extensive DNA damage. Interestingly, the same exposure reduces the frequency of telomere fusions (TFs) from Drosophila telomere capping mutants suggesting that the LDR can generally promote a protective response on chromatin sites that are recognized as DNA breaks. Deep RNA sequencing revealed that RAR is associated with a reduced expression of Loquacious D (Loqs-RD) gene that encodes a well-conserved dsRNA binding protein required for esiRNAs biogenesis. Remarkably, loss of Loqs mimics the LDR-mediated chromosome protection as it decreases the IR-induced CBs and TFs frequency. Thus, our molecular characterization of RAR identifies Loqs as a key factor in the cellular response to LDR and in the epigenetic routes involved in radioresistance.
Halogen ion modified Ag NPs for ultrasensitive SERS detection of nitroaromatic explosives
Authors: Wang Dongmei , Gong Zhengjun , Tang Mi , Fan Wanli , Huang Bing , Fan Meikun
Published: September 2022

Iodine ion was used to modify citrate reduced Ag NPs for the ultrasensitive SERS detection of nitroaromatic explosives.
Nanoparticle/metal–organic framework hybrid catalysts: elucidating the role of the MOF
Authors: Mukoyoshi Megumi , Kitagawa Hiroshi
Published: September 2022

This feature article highlights recent advances in hybrid catalysts of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and nanoparticles (NPs), focusing on the analysis of the interaction between NPs and MOFs and the reaction mechanisms.
Electrochemical α-C(sp3)–H/O–H cross-coupling of isochromans and alcohols assisted by benzoic acid
Authors: Wang Zhuang , Niu Kaikai , Liu Yuxiu , Song Hongjian , Wang Qingmin
Published: September 2022

We report a mild, convenient protocol for synthesis of α-alkoxy isochroman derivatives by means of electrochemical α-C(sp3)–H/O–H cross-coupling reactions of isochromans and alcohols in the presence of benzoic acid.
Construction and structural transformation of two coordination sphere supramolecular isomers based on Co(ii) and 4-(2-pyridyl)-NH-1,2,3-triazole via one-pot synthesis
Authors: Wan Li , Chen Yunzhou , Zhang Yuexing , Peng Xu , Chen Sihuai , Jia Lihui
Published: September 2022

Two coordination sphere supramolecular isomers based on Co(ii) have been obtained via one-pot synthesis. The structural transformation process has been investigated with the help of mass spectroscopy and theoretical calculations.
Energy transfer dynamics and the mechanism of biohybrid photosynthetic antenna complexes chemically linked with artificial chromophores
Authors: Yoneda Yusuke , Noji Tomoyasu , Mizutani Naoto , Kato Daiji , Kondo Masaharu , Miyasaka Hiroshi , Nagasawa Yutaka , Dewa Takehisa
Published: September 2022

The energy transfer dynamics of the biohybrid photosynthetic antenna complexes were investigated by transient absorption. The mechanism of energy transfer was discussed in terms of the higher-lying exciton state of bacteriochlorophyll aggregates.
Reaction mechanism of the PuDddK dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase and cofactor effects of various transition metal ions
Authors: Wang Ying , Chen Shi-Lu
Published: September 2022

The mechanism of PuDddK (a DMSP lyase) and cofactor effects of various transition metal ions were revealed by density functional calculations.
Vanadium pyridonates: dimerization, redox behaviour, and metal–ligand cooperativity
Authors: Griffin Samuel E. , Adamczyk Olivia V. , Schafer Laurel L.
Published: September 2022

The synthesis, structure, and reactivity of vanadium pyridonate complexes are described. Amine-mediated reduction of V(iv) to V(iii) is proposed to proceed via the formation of dimeric intermediates.
Bacterial M10 metallopeptidase as a medicinal target – coordination chemistry of possible metal-based inhibition
Authors: Potok Paulina , Potocki Sławomir
Published: September 2022

Copper and nickel can displace the essential-for-activity zinc in the catalytic site of metallopeptidase – an important bacterial virulence factor. This may lead to the inhibition of enzyme and disease development.
Chiral functionalization of solid surfaces with amino acid derivatives: diazonium grafting regulated by enantioselective processes
Authors: Zong Yufen , Zhang Chunmei , Cao Hai
Published: September 2022

At a liquid/solid interface, not only compounds that dissolve in solution, but also grafted organic moieties on a surface have an impact on the covalent chiral functionalization of solid surfaces.
Governing PbI6octahedral frameworks for high-stability perovskite solar modules
Authors: Feng Qifan , Huang Xiaofeng , Tang Ziheng , Hou Yaolin , Chang Qing , Nie Siqing , Cao Fang , Niu Xiaoying , Yin Jun , Li Jing , Zheng Nanfeng , Wu Binghui
Published: September 2022

Chemical encapsulation by bifunctional molecules is used to effectively protect perovskite-involved multi-interfaces of perovskite solar modules, resulting in high efficiency and stability comparable to that of commercialized silicon solar cells.
Deep defect passivation and shallow vacancy repairviaan ionic silicone polymer toward highly stable inverted perovskite solar cells
Authors: Wang Tong , Li Yuke , Cao Qi , Yang Jiabao , Yang Bowen , Pu Xingyu , Zhang Youzi , Zhao Junsong , Zhang Yixin , Chen Hui , Hagfeldt Anders , Li Xuanhua
Published: September 2022

A novel ionic silicone polymer is introduced in perovskites to achieve stable inverted perovskite solar cells with high efficiency by deep defect passivation and shallow vacancy repair simultaneously.
Surface functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol)–hydrous zirconium oxide composite beads for efficient and selective sequestration of phosphate from wastewater
Authors: Luo Huayong , Zhang Mingxuan , Rong Hongwei , Chen Zuhao , Zeng Xueyang , Wang Jingyin , Liu Binhua , Liao Peng
Published: September 2022

Surface functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol)–hydrous zirconium oxide composite beads can efficient and selective sequestration of phosphate from real-wastewater, expanding the application scope of zirconium-based materials for phosphate sequestration.
Green chemical pathway of plasma synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and water: a comparative kinetic study with a N2/H2 system
Authors: Hong Jungmi , Zhang Tianqi , Zhou Renwu , Dou Liguang , Zhang Shuai , Zhou Rusen , Ashford Bryony , Shao Tao , Murphy Anthony B. , Ostrikov Kostya (Ken) , Cullen Patrick J.
Published: September 2022

This work demonstrates alternative green ammonia processing using nitrogen and water based non-thermal plasma without pure hydrogen supply which results in an enormous amount of CO2 emission.
Zigzag microchannel for rigid inertial separation and enrichment (Z-RISE) of cells and particles
Authors: Razavi Bazaz Sajad , Mihandust Asma , Salomon Robert , Joushani Hossein Ahmadi Nejad , Li Wenyan , A. Amiri Hoseyn , Mirakhorli Fateme , Zhand Sareh , Shrestha Jesus , Miansari Morteza , Thierry Benjamin , Jin Dayong , Ebrahimi Warkiani Majid
Published: September 2022

Overview of the zigzag microchannel for rigid inertial separation and enrichment (Z-RISE). The proposed device has superior performance for particle focusing and separation.
Sustainable scale resistance on a bioinspired synergistic microspine coating with a collectible liquid barrier
Authors: Zang Ruhua , Wang Yixuan , Meng Jingxin , Chen Wei , Wang Bing , Xu Xuetao , He Xiao , Yang Hui , Li Kan , Wang Shutao
Published: September 2022

Here, we design a bioinspired long-term oil collectible mask (BLOCK) coating via a synergistically bioinspired strategy, conquering the scaling problem under dynamic multi-phase environments.
Proton conductivity dependence on the surface polymer thickness of core–shell type nanoparticles in a proton exchange membrane
Authors: Tabata Keisuke , Nohara Tomohiro , Nakazaki Haruki , Makino Tsutomu , Saito Takaaki , Arita Toshihiko , Masuhara Akito
Published: September 2022

The proton conductivity and activation energy of core–shell type nanoparticles were increased with increasing PVPA (shell) thickness. It is difficult to achieve both high proton conductivity and low activation energy with excessive PVPA thickness.
Preparation of flexible and free-standing polypyrrole/graphene film electrodes for supercapacitors
Authors: Li Zhimin , Yao Mingxiang , Zhang Lantian , Gou Shuqi , Zhang Ziyu , Yang Yuying , Hu Zhongai
Published: September 2022

A free-standing polypyrrole/graphene film (PGF) electrode with an excellent electrochemical performance was obtained using spin coating and hydrothermal methods.
Iron pyrophosphate doped carbon nanocomposite for tetracycline degradation by activation of peroxymonosulfate
Authors: Ma Qian , Sun Yu , Zhang Chuning , Xue Yinghao , Chen Yanyan , Teng Wei , Fan Jianwei
Published: September 2022

An Fe2P2O7@C catalyst was synthesized by simple carbonization of complex precursors and showed strong resistance to interference.
Synthesis of nano-crystallite gypsum and bassanite from waste Pila globosa shells: crystallographic characterization
Authors: Hossain Md. Sahadat , Ahmed Samina
Published: September 2022

For the first time, in this work, waste Pila globosa shells have been used to synthesize two industrially valuable materials, gypsum and bassanite.
Self-healing polyacrylamide (PAAm) gels at room temperature based on complementary guanine and cytosine base pairs
Authors: Wei Yingying , Chen Ling , Jiang Yong
Published: September 2022

The unique properties of self-healing materials hold great potential in many fields because they can repair themselves automatically and have an improved service time.
Recent progress on smart hydrogels for biomedicine and bioelectronics
Authors: Zou Fa , Xu Jiefang , Yuan Le , Zhang Qinyong , Jiang Lili
Published: September 2022

The increasing development of biomedicine and bioelectronics has highlighted the requirement for smart materials that can respond to changes in physical and chemical properties under external environments, such as magnetic fields, electric fields, and temperature. Accordingly, hydrogels have been widely evaluated as promising candidates for smart materials owing to their intriguing structures comprising a cross‐linked network of polymer chains with interstitial spaces filled with solvent water. This feature endows hydrogels with soft and wet characteristics, which not only induce high tissue affinity but also allow the introduction of environmentally responsive nanoparticles to release specific smart properties. Herein, we reviewed novel smart hydrogels that can be applied in biomedicine and bioelectronics, and highlighted and discussed existing challenges in current technologies and research.
Recent progress of bioinspired cartilage hydrogel lubrication materials
Authors: Zhao Xiaoduo , Zhao Weiyi , Zhang Yunlei , Zhang Xiaoqing , Ma Zhengfeng , Wang Rui , Wei Qiangbing , Ma Shuanhong , Zhou Feng
Published: September 2022

Hydrogels have been considered as potential candidates for cartilage replacement due to their high‐water content, extreme network hydration, excellent biocompatibility and tunable mechanical properties. Currently, the development of high‐performance cartilage‐inspired hydrogel lubrication materials has become a hot topic in the field of biomedical materials. This review focusses on the recent development of cartilage‐inspired high‐strength hydrogels from the viewpoints of bionic surface/interface and biotribology. Specifically, the composition structure and extraordinary lubrication mechanism of the natural articular cartilage are overviewed first. Subsequently, some of the novel biomimetic design strategies for preparing high strength cartilage hydrogels with various network structures are summarised in detail, while systematic evaluation of lubrication properties and mechanisms are discussed. Furthermore, new surface modification means for improving the lubrication feature of high strength cartilage hydrogel materials are presented. In addition, in order to demonstrate the application potential of cartilage hydrogels in clinical, several bonding methods to decorate hydrogels onto surfaces of natural bone tissues or artificial joint materials are introduced. Finally, current challenges and future research directions are discussed for cartilage‐inspired hydrogel lubrication materials.
Automatic generation of threat paths in internet of things‐based systems
Authors: Ramazanzadeh Mohammad Ali , Barzegar Behnam , Motameni Homayun
Published: September 2022

Today, ‘security challenge’ is considered a commonly‐used catchword when it comes to emerging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT). Turning a blind eye to this challenge can sometimes lead to irreparable human and financial damage in everyday life. Threat modelling, despite being time consuming, complex, and error‐prone, is still recognized as a preventative solution in the design phase. The method proposed in this paper, called automatic generation of threat paths, is suggested as an automated solution to the problem of identifying and determining potential threats. The proposed method is the improved and robust development of automated modelling and the introduction of the integration of new features (such as conditional probability and security) with the techniques of previous generations (such as Petri Nets (PNs)). The proposed method is evaluated using different security scenarios, and the results show that the proposed method outperforms other manual methods in this domain in terms of both time and cost (99.9% and 98.05%, respectively).
A recursive identification algorithm for linear discrete periodic systems
Authors: Lv Lingling , Zheng Bingqian , Zhang Jinhua , Zhang Lei
Published: September 2022

The parameter identification problem of linear discrete period time‐varying (LDPV) systems is studied in this paper and a two‐step identification algorithm based on the recursive least squares principle is proposed. The recursive principle‐based identification algorithm is mostly used to deal with the parameter identification of time‐invariant systems. Combine with the cyclic reconstruction method, the LDPV system is converted to a linear time‐invariant system. Then, based on this and combined with recursive least squares identification, a discrimination algorithm is proposed for the parameter estimation of the LDPV system. Finally, a numerical simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Range‐free disparity estimation with self‐adaptive dual‐matching
Authors: Sun Shuqiao , liu Rongke , Sun Shantong
Published: September 2022

Depth estimation from stereo images is an important task in computer vision. Despite of the great contributions that are made in this field, most matching‐based methods still face the limitations brought by a pre‐set‐fixed disparity range. Stereo matching is reconsidered using a specially designed dual‐matching method with a cross‐attention mechanism, which liberates the algorithm from manually pre‐specified disparity ranges and the performance is guaranteed without re‐training when the camera rig varies. Moreover, to tackle the mismatches on edges and details, an exquisite module is designed based on left‐right consistency, which further refines the estimated disparity map. The efficient multi‐scale aggregation is done with both 2D and 3D convolutional layers and the proposed method is proved to be competitive and effective by experiments conducted under popular benchmarks.
Variable‐structure copula model for multi‐scenario bi‐level transmission and generation expansion planning
Authors: Wang Yurong , Yang Ruolin , Li Fangxing , Tang Yi , Zhao Xin
Published: September 2022

With the large‐scale integration of renewable energy into power systems, the strong correlation of wind power output as an important feature will inevitably bring huge impact on power grid planning and operation. However, due to the proliferation of planning and operation scenarios, the traditional power grid planning method can no longer guarantee the operation flexibility and stability under the fluctuation of new energy. In this work, a bi‐level transmission and generation expansion planning (TGEP) model considering the correlation of wind power based on mixed integer linear programming (MILP) is proposed. Firstly, a variable‐structure point diagnosis method is proposed to improve the fitting accuracy of the correlation. Secondly, a scenario reduction method considering the correlation, joint probability distribution and geometric characteristics is proposed, which effectively provides a more matching operating scenarios basis for planning. Thirdly, a multi‐scenario bi‐level TGEP model is proposed. The upper‐level investment decision model aims at the economical goal, while the lower‐level multi‐scenario coordinated optimization operation model aims to minimize the weighted operation index. The impact of the correlation on the results of TGEP is examined and verified in case study.
Brain tumour detection in magnetic resonance imaging using Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation neural network
Authors: Ghahramani Marzieh , Shiri Nabiollah
Published: September 2022

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a high‐quality medical image that is used to detect brain tumours in a complex and time‐consuming manner. In this study, a back propagation neural network (BPNN) along with the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm (LMA) is proposed to classify MRIs and diagnose brain tumours in a simple and fast process. The BPNN has 10 neurons in the hidden layer, and the default function of the feedforward feeds is mean squared error (MSE). The LMA is optimized as a multivariable adaptive approach and considerably decreases the MSE of the BPNN, so the errors of the tumour classification are diminished. The proposed method follows four steps including preprocessing, skull removal, feature extraction, and classification. The input MRIs are converted to greyscale, resized, and thresholding is performed in the preprocessing step and followed by skull removal. Morphological operations of closing, opening, and dilation are used to segment abnormal areas in the MRIs, and the opening operator recognizes the tumour more accurately. Using statistical analysis and a grey‐level co‐occurrence matrix (GLCM) 12 features are extracted from the MRIs and used as the inputs of the BPNN. To evaluate the proposed method, 670 normal and 670 abnormal brain MRIs are used as input data, and the classification is performed in 0.494 s. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, dice, recall, and MSE are 98.7%, 97.61%, 99.7%, 97.61%, 98.6%, 97.61%, and 0.005, respectively. The approach is accurate and fast for medical images classification.
Recent progress in the security evaluation of multivariate public‐key cryptography
Authors: Ikematsu Yasuhiko , Nakamura Shuhei , Takagi Tsuyoshi
Published: September 2022

Multivariate public‐key cryptography (MPKC) is considered a leading candidate for post‐quantum cryptography (PQC). It is based on the hardness of the multivariate quadratic polynomial (MQ) problem, which is a problem of finding a solution to a system of quadratic equations over a finite field. In this paper, we survey some recent progress in the security analysis of MPKC. Among various existing multivariate schemes, the most important one is the Rainbow signature scheme proposed by Ding et al. in 2005, which was later selected as a finalist in the third round of the PQC standardization project by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Under the circumstances, some recent research studies in MPKC have focussed on the security analysis of the Rainbow scheme. In this paper, the authors first explain efficient algorithms for solving the MQ problem and the research methodology for estimating their complexity in MPKC. Then, the authors survey some recent results related to the security analysis of the Rainbow scheme. In particular, the authors provide a detailed description of the complexity analysis for solving the bi‐graded polynomial systems studied independently by Nakamura et al. and Smith‐Tone et al., and then expound the rectangular MinRank attack against Rainbow proposed by Beullens.
Optimal power allocation in serial relay‐assisted underwater wireless optical communication systems
Authors: Rabbani Hamed , Nezamalhosseini S. Alireza , Chen Lawrence R. , Beheshti‐Shirazi AliAsghar
Published: September 2022

For a serial relaying underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) system with ON‐OFF keying modulation, we theoretically evaluate the optimal power allocation techniques in order to minimise the end‐to‐end bit error rate (BER), subject to transmission power constraints. At first, we evaluate the end‐to‐end BER with respect to all degrading effects of the UWOC channel, namely scattering, absorption, and turbulence‐induced fading and then develop a closed‐form BER expression as a function of transceiver parameters and water type. The optimal power allocation methods are obtained using the perfect channel state information available at the receiver (CSIR) and transmitter (CSIT) for both detect‐and‐forward (DF) and amplify‐and‐forward (AF) serial relaying systems. For each relaying method, we consider a dual‐hop UWOC system and determine optimal power allocation to minimise the BER. Afterwards, the optimal power allocation in a multi‐hop system is obtained to minimise the end‐to‐end BER. Compared to the equal power allocation, our results illustrate that UWOC relaying systems with optimal power allocation can significantly improve the end‐to‐end BER and expand the communication link. For instance, the proposed power allocation method for the DF and AF relay node in a 60 m single relay system improves the system performance at the BER of 10−5 by 2.5 and 1.8 dB compared to the equal power allocation, respectively.
Optimal operation of virtual power plants with shared energy storage
Authors: Chen Wenxule , Xiang Yue , Liu Junyong
Published: September 2022

The emergence of the shared energy storage mode provides a solution for promoting renewable energy utilization. However, how establishing a multi‐agent optimal operation model in dealing with benefit distribution under the shared energy storage is still a challenge. Considering the multi‐agent integrated virtual power plant (VPP) taking part in the electricity market, an energy trading model based on the sharing mechanism is proposed to explore the effect of the shared energy storage on multiple virtual power plants (MVPPs). To analyse the relationship among MVPPs in the shared energy storage system (SESS), a game‐theoretic method is introduced to simulate the bidding behaviour of VPP. Furthermore, the benefit distribution problem of the virtual power plant operator (VPPO) is formulated based on the Nash bargaining theory. In the case study, the proposed method is conducted in four VPPs with different resource endowments in terms of techno‐economic and operation efficiency. Results verify that the multiple virtual power plants with a shared energy storage system interconnection system based on the sharing mechanism not only can achieve a win‐win situation between the VPPO and the SESS on an operation cost but also obtain the optimal allocation scheme and improves the operation efficiency of the VPPs.
Auto‐encode the synthesis pseudo features for generalized zero‐shot learning
Authors: Wang Lin , Shen Zhenjun , Wang Guoyong , Song Jianqiang , Wu Qingtao
Published: September 2022

Zero‐shot learning (ZSL) is to identify target categories without labeled data, in which semantic information is used to transfer knowledge from some seen categories. In the existing Generalized Zero‐Shot Learning (GZSL) methods, domains shift problem always appeared during generating feature stage. In order to solve this problem, a new method to Auto‐Encode the Synthesis Pseudo Features for the GZSL task (AESPF‐GZSL) is proposed in this manuscript. Specifically, the AESPF‐GZSL method trains the generated features under the semantic auto‐encoder framework and exploits attention mechanism to train the generated features again. Then, the generated features are input to the classifier. The proposed method is performed on three benchmark data sets referred as to AWA, CUB and SUN. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves the state‐of‐the art classifier accuracy both in ZSL and GZSL settings. In ZSL setting, the classification accuracy of our method is superior to the compared algorithms, improved by 0.40% in AWA and 0.30% in SUN, respectively. And in GZSL setting, the classification accuracy of the method is superior to the comparison algorithm 0.41% in Harmonic mean on AWA, and 1.01%, 0.62%, and 1.05% in training data set, testing data set, and harmonic average on SUN.
Optimal PMU placement problem in octahedral networks
Authors: Prabhu Savari , Deepa S. , Elavarasan Rajvikram Madurai , Hossain Eklas
Published: September 2022

Power utilities must track their power networks to respond to changing demand and availability conditions to ensure effective and efficient operation. As a result, several power companies employ phase measuring units (PMUs) to check their power networks continuously. Supervising an electric power system with the fewest possible measurement equipment is precisely the vertex covering graph-theoretic problem, in which a set D is defined as a power dominating set (PDS) of a graph if it supervises every components (vertices and edges) in the system (with a couple of rules). The γp(G) is the minimal cardinality of a PDS of a graph G. In this present study, the PDS is identified for octahedral networks.
Tail risk management and the skewness premium
Authors: Kipp Martin , Koziol Christian
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we analyze how tail risk impacts both asset prices and the optimal asset allocation. For this purpose, we consider an equilibrium model with investors exhibiting an empirically well-justifiable decreasing relative risk aversion (DRRA) and different investment horizons. In contrast to the seminal CAPM, two fund separation does no longer hold, and investors not only regard one risk measure such as the standard deviation but additionally care for the size of tail risk. The shorter the investment period, the more prone they are to negatively skewed returns. In particular, short-term investors not only hold a lower equity ratio than (else equal) long-term investors do, but they also reduce the fraction of assets with negative tail risk. Consistently, the more short-term investors are in a market, the higher the tail risk premium is, i.e., the additional expected return due to skewness beyond a given standard deviation. Consequently, these theoretical findings allow us to draw empirical predictions about (i) the drivers of the skewness premium, (ii) characteristics for markets in which the premium is especially severe, and (iii) the optimal investors’ asset allocation.
Beauty and chemistry: the independent origins of synthetic lead white in east and west Eurasia
Authors: Han Bin , Zhang Bei , Chong Jianrong , Sun Zhanwei , Yang Yimin
Published: September 2022

Lead white is one of the most important pigments in human history, and its synthesis has promoted the development of art and cosmetics. The corrosion approach to synthesize lead white appeared in Greece during the fourth century BCE, and since then lead white has been produced on a large-scale and widely used in painting and cosmetics across Europe. However, when and how synthetic lead white appeared in east Eurasia and whether it was also involved with beauty remained unclear. Here, we investigate some white cosmetic residues from the Liangdaicun site during the eighth century BCE in northern China through FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDS, radioactive and stable carbon isotope analyses. The results show that these residues were the earliest synthesized lead white in the world to date, which was produced by the precipitation method in solution distinct from the corrosion method practiced in ancient Greece. Thus, the synthesis of lead white should have evolved independently in east and west Eurasia during the first millennium BCE. The mass production of synthetic lead white with lower cost promoted the widespread use of white makeup in China and the Mediterranean World, which triggered a cosmetic revolution and highlighted that the pursuit of beauty stimulated the development of chemistry in human history, especially the earliest wet chemistry practice in China.
Steady flow of power-law fluids past a slotted circular cylinder at low Reynolds number
Authors: Sharma B. , Verma G. , Barman R. N.
Published: September 2022

Steady laminar flow past a slotted circular cylinder was investigated for non-Newtonian power-law fluids at the low Reynolds number (Re) range (5 ⩽ Re ⩽ 40). Flow simulation was carried out for shear-thinning fluids with their power-law indices (n) varying from 0.2 to 1 (n = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1). The normal (case A) and the slotted (case B) circular cylindrical geometries were considered, where the slit was placed between the front and the base pressure stagnation points. A finite volume method was used to calculate the flow field. The flow characteristics, such as flow separation angles, wake size, coefficients of pressure (Cp), and drag (CD), were studied for different Re and n values. For all n values, the slotted cylinder effectively delayed the flow separation. It showed much better pressure recovery than the normal cylinder due to the interaction between the self-bleed from the slit exit to the cylinder wake. The vorticity of this bleed influenced the wake's vorticity, and an increase of 3%–26.4% in higher maximum surface vorticity was reported for the slotted cylinder. An increase of 0.7%–6.5% in the bubble length was observed for the normal cylinder due to early flow separation. An enhanced pressure recovery across the slotted cylinder resulted in a significant drop in the pressure drag with 0.2%–4.56% reduction in the overall drag coefficient.
Internal vortex breakdowns with stair-step change in rotating flows
Authors: Li Cong , Huang Jiping , Fu Weijuan , Song Ge , Chang Yingli , Song Zigen
Published: September 2022

Understanding internal vortex breakdowns (VBs) and their trajectories in sealed cylinders are important for the scientific and industrial applications with which they are linked. However, the fluids in sealed cylinders are often sheared, which makes it difficult to clearly and multidirectionally observe their internal flow patterns simultaneously with existing experimental tools; this results in some important features not being captured. In this work, we performed thousands of numerical simulations in a sealed cylinder utilizing the finite element approach. Abundant internal VB patterns were obtained for different aspect ratios as the Reynolds number (Re) increased. To further quantitatively study the morphological evolution of VBs, we focused on the axial lengths and trajectories of VBs with multiple aspect ratios. Surprisingly, the numbers of VBs in the rotating fluid were not fixed for the same aspect ratio, which also affected the complexity of the VB evolution. In particular, the stair-step changes of the locations of the VB and local extrema of the axial velocity, pressure, and vorticity of the key flows at the axis were revealed in detail. We used the theory of swirl decay to explain the VB formation and stair-step change from an energy perspective and clarified why the pressure minimum was under the center of the VB. The discovery of the stair-step change of the VB provided evidence of the existence of a new class of fluid behavior that may provide insight into vortex control.